Reaction Paper #2 Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reaction #2 - Term Paper Example With the progressive change in warfare after the Second World War, more questions have been raised on how to deal with asymmetrical warfare under the Geneva conventions. After this convention of 1949, most nations’ security has been threatened non-state actors organizations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda are not fully covered by the rules of war. The armed groups have over and over again sought to defeat their military weakness by employing strategies that deliberately violet international law. These range from planned attacks against civilians, sexual violence, forced conscription as well as using civilians to guard military objectives (Slomanson, 1999). The risks of civilians are further increased as military superior parties, in fighting the rival that is often tricky to identify, responds with means and methods of warfare that may violet the principles of difference and proportionality, giving rise to further civilian victims. International armed conflict between the states and terrorist non-state actors raises a concern on how states in question should actually respond to these groups considering the fact that they have comparatively few rights under the international Humanitarian Law. There is also a big concern as to whether the wars on the non-state actors are international or non-international under Geneva Conventions. But on the other hand, the involved states also consider these rebellious groups as illicit combats who are dispossessed of any legality; their actions are unsympathetically punished in line with the domestic laws of the state. The context of these armed conflicts is claims of legitimacy, as the state pretends to have a greater claim to legitimacy than non-state actors. States seek to de-legitimize non-state actors’ claim while advancing their own claims of legitimacy (Slomanson, 1999). The non-state actors should not be

A Child Behavior Problem Psychology Essay

A Child Behavior Problem Psychology Essay Childrens behavior problems are divided into two major dimensions, they are internalizing and externalizing expressions (Henricson Rydell, 2006). Externalizing problems are behaviors that being harmful, disruptive, and impulsive. These behaviors are mostly stable and usually associated with long term negative outcomes (Henricson Rydell, 2006). Internalized problems are signified by emotions and moods. These symptoms are usually less consistent and cannot predict outcomes (Henricson Rydell, 2006). According to Achenbachs Child Behavior Checklist, childrens behaviors are identified into different syndromes. Syndromes refers to problems that tend to occur together. The eight syndromes that Achenbach had identified are Withdrawn, Somatic Complaints, Anxious/Depressed, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, Delinquent Behavior, and Aggressive Behavior. Five of the eight syndromes are grouped into Internalized and Externalized Behavior Problems (Achenbach, 1991). Internalizing is also called Personality Problems and Inhibition. Three syndromes, Withdrawn, Somatic Complaints, and Anxious/Depressed, are grouped under this heading. This group reflects childrens emotional problems (Achenbach, 1991). Externalizing is variously called Conduct Problems and Aggression. Two syndromes, Delinquent Behavior and Aggressive Behavior, are grouped under this heading. This group shows childrens behavioral problems (Achenbach, 1991). Aggression is defined as acts that impose harm on others (Aylward, 2003). Aggressive Behavior is under the grouping of Externalizing (Achenbach, 1991). Externalized aggressive behaviors are stable and are associated with long term negative outcomes (Henricson Rydell, 2006). Risk Factors There are different risks factors that lead to children behavior problem, including childrens personal factors, risks from school, parents marital relationship, parent-child relationship, and parenting and discipline style. Childs Personal Factors Stacks (2005) conceptualized risk factors for externalizing behavior by using ecological framework. Childrens temperament, developmental problems, and gender determine the severity of initial behavior problems. Personal factors, such as genetic factors, cognitive deficit, and hyperactive, also plays an important role in affecting childrens behavior. Children who have behavior problems tend to have cognitive deficit, they are lower problem solving skills (Pettit, 2004). Research shows that depressive symptoms predict antisocial behavior (Vieno, Kiesner, Pastore, Santinello, 2008). The correlations between depressed symptoms and behavioral problems were significant. This finding was also consistent with past studies by Patterson et al.(1992) and Beyers Loeber (2003). However the study suggested that the impacts of depressive symptoms to antisocial behavior occur within relatively short period of time (Vieno, Kiesner, Pastore, Santinello, 2008). Risks from School The quality school environment also plays important role in affecting predict behavior because many children spend most of the time at schools (Stacks, 2005). Studies also showed that conflictual teacher-child relationships and teachers negative responses are associated with children behavioral problems (Stacks, 2005). Pettit (2004) highlighted different risk factors for children antisocial behavior, including poor peer relationships and school failure. These factors cumulate to higher the risk of violent behavior, which was brought from early childhood to adolescent (Pettit, 2004). Parents Marital Relationship Children react to marital conflicts more negatively than other forms of family difficulties, and as a result, marital conflict is a predictor of childrens difficulties (Cummings, Goeke-Morey, Graham, 2002). It was said that marital conflict impacts childrens adjustment problems. These conflicts between parents consistently associated with externalized behavioral problems of children. These problems further influence childrens intellectual and academic achievements (Cummings, Goeke-Morey, Graham, 2002). Research also showed that children who experienced parents divorce are at higher risks of behavior problems (Stacks, 2005). Moreover, overt marital conflicts of parents were significantly risk predictors to youth maladjustment problems (Garard Buehler, 1999). Parent-Child relationship The parent-child relationship also plays an important role in influencing child development. The origin and developmental dynamics of antisocial behavior are said to be childrens early insecurity (Kochanska, Barry, Stellern, OBleness, 2009). Parental power assertion and resentful opposition lead to the insecurity of children. Poor parent-child relationship has shown impacts on childrens future antisocial behavior (Kochanska, Barry, Stellern, OBleness, 2009). Parenting Style Discipline Prevatt (2003) claimed that family risk and negative practices are highly predictive to childrens disruptive behavior and emotional adaptation. Negative family factors, such as inadequate parental involvement and poor parenting, primarily accounts for externalizing behavior (Prevatt, 2003). Dishion and Bullock (2002) also suggested that parenting practices plays an important role in childrens problem behavior. Both coercive limit-setting and poor monitoring are having direct influences on child negative behavioral outcome. Externalized behavior, such as outer-directed aggressive behavior, is one of the main indicators of maladjustment (Garard Buehler, 1999). There are three important correlates of youth maladjustment are repeatedly exposure to hostile and poor parenting. The poor parenting environment and the use of hostile are influencing risk factors to youth by showing negative interaction patterns within the family (Garard Buehler, 1999). Research shows that parenting put impacts on the development of disruptive behavior (Stacks, 2005). Parental warmth, responsiveness, and consistent limit setting are important to childrens development. Negative family interactions and functioning bring about aggression and violence to childrens behavior. Children who experienced violence directly are said to be in higher risks for externalizing behavior. These violent experiences include corporal punishment and physical abuse (Stacks, 2005). Childhood and developmental outcomes are associated with mild and harsh parental physical discipline (Lansford et al., 2009). Social context and family system leads to developmental consequences to children. Childrens externalizing behaviors are found to be associated with parents use of physical corporal discipline (Lansford et al., 2009). Lansford et al. (2009) also suggested that the antisocial behavior resulted from negative discipline may continue in later development. Corporal physical discipline in early childhood is related to increase in childrens behavior problems which would more likely to show in later years (Alink et al., 2009). Children learn to be aggressive through social learning theory (Bandura, 1973), they are also reinforced to use negative behavior to get parents attention (Alink et al., 2009) Conclusion Externalizing behaviors have great consequences to childrens eventual developmental pathway in their future. Research over the years has tried to determine how different factors contribute in deviant children behavior. Many factors can be added to the risks for externalizing antisocial behavior. Not only personal factors, risks from school, but also family factors, such as parenting style, parent-child relationship, parents marital relationship are also very influencing factors on child behavior problems. In sum, negative parenting is evitable in enabling poor child behavior, it is worthwhile to go into the family context and study the effect of parenting style to children behavior problem.

Divisive, but Effectual: Reinstating the Draft Essay -- U.S. Military

Ever since World War II, the last war that garnered full American support, the percentage of American citizens enrolling in the U.S. Army has diminished significantly. The U.S. is a major military power in the present world; American soldiers are engaged in many multi-theater positions, consequently dispersing troops over various regions worldwide. As only one in ten citizens has served in the US Army, American knowledge of military conditions is rapidly lessening along with the national harmony that complements such knowledge. Therefore, the comprehension that American security is closely associated with a formidable military never resonated within the greater part of modern American citizens. Although antiwar activists may decry compulsory conscription as unconstitutional, it needs to be reinstated in order to solidify the meaning of being an American citizen, boost the economy by providing jobs, and unify the American people with enhanced homeland security. Generally, reinstating the Constitutional draft would solidify the meaning of being an American citizen. Often, wealthier and more privileged people are able to ask for exemption from serving, so representation of soldiers in combat is composed of less-privileged citizens. With compulsory conscription, all American citizens, men or women, ages 18-26 are subject to be recruited for the armed forces. In fact, only 4 members of the 107th Congress who voted in favor of the Iraq war had children serving there. Politicians would know how it feels to have loved ones in a war, instead of freely speaking about wartime without experiencing it in any way. 1 (206) Americans feel that public support for war in foreign countries is not strong because the soldiers fighting are poorly rep... ..." CQ Researcher Outline, January 11, 1991. http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre1991011100 (accessed March 19, 2012). "Binding the Nation: National Service in America." U.S. Army War College, 2008. http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/Articles/08winter/grigsby.pdf (accessed March 12, 2012). â€Å"Learn about National Service." Americans for a National Service Act, . nationalserviceact.org (accessed March 19, 2012). Greenblatt, Alan. "Upward Mobility." CQ Researcher, April 29, 2005. http://www.cqpress.com/product/Researcher-Upward-Mobility-v15-16.html (accessed March 14, 2012). Farrell, Brenda S. "Military Personnel: Evaluation Methods Linked to Anticipated Outcomes Needed to Inform Decisions on Army Recruitment Incentives." U.S. Government Accountability Office, September 19, 2008. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-1037R (accessed March 19, 2012).

My first trip

Immediately they unloaded Eider's shiny black Ford Focus, and headed to their hotel suite. Once they were inside they all picked out a room, and went to get a nights rest. Allison woke up before anyone else, so she went to make coffee. As the smell of the strong, coffee filled the suite, everyone began to awake. Dillon looked like half awaken zombie as he made his way to the kitchen. Allison poured everyone a cup of coffee, and turned on the TV Just as the breath taking image of snow fell across the screen. It seemed to be the weather forecast for that very day.They all began to listen carefully as the weather man described the windy, wet, and snowy day that was ahead of them. They couldn't help but cringe. Weather conditions like that make for a harsh day on the side of the mountain. Allison seemed to be out her daze and back into her own head again, as Dillon started laughing. â€Å"What's that funny' Allison replied. â€Å"The look of anxiety on your face, Just stay calm, today will be fine! † Dillon said. He was right, maybe not the ideal weather for skiing but they would still enjoy it. Before Allison could say anything, Dillon started digging through the gear on the table.Looking at the mound of gear thrown everywhere it reminded them of a post tornado. Jackets, boots, goggles, gloves, helmets, and bibs completely dispersed. Allison knew that her bright silver boots would stand out, she backed up and evaluated the whole table. Sure enough she found them. Dillon then started complaining about his bindings on his board and criticized the salesman for his lack of knowledge about the gear he sales. As the knocking noise of the ski-lift drifted through the mountains, they all held on carefully, looking down at all the steep, scary, slopes below them.This was Ellison's first time skiing, so she was extremely excited to try it out! While the ski-lift rocked back and forth Dillon, told Allison some advice for surviving the slopes on the mountain. She coul dn't pay attention because she was so ecstatic to ski that his advice went in one ear and out the other. They came to the top of the lift and Jumped off, Allison fell onto her back as her skis slide out from under her feet, while Dillon lidded smoothly down the slick little hill proceeding the lift.Allison stood up in time to see the shiny snow start to fall down on the slopes. She snapped her feet back into the skis and looked down at the terrifyingly, steep mountains. Allison took a deep slow breath, no turning back now. Ellison's adrenaline picked up and flew through her body faster than the speed of lightening. She was amazed and terrified all together. Going down slopes made her feel like she is floating on air. With the snow leaving fresh layers of white dust laying al about, it felt like being shot straight out of a rocket.The slopes seemed endless. Her goggles kept fogging up, and the thought of falling off the side of the mountain or hitting a tree kept crossing her mind. W ith her face covered in freezing ice, she tried to clear her goggles while keeping her balance. She hadn't learned to slow down or stop on her skis yet, and instantly regretted it. While she attempted to swerve around the other hundreds of skiers, her speed had picked up so much that she became afraid of the next couple of actions that could cake place on the gigantic slope.Gaining even more speed, and losing more balance, she knew that she would have to stop herself soon before the speed took over her body and became dangerous. Taking a huge breath in, trying to stop her skis she was flung forward out of her skis, tumbling down the horrific hill. Completely disoriented from the fall, she tried to stand up but her legs were shaking like an uncontrollable seizure. She was soaking wet from the beyond freezing snow that covered her whole body. Dillon quickly approached her, carrying her skis, along with his board; His face seemed terrified. Are you okay, Ally? † Dillon asked, â⠂¬Å"I'm fine, Just a little shaken up† replied Allison. She knew she couldn't give up, finally standing back up but still feeling wobbly from the accident, she gave it another try. Knowing things could have ended much worse, she attempted it over and over again, until she got it right. Even though she had fallen down multiple times, skiing couldn't compare to any other feeling in the world, and she had a great time on her first skiing adventure!

Search Engines

Rosetta Craft-Jones English Coma I Rough Draft My song Is Love on Top by Beyond. Beyond wrote love on top because she wanted to express how Jay Z makes her feel through the years on a daily basis through song. Throughout the years Beyond has had different songs dedicated to different people but this is a first to the one she loves. Which is good thing because Beyond and Jay Z are very private when It comes to there relationship. Which I'm going to give you briefing which led up to the song Love On Top. Narrative) She had success in the past year of 2011, Beyond won a Grammar for Love On Top for best dance in a video. Also during the performance at the Video Music Awards, while performing Love On Top she announced to Jay Z and the world she was pregnant (which was so spontaneous). She's also happy about how there able to keep the tabloids out of there life and they keep things to them selves. Which has been that way since there courtship began in 2002. Beyond was so head over heels wi th Jay Z she moved from Houston to NY. Example) When Jay Z and Beyond met It was for a song collaboration for the song 02 Bonnie and Clyde. There where speculations then but it wasn't confirmed until he song collaboration Crazy In Love came out that they where announced as a official couple.The couple went on to do other collaborations such as That's how you like It and upgrade you. The couple came together In song to express there feelings for each other, But love on Top was Bounce's education solo song to Jazzy. They are truly a power house couple. Description) By Beyond announcing the pregnancy of there baby on the Video Music Awards while performing Love On Top today's was a heartfelt moment. Due to Beyond miscarrying the couples first child Just two years prior. Despite the rumors baby girl Blue Vive came in this World in January 2012. Jay Z has always made beyond happy you can tell by how she enhanced his career to ownership for his own record label, basketball team, etc. Beyo nd really did an Upgrade on Sean Carter A. K. A. Jay Z. Despite how her father Mathew Knowles felt about Jay Z , Bounce's feelings didn't change towards Jay Z.Jay Z was what Beyond was looking for, The bad boy business type. The couple had a very intimate and private seven year courtship. That led to a private marriage on April 4, 2008. Throughout the years trials, rumors, and success Beyond and Jay Z remained together and that is why her love is on top. Love On Top Honey, honey I can see the stars all the way from here, Can't you see the glow on the window pane? I can feel the sun whenever you're near Every time you touch me I Just melt anyhow everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear. They say love hurts)But I know (It's goanna take the real work) Nothings perfect, but it's worth it after fighting through my fears, And finally you put me firstborn it's you. , You're the one I love. You're the one I need. You're the only one I see. Come on baby it's you. You're the one that gives your all. You're the one I can always call. When I need you make everything stop. Finally you put my love on top. Oho! Come on Baby. You put my love on top, top, top, top, top. You put my love on top. Oho 000! Come on baby.You put my love on top, top, top, top, top. My love on top. My love on top. Come on Baby I can feel the wind whipping past my face. As we dance the night away. Boy your lips taste like a night of champagne. As I kiss you again, and again, and again and again. Now everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear. (They say love hurts)But I know (It's goanna take the real work) Nothings perfect, but it's worth it after fighting wrought my fears. And finally you put me first. Baby it's you. You're the one I love. You're the one I need.You're the only one I see. Come on baby it's you. You're the one that gives your all. You're the one I can always call. When I need you make everything stop. Finally you put my love on top. 000! Baby. You put my love on top, top, top, top, top. You put my love on top. Oho 000! Come on baby. You put my love on top, top, top, top, top. My love on top. Baby it's you. You're the one I love. You're the one I need. You're the only thing I see. Come on baby it's you. You're the one that gives your all. You're the one that always calls.When I need you baby everything stops. Finally you put my love on top. Baby. You're the one I love. Baby you're all I need. You're the only one I see. Come on baby it's you. You're the one that gives your all. You're the one I always call. When I need you everything stops. Finally you put my love on topiary. Cue You're the one that I love. Baby, you're the one that I need. You're the only thing I see. Baby baby it's you. You're the one that gives your all. You're the one that always calls. When I need you everything stops. Finally you put my love on top

How Economists Define and Measure Treatment Effects

How Economists Define and Measure Treatment Effects The term treatment effect  is defined as the average causal effect of a variable on an outcome variable that is of scientific or economic interest. The term first gained traction in the field of medical research where is originated. Since its inception, the term has broadened and has begun to be used more generally as in economic research. Treatment Effects in Economic Research Perhaps one of the most famous examples of treatment effect research in economics is that of a training program or advanced education. At the lowest level, economists have been interested in comparing the earnings or wages of two primary groups: one who participated in the training program and one who did not. An empirical study of treatment effects generally begins with these types of straightforward comparisons. But in practice, such comparisons have the great potential to lead researchers to misleading  conclusions of causal effects, which brings us to the primary problem in treatment effects research. Classic Treatment Effects Problems and Selection Bias In the language of scientific experimentation, a treatment is something done to a person that might have an effect. In the absence of randomized, controlled experiments, discerning the effect of a treatment like a college education or a job training program on income can be clouded by the fact that the person made the choice to be treated. This is known in the scientific research community as selection bias and, it is one of the ​principle  problems in the estimation of treatment effects. The problem of selection bias essentially comes down to the chance that treated individuals may differ from non-treated individuals for reasons other than the treatment itself. As such, the outcomes such treatment would actually a combined result of the persons propensity to choose the treatment and the effects of the treatment itself. Measuring the treatments true effect while screening out the effects of selection bias is the classic treatment effects problem. How Economists Handle Selection Bias In order to measure true treatment effects, economists have certain methods available to them. A standard method is to regress the outcome on other predictors that do not vary with time as well as whether the person took the treatment or not. Using the previous edition treatment example introduced above, an economist may apply a regression of wages not only on years-of-education but also on test scores meant to measure abilities or motivation. The researcher may come to find that both years-of-education and test scores are positively correlated with subsequent wages, so when interpreting the findings the coefficient found on years of education has been partly cleansed of the factors predicting which people would have chosen to have more education. Building upon the use of regressions in treatment effects research, economists may turn to what is known as the potential outcomes framework, which was originally introduced by statisticians. Potential outcomes models use essentially the same methods as switching regression models, but potential outcomes models are not tied to a linear regression framework as are switching regressions.  A more advanced method based upon these modeling techniques is the Heckman two-step.

Art and Aesthetics Essays

Art and Aesthetics Essays Art and Aesthetics Essay Art and Aesthetics Essay As time and centuries pass simultaneously art evolves too. During the Greek – Roman period in history art was a powerful medium and was used as a research instrument for studying the human body. The Greeks loved perfection, religion, and their government. These values were transferred to the Romans who adapted the Greek culture together with their swag. Later on by doing so, the mixture of both cultures came to be known as the â€Å"classical civilization† (The Greek Spirit pg. 99). The Greco-Roman style influenced many people specifically philosophers, pushed them to create theories that would explain, measure and declare what was art. Amongst these men we encounter the famous philosopher Plato and his ideal aesthetic when developing art. Plato theorized on the skill and knowledge behind making a piece, the advantages and disadvantages of mimiquing art, and the whereabouts of artistic inspiration. When looking at Plato’s theories in comparison to the modern person, the way in which artist create art today, the theories no longer apply. Art is a generated feeling, idea, experience, or concept that is given a form by the artist. That’s the basic idea of how art is created, however Plato believes art’s process to be more specific, â€Å"Art conceived generally as techne, presupposes a knowing and a making: Knowing the end to be aimed at and the best means for achieving the end† (Philosophies of Art and Beauty pg. 1). Here Plato says that all works of art are created with skill and knowledge (techne), meaning the artist must be educated in the type of medium he is using. It also says that because all art has techne the artist should be able to follow a specific size, length and form according to Plato in order to achieve the ideal end. Now looking at a modern example of art in this case graffiti we see that the concept of maintaining a form is still there however this type of art does not necessarily follow a specific format like Plato believed. Graffiti captures meaning and form but not all graffiti pieces have perfect measure or evolve around an ideal end. An example of a modern artist is Keith Haring a famous graffiti artist. When looking at Harings work you are able to see that indeed form, shape, and size is not essential, that perfection is not a necessity but that getting the message across is the new perfection, â€Å"By expressing universal concepts of birth, death, love, sex and war, using a primacy of line and directness of message , Haring was able to attract a wide audience and assure the accessibility and staying power of his imagery†( Keith Haring Biography) Plato would have hated this artist for not caring about having knowledge of the medium he was using, for being so free and for not being limited. Modern people have lost a sense of perfection and accuracy in their work because the meaning of the artwork has overpowered its aesthetic surface beauty, this meaning that Platos aesthetic theories no longer limit and gear the modern artist towards perfection. Art is the recreation of something that already exists. Plato refers to this as imitating work when he says, â€Å"Human makers envisage the human community according to the ideas of justice, the good, courage, temperance, and the beautiful. Within the state the various arts are practiced likewise as imitations of an external order of existence† (Philosophies of Art and Beauty pg. 4) Plato talks about how human makers see the world according to certain ideas, which pushes them (while thinking this way) to create/practice art even though in the end they are still imitations of something that already exists. Part of Plato’s theory is right yet an artist’s imagination can’t imitate work but it can create work. This theory compared to how the modern person creates art has to in the sense that yes some artist are imitators but at the same time they are makers because they are taking something that already exists ,feeding it a meaning, giving it a personal twist and recreating the piece . Keith Haring pops at this theory again and challenges it by creating work influenced by social concepts occurring in his human community, â€Å"They were humans and animals in different combinations . I remember trying to figure out where this stuff came from but I have no idea. I just grew into this group of drawings. I was thinking about these images as symbols, as a vocabulary of things. Suddenly it made sense to draw on the street, because I had something to say† (Keith Haring Biography).

Common Ground in Rhetoric - Definition and Examples

Common Ground in Rhetoric s In rhetoric and communication, common ground is a basis of mutual interest or agreement thats found or established in the course of an argument. Finding common ground is an essential aspect of conflict resolution and a key to ending disputes peacefully. Examples and Observations Whereas ancient rhetoricians seemed confident that they shared common ground with their audiences, modern rhetorical writers must often discover common ground. . . . In our pluralistic world where we often do not share values, readers and authors work to find the common ground that allows them to communicate and interpret judgments, evaluations, and emotions.(Wendy Olmsted, Rhetoric: An Historical Introduction. Blackwell, 2006)Buried deep within the heart of every conflict lies a territory known as Common Ground. But how do we summon the courage to seek out its borders?(The Control Voice in Tribunal. The Outer Limits, 1999)Only in a situation of actual revolution . . . could one say that there is no common ground among participants in a controversy.(David Zarefsky, A Skeptical View of Movement Studies. Central States Speech Journal, Winter 1980)The Rhetorical SituationOne possibility for defining common ground . . . is a shift from that which is already shared, to that which is not s haredbut which could potentially become shared, or if not shared then at least understood, once we open up the paradigm to include that act of listening to each other as part of the common ground of rhetorical exchange. . . .Common ground presumes that, no matter what our individual positions, we do share a common interest in both individual and social growth, a willingness to enter into the rhetorical situation with an open mind, to consider, to hear, to ask questions, to make contributions. It is out of such commonalities that we forge new competencies, new understandings, new identities . . ..(Barbara A. Emmel, Common Ground and (Re)Defanging the Antagonistic, in Dialogue and Rhetoric, ed. by Edda Weigand. John Benjamins, 2008) Common Ground in Classical Rhetoric: Shared OpinionPerhaps the least equivocal vision of  common ground is  found in  rhetorical  theories- which stress stylistic appropriateness and audience-adaptation. In antiquity, rhetorics were often handbooks of commonplaces- common topics appropriate for general audiences. The idea was that it takes agreement to get agreement. Aristotle thus saw common ground as shared opinion, the underlying unity that makes enthymemes possible. Enthymemes are rhetorical syllogisms trading on the listeners ability to supply premises to a speakers claims. The common ground between speaker and listener is a cognitive unity: The said calls up the unsaid, and together the speaker and listener create a common syllogism.(Charles Arthur Willard,  Liberalism and the Problem of Knowledge: A New Rhetoric for Modern Democracy. The University of Chicago Press, 1996)The New Rhetoric of Chaim PerelmanIt sometimes seems as if two opposing views are so different th at no common ground can be found. Strangely enough, exactly when two groups hold radically opposing views, common ground is likely to exist. When two political parties strongly advocate different economic policies, we may assume that both parties are deeply concerned about the economic welfare of the country. When the prosecution and the defense in a legal case differ fundamentally on the matter of guilt or innocence, one can start by saying that both wish to see justice done. Of course, fanatics and skeptics will seldom be persuaded of anything.(Douglas Lawrie, Speaking to Good Effect: An introduction to the Theory and Practice of Rhetoric. SUN PReSS, 2005) Kenneth Burkes Concept of IdentificationWhen rhetoric and composition scholarship invokes identification, it most commonly cites Kenneth Burkes modern theory of consubstantial common ground. As a place for rhetorical listening, however, Burkes concept of identification is limited. It does not adequately address the coercive force of common ground that often haunts cross-cultural communication, nor does it adequately address how to identify and negotiate troubled identifications; moreover, it does not address how to identify and negotiate conscious identifications functioning as ethical and political choices.(Krista Ratcliffe, Rhetorical Listening: Identification, Gender, Whiteness. SIU Press, 2005)

Writing a Critique to the Brad DeHaven's Aticle The Design of an Ideal Essay

Writing a Critique to the Brad DeHaven's Aticle The Design of an Ideal Business - Essay Example While the author has included all categories of people, he presupposes that everyone is computer literate and have access to internet. He also assumes that everyone possesses entrepreneurial qualities. ‘Offer items on high demand’ and ‘offer items that have repeat purchase’ seems to be a repetition because the items mentioned under high demand are repeat purchases. In fact consumables itself indicate repeat purchase hence they could fall under the same category. It is also not clear what requirements he refers to about the baby boomers? Is it in terms of real estate or consumables? Overall, the text is quite confusing especially when he is targeting the moms at home who have no prior business experience. The author’s points about a mentor is impressive and educative for a beginner and he has cited his own evidence in its support. While he has highlighted how technology has advanced and can help people live better lives he has not cautioned the readers about the pitfalls of internet based business. ‘Systems run the business and the people run the systems’ sounds very promising and interesting but the writer should have cited details of how network marketing functions. The last three points are highly motivating and can influence the reader but a closer scrutiny leaves a lot of questions unanswered. It does give an impression that internet can change lives but no success stories have been cited as reference. His idea of having a mentor is a good suggestion but he presumes that all people are unhappy with their work.

Does Fast Food Advertising Have an Influence on What Parents Feed Research Paper

Does Fast Food Advertising Have an Influence on What Parents Feed Their Children - Research Paper Example Parents usually do not bother too much to critically analyse or investigate such claims. Fast food items are normally tastier than conventional foods and hence majority of the children like it. Parents usually feed their children based on the tastes of the children. When a child shows interests in a fast food item, his/her mother or father may not think too much about its ingredients. He/she will purchase that item in order to make the child pleasant. Majority of the current parents have some kind of professional and personal commitments. As a result of that they are not getting enough time to think about the nutritional aspects while feeding their children. Fast food advertisements further encourage or motivate them while purchasing food items for their children. Effects Of Fast Food Advertising On Parents Fast food companies make use of plenty of advertising strategies to catch the attention of parents. For example, price promotions can increase consumer preference for a particular product. Moreover, it may increase repeated purchases, and contribute to parents’ beliefs that the promoted item is highly nutritional and frequently eaten (Hoek and Gendall, 2006; Naylor et al. 2006). It should be noted that price promotions always help the companies to catch the attention of the public. When sales decrease, companies often forced to reduce the prices of their products. When prices come down, consumers usually show more interest in a particular product. For example, KFC food items are popular everywhere in the world. However, high prices of KFC products prevent parents from purchasing it for their children, especially in a recession hit global economic climate. Imagine a situation in which KFC announces reduction... This paper stresses that advertisements in general and Fast food advertisements in particular have positive influence upon parents and children. Even though some of the modern parents are aware of the traps made by advertisements, majority of the parents are unaware of it. Majority of the parents believe that fast food is better than conventional foods. This is because of the influence of advertisement related to fast food. Advertisers are capable of constructing ads to promote their products. Such ads will always describe the positives of the product while deliberately hiding its negative aspects. Ethics and social responsibility are rapidly diminishing subjects in the corporate world. This report makes a conclusion that marketers, especially the fast food marketers are particular about profit making. They use all advertising channels cleverly to catch the attention of the consumers. Misleading and exaggerated advertisements are often constructed and displayed by the fast food advertisers. Neither the parents nor the children think too much about the traps in such advertisements. For them, fast food is cheap, convenient and tastier than conventional food. For parents, the burden of preparing food in the kitchen is eliminated by fast foods. Advertisers are exploiting this parental attitude cleverly with the help of targeted ads. In short, fast food advertisements definitely have positive influence upon parents and children.

Decision making to IT related Ethical issue Essay

Decision making to IT related Ethical issue - Essay Example The latter consists of software programs, music, videos and other content that is being protected by the international law. The sites which provide easy access to it are called trackers. One of the most famous ones, namely The Pirate Bay has been closed several times, but it still operates. One would make no mistake that there are several groups of stakeholders that can be identified in this situation. First of all, there are end users who got used to being able to download any content they want for free. Secondly, there are the creators of the contents who want to earn money with the help of it. Thirdly, there is the government who is willing to gain an effective control over this segment. Finally, there are owners of the web sites that are affected by the applicable legislation. There may be several consequences of the decision. For example, if software piracy is being taken care of severely, it will be impossible to listen to the music online (Morley & Parker, 2007, p. 604). In addition to that, a lot of web site will have to erase the content that they currently have and change to comply with the law. There are several principles that should be taken into consideration. On the one hand, the government is responsible for making sure that its citizens obey the law and punish those who refuse to do so (Kehal, 2004, p. 176). In spite of the fact that the Internet is considered to be a virtual space that does not obey any particular government, those who download the content are always situated in a particular legal framework. On the other hand, there are people who argue that free sharing should become the characteristic feature of the digital age and it is ridiculous to fight it. One might identify quite a few options that there are. To begin with, it may be rather effective to block every single web site that provides those who access it with the ability to

Breaking loose from the Bondage of Racial Discrimination Slavery Essay

Breaking loose from the Bondage of Racial Discrimination Slavery - Essay Example The blacks were constantly arrested in the past; this case is still eminent nowadays lots of black people are in holding since they are considered violent. Minimal considerations have been made to handle this challenge. Theologically the blacks are viewed to be gang men yet the regime has not made efforts to prove why this case is so. The government only aims at removing them from the streets. It is common knowledge that most of the black people grow in a hostile environment. Securing favorable opportunities given these circumstances is a pressing issue hence many indulge in criminal activities. Moody was concerned with the concept of race. In her memoir, she explains of her two uncles who appeared white. The shift brought many challenges into her life. Moving to new places accrues many challenges particularly discrimination. The US is composed of various cultures and facts have it there is some level of hostility between these cultures. Eventually, violence breaks which result in loss of life and fundamentally opportunities are reduced. For instance the assassination of Martin Luther, who had a great vision for America, crippled his peace vision that resulted in chaos. Redemption for America was vital since it was a home and will forever be to this diverse people. While in high school her interests in politics were awakened, she tells the story of a young boy who was brutally murdered. In the memoir, her mother explains that the boy was killed by an evil spirit.

Michael Foucault Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Michael Foucault - Essay Example His research is often described as postmodernist and post-structuralism (Wikipedia Encyclopedia). Foucault focused on the dangers posed by psychoanalysis in the development of a disciplinary society (Milchman, Rosenberg 2003). One of the main reasons that Foucault emphasized on the subject of psychoanalysis is because it is a topic on which modern thought processes are based. The way we see our selves, our surroundings and the reality around us are all based on psychoanalysis. During the 1950's and 1960's many renowned scientists of the time designated homosexuality as pathological and ill. On the other hand, the adoption of heterosexual behavior (even for the homosexuals) was deemed as correct and righteous. Foucault was highly concerned about the cruelty imposed by various institutions on patients who were not deemed as proper in the face of the society in general. Hence, this justifies his reasons for providing sufficient warnings about the dangers of psychoanalysis. The Foucault methodology does not imply how a person should be but rather focuses on the reasons behind certain behavioral patterns of the patient. Until recently gays did not have any rights in the western society; and neither did children, the old, the mentally ill and the criminals. Foucault has laid the groundwork in his studies to provide these subjugated and oppressed members of the society with proper and due rights. It has been mentioned in a paper by Pryce (1999) that psychoanalysis may be used to obtain information of a "confessional nature" from a patient. This information may be about a topic that the patient is unable to discuss (such as sexual abuse). Three basic steps are used for the process of receiving such information. The direct citation from the paper is given as follows; "First, the medical consultation and examination includes asking the client questions concerning the particulars of sexual activities, orientation and risk behaviors and then physically examining the client. These are often illustrated using preprinted, small diagram of disembodied genitalia or rectum where the physician indicates the site of a lesion by inscribing an X'. Second, during specimen collections and treatments conducted by nurses there is a professional incitement to confess feelings and disclosure of psychosocial dimensions of sexuality. Third, the role of the health advisor and/or psychologist may include that of counselor utilizing some techniques and methods derived from formal counseling and psychology, whereby the client speaks the sin by naming it." Sexuality and Foucault's Work In accordance to Foucault's work sexuality can be viewed in two different ways. The eastern society (e.g. India) sees sexuality as an art form (e.g. Kamasutra), whereas the other type society thinks of sexuality as something to be shameful of and to hide from the public eye. However, in the case of Western society has resulted in the ideology of "confession." This includes the confessions about one's sexuality and sexual origins. Confession is an everyday part of the

Offshore Tax Evasion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Offshore Tax Evasion - Essay Example However, there exist numerous opportunities for juristic entities such as corporations, foundations and trusts to avoid taxation by operating in multiple, carefully chosen jurisdictions using carefully chosen techniques designed to minimize taxes. This report identifies various methods of tax avoidance by multinational corporations and other entities and makes policy recommendations with respect to closing these loopholes and level the playing field between competing businesses and tax jurisdictions. Outline Introduction Offshore Tax Evasion and Avoidance Tax Havens Corporate Tax Avoidance Methods Use of Tax Havens Debt Allocation Earnings Stripping Transfer Pricing Contract Manufacturing Hybrid Entities Hybrid Instruments Magnitude of Losses Policy Issues Repeal of Deferral Partial Abolition of Deferral Formula Aportionment Splitting Foreign Tax Credits Recommendations and Conclusions. Introduction Offshore tax avoidance has greatly increased in the last decade. Multiple multination al corporations; banks and even individuals have shifted their tax responsibilities and eliminated tax in their domestic businesses (Owens, 2007). Tax avoidance resulted in reduced government revenue and reduced domestic businesses activity, as big multinationals were rewarded for their financial manipulation instead of innovation, job creation or productive investment. Lack of transparency by various governments has greatly facilitated offshore tax avoidance. Poor preparation at the policy level in countering tax abuse has resulted in many multinationals and individuals relocating their â€Å"tax home† to a tax haven. As mentioned by Sullivan (2008, p. 726), use of offshore accounts poses a threat to sovereign governments as companies use havens like Cayman Islands and Bahamas to evade tax. Global integration of financial markets and the improved communication and information technologies has made the creation of these offshore accounts and shell companies easy. Globalizatio n, coupled with lack of transparency among various countries (which is vital in tackling tax abuse) has increased the incidence of tax evasion and avoidance at both the individual and corporate level. In the new era of banking without borders, corporations and wealthy individuals are free to transfer their capital abroad and channel it to passive investments in offshore jurisdictions. This makes it possible for them to evade paying income taxes. Offshore tax havens are countries that engage in â€Å"tax competition† with the high-tax regimes. As mentioned by Sullivan (2007, p. 329), offshore tax evasion and avoidance has put sustainable and responsible businesses at a competitive disadvantage as their competitors avoid taxation by the use of tax haven structures and strategies. Tax evasion deprives countries of revenue and this limits the development and modernization of infrastructure, which is vital for a strong economy. Offshore tax evasion According to Owens (2007), inter national tax evasion is categorized into corporations’ tax evasion and individuals’ tax evasion; it can also be categorized into legal tax avoidance and illegal tax evasion, depending on whether the tax avoidance is broadly or narrowly defined. International tax evasion could also be distinguished by the measures taken or measures that could be used in reducing the subsequent loss. Government revenue losses arising from individual tax avoidance are usually associated with the use of narrowly defined tax haven, corporate tax evasion

Michael Foucault Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Michael Foucault - Essay Example His research is often described as postmodernist and post-structuralism (Wikipedia Encyclopedia). Foucault focused on the dangers posed by psychoanalysis in the development of a disciplinary society (Milchman, Rosenberg 2003). One of the main reasons that Foucault emphasized on the subject of psychoanalysis is because it is a topic on which modern thought processes are based. The way we see our selves, our surroundings and the reality around us are all based on psychoanalysis. During the 1950's and 1960's many renowned scientists of the time designated homosexuality as pathological and ill. On the other hand, the adoption of heterosexual behavior (even for the homosexuals) was deemed as correct and righteous. Foucault was highly concerned about the cruelty imposed by various institutions on patients who were not deemed as proper in the face of the society in general. Hence, this justifies his reasons for providing sufficient warnings about the dangers of psychoanalysis. The Foucault methodology does not imply how a person should be but rather focuses on the reasons behind certain behavioral patterns of the patient. Until recently gays did not have any rights in the western society; and neither did children, the old, the mentally ill and the criminals. Foucault has laid the groundwork in his studies to provide these subjugated and oppressed members of the society with proper and due rights. It has been mentioned in a paper by Pryce (1999) that psychoanalysis may be used to obtain information of a "confessional nature" from a patient. This information may be about a topic that the patient is unable to discuss (such as sexual abuse). Three basic steps are used for the process of receiving such information. The direct citation from the paper is given as follows; "First, the medical consultation and examination includes asking the client questions concerning the particulars of sexual activities, orientation and risk behaviors and then physically examining the client. These are often illustrated using preprinted, small diagram of disembodied genitalia or rectum where the physician indicates the site of a lesion by inscribing an X'. Second, during specimen collections and treatments conducted by nurses there is a professional incitement to confess feelings and disclosure of psychosocial dimensions of sexuality. Third, the role of the health advisor and/or psychologist may include that of counselor utilizing some techniques and methods derived from formal counseling and psychology, whereby the client speaks the sin by naming it." Sexuality and Foucault's Work In accordance to Foucault's work sexuality can be viewed in two different ways. The eastern society (e.g. India) sees sexuality as an art form (e.g. Kamasutra), whereas the other type society thinks of sexuality as something to be shameful of and to hide from the public eye. However, in the case of Western society has resulted in the ideology of "confession." This includes the confessions about one's sexuality and sexual origins. Confession is an everyday part of the

Mrs Dalloway Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mrs Dalloway - Essay Example Mrs. Dalloway asks readers to read between the lines and to analyze the meanings of words, images, and memories to the characters and their society. Mrs. Dalloway represents despair because of repression and isolation that social class, faith, and science cannot remove, although the novel suggests that through love and career, some people can have enough hope to find meaning in their lives. Mrs. Dalloway feels despair because of her repressed life that the traditional social order imposes on her. Conventional society has gender and social status norms and all of these repress Mrs. Dalloway. Even before she got married, Clarissa feels something missing in her life, which she remembers when she goes to shop for flowers for her party: â€Å"She had a perpetual sense, as she watched the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day† (Woolf Section 1). She feels it dangerous to live probably because she cannot live the life she wants because society will reject her. One of the hidden lives that Clarissa has is being a lesbian. She does not want to fully admit it to herself, but her relationship with Sally Seton has a romantic side. When Sally kissed her before, Clarissa felt something new, something better in her life: â€Å"†¦the radiance burnt through, the revelation, t he religious feeling!† (Woolf Section 2). The revelation is her attraction for the same sex, while the religious feeling is finding purity in truth. Clarissa knows, however, that her society despises gay people, so she decides to stick to gender norms and to marry Richard Dalloway instead. He presents socio-economic comforts, which Clarissa justifies she needs better than her suitor’s, Peter Walsh’s promise of an adventurous life in traveling. Furthermore, the title itself reveals how oppressed Clarissa is as a woman. Mrs. Dalloway means that she has no

Dietary Analysis and Reflection

Dietary Analysis and Reflection Diet Analysis Summary Final MyPlate.gov was very informative. It was nice to start the class out with a website that was very detailed but still interesting so you weren’t overwhelmed with the vast amount of information. It was easy to maneuver and find the information you needed. It is a very useful tool for an individual to use so they can learn the proper portions of a healthy diet. The individual plan you can receive from a licensed dietitian on the Super Tracker portion of MyPlate.gov is a wonderful feature. It can keep track and inform you if you have reached your goal for each food group, how many calories you’ve eaten per day, and the target amount of physical activity you should be doing per week. Each food group section under the MyPlan portion of the SuperTracker gives you the exact amount of ounces needed for your personal calorie goal. It breaks down how much an ounce is in popular foods, for example, 1 ounce of bread is 1 regular slice and 1 ounce of brown rice is  ½ cup. The indiv idualized sample meal plans take the guess work out of planning your weekly meals. It is designed to meet your individual nutritional needs and your personal calorie goals. Unfortunately, I haven’t used it since it was a part of the assignment many weeks ago. Since my diet isn’t well balanced and I need to add healthier selections off all the food groups into my diet MyPlate.gov is a great place for me to start. It can help me do some weekly meal planning since that is a huge weakness of mine. I can make healthier choices for myself and my family with the help of MyPlate.gov. Carbohydrates are a huge weakness for me as I love sugary candies, breads, pastas, chips, and juices. Each one of my weaknesses has an excess amount of sugars. When I eat too many sugars my digestive tract delivers glucose to my bloodstream and that carries the glucose to my liver and body cells. However, my body cells do not need any additional glucose so it is stored as glycogen in the muscle and liver. Once those stores are full the body cells go from burning fat to burning the excess glucose which leaves excess fat floating in my bloodstream until it’s picked up by fatty tissues and stored. Unfortunately, the fatty tissues have an unlimited capacity to store fat. An excess of blood glucose can lead to type II diabetes which can lead to circulation problems and nerve damage. Low blood pressure and nerve damage can lead to loss of blood flow to the kidneys which damages them, increased likelihood of infections, and possible loss of limbs due to gangrene and amputation. How I can prevent type II diabetes is to reach a healthy body weight of 120 pounds. To do that I need to eat healthy meals that are moderate in calories low in saturated fat, high in vegetables, fruit, legumes, chicken, fish, and whole grains. I need to be physically active, and limit my alcohol intake. The best way for me to cut out the excess sugars in my diet is to switch the sugary candies and chips with fruit and vegetables. Change the breads and pastas I eat to 100% whole grain bread. Stop drinking fruit juices and replace them with water. Doing all this can also increase my soluble and insoluble fiber intake which can help reduce my risk if type II diabetes, alleviate or prevent constipation, and lower my risk for digestive tract cancers. The changes I have made this semester about my carbohydrate consumption are; I have replaced my breads and pastas with whole wheat breads and pastas. I’ve increased the amount of vegetables and fruits I’m eating daily. Unfortunately , I haven’t decreased the amount of chips and sugary candies. It has been and still is a very stressful time for me and when I’m stressed I eat and I prefer to eat chips and candies. I have a great weakness for eating foods that are high in cholesterol and fat. I’ve enjoyed eating items like shrimp Alfredo and hamburgers and French fries. I have an elevated risk of developing heart disease because I am overweight, I eat high cholesterol and fatty foods, and I am physically inactive. The recommended daily amounts of fat for someone like Me Is 37 to 66 grams; whereas my average daily intake was 75grams. The recommended daily amount of cholesterol should be less than 300mg; whereas my average daily intake was 367mg. If I continue to eat this way I will develop heart issues like hypertension, atherosclerosis which can lead to coronary heart disease or stroke; I am also at high risk for developing cancer. I can lower my blood cholesterol by focusing on low cholesterol foods, low saturated fat foods, and Trans fat free foods like whole grains, fruits, soy, vegetables, fatty fish, oats, and beans. I need to become more physically active. Even doing simple things can impact my physical activity level like using the stairs instead of the elevator or I can wash my car instead of taking it to a car wash. One of the best changes I can make to improve my health is to start eating fatty fishes like sea bass, herring, trout, and salmon. These fish are an excellent source of omega-3. Omega-3’s can lower total cholesterol and LDL and can increase HDL. It can also lower the rates of some cancers by suppressing inflammation. Additional foods I can eat to fight cancer are crucifer vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, and kale which boosts an enzyme in the body that fights cancer. All berries have a phytochemical that can slow down the growth of pre-malignant cells. Tomatoes have lycopene which can stop the growth of endometrial cancer. This semester I have decreased my red meat intake and have replaced it with chicken or turkey. When I cook at home I get a 3% fat ground turkey for our meals instead of ground beef. I have also changed the hamburg ers I make at home for turkey burgers or veggie burgers, and my family loves them. My biggest weakness with proteins is animal-derived proteins; I eat eggs almost every morning for breakfast and have an animal derived protein with almost every lunch and dinner. An excess amount of protein itself is not known to contribute to heart disease, but excess amount of animal-derived protein does. They add unnecessary fat calories and saturated fat to my diet. Eating all that animal-derived protein leaves out all the other sources of protein I can consume which are much healthier like whole grains, fruit, legumes, and vegetables. Since I eat a lot of animal-derived protein I have a higher risk in being obese, it causes adult bone loss, and I have a greater risk in heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. To lower my animal-deprived protein I can eliminate the eggs in my breakfast and eat oatmeal. For lunch I can have rice and beans instead of a lunch meat sandwich. For dinner I can make a tofu stir-fry instead of a grilled chicken breast. If I change at least one of my daily me als form animal-derived protein to vegetable-derived protein I can cut down the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat I consume. This semester I haven’t changed the types of proteins we consume. What I can do that wouldn’t change our routine to much is to switch out or eggs for egg beaters. For three tablespoons, which is the same as one egg, it has zero saturated fat and cholesterol but still has 5 grams of protein which is only 1 gram less than a normal egg but so much healthier. My diet is low in folate, vitamin C, and potassium; and it is high in sodium. A diet low in folate can lead to many problems like anemia, fatigue, headache, weakness, irritability, and mental confusion. Most adults are to have 400mcg a day of folate; my average was 186mcg per day. So I definitely need to consume more foods rich in folate like asparagus, pinto beans, and lentils. A diet low in vitamin C can lead to fatigue, joint pain, bone fragility, bruises, frequent infections, bleeding gums, and poor wound healing. Most adults are to have 75mg a day of vitamin C; my average was 49mg per day. So I definitely need to consume more foods rich in vitamin C like sweet red peppers, strawberries, and broccoli. A diet low in potassium can lead to confusion, muscle weakness, and paralysis. Most adults are to have 4700mg a day of potassium; my average was 1050mg per day. So I definitely need to consume more foods rich in potassium like lima beans, baked potato, and a banana. I can pick out s ymptoms that I suffer from, out of each of those deficiencies. A diet high in sodium is also very bad for my health. Over time my high sodium diet may damage the linings of my blood vessels in ways that makes hypertension more likely to develop. A high sodium diet can also lead to heart disease and stroke. Some of the foods I eat regularly that are high in sodium are chips, microwave popcorn, turkey dogs, and macaroni and cheese. All that food can easily be replaced with healthier options. The chips and popcorn can be replaced with the strawberries and sweet red peppers so I can also get the vitamin C I need. The turkey dogs and macaroni and cheese can be replaced with a baked potato and pinto beans. This semester I have been eating more fruits and vegetables so I fell like my folate, vitamin C, and potassium will be better but my sodium intake hasn’t been decreased. I’m still eating my chips and convenient food. My diet is low on both calcium and iron. The recommended daily amount of calcium is 1000mg a day. There were days when I was just under that amount, 750mg, because I would have milk and cereal sometime during the day. However, there were some days where I would only consume 200 mg of calcium. That fluctuation and having more days where I consumed less calcium I am at risk for osteoporosis. Since calcium supplements are less effective than the calcium found in food sources I should increase my consumption of calcium rich foods like tofu, milk, and broccoli. The recommended daily amount of iron is 18mg a day. The average amount of iron I consumed was 12mg. That’s only because one day I had consumed 21mg; that’s because 12 mg came from eating a fortified cereal. Other days ranged from 2-11mg. Having an iron deficiency I have a higher risk of becoming anemic, being weak and fatigued, having headaches, and impaired immunity. The best way for me to increase my iron consumptio n is to eat navy and black beans, spinach, and clams. I have tried to increase my calcium intake during this semester by eating more yogurt. I’m not a big milk drinker but I like soy milk and almond milk. When we can get back into our condo I plan on making smoothies for breakfast again. I made it with tofu, soy milk, yogurt, spinach, a banana, and frozen fruit. It was delicious and full of nutrients. According to my BMI I am considered obese our book even calls me extremely obese. I absolutely, with every fiber in my being, hate that word. That one word can just get under my skin and make me so angry. I understand I’m overweight and I need to lose all the excess pounds I’m carrying, but don’t degrade me! That word has such negative connotations that it only makes you feel even worse about yourself. Is that what that word is meant to do? Is it meant to humiliate you into losing weight? If so it doesn’t work on me, it does the exact opposite. I get so angry and defensive, but inside I’m embarrassed so I eat more and become unhappy. I already have such prejudices for being overweight that I don’t need a book to call me names. I can’t go to the grocery store and buy healthy food because I get comments from people asking if I’m on a diet and getting a â€Å"good for you for trying to be healthy†. Or if I go to the store to buy any type of junk food I always get the nasty stares or the comments of â€Å"are you sure you should be eating this†. So either way if you’re fat you can’t win. Never mind about going to the gym; if you want to find the most stuck up nasty people be an overweight person at a gym and they’ll find you. I understand that one of the best things I can do to live longer and healthier is to lose weight, but I feel like if I do that then I’m agreeing with society that I’m not good enough for them just the way I am, and I’m not ok with that. Finding out all the information about nutrition, and my specific diet, throughout this semester has made me realize I do need to make some changes. I have come up with 5 SMART goals to accomplish during the summer. My first goal is to make my meals more balanced with healthier selections. Starting Monday I will follow the MyPlate.org guidelines by adding more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and dairy to my diet. I will do this by adding a fruit and vegetable to each meal and snack; having some type of dairy with each meal like low-fat cheese or yogurt; and changing all my carbohydrates to 100% whole grains. I will reassess my progress in 4 weeks. My second goal is to lower my daily sodium intake by 1000mg by the end of June. I will actively look for low sodium food to replace the high sodium food I’m currently eating. Instead of having chips with my lunch Ill have carrots or celery. I will not sprinkle additional salt on to my food during meals. My average daily sodium intak e is at 3600mg so by the end of June I will have it to 2600mg or less and then reassess my sodium intake. Since a lot of my protein intake is from animals I would like to change that. My third goal is by the end of June one meal each day will be vegetarian. I will do this by substituting my animal protein with plant based protein. Instead of a turkey sandwich for lunch I can make a bowl of brown rice and beans; or for breakfast I can have oatmeal. Dinner I can make a tofu stir-fry with fresh vegetables. My fourth goal is to decrease the amount of sugary candies and chips I eat. My go to food when I’m stressed, feeling sad or lonely is candies and chips. By the end of July I will be able to switch my dependence on candies and chips to exercise and eating healthier. When I’m craving a candy I’ll go and drink a glass of water and eat an apple. Instead of sitting on the couch and feeling sorry for myself I’ll get up and go for a walk. My fifth and final goal is to be more active. By the end of July I will walk for 30 min on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and lift weights beginning with 3 reps of 25 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. By the end of July I will reassess my physical abilities to see if I can increase my routine. My feeling on this assignment was that it was interesting and eye opening. The only complaint I have is with the 7 paragraphs, at least for myself it wasn’t that clear on what you were wanting for each paragraph. The 4 bullet points you wanted added to each paragraph didn’t fit in with all the paragraphs. One of the bullet points asked for you to discuss your successful strategies; what if you haven’t changed any part of your diet to have any strategies. With the paragraph about MyPlate the 4 bullet points were hard to incorporate into it. I did somewhat enjoy the class; I was getting tired of every chapter telling me I was going to die of heart disease and cancer. I need to teach myself to not be so defensive about this subject and to stop thinking that trying to improve myself doesn’t mean the person who I was wasn’t good enough. Works Cited ChooseMyPlate.gov.ChooseMyPlate.gov. USDA, 2014. Web. 09 May. 2014. Heartorg Home Page.Heart.org. American Heart Association, 2014. Web. 09 May. 2014. Learn About Cancer.Cancer.org. American Cancer Society, 2014. Web. 09 May. 2014. Supertracker.Supertracker.usda.gov. USDA, 2014. Web. 09 May. 2014. Webb, Frances Sizer., and Eleanor Noss. Whitney.Nutrition: Concepts Controversies. 13th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.

Prejudice and Racism - A Fair and Just Society is Still Only a Dream Es

This Critical Essay Builds Upon the Concepts of Rawls and King to Examine the Potential for Justice in America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Martin Luther King Jr. made many claims about the American society in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 that were all legitimate. Today, we have made many advances toward the racial equality that he sought. As a nation, however, we still have not "opened the door of opportunity to all God's children", as King so eloquently put it. In part, this is due to the fact that although our society has reached a degree of political nondiscrimination, this political nondiscrimination has not led to economic nondiscrimination. What it has led to, though, is affirmative action policy and awareness among the people of this country that justice is a complicated process that has yet to be realized. King made us aware that Blacks weren't receiving equal treatment under our laws, and this awareness led to equal rights policy. These equal rights policies have, in turn, led to affirmative action policies. Affirmative action policies of equal opportunity were necessary becau se political equality was not resulting in economic equality. Today's citizens are still not satisfied, however. This is because affirmative action policy, to date, has been based on egalitarian policy, which has not resulted in economic security nor a sense of balanced justice. In this paper, I will show how Martin Luther King Jr. initiated a growth process in our country by creating an awareness, and that this awareness is gradually evolving toward a justice that we have yet to realize. I will show that Americans are still in the midst of growing pains, and that equality, opportunity, and justice are complex issues that we are slowly working out over ti... ...s distributive justice. We are a developing nation when it comes to our philosophies, but I am optimistic that with additional ethical participation by citizens in the area of public policy, Americas (like King and Rawls) can still dream of achieving a fair and just society.    Works Cited Flew, Anthony, ed. Dictionary of Philosophy (New York: St. Martins Press, 1979) 299. Lamb, Kevin. "The Problem of Equality". The Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies. v20, #4 (Winter 1995) 467-479. Robinson, Dave and Chris Garratt. Introducing Ethics (New York: Totem Books, 1997) 131. Rusher, William. Editorial. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. November 25, 1997. Steinberg, Stephen. "The Affirmative Action Debate." UNESCO Courier (March 1996) p17 (5). Walters, Ronald. "Criticality of Racism." The Black Scholar v26 (1996):2-7.

Reservoir Dogs :: Art

Reservoir Dogs Gangsters, violence, murder and corruption !!!!! If these are some of the things that you're into, then this is your kind of movie. Be ready to watch it more than once to be sure to get all the movie has to offer because it jumps from subject to subject and can be a little confusing. The movie on the whole was really great. It was filled with some pretty gory scenes and extreme violent content, Tarantinos' trademark. The way he portrays the real life aspects of crime and violence are unbelievable. I wonder if he experienced some of these things himself and that's why he has a realistic view of them. Then again, I can't really gauge how realistic any of these themes are because after watching this kind of movie it makes me feel like I lead a really sheltered lifestyle. Why does all the violence in Tarantinos' movies become so attractive to us normal people? I think it's because most of his material is underworld stuff. He deals with things we can barely relate to. Topics that are so far fetched to a "normal" person that they kind of hypnotize us into watching. Things happen in his movies that are so bizarre, we can't begin to imagine them happening to us in real life. The weird part is, many of these things DO happen every day. We all know there really are gangsters, mobsters and really low-life people that involve themselves in what we think of as underworld crime. Drug deals.... on a level so great... amounts we can't begin to comprehend. Murders, for whatever reason. Even the thought of hiring someone to kill someone else gives us a goose bump or three. In his movies it's almost like borrowing a cup of sugar from your next door neighbor. Chopping off someone's ear would repulse me and probably make me want to spew my lunch. Tarantinos' characters chop off ears then talk into them as if they were using ma bell. His characters attitudes are totally ruthless. They could give a shit if you were the cousin of the president or a nanny. They have a job to do and they do it. No holes barred, no questions asked, no thought given to actions or consequences. They are almost like robots, zombies of the underworld that have no emotions or respect for the value of life.

How does television cause violent behavior? Essay

How does television cause violent behavior? Good question. All people watch TV but only some of them use violent behavior. Television is an idol of the modern days. Watching television is an experience shared by the vast majority of children and adults, men and women, wealthy and poor people. It is convenient, inexpensive, available and attractive. Television can entertain us and can teach us some useful or useless things. Too frequently it is used even as a substitute for other activities. Activities like violence. For the most the violence is ugly, unattractive and †¦ forbidden thing. We can see it in the streets, back alleys, school, and even at home. But the main source of violence in our life is television. Children are the most vulnerable group for influence of the television violence. Seeing a lot of violence on television can lead them to behave aggressively. I read story about a 16-year-old boy who broke into a cellar in the city of New York. When the police caught him and asked him why he was wearing gloves he replied that he had learned to do so to not leave fingerprints and that he discovered this on television. But television violence does not affect only child’s youth; it can also affect his or her adulthood. This can force the child into a kind of premature maturity. As the child matures into an adult, he can become bewildered; have a greater distrust towards others, a superficial approach to adult problems, and even an unwillingness to become an adult. In Alabama, a nine-year-old boy received a bad report card from his teacher. He suggested sending the teacher poisoned candy as revenge as he had seen on television the night before. This young Borja probable will have problems with conflict management in the future. It will be easier for him to think about poisonous candy or another Kunststueck than to face the conflict and find wise solution (e.g. learn subject better). I am wondered why people find the violence that they can see on television more attractive than the violence on the streets. Probably when we sit near the television screen, in safety and comfort, our curiosity make us to look to the unattractive features of human relationship? We know that those lakes of blood, explosions, masculine domination or brutal words are far from our sweat home. But children don’t always realize that this is not the way thing are handled in real life. They come to expect it, and when they don’t see it the world becomes bland and in need of violence. The children then can create the violence that their mind craves. A seven-year-old Californian boy sprinkled ground-up glass into the lamb stew the family was to eat for dinner. When asked why he did it he replied that he wanted to see if the results would be the same in real life as they were on television.Television sends not only messages about exciting world of adventures and violence. It offers role model which child can try to put on. Children find the violent characters on television fun to imitate. This could be a problem for children in the big cities, where aggressive behavior is more acceptable. I do not feel sure that there are no gender peculiarities of television violence impact on the youth. Probably, boys are more sensitive to this impact. They see heroes who become their role models. They accept that it is cool to carry an automatic weapon and use it to knock off the bad guys. I never had Kalashnikov or M-16 automatic rifle but I saw awesome movie – Bowling for Colombine†¦Fortunately, there were developed programs for parents’ and children education to prevent unfavorable effects of watching violence television. We advise to limit television viewing time to 1 to 2 hours each day, to control content of TV shows and movies watching by children, to discuss with children issues of violent behavior and ways how to solve problems without violence. I propose not palliative but more radical preventive measure – do not watch TV at all. Today American children spend near television more time than they spend in school. They watch cartoons, movies and shows with the violence. Children should stop it and read more books. Without violence, of course.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 26~27

Twenty-six Val and Gabe entered the bar, then stepped out of the doorway and stood by the blinking pinball machine while their eyes adjusted to the darkness. Val wrinkled her nose at the hangover smell of stale beer and cigarettes; Gabe squinted at the sticky floor, looking for signs of interesting wild life. Morning was the darkest part of a day at the Head of the Slug Saloon. It was so dark that the dingy confines of the bar seemed to suck light in from the street every time someone opened the door, causing the daytime regu-lars to cringe and hiss as if a touch of sunshine might vaporize them on their stools. Mavis moved behind the bar with a grim, if wobbly, determin-ation, drinking coffee from a gar-goyle-green mug while a Tarryton extra long dangled from her lips, dropping long ashes down the front of her sweater like the smoking turds of tiny ghost poodles. She went about setting up shots of cheap bourbon at the empty curve of the bar, lining them up like soldiers before a firing squad. Every two or three minutes an old man would enter the bar, bent over and wearing baggy pants – leaning on a four-point cane or the last hope of a painless death – and climb onto one of the empty stools to wrap an arthritic claw around a shot glass and raise it to his lips. The shots wer e nursed, not tossed back, and by the time Mavis had finished her first cup of coffee, the curve of the bar looked like the queue to hell: crooked, wheezing geezers all in a row. Refreshments while you wait? The Reaper will see you now. Occasionally, one of the shots would sit untouched, the stool empty, and Mavis would let an hour pass before sliding the shot down to the next daytime regular and calling Theo to track down her truant. Most often, the ambulance would slide in and out of town as quiet as a vulture riding a thermal, and Mavis would get the news when Theo cracked the door, shook his head, and moved on. â€Å"Hey, cheer up,† Mavis would say. â€Å"You got a free drink out of it, didn't you? That stool won't be empty for long.† There had always been daytime regulars, there always would be. Her new crop started coming in around 9 A.M., younger men who bathed and shaved every third day and spent their days around her snooker table, drinking cheap drafts and keeping a laser focus on the green felt lest they get a glimpse of their lives. Where once were wives and jobs, now were dreams of glorious shots and clever strategies. When their dreams and eyesight faded, they filled the stools at the end of the bar with the day-time regulars. Ironically, the aura of despair that hung over the day-time regulars gave Mavis the closest thing to a thrill she'd felt since she last whacked a cop with her Louisville Slugger. As she pulled the bottle of Old Tennis Shoes from the well and poured it down the bar to refill their shot glasses, a bolt of electric loathing would shoot up her spine and she would scamper back to the other end of the bar and stand there breathless until her stereo pacemakers brought her heartbeat back down from redline. It was like tweaking death's nose, sticking a KICK ME sign on the head of a cobra and getting away with it. Gabe and Val watched this ritual without moving from their spot by the pinball machine. Val was cautious, just waiting for the right moment to move to the bar and ask if Theo had called. Gabe was, as usual, just being socially awkward. Mavis retreated to her spot by the coffeepot, presumably out of death's reach, and called down to the couple. â€Å"You two want something to drink, or you just window-shopping?† Gabe led them down the bar. â€Å"Two coffees please.† He looked quickly to Val for her approval, but she was fixated on Catfish, who was seated across from Mavis near the end of the bar. Just beyond him was another man, an incredibly gaunt gentleman whose skin was so white it appeared translucent under the haze of Mavis's cigarette smoke. â€Å"Hello, uh, Mr. Fish,† Val said. Catfish, who was staring at the bottom of a shot glass, looked up and forced a smile through a face betraying hangdog sorrow. â€Å"It's Jefferson,† he said. â€Å"Catfish is my first name.† â€Å"Sorry,† Val said. Mavis made a mental note of the new couple. She recognized Gabe, he'd been in with Theophilus Crowe a number of times, but the woman was a new face to her. She put the two coffees in front of Gabe and Val. â€Å"Mavis Sand,† Mavis said, but she didn't offer her hand. For years she'd avoided shaking hands because the grip often hurt her arthritis. Now, with her new titanium joints and levers, she had to be careful not to crush the delicate phalanges of her customers. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Gabe said. â€Å"Mavis, this is Dr. Valerie Riordan. She has a psychiatric practice here in town.† Mavis stepped back and Val could see the apparatus in the woman's eye focusing – when the light from over the snooker table caught it right, the eye appeared to glow red. â€Å"Pleased,† Mavis said. â€Å"You know Howard Phillips?† Mavis nodded to the gaunt man at the end of the bar. â€Å"H.P.,† Gabe added, nodding to Howard. â€Å"Of H.P.'s Cafe.† Howard Phillips might have been forty, or sixty, or seventy, or he might have died young for all the animation in his face. He wore a black suit out of the nineteenth century, right down to the button shoes, and he was nursing a glass of Guinness Stout, although he didn't look as if he'd had any caloric intake for months. Val said, â€Å"We just came from your restaurant. Lovely place.† Without changing expression, Howard said, â€Å"As a psychiatrist, does it bother you that Jung was a Nazi sympathizer?† He had a flat, upper-class British accent, and Val felt vaguely as if she'd just been spat upon. â€Å"Ray of sunshine, Howard is,† Mavis said. â€Å"Looks like death, don't he?† Howard cleared his throat and said, â€Å"Mavis has come to mock death, since most of her mortal parts have been replaced with machinery.† Mavis leaned into Gabe and Val as if guarding a secret, even as she raised her voice to make sure Howard could hear. â€Å"He's been cranky for some ten years now – and drunk most of that time.† â€Å"I had hoped to develop a laudanum habit in the tradition of Byron and Shelley,† Howard said, â€Å"but procurement of the substance is, to say the least, difficult.† â€Å"Yeah, that month you drank Nyquil on the rocks didn't help either. He'd drop off at the bar stool sittin' straight up, sit there asleep sometimes for four hours, then wake up and finish his drink. I have to say, though, Howard, you never coughed once.† Again Mavis leaned into the bar. â€Å"He pretends to have consumption sometimes.† â€Å"I'm sure the good doctor is not interested in the particulars of my substance abuse, Mavis.† â€Å"Actually,† Gabe said, â€Å"we're just waiting for a call from Theo.† â€Å"And I think I'd prefer a Bloody Mary to coffee,† Val said. â€Å"Ya'll ain't goin to talk me into chasin no monster, so don't even try,† Catfish said. â€Å"I got the Blues on me and I got some drinkin to do.† â€Å"Don't be a wuss, Catfish,† Mavis said as she mixed Val's cocktail. â€Å"Monsters are no big deal. Howard and me got one, huh, Howard?† â€Å"Walk in the proverbial park,† Howard said. Catfish, Val, and Gabe just stared at Howard, waiting. Mavis said, â€Å"Course your drinking started right after the last one, didn't it?† â€Å"Nonstop,† Howard said. Theo It occurred to Theo, as he tried to keep a safe distance from the sheriff's Caddy turning into the ranch, that he had never been trained in the proper procedure for tailing someone. He'd never really followed anyone. Well, there was a sixth-month period in the seventies when he had followed the Grateful Dead around the country but with them, you just followed the trail of tie-dye and didn't have to worry about them killing you if they found out you were behind them. He also realized that he had no idea why, exactly, he was following Burton, except that it seemed more aggressive than curling into a ball and dying of worry. The black Caddy turned through a cattle gate onto the section of the ranch adjacent the ocean. Theo slowed to a stop under a line of eucalyptus trees beside the ranch road, keeping the sheriff in sight between the tree trunks. The grassy marine terrace that dropped to the shoreline was too open to go onto without Burton noticing. He would have to let the Caddy pass over the next hill, nearly half a mile off the road, before he dared follow. Theo watched the Caddy bump over the deep ruts in the road, the front wheels throwing up mud as it climbed the hill, and suddenly he regretted not having driven the red four-wheel-drive truck. The rear-wheel-drive Mercedes might not be able to follow much farther. When the Caddy topped the hill, Theo pulled out and gunned the Mer-cedes through the cattle gate and into the field. Tall grass thrashed at the underside of the big German car as rocks and holes jarred Theo and threw Skinner around like a toy. Momentum carried them up the side of the first hill. As they approached the crest, Theo let off the gas. The Mercedes settled to a stop. When he applied the gas again, the back wheels of the Mercedes dug into the mud, stuck. Theo left Skinner and the keys in the car and ran to the top of the hill. He could see more than a mile in every direction, east to some rock outcrop-pings by the tree line, west to the ocean, and across the marine terrace to the north, which curved around the coastline and out of sight. South, well, he'd come from the south. Nothing there but his cabin and beyond that the crank lab. What he could not see was the black Cadillac. He checked the battery in his cell phone and both pistols to see that they were loaded, then he set out on foot toward the rocks. It was the only place the Caddy could have gotten out of sight. Burton had to be there. Twenty minutes later he stood at the base of the rock outcroppings, sweating and trying to catch his breath. At least maybe he'd get some lung capacity back, now that he wasn't smoking pot anymore. He bent over with his hands on his knees and scanned the rocks for any movement. These were no gentle sedimentary rocks formed over centuries of settling seas. These craggy bastards looked like gray teeth that had been thrust up through the earth's crust by the violent burp of a volcano and the rasping shift of a fault line. Lichen and seagull crap covered their surfaces and here and there a creosote bush or cypress tried to gain a foothold in the cracks. There was supposed to be a cave around here somewhere, but Theo had never seen it, and he doubted that it was big enough to park a Cadillac in. He stayed low, moving around the edge of the rocks, expecting to see the flash of a black fender at every turn. He drew his service revolver and led around each turn with the barrel of the gun, then changed his strategy. That was like broadcasting a warning. He bent over double before peeking around the next corner, figuring that if Burton heard him or was waiting, he would be aiming high. The vastness of what Theo didn't know about surveillance and combat techniques seemed to be expanding with every step. He just wasn't a sneaky guy. He skirted a narrow path between two fanglike towers of rock. As he prepared to take a quick peek around the next turn, his foot slipped, sending a pile of rocks skittering down the hill like broken glass. He stopped and held his breath, listening for the sound of a reaction somewhere in the rocks. There was only the crashing surf in the distance and a low whistle of coastal wind. He ventured a quick glance around the rock and before he could pull back, the metallic click of a gun cocking behind his head sounded like icicles being driven into his spine. Molly Molly was sorting through the piles of clothing the pilgrims had left by the cave entrance. She had come up with two hundred and fifty-eight dollars in cash, a stack of Gold Cards, and more than a dozen vials of antidepressants. A voice in her head said, â€Å"You haven't seen this many meds since you were on the lock-down ward. They have a lot of gall calling you crazy.† The narrator was back, and Molly wasn't at all happy about it. For the last few days, her thinking had been incredibly clear. â€Å"Yeah, you're helping a lot with my mental health self-image,† she said to the narrator. â€Å"I liked it better when it was just me and Steve.† None of the pilgrims seemed to notice that Molly was talking to herself. They were all in some trancelike state, stark naked, seated in a semicircle around Steve, who lay in the back of the cave, where it was dark, with his head tucked under his forelegs, flashing sullen colors across his flanks: olive drab, rust, and blue so dark that it appeared more like an afterimage on the back of the eyelid than an actual color. â€Å"Oh yeah, you and Steve,† the narrator said snidely. â€Å"There's a healthy couple – the two greatest has-beens of all time. He's sulking, and you're robbing people who are even nuttier than you are. Now you're going to feed them to old lizard lick over there.† â€Å"Am not.† â€Å"Looks like none of these people has had any sun or exercise since high school gym class. Except for that guy who came in Birkenstocks, and he has that Gandhi-tan vegetarian starvation stare that looks like he'd slaughter a whole kindergarten for a Pink's foot-long with sauer-kraut. You feel okay about making them strip and prostrate themselves before the big guy?† â€Å"I thought it would make them go away.† â€Å"The lizard is using you.† â€Å"We care about each other. Now just shut up. I'm trying to think.† â€Å"Oh, like you've been thinking so far.† Molly shook her head violently to try and dislodge the narrator from her mind. Her hair whipped about her face and shoulders and stood out in a wild mess. The narrator was quiet. Molly pulled a compact out of one of the pilgrims' purses and looked at herself in the mirror. She certainly couldn't have looked much crazier. She braced for the narrator's comment, but it didn't come. She tried to get in touch with the warm feeling that had been running through her since Steve had appeared, but it just wasn't there. Maybe the pilgrims were using up his energy. Maybe the magic had just passed. She remembered sitting on a deck in Malibu, waiting for a producer who had just made love to her, only to have his Hispanic maid show up with a glass of wine and an apology that â€Å"The mister had to go to the studio, he very sorry, you call him next week please.† Molly had really liked the guy. She'd broken her foot kicking his spare Ferrari as she left and had to eat painkillers through the filming of her next movie, which eventually put her in detox. She never heard from the producer again. That was being used. This was different. â€Å"Right,† said the narrator sarcastically. â€Å"Shhhhh,† Molly said. She heard someone scuffling on the rocks outside the cave. She snatched up the assault rifle and waited just inside the cave mouth. Twenty-seven Val Val was wishing she had a video recorder to preserve the gargantuan lie that Mavis Sand and Howard Phillips had been telling over the last hour. According to them, ten years ago the village of Pine Cove had been visited by a demon from hell, and only through the combined effort of a handful of drunks were they able to banish the demon whence it came. It was a magnificent delusion, and Val thought that she could at least get an aca-demic paper on shared psychosis out of it. Being around Gabe had ignited her enthusiasm for research. When Mavis and Howard wrapped up their story, Catfish started in with his tale of being pursued through the bayou by a sea monster. Soon Gabe and Val were spouting the details of Gabe's theory that the monster had evolved the ability to affect the brain chemistry of its prey. Tipsy after a few Bloody Marys and taken by the momentum of the tale, Val confessed her replacement of Pine Cove's supply of antidepressants with placebos. Even as she unburdened herself, Val realized that her and Gabe's stories were no more credible than the fairy tale Mavis and Howard had just told. â€Å"That Winston Krauss is a weasel,† Mavis said. â€Å"Comes in here every day acting like his shit don't stink, then overcharges the whole town for something they ain't even gettin. Should'a known he was a fish-fucker.† â€Å"That's in strictest confidence,† Val said. â€Å"I shouldn't have mentioned it.† Mavis cackled. â€Å"Well, it ain't like I'm gonna run tell Sheriff Burton on you. He's weasel with a capital Weas. Besides, girl, you increased my business by eighty percent when you took the wackos off their drugs. And I thought it was old Mopey down there.† Mavis shot a bionic thumb toward Catfish. The Bluesman put down his drink. â€Å"Hey!† Gabe said, â€Å"So you believe that there really is a sea monster on that ranch?† â€Å"What reason would you have to lie?† said Howard. â€Å"It would seem that Mr. Fish is an eyewitness as well.† â€Å"Jefferson,† Catfish said. â€Å"Catfish Jefferson.† â€Å"Shut up, you chickenshit,† Mavis spat. â€Å"You could have helped Theo when he asked you. What's that boy think he's doing following that sheriff out to the ranch anyway? It's not like he can do anything.† Gabe said, â€Å"We don't know. He just left and told us to come here and wait for his call.† â€Å"Ya'll some heartless souls,† Catfish said. â€Å"I lost me a good woman because of all this.† â€Å"She's smarter than she looks,† Mavis said. â€Å"Theo has my Mercedes,† Val added, feeling out of place even as she said it. Suddenly she felt more ashamed of looking down on these people than she did about all of her professional indiscretions. â€Å"I'm getting worried,† said Gabe. â€Å"It's been over an hour.† â€Å"I don't suppose you thought about calling him?† Mavis asked. â€Å"You have his cell phone number?† Gabe asked. â€Å"He's the constable. It's not like he's unlisted.† â€Å"I suppose I should have thought of that,† said Howard. Mavis shook her head and one of her false eyelashes sprung up like a snare trap. â€Å"What, you three got thirty years of college between you and not enough smarts to dial a phone without a blueprint?† â€Å"Astute observation,† Howard said. â€Å"I ain't got no college,† Catfish said. â€Å"Well, cheers to you for being just naturally stupid,† Mavis said, picking up the phone. The daytime regulars at the end of the bar had snapped out of their malaise to have a laugh at Catfish. There's nothing quite so satisfying to the desperate as having someone to look down on. Theo The gun barrel was pushed so hard into the spot behind Theo's ear that he thought he could hear bone cracking. Burton reached around and took the .357 and tossed it aside, then he took the automatic from Theo's waistband and did the same. â€Å"On the ground, facedown.† Burton kicked Theo's feet out from under him, then put his knee in the constable's back and handcuffed him. Theo could taste blood where his lip had split hitting the rock. He turned his head to the side, raking his cheek on some lichen. He was terrified. Every muscle in his body ached with the need to run. Burton smacked him across the back of the head with his pistol, not hard enough to knock him out, but when the white-hot light of the blow faded, Theo could feel blood oozing into his right ear. â€Å"You fucking stoner. How dare you fuck with my business?† â€Å"What business?† Theo said, hoping ignorance might buy his life. â€Å"I saw your car at the lab, Crowe. The last time I talked to Leander he was on his way to see you. Now where is he?† â€Å"I don't know.† The pistol smacked Theo on the other side of the head. â€Å"I don't fucking know!† Theo shrieked. â€Å"He was at the lab, then he was gone. I didn't see him leave.† â€Å"I don't care if he's alive or dead, Crowe. And it doesn't make any difference to you either. But I need to know. Did you kill him? Did he run? What?† â€Å"I think he's dead.† â€Å"You think?† Theo could feel Burton rearing back to hit him again. â€Å"No! He's dead. He's dead. I know it.† â€Å"What happened?† Theo tried to think of a plausible explanation, something that would buy him a minute, a few more seconds even, but he couldn't clear his head. â€Å"I'm not sure,† he said. â€Å"I?CI heard gunfire. I was in the shed. When I came out, he was gone.† â€Å"Then how do you know he's dead?† Theo couldn't see any advantage to telling Burton that Molly had told him. Burton would track her down and put her in the same shallow grave that he was going to end up in. â€Å"Fuck you,† Theo said. â€Å"Figure it out.† The pistol whipped across the back of Theo's head and he nearly passed out this time. He heard a ringing in his ears, but a second later he realized that it wasn't in his ears at all. His cell phone was ringing in his shirt pocket. Burton rolled him over and put the barrel of the gun on Theo's right eyelid. â€Å"We're going to answer this, Crowe. And if you fuck up, the calling party is going to hear a very loud disconnect.† The sheriff bent down until his face was almost touching Theo's and reached for the phone. Suddenly a series of deafening explosions went off a few feet away and bullets whined off the rocks like angry wasps. Burton rolled off Theo and into a shallow crevice just below them. Theo felt someone grab his collar and pull him to his feet. Before he could see who it was, a dozen hands closed on him and dragged him out of the sun. He fell hard on his back and the gunfire stopped. His phone was still ringing. A cloud of bats was swirling above him. He looked up to see Molly Michon standing over him with a smoking assault rifle, and in that second, she looked like what he had always ima-gined an avenging angel might look like, except for the six naked white guys standing behind her. â€Å"Hi, Theo,† she said. â€Å"Hi, Molly.† Molly pointed to the phone in his shirt pocket with the barrel of her rifle. â€Å"You want me to get that?† â€Å"Yeah, it might be important,† Theo said. There was a gunshot and a bullet whined off the edge of the cave entrance and ricocheted into the darkness. Theo could feel the roar that rose up out of the back of the cave vibrating in his ribs. The Sheriff Burton reached over the edge of the crevice and fired a shot in the general direction of the cave, then braced himself for return fire from the AK-47, but instead he heard a roaring that sounded like someone had dropped the entire cast of The Lion King in a deep fryer. Burton was not a coward, not by any means, but a man would have to be insane not to be frightened by that noise. Too much weirdness, too fast. A woman in a leather bikini and thigh-high boots firing an AK-47 while six naked guys dragged Crowe into a cave. He needed time to regroup, call in backup, drink a fifth of Glenlivet. It seemed safe here for the time being. As long as he didn't move, no one could get a firing angle on him without making a target of himself. He pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket, then paused, trying to figure out who to call. A general officer-in-trouble call could bring anyone, and the last thing he needed was television helicopters hovering around. Besides, his goal wasn't to arrest the suspects, he needed them silenced for good. He could call in the guys from the crank lab, if he could get hold of them, but the vision of a bunch of untrained illegal immigrants running around on this hill with automatic weapons didn't seem like the best strategy either. He had to call SWAT, but only his guys. Eight of the twenty men on the SWAT team were in his pocket. Again, he couldn't go through dispatch. They'd have to be called in on private lines. He dialed the number that rang into the information center deep in the basement of the county justice building. The Spider picked up on the first ring. â€Å"Nailsworth.† â€Å"It's Burton. Listen, don't talk. Call Lopez, Sheridan, Miller, Morales, O'Hara, Crumb, Connelly, and LeMay. Tell them to come in full SWAT to the Beer Bar Ranch north of Pine Cove, the northern access road. There's a cave here. Pull up whatever maps you need and give them directions. Do not use open channels. They are not to log in or report to anyone where they are going. There are at least two suspects in the cave with automatic weapons. I'm pinned down about ten yards from the west-facing entrance. Have them meet south of the rocks, they'll see them, then have Sheridan call me. No aircraft. Find out if there's another entrance to this cave. I need everyone in place ASAP. Can you do it?† â€Å"Of course,† the Spider said. â€Å"It's going to take them a minimum of forty minutes, maybe more if I can't find them all.† Burton could hear the Spider's fat fingers blazing on his keyboard already. â€Å"Send whoever you can find. Tell them to come in separate cars. Tell them to avoid sirens if possible on the way up, definitely once they hit the ranch.† â€Å"Do you have descriptions of the suspects?† â€Å"It's Theophilus Crowe and a woman, five-eight, one twenty, twenty-five to forty years old, gray hair, wearing a leather bikini.† â€Å"Twenty-five to forty? Pretty specific,† the Spider said sarcastically. â€Å"Fuck you, Nailsworth. How many women do you think are running around these hills wearing a leather bikini and shooting an AK? Call me when they are on the way.† Burton disconnected and checked the battery on the phone. It would last. Since the roaring sound had come from the cave, it had been quiet, but he didn't dare peek over the edge of the crevice. â€Å"Crowe!† he shouted. â€Å"It's not too late to work this out!† Theo The naked guys were standing over Theo, wearing dazed smiles, as if they'd all just shared a big pipe of opium. â€Å"Jesus, was that it?† Theo asked, Steve's roar still ringing in his ears. â€Å"Him,† Molly corrected, holding up a finger to shush Theo as she pressed the answer button on his phone. â€Å"Hello,† she said into the phone. â€Å"None of your business. Who is this?† She covered the mouthpiece and said, â€Å"It's Gabe.† â€Å"Tell him I'm okay. Ask him where he is.† â€Å"Theo says he's okay. Where are you?† She listened for a second, then covered the mouthpiece again. â€Å"He's at the Slug.† â€Å"Tell him I'll call him right back.† â€Å"He'll call you back.† She disconnected and tossed the phone in the pile of clothing by the door. Theo looked up at the naked guys. He thought he recognized a couple of them, but didn't want to acknowledge that he did. â€Å"Would you guys back off a little?† Theo said. They didn't move. Theo looked at Molly. â€Å"Can you tell them to go somewhere? They're making me nervous.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Molly, I don't know if you've notice, but all these guys are in a – a state of arousal.† â€Å"Maybe they're just glad to see you.† â€Å"Would you tell them to back off, please?† Molly motioned for the naked guys to move away. â€Å"Go. Go. Back to the back of the cave, guys. Go. Go. Go.† She poked at a couple of them with the assault rifle. Slowly they turned and ambled farther back into the cave. â€Å"What in the hell is wrong with them?† â€Å"What do you mean, wrong? They're acting like all guys do, they're just being more honest about it.† â€Å"Molly, seriously, what did you do to them?† â€Å"I didn't do anything. That's how they've been acting since they saw Steve back there.† Theo looked to the back of the cave, but could only see the partially lit backs of a group of people sitting on the cave floor. â€Å"It's like they're in a trance or something.† â€Å"Yeah, isn't it cool? They came to help me get you when I asked, though. So they're not total zombies. I'm, like, in charge.† Blood was dripping out of Theo's scalp, matting his hair and leaving spots on his shirt. â€Å"That's great, Molly. Could you get these handcuffs off me?† â€Å"I was going to ask you about those. Every time I see you, you're in handcuffs. Do you have a fetish or something?† â€Å"Please, Molly, there's a key in my front pocket.† â€Å"He gave you the key?† â€Å"It's my key.† â€Å"I see,† Molly said with a knowing smile. â€Å"Handcuffs all use the same key, Molly. Please help me get out of these.† She knelt and reached into his pocket, keeping her eyes locked on his through the process. His head throbbed when he rolled over so she could get to the cuffs. As she pulled them off, they heard Burton call from outside. â€Å"Crowe! It's not too late to work this out!† Once his hands were free, Theo threw his arms around Molly and pulled her close. She dropped her rifle and returned his embrace. Another roar emanated from the back of the cave. A couple of the pilgrims shrieked and Molly let go of Theo and stood up, gazing back into the darkness. â€Å"It's okay, Steve,† she said. â€Å"What in the hell was that?† Burton shouted from outside. â€Å"That was Steve,† Molly shouted back. â€Å"You were asking what happened to Joseph Leander. Well, that was it. Steve ate him.† â€Å"How many of you are in there?† Burton asked. Molly looked around. â€Å"A bunch.† â€Å"Who in the hell are you?† â€Å"I am Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland.† She shot a silly grin at Theo, who was trying to follow what was going on up here, while listening to some disturbing stirring noises going on in the back of the cave. â€Å"What do you want?† Burton asked. Without a beat, Molly said, â€Å"Ten percent of the gross on all my films, retroactive fifteen years, an industrial-strength weed-whacker with gas, and world peace.† â€Å"Seriously. We can work this out.† â€Å"Okay. I want sixty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a couple of gallons of Diet Coke, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She turned to Theo, â€Å"You want anything?† Theo shrugged. Hell, as long as they were stalling. â€Å"A new Volvo station wagon.† â€Å"And a new Volvo station wagon,† Molly shouted. â€Å"And we want it with two cup holders, you bastard, or the deal's off.† She turned and beamed at Theo. â€Å"Nice touch.† â€Å"You deserve it,† Molly said. Suddenly her eyes went wide as she looked past Theo. â€Å"No, Steve!† she screamed. Theo rolled over to see a huge pair of jaws descending over him.