Analysis Of Bill T Jones Choreographic Pieces Art Essay

Bill T. Jones is a galvanizing choreographer with an tickle pinking presence and personal appeal. His digest of â€Å" Solos † includes â€Å" Tea for Two † , â€Å" Ionization † , and â€Å" Chaconne † . All different from each other are word pictures of Jones ‘ emotions and organic structure motions to their extremes. Giving a brief account to each, â€Å" Tea for Two † is a word picture of emotions like desire and love, while â€Å" Ionization † has an utmost engagement of strong music, motion, and looks which depict force, and eventually, â€Å" Chaconne † is a aflicker public presentation that displays the engagement of artistic techniques and music insinuating a certain narrative, or feeling. This paper is an mentality of Jones ‘ work, particularly in these public presentations, and how each public presentation is an artistic representation of a certain subject. The classical vocal â€Å" Tea for Two † is what Bill T. Jones ‘ public presentation is based upon. It is a solo which he presents twice ; one time on the steps, and following in a studio. On the other manus, as a witness I have realized that differences in the scene may take to a huge differentiation between two public presentations. First, â€Å" Tea for Two: On the Stairs. † The public presentation is a word picture of love, freewill, and desire. I have felt that Jones performs with his full ardor on the streets out to observe. Besides, the wordss sung by Blossom Dearie speak for themselves as the terpsichorean is blissful and content about the house created for him and his lover off from the busy life of the metropolis. As a witness, I have felt that it is a romantic lay dance where Jones is conveying to his audience that he is happy sing being entirely with his loved 1 with no 1 to trouble oneself them enabling them to hold tea for two and basking it without any break.Besides, I have realized that Jones ‘ free manner of dancing reflects his freedom and peaceableness. The daylight tends to capture the kernel of love and felicity, while his facial looks are of a happy adult male content with his life and life. In this dance sequence, the infinite is to the full utilised with no sets, or props to up set the construct of freedom he is seeking to convey to the audience. A really natural and clean public presentation, which shows what small felicity in life, along with a loved one, can make to a human being.Furthermore, traveling on to â€Å" Tea for Two: In the Studio † . Although Jones had performed the piece twice on the same music, the difference in the scene gave the dance another feeling. I felt that Jones is non executing with the same kernel, or power. Besides, I believe that his public presentation in the studio constrained him ; impeded him from traveling freely, unlike his public presentation on the stepss where you could experience the positive energy shimmering from every motion and line Jones had made. Furthermore, â€Å" Do you think I ‘ll do a soldier, every unit of ammunition goes higher and higher, do you desire to hold your freedom? † are the words of Bill T. Jones which he added after his public presentation to the piece in the studio. To me , this altered the temper after watching the public presentation as Jones left the audience in deep ideas ; besides, as a witness, I did non to the full understand the purpose of such a quotation mark ; nevertheless, it could be that Jones is dubious while mentioning to â€Å" himself † as a soldier, and questionable sing geting his freedom as he pictures it with his loved one. Traveling on to another dramatic piece by Bill T. Jones entitled â€Å" Ionization † . â€Å" Ionization † is a piece choreographed to a authoritative music composing by Edgar Varese, and this dance piece is an first-class synchronism of different instruments with the moves of the organic structure. Besides, as a witness, the dance is an ionisation of the human organic structure to different beats in life and is besides built on the premiss of how a organic structure moves to the most sensitive differentiations of assorted sorts of percussive sounds. Different instruments such as the bass and the membranophones are a pleasance to hear when synchronized to the soft and comforting sounds of the piano and the saxophone. Besides, as a witness, I was awakened with the African like beats, every bit good as, beats similar to the boom of a king of beasts and Sirens leting Jones to switch within the infinite utilizing stronger motions harmonizing to the round of the instruments. Furthermore, I consider this solo public presentation by Jones really much attending catching as the manner he communicated with his audience through his facial looks was outstanding ; besides, the manner he switched fleetly from one look to another, yet holding full control to do such switches apparent was like an expert done. Furthermore, force could be seen bit by bit in the public presentation from the beginning to the terminal from his crisp stomp like motions to his facial looks with conformity to the music played. However, although Jones ‘ public presentation to the full caught my attending, the music he chose for such a sequence was someway ruling doing me concentrate in certain parts with the music played instead than Jones while executing. Additionally, â€Å" Chaconne † is framed around spoken text and the music of Bach ‘s D-Minor Partita for Solo Violin. This solo public presentation accompanied by Bach ‘s D Minor Partita could be about Jones ‘ personal memories accompanied by the visual aspect of written text on screen about a close friend of him, or it could be dedicated to his female parent. Furthermore, I believe that the text is straight related to the sad and painful moves of Jones in the dance sequence. Besides, the text helped me as a witness understand the temper of the performing artist and grok the intent of the dance sequence as it felt that Jones was someway portraying the individual in torment, or retrieving how she felt during her blink of an eye of hurting, particularly during the portion while he was on the floor with his manus organizing a bosom like form and the text looking. Furthermore, the music, which is wholly a mix of fiddles, added to the softness of the public prese ntation. Although there is a immense difference between Jones ‘ four public presentations, I have liked â€Å" Chaconne † the most as I have felt that it reflects certain concealed emotions within him which he is able to merely reflect through dance and concealed address. Last but non least, it is hard to compare between two profound choreographers such as Bill T. Jones and Merce Cunningham ; nevertheless, I have admired Jones ‘ manner most as to me he managed to portray original modern-day dance and stage dancing. Although Merce Cunningham is a innovator in modern-day dance, and I am non a guru in such a field to to the full show my sentiment ; nevertheless, that is what I have realized after watching several pieces by both choreographers. Bill T. Jones is an keen performing artist and choreographer who is able to catch clasp of his audiences attending from the minute he starts dancing. Besides, his ability to set up stage dancing with clear messages sent is an property which I find important. Bill T. Jones is genuinely adept in his field of expertness, and truly has the ability to maintain his audience engaged wherever and whenever he performs.

The Significance of the Title to the Novel the Pearl

The significance of the title to the novel ‘The Pearl’. The novel ‘The Pearl’ by John Steinbeck is such a novel that really interest me as a reader. What is really appropriate is the title itself which incorporate ‘the pearl’, the essence of the story. The pearl is very significant to the title because without ‘the pearl of the world’, the story just would not exist. The novel could not stand by itself if the pearl is not found. We can also see that any story would not be interesting without conflicts.The pearl has created conflicts among the characters in the novel. Thus, it can be said that it is the pearl that moves the story. The characters are nothing without the pearl. The pearl is the beginning and the end of the novel. As readers, we can see that the pearl appears as something significant when Kino found it. The finding of the pearl is described vividly in the story. Its colour and shape are shown by the writer graphically. The response from Kino who clinched his fist triumphantly and his friends who come in drove show the importance of the pearl.We realized that the story revolves around the pearl. This continues till the end of the story. The disappearance of the pearl when it was thrown by Kino marks the end of the story. Therefore, the pearl is a single entity which is very important to the novel. The pearl is crucial as the title as it differentiate between good and evil and between the poor and the wealthy. It becomes a priceless commodity that turns the character into who they are. Those who wish to be evil use the pearl for evil purposes whereas the good just need it for their normal life.Thus the pearl is very significant to both parties, and to the title of the novel. A novel energy lies in the existence of powerful characters and plot. Although the pearl is not a character, its involvement in nearly all the important happenings is a statement that it is the energy that drives the story forwa rd. Those who touch it become obsess with it and those who haven’t are willing to do anything to get it. Kino becomes obsessed with the pearl promises and the doctor is willing to sacrifice his professional etiquette to obtain the pearl.It seems that the energy of the pearl is uncontrollable. This makes ‘The Pearl’ a remarkable tale that interest readers. A story needs a suitable setting which suit the period. The pearl is a perfect instrument that suits a story that takes place in La Paz, an important pearl producer in American Continent. We can imagine that if the pearl is replaced with other thing, the novel would become dull and the story becomes irrelevant. It is an important tool that require by many people in La Paz, including the natives and the wealthy immigrants.Kino himself said that the pearl is his soul. The pearl that drives the economy of La Paz is also the one that drives the plot of ‘The Pearl’. The points above have shown that the t itle of the novel ‘The Pearl’ which uses the pearl of the world as its main ingredient is rightly chosen. The title ‘The Pearl’ perfectly suits the story plot. It also provides the right ingredient for conflicts and a foundation for a never ending quests for a good life.

Most Influential Books on Leadership Essay

Leadership is an issue which has been in the limelight in every aspect of human governance. Human development has been linked with management and directions which are part of leadership. Various characteristics of leadership have therefore been identified from various areas in life. This paper aims at identifying three different types of books on leadership which are recognized to be the most influential. The first choice is the book â€Å"Talent Is Never Enough: Discover the Choices That Will Take You beyond Your Talent† by John C. Maxwell . The author holds that talent is never enough in leadership. There are many different people in the whole world , thus showing that talent will never end. Nevertheless if acquiring that talent were just enough for everybody, then we would all be at a higher level and being full of potentials. There are therefore other things that need to be included in our talents so as to be able to discover those opportunities especially when it comes to business. People need to come up with other discoveries which would take them more steps beyond the talents they have. In businesses today, most leaders mostly concentrate more on the talents they have alone. The writer of this book, who in this case is a known expert in leadership – John C. Maxwell – argues that this is not the right way to achieving success. In his discourse, he describes how highly talented people who are globally known would be very successful if talent was the only contingency for that matter . That is not however the case. The book goes on to place more emphasis and support the writer’s decision by highlighting the fact that society is full of people who could have been great men and women if only they used other ideas apart from what they call talent. The author talks of prominent people like Jefferson, Nameth, Churchill, Bono, Oprah, and Dickens whom, apart from their talents, went steps ahead to the next level of increasing their talents and maximizing it to improve the world. They employed more efforts to what they discovered as their talent to capture other opportunities in life. That is why they are the talk of the world. According to Max, talent should therefore be present. It should however be followed by other measures that improve it. With different examples given of those people who maximized their talents, there are a few who did not. The author thus goes ahead to encourage the reader to support the author’s views and improve their lives by giving thirteen key choices one can adopt to become a person with advanced and maximized talent (Maxwell J. C(2009). The second selection of the most influential leadership books that I would recommend is â€Å"The Skinny of the Art of Persuasion† by Jim Randel. In leadership, persuasion is one of the most important skills that a leader should posses. This book provides sound and detailed information on persuasion in leadership. Moreover, it offers other important recommendations on persuasion from various prominent leaders. The book advices on persuasion thanks to the fact that the author is an attorney besides being well experienced in the field. Further, apart from his experience Randel quotes people like Kevin Hogan, James Speakman, Dave Lakhani, Dale Carnegie, Robert Cialdini, Tom Hopkins, Malcolm Gladwell, and others in his discussion on persuasion in leadership. This approach puts more emphasis on the author’s concept. He states that persuasion basically involves integrity. To add to his topic, Randell gives his personal life stories regarding leadership which still bothers him till then. To understand and get acquainted with what he is insinuating, his book finalizes with tips which are easy to understand about a good persuader in leadership (Alegre M. 2010). The third influential book on leadership is John Ferling’s new book on â€Å"The Ascent of George Washington. † It talks about the relationship between leadership and education. It is very important -especially in the current world – to link leadership with the educational backgrounds of those aspiring to be leaders in future. George Washington was an educated man in leadership. He had focus in his politics due to the great boost from his education. This is an ideal model of how leaders should learn to lead others. The author in this book goes ahead to reveal Washington as a political genius due to the fact that he was politically focused, ambitious, and was driven to succeed. Although described by the author as the most untactful and indecisive in times of crises, Washington was the only right person to lead Americans to independence. His character, boldness, judgment, industriousness, determination, and skillful political thinking were remarkable. It is a book that explains how one does not need to be perfect to achieve greatness (Alegre M. 010). Therefore, these books cover some of the most important aspects of leadership which most people fail to identify while leading others. Since most of us are leaders in one way or another, it is equally important to consider reviewing such influential leadership books to acquire various tips of leadership and also – as stated by Maxwell – to improve our talents in leadership. This strategy will not only boost our leadership qualities, but will also enable us to identify new opportunities in life and be able to pursue only the best of them.

Art of Graffiti Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art of Graffiti - Essay Example . . . To them to get busted is like a Purple Heart. Nobody really slams the doors on those thugs. These graffiti vandals are causing people pain and grief. They think they're artists and have some right like free speech to express their individualism or artistry. If they want to be an artist they should go to work for a record company and do hip-hop CD covers. Graffiti might look good to them and their buddies, but the majority of the people don't want to look at that crap every day"2. As a matter of fact "any type of cultural or artistic production forces change on an environment. Most of the time, people abide by well-established rules for culture-producing activities. They do it through consuming certain products in certain ways or by creating symbols of their identity within the scope of what is legal for the entire society. In general, people who write graffiti produce culture in a different manner. No matter what it says, the manner in which graffiti is produced defines the writer's position as an outsider and alienates that person from the rest of society"3. Although there are hundreds of individual styles of graffiti, there are only seven basic forms in which it appears. These forms, the names of which are known to all graffiti writers, can be distinguished generally by their size, location, complexity of design, or the materials used to create them4. Bubble is a style, in which all similar to each other letters are rounded, joined with each other, and looks as though exaggerated, similar to bubbles bursting at the seams. More often it is used just few colors, basically two or three. This is one of the most popular styles of beginners. Wild Style differs from all the other styles, first of all, by the complexity of letters, which most often are non readable. They are so mazy that sometimes even people who know what's what in graffiti and write it, are not capable to puzzle out an inscription, let alone everymen. And only those, who draw in such style, without can easily read the text of the image. The point is that a writer adds additional elements to the letters, which distract attention from letters.FX (or 3D style) differs in absolute volume of letters. To think up such figure is very difficult. It is necessary to possess not ordinary imagination and uncommon thinking to draw a word in volume. Thus, it is necessary that all letters were combined with each other, and it was clear enough what is written. Far not every writer is capable to do it. Moreover a writer needs many years of trainings to write graffiti in this style.Messiah Style. Originality of this style is that letters look like written on separate she ets and imposed on each other. This style has been invented by the inhabitant of New York Vulcan, which works are characterized by original color scale. Charater is a style, in which the characters from the style of comics are used. Sometimes there is a framework of speech, in which can be present the signature of the writer (autograph), or speech of the character. On background often there is an inscription executed in other style. At

Scapegoat Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Scapegoat - Assignment Example He was a man of great radical contradictions who was very reckless yet cautious, cautious but was very uncivil, tender though was very ferocious. He encounters the death of his father with consuming outrage and righteous indignation but does not even show compunction yet he is fully responsible for the meddling death of his father. The authoritarian personality of the Hamlet did not give him an opportunity to have an insight of his shortcomings and even the projection of his weaknesses and faults which most likely represents very important aspects of scapegoating. "We must undertake a life-changing steps, eye opening and spirit-raising odyssey against any kind of intolerance and misunderstanding making us to see and understand these characters in our lives as people learn to record their thoughts and even the feelings in the diaries and eventually to dub themselves the freedom world in homage to the civil rights activists", said Hamlet. Grit is the best indicator or predictor of any success in the life of any person especially when it comes to goals that are set to achieve out of conscious deeds of a person. In some cases, grit proves to be a better indicator of personal success than the IQ. The best idea that one can learn from the building grits in the children is growth mindset that comes with a belief that ability of someone to learn is not fixed and that it can change with the amount of effort that is put. When children read and learn about the brain and how it changes and even grow in response to any challenge then they are most likely to persevere when they encounter failure because they will live to believe that failure is not a permanent condition. The story goes on with a discussion of some common cinematic concept of scapegoats where Hamlet demonstrates a lot of many rebellious characters that were allocated to the victim process in the days of the Hollywood

Vacation to New York City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vacation to New York City - Essay Example From the size of the buildings to the width of the main streets, even the height of the horses on whose backs police patrolled was such as I had not seen before. However, perhaps the most memorable fact of all was the sounds and overall noise. Although I did not come from a small town, to begin with, I was not prepared for the business and overall noise level that New York life involved. In any given minute there could be a street musician, a sidewalk advertisement/demonstration, people whistling for taxis, horns beeping, construction equipment working, jackhammers chipping, and the general din of thousands of people all talking at once. To my young and impressionable mind, this is one of the facts I will remember to the day I die as I recall looking out into the faceless mass of humanity with child-like awe and wonder at the sea of humanity that existed all around me. Beyond the noise, the grandeur of the buildings and their size was something else that gave me pause. Courthouses back home had a level of grandeur as did banks to a certain degree; however, the columns, the size, the colors, the use of glass, granite and steel to make obscenely tall buildings erupt from the corners of the sidewalk was something I had never before seen to such a degree. Likewise, the smells that greeted me were also of particular interest to my young, curious mind. For instance, the sidewalks emitted the pungent odor of multiple different kinds of ethnic foods all being sold by street vendors – usually of the country of origin as was the food they were peddling. At the same time, there were twinges of sea air mixed with the distinct smell of horse urine from the many horse-mounted police that was commonplace in the city of New York.

Communication and Leadership in the Workplace Research Paper

Communication and Leadership in the Workplace - Research Paper Example The communication process involves interchanging messages between the source and the receiver. The source is the person that sends the information, while the receiver is the person that listens to other person talking. Maintaining good communication between the employees of a company is important because doing so can help a firm improve its productivity. Managers that maintain good communication are able to gain the trust of the employees. For communication to be effective in the workplace it must follow the proper communication channels. The communication channels are the pathways used to transmit information. Some examples of communication channels are emails, telephone, cellular phones, written letters, memos, and face to face meetings. A good mechanism that often enhances the communication process is feedback. Feedback is a reaction or response to something another person has done or said (Dictionary, 2012). A popular method of feedback that is often used in the corporate world i s 360-degree feedback. This method forces different people including peers and supervisors to evaluate the performance of an employee. Communication can be either verbal or non-verbal. Talking to another person is a form of verbal communication. Three examples of non-verbal communication are body gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact. Communication must be effective to ensure that everyone understands the message. Speaking in a concise matter helps improve the communication process. A skill that enhances communication is active listening. Five key elements of active listening are: Pay attention Show that you are listening Provide feedback Defer judgment Respond appropriately (Mindtools, 2012). Improving the communication between co-workers can help reduce misunderstandings. Good communication can also help prevent conflicts in the workplace. There are forces that inhibit communication such as cultural differences, lack of feedback, and noise. Ethnocentrism occurs when one cu lture believe their values are superior to another culture. A lack of feedback is counterproductive because the person that does not receive feedback cannot take any corrective action to improve his behavior. Noise hurts the communication process because it interferes with the ability of people to listen to the message being sent. Companies must learn about new communication technologies. New communication tools such as Skype allow workers to have video chats and conferences. Face to face dialog is one of the most effective communication methods (Stryker & Santoro, 2012). Organizations need leadership in order to guide the efforts of the company. The managers of the company are the employees that are supposed to exert leadership, but leadership can come from any employee in a firm. When leadership comes from an employee that is not in a managerial position that form of leadership is called informal leadership. Some of the top companies that utilize leadership to their advantage are IBM, General Mills, Procter & Gamble, Aditya Birla, and Colgate-Palmolive (Cnn, 2012). A company that has a reputation for having good leaders is better able to attract young talent into the firm. Good leadership in an organization helps a firm increase the motivation of its employees. Employees that are motivated perform better and have greater job satisfaction.  Ã‚  

The Problems Of The Women In Current World Essay

The Problems Of The Women In Current World - Essay Example Research has been done on the present situation of the wage gap in the US in the last decade and the improvements made in the last 30 to 40 after the enforcement of equal wages acts and the women’s movement in mid 20th century. Women are still considered as second-grade custody workers in various job sectors. A decade ago in the US, the women were still being paid low as compared to the men for the same job that they were doing. Women caretakers and cleaners have a salary widely disparate from that of men and all because of gender difference. A salary gap of 8000 US dollars separated the women’s yearly income (22000 US Dollars) form the men’s yearly income (30000 US Dollars). (Barko 1) Even after 5 decades since the enforcement of the Equal Payment Act of 1963, American women earned 74 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to the study published jointly by the AFL-CIO and The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), Washington (Barko 1). An increase in the wages of women task force employed across different industry sectors and in different categories would bring more than 50 % of low-income dual-earner and single-mother households above the poverty line. The recent study has challenged the age-old argument of lesser industry experience, childbearing time off and child rearing time off supporting the low income of women stating that 43 % of wage gap remains unexplained. After the industrial revolution in the late 19th and early 20th century, many new fields of work emerged and the professional world witnessed a boom. New posts were created, new organizations came into existence and new business lines became viable profit-making options.

Research about online shopping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research about online shopping - Essay Example Adoption of this mode of shopping has been a function of multiple factors that the paper seeks to identify. Online shoppers are motivated by increased population in urban areas which makes shopping malls crowded, thus many people prefer ordering goods and services from home. Online shopping has numerous benefits that include convenience, price advantages and also times saving. Selection of goods from a variety and also access to a lot of information that may not be available in offline shopping is another force that motivates online shopping. Most online shoppers have a motive behind their decision to shop online. Large online retailers such as Amazon and eBay began online retailing in 1995 and have developed to accommodate shoppers from all over the world by integrating all the requirements stated above. The University of North Carolina (4) assert that online buying has been marred by problems such as insecurity, lack of privacy, longer waits periods and also no hands on-inspections that are usually more important in purchase decisions. A constellation of these forces act to stall the advancement of online shopping. To enhance online shopping, majority of online retailers are Search Engine Optimized to allow potential clients locate them using the search engines. SEO optimization is a key element in boosting online shopping since most new shoppers locate online shops by searching randomly over the search engines; therefore, making a shop visible is a major step towards encouraging online shopping since more potential clients can locate it. Harnessing customers is a major business requirement. Requirements for participation in online shopping There are several basic requirements for participation and the characteristics of online shopping. According to Luo, Sulin and Zhnag (1132), ease of access to the internet has led to massive changes in the way people shop. Unlike normal shopping sprees, transactions are conducted over the internet. This requirement has bee n boosted by the fact that the world is constantly increasing internet penetration and also the speeds. This makes online transactions faster and efficient. In china for example, most people opt to shop online due to congestion in the shopping malls that usually waste a lot of time. Online shopping is relatively cheap and thus becomes an appropriate avenue through which low income earners can access goods that are highly priced at shopping centers at a more affordable price. In addition, online shoppers have a chance to have their goods delivered to the door after purchase (Li 509). For one to shop online there must be an electronic means of payment. These means of payment are commonly referred to as third party payment systems. The payment systems form a platform through which the buyers and the sellers can exchange goods and make payments without being in physical presence (Luo and Sulin 1135). Such online payment systems include PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill, Alipay and Payza. Another requirement for shopping online is that one must poses a computer or any other electronic device that can access the internet. This follows that the user must be literate to use the gadgets. This requirement has been met in most countries through education. Access to information is vital in online shopping. 70% of online buyers are enthusiast youths who have access to more information about new releases of goods and services. In this regard, the first characteristic of

Persuasive for school uniforms Speech or Presentation

Persuasive for school uniforms - Speech or Presentation Example Students benefit by reducing the number of concerns they must deal with during school hours, freeing their minds to focus more on the academic issues they should be concerned with while attending classes. There is a long history of the use of uniforms in school, most coming from the private sector until recent years, all of which demonstrate these benefits do exist. While most of the uniform policies used in public schools include relatively general restrictions, such as navy or khaki pants and solid color shirts with collars without brand name requirements or specific, school-related insignia required, there has still been a great opposition to these policies by people who mistakenly insist that school uniform policies somehow restrict a child’s ability to express him or herself. By including students in a recognized group as a member of a particular student body, uniforms are successful in building a sense of community and cooperation among children who might not otherwise w ork together. At the same time, regulations requiring specific items of clothing such as a ‘red or white solid colored shirt with collar’ serve to ensure that there are a large number of people in the market for these items, driving the price down as they become produced in mass quantities. Children who outgrow their uniforms are also able to donate them to children who can’t afford them demonstrating that the use of uniforms is cost effective. ... it must be remembered that there are a number of jobs in the ‘real’ world that also require a standardized uniform, sometimes much more rigidly defined than the school systems. â€Å"Police officers, firemen, airline employees, nurses, doctors, lawyers and all branches of the military have some form of required dress. Most of our blue collar workers are also required to wear a uniform in the performing of their jobs †¦ It makes them a part of a team that performs a certain job in a certain manner and provides for a more cohesive work environment† (Messer, 2008: 2). In the same way this process works for adults, making them a part of a team and encouraging a work environment attitude and approach, requiring uniforms in school also works for students, encouraging them to shift their thinking during school hours to school matters, in keeping with the seriousness of their clothing and that of their peers. Requiring students in public school to wear uniforms is al so a tremendous support for the school system. One of the immediate benefits is that a required student dress code makes any individual not in uniform instantly identifiable by staff, making it much easier for teachers and administrators to identify non-students/staff on campus and confine them until their purpose is clear. In addition, uniforms enable the school to restrict clothing with potential to conceal weapons, an increasing issue in today’s school systems nationwide. â€Å"Like other urban school uniform policies, Long Beach’s was intended to curb gang problems, and school officials not only credit it with having accomplished that goal, but also say uniforms have brought about a substantial drop in school crime, a drop in school suspensions and disciplinary problems and improved student attendance

Health Information Exchange Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Information Exchange - Assignment Example Recent legislation process undertaken at the Federal Government level has been initiated in order to ensure that significant resources are put into the development of healthcare. These legislations set the overall vision for the integration of information technology with the healthcare in order to improve the overall healthcare services delivery within the healthcare settings. The Federal IT Health Strategy is therefore focused upon delivering certain initiatives in order to accelerate the process of integrating information technology with that of the health care services. One of the central elements of the Medicaid and Medicare is the electronic health records which are now forming the critical part of the overall initiative by the government to improve healthcare IT. This paper will provide a review of the various initiatives undertaken by the Federal Government in terms of digitalization of health records and implementation of information technology besides making an evaluation in real time case study. The recent revolutionary changes in the health care industry and new demands from the industry has actually necessitated the use of technology which can help healthcare professionals to actually take benefit of the information technology. The new IT strategy for the health care industry has been hallmarked as one of the right steps in right direction to seamlessly integrate the technology with the healthcare. In order to achieve this vision, regional information networks were created in order to allow them autonomy and power to utilize all the resources necessary for using IT for healthcare. These regional networks have to work in defined governance roles in order to achieve their overall objectives and the set their own business targets. These centers were established in order to exchange information with each and have been gaining traction over the period of last few

Melon Queen Essay Example for Free

Melon Queen Essay I mention this being out of character for her because, although she is a pretty girl, she has never been the pageant type. Going into her senior year of high school, she was the only girl in her class still participating in three sports: volleyball, track, and basketball. She has never been afraid of dirt or sweat, just not the pageant type. In the months leading up to the contest she and her fellow contestants attended weekly classes with the past years queen in order to learn the ways of royalty. This includes smiling, walking, waving, talking, and dressing. She would show her mother and I what she had learned almost daily and she was getting quite good. As I mentioned before she is not the pageant type and hoped that she would be heartbroken after the contest. The summer went quickly and the festival was upon us. The time had come to put on a suit and tie and escort my beautiful daughter to the stage, where in front of a thousand people she would walk the runway and answer a difficult question concerning what she would do with $100,000,000. The contestants would be judged by four representatives from different festivals across Ohio. Ten girls were involved in the competition. I thought again how I hoped my daughter would receive a place and avert a broken heart. My wife and I sat in the front row. We watched and waited while the judges deliberated somewhere out of sight. This process seemed to take forever. When actually, after fifteen minutes, the judges came back with their decision. We held our breath as the MC took the envelopes and all ten girls held hands. The first announcement was that of Miss Congeniality. Everyone got quiet and my daughters name was called. A feeling of relief and joy came over me. She would not go home empty handed, she had not just won an award, she won the award chosen by her peers. That was something to be proud of. The MC then announced the runners up. Fourth, third, second, first then the moment of truth, who would be queen? Then I heard one of the most memorable things of my life, â€Å"The 2007-2008 Milan Melon Festival Queen is Amanda Richards! † My daughter had won. I actually thought I was going to faint. Everyone was jumping, cheering, and yelling. The whole extended family surrounded us laughing, crying, and hugging. As I looked up at my daughter and she looked back at me holding her roses and her two trophies in her arms, the smile on her face will be locked in my memory forever. The next year was filled to the brim with our travels around the state of Ohio with a giant slice of melon in tow. Attending festivals from Circleville to Geneva on the lake, and 26 others in between. The whole experience took us to places in Ohio I’ve never heard of and probably would never had visited had it not been for my daughters â€Å"seemingly out of character† decision to run for Melon festival Queen.

General Studies Essays Use of Torture

General Studies Essays Use of Torture Can the Use of Torture be Justified? This report aims to, in the first instance, define torture. It then examines the history of torture and looks at international law that relates to torture.  Ã‚   The main part of the study analyses ethical theories in relation to torture and uses these ethical viewpoints to examine whether or not torture can be justified in any circumstances.   In addition, the Algerian War and the Iraq War will be used as case studies to further discuss the ethical issues surrounding torture.   Conclusions will be drawn and the author’s answer to the question ‘can the use of torture ever be justified?’ will be given, based on the findings in the rest of the report. Limitations of Study This study has its limitations.   First of all, only two case studies are used.   There are numerous cases of torture throughout the world and throughout history that could be utilised.   In doing so, perhaps a different conclusion would be made.   As torture is such an emotive subject it is difficult to ensure that the facts are truly represented.   Before the nineteenth century some countries publicly acknowledged torture as an instrument of judicial inquiry, however today the vast majority of countries where torture is practised will blankly deny any knowledge of it.   This, of course, makes a study of torture difficult. In addition, as will be seen, there are numerous, conflicting ethical theories that can be applied to the topic of torture.   A person’s personal beliefs will influence how much credence they give to each viewpoint.   Consequently, the author’s opinions are likely to differ from the reader’s.   Definition of Torture Torture has a widely understood definition of causing someone severe pain or mental anguish, usually in order to gain some information from the person being tortured, most usually a confession.   Amnesty International state that ‘torture is the systematic and deliberate infliction of acute pain in any form by one person on another, in order to accomplish the purpose of the former against the will of the latter’ (Klayman, 1978, p482).   This definition encompasses both physical and mental pain.  Ã‚   It also notes that torture has a purpose, and does not allow torture for the sake of the torturer’s amusement.   The Commission for the European Convention on Human Rights defines torture simply as ‘deliberate inhuman treatment causing very serious or cruel suffering’ (Morgan Evans, 1999, p95).   It offers examples of forcing people to adopt a stress position in rooms where there is a continuous loud hissing noise, hooding, and deprivation of food and water. The Commission for the European Convention on Human Rights’ definition is the author’s preferred definition.   This is because it defines torture, not by the torturer’s intentions, but by the effect the treatment has on the tortured.  Ã‚   A Brief History of Torture The word torture often conjures up images of medieval torture instruments such a branding irons and head screws.   From the mid fourteenth century to the end of the eighteenth century torture was an accepted practise by armies, judicial systems and even churches (Maran, 1989, p vii).   Public opinion changed in the nineteenth century, but torture continued to be carried out.   Once the torture of Jews by the Nazis in the Second World War became public knowledge, numerous international laws were bought into effect to prevent the use of torture.   However, torture still continues to this day, but as its use is still widely condemned, details of torture are either kept non-public, are down played or justified by manipulation of public opinion.   So called civilised countries are just as likely to be the perpetrators of torture today as countries with a known poor human rights record (Kellaway, 2003, p34).  Ã‚  Ã‚   The International Context of Torture International law currently absolutely and unequivocally prohibits torture in all circumstances.   There are many international laws and conventions that define torture as a crime against humanity.   These include The European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and the European Convention on Human Rights.   These two pieces of law are intended to work side by side. The UN Committee Against Torture is a body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention against Torture and other torture related law.   All member states are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights). Ethical Theories Applied to Torture There are many and varied ethical theories that could be applied to the question, ‘can the use of torture ever be justified?’   Theories that conclude that torture is never acceptable will be examined first. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) developed Kantian Theory. It is based on the belief that reason is the final authority for morality.   A moral act is an act done for the right reasons (Lovell Fisher, 2002, p314).   Kantian Theory is closely related to the doctrines of all major religions, the Bible states ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’.   At the centre of Kantian ethics is his categorical imperative, which is a set of universal rules that outline ‘that only the good will, a will to act out of a sense of duty, has unqualified moral worth’ (Pojman, 1998, p194). Using deontological theory, whereby actions are intrinsically right or wrong, torture can be seen to be unacceptable, whatever the circumstances and consequences.   Deontologists hold that one cannot undertake immoral acts like torture even if the outcome is morally preferable, such as the early ending of a war or the saving of lives. Edmund Burke, the late eighteenth century writer and politician, accused the British of suffering from what he termed geographical morality (Lee Smith, 2004, p16).   ‘Geographical morality’ is when people are prepared to be shocked by and to condemn torture in other countries while condoning its practice by their own authorities.   The British are not the only ones to be guilty of this, many countries, especially in the West can be accused of ‘geographical morality’.  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, there are many other theories that show that torture could be morally acceptable in some situations. John Stuart Mill (1808-73) put forward an ethical theory known as utilitarianism. Utilitarianism can be summed up in the phrase, ‘everyone should act in such a way to bring the largest possibly balance of good over evil for everyone involved’ (Almond, 1988, p127).   Using this theory, torture can be justified if it brings about a greater good for a greater number of people.   The ends justify the means.   Using Utilitarianism Theory, if the torture of one person means that several people are located and rescued from a dire situation, then that torture is justifiable.   Consequentialism offers the idea that torture is justifiable if the consequences of the torture are morally right.   Consequentialism is an ethical view that establishes the rightness or wrongness of actions by the good or bad produced by its consequences.   Interlaced with the question ‘can torture ever be justified?’ is the question ‘can war ever be justified?’   As torture is an agent of war, this seems appropriate.   Just War Theory can be used to justify torture on the grounds that it is acceptable in response to certain situations.   St Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) described ‘jus ad bellum’, the conditions that he believed has to be met for war to be justified.   War has to be ordered by a legitimate authority, it must be waged for a just cause and the intention of those who wage war should be the triumph of good over evil (Almond, 1998, p197).   Of course, the problem with utilising this Just War theory is that fulfilment of the conditions is subjective.   However, it is possible that torture could be morally justified using the Just War Theory if it was carried out by a legitimate government whose general aim is good and with the best of intentions. The concept of proportionality is found in Acquinas consideration of the Just War Theory. He argued that warring activity should be proportionate to the aggression made and therefore not excessive to that aggression.   This would imply that torture, an extremely aggressive warring activity, would be ethically acceptable in response to extremely aggressive actions.   It can be argued that the intentions of a torturer make a difference to the moral value of the action of torture.   In consequentialist theories of ethics, intention is important, as intention is what you hope to achieve by the action.   For Kant, intention can make all the difference between morally correct behaviour and morally incorrect behaviour.   Ideology can play a part in legitimising the use of torture.   Ideology is the body of ideas and beliefs of a group, possibly religious, or nation (Maran, 1989, p11).   If the ideology of the tortured is believed to be morally wrong and the act of torture prevents the spread of this ideology then torture can be deemed to be justified. So, in conclusion, there are ethical theories that both state that torture can never be justified and those that state it can be, in different, varying circumstances. Case Study: Torture in the Algerian War (1954-1962) The Algerian War lasted from 1954 to 1962.   The war was the final part of the process of the decolonisation of Algeria from France.   The war was one of the 20th Centurys bloodiest colonial struggles, and it continues to be the object of intense controversy, especially in France (BBC News, 2001).   It is now public knowledge that the French utilised torture against some Algerians.   This torture has been widely condemned in recent years.   However morality has a historical dimension and the morality of today cannot be used to judge the actions of fifty years ago.  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1955 a French civil servant, Williaume, was sent by the French government to investigate allegations of torture in Algeria by French military personnel. His report failed to unequivocally condemn the torture that he discovered (Nacquet, 1963, appendix). As a result, the period 1955 to 1962 saw an increase in the amount of torture, not only through Algeria, but also in France itself Paul Aussaresses, a retired French general is quoted as saying â€Å"as far as the use of torture is concerned, it was tolerated, if not recommended.† Aussaresses is unusual in that he openly talked about and wrote about the act of torture and his participation in it.   Although many others have reviewed the use of torture in the Algerian War, Aussaresses is one of the few who were involved and can give first hand accounts.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore his comments that defend the use of torture will be used to form the basis of this part of the report.  Ã‚   Torture, Aussaresses said, was sanctioned at the highest level because of the need to extract urgent information from the enemy.   â€Å"It was a matter of stopping actions which were being prepared for deeds causing the deaths of my fellow French and Algerian citizens,† he said.   He claims to have stopped Algerian bomb makers from killing French civilians by extracting confessions though electric shocks and suffocation. (BBC News, 2001).   Aussaresses seems here to be using Mill’s Theory of Utilitarianism to justify the torture that occurred; he believed it bought about a greater good for a greater number of people.   Whether or not this torture can be considered justified in the light of his comments depends on whether or not the torture did indeed stop other deaths, and of course, whether the reader subscribes to the Theory of Utilitarianism.   Sources note that the effect of the torture of Algerians by French was a retaliation whereby Algerians took part in ‘killing and raping collaborators, rivals and settlers’ (Joly, 1991, p36).   So, in actual effect the torture that Aussaresses describes as the catalyst for saving lives, actually served to result in more life loss.   Therefore, regardless of the beliefs of the author or reader regarding the Theory of Utilitarianism, in this instance the act of torture was not justifiable on the grounds that it bought about the largest possible balance of good over evil for everyone involved. Aussaresses is also quoted as saying â€Å"the men I executed were always men guilty of blood crimes. They had blood on their hands.   I would do it again today if it were against Bin Laden† (BBC News, 2001).   Aussaresses seems to be utilising the concept of proportionality from Acquinas’ Just War Theory to justify the acts of torture and killing here.   He believes his acts were justified as they were in proportion to those perpetrated by the Algerians involved.   However, it is the author’s opinion that the concept of proportionality has no place in ethical thinking.   The old adage ‘two wrongs do not make a right’ is very topical here.   Indeed, may proverbs lead and guide ethical thinking.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Torture cannot be justified because other crimes have been committed by those tortured.   It can be questioned, what right did Aussaresses and his contemporaries have to dish out this punishment?   If people had committed cr imes they should have been tried in a court and justice meted out in that manner.   French people were led to believe that France was ‘crusading for the defence of Western values against the barbarians of the East’ (Hoffman, 1963, p.85).   It is clear, then that ideology was used as a justification to the public of the acts of torture that occurred.   However, the author subscribes to the theory that this justification is flawed due to ‘geographical morality’ as discussed earlier.   I believe this justification was simply used to ensure the public accepted the practise of torture.   Case Study: Torture in the Iraq War (2003 onwards) There has been some conflict in Iraq for the past couple of decades.   For the purposes of this paper the latest Iraq War, commencing 2003 and still continuing will be considered.   This war is a useful case study as it demonstrates, in these more recent times, when torture is seen to be less and less acceptable, how it both still occurs and is justified in different terms to previously.   There is much discourse as to whether or not the Iraq War itself is justified, so the use of torture as part of it questioned considerably.   Using Aquinas’ Just War Theory, the Iraq War is unjust and therefore any torture taking place as part of it is also so.   The War is not believed, by the author to be just as it does not Aquinas’ third condition, that those waging the war are dong it simply to triumph good over evil. There is no doubting that both American and British troops have been involved in some kind of torture of Iraqi nationals.  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Red Cross report, the Armys own Taguba report (British Red Cross, 2004), even the photographs published in newspapers all point to this.  Ã‚   In Camp Bucca during the period August 2003 to February 2004 the following acts have been reported; forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for photographing, and punching, slapping, and kicking detainees, amongst others (Observer, 2004). There is an aspect of ideology being used to justify torture.   It has been noted that the media portrays Islamic people as those who ‘will stop at nothing, including disgraceful acts of terrorism, to disrupt Western values’ (Lee Smith, 2004, p 215).   However, it is the author’s opinion that this does not justify torture.   It is also the author’s opinion that information gained through torture is likely to be unreliable due to this very fanaticism, and therefore make the ‘purpose’ of torture unobtainable. The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill is the emergency legislation that was created in response to the US terror atrocities on September 11th 2001.  Ã‚   It has been accused of eroding civil liberties.   It has contributed to a heightened sense of vulnerability in the British public and perhaps, in part, although not its aim, it has contributed to making the mistreatment and torture of Iraqis more acceptable.  Ã‚   Bin Laden has been vilified in Western press and the torture of Iraqis can be seen as proportional to the atrocious acts committed by Bin Laden and his followers.   There is a real sense of ‘geographical morality’ in the justification of torture by the US and the UK.   When videos of kidnapped Westerners being tortured are viewed, there is universal damnation in the West, but Western personnel behind closed doors are practising similar acts. Conclusion This paper has explored the issue of torture and discussed whether or not is can ever be justified.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The definition of torture, a brief history of torture and the international context of torture have been discussed.   The main part of the report has dealt with the question ‘is torture ever ethical?’ by first exploring ethical theories in relation to this question, and then applying relevant theories to tow case studies, the Algerian War (1954-1962) and the Iraq War (2003 onwards).   It is worth noting that the justifications offered for torture in both cases were very similar, despite the two occurrences being fifty years apart.   Finally, the author would like to offer their opinion and draw to a conclusion the debate offered by the question ‘can torture ever be justified?’   It is the author’s opinion that torture can never be justified and can never be considered the ethically correct thing to do.   There is no ethical theory offered in this paper that the author subscribes to that can correctly be applied to any of the justifications offered in the two case studies used.   Not only that, but torture does not fulfil its intended purpose of gaining useful information and it often brings about more barbarity. Bibliography Almond, Brenda. (1998). Exploring ethics: a travellers tale, Bodmin: MPG Books. Badiou, Alain. (2001). Ethics: an essay on the understanding of evil, London: Verso. BBC News French general on trial over Algeria (2001). 14th April 2005. Available from World Wide Web: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1675992.stm BBC News Chirac condemns torture general (2001). 14th April 2005. Available from World Wide Web: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1312556.stm British Red Cross (2004).   13th April 2005. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.redcross.org.uk/uploads/documents/info%20sheet%20-%20iraq%20november%202004.doc Danner, Mark (2004). Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib, and the War on Terror, New York: New York Review of Books. Evans, Malcolm D. and Morgan, Red (1998). Preventing torture: a study of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Oxford: Clarendon Press. Gray, John, Benvenisti, Meron and   Ehrenreich, Barbara. (2005). Abu Ghraib: The Politics of Torture, New York: North Atlantic Books. Greenberg, Karen J., Dratel, Joshua L., and   Lewis, Anthony. (2005). The Torture Papers: The Road to Abu Ghraib, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hoffman, Stanley. (1963). In Search of France, Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Joly, Daniele. (1991). The French Communist Party and the Algerian War.   London: Macmillan Press. Kellaway, Jean. (2003). The History of Torture and Execution: From Early Civilization Through Medieval Times to the Present, London: Mercury Books. Klayman, Barry M. (1978). The definition of torture in international law, v.51, London: Temple Law. LaFollette, Hugh. (1999). Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory, London: Blackwell Publishers. Lee, Roger and Smith, David M. (2004). Geographies and moralities: international perspectives on justice, development and place, London: Blackwell Publishing. Lovell, Alan and Fisher, Colin. (2002). Business Ethics and Values, London: FT Prentice Hall. Maran, Rita. (1989). Torture: the role of ideology in the French-Algerian War, New York: Praeger Publishers. Morgan, Rod and Evans, Malcolm. (1999). Protecting prisoners: the standards of the European Committee for the prevention of torture in context. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nacquet, Vidal. (1963). Torture, Cancer of Democracy, London: Penguin. The Observer – British quizzed Iraqis at torture jail. (2004).   12th April 2005.   Available from World Wide Web: 7http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1212769,00.html Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights UN Committee Against Torture. 17th April 2005.   Available from World Wide Web: http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/ Pojman, Louis. (1998).   Deontological Ethics, Moral Philosophy, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company. Roy, Jules (1961). The War in Algeria, New York: Grove Press.

Love And Rejection: Breaking Up :: essays research papers

Love and Rejection: Breaking Up Some felt they were a modern day Romeo and Juliet. The reality, however, is that they were a heartbreaking example of what can go wrong with adolescents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christian Dalvia, 14 and Maryling Flores, 13 were sweethearts who were forbidden by Flores' mother to see each other. In early November, 1995, the young couple met one last time. Standing at the edge of a Florida canal, they joined hands and jumped 15 feet into the cold, murky water to their deaths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Their deaths may sound romantic, even heroic to other teenagers when, in actuality, it's just plain stupid. There were probably many other reasons for their deaths, but ultimately, the thought of not being together tortured to the point of wanting to take their own lives. This is a very extreme example of what can go wrong with teenage heartbreak. One minute they're inseperable - sharing their most intimate thoughts and details - the next minute they are faces across a crowded room or polite acquaintances at best. These are the consequences that come along with a breakup.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We teens hear about love all around us, in music and movies, on TV, in stories. We hear that love will make us happy. We hear that single people are lonely. We are told that if we are not part of a couple, we are not complete. We all want to be part of this thing called ‘love'.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Okay, we get a boyfriend or girlfriend, now everything should be perfect. But, it's not perfect, because life never is. It is easy to become disappointed. Feelings can change. One person may decide to say good-bye. When that happens, the one left behind will feel rejected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rejection means choosing between one thing and another. The one who feels rejected thinks as if they are not good enough. It hurts. When the person you love decides to leave you, it is even more painful. Does rejection mean failure? No. The end of a relationship means that the boyfriend or girlfriend decided that s/he wanted a change. The reasons for this are within the ex - not within the rejected person. No one is a less valuable person because their boyfriend or girlfriend's feelings have changed. What To Expect   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are nine stages of rejection that almost all â€Å"dumpees† must go through. The pain may be awful, but each stage is part of the healing process. The stages may not follow in an exact order, but they will all be experienced. The Denial Phase: â€Å"This can't be happening.† During this stage, people may find themselves waiting for the phone to ring and not believing that the

A Degree in Education Essay -- College Admissions Essays

A Degree in Education I have been extremely fortunate to grow up in the type of environment that most people would call an "all-American town." All my life I have known I was very blessed to live here. The community where I live is not too large or too small. It is just the right size to provide the closeness and bonding that I have known and grow to love. This town is extremely family and church oriented and has a great school system. All of these things have had a very positive impact on my life. My experiences here have led me to the decision that a college degree in the field of education would present me with rewarding professional and personal challenges, and provide many opportunities to share the positive benefits I have received with another generation. ... ...things that I have learned and held so very dear to others, who hopefully will then pass those values to someone else. The morals, lessons, and knowledge that have been instilled in me by my mentors, friends, teachers, and parents have persuaded me that a college degree in education would be the best way for me to pass on the great values that I have earned and learned from my community.

Deepest Wreck :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A deep-sea salvage company claims to have discovered the deepest ancient shipwreck ever found- a 2,300-year-old Greek trading vessel found nearly two miles under the surface of the Mediterranean. The discovery of the shipwreck between the classical trading centers of Rhodes and Alexandria adds to the collection of evidence that is challenging the long-held theory that ancient sailors lacked the navigational knowledge and skill to sail large distances across open water. It is believed that they were restricted to following the coastline during thier trips. Four other possibly ancient wrecks were discovered nearby.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the spring of 1999, the deep-ocean exploration firm Nauticos Corporation conducted a survey in the eastern Mediterranean in an attempt to locate an Israeli submarine that had mysteriously disappeared in the area 31 years before. Their sonar system detected five closely spaced clusters at a depth of almost 10,000 feet on what is known as the Herodotus Abyssal Plain. Visual inspection of these clusters with a remotely operated vehicle revealed five shipwrecks of possible archaeological significance. There was only enough time to permit the collection of a detailed video and sonar imagery of only one site. This information was sent to the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) at Texas A&M University to determine the ships origin and importance. The shape of several amphoras or containers from the site date back to the end of the third century B.C. or the beginning of the second century B.C. making this the deepest ancient shipwreck yet discovered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite its depth, the site is typical for an ancient shipwreck. The vessel came to rest on the bottom and eventually flipped over onto its side. As its wooden hull lost structural integrity, the ship’s side flattened out under the weight of the containers that had tumbled over it. The opposite side of the hull was held upright, unburied by the containers or sediment, succumbed to erosion and decay, and were mostly rotted away. This wreck’s amphora cargo forms a mound approximately 80 feet long and 50 feet wide and tapers in height and width from the center of the ship to the bow and stern, or front and back. At least six or more types of wine amphoras have been identified, including containers from the islands of Rhodes and Kos, there may be as many as 2,500 containers present at the site.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ship’s bow area or the front area of the ship, can be identified by the presence of at least five lead anchors.

Edible Cutlery Essay

In the eco-friendly world, it will no longer be enough to eat your meal before getting dessert; you will have to eat your plate before you get dessert. In fact, your plate may even be dessert. In a brilliant moment of inspiration, Universite de Montreal industrial design professor Diane Bisson saw a vision of a world in which food product waste was drastically reduced and even recycling, as we know it, would carry a lesser burden. Edible plates and containers. The perfect and thorough recycling method. Ms. Bisson stewed her ideas for 10 years until she finally applied and won a research grant allowing her to work with dieticians and chefs to create recipes for plates made without without preservatives, artificial colours or sugar. Their creations are beautiful, spanning all the colours of the spectrum with carved designs of varying thicknesses. Recipes are primarily vegetable-based, so the plates and containers are nutritious. Two hundred of her 400 edible prototypes were prepared for Ms. Bisson’s new book launch at commissaries design gallery in Montreal. They were very tasty, according to gallery owner Pierre Laramee. The book, Edible: The Food as Material will be available in late January. I’ll let you know in the comment section below where it’s being sold. It will have many recipes for edible containers that you can prepare at home. Many of the edible plates made for the book launch were made to blend with the foods they hold, both visually and taste-wise, like a carob plate made to serve sweets. Others included beets or poppy seeds as a base. â€Å"Her ambition is really to try out as many shapes and as many gastronomic food combinations as possible so that we can get into many different markets. She could see a lot of different venues. Just a few of those venues would be shopping mall food stands, hospitals, and catered food services. Next project for Ms. Bisson is to work with a caterer to come up with a five course meal with accompanying edible plates and cutlery. Also, she will have to figure out how to preserve her edible plates without common preservatives, as her current container prototypes are drying up after awhile. Edible plates, containers, cutlery. Think of how they could tastefully change our world. However, the problem with edible plates, and indeed any edible containers, is that in order to be hygienic, they need to be protected by some other packaging that is NOT meant to be eated. Hence, what we need is re-usable packaging. A sealed container protecting the sterile contents inside, from the contaminating world outside, which can be reused many times. An Indian entrepreneur manufactures delicious edible cutlery forks, knives and spoons that can all be eaten up post-meal Even as global warming turns up the heat on the world stage, entrepreneur Narayana Peesapaty, 44, may have found the perfect answer to the mountains of disposable plastic cutlery choking the world: he makes them edible. In other words, after people have eaten their curry and rice, they can now chew and swallow the spoon. The Hyderabad-based entrepreneur’s company – B. K.  Environmental Innovations Private Limited – manufactures eco-friendly forks, knives, spoons and chopsticks in delicious flavours of vanilla, strawberry and pineapple. And all can be gobbled up after the meal. The outfit is part of the New Ventures Global initiative to encourage environment-friendly business ideas in developing countries. Peesapaty, a former scientist at the Institute for International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), is already supplying his product to a raft of hotels, sweet shops and organised retailers in the city. Samples have also been sent to corporate caterers, schools and housewives. It took the scientist another two years to give commercial shape to his idea. I began by checking out the suitability of various cereal flours – wheat, rice and sorghum (jowar) as base for edible cutlery,† he says. Finally, he zeroed in on sorghum. Jowar has traditionally been an important source of nutrients such as folic acid and fiber, yet the domestic consumption of this crop has recently decreased and been replaced by starch-laden rice. B. K. Innovations is thus helping to revitalize the popularity of jowar with consumers, especially since those with diabetes have shown an interest in consuming edible cutlery as a nutritious snack. Vegetable pulp – spinach, beetroot and carrot – were used to add colour and nutritive value to the cutlery. Spinach gave it a green shade, beetroot red and carrots brought out a yellow hue. In 2006, the entrepreneur applied for a process patent for producing edible cutlery. The entrepreneur’s entire production line – comprising blenders, slicers, dyes and an oven – had to be designed and calibrated to ensure that the spoons retained their hardness while not losing out on their taste and nutritive value. BK offers spoons in three flavours and has also expanded its production to edible sandwich wrappers and edible chopsticks. Large-scale domestic buyers have already shown initial interest, and BK Environmental Innovations hopes to eventually enter the international market. Requests from international sellers have come from various countries including Singapore, New Zealand, and Canada. With Japan and China’s growing demand for chopsticks and the decreasing availability of resources, an environmental movement has grown to search for better options. Narayana expects edible chopstick to be a popular alternative to disposable chopsticks. Peesapaty feels there’s a great future ahead for his edible chopsticks which will give stiff competition to the disposable ones. In fact, he aims to corner a portion of the global disposable chopsticks market, which sees sales of around 24 billion units per annum in Japan and 35 billion units in China. However, the innovator’s path has not been without challenges. When he wasn’t getting investors for his dream project, Peesapaty says he had to sell his flat for Rs 35 lakh (about US$ 100,000) three years ago. He then moved to a rented house with his wife and young daughter. In other words, of the Rs 50 lakh Peesapaty has invested in the venture so far, 70% of the funds have come from his own pocket.

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 24. Surprise

â€Å"No. No way!† I shook my head fiercely and then shot a glance at the smug smile on my seventeen-year-old husband's face. â€Å"No, this doesn't count. I stopped aging three days ago. I am eighteen forever.† â€Å"Whatever,† Alice said, dismissing my protest with a quick shrug. â€Å"We're celebrating anyway, so suck it up.† I sighed. There was rarely a point to arguing with Alice. Her grin got impossibly wider as she read the acquiescence in my eyes. â€Å"Are you ready to open your present?† Alice sang. â€Å"Presents,† Edward corrected, and he pulled another key – this one longer and silver with a less gaudy blue bow – from his pocket. I struggled to keep from rolling my eyes. I knew immediately what this key was to – the â€Å"after car.† I wondered if I should feel excited. It seemed the vampire conversion hadn't given me any sudden interest in sports cars. â€Å"Mine first,† Alice said, and then stuck her tongue out, foreseeing his answer. â€Å"Mine is closer.† â€Å"But look at how she's dressed† Alice's words were almost a moan. â€Å"It's been killing me all day. That is clearly the priority.† My eyebrows pulled together as I wondered how a key could get me into new clothes. Had she gotten me a whole trunkful? â€Å"I know – I'll play you for it,† Alice suggested. â€Å"Rock, paper, scissors.† Jasper chuckled and Edward sighed. â€Å"Why you don't you just tell me who wins?† Edward said wryly. Alice beamed. â€Å"I do. Excellent.† â€Å"It's probably better that I wait for morning, anyway.† Edward smiled crookedly at me and then nodded toward Jacob and Seth, who looked like they were crashed for the night; I wonder how long they'd stayed up this time. â€Å"I think it might be more fun if Jacob was awake for the big reveal, don't you agree? So that someone there is able to express the right level of enthusiasm?† I grinned back. He knew me well. â€Å"Yay,† Alice sang. â€Å"Bella, give Ness – Renesmee to Rosalie.† â€Å"Where does she usually sleep?† Alice shrugged. â€Å"In Rose's arms. Or Jacob's. Or Esme's. You get the picture. She has never been set down in her entire life. She's going to be the most spoiled half-vampire in existence.† Edward laughed while Rosalie took Renesmee expertly in her arms. â€Å"She is also the most unspoiled half-vampire in existence,† Rosalie said. â€Å"The beauty of being one of a kind.† Rosalie grinned at me, and I was glad to see that the new comradeship between us was still there in her smile. I hadn't been entirely sure it would last after Renesmee's life was no longer tied to mine. But maybe we had fought together on the same side long enough that we would always be friends now. I'd finally made the same choice she would have if she'd been in my shoes. That seemed to have washed away her resentment for all my other choices. Alice shoved the beribboned key in my hand, then grabbed my elbow and steered me toward the back door. â€Å"Let's go, let's go,† she trilled. â€Å"Is it outside?† â€Å"Sort of,† Alice said, pushing me forward. â€Å"Enjoy your gift,† Rosalie said. â€Å"It's from all of us. Esme especially.† â€Å"Aren't you coming, too?† I realized that no one had moved. â€Å"We'll give you a chance to appreciate it alone,† Rosalie said. â€Å"You can tell us about it†¦ later.† Emmett guffawed. Something about his laugh made me feel like blushing, though I wasn't sure why. I realized that lots of things about me – like truly hating surprises, and not liking gifts in general much more – had not changed one bit. It was a relief and revelation to discover how much of my essential core traits had come with me into this new body. I hadn't expected to be myself. I smiled widely. Alice tugged my elbow, and I couldn't stop smiling as I followed her into the purple night. Only Edward came with us. â€Å"There's the enthusiasm I'm looking for,† Alice murmured approvingly. Then she dropped my arm, made two lithe bounds, and leaped over the river. â€Å"C'mon, Bella,† she called from the other side. Edward jumped at the same time I did; it was every bit as fun as it had been this afternoon. Maybe a little bit more fun because the night changed everything into new, rich colors. Alice took off with us on her heels, heading due north. It was easier to follow the sound of her feet whispering against the ground and the fresh path of her scent than it was to keep my eyes on her through the thick vegetation. At no sign I could see, she whirled and dashed back to where I paused. â€Å"Don't attack me,† she warned, and sprang at me. â€Å"What are you doing?† I demanded, squirming as she scrambled onto my back and wrapped her hands around my face. I felt the urge to throw her off, but I controlled it. â€Å"Making sure you can't see.† â€Å"I could take care of that without the theatrics,† Edward offered. â€Å"You might let her cheat. Take her hand and lead her forward.† â€Å"Alice, I – â€Å" â€Å"Don't bother, Bella. We're doing this my way.† I felt Edward's fingers weave through mine. â€Å"Just a few seconds more, Bella. Then she'll go annoy someone else.† He pulled me forward. I kept up easily. I wasn't afraid of hitting a tree; the tree would be the only one getting hurt in that scenario. â€Å"You might be a little more appreciative,† Alice chided him. â€Å"This is as much for you as it is for her.† â€Å"True. Thank you again, Alice.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah. Okay.† Alice's voice suddenly shot up with excitement. â€Å"Stop there. Turn her just a little to the right. Yes, like that. Okay. Are you ready?† she squeaked. â€Å"I'm ready.† There were new scents here, piquing my interest, increasing my curiosity. Scents that didn't belong in the deep woods. Honeysuckle. Smoke. Roses. Sawdust? Something metallic, too. The richness of deep earth, dug up and exposed. I leaned toward the mystery. Alice hopped down from my back, releasing her grip on my eyes. I stared into the violet dark. There, nestled into a small clearing in the forest, was a tiny stone cottage, lavender gray in the light of the stars. It belonged here so absolutely that it seemed as if it must have grown from the rock, a natural formation. Honeysuckle climbed up one wall like a lattice, winding all the way up and over the thick wooden shingles. Late summer roses bloomed in a handkerchief-sized garden under the dark, deep-set windows. There was a little path of flat stones, amethyst in the night, that led up to the quaint arched wooden door. I curled my hand around the key I held, shocked. â€Å"What do you think?† Alice's voice was soft now; it fit with the perfect quiet of the storybook scene. I opened my mouth but said nothing. â€Å"Esme thought we might like a place of our own for a while, but she didn't want us too far away,† Edward murmured. â€Å"And she loves any excuse to renovate. This little place has been crumbling away out here for at least a hundred years.† I continued staring, mouth gaping like a fish. â€Å"Don't you like it?† Alice's face fell. â€Å"I mean, I'm sure we could fix it up differently, if you want. Emmett was all for adding a few thousand square feet, a second story, columns, and a tower, but Esme thought you would like it best the way it was meant to look.† Her voice started to climb, to go faster. â€Å"If she was wrong, we can get back to work. It won't take long to – â€Å" â€Å"Shh!† I managed. She pressed her lips together and waited. It took me a few seconds to recover. â€Å"You're giving me a house for my birthday?† I whispered. â€Å"Us,† Edward corrected. â€Å"And it's no more than a cottage. I think the word house implies more legroom.† â€Å"No knocking my house,† I whispered to him. Alice beamed. â€Å"You like it.† I shook my head. â€Å"Love it?† I nodded. â€Å"I can't wait totell Esme!† â€Å"Why didn't she come?† Alice's smile faded a little, twisted just off what it hadbeen, like my question was hard to answer. â€Å"Oh, you know†¦ they all remember how you are about presents. They didn't want to put you under too much pressure to like it.† â€Å"But of course I love it. How could I not?† â€Å"They'll like that.† She patted my arm. â€Å"Anyhoo, your closet is stocked.Use it wisely. And†¦ I guess that's everything.† â€Å"Aren't you going to come inside?† She strolled casually a few feet back. â€Å"Edward knows his way around. I'll stop by†¦ later. Call me if you can't match your clothes right.† She threw me a doubtful look and then smiled. â€Å"Jazz wants to hunt. See you.† She shot off into the trees like the most graceful bullet. â€Å"That was weird,† I said when the sound of her flight had vanished completely. â€Å"Am I really that bad? They didn't have to stay away. Now I feel guilty. I didn't even thank her right. We should go back,tell Esme – â€Å" â€Å"Bella,don't besilly. No one thinks you're that unreasonable.† â€Å"Then what – â€Å" â€Å"Alone time is their other gift. Alice was trying to be subtle about it.† â€Å"Oh.† That was all it took to make the house disappear. We could have been anywhere. I didn't see the trees or the stones or the stars. It was just Edward. â€Å"Let me show you what they've done,† he said, pulling my hand. Was he oblivious to the fact that an electric current was pulsing through my body like adrenaline-spiked blood? Once again I felt oddly off balance, waiting for reactions my body wasn't capable of anymore. My heart should have been thundering like a steam engine about to hit us. Deafening. My cheeks should have been brilliant red. For that matter, I ought to have been exhausted. This had been the longest day of my life. I laughed out loud – just one quiet little laugh of shock – when I realized that this day would never end. â€Å"Do I get to hear the joke?† â€Å"It's not a very good one,† I told him as he led the way to the little rounded door. â€Å"I was just thinking – today is the first and last day of forever. It's kind of hard to wrap my head around it. Even with all this extra room for wrapping.† I laughed again. He chuckled with me. He held his hand out toward the doorknob, waiting for me to do the honors. I stuck the key in the lock and turned it. â€Å"You're such a natural at this, Bella; I forget how very strange this all must be for you. I wish I could hear it.† He ducked down and yanked me up into his arms so fast that I didn't see it coming – and that was really something. â€Å"Hey!† â€Å"Thresholds are part of my job description,† he reminded me. â€Å"But I'm curious. Tell me what you're thinking about right now.† He opened the door – it fell back with a barely audible creak – and stepped through into the little stone living room. â€Å"Everything,† I told him. â€Å"All at the same time, you know. Good things and things to worry about and things that are new. How I keep using too many superlatives in my head. Right now, I'm thinking that Esme is an artist. It's so perfect!† The cottage room was something from a fairy tale. The floor was a crazy quilt of smooth, flat stones. The low ceiling had long exposed beams that someone as tall as Jacob would surely knock his head on. The walls were warm wood in some places, stone mosaics in others. The beehive fireplace in the corner held the remains of a slow flickering fire. It was driftwood burning there – the low flames were blue and green from the salt. It was furnished in eclectic pieces, not one of them matching another, but harmonious just the same. One chair seemed vaguely medieval, while a low ottoman by the fire was more contemporary and the stocked bookshelf against the far window reminded me of movies set in Italy. Somehow each piece fit together with the others like a big three-dimensional puzzle. There were a few paintings on the walls that I recognized – some of my very favorites from the big house. Priceless originals, no doubt, but they seemed to belong here, too, like all the rest. It was a place where anyone could believe magic existed. A place where you just expected Snow White to walk right in with her apple in hand, or a unicorn to stop and nibble at the rosebushes. Edward had always thought that he belonged to the world of horror stories. Of course, I'd known he was dead wrong. It was obvious that he belonged here. In a fairy tale. And now I was in the story with him. I was about to take advantage of the fact that he hadn't gotten around to setting me back on my feet and that his wits-scramblingly beautiful face was only inches away when he said, â€Å"We're lucky Esme thought to add an extra room. No one was planning for Ness – Renesmee.† I frowned at him, my thoughts channeled down a less pleasant path. â€Å"Not you, too,† I complained. â€Å"Sorry, love. I hear it in their thoughts all the time, you know. It's rubbing off on me.† I sighed. My baby, the sea serpent. Maybe there was no help for it. Well, /wasn't giving in. Tm sure you're dying to see the closet. Or, at least I'll tell Alice that you were, to make her feel good.† â€Å"Should I be afraid?† â€Å"Terrified.† He carried me down a narrow stone hallway with tiny arches in the ceiling, like it was our own miniature castle. â€Å"That will be Renesmee's room,† he said, nodding to an empty room with a pale wooden floor. â€Å"They didn't have time to do much with it, what with the angry werewolves___† I laughed quietly, amazed at how quickly everything had turned right when it had all had looked so nightmarish just a week ago. Drat Jacob for making everything perfect this way. â€Å"Here's our room. Esme tried to bring some of her island back here for us. She guessed that we would get attached.† The bed was huge and white, with clouds of gossamer floating down from the canopy to the floor. The pale wood floor matched the other room, and now I grasped that it was precisely the color of a pristine beach. The walls were that almost-white-blue of a brilliant sunny day, and the back wall had big glass doors that opened into a little hidden garden. Climbing roses and a small round pond, smooth as a mirror and edged with shiny stones. A tiny, calm ocean for us. â€Å"Oh† was all I could say. â€Å"I know,† he whispered. We stood there for a minute, remembering. Though the memories were human and clouded, they took over my mind completely. He smiled a wide, gleaming smile and then laughed. â€Å"The closet is through those double doors. I should warn you – it's bigger than this room.† I didn't even glance at the doors. There was nothing else in the world but him again – his arms curled under me, his sweet breath on my face, his lips just inches from mine – and there was nothing that could distract me now, newborn vampire or not. â€Å"We're going to tell Alice that I ran right to the clothes,† I whispered, twisting my fingers into his hair and pulling my face closer to his. â€Å"We're going to tell her I spent hours in there playing dress-up. We're going to lie† He caught up to my mood in an instant, or maybe he'd already been there, and he was just trying to let me fully appreciate my birthday present, like a gentleman. He pulled my face to his with a sudden fierceness, a low moan in his throat. The sound sent the electric current running through my body into a near-frenzy, like I couldn't get close enough to him fast enough. I heard the fabric tearing under our hands, and I was glad my clothes, at least, were already destroyed. It was too late for his. It felt almost rude to ignore the pretty white bed, but we just weren't going to make it that far. This second honeymoon wasn't like our first. Our time on the island had been the epitome of my human life. The very best of it. I'd been so ready to string along my human time, just to hold on to what I had with him for a little while longer. Because the physical part wasn't going to be the same ever again. I should have guessed, after a day like today, that it would be better. I could really appreciate him now – could properly see every beautiful line of his perfect face, of his long, flawless body with my strong new eyes, every angle and every plane of him. I could taste his pure, vivid scent on my tongue and feel the unbelievable silkiness of his marble skin under my sensitive fingertips. My skin was so sensitive under his hands, too. He was all new, a different person as our bodies tangled gracefully into one on the sand-pale floor. No caution, no restraint. No fear – especially not that. We could love together – both active participants now. Finally equals. Like our kisses before, every touch was more than I was used to. So much of himself he'd been holding back. Necessary at the time, but I couldn't believe how much I'd been missing. I tried to keep in mind that I was stronger than he was, but it was hard to focus on anything with sensations so intense, pulling my attention to a million different places in my body every second; if I hurt him, he didn't complain. A very, very small part of my head considered the interesting conundrum presented in this situation. I was never going to get tired, and neither was he. We didn't have to catch our breath or rest or eat or even use the bathroom; we had no more mundane human needs. He had the most beautiful, perfect body in the world and I had him all to myself, and it didn't feel like I was ever going to find a point where I would think, Now I've had enough for one day. I was always going to want more. And the day was never going to end. So, in such a situation, how did we ever stop? It didn't bother me at all that I had no answer. I sort of noticed when the sky began to lighten. The tiny ocean outside turned from black to gray, and a lark started to sing somewhere very close by – maybe she had a nest in the roses. â€Å"Do you miss it?† I asked him when her song was done. It wasn't the first time we'd spoken, but we weren't exactly keeping up a conversation, either. â€Å"Miss what?† he murmured. â€Å"All of it – the warmth, the soft skin, the tasty smell†¦ I'm not losing anything at all, and I just wondered if it was a little bit sad for you that you were.† He laughed, low and gentle. â€Å"It would be hard to find someone less sad than I am now. Impossible, I'd venture. Not many people get every single thing they want, plus all the things they didn't think to ask for, in the same day.† â€Å"Are you avoiding the question?† He pressed his hand against my face. â€Å"You are warm,† he told me. It was true, in a sense. To me, his hand was warm. It wasn't the same as touching Jacob's flame-hot skin, but it was more comfortable. More natural. Then he pulled his fingers very slowly down my face, lightly tracing from my jaw to my throat and then all the way down to my waist. My eyes rolled back into my head a little. â€Å"You are soft.† His fingers were like satin against my skin, so I could see what he meant. â€Å"And as for the scent, well, I couldn't say I missed that. Do you remember the scent of those hikers on our hunt?† â€Å"I've been trying very hard not to.† â€Å"Imagine kissing that.† My throat ripped into flames like pulling the cord on a hot-air balloon. â€Å"0/7.† â€Å"Precisely. So the answer is no. I am purely full of joy, because I am missing nothing. No one has more than I do now.† I was about to inform him of the one exception to his statement, but my lips were suddenly very busy. When the little pool turned pearl-colored with the sunrise, I thought of another question for him. â€Å"How long does this go on? I mean, Carlisle and Esme, Em and Rose, Alice and Jasper – they don't spend all day locked in their rooms. They're out in public, fully clothed, all the time. Does this†¦ craving ever let up?† I twisted myself closer into him – quite an accomplishment, actually – to make it clear what I was talking about. â€Å"That's difficult to say. Everyone is different and, well, so far you're the very most different of all. The average young vampire is too obsessed with thirst to notice much else for a while. That doesn't seem to apply to you. With the average vampire, though, after that first year, other needs make themselves known. Neither thirst nor any other desire really ever fades. It's simply a matter of learning to balance them, learning to prioritize and manage___† â€Å"How long?† He smiled, wrinkling his nose a little. â€Å"Rosalie and Emmett were the worst. It took a solid decade before I could stand to be within a five-mile radius of them. Even Carlisle and Esme had a difficult time stomaching it. They kicked the happy couple out eventually. Esme built them a house, too. It was grander than this one, but then, Esme knows what Rose likes, and she knows what you like.† â€Å"So, after ten years, then?† I was pretty sure that Rosalie and Emmett had nothing on us, but it might sound cocky if I went higher than a decade. â€Å"Everybody is normal again? Like they are now?† Edward smiled again. â€Å"Well, I'm not sure what you mean by normal. You've seen my family going about life in a fairly human way, but you've been sleeping nights.† He winked at me. â€Å"There's a tremendous amount of time left over when you don't have to sleep. It makes balancing your†¦ interests quite easy. There's a reason why I'm the best musician in the family, why – besides Carlisle – I've read the most books, studied the most sciences, become fluent in the most languages†¦. Emmett would have you believe that I'm such a know-it-all because of the mind reading, but the truth is that I've just had a lot of free time.† We laughed together, and the motion of our laughter did interesting things to the way our bodies were connected, effectively ending that conversation.

Love In The Time of Cholera Analysis Paper Essay

In the novel, Love in the Time of Cholera written by Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez, there are many symbols to represent, literally, love in the time of cholera. These symbols are flowers, birds, and rain. Mà ¡rquez uses these similar terms to describe the effects of love and cholera throughout the novel by using all of those symbols ultimately represent or foreshadow anguish and unfortunate disasters that Cholera can bring. Cholera was a contagious disease affecting most of the population in where the story takes place. Though, this book is heavily centered on the disease and love, the author is primarily focusing on literal â€Å"lovesickness†. One generally does not associate sweet and pure love with diarrhea, infections, or a painful death, which is why cholera is used to depict the lovesickness in this novel. Cholera is a disease, like falling in love (lovesickness), drives you crazy, you suffer, and you could die without ever being content with the life you’ve had so far. An example of lovesickness in the novel, is when Florentino is driven crazy by falling in love with Fermina. Instead of being a physical illness like cholera, lovesickness is a mental disease. See more: analytical writing Florentino was so crazy in love with Fermina,the only way he could deal with this love was to eat flowers. Flowers represent the anguish of love and further suffering.Though flowers represented hope and love for Florentino, it ultimately lead to disaster of suffering, just like how cholera suddenly ends a life. It was as if Fermina was the flower petals, and Florentino consumed the flower petals to consume all the affection and rejection he was receiving from Fermina. Until Fermina can be with him, the only thing that Florentino has of Fermina are those flower petals he is consuming. Florentino also suffers from physical pains of lovesickness. The flower petals he consumes make him so violently ill, that his mother thought he had cholera, which is ironic considering the parallel of the two. Florentino feels the anguish of love and the only for him to express that was to consume flower petals. This was necessary for Florentino because he was suffering so much emotional pain he almost felt dead, and physical pain was imperative for him to feel alive. Birds, like Cholera, lead to death. Mà ¡rquez uses the birds in the novel as an ironic message of love that soon leads to a disastrous end. Birds were the reason why people died, just like Cholera will make people die. In the novel, Mà ¡rquez does not include a character that actually died from Cholera. However, he does include characters that die from â€Å"love sickness† at the hands of birds. Since lovesickness serves as a parallel to Cholera, we can assume that birds also represent Cholera, which is the fate of death. The most prominent example is when Dr.Urbino tried to catch his beloved parrot and eventually fell to his death. The parrot that Dr. Urbino spent countless hours of dedication and the bird that he had paid more attention than he did to his own children, that lead ironically to his death. Another example when Olimpia Zuleta gave Florentino a carrier pigeon as a thank-you for rescuing her and her parasol. Florentino sent back the carrier pigeon with an unsigned love note, and thus the romance between the two began. The Pigeon that lead to a romance between the two soon ended when the husband discovered her infidelity and Olimpia was killed. Both Dr.Urbino and Olimpia lose their lives to love, whether it be because of a bird or for a bird. I believe that the birds also And last but not least, rain (or any type of water) finally represents a point in the book when a barrier has been overcome and there is a renewed chance for love. Rain represents the drastic change in a book, just like how Cholera can bring about a drastic change in one’s life. The first downpour of rain brings about two critical changes, which is when Dr. Urbino dies and the reappearance of Florentino in Fermina’s life. The rain not only symbolized a tragic and sad death, which is what Cholera is, the rain symbolized a new renewed hope of love between Florentino and Fermina. The rain is possibly the only â€Å"positive† symbol Mà ¡rquez uses in order to portray Cholera as a drastic change in the novel. Throughout Love in the Time of Cholera, Mà ¡rquez uses symbols such as cholera, flowers, birds and rain, to symbolize important aspects of love and to describe Cholera. Though these symbol may seem little or no significance in the beginning, a reader can clearly see and understand the importance, effect, and deeper meaning of these symbols and how they tie together to figuratively portray Cholera.-KC .