On The Sidewalk Bleeding Essay

On the Sidewalk Bleeding â€Å"On the Sidewalk Bleeding†, by Evan Hunter is a story about a boy from a gang, getting murdered in a dark alley, by members of the rival gang. It is written in the third person omniscient point of view. The story focuses on the theme of realization of one’s true identity. This theme is depicted with the help of several literary devices such as symbolism, to create depth in the meaning of the story, thoughtful use of irony and characterization elements, which create clarity in the readers mind about the characters thoughts and situation. Symbolism plays a major role in highlighting the character’s realization of his true identity as the purple jacket, which is the main symbol in the story, represents labels put on people in society. A young couple sees Andy in pain and the boy rushes towards him but soon denies him help. â€Å"He saw the lettering on the jacket then. THE ROYALS.† shows the reason the couple did not want to get involved. The jacket being a symbol of prejudgment, determines the way society sees Andy. The name on the jacket defines him to the passers by and the person inside does not matter to them. The Royals being written on the jacket causes the couple to rethink the consequences of helping him. Instead of asking him his name or what had happened, they make a judgment that Andy could only mean danger and trouble, because of the gang name on his jacket. The jacket, the symbol of prejudice, leads to his death. Right before he dies â€Å"It seemed very important to him that he take off th e purple jacket.† At this point he realizes that he is dying and needs to be known for who he really is, instead of for the name on his jacket. He comes to realize in his last moments, that his true identity is his own name. Hence he tries to take off the label, literally and metaphorically, that society has given to him. The removal of the jacket symbolizes Andy’s desire and attempt to get rid of the stereotypical label of The Royals and the prejudice that it brings along. However, changing society’s opinion is not easy for Andy. This is seen when â€Å"He lay struggling with the shiny jacket.† The denotation here is shown by the word ‘struggle’. It shows that he cannot remove the jacket as easily, because he is wounded. However the line suggests that, even though Andy desperately tries to get rid of people’s  influenced, prejudiced view of looking at him, he cannot do so very easily. This implies the author’s opinion that society’s prejudiced opinions cannot be easily escaped, and that disposing of the labels one acquires through their life, is a lifelong struggle. T he jacket being the symbol for such labels and prejudice, removing it shows Andy’s realization of his true identity, making clear that he now wants to be known for who he really is, eliminating any influence that the jacket may have. Hunter uses irony to emphasize the contrast between the character’s realization of his true identity and society’s perception of the character. This is shown when readers learn that â€Å"He felt alone.† It is ironic that he feels lonely when the reason for his murder is that he belongs to a gang. Belonging to a large gang which was evidently a great part of his life, and yet being lonely while suffering, suggests that Andy comes to realized that in the long run, he should stand alone, defined by his own individuality. He realizes that ‘The Royals’ was just a name given to the gang and it should not, in any way, influence people’s opinion of him as a person. Another example of irony can be seen in the end of the story when â€Å"He was very close to dying when they found him, he did not want them to say, â€Å"Oh, it’s a Royal.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Royal.† Andy’s last wish is to be recognized as ‘Andy’ and n ot as ‘a Royal’. The fact that he is on the verge of death makes readers believe that he will be granted his dying wish. However, at the end of the story, when cops find his dead body, they do exactly what he is afraid they will do. Andy struggles in his suffering, to remove the jacket in an attempt to eliminate its influence, but in the end ironically, the cop picks it up and refers to him as â€Å"A Royal.† The cop completely ignores the fact that his name is Andy and repeats the title as he writes it down, emphasizing on the ironic idea of society disregarding Andy’s dying attempts to be known as an individual. Dramatic irony is presented when it is said that, â€Å"The jacket was a stupid meaningless thing†. The jacket is described as meaningless when, ironically, the jacket carries tremendous meaning to society as portrayed in the story, being the sole reason of his death. Had he not been wearing the jacket, he would not have been denied help and wouldn’t have been shot in the first place. In this situation, the readers understand a completely different connotation of the jacket compared to the character’s  understanding of its purpose. The jacket symbolizes the prejudgment in society to the readers, while it seemingly carries no meaning to Andy. Such use of irony throughout the story convinces the reader of Andy’s struggle to realize and be recognized for his true identity. The characterization elements used in the story, focusing on Andy’s dynamic character, highlight the theme of realization of one’s true identity. â€Å"Even in his pain, there had been some sort of pride in knowing he was a Royal. Now there was no pride at all.† shows the change in Andy’s thinking, before and after being stabbed. He has always felt proud about being a part of The Royals and had never imagined this. As a result of being assaulted just for being in the gang, he now understood the significance of being known for his true identity rather than as a member of the gang and felt no pride in wearing the title of ‘The Royals’ anymore. His character is seen to have changed significantly as he transitions from being oblivious and proud of the title to being filled with regret and misery. In â€Å"Wondered why the rumbles and the jumps and the purple jacket has always seemed so important to him before. Now they seemed like such small thin gs in a world he was missing.† readers understand that not only has Andy changed his attitude towards the jacket and the title, but also his perspective of the world has changed. At first he is so proud and taken up by the fact that he is part of a famous gang, that he forgets to appreciate or even notice the other things in the world. After lying on the sidewalk, dying, he realizes that there is much more to life than gang brawls and jackets with titles. It is seen that had he lived, he would have changed the way he lived. His character changes from a materialistic, proud teenager to a more mature, aware and perceptive human being, desperate to live. Andy comes to doubt the meaning of his title, â€Å"He was a Royal. There had been meaning to the title†¦ he wondered about the meaning. If he died he was Andy. He was not a Royal.† Initially the jacket means everything to Andy. He mentions how ecstatic he was when The Royals accepted him. He now understood that it was all over and that the title was now worth nothing. He wanted to be known as Andy before and after his death. He himself was proud of being A Royal and recognized himself as one. However as he dies, he realizes that he was more than just ‘A Royal’ and wanted everyone to know that. He was no more proud or infatuated by the  titl e and appreciated his true identity, which was his name. Andy’s character changes in many ways through the course of the story, the main change being recognizing the importance of his individuality, as he understands the prejudice that exists against the gangs in society. The characterization elements help readers see this dynamic character, giving a better understanding of Andy’s realization of his true identity. The theme of realization of one’s true identity is successfully presented through the use of symbolism, irony and characterization elements. The jacket symbolizes the prejudgment in society, marking its removal as a turning point in Andy’s discovery of his individuality. Irony shows the contrast between the character’s changing feelings and the reality. Characterization elements portray the character as a dynamic character that changes drastically in terms of thoughts, feelings and perspective, by the end of the story. These literary devices help readers understand the theme of realization of one’s true identity.

Honor Killing in India Essay

An honor killing or honour killing (also called a customary killing) is the murder of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators (and potentially the wider community) that the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. Honour killings are directed mostly against women and girls. The perceived dishonor is normally the result of one of the following behaviors, or the suspicion of such behaviors: a. dressing in a manner unacceptable to the family or community, b. wanting to terminate or prevent an arranged marriage or desiring to marry by own choice, c. engaging in heterosexual sexual acts outside marriage, or even due to a non-sexual relationship perceived as inappropriate, and d. engaging in homosexual acts. Women and girls are killed at a much higher rate than men. Recently, there has been a spate of honor killings in the country and this has led the government to decide what laws should be put in place to stop this heinous crime. Also whether the Hindu Marriage Act should be reformed or not is being debated. So what is the definition of honour killing and what leads families to commit this heinous crime so that they can protect their family honour? Is this practice prevalent only in India or is it prevalent in other parts of the world also? What are the misconceptions regarding honour killing and what are the solutions to stop this crime from spreading? These are the questions that society find the answer†¦ In my opinion Honour killing is defined as a death that is awarded to a woman of the family for marrying against the parent’s wishes, having extramarital and premarital relationships, marrying within the same gotra or outside one’s caste or marrying a cousin from a different caste. Read more: Essay About India Crime Rate Honour killing is different from the dowry deaths that are also a very common practice in India as, in the case of dowry deaths, the perpetrators of that action claim that they have not been given enough material rewards for accepting the woman into the family. In that case there is a lot of harassment from the in-laws and more times than one, it has been noted that the wife commits suicide rather than being killed by the in-laws, though it has to be said that she has been mentally killed, if not physically. We have had a tradition of honour killing. This tradition was first viewed in its most horrible form during the Partition of the country in between the years 1947 and 1950 when many women were forcefully killed so  that family honour could be preserved. Now, there are various reasons why people or family members decide to kill the daughter in the name of preserving their family honour. The most obvious reason for this practice to continue in India, albeit, at a much faster and almost daily basis, is because of the fact that the caste system continues to be at its rigid best and also because people from the rural areas refuse to change their attitude to marriage. According to them, if any daughter dares to disobey her parents on the issue of marriage and decides to marry a man of her wishes but from another gotra or outside her caste, it would bring disrepute to the family honour and hence they decide to give the ultimate sentence, that is death, to the daughter. Now as has become the norm, the son-in-law is killed as well. Sociologists believe that the reason why honour killings continue to take place is because of the continued rigidity of the caste system. Hence the fear of losing their caste status through which they gain many benefits makes them commit this heinous crime. The other reason why honour killings are taking place is because the mentality of people has not changed and they just cannot accept that marriages can take place in the same gotra or outside one’s caste. The root of the cause for the increase in the number of honour killings is because the formal governance has not been able to reach the rural areas and as a result. Thus, this practices continues though it should have been removed by now. There are various misconceptions regarding the practice of honor killing. The first misconception about honor killing is that this is a practice that is limited to the rural areas. The truth is that it is spread over such a large geographical area that we cannot isolate honor killings to rural areas only, though one has to admit that majority of the killings take place in the rural areas. But it has also been seen recently that even the metropolitan cities like Delhi and Tamil Nadu are not safe from this crime because 5 honor killings were r eported from Delhi and in Tamil Nadu; a daughter and son in law were killed due to marriage into the same gotra. So it can be seen clearly that honor killing is not isolated to rural areas but also to urban areas and as already pointed out, it has a very wide geographical spread. The second misconception regarding honor killing is that it has religious roots. Even if a woman commits adultery, there have to be four male witnesses with good behavior and reputation to validate the charge. Furthermore only the State can carry out judicial  punishments, but never an individual vigilante. So, we can clearly see that there is no religious backing or religious roots for this heinous crime. What can we do to prevent such a thing from happening? Firstly, the mentality of the people has to change. And when we say that the mentality has to change, we mean to say that parents should accept their children’s wishes regarding marriage as it is they who have to lead a life with their life partners and if they are not satisfied with their life partner then they will lead a horrible married life which might even end in suicide. Secondly, we need to have stricter laws to tackle these kinds of killings as this is a crime which cannot be pardoned because. Humans do not have the right to write down death sentences of innocent fellow humans. More Choice :: Honour killing can be defined as the homicide of the member of a family or social group by other members due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. In most of the cases, honour killings are mostly directed against the women especially in the South Asian and Middle Eastern Islamic cultures. Sadly, this culture is prevalent in some parts of the Indian society too. Mainly the method of honor killing is adopted when a girl goes against the wishes of her family and marries a guy who does not belong to her own community. In some of these cases, both the boy and the girl are killed either secretly by the family members and even openly claiming that the respective boy or girl have bought dishonour and disrespect to the family and to the society or community as a whole. Each and every individual has the right to live his or her own life according to their own wishes. After attaining the age of 18 and 21 by the girl and the boy respectively, the family has no right to force them into marriage or any other act if they are unwilling to do so. If an individual be it a boy or a girl feels that he or she wants to marry according to their wishes, their parents should accept the wishes. In fact, parents only desire to see their children happy and if the children are happy, the parents should let them do what they desire. But for a number of families, their status and position in the society is so much more important than their kids that they do not mind killing them or sacrificing them just to maintain their desired status. Only one question comes into the mind of all the  people- Is the society more important than your children? When asked all will say that their children are more important. But in some of the cases the reality is totally different. These people who kill their children for the breach of so called code of conduct of their societies are actually only concerned about their status and position in the society. Such people can be termed as criminals who are far more dangerous than the terrorists. Terrorists kill people who are unknown to them. But these people who support honour killing and are a part of it are heartless because only a heartless individual can kill someone they love and that too for a baseless reason. The government of India has formulated laws against honour killing but still this inhuman practice exists. In my opinion people involved in honour killing should also be treated as criminals and should be punished as severely as possible. Even capital punishment should be offered to these individuals so that they realize that how painful death was to the person they killed. More choices :: Alarmed by the rise of honour killings,Government is planning to bring a bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament next month to provide for deterrent punishment for ‘honour’ killings. â€Å"We have already finalised a draft and the bill should come in the next session,† Law Minister M Veerappa Moily told . He said that the bill envisages amendments to several related acts, including the Evidence Act and the onus would be on the accused to prove their innocence. His comments came a day after the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to centre and states government to file reports on the murders of young couples and asked them how they can stop such killings and what the government and the states have done in this regard. Supreme court on Honour killing The Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre and nine States on a PIL seeking directions to the Union government to make law to protect young couples from Honour killings. A vacation bench comprising Justices R M Lodha and A K Patnaik issued notices on a petition filed by an NGO Shaktivahini alleging that young couples who dare to defy their families or Khap Panchayat in the matter of marriage are under constant threat from them. It noted the sudden rise in the incidents of honour killing at the instance of Khap Panchayats. Among the states which have been directed to respond to the PIL are Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The apex court had earlier refused to entertain a petition seeking directions to the government to amend Hindu Marriage Act to declare same gotra marriage as illegal. Kiran Bedi on honour killing Veteran police administrator Kiran Bedi said there can be no excuse to sanction murder, whatever the cause, and active policing and serious penal sanctions is the only way to check this dishonourable practice. Besides, any law against honour killing will be effective only when there is a will on the part of the society itself. The suspected honour killing of married couple Kuldeep Singh (26) and Monica (24) – allegedly by Monica’s brother Ankit Nagar and his friend Mandeep Nagar – took a bloody turn early when the body of another woman, Shobha, was found in a car near the couple’s rented house in Ashok Vihar close to the local police station. Shobha was Mandeep’s sister.Whereas Shobha’s uncle supports the killing by saying â€Å"This killing will teach a lesson to the society.† Honour killing in India The latest victims of what caste councils (khap panchayats) call a justified act to protect family’s ‘maryada’ (honour). This councils are found in northern India, particularly in Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, Rajasthan. Every month one honour killing takes place in Punjab. As per data complied for the first time by the Crime wing of the Punjab Police, during the past  two-and-a-half years — from 2008 till date — 34 honour killings have taken place in the state: 10 in 2008, 20 in 2009, four so far in 2010. Of the total 34 cases, 16 were reported from Tarn Taran district. Perhaps one of the most backward areas in Punjab in terms of literacy, Tarn Taran has witnessed the highest number of honour killings in the state. Last month, a newly wed couple was attacked, the girl was killed and the boy grievously injured. The parents of the girl were the main suspects in the case.

Operations and Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operations and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example The report will asses some aspects of operations and supply chain management in terms of strategies to be adopted, supply chain design, supply chain planning, inventory and planning in retail and global operations, procurement management sustainable supply chain, demand forecasting, demand management, and product design supply chain. The paper will also asses some aspects of transport and distribution supply chain management, warehousing and material handling service operations, logistics outsourcing financial considerations, lean manufacturing human aspects of operations and supply chain management, quality management pedagogical issues, and maintenance research methodology in operations and supply chain management. It is worth noting that any of the above analysis will be done with an aim of developing a consultancy report to advice the management of the company about an appropriate â€Å"layout† for the proposed store. It is in this light that I will discuss the elements of a hypermarket layout plan in order to address all relevant considerations that should be put into practice to make easy the operations of such a business once in force. Introduction Studies have noted that the concept of operations and supply chain management has been emerging as a management issue of concern that organisations have sought to address to its conclusive end (Heiman and Nickerson, 2002, p.97; Singh and Power, 2009, p. 189). Horvath (2001, p. 205) observes that having come out as a dominant theme, supply chain integration is being considered to be of vital importance given the role it plays in business management. An organization's operations are strategically vital in the sense that, nearly all of the firms everyday activities are normally within the operations function. The relationship between a firm’s strategy and its operations is actually the big factor that determines the overall success of the firm in relation to its set objectives either in the short ru n or in the long run. Other scholars have been for the opinion that supply chain management (SCM) would be best carried out if traders come together and form and co-operate so as to achieve a common goal with an aim of acquiring benefits that may accrue from such integration. In order to determine the best layout and size of a new hypermarket near Sydney, I considered research studies on the Sydney market, consumer behaviors, the market’s potential in relation to local and international competition, international trade barriers, transport costs, local competition, government requirements, and political stability. In addition, I also researched on buyer behavior, competitive practices, distribution channels, media and demographic patterns through research studies about Australian markets, especially Sydney. However, the major discussion will be based on geographical expanse of Australia, especially Sydney, and demographic profile. This will put into consideration reliable data on potential demand, the cost of facilities, and operating costs such as labour and transportation Literature Review Australian Market Studies have indicated that operations and supply chain management (OSCM) assists companies to respond to market factors appropriately and allay any undesirable effect that may impede an organization (Holweg et al., 2005, p. 170; Chen et al., 2000, p. 436). In the sane way, other studies indicate that highly integrated supply chains help firms in building competitive advantages over rival companies (Myhr and Spekman, 2005, p. 180; Themistocleous et al., 2004, p. 393). From studies conducted on Australian internal market, (Chan, 2006, p. 238) has found

Defining Marketing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Defining Marketing Paper - Essay Example Marketing, when broadly defined, means the process of making a product sell by attracting customers. However, this definition would be incomplete. I define marketing as – Any activity that leads to the delivery of a product to the right people, which is done keeping market needs in mind. The aim is to be able to connect with consumers, to make a social impact and in turn, cultivate a long term association between a company and its consumers through the products, ultimately to make profits and run the business. Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy define marketing as – ...the performance of activities that seek to accomplish an organization's objectives by anticipating customer or client needs and directing a flow of need-satisfying goods and services from producer to customer or client† (2011, p.7). From this definition, it is apparent that the aim of marketing is to assess the needs of the customers and satisfy those needs through goods and services. As per the America n Marketing Association's definition of marketing, it is – ...the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large (Kotler and Keller, 2012, p. 4). By and large, these two definitions of marketing mean the same. However, in the second definition, a social aspect is added (â€Å"society at large†). For the success of any business, the selling of a product or service is vital. The entire purpose is to sell something. While the right kind of marketing results in an upsurge of product sales, bad marketing may result in negative publicity. The wrong kind of marketing may also lead to an irreversible damage to the image of the company and its relationship with customers. An example of good marketing or a good marketing strategy is that of Herbal Essences. The hair care products marketed by the company are targeted at a specific age group â€⠀œ young women. The product names as well as the bright colors of the packages are attention grabbing. The packaging and naming itself explains the purpose of the product. For instance, the aqua blue colored â€Å"Hello Hydration† product (Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy, 2011). Customers are encouraged to buy shampoo and conditioner bottles together through the clever use of matching and curvy packaging. The company also seeks eye level placement in retail stores. The online, television and print advertising purports a â€Å"mythical quality† to highlight the organic origin of the product. With the help of a Facebook Fan page and a customer review page on its website, the company has also been successful in connecting with its customers. The marketing mix strategized by the company has been successful in increasing the sales of the company (Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy, 2011). The company's marketing strategy led to the delivery of the product to the right people. An other example that can be used to illustrate the definition of marketing is that of Dove. The social aspect of marketing can be exemplified here. While Dove earlier used models whom the mainstream considered â€Å"beautiful†, it moved on to a new approach in which it projected that every woman is beautiful. This was a result of a moral problem that Dove's Marketing Director underwent when her daughter suffered

Near Failure at Nagasaki Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Near Failure at Nagasaki - Essay Example The same problem is observed relating to Sweeney’s relation to flight engineer Kuharek such that when the latter firstly identified the lack of proper fuel in the tanks, Sweeney declined from communicating with Kuharek and moved over to Tibbets for gaining advice. Sweeney also reflected lack of self-confidence that is a significant necessity for a leader to govern combat operations. Firstly owing to his lack of proper knowledge of the combat he was highly dependent on the knowledge and expertise of Ashworth such that the latter exerted significant influence on him. Sweeney’s lack of self confidence owing to his limited knowledge again required Ashworth to help him identify and reach the target. Sweeney also lacked self-confidence in dropping the bomb effectively on the target for which he aptly depended on Beahan, the bombardier incorporated in the flight operations. Similarly other non-leadership qualities are also evident relating to Sweeney in which it is found that how Sweeney shifted the responsibility for the Nagasaki Mission’s fault to the shoulder of Hopkins. ... ation to be rendered to Hopkins regarding the position of the instrument aircraft which in turn deferred the operations much and made things complicated. Thirdly owing to the extra time spent by Sweeney further deferred his operations in being able to find the effective target of Kokura. This only required Sweeney to counter shift in his original plans. Thirdly inability of Sweeney to find both the effective and alternative targets and his dependency on Ashworth delayed the operations much creating threat of excess consumption of fuel. Fourthly owing to the incapability of taking decisions in a fast and timely fashion and dependence on his followers made Sweeney counter excess time loss in dropping the bomb over the target effectively. He shifted between dependency on the radar or on visual sighting to drop the bomb. Fifthly, Sweeney acted on a strange note on going on continuously circling above the target, Kokura when it was clear to be bombed that further deferred the operations. Evaluation made later on reflects that Sweeney had lost around one and a half hours in his failure to take decisions on time leading only to circling over the target a number of times. This failure to calculate the time required for the operation to be completed made Sweeney suffer from the threat of loss of required fuel to charge for the alternate targets. This continuous and unused circling over the rendezvous point made Sweeney also counter the threat of proper landing. The time being spent in an unused fashion thus triggered the need for Sweeney to prepare for a harsh landing than preparing for a crash landing. Sweeney’s failure to take decisions in a timely fashion also made him fail in catching sight of the instrument-carrying carrier. His failure to catch up with the

Ecological problems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ecological problems - Case Study Example For a start, it is prudent to acknowledge that such kinds of mishaps arise due to inexistence of clear-cut communication channels between various departments that constitute the City’s Fleet Operation Maintenance Bays. The situation can also be as a result of lack of quick and steadfast implementation of changes made over a given period of time in the City’s Fleet Operation Maintenance Bays and other departments that work in unison with it. Such kinds of mishaps have to be addressed amicably to ease managerial strains and enhance smooth operations in the bays and their affiliate departments. I therefore recommend that the four dumpsters lying at the power site remain there until an amicable solution to the quandary is constituted and implemented to the letter. This recommendation is based on the fact that, returning the dumpsters to the front of the City’s Fleet Operation Maintenance Bays would bring serious environmental repercussions and even unwarranted indust rial mishaps that would affect the Bays’ functioning and processes. Bringing back the dumpsters back to the bays would also pose grave health risks to the workforce that operates in the bays. In the meanwhile, before a lasting resolution to the impasse is found, I recommend that the concerned stakeholders in the department chart a temporary approach ahead to deal with dumpsters that will be filled before a permanent solution is instituted. What responsibility does Fleet Operations have? Fleet operations are charged with the ardent task of warranting cars and other automobiles within the City’s fleet are well maintained and execute performance to the uttermost. This calls for the personnel operating in the Bays to have experience in treating automobiles in the event of any required operation, executing habitual maintenance checks and make plans for repairs on malfunctioned or damaged motor cars and automobiles registered under fleet’s name. Furthermore, the fleet operations have the responsibility of reducing the number of oily rags disposed as a sign of being environmentally conscientious and more so, as a means of plummeting disposal expenses. To achieve this, the fleet operations ought to adopt effectual means and measures of reducing the number of disposable rags from the bays. Such measures include reducing drastically the average quantity of absorbents used and generated sequentially to reduce quantities of spills, drips/leaks and overfills that typically take place during operations (Committee on Health Effects of Waste Incineration, 2000). This is possible through implementation of trouble-free and minimal-cost pollution/contamination prevention mechanisms such as: Performing scheduled scrutiny of fluid storage spaces for spillages overfills or leaks. Perform habitual anticipatory maintenance checkups on equipment, automobile machinery and containers like replacing permeable container seals, and dispenser machines. Train baysâ€℠¢ personnel on how to implement and maintain excellent baykeeping measures and strategies. Curtail the trip numbers and distance correlated to substance shifting in order to lessen chances of inadvertent spills. Use of suitable storage and transfer equipment to avoid unnecessary spills, container breakages and loosening of seals. Case Scenario # 4 What are your first actions? My foremost reaction to such a scenario would be to ask the power plant supervisor to put off the cigarette since it is not advisable to smoke in such an establishment purely on health and hazard justifications. From his explanations that expose what one of the workers has unearthed, I direct him to thoroughly wash his hands because of his involvement in sorting out the garbage which is in essence, ‘ripe’ and has probably come into contact with the contaminated box. After he

Social Entreprenuerism Case Study 3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Entreprenuerism Case Study 3 - Coursework Example Social entrepreneurs focus on achieving social, cultural and environmental objectives hence it appeals volunteers and charitable organizations. This study gives an account of OneWorld Health organization that produces and supply drugs to poor people across the world who otherwise continues to die of curable illnesses, but with no drugs to cure those diseases (Dees and Elkington, n.d). The focus of the study is how such organizations are established, how they raise funds to finance their activities and difficulties they encounter while dealing with their clients. OneWorld Health Company is a United States based pharmaceutical organization that manufactures and supplies drugs to the needy people in the society (Dees and Elkington, n.d). This organization was the first charitable organization to be established with an objective of providing drugs to cure diseases of the poor people at an affordable price. The idea of establishing such as organization was based on the reasoning that there are specific diseases affecting poor people and yet they are not prevalent in developed nations. Therefore, Hale thought that such diseases are only found among the people who could not afford to buy drugs that could cure such diseases. According to Dees and Elkington, (n.d), Hale also realized that many healthcare providers such as universities and other research institutions have a capacity and desire to assist the needy people in the society to solve their problems. Such institutions have expertise, which they desire to use in helping the needy people in the society. However, there was a problem regarding the company through which the experts could grant their assistance to the needy people in the society. This is because, the only existing institutions are business oriented that have motives for generating wealth. Therefore, this makes it

Quentin Tarantino and his Movies Speech or Presentation

Quentin Tarantino and his Movies - Speech or Presentation Example In Kill Bill Volume l, a shot with the Bride was seen looking at her captive Sofie inside the trunk. In Jackie Brown, a trunk shot was made when Jackie hides her money inside her blue jacket. In Pulp Fiction, the characters Jules Winfield and Vincent Vega had a shot looking into the contents of the trunk. Tarantino also uses the God’s eye point of view shot. This shot is done with the camera on top of the actors to convey a message that someone of greater being is watching the entire events. In Kill Bill Volume 1, this shot was used when the Bride follows Sofie Fatale into the bathroom. One of the fight scene in the House of Blue Leaves was also shot in the same point of view. In Kill Bill Volume 2, the God’s point of view shot was used when the Bride was lying down in the bathroom crying, in the scene where Budd was looking at his money in the trailer, and the scene when the Bride submerges the head of Elle Driver into the toilet bowl in Budd’s trailer. The corp se point of view shot was used in the scene in Pulp Fiction when Marcellus wakes up with people hovering above him after being hit by a car. In Kill Bill Volume 1, the corpse shot was when the Deadly Vipers and Sheriff McGraw were looking at the dead Bride. In Kill Bill Volume 2, the shot was done when Budd buried the Bride alive. ... In Volume 1, black and white shots were done in the fight scenes at the House of Blue Leaves. In Volume 2, the scenes from the wedding to the massacre after wards were done in black and white. The color returns when the main character in the movie blinked her eye. The films of Quentin Tarantino are told to be harsh, demeaning or even racial in its language and dialogue. In his movie Pulp Fiction, the black characters used the word nigger thirteen times and seven times by the white (Bernard 187). The director however argued that those who complain about his choices in dialogue and languages are mostly white liberals and not the black people (187). In addition, dance scenes are also present in Tarantino’s film to signify triumph or joyous times even if some of the scenes were graphically violent. In Pulp Fiction, Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega danced to â€Å"You Never Can Tell† at the bar, and Mia dances alone to Girl You’ll be a Woman Soon music in her house. Quent in Tarantino goes to record stores and personally picked the music in his movies (Dawson 163). Tarantino have always wanted to write a musical score but he can’t and was afraid to ask others to write a score because he might not like it (163). He uses music to build a scene and to get the desired emotional and aesthetic effect of that particular scene. In the movie Pulp Fiction, â€Å"Son of a Preacher Man† was played in the background when Vincent Vega went to the house of Mia Wallace (163). In Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2, the song Woo Hoo can be heard in the background during bloody fight scenes amidst the screams of the characters. According to the site FilmBuff in their article on â€Å"Quentin

Successful Electronic Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Successful Electronic Communication - Essay Example In the report I will acknowledge your contributions, and I will send you a copy of the completed report if you wish. I am writing you with the hope that you could provide me with information on the Glucoscan II blood glucose monitoring system. A representative at Lifescan informed me that your clinic is currently using this system. I became aware of this new device through an announcement discovered through an Internet source. The Boston Diabetes Center was listed as a test center for the Glucoscan II and you were listed as the contact. After discovering an advertisement from Lifescan in the January 19XX issue of Diabetes Forecast, I became interested in pursuing more information about the device for a report that I am writing for a technical writing class at Muskeegee University. I have written the company and received a great deal of useful information, however it was recommended to me that I write several current users of the system from whom I can obtain first hand knowledge of use of the system. I would be very grateful if you could answer the following questions for me: A representative from Lifescan has indicated that your clinic is one of the leaders in implementing new technology for diabetics and I am therefore eager to hear about your experiences with this device. In the report I would like your permission to acknowledge your contribution and I will forward a copy of the completed report if you wish. In the process of writing an e-mail, it is important to remember that the communication should still adhere to practices of good grammar and polished writing. The e-mail that has been used as an example was written with good form. The example message of this paper uses a good form for the basic structure of the communication. However, the message itself was not clear to the reader. The first impression of an e-mail is found in the subject line. The original subject line reads â€Å"Request for diabetes information†, which is not

Interview with a HR Director Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interview with a HR Director - Essay Example Why I chose to interview an HR Director? People generally confuse HR Directors with HR Managers, and do not generally know the exact responsibilities of each of the two, and more precisely, the HR Director in the HR department of an organization. HR Director is also not talked about as frequently as HR Managers in the discussions of various HR professionals. I personally consulted a lot of resources to learn about the work of an HR Director. However, every time I tried, I got to listen or read about an HR Manager. Discussion about an HR Director is not as abundant as that of other HR professionals. Therefore, I considered interviewing an HR Director so that I could both enhance my personal understanding of an HR Director’s job, and share the information with others to enhance their knowledge about an HR Director. Questions of the interview: frequently used by an HR Director? ... 12. Although HR Director fundamentally assumes the role of a leader for the HR department, yet he/she also has to be a very good Manager to do the job perfectly, agree? 13. Where is the interface between leadership and management? 14. What HR roles, other than HR Director, have you played in your professional career so far? 15. How have those roles influenced your capabilities as an HR Director? 16. Is it recommendable for an individual to start directly from an HR Director’s post without a former experience in lower level HR jobs? The learning I gained: The fundamental responsibility of an HR Director is to monitor the activities of all the organization’s divisions. The HR Director communicates with the top management and devised strategies so as to enhance the organizational policies, practices and procedures as per the changing demands of the growing business and the altering business environment. An HR Director interviews employees, trains new workers, decides pay r ates for different employees, and prepares organizational benefit plans. The HR Director also balances the general ledger (Jeffress). Occasionally, an HR Director may study the system of other organizations with a view to determining the competitive salaries and wages, and developing a modified and improvised recruiting campaign for hiring talented employees for the organization. In small scale businesses, the HR Directors frequently meet with the workers to learn their individualistic and collective concerns and resolve their issues to improve their performance. On the other hand, in large scale businesses, the duties of HR are distributed between different departments in order to achieve accuracy in work and make it

African American Essay Example for Free

African American Essay Introduction: In our communities today, African Americans have moved away from the theory of ensuring all are able and educated to take care of self. What happened along the way? African American slaves were free of mind but bodies were enslaved. Now that our bodies are free but it seems our minds are enslaved. Mary McLeod Bethune, born to former slaves in 1875, is known for her contributions in black communities. Bethune committed her life to educating African American on the right to freedom and education. She believed through education African Americans could determine their own destiny in an racially equal society. The strength and power she exhibited in the African American community ensured no one would be left behind without a chance in life. Civil right leaders devoted their lives for equality. A number of issues which plague African Americans have their roots dating back to slavery and the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era and are becoming more noticeable in our communities today. There is significant poverty and crime due to lack of education. Families are being destroyed because we have been oppressed by the Jim Crow laws . In many of the southern states during slavery and after the Civil War, slaves was discouraged by their former masters from becoming educated. Mainly because education was opposite with the institution of slavery and would eventually lead to failure . From the perspective of the slave masters, if African Americans were given access to education, they could possibly start thinking and acting on their own, and an uprising was foreseeable. Advocates of slavery in the state of Maryland would be required to accept the reality that slaves or freedmen were in fact not incapable or inferior in absorbing education. The slaves desired the exact same freedoms as whites but, the whites were unwilling to accept the facts . In some states such as Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, for example, Blacks were able to educate themselves. If whites were caught teaching African Americans how to read and write, they were subject to fines and possibly imprisoned. If slaves were caught, the punishment was far more harsh. Annotated Bibliography. Primary Sources: Feagin, Joe R. and Sikes, Melvin P. – â€Å"Living with Racism: The Black Middle-Class Experience†, Acon Press, 1994 The book provides a thorough examination of common stereotyping of prejudice and discrimination. The author describes in detail the minor acts in which African American are subjected. The book includes a number of social issues such as bitterness and despair in the souls of African Americans. Branch, Taylor – â€Å"Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63†, Touchstone Book, 1989 The author provides a thorough examination of America during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Era. The book reveals a portrait of Dr. King as he was haunted by blackmail, factionalism, and hatred. The book discusses the nonviolent movement as a dramatic force in history. The book provides relevant information relating to my research on racial issues within the African American community. West, Cornel – â€Å"Race Matters†, Vintage 1994 Cornel West’s book provides a thorough examination of new Black conservatism and the strained relations in the Black community. The author addresses a range of issues from the crisis in Black leadership and myths surrounding affirmative action. The book includes a passion grounded in the tradition of the African American church. Ward, Jerry W, Jr, and Graham, Maryemma – â€Å"The Cambridge History of African American Literature† Cambridge University Press 2011 The book provides you with four hundred years of black writing and comprehensive overview of the literary traditions, oral and print, of African-descended peoples in the United States. The contributors, drawn from the United States and beyond, emphasize the dual nature of each text discussed as a work of art created by an individual and as a response to unfolding events in American cultural, political, and social history. Washington, Booker T – â€Å"1856-1915 Up from Slavery†, Doubleday, c1901 Booker T. Washington’s book provides a thorough examination of the events in a remarkable life that began in bondage. The author discusses the relevant issues that impacted the Black community. Mr. Washington demonstrates in his book how he came up from slavery and educated the Black community. Internet: http://mh. sandglass. com/history-african-american-education-montgomery-county-0 Title: History of African-American Education in Montgomery County Description: For nearly a century, schools for black students in Montgomery County (and indeed most of the country) were denied the benefits provided to their entirely separate, but supposedly â€Å"equal,† white counterparts. http://www. loc. gov/search/? q=education+in+maryland+1865 Title: By the House of Delegates, February 14, 1865. Description: Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to the General Assembly of Maryland, together with a bill entitled A Uniform System of Public Instruction for the State of Maryland. Emancipation Proclamation/ End of the Civil War: President Lincoln, on January 1, 1863, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation, DID NOT immediately abolish slavery it only applied to areas outside Union Control. However, it made emancipation an irrevocable war aim, profoundly changing the character of the Civil War. The lives of African American slaves changed forever. The end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery raised complicated issues and dilemmas for African American and white Americans. In 1865, the Civil War ended and slaves were now free. Many slaves waited the day of being free. Nearly 4 million slaves were freed. For many of the slaves, the future was uncertain. However, for the slaves, it meant families would remain together, and their women would no longer be subject to rape and used as â€Å"bed warmers†. The newly freed slaves were given opportunities to develop their own communities. Many of the slaves were quick to inform the white slave master they were free. Freed slaves were faced with poverty, homelessness and a severe lack of education. Reconstruction: In 1865 Congress created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, to assist with the transition of freedmen for newly freed slaves. The bureau was given massive responsibilities in helping freedmen by providing property, education, and how to negotiate on labor contracts with white planters. Also the Bureau aid in settling criminal disputes involving blacks and whites. Newly freed slaves did not trust the Bureau slavery remain present in the freedmen minds. The former slaves suffered a tremendous amount of injustices at the hands of whites. The bureau was not designed to be a permanent institution but the goal was to encourage the newly freed slave to become self-reliant as soon as possible. The freedman’s Bureau was put in place for one year. Many white Southerners desire was to eliminate former slave’s new found freedom. The renowned African American scholar and activist W. E. B Du Bois assisted in the path of reconstruction. W. E. B. DuBois begins his social analysis of the black conditions in Philadelphia. Published in 1899, The Philadelphia He was also considered the most powerful black educator of the 19th and 20th centuries in so far as he controlled the flow of funds to black schools and colleges. Up from slavery, born a slave on a small farm in the Virginia backcountry, he worked in the salt furnaces and coal mines of West Virginia as a child. e He was determined to get an education he would travel hundreds of miles under great stress until he arrived At Hampton Institute. The 15th Amendment is passed permitting black men the right to vote. Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina is the first black to be seated in the House. In all, twenty-two blacks are elected to Congress during Reconstruction . There were seven lawyers, three ministers, one banker, one publisher, two school teachers, and three college presidents. Hampton Normal Agricultural Institute is founded by Samuel Chapman Armstrong and chartered as one of the first colleges for blacks. It is also a pioneer in educating American Indians. Booker T. Washington is among its early graduates. Pennsylvania, the home of the oldest and largest northern free black community. Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s innate brilliance and capacity for critical thought allowed him to envision the impossible as possible. He was one of the first African American to receive a doctorate in the United States, and the second to be awarded a doctorate in history from Harvard University; he almost single-handedly pulled African American history from the margins of obscurity. Dr. Woodson was particularly concerned with social and economic history focusing his lens on the fundamental virtue of African Americans, both as individuals and as an ethnic group. Building on traditions informed by the scholarship of black historians such as William Bell Brown and George Washington Williams, he inspired an entire generation of African American cultural historians including noted Pan-Africans Rayford W. Logan, and political and social activist Luther Porter Jackson, among others. His extensive body of work and astute analysis of Negro history and its African origins prompted the intellectual life represented in the Harlem Renaissance, ushered in the era of black studies and also influenced the civil rights, black power and black arts movements. Sixty years after his death on April 3, 1950, his legacy as the Father of Black History still lives on. Education Two of the world’s greatest black’s leaders within the African American community. W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington had very distinctive views on education in the African American community. They both disagreed on strategies that largely affected the future of African Americans social and economic development. The philosophies of Du Bois and Washington on how to overcome racial injustice. Booker T. Washington was an educator and influential black leader. Washington spoke from philosophy point of view on self-help, racial and accommodations. He suggested that African Americans should accept racial discrimination for now. But, instead focus on elevating via hard work. Washington believed in education he urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work, training and material prosperity. He believed the former African Americans slaves should focus their time in learning skills in farming and industrial. It would gain the respects of whites and that would lead in to becoming accepted as American citizens. W. E. B. Du Bois, is considered a scholar and political thinker. He was against Washington’s strategy to accept racial discrimination that would serve only to preserve white oppression. Du Bois was an advocate for political action and for the civil rights of former African American Slaves. He helped found the NAACP. He believed that social change can be accomplished by developing the small group of educated blacks he called the Talented Tenth. Du Bois has a more realist view in reference to education. Lack of education puts you at disadvantage in competing with whites for higher paying jobs. Ignoring racial discrimination will cause the people to become oppress. If you educated the people they can become more self-reliant from economic prospective. Education in Maryland: In Maryland 1865 one high school per county, the law was passed to opened the door for African-American children to receive a free education. There were some guides that first must be followed taxes collected from African American in the state of Maryland were sufficient to cover the expenses of building schools. The Emancipation Proclamation stated that African Americans were freed in 1863, segregation became the standard. African American teachers were not allowed teach in the state of Maryland without a three year certificate that was issued by the state superintendent, or by the president of the county board. The requirements for Maryland teachers in the 1860s-Caucasian or African-American-were the same. The teachers in Maryland were required to be single; to attend to the students from 9 -4 p. m. , Maryland counties were under no obligation to educated or supply public intuition for African American students. Many of the African American students were taught in very small quarters at home the teachings were informal. However a state law was passed in 1872 to create separate education of white and black students. The school board in Montgomery County refused to maintain the construction and maintenance of black schools. The county promised new schools will be built. MC refused to repairs previous burned and damaged schools from riots’ and cross burnings, Discard books were given to the black schools they never received new books. Most of the time the books were out dated and discarded by whites. The African American teaches salaries were withheld and classes halted with no formal notice. The African American school year was shorter compared to the white’s schools. However, African American teachers were more qualified than their white peers. The pay of African American teacher was much lower. In spite of the white schools, and although many African American teachers were better qualified than their white peers, their official wage scale was much lower. Nevertheless, teachers and parents were devoted to providing the finest education they could, despite these adverse circumstances. In spite of such laws, in African American established a colored school for students and employed black teachers. In a few cases, slave masters taught their slaves or the children of slave masters. However, for the large majority of enslaved African Americans, there were really no formal recognized educational institutions. Therefore, African Americans depended on private instruction to educate themselves. Bowie State University is the oldest historically African American University. It was founded in 1865, in Baltimore, Maryland. It was considered an African American institution of higher education in the State of Maryland for people of color primarily for teachers. Some of the classes were held in Baptist churches. The freedmen’s Bureau the school relocated to a building purchased from the Society of Friends at Courtland and Saratoga Streets. The institution reorganized solely as a normal school to train black teachers in 1893. Conclusion: Globalization is the process in which the black community in the United States must continue to grow in becoming connected and intergraded into the modern world, by building businesses and generating economic growth. The black community should become more engaged in the cultural and political education of the community and respond together and address any global problems that could possibly affect the growth of the community. The problems which plaque African Americans during slavery are becoming more noticeable in our communities today. There is significant poverty among African Americans and crime due to lack of education. Families are being destroyed because we have been oppressed. Booker T. Washington was considered the most powerful black educator of the 19th and 20th centuries, he forward large some of his funds black schools and colleges. He was determined to educate himself. A segment of the African American people has moved away from the theory of ensuring all are able and educated to take care of self. During slavery the minds of the African American minds were free and bodies enslaved. Now that our bodies are free but our minds are enslaved. The global and social issues are affecting many parts of the African Americans community across the country. Some of the problems are so complex, that most people steer clear of addressing global and social issues. A group of people who were dehumanized and strip of their original identity are in search of equality that will better prepare children of the future. Mary McLeod Bethune, born to former slave’s in1875 after the Civil war, is known for her contributions in the black communities. In the 21st century around the world constant debates are taking place concerning the impact of globalization in education in the African American community. Economy and education it’s amazing that the African American community is roughly defined or mildly represented in education. The actually perspective in developing a larger spectrum, cross disciplinary, and cross-boundaries approach would be necessary to examine educational challenges. The collective behavior of the educational system has influence mass behavior of educational system in the black community. Social issues in the black community may cause declined moving to the next century due to the lack of education. The can and will have a global affect across all minority culture. Black children are being placed in special education. As the country move forward in modern technology and higher education the large number of children of color will be left behind. Some of the children that are placed in the venues called class rooms were they are only taught the basic. They not are being prepared for the future. It’s appalling the social, health, economic and criminal justice are markers that predicts downward sparrow in future proportions in the near future for our community. The collective behavior of the African American communities is not reaching out to address these impending issues. Without positive changes, practical well thought out plans the mobilization; the segment of the African American community will not be able to move forward in the new global information or advanced technological skills. Education must become a priority. We must develop a social culture of literacy and education. The Black community must encourage the children to want to learn and move to higher level of education. The parents must be engaged in the educational process. The affects of slavery completely disrupted the notion of the black family because family members could be sold away from one another at any time. Mothers could be torn away from their infants; husbands could be sold away from their families without notice. Slavery made African Americans into work animals, or beasts of burden, who were expected to work from sun up to sundown without stopping, and who were sometimes actually bred like cattle or horses to make better, stronger slaves. Slavery also made black men, women and children extremely helpless to brutal violence, the means of which we cannot even imagine today: rape, murder, torture, lynching’s, tar and feathering, whipping, etc. Slavery also caused severe emotional and psychological trauma, which resulted in oftentimes in self-hatred because blacks were taught that everything black was bad and everything white was good because the lack of education and dehumanized put the African American community at disadvantaged. Some blacks learned to hate the color of their skin, their physical features, and the texture of their hair because they were told over and over that they were ugly because they werent European. Slavery has a negative effect on the Black community in America. When slavery was abolish some slaves was taken back to varies parts of Africa. The slaves that remained in America life was an uphill constant battle fighting for equal opportunities as whites. Slavery kept blacks from being educated in large numbers because it was illegal for slaves to learn to read and write. Slave-owners were afraid that educated slaves would find a way to organize themselves and begin a revolution that would end. The 21 century has created an environment that suppresses many healthy discussions in order to remain politically correct. However, as African Americans, we have a strong heritage of lively debate and facing the hard issues to ensure the welfare of our citizens. Many Blacks feels oppressed and angry. Not surprisingly, most discussions today are taking place within the Black community, although electing our first Black President has broadened the commentary on the issue. Does slavery continue to affect our community today? Slavery ended in 1865, followed by reconstruction, which ended in 1877. Freed slaves, who had spent their lives being told what to do and were conditioned to react rather than initiate thought, were left to their own devices to face â€Å"freedom â€Å"The effect of slavery continues to exert its brutal influence in the untold sufferings of millions of everyday people. In conclusion: Globalization has positive and negative affect on the African American community positive affect moving from slavery to equality and negative many are left behind due to not forming to globalization. In 1865 School Superintend of Maryland wrote excluding African Americans students. 1st. Education ought to be Universal. 2nd. Education ought to be Free, and therefore, 3rd. The property of the whole State is responsible For such education of every child in the State as will prepare him to perform the duties of a man and a citizen, in obedience to the laws of God and the laws of the Commonwealth. In the first Article of the Declaration of Rights, the people of Maryland say, That we hold it to be self- evident that all men are created equally free ; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, the enjoyment of the proceeds of their own labor and the pursuit of happiness. If this be our Faith, then our works ought to be mani- fest. Our children must be carefully taught without any distinction of person, the principles by which life may be preserved and made productive of good to its possessors and those whom they may influence.

Boys don’t play with dolls’ Essay Example for Free

Boys don’t play with dolls’ Essay The Vietnam War is still the United States’ most famous (or infamous) war even if new conflicts have risen over the years. The numerous films made about the Vietnam War are a testament to its fame (or infamy). This paper would be a review of two internet sites reviewing the cause of conflict, social stratification, type of conflict, and how the war ended. According to vietnampix. com the war on Vietnam started because of the splitting of the country. The French used to dominate Vietnam but when they were defeated, the country was divided into two. Sometime between 1955 and 1960, the communist occupied North Vietnam tried to invade the Democratic South. Aided by two other communist countries China and Russia, the North was determined to conquer the whole country. Fearing the spread of communism, the US had to interfere. (The Vietnam War Background). Social Stratification had a big role in the war; in fact, it is part of the cause. Communism is based on a form of society where everybody else is equal, except for the officials. Democracy on the other hand believes in open opportunities for all. Not being able to agree on this divided the country which would eventually lead to the Vietnam War. The type of conflict of the Vietnam War is a mixture of different types. It was first a revolution against France which has ruled the country for a long time. And then it became a Civil War as the country was divided into two halves—the communist North and the democratic South led by Ngo Dinh Diem. (Vietnam. vassar. edu). It quickly became a feud of all sorts when America decided to take part in the war in order to stop the spread of communism in the world. On paper, the conflict was ended through the Paris Peace Agreement in January 1973 but hostilities between opposing forces were still happening. (Vietnam. vassar. edu). The result of the conflict were, a rare US loss, millions of lives gone, and a country devastated. References Vietnampix. com (n. d). The Vietnam War: Background. Retrieved June 25, 2009. from: http://www. vietnampix. com/intro. htm Vassar College (n. d). The Wars of Vietnam. Retrieved June 25, 2009. from: http://vietnam. vassar. edu/overview. html

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Benefits

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Benefits Indian agriculture has a rich historical past. Hymns in Rigveda describe plowing, sowing, irrigation, fruit and vegetable cultivation. An ancient Indian Sanskrit text, Bhumivargaha, classified agricultural land into twelve categories: urvara (fertile), ushara (barren), pankikala (muddy), maru (desert), aprahata (fallow), jalaprayah (watery), kachchaha (land contiguous to water), sharkara (full of pebbles and pieces of limestone), shadvala (grassy), nadimatruka (land watered from a river), sharkaravati (sandy), and devamatruka (rainfed). Archaeological evidence suggests that rice was grown along the banks of the Indian river Ganges in the sixth millennium BC. Thousands of years ago, Indian farmers used to domesticate cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs and horses The farmers used traditional methods of cultivation. However, over past fifty years Indian population has tripled. To meet the food requirements of the increasing population and save them from starvation increase in farm production was the need of the hour. Norman Borlaug, titled as the Father of the Green Revolution introduced the concepts of introduction of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, increase of irrigation infrastructure, advancement of management techniques, distribution of hybridized seeds, use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to farmers in developing countries. India too successfully implemented it, which led to rapid growths in farm productivity and enabled us to become self-sufficient by the 1970s. However, this historical revolution created some problems also. For example high yield was associated with land degradation. Also there was increase in number of weeds. There was evidence of chemicals in water and crops making them unsafe. Today, India is among the top three global producers of many crops, includ ing wheat, rice, cotton, pulses, peanuts, fruits and vegetables. Worldwide, India has the largest herds of buffalo and cattle. It is also the largest producer of milk. Also India has one of the largest and fastest growing poultry industries. India’s basic strength lies in its farms. With this huge farm productivity it becomes imperative that the safety and quality of farm produce is ensured at all stages of production. We need to balance the requirements of food security and safety both. The solution to this complex problem is by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). To increasing the quantity and quality of food in response to growing demand it is required to increase the agricultural productivity. Good agricultural practices, often in combination with effective input use, are one of the best ways to increase productivity and improve quality. GAPs enhance the production safe and good quality food. These practices are ususally environmentally safe and ensure that the final product is appropriate handled, stored and transported. When GAPs are put in practice in true spirit it can be assured that the food will meet quality and safety standards at the time of harvest. GAPs protect food at the primary stage of production from contamination by the following :- Physical hazards like rocks, dirt ,sand filth, putrid and decomposed materials Toxic chemical hazards and contaminants from the environment like heavy metals, environmental pollutants and industrial chemicals) Excessive or unsafe levels of agricultural chemical residues as pesticides, fertilizers, veterinary drugs and other chemicals Contamination or damage by pests, vermin and other insects Biological contamination by mould, pathogenic bacteria or viruses which can cause spoilage, crop damage and food borne illness or chronic health hazards in humans According to Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations Good Agricultural Practices are practices that address environmental, economic and social sustainability for on-farm processes, and result in safe and quality food and non-food agricultural products (figure 1). Figure 1: Four main pillars of GAP. The international market is becoming competitive. The developed countries have become more demanding, critical and stringent when it comes to accepting export of food from developing countries. To have a good standing of our farm produce in the international market Indian Good Agricultural Practices (INDGAP) have been formulated. Adopting theses practices will ensure a safe and sustainable farm produce. INDGAP defines certain minimum standards with a well defined system of accreditation mechanism and implementation of GAP. These standards are voluntary and non discriminatory to the growers. INDGAP has different modules for all farm, crops, fruits and vegetables, combinable crops, green tea and coffee. Broad outline of various aspects which need to be managed are :- Site history and management Soil management Soil mapping Plant nutrition management an fertilizers Irrigation and fertigation Integrated pest management Plant protection products Traceability Complaints management Visitors safety Record keeping Health welfare and safety of workers Environmental conservation Waste and pollution management The potential benefits of GAP are significant improvement in quality and safety of food and other agricultural products. There is a marked reduction in risk of non-compliance with national and international regulations regarding permitted pesticides, maximum levels of contaminants (including pesticides, veterinary drugs, radionuclide and mycotoxins) in food and non-food agricultural products, as well as other chemical, microbiological and physical contamination hazards. Adoption of GAP helps to promote sustainable agriculture and contributes to meeting national and international environment and social development objectives. However there are various challenges related to GAP. The most prominent is a definite increase in cost of production. There is lack of harmonization between existing GAP-related schemes and availability of affordable certification systems which often leads to increased confusion and certification costs for farmers and exporters. There is a high risk that small-scale farmers will not be able to seize export market opportunities unless they are adequately informed, technically prepared and organised to meet this new challenge. It is required that governments and public agencies play a facilitating role in this aspect. However, at times it has been experienced that compliance with GAP standards does not promote all the environmental and social benefits which are claimed. Some key points for adopting GAP are:- Selecting the right type of land to be cultivated for food crop production; Planting the best-quality seeds and of the most appropriate varieties; Use of authorized and acceptable chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) as per approved directions (e.g. concentration, frequency, timing of use); Controlling the quality of irrigation water (in case of use); Use of appropriate harvesting and on-farm storing and handling techniques; Use of suitable methods for shipping of produceto markets or food processors.

Proven Methods Of Child Discipline Essay -- essays research papers

The world we live in today is a very competitive place. There is a constant competition going on to find jobs and move up the ladder of success. As human beings we are naturally devoted to instilling some kind of success in our children. To ensure that children are successful in life they need to be well disciplined but also socially and morally developed human beings. It is the parent’s duty to keep their children well disciplined along with giving them the opportunity to develop socially and morally. But how is it possible to approach this task correctly? Using proven methods of discipline through reasoning, positive and negative reinforcement, and observational learning one can effectively discipline their children without risking damage to the child’s social and moral development. Research has shown that using reasoning as a method for discipline more often helps develop a child’s ability to conform to the standards of what is considered right or just behaviour. Discipline derives from the Latin word â€Å"disciplinare† meaning â€Å"to teach†. Thus, reasoning can be used as an effective tool to teach your children right from wrong. As opposed to the â€Å"We’re doing it this way because I say so method† through reasoning a parent is able to convey the importance of socially acceptable behaviour to the child. The main emphasis of reasoning is to provide your child with clear and straight forward guidelines of acceptable behaviour, to explain the consequences of good and bad behaviour and also to convey to your child why the consequences are necessary. 1 on 1 sit downs are important in helping your child to understand these concepts. A recent university study involving over 100 children and their parents showed that disciplini ng children i... ...ly is! Parents must motivate children to act correctly while giving them an understanding of why it is so important. Parents must increase good behaviour and decrease bad behaviour without risking any damage to the child’s moral development. This can all be achieved by parents through reasoning with children, by setting specific guidelines of good/bad behaviour and making sure children understand the consequences of their actions, through positive and negative reinforcement, by rewarding and praising good behaviour and reprimanding privileges for bad behaviour, and also through observational learning, where the parents themselves have to be role models of acceptable behaviour for the children. Punishment is not a proven method of child discipline. Although it is very effective in the short term it will lead to bigger problems in children’s development down the road.

Friendship in Dandelion Wine :: essays research papers

Friendship in Dandelion Wine How important is friendship in the lives of teenagers today? In the book Dandelion Wine friendship is one of the main and supporting themes that intertwines throughout the book. Friendship can come in all shapes and sizes, but when you lose a friend there are many affects. People can't imagine surviving high school and adolescence without their friends. John the best friend of Doug moves away, the aspects of losing his best friend were devastating bringing a turning point in to Doug's life with many affects. It was a sunny day until a sudden cloud came over Doug’s head, when the reality of John moving hit him (Bradbury 103) “John took the yellow and green train ticket solemnly from his pocket and they both looked at it'; (Bradbury 103). With this type of situation kids are forced to make decisions to cope with the environment around them. “Whether they’re gossiping on the telephone or huddled in school hallways, teen-agers are constantly reaching out to their friends. They can’t imagine surviving high school and adolescence without them.'; The very word of friendship is complicated in the world today. When someone leaves you for any reason you are going to miss him or her with many affects. As memories flow through your head remembering the person that left seems to get harder and harder. In the book Dandelion Wine John started to notice little things that he never noticed before, and this scared him for he was afraid that Doug wouldn’t remember him. & #8220;Shut your eyes, Doug. Now, tell me, what color eyes I got? Don’t peek. What color eyes I got?'; Douglas began to sweat. His eyelids twitched nervously. Aw heck, John that’s not fair. Tell me. Brown! John turned away. No sir. What you mean, no? You’re not even close!'; John closed his eyes. Turn around here, said Douglas. “Open up, let me see. It’s no use, said John. You’re forgot already. Just the way I said. Turn around here! Douglas grabbed him by the hair and turned him slowly. Okay Doug. John opened his eyes. Green.'; (Bradbury 105-106). The very sentimental aspect of these affects can help to shape yourself by the environment around you. “Maintaining friendship can cause a lot of anxiety among teens. One of the biggest issues is trust. Confiding in people can be tricky, a betrayal of a confidence can break a friendship'; (Ellis H1+).

Heroism in Ayn Rands The Fountainhead Essay -- Ayn Rand Fountainhead

Heroism in The Fountainhead  Ã‚         The Fountainhead is a story about heroism. The novel is a triumphant cry of protest against all those who insist that life is about mediocrity. That man is destined to suffer. The greatness of The Fountainhead lies in its ability to inspire hope and confidence in its readers, to show how much is possible. For more than fifty years now, people all over the world have been looking towards this great book for support and sanction, for encouragement and hope, for ideas and answers. The Fountainhead applauds strength and greatness in human spirit, giving its readers a hero they can admire, respect, idolize and love. Howard Roark -- the hero, the ideal man, the human being. When Roark said in the courtroom, "Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value, what a man is and makes of himself, not what he has or hasn't for others", he summarized the whole philosophy in these handful of words. To Roark, independence meant everything. From this one value of his arose all his other values and qualities. To him, there was no substitute and no alternative to independence. He held no authority above the judgement of his mind, he held no one higher than himself. Roark felt a fundamental indifference towards others -- he cared two hoots about what the world thought of him. The people Roark chose as friends and comrades all shared this basic quality - independence. His teacher, Henry Cameron, was a fiercely independent man. So were Steven Mallory, Austen Heller, Mike Donnigan and Gail Wynand. Roark's only hallmark of a man was his independence, or the lack of it. His 'enemies', the men who hated Roark, yet recognised his greatness, were all dependents and parasites. Peter Keating thirsted... ...ife as Keating and Toohey saw it. A choice between life as it "ought to be" and life as it is. The Fountainhead is more than a story about heroism. It is a story about a way of life. It will continue to be the most inspiring book of all times and will continue to hit readers with its immortal philosophy and tremendous courage. It will continue to offer answers. The choice is ours. Works Cited and Consulted Berliner, Michael S., ed. Letters of Ayn Rand. By Ayn Rand. New York: Dutton, 1995. Maslow, A.H. (1968) Toward a Psychology of Being. New York: Van Nostrand. Peikoff, Leonard. The Philosophy of Objectivism, A Brief Summary. Stein and Day, 1982. Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. New York: Plume, 1994. Rogers, C.R. (1980) A Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Walker, Jeff. The Ayn Rand Cult. Carus Publishing Company, 1999      

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 27

Chapter 27 The angel and I watched Star Wars for the second time on television last night, and I just had to ask. â€Å"You've been in God's presence, right, Raziel?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"Do you think he sounds like James Earl Jones?† â€Å"Who's that?† â€Å"Darth Vader.† Raziel listened for a moment while Darth Vader threatened someone. â€Å"Sure, a little. He doesn't breathe that heavy though.† â€Å"And you've seen God's face.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Is he black?† â€Å"I'm not allowed to say.† â€Å"He is, isn't he? If he wasn't you'd just say he wasn't.† â€Å"I'm not allowed to say.† â€Å"He is.† â€Å"He doesn't wear a hat like that,† said Raziel. â€Å"Ah-ha!† â€Å"All I'm saying is no hat. That's all I'm saying.† â€Å"I knew it.† â€Å"I don't want to watch this anymore.† Raziel switched the channel. God (or someone who sounded like him) said, â€Å"This is CNN.† We came up to Jerusalem, in the gate at Bethsaida called the Eye of the Needle, where you had to duck down to pass through, out the Golden Gate, through the Kidron Valley, and over the Mount of Olives into Bethany. We had left the brothers and Matthew behind because they had jobs, and Bartholomew because he stank. His lack of cleanliness had started to draw attention lately from the local Pharisees in Capernaum and we didn't want to push the issue since we were walking into the lair of the enemy. Philip and Nathaniel joined us on our journey, but stayed behind on the Mount of Olives at a clearing called Gethsemane, where there was a small cave and an olive press. Joshua tried to convince me to stay with them, but I insisted. â€Å"I'll be fine,† Joshua said. â€Å"It's not my time. Jakan won't try anything, it's just dinner.† â€Å"I'm not worried about your safety, Josh, I just want to see Maggie.† I did want to see Maggie, but I was worried about Joshua's safety as well. Either way, I wasn't staying behind. Jakan met us at the gate wearing a new white tunic belted with a blue sash. He was stocky, but not as fat as I expected him to be, and almost exactly my height. His beard was black and long, but had been cut straight across about the level of his collarbone. He wore the pointed linen cap worn by many of the Pharisees, so I couldn't tell if he'd lost any of his hair. The fringe that hung down was dark brown, as were his eyes. The most frightening and perhaps the most surprising thing about him was that there was a spark of intelligence in his eyes. That hadn't been there when we were children. Perhaps seventeen years with Maggie had rubbed off on him. â€Å"Come in, fellow Nazarenes. Welcome to my home. There are some friends inside who wanted to meet you.† He led us through the door into a large great room, large enough in fact to fit any two of the houses we shared at Capernaum. The floor was paved in tile with turquoise and red mosaic spirals in the corners of the room (no pictures, of course). There was a long Roman-style table at which five other men, all dressed like Jakan, sat. (In Jewish households the tables were close to the ground and diners reclined on cushions or on the floor around them.) I didn't see Maggie anywhere, but a serving girl brought in large pitchers of water and bowls for us to wash our hands in. â€Å"Let this water stay water, will you, Joshua?† Jakan said, smiling. â€Å"We can't wash in wine.† Jakan introduced us to each of the men, adding some sort of elaborate title to each of their names that I didn't catch, but which indicated, I'm sure, that they were all members of the Sanhedrin as well as the Council of Pharisees. Ambush. They received us curtly, then made their way to the water bowls to wash their hands before dinner, all of them watching as Joshua and I washed and offered prayer. This, after all, was part of the test. We sat. The water pitchers and bowls were taken away by the serving girl, who then brought pitchers of wine. â€Å"So,† said the eldest of the Pharisees, â€Å"I hear you have been casting demons out of the afflicted in Galilee.† â€Å"Yes, we're having a lovely Passover week,† I said. â€Å"And you?† Joshua kicked me under the table. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"By the power of my father I have relieved the suffering of some who were plagued by demons.† When Joshua said â€Å"my father† every one of them squirmed. I noticed movement in one of the doorways to Jakan's back. It was Maggie, making signals and signs like a madwoman, but then Jakan spoke. Attention turned to him and Maggie ducked out of sight. Jakan leaned forward. â€Å"Some have said that you banish these demons by the power of Beelzebub.† â€Å"And how could I do that?† Joshua said, getting a little angry. â€Å"How could I turn Beelzebub against himself? How can I battle Satan with Satan? A house divided can't stand.† â€Å"Boy, I'm starving,† I said. â€Å"Bring on the eats.† â€Å"With the spirit of God I cast out demons, that's how you know the kingdom has come.† They didn't want to hear that. Hell, I didn't want to hear that, not here. If Joshua claimed to bring the kingdom, then he was claiming to be the Messiah, which by their way of thinking could be blasphemy, a crime punishable by death. It was one thing for them to hear it secondhand, it was quite another to have Joshua say it to their faces. But he, as usual, was unafraid. â€Å"Some say John the Baptist is the Messiah,† said Jakan. â€Å"There's nobody better than John,† Joshua said. â€Å"But John doesn't baptize with the Holy Ghost. I do.† They all looked at each other. They had no idea what he was talking about. Joshua had been preaching the Divine Spark – the Holy Ghost – for two years, but it was a new way of looking at God and the kingdom: it was a change. These legalists had worked hard to find their place of power; they weren't interested in change. Food was put on the table and prayers offered again, then we ate in silence for a while. Maggie was in the doorway behind Jakan again, gesturing with one hand walking over the other, mouthing words that I was supposed to understand. I had something I wanted to give her, but I had to see her in private. It was obvious that Jakan had forbidden her to enter the room. â€Å"Your disciples do not wash their hands before they eat!† said one of the Pharisees, a fat man with a scar over his eye. Bart, I thought. â€Å"It's not what goes into a man that defiles him,† Joshua said, â€Å"it's what comes out.† He broke off some of the flatbread and dipped it into a bowl of oil. â€Å"He means lies,† I said. â€Å"I know,† said the old Pharisee. â€Å"You were thinking something disgusting, don't lie.† The Pharisees passed the â€Å"no, your turn, no, it's your turn† look around the room. Joshua chewed his bread slowly, then said, â€Å"Why wash the outside of the urn, if there's decay on the inside?† â€Å"Yeah, like you rotting hypocrites!† I added, with more enthusiasm than was probably called for. â€Å"Quit helping!† Josh said. â€Å"Sorry. Nice wine. Manischewitz?† My shouting evidently stirred them out of their malaise. The old Pharisee said, â€Å"You consort with demons, Joshua of Nazareth. This Levi was seen to cause blood to come from a Pharisee's nose and a knife to break of its own, and no one even saw him move.† Joshua looked at me, then at them, then at me again. â€Å"You forget to tell me something?† â€Å"He was being an emrod, so I popped him.† (â€Å"Emrod† is the biblical term for hemorrhoid.) I heard Maggie's giggling from the other room. Joshua turned back to the creeps. â€Å"Levi who is called Biff has studied the art of the soldier in the East,† Joshua said. â€Å"He can move swiftly, but he is not a demon.† I stood up. â€Å"The invitation was for dinner, not a trial.† â€Å"This is no trial,† said Jakan, calmly. â€Å"We have heard of Joshua's miracles, and we have heard that he breaks the Law. We simply want to ask him by whose authority he does these things. This is dinner, otherwise, why would you be here?† I was wondering that myself, but Joshua answered me by pushing me down in my seat and proceeding to answer their accusations for another two hours, crafting parables and throwing their own piety back in their faces. While Joshua spoke the word of God, I did sleight-of-hand tricks with the bread and the vegetables, just to mess with them. Maggie came to the doorway and signaled me, pointing frantically to the front door and making threatening, head-bashing gestures which I took to be the consequences for my not understanding her this time. â€Å"Well, I've got to go see a man about a camel, if you'll excuse me.† I stepped out the front door. As soon as I closed it behind me I was hit with the spraying girl-spit of a violently whispering woman. â€Å"YoustupidsonofabitchwhatthefuckdidyouthinkIwastryingtosaytoyou?† She punched me in the arm. Hard. â€Å"No kiss?† I whispered. â€Å"Where can I meet you, after?† â€Å"You can't. Here, take this.† I handed her a small leather pouch. â€Å"There's a parchment inside to tell you what to do.† â€Å"I want to see you two.† â€Å"You will. Do what the note says. I have to go back in.† â€Å"You bastard.† Punch in the arm. Hard. I forgot what I was doing and entered the house still rubbing my bruised shoulder. â€Å"Levi, have you injured yourself?† â€Å"No, Jakan, but sometimes I strain a shoulder muscle just shaking this monster off.† The Pharisees hated that one. I realized that they were waiting for me to request water so I could go through the whole hand-washing ritual before I sat down to the table again. I stood there, thinking about it, rubbing my shoulder, waiting. How long could it possibly take to read a note? It seemed like a long time, with them staring at me, but I'm sure it was only a few minutes. Then it came, the scream. Maggie let go from the next room, long and high and loud, a virtuoso scream of terror and panic and madness. I bent over and whispered into Joshua's ear, â€Å"Just follow my lead. No, just don't do anything. Nothing.† â€Å"But – â€Å" The Pharisees all looked like someone had dropped hot coals into their laps as the scream went on, and on. Maggie had great sustain. Before Jakan could get up to investigate, there came my girl – still shrieking, I might add – a lovely green foam running out of her mouth, her dress torn and hanging in shreds on her blood-streaked body and blood running from the corners of her eyes. She screamed in Jakan's face and rolled her eyes, then leapt onto the table and growled as she kicked every piece of crockery off onto the floor where it shattered. The servant girl ran through screaming, â€Å"Demons have taken her, demons have taken her!† then bolted out the front door. Maggie started screeching again, then ran up and down the length of the table, urinating as she went. (Nice touch, I would never have thought of that.) The Pharisees had backed up against the wall, including Jakan, as Maggie fell on her back on the table, thrashing and growling and screaming obscenities while splattering the front of their white cloaks with green foam, urine, and blood. â€Å"Devils! She's been possessed by devils. Lots of them,† I shouted. â€Å"Seven,† Maggie said between growls. â€Å"Looks like seven,† I said. â€Å"Doesn't it, Josh?† I grabbed the back of Joshua's hair and sort of made him nod in agreement. No one was really watching him anyway, as Maggie was now spouting impressive fountains of green foam both out of her mouth and from between her legs. (Again, a nice touch I wouldn't have thought of.) She settled into a vibrating fit rhythm, with barking and obscenities for counterpoint. â€Å"Well, Jakan,† I said politely, â€Å"thank you for dinner. It's been lovely but we have to be going.† I pulled Joshua to his feet by his collar. He was a little perplexed himself. Not terrified like our host, but perplexed. â€Å"Wait,† Jakan said. â€Å"Festering dog penis!† Maggie snarled to no one in particular, but I think everyone knew who she meant. â€Å"Oh, all right, we'll try to help her,† I said. â€Å"Joshua, grab an arm.† I pushed him forward and Maggie grabbed his wrist. I went around to the other side of the table and got hold of her other arm. â€Å"We have to get her out of this house of defilement.† Maggie's fingernails bit into my arm as I lifted her up and she pulled herself along on Josh's wrist, pretending to thrash and fight. I dragged her out the front door and into the courtyard. â€Å"Make an effort, Joshua, would you,† Maggie whispered. Jakan and the Pharisees bunched at the door. â€Å"We need to take her into the wilderness to safely cast out the devils,† I shouted. I dragged her, and Joshua for that matter, into the street and kicked the heavy gate closed. Maggie relaxed and stood up. A mound of green foam cascaded off of her chest. â€Å"Don't relax yet, Maggie. When we're farther away.† â€Å"Pork-eating goat fucker!† â€Å"That's the spirit.† â€Å"Hi, Maggie,† Joshua said, taking her arm and finally helping me drag. â€Å"I think it went really well for short notice,† I said. â€Å"You know, Pharisees make the best witnesses.† â€Å"Let's go to my brother's house,† she whispered. â€Å"We can send word that I'm incurable from there. â€Å"Rat molester!† â€Å"It's okay, Maggie, we're out of range now.† â€Å"I know. I was talking to you. Why'd you take seventeen years to get me out of there?† â€Å"You're beautiful in green, did I ever tell you that?† â€Å"I've got to think that that was unethical,† Joshua said. â€Å"Josh, faking demonic possession is like a mustard seed.† â€Å"How is it like a mustard seed?† â€Å"You don't know, do you? Doesn't seem at all like a mustard seed, does it? Now you see how we all feel when you liken things unto a mustard seed? Huh?† At Simon the Leper's house Joshua went to the door first by himself so Maggie's appearance didn't scare the humus out of her brother and sister. Martha answered the door. â€Å"Shalom, Martha. I'm Joshua bar Joseph, of Nazareth. Remember me from the wedding in Cana? I've brought your sister Maggie.† â€Å"Let me see.† Martha tapped her fingernail on her chin while she searched her memory in the night sky. â€Å"Were you the one who changed the water into wine? Son of God, was it?† â€Å"There's no need to be that way,† Joshua said. I popped my head around Josh's shoulder. â€Å"I gave your sister a powder that sort of foamed her up all red and green. She's a bit nasty-looking right now.† â€Å"I'm sure that becomes her,† said Martha, with an exasperated sigh. â€Å"Come in.† She led us inside. I stood by the door while Joshua sat on the floor by the table. Martha took Maggie to the back of the house to help her clean up. It was a large house by our country standards, but not nearly as big as Jakan's. Still, Simon had done well for the son of a blacksmith. I didn't see Simon anywhere. â€Å"Come sit at the table,† Joshua said. â€Å"Nope, I'm fine by the door here.† â€Å"What's the matter?† â€Å"Do you know whose house this is?† â€Å"Of course, Maggie's brother Simon's.† I lowered my voice. â€Å"imon-Say the eper-Lay.† â€Å"Come sit down. I'll watch over you.† â€Å"Nope. I'm fine here.† Just then Simon came in from the other room carrying a pitcher of wine and a tray of cups in his rag-wrapped hands. White linen covered his face except for his eyes, which were as clear and blue as Maggie's. â€Å"Welcome, Joshua, Levi – it's been a long time.† We'd known Simon as boys, spending as much time as we did hanging around Maggie's father's shop, but he had been older, learning his father's craft then, and far too serious to be associating with boys. In my memory he was strong and tall, but now the leprosy had bent him over like an old woman. Simon set the cups down and poured for the three of us. I remained against the wall by the door. â€Å"Martha doesn't take well to serving,† Simon said, by way of apologizing for doing the serving himself. â€Å"She tells me that you turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana.† â€Å"Simon,† Joshua said, â€Å"I can heal your affliction, if you'll allow me.† â€Å"What affliction?† He lay down at the table across from Joshua. â€Å"Biff, come sit with us.† He patted a cushion next to him and I ducked in the event that fingers started flying. â€Å"I understand that Jakan used my sister as bait for a trap for you two.† â€Å"Not much of a trap,† Joshua said. â€Å"You expected that?† I asked. â€Å"I thought there would be more, the whole Pharisee council perhaps. I wanted to answer them directly, not have my words passed through a dozen spies and rumormongers. I also wanted to see if there would be any Sadducees there.† Just then I realized what Joshua had already figured out: the Sadducees, the priests, weren't involved in Jakan's little surprise inquisition. They had been born to their power, and were not as easily threatened as the working-class Pharisees. And the Sadducees were the more powerful half of the Sanhedrin, the ones who commanded the soldiers of the Temple guard. Without the priests, the Pharisees were vipers without fangs, for now anyway. â€Å"I hope we haven't brought the judgment of the Pharisees down on your head, Simon,† Joshua said. Simon waved a hand in dismissal. â€Å"Not to worry. There'll be no Pharisees coming here. Jakan is terrified of me, and if he really believes that Maggie is possessed, and if his friends believe it, well, I'd bet he's divorced her already.† â€Å"She can come back to Galilee with us,† I said, looking at Joshua, who looked at Simon, as if to ask permission. â€Å"She may do as she wishes.† â€Å"What I wish is to get out of Bethany before Jakan comes to his senses,† Maggie said, coming from the other room. She wore a simple woolen dress and her hair was still dripping. There was still green goo on her sandals. She came across the room, knelt down, and gave her brother a huge hug, then a kiss on the eyebrow. â€Å"If he comes by or sends word, you'll tell him I'm still here.† I sensed Simon was smiling under the veil. â€Å"You don't think he'll want to come in and look around?† â€Å"The coward,† Maggie spat. â€Å"Amen,† I said. â€Å"How did you stay with a creep like that all of these years?† â€Å"After the first year he didn't want to be anywhere near me. Unclean, don't you know? I told him I was bleeding.† â€Å"For all those years?† â€Å"Sure. Do you think he would embarrass himself among the members of the Pharisee council by asking them about their own wives?† Joshua said, â€Å"I can heal you of that affliction, if you'll allow me, Maggie.† â€Å"What affliction?† â€Å"You should go,† Simon said. â€Å"I'll send word about what Jakan has done as soon as I know. If he hasn't done it already, I have a friend who will plant the idea that if he doesn't divorce Maggie his place on the Sanhedrin might be questioned.† Simon and Martha waved to us from the doorway, Martha looking like a compact ghost of her older sister and Simon just looking like a ghost. And thus did we become eleven. There was a full moon and a sky full of stars thrown over us as we walked back to Gethsemane. From the top of the Mount of Olives we could see across the Kidron Valley to the Temple. Black smoke streamed into the sky from the sacrificial fires which the priests tended day and night. I held Maggie's hand as we walked through the grove of ancient olive trees and out into the clearing near the oil press where we camped. Philip and Nathaniel had built a fire and there were two strangers sitting by it with them. They all stood up as we approached. Philip glared at me, which baffled me until I remembered that he'd been with us at Cana, and seen Joshua and Maggie dancing at the wedding. He thought I was trying to steal Joshua's girl. I let her hand go. â€Å"Master,† said Nathaniel, tossing his yellow hair, â€Å"new disciples. These are Thaddeus and Thomas the Twins.† Thaddaeus stepped up to Joshua. He was about my height and age, and wore a tattered woolen tunic and looked especially gaunt, as if he might be starving. His hair was cut short like a Roman's, but it looked as if someone had cut it with a dull piece of flint. Somehow he looked familiar. â€Å"Rabbi, I heard you preach when you were with John. I have been with him for two years.† A follower of John, that's where I knew him from, although I didn't remember meeting him. That explained the hungry look as well. â€Å"Welcome, Thaddaeus,† Joshua said. â€Å"These are Biff and Mary Magdalene, disciples and friends.† â€Å"Call me Maggie,† Maggie said. Joshua stepped over to Thomas the Twins, who was only one guy, younger, perhaps twenty, his beard still like soft down in places, his clothes finer than any of ours. â€Å"And Thomas.† â€Å"Don't, you're standing on Thomas Two,† Thomas squealed. Nathaniel pushed Joshua aside and whispered in his ear a little too loudly. â€Å"He sees his twin but no one else can. You said to show mercy, so I haven't told him that he's mad.† â€Å"And so you shall be shown mercy, Nathaniel,† Joshua said. â€Å"So we won't tell you that you're a ninny,† I added. â€Å"Welcome, Thomas,† Joshua said, embracing the boy. â€Å"And Thomas Two,† Thomas said. â€Å"Forgive me. Welcome, Thomas Two, as well,† said Joshua to a perfectly empty spot in space. â€Å"Come to Galilee and help us spread the good news.† â€Å"He's over there,† said Thomas, pointing to a different spot, equally empty. And thus did we become thirteen. On the trip back to Capernaum Maggie told us about her life, about the dreams she had set aside, and about a child that had died in the first year of her marriage. I could see Joshua was shaken when he heard of the child, and I knew he was thinking that if we hadn't taken off to the East, he would have been there to save it. â€Å"After that,† Maggie said, â€Å"Jakan didn't come near me. There was bleeding right after the baby died, and as far as he knew it never stopped. He's always been afraid that someone might think that there's a curse on his house, so my duties as a wife were public only. It's a double-edged sword for him. In order to appear dutiful I had to go to the synagogue and to the women's court in the Temple, but if they thought I was going there while I was bleeding I would have been driven out, maybe stoned, and Jakan would have been shamed. Who knows what he'll do now.† â€Å"He'll divorce you,† I said. â€Å"He'll have to if he wants to save face with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin.† Strangely enough, it was Joshua who I had trouble consoling about Maggie's lost child. She'd lived with the loss for years, cried over it, allowed it to heal as much as it would, but the wound was fresh for Joshua. He walked far behind us, shunning the new disciples who pranced around him like excited puppies. I could tell that he was talking to his father, and it didn't seem to be going well. â€Å"Go talk to him,† Maggie said. â€Å"It wasn't his fault. It was God's will.† â€Å"That's why he feels responsible,† I said. We hadn't explained to Maggie about the Holy Ghost, the kingdom, all the changes that Joshua wanted to bring to mankind, and how those were at odds, at times, with the Torah. â€Å"Go talk to him,† she said. I fell back in our column, past Philip and Thaddaeus, who were trying to explain to Nathaniel that it was his own voice he heard when he put his fingers in his ears and spoke, and not the voice of God, and past Thomas, who was having an animated discussion with empty air. I walked along beside Joshua for a while before I spoke, and then I tried to sound matter-of-fact. â€Å"You had to go to the East, Joshua. You know that now.† â€Å"I didn't have to go right then. That was cowardly. Would it have been so bad to watch her marry Jakan? To see her child born?† â€Å"Yes, it would have. You can't save everyone.† â€Å"Have you been asleep these last twenty years?† â€Å"Have you? Unless you can change the past, you're wasting the present on this guilt. If you don't use what you learned in the East then maybe we shouldn't have gone. Maybe leaving Israel was cowardly.† I felt my face go numb as if the blood had drained from it. Had I said that? So, we walked along for a while in silence, not looking at each other. I counted birds, listened to the murmur of the disciples' voices ahead, watched Maggie's ass move under her dress as she walked, not really enjoying the elegance of it. â€Å"Well, I, for one, feel better,† said Joshua finally. â€Å"Thanks for cheering me up.† â€Å"Glad to help,† I said. We arrived in Capernaum on the morning of the fifth day after leaving Bethany. Peter and the others had been preaching the good news to the people on the shore of Galilee and there was a crowd of perhaps five hundred people waiting for us. The tension had passed between Joshua and me and the rest of the journey had been pleasant, if for no other reason than we got to hear Maggie laugh and tease us. My jealousy of Joshua returned, but somehow it wasn't bitter. It was more like familiar grief for a distant loss, not the sword-in-the-heart, rending-of-flesh agony of a heartbreak. I could actually leave the two of them alone and talk to other people – think of other things. Maggie loved Joshua, that was assured, but she loved me as well, and there was no way to divine how that might manifest. By following Joshua we had already divorced ourselves of the expectations of normal existence. Marriage, home, family: they were not part of the life we had chosen, Joshua made that clear to all of his disciples. Yes, some of them were married, and some even preached with their wives at their sides, but what set them apart from the multitudes who would follow Joshua was that they had stepped off the path of their own lives to spread the Word. It was to the Word that I lost Maggie, not to Joshua. As exhausted as he was, as hungry, Joshua preached to them. They had been waiting for us and he wouldn't disappoint them. He climbed into one of Peter's boats, rowed out from the shore far enough for the crowd to be able to see him, and he preached to them about the kingdom for two hours. When he had finished, and had sent the crowd on their way, two newcomers waited among the disciples. They were both compact, strong-looking men in their mid-twenties. One was clean-shaven and wore his hair cut short, so that it formed a helmet of ringlets on his head; the other had long hair with his beard plaited and curled in the style I had seen on some Greeks. Although they wore no jewelry, and their clothes were no more fancy than my own, there was an air of wealth about them both. I thought it might have been power, but if it was, it wasn't the self-conscious power of the Pharisees. If nothing else, they were self-assured. The one with the long hair approached Joshua and kneeled before him. â€Å"Rabbi, we've heard you speak of the coming of the kingdom and we want to join you. We want to help spread the Word.† Joshua looked at the man for a long time, smiling to himself, before he spoke. He took the man by the shoulders and lifted him. â€Å"Stand up. You are welcome, friends.† The stranger seemed baffled. He looked back at his friend, then at me, as if I had some answer to his confusion. â€Å"This is Simon,† he said, nodding toward his friend. â€Å"My name is Judas Iscariot.† â€Å"I know who you are,† Joshua said. â€Å"I've been waiting for you.† And so we became fifteen: Joshua, Maggie, and me; Bartholomew, the Cynic; Peter and Andrew, John and James, the fishermen; Matthew, the tax collector; Nathaniel of Cana, the young nitwit; Philip and Thaddeus, who had been followers of John the Baptist; Thomas the twin, who was a loony; and the Zealots, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot. Fifteen went out into Galilee to preach the Holy Ghost, the coming of the kingdom, and the good news that the Son of God had arrived.