Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Criminal Treatment of the Mentally Disordered

Western progress paper - Essay Example While a few reasons for question were regular procedures very past the degree or anticipation of the congregation of the occasions, for example, on account of the Black Death and ensuing maladies that occasionally crushed the European populace, others were without a doubt the aftereffect of voracity and offers for power, for example, could be found in the Western Schism. At last, social changes ran out of sight the control of the congregation through an assortment of components. A development in the populace paving the way to the reorganization, combined with huge changes in financial structures as agrarian specialists moved to towns and towns started to deliver an increasingly scholarly open. This was empowered by the creation of the print machine that made the creation of books quicker and increasingly conservative and hence making them progressively available to a more extensive crowd. This, thus, advanced the spread of Humanitarian thoughts all through the overall population foll owing a time of chapel disappointments. In this way, while it very well may be contended that Martin Luther was the greatest impetus for transform, he was vigorously helped by an assortment of elements that met up at the perfect time and spot for his words to have most extreme effect. The most perceived figure of the Protestant Reformation is that of Martin Luther (1483-1546), in spite of the fact that this was not really what the modest priest imagined when he posted his 95 theories in 1517. His initial life was spent in anticipation of a vocation in law, yet his immaturity gave him a shock of heavenly motivation when he was struck by an electrical discharge and he went to an existence of serving God. Reports show he was an ardent priest, devout and unassuming, committed to finding God. This is uncovered in his letters as he tends to the Archbishop with respect to his interests over the offer of indulgencies. In spite of his solid emotions on the issue, he despite everything tends to the Archibishop with exorbitant appearing modesty: â€Å"Spare me, More Reverend Father in Christ and Most Illustrious Prince, that I,

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Interpretation Of I Heard A Fl Essay Example For Students

Translation Of I Heard A Fl Essay Emily Dickinsons two sonnets, Because I Could Not Stop For Death and I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, rotate around one focal subject, demise. In spite of the fact that the two do incorporate around the topic of death the two of them have somewhat various messages or convictions about what is to come in the afterlife. By examining both of the sonnets and deciphering their implications, the peruser can increase a more full comprehension of the message Dickinson is attempting to send to her crowd and a more noteworthy feel for what may lie ahead in life following death. At the point when Dickinson writes in her first line, I heard a fly buzz when I kicked the bucket, it gets a handle on the perusers consideration by depicting the snapshot of her demise. In the wake of perusing the principal refrain the peruser can nearly hear or detect the sentiment of the fly humming in such a still and calm room. The differentiating hints of the boisterous fly and the quietness noticeable all around draw the peruser more profound into the sonnet. The picture made by this differentiation resembles the shading white on the shading dark. It stands apart colossally and gets the perusers attention. After the principal verse the peruser is in full information on the demise of the writer. The subsequent verse peruses, The eyes close to had wrung them dry, and breaths were assembling certain for that last beginning, when the ruler be seen in his capacity. This verse manages how God is brought upon by the speakers demise. Spectators encompass the dead body and appear to be searching for signs to what may in the long run anticipate them when it is their chance to pass onto another conceivable world. In verse three the speaker is getting ready for an excursion into a life following death that may lie ahead. Dickinson composes, I willed my tokens, transferred ownership of what part of me I could make assignable, and afterward there intervened a fly. After previously kicking the bucket the speaker feels that it is not, at this point an unquestionable requirement to have the assets that most living individuals consider vital and deserts them as her spirit comes nearer to its destiny. The speaker is preparing to make this progress to the following scene however then the fly returns and puts an end to this adjustment. The last verse of this sonnet incorporates the lines, With blue, questionable, bumbling buzz, between the light and me; and afterward the windows fizzled, and afterward I was unable to see to see. The word light in this refrain can be related with some superb presence or higher force that anticipates the speaker. The humming fly obstructs her view however of where she is going and the light that was once there is presently gone. Despite the fact that the sonnet manages what may anticipate the speaker in life following death the peruser is still left thinking about whether anything awaits them after death in light of the fact that the speaker doesn't arrive at an existence in the wake of death in the sonnet. Dickinsons sonnet Because I Could Not Stop For Death calmly depicts how the speaker is accompanied by Death in his carriage. Demise brings the speaker gradually and calmly through time. Ironicly Dickinson composes of Deaths consideration and graciousness during a period that is generally connected with outrage and misery. The sonnet has a specific quiet and serene inclination to it that makes the peruser consider demise in an unexpected manner in comparison to one normally would. Passing is typically connected with considerations of viciousness and anger not with a quiet ride in a carriage. In verse two Dickinson composes, We gradually drove, he knew no scurry, and I had taken care of my work, and my recreation as well, for his politeness. The speaker regards Death all through the excursion and for the way that he isn't hustling to show up at their goal. It appears as though the idea of time is lost during the sonnet. This is noteworthy on the grounds that it shows that when one passes on the idea of time is lost. .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a , .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a .postImageUrl , .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a .focused content zone { min-stature: 80px; position: relative; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a , .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a:hover , .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a:visited , .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a:active { border:0!important; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a { show: square; progress: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-change: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; mistiness: 1; change: murkiness 250ms; webkit-progress: darkness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a:active , .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a:hover { haziness: 1; progress: obscurity 250ms; webkit-progress: murkiness 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a .focused content territory { width: 100%; position: rela tive; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: striking; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content design: underline; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; text style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; outskirt sweep: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; text style weight: intense; line-tallness: 26px; moz-outskirt range: 3px; content adjust: focus; content adornment: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-tallness: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/basic arrow.png)no-rehash; position: total; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b88 3bf986c2d2603a .focused content { show: table; tallness: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .u9c5dab3eb0c1329b883bf986c2d2603a:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: Down Syndrome 3 Essay Stanza three states, We passed the school where kids played, their exercises barely done; we passed the fields of looking grain, we passed the setting sun. This verse, similar to the initial two refrains, has a solid rhyme to it that puts

Friday, August 21, 2020

Antigone A Deterministic Government Essay Example For Students

Antigone : A Deterministic Government Essay Philosophical discussions concerning determinism and libertarianism can be battled inside the domain of the account of Antigone, as composed by Sophocles. Inside the course of events of the legendary old city of Thebes, after the demise of Oedipus, the narrative of Antigone and her familys battle for force and pride happens. It tends to be contended that the standards of determinism have set the course of Antigones life just as that of Creon, and his child Haemon. I accept because of the express disappointment of an endeavor to change the set course of life inside the play, of Antigone as well as practically all characters, that determinism shows valid inside the setting of Antigone. Antigone, all through the whole play, endeavors to her fullest to reclaim her family name, and keep her own place inside the sovereignty of Thebes. However, with even the divine beings on her side, as it were, these endeavors are useless. As Antigone continues to end it all, after a hard battled battle, it appears as though she had followed the way she had been on since her creation and passageway into the play. Antigone is by all accounts a solid character all through the play, full of importance, loaded with power. She is resolved to change the course she had been determined to, yet it is to no utilization, she falls into the pre-decided finish of her life. Alongside Antigone, the life of Creon, the ruler of Thebes, is by all accounts on a way unchangeable. The unfortunate saint of this play, Creon is imperfect, and his qualities, however it appears to be none of which will change the course set for him the moment he ventures into the play. Creons activities, can be followed back to those of Oedipus and his family, and as indicated by the idea of determinists each activity a character or individual does makes a resulting response that can't be changed, making a set way of choices and activities to occur. Creon in the play, set by the activities of those before him, was resolved to oppose the divine beings, and settle on his choices which along these lines end the life of everybody except himself. Last of the foreordained characters of which I will talk is that of Haemon, the child of Creon, and the admirer of Antigone. His course, while the most rare, can be contended against the determinist thought. During the play Haemon is in favor of his dad, attempting to persuade him, attempting to support him, however subsequent to belligerence and the plot extending his course turns. He winds up biting the dust with the one he cherishes, Antigone. I accept his decisions were set in the past the subsequent he began to look all starry eyed at Antigone, which voids the libertarian thoughts with respect to Haemons life. I accept the determinist reasoning despite everything applies to Haemon as it does to different characters in the play. Ultimately, it is important to clarify how the play sets measures on what it genuinely intends to be human. As indicated by my translation of the play, I accept to be human it intends to live, have an independent perspective, and battle for what you put stock in. Mankind is about sentiment, and reason, as I would like to think, and that is the reason we should live and battle for what it is that all of us has faith in.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

A Clockwork Orange Film Experience Analysis - Literature Essay Samples

A Clock Work Orange is considered one of the greatest films made by critically acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick. Based on the 1962 book by Anthony Burgess, the film tells the tale of the disturbed psychopath Alex and his violent gang of thugs he calls the droogs. Alex and his gang engage in a series of violent assaults and rapes, which they call â€Å"ultra violence,† in a not so distant dystopic future. The turn of the film occurs when Alex is arrested by police for a particularly violent murder and is forced to undergo a process of forced rehabilitation. The absolute brilliance of Kubricks film is that he forces the audience to feel pity and empathy for the what would otherwise be a truly disgusting character as Alex is tortured and made to suffer. The film uses standard science-fiction conventions to investigate several interesting topics, including the nature of justice an free will. Stanley Kubricks 1971 masterpiece A Clock Work Orange is a brilliant cinematic masterpie ce due its ability to not only feel revulsion towards their own prejudices, but also for its ability to make the viewer empathize with a truly barbaric and disgusting character. A Clock Work Orange greatest effect is the sense of moral revulsion that it creates in its viewer. The film does a magnificent job of challenging the viewers cultural assumptions about morality by juxtaposing a brutal character like Alex with the torture that he endures after undergoing the Ludivico Technique. Within the first 20 minutes of the film Alex steals a car, cripples a man, rapes his wife, has sex with two underage girls, and finally murders a woman in cold blood. In every conceivable manner, Kubrick molds Alex as the despicable villain character type. He kills, steals, and rapes without regard to any human life other than his own. Even when he enters the prison system, he attempts to adopt religion to manipulate the Chaplain into giving him time off for good behavior. His only goal is to make it seem as if he has been reformed, that way be can be released and continue his sadistic campaign of â€Å"ultra-violence†. The audience is made to feel disgust for the charac ter by Kubrick, which slowly turns into a desire to see Alex receive his just deserts for his actions. Kubrick then turns the audiences disgust for the character against them when Alex is forced to undergo a torturous process that makes him unable to engage in either sex or violence. As Alex faces retribution for his previous evil actions in satiation of the audiences blood lust, something begins to change in the viewer. They begin to feel a sense of sympathy for the character. Alex is completely vulnerable in his conditioned state, unable to defend himself from the mercilessly vicious attacks perpetrated by those he had previously wronged. Alex is driven to such desperation that he even attempts to end his own life by jumping out of a window. The film forces the viewer to endure another bout of ultra-violence, but this time it is directed at Alex, and the viewer finds that it is not as fulfilling as they thought it would be. Thus the viewer is faced with two ethical dilemmas. The first being whether it is justified to make a human suffer due to the suffering they have caused others, and the second being whether if goodness that is not done by choice is truly goodness at all. The film does an excellent job of making the audience confront these two issues and answer the questions themselves. At the end the viewer is shown that if Alex is allowed to revert from his conditioned state, he will simply return to the violent and sadistic lifestyle that he engaged in before. This forces the audience to explore their feelings along two diametrically opposed extremes. Should an individual be free to make their own decisions even if those decisions are the wrong one? And is revenge truly justice? And this is the brilliance of the film, Kubrick forces the viewer to intellectually engage with the film by shocking their sense of right and wrong. For me this technique was highly effective. As the film began I found myself absolutely disgusted by Alex. I wanted the film to hurt him as much as he had hurt others, and the film was more than happy to satiate my blood lust. Yet as I watched the absolute brutality of how Alex was treated, I became disgusted by someone else, myself. I, like the angry mob in the film, had wanted to subject pain and suffering to another human being. I thought that it would be justice, but it served as little more than revenge. This is a highly powerful effect that I have never before seen used in a movie. The film turns your own prejudices against you, and this allows you to truly listen to what the film is trying to say to you about the nature of justice and free will The film also uses recurring motifs to expound and expand on its themes. One of the recurring motifs in the film is the use of Nadsat. Nadsat is a slang that is made up of a combination of Russian and Cockney English, Alex uses nadsat to describe the dystopic world and situations that he finds himself in. As the viewer is introduced to the strange lingo of the droogs, nadsat seems confusing and lacks meaning. It creates a sense of alienation between the viewer and the films characters, as the use of heavy lingo makes it difficult for the audience to relate. The words lack easily definable meaning. As the movie progresses the viewer is given a better look at the world of the droogs, a world of random chaos and violence, a place where bad things happen to good people for no particular reason at all. The senselessness of the nadsat language perfectly captures the nihilistic violence inherent in the film, Kubricks adaption of a Clockwork Orange is not only brilliant for its engaging philosophical themes and subject matter, but also for its technical and innovative use of camera angles and special effects. In one particular scene the movie shows from a first person point of view Alex jumping from a window. This unique effect was achieved by tying a camera to a box and dropping it from a three story window. In one of the films most famous scenes, there is a close-up of Alexs face as he is surrounded by his droogs. He is drinking milk as he unblinkingly stares at the camera. This scene is incredibly powerful, as it strongly implies Alexs malevolent ability to manipulate and control those around him for his own personal pleasure. The look in the characters eyes as he sips milk is truly chilling due to the strong juxtaposition between the milk and the violent droogs. Interesting use of camera angles such as these are what make A Clock Work Orange such a great film. Genre wise, A Clock Work Orange is mostly science-fiction. While science-fiction movies tend to involve futuristic or alien technologies, their main focus is to use these technologies to either challenge conventional thinking or to illustrate something about human nature. A Clock Work Orange uses the science-fictionesque Ludivico Technique as a convention to challenge the viewers conception of what is right and wrong. If such a device were to exist, would forcing an individual to commit good deeds make that person good? Is making a person be good against their will evil? The film doesnt answer these questions, instead forcing the audience to come to terms with the ethical implications of such technology. And thats exactly what a great science-fiction movie should do. In that regard A Clock Work Orange is very much like the movie Blade Runner, even though it lacks many of the heavy futuristic science-fiction elements. Blade Runner asks the question, what makes a human human? If a mach ine can feel, cry, and love, is it alive? The move is not about the technology per-se, but about the ethical and moral considerations brought up by the existence of such technology. Like Blade Runner, A Clock Work Orange does a terrific job of using science-fiction conventions to challenge the viewers assumptions about themselves and the world. Stanley Kubricks 1971 film A Clockwork Orange is one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces to ever be put to film. The film never insults the intelligence of its viewing audience, instead making their experience an integral part of the film. The character of Alex is used as a tool to force the viewer to confront their own ideas on freewill, justice, and revenge. Though Alex is shown as an unrepentant psychopath, the film asks, â€Å"Are the other characters justified in taking away his freewill? If free will is removed, than can any of Alexs actions truly be called good? Is it justice to inflict pain and suffering on an individual just because they have done the same to others?†Ã¢â‚¬  The film provides the viewer with no sure answer to any of these questions, instead trusting the viewer to be intelligent enough to grapple with these issues themselves. The film perfectly uses the conventions of the science-fiction genre to challenge the viewers conventional thinking on morali ty. Not only is the film philosophically engaging, but it is also technically interesting as well. Kubrick pioneered several unique technological methods to create interesting and engaging scenes. One of the most standout examples is Kubricks technique of throwing a camera in a box out of a three story building to capture the first person view of falling. The film is a considered one of the greats of cinema for good reason, it lives up to its potential as one of the greatest science-fiction movies of all time.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

The Anti-Free Speech Movement on Americas College...

The Anti-Free Speech Movement on Americas College Campuses The nations leftists, whether in academia or the news media tout themselves as advocates of free speech. Back in 1964, it was Mario Savio a campus leftist who led the Free Speech Movement at the Berkeley campus of the University of California, a movement that without question played a vital role in placing American universities center stage in the flow of political ideas no matter how controversial, unpatriotic and vulgar. From the Nazis to the Stalinists leftists have always supported free speech rights, at least initially. Why? Because speech is important for the realization of leftist goals of command and control. People must be propagandized, proselytized and†¦show more content†¦According to a Washington Post (11/21/02), Harvard Law School is considering a ban on offensive speech. Members of its Black Law Students Association has called for what they call a discriminatory harassment policy that would basically punish or at least give the administration some way to review harassing behavior. Harvards Committee on Healthy Diversity - made up of six faculty, six students and three law school staff members - will make its recommendations in the spring. It might be that Harvards black law students, like so many other students, have come to believe that they have a constitutional right not to be offended or have their feelings hurt. Universities that have been trying to quash free speech have encountered some court reversals of their attempts. But campus leftists have not given up. The newest university gambit to limit speech mirrors the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines concerning sexual harassment in the workplace, (creating a hostile environment) or they attempt to base their speech code on the fighting words doctrine enunciated by the Court in Chaplinsky v. New HampshireShow MoreRelatedThe Framers Of The Constitution Essay1797 Words   |  8 PagesThroughout the 20th Century, American colleges and universities gained the reputation of being bastions of free speech and the discussion of ideas. While universities in Europe became less and less free, cowering to political correctness, American universities fiercely debated every major issue that faced the country. Most importantly though, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, Atheists and Christians, all believed in the spread of ideas, and free expression. However, while our institutionsRead MoreBanning Speech Codes On Campuses1811 Words   |  8 Pagesviolence activists arose in college campuses the culprit being unregulated speech. Many campuses are forming regulations on speech codes on campuses, others choose to remain unregulated. The decision is not put at ease with the first and fourteen amendment conflicting between the citizens’ rights to freedom of expression, and the right for equal educational opportunities. Is there a middle ground that allows individuals continue their education in the sanction of a college campuses while not infringingRead MoreBanning Of A College Campus1845 Words   |  8 Pagesactivists arose in college campus the culprit being targeted is unregulated speech. Many campuses are forming regulations on speech codes, others choose to remain unregulated. The decision making process is not put at ease with the first and fourteen amendment conflicting between the citi zens’ rights to freedom of expression, and the right to equal educational opportunities. Is there a middle ground that allows individuals to continue their education in the sanction of a college campuses while not infringingRead More Offensive Speech Should be Allowed Essay2753 Words   |  12 PagesAmericans treasure the right to freedom of speech above all others. Yet, as we stand here in the birth of a new millennium, this right has become endangered. College campuses across the nation are embroiled in a heated debate over what, exactly, constitutes free speech. At the heart of the debate is the issue of hate speech, or speech that offends, threatens, or insults a person because of some trait such as gender or race (McMasters). Incidents of hate speech include an international student shoutingRead MoreEssay about 1968: A Year Of American Transformation1649 Words   |  7 Pagesthe United States and the eventual withdrawal of American troops. Additionally, the events su rrounding the Tet Offensive piloted American citizens to increased polarization. Attracting members from college campuses, middle-class suburbs, labor unions, and government institutions, the anti-war movement was swollen with aggrieved affiliates (Farber and Bailey 34-54). The observable pathos of the protesters delivered the distrust of a growing population to the White House doors; the budding doubt inRead MoreAmericas Uncivil Wars2837 Words   |  12 PagesLytle, Mark Hamilton. America’s Uncivil Wars, New York: Oxford University Press. 2006. America’s Uncivil Wars is a book written about the sixties era that captures that provides understanding of how and why events occurred during this period, as well as their historical roots from the time since the Second World War. The author, Mark Hamilton Lytle, used a chronological approach to explain the era by dividing the sixties into three separate phases. The first is the era of consensus, which startsRead MoreImpact Of Antiwar Protests Movements During The Vietnam War2657 Words   |  11 PagesDiscuss the nature and impact of antiwar protest movements in the United States during the Vietnam War. The antiwar protest movements that took place throughout the Vietnam War were one of the most divisive and tumultuous internal forces during twentieth century U.S. history. The divisive nature of the antiwar protest movements becomes multiplied, because instead of a social conflict where there are two dichotomised â€Å"camps†, (those who are pro-war and those who are antiwar,) we are instead presentedRead MoreHippies and the Revolution of a Culture3124 Words   |  13 PagesHippies and the Revolution of a Culture Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out was the motto of the hippie movement, a significant countercultural phenomenon in the 1960s and early 1970s that grew partially out of young Americas growing disillusionment with U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Hippies were mainly white teenagers and young adults who shared a hatred and distrust towards traditional middle-class values and authority. They rejected political and social orthodoxies but embraced aspects ofRead More Americans Attitude Change in the 60s Essay2240 Words   |  9 Pagesentire generation was born into one of the most prosperous times in American history. This new generation, which would come of age during the 1960’s, grew up with a different perspective for America. In such a prosperous time, more people went to college than ever before. People had more time and money to begin analyzing social issues with a greater sense of criticism. Following the victories of the U.S., Britain, French, and Russian troops, Europe quickly became re-divided. The war torn countryRead MoreAmericans Attitude Change in the 60s2293 Words   |  10 Pagesentire generation was born into one of the most prosperous times in American history. This new generation, which would come of age during the 1960s, grew up with a different perspective for America. In such a prosperous time, more people went to college than ever before. People had more time and money to begin analyzing social issues with a greater sense of criticism. Following the victories of the U.S., Britain, French, and Russian troops, Europe quickly became re-divided. The war torn country

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Theme Of The Tell Tale Heart - 782 Words

The Symbols of Guilt â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† the poet, Edgar Allan Poe, writes of several different themes. Some of them include time and human nature. However, the most prevalent themes remain as the themes of guilt and insanity. The poem revolves around a man that lives with an old man that has an eye that the narrator fears. He calls it the vulture eye. He believes that it is evil, so he plans to murder the old man. Edgar Allan Poe expresses the themes of insanity and guilt by using the symbols of the beating heart, the vulture eye, and the lantern throughout the poem. In the poem, the beating heart represents the narrator’s extreme guilt and remorse for the murdering of the old man. After the narrator murders†¦show more content†¦In the poem, the lantern represents the narrator’s defense against the old man and his evil eye, yet it proves that he has a mental incapability to see the insane murderer that he is. Because the narrator is in complete control of where the light shines, he feels more confident in himself and his plans of murdering the old man. The lantern also shows how he is not able to recognize that he is a mad man because the lantern only shows life as he wants to view it. The lantern expresses the narrator’s lack of insight and helps him to go through with the old man’s murder because he only sees the evil eye when he sees the old man. Throughout â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, Edgar Allan Poe, tries to convey the central themes of guilt and insanity to the audience. How the narrator tells the story proves the theory completely. He tells his audience how he plans to kill the old man, and he takes them with him every step of the way. While telling the readers how he murders the man, he also assures them that he is not mad or insane. However, the readers know that he is crazy because he kills a harmless old man, that he claims to love, solely because he fears his eyeball. He is trying to convince himself of this, as well as, trying to convince his audience. Though he proves to have a mental incapability, he still shows signs of morality and guilt. The beating heart demonstrates this human quality that he obtains. When the narrator uses the lantern in his plan, he shows signs ofShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Guilt In The Tell Tale Heart975 Words   |  4 Pagesso great that it not only brings that horrible feeling of th at what has been done is wrong, but also brings physical anguish to the person who has it. Such is the case with Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter, and Edgar Allen Poe in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† Hawthorne uses excruciating diction while Poe uses frantic diction, and Poe uses sporadic and stagnant syntax while Hawthorne uses enduring syntax, to contemplate both of characters guilt. Primarily, Hawthorne uses a use a diction in whichRead MoreTheme Of Grotesque In The Tell Tale Heart987 Words   |  4 Pages With such a copious amount of connections it is not difficult to imagine that some if not most Gothic characters act as though they are mad. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† by Edgar Allan Poe Gothic elements are used to convey the madness of the narrator to the reader. The grotesque and an unreliable narrator appear which shows that â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† can be considered within the Gothic genre. First of all, the narrators use of grotesque descriptions shows how truly mad he is. His infatuation withRead MoreAnalysis of Themes in the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe543 Words   |  2 PagesThere are themes in every piece of fictional literature ever written. A theme is the central idea of a story that is fictional. A theme can be everything from good verse evil to as simple as light and darkness. In any story there may be more than one theme in it. Some stories have numerous central ideas that can be seen in the one. Most people only focus on one while there may be five that are important to understand to understand the story. The Tell-Tale Heart like some has numerous themes that areRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe879 Words   |  4 PagesIn between guilt, paranoia and obsession The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe uses several literary elements to support the themes of the story. The story is based on a gruesome murder of an old man. The author uses ma dness, obsession and guilt as themes to prove how the narrator is truly twisted and insane. Madness is the first theme of the story; in the beginning the narrator tries to convince the audience he is not mad (insane). â€Å"TRUE!... nervous very, very nervous I had been and am; but whyRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart And The Premature Burial915 Words   |  4 PagesThe Tell-Tale Heart and The Premature Burial are two short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. The Tell-Tale Heart is about the narrator killing an old man. The Premature Burial is about a mans fear of being buried alive. The theme of the two works are closely related to fear and guilt. Poe’s stories have terrifying plots, solid themes and literary criticism. The Tell-Tale heart starts as An unknown narrator says he is nervous but not mad. Then he informs the reader that he will be telling a story aboutRead MoreThe Gothic Theme of Edgar Allen Poes Work1357 Words   |  6 Pagesgenre within Poe’s work such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Raven, arouse the pervasive nature of the dark side of individualism and the resulting encroachment of insanity. Gothic tales are dominated by fear and terror and explore the themes of death and decay. The Gothic crosses boundaries into the realm of the unknown, arousing extremes of emotion through the catalyst of disassociation and subversion of presence. Gothic literature utilises themes of the supernatural to create a broodingRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart And The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow1690 Words   |  7 PagesThe Themes â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow† One of Washington Irving’s short and most famous stories ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ has become a ghoulish characteristic yet an individual might still be unaccustomed with its idiocy (Hoffman, 425). Based on the real legend of Ichabod Crane, the story reveals how he disappeared. For that reason, the story revolves around the themes of wealth, appearances, truth, warfare, supernatural, gluttony and greed. On the other hand, TheRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allen Poe934 Words   |  4 Pagesmadman (39). In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, the themes are vital for readers to identify with the madman’s reasoning of every single action he executes. Such events as in the first sentence would be difficult, if not impossible, to grasp without the knowledge of any themes. While some individuals may feel that themes are merely add-on elements in similar tales, this analysis will establish quite the contrary. T he themes are crucial to the comprehension of this narrativeRead MoreRebecca- Tell Tale Heart Comparative Essay842 Words   |  4 PagesRebecca and the Tell Tale Heart Comparative Essay Alfred Hitchcock successfully incorporates Gothic conventions within the film Rebecca, based on Daphne De Maurier’s novel written in 1938.Likewise, Edgar Allan Poe’s ability to incorporate Gothic themes within his short story ‘The Tell Tale Heart’, published in 1843, has been a success. Although both their abilities to create Gothic Compositions has been successful, their techniques used to incorporate Gothic conventions within them are both similarRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart1538 Words   |  7 PagesPotentially Mad, Potentially Genius: Edgar Allan Poe’s Style â€Å"True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?† Poe wrote this line in his â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† and he very well could have been speaking about himself. Many generations have debated on whether or not Edgar Allen Poe was a mad. Reviewers and readers have looked at Poe’s work for nearly two centuries, trying to pick it apart and see if it’s the ramblings of a mad man or well pieced

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Rock N Roll free essay sample

American culture is defined by rock n roll music and race, sexuality and generational conflict was a major factor in culture definition. Rock and rolls complex relationship to race might best be illustrated by the ways black performers bleached their music in order to get heard by America. Altogether uses the term bleaching to describe how music was made white to be heard by white audiences and sold to white audiences. Bleaching included selling the rights to their music or by earning royalties from record sales to white performers (p 51).White artists would make changes to black musicians music and make it into number 1 hits. An example, of this is Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton who first recorded Hound Dog (p 52). According to Altogether, Elvis Presley made some changes to the tempo and lyrics and his version made it to number 1 on the country and charts (pop). Often independent labels would take black artists songs and put white pop singers on the covers or have them sing the songs. The first set of graphs to be drawn show concentration against time,   and were used to calculate half-lives for the various reactions   (Graphs 1 and 2). The second set of graphs drawn were identical to the   first set, but rather than calculating half-lives, they were used to   find the gradient at five points along each graph (Graphs 2 and 5). Calculating the gradient at these points gave the rate of the reaction   at five different concentrations. From this a final set of graphs were   drawn showing the rate of reaction against concentration (Graphs 3 and   6). After studying the results gained, and drawing these graphs, it was   found that out of all of the results recorded, all were included in   the final graphs and used to draw conclusions from. There were no   significantly anomalous results recorded, as all of them seemed to   follow the same pattern when plotted on the graphs. I felt that there   was no reason to ignore or discard any of these results. For H2O2, Graph 1shows that the half-life increases very gradually,   which initially might suggest that the reaction is second order with   respect to H2O2. However, this increase is very gradual, and when   Graph 3 is studied, it is clear that the rate of the reaction is   directly proportional to the concentration. After studying Graph 1   carefully and checking its accuracy alongside the actual results, I   have decided that because the increase in the half-lives is only   gradual and Graph 3 clearly shows that the rate is proportional to the   concentration, this reaction is first order with respect to H2O2. Graph 1 holds a number of possible areas where errors may occur and   this could explain why the half-life is not constant. The actual   process of drawing the graphs provides a number of sources for error. Drawing an accurate curve freehand is quite difficult requiring a   steady and smooth action, and although this skill can be improved with   practise, it still provides sources of error. Also, the calculating of   the half-lives requires further drawing using a ruler that is only   accurate to the nearest millimetre. Therefore, after studying the results gained from the experiments,   using chemical knowledge, and considering where any errors could have   occurred in this analysis, it can be deduced the order of the reaction   with respect to H2O2 is first order. For KI, the results shown in the graphs 4, 5, and 6 show a similar   problem as found with H2O2, Graph 4 shows a gradually increasing   half-life, and Graph 6 shows clearly that the rate is proportional to   the concentration of KI. Therefore, for the same reasons as already   stated above for the reactions concerning H2O2, I deduce that the   order of the reaction with respect to KI is also first order. It is now possible to express these results in the form of a rate   equation, this will show the order of the reaction with respect to the   individual reactants, but will also allow us to determine the overall   order of the reaction.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Lack of Quality Management during Hurricane Katrina

Introduction Given the devastating outcomes that may accompany calamities associated with storms, it is dangerous to downplay the importance of monitoring, evaluation, and  quality  control which are very critical  to ensuring the success of any rescue efforts. Many times, however, organizations tend to forget the aspect of quality management in the planning and sadly, this leads to unpreparedness when the disasters strike (Leitmann, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Lack of Quality Management during Hurricane Katrina specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A regular update of the disaster preparedness and emergency management will ensure that response teams are able to deliver as expected when the time comes. According to Haddow, Bullock and Coppola (2008), the natural disasters always prompt stakeholders to recreate their response plan and devise new ways of responding to disasters. The challenges faced during Hurricane Katrina clearly pointed out that better response mechanisms must be developed and followed fully (Brooks Darling, 1993). Apparently, the need for disaster preparedness has continued to grow as the organizations realize that being caught unaware is quite devastating (Tierney, Lindell Perry, 2001). This paper looks at how a lack of quality management interfered with the response mission during Hurricane Katrina. A number of issues that led to poor response have been examined and recommendations have been made for better and organized response in the future. Research Questions The questions to be answered by this research include: How prepared was the response team before the storm happened? What support mechanisms were put in place to help the response team to achieve its objectives? How effective were partnership created during the response? Description of Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina is one of the strongest storms to ever be experienced in the histo ry of the United States. Among the cities affected, there are New Orleans, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi (FOIA, 2006). According to Goldman and Coussens (2007), almost 90,000 square miles suffered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. In Louisiana State, for example, nearly 1.7 million people suffered the devastating effects of the storm and required to be evacuated. The rescue task was a daunting one and had to involve people being moved from the affected and heavily populated regions to safe locations both within the affected state as well as to other states around the country. Even though efforts were made and about 1.5 million people were evacuated from Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina happened, close to 200,000 individuals who remained behind were severely affected by the storm. Some of these people failed to evacuate because of lack of resources while others simply made a choice to stay behind rather than move to safe places.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Before and after the storm, shelters and emergency rooms were prepared to cater for special needs of those affected. Although the state managed to evacuate almost 12,000 caregivers and their patients, the process was generally slow as the strategies employed were not very effective (Goldman Coussens, 2007). In certain cases patients had to be evacuated at most two at a time, using a boat. Shah (2005) describes Hurricane Katrina as the most expensive tragedy that has ever been experienced by the global insurance industry (Shah, 2005). The disaster caused by Hurricane  Katrina is a very clear indicator of how important it is to make sure that proper recovery mechanisms are put in place. Failures in the Emergency Response Despite numerous evacuation pleas, more than 100,000 people were stranded in flooded regions of the city, and as pointed out earlier, some people were unable to leave while some chose not to evacuate. Some evacuation plans used by the responders, such as providing buses, totally failed. The failure experienced caught officials and the emergency response team completely off guard and this was further worsened by the fact that the police, medical, and other means of assistance were inadequate to cope with the scale of the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina. Although the rescue efforts went on for over several days, those left in New Orleans suffered increasing deprivation and lack of facilities. Rescue efforts were later reinforced by issuing a compulsory evacuation order that involved an airlift and major logistical resources. The rescue troops went house to house so as to guarantee a complete evacuation. Much of the media attention was focused towards the lengthy time taken for emergency response and this ultimately led to the resignation of the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). While a number of factors were hig hlighted as being strengths, there were several issues that worked against the ability to provide an orchestrated and efficient response to the disaster. Evidence showed that mission objectives were not established in response to Hurricane Katrina and some organizations lacked an incident action plan leading to confusion about the mission objectives among responders originating from different organizations.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Lack of Quality Management during Hurricane Katrina specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is assumed that an emphasis on pre deployment planning in various areas, including the deployment of personnel and coordination with external agencies would have proven quite beneficial during the rescue mission (Goldman Coussens, 2007). Apparently, there were also changes that happened in the organizational structure after the response started and these complicated the response op eration even further. It impacted lines of authority, reporting, communicating channels, information exchange, and adherence to standard operating procedures. Depending on the area of focus, standard operating procedures did not exist, were in draft form, or were in a conflict with other organization’s standard operating procedures. Another major challenge was the ability to staff and deploy teams effectively as well resource tracking. As a part of the preparation process, a clear definition of the roles assigned to all staff is a critical requirement and must be done fully (Goldman Coussens, 2007). A lack of a clear communication protocol also made it difficult for stakeholders to get in touch with the rescue team. Some people felt that better results could be realized by taking an inclusive approach that brings together all the key people who are seen to play a very critical role in the rescue mission. There is also a need for greater awareness of the basic knowledge regar ding emergency response operations among staff. Key Findings and Recommendations The following sub sections show the issues pointed out and recommendations on how to effectively address them. The tables contain the factors that led to poor results and later corrective actions are listed. Issue 1: Mission Objectives and Deployment Assignments Contributing Factors Poor definition and communication of mission objectives Clear objectives were not established for effectively responding to Hurricane Katrina. This led to confusion among the responders. Responders simply defaulted to what was seen as the best course of action and no formal action plan was followed. The lack of a clear and publicized action plan greatly affects management’s ability to lead in the most efficient and effective way. Mission clarity can be ensured by having in place an incident action plan. Staff deployment assignment were made without following the established Action Request Form (ARF) and Mission Assignment (MA) process Deployment of personnel before the Action Request Form was completed also led to problems. Other personnel were also not deployed according to a specific Mission Assignment. In severe cases, some deployed staff had to be sent home simply because they were not responding effectively to the needs of the states where they had been deployed. The use of the ARF or MA should be made mandatory for all rescue operations if better results are to be realized. The need to clearly define the role of the Emergency Management Assistant Compact (EMAC) The use of the Emergency Management Assistant Compact is very instrumental in changing the types of requests for help that the rescue team receives from the states as well as how states interact to provide mutual aid. States using EMAC can request and receive direct assistance from the states without having to contact the rescue team. During the rescue mission, EMAC representatives claimed that they were not made aware of t he resources and services provided by the rescue team. It is important to ensure that EMAC representatives are well aware of the resources and services provided by the rescue team. Better coordination between the rescue team and the Public Health Service Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD) was required. Both the rescue team and the Public Health Service Office of Force Readiness and Deployment were selecting staff for deployment from the same pool of Public Health Service Officers. It was reported that in some cases, medical officers deployed through OFRD were filling non-clinical roles while they could have been deployed by the rescue team to provide public health support. Corrective Action Plan The corrective action plan for the above concerns includes:Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Standardizing the incident action plan process and implementing it during all responses. Ensure that all key personnel in the division of emergency operations are familiar with the incident action plan process to enable them to support agency leadership during an event. Ensure a smooth coordination between the OFRD and the rescue team to determine priority needs and availability of public health service personnel during a response so that a balance is maintained between clinical needs and public health requirements. Work with stakeholders to determine the changes that should be made to ARF and MA processes so as to accelerate response support. Have a central body that brings the efforts of all the rescue organizations together so as to perform consolidated rescue operations. Issue 2: Organizational Structure and Incident Command System Contributing Factors The change to the incident command system organizational structure during the incident led to confusion and response inef ficiencies The incident command system organizational structure within the Director’s Emergency Operations Center (DEOC) changed a few days after the response started. This impacted the lines of authority, reporting, communication channels, and information exchange. Changes made were not incompliance with the existing operational procedures. Individuals involved in the response were confused as to their mission and tasks as the organizational structure changed. The change in the incident command system led to a breakdown in communication with the DEOC and among the field teams contributing to the deployed personnel either reverting to previously known patterns for communications and the mass dissemination of information to individuals. This greatly affected the speed at which decisions could be made. There was a lack of awareness of the incident command structure (ICS) and emergency response processes Staff reported a lack of awareness of the overall ICS structure and the n ational response plan (NRP) as well as emergency response processes. This led to the rescue team being unaware of the existing emergency response standard operating procedures, chain of command, information flow and the organization structure while in response mode. Detailed standards of operating procedures (SOPs) should be developed and disseminated to all individuals identified as potential emergency responders SOPs were found to be in various states of availability: non existent, not complete, in draft form, complete but not current or in conflict with similar SOPs. Reviews showed that SOPs did not provide procedural guidance for DEOC or deployment teams. Some individuals were simply not aware that SOPs existed. Furthermore, new teams that were formed did not have SOPs for procedural guidance. Since some SOPs were either outdated or in draft form, they were not executed. Individuals who were unfamiliar with prior response operations were not given the operating procedures or b riefed on the overall emergency response process. The Role of Senior Management Official (SMO) needs to be clearly defined and articulated The senior management official works directly with state health commissioners, local health authorities, and others to implement the portfolio management project within each state. The role of the SMO in an emergency situation is very critical and must therefore be clearly articulated in the rescue plan. The SMO needs to be tightly integrated with the incident management structure. DEOC needs to improve its capacity to rapidly and accurately and accurately identify personnel for deployments and to track personnel deployed to the field The current resource tracking system (RTS) does not provide detailed information that is required by the deployment team. Personnel would often be deployed to fill roles that were completely outside their area of expertise. Manual spreadsheets were used to track deployed staff and reconciling these were time con suming. Be establishing a centralized and detailed resource tracking tool that lists all deployable personnel, their updated qualifications, and contact information, the availability of deployment personnel can be more effectively managed. The system should also provide functionality to track deployed personnel. Conditions leading to the change in alert status from response to recovery were not clearly understood There were no clearly defined activities or events that determined when the DEOC moved from response to recovery alert status. In addition, current SOPs do not address the recovery phase of a response. In the final stages of the Katrina response, responders reported that CDC’s level of involvement was not clearly communicated to personnel and as a result, deployed individuals felt that focus was diverted from the response and they did not feel that they received full mission support. Responder resilience was a concern Resilience is a continuous process and needs to be addressed before, during and after a response. Changes in incident management command structure are needed to enable full situational awareness, feedback and guidance in matters pertaining to agency response and resilience. There were also concerns for better screening of deployable staff to ensure that only those suitable for disaster work were deployed. There was also a need for the agency to more consistently recognize the contributions of employees at whatever level after response operations. Corrective Action Plan The corrective action plan for the above concerns identified above includes; Make every effort to finalize CDC SOPs for emergence response. SOPs should offer procedural guidance for all individual teams involved in an emergency response. It is also important to ensure that SOPs are in some way, linked to operational procedures of cooperating partners. It is also necessary to develop SOP addressing contingency planning for emerging secondary or tertiary event s which should be well integrated within the CDC drills and exercises. Create a clear role of the SMO in emergency preparedness and response activities. Identify organizational processes for response coordination in those states that do not have an assigned SMO. Develop a criterion to determine activation and deactivation of the DEOC and at what point response coordination is handed over to the lead CIO for recovery activities. Issue 3: Information Flow and Management Contributing Factors The internal information flow and management processes were not clearly defined and daily task lists and supporting action items were not effectively managed Individuals involved in the response were unable to clearly define to whom or how information should be transferred internally (Pavignan, 2006). Document clearance and version control became difficult because there were no specifications for the process within the SOPs. This deficiency resulted in mass emailing, incomplete communication loops, and loss of information. It was generally difficult for members of the response team to know which tasks were being actively pursued, by whom, and when these tasks had been completed. Preparing briefings for CDC leadership diverted time and resources from critical response activities The opinion of the respondents was that so much time was devoted to developing reports in order to brief senior officials about the progress (Logue, 1996). Activities in the DEOC appeared to be driven by daily briefing schedule. A process for information and data sharing to internal and external partners should be established There was some confusion regarding what information could be shared with partners and this destabilized the response operations to some degree. Communication with the field needs to be addressed Personnel in the field experienced difficulty communication with voice, email and data transmission among themselves, with local and state officials and with the DEOC. Partne rships with the private sector need to be strengthened The private sector which includes non-governmental organizations, faith based organizations, as well as profit or not for profit organizations play a very critical role in disaster response (Maiden, Paul Thompson, 2007). . Improving the collaboration with these organizations will strengthen response operations and better results will be realized from the collaborative efforts (Morgan, Ahern Cairncross, 2005). . Corrective Action Plan The corrective action plan for the above concerns identified above includes but is in no way limited to; Update information flow procedures to include information flow plan for DEOC teams, field teams, and external partners. Update and utilize standard data collection forms Ensure the availability of a clear and consistent communication plan that incorporates all existing communications Establish an accelerated clearance flow for emergency information and documents needed during an emergency e vent Use standardized report forms to address briefings Ensure that information shared with anyone, internally or externally, is consistent between the programs and DEOC Establish, maintain and enhance linkages with the private sector Issue 4: Public Health Practice Issues Contributing Factor Displaced populations had chronic medical conditions As the response team carried on with its operations, there did not seem to be an equivalent government effort focused on providing health care services, meeting medical needs and access to care by vulnerable populations (O’Leary, 2004). The established shelters lacked the necessary medicine for dealing with chronic and this was a real health hazard. Proper coordination will ensure the right treatment for vulnerable populations. Corrective Action Plan The corrective action plan for the above concerns identified above includes; Develop standardized assessment tools and recommendations for shelters, their staff and residents Ide ntify methods to track shelter locations Establish a workgroup to address chronic and communicable diseases that require routine therapy care for displaced populations Issue 5: Training and Exercises Contributing Factors Evaluate exercise needs and participation Respondents felt that it is necessary to regularly conduct emergency response readiness exercises with the government, state and local partners as well as other public and private partner organizations. As exercises are planned and conducted, evaluation procedures and corrective action planning should be included within the overall planning process. Evaluate training needs It is important to conduct regularly scheduled emergency response readiness training with all appropriate parties. Functional roles in the response plan should be identified and personnel that could be called upon to fill such roles should be trained accordingly. Corrective Action Plan The corrective action plan for the above concerns identified above includes; Conduct training on ARF and MA processes so as to facilitate request for help Offer extensive training to all those in leadership roles within the response teams Develop and deliver a mandatory training course for all personnel to ensure that they are all well equipped for emergency response role during an event Identify functional roles required in a response and offer a thorough training for personnel to fill the roles Conclusion According to Leitmann (2007), it is generally agreed that three elements exist for effective disaster prevention and preparedness. There needs to be an accurate analysis of hazards and vulnerable populations, responders must formulate disaster preparedness and response plans and lastly, being able to communicate prevention and preparedness to the public and key decision makers. As has been discussed in this paper, it is important to put in place a clear plan that can be followed to respond to emergencies and when the disaster strikes, t his plan must be implemented fully. Many times, rescue missions fail because the responders decided to follow their own ways of dealing with the calamity rather strictly adhering to the set procedures. Where responders from different organizations are involved in the response, it is important to ensure that they all read from the same script. Given that all sorts of disasters will continue to be experienced, recommendations made in this paper are quite relevant and should be adhered to by response teams. References Brooks, C.   Darling, P. W. (1993). Disaster Preparedness. Boston, MA: Association of Research Libr. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). (2006). Hurricane Katrina after Action Review. Atlanta, GA: Freedom of Information Act. Web. Goldman, L. Coussens, C. (2007). Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters: Hurricane Katrina. Washington, D.C: The National Academies Press. Web. Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A. Coppola, D. P. (2008). Introduction to Emergency Management . Burlington, MA: Elsevier, Inc. Leitmann, J. (2007). Cities and Calamities: Learning from Post-Disaster Response in Indonesia. Journal of Urban Health, Volume 84, Supplement 1,  144-153. Logue, J. (1996). Disasters, the Environment and Public Health: Improving Our Response. Am. J. Public Health, 86(9):1207–1210. Maiden, P., Paul, R. Thompson, C. (2007). Workplace Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Management. London, UK: Routledge. Morgan O., Ahern M. Cairncross S. (2005). Revisiting the Tsunami: Health Consequences of Flooding. PLoS Med, 2(6):491–493. O’Leary, M. R. (2004). Measuring Disaster Preparedness. USA: iUniverse. Pavignan, E. (2006). Formulating Strategies for the Recovery of a Disrupted Health Sector. Geneva: WHO. Shah, H. (2005). Hurricane Katrina: Profile of a Super Cat – Lessons and Implications for Catastrophe Risk Management. Newark, C A: Risk Management Solutions. Web. Tierney, K. J.,  Lindell, M. K.   Perry, R. W. (2001). Faci ng the Unexpected: Disaster Preparedness and Response in the United States. Boston, MA: Joseph Henry Press. This research paper on Lack of Quality Management during Hurricane Katrina was written and submitted by user Dane Mcdowell to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Goals Essays - Motivation, Human Behavior, Action Philosophy, Goal

Goals Essays - Motivation, Human Behavior, Action Philosophy, Goal Goals A goal is an achievement you want to accomplish. Many people have goals for certain reasons. There are many different kinds of goals such as short-term and long-term. Having goals are very important to some people because it gives them a sense of self-confidence. Many people have goals for certain reasons. They use these goals in every day situations such as school issues, jobs, sports and relationships. An example of using a goal according to sports would be making the All Star team. People use goals for relationships such as family and friends. An example of this kind of goal would be to try to be the best source of help you can possibly be. An example of using a goal for your job would to be to get a higher salary and one for school would to be to get your work handed in on time. There are many different kinds of goals. You might have short-term goals and long-term goals. A short-term goal is a goal you may want to achieve in a short amount of time. A long-term goal is a goal that you expect to achieve in your future. An example of a short-term goal is that you may want to get an A on an essay. An example of a long-term goal would be to become a doctor. You may ask yourself why are goals important? They are relevant for many reasons. Goals bestow confidence and make people feel in control. They help people work harder since they know what they want. In conclusion, goals are important in life. There are many different kinds of goals and people use them for many purposes. People should set goals as many times as they can to get-ahead in life.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

English class work two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

English class work two - Essay Example For example, low levels of Vitamin D cause rickets in children. The main issue being addressed in the United Kingdom is the deficiency of Vitamin D in a large number of its population. The best source of Vitamin D is sunlight and found in a small number of foods. Unfortunately, there are certain factors that have led to the huge deficiency of Vitamin D in a huge number of the population. During the winter months, there is very low or almost no sunlight and this inhibit the use of Vitamin D from sunlight. Hence, this causes many people to stay indoors and heavily cloth themselves, increasing the chances of Vitamin D deficiency. The consequences of this are very evident in the UK, many infants suffer from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and fractures in susceptible children. A pathologist, Dr. Irene Scheimberg based at Royal London Hospital discovered vitamin D deficiency in 8 further cases of SIDS and 30 other cases of children who died. In Scotland, there were many cases of multiple sclerosis, which is caused by this deficiency. These alarming statistics prompted the creation of 208 million pound vitamin supplement market. A multivitamin supplement is a preparation intended to be a dietary supplement with vitamins, dietary minerals and other nutritional elements. The UK government has a role to play in the regulation of this vitamin supplement market. As much as vitamin supplements are necessary, the UK government should ensure that the firms producing them meet high standards of human consumption. Multivitamin supplements need to also be researched before being dispensed to the public to prevent health hazards to certain groups of people, for example pregnant women. However, research shows that the best and safest sources of vitamins are from certain foods and having a balanced diet. One long-term project the UK government should undertake is to set structure to educate the people on

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Obesity Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Obesity - Dissertation Example Obesity is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as a condition of increased body weight that is caused by an excessive accumulation of fat. Obesity has also been termed the new â€Å"epidemic† in both adults and children. In 1998 the World Health Organization (WHO) designated obesity as a global epidemic (Anrig, 2003). Healthcare professionals can measure the percent of body fat in children by using Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is calculated from a person’s height and weight and provides a reasonable indicator of body fatness and weight categories that may lead to health problems. Establishing healthy habits in youth can help prevent many health problems later on in life which will drastically reduce the costs of healthcare. For this reason many public health professionals are interested in working with school systems to reach children in school settings. If we look back over the past 50 years we can see dramatic changes in the way children play, eat meals, and soc ialize. Today lifestyles are busier but less active. (See table 1 in appendix A). Since 1950, the amount of nutritional information available to the public has roughly doubled every seven years. In the years between 1950 and 2000, â€Å"obesity rose by 214% until today, where 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese† (Weiss, n.d.). Even though technology has taken away the need for most physical activity, there must be steps taken to provide cost effective solutions and provide a healthier lifestyle for children that will lead to healthy adults. The good news is that schools nationwide are becoming aware of this epidemic and are working with health professionals by taking steps to provide a healthy lifestyle for children. Schools can play an important role in improving the health of children and the adults they will become. Children generally attend school 5 days a week throughout the calendar year. During childhood and adolescent years habits develop that determine physical activity and eating habits. These health habits will determine the development of such diseases as cardiovascular, cancer and diabetes which are now major causes of premature death and disabilities in the United States and the Western World. Public Health professionals are very interested in funding school based programs that can provide a foundation for lifelong healthy behaviors and greatly reduce the burden of these preventable health conditions for both individuals and society as a whole. There is largely an unmet need for effective school-based programs that promote healthy behaviors. It has not been an easy task engaging these partnerships for many reasons, one being funding. With the embracing of these school based programs by public health professionals, it is imperative that these programs be rigorously evaluated to show effectiveness. To be considered effective these programs must undergo systematic measurement and an alysis using solid research methods and study designs. The Center for Disease Control’

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Suburbs and the use of space Essay Example for Free

Suburbs and the use of space Essay A suburb is a residential place or a district that is situated a round a city, a central business district or a town (Kruse Sugrue, 2006). Also the suburbs can be defined as the communities that live around the cities and town centers with time the urban centers and cities have been experiencing rapid growth and this has led to development of new modern residential places around the cities and towns. The suburbs offer a bigger space for living at a lower cost than it would be in towns. The availability of residential space at a lower cost makes many people opt go live in the suburbs (Newman, 1991). In regard to this the suburbs have been found to accommodate a higher population of the people unlike the neighboring cities and town centers. Suburbs are seen to spread over a large geographical area than any other living environments. A good transport system and infrastructure and the clean environment makes people to avoid living in the city centers so that they can avoid the untidy conditions and the high density (Jahn Frances, 2006). Living in a suburb offers the resident with the freedom and independence as people are able to decide for themselves what rules to govern them and how to live. The people in suburbs are able to even come up with bodies that govern their welfare. These bodies include those that deal with matters concerning the housing among other things (Head and Pat, 2007). Suburbs have become popular because the research shows that most people in a given suburb come from the same ethnic group or same community. This makes people feel more secure as they will always have a common way of life (GarciÃŒ a, 2003). The suburbs developed due to the development of transport system. Good transport system and infrastructure is one of the key factors that leads to development and establishment of the subur bs around the cities and towns. The evolution of transport technology for the ancient time where animal were used an a means of transport up to today where we have better automobiles such as busses ,cars ,ships and even airplanes which offer the people with the fast and convenient way of transport.(Kruse and Sugrue, 2006). Transportation in urban center and cities defined the size of the geographical area where people worked from. The growth of urban centers for the ancient time has directly influenced the development of the suburbs. In New York the establishment of the Levittown after the First World War in 1944 was the first suburbs in United States. The development of the Levittown was due to high number of people and this caused the shortage of houses. Due to high demand of housing facilities Gl bill in 1944 gave people money to start building houses for the soldiers who were returning form the war. It was at this time where a man named William Levitt decided to buy thousands of acres of land outside cities such Philadelphia and New York. He then constructed houses and living areas which were fully fabricated. Later in 1946 the first Levittown community was started in a town known as Hempstead. The firm owned by the Levitt sons funded this town by providing a lot of housing facilities. On top they offered and rented the homes at an affordable and low cost. The homes in this town had a lot of shopping centers, the playground for the families and even swimming pools. This developed to a bigger suburb. Suburbs have led to the sustainability of the towns. The high demand for good housing at an affordable cost has geared the and promoted the establishment of businesses that offer this services most entrepreneur take this chance to invest in housing industries among other ventures. Due to this the construction of better houses and homes has taken place. This leads to overall development in the suburbs. Through this the cities and town are gain the capability to hold the high population of the people around. This is one of the facts that we can say that through the suburbs the cities sustainable in terms of holding the population living there without constrains. The transport and infrastructure have been developed to meet the high demand of the people living in the suburbs. The automobiles have played a very crucial role in the transport system (Newman, 1991). The easiness of the movement of people to the places of work and other places is one of the reasons the suburbs are sustainable. In suburbs also one can easily transport his goods in and out due to better road and transport system. The issue of security also makes the suburbs to be termed as the most sustainable places. This is due to the fact that most suburbs are occupied by the communities of the same ethnic groups and the people living there have a common factor that unites those (Mees, 2010). The good measures taken in maintaining the clean environment in the suburbs makes them more sustainable. Policies that regulate environment have been used .for instance proper mechanisms to regulate the greenhouse gases and maintaining general cleanliness of the suburbs. Another factor that m akes most suburbs more sustainable is the good health systems. The quick access to medical care and heath surfaces is usually available. Good medication ensures that people are prevented from the dangerous diseases. Education of the public for proper health activities and protective measures vacillates this (Bridgman et al., 1995). On the other hand some suburbs can be seen as the limiting factor toward the country achieving sustainability. For instance some suburbs may suffer economic problems due to increased number of unemployed people in the society. This lead to poor living standards due to lack of sufficient funds to sustain the living requirement of the people. The architectural view of space is quite different to other peoples’ perception and understanding about the space. In architecture the great concern when we talk about the space is how the design of a house should be. Considering the environmental factors and social-cultural factors is put in place by most architects in viewing the space of a building. In design space is used in programming that is architects conduct the space survey and planning. This is a very important task in architectural planning (Newman, 1999). The architects also collect data and information from the clients and decides on the proper space allocation standards to be used (Jahn and Frances, 2006). In the house the family space is necessary. These are rooms in a house that are used by the family members this includes the bed rooms and kitchen. During the design the architect must include this space (Newman, 1991). The suburban houses are usually big than those in the city or the central business district s. This house are characterized with a large size which include a garden in them. However it is important to note that space is an important aspect in every design. Space utilization and management need to be observed in order to ensure that there is maximum utilization of space without wastage. Space in homes inside the suburbs is managed in various ways. So many people around the cities reside in suburbs so we find that the suburbs become densely populated. To accommodate the large population the house are designed in apartments therefore saving on space (Head and Pat, 2007). The suburbs also develop gardens cities to ensure that the space is profitably used. The gardens cities offer quality and sustainable places. The new garden cities are the places where one can get facilities that provide good transport low air pollution due to carbon energy, leisure and cultural services and also the green infrastructure and network. All this facilities are available at place near the homes. With time the space of the house in Australia has evolved and changed abundantly. Most houses in the Australian suburbs were consisted of a three bedroom, a bathroom and separate living area. This has transformed so much where you find the modern houses have extra rooms such a kitchen, walk-in wardrobes among others. This is due to the increased sizes of new residential building and houses. The use of space in the houses in Australia has been of great concern. The floor space of a house, is designed in respect to the amount of space available. When a lot of space is available the floor space may include a walking path in the house. However when there is limited space such a design cannot be implemented (Bamford, 2009). The space inside the house can be used for several purposes. In a story building some space can be used for stairs and even the lift to take people from one floor to the other. In broad spectrum, questions about the realism of space in the fields the fields of engineering, physicality and architecture have been raised since time immemorial. Essentially, this happens because the human diversity is basically surrounded by space and matter in all spheres (Brayn, 2004). As a matter of fact, space in architectural terms is a flexible and ubiquitous aspect that creates the flow of architectural activities that include the designs and the real structuring. In housing, space is defined by different phenomena that range from walls, column as well as windows among many other features which conceive space. It is worth noting that space in the built environment language refers to what cannot be seen. In other words, space refers to the neutral and the subjective part of the built environment and is what human beings conceive in the event when spaces are created for specific purposes. For instance, a staircase is a good example of the most used space in the built enviro nment as it is commonly used for moving up and down in storey buildings (Bamford, 2007).Since this research paper focuses on the architectural space, it is worth noting that only thorough use and not design that space becomes architectural space not only in how the space is used but how the structures are designed. In practical terms, space in the built environment is most not given the required concern in most of the architectural designs hence posing the greatest problem of how some pieces of designs in the architectural field are viewed as artistic while others are viewed as social objects (Head and Pat, 2007). The greatest aspect that leads to such an issue with respect to space in the built environment is the connection between people and the realism of the desired architectural space as well as the relations of space themselves. To create reliable spaces in regards to structures in the environment, individuals should focus on majoring on the intuitional aspects of space by focusing on the natural strategies as well as respecting the cultural and environmental factors. Most importantly, human beings tend to divide most of their time into sections as well as dividing space into locations an endeavor that separates activities in similar architectural spheres into physical diversities in the similar environment. The locations created after dividing space in the built environment are what human beings use as a means of spontaneously allocating the necessary space for a particular activity thus easing the daily human life (Brayn, 2004). In architecture, structural designers should work towards designing the most sustainable built environment through allocating each space activity as a means of differentiating space into many pieces thus making the final product fit for human use. In this way, it is therefore significant to acknowledge the importance of space with respect to the benefits that result from architectural and planning space in the housing units, neighborhoods as well as in the suburbs in general. When this is acknowledged the critical role played by architectural space in all built environment dimensions will be cognizable to all. Structural designs in the suburbs are essential in that they create a bio directional dialogue in any design off architecture in recognition of location of the particular space, the desired movements, the utility created as well as the incorporated symbols. This allows for proper planning and design of suburbs within the context of providing the best architectural plans for the benefits of the targeted population (Hayden, 2004). In the case of the Australian suburbs, the general economic, cultural and social significance of the suburb built environment in the space perspective. Irrespective of the radical changes of the suburb life over the last few years, little changes have been realized in the structuring of the space in suburbs by the professionals in the field of planning and architecture. As a matter of fact, the role of the public spaces in the suburbs has been ignored (Ellegood et al., 2002). If these professionals can be briefed of the importance of the inclusion of the most important dimensions of social open spaces in suburbs environment as well as considering spatial architectural characteristics. According to Bently (1993), spaces in suburb gardens acts as a potential center of the entire community life as well as serving a sustainability maintenance role in its own. In addition, the spatial planning for the suburb spaces is a critical aspect as it brings people together by encouraging a social interaction. Therefore, the responsible bodies should be advised to work towards creating more spaces for the as a means to serve the economic, social, cultural and environmental purpose. Creation of more effective policies in the Australian suburb environments can serve as basic foundation for the effective inclusion of the spaces in architectural and planning designs hence serves as a key catalyst in ensuring economic and environmental sustainability (Bentley et al., 1993). The philosophy of the privacy of the Australians life’s can be greatly dealt with through the creation of more public spaces in neighborhoods, gardens and housing structures in the Australian background. To sum up, the efforts in leaving major spaces in the suburb areas has suffered a major blow as a result of the recent changes in road network expansion approaches in planning, changes in housing structuring designs as well as the diversity in housing units development. The major issue is the difference between the architectural designs adopted in the suburbs to those adopted in the high and the medium density areas an aspect that brings in confusion in relation to planning and architectural variance. References Bamford, G.(2007) ‘The Rules of the Game’, Landscape Architecture Australia. Bamford, G.(2009). Spooked by Sprawl. Architecture Australia Bentley, Ian. ‘Community Development Urban Design’. In R. Hayward S. McGlynn (eds.). 1993. Making Better Places: Urban Design, Oxford: Butterworth Architecture. Besley, J. (2002) ‘Home Improvement: Suburban Works-in-Progress.’ Paper presented at Suburbia, National Trust of Australia (NSW) conference, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney. Brayn. B. (2004). Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service through Sustainable Architecture. New York: Princeton Architectural. Bridgman, Howard, Robin Warner and John Dodson 1995 Urban Biophysical Environments. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ellegood, A., Howard, R. L., Wigley, M., New Museum of Contemporary Art (New York, N.Y.), Henry Art Gallery. (2002). Out of site: Fictional architectural spaces : New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, 6.27.2002-10.13.2002 : Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, 11.8.2002-2.2.2003. New York: Published by the New Museum of Contemporary Art in association with the Henry Art Gallery. GarciÃŒ a, M. R., International Association for People-Environment Studies. (2003). Culture, environmental action and sustainability. Cambridge, Mass: Hogrefe Huber. Hayden, D.( 2004).Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth. 1820-2000. New York: Vintage Books. Head, L. and Pat M. (2007).Backyard: Nature and culture in suburban Australia. Wollongong: University of Wollongong Press Jahn, G., Frances, S. (2006). Contemporary Australian architecture. Sydney: State Library New South Wales Press. Kruse, K. M., Sugrue, T. J. (2006). The new suburban history. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Mees, P. (2010). Transport for suburbia: Beyond the automobile age. London: Earthscan. Newman, P. (1991). Sustainable Settlements: Restoring the Commons. Habitat Australia Newman, P.(1999). Sustainability and Australian Cities. Australian Planner . Source document

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

city history :: essays research papers

The Roman Empire had started at Anatolia. Byzantine Empire had lived between 330 and 1453. The Seljuk Empire had started with having most of Anatolia in the early part of 11th century. The Roman Empire, Byzantine and The Seljuk Empire, all of them have a special place in history. Also there are some similarities and differences among them in terms of their political and administrative structures, socio economic organization, daily life and regional hierarchy. A-) Roman Empire consisted of kings, magistrates, and senators. The king had a big power. He could accept, reject, or overrule senatotors’ decions because he was sen as a God of the earth. In Roman cities, councils transformed city states to central government officals. So urban councils’ functions were seperated two parts. These were civil and military authorities because of centralization. Value of political power and situation of city councilmen diminished with the transformation of authority. The consuls were not the only kings in Roma. Also Roman Empire gave importance to army. They had very organised army, military and farmer soldiers. The farmer soldiers were given grain and they made it such as porridge and wheat. Because of centralization urban councils in cities of Roman Empire. Central government had to divided to seperate civil and military authority. The Roman Empire, political organization was higly centralized and administration structure of the The Roman Emp ire had an ecclesiastic property so that the emperor was accepted as the representative of God. The church had a close relationship with the emperor of The Roman Empire because of this belief. Also christianity became state religion in the beginning period of The Roman Empire. For instace, one of the criterias to be citizen of Roman Empire was belonging to the christian church.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Roman Empire had continued with the Byzantine so major of characteristics of both empires were similar. The Byzantine Empire had city-satates as a heritage from The Roman Empire. The main changes between The Roman Empire and The Byzantine Empire were establishment of the political center and tendency to growing cetralization and reletive compactness of Byzantines’ borders that contrasted with the basic pattern of The Roman Empire. In The Byzantine Empire, church had a big importance at the political instution of senate, the court, and bureacracy. Also political organization was very centralized and the major pivotal forces of the centrality was the emperor, thebureacracy, the army and the church in Byzantine.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 8

Gillian stood perfectly still and watched David disappear around a corner. (It's not time for the plan yet, kid. Now buck up. A cheery face is worth diamonds.) Gillian tried to put on a cheery face. The strange day continued. In each class, Gillian appealed to the teacher for a new book. In each class, she was bombarded with offers of notes and other help. And through it all Angel whispered in her ear, always suggesting just the right thing to say to each person. He was witty, irreverent, occasionally cutting-and so was Gillian. She had an advantage, she realized. Since nobody had ever noticed her before, it was almost like being a new girl. She could be anything she wanted to be, present herself as anyone, and be believed. (Like Cinderella at the ball. The mystery princess.) Angel's voice was amused but tender. In journalism class, Gillian found herself beside Daryl Novak, a languid girl with sloe eyes and drooping contemptuous lashes. Daryl the Rich Girl, Daryl the World-weary World Traveler. She talked to Gillian as if Gillian knew all about Paris and Rome and California. At lunch, Gillian hesitated as she walked into the cafeteria. Usually she sat with Amy in an obscure corner at the back. But recently Eugene had been sitting with Amy, and up front she could see a group that included Amanda the Cheerleader, Kim the Gymnast, and others from The Clique. David and Tanya were at the edge. (Do I sit with them? Nobody asked me.) (Not with them, my little rutabaga. But near them. Sit at the end of that table just beside them. Don't look at them as you walk by. Look at your lunch. Start eating it.) Gillian had never eaten her lunch alone before-or at least not in a public place. On days Amy was absent, if she couldn't find one of the few other juniors she felt comfortable with, she snuck into the library and ate there. In the old days she would have felt horribly exposed, but now she wasn't really alone; she had Angel cracking jokes in her ear. And she had a new confidence. She could almost see herself eating, calm and indifferent to stares, thoughtful to the point of being dreamy. She tried to make her movements a little languid, like Daryl the Rich Girl's. (And I hope Amy doesn't think I'm snubbing her. I mean, it's not as if she's back there alone. She's got Eugene.) (Yeah. We're gonna have to talk about Amy sometime, kid. But right now you're being paged. Smile and be gracious.) â€Å"Jill! Earth to Jill!† â€Å"Hey, Jill, c'mon over.† They wanted her. She was moving her lunch over to their table, and she wasn't spilling anything and she wasn't falling as she slid in. She was little and graceful, thistledown light in her movements, and they were surging around her to form a warm and friendly bulwark. And she wasn't afraid of them. That was the most wonderful thing of all. These kids who'd seemed to her like stars in some TV show about teenagers, were real people who got crumbs on themselves and made jokes she could understand. Gillian had always wondered what they found so funny when they were laughing together. But now she knew it was just the heady atmosphere, the knowledge that they were special. It made it easy to laugh at everything. She knew David, sitting quietly there with Tanya, could see her laughing. She could hear other voices occasionally, from people on the fringes of her group, people on the outside looking in. Mostly bright chatter and murmurs of admiration. She thought she heard her name mentioned. †¦ And then she focused on the words. â€Å"I heard her mom's a drunk.† They sounded horribly loud and dear to Gillian, standing out against the background noise. She could feel her whole skin tingling with shock and she lost track of the story Kim the Gymnast was telling. (Angel-who said that? Was it about me-my mom?) She didn't dare look behind her. â€Å"-started drinking a few years ago and having these hallucinations-â€Å" This time the voice was so loud that it cut through the banter of Gillian's group. Kim stopped in mid-sentence. Bruce the Athlete's smile faltered. An awkward silence fell. Gillian felt a wave of anger that made her dizzy. (Who said that? I'll kill them-) (Calm down! Calm down. That's not the way to handle it at all.) (But-) (I said, calm down. Look at your lunch. No, at your lunch. Now say-and make your voice absolutely cool-â€Å"I really hate rumors, don't you? I don't know what kind of people start them.†) Gillian breathed twice and obeyed, although her voice wasn't absolutely cool. It had a little tremor. â€Å"I don't know either,† a new voice said. Gillian glanced up to see that David was on his feet, his face hard as he surveyed the table behind her as if looking for the person who'd spoken. â€Å"But I think they're pretty sick and they should get a life.† There was the cold glint in his eyes that had given him his reputation as a tough guy. Gillian felt as if a hand had steadied her. Gratitude rushed through her-and a longing that made her bite down on her lip. â€Å"I hate rumors, too,† J.Z. Oberlin said in her absent voice. J. Z. the Model was the one who looked like a Calvin Klein ad, breathlessly sexy and rather blank, but right now she seemed oddly focused. â€Å"Somebody was putting around the rumor last year that I tried to kill myself. I never did find out who started it.† Her hazy blue-green eyes were narrowed. And then everyone was talking about rumors, and people who spread rumors, and what scum they were. The group was rallying around Gillian. But it was David who stood up for me first, she thought. She had just looked over at him, trying to catch his eye, when she heard the tinkling noise. It was almost musical, but the kind of sound that draws attention immediately in a cafeteria. Somebody had broken a glass. Gillian, along with everyone else, glanced around to see who'd done it. She couldn't see anybody. No one had the right expression of dismay, no one was focused on anything definite. Everybody was looking around in search mode. Then she heard it again, and two people standing near the cafeteria doors looked down and then up. Above the doors, far above, was a semi-circular window in the red brick. As Gillian stared at the window she realized that light was reflecting off it oddly, almost prismatically. There seemed to be crazy rainbows in the glass†¦ And something was sparkling down, falling like a few specks of snow. It hit the ground and tinkled, and the people by the door stared at it on the cafeteria floor. They looked puzzled. Realization flashed on Gillian. She was on her feet, but the only words that she could find were, â€Å"Oh, my God!† â€Å"Get out! It's all going to go! Get out of there!† It was David, waving at the people under the window. He was running toward them, which was stupid, Gillian thought numbly, her heart seeming to stop. Other people were shouting. Cory and Amanda and Bruce-and Tanya. Kim the Gymnast was shrieking. And then the window was going, chunks of it falling almost poetically, raining and crumbling, shining and crashing. It fell and fell and fell. Gillian felt as if she were watching an avalanche in slow motion. At last it was over, and the window was just an arch-shaped hole with jagged teeth clinging to the edges. Glass had flown and bounced and skittered all over the cafeteria, where it lay like hailstones. And people from tables amazingly distant were examining cuts from ricocheting bits. But nobody had been directly underneath, and nobody seemed seriously hurt. (Thanks to David.) Gillian was still numb, but now with relief. (He got them all out of the way in time. Oh, God, he isn't hurt, is he?) (He's fine. And what makes you think he did it all alone? Maybe I had some part. I can do that, you know-put it into people's heads to do things. And they never even know I'm doing it.) Angel's voice sounded almost-well-piqued. (Huh? You did that? Well, that was really nice of you.) Gillian was watching David across the room, watching Tanya examine his arm, nod, shrug, look around. He's not hurt. Thank heaven. Gillian felt so relieved it was almost painful. It was then that it occurred to her to wonder what had happened. That window-before the glass fell it had looked just like the mirror in her bathroom. Evenly shattered from side to side, spidery cracks over every inch of the surface. The bathroom mirror had cracked while Tanya was being catty about Gillian's room. Now Gillian remembered the last thing she'd wanted to ask Angel last night. It had been about how the mirror came to do that. This window †¦ it had started falling a few minutes after someone insulted Gillian's mother. Nobody had heard it actually break, but it couldn't have happened too long ago. The small hairs on the back of Gillian's neck stirred and she felt a fluttering inside. It couldn't be. Angel hadn't even appeared to her yet†¦ But he'd said he was always with her†¦ An angel wouldn't destroy things†¦ But Angel was a different kind of angel. (Ah, excuse me. Hello? Do you want to share some thoughts with me?) (Angel!) For the first time since his soft voice had sounded in her ear, Gillian felt a sense ofover- crowdedness. Of her own lack of privacy. The uneasy fluttering inside her increased. (Angel, I was just-just wondering†¦) And then the silent words burst out. (Angel, you wouldn't-would you? You didn't do those things for my sake- â€Å"break the mirror and that window-?) A pause. And then, in her head, riotous laughter. Genuine laughter. Angel was whooping. Finally, the sounds died to mental hiccups. (Me?) Gillian was embarrassed. (I shouldn't have asked. It was just so weird†¦) (Yeah, wasn't it.) This time Angel sounded grimly amused. (Well, never mind; you're already late for class. The bell rang five minutes ago.) Gillian coasted through her last two classes in a daze. So much had happened today-she felt as if she'd led a full life between waking up and now. But the day wasn't over yet. In her last class, studio art, she once again found herself talking to Daryl the Rich Girl. Daryl was the only one of that crowd that took art or journalism. And in the last minutes before school ended, she regarded Gillian from under drooping eyelashes. â€Å"You know, there are other rumors going around about you. That you and Davey-boy have something going behind Tanya's back. That you meet secretly in the mornings and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Daryl shrugged, pushing back frosted hair with a hand dripping with rings. Gillian felt jolted awake. â€Å"So?† â€Å"So you really should do something about it. Rumors spread fast, and they grow. I know. You want to either deny them, or†-Daryl's lips .quirked in a smile-â€Å"disarm them.† (Oh, yeah? And just how do I do that?) (Shut up and listen to her, kid. This is one smart cookie.) â€Å"If there're parts that are true, it's usually best to admit those in public. That takes some of the punch out. And it's always helpful to track down the person starting the rumors-if you can.† (Tell her you know that. And that you're going to see Tanya after school.) (Tanya? You mean-?) (Just tell her.) Somehow Gillian gathered herself enough to repeat Angel's words. Daryl the Rich Girl looked at her with a new expression of respect. â€Å"You're sharper than I thought. Maybe you didn't need my help after all.† â€Å"No,† Gillian said without Angel's prompting. â€Å"I'm always glad for help. It's-it's a rough world.† â€Å"Isn't it, though?† Daryl said and raised already arched eyebrows. (So it was Tanya who spread that stuff about my mom.) Gillian almost stumbled as she trudged out of art class. She was tired and bewildered. Somehow, she'd have thought Tanya was above that. (She had help. It takes a really efficient system to get a rumor to peak circulation that fast. But she was the instigator. Turn left here.) (Where am I going?) (You're gonna catch her coming out of marketing education. She's alone in there right now. The teacher asked to see her after class, then unexpectedly had to run to the bathroom.) Gillian felt distantly amused. She sensed Angel's hand in these arrangements. And when she poked her head inside the marketing ed room, she saw that Tanya was indeed alone. The tall girl was standing by a cloudy green blackboard. â€Å"Tanya, we need to talk.† Tanya's shoulders stiffened. Then she ran a hand across her already perfect dark hair and turned. She looked more like a future executive than ever, with her face set in cool lines and her exotic gray eyes running over Gillian in appraisal. Without Angel, Gillian would have dried up and withered away under that scrutiny. Tanya said one word. â€Å"Talk.† What followed was more like a play than a conversation for Gillian. She repeated what Angel whispered to her, but she never had any idea what was coming. The only way to survive was to give herself up completely to his direction. â€Å"Look, I know you're upset with me, Tanya. But I'd like to deal with this with a little maturity, okay?† She followed Angel's instructions over to a desk and brushed absent fingers over its imitation-wood top. â€Å"I don't think there's any need for us to act like children.† â€Å"And I don't think I know what you're talking about.† â€Å"Oh, really?† Gillian turned and looked Tanya in the face. â€Å"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about.† (Angel, I feel just like one of those people in a soap opera-) â€Å"Well, you're wrong. And, as a matter of fact, I happen to be busy-â€Å" â€Å"I'm talking about the rumors, Tanya. I'm talking about the stories about my mom. And I'm talking about David.† Tanya stood perfectly still. For a moment she seemed surprised that Gillian was taking such a direct approach. Then her gray eyes hardened with the clear light of battle. â€Å"All right, let's talk about David,† she said in a pleasant voice, moving tigerishly toward Gillian, â€Å"I don't know about any rumors, but I'd like to hear what you and David were doing this morning. Care to tell me?† (Angel, she's actually enjoying this. Look at her! And she's bigger than me.) (Trust me, kid.) â€Å"We weren't doing anything,† Gillian said. She had to tip her chin up to look Tanya in the face. Then she looked aside and shook her head. â€Å"All right. I'll be honest about that. I like David, Tanya. I have ever since he moved in. He's good and he's noble and he's honest and he's sweet. But that doesn't mean I want to take him away from you. In fact, it's just the opposite.† She turned and walked away, looking into the distance. â€Å"I think David deserves the best. And I know he really cares about you. And that's what happened this morning-he told me you guys had made a promise to each other. So you see, you've got no reason to be suspicious.† Tanya's eyes were glittering. â€Å"Don't try to pull that. All this †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She waved a hand to indicate Gillian's dress and hair. â€Å"In one day you turn from Little Miss Invisible to this. And you start prancing around the school like you own it. You can't pretend you're not trying to get him.† â€Å"Tanya, the way I dress has nothing at all to do with David.† Gillian told the lie calmly, facing the chalk-misted blackboard again. â€Å"It's just-something I needed to do. I was-tired of being invisible.† She turned her head slightly, not enough to see Tanya. â€Å"But that's beside the point. The real issue here is what's best for David. And I think you're best for him-as long as you treat him fairly.† â€Å"And what is that supposed to mean?† Tanya was losing her legendary cool. She sounded venomous, almost shrill. â€Å"It means no more fooling around with Bruce Faber.† (Oh, my God, Angel! Bruce Faber? Bruce the Athlete? She's been fooling around with Bruce Faber?) Tanya's voice cracked like a whip. â€Å"What are you talking about? What do you know?† â€Å"I'm talking about those nights at the pool parties last summer in Macon's cabana. While David was up north at his grandma's. I'm talking about what happened in Bruce's car after the Halloween dance.† (In a cabana?) There was a silence. When Tanya spoke again, her voice was a sort of icy explosion. â€Å"How did you find out?† Gillian shrugged. â€Å"People who're good at spreading rumors can be a two-edged sword.† â€Å"I thought so. That brat Kim! Her and her mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then Tanya's voice changed. It became a voice with claws and Gillian could tell she was moving closer. â€Å"I suppose you're planning to tell David about this?† â€Å"Huh?† For a moment Gillian was too confused to follow Angel's directions. Then she got hold of herself. â€Å"Oh, of course I'm not going to tell David. That's why I'm telling you. I just want you to promise that you're not going to do anything like that anymore. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop telling people things about my mom-â€Å" â€Å"I'll do worse than that!† Suddenly Tanya was standing right behind Gillian. Her voice was a yelling hiss. â€Å"You have no idea what I'll do if you try to mess with me, you snotty little midget. You are going to be so sorry-â€Å" â€Å"No, I think you've done plenty already.† The voice came from the door. Gillian heard it, and in that instant she understood everything.