Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 8

Gillian stood perfectly still and watched David disappear around a corner. (It's not time for the plan yet, kid. Now buck up. A cheery face is worth diamonds.) Gillian tried to put on a cheery face. The strange day continued. In each class, Gillian appealed to the teacher for a new book. In each class, she was bombarded with offers of notes and other help. And through it all Angel whispered in her ear, always suggesting just the right thing to say to each person. He was witty, irreverent, occasionally cutting-and so was Gillian. She had an advantage, she realized. Since nobody had ever noticed her before, it was almost like being a new girl. She could be anything she wanted to be, present herself as anyone, and be believed. (Like Cinderella at the ball. The mystery princess.) Angel's voice was amused but tender. In journalism class, Gillian found herself beside Daryl Novak, a languid girl with sloe eyes and drooping contemptuous lashes. Daryl the Rich Girl, Daryl the World-weary World Traveler. She talked to Gillian as if Gillian knew all about Paris and Rome and California. At lunch, Gillian hesitated as she walked into the cafeteria. Usually she sat with Amy in an obscure corner at the back. But recently Eugene had been sitting with Amy, and up front she could see a group that included Amanda the Cheerleader, Kim the Gymnast, and others from The Clique. David and Tanya were at the edge. (Do I sit with them? Nobody asked me.) (Not with them, my little rutabaga. But near them. Sit at the end of that table just beside them. Don't look at them as you walk by. Look at your lunch. Start eating it.) Gillian had never eaten her lunch alone before-or at least not in a public place. On days Amy was absent, if she couldn't find one of the few other juniors she felt comfortable with, she snuck into the library and ate there. In the old days she would have felt horribly exposed, but now she wasn't really alone; she had Angel cracking jokes in her ear. And she had a new confidence. She could almost see herself eating, calm and indifferent to stares, thoughtful to the point of being dreamy. She tried to make her movements a little languid, like Daryl the Rich Girl's. (And I hope Amy doesn't think I'm snubbing her. I mean, it's not as if she's back there alone. She's got Eugene.) (Yeah. We're gonna have to talk about Amy sometime, kid. But right now you're being paged. Smile and be gracious.) â€Å"Jill! Earth to Jill!† â€Å"Hey, Jill, c'mon over.† They wanted her. She was moving her lunch over to their table, and she wasn't spilling anything and she wasn't falling as she slid in. She was little and graceful, thistledown light in her movements, and they were surging around her to form a warm and friendly bulwark. And she wasn't afraid of them. That was the most wonderful thing of all. These kids who'd seemed to her like stars in some TV show about teenagers, were real people who got crumbs on themselves and made jokes she could understand. Gillian had always wondered what they found so funny when they were laughing together. But now she knew it was just the heady atmosphere, the knowledge that they were special. It made it easy to laugh at everything. She knew David, sitting quietly there with Tanya, could see her laughing. She could hear other voices occasionally, from people on the fringes of her group, people on the outside looking in. Mostly bright chatter and murmurs of admiration. She thought she heard her name mentioned. †¦ And then she focused on the words. â€Å"I heard her mom's a drunk.† They sounded horribly loud and dear to Gillian, standing out against the background noise. She could feel her whole skin tingling with shock and she lost track of the story Kim the Gymnast was telling. (Angel-who said that? Was it about me-my mom?) She didn't dare look behind her. â€Å"-started drinking a few years ago and having these hallucinations-â€Å" This time the voice was so loud that it cut through the banter of Gillian's group. Kim stopped in mid-sentence. Bruce the Athlete's smile faltered. An awkward silence fell. Gillian felt a wave of anger that made her dizzy. (Who said that? I'll kill them-) (Calm down! Calm down. That's not the way to handle it at all.) (But-) (I said, calm down. Look at your lunch. No, at your lunch. Now say-and make your voice absolutely cool-â€Å"I really hate rumors, don't you? I don't know what kind of people start them.†) Gillian breathed twice and obeyed, although her voice wasn't absolutely cool. It had a little tremor. â€Å"I don't know either,† a new voice said. Gillian glanced up to see that David was on his feet, his face hard as he surveyed the table behind her as if looking for the person who'd spoken. â€Å"But I think they're pretty sick and they should get a life.† There was the cold glint in his eyes that had given him his reputation as a tough guy. Gillian felt as if a hand had steadied her. Gratitude rushed through her-and a longing that made her bite down on her lip. â€Å"I hate rumors, too,† J.Z. Oberlin said in her absent voice. J. Z. the Model was the one who looked like a Calvin Klein ad, breathlessly sexy and rather blank, but right now she seemed oddly focused. â€Å"Somebody was putting around the rumor last year that I tried to kill myself. I never did find out who started it.† Her hazy blue-green eyes were narrowed. And then everyone was talking about rumors, and people who spread rumors, and what scum they were. The group was rallying around Gillian. But it was David who stood up for me first, she thought. She had just looked over at him, trying to catch his eye, when she heard the tinkling noise. It was almost musical, but the kind of sound that draws attention immediately in a cafeteria. Somebody had broken a glass. Gillian, along with everyone else, glanced around to see who'd done it. She couldn't see anybody. No one had the right expression of dismay, no one was focused on anything definite. Everybody was looking around in search mode. Then she heard it again, and two people standing near the cafeteria doors looked down and then up. Above the doors, far above, was a semi-circular window in the red brick. As Gillian stared at the window she realized that light was reflecting off it oddly, almost prismatically. There seemed to be crazy rainbows in the glass†¦ And something was sparkling down, falling like a few specks of snow. It hit the ground and tinkled, and the people by the door stared at it on the cafeteria floor. They looked puzzled. Realization flashed on Gillian. She was on her feet, but the only words that she could find were, â€Å"Oh, my God!† â€Å"Get out! It's all going to go! Get out of there!† It was David, waving at the people under the window. He was running toward them, which was stupid, Gillian thought numbly, her heart seeming to stop. Other people were shouting. Cory and Amanda and Bruce-and Tanya. Kim the Gymnast was shrieking. And then the window was going, chunks of it falling almost poetically, raining and crumbling, shining and crashing. It fell and fell and fell. Gillian felt as if she were watching an avalanche in slow motion. At last it was over, and the window was just an arch-shaped hole with jagged teeth clinging to the edges. Glass had flown and bounced and skittered all over the cafeteria, where it lay like hailstones. And people from tables amazingly distant were examining cuts from ricocheting bits. But nobody had been directly underneath, and nobody seemed seriously hurt. (Thanks to David.) Gillian was still numb, but now with relief. (He got them all out of the way in time. Oh, God, he isn't hurt, is he?) (He's fine. And what makes you think he did it all alone? Maybe I had some part. I can do that, you know-put it into people's heads to do things. And they never even know I'm doing it.) Angel's voice sounded almost-well-piqued. (Huh? You did that? Well, that was really nice of you.) Gillian was watching David across the room, watching Tanya examine his arm, nod, shrug, look around. He's not hurt. Thank heaven. Gillian felt so relieved it was almost painful. It was then that it occurred to her to wonder what had happened. That window-before the glass fell it had looked just like the mirror in her bathroom. Evenly shattered from side to side, spidery cracks over every inch of the surface. The bathroom mirror had cracked while Tanya was being catty about Gillian's room. Now Gillian remembered the last thing she'd wanted to ask Angel last night. It had been about how the mirror came to do that. This window †¦ it had started falling a few minutes after someone insulted Gillian's mother. Nobody had heard it actually break, but it couldn't have happened too long ago. The small hairs on the back of Gillian's neck stirred and she felt a fluttering inside. It couldn't be. Angel hadn't even appeared to her yet†¦ But he'd said he was always with her†¦ An angel wouldn't destroy things†¦ But Angel was a different kind of angel. (Ah, excuse me. Hello? Do you want to share some thoughts with me?) (Angel!) For the first time since his soft voice had sounded in her ear, Gillian felt a sense ofover- crowdedness. Of her own lack of privacy. The uneasy fluttering inside her increased. (Angel, I was just-just wondering†¦) And then the silent words burst out. (Angel, you wouldn't-would you? You didn't do those things for my sake- â€Å"break the mirror and that window-?) A pause. And then, in her head, riotous laughter. Genuine laughter. Angel was whooping. Finally, the sounds died to mental hiccups. (Me?) Gillian was embarrassed. (I shouldn't have asked. It was just so weird†¦) (Yeah, wasn't it.) This time Angel sounded grimly amused. (Well, never mind; you're already late for class. The bell rang five minutes ago.) Gillian coasted through her last two classes in a daze. So much had happened today-she felt as if she'd led a full life between waking up and now. But the day wasn't over yet. In her last class, studio art, she once again found herself talking to Daryl the Rich Girl. Daryl was the only one of that crowd that took art or journalism. And in the last minutes before school ended, she regarded Gillian from under drooping eyelashes. â€Å"You know, there are other rumors going around about you. That you and Davey-boy have something going behind Tanya's back. That you meet secretly in the mornings and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Daryl shrugged, pushing back frosted hair with a hand dripping with rings. Gillian felt jolted awake. â€Å"So?† â€Å"So you really should do something about it. Rumors spread fast, and they grow. I know. You want to either deny them, or†-Daryl's lips .quirked in a smile-â€Å"disarm them.† (Oh, yeah? And just how do I do that?) (Shut up and listen to her, kid. This is one smart cookie.) â€Å"If there're parts that are true, it's usually best to admit those in public. That takes some of the punch out. And it's always helpful to track down the person starting the rumors-if you can.† (Tell her you know that. And that you're going to see Tanya after school.) (Tanya? You mean-?) (Just tell her.) Somehow Gillian gathered herself enough to repeat Angel's words. Daryl the Rich Girl looked at her with a new expression of respect. â€Å"You're sharper than I thought. Maybe you didn't need my help after all.† â€Å"No,† Gillian said without Angel's prompting. â€Å"I'm always glad for help. It's-it's a rough world.† â€Å"Isn't it, though?† Daryl said and raised already arched eyebrows. (So it was Tanya who spread that stuff about my mom.) Gillian almost stumbled as she trudged out of art class. She was tired and bewildered. Somehow, she'd have thought Tanya was above that. (She had help. It takes a really efficient system to get a rumor to peak circulation that fast. But she was the instigator. Turn left here.) (Where am I going?) (You're gonna catch her coming out of marketing education. She's alone in there right now. The teacher asked to see her after class, then unexpectedly had to run to the bathroom.) Gillian felt distantly amused. She sensed Angel's hand in these arrangements. And when she poked her head inside the marketing ed room, she saw that Tanya was indeed alone. The tall girl was standing by a cloudy green blackboard. â€Å"Tanya, we need to talk.† Tanya's shoulders stiffened. Then she ran a hand across her already perfect dark hair and turned. She looked more like a future executive than ever, with her face set in cool lines and her exotic gray eyes running over Gillian in appraisal. Without Angel, Gillian would have dried up and withered away under that scrutiny. Tanya said one word. â€Å"Talk.† What followed was more like a play than a conversation for Gillian. She repeated what Angel whispered to her, but she never had any idea what was coming. The only way to survive was to give herself up completely to his direction. â€Å"Look, I know you're upset with me, Tanya. But I'd like to deal with this with a little maturity, okay?† She followed Angel's instructions over to a desk and brushed absent fingers over its imitation-wood top. â€Å"I don't think there's any need for us to act like children.† â€Å"And I don't think I know what you're talking about.† â€Å"Oh, really?† Gillian turned and looked Tanya in the face. â€Å"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about.† (Angel, I feel just like one of those people in a soap opera-) â€Å"Well, you're wrong. And, as a matter of fact, I happen to be busy-â€Å" â€Å"I'm talking about the rumors, Tanya. I'm talking about the stories about my mom. And I'm talking about David.† Tanya stood perfectly still. For a moment she seemed surprised that Gillian was taking such a direct approach. Then her gray eyes hardened with the clear light of battle. â€Å"All right, let's talk about David,† she said in a pleasant voice, moving tigerishly toward Gillian, â€Å"I don't know about any rumors, but I'd like to hear what you and David were doing this morning. Care to tell me?† (Angel, she's actually enjoying this. Look at her! And she's bigger than me.) (Trust me, kid.) â€Å"We weren't doing anything,† Gillian said. She had to tip her chin up to look Tanya in the face. Then she looked aside and shook her head. â€Å"All right. I'll be honest about that. I like David, Tanya. I have ever since he moved in. He's good and he's noble and he's honest and he's sweet. But that doesn't mean I want to take him away from you. In fact, it's just the opposite.† She turned and walked away, looking into the distance. â€Å"I think David deserves the best. And I know he really cares about you. And that's what happened this morning-he told me you guys had made a promise to each other. So you see, you've got no reason to be suspicious.† Tanya's eyes were glittering. â€Å"Don't try to pull that. All this †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She waved a hand to indicate Gillian's dress and hair. â€Å"In one day you turn from Little Miss Invisible to this. And you start prancing around the school like you own it. You can't pretend you're not trying to get him.† â€Å"Tanya, the way I dress has nothing at all to do with David.† Gillian told the lie calmly, facing the chalk-misted blackboard again. â€Å"It's just-something I needed to do. I was-tired of being invisible.† She turned her head slightly, not enough to see Tanya. â€Å"But that's beside the point. The real issue here is what's best for David. And I think you're best for him-as long as you treat him fairly.† â€Å"And what is that supposed to mean?† Tanya was losing her legendary cool. She sounded venomous, almost shrill. â€Å"It means no more fooling around with Bruce Faber.† (Oh, my God, Angel! Bruce Faber? Bruce the Athlete? She's been fooling around with Bruce Faber?) Tanya's voice cracked like a whip. â€Å"What are you talking about? What do you know?† â€Å"I'm talking about those nights at the pool parties last summer in Macon's cabana. While David was up north at his grandma's. I'm talking about what happened in Bruce's car after the Halloween dance.† (In a cabana?) There was a silence. When Tanya spoke again, her voice was a sort of icy explosion. â€Å"How did you find out?† Gillian shrugged. â€Å"People who're good at spreading rumors can be a two-edged sword.† â€Å"I thought so. That brat Kim! Her and her mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then Tanya's voice changed. It became a voice with claws and Gillian could tell she was moving closer. â€Å"I suppose you're planning to tell David about this?† â€Å"Huh?† For a moment Gillian was too confused to follow Angel's directions. Then she got hold of herself. â€Å"Oh, of course I'm not going to tell David. That's why I'm telling you. I just want you to promise that you're not going to do anything like that anymore. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop telling people things about my mom-â€Å" â€Å"I'll do worse than that!† Suddenly Tanya was standing right behind Gillian. Her voice was a yelling hiss. â€Å"You have no idea what I'll do if you try to mess with me, you snotty little midget. You are going to be so sorry-â€Å" â€Å"No, I think you've done plenty already.† The voice came from the door. Gillian heard it, and in that instant she understood everything.

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I have come to a point in life that many people have not.   I have made a firm decision to recommit myself to pursuing my dreams.   While there are those who believe that with an ounce of luck and a ton of persistence anything can be accomplished, I believe that there is no reason to expend so much energy and rely on luck.I believe in taking hold of my destiny and carving out a future for myself based on the decisions that I make in life.   Life is simply too short and too precious to be left to luck alone.   This is why I have chosen to apply for this major in electrical engineering at the University of California Los Angeles.As the world continues to change and the workplace becomes more and more challenging and competitive, it becomes imperative for anyone looking for a successful career to not only have the drive to succeed but also the training and expertise to do so.I am not saying that I do not have the training and expertise at the moment but I do believe that there i s still room for more.   The rich and diverse academic community at the UCLA will definitely be the perfect place for me to learn and be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.There have been so many opportunities in life that I have not been able to take advantage of because of the competitiveness of the working environment.   I believe that this experience and background of mine will help me pursue this dream.   Being a (insert career) is only the beginning of a long journey for me.I realize that it will not be easy and I look forward to that challenge.   In the short term, I see myself completing this degree and fulfilling the requirements for this course.   I believe that this experience will be sufficient to prepare me for the next step which is applying for a good internship position that will give me the training that I need.   I eventually plan to pursue larger goals such as taking a doctoral degree and perhaps starting my own business.The world is fast becom ing a borderless place.   Cultures, races, beliefs and ideologies are blend together and interact because of the growing advances in communications.   In order to succeed in this world, one needs to be able to adapt to the various cultural differences as well as be able to maintain a certain sense of individual identity.This is the advantage that I feel I can get at this fine academic institution; the training to be competitive in the global economy and at the same time the flexibility to be able to deal with the different cultures in the diverse business world.That is why I believe that this course is a crucial step for me.   My success and my accomplishments here will herald the beginning of the fulfillment of my personal and professional goals.   It is said that the one thing that nobody can ever take away from you is your education and that is the one thing that I plan to not only gain for myself but for others as well.I am currently a student at Pasadena City College in California taking up electrical engineering.   My interest in this field comes from my exposure during my childhood in Shanghai, China, which is one of the largest industrialized cities in the world.As a national of China and a resident of the United States of America, I strongly feel that technology holds the key to the future of not only the people of China but the entire world as well.   The evolutions and advances in technology have indeed expanded the frontiers of man.   Every facet of man’s life has been changed by the new technological innovations that have been introduced.   Life has become so much easier yet at the same time it seems however that life has also been turned into something more complicated; presenting new challenges and providing new frontiers to conquer.It is for this reason that I plan to be able to find gainful employment in one of the industries and do more research in this field.   I am confident that my studies in college have adequatel y prepared me for further study.I am now learning differential equations, general physics and programming. I have also been particularly interested in electrical power circuits’ generation, electrical inspection and codes.   In the near future, I intend to develop skills in physical science and engineering, skills in management science and skills in problem solving in engineering field as well as solving computer related problems.As an active participant in extra-curricular activities such as soccer, badminton, I have participated in charity and community service within the community and back at home. I usually visit senior center and volunteer donations such as foodstuffs and essential items to them. Also I am the member of AGS club and Math Club. Last spring semester I got dean’s award and William Miller Scholarship (This is a scholarship from Math Division).

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Group effectiveness - Essay Example Formation of the group is the first and the most fundamental part of group effectiveness. The selection of the right size and the right members is of vital importance for the success of any group. My group was formed when my organization decided to launch a new product. It was line extension. My organization formed a cross functional team. Group members were selected from different departments according to the requirements of the project. My group consisted of eight employees from three different departments of the organization i.e. procurement and supply chain, production and marketing. The purpose or task of the group was the successful launch of the product. Like all work groups my group also passed through the four stages of group development after formation namely mutual acceptance, decision making, motivation and commitment, and control and sanction. When a group passes through these stages, a successful group becomes a mature group. According to the group development model any group has three major issues i.e. interpersonal issues, task issues, and authority issues. Group effectiveness can be increased by taking care of these three issues. The interpersonal issues include aspects like trust, personal comfort and security. The task issues include purpose of the group, what the group wants to achieve i.e. the expected outcomes and the methods utilized to achieve those outcomes. The authority issue deals with the hierarchy of power and role definition of every member in the group along with the chain of command. A clear and unambiguous definition of these issues helps improves effectiveness of the group (Debra L. Nelson, 2011). There are various external and internal factors that are responsible for group effectiveness. It includes group size, time, diversity in group in terms of gender, age, culture and interpersonal diversity, group cohesion, norms of the group etc. Our group had all these factors. There

Determining the Rate Equation of a Reaction Essay Example for Free

Determining the Rate Equation of a Reaction Essay The aim of this experiment is to determine the rate equation for the reaction between sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid using the order of the reaction with respect to each of the reagents. HCl (aq) + Na2S2O3 (aq) 2NaCl (aq) + SO2 (g) + S (s) When Hydrochloric acid is added to sodium thiosulphate, a solid ppt of sulphur is formed. I will use this to judge when the reaction has ended. The rate equation for this reaction is R = k [HCl]x [Na2S2O3]y In this equation: R = the rate of reaction k = the rate constant x and y = order of reaction with respect to HCl and Na2S2O3 (e. g. 0, 1, 2 etc) [HCl] = the concentration of HCl [Na2S2O3] = the concentration of Na2S2O3 My experiment will enable me to calculate x and y through plotting the volume against the reciprocal of the time it takes for the ppt to form. Preliminary work: The demonstration done by my teacher show that 50 cm3 of thiosulphate and 20 cm3 of deionised water mixed with 5cm3 of hydrochloric acid took 14.93 seconds to form the ppt. I will use this as a guide to decide which set of concentrations I will use to get a reasonable time which I can plot. When I implement my plan, I will plot my results. Using the shape of the graph, I will then deduce the order of the reaction. The following graphs show the shapes I should get for each order of a reaction. I am not changing the volume of hydrochloric acid because I want to test the effect of changing the concentration of the sodium thiosulphate to be able to find out the order of the reaction with respect to the sodium thiosulphate. Apparatus: * White tile with X in the middle. I will place my reacting solution on this white tile and time until the cross can no longer be seen. * Stop watch to time the experiment * Stirring rod * 5 cm3 measuring cylinder to measure the hydrochloric acid * Two 50 cm3 burette to measure the deionised water and the sodium thiosulphate as it is more accurate than a measuring cylinder. * One 250 cm3 conical flask into which I will mix my reagents * Two funnels to full my burettes, which I will remove before looking at the meniscus. * I will be supplied with deionised water, HCl and Na2S2O3 Concentrations: Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4 Run 5 Na2S2O3 (cm3) 50 45 40 35 30 Deionised Water (cm3) 20 35 30 35 40 Variables: Fixed Independent Dependent Temperature: the experiment will be done at room temperature. I will control the temperature because changing the temperature changes the rate which will affect me results. Concentration of HCl: I will keep this constant because I can only change the concentration of one reagent to see the effect this has on the rate. If I change both reagents I will not be able to tell the order of the reaction is with respect to which reagent. The white tile and cross: changing this might affect my visibility of the cross and the time. Total volume: I will keep this the same to ensure a fair experiment and the same visibility due to smaller volumes being more shallow and I might see the ppt at different times. My independent variable is the volume of the sodium thiosulphate. By altering the volume and adding deionised water, I am changing the concentration. This will enable me to observe how this will affect the rate of the reaction The dependent variable is the time taken for the cross to disappear. Method: 1. fill one of the 50 cm3 burette with sodium thiosulphate and the other with deionised water using the funnel and remove funnel before looking at meniscus. The bottom of the meniscus should be on the zero line. 2. measure into the conical flask the exact amount stated in the table above of the sodium thiosulphate and the water for run 1. 3. measure using the 5 cm3 cylinder 5 cm3 of HCl. 4. place the conical flask on the white tile with the cross 5. add the hydrochloric acid and start the stop clock. 6. stir the mixture briefly. 7. look at the conical flask from the top and stop the stop clock as soon as the cross is no longer visible. 8. write the time taken in the table. 9. repeat steps 1-8 for the other runs. I will then convert the times into rates by doing 1/t. this will go along my y-axis. The volume of the sodium thiosulphate will go along the x-axis. Based on the shape of my graph I will then decide what the order of the reaction is with respect to the sodium thiosulphate. Safety: Chemical Hazards HCl Solutions equal to or stronger than 2 mol dm-3 but weaker than 6.5 mol dm-3 are IRRITANT. Na2S2O3 Sodium thiosulphate may be harmful if you swallow it. It may also irritate the eyes or lungs. Eye contact: Flush the eye with plenty of water. If irritation persists, call for medical help. Skin contact: Wash off with water. If swallowed: If the amount swallowed is not trivial, call for medical help. SO2 Major hazard : Inhalation Odour : Pungent and Irritating S Contact with the eyes can cause irritation. The solid may also irritate the lungs if breathed in. Sulphur burns to give toxic gases, so should not be burnt in the open laboratory. Wear safety glasses. Solid sulphur should pose only minor hazards unless heated to a temperature at which it will burn. Safety glasses required. NaCl May cause eye irritation. Reference: http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/Chemistry/Miscellenous/Helpfile/Kinetics/Rateorder.htm Chemistry 2 Cambridge Advanced Sciences Endorsed by OCR page 109 http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/~hmc/hsci/chemicals/sodium_thiosulphate.html

Video Gaming is Good For Everyone Essay Example for Free

Video Gaming is Good For Everyone Essay Video gaming is good for everyone because it is useful for rehabilitation, relieves stress, and helps the elderly. Have you ever played a video game? Did you get totally immersed in it, and it made you feel wonderful afterwards? There have been recent studies and tons of articles written which show that, indeed, video games are good for everyone! Not just your usual young players (ages 10-17), and not just the more hard-core gamers (ages 18 – 25), but now these studies link video games to success in more than just fun times, and show that these type of games can be beneficial for all types of people, from young to elderly, and from healthy to the impaired. Yes, video gaming is good for everyone! It used to be that only young people were associated with playing video games. That is no longer the norm, as studies are now seeing a surge of middle-aged people and even the elderly benefiting from these types of games. Interactive gaming is a hot topic of course, with the introduction of games like â€Å"Words With Friends† available on various platforms such as a smart phone or Facebook. This game is readily available to download as a stand-alone game on tablet computers and regular PC’s also. Households can get the whole family involved in this, just like playing the old-fashioned Scrabble game around your kitchen table. There is a whole source of video games that people of all ages can enjoy together (Weed, 2012)! Even stay-at-home mothers are getting into the gaming world more easily, with simple games that they can use to interact with their toddlers on their PC’s or video game systems to help them learn rudimentary things such as reading, writing and arithmetic. These type of games are great attention-getters to keep toddlers entertained while in line at stores (via cell phone apps), or just to keep them entertained while a mother takes a well-needed rest but doesn’t want to plunk her child down in front of a DVD or video on television like in past years. These children are actually getting engrossed and learning at the same time, while the mother does other tasks such as cleaning, cooking, or even taking a well-deserved break (Lopez, March 2012). Video games benefit the elderly, as shown in a study that most have not even thought about! Something to ponder is that back in the late 1970s and early 1980s there were many games in bars like PONG or PACMAN. This was the dawning age of the video game empire. And many of our parents at that moment in time were in those bars, enjoying the company of their peers. They played those games, spent their quarters, and had fun. In time, however, video games became more and more intricate and thus many older people tended to drift away from those moments of fun and escape. Perhaps they still longed to play those games, but were afraid to try the new formats. Those parents now are 30 years older and thought their gaming days were long gone. Video gaming has been shown to be very beneficial to the elderly retirement community through local senior recreation departments in many cities. Studies recently have found that the elder community of retirees over 65 do benefit from video game activities. These studies were commented on by Katharine Ross, the Director of an online Senior Magazine called Senior Guide Magazine. She states: â€Å"It’s clear that video games are becoming a popular addition to a large number of retirement community activity rooms and senior event calendars† (Ross, 2010, Paragraph 10). Some of the more popular games to play have been in senior living communities that have games like WII Bowling, where people actually feel that they are part of the game, because players make an avatar of themselves to play the game with, and their movements are recognized and played on the screen. This is known as â€Å"motion gaming† rather than the common â€Å"button pushing† of other game c ontrollers. The Nintendo WII and the XBOX 360 both have motion detection system games that do the same thing. After even just a few gaming sessions in these retirement communities, it has been found to have become a great success. There is a noted boost in balance, coordination and strength, which could help prevent an elderly person from getting the dreaded fall, where they break a hip or worse. This also makes them feel more involved and not just becoming a wall fixture in retirement homes. They are actually part of the community and part of the â€Å"in† crowd again, like reliving their past! This helps them both in the physical and psychological aspects of their lives (Zafar, Feb 2011). Not only does video gaming that involves movement help the elderly, but actually Allstate Insurance Company recently put out a new program for those aged 57 – 80, which challenges older drivers to upgrade and hone their skills in a video format. It improves their driving skills by offering a way to improve reaction time and memory. You drive on a virtual test track, and objects and different scenarios are thrust upon you to get through to the next level. Most who have taken this amazing course have gone on to be better drivers and driving longer. A strong point is to test the older driver’s field of vision, which can be done in a safe environment with this type of video game. Its fun, and helps keep clients for the insurance company also! (Potter, October 2008) Video gaming doesn’t end with just the pleasure part of it all, there are aspects to it that even benefit disabled persons! One of these important discoveries is the use in physical therapy. Stroke victims, whose limbs are not working in coordination with their brains, often have problems moving their limbs for simple tasks. In the past, this meant a long, drawn-out process of physical rehabilitation at a special facility. Nowadays, many rehabilitation programs include special video games designed to work with home video equipment to supplement a person’s rehab progress. The use of virtual reality gaming helps with arm functions (picking up a cup, using a WII controller on a WII game) or even doing word games, which involve memory, often a function lost when a person has a stroke. There are microphones in WII controllers, which recognize words, and special games are made where the person has to practice speaking these words over and over to become clearer in their speaking. This both saves time and money in the long run – freeing up the therapist to treat other patients, and less money spent on rehabilitation for the insurance companies. It’s a win-win situation any way studies look at it! The jury is still out on how well this really works, but from what experts can see, it is making a dent in the process and is more fun for the person going through it and they can do this in their own home surroundings (Anderson, April 2011). Lastly, the benefits of playing video games can be seen in all ages, by the reduction of stress! It has been shown that playing video games brings on a reduction of the stress-producing hormone called Cortisol. By reducing this hormone, stress is lowered and a calmer demeanor is produced and boosts people’s self-confidence levels. People that were in a depressed mood before playing a video game were given a game that was fairly easy to beat. Once beaten, these people had a huge boost in self-confidence, thus lifting their moods out of that sadness. For example, people at a call-center played a game, which involved choosing the singular smiling faces among many other depressing-looking faces on a screen as quickly as they could. After the game was completed, more employees felt that there was a more positive attitude in doing their jobs when they did well in the game ( Nauert, 2007). This reduction in stress was also seen in a study where children who have violent tendencies because of a stressful situation in their lives played certain video games. These children, usually aged from 12 to 14, were more likely to gravitate towards more adult rated â€Å"M† (for Mature) games, with more violence in them. But once they played these games, they tended to take out their aggressions on the characters they were playing against in the games, rather than their friends or peers on the street. Ultimately, the parents have the last word on how their children will be allowed to play certain games, but in this study, it did show that when given the chance to beat up a fictional character on the video screen, or beat up a real person, they chose to take out their aggression on the video screen, thus helping both the child and society with an ever-growing problem (News Staff Science 2.0, July 2007). Some people still might argue that video gaming rots your brain, but there is no doubt that video gaming can be helpful to people of all ages. One cannot dismiss the findings in studies on this subject. In the past 30 years, this has come a very long way, from the simple joystick controllers of the original Atari systems to high-tech versions played on your Apple I Pad today, with popular games like Angry Birds. From rehabilitation to stress relief, and from toddlers to the elderly, there are not many people around nowadays that can truly say that they have never played a video game of one type or another. Video gaming is good for everyone! References Weed, J. (2012, April 20). There are loads of video games that all ages can enjoy together. Retrieved from http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2018025676_ptteentween21.html Lopez, L. (2012, March 15). More moms turn to video games. Retrieved from http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/tech/Video-Game-Moms-142869815.html Zafar, A. (2011, February 13). Physical video games may help the elderly psychologically. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/02/physical-video-games-may-help-the-elderly-psychologically/71184/ Ross, K. (2010, July 01). Video games helping seniors stay young and healthy. Retrieved from http://assisted-living.benchmarkseniorliving.com/video-games-helping-seniors-stay-young-and-healthy/ Potter, N. (2008, October 27). Video games help elderly drivers. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=6121775page=1 Anderson, P. (2011, September 14). Video games may help stroke rehabilitation. Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749703 ( you have to belong to this website to view – or just google the title name ! I belong to it ! ) Earnshaw, R. (2011, April 17). Wii video games help rehabilitation patients. Retrieved from http://www.nwitimes.com/niche/get-healthy/fitness/wii-video-games-help-rehabilitation-patients/article_2bad04b4-313b-53d7-97c0-ac2f7b5d7257.html Nauert, R. P. (2007 , October 24). Video games lower stress hormone. Retrieved from

Event planning evaluation: The Chingay Parade

Event planning evaluation: The Chingay Parade Event Introduction Background We would like to do a detailed report that based on our findings on event planning and event evaluation process of an event. The event we have chosen is Chingay Parade. The Chingay Parade was firstly introduced in Johor Bahru in 2006 and it is a street parade event also a part of the celebration of Chinese New Year. The parade stretches go as far as 15km throughout the city of Johor Bahru, about 145 groups usually lasts from mid-afternoon to after midnight with an organized row of lion dances, interesting performances including dancing, singing, decorated parade floats and so on. First, we would like to explain why the event is called ‘chingay’. Chingay has two characters; Chin and Gay is the Min Nan dialect (including Teochew) for the Art of Decorating. The deities as Chingay Parade have rarely reffered to Johor Bahru residents as annual parade. This name is mostly used by the non-Chinese speaking public; probably due to the non-religious fancy parades in Penang and later in Singapore. Although the decorated floats and painted Chinese folk-characters are part and parcel of this annual parade, the main theme actually is the procession of the Five Deities from the five main dialect-groups of Johor Bahru. Thus for a Johor Bahru resident, especially the Chinese-educated, this annual parade is always pronounced ‘You-Shen’, which meaning the Parade of the Gods in Mandarin, rather than Chingay. As the historical of Chingay Johor Bahru, the Chingay Parade has been held for more than 100 years. It is celebrated on the 21st day in the first month of the Chinese Moon-related calendar and the event attracts thousands of people every year also as part of the Moon-related New Year celebration and as a predictor of peace and richness for the coming year for the town. Besides, Chingay started as a birthday celebration of Chinese gods, whose statues were taken out of temples and paraded around the city. In the belief that they will then provide plenty blessings to the people. Johors Chingay has heavy religious importance, where all parades begin at the Old Chinese Temple in Jalan Trus (Johor Bahru). Chingay procession was held in celebration with the birthdays of the Chinese deities or the procession of the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin). It was held to worship and enjoy with the deity. Today, the JB Old Temple has five main deities for the five main dialect-groups: ‘Yuan Tian Shang Di’ or ‘Tua Lau Ya’ for the Teochews, ‘Hong Xian Da Di’ for the Hokkiens, ‘Gan Tian Da Di’ for the Hakkas, ‘Hua Guang Da Di’ for the Cantonese and ‘Zhao Da Yuan Shuai’ for the Hainanese. On the 21st day at about 7 in the evening is the grand parade, all the devotees and those with designated tee-shirts of the respective associations will then enter the Deities’ Depot to lift their respective deities for the night parade. This will be accompanied by troupes of opera characters, musical bands, lion-dancers, dragon dancers, decorated floats, stilt-walkers, big-headed dolls, giant flags and many other groups to entertain the town-folks who by then will line along the entire route eagerly awaiting the deities to pass. The order of the procession is always predetermined. The first deity to lead the parade will be Zhao Da Yuan Shuai of the Hainanese clan, followed by Hua Guang Da Di of the Cantonese clan, then Gan Tian Da Di of the Hakka clan, Hong Xian Da Di of the Hokkien clan nd the last to round up the back is the main deity Yuan Tian Shang Di of the Teochew clan. Event Planning (Definition) In general, event planning is the process of managing a project such as a meeting, convention, birthday party, exhibition, conference and so on. Event planning includes money-planning, beginning and building on timelines, selecting and reserving the event sites, buying permits, planning food, coordinating transportation, developing a theme, arranging for activities, selecting speakers and keynotes, arranging for equipment and facilities, managing risk, and developing backup plans. As event planner, event planning means consists of coordinating every detail of meetings and conventions, from the speakers and meeting location to arranging for printed materials and visual equipment. Besides, Event planning begins with figuring out the goal that the sponsoring organization wants to accomplish. Planners choose speakers, entertainment, and content, and arrange the program to present the organizations information in the most effective way. In addition to that, event planning is the energizing art of planning people and activities in order to create a show that creates memories of a lifetime. Designing and producing an event, whether its a meeting, related to big business event, fund-raiser, tradeshow or any other event, is in many ways almost the same as directing a live stage performance. Event Planning (Important) Event planning can help event planner to know what is the contribution should be and how to achieve event purpose. It is an important point to make sure that the event will be successful. It also can help planner to identify their event goals clearly and make planner decide clearly and concretely what the event need to do and can affect the social that organization wants. Event planning also can help planner make sure that understand their goal and what they need to do to reach event goal by involving target consumer in the event planning process. It can make planners all work in a goal-oriented way more than in a loose way where planner just respond to issues and cries with not clear event goals as well. Besides, event planning can helps planner to accountable for what they do. It is a consequential point, event planning can help planner or organization decide what is the best to use resources including hired people, equipment, time and other, so that will help planner and organization most significant contribution to achieving their purpose. Last but not least, event planning important in lays the basis for event organization to asses and evaluate their achievements effectively. Event Evaluation (Definition) In general, event evaluation is analysis of the efficiency and efficacy of such events using a range of empirical methods. Event evaluation measures investigate impact at all levels. In apart from that, event evaluation is the process of critically observing, measuring and monitoring the implementation of an event in order to evaluate its results (Bowdin, 2008). Event Evaluation (Important) Event evaluation, as well as event planning cycle, it can help event organization and event planner to identify how they can improve and correct what they are achieving, event organization and planners also can take action to build on successes event and repeating failures in next time event. Besides, effective event evaluation process enables event organization and event planner to use what they learned from their experience to improve what they are achieving in the event. In addition to that, event evaluation is necessary to make event planner and team-mate more efficiency and effectively before the next time you organize an event. It is all about finding the mistakes and learning from them. In apart from that, evaluating help event planner gets feedback from attendees and participants, discovering the best and worst bits of an event to know if the event achieved its original aims, or how it could be improved for the next event. Moreover, evaluating shows volunteers and staff the value of their work and the impact of the event on the community. Some funders may require evaluations to be conducted, to show value for money as well. Event Planning Process Objective, visitor, place Chingay is a cultural Chinese New Year festival, so that the visitor of the event will be Chinese. Location of the Chingay Event held in Johor. Through history, after World War II, this activity spread to the south of Peninsular Malaysia unconsciously, that is Johor Bahru. Johor Bahru Chingay is commonly known as â€Å"Chinese New Year celebration part 2†. There are a folk saying on Johor Bahru people that â€Å"Chinese New Year never come to end if no celebrate Johor Bahru Chingay†. In addition, since the Chinese living in Johor majority. This annual event is inextricably linked to the Old Temple at Jalan Trus.to organizes Johor Bahru Chingay Celebration with five Chinese dialect groups also called as Parade of Deities. Based on the size of the number, this event plan in outdoor so that can accommodate more participants. Time, date, content The Chingay is conducted in the first lunar month from 18th to 22nd (5days). And which consecutive 3 days from 19th to 21st are running with the main activities. In the morning, when the gong decorated with sacred flag bearer of the team will be deemed to walk and jingle of the gong in the entire parade route, this represents to â€Å"wash the way† before the festivities begin. On the first day on 17 February 2014, here is a light up ceremony at Xing Gong. It is a provisional places that deities choose. It can provide more spacious place to believers to pray. For the second and the third day, there is a street cleansing and mounting of deities on holy sedans followed by a small drum music parade and deities leaving the Old Temple carried on holy sedans. The location is from Johor Old Temple to palace. Thereby completing the centuries Chingay for three consecutive days of Overture. On the fourth day, activity held in the evening at 7pm. It is a busy streets walk of Johor Bahru from Xing Gong and walk around the Xing Gong. The distance of the line is about 8 kilometer. The town-folks are accompanied by decorated floats, lion-dancers, troupes of opera characters and so on. Lastly, 22nd February is the day of deities return to their Divine abodes, after this Johor Bahru resident will feel that they had finished their New Year. Promotion+ Sponsorship All the source of communication have been use. The organizer, Tiong Hua associations started to promote Chingay. As Chingay is an on-going parade, it has its own website. Besides this they also create a Facebook page welcoming for people to join. In the page, they listed out all details and the history of Chingay. For those who have questions, they also willing to give answers and the information will be update on time. In the other hand, the organizer promote the event through newspaper. Meanwhile, there will be banners and posters at anywhere in Johor. In addition, There also have media conference helped them publicise. For people who may not be able to see any information on others way, TV stations are another alternative for people to get Chingay information. Chingay is a recurrent activities, so not too much publicity, people will get to know about it. Based on the relationship between people, word of mouth also became a tool of mass media. In this event, people who participatin g were dressed in several different styles and different signs of T-shirt which are provided by the supplier that are Carlsberg, Tiger and Country Garden Danga Bay. Thus, the vendors can use this event to advertise their products. Accessibility Due to the wide range of activities involved, the number of participants more, even at night parade, it is easily lead to the accidents. In order to avoid the occurrence of such outside bruised and protect the safety of participants, the organizer had invite the medical staff to assist. The organizer also prepared a resting place for the participants. Event Evaluation Chingay parade event is a successful event in Johor Bahru, Malaysia due to it has a lot of foreign and Chinese people will join in this festival event every year. In this festival event, it affect a lot of benefits impacts as well as the cost. In benefits, social and cultural impacts in this event including broaden people’s horizons because it has the festive atmosphere with stilt walkers, lion and dragon dances, acrobats, and dozens of decorated floats taking to the streets amidst the clashing of cymbals and beating of gongs and drums in this event. In this current issue, planner also try advantage a lot of new technology element inside this event so it will attract teenager joining this event. Another benefits in social and cultural impacts are revitalising traditions. Due to this event is a traditional festival event, it can promote our traditional culture inheritance to next generation as well. In addition to that, this event can increase Malaysian pride as well because have a lot of foreign know this event and it can let foreign know about our traditional culture. The positive political impacts in this festival event are this event can let our social cohesion. This event purpose is unity ‘Teochew’, ‘Hokkien’, ‘Cantonese’, ‘Hakka’ and ‘Hainan’ all of these Chinese people during 19th century. In this current, also can let other race people know about Chinese religion so it will increase Malaysian cohesion in the country, because everyone will respect different race religion. This event also will attract foreign tourists come to join in. It can increases tourists visit or travel in Malaysia so that we can earn and increase a lot of foreign money. On the contrary, this festival event also bring negative impacts in environmental which make a lot of environmental damage and pollution in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Due to the reason which people are going for a 15km around Johor Bahru, the participants will throw rubbish at the street and make noise. Besides, it will disturb residents around the city until midnight and this event increase traffic jam as well. In the political negative impacts, event organizer cannot calculate their budget in this event. Their budget come from donation and find a lot of sponsorship. If the year has financial crisis, they will get the donation less than last year and let the event lead to failure because they need a lot of money to be the cash float. Last but not least, it has a political negative impacts which are lack of accountability. Event organizer cannot predict the accountable of the amount of people who will join in the event and will make event organizer easily loss control of the event. Recommendation Evaluations often make recommendations about how a program can be improved, how the risk of program failure can be reduced or whether a program should continue. Based on the environmental negative impacts as environmental damage and noise disturbance, we can increase participant awareness about the knowledge of 3Rs which including reduce, reuse and recycle and everyone has responsibility to make sure the environment is clean. As traffic jam problem, we can encourage participant to achieve a sharing car plan with others or taking the public bus instead of taking private car. Chingay Johor Bahru can solve the noise disturbance problem by considering to plan the event not ended until mid-night for next year. Furthermore, due to the political negative impacts which are lack of accountability, the event organizer can do a survey form on social media first, understanding total how many people will participate the event before organizing and planning the event. Last but not least, the event organizer should planning the financial report first before finding a sponsorship to record how much they need to spent to control their budget. REFERENCE LIST What is event planning? Available from: http://institute-of-event-management.com/what-is-event-planning> Event planning. Available from:http://www.etu.org.za/toolbox/docs/building/webplan1.html> Johor Bahru Chingay. Available from:http://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2014/02/johor-bahru-chingay-2104-johor-kaki.html> Johor Bahru Chingay. Available from:http://festivalsandevent.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-joyful-celebration-chingay-parade-2012.html> Look on the Bright Side | Bartleby, the Scrivener Look on the Bright Side | Bartleby, the Scrivener The world is full of all sorts of different people. The differences are really what keeps the world revolving because of all the different ideas that comes from these people. But even though the world if full of all different types of people it isnt until you look closer that everyone is actually a lot more similar than one could image. Two stories that were a part of our English 202 class, Look on the Bright Side and Bartleby, the Scrivener look completely different from the titles. But as we learned about these stories we found out that the authors of these two stories happened to write about similar things even though the stories were punished in different centuries. The quote Dont judge a book by its cover is true because this paper shows that the similarities seem to out-weigh the differences. Dagoberto Gilb had been raised in a broken home and had attended college but could never hold down a white-collar job. Since Gilb could not keep a job he had worked odd jobs as a skilled carpenter and decided to keep a journal about his experiences. The language that was used in Look on the Bright Side was simple and conversational like. Gilb explained his thoughts in a way that one to comprehend and actually find something in common with (Charters 451). Actually some of the conversation in the book was similar to some of the conversation my parents would have at their home. Bartleby, the Scrivener was the longer of the two stories. It was about a man who owned his own business and was looking for a new employee. He ended up having troubles with his new employee, Bartleby, and had to figure out how to deal with the situation. The narrator had to attempt several different strategies to try to get Bartleby to leave and/or quit but nothing seemed to work. The story Bartleby, the Scrivener was written by Herman Melville who had never attending college and actually grew up working on a whaling ship. He had written several short stories about his experience on the boat and actually said that a whale shit was my Yale College and my Harvard(Charters 877). Melville had chosen to write this story because he was trying something new with his writings; his previous writings had failed. The language that Melville chose to use was sophisticated and educated and the sentences were longer, almost to the point of run-ons of the narrators thoughts. This story was defiantly a little bit harder to get through reading and some of the parts had to be read twice to fully understand. Even though these two stories have differences there are a few similarities that can be found within them. For instances both stories deal with someone trying to find a job, details about different characters that the narrators come into contact with and characters that the story has in common. The following will describe the similarities of each story. Looking for work seemed to be an issue in each story. In Look on the Bright Side the narrator was the one looking for job to support his family. The economy was bad and the narrator had been laid off from work because his job had gone bankrupt. The narrator made the mistake of not trying to find a job right away because he had been laid off before. He thought that he was taking advantage of having a break from work and going on vacation with his family, but that was obviously not the right decision at that time because at the end of the story he was still out of work. In Bartleby, the Scrivener the narrator was looking for help in his office. The narrator was already a successful scrivener and had already employed a few men that he had been working with him for years. I feel that the narrator made his mistake in the story when he went about finding office help the way he did. Instead of the narrator setting up interviews for the position and placing the most appropriate candidate he placed an ad in the paper and waited for a reply. Bartleby showed up at the narrators office one day for the job and the narrator continued to ask him a few questions about the job. Even though the narrator was hesitant about hiring Bartleby because he seemed shy he thought he would give Bartleby a chance. In most situations I dont think that the employer would hire someone that they werent too sure about. Great detail mentioned in both stories about the people that each narrator had come into contact with became the second biggest similarity. In Look on the Bright Side the narrator seemed to give greater detail about the people who were not directly involved in his life and less detail of the ones who were. First there was Mrs. Kevovian, who was the narrators landlord. He described her as being ignorant, nasty, and hard to communicate with(Gilb 452). The narrator described her to be this way because he has mixed feeling about her trying to raise the rent. The next person was the lawyer, Mr. Villalobos, who the narrator described in a way of being a fake Yassir Arafat. The narrator wasnt to sure about the lawyer because he thought that the lawyer was helping the wrong side. The main two people that were described in great detail were a bum across the street from the library and a man named John. The bum was introduced as being loud and then his physical character was described. He look ed like Einstein with a great, long beard and had hair like a wise man(Gilb 459) and his clothes were a mess as if he had not had a chance to shower in years. John was sketchier and talked nervously and jerked without pausing. He opened up to the narrator without hesitation; it was as if he was just happy to have someone to talk to. In Bartleby, the Scrivener the narrator gave great detail about his employees such as what they wore, how they looked, and even what their personality was like at different times of the day. The narrator had worked with his three employees for many years, he knew everything about them. He even knew what mood each employee was going to be in at what time of the day. This story went into even greater detail about each person that the narrator had come into contact with; it was if nothing about a character was missed. It seemed as if the author of the story wanted the reader to really get a feel for the people that were in the story and then he eased into the main point of the entire story. Lastly, I feel like I found each story had a little bit of craziness within it. The craziness that appeared in Look on the Bright Sides was towards the end when the narrator was outside of the library and John had came and sat by him who reminded the narrator of a hippie and then there were the bums across the street who were either rolling on the ground or yelling at the top of their lungs. In Bartleby, the Scrivener, Bartleby seemed to be the crazy one to an extent. He came into the job giving a loyal feeling to the narrator and he worked as hard as he could. Then Bartleby began to move into the office while continuing to work hard. The employer asked Bartleby nicely to leave the office after his work shift many times but Bartleby never ended up leaving; he had even found a key for the office and acted as if it was his home in a way. By the end of the story it took the law enforcement to remove Bartleby because a new employer had taken over the building and he still refused to leav e. Bartleby had only wanted to do what he wanted to do and it did not matter who was asking him for help or a favor he would either not responded or say I would prefer not to. I dont understand why anyone would want to stay in the office that they were working at, it almost made me wonder if Bartleby had done this with previous jobs. In each story the men went about dealing with their experiences in a different way. With the narrator in Look on the Bright Side he tried to stay positive as much as he could, he was always looking on the bright side. He knew that he had to find a job, but also knew that there was not any work out there, but heavily relayed on the business agents who kept telling him that work was going to break anytime. He also had to deal with the fact that his landlord wanted to raise the rent of their home, but he could not afford it nor did he think that the house was even worth that rent. He decided to go on vacation with his family and get in a little bit of trouble for trying to smuggle some rum and narcotics. At the end of the story he ended up going to court and winning, but in the he still lost the house and had to move his family out. I think that he should have tried to find a job right away, but of course he did not know that the economy was going to turn for the worst. The narrator in Bartleby, the Scrivener seemed to be more of a push over when it came to dealing with is problem with his new employee Bartleby, who did not want to do everything that was required for the job and then ultimately would not leave the office even after being told that he was fired. The narrator was always coming up with excuses for why Bartleby would act the way he did and would sometimes feel sorry for him. But then there were other times such as when Bartleby would say I would prefer not to that the narrator would get fed up with him and want to fire him. The narrator struggled with this issue of what to do with Bartleby through the whole story. He had tried everything from at first giving him the benefit of the doubt, then to bribing him, asking him to leave, and finally he moved his entire office closer down town. It seemed that whatever his plan of action was, he just could not rid himself of Bartleby. In the end he finally came to realization that Bartleby had gro wn into his life, and now that he was in jail, because the new employers of the office building that the narrator had sold could not get rid of him, he was going to visit with him as much as possible and find out who this interesting character named Bartleby really was. With both of these stories there was a different perspective of how to handle situations. In Look at the Bright Side the narrator really did try and look at the bright side of problem that he had ran into. As for Bartleby, the Scrivener the narrator pushed his issues off dealing with Bartleby and made excuses for him until he could no longer handle it. The narrator was pushovers by letting Bartleby get away with everything in the beginning. Even though the stories dealt with two different issues they were still similar. There was great detail about each person that the narrators came into contact with, from what they looked like to what their personality was like. Both of these stories were great life lessons and should be kept in the back of everyones mind when they run into these situations in life. One, you cannot always be a push over because you are going to lose in the end and two, you should always try and stay positive and focus on the real things in life such as family and f riends, not just money. Work Citied Charters, Ann. Dagoberto Gilb. 8th. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 451. Print. Charters, Ann. Herman Melville. 8th. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. 877. Print. Gilb, Dagoberto. Look on the Bright Side. 452-460. Print. Melville, Herman. Bartleby, the Scrivener. 878-904. Print.

Creatine :: essays research papers

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning of time, the body has been a sign of dominance. Creatine monohydrate has been around for over a hundred years, but it has been only used as a dietary supplement for the past decade. Over the years creatine has been one of the leading in supplements, and it is used worldwide. Creatine is neither a drug nor a steroid; it is a legal dietary supplement. Athletes use it to get the edge on competition and older people use it to stay healthy. It all depends on who wants to use it. With everything in the world, there is a positive and a negative creatine is no different. Being a user myself, I want find out problems that may later come up. I am looking to find what creatine can do for me, both positive and negative. Up to this point I love creatine and over a period of three years I have noticed a dramatic change. Creatine has helped me advance my athletic ability and hopefully to fulfill my dreams and goal. The world has just surpassed the millennium mark, but there is so much we still don't know. Creatine is a supplement that has not been looked at for its long-term effect, but in due time needs to be. With so many people reporting their benefits, creatine has to be doing something right, but who knows what is in store for the future? Until a fact has been stated, and proven that creatine is deadly, one shouldn't listen to myths. To some, creatine may be dangerous drug, but to analyze it, one must know what it actually is, the ways to use it, along with the pros and cons of using creatine. Body   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The year was 1886 a French scientist just happened to stumble upon a substance that would enhance muscle growth. Chevreul, the scientist, found that creatine is stored in the human body naturally. It is mostly stored in lean red muscle tissue in the form of creatine phosphate (Sahelian 49). To users, it is known as creatine, but to advance researchers it is known as methyl guadidine-acetic acid. Creatine is a combination of three substances; glycine, arginine, and methionine. Naturally found in the body, creatine provides the energy our muscles need to move. Creatine is produced in the liver, pancreas, and the kidneys. The way creatine works is very abstruse, but the first thing one must know is that creatine exists in two different forms.

Briar Rose :: essays research papers

Jane Yolsen produces a powerful and moving novel that deftly blends the legend of Sleeping Beauty with the historical tragedy of the Holocaust. To Rebecca, Sylvia and Shana, "Briar Rose" was simply a bed time story but in all reality the story they grew up with was an actual event in Gemma's life. Although Gemma always identified strongly with Briar Rose, the sleeping princess, no one had thought it anything but a bedtime story. But when a mysterious box of clippings and photos turns up after Gemma's death, hinting that the accepted version of Gemma's origins is untrue, Becca begins tracing the real story, which bears striking resemblance's to Gemma's fairy tale. Becca then sets off on a journey to Europe to discover her grandmother's true identity. I felt this book was more for adults than for young adults. It was complicated and probably difficult for a young teen to follow. It had language that may not suitable for a young adult. Such as a line like, "Stan expertly braked and simultaneously turned the wheel slightly to the right. "Asshole!" he muttered." (Jane Yolen, 67). It was a remarkable book. I usually don't enjoy reading what I "have" to, but I truly adored this book. When I first started the book I wasn't very enthused but once I read the first four chapters (for the second time) I started falling into the novel. I became so emotionally involved with the characters and the story that I had to finish it. It made me recall everything I had learned in history class about the Holocaust. At that time it did not seem to "click". Now that I read this story and all of its frightful horrors it all comes rushing back. Now that I think about it, this is actually a great book for young adults to read. It teaches them a little about the holocaust and the terrible tragedies that had occurred. It even teaches them a bit about homosexuality. Though the gays were not treated very well in Yolen's novel. I loved the detail that Yolen put into "Briar Rose". It felt like I was actually there, staring down at the mountain of bodies below. Smelling the putrid smell of week old rotting corpses. Sleeping in a trench covered with branches and leaves, with nine to thirteen other escapees, aching for a shower and food in my stomach.

I. Brief Overview of different sculpture styles A. Egyptian Sculpture

Egyptian sculpture is distinct in their symbolic formality based on an ancient set of rules for three-dimensional works of art and were not meant to capture or memorialize a certain event or point in time. Egyptian sculpture is primarily used for religious purposes, mostly to guard over the dead. It is typically hewn from stone and figures preserve the cubic form of the original slab.The figures are always deliberately facing the front and much of the detail is hewn to represent characteristics of the frontal image, and is usually painted with vibrant colors.Later Greco-Roman influence later transformed the detail of the face to more closely approximate a realistic representation of the human face. (â€Å"Egypt†) B. Greek Sculpture The most important samples of Greek sculpture deal with religious themes, although civic, domestic and sepulchral themes are also common. When dealing with human subjects, realism tempered by idealism is the order of the day. Some were large, others small enough to place on a pedestal. Subjects include iconic figures such as the Greek gods and goddesses, priests, sacred animals and others of votive character.The most popular type of Greek sculpture is the bas relief and in the round. Greek sculpture was also used to honor civic events such as treaties and national games. These memorials are mythopoetic in character. In general Greek sculptures in marble, stone, terracotta, bronze or wood are distinct in its grace and beauty, its hint of action and value as a record of dress and fashion of the era. Finishing included liberal applications of oil, wax and color for a more life-like sheen except for those made of marble, where color was added only for emphasis.(â€Å"Greek sculpture – part I†) C. Roman Sculpture Sculpture as an art form developed late in Roman society because Romans considered all forms of art from a practical point of view and held it in contempt as work only slaves should do. Much of the work done in sculpture in the 2nd and 3rd Century B. C. was likely done by Etruscans. During the reign of Augustus (63 B. C. – 14 A. D. ), Romans began drawing away from mostly decorative and utilitarian subjects of sculpture to more mythological themes.The conquest of the Greeks shifted the material of choice from bronze to marble, and a shift from in the round to relief sculptures. Masses of Greek works of art were transported to Roman strongholds and excited much admiration but no desire to produce their own. Wealthy Romans commissioned copies of the more famous works for display in their homes. With Augustus, there was a dawning approximation to the Greek attitude towards art which did not survive his demise, but which did produce some of the more beautiful pieces of Roman sculpture such as the Altar of Peace (erected c. 12 B. C. ).(â€Å"Greek and Roman Art†) Only the development of relief on sarcophagi continued and outperformed Greek in this instance, and is evident in th e many extant samples such as the arch at Beneventum. The distinct Roman robustness and flavor is more evident in larger pieces of work rather than individual pieces. (â€Å"Roman sculpture†) II. Descriptions of the selected works of art A. The Indian Triumph of Dionysus (Late 2nd Century, Marble) This relief was used as one side of a Roman sarcophagus representing the triumphal return of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine after his sojourn in India and the East.Known as Bacchus in Roman mythology, he is portrayed here in a reclining fashion amidst what appears to be a procession or festival celebrating his return. He is as usual portrayed with grapes about his head, signifying wine. He is surrounded by men, women, children as well as a herald and he is apparently being carried by soldiers. Satyrs are also present, as well as panthers, which are often associated with this mythological figure. There is at least one elephant and a horse. The whole relief is a study in movement, ev en dancing.Not one of the figure is in repose, and there is much going on. Each figure contributes to the richness of the representation, from the fruits in the basket, to the two children astride the elephant. All elements are on the move, even the draperies of the women. This is a classic example of the expertise developed by Roman sculptors for this particular form of art, and illustrative of the Greek influence, from the subject of the relief to the style of the dress. B. Portrait Figure of a Ruler (Roman c. A. D. 200—225, Bronze)This bronze figure is a rare example of the period before marble became the material of choice for sculpture in-the-round. It is speculated that this was in emulation of Augustus, who in turn followed the example of Alexander the Great who declared himself a god. Probably once contained in the temple of an Asia Minor emperor, this is missing the head, the right leg midway to the calf and the left foot. It is a muscular yet graceful figure, striki ng a pose of some authority and arrogance, as if declaiming to his adoring public or announcing some important news.It is also incredibly detailed, somewhat embarrassingly so in this instance as the figure is quite large and the details stand out somewhat. The head was probably cast separately from the body as the break looks clean, as if from a joint. It is a magnificent specimen of manhood, and the face was probably as beautiful. It would probably benefit from some cleaning. C. Monumental Statue of the Pharaoh Ramesses II Enthroned (Egypt, New Kingdom, 1386-1349 BC and 1279-1212 BC, Grandiorite) This monument to Ramses II (c. 1290-1224 BCE), who is said to have ruled over Egypt for almost 67 years, are found in Nubia, near the Sudan.â€Å"There are figures of Ramses II with the prime gods of the New Kingdom, including Ptah, the Memphis creater god, Re-Harakhte, the sun god of Heliopolis and Amun Re, the great god of Thebes†. Together they guard the entrance to the temple de dicated to these figures. The Great Temple of Ramses II is on the left while the Temple of Hathor/Nefertari is on the right. They were cut into natural rock, and at 20 meters high are considered colossi. (Sullivan) There are four figures in all, although the figure on the right of Ramses II is missing a torso. The rock is pinkish in tinge.The figures are sitting on thrones facing front, all the hands on their laps. The figures are rigid although the expression on the Ramses’s face is placid, with even a hint of a smile. The features are well-formed, incredible considering how it has been exposed to wind and sand for all these years. Inscriptions are carved in the arms. At their feet between the legs are smaller figures standing upright, perhaps representing servants or priests. In between each colossi are women figures are dressed finely, and are perhaps royalty. There is much vandalism, names and dates scratched into the stone as far back as 1875.The podium is inscribed with hieroglyphics and the rightmost figure had lost the beard. There appears to be figures of baboons over the entrance of the temple. III. Comparison of the three sculptures The Roman works of art are good representative examples of the two kinds of sculptures popular during that period: relief in marble and sculpture in the round in bronze. The colossi Ramses II is a typical example of the three-dimensional Egyptian style. There appears to be nothing less similar than the two art types. The composition for one thing is completely different.In Roman sculptures, the lines are never linear. The single subject appears about to move or speak, so dynamic is the pose. In the relief, there is visible interaction among the elements of the sculpture, and each figure tells a different story. It memorializes a moment and an occasion. The figures themselves are idealistically and naturally constructed, celebrating the Roman idea of beauty of form and structure. In the Egyptian sculpture, the figu res are stiff and formally posed. No movement is implied, and the pose is strictly linear and frontal, as traditional for Egyptian sculpture.The figures themselves are stylized, showing no definition of muscles or other details but with some emphasis on the face and the ornaments such as the headdress and the clothes, which are as stiff and immobile as the body. It memorializes the figures as immovable and permanent, hence the size of the statues and the fact that it was hewn right out of solid rock. The use of hieroglyphics is also prolific, taking the place of visual representation in telling the story of the figures. Yet there are similarities, mostly in the theme, which is divinity.Ramses is portrayed as side by side the most important gods of the New Kingdom, while the single sculpture deified the emperor and the relief treated the subject of a god celebrated, Dionysus. IV. Conclusion While this paper does not include a specimen of Greek sculpture, it has been discussed earlier that the Romans closely followed the Greek style of sculpture, mostly by using imported sculptures as a basis for copies for their own sculptures. A cursory glance at extant Greek sculpture in the round will immediately reveal how closely the Roman versions mimic the Greek style, from material to posture to subject.Ancient sculptures are representative of the society in which they were produced. They are lasting monuments to the great civilizations which spawned them, and while each is stylistically different, they provide valuable insights into how the ancient Romans and Egyptians lived and how they chose to be remembered. Works Cited â€Å"Egypt . † Ancient Arts. n. d. Detroit Institute of Arts. 24 July 2007 . â€Å"Egyptian Sculpture – Part 1. † Old And Sold. n. d. 24 July 2007 .â€Å"Greek and Roman Art. † Amazon. com. 2007. 24 July 2007 â€Å"Greek Sculpture – Part 1. † Old And Sold. n. d. 24 July 2007 . â€Å"Roman Sculpture. † Old And Sold. n. d. 24 July 2007 . Museum of Fine Arts Houston. 2007. 24 July 2007 . Sullivan, Anne. â€Å"The Great Temple of Ramses II. † Bluffton University. 2001. 24 July 2007 .

Plastic Ban

Plastic Ban 101 We never know the worth of water till the well is dry (Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732). There are garbage everywhere. Water forms are polluted and underwater beauties are damaged due to different activities of humans. Do we still have to wait for the worst to come before we make a move to conserve and protect our environment? The earth where we are living is now at risk. This statement is supported by the survey conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS) during the first quarter of 2012.They found that 66% of Filipino adults say the rising world temperature is dangerous (consisting of 37% extremely dangerous and 29% very dangerous) for the environment. Twenty-seven percent say it is somewhat dangerous, and 7% not dangerous/not dangerous at all. Though many Filipinos know that our environment is in great danger, another survey that questions ,†How often do you make a special effort to sort glass or tins or plastic or newspapers and so on for recycling (ALWAYS , OFTEN, SOMETIMES, NEVER, or RECYCLING NOT AVAILABLE WHERE I LIVE)?The result is: 31% of Filipino adults say always, 24% often, 31% sometimes, and 9% never. The remaining 5% claim that recycling is not available in the place where they live. One solution is available; banning plastic bags in the country. The House of Representatives approved HB 4840 or the Plastic Regulation Act of 2011. This act would require the phase out of non-biodegradable plastic bags within three years and the placement of a plastic bag recovery bin at each store or cluster of stores.However, SB 2759 or the Total Plastic Bag Ban Act of 2011 is still pending in the Senate. Is this really the solution to the issue in our environment? Banning of plastics will surely be a great help, but there will always be two sides of a story, how about the consequences of the act? First, a great number of Filipinos are working in plastic-manufacturing companies, they’ll be jobless once the bill is passed.If this compa nies will be closed, it also has a great impact in the Philippine economy, resulting to numerous protests from different business groups. â€Å"The business groups, including the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation of Philippine Industry and Philippine Exporters Confederation, put out a full-page advertisement in major newspapers yesterday to denounce the plastic ban.The other business groups are the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Pollution Control Association of the Philippines, Samahan ng Pilipinas sa Industriang Kemiko, Association of Petrochemical Manufacturers of the Philippines, Packaging Institute of the Philippines, Polystyrene Packaging Council of the Philippines, Philippine Plastics Industry Association, Metro Plastics Recycling Industries, Philippine Association of Supermarkets and Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association. The plastic ban does not protect the environ ment at all. It leads to more paper use, which means more trees cut and higher water and power use. The environment is worse off,† the ad stated. † (Desiderio, Louella D. â€Å"14 business groups oppose ban on plastic bags† The Philippine Star 1 Sept. 2012) These factors are the reasons why the SB 2759 or the Total Plastic Bag Ban Act of 2011 is still on the way in being a law.On the other hand, if the bill will be passed, it will be a great help in protecting the environment. One solid evidence is the town of Los Banos in Laguna. According to the former mayor Caesar Perez, the solid waste management program drastically curbed the garbage problem in the municipality. â€Å"Los Banos has successfully reduced its waste by 75 percent. † However, discipline remains the core ingredient of the program, Perez noted. Without it, he said, no initiative would have succeeded. Ang tao naghahanap ng pagbabago. Pero ang hindi nila alam, ang pagbabago magsisimula sa bawat isang mamamayan,† he added. (LAMENTILLO ANNA MAE YU â€Å"Ban on plastic bags slowly gaining momentum† August 28, 2012 from http://www. gmanetwork. com/news/story/271569/news/nation/ban-on-plastic-bags-slowly-gaining-momentum) Our ancestors lived without using plastic bags, there are many alternatives like bayong, reusable bags, net bags, etc.Plastics also are dangerous, even those â€Å"degradable plastic bags† that may degrade in two to five years but this issue remains unclear. â€Å"Degradable plastic bags merely perpetuate ‘throw-away’ and ‘dispose-as-usual’ mentality as it gives the wrong impression that discarding them the habitual way is okay since they degrade anyway,† said Greenpeace campaigner Beau Baconguis. â€Å"This raises, at least, two problems: littering and continued production of plastic waste,† she added. â€Å"When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves†. David Orr I choose to support the banning of plastic because the use of it primarily attributes the occurrence of natural calamities. Little of us do know that we, ourselves contribute in triggering such phenomena. There isn't any problem with the plastic itself, but the way or the manner of how people use it spells out the grim result of irresponsibility of disposing plastics. So, better to lessen the factor that causes the occurrence of floods and other calamities we should start by completely vanishing the use of plastic.