Women’s Health & Preventative Care

Women’s Health Care and Preventative Care In the United States, the cost of health care is on the rise and it is almost impossible to receive any health care service at an affordable rate. Whether insured or uninsured, women of all demographics are faced with this problem. Women should not put their health or life at risk because they fear receiving another medical bill. Due to the rising cost of health care and insurance, more women do not receive preventative medical treatment and are currently in debt.Often, women do not receive or delay receiving preventative health care due to the cost of treatment. â€Å"Learning about and practicing preventive healthcare, i. e. maintaining your body and good health throughout your entire lifetime, is properly the best method to prevent disease from happening in the first place† (World Research Foundation, n. d. ). Women require more preventative health care than men and some of these preventative services are not always fully cov ered by insurance such as mammograms or prenatal care.Prenatal care is not only important for the woman’s health, but also for the child’s health. Preventative health care can detect as well as prevent diseases. Early detection is sometimes the key to curing certain diseases. More women currently are in debt or have unpaid medical bills. The rising cost of health care combined with the current job market has left more women in debt (Robertson & Collins, 2011). Health insurance providers do not always provide the coverage women need.In fact recent studies have shown â€Å"few plans offer maternity coverage and young women can face substantially higher premiums than men of the same age† (Robertson & Collins, 2011). Although,† The Affordable Care Act is bringing change for women through required free coverage of preventive care services, small business tax credits, new affordable coverage options, and insurance market reforms, including bans on gender ratingà ¢â‚¬  the law will not be implemented until 2014 (Robertson & Collins, 2011).Something needs to be done before then in order to cut down on debt from unpaid medical bills. The federal as well as the state government should implement more programs that offer preventative care at income based rates. There should also be more programs directed at lowering medical bill debt. A debt acquired by a medical bill should not affect a person’s credit. More insurance companies should provide age and gender specific plans at affordable rates, in order to ensure everyone receives the proper healthcare needed.Although, some of these solutions may have to be funded with higher taxes or budget cuts, these programs would definitely have a large impact on the amount of women who receive preventative care. Preventative care is a necessity in ensuring healthy living for women. Receiving preventative care is a cost effective way to save lives by treating and diagnosing diseases and conditions ear ly. Insured and uninsured women should be able to receive preventative care without worrying about how and if they will pay the medical bill.Although women’s health care cost is a rising issue in the U. S, there are cost effective solutions to alleviate this problem. References Robertson, R. , & Collins, S. R. (2011) Realizing Health Reforms Potential. Retrieved fromhttp://www. commonwealthfund. org/~/media/Files/Publications/Issue%20Brief/2011/May /1502_Robertson_women_at_risk_reform_brief_v3. pdf World Research Foundation. (n. d. ) Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone. Sedona, AZ: WorldResearch Foundation. Retrieved July 15, 2012 from http://www. wrf. org/preventive-healthcare/preventive-healthcare. php

‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding Essay

Compare and Contrast the characters of Ralph and Jack and comment on their roles in the novel? ‘Lord of the Flies’ is an allegory, a simple adventure story that also has deeper meaning. Golding uses the characters of Ralph and Jack to illustrate the battle between right and wrong within society. Both have dominant characters but use methods that contrast in many ways. They have different expectations of others and of the island itself, and have opposing priorities and objectives. It is necessary to examine their different character traits in detail, in order to understand how these influence the development of life on the island. At Jack’s first appearance in the novel, we recognise him as a natural leader. Jack is the head of the choir and a strict disciplinarian. â€Å"Choir! Stand still!† However, throughout this encounter, he maintains control and dignity. Jack has complete confidence in his decisions. He cannot be accused of worrying people by being indecisive as he always has clear and definite opinions. â€Å"I ought to be chief †¦ I can sing C sharp†. However, his black cloak and red hair are hints of a dark and fiery side to his character. These were the main colours of the Nazi Party flag. Gradually we see Jack changing from an authoritarian leader into something much more ruthless, casting him as a type of Hitler. In contrast, Ralph first appears fun-loving and carefree, sounding like a typical public school boy, â€Å"wacco – wizard – golly†. He is excited at the prospect of an adventure at the beginning, not considering the implications of being alone and coping on the island, standing on his head when he does not know what to do. â€Å"Forced at last to believe in the reality of the island, laughed delightedly again and stood on his head†. Ralph is an instinctive person who has a tendency to rush into things before considering the consequences. This shows his immaturity. Ralph is therefore quite childish and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve at times. Later in the novel Ralph looks back with regret at â€Å"that first enthusiastic exploration as though it were part of a brighter childhood†. Despite this, Ralph shows himself to be a strong character who often displays clear authority during the novel. He desires order, calling assemblies and using the conch, the symbol of democracy and civilisation, â€Å"Ralph felt a kind of reverence for the conch.† This shows Ralph’s belief in democracy. He tries to treat people as equals, including characters like Piggy. He cares for others and is compassionate, especially to the â€Å"littluns†. Ralph also shows his assertiveness when dealing with Piggy, â€Å"Better Piggy than Fatty,† he said at last, with the directness of genuine leadership.† He is also courageous confronting the tribe when they steal Piggy’s glasses calling Jack â€Å"a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief†. Ralph’s physical appearance also favours him. He is tall, agile, a good swimmer with â€Å"a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaim no devil.† This is a clear indication of Ralph’s character. However, he does not convey as much confidence as Jack. Ralph can appear the weaker of the two by depending on Piggy for advice. This is probably because he has had no experience of leadership and therefore lacks confidence. Simon suggests Ralph needs to be firmer â€Å"you’re chief, you tell ’em off† However Ralph could also be seen as open-minded. He is always prepared to listen to both sides of an argument without forcing his own opinions. Ralph has an optimistic character, never questioning that rescue will come. Ralph earns the respect of the boys and gains their trust. Jack rules through fear. It is a sign of Ralph’s good judgement that he delegates responsibility and trusts Piggy, having respect for his advice. Although like everyone else he becomes more savage in order to survive, unlike Jack he does not take this to extremes. Ralph becomes aware of his filthy appearance â€Å"with a little fall of his heart†. After Simon’s death he says, â€Å"I’m frightened of us.† In contrast, Jack becomes a good keen hunter and relishes this role. Increasingly he begins to adopt animal-like methods â€Å"down like a sprinter† as if he is ready to sniff out the scent. Jack can be very determined, and will persevere. At first, Jack is unable to kill the pig, but he shows promise of completing the task in hand â€Å"†¦I shall! Next time!† Soon his obsession with killing the pig takes over and he can no longer keep his basic instincts under control. There are hints that Jack finds it harder to keep a clear head. Jack â€Å"†¦frowned in an effort to attain clarity,† showing that he was beginning to lose concentration and control. Jack forgets about home and has no wish to get off the island. Soon, he has no priorities, other than to hunt and kill. Jack becomes increasingly tyrannical towards everyone. The longer the boys are on the island the worse he becomes. At first Jack targets most of his aggression at Piggy. This seems to be a coping mechanism when things are going wrong. Jack uses Piggy to vent his frustration physically. He seems to feel his only way of control is through violence. Jack shows himself to be a bully, and respect is not given to Jack voluntarily, he demands it. The reason why people obey him is through terror. His followers become known as â€Å"the Tribe† symbolising their loss of individual identity. As Jack’s dictatorial style develops he shows himself to be very narrow-minded and expects people never to question him. He will not listen to anyone’s opinion. â€Å"Bollocks to the rules!† the phrase Jack uses to dismiss democracy. From the beginning, Jack is consistently rude to Piggy. He is a very judgmental person, and he takes Piggy at face value. Jack does not look for the best or show any sign of accepting people for who they are. He has no consideration for people’s feelings. Eventually any suggestions given to Jack are taken as a threat. Jack shows no remorse. A good example of this is the incident concerning the fire. The fire is the symbol of safety and of destruction – of power and of hope. The Hunters whom Jack leads can be viewed in the same way. A symbol of safety when obtaining food, but of destruction when blindly killing. By neglecting the fire, Jack shows himself to be unreliable, forsaking the group in favour of his own interests and priorities. He does not admit to being at fault or apologise, but retaliates with aggression. It is easy to understand why Jack is viewed as the obvious leader. He came to the island with experience of holding a responsible position. Ralph, however, has a more spontaneous approach. He is less rigid and seems able to adapt to the changing circumstances. Throughout their time on the island we see Jack and Ralph changing due to their environment and the pressures which they face. Often Ralph rises to the challenge with fairness and clear thinking, but the weight of responsibility causes extreme stress. â€Å"A strange thing happened in his head. Something flittered there in front of his mind like a bat’s wing, obscuring his idea.† Jack however becomes increasingly violent and degenerates into an overpowering dictator. ‘Lord of the Flies’ was written by Golding to highlight some of the relevant issues of the day. Published in 1954, there was a strong worldwide movement against dictators and fascism following the Second World War. The division between Ralph and Jack highlights the gulf between good and evil, â€Å"two continents of experience and feeling, unable to communicate†. Jack’s role symbolises fallen mankind, degenerating as the novel progresses into ultimate sin and savagery. Ralph also becomes aware of the â€Å"darkness of man’s heart†. Ralph’s failure to maintain democracy symbolises mankind’s failure to deal with our own sinful natures. â€Å"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.†   

A Political Life of Pablo Picasso Research Paper

A Political Life of Pablo Picasso - Research Paper Example The research paper "A Political Life of Pablo Picasso" highlights Pablo Picasso's political side of life. Pablo Picasso is one of the pre-eminent artists of the twentieth century, having mastered various art forms such as painting, sculpting, print-making, ceramic-making and stage designing. Alongside Henri Matisse and Marcel Duchamp, Picasso is considered to have revolutionized plastic arts in the early part of the twentieth century. His political commitments have been one of the most underexplored areas of his life and work. But new scholarship and evidence from exhibitions identify the political facet of Pablo Picasso. This essay will argue that though not much publicized or documented Picasso held strong political beliefs. This is evident from the events of his personal life and the content of his artistic works. Although art critics often suggest that art should transcend politics, this assertion does not always holds true. The most important event in Picasso’s life, whic h betrays his strong political sympathies, is his joining the French Communist Party in 1944. Picasso’s contribution to the party came via his three drawings of Maurice Thorez in 1945. He also gifted to the Communist town of Vallauris, his sculpture L’homme au mouton. The painting ‘The Peace Dove’, produced in the aftermath of the the Second World War is further evidence for the link between the aesthetics and politics of the great painter. Picasso’s deep involvement with Leftist politics is made obvious through his 1953 portrait of Stalin.

(TiME) mission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

(TiME) mission - Essay Example The TiME team proposed a mission to land on the methane surface of Saturn’s moon to explore and interact with its atmosphere. Among the goals that were set to be achieved by TiME include: carrying out for the first time a direct inspection of an extraterrestrial sea, measure and sample the organic makeup of a different planet directly and give the first ever extended in situ research of a liquid volatile cycle away from earth. The other proposal of the group was called Comet Hopper or Chopper. The proposal involved placing a Lander on the surface of comet 46P/Wirtanen to study its composition. Since it was to have thrusters it would be able to move from one part of the comet to the other. The Titan Mare Explorer Mission was to explore directly an environment that is like an ocean beyond earth. The vessel known as TiME was to both land and float on this sea of methane-ethane cloudy and complex moon. The team for this mission was lead by principal investigator Ellen Stofan of Proxemy Research Inc. While the TiME capsule was to be built by Lockheed Martin in Denver. Instruments would have been gotten from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, APL and Malin Space Science Systems. The technology that would have been used is one of a kind. Titan has an atmosphere that is thicker than that of the earth, this means solar power would not have been use and battery would only be sufficient for a few hours. This would have left the option of using Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). This would have provided power that is four times that of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). Before TiME there were other missions that had similar objectives such as Solar System Decadal Survey which could see its launch in 2020s if considered under the Titan-Saturn System Mission, and Titan Lake In-situ Sampling Propelled Explorer or â€Å"TALISE†. The latter is based

Introduction to e-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction to e-commerce - Essay Example g intranets, extranets, ecommerce applications and the Web, to work closely with business partners and best satisfy the requirements of their customers. E-business methods assists companies to minimize costs significantly, take customer satisfaction to the highest levels, access new markets, craft added revenue routes and revive business relationships. Dell Computers sets the best example as a pioneering e-business today. E-business goes far beyond e-commerce. While e-business refers to more of strategic business focus, e-commerce is a division of an overall e-business strategy. Electronic business dealings which involve money are termed as e-commerce activities. They are sales based activities which are closely linked with the customers, suppliers and other business partners such as order taking, delivery, payment through credit cards and customer support (Adam 2003). Though there are various differences between e-commerce and e-business but the genuine distinction is mirrored in the excellence in performance of companies implementing them. As more businesses embrace the Internet revolution with rising enthusiasm, it is becoming necessary for businesses to swiftly shape a bay for themselves in cyberspace and better their

Media Comparison Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Media Comparison Paper - Essay Example As a result, companies are able to push their advertisements to the ultimate limit online while they remain very restricted by comparison in all other venues. However, a problem exists in that companies attempting to maximize their advertising dollars tend to run the same advertisement in a variety of different media to such an extent that images seen in the television commercial can often be found in a print magazine or online. Despite the inherent differences between online and print advertising, however, many advertisers can be seen to double up their advertising dollars and spice up their image by converting images from their television or print advertisements into primary focus art for their online presence, giving it life and movement in ways that are sometimes not permissible in other venues. The internet provides numerous opportunities for these advertisements to go beyond the strict bounds of print and even television guidelines. Skyy Vodka is among the many examples availab le regarding this money-saving and curiosity-inducing tactic. This brand in particular uses enticing images of women, or their body parts, as a means of attracting predominantly white, upper to middle class customers to their product in both their print and online advertisements, but their online presence is permitted to go a bit beyond what their print ads have to offer. Skyy Vodka walks a delicate balance between tasteful and sleazy in their advertisements for their liquor product. Print ads feature images from the online ads that stop short of the full disclosure that sometimes appears online. An example of this can be found in the following print advertisement featuring a woman stepping off of a plane: Taking on a cartoon quality, this ad is significant in that it cuts off the woman’s head, emphasizing instead her long legs and the idea that her dress is about to be caught in the engine and ripped off of her body. This, of course, appeals

The Case for Torture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Case for Torture - Essay Example Similar scenario is drawn about a bomb on a jet with hundreds of passenger’s lives at stake and unless information about the bomb is made available, the bomb will explode and kill thousands. Another scenario asked a few mothers if torture is justified for a person who has kidnapped their baby. The logic and reasoning used by Levine is that false sense of ethics should be set aside when the lives of innocent people are at stake. His further justification is that in most cases, victims of terrorist’s attacks are innocent people who have done nothing to offend a terrorist. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. On the other hand, the criminal carries out pre mediated terror attacks for profit or to fulfill some religious zeal. In any case, the terrorist is willing to die in his attempt. In such an instance, law enforcers should keep aside their false sense of ethics and torture the criminal to extract a confession that will save lives. On first reading, the essay of Levine seems logical and his arguments sensible. If torture and pain can extract and yield information that helps to save lives, then it should be done. However, one is not sure if torture will work on suicidal terrorists who are ready to blow themselves for a religious cause. Assuming torture is applied and the criminal dies from the pain, then the only lead available is wasted. Modern medicines and truth serums help to obtain the required information without torture. This method is used regularly to extract the deepest hidden information from criminals and terrorists. There is always the fear that an indoctrinated terrorist will continue to tell lies even under torture. Another very serious point is as to who will decide when torture is justified and if there is any graded procedure that can be used. If police officers and investigating officers decide that they feel torture is justified

Road Pricing is Inefficient but Fair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Road Pricing is Inefficient but Fair - Essay Example Introducing marginal cost pricing in the London transport sector does not guarantee an efficient outcome when there are externalities or distortions in other (related) sectors in the economy, which are not priced according to marginal cost. Marginal cost pricing has proved difficult to implement in the UK. Such form of pricing would require highly differentiated pricing systems in time and space, which would be expensive to provide and confusing to drivers [7]. From these factors, it is clear that first-best pricing is not very relevant from a practical perspective.A second-best charge can be defined as the optimal road charge when the true optimum (first best charge) is unavailable due to constraints on policy choice. The theory of second best says that a policy that would be optimal without such constraints may not be second-best optimal if other policies are constrained. Unfortunately, this also poses problems. In order to compute a second-best road charge, a fair amount of inform ation is still required, including marginal congestion costs and the exact tax constraints [5].The problem of traffic congestion in London still remains and a solution is required. There is an externality that creates an imperfection in an already imperfect market. A similar problem arises with environmental pollution. We will look at the London Congestion Charging Scheme and its proposed extension as its test-example. We find that the welfare gains from a congestion charge depend crucially on the location. of where the charge applies and charge level and our results are only valid for the set of boundaries that have been proposed by Transport for London (TfL). If the model we use covered a different area, traffic flows and times savings would be different. The political economy of such decisions is not always guided by any efficiency principles, but rather by political forces and lobbies. The final result will be the combination of different pressure and political groups and this m ay or may

Time and Happiness Essay Example for Free

Time and Happiness Essay Good morning everyone. The topic I have chosen is WHAT IS HAPPINESS. Nowadays, many people think money can buy happiness so that they will work over ten hours to earn more money. They think that if we are rich then, we can do anything such as buy a fat dog, a big house, a grand car or many luxurious things LV bag, DOIR shoe and so on. It cannot be denied that material life is happiness because you can buy the things you want but I think material life can only give me happiness for a short period of time which is external happiness. I think cultural life can give you a long term happiness and this is happiness from heart. There are three simple ways of gaining happiness that I would like to mention about. First of all, good relationship with friends and family are the main points to become happiness. The reason is I can get more love and sense of care from them . When I feel unhappy or I am in a problem, they are the ones who help me solve the problem and give me support all the time. Although they have never tried to make me happy by buying me some expensive things such as i-phone, i-pad, I can never doubt in their support and love for me†¦and that feeling is what makes me happy. Therefore, I love my family and friends and I am very proud to say that I have a very good relationship with them. The next point that I want to focus on is my dream because self-realization can let me gain pursuit of eternal value. I have some small goals as well as some big, I will never let go of these dreams that I have been dreaming of.. In spite of all the difficulties that I will have to face during this phase, I will try my best to enjoy them and tackle them because these steps can let me know and learn how to be mature and independent. Therefore, the pursuit of eternal value will be eternal happiness. The last thing that gives me happiness is helping the needy people. The reason is I can get more meaningful and wonderful time in my busy life. Undeniably, volunteer can not earn money or waste time but I do not think so. When I help the needy people, I will earn more naive and satisfaction in their possession. And I think, for me this is happiness†¦Getting to help others and doing some good deeds To conclude, good relationship of friendship and family, achieving my dream and helping others are the main three points that gives me the exact meaning of happiness. These things not only give me a long term happiness , but also gives me the satisfaction and the feeling of happiness from heart. You see, these are not the material things. I can say the simple cultural life is happiness in my heart because I know ‘Happy is he who is content’. I hope that you can find the right meaning of happiness in Your Life. Thank You!

Psychological Association Essay Example for Free

Psychological Association Essay The code, first published in 1953, is applicable to psychologists of all categories though various principles are mostly relevant to clinical psychologists in their activities of research, teaching, assessment and therapy. The objective of these codes is to instill ethical behavior among psychologists. The code is categorized into two groups namely: Ethical standards; It encompasses rules that are enforceable and specific covering a great deal of activities performed by psychologists. Ethical standards are further categorized into 10 groups with a sum total of 89 standards. They include; Impact of the APA code of ethics to psychology The field has mostly committed people who have a far greater motivation for doing their work other than material wellbeing. This stems from observing the virtue that proclaims that psychologists should not harm clients but strive to benefit them. Keenness and high levels of professionalism are more pronounced in the field due to the fact that accuracy and truthfulness is one of the guiding principles for psychologists. The principle stressing for forging of close friendships between psychologists and their clients has the likely effect of speeding up the recovery of clients. This is because one major reason why clients see psychologists is due to problems associated with neglect and loneliness (Lane, Meisels, 1994, p. 34). The public has more trust in psychologists because they are assured of the fact that their confidential information is safely guarded. The chances of a client opening up to a psychologist are therefore high. This in turn makes diagnosis and therapy more effective due to the availability of accurate information. The fact that psychologists happen to be calm and composed people makes the atmosphere around an examination room relaxing. This in turn makes the client who might be inclined to overexcitement also composed. Therapy and examination is thus greatly simplified. The existence of a universally accepted code for the discipline makes it easier to compare notes among scholars from different backgrounds. This in turn makes the synchronization of activities easier and hence connecting of scholars from different parts of the globe. Sharing of ideas is thus enhanced with the ultimate result of improving the quality of content in the discipline (Lane, Meisels, 1994, p. 56) Reference MchWhirter Darien (1995) Equal Protection. New York: Oryx Press, pp. 23, 78 Lane Robert Meisels Murray (1994) A History of the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 34, 56 .

Investigation in Acoustics of Wine Glasses

Investigation in Acoustics of Wine Glasses Introduction Resonance is extremely important in engineering and structural design. It directly relates to the way buildings, bridges and other structures sway with disturbance. In the case of wine glasses used in the Glass Harmonica invented in 1761 by Benjamin Franklin, varying the amount of water contained within the glass will vary the resonant frequency of the glass.[1] The purpose of the task is to investigate how frequency varies as height of water increases in a range of wine glass diameters before making recommendations regarding the ideal height and diameter for a given frequency. Collection of data is not a simple task as the height of water must be measured under great scrutiny and the wave produced needs to be constant in order to accurately record frequency. However, alterations have been made to the design of the experimental setup and will account for error through these avenues. For example, volume of water will be increased in increments and the heights measured as increasing volume is easier than increasing height. Once the collection and processing of data has been completed, recommendations can be made about the use, manufacture and efficiency of the Glass Harmonica. Essentially, the aim of the investigation is to scrutinize the Glass Harmonica and make recommendations about other structures through extrapolation. Background Theory A.P. French’s Formula While the Glass Harmonica is not the most commonly played instruments, the physics behind the way it works has been investigated a number of times. A journal paper describing the resonance on wineglasses was written by the late A.P. French, a Ph. D. and former President of the American Association of Physics Teachers.[2] In the paper, French derived a general formula for how the frequency of a singing wineglass could vary with the volume of water in the glass.[3] While French’s general formula was derived to describe the behaviour of ideal cylindrical glasses, it was found that any type of glass would approximately fit the formula. The formula is shown below: Resonant Frequency The main factor at play in the experimental investigation is resonant frequency. According to The Physics Classroom, â€Å"resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate with greater amplitude at some frequencies than at others.†[4] The system’s resonant frequency is the frequency where the system demonstrates its relative maximum amplitude, that is, the system exhibits greatest oscillation.[5] Figure 1 illustrates the resonant frequency of a general system. When its rim is rubbed by a moistened finger, the glass emits its resonant frequency. This is due to the crystals in the glass vibrating together which leads to one clear tone. As water is added to the glass, its resonant frequency changes. Resonance is important on a bigger scale than just the use of the Glass Harmonica. It relates to the way structures and other man-made objects oscillate in the outside world. For example, the Takoma Narrows Suspension Bridge in Washington collapsed due to wind that was gusting at the exact resonant frequency of the bridge.[6] Furthermore, acoustic resonance is important for instrument builders, as many instruments use resonators, for example, strings on a guitar, the length of a tube and the tension on a drum membrane. ‘Slip-Stick Effect’ The slip-stick phenomenon is defined as â€Å"the spontaneous jerking motion that can occur while two objects are sliding over each other.†[7] The friction between two surfaces leads to a ‘stick’ effect. The ‘stick’ effect is due to the applied force not being great enough to overcome the friction. However, as the force applied becomes greater, one of the surfaces begins to ‘slip’. When the surface ‘slips’, the force applied increases the second surface’s velocity. As the velocity increases, the frictional force increases too, until the frictional force is greater than that of the force applied, leading to another ‘stick’. The process continues and is named the ‘slip-stick effect’. The constant frictional jerking of the finger on the rim of the wine glass causes vibrations within the wall of the glass, leading to the oscillation of the glass and essentially, the tone produced. How does the glass vibrate? The glass begins to vibrate in a very special way when affected by the slip-stick phenomenon. When a moistened finger rubs along the glass, the rim begins oscillating into an elliptical shape due to its relatively elastic nature. Figure 2 portrays an exaggeration of the deformation of the rim of the glass. The rim’s shape oscillates between the two elliptical shapes shown several hundred times per second, producing an audible tone. Hypothesis In context of the investigation to be undertaken, it is hypothesised that as height of water increases in each of the three glasses, the frequency produced by each of the glasses will fall. The glass that can contain the greatest volume of water will reduce the least over the course of the experiment. Additionally, both other glasses will have a greater rate of frequency decrease. Under test conditions, it is predicted that as the glasses get fuller, the frequency reduction will become greater as the stem of the glass supports the glass, hindering it from vibrating as much. Correlation Using French’s formula, a linear relationship can be established between the frequency produced and the height of water: The value has been substituted into the equation as is built up of a number of constants representing the density of liquid, density of glass and glass thickness. Thus, plotting the following as and should present a linear relationship: Graphing the above equation should present a value as gradient. Ideal Graphs Ideally, the graphs should be as depicted below: The graph on the left depicts the reduction in frequency as height of water increases. The frequency slowly decreases in the first part before rapidly diminishing as height increases. The graph on the right has been manipulated using the raw data into a straight-line graph. Its gradient is the value. Method Clear the area and prepare the test glass and all other equipment used in experimentation. Place test glass flush on the desk before adopting silence in the room. Moisten index finger and begin softly rubbing the rim of the glass. Continue rubbing the rim of the glass until a standing wave appears. Begin recording sound in the room for a period of 10 seconds. If the standing wave is lost before the end of 10 seconds, stop the recording, delete the recording and repeat the procedure. If the standing wave continues, stop the recording at 10 seconds and stop rubbing the rim of the glass. Open the ANALYSE drop-down menu and select PLOT SPECTRUM. Trace along the graph until the peak is reached and record the frequency of the peak. Close the spectrum and delete the recording. Repeat 3 times. Measure out 20ml of water in a surgical syringe and add this liquid to the glass. Repeat the method outlined above. The setup of the experiment is pictured below: Results The results of the experiment are tabulated below: Raw Data Analysis Frequency Reduction (Hz) Glass 1 Glass 2 Glass 3 Linear Relationship Graphs Glass 1 Glass 2 Glass 3 ‘-Value’ for Different Glasses Error Analysis There are three forms of error in this experiment: Straight line error Measurement error Expected error Straight Line Error Measurement Error Measurement error can be calculated using the smallest division of every piece of equipment used to measure values. These are presented below: Vernier: 0.01mm Audacity’s Frequency Spectrum: 0.5 Hz Syringe: Negligible as the volume increments are not factored into the French’s formula Substituting various values into a rearranged version of French’s formula will find the various amounts of measurement error in each trial. The calculations are available below: Formula Glass 1 Therefore, measurement error is 0.52 Hz Glass 2 Therefore, measurement error is 0.52 Hz Glass 3 Therefore, measurement error is 0.52 Hz Expected Error Expected error can be found by substituting the value for various glasses into the manipulated formula used for the measurement error. The result of graphing this is the expected frequency decrease curve. The graphs are presented below: Glass 1 Glass 2 Glass 3 Average Difference Throughout the Duration of the Experiment Maximum Difference Discussion Interpretation of Results According to the results, the previously formulated hypothesis was proven correct. This is true since the frequency produced by each of the glasses fell as the height of water in each of the three glasses increased. Furthermore, Glass 2, which has the greatest capacity, also followed suit as it had the least frequency reduction. Moreover, stem of the glass acted as an excellent support for each of the glasses, ensuring that the raw graphed data followed a similar pattern to that expected. Another noteworthy trend was that the taller glass with the smallest capacity and radius had the greatest reduction in frequency. On the other hand, the shortest glass has the most stable and predictable decrease. Following French’s formula, justification can be made as to why the values didn’t increase as height of glass increased. The values of each of the glasses is made up of the following: Where the only variable factors between glasses are , radius of the glass and , thickness of the glass at water level. Thus, as increases, as with Glass 2, the value increases too. Naturally, as decreases, as with Glass 3, the value increases. Glass 3 had a higher value than Glass 1 simply due to the thin nature of the glass. Furthermore, Glass 2 had the highest value due to its large radius and almost spherical shape. While it was not a part of this experimental investigation at all, it must be noted that the glass with the greatest value produced the loudest sound, that is, the wave with the greatest amplitude. An interesting observation can be made through linking the nature of the glass, the value and the amplitude of the sound wave produced. As the glass becomes thinner and rounder, the value increases, which in turn, leads to a louder sound being produced. While the results obtained from the experiment are as were hypothesized, the outcome for the overall investigation is not as straightforward. The varied frequency decrease in the three glasses indicates which would be the most efficient in a Glass Harmonica with limited glasses. The dissimilarity also shows which glass would be able to play a specific small range more precisely than others. There are distinct advantages/disadvantages regarding high/low frequency reduction. The main advantage of the greater variation in frequency is that one can play a whole range of notes with only a few of the same type of glass. Additionally, the primary disadvantage of a great frequency decrease is that subtle changes in frequency cannot be easily made. A method of eliminating this disadvantage is simply using glasses that have a slower frequency reduction, such as Glass 2. However, this has its own advantages and disadvantages. The key advantage is that more specific notes in a small range can be played. Nevertheless, a disadvantage of this is that a large number of glasses need to be used, to play each specific note. In the real world, when a Glass Harmonica is used, a whole range of glasses are used due to the fact that more precise notes can be played in a while range of frequencies. This is what makes these instruments so expensive. Usually, the higher notes are played using thinner glasses and lower, deeper notes are played using rounder, wider glasses. Comparison with Expected Results The results obtained from conducting the experimental investigation are slightly deviant from those expected. It was expected that the values of the various glasses would be ordered the same way as the retention of frequency, and in the following order, from greatest to smallest frequency retention: The results obtained are divergent from these and follow the pattern as shown below: However, when comparing the data collected to the expected data, there is a trend on all the graphs as they all begin almost exactly on par with the expected results. Glass 3 had the greatest amount of difference from the expected graph. On average, every frequency measured was 32.25 Hz above or below the value it should have been at. In addition, Glass 2 began on par wuth the expected curve before reducing frequency slightly slower than expected. Nevertheless, the graphs were most consistent in both the beginning and end of each glass. As visible on the all three of the â€Å"difference in frequency† graphs, the true data began and ended almost exactly equal to the expected values. While results obtained were fairly accurate, the maximum difference between the expected values and true data in the three glasses was 68.04 Hz. Mistakes, Uncertainties, Errors While the investigation undertaken does not blatantly show evidence of any significant mistakes/errors, there are certainly a number of anomalies. For example, Glass 3 had a greater value than Glass 1 even though it has a minute radius. The values of the various glasses differ by only a small amount and the reduction of frequency differ by a fairly large amount. Both these must be duly noted. When analysing the raw data, there is a distinct anomalistic middle of all 3 of them. This is a clear indication of a large error caused by either measuring incorrectly each glass was further tested or simple inconsistencies in the peaks of Audacity’s frequency spectrum. Regardless, this error in all 3 experiments caused a deviance from the trendline. Unfortunately, it was not possible to avoid the influence of this error as values had to be calculated using those sections of data. There are a number of errors, caused by the method, which could have influenced the results. Firstly, when measuring the values of height of water and height of glass through the Vernier, there existed a chance of parallax error as the readings may be slightly deviant from the true values. Secondly, increasing volume of water instead of height of water for ease of measurement may not have had the correct effect and it may have been easier to simply measure heights in standard increments. Lastly, the standing wave may have broken at points, leading to the peaks of the frequency spectrum having an effect on the validity of the results, for example, the raw data and it’s difference to the expected data wou

The Queer Prison Abolitionist Movement Essay -- Prison Abolitionist, I

It would be misguided to discuss queer prison abolitionist movements without first thoroughly examining the place of the prison system in the neoliberal imperial project of enemy production (both inside and outside the boundaries of the state). The contemporaneous production of exterior and interior enemies (terrorists and criminals respectively), movement toward and legislation for ostensible (and, importantly, homonormative) queer â€Å"equality,† the criminalization of radical activism through increased surveillance, torture, disappearance, and imprisonment, and the exponential growth in the transnationally funded prison system is symptomatic of what, in the article â€Å"Intimate Investments,† Anna M. Agathangelou, M. Daniel Bassichis, and Tamara L. Spira deem the â€Å"imperial project(s) of promise and nonpromise† (Agathangelou, Bassichis, and Spira 120). Agathangelou, Bassichis, and Spira argue that, inherently a part of empire’s promises to some groups of safety and inclusion in global capitalism is a process of othering by which other groups are constructed as â€Å"enemy others,† and by which yet other groups are rendered â€Å"‘other Others’ whose life and death do not even merit mention or attention† (123). At the heart of this process lies the imperialist drive to establish and protect the new world order via what M. Jacqui Alexander deems the process of â€Å"incorporation and quarantining† (Alexander qtd. in Agathangelou, Bassichis, and Spira 127). This process serves the imperialist ends of militarization by constructing â€Å"enemies† which must be contained and/or killed; it also provides a backdrop against which newly legitimized homonormative queer identities can be conceptualized. In other words, by creating classes of racially sexualized... ...plex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith. 1st ed. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 267-79. Print. Girshick, Lori. â€Å"Out of Compliance: Masculine-Identified People in Women’s Prisons.† Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison industrial Complex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith. 1st ed. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 189-208. Print. Nair, Yasmin. â€Å"How to Make Prisons Disappear: Queer Immigrants, the Shackles of Love, and the Invisibility of the Prison Industrial Complex.† Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison industrial Complex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith. 1st ed. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 123-39. Print. Nemec, Blake. â€Å"No One Enters Like Them: Health, Gender Variance, and the PIC.† Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison industrial Complex. Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith. 1st ed. Oakland: AK Press, 2011. 217-31. Print.

Appearance Vs. Reality :: essays research papers

Appearance vs. Reality in Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To Be or Not to Be?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the tale of a young prince determined to uncover the truth about his father’s recent death. Hamlet’s uncle (and also the deceased king’s brother), Claudius, marries his mother the queen, and therefore, takes the throne. In the beginning of the story, Hamlet is told by the apparition of his dead father that it was Claudius who in fact murdered him. The theme that remains consistent throughout the tragedy is appearance versus reality. The characters introduced to us throughout the play appear to be pure and honest, but in reality are infested with evil. They deceitfully hide behind a mask of integrity. Four main dishonest characters which are found to be disguised with righteousness are Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the freshly crowned king Claudius. The first impression presented by these characters are ones of truth, honor, and morality; they are all plagued by evilness and lies in reality. Their appearances serve as obstacles for Hamlet as he struggles to discover the hidden truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The king’s royal assistant, Polonius, has a great preoccupation with appearance. He continually gives the impression of being an affectionate and caring person. He is introduced as a father who deeply cares for his son, Laertes. Polonius speaks to Laertes with advice which sounds sincere, yet in truth, is rehearsed, empty, and without feeling. He gives the advice to make others believe he is a strong, loving, role-model type of a father. He is similar to a politician. He speaks strong, influential words, but does not actually mean what he is saying sincerely in the least. Polonius grants his son his blessing to leave Denmark:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine own self be true,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!† (Hamlet 46). Within his speech to Laertes, Polonius advises him to not borrow from others, to remain true to himself, and not to lie. Polonius appears to be a caring and trusting father when in fact he sends a spy after Laertes to follow and keep an eye on him. This demonstrates his distrust for his son. He is not the confident father in which he is shown to be. His speech was rehearsed to give the effect that he actually cares and is trustworthy of his son.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Polonius further adds to the theme of appearance versus reality when he orders his Appearance Vs. Reality :: essays research papers Appearance vs. Reality in Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To Be or Not to Be?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the tale of a young prince determined to uncover the truth about his father’s recent death. Hamlet’s uncle (and also the deceased king’s brother), Claudius, marries his mother the queen, and therefore, takes the throne. In the beginning of the story, Hamlet is told by the apparition of his dead father that it was Claudius who in fact murdered him. The theme that remains consistent throughout the tragedy is appearance versus reality. The characters introduced to us throughout the play appear to be pure and honest, but in reality are infested with evil. They deceitfully hide behind a mask of integrity. Four main dishonest characters which are found to be disguised with righteousness are Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the freshly crowned king Claudius. The first impression presented by these characters are ones of truth, honor, and morality; they are all plagued by evilness and lies in reality. Their appearances serve as obstacles for Hamlet as he struggles to discover the hidden truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The king’s royal assistant, Polonius, has a great preoccupation with appearance. He continually gives the impression of being an affectionate and caring person. He is introduced as a father who deeply cares for his son, Laertes. Polonius speaks to Laertes with advice which sounds sincere, yet in truth, is rehearsed, empty, and without feeling. He gives the advice to make others believe he is a strong, loving, role-model type of a father. He is similar to a politician. He speaks strong, influential words, but does not actually mean what he is saying sincerely in the least. Polonius grants his son his blessing to leave Denmark:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine own self be true,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!† (Hamlet 46). Within his speech to Laertes, Polonius advises him to not borrow from others, to remain true to himself, and not to lie. Polonius appears to be a caring and trusting father when in fact he sends a spy after Laertes to follow and keep an eye on him. This demonstrates his distrust for his son. He is not the confident father in which he is shown to be. His speech was rehearsed to give the effect that he actually cares and is trustworthy of his son.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Polonius further adds to the theme of appearance versus reality when he orders his

Analyzing Mr. Keating’s Teaching Concept in Dead Poets Society from Progressivism Essay

â…   Introduction 1.1 Brief Introduction of Dead Poets Society In 1959, Welton Academy is respected by the people for its dignified style at that time. The education mode there is fixed, not only monotonous but ideology shackled. However it all changed in the hands of a new teacher. John Keating’s educational method against tradition brought vitality to this school: in his classroom, he encouraged the students to stand upon the desk, to observe the world around with a different perspective; he introduced thoughtful poetry to students; the free divergent thinking philosophy he advocated caused great repercussions among students. Gradually, some people accepted him, began to bravely face every day and grasp their own life. Charlie is eager to find the real self, renamed Nuwanda. He takes advantage of being one of the proofers, seeks chance of expressing self-independent thought. Knox behaves uncharacteristically, be brave to pursue his love, finally get a gleam of hope. With the help of Mr. Keating and Neil, the autistic Todd breaks out infinite potential, walks out of shadow and becomes confident and gregarious. Under the edification of the Poetry Society, Neil listens to inner voice and found his real ideal. In spite of his father’s opposition, he successfully starred in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 1.2 Overseas and Domestic Research Status According to the document literature, there are not many domestic scholars study on education through Dead Poets Society. The articles one-sidedly analyze the teaching methods, teaching concept or teacher-student relationship of this film, which still help the analysis of several aspects in this thesis. For example The Teaching Paradigm Thinking Triggered by ‘Dead Poets Society’ written by Long Qixiang, it has explained the changes in teaching purpose in this film; and Discussion on Mr. Keating’ Teaching Concept in ‘Dead Poets Society’ written by Liu Weixing, it has analyzed teaching concept of Mr.Keating. Western scholars have fully analyzed Progressivism. They have put forward their own views from the meaning, thought and influence of Chinese and western education reform. The writer collates and selects the useful materials, by combining Progressive theory with this film will let readers understand how to reasonably teach in theory, and properly apply theory into practice better. â… ¡ Background Knowledge of Progressivism Progressive Education is an educational philosophical thought populated in the United States in first half of 20th century. It has a considerable impact on education at American schools. 2.1 Definition At the end of 19th century and the early 20th century, with the emergency of ‘Progressive Education’ movement in United States, the solid status of Western Absolutism which was completed by Herbart was shaken. Progressive education is an extensive educational trend based on progressive ideas. Its core idea is to promote the transformation of society and the update of human, so as to promote successive progress of human society through education and educational reform. This educational trend originated from 17, 18 century, its influence has continued to present day. 2.2 Theoretical Basis Progressive Education is the education experiment under the guidance of Dewey’s Pragmatism educational thinking. People strongly criticized the old traditional theories and methods led by Herbart, then its opposite ‘Children Centered’ theory put forward. Brief Introduction of Content about Dewey’s Pragmatism Educational Thought: (1) Education namely is Life, Growth and Experience Transformation Education is the process children are now living but not the preparation of future life. The best education is ‘learn from life’, ‘learn from experience’. Due to personal contact with people in social life, individual influences each other, and then we can gradually expand and improve experience, acquire knowledge and develop moral character. (2) School namely is Society. Dewey proposed, ‘I believe school primarily a social organization. Now that education is a social process, the school is a form of social life’. (3) Learning from Doing. The knowledge children gain from listening and reading is not real. The primal and impressive knowledge was gain from doing something like experiment. When we engaged in activities that are meaningful to us, our study effect will be magically revealed. So the study from doing will never be replaced by textbooks. (4) ‘Children Centered’ Theory Proponents of this theory take a child’s development as a natural process that teachers can not dominate, but being a ‘natural servant’. Take children’s interest as the center, emphasize children’s personal development and growth and put students in central point of teaching. Promote new forms, content, methods of education. 2.3 Influences to American Education Due to the establishment of guiding ideology based on people (children, learners), it would inevitably lead to the overall changes which are related to this aspect in education system. That is this whole education reform, at the end of 19th century, early 20th century American society really needs. In this sense, the first contribution of Progressive Education to American education is that, it powerfully promotes American education from agricultural age to industrial age, from modern to contemporary. The Progressive Education constitutes an important beginning of modern American education. Another critical contribution of Progressive Education to the development of American education in 20th century is that, it has had profound impact in forming the basic characteristics of school education in U.S.A. In contemporary American education, progressive educators have strongly advocated the importance of children’s needs and personality differences; emphasized providing more space for children; encouraged inquiry and creative development; respect for the rights of children and so on. All these have become a widespread reality. To some extent, Progressive Education fundamentally changed the atmosphere of American schools and classrooms. Though the ‘Children Centered’ theory advocated by Progressive Education was criticized, the authoritarianism educators opposed could no longer rule the American schools. â… ¢ Analyzing Mr. Keating’s Teaching Concept from the Perspectives of Progressivism In this chapter, the writer will analyze Mr. Keating’s teaching from the Teaching Purpose, Teaching Principles and Teacher-student Relationship of Progressivism; point out the advantages and hidden problems in his teaching. 3.1 Teaching Purpose Progressivism considered there is no ultimate, stable or universal goal preplanning for education. Education should promote children’s continuous growth and development, and this kind of growth and development will contribute to the follow-up. That is the purpose of education. In Welton Academy which filled with dogma and stuffy atmosphere, great courage and boldness is needed to be faithful to one’s personality. But Mr. Keating dares to use a unique way, visually warn students ‘to find your own road, to find your own walk, do not care what others say’. He uses’ Seize the Day’ to alert students to find themselves, to do what they want to do, ‘to make your life extraordinary’. He is a maverick. He is brave to lead the students to get rid of the shackles of tradition and discipline, to arouse the passion and desire in their hearts. In his view, paying attention to students’ creative thinking and self-expression of personality is more valuable than inheriting tradition. The traditional education starts from imparting knowledge and skills, the students’ task is to accept and store knowledge as much as possible in order to succeed at all levels of exam. This kind of education leads to the consequence that study is for knowledge and exams not for students themselves or their ideal life. So during the teaching process, Mr. Keating not only emphasizes students’ acquirement about knowledge and skills, but the training of the way they thinking and the cultivation of healthy personality. 3.2 Teaching Principles The principles of Progressive Education like methods, content and materials being adopted in the teaching process are all included. These are concrete steps to achieve the teaching purpose of Progressivism, and these are also the steps Mr. Keating always keeps on doing. Basic principles of ‘progressive education’ is: express and cultivate personality, oppose to instill from outside; behave freely, protest compulsory discipline; learn from experience not from the textbooks; oppose to obtain isolated skills and techniques through training; make full use of opportunities in real life, against fixed target and materials. To be more specific, principles can be divided into 10 points: (1) Attention to all abilities and power of a child. Student is considered to be a total organism which contains intellectual, social, emotional, physical, spiritual and other aspects. Students should not only develop intelligence but social, emotional, physical and other aspects should also be developed. This point is thought to be one of basics of ‘Children Centered’ theory. It doesn’t set a specific goal or inclined to develop the important aspect for children, but to grow up comprehensively. However, Welton as an educational institution, it likes a machine without heat and emotional coloring which only focuses on enrolment rate, processes each student into qualified product with its powerful deterrent and imprisoned force. The arrival of Mr. Keating injects fresh blood for them, so that they see the human instinct. The instinctive impulse, repressed desires, emotions and intentions deep in their unconscious begin to stir. (2) The role of a teacher is to encourage but not to supervise. This point is related to teacher-student relationship. In traditional teaching, the role of teacher is not only to teach students knowledge but a supervisor to assure students would not do the things which are out of discipline or influence their study. One pillar of Welton is discipline. What school should do is to assure enrollment rate, eradicate every activity that would influence students’ score, teachers always put heavy study pressure on students’ shoulder. Students there are not people but learning machine. In Progressivism, Teacher is a person who uses his rich and right experience to help students analyze and deal with different situations. He is important to be a guide or a leader in teaching, but he is not the only authority. In Mr. Keating’s teaching, he teaches book knowledge and life philosophy through normal daily activities and his own experience. He doesn’t limit students’ freedom and to encourage them to seize the day, to find things people really stay alive for. But it also shows that if students lack proper supervision, it will have negative impacts. (3) School should be positive and active to solve problems then enhance, but not be negative or passive in teaching through memories. Analysis and reconstruction of facts is indispensable for an increase of knowledge, explanatory power and the ability to correctly classified. If people want to find something new, they must do something to the object. It is necessary to jump out of the environment which has been set previously. A usual way of teaching is to remember and recite the book knowledge like formulas, equations and poems then repeat practicing. Welton only uses traditional ways to teach while sometimes not suitable for students, for example students learn Latin by reading after teacher; they learn science by doing much homework. While Mr. Keating encourages students try to look at things from different perspectives when they are learning, even though it may seem silly or wrong. He regards the way to rate and determine a poem great or not by the rational coordinate in textbook is excrement. He let students rip out entire introduction. (4) Friendly, enthusiastic and humanitarian classroom atmosphere. Class is the main place for teaching, the quality of teaching hinges on the atmosphere in class more or less. A teacher of profound learning should have the ability to make his students actively participate in the learning process, students have interest to learn then even profound knowledge could be understood. In other teachers’ classroom, students are silent and indiscriminate, teachers are authoritative and rigorous and the atmosphere is always tense. Students should follow and comply with teachers’ requirements otherwise they would get a low score in their exams. Mr. Keating’s class is on the contrary, no bondage is in the classroom. He does not adopt the way that teacher stands seriously on platform and students sit properly below. He walks among students and uses approachable ways imparting knowledge. (5) More space. This point likes the second point, which is to provide more space for children in learning and private daily life. In this film, students are under the control of authority; their inner desires are bound by reality. Space is namely freedom, it is required to learn, to live. People are instinctive to chase happiness, but it always restricts by reality, so we need to find a compromising way to chase happiness. They release repressed sentiment by reading poems in the cave, by reading a meaningful sentence before kicking football. The things they cannot achieve in real life can be got in poetic imagination. Under the suppression of Welton’s educational concept, Mr. Keating also harshly criticized school’s management system with his own practical action. (6) The curriculum should be adapted to each child’s level of maturity, and based on children’s interest, creativity, self-expression and personal development to achieve individualized. Children were born in their own way, but through the struggle with reality their individual character would be obliterated, from a pentagon to a round shape. Though Welton always cultivates only one type of person, which is qualified graduate. It is hard to implement this kind of curriculum even in today’s society, what we could do is to keep our pure personality from changing by our surroundings. (7) To provide children with a wealth of teaching materials, facilitate students to explore, to operate, to apply. Teaching is not limited in classroom, not limited in the required materials. Learning can in everywhere. In the first class of Mr. Keating, he whistled and led students to the school history exhibition room, let them stop their impetuous pace and face the age-old yellow photos, to listen to the silent advice’ Carpe Diem’, to comprehend the short time and demise of life. In gym class, he was playing vibrant Baroque music, while let students line up single file and read an incentive poetry before kicking the ball. These are not the ways traditional teachers would adopt but by which encourage students most. In headmaster’s eyes, students should sit in the classroom and absorb traditional materials which have been tested by practice. There is no need for them clapping and marching in the courtyard or doing anything which does not help with their study. (8) Establish organization to promote cooperation and make common experience. The knowledge and experience work out together by learners themselves will be more impressive than the one by force-feeding. In this film, students firstly organize study groups to help each other with their homework. Afterwards, they reorganize The Dead Poets—a community devotes to ‘suck out all the marrow of life’. They transfer the way to release repressed emotion to this literary society. Students rally in a cave at night, they recite the works of Byron, Whitman and even the one creates by them, feel the meaning and value of life. (9) Oppose to the concept of education is preparation for life. Advocate education is a constituent part of actual production process. This point is the same as Dewey’s Pragmatism. Progressivism sides on the idea that education is to enhance personal development in real life; rather than let children adapt to education, but let education adapt to children. Mr. Keating never urges students to get a high score or be the top of ranks, he just wants his children to acquire right values and grow up comprehensively through education. However, headmaster insists that the duty of school is to prepare students for college, because a best enrolment means bright future for students and reputation for school. The development of student’s rest aspects will take care of itself. It cannot say which one is absolutely right, but the two contradictions will cultivate entirely different students. (10) Against compulsory and strict punishment. This is the common rewards and penalties system even in today’s school. Students with good grades will receive many rewards, and others behave badly will be published differently due to their behaviors. In Welton Academy which takes enrolment rate as the ultimate goal. Mr. Keating as an English teacher, he abandons the stereotype and dogma and teaches without pointer and corporal punishment, but in the form of poetry, music and sports, inspires students to pursue the truth of life by applying his unique insights towards art . But when Charlie slipped an article in school paper, received a phone call from ‘God’ demanding girls be admitted to Welton, he was published by headmaster; he has to bow his head and look for forgiveness. 3.3 Teacher-student Relationship Progressivism inherited and developed the educational philosophy of Dewey’s Pragmatism. They think that children should be in accordance with their own needs and interests. Therefore, teachers should act as a mentor or advisor rather than an authoritative figure. The responsibility of the teacher is not to command relying on the authority but to provide advices. Children should determine their own things by the interest, and they plan their own development, teachers are just learning guide. (1) The role of students: they turn from ‘knowledge passive receptacles’ to ‘positive constructors’. Mr. Keating always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself. He encouraged students to be a free thinker and told them the dangers of conformity. ‘Suck out the marrow of life in my own way. And not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived’. Obviously, Mr. Keating asked students to break the reality that passively accept tradition and authority, trying to require them to acquire knowledge through active thinking then resulting in the growth of life. Student is a total organism which is autonomous and developmental. They are not affected by external factors and continuously feel, experience the meaning and value of life in growing process. Thus teachers should not to control students’ behavior but to respect their self-awareness; pay attention to the needs of student’s physical, emotional and other aspects. Make the learning process becoming the process of students’ growth. Furthermore, knowledge is not granted by others, but discover and invent by learner themselves. The learning materials were chose, understood and reformed by learners’ own experience, then constructed their own new knowledge system. So students should not be the passive receptacles to store knowledge but active constructors. (2) The role of teachers: They change from ‘knowledge porters’ to ‘wisdom enlighteners’. Mr. Keating has vividly showed how to be a guide and enlighteners through his teaching methods and behavior. Teachers should create teaching situation, lead students to use prior knowledge and skills to delve into learning. In his class, Mr. Keating would start from the book learning or a shallow action into a deep life lesson. ‘Seize the day!’, ‘Talking about poetry is not laying pipe.’, ‘See everything in a different way, seek for your own voice’, ‘Find your own pace, swim against stream.’ Teachers should be aware of the importance of letting students know how to acquire knowledge rather than directly give them knowledge. To encourage students to be good at thinking, be daring to innovate, be brave to explore. It is sure if without Mr. Keating’s enforcement, Todd would not make his excellent verse and still be an obedient child; keep his desire deep in mind forever. From this point we can see, teacher and student are both living individual. They have their own emotions, personality, values and ways of thinking. They also have their own views and experience towards teaching. The teacher cannot be a substitute for his students to perceive or understand knowledge. Therefore, teacher cannot be the one controlling teaching; student should not comply with it. Teachers should walk down from the superior central authority; eliminate cold, nervous, hostile atmosphere in the classroom; return the classroom to students and regard students as individual life; respect their personality and equally talk with them. 3.4 Advantages of Mr. Keating’s Teaching 3.4.1 Mr. Keating set a model for teacher about Happy Teaching. He takes ease and freedom as standard to create a casual learning environment. Mr. Keating broke the ‘force-feeding’ teaching mode and built an interactive platform between teacher and students. He respected students and concerned about their real needs, made them happily grow up in a free, casual teaching environment. He taught students to have a pair of eyes to discover beauty, to feel the wonderful in discipline with their heart. Be good at observing and discovering; let all students to become the master of their own ideas. E.g. Mr. Keating encouraged them to look at things in different ways, to seek for own voice. This free divergent thinking form leaves students more space for positive thinking; another example is telling students lifetime is short, if you want to make your life extraordinary you have to seize the day. 3.4.2 Mr. Keating taught students to Learn to Think. He let students to learn thinking freely and independently. Have your own voice not to follow indiscriminately. Learning in the classroom is always dead and mechanical; the knowledge while we chat outside of the classroom is alive and vivid. The former is specialized knowledge; the latter ‘liberal’ education. E.g. Mr. Keating let students walk freely in the courtyard to experience that it is easy to follow the pace of others while walking behind them and it is difficult to adhere to their own pace and personality. 3.4.3 Mr. Keating helped students to Establish Confidence and Keep Faith. Mr. Keating introduced thoughtful poems to students, let them gradually comprehend the connotation of poem; learn to focus on reality and love life and to cultivate students’ self-confident, optimistic and tough characters. Students can play their potential ability by reciting poetry. E.g. Todd is an introverted and sensitive student, Mr. Keating saw his cowardice but he did not condone it. He forced Todd to yawn to compose a verse thus to release his repressed emotions. Mr. Keating makes students know the meaning of life through his poems. 3.4.4 Mr. Keating encouraged students to develop freely and show their personality. In the whole teaching process, Mr. Keating always encouraged students to develop personality. He thought teaching is not purely imparting knowledge but also deeply cultivating one’s personality. It is a process to let students think freely and explore independently. He let me know success is not unary. Some students study in reputable schools like Welton are carrying too much pressure from family and society, most of times what surroundings force them to do are not they really dream of. Like Neil, Todd and others, they all under the pressure of outside, so they have to hide their inner desire and abide to requirements. In the end, Neil found his dream, Todd overcame his cowardice, and Overstreet was brave to pursue his girl. These are all successes, they all develop without limitation. 3.5 Hidden Problems of Mr. Keating’s Teaching and the Solutions The most touching picture was on the football field: With the melody of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to joy’ and under the encouragement of Mr. Keating, the students wearing red sweatshirt enjoy running, chasing and frolicking. They simply carry Mr. Keating on their shoulders and run hilariously around the playground. In the golden sunset, the immortal melody that shines forever on the concept of human seems to have a new tone. However, the result of a movie is not always a happy ending. Neil’s death is really a tragedy. The hidden problems in Mr. Keating’s teaching have emerged. 3.5.1 ‘Children Centered’ Theory should work in its moderate otherwise it will gradually become an indulgent behavior. It is really a good thing that Mr. Keating changes the monotonous atmosphere for his students, to help them to find their inner desire and tell them many life philosophies. It is obvious that everyone hopes to meet a teacher like Mr. Keating. But it still needs supervision. At their meeting in cave, except a few good poems the students occasionally recited, practically accompanied by smoking and drinking. When Charlie did wrong, Mr. Keating just told him not to be blatant. But there is no need to excessively against nature like Welton. In my view, both teachers’ guidance and students’ interest should take into consideration in teaching. By combining both of them, students, teachers and school will be in a harmonious relationship. 3.5.2 The education concept of Mr. Keating seems to be too ideal. He said, ‘Medicine, law, business, engineering: these are noble pursuit and necessary to sustain life; but poetry, beauty, romance, love: these are what we stay alive for’. He tried to let students be aware of the importance of individual growth and the meaning of life. His words inspired students. They want to seek for dream at the same time they are trammeled by reality. But Neil is too concerned with his ideal to make necessary compromise with reality. He puts himself into an impasse and he kills himself in order to make his body free. This is the character of Progressivism: it focuses on personal development. However, it would be better if we balance personal needs and social needs; ideal and reality. Education should be the integration of these four parts. Blind pursuit of ideal is extremely dangerous because it would make us defeated by the cruel reality. Thus we must look for the most appropriate method to seek for dreams and try our best to keep the balance between ideal and reality. 3.5.3 Progressivism education ignores imparting system knowledge. In this film, Mr. Keating also emphasizes more on telling students about life philosophies rather than imparting system knowledge. He skips around the chapter in textbook which is not beneficial for students. To realize inner desire needs to put into action, systematic knowledge is the basis of practice. Understanding life philosophies is important for mental development while systematic knowledge is also indispensable for intellectual development. â… £ Conclusion After analyzing Mr. Keating’s teaching concept, educators can apply some useful points in Chinese education. There are some unreasonable status quos in Chinese education, like it highly required technicality of subject knowledge but ambiguously required for all-round capability of mastering and applying knowledge; most of disciplines which are self-contained do not communicate with each other and the learning content is away from reality and its practicality is poor. By combining useful points in the analysis, solutions could be put forward to improve status quo: As for Teaching Purpose, except focusing on high scores, there are many other things they should learn and experience like moral values. Personal growth and social purpose of education should in a balanced state. This is complete and correct purpose. As for Teaching Content, practical skills like fostering creativity, teamwork and logical reasoning could be increased, at the same time we should not neglect students’ learning about basic knowledge. Another important thing is that we should led students know how to apply them to practice, especially by using the examples in real life. After all, education is to help us to be able to deal with problems in many fields. As for Teaching Method, funds and advanced technology has been applying to teaching facilities nowadays, teaching methods become diverse and we should make full use of existing facilities. Teachers can combine their teaching content with appropriate method and facility, by doing so students will be more engaged in teaching process. By analyzing Mr. Keating’s teaching purpose, teaching principles and teacher-student relationship in Dead Poets Society from perspectives of Progressivism. Readers can firstly have a general understanding about this western educational philosophy, and then they can comprehend the theoretical foundation of Mr. Keating’s teaching behaviors, which is really commendable in Chinese education. Progressivism breaks through the fetter of traditional education, advocates the importance of children’s interests and free space to develop. But everything should be in a moderate, so that can avoid the issues because of extreme. The analysis of unreasonable status quo of Chinese high school education will attract people’s attention to problems of educational practice and education itself. That is we have to eliminate exam-oriented education which only focuses on students’ grades and neglects the development of other respects. As for the solutions of these problems are writer’s desired methods to solve them. The reform and healthy growth of Chinese education system will keep going through trial and error. 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Gender Preference Essay

Nowadays, most people have accepted many new ideas, such as couples living together before marriage, men staying home as home-husbands and divorce. However, in developing countries, a significant proportion of the population are still holding a very serious preference for male offspring and yearning to have a male baby, despite the fact that females can take care of their parents physically and psychologically far better than their male peers. It is worth looking into the reason for and some negative ongoing consequences of this male preference. The explanation can be traced to the traditional male-centered culture. Since the primitive era, women have become the belongings of their husbands, and their major job was producing a male heir for their husband. This is because only males can preserve the family name and the inheritance. In addition, as Tina Rosenberg described in her article â€Å"The Daughter Deficit†, a son is a financial necessary for parents. Only sons take responsibility to look after their aged parents, and daughters have limited contact with their parents soon after they become someone’s wife. If a couple couldn’t produce a son, they would think they are the most miserable couple in the world and would suffer long-term loneliness in their old age. Moreover, some countries hold a very strange superstition, that if a woman gives birth to more than 3 daughters, her husband will die. It is hardly surprising that the strong determination to have baby boys can lead to catastrophic consequences. After a long history of son preference stemming from the old culture, some countries are now facing very serious gender imbalance. This results from the extreme measures which have been used to get rid of an unwanted baby girl, for some people decide to go to any lengths to get the type of baby they want. The first of them is sex-selective abortion. Now, high technology like ultrasound scanning makes it very easy and convenient to achieve that goal. Its popularity and prevalence has caused numerous fetuses to die before they can see their Mom’s face. The second action is infanticide. Some infants have chance enjoy the sunshine and mom’s smile for a little while before their parents arrange their death just because they are not male descendants who can carry their family name and bring honor to their family as their parents think. Although some girls are lucky enough to stay with their dear mommy for several years, at last their mothers have to abandon them due to the family or society pressure. Even worse, some girls are neglected to death. These facts are heartbreaking, these parents are unforgivable and the consequences are very serious. According o the observation of Tina Rosenberg in her article, â€Å"The Daughter Deficit†, in India and China, more than 1.5 million fewer girls were born each year than i t is predicated. Also, according to census data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the gender ratio was 117.7 newborn boys for every 100 girls in 2012 in China. This means that millions women are missing and there would be a dramatic excess of men. However, the impact of male preference goes beyond the immediate consequence of the disordered ratio of males to females, and it brings about more complicated implications in the long term. This unbalanced population can lead to a series of social problems. The serious gender imbalance has produced a large number of extra young men. Obviously, when they reach adulthood, some of them would find it extremely difficult to get married. With the poor prospect of getting a wife, some young men would resort to alcohol and drugs as comfort, while some of the others might take risks or get into fights in order to improve their prospects. Even more, some desperate young men are likely to blame their whole predicament on the society and government. As a result, they would pursue revenge on society, and cause a lot of trouble for innocent people. Eventually, everyone, including people who criticize the unfair treatment towards girls, will suffer from the serious consequences of an unstable society. In conclusion, the essential reason for the bias in favor of male offspring is the traditional man-centered culture, and it causes a series of negative effects. If society doesn’t take it very serious and make some changes, it can be foreseen that our brilliant culture would collapse due to this unfair preference.

European Union Essay

During the 20th century, many different views arose concerning the unification of a previously divided Europe. Opinions varied depending on the individuals country and heritage, but largely because unification could improve conditions in some countries, while jeopardizing the conditions in others. Those in favor of a unified Europe usually had something to gain from it, while those who were against it had something to lose. Many countries were tired after WW1 and WW2, and interested in finding a possible source of peace. As Konrad Adenaver states â€Å"Nations cannot continue to live exclusively according to their own desires and inclinations. â€Å"(Doc 6). The ideas of new imperialism and nationalism were being replaced with ideas of peace and unification. In this hope for new found peace , countries such as France, Germany, and many other countries became involved in the European Economic Community(EEC). Sir Winston Churchill wished to be more like the U. S, and to form a council of Europe. (Doc1) Being the former Prime minister Britain, he might want this due to Britain ties and respect for the U. S. Not everyone shared this respect for the U. S, as shown in a Soviet Newspaper, a cartoon of a greedy American destroying Sovereignty of West European Countries. (Doc 4) Spain seemed to also have some hesitation in the idea of a unified Europe. The prime minister of Spain, Felipe Gonzalez, states â€Å"NATO membership and joining the European Community mean the end of the traditional isolation of span. † (Doc 11) Since the U. S was the creator of NATO, Spain might have some hostility towards America for being left out of NATO, while Russians may have hostility left over from the cold war. France seemed to be a bit irritated with the fact that Britain â€Å"first refused to participate and even took a hostile attitude, as if the EEC were a economic and political threat. â€Å"(Doc 8) These words, spoken by the President of France Charles de Gaulle, summed up the attitude of many French. He also claimed Britain had too many ties to America to be fully committed to a Europe Union. Harold Macmillan, the British finance minister claimed that joining the EEC would â€Å"collapse our system of favoring rade with the British common wealth. â€Å"(Doc 7) Britain did want unity but it also needed to do what would be best for the country individually, as summed up in the words of Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, â€Å"We want to see Europe more united and with a greater sense of common purpose, but it must be in a way which preserves the different traditions, etc. â€Å"(Doc12) Britain was still a big powerful country, and did not necessarily benefit from the uni ty as much as smaller countries would. Italy Prime Minister Jack Lynch declares his commitment to EEC, saying â€Å"We would naturally be interested in the defense of the territories embrace by that community†(Doc 10) Although there were many different reasons why countries would want a united Europe, it did end up happening. Although there was still some suspicion as Duncan Sandys stated (speaking of Charles de Gaulle) â€Å"Were gravely suspicious of the policy of American and British governments,†(Doc 2) a European Union was formed. The United States did, and still does, have a strong influence over Europe, but Europe’s unification makes it more powerful force as well.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 15

15. Head in the Clouds and Vice Versa TOMMY It was the words that brought Tommy back. For a week with the clutter of vampire cats, and for several weeks before, while trapped inside the bronze statue, the words had left Tommy. His mind had gone feral, as had his body after he escaped. For the first time since Jody had turned him, he turned to his instincts, and they had led him to the huge, shaved vampire cat Chet and his vampire progeny. Running with them he learned to use his vampire senses, had learned to be a hunter, and with them, he took blood prey for the first time: mice, rats, cats, dogs, and, yes, people. Chet was the alpha animal of the pack, Tommy the beta male, but Tommy was quickly reaching a level of where he would be a challenge to Chet's position. Ironically, it was Chet who led him back to the words, which led him back to his sanity. In the cloud, merged with the other animals, he felt what they felt, knew what they knew, and Chet knew words, put words to concepts and experiences the way a human did, the very thing that had kept Tommy from being able to turn to mist in the first place. As a human, with grammar hardwired into his brain, he put a word to everything, and as a writer, if he couldn't put a word to an experience it had no value for him. But to become mist, you simply had to BE. Words got in the way. They separated you from the condition. Feline Chet had not been a creature of words, as his kitty brain was not wired to file that kind of information, but as a vampire, a vampire sired by the prime vampire, his brain had changed, and concepts carried words for him now. As the cloud of hunters was streaming under the door to attack the Emperor (toward the smell of dog and recognition, for Chet had known the Emperor in life) the word â€Å"dog† fired across Chet's kitty mind, and in turn across the minds of all of the hunters, but for Tommy, it was transformational, as words, meaningless to the cats, cascaded across his mind, bringing with them memories, personality, identity. He materialized out of the cloud in the dark storeroom, where he could see the Emperor in heat signature, huddled in a corner, holding his knife at the ready. Even if the room had been light, Tommy moved so quickly it would have been hard for the Emperor to see what was happening. The vampire scooped up the old man, stuffed him into the barrel, crimped on the lid with a grip that crushed the metal edges, then placed the barrel so the weight would rest on the lid. Instinct and experience told Tommy that the hunters wouldn't find enough space inside to materialize as a whole, so even though the barrel was not air tight, the Emperor would be safe as long as the lid remained intact. There wasn't enough room in there, literally, to swing a cat, and that would save the old man. Tommy melted back into the cloud and moved out of the room, trying to will the concept of danger to the rest of the hunters, putting an image to Chet's word â€Å"dog† that the kitty minds would recognize, and slowly, the vampire cloud, its various tendrils having tested the room for prey and finding none accessible, snaked back under the door and away to look for blood that wasn't sealed so tight or smelled quite so dangerous. They streamed up the elevator shaft, through the building, and out onto the street, where a few cats and Tommy solidified and dropped out of the cloud. Tommy, self-conscious now, looked around, realizing that he was naked. Everything he'd experienced from the time he'd been released from the bronze shell was a sensory blur in his memory, now that he was thinking in words again. But he remembered the Emperor, who had been one of the first people he'd met in the City, and who had been kind to him; had in fact gotten him his job at the Safeway, where he'd met Jody. Jody. Both words and instinct overwhelmed him at the thought of her, memories of joy and pain as pure as the hunter state of mind. He searched in a whirlwind of words and images for a way to contain her. Jody. Need. That was the word. He'd need clothes and language to move in the world where he'd find Jody. He didn't know why he knew that, but he knew it. But first he needed to feed. He loped down the sidewalk after the hunter-cloud, tuned again for prey, and for the first time in weeks, the word blood lit up in his brain. The words brought him back. THE NOTORIOUS FOO DOG â€Å"Your car's all fucked up,† explained Cavuto. â€Å"I know,† said Stephen â€Å"Foo Dog† Wong. He stood aside and the two policemen walked by him into the loft. â€Å"Your jackets are done.† â€Å"Your apartment's all fucked up, too,† observed Cavuto, looking at the plywood fastened across the front of the loft where the windows used to be. â€Å"And full of rats,† added Rivera. â€Å"Dead rats,† said Cavuto, shaking one of the plastic boxes with the lid taped on. The rat inside rolled around like-well-like a dead rat. â€Å"They're not dead,† said Jared. â€Å"It's daytime. They're undead.† Jared wore a SCULL-FUCK SYMPHONY band T-shirt, over skin-tight black girl's jeans, with flesh-colored ACE elastic bandages running from midcalf to the midsole of his black Chuck Taylors. His Mohawk had been lacquered into magenta Statue of Liberty spikes. Cavuto looked at him and shook his head. â€Å"Kid, even in the gay community there are limits to tolerance.† â€Å"I hurt my ankles,† whined Jared. Foo nodded. â€Å"We've had a few rough days.† â€Å"I gathered,† said Rivera. â€Å"Where's your creepy girlfriend?† â€Å"She's not creepy,† said Jared. â€Å"She's complex.† â€Å"Home,† said Foo. â€Å"As was agreed in her black covenant with you,† said Jared, as ominously as he could manage. â€Å"Did you get an English accent all of a sudden?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"He does that when he wants to sound more Gothic,† said Foo. He was trying to stand in front of the ruins of the bronze statue of Jody and Tommy, but since it was twice his size, he only drew attention to it. Rivera pulled a pen from his jacket and ran it over the sawed edges of the bronze shell and pulled it back with the red-brown clot on it. â€Å"Mr. Wong, what the hell happened here?† â€Å"Nothing,† said Jared, without an English accent. Foo looked from one inspector to the other, hoping they would see how hopelessly smarter he was than them, and give up, but they wouldn't look away. They just kept looking at him like he was in trouble. He went to the futon that served as their couch, pushed a bunch of boxes of undead rats to the floor, sat down, and cradled his face in his hands. â€Å"I thought I'd found some kind of scientific bonanza, a new species, a new way for a species to reproduce-hell, maybe I have, but everything's so out of control. The fucking magic!† Rivera and Cavuto moved to the middle of the room, and stood over Foo. Rivera reached down and squeezed his shoulder. â€Å"Focus, Stephen. What happened here? Why is there blood all over that statue?† â€Å"They were in there. Tommy and Jody. Abby and I had them bronzed when they were out during the day.† â€Å"Then they never left town like you said?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"No, they had been in there all the time. Abby said that it wouldn't be bad for them, that when they were in mist form it was like they were dreaming. Mist form! What the hell is that? It's not possible.† â€Å"And you felt bad so you cut them out?† said Rivera. â€Å"No, Jared let Jody out.† â€Å"Totally by accident,† said Jared. â€Å"She was kind of a bitch about it, too.† Foo explained about Jared releasing Jody, Abby and Jody releasing Tommy, Jody throwing Tommy through the windows, and Tommy running off into the night, naked. â€Å"So he's out there,† Foo said. â€Å"They're both out there.† â€Å"We know,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You do?† Foo looked up for the first time. â€Å"You knew?† â€Å"She was seen at the Fairmont Hotel, and we found bags of blood in a room there. We'll find her. But the Emperor saw Tommy Flood, naked, sleeping with all the vampire cats. He said that the one cat, Chet, isn't really a cat anymore. Explain that, science boy.† Foo nodded. â€Å"I figured something like that might happen. The rats are smarter.† â€Å"That helps,† said Cavuto. â€Å"No, what I've found is that the vampire blood carries characteristics of the host species. The further from the prime vampire, the old vampire that turned Jody, or that's who we think is the prime vampire, the less change takes place. Abby said that Chet was turned by the prime vampire, so he's picking up human characteristics. He's going to be stronger, bigger, smarter than any of the cat vampires. He's turning into something new.† â€Å"Something new?† â€Å"Yeah. We found it with the rats. The first ones I turned from Jody's blood are smarter than the ones I turned from those rats' blood. Each generation away from her is less and less intelligent. I mean, we haven't had time to really test them, but in just the amount of time it takes them to learn the mazes, it's clear that the innate intelligence is higher in those closer to the human vampire sire. And they're stronger, because Jody was only one generation from the prime vampire. I thought I'd figured an algorithm that described it, but then they all turned to mist and merged and fucked up everything.† â€Å"Sure,† said Cavuto, â€Å"we'll nod and act like we have some idea of what you're talking about until you tell us what the hell you're actually talking about.† Foo got up and waved for them to follow him into the bedroom. There was a plywood maze that covered the entire bed, with small blue LEDs dimly lighting every intersection. A sheet of Plexiglas covered the top. â€Å"The UV LEDs are to keep them from turning to mist and escaping the maze,† Foo said. â€Å"It's not enough to hurt them, just keep them solid.† â€Å"Oh good, a toy city,† said Cavuto. â€Å"We have time for this.† Foo ignored him. â€Å"The rats who were turned from Jody's blood learned the maze more quickly, and remembered it faster than the ones turned from rat blood. It was consistent, until they all got loose and merged into a single cloud. After that, they all knew the maze, even if we had never put them in it.† Rivera bent down and pretended to be examining the maze. â€Å"What are you saying, Stephen?† â€Å"I think that they share a consciousness when they are together in mist form. What one knows, the others know. After they had merged, they all knew the maze.† Rivera looked at Cavuto and raised his eyebrows. â€Å"The Emperor thought that Tommy Flood was in the same cloud as the vampire cats.† â€Å"We're fucked,† said Cavuto. Rivera looked at Foo for confirmation. â€Å"Are we fucked?† Foo shrugged, â€Å"Well, from what I could tell, Tommy wasn't really that bright.† Rivera nodded. â€Å"Uh-huh, and if your girlfriend didn't have a crush on him, would we be fucked?† Foo flinched a little, then recovered. â€Å"I think they'd be limited by the brain capacity of the species, so the vampire cats would be still be cats, but they'd be very smart. Chet, on the other hand-â€Å" â€Å"We're fucked,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Say it.† â€Å"Scientifically speaking, yes,† said Jared, who stood in the doorway of the bedroom. â€Å"How do we stop them?† asked Rivera. â€Å"Sunlight. UV light will do it,† said Foo. â€Å"You have to find them while they're dormant or they'll just run away. They're not invulnerable to physical damage. If they're dismembered or decapitated it will kill them.† â€Å"You did experiments on that?† asked Cavuto. Foo shook his head. â€Å"We had some accidents when we were trying to get them back in their cages, but I'm basing that hypothesis on Abby's description of the swordsman who showed up in the street.† â€Å"He sounds badass,† said Jared. â€Å"Did you find him?† Cavuto took Jared by a hair spike, steered him into the corner, faced him there, then turned back to Foo. â€Å"So, these jackets you made us, they'll take them out?† â€Å"If you're close enough. I'd say they're lethal to about twelve feet. I suppose I can rig something higher intensity, like a high-capacity UV laser flashlight. You could cut them down from a distance with something like that.† â€Å"Light sabers!† said Jared, his voice going up. He hopped around in excitement, then winced at the pain in his ankles. â€Å"Ouch.† â€Å"That's it,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You're too much of a nerd to be gay. I'm contacting the committee. They'll revoke your rainbow flag and you will not be permitted anywhere near the parade.† â€Å"There's a committee?† â€Å"No,† said Rivera. â€Å"He's fucking with you.† Rivera turned back to Foo. â€Å"What about something that will work on a wider basis-like a vaccine or something?† Foo thought for a second. â€Å"Sure, what is it, Tuesday? I'm curing Ebola in the morning, but I can work on your vampire vaccine after lunch.† Rivera smiled. â€Å"People are dying, Steve. Lots of people. And the only people who have a chance to stop it are in this room.† â€Å"Not you,† Cavuto said to Jared. â€Å"Bitch,† Jared replied. â€Å"I'll work on it,† said Foo. â€Å"But it's not as bad as you think it is.† â€Å"Brighten our day, kid,† said Cavuto. â€Å"They can't all handle it. Four out of every ten animals that are turned vampire don't survive to the second night. They either just break down on the spot-sort of decay from the inside, or they go crazy-it's like the heightened senses overwhelm them and they just have sort of a seizure that scrambles their brains and they end up with no survival instincts. They don't feed or hide from the light. The first sunrise after they're turned burns them up. It's like accelerated evolution, taking out the weak the very first day.† â€Å"So you're telling me what?† â€Å"The cat cloud won't grow exponentially. And the only way it will pass to other species is if they bite their attacker during the attack and ingest vampire blood-that's why you haven't had any more human vampires.† â€Å"Then why no dog vampires?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"I'm guessing the cats tear them apart before they change,† said Foo. â€Å"I'm not a behavioral guy, but I'd guess there's no brotherhood among vampires. If you're a vampire cat, you're essentially still a cat. If you're a vampire dog, you're still a dog.† â€Å"Except for Chet,† said Rivera. â€Å"Who is kind of a cat plus something else.† â€Å"Well, there are anomalies,† said Foo. â€Å"I told you, this is very fuzzy science. I don't like it.† Rivera's phone chirped and he flipped it open and looked at the screen. â€Å"The Animals,† he said. â€Å"And?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"They're at a butcher shop in Chinatown. They say they have a way to kill the vampires but they can't find them.† â€Å"We can take them Marvin. Tell them we're on the way.† Rivera held the phone like it was a foul dead thing. â€Å"I don't know how.† Foo snatched the phone out of Rivera's hand, nine-keyed a message, hit SEND, and handed it back. â€Å"There, you're on the way. I thought you said the only people who could fix this were in this room.† â€Å"They are, and now they're leaving.† â€Å"Don't forget your sun jackets,† said Jared. â€Å"We charged the batteries and everything. Do you think you'll be able to turn them on, or should I come along to help?† â€Å"He's a kid.† Rivera grabbed Cavuto's arm. â€Å"You can't hit him.† â€Å"That's it, kid. You're out of the tribe. If I hear you've touched a penis, even your own, I'm sending you to butch lesbian jail.† â€Å"They have that?† Rivera looked past his partner at Jared and nodded, slowly, seriously. KATUSUMI OKATA The burned-up white girl was not healing very quickly and Okata was running out of blood. All he seemed to do was watch her, sketch her, and squeeze his blood into her mouth. While her red hair had returned, and most of the ash had flaked away to reveal white skin underneath, she was still wraith-thin, and she only seemed to breathe two or three times an hour. During the day, she didn't breathe at all, and he thought that she might be dead forever. She had not opened her eyes, and had made no sound except a low moan when he was feeding her, which subsided as soon as he stopped. He was not feeling well himself, and on the second day he became light-headed and passed out on the mat beside her. If she did come alive as a demon, he'd be too weak to defend himself and she would drain the last drops of his life. Strangely, he was not okay with that. He needed to eat and recover and she needed more blood. â€Å"We will have to find a balance,† he said to the white girl in Japanese. He had been talking to her more lately, and found that he no longer flinched at the sound of his voice inside the little apartment that had been without a human voice for so long. A balance. When it was light and she had been still for an hour, he locked up his little apartment, took his sword, and walked into Chinatown, feeling ashamed of the little, old-man steps he was taking because he had become so weak. Perhaps he would actually go into a restaurant and have some tea and noodles, sit until his strength returned. Then he would find a better way to feed the burned-up white girl. He only spoke a dozen words of Cantonese, despite having lived near Chinatown for forty years. They were the same dozen words he spoke in English. He told his students at the dojo it was because Bushido and the Japanese language were inseparable, but in fact, it was because he was stubborn and didn't really like talking to people. His words were: hello, good-bye, yes, no, please, thank you, okay, sorry, and suck my dick. He made it a rule, however, to only say the last three in junction with please and/or thank you, and had only broken that rule once, when a thug in the Tenderloin tried to take his sword and Okata forgot to say please before fracturing the man's skull with the sheathed katana. Sorry, he'd said. It had been over a week since Okata had been to the dojo in Japantown. His students would think he was testing them, and when the time came to face them, he would say through his translator that they should learn to sit. Should learn patience. Should anticipate nothing. Anticipation was desire and didn't the Buddha teach that desire was the cause of all suffering? Then he would proceed to trounce each and every one of them with the bamboo shinai as an object lesson in suffering. Thank you. He didn't care much for prepared Chinese food, but Japantown was too far to walk, and Japanese food in his neighborhood was too expensive. But noodles are noodles. He'd eat just enough to get his strength back, then he would buy a fish, maybe some beef to help replace his blood, and take them home and prepare them. After he slurped down three bowls of soba and drank a pot of green tea at a restaurant named Soup, he made his way to the butcher. Near the old man who sat on a milk crate playing a Gaohu, a two-string, upright fiddle that approximated the sound of someone hurting a cat, the swordsman passed two policemen, who had paused as if considering whether they should give money to the old fiddler or whether it might not be better for everyone if they just Tased him. They smiled and nodded to Okata and he smiled back. They were mildly amused by the little man in the too-short plaid slacks, fluorescent orange socks, and an orange porkpie hat, who they had seen walking the City since they were boys. It never occurred to them that he was anything but an eccentric street person, or that the walking stick with which he measured his easy strolls, wasn't a walking stick at all. It took considerable pointing and pantomime to get the Chinese butcher to understand that he wanted to buy blood, but once he did, Okata was surprised to find out not only was it available, but it was available in flavors: pig, chicken, cow, and turtle. Turtle? Not for his burned-up white girl. How dare the butcher even suggest such a thing? She would have beef, and maybe a quart or two of pig, because Okata remembered reading once that human flesh was called â€Å"long pig† by Pacific island cannibals, so pig blood might be more to her liking. The butcher taped the lids on eight, one-quart plastic containers containing all the nonturtle blood he had, then carefully stacked them in a shopping bag and handed them to a woman at the cash register. Okata paid her the amount on the register, picked up the bag, and was pocketing the change when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned. No one there. Then he looked down: a tiny Chinese grandmother dressed in thug-wear that made her look vaguely like a hip-hop Yoda. She said something to him in Cantonese, then said something to the butcher, then to the woman behind the counter, who pointed at the shopping bag, then she said something else to Okata. Then she put a hand on his shopping bag. â€Å"Thank you,† Okata said in Cantonese. He bowed slightly. She didn't move. Being confronted by a Chinese grandmother while shopping in Chinatown was not unusual. In fact, more than once he'd had to push through a dog pile of Sino-matrons to simply buy a decent cabbage, but this one seemed to want what Okata had clearly already purchased. He smiled, bowed again, just slightly, said, â€Å"Good-bye,† and tried to push past her. She stepped in front of him, and he noticed, as he should have before, that a whole group of young men stepped in behind her; seven of them, Anglo, Hispanic, black, and Chinese, they all looked slightly stoned, but no less determined. The old lady barked something at him in Cantonese and tried to grab his bag. Then the young men behind her stepped up. THE ANIMALS â€Å"Have you been washed in the blood?† said Clint, the born-again ex-heroin addict to the detectives as they entered the butcher shop. He grinned over his shoulder. Clint was splattered head to toe with blood. Everyone in the shop was splattered with blood except the two uniform cops, who were trying to keep the three groups-the customers, the butchers, and the Animals-separated. They had the Animals lined up opposite the counter, facing the wall, their hands restrained with zip ties. â€Å"Inspector, these guys say they're supposed to meet you here,† said the younger of the uniforms, a gaunt, Hispanic guy named Muà ±ez. Rivera shook his head. â€Å"He started it,† said Lash Jefferson. â€Å"We were just minding our own business, and he rolled up on us all badass.† Rivera looked at the Asian officer, John Tan, who he'd worked with before when investigating a murder in Chinatown and had needed a translator. â€Å"What happened?† Tan shook his head and pushed his hat back on his head with the end of his riot baton. â€Å"Nobody's hurt. It's beef and pig blood. The butcher says these guys attacked a little old Japanese man, a regular customer, because he had bought the last of the beef blood.† â€Å"We needed it for bait,† said Lash. â€Å"You know, Inspector, like beer for slugs.† He winked. â€Å"You attacked an old man because he bought the last cow blood?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"He attacked us,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"We were just defending ourselves.† â€Å"He had a sword,† said Drew, who turned back around quickly. Officer Tan rolled his eyes at Rivera. â€Å"The butcher says the old man had a stick of some kind. He used it to defend himself.† â€Å"Just because he didn't draw it out of the scabbard doesn't meant it wasn't a sword,† said Jeff, the tall, blond jock. â€Å"It was a battle of honor,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"One little old guy with a stick, seven of you?† said Rivera. â€Å"Honor?† â€Å"He told my grandma to suck his dick,† said Troy. â€Å"Still,† said Cavuto. â€Å"But she said okay,† Troy said. â€Å"That shit is just wrong,† said Lash. Grandma, who was standing with the other outraged, blood-splattered customers across the butcher shop, fired off a volley of Cantonese at the policemen. Rivera looked to Officer Tan for translation. â€Å"She says she misunderstood what he was saying because his accent was so bad.† â€Å"Don't care,† said Rivera. â€Å"Where's the guy with the alleged stick?† â€Å"He ran out before we got here,† said Tan. â€Å"We called in backup, but we put the responding unit on finding the victim, when these guys didn't resist.† â€Å"Resistance is futile,† said Clint in a robot voice. â€Å"I thought you were Christian,† said Cavuto. â€Å"What, I can't love Jesus and Star Trek?† â€Å"Oh for fuck's sake. Rivera, let's just arrest these morons and-â€Å" Rivera held up his hand for silence. â€Å"Officer Tan, I'm afraid I do need them. You have their names if the stick guy shows up and wants to press charges. Have all those people leave their names with the butcher. These guys will pay for their dry cleaning.† â€Å"Yes, sir,† said Tan. â€Å"They're all yours. You want me to clip the restraints?† â€Å"Nope,† said Rivera. â€Å"Come along, boys.† He led the Animals, their hands cuffed behind their backs, out of the butcher shop and into the flow of the Stockton Street sidewalk-a river of people. â€Å"You'd better bring Troy Lee's grandma,† said Lash, rolling to the side as a vendor with a handtruck full of crates bumped by. â€Å"Yeah, Grandma has a secret weapon,† blurted out Troy Lee. â€Å"I heard,† said Cavuto. Jeff, the tall jock, said, â€Å"Hey, did anyone wonder why a little old Japanese guy would need eight quarts of animal blood?†