Pancreatic endocrine hormones Essay Example for Free

Pancreatic endocrine hormones Essay Energy, in the form of sugar, is transported in the blood. It is carried throughout the body and into all cells to produce ATP. ATP is needed for all cellular activity of the body. It is essential that the blood can maintain the bodys fuel at a constant level (homeostasis) regardless of how long it has been since the last meal. There are three main organs that regulate the control of blood sugar: the pancreas, the liver and the adrenal glands. The pancreas produces hormones called insulin and glucagon. These hormones work antagonistically to maintain blood sugar levels that are neither too low or too high. The adrenal gland plays a key function in making sure blood sugar levels are high enough. The liver helps with sugar metabolism by creating insulin receptor sites. After a meal, insulin directs the flow of nutrients. This promotes fuel storage in the liver, adipose tissue and in muscles. The flow of nutrients during fasting is influenced by glucagon. Once glycogen stores are depleted, muscle protein is degraded, and amino acids are used for gluconeogenesis in the liver. Triglycerides stored in adipose tissue are broken down under the fasting condition. The concentration of glucose in the blood rises rapidly after the ingestion of glucose ( in a high carbohydrate meal). Insulin carries out its function and starts to bring blood glucose concentrations back down to normal, then this removes the stimulus that tells the beta cells to secrete the insulin in the first place. As a result, the beta cells become less and less stimulated and so the rate of secretion of insulin declines in parallel to the rate of decline in blood glucose concentration. This mechanism is referred to as negative feedback.

Comparing The Holy Bible and Crime and Punishment :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Bible and Crime and Punishment Dosteovsky's novel Crime and Punishment depicts the Biblical account of Jesus' path to crucifixion burdened with a wooden cross through the character of Raskolnikov. After committing a cold-blooded murder he experiences mental anguish, and in a defeated state, confesses, and accepts the consequences of his crime. Although the novel begins by focusing on the crime itself, the majority of the book discusses Raskolnikov's struggle through denial and redemption after the murder has been committed. His own "greatness" leads to his denial of God, and his attempt to suppress his conscience causes insanity and sickness. However these negative consequences force him to acknowledge his rectitude and realize his need for confession. The prostitute, Sonya, helps Raskolnikov take a step toward redemption by discussing with him the Biblical account of Lazarus' revival from death. This scene depicts his inability to comprehend Sonya's God, and epitomizes his refusal to cling to a higher being. Raskolnikov's incessant pursuit of hindering Sonya's faith characterized the frustration and struggle he experienced because of spiritual issues. However, his path to confession progressed during their conversation because of his hidden desire to understand Sonya's faith. With her aid, he took a step toward redemption foreshadowing her action in raising him from the "dead." Sonya pleads with him to wear her cross and confess to his heinous crime. However, he refuses to accept this burden. This directly parallels with Jesus' refusal to die before his proper time. The climax of the novel takes place after Raskolnikov's realization and acceptance of his consequences. He visits Sonya and receives her cross. Through this action, he accepts punishment and ironically, his life. This gift's benefactor, Sonya, carries significance in this allusion to the Bible. Sonya, a sinner through the world's eyes, bestows her cross on Raskolnikov. In addition, she gives him the strength to live again. Jesus was given the cross to carry by the people, sinners by definition of the Bible. By his actions, he gave life back to the people that condemned him to death. Raskolnikov's tread to police headquarters for confession paralleled Jesus' trudge to crucifixion with his cross.

Situational Analysis

He has conducted FAA required courses and conducted recurrent flight crew training for DC-10 flight crews. Framing Is a way of labeling different Individual Interpretations of a situation. When Denny heard the explosion when the second engine failed he knew there was something terribly wrong and went to the cockpit to offer any help he could to the crew. Without him the crew would not have been able to land the plane since they needed someone with flight experience to manually steer the plan. He used active listening skills paying close attention to the captain and co-pilot's body language to tell him how serious the emergency was.Body language, including facial expressions, hand gestures and degree of eye contact, can provide clues about the other person's thoughts and feelings. He found the pilot and co-pilot's knuckles white with tendons bursting from their hands as they tried to steer the plane. Denny did a great Job of effectively analyzing the situation and Jumped In to help. A lthough 112 people lost their lives that day 184 were saved to pass on their knowledge and expertise to others. Captain Hayes attributes five factors to the success of landing the airplane in Sioux City Iowa hey are luck, communications, preparations, execution and cooperation.Communication within the cockpit intensified as soon as they realized that they were in very serious trouble (Haynes, 1997). Haynes ordered Dudley to get in touch with the San Francisco Rear Maintenance (SAM) to see if they could help the crew regain control of the plane. Through this communication the Chicago flight center was able to prepare an airplane with medical supplies and people available to help the staff of the Sioux City local hospital some of whom were at Haynes hospital room before he ad even arrived. Situational Analysis He has conducted FAA required courses and conducted recurrent flight crew training for DC-10 flight crews. Framing Is a way of labeling different Individual Interpretations of a situation. When Denny heard the explosion when the second engine failed he knew there was something terribly wrong and went to the cockpit to offer any help he could to the crew. Without him the crew would not have been able to land the plane since they needed someone with flight experience to manually steer the plan. He used active listening skills paying close attention to the captain and co-pilot's body language to tell him how serious the emergency was.Body language, including facial expressions, hand gestures and degree of eye contact, can provide clues about the other person's thoughts and feelings. He found the pilot and co-pilot's knuckles white with tendons bursting from their hands as they tried to steer the plane. Denny did a great Job of effectively analyzing the situation and Jumped In to help. A lthough 112 people lost their lives that day 184 were saved to pass on their knowledge and expertise to others. Captain Hayes attributes five factors to the success of landing the airplane in Sioux City Iowa hey are luck, communications, preparations, execution and cooperation.Communication within the cockpit intensified as soon as they realized that they were in very serious trouble (Haynes, 1997). Haynes ordered Dudley to get in touch with the San Francisco Rear Maintenance (SAM) to see if they could help the crew regain control of the plane. Through this communication the Chicago flight center was able to prepare an airplane with medical supplies and people available to help the staff of the Sioux City local hospital some of whom were at Haynes hospital room before he ad even arrived.

Economic Influence Over Presidential Election Outcomes

It seems that during every presidential election year we are  told that jobs and the economy will be pivotal issues. Its commonly assumed that an incumbent president has little to worry about if the economy is good and there are lots of jobs. If the opposite holds true, however, the president should prepare for life on the rubber chicken circuit. Testing Conventional Wisdom of Presidential Elections and The Economy I decided to examine this conventional wisdom to see if it holds true and to see what it can tell us about the future presidential elections. Since 1948, there have been nine presidential elections that have pitted an incumbent president against a challenger. Out of those nine, I chose to examine six elections. I decided to disregard two of those elections where the challenger was considered too extreme to be elected: Barry Goldwater in 1964 and George S. McGovern in 1972. Out of the remaining presidential elections, incumbents won four elections while challengers won three. To see what impact jobs and the economy had on the election, well consider two important economic indicators: the growth rate of real GNP (the economy) and the unemployment rate (jobs). Well compare the two-year vs. the four-year and previous four-year performance of those variables in order to compare how Jobs The Economy performed during the incumbents presidency and how it performed relative to the previous administration. First, well look at the performance of Jobs The Economy in the three of the cases in which the incumbent won. Be sure to continue to Page 2 of Presidential Elections and the Economy. Out of our six chosen incumbent presidential elections, we had three where the incumbent won. Well look at those three, starting with the percentage of the electoral vote each candidate collected. 1956 Election: Eisenhower (57.4%) v. Stevenson (42.0%) Real GNP Growth (Economy) Unemployment Rate (Jobs) Two Year 4.54% 4.25% Four Year 3.25% 4.25% Previous Administration 4.95% 4.36% Although Eisenhower won in a landslide, the economy had actually performed better under the Truman administration than it did during Eisenhowers first term. Real GNP, however, grew at an amazing 7.14% per year in 1955, which certainly helped Eisenhower get reelected. 1984 Election: Reagan (58.8%) v. Mondale (40.6%) Real GNP Growth (Economy) Unemployment Rate (Jobs) Two Year 5.85% 8.55% Four Year 3.07% 8.58% Previous Administration 3.28% 6.56% Again, Reagan won in a landslide, which certainly had nothing to do with the unemployment statistics. The economy came out of recession just in time for Reagans reelection bid, as real GNP grew a robust 7.19% in Reagans final year of his first term. 1996 Election: Clinton (49.2%) v. Dole (40.7%) Real GNP Growth (Economy) Unemployment Rate (Jobs) Two Year 3.10% 5.99% Four Year 3.22% 6.32% Previous Administration 2.14% 5.60% Clintons re-election was not quite a landslide, and we see quite a different pattern than the other two incumbent victories. Here we see fairly consistent economic growth during Clintons first term as President, but not a consistently improving unemployment rate. It would appear that the economy grew first, then the rate of unemployment decreased, which we would expect since the unemployment rate is a lagging indicator. If we average out the three incumbent victories, we see the following pattern: Incumbent (55.1%) v. Challenger (41.1%) Real GNP Growth (Economy) Unemployment Rate (Jobs) Two Year 4.50% 6.26% Four Year 3.18% 6.39% Previous Administration 3.46% 5.51% It would appear then from this very limited sample that voters are more interested in how the economy has improved during the tenure of the presidency than they are in comparing the performance of the current administration with past administrations. Well see if this pattern holds true for the three elections where the incumbent lost. Be sure to continue to Page 3 of Presidential Elections and the Economy. Now for the three incumbents who lost: 1976 Election: Ford (48.0%) v. Carter (50.1%) Real GNP Growth (Economy) Unemployment Rate (Jobs) Two Year 2.57% 8.09% Four Year 2.60% 6.69% Previous Administration 2.98% 5.00% This election is quite an unusual one to examine, as Gerald Ford replaced Richard Nixon after Nixons resignation. In addition, we are comparing the performance of a Republican incumbent (Ford) to a previous Republican administration. Looking at these economic indicators, it is easy to see why the incumbent lost. The economy was in a slow decline during this period and the unemployment rate jumped sharply. Given the performance of the economy during Fords tenure, its a little surprising that this election was a close as it was. 1980 Election: Carter (41.0%) v. Reagan  (50.7%) Real GNP Growth (Economy) Unemployment Rate (Jobs) Two Year 1.47% 6.51% Four Year 3.28% 6.56% Previous Administration 2.60% 6.69% In 1976, Jimmy Carter defeated an incumbent president. In 1980, he was the defeated incumbent president. It would appear that the unemployment rate had little to do with Reagans landslide victory over Carter, as the rate of unemployment improved over Carters presidency. However, the last two years of the Carter administration saw the economy grow at a paltry 1.47% per annum. The 1980 Presidential election suggests that economic growth, and not the unemployment rate, can bring down an incumbent. 1992 Election: Bush (37.8%) v. Clinton (43.3%) Real GNP Growth (Economy) Unemployment Rate (Jobs) Two Year 1.58% 6.22% Four Year 2.14% 6.44% Previous Administration 3.78% 7.80% Another unusual election, as we are comparing the performance of a Republican president (Bush) to another Republican administration (Reagans second term). The strong performance of third party candidate Ross Perot caused Bill Clinton to win the election with only 43.3% of the popular vote, a level usually associated with the losing candidate. But republicans who believe that Bushs defeat lies solely on the shoulders of Ross Perot should think again. Although the unemployment rate decreased during the Bush administration, the economy grew at a paltry 1.58% during the final two years of the Bush administration. The economy was in recession during the early 1990s and voters took out their frustrations on the incumbent. If we average out the three incumbent losses, we see the following pattern: Incumbent (42.3%) v. Challenger (48.0%) Real GNP Growth (Economy) Unemployment Rate (Jobs) Two Year 1.87% 6.97% Four Year 2.67% 6.56% Previous Administration 3.12% 6.50% In the final section, well examine the performance of Real GNP growth and the unemployment rate under George W. Bushs administration, to see if economic factors helped or harmed Bushs reelection chances in 2004. Be sure to continue to Page 4 of Presidential Elections and the Economy. Lets consider the performance of jobs, as measured by the unemployment rate, and the economy as measured by the growth rate of real GDP, under George W. Bushs first term as president. Using data up to and including the first three months of 2004, we will form our comparisons. First, the growth rate of real GNP: Real GNP Growth Unemployment Rate Clintons 2nd Term 4.20% 4.40% 2001 0.5% 4.76% 2002 2.2% 5.78% 2003 3.1% 6.00% 2004 (First Quarter) 4.2% 5.63% First 37 Months Under Bush 2.10% 5.51% We see that both real GNP growth and the unemployment rate were worse under the Bush administration than they were under Clinton in his second term as President. As we can see from our real GNP growth statistics, the growth rate of real GNP has been rising steadily since the recession at the beginning of decade, whereas the unemployment rate is continuing to get worse. By looking at these trends, we can compare this administrations performance on jobs and the economy to the six we have already seen: Lower Economic Growth than the Previous Administration: This occurred in two cases where the incumbent won (Eisenhower, Reagan) and two cases where the incumbent lost (Ford, Bush)Economy Improved In the Last Two Years: This occurred in two of the cases where the incumbent won (Eisenhower, Reagan) and none of the cases where the incumbent lost.Higher Unemployment Rate than the Previous Administration: This occurred in two of the cases where the incumbent won (Reagan, Clinton) and one case where the incumbent lost (Ford).Higher Unemployment Rate in the Last Two Years: This occurred in none of the cases where the incumbent won. In the case of the Eisenhower and Reagan first term administrations, there was almost no difference in the two-year and full-term unemployment rates, so we must be careful not to read too much into this. This did, however, occur in one case where the incumbent lost (Ford). While it may be popular in some circles to compare the performance of the economy under Bush Sr. to that of Bush Jr., judging by our chart, they have little in common. The biggest difference is that W. Bush was fortunate enough to have his recession right at the beginning of his presidency, while the senior Bush was not so lucky. The performance of the economy seems to fall somewhere in between the Gerald Ford administration and the first Reagan administration. Assuming that we are back in pre-election 2004, this data alone would have made it difficult to predict whether George W. Bush would end up in the Incumbents Who Won or the Incumbents who Lost column. Of course, Bush did end up winning reelection with just 50.7% of the vote to John Kerrys 48.3%. Ultimately, this exercise leads us to believe that conventional wisdom - particularly that surrounding presidential elections and the economy - is not the strongest predictor of election outcomes.

The Sociological Impact of Nanotechnology and...

I elected to do my term paper on the sociological impact of nanotechnology and biotechnology (commonly called â€Å"bionics†) because of the vast potential for advances in medicine, space exploration and technology. These are but a few of the areas which will surely be affected by the development of new and never before imagined processes and engineered materials which have the power to change the way every aspect of one’s life is lived. I will generally focus on the Structural-Functional and Social-Conflict approaches for the majority of the paper, but will touch on some of the aspects as seen by the Symbolic-Interaction approach when considering the implications of the subject on society, as well. First things first, what exactly are†¦show more content†¦Rodney A. Brooks, the Director of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory knows a little about how much difference a few decades can make. In his book, â€Å"Flesh And Machines†, he discusses how technological advancements have had this effect on his own personal life. He describes receiving his â€Å"scientific news† as a teenager by 3-month steamship voyage. Then in the 1980’s he â€Å"telecommuted† between Massachusetts and California on a daily basis, first using 20 MB tape cartridges and then on low-speed leased data lines. By the 1990’s he was using free internet to conduct his daily business. All of these communication innovations had extraordinary effects both in the private and public sectors, and nanotechnology and bionics promise the same extreme effects but more than likely with even faster rates of change (Brooks: 6). As an example of both sciences, let’s look at the possibility of eating sewage for breakfast. Yes, the thought sounds horrifyingly disgusting, but in his book entitled â€Å"Na-nofuture: What’s Next for Nanotechnology†, J. StorrsShow MoreRelatedLas 432 - Genetically Modified Foods Essay14589 Words   |  59 Pages 12 I. Biotechnology Timeline II. Advantages and Disadvantages Political and Legal Issues by Brenda Brown 16 I. U.S. Laws and Regulations II. Current Political Issues III. What are the Possible Health Effects of GM FOODS? The Effect of GMO’S on the Economy by Brenda Brown 22 I. Corporate Power II. The Effects of Farming GM Crops III. GM Foods around the World Psychological Considerations and Sociological Effects by Tony Balch 26 I. Current Impact on Consumers

French Revolution The Main Effect Of Enlightenment Ideas...

France in Middle Ages era was ruled by the arbitrary monarch. Besides the king, the clergy and the nobility, which were the officials of the church and the group of aristocrats respectively, had supreme power than the society. In the way it ran, there were many problems in the social and economic section, such as poverty and taxation issues. Thus, French Revolution is one of the turning points of French public life. It is popular with the slogan â€Å"liberty, equality and fraternity† that brought French to be a new revolutionary country. While many people are still arguing whether French Revolution is the main effect of the Enlightenment ideas emergence or social economic disruption, I will argue that this revolution was an ultimate outcome of the social and economics disarray by looking at the details of foreign and internal aspects. To begin with, the French production method that outdated towards other countries, predominantly turned into the root of the French Revolution. As in 1789, French economy laid on peasants and artisans (Soboul 1974, p. 27). At the same time, there were many developments of overseas trade and big industries in other parts of the world, especially Britain, which was France’s rival to achieve the authority in Europe. As a result, the French economic agents intended to transform their approach, as it happened in Britain. In fact, France just responsive to modernize in the transportation and communication section. It seemed less willing to change theShow MoreRelatedPre-Columbian Period9302 Words   |  38 Pages[edit] Pre-Columbian period Main article: Pre-Columbian The earliest known inhabitants of what is now the United States are thought to have arrived in Alaska by crossing the Bering land bridge, at least 14,000 30,000 years ago.[10] Some of these groups migrated south and east, and over time spread throughout the Americas. 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Night Creature Crescent Moon Chapter 5 Free Essays

â€Å"I guess New Orleans really is the most haunted city in America,† I murmured. â€Å"Ye think it was a ghost up here?† Charlie’s voice wavered, and he inched toward the door. â€Å"What?† I dragged my gaze from the picture. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Creature: Crescent Moon Chapter 5 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Oh. Maybe.† What did I know? I’d dreamed the face of a man who’d been dead for a century and a half. I’d found a bad-luck voodoo flower in my bed. I was in Louisiana searching for a werewolf, for crying out loud. I shouldn’t be let loose without a keeper. Charlie tugged on my arm. â€Å"Let’s get outta here.† His hands were ice-cold. Poor kid. I took pity on him and went. As we hurried across the grass, I wondered aloud, â€Å"The photo was the only thing left in the house. Wouldn’t someone have stolen it by now?† Charlie leaped from the dock to the boat. â€Å"I dunno.† Neither did I. He drove the boat as if we were being chased, then dumped me back where he’d found me. â€Å"We still on for tonight?† I asked. â€Å"Sure. Swamp I got no problem with.† Charlie left with a roar of the motor, sending a huge wave over both the dock and my sneakers. I returned to the hotel, where I discovered my flower was gone. I’d have figured the maid disposed of the thing, except my room hadn’t been cleaned yet â€Å"No, ma’am,† the girl insisted when I tracked her down. â€Å"I haven’t gotten to your floor.† â€Å"Did anyone else?† â€Å"No. That’s my responsibility.† She could be lying, but why? As I let myself back into my room, my cell phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID. Frank. I’d been meaning to call him but kept getting distracted. â€Å"What did you find?† he demanded without the courtesy of a hello. I wasn’t sure what to say. I hadn’t found anything except a voodoo flower and a picture of a ghost. Neither one had any bearing on what Frank had hired me to do. So instead of answering his question, I asked one of my own. â€Å"Why did you write the name Adam Ruelle next to the guide’s information?† â€Å"I didn’t tell you?† Frank sighed. â€Å"My mind is not what it used to be, I’m afraid. Ruelle land has been the favored territory for the loup-garou.† Considering Ruelle land was basically a swamp, except for the small area where the house had been built, I could see why. â€Å"Could you rent the mansion?† I asked. â€Å"I’d like to use it as my base of operations.† â€Å"I bet I could,† Frank said slowly. â€Å"Great idea. You’re going to find the loup-garou; I’m sure of it† â€Å"Thanks,† I said dryly. â€Å"You understand, don’t you, Frank, that the possibility of discovering a werewolf is pretty slim?† Right up there with the possibility of there actually being one, but I wasn’t going to tell him that He was paying my salary. â€Å"I understand,† Frank said. â€Å"But mere’s something there. Something new and exciting. Can’t you feel it?† I could, and I was both frightened and fascinated. â€Å"Did you see Ruelle?† he asked. I wasn’t sure. â€Å"According to the locals,† I murmured, â€Å"he’s been missing for years.† â€Å"Bullshit! He’s there, and he knows something.† I started to get uneasy about Frank. â€Å"Have you met this guy?† I asked. He hesitated. â€Å"Not him. His†¦ father.† â€Å"Does he have any information?† â€Å"He’s dead.† â€Å"That seems to be going around.† â€Å"Find me the werewolf, Diana. I need it.† Frank hung up, and when I redialed his number, I got voice mail. I wondered again about the accident that had made him a recluse. Had he fallen on his head? Why would he need a werewolf? I shrugged and pocketed my cell phone. Until his checks became as bent as he was, I’d just keep doing what Frank had hired me to do. With several hours until I met Charlie, I took a stroll down Bourbon. My feet led me to Royal Street, and from there to a tiny shop tucked back from the others. Cassandra’s. I stepped inside. The contrast between heated sunshine and cool shadow, frantic noise and a certain peace, made me dizzy. I caught the scent of herbs, spice, heard the trickle of water somewhere in the distance, and music. Not jazz or even the blues. Something folksy with drums. A tune that was as ancient as time. â€Å"Hello?† I called. No answer. I had a sense someone was watching me, which seemed to happen a lot lately, and was making me increasingly paranoid. A doorway covered with beads of many colors led into the back. I saw nothing beyond their plastic sheen, which was, I’m sure, the whole idea. I turned toward the retail section of the store, took three steps, and stopped. Someone wasn’t watching me; something was. A huge, coiled snake occupied a cage in the corner, its eyes black and unblinking. Eyes of the dead. Long, brown, with uneven black circles all over its body, the reptile appeared to be a python. Was that even legal? I inched away. The cage looked secure enough, but I didn’t want to get him excited. There were plenty of other items to view in the snake-free section of the store. Shelves full of bottles, bowls, which were in turn full of†¦ stuff. With none of it marked, I was clueless. Several mini cloth sacks stuffed with Lord knows what lay on the countertop. I brushed my fingertip across one of them, and I could have sworn it shimmied on its own. â€Å"Gris-gris.† I lifted my gaze to the woman standing in front of the beaded doorway. How had she come through without making them go clackety-clack? â€Å"I’m sorry?† I said. She moved behind the counter, picking up one of the bags. â€Å"A gris-gris, meaning charm or talisman. For good luck.† Her lack of an accent revealed her to be as much a stranger here as I was. â€Å"Not bad luck?† In my memory banks gris-gris meant â€Å"cursed.† â€Å"Not in my shop.† My shop. This was Priestess Cassandra? I’d expected her to be African-American, or perhaps Haitian, since voodoo had taken root and grown there. She’d wear a turban, a flowing dress, bangles on her wrists, huge hoops in her ears. Instead, Cassandra was a tiny blue-eyed white girl with a single streak of gray marring the right temple of her short, black hair. Hair that appeared to have been hacked off recently, by someone who did not know what they were doing. To my amazement, the style complemented Cassandra’s high cheekbones and pointed chin, softening them just enough to nudge her toward stunning. She was dressed in ratty jeans, a pink T-shirt, and her feet were bare, except for the rings on two of her toes. If not for the premature gray, I would have mistaken her for a coed at Tulane. â€Å"You have a question?† she asked. â€Å"Something bugging you?† â€Å"You psychic?† Her smile was sweet, as if I were a child, though I had to be older than her by several years. â€Å"Everyone is at times.† I snorted, then realized how rude that was. â€Å"Sorry.† She spread her hands. â€Å"We believe what we believe.† Even if I was in town searching for a werewolf, that didn’t mean I bought into voodoo and other mind games. I had my standards. â€Å"I do have questions,† I said. â€Å"Doesn’t everyone?† â€Å"Some have answers.† I lifted a brow and she laughed. â€Å"But not many. How can I help you†¦ ?† She tilted her head, waiting for me to introduce myself. â€Å"I’m Diana.† â€Å"Moon goddess.† I stilled at the tickle of a memory. I’d heard that before, or something like it, in my dream last night. Cassandra studied my face. â€Å"You didn’t know the meaning?† â€Å"I do, but my parents named me after my grandmother. Knowing them, there wasn’t any discussion of the moon involved.† â€Å"Regardless, names have power and purpose. Cassandra means prophet† â€Å"How†¦ convenient.† She laughed again, as if I were the funniest person to come into her shop in years. I took in the herbs, the beads, the snake. Maybe I was. Hissing erupted from beyond the chicken wire. â€Å"Relax, Lazarus. She’s a friend.† â€Å"Lazarus? As in risen from the dead?† â€Å"Names have power,† was all she said. â€Å"What’s your question?† I frowned at the snake, which was staring at me again. The idea that the reptile might not die or, if dead, would rise, was a very creepy thought indeed. Weren’t zombies a part of the whole voodoo thing? And snake zombies†¦ Well, I didn’t even want to go there. â€Å"There’s a flower in the swamp,† I said. â€Å"A fire iris?† â€Å"Yes.† Cassandra moved down the row of shelves and began to pull out a little of this and a little of that, sprinkling the unknown items into a gris-gris bag. â€Å"Very powerful.† â€Å"What does it mean when someone leaves one on your bed?† She paused, fingers poised over a basket of what appeared to be dried chicken bones. Then, as if she’d had second thoughts, she took a pinch of red dust instead and scattered it on top. â€Å"Not ‘welcome to the neighborhood,'† she murmured. â€Å"Can you bring me the flower?† I cleared my throat â€Å"It’s gone.† â€Å"Hmm.† She turned to a completely different set of shelves and continued to mix and match. â€Å"Another question?† She hadn’t answered the first. Not really. â€Å"Do you know anything about a wolf in the area?† Her hand froze above a glass jar of what looked like black olives but probably weren’t â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"I told you. Di – â€Å" â€Å"Not your name. Why are you here? In New Orleans?† â€Å"I’m a cryptozoologist. I was hired to find the wolf in the swamp.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"That’s my job. Finding unknown animals† â€Å"A wolf isn’t unknown.† â€Å"In Louisiana it is.† â€Å"What if there isn’t a wolf? Or at least not a wolf as you know them?† â€Å"Even better.† She cast me a quick glance, then busied herself tying a string around the top of the gris-gris. â€Å"There’s a legend about the Honey Island Swamp.† â€Å"The swamp monster?† Her derisive hiss was echoed by the snake in the cage. â€Å"Nothing more than an overgrown nutria rat, which scared some half-wits over two decades ago.† Interesting theory – and one that explained the legend nicely. Cassandra was both refreshingly levelheaded and disturbingly strange. â€Å"I meant the legend of the loup-garou,† she continued. Now we were getting somewhere. â€Å"The werewolf.† â€Å"You’ve heard the tale.† She stared at me for a long moment â€Å"But you don’t believe mere’s any such thing, do you?† I ignored her question to ask one of my own: â€Å"Have you seen a wolf?† Cassandra moved to the front window and peered at the street â€Å"There’s something out there. Something that comes and goes. Something that kills and is never caught† â€Å"Wolves don’t kill people.† She turned, and her now-sober eyes met mine. â€Å"Exactly.† â€Å"What’s the legend?† In my world, legends often skirted the truth. I needed to listen, to analyze, to pick and choose what was real and what was not â€Å"Over a hundred years ago a man was cursed.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"He was a man. Isn’t that enough?† I smirked. I really shouldn’t like her so much. If she wasn’t nuts, she was at least a charlatan. â€Å"Every crescent moon he runs as a wolf.† That much I knew; the question was – â€Å"Why not the full moon?† â€Å"A loup-garou is special.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"You have an awful lot of questions for someone who doesn’t believe.† â€Å"I’m curious.† â€Å"He was cursed,† she repeated. â€Å"Why?† I sounded like a broken record. â€Å"Because he owned people, and he would not set them free.† Slaves. I should have known. Voodoo came to this country with those brought here in chains. I had to say, if anyone had bought and sold me, I’d have cursed their ass, too. â€Å"So his slaves voodoo-cursed him to become a wolf under the crescent moon?† â€Å"Not a wolf, a werewolf.† â€Å"What’s the difference?† â€Å"A wolf is an animal, but a werewolf is monster. An evil thing, ruled by the moon and possessed by bloodlust. They’re given life, but they can’t live. They can hate, but they can’t love. They think like a human and kill like a beast, no longer caring about anything or anyone but themselves.† I guess I didn’t want to meet one in a dark alley. â€Å"Why the crescent moon and not the full?† I asked. â€Å"Besides the fact that this is the Crescent City?† Frank had mentioned that. I’d thought it nothing more than an interesting coincidence. However, when dealing with curses, coincidences weren’t always so coincidental. Not that I believed in curses, but some people did. Obviously Cassandra was one of them. â€Å"The full moon comes but once a month,† she continued. â€Å"The crescent arrives twice.† â€Å"Double your cursing pleasure,† I muttered. Cassandra nodded. â€Å"A full moon is technically one night only, but each crescent lasts several days, bestowing multiple madness every lunar cycle.† â€Å"Who was this guy? Simon Legree?† I hated that the first name of my beloved husband and that of the legendary bad guy from Uncle Tom’s Cabin were the same, but I hadn’t written the book and Harriet Beecher Stowe had died long before I had a chance to complain. â€Å"Nobody knows for certain who the man was,† Cassandra said. â€Å"In the way of legends, he was probably an amalgamation of every slave owner. Doomed to be damned for eternity by their own greed.† â€Å"Do you believe a werewolf is running around the Honey Island Swamp?† â€Å"Maybe there is; maybe there isn’t. But a wolf’s been seen. People have been killed.† â€Å"What do the police think?† â€Å"They’re like you. Never believe until they see. No wolves in Louisiana, so the culprit has to be a wild dog, or a coyote.† I remembered something Simon had told me. â€Å"Wolves won’t tolerate coyotes in their territory. Drives ’em nuts.† â€Å"OK.† Cassandra appeared puzzled by my seemingly random thought. â€Å"But what about werewolves and coyotes?† That I wasn’t sure about. Another thought occurred to me. â€Å"Don’t those bitten by a werewolf become werewolves themselves?† â€Å"So the legends say.† â€Å"Then if there’s a werewolf in New Orleans – and has been for over a hundred years – shouldn’t there be more than one?† Cassandra pressed the gris-gris into my hand. â€Å"Who says there aren’t?† How to cite Night Creature: Crescent Moon Chapter 5, Essay examples