Monday, September 30, 2019

Access to Medicines in Developing Countries Essay

One of the appalling statistics that came out of a survey in 2000 was the percentage of the HIV/AIDS infections in Africa. It was reported that nearly 80% of the total number of affected people was from this continent. Now if this report sounds dreadful, one might get a bigger shock by looking at the picture of modern healthcare methodologies in Africa. Despite being a developing nation, Africa gets scarcely one percent of modern drugs. The value of all medical drugs transported to Africa amounts to the expenses spent on advertising by the leading pharmaceutical companies in the United States of America. Under the light of this reality, this paper is going to discuss the genuine scenario in developing countries that don’t have an affordable access to life-saving medicines. It might be noted that access to medicines is a fundamental human right, and there is a yawning gap between crisis and cure in a capitalistic social setup. Due to increased political pressure, many drug manufacturing companies have been forced to review their business strategies and produce medicines that are relatively less expensive. Moreover, it is also mandatory to formulate a well-organized delivery system that would ensure a proper and timely delivery of the medicinal goods to Africa and other Third World countries. Modern healthcare remedies are needed to be deployed in order to combat the menace of HIV and other diseases in the underprivileged tropics. (â€Å"Access to Medicine in Developing Countries†, 2000) Access to medicine in developing countries has always been a matter of great disputation, mainly because of the convoluted interaction between macroeconomic development, patterns of diseases and healthcare requirements and provisions. It has been an inescapable paradox for many countries where the national economic status can only be attained by improved health status. Hence, lack of supply of life-saving drugs hinders the scope and opportunity of national healthcare. (â€Å"Improving Access to Medicines in Developing Countries†, 2005) The impoverished countries find it a mammoth task to meet both ends successfully. It has been proposed that only a large scale international funding can inject some fruitful results in the context of healthcare and economic boost. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) are working together to provide the best possible framework for improved health status as well as the macroeconomic development of developing nations. WTO is primarily concerned with the organized growth of a capitalist, free market global economy. On the other hand, WHO is focused on improving health conditions by providing healthcare models that can be applied to both developed as well as developing nations. Institutional and public sector frameworks play a crucial role in realizing the objectives of WHO to the best possible extent. The newly incepted Global Health Fund is working relentlessly to provide remedies for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS agreement) are held, in some cases, as obstacles for access to essential medicines in developing countries. Ever since WTO finalized the TRIPS agreement in April 1994, this issue has been a matter of great debate. The main problems in accessing medicines, as viewed by experts, are the increasing expenses, which can shoot up to 66% of total expenditure in developing nations. Today’s scenario as far as having access to essential medicines is concerned is an alarming one, with more than one-third of the world’s population are deprived of indispensable drugs. According to the WHO, developing countries, especially those in Asia and Africa, must be provided with an all-encompassing solution in terms of health priority problems, and they must be able to gain access to life-saving medicines at an affordable deal. To make matters worse, the poorer section of societies in developing countries find themselves all at sea due to their inability to physically access life-saving drugs. So both availability and affordability are the key areas of concern. Now under these circumstances, the introduction of strong and worldwide product patents for drugs, as implemented through the TRIPS agreement, may cause drastic increase in prices for essential medicines. The ‘legal monopoly’ that comes with such rigid patent system prevents anybody from producing, selling or distributing medicines in an unauthorized manner. Even if there is no patent laws, access to medicines is going to be a problem for the developing countries, due to adequate purchasing capabilities and required infrastructure. Majority of the medicines for HIV/AIDS are still under ‘live’ patent coverage. It doesn’t make for affordable access to such medicines either. And since more than 95% of HIV/AIDS affected people are from developing countries, and 50% of them belong to the productive age group of below 25 years, serious socio-economic consequences are perceived with very little signs of relief. Before TRIPS were put to effect, most developing countries and some developed countries did not impose patent laws on medicines even if they were manufactured with innovative technological aids. But today, most of these nations being WTO members have to enforce the patent laws laid down by TRIPS. This has led to hike in prices of patented medicines. It is worth noticing that even under the TRIPS guidelines, patents are to be given only on applications received from 1995 onwards for new therapeutic inventions. So any medicine manufactured before 1995 should not be unaffordable for the developing nations. Manufacturers of the newer and more innovative pharmaceutical products file for patents only in countries where business of piracy runs rampant. Parallel import of drugs is another important issue that came into consideration after the TRIPS agreement. The Intellectual Property Rights owners of specific brands of medicines face problems when goods, legally distributed in the market of one country, are imported to another without the necessary legal authorization. Now, as long as there is no discrepancy in Intellectual Property Rights in two different countries, article 6 of TRIPS defends parallel import. But considering the economic side of such imports, it might be noted that price of the same medicine in one country may rise or fall to a great extent in another. So developing countries, without violating the Intellectual Property Rights protection, may find a way out to access essential but expensive drugs from its neighboring countries. (Watal, J. 2000) In addition to what is discussed above, one must bear in mind the supply side process concerning manufacture and distribution of medicines. The specific issue related to accessibility to medicines is directly linked with the development and implementation of more efficient and cost-effective measures in manufacturing and distributing drugs. A number of speculative theories and ideologies have been put forward to address the issue of maximizing the available resources to achieve a standardized health status around the globe. However, the aim of this paper is not to get into a particular ideological standpoint, or to promote distinct solutions, but to gain a deeper insight into the real constraints of manufacturing and distributive activities. One has to take into account the diverse theoretical concepts, the macroeconomic environment of international economics and technological nuances of the pharmaceutical sectors. Once we identify the constraints, it will be easier to suggest feasible solutions in terms of easy and regular access to medicines for the developing countries. The policies adopted by pharmaceutical companies are worth taking a look at.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

A Day at the Spa

The pressing question in this case is can automated external defibrillators save lives.   The answer is yes.   The secondary question is how many.   With no other considerations the addition of defibrillators to a gym’s first aid protocols will help save additional lives.But in order to adequately determine how many more lives defibrillators can save, one must examine factors such as the overall health condition of the recipient, personnel knowledge, and response time.Based on the details of this case, an on-sight defibrillators at Silver’s Gym may save the majority of those expected 100 incidents.   Of the 30 that would die before paramedics arrive, 24 will live with the use of the defibrillator.   Of the remaining 70 that would otherwise live, improper use of the defibrillator may cause 2.1 deaths, saving 67.9 lives.   The total expected number of lives saved with the on-sight defibrillator   is 91.9.The estimates cannot be accurate, however, when consid ering the health issues that are evident in this case.   Beginning with Tommy, high cholesterol and high blood pressure changes the probability that a defibrillator would be effective.   Also, as people exercise in the gym their heart rates and blood pressures increases making them prone to a sudden cardiac arrest.If the increased rates from exercise are compounded by poor health conditions, like Tommy’s that changes the estimates to a much lower figure as well.   The use of CPS and EMT response time also change those figures.  Ã‚   Finally, the actual condition that makes the person need medical assistance – heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, or other condition – changes the figures.Untrained personnel cannot properly assess   what aid to administer.   Obviously CPR is appropriate in some cases, the AED in others, and in some cases both CPR and use of the AED will be indicated.   Untrained personnel may not know how to check for devices such as a pacemaker which affects the use of the defibrillator.Pacemakers could compound the improper use factor.   There is a chance of improper use on a person who has no pacemaker.   There may be a higher chance of improper use when a pacemaker is present.In Tommy’s case, since he was not breathing, CPR was a proper response to help restore his breathing.   Without proper oxygen to the brain and heart the defibrillator may not have worked.   Silver’s Gym was not negligent in Tommy’s death.   Gym personnel administered CPR upon finding that he was not breathing.A proper and expected response.   Had there been no personnel with CPR training, that would be a case for negligence.   Without knowing how quickly the call was made, a 12 minute response from EMTs was reasonable, so there was no negligence on the part of gym personnel calling, nor on the part of EMTs for poor response time.   Also, it appears that the gym personnel immediately responded to Tomm y’s situation.   Had there been no one in the lobby where Tommy was sitting, or had they not responded in a timely manner, there would be a case for negligence.The case states that â€Å"CPR alone is not effective in treating SCA.†Ã‚   From that statement it is safe to assume that CPR is effective in treating SCA if accompanied by the correct use of a defibrillator.   However, in this case CPR and AED combined may not have been effective in countering the effects of high blood pressure and high cholesterol in a person who is overweight and does not exercise.CPR and AED treat symptoms, not underlying causes.   Tommy had too many health risk factors – age, weight, sedentary lifestyle, and two severe health conditions – to justify a case of negligence against Silver’s Gym.Defibrillators can and do help save lives.   When gyms and sports facilities have defibrillator equipment on-sight, proper use of the equipment can prevent some unexpected de aths.   It is important that there be trained personnel on sight who know how to administer first aid and life saving procedures such as CPR.It is also important that they be trained in proper defibrillator use.  Ã‚   Individuals also have a contributing factor in how well life saving procedures work for them.   When people take more responsibility and become more active in ensuring their personal health, they increase the likelihood that CPR, defibrillators, and EMT protocols will save their lives in extreme emergencies.Negligence occurs when gyms and athletic facilities do not have personnel properly trainedCPR and first aid.   Or when there are not enough personnel on hand to monitor and respond to medical emergencies in those facilities.   However, one cannot expect anyone, even well trained and highly skilled doctors to prevent death when several risk factors exist in one person.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Reflective Account of Nursing Placement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reflective Account of Nursing Placement - Essay Example f nursing practice was to turn these perceptions and expectations head over heels and make me realize that the nursing profession was not just the acquiring of skills and knowledge, but involved a deeper understanding of the individual seeking care in the face of illness. I intend using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to provide an understanding of this incident. The reason for this choice is that the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is a suitable model for reflecting on incidents that occur to an individual and the possible impact this experience has on future action of the individual (Reflective Practice). I was posted in a ward that cared for both male and female adult patients in keeping with my choice of posting. After nearly a month of my posting a Moslem woman was admitted into my ward. She was forty-eight years old. She was suffering from diabetes mellitus and had not maintained her diet, exercise and insulin regime. As a result she had developed an ulcer at her right calf. Her treatment included injections of insulin, a strict diet and medicated dressings and positioning of the infected foot. Once she was settled in her bed I attempted to communicate with her. I found her totally unresponsive. I was irked, more so irritated with this uncooperative patient. I decided I would do the needful and if she cooperated well and good for her. I had to record her blood pressure immediately. I tried to tell her that I needed to take her blood pressure. She hardly paid heed to her. I decided that there was no point in talking to her and got down to the business end taking her blood pressure. The moment I touched her, she became violently remonstrative. Fed up with the situation I went to the nursing supervisor to complain about the uncooperative patient. The nursing supervisor decided to come and see for herself. I found my patient willing to meet the eyes of my supervisor, but not responding to anything she said. A little later the supervisor turned round and told me that the

Friday, September 27, 2019

Impact of H&M Mobile Application on Consumer Behaviour Essay

Impact of H&M Mobile Application on Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example The Hennes clothing store started its operations in the year 1947 in Vasteras, Sweden. In the initiation process the store only provided clothes for women, but with the passage of time and demand of the public the business also included the mens and kids clothes. The stores have stated many brands including the H&M, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday and other stories. The company also provides fashion products for home and the store named H&M Home (H&M, 2015). The company started expanding in the local market and the second store was opened in Stockholm, the brand started to expand to the international market and in the year 1964 the store was opened in Norway. In the year 1968 the founder of Hennes acquired Mauritz Widforss and converted the name of Hennes to Hennes & Mauritz. The business got listed in the year 1974 and the first store in UK was established in 1976. The product was heavily demanded in many countries outside Sweden and therefore the brand was introduced in Netherland and Germany. The company continued to expand to Europe, the company also expanded their business to online market and the catalogue sales also started in the year 2006 (H&M, 2015). The company expanded its operations to Asia, including stores in Hong Kong and Shanghai and other stores in Japan. Till the year 2014 the brand reached to approximately all the big countries all over the world. The company once established as a women clothing store relatively dive rsified to mens and kids fashion clothing. The company was providing their products only through their stores and online site but the management realized the importance of mobile applications and worked on developing the mobile app to provide accessibility to their customers.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Growth of Crime Prevention in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Growth of Crime Prevention in the UK - Essay Example The essay will also discuss some of the key events and conflicts that have led to the development of these policies from the 80s to date. Finally, it shall discuss the limits to crime prevention as a strategy for controlling crime in Britain. The State Welfare Crisis Lea (1997) notes that the 1997 election of the conservative government under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher is significant in the development of the UK’s social policy. After the Second World War ended all the way to the 70s, a consensus was stuck embracing both the Conservative and Labor parties. The two parties came together in thought in what historians refer to the Keynesian Welfare state. The Labour party’s policy was based on the assumption that the economic policy of Keynesian would guarantee citizens full employment and economic growth. This would help in the elimination of poverty as well as associated social problems (Gilling 1997 p.35-66). Secondly, the Labour party campaigned on the ground that if elected to power, it would introduce a substantive system that respects social rights including the right to state education, healthcare, a minimum wage, and better housing. This in turn would ensure a cohesive, homogenous and stable economy. Lea (1997) reveals that around the 1960s, it became apparent that the zones within UK that still experienced high poverty rates, economic backwardness, and increasing rates of small criminal activities were opposed to the incorporation of general affluence. Because of this, they were associated with ‘social pathology’. These areas, which include decaying central city, and older industrial areas were perceived to be in need of strategic and decisive intervention of experts’ social engineering, that includes education, social work and skill training intervention in family pathology as well as at the additional economic resources level among others (Gilling 1997 p.35-66). Under the above spectrum of policies, criminalit y occupied a minor position (Lea, 1997). Lea notes that the rate of crime was relatively low even in places that were underdeveloped. Juvenile delinquency was not given much attention as it was seen as a maturity state from childhood to adulthood (lea, 1997). In this case, the main issue with regard to criminal justice policy between 1950 and 60s were those of penal reform (Gilling 1997 p 45-67). Lea notes that juvenile delinquents were mainly treated based on a strong philosophy that advocated for social reintegration. This was done through welfare, rehabilitation therapy, and special education instead of punishment as prescribed by the judicial system. Towards the end of 1970s, the new strategy developed by Keynesian Welfare State concerned severe political and ideological crisis (Lea 1997). To begin with, it was evident that the strategy had failed to do away with social iniquity and eliminate poverty. When Thatcher government came into power, it laid an elaborate decisive ideolo gy transforming the welfare state from providing ineffective solutions to crime to fighting social injustice by establishing their root causes (Lea 1997). In this case, the philosophy of social collectivism and the welfare state were perceived to undermine the cultural entrepreneurship which had at one time transformed UK to a dynamic society. Under the Thatcher government, the increase in criminal activities and poverty were perceived as the result of dependence on welfare

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Independent Creative Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Independent Creative Writing - Essay Example I have created my time capsule keeping this fact in mind. It would be difficult to write about the culturally diverse American society and for this reason, a DVD should be made that would record the different aspects of the American society. These different aspects would be personal, business and recreational society. For this purpose, the video recorder will have to visit different homes, business centers including the White House and popular recreational spots including fast food joints such as McDonald’s. This DVD would be the main object of the time capsule. To ensure that the DVD is playable, a DVD player would also be included in the time capsule. Along with the DVD, an album of pictures will also be put in the time capsule. This album will have pictures of popular spots that are idolized by the society including Hollywood, fast food joints, stadiums, and theaters etc. The composition of the pictures would be such that the essence of the place is captured, that is, stadium during a football match. I would also include a recent newspaper. This newspaper will cover most aspects of the contemporary American society including the most recent headlines and the opinions of leading journalists on the pressing problems of today’s society.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Robotic Surgery Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Robotic Surgery - Research Paper Example drug administration for use in both pediatric and adult robotic surgery procedures in areas such as thoracoscopically-assited cardiotomy procedures, general non-cardiovuscular thoracosopic surgeries, general laparoscopic surgeries and urological surgeries (Lowes, 2014). The 1st federally approved robotic surgery was performed at a Virginia hospital, a day after the food and drug administration regulators approved the procedure. The approval of the 1st robotic surgery enabled the doctors to get rid of the gall bladder and conduct some other procedures through utilization of a laparoscope, which is a tube that in introduced into the abdomen through very tiny incisions. At the end of the tubes are miniature cameras and surgical instruments that permit surgeons to perform procedures after peering into the body. The AESOP system was approved in 1990 followed by the approval of da Vinci Surgery System in 2000. The approval of da Vinci surgical systems, a robotic system, by the Food and drug administration enabled doctors to use foot pedals on a console and hand grips to control three robotic arms that actually performs the laparoscopic surgery through utilization of a variety of tools. The approval was based on a review of clinical studies of effectivene ss and safety submitted by the manufacturers and on the recommendation of the plastic and general surgical devices panel of the Food and drug administration’s medical devices advisory committee. The food and drugs administration focused on various issues before approving the utilization of the robotic technology in surgery. Some of the obstacles faced by the robotic surgery in obtaining the approval of the FDAs included showing that the technology had more advantages than as compared to other forms of surgery. Other obstacles entailed ensuring that enough training was conducted to some of the physicians. Before approving the technology, the company that produced the da Vinci system had to sponsor sufficient testing

Monday, September 23, 2019

Magnesium alloys - AK80 and ZK60 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Magnesium alloys - AK80 and ZK60 - Essay Example Magnesium alloys like Mg ZK60 and Mg AK80 have occupied the essential demands for automotive Mg parts. Car structural parts are essentially produced from energy absorption materials with reasonable elongation, high yield strength and most importantly high impact energy. A type of alloys called Wrought Mg alloys have the potential to serve these needs better then the die cast Mg alloys. 1 more benefit of using alloys is â€Å"The use of Wrought Mg parts in vehicles will cause weight saving up to an average of 30% compared to Aluminum and 70% compared to steel. Magnesium alloys are in demand now days for the properties like low density, high melting and boiling point, high specific strength, good electromagnetic shielding characteristics, excellent castability and machinability. Magnesium AZ80 Structure Magnesium ZK60 Structure Types of Alloys Magnesium alloys are divided mainly in 2 types. First type is Cast Alloys. Magnesium casting  proof stress  is mainly 75-200  MPa,  ten sile strength is between  135-285  MPa and elongation 2-10%. Common  density  is 1800  kg/m3  and  Young's modulus  is 42 GPa. Some of the most popular and common alloys are AZ63, AZ81, AZ91, ZK51, ZK61, Elektron 21. Second is Wrought Alloys. Magnesium wrought alloy proof stress mainly coincides between 160 and 240  MPa, tensile strength is 180-440  MPa and elongation remains 7-40%. ... Like (A= aluminum, Z= Zinc, M= Manganese, S= Silicon) and remaining the two digits after the letters indicates towards the percent composition respectively. For an example – If the given alloy is AZ63, we can predict that the two elements, Aluminum and Zink are present in the alloy and the percent composition of both the metals is 6% and 3% respectively. Specification Physical properties of Alloys Magnesium and its alloys mainly have silvery and white shades. As discussed above, Magnesium is the lightest structural metal present. So the alloys of magnesium are used to build structures like automobiles and massive buildings. As magnesium being reactive in nature, the alloy of magnesium is used for the building purposes. Magnesium and its alloys can be fabricated very easily. Pieces of Magnesium’s alloys can be welded, molded, cut and shaped according to requirement. Magnesium is the 6th most found element in nature, consisting of 2.1% of the earth’s crust. Common density of Magnesium alloys is 1800 Kg/m3. Relative Intensity of Magnesium Chemical properties of Alloys: - Magnesium is present in 2nd group and 3rd period of the periodic table, having atomic no as 12. Its average atomic mass is 24.035 gm. The boiling point of magnesium in standard conditions is 1090 degree Celsius or 1994 degree Fahrenheit. Magnesium is one of the most reactive metals present in the periodic table that is why; generally magnesium is not present in Free State on the earth. This is 1 of the need to form the alloys. The alloys of Magnesium like AZ80 and ZK60 have high melting and boiling points as compared to Magnesium. Alloys have higher stable condition and can be kept freely in the atmosphere. Uses of the given alloys Variety of the stock for subsequent working

Sunday, September 22, 2019

London Stock Market and Capital Budgeting Essay

London Stock Market and Capital Budgeting - Essay Example Winning in business is characterised by net profits. There are two ways of generating funds. They are borrowing and investing. The best place to invest funds is visiting the London Stock Exchange. The following paragraphs explains clearly why investing in capital assets is a risk that can be tailored to generate profits and not left to chance (Datta, and Jones 1999, 21). The above computation shows that sales for the first year is 7,000,000. The direct materials and variable operating expenses amount is 2,500,000. The direct labor amount is 2,000,000. The factory overhead is arrived at by multiplying the direct labor amount by fifty percent. The amount arrived at is 1,000,000. The annual depreciation of 675,000 is arrived at by dividing the investment cost of the equipment amount of 3,375,000 by five years. The net profit result is 825,000.The cash inflow is arrived at by adding back the annual depreciation expense to the net income because there is no actual cash outflow generated by the depreciation expense. The net cash inflow computed for the first year is 1,500,000. This generates a first year present value using the net present value discount table for varying annual cash inflows is 1,485,000(Dayananda et al. 2002, 5). The above computation shows that sales for the second year is 7,700,000. ... The net profit result is 975,000.The cash inflow is arrived at by adding back the annual depreciation expense to the net income because there is no actual cash outflow generated by the depreciation expense. The net cash inflow computed for the second year is 1,650,000. This generates a first year present value using the net present value discount table for varying annual cash inflows is 1,617,000. The above computation shows that sales for the third year is 8,400,000. The direct materials and variable operating expenses amount is 3,000,000. The direct labor amount is 2,400,000. The factory overhead is arrived at by multiplying the direct labor amount by fifty percent. The amount arrived at is 1,200,000. The annual depreciation of 675,000 is arrived at by dividing the investment cost of the equipment amount of 3,375,000 by five years. The net profit result is 1,125,000.The cash inflow is arrived at by adding back the annual depreciation expense to the net income because there is no actual cash outflow generated by the depreciation expense. The net cash inflow computed for the second year is 1,800,000. This generates a first year present value using the net present value discount table for varying annual cash inflows is 1,747,000. The above computation shows that sales for the fourth year is 6,300,000. The direct materials and variable operating expenses amount is 2,250,000. The direct labor amount is 1,800,000. The factory overhead is arrived at by multiplying the direct labor amount by fifty percent. The amount arrived at is 900,000. The annual depreciation of 675,000 is arrived at by dividing the investment cost

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Cybercrime technology Essay Example for Free

Cybercrime technology Essay People rationally choose to participate in criminal   acts;  in order to   prevent these acts from occurring people need to know that consequences will outweigh the benefits. If people believe that the consequences outweigh the benefits t hen they will   freely choose not to participate in the criminal behavior. On the other hand the positive   school of criminology believes that individuals participate in crime because of forces beyond individual control and relies on the scientific method to prove   it s theories (Cullen Agnew, 2006  ). Individuals should not  be held solely responsible for their actions   because not everyone is rational. Outside factors can play an important part in determining one‟s participation in crime. Now that we have exami ned the two most   dominant schools of criminological theory we can examine how two theories, self   control and routine activity, have been applied to the study of cybercrime and cybercrime victimization. Self Control  Theory  One general crime theory that has been applied to the study of cybercrime is  self   control theory. Self   control theory was first proposed by Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson in their 1990 publication A General Theory of Crime  . Self  Ã‚  control theory   beli  eves that criminal motivation is rampant, but that people act on this motivation only when they possess low self  Ã‚  control   (Cullen Agnew, 2006)  . This paper will discuss the   basic elements of self   control theory, as well as research that has provided eviden ce to   support the validity of this theory. Then this section will review empirical studies that have applied self  Ã‚  control theory  to the stu  dy of cybercrime and cyber victimization  and   will dis  cuss the benefits  of applying this theory to the study of cyberc  rime. Cybercrime 28 In their book, A General Theory of Crime , Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson describe the major characteristics that define individuals with and without self control (1990). Individual‟s with low self control are â€Å" impulsive, insensitive, physica l (as opposed to mental), risk   taking, short sighted, and nonverbal, and they will   tend therefore to engage in criminal and analogous acts .† (Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990) People with characteristics of low self   control may be more likely to participate in  deviant acts because they want immediate gratification. As compared to individuals who lack self   control, individuals with self   control are able to delay immediate gratification   and are more likely to be vigilant, emotional, verbal, and long   term orientat  ed (Hirschi   Gottfredson, 1990). Individuals who possess characteristics of self   control may be better   able to appreciate the consequences of participating in   deviant acts and have the control  necessary to delay their gratification. In conclusion, those who lack self   control are more   likely to possess characteristics such as impulsivity a  nd short   sightedness, that make  crime and its immediate gratification more attractive to them, as compared to those who possess characteristics of high self   control such   as being cautious and long   term   orientated.   This brings up an important question, does an individual‟s level of self   control   develop over time or is someone born with one level of self   control that remains the same  throughout his or her lifetime  . According to Hirschi and Gottfredson individuals are  not  born with one certain level of self   control,   rather   they learn self   control most often   through their parents (  Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990  ). An individual does not have only   on  e  level of self   control, as they grow older they may develop a different level of self   control then when they were younger. However, they do suggest that, â€Å"individual Cybercrime 29  differences may have an impact on the prospects for effective socialization† ( Hirschi G  ottfredson, 1990  ). For example, individuals with mental health problems may have a higher probability of not being effectively socialized. The authors believed that self   control is learned through life, but especially while you are a child. The authors   al  so addressed why some individuals possess characteristics of self   control. They suggest that individuals develop characteristics of self   control as a result of   their upbringing (Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). While   parents do not intentionally  teach   their c  hildren  to not have  self   control, the authors  suggest that â€Å"  in order to teach the child   self   control, someone must (1) monitor the child‟s behavior; (2) recognize deviant behavior when it occurs; and (3) punish such behaviorall that is required to activat e the   system is affection for or investment in the child  .† (Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990) They   suggest that a deficiency in any one of these categories will inadvertently allow the child to develop characteristics of low self   control (Hirschi Gottfredson , 1990).   Characteristics of low self   control can be the result of ineffective parenting. Low self   control makes crime more attractive to individuals who possess learned characteristics such as impulsivity and lack of responsibility. Good parenting is impo  rtant in developing   individuals who possess high levels of self   control, however good parenting can only   occur if parents care about their children and are able to monitor, recognize, and effectively punish their children for deviant behavior. Self  Ã‚  control theory  has been the subject of many empirical studies, which have   attempted to test the validity of the theory in explaining crime (Pratt Cullen 200 0; Pratt, Turner Piquero 2004; Perrone, Sullivan, Pratt, Margaryan 2004 ; Turner,   Piquero, Pratt 20  05; Reisig Pratt 2011;   Deng Zheng 1998 ) . In 2000, Pratt and

Friday, September 20, 2019

Feminism With Analysis Of Women Characters English Literature Essay

Feminism With Analysis Of Women Characters English Literature Essay Virginia Woolf was born in 1882, the youngest daughter of the large and talented Stephen family. Her father Leslie Stephen was a critic, biographer, and philosopher. Her mother, Julia Stephen, was a daughter of the novelist William Makepeace Thacker. So, Virginia Woolf was destined to be a writer. Although at these times only the boys were allowed to have the formal education, she was lucky to take advantage from her fathers rich library. Besides, Virginia Woolf was a manic-depressive; primary cause is that she couldnt tolerate the absurdity of life and she was under the influence of the psychological stress caused by war. She feared that her madness would return and she would not be able to continue writing. Woolf committed suicide by drowning herself in a river in March 1941. Virginia Woolf is a pioneer of feminism. Since her death, she is acknowledged as one of the major novelists of the 20th century, and best known for her  stream of consciousness  method, which gives readers the impression of being inside the mind of the character and an internal view, that she had used in her novel Mrs. Dalloway. Mrs. Dalloway originally published in 1925, is a novel containing the themes; war, death, communication and especially feminism -the pressure on women and the roles of women of the time period-. It is clear that Virginia Woolf was aware of the problems and loss of the modern life and Mrs. Dalloway criticizes the patriarchal culture. Actually 1920s brought new and exciting cultural innovations that shifted womens attention from politics into social life. Shannon Forbes mention this in her article as; The concept of performance is key to understanding the way gender for Woolf is a social construct stemming for women from their struggle to identify and simultaneously oppose the Victorian ideology forcing them to equate their identity with a corresponding and acceptable Victorian role(Forbes, 50). She portrayed different types of women in various contexts. She opened womens eyes on their inferior status and provided them with a female tradition to rely on. The novel is very successful sh owing the intellectual commitment to political, social and feminist principles. The story takes place in just one day of the life of Clarissa Dalloway, who is thinking about her true feelings, her past life, her decisions, the pressure that the society enforces on her and the women roles while planning a party for the evening. The feminist tone is established from the very beginning of the novel. On this day Peter Walsh, the most important love-story of Clarissas life, comes unexpectedly. Clarissa cannot prevent herself from thinking about Peter and the old days before her marriage. They used to love each others but their relationship ended with a failure. Peter was always trying to dominate and have a total control in Clarissas life, however Clarissa want a little freedom in their relationship, she believes that the privacy is an indispensable element in a relationship and without it psychologically she could not afford a marriage. Thats why she rejected Peters marriage proposal. She gives reasons for rejecting him and marrying Richard like; For in marriage a little license, a little independence there must be between people living together day in day out in the same house; which Richard gave her, and she him (where was he this morning, for instance? Some committee, she never asked what.) But with Peter e verything had to be shared, everything gone into (7). Clarissa rejected Peter because his love was too possessive and domineering. Furthermore, Peter could not provide the gentleness and the love that Clarissa need and deserve. Dialogues between herself and Peter in Clarissas memories, shows that although he loved her, he did not conceal his feelings, but he would humor her; It was the state of the world that interested him; Wagner, Popes poetry, peoples characters eternally, and the defects of her own soul. How he scolded her! How they argued! She would marry a Prime Minister and stand at the top of a staircase; the perfect hostess he called her (she had cried over it in her bedroom), she had the makings of the perfect hostess, he said(7). Although Clarissa is portrayed as a suppressed women character who has no intellectual interest but knows very well how to succeed in social relationships and how to welcome guests, the big decision about not to marrying Peter who did not give he r independence and sufficient love, strongly indicates that she is a powerful and quite intelligent women. Hereby Clarissa may seem by society like a classical women of the 1920s, perfect wife and mother who welcome guests in her lovely house, supports her happy family, pleases her husband, but once in the novel enters her mind with the stream of consciousness  method and made the reader learn her true feelings and thoughts, it is understood that she is much more than a house wife, she has her own feelings, ideologies and beliefs. Later on, Sally Seton who is an old friend -and lover- of Clarissa, exists mostly just as figure in her memory in the novel, appears at Clarissas party. She is a modern woman who does not care about the customs, traditions and classic social role of women. Throughout the novel it is stated that she smokes, runs naked in the corridors of cottages, and travels by boat in midnights in other words lives in the way that she wants. She is also against the bourgeoisie and the noble class further she always depends freedom for women; so she has her own political views and ideologies that she does not fear to express. She is an anti-patriarchal woman. She asserted herself as a woman and demanded equal rights for women. Sally was Clarissas inspiration to push her to think beyond the walls of Bourton, read and philosophize. There they sat, hour after hour, talking about life, how they were to reform the world. They meant to found a society to abolish private property(33). Ä °n the novel, Sally Seaton is the symbol of the feminism ideology. She defends the women rights and rejects the patriarchal culture. There are indications in the novel that some women were beginning to take on roles of power in those days. For instance, Lady Bruton was a lady in a position of power.   She is a sixty-two years old woman, who is famous with the passion for politics. She speaks like a man, acts with tough attitudes. She is also represented as a selfish, noble, strong, brave and proud woman. Lady Brutons strong independence as a leader shows the movement towards tolerance of women being in power. With the characterization of Lady Bruton, it is denoted that being strong and independent as a women is not impossible and is not a crime. In Mrs. Dalloway, the dark picture of patriarchal society is portrayed through Septimus Rezia relationship. The sense of a wifes duty is also demonstrated in the character Rezia wife of Septimus Smith the mentally disturbed soldier  returned from the war. Rezia, although she loves her husband very much, and cannot imagine living without him, feels the burden of having to care for her ill husband. The terrible influence of patriarchy is effectively portrayed through the presentation of Rezias lives. She is a victim of the cruelty of the social and political doctrine of the English society and their only guilt is that they are merely women. What is really tragic about Rezia is not her husbands death, but the unfriendly manner in which the world treats her. Once again, Woolf describes the inequalities of life and the pressures that society puts on women. Another example of the unconventional woman is portrayed through the character of Elizabeth Dalloway, the daughter of the Dalloway family. In the novel she is descripted as a very beautiful girl and many boys in London like her. But Elizabeth  is extremely  angry with the mens attitude toward her. She prefers to be recognized with her intelligence rather than her beauty. Unlike her mother, she does not care about the tea parties, dinners and meetings. With a sudden impulse, with a violent anguish, for this woman was taking her daughter from her, Clarissa leant over the banisters and cried out, Remember the party! Remember our party to- night. But Elizabeth had already opened the front door; there was a van passing; she didnt answer(130). Elizabeth has ambitions to have a career and a professional life. She has planned to be a doctor, farmer, or to go into Parliament. She is important in the novel since she is like the delegate of the new generations feminism and she represents th e future life that women and men have equal places in the society. Ä °n conclusion, there are many female characters in the book. Some of them seem like weak woman and some are strong in a male dominated society. However with the deep examinations of all of them, it is explicated that they all have strong feelings and ideas. Every human is a mixture of his/her concepts, memories, emotions; still, that same human being leaves behind as many different impressions as there are people who associate with that person. Furthermore, Woolf evokes in her journals the following question: If everyones impression of another is just a fragment of the whole, what is the real world like?(57)

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay --

In this topic I’m going to analyze quality of life in Dubai.Dubai is one of the most developed city andit is suitable city for life, because everything is high-quality. Also in this essay I will seek to evaluate the positive and negative impacts of quality of life in Dubai, with count: population, social factors, environmental factor, economy factors. Population Actuallynumber of citizen in Dubai is 17% of general population. General population in Dubai is 2.106 million, hence 1.748 million(83%) people are immigrants, such as 52.2% Indian, 13.3% Pakistani, 7.5% Bangladeshi, 2.5% Filipino, 1.5% Sri Lankan, 0.3% American and 5.7% other countries. Everybody knows that UAE is very successful by plenty of oil, free trade and immovable market, but also on using low-paid labor (immigrants) to create city without big expenses.Government understand situation with less number of citizen and with in every way want to increase them and improve life of own citizen. Social Factors: 1)Immigration 1 dollar = 3.67 AED (dirham) As well as known,using immigrants is more cheap than using citizen (i...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Animal Cruelty :: Psychology, Conduct Disorder

For one to completely understand animal cruelty one must know how animal cruelty is categorized. Animal cruelty was first categorized as a symptom of conduct disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1987 (McPhedran; 2008). Conduct disorder is defined as â€Å"a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others are major age appropriate societal norms or rules are violated† (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). To be diagnosed with conduct disorder, a person must have at least 3 of the 15 symptoms of the disorder presented. Other symptoms of conduct disorder include persistent patterns of aggression towards humans, lying and deception, theft and/or robbery, and destruction of property (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). There is variety of studies that shows that their factors that influence people’s judgments about cruelty. Attitudes about abuse and neglect can be reliably differentiated among both men and women; women tend to more empathic towards the animals that were abused; men and women differ with the regard to the structure of their attitude (Henry; 2008). The attitude about animal abuse differ between women and men is because men reflect a lower level of empathy than women, and that can result in men judging acts of violence differently (Pakaslanhti & Keltikanga- Jarvinen; 1997 as cited as Henry; 2008). Research has found that women have a stronger and broader moral strictures against aggression than men do (Perry, Perry & Rasmussen; 1986 as cited as Henry; 2008). Women appear to have a broader scope of what constitutes cruelty than men. When it comes to punishing people for abusing animals’ research showed that women recommended harsher punishments for acts of animal abuse than men and that recommended punishments were harsher when the victim was a puppy compared to when the victim was a chicken (Henry; 2008). When it comes to be mind set of describing animal abuse the type of animals was similar and it depended on the type of animal that was victimized for them to consider it was animal cruelty (Henry; 2008). A person mood at the moment of being questioned about punishment for animal cruelty depended if they wanted punishment are not. Results indicated that participants in a positive mood-state recommended harsher punishments for animal cruelty for the perpetrator of the abuse (Henry; 2008). People also recommended harsher punishment when the animal-victim was perceived as being more similar to humans (Henry; 2008). Animal Cruelty :: Psychology, Conduct Disorder For one to completely understand animal cruelty one must know how animal cruelty is categorized. Animal cruelty was first categorized as a symptom of conduct disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1987 (McPhedran; 2008). Conduct disorder is defined as â€Å"a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others are major age appropriate societal norms or rules are violated† (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). To be diagnosed with conduct disorder, a person must have at least 3 of the 15 symptoms of the disorder presented. Other symptoms of conduct disorder include persistent patterns of aggression towards humans, lying and deception, theft and/or robbery, and destruction of property (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). There is variety of studies that shows that their factors that influence people’s judgments about cruelty. Attitudes about abuse and neglect can be reliably differentiated among both men and women; women tend to more empathic towards the animals that were abused; men and women differ with the regard to the structure of their attitude (Henry; 2008). The attitude about animal abuse differ between women and men is because men reflect a lower level of empathy than women, and that can result in men judging acts of violence differently (Pakaslanhti & Keltikanga- Jarvinen; 1997 as cited as Henry; 2008). Research has found that women have a stronger and broader moral strictures against aggression than men do (Perry, Perry & Rasmussen; 1986 as cited as Henry; 2008). Women appear to have a broader scope of what constitutes cruelty than men. When it comes to punishing people for abusing animals’ research showed that women recommended harsher punishments for acts of animal abuse than men and that recommended punishments were harsher when the victim was a puppy compared to when the victim was a chicken (Henry; 2008). When it comes to be mind set of describing animal abuse the type of animals was similar and it depended on the type of animal that was victimized for them to consider it was animal cruelty (Henry; 2008). A person mood at the moment of being questioned about punishment for animal cruelty depended if they wanted punishment are not. Results indicated that participants in a positive mood-state recommended harsher punishments for animal cruelty for the perpetrator of the abuse (Henry; 2008). People also recommended harsher punishment when the animal-victim was perceived as being more similar to humans (Henry; 2008).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Black House Chapter One

1 RIGHT HERE AND NOW, as an old friend used to say, we are in the fluid present, where clear-sightedness never guarantees perfect vision. Here: about two hundred feet, the height of a gliding eagle, above Wisconsin's far western edge, where the vagaries of the Mississippi River declare a natural border. Now: an early Friday morning in mid-July a few years into both a new century and a new millennium, their wayward courses so hidden that a blind man has a better chance of seeing what lies ahead than you or I. Right here and now, the hour is just past six A.M., and the sun stands low in the cloudless eastern sky, a fat, confident yellow-white ball advancing as ever for the first time toward the future and leaving in its wake the steadily accumulating past, which darkens as it recedes, making blind men of us all. Below, the early sun touches the river's wide, soft ripples with molten highlights. Sunlight glints from the tracks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad running between the riverbank and the backs of the shabby two-story houses along County Road Oo, known as Nailhouse Row, the lowest point of the comfortable-looking little town extending uphill and eastward beneath us. At this moment in the Coulee Country, life seems to be holding its breath. The motionless air around us carries such remarkable purity and sweetness that you might imagine a man could smell a radish pulled out of the ground a mile away. Moving toward the sun, we glide away from the river and over the shining tracks, the backyards and roofs of Nailhouse Row, then a line of Harley-Davidson motorcycles tilted on their kickstands. These unprepossessing little houses were built, early in the century recently vanished, for the metal pourers, mold makers, and crate men employed by the Pederson Nail factory. On the grounds that working stiffs would be unlikely to complain about the flaws in their subsidized accommodations, they were constructed as cheaply as possible. (Pederson Nail, which had suffered multiple hemorrhages during the fifties, finally bled to death in 1963.) The waiting Harleys suggest that the factory hands have been replaced by a motorcycle gang. The uniformly ferocious appearance of the Harleys' owners, wild-haired, bushy-bearded, swag-bellied men sporting earrings, black leather jackets, and less than the full complement of teeth, would seem to support this assumption. Like most assumptions, this one emb odies an uneasy half-truth. The current residents of Nailhouse Row, whom suspicious locals dubbed the Thunder Five soon after they took over the houses along the river, cannot so easily be categorized. They have skilled jobs in the Kingsland Brewing Company, located just out of town to the south and one block east of the Mississippi. If we look to our right, we can see â€Å"the world's largest six-pack,† storage tanks painted over with gigantic Kingsland Old-Time Lager labels. The men who live on Nailhouse Row met one another on the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois, where all but one were undergraduates majoring in English or philosophy. (The exception was a resident in surgery at the UI-UC university hospital.) They get an ironic pleasure from being called the Thunder Five: the name strikes them as sweetly cartoonish. What they call themselves is â€Å"the Hegelian Scum.† These gentlemen form an interesting crew, and we will make their acquaintance later on. For now, we have time only to note the hand-painted posters taped to the fronts of several houses, two lamp poles, and a couple of abandoned buildings. The posters say: FISHERMAN, YOU BETTER PRAY TO YOUR STINKING GOD WE DON'T CATCH YOU FIRST! REMEMBER AMY! From Nailhouse Row, Chase Street runs steeply uphill between listing buildings with worn, unpainted facades the color of fog: the old Nelson Hotel, where a few impoverished residents lie sleeping, a blank-faced tavern, a tired shoe store displaying Red Wing workboots behind its filmy picture window, a few other dim buildings that bear no indication of their function and seem oddly dreamlike and vaporous. These structures have the air of failed resurrections, of having been rescued from the dark westward territory although they were still dead. In a way, that is precisely what happened to them. An ocher horizontal stripe, ten feet above the sidewalk on the facade of the Nelson Hotel and two feet from the rising ground on the opposed, ashen faces of the last two buildings, represents the high-water mark left behind by the flood of 1965, when the Mississippi rolled over its banks, drowned the railroad tracks and Nailhouse Row, and mounted nearly to the top of Chase Street. Where Chase rises above the flood line and levels out, it widens and undergoes a transformation into the main street of French Landing, the town beneath us. The Agincourt Theater, the Taproom Bar & Grille, the First Farmer State Bank, the Samuel Stutz Photography Studio (which does a steady business in graduation photos, wedding pictures, and children's portraits) and shops, not the ghostly relics of shops, line its blunt sidewalks: Benton's Rexall drugstore, Reliable Hardware, Saturday Night Video, Regal Clothing, Schmitt's Allsorts Emporium, stores selling electronic equipment, magazines and greeting cards, toys, and athletic clothing featuring the logos of the Brewers, the Twins, the Packers, the Vikings, and the University of Wisconsin. After a few blocks, the name of the street changes to Lyall Road, and the buildings separate and shrink into one-story wooden structures fronted with signs advertising insurance offices and travel agencies; after that, the street becomes a highway that glides eastward past a 7-Eleven, the Reinhold T. Grauerhammer VFW Hall, a big farm-implement dealership known locally as Goltz's, and into a landscape of flat, unbroken fields. If we rise another hundred feet into the immaculate air and scan what lies beneath and ahead, we see kettle moraines, coulees, blunted hills furry with pines, loam-rich valleys invisible from ground level until you have come upon them, meandering rivers, miles-long patchwork fields, and little towns one of them, Centralia, no more than a scattering of buildings around the intersection of two narrow highways, 35 and 93. Directly below us, French Landing looks as though it had been evacuated in the middle of the night. No one moves along the sidewalks or bends to insert a key into one of the locks of the shop fronts along Chase Street. The angled spaces before the shops are empty of the cars and pickup trucks that will begin to appear, first by ones and twos, then in a mannerly little stream, an hour or two later. No lights burn behind the windows in the commercial buildings or the unpretentious houses lining the surrounding streets. A block north of Chase on Sumner Street, four matching red-brick buildings of two stories each house, in west-east order, the French Landing Public Library; the offices of Patrick J. Skarda, M.D., the local general practitioner, and Bell & Holland, a two-man law firm now run by Garland Bell and Julius Holland, the sons of its founders; the Heartfield & Son Funeral Home, now owned by a vast, funereal empire centered in St. Louis; and the French Landing Post Office. Separated from these by a wide driveway into a good-sized parking lot at the rear, the building at the end of the block, where Sumner intersects with Third Street, is also of red brick and two stories high but longer than its immediate neighbors. Unpainted iron bars block the rear second-floor windows, and two of the four vehicles in the parking lot are patrol cars with light bars across their tops and the letters FLPD on their sides. The presence of police cars and barred windows seems incongruous in this rural fastness what sort of crime can happen here? Nothing serious, surely; surely nothing worse than a little shoplifting, drunken driving, and an occasional bar fight. As if in testimony to the peacefulness and regularity of small-town life, a red van with the words LA RIVIERE HERALD on its side panels drifts slowly down Third Street, pausing at nearly all of the mailbox stands for its driver to insert copies of the day's newspaper, wrapped in a blue plastic bag, into gray metal cylinders bearing the same words. When the van turns onto Sumner, where the buildings have mail slots instead of boxes, the route man simply throws the wrapped papers at the front doors. Blue parcels thwack against the doors of the police station, the funeral home, and the office buildings. The post office does not get a paper. What do you know, lights are burning behind the front downstairs windows of the police station. The door opens. A tall, dark-haired young man in a pale blue short-sleeved uniform shirt, a Sam Browne belt, and navy trousers steps outside. The wide belt and the gold badge on Bobby Dulac's chest gleam in the fresh sunlight, and everything he is wearing, including the 9mm pistol strapped to his hip, seems as newly made as Bobby Dulac himself. He watches the red van turn left onto Second Street, and frowns at the rolled newspaper. He nudges it with the tip of a black, highly polished shoe, bending over just far enough to suggest that he is trying to read the headlines through the plastic. Evidently this technique does not work all that well. Still frowning, Bobby tilts all the way over and picks up the newspaper with unexpected delicacy, the way a mother cat picks up a kitten in need of relocation. Holding it a little distance away from his body, he gives a quick glance up and down Sumner Street, about-faces smartly, and steps back into the station. We, who in our curiosity have been steadily descending toward the interesting spectacle presented by Officer Dulac, go inside behind him. A gray corridor leads past a blank door and a bulletin board with very little on it to two sets of metal stairs, one going down to a small locker room, shower stalls, and a firing range, the other upward to an interrogation room and two facing rows of cells, none presently occupied. Somewhere near, a radio talk show is playing at a level that seems too loud for a peaceful morning. Bobby Dulac opens the unmarked door and enters, with us on his shiny heels, the ready room he has just left. A rank of filing cabinets stands against the wall to our right, beside them a beat-up wooden table on which sit neat stacks of papers in folders and a transistor radio, the source of the discordant noise. From the nearby studio of KDCU-AM, Your Talk Voice in the Coulee Country, the entertainingly rabid George Rathbun has settled into Badger Barrage, his popular morning broadcast. Good old George sounds too loud for the occasion no matter how low you dial the volume; the guy is just flat-out noisy that's part of his appeal. Set in the middle of the wall directly opposite us is a closed door with a dark pebble-glass window on which has been painted DALE GILBERTSON, CHIEF OF POLICE. Dale will not be in for another half hour or so. Two metal desks sit at right angles to each other in the corner to our left, and from the one that faces us, Tom Lund, a fair-haired officer of roughly his partner's age but without his appearance of having been struck gleaming from the mint five minutes before, regards the bag tweezed between two fingers of Bobby Dulac's right hand. â€Å"All right,† Lund says. â€Å"Okay. The latest installment.† â€Å"You thought maybe the Thunder Five was paying us another social call? Here. I don't want to read the damn thing.† Not deigning to look at the newspaper, Bobby sends the new day's issue of the La Riviere Herald sailing in a flat, fast arc across ten feet of wooden floor with an athletic snap of his wrist, spins rightward, takes a long stride, and positions himself in front of the wooden table a moment before Tom Lund fields his throw. Bobby glares at the two names and various details scrawled on the long chalkboard hanging on the wall behind the table. He is not pleased, Bobby Dulac; he looks as though he might burst out of his uniform through the sheer force of his anger. Fat and happy in the KDCU studio, George Rathbun yells, â€Å"Caller, gimme a break, willya, and get your prescription fixed! Are we talking about the same game here? Caller â€Å" â€Å"Maybe Wendell got some sense and decided to lay off,† Tom Lund says. â€Å"Wendell,† Bobby says. Because Lund can see only the sleek, dark back of his head, the little sneering thing he does with his lip wastes motion, but he does it anyway. â€Å"Caller, let me ask you this one question, and in all sincerity, I want you to be honest with me. Did you actually see last night's game?† â€Å"I didn't know Wendell was a big buddy of yours,† Bobby says. â€Å"I didn't know you ever got as far south as La Riviere. Here I was thinking your idea of a big night out was a pitcher of beer and trying to break one hundred at the Arden Bowl-A-Drome, and now I find out you hang out with newspaper reporters in college towns. Probably get down and dirty with the Wisconsin Rat, too, that guy on KWLA. Do you pick up a lot of punk babes that way?† The caller says he missed the first inning on account of he had to pick up his kid after a special counseling session at Mount Hebron, but he sure saw everything after that. â€Å"Did I say Wendell Green was a friend of mine?† asks Tom Lund. Over Bobby's left shoulder he can see the first of the names on the chalkboard. His gaze helplessly focuses on it. â€Å"It's just, I met him after the Kinderling case, and the guy didn't seem so bad. Actually, I kind of liked him. Actually, I wound up feeling sorry for him. He wanted to do an interview with Hollywood, and Hollywood turned him down flat.† Well, naturally he saw the extra innings, the hapless caller says, that's how he knows Pokey Reese was safe. â€Å"And as for the Wisconsin Rat, I wouldn't know him if I saw him, and I think that so-called music he plays sounds like the worst bunch of crap I ever heard in my life. How did that scrawny pasty-face creep get a radio show in the first place? On the college station? What does that tell you about our wonderful UW?CLa Riviere, Bobby? What does it say about our whole society? Oh, I forgot, you like that shit.† â€Å"No, I like 311 and Korn, and you're so out of it you can't tell the difference between Jonathan Davis and Dee Dee Ramone, but forget about that, all right?† Slowly, Bobby Dulac turns around and smiles at his partner. â€Å"Stop stalling.† His smile is none too pleasant. â€Å"I'm stalling?† Tom Lund widens his eyes in a parody of wounded innocence. â€Å"Gee, was it me who fired the paper across the room? No, I guess not.† â€Å"If you never laid eyes on the Wisconsin Rat, how come you know what he looks like?† â€Å"Same way I know he has funny-colored hair and a pierced nose. Same way I know he wears a beat-to-shit black leather jacket day in, day out, rain or shine.† Bobby waited. â€Å"By the way he sounds. People's voices are full of information. A guy says, Looks like it'll turn out to be a nice day, he tells you his whole life story. Want to know something else about Rat Boy? He hasn't been to the dentist in six, seven years. His teeth look like shit.† From within KDCU's ugly cement-block structure next to the brewery on Peninsula Drive, via the radio Dale Gilbertson donated to the station house long before either Tom Lund or Bobby Dulac first put on their uniforms, comes good old dependable George Rathbun's patented bellow of genial outrage, a passionate, inclusive uproar that for a hundred miles around causes breakfasting farmers to smile across their tables at their wives and passing truckers to laugh out loud: â€Å"I swear, caller, and this goes for my last last caller, too, and every single one of you out there, I love you dearly, that is the honest truth, I love you like my momma loved her turnip patch, but sometimes you people DRIVE ME CRAZY! Oh, boy. Top of the eleventh inning, two outs! Six?Cseven, Reds! Men on second and third. Batter lines to short center field, Reese takes off from third, good throw to the plate, clean tag, clean tag. A BLIND MAN COULDA MADE THAT CALL!† â€Å"Hey, I thought it was a good tag, and I only heard it on the radio,† says Tom Lund. Both men are stalling, and they know it. â€Å"In fact,† shouts the hands-down most popular Talk Voice of the Coulee Country, â€Å"let me go out on a limb here, boys and girls, let me make the following recommendation, okay? Let's replace every umpire at Miller Park, hey, every umpire in the National League, with BLIND MEN! You know what, my friends? I guarantee a sixty to seventy percent improvement in the accuracy of their calls. GIVE THE JOB TO THOSE WHO CAN HANDLE IT THE BLIND!† Mirth suffuses Tom Lund's bland face. That George Rathbun, man, he's a hoot. Bobby says, â€Å"Come on, okay?† Grinning, Lund pulls the folded newspaper out of its wrapper and flattens it on his desk. His face hardens; without altering its shape, his grin turns stony. â€Å"Oh, no. Oh, hell.† â€Å"What?† Lund utters a shapeless groan and shakes his head. â€Å"Jesus. I don't even want to know.† Bobby rams his hands into his pockets, then pulls himself perfectly upright, jerks his right hand free, and clamps it over his eyes. â€Å"I'm a blind guy, all right? Make me an umpire I don't wanna be a cop anymore.† Lund says nothing. â€Å"It's a headline? Like a banner headline? How bad is it?† Bobby pulls his hand away from his eyes and holds it suspended in midair. â€Å"Well,† Lund tells him, â€Å"it looks like Wendell didn't get some sense, after all, and he sure as hell didn't decide to lay off. I can't believe I said I liked the dipshit.† â€Å"Wake up,† Bobby says. â€Å"Nobody ever told you law enforcement officers and journalists are on opposite sides of the fence?† Tom Lund's ample torso tilts over his desk. A thick lateral crease like a scar divides his forehead, and his stolid cheeks burn crimson. He aims a finger at Bobby Dulac. â€Å"This is one thing that really gets me about you, Bobby. How long have you been here? Five, six months? Dale hired me four years ago, and when him and Hollywood put the cuffs on Mr. Thornberg Kinderling, which was the biggest case in this county for maybe thirty years, I can't claim any credit, but at least I pulled my weight. I helped put some of the pieces together.† â€Å"One of the pieces,† Bobby says. â€Å"I reminded Dale about the girl bartender at the Taproom, and Dale told Hollywood, and Hollywood talked to the girl, and that was a big, big piece. It helped get him. So don't you talk to me that way.† Bobby Dulac assumes a look of completely hypothetical contrition. â€Å"Sorry, Tom. I guess I'm kind of wound up and beat to shit at the same time.† What he thinks is: So you got a couple years on me and you once gave Dale this crappy little bit of information, so what, I'm a better cop than you'll ever be. How heroic were you last night, anyhow? At 11:15 the previous night, Armand â€Å"Beezer† St. Pierre and his fellow travelers in the Thunder Five had roared up from Nailhouse Row to surge into the police station and demand of its three occupants, each of whom had worked an eighteen-hour shift, exact details of the progress they were making on the issue that most concerned them all. What the hell was going on here? What about the third one, huh, what about Irma Freneau? Had they found her yet? Did these clowns have anything, or were they still just blowing smoke? You need help? Beezer roared, Then deputize us, we'll give you all the goddamn help you need and then some. A giant named Mouse had strolled smirking up to Bobby Dulac and kept on strolling, jumbo belly to six-pack belly, until Bobby was backed up against a filing cabinet, whereupon the giant Mouse had mysteriously inquired, in a cloud of beer and marijuana, whether Bobby had ever dipped into the works of a gentleman named Jacques Derrida. When Bobby replied that he had never heard of the gentleman, Mouse said, â€Å"No shit, Sherlock,† and stepped aside to glare at the names on the chalkboard. Half an hour later, Beezer, Mouse, and their companions were sent away unsatisfied, undeputized, but pacified, and Dale Gilbertson said he had to go home and get some sleep, but Tom ought to remain, just in case. The regular night men had both found excuses not to come in. Bobby said he would stay, too, no problem, Chief, which is why we find these two men in the station so early in the morning. â€Å"Give it to me,† says Bobby Dulac. Lund picks up the paper, turns it around, and holds it out for Bobby to see: FISHERMAN STILL AT LARGE IN FRENCH LANDING AREA, reads the headline over an article that takes up three columns on the top left-hand side of the front page. The columns of type have been printed against a background of pale blue, and a black border separates them from the remainder of the page. Beneath the head, in smaller print, runs the line Identity of Psycho Killer Baffles Police. Underneath the subhead, a line in even smaller print attributes the article to Wendell Green, with the support of the editorial staff. â€Å"The Fisherman,† Bobby says. â€Å"Right from the start, your friend has his thumb up his butt. The Fisherman, the Fisherman, the Fisherman. If I all of a sudden turned into a fifty-foot ape and started stomping on buildings, would you call me King Kong?† Lund lowers the newspaper and smiles. â€Å"Okay,† Bobby allows, â€Å"bad example. Say I held up a couple banks. Would you call me John Dillinger?† â€Å"Well,† says Lund, smiling even more broadly, â€Å"they say Dillinger's tool was so humongous, they put it in a jar in the Smithsonian. So . . .† â€Å"Read me the first sentence,† Bobby says. Tom Lund looks down and reads: † ? ®As the police in French Landing fail to discover any leads to the identity of the fiendish double murderer and sex criminal this reporter has dubbed â€Å"the Fisherman,† the grim specters of fear, despair, and suspicion run increasingly rampant through the streets of that little town, and from there out into the farms and villages throughout French County, darkening by their touch every portion of the Coulee Country.' â€Å" â€Å"Just what we need,† Bobby says. â€Å"Jee-zus!† And in an instant has crossed the room and is leaning over Tom Lund's shoulder, reading the Herald's front page with his hand resting on the butt of his Glock, as if ready to drill a hole in the article right here and now. † ? ®Our traditions of trust and good neighborliness, our habit of extending warmth and generosity to all [writes Wendell Green, editorializing like crazy], are eroding daily under the corrosive onslaught of these dread emotions. Fear, despair, and suspicion are poisonous to the soul of communities large and small, for they turn neighbor against neighbor and make a mockery of civility. † ? ®Two children have been foully murdered and their remains partially consumed. Now a third child has disappeared. Eight-year-old Amy St. Pierre and seven-year-old Johnny Irkenham fell victim to the passions of a monster in human form. Neither will know the happiness of adolescence or the satisfactions of adulthood. Their grieving parents will never know the grandchildren they would have cherished. The parents of Amy and Johnny's playmates shelter their children within the safety of their own homes, as do parents whose children never knew the deceased. As a result, summer playgroups and other programs for young children have been canceled in virtually every township and municipality in French County. † ? ®With the disappearance of ten-year-old Irma Freneau seven days after the death of Amy St. Pierre and only three after that of Johnny Irkenham, public patience has grown dangerously thin. As this correspondent has already reported, Merlin Graasheimer, fifty-two, an unemployed farm laborer of no fixed abode, was set upon and beaten by an unidentified group of men in a Grainger side street late Tuesday evening. Another such episode occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning, when Elvar Praetorious, thirty-six, a Swedish tourist traveling alone, was assaulted by three men, again unidentified, while asleep in La Riviere's Leif Eriksson Park. Graasheimer and Praetorious required only routine medical attention, but future incidents of vigilantism will almost certainly end more seriously.' â€Å" Tom Lund looks down at the next paragraph, which describes the Freneau girl's abrupt disappearance from a Chase Street sidewalk, and pushes himself away from his desk. Bobby Dulac reads silently for a time, then says, â€Å"You gotta hear this shit, Tom. This is how he winds up: † ? ®When will the Fisherman strike again? † ? ®For he will strike again, my friends, make no mistake. † ? ®And when will French Landing's chief of police, Dale Gilbertson, do his duty and rescue the citizens of this county from the obscene savagery of the Fisherman and the understandable violence produced by his own inaction?' â€Å" Bobby Dulac stamps to the middle of the room. His color has heightened. He inhales, then exhales a magnificent quantity of oxygen. â€Å"How about the next time the Fisherman strikes,† Bobby says, â€Å"how about he goes right up Wendell Green's flabby rear end?† â€Å"I'm with you,† says Tom Lund. â€Å"Can you believe that shinola? ? ®Understandable violence'? He's telling people it's okay to mess with anyone who looks suspicious!† Bobby levels an index finger at Lund. â€Å"I personally am going to nail this guy. That is a promise. I'll bring him down, alive or dead.† In case Lund may have missed the point, he repeats, â€Å"Personally.† Wisely choosing not to speak the words that first come to his mind, Tom Lund nods his head. The finger is still pointing. He says, â€Å"If you want some help with that, maybe you should talk to Hollywood. Dale didn't have no luck, but could be you'd do better.† Bobby waves this notion away. â€Å"No need. Dale and me . . . and you, too, of course, we got it covered. But I personally am going to get this guy. That is a guarantee.† He pauses for a second. â€Å"Besides, Hollywood retired when he moved here, or did you forget?† â€Å"Hollywood's too young to retire,† Lund says. â€Å"Even in cop years, the guy is practically a baby. So you must be the next thing to a fetus.† And on their cackle of shared laughter, we float away and out of the ready room and back into the sky, where we glide one block farther north, to Queen Street. Moving a few blocks east we find, beneath us, a low, rambling structure branching out from a central hub that occupies, with its wide, rising breadth of lawn dotted here and there with tall oaks and maples, the whole of a block lined with bushy hedges in need of a good trim. Obviously an institution of some kind, the structure at first resembles a progressive elementary school in which the various wings represent classrooms without walls, the square central hub the dining room and administrative offices. When we drift downward, we hear George Rathbun's genial bellow rising toward us from several windows. The big glass front door swings open, and a trim woman in cat's-eye glasses comes out into the bright morning, holding a poster in one hand and a roll of tape in the other. She immediately turns around and, with quick, efficient gestures, fixes the poster to the door. Sunlight reflects from a smoky gemstone the size of a hazelnut on the third finger of her right hand. While she takes a moment to admire her work, we can peer over her crisp shoulder and see that the poster announces, in a cheerful burst of hand-drawn balloons, that TODAY IS STRAWBERRY FEST!!!; when the woman walks back inside, we take in the presence, in the portion of the entry visible just beneath the giddy poster, of two or three folded wheelchairs. Beyond the wheelchairs, the woman, whose chestnut hair has been pinned back into an architectural whorl, strides on her high-heeled pumps through a pleasant lobby with blond wooden chairs and matching tables strewn artfully with magazines, marches past a kind of unmanned guardpost or reception desk before a handsome fieldstone wall, and vanishes, with the trace of a skip, through a burnished door marked WILLIAM MAXTON, DIRECTOR. What kind of school is this? Why is it open for business, why is it putting on festivals, in the middle of July? We could call it a graduate school, for those who reside here have graduated from every stage of their existences but the last, which they live out, day after day, under the careless stewardship of Mr. William â€Å"Chipper† Maxton, Director. This is the Maxton Elder Care Facility, once in a more innocent time, and before the cosmetic renovations done in the mid-eighties known as the Maxton Nursing Home, which was owned and managed by its founder, Herbert Maxton, Chipper's father. Herbert was a decent if wishy-washy man who, it is safe to say, would be appalled by some of the things the sole fruit of his loins gets up to. Chipper never wanted to take over â€Å"the family playpen,† as he calls it, with its freight of â€Å"gummers,† â€Å"zombies,† â€Å"bed wetters,† and â€Å"droolies,† and after getting an accounting degree at UW?CLa Riviere (with hard-earned minors in promiscuity, gambling, and beer drinking), our boy accepted a positio n with the Madison, Wisconsin, office of the Internal Revenue Service, largely for the purpose of learning how to steal from the government undetected. Five years with the IRS taught him much that was useful, but when his subsequent career as a freelancer failed to match his ambitions, he yielded to his father's increasingly frail entreaties and threw in his lot with the undead and the droolies. With a certain grim relish, Chipper acknowledged that despite a woeful shortage of glamour, his father's business would at least provide him with the opportunity to steal from the clients and the government alike. Let us flow in through the big glass doors, cross the handsome lobby (noting, as we do so, the mingled odors of air freshener and ammonia that pervade even the public areas of all such institutions), pass through the door bearing Chipper's name, and find out what that well-arranged young woman is doing here so early. Beyond Chipper's door lies a windowless cubicle equipped with a desk, a coatrack, and a small bookshelf crowded with computer printouts, pamphlets, and flyers. A door stands open beside the desk. Through the opening, we see a much larger office, paneled in the same burnished wood as the director's door and containing leather chairs, a glass-topped coffee table, and an oatmeal-colored sofa. At its far end looms a vast desk untidily heaped with papers and so deeply polished it seems nearly to glow. Our young woman, whose name is Rebecca Vilas, sits perched on the edge of this desk, her legs crossed in a particularly architectural fashion. One knee folds over the other, and the calves form two nicely molded, roughly parallel lines running down to the triangular tips of the black high-heeled pumps, one of which points to four o'clock and the other to six. Rebecca Vilas, we gather, has arranged herself to be seen, has struck a pose intended to be appreciated, though certainly not by us. Behind the cat's-eye glasses, her eyes look skeptical and amused, but we cannot see what has aroused these emotions. We assume that she is Chipper's secretary, and this assumption, too, expresses only half of the truth: as the ease and irony of her attitude imply, Ms. Vilas's duties have long extended beyond the purely secretarial. (We might speculate about the source of that nice ring she is wearing; as long as our minds are in the gutter, we will be right on the money.) We float through the open door, follow the direction of Rebecca's increasingly impatient gaze, and find ourselves staring at the sturdy, khaki-clad rump of her kneeling employer, who has thrust his head and shoulders into a good-sized safe, in which we glimpse stacks of record books and a number of manila envelopes apparently stuffed with currency. A few bills flop out of these envelopes as Chipper pulls them from the safe. â€Å"You did the sign, the poster thing?† he asks without turning around. â€Å"Aye, aye,† says Rebecca Vilas. â€Å"And a splendid day it is we shall be havin' for the great occasion, too, as is only roight and proper.† Her Irish accent is surprisingly good, if a bit generic. She has never been anywhere more exotic than Atlantic City, where Chipper used his frequent-flier miles to escort her for five enchanted days two years before. She learned the accent from old movies. â€Å"I hate Strawberry Fest,† Chipper says, dredging the last of the envelopes from the safe. â€Å"The zombies' wives and children mill around all afternoon, cranking them up so we have to sedate them into comas just to get some peace. And if you want to know the truth, I hate balloons.† He dumps the money onto the carpet and begins to sort the bills into stacks of various denominations. â€Å"Only Oi was wonderin', in me simple country manner,† says Rebecca, â€Å"why Oi should be requested to appear at the crack o' dawn on the grand day.† â€Å"Know what else I hate? The whole music thing. Singing zombies and that stupid deejay. Symphonic Stan with his big-band records, whoo boy, talk about thrills.† â€Å"I assume,† Rebecca says, dropping the stage-Irish accent, â€Å"you want me to do something with that money before the action begins.† â€Å"Time for another journey to Miller.† An account under a fictitious name in the State Provident Bank in Miller, forty miles away, receives regular deposits of cash skimmed from patients' funds intended to pay for extra goods and services. Chipper turns around on his knees with his hands full of money and looks up at Rebecca. He sinks back down to his heels and lets his hands fall into his lap. â€Å"Boy, do you have great legs. Legs like that, you ought to be famous.† â€Å"I thought you'd never notice,† Rebecca says. Chipper Maxton is forty-two years old. He has good teeth, all his hair, a wide, sincere face, and narrow brown eyes that always look a little damp. He also has two kids, Trey, nine, and Ashley, seven and recently diagnosed with ADD, a matter Chipper figures is going to cost him maybe two thousand a year in pills alone. And of course he has a wife, his life's partner, Marion, thirty-nine years of age, five foot five, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 190 pounds. In addition to these blessings, as of last night Chipper owes his bookie $13,000, the result of an unwise investment in the Brewers game George Rathbun is still bellowing about. He has noticed, oh, yes he has, Chipper has noticed Ms. Vilas's splendidly cantilevered legs. â€Å"Before you go over there,† he says, â€Å"I was thinking we could kind of stretch out on the sofa and fool around.† â€Å"Ah,† Rebecca says. â€Å"Fool around how, exactly?† â€Å"Gobble, gobble, gobble,† Chipper says, grinning like a satyr. â€Å"You romantic devil, you,† says Rebecca, a remark that utterly escapes her employer. Chipper thinks he actually is being romantic. She slides elegantly down from her perch, and Chipper pushes himself inelegantly upright and closes the safe door with his foot. Eyes shining damply, he takes a couple of thuggish, strutting strides across the carpet, wraps one arm around Rebecca Vilas's slender waist and with the other slides the fat manila envelopes onto the desk. He is yanking at his belt even before he begins to pull Rebecca toward the sofa. â€Å"So can I see him?† says clever Rebecca, who understands exactly how to turn her lover's brains to porridge . . . . . . and before Chipper obliges her, we do the sensible thing and float out into the lobby, which is still empty. A corridor to the left of the reception desk takes us to two large, blond, glass-inset doors marked DAISY and BLUEBELL, the names of the wings to which they give entrance. Far down the gray length of Bluebell, a man in baggy coveralls dribbles ash from his cigarette onto the tiles over which he is dragging, with exquisite slowness, a filthy mop. We move into Daisy. The functional parts of Maxton's are a great deal less attractive than the public areas. Numbered doors line both sides of the corridor. Hand-lettered cards in plastic holders beneath the numerals give the names of the residents. Four doors along, a desk at which a burly male attendant in an unclean white uniform sits dozing upright faces the entrances to the men's and women's bathrooms at Maxton's, only the most expensive rooms, those on the other side of the lobby, in Asphodel, provide anything but a sink. Dirty mop-swirls harden and dry all up and down the tiled floor, which stretches out before us to improbable length. Here, too, the walls and air seem the same shade of gray. If we look closely at the edges of the hallway, at the juncture of the walls and the ceiling, we see spiderwebs, old stains, accumulations of grime. Pine-Sol, ammonia, urine, and worse scent the atmosphere. As an elderly lady in Bluebell wing likes to say, when you live with a bunch of people who are old an d incontinent, you never get far from the smell of caca. The rooms themselves vary according to the conditions and capacities of their inhabitants. Since nearly everyone is asleep, we can glance into a few of these quarters. Here in D10, a single room two doors past the dozing aide, old Alice Weathers lies (snoring gently, dreaming of dancing in perfect partnership with Fred Astaire across a white marble floor) surrounded by so much of her former life that she must navigate past the chairs and end tables to maneuver from the door to her bed. Alice still possesses even more of her wits than she does her old furniture, and she cleans her room herself, immaculately. Next door in D12, two old farmers named Thorvaldson and Jesperson, who have not spoken to each other in years, sleep, separated by a thin curtain, in a bright clutter of family photographs and grandchildren's drawings. Farther down the hallway, D18 presents a spectacle completely opposite to the clean, crowded jumble of D10, just as its inhabitant, a man known as Charles Burnside, could be considered the polar opposite of Alice Weathers. In D18, there are no end tables, hutches, overstuffed chairs, gilded mirrors, lamps, woven rugs, or velvet curtains: this barren room contains only a metal bed, a plastic chair, and a chest of drawers. No photographs of children and grandchildren stand atop the chest, and no crayon drawings of blocky houses and stick figures decorate the walls. Mr. Burnside has no interest in housekeeping, and a thin layer of dust covers the floor, the windowsill, and the chest's bare top. D18 is bereft of history, empty of personality; it seems as brutal and soulless as a prison cell. A powerful smell of excrement contaminates the air. For all the entertainment offered by Chipper Maxton and all the charm of Alice Weathers, it is Charles Burnside, â€Å"Burny,† we have most come to see.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Bruce Dawe “Weapons training” Essay

Bruce Dawe is an Australian born poet that lived during the time of the Vietnam War. He lived through a changing time of social unrest, consumerism, and feminism, and it was all reflected in his poetry. His poetry revolves around the opinions of a society that didn’t agree with politics and created their own culture. The Vietnam War was controversial, as many argued involvement was unnecessary. Bruce did not agree with choices made by hierarchy in regards to the War, and expressed his beliefs through writing. Weapons training and homecoming are both poems that argue against the success of the Vietnam war by using strong imagery to bring the readers emotions into play. Bruce Dawes poem ‘Weapons Training’ is a piece written about experiences of the Vietnam War in an interesting and unconventional way. The poem is written to give the public an idea of what it may be like as a soldier when being addressed to by an instructor. Rather writing a traditional poem with organised sentences devised with proper punctuation and grammatically correct phrases, he uses a predominant amount of slang to carry the tone of the unmannerly instructor. The way Bruce Dawe has refused the typical way of writing further casts a reflection of society’s behaviour at the time. The poem is an example of a sergeant dressing down a squad of recently enlisted recruits for the Vietnam War. References to â€Å"mob of little yellows†, â€Å"a pack of Charlies† and â€Å"their rotten fish-sauce breath† suggest of in-built war propaganda.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Architecture: Classical Greek vs. Medieval Gothic

Architecture: Classical Greek vs. Medieval Gothic Wendy DeLisio HUM_266 September 24, 2012 Taniya Hossain Architecture: Classical Greek vs. Medieval Gothic Looking at the design of different structures throughout the world, one may not realize the beauty of the art in each of them or the ideals on which they were constructed. For example the classical Greek era, 480 BCE – 330 BCE that held the ideals of order, balance, and God like perfection. This type of idealist architecture is seen in the Parthenon temple built in 447-432 BCE (Ancient-Greece. rg, 2012). The temple is built in tribute for the Goddess Athena, Goddess of war and wisdom. It is a post and lintel structure with columns fashioned in Greek Doric style. There are also the beautiful cathedrals built during the Middle Ages in gothic style that give society insight into the culture of that age. The architecture of these times were heavily influenced by religion and Christianity and designed to elevate the spirit of ma n toward God (Apollo Group, Inc. , 2012).One example of this time is the architectural design is the Amiens Cathedral. Originally built in 1152 BCE but was destroyed by fire; reconstruction started in 1220 CE and was completed in 1245 CE (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 2012). In the design of this cathedral it is evident that the architect is influenced by the Christian religion, from the three archways representing the trinity and the middle archway adorned with a statue of Christ, it was built as a place of worship.These remarkable structures, each a piece of art, are both built with divine intentions, stand in stark contrast to each other, influenced by the culture of the age. Although both classic Greek and gothic architectures are built to define the ideals and beliefs of their age and have differences, the classic Greek architecture of order and balance has influenced and are used within the gothic medieval constructions. There are differenc es between the formal and stylistic characteristics of the classic Greek architecture and the gothic rchitecture of the medieval age. Classic Greek architecture is made of stone resting on stone with nothing but pressure holding them together. This is best exemplified in Greek temples, such as the Parthenon. The Parthenon is a post and lintel structure, built of lime stone and marble which were the common building materials of that age (Sporre, 2010). Using these types of materials limited the architect’s use of space. In order for the building to stand without the roof collapsing many columns were needed to hold the roof up.These columns, known as Doric columns because of their style, were made of marble and the pressure of the stone roof resting on them held them together. The Parthenon was with many beautiful states, from the metopes that are a series of carved panels forming the Doric frieze telling stories of the history and battles of the Gods, to the towering statue of the Goddess Athena for which it was built. The Parthenon and other Greek temples were meant to be revered from the outside as a center piece of the city, a monument to the Gods of that age. Gothic architecture, unlike classic Greek, used stone masonry.By using stone masonry they were able to create arches and redistributed the pressure of the stones enabling the structures to be built taller. They also created what is called a buttress and used this to hold up walls and arches as reinforcement. Gothic architecture was considered ethereal and focused on the use of space (Sporre, 2010). A beautiful example of gothic architecture was the Amiens Cathedral. Towering into the heavens, with strong arches, symmetrical lines, and ornate workmanship, this cathedral was a show piece for the city in which it was built and exuded spirituality.These cathedrals were meant to inspire one to look toward the heavens with extremely high ceilings and ornate stain glass window placed strategically towa rd the roof causes one to look upward. Like classic Greek temple, they were adorned with beautiful statues. However, the states were of the Christian Saints, and other religious symbolism. The Amiens Cathedral was meant as place to enter and worship, as were all cathedral of the medieval era. Even though there are differences between these two styles of architecture, they are a testament to evolution of how societies have grown and evolved.One can see this in the similarities of these two styles. Classic Greek architect’s used repetition in the arrangement of the columns holding up the roof of the Parthenon. Gothic architect’s used repetition in the creation of the arches on the facade of the Amiens Cathedral. The gothic cathedrals are built with order and as are the Greek temples. One can see that gothic architecture evolved out of classic Greek. The most interesting aspects of the classic Greek architecture were the way the buildings were constructed with marble ston es and no use of mortar or cement and the beautiful engravings on the metopes are mesmerizing.Gothic architecture is gorgeous. The creation of colored lighting through the placement of stained glass and the construction of the arches holds one captivated. Both styles of architecture are fascinating because of the elaborate detail and styles of construction that it took to create the beautiful structures during those eras. Even though each of these styles have their differences, clearly the classic Greek influences can be seen in the buildings of the medieval time period and in today’s architectural structures.References Ancient-Greece. org. (2012). The Parthenon. Retrieved from http://www. ancient-greece. org/architecture/parthenon. html Apollo Group, Inc. (2012). Medieval Gothic Cathedrals [Online Video]. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/UOPHX/HUM266/art_through_ages. html Sporre, D. J. (2010). Reality Through The Arts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentic e Hall. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. (2012). Amiens Cathedral. Retrieved from http://whc. unesco. org/en/list/162

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Critique of “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals”

Advertisements are part of our daily lives and they are inextricably linked. Since we were young, the world was at our fingertips, bombarded with a society that has been shaped by advertising. Advertisements make a great impact in our lives that influence our decision-making and buying habits, even changing our perception of certain products or services. â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals† is an informative and educational article, which is written by Jib Fowles, a professor of Communication at the University of Houston Clear Lake. This article first appeared in Etc.39:3 (1982) and was reprinted in the college textbook – Advertising and Popular Culture (1996). In the â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals†, Fowles provides readers with a set of information that discusses how advertising contains certain unconscious emotional appeals which fall into fifteen distinguishable categories. Besides that, he also explains how advertisers try to in fluence consumers through various physiological and psychological levels. This article educates advertisers and college students who are majoring in advertising on how to make effective advertisements.Also, Fowles analyzes tactics that advertisers use and gives readers his opinions and suggestions on how to make an advertisement more effective (539-556). To provide a good source of information, the author himself should be credible in order to make readers believe that his article contains credible and valuable information. Not only is the credibility of the author important, but also the content of the article should be thorough and detailed so that it can help readers get good quality information. Finally, Fowles did a great job organizing his article.It was easy for readers to follow his steps throughout the whole article because of the sub-tittles he provided for each appeal. Based on these criteria’s, I believe Fowles’ article is a good source of information for r eaders and the information and general knowledge of advertising that he provided might be helpful for advertisers and students in the future. Jib Fowles, who is a professor of Communication at the University of Houston Clear Lake, has been working in the social science field for over 30 years.Fowles has written an abundant amount of articles and books on popular media; such as Mass Advertising as Social Forecast: A method for Futures Research (1976), Why Viewers Watch: A Reappraisal of Television’s Effects (1992) and The Case of Television Violence (1999)(539). All of his articles and books have appeared in publications, proving that Fowles has the ability to gain exposure of his articles to the public. Besides that, Fowles, used to work with Henry A. Murray who is a psychologist at the Harvard Psychological Clinic where Murray and his colleagues conduct the full taxonomy of need (Fowles 543).As Fowles has demonstrated his expertise in the social science area and provided rea ders with his teaching and working experience as a supportive point, it helps him establish his trustworthy image. As an informative author, Fowles provided thorough and detailed information in order to make sure his readers understood his points easily. He listed out all of the fifteen basic appeals of advertising, described the individual appeals and gave examples from contemporary print and broadcast ads that might occur to readers (542-56). It made the ads more relevant so that it could be applied in the daily life of readers.For example, the definition of the need to achieve, which according to Murray is an admiration to accomplish something difficult, to overcome obstacles and to attain a high standard, to excel one’s self, to rival and surpass others (548). Fowles gives his readers several examples of certain products that advertise themselves in the best way by trying to make contact with consumers needs to succeed (549). Besides that, advertisers are trying to implem ent messages, both hidden and apparent, in which these needs stir wants, indirectly manipulating consumers’ decisions.In this article, Fowles also shares his opinions of the tactics that advertisers use and discusses the different styles of advertisements. He clarifies the general concept of how effective advertisements work and how does it effect consumer perception of certain products (542-56). The information that is provided by Fowles stirs up interest in readers, making them want more. In addition to the above, well organized â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals† article is also a main reason why it is a good source of information.Fowles organized this article systematically by using bold heading, a small title for every appeal and a list that stated the appeals that he was going to discuss (540-556). All of these make a reader follow his messages easily and makes digestion of information easier. Instead of putting all the appeals in one paragraph, Fow les separates the fifteen appeals into individual paragraphs by following the needs of different titles (543-53). At a glance, readers can find the information they want easily by searching titles, which interest them. Having a good title draws a reader’s attention and does not let the content mislead the reader.On one hand, these criteria can support this articles claim as a good source of information, but on the other hand, the information might be outdated and invalid. Since this article has existed over 30 years, even the advertisements platform and society has changed. The examples that Fowles provided might not be related to the reader’s current life. It would be a hard task for readers to understand the outdated information. Even though advertisements might be nugatory and possibly readers will not be familiar with the examples given, basic human needs are still the same overtime (542-53).Readers can still understand the concept of the appeals and set a new exam ple for themselves. Outdated information might not be an issue big enough to make Fowles’ article invalid. However it makes readers think further on how to apply the advertisements that they are familiar with in order to meet their needs. â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals† is a timeless article that provides useful references for the public, especially for advertisers and students who are majoring in advertising.By analyzing Fowles’ article, I realized that we are confronted daily by hundreds of advertisements, only a few of which can actually attract our attention. That is the message Fowles’ article is trying to transmit, how â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals† make an effective advertisement. I believe that Fowles article is a good source of information, not only does it contain valuable information, but also he shares his opinions of his general knowledge of advertising that we, the readers, can apply to our future.