Ratios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ratios - Essay Example The standardized scope of financial ratios also limits quantitative aspects of the communicated information because the ratios do not communicate exact values of financial information. Profitability is for example expresses in ratios and a firm with relatively lower profit level may report higher profitability ratio than a firm that has recorded higher profit volume. Ratios also assume linear relationship between variables and this mislead stakeholders because most variables are not linearly related (Lee, 2006). Investors could use liquidity ratios to make decisions, on whether to invest in a company or not, by comparing the ratios to the value one. Ratios that are less than one means that a company is overwhelmed by debt, is liable to creditors’ terms and should inform a potential investor against the company. Ratios, which are greater than one, however mean an organization’s independence from creditors’ adverse influences and offers short-term stability for investment. Investors can also use the magnitude of liquidity ratios to understand the level of a company’s liquidity for investment decision because a more liquid company is more secure for investors’ short term interests (Lee,

Compare the play Killed with Blue Remembered Hills Essay Example for Free

Compare the play Killed with Blue Remembered Hills Essay In this essay I will compare the two plays Killed and Blue Remembered Hills. The play Blue Remembered Hills was written by Dennis Potter, I have been studying the Samuel French LTD edition. It is set in 1943 in the south west of Britain. Killed was written by Fred Hawksley, it is set mostly in France with flash backs to Manchester. Both plays are set in war times, Blue Remembered Hills takes place in the Second World War and Killed is set in the First World War. In Blue Remembered Hills the war is a back ground to the story; it is referred to but never seen, unlike Killed where the war is what makes the story. When we acted out the play Blue Remembered Hills I played John, he is a child who is part of a gang, a lot like the 14 platoon in Killed. In both there is a strong sense of hierarchy; in Killed there is no answering back to the one in charge this being the R.S.M. and in Blue Remembered Hills the character in charge is Wallace Wilson, although ever elusive on stage he is constantly mentioned in the dialogue as no.1 in the group. The speech in Blue Remembered Hills is very naturalistic using slang to enhance the informal feel of the play. Killed uses a more formal register when someone is in the presence of the R.S.M but takes a more natural tone when Billy remembers life in Manchester. They both have similar story lines where a group of friends are forced, or accidentally kill another one of their friends. They are both tragedies because the endings are sad and a friend ends up dead. In Blue Remembered Hills war is an exciting and glorified vision in the minds of the children. In Killed Billy is executed by his own side in the First World War and shows the harsh reality of being a solder in the trenches on the front line. The two plays have very different views of war. The characters in the two plays have very different personalities, yet they resemble some of the personalities from the other, for example the R.S.M. and Peter being a kind of leader figures bossing the members of the group. Billy and Donald also show similarities as they both die and their friends play a part in their deaths. The two plays would be performed very differently, Blue Remembered Hills is very natural; running in almost real time unlike Killed which is very stylistic and happens over two years with narrated flash backs. I would show these flash backs via the flash back being acted out on stage while Billy addresses the audience not being able to interact with the flash back although he tries to. I would create a simple set for Killed maybe some seats and a table for Billys home in Manchester and some staging lined up to make the lip of the trench. For the Blue Remembered Hills set we made a barn behind a woodland scene so that the whole scene could take place without any changes to the set and used the whole stage well. For costumes I would have Billy from Killed in a First World War uniform and in Blue Remembered Hills I would try to find some clothes that could help an actor inhabit the role of a child in the 1940s. The two plays are both very interesting and conjure different visions of war, in Blue Remembered Hills the World War engulfs all lands over seas and yet the children in mainland Britain have only heard the glorified version of the war, whereas Billy in Killed believes he will become a hero but finds that war is not as heroic as he thought.

Diabetes Essay -- Disease, Health, Medical, Nursing

Diabetes Diabetes is a killer; in fact, it is among the top ten killers of adults in the United States. "It can lead to, or contribute to, a number of other serious diseases" (Sizer and Whitney 112). Diabetes means "syphon" or "to run through" (Sizer and Whitney 112) therefore denoting the increase in urinary volume excreted by people suffering from this disease. Mellitus means "sweet". Diabetes mellitus means increased excretion of sugars being released with the urine, creating a sweet smell at the time of elimination. The patient with this type of disease has a problem with his insulin production or usage. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland, that helps to digest the sugars and use them for energy, and must be given through an injection into the arms or legs; if this is not done the gastrointestinal enzymes in a person's stomach will digest the hormone. A diabetic does not produce adequate insulin or cannot use his own. Diabetes mellitus is not a single disease. This is a h eterogeneous syndrome for which several theories of etiology (explanation of the cause of the disease) have been proposed (WebMd Health). Diabetes is a life-threatening disease, but it is not a death sentence. With proper maintenance of insulin, exercise, and diet, diabetes can be controlled. Advances in medicine will create a larger variety of treatment options and help remove the stigma, as well as fears, associated with diabetes. The signs and symptoms of diabetes are divided into early, secondary, and late signs. Some of the early signs include polyuria (excessive urination) and thirst; another sign can also be a sweet smell from urine. This odor is due to the loss of water through promoting cellular dehydration. Polyuria is the result of large amounts of glucose, ketone bodies, and protein being excreted by the kidney; an osmotic effect of sugar attracts water and promotes diuresis. The secondary signs include nausea and vomiting, dry mucous membranes with cracked lips, hot flushed skin, abdominal pain and or rigidity, acetone odor of the breath, soft eyeballs because of dehydration, and kidney disease. Other signs include impaired vision or blindness resulting from cataracts and damaged retinas, nerve damage, skin damage, and strokes and heart attacks. The root cause of all of these symptoms is probably the same (Sizer and Whitney 113). Late symptoms includ... ...diseases. Signs and symptoms also vary; they are broken down into early, secondary, and late. Complications also fluctuate depending on the lifestyle and control that the patient has over his insulin. First signs are not good to have and most are, overlooked by the patient. Treatments can range from simple injections to the use of more complicated machinery. Diabetes does not choose a specific race, age, or gender, but any person is at risk. Depending on the diabetic's lifestyle and habits in everyday life, longevity and normal living will triumph. Works Cited American Diabetes Association. 10 March 2005. Apgar, Ellen. Telephone interview. 09 March 2005. Boone, Ria. Personal interview. 14 March 2005. Cordy, Eric. Telephone interview. 2 March 2005. Luckmann Joan, and Karen Creason Sorensen. Medical-Surgical Nursing: A Psychological Approach. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1980. Sizer, Frances, and Eleanor Whitney. Nutrition Concepts and Controversies. Eighth edition. Australia: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2000. WebMd Health. 2003. WebMd Corporation. 22 Jan. 2005 . International Diabetes Federation. What is Treatment for Diabetes? 20 Jan. 2004. .

First Chapter of Lord of the Flies Essay

The first chapter of Lord Of the Flies introduces Ralph at the very start roaming the jungle. This contributes to the mysteriousness of the literature. Not telling you where he came from or why he is there makes the story enticing and entertaining. The author was adding to the rising action. The setting in the very beginning was the Jungle. After Ralph walks for a small amount of time, a voice calls out to him asking for help, and to wait up. This is another way to make the story seem mysterious. He learns it is a boy with the nickname Piggy. Piggy joins Ralph and they walk to a lagoon. There they find a conch shell and Ralph blows through the conch which then calls on an large amount of boys. The author most likely added this to make another curve to the story. To show how much about the place Ralph and Piggy didn’t know. When the large group arrived, a boy named Jack Merridew asked where the ship was, and where an adult was. This showed how ignorant Ralph was because he had no clue what the conch sound meant to the people that were already there. Then Johnny and the twins Sam and Eric arrived along with many other younger and older boys. They talk as if they all have an education which shows they were also put here, not born here. The dialog seems modern and easily understandable, which shows that the setting is more recent than historical. Ralph is voted leader and commands that they explore to see if where they are is an island. Accompanying Ralph is Simon and Jack. Piggy is left behind to log names, which upsets him. The reason the author wrote about the exploration is to show the others don’t know where they are either. Throughout the venture, the boys are faced with a series of things in their path. They push a boulder off a cliff. The author most likely added this to show they weren’t hopelessly stranded on the island. The end of the chapter the boys realized they were hungry. They searched for food and found a pig, in the grips of the ‘creepers’. The author didn’t explain what the creepers were and it made it much more elusive. Jack fails to stab the pig quick enough and he made up excuses as to why he couldn’t. It shows that he isn’t nearly as tough as he lead on to be. He slams his knife into the tree to show he is in fact still the alpha male. The first chapter left many unanswered questions.

Humanistic Theory

Experiential and Humanistic Theory As a person goes through life and has ups and downs, their ability to handle the stress varies from person to person. At times, a person has difficulties maintaining all the pressures of issues that sometimes feel to manifest into deep sensations of falling. Not knowing where to turn or where to go to get a clear view of what it is that may has them continuing to feel all of the world is against them. Many people rely on friends and family to get that ear to sort out their troubles.Calm down an agitated person, assisting a friend through a death of a family member, or something as simple as avoiding negative thoughts through distracting, these forms of lending a hand can be described as psychotherapy. Anton Meamer discovered the age-old wisdom in the eighteenth century, early nineteenth. Anton realized that when a person or individual suffers a variety of mental anguish or illness, when put in a hypnotic trance, their symptoms disappeared. Many didn ’t understand the nature of what Anton was doing and dismissed a lot of his work.Later, Sigmund Freud rediscovered the theory and showed that the presence of caring, being attentive, becoming a trusted listener assisted with their issues or situations. Allowed a person to focus on their experience through revisiting long forgotten traumatic events and assist with symptoms of the trauma. Through observation, psychotherapy became a form of treatment and a new revolutionary form of therapy was born. As the foundation of psychology was being laid out, the development of theories began to be discovered.Understanding behavior and what may cause a person to want to strive in life and become successful in society opened the doors for theorist to develop a humanistic theory. The potential of an individual making a contribution to society and becoming a person who is likeable by peers, family, and friends led two theorist to develop the humanistic theory movement. Abraham Maslow and Ca rl Rogers regarded an individual’s personal growth and feeling fulfilled in life as basic human motive. Humanistic theory involves the development of an individual.The achievement of happiness is dependent upon the willingness of an individual to pursue their own deepest interests and desires. By an individual focusing on themselves, creating a strong sense of self gives a person to feel positive about their contribution to society. Humanist’s theory looks at behavior not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the individual presenting the behavior. A goal of humanistic theory and therapy gives the client the opportunity to deal with their behavior and situation in their own terms of real self and ideal self.With this idea, a client’s progress and direction in the therapy is based from what they are and what they want. Achieving self-esteem in therapy through this process allows the client to evaluate their own sense of what. Self-esteem will also strengthen the understanding of self and not be something or someone they are not. As the foundation is being set, as the clients acceptance of real self begins to emerge, their self-esteem becomes solid and their awareness to eventually not strive for being someone or something they’re not creates a positive sense of self and their needs begin to be met.With the qualities of positive regard for self, having an unconditional awareness of self, creates an empathetic and genuine client and humanistic therapist relationship. Using the techniques of humanistic therapy allow therapist to assist the client in agreeing with the merging of their real self and the ideal self. No matter what the client reveals of them self in therapy, keeping a positive regard will keep the client in an accepting and warm environment. In the context of humanistic psychotherapy, the individual should expect the therapist to be accepting of whatever has been revealed.As this bond is established , the client’s achievements towards self-actualization can be secured through the understanding of the therapist creating a solid and functional use of the client’s needs. The development of the â€Å"pyramid of needs† by Maslow in 1943 became the blue print used today to identify the needs of individuals. Maslow believed that in the correct order, an individual can become self-actualized through a hierarchy of needs. Once an individual has met the basic physiological needs such as food, water, sex, sleeps etc. then they are able feel safety through the security of body, employment, morality, family health, etc. As the individuals moves up the hierarchy, feeling loved and belonged strengthens their self-esteem and reaching self-actualization is achieved. Carl Rogers believed that in order for an individual to develop fully, in addition to Maslow’s hierarchy, their environment needs to be genuine, accepting, and have empathy. Rodgers felt that without the essential environment that is nourishing, development of healthy personalities and relationships will not have the opportunity to flourish fully.Rogers continued to expand on Maslow’s theory by going a little deeper. He felt that an individual operates from a unique frame of reference through building self-regard and self-concept. As an individual is identifying how to meet their basic needs, what about the experiences that are learned? David Kolb took a different approach then just viewing behavioral theories. Kolb developed the experiential learning theory that takes the approach on how experiences, including cognitions, environmental factors, and emotions influence the learning process.Kolb illustrated that experiences provide a great deal of information that serves as the ground level for reflection. Through reflections, Kolb believes an individual forms an abstract concept. Kolb describes four stage cycle theory of learning that creates a transformation of an experience. Concrete experience also known as â€Å"Do†, reflective observation also known as â€Å"Observe†, abstract conceptualization also known as† Think†, and active experimentation also known as† Plan†. One may begin at any stage, but must still follow each other in sequence.The first two stages are ways to grasp an experience and the last two are ways to transform an experience. The first stage, concrete experience is when the individual actively experiences in an activity such as a lab session or field work. The second stage, reflective observation is when an individual consciously reflects back on that experience. The third stage, abstract conceptualization an individual attempts to conceptualize a theory or model of what is observed. The fourth stage, active experimentation is when an individual is trying to plan how to test a model or theory or plan for a future experience.When speaking of individuals, this describes the learner. Both theories d emonstrate an approach that helps an individual identify with their selves. Each approach taken may have a different model that is adhered to, however, each approach focuses on the experiences that an individual has had that make up their psyche. Through understanding where an individual is at with their level of needs, the understanding of how they perceive and learn the information helps build a strong foundation when addressing the issues and situations of a person.As with any type of therapy, using techniques that is considered traditional in the aspect of a person-centered therapy, creating an environment where the clients is allowed to lead the conversation in a therapy session gives the client a sense of control. Feeling as if they are being heard, the relationship can begin to form and the therapist will continue to be aware of the different levels of theory that can present itself. Using the correct technique in a session will be sure that the client’s subjective per spective isn’t being missed and both client and therapist benefit from the potential growth that is uniquely inherent in them both.References: Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. Retrieved January 26, 2013 Kolb, D. A. , Boyatzis, R. E. , & Mainemelis, C. (2000). Experiential Learning Theory: Previous Research and New Directions. In Perspectives on cognitive, learning, and thinking styles. Retrieved January 26, 2013 McLeod, S. (2012). Humanism. In Simply Psychology. Retrieved January 26, 2013 Severin, F. T. (1973). Discovering man in psychology: A humanistic approach. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved January 26, 2013

Personality Theory Workbook Essay Example

Personality Theory Workbook Essay Example Personality Theory Workbook Paper Personality Theory Workbook Paper Freud: Case Study In looking at this case study, I would place Hank in the oral aggressive personality. This is evidenced by his sarcastic nature. Hank is also very argumentative. Hank is fixated in the oral and anal stages of Freudian perspective. This is evidenced throughout the case reading. Some of the evidence of the oral stage include his chain smoking, obsessive eating habits, and nail biting. Evidence of the anal stage include Hank’s sarcasm and the way in which he is so unconscious of how his behavior’s affects others. In addition, he is very rigid in the way he thinks. His fixation with food and cigarettes could be from his mother not giving him the attention he needed when he was an infant. She could have given him food when he was crying or upset. That may be why he goes to it now when he is stressed out or nervous. I believe that Hank’s eating is internally motivated. Hank is in the oral stage and he indulges in food and cigarettes when he is angry or upset. The argumentative behavior that Hank exhibits comes from low self-esteem. Hank uses rationalization as a defense mechanism. He uses this when Sally broke up with him. Instead of trying to understand why she really broke up with him, he made himself feel better by telling himself it was because of his weight and not his personality. This soothed his ego because it made Sally seem like a shallow person. When Hank gets stressed he eats. This is regressing to an earlier period of life, when he was younger and his mother would give him food to calm him down. When he eats, he feels better and is more relaxed. A Freudian therapist would see Hank’s weight problem as a behavioral problem. While Hank was in the oral stage of development, his mother soothed and comforted him with food or something else in his mouth. This led to the behavioral problem of him eating and smoking when upset later in life. A Freudian therapist would likely use a dream analysis technique. This technique would focus on the underlying hidden meaning of the dream. The therapist would try to make the unconscious mind the focus of the therapy. This would make it conscious and therefore promote healing. Healing in Freudian therapy happens through self-help. Jung: Case Study 4 According to Junigan theory, Mark is an extrovert. The characteristics of an extrovert are becoming animated when surrounded by a lot of people and being someone who enjoys socializing and being the center of attention. Mark is a fireman, and is the center of attention quite a bit. His job is very stimulating. He loves live and lives it to the fullest. Mark’s superior function is sensing. According to Junigan, these people focus on happiness and pleasure. Mark’s friends describe him as a happy and outgoing person. Mark has been influenced by the persona archetype. In this stage, a person plays many roles. However, if you are not careful, you can become that role and other aspects of the personality may not develop properly. I know that Mark is this type of archetype because he has always wanted to be hero. When he was a child he would play a super hero or sheriff. Now he is a firefighter. Mark is aware of this influence. He knows that the people praise and reward him, and he enjoys it. According to Jung’s theory, Mark is still in the childhood stage of development. In this stage, his parents tried to force what they wanted on him, instead of encouraging him to attend fire academy. Mark is always thrill-seeking. It appears that he has no desire to find a life partner or settle down. Mark was in the childhood stage, which is characterized by constant pretending. Adler: Case Study 7 The evidence I found that Martin had feelings of inferiority are they sometimes he would go to bed hungry at night as a child, and that his parents were not very affectionate. That is why he tries so hard to have a lot more than he did when he was growing up. The feelings of inferiority influenced Martin’s behavior because he worked very hard to become a person of wealth since he grew up in a humble beginning. In addition, because of the neglect he suffered as a child, he does not have any close friendships or female companionship. Feelings of inferiority create a determination for success or superiority. Martin’s goal was to be more successful and sophisticated than his parents. His unique style of life would be to become a lawyer. Martin clearly remembered defending a little boy who was accused of stealing. This recollection designates the suggested style of life. Martin has a low level of social interest. This implies that Martin does not care to cooperate with others to achieve goals. Instead, Martin depends on himself alone to achieve his goals. The neglect and small amount of attention he received as a child is the cause for this level of social interest. Â  Adler believes that the first born is connected with power throughout their lives. This applies to Martin’s life. Martin loves power and his successful position in society. Horney: Case Study 9 Samara demonstrates the trend of movement toward other people. All she is wants is for someone to love her. In addition, she goes from one relationship to another. She seeks affection and approval from a partner. The need for affection and approval is shown, along with the need for a partner. Samara is very compliant and tries to please her boyfriend’s by being submissive. In addition, she goes from one relationship to another because she is fearful of being alone. Samara’s neurotic behavior is caused from the basic anxiety that results from not getting sufficient love from parents. Samara’s self-image is not an accurate one. She sees herself as pretty much perfect. She does not understand why her boyfriend’s keep breaking up with her. Samara describes herself as loving, generous, unselfish and sensitive to the needs of others. Horney’s theory explains that we all see ourselves as how we want to be. That is evident in the way that Samara views herself.

Essay on Ancient LiteratureEssay Writing Service

Essay on Ancient LiteratureEssay Writing Service Essay on Ancient Literature Essay on Ancient LiteratureThe Genesis and Exodus uncover the story of the world creation and the narrow escape of Jews from Egypt, where they lived in slavery and suffered from oppression. However, themes raised in Genesis and Exodus can be traced in the contemporary art as well. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the theme raised in Exodus became particularly popular and relevant in works of art dedicated to the problem of Holocaust. In its essence Holocaust was the 20th century return of Jews to Egypt, where the life was worth nothing, where they were treated as mere commodities being slaves of Egyptian and Germans respectively. In fact, the Holocaust may be viewed as reincarnation of the Exodus story. At this point, it is possible to refer to The Schindler’s List (1993), the film shot by Steven Spielberg, where the director attempts to show the severe oppression of Jews and face the risk of being slaughtered just because they are Jews. In such a way, the f ilm actually reminds of the life of Jews in Egypt, when Jews has managed to escape from their slavery headed by Moses. Schindler turns out to be the new Moses for Jews in Poland but the film broadens the scope of theme raised by Exodus since even though the director shows the severe oppression of Jews by the Nazi and their urgent need to escape, it is a non-Jew, Oskar Schindler, a German businessman, who becomes their savior, unlike Moses, who was Jew and the true leader of his people, that means that the director probably wanted to show that actions of Schindler were driven not by national but universal, humanistic concerns.

15 Foreign Words and Phrases People Spell Incorrectly

15 Foreign Words and Phrases People Spell Incorrectly 15 Foreign Words and Phrases People Spell Incorrectly 15 Foreign Words and Phrases People Spell Incorrectly By Mark Nichol Here are some problematic frequently misspelled words and phrases of foreign extraction: 1. A capella: The Italian phrase, literally â€Å"in chapel style† but meaning â€Å"without instrumental accompaniment,† is two words. 2. Apropos: The French phrase for â€Å"to the purpose,† and meaning â€Å"with regard to† or â€Å"opportune† or timely,† is treated as two words in the original language but as one in English. It’s sometimes erroneously split into two in English, which is not appropriate. 3. Capisce: This formal Italian term meaning â€Å"understand† is employed in English as a slang interrogative equivalent to â€Å"You know what I mean?† (Notice that capisci is also correct, as its the equivalent of capisce in the second person). 4. Chaise longue: This phrase, literally â€Å"long chair† in French, is often mispronounced â€Å"chase lounge† (the correct French pronunciation is â€Å"shez long,† though the vowel sound in the first word is in English closer to â€Å"shayz†) and, by association, the second word is sometimes misspelled like â€Å"lounge.† 5. Coffee klatch: This half-translation of the German word Kaffeeklatsch (â€Å"coffee gossip†) is an open compound (or, in a variant, more faithful spelling, a hyphenated compound: coffee-klatsch). 6. De rigueur: This French word for â€Å"proper,† adopted into English, is (like liqueur) properly spelled with two us. 7. En masse: This French phrase for â€Å"as one† is one of several adopted into English as is. 8. Flak: This German acronym derived from Fliegerabwehrkanonen, or antiaircraft guns, and, by extension, the shells fired from them, and used in English to refer to criticism or opposition has so often been misspelled flack that this second spelling is now an accepted variant, though the direct borrowing is preferred. 9. Hors d’oeuvres: The jumble of vowels following the article d’ in this direct borrowing from the French phrase meaning â€Å"apart from the main work† stymies many writers. 10. Laissez-faire: This direct translation of the French phrase translated roughly as â€Å"let do† and referring to minimal government interference in economic or other affairs is always hyphenated, even when used as a noun. 11. Mano a mano: This Spanish phrase for â€Å"hand to hand† refers, in English as well, to two people going up against each other in competition or conflict. 12. Oeuvre: The French term for â€Å"work,† most often used in the sense of the sum total of an artist’s output, consists of a bewildering sequence of letters. 13. Per se: People unfamiliar with the origin of this phrase (it’s borrowed directly from the Latin phrase meaning â€Å"in itself†) sometimes misspell it â€Å"per say† (perhaps as if to write â€Å"as said†). 14. Segue: Confusion with the name of the vehicle called the Segway may be responsible for the occasional misspelling of this word to resemble the brand name, though that error may just be the result of a phonetic attempt to produce the borrowed French term meaning â€Å"to make a close or smooth transition.† 15. Tchotchke: This improbably spelled alteration of a Yiddish word meaning â€Å"trinket† is a spelling bee competitor’s nightmare. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives Disappointed + Preposition35 Synonyms for Rain and Snow

What are Effective Ways of Coping with Anxiety and Nervousness in Essay

What are Effective Ways of Coping with Anxiety and Nervousness in Teaching - Essay Example   Learners for the lessons were non-native English-speaking students. The English Language Institution was chosen for this teaching practice. This course is designed for someone who wishes to visit an English-speaking country soon, and it is also suitable for students who are studying English for educational reasons. At the moment, the learners level of English is approximately the lower intermediate level. The class size will be no more than 10 students, who will be at least 16 years old. The main purpose of this lesson is to introduce new vocabulary and simple grammar. Students will be able to improve their communication skills for leisurely and social purposes by engaging in authentic conversational activities; they also gain practice in using English language patterns through reading the customized text and completing predetermined gaps in the text meaningfully. By providing both controlled and freer practice, it is intended that students will become more confident in their use of English. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is the methodological framework for a lesson where tasks are used as â€Å"the core unit of planning and instruction† (Richards and Rodegers, 2001: 223). By setting difficult but achievable tasks, the students are challenged, which then facilitates learning. This lesson emphasizes the process of learning, provides the students with a natural context for language use and focuses on tasks  that are meaningful, as, without meaning, there can be no learning (Larsen-Freeman, 2000; Littlewood, 2004). Based on the TBLT, some useful lesson procedures for teaching receptive skills are developed. However, since tasks are defined in terms of what people actually do in authentic situations, there is flexibility in the pedagogical approach, so long as the learners complete the tasks meaningfully and are not expected to regurgitate others' meaning. What it means to be a teacher covers a wide scope of responsibility. As teaching is a ‘people-orient ed’ field, many considerations must be taken into account when making decisions that would benefit the majority. This peer-teaching practice has pushed me to the deepest level of introspection regarding my own beliefs and principles on teaching and education.

Corporate Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate Governance - Essay Example In an age when countries compete in a global economy, compliance with corporate governance standards has become crucial to businesses’ survival. Especially in the Middle East, which is culturally and politically distance from the rest of the world, compliance with the internationally accepted principles of corporate governance has become a challenge. This thesis aims to examine how a specific aspect of corporate governance—disclosure and transparency is viewed and applied in the Saudi Arabian context. The results of this study are important primarily for Saudi Arabian businesses positioned to play a significant role in the global economy. These companies could benefit greatly from the financial strength provided by international investments, the technical and strategic advantages offered by partnerships and joint ventures with foreign companies and the market leadership obtained by gaining the trust and confidence of consumers in the global market. Achieving these benefits becomes feasible only if Saudi firms can comply with the minimum disclosure and transparency requirements. The thesis employs critical and comparative analysis. It explores the academic literature on corporate disclosure and discusses the theories and principles espoused in the context of the Saudi Arabian legal and regulatory framework. Also discussed is the vital role of the Islamic principles in Sharia law, which forms the basis of the Saudi legal system. This study proposes corporate disclosure practices as the basis for comprehensive reform of Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority. The study offers recommendations for increasing transparency, disclosure and the associated principles in the Saudi Arabia stock market and better protecting minority shareholders. These recommendations follow the United Kingdom’s corporate governance approach but reflect the interests, culture, treaties, Sharia principles and legislative reforms of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The

Summary and response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summary and response - Essay Example This will result in a learner who is well-versed in the many different aspects of learning. It must be understood that job skills are not sufficient. As such, they are not likely to prepare a learner to work effectively and efficiently. In Becoming a Learner, Matthew Sanders (2012, p. 8) states that â€Å"college is a time of preparation,† Meaning that it should be used only as a springboard for further success. In order to make improvements in this area, there is a need to optimize learning while in college. Therefore, it is evident that the learned skills in college will not enhance professionalism while working, meaning that learners have to go to greater lengths in gaining greater knowledge and skills. Author Matthew Sanders works at Utah State University, where he helps students get the most of out of their college experience in addition to being an assistant professor of communication studies (Sanders, 2012). Sanders seems to use his own experience of college, combined with what he now knows, to offer an informed opinion as to exactly what the college student should pursue while on campus. He is looking to reach people who are already in college or are about to graduate from high school and will be going to college. The purpose of Sanders’s book is to persuade the reader that they need to get their priorities right in college because otherwise it will be of little use to them. As this work was self-published, Sanders is able to give more of a personal feel to the text, which helps his message resonate with students. It must be noted that problems will always exist in the work place. These problems will vary in complexity and simplicity. As a matter of fact, many organizations need to solve such problems in the shortest amount of time possible. According to Sanders (2012), solving such problems requires both a skillful and knowledgeable person. In most instances, problem

Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Terrorism - Essay Example Those advocating for the leadership of the UN to fight terrorism cite the strained relations with long-standing allies that resulted from the invasion of Iraq without being sanctioned by the UN as a major setback to the nation. Following their perspective that terrorism is a global problem, they believe that international cooperation will achieve better results as it will pool together diplomatic, intelligence and financial resources. Instead, if the nation goes to war against terrorism on its terms and leadership, the necessary resources for domestic protection will be diverted overseas. Those supporting forceful and aggressive mean opine that when the US acts on its own, it will bypass the difficulties associated with seeking international cooperation, which often takes place while the nation’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks increases. Preemptive measures, they propose, are the best way to work without worrying about different political motivations or constraints present ed by potential international partners. This stems from their notion that there are conventions already in place by the UN against terrorism but they have largely been ineffective or unenforceable.This paper supports a diplomatic approach towards addressing the terrorist menace. It is imperative for the measures adopted by the US to reflect the nation’s democracy and ethics. It is true that 9/11 attacks sent a message of vulnerability to Americans, in their own country, that they had not experienced in over five decades.

A letter of apology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A letter of apology - Essay Example The differences between high school and college present challenges to every student, but I believe those challenges may be more easily overcome if one moves straight to college from high school and doesn't suffer the consequences of spending an extended period of time away from that routine. Now that I am back into that routine, I believe I will be capable of performing far better academically. Further contributing to my difficulties in readjusting to being a student is that I was also under the supervision of Dr. as well as the school's counselor, Dr . As part of this supervision I was prescribed medication that, unfortunately, served to make me quite drowsy. The challenge has been to treat both my medical needs and my academic needs in a balanced way and the best approach to this, according to my physicians, was to allow the medications to work while taking steps to make sure the side effects were not too severe that they impaired by scholastic endeavors. The advice I was given was to create a schedule that allowed me to study and go to classes at those times when the effects of the medication were at their least severe.

Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Terrorism - Essay Example Those advocating for the leadership of the UN to fight terrorism cite the strained relations with long-standing allies that resulted from the invasion of Iraq without being sanctioned by the UN as a major setback to the nation. Following their perspective that terrorism is a global problem, they believe that international cooperation will achieve better results as it will pool together diplomatic, intelligence and financial resources. Instead, if the nation goes to war against terrorism on its terms and leadership, the necessary resources for domestic protection will be diverted overseas. Those supporting forceful and aggressive mean opine that when the US acts on its own, it will bypass the difficulties associated with seeking international cooperation, which often takes place while the nation’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks increases. Preemptive measures, they propose, are the best way to work without worrying about different political motivations or constraints present ed by potential international partners. This stems from their notion that there are conventions already in place by the UN against terrorism but they have largely been ineffective or unenforceable.This paper supports a diplomatic approach towards addressing the terrorist menace. It is imperative for the measures adopted by the US to reflect the nation’s democracy and ethics. It is true that 9/11 attacks sent a message of vulnerability to Americans, in their own country, that they had not experienced in over five decades.

Developing a teaching plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Developing a teaching plan - Research Paper Example The nurse practitioner model creates enhanced patient-nurse relationships, which provide both self-care education and cancelling within the context of disease state management. The nurse teacher for a diabetic person needs to assess the patient’s needs, predict the expected outcomes from the teaching, and develop intervention plans based on a suitable nursing theory. Patient Assessment Albert Boyle is a 69-year-old man with five-year history of type 2 diabetes (Spollett, 2003). The doctors diagnosed Joseph’s condition in the year 1997. Two years prior to diabetes type 2 diagnoses, Albert Boyle had symptoms indicating hyperglycemia. Albert’s fasting blood glucose ranged between 118-127 mg/dl (Spollett, 2003). The doctors advised Albert to lose at least 10 lb of his weight, but he did not take any action. The family physician referred Albert Boyle the diabetes specialty clinic where he reported recent weight gain, foot pain, and suboptimal diabetes control. Albertà ¢â‚¬â„¢s attempts to lose weight through increased exercises were not successful. Albert takes 10 mg of atorvastatin daily for hypercholesterolemia (Spollett, 2003). He took gymnema sylvestre, pancrease elixir and chromium picolinate with an attempt to improve his diabetic condition; however, he stopped these supplements because he did not see any improvements (Spollett, 2003). Albert Boyle does not test the levels of his blood glucose at home because he does not belief that this condition would help him improve his diabetes control. Albert questions the benefits of knowing the numbers since after all the doctor is already aware that the sugar level is high. Albert Boyle does not have knowledge of diabetes self-care management, and expresses that he is worried about what causes his diabetic condition since he does not eat sugar. Albert has been physically active by playing golf once in a week and gardening; however, he has reduced more than 3 lb of weight (Spollett, 2003). Albert ha s neither consulted a dietician nor been instructed in self-monitoring of blood glucose. Defining Characteristics Albert Boyle has a misconception about the approaches to improve his health status. He does not believe that knowing his health status can help him manage his diabetes control. Albert argues that there is no need of him of knowing his blood-sugar level; he claims that the doctors already know that the level of sugar in his body is high. Another characteristic of Albert Boyle is that he does not demonstrate self-care skills concerning his diabetic controls. Albert is not aware of the critical skills that are required to control his blood sugar. Albert does not believe that he is diabetic. This is evidenced by the fact that he questions the source of the condition, and he does not eat sugar. Albert is ignorant that direct intake of sugar does not cause diabetes. Diabetes results from two factors: when the pancreas fails to produce insulin, and when the cells fail to respon d to the insulin that is produced (Boswell, 2007). This leads to accumulation of blood sugar in the body. Related Factors Patients with diabetic conditions have extremely comprehensive learning needs. The diabetic patients’ needs focus on informing them proper measures of managing their sugar levels and preventing their diabetic condition

Curriculum Guide Essay Example for Free

Curriculum Guide Essay The learner demonstrates communicative competence (and multiliteracies) through his/ her understanding of literature and other texts types for a deeper appreciation of Philippine Culture and | |those of other countries. | |GRADE LEVEL STANDARD: The learner demonstrates communicative competence (and multiliteracies) through his/ her understanding of Afro-Asian Literature and other texts types for a deeper appreciation of Afro-Asian | |Culture and those of other countries. | |DOMAINS OF LITERACY |CONTENT STANDARD |PERFORMANCE STANDARD |LEARNING COMPETENCIES | |Listening Comprehension |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner accurately produces a |Recognize prosodic features: stress, intonation and pauses serving as carriers of meaning that | | |prosodic features and non-verbal cues that |schematic diagram to note and give |may aid or interfere in the delivery of the message in stories and informative texts | | |serve as carriers o f meaning when listening to|an account of the important details |Note prosodic features (stress, intonation, pauses) and rate of speech as carriers of meaning | | |informative texts and longer narratives to |in long narratives or descriptions | | | |note significant details. |listened to. |Recognize changes in meaning signaled by stress, intonation and pauses | | | | | | | | | |Listen to points the speaker emphasizes as signaled by contrastive sentence stress determine how | | | | |stress, intonation, phrasing, pacing, tone and non-verbal cues serve as carriers of meaning that| | | | |may aid or interfere in the message of the text listened to | | | | | | | | | | | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding on how | The learner creates an audio – video|Employ appropriate listening skills when listening to descriptive and long narrative texts | | |employing projective listening strategies to |presentation highlighting the core |(e. g. making predictions, noting the dramatic effect of sudden twists, etc.) | | |descriptive and longer narrative audio texts, |message of a text listened to. | | | |helps him/her to validate information, | |Employ projective listening strategies with longer stories | | |opinion, or assumption to participate well in | | | | |specific communicative context . | |Listen to determine conflicting information aired over the radio and television | | | | | | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of | |Listen for clues to determine pictorial representations of what is talked about in a listening | | |adjusting listening strategies (marginal, | |text | | |selective, attentive, critical) in relation to| | | | |the main purpose of listening, one’s | | | | |familiarity with the topic and difficulty of | | | | |the text describing a process and narrating | | | | |longer stories to suit the listening text and | | | | |task. | | | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding in |The learner proficiently writes an |Determine the persons being addressed in an informative talk, the objective/s of the speaker and| | |validating information, opinions, or |editorial article concerning an |his/her attitude on the issues | | |assumptions made by a speaker to arrive at |issue raised by the speaker in a |Use attentive listening strategies with informative texts | | |sound decisions on critical issues. |text liste ned to. | | | | | |Note clues and links to show the speaker’s stand and assumptions | | | | |Listen for clues and links to show the speaker’s train of thoughts | | | | |Determine the stand of the speaker on a given issue | | | | |Listen to get the different sides of social, moral, and economic issues affecting a community | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner creatively renders a |Process speech delivered at different rates by making inferences from what was listened to | | |the orchestration of harmony, unison, rhythm |choric interpretation of a text | | | |and the structure of narratives and other |listened to |Use syntactic and lexical clues to supply items not listened to | | |text types enable him or her to appreciate | | | | |their richness. | |Anticipate what is to follow in a text listened to considering the function/s of the statements | | | | |made | | | | | | | | | | | | || | Express appreciation for texts orally interpreted noting harmony, unison, and rhythm. | | | | | | | | | |Listen to appreciate the tune and the narrative structure of ballads | | | | | | | | | |Listen to appreciate harmony, unison, and rhythm in choric interpretations. | |Oral Language and Fluency |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner actively participates in|Use appropriate registers to suit the intended audience, and variation in intonation and stress | | |to speak in clear, correct English appropriate|a conversational dialogue about |for emphasis and contrast | | |for a certain situation, purpose and audience.|school/environmental issues or any |Express feelings and attitudes by utilizing contrastive stress and variations of tone and tempo | | | |current social concerns. | | | | | |Use stress, intonation, and juncture to signal changes in meaning | | | | | | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner joins actively in a |Ask for and give information, and express needs, opinions, feelings, and attitudes explicitly | | |various means on how figurative and academic |panel discussion on a current issue |and implicitly in an informative talk | | |language can be used in various communication |or concern. |Formulate responses to questions noting the types of questions raised (yes-no, wh-questions, | | |settings. | |alternative, modals, embedded) | | | | | | | | | |Make inquiries | | | | | | | | | |Give information obtained from mass media: newspapers, radio, television | | | | | | | | | |Highlight important points in an informative talk using multi-media resources | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of |The learner proficiently conducts a |Use appropriate turn-taking strategies (topic nomination, topic development, topic shift, | | |using turn-taking strategies in ext ended |formal, structured interview of a |turn-getting, etc.) in extended conversations | | |conversations to effectively convey |specific subject. |Interview persons to get opinions about certain issues | | |information. | |Respond orally to ideas and needs expressed in face-to-face interviews in accordance with the | | | | |intended meaning of the speaker | | | | |Use communication strategies (e.g. paraphrase, translations, and circumlocution) to repair | | | | |breakdown in communication | | | | | | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | | | |Arrive at a consensus on community issues by assessing statements made | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of |The learner competently delivers an | | | |speech functions and forms as indicators of |informative speech using multi-media|React to information obtained from talks | | |meaning. |resources to highlight important | | | | |points. | Interview persons to get their opinions about social issues affecting the community | | | | | | | | | |Agree/Disagree with statements, observations and responses made when issues affecting the | | | | |community | | | | | | | | | |Infer the function/s of utterances and respond accordingly taking into account the context of the| | | | |situation and the tone used | | | | | | |Vocabulary Enhancement |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner creatively produces an |Develop strategies for coping with unknown words and ambiguous sentence structures and discourse | |(Subsumed in all domains) |strategies for coping with the unknown words |e-portfolio of vocabulary | | | |and ambiguous sentence structures and |illustrating the use of varied |Differentiate between shades of meaning by arranging words in a cline | | |discourse to arrive at meaning. |strategies. | | | | | |Guess the meaning of idiomatic expressions by noting keywords in expressions, context clues, | | | | |collocations, clusters, etc. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Arrive at the meaning of structurally complex and ambiguous sentences by deleting expansions to | | | | |come up with kernel sentences | | | | | | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner creatively prepares a |Develop strategies for coping with unknown words and ambiguous sentence structures and discourse | | |strategies for coping with the unknown words |comparative log of academic and | | | |and ambiguous sentence structures and |figurative language reflected in |Identify the derivation of words | | |discourse to arrive at meaning. |documents with the same themes. | | | | | |Define words from context and through word analysis (prefix, roots, suffixes) | | | | | | | | | |Use collocations of difficult words as aids in unlocking vocabulary | | | | | | | | | |Arrive at the meaning of structurally complex and ambiguous sentences by separating kernel | | | | |sentences from modification structures and expansions | | | | | | | | | | | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner creatively produces a |Develop strategies for coping with unknown words and ambiguous sentence structures and discourse | | |strategies for coping with the unknown words |frequency word list. |Identify the derivation of words | | |and ambiguous sentence structures and | | | | |discourse to arrive at meaning. | |Define words from context and through word analysis (prefix, roots, suffixes | | | | | | | | | |Use collocations of difficult words as aids in unlocking vocabulary | | | | | | | | | |Arrive at the meaning of structurally complex and ambiguous sentences by separating kernel | | | | |sentences from modification structures and expansions. | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | | The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner proficiently produces a |Develop strategies for coping with unknown words and ambiguous sentence structures and discourse | | |strategies for coping with the unknown words |glossary of words related to | | | |and ambiguous sentence structures and |specific disciplines. |Identify the derivation of words | | |discourse to arrive at meaning. | | | | | | |Define words from context and through word analysis (prefix, roots, suffixes) | | | | | | | | | |Use collocations of difficult words as aids in unlocking vocabulary | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Arrive at the meaning of structurally complex and ambiguous sentences by separating kernel | | | | |sentences from modification structures and expansions | |Reading and |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 | |Comprehension |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner produces a Reading Log |Adjust reading speed based on one’s purpose for reading and the type of materials read | | |different reading styles to suit the text and |showing various entries like the |Use different reading styles to suit the text and one’s purpose for reading | | |one’s purpose for reading. |choice of reading materials, the |Scan rapidly for sequence signals or connectors as basis for determining the rhetorical | | | |type of reading employed, etc. |organization of texts | | | | |Skim to determine the author’s key ideas and purpose by answering questions raised after | | | | |surveying the text | | | | |Read closely to select appropriate details from a selectio n for specific purposes | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of |The learner proficiently uses |Evaluate content, elements, features, and properties of a reading or viewing selection using a | | |textual relationships using non-linear forms |advanced organizers/ illustrations |set of criteria developed in consultation (with peers and the teacher) | | |and graphics to obtain information from linear|showing textual relationships. | | | |and non-linear texts. | |Explain visual-verbal relationships illustrated in tables, graphs, information maps commonly used| | | | |in content area texts | | | | | | | | | |Transcode information from linear to non-linear texts and vice-versa | | | | | | | | | |Explain illustrations from linear to non-linear texts and vice versa | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Organize information illustrated in tables, graphs and maps | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of |The learner creatively produces a |Utilize varied reading strategies to process information in a text | | |varied reading approaches to make sense and |digital chart of various text types |Recognize the propaganda strategies used in advertisements and consider these in formulating | | |develop appreciation for the different text |with clickable features. |hypotheses | | |types. | |Distinguish between facts from opinions | | | | |Use expressions that signal opinions (e.g. seems, as I see it) | | | | |Note the function of statements made as the text unfolds and use it as a basis for predicting | | | | |what is to follow | | | | |Express emotional reactions to what was asserted or expressed in a text | | | | |Employ approaches best suited to a text | | | | | | | | | |Note the functions of statements as they unfold and consider the data that might | | | | |confirm/disconfirm hypothesis | | | | | | || | |Examine for bias | | | | | | | | | | Determine the validity and adequacy of proof statements to support assertions | | | | | | | | | |React critically to the devices employed by a writer to achieve his/her purpose | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner prepares an abstract of |Utilize knowledge of the differences among text types (instructional, explanatory, recount, | | |to abstract information presented in |a text read. |persuasive, informational and literary) as an aid in processing information in the selection read| | |different text types and to note explicit and | |or viewed | | |implicit signals used by the writer. | | | | | | |Assess the content and function of each statement in a text with a view of determining the | | | | |information structure of the text | | | | |Abstract information from the different text types by noting explicit and implicit signals used | | | | |by the writer | | | | |Interpret instructions, directions, notices, rules and regulations | | | | | | | | | |Locate and synthesize essential information found in any text | | | | | | | | | |Distinguish the statement of facts from beliefs. | | | | |Evaluate the accuracy of the information. | | | | |Draw conclusions from the set of details. | | | | |Point out relationships between statements. | | | | |Distinguish between general and specific statements. | |Literature |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Discover literature as a means of understanding the human being and the forces he/she to contend| | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner creatively and |with | | |different genres through the types contributed|proficiently performs in a choral |Discover through literature the symbiotic relationship between man and his environment and the | | |by Afro-Asian countries to express |reading of a chosen Afro-Asian poem.|need of the former to protect the latter | | |appreciation for Afro-Asian heritage. | | | | | | |Demonstrate a heightened sensitivity to the needs of others for a better understanding of man | | | | | | | | | |Discover through literature the links between one’s life and the lives of people throughout the | | | | |world | | | | | | | | | |Highlight the need for a more just and equitable distribution of resources | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner creatively compiles |Show understanding and appreciation for the different genres with emphasis on types contributed | | |significant human experiences are best |Afro-Asian literary pieces as |by Asian countries (i.e. Haiku, Tanka, etc.) | | |captured in various literary forms that |accounts of experiential learning. | | | |inspire humans to bring out the best in them. | |Point out the elements of plays and playlets | | | | | | | | | |Determine the macro discourse patterns of essays and the macro discourse signals used to | | | | |establish meaning relationships in the essay | | | | |Determine the author’s tone and purpose for writing the essay | | | | |Point out how the choice of title, space allotment, imagery, choice of words, figurative | | | | |language, etc. contribute to the theme | | | | | | | | | |Explain figurative language used | | | | |Express appreciation for sensory images in literary forms | | | | |Show understanding of the text by paraphrasing passages | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner produces a critical |Discover Philippine and Afro Asian literature as a means of expanding experiences and outlook and| | |different genres to heighten literary |review of articles with the same |enhancing worthwhile universal human values | | |competence. |themes but different genres. |Express appreciation for worthwhile Asian traditions and the values they represent | | | | | | | | | |Assess the Asian identity as presented in Asian literature and oneself in the light of what makes| | | | |one an Asian | | | | | | | | | |Identify oneself with other people through literature taking note of cultural differences so as | | | | |to get to the heart of problems arising from them | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner produces an e-literary |Point out the role of li terature in enabling one to grow in personhood | | |literature mirrors the realities of life and |folio which captures significant |Discriminate between what is worthwhile and what is not through literature | | |depicts human aspirations. |human experiences. |Distinguish as positive values humility, resourcefulness, self-reliance and the ability to look | | | | |into oneself, and accept one’s strengths and weaknessess | |Viewing Comprehension |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Organize information extracted from a program viewed | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner produces program | | | |different text types and genres of programs |portfolio that monitors his/her |Compare and contrast basic genres of programs viewed | | |viewed to effectively derive information and |progress as a viewer (in terms of | | | |find meaning in them |interest, preference, and |Narrate events logically | | | |reflections on individual viewing | | | | |behaviors). |Validate mental ima ges of the information conveyed by a program viewed | | | | | | | | | |Respond to questions raised in a program viewed | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner effectively writes |Discern positive and negative messages conveyed by a program viewed | | |different text types and genres of programs |reactions to movies viewed. (movie | | | |viewed to effectively derive information and |review) |React appropriately and provide suggestions based on an established fact | | |find meaning in them. | | | | | |The learner presents a review of a |Decode the meaning of unfamiliar words using structural analysis | | | |program viewed. | | | | | |Follow task- based directions shown after viewing | | | | | | | | | |Interpret the big ideas/key concepts implied by the facial expressions of interlocutors | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner produces a reaction |Analyze the elements that make up reality and fantasy from a program viewed | | |various analytical and evaluative techniques |paper to a program viewed. | | | |employed in c ritical viewing. | |Compare and contrast one’s own television-viewing behavior with other viewers’ viewing behavior | | | | | | | | | |Organize an independent and systematic approach in critiquing various reading or viewing | | | | |selection | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner puts up a model |Recognize the principles of lay outing in viewing a material | | |viewing conventions affect the way viewers |television production incorporating | | | |grasp, interpret, and evaluate the meaning of |viewing conventions. |Explore how colors appeal to viewer’s emotions | | |a program viewed. | | | | | | |Identify basic camera angles | | | | | | | | | |Ascertain how balance created by symmetry affects visual response to a program viewed | | | | | | | | | |Differentiate between vantage points and viewing | | | | | | |Writing |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of |The learner proficiently prepares a |Accomplish forms and prepare notices | | |giving valuable personal information and |brochure on the dangers of | | | |information on social events and issues by |smoking/drugs and other social |Write the information asked for in the following forms: | | |accomplishing different forms to effectively |issues and concerns. |School forms | | |function in school and in community. . | |Bank forms | | | | The learner writes a personal |Order slips | | | |narratives. |Evaluation forms | | | | |Survey forms | | | |The learner creates a blog on the |Bills, telecom, etc. | | | |internet commenting on | | | | |social/economic issues and concerns.|Write notices (e.g. posters, slogans, advertisements that relate to social events | | | | | | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner conducts an opinion |Use non-linear texts and outlines to show relationships between ideas | | |power of language structures and forms in |poll, interprets, and presents the | | | |shaping people’s reactions, perceptions, |findings having a local-based or |Transcode ideas from texts to concept maps | | |points of view, and beliefs in local, national|national issue as reference. | | | |and global communities. | |Make a write-up of ideas presented in concept maps | | | | | | | | | |Use three-step words, phrasal and sentence outlines to organize ideas | | | | | | | | | |Transcode information from linear to non-linear texts and vice versa | | | | |Employ concept mapping (circle, bubble, linear, etc.) as aids in taking down notes and organizing| | | | |ideas | | | | | | | | | |Use outlines to sum up ideas taken from texts | | | | | | | | | |Use non-linear text outlines and notes as aids in the preparation of a research paper | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner produces an e-journal of|Use specific cohesive and literary devices to construct integrative literary and expository | | |to have a good command and facility of the |poetry prose entries with emphasis|reviews, critiques, research reports, and scripts for broadcast communication texts, including | | |English Language necessary to produce writing |on content and writing style. |screenplays | | |in different genres and modes. | | | | | | |Produce different text types and sub-types | | | | | | | | | | Expand ideas in well-constructed paragraphs observing cohesion, coherence and appropriate modes | | | | |of paragraph development | | | | | | | | | |Give and respond to feedback on one’s paper in the revision process | | | | |Use grammatical structure and vocabulary needed to effectively emphasize particular points | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Use appropriate modes of paragraph development to express one’s ideas, needs, feelings and | | | | |attitudes | | | | | | | | | |Use a variety of cohesive devices to make the flow of thoughts from one sentence to another | | | | |smoothly and effortlessly | | | | | | | | | |Write short personal narratives to support an assertion | | | | | | | | | |Organize information gathered from primary and secondary sources using a graphic organizer and a | | | | |simple topic outline | | | | | | | | | |Do self and peer editing using a set of criteria | | | | | | | | | |Revise a piece of short personal writing in terms of content, style, and mechanics | | | | |collaboratively and independently. | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner makes a write-up of an |Organize one’s thoughts and adopt the appropriate writing style in letters, resumes, critiques, | | |to have a good command and facility of the |interview. |etc. using appropriate styles (formal and formal)and audience in mind | | |English Language necessary to produce writing | | | | |in different genres and modes. | |Employ interactional functions of language in different genres and modes of writing (pen-pal | | | | |letters, letters of invitation, a â€Å"yes† and â€Å"no† letters, book reviews, interview write-ups, | | | | |journal entries, etc.) | | | | | | | | | |Write reflections on learning experiences in diary and journal entries | | | | | | | | | |Write summaries of books read | | | | | | | | | |Employ varied strategies (condensing, deleting, combining, embedding) when summarizing materials | | | | |read | | | | | | | | | |Write reactions to books read | | | | | | | | | |Show respect for intellectual property rights by acknowledging citations made | | | | | | | | | |Acknowledge citations by indicating in a bibliography sources used | | | | | | | | | |Use writing conventions to indicate acknowledgement of resources | | | | | | | | | |Use quotation marks or hanging indentations for direct quotes | | | | | | | | | |Use in-text citation | | | | | | | | | |Arrange bibliographic entries of text cited from books and periodicals | | | | | | | | | | | |Grammar |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of |The learner effectively writes a |Uses: | | |well-constructed paragraphs using appropriate |personal narrative or informative |varied adjective complementation | | |modes of development and language structures |text. |appropriate idioms, collocations, and fixed expression | | |to express one’s ideas, needs, feelings and | |coordinators | | |attitudes |The learner proficiently writes a |subordinators | | | |description of a process. |other appropriate devices for emphasis | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how | |Formulates: | | |language is instrumental in communicating | |correct complex and compound-complex sentences | | |thoughts, and feelings. | |correct conditional statements | | | | |appropriate parenthetical expressions | | | | | | | | | |meaningful expanded sentence (following balance, parallelism, and modification) | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner composes a meaningful |Uses: | | |grammatically correct sentences ensure an |and grammatically correct |varied adjective complementation | | |effective discourse. |composition. |appropriate idioms, collocations, and fixed expression | | | | |coordinators | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner writes a progress/ |subordinators | | |the knowledge of grammar enables one to |interim report of a program or | | | |successfully deliver information. |advocacy |other appropriate devices for emphasis | | | | |formulates: | | | | |correct complex and compound-complex sentences | | | | |correct conditional statements | | | | |appropriate parenthetical expression | | | | | | | | | |meaningful expanded sentence (following balance, parallelism, and modification) | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how | |Uses: | | |the use of Standard English conventions |The learner creatively produces a |varied adjective complementation | | |facilitates interaction and transaction. |tourist guide brochure |appropriate idioms, collocations, and fixed expression | | | | |coordinators | | | | |subordinators | | | | | | | | | |other appropriate devices for emphasis | | | | |formulates: | | | | |correct complex and compound-complex sentences | | | | |correct conditional statements | | | | |appropriate parenthetical expressions | | | | | | | | | |meaningful expanded sentence (following balance, parallelism, and modification) | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of the |The learner innovatively presents an|Uses: | | |set of structural rules that govern various |Ad promoting a government bill or a |varied adjective complementation | | |communication situations. |city ordinance. |appropriate idioms, collocations, and fixed expression | | | | |coordinators | | | | |subordinators | | | | | | | | | |other appropriate devices for emphasis | | | | |formulates: | | | | |correct complex and compound-complex sentences | | | | |correct conditional statements | | | | |appropriate parenthetical expressions | | | | | | | | | |meaningful expanded sentence (following balance, parallelism, and modification) | |Attitude towards language, |Quarter 1 | | | |literacy and literature |Ask sensible questions on his/her initiative | | | |(Subsumed in all domains) | | | | | |Quarter 2 | | | | |Express a different opinion without being | | | | |difficult | | | | |Quarter 3 | | | | |Give credence to well-though out ideas | | | | |Quarter 4 | | | | |Set new goals for learning on the basis of | | | | |self- assessment made | | | |Study Strategies |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 |Quarter 1 | |(Subsumed in Reading, |The learner demonstrates understanding of how |The learner creatively writes an |Gather data using library and electronic resources consisting of general references: atlas, | |Literature, and Writing) |to gather data using library and electronic |interesting Cultural Report. |periodical index, periodicals and internet sources/ other websites to locate information | | |resources to locate information that bring | |Use periodical index to locate information in periodicals | | |about diversity and/or harmony among Afro – | |Gather data using the general references: encyclopedia, dictionary | | |Asians through the study of their traditions | |Get and assess current information from newspaper and other print and non-print media | | |and beliefs. | | | | |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 |Quarter 2 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how | The learner produces research |Acknowledge citations by preparing the bibliography of the various sources used | | |proper citations of references and materials |appendices following the correct |Observe correct format in bibliographical entries | | |used establish the credibility of a report or |citation entries and format |Use writing conventions to indicate acknowledgement of sources | | |a research paper. | | | | |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 |Quarter 3 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how|The learner produces a clip report |Derive information from various text types and sources using the card catalog, vertical file, | | |information gathering skills and data |on the various sources of data |index, microfiche (microfilm) CD ROM, internet etc. | | |collection strategies ensure quality research|collected |Use locational skills to gather and synthesize information from general and first-hand sources | | | | |of information | | | | |Get vital information from various websites | | | | |Extract accurately the required information from sources read and viewed to reject irrelevant | | | | |details | | |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 |Quarter 4 | | |The learner demonstrates understanding of how|The learner produces a research |Use multi step word and phrasal outlines to organize ideas | | |the employment of study strategies coupled |paper based on school/ community |Engage in systematic conduct of a research by going through series of pr ocesses | | |with research skills lead to a well-written |problem. |Organize logically information gathered | | |paper | |Apply the correct treatment of data and the soundness of research conclusion.

Brave New World Utopia Or Dystopia Philosophy Essay

Brave New World Utopia Or Dystopia Philosophy Essay Brave New World is both, utopia and dystopia. The author Aldous Huxley intended to depict an imagined new world after Ford, an industrial era, where all people would be happy and extremely satisfied or as content as the ideal society would let them be. Yet, to determine utopia and dystopia in Brave New World, we have to look at the new world from our own time and from the time before Ford, seen through the eyes of John the Savage, our predecessor. The world we observe herein reflects a futuristic world, a world that is to come, and a happy world we can imagine with an amount of disbelief. People of our world, the world which is happier than the savages world, still not as happy as the Fords world, will have to consider all the facts that make the new world look happy and brave. The notion of a brave world will inevitably lead to the question of what makes the new world brave. Freedom to do only what pleases us or freedom to identify only with our single-minded community, whose happin ess is controlled, makes us submissive to the rules, intrinsic and learnt rules, for we wish to enjoy our lives despite all odds. The ideas are as brave as the community that fosters them keeps them alive and effective. BNW has the power to control and please its citizens, because they indulge to their hedonistic consumer orientated feelings, blessed by their God Ford. Therefore it is necessary to confront the values and ideas people share at the time before Ford and after Ford. Is the BNW a good or a bad world? How utopian is it and how dystopian is it? Is this world, which Huxley satirically depicted, is it a real utopia or its bad version, an unimaginably and disgustingly surreal dystopia? BNW as utopia This novel is presenting many brave ideas placed in future. The community depicted in the novel, being futuristic, appears as a utopian society. There are a couple of elements that present its utopian side. They are: a highly reproductive, healthy, wealthy and stabile community. These are provided by the government who ensures planning and controlling everything that is in peoples interest. Government takes good care of their citizens. Citizens live and work closely together, they are agreeable on everything and there is no conflict. Reasons control emotions in a society whose member should all feel happy with what they are and what they have. Being a utopian novel, BNW tells a story about being ultimately happy in a world that does not incite emotions or causes pain. Genetically improved people live an undisturbed happy and healthy life in a society that provides for their constant well being. They are very intelligent Alphas and Betas, and less intelligent Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons, but all of them are happy with what they are and how they live. A stable caste system solved by standard Gammas, unvarying Deltas, uniform Epsilons. Millions of identical twins. The principle of mass production at last applied to biology (Huxley, 2002:8). Love in this community is deprived of feelings or its disturbing emotional conditions, or to say love does not exist. It cannot hurt, as it usually hurts. There is no pain or regret. Sex is considered as recreation and there is no immorality in orgies. It is simply a pleasure that people should do often and with all the other beautiful members of the community. All members of the community have whatever they need: drinks, food, sex, soma (drugs). A reproductive goal is painless delivery of new people to the world, controlled properly for the sake of the health, prosperity and stability of the society. Women do not have to deliver babies. They do not have to go through the pain. Everybody loves everybody. It is phenomenal to have so much love anywhere people go. Ford justifies promiscuity with biological animal reasons. People intercourse with everyone and ladies are so fittingly pneumatic, just like Ford vehicles are. Babies are raised in bottles that are to be predestined in detail (Huxley, 2002: 9) through the Bokanovsky process as it is one of the major instruments of social stability!( Huxley, 2002: 7). There, in the bottles, they are prepared for what they are going to be when they come out and grow up in the society where everyone knows their place, they know about things they are predestined for and diseases they will be cured against. People are not afraid of death, because it is a natural course of things. All the aforementioned conveniences provide members of the happy BNW community with their unique identity of a happy nation. They are free members of their community in the way that they are free to extremely enjoy life in the line with the rules of their happy community. They have been taught that understanding of the world since the bottle time, and afterwards through hypnopaedic incantation for the sake of stability, lulled by their thoughtful proverbs like Leninas favorite a gramme is better than a damn. The director of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre educates that two hundred repetitions of the same or a similar lesson would be wedded indissolubly. What man has joined, nature is powerless to put asunder (Huxley, 2002:17). As for art, people do not make it. Their life is so colorful, stable and happy that no inner state of mind should be expressed more effectively than consuming goods and reaching satisfaction, which pleases human bodily and spiritual needs. Talking about science, there is nothing that should be invented as the society living in wealth, and everyone have their lives at ease. The community is well advanced and further advancements could only misbalance the casts needs, and it is unnecessary because everyone has his own predestined role in the stable society that is already prosperous. How utopian indeed! Huxley observed in foreword of his novel written in 1946 with the time he set in the novel six hundred years in the future, although it seems to him that we are hardly one hundred years far from the horror (KoljeviĆ¡, 2002:137). His opinion leads us to the notion of dystopia, as the author concludes it to be a horrifying reality in which people shall live in one day in the alienated world enriched with technologies. BNW as dystopia By converting into dystopia, the happy society becomes a place ruled under totalitarian conditions in our own eyes. Initially, John the Savage grasps the new word because he thinks it is a world with brave ideas, but later on he recognizes the world to be sinful. Being different entails ones expatriation from the happy society. One has the freedom to choose between thinking differently and being a follower. Huxley questions the world that solved all of its problems where children are made in labsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦grown up in the spirit of three main social paroles: community, identity, stability. These paroles are imprinted in their minds when they were sleeping and once they became adults they would keep repeating them as supreme wisdoms and morality(KovaÄ eviĆ¡, 1984:268). Attempts to distort the unquestioned identity of the community will lead to social isolation. Freedom to think differently dies with dystopia. Island is the perfect place for the different member of the community. Some members are not reliable members of the society, their appearance, skills and performance are not as they are meant to be, some of the members want to conduct scientific researches, and science is found as a disturbing element for the community. Such people who are like Bernard and Helmholtz need to accept the regime or to be expatriated if disobeyed. To cure the disagreement sickness that leads into instability, people better take soma. People are meant to obey as they were learnt to, as their creators predestined them. Creators decant babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦future World controllers (Huxley, 2002:109). BNW is really a disgusting society, which gives one all hedonistic pleasure he/she can think of, against Bible and morality. No feelings exist there, people are not free to make their own choice, their physical existence is abuse of their blood and flesh without any pain for pains a delusion (Huxley, 2002:108). Women are decent Alpha Leninas, highly respected whores; all people enjoy promiscuity. Svetozar KoljeviĆ¡ cites June Deery that women in the society are seen and regard themselves as meat and, as in our society, meat which must be lean, not fat (KoljeviĆ¡, 2002:136). As sexually immorality caused decay of Rome, so it could have the same implications on BNW. The brave new world is just a technically advanced world, a new world that was foreseen by Ford, the master of mass production. Ford is the God, the master of a technologically perfected world of commodities and consumers, the one who looks down at his consumers, who blindly follow their consumer instincts and beliefs. Identity of the consumers comes with their religion in Ford and massive consumption and comforting with their sins. The followers have no freedom to feel, think over or react to all the immoralities. Unlike utopia, dystopia in BNW is threatening to everything that is normal. In such a stable community, people have to give up on the things they have always known and felt normal. The unsettling feeling about universal happiness appears when people think about giving up on normal values like home, family, freedom and other traditional value. It is not a real happiness. Happiness comes from vices: orgies (Bernard says that Orgy-porgyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is just a Solidarity Service hymn (Huxley, 2002:122), promiscuity (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but every one belongs to every one else (Huxley, 2002:18), drugs that makes us love everyone more deeply and if anything should go wrong, theres soma (Huxley, 2002:155). The curse of unquestioned stability is an element that suppresses the element of freedom. It suppresses the emotions about being special or different. People should fear emotions, because they are the sign of weakness and an inappropriate reaction. Life is not valued, as every life can be repl aced by thousands of other lives. Unnaturally, people should take death with ease. Dying is nice as they are taught so. They learn to take dying as a matter of natural course à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.like any other physiological process (Huxley, 2002:109). Even when they die, their body is burnt and the ash is used for pragmatic needs. As for art, it is considered as an expression of feelings or attitudes that must be controlled. One should not express them, as they threaten stability of a totalitarian society. Those should not influence other people, and this resembles Middle Ages state of art, not a futuristic era. Science is a threat to stability, as it brings changes and inventions. Mond lectures the Savage in that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦every discovery in pure science is potentially subversive; even science must sometimes be treated as a possible enemy. Yes, even science. (Huxley, 2002:154). This really sounds dystopian, because the futuristic times anticipate novelties. Science shapes history with its inventions. Summary The paroles of community, identity and stability are axis of the new society Huxley presented through the mirror of utopia and dystopia. Those are two sides of the same coin: the question of how the world will look like with all the technology advancements, enlarged mass production and an increasing hedonistic consumers society. It tackles with peoples perception of the well engineered future and their attitude about how they want the world to be. In modern terms, in touches the notion of influence of social and commercial propaganda merged with the power of large-scale technology and industry creators of the present world order.

Alligator Essay -- essays research papers

The American Alligator is an amazing reptile, having survived almost unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs. Having been hunted almost for extinction, this reptile has made an amazing comeback in recent years. Inhabiting almost every body of water in Florida. American alligator are not considered endangered species, but these harsh looking creatures are threatened. There are two kinds of species of alligators. There is the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. Many people have a hard time telling the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Alligators are related in the same family as the crocodile, but these two animals are very different. An alligator’s upper jaw overlaps the lower jaw. Alligators have a broad snout while crocodile have a very narrow snout. Alligators have much less aggressive and energetic than the crocodiles. Alligators live in tropical climates and crocodiles live in somewhat colder climates. Their kingdom is Animalia. Their Phylum is Chordata. They come from the class Reptilia. Their order is Crocodylia. Their family is Alligatoridae. Their genus is Alligator and their species is alligator messissipiensis and they are known as American alligators. American alligators are found through southern United States. Large populations are found in Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana and Georgia. They inhabit primarily fresh water to brackish water areas, although they can occasionally be found in salt water. However, alligators lack the salt-extra... Alligator Essay -- essays research papers The American Alligator is an amazing reptile, having survived almost unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs. Having been hunted almost for extinction, this reptile has made an amazing comeback in recent years. Inhabiting almost every body of water in Florida. American alligator are not considered endangered species, but these harsh looking creatures are threatened. There are two kinds of species of alligators. There is the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. Many people have a hard time telling the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Alligators are related in the same family as the crocodile, but these two animals are very different. An alligator’s upper jaw overlaps the lower jaw. Alligators have a broad snout while crocodile have a very narrow snout. Alligators have much less aggressive and energetic than the crocodiles. Alligators live in tropical climates and crocodiles live in somewhat colder climates. Their kingdom is Animalia. Their Phylum is Chordata. They come from the class Reptilia. Their order is Crocodylia. Their family is Alligatoridae. Their genus is Alligator and their species is alligator messissipiensis and they are known as American alligators. American alligators are found through southern United States. Large populations are found in Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana and Georgia. They inhabit primarily fresh water to brackish water areas, although they can occasionally be found in salt water. However, alligators lack the salt-extra...

Capital Punishment †Fair and Balanced Essay

Capital punishment is a difficult issue to address and has been the subject of highly controversial debates over the decades. The United States Supreme Court decided in Furman v. Georgia that the death penalty was a form of cruel and unusual punishment. However, just three years later in 1975, the Supreme Court reversed their decision, and executions resumed under state regulation. The death penalty is considered the harshest from of punishment enforced today. The most common method used to implement this task is lethal injection; although, the electric chair is still used in some states. The large debate over the death penalty comes from liberal fanatics who use deception and falsehoods to further their cause. Supporters of the death penalty consider capital punishment the only way for true justice to be executed for the severest of crimes. Supporters also claim criminals that commit such harsh crimes, including murder and rape, deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Preventing future crimes and deterring criminals from committing such harsh acts also play key roles in support of the death penalty. Concrete proof of deterrence alone is not a valid reason for capital punishment, nor is it the underlying principle in use by astute death penalty advocates. Criminals ought to be punished for their crimes committed and not merely to deter others. That said however, the death penalty unquestionably â€Å"deters† the murderer who is executed. Strictly speaking, this is a form of incapacitation; similar to the way a robber put in prison is prevented from robbing on the streets. Vicious murderers must be eliminated to prevent them from murdering again, either in prison, or in society if they should get out. Both as a deterrent and as a form of permanent incapacitation, the death penalty helps to prevent future crime. The argument against capital punishment relies on myth, propaganda, and misplaced emotion. Many people against the death sentence claim that the justice system is discriminatory. This statement is blatantly false. African-Americans and other minorities are not impacted unfairly by the justice system. The fact of the matter is the majority of those executed  since 1976 have been Caucasian males. If the death penalty is truly discriminatory, then it is biased against white murderers and not blacks, because figures show that African-Americans make up a majority of those convicted of murder. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, blacks committed 51.5% of murders between 1976 and 1999, while whites committed 46.5%. The latest of hate crime laws are likely to only exacerbate the hypocrisy. A â€Å"hate crimes† frame of mind translates into tougher sentences for interracial crimes. Since Caucasians are killed by African-Americans 2.6 times more often then the other wa y around, more killers of Caucasians will be predisposed to receiving the death penalty.Finances are also argued frequently on the topic of capital punishment. â€Å"It costs more to execute a person than to keep him or her in prison for life. A 1993 California study argues that each death penalty case costs at least $1.25 million more than a regular murder case and a sentence of life without the possibility of parole† (Deathpenalty.org). This statement deserves no response, because the figures are not perfect, and are dubious at best. Nevermind the fact that justice should not be up for sale. Serving justice is not about saving money, and should not be treated as if it were an item being contracted, trying to get the â€Å"lowest bid.†Retribution is an additional reason for capital punishment, which some opponents of capital punishment confuse with vengeance. As a sound principle of natural law and common sense, the punishment should fit the crime. For example, if someone had been convicted of the assassination of the president, and the judge had sentenced him or her to only five years in prison, the nation would have been pr operly outraged. Having a fit punishment for the crime committed has been around since the beginning of civilization. Hammurabi’s Code of Law, developed long before the birth of Christ, claims retribution as, â€Å"an eye for an eye, life for a life†. Retribution makes capital punishment justifiable because it is an injustice to tolerate such unimaginable horror.If one commits a crime, he or she should be ready to accept the consequences. Murder is a crime that involves the loss of innocent life, and that act needs to be rightly punished. Murderers should not receive an overextended welcome in a prison. Those who commit these serious offenses do not belong in society. Realistically there is no solid argument against the death penalty. If society were to take capital  punishment away, the public would not have an effective justice system and crimes against innocent people would continue. Opponents of the death sentence need to accept the fact that capital punishment is fair and just. Using lies and deceit will only go so far. The people of this country are smart enough to realize the difference between fact and fiction, and the truth is capital punishment works.

Black House Chapter Fifteen

15 BY EVENING, the temperature has dropped fifteen degrees as a minor cold front pushes through our little patch of the Coulee Country. There are no thunderstorms, but as the sky tinges toward violet, the fog arrives. It's born out of the river and rises up the inclined ramp of Chase Street, first obscuring the gutters, then the sidewalks, then blurring the buildings themselves. It cannot completely hide them, as the fogs of spring and winter sometimes do, but the blurring is somehow worse: it steals colors and softens shapes. The fog makes the ordinary look alien. And there's the smell, the ancient, seagully odor that works deep into your nose and awakens the back part of your brain, the part that is perfectly capable of believing in monsters when the sight lines shorten and the heart is uneasy. On Sumner Street, Debbi Anderson is still working dispatch. Arnold â€Å"the Mad Hungarian† Hrabowski has been sent home without his badge in fact, suspended and feels he must ask his wife a few pointed questions (his belief that he already knows the answers makes him even more heartsick). Debbi is now standing at the window, a cup of coffee in her hand and a puckery little frown on her face. â€Å"Don't like this,† she says to Bobby Dulac, who is glumly and silently writing reports. â€Å"It reminds me of the Hammer pictures I used to watch on TV back when I was in junior high.† â€Å"Hammer pictures?† Bobby asks, looking up. â€Å"Horror pictures,† she says, looking out into the deepening fog. â€Å"A lot of them were about Dracula. Also Jack the Ripper.† â€Å"I don't want to hear nothing about Jack the Ripper,† Bobby says. â€Å"You mind me, Debster.† And resumes writing. In the parking lot of the 7-Eleven, Mr. Rajan Patel stands beside his telephone (still crisscrossed by yellow police tape, and when it will be all right again for using, this Mr. Patel could not be telling us). He looks toward downtown, which now seems to rise from a vast bowl of cream. The buildings on Chase Street descend into this bowl. Those at Chase's lowest point are visible only from the second story up. â€Å"If he is down there,† Mr. Patel says softly, and to no one but himself, â€Å"tonight he will be doing whatever he wants.† He crosses his arms over his chest and shivers. Dale Gilbertson is at home, for a wonder. He plans to have a sit-down dinner with his wife and child even if the world ends because of it. He comes out of his den (where he has spent twenty minutes talking with WSP officer Jeff Black, a conversation in which he has had to exercise all his discipline to keep from shouting), and sees his wife standing at the window and looking out. Her posture is almost exactly the same as Debbi Anderson's, only she's got a glass of wine in her hand instead of a cup of coffee. The puckery little frown is identical. â€Å"River fog,† Sarah says dismally. â€Å"Isn't that ducky. If he's out there â€Å" Dale points at her. â€Å"Don't say it. Don't even think it.† But he knows that neither of them can help thinking about it. The streets of French Landing the foggy streets of French Landing will be deserted right now: no one shopping in the stores, no one idling along the sidewalks, no one in the parks. Especially no children. The parents will be keeping them in. Even on Nailhouse Row, where good parenting is the exception rather than the rule, the parents will be keeping their kids inside. â€Å"I won't say it,† she allows. â€Å"That much I can do.† â€Å"What's for dinner?† â€Å"How does chicken pot pie sound?† Ordinarily such a hot dish on a July evening would strike him as an awful choice, but tonight, with the fog coming in, it sounds like just the thing. He steps up behind her, gives her a brief squeeze, and says, â€Å"Great. And earlier would be better.† She turns, disappointed. â€Å"Going back in?† â€Å"I shouldn't have to, not with Brown and Black rolling the ball â€Å" â€Å"Those pricks,† she says. â€Å"I never liked them.† Dale smiles. He knows that the former Sarah Asbury has never cared much for the way he earns his living, and this makes her furious loyalty all the more touching. And tonight it feels vital, as well. It's been the most painful day of his career in law enforcement, ending with the suspension of Arnold Hrabowski. Arnie, Dale knows, believes he will be back on duty before long. And the shitty truth is that Arnie may be right. Based on the way things are going, Dale may need even such an exquisite example of ineptitude as the Mad Hungarian. â€Å"Anyway, I shouldn't have to go back in, but . . .† â€Å"You have a feeling.† â€Å"I do.† â€Å"Good or bad?† She has come to respect her husband's intuitions, not in the least because of Dale's intense desire to see Jack Sawyer settled close enough to reach with seven keystrokes instead of eleven. Tonight that looks to her like pardon the pun a pretty good call. â€Å"Both,† Dale says, and then, without explaining or giving Sarah a chance to question further: â€Å"Where's Dave?† â€Å"At the kitchen table with his crayons.† At six, young David Gilbertson is enjoying a violent love affair with Crayolas, has gone through two boxes since school let out. Dale and Sarah's strong hope, expressed even to each other only at night, lying side by side before sleep, is that they may be raising a real artist. The next Norman Rockwell, Sarah said once. Dale who helped Jack Sawyer hang his strange and wonderful pictures has higher hopes for the boy. Too high to express, really, even in the marriage bed after the lights are out. With his own glass of wine in hand, Dale ambles out to the kitchen. â€Å"What you drawing, Dave? What â€Å" He stops. The crayons have been abandoned. The picture a half-finished drawing of what might be either a flying saucer or perhaps just a round coffee table has also been abandoned. The back door is open. Looking out at the whiteness that hides David's swing and jungle gym, Dale feels a terrible fear leap up his throat, choking him. All at once he can smell Irma Freneau again, that terrible smell of raw spoiled meat. Any sense that his family lives in a protected, magic circle it may happen to others, but it can never, never happen to us is gone now. What has replaced it is stark certainty: David is gone. The Fisherman has enticed him out of the house and spirited him away into the fog. Dale can see the grin on the Fisherman's face. He can see the gloved hand it's yellow covering his son's mouth but not the bulging, terrified child's eyes. Into the fog and out of the known world. David. He moves forward across the kitchen on legs that feel boneless as well as nerveless. He puts his wineglass down on the table, the stem landing a-tilt on a crayon, not noticing when it spills and covers David's half-finished drawing with something that looks horribly like venous blood. He's out the door, and although he means to yell, his voice comes out in a weak and almost strengthless sigh: â€Å"David? . . . Dave?† For a moment that seems to last a thousand years, there is nothing. Then he hears the soft thud of running feet on damp grass. Blue jeans and a red-striped rugby shirt materialize out of the thickening soup. A moment later he sees his son's dear, grinning face and mop of yellow hair. â€Å"Dad! Daddy! I was swinging in the fog! It was like being in a cloud!† Dale snatches him up. There is a bad, blinding impulse to slap the kid across the face, to hurt him for scaring his father so. It passes as quickly as it came. He kisses David instead. â€Å"I know,† he says. â€Å"That must have been fun, but it's time to come in now.† â€Å"Why, Daddy?† â€Å"Because sometimes little boys get lost in the fog,† he says, looking out into the white yard. He can see the patio table, but it is only a ghost; he wouldn't know what he was looking at if he hadn't seen it a thousand times. He kisses his son again. â€Å"Sometimes little boys get lost,† he repeats. Oh, we could check in with any number of friends, both old and new. Jack and Fred Marshall have returned from Arden (neither suggested stopping at Gertie's Kitchen in Centralia when they passed it), and both are now in their otherwise deserted houses. For the balance of the ride back to French Landing, Fred never once let go of his son's baseball cap, and he has a hand on it even now, as he eats a microwaved TV dinner in his too empty living room and watches Action News Five. Tonight's news is mostly about Irma Freneau, of course. Fred picks up the remote when they switch from shaky-cam footage of Ed's Eats to a taped report from the Holiday Trailer Park. The cameraman has focused on one shabby trailer in particular. A few flowers, brave but doomed, straggle in the dust by the stoop, which consists of three boards laid across two cement blocks. â€Å"Here, on the outskirts of French Landing, Irma Freneau's grieving mother is in seclusion,† says the on-scene correspondent. â€Å"One can only imagine this single mother's feelings tonight.† The reporter is prettier than Wendell Green but exudes much the same aura of glittering, unhealthy excitement. Fred hits the OFF button on the remote and growls, â€Å"Why can't you leave the poor woman alone?† He looks down at his chipped beef on toast, but he has lost his appetite. Slowly, he raises Tyler's hat and puts it on his own head. It doesn't fit, and Fred for a moment thinks of letting out the plastic band at the back. The idea shocks him. Suppose that was all it took to kill his son? That one simple, deadly modification? The idea strikes him as both ridiculous and utterly inarguable. He supposes that if this keeps up, he'll soon be as mad as his wife . . . or Sawyer. Trusting Sawyer is as crazy as thinking he might kill his son by changing the size of the boy's hat . . . and yet he believes in both things. He picks up his fork and begins to eat again, Ty's Brewers cap sitting on his head like Spanky's beanie in an old Our Gang one-reeler. Beezer St. Pierre is sitting on his sofa in his underwear, a book open on his lap (it is, in fact, a book of William Blake's poems) but unread. Bear Girl's asleep in the other room, and he's fighting the urge to bop on down to the Sand Bar and score some crank, his old vice, untouched for going on five years now. Since Amy died, he fights this urge every single day, and lately he wins only by reminding himself that he won't be able to find the Fisherman and punish him as he deserves to be punished if he's fucked up on devil dust. Henry Leyden is in his studio with a huge pair of Akai headphones on his head, listening to Warren Vach? ¦, John Bunch, and Phil Flanigan dreamboat their way through â€Å"I Remember April.† He can smell the fog even through the walls, and to him it smells like the air at Ed's Eats. Like bad death, in other words. He's wondering how Jack made out in good old Ward D at French County Lutheran. And he's thinking about his wife, who lately (especially since the record hop at Maxton's, although he doesn't consciously realize this) seems closer than ever. And unquiet. Yes indeed, all sorts of friends are available for our inspection, but at least one seems to have dropped out of sight. Charles Burnside isn't in the common room at Maxton's (where an old episode of Family Ties is currently running on the ancient color TV bolted to the wall), nor in the dining hall, where snacks are available in the early evening, nor in his own room, where the sheets are currently clean (but where the air still smells vaguely of old shit). What about the bathroom? Nope. Thorvald Thorvaldson has stopped in to have a pee and a handwash, but otherwise the place is empty. One oddity: there's a fuzzy slipper lying on its side in one of the stalls. With its bright black and yellow stripes, it looks like the corpse of a huge dead bumblebee. And yes, it's the stall second from the left. Burny's favorite. Should we look for him? Maybe we should. Maybe not knowing exactly where that rascal is makes us uneasy. Let us slip through the fog, then, silent as a dream, down to lower Chase Street. Here is the Nelson Hotel, its ground floor now submerged in river fog, the ocher stripe marking high water of that ancient flood no more than a whisper of color in the fading light. On one side of it is Wisconsin Shoe, now closed for the day. On the other is Lucky's Tavern, where an old woman with bowlegs (her name is Bertha Van Dusen, if you care) is currently bent over with her hands planted on her large knees, yarking a bellyful of Kingsland Old-Time Lager into the gutter. She makes sounds like a bad driver grinding a manual transmission. In the doorway of the Nelson Hotel itself sits a patient old mongrel, who will wait until Bertha has gone back into the tavern, then slink over to eat the half-digested cocktail franks floating in the beer. From Lucky's comes the tired, twanging voice of the late Dick Curless, Ole Country One-Eye, singing about those Hainesville Woods, where there's a tombstone every mile. The dog gives a single disinterested growl as we pass him and slip into the Nelson's lobby, where moth-eaten heads a wolf, a bear, an elk, and an ancient half-bald bison with a single glass eye look at empty sofas, empty chairs, the elevator that hasn't worked since 1994 or so, and the empty registration desk. (Morty Fine, the clerk, is in the office with his feet propped up on an empty file-cabinet drawer, reading People and picking his nose.) The lobby of the Nelson Hotel always smells of the river it's in the pores of the place but this evening the smell is heavier than usual. It's a smell that makes us think of bad ideas, blown investments, forged checks, deteriorating health, stolen office supplies, unpaid alimony, empty promises, skin tumors, lost ambition, abandoned sample cases filled with cheap novelties, dead hope, dead skin, and fallen arches. This is the kind of place you don't come to unless you've been here before and all your other options are pretty much foreclose d. It's a place where men who left their families two decades before now lie on narrow beds with pee-stained mattresses, coughing and smoking cigarettes. The scuzzy old lounge (where scuzzy old Hoover Dalrymple once held court and knocked heads most every Friday and Saturday night) has been closed by unanimous vote of the town council since early June, when Dale Gilbertson scandalized the local political elite by showing them a video of three traveling strippers who billed themselves as the Anal University Trio, performing a synchronized cucumber routine on the tiny stage (FLPD cameraman: Officer Tom Lund, let's give him a hand), but the Nelson's residents still have only to go next door to get a beer; it's convenient. You pay by the week at the Nelson. You can keep a hot plate in your room, but only by permission and after the cord has been inspected. You can die on a fixed income at the Nelson, and the last sound you hear could well be the creaking of bedsprings over your head as some other helpless old loser jacks off. Let us rise up the first flight, past the old canvas firehose in its glass box. Turn right at the second-floor landing (past the pay phone with its yellowing OUT OF ORDER sign) and continue to rise. When we reach the third floor, the smell of river fog is joined by the smell of chicken soup warming on someone's hot plate (the cord duly approved either by Morty Fine or George Smith, the day manager). The smell is coming from 307. If we slip through the keyhole (there have never been keycards at the Nelson and never will be), we'll be in the presence of Andrew Railsback, seventy, balding, scrawny, good-humored. He once sold vacuum cleaners for Electrolux and appliances for Sylvania, but those days are behind him now. These are his golden years. A candidate for Maxton's, we might think, but Andy Railsback knows that place, and places like it. Not for him, thanks. He's sociable enough, but he doesn't want people telling him when to go to bed, when to get up, and when he can have a little nip of Early Times. He has friends in Maxton's, visits them often, and has from time to time met the sparkling, shallow, predatory eye of our pal Chipper. He has thought on more than one such occasion that Mr. Maxton looks like the sort of fellow who would happily turn the corpses of his graduates into soap if he thought he could turn a buck on it. No, for Andy Railsback, the third floor of the Nelson Hotel is good enough. He has his hot plate; he has his bottle of hooch; he's got four packs of Bicycles and plays big-picture solitaire on nights when the sandman loses his way. This evening he has made three Lipton Cup-A-Soups, thinking he'll invite Irving Throneberry in for a bowl and a chat. Maybe afterward they'll go next door to Lucky's and grab a beer. He checks the soup, sees it has attained a nice simmer, sniffs the fragrant steam, and nods. He also has saltines, which go well with soup. He leaves the room to make his way upstairs and knock on Irv's door, but what he sees in the hallway stops him cold. It's an old man in a shapeless blue robe, walking away from him with suspicious quickness. Beneath the hem of the robe, the stranger's legs are as white as a carp's belly and marked with blue snarls of varicose veins. On his left foot is a fuzzy black-and-yellow slipper. His right foot is bare. Although our new friend can't tell for sure not with the guy's back to him he doesn't look like anyone Andy knows. Also, he's trying doorknobs as he wends his way along the main third-floor hall. He gives each one a single hard, quick shake. Like a turnkey. Or a thief. A fucking thief. Yeah. Although the man is obviously old older than Andy, it looks like and dressed as if for bed, the idea of thievery resonates in Andy's mind with queer certainty. Even the one bare foot, arguing that the fellow probably didn't come in off the street, has no power over this strong intuition. Andy opens his mouth to call out something like Can I help you? or Looking for someone? and then changes his mind. He just has this feeling about the guy. It has to do with the fleet way the stranger scurries along as he tries the knobs, but that's not all of it. Not all of it by any means. It's a feeling of darkness and danger. There are pockets in the geezer's robe, Andy can see them, and there might be a weapon in one of them. Thieves don't always have weapons, but . . . The old guy turns the corner and is gone. Andy stands where he is, considering. If he had a phone in his room, he might call downstairs and alert Morty Fine, but he doesn't. So, what to do? After a brief interior debate, he tiptoes down the hall to the corner and peeps around. Here is a cul-de-sac with three doors: 312, 313, and, at the very end, 314, the only room in that little appendix which is currently occupied. The man in 314 has been there since the spring, but almost all Andy knows about him is his name: George Potter. Andy has asked both Irv and Hoover Dalrymple about Potter, but Hoover doesn't know jack-shit and Irv has learned only a little more. â€Å"You must,† Andy objected this conversation took place in late May or early June, around the time the Buckhead Lounge downstairs went dark. â€Å"I seen you in Lucky's with him, havin' a beer.† Irv had lifted one bushy eyebrow in that cynical way of his. â€Å"Seen me havin' a beer with him. What are you?† he'd rasped. â€Å"My fuckin' wife?† â€Å"I'm just saying. You drink a beer with a man, you have a little conversation â€Å" â€Å"Usually, maybe. Not with him. I sat down, bought a pitcher, and mostly got the dubious pleasure of listenin' to myself think. I say, ‘What do you think about the Brewers this year?' and he says, ‘They'll suck, same as last year. I can get the Cubs at night on my rah-dio ‘ â€Å" â€Å"That the way he said it? Rah-dio?† â€Å"Well, it ain't the way I say it, is it? You ever heard me say rah-dio? I say radio, same as any normal person. You want to hear this or not?† â€Å"Don't sound like there's much to hear.† â€Å"You got that right, buddy. He says, ‘I can get the Cubs at night on my rah-dio, and that's enough for me. I always went to Wrigley with my dad when I was a kid.' So I found out he was from Chi, but otherwise, bupkes.† The first thought to pop into Andy's mind upon glimpsing the fucking thief in the third-floor corridor had been Potter, but Mr. George I-Keep-to-Myself Potter is a tall drink of water, maybe six-four, still with a pretty good head of salt-and-pepper hair. Mr. One-Slipper was shorter than that, hunched over like a toad. (A poison toad, at that is the thought that immediately rises in Andy's mind.) He's in there, Andy thinks. Fucking thief's in Potter's room, maybe going through Potter's drawers, looking for a little stash. Fifty or sixty rolled up in the toe of a sock, like I used to do. Or stealing Potter's radio. His fucking rah-dio. Well, and what was that to him? You passed Potter in the hallway, gave him a civil good morning or good afternoon, and what you got back was an uncivil grunt. Bupkes, in other words. You saw him in Lucky's, he was drinking alone, far side of the jukebox. Andy guessed you could sit down with him and he'd split a pitcher with you Irv's little tte-? ¤-tte with the man proved that much but what good was that without a little chin-jaw to go along with it? Why should he, Andrew Railsback, risk the wrath of some poison toad in a bathrobe for the sake of an old grump who wouldn't give you a yes, no, or maybe? Well . . . Because this is his home, cheesy as it might be, that's why. Because when you saw some crazy old one-slipper fuck in search of loose cash or the easily lifted rah-dio, you didn't just turn your back and shuffle away. Because the bad feeling he got from the scurrying old elf (the bad vibe, his grandchildren would have said) was probably nothing but a case of the chickenshits. Because Suddenly Andy Railsback has an intuition that, while not a direct hit, is at least adjacent to the truth. Suppose it is a guy from off the street? Suppose it's one of the old guys from Maxton Elder Care? It's not that far away, and he knows for a fact that from time to time an old feller (or old gal) will get mixed up in his (or her) head and wander off the reservation. Under ordinary circumstances that person would be spotted and hauled back long before getting this far downtown kind of hard to miss on the street in an institutional robe and single slipper but this evening the fog has come in and the streets are all but deserted. Look at you, Andy berates himself. Scared half to death of a feller that's probably got ten years on you and peanut butter for brains. Wandered in here past the empty desk not a chance in the goddamn world Fine's out front; he'll be in back reading a magazine or a stroke book and now he's looking for his room back at Maxton's, trying every knob on the goddamn corridor, no more idea of where he is than a squirrel on a freeway ramp. Potter's probably having a beer next door (this, at least, turns out to be true) and left his door unlocked (this, we may be assured, is not). And although he's still frightened, Andy comes all the way around the corner and walks slowly toward the open door. His heart is beating fast, because half his mind is still convinced the old man is maybe dangerous. There was, after all, that bad feeling he got just from looking at the stranger's back But he goes. God help him, he does. â€Å"Mister?† he calls when he reaches the open door. â€Å"Hey, mister, I think you got the wrong room. That's Mr. Potter's room. Don't you â€Å" He stops. No sense talking, because the room is empty. How is that possible? Andy steps back and tries the knobs of 312 and 313. Both locked up tight, as he knew they would be. With that ascertained, he steps into George Potter's room and has a good look around curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought him back. Potter's digs are a little larger than his, but otherwise not much different: it's a box with a high ceiling (they made places a man could stand up in back in the old days, you had to say that much for them). The single bed is sagging in the middle but neatly made. On the night table is a bottle of pills (these turn out to be an anti-depressant called Zoloft) and a single framed picture of a woman. Andy thinks she took a pretty good whopping with the ugly stick, but Potter must see her differently. He has, after all, put the picture in a place where it's the first thing he looks at in the morning and the last thing he sees at night. â€Å"Potter?† Andy asks. â€Å"Anyone? Hello?† He is suddenly overcome with a sense of someone standing behind him and whirls around, lips drawn back from his dentures in a grinning snarl that is half a cringe. One hand comes up to shield his face from the blow he is suddenly certain will fall . . . only there's no one there. Is he lurking behind the corner at the end of this short addendum to the main corridor? No. Andy saw the stranger go scurrying around that corner. No way he could have gotten behind him again . . . unless he crawled along the ceiling like some kind of fly . . . Andy looks up there, knowing he's being absurd, giving in to the whim-whams big time, but there's no one here to see him, so what the hey? And nothing for him to see overhead, either. Just an ordinary tin ceiling, now yellowed by age and decades of cigar and cigarette smoke. The radio oh, excuse me all to hell, rah-dio is sitting on the win-dowsill, unmolested. Damn fine one, too, a Bose, the kind Paul Harvey always talks about on his noon show. Beyond it, on the other side of the dirty glass, is the fire escape. Ah-hah! Andy thinks, and hurries across to the window. One look at the turned thumb lock and his triumphant expression fades. He peers out just the same, and sees a short stretch of wet black iron descending into the fog. No blue robe, no scaly bald pate. Of course not. The knob shaker didn't go out that way unless he had some magic trick to move the window's inside thumb lock back into place once he was on the fire escape landing. Andy turns, stands where he is a moment, thinking, then drops to his knees and looks under the bed. What he sees is an old tin ashtray with an unopened pack of Pall Malls and a Kingsland Old-Time Lager disposable lighter in it. Nothing else except dust kittens. He puts his hand on the coverlet preparatory to standing up, and his eyes fix on the closet door. It's standing ajar. â€Å"There,† Andy breathes, almost too low for his own ears to hear. He gets up and crosses to the closet door. The fog may or may not come in on little cat feet, as Carl Sandburg said, but that is certainly how Andy Railsback moves across George Potter's room. His heart is beating hard again, hard enough to start the prominent vein in the center of his forehead pulsing. The man he saw is in the closet. Logic demands it. Intuition screams it. And if the doorknob shaker's just a confused old soul who wandered into the Nelson Hotel out of the fog, why hasn't he spoken to Andy? Why has he concealed himself ? Because he may be old but he's not confused, that's why. No more confused than Andy is himself. The doorknob shaker's a fucking thief, and he's in the closet. He's maybe holding a knife that he has taken from the pocket of his tatty old robe. Maybe a coat hanger that he's unwound and turned into a weapon. Maybe he's just standing there in the dark, eyes wide, fingers hooked into claws. Andy no longer cares. You can scare him, you bet he's a retired salesman, not Superman but if you load enough tension on top of fright you turn it into anger, same as enough pressure turns coal into a diamond. And right now Andy is more pissed off than scared. He closes his fingers around the cool glass knob of the closet door. He squeezes down on it. He takes one breath . . . a second . . . steeling himself, getting ready . . . psyching himself up, the grandkids would say . . . one more breath, just for good luck, and . . . With a low, stressful sound half growl and half howl Andy yanks the closet door wide, setting off a chatter of hangers. He crouches, hands up in fists, looking like some ancient sparring partner from the Gym Time Forgot. â€Å"Come outta there, you fucking â€Å" No one there. Four shirts, one jacket, two ties, and three pairs of pants hanging like dead skin. A battered old suitcase that looks as if it has been kicked through every Greyhound Bus terminal in North America. Nothing else. Not a goddamn th But there is. There's something on the floor beneath the shirts. Several somethings. Almost half a dozen somethings. At first Andy Rails-back either doesn't understand what he's seeing or doesn't want to understand. Then it gets through to him, imprints itself on his mind and memory like a hoofprint, and he tries to scream. He can't. He tries again and nothing comes out but a rusty wheeze from lungs that feel no larger than old prune skins. He tries to turn around and can't do that, either. He is sure George Potter is coming, and if Potter finds him here, Andy's life will end. He has seen something George Potter can never allow him to talk about. But he can't turn. Can't scream. Can't take his eyes from the secret in George Potter's closet. Can't move. Because of the fog, nearly full dark has arrived in French Landing unnaturally early; it's barely six-thirty. The blurry yellow lights of Maxton Elder Care look like the lights of a cruise ship lying becalmed at sea. In Daisy wing, home of the wonderful Alice Weathers and the far less wonderful Charles Burnside, Pete Wexler and Butch Yerxa have both gone home for the day. A broad-shouldered, peroxide blonde named Vera Hutchinson is now on the desk. In front of her is a book entitled E-Z Minute Crosswords. She is currently puzzling over 6 Across: Garfield, for example. Six letters, first is F, third is L, sixth is E. She hates these tricky ones. There's the swoosh of a bathroom door opening. She looks up and sees Charles Burnside come shuffling out of the men's in his blue robe and a pair of yellow-and-black striped slippers that look like great fuzzy bumblebees. She recognizes them at once. â€Å"Charlie?† she asks, putting her pencil in her crossword book and closing it. Charlie just goes shuffling along, jaw hanging down, a long runner of drool also hanging down. But he has an unpleasant half grin on his face that Vera doesn't care for. This one may have lost most of his marbles, but the few left in his head are mean marbles. Sometimes she knows that Charlie Burnside genuinely doesn't hear her when she speaks (or doesn't understand her), but she's positive that sometimes he just pretends not to understand. She has an idea this is one of the latter times. â€Å"Charlie, what are you doing wearing Elmer's bee slippers? You know his great-granddaughter gave those to him.† The old man Burny to us, Charlie to Vera just goes shuffling along, in a direction that will eventually take him back to D18. Assuming he stays on course, that is. â€Å"Charlie, stop.† Charlie stops. He stands at the head of Daisy's corridor like a machine that has been turned off. His jaw hangs. The string of drool snaps, and all at once there's a little wet spot on the linoleum beside one of those absurd but amusing slippers. Vera gets up, goes to him, kneels down before him. If she knew what we know, she'd probably be a lot less willing to put her defenseless white neck within reach of those hanging hands, which are twisted by arthritis but still powerful. But of course she does not. She grasps the left bee slipper. â€Å"Lift,† she says. Charles Burnside lifts his right foot. â€Å"Oh, quit being such a turkey,† she says. â€Å"Other one.† Burny lifts his left foot a little, just enough for her to get the slipper off. â€Å"Now the right one.† Unseen by Vera, who is looking at his feet, Burny pulls his penis from the fly of his loose pajama pants and pretends to piss on Vera's bowed head. His grin widens. At the same time, he lifts his right foot and she removes the other slipper. When she looks back up, Burny's wrinkled old tool is back where it belongs. He considered baptizing her, he really did, but he has created almost enough mischief for one evening. One more little chore and he'll be off to the land of dreamy dreams. He's an old monster now. He needs his rest. â€Å"All right,† Vera says. â€Å"Want to tell me why one of these is dirtier than the other?† No answer. She hasn't really expected one. â€Å"Okay, beautiful. Back to your room or down to the common room, if you want. There's microwave popcorn and Jell-O pops tonight, I think. They're showing The Sound of Music. I'll see that these slippers get back to where they belong, and you taking them will be our little secret. Take them again and I'll have to report you, though. Capisce?† Burny just stands there, vacant . . . but with that nasty little grin lifting his wrinkled old chops. And that light in his eyes. He capisces, all right. â€Å"Go on,† Vera says. â€Å"And you better not have dropped a load on the floor in there, you old buzzard.† Again she expects no reply, but this time she gets one. Burny's voice is low but perfectly clear. â€Å"Keep a civil tongue, you fat bitch, or I'll eat it right out of your head.† She recoils as if slapped. Burny stands there with his hands dangling and that little grin on his face. â€Å"Get out of here,† she says. â€Å"Or I really will report you.† And a great lot of good that would do. Charlie is one of Maxton's cash cows, and Vera knows it. Charlie recommences his slow walk (Pete Wexler has dubbed this particular gait the Old Fucks' Shuffle), now in his bare feet. Then he turns back. The bleary lamps of his eyes regard her. â€Å"The word you're looking for is feline. Garfield's a feline. Got it? Stupid cow.† With that he continues his trip down the corridor. Vera stands where she is, looking at him with her own jaw hanging. She has forgotten all about her crossword puzzle. In his room, Burny lies down on his bed and slips his hands into the small of his back. From there down he aches like a bugger. Later he will buzz for the fat old bitch, get her to bring him an ibuprofen. For now, though, he has to stay sharp. One more little trick still to do. â€Å"Found you, Potter,† he murmurs. â€Å"Good . . . old . . . Potsie.† Burny hadn't been shaking doorknobs at all (not that Andy Railsback will ever know this). He had been feeling for the fellow who diddled him out of a sweet little Chicago housing deal back in the late seventies. South Side, home of the White Sox. Blacktown, in other words. Lots of federal money in that one, and several bushels of Illinois dough as well. Enough skim available to last for years, more angles than on a baseball field, but George â€Å"Go Fuck Your Mother† Potter had gotten there first, cash had changed hands beneath the proverbial table, and Charles Burn-side (or perhaps then he'd still been Carl Bierstone; it's hard to remember) had been out in the cold. But Burny has kept track of the thief for lo these many years. (Well, not Burny himself, actually, but as we must by now have realized, this is a man with powerful friends.) Old Potsie what his friends called him in the days when he still had a few declared bankruptcy in La Riviere back in the nineties, and lost most of what he still had hidden away during the Great Dot-Com Wreck of Double Aught. But that's not good enough for Burny. Potsie requires further punishment, and the coincidence of that particular fuckhead washing up in this particular fuckhole of a town is just too good to pass up. Burny's principal motive a brainless desire to keep stirring the pot, to make sure bad goes to worse hasn't changed, but this will serve that purpose, too. So he traveled to the Nelson, doing so in a way Jack understands and Judy Marshall has intuited, homing in on Potsie's room like some ancient bat. And when he sensed Andy Railsback behind him, he was of course delighted. Railsback will save him having to make another anonymous call, and Burny is, in truth, getting tired of doing all their work for them. Now, back in his room, all comfy-cozy (except for the arthritis, that is), he turns his mind away from George Potter, and begins to Summon. Looking up into the dark, Charles Burnside's eyes begin to glow in a distinctly unsettling way. â€Å"Gorg,† he says. â€Å"Gorg t'eelee. Dinnit a abbalah. Samman Tansy. Samman a montah a Irma. Dinnit a abbalah, Gorg. Dinnit a Ram Abbalah.† Gorg. Gorg, come. Serve the abbalah. Find Tansy. Find the mother of Irma. Serve the abbalah, Gorg. Serve the Crimson King. Burny's eyes slip closed. He goes to sleep with a smile on his face. And beneath their wrinkled lids, his eyes continue to glow like hooded lamps. Morty Fine, the night manager of the Nelson Hotel, is half-asleep over his magazine when Andy Railsback comes bursting in, startling him so badly that Morty almost tumbles out of his chair. His magazine falls to the floor with a flat slap. â€Å"Jesus Christ, Andy, you almost gave me a heart attack!† Morty cries. â€Å"You ever hear of knocking, or at least clearing your goddam throat?† Andy takes no notice, and Morty realizes the old fella is as white as a sheet. Maybe he's the one having the heart attack. It wouldn't be the first time one occurred in the Nelson. â€Å"You gotta call the police,† Andy says. â€Å"They're horrible. Dear Jesus, Morty, they're the most horrible pictures I ever saw . . . Polaroids . . . and oh man, I thought he was going to come back in . . . come back in any second . . . but at first I was just froze, and I . . . I . . .† â€Å"Slow down,† Morty says, concerned. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Andy takes a deep breath and makes a visible effort to get himself under control. â€Å"Have you seen Potter?† he asks. â€Å"The guy in 314?† â€Å"Nope,† Morty says, â€Å"but most nights he's in Lucky's around this time, having a few beers and maybe a hamburger. Although why anybody would eat anything in that place, I don't know.† Then, perhaps associating one ptomaine palace with another: â€Å"Hey, have you heard what the cops found out at Ed's Eats? Trevor Gordon was by and he said â€Å" â€Å"Never mind.† Andy sits in the chair on the other side of the desk and stares at Morty with wet, terrified eyes. â€Å"Call the police. Do it right now. Tell them that the Fisherman is a man named George Potter, and he lives on the third floor of the Nelson Hotel.† Andy's face tightens in a hard grimace, then relaxes again. â€Å"Right down the hall from yours truly.† â€Å"Potter? You're dreaming, Andy. That guy's nothing but a retired builder. Wouldn't hurt a fly.† â€Å"I don't know about flies, but he hurt the hell out of some little kids. I seen the Polaroids he took of them. They're in his closet. They're the worst things you ever saw.† Then Andy does something that amazes Morty and convinces him that this isn't a joke, and probably not just a mistake, either: Andy Railsback begins to cry. Tansy Freneau, a.k.a. Irma Freneau's grieving mother, is not actually grieving yet. She knows she should be, but grief has been deferred. Right now she feels as if she is floating in a cloud of warm bright wool. The doctor (Pat Skarda's associate, Norma Whitestone) gave her five milligrams of lorazepam four or five hours ago, but that's only the start. The Holiday Trailer Park, where Tansy and Irma have lived since Cubby Freneau took off for Green Bay in ninety-eight, is handy to the Sand Bar, and she has a part-time â€Å"thing† going with Lester Moon, one of the bartenders. The Thunder Five has dubbed Lester Moon â€Å"Stinky Cheese† for some reason, but Tansy unfailingly calls him Lester, which he appreciates almost as much as the occasional boozy grapple in Tansy's bedroom or out back of the Bar, where there's a mattress (and a black light) in the storeroom. Around five this evening, Lester ran over with a quart of coffee brandy and four hundred milligrams of OxyCon tin, all considerately crushed and ready for snorting. Tansy has done half a dozen lines already, and she is cruising. Looking over old pictures of Irma and just . . . you know . . . cruising. What a pretty baby she was, Tansy thinks, unaware that not far away, a horrified hotel clerk is looking at a very different picture of her pretty baby, a nightmare Polaroid he will never be able to forget. It is a picture Tansy herself will never have to look at, suggesting that perhaps there is a God in heaven. She turns a page (GOLDEN MEMORIES has been stamped on the front of her scrapbook), and here are Tansy and Irma at the Mississippi Electrix company picnic, back when Irma was four and Mississippi Electrix was still a year away from bankruptcy and everything was more or less all right. In the photo, Irma is wading with a bunch of other tykes, her laughing face smeared with chocolate ice cream. Looking fixedly at this snapshot, Tansy reaches for her glass of coffee brandy and takes a small sip. And suddenly, from nowhere (or the place from which all our more ominous and unconnected thoughts float out into the light of our regard), she finds herself remembering that stupid Edgar Allan Poe poem they had to memorize in the ninth grade. She hasn't thought of it in years and has no reason to now, but the words of the opening stanza rise effortlessly and perfectly in her mind. Looking at Irma, she recites them aloud in a toneless, pauseless voice that no doubt would have caused Mrs. Normandie to clutch her stringy white hair and groan. Tansy's recitation doesn't affect us that way; instead it gives us a deep and abiding chill. It is like listening to a poetry reading given by a corpse. â€Å"Once upon a mih'nigh' dreary while I ponnered weak ‘n' weary over many a quaint ‘n' curris volume of forgotten lore while I nodded nearly nappin' sun'ly there came a tappin' as of someone gen'ly rappin' rappin' at my chamber door â€Å" At this precise moment there comes a soft rapping at the cheap fiber-board door of Tansy Freneau's Airstream. She looks up, eyes floating, lips pursed and glossed with coffee brandy. â€Å"Les'ser? Is that you?† It might be, she supposes. Not the TV people, at least she hopes not. She wouldn't talk to the TV people, sent them packing. She knows, in some deep and sadly cunning part of her mind, that they would lull her and comfort her only to make her look stupid in the glare of their lights, the way that the people on the Jerry Springer Show always end up looking stupid. No answer . . . and then it comes again. Tap. Tap-tap. â€Å"‘Tis some visitor,† she says, getting up. It's like getting up in a dream. â€Å"‘Tis some visitor, I murmured, tappin' at my chamber door, only this ‘n' nothin' more.† Tap. Tap-tap. Not like curled knuckles. It's a thinner sound than that. A sound like a single fingernail. Or a beak. She crosses the room in her haze of drugs and brandy, bare feet whispering on carpet that was once nubbly and is now balding: the ex-mother. She opens the door onto this foggy summer evening and sees nothing, because she's looking too high. Then something on the welcome mat rustles. Something, some black thing, is looking up at her with bright, inquiring eyes. It's a raven, omigod it's Poe's raven, come to pay her a visit. â€Å"Jesus, I'm trippin',† Tansy says, and runs her hands through her thin hair. â€Å"Jesus!† repeats the crow on the welcome mat. And then, chipper as a chickadee: â€Å"Gorg!† If asked, Tansy would have said she was too stoned to be frightened, but this is apparently not so, because she gives out a disconcerted little cry and takes a step backward. The crow hops briskly across the doorsill and strides onto the faded purple carpet, still looking up at her with its bright eyes. Its feathers glisten with condensed drops of mist. It bops on past her, then pauses to preen and fluff. It looks around as if to ask, How'm I doin', sweetheart? â€Å"Go away,† Tansy says. â€Å"I don't know what the fuck you are, or if you're here at all, but â€Å" â€Å"Gorg!† the crow insists, then spreads its wings and fleets across the trailer's living room, a charred fleck burnt off the back of the night. Tansy screams and cringes, instinctively shielding her face, but Gorg doesn't come near her. It alights on the table beside her bottle, there not being any bust of Pallas handy. Tansy thinks: It got disoriented in the fog, that's all. It could even be rabid, or have that Key Lime disease, whatever you call it. I ought to go in the kitchen and get the broom. Shoo it out before it shits around . . . But the kitchen is too far. In her current state, the kitchen seems hundreds of miles away, somewhere in the vicinity of Colorado Springs. And there's probably no crow here at all. Thinking of that goddamn poem has caused her to hallucinate, that's all . . . that, and losing her daughter. For the first time the pain gets through the haze, and Tansy winces from its cruel and wiry heat. She remembers the little hands that sometimes pressed so tidily against the sides of her neck. The cries in the night, summoning her from sleep. The smell of her, fresh from the bath. â€Å"Her name was Irma!† she suddenly shouts at the figment standing so boldly beside the brandy bottle. â€Å"Irma, not fucking Lenore, what kind of stupid name is Lenore? Let's hear you say Irma!† â€Å"Irma!† the visitor croaks obediently, stunning her to silence. And its eyes. Ah! Its glittering eyes draw her, like the eyes of the Ancient Mariner in that other poem she was supposed to learn but never did. â€Å"Irma-Irma-Irma-Irma â€Å" â€Å"Stop it!† She doesn't want to hear it after all. She was wrong. Her daughter's name out of that alien throat is foul, insupportable. She wants to put her hands over her ears and can't. They're too heavy. Her hands have joined the stove and the refrigerator (miserable half-busted thing) in Colorado Springs. All she can do is look into those glittering black eyes. It preens for her, ruffling its ebony sateen feathers. They make a loathsome little scuttering noise all up and down its back and she thinks, â€Å"Prophet!† said I, â€Å"thing of evil! prophet still, if bird or devil!† Certainty fills her heart like cold water. â€Å"What do you know?† she asks. â€Å"Why did you come?† â€Å"Know!† croaks the Crow Gorg, nodding its beak briskly up and down. â€Å"Come!† And does it wink? Good God, does it wink at her? â€Å"Who killed her?† Tansy Freneau whispers. â€Å"Who killed my pretty baby?† The crow's eyes fix her, turn her into a bug on a pin. Slowly, feeling more in a dream than ever (but this is happening, on some level she understands that perfectly), she crosses to the table. Still the crow watches her, still the crow draws her on. Night's Plutonian shore, she thinks. Night's Plutonian fuckin' shore. â€Å"Who? Tell me what you know!† The crow looks up at her with its bright black eyes. Its beak opens and closes, revealing a wet red interior in tiny peeks. â€Å"Tansy!† it croaks. â€Å"Come!† The strength runs out of her legs, and she drops to her knees, biting her tongue and making it bleed. Crimson drops splatter her U of W sweatshirt. Now her face is on a level with the bird's face. She can see one of its wings brushing up and down, sensuously, on the glass side of the coffee-brandy bottle. The smell of Gorg is dust and heaped dead flies and ancient urns of buried spice. Its eyes are shining black portholes looking into some other world. Hell, perhaps. Or Sheol. â€Å"Who?† she whispers. Gorg stretches its black and rustling neck until its black beak is actually in the cup of her ear. It begins to whisper, and eventually Tansy Freneau begins to nod. The light of sanity has left her eyes. And when will it return? Oh, I think we all know the answer to that one. Can you say â€Å"Nevermore†?