Friday, December 27, 2019

A Brief Note On The United States Army Most Soldiers

In the United States Army most Soldiers want to know if they can have trust in their Non Commissioned Officers , and they can if they are treated right and the Non Commissioned Officer does what is right and what is legal, at all times. Soldiers want to know and learn a few things from their Non Commissioned Officers. They want to know if the are concerned about them or whether the Non Commissioned Officers focus is up the chain of command and promotion for him or herself or is the Non Commissioned Officers focus down the chain to where the soldiers are. As Non Commissioned Officers they should respect the soldiers the same way they want to be respected. In my opinion Non Commissioned Officers are here to lead, train, and care for†¦show more content†¦Not showing Non Commissioned Officers the proper respect can and will result in unnecessary trouble and could make you look bad in front of your other supervisors. Non Commissioned Officers represent the United States Army and their very existence allows the officers to plan, organize, lead, and direct combat operations. They have been proving themselves in combat since the Revolutionary War. Non Commissioned Officers are the ones who are directly responsible for those beneath them. A lieutenant may have the titular responsibility for the squad or platoon, but even then it s the Non Commissioned Officers who should be the ones that know these men inside and out. Non Commissioned Officers are responsible for that. He or she provides the Officer with a clear picture of what needs to be accomplished in order to have an effective force, and provides the lower enlisted with the direction to accomplish the mission. That is why they dont make just anybody a Non Commissioned Officer. A Non Commissioned Officer is the one who has been there, done that, and has the experience that most soldiers do not have yet. The Non Commissioned Officer is the backbone of the Army . They are the ones with the experience that is required to be a voice of reason. Often times, it requires a finite balance of leadership ability and good common sense to properly

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Partnering With The Holy Spirit Essay - 1217 Words

Partnering with the Holy Spirit In the book, The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard presents some spiritual disciplines within the eleven chapters, an epilogue, and two appendixes. He titles Chapter Nine with, â€Å"Some main Disciplines for the Spiritual Life,† and begins the chapter by saying, â€Å"A discipline for the spiritual life is, when the dust of history is blown away, nothing but an activity undertaken to bring us into more effective cooperation with Christ and his Kingdom.† In the next section of the chapter, Willard asks the following questions, â€Å"What are the particular activities that can serve as disciplines for the spiritual life? And which should we choose for our individual strategy for spiritual growth?† To answer his own question, Willard poses that â€Å"we need not try to come up with a complete list of disciplines. Nor should we assume that practices will have a strong claim to be on every list.† Nevertheless, Willard does indeed list a few includi ng: solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, sacrifice, study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession and submission. He also goes on to say that there are â€Å"those who are too used to ‘the better things in life’† and poses that â€Å"grocery shopping, banking and other business in the poorer areas of the city† are effective spiritual disciplines because â€Å"[it] has an immense effect on our understanding of and behavior toward our neighbors – both richShow MoreRelatedThe Ministry Of Jesus Christ1712 Words   |  7 Pagespracticing two vital parts of the work of the Holy Spirit through the church. These two aspects are the encounter with the Holy Spirit and the process of transformation, which is led by the Spirit. Both of them are equally essential in becoming witnesses to the coming Kingdom. Without experiencing God, it is impossible for the church to celebrate life and to truly participate in Jesusâ €™ ministry. When engaging with the neighbors, we need to partner with the Holy Spirit, because He is the one who triggers spiritualRead MoreCase Study : Wholly Owned Subsidiary1044 Words   |  5 Pagespossession of, and Subsidiary is a synonym which mean affiliate (Thesaurus, 2014). Philippians 3:14, says we are workman together, and great biblical reference is Acts 14:8-28; how Paul and Barnabas was sent on a joint venture by the guidance of the Holy Spirit the scriptures says: and there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother s womb, who never had walked. The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed;Read MoreEssay On Living Between The Trees1169 Words   |  5 Pageschallenging time ever, and I really needed God’s intervention to continue with business as usual. Fortunately, that was just a temporary obstacle as it is known, the Almighty does not give tests that His people cannot overcome. The Lord sent me the Holy Spirit through my mom to restore hope in me. She would encourage me relentlessly to continue fighting through barriers and that made me realize my worth after all. With time, my relationship with my dad got stronger and that also made me feel even moreRead MoreWhat Is Spiritual Formation .. .2517 Words   |  11 Pagesnecessary regulatory instrument with the ability to certify new coaching programs that were being offered by some of the leading universities in the US and Canada. The ICF penned a definition for this emerging professional occupation: coaching – â€Å"partnering with clients in a thought provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential† (ICF, 2014, www.coachfederation.org). As for the coaches they are to â€Å"honor the client as the expert in his or herRead MoreUnreached People Group Essay5171 Words   |  21 Pagesmissionaries among them that explores the history of missions, the status of the church today and the strategies being employed. Finally, this paper will offer a proposal for a strategy to reach the Arabized-Berbers that involves prayer, financial support, partnering with indigenous churches, believers and other organizations and tent making skills that encourage self-support. Background History Around 788 A.D., one hundred and fifty years after the death of Muhammad, Arab Muslims continued their ConquestsRead MoreMissions Of The United States2270 Words   |  10 Pagesone mile stretch of road in Georgia, I counted thirteen churches. I have been in countries where there aren’t even thirteen churches at all. This is a problem. We need to be increasing our global efforts through mobilizing, training, equipping, partnering, and sending disciples globally to help people find and follow Jesus. A growing number of churches are letting their commitment to missions slide down their priority list. They have fantastic worship services, enticing and God-honoring music, upliftingRead MoreEssay on Unreached People Group Project4555 Words   |  19 Pagesstrategy to reach the Koreans in North Korea. The proposed strategy will consist of long-term training and preparation. The plan will be presented to the Missions Pastor at my church in order to send committed missionaries to spend several years partnering with other mission organizations to continue expanding the Kingdom of God in North Korea. Contents Introduction 1 Background Information 2 Summary of Korean History 2 Language 4 Society 5 Religions 6 Survey of Missions Work 8 HistoryRead MoreAnalysis of Pr Activities of PG3818 Words   |  16 PagesHistorically speaking, Pamp;G has had campaigns designed specifically on a region to region basis. Their major CSR centric PR Campaigns included Live, Learn amp; Thrive which spans over 65 countries around the world. Another campaign featured Pamp;G partnering with Feeding America to provide food to the poor and needy across the United States. Apart from US, Pamp;G ran campaigns in other parts of the world, like Shiksha (Hindi for Education) in India, helping children stop the trend of quitting schoolRead MoreSAP AG: Orchestrating the ecosystem7160 Words   |  29 Pagesused in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. 9-609-069 SAP AG: Orchestrating the Ecosystem achieve the holy grail of interoperability and reusability both inside and outside of its customers’ enterprises. Yusuf began to dig into the information about Nakisa, aware of all the moving parts involved and how a build/buy/partner decision could have implicationsRead MoreLaunching a Digital Marketing Campaign to Build New Business5404 Words   |  22 Pages- the tools, resources and support required to improve the campaign’s implementation and performance. MGDL is the manufacturer and distributor of an award winning rum range and one of the leading local and regional distributors of premium wines, spirits and liqueurs. Absolut is one of the brands distributed by MGDL and makes up 11% of the company’s total sales volumes. Currently, the company does not maximize the potential of an integrated marketing approach to build new business or engage current

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Physical Changes Due to Aging

Question: Identify changes due to hormonal control such as menopauseIdentify physical changes which result from ageing of the body systems and Identify psychological changes both negative and positive of ageing. Answer: Introduction to Menopause: It is a natural phenomenon occurs in all women due to depleting the finite number of ovarian follicles. It is occurred as a result to hormonal level changes, the oestrogen and progesterone hormone levels fall rapidly and considering to this fall the other hormone level increases in response they are luteinsing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). It is observed in many cases where menstruation becomes erratic and stops later on and as a result number of secondary effects and changes are found and are describes below: Menstrual irregularity: Up to four years before the menopause majority of women notice the menstrual cycle irregularities. The irregularity results in lengthening the cycle up to many months or shortening to 2-3 weeks. It is common symptom where amount of menstrual blood loss increases slightly. Abrupt cessation of periods found in approximately 10% of women. Hot flushes and sweats: Neck, head, face and chest are the areas where host flushes affects normally and also last for few minutes and these symptoms are considered as hallmark. Around 80% of women during menopause affected through the vasomotor symptoms and are severe in about 20% of women (Fall Hazard Checklist, 1987). Sleep disturbances: Polysomnography cannot confirm this symptom but usually reported by women. This symptom may secondarily supplement the vasomotor symptoms which affected by psychological factors and may lead towards depression, irritating behaviour and poor concentration. Loss of libido: Due to the changes in oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone hormones this result is implicated. Other psychological aspects like loss of self-image, vaginal dryness also play a role. Other changes: It may contains brittle nails, skin thinning, hair loss, increased joint and waste pain and it occur due to falling level of oestrogen hormone. Physical changes which result from ageing of the body systems Loss of hearing: It will affect ability of older person to talk easily with others. They generally face trouble in hearing higher pitched tones and during the background noise they often unable to make out sound or words. They may face difficulty in hearing conversation, especially higher voice of speaker or during background interference. According to AARP, (1990), Frustration and embracement may result from older persons behavior due to not understanding what is being said. Bones and Muscles Changes: The symptoms gets vulnerable to broken bones, in addition to this stiffness of joints and bones connecting ligaments loses their elasticity as during increasing age. Aging people often found complaining about their hand and foot pain. Vision: Along with aging, one often experiences reduction in peripheral vision. It is observed in general where a person may need to turn his or her head to see to the sides. Flexibility of older person eyes changes and hence they require more time to accommodate in changing light (AARP, 1990). Older people faces trouble in identifying nearer objects but eyeglasses can correct this problem. Taste and Smell: During aging loss of taste sensitivity often found. Minority of people above 70 feels this loss and does not seen to occur below 70. Not experienced often but there is loss of smell as age increases. Moreover that older people found to complain about tasteless food or disliking their favorite food. Most experts feel that the complaining is caused due to the loneliness feeling at meal or inability to cook. Circulation: As compare to the younger heart, older heart shows down and is also not very much able to pump blood through the body and this is the reason of less stamina and energy of older people for physical work (Frazier, 1987). Circulation also contributes to cold sensitivity, particularly in hands and feet. In terms of proper physical as well as cognitive functioning which is carried through blood oxygen is necessary. Hence the elder people who have poor circulation generally experience forgetfulness and other results of poor cognition. Negative and positive psychological changes of ageing There are many changes which would result from the body system aging process, the changes may be result in loss of memory, intellectual functions deterioration, decreasing in mobility and increases the rate of disease. Key Points: It is found that many older adults faces changes in their bodies and minds and it is not only due to the reduction in brain size but also due to the loss of brain plasticity (National Institute on Aging). Another changes often occur in older adults is that, they found difficult to remember and attend the information and is result of memory degeneration in old age. Particularly it is stated that, due to aging of the body system procedural memory of person is tends to remain stable but at the same time working memory may declines (Frazier, 1987). Dryness of skin, wrinkling over skin, disturbance in sleeping or lack of sleeping, difficulty occur during balancing and often falls and most probably increases the order of disease and disorders, these are the physical changes occur during aging or late adulthood. Some psychological changes such as irritating behavior, depression, poor concentration, low eyesight are other changes of aging. There are large differences in individuals physical and cognitive functioning of older adults. Negative Stereotypes are more which describe the aging in negative point of view and it will interpret older adults very negatively, in fact these are the natural changes which would be taken positively to increase positive psychological effect. It is found that the people going from aging stage and who engaged in regular physical and mental activities and having positive attitude of living can set example of successful aging. Such adults also live longer and have healthier other than the individual stimulate themselves intellectually. Reference List AARP. (1990). Hearing impairment: The invisible loss. Perspectives in Health Promotion and Aging, 5 (3), 1-6. AARP. (1990). Looking out for older eyes. Perspectives in Health Promotion and Aging, 5 (3), 1-6. Frazier, B. H. (1986-1987). Your Aging Parents: Understanding Physical Changes. College Park, MD: The University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. Fall Hazard Checklist (1987). Clinical Report on Aging, 1, 5. National Institute on Aging (n.d.). Aging and Your Eyes.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Total Quality Management By Jeff Russell A new typ Essay Example For Students

Total Quality Management By Jeff Russell A new typ Essay Tqme of structure is being used in many organizations today. That structure is labeled Total Quality Management (TQM). This approach involves guaranteeing that an organization functions with a commitment to quality and continuous improvement in meeting its consumers needs. With any type of change there will always be a number of bumps in the road which slow down the process that can help a company increase the workers morale, production, profits and over all positive environment to conduct business. The pressures of the cutthroat market place has pushed companies backs against a wall and to compete on a global scale new ideas have to be explored. We will write a custom essay on Total Quality Management By Jeff Russell A new typ specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The purpose of a TQM program is to amplify the effectiveness of the organization. During an age of downsizing and restructuring, many American companies are determining that they must learn to manage more effectively. The management is running on an older system, which adds to workers that call out more sick days and abuse the companies production procedure. Organizational problems decoding means that all members of an organization participate in cultivating a vision and improving the corporate cultures. In any change program you must comprehend where you are before you can chart a course of where you want to be. Therefore, before executing TQM, or another program it is important to add the total value of the organization in terms of its current quality or performance class and to define the level of performance or quality you wish to achieve. One will never achieve total output for any given input, but with simple steps that can add dollars to the bottom line with an increase of production one can get close. Organization diagnose contributes information which allows a faster reacting organization to emerge, one which can deal proactively with changing emphases. Organization examination is often mentioned as the most critical element in the TQM process. With this technique utilized a company can measure all aspects of its output in relation to the mass input. These all include external and internal inputs from the accountant to the delivery truck driver. All members and service providers must be looked at so as to acquire a complete overall view of the performance of the given organization. The steps that a company takes towards Total Quality Management in the beginning only adds the real value of having such a new system in place. Organizations are transforming and will continue to do so in order to survive in this complex environment. Because change is occurring so rapidly, there is necessity for new ways to manage focusing on product quality and individual involvement. TQM is a type of an approach to managing work focusing on the evaluation of industry processes. The development of a quality energized culture and the empowerment of employees, for this purpose of continuous improvement of products and philanthropies. Since TQM is a powerful new management technique requiring absolute employee participation, the first step is a climatic change in corporate culture. Any successful adjustment in corporate culture will depend upon the active consultation and involvement of the management team. An important component in developing a high performance organization is the identification of areas for improvement or concerns. Total quality management has been defined as the guidance of activities involving improving the quality of the organizations product or service. TQM involves moving toward collective excellence by integrating the desires of individuals for growth and development with organizational goals. TQM is a philosophy and a set of guiding standards for continuous improvement. TQM applies human resources and analytical tools into management efforts, by providing planned, efficient approaches to improving the total organization, so that it is more customer oriented, quality conscious, adjustable and attentive. .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 , .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .postImageUrl , .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 , .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02:hover , .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02:visited , .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02:active { border:0!important; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02:active , .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02 .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2ecd90bf702dcc89e6d51727b9524a02:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: It was a warm summer day when his life turned upside down Essay Total quality management has become a cardinal concern of management. Much of this attention was initially focused on the auto establishments, which experienced declining sales and increasing product disappointments. Companies in numerous other industries also became concerned. Some of these ideas were originally explored in this country in the 80s due to deficient sales and decrease in market share. Both of these can denote death for even considerably large companies like General Motors. It was GM that characterized a major role in introducing TQM here with the Saturn car. GM decided that since they might lose some valuable market shares due to expansion in Japanese car sale, that they should study the extraordinary way that this old world culture seemed to put quality autos on the market. GM found that the Japanese had less middle management and more teams of employees that were self-governed. The teams were responsible for the perfection of the products that were made, instead of having quality control inspectors. The teams were given the authority to hire and fire its members. With this innovative knowledge, GM tried an experiment for GM to use and harvest some of the inspirations so as to enhance its other factories. Thus, the total quality management system was subsequently made mainstream with it creeping into all types of organizations. There are several widely recognized key characteristics of TQM systems. First for a system to be TQM it has to be organization wide. Which determines that the production line is a natural and obvious place to increase quality but it also takes place in all areas of the business. This includes the superior CEO to the mailroom clerk. Second, the top managers must visibly adhere the new TQM control system. If any of the workers were to contemplate that the upper management was not taking the new guidelines seriously then you are more inclined to have chaos. To help stop people from causing too many problems, a simple type of reward system is put in place to recognize team associates and for the insurance that there will be continued support. Third, everyone in the organization has a customer, which could be the adjacent guy on the production line or remote to the organization. This is a crafty way to get the personnel enthusiastic about pleasing the guidelines of the company. Forth, doing the job expectations right the first time is important. Instead of relying on product inspection, the employee should be responsible for the quality of the product that is conceived. Finally, the most important aspect for an organization is to let the team members know that each one of them is respected and valued. This again goes for the entire chain, from the internal employees to the external vendors and suppliers. More and more organizations are concluding that employees are no longer satisfied with simply filling a slot in the organization chart. Everyone in the organization has a voice and is allowed to speak on all issues. Todays managers are being challenged to provide leadership in new and changing environments. Customers, competitors, employees, and stockholders are all placing anxieties on management for innovation and change at a rapid pace. Change is a scorning process. Every organization exists in an endless state of adapting to change. External competitive forces usually cause downsizing changes, whereas other changes to work operations emerge as a result of shifting forces within the organization. Many management theorists feel that authoritarian or political forces, adapting to this increasing rate of change and therefore become reactive organizations reacting drastically after problems come to light. The GM company for example, continues to focus on quality, cycle time reduction, and teamwork in a change process that most companies can only try to emulate. Ten years after initiating a quality change program, TQM is still being used to improve the company. The Saturn car company is a continued success in the auto industry. .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca , .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .postImageUrl , .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca , .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca:hover , .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca:visited , .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca:active { border:0!important; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca:active , .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua184d6612b7ab1a1e8e6d20b255ae5ca:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: 12 Angry Men Essay It should be noted that Saturn has yet to pull in an over all profit, but the high sales has GM looking at the car company in hindsight. GM has taken what it has learned from Saturn and applied it to the other lines of cars. How can you measure the value of such information? So because of this new approach the TQM company lives on as a modern day experiment, which by todays terms is not so experimental. GM strategy to meet these changing forces is termed Total Quality Management (TQM). Total Quality Management may be defined as an organizational strategy of commitment to improving customer satisfaction by developing techniques to carefully administer output quality. TQM is not so much a special technique, as it is an aspect of a reinvented corporate culture with a healthy commitment to improving quality in all organizational approaches. Business

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

At The First Of The Year Miss Schoonmaker Asked Us If We Thought Ameri

At the first of the year Miss Schoonmaker asked us if we thought America was a success or not. This got me thinking what are we going to learn that will make us think our country isn't a success? Well throughout the year I learned things that made me believe America is not a success. Things that made me not believe in America were how we go against things we pledge. Like the Constitution and how we treated blacks in the Civil Rights era. Another example is the "American dream". The Dream was all centered primarily around money. Has it not been said that money is the root of all evil? Do we really believe in a country that's dream is evil? I believe the thought of the "American dream" brought us into civil war. The North and the South both had their views on what the "American dream" was. The Northern States wanted the American dream achieved for the whole country to be industrial, anti-slavery, and very federalist. Upon these institutions they planned to make the U.S. a superior nation in the world. The South wanted to achieve the same ultimate goal for the U.S. but with agricultural, pro- slavery, and states sovereignty institutions. These are the differences between both sides in achieving the American Dream. In order to resolve the conflict of interests, North and South had to go to war to prove superiority thus proving which side is the city upon the hill" in which the losing side would follow. The "American dream" later made us build the suburbs like Levittown where the country was trying to make us all the same. We had the same house just different colors than everyone else. This all brought up the issue of conf ormity. America was trying to live up to an ideal that was not securing the blessings of liberty. In the best document ever written the opening clause is a big fat lie. It says we will "...establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity..." Justice was not shown in many cases where a white person had killed a black person and everyone knew the white person was guilty, but to not suffer from criticizing the all white jury pled guilty. This was the case in the Emmit Till trial. Emmit spoke to a white lady and later that night the white ladies' husband and friend kidnaped Emmit and beat him with a baseball bat. Later Emmit was found in a river. Everyone knew what had happened to Emmit and who had killed him but the white persons who killed him got off. They later confessed killing Emmit Till and nothing was done. How is Justice ensured when we can't even get a fair trial? In the dictionary it says that "a judge should have a sense of justice." In no way wa s the United states living up to the ideal of establishing justice. How is the Nation " insuring domestic tranquillity" in the case of Elian Gonzalez? Is breaking into a house in the middle of the night with weapons drawn to take a eight year old boy insuring national calmness? We have a picture of a man with a machine gun in Elians' face. The Nation woke up to the news in a uproar. Demonstrators marched for weeks out side of Elians' House. If we were trying to keep the nation calm why would we do something like this? That is not the way to build up our reputation. If we are trying to be the "city on a hill" to all other countries why do something like this? That is not insuring calmness in the Nation. Our nation has failed on the subject of diversity. The word diversity is closely related to discrimination. Both mean or have something to do with people of different race, religion, or sex. It has been said the more diverse a thing is, the more strength it possess. Than why did America have such a problem with blacks? The south especially discriminated the blacks and wouldn't even go to the same schools as the blacks, drink from

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Free Essays on The Wiccan Religion

The word "Witchcraft" dates back many hundred of years and means literally "The craft of the wise". This is because the Witches of the old were the wise ones of their village, knowledgeable in the art of healing, legal matters and spiritual fulfillment. A Witch had to not only be a religious leader, but also the doctor, lawyer, and psychologist of the village. Today, people have reclaimed this word in their pursuit of Wiccan religion. A With is an initiate of Wicca, one who has earned the right to call themselves Priest, or Priestess, through study, self evaluation, and spiritual living. Wicca itself, is an attempt to re-create European (mostly) Shamansistic Nature Religion, adapting it to fit our modern lives. Witches are worshippers of the Earth and it^Ã’s many cycles. We believe that deity is found not only outside to our realm, or plane of existence, but that is found within every living thing and all that support it. Therefore, we attempt to live in harmony with the Earth and each of it^Ã’s creatures. Wiccan tend to involve themselves with ecological pursuits. Wicca observe the holidays of Pagan Europe; Eight festivals spaced evenly about the wheel of the year, at the quarters (equinox^Ã’s and solstices) and the cross-quarters (midpoints between the equinox^Ã’s and solstices). They are called: Yule (Dec 21) Tmbolc (Feb2), Lady Day (March 21), Beltaine (May 1), Midsummer (June 21), Lugnassed (Aug 1), Mabon (Sept 21), and Samhain (Oct 31). Actual dates vary slightly from year to year, as they are based upon actual celestial events. Many Wiccans also celebrate the Full Moon, of which we have 13 per year. The basis for Wiccans moral conduct is found in the statement "An Ye Harm None, Do What Thou Wilt." This is a mock archaic phrase, suggesting that any behavior that harms none, is morally acceptable. Harm is defined by anything that takes away, or works against an individual^Ã’s free will. It is, of course, impossible to exi... Free Essays on The Wiccan Religion Free Essays on The Wiccan Religion The word "Witchcraft" dates back many hundred of years and means literally "The craft of the wise". This is because the Witches of the old were the wise ones of their village, knowledgeable in the art of healing, legal matters and spiritual fulfillment. A Witch had to not only be a religious leader, but also the doctor, lawyer, and psychologist of the village. Today, people have reclaimed this word in their pursuit of Wiccan religion. A With is an initiate of Wicca, one who has earned the right to call themselves Priest, or Priestess, through study, self evaluation, and spiritual living. Wicca itself, is an attempt to re-create European (mostly) Shamansistic Nature Religion, adapting it to fit our modern lives. Witches are worshippers of the Earth and it^Ã’s many cycles. We believe that deity is found not only outside to our realm, or plane of existence, but that is found within every living thing and all that support it. Therefore, we attempt to live in harmony with the Earth and each of it^Ã’s creatures. Wiccan tend to involve themselves with ecological pursuits. Wicca observe the holidays of Pagan Europe; Eight festivals spaced evenly about the wheel of the year, at the quarters (equinox^Ã’s and solstices) and the cross-quarters (midpoints between the equinox^Ã’s and solstices). They are called: Yule (Dec 21) Tmbolc (Feb2), Lady Day (March 21), Beltaine (May 1), Midsummer (June 21), Lugnassed (Aug 1), Mabon (Sept 21), and Samhain (Oct 31). Actual dates vary slightly from year to year, as they are based upon actual celestial events. Many Wiccans also celebrate the Full Moon, of which we have 13 per year. The basis for Wiccans moral conduct is found in the statement "An Ye Harm None, Do What Thou Wilt." This is a mock archaic phrase, suggesting that any behavior that harms none, is morally acceptable. Harm is defined by anything that takes away, or works against an individual^Ã’s free will. It is, of course, impossible to exi...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Implementing & managing change (in tables) Assignment

Implementing & managing change (in tables) - Assignment Example National planning exercises are fundamentally important undertakings for any government. Nevertheless, the plans drafted to be used in the realization of national goals and objectives may be variant from one country to another due to a number of reasons. Basic to the explanation is that countries often differ in visions, resource endowment as well as the stage of economic development. Moreover, planning documents may be different in on the time stipulated for the development process or realization of the set aims. In this understanding, this paper therefore, focuses on comparing national development plan documents for three countries; England, Scotland as well as the Wales. The analysis will focus on the aims as well as objectives outlined in either, the primary focus of development, time frame within which the plan is to be actualized as well as likelihood of its success. This paper therefore, presents a discussion in segments which will be under the above sub-headings.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Should the internet be sensored Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should the internet be sensored - Research Paper Example So, should the internet be censored? Yes, it has because of the reasons discussed below. Protection of social norms. There is a lot of misinformation that is corrupting the current society through censorship; some laws that are fighting against cultural erosion like exposure of pornographic materials to children can get a voice. Children need proper protection (McCarthy, Martha: pp. 83). They have to be safeguarded from this kind of violence that is so public on the internet. Parents may not be in a position to look after their children at all times due to commitment at work. While they may assume their kids are safe while accessing the internet, it may not always be the case. Pornography and other sexy images act like a magnetic pull especially to underage adolescents. All they want is to have a look at how the opposite sex looks like. This in the end corrodes their young minds. It is filled with filth and unnecessary stuff. For this reason, some may end up developing behaviors that arise due to loneliness. Some may end up being gay or lesbians since the materials on t he internet convince them to think so and find it normal to divert from the society norms. If the government censors the internet, it may be in a position to block such confusing contents for children and help parents who spend little time with their children. Security reasons. Terrorists are using the internet in making their moves. It has made it easy for them to identify and locate places to attack. While most of the journalists may think everything is news that has to be blogged, it may give deadly tips to people with an evil mind. Take this case, a few years ago, someone made claims of making assault rifles using materials of a printer. While it hit international news headlines, some bloggers got a chance to write about it. Yes, it was good to make people inform people about the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Prepare a written business plan of (THE COCA-COLA COMPANY) on the Essay

Prepare a written business plan of (THE COCA-COLA COMPANY) on the Orbis database - Essay Example Generally its products are available in bottled form or in canned form. Its carbonated soft drinks and noncarbonated beverages are very famous through out the world. The company is also engaged in activities and businesses, such as empowers its bottling partners to produce fountain syrup to sell in the restaurants, convenience store and other fountain retailers and wholesalers for the immediate consumption of the fountain syrup. Its famous soft drinks bands are- Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Diet Coke. So the company has various opportunities in manufacturing, retailing and distributing the nonalcoholic drinks, tea and coffee and juices products. To increase its business the company may take its initiative to undertake a new international business venture in any of its product and business lines in which it has a comparative advantage. It may undertake or enhance its mergers/acquisitions activities in such a location where the demand of its product is high enough or expected to increa se in future so that it can get easy market access by using its brands. If we see only its Pacific operation, we will notice that over the last 7 years, its sales have increased tremendously. This is also true regarding its assets investments. We have shown this by the figure 1 as follows: As an example, we can consider one of the new business ventures of the company, through which it plans to acquire 100 % of a fruit juice maker company of Russia, engrossing the founders and the biggest shareholders of that company, as reported by Dow Jones on March, 2010. Some other sources have informed that the Coca-Cola Company is going to take 75 % share of that Russian Company. What ever may be the position of the Coca-Cola Company, there is no doubt that this business venture will be a successful one for the company. The reason behind this is that the company has planned to take such a business expansion method in accordance its

Friday, November 15, 2019

Examining The Types Of Communication Networks Information Technology Essay

Examining The Types Of Communication Networks Information Technology Essay Nowadays there are many ways in which people communicate, because communication became an essential in our daily life. Communication can be done orally and none verbally such type of communication can be done through writing in letters or emails. When the communication is done through the internet then it will be called a Communication Network. Communication are set so that messages can be passed from one part of the network to another though various nodes and multiple links. Communication networks is a made up from five basic components that are all present in each network environment. Those components are: terminals, telecommunications processors, telecommunications channels, computers, and telecommunications control software. Function of each component: Terminals: Devices used to transmit or receive data. Processors: used to support data transmission and data reception. Communication channels: are the ways and methods in which the date is transmitted. Computers: are the devices connected to the network in order to provide data and communication. Control Software: is responsible about controlling all the network activities. When we talk about communication network its much more than the basic communication done through the internet. We have two main types of communication networks in which we can communicate through. These two basic types on communication network are WAN AND LAN, when WAN stands for Wide Area Network, and LAN stands for Local Area Network. From there we can interpret that there is a great difference between both networks. The Wide Area Network is a network that covers a large geographical area, like connecting one city to the other WAN is more like a group of interconnected LAN networks,and it may be limited to an enterprise such as a corporation or an organization, also it can be accessible to the public. WANs provided by service provider connection a collection of LANs to the internet, for that the Internet is considered to be an example of a worldwide public WAN. WANs are widely used by big businesses, whether statewide or multinational, its also used by governmental, educational, research or philanthropic enterprises. The Local Area Network is a smaller type of networks, usually limited with an office base. The most common type of Local Area Networks is the Ethernet. Connection is established between the workstations physically components these physical technologies that build a LAN can be described generally as follows: A physical media such as a cable is used to connect the devices, Interfaces (such as an interface network card) on the individual devices that are connected to the media. Protocols are used transmit data across the network. Application Software that negotiates, interprets, and administers the network and its services. Local Area Network especially if they were large or connected to other networks includes signal repeaters and bridges or routers. LANs can be collectively be linked to create a WAN because they are smaller networks. This is done by using basic network hardware devices such as series of bridges and routers, which enable interconnectivity between separate LANs. The contrasting features of Local Area Networks in comparison with Wide Area Networks is that the LAN date transfer rate is way faster, because WANs needs a leased line and a broad geographical area. While LANs cover a small geographical area and doesnt rely on common carriers. A LAN network is more private than a WAN network, because a LAN needs a password validation as it also has specific user rights. Hardware resources are shared on a LAN, while on a WAN the focus is more on communications. Also there is a difference in their network topology, in a LAN its often a peer-to-peer, which means that each client share resources with other workstations In the network. Whole WAN networks operate more on the client-to-sever topology basis with interconnected LANs, in other words all resources are provided and requested from the server. One other major difference is that the cost to set up a LAN in comparison to WAN. A WAN network is relatively expensive, while setting up a LAN network connections are inexpensive even though the connection is high speed. In other words setting up one big LAN network in comparison to a small WAN network will be the cheaper option. MAN is the acronym for metropolitan area network which is an another type of communication networks. It connects computers in a network; its usually larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN. Often MAN is used to connect the computers of a city, but it may also be used to connect the machines of a University or similar institution. Some cities use MAN such as London, England, Geneva, Switzerland, and Poland. Not all computers in a MAN area need to be connected to the network, but the MAN usually connect as a whole to the internet, and thus provide a connection for those who choose to use this type of network. Efficiency and shared access are two advantages of using a MAN network, because all computer-owning residents in the area have equal ability to go on line. Some disadvantages are related to cost, politics, and security. Circuit Switching Packet Switching Networks: A fundamental way of differentiating between network technologies is done on the basis of the method they use to determine the path between devices over which information will be sent and received. there are two different approaches: either a path that can be set up between the devices in advance, or the data would be sent as individual data elements over a variable path. Circuit Switching: In this networking method, between two devices a connection called the circuit will be set up, which will be used for the whole communication. The network is used to maintain information about the nature of the circuit. There is two different types of circuits: a fixed circuit that is always present, or a circuit that is created depending if its needed or no. even though in circuit switching through intermediate devices there is many potential paths that exist between the two devices communicating, only one path is used for any given dialogue. The main example of a circuit-switched network is the telephone system. When you call someone and they pick up, you establish a circuit connection which starts passing the data, in a steady stream if desired. That circuit functions the same way regardless of how many intermediate devices are used to carry your voice. You can use it as long as you need it, and then after your done the circuit will be terminated. The next time you call, a new circuit will be established, which probably will use a different hardware than the first circuit did, depending on what hardware is available at that time in the network. Packet Switching: In this type of network, no specific/exact path is used for data transfer. Instead, the data is divided into small pieces called packets and sent over the network. The packets can be routed, combined or fragmented, as required to get them to their final destination. While On the receiving end, the process will be reversed; the data is read from the packets and re-assembled into the form of the original data. A packet-switched network is more related to the postal system than it is to the telephone system. Comparing Packet Switching and Circuit Switching One important issue in selecting a switching method is determining the network medium if it is shared or dedicated. Your phone line can be used for establishing a circuit because it is a dedicated network you are the only one using it. While in LANs a single shared medium and baseband signaling is used. If two devices were to establish a connection, they would reserve all the other devices for a long time. For that in a shared medium network it makes more sense to divide that into small packets and send them once at a time. Then, if two other devices want to communicate, their packets can be interspersed and everyone can share the network without any devices lock-out. The reason why packet switching is becoming predominant nowadays is the ability to have more than one device communicating simultaneously without a dedicated path. However, there are some disadvantages of packet switching when compared to circuit switching. one is that since all data does not take the same, predictable path between devices, it is possible that some pieces of data may get lost in transmission, or wont be received in a correct order. But In some situations the order doesnt matter, while in others it is very important. There is two types of packet switching: Virtual Circuit Packet Switching Virtual circuits allow packets to contain only the circuit number instead of the full destination address, so less router memory and bandwidth will be required. Thus the cost is relatively cheap. Virtual circuit consumes time and resources because it requires a setup phase. In virtual circuit, router only uses the circuit number to index into a table to find out where the packet are going. Virtual circuit has some advantages in avoiding congestion in the subnet, because the resources can be reserved in advance, but the connection should be established. The loss fault on the communication line vanish the virtual circuits. In virtual circuit a fixed path is used during transmission, so traffic throughout the subnet cant be balanced. This causes a congestion problem. A virtual circuit is an implementation of a connection oriented service. Datagram Packet Switching Datagram circuits allow the packets to contain full address instead of the circuit number only, so a larger bandwidth is need. Thus datagram is relatively much more expensive. Datagram circuit does not require a setup phase, so there will be no resources consumed. In datagram circuit, a more complicated procedure is required to determine the where will the packet go. In a datagram subnet, congestion avoidance is much more difficult. The loss or fault on communication line can be easily compensated in datagram circuits. Datagram allows the router to balance the traffic throughout the subnet, since the router can be changed halfway through any connection. Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) It is a switching technology that assists and facilitates the movement of data from one point to another. ATM is one of the preferred technologies, because of its high efficiency of use, especially while using different hardware components. Unlike other types of technology, the efficiency and speed used in ATM makes it one of the most common network protocol standards in use nowadays. The main advantage of ATM technology is the ability to transfer many various types of data at the same time. This is because as long as the bandwidth is available it will be utilized. While other type of technologies does not allow all the bandwidth to be used once a particular function is started. Therefore, ATM makes a very efficient way to transfer video files, pictures, e-mail and even live streaming video and audio. ATM Services There is three types of ATM services: Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVC): A PVC provides direct connectivity between sites, so its similar to a leased line. Among its many advantages, PVC guarantees availability of a connection ,and does not require call setup procedures between switches before establishing a connection. Disadvantages of PVCs include static connectivity and the manual setup( Each piece of equipment between the source and the destination must be manually provisioned ). Furthermore, there is no network resiliency available while working with PVC. Switched Virtual Circuits (SVC): A SVC is created and released dynamically. It remains in use only as long as the data is being transferred, which is similar to a telephone call. The dynamic call control requires a signaling protocol between the ATM endpoint and the ATM switch. The advantages of SVCs include connection flexibility and the autoamtix handling of a call setup by a networking device. While the disadvantages include the extra time and the overhead required to set up the connection. connectionless service (similar to SMDS) ATM Virtual Connections ATM networks are fundamentally connection-oriented networks, which mean that a virtual channel (VC) must be set up across the ATM network before any data transfer. A virtual channel is relatively similar to a virtual circuit.) Two types of ATM connections are: Virtual Paths: which are identified by the virtual path identifiers. Virtual Channels: which are identified by the combination of a virtual path identifier (VPI) and a virtual channel identifier (VCI). To conclude, many type of communication are either IT communications or Interpersonal Communication, both types are used by people. Communication helps us to interact, make friends, be success at work, perform well in a team, and the most important thing is being able to use the latest technology in communicating. The one type of communication network used widely is the internet. Nowadays there isnt a single person that does not have a wireless connection or an internet cable at home. People usually use the LAN network instead of WAN networks just as hotels or big firms do. Staying connected at the internet provides a person with a plenty of advantages, it made life way easier..

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Relatioship Between Mental Illness and Child Abuse Essay -- Violen

Child abuse affects millions of children every year. Child abuse is defined as â€Å"the hurting or causing harm to a child† (Stewart, 2003, p. 6). Most people do not understand why a parent would want to hurt their children. â€Å"The general belief is that parents who maltreat their children are pathological and certainly not like us† (Polonko, 2005). It is not just parents that abuse the children it is also teachers, babysitters, and daycare workers (Stewart, 2003). Lingern (2008) reported the following: Child abuse was not recognized as a serious problem in the United States until the 1960s. The number of cases reported has increased each year since 1976, when statistics were first kept. In 2004 almost 1.9 million child abuse and neglect cases were reported in the US. Of those reported, nearly 80% of perpetrators were parents. The most common types of child abuse are physical abuse, mental maltreatment and neglect, and sexual abuse (Olive, 2007). â€Å"Physical abuse includes scalding, beatings with an object, severe physical punishment, and a rare form of the abuse called Munchausen by proxy† (National Research Council, 1993, p. 59). Mental abuse is when there is a â€Å"continuing pattern of parental behavior that is psychologically destructive to the child† (Olive, 2007, p. 67). Neglect happens when a child is â€Å"ignored or left alone so much that their well-being is endangered, yet the parent is able, but fails to provide for their basic needs.† (Olive, 2007, p. 67). Lastly, the most unreported type of child abuse is sexual child abuse. Sexual child abuse is â€Å"sexual activity between an adult and a child that is initiated by the adult, and from which the adult receives some sort of sexual gratification† (Olive, 2007, p. 78). ... ...(2007). Child abuse and stress disorders. New York: Infobase. National Research Council. (1993). Understanding child abuse and neglect. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press Polonko, K. (2005). Child abuse and neglect: The need for courage. Retrieved Febraury 20, 2011 from Old Dominion University, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice’s website: http://odu.edu/ao/instady/quest/ChildAbuse.html Rinaldi, J. (2009, October 5). Mom’s depression tied to child abuse in some families. Reuters News Agency. Retrieved February 20, 2011 from http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/10/05/us-depression-abuse- idUSTRE59455Z20091005 Stewart, G. B. (2003). Understanding issues: Child abuse. Farmington Hills, MI: KidHaven Press. Thurston, C. (2006). Child abuse: recognition of causes and types of abuse. Practice Nurse, 31, 51-57. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Shadow Kiss Chapter 25

Twenty-five DEAD OR TAKEN AWAY. It wasn't enough that the Strigoi had come and attacked us, that they'd killed Moroi and dhampirs alike. They'd also carried some off. It was something Strigoi were known to do. Even they had limits on how much blood they could drink at once. So they'd often take prisoners to keep as snacks for later. Or sometimes a powerful Strigoi who didn't want to do the dirty work would send his or her minions off to bring back the prey. Every once in a while, they'd even purposely take back captives to turn into more Strigoi. Whatever the reason, it meant that some of our people might still be alive. Students, Moroi and dhampir, were gathered up once certain buildings had been declared Strigoi-free. Adult Moroi were herded inside with us, leaving the guardians to assess the damage. I wanted desperately to be with them, to help and do my part, but they made it clear my part was over. There was nothing I could do at that point except wait and worry with the others. It still seemed unreal. Strigoi attacking our school. How could it have happened? The Academy was safe. We'd always been taught that. It had to be safe. It was why our school years were so long and why Moroi families endured being separated for most of the year. It was worth it for children to have a safe place to go. That was no longer true. It took only a couple hours for them to get a casualty count, but waiting while those reports trickled in felt like days. And the numbers†¦the numbers were harsh. Fifteen Moroi had been killed. Twelve guardians had been killed. A group of thirteen, both Moroi and dhampirs, had been taken away. The guardians estimated that there had been close to fifty Strigoi, which was beyond mind-boggling. They'd found twenty-eight Strigoi bodies. The rest appeared to have escaped, many taking victims with them. For that size of a Strigoi party, our casualty count was still lower than one might have expected. A few things were credited for saving us. One was the early warning. The Strigoi had barely penetrated the school's inner grounds when I'd warned Stan. The school had gone into lockdown quickly, and the fact that most everyone was already inside for curfew had helped. Most of the Moroi victims – dead or taken – were those who had been out in the open when the Strigoi came. The Strigoi had never made it into the elementary dorms, which Dimitri said was largely thanks to me and Christian. They had managed to breach one of the Moroi dorms, however – the one that Lissa lived in. My stomach had dropped when I heard that. And even though I could feel that she was fine through the bond, all I could see was that smirking blond Strigoi, telling me he was going to finish the Dragomirs off. I didn't know what had happened to him; the attacking Strigoi group hadn't gotten far into her dorm, thankfully, but there had been casualties. One of them was Eddie. â€Å"What?† I exclaimed when Adrian told me. We were eating in the cafeteria. I wasn't sure which meal it was since the campus had reverted to a daylight schedule that threw my sense of timing off. The cafeteria was nearly silent, all conversations in low whispers. Meals were the only reason students could leave their dorms. There was going to be a guardian meeting later on that I was actually invited to, but for now, I was confined with the rest of my friends. â€Å"He was with you guys,† I said. I focused on Lissa, almost accusingly. â€Å"I saw him with you. Through your eyes.† She looked up at me over the tray of food she had no interest in eating, her face pale and full of grief. â€Å"When the Strigoi got in downstairs, he and some other novices went down to help.† â€Å"They didn't find his body,† said Adrian. There was no smirk on his face, no humor anywhere. â€Å"He was one of the ones they took.† Christian sighed and leaned back in his chair. â€Å"He's as good as dead, then.† The cafeteria disappeared. I stopped seeing any of them. All I could see in that moment was that room back in Spokane, that room where we'd been held. They'd tortured Eddie and nearly killed him. That experience had changed him forever, affecting the way he now conducted himself as a guardian. He'd grown extremely dedicated as a result, but it had cost him some of the light and laughter he used to have. And now it was happening again. Eddie captured. He'd worked so hard to protect Lissa and others, risking his own life in the attack. I'd been nowhere near the Moroi dorm when it had happened, but I felt responsible – like I should have watched over him. Surely I owed it to Mason. Mason. Mason who had died on my watch and whose ghost I hadn't seen since he'd warned me earlier. I hadn't been able to save him, and now I'd lost his best friend too. I shot up from my chair and shoved my tray away. That dark fury I'd been fighting blazed through me. If Strigoi had been around, I could have burned them up with it, without any need of Christian's magic. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Lissa. I stared at her in disbelief. â€Å"What's wrong? What's wrong? Do you seriously have to ask that?† In the silent cafeteria, my voice rang out. People stared. â€Å"Rose, you know what she means,† said Adrian, voice unusually calm. â€Å"We're all upset. Sit back down. It's going to be okay.† For a moment, I almost listened to him. Then, I shook it off. He was trying to use compulsion to chill me out. I glared at him. â€Å"It is not going to be okay – not unless we do something about this.† â€Å"There's nothing to be done,† said Christian. Beside him, Lissa was silent, still hurt from when I'd snapped at her. â€Å"We'll see about that,† I said. â€Å"Rose, wait,† she called. She was worried about me – and scared, too. It was tiny and selfish, but she didn't want me to leave her. She was used to me being there for her. I made her feel safe. But I couldn't stay, not right now. I stormed out of the commons and into the bright light outside. The guardians' meeting wasn't for another couple hours, but that didn't matter. I needed to talk to someone now. I sprinted to the guardians' building. Someone else was walking into it as I was, and I bumped her in my haste. â€Å"Rose?† My fury turned to surprise. â€Å"Mom?† My famous guardian mother, Janine Hathaway, stood there by the door. She looked the same as she had when I'd seen her at New Year's, her curly red hair still worn short and her face weathered from the sun. Her brown eyes seemed grimmer than last time, however, which was saying something. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked. As I'd told Deirdre, my mother and I had had a troubled relationship for most of my life, largely because of the distance that inevitably came with having a parent who was a guardian. I'd resented her for years and we still weren't super close, but she'd been there for me after Mason's death, and I think we both tentatively hoped things might improve in coming years. She'd left after New Year's, and last I'd heard, she'd gone back to Europe with the Szelsky she guarded. She opened the door, and I followed her through. Her manner was brusque and businesslike, as always. â€Å"Replenishing the numbers. They've called in extras to reinforce campus.† Replenishing the numbers. Replacing the guardians who had been killed. All the bodies had been cleared away – Strigoi, Moroi, and dhampir alike – but the hole left behind by those who were gone was apparent to all. I could still see them when I closed my eyes. But with her here, I realized I had an opportunity. I grabbed hold of her arm, which startled her. â€Å"We have to go after them,† I said. â€Å"Rescue the ones who were taken.† She regarded me carefully, a small frown the only sign of her feelings. â€Å"We don't do that kind of thing. You know that. We have to protect those who are here.† â€Å"What about those thirteen? Shouldn't we protect them? And you went on a rescue mission once.† She shook her head. â€Å"That was different. We had a trail. We wouldn't know where to find this group if we wanted to.† I knew she was right. The Strigoi wouldn't have left an easy path to follow. And yet†¦ suddenly, I had an idea. â€Å"They put the wards back up, right?† I asked. â€Å"Yes, almost immediately. We're still not sure how they were broken. There were no stakes used to pierce them.† I started to tell her my theory about that, but she wasn't up to speed with my ghostly shenanigans. â€Å"Do you know where Dimitri is?† She gestured toward groups of guardians hurrying all around. â€Å"I'm sure he's busy here somewhere. Everyone is. And now I need to go check in. I know you were invited to the meeting, but that's not for a while yet – you should stay out of the way.† â€Å"I will†¦ but I need to see Dimitri first. It's important – it might play a role in what happens at the meeting.† â€Å"What is it?† she asked suspiciously. â€Å"I can't explain yet†¦It's complicated. It'd take too much time. Help me find him, and we'll tell you later.† My mother didn't seem happy about this. After all, Janine Hathaway wasn't someone people usually said no to. But she nonetheless helped me find Dimitri. After the events over winter break, I think she'd come to regard me as more than a hapless teenager. We found Dimitri with some other guardians, studying a map of campus and planning how to distribute the newly arrived guardians. There were enough people gathered around the map that he was able to slip away. â€Å"What's going on?† he asked as he and I stood off to the side of the room. Even in the midst of this crisis, in the midst of worrying so much about others, I could tell that there was part of him that worried just about me. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"I think we should launch a rescue mission,† I said. â€Å"You know we – â€Å" † – don't usually do that. Yeah, yeah. And I know we don't know where they are †¦ except, I might.† He frowned. â€Å"How?† I told him how it had been Mason who'd warned us last night. Dimitri and I had had no time to talk alone since then, so we'd never really debriefed on the events of the attack. We also hadn't really had a chance to talk about what had happened in the cabin. It made me feel weird because really, that was all I wanted to think about, but I couldn't. Not with so much else going on. So I kept trying to shove those memories of sex away, only to have them keep popping up and entangle my emotions further. Hoping I seemed cool and competent, I continued explaining my ideas. â€Å"Mason's locked out now because the wards are back up, but somehow †¦ I think he knows where the Strigoi are. I think he could show us where they are.† Dimitri's face told me he had his doubts about this. â€Å"Come on! You have to believe me after what happened.† â€Å"I'm still having a hard time with that,† he admitted. â€Å"But okay. Suppose this is true. You think he can just lead us? You can ask him and he'll do it?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"I think I can. I've been fighting him all this time, but I think if I actually try to work with him, he'll help. I think that's what he's always wanted. He knew the wards were weak and that the Strigoi had been lying in wait. The Strigoi can't be too far away from us †¦ they had to have stopped for daylight and hidden out somewhere. We might be able to get to them before the captives die. And once we get close enough, I can actually find them.† I then explained the nauseous feeling I'd gotten when Strigoi were around. Dimitri didn't challenge this. I think too many weird things were going on for him to even question it. â€Å"But Mason isn't here. You said he can't get through the wards. How will you get him to help us?† he asked. I'd been thinking about this. â€Å"Take me to the front gates.† After a quick word to Alberta about â€Å"investigating something,† Dimitri led me outside, and we walked the long way to the entrance to the school. Neither of us said anything as we walked. Even in the midst of all this, I still kept thinking of the cabin, of being in his arms. In some ways, it was part of what helped me cope with all the rest of this horror. I had a feeling it was on his mind too. The entrance to the school consisted of a long stretch of iron fence that lay right on top of the wards. A road that wound from the main highway twenty miles away came up to the gate, which was almost always kept closed. Guardians had a small booth here, and the area was monitored at all times of the day. They were surprised by our request, but Dimitri insisted it would just be for a moment. They slid the heavy gate open, revealing a space only big enough for one person to get through at a time. Dimitri and I stepped outside. A headache almost immediately built up behind my eyes, and I started to see faces and shapes. It was just like at the airport. When I was outside of wards, I could see all sorts of spirits. But I understood it now and no longer feared it. I needed to control it. â€Å"Go away,† I said to the gray, looming forms around me. â€Å"I don't have time for you. Go.† I put as much force as I could into my will and my voice, and to my astonishment, the ghosts faded. A faint hum remained with me, reminding me they were still out there, and I knew if I let down my guard even a moment, it would all hit me again. Dimitri was eyeing me with concern. â€Å"You're okay?† I nodded and peered around. There was one ghost I wanted to see. â€Å"Mason,† I said. â€Å"I need you.† Nothing. I summoned back up the command I'd used on the other ghosts just a moment ago. â€Å"Mason. Please. Come here.† I saw nothing except the road in front of us winding off into the winter-dead hills. Dimitri was giving me that look from last night, the one that said he was deeply concerned for my mental health. And actually, I was worried at that moment too. Last night's warning had been the final proof for me that Mason was real. But now †¦ A minute later, his shape materialized before me, looking a little paler than before. For the first time since all this had begun, I was happy to see him. He, of course, looked sad. Same old same old. â€Å"Finally. You were making me look bad.† He simply stared, and I immediately felt bad for joking. â€Å"I'm sorry. I need your help again. We have to find them. We have to save Eddie.† He nodded. â€Å"Can you show me where they are?† He nodded again and turned, pointing off in a direction that was almost directly behind me. â€Å"They came in through the back of campus?† He nodded yet again, and like that, I knew what had happened. I knew how the Strigoi had gotten in, but there was no time to dwell on that just now. I turned to Dimitri. â€Å"We need a map,† I said. He walked back through the gate and spoke a few words to one of the guardians on duty. A moment later, he returned with a map and unfolded it. It showed the layout of campus, as well as the surrounding roads and terrain. I took it from him and held it out to Mason, trying to keep it flat in the whipping wind. The only true road out from the school was right in front of us. The rest of the campus was surrounded by forests and steep cliffs. I pointed to a spot at the back of the school's grounds. â€Å"This is where they came in, isn't it? Where the wards first broke?† Mason nodded. He held out his finger and without touching the map, traced a route through the woods that flanked the edge of a small mountain. Following it long enough eventually led to a small dirt road that joined an interstate many miles away. I followed where he pointed and suddenly had my doubts about using him as a guide. â€Å"No, that's not right,† I said. â€Å"It can't be. This stretch of woods by the mountain has no roads. They'd have to go on foot, and it'd take too long to walk from the school to this other road. They wouldn't have had enough time. They'd be caught in daylight.† Mason shook his head – to disagree with me, apparently – and again traced the route back and forth. In particular, he kept pointing to a spot not far beyond the Academy's grounds. At least, it wasn't far away on the map. The map wasn't particularly detailed, and I guessed the spot was probably a few miles away. He held his finger there, looked at me, and then looked back down. â€Å"They can't be there now,† I argued. â€Å"It's outside. They might have come in through the back, but they had to have left through the front – gotten in some kind of vehicle and took off.† Mason shook his head. I looked up at Dimitri, frustrated. I felt like the clock was ticking on us, and Mason's weird assertion that the Strigoi were a few miles away, outdoors in the daytime, was stirring up my irritable nature. I sincerely doubted they'd gotten out tents and were camping. â€Å"Is there any building or anything out there?† I demanded, pointing at the spot Mason had indicated. â€Å"He says they were going out to that road. But they couldn't have walked there before the sun came up, and he claims they're there.† Dimitri's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. â€Å"Not that I know of.† He took the map from me and brought it to the other guardians to check with them. While they talked, I glanced back at Mason. â€Å"You better be right about this,† I warned him. He nodded. â€Å"Have you†¦have you seen them? The Strigoi and their captives?† He nodded. â€Å"Is Eddie still alive?† He nodded, and Dimitri walked over. â€Å"Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was a strange sound to Dimitri's voice as he brought the map back, like he couldn't entirely believe what he was saying. â€Å"Stephen says there are caves right at the base of the mountain here.† I met Dimitri's eyes, no doubt looking just as astonished as he did. â€Å"Are they big enough – â€Å" â€Å"Big enough for the Strigoi to hide out in until nighttime?† Dimitri nodded. â€Å"They are. And they're only five miles away.†

Friday, November 8, 2019

Info about Howard Universitys Online MBA Essays

Info about Howard Universitys Online MBA Essays Info about Howard Universitys Online MBA Essay Info about Howard Universitys Online MBA Essay Essay Topic: Toefl You can find Howard University located in the middle of Washington D.C. This university is known by its variety of educational rights for the African-American students. Through the years, Howard University transformed into one of the best business schools that offer Online MBA courses. These courses have been developed to lead many leaders and professionals on the right path of their career. The program offered by this university represents one of the most approved and prominent courses in Washington D.C. Its business school gave many successful business leaders. The School of Business in Howard University and its Online MBA program are accredited by the most prestigious association AACSB. Many students are searching for this accreditation which needs to be the leading point while you are searching for your university. Only those educational institutions that offer sky-high quality education receive AACSB. You don’t have to ask yourself whether Howard University is the perfect choice. You just need to take a look at this accreditation and see that many students came out as really successful business leaders. The Online MBA Program at Howard University has been constructed of 42 credits. If you choose this university you will have 13 courses which are required and an additional introductory course. These required courses include financial management, financial accounting, statistics and DA environment, marketing strategy, organizational behavior and leadership, legal and ethical business issues, strategic communications, etc. Its Online MBA Courses have been made to prepare students for the real world. Through these courses, they will receive strategic thinking power, many values, fresh perspective for pushing forward and lots of connections. There are two application deadlines for Howard University’s online MBA. The summer period ends in February (the winter period) and the next one ends in June for its fall terms. This university has several requirements: Application fee of $75 Current supervisor and three letters of recommendation CV Several official transcripts GMAT score is recommended, but nut required 3.0 score on your GPA – recommended 7 years of experience in your profession Accredited undergraduate degree. This university won’t accept any transfer credits. All foreign students who will be interested in enrolling to this program need to pass the TOEFL exam. The score on this exam must be 550 or above. If you want to get more information about the tuition or financial aid, please visit the official website of this university.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Regulating Cross Media Ownership Essays

Regulating Cross Media Ownership Essays Regulating Cross Media Ownership Essay Regulating Cross Media Ownership Essay Regulating Cross-Media Ownership According to political theorists Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman The media is unable to satisfy our democratic needs because: They are profit-seeking businesses, owned by very wealthy people (or other companies); they are funded largely by advertisers who are also profit-seeking entities, and who want their ads to appear in a supportive selling environment. The media are also dependent on government and major business firms as information sources, and both efficiency and political considerations, and frequently overlapping interests, cause a certain degree of solidarity to prevail among the government (as cited in Levin 39). Therefore, with aforementioned factors, large corporations and government entities control the flow of information. The fact is much of the information audiences receive via media outlets, provide us with the â€Å"successes and failures of government† (Levin 39), meaning the media tells us what to think and how to take action. It is crucial for viewers alike to obtain a variety of news, opinions, and freely expressed ideas. The media has the power to greatly influence; much like the three branches of U. S. government, the media must have check-and-balance provisions set in place so to alleviate any possible abuses made by those with majority power. Similarly, the media must ensure that â€Å"proprietors’ pursuit of their private interests correspond to the public good†¦(which) produces a press which is diverse, accountable and representative [of its viewers, respectively],† (Levin 39). The fact is, those who have the control matter. â€Å"Media ownership regulations focus on who controls the particular media company,† therefore, they have control over editorial content, and utilize the media outlets by promoting their own â€Å"commercial or political interests† (Levin 39). And, because most enterprising media players have â€Å"friends in high places† e. g. politicians, lobbyists, etc. messages are presented in a biased manner, rather than remaining impartial to their allies and presenting all possible facts with all possible sides. One way to remedy this situation would be to â€Å"separate editorial leadership within each commonly owned media outlet† (Levin 40), so as to secure an unguarded democracy guided by competition, diversity, and localism. In 1996, the Telecommunications Act required the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review its media ownership rules, seeing that all rules are still relevant to the technologically advancing times, while remaining in the public interests of its viewers, which is the first and foremost principle to be â€Å"protected above all remains†¦ to which these proceedings must refer† (Obar 521). As well, Congress allowed the FCC â€Å"to take deregulatory steps to eliminate barriers that discouraged entry by new competition† (â€Å"Limits on Media Concentration† 2003). Essentially, the premise behind the rules of media ownership are that they provide a safeguard for the American populace and subsequently ensure our First Amendment rights establishing not only a diverse media market, but one with driving competitive forces, vital for any form of democracy (â€Å"Limits on Media Concentration†). Again, rules have and always will change with society’s modern advances; for example, â€Å"Efforts are underway to drop the rules allowing television broadcasters to own more local stations and to permit media cross-ownership in a single market†, and â€Å"Opponents say that the rules would give giant corporations too much clout at the expense of communities†¦quashing opportunities for independent companies† (Limits of Media Concentration†). In addition, rising media market shares providing its viewers with less varied news sources and journalistic quality, leaving us with a vertically homogenized media model, ignoring community interests, diversity, and values. Given the efforts, as previously stated, it is vital for smaller media players to have a voice so that viewers may be presented with diverse regional and local content, allowing us to make our own decisions, rather than being told which side to reason with. In whole-hearted agreement with Levin, â€Å"It is crucial that we continue to scrutinize what is presented to us for underlying context and perspective (or lack of it), regardless of who owns the media outlet that presents it. † For years, the views we are presented have been consolidated by a handful of high playing media corporations; limited information is being carried through to its audience, and of which, it is presented in a biased fashion. If society does not scrutinize the content its being served and by whom, varied political, social, and cultural perspectives will be restricted causing a one-way, carbon copy of chosen information. Society must lobby for more media dissemination; however, â€Å"Media policy makers have struggled to construct policies that will widen the available viewpoints to include those of minorities, women, and individuals representing [varied social and cultural perspectives]†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hillard 56). Promoting diversity within the media will comes through greater ownership restrictions, promotion of ownership by women and minorities, â€Å"the Fairness Doctrine, [and] equal time requirements†, therefore impeding the parochial media model as set forth today. According to Hillard, â€Å"†¦ the need to preserve public policies favoring diversity and antitrust provisions that restrict monopolization of markets by media companies is clear†, hence the reason why we must limit monopolizing media mergers and create opportunities for independently owned outlets in television, radio, and the newspapers. As Walter Lippman once wrote, â€Å"The theory of the free press is that truth will emerge from free discussion, not that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account. † Bibliography Compaine, Ben. Domination Fantasies. (Cover story). Reason 35. 8 (2004): 26-33. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. Hillard, Robert and Picard, Robert. â€Å"Plurality, Diversity, and Prohibitions on Television- Newspaper Crossownership. Journal of Media Economics Vol. 2 Issue 1 (1989): 55-65. Communication Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. Levin, Jane. CROSS-MEDIA OWNERSHIP: THE DEBATE CONTINUES. Australian Screen Education 33 (2004): 38-41. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Dec. 2010. Limits on Media Concentration. Congressional Digest 82. 8 (2003): 230. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. Marks, Alexandra. Media future: Risk of monopoly? Christian Science Monitor 19 Sept. 2002: 2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 12 Dec. 2 010. Media Ownership. Congressional Digest 82. 8 (2003): 225. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. Obar, Jonathan A. Beyond Cynicism: A Review of the FCCs Reasoning for Modifying The Newspaper/Broadcast Cross-Ownership Rule. Communication Law Policy 14. 4 (2009): 479-525. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2010.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

1.Should the sentencing process in the U. S. be changed Why or why not Essay

1.Should the sentencing process in the U. S. be changed Why or why not 2. Discuss the key relationships of the prosecutor with others in the criminal just - Essay Example They are supposed to deter individuals from committing crimes, they are supposed to incapacitate those who are likely to commit crimes, bring about the process of rehabilitation and finally, to punish those who do not follow the laws of society. However, as discussed by Bellisle (2007), the sentencing system in America seems to focus more on the idea of incarceration and putting people in prisons rather than on rehabilitation and allowing them to become productive members of society. The courts hand out sentences to eighty thousand criminal defendants every year and the number of those who go into prison are far more than those who are released (Richey, 2005). Sentences handed out by courts simply put people away for long periods of time while not looking at the impact it would have on the prison system or even the nature of their crime. Many violations of the law come with mandatory minimum sentences and these sentences can be as long as 10 years for some drug offenses. Instead of allowing a judge to come up with a reasonable idea for how long a person should be put away for smoking marijuana illegally, the laws give mandatory minimum sentences which have to be followed (Bellisle, 2007). The sentencing process could be improved drastically if the judges are trusted to establish their own criteria for punishments equivalent to the crime. Of course, it can be argued that race and ethnicity can creep into the issue when judges are allowed to have a lot of discretion with regard to sentencing but that issue can also be monitored by the higher courts to ensure that the sentencing remains fair and transparent. Undoubtedly, the transparency of the justice system is also hurt by the idea that prosecutors may manipulate the accused to get plea bargains and thus avoid trials in the first place (Murphy, 2004). In certain situations, the laws not only cause the crime to be enhanced in a crime, they may even double the minimum time which is mandated by the law. For

Friday, November 1, 2019

Should Induced Abortion Be Prohibited To Protect Fetus' Human Rights Assignment

Should Induced Abortion Be Prohibited To Protect Fetus' Human Rights - Assignment Example In a global context we find that in 17 out of 18 nations polled around the world, majorities reject using criminal penalties, such as fines and imprisonment, as a means to prevent abortion. On average across all 18 countries, 52 percent favor leaving the matter of abortion to the individual, while 42 per cent think their government should try to discourage abortions. This shows exactly how heated the debate on induced abortion must be! When discussing induced abortion the most significant question that comes to mind is can we choose to kill unwanted pregnancies? Does the charter of human rights apply to humans after birth or as early as an embryo? Critics of abortion argue that since life begins at conception, abortion is next to murder as a human life is taken. They believe that abortion is in denial of the sanctity of human life. On the other hand supporters of induced abortion justify that almost all abortions occur in the first trimester when the fetus is entirely dependent on th e mother and thus cannot be claimed as a separate human being. Also as the fetus is part of the woman’s body it should be entirely her decision whether to go through childbirth or opt for abortion. People are divided into two groups; Pro-Life, inclusive of those people who advocate the protection of human embryos and fetuses and vote for the outlawing of abortion on the basis that is murder, and Pro-Choice, i.e. people who support the basic right of women to choose whether or not to continue pregnancy till childbirth. The single treaty that actually grants specific rights to foetuses is the American Convention on Human Rights of 1969, signed by 24 Latin American countries, which says that human rights begin at the moment of conception5. The United States of America has not signed this treaty. However this treaty does not enforce signatories to ban abortion, according to the most recent interpretation. Now let’s discuss abortion from a religious point of view. Religion indeed has the inclination to get involved in the majority of debates. Clerics are

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Separate Systems for Aboriginal people in Canada Essay

Separate Systems for Aboriginal people in Canada - Essay Example We would therefore be discussing the pros and cons of the separate justice system. The aboriginal tribes of Canada have distinct identity with unique traditions and cultures that have been passed on to the successive generations through the centuries. Their cultural identities have survived the tests of the time but recently their evolution has seen their inclusion in the so called mainstream population of the whites which has not been to their advantage. The separate legal system would go a long way in restoring their self confidence and help them to enact laws that are responsive to their needs and may conform to their traditional values and cultural paradigms. A separate legal system would also facilitate a wider scope of decision making processes that are not dominated by the understanding and narrow interpretations of the white population. Legal systems are designed to support the needs and requirements of the community and a separate justice system for the aboriginal tribes would be fulfilling the wider aims and objectives of the state constitution and legal system. It is also seen that a separate system would the enabling factor that would help them to gain control over the justice system for their people. The aboriginal population is an integral part of Canada and the Canadian state is morally bound to develop strategies and programs that would facilitate their socio-economic development so that they can rise beyond their poverty and participate in the overall development of the nation. A separate legal system would hinder the basic objectives of the state and adversely affect the socio-economic development of the tribes to improve their standard of living as envisaged by the state. National constitution is a strong representative of the people of the state and the legal and justice system is designed to provide uniform code of conduct for its people. A separate system for the aboriginals would represent

Monday, October 28, 2019

Bullying Speech Essay Example for Free

Bullying Speech Essay Hello I’m Maddi Beeson as many of you know and I wanted to talk to you about a very important issue at our school. There is the problem of bullying and I would like to say something about it which will hopefully change things. Starting off with this poem I had found on the internet which is a very inspiring poem about bullying. It is called: To This Day- for the bullied and the beautiful by Shane Koyczan. When I was a kid I used to think that pork chops and karate chops Were the same thing I thought they were both pork chops And because my grandmother thought it was cute And because they were my favorite She let me keep doing it Not really a big deal One day Before I realized fat kids are not designed to climb trees I fell out of a tree And bruised the right side of my body I didn’t want to tell my grandmother about it Because I was afraid I’d get in trouble For playing somewhere that I shouldn’t have been A few days later the gym teacher noticed the bruise And I got sent to the principal’s office From there I was sent to another small room With a really nice lady Who asked me all kinds of questions About my life at home I saw no reason to lie As far as I was concerned. Life was pretty good I told her, â€Å"Whenever I’m sad My grandmother gives me karate chops† This led to a full scale investigation And I was removed from the house for three days Until they finally decided to ask how I got the bruises News of this silly little story quickly spread through the school And I earned my first nickname Pork Chop To this day I hate pork chops I’m not the only kid Who grew up this way Surrounded by people who used to say That rhyme about sticks and stones As if broken bones Hurt more than the names we got called And we got called them all So we grew up believing no one Would ever fall in love with us That we’d be lonely forever That we’d never meet someone To make us feel like the sun Was something they built for us In their tool shed So broken heart strings bled the blues As we tried to empty ourselves. So we would feel nothing Don’t tell me that hurts less than a broken bone That an ingrown life Is something surgeons can cut away That there’s no way for it to metastasize It does She was eight years old Our first day of grade three When she got called ugly We both got moved to the back of the class So we would stop get bombarded by spit balls But the school halls were a battleground Where we found ourselves outnumbered day after wretched day We used to stay inside for recess Because outside was worse Outside we’d have to rehearse running away Or learn to stay still like statues giving no clues that we were there In grade five they taped a sign to her desk That read beware of dog To this day Despite a loving husband She doesn’t think she’s beautiful Because of a birthmark That takes up a little less than half of her face Kids used to say she looks like a wrong answer That someone tried to erase But couldn’t quite get the job done And they’ll never understand That she’s raising two kids Whose definition of beauty Begins with the word mom Because they see her heart Before they see her skin Because she’s only ever always been amazing He Was a broken branch Grafted onto a different family tree Adopted Not because his parents opted for a different destiny He was three when he became a mixed drink Of one part left alone And two parts tragedy Started therapy in 8th grade Had a personality made up of tests and pills Lived like the up hills were mountains And the down hills were cliffs Four fifths suicidal A tidal wave of anti depressants And an adolescence of being called popper One part because of the pills Ninety nine parts because of the cruelty He tried to kill himself in grade ten When a kid who could still go home to mom and dad Had the audacity to tell him â€Å"get over it† as if depression Is something that can be remedied By any of the contents found in a first aid kit To this day He is a stick of TNT lit from both ends Could describe to you in detail the way the sky bends In the moments before it’s about to fall And despite an army of friends Who all call him an inspiration He remains a conversation piece between pe ople Who can’t understand Sometimes becoming drug free Has less to do with addiction And more to do with sanity We weren’t the only kids who grew up this way To this day Kids are still being called names The classics were Hey stupid Hey spaz Seems like each school has an arsenal of names Getting updated every year And if a kid breaks in a school And no one around chooses to hear Do they make a sound? Are they just the background noise Of a soundtrack stuck on repeat When people say things like Kids can be cruel? Every school was a big top circus tent And the pecking order went From acrobats to lion tamers From clowns to carnies All of these were miles ahead of who we were We were freaks Lobster claw boys and bearded ladies Oddities Juggling depression and loneliness playing solitaire spin the bottle Trying to kiss the wounded parts of ourselves and heal But at night While the others slept We kept