Mahindra project report Essay

After concrete efforts of our Management, the students of Kohinoor Management School got this esteemed opportunity to have an Industrial visit to a prestigious company like Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. We appreciate the efforts of the management of KMS & M&M for executing this successful Industrial trip. Introduction to Mahindra: Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is the flagship company of the Mahindra Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. The company was set up in 1945 in Ludhiana as Mahindra by brothers K.C. Mahindra and J.C. Mahindra. Mahindra & Mahindra is a major automobile manufacturer of tractors, utility vehicles, passenger cars, pickups, commercial vehicles; its tractors are sold on six continents. It has acquired plants in China and the United Kingdom, and has three assembly plants in the USA. M&M has a global presence and its products are exported to several countries. Its global subsidiaries  include Mahindra Europe Srl. based in Italy, Mahindra USA Inc., Mahindra South Africa and Mahindra (China) Tractor Co. Ltd. M&M is one of the leading tractor brands in the world by volume. It is also the largest manufacturer of tractors in India with sustained market leadership of over 25 years. It designs, develops, manufactures, and markets tractors as well as farm implements. The Journey Begins†¦. We reached the Mahindra plant at Kandivali, Mumbai. We headed to the Conference room and were briefed about the Company by a presentation on the leadership and the entire group of M&M followed by the Q & A Session which lasted for an hour. The honors were done none other than Mr. Shirish Tawde, the Deputy General Manager (DGM) of the Company. Accompanying him were Mr. Kishor Sonawane (Manger – Business Excellence), Rajendra Sawant (Sr. Manager Business Excellence), Mr. Mahesh Dalvi (Manager – Business Excellence, Sector Sustainability). With such dignitaries explaining us the world of M&M, we were just as grateful. This plant mainly deals in manufacturing of Tractors and Farm Equipments. The plant is one of the oldest manufacturing plants in the production of tractors in India. After decades in leading the tractor sector M&M have diversified into the roots of farming and have positioned themselves in the Farm Sector. After being briefed through the introduction of M&M plant, we were about to explore the India’s most Prestigious Companies. We were divided into 2 groups of 15 people so as to have individual attention . We visited 3 units of the plant right from examination of engine parts, assembling of engine and main manufacturing of tractors. They manufacture 2,00,000 tractors annually. The FES contributes 35% market share. Hands on approach to Production (where theory meets practical): Each Group was taken separately and explained functioning of the plant. A lot of theory is learnt is class regarding how the manufacturing units focus on Total Productivity, Total Quality, Zero Defect, etc†¦but by far this was the  first hands on experience on how does a Manufacturing unit or plant works. Here we are explained about how the assembly line manufacturing process works. This section of the plant deals with the installation of the main engine of the tractor. In this picture we are introduced to how the stations work in co-ordination to get optimum results. In the pictures below, the students are taken through a complete channel of stations on the assembly station and the supervisor explaining each of this complicated process. The lag or lead time is calculated and each one at every station tries to improve on it so as to reduce the time effect in assembling each engine. The units where tractors are manufactured in assembly lines follow Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Productivity Management (TPM). Every sub-unit contributes to the production. They avoid material handling losses with pulleys and fork-lifts. All these techniques add value to the production. Indeed there is no surprise they improve their quality and reduce time with ever unit of production of tractor. Here, we are shown how the final tractors are put in place Students Opinion: Kohinoor Management School gave us the Golden Opportunity to visit the Mahindra and Mahindra plant at Kandivali. It was a great experience to know the organization internally. They are successful enough to balance between Business Excellence and Individual Dignity. Their main focus on farm tech prosperity is what like me a lot, as agriculture is the base of the Indian Economy. -Pratibha Shinde. Visit to the M & M was an eye-opener. The journey unfolded various aspect of the tractor division. Starting from the nuts and bolts, the engine, to the massive structure which forms the backbone of the Indian farms and agricultural sector. The gains or the take away from the visit were splendid. The use of Japanese technology in the assembly line, the step by step process layout, the plan B; the vision of always staying ahead were the insights. Lots of management mantras were demonstrated and inculcated. A great learning and an honour to see the invasion of the GREAT INDIAN TRACTOR DIVISION. -Yogendra Joshi. It was my first Industrial visit to any manufacturing plant and enjoyed every bit of it. To be a part of such an esteemed organization and having a look through all their process was an intriguing experience after all. -Shraddha Salunke On behalf of all the Management and the students we take this opportunity to thank the entire team of Mahindra and Mahindra for providing us with the practical information and well as wonderful hospitality. We take moment to offer our greetings to the entire Mahindra and Mahindra team.

A Streetcar Named Desired

The Character of Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche, Stella's is by far the most complex character of the play. An intelligent and sensitive woman who values literature and the creativity of the human imagination, she is also emotionally traumatised and repressed. This gives license for her own imagination to become a haven for her pain. One senses that Blanches own view of her real self as opposed to her ideal self has been increasingly blurred over the years until it is sometimes difficult for her to tell the difference.It is a challenge to find the key to Blanche's melancholy but perhaps the roots of her trauma lie in her early marriage. She was haunted by her inability to help or understand her young, troubled husband and that she has tortured herself for it ever since. Her drive to lose herself in the â€Å"kindness of strangers† might also be understood from this period in that her sense of confidence in her own feminine attraction was shaken by the knowledge of her husband's homosexuality and she is driven to use her sexual charms to attract men over and over. Yet, beneath all this, there is a desire to find a companion, to find fulfilment in love.She is not successful because of her refusal or inability to face reality, in her circumstances and in herself. Blanche has a hard time confronting her mixed desires and therefore is never able to sort them out and deal with them. She wants a cultured man but is often subconsciously attracted to strong, basic male characters, perhaps a response to her marriage with a cultured, sensitive man which ended in disaster. So although Blanche dislikes Stanley as a person, she is drawn to him as a type of man who is resoundingly heterosexual and who is strong enough to protect her from an increasingly harsh world.This seems to be the reason for her brief relationship with Mitch, but it becomes clear to Blanche that Stanley is the dominant male here and she begins to acknowledge that fact. When Blanche te lls the operator in Scene Ten that she is caught in a trap, part of her realises she has set herself up via her desires. Stanley is the embodiment of what she needs, yet detests, and, because of her sister, can never have. After Stanley has stripped her of her self-respect in this scene, she becomes desperate, unable to retreat to her fantasies and so this deeper layer of her desires is revealed. You can read also  Similarities and Conflicts in † a Streetcar Named Desire†Yet, Blanche does not know how to face these feelings and she senses to give into them could be disastrous for her. As Stanley advances towards her, she tells him, â€Å"I warn you, don't, I'm in danger! † but Stanley has made sure that this time there is no where for her to hide. In her final act, she silently acknowledges that her own desires have also led to this date. It is interesting that neither Blanche nor Stanley seriously seem to consider Stella as Scene Ten reaches a climax. They both recognise that somehow they are drawn together and also repelled by forces that are directly between them and that have little to do with Stella.Things come to a head so quickly that it is as if tensions have been bubblingore emotionally and mentally crippled than before. Yet, Stanley and by extension Stella, are not clear victors. Like Blanche, Stanley is also revealed to be capable of deceit, he does not admit the truth of what happened between him and Blanche to his friends, to Stella, and maybe not even to himself. Stella makes a conscious decision to believe Stanley instead of her sister because to do otherwise would be both emotionally and economically difficult with a new baby so she, too, is engaging in a measure of self-deception.Stanley survives because of sheer physical presence, not because of any innate superiority. Blanche suffers overall on many fronts in her new environment, but in conclusion although one does feel pity for Blanche she has to a large extent with her own weaknesses brought her own downfall. Blanche can not compete in the new household she is placed in Stella has already claimed her territory and ultimately will choose her marriage over her sister.Blanches past erupts into the present and without at the forefront is the contradiction to the facade Blanche has put up over her sexual needs and desires. So confused is Blanche over sex the one weap on she has to gain a husband her sexuality she can no longer use. In the end Blanche is living in a era which was smashed a hundred years before this moment of time in the play. This era Blanche lameness in is the gentile society of Southern America with wealthy European colonials engaging politely in society. For Blanche this refusal to let go of the past and adjust to her new surroundings and the

Amy Tan

Amy Tan Amy Tan was born in 1952 in John and Daisy Tan of Chinese immigrants in Oakland, California. Her family eventually settled in Santa Clara. When Tan was in his teens, one of his father and brother died of brain tumor within a few months. In the meantime, Tan learned that her mother got married to an abusive husband in China. After his divorce, her mother left China and left three daughters during the Communist Party acquisition. Amy Tan struggled with many of the problems posed by her dual culture and she expressed this in her work. Daisy and Jong Tang are parents of postwar immigrants and Amy Tan (Amy Tan). Tan was given the name of Chinese, blessing of America, Mei Mei (McCarthy). For them, this is a blessing they will win after their struggle. After World War II, Tan's father arrived in the United States and became Minister (Amy Tan). Than life seems to be progressing well, but the tragedy is shocking. Amy Tan is a Chinese-American writer and is known for his highly respect ed novel The Joy Luck Club. Amy Ruth Tan was born on February 19, 1952 at John and Daisy Tan in Auckland, California. Amy 's parents are Chinese immigrants who escaped China to get out of trouble. Amy 's mother Daisy divorced her abusing husband, left three daughters, then moved to the United States and married John, the father of Amy. Marriage bore three children, Amy Tan Amy Tan was born in 1952 in John and Daisy Tan of Chinese immigrants in Oakland, California. Her family eventually settled in Santa Clara. When Tan was in his teens, one of his father and brother died of brain tumor within a few months. In the meantime, Tan learned that her mother got married to an abusive husband in China. After divorcing him, her mother fled from China during the acquisition of the Communist Party, left three daughters, and she will ... even if broken and broken Growing up in words that could be considered, the love affair of Amy Tan's language allowed her to accept the change in English surroun ding her. In her essay mother tongue, Tan talked about her inner conflict with her mother from English education. Tan who shows her experience as a teenager like her mother and shares it is dissatisfied with the difficulty of being seriously incapable of thinking seriously

Managed Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managed Care - Essay Example Reference is made to the context and the forms of managed care, as described through the literature and the relevant empirical research. Furthermore, the critical examination of the current activities of managers in health care organizations has led to the assumption that these activities can be influenced by the policies related to managed care but the power of these policies to introduce radical changes in these activities is not standardized, being related to the conditions in the internal and external organizational environment and the personal perceptions/ background of the individuals (managers) involved. In order to identify the potential influence of managed care policies on the activities of managers in health care organizations, it would be necessary to refer primarily to the elements of the managed care framework, as it has been extensively developed across USA. Different approaches have been used in order to describe managed care, probably because of the extension of the particular framework. In accordance with Rickel and Wise (2000) managed care can be described as a framework ‘establishing networks of service providers who agree to the conditions of a contract and choose providers based on the cost, quality and range of services they provide’ (Rickel and Wise 53). ... work is described in the study of Edmunds (1997); in accordance with the above study, managed care ‘imposes limitation on utilization of health care services by specifying which practitioners and which services are covered – often, also the number of allowable visits’ (Edmunds 41). In other words, managed care involves in the critical examination of a case (referring to the patient visiting a health services organization) and the referral of the case to appropriate specialists who have the skills and the experience to handle it. Of course, there are chances that the health problem of a patient can be effectively addressed at the first level of the network – i.e. by the primary care provider. Through the above process, the costs related to the health care services are reduced, in the terms that unnecessary expenses on health are avoided, a fact that can significantly benefit the patients but also the state – in cases where medical expenses are covered by the state. From another point of view, the time and the resources spent on each case are appropriately filtered, increasing the effectiveness of health care organizations, which, through the managed care plans can handle more cases, i.e. they are able to respond to the needs of more patients, a fact that increases the effectiveness of the entire health care system. In order to understand the potential influence of the policies of managed care plans on the activities of managers in health care services organizations (HSO), it would be necessary to describe the environment in which these plans are developed; it would be also necessary to refer to the participants, at the level that their decisions and initiatives could affect the activities of managers in HSOs. In accordance with McKenzie and Pinger (2008) the

Healthcare system Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Healthcare system - Research Paper Example gans such as centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, Department of Justice besides Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. It outlines important clauses of the contract including payments and price, conflict resolution, contract termination or suspension among other key clauses. The document ensures a smooth and efficient arrangement of terms of contract between the service providers and the local authorities who commission the contract. As a result of the massive financial losses that have been experienced from disloyal and non-abiding medical professionals by patients, a number of mechanisms and legal provisions have been laid down to curb this act of fraud by the professionals. Such mechanisms have seen the states recover huge amount of cash from the fraudulent activities. The issue was treated with much weight that it formed one of the debated issues that was given priority in the congress proceedings in the United States of America. The mechanisms that were put in place to curb the act included establishment of statutes by the federal government and enactment of strict health legislation reforms under the patient protection and affordable care act. This research paper looks comprehensively into the statutes that were put in place by the federal government and some of the amendments that were done to the them by the patient protection act in a bid to see the patients of the country not overexploited and abused. The federal government provided severe penalties such including criminal and civil penalties and excluding an individual from the health care programs of the federal government all as a way of combating fraud. This law is also known as the physician self-referral statute prevented a medical practitioner from referring a beneficiary of Medicaid and Medicare to a an entity to be provided with any form of health care services in case there are direct financial links between the entity and either the medical

BUS503 - Org. Change and Transformation Mod 5 SLP Essay

BUS503 - Org. Change and Transformation Mod 5 SLP - Essay Example Companies that attempt a change fail because of the unexpected barriers so it is important to understand them. Though these leaders are not effective, they have been there a long time and they are well known by everyone. There will certainly be some individual contribution to putting up barriers to this part of the change. There will be disbelief, anger, and reluctance on the part of the employees. The board will be to initiate this change right away. They will have to establish a sense of urgency, assuring that the plan is fully defined and skillfully present the plan to the hospital. They will have to be sure to include all of the benefits this transition will bring to the hospital employees. Publicize any success that is possible right away (Jick & Peiperl, 2007) and try to separate the change from the past. There are both individual and structural barriers here. There will be a sense of loss of power to that management group that is left which is essentially an individual barrier. The mid level directors for example. This fear of loss of power will also cause a barrier to the change with managers dragging their feet and even manipulating to cause problems with the change. This will need to be handled right away not allowed to sit so it will not get out of hand. Bringing this group in ahead of time and showing them what the change could mean for them and for their staff will be very important. It will be important here also to establish a sense of urgency in convincing the management staff of this change. Incentives are a good thing to use in this instance assuring that both formal and informal leaders are on the side of the change. Complacency cannot be tolerated during this process and it is essential to assure that everyone is on the side of the change (Kotter, 2007). The board will need to continue to bring about this part of the change. Once the management and senior management group are aligned and the plan is organized

Policing Policies in the USA and the UK Coursework

Policing Policies in the USA and the UK - Coursework Example This report looks at the background and the development of the policing policies in the USA and the UK to understand the drivers and motivations that inform police activity in these countries. A comparison with the reported crime levels allows comparison of their performance and effectiveness and thus the systems. Why are the police so important in the development of democratic societies The police are different from any other government entity. Of all government functions, the policing function is arguably the most visible, the most immediate, the most intimately involved with the well-being of individuals and the health of the communities. Police represents a vital arm of the government and is primarily responsible for the maintenance of law and order within the political boundaries of a country. The organisation, the underlying philosophy and the way police approach their task reflects the approach to governance that the country has especially towards its citizens. Conversely, the attitude of the community towards the police also affects the way the police approach their job. Regardless of the way the policing function is organised the result is what is important. The essential questions to ask are: While it is widely agreed that the functions of the police ... The essential questions to ask are: a) Whether the police is effective in crime reduction and, b) Do the police meet the needs of the society whose interest it serves While it is widely agreed that the functions of the police embrace much more than crime investigation and control as also that police are not the only institution that is responsible for crime abatement, this essay considers only the role of the police in fighting crime. At the end of the 1980s, the change in societal environment, and the demographics of crime and drug abuse clearly indicated that the traditional police practices were inadequate to control crime (Greenwood et al 1977; Kelling et al 1974). Two decades of rising crime led to a gradual erosion of public confidence in the institution (Crank & Langworthy 1992) and demanded the use of innovative practices to meet the requirements of the society. While the American police adopted the 'zero tolerance' approach that continued to tend toward use of force to keep the streets clean, the British police, except for a few disastrous experiments with 'zero tolerance' gravitated towards the more liberal approach. A comparison of police systems and practices in America and Britain helps understand the cultural and operational philosophy differences between the two and impact they have on their effectiveness. The analysis and discussion in this report is limited to police organisations in urban and metropolitan areas with rural policing specifically excluded. This report explores the different constructs that earlier research suggests in terms of defining 'models' and 'styles' of police service provision. Using these, the recent historical developments of the actual practices in America and Britain and their

Stratigiec planning in Tourism and leisure(To critically assess the Essay

Stratigiec planning in Tourism and leisure(To critically assess the theory and practice of strategic planning for Tourism) - Essay Example Despite this slump, the WTO still forecasts arrivals to reach 1.65 billion by 2020. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the contribution of the travel and tourism to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow US$10.478 billion by 2019 (2009). In order to achieve optimum growth in tourism, a crucial plan must be developed and henceforth be implemented. There are numerous approaches to tourism planning as stated by Getz (1986) are boosterism, economic, physical / spatial, community. While Edgell, Allen, Smith & Swanson (2008) argues that â€Å"One popular tourism planning mechanism is ‘strategic planning’, a framework designed to provide direction for any tourism organisation or destination with the emphasis on quality, efficiency and effectiveness† Consequently, this research aims to analyse and focus on tourism strategic planning and its importance, evaluate the strategic process and practices of the current time, layout the various stakeholde rs and the level of participation of each in strategic planning, establish the relationship of marketing to strategic planning through the analysis of case studies and previous inputs. 1.1 Literature Review The tourism sector entails extensive and detailed planning and coordination. According to Stynes and Halloran, â€Å"it should be comprehensive in such a way that it takes into account resources available to tourism in its entirety, organizations, markets, programs within a region and consider the economic, environmental, social and institutional aspects of tourism development (1987a).† Tourism planning has developed from two interrelated but diverse sets of planning beliefs and methodologies. The first is that tourism is one of many activities in a subject that must be regarded as part of physical, environmental, social and economic forecasting. The degree by which tourism is addressed in such plans depends upon its comparative significance to the community or area and ho w responsive it is to tourism-related activities. Likewise, it can be perceived as a business wherein the community or region opts to engage in planning to include feasibility, marketing, promotions product development and forecasting. A comprehensive approach combines a strategic marketing scheme with conventional planning efforts to create a balance between the needs and wants of tourism and that of local residents. GUNN (1979) With the growth of tourism, the market has become both complex and challenging so it has become imperative for stakeholders to meet the escalating demands of tourists who travel and spend their holidays in resorts, hotels and leisure destinations for more efficient world-class standards in accommodations, amenities and transportation. Important considerations include the concept of new tourism which Poon explains as having gone through intense transformation in terms of new consumers, novel technologies and forms of production, management styles and prevail ing circumstances (1993). Fayos-Sola mentions that new tourism is distinguished by the super-segmentation of demand, flexibility of supply and distribution and achieving profitability through diagonal integration and subsequent system

One product of a famous company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

One product of a famous company - Essay Example Common supply factors affecting sales and profitability in the Mercedes Benz Company include efficient operations, presence across segments, accessibility to latest technologies, finance availability, wide dealer networks and price of the Mercedes Benz. Other supply factors include production factors, government taxes and policies. In order to move towards a sustainable and a profitable market structure, the Mercedes Benz Company must ensure that it increases its product affordability. The company must also ensure it implements a better advertising and marketing, financing options, and price of the product. Different elasticity concepts tend to influence Mercedes Benz pricing strategy. The concepts include availability of substitute products, responsiveness of quality in terms of the motor vehicle, time and importance of the motor vehicle in the consumers’ budget (Rhoads, 2014, 78). With its performance in the global markets, it is evident that the Mercedes Benz Company is utilizing its resources efficiently. The Mercedes Benz Company is currently performing well in the motor vehicle (Lamb, Hair, & Mcdaniel, 2010, 57). This aspect is reflected in the company’s revenues and performance index, which indicates that the company is among best performing companies in the motor vehicle industry. Performance and revenues demonstrate efficient use of resources in the organization. The macroeconomic environment plays a significant role in comprehending how the external forces affect a company (Altug & Chadha, 2003). Mercedes Benz being a high-end car is definitely affected by changes in economic growth as it determines the money in people hands. People will not have the money to buy the car in times of economic downtimes. Consequently when the economy is under turmoil, the success of the company is undermined because the car’s models are expensive hence people will not have the

Marketing Definition Essay Example for Free

Marketing Definition Essay Definition The process of defining and subdividing a large homogenous market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics. Its objective is to design a marketing mix that precisely matches the expectations of customers in the targeted segment. Few companies are big enough to supply the needs of an entire market; most must breakdown the total demand into segments and choose those that the company is best equipped to handle. Four basic factors that affect market segmentation are (1) clear identification of the segment, (2) measurability of its effective size, (3) its accessibility through promotional efforts, and (4) its appropriateness to the policies and resources of the company. The four basic market segmentation-strategies are based on (a) behavioral (b) demographic, (c) psychographic, and (d) geographical differences. Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/market-segmentation.html#ixzz2ImOtX3b8 Do you think that it was a good segmentation for MM’s to develop a new version targeting adults? In observing how MM’s have changed over time from the addition of peanut butter and almonds to the changing of colors and sizes I think that was a great segmentation strategy to develop a new version targeting adults. The new line of MM’s is 55 percent larger in size and they come in colors that are appealing to adults in its design (Schiffman Kanuk, 2007). According to spokeswoman Joan Buyce of Masterfoods USA this creation is designed with adults in mind and It broadens our portfolio so theres something for everyone (MMs get mega-sized, 2012, p.1). Buyce also states that the new MMs are available in milk chocolate as well as peanut varieties and come with an adult-oriented color scheme which includes teal, beige, gold, maroon, brown and blue-gray (MMs get mega-sized, 2012). Due to the new line of MM’s including aspects that target adults I think that it is a great segmentation strategy because appealing aspects are included in the development of the new version. Discuss three basic types of research of design (exploratory, descriptive and casual). The three basic types of designs are exploratory, descriptive and casual research. In the explorative research there is systematic and flexible and allows the researcher to investigate desires (Marketing Research Design, 2012). Explorative research is also most commonly unstructured, informal research that is undertaken to gain background information about the general nature of the research problem (Marketing Research Design, 2012). While descriptive research describes and measure marketing phenomena at a point in time (Marketing Research Design, 2012). This type of research is classified as a cross sectional study, because it is a one-time measurement, which is established in market research, outnumbering longitudinal studies and casual studies (Marketing Research Design, 2012). Casual research is [continues]

Body Building And Training

Body Building And Training Like any other sport, body building requires one to go through a lot of body building training in order to perfect ones skill as well as build up the desired mass of body muscle. This entails the body builder enrolling in weight lifting sessions where you are assigned to a coach. Through hard work and training routines the coach helps you to achieve the desired mass of body muscle. When it comes to weight training routines there are generally two types of routines that come to mind: body sculpting and bodybuilding routines. Your trainer will help you through the routines as well as ensure that you are following the right routine. Body building training is mainly meant for bodybuilders whose main goal is to add pounds after pounds of muscle mass while taking their body fat levels to a neighborhood of 8-10% and in some instances, like a bodybuilding contest, even less, going as far as 3-4% body fat. A good body building training routine should have characteristics like; A good body building training routine should be short in terms of time. The general timing for a single session is between forty five minutes and seventy five to the maximum. Testosterone hormones which are responsible for muscle building and fat burning start to drop after 75 minutes. What this means is that training more than seventy five minutes will prevent you from gaining muscle and losing fat fast! It will also prevent you from fast recovery. As crazy as it sounds, more is not necessarily better for huge bodybuilding gains. In body building training, the rest in between sets should be kept minimal. Keeping your rest in between sets and exercises down not only helps you to perform a lot of work and still finish within the seventy five minutes, but it also helps you to improve your cardiovascular system. In addition, it has also been shown that this kind of training stimulates growth hormones output the most. It is most advisable to keep it less than ninety seconds. Keeping around eight to fifteen repetitions of sets for body building training routines improves blood flow into your muscles. This is important since along with the blood come nutrients that nourish the muscle cells and help them recover and rebuild bigger faster. In addition since you are doing so many repetitions, there is less probability of injury since youll be using a weight that you can control. It is also good for muscle building and fat burning occur more efficiently at these repetition ranges. Body building training must be varied and cycled. Do not get stuck with the same routine day in and day out. If you are a bodybuilder, and you do this, this guarantees zero muscle growth. This is without even mentioning boredom and lack of enthusiasm. Bodybuilding training cycles can go for a period of three to four weeks of high volume eight to fifteen repetitions per set or with periods of higher intensity of five to eight repetitions per set. Higher density periods are THE REQUIREMENTS AND BENEFITS OF BODY BUILDING RX Bodybuilding Rx techniques are those methods that enable one to build muscle without the use of artificial-and often illegal-injected or ingested substances. In the sport of bodybuilding rx, the classification of natural is based on the division in which the bodybuilders compete. While natural bodybuilders do not use drugs or illegal substances, they do use nutritional supplements and other legal products. Rx therefore is the prescription or method either supplements or workouts that a body builder follows to acquire the desired mass of body muscle In contrast to steroids, bodybuilding rx techniques offer a number of benefits to bodybuilders like, an absence of unhealthy side effects, long-lasting results with respect to enhanced musculature, which do not dissipate as is the case with steroid use. Besides workouts are positive rein forcers, as compared to excessive testosterone use which interferes with the release of endorphins Experts consider proper nutrition to be one of the most significant factors in body building rx. Although opinions regarding what constitutes proper nutrition for bodybuilders varies, many experts recommend that, of all of the calories a bodybuilder consumes each day, thirty percent should be a form of protein, fifty percent should be derived from carbohydrates and twenty percent should be from healthy fats. In addition, one should minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the consumption of sugar and of processed foods. Of course, this is true for all individuals. If your nutrition is poor then youll never get the muscle growth or muscularity that you are looking for. Work hard, get green and eat well. According to Iron Magazine, the trick with weight training is that you need to actually rest more than you need to train. When you train with weights, you are breaking down the fibers in the muscles of your body. In order to successfully build muscle, it is necessary to rest those same muscles the day after training. Thus, if you work the muscles of the upper body one day, do not work those same muscles the next day. A good training technique, therefore, is to work different muscle groups on alternate days. In addition, Iron Magazine suggests a number of body building rx techniques that have been proven to increase muscle mass relatively quickly. These varied techniques prevent the body from becoming too comfortable with a particular training routine and will enable the muscles to be more responsive to training. Bodybuilding Rx techniques are becoming increasingly popular with bodybuilders who desire a increased muscle mass without the side effects of muscle enhancing drugs. By choosing body building rx methods, including those rare supplements that have been proven through clinical studies to assist performance enhancement without unhealthy side effects, you can take pride in the fact that any muscle you build is derived from hard work, discipline and healthy habits as opposed to use of dangerous drugs. As always, consult a doctor before starting this, or any, exercise routine. Bodybuilding is particularly strenuous so this caution is particularly advisable before embarking on this path. Bodybuilding work outs People engage themselves in exercises for reasons like, loosing weight and body toning. How ever there are those who embark on working out otherwise known as body exercising to build their muscles. Others do not know the best workouts for building their body muscles so as a result, they drop pounds but those pounds come from losing muscle mass, which weighs more than fat. The good news is there are ways to maintain your current muscle mass while still losing weight. You must perform the proper body building muscles in order to burn fat and not muscle. To focus on cardiovascular workouts, is what most fitness instructors and health advocates advise. It will help your heart and lungs get stronger so you can do more exercise without getting worn out, so its a good way to start. However, you need to add some weight training to that recipe at least 2 to 3 times a week. That way youll be replenishing lost muscle and adding new muscle mass. This is good because muscle requires more calories than fat. If you have a lot of lean muscle mass in your body, your metabolism is going to increase which means youll burn off more calories and lose weight. When you stop taking in calories your body would automatically start using up these stockpiles. First, your body is going to convert your muscle mass into energy and thats going to slow your metabolism so you dont need as many calories in the first place which makes it harder for you to lose weight. A better plan is to gradually reduce your calorie intake and let your body adjust to the changes. For example, you might reduce your calories by 10% the first week, another 10% the second week, and so on. This prevents your body from going into starvation mode. When you begin with your body building workouts, it would be prudent to begin with bigger lifting. Starting out this way will help the human body to produce what is known as the Human Growth Hormone. Not only is this good for the rest of your body, but it will also help your muscles to grow. It would be wise to stay away from the machines and just go for the free weights as they call for a greater amount of control than a machine would. As long as you do compound body biulding workouts, your arms will get the workout that they need. As you are performing a sort of pulling action, which is to say rows or even pull ups, youre performing some great biceps workouts in the process. If you do arm body building workouts alone at first, then your compound workouts will not turn out very well. Make sure you do the standard arm workouts at the end. If you are finished with the big compound body building work outs, then its time to move on to the arm exercises to get big biceps. Hit your arms from as many angles as you can, but dont over do it. You can do a standing curl to hit the middle portion of the biceps; a decline curl your biceps to get it in the stretched position; and a concentration or spider curl to really hit the peak contraction point. By the way these are all supplicated, or palms up. One thing that you can do is superset the biceps. There are three triceps exercises that you can take advantage of in order do to this. One of these is an overhead triceps extension which is a standing triceps pushdown and kick-back. Remember to choose a position for the day and dont just go at it haphazardly. A few examples of good positions are middle, stretched, peak, and many others. Though youll want to do three or maybe even four supersets in a day, it isnt a good idea to exceed that. Above all, do warm-up exercises before you begin so you dont end up pulling something! Then theres the brachial is muscle. This is a muscle that is beneath the biceps and you will need to maintain a decent balance within your arms. To do this, you will need to turn your palms down during the exercise. Note that the brachial is the main muscle involved in flexing your elbow. If you turn your palms down, the biceps will be out of the picture and you will be able to focus on the brachial. By making the muscle bigger, the biceps will be pushed up, and they will be more prevalent. EFFECTS OF USING BASEBALL STEROIDS Base ball Steroids are man-made substances related to male hormones which are injected a players blood system to enhance muscle building and masculine characteristics. Though base ball steroids are illegal, they are still used by many athletes, baseball players, body builders and even coaches of high schools enforce use of athletic teens. Over time, these drugs cause serious health problems and many are irreversible. These drugs are taken a period of time, called cycling. This process involves taking multiple doses over a specific period of time, stopping for a period and starting up again. Anabolic baseball steroids are artificially produced testosterone, a male hormone. Because it is a male hormone, this drug increases strength, energy, and muscle mass. Baseball players are attracted to baseball steroids use because of its purported-and often very apparent-energy enhancement effects in a very short period of time and for a relatively small amount of effort. However, the health risks related to steroid abuse cannot be overstated. Base ball steroids have at least three different effects on the heart; they could lower the good type of cholesterol and raise the bad type of cholesterol in the blood or raise your blood pressure. They can also damage the heart by enlarging the left ventricle. Base ball steroids also have physical side effects like, enlarged breast in men. Women using them may develop a deep voice, facial hair and mens baldness. Base ball steroids also cause liver damage, stroke, prostrate cancer, sexual impotence and even infertility. These emotional-psychological effects like aggression, uncontrollable mood-swings, and psychiatric side effects are the most common side effects of base ball steroids. As a player, you may feel good when using base ball steroids but if you use them continuously you may start experiencing violence and manic-like symptoms. Depression is seen when use of the base ball steroids is stopped, which is why most users become dependant on steroids. Base ball steroid users suffer from irritability, delusions, jealously, paranoia, and impaired judgment on others. Some base ball steroid users begin turning to other dangerous drugs, such as heroin and opiates, to deal with the pain of steroid use. Despite their much highly acknowledged ability to pump up a player quickly, base ball steroids have another reputation that is not as well recognized. They are a temporary fix; indeed, the energy that base ball steroids build so quickly will just as quickly diminish once you stop taking them. This is why many players suffer from long-term base ball steroid abuse-to maintain their energy enhancing effects, they must continue taking this synthetic hormone. Continued baseball steroid abuse then leads to higher risks the users health. It would appear that the only benefit of base ball steroid use is their temporary advantage, but this advantage is accompanied by serious and often irreversible effects upon the users physical and sometimes emotional and psychological health. Besides use of base ball steroids is like digging ones own grave. STEREOTYPES ABOUT WOMEN IN BODY BUILDING What a man can do a woman can do it better This is a common saying in todays world where women have taken up the challenge of going an extra mile in trying out tasks and jobs earlier reserved for men. This includes sporting activities like body building whereby women strive to get the strong and tough bodies that some men have. Unfortunately, many women avoid bodybuilding because theyre afraid that theyll start looking manlier. These women are victims of the loads of stereotypes out there on the bodies of women in body building. Below are some of the most common stereotypes that are discouraging women from getting kind the bodies that they really want. For instance, the assumption that bodybuilding will make you develop muscle, but will not add the masculinity factor. Most definitely women in body building will definitely not look like male bodybuilders. Men produce lots more testosterone than women do, which is the main difference in anatomy of men and women. This chemical is that same component that lets men bulk up a lot. You can only get muscle to this magnitude if you intentionally take testosterone supplements, so if you dont take them, youve got nothing to worry about. Doing weight training doesnt, in any way, turn women into men; it simply tones and sculpts the female body to the best possible shape. Another stereotype that women tend to wish it were a reality is the assumption that women in body building have bigger and fuller breasts. Just like for men, bodybuilding helps take off the fat from the body while putting muscle in the place. This means that it might actually make the breast size smaller. If you want to avoid this, its important that a specific bodybuilding regimen is made specifically for females, as it will take into account all female characteristics. Women that train properly do not have to worry about losing mass in their breasts in the least. Through the ages, many women have had the fear like how men in body building have stiff bodies, then it is the same for women in body building. They tend to believe that weight training causes their body to stiffen and become muscle-bound knuckle draggers. This is an outrageous stereotype because female bodybuilding will actually do the opposite: it will give you so much more flexibility and grace; its impossible to realize without witnessing. Every society has its own stereotypes that its people specially the ladies harbor about women in bodybuilding. Most of them are carried on by people who dont have the will to keep their body in healthy condition and are not even conversant with the field of body building thus probably they dont know what theyre saying. If you want to develop your body to lead a healthier life while looking amazing, the best advice would be to consult professionals who know what theyre talking about. Do not ever give up a chance to appear and feel better just because of a dumb myth or two. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A BODY BUIDING ENCYCLOPEDIA If you wish to achieve success from body building, it is important to look for a body building encyclopedia. The encyclopedia offers near help when you have unanswered questions on body building. It also acts as a reference, somewhere where you can refer to for direction on your way to achieving your desired mass of body muscle. Sometimes, when you start out your body building program a lot of obstacles suddenly come out of nowhere. A body building encyclopedia should contain all information such that with a copy of it on your hands problem solving is easy. Firstly the encyclopedia should define exhaustively what body building is, elaborate the sport of body building and offer a differentiation of body building and related sports like weight lifting and body sculpting. It should also touch on the benefits of body building as an introduction. The body building encyclopedia should contain information on the right diet recommended for body builders. It should take into account the various proportions of proteins, carbohydrates, fats vitamins and minerals that a body builder requires in a day. In addition the body building encyclopedia will guide the reader into identifying foods that are locally available which contain the required diet. None the least it should warn the reader on those foods which are bound to slow down the achievement of body building goals In the bodybuilding encyclopedia, the reader will find information on artificial and natural bodybuilding supplements together with the pros and cons of using both the natural and artificial food supplements in body building. encyclopedia may indicate some of the stores where you can get these supplements together with the advised and rightful doses for taking the supplements. Covered in the body building encyclopedia is the routines and bodybuilding cycles of workouts that help bodybuilders achieve their goals. The encyclopedia explains the importance and benefit of each set of bodybuilding cycles and its applicability with the aide of structured illustrations and pictures. There may also be examples of renown body builders and their testimonies of what they have done to achieve the great bodies they have. It is crucial that the body building encyclopedia has information about body building and women. Perhaps it could discuss some of the existing myths about body building and womens health in a bid to shed light on what is fact and what is fiction. It should also tackle issue like womens reproduction health and its relationship with body building. Lastly the body building encyclopedia should offer a training guide to body building trainers as well as show the procedures followed in judging a body building competition. All this information should have references with the author quoting the source of the information. The body building encyclopedia can go ahead to recommend further reading from helpful books that have focused on the specific information. For instance the reader will be recommended to read on from diet books. At the end of the day getting your endeavored body muscle is your ultimate goal so if the body building encyclopedia can offer you all the support you need, then go ahead and get yourself a copy. BODY BUILDING SUPPLEMENTS NEEDED BY YOUR BODY Body building supplements come as additions to an already existing good nutrition and training program. Body building mostly entails proper nutrition and training. Body building supplements however do not make up for improper training, or a low quality diet but only work when your diet and your training program are optimal. Body building supplements are good because they prevent us from getting any nutritional deficiencies. The increased activity levels from your body building exercise program will make your body have greater demands for vitamins and minerals, which will increase the probability of you suffering a deficiency without supplementation. Every slight nutrient deficiency can sabotage muscle growth thus your body cannot solely rely on food nowadays to provide you with all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs because the processing of foods before they get to the supermarket, cooking, air, and even light have already robbed your foods of most of the vitamins that they have to offer. If you are deficient in one or more nutrients your body may not be able to build muscle and burn fat properly. Not all bodybuilding supplements are created equal though. Your will body always need some while others are more dependent upon what your goals are and what your budget looks like. There are different categories of body building supplements varying from those your body needs to use at all times and the ones you will take only when there is a need to. Your body requires basic body building supplements every day to help you gain muscle. You may as well leave on basic body building supplements alone depending on your finances. You may need to add multiple vitamin and vitamin formula to ensure that your body operates at maximum efficiency. These also help to convert the food you eat into hormones, tissues and energy. Your body as well requires vitamin body building supplements which are produced by both animals and vegetables. These function as enhancers of the actions of proteins that cause chemical reactions such as muscle building, fat burning and energy production. There are two major types of vitamins, the fat soluble vitamins and water soluble vitamins. Never the less the body also needs mineral body building supplements whose main function is to ensure that your brain receives the correct signals from the body. Mineral body building supplements are also responsible for balancing of fluids, muscular contractions and energy production not forgetting the building of muscles and bones. Minerals, just like vitamins are divided into two categories. Bulk minerals are needed by the body in large quantities and contain chemicals like calcium magnesium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus. The body turns these minerals into energy. Trace minerals on the other hand are required in minimal amounts and are usually in the order of micro organisms like chromium, copper, cobalt, silicon, selenium, iron and zinc. You should however be very careful when buying body building supplements as some of the packs do not always contain what is written on the labels. Others come from very poor sources and are not absorbed in the body well. EFFECTS OF ANABOLIC STEROIDS ABUSE Just like a coin, anabolic steroids have two sides. They may be helpful to athletes, players and body builders in assisting them achieve the longed for winning performances but they have negative effects too. Before you embark on the use of anabolic steroids you may have to consider the following effects which apparently make the negative side of anabolic steroid use heavier than the positive one. Anabolic steroids inhibit natural hormones. Since the endocrine system of your body is responsible for balancing of hormones in the body, introduction of a new hormone makes it to stop the production of the natural hormone in order to maintain the balance. For instance injecting synthetic testosterone makes a mans endocrine system to stop producing the natural testosterone. These could make the man to have sexual dysfunctions. Almost every body who abuses anabolic steroids suffers liver damage. Most anabolic steroids which are ingested orally pass through the liver, which functions as the bodys filtration system. When something goes through the liver, it is broken down by various enzymes, and passed along into the bloodstream. Orally administered anabolic steroids elevate the liver enzymes following ingestion. The liver starts to wear out due to the anabolic steroids toxic productions. Eventually you may suffer liver cirrhosis The effects anabolic steroids have on men include the development of gynecomastia which is also known as feminization of the breast tissue in males. Anabolic steroids contain androgens which convert testosterone into estrogen. The excess estrogen then finds its way to the receptors in breast tissue and binds to them. This results in the possibility of female-like breast tissue. Male breast development occurs in basically the same way as female breast development, and the use of anabolic steroids can result in this happening at a later stage in life for males. At puberty a surplus of hormones all combine to stimulate the growth and development of breast tissue. Anabolic steroids can also cause the development of acne and the extent to which it is experienced can be due to a number of varying factors, with the particular steroids and exact dosages used being the two primary factors. The skins sebaceous glands have a particularly high affinity to testosterone, which is an androgen the body naturally produces. Increased sebaceous gland activity can make the skin oily. The oil in the skin combine with bacteria and dead skin caused by normal wear and tear, eventually causing pores to become clogged more quickly than the body can remove them. Among the effects of anabolic steroids in women is masculinization, or the development of male sexual characteristics. This side effect on women is often reversible after the cycle has ended. Some of the typical signs of masculinization are the development of a deeper voice, growth of facial hair, enlargement of external genitalia and possible male pattern baldness, or acne on the face or body. High blood pressure is possibly the most easily remedied of all anabolic steroid side effects. This commonly affects anabolic steroid using athletes attempting to gain maximum bulk to abstain from all aerobic activity which causes the body to work much harder to circulate blood. Also, the typical water and sodium retention induced by certain steroids can contribute to high blood pressure. Steroids Online Just like any other products and materials commonly used by man, steroids have found their way in to the internet. Marketers and drug store owners use this viable way to find market for steroids. This works as an advantage to any one out in the world that is in search for steroids. All you need is to have access to internet facilities and you can find steroids online. The internet can be offer a wide range of information varying from existing facts about steroids to new and viable markets where one can get cheap and legal steroids. Before you buy steroids online you must make sure that their source is legal. By obtaining steroids online from an illegal source you expose yourself to the risk of losing your job, acquiring health complications, a jail term sentence, or even something more dangerous like fakes that are ineffective and unsafe to take. To avoid facing any of these consequences its important to take note of the following pointers which are a guide to purchasing steroids online. The most common steroids online are the anabolic steroids. These are synthetically produced varieties of the male hormone called testosterone. Some of the most common steroids you can buy on the internet are anabolic steroids and they are synthetically produced varieties of the hormone called testosterone. You can use them for building tissues and muscles as well as to increase the prominence of masculine characteristics. Some online marketers may refer to them as androgenic-anabolic steroids while others may use names like gym candies, weight trainers, roids, Arnolds, stackers, juice or pumpers. All these names do refer to the same item. In countries where like the United States you may be required to have a doctors prescription to be able to acquire steroids online and use them legally. Buying prescribed steroids online is legal. You may however need to check with the authorities for existing drug laws in some countries to avoid getting into trouble. You should visit your physician for a thorough health check-up and evaluation before shopping for steroids online. This will help you determine if your body is allergic to any kind of steroids .The doctor can also advise you on which steroids are most compatible with your blood type. It is mandatory for patients of diabetes, HIV/AIDS and high blood pressure to have these check-ups and health evaluation since anabolic steroids could pose them the risk of worsening their conditions. No doctor will advise you to take anabolic steroids if you are below twenty one years of age since your body is not full developed just as you can not be allowed to buy steroids online. Remember to do a wide research on the internet and compare different markets before buying steroids online. You can also update your self on the latest developments on steroids and use them to improve your strength, stamina, agility and endurance. However as a consumer its important that to be very careful and be ware of internet fraudsters. Some pseudo companies advertising steroids online are just after stealing from gullible consumers. WOMEN AND BODY BUILDING If you are interested in the sport of body building, all you need to do is register or sign up in a gym. From there you will be allocated a trainer who takes you through the basic elements of body building. You also get to be introduced to other brave women in body building with whom you can look up to for encouragement. The first type of work outs you are likely to be introduced to are the cardio-vascular work outs. Women in body building go through cardio- vascular workouts to build energy on the lungs. Strong lungs will be necessary in the muscle gaining workouts that come later in training. They also prepare you for resistance workouts. Resistance workouts involve circuit training in which youll move from one exercise to another with little or no rest for one complete circuit, repeating the circuit up to four times. This type of workout is efficient and very effective. It takes little time, yet it works all of your major muscle groups so youll burn mega-calories. Each circuit contains 8 exercises which will become more difficult as you progress through the different fitness levels. Youll know youre ready to move to the next level when you can complete four full circuits of your current routine. It is important for women in body building to observe good nutrition and dietary habits as this is very much crucial in the sport. Besides work outs body building requires a strict adherence to the recommended diet. Your trainer may also advise you to buy food, vitamin and mineral supplements to enhance your exhausting body building activities. Eating the right quantities of carbohydrates, fats and proteins will help you to gain muscles faster than a body builder taking low or poor diets. Women in body building should however avoid the use of illegal anabolic steroids. Even though the promise of gaining a great mass of body muscle is very tempting, these anabolic substances come with their own consequences. Some are even very embarrassing for the users since they can not be covered, for instance if a woman in body building is using anabolic steroids, she is likely to develop a deep voice like that of men, facial hair and male partnered baldness. These are very embarrassing and incriminating evidence that the builder is using illegal anabolic steroids. Women in body building are a

The History And Contributions :: essays research papers

Greek Geometry Although the original roots of geometry can be traced to the Egyptians, the Greeks built on most Egyptian theories that we use today. Greek astronomy and Greek geometry were both used in order to answer many difficult questions of the time. Without geometry, the study of astronomy would have been almost impossible, and vice versa. Even though many Greek theorems and principles were later built on by geniuses such as Einstein and Lobachevsky, the basis still remains the same. The development of Greek geometry is said to be started by Thales of Miletus. Thales came from Egypt with a number of geometric principles that the Greeks were able to use for practical purposes. He lived towards the beginning of the sixth century B.C, and has been credited with many geometric theorems. Some of the most important theorems developed by Thales included: -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If two triangles have two angles and one side is respectively equal, then both triangles are congruent to each other. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Angles at the base of any isosceles triangle are equal. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If two straight lines intersect, then the opposite angles formed are equal. Thales also did much work with the height of pyramids by measuring the height of the pyramid's shadow only at a specific time of the day. While most of his theorems were proven, some that were not pertained to a ship's distance from shore and the bisector of a circle. His discoveries led to the formation of many other theorems by later Greeks such as Pythagoras and Plato. These two men (next to Thales) contributed the most to Greek geometry. Pythagoras discovered and proved many different theorems and ideas that contributed greatly to the development of geometry. Some of Pythagoras's proven discoveries included: -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of the angles in a triangle add up to the sum of two right angles. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The development and use of geometrical algebra. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theorem of Pythagoras. a^2 + b^2 = c^2 Pythagoras also did many studies with triangles and developing or editing shapes. His most famous discovery was the Pythagorean theorem (listed above). This theorem combined the sides of a right triangle, and this led to the development of irrational numbers by Pythagoras later on. Pythagoras discovered that the square root of 2 was an irrational number. Plato, another great mind of Greece, did more than just develop theorems for geometry, he stressed that geometry was essential. Plato believed that everyone should be well educated in mathematics as well as geometry.

Plagiarism: The Illegal Recycling of Information Essay -- Plagiarizing

Plagiarism: The Illegal Recycling of Information Plagiarism is defined as using others people’s ideas, writings, and quotes without giving credit to the author by citing the material in the paper. Plagiarism can come from copying many things including charts, graphs, text, and music. Even paraphrasing an author’s work without citing it can be considered plagiarism. Plagiarism certainly has been around long before the first research project was assigned. One of the most famous scientists Gregor Mendel had his work plagiarized by another scientist Hugo de Vries in the 19th century.[1] Mendel had come up with breakthroughs in genetics, but no one realized what he had accomplished. Later in the early 1900’s, de Vries published a paper with very similar to Medel’s work. It was not realized until a third scientist Carl Correns was doing some similar experiments and read the works of both Mendel and de Vries. In his paper, he gave credit to Mendel and discredited de Vries’ work.[2] The problem of plagiarism has increased drastically over the years with all of the new electronic sources. Now, all that the student has to do is to copy an article, highlight it and paste it into a word processing program. It was not much harder for a student to plagiarize before the Internet. A lazy student could easily copy an entire section out of a book word for word and conveniently â€Å"forget† to cite the reference from which it came. It would take the professor forever to find this source especially if it was not well known. With just some quick manipulating of words, professors can be tricked into believing that they are looking at a new original work. There are several reasons why students... ... forced to stop selling term papers over the Internet. As long as professors stand strong in their fight against this illegal recycling of information, plagiarism will be cut down. [1]More, Randy. Rediscovery of Mendel’s Work. Bioscene, 27. 16-20. [2]More, Randy. Rediscovery of Mendel’s Work. Bioscene, 27. 16-20. [3]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [4]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [5]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [6]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [7]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [8]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [9]http://rbs2.com/plag.html [10]http://rbs2.com/plag.html [11]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [12]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [13]http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm [14]www.wordcheck.com, www.plagiarism.org [15]www.plagiarism.

Understanding Black Holes Essay -- Astronomy, research papers

Throughout the modern era of astronomy, a single type of celestial object has puzzled astronomers more than any other. Black holes, whose existence was only verified in the early 1990’s, have fascinated scientists ever since Einstein first proposed the theoretical concept in the 1930’s. A black hole is an object so tiny, but also so dense, that it has the power to pull planets, stars, and even light into its core, and ultimately destroy everything in its path. Over the past decade much has been discovered about these enigmas of space and time; however, many of these recent discoveries lead to more unanswered questions. Nevertheless, the basic life cycle of a black hole is now understood in ways thought to be impossible only twenty years ago. In order to begin to grasp the destructive force of a black hole, one must first understand its creation. Oddly enough, a black hole can only be formed from the death of a star, but no ordinary star can create a black hole; it has to be a super-massive star. Stars consist mainly of hydrogen, and the hydrogen atoms are under such great pressure that they collide and cause a fusion reaction, which creates helium. This constant fusion reaction within the star is what keeps it from collapsing onto itself, thereby sustaining its massive size for billions of years. When a normal-sized star begins to run out of hydrogen, eventually the entire star will begin to run out of hydrogen and the star will actually expand and engulf the inner planets (including earth) before contracting. An average sized star like that of our sun will now become the size of the Earth (Ando, 2004). This is called a white dwarf, and although white dwarves are too dim to be seen from Earth with the naked eye, they doe cont... ... holes die but it takes awhile. Retrieved April 2, 2015 from http://www.wonderquest.com/black-holes.htm Morcone, J. (2007, December). 'Death Star' Galaxy Black Hole Fires at Neighboring Galaxy. Retrieved March 14, 2015, from http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/news/07-139.html Nadis, S. (2010). Exploring the galaxy-black hole connection. (Cover story). Astronomy, 38(5), 28-33. Retrieved April 2, 2015 from Academic Search Premier database. Talcott, R. (2010). A black hole caught in the act. Astronomy, 38(5), 25. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from Academic Search Premier database. Talcott, R. (2010). Black holes do a waltz. Astronomy, 38(5), 26. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from Academic Search Premier database. Taubes, G. (1999). String Theorists Find a Rosetta Stone. Science, 285(5427), 512. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from Academic Search Premier database.

Chapter 9 Grim Defeat

Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused. â€Å"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle,† Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. â€Å"I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately,† he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. â€Å"Send word with one of the ghosts.† Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, â€Å"Oh, yes, you'll be needing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags. â€Å"Sleep well,† said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him. The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened. â€Å"Everyone into their sleeping bags!† shouted Percy. â€Å"Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!† â€Å"C'mon,† Ron said to Harry and Hermione; they seized three sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner. â€Å"Do you think Black's still in the castle?† Hermione whispered anxiously. â€Å"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be,† said Ron. â€Å"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know,† said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. â€Å"The one night we weren't in the tower†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run,† said Ron. â€Å"Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here.† Hermione shuddered. All around them, people were asking one another the same question: â€Å"How did he get in?† â€Å"Maybe he knows how to Apparate,† said a Ravenclaw a few feet away, â€Å"Just appear out of thin air, you know.† â€Å"Disguised himself, probably,† said a Hufflepuff fifth year. â€Å"He could've flown in,† suggested Dean Thomas. â€Å"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?† said Hermione crossly to Harry and Ron. â€Å"Probably,† said Ron. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know,† said Hermione. â€Å"There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The lights are going out now!† Percy shouted. â€Å"I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!† The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the hall, Harry felt as though he were sleeping outdoors in a light wind. Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the Hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Professor Dumbledore came in. Harry watched him looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. Percy was only a short way away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore's footsteps drew nearer. â€Å"Any sign of him, Professor?† asked Percy in a whisper. â€Å"No. All well here?† â€Å"Everything under control, sir.† â€Å"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow.† â€Å"And the Fat Lady, sir?† â€Å"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr Filch restore her.† Harry heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps. â€Å"Headmaster?† It was Snape. Harry kept quite still, listening hard. â€Å"The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either.† â€Å"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?† â€Å"All searched†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger.† â€Å"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?† asked Snape. Harry raised his head very slightly off his arms to free his other ear. â€Å"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next.† Harry opened his eyes a fraction and squinted up to where they stood; Dumbledore's back was to him, but he could see Percy's face, rapt with attention, and Snape's profile, which looked angry. â€Å"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before — ah — the start of term?† said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation. â€Å"I do, Severus,† said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice. â€Å"It seems — almost impossible — that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed –â€Å" â€Å"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it,† said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. â€Å"I must go down to the Dementors,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"I said I would inform them when our search was complete.† â€Å"Didn't they want to help, sir?† said Percy. â€Å"Oh yes,† said Dumbledore coldly. â€Å"But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster.† Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then he too left. Harry glanced sideways at Ron and Hermione. Both of them had their eyes open too, reflecting the starry ceiling. â€Å"What was all that about?† Ron mouthed. ******** The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Herbology class telling anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub. The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day. â€Å"He's a complete lunatic,† said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. â€Å"Can't we get anyone else?† â€Å"None of the other pictures wanted the job,† said Percy. â€Å"Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer.† Sir Cadogan, however, was the least of Harry's worries. He was now being closely watched. Teachers found excuses to walk along corridors with him, and Percy Weasley (acting, Harry suspected, on his mother's orders) was tailing him everywhere like an extremely pompous guard dog. To cap it all, Professor McGonagall summoned Harry into her office, with such a somber expression on her face Harry thought someone must have died. â€Å"There's no point hiding it from you any longer, Potter,† she said in a very serious voice. â€Å"I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius Black –â€Å" â€Å"I know he's after me,† said Harry wearily. â€Å"I heard Ron's dad telling his mum. Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic.† Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. She stared at Harry for a moment or two, then said, â€Å"I see! Well, in that case, Potter, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field with only your team members, it's very exposed, Potter –â€Å" â€Å"We've got our first match on Saturday!† said Harry, outraged. â€Å"I've got to train, Professor!† Professor McGonagall considered him intently. Harry knew she was deeply interested in the Gryffindor team's prospects; it had been she, after all, who'd suggested him as Seeker in the first Place. He waited, holding his breath. â€Å"Hmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out of the window at the Quidditch field, just visible through the rain. â€Å"Well†¦goodness knows, I'd like to see us win the Cup at last†¦but all the same, Potter†¦I'd be happier if a teacher were present. I'll ask Madam Hooch to oversee your training sessions.† ******** The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under the eye of Madam Hooch. Then, at their final training session before Saturday's match, Oliver Wood gave his team some unwelcome news. â€Å"We're not playing Slytherin!† he told them, looking very angry. â€Å"Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead.† â€Å"Why?† chorused the rest of the team. â€Å"Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured,† said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously. â€Å"But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There had been strong winds and heavy rain all day, and as Wood spoke, they heard a distant rumble of thunder. â€Å"There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!† said Harry furiously. â€Å"He's faking it!† â€Å"I know that, but we can't prove it,† said Wood bitterly, â€Å"And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory –â€Å" Angelina, Alicia, and Katie suddenly giggled. â€Å"What?† said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior. â€Å"He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?† said Angelina. â€Å"Strong and silent,† said Katie, and they started to giggle again. â€Å"He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together,† said Fred impatiently. â€Å"I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?† â€Å"We were playing in completely different conditions!† Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. â€Å"Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We must win!† â€Å"Oliver, calm down!† said Fred, looking slightly alarmed. â€Å"We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. Seriously.† ******** The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, and none more so than Malfoy. â€Å"Ah, if only my arm was feeling a bit better!† he sighed as the gale outside pounded the windows. Harry had no room in his head to worry about anything except the match tomorrow. Oliver Wood kept hurrying up to him between classes and giving him tips. The third time this happened, Wood talked for so long that Harry suddenly realized he was ten minutes late for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and set off at a run with Wood shouting after him, â€Å"Diggory's got a very fast swerve, Harry, so you might want to try looping him –â€Å" Harry skidded to a halt outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, pulled the door open, and dashed inside. â€Å"Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin. I –â€Å" But it wasn't Professor Lupin who looked up at him from the teacher's desk; it was Snape. â€Å"This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down.† But Harry didn't move. â€Å"Where's Professor Lupin?† he said. â€Å"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today,† said Snape with a twisted smile. â€Å"I believe I told you to sit down?† But Harry stayed where he was. â€Å"What's wrong with him?† Snape's black eyes glittered. â€Å"Nothing life-threatening,† he said, looking as though he wished it were. â€Å"Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty.† Harry walked slowly to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around at the class. â€Å"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far –â€Å" â€Å"Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas, and Grindylows,† said Hermione quickly, â€Å"and we're just about to start –â€Å" â€Å"Be quiet,† said Snape coldly. â€Å"I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization.† â€Å"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had,† said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever. â€Å"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you — I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss –â€Å" Harry watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered. â€Å"– werewolves,† said Snape. â€Å"But, sir,† said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, â€Å"we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks –â€Å" â€Å"Miss Granger,† said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, â€Å"I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394.† He glanced around again. â€Å"All of you! Now!† With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books. â€Å"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?† said Snape. Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air. â€Å"Anyone?† Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. â€Å"Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between –â€Å" â€Å"We told you,† said Parvati suddenly, â€Å"we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on –â€Å" â€Å"Silence!† snarled Snape. â€Å"Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Please, sir,† said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, â€Å"the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf –â€Å" â€Å"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger,† said Snape coolly. â€Å"Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all.† Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape that they were all glaring at him, because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, â€Å"You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?† The class knew instantly he'd gone too far. Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath. â€Å"Detention, Weasley,† Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. â€Å"And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed.† No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin. â€Å"Very poorly explained†¦That is incorrect, the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia†¦Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three†¦Ã¢â‚¬  When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back. â€Å"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention.† Harry and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape. â€Å"Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job,† Harry said to Hermione. â€Å"Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think this is all because of the Boggart?† â€Å"I don't know,† said Hermione pensively. â€Å"But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ron caught up with them five minutes later, in a towering rage. â€Å"D'you know what that –† (he called Snape something that made Hermione say â€Å"Ron!†) â€Å"– is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. Without magic!† He was breathing deeply, his fists clenched. â€Å"Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!† ****** Harry woke extremely early the next morning; so early that it was still dark. For a moment he thought the roaring of the wind had woken him. Then he felt a cold breeze on the back of his neck and sat bolt upright — Peeves the Poltergeist had been floating next to him, blowing hard in his ear. â€Å"What did you do that for?† said Harry furiously. Peeves puffed out his cheeks, blew hard, and zoomed backward out of the room, cackling. Harry fumbled for his alarm clock and looked at it. It was half past four. Cursing Peeves, he rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but it was very difficult, now that he was awake, to ignore the sounds of the thunder rumbling overhead, the pounding of the wind against the castle walls, and the distant creaking of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. In a few hours he would be out on the Quidditch field, battling through that gale. Finally, he gave up any thought of more sleep, got up, dressed, picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand, and walked quietly out of the dormitory. As Harry opened the door, something brushed against his leg. He bent down just in time to grab Crookshanks by the end of his bushy tail and drag him outside. â€Å"You know, I reckon Ron was right about you,† Harry told Crookshanks suspiciously. â€Å"There are plenty of mice around this place — go and chase them. Go on,† he added, nudging Crookshanks down the spiral staircase with his foot. â€Å"Leave Scabbers alone.† The noise of the storm was even louder in the common room. Harry knew better than to think the match would be canceled; Quidditch matches weren't called off for trifles like thunderstorms. Nevertheless, he was starting to feel very apprehensive. Wood had pointed out Cedric Diggory to him in the corridor; Diggory was a fifth year and a lot bigger than Harry. Seekers were usually light and speedy, but Diggory's weight would be an advantage in this weather because he was less likely to be blown off course. Harry whiled away the hours until dawn in front of the fire, getting up every now and then to stop Crookshanks from sneaking up the boys' staircase again. At long last Harry thought it must be time for breakfast, so he headed through the portrait hole alone. â€Å"Stand and fight, you mangy cur!† yelled Sir Cadogan. â€Å"Oh, shut up,† Harry yawned. He revived a bit over a large bowl of porridge, and by the time he'd started on toast, the rest of the team had turned up. â€Å"It's going to be a tough one,† said Wood, who wasn't eating anything. â€Å"Stop worrying, Oliver,† said Alicia soothingly, â€Å"we don't mind a bit of rain.† But it was considerably more than a bit of rain. Such was the popularity of Quidditch that the whole school turned out to watch the match as usual, but they ran down the lawns toward the Quidditch field, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went. just before he entered the locker room, Harry saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, laughing and pointing at him from under an enormous umbrella on their way to the stadium. The team changed into their scarlet robes and waited for Wood's usual pre-match pep talk, but it didn't come. He tried to speak several times, made an odd gulping noise, then shook his head hopelessly and beckoned them to follow him. The wind was so strong that they staggered sideways as they walked out onto the field. If the crowd was cheering, they couldn't hear it over the fresh rolls of thunder. Rain was splattering over Harry's glasses. How on earth was he going to see the Snitch in this? The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the field, wearing canary-yellow robes. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands; Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood now looked as though he had lockjaw and merely nodded. Harry saw Madam Hooch's mouth form the words, â€Å"Mount Your brooms.† He pulled his right foot out of the mud with a squelch and swung it over his Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant — they were off. Harry rose fast, but his Nimbus was swerving slightly with the wind. He held it as steady as he could and turned, squinting into the rain. Within five minutes Harry was soaked to his skin and frozen, hardly able to see his teammates, let alone the tiny Snitch. He flew backward and forward across the field past blurred red and yellow shapes, with no idea of what was happening in the rest of the game. He couldn't hear the commentary over the wind. The crowd was hidden beneath a sea of cloaks and battered umbrellas. Twice Harry came very close to being unseated by a Bludger; his vision was so clouded by the rain on his glasses he hadn't seen them coming. He lost track of time. It was getting harder and harder to hold his broom straight. The sky was getting darker, as though night had decided to come early. Twice Harry nearly hit another player, without knowing whether it was a teammate or opponent; everyone was now so wet, and the rain so thick, he could hardly tell them apart†¦ With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle; Harry could just see the outline of Wood through the thick rain, gesturing him to the ground. The whole team splashed down into the mud. â€Å"I called for time-out!† Wood roared at his team. â€Å"Come on, under here –â€Å" They huddled at the edge of the field under a large umbrella; Harry took off his glasses and wiped them hurriedly on his robes. â€Å"What's the score?† â€Å"We're fifty points up,† said Wood, â€Å"but unless we get the Snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night.† â€Å"I've got no chance with these on,† Harry said exasperatedly, waving his glasses. At that very moment, Hermione appeared at his shoulder; she was holding her cloak over her head and was, inexplicably, beaming. â€Å"I've had an idea, Harry! Give me your glasses, quick!† He handed them to her, and as the team watched in amazement, Hermione tapped them with her wand and said, â€Å"Impervius!† â€Å"There!† she said, handing them back to Harry. â€Å"They'll repel water!† Wood looked as though he could have kissed her. â€Å"Brilliant!† he called hoarsely after her as she disappeared into the crowd. â€Å"Okay, team, let's go for it!† Hermione's spell had done the trick. Harry was still numb with cold, still wetter than he'd ever been in his life, but he could see. Full of fresh determination, he urged his broom through the turbulent air, staring in every direction for the Snitch, avoiding a Bludger, ducking beneath Diggory, who was streaking in the opposite direction†¦ There was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by forked lightning. This was getting more and more dangerous. Harry needed to get the Snitch quickly — He turned, intending to head back toward the middle of the field, but at that moment, another flash of lightning illuminated the stands, and Harry saw something that distracted him completely, the silhouette of an enormous shaggy black dog, clearly imprinted against the sky, motionless in the topmost, empty row of seats. Harry's numb hands slipped on the broom handle and his Nimbus dropped a few feet. Shaking his sodden bangs out of his eyes, he squinted back into the stands. The dog had vanished. â€Å"Harry!† came Wood's anguished yell from the Gryffindor goal posts. â€Å"Harry, behind you!† Harry looked wildly around. Cedric Diggory was pelting up the field, and a tiny speck of gold was shimmering in the rain-filled air between them†¦ With a jolt of panic, Harry threw himself flat to the broom handle and zoomed toward the Snitch. â€Å"Come on!† he growled at his Nimbus as the rain whipped his face. â€Å"Faster!† But something odd was happening. An eerie silence was falling across the stadium. The wind, though as strong as ever, was forgetting to roar. It was as though someone had turned off the sound, as though Harry had gone suddenly deaf — what was going on? And then a horribly familiar wave of cold swept over him, inside him, just as he became aware of something moving on the field below†¦ Before he'd had time to think, Harry had taken his eyes off the Snitch and looked down. At least a hundred Dementors, their hidden faces pointing up at him, were standing beneath him. It was as though freezing water were rising in his chest, cutting at his insides. And then he heard it again†¦Someone was screaming, screaming inside his head†¦a woman†¦ â€Å"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!† â€Å"Stand aside, you silly girl†¦stand aside, now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead –â€Å" Numbing, swirling white mist was filling Harry's brain†¦What was he doing? Why was he flying? He needed to help her†¦She was going to die†¦She was going to be murdered†¦ He was falling, falling through the icy mist. â€Å"Not Harry! Please†¦have mercy†¦have mercy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A shrill voice was laughing, the woman was screaming, and Harry knew no more. â€Å"Lucky the ground was so soft.† â€Å"I thought he was dead for sure.† â€Å"But he didn't even break his glasses.† Harry could hear the voices whispering, but they made no sense whatsoever. He didn't have a clue where he was, or how he'd got there, or what he'd been doing before he got there. All he knew was that every inch of him was aching as though it had been beaten. â€Å"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life.† Scariest†¦the scariest thing†¦hooded black figures†¦cold†¦screaming†¦ Harry's eyes snapped open. He was lying in the hospital wing. The Gryffindor Quidditch team, spattered with mud from head to foot, was gathered around his bed. Ron and Hermione were also there, looking as though they'd just climbed out of a swimming pool. â€Å"Harry!† said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath, the mud. â€Å"How're you feeling?† It was as though Harry's memory was on fast forward. The lightning†¦the Grim†¦the Snitch†¦and the Dementors†¦ â€Å"What happened?† he said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped. â€Å"You fell off,† said Fred. â€Å"Must've been — what — fifty feet?† â€Å"We thought you'd died,† said Alicia, who was shaking. Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot. â€Å"But the match,† said Harry. â€Å"What happened? Are we doing a replay?† No one said anything. The horrible truth sank into Harry like a stone. â€Å"We didn't — lose?† â€Å"Diggory got the Snitch,† said George. â€Å"Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square†¦even Wood admits it.† â€Å"Where is Wood?† said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn't there. â€Å"Still in the showers,† said Fred. â€Å"We think he's trying to drown himself.† Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly. â€Å"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before.† â€Å"There had to be one time you didn't get it,† said George. â€Å"It's not over yet,† said Fred. â€Å"We lost by a hundred points.† â€Å"Right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points,† said George. â€Å"But if they beat Ravenclaw†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It all depends on the points — a margin of a hundred either way –â€Å" Harry lay there, not saying a word. They had lost†¦for the first time ever, he had lost a Quidditch match. After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace. â€Å"We'll come and see you later,† Fred told him. â€Å"Don't beat yourself up. Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had.† The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Ron and Hermione moved nearer to Harry's bed. â€Å"Dumbledore was really angry,† Hermione said in a quaking voice. â€Å"I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away†¦He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him –â€Å" â€Å"Then he magicked you onto a stretcher,† said Ron. â€Å"And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice faded, but Harry hardly noticed. He was thinking about what the Dementors had done to him†¦about the screaming voice. He looked up and saw Ron and Hermione looking at him so anxiously that he quickly cast around for something matter-of-fact to say. â€Å"Did someone get my Nimbus?† Ron and Hermione looked quickly at each other. â€Å"Er –â€Å" â€Å"What?† said Harry, looking from one to the other. â€Å"Well†¦when you fell off, it got blown away,† said Hermione hesitantly. â€Å"And?† â€Å"And it hit — it hit — oh, Harry — it hit the Whomping Willow.† Harry's insides lurched. The Whomping Willow was a very violent tree that stood alone in the middle of the grounds. â€Å"And?† he said, dreading the answer. â€Å"Well, you know the Whomping Willow,† said Ron. â€Å"It — it doesn't like being hit.† â€Å"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around,† said Hermione in a very small voice. Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's faithful, finally beaten broomstick.