Indigenous Australian Philosophy Essay

While a variety of factors have shaped the diversity of Indigenous Australian philosophy and prac? ces across the Australian con? nent, one of the central characteris? cs of the Aboriginal worldview is the concept of the ‘Dreaming’. Outlinesomeofthekeyaspectsofthisbeliefsystemandre#ectonthisin comparison to your own worldview. THE DREAMING LAID DOWN THE PATH FOR THE ABORIGINAL WAY OF LIFE, AND IT DICTATES THEIR KNOWLEDGE, FAITH, LAW, BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIETAL CUSTOMS. IN AUSTRALIA, THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT ABORIGINAL CLANS, EACH ABORIGINAL CLAN HAS THEIR OWN INTERPRETATION AND NAME FOR THE DREAMING. EVEN TODAY ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ARE CONNECTED TO THE DREAMING THROUGH THEIR BELIEFS AND RITUALS. WHILST ABORIGINAL SOCIETIES MAY SEEM COMPLICATED TO AN OUTSIDER THIS BEAUTIFUL CULTURE FOSTERS A SENSE OF BELONGING, RESPECT, HARMONY AND CONSERVATION. THREE ASPECTS OF THE DREAMING ARE THE ANCESTRAL BEINGS, KINSHIP TO RUWI AND RESPECT OF THE LAWS. THE DREAMING CONSISTED OF ANCESTRAL BEINGS WHO ROSE FROM THE EARTH AND WATER, THEN TRAVELLED THE LAND SCULPTING THE EARTH. THE ANCESTRAL BEINGS TOOK ON THE FORMS OF HUMANS, ANIMALS, PLANTS AND EVEN COMBINATIONS OF THESE FORMS. THE ANCESTRAL BEINGS CREATED THE PEOPLE, PLANTS, ANIMALS AND KINSHIPS BETWEEN THESE KEY. MANY OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF THE LAND CAN BE LINKED TO THE ANCESTRAL BEINGS, AND TO THE EVENTS PLAYED OUT DURING THE DREAMING PERIOD. THE ANCESTRAL BEINGS CREATED THE LAWS AND A PATH TO BE FOLLOWED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. THESE LAWS MUST BE FOLLOWED IN ORDER TO ENSURE A BALANCE AND A CONTINUATION OF LIFE AND HARMONY. FURTHERMORE, ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ARE DEVOTED TO THEIR LAND. WATSON EXPLAINS THAT ABORIGINAL PEOPLE DO NOT SEE THE LAND AS A COMMODITY THAT CAN BE OWNED OR SOLD, P a g e | 2. THEY ARE A PART OF THEIR LAND, AND THEIR LAND HAS ITS OWN SPIRIT. ABORIGINAL PEOPLE LIVE A STABLE AND SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE AND ONLY TAKE FOOD THAT IS NEEDED. WHEN FOOD IS TAKEN FROM THE LAND, THEY MUST GIVE THANKS TO THE LAND AS A SIGN OF RESPECT. ABORIGINAL CLANS WERE SEPARATED BY THE DREAMING AND HAVE DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS AND LANGUAGES, SO THEY DO NOT HAVE TO FIGHT FOR LAND OR FOOD. ABORIGINAL RUWI IS MARKED BY GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES, WHICH CAN INCLUDE RIVERS, TREES, ROCKS AND PAINTINGS; THE PERIMETERS OF THE LAND ARE LEARNT THROUGH SONGS. THE DREAMING LAWS MADE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND. THE LAWS DO NOT NEED TO BE WRITTEN DOWN AS THEY ARE LEARNED THROUGH THE LIVING OF THE LAWS. ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ARE GUIDED BY THEIR WAY OF LIFE THROUGH ELDERS, AND KNOWLEDGE PASSED DOWN FROM THE DREAMING. STORIES OF THE DREAMING ARE TAUGHT THROUGH ORAL STORIES, SONG, DANCE, RITUALS AND ART. THESE STORIES PASS ON THE IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE, VALUES AND EXPECTED BEHAVIOURS. ABORIGINAL CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT THE DREAMING STORIES WHICH ARE APPROPRIATE TOR THEIR AGE. THESE STORIES SOCIALISE CHILDREN ON THE ABORIGINAL WAY OF LIFE. EDWARDS’S STATES THAT RELATIONSHIPS ARE ALSO DICTATED FROM THE DREAMING, THERE IS A COMPLEX KINSHIP ORDER AMONG ABORIGINAL PEOPLE. THIS ORDER DETERMINES A PERSON’S PLACE IN THEIR MOIETY. THIS KINSHIP SYSTEM ALSO DICTATES HOW FAMILY MEMBERS SHOULD BEHAVE TOWARDS OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, WHICH HELP TO KEEP HARMONY AND AVOID CONFLICT. THE DIFFERENT PLACES WITHIN THE MOIETY ALSO DETERMINE A SUITABLE MARRIAGE PARTNER. FROM A WESTERN CIVILIZATION PERSPECTIVE, I ONLY KNOW MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY AND THE ABORIGINAL SYSTEM OF KINSHIP LEAVES ME FEELING THAT I MAY BE LACKING A GREATER SENSE OF SELF AND PURPOSE. YES, I CAN TRACE MY FAMILY’S GENEALOGY BACK HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THESE ARE NAMES ON PAPER WITH NO CONNECTION TO ME, AND I FEEL NO BOND TO THESE P a g e | 3 PEOPLE. THE ABORIGINAL SYSTEM OF KINSHIP FOSTERS A BOND TO EVERYTHING ON THIS LAND, WHICH CREATES A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND BELONGING. ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT THAT WATSON IDENTIFIES IS THAT THE DREAMING LAW IS ABOUT LOVE, SHARING, RESPECT AND CARING AND THIS IS WHY THE LAND IS CONSERVED AND CARED FOR. I SENSE THAT WESTERN CULTURE NOW SEEMS TO BE BASED ON A SUPERFICIAL AND SELFISH EXISTENCE. I OBSERVE THAT WESTERN CULTURE IS FUELLED BY GREED, A DESTRUCTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE DEPLETING OF RESOURCES. I WONDER WHERE WE WOULD BE TODAY IF THE COLONISERS HAD LIVED IN HARMONY AND LEARNT FROM THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ON HOW TO RESPECT AND CONSERVE RATHER THAN STEAL AND DEPLETE THE LAND. I FEEL WE MAY HAVE BECOME A BETTER SOCIETY FULL OF APPRECIATION AND WARMTH. THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE HAVE A CULTURE THAT BINDS THEM TO THE LAND AND TO EACH OTHER. IT CREATES A SENSE OF PRIDE; RESPECT AND ORDER FOR THE WAY THINGS HAVE BEEN, ARE AT THE MOMENT AND WILL BE IN THE FUTURE. EVEN THOUGH THE DREAMING IS INTERPRETED UNIQUELY BY DIFFERENT ABORIGINAL GROUPS, IT HAS CONSERVED THEIR SOCIETIES AND GIVEN THEM BONDS THAT HAVE LASTED THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Personal Leadership Plan Essay

Aspiring to be a Life Coach upon receiving my degree in Human Services, I have chosen to write about the roles of Life Coaches and a projected practice I aspire to one day develop or be a part of. Throughout this personal leadership plan, I will include keys points of interest of a Life Coach; objectives, values, and ethics I personally feel should be incorporated, as well as the role ethics play within the profession of Life Coaching. Coaches work in a variety of specializations (such as personal/life and corporate/business) in order to help their clients. Coaches are specifically trained in coaching through a school or mentor coach, and use/incorporate their individual life experience in their practice. Although each coach measures their progress differently, achievement is always measured by progress made by the coaches’ clients. Due to the personal nature of most coaching relationships, this Ethics Code provides the framework and values upon which professional coaches, bas e their practice. The purposes of this Code are threefold. First, it provides the broad principles and values to which coaches subscribe. These include confidentiality and the utmost concern for the welfare and success of the client. Secondly, it provides rules for coaches to use in many of the specific situations that a coach might encounter. Finally, this Code is meant to serve as a building block for the ethical and moral standards of coaches. While each individual coach agrees to follow this Code, they are encouraged to supplement and add to it in order to build a lifelong commitment to building an ethical workplace and profession. -Objectives- The primary objective of my life coaching practice would be as follows: 1. Provide a means for individual students and clients to evaluate their own ethical standards and behaviors and make adjustments if necessary to meet the established standards. 2. Provide a means for participants of the life coaching practice programs to evaluate the standards and practices used by their students and clients and to validate that participants are receiving professional and ethically soun d training  and development. 3. Provide a means for the life coaching practice to evaluate the standards and behaviors of students and clients to ensure a high ethical standard is being met. 4. Provide a means to educate the public and to promote the high ethical standards practiced by members of the life coaching practice. -Values- The profession of Life Coaching holds respect for the worth, dignity and capability of every human being as its primary value. Therefore, my life coaching practice shall not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, color, language, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, physical and mental ability, economic condition or national ancestry. Furthermore, they shall work towards preventing and eliminating such discrimination in rendering service, in work assignments and in employment practices. The profession of Life Coaching affirms that all people have the right to well-being. In addition, all people have the right to learn the skills necessary for the development of human relationships and that each person has the right to self-determination with due regard to the rights of others. -Purpose for Code of Ethics- †¢ To define accepted/acceptable behaviors; †¢ To promote high standards of practice; †¢ To provide a benchmark for visitors, members and students to use for self evaluation; †¢ To establish a framework for professional behavior and responsibilities; †¢ As a vehicle for personal identity; †¢ As a mark of personal maturity; -Responsibility of Confidentiality- The commitment to confidentiality fosters open communication and is essential to effective Life Coaching work. Concerns about privacy and confidential matters can arise throughout the entire professional relationship. -Responsibility to Self- In private life or professional activity, an individual of the Life Coaching practices behavior reflects upon the profession as a whole. -Responsibility to Group and Individuals- Life Coaches should recognize their primary professional responsibility under all circumstances is to the  group and individuals they are serving. Life Coaches should recognize that they bear a considerable social responsibility because their recommendations and professional actions influence the lives of others. -Responsibility to the Profession- The Life Skills profession has a public responsibility to provide competent coaching services. Therefore, individual Life Coaches are encouraged to support and uphold ethical standards and behavior.   -Responsibility to the Community- As Life Coaches are viewed as role models in the communities in which they live and serve, their integrity and behavior reflect upon the profession as a whole. In closing, the profession of Life Coaching is one in which is rich with ethical and moral influence. It should be the Life Coaches primary concern and intent to deliver the utmost level of ethically, morally, and lawfully driven and derived advice and assistance to each and every client he/she works with. It is important to remember, that all lives deserve and have the right to receive the same level of value and respect. It is also vital to remember everyone is an individual, and should be treated as such. Each client as well as the past and present situations they have/are experiencing are unique, therefore there is not just one way to coach all clients.

Quasi-Experimental Designs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Quasi-Experimental Designs - Assignment Example vi). Single-case designs or single-case research designs are used to studies that factor in individual organism variances than group designs, which emphasize on mean averages of groups (Jackson, 2013). Single-case designs are used where a test subject’s behavioral trends are variables of significance in an experiment. This research design is also used in evaluating the effect of treatments on an individual or personal attributes in applied research (Jackson, 2013). viii). A multiple-baseline research design involves the measurement of multiple persons, settings or traits before and after assignment to experimental treatment. Treatments are administered, at different times, to ensure that changes are due to treatment and not by chance (Jackson, 2013). Reversal experimental design involves measurement of behavior or traits during a baseline periods (A), at the introduction of treatments (B), reinstatement of conditions preceding baseline period (A) and during of the reintroducti on of the treatment (B) (Jackson, 2013). Question #2 Quasi-experiments are used, in empirical studies, to estimate the impact and influence of an intervention or treatment on its target sample population, and they do not use random assignment (Jackson, 2011). Quasi-experimental designs allow a researcher to control the assignment to the treatment condition, using some criterion other than random assignment (Jackson, 2012). This is in the sense that a researcher controls the assignment to the treatment condition, and can in some cases, a researcher can lack control over the assignment to the treatment condition. Quasi-experimental designs are predisposed to quality concerns regarding internal validity because treatment and control groups, in some instances cannot be comparable at baseline levels. This is unlike random experiments where either subjects have a chance of being assigned to the comparison or the intervention group (Jackson, 2012). The advantages of quasi-experimental desi gns are that they are used when randomized experimental designs are impractical and unethical. Quasi experiments are easier to prepare than ‘true experimental designs’ which require random assignment to participants or subjects (Jackson, 2012). The use of quasi-experimental designs eliminates or diminishes threats to external validity because natural environments are not susceptible to the same problems of artificiality compared to well-controlled laboratory setting. Quasi-experimental designs allow their findings to be applied to other subjects and settings, creating a precedent where generalizations can be made about populations (Jackson, 2012). This is because this design type is considered a natural experiment, which makes its findings applicable to other settings and participants. Quasi experiments are efficient especially in longitudinal research studies, which involve longer experimental periods, and can be followed up in different environmental settings. Quasi-e xperimental designs give the researcher manipulation options to choose from. This is in the sense that, in natural experiments, manipulations occur on their own accord because researchers have no control over their occurrence. The use of self-selected groups in this design type eliminates the chance of conditional and ethical concerns in the process of conducting the experiment (Jackson, 2012). Estimates or findings in quasi-experimenta

White Collar Crime. Ponzi Schemes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

White Collar Crime. Ponzi Schemes - Essay Example Essentially, the newer set of investors is made to finance the dividend earnings of earlier investors. Other than this, there is no other income from the investment such that the scheme eventually cracks as not enough investors are generated to support the dividend earnings of earlier investors. Victims lose money and the perpetrator of the ponzi attempts to run away from the scene of the crime. In the United States, there are laws against the ponzi and recovery of assets or some of the assets is possible. Ponzi Schemes According to the National Check Fraud Center (2011) based in South Carolina, the Ponzi scheme is one of the 22 white-collar crimes that schemes. In addition to the white-collar schemes are 22 white-collar crimes. The 22 white-collar crimes include bank fraud, blackmail, bribery, cellular phone fraud, computer fraud, counterfeiting, credit card fraud, currency scheme, embezzlement, environmental scheme, extortion, forgery, health care fraud, insider trading, insurance fraud, investment scheme, kickback, larceny/theft, money laundering, securities fraud, and tax evasion (National Fraud Center, 2011). On the other hand, the white-collar schemes include advanced fee schemes, airport scams, auto repair schemes, check kiting, coupon redemption, directory advertising, fortune telling, gypsies, home improvement, inferior equipment, Jamaican Switch, land fraud, odometer fraud, pigeon drop, police impersonation, ponzi, pyramid, quick change, shell game, utilities impersonation, VCR scam, and West African investment scam (National Fraud Center, 2011). The ponzi scheme is a type of an investment â€Å"where the actor solicits investors in a business venture, promising extremely high financial returns or dividends in a very short period of time† (National Fraud Center, 2011). The perpetrator in the ponzi scheme usually promises high returns simultaneous with a claim of zero or little risks on the investment (Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). In many ponzi schemes, the perpetrator focuses on attracting new money from earlier investors so he can build credibility and entice more victims to make an investment (Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). In the ponzi scheme, the actor or the criminal does not invest the money but pays dividends from the investments of new investors (National Fraud Center, 2011). As the initial investors are pleased with the payment of dividends, the initial investors bring in new investors from which payments for the dividends of the earlier investors are derived. (National Fraud Center, 2011). The ponzi scheme pays dividends from the investment funds of earlier investors but the scheme surely falls apart when the perpetrator no longer has sufficient investors from which to pay dividends for the earlier investors (National Fraud Center, 2011). When payments to the dividends of earlier investors are no longer possible from the investments of new investors, the perpetrator takes all the money and leaves his or her ponzi area (National Fraud Center, 2011). Ponzi schemes collapse because it is unable to consistently derive money from new investments (Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (2011), the ponzi scheme generally falls apart because sufficient investors cannot be found to allow the continuous payments of dividends. The scheme obtained the name from Charles Ponzi of Boston, Massachussetts in the early 1900s who launched a scheme that guaranteed 50 percent profit (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2011). The promise of 50% returns was only for 90 days (Securities and E

The impact of online selling on small businesses Essay

The impact of online selling on small businesses - Essay Example This essay outlines the benefits and the costs from online retailing for small businesses that use online retailing and for those that do not use online retailing. It also outlines how online retailing would affect the financial management of an existing small business that chooses to move into online retailing. The benefits and costs from online retailing for small businesses that use online retailing Online retailing presents various benefits to small businesses that use it to offer their products and services. In online retailing, the cost of business operations is lower as compared to operating through physical stores. Dale (2010) explains that in online retailing, all only one retail facility is required for sales, shipment and customer services. This reduces the cost of running many retail stores. This mode of business operation involves inbound shipping of products to one location and this makes the cost of shipping lower compared to making shipments to many retail locations. In online retailing, it is easy to control the costs of staff. An example of this is that phone and e-mail support specialists handle all requests from customers. This eliminates the need for sales persons to be stationed at individual retail locations of a business. Online retailing leads to a reduction of time costs because all decision-making personnel are located in one place leading to a quick dissemination of new directives. Lesonsky (2009) states that online retailing leads to improved sales. This is because all the products of a company are housed in one place hence customers benefit from enhanced employee knowledge and stock selection. Improved sales also result from owning an open store that operates all days and all hours of the week. Unlike physical stores who need to attract customers through appealing merchandise displays and securing a prime location, online retailers just require the website. Nissanoff (2006) explains that this is their only interaction point with th eir customers and this helps to eliminate high rent rates charged at prime locations. Owning a physical retail entity is expensive compared to owning an online storefront that is backed by a warehouse that is well-organised for inventory purposes. This is also to say that online retailing presents lower capital requirements for start-ups. It is the desire of every business to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors and online retailing offers this chance. According to Kumar et al (2004), online retailing allows small businesses to capitalize on the differences between them and brick-and-mortar stores by developing efficient business operations that support online storefronts that are user-friendly. This creates a unique opportunity for success to e-retailers. Online retailing also makes it easy to achieve repeated business with customers because online business requires customers to fill in their names, contacts and address in order to purchase products. This creates chanc es for customer follow-ups and timely notification on new products, discounts, offers and promotions. In addition to the above, online retailing creates a chance for expanding the operations of small businesses into the global market. Despite the above benefits, there are some costs from online retailing for small businesses that use it. Unlike retailers with physical stores,

The Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Review - Essay Example In 1970, it accounted for 6.4% of the US capital stock and in 1988, this figure stood at 19.8% (Roach, 1988). The increase has been more pronounced in the manufacturing sector. In this sector, it grew from 1.6% in 1970 to 10.6% in 1988 (Roach, 1988). Extensive computerization and use of information technologies initiates an interest in knoing why many organizations or institutions have adopted these technologies. Most organizations are profit oriented and this means they not only focus positive returns but also how to obtain good financial rewards. Having this focus, many organizations always seek ways of limiting their costs of production while increasing production at the same time. This paper gives a literature review on how computerization and the use of IT increase worker productivity and reduces costs of production for many organizations, the focus being the manufacturing sector. Computerization and the use of IT in the workplace The term information technology can be defined a s the acquisition, processing, storage and distribution of numerical, textual, vocal and pictorial information through a combination of computing and telecommunications (Allen and Morton 1994). It therefore encompasses computer software, computer hardware, information systems, processes, data constructs, programming languages. Machines under IT domain render any data or information in visual format via multimedia distribution. Computerisation or computing refers to the action of utilising and improving or advancing computer software and computer hardware according to Agrawal and Symes (1994). In simple terms, computerisation is any goal-oriented activity benefiting from computer hardware and software. In the case of manufacturing industry, machines are run by computers that manipulate data according to a set of programs or instructions. General examples of utilisation of computerisation and IT manufacturing industries include networking, data management, information databases, and m ost importantly automation of machines. Like in many organisations, labour productivity in manufacturing industries is calculated by dividing the level of output by the specific level of labour input. Worker productivity is one of the important elements in determining the efficiency of an industry. Impact of computers and ITs on worker productivity and costs of production For many manufacturing industries, information technologies have continuously influenced work and changed the way it is done. One of the main impact of computerization and the use of technologies is the automation of machines. This has allowed manufacturing industries to assign repetitive and non-core tasks to machines while allowing employees to specialize in performing non-repetitive, complex and core duties of the organization. In this case, employees are able to fully utilize their skills and talents in the tasks assigned to them. This means that they offer their best and can handle more work in the area assign ed to them. Before the introduction of computers and IT in the workplace, employees would carry out every type of production activity including the most tedious and repetitive tasks. Due to the distances between the physical places of production assigned to these tasks, workers wasted a lot of time moving from one part of the industry to the other. As stated above, automated machines have taken over some of the repetitive and tedious tasks and

Cultural Relativism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cultural Relativism - Essay Example Cultural relativism is related to a natural theory of evolution that views the cultural and linguistic diversity of human civilization globally as related to unique aspects of geographical isolation and parallel development. Maria Baghramian traces cultural relativism as back as Herodotus, and cites the woks of Montaigne, Dilthey ("Patterns of Culture"), and Frank Boas as the important figures of the development of this movement. (Baghramian, 2004) The main aspect of the development of cultural relativism historically also includes the interrelation of ideas between Darwin, Dewey, and Boas. (Strauss, 2011) Darwin’s work in the Galapagos influenced Boas’ conception of cultural diversity by allowing him to see the patterns of evolution in language and culture that proceeded on the same fundamental lines as the development of diversity in species as Darwin described. This also led him to value the history and lineage of each culture as an essential characteristic of cultur al relativism. (NNDB, 2011) The Darwinian aspects of cultural relativism made it an attractive methodology for the study of global cultures in anthropology. Yet, with cultural relativism there also developed a basis of moral relativism, which in some ways was posited in a manner that reflected the scientific method in social sciences, but which also removed moral criticism of cultural practices from academic research. For example, in this context foot-binding, as described by, Pang-Mei Natasha Chang in â€Å"Bound Feet & Western Dress: A Memoir,† was practiced traditionally in Chinese society, though it created immense pain and suffering in the girls themselves. With cultural relativity in the practice of anthropology, researchers are required to suspend judgment and evaluate foot-binding within the socio-cultural understanding of Chinese society and its indigenous values and morality. This investigates how foot –binding relates to other cultural traditions, rituals, and hierarchies, but it fails to take a stand on the morality of the practice in universal teams, believing that the question is beyond the anthropological or scientific method. (Glazer, 1996) Thus, in this manner it can be argued that foot-binding was so widely accepted of a practice, that it was not immoral because it was the common, accepted basis of society. In this sense, there are no universals, only cultural and moral relativism in patterns of human evolution. However, looking at description from the girls themselves, who describe their motivations at the time, it is clear that many girls opposed it themselves, in their own minds and suffering, but were simply too lacking in respect politically and socially without power, that they were abused on a mass scale. (Celliana, 2010) The question of the mass-practice of harmful, immoral, or violent practices culturally is viewed through our contemporary moral value system, which taints our own judgment from that of the dispassionate objectivism which cultural re lativism is based on, but we have to continue to reform society to outlaw, abolish, and reform harmful practices from history that have no legitimate foundation. In Pang-Mei Natasha Chang’s â€Å"Bound Feet & Western Dress: A Memoir,† the character Chang Yu-I has her feet bound by her mother, who follows the ancient tradition like most other women in the society. Chang Yu-I as a child is shown to resist the process and ultimately forces her parents to stop torturing her is this way. This is used symbolically as a means to foreshadow Chang Yu-I’s role in becoming one of the first â€Å"modern women† in China, and to pioneer divorce in a society where it was unknown and unaccepted historically. The issues of arranged marriages, forced marriages, and practices like foot-binding in

Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Speech - Essay Example This practice is carried out on girls. It can be done as from few days old to teenage years. This presentation intends to examine the function of the warlords during the colonial period towards FGM, the violence caused by FGM and education as a major contributory factor to rampant FGM practices (Levin & Asaah, 2009). FGM is believed to be intensive in Africa where WHO approximates the population ranging from 90-95 million women to have undergone the practice (Levin & Asaah, 2009). Majority of the communities believe that FGM lessen libido. However, the majority of the Muslim believes that it is a religious obligation that is mandatory The warlords and the process of colonization are closely linked with FGM. It is imperative to note that attempts by the colonial administrators to halt the practice during the early 20th century did not succeed, but instead enhanced the provocation and anger consequently the FGM escalated. Kenya is a typical example where the FGM escalated upon aggravation of the local communities. The Christian missionaries in Kenya tried to discourage the practice due to the medical consequences and the accompanying sexualized rituals (Levin & Asaah, 2009). This did not work; instead, it became a focal point of agitating for independence, particularly by the Kikuyu community. It is fundamental to note that, the provocation led to the murder of Hilda Stump who was one of the American Missionary after she spoke about the FGM openly. The efforts of preaching against FGM by the Christian Missionaries and human rights activists based in London failed because most of the Kenyan local communities believe d that the female circumcision was not just an event or action but an institution, which was immensely attributed to enormous educational, moral, religious and social implications. Consider the following table that indicates the statistical data of the rate of

Continuum of Care Options Matrix Essay Example for Free

Continuum of Care Options Matrix Essay Example: This is a facility that allows clients to live in a residential setting while having personal care services and assistance, usually at all hours. Clients will generally need assistance with such functions as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, ambulation, or help with medications. Clients living here are unable to function without this assistance. This is a facility that is equipped to care for persons unable to take of themselves, due to age or chronically illness A nursing home will have trained staff on site that will be able to assist the residents with date to date living skills. A Nursing home can be either privately owned or stated owned. Supportive housing programs are design to â€Å"develop housing services that will allow homeless person to live as independently as possible† (2013) Supportive housing programs main goal is to assist the homeless in achieving permanent residency, and increase one income. The programs is required to monitor the progress of the client and theses reports are repost to the department of housing yearly. Home care is a service which allows the elderly or disable person to remain in one home; while receiving little assistance for a medical staff. The home care worker would run errands for the clients or assistance with light housekeeping. The home care worker might even assistance with bath and dressing certain parts of the clients. Assistance living allow a resident to live a nursing home like setting that offers assistance with care and meals. Assistance living also assists the client with bathing and dressing. Assistance living facilities is for elderly and disables people that needs little to no assistance. Continuing retirement communities is a service that allows the elderly to live amongst peers of the same age group without a nursing home / assistance living setting. CRS allow the elderly to live independently in their own rental unit while offer services one can obtain in nursing home or an assistance living facility. Level of Long-Term Care Service (include differences) Example: Assisted living facilities are in the housing level of service. This level of service is more independent than many others, though clients need some type of assistance. A nursing home can be either long or short term depending on the reason one is there. The difference between supportive housing program and long term care services are; supportive housing assistance those that are able to care for oneself where long term care is for those that needs assistance with daily adl’s. Home care is more independent than a long term services, because one is still able to be in the home with little assistance from an outside source. Assistance living is more independent than a long term facility. One is no longer able to live at home. Mostly likely one require a little more assistance that can offer through home care but not enough where to one needs to be placed in a nursing home. CRS is more independent that a long term cares facility because one is still able to live on their own with no assistance.

Government Term Paper Essay Example for Free

Government Term Paper Essay The United States was founded and created by a group of people who wanted to see change and be in control of their future. This country has successfully accomplished this goal. Challenges from ending slavery to giving women the right to vote have all been accomplished through the American people implementing and enforcing new laws to be made. Two important issues facing the United States are Obamacare and illegal immigrants using anchor babies to stay in the country. On the issue of Obamacare, the best policy to follow is to recall Obamacare and create a new bill that is more specific, fixing one level at a time. On the issue of anchor babies, the best policy to follow is to amend the Constitution’s 14th Amendment to clarify the standards of citizenship. On March 10, 2010 President Obama’s new health care was signed into law. This new form of health care is called Obamacare or more formally as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). This bill requires that those who can afford health care must maintain the minimal, essential health insurance coverage. This mandate does not apply to citizens who hold certain religious beliefs or have financial hardships. Once the bill is fully processed, thirty-two million Americans will be able to receive some form of health care. The main intention of Obamacare is that affordability and accountability it brings. Obamacare lowers premiums for families making $44,000-66,000 and $55,000-88,000 a year. This new bill has made it easier for more families and people to receive health care. Obamacare also has begun to resolve Medicare’s prescription â€Å"donut hole†. This has helped senior citizens pay for vital prescriptions. The â€Å"donut hole† occurs after the patient has received $2,830 worth of drugs. At this number, Medicare stops paying for the drugs until the patient has used over $4550 of drugs. Therefore the patient needs to pay for $2,000 before Medicare pays for their prescriptions again. This reform gives donut hole payments a 50% discount and slowly closes this spending gap. The bill plans for the gap to be fully closed by 2020. The process of closing Medicare’s donut hole has already begun (Health Reform). The Affordable Care Act has improved community health centers. Within this improvement, there are more free preventive care treatments along with 1,250 new care centers for twenty million people (Timeline). These centers co-inside with the bill’s customer protection plan. This solidifies that no one may be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions (Health Reform). More people have been treated and helped allowing for a better field of doctors to be used for the necessary and covered treatments that Obamacare has provided. A large intention within Obamacare is to correct and maintain a new policy for business. Small businesses are not required to provide health care. However, if a business has over fifty employees, they are required to make payments that allow for health care benefits if ever needed if they do not have health care insurance (Health Reform). The bill has allowed for over four million small businesses eligible for tax credits so that they may be able to provide health care. Along with tax credit, Obamacare has cracked down on fraud, waste and abuse. This has secured the governments support in this bill. In the future Obamacare plans to reduce paperwork, provide more funding to children’s hospitals, and expand bundling payments (Timeline). Due to the numerous projects and reforms within this large bill, states need more money. This money comes from citizen’s taxes. People who already have health care are being taxed to help pay for others. One of the leading problems that Americans have about Obamacare questions whether or not all Americans have the right to health care. If a person chooses to be homeless and not work, should other citizens have to pay for another’s medical needs? Relating to the previous question, currently the Supreme Court is in the process of deciding if the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Obamacare, 2010, stated that everyone must have some form of health care. People have begun to question whether this infringes and stretches Congress’ right to be involved in one’s personal life- even if this is an economic matter. Many individuals and twenty-seven states have begun to challenge Congress and whether the Commerce Clause has the right to expand national power at the expense on individual liberties. In 1824 the Supreme Court case, Gibbons v. Ogden, interpreted the government’s â€Å"commerce† to deal with only state to state/internal commerce affairs (US v Morrison). In 1937 the Supreme Court stretched the Commerce Clause for the government to oversee labor hours and wages. The government was allowed such power that they could even oversee a person’s personal consumption in the Supreme Court case, Wickard v. Filburn, in 1941 (Gaziano). Finally in 1995 the Supreme Court ruled against the government when they wanted to criminalize carrying guns to school. In this case, US v Lopez, the Supreme Court decided that this was not an economic issue and was not covered within the Commerce Clause (Langran). However, the Supreme Court case US v. Morrison became the final breaking point for the government. In 2000 Congress wanted to ban the violence of women. â€Å"The Supreme Court ruled that if there was any other clarification on the Commerce Clause that there would be a fundamental upset within the balance of powers in the Constitution† (Natelson). Throughout America’s history there have been many attempts to improve health care for Americans. Both Democrats- Roosevelt and Truman- and Republicans-Nixon- have done their share of work to help, however, the most recent and successful help came from the Clintons. Creating a new task force, Hillary Clinton spent large sums of money to keep the public interested and willing to support her. When she ran for president against Obama, her largest campaign issue was health care. Her plan was to require all US residents to have some form of health care and that employers must provide health care. Ultimately her work was not enough and was not as favorable as Obama’s idea of lowering the cost of health care rather than requiring it (Health Care). Now Obama has reversed his position on mandates as he created Obamacare. Obama explained to CBS News, â€Å"I’ve been persuaded that there are enough young, uninsured people who are cheap to cover, but are opting out. To make sure that those folks are part of the overall pool is the best way to make sure that all premiums go down† (My Interview). On March 26-28 of 2012, Florida and twenty-six other states argued that that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional. During these two days, the Supreme Court listened to the oral arguments. The Affordable Care Act’s largest concept is the availability and affordability for all of America to have health care by 2014. The states questioned the act’s credibility of one’s individual mandate (Katz). The course of the health care case began with Florida on January 31, 2011 when a district judge challenged the new health care act. Claiming that the individual mandate within the reform was unconstitutional called for the whole Affordable Care Act to be nullified. Through the process of appeals, the court decided that the act did infringe on American’s rights; however, the whole bill did not need to be recalled. From this, the federal court took this issue to the Supreme Court (Claeys). All though the oral arguments are complete, the Supreme Court’s decision is not expected unit June of 2012 (Katz). Advocates of the mandate argue that the â€Å"mandate would force all Americans to share the cost of health care† (Health Care). The mandate forces all people to pay so there would be no issue of people paying for others. People would be supporting themselves by paying for their own health care. Supporters of mandatory health care justify their position with the fact that those who don’t think they will need it eventually will. It is better to be safe and have health care if and when you need it. Living in America, a citizen has personal freedoms and with that comes responsibility and maturity. Providing oneself with health care, according to advocates, is a responsibility that must be met in order for citizens to continue to have the freedoms that they do. There are thousands of people who still need health care, Obamacare makes it more affordable; therefore, people will be more willing to get a proper form of health care. Americans will be interested in their benefits which makes them more aware of the issues surrounding health care (Should Illegal Aliens). In 2011 there have been numerous court cases trying to decide if the Affordable Care Act is Constitutional. These cases, such as Thomas Moore law Center v. Barack Obama US President (Patient) are defined as a writ of certiorari law. According to the legal definition, writ of certiorari is â€Å"an order a higher court issues to order to review the decision and proceedings in a lower court to determine whether there were any irregularities† (Definitions). This order given by the Supreme Court so that they may receive a transmit of the records of the cases heard about this issue. According to the information, may it be presented that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act-Obamacare- be recalled. The ideas that the bill presents are effective and appropriate; however, this bill came too soon. America’s current health care system needs other changes before Obamacare may be used. Americans need to obtain health care on their own before it is mandatory. A possible bill to begin the new process may be to focus making Medicare more affordable and efficient. â€Å"In 2011, the federal government spent about $477 million in net Medicare† (Fixing Medicare). The spending rate needs to match up with the number of patients and their medical needs rather than taxing citizens to get quick, un-favored results. A large part of why America has been so successful is because American citizens respect and have pride for the United States of America. The country’s patriotism has brought upon much success including: ending slavery, the Wright brothers’ first airplane, defeating Germany in World War I, and Neil Armstrong being the first man on the moon. Starting in the late 1700’s, America became known as the â€Å"melting pot†. Our multiculturalism makes America successful because all people want to be a part of making the United States better. Over time more and more people have moved to the United States. People wanted to be considered Americans and be official citizens. In the 1990’s alone the US population has increased by twenty-five million people. Within the last one hundred years 197 million people have moved to the United States (Riche). These new people came to America because their lives would be different. New immigrants changed their names, learned English, and wanted to be a part of America. Rather than sticking to their old cultures and lifestyles, immigrants adapted to the American lifestyle. The number of immigrants grew so quickly that the United States had to limit the number of people per country to enter into the United States. The government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 to limit the number of Chinese immigrants entering the country. This act limited immigration in America to 170,000 Chinese people (National Archives). In June of 1866, the 14th Amendment was ratified into the United State’s Constitution. The 14th Amendment states that â€Å"all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and where they reside† (Rojas). This amendment was added to the Constitution to support and protect the freed African American population after the Civil War ended in 1865 (The Debate). This first part of the 14th Amendment is known as the Citizenship Clause. The second part of the 14th Amendment is the Equal Protection Clause which states â€Å"that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person their jurisdiction of equal protection of the laws† ( US History). In 1898 the Supreme Court case, US v. Wong Kim Ark, questioned whether the United States could deny naturalization to anyone born in the United States under the 14th Amendment. Born in San Francisco, Ark lived with his parents in California. At age twenty-one Ark traveled to China to visit his parents where his parents moved after living in the US for twenty years. Upon his return to the United States, Ark was denied entry. According to the Chinese Exclusion Act, no people of the Chinese race shall be permitted into the country. However, if Ark is considered to be US citizen this act does not apply to him. The Supreme Court concluded that the government could not deny citizenship to a person born in the United States. This case upheld the 14th Amendment (Rojas). Today this case has been upheld and been the foundation of how the Citizenship Clause is applied to United States citizens. Today the number of people moving to America still increases. However, there are another group of immigrants moving to America. In 2000, LIFE Act Amnesty estimated 900,000 illegal immigrants came into the United States. It is determined to be twelve to twenty million illegal immigrants residing in the United States today (Gheen). The rising issue in illegal immigration is the regularity of anchor babies. This term, anchor baby is classified as an illegal/non-citizen who came to the United States and gave birth to their child. Because their child is a US citizen according to the 14th Amendment, these families are able to convince the courts to let them stay and live in America (The Debate). This idea gives illegal immigrants an easy way to beat the system and live in America. Due to the large number of anchor babies born in America it is clear that their parents do not wish to become US citizens. Illegal immigrant families are able to get food stamps and Medicaid through the country’s tax dollars. Along with health care illegal immigrants are getting help putting their children through school. This changes the dynamics and level of public schools as they have to accommodate to these children. This issue has increased so quickly that organizations like FAIR, Federation for American Immigration Reform, has made more attempts to eliminate this problem. FAIR estimated that 425,000 illegal babies are born in the United States per year (McNeil). Other organizations have come together to push for this issue to be resolved. The state of Arizona has taken the imitative to end anchor baby citizenship. This bill, SB 1070, was written in June of 2010. Arizona’s bill â€Å"makes attrition through the enforcement of public policy of all agencies† (Senate Bill). This bill sets up the country for success by cracking down on an individual’s immigration status. If their paperwork is illegitimate, then they will be taken to the custody of US immigration and customs and enforcement. Arizona alone is estimated to have over 300,000 illegal immigrants. Supporters to stop anchor baby citizenship state that â€Å"maternity tourism† is only the beginning of the possibilities of the novelties to come surrounding illegal immigrants. If the United States wants to continue to have the power and the proper influence among the citizens, then they must stop this illegal, increasing birth rate. Eventually all of these children will grow up and be the anchor needed for the family to permanently stay in the country (Beck). Currently a US citizen may not sponsor a family member with a green care unless they are over twenty-one years of age (Kolken). In twenty years there will be an even larger issue with illegal immigration once all of these babies are an adult. Supporters confidently state that having their child in America was their poor decision and does not exempt them the from the law and the US immigration laws. Their bad choice will impact their children, they are illegal citizens and because their children are minors they have no choice but to follow their parents as they are deported (Should Illegal Aliens). On the other side, those against interfering with the immigration question if there is no harm to America’s National Guard then why interfere? Because the child is a US citizen, the parents are then forced to make the difficult decision of whether or not to separate their family until their papers are approved. This then increases the single parent, non-traditional family for many children (Should Illegal Aliens). Those against resolving the anchor baby â€Å"problem† see no real solution because the children are protected under the 14th Amendment and have the right to live in America. Rather than solving the problem, it is suggested that a bill would simply encourage more people to not renew or even get a green card because of the high chance of deportation (Beck). Children who are born in the Unites States should not be guaranteed citizenship if their parents are not legal citizens. The United States is one of eleven other countries who even have â€Å"jus soli† as an option. The legal phrasing of â€Å"jus soli† directly translates to â€Å"the right of the land† (McNeil). Many of these countries, not including the United States, has citizenship as an option. In 1980, Britain changed their Nationality Act to be a preference rather than a mandate for babies born in the country (The Debate). Germany changed their Nationality Act as well in 2000. â€Å"A child shall be a German citizen only it at least one parent has a permanent residence in Germany or lives in Germany for at least eight years (Nationality Act). The United States must amend the 14th Amendment and clarify the true meaning and value of a child born in America. In the 14th Amendment clearly defines the standards needed to be a US citizen then many of the nation’s current problems would be handled. Illegal parents whose children are keeping them here would be deported. There will be less problems with Medicaid and the country’s tax dollars will not be going to those who live here illegally and receive food stamps and putting their children through the public school system. All immigrants living in the United States will want to be here and will be able to receive the correct form of becoming a citizen. Amending the 14th Amendment will restore America’s patriotism and success. America has proven to be the strongest country in the world. In order for the United States to maintain their strong position, the government must take care of the country’s issues first. The country’s health care must not be fixed by Obamacare. A new bill must be enacted that slowly and correctly fixes the foundational issues of the system before requiring all people to have health care. If thirty-two million were to be on America’s current health care, the system would jam and eventually shut down. Along with fixing health care, the anchor baby citizenship issues must be handled. Ronald Reagan explained the problem perfectly, â€Å"a country that cannot control its borders isn’t a country† (Buchannan). Therefore the 14th Amendment must be clarified and steps must be taken to contain illegal immigration in order for the United States to see a successful future. Works Cited Beck, Roy. Anchor Babies: No More Citizenship. Bloomberg Business week. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. . Buchannan, Pat . Whose Country is This?. World Net Weekly. N.p., 2010. Web. 29 Apr 2012. . Claeys, Eric. Obamacare and the Limits of Judicial Conservatism. National Affairs. National Affairs, Summ. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . The Debate Over Anchor Babies And Citizenship. National Public Radio. 18 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. . Definitions: Writ of Certiorari Law Legal Definition. Uslegal.com. US Legal, Inc., 2012. Web. 29 Apr 2012. . Fixing Medicare. New York Time. N.p., 20 Nov 011. Web. 28 Apr 2012. . Gaziano, Todd, and Elizabeth Garvey. Commerce Clause: Expansion of National Power at †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Expense of Individual Liberty. American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2012. Gheen, W.. History of Illegal Immigration in the U.S.. End illegal immigration. Americans for †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Legal Immigration, 2012. Web. 29 Apr 2012. Health Care Mandates. Issues Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues Controversies. Facts †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦On File News Services, 16 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Health Reform Puts American Families and Small Business Owners in Control of Their Own Health Care. The White House. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. . Katz, Daniel. Supreme Court Considers Health Care Reform: Overview. American †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. Klein, Ezra. Who Obamacare Got to the Supreme Court. Washington Post. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. . Kolken Kolken Immigration Lawyers. Immigration Lawyers, US Immigration News and Law Updates. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. . Langran, Robert. Commerce Clause: Recent Interpretations Diminish State Sovereignty. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. McNeil, Brian. Goode Takes on anchor Baby Issue. Daily Progress. 5 Sept. 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. . My Interview with President Obama. CBS News. N.p., 27 July 2009. Web. 29 Apr 2012. . Natelson, Robert G. Commerce Clause: The Misinterpretation of the Commerce Clause. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. National Archives, . Chinese Exclusion Act (1882). Our documents. United States Archives, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1989. Web. 29 Apr 2012.

Examining The Story Of Beowulf Religion Essay

Examining The Story Of Beowulf Religion Essay After hours of self debate on why the Christian influences in Beowulf slowly die out and eventually cease to exist towards the end of the story; I have come to the conclusion that the monk who rewrote the story was not a full blooded Christian. In this time period, the pagan religion had not been completely dismantled, and it had been around at the same time as Christianity. The monk, I believe, was fighting an internal battle with himself. Two religions clashing inside of him, waging war through the very text he was rewriting. In the beginning of the text he adds heavy amounts of Christian influence but pagan beliefs such as: superhuman strength, revenge, and fate still linger amidst the Christian references. As the story progresses it is clear that the monks pagan beliefs are beginning to overtake his Christian beliefs. The beginning of the story through the battle with Grendel contains the largest amount of Christian reference and influence used by the monk and the least amount of pagan influence. The beginning consists of Grendel listening in on the Danes singing about the creation of the earth and man by the almighty ruler or God. He also listens in on them singing about his creation; he is a descendent of Cain, the brother killer, therefore Grendel is forced by God to live a life of exile. The first conflict between religions lies here; Grendel is forced to live a life of exile yet one of the main beliefs in Christianity is forgiveness. It is the Anglo-Saxon pagan belief that once a name is cursed, it is cursed forever. Hrothgars throne being protected by God is another Christian element along with God sending Beowulf to watch over Herot as a savior. It is not until Grendel sneaks back into herot that the pagan influences start to turn up again. Lines 24 through 27 of The Battle with Grendel rea d: Ere morning came, since fate had allowed him The prospect of plenty. Providence willed not To permit him any more of men under heaven To eat in the night-time. (Lesslie Hall 29) Now fate is showing up in the story, fate being a pagan belief, mixed in with the idea of Devine providence willing that Grendel shall kill no more. Then Beowulf exhibits more superhuman strength when Grendel cannot break his grip and he rips Grendels arm off; these are more pagan elements. Beowulf is protected by God in this section however. He has come to save the Danes, not seek revenge upon Grendel; Christianity does not believe in revenge. This section of the text was the beginning of the religious battle inside of the monk; this struggle becomes more evident as the story goes on. Before the battle with Grendels mother she bursts into Herot and takes Hrothgars closest friend as reparations for the death of her son. Before Beowulfs decent into the water to find Grendels mother he gives a speech about fate to the men. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that if fate decides that he will not win the battle, he wants him to be a king to his men and send the jewels that Hrothgar gave to him to Higelac, king of the Geats, to show how generous of a king he was to Beowulf. The monk is walking a tight-rope between religions here. Beowulf being the savior sent by God to save the Danes is now about to take revenge for them; however at the same time he is once again helping save them. Paganism comes into play once more here; Beowulf sinks down to the sea floor for nearly the entire day, these are more examples of superhuman traits. Once at the seafloor the monster has the upper-hand on Beowulf it seems; she grabs him and brings him to her lair, she destroys his helmet (which has never been done before) and Unfearths sword is unable to damage her. It would seem he is fighting a losing battle with Grendels mother until the monk begins adding more Christian influence to the text. Lines 79 through 82 of The Battle with Grendels Mother read: And had God most holy not awarded the victory, All knowing lord; easily did heavens Ruler most righteous arrange it with justice; Up rose he erect ready for battle. (Lesslie Hall 53) It appears as if the Monk is assuming that God is allowing Beowulf to live since he is the only man who can defeat this monster and save the Danes again, even though he is fighting the monster for revenge this time. Then once again Beowulf exhibits superhuman traits by picking up the giant sword and cutting Grendels mothers head off. It would seem that the monks pagan beliefs are beginning to overpower his Christian beliefs; there is a noticeable difference in the amount of Christian influence versus the amount of pagan influence being used in this portion of the text. The monk is beginning to doubt his faith in Christianity therefore he is adding more pagan elements to the story; for now though he is still using Christian elements to keep Beowulf alive. Now it has been many years since Beowulf saved the Danes; Higelac has passed away and Beowulf has become king of the Geats. A thief enters the lair of a dragon and steals his treasure; now the dragon begins to terrorize the land and Beowulf hears news of it. There is almost no Christian reference or influence in this section. The monk makes two different pagan references to fate in the same battle. On top of that Beowulf is only fighting the battle for fame to further secure his immortality after he passes on. In previous sections he was set apart from the rest of Anglo-Saxon culture because he was going out of his way to save the Danes because he was sent by God. It would seem that now he is just another warrior set out to kill for fame and treasure. Fate decides against him now when his shield is not strong enough to fend off the dragons fire and his sword breaks after piercing the dragons scales. All of his warriors save for one have no faith in him and run away. Compared to the b eginning and middle of the text the monk has only used pagan elements here. Beowulfs victory or defeat was based solely on fate; there was no Devine assistance given to him here. Beowulf kills the dragon with his knife but ends up being defeated as well; not before he is brought his treasure by Wiglaf, his follower, and then he tells Wiglaf to build a massive tower that will forever immortalize him. Beowulf gets his treasure and immortality but at the price of his own life. Compared to the beginning and middle of the text the Christian influence has dissolved completely and left the pagan influence to thrive. It is known that paganism and Christianity were around side by side in this time period. Pagans were being converted to Christians by the Catholic Church and it is a possibility that this monk was a pagan convert. This possibility supports my theory that the monk may have been balancing upon a razors edge, this edge being the line between religions. The monk was fighting an internal battle between paganism and Christianity and the text was directly affected by this. Whether or not he intended his struggle to be shown in the text he was rewriting we will never know, but it certainly has been. The beginning of Beowulf starts out with heavy amounts of Christian influence and little amounts of pagan influence. The battle of religions begins around the middle of the story when Beowulf battles Grendels Mother. The end of the religious war comes at the battle with the dragon when paganism seems to have won and leaves Beowulf to die. All we can do is speculate about this monks life; did he l ose faith in Christianity or keep his pagan roots? Maybe one day we will finally have the answer to that question.

The First Globe Theater :: essays research papers

The First Globe Theater The Globe Theater was built around 1598 in London’s Bankside district. It was one of four major theaters in the area - the others were the Swan, the Rose, and the Hope. It was an open air octagonal amphitheater that could seat up to 3, 000 spectators. The theater was three stories high, with a diameter of approximately 100 feet. The rectangular stage platform on which the plays were performed was nearly 43 feet wide and 28 feet deep. The staging area housed trap doors in its floorings and primitive rigging overhead for various stage effects. The original Globe theater was constructed by the Lord Chamberlain’s men, the acting group to which Shakespeare belonged. Before the Globe was constructed, they performed at the Blackfriar Theater in the heart of London. But having a theater in the heart of London was a bad idea because the plague caused frequent closings. After a year of closure due to the plague, the company stripped the Blackfriar to its foundation and moved the materials across the river to the Bankside. There, they proceeded to build the Globe. Their decision to do this stirred up some controversy because the Blackfriar was leased to the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The owner, who had been away from London at the time that this was happening, filed a lawsuit against the company. But the company won the case and the theater. The Globe was destroyed by fire in 1613 when , during a production of Henry VIII, a cannon was fired above the stage to signal some important business of the play. The wadding that stuffed the cannon, which was some form of heavy cloth, was ignited by the explosion and shot up out of the auditorium and landed on the dry thatch roof. The straw caught fire and in only minutes the entire building was consumed in flame. But amazingly, not one person was killed. Here is the first verse from a sonnet about the fire that destroyed the Globe Theater- â€Å"A tearful fire began above, A wonder strange and true, And to the stagehouse did remove, As rouns as tailor’s chew; And burnt down both beam and snag And did not spare the silken flag, O sorrow, pitiful sorrow, And yet all this true.† The second Globe theater, which was rebuilt to be the most expensive and complicated in England ever built, was completed before Shakespeare’s death in 1616.

Legend of the Body in the Bed Essay -- Urban Legends

Body in the Bed The legend of the â€Å"Body in the Bed† has been retold over and over again for years. It is a very popular story, usually taking place at a hotel or motel in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, or in a remote location in the desert nearby (â€Å"Strange Smells from the Hotel Bed†). Various â€Å"spin-offs† and variations to the legend have arisen since its inception, believed to be in the early 1990s. Many examples supporting the legend have come to the surface over time. They provide a possible explanation to the origin of the legend. The version I collected was told to me by my girlfriend, on March 29th. She has been fascinated by urban legends since as far back as she can remember. Although she recounted several legends to me, I chose this particular one because it was my favorite. Before retelling the legend, she told me that I could easily find this story online. However, I told her that I would prefer if she retold it in the manner she first heard it. Her version of the legend goes as follows: A man traveling on a business trip arrived at a motel, checked in, and proceeded to his room. Once he got in, he became aware that the room had a very foul smell, practically unbearable. He called the desk clerk asking for another room, but there were none available. The desk clerk sent over a maid to clean the room and try to get the smell out while the man went to dinner. When he returned, he didn’t smell the foul smell. He showered, settled in, and went to bed. After some time, the man awoke to the horrible smell again. It was too late to call the desk clerk, so he began looking around, trying to figure out where the smell came from. He searched everywhere, but found that the smell was strongest around the bed. Finally... ...tivity would not agree with what goes on during the course of the honeymoon period. This legend plays upon all of the factors to warn against these â€Å"sinful† activities. It reminds us that we should not partake in activities out of lust or greed, for it may take over our lives and change who we are. It warns us to not seek these pleasures blindly, for we may be missing what is really going on directly under our noses. Works Cited Mikkelson, Barbara (2 November 2006). â€Å"The Bawdy Under the Bed.† Retrieved March 30th, 2007 from http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/bodybed.asp. Murphy, Autumn. â€Å"The Body in the Bed-An Urban Legend.† Retrieved March 30th, 2007 from http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/classics/Classics.htm. â€Å"Strange Smells From the Hotel Bed.† Retrieved March 30th, 2007 from http://www.halloweenghoststories.com/legends/strange1-2.html.

President Noynoy Aquino’s Sona Essay

It’s not easy to make a change, but it’s god that we take even a single step to achieve change. The mainstream of Aquino’s Sona is about the utak wang-wang of the government officials not just in streets but also in government and our economy. He is persistent to end the culture of wang-wang, or I may say his obsession to remove the utak wang-wang in our government. To end the â€Å"wang-wang† culture in the government, there are some of the ways or solutions that our government had achieved. The ratings of hunger has dropped from 20. 5% in March to 15. % this June, as said by the Filipino families who used to be hungry but now can eat properly every day. The upgrade of credit ratings. proper taxation. Solutions for anomalies in Region 4B. From 1. 3 million metric tons of rice storage, it has gone down to 660 000 metric tons as Aquino said â€Å"Ang gusto nating mangyari: Una, hindi tayo aangkat ng hindi kailangan, para lang punan ang bulsa ng mga gusting magsariling-diskarte ng kita sa agrikultura; Ikalawa: Ayaw nating umasa sa pag-angkat, ang isasaing ni Juan dela Cruz ditto ipupunla, ditto aanihin, ditto bibilhin†. He also implemented the pabahay for the policemen and soldiers by awarding 4000 Certificate of Entitlement to Lot Allocation. Also, soon we will have the possibility in upgrading modernization of equipments for our armed forces, this goes to show how far our economy will go with good governance, and we can buy equipments at good prices without having to place envelopes in anyone’s pockets. Walang tayong balak mang-away, pero kailangan ding mabatid ng mundo na handa tayong ipagtanggol ang atin†, our government is now studying the possibility of elevating the case on the West Philippines Sea to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Another is to decrease the incidents of car napping; create jobs for the jobless is somewhat achieved, because it was said that in April 2010 the unemployment rates was 8%, in April 2011 it was at 7. 2%. here is hope, there is always hope indeed because the ambition of the Filipinos is to work abroad but now Filipinos can take their pick, as long as we pursue our dreams with determination and diligence, we can realize them. Another achievement is the law Synchronizing ARMM the national elections. He discussed the issue in PAGCOR who spent 1 billion on coffee alone. The assigned a new Ombudsman and he expect that this year they will fill the first major cases against corrupt and their accomplices. Now the DOJ is fulfilling its role in cases regarding tax evasion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, graft and corruption, extrajudicial killings and etc. â€Å"Good governance yields positive results†, our president said, they will ensure that the people’s money is put in rightful place. Aside from what I listed, there are a lot of things that our government has achieved as stated in Aquino’s Sona . Aquino strongly stand that â€Å"May mga nagsasabing pinepersonal ko raw ang paghahabol sa mga tiwali. Totoo po: Personal talaga sa akin ang paggawa ng tama, at ang pagpapanagot sa mga gumagawa ng mali – ino man sila. At hindi lamang dapat ako ang namemersonal sa usaping ito. Personal dapat ito sa ating lahat, dahil bawat Pilipino ay biktima nito. † Truly, corruption affects us all. Corruption is a personal thing to Aquino for everyone should not repeat the mistakes we committed in the past; instead of forgiving those corrupt officials they must face the consequence of their action. It is good to know that our government headed by our president is taking actions to this angst and major dilemma. We heard different allegations of corruption in AFP, Department of agriculture, PCSO, PAGCOR, DPWH, BIR, Bureau of Customs and etc. Corruption is everywhere, from national government to local one’s, making it a number one priority is a good thing or an obsession to totally terminate it. â€Å"Bibigyan natin ang mga maralitang pamilyang ito ng pagkakataong makahaon sa buhay, dahil ang pag-asenso nila ay pag-angat ng bung bansa. † â€Å"Nagtatag ng pagbabago upang mas mapatibay ang pundasyon ng maaliwalas na buhay para sa lahat. â€Å"Mamumuhunan tayo sa taumbayan, habang namumuhunan din sa kalikasan. † Huwag po nating limutin: inasasayang lang ang lahat n gating narrating kung hindi tuluyang maiwawaksi ang kultura ng korupsyon na dinatnan natin. † Those are just some of the words of wisdom and priorities said by Aquino which can be achieved in his term as he promised, thus, making it one of my favorites. â€Å"Kailangan manatiling magkatugma ang ating mga programa, dahil ang ikauunlad ng buong bansa ay manganganak din ng resulta sa inyong pook†. According to him there are laws that the congress has approved such as GOCC governance, ARMM synchronization, Lifeline Electricity Rates Extension, Joint congressional power commission extension, children and infant’s mandatory immunization and women night workers. He also promised that they will deliver to the congress their budget proposal for 2012 and is looking forward to its early passage so that they can build on our current momentum. To sum it all up, here are the topics that had been tackled in Aquino’s 2nd Sona . He vows to end the culture of wang-wang; he aims that our country will have a cheaper, more reliable source of energy; more honest DPWH; no more over-importation of rice; better benefits for police and military; better implementation of anti-traficking in persons act; employment; good health programs for the poor; law synchronizing ARMM with national elections; solution to flood problems; development of prototype monorail system for our country; he calls private sectors to pay proper taxes; he said that â€Å"Spartly islands are ours and the government will defend the country’s territory and sovereignty†; his administration is ready to submit the national budger to congress; he appoints the new Ombudsman; lastly, he asks the Filipinos to stop crab mentality, as he verbalized â€Å"let us make the effort to recognize the good that is being done. If you see something right, do not think twice, praise it. † There is a praise that strucked me: â€Å"Bago ka umuwi galling sa eskuwela, lapitan mo ang guro mong piniling mamuhunan sa iyong kinabukasan kaysa unahin ang sariling ginhawa, sabihin mo, salamat po. † As a student teacher, these made my heart warm; I was somewhat astonished that our president recognized the teachers who are working hard in imparting knowledge and values to the students despite of the small salary. As a student teacher I will take this as an inspiration, to be a great teacher someday. For me, I do believe that we already made a change. With an honest and rightful government, it is possible, with the government headed by our president’s way of making a right path or tuwid na landas. It’s only been a year since Aquino stepped into the position of presidency, but as we can see there are changes, good changes. I know this is just a beginning; there are many things for all of us. Yes, we do still have five years left to make a change and progress in all aspects of our economy, but one thing we must know, change and progress should come from ourselves, change over wrongdoings then impart the good ones to be better and have a great and better life someday.

Spartans and Special Forces

The Spartans were the Special Forces (SF) of their time. Now we have Delta Force, Navy SEALS, Green Berets, Marine Force RECON and Army Rangers. All are small elite groups of warriors trained to kill. How many of today’s warriors would equal one Spartan? Given the vast differences in technology and the way that battles are fought, who would come out on top? Spartan warriors are taken from their families at the age of seven to begin the training of a warrior. These boys where placed into groups also referred to as â€Å"packs† and sent to Agoge, what we today call boot camp.While in Agoge they became accustomed to hardship and given just minimal amounts of food and clothing to survive. By having just enough to get by they were encouraged to steal. If they where caught stealing they would be punished, not for stealing, but for being caught. The boys where also encouraged to compete in mock fights and games to promote unity. They learned songs of Spartan victories and how to read and write. They didn’t learn how to read and write for cultural purposes, but rather so that they could read maps. When the boys reached the age of 12 they became youths.Much more was demanded of youths than children. They began a more intensified physical training regime, were given extra tasks and discipline became harsher. They were forced to go barefoot and wear only a tunic in both summer and winter. When the boys reached the age of 18 they became young adults. They served as trainers for the youths. Also included in this category where the most promising youths. These elite boys where the ones that stood out among all others and chosen for possible leadership positions. When a Spartan turned 20 years of age he became eligible for service in the military.They joined a â€Å"messes† ( a group meal ) consisting of fifteen men of various ages. The ones who where not chosen for the messes where given a lesser citizenship. Only soldiers where of equal status an d rank. Until the age of thirty the Spartan soldiers spent almost all of their time in the barracks with the unit. This included even soldiers that where married. Spartans remained in the military until the age of sixty. Today, at the age of seven, children are in school and living with their families in a warm home. They have enough food and clothing provided that there is no need to steal.The only type of training they are receiving is basic schooling and fighting gets you in nothing but trouble. The only other type of military training a child can receive would be if they where sent to a military academy and only wealthiest of families can afford to do that. At the age of 12 what was expected of youths is a little more demanding than that of a child. You are expected to do more chores and the physical training is from playing with your friends or gym class at school. We definitely didn’t wear a tunic in both summer and winter and you are only barefoot if you want to be.We have plenty of clothes for all seasons and footwear to stay protected from the elements. Now we reach the age of 18 and you have either graduated from high school or received your GED. Then and only then you are allowed to join the military after meeting one of these two goals. For the most fortunate of this age group, they may go to college. For the ones who want to become leaders in the military they go to a military academy like West Point or The Citadel to become officers. For those who chose to just join the military, they go to basic training. This is nothing compared to what the Spartans have already been through.They have already been in training now for 12 years. Basic training only lasts eight weeks and then you go on to your military occupational specialty (MOS) school which could last up to a year. If you become and infantryman like a Spartan begins as, you have an additional 11 weeks of training to complete. In the Army you can apply for Special Forces Green Berets, and if you are chosen you now begin more intensified training. If you are one of the few enlisted men or officers chosen for Special Forces you now must complete the SF Qualification (Q) Course.The Q Course can last anywhere from 12 to 24 months depending on the MOS you choose. Special Forces soldiers have four MOS categories to choose from: Weapons Expert (18B), Engineer (18C), Medic (18D) and Communications (18E). When an officer trains for SF they are only given one MOS to choose from Career Management (18A). When you have completed your SF training you are then assigned to your unit and then to your team. At age 20 you have been in the military for two to three years and have moved up the ranks to at least a Specialist or Corporal in the Army.If you chose to go one of the military academies you are half way through your training and the process of getting your degree, which is required to be an officer in the military. Unlike Spartans though, today you are allowed to be at home wit h your family and only if you are single you are not committed to staying in the barracks with the unit. There are other daily rituals that you do while with your unit, such as physical training (PT), training with the unit at the range and cleaning your equipment. Those are only a few of the things that you do with the unit.Special Forces units, unlike Spartans, have what is referred to as a Real World Mission, meaning they can deploy to any part of the world within 24 hours. They are SF Teams deployed today in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, the war on drugs in Central and South America and SF Teams in Africa on Peace Keeping missions. When you reach your 20 year mark in the military you have the choice of retiring or staying in longer. If I where to have stayed in for twenty years I would have retired at the age of 42.Being part of the military until the age of 60 is not required of any soldier today. Spartans, like the citizens of many other Greek States, where trained as soldiers and used the Phalanx formation in battle. The Phalanx formation was rectangular in design and the Spartans where the masters in the use of this formation. The traditional formation consisted of a strait line of men in a file 8 to 12 deep. This formation used pushing and required a lot of strength and stamina to endure long days of fighting. The Elite, as they are referred to, would take up the honorary right flank when fighting with their allies.When they broke through the line of the enemy, as they usually did, the Spartans would sweep left and roll through the enemy. The picture below is that of a Phalanx formation and shows the position of Elite forces on the honorary right side of the formation. [pic] [pic] The above picture is that of a Phalanx formation. The tactics of today’s soldier are vastly more superior because of the way battles are fought. Battles today are not fought by masses of men on one field of battle slugging it out with spears, swords and shields. Today, we rely heavily on technology to fight our battles.The Spartans didn’t have the luxury of a Tomahawk cruise missile or artillery barrage to soften a target before attacking the enemy. Special Forces soldiers are taught Small Unit Tactics, SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) tactics, Combat Skills Training and Special Forces Field Craft Training. All of this training combined prepares the soldiers for their Unconventional Warfare Combat Exercise called â€Å"Robin Sage† at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This exercise demonstrates the skills that the Special Forces soldiers have been taught over a 28 day period.For a Spartan to have achieved this type of training he would have been training for almost 14 years. The Spartan would have been much more refined in his combat skills than the average Special Forces soldier. Spartans wore hoplite armor which consisted of armor with flanged bronze cuirasses, leg greaves and a Corinthia n style helmet. The weapons they would have carried into battle would have been a bronze shield weighing up to 15 pounds known as a Hoplon, a 6 to 10 foot spear called a Sarissas for thrusting at advancing soldiers and a two foot long sword called a Xiphos for thrusting and cutting in close combat.All of this equipment was simple and yet very effective on the battlefield. Below is a picture of a Spartan soldier with all of his equipment needed for battle. [pic] The equipment of a Special Forces soldiers varies drastically from one combat theatre to the next. The basic equipment used consists of a uniform with boots, knee pads, elbow pads, protective eyewear, Interceptor Body armor with Ballistic plates to stop a hi-powered rifle round, a ballistic helmet. The weapons carried by Special Forces Soldiers also vary from mission to mission. The basic weapons carried on a mission for an SF soldier are an M-4 5. 6 millimeter Carbine, M-9 9 millimeter pistol, a bayonet, ammunition for both the pistol and rifle and hand grenades. Below is a group of Special Forces Soldiers posing for a photo in Iraq. [pic] In my opinion, the Spartans would be the toughest of the tough. They endured many more hardships over the span of their lifetime. They where taken from their families at the age of seven and spent their lives in the military. We, on the other hand, have all the luxuries one could ever want, and more. We are not brought up to be killing machines like the Spartans were. Thankfully most of us will never have to kill another human being in our lifetime.References Headquarters, Department of the Army, Field Manual (FM) 3-05, Army Special Operations Forces, September 2006 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved: December 12, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Forces_Qualification_Course Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved: December 12, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_Robin_Sage ABC News, Retrieved: December 12, 2009 from http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/ht_berets06_070530_ssh.jpg Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved: November 11, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved: November 11, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartan_Army Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved: December 12, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_formation Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved: December 12, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hop2.jpg Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved: December 12, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Greek_Phalanx.jpg Military Factory, website about ancient and modern weapons and armor Retrieved: December 13, 2009 from http://www.militaryfactory.com/ancient-warfare/spartan-hoplite.asp

Look Under Description

With vast referencing to Allah in the various stories compiling The Arabian Nights, comparison of story to the teachings of the Quran are a warranted article for evaluation.   In the introductory story, Story of King Shahryar and His Brother, the King discovers his wife to be an adulteress and decides to bestow upon her punishment by execution. With his brother having suffered the same through the actions of his own wife, the king concludes that all women are not to be trusted and that the world would benefit through having a fewer number of them.   As a result of this resolve, he commits to marrying one virgin a night, taking her to his bed, and then having her killed in the morning.   This practice continues for years.   Sura 24, Al-NÃ… «r, of the Quran offers an excellent foundation to discover if the actions in the story coincide with the codes of conduct taught in Islam with respect to women’s role in marriage and in society. Systematically reviewing the Sura, one may conclude that no definitive variation is stated between women’s societal role and that of men.   However, her role of being a woman and what that means in respect to protecting herself and her chastity is addressed.   Instruction is given to men to â€Å"restrain their looks and guard their senses† (24:31-32).   This instruction is given also to women, with the addition of hiding their beauty and adornments from those outside of specified individuals, stating that the beauty and adornments of a woman are reserved for her husband. They are not to be concerned with showing themselves to those who either are too young to understand the relationship between man and woman, or individuals outside of the family who have no desire for women (24:31-32).   In the Story of King Shahryar and His Brother, the king’s wives are spoken of as being beautiful.   It does not make reference to how they are dressed, but the impression is made that they are not covered as instructed by the Quran.   This is not to suggest that the failure to cover is cause for their demise, but a simple observation. The actions of the younger brother, King of Samarkand, are an obvious and blatant rebellion against Islamic rule in accordance to Sura 24.   While the witnessing of a wife committing adultery by the husband alone is evidence for punishment, he must â€Å"bear witness four times in the name of Allah that he is telling the truth, and a fifth time that Allah’s curse be upon him if he lies† (24:7-11).   This younger brother took it upon himself to kill his wife, and mentioned nothing of the situation to anyone until he spoke of it to his brother some time later.   Though the eldest King, King Shahryar, was not the sole witness to his wife’s sin, his punishment of murder is not the instructed penalty. However, it is not this murder, but the many that took place daily thereafter, in conjunction with the terms of arrangement, which pose such a contradiction to Sura 24.   A man and a woman are to be arranged in marriage (24:33-35).   Again, this reflects equality between the sexes, as both are under the same instruction.   In the story, this arranged marriage is seen routinely between the King and his nightly bride.   The difference being that in the story, these women were given to him out of fear by their families.   This marriage arrangement was by the king more so than by the woman’s controlling figures. There are similarities between Story of King Shahryar and His Brother and the Quran, however, the differences are more severe.   It would be an act of ignorance to take any of the stories from The Arabian Nights and use them as an indicator of Islam and the teachings of the Quran.   This story did not accurately reflect what a marriage is in Islam, nor did it make reference to a woman’s role either in marriage, in society, or in self.   The story depicts a woman as somebody who can be assigned and given away much in the way you would assign or give away material property.   Such a story does not echo the lessons of Islam found Sura 24, or of Islam as a whole. References Burton, R. (1850). The Arabian Nights Khan, MZ. (1997) The Qur’an: Arabic text with a new translation by Muhammad Zafrulla KhanI. Brooklyn: Olive Branch Press

Artistic Nudity

Artistic censorship is the downfall of high school artwork. The classroom is being subjected to rules which limit the subject of students’ work. Censorship creates a naive and uneducated society, which in turn produces more and more generations of naive children. When a person puts their art out in the public to be judged, just that should happen. It should not be covered or hidden, censored or discarded. Art is impractically criticized based on its subject. It should be looked at as one person’s opinion, not a public’s fear.You are lying naked, exposed and vulnerable on a hard, uncushioned wooden floor. Your innermost feelings and opinions are painted out for the world to see; you can do nothing except accept the ruthless opinions of others. Exposing yourself to the public places an indescribable pit in your stomach. It puts you in the most defenseless of positions. Your beliefs are too radical. In turn, the common man suppresses them, and your vulnerability inc reases. You are shut down, pushed aside and hidden in a closet where you will sit to collect dust.Your opinions are there with you. They are unwanted by the outside world, and therefore, censored. Did you hear that dirty word just come out of your mouth? It was appalling; your mother would be ashamed of you. Censored. What were you thinking? Nothing should be censored. Nothing should sit pushed aside. It should all be out for the world to see, and to criticize. Your opinions, your artistic opinions, put into a tangible form should never, ever be hidden. Censorship is best defined as when an individual is forced to â€Å"suppress their own values, attitudes and beliefs. (Anderson and Garoian, 1996). It is the black rectangle that covers nudity, the obnoxious bleep that blocks out profanities and the curtain that discloses art work. In high school classrooms, the issue of art censorship has become increasingly prevalent in the last ten years. (Kushner, 1999). Educators, high school s taff members and community critics have begun to draw a line segregating what is acceptable and what is not. That line is continually getting tighter, meaning the level of acceptability is becoming more and more strict.Technology, warfare, politics and drug use are all maturing; with this, comes the maturity of high school students’ opinions. Then, in turn, comes advancing art: which many older (and often more conservative) people find shocking or offending. Art is created to appeal to or offend different interest groups. Artists intentionally compose their pieces to â€Å"challenge the assumptions of the audience [and] provoke reaction and discussion. † (Anderson and Garoian, 1996). Provocation is the one and only reason to ever create a piece of art.If, for any reason, this provocation is censored, it depletes the entire artistic background of a work of art. Art without meaning is simply decoration. In the classroom, suppression is forcing art to fit into a square bo x, â€Å"devoid of all values. † (Garoian and Anderson, 1996). Radical viewpoints are by far the most effective way for an artist to gain attention from an audience. When these viewpoints are unable to be viewed, people are no longer attracted to art. Censorship eliminates public interest in art and increases the naivety of a society.All over the country and more so all over the world, people are afraid of new ideas. They are afraid of encountering real, exposed-to-the-bone artistic nudity. This fear embeds itself in our entire culture, forcing censors to eliminate things we supposedly don’t want to see. Simply eliminating things that are different creates a very innocent society. Without being exposed to new things, we become victims of the censors, and that is never a good thing. So as the future progresses, my art work will continue to push past the black censor bar.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Thirteen

â€Å"IT'S NOT FUNNY!' â€Å"Youre right,' agreed Sydney. â€Å"It's not funny. It's hilarious.' We were back at Raymond's house, in the privacy of our room. It had taken forever for us to get away from the fireside festivities, particularly after learning a terrible fact about a Keeper custom. Well, I thought it was terrible, at least. It turned out that if someone wanted to marry someone else around here, the prospective bride and groom each had to battle it out with the other's nearest relative of the same sex. Angeline had spotted Joshua's interest from the moment I'd arrived, and when she'd seen the bracelet, she'd assumed some sort of arrangement had been made. It therefore fell on her, as his sister, to make sure I was worthy. She still didn't like or entirely trust me, but proving myself a capable fighter had shot me up in her esteem, allowing her to consent to our â€Å"engagement.' It had then taken a lot of fast-talking to convince everyone– including Joshua–that there was no engagement. Had there been, I'd learned, Dimitri would have had to stand in as my â€Å"relative' and fight Joshua. â€Å"Stop that,' I chastised. Dimitri leaned against one of the room's walls, arms crossed, watching as I rubbed where Angeline had hit my cheekbone. It was hardly the worst injury I'd ever had, but I'd definitely have a bruise tomorrow. There was a small smile on his face. â€Å"I told you not to encourage him,' came Dimitri's calm response. â€Å"Whatever. You didn't see this coming. You just didn't want me to–‘ I bit off my words. I wouldn't say what was on my mind: that Dimitri was jealous. Or possessive. Or whatever. I just knew he'd been irritated to see me friendly with Joshua †¦ and very amused at my outrage over Angeline's attack. I abruptly turned to Sydney, who was just as entertained as Dimitri. In fact, I was pretty sure I'd never seen her smile so much. â€Å"Did you know about this custom?' â€Å"No,' she admitted, â€Å"but I'm not surprised. I told you they're savage. A lot of ordinary problems are settled by fights like that.' â€Å"It's stupid,' I said, not caring that I was whining. I touched the top of my head, wishing I had a mirror to see if Angeline had taken a noticeable chunk of hair. â€Å"Although †¦ she wasn't bad. Unpolished, but not bad. Are they all that tough? The humans and Moroi too?' â€Å"That's my understanding.' I pondered that. I was annoyed and embarrassed by what had happened, but I had to admit the Keepers were suddenly way more interesting. How ironic that such a backward group had the insight to teach everyone to fight, no matter their race. Meanwhile, my own â€Å"enlightened' culture still refused to teach defense. â€Å"And that's why Strigoi don't bother them,' I murmured, recalling breakfast. I didn't even realize what I'd said until Dimitri's smile dropped. He glanced toward the window, face grim. â€Å"I should check in with Boris again and see what he's found.' He turned back toward Sydney. â€Å"It won't take long. We don't all need to go. Should I just take your car since I only have to go a little ways?' She shrugged and reached for her keys. We'd learned earlier that Sydney's phone could pick up a signal about ten minutes from the village. He was right. There really was no reason for us all to go for a quick phone call. After my fight, Sydney and I were reasonably safe. No one would mess with me now. Still †¦ I didn't like the thought of Dimitri reliving his Strigoi days alone. â€Å"You should still go,' I told her, thinking fast. â€Å"I need to check in on Lissa.' Not entirely a lie. What my friends had heard from Joe was still weighing on me. â€Å"I can usually still keep track of what's going on around me at the same time, but it might be better if you're away–especially in case Alchemists do show up.' My logic was faulty, though her colleagues were still a concern. â€Å"I doubt they'd come while it's dark,' she said, â€Å"but I don't really want to hang out if you're just going to stare into space.' She didn't admit it, and I didn't need to say anything, but I suspected she didn't want someone else driving her car anyway. Dimitri thought her coming was unnecessary and said as much, but apparently, he didn't feel like he could boss her around as much as me. So, they both set out, leaving me alone in the room. I watched them wistfully. Despite how annoying his earlier mockery had been, I was worried about him. I'd seen the effect of the last call and wished I could be there now to comfort him. I had a feeling he wouldn't have allowed that, so I accepted Sydney's accompaniment as a small victory. With them gone, I decided I really would check in with Lissa. I'd said it more as an excuse, but truthfully, it beat the alternative–going back out and socializing. I didn't want any more people congratulating me, and apparently, Joshua had read my â€Å"maybe' and acceptance of the bracelet as a real commitment. I still thought he was devastatingly cute but couldn't handle seeing his adoration. Sitting cross-legged on Angeline's bed, I opened myself to the bond and what Lissa was experiencing. She was walking through the halls of a building I didn't recognize at first. A moment later, I got my bearings. It was a building at Court that housed a large spa and salon–as well as the hideout of Rhonda the gypsy. It seemed weird that Lissa would be going to get her fortune told, but once I got a glimpse of her companions, I knew she was up to something else. The usual suspects were with her: Adrian and Christian. My heart leapt at seeing Adrian again–especially after the Joshua Incident. My last spirit dream had been too brief. Christian was holding Lissa's hand as they walked, his grip warm and reassuring. He looked confident and determined–though with that typically snarky half-smile of his. Lissa was the one who felt nervous and was clearly bracing herself for something. I could feel her dreading her next task, even though she believed it was necessary. â€Å"Is this it?' she asked, coming to a halt in front of a door. â€Å"I think so,' said Christian. â€Å"That receptionist said it was the red one.' Lissa hesitated only a moment and then knocked. Nothing. Either the room was empty or she was being ignored. She held up her hand again, and the door opened. Ambrose stood there, stunning as always, even in jeans and a casual blue T-shirt. The clothing hugged his body in a way that showed off every muscle. He could have walked straight off the cover of GQ. â€Å"Hey,' he said, clearly surprised. â€Å"Hey,' said Lissa back. â€Å"We were wondering if we could talk to you?' Ambrose ever so slightly inclined his head toward the room. â€Å"I'm kind of busy right now.' Beyond him, Lissa could see a massage table with a Moroi woman lying face down. The lower half of her body had a towel over it, but her back was bare, shining in the dim lighting with oil. Scented candles burned in the room, and a calming kind of New Age music played softly. â€Å"Wow,' said Adrian. â€Å"You don't waste any time, do you? She's only been in her grave a few hours, and you've already got someone new.' Tatiana had finally been laid to rest earlier in the day, just before sunset. The burial had had much less fanfare than the original attempt. Ambrose gave Adrian a sharp look. â€Å"She's my client. It's my job. You forget that some of us have to work for a living.' â€Å"Please?' asked Lissa, hastily stepping in front of Adrian. â€Å"It won't take long.' Ambrose looked my friends over a moment and then sighed. He glanced behind him. â€Å"Lorraine? I have to step outside. I'll be right back, okay?' â€Å"Okay,' called the woman. She shifted, facing him. She was older than I'd expected, mid-forties or so. I guess if you were paying for a massage, there was no reason not to have a masseuse half your age. â€Å"Hurry back.' He gave her a dazzling smile as he shut the door, a smile that dropped once he was alone with my friends. â€Å"Okay, what's going on? I don't like the looks on your faces.' Ambrose might have radically deviated from a dhampir man's normal life, but he'd had the same training as any guardian. He was observant. He was always on the lookout for potential threats. â€Å"We, uh, wanted to talk to you about †¦' Lissa hesitated. Talking about investigations and interrogations was one thing. Carrying them out was another. â€Å"About Tatiana's murder.' Ambrose's eyebrows rose. â€Å"Ah. I see. Not sure what there is to say, except that I don't think Rose did it. I don't think you believe that either, despite what's going around. Everyone's talking about how shocked and upset you are. You're getting a lot of sympathy over having been tricked by such a dangerous and sinister â€Å"friend.† Lissa felt her cheeks flush. By publicly condemning me and renouncing our friendship, Lissa was keeping herself out of trouble. It had been Abe and Tasha's advice, and Lissa knew it was sound. Yet, even though it was an act, she still felt guilty. Christian stepped to her defense. â€Å"Back off. That's not what this is about.' â€Å"What is it about then?' asked Ambrose. Lissa jumped in, worried Christian and Adrian might upset Ambrose and make it difficult to get answers. â€Å"Abe Mazur told us that in the courtroom, you said or, uh, did something to Rose.' Ambrose looked shocked, and I had to give him points for being convincing. â€Å"Did something? What does that mean? Does Mazur think I, like, hit on her in front of all those people?' â€Å"I don't know,' admitted Lissa. â€Å"He just saw something, that's all.' â€Å"I wished her good luck,' said Ambrose, still looking offended. â€Å"Is that okay?' â€Å"Yeah, yeah.' Lissa had made a point to talk to Ambrose before Abe could, fearing Abe's methods would involve threats and a lot of physical force. Now, she was wondering if she was doing so great a job. â€Å"Look, we're just trying to find out who really killed the queen. You were close to her. If there's anything–anything–at all you've got that can help us, we'd appreciate it. We need it.' Ambrose glanced curiously between them. Then, he suddenly understood. â€Å"You think I did it! That's what this is about.' None of them said anything. â€Å"I can't believe this! I already got this from the guardians †¦ but from you? I thought you knew me better.' â€Å"We don't know you at all,' said Adrian flatly. â€Å"All we know is you had lots of access to my aunt.' He pointed at the door. â€Å"And obviously, it didn't take you long to move on.' â€Å"Did you miss the part where I said that's my job? I'm giving her a massage, that's it. Not everything is sordid and dirty.' Ambrose shook his head in frustration and ran a hand through his brown hair. â€Å"My relationship with Tatiana wasn't dirty either. I cared about her. I would never do anything to hurt her.' â€Å"Don't statistics say most murders happen between close people?' asked Christian. Lissa glared at him and Adrian. â€Å"Stop it. Both of you.' She looked back at Ambrose. â€Å"No one's accusing you of anything. But you were around her a lot. And Rose told me you were upset about the age law.' â€Å"When I first heard about it, yeah,' Ambrose said. â€Å"And even then, I told Rose there was some mistake–that there must be something we didn't know. Tatiana would have never put those dhampirs in danger without a good reason.' â€Å"Like making herself look good in front of all those terrified royals?' asked Christian. â€Å"Watch it,' warned Adrian. Lissa couldn't decide which was more annoying: her two guys teaming up to spar against Ambrose or them throwing barbs at each other. â€Å"No!' Ambrose's voice rang throughout the narrow hall. â€Å"She didn't want to do that. But if she didn't, worse things were going to happen. There are people who wanted–still want–to round up all the dhampirs who don't fight and force them into it. Tatiana passed the age law as a way to stall that.' Silence fell. I'd already learned this from Tatiana's note, but it was shocking news to my friends. Ambrose kept going, seeing he was gaining ground. â€Å"She was actually open to lots of other options. She wanted to explore spirit. She approved of Moroi learning to fight.' That got a reaction from Adrian. He still wore that sardonic expression, but I could also see faint lines of pain and sorrow on his face. The burial earlier must have been hard on him, and hearing others reveal information you hadn't known about a loved one had to hurt. â€Å"Well, I obviously wasn't sleeping with her like you were,' said Adrian, â€Å"but I knew her pretty well, too. She never said a word about anything like that.' â€Å"Not publicly,' agreed Ambrose. â€Å"Not even privately. Only a few people knew. She was having a small group of Moroi trained in secret–men and women, different ages. She wanted to see how well Moroi could learn. If it was possible for them to defend themselves. But she knew people'd be upset about it, so she made the group and their trainer keep quiet.' Adrian gave no response to this, and I could see his thoughts had turned inward. Ambrose's revelation wasn't bad news, exactly, but Adrian was still hurt at the thought that his aunt had kept so much from him. Lissa, meanwhile, was eating the news up, seizing and analyzing every piece of info. â€Å"Who were they? The Moroi being trained?' â€Å"I don't know,' said Ambrose. â€Å"Tatiana was quiet about it. I never found out their names, just their instructor.' â€Å"Who was †¦ ?' prompted Christian. â€Å"Grant.' Christian and Lissa exchanged startled looks. â€Å"My Grant?' she asked. â€Å"The one Tatiana assigned to me?' Ambrose nodded. â€Å"That's why she gave him to you. She trusted him.' Lissa said nothing, but I heard her thoughts loud and clear. She'd been pleased and surprised when Grant and Serena–the guardians who had replaced Dimitri and me– had offered to teach Lissa and Christian basic defense moves. Lissa had thought she'd simply stumbled onto a progressive-thinking guardian, not realizing she had one of the pioneers in teaching combat to Moroi. Some piece of this was important, she and I were both certain, though neither of us could make the connection. Lissa puzzled it over, not protesting when Adrian and Christian threw in some questions of their own. Ambrose was still clearly offended by the inquisition, but he answered everything with forced patience. He had alibis, and his affection and regard for Tatiana never wavered. Lissa believed him, though Christian and Adrian still seemed skeptical. â€Å"Everyone's been all over me about her death,' said Ambrose, â€Å"but nobody questioned Blake very long.' â€Å"Blake?' asked Lissa. â€Å"Blake Lazar. Someone else she was †¦' â€Å"Involved with?' suggested Christian, rolling his eyes. â€Å"Him?' exclaimed Adrian in disgust. â€Å"No way. She wouldn't stoop that low.' Lissa racked her brain through the Lazar family but couldn't peg the name. There were just too many of them. â€Å"Who is he?' â€Å"An idiot,' said Adrian. â€Å"Makes me look like an upstanding member of society.' That actually brought a smile to Ambrose's face. â€Å"I agree. But he's a pretty idiot, and Tatiana liked that.' I heard affection in his voice as he spoke her name. â€Å"She was sleeping with him too?' Lissa asked. Adrian winced at the mention of his great-aunt's sex life, but a whole new world of possibilities had opened up. More lovers meant more suspects. â€Å"How did you feel about that?' Ambrose's amusement faded. He gave her a sharp look. â€Å"Not jealous enough to kill her, if that's what you're getting at. We had an understanding. She and I were close– yes, â€Å"involved'–but we both saw other people too.' â€Å"Wait,' said Christian. I had the feeling he was really enjoying this now. Tatiana's murder was no joke, but a soap opera was definitely unfolding before them. â€Å"You were sleeping with other people too? This is getting hard to follow.' Not for Lissa. In fact, it was becoming clearer and clearer that Tatiana's murder could have been a crime of passion, rather than anything political. Like Abe had said, someone with access to her bedroom was a likely suspect. And some woman jealous over sharing a lover with Tatiana? That was perhaps the most convincing motive thus far–if only we knew the women. â€Å"Who?' Lissa asked. â€Å"Who else were you seeing?' â€Å"No one who'd kill her,' said Ambrose sternly. â€Å"I'm not giving you names. I'm entitled to some privacy–so are they.' â€Å"Not if one of them was jealous and killed my aunt,' growled Adrian. Joshua had looked down on Adrian for not â€Å"protecting' me, but in that moment, defending his aunt's honor, he looked as fierce as any guardian or Keeper warrior. It was kind of sexy. â€Å"None of them killed her, I'm certain,' said Ambrose. â€Å"And as much as I despise him, I don't think Blake did either. He's not smart enough to pull it off and frame Rose.' Ambrose gestured to the door. His teeth were clenched, and lines of frustration marred his handsome face. â€Å"Look, I don't know what else I can say to convince you. I need to get back in there. I'm sorry if I seem difficult, but this has been kind of hard on me, okay? Believe me, I'd love it if you could find out who did that to her.' Pain flashed through his eyes. He swallowed and looked down for a moment, as though he didn't want them to know just how much he'd cared about Tatiana. When he looked up again, his expression was fierce and determined again. â€Å"I want you to and will help if I can. But I'm telling you, look for someone with political motives. Not romantic ones.' Lissa still had a million more questions. Ambrose might be convinced the murder was free of jealousy and sex, but she wasn't. She would have really liked the names of his other women but didn't want to push too hard. For a moment, she considered compelling him as she had Joe. But no. She wouldn't cross that line again, especially with someone she considered a friend. At least not yet. â€Å"Okay,' she said reluctantly. â€Å"Thank you. Thank you for helping us.' Ambrose seemed surprised at her politeness, and his face softened. â€Å"I'll see if I can dig up anything to help you. They're keeping her rooms and possessions locked down, but I might still be able to get in there. I'll let you know.' Lissa smiled, genuinely grateful. â€Å"Thank you. That'd be great.' A touch on my arm brought me back to the drab little room in West Virginia. Sydney and Dimitri were looking down at me. â€Å"Rose?' asked Dimitri. I had a feeling this wasn't the first time he'd tried to get my attention. â€Å"Hey,' I said. I blinked a couple of times, settling myself back into this reality. â€Å"You're back. You called the Strigoi?' He didn't visibly react to the word, but I knew he hated hearing it. â€Å"Yes. I got a hold of Boris's contact.' Sydney wrapped her arms around herself. â€Å"Crazy conversation. Some of it was in English. It was even scarier than before.' I shivered involuntarily, glad that I'd missed it. â€Å"But did you find out anything?' â€Å"Boris gave me the name of a Strigoi who knows Sonya and probably knows where she is,' Dimitri said. â€Å"It's actually someone I've met. But phone calls only go so far with Strigoi. There's no way to contact him–except to go in person. Boris only had his address.' â€Å"Where is it?' I asked. â€Å"Lexington, Kentucky.' â€Å"Oh for God's sake,' I moaned. â€Å"Why not the Bahamas? Or the Corn Palace?' Dimitri tried to hide a smile. It might have been at my expense, but if I'd lightened his mood, I was grateful. â€Å"If we leave right now, we can reach him before morning.' I glanced around. â€Å"Tough choice. Leave all this for electricity and plumbing?' Now Sydney grinned. â€Å"And no more marriage proposals.' â€Å"And we'll probably have to fight Strigoi,' added Dimitri. I jumped to my feet. â€Å"How soon can we go?'