The Importance Of Wastewater Treatment Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Wastewater Treatment Environmental Sciences Essay Water scarcity is the major problem that is faced all across the world. Although 2/3rd of the earths crust is made up of water but all this water is not available for drinking and for other human activities as either it is locked in the form of ice or present in the form of vast saline oceans and seas. It has been found out that 97% of the total water is salty that is of no use to human and animals (except marine animal) and the remaining three percent is available as freshwater. More than half of this three percent is locked in glacier and less than 0.01% is available as fresh water. So water resources are less as compare to human demand for water. Above this, the major part of water that can be consumed is getting polluted because of human activities. This polluted and untreated water is causing abundant water borne diseases. Then the world is facing a huge climatic change which is further aggravating the water problem. Some of the regions are getting more rain water than earlier and some are getting almost negligible. Experts even believe that the next World War would not be for oil or land but it will be for water. Also because of improper use of water and lack of water treatment, the problem of water crisis will further increase where 884 million people are already not getting easy access to safe drinking water. And a further 2.5 billion people are getting difficult access to water for disposable and sanitation. Agriculture is also overusing and polluting the ground water thus depleting the natural source of water. So here water treatment plants will play important role. Water crisis at present is the biggest problem according to the United Nations. Almost 25 countries of Africa, parts of China, Peru and Brazil in Latin America, some parts of Middle East like Iran, Chile, Mexico, and Paraguay are some of the countries that are facing the water crisis. Even other parts of the world are facing the varied levels of the water crisis. Because of acute shortage of water, the food problems are getting aggravated. About 40 million people in Africa are facing the problem of food shortage. It is expected that if the similar conditions will persist then there will be 500 million till 2025 who will suffer from these problems. Nature has its role but the major water problem is arising because of its increasing consumption and faulty usage. Major chunk of the problem can be solved if the wastewater treatment is taken very seriously and precautions at every step are taken to improve the water quality. The supply and demand The demand for fresh clean water delivered to our homes is ever increasing as more and more residential homes are being established. Although 70% of the world is covered with water, only 1% is fresh water and thus raises a need to recycle waste water to satisfy our needs. Efforts to continuously recycle waste water are always stressed upon as a shortage would mean a disaster in heavily populated areas. Governments have committed billions towards research and development to such projects. Fresh water is also needed in agriculture. The demand for water in this sector is very high as farmer need fresh water for crops and cattle. Therefore, stresses the demand for sewage water treatment plants to be built. Water from rivers and lake are inadequate to provide water for farm and residences alike. The supply of sewage water treatment facilities are slowly dwindling. A crisis may arise from a lack of sewage water treatment plants as this would greatly reduce the supply of fresh water. Governments are desperately trying to keep up with the pace of development of the population but are slowly lagging behind. The supply of fresh water will be adequate for the next few years but if the development of sewage water treatment plant continues at its current pace it without a doubt a shortage would take place. Furthermore, the agriculture industry will be greatly impacted and the supply of food will go down as well leading to famine due to a shortage of water. The prospects of this industry The wastewater treatment industry most probably will be successful in future due to presence of new wastewater treatment technologies. Advanced Immobilized Cell Reactor technology is one of the new technologies which immobilize the organisms such as bacteria in the pores of the carbon matrix. This process can avoid the immobilized organisms from shock load application as the diffusion of the pollutants from bulk fluid phase to organisms follows Ficks law. Through conventional biological wastewater treatment, infinite electrical energy and vast land area are being consumed. Besides that, a huge investment in electromechanical equipment is involved which will bring about a huge total cost of operation. Generally, the total cost of operation for new technology is lowered compared to the convention technology. By using the new technology, the total cost of operation can be cut down to approximately 50 percent of the total cost of conventional treatment. Furthermore, the biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand are reduced by 94 percent and 90 percent respectively. Oxygen consumption in the new technology is lower than in conventional technology. The oxygen gas is supplied in the form if compressed air from the bottom of the reactor. Both liquid and gas streams are in counter-current direction which facilitates the oxidation of dissolved organics and desorbs the converted products. This is to make sure the activated carbon keep up its activity throughout the process. Moreover, with all those new wastewater technologies such as Advanced Oxidation Process, NERV (Natural Endogenous Respiration Vessel), Wet oxidation and many others processes, wastewater treatment can be done efficiently. For instant, through the new technologies less land is required to use to build plant; the power consumption is lowered. Besides that, the requirement for electrical and mechanical equipment is lower compared to conventional technology. In a conclusion, wastewater treatment industries have a good prospect in the future with the help of new technologies. By using all those new technologies, waste water treatment can be done efficiently with lower overall lifecycle costs, lesser energy and equipment needed. We are sure that there is more new technologies will be invented in order to improve the wastewater treatment. The impact on the environment When the waste water is mixed with the waste materials such like garbage, household waste, toilets liquid and disposable things, the resulting product called sewage or waste water. This sewage water is normally will undergo a few process before it is release to the environment but there are still some impact on the environment. One of the impacts on the environment is agricultural impacts. The sewage water contains salts which is soluble that may accumulate in the root zone with possible harmful effect on soil health and crop yield. The physical and mechanical properties of the soil, such as dispersion of particle, stability of aggregates, soil structure and permeability are very sensitive to the types of exchangeable ions present in irrigation water. Thus, when effluent use is being planned, several factors related to the soil properties must be taken into consideration. On the other hand the effect of dissolved solids in the irrigation water on the growth of plants is also another aspect of agriculture which we have to concern. Dissolved salts increase the osmotic potential of soil water and increase the osmotic pressure of the soil solution which increases the growth and the yield of most plants decline progressively as osmotic pressure increases. In addition the one of the environment impact is ecological impact where the drainage water from waste water irrigation schemes drains particularly into small confined lakes and water bodies and surface water, and if phosphatesin the ortho phosphate form are present, the remains of nutrients may cause eutrophication. Here the overloading organic materials resulting in decrease in dissolved oxygen may lead to changes in the composition of a aquatic life such as fish deaths and reduced fishery. The eutrophication potential of waste water irrigation can be assessed using biological indices, which in turn can be qualified in monitory units using economic valuation techniques. The hidden impact on the environment is the increase on the production of green house emissions. The large agriculture reuse project might cause to the environmental externalities associated with pumping water uphill which emits greenhouse gas. Another impact is on the health. The sewage water contains pathogenic microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, protozoans and parasitic worms, the diseases and signs related with such infection are also diverse including typhoid,dysentry and cholera, diarrhea and vomiting. the concentration of he pathogens in waste water is dependent on the source population and the susceptibility to infection varies from one population to another. So basically he waste water is actually harm for the nature even though its treated and release to the environment so as a human being we should not dispose the waste into the water thus our water will be clean and the cost of the treatment can be reduced. The Processes involved in this industry Pre-Treatment(prepared by Brian Lee CL, 0902669) Pre-treatment consists of three sub-stages which are Screening, Grit Removal and Fat and Grease Removal. Pre-treatment is done to remove materials which are easily collected such as debris, leaves and trash which would damage or clog up pumps and skimmers of the primary treatment. Screening is used to remove large objects such as leaves, twigs and cans in the sewage stream. This is normally done with a giant mechanical rake bar which is automated. The rake bar revolves around a central axis at a rate varying on the accumulation and flow rate of the sewage stream. The screens vary in sizes to optimize solid removal. Objects accumulated are collected and disposed in landfills. Grit is minute granules such as sand or stone. The wastewater is channeled to a chamber where to velocity of the water is adjusted so that the grit would settle at the bottom of the chamber. Grit may cause damage to the pumps or other equipment. Grit removal may not necessary in smaller plant. Fat and grease are groups of compounds which are generally insoluble in water. The fat and grease are normally found floating on the surface of the water. In some plants, the fat and grease are removed by using skimmers to collect the fat and grease on the surface of the water in a small tank. However this can also be done in the Primary treatment stage in the same manner. 2) Primary treatment (prepared by Tan HY, 0903497) Primary wastewater treatment is the second step in the wastewater treatment process ahead of the preliminary treatment of a headworks, involves the physical separation of suspended solids from the wastewater flow using primary clarifiers. The objective of primary treatment is the removal of settle able organic and inorganic solids by sedimentation, and the removal of materials that will float (scum) by skimming. Approximately 25 to 50% of the incoming biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), 50 to 70% of the total suspended solids (SS), and 65% of the oil and grease are removed during primary treatment. Some organic nitrogen, organic phosphorus, and heavy metals associated with solids are also removed during primary sedimentation but colloidal and dissolved constituents are not affected. The effluent from primary sedimentation units is referred to as primary effluent. On the other hand, primary treatment is the minimum level of reapplication treatment required for wastewater irrigation. It may be considered sufficient treatment if the wastewater is used to irrigate crops that are not consumed by humans or to irrigate orchards, vineyards, and some processed food crops. However, to prevent potential nuisance conditions in storage or flow-equalizing reservoirs, some form of secondary treatment is normally required  in  these countries, even in the case of non-food crop irrigation. It may be possible to use at least a portion of primary effluent for irrigation if off-line storage is provided. Primary sedimentation tanks or clarifiers may be round or rectangular basins, typically 3 to 5 m deep, with hydraulic retention time between 2 and 3 hours. Settled solids (primary sludge) are normally removed from the bottom of tanks by sludge rakes that scrape the sludge to a central well from which it is pumped to sludge processing units. Scum is swept across the tank surface by water jets or mechanical means from which it is also pumped to sludge processing units. 2) Secondly treatment (prepared by Harintharan S, 1101379) The secondary treatment in this sewage treatment is one of the most important part in this process. This process is basically designed to remove the waste product from the sewage. This system is also classified as fixed-film  or suspended-growth  systems. The secondary treatment contain a few processes, the 1st process is activated sludge. This activated sludge is majority from the plants which encompass the variety of mechanisms and processes that use dissolve oxygen  to promote the growth of biological flock that substantially removes organic material. This process basically change the ammonia  to  nitrite  and  nitrate  and ultimately to  nitrogen  gas. The 2nd process is this treatment is the Surface-aerated basins also known as Lagoons. This process basically removes the BOD from the sewage water. In an aerated basin system, the aerators provide two functions: they transfer air into the basins required by the biological oxidation reactions, and they provide t he mixing required for dispersing the air and for contacting the reactants (that is, oxygen, wastewater and microbes).However, they do not provide as good mixing as is normally achieved in activated sludge systems and therefore aerated basins do not achieve the same performance level as activated sludge units. The biological oxidation in the Surface-aerated basins is sensitive to the temperature and the rate of reaction increase with the temperature. The suitable temperature for this process is in between  0  °C and 40  °C. Besides that the constructed wetland is one of the process also. This process is a process which cleans the drainage of animals and used to recycle the waste water. The constructed wetland are known to be highly productive systems as they copy natural wetlands, called the Kidneys of the earth for their fundamental recycling capacity of the hydrological cycle in the biosphere and they provide a high degree of biological improvement but depending on design. T he next process is the filter beds which is knows as oxidizing beds are used where the settled sewage liquor is spread onto the surface of a bed made up of  coke, then liquor is typically distributed through perforated spray arms, then distributed liquor trickles through the bed and is collected in drains at the base, and the  biological films of bacteria, protozoa and fungi to reduce the organic content. The next process is the Biological aerated filters are a combine filtration with biological carbon reduction,  nitrification  or denitrification. Its a dual processer in purpose of to support highly active biomass that is attached to it and to filter suspended solids. Carbon reduction and ammonia conversion occurs in aerobic mode and sometime achieved in a single reactor while nitrate conversion occurs in  anoxic  mode. This process is operated either in up flow or down flow configuration depending on design specified by manufacturer. In addition the Rotating biological contactors are the next process in this secondary treatment. This is actually a secondary mechanical treatment system which is capable  of withstanding surges in organic load. The rotating disks support the growth of bacteria and micro-organisms present in the sewage, which break down and stabilise organic pollutants. Oxygen is obtained from the atmosphere as the disks rotate. As the micro-organisms grow, they build up on the media until they are sloughed off due to shear forces provided by the rotating discs in the sewage.   Effluent from the system is then passed through final clarifiers where the micro-organisms in suspension settle as sludge. The sludge is withdrawn from the clarifier for further treatment. After that the membrane bioreactor combine activated sludge treatment with a membrane liquid-solid separation process. The component on this system uses low pressure for microfiltration or ultra-filtration membranes and eliminates the need for clarification and tertiary filtration.   The elevated biomass concentration in the system process allows for very effective removal of both soluble and particulate biodegradable materials at higher loading rates. The final process in this secondary treatment is the secondary sedimentation where the process is to settle out the biological flock or filter material through a secondary clarifier and to produce sewage water containing low levels of organic material and suspended matter. 4) Tertiary treatment (prepared by Raiminder S, 0904743) The main purpose of the tertiary treatment is to ensure that the treated water which is to be released on to the environment is biologically accepted by all other fresh water organisms such as weeds and algae. This part of the treatment includes processes like physical water treatment, lagooning, and excessive nutrient removal processes.to ensure that the discharged water is raised in effluent quality before proceeding to the final stages. In physical water treatment, much of the residual suspended matters are removed using only physical processes such as sedimentation  method and the infamous filtration method. In the sedimentation  method, the water is place in a certain tank to allow all the remaining heaver objects to sink down to the bottom of the container. After few hours went most of the dense object are separated from the water, the cleared effluent or waste stream is removed. Sedimentation is one of the most common methods, quite often used at the beginning and the end of many water treating processes. Another physical method that is commonly used in the sewage water treatment system is the filtration method. In filtration, the water is allowed to pass through filters to separate the contaminating solids from the water. Sand filter is a common filter used in this process. In a number of wastewater treatment methods, semi-solid contaminants like grease and oil are allowed to float on the surface of the wat er, and then they are physically removed. Besides the in lagooning where lagoon is a stationary system having a continuous flow: several ponds working in parallel in which the inlet flow and the outlet flow are equals form lagoon plants. The lagooning technique is a natural and very efficient technique that consists in the accumulation of wastewater in ponds or basins, known as biological or stabilization ponds, where a series of biological, biochemical and physical processes take place. In these ponds or lagoons, certain types of the microorganism are actually supported as these biological agents help in treating the water further by removing the fine particulates. These types of biological ponds are usually classified as anaerobic ponds or oxidation ponds depending on the shape, depth, organic rate, level of treatment of that particular lagoon itself. The excessive nutrient removal is the most viral step in the last stages of the water treatment before the water is released to the environment. When the previously treated water comes to this area of the system, the nutrients level mainly nitrogen and phosphorus in the water is checked. Where when found in excess, the excessive nutrient removal step is carried out. This is because if the unchecked water supply is to be released into the natural water system (river, pond, etc.) it will cause a sudden increase in the native microorganism population of that certain water system. Some of the native microorganisms which are commonly found in ponds today are usually weeds, algae, and cyanobacteria. Therefore, after the sudden rapid grown in the population of these microorganisms, the number of algae for example, becomes unsustainable which causes most of them to die and eventually decay. The following decay process would substantially increase the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in that p articular pond, which would cause the other fresh water living organism such as fishes to die as well. Firstly, the nitrogen removal process is carried out. There are various methods of removing nitrogen, each with advantages and disadvantages. However, the biological treatment method is used most commonly. With this method, organic nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen is converted into nitrous and nitrate nitrogen in an aerobic environment, and is dispersed into the atmosphere as anaerobic nitrogen gas. Therefore the gas is removed from the water and released to the atmosphere. And as there is no secondary pollution, this can be called an effective method. In the removal of phosphorus is usually carried out using a method called enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The first process in EBPR is the mainstream biological treatment process. Where the utilizing of aerobic and solids separation zones and the provision of return activated sludge are carried out. The next is a first side stream process for anoxic/anaerobic selection of desirable BPR organisms such as the polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs). Finally, a second side stream process serves to ferment organic material in some of the return activated sludge to produce food utilized in the first side stream selection process. The system permits the three processes to be separated from each other by creating two side streams, allowing all three processes to be controlled separately and optimized in satisfying their own specific goals. Besides this biological method, the removal of phosphorus can also be done via chemical precipitation, usually with salts of iron, alu minum, or lime. Chemical precipitation is usually more reliable, easier to operate, and requires smaller equipment footprint than biological removal. But the main back draws of this chemical method is that it may form excessive sludge production as hydroxides precipitates and the chemical used in this method might be considered expensive. 5) Disinfection (prepared by Lim CS, 1001012) The main purpose of disinfection in the wastewater treatment is to provide a degree of protection from contact with infectants and pathogen organisms which will cause waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and hepatitis. Disinfection is also used to reduce the load of microorganisms in the wastewater to be discharged to the environment. Primary, secondary and even tertiary treatments do not fully remove the incoming waste load and microorganisms in the water stream and as a result, many microorganisms still remain in the wastewater. Therefore, various methods of disinfection are introduced such as chemical methods, physical methods and biological methods. The effectiveness of disinfection depends on different factors including the quality of wastewater being treated, disinfectant dosage, type of disinfection being used and others. For instant, cloudy wastewater will not be treated efficiently due to less contact time between ultraviolet light and microorganisms. These microorganisms are shielding by those solid matters in wastewater stream and it reduces the contact time. Generally, long contact times, high concentration of disinfectant and optimum temperature and pH value will increase the effectiveness of disinfection. Chlorination is one of the chemical methods which is commonly used for disinfection in the wastewater treatment. It is widely used through the world due to its low cost and long-term history of effectiveness. Chlorine can be applied in two general ways, liquid and gas. Chlorine in gaseous form is generally added to the wastewater stream rather than liquid form which is also known as hypochlorite because the former costs lesser than the latter. When chlorine dissolves in pure water, hypochlorous acid is formed followed by hypochlorites which are known as free residual chlorines Chlorine is an extremely active oxidizing agent which will react with many other substances in the water stream. For instant, it reacts rapidly with such compounds as hydrogen sulfide, ferrous iron and manganese which found in industrial wastewater. However, if all of the chlorine is consumed in these reactions, no disinfection will result. Hence, to accomplish disinfection, sufficient chlorine is added into wastewater stream to satisfy the chlorine demand and produce residual chlorine which will destroy bacteria. There are few factors which will affect the effectiveness of chlorination. Among the factors are pH, temperature, turbidity, control system and many others. However, chlorination brings some disadvantage to environment. Chlorination of residual organic material can generate chlorinated-organic compound which may be harmful to the environment. Those residual chlorines are toxic to aquatic species; therefore, dechlorination is needed, adding to complexity and cost of treatment. However, chlorination becomes less favoured as disinfectant due to rising cost and it had found to be toxic to aquatic species. As a result, ozone and ultraviolet begin to be used as disinfectant. Ultraviolet (UV) light is more environmental friendly to be used as no chemicals are used and leave no toxic residual. Ultraviolet radiation and damages the genetic material of microorganisms, destroying their ability to reproduce. Before pass through the UV disinfection unit, the wastewater must pass through an advanced pretreatment component. Wastewater flows in the stream parallel to the UV light in a thin film in order to increase the contact time. To increase the effectiveness of the UV light, the UV radiation must come in direct with pathogen organisms and other microbial in the wastewater stream. The effectiveness of a UV disinfection system is affected by few factors including characteristics of the wastewater, the contact time, intensity of UV radiation and many others. Turbidity, flow rate of water stream and suspended solids are also play an important roles in UV disinfection. These factors must be kept at low levels to ensure proper treatment. Disinfection of wastewater, primarily by chlorination, has played an important role in the reduction of waterborne disease. However, there are more new disinfection processes are being developed in order to maximize the effectiveness of disinfection. Role of engineer in this industry The Chemical Engineering is the profession that combines chemistry and engineering concepts that help to solve problems related to world hunger, pollution of our environment, creating new materials, or meeting demands for energy. Chemical engineers develop low cost processes for useful chemical products, which make it possible for both poor nations and the United States to manufacture important fertilizers. The roles of a chemical engineer in waste water treatment have to minimize the waste across the plant or reduction of waste loading to the treatment plant. Other than that, chemical engineer need to state whether its systems for the treatment and reuse of wastewater, process water treatment for industry, high-purity water for sensitive medical or scientific applications, or systems to supply clean drinking water to people and their families. Besides that, as a chemical engineer also responsible for providing expertise in their respective discipline as it applies to the hazard analysis of the process being studied. Therefore, we also in charge for attending the initial hazard analysis kick-off meeting. On the other hand, we are also required to be available to the team as required with the understanding that the team leader will give adequate advance notice when their expertise is required. Lastly we are necessary to provide documents of any existing safeguards and procedures. Skills/ knowledge required Many types of skills and knowledge are required for chemical engineer in waste water treatment. They required intensive knowledge in wastewater treatment technologies, so that they will more easy to solve the problems when they face the difficulty. On the other hand, they also need expertise in equipment design, influent water treatment, effluent monitoring, and wastewater recycling. In addition, proficiency in computer, programming, modeling and data analysis, for example AutoCAD, Microsoft Office, FOTRAN, Origin, Maple, Polymath, and other software are also the knowledge needed for chemical engineer. Moreover, strong technical writing, presentation, and project management skills are also useful skill for chemical engineer in order to present the researches after they have completed. Besides the skills at above the hazard and operability study (HAZOP) technique also needed for a chemical engineer working in industry. The HAZOP technique is most popular in most industry because that is technique which is structured and systematic examination of a planned or existing process or operation in order to identify and evaluate problems that may represent risks to personnel or equipment, or prevent efficient operation. Otherwise, HAZOP as well a qualitative technique based on guide-words and is carried out by a multi-disciplinary team (HAZOP team) during a set of meetings.

Global Issues in the Modern Day

Global Issues in the Modern Day Min Yong Chun Four Global Issues Table of Contents Introduction Virus Attack Water Scarcity Malaria Digital Divide Conclusion Reference Introduction The Four global issues chosen were virus attack, malaria, digital dive and water scarcity. These 4 global issues have something in common which is that they are increasing affecting the world nowadays. Virus attack was chosen for the reason to inform the readers how the prevention could be done since people are not familiar with the solution or avoidance. Malaria was chosen since it has been a big case in the world for the perfect vaccine to cure the disease is not found yet and to write about how serious it is especially in Africa. Water scarcity was chosen to write and inform the readers on how important this issue is to the global economy and lastly digital divide was chosen to explain to the readers on how the poor country is compared to the rich people. The purpose of the research was to explain with accurate information. This report will discuss the reasons of how these 4 global issues are caused and its effect. In the last part solutions will be provided on how these issues co uld be avoided. Virus Attack Computer virus is a malware program or an undesirable code when executed, duplicates by inserting copies of it into data files, hard drives and other computer parts. It is said that virus often performs an inimical activity corrupting data files, stealing files and the ability to control one’s gadgets (Brian). The causes of virus attack are through the use of internet, removable storage device, and E-mail. Internet is the fastest and the easiest way that virus can spread due to links that automatically downloads virus such as clicking advertisement in a webpage. Followed by E-mails such as SPAM mails and devices such as USB and hard drive can carry virus which was originated from different computer which were infected through virus (Brian). One of the most common and deadliest viruses is Trojan, Spyware and Worms. Because of these viruses multiplying or entering electronic gadgets, the virus immediately seeks for other host that can be infected. Once the virus spread into the device, they transfer controls to the application program they tainted giving the ability of the virus creator to steal or files and the capability of destroying the computer. Virus attack currently cause billions of dollars’ worth of economic damage each year due to wasting computer resources, data corruption, increasing od maintenance cost and causing system failure (Bell). The first virus attacking incident happened in the late 1970s when it infected ARPANET which is a large network used by Defence Department (Beal). Water Scarcity Water scarcity also called water crisis is the lack of sufficient water available to meet the wants of water usage within the country. The earth is covered up with 70% water and the freshwater makes up a very small portion which is only 2.5% of the total amount of water available (â€Å"Fresh Water Crisis†). Water scarcity can be a result of two mechanisms, physical and economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity is due to the uncontrolled natural water supply to peoples demand such as overpopulation, climate change and other natural calamities where in economic water scarcity is the outcome of poor management of the sufficient water available to the people such as the factories polluting the biodiversity and people wasting or over using the water. Water scarcity may give negative effect to the community (WWF). When fresh water is not available to the people, they get disease from drinking contaminated water and in fact, 3.1 million people die each year from water related disease. Lack of fresh water also means less water to plant the crops causing the food supply to decrease that result to constant huger. Water scarcity can cause poverty for the clean water decreases and the price or the value has also increased which can lead people to poverty (National Geographic). Example of a countries suffering from water scarcity is mostly from the Africa. It was not due to physical but because of the economic water scarcity which could not follow up the needs to the people. If no actions are implemented, in 2025 the fresh water will decrease 1% which will be greatly affect the nation worldwide (â€Å"National Geographics†). Malaria Malaria is an infectious disease for human and other animals caused by parasitic protozoans called Plasmodium and is transmitted through particular mosquito which is the Anopheles mosquito (Mangan). Female Anopheles mosquito is simply the only mosquito that transmits malaria. Specific time is given when the mosquito is particularly active which is 9pm and 5am. The cause of malaria is simply when someone is staying outside where mosquitos are present and usually tourist people are common to get the disease for they stay outside for too long and is commonly found in Africa. Malaria infections are identified by paroxysms or recurrent attack that develop into a three stage. The first stage is the development of chills plus headache. In stage 2, the infected person’s skin may become hot and dry while having a fever. As the temperature drops, stage 3 begins by feeling extreme fatigue and weak while sweating. Within 10 to 15 days, these symptoms are generally spotted. There are some serious cases when infected person will not get a treatment, it can lead to death for the reason that the bones in the body system will weaken. It was also found that cerebral malaria could occur if the blood vessels in the brain are blocked with the infected blood cells. As a result it can lead to swelling of the brain and brain damage. In worst case, after getting bitten by the mosquito, death may strike in a couple of hours. In a survey, it was stated that people die every minute because of being infected by malaria (â€Å"Malaria QA†). Digital Divide Digital divide is a social and economic issue referring to the opposite amount of information between those who have access to the internet. It is also used to describe the discrepancy between people who do not have the resources and access to the technology (Beal). Digital divide also describes the people those who have the knowledge, abilities and skills from those living in rural and urban areas between educated and uneducated. The main cause of digital divide was due to the gap of developing countries and developed countries. The rich countries which had the power to adapt the new technologies has become more developed while the poor countries having inefficient money had a failure in purchasing the technologies which had pushed the chance of development of the countries itself. Other cause could be the education system. For the successful society, they mainly focus on the education making students becoming the future developers of the countries while developing countries not giv ing that much importance for the educational system lack the skills to create students who could change the society (Rapaport). Because of the digital divide bring the gap between the rich and the poor, which leads discrimination. The poor countries would not be able to follow up the rich country in the near future. Competition could not be attempted for the lack of facilities the poor countries have and the developed country would mind only to their development leading to imbalance to the world economy. In addition, the country that lacks with technologies lacks the knowledge to teach the usage of the technology making the country not developed. It would be hard for the poor countries to enter the global market and when foreign investors comes to the developing countries, the tariffs are lowered which free trade will be done. However, this method can help the rich countries richer which means to say that there are possible advantages of digital divide (James). Conclusion To sum up, the 4 global issues have been discussed and were explained with the information gathered from the internet such as journal, journal articles, statistics and other webpages. Computer virus is commonly used for hackers to get personal files. However there might be several ways on how a virus can attack a gadget but there are also several ways a person could avoid virus attack. The best solution for virus attack is to download a virus killing system which could detect viruses before entering to any parts of the computer. In addition, people should be extra careful and should have the knowledge whether they should enter a certain website and when using a USB, the user should always remember to scan before activating and should safety remove the USB. Water scarcity has been a problem to the nation and fresh water is decreasing. Physical and economical water scarcities are done and when this continues there would be insufficient fresh water for people. The best solution that could reduce the scarcity of water is by protecting the available wetland (WWF). By protecting the wetland it can lead to less pollution to the biodiversity and can let the people know the importance of water. In addition, in the future scientist must find a ways Methods used to prevent malaria are when sleeping, people should use mosquito nets which prevents mosquitoes to enter the place where the people are sleeping. Currently there is no vaccine for malaria to be cured 100% but some medications are believed to prevent mosquitos to bite such as putting anti mosquito lotion on the skin when going out door. This depends on how one individual take care of them. Despite there are some advantages, the disadvantages outweighs the possible advantages. The gap will continue none unless the government in the poor country invest money to the development of their own country. There are possible global solutions which could be done. Number one is economic equality. For instance, many work related tasks are done online, and completion of the work may not be done due to the lack of access of internet to work up with the company standard. And the government should invest more on the educational system to create workers of the country. Reference Beal Vangie. â€Å"Computer Virus.† Webopedia. QuinStreet Inc. 2014. Web. 2 November 2014. Marshall Brian and Fenlon Wesley. â€Å"How Computer Virus Work.† HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks. 2014. Web. 2 November 2014 WWF. â€Å"Water Scarcity.† WWF. World Wildlife Fund. 2014. Web. 3 November 2014. National Geographic. â€Å"Freshwater Crisis.† National Geographic. National Geographic Society. 2014. Web. 3 November 2014. Mangan Tricia. â€Å"Symptoms and Effect of Malaria.† Livestrong. Demand Media Inc. 28 July 2011. Web. 2 November 2014. Malaria QA. â€Å"Malaria Effects on the Body.† Malaria. Malaria.com. 11 April 2011. Web. 3 November 2014. Rapaport Richard. â€Å"A Short History of the Digital Divide.† Edutopia. The George Lucas Educational Foundation. 27 October 2009. Web. 3 November 2014. Internet World Stats. â€Å"The Digital Divide.† InternetWorldStats. Internet World Stats Inc. 25 June 2011. Web. 3 November 2014.  November 3, 2014

Essay --

Physical activity is necessary to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Mainly guidelines suggest 150 minutes of physical activity weekly must be obtained to live a healthy life. There are many factors in each person’s life that determines the activity level of their lifestyle. A study done in Norway suggests youth sports has an influence on how active a person will be as an adult. There have been many suggestions that organized youth sports have an impact on an adult’s activity level, so researchers in Norway decided to conduct a study to see if this was accurate. The purpose of this study was to see if sustained youth sport participation related to the amount of physical activity one gets when they reach adulthood. Another purpose of this study was to determine if youth sports effected male’s adult physical activity more than females. This study relates to childhood obesity because it has been said physical activity is a huge stepping stone to reducing obesity. In this study, children from the ages of 13 to 16 years are participating in sports, which is a means of physi...

THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF GOD Essay -- essays research papers

THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF GOD Christians claim that their concept of God is found in the Bible. Known as classical theism, this view of God has long been considered the orthodox theistic position of the Western world. Though there are numerous divine attributes that we could examine, for our present purposes it is sufficient to say that the God of classical theism is at least (1) personal and incorporeal (without physical parts), (2) the Creator and Sustainer of everything else that exists, (3) omnipotent (all-powerful), (4) omniscient (all-knowing), (5) omnipresent (everywhere present), (6) immutable (unchanging) and eternal, and (7) necessary and the only God. Let us now briefly look at each of these attributes. 1. Personal and Incorporeal. According to Christian theism, God is a personal being who has all the attributes that we may expect from a perfect person: self-consciousness, the ability to reason, know, love, communicate, and so forth. This is clearly how God is described in the Scriptures (e.g., Gen. 17:11; Exod. 3:14; Jer. 29:11). God is also incorporeal. Unlike humans, God is not uniquely associated with one physical entity (i.e., a body). This is why the Bible refers to God as Spirit (John 4:24). 2. The Creator and Sustainer of Everything Else that Exists. In classical theism, all reality is contingent on God — that is, all reality has come into existence and continues to exist because of Him. Unlike a god who forms the universe out of preexistent matter, the God of classical theism created the universe ex nihilo (out of nothing). Consequently, it is on God alone that everything in the universe depends for its existence (see Acts 17:25; Col. 1:16, 17; Rom. 11:36; Heb. 11:3; 2 Cor. 4:6; Rev. 4:11). 3. Omnipotent. God is also said to be omnipotent or all-powerful. This should be understood to mean that God can do anything that is (1) logically possible (see below), and (2) consistent with being a personal, incorporeal, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, wholly perfect, and necessary Creator. Concerning the latter, these attributes are not limitations of God's power, but perfections. They are attributes at their infinitely highest level, which are essential to God's nature. For example, since God is perfect, He cannot sin; because He is personal, He is incapable of making Himself impersonal; because He is omniscient, He cannot forget. All th... ...o right action. Natural evil confers no additional benefits that moral evil cannot accomplish to the same degree and extent, and in fact natural evil is not even adequate to foster interpersonal moral virtues, such as forgiveness and tolerance. A benevolent God would allow no more evil than is absolutely necessary to achieve his ends. Because natural evil is gratuitous, its existence is incompatible with the existence of God. God, if he existed, could conceivably alter the laws of nature so that evil would only result when triggered by human action. However, manifest natural evil independent of human will, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tornadoes, and disease, undeniably exists. Since the existence of God and the existence of natural evil are incompatible and natural evil exists, the following revised argument from evil is both valid and sound, entailing a true conclusion: 1) If God exists, then there exists a being who is omniscient, omnipotent, and perfectly good. 2) If there existed a being who were omniscient, omnipotent, and perfectly good, then there would be no natural evil. 3) But there is natural evil. C) God does not exist. http://hem.passagen.se/nicb/evil.htm

Comparing Cinderella and Ever After Essay -- Movies Film Ever After Ci

Comparing Cinderella and Ever After When most people think of the movie, "Cinderella';, they think of the animated Disney version with the little mice and the happy ending where Cinderella marries the prince and they live happily ever after. While the movie "Ever After'; is based on "Cinderella';, it is not animated, but still has many of the same characteristics as the Disney version. Of course it is not exactly the same, and since it is not animated there are many differences. In "Ever After';, Drew Barrymore portrays the character Cinderella, who in the beginning of this movie is called Danielle. In the very beginning, it shows how Danielle's father died and how she went off to live with her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. In "Cinderella';, both of the stepsisters are wicked, but in "Ever After';, her sister Jacqueline is not so wicked and usually sides with Danielle. In "Ever After';, Jacqueline is the not so pretty and quiet sister and Marguerite is the loud obnoxious pretty one. One similarity is that in both movies, Cinderella and Danielle are servants to their stepmother and stepsisters. They are also not allowed to eat with them, only serve them. In "Ever After';, Danielle's only friends are the other servants of the house, this is similar to how Cinderella is friends with the mice that live in her house. In both cases their friends are always protective and willing to help. In "Cinderella';, Cinderella doesn't meet the prince before the ball, she doesn't even really expect to be going to the ball. In "Ever After';, Danielle meets the prince in a confrontation where the prince was actually stealing one of their horses. Danielle starts pegging him with apples, but just as she realizes that he is the prince, she kneels down before him. She apologizes, but the prince is lenient and says he will not punish her. He also gives her money to keep quiet about the whole situation. In "Ever After';, Danielle repeatedly bumps into the prince. Whenever she does meet up with him, she makes sure she is dressed like a courtier, so he doesn't think that she is a servant. They start to fall for each other and they spend more and more time together. In "Cinderella';, the stepmother tries to make sure that one of her daughters is chosen for a wife by the prince at the ball. At first she tells Cinderella that she can go also even... ...nce and Cinderella live happily ever after. In the end of "Ever After';, the wicked stepmother is called to the palace. She doesn't know that Danielle and the prince are married. The king and queen question the stepmother of lying to the queen. They tell her that if she doesn't tell the truth, she will be killed. She confesses that she lied to the queen about Danielle. Just then Danielle comes in dressed as the princess she has become, and her stepmother kneels before her. The only punishment that she gives her is the punishment that she had to go through herself as a servant. The stepmother and Marguerite are brought down to the washroom and they are put to work. Jacqueline the other sister is not punished because her innocence had been noted. Of course "Ever After'; is a little bit more realistic because it is more like real life. "Cinderella'; is animated and there is a lot more make believe, such as talking mice. "Cinderella'; is also probably aimed at more of a younger audience and "Ever After'; can appeal to a little bit older crowd. "Cinderella'; is one of my all time favorite movies, and know that I've seen "Ever After';, it ranks right up there with "Cinderella';.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Essay

Quantitative research involves collecting numerical data though content analysis, performance tests, personality measures, questionnaires, etc. Quantitative research allows for experimental and non-experimental research. Experimental research tests cause and effect, while non-experimental research, such as, correlation research, relates variables, and survey research describes trends. There are three basic types of quantitative research questions: descriptive research questions, correlational research questions, and causal research questions. However, research involves collecting word data though interviews, open-ended questionnaires, observations, content analysis, focus groups, etc. Qualitative research can explore common experience (Grounded Theory Research), shared culture (Ethnography), an environment (Case Study), or an individual (Narrative Research). Both type of research ask research questions, focus on type of data, and have variables. Research Questions Research Questions are clear, concise, and arguable questions. A qualitative research question â€Å"explores a central concept or phenomenon† (Schreiber 2012). An example of a qualitative research question is how do African American male elementary students read popular fiction written by Caucasian female authors? This is an ethnographic research question that will explore hared culture of a group of people. Differently, a quantitative research question â€Å"relates attributes or characteristics of individuals or organizations† (Schreiber 2012). There are three basic types of quantitative research questions: descriptive research questions, correlational research questions, and causal research questions. Descriptive research questions describe variables being studied. An example of descriptive research question is does reading popular fiction increase test scores in elementary students? This research question is an experimental research question that tests the cause and effect. Another research question is the correlational research question, which relates variables. An example of correlational research question is do elementary students who read popular fiction has a higher test scores than those who do not read popular fiction? This is also a correlation research that relate variables. The final basic type of  quantitative research question is the causal research question. Causal research questions test for a cause and effect relationship between variables. An example of causal research questions is all other factors being equal, do elementary students reading popular fiction achieve better test scores than students reading curriculum-required fiction? This is also an experimental research question that tests the cause and effect. Variables Quantitative research and qualitative research have variables; a variable is any measured characteristic or attribute that differs for different subjects (Lane 2006). Variable can be either independent (IV), or dependent (DV). An independent variable is a variable that remain the same, but the researcher manipulates a dependent variable. Additionally, there are covariate (CoV) relates variable, is related to the DV, and is also a predictor value. In the example of a qualitative research question is how do African American male elementary students read assigned popular fiction written by Caucasian female authors? the IV is gender, age, and ethnicity, the DV is the assigned popular fiction, and the CoV is socioeconomic status. In the example of a quantitative research question is does reading assigned popular fiction increase test scores in elementary students? the IV is the age, gender, and ethnicity, the DV is assigned popular fiction, and the CoV is socioeconomic status. An example of the quantitative research question is do elementary students who read assigned popular fiction has a higher test scores than those who do not read popular fiction? the IV is age, gender, and ethnicity, the DV is assigned popular fiction, and the CoV is socioeconomic status. The final example of a quantitative research question is do elementary students reading assigned popular fiction achieve better test scores than students reading curriculum-required fiction? the IV is age, ethnicity, and gender, the DV is assigned popular fiction and curriculum-required fiction, and the CoV is socio-economic status. Type of Data Quantitative research uses Ordinal, Ratio, or Interval Scale, while  qualitativew research uses Nominal Scale. Both nominal and ordinal data are categorical, but interval and ratio data are continuous. In the example of a qualitative research question is how do African American male elementary students read assigned popular fiction written by Caucasian female authors? That data is nominal. Nominal data is categorical. Nominal data is consists of assigning items to groups or categories that cannot be related to each other (StatSoft 2010). The nominal data is African American and male, a well as Caucasian and female. Moreover, in the example of a quantitative research question is does reading assigned popular fiction increase test scores in elementary students? that data is interval. Interval data rank order, but also quantify and compare the sizes of differences between them (StatSoft 2010). Interval data is continuous. The interval data is the test scores, because they can be higher or lower, but it is not known how much higher. An example of the quantitative research question is do elementary students who read assigned popular fiction has a higher test scores than those who do not read popular fiction? that data is ratio data. Ratio data is continuous. Ratio data rank order, but also quantify and compare the sizes of differences between them. Ratio data has an absolute zero and allows for how many times greater. The research can find out how many times greater are the test scores of elementary student who read popular fiction than those who did not. The final example of a quantitative research question is do elementary students reading popular fiction achieve better test scores than students reading curriculum-required fiction? that data is ratio data. Like the question above, the research can discover how many times greater are the test scores of elementary student wh o read popular fiction than those who did not. Conclusion Both type of research ask research questions, focus on type of data, and have variables. Quantitative research uses an objective/unbiased approach to collecting numerical data from participants and analyzes these numbers using statistics in order to answer a specific, narrow research question. On the other hand, qualitative research uses a subjective/biased approach to collecting words from participants and analyzes/describes these words in  order to answer a broad, general research question. Bibliography †¢Lane, D.M. (2006, June). Glossary. Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics Retrieved January 31, 2014, from http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/glossary.html †¢Research Methods ** Available in the Presentations section. †¢Schreiber, Deborah Ph.D. 2012 Research Methods in Education †¢StatSoft, Inc. (2010). Electronic Statistics Textbook. Elementary Concepts. Retrieved January 31, 2014, from http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/elementary-concepts-in-statistics/?button=1

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 5

Everything hung in the balance, and for a moment Keller thought that they had won. Diana's face looked different, older and more clearly defined. For all her flower-petal prettiness, she had a strong little chin. But she didn't say anything, and her eyes were still hazy. â€Å"Toby,† Grandma Harman said abruptly. â€Å"Put in the video.† Her apprentice went to the VCR. Keller stared at the tape in his hand, her heart picking up speed. A video. Could that be what she thought it was? â€Å"What you're about to see is-well, let's just say it's very secret,† Grandma Harman said to Iliana as the apprentice fiddled with the controls. â€Å"So secret that there's only one tape of it, and that stays locked up in Circle Daybreak headquarters at all times. I'm the only person I trust to carry it around. All right, Toby, play it.† Iliana looked at the TV apprehensively. â€Å"What is it?† The old woman smiled at her. â€Å"Something the enemy would really like to see. It's a record of the other Wild Powers-in action.† The first scene on the tape was live news coverage of a fire. A little girl was trapped in a second-story apartment, and the flames were getting closer and closer. Suddenly, the tape went into slow motion, and a blue flash lit the screen. When the flash died away, the fire was out. â€Å"The blue fire,† Grandma Harman said. â€Å"The first Wild Power we found did that, smothered those ordinary flames with a single thought. That's just one example of what it can do.† The next scene was of a dark-haired young man. This one was obviously deliberately filmed; the boy was looking directly into the camera. He took a knife from his belt and very coolly made a cut on his left wrist. Blood welled up in the wound and dripped to the ground. â€Å"The second Wild Power,† Grandma Harman said. â€Å"A vampire prince.† The boy turned and held out the arm that was bleeding. The camera focused on a large boulder about thirty feet away. And then the tape went into slow motion again, and Keller could actually see the blue fire shoot out from his hand. It started as a burst, but what followed was a steady stream. It was so bright that the camera couldn't deal with it; it bleached out the rest of the picture. But when it hit the rock, there was no doubt about what happened. The two-ton boulder exploded into gravel. When the dust settled, there was only a charred crater in the ground. The dark-haired boy looked back at the camera, then shrugged and targeted another boulder. He wasn't even sweating. Keller's breath came out involuntarily. Her heart was pounding, and she knew her eyes were glittering. She saw Galen glance sideways at her but ignored him. Power like that, she thought. I never really imagined it. If I had that power, the things I could do with it†¦ Before she could help herself, she had turned to him. â€Å"Don't you see? That's what you'll bring to our side if you choose to fight with us. That's what's going to give us a chance against them. You have to do it, don't you understand?† It was the wrong thing to say. Diana's reaction to the video had been completely different from Keller's own. She was staring at the TV as if she were watching open-heart surgery. Unsuccessful open-heart surgery. I don't – I can't do anything like that!† â€Å"Diana-â€Å" â€Å"And I don't want to! No. Look.† A veil seemed to have dropped down behind Diana's beautiful eyes. She was facing Keller, but Keller wondered if she actually saw anything. She spoke rapidly, almost frantically. â€Å"You said you had to talk to me, so I listened. I even watched your-your special effects stuff.† She waved a hand at the screen where the boy was blowing up more boulders. â€Å"But now it's over, and I'm going home. This is all-I don't know. It's all too weird for me! I'm telling you, I can't do that kind of thing. You're looking at the wrong person.† â€Å"We looked at all your cousins first,† Grandma Harman said. â€Å"Thea and Blaise. Gillian, who was a lost witch like yourself. Even poor Sylvia, who was seduced over to the enemy side. But it was none of them. Then we found you.† She leaned forward, trying to hold Diana with her eyes. â€Å"You have to accept it, child. It's a great responsibility and a great burden, but no one else can do it for you. Come and take your place with us.† Iliana wasn't listening. It was as simple as that. Keller could almost see the words bouncing off her. And her eyes†¦ Not a veil, Keller thought. A wall had dropped down. It had slammed into place, and Diana was hiding behind it. â€Å"If I don't get home soon, my mother's going to go crazy. I just ran out for a few minutes to get some gold stretchy ribbon-you know, the kind that has like a rubber band inside? It seems like I'm always looking for that. We have some from last year, but it's already tied, and it won't fit on the presents I'm doing.† Keller stared at her, then cast a glance heavenward. She could see the others staring, too. Winnie's mouth was hanging open. Nissa's eyebrows were in her hair. Galen looked dismayed. Grandma Harman said, â€Å"If you won't accept your responsibilities as a Wild Power, will you at least do your duty as the Witch Child? The winter solstice is next Saturday. On that night, there's going to be a meeting of the shapeshifters and the witches. If we can show them a promise ceremony between you and the son of the First House of the shapeshifters, the shapeshifters will join us.† Keller half expected Iliana to explode. And in the deepest recesses of her own heart, she wouldn't really have blamed her. She could understand Iliana losing it and saying, What do you think you're doing, waltzing in and trying to hitch me up to some guy I've never met? Asking me to fight is one thing but ordering me to marry-giving me away like some object-that's another. But Iliana didn't say anything like that. She said, â€Å"And I've still got so many presents to wrap, and I'm not anywhere near done shopping. Plus, this week at school is going to be completely crazy. And Saturday, that's the night Jaime and Brett Ashton-Hughes are having their birthday party. I can't miss that.† Keller lost it. â€Å"What is wrong with you? Are you deaf or just stupid?† Iliana talked right over her. â€Å"They're twins, you know. And I think Brett kind of likes me. Their family is really rich, and they live in this big house, and they only invite a few people to their parties. All the girls have crushes on him. Brett, I mean.† â€Å"No,† Keller answered her own question. â€Å"You're just the most selfish, spoiled little brat I've ever met!† â€Å"Keller,† Nissa said quietly. â€Å"It's no good. The harder you push her, the more she goes into denial.† Keller let out her breath. She knew that it was true, but she had never been more frustrated in her life. Grandma Harman's face suddenly looked very old and very tired. â€Å"Child, we can't force you to do anything. But you have to realize that we're not the only ones who want you. The other side knows about you, too. They won't give up, and they will use force.† â€Å"And they've got a lot of force.† Keller turned to the old woman. â€Å"I need to tell you about that. I didn't want to say it on the phone, but they already tried to get Iliana once today. We had to fight them at the mall.† She took a deep breath. â€Å"And they had a dragon.† Grandma Harman's head jerked up. Those steely lavender-gray eyes fixed on Keller. â€Å"Tell me.† Keller told everything. As she did, Grandma Harman's face seemed to get older and older, sinking into haggard lines of worry and sadness. But all she said at the end was, â€Å"I see. Well have to try to find out how they got him, and what exactly his powers are. I don't think there's anybody alive today who's an expert on-those creatures.† â€Å"They called him Azhdeha.† â€Å"Hmm-sounds Persian.† â€Å"It is,† Galen said. ‘It's one of the old names for the constellation Draco. It means ‘man-eating serpent'† Keller looked at him in surprise. He had been sitting quietly all this time, listening without interrupting. Now he was leaning forward, his gold-green eyes intense. â€Å"The shapeshifters have some old scrolls about dragons. I think you should ask for them. They might give some idea about what powers they have and how to fight them. I saw the scrolls once, but I didn't really study them; I don't think anybody has.† He'd seen the ancient scrolls? Then he was a shapeshifter, after all. But why hadn't she been able to sense an animal form for him? â€Å"Galen-† Keller began, but Grandma Harman was speaking. ‘It's a good idea. When I get them, I'll send copies to you and Keller. He's one of your people, after all, and you may be able to help figure out how to fight him.† Keller wanted to say indignantly that he wasn't any connection to her, but of course it wasn't true. The dragons had ruled the shapeshifters, once. Their blood still ran in the First House, the Drache family that ruled the shapeshifters today. Whatever that monster was, he was one of her people. â€Å"So it's decided. Keller, you and your team will take Iliana home. I'll go back to Circle Daybreak and try to find out more about dragons. Unless†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked at Iliana. â€Å"Unless this discussion has changed your mind.† Iliana, unbelievably, was still prattling, having a conversation about presents with nobody in particular. It was clear that her mind hadn't changed. What wasn't clear to Keller was whether she had a mind. But Keller had other things to worry about. Tm sorry-but you're not serious, are you? About taking her home?† â€Å"Perfectly serious,*' Grandma Harman said. â€Å"But we can't† â€Å"We can, and we have to. You three girls will be her bodyguards-and her friends. I'm hoping that you can persuade her to accept her responsibility by Saturday night at midnight, when the shapeshifters and the witches convene. But if not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Grandma Harman bowed her head slightly, leaning on her cane. She was looking at Iliana. â€Å"If not,† she said in a barely audible voice, â€Å"you'll just have to protect her for as long as you can.† Keller was choking. 1 don't see how we can protect her at all. With all respect, ma'am, it's an insane idea. They have to know where her house is by now. Even if we stick beside her twenty-four hours a day-and I don't see how we can even do that, with her family around-â€Å" The white head came up, and there was even a faint curve to the old woman's lips. ‘Illtake care of that. Ill have a talk with her mother-young Anna, Elspeth's granddaughter.Ill introduce myself and explain that her daughter's long-lost cousins' have come to visit for Christmas.† And undoubtedly do something witchy to Anna's mind, Keller thought Yeah, after that they'd be accepted, although none of them looked a bit like Iliana's cousins. â€Å"And then I will put up wards around that house.† There was a flash like silver lightning in Grandma Harman's eyes as she said it â€Å"Wards that will hold against anything from the outside. As long as nobody inside disturbs them, you'll be safe.† She cocked an eyebrow at Keller. â€Å"Satisfied?† â€Å"I'm sorry-no. It's still too dangerous.† â€Å"Then what would you suggest we do?† â€Å"Kidnap her,† Keller said instantly. She could hear Iliana stop babbling in the background; she wasn't gaining any Brownie points there. She bulldozed on grimly. â€Å"Look, I'm just a grunt; I obey orders. But I think that she's too important for us to just let her run around loose where they might get hold of her. I think we should take her to a Circle Daybreak enclave like the ones where the other Wild Powers are. Where we can protect her from the enemy.† Grandma Harman looked her in the eye. â€Å"If we do that,† she said mildly, â€Å"then we are the enemy.† There was a pause. Keller said, â€Å"With all respect, ma'am-â€Å" â€Å"I don't want your respect. I want your obedience. The leaders of Circle Daybreak made a firm decision when this whole thing started. If we can't convince a Wild Power by reasoning, we will not resort to force. So your orders are to take your team and stay with this child and protect her as long as you can.† â€Å"Excuse me.† It was Galen. The others had been sitting and watching silently. Nissa and Winnie were too smart to get involved in an exchange like this, but Keller could see that they were both unhappy. â€Å"What is it?† Grandma Harman asked. â€Å"If you don't mind, I'd like to go with them. I could be another ‘cousin.' It would make four of us to watch over her-better odds.† Keller thought she might have an apoplexy. She was so mad, she couldn't even get words out While she was choking uselessly, Galen was going on. His face still looked pale and strained, like a young soldier coming back from battle, but his dark gold hair was shining, and his eyes were steady. His whole attitude was one of earnest pleading. Tm not a fighter, but maybe I can learn. After all, that's what we're asking Iliana to do, isn't it? Can we ask anything of her that we're not ready to do ourselves?† Grandma Harman, who had been frowning, now looked him up and down appraisingly. â€Å"You have a fine young mind,† she said. â€Å"Like your father's. He and your mother were both strong warriors, as well.† Galen's eyes darkened. ‘Td hoped I wouldn't have to be one. But it looks like we can't always choose.† Keller didn't know what they were talking about or why the Crone of all the Witches knew the parents of this guy she'd met in a mall. But she'd finally gotten the obstruction out of her throat. â€Å"No way!† she said explosively. She was on her feet now, too, black hair flying as she looked from Grandma Harman to Galen. â€Å"I mean it. There is no way I am taking this boy back with us. And you may be the leader of the witches, ma'am, but, no offense intended, I don't think you have the authority to make me. I'd have to hear it from the leaders of Circle Daybreak themselves, from Thierry Descouedres or Lady Hannah. Or from the First House of the shapeshifters.† Grandma Harman gave an odd snort. Keller ignored it. ‘It's not just that he's not a fighter. He's not involved in this. He doesn't have any part in it.† Grandma Harman looked at Galen, not entirely approvingly. â€Å"It seems you've been keeping secrets. Are you going to tell her, or shall I?† â€Å"I-† Galen turned from her to Keller. â€Å"Listen. I'm sorry-I should have mentioned it before.† His eyes were embarrassed and apologetic. ‘It just-there just didn't seem to be a right time.† He winced. â€Å"I wasn't in that mall today accidentally. I came by to look for Iliana. I wanted to see her, maybe get to know her a little.† Keller stared at him, not breathing. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He winced again. â€Å"I'm Galen Drache†¦ of the First House of the shapeshifters,† Keller blinked while the room revolved briefly. I should have known. I should have realized. That's why he seemed like a shapeshifter, but I couldn't get any animal sense from him. Children of the First House weren't born connected to any particular animal. They had power over all animals, and they were allowed to choose when they became adults which one they would shift into. It also explained how he'd known which pressure points to use to get her off the dragon. And his telepathy-children of the First House could connect to any animal mind. When the room settled back into place, Keller realized that she was still standing there, and Galen was still looking at her. His eyes were almost beseeching. ‘I should have explained,† he said. â€Å"Well, of course, it was your choice,† Keller said stiffly. There was an unusual amount of blood in her cheeks; she could feel it burning. She went on, â€Å"And, naturally, I'm sorry if anything I've said has given offense.† â€Å"Keller, please don't be formal.† â€Å"Let's see, I haven't greeted you properly, or given you my obedience.† Keller took his hand, which was well made, long-fingered, and cold. She brought it to her forehead. â€Å"Welcome, Drache, son of the First House of the shapeshifters. I'm yours to command, naturally.† There was a silence. Keller dropped Galen's hand. Galen looked miserable. â€Å"You're really mad now, aren't you?† he observed. â€Å"1 wish you every happiness with your new bride,† Keller said through her teeth. She couldn't figure out exactly why she was so mad. Sure, she'd been made a fool of, and now she was going to have to take responsibility for an untrained boy who couldn't even shapeshift into a mouse. But it was more than that. He's going to marry that whiny little flower in the corner, a voice in Keller's head whispered. He has to marry her, or at least go through a promise ceremony that's just as binding as marriage. If he doesn't, the shapeshifters will never join with the witches. They've said so, and they'll never back down. And if they don't join with the witches . .. everything you've ever worked for is finished. And your job is to persuade the flower to do her duty, the voice continued brightly. That means you've got to convince her to marry him. Instead of eating her. Keller's temper flared. I don't want to eat her, she snapped back at the voice. And I don't care who this idiot marries. It's none of my business. She realized that the room was still silent, and everyone was watching Iliana and Galen. Iliana had stopped prattling. She was looking at Galen with huge violet eyes. He was looking back, strained and serious. Then he turned to Keller again. â€Å"I'd still like to help, if you'll let me come.† â€Å"I told you, I'm yours to command,† Keller said shortly. â€Å"It's your decision. I'd like to mention that it just makes things a little harder on my team. Now we're going to have to look out for you as well as her. Because, you see, you're not expendable after all.† â€Å"I don't want you to look out for me,† he said soberly. â€Å"I'm not important.† Keller wanted to say, Don't be an idiot. No you, no promise ceremony, no treaty. It's as simple as that. We've got to protect you. But she'd already said more than enough. Toby was retrieving the tape from the VCR. Grandma Harman was making getting-ready-to-rise motions with her cane. â€Å"I think we've stayed here long enough,† she said to Keller. Keller nodded stiffly. â€Å"Would you like to come in the limo? Or would you rather follow us to her house?† Grandma Harman opened her mouth to answer, but she never got the chance. Keller's ears caught the sound of movement outside just before the living room window shattered.