Impact of Literature Essay

It may go without saying that there are those who will never study, appreciate, or even perhaps consider literature as it is known in academic circles. There are those for whom the written word may have, at best, utilitarian purposes, and for whom any piece of writing beyond a technical manual should, at least, be a work of â€Å"non-fiction,† designed to impart a clearly stated morsel of information or worthy opinion. Part of the explanation for this may coincide with the same general reason that some people never consider religion: the proponents of literature – as is sometimes the case with the proponents of religion – sometimes themselves make their cause a used-up, weary, and trying thing, and may remove from it all the beauty and potential which it might, in the proper hands, convey. Much like religion, literature has a transcendent value, and fulfills an essentially universal need. After all, even the most ardent opponent of the usage of literature in his or her own life embraces forms which complete virtually the same need within him; that is, myths, folklore, stories, movies, television, and even song, occupy essentially the same place and function as literature in the human person, albeit in a form often immeasurably more crude. And, as hotly debated as the following may be in the milieu of post-modern and relativist academic circles, the need to convey truths and explore the human person through story and myth may reach its most sophisticated form in literature.

Is Australia a Racist Country

Racism is discrimination or abusive behaviour towards another race or religion. Australia is a very young multicultural country where at hand is strong evidence to suggest that Australia is racist, and in contrast there are many examples that support this questions that we humans beings can live in peace and harmony with all Australians. According to the ABCDiamond The proportion of the population of Australians born overseas is quoted â€Å"over one quarter of Australians were born overseas†. This means 25% of Australians are born overseas. Some possible causes of racism can be of an institutional racism, which means that a group of people have the same faith about a certain type of person. Racism can be from the past and what people of many different generations express to others about it which follows to be a stereo type of a group of people, such as Germany and the Jews. Many people may think because Hitler was German that all Germans were and always will be bad. At times we hear parents and grandparents being racist based on their opinions on world events such as September 11. This created hatred and anti-Muslim feelings in the general public. In Australia Muslim leaders spoke through the media condemning the attack as many Australians started to form racist opinions about all Middle Easterners. This is an example of indirect racism based on stereo typing. Sometimes racism may simply be caused by ignorance and judgment formed through a lack of knowledge and information. This may be considered unjust and unfair because people are judging based on a stereotype. Professor of Geography from the University of Western Sydney says that â€Å"Australians arnt dealing with ‘cultural diversity’ properly and are being racist and disrespectful to those whom are from a completely different culture and the government need to do more to manage this issue. Another example of racism was when Dr Hanif was deported for suspected links to terrorism. Other stereotypical attitudes present amongst Australians include, Asians are bad drivers, Aboriginals are lazy and a burden on society, Middle easterners are fighters and the French are arrogant. The Cronulla riots of 2005, was an example of mob violence and interracial racism between the Lebanese and local Anglo youth to â€Å"reclaim the beach† and to move out of their suburbs. Another resent development is the racism towards Indian students studying in Australia. People assume that they are taking study places and jobs from Australian’s when they are often wealthy, self-supporting and not necessarily a true representation of all people from their country. They are often being targeted by groups within Australia for their display of wealth (I-pod etc) Racism will continue because of general comments by the public and the influences of the media. For example 9/11 has made our world a place of heightened security, awareness and nervousness particularly as we relate to members of different cultures . Sometimes discussions between people’s opinions can instill racism in younger generations. Media sources such as the news and the internet can be covering stories in ways that present bias towards a group or race and this can also cause racism. The government’s inactions to take a stand against racism may also contribute to racism continuing. Surely the government with its intake of migrants and refugees needs to take a greater look at how to encourage communities to live more harmoniously. One example, in which the Government does promote diversity and acceptance, is through an annual initiative called Harmony Day. On March 21st, 2010, schools, communities groups and organisations celebrated our cultural diversity to show that everyone belongs. Another community effort raising cultural awareness was the Indian concert by A.  R. Rahman which was organised as part of the Sydney Festival in Parramatta last year. The event was part of a wider initiative of the New South Wales Government to ease relations between the country’s significant Indian population and the wider Australian community. According to the Indian Local, (January 17th 2010) Cricketer Matthew Hayden interviewed members of the audience during breaks. â€Å"The thing to remember is that we are all the same inside,† said a young man he spoke to. This is a very important statement because it could actually be the key to preventing further racism. If all Australians could believe this way, we would live in a more peaceful society. Many would argue that Australia, with its large population of overseas born people is a non racist nation. We have suburbs in Sydney which delight all cultures and signify multiculturalism at its best. The Italian’s in Leichardt, Lebanese in Auburn/Bankstown, and Chinese in Cabramatta and Chinatown in the city. Governments and local councils might encourage festivals and awareness through entertainment and local media e. g. Chinese New Year festivals. This is a display which shows that Australian’s are indeed quite accepting of other races. Governing policies such as the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act (1975) aim to ensure that â€Å"everyone is treated equally, regardless of their race, colour, descent or nationality or ethnic origin†. According to the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship we are processing applications for asylum seekers from war torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The Asylum Seeker Assistance Program is a scheme that has been set up by the government to assist these people with income support, and advice as they wait to gain refugee status. This is an example of how the government is accepting and supportive of new migrants in our country. Similarly the Rudd government showed compassion to the Aborigines when we â€Å"Closed the Gap† in 2008 by apologizing publicly to the Aboriginals for mistreatment of them by our country. This public recognition of unfair and unjust treatment shows a willingness to be a non racist country in the eyes of many Australians. So, is Australia a racist country? It is evident that Australia’s growing population of migrants will continue. With this growth it is hard to predict that racism will cease. However, the need to reinforce that all humans have feelings and have rights will be the answer to stopping racism. We need help from the government, media and leaders in our society to breakdown institutional racism. We need to take a more collaborative approach as Australians and as members of the global community. Racism has no quick fix solution but with improvements in communication and understanding of each other as individuals we can create a more harmonious place to live.

Ukraine in the World War Two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ukraine in the World War Two - Essay Example The First World War resulted in the revolution of Ukraine, a nation that fought so hard to release the grip the Russians had on them in that time. The Ukrainians did not have the capacity to rule themselves, something clearly depicted by the unjust rule of the Central Rada. At the start of WW II, the nation of Ukraine did not have a state. About seven million of the total thirty million nationals of Ukraine ended up in different countries. Czechoslovakia, Poland and Romania had nationals of Ukraine living in their states, most of them seeking exile. The period just before the war witnessed the establishment of the Ukrainian nationalism, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationals (OUN). The western Ukraine experienced the First World War when the month of September started in the year 1939. The German leader, Adolf Hitler, first attacked Poland where the western Ukrainians resided. The Soviet troops, consequently, occupied the area after the Germans subdued it. The Ukrainians describe this invasion of their land as the first phase of the WW II. The soviet troops and the Nazi involved themselves in a fierce war that placed the Ukrainians at the full exposure of the wars and destructions caused by the two totalitarian commands. Ukraine experienced the WW II more than the other countries. Majorities of the Ukrainians died at the hands of both the Nazi and the Soviet. Their dream of ever becoming an independent state died after the ruthless occupation of the Nazi in Ukraine. The effects of the WW II on the Ukrainians will forever remain in their history, and some of the bitterness against their conquerors may never stop.

Ann Cvetkovich suggests we can have 'an archive of feelings'. Discuss Essay

Ann Cvetkovich suggests we can have 'an archive of feelings'. Discuss different ways in which media, communications and cultural studies can involve a reading - Essay Example Mass communication is a section specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience. Mass media is a channel of mass communication. Communication technology, on the other hand, had an enormous impact on society by changing the distribution of information and assimilation of knowledge. (Hart 2002) Communication is often studied along three major dimensions: content, form, and destination. Communication content includes acts that declare knowledge and experiences, give advice and commands, and ask questions. These acts may take many forms, including gestures (nonverbal communication, sign language and body language), writing, or verbal speaking. The form depends on the symbol systems used. Together, communication content and form make messages that are sent towards a target. The destination can be oneself, another person (in interpersonal communication), or another entity such as a corporation or group. In a so-called risk communication, there is an interactive process of exchange of information and opinion among individuals and groups, and institutions. It involves multiple messages about the nature of risk and other messages (not strictly about risk) that express concerns, opinions, or reactions to risk messages or to legal and institutional arrangements for the management of risk. When we talk about radio, newspaper, television, internet and other channels of mass communication, we are obviously referring to media. The media is all around us. Indeed, it plays a significant role in our society today. From the shows we watch on TV, the music we listen to on the radio, to the books, magazines, and newspapers we read each day. Media facilitates the flow of information which is important for the development of communities. Media workers are in essence interpreters of information. Without the media, people in societies would be secluded, not only from the rest of the world, but from

Direct Request Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Direct Request - Essay Example Answers should be directed to your department and then to a manager of a corresponding project. Each quality should be rated on a scale of 1-10, and evaluation should be repeated every sixth month. We understand that this procedure means more work for departments' managers and forces suppliers for higher achievements in their work. On the other hand it will facilitate access to important information about suppliers' company and enable its financial success. Project manager is also benefiting from this program, because it will enlarge his/ hers personal experience and create new career opportunities. We will appreciate your support of the program and believe that it will make a significant difference in our work effectiveness. Level of understanding is high (about 90 % in both groups), because the idea of project is simple and doesn't require extraordinary level of competence. Problems with understanding could be related to little working experience or otherwise to a lack of basic knowledge (when promotion to the post of manager was based on personal relations instead of working achievements). Audience expects payment increase and career promotion due to the new responsibilities, 10-30 % of the audience prefers to work as before and get the same payment, but the most part will agree for a larger amount of work in exchange for higher income. At the beginning of the project audience wou

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 21

Personal Statement - Essay Example They feared that if they antagonized the majority white community in which the school was located, there would be a backlash. But I convinced them that such a racist comment, if went unquestioned, would lead to inner hostilities and would in the long run affect the very communal harmony that they were trying to preserve. And once the complaint was filed, I could suggest to the school authorities that the daughter (student of this school) of the accused parent had to be taken into confidence, as I knew that she was a very good-hearted girl. She in turn persuaded her father to apologize to my friend personally and in this manner, the issue was resolved peacefully, without any ill feelings and disturbing the communal peace. 2. Knowledge or creativity in a field: I have a very special interest in anthropology. I used to read, from a very early age, travel books that described different civilizations and geographical communities like mountain people, sea farers etc. It was Gulliver’s Travels (Swift) that inspired me into this taste for diversity in human life and behavior. When I grew up I started to acquire knowledge in the field of anthropology by reading books and later I started using internet. Though I am not academically following this area of study, lives of other people continue to fascinate me and I have a few friends among the scholars in this field who patiently answer my queries and doubts sent to them via email. I will describe my creativity as my ability to look at old things in a new way. It is my constant attempt to experience every moment of life as if it is the first moment in my life. For example, when I decided to make a video documentary on Native Indian community, I decided t o tell their history and story through their cuisine. I could in this manner, show how the changing environment forced them to

Leading Retailer Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leading Retailer - Case Study Example The main aim of the company is to help people save money to help live better. The growth of the company over the years has been immense. The company pays a lot of attentions to the needs of the stakeholders and helps provide the stakeholders with the desired results. The biggest retailer in the world with over 971 discount stores, 2447 super centres, 132 neighborhood markets, and 591 Sam's clubs in the US, Wal - Mart has been able to very smoothly make its way to the top of the retailing industry. The company is spread over the 14 countries and employees almost over 2.1 million people. The company has made enormous revenue of over $378,799 million for the year - end January 2008. Being the largest retailer in the world, Wal - Mart is faced with a lot of competition and making all the happenings, issues, events etc of Wal -Mart always in the limelight (Money Central, 2008). The company works on the basic values which mainly revolve around the respect for individuals, service to customers and striving for excellence. The management of the company is said to be very efficient and the managers are known to be work by the values of the firm. However the company still faces a number of issues pertaining it employees, each of whom are known as associates in the company. The vision of the company is to become the leaders of the retail industry. This however can only be achieved by ensuring that the customers receive what they desire out of the company. The mission of the company highlights their constant need to improve the services provided to exceed customer expectations and to provide customers with reasonably priced goods of great quality. The company's basic va lues of respect for individuals, service to customers and striving for excellence speaks for itself. Wal - Mart has tried to ensure it reaches out to the majority of the American population and the major customer groups accounting to almost 23 percent belong to families where the annual income is lesser than $25,000. It was also noted that almost half of the customers of the superstore are blue-collar workers and most of the families are either unemployed or elderly (Featherstone, 2005). The Issues: Wal - Mart in some recent reports has been accused of not treating their employees fairly and making the employees work over the shift hours. The company has also been accused for paying the employees much lower than what they should receive. According to a number of reports the employees have actually disclosed the fact that they receive pays which are way below the minimum level of pay that has to be given to the employees. The company claims to give importance to the employee's growth and careers. The company's website claims to provide the employees with a competitive pay, skills development and health benefits for the employee and family. However a recent article in Business Week highlighted the fact that the company has been paying employees about $8.23 per hour, or $13,861 a year. This pay is well below the federal poverty line of $14, 630 for a family of three. Other

Problems in the Public School System Research Paper

Problems in the Public School System - Research Paper Example A more pressing observation, which most people have failed to acknowledge, is the collective failure of the American public to hold not only learners to standards but also the government and its policy towards education. Learner Apathy Learner apathy in the American public school system may be blamed on a variety of factors. Most students of today have come to put things such as sports and other activities such as T.V watching and going out to be of more importance than an education. Issues from home such as divorce or poverty make the learner unable to learn and compete effectively in the classroom (Long 54-61), plague some students. While educational psychologists have acknowledged these problems as having the potential to impair learning, very little has been done by parents and teachers in trying to prevent emotional and mental disabilities, which ultimately result into apathy in school. According to Griffith, the education system is to blame since it makes learners have misguide d perceptions on education. Many learners know that colleges take into consideration the grades of the eleventh and twelfth grades and thus they tend to relax and only start getting serious during those final years, which results, into failure (231-4). Since the American system is based on the traditional approach of classroom learning, many students may feel neglected since they may be more inclined to the practical aspects of learning. The system is also to blame for some of the apathy among students. Students in the lower classes are required to attend compulsory classes some of which they may not have an interest. Since overhauls of the system are also few and far between some of the content being learned may not give learners the challenge they require at a certain level. Accountability One of the foremost issues in the American public education system is the lack of holding of students accountable. Many public schools teachers and parents do not hold students accountable to at taining high academic standards as before. Many public schools are only interested in the dissemination of information and covering of the syllabus without caring whether the learners attain the set goals or they fail (Scovronick 186-7). Many learners in the public schools only attend school at their own volition since parents do not care whether they attend school or they do not. Many learners are known to keep away from school on many instances without receiving any reprimand or any kind of punishment from either the parents or teachers. In days of old, such behavior was expected to elicit heavy punishment and consequences for the student not only from the parents but also from teachers. Many of the parents and teachers of today lay the blame of a lack of student accountability on changing attitudes about child punishment, which makes the enforcement of student accountability difficult if not impossible. A review of research done however shows that there are a variety of methods t hat may be employed by teachers and parents in holding learners accountable in education apart from corporal punishment (Hood 345-53). Changing lifestyles of American parents such as having two jobs lead to poor relationships between the learner and the parent. Such lifestyles also leave no room for the parent to appraise the learner’s performance. Political Interference Political interference in the public system of American schooling has to be

Philosophy of Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Philosophy of Language - Essay Example The group was called logical positivists, and they accomplished this union by introducing the notion of convention. The class of positivists asserted that logical empiricism was possible through convention or arbitrariness, where agreement would be reached on the meaning of statements. Quine sought to attack this school of thought through a two-pronged approach; reliance on reductionism and making a distinction on analytic and synthetic distinctions. Dogmas are sets of beliefs that are held to be true by certain people without question, and are often called such as a mark of disapproval from an observer or analyst. Quine felt that logical empiricism lacked legitimacy because of two dogmas; one of them was the distinction between analytic and synthetic truths. An analytic truth may be understood as an assertion that is true exclusively because of its meaning while a synthetic one is held as such owing to facts. Quine felt that the distinction between analytic and synthetic sentences was baseless by looking at a series of assumptions and definitions in the school of thought. Quine started with the notion of synonyms where logical positivists claim that a sentence may be defined as analytic if synonyms can be used to substitute original words and the expressions remain logical truths (Schwitzgebel, 2008). However, the philosopher opposed this statement because it presupposes that synonymy is a well understood and defined term, yet it needs to be explained before it can be applied. The philosopher sought to look for other ways in which logical empiricists sought to defend themselves, such as by saying that a logical truth exists if a sentence has terms whose definitions can be substituted by others. Quine has a problem with this component as well because it is not clear whether an irregularity can arise because of the meaning of the term or the belief that one holds about it.

Long-Term & Short-Term Budgetting Essay Example for Free

Long-Term Short-Term Budgetting Essay Introduction Budgeting is indeed a key component in managing short and long term planning. To define a broad objective such as wealth maximization is clearly not sufficient to achieve the goal. It is very important for an entity to get into more details over how to work towards the objective. Businesses typically do this by crafting a long-term plan and short-term plan which I will be explaining in details. Budgeting Before I proceed, it is very important for us to understand what is budget and how it works. A budget is a formal written summary (or statement of management’s plan for a specified future time period, expressed in financial terms. A budget becomes an important basis for controlling operations and evaluating performance. Thus, it promotes efficiency and serves as a deterrent to waste and inefficiency (Carlon, et al., 2009, p. 882) Types of budget There are several types of budget namely trade receivables budget, sales budget, finished inventories budget, trade payables budget, production budget, direct labour budget and many more. The list continues and varies from industry to industry. Budget usefulness Budgets are generally regarded as having four area of usefulness. * Budgeting promotes forward thinking and the possible identification of short-term problem. * They can also be used to help co-ordinate various sections of the business. * They play an integral role into motivating managers to perform better. * Providing basis for a system control, and lastly * Budgets can provide a system of authorization for managers to spend within the limit. (Merchant, Hawkins, Anthony, 2006, p. 560) The Planning process Figure 1 the planning process Source: (Banham, 2000, p. N.A) The above shows the relationship between budgets, long-term planning and short-term planning. The budgeting process The development of the budget for the coming year generally starts several months before the end of the current year. The budgeting process usually begins with the collection of data from each of the subunits of the entity. Past performance is often the starting point in budgeting, from which future budget goals are formulated. The budget is developed within a framework of a sales forecast that shows potential sales for the industry and the entities expected share of such sales. Sales forecasting involves a consideration of such factors as: I. General economic conditions. II. Industry trends III. Market research studies development IV. Anticipated advertising and promotion V. Previous market share VI. Changes in prices VII. New products VIII. Technology Short-term planning Short-term planning or budgeting is a process that focuses on short term, commonly one year, and results in the production of budgets that set the financial framework for that period. It is likely to be expressed mainly in financial terms and is designed to convert the long-term plan into an actionable blueprint for the future. The short-term planning is mainly carried out by Tactical managers and Operational managers. The budget will define precise targets for sales revenues and expenses, cash flows, short-term credit to be given or taken, inventory requirements, personnel requirements, increase profits, control costs, and invest for the future. Long-term Planning â€Å"Exercise aimed at formulating a long-term plan, to meet future needs estimated usually by extrapolation of present or known needs. It begins with the current status and charts out a path to the projected status, and generally includes short-term (operational or tactical plans) for achieving interim goals.† (Business Dictionary, n.d.) The above is a definition of Long-term planning or Strategic planning is usually carried out by senior management. The long-term plan covers a period of at least three years (some go up to five years) on a quarterly basis, forcing the organization into that discipline of thinking further out than one year. These plans should be updated when the short-range plan is prepared. Long-term strategies defines its overall effort in building market share, increasing revenues, decreasing costs, issues such as business take overs, expansion plans, deletion of business segments and radical product/service segment. (Budgeting, 2010) The way in which planning process is conducted depends on the industry and culture of the entity. Nevertheless, the entity outlines its long-term goals and specifies its short-range plans in quantifiable terms which detail how it expects to accomplish its goals (Hillstrom, 2013, p. 4) Long term planning Vs. Short-term planning Now that I put the definition and the functions of long term and short term planning before you. We will now see the advantages of long term and short term planning. * The main difference is the time period involved. The maximum length of a budget (or short term) is usually one year, and these budgets are prepared often for shorter period of time. In contrast, long-range planning usually encompasses a period of 3-5 years. * A second significant difference is the emphasis. Budgeting is concerned with the achievement of specific short-term goals. Long-range planning, on the other hand, is a formalized process of selecting strategies to achieve long-term goals and developing policies and plan to implement the strategies. Management is also responsible to respond to opportunities and challenges with strategic response that arise from anticipated trends in the economic and political environment. * Thirdly, there is difference between the details in the planning. Short term planning can be very detailed, this is to provide a basis for control. While long-rang plans contain considerably less details, because the data are intended for a review of progress towards long-term goals rather than for an evaluation of specific results to be achieved. The main objective of long-range planning is to develop the best strategy to maximize the entity’s performance over an extended future period. * Lastly, many entities today use a continuous 12-month budget by dropping the month just ended and adding a future month. One advantage of continuous short-term budgeting is that it keeps management planning a full year ahead, compared to just one-time planning for long term. Conclusion The preparation of budget is a valuable exercise as it forces management to look ahead and plan long term goal rather than to look back at the past. Once the long term goal has been set, a detailed short term planning can then be created. It is hence vital that budgeting is created as accurately as possible, as an error in data collection could affect the whole of the company’s operational and financial activities. The full benefits of budgeting can only be gained when the actual results are compared with the budgeted results then corrective actions are in place. Thus budgeting is a key component in managing short and long term planning. References Banham, R. (2000). Better Budgets. Journal of Accountancy, N.A. Budgeting. (2010). Retrieved from Entrepreneur: http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82266.html Business Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from Defination of Long-term Planning: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/long-term-planning.html Carlon, S., Mladenovic-Mcalpine, R., Loftus, J., Palm, C., Kimmel, P. D., Kieso, D. E., Weygandt, J. J. (2009). Accounting building business skills. New York: John Wiley Sons. Hillstrom, E. K. (2013, Jan 27). Budgets and Budgeting.. Retrieved from Encyclopedia of Small Business.Vol. 1. Gale Cengage: http://www.enotes.com/budgeting-reference/ Merchant, K. A., Hawkins, D., Anthony, R. (2006). Accounting Text Cases. Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

Developing Knowledge for Organ Donation | Research Study

Developing Knowledge for Organ Donation | Research Study Nannou (2008) had explored how an educational intervention related to organ and tissue donations affected the knowledge and awareness of a randomized two group samples of pre-registration nursing students. This study was a randomized but controlled trial, with two continuous variables of knowledge and awareness of nursing students before and after an educational intervention and compared results to a controlled group who did not have the benefits of the educational intervention. Both groups were equivalent at baseline. Simple analysis of variance, analysis of covariance and multiple regressions were used to determine significance of results. Each category was analyzed as a separate variable. Students were asked to choose a card that indicated to which group they would be assigned to: control or experimental. Both groups were given the pre-test and post-test that had been validated by content and practice experts. A statistically significant difference was found in knowledge and aware ness between pre-test and post-test scores in both the controlled group and experimental group. Remijn (2009) came out with a questionnaire to survey students’ knowledge and opinions about organ donation and transplantation was conducted on 247 students in 13 separate classrooms. Questions 1–16 of the questionnaire measured general factual knowledge about organ donation and transplantation; questions 17–24 solicited personal experiences regarding organ donation and transplantation; questions 25–29 sought opinions about whether the student would become an organ donor; 24 questions 30–35 sought general demographic information such as age, grade, gender, language spoken at home, ethnicity, and parents’ education level. Roels (2007) had surveyed pre-registration nursing students’ awareness on organ and tissue donations. The study revealed that 55% to 80% of the nursing students were aware of organ and tissue donations. Pre-registration nursing students had shown deficits in their knowledge about the transplantation process. For example, a recent study suggested that only 64% (N = 260) of the students knew that brain death was different from a coma. Similarly, other studies had documented nursing students as correctly answering between 43% and 48% of the factual questions about organ donation. Encouragingly, a recent intervention on the topic suggests that interventions could improve nursing students’ organ donation knowledge. Dauphinee (2009) had carried out a study on pre- registration nursing students’ knowledge on organ and tissue donations. A number of 41-questions were administered to 537 first-year and second-year nursing students. Students were also asked about their support on organ donation and the donation trainings they had received. 236 students responded (response rate = 93%). (22%) had read about organ and tissue donations in the newspaper (40% vs 6%, P Moroff (2008) had examined on the pre-registration nursing students’ awareness and knowledge in New York. A 10-item questionnaire was given and completed by one thousand students and their mean age was recorded as 23.7 years. The students were divided into groups and were asked to discuss about organ and tissue donations. The discussion on organ and tissue donations ranged in duration of approximately 5 to 19 minutes (M = 12.10, SD = 3.07). Overall, students accurately discussed between 7 and 10 topics (M = 12.99, SD = 2.56) during this time period, with time having no significant influence on the number of topics discussed, r = 0.21, p = 0.07. Thus, students appeared to discuss organ and tissue donation topics based on some individual characteristic. It is encouraging to note that 83% of students explained the importance of family communication regarding one’s preferences for organ donation and 74% explained the role of next-of-kin in the consent process. Results do in dicate that students may need for further education with regards to organ donation eligibility and the matching process, as 68% of the students failed to describe brain death at all, whilst 9% described it inaccurately. Moreover, a study conducted by Panzarella (2008) for Transplant Resource Center of Maryland, on the topic of organ and tissue donation also gave interesting facts. A total of 260 nursing students participated in the online knowledge to measure their knowledge on organ donation Students answered an average of 8.78 (SD = 1.31) questions correctly. Overall, students did not differ in their knowledge on organ donation, based on academic year. The researcher also notes that 43% of the students surveyed (N = 500) did not know organ and tissue donation, although more than half felt that students were aware about organ and tissue donations. Vleuten (2009) had surveyed pre-registration nursing students’ knowledge and awareness on organ and tissue donation. Most respondents were able to answer all the questions. Most participants agreed that donors might receive on-going support after donation (91%). Nearly half (46%) of respondents supported the use of tissue for research; however, only 28% could recall the topic being discussed at the time of donation. Only 40% of respondents knew of the differences between organ and tissue donations before the donation process. Overall, the studys findings suggest that in the effort to enhance the student nurses’ knowledge, focusing on education should be given priority. A nurse is the first person to recognize the patient and that a nurse spends more time with the patient. Hence, the nurse possesses preliminary education about organ donation. 2.3 Conceptual Framework. The study framework is based on Organ Donation Model (ODM) proposed by Miller (2005). ODM define organ donation as when organs are removed from a person who has recently died and transplanted into the body of another living person. It may also be possible for a living person to donate certain organs to another living person. Transplantation is a very successful way of saving and improving the lives of people who are experiencing serious health problems. The goal of Organ Donation Model (ODM) is to create an expert nurse pertaining organ donation. The ODM asserts that the significant determinant in educating the next generation and developing, directing and translating new therapeutic strategies for the future. According to Miller (2005), the most influential components of this intention were the individual’s awareness of donation and knowledge about donation. Organ donation model (ODM) focuses mainly on knowledge and awareness of organ donation in healthcare workers and their students. A study done by Mogan (2008) on American nursing students knowledge and awareness of organ donation, found that a person would have awareness first, later to get to know more about the topic a person would read further which would lead the person to understand about the organ and donation topic. These two variables are: knowledge and awareness. â€Å"Measuring these variables is essential to determine if such changes actually result from the intervention and, in turn, influence changes in commitment† (Susan, 2009). ODM focuses higher rates of organ donation as well as student nurse are aware and increase knowledge once the topic is taught in nursing training. Using the Organ Donation Model (ODM ), Albright (2010) revealed that a group of student nurses in England were aware and knowledgeable on organ donation. They found a significant relationship between the knowledge of students’ and their personal awareness on the topics to donate organs. 2.4 Summary This chapter has highlighted the importance of pre-registration nursing students to have knowledge and aware about organ and tissue donation. In this chapter, it has explained clearly by discussing the definition by various researchers as well studies conducted by other researchers that were pertinent to knowledge and awareness of pre-registration nursing students on organ and tissue donation. It is significant to know pre-registration nursing students knowledge and awareness on organ and tissue donation as nurses plays a key role in promoting organ donation because they are the persons who will meet with the family after a tragic event, when organ procurement is being discussed, and nurses are the one who initiates the process and support the family. Further, lack of adequate training to raise awareness causes lower donor detection and referral rates by the registered nurses CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction In this chapter the methodology are clearly discuss in detail which include four parts. Firstly, the design of the research is discussed then the respondents are chosen. Third is the research instrument, sampling procedure such as the distribution and collection process of the questionnaire will be explained. Questionnaire is used in this study. Students were give questionnaire by the researcher after class and also students who are in practical were called back to answer the questionnaire. Explanation is given as how they would be classified according to their specific purpose. 3.2 Study design This study is quantitative cross-sectional surveys which intended to study the knowledge and awareness of pre-registration nursing students on organ and tissue donation. Cross-sectional surveys described as depiction of the populations about which data is gathered. It is used when the purpose of the study is descriptive, often in the form of a survey. Descriptive design is where the researcher collects data on a several variables and dissembles the result as well as gathering information about the present existing condition (Cresswel, 2009). Usually there is no hypothesis as such, but the aim is to describe a population with respect to an outcome (Baron, 2011). Cross-sectional surveys can be carried out using any mode of data collection. In this study questionnaires are used. Questionnaire is a data collection method that used to ask questions of research participants (Jackson, 2011). 3.3 Study setting This study was done in Surya College Penang and this college is located in Butterworth, Penang. This college is offering Foundation in Science, Diploma in Nursing and Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology. Students who study at Surya College have a readily available pathway to further their studies at Penang International Dental College (PIDC), Vinayaka Missions University (V.M.U) in India or other educational institutions locally abroad. Total students in the college are 500. However, pre-registration nursing students are 280 as of the July 2013 intake. Surya Colleges envisages being a premier allied health college in this region. With a strong backing of experienced management team, it aims to be a Centre of excellence that offers quality and affordable education to students from all walks of life in the spirit of 1Malaysia. 3.4 Research Subject 3.4.1 Population The populations for this study were pre –registration nursing students from Surya College Penang. Total students are 280 and all of them are involve in this study. The populations are from year one students, year two and year three students. A population is the entire aggregation of cases in which the researcher is interested (Gore, 2009). 3.4.2 Sample A sample is a subset of population elements. Sample size is the number of observations used to estimates of a given population. Sampling is concerned with the selection of individuals from within a statistical population to estimate characteristics of the whole population. In this study, the sampling was done on the population of Surya College pre-registration nursing students. About 280 students are involved in this study. The sampling technique that the researcher used was convenience sampling. Convenience sampling refers to the non-probability process by which the researcher gathers statistical data from the population. When a convenience sample is used, the researcher studies the subjects that are easy for the researcher to gain a feedback as well contribute to minimum effort and less time (Sedda, 2010). Researchers choose convenience sampling to easily gain information and save money and time. The researcher distributed 280 questionnaires where all of the pre – registrati on nursing students were involve. Informed consent was assumed through the student completing the questionnaires and returning the documents in a standard reply envelope. 3.5 Instrument The Instrument that the researcher used was organ donation questionnaire (ODQ). The questionnaire was adopted from Goz (2006). The organ donation questionnaire (ODQ) was adopted from Goz because it served a verbal response from people; contains written set of questions or statements. It is designed to gather data from individuals about knowledge and awareness of organ and tissue donation. Questionnaire is a method that serves written or verbal response from people; contains written set of questions or statements. It is designed to gather data from individuals about knowledge, attitudes, believes and feelings (Kibberd, 2006). Furthermore, organ donation questionnaire (ODQ) is relatively direct and a simple method of obtaining data. It can be constructed easily and consumes lesser time to gather information. Further, it enables a widely scattered sample, cost effective, speedy results and there is no room for biasness. The questionnaire consists of 3 sections. First section is the section â€Å"A†. In this section it embodies question on demographic data concerning age, religion, race and the respondents’ current year in the programme. The question in this section is close – ended questions where there is a list of questions that the respondents must choose to answer the questions. The second part of the questionnaire is the section â€Å"B†. It comprises ten questions on knowledge regarding organ and tissue donation. To analyses the knowledge level among pre-registration nursing students, Likert scale which is adopted from Kane (2010) were used in this study. Likert scale measurement on 5 point scale were used to examine how strongly respondents agree or disagree with the statement/questions. The scale has measurements of 5 points that will examine how strongly respondents agree or disagree with the statement/ questions. The scale ranges from 1, which indicates ‘’strongly disagree’’ to 5, which indicates ‘’strongly agree’’. In order to score the scale, each of the categories was assigned a weight of fine. A negative statement, ‘’strongly disagree’’ receives a weight of 5, ’’disagree’’ would be 4,’’ not sure or â€Å"indifferentâ₠¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, receives 3, ’’agree’’ receives 2 and ‘’strongly agree’’ receives 1. If the statement was in positive form, rating would be reserved accordingly. Then, the respondent’s response were classified according to scores for instance Number of questions Ãâ€" highest score = 10Ãâ€"5 = 50 and Number of questionsÃâ€" lowest score = 10Ãâ€"1 = 10.Thus, the difference is 40.Further, the difference is divided by 3, which is 40/3 = 13. This difference in range is classified as; high level of knowledge with the scoring of 38 – 50, moderate level of knowledge with the scoring of 24 – 36 and low level of knowledge with the scoring of 10 – 22. Finally, the third section which is the section â€Å"C† It contain questions on awareness regarding organ and tissue donation. To analyse the awareness level among pre-registration nursing students, Likert scale measurement on 5 point scale were used to examine how strongly respondents agree or disagree with the statement/questions. The scale ranges from 1, which indicates ‘’strongly disagree’’ to 5, which indicates ‘’strongly agree’’. In order to score the scale, each of the categories was assigned a weight of fine. A negative statement, ‘’strongly disagree’’ receives a weight of 5, ’’disagree’’ would be 4,’’ not sure or â€Å"indifferent’’, receives 3, ’’agree’’ receives 2 and ‘’strongly agree’’ receives 1. If the statement was in positive form, rating would be reserved accordingly. T hen, the respondent’s response were classified according to scores for instance Number of questions Ãâ€" highest score = 10Ãâ€"5 = 50 and Number of questionsÃâ€" lowest score = 10Ãâ€"1 = 10.Thus, the difference is 40.Further, the difference is divided by 3, which is 40/3 = 13. This difference is range is classified as; high level of awareness with the scoring of 38 – 50, moderate level of awareness with the scoring of 24 – 36 and low level of awareness with the scoring of 10 – 22. Is It Justified To Restrict Freedom Of Expression? Is It Justified To Restrict Freedom Of Expression? Freedom of expression has been a controversial issue for centuries. It has been oppressed and sometimes lead to death for people such as Plato and Thomas Edison who found out and tried to spread the word that the earth is round. In these modern times, there is more liberty for expressing our thoughts, but there are still complaints and cases where it is still being suppressed based on ground of offense. In this paper, I will try to investigate more on that matter and will try to study the case of the Danish Cartoons. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations, such as on hate speech. In this paper, I will offer observations about some of the arguments used to justify restrictions on free speech and suggest how they might apply in some cases. To do so, I will be focusing on some of John Stuart Mills arguments including the harm principle and the offense principle and their applications in order to justify or not restrictions of free speech. According to the Freedom Forum Organization, legal systems, and society at large, recognize limits on the freedom of speech, particularly when freedom of speech conflicts with other values or rights. Limitations to freedom of speech may follow the harm principle or the offense principle, for example in the case of pornography or hate speech. Limitations to freedom of speech may occur through legal sanction or social disapprobation, or both. John Stuart Mill argued that there ought to exist the fullest liberty of professing and discussing, as a matter of ethical conviction, any doctrine, however immoral it may be considered. Mill argues that the fullest liberty of expression is required to push arguments to their logical limits, rather than the limits of social embarrassment; which is true and this is a good method if we wanted to persuade our opinions to someone. However, Mill also introduced what is known as the harm principle, in placing the following limitation on free expression: the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. Mills continues to propose that freedom of speech may be restricted in the very limited circumstances in which it is likely to cause harm to others in the form of a violation of their rights. In his example, he states that one may publish the view that corn dealers are starving the poor, but ones expression of this view in front of an angry mob that will likely provoke them to riot and attack the corn dealers may be prohibited. And obviously, the interests of the corn dealers might be damaged in case that view is printed in a newspaper, but will probably not lead to a violation of their rights as in the case of the speech prior an angry mob. The publication of the view poses no immediate, illegitimate threat to the lives or property of corn dealers. Thus, in this case, freedom of expression is justified. The overall point here is that a healthy, flourishing democracy relies upon access to a wide range of opinions and sources of information. Both laws and cultural trends are currently working to silence opinions in a manner which will impede the ability of democracies to properly function. Mills point about the necessity of freedom of expression for the pursuit of truth is thus intimately connected to the proper functioning of democracy. Although we may find an opinion offensive, silencing that opinion through either laws or cultural forces entails harms so great that the offensive opinions must be allowed to be expressed. Mill is right to object to the silencing of opinions, and his work helps us to see how our modern world is doing harm to the pursuit of truth in ways that we may not be aware. Another similar case to Mills example and one of the most recent controversial issues, took place In September 2005 when the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, published 10 editorial cartoons that were perceived by many as direct mockery of the prophet Muhammad and a denigration of Islam. In various cartoons, Muhammad was portrayed as having horns, wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb, and endorsing terrorism. This publication resulted in widespread condemnation from diverse quarters and was met with violent reaction from some. The Danish Islamic Organization sought censure and prosecution of the publication under Danish and international law. This case raises the issue of whether and when local and international law is justified in restricting freedom of expression. Would the government of Denmark have been justified in restricting the publication of the cartoons or exacting punishment for their publication? Should other governments have restricted the subsequent republication of these cartoons in other newspapers, magazines, and on the internet? Should publication of similar material be protected in the future? In the following, I will try to answer these questions. Before starting and answering these questions, it is essential to keep in mind two things. First of all, freedom of speech is not supreme but is still is an important value. It is one of the very numerous values that may be deficient compared to other values. Thus, any attempt of defending or prohibiting speech involves a balancing of conflicting interests and values. Second, each country has its own laws which vary in the limitations they place on the speech. The United States of America has perhaps the most liberal laws when it comes to protecting the free speech. Many other countries have more restrictive laws, especially regarding the hate speech. However, regardless of liberality of laws regarding free speech, the memory of a person may be an indicator in selecting the type of speech that may be restricted, since the memory may contribute to an assessment of the meaning and importance of the offense and harm that the speech may cause. And quite often, the message that the act of freedom of expression sent does not remain a long time in the memory of third parties, thus making the life span of that idea very short. And, according to Mills argument, these cartoons did not cause any immediate or illegitimate threat to public health so the cartoons are justified. In the case of the Danish cartoons, I do not believe that there was any kind of violation. This is purely an expression of thought. There exist many cases where the freedom of expression offended its recipient. We can name the case of some mockeries of the President of the United States of America or any other important political figure on numerous American TV programs such as the late night shows. Even here in Lebanon, some sketches mock our political leaders or even political parties, yet nothing is being done against it which is a sign of tacit consent. This does not mean freedom of expression should be banned. On the contrary, sometimes these mockeries may provide third parties some information he/she did not know before and could point out to a flaw that the third parties could improve on. A decent society, is one that honors freedom concretely. However, in many cases, the harm that resulting from the response to the speech might be so significant and uncontainable, that the government would be justified in limiting the speech to protect third parties. Making funny sketches, mocking or drawing caricatures is one thing. Death threats, bomb scares, burning embassies, deadly riots, and boycotts are another. In such exceptional cases, the harm principle may justify restricting speech. There should be an equilibrium between the importance and mitigation of the harm and value of protecting the speech. The well being of the society should be the top priority even if it includes restricting freedom of expression. In addition and in most cases, a persons identity can be easily related to his religion or his set of beliefs. So even bare knowledge of actions deemed unacceptable from a religious point of view can be considered as a personal deep offense. In such cases, the reasonableness requirement subjects the individual who wants to engage in the offending conduct to a higher standard of proof. He must prove that the value of his behavior makes it not only reasonable but also reasonable enough to outweigh the seriousness of any offense that he might cause. The offended party, however, need prove nothing about the value of what is believed to be disrespected. He need only show that he and others hold the relevant beliefs about value and that when their belief system is confronted with particular kinds of behavior, then experience serious offense. These days, with technologies emerging in an unprecedented way, social networking has become an important part of our everyday life. Web sites such as Facebook, Twitter or blogs created by an average person are an escape from reality to a place where freedom of expression is highly valued. On Facebook, groups can be created where people with same interests and goals can join. They can open discussion boards and share their ideas, offending or not may it be. However, even on sites like these there are limits for what you can say and post. If someone has offended you, you have the option to report him. But such as in real life, Facebook asks you for a justification in order to go through the reporting process. Another condition is that the user should be reported by many others in order for Facebook to look at that case, because one person cannot be offended unless the speech is directed to him, rather an entire population being offended is another thing. Furthermore, just because someone calls me out if I treat them badly doesnt mean I have no right to say whatever I said to offend. It just means that if I choose to use that kind of expression I may have to deal with the social repercussions. And sometimes the good effects of offensive speech can outweigh the harm caused by the offense itself. With that in mind, theres no reason to withhold a freedom of expression in order to generate more benefits. In that context benefit could be a social benefit, economical, political, religious, etc Moreover, most of us at some point in our life made fun of, criticized and judged, for example, oversized people, little people, or any other condition that we do not deemed as being normal. On the other hand, these people are not harmed but are rather bothered by these comments. This type of expression can be easily defended but we may want to consider that the limits of our freedom of expression ends when we trespass or offend someone else. We can conclude by confirming that offence does not justify restrictions on freedom of expression but those expressing offensive ideas must consider the possibility that they may push away their potential audience. Remarkably, many people seem to consider such refusal by private citizens to endorse certain ideas with which they disagree to be a form of censorship. Of course it is not, unless they attempt to use the law to suppress those ideas. Also, we could argue that offense does not justify restrictions of freedom, but it justifies the need for manners, respect for others, ethics, empathy, and social consciousness. And by writing this paper, I am expressing my freedom of thoughts hoping that it will affect positively all third parties. So lets express suitably our basic human right!

From Homer’s Odyssey to Star Wars - The Unchanging Path of the Hero Ess

From Homer’s Odyssey to Star Wars - The Unchanging Path of the Hero In the fiction world heroes have been one of the most entertaining figures. It has always been fun and interesting to read about heroic stories and about different obstacles that heroes had overcome. When someone mentions the word "hero" it is more likely to think of characters like Batman or James Bond, but it is for sure that if we had the chance to ask the same question centuries before, the answer would have been different. From comics or TV it is seen that heroes change physically and spiritually through time, but the heroic pattern stays always the same when moving from ancient times to today's heroes. The first hero whose pattern I am going to unfold is Oedipus. Just like all other heroes he lives an extraordinary experience which normal people would not live, and that is one of the reasons that the heroic pattern seems so appealing to people. People could read and think about the situations that would not happen in their life, and the situations which people would be interested to know about. Going back to the topic, it has been foreseen that he is going to kill his father and marry with his mother. In the story these events come true and Oedipus becomes the new King, but the gods of the city curses him and his city. After realizing his sin, he sacrifices his eyes and blinds himself Oedipus contains courage, strength and he makes the journey that most of the heroes go through. However it is not clearly visible as modem heroes and it carries more of a symbolic tissue. With information told by a fortuneteller his parents believe that Oedipus is going to kill them, so they decide to take in action before Oedipus and try to kill him. Oedipus escapes by... ...attern could change but there is a heroic pattern that always stays the same. Works Cited Star Wars, A New Hope George Lucas, Gary Kurtz. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. Science‑ Fiction, 1977 Star Wars, the Empire Strikes Back George Lucas, Irvin Kershner. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. Science‑ Fiction, 1980 Star Wars, the Return of the jedi George Lucas, Richard Marquand. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. Science‑ Fiction, 1983 Batman Tim Burton. Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger. Science‑Fiction, Fantasy, 1989 James Bond, Goldfinger Guy Hamilton. Sean Connery, Honor Blackman. Action, 1964 Green, Roger Lancelyn. Heroes of Greece and Troy, retold from ancient authors. New York: H.Z Walck, 1961 Hendricks, Rhoda A. Classical Gods and Heroes. New York: Ungar Pubs Co., 1972

The Simpsons :: essays papers

The Simpsons The American animation The Simpsons is now in its 10th season as a show in its own right. It was created by Matt Groening as shorts for the Tracy Ullman Show and was bought by the Fox Network, which began screening it as half-hour shows in 1989. Initially its success was restricted to the 9-16 year old age group, and for animation there is nothing remarkable about this. Its success grew quickly and it is now popular in many countries with many different audiences. "In the 1990s we are seeing dramatic transformations in media industries and media cultures. In geographical terms, these transformations may be seen in the shift from national to global media." The Simpsons can be seen as both a remarkable piece of global culture and as a hugely successful piece of global television. (One need only look on an Internet search engine to discover that there are literally millions of Simpsons fan-sites around the world.). The Simpsons themselves are a simple family in a small town in Middle Am erica called Springfield. They are: Homer (loyal but stupid father), Marge (dissatisfied, trapped housewife/mother), Bart (rebellious son), Lisa (unappreciated genius daughter), and Maggie (silent baby). The show also revolves around a number of other of the townsfolk, such as Mr Burns (Homer's miserly boss), Smithers (Burns's loving assistant), Apu (Indian shop owner), Principal Skinner and Moe (owner of the local bar). There are a number of reasons why we cannot simply view The Simpsons as a cartoon like any other. The rules and conventions that it follows are far more those of television or cinema than those of animation. The humour within The Simpsons exists on many different levels ranging from the obvious to the subtle, from the literary to the movie reference, and beyond. But most importantly we must consider the show's ability to make significant social comment, on general issues of culture and society, but more specifically on television, film and media, and on audience vie wing and acceptance of these media. Traditionally, cartoons have been action driven and animation. Aside from the use of cameras to create the visual illusion of depth (Walt Disney famously explained the 'complicated' technique used to allow Mickey Mouse to walk along a street without distorting depth or perspective), cartoons had a language of their own, unique and separate from that of cinema or television. They were simple and without layered meanings.

Pain into Beauty Essay -- Personal Narrative Emotional Verbal Abuse Es

Pain into Beauty People look back on their childhoods in different ways. Some see it as a time of joy and laughter, love and learning. Many feel a bittersweet mixture of happy nostalgia, and painful moments. Some prefer not to look back at all, seeking only to move forward. Then there are people like me, who look back in anger, bitterness, and sorrow. It seems that few people enjoy a pain-free upbringing. In fact, the very idea of childhood is a fairly new concept. In the early part of the last century, children were considered miniature adults, and were expected to act that way. Abuse, as defined today, was ignored and sometimes encouraged. â€Å"Spare the rod and spoil the child.† Today, abuse is carefully defined and is illegal, but many cases slip through cracks, for many reasons. One big reason is that the abuse is not physical, or sexual. Emotional and verbal abuse is very hard to prove. I was certainly unable to prove it. I'm not even sure my parents are aware they abused me. It is said that our past make us who we are and I often wonder what my past has made me. I entered this world normally enough, in Tucson, Arizona; in the second hottest month of the year (July); at the hottest time of day (mid-afternoon). I had a mother and father who doted on me. At least, I assume they did. Tragedy struck early in my life, taking my mother from me at the age of two months. She died of a seizure caused by a tumor on her adrenal gland. I never knew her, so I always assumed that her death never really affected me. My boyfriend and therapist feel differently. After all, I may have been an infant, but I still suffered a terrible loss. Had my mother lived, I would likely be writing a happier tale. Yet all was not lost, after all I was not... ...do and think things I never thought I would do, and so in desperation I went to a therapist, before I ruined my relationship altogether. It was here I learned the truth, and it was here I saw how deep the damage goes. It is a black shadow on my heart, and it is one that I am unsure will ever leave. So where is the beauty? It's underneath that shadow, struggling to break free. I see it in the grades I earn and the bills I pay. I see it in my hobbies, and I see it somewhere in myself, a glimmer in my grey eyes. It keeps the fear of loss at bay, and keeps me from making decisions based on that fear. But most of all, I see it daily, in the eyes of my love. I could not have won his heart if I was all of the things my step-mother claimed I was. I could not love him if I was any of those things. So there is beauty inside the pain, and I chip at it daily, working it free Pain into Beauty Essay -- Personal Narrative Emotional Verbal Abuse Es Pain into Beauty People look back on their childhoods in different ways. Some see it as a time of joy and laughter, love and learning. Many feel a bittersweet mixture of happy nostalgia, and painful moments. Some prefer not to look back at all, seeking only to move forward. Then there are people like me, who look back in anger, bitterness, and sorrow. It seems that few people enjoy a pain-free upbringing. In fact, the very idea of childhood is a fairly new concept. In the early part of the last century, children were considered miniature adults, and were expected to act that way. Abuse, as defined today, was ignored and sometimes encouraged. â€Å"Spare the rod and spoil the child.† Today, abuse is carefully defined and is illegal, but many cases slip through cracks, for many reasons. One big reason is that the abuse is not physical, or sexual. Emotional and verbal abuse is very hard to prove. I was certainly unable to prove it. I'm not even sure my parents are aware they abused me. It is said that our past make us who we are and I often wonder what my past has made me. I entered this world normally enough, in Tucson, Arizona; in the second hottest month of the year (July); at the hottest time of day (mid-afternoon). I had a mother and father who doted on me. At least, I assume they did. Tragedy struck early in my life, taking my mother from me at the age of two months. She died of a seizure caused by a tumor on her adrenal gland. I never knew her, so I always assumed that her death never really affected me. My boyfriend and therapist feel differently. After all, I may have been an infant, but I still suffered a terrible loss. Had my mother lived, I would likely be writing a happier tale. Yet all was not lost, after all I was not... ...do and think things I never thought I would do, and so in desperation I went to a therapist, before I ruined my relationship altogether. It was here I learned the truth, and it was here I saw how deep the damage goes. It is a black shadow on my heart, and it is one that I am unsure will ever leave. So where is the beauty? It's underneath that shadow, struggling to break free. I see it in the grades I earn and the bills I pay. I see it in my hobbies, and I see it somewhere in myself, a glimmer in my grey eyes. It keeps the fear of loss at bay, and keeps me from making decisions based on that fear. But most of all, I see it daily, in the eyes of my love. I could not have won his heart if I was all of the things my step-mother claimed I was. I could not love him if I was any of those things. So there is beauty inside the pain, and I chip at it daily, working it free

Three Qualities to Succeed.

Everyone have dreams, expectations and goals. Some people dream of being famous singers or actors. Other people want to become doctors, nurses, pilots, teachers o something else, the thing is to succeed, to reach their goals. So what do people need to attain their goals? They need to work hard, to take risks, and they need to have attitude and qualities. There are three qualities necessary for success: passion, perseverance and discipline. Successful people are passionate about what they do, they love what the do and they enjoy at the same time, they feel happy and complete because it’s something that they want to do to being satisfied and meet their expectations. They are creative and hard workers, they try to be original thinking in some many ways to do it as well as they can. It’s important to love what they do to do it well and become a successful person. People should have perseverance to reach their goals, they need practice to improve their abilities, sometimes people feel insecure about what they do, so they might practice to do it better. They should keep going and confront the problems, if something is going wrong just keep trying and face the oppositions. Stay focused on their goals even if some one thinks that they must try to do something else, people need to be persistent enough to stay focused on what they want, they need to be patient and persistent if they want to reach their goals. To succeed people need to be discipline, being responsible of what they do, when they make a mistake they need to be able to fix it. They need to study for attain their goals as much as they can to obtain tools and show confidence about what they are doing. It’s not enough to want to succeed, also people need to wok hard with discipline to meet their goals. People who want to succeed should have perseverance, they need to be discipline to know which way is better to follow their dreams, and the most important quality is the passion. If people enjoy and love what they do, they are going to reach the success.

Discuss the Major Outcomes of Financial Intermediation Essay

Financial Intermediation is referred to as an institution that acts as a ‘middleman’ per say between investors and firms raising funds (also known as financial institutions). These are firms such as chartered banks, insurance companies, investment dealers and pension funds. Matthews and Thompson (2008) pp.35–36 show that financial intermediaries can be established by four qualities: †¢ Their main category of liabilities (deposits) are specified for a fixed sum which is not related to the performance of a portfolio †¢ The deposits are typically short-term and of a much shorter term than their assets †¢ A high proportion of their liabilities are chequeable (can be withdrawn on demand) †¢ Their liabilities and assets are largely not transferable. There are exceptions such as certificates of deposit and securitisation (see Chapter 6 of this subject guide). Financial Intermediaries have a huge effect on the economy. Without such institutions firms may be unable to fund their day-to-day business activities which will put a lot of pressure on these said activities and may reduce production as a whole. If this happens it will have negative effects on the economy and may lead to a recession (depending on how big the firm is). An example of this can be taken from the beginning of the recession we have recently experienced which began in roughly 2007 ‘Credit Crunch’. The financial intermediaries in this case banks, were accepting most mortgage applications without thoroughly checking that the consumer could re-pay the funds. This act led to a huge negative outcome. It is important to distinguish between banks as financial intermediaries (who accept deposits and make loans directly to borrowers) and non-bank financial intermediaries who lend via the purchase of securities. The latter category includes insurance companies, pension funds and investment trusts who purchase securities, thus providing capital indirectly rather than making loans The passing of bad loans to individuals that are unable to pay will lead to damaging outcomes for the economy. If there is a substantial loan an individual has to pay off and their interest rate is ridiculously high, it will cause them to stop spending, leading to falls in other aspects of the market. On the other hand, financial intermediaries provide loans more freely than any other direct finance and they also provide a means to fund large operations of which a potential upcoming firm cannot fund from its personal capital. The dominance over direct finance is due to transaction costs (Benston and Smith, 1976), liquidity insurance (Diamond and Dybvig, 1983)and information sharing. As the transaction costs are likely to be less via such intermediaries they are a preffered financing method. Actions of financial intermediaries can have both positive and negative outcomes on the economy as they play a major role in the funding of all businesses. Without such intermediations the GDP of, say, the United Kingdom would decrease significantly as production would be reduced due to the lack of finances. References Financial Intermediation: NewYorkFed (Unknown) Hedge Funds, Financial Intermediation, and Systemic Ris, [Online] newyorkfed Available http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/epr/07v13n3/0712kamb.pdf Bhattacharya, S. and A.V. Thakor ‘Contemporary banking theory’, Journal of Financial Intermediation, 3(1) 1993, pp.2–50; Sections 1, 2, and 7 Diamond, D.W. ‘Financial intermediation as delegated monitoring: A simple example’, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Economic Quarterly, 82(3) 1996, pp.51–66 Saunders and Cornett (2006) Chapter 1, pp.2–10, 15–21 Matthews and Thompson (2008) Chapter 3

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR Necrophiliacs Anonymous, Gooville Chapter Amy was carrying two stoppered porcelain bottles of beer when she entered the Colonel's chambers. The ruler of Gooville came sliding out of the pink wall as if it had given birth to him. He extended his arms to hug her, but instead of returning his embrace, Amy held up a beer. â€Å"I brought you a beer.† â€Å"Amy, you know I don't really eat anymore.† â€Å"I thought you might like a beer, for old times' sake.† â€Å"Why are you here?† â€Å"I hadn't seen you since I got back from Maui. I thought you'd want to debrief me or something.† â€Å"I've talked to Nathan Quinn.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Don't be cute, Amy. I know what's going on between you two.† â€Å"I really don't have any choice, Colonel, I am cute. It's the burden I have to bear.† â€Å"He doesn't know what you are, does he?† â€Å"Drink your beer, it's getting warm. Why do you keep it so steamy in here anyway?† The Colonel accepted the beer from her and took a long pull. When he came up for air, he stared at the beer bottle with a look of surprise, as if it had just spoken to him. â€Å"My, that's good. That's really good. I'd forgotten.† Amy toasted him with her own bottle and took a drink. â€Å"Colonel, we've known each other a long time. You've been like a father to me, but you are out of touch. I'm worried about you. I think you need to come out of here occasionally, like you used to. Walk around. Have some interaction with the people in town.† â€Å"Don't try to get in the way of what I'm doing, Amy.† â€Å"What are you talking about? I'm just worried about you.† The Colonel looked at the beer bottle in his hand again, as if it had just been teleported there, then he looked back to Amy with a little panic in his eyes. â€Å"Nate didn't tell you, then?† â€Å"Tell me what? Nate doesn't have anything to do with this. You have lost touch.† The Colonel nodded, then leaned back into the wall of Goo behind him. It cradled him and formed a chaise longue, which he sat down on as he rubbed his temples. â€Å"Amy, did you ever do anything for a purpose greater than your own ambition? Did you ever feel a duty to something beyond yourself?† â€Å"You mean, like persuading people that I'm something that I'm not to gain their trust so they could be kidnapped or killed in order to preserve my community? Yes, I have some concept of the idea of serving the greater good.† â€Å"I guess you do. I guess you do. Forgive me. Perhaps I do spend too much time alone.† â€Å"You think?† â€Å"Could you leave me now? I do have to think.† â€Å"So you want to be alone now? That's what you're saying? This is how you're going to address the problem of spending too much time alone?† â€Å"Go, Amy, and please don't interfere with Nate.† â€Å"Not yet.† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘not yet'?† â€Å"There's a deposit on that bottle. I'm not leaving without it.† â€Å"Then, Nate, he's not a problem? You're sure?† Here the Colonel forced a smile that looked much more like something menacing than an actual smile. â€Å"Because I will tell him about you if I must.† â€Å"The greater good,† Amy said, returning the forced smile with a real one. â€Å"Good,† said the Colonel, draining the last of his beer. â€Å"Come back. And bring me another of these.† â€Å"You got it,† Amy said. Then she took the bottle from him and left the chamber. Thin line between genius and full-blown batshit, she thought. Very thin line. For two weeks the Colonel didn't send for Nate. Cielle Nuà ±ez had stopped by the third morning that Amy was at Nate's apartment. â€Å"Well, you don't need me anymore,† Cielle had said. â€Å"I'd just as soon get back to my ship anyway, although it doesn't look like we're going anywhere soon.† Nate was disappointed that she hadn't been jealous. â€Å"He's afraid of the cupboards, the fridge, and the garbage disposal,† Cielle told Amy, as if she were talking to the dog sitter. â€Å"And you'll need to take him to get his clothes cleaned. You know he's going to be terrified of the washing machines.† â€Å"I'm right here,† Nate said. â€Å"And I'm not afraid of the appliances. I'm just cautious.† â€Å"Your mother will be thrilled for you two, Amy. Her ship should be back at base soon.† â€Å"No, she's not due in for another six weeks,† Amy said. â€Å"Not anymore. The Colonel's called all the ships back to base.† â€Å"All of them? Why?† Cielle shrugged. â€Å"He's the Colonel. Ours is not to question why. Well, Nate, it's been a pleasure, really. I'll probably see you around. You're in good hands.† She hugged Nate quickly and started out the door. â€Å"Cielle, wait. I want to ask you something. If you don't mind.† She turned. â€Å"Ask away.† â€Å"When did your husband's yacht sink?† Cielle raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Amy. â€Å"It's okay,† Amy said. â€Å"He knows.† â€Å"Nineteen twenty-seven, Nate. In retrospect it was a blessing of sorts. He died doing what he liked doing, and two years later he would have been wiped out when the stock market crashed. I'm not sure he would have survived that.† â€Å"Thanks. I'm sorry.† â€Å"Don't be. Cal and I have a really good life.† â€Å"Cal? Cal from the ship? You didn't tell me that – ; â€Å"He's my husband? The Colonel thought you might be more comfortable with a single woman to orient you. Women down here have never taken their husband's surname, Nate.† â€Å"Females run the show in a whale society,† Amy explained. â€Å"You know, as it should be.† Cielle Nu;ez looked from Amy to Nate and smiled. â€Å"Oh, Nate, what have you gotten yourself into?† And then she snickered like a whaley boy and left. â€Å"She wanted you,† Amy said. â€Å"She hides it really well, but I could tell.† From then on they went out together every morning. Nate insisted that Amy take him far into the catacombs during the day. There they found Gooville's underground farms: tunnels where grains of wheat grew right on the walls – no stalks – others where you could pick tomatoes from two-inch stems that seemed to grow directly out of rock. â€Å"How does any of this ripen without photosynthesis?† Nate asked, handling an apricot that was growing not on a tree but on a broad stem like a mushroom. â€Å"Don't know,† Amy shrugged. â€Å"Geothermal heat. The Colonel says the Goo extends deep under the continent, where it draws heat from the earth. I'll show you the kitchens where they prepare most of the food – it's all geothermal. The old-timers say that at first there was only seafood to eat, but over the years the Goo has provided more and different foods.† â€Å"What are these? Chicken nuggets?† He plucked one from the ceiling. A whaley boy working nearby whistled and clicked harshly. â€Å"He says not to pick them, they're not ripe.† Nate tossed the nugget to the floor of the cave, where a softball-size multilegged thing scurried out of a hatch, retrieved it, and scurried back into its trapdoor. â€Å"I've seen enough here,† Nate said. In the afternoon they did errands and shopping, but still no one asked Nate for any form of payment, and he'd stopped offering. In the evening they usually had dinner in his apartment. After they had shared two meals out at Gooville cafs, Amy had insisted that they eat in. â€Å"You're studying them,† she said, meaning the whaley boys. â€Å"No I'm not. I'm just looking at them.† â€Å"Who are you kidding? You have that look, that researcher look, that lost-in-your-theories look. You think I don't know that look? I worked with you, remember?† Nate shrugged. â€Å"It's what I do. I study whales.† He'd been trying to learn the whaley boys' whistle-and-click language. Emily 7 had come by his apartment a couple of afternoons when Amy was away, and while he thought she might have come for amorous reasons, he managed to channel her energies into lessons on whaleyspeak. They'd become friends of sorts. He hadn't mentioned the lessons to Amy, afraid that she might tease him about Emily the way the whale-ship crew had. â€Å"I observe. I collect data and try to find meaning in it.† Amy nodded, thinking about it, then said, â€Å"So if rescuing manatees and dolphins got you into the field, why didn't you do something more active to help the animals? Veterinary medicine or something.† â€Å"I always wonder. I've thought about the people at Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, putting themselves in harm's way, ramming whaling ships, running Zodiacs in front of harpoon guns to try to protect the animals. I've wondered if that was the way to go.† â€Å"And you thought you could do more as a scientist, studying them?† â€Å"No, I thought that being a scientist was something that I could do. There's a path to becoming a biologist – an educational process. There isn't for being a pirate.† â€Å"No, you're wrong, there is a school for that. I saw it on a matchbook when I was in Maui. I'm sure it said you could learn to be a pirate if you passed a simple test.† â€Å"That's learn to draw a pirate.† â€Å"Whatever. So you compromised?† â€Å"Did I? I think what we – what I do has value.† â€Å"So do I. I'm not saying that. I'm just wondering, you know, now that you're dead, do you feel your life was wasted?† â€Å"I'm not dead, Amy. Jeez, that's an awful thing to say.† â€Å"You know, effectively dead, I mean. Your life being over. Jeepers, does that make me a necrophiliac? When we get out of here, maybe I'll have to go to a meeting or something. Do they have those?† â€Å"Amy, I'm wondering if maybe I don't want to get out of here.† He'd been thinking about it a lot. Life here really wasn't bad, and since he'd been looking for a way out on their daily excursions (only to be reminded that he'd have to go through the miles of pressure locks only to emerge six hundred feet below the sea), maybe he and Amy could make a future together. The whole Gooville ecosystem would certainly keep him interested. â€Å"Hi, my name's Amy, and I hump the dead.† â€Å"Maybe, if I can talk the Colonel out of his plan, I can stay here with you. You know, adapt.† â€Å"I can't imagine that they'd get up at a meeting and say, ‘Hi, my name's so-and-so, and I like to bone the dead. It's sort of crude. Although strangely appropriate.† â€Å"You're not listening to me, Amy.† â€Å"Yes I am. We're not staying here. I'll find a way out, but we can't stay. You have to convince the Colonel not to try to hurt the Goo, but then we're leaving. As soon as possible.† Nate was a little shocked at how adamant she was. She seemed to be staring at nothing, concentrating, thinking about something she didn't want to share, and she didn't seem happy about. But then she brightened. â€Å"Hey, you're going to get to meet my mother.† A week later it happened. â€Å"Well, you always said that the jazz of what you do was knowing something that no one else in the world knows,† Amy said. â€Å"You jazzed?† She took his arm and draped it around her neck as they walked. They had just left the Gooville apartment of Amelia Earhart. â€Å"She looks good, doesn't she?† Amy asked. Amelia was a beautiful, gracious woman, and after sixty-seven years in Gooville, the aviatrix didn't look a day over fifty. She'd been just under forty when she disappeared in 1937. In her presence Nate had felt as if he were fifteen again, out on his first date, stuttering and stumbling and blushing – blushing, for Christ's sake – when Amy mentioned that she'd been spending nights at his place. Amelia made Nate sit next to her on the couch and took his hand as she spoke to him. â€Å"Nathan, I hope what I'm about to say to you doesn't sound racist, because it's not, but I want to put your mind at ease. I have had a very long time to get used to the idea of my daughter's being a sexually active adult, and, frankly, if after all these years you are the one that she has chosen to fall in love with, which appears to be the case, I can only tell you how relieved I am that you are of the human species. So please relax.† Nate had shot a look to Amy. She shrugged. â€Å"Every girl has her adventurous period.† â€Å"Thank you,† Nate said to Amelia Earhart. Now, out on the street, to Amy he said, â€Å"I shouldn't have asked how the flight was.† â€Å"She's still a little sensitive about that. Even after all these years. My dad was her navigator. He didn't survive the crash.† â€Å"But you said you were born in 1940. How could that be if your father died in 1937?† â€Å"Robust sperms?† â€Å"Three years? That's really robust.† She punched his arm. â€Å"I was rounding up. Give me a break, Nate, I'm old. You never grilled the Old Broad for accuracy like this.† â€Å"I wasn't sleeping with the Old Broad.† â€Å"But you wanted to, didn't you? Admit it? You were hot to get into her muumuu.† â€Å"Stop.† Nate glanced at some whaley-boy males who were hanging out in front of the bakery (they always seemed to be there) doing a synchronized display wave with their willies, and he was about to defend himself with a comment about Amy's past, but then he decided that there was just no need to watch that little brain movie, let alone use it as some kind of weapon against what was essentially just Amy-style teasing – one of the things he found he adored about her as soon as he'd allowed himself to admit that he could adore someone again. The whaley boys snickered at him as they passed. â€Å"You guys are all just big, squeaky bath toys,† Nate said under his breath, knowing they could hear him anyway. Nate had been insulting them every time he and Amy went by for a week or so, just to irritate them. Maybe Amy was rubbing off on him. The whaley boys blew a collective sputtering raspberry. â€Å"Sentient? You guys can't even spell sentient,† Nate whispered. And then the reward. He loved watching creatures with four digits try to flip him the middle finger. â€Å"Yeah, I'm the immature one,† Amy said. Life is good, Nate thought. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was happy. Kinda. In the morning a brace of whaley boys came to take him to the Colonel. Amy wasn't even there to kiss him good-bye. Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 3~4 CHAPTER THREE A Little Razor Wire Around Heaven The gate to the Papa Lani compound was hanging open when Nate drove up. Not good. Clay was adamant about their always replacing the big Masterlock on the gate when they left the compound. Papa Lani was a group of wood-frame buildings on two acres northeast of Lahaina in the middle of a half dozen sugarcane fields that had been donated to Maui Whale by a wealthy woman Clay and Nate affectionately referred to as the â€Å"Old Broad.† The property consisted of six small bungalows that had once been used to board plantation workers but had long since been converted to housing, laboratory, and office space for Clay, Nate, and any assistants, researchers, or film crews who might be working with them for the season. Getting the compound had been a godsend for Maui Whale, given the cost of housing and storage in Lahaina. Clay had named the compound Papa Lani (Hawaiian for â€Å"heaven†) in honor of their good fortune, but someone had left the gate to heaven open, and from what Nate could tell as he drove in, the angel shit had hit the fan. Before he even got out of the truck, Nate saw a beat-up green BMW parked in the compound and a trail of papers leading out of the building they used for an office. He snatched a few of them up as he ran across the sand driveway and up the steps into the little bungalow. Inside was chaos: drawers torn out of filing cabinets, toppled racks of cassette tape – the tapes strewn across the room in great streamers – computers overturned, the sides of their cases open, trailing wires. Nate stood among the mess, not really knowing what to do or even what to look at, feeling violated and on the verge of throwing up. Even if nothing was missing, a lifetime of research had been typhooned around the room. â€Å"Oh, Jah's sweet mercy,† came a voice from behind him. â€Å"This a bit of fuckery most heinous for sure, mon.† Nate spun and dropped into a martial-arts stance, notwithstanding the fact that he didn't know any martial arts and that he had loosed a little-girl shriek in the process. The serpent-haired figure of a gorgon was silhouetted in the doorway, and Nate would have screamed again if the figure hadn't stepped into the light, revealing a lean, bare-chested teenager in surfer shorts and flip-flops, sporting a giant tangle of blond dreadlocks and about six hundred nose rings. â€Å"Cool head main ting, brah, cool head,† the kid almost sang. There was pot and steel drums in his voice, bemusement and youth and two joints' worth of separation from the rest of reality. Nate went from fear to confusion in an instant. â€Å"What the fuck are you talking about?† â€Å"Relax, brah, no make li'dat. Kona and I come help out.† Nate thought he might feel better if he strangled this kid – just a little frustration strangle to vent some of the shock of the wrecked lab, not a full choke – but instead he said, â€Å"Who are you, and what are you doing here?† â€Å"Kona,† the kid said. â€Å"Dat boss name Clay hire me for the boats dat day before.† â€Å"You're the kid Clay hired to work with us on the boats?† â€Å"Shoots, mon, I just said that? What, you a ninja, brah?† The kid nodded, his dreads sweeping around his shoulders, and Nate was about to scream at him again when he realized that he was still crouched into his pseudo combat stance and probably looked like a total loon. He stood up, shrugged, then pretended to stretch his neck and roll his head in a cocky way he'd seen boxers do, as if he had just disarmed a very dangerous enemy or something. â€Å"You were supposed to meet Clay down at the dock an hour ago.† â€Å"Some rippin' sets North Shore, they be callin' to me this morning.† The kid shrugged. What could he do? Rippin' sets had called to him. Nate squinted at the surfer, realizing that the kid was speaking some mix of Rasta talk, pidgin, surfspeak and†¦ well, bullshit. â€Å"Stop talking that way, or you're fired right now.† â€Å"So you ichiban big whale kahuna, like Clay say, hey?† â€Å"Yeah,† Nate said. â€Å"I'm the number-one whale kahuna. You're fired.† â€Å"Bummah, mon,† The kid said. He shrugged again, turned, and started out the door. â€Å"Jah's love to ye, brah. Cool runnings,† he sang over his shoulder. â€Å"Wait,† Nate said. The kid spun around, his dreads enveloping his face like a furry octopus attacking a crab. He sputtered a dreadlock out of his mouth and was about to speak. Quinn held up a finger to signal silence. â€Å"Not a word of pidgin, Hawaiian, or Rasta talk, or you're done.† â€Å"Okay.† The kid waited. Quinn composed himself and looked around at the mess, then at the kid. â€Å"There are papers strewn around all over outside, hanging in the fences, in the bushes. I need you to gather them up and stack them as neatly as you can. Bring them here. Can you do that?† The kid nodded. â€Å"Excellent. I'm Nathan Quinn.† Nate extended his hand to shake. The kid moved across the room and caught Nate's hand in a powerful grip. The scientist almost winced but instead returned the pressure and tried to smile. â€Å"Pelekekona,† said the kid. â€Å"Call me Kona.† â€Å"Welcome aboard, Kona.† The kid looked around now, looking as if by giving his name he had relinquished some of his power and was suddenly weak, despite the muscles that rippled across his chest and abdomen. â€Å"Who did this?† â€Å"No idea.† Nate picked up a cassette tape that had been pulled out of the spools and wadded into a bird's nest of brown plastic. â€Å"You go get those papers. I'm going to call the police. That a problem?† Kona shook his head. â€Å"Why would it be?† â€Å"No reason. Grab those papers now. Nothing is trash until I look at it, eh?† â€Å"Overstood, brah,† Kona said, grinning back at Nate as he headed out into sun. Once outside, he turned and called, â€Å"Hey, Kahuna Quinn.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"How come them humpies sing like dat?† â€Å"What do you think?† Nate asked, and in the asking there was hope. Despite the fact that the kid was young and irritating and probably stoned, the biologist truly hoped that Kona – unburdened by too much knowledge – would give him the answer. He didn't care where it came from or how it came (and it would still have to be proved); he just wanted to know, which is what set him apart from the hacks, the wannabes, the backstabbers, and the ego jockeys in the field. Nate just wanted to know. â€Å"I think they trying to shout down Babylon, maybe.† â€Å"You'll have to explain to me what that means.† â€Å"We fix this fuckery, then we fire up a spliff and think over it, brah.† Five hours later Clay came through the door talking. â€Å"We got some amazing stuff today, Nate. Some of the best cow/calf stuff I've ever shot.† Clay was still so excited he almost skipped into the room. â€Å"Okay,† Nate said with a zombielike lack of enthusiasm. He sat in front of his patched-together computer at one of the desks. The office was mostly put back in order, but the open computer case sitting on the desk with wires spread out to a diaspora of refugee drive units told a tale of data gone wild. â€Å"Someone broke in. Tore apart the office.† Clay didn't want to be concerned. He had great videotape to edit. Suddenly, looking at the fans and wires, it occurred to him that someone might have broken his editing setup. He whirled around to see his forty-two-inch flat-panel monitor leaning against the wall, a long diagonal crack bisected the glass. â€Å"Oh,† he said. â€Å"Oh, jeez.† Amy walked in smiling, â€Å"Nate you won't believe the – † She pulled up, saw Clay staring at his broken monitor, the computer scattered over Nate's desk, files stacked here and there where they shouldn't be. â€Å"Oh,† she said. â€Å"Someone broke in,† Clay said forlornly. She put her hand on Clay's shoulder. â€Å"Today? In broad daylight?† Nate swiveled around in his chair. â€Å"They went through our living quarters, too. The police have already been here.† He saw Clay staring at his monitor. â€Å"Oh, and that. Sorry, Clay.† â€Å"You guys have insurance, right?† Amy said. Clay didn't look away from his broken monitor. â€Å"Dr. Quinn, did you pay the insurance?† Clay called Nate  «doctor » only when he wanted to remind him of just how official and absolutely professional they really ought to be. â€Å"Last week. Went out with the boat insurance.† â€Å"Well, then, we're okay,† Amy said, jostling Clay, squeezing his shoulder, punching his arm, pinching his butt. â€Å"We can order a new monitor tonight, ya big palooka.† she chirped, looking like a goth version of the bluebird of happiness. â€Å"Hey!† Clay grinned, â€Å"Yeah, we're okay.† He turned to Nate, smiling. â€Å"Anything else broken? Anything missing?† Nate pointed to the wastebasket where a virtual haystack of audiotape was spilling over in tangles. â€Å"That was spread all over the compound along with all the files. We lost most of the tape, going back two years.† Amy stopped being cheerful and looked appropriately concerned. â€Å"What about the digitals?† She elbowed Clay, who was still grinning, and he joined her in gravity. They frowned. (Nate recorded all the audio on analog tape, then transferred it to the computer for analysis. Theoretically, there should be digital copies of everything.) â€Å"These hard drives have been erased. I can't pull up anything from them.† Nate took a deep breath, sighed, then spun back around in his chair and let his forehead fall against the desk with a thud that shook the whole bungalow. Amy and Clay winced. There were a lot of screws on that desk. Clay said, â€Å"Well, it couldn't have been that bad, Nate. You got it all cleaned up pretty quickly.† â€Å"The guy you hired showed up late and helped me.† Nate was speaking into the desk, his face right where it had landed. â€Å"Kona? Where is he?† â€Å"I sent him to the lab. I had some film I want to see right away.† â€Å"I knew he wouldn't stand us up on his first day.† â€Å"Clay, I need to talk to you. Amy, could you excuse us a minute, please?† â€Å"Sure,† Amy said. â€Å"I'll go see if anything's missing from my cabin.† She left. Clay said, â€Å"You going to look up? Or should I get down on the floor so I can see your face?† â€Å"Could you grab the first-aid kit while we talk?† â€Å"Screws embedded in your forehead?† â€Å"Feels like four, maybe five.† â€Å"They're small, though, those little drive-mount screws.† â€Å"Clay, you're always trying to cheer me up.† â€Å"It's who I am,† Clay said. CHAPTER FOUR Whale Men of Maui Who Clay was, was a guy who liked things – liked people, liked animals, liked cars, liked boats – who had an almost supernatural ability to spot the likability in almost anyone or anything. When he walked down the streets of Lahaina, he would nod and say hello to sunburned tourist couples in matching aloha wear (people generally considered to be a waste of humanity by most locals), but by the same token he would trade a backhanded hang-loose shaka (thumb and fingers extended, three middle fingers tucked, always backhand if you're a local) with a crash of native bruddahs in the parking lot of the ABC Store and get no scowls or pidgin curses, as would most haoles. People could sense that Clay liked them, as could animals, which was probably why Clay was still alive. Twenty-five years in the water with hunters and giants, and the worst he'd come out of it was to get a close tail-wash from a southern right whale that tumbled him like a cartoon into the idling prop of a Zodiac. (Oh, there were the two times he was drowned and the hypothermia, but that stuff wasn't caused by the animals; that was the sea, and she'll kill you whether you liked her or not, which Clay did.) Doing what he wanted to do and his boundless affinity for everything made Clay Demodocus a happy guy, but he was also shrewd enough not to be too open about his happiness. Animals might put up with that smiley shit, but people will eventually kill you for it. â€Å"How's the new kid?† Clay said, trying to distract from the iodine he was applying to Nate's forehead while simultaneously calculating the time to ship his new monitor over to Maui from the discount house in Seattle. Clay liked gadgets. â€Å"He's a criminal,† Nate said. â€Å"He'll come around. He's a water guy.† For Clay this said it all. You were a water guy or you weren't. If you weren't†¦ well, you were pretty much useless, weren't you? â€Å"He was an hour late, and he showed up in the wrong place.† â€Å"He's a native. He'll help us deal with the whale cops.† â€Å"He's not a native, he's blond, Clay. He's more of a haole than you are, for Christ's sake.† â€Å"He'll come around. I was right about Amy, wasn't I?† Clay said. He liked the new kid, Kona, despite the employment interview, which had gone like this: Clay sat with the forty-two-inch monitor at his back, his world-famous photographs of whales and pinnipeds playing in a slide show behind him. Since he was conducting a job interview, he had put on his very best $5.99 ABC Store flip-flops. Kona stood in the middle of the office wearing sunglasses, his baggies, and, since he was applying for a job, a red-dirt-dyed shirt. â€Å"Your application says that your name is Pelke – ah, Pelekekona Ke – † Clay threw his hands up in surrender. â€Å"I be called Pelekekona Keohokalole – da warrior kine – Lion of Zion, brah.† â€Å"Can I call you Pele?† â€Å"Kona,† Kona said. â€Å"It says on your driver's license that your name is Preston Applebaum and you're from New Jersey.† â€Å"I be one hundred percent Hawaiian. Kona the best boat hand in the Island, yeah. I figga I be number-one good man for to keep track haole science boss's isms and skisms while he out oppressing the native bruddahs and stealing our land and the best wahines. Sovereignty now, but after a bruddah make his rent, don't you know?† Clay grinned at the blond kid. â€Å"You're just a mess, aren't you?† Kona lost his Rastafarian, laid-backness. â€Å"Look, I was born here when my parents were on vacation. I really am Hawaiian, kinda, and I really need this job. I'm going to lose my place to live if I don't make some money this week. I can't live on the beach in Paia again. All my shit got stolen last time.† â€Å"It says here that you last worked as a forensic calligrapher. What's that, handwriting analysis?† â€Å"Uh, no, actually, it was a business I started where I would write people's suicide notes for them.† Not a hint of pidgin in his speech, not a skankin' smidgen of reggae. â€Å"It didn't do that well. No one wants to kill himself in Hawaii. I think if I'd started it back in New Jersey, or maybe Portland, it would have gone over really well. You know business: location, location, location.† â€Å"I thought that was real estate.† Clay actually felt a twinge of missed opportunity, here, for although he had spent his life having adventures, doing exactly what he wanted to do, and although he often felt like the dumbest guy in the room (because he'd surrounded himself with scientists), now, talking to Kona, he realized that he had never realized his full potential as a self-deluded blockhead. Ahhh†¦ wistful regrets. Clay liked this kid. â€Å"Look, I'm a water guy,† Kona said. â€Å"I know boats, I know tides, I know waves, I love the ocean.† â€Å"You afraid of it?† Clay asked. â€Å"Terrified.† â€Å"Good. Meet me at the dock tomorrow morning at eight-thirty.† Now Nate rubbed at the crisscrrossed band-aids on his forehead as Clay went through the Pelican cases of camera equipment under the table across the room. The break-in and subsequent shit storm of activity had sidetracked him from what he'd seen this morning. It started to settle on him again like a black cloud of self-doubt, and he wondered whether he should even mention what he saw to Clay. In the world of behavioral biology, nothing existed until it was published. It didn't matter how much you knew – it wasn't real if it didn't appear in a scientific journal. But when it came to day-to-day life, publication was secondary. If he told Clay what he'd seen, it would suddenly become real. As with his attraction for Amy and the realization that years' worth of research was gone, he wasn't sure he wanted it to be real. â€Å"So why did you need to send Amy out?† Clay asked. â€Å"Clay, I don't see things I don't see, right? I mean, in all the time we've worked together, I haven't called something before the data backed it up, right?† Clay looked up from his inventory to see the expression of consternation on his friend's face. â€Å"Look, Nate, if the kid bothers you that much, we can find someone else –  » â€Å"It's not the kid.† Nate seemed to be weighing what he was going to say, not sure if he should say it, then blurted out, â€Å"Clay, I think I saw writing on the tail flukes of that singer this morning.† â€Å"What, like a pattern of scars that look like letters? I've seen that. I have a dolphin shot that shows tooth rakings on the animal's side that appear to spell out the word ‘zap.  » â€Å"No it was different. Not scars. It said, ‘Bite me. â€Å" â€Å"Uh-huh,† Clay said, trying not to make it sound as if he thought his friend was nuts. â€Å"Well, this break-in, Nate, it's shaken us all up.† â€Å"This was before that. Oh, I don't know. Look, I think it's on the film I shot. That's why I came in to take the film to the lab. Then I found this mess, so I sent the kid to the lab with my truck, even though I'm pretty sure he's a criminal. Let's table it until he gets back with the film, okay?† Nate turned and stared at the deskful of wires and parts, as if he'd quickly floated off into his own thoughts. Clay nodded. He'd spent whole days in the same twenty-three-foot boat with the lanky scientist, and nothing more had passed between the two than the exchange of â€Å"Sandwich?† â€Å"Thanks.† When Nate was ready to tell him more, he would. In the meantime he would not press. You don't hurry a thinker, and you don't talk to him when he's thinking. It's just inconsiderate. â€Å"What are you thinking?† Clay asked. Okay, he could be inconsiderate sometimes. His giant monitor was broken, and he was traumatized. â€Å"I'm thinking that we're going to have to start over on a lot of these studies. Every piece of magnetic media in this place has been scrambled, but as far as I can tell, nothing is missing. Why would someone do that, Clay?† â€Å"Kids,† Clay said, inspecting a Nikon lens for damage. â€Å"None of my stuff is missing, and except for the monitor it seems okay.† â€Å"Right, your stuff.† â€Å"Yeah, my stuff.† â€Å"Your stuff is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, Clay. Why wouldn't kids take your stuff? No one doesn't know that Nikon equipment is expensive, and no one on the island doesn't know that underwater housings are expensive, so who would just destroy the tapes and disks and leave everything?† Clay put down the lens and stood up. â€Å"Wrong question.† â€Å"How is that the wrong question?† â€Å"The question is, who could possibly care about our research other than us, the Old Broad, and a dozen or so biologists and whale huggers in the entire world? Face it, Nate, no one gives a damn about singing whales. There's no motive. The question is, who cares?† Nate slumped in his chair. Clay was right. No one did care. People, the world, cared about the numbers of whales, so the survey guys, the whale counters, they actually collected data that people cared about. Why? Because if you knew how many whales you had, you knew how many you could or could not kill. People loved and understood and thought they could prove points and make money with the numbers. Behavior†¦ well, behavior was squishy stuff used to entertain fourth-graders on Cable in the Classroom. â€Å"We were really close, Clay,† Nate said. â€Å"There's something in the song that we're missing. But without the tapes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Clay shrugged. â€Å"You heard one song, you heard 'em all.† Which was also true. All the males sang the same song each season. The song might change from season to season, or even evolve through the season somewhat, but in any given population of humpbacks, they were all singing the same tune. No one had figured out exactly why. â€Å"We'll get new samples.† â€Å"I'd already cleaned up the spectrographs, filtered them, analyzed them. It was all on the hard disks. That work was for specific samples.† â€Å"We'll do it again, Nate. We have time. No one is waiting. No one cares.† â€Å"You don't have to keep saying that.† â€Å"Well, it's starting to bother me, too, now,† Clay said. â€Å"Who in the hell cares whether you figure out what's going on with humpback song?† A kicked-off flip-flop flew into the room followed by the singsong Rastafarian-bruddah pomp of Kona returning, â€Å"Irie, Clay, me dready. I be bringing films and herb for the evening to welcome to Jah's mercy, mon. Peace.† Kona stood there, an envelope of negatives and contact sheet in one hand, a film can held high above his head in the other. He was looking up to it as if it held the elixir of life. â€Å"You have any idea what he said?† Nate asked. He quickly crossed the room and snatched the negatives away from Kona. â€Å"I think it's from the ‘Jabberwocky, † Clay replied. â€Å"You gave him cash to get the film processed? You can't give him cash.† â€Å"And this lonely stash can to fill with the sacred herb,† Kona said. â€Å"I'll find me papers, and we can take the ship home to Zion, mon.† â€Å"You can't give him money and an empty film can, Nate. He sees it as a religious duty to fill it up.† Nate had pulled the contact sheet out of the envelope and was examining it with a loupe. He checked it twice, counting each frame, checking the registry numbers along the edge. Frame twenty-six wasn't there. He held the plastic page of negatives up to the light, looked through the images twice and the registry numbers on the edges three times before he threw them down, checked the earlier frames that Amy had shot of the whale tail, then crossed the room and grabbed Kona by the shoulders. â€Å"Where's frame twenty-six, goddamn it? What did you do with it?† â€Å"This just like I get it, mon. I didn't do nothing.† â€Å"He's a criminal, Clay,† Nate said. Then he grabbed the phone and called the lab. All they could tell him was that the film had been processed normally and picked up from the bin in front. A machine cut the negatives before they went into the sleeves – perhaps it had snipped off the frame. They'd be happy to give Nate a fresh roll of film for his trouble. Two hours later Nate sat at the desk, holding a pen and looking at a sheet of paper. Just looking at it. The room was dark except for the desk lamp, which reached out just far enough to leave darkness in all the corners where the unknown could hide. There was a nightstand, the desk, the chair, and a single bed with a trunk set at its end, a blanket on top as a cushion. Nathan Quinn was a tall man, and his feet hung off the end of the bed. He found that if he removed the supporting trunk, he dreamed of foundering in blue-water ocean and woke up gasping. The trunk was full of books, journals, and blankets, none of which had ever been removed since he'd shipped them to the island nine years ago. A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since moved on once he realized that no one was ever going to bother him, so he could stand up on his hind hundred feet, hiss like a pissed cat, and deliver a deadly bite to a naked foot. There was a small television, a clock radio, a small kitchenette with two burners and a microwave, two full bookshelves under the window that looked out onto the compound, and a yellowed print of two of Gauguin's Tahitian girls between the windows over the bed. At one time, before the plantations had been automated, ten people probably slept in this room. In grad school at UC Santa Cruz, Nathan Quinn had lived in quarters about this same size. Progress. The paper on Nate's desk was empty, the bottle of Myers's Dark Rum beside it half empty. The door and windows were open, and Nate could hear the warm trades rattling the fronds of two tall coconut palms out front. There was a tap on the door, and Nate looked up to see Amy silhouetted in the doorway. She stepped into the light. â€Å"Nathan, can I come in?† She was wearing a T-shirt dress that hit her about midthigh. Nate put his hand over the paper, embarrassed that there was nothing written on it. â€Å"I was just trying to put a plan together for – † He looked past the paper to the bottle, then back at Amy. â€Å"Do you want a drink?† He picked up the bottle, looked around for a glass, then just held the bottle out to her. Amy shook her head. â€Å"Are you all right?† â€Å"I started this work when I was your age. I don't know if I have the energy to start it all over again.† â€Å"It's a lot of work. I'm really sorry this happened.† â€Å"Why? You didn't do it. I was close, Amy. There's something that I've been missing, but I was close.† â€Å"It will still be there. You know, we have the field notes from the last couple of years. I'll help you put as much of it back together as I can.† â€Å"I know you will, but Clay's right. Nobody cares. I should have gone into biochemistry or become an ecowarrior or something.† â€Å"I care.† Nate looked at her feet to avoid looking her in the eye. â€Å"I know you do. But without the recordings†¦ well – then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged and took a sip from the rum bottle. â€Å"You can't drink, you know,† he said, now the professor, now the Ph.D., now the head researcher. â€Å"You can't do anything or have anything in your life that gets in the way of researching whales.† â€Å"Okay,† Amy said. â€Å"I just wanted to see if you were okay.† â€Å"Yeah, I'm okay.† â€Å"We'll get started putting it back together tomorrow. Good night, Nate.† She backed out the door. â€Å"Night, Amy.† Nate noticed that she wasn't wearing anything under the T-shirt dress and felt sleazy for it. He turned his attention back to his blank piece of paper, and before he could figure out why, he wrote BITE ME in big block letters and underlined it so hard that he ripped the page.