Continuous Improvement in Software Development

Continuous Improvement in Software Development The above principle concerns the close, daily collaboration between business people and customers is an important one for Agile as it ensures the usability of the product and consequently quality of work to fulfil the customers requirement in the best way possible (Cohn, 2005). The principle reflects the agile value of customer collaboration over contract negotiation. Schwaber (2004) highlights the importance of this principle as during the last decades with the increasing complexity of IT project, developers and customers have been drifting apart due to unsuitable methodologies that obstruct effective customer collaboration. Requirement collection following this agile principle goes beyond the requirement collection of traditional project management methodologies (Cobb, 2011). Beck (2000) suggests that when using XP, there should always be a customer on site to be able to answer all arising questions instantaneously. Customers often have different or no expectations from a project which emphasizes the need of close collaboration to detect any discrepancies (Cohn, 2005). Cohn (2005) further argues that through daily meetings changing requirements originating in rapidly evolving business environment can be addressed immediately and realignment of the strategy and deliverables is possible. However, the practice of daily customer meetings was not achievable during the wiki project; nonetheless, the team was able to consult with the customer frequently through email and very short response times allowed areas of unclarity to be resolved promptly. This close collaboration was often used to clarify small details in the requirements to increase the customer satisfaction through implementing change request without delay. When this principle is applied cautiously and thoroughly, a high level of trust can be developed between the two parties involved (Schwaber, 2004). Highsmith (2009) further argues that trust is a very important issue to be valued as it enhances the team cohesion and quality of collaborative work. This is supported by the experienced Group Green has made during the wiki project. During iteration 1 and 2, all requirements have been comprehensively discussed and clarified within the team and with the customer during iteration planning and initial customer consultation. After the team has started developing the iterations product, the customer was consulted again to resolve any remaining unclarities. Through this practice of close collaboration the quality of the product was at a very high level which was reflected through the outstanding feedback from the customer. However, during iteration 3 this high level of cooperation with the customer was neglected by the team which was been reflected in the iteration review meeting. The customer was not as satisfied with the product as in the previous two iterations, because the team failed to fulfill the customers requirements and specifications. In the subsequent iteration it was the Scrum Masters top priority to involve the customer again in more detail to enhance communication and idea exchange, removing impediment between the customer and the development team as suggested by Schwaber (2004). To adhere and to apply this principle might be one of the most valuable lessons learned in this project, as the close collaboration ensures a high quality of work and subsequently high customer satisfaction. The principle of sustainable development relates to the aim of developing the product in a constant pace without any perks in development velocity. Sustainability has a great significance, as the whole process of agile development is aimed to be a sustainable approach (Augustine, 2005). Poppendieck and Poppendieck (2003) note that companies which have adopted lean thinking have achieved a significant sustainable performance improvement. Stellman and Greene (2014) highlight that the breaking down of the whole project into smaller more manageable chunks facilitates the process of determining realistic durations of every story point or piece of work that is to be developed. The ability of estimating realistic durations enables the project team to give accurate predictions of the development time of the whole product. This supports a very steady flow of product development and the team can work in a constant and sustainable pace (Cohn, 2005). In software development, this constant flow leads to a higher quality of code and fewer inconsistencies in the source code. In consequence, less time is needed to address bug fixing, which make the whole concept more sustainable and viable (Cohn, 2005). Bug fixing, improving flaws and making corrections often lead to a higher work load for the project team and consequently lowers the motivation and increases the stress the team experiences. The stress primarily results from the still existing deadline at the end of the short iteration which still needs to be met, despite the amount of required re-work. Cohn (2005) further stipulates that over time, the customer realises and acknowledges the high quality, which subsequently enables trust to be developed between the customer and the project team. Cobb (2011) further points out that all team members, not just developers, need to keep pace with each other throughout the whole duration of the project. In agile development, the iterations prevent team members to step in or out of the project in different phases. As a result, the development of the product is much more fluent, as all team member can built up trust and develop a high team cohesion (Cobb, 2011). Cohn (2005) further argues that this can lead to a higher motivation for the project team as they feel empowered and are more willing to achieve better results. Whitworth and Biddle (2007) conclude that agile planning reduces tensions and conflicts and the consecutive development of small tasks promotes motivation in the team, which altogether which leads to an overall quality improvement. In practice, Team Green has experienced the value of this principle, however, not in as much detail as in real-life practice. The project was already divided into weekly iterations, which established the grounds of sustainable development. However, the team experienced the value of dividing the whole project deliverables into smaller parts as this practice greatly improves transparency and clearness of what requirements need to be fulfilled and how this can be achieved. The internally agreed deadlines did not drastically change during the whole project duration. This way the team was able to realise a routine of weekly development, which greatly helped and supported in developing a high-quality product. Trust among the team has been developed at the same time, which facilitated the sustainable development. An important lesson learned in this regard is the necessity of splitting the workload and thoroughly planning durations of the single pieces of work. This greatly benefits a sustainable, constant pace of development and consequently increases the product quality and customer satisfaction. The last agile principle states that the team should regularly reflect on how to become more effective and adopt their work processes accordingly. Through the alignment of the overall approach and the strategy of development, the project team aims to increase the quality baseline of the developed work. Stellman and Greene (2014) note that it is important to include retrospectives to evaluate and assess performance to figure out ways on how to become more effective in future projects. This retrospective should not be limited to one meeting at the end of a project but should be implemented immediately when any possible improvements are recognised. According to Beck (2000) the project team should use daily stand up meetings to get discuss any areas of general development improvement. If this is not possible, the team should try to incorporate a retrospective at least after finishing every iteration (Smith and Upton, 2015). Cobb (2011) elaborates on this in saying that sprints in agile a re generally much shorter than the development duration of traditional approaches, which facilitates the reflecting process. The concept of continuous improvement is linked to lean software development and based on the Kaizen philosophy and re-engineering approach to heighten the standard of status quo to achieve better quality products (Bond, 1999). Kaizen and re-engineering philosophy were originally deduced from operational management in logistics, but can be applied to other improvement processes such as Agile product development. Typically, the improvement process can be divided into four consecutive stages: 1. maintaining process status quo 2. process improvement 3. process re-engineering 4. achieving process stability. Group Green applied this principle during most of the wiki project. In the first two iterations, the team held one retrospective at the end of each iteration to identify areas of improvement and ways to implement more agile principles than the ones that were already used. This practice lead to a high quality of product and customer satisfaction. However, during iteration 3 this principle was neglected and the team did not pursue the strive of further improvement. This was reflected in reduced customer satisfaction in comparison to the previous iterations. In response, the team decided to add an additional retrospective reflect on how to further improve their development process to retrieve the higher quality standard and customer satisfaction of previous iterations. Based on this positive experience of reinforcing this principle it was agreed that an additional retrospective is being held at the end of the wiki project to ensure a high quality of final assignment report. Reflecting t he whole development process, it can be said with certainty that lessons learned includes the necessity of consequently applying this principle. Only by doing so, the prerequisite is fulfilled to continuously deliver high quality products and achiever customer satisfaction.

Same-Sex Marriages Should NOT Be Allowed Essay -- Legal Issues, Same S

Allowing same-sex marriages would change the basic definition of marriage. Marriage is an important commitment of a man and a woman who contribute to civilization. Therefore, the loss of contributions due to someone’s sexual orientation should not be rewarded with a privilege such as marriage. Same-sex marriages affect many factors such as children, the concept of marriage, and humanity. However, it is not a misdemeanor to love somebody of the same gender but it can rigorously damage many aspects of life. In addition, same-sex marriages also can affect those who are raised by them as children. It was exposed that children raised by homosexual couples did worse than the offspring of heterosexual couples in nine of thirteen intellectual and social categories. When children are adopted they do not get a choice in whether their parents are gay or straight. For this reason, their sexual orientation may be distorted due to the parents they are adopted to. Children raised in families led by same-sex parents may choose to become gay or lesbian at a higher rate than thos...

Wilsons Fourteen Points: a Path to Peace or to Renewed Conflict Essay

Wilson's Fourteen Points: a Path to Peace or to Renewed Conflict Wilson's Fourteen Points were a decent attempt at peace and restitution after the Great War; however, there were many inherent problems with the Wilsonian agenda. These problems were caused by many things, including Allied bias, American ambition, and Western European dominance. While trying to fix many problems in Europe, the Fourteen Points mainly concentrated on the things that were important to the Allied powers: France was bent on revenge, Great Britain was looking to further its power over the seas, and America was keen on becoming an even more powerful trade nation. The Allied Powers made it very hard for Germany and Austria and the newly formed countries in Eastern Europe to carry out many of the things set down in the Fourteen points, in particular, the idea of self-determination that is evident in over half of the points. Reading the Fourteen Points might lead a person to believe that the Allies were in favor of all forms of self-determination unconditionally; in fact, just the opposite was true. They used "self-determination as a formula for rearranging the balance of power in their own interests" (Keynes pp. 2). Point Five of the Wilsonian agenda was a testament to this. It called for the "free, open-minded adjustment of all colonial claims." Essentially, what this did was allow countries to practice limited forms of self-determination, mainly by switching European rule from the more obvious direct control method, to indirect European control. Some countries were allowed independence, but those countries that were denied it became mandates; Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon are examples of the ladder. The main thing Point Five accomplished was that i... ...and incomplete" (Keynes pp. 4). Ironically this is just the thing Wilson had set out not to do. In the speech he delivered before he read out the Fourteen Points, Wilson said that there was "no confusion between the Allied powers, no uncertainty of principle and no vagueness of detail." Wilson goes on to say that the "only failure to make definite statement of the objects of the war lies with Germany and her allies," when in fact this failure of definite statement was also true of the Allied Powers. The Fourteen Points did accomplish something in that they set out terms for a treaty, but unfortunately the Points failed because they severely lacked in detail and succinct. Furthermore, if the Points had been written with the sole objective of peace and restitution and not ambition or revenge, the ultimate Treaty of Versailles may have led to a lasting peace in Europe.

History Of Football Essay -- Sports Football Essays History

History Of Football Sometime around 1050, Englishmen dug up a skull of a dane and started to kick it around in frustration toward the dane. It became known as â€Å"Kicking the dane’s head† .The skull began to hurt the boy’s feet, so a boy came up with the idea of using an inflated cow bladder to help their feet(Tuttle, 13).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1189, King Henry banned the game, because people were too involved in the game to practice archery and fighting for war(Tuttle, 13). During the 1500’s the game shifted to Ireland where people invented the Irish rules that made the game tougher. As the game progressed it turned into soccer and rugby(Tuttle, 14).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On November 6, 1869, Princeton and Rutgers played the first college soccer game(Tuttle, 14). During the spring of 1871 a group of people at Harvard University made a game called the â€Å"Boston Game†, which was similar to rugby rules(Tuttle, 14).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On May 15, 1874, Harvard played McGill University, which was from Montreal. They played with an egg-shaped ball instead of a round ball(Tuttle, 14). They played with 11 men instead of 15, because 4 could not make the game.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1880, Walter Camp, Yale’s rugby captain, created the line of scrimmage and other modern football attributes to improve the game because it was too low scoring (Tuttle, 13). He also changed the scoring system to: safety-1 point, touchdown-2, Point after touchdown-4, and a field goal-3. He then changed the yards kneeded to gain a first down to 5 and used 3 downs(Tuttle, 16). Later coaches changed Camps’ rules to rules we use now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1919 the American Professional Football Association was made in Canton, Ohio(Treat, 23). It started out with 5 teams (Akron, Canton, Columbus, Dayton, and Rochester) (Treat, 23). It cost twenty-five dollars to open a franchise(Treat, 23). The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers joined the League in 1921 to make one of football’s greatest rivalries. The American Professional Football Association changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) in 1922(Tuttle, 61). By 1923, there were 20 teams in the NFL(Treat, 34). During the 1920’s, mostly due to the depression, the NFL began to drop to only 12 teams(Treat, 35).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to make the scoring increase, the NFL made it legal to throw a forward pass in 1933(Encarta). The defense rushing the quarterback made it difficult to complete passes... ...ta), where it stopped, but started back up again in 1999.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1992 the National Football League started making major changes toward the future. It created Free Agency, because of a lawsuit(Encarta). Free Agency allows players freedom to move around from teams after their contract. The NFL also invented the Salary Cap, which allowed NFL teams only a certain amount of money to spend on players’ contracts(Encarta). Both Free Agency and the Salary Cap have made it easier for teams to have the same amount of talent, and have made tremendous strides into football’s future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The demand for football has become so popular, that during televised games companies will pay millions of dollars for thirty seconds of commercial advertisement space.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stadiums now hold tens of thousands of people. At the University of Michigan, their stadium seats more than 100,000 people. Stadiums are now built with retractable roofs and instant replay at each seat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Several indoor football leagues have started all over the country, where they play with walls and 50 yards. The owner of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) is expected to open a tough football league in 2001 called the XFL.

Analyzing Internet Sources

The first and more important thing I learned was to look for credible sources. One way to do this is to look for bias and opinion. You should look for sources that are based solely on facts and will not attempt to shape your opinion of the topic when you read it. Another thing is to make sure you find your information in other sources to verify it is true and correct. Remember that it is difficult to spot credible sources online. Another thing to keep on mind are legal issues regarding copyright and plagiarism. Just because something is online does not mean it is unprotected. I will use these practices by making sure that I do more extensive research when I find something online. Just because it is there doesn’t make it true. I want to stay free of any problems of that nature and make my work reflect my abilities as a student. How can you determine if the information on a website is reputable and worthwhile for a research paper? Why is Wikipedia not an acceptable academic source? You can determine if the information is reputable and worthwhile by first looking at the URL. Most of the time if it ends with . edu or . gov it will be a good one. Also, another good thing to do is to research the authors and their credentials. You want to know who is writing this information and how qualified they really are. Another good tip is to look at the date. Let’s say you are writing about something that happened recently. There can be new developments on the story daily and you want all your information to be up to date and correct. Wikipedia is not an acceptable academic source because it is an open source of information. That information is not monitored at any time and can be posted by anybody. Some people even go on Wikipedia and say they are an anonymous writer. How can you know it’s true if you don’t know who wrote it?

Chapter 16 Professor Trelawney’s Prediction

Harry's euphoria at finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasted at least a week. Even the weather seemed to be celebrating; as June approached, the days became cloudless and sultry, and all anybody felt like doing was strolling onto the grounds and flopping down on the grass with several pints of iced pumpkin juice, perhaps playing a casual game of Gobstones or watching the giant squid propel itself dreamily across the surface of the lake. But they couldn't. Exams were nearly upon them, and instead of lazing around outside, the students were forced to remain inside the castle, trying to bully their brains into concentrating while enticing wafts of summer air drifted in through the windows. Even Fred and George Weasley had been spotted working; they were about to take their O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). Percy was getting ready to take his N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests), the highest qualification Hogwarts offered. As Percy hoped to enter the Ministry of Magic, he needed top grades. He was becoming increasingly edgy, and gave very severe punishments to anybody who disturbed the quiet of the common room in the evenings. In fact, the only person who seemed more anxious than Percy was Hermione. Harry and Ron had given up asking her how she was managing to attend several classes at once, but they couldn't restrain themselves when they saw the exam schedule she had drawn up for herself. The first column read: Monday 9 o'clock, Arithmancy 9 o'clock, Transfiguration Lunch 1 o'clock, Charms 1 o'clock, Ancient Runes â€Å"Hermione?† Ron said cautiously, because she was liable to explode when interrupted these days. â€Å"Er — are you sure you've copied down these times right?† â€Å"What?† snapped Hermione, picking up the exam schedule and examining it. â€Å"Yes, of course I have.† â€Å"Is there any point asking how you're going to sit for two exams at once?† said Harry. â€Å"No,† said Hermione shortly. â€Å"Have either of you seen my copy of Numerology and Gramatica?† â€Å"Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading,† said Ron, but very quietly. Hermione started shifting heaps of parchment. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had plenty of opportunity to speak to Hagrid. â€Å"Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed,† Hagrid told them, bending low on the pretense of checking that Harry's flobberworm was still alive. â€Å"Bin cooped up too long. But still†¦we'll know day after tomorrow — one way or the other –â€Å" They had Potions that afternoon, which was an unqualified disaster. Try as Harry might, he couldn't get his Confusing Concoction to thicken, and Snape, standing watch with an air of vindictive pleasure, scribbled something that looked suspiciously like a zero onto his notes before moving away. Then came Astronomy at midnight, up on the tallest tower; History of Magic on Wednesday morning, in which Harry scribbled everything Florean Fortescue had ever told him about medieval witch-hunts, while wishing he could have had one of Fortescue's choco-nut sundaes with him in the stifling classroom. Wednesday afternoon meant Herbology, in the greenhouses under a baking-hot sun; then back to the common room once more, with sunburnt necks, thinking longingly of this time next day, when it would all be over. Their second to last exam, on Thursday morning, was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a Hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle with a new Boggart. â€Å"Excellent, Harry,† Lupin muttered as Harry climbed out of the trunk, grinning. â€Å"Full marks.† Flushed with his success, Harry hung around to watch Ron and Hermione. Ron did very well until he reached the Hinkypunk, which successfully confused him into sinking waist-high into the quagmire. Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the Boggart in it. After about a minute inside it, she burst out again, screaming. â€Å"Hermione!† said Lupin, startled. â€Å"What's the matter?† â€Å"P-P-Professor McGonagall!† Hermione gasped, pointing into the trunk. â€Å"Sh-she said I'd failed everything!† It took a little while to calm Hermione down. When at last she had regained a grip on herself, she, Harry, and Ron went back to the castle. Ron was still slightly inclined to laugh at Hermione's Boggart, but an argument was averted by the sight that met them on the top of the steps. Cornelius Fudge, sweating slightly in his pinstriped cloak, was standing there staring out at the grounds. He started at the sight of Harry. â€Å"Hello there, Harry!† he said. â€Å"Just had an exam, I expect? Nearly finished?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry. Hermione and Ron, not being on speaking terms with the Minister of Magic, hovered awkwardly in the background. â€Å"Lovely day,† said Fudge, casting an eye over the lake. â€Å"Pity†¦pity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed deeply and looked down at Harry. â€Å"I'm here on an unpleasant mission, Harry. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad Hippogriff. As I needed to visit Hogwarts to check on the Black situation, I was asked to step in.† â€Å"Does that mean the appeal's already happened?† Ron interrupted, stepping forward. â€Å"No, no, it's scheduled for this afternoon,† said Fudge, looking curiously at Ron. â€Å"Then you might not have to witness an execution at all!† said Ron stoutly. â€Å"The Hippogriff might get off!† Before Fudge could answer, two wizards came through the castle doors behind him. One was so ancient he appeared to be withering before their very eyes; the other was tall and strapping, with a thin back mustache. Harry gathered that they were representatives of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, because the very old wizard squinted toward Hagrid's cabin and said in a feeble voice, â€Å"Dear, dear, I'm getting too old for this†¦.Two o'clock, isn't it, Fudge?† The black-mustached man was fingering something in his belt; Harry looked and saw that he was running one broad thumb along the blade of a shining axe. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione nudged him hard in the ribs and jerked her head toward the entrance hall. â€Å"Why'd you stop me?† said Ron angrily as they entered the Great Hall for lunch. â€Å"Did you see them? They've even got the axe ready! This isn't justice!† â€Å"Ron, your dad works for the Ministry, you can't go saying things like that to his boss!† said Hermione, but she too looked very upset. â€Å"As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time, and argues his case properly, they can't possibly execute Buckbeak†¦.† But Harry could tell Hermione didn't really believe what she was saying. All around them, people were talking excitedly as they ate their lunch, happily anticipating the end of the exams that afternoon, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione, lost in worry about Hagrid and Buckbeak, didn't join in. Harry's and Ron's last exam was Divination; Hermione's, Muggle Studies. They walked up the marble staircase together; Hermione left them on the first floor and Harry and Ron proceeded all the way up to the seventh, where many of their class were sitting on the spiral staircase to Professor Trelawney's classroom, trying to cram in a bit of last-minute studying. â€Å"She's seeing us all separately,† Neville informed them as they went to sit down next to him. He had his copy of Unfogging the Future open on his lap at the pages devoted to crystal gazing. â€Å"Have either of you ever seen anything in a crystal ball?† he asked them unhappily. â€Å"Nope,† said Ron in an offhand voice. He kept checking his watch; Harry. knew that he was counting down the time until Buckbeak's appeal started. The line of people outside the classroom shortened very slowly. As each person climbed back down the silver ladder, the rest of the class hissed, â€Å"What did she ask? Was it okay?† But they all refused to say. â€Å"She says the crystal ball's told her that if I tell you, I'll have a horrible accident!† squeaked Neville as he clambered back down the ladder toward Harry and Ron, who had now reached the landing. â€Å"That's convenient,† snorted Ron. â€Å"You know, I'm starting to think Hermione was right about her† — he jabbed his thumb toward the trapdoor overhead — â€Å"she's a right old fraud.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, looking at his own watch. It was now two o'clock. â€Å"Wish she'd hurry up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Parvati came back down the ladder glowing with pride. â€Å"She says I've got all the makings of a true Seer,† she informed Harry and Ron. â€Å"I saw loads of stuff†¦Well, good luck!† She hurried off down the spiral staircase toward Lavender. â€Å"Ronald Weasley,† said the familiar, misty voice from over their heads. Ron grimaced at Harry and climbed the silver ladder out of sight. Harry was now the only person left to be tested. He settled himself on the floor with his back against the wall, listening to a fly buzzing in the sunny window, his mind across the grounds with Hagrid. Finally, after about twenty minutes, Ron's large feet reappeared on the ladder. â€Å"How'd it go?† Harry asked him, standing up. â€Å"Rubbish,† said Ron. â€Å"Couldn't see a thing, so I made some stuff up. Don't think she was convinced, though†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Meet you in the common room,† Harry muttered as Professor Trelawney's voice called, â€Å"Harry Potter!† The tower room was hotter than ever before; the curtains were closed, the fire was alight, and the usual sickly scent made Harry cough as he stumbled through the clutter of chairs and table to where Professor Trelawney sat waiting for him before a large crystal ball. â€Å"Good day, my dear,† she said softly. â€Å"If you would kindly gaze into the Orb†¦Take your time, now†¦then tell me what you see within it†¦.† Harry bent over the crystal ball and stared, stared as hard as he could, willing it to show him something other than swirling white fog, but nothing happened. â€Å"Well?† Professor Trelawney prompted delicately. â€Å"What do you see?† The heat was overpowering and his nostrils were stinging with the perfumed smoke wafting from the fire beside them. He thought of what Ron had just said, and decided to pretend. â€Å"Er –† said Harry, â€Å"a dark shape†¦um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What does it resemble?† whispered Professor Trelawney. â€Å"Think, now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry cast his mind around and it landed on Buckbeak. â€Å"A Hippogriff,† he said firmly. â€Å"Indeed!† whispered Professor Trelawney, scribbling keenly on the parchment perched upon her knees. â€Å"My boy, you may well be seeing the outcome of poor Hagrid's trouble with the Ministry of Magic! Look closer†¦Does the Hippogriff appear to†¦have its head?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry firmly. â€Å"Are you sure?† Professor Trelawney urged him. â€Å"Are you quite sure, dear? You don't see it writhing on the ground, perhaps, and a shadowy figure raising an axe behind it?† â€Å"No!† said Harry, starting to feel slightly sick. â€Å"No blood? No weeping Hagrid?† â€Å"No!† said Harry again, wanting more than ever to leave the room and the heat. â€Å"It looks fine, it's — flying away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Professor Trelawney sighed. â€Å"Well, dear, I think we'll leave it there†¦A little disappointing†¦but I'm sure you did your best.† Relieved, Harry got up, picked up his bag and turned to go, but then a loud, harsh voice spoke behind him. â€Å"IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT.† Harry wheeled around. Professor Trelawney had gone rigid in her armchair; her eyes were unfocused and her mouth sagging. â€Å"S — sorry?† said Harry. But Professor Trelawney didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes started to roll. Harry sat there in a panic. She looked as though she was about to have some sort of seizure. He hesitated, thinking of running to the hospital wing — and then Professor Trelawney spoke again, in the same harsh voice, quite unlike her own: â€Å"THE DARK LORD LIES ALONE AND FRIENDLESS, ABANDONED BY HIS FOLLOWERS. HIS SERVANT HAS BEEN CHAINED THESE TWELVE YEARS. TONIGHT, BEFORE MIDNIGHT†¦THE SERVANT WILL BREAK FREE AND SET OUT TO REJOIN HIS MASTER. THE DARK LORD WILL RISE AGAIN WITH HIS SERVANT'S AID, GREATER AND MORE TERRIBLE THAN EVER HE WAS. TONIGHT†¦BEFORE MIDNIGHT†¦THE SERVANT†¦WILL SET OUT†¦TO REJOIN†¦HIS MASTER†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Professor Trelawney's head fell forward onto her chest. She made a grunting sort of noise. Harry sat there, staring at her. Then, quite suddenly, Professor Trelawney's head snapped up again. â€Å"I'm so sorry, dear boy,† she said dreamily, â€Å"the heat of the day, you know†¦I drifted off for a moment†¦.† Harry sat there, staring at her. â€Å"Is there anything wrong, my dear?† â€Å"You — you just told me that the — the Dark Lord's going to rise again†¦that his servant's going to go back to him.† Professor Trelawney looked thoroughly startled. â€Å"The Dark Lord? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? My dear boy, that's hardly something to joke about†¦Rise again, indeed –â€Å" â€Å"But you just said it! You said the Dark Lord –â€Å" â€Å"I think you must have dozed off too, dear!† said Professor Trelawney. â€Å"I would certainly not presume to predict anything quite as far-fetched as that!† Harry climbed back down the ladder and the spiral staircase, wondering†¦had he just heard Professor Trelawney make a real prediction? Or had that been her idea of an impressive end to the test? Five minutes later he was dashing past the security trolls outside the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, Professor Trelawney's words still resounding in his head. People were striding past him in the opposite direction, laughing and joking, heading for the grounds and a bit of long-awaited freedom; by the time he had reached the portrait hole and entered the common room, it was almost deserted. Over in the corner, however, sat Ron and Hermione. â€Å"Professor Trelawney,† Harry panted, â€Å"just told me –â€Å" But he stopped abruptly at the sight of their faces. â€Å"Buckbeak lost,† said Ron weakly. â€Å"Hagrid's just sent this.† Hagrid's note was dry this time, no tears had splattered it, yet his hand seemed to have shaken so much as he wrote that it was hardly legible. Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it. Hagrid â€Å"We've got to go,† said Harry at once. â€Å"He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!† â€Å"Sunset, though,† said Ron, who was staring out the window ill a glazed sort of way. â€Å"We'd never be allowed †¦'specially you, Harry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry sank his head into his hands, thinking. â€Å"If we only had the Invisibility Cloak†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Where is it?† said Hermione. Harry told her about leaving it in the passageway under the one-eyed witch. â€Å"†¦ if Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I'm in serious trouble,† he finished. â€Å"That's true,† said Hermione, getting to her feet. â€Å"If he sees you†¦How do you open the witch's hump again?† â€Å"You — you tap it and say, ‘Dissendium,'† said Harry. â€Å"But –â€Å" Hermione didn't wait for the rest of his sentence; she strode across the room, pushed open the Fat Lady's portrait and vanished from sight. â€Å"She hasn't gone to get it?† Ron said, staring after her. She had. Hermione returned a quarter of an hour later with the silvery cloak folded carefully under her robes. â€Å"Hermione, I don't know what's gotten, into you lately!† said Ron, astounded. â€Å"First you hit Malfoy, then you walk out on Professor Trelawney –â€Å" Hermione looked rather flattered. They went down to dinner with everybody else, but did not return to Gryffindor Tower afterward. Harry had the cloak hidden down the front of his robes; he had to keep his arms folded to hide the lump. They skulked in an empty chamber off the entrance hall, listening, until they were sure it was deserted. They heard a last pair of people hurrying across the hall and a door slamming. Hermione poked her head around the door. â€Å"Okay,† she whispered, â€Å"no one there — cloak on –â€Å" Walking very close together so that nobody would see them, they crossed the hall on tiptoe beneath the cloak, then walked down the stone front steps into the grounds. The sun was already sinking behind the Forbidden Forest, gilding the top branches of the trees. They reached Hagrid's cabin and knocked. He was a minute in answering, and when he did, he looked all around for his visitor, pale-faced and trembling. â€Å"It's us,† Harry hissed. â€Å"We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off.† â€Å"Yeh shouldn've come!† Hagrid whispered, but he stood back, and they stepped inside. Hagrid shut the door quickly and Harry pulled off the cloak. Hagrid was not crying, nor did he throw himself upon their necks. He looked like a man who did not know where he was or what to do. This helplessness was worse to watch than tears. â€Å"Wan' some tea?† he said. His great hands were shaking as he reached for the kettle. â€Å"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?† said Hermione hesitantly. â€Å"I — I took him outside,† said Hagrid, spilling milk all over the table as he filled up the jug. â€Å"He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an' — an' smell fresh air — before –â€Å" Hagrid's hand trembled so violently that the milk jug slipped from his grasp and shattered all over the floor. â€Å"I'll do it, Hagrid,† said Hermione quickly, hurrying over and starting to clean up the mess. â€Å"There's another one in the cupboard,† Hagrid said, sitting down and wiping his forehead on his sleeve. Harry glanced at Ron, who looked back hopelessly. â€Å"Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid?† Harry asked fiercely, sitting down next to him. â€Å"Dumbledore –â€Å" â€Å"He's tried,† said Hagrid. â€Å"He's got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared†¦Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like†¦threatened 'em, I expect†¦an' the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's†¦but it'll be quick an' clean†¦an' I'll be beside him†¦.† Hagrid swallowed. His eyes were darting all over the cabin as though looking for some shred of hope or comfort. â€Å"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it — while it happens. Wrote me this mornin'. Said he wants ter — ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore†¦.† Hermione, who had been rummaging in Hagrid's cupboard for another milk jug, let out a small, quickly stifled sob. She straightened up with the new jug in her hands, fighting back tears. â€Å"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid,† she began, but Hagrid shook his shaggy head. â€Å"Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway†¦If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, Harry, yeh'll be in big trouble.† Silent tears were now streaming down Hermione's face, but she hid them from Hagrid, bustling around making tea. Then, as she picked up the milk bottle to pour some into the jug, she let out a shriek. â€Å"Ron, I don't believe it — it's Scabbers!† Ron gaped at her. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Hermione carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. With a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, Scabbers the rat came sliding out onto the table. â€Å"Scabbers!† said Ron blankly. â€Å"Scabbers, what are you doing here?† He grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light. Scabbers looked dreadful. He was thinner than ever, large tufts of hair had fallen out leaving wide bald patches, and he writhed in Ron's hands as though desperate to free himself â€Å"It's okay, Scabbers!† said Ron. â€Å"No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!† Hagrid suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the window. His normally ruddy face had gone the color of parchment. â€Å"They're comin'†¦.† Harry, Ron, and Hermione whipped around. A group of men was walking down the distant castle steps. In front was Albus Dumbledore, his silver beard gleaming in the dying sun. Next to him trotted Cornelius Fudge. Behind them came the feeble old Committee member and the executioner, Macnair. â€Å"Yeh gotta go,† said Hagrid. Every inch of him was trembling. â€Å"They mustn' find yeh here†¦Go now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket and Hermione picked up the cloak. â€Å"I'll let yeh out the back way,† said Hagrid. They followed him to the door into his back garden. Harry felt strangely unreal, and even more so when he saw Buckbeak a few yards away, tethered to a tree behind Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Buckbeak seemed to know something was happening. He turned his sharp head from side to side and pawed the ground nervously. â€Å"It's okay, Beaky,† said Hagrid softly. â€Å"It's okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. â€Å"Go on,† he said. â€Å"Get goin'.† But they didn't move. â€Å"Hagrid, we can't –â€Å" â€Å"We'll tell them what really happened –â€Å" â€Å"They can't kill him –â€Å" â€Å"Go!† said Hagrid fiercely. â€Å"It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!† They had no choice. As Hermione threw the cloak over Harry and Ron, they heard voices at the front of the cabin. Hagrid looked at the place where they had just vanished from sight. â€Å"Go quick,† he said hoarsely. â€Å"Don' listen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And he strode back into his cabin as someone knocked at the front door. Slowly, in a kind of horrified trance, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off silently around Hagrid's house. As they reached the other side, the front door closed with a sharp snap. â€Å"Please, let's hurry,† Hermione whispered. â€Å"I can't stand it, I can't bear it†¦.† They started up the sloping lawn toward the castle. The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged gray, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow. Ron stopped dead. â€Å"Oh, please, Ron,† Hermione began. â€Å"It's Scabbers — he won't — stay put –â€Å" Ron was bent over, trying to keep Scabbers in his pocket, but the rat was going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his teeth into Ron's hand. â€Å"Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron,† Ron hissed. They heard a door open behind them and men's voices. â€Å"Oh, Ron, please let's move, they're going to do it!† Hermione breathed. â€Å"Okay — Scabbers, stay put –â€Å" They walked forward; Harry, like Hermione, was trying not to listen to the rumble of voices behind them. Ron stopped again. â€Å"I can't hold him — Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us –â€Å" The rat was squealing wildly, but not loudly enough to cover up the sounds drifting from Hagrid's garden. There was a jumble of indistinct male voices, a silence, and then, without warning, the unmistakable swish and thud of an axe. Hermione swayed on the spot. â€Å"They did it!† she whispered to Harry. â€Å"I'd — don't believe it — they did it!†

Genetically Modified (Gm) Foods Essay

The Term â€Å"Genetically Modified (GM) foods† refers to crops produced for human or animal consumption using the recombinant DNA techniques. The world population is growing in a fast pace such that it is expected to double in the next 50 years. Supplying food to this growing population is a major challenge. GM foods can be considered as the major solution for the food security. These foods are produced by the modification of crop plants in the laboratory to enhance desired traits, mainly biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, improved nutritional content, etc. These traits were earlier carried out through conventional plant breeding, but these breeding methods are very time-consuming and often not very accurate. However, with recombinant DNA technology, plants with the desired traits can be produced, very rapidly and with greater accuracy. Process Recombinant DNA technology begins with the identification and isolation of a gene which expresses a desirable trait, with the aid of restriction enzymes. Then a recipient plant or animal is selected, and the gene is inserted and incorporated into its genome through a vector such as agrobacterium, through a gene gun shooting an elemental particle covered in plasmid DNA, electro oration, or a virus. Once part of the recipient, the newly inserted gene becomes part of the genome of the recipient and is regulated in the same way as its other genes. For example, we can isolate a gene responsible for conferring drought tolerance, introduce that gene into a plant, and make it drought tolerant. Crops can also be transformed using non-plant genes such as the use of Bt genes, in cotton and many other crops. Bt, or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal only to insect larvae. Bt crystal protein genes have been transferred into cotton, soya, corn, brinjal, enabling the plants to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the American bollworm, European corn borer. Bt genes are lethal only in the acidic medium, insect gut environment and do not get activated in an alkaline environment, prevalent in humans and other animals that feed on these plants. BENEFITS OF GM FOODS Drought tolerance/salinity tolerance: As the world population grows and more land is converted for housing instead of food production, farmers need to grow crops in non-arable land, previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salinity in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in large, barren wetlands/dry lands in our country. Pest resistance: Insect Pests are causing devastating financial loss for farmers, sometimes starvation. Indiscriminate use of pesticides is also a potential health hazard, and the run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers poisons the water supply and harms the environment. Ex: Growing GM foods such as Bt brinjal helps reduce the application of pesticides substantially, as 80 per cent of brinjal crop are infested with pests. Disease resistance: There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases and thereby contribute to yield loss. Plant biologists are working to create genetically engineered plants with resistance to these diseases. Ex: Developing sheath blight resistance in rice. Cold/heat tolerance: Farmers are facing the vagaries of weather, like unexpected frost or excess heat due to climate change. Researchers have identified an antifreeze gene from cold-water fish and introduced it into plants such as tobacco and potato to study the efficacy of the plant to withstand extreme temperatures. Also, research is on to identify plants that can survive excess heat, submergence tolerance etc. Nutrition: People in our country suffer from various nutrient deficiency diseases due to malnutrition. Most of the people rely on rice as a major staple food. But rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary micro and macronutrients. If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins, iron and/or minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated. For example, MSSRF (M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation) are working on improving the iron content. Phytoremediation: Soil and groundwater pollution continues to be a problem in many parts of the world. Plants such as poplar trees, brassica spp are being genetically engineered to clean up heavy metal pollution from soil contaminated with metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium. Concerns Most concerns about GM foods fall into three categories Environmental hazards: Unintended harm to other organisms; reduced effectiveness of pesticides; gene transfer to non-target species are some of the concerns of the environmental concerns of GM crops. Human health risks: Allergenecity, unknown effects on human health are some of the main health concerns. For example, Pioneer Hi-Bred tested the allergenicity of a transgenic soybean that expressed a Brazil nut seed storage protein in hope that the seeds would have increased levels of the amino acid methionine. The tests (radio allergosorbent testing, immunoblotting, and skin-prick testing) showed that individuals allergic to Brazil nuts were also allergic to the new GM soybean. Economic concerns Environmental activists, religious organizations, non-governmental organizations have criticized agribusiness for concentrating on profits through GM Foods without concern for potential hazards. They also criticized the government for failing to start a regulatory body. All GM crops should be subjected to thorough regulatory processes and toxicology and allergenicity tests data needs to be shared with the regulatory authorities prior to commercialization. Government Role Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been patented, and patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness. So, bringing GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process. This is a genuine concern and therefore it is important for the government to fund and support public sector research in reputed universities or agriculture institutes to ensure quality research and also keep prices under check. Conclusion Government should check all the hazards, environmental, health and economic concerns and then decisions should be taken to commercialize a GM product. Though ambiguity during the process, once they get regulatory approve, it implies that they have been subjected to stringent scrutiny and are safe for commercial release. So, the governments around the world are hard at work to establish an effective regulatory process to monitor the effects of and approve new varieties of GM plants. According to M S Swaminathan, the chairman of the National Commission on Farmers, GM foods have the potential to solve many of the world’s hunger and malnutrition problems, and can protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides. Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling.