A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat

A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat Background This extract comes from a book which was written as a spin-off from Emma Levine’s television series about strange and unusual sports. It is a travelogue (a book which describes travel in a foreign country) in which she describes these sports, the people involved and her experiences of filming them. In doing so, she gives an insight not just into the sports themselves, but into the lives and culture of the people who take part in (and watch) them. Understanding the text Emma Levine’s purpose in writing her book was to describe and inform. She obviously has to engage and hold the reader’s interest. As you study this text, you need to think about how she does this. On the surface the passage seems a straightforward description and narrative of the race, but it isn’t. First of all, there is not just one race happening, but three: ? The donkey race ? The spectators’ race ? The writer’s race to get the best pictures Emma – a jornalist – wanting to capture the epic moment of the race Yaqoob – a unskilled driver (danger) – he love the risk that donkey race give him Iqbal – partner/ helper – was send to find our who was the winner of this race Plot During a seven-year journey around India spent immersing herself in the cricket subculture, author Emma Levine heard about the wonderful game of buzkashi, a kind of anarchic rugby on horseback where teams of men wrestle and race to grab a headless goat and propel it towards goal. This sparked a desire to explore Asia's unique traditional sports. A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat is Emma Levine's absorbing account of her epic adventure, which took her from camel wrestling in Turkey through bull racing in India to traditional gymnastics in Iran, performed to poetry and the beat of a drum. Sometimes she travelled so far off the beaten track that her journeys sometimes took days and she discovered places where western women are such a rare sight that she was mobbed ( ) by onlookers. And everywhere she went she met people who act as the guardians of their ancient sports, protecting the traditions that have evolved over generations. While they recount the folklore that surrounds their local pastimes, Emma Levine examines the status of indigenous sports in a world dominated by satellite TV, the web and the likes of Manchester United. Are they sports of the past or sports of the future? Illustrated with stunning photography, A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat evocatively portrays sporting ways of life rarely seen in the western world in such a way as to reveal what it is about sport that makes it so universally inspiring. What can I say about language? Most newspaper reports of sports races are serious in tone, and try to give the facts of the race and what it was like. Emma Levine’s purpose is much more complicated. In this passage there is a real mixture of the comic and the serious, with a lot of information given as well. You need to consider each part of it carefully. The passage can be defined as a series of linked paragraphs, describing events in a sequence of time and concluding with the end of the race and the writer’s overview of what happened. The internal structure is much more complex than this simple outline suggests Pharagraph by pharagreph Paragraph 1-3 / Build up Paragraph 1 – Optimism, author promotes her own, Yaqoob and Iqbal’s excitement. ‘We’ll open the car boot †¦ we’ll join the cars. ’  ? Brief description of what will happen and Levine’s expectations. Builds immediate excitement and enthusiasm for race and the reader’s expectation of instant action. Works effectively with Paragraph 2 – Contrast in tone between â€Å"The two lads†¦suddenly fired up with enthusiasm† in which Levine narrates the creation of new enthusiasm within locals (her guides) to reflect on the reader and the rest of the paragraph Use of â€Å"eternity† – hyperbole to exaggerate impatience and derived emotions such as boredom â€Å"the only action was †¦ gazed around at us. † Hopeless tone, at the point of giving up, is a let down to the reader The contrast emphasises the climax in paragraph 7 Paragraph 3 – Alternatively, Levine builds hope and optimism in paragraph three, â€Å"coming, coming† the locals replied Line 12: â€Å"I was beginning to lose faith†¦ lads remained confident† holds elements of first hand pessimism/ loss in faith and witnessed optimism in the form of reassurance. The effect creates suspense further building the impact of the Climax. Paragraph 4 & 5 / Climactic Beginning Paragraph 4 – Climax appears as an explosion of activity Choice of diction  Ã¢â‚¬Å"revved† prominent v sound creates imagery and the impression of speed. Develops the moment of frisson  () Change in tone from  narrative to informative and factual, now not narrating their journey but provoking the reader’s interest. â€Å"The Kibla donkey is said to reach speeds of up to 40kph† â€Å"Although not cruelly† at the end of paragraph four seems out of place, this is where Levine reveals that she is conscious of her effect on travelers and corrects the imagery she has introduced. She protects the culture and the tradition in order to promote () the sport and the traditions. Paragraph 5 –  Change in punctuation to speed up the pace of Levine’s writing, overall generating excitement. She begins to use lists and triads (â€Å"horns tooting, bells ringing, and the special rattles used just for this purpose†) and again incorporates an informative tone in order to introduce different aspects of culture. Long, disjointed sentences imitate the excitement, pace and disorder of the event: â€Å"men standing on top of their cars and vans† Paragraph 6 / Levine Enters Race Use of analogies like â€Å"Formula One† (fast-paced, seemingly chaotic), â€Å"City center rush hour† relates to reader and creates understanding of speed and â€Å"anarchic† disorder. Paragraph 7 Illustrates danger in order to provoke different kind of excitement,   â€Å"Survival of the fittest†Ã‚  ? Creates a life and death situation, introduces the  animal, hunt theme. Choice of diction creates a sense of importance, desperation and danger. e. g. â€Å"Depended† creates a sense of necessity Animal theme:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"sharp flicks† â€Å"quick reflexes† â€Å"nerves of steel† all phrases associate with an animal during a chase or a hunt. All instinctive. â€Å"Horn† could be interpreted as a pun – car horn or animal horn/ impression of danger, competition, tension even battle â€Å"Yaqoob loved it. Tone is enthusiastic, describing the fun, excitement. Link to ending. â€Å"Growing more colourful† Euphemistic impression of tension Paragraph 8 / End of Race Levine describes scenery() to reflect the atmosphere. â€Å"Road straightened and leveled† Tone is calmer, pace has been slowed, longer sentences, wider distr ibution of punctuation. Effective ending â€Å"The race was over. † Mixture of long sentences with short blunt ending implies immediate end of race and excitement. Paragraph 9 / Another Beginning â€Å"I assumed the winner was the one who completed the race but it was not seen that way by everyone. Emphasis on alien culture and traditions, so exotic that even common reasoning differs. â€Å"Voices were raised, fists were out and tempers rising† Levine reuses lists and triads to speed up the pace, rebuild the excitement lost at the end of the race. Ending Irony, incorporated humour to reflect on the reality of the danger. Links back to â€Å"Yaqoob loved it. † Where the tone was still expressing shared enjoyment and fun, new realization and understanding is born to recreate an adapted impression of the entire extract

Malcoms Final Speech

Malcolm’s Final Speech Shakespeare’s written work has stood the test of time and Macbeth is an excellent example of his classic literature. At the end of the play the final scene is about who will become the King of Scotland. After the death of Macbeth, Malcolm is declared King. He is declared King since it was his birthright because his father was King before Macbeth killed him. Shortly after he was declared as the new King, Malcolm makes a speech of acceptance. One can look at this passage from many different perspectives. During his speech he talks about rewarding the Thanes and kinsmen that that fought along side him by declaring them the first Earls of Scotland. This demonstrates his honesty, loyalty and it also proves that he is a trustworthy King. Some might argue that this demonstrates that Malcolm is also very trusting of other people. This was one of the traits shown by his father; the trait that led to his downfall. He was too trusting in Macbeth, which gave him the opportunity to kill Duncan. This is not the only item that Malcolm addressed in his speech. He also addresses the state of Scotland. He wants those that were exiled by Macbeth to return home, and for those that supported Macbeth to be exiled. Malcolm wants to exile all of Macbeth’s supporters to ensure that there is not revolt or uprising against him when the nation of Scotland remains in a fragile state. His decisiveness in this regard, is a good quality for a King to have. The most crucial aspect of his speech is when he announces the death of Lady Macbeth. This is critical because Lady Macbeth was the true ruler of Scotland. Macbeth was nothing more than a puppet and Lady Macbeth was the puppeteer. Macbeth was an honorable man turned tyrant by the manipulation of his wife. Lady Macbeth was not evil, but she was driven by greed for power and control. No matter what her status was in the political world, she was not happy with it until she was finally the queen of Scotland. Lady Macbeth took her own life. There were two factors that contributed to Lady Macbeth taking her own life. One of those factors was the fact that she could feel the power slipping away from her. She knew her power and control would not last much longer and she could not accept that. The second, and larger contributing factor that led to her suicide was her conscience. She was tormented because of the things that she and her husband had done. They were horrendous and horrific acts that weighed heavily on her mind. She could not take it anymore, so she decided to jump off of a balcony. Scotland was set free by the death of Lady Macbeth. At the end of his speech Malcolm states that with God by his side, he believes that he will be able to restore peace and harmony in Scotland. In the final line of his speech he invites all to Scone to watch him be crowned and reclaim what was stolen from him. After having examined Malcolm’s speech, it reveals how trusting and decisive Malcolm was and how Lady Macbeth was truly in charge during Macbeth’s reign. Malcolm is a perfect foil to show Macbeths weakness and Lady Macbeth’s power over him. This leaves the reader with the idea that in fact Macbeth was nothing more than a weak coward.

Case Study - Employment Law - Employment Discrimination Case Essay - 1

Case Study - Employment Law - Employment Discrimination Case - Essay Example They had both commented negatively towards him and it was evident that they were out to terminate his job and contract. Staub had earlier been made to check with his employer any time he left the job premises after false allegation that he had left the place of work. After some months, one of the supervisors maliciously reported Staub to the vice president for leaving the work area. This was followed by a discontinuation from his work by the vice president. The evidence given made the jury to rule in the favor of the complainant but some time later the federal court reversed the ruling. In the ruling, the judges claimed that the decision made by the vice president was not solely dependent on the information given by the supervisors. This therefore ruled him out of the discrimination case. Therefore, the Court of Appeal concluded that the company was not liable. This ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court on the basis that the employer remains liable if the decision made is motivated by a discrimination bias. According to Guerin (2011), this ruling was therefore in favor of Staub and that served as a great motivation to employees going through the same. This Act is therefore important in safeguarding the rights of employees against discriminatory supervisors. Guerin, L. (2011). Supreme Court victory for employees in discrimination case. Nolo’s Employment Law Blog. Retrieved from

Observation of a biligual child Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Observation of a biligual child - Essay Example The class that I am observing is a key stage one classroom which is a year one class and the children are aged between five and six. The classroom environment is filled with exciting displays and a separate display for language of the month which is currently Urdi. According to Baker (2006) the school setting is vital in developing the first language of any bilingual pupil. The children are split into different grouping according to their abilities. Flowers is the theme of this classroom daffodils, tulips, lilies and poppies this is their abilities settings for numeracy reading and literacy there is a BTA ( Bilingual teaching assistant) in class as well she will work with the EAL children ( English as an additional language) regardless of their abilities. Research (Cummins 1981, Collier and Thomas 1989) show that, it takes as long as seven years for EAL pupils to acquire a level of English proficiency compared to their monolingual peers. Teachers cannot wait till EAL pupils to develop high levels of English language ability before embarking on the demands of the national curriculum but must enable pupils to participate in curriculum context learning while they are simultaneously learning English (Gravelle, 2000) children's use of language in school differs from the language used outside of school. In addition, different academic subjects' areas have specific genres or registers. An important aspect of an inclusive curriculum is that the mainstream class teacher and the EAL/EMAG specialist should work together; to ensure that academic context is linked to language objectives and that language objectives are compatible with academic context. The lesson that I was observing was a literacy lesson and the teacher firstly went over the class rules which took approximately ten minutes then we started our literacy lesson the Bilingual Teaching Assistant (BTA) sat with the four EAL focus children on one table when there is a BTA in a classroom she always sits with the EAL children regardless of their abilities. The children in the group where Somalia and Tamil speakers (Some of them came from war torn countries and have seen a lot of war and poverty). The literacy lesson was to understand the features of a non- chronological report, such as an introduction impersonal language and present tense. The teacher asked the children what the features where of a non chronological report a Somalian child put his hand up and said "not in order" although his answer was partly correct when the teacher asked him to explain what he meant he was not able to answer even with the BTA help the teacher did not take into account of his English know ledge may not be enough to explain his thoughts further. The BTA was able to explain clearly in his home language as well as use a white board to record their thoughts and draw a diagram as a visual aid the BTA praised all the children relevantly. Moreover as the focus children in group two were Somalia speakers the BTA was able to explain clearly in their home language as well as used a white board to record their thoughts and also used a sheet containing a diagram of visual aid. The BTA praised all the children relevantly however, being one of the largest multi ethnic school in the

The Impact of Using Maps as Evidence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Impact of Using Maps as Evidence - Assignment Example It has also been used to manage enforcement through making rational decisions on crime targets. Analysts through the geographical profiling have come up with theories of crime prevention. Research on profiled locations has shown that the work product has been successful and can also be presented as evidence in courts. In cases where evidence against a crime perpetrator is not enough, police enforcement argues that crime mapping should be used as evidence in legal procedures. However, crime mapping also has negative impacts that are used by critics to prevent it from being used as evidence in courts. Since crime mapping includes analysis and visualization of collected data, incorrect data and tendencies can provide misleading information (Chainey and Ratcliffe 2006). If this evidence is presented in court, it may lead to prosecution of innocent individuals. In addition, the trends and analysis should be analyzed using the right computer software and take into account all assumptions. Changes in demographic trends may lead to incorrect results. In some regions, the statistics may lead law enforcers to assume some of the areas that do not appear as crime weak spots in their maps. As a result, crime mapping analysts should take into account all negative impacts before letting their work product used in courts as

Faith, religion and theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Faith, religion and theology - Essay Example The theme of equality before God is evident in the case young blind man. According to the Jews, the blind man’s condition is attributed to some curse excluding him as a valuable member of the society, the Samaritan woman gives Jesus who is Jews water against their norms showing the theme of love beyond boundaries. 4. The heresy refers to violations of important religious teachings. It is the rejection of the teachings of the Catholic Church. It says that denying any of the doctrines that are the teachings of Christ is to deny the faith of Christ. Irenaeus of Lyons was opposed to heretics because the knowledge of the apostles came after the resurrection of Christ and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. 5. Synoptic gospels are Mark, Luke, and Mathew since they have similar stories and sequence. The synoptic problems refer to the question of the precise nature of their literary relationship. It seeks to address what order the synoptic was written and did the authors of the latter tex ts use the earlier gospels as directed by their literary sources. The Marcan priority views that the gospel of Mathew and Luke used gospel mark a hypothetical document Q as their source.This shows that Mark was written first and then Mathew and Luke was extracted primarily from it. The synoptic gospels are similar to each other, but each still contains its uniqueness. This is known as the triple tradition. The double problem is the passages shared between Mathew and Luke, which comprises of parables and sayings.

International information an E business strategies Assignment

International information an E business strategies - Assignment Example Internet network architecture involves the use of architectural techniques in the field of internet networking technology. There are different components of the internet network architecture and technology. Client. Comprises the physical devices such as computers, mobile devices and notebooks that are linked to the wireless network area. Satellite. A satellite is used in the catching and distribution of signals over the network. Network adapters. These are used to set up or configure the internet technology in the operating system. Examples of network adapters for accessing the internet are LAN cards and modems. Routers. Transmit data from one place to the other in the form of data packets. Access points. Transmit data between wired and wireless technology. . Bridges. Used to establish connections between wired networks such as Ethernet and wireless networks such as LAN. Act as points of control in the network architecture. The use of electronic communications changes market trends. Businesses will rush to adapt to emerging trends of marketing. Social networks such as Facebook and YouTube are preferred over search engines due to the interactive nature with the clients. Environmental scanning has a role in shaping the current business strategies (Kalakota & Robinson, 2010). It gives an overview to the organization on the current technological innovations, impact the information will have on the society, cultural and economic factors of a country as well as international contributions. An online marketplace is segmented into various portions. The customer segment comprises existing and new customers, web-savvy and non web-savvy, specific needs customers, and those that are in different... E- Business is a concept that describes the arrangement organizations redesign to incorporate internet services in their business structures, processes and services. It entails the use of electronic devices in the processing and sharing of data to ease interactions with systems and services.Entrepreneurs are faced with decision making challenges resulting from increased globalization, rapid technological challenges and competition. As a result, new knowledge creates a competitive advantage.Entrepreneurs gather information from the external environment and interpret it through organizational learning to improve problem solving. The external environment ranges from the task environment (competition, customers, and suppliers) to the general environment. To realize the full benefits of the internet, organizations need to reinvent their business processes to incorporate the rapidly changing technology. The assembly of computer hardware in computer networking is called computer architectur e. Internet network architecture involves the use of architectural techniques in the field of internet networking technology. There are different components of the internet network architecture and technology. An online marketplace is segmented into various portions. The customer segment comprises existing and new customers, web-savvy and non web-savvy, specific needs customers, and those that are in different demographies.

Fundamentals of Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Fundamentals of Design - Assignment Example Unregistered athletes are not allowed to carry out this activity. The venue advisor collects details of all available venues and fills saves them in the system. Assumption made is that managers of different venues provide information in paper form and do not fill it directly into the system. The time keepers association triggers the event by. They fill in details of available time keepers into the system. The details are saved to the database for inclusion in making of the schedule. It is assumed the association will have an access right to the system. The competition advisor will trigger the event of scheduling. This will involve combining details of available venues and time keepers. The system will automatically produce multiple schedules as suggestions to the advisor. The advisor will then choose one schedule which is favorable to the institution. This is an event triggered by the competition advisor. The print out will include details of venues and events. It is assumed by the time of triggering this event all venues and time details will have been correctly fed into the system. Ethan wants to makes a schedule of all the winter season events. He peruses the different files in the registry to get details of available venues. After getting the list he prepares the season’s calendar using the details. The task takes a lot of time because the registry maintains its file in paper form. Ethan will need a system that will provide him with details of the different venues at a click of a button. This system will allow the venue advisor feed details of different venues and their availability. Once Ethan visits the site he will only require choosing the appropriate venues. The system is supposed to provide an interface with information about the different venues and when they are available. This interface should have a search capability to enable Ethan in finding a venue easily by just typing the name of a venue. The interface

Outline How Material Things Essay Example for Free

Outline How Material Things Essay City Road is a big road filled with lots of different cultures, gender, class, age and history. When walking down the road it can be seen that the belonging and not belonging in the society. It opens your eyes as to what exactly goes on in different societies and City Road is a big street with a lot of demands and structures in it. Over the years society changed and so did the street. It goes by what is in demand, how society changes and by the vast majority of different cultures coming into the area. You see a lot of people trying to conform to the society and many trying to hold onto their own identities. First of all I’m going to talk about the Ethnicity on the street. We are going to the Xquisite Africa shop. Janet, the lady that owns the shop originates from Africa and moved to the UK over ten years ago. When she came to the UK she thought that she had to change her identity and conform to the society. She sells a lot of things from Africa and by doing this she gets to hold onto her identity of the African culture and also appeals to customers from the same ethnic background. She felt after being in the UK for ten years that she had lost her identity and so she decided to take a trip back home to Africa to re-charge her batteries as she puts it. She wanted to re-gain her culture that she so desperately lost. This aspect could help her re-gain her culture and identity and allows her to share this with the right clientele from a multi-racial background. She can share a state of belonging to a social group that has in common a national or cultural background, whilst negotiating with people on the complex of different identities. She contributes to the African social life and society as well as on City Road. Therefore promoting her African background and understanding there is no need to conform to the society and changing her identity. We then move onto class in the Municipal Club. A social stratum, whose members share a certain economic, social or cultural characteristics. For this instance the working class. It is aimed at the local residents and has over 100 years of history. A group containing members regarded as having certain attributes of traits in common has slowly disappeared and they long for the society to change back to what they believed it was. Whilst in the (DVD, Making social lives on City Road, 2009, scene 5) Lloyd Robson talks to couple of residents in the club and gets their insight of what is going on. He asked them if they thought the club had a future. They said no. no-one wants to know it anymore and even the members have started to lose interest. But because the society has changed it meant that they described city road as being dangerous and rough. They long for the past. They want it to go back to what they say it used to be or imagined it. The inequalities and differences that has changed and also the traditions has been lost. They lack the sense of belonging they used to have when City Road used to be theirs. Then we come across the Sanna Silk shop. This is where the female is favoured over the male. It’s a family business orientated around females as they sell and make dresses of different materials. They get to choose their type of material and their patterns. It is mainly focused at Asian women. In the (DVD, Making social lives on City Road, 2009, scene 6 by Raghuran) she says â€Å"it is a very different way of portraying Asian women than I often seen in the media. † They also have a section for jewellery. Most of their jewellery is 22 carat gold and is mainly aimed at the women. They also have a selection for their wedding day. So it has an Asian culture that is even though yes men go in to buy but is very female orientated. Conclusion Therefore in City Road, my examples favour female gender activities over male, is a very multi-racial area and favours specific class over others. Therefore explaining that society changes all of the time and conforms to whatever is more in demand in that specific time of era.

Dutton Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence Essay Example for Free

Dutton Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence Essay Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book was written by Dutton about domestic violence. It gave us the history about assault on spouses. Dutton talks of two major social phenomena that emerged in North American and the Western countries in Europe. Rights of women were acknowledged by everyone after long and tedious struggle of women to get recognized. It goes further to state the measures and incidences of violence including theories concerning women assault.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book is very important for it teaches about recognizing one another especially those who have the violent personalities. It is good for the society for it educates one to accept others rights and difference between marriage duties and rights. This book shows us that we can eliminate all odds in our society and try make each and every person feel that he or she belongs to the society fully without any intimidation and discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dutton’s ideas can be used to help those who have the abusive personality by encouraging them to attend psychiatrist’s teachings. It can be used to educate spouses in marriage so that they will evade future marriage problems. Also, in the current globalized world, the ideas in this book can help us socialize and live together in peace and harmony especially in a domestic set up. This book can help people who are married in other cultures to harmonize or leave those cultures and then live with the acceptance and respect of each other’s rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano: Volcano Press,  2004. Print.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this book, Surviving Domestic Violence, Elaine wrote about several stories of women who had been subjected to domestic violence. She got these stories by interviewing and later writing them down. It talks of what each one of them went through and how they later managed to escape it. It gives reasons as to why such incidences were happening. After getting out, the women took a very long time to recover the psychological and wounds they got due to thisviolence but some were yet to fully recover for the ordeal they had gone through had impacted negatively on their lives. Those who managed to deal with stress after coming out said that they felt stronger than ever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The different stories taught in this book are the true causes and effects of domestic related violence. They bring about what one goes through and how one feels while undergoing the violence. Also, it helps to understand what to do when such incidences happen. It also shows its effects and how they change one’s life therefore targeting those who abuse their partners. This book is a very ideal example as it shows us that those who have already freed themselves from the marital abuses can educate others like the youth and couples about domestic violence so that they refrain from it   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The stories are very encouraging for they give the people motivation to solve their problems and also how one can escape this. They can be used by those specialists in parental guidance and counselling to help them shape their marriage when such incidences are reported to them and even before couples get married. The ideas in this book can enable those undergoing abuses to get out and look for a better marriage partner. One only needs to accept that he or she is undergoing domestic violence and therefore if it cannot be solved, one can boldly walk away and start life afresh. Marriage is not slavery but it’s a path towards achieving your goals in life as one needs a partner who is willing to assist where possible so that they make all their dreams in life to happen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence Cook, Philip W. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. Westport: Praeger,  2009. Print.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phillip exposes how men goes through domestic violence silently. He talks of how real it is that men are going through domestic violence without the society suspecting. He brings several stories of men who have been undergoing through such violence from their wives for a long time. Then he goes further to give tips that can help one to find freedom from any form of abuse. Then he addresses resistance and acceptance for those who are abusing their spouses and how they come to realize that each and every person deserves to be respected. He also talks of new great approaches that can be used to reduce domestic violence. He then gives survey statistics of domestic violence in Canada. It also talks about how the relationship changes between the offenders to their victims.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story is helpful in realizing what some men go through. It gives statistics of domestic violence that people are not ready to talk about. The society is helped to recognize men who are undergoing domestic abuses from their spouses. It is helpful because statistics help people to know how long they have been living with their friends undergoing abuses without even realizing it. It talks of acceptance which can help those who are yet to accept their spouse the way he or she is. It is helpful for it shows how much men can be subjected to torture with use of dangerous tools such as knives, machetes and any other type of a life-threatening tool or machine so that one can force their partner to follow one’s commands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philip’s ideas can be used to know the men who are undergoing abuses experienced from their wives and enable us to help them come out of the problem. Also, it encourages courage especially those who are not courageous enough to come out and tell their ordeal to the society. This book can help men to free themselves away from any form of abuse and intimidation from their partners. This book is very important as it can be used to tell the extent in which men undergo violence in real life situations. Men can also use this book to help them evade any other form of domestic violence against them and therefore reducing the number of men who die as a result of domestic violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Howard, Louise, Louise Howard, Gene Feder, and Roxane Agnew-Davies. Domestic Violence and Mental Health. London: RCPsych Publications,  2013. Print.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book has been written collectively by different authors who specialize in domestic violence ideas. It talks about prevalence and physical health impacts of domestic violence. It talks about types of abuses in marriage such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and coercive control and also it questions them and gives clues on how they are brought about and their solution. It also talks of effects of the person’s psychology which is deeply affected even in the future that may not get them out of his mind. It stresses on survival strategies to evade such abuses and also how one can control one’s mind to avoid damaging his or her psychology. This book also gives the kinds of interventions and responses people can take after or when you suspect any form of violence. Advices from professionals on domestic violence are also written down.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book has directives on what causes mental problems after abuse. It also gives us ways on how to control ourselves and maintain a state of calmness so as not disturb our stressed mind. It educates us on different forms of domestic violence. It is an important text for it has pieces of advice on domestic violence from professionals’ point of view.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story in this book can help us to evade mental problems due to domestic abuses and can be used by psychiatrists to know what causes a certain mental disorder and they can use the ideas here to enable their clients who are undergoing this problem to get out of it. It can also be used to educate couples so that when they are not in good terms to try to their best solve the problem before it gets out of hand. The advices written in this book can also be used in the same way to advice people especially those undergoing domestic violence depending on the root cause and the kind of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kubany, Edward S, Mari A. McCaig, and Janet R. Laconsay. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland: New Harbinger   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book is directed to those who have been freed from domestic violence and especially women. Due to violent domestic situations, one may develop post-traumatic stress disorders which are not easy to get out of one’s mind and can negatively affect that person. It is aimed at giving programs known as cognitive trauma therapy which one undergoes to help him or her come back to normal. It gives the techniques one can use them to help himself or herself by identifying any form of trauma and distress one has that can enable one to deal with it to help control and change his or her life .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book is targeting those who have been affected by domestic violence so that they come back to normal. It is an educational tool for the society to understand the devastating effects of wife battering. Therefore it makes us to even identify those who are going through post-traumatic stress. It contains technics and procedures one can follow so that they make him deal any results brought by domestic violence. It is also helpful as it helps chase out any fears one has due to what they went through during that horrifying period of domestic violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychiatrists can use this book to help traumatized people come back to normal. The ideas here can help us to even identify those going through stress in their marriage so that they are helped before it’s too late. This book can be used also by the parents who are not in good terms to read and understand what one may go through if such incidences happen. The techniques in this book about dealing with trauma after violence can be used by psychiatrists to help clients who underwent this so that they identify what they are in trauma of and this can help them to accordingly better their lives. It can also be used individually as one can remember well what went wrong in that marriage and help better their lives. References Cook, Philip W. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. Westport: Praeger,  2009. Print. Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence. Vancouver: UBC Press,  2006. Print. Howard, Louise, Louise Howard, Gene Feder, and Roxane Agnew-Davies. Domestic Violence and Mental Health. London: RCPsych Publications,  2013. Print. Kubany, Edward S, Mari A. McCaig, and Janet R. Laconsay. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland: New Harbinger Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano: Volcano Press,  2004. Print. Source document

Non Scheduled Maintenance On Computer Systems

Non Scheduled Maintenance On Computer Systems When talking about maintaining computers the programs used that come to mind are things like anti-viruses and other different updates for a system, these can be routine and non-routine checks and updates. When talking about routine checks it describes a program that has a set time or date to do maintenance whether it is every day, week or month the routine will stay the same. Non-routine is when the maintenance is performed manually and does not have a set time for an update. Routine maintenance on a computer is very important for the health of a computer as you could forget to do an update and it would do it anyway as it is routine. If using an anti-virus routinely it can delete anything that is slowing or hurting your system, non-routine is something like a disk defragmentation being done every few months by yourself, this is because a disk defrag isnt necessary say for example every week but needs to be done every once in a while non routine. If you have a good planned schedule fo r routine and non-routine maintenance on a system the computers health should be very good and it is recommended. In a business doing routine and none routine maintenance could help you by. Improving Tradesperson productivity, giving reduced direct labour costs Increasing Equipment Availability, due to better planning Increasing Equipment Reliability through the identification of repetitive faults Improving Stock control, giving reduced inventory levels and fewer stock outs Improving long-term reduction in Maintenance costs Improving Safety by providing detailed Standard job procedures Routine maintenance of your computer is a vital step in keeping your system running smoothly and efficiently. Problems ranging from not shutting down to screen freezes are most likely a result of poor maintenance, NOT hardware problems. Good computer preventive maintenance also includes keeping a written record of any repairs or changes to a computer. Its also good to write down when software is added or removed from a computer. This can help with any possible troubleshooting at a later date. Keep all your documentation for the computer in a safe place. Things like operating system CD and product keys, Software, manuals and driver disks and also Passwords to various programs and websites. . You can use many types of documentation to keep your maintenance up to date and these are just a few. Schedules chart Help you to plan out the tasks that need to be completed Give you a basis for scheduling when these tasks will be carried out Allow you to plan the allocation of resources needed to complete the project, (maintenance) Help you to work out the critical path for a project (maintenance) where you must complete it by a particular date. Gantt Charts The strength of the Gantt chart is its ability to display the status of each activity at a glance good for computer maintenance So there are lots more different ways to plan your computer maintenance you need to do this so you can keep track of it all and then you will not forget when it has been done and when the next time is needed. P3: You will be required to identify housekeeping procedures that need to be performed on computer systems on a regular basis P3 The first thing to do is invest in an efficient anti-virus system, if you havent bought one with the PC. This will help you keep your computer clean and tidy and virus free. Set up a good filing system on your machine so that you can retrieve information quickly. Do this with both your e-mail system and your off-line files. This is good house keeping. Regularly clear out the cookies, temporary internet files and internet history. They gradually accumulate and take up disk space unnecessarily. This is very good practise. Also From time to time clear out temp files. They show up with the file extension .TMP Periodically perform disk clean up and defrag to tidy up the way that information is stored on your drives Regularly make back-ups of your important files. An external hard drive is one to do it. You can then store it separately from your PC so that if anything happens to the PC you still have access to the data you use. clean inside you computer case get a can of compressed air from a good computer shop and a small face powder fluffy make up brush open your computer and carefully blow any dust away the has accumulated in side paying particular attention to the fans and the cooling system using the brush very lightly on any stubborn areas. This is worth doing to maintain your computer. P5 Practical M1: In your own words, explain why it is necessary for organisations to have policies and procedures to control the maintenance of computer systems. M1 Policies and procedures Organisations have policies for Protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification or destruction. And also maintenance of plant equipment can significantly reduce the overall cost, while boosting the productivity of the plant. The key success is the implementation of management of change, the use of engineering standards and proper work instruction and procedures as set by the equipment manufactures. An example could be a file naming policy/procedure might be in place when a member of staff names a file they might for example go to the shared drive on a sever create a folder in the customer name then name the file customer name brief description, date If everybody in the company does the same for anything there save, its going to make looking for files a lot easier than if everyone does their own thing..(increases productivity and maintains the optimal use of server hard drive space as files wont get duplicated.) Other policies may include things that computer users arent allowed to do for security reasons or staff productivity such as certain website blocks other policies may include a churn of equipment e.g. a company might say that it will renew its server every 3 years and its PCs/laptops every 4 years. A company cant afford to wait until it breaks to fix it. A company would have some sort of back-up procedure. Most will back up their server data every day and take the backup tape/disk off-site so they still have their data if theres fire/theft/malicious damage. Companies will have a procedure of what to do if a computer fails. They will usually have some sort of IT support contract in place or an in house IT guy/team all members of staff would be told what to do if they have a computer problem. Companies pay their staff to work not sit waiting for there PCs to be fixed so they want them fixed quickly within a guaranteed time scale. D1: Discuss the benefits and improvements to undertaking regular housekeeping procedures? D1 By doing regularly computer house keeping you will help speed up your computer a lot because cleaning your computer will keep it organized, virus free and running fast. One of the many ways of doing this could be upgrading your hardware with doing this you will be keeping up with all the latest updates keeping your computer to its max level. Cleaning and ventilation will also keep your computer running smooth. Computer maintenance, Cleaning the dust out. will Benefit things malfunctioning/over heating. Improvements: improves computer performance the fans on the processor and power supply need to be kept clean. If you smoke you need to clean fans more often because tar builds up on the fans. Defrag and cleanup your drive with increase efficiency of the drive and thereby cut drive access times. Disk clean up benefits: clears space improvements: speed ups pc Virus scan benefit: removes potential viruss improvements: keeps files/pc safe and working correct. Running anti viruss every week or so its just so your computer stays functional. And cleaning your hard drive also makes it stay fast (same as deleting viruss spyware etc.) So its a Good idea to maybe once a week to run an antivirus, spyware, malware scan then hard drive clean. Scanning and removing spyware and toolbars periodically is another good housekeeping tactic. They sap your computers resources and internet bandwidth. Back up your pc this will help you if something goes wrong or you accidently delete something backup can be a huge help if need be. Turn off properly, shut down when not in use and do not just turn the switch off dont just click the off button on your pc because this can damage files on your computer. Always go to start and turn of from there this is safe practise. Cleaning your Mouse Cleaning your Keyboard Cleaning your Monitor Surge Protection All these are good housekeeping tips to cleaning your mouse will allow you to work properly on your computer and the same goes for your keyboard always keep them nice and clean and free of dust. Reduce the number of programs that run in the background or on start up this will make your computer start up quicker.

The Sniper Essay -- English Literature Essays

The Sniper "The Sniper" places a strong emphasis on the evils of war, and yet paints a vivid image of mankind's qualities and their society. Employing the technique of describing one particular sniper to symbolise a general subject, readers are able to gain a deep insight into the evils of war. In this story, the assembly of setting, contrasting characters and themes of fanaticism and division of loyalties are vital to conveying the horror of war. On the other hand, "The Sniper" also discusses the power of war, depicting it as the decider of life and death for men. Its force is further emphasised when neighbours are turned into enemies under war's influence. The setting of the story, Dublin, has been written in such a way that only highly negative images are conveyed to portray evil. From the beginning to the end, Dublin is seen as an insecure, fearful, and vulnerable town abundant with weapons of war and associated horror.  ¡Ã‚ §Dublin lay enveloped in darkness ¡Ã‚ ¨ instantly transmits a sense of mystery, weariness and fear. This negative image is strengthened by  ¡Ã‚ §Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically like dogs barking on lone farm. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Dublin can be almost compared to a person, who has struggled under stress and is now defeated. The city is empty, apart from the roar of  ¡Ã‚ §machine guns and rifles ¡Ã‚ ¨ which have converted the city not a place of misery and ba... The Sniper Essay -- English Literature Essays The Sniper "The Sniper" places a strong emphasis on the evils of war, and yet paints a vivid image of mankind's qualities and their society. Employing the technique of describing one particular sniper to symbolise a general subject, readers are able to gain a deep insight into the evils of war. In this story, the assembly of setting, contrasting characters and themes of fanaticism and division of loyalties are vital to conveying the horror of war. On the other hand, "The Sniper" also discusses the power of war, depicting it as the decider of life and death for men. Its force is further emphasised when neighbours are turned into enemies under war's influence. The setting of the story, Dublin, has been written in such a way that only highly negative images are conveyed to portray evil. From the beginning to the end, Dublin is seen as an insecure, fearful, and vulnerable town abundant with weapons of war and associated horror.  ¡Ã‚ §Dublin lay enveloped in darkness ¡Ã‚ ¨ instantly transmits a sense of mystery, weariness and fear. This negative image is strengthened by  ¡Ã‚ §Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically like dogs barking on lone farm. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Dublin can be almost compared to a person, who has struggled under stress and is now defeated. The city is empty, apart from the roar of  ¡Ã‚ §machine guns and rifles ¡Ã‚ ¨ which have converted the city not a place of misery and ba...

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Good afternoon. Today I have been asked to speak about graduation past, present and future. My first graduation occurred when I finished kindergarten. This is often where we learn the most basic of principles. This is what I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Don't take things that are not yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Don't forget to flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some, and draw, paint, sing, dance, play and work a little bit everyday. Take a nap in the afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of the wonder of God's creation. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The golden rule and love, and basic sanitation, ecology, and politics and sane living. Think of what a better world it would be if we all decided to take a nap at 3:00 every afternoon and then laid down with our bl...

Country Music Essay

Country music is one form of music that has both an extensive history and also has a prominent place in the public consciousness right now. It is one of the most interesting types of music because of the fact that many people completely misunderstand where it came from and its roots. Though much of the history country music can be traced to many southern venues, it has since grown to be a much more â€Å"national† type of phenomenon, with influence stretching from Bakersfield, California to the Atlantic coast of the United States. Performers now come from all over the world to take part in the country music phenomenon and in recent years the, country music has gained a much more mainstream following than it had in the past. By both celebrating its roots and being willing to branch out to reach new listeners, country music as a whole has positioned itself for much greater success in the future, as well. In order to truly understand the origins of country music, one has to look as far back as the turn of the twentieth century. Though country did not truly get its start until later, the groundwork for the industry was being laid by musicians who probably did not even know what country music was. Old jazz musicians and church gospel singers provided the original motivation for what would become the country music movement. Singers would later draw influences from those old styles in order to develop the characteristic country sound that is so popular and prevalent in today’s music world. Country officially got its start in 1921 in Bristol, Tennessee. Before that time, people had been singing songs in order to pass down stories and to fill the idle time, but there had never been an organized country music industry. According to Roughstock’s History of Country Music, â€Å"Although musicians had been recording fiddle tunes (known as Old Time Music at that time) in the southern Appalachians for several years, It wasn’t until August 1, 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee, that Country Music really began. There, on that day, Ralph Peer signed Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to recording contracts for Victor Records† (Roughstock). Those two popular acts laid the framework for country to come, and they are both remembered for their innovation and their ability to connect with singers of that time. Over the course of time, country music has seen many different movements that have all helped to shape the sound that is prevalent today. The Bluegrass movement, headed up by the famous Bill Monroe of Kentucky was a type of music where people relied heavily on the banjo, the acoustic guitar, and the mandolin. Before Monroe starting experimenting with these instruments, people had never thought to use the guitar as a lead instrument before. This Bluegrass sound would prove to be a characterizing sound and it has influenced many of today’s most popular singers, including women like Allison Krause. According to Jeri Rowe of The News and Record, the Bill Monroe movement is something that almost all of the famous musicians have felt over the course of time. According to Rowe, â€Å"Ask anyone familiar with bluegrass music and they’ll probably have a Bill Monroe moment† (Rowe, 1996). Other movements have become popular in country music, including the innovations that came along with the Bakersfield sound. Though country music had long had its roots in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, young people out in California changed the way that people thought about the country music industry by expanding the sound to include something of an â€Å"Outlaw† movement (Encyclopedia of Country Music). Among those people who led this popular movement were Merle Haggard, who became a spokesperson for the common man during his time. His songs like â€Å"Long Haired Country Boy† and â€Å"Okie from Muskogee† made him famous. Another famed musician that was a part of the progressive country movement, as it came to be called, was Willie Nelson. Nelson is known as a popular singer and songwriter today and he has worked alongside dozens of extremely popular musicians during his career. He sang songs like â€Å"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain† and â€Å"Mommas, Don’t Let your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys† that were able to really connect to fans on a very personal level. One of the unique things about the country music industry is that all of these different movements have helped to create the sound that characterizes country music today. Starting with the Outlaw movement, the Bluegrass movement, and things like the Nashville sound, people have begun to combine all of these different elements to create a very real sound of today. The Nashville sound is something that came about, as one might guess, in the heart of country music located in Nashville. This came about when Roy Acuff made the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville a popular thing. It started out as just one of the many barn shows that played country music across the powerful radio airwaves. Over time, the Grand Ole Opry became much more than that. It came to characterize the Nashville sound, which was a new sound that included things like the old steel guitar and drums in the background. The Nashville sound changed the way people felt about country music, as musicians like Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs brought their unique methods to Nashville and gained popularity. All in all, the Nashville sound represented a brand new vision for country music, where people could experiment with different things on the highest level at the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry gave legitimacy to these acts and people began to quickly respond to the new techniques and new sounds that they were hearing up on the stage (Hemphill). Today, the country music world has moved even more into the mainstream than it was in the past. It is safe to say that widespread radio is what helped country music take off and now people are enjoying it in different ways. When things like TNN and CMT came about, country music was put on television for the world to see. Though this made some people in the country music world mad because the networks opted for the new styles and neglected some of the older heroes of country music, it helped the industry at large. People could not watch country music as much as they wanted and they could begin to put faces with the voices that they had heard on the radio. The innovation of music on television really helped the country music industry as much as it helped all of the other music industries. More records are sold today than ever before, as people like George Strait have sold hundreds of millions of records. Strait owns the record for most number one hits for a singer, while the South Carolina-based group Alabama owns the record for most number one hits for a group. Other acts that have become popular today are people like Garth Brooks, who helped change the way country music was looked at in a sense of live performances. Brooks turned the country music world into something of a rock show and made the shows more appealing to younger people. In the past, country music had been looked at as something that was a little bit boring when seen in concert. People went to see country music shows because they liked the sound of the music, not because they wanted to be entertained. This all changed when Brooks came about in the late 1980s. He added things like lights and great technology to his shows. The sound was impressive and finally the country music world was able to compete with the rock world at least on some level. This was a very important change for country music and predictably, more and more artists starting picking up where Brooks left off. It is fair to say that the country music world has not been completely embraced by the media at large, but the media has at least picked up on the national importance of some of the acts. In the past, the country music world might have been pushed off to the side with the rock and roll world taking center stage a little bit more. People are now coming to realize that rock and country are much more inter-connected than they might have originally imagined and that country music deserves to be recognized for its huge following. With country music selling at high rates in record stores and television channels getting great ratings, there is no choice in the national media but to pick up on the new and changing times, even if they do not totally believe everything that is being said. There is some perception out there that country music is a music based in the south and for southern people, though evidence has been provided to the contrary. One media controversy worth remembering happened with the popular group The Dixie Chicks, who were ostracized by the media and the mainstream country music world for their comments about President George W. Bush. Their political talk earned them a place on the proverbial country music blacklist. A Gazette Newspaper article speaks to the fact that the controversy may have been overblown by some media outlets, as country music singers are certainly not the first musicians to speak out in a political way. In fact, music has always been an avenue for this type of free speech. That article says, â€Å"Even entertainers have a right to say whatever they want to about U. S. foreign policy and politics – and in fact, many have been doing so for decades, getting rich and famous while thumbing their noses at the nation that makes them so† (Gazette). One of the concerns of many country musicians today is that the media is willing to give time to the current stars, but no one will recognize the people who laid the framework for the country music movement. One People Magazine article quotes popular country music star Alan Jackson talking about living legend George Jones and how no one is willing to recognize him. The article writes, â€Å"Jackson spokeswoman Kay West said Alan was inspired by a visit to Jones earlier this year in the hospital after Jones was involved in a near-fatal car wreck. â€Å"Alan said that had George Jones died there, there would have been a 10-minute tribute to him on the show,† West said. â€Å"But he lived, and they wouldn’t give him three minutes† (People). All in all, country music seems to be growing at a faster rate than it ever has. Helped along by more coverage in the media and the fact that more and more types of musicians are currently getting involved in country music, the industry has taken off at a higher degree than most might have imagined in the past. Though the roots of country music are strong and many people seek to preserve and celebrate those roots, there is no denying that the industry in branching out in a desire to incorporate new fans and new acts alike going into the future. With that in mind, the future of the industry is strong and as stable as it can possibly be. Works Cited Hemphill, Paul. The Nashville Sound. 30 September 2005. Everthemore Press. Kingsbury, Paul. The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford: 2004. People Magazine. Country Music Controversy. 2008. < http://www. people. com/people/article/0,,616549,00. html> Roughstock’s History of Country Music. The Beginnings. < http://www. roughstock. com/history/begin. html> Rowe, Jeri. The News and Record. 12 September 1996. BILL MONROE’S INFLUENCE FELT BY MUSICIANS IN THE TRIAD; AREA BLUEGRASS FANS REMEMBER BILL MONROE, THE â€Å"FATHER OF BLUEGRASS MUSIC. † The Gazette. 7 May 2003. Whistling Dixie Freedom of speech not at issue in country music controversy.

The pursuit of one’s goals

The pursuit of one’s goals and dreams are journeys that oftentimes take a lifetime to accomplish.   There are those who reach the end of their lives not accomplishing what they wanted to do because they were either too intimidated by the prospect of even embarking on such a quest or they did not have the right opportunities in life.I have been working for eight (8) years and during that time I have had plenty of time to see my career develop as my life passed by.   Yet, there comes a certain point in one’s life when one must make a firm decision, a commitment to something much more than one’s own personal goals.   Oftentimes, this means sacrificing one for the other.There are those, however, who are lucky enough to have their own personal goals and that pursuit for higher objectives converge.   For me, this is the pursuit of a career in nursing.I have always wanted to help change the world.   As a child, I believed that if everyone did their own little part in taking that extra step to help others, the world would be a much better place for everyone.The stark reality of it all hit me not long after that but it did not lessen my resolve.   I figured that if so many people I knew did not want to do their part in changing the world then I would probably have to do their share.   This is where my motivation to pursue nursing comes from; the drive to go the extra mile just to make a difference in this world.I see my goal in life as similar to that of Nurse Leader Mary Breckenridge in that I understand that nursing plays a very important role in the world today.   There are few jobs and professions that are as rewarding as nursing.   While other jobs may get more publicity, the role that nurses play in the health care industry is highly valued and appreciated.My desire to be a nurse has to do with the fact that nursing is one of the ways by which I am able to do something that I really want to do in my life and that is to care a nd help other people.   More importantly, I greatly feel that by taking up Nursing I will be able to proceed with my plans in life.The decision to pursue a career in nursing is not something that just occurred overnight.   Instead, it is the result of an active commitment to being able to carry out my passions in life.   The human involvement that is critical in nursing makes it the ideal profession for me.The remunerations that one can receive from being a nurse are only secondary to the feeling of fulfillment from knowing that one was able to provide support to those in need.   These experiences that I took with me during my time in the hospital shaped my future and opened my eyes to the benefits that a career in nursing can provide.As the world continues to change and the workplace becomes more and more challenging and competitive, it becomes imperative for anyone looking for a successful career to not only have the drive to succeed but also the training and expertise to do so.I am not saying that I do not have the training and expertise at the moment but I do believe that there is still room for more.   That is why I strongly feel that nursing is the profession for me because it not only allows me to become what I want to be but it also allows me to become who I want to be in life.My previous experiences as a certified nursing assistant and psych counselor have served well to prepare me for what lies ahead.   It has made me realize that what I really want to do in life is to help other people and become an excellent nurse.   I know that I can do more to further this goal by entering a registered nurse program and by getting the training that I need.   Ã‚  However, I feel that this is the crucial step that will herald my success in this profession.With all of the technological advancements in health care that have indeed raised the standard of health care being provided in the United States, there are a few intangible factors that can never be replaced.   I see my future role, as a member of the nursing profession, as being able to develop these intangibles.   One important example is the special type of manner by which a nurse must conduct herself in order to be effective in performing her task.The bedside manners are very important and it is something that just cannot be taught in classrooms.   Nurses need to be more than just machines that come in and punch in their time cards but rather professional registered nurses who show their passion and dedication to the profession through their approach and practice.With this role in mind, I feel that I am not only prepared to take on the challenges of pursuing a career in nursing but that I also have the proper mindset for this type of career.

American Culture and Heroes

American Culture and Heroes American Culture and Heroes Heroes are not men with capes or super powers as they are portrayed in American culture today. Heroes are people who transform compassion (a personal virtue) into heroic action (a civic virtue). In doing so, they put their best selves forward in service to humanity. A hero is as an individual or a network of people that take action on behalf of others in need, or in defense of integrity or a moral cause. Heroes are people who transform compassion (a personal virtue) into heroic action (a civic virtue).In doing so, they put their best selves forward in service to humanity. A hero is as an individual or a network of people that take action on behalf of others in need, or in defense of integrity or a moral cause. Mike Dilbeck, www. raproject. org, Response Ability Project, 2012 The Oxford American College Dictionary, (2002), e-book Ashford University Library, says that a hero is â€Å"a person, typically a man, who is admired for courage or noble qualifications. † A firefighter, police officer and a soldier (man or woman) would fall under this description of a hero.Arthur Ashe said it best. â€Å"True heroism is remarkably sober, very un-dramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others? at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. † Characteristics of a hero are: 1. Courage: A hero overcomes his fears and takes a challenge head on. There is not even a twinge of fear in the heroes heart. 2. Virtuosity: The key aspect of a hero’s character. 3. Sacrifice: A quality that is unique from other virtues. A hero is willing to let personal comforts become indispensable for the higher cause and welfare of others. 4.Determination: The hero is unflinching in his or her determination and believes in his ability. 5. Focus: One of the most prominent qualities of a hero. They are put on this earth for one definitive motive. 6. Compassion: The true hero is empathetic, benevolent and s hows compassion and tenderness to those in need. 7. Perseverance: This is what makes the hero special. Even when faced with failure, they continue to fight till the achieve success. 8. Dedication: Heroes are selfless and whole-heartedly dedicated to the task at hand. 9. Honesty: This forms the base of all of his or her efforts.This is what earns the hero respect. 10. Loyalty: The faithfulness and commitment to their cause is way beyond others. 11. Intrepidity: They have courage that is unshaken no matter what comes into their path. They are determined to fight their challenges to the end. 12. Conviction: A set of unshakable thoughts and beliefs which will not be altered. 13. Fortitude: A habit that encounters a dangerous deed that is unaltered and adopted with passive courage. 14. Responsibility: No matter what the scenario may entail, they take it with utmost sincerity and follow it to the conclusion. 5. Wisdom: The most desired quality, which must be possessed. Wisdom is an attrib ute that all heroes possess, be it a soldier, firefighter, or a police officer. A hero is not born, they are self-made. These characteristics are what set a hero apart from. www. personalitytutor. com/qualities-of-a-hero. html In our American culture the media has changed the meaning of a hero. Reality television has become a part of our everyday lives and has changed the way in which we perceive the true hero. Hall, Alice, Viewers’ Perceptions of Reality Programs, Communication Quarterly Vol. 4, No. 2, May 2006, pp 191-211. The media is making it seem like everyone is a hero. In reality television, such as Survivor or The Great American Race, the media has made the person that completes the challenges a â€Å"hero†. They play on the thoughts of Americans who want to believe. According to the media, someone surviving on this show is touted as a hero. An example of the appeal to reality television is the perceived novelty and value on real people experience and not acto rs. Reality television shows that the everyday person can succeed and do not have to be famous to do it.Reality Television is not all bad. It shows people that anyone can do anything, giving the everyday white collar person hope. But it also tempts people to try things that they should never do without proper supervision. (Jack Ass) Given the time a family is apart, due to work, school, and other outside obligations, less time watching reality television and more family time is needed. Reality television is making just anybody a hero and not the people that actually deserve to be considered a hero. The real heroes are the people who fight for our freedom and our safety.As stated in the book Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information, Tyner, Kathleen R. , Literacy in a Digital world. Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information. 1998 Ashford University Library, how literacy in America during the new information age has changed due to computers and the usage of doing all resea rch from the point of websites, compared to the time when you had to do research by actually going to the library and doing research for the right books and then sitting down and taking notes and writing everything down by hand.I believe that what this means is that by having the new information age and the reality television and the media that is portraying things as they want them to appear, people are not as literate as they once were. Literacy has sustained through the development of the Information Age over the past 25 years, Rassool, Naz, Literacy for Sustainable Development in the Age of Information, 1999, Ashford University Library e-book, this is true. People just don’t have to work for it like they used to.This once again falls back to where the people that actually deserve the credit do not get it and they are just put in the pool with everyone else and whoever is lucky enough to be picked on that particular day will be the one that is commended. In conclusion the way that people perceive a hero is all in how they live their everyday lives and what they believe in. If they believe the Survivor winner, Richard Hatch, is a hero then they are the very people that have changed the way that people perceive a hero. ReferencesHall, Alice, Viewers’ Perceptions of Reality Programs, Communication Quarterly Vol. 54, No. 2, May 2006, pp 191-211. Mike Dilbeck, www. raproject. org, Response Ability Project, 2012 Rassool, Naz, Literacy for Sustainable Development in the Age of Information, 1999, Ashford University Library e-book. The Oxford American College Dictionary, (2002), e-book Ashford University Library. Tyner, Kathleen R. , Literacy in a Digital world. Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information. 1998, Ashford University Library. www. personalitytutor. com/qualities-of-a-hero. html

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 8

Chapter 8 I've managed to sneak into the bathroom long enough to read a few chapters of this New Testament that they've added to the Bible. This Matthew fellow, who is obviously not the Matthew that we knew, seems to have left out quite a little bit. Like everything from the time Joshua was born to the time he was thirty!!! No wonder the angel brought me back to write this book. This Matthew fellow hasn't mentioned me yet, but I'm still in the early chapters. I have to ration myself to keep the angel from getting suspicious. Today he confronted me when I came out of the bathroom. â€Å"You are spending a lot of time in there. You don't need to spend so much time in there.† â€Å"I told you, cleanliness is very important to my people.† â€Å"You weren't bathing. I would have heard the water running.† I decided that I needed to go on the offensive if I was going to keep the angel from finding the Bible. I ran across the room, leapt onto his bed, and fastened my hands around his throat – choking him as I chanted: â€Å"I haven't been laid in two thousand years. I haven't been laid in two thousand years. I haven't been laid in two thousand years.† It felt good, there was a rhythm to it, I sort of squoze his throat a bit with every syllable. I paused for a moment in choking the heavenly host to backhand him across his alabaster cheek. It was a mistake. He caught my hand. Then grabbed me by the hair with his other hand and calmly climbed to his feet, lifting me into the air by my hair. â€Å"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,† I said. â€Å"So, you have not been laid in two thousand years? What does that mean?† â€Å"Ow, ow, ow, ow,† I replied. The angel set me on my feet, but kept his grasp on my hair. â€Å"So?† â€Å"It means that I haven't had a woman in two millennia, aren't you picking up any of the vocabulary from the television?† He glanced at the TV, which, of course, was on. â€Å"I don't have your gift of tongues. What does that have to do with choking me?† â€Å"I was choking you because you, once again, are as dense as dirt. I haven't had sex in two thousand years. Men have needs. What the hell do you think I'm doing in the bathroom all of that time?† â€Å"Oh,† the angel said, releasing my hair. â€Å"So you are†¦You have been†¦There is a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Get me a woman and maybe I won't spend so much time in the bathroom, if you get my meaning.† Brilliant misdirection, I thought. â€Å"A woman? No, I cannot do that. Not yet.† â€Å"Yet? Does that mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh look,† the angel said, turning from me as if I was no more than vapor, â€Å"General Hospital is starting.† And with that, my secret Bible was safe. What did he mean by â€Å"yet†? At least this Matthew mentions the Magi. One sentence, but that's one more than I've gotten in his Gospel so far. Our second day in Jerusalem we went to see the great Rabbi Hillel. (Rabbi means teacher in Hebrew – you knew that, right?) Hillel looked to be a hundred years old, his beard and hair were long and white, and his eyes were clouded over, his irises milk white. His skin was leathery-brown from sitting in the sun and his nose was long and hooked, giving him the aspect of a great, blind eagle. He held class all morning in the outer courtyard of the Temple. We sat quietly, listening to him recite from the Torah and interpret the verses, taking questions and engaging in arguments with the Pharisees, who tried to infuse the Law into every minute detail of life. Toward the end of Hillel's morning lectures, Jakan, the camel-sucking husband-to-be of my beloved Maggie, asked Hillel if it would be a sin to eat an egg that had been laid on the Sabbath. â€Å"What are you, stupid? The Lord doesn't give a damn what a chicken does on the Sabbath, you nimrod! It's a chicken. If a Jew lays an egg on the Sabbath, that's probably a sin, come see me then. Otherwise don't waste my friggin' time with that nonsense. Now go away, I'm hungry and I need a nap. All of you, scram.† Joshua looked at me and grinned. â€Å"He's not what I expected,† he whispered. â€Å"Knows a nimrod when he sees – uh – hears one, though,† I said. (Nimrod was an ancient king who died of suffocation after he wondered aloud in front of his guards what it would be like to have your own head stuck up your ass.) A boy younger than us helped the old man to his feet and began to lead him away toward the Temple gate. I ran up and took the priest's other arm. â€Å"Rabbi, my friend has come from far away to talk to you. Can you help him?† The old man stopped. â€Å"Where is your friend?† â€Å"Right here.† â€Å"Then why isn't he talking for himself? Where do you come from, kid?† â€Å"Nazareth,† Joshua said, â€Å"but I was born in Bethlehem. I am Joshua bar Joseph.† â€Å"Oh yeah, I've talked to your mother.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Sure, almost every time she and your father come to Jerusalem for a feast she tries to see me. She thinks you're the Messiah.† Joshua swallowed hard. â€Å"Am I?† Hillel snorted. â€Å"Do you want to be the Messiah?† Joshua looked at me as if I might have the answer. I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know,† Josh finally said. â€Å"I thought I was just supposed to do it.† â€Å"Do you think you're the Messiah?† â€Å"I'm not sure I should say.† â€Å"That's smart,† Hillel said. â€Å"You shouldn't say. You can think you're the Messiah all that you want, just don't tell anyone.† â€Å"But if I don't tell them, they won't know.† â€Å"Exactly. You can think you're a palm tree if you want, just don't tell anyone. You can think you're a flock of seagulls, just don't tell anyone. You get my meaning? Now I have to go eat. I'm old and I'm hungry and I want to go eat now, so just in case I die before supper I won't go hungry.† â€Å"But he really is the Messiah,† I said. â€Å"Oh yeah,† Hillel said, grabbing my shoulder, then feeling for my head so he could scream into my ear. â€Å"What do you know? You're an ignorant kid. How old are you? Twelve? Thirteen?† â€Å"Thirteen.† â€Å"How could you, at thirteen, know anything? I'm eighty-four and I don't know shit.† â€Å"But you're wise,† I said. â€Å"I'm wise enough to know that I don't know shit. Now go away.† â€Å"Should I ask the Holy of Holies?† Joshua said. Hillel swung at the air, as if to slap Joshua, but missed by a foot. â€Å"It's a box. I saw it when I could still see, and I can tell you that it's a box. And you know what else, if there were tablets in it, they aren't there now. So if you want to talk to a box, and probably be executed for trying to get into the chamber where it's kept, you go right ahead.† The breath seemed to be knocked out of Joshua's body and I thought he would faint on the spot. How could the greatest teacher in all of Israel speak of the Ark of the Covenant in such a way? How could a man who obviously knew every word of the Torah, and all the teachings written since, how could he claim not to know anything? Hillel seemed to sense Joshua's distress. â€Å"Look, kid, your mother says that some very wise men came to Bethlehem to see you when you were born. They obviously knew something that no one else knew. Why don't you go see them? Ask them about being the Messiah.† â€Å"So you aren't going to tell him how to be the Messiah?† I asked. Again Hillel reached out for Joshua, but this time without any anger. He found Joshua's cheek, and stroked it with his palsied hand. â€Å"I don't believe there will be a Messiah, and at this point, I'm not sure it would make a difference to me. Our people have spent more time in slavery or under the heels of foreign kings than we have spent free, so who is to say that it is God's will that we be free at all? Who is to say that God concerns himself with us in any way, beyond allowing us to be? I don't think that he does. So know this, little one. Whether you are the Messiah, or you become a rabbi, or even if you are nothing more than a farmer, here is the sum of all I can teach you, and all that I know: treat others as you would like to be treated. Can you remember that?† Joshua nodded and the old man smiled. â€Å"Go find your wise men, Joshua bar Joseph.† What we did was stay in the Temple while Joshua grilled every priest, guard, even Pharisee about the Magi who had come to Jerusalem thirteen years before. Evidently it wasn't as big an event for others as it was for Josh's family, because no one had any idea what he was talking about. By the time he'd been at it for a couple of hours he was literally screaming into the faces of a group of Pharisees. â€Å"Three of them. Magicians. They came because they saw a star over Bethlehem. They were carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Come on, you're all old. You're supposed to be wise. Think!† Needless to say, they weren't pleased. â€Å"Who is this boy who would question our knowledge? He knows nothing of the Torah and the prophets and yet berates us for not remembering three insignificant travelers.† It was the wrong thing to say to Joshua. No one had studied the Torah harder. No one knew scripture better. â€Å"Ask me any question, Pharisee,† Joshua said. â€Å"Ask anything.† In retrospect, after having grown up, somewhat, and having lived, died, and been resurrected from the dust, I realize that there may be nothing more obnoxious than a teenager who knows everything. Certainly, it is a symptom of the age that they think they know everything, but now I have some sympathy for those poor men who challenged Joshua that day at the Temple. Of course, at the time, I shouted, â€Å"Smite the sons-a-bitches, Josh.† He was there for days. Joshua wouldn't even leave to eat, and I went out into the city to bring him back food. First the Pharisees, but later even some of the priests came to quiz Joshua, to try to throw him some question about some obscure Hebrew king or general. They made him recite the lineages from all the books of the Bible, yet he did not waver. Myself, I left him there to argue while I wandered through the holy city looking for Maggie, then, when I couldn't find her, for girls in general. I slept at the camp of my parents, assuming all the time that Joshua was returning each night to his own family, but I was wrong. When the Passover feast was over and we were packing up to leave, Mary, Joshua's mother, came to me in a panic. â€Å"Biff. Have you seen Joshua?† The poor woman was distraught. I wanted to comfort her so I held my arms out to give her a comforting embrace. â€Å"Poor Mary, calm down. Joshua is fine. Come, let me give you a comforting embrace.† â€Å"Biff!† I thought she might slap me. â€Å"He's at the Temple. Jeez, a guy tries to be compassionate and what does he get?† She had already taken off. I caught up to her as she was dragging Joshua out of the Temple by the arm. â€Å"You worried us half to death.† â€Å"You should have known you would find me in my father's house,† Joshua said. â€Å"Don't you pull that ‘my father' stuff on me, Joshua bar Joseph. The commandment says honor thy father and thy mother. I'm not feeling honored right now, young man. You could have sent a message, you could have stopped by the camp.† Joshua looked at me, his eyes pleading for me to help him out. â€Å"I tried to comfort her, Josh, but she wouldn't have it.† Later I found the two of them on the road to Nazareth and Joshua motioned for me to walk with them. â€Å"Mother thinks we may be able to find at least one of the Magi, and if we find that one, he may know where the others are.† Mary nodded, â€Å"The one named Balthasar, the black one, he said he came from a village north of Antioch. He was the only one of the three that spoke any Hebrew.† I didn't feel confident. Although I'd never seen a map, â€Å"north of Antioch† sounded like a large, unspecific, and scary place. â€Å"Is there more?† â€Å"Yes, the other two had come from the East by the Silk Road. Their names were Melchior and Gaspar.† â€Å"So it's off to Antioch,† Joshua said. He seemed completely satisfied with the information his mother had given him, as if all he needed were the three Magi's names and he'd as much as found them. I said, â€Å"You're going to go to Antioch assuming that someone there will remember a man who may have lived north of there thirteen years ago?† â€Å"A magician,† Mary said. â€Å"A rich, Ethiopian magician. How many can there be?† â€Å"Well, there might not be any, did you think of that? He might have died. He might have moved to another city.† â€Å"In that case, I will be in Antioch,† Joshua said. â€Å"From there I can travel the Silk Road until I find the other two.† I couldn't believe my ears. â€Å"You're not going alone.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"But Josh, you're helpless out in the world. You only know Nazareth, where people are stupid and poor. No offense, Mary. You'll be like – uh – like a lamb among wolves. You need me along to watch out for you.† â€Å"And what do you know that I don't? Your Latin is horrible, your Greek is barely passable, and your Hebrew is atrocious.† â€Å"Yeah. If a stranger comes up to you on the road to Antioch and asks you how much money you are carrying, what do you tell him?† â€Å"That will depend on how much I am carrying.† â€Å"No it won't. You haven't enough for a crust of bread. You are a poor beggar.† â€Å"But that's not true.† â€Å"Exactly.† Mary put her arm around her son's shoulders. â€Å"He has a point, Joshua.† Joshua wrinkled his brow as if he had to think about it, but I could tell that he was relieved that I wanted to go along. â€Å"When do you want to leave?† â€Å"When did Maggie say she was getting married?† â€Å"In a month.† â€Å"Before then. I don't want to be here when it happens.† â€Å"Me either,† Joshua said. And so we spent the next few weeks preparing for our journey. My father thought I was crazy, but my mother seemed happy to have the extra space in the house and pleased that the family wouldn't have to put up a bride price to marry me off right away. â€Å"So you'll be gone how long?† Mother asked. â€Å"I don't know. It's not a terribly long journey to Antioch, but I don't know how long we'll be there. Then we'll be traveling the Silk Road. I'm guessing that that's a long journey. I've never seen any silk growing around here.† â€Å"Well, take a wool tunic in case it gets cold.† And that was all I heard from my mother. Not â€Å"Why are you going?† Not â€Å"Who are you looking for?† Just â€Å"Take a wool tunic.† Jeez. My father was more supportive. â€Å"I can give you a little money to travel with, or we could buy you a donkey.† â€Å"I think the money would be better. A donkey couldn't carry both of us.† â€Å"And who are these fellows you're looking for?† â€Å"Magicians, I think.† â€Å"And you want to talk to magicians because†¦?† â€Å"Because Josh wants to know how to be the Messiah.† â€Å"Oh, right. And you believe that Joshua is the Messiah?† â€Å"Yes, but more important than that, he's my friend. I can't let him go alone.† â€Å"And what if he's not the Messiah? What if you find these magicians and they tell you that Joshua is not what you think he is, that he's just a normal boy?† â€Å"Well, he'll really need me to be there, then, won't he?† My father laughed. â€Å"Yes, I guess he will. You come back, Levi, and bring your friend the Messiah with you. Now we'll have to set three empty places at the table on Passover. One for Elijah, one for my lost son, and one for his pal the Messiah.† â€Å"Well, don't seat Joshua next to Elijah. If those guys start talking religion we'll never have any peace.† It came down to only four days before Maggie's wedding before Joshua and I accepted that one of us would have to tell her we were leaving. After nearly a whole day of arguing, it fell upon me to go to her. I saw Joshua face down fears in himself that would have broken other men, but taking bad news to Maggie was one he couldn't overcome. I took the task on myself and tried to leave Joshua with his dignity. â€Å"You wuss!† â€Å"How can I tell her that it's too painful to watch her marry that toad?† â€Å"First, you're insulting toads everywhere, and second, what makes you think it's any easier for me?† â€Å"You're tougher than I am.† â€Å"Oh, don't try that. You can't just roll over and expect me to not notice that I'm being manipulated. She's going to cry. I hate it when she cries.† â€Å"I know,† Josh said. â€Å"It hurts me too. Too much.† Then he put his hand on my head and I suddenly felt better, stronger. â€Å"Don't try your Son of God mumbo jumbo on me, you're still a wuss.† â€Å"If it be so, so be it. So it shall be written.† Well, it is now, Josh. It's written now. (It's strange, the word â€Å"wuss† is the same in my ancient Aramaic tongue as it is in this language. Like the word waited for me these two thousand years so I could write it down here. Strange.) Maggie was washing clothes in the square with a bunch of other women. I caught her attention by jumping on the shoulders of my friend Bartholomew, who was gleefully exposing himself for the viewing pleasure of the Nazarene wives. With a subtle toss of my head I signaled to Maggie to meet me behind a nearby stand of date palms. â€Å"Behind those trees?† Maggie shouted. â€Å"Yeah,† I replied. â€Å"You bringing the idiot?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Okay,† she said, and she handed her washing to one of her younger sisters and scampered to the trees. I was surprised to see her smiling so close to the time of her wedding. She hugged me and I could feel the heat rise in my face, either from shame or love, like there was a difference. â€Å"Well, you're in a good mood,† I said. â€Å"Why not? I'm using them all up before the wedding. Speaking of which, what are you two bringing me for a present? It had better be good if it's going to make up for who I have to marry.† She was joyful and there was music and laughter in her voice, pure Maggie, but I had to turn away. â€Å"Hey, I was only joking,† she said. â€Å"You guys don't need to bring me anything.† â€Å"We're leaving, Maggie. We won't be there.† She grabbed my shoulder and forced me to face her. â€Å"You're leaving? You and Joshua? You're going away?† â€Å"Yes, before your wedding. We're going to Antioch, and from there far into the East along the Silk Road.† She said nothing. Tears welled up in her eyes and I could feel them rising in mine as well. This time she turned away. â€Å"We should have told you before, I know, but really we only decided at Passover. Joshua is going to find the Magi who came to his birth, and I'm going with him because I have to.† She wheeled on me. â€Å"You have to? You have to? You don't have to. You can stay and be my friend and come to my wedding and sneak down to talk to me here or in the vineyard and we can laugh and tease and no matter how horrible it is being married to Jakan, I'll have that. I'll at least have that!† I felt as if I'd be sick to my stomach any second. I wanted to tell her that I'd stay, that I'd wait, that if there was the slightest chance that her life wasn't going to be a desert in the arms of her creep husband that I could hold hope. I wanted to do whatever I could to take away even a little bit of her pain, even up to letting Joshua go by himself, but in thinking that, I realized that Joshua must have been feeling the same thing, so all I said was â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"And what about Joshua, wasn't he even going to say good-bye?† â€Å"He wanted to, but he couldn't. Neither of us can, I mean, we didn't want to have to watch you marry Jakan.† â€Å"Cowards. You two deserve each other. You can hide behind each other like Greek boys. Just go. Get away from me.† I tried to think of something to say, but my mind was a soup of confusion so I hung my head and walked away. I was almost out of the square when Maggie caught up to me. I heard her footsteps and turned. â€Å"Tell him to meet me behind the synagogue, Biff. The night before my wedding, an hour after sunset.† â€Å"I'm not sure, Maggie, he – â€Å" â€Å"Tell him,† she said. She ran back to the well without looking back. So I told Joshua, and on the night before Maggie's wedding, the night before we were to leave on our journey, Joshua packed some bread and cheese and a skin of wine and told me to meet him by the date palms in the square where we would share supper together. â€Å"You have to go,† Joshua said. â€Å"I'm going. In the morning, when you do. What, you think I'd back out now?† â€Å"No, tonight. You have to go to Maggie. I can't go.† â€Å"What? I mean, why?† Sure I'd been heartbroken when Maggie had asked to see Joshua and not me, but I'd come to terms with it. Well, as well as one ever comes to terms with an ongoing heartbreak. â€Å"You have to take my place, Biff. There's almost no moon tonight, and we are about the same size. Just don't say much and she'll think it's me. Maybe not as smart as normal, but she can put that down to worry over the upcoming journey.† â€Å"I'd love to see Maggie, but she wants to see you, why can't you go?† â€Å"You really don't know?† â€Å"Not really.† â€Å"Then just take my word for it. You'll see. Will you do this for me, Biff? Will you take my place, pretend to be me?† â€Å"That would be lying. You never lie.† â€Å"Now you're getting righteous on me? I won't be lying. You will be.† â€Å"Oh. In that case, I'll go.† But there wasn't even time to deceive. It was so dark that night that I had to make my way slowly through the village by starlight alone, and as I rounded the corner to the back of our small synagogue I was hit with a wave of sandalwood and lemon and girl sweat, of warm skin, a wet mouth over mine, arms around my back and legs around my waist. I fell backward on the ground and there was in my head a bright light, and the rest of the world existed in the senses of touch and smell and God. There, on the ground behind the synagogue, Maggie and I indulged desires we had carried for years, mine for her, and hers for Joshua. That neither of us knew what we were doing made no difference. It was pure and it happened and it was marvelous. And when we finished we lay there holding each other, half dressed, breathless, and sweating, and Maggie said, â€Å"I love you, Joshua.† â€Å"I love you, Maggie,† I said. And ever so slightly she loosened her embrace. â€Å"I couldn't marry Jakan without – I couldn't let you go without – without letting you know.† â€Å"He knows, Maggie.† Then she really pulled away. â€Å"Biff?† â€Å"Uh-oh.† I thought she might scream, that she might leap up and run away, that she might do any one of a hundred things to take me from heaven to hell, but after only a second she nuzzled close to me again. â€Å"Thank you for being here,† she said. We left at dawn, and our fathers walked with us as far as the gates of Sepphoris. When we parted at the gates my father gave me a hammer and chisel to carry with me in my satchel. â€Å"With that you can make enough for a meal anywhere you go,† my father said. Joseph gave Joshua a wooden bowl. â€Å"Out of that you can eat the meal that Biff earns.† He grinned at me. By the gates of Sepphoris I kissed my father for the last time. By the gates of Sepphoris we left our fathers behind and went out into the world to find three wise men. â€Å"Come back, Joshua, and make us free,† Joseph shouted to our backs. â€Å"Go with God,† my own father said. â€Å"I am, I am,† I shouted. â€Å"He's right here.† Joshua said nothing until the sun was high in the sky and we stopped to share a drink of water. â€Å"Well?† Joshua said. â€Å"Did she know it was you?† â€Å"Yes. Not at first, but before we parted. She knew.† â€Å"Was she angry at me?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Was she angry at you?† I smiled. â€Å"No.† â€Å"You dog!† he said. â€Å"You really should ask that angel what he meant about you not knowing a woman, Joshua. It's really important.† â€Å"You know now why I couldn't go.† â€Å"Yes. Thanks.† â€Å"I'll miss her,† Joshua said. â€Å"You have no idea,† I said. â€Å"Every detail. I want to know every detail.† â€Å"But you aren't supposed to know.† â€Å"That's not what the angel meant. Tell me.† â€Å"Not now. Not while I can still smell her on my arms.† Joshua kicked at the dirt. â€Å"Am I angry with you, or happy for you, or jealous of you? I don't know? Tell me!† â€Å"Josh, right now, for the first time I can remember, I'm happier being your friend than I would be being you. Can I have that?† Now, thinking about that night with Maggie behind the synagogue, where we stayed together until it was nearly dawn, where we made love again and again and fell asleep naked on top of our clothes – now, when I think of that, I want to run away from here, this room, this angel and his task, find a lake, dive down, and hide from the eye of God in the dark muck on the bottom. Strange.