Saturday, December 28, 2019

Jane Austen s Pride And Prejudice - 2083 Words

The Enlightenment was a radical intellectual, philosophical and cultural movement that spread throughout Western Europe during the 18th century. Defined by its reliance on reason and individualism, this era replaced the traditional view of the authoritative power of institutions with an emphasis on the importance of freedom to think for oneself. This shift in focus to individual thought brought with it the freedom to question society, morals, religions, and customs. Written during the height of this movement, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice captures much of the complexity of this new Age of Reason. The main character, Elizabeth, is nothing if not individualistic. From the very beginning of the novel, she demonstrates a demand for self-expression, evidenced in her conversations at the dinner at Rosings, in which Elizabeth was â€Å"ready to speak whenever there was an opening† and responded to Lady Catherine’s inquiries about her sisters with confidence and comp osure, suspecting herself to â€Å"be the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with Lady Catherine with so much dignified impertinence† (Austen 125). Elizabeth’s interactions at Rosings illustrate her refusal to accept and be ruled by the social conventions and expectations of her time. As such, Elizabeth relies on her own reasoning to rationalize the world around her, and in turn creates a series of personal paradigms by which she leads her life. However, in an effort to stubbornly defend these ideals, Elizabeth fallsShow MoreRelatedJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1231 Words   |  5 Pagesfinancial stability. In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen states that the desire for better social connections interferes with the workings of love through the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth to criticize the social class structure of the 19th century. Anxieties about social connections or the desire for better social connections, interfere with the workings of love. Darcy and Elizabeth s realization of a mutual and tender love seems to imply that Jane Austen views love as something independentRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1294 Words   |  6 PagesJane Austen s exceptional novel Pride and Prejudice has been depicted as a classic that is as much a social study on class, marriage and gender as it is a romantic tale. It is an amusing representation of the social atmosphere of the late eighteenth and mid nineteenth century England, and it is primarily required with courtship rituals of the English high class. The novel is more than a romantic tale, however through Austen s subtle, and ironic style, it addresses gender, class, and marriageRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice992 Words   |  4 Pages It is unfortunate that many people tend to dismiss Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, as simply a roman tic love story, even labeling it a â€Å"chick flick.† Upon a shallow reading, it may appear to be such, but a closer look at the novel reveals so much more embedded in the story. In addition to describing the entertaining relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, the novel serves to forward Austen s personal values and ideas. Furthermore, there is one issue of her era that she particularlyRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1138 Words   |  5 PagesPride and Prejudice is a novel about the superficiality of marriage during the late 19th and early 20th century, which largely influenced the decisions made by individuals, based on connections and social rankings. The novel takes its characters through various changes influenced by their decision to or rather not to marry certain individuals. It begins not by a man desiring to marry for love, but by a mother who desires nothing more than to marry her daughters well. As the novel develops, Jane AustenRead MoreJane A usten s Pride And Prejudice1211 Words   |  5 PagesJane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was greatly influenced by the time period in which it was written, This novel follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters as they are faced with marriage proposals. The marriage and roles of women in this time period are shown throughout this story. During the time Austen was writing this novel, a woman’s role for her family changed. Daughters started to become a way for their family to achieve more money. Because their family depended on this financialRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1675 Words   |  7 PagesIn Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, she has specific criteria that her characters follow when choosing their mates. In today’s society, most couples still follow these criteria and more when choosing their ideal mate. What are these important criteria that Austen’s characters consider when choosing a mate? For Austen, the important cr iteria that she has for choosing a mate are that couples are personally compatible, they are in love with each other, and they must have a good moral character. Read MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1678 Words   |  7 PagesAfter reading Jane Austen’s most popular piece of work, the effects of the high societal expectations can be acknowledged through viewing the lives of the Bennet family and friends and noting such effects. Through the examination of the characters in Pride and Prejudice it is easily deciphered between marriages based upon true love and marriage based upon the expectations of society. Society’s main goal for woman in the Victorian era was marriage. As seen many in Pride and Prejudice, marriage wasRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1434 Words   |  6 PagesJane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was considered a radical novel back in 1813 when she wrote and published the piece. It is a social commentary on the treatment and societal standards of women, as well marriage expectations at the turn of the 19th century. Austen criticizes the patriarchal society, materialism, double standards of men and women by centering the book around Elizabeth Bennett, a young woman of decent means who does not understand the reason for the pressure to find a suitable husbandRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1468 Words   |  6 Pagesestablished over time. In Jane Austen s novel, Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth Bennet is the main character who is a lady in the Regency Era. Elizabeth lives in Longbourn with her parents, Mr and Mrs Bennet and her four sisters. In the beginning of the novel, Elizabeth s prejudice mindset and strong opinion blinds her from realizations happening around her. Soon, Elizabeth s prejudice disappears allowing her to open up and fall in love. Throughout Jane Austen s novel, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth growsRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1649 Words   |  7 PagesIn her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen is pre-occupied with the theme of marriage. Marriage is a central issue of a woman’s life but it was even more crucial for the women of her society where women were largely dependent on the men in their lives. As a result, women pursued socio-economic stability through marriage. However, it is clear through the novel that Austen did not agree with this part of her society. In Pride and Prejudice, she gives preference to a marriage which is based on love

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Role of Nigerian National Assembly in the Budget Process

THE ROLE OF NIGERIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN THE BUDGET PROCESS A PAPER WRITTEN BY DANIEL OMOLEWA OGUNSOLA APRIL, 2009 Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary 3 2. Introduction 4 3. Balance of Budgetary Powers 5 4. The National Assembly in Nigeria’s Budget Process 7 4.1. Legal Framework 8 4.2. Institutional capacity 10 4.2.1 Effective Appropriation Committee Capacity 10 4.2.1 Establishment of a Budget Office 10 a. Journey So Far 11 b. Challenges 11 c. Prospects 11 4.3 Political Will of Individual Legislators 11 5. Budget Implementation 12 6. Conclusion 14 1. Executive Summary The paper seeks to analyse the three identified variables as determining the actual role of the Nigerian legislature in the budget process. The†¦show more content†¦Also, Nigeria’s quest to meet the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) is frustrated by this development. 3. Balance of Budgetary Powers When presenting the 2006 budget to the National Assembly, the then Senate President, in his speech stated that â€Å" The National Budget is an important policy tool, hence the constitution requires Mr. President to present, and the National Assembly to approve, estimates of the revenues and expenditures of the Federation for the next financial year, which in Nigeria follows the lunar year. The power to approve includes the power to analyse, debate, amend and enact into law the estimates presented by Mr. President. The principle of separated institutions sharing power† is clearly illustrated in budgeting†. During the 2009 budget cycle, the legislature not only reduced some important expenditure items as proposed by the executive, the National Assembly also took liberty to increase allocation for several items and introduce several new items into the budget. The National Assembly, as stated by the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, however made effort to comply with overriding macro-economic projections of the executive and endeavoured to stay within the general principle of the budget. In my own opinion, the legislature pushed the frontiers of citizens, pro-poor budgeting a step further, by inserting development projects to be cited in each federal constituencyShow MoreRelatedCorruption Of The Silent Killer Essay1533 Words   |  7 PagesNigeria is the oil sector; it is also the sector with the most corruption. Officials shorten the revenue gotten from oil import and export, leaving the nation in a serious state of crisis and debt. The Central Bank of Nigeria reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Co-operation (NNPC) has not paid a sum of twenty billion dollars ($20 billion) (Thisdaylive). In addition, recent statistics have shown that the debt woes of the nation are increasing further as the economy depreciates(vanguard). CommunitiesRead MoreAdvantages and Disadvantages of Social Media6162 Words   |  25 PagesMedia Tracking Centre and the 2011 Nigerian Elections Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation About the Authors Dr. Judith Burdin Asuni is the Executive Director of Academic Associates PeaceWorks, a Nigerian NGO working in the fields of conflict management, peace and development and peace education. Dr. Asuni has researched and written extensively on conflicts in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta. AA PeaceWorks has established a social media team to engage Nigerian youth on their participation inRead MoreInformation and Communication Technology as Bedrock of the Nation13285 Words   |  54 PagesThese are:(i) (ii) (iii) Information and Communications Technology; Biotechnology; and Bio-resources Research and Development. This policy recognizes the tremendous challenges and opportunities offered Nigerians by these three. 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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Crisis Impact on Sustainability Reporting

Question: Discuss about the Crisis Impact on Sustainability Reporting. Answer: Introduction This study aims to identify the actual liabilities of the auditors in the current as well as past business context. In the beginning, the study focuses on the liabilities of the auditors in the general context. After that, the discussion in the study moves towards the liabilities that the auditors in the business organizations had during the global financial crisis. During the discussion, special emphasis is made on the incident of Lehman Brothers collapse during the global financial crisis in 2008. Critical analysis is made on the situation in order to identify the issues or loopholes that the auditors must avoid during auditing. Discussing on the concept of auditors liability In the words of Hall, Judd and Sunder (2016), the auditors in a business organization are liable for the providing the assurance that the financial and other operational information provided by the organization are true and fair. At the same time, the auditors of the companies are also liable to prevent any kind of financial fraud within the companies. The financial experts says that auditing is the essential work, which provides the assurance that the financial reports of the companies are disclosing true and fair view of the companies financial positions. Whittle, Mueller and Carter (2016) noted an auditor must be completely aware of the liabilities of detecting the financial frauds and mistakes in the financial reports of the firms. An auditor is liable for conducting mainly two types of audits internal audit and statutory audit. Though, in these two types of audits, the liabilities of the auditors are not different. In the internal audit, the auditors liability is to investigate or check the financial and operational documents and reports of the particular departments in the organization. The internal audit can be divided into three sub-categories product audit, process audit and system audit (Chen, Krishnan and Yu 2016). In case of product audit, the auditors check whether the products of the company are as per the required quality or not. In the process audit, the auditors check the operational process within the organization and in case of the system audit, the auditing is done on the management system. On the other side, in case of the statutory audit, the auditors are liable to check the financial reports and other operational documents of the company at the end of the financial year (Geiger, Raghunandan and Riccardi 2013). The statutory audit can be done on periodic basis. According to Antonia Garca-Benau, Sierra-Garcia and Zorio (2013), auditing is one of the most important activities for the business organization. Hence, the liability of the auditor is huge in case of maintaining the sustainability of the organizations. General liabilities of the auditors According to Sikka (2015), an auditor is liable for planning and executing the audit program in order to identify whether the financial statements presented by the company includes any misinterpretation or not. The auditor is also liable for providing personal opinion regarding the financial position and reporting standards of the company. Many times people think that fraud detection is the only liability that auditors have, but in actual sense auditors have many other responsibilities or liabilities like, identifying the risks involved in the financial statements or reports of the company, providing the guidance to the companies regarding the accounting techniques and expressing their views regarding the financial position of the company (Geiger, Raghunandan and Riccardi 2013). An auditor is liable for conducting different kinds of activities. In order to perform the proper auditing, the auditors must take care of the following liabilities: An auditor is one of the most liable persons for maintaining the transparency level in the financial reporting of the company. The auditors must investigate about the organization and its business activities by asking several questions to the employees and management personnel of the company. At the same time, the auditors are also liable for understanding the internal control system of the company through proper investigation (Hall, Judd and Sunder 2016). It is the liability of the auditors to perform an examination in order to verify each transaction took place within the company in a particular financial year. Along with the financial statements, the auditors are also responsible for testing the other documents related to the other business activities of the company. The auditors also require examining the supporting documents for financial reports or statements (Ntim, Lindop and Thomas 2013). The auditors of a company are also liable for confirming the reliability of each of the ledger accounts in the financial records of the company. Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be said that therefore several activities for which the auditors of the companies are liable. The above mentioned responsibilities make the job of auditing critical but it helps providing proper assurance to the company regarding their financial position in a financial year. Global financial crisis and auditors liability In the above discussion, it has been identified that in a business organization, the auditors have huge liability and the future of the business depends on the extent to which the auditors are aware of their liabilities. However, in this context Sikka (2015) stated that the business organizations may face several problems if the auditors do not play active role in the field of auditing. If the incident of global financial crisis in 2008 is considered, then it can be identified that many financial experts have stated that the big audit firms like, KPMG, PWC and Deloitte were responsible for the global financial crisis. In the words of Garca-Benau, Sierra-Garcia and Zorio (2013), the big audit firms played their role within the legal boundary but that was not up to the standard or as per the requirements. In support of this, Ntim, Lindop and Thomas (2013) noted that the global financial crisis took place because of weak communication between the large audit firms. The audit firms, which were responsible for the audit in banks, did not share important information regarding the financial positions of the banks in UK. On the contrary, Geiger, Raghunandan and Riccardi (2013) commented that auditors were not primarily responsible for the global financial crisis or financial crisis in the banks in UK and USA. The financial crisis primarily took place because of the wrong decisions taken by the banks regarding the lending and investing, wrong understanding regarding the risk factors and wrong credit rating system. Though the auditing firms or the auditors were not primarily responsible for the global financial crisis, still it cannot be said that the auditors played their role actively. After the global financial crisis in 2008, the head of PwC, US stated that the auditors of the companies before the financial crisis should have guided the companies regarding the improvements of the financial reporting. At the same time, Geiger, Raghunandan and Riccardi (2013) mentioned that before the financial crisis, the auditors also showed less effort on analyzing the valuations techniques applied by the banks and other large financial organizations. Before the financial crisis, the large banks in US and UK held huge amount of questionable assets like, collateralized obligations on the balance sheet or mortgage-backed securities. However, the auditors did not bother to check those questionable assets and their valuation techniques and guide the banks in order to improve their actual financial positions (Chen, Krishnan and Yu 2016). In the investigation after the global financial crisis, it has been identified that during the crisis period, most of the banks and other financial institutions valued their assets as per their own models. Though the banks and financial institutions were audited by the same audit firm, the audit firm did not mention anything about the differences in the assets valuation models of the organizations. For example, Goldman and AIG both valued their assets in their own assets valuation models and faced huge losses during the crisis. These two organizations were audited by the same audit firm that is PwC, bu t PwC did not mention that two firms were following different assets valuation models (Ft.com 2017). Therefore, the above discussion is indicating that in the legal sense, the job of the audit firm was proper during the financial crisis but technically the job done by the audit firms had loopholes. These loopholes in the activities of the audit firms took place because of the negligence. The negligence of the audit firms influenced the global financial crisis to high extent. The situation can be better understood if the case of any particular company during the crisis period is considered. Below, the analysis is done based on the particular case of Lehman Brothers collapse during the period of global financial crisis. Analyzing the liability of auditors in the collapse of Lehman Brothers In the above discussion, it has been identified that the negligence of the auditors was one of the major reasons behind the global financial crisis. If the particular case of Lehman Brothers is considered, then it can be identified that the auditor of Lehman Brothers was Ernst Young. After the collapse of Lehman Brothers, it has been argued by many financial analysts or experts that Ernst Young has not shown proper professionalism while auditing the financial reports of Lehman Brothers. However, in this context, Wiggins, Bennett and Metrick (2014) stated that before the global financial crisis, it was approved by the government that auditors of any firm will have limited liabilities. The audit firms were engaged with the organizations as per the LLP law. This particular law allowed the audit firms taking the liability of their client firms only to certain extent. Jones and Presley (2013) commented that the limited liability partnership actually influenced the negligence of the audit firms. In the investigation, it was identified that the financial interpretation done by Lehman Brothers was not proper. However, Ernst Young failed rather neglected this factor. At the same time, Kershaw and Moorhead (2013) noted that the structure of the business activities of the company was much complex as well as low standard, but the audit firm that is Ernst Young did not suggest anything to the company. Wiggins and Metrick (2014) argued that Lehman Brothers showed healthier financial position by misinterpreting the financial statement. This was not a tough job for Ernst Young identifying the factor that the financial statements of Lehman Brothers were misinterpreted. Wiggins, Piontek and Metrick (2014) commented that the tactics applied by Lehman Brother to hide their actual financial position were known to Ernst Young, but the audit firm did not bother to investigate further on the financial reporting standards applied by Lehman Brother. Due to this, the Repo 105 used by the firm was not disclosed. However, Mahon (2015) mentioned that it is not right to consider Ernst Young responsible for the collapse of Lehman Brothers because the audit firm that is Ernst Young checked the financial reporting of Lehman Brothers and it was identified by the firm that Lehman Brothers prepared and presented by financial reports as per the rules and regulations in GAAP (Generally Accepted Account ing Principles) (The Guardian 2017). However, on the contrary, Lubben and Woo (2014) stated that certain reduction in the gearing ratio of Lehman Brothers by 0.9 should have captured the attention of Ernst Young regarding the financial reporting of the company. In support of this, Presley and Jones (2014) noted that no questions were raised from the end of Ernst Young regarding the sudden change in the gearing ratio of the company. At the same time, Gottschalk (2015) suggested that the regulatory framework in the country in respect to accounting and finance was much weak, which created the scope of doing financial fraudulence by different large financial and other institutions or organizations. In the analysis of the particular case of Lehman Brothers collapse, it can be said that the audit firm or Ernst Young performed their job without taking any actual responsibility. The overall aim of auditing was not met by Ernst Young. After auditing, it is the duty of the auditors to provide their opinion regarding the financial reporting and financial statements of the company (Nguyen 2016). The auditor can provide the opinion only after checking each document of the company carefully. However, after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and global financial crisis, it has been mentioned by the governments of different countries that while auditing the financial statements and reports of any company, it is the duty of the auditors to check each transaction in detail. The responsibility of the auditors is not limited to the certain extent. It is possible that though the companies have followed the rules and regulations stated under GAAP, there are misinterpretations or manipulation of t he financial statements (Lwaltd.com 2017). Therefore, it is the responsibility of the auditors to provide their opinion after checking the financial information of the company thoroughly. Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be said that the audit company Ernst Young was partially liable for the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Ernst Young did not fulfill the requirements of auditing properly. If the auditor would have done critical examination of the financial statements of Lehman Brothers, then it could identify the financial misstatements or manipulations done by the company. This particular case of Lehman Brothers indicates that the responsibility of the auditors is not limited; the auditors are responsible for each financial activity done by the client company. Conclusion: In this study, it has been identified that an auditor has huge liabilities. The liability of the auditor is not limited to fraud detection; the auditor is liable for maintaining strong internal control system and at the same time providing best financial suggestions to the company. During the discussion, the study has identified that there are mainly two types of audit that the auditors generally do statutory audit and internal audit. The study has also indicated that the liability of the auditor is not different in case of statutory audit and internal audit. The study has also identified several general liabilities of auditors and some of those liabilities or responsibilities are detecting the financial frauds or misstatements in the financial statements of the company, checking the internal control system of the company and suggesting the company proper financial reporting standards. At the same time, the study has also identified that auditors were liable for the global financial crisis during 2008. The study has found out that in case of Lehman Brothers collapse, the audit firm of the company that is Ernst Young was partially responsible. This is because the Ernst Young did not check properly the financial statements or reporting of the company. There were several signs, which were indicating the manipulations in the financial statement; however, Ernst Young ignored those. Recommendations: The above discussions in the study provide the following recommendations: Every audit firm must conduct critical analysis of each of the transaction taken place in the client company. The audit firm must raise questions to the management of the client company if any suspicious or unusual thing happens or noted in the financial statements. The audit firm must check the assets valuation model of each client company. Reference list: Antonia Garca-Benau, M., Sierra-Garcia, L. and Zorio, A., 2013. Financial crisis impact on sustainability reporting.Management decision,51(7), pp.1528-1542. Chen, L., Krishnan, G.V. and Yu, W., 2016. The Relation between Audit Fee Cuts during the Global Financial Crisis and Earnings Quality and Audit Quality. Ft.com. 2017. [online] Available at: https:///www.ft.com [Accessed 17 Jan. 2017]. Geiger, M.A., Raghunandan, K. and Riccardi, W., 2013. The global financial crisis: US bankruptcies and going-concern audit opinions.Accounting Horizons,28(1), pp.59-75. Gottschalk, P., 2015. Private internal reports as evidence in court: The case of Stangeskovene investigation in Norway. Hall, C., Judd, J.S. and Sunder, J., 2016. The Role of Auditor Portfolios: Evidence from the Financial Crisis.Available at SSRN 2766448. Jones, B. and Presley, T., 2013. Law and accounting: did Lehman Brothers use of repo 105 transactions violate accounting and legal rules?.Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues,16(2), p.55. Kershaw, D. and Moorhead, R., 2013. Consequential Responsibility for Client Wrongs: Lehman Brothers and the Regulation of the Legal Profession.The Modern Law Review,76(1), pp.26-61. Lubben, S.J. and Woo, S.P., 2014. Reconceptualizing Lehman.Tex. Int'l LJ,49, p.297. Lwaltd.com. 2017. Accounting Services Manchester, Sale Warrington | LWA Ltd. [online] Available at: https://www.lwaltd.com/ [Accessed 17 Jan. 2017]. Mahon, K., 2015. Ernst Youngs Involvement with Lehman Brothers Downfall. Nguyen, T.N., 2016. Preventing Corporate Fiascos: Corporate Oversight Organization Unit. InPreventing Corporate Fiascos(pp. 101-107). Palgrave Macmillan US. Ntim, C.G., Lindop, S. and Thomas, D.A., 2013. Corporate governance and risk reporting in South Africa: A study of corporate risk disclosures in the pre-and post-2007/2008 global financial crisis periods.International Review of Financial Analysis,30, pp.363-383. Presley, T.J. and Jones, B., 2014. Lehman Brothers: The Case Against Self-Regulation.Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics,11(2), p.11. Sikka, P., 2015, March. The corrosive effects of neoliberalism on the UK financial crises and auditing practices: A dead-end for reforms. InAccounting Forum(Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 1-18). Elsevier. The Guardian. 2017. News, sport and opinion from the Guardian's US edition | The Guardian. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com [Accessed 17 Jan. 2017]. Whittle, A., Mueller, F. and Carter, C., 2016. The Big Fourin the spotlight: Accountability and professional legitimacy in the UK audit market.Journal of Professions and Organization, p.jow001. Wiggins, R.Z. and Metrick, A., 2014. The Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy C: Managing the Balance Sheet through the Use of Repo 105.Yale Program on Financial Stability Case Study. Wiggins, R.Z., Bennett, R.L. and Metrick, A., 2014. The Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy D: The Role of Ernst Young.Yale Program on Financial Stability Case Study. Wiggins, R.Z., Piontek, T. and Metrick, A., 2014. The Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy A: Overview.Yale Program on Financial Stability Case Study.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

The Sounds of the Unknown Essay Example For Students

The Sounds of the Unknown Essay Try to create a music, which no one has ever heard. It is so broad, new, and unexplored even the creator cannot even place a name for it. As Derrik May put it, We had to crack some serious codes, we did things no one else would do, played music no one else would touch. Those were some brave times (Sicko 67). A name was finally concocted by a group called the Belleville Trio. May, one of the trio, stated, We were calling it techno. Nobody really gave it that name. I think it was just the obvious title for the kind of music we made (Silcott 46). The actual word is said to have originated in Detroit, along with pretty much everything else having to do with it. So, what exactly is techno, and how has it had an influence? In order to comprehend techno, along with its simply deceptive grooves, and how its uprising has brought on a dramatic change in American as well as European culture, there must be a deep reaching with the mind alone into an electronic culture, along with letting the inf luence run through the body. The life of techno is not nearly long enough to recap and write on for even a few paragraphs. There is hardly any sources on techno as well. But, anyone who is living in the twenty-first century can remember hearing the word or its vibe. Here is the beginning. A Roland TB 303 Bass Line Machine started it all. A DJ by the name of Pierre discovered a crazy frequency sound when he was messing with one in his home studio (Silcott 42). DJ Pierre ran the most fluencial group on the global scale, Phuture. The Roland 303 then became discovered as a inticing, great machine. Many of them were used and produced many of the first Acid Tracks (Silcott 44). Although the 303 was originally intended to provide bass lines for a practicing guitarist, it set the record, however, for the birth of techno (Silcott 45). Rarely known to anyone or anything, techno was a freakazoided, undulating, gurgling, psychedelic, wah wah sound that had no meaning, no purpose. In recent history, it has spread to more cultures and countries than any other music (Sicko 16). Its demand is incredible, considering only a small portion of it has main streamed. Techno may not reach to everyone, but it has appeared in large events where millions of people have experienced its voice. For instance, the opening and closing themes for the 1998 Winter Olympics were created by Ken Ishii, a worldwide know artist. Also, a huge event, known as Britains Love Parade, plays techno on throughout the nights. Like any other music form, it is very difficult to pinpoint who exactly was the first artist. One man, known as Juan Atkins, was at least one of the early pioneers. Atkins said, You gotta look at it like, techno is technological (Savage 2). Another famous group, the Dust Brothers, who are better known now as the Chemical Brothers, have had a few hits even in the United States. Since an American production team had the name Dust Brothers, they made the switch to their more well-known title (Rule 3). They brought in a unique style from the U.K. that highly appealed to the U.S. clubs and inhabitants. Other groups, such as Orbital and the Aphex Twins, have also been there since the early days of techno (Savage 1). Atkins met a man named Richard Davis in college. His idea was Hey, lets get everybody together and jam. Atkins had always been making music since he was young so they tried to accomplish making a career out of the music that they loved so much. They had one central idea in techno: the harmony between man and machine (Savage 2). That is where it all began, and started forever growing into an accepted style of music, in the nation, as well as the world. .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e , .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .postImageUrl , .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e , .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e:hover , .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e:visited , .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e:active { border:0!important; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e:active , .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3192ad6fd85d224cfecae64c809a1a3e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Online Dating : The Old World Idea Of Matchmaking With Modern Day Technology EssayThe awakening of techno was a great one. Although in actuality it seems as if techno originated in Europe, it was originally only a few styles brought from there that were perfected and flourished in the United States. An Englishman, by the name of Danny Boyle, produced techno music themes for Shallow Grave and Trainspotting which featured Leftfield and Underworld, respectively (Sicko 16). Most of the exposure to Europe was included in London during promotions form Megadog to make dance music performance work called Midi Circus (Savage 1). However, in America, the adaptations of techno were m uch more rapid and wild-fire-like than those of Europe. American films, like Blade, use many artists instead of just one. Although the soundtracks provide a diverse range of music types, the techno tracks are a unique style that releases a great sense of speed (Sicko 17). The first proven compelling outlet for techno was a show on MTV called Amp. The show put the techno beat to images that were much more memorable (Sicko 17). Where techno really woke up was in Detroit, Michigan. After the originating of the music, and its main streaming, Detroit artists went back working in the Underground, while many other nations were still main streaming into pop (Sicko 162). Even though techno has made the enormous journey from the Detroit neighborhoods to each of the seven continents, America is still its toughest obstacle, which is ironic because that is where techno originated (Sicko 186). The future sound of techno will possibly be put together by many new machines. It represents a radical departure from traditional marketing techniques and the promotion of personalities (Sicko 186). In the present, techno is all about speed. It is a perfect groove for traveling. It has many repetive rhythms, melodies, and other perspectives that give the listener tons of electronic stimulation (Savage 2). The speeds will be enhanced, new musical styles will be produced, and even computer processed rhythms will be recorded. It is a major pop phenomenon, within which everyone lives (Sicko 2). The up and coming effects of techno have already been realized. A man named Alvin Toffler, wrote in The Third Wave, The techno rebels are, whether they recognize it or not, agents of the Third Wave. They will not vanish but multiply in the years ahead (Savage 4). As it has been said, techno will only get larger in the years to come, just as any other music does. The difference with it, though, is that it will keep on going,. Most likely because the style does not actually change, and since it is usually the song known, instead of the artist. So there are no celebrities to follow around and keep track of, just the pure hits. One of the best things that has happened to techno is that it finally caught up to the future it has been serenading for some many years (Sicko 202). In conclusion, techno has had a great influence on society, lives, and culture in America. With just a small glimpse into techno, its simply deceptive grooves, and story, its effect is dramatically dramatized. Through its history, life and events, through the first artists, American and European, through its exposure, and finally its everlasting march through time into the future, it has sent out wavelengths of sound waves that have been interpreted in each and every persons own way. It is so unique it is baffling. It has caused riots, raves, non-stop parties, millionaires, and dead-poor people through its arrival. Techno has, in effect, changed culture in America. Bibliography:Cheeseman, Phil. The History of House. webpage http://www.hyperreal.org/music/library/history_of_house.html. 16 Feb. 2000. Rule, Greg. Electroshock! San Francisco: Miller Freeman, Inc., 1999. .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 , .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .postImageUrl , .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 , .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080:hover , .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080:visited , .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080:active { border:0!important; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080:active , .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080 .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9cf3576b8183efceaaa86200ff0ba080:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Against same sex marriages EssaySavage, John. Machine Soul: A History of Techno. webpage http://www.hyperreal.org/music/library/machine_soul.html. 17 Feb. 2000. Sicko, Dan. Techno Rebels. New York: Billboard Books, Inc., 1999. Silcott, Mireille. Rave America. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press, 1999.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

This report discuss Taguchis methods for quality Essay Example

This report discuss Taguchis methods for quality Paper Dr Genichi Taguchi was born in Takamachi, Japan in 1924, a city famous for the kimono industry. It was only natural for him to study textile engineering as he was expected to assume responsibility of the family kimono business. But in 1942 Taguchis draft notice came and between 1942-1945 he served in the Astronomical Department of the Navigational Institute in the Imperial Japanese Navy. After 1945 he worked in the ministry of public Health and Welfare and in the Institute of statistical Mathematics (Ministry of Education). While here he met a prize winning Japanese statistician Prof. Matosaburo Masuyama, who at the time was regarded by many as the best statistician. Under his guidance, Taguchis learned much of the use of orthogonal arrays and experimental design techniques. He also contributed to many industrial experiments that dealt with the production of penicillin, and the name Genichi Taguchi gained recognition. We will write a custom essay sample on This report discuss Taguchis methods for quality specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on This report discuss Taguchis methods for quality specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on This report discuss Taguchis methods for quality specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In 1950, he was hired by the Electrical Communication Laboratory (ECL). During this time, both ECL and Bell Laboratories were developing cross bar and telephone switching systems. Working on the project for ECL provided Taguchi with plenty of opportunities for experimentation and data analysis. Six years later, Taguchi and ECL had completed the systems project. Around the same time, Bell Labs completed its version. Nippon ATT awarded a contract to ECL, however, for its superior production. During this period, Taguchi also found time to write Experimental Design and Life Test Analysis and Design of Experiments for Engineers (the result of working in the industry for six years). In 1960, the latter book helped earn him the Deming Prize for his contributions to the field of quality engineering. This is one of Japans most prestigious awards. Two years and a doctorate in science later, Taguchi wrote a second edition of Design of Experiments that introduced industrial research on the signal-to-noise ratio. He left the employ of ECL, but maintained his relationship in a consulting capacity. After becoming part of the associate research staff of the Japanese Standards Association, Taguchi founded the Quality Research Group. Since 1963, the group has met once a month to discuss industry applications. In 1962 Kyushu University awarded Taguchi with his PHD. When Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan invited him to teach in 1965, Taguchi said yesand stayed there for 17 years. Prior to Taguchis arrival, the University had no engineering department. Thanks in part to Taguchi, it now does. Dr. Taguchi developed the concept of the Quality Loss Factor in the early 1970s; he also published the third (current) edition of Design of Experiments By the early 80s, Taguchi was making a name for himself in the United States. Ford Motor Co. had been introduced to Taguchis methods via a Ford supplier. Ford was quite interested and Taguchi was invited to provide seminars for Ford executives in 1982. By 1983 he was executive director of the Ford Supplier Institute, Inc. (which would eventually change its name to the American Supplier Institute). Taguchi received two more awards in 1986. For his outstanding contributions to Japanese economics and industry, he received the Indigo Ribbon from the Emperor of Japan. This was followed by the International Technology Institutes Willard F. Rockwell Medal for combining engineering and statistical methods to achieve rapid improvements in cost and quality by optimising product design and manufacturing processes. ASQ is not the only quality organization to bestow honorary membership on Taguchi. In 1995, the Japanese Society of Quality Control honoured him with a like membership.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The Essay Expert Presents How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile - Wednesday April 6, 1200pm CST

The Essay Expert Presents How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile - Wednesday April 6, 1200pm CST Some of you have been on my LinkedIn webinars before. At least one of you got a call from a recruiter one week after making the changes I suggested just from listening to the webinar!   Want to hear the recording of my last webinar?   Click on   How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile. Your next opportunity to hear me present LIVE is this Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 12:00pm Central time.  Ã‚   Why would you want to attend this webinar? If you are a professional in any industry, you simply cant afford to have a mediocre LinkedIn profile. Your potential employers will all be scrutinizing your profile, and you want to make a great impression. In this webinar, I will take you through the most important sections of your profile and the most important strategies for getting found. Topics covered: Why care about LinkedIn? Whats the point of 500+ connections? What should I write in my headline to get found? What should I write in my Summary? What are LinkedIn applications and how do I use them? How do I add LinkedIns new sections to my profile? How can I make the most of LinkedIn groups? Join me and Robert Shindell of ilostmyjob.com to learn the answers to these questions and make a Killer impression on the people who find you on LinkedIn. Wednesday April 6th 12:00pm CST Category:Archived ArticlesBy Brenda BernsteinApril 3, 2011

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Portable Saw Mill Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Portable Saw Mill Industry - Essay Example Most of the times, there are a number of external factors that influence and affect Edward Perry ´s decisions. Such factors could be economic growth of the country, interest or lending rates, political policies, social, cultural and environmental factors affecting timber market. If these factors are not considered by Mr. Perry, he is more likely to miscalculate his profitability in the Portable Saw mill industry. Some of the benefits of conducting an external analysis are: 1. Assessment of structural limitations or opportunities in the market: For example, if you know that there is a public policy that is aiming to reduce overall consumption of timber; Mr. Edward Perry would look into ways to lobby or work around the policy to minimize the impact on his business. An external analysis hence provides important information that strategic managers use in planning, decision-making, and strategy formulation. 2. Long-term market growth: External analysis help you understand the long-term growth prospects of the market by looking at the economic outlook of world, region or country and demographic changes in the country. It gives an idea of what are the driving forces behind the sales trends if the number of target customers is growing or not etc.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Impact of nationalism on america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Impact of nationalism on america - Essay Example The actions that the members of a nation take when seeking to attain (or sustain) self-determination (â€Å"What is Nationalism?†). The nationalism brings up questions about the concept of nation which is usually defined in the terms of common ethnicity, origin or cultural ties. While an individual’s membership in a nation is oftentimes considered as voluntary. It also bring forth questions about whether or not self-determination should be understood as necessitating having complete statehood with complete authority over the domestic and international associations. Nationalism arises from the idea that the nation, in contrast to the nation—state is formant of aboriginal people to an area. It is also the longest-lasting and most prudent government. Nationalism was the most powerful and successful political force of the 19th century which emerged from two main sources which were the Romantic Exaltation of ‘feel’ & ‘Identity’ and the libera l requirement that a legitimate state be based on ‘people’ instead of a dynasty e.g. God or imperial supremacy. Both these movements were middle class movements. (â€Å"What is nationalism?†). The pros of nationalism are many. One of the main factors of nationalism is that it sets a sense of unity among the groups of nation no matter with which country it belongs to. It gives a feeling of belonging as people tend to work for the betterment of the state which lets people come together with common interests and achieve their ultimate goals. Nationalism also serves to unite a group of people, enabling them to make economic, political, and social progress. Unluckily however, nationalism has many cons too. It can often cause divergence between various nations, leading to war. When nationalism leads nations towards aggressiveness and certitude it leads nations towards destruction. The cons also include risking isolation from other groups of people who do not share the same land, and not profiting from their capability and goodwill. Over the past 10 years, a new nationalist movement has come into sight and gained huge strength in United States of America. It’s the new ‘white nationalist’ movement which brought the potential to disturb the already frail race relations. Shunning violence, this movement seeks to expand its influence primarily through the persuasion & argument embattled at the white Americans aggrieved over racial double standards, high black-on-white crime rates, and race based affirmative action policies. The new white American nationalism movement has been energized by advocacy of multiculturalism as well. Some of the many names of the white nationalists that we know about today are Don Black, David Duke, Paul Fromm, Norman Lowell, Robert Jay Mathews, Revilo P. Oliver and William Luther Pierce. Due to the emphasis on the group self determination; multiculturism has brought white nationalists with justification f or advocating a corresponding form of white camaraderie. The members of white nationalism are different from the other nationalism groups and are cultured, intelligent and usually hold impressive academic degrees from America’s premier colleges and universities. This new breed of white racial advocate is a far cry from the populist politicians and hooded Klansmen of the Old South who fought the losing combats for separation and white superiority. History has seen many countries suffering from the effects of nationalism; it has brought

Sunday, November 17, 2019

La Boheme vs rent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

La Boheme vs rent - Essay Example This is the primary similarity between La Boheme and Rent since they both tell the tale of struggling artists who are trying to get by in a world that does not seem to care much for their art at all. However, this does not mean that they are not happy because the process by which they create art and the manner in which they are rewarded by the creation of their art seems to be enough for them. At the same time, they do wish that their genius was recognized by the world around them but that appears to be only a secondary concern. For the individuals in the plays, love is also an important concern since it governs many aspects of their life and even the works they produce. However, the similarity which stands out between the two plays is death caused by disease that has no cure. For La Boheme, it is tuberculosis while for Rent, it becomes HIV. This similarity also shows that despite the characters living a bohemian life, the reality of death and disease affects them as much as it would affect anyone else in the world. Even their carefree lifestyle cannot protect them from the ravages of disease and eventual death. In Rent however, it is perhaps due to their carefree and careless lifestyle that the individuals are affected by their disease. This is only the first of the differences between the plays since the setting of the plays is also different due to the time and place that separates them. From a Romantic Paris to a post-modern New York, the plays present very different realities even if there are similarities between the characters and the situations they have been placed in. This change in setting means that the dialog, the manner in which the characters interact as well as their social constructs change to reflect the settings. However, in the final analysis, the theme as well as the message of the plays makes it easy to conclude that they plays are more

Friday, November 15, 2019

A Postmodernist View Of International Relations Politics Essay

A Postmodernist View Of International Relations Politics Essay Some scholars argue that alternative approaches to IR theory have not made any significant contributions to the theorization of IR. Moreover, these approaches lead our IR theory into disorder and we are left with a lack of direction. However, focusing on Postmodernism, we find it has produced the idea of the power-knowledge relationship to criticize the absolute truth which is proposed by Positivism, and also provides us with different methodologies such as genealogy, text, narrative, discourse, deconstruction and double reading to explain world politics. Besides, Postmodernism has utilized a variety of methods such as deconstruction of text to overcome the theories and concepts that people believe (Der Derian and Shapiro, 1989). In the past international theory has been dominated by four main theories: Realism, Liberalism, Marxism and Constructivism. However, in the last two decades there has been a dramatic change to this picture. A range of new approaches has developed to aid understanding of world politics. In the context of globalization, even Realism seems inadequate to explain issues like the rise of non-state actors, identity politics, transnational social movements and information technology. The new major development is not only underway in the academic discipline of social science but also in the philosophy of social science, in a movement known as Positivism. Thus many alternative ways of thinking about the social sciences have been proposed and since the picture of IR theory has changed a series of alternative approaches has emerged as more relevant to world politics in the twenty first century (Smith S, 2008). Until the late 1980s, most social scientists in International Relations tended to be Positivists. But since then Positivism has been under attack. The assumptions made by Positivism met with dissent as criticism of the IR theories led by Positivism began to emerge (Smith S, 2008). This is the so-called the third debate (Ashley R., 1987; 1990; Walker R. B. J., 1993). It can also be called the Positivism and Post-Positivism debate (Lapid Y., 1989; Jim G., 1990; Smith S., 1995).. The dissent from Positivism prominently contains Feminism, Critical theory, Post-colonialism, Poststructuralism and Postmodernism. Their common idea is that they all see the world as something external to the IR theory (Smith S., 2008).Postmodernism is the term used by sociologists and others to describe a way of thinking that has become pervasive in the Western world in the last twenty-five years. It is an approach to reality that is having a significant effect on architecture, art, education, law, literature, psychotherapy, science, theatre, and the study of history and peoples view of religion (Exploring Christianity-Truth, n.d.). It reached IR theory in the mid-1980s, but can only be said to have really arrived in the past fifteen years (Smith S., 2008).The term Postmodernism first entered the philosophical lexicon in 1979, with the publication of The Postmodern Condition by Jean-Franà §ois Lyotard (Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy, 2005). Other significant writers who have promoted Postmodernism are De Man, Elshtain, Geoffrey Hartman, Harold Bloom, Michel Foucault, J. Hillis Miller, Jacques Derrida, Habermas, Richard Rorty and Rob Walker. Postmodernists who have made important contributions to IR theory are Richard Ashley, James Der Derian, David Campbell and William Connolly. Its origins are found in the philosophies of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Marx and Freud (Exploring Christianity-Truth, n.d.; Smith S., 2008). As cited in Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy (2005), That Postmodernism is indefinable is a truism. However, it can be described as a set of critical, strategic and rhetorical practices employing concepts such as difference, repetition, the trace, the simulacrum, and hyperreality to destabilize other concepts such as presence, identity, historical progress, epistemic certainty, and the univocity of meaning. Until today there is no fit definition for the Postmodernism because it appears to be so open a theory that not even its advocates can agree upon how to define it (Geuras D., 2002). Some define Postmodernism as distrustful of all authority and dogmatism. Jean-Franà §ois Lyotard defined it as incredulity towards metanarratives and essentialism (1984: xxiv). The following paragraphs will discuss the significant contributions that Postmodernism brings to IR theory and use the methods that Postmodernists provide to deconstruct the Iraq war. 1. Power-Knowledge relationship and the non-existence of absolute truth Postmodernists emphasized the power-knowledge relationship and criticized the notion dominant in rationalist theories and Positivism that knowledge is irrelevant to the working of power; they also opposed the existence of absolute truth. From the rationalists and Positivists perspective, knowledge is not related to power and truth exists. However, Michel Foucault (1977, 1978, 1984, and 1994) totally disagreed with this idea and argued that power in fact produces knowledge. There is a well-known saying from Foucault that All power requires knowledge and all knowledge relies on and reinforces existing power relations. Thus, no truth exists outside power. To paraphrase Foucaults idea, Smith (2008) provided another saying, how can history have a truth if truth has a history? Whilst Marxism, -Sandpoint feminism Critical theory and Freudian psychoanalysis all support the existence of some fundamental truth about the world, Postmodernism still quarrels with direct access to truth. This aspect is stated most clearly by Stanley Grenz (1995) in a Primer on Postmodernism: Postmodernism affirms that whatever we accept as truth and even the way we envision truth are dependent on the community in which we participate . . . There is no absolute truth: rather truth is relative to the community in which we participate (summarized in Dean G., 2002). The Postmodernists use Foucaults approach which is known as genealogy to register and expose the significance of history in the light of this relationship between power and knowledge. Genealogy helps us to realize the process whereby the origins and regimes of truth edge out other discourse and are constructed into the so-called truth. Postmodernism focuses on how fragmental facts dominate others in very concrete ways (see, for example, Edwards P. 1996; Devetak R., 1996, pp.184-188). Postmodernists apply the genealogy approach to doubt the unity and certainty of national identity and explain how the existing appearance of unity and certainty is not natural but artificially constructed (Huang C. C., 2009: pp.138). Richard Devetak (1996) has mentioned that different configurations of power and knowledge give rise to different conceptions of sovereignty, statehood and intervention. Postmodernists always focus on counter-histories, seldom portray the impossible-to-get-to truth, but emphasize the existence of multi-histories, not just the one grand-history (cited in Pà ¶lling-Vocke B., 2005b). Take the ongoing war in Iraq for example; it could be an interesting field of study for Postmodernists to think about its shifting justifications. The US administrations purpose in making war upon Iraq has shifted from Iraqs disarmament to the spread of democracy. Public support from US citizens is essential throughout the ongoing war in the aftermath of 9/11 and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan and the Philippines), and it is reasonable to explain that the power-knowledge relationship contributes to the absence of outcry from US people. People have no means to access what they do not know about (Pà ¶lling-Vocke B., 2005b). 2. Divergent methodologies on analyzing text In addition to elaborating the power-knowledge relationship, Postmodernists are also concerned with the textual interplay behind power politics (Pà ¶lling-Vocke B., 2005b; Derrida J., 1976). They believe that the world needs to be understood as a text, and all references to it are interpretative. Postmodernists claim that the best explanation for the text does not exist because the world is plural and explanations must be plural (Luo Li, 2009). All the interpretations of the world are meaningful and equal thus they use many ways to realize the world, and Postmodernists use techniques such as deconstruction and double reading in explaining the text (world) (Smith S., 2001: 240). 2.1 Deconstruction Postmodernists suggest deconstruction as a method of showing how all discourses and theories depend on artificial stabilities produced by means of seemingly objective and natural oppositions as well as a way to help us realize that there is not only one but always more than one truth behind an event (Smith S., 2008). A good summary of postmodern thinking is given by Os Guinness in Fit Bodies, Fat Minds: Where modernism was a manifesto of human self-confidence and self-congratulation, Postmodernism is a confession of modesty, if not despair. There is no truth, only truths. There are no principles, only preferences. There is no grand reason, only reasons. There is no privileged civilization, only a multiple of cultures, beliefs, periods, and styles. There is no grand narrative of human progress, only countless stories of where people and their cultures are now. There is no simple reality or any grand objectivity of universal, detached knowledge, only a ceaseless representation of everything in terms of everything else. In sum, Postmodernismis an extreme form of Relativism. (Cited in Exploring Christianity) People always accept language or concepts constructed with the concept of binary opposition (such as black/ white, public/ private, right/ wrong, male/ female, homosexuality/ heterosexuality) as a matter of course. Constructivists make one of the binary privileged over the other by means of degrading the latter one. For example, in order to diminish white, Constructivists enhance the value of black (Luo Li, 2009). This concept is commonly used in contemporary political systems. When a dominant authority intends to intensify the reliability of a certain interpretation with respect to an event, it puts down the other possible but contrary interpretation.Jacques Derrida, a French Postmodern philosopher, originated the idea of deconstruction (Cky J. Carrigan, 1996). He himself found it difficult to explain the concept, and perhaps the clearest and most succinct definition comes from The Gale Cengage glossary: A method of literary criticismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦characterized by multiple conflicting interpretations of a given work. Deconstructionists consider the impact of the language of a work and suggest that the true meaning of the work is not necessarily the meaning that the author intended. Whilst the approach has been widely criticized and indeed ridiculed, for example by Anthony J. Fejfar (2006a, 2006b), it is an important tool in understanding what a text may be hiding. What Postmodernists try to do is to use deconstruction approaches to seek the truths behind an event that have been forgotten or deleted, and to explore the idea that a text is not a discrete whole but includes several irreconcilable and contradictory meanings; there is always more than one interpretation behind an event. Through the process of deconstruction, several explanations for the first occurrence of war in Iraq are revealed. From the standpoint of the Iraqi government, it was a matter of getting back their territory. For the elite members of an Iraq army group, it seemed a good opportunity for praiseworthy achievement. From an Iraqi generals perspective, it was a good opportunity for promotion. On the other hand, the women of Baghdad who suffered and became homeless may have attributed the terrible war to their fate or to America or may have seen it as a punishment from Allah. English and Egyptian soldiers may have seen different truths behind the war. American Ex President G.H.W. Bush claimed that the purpose of the Gulf war was to prevent the emergence of a dictator like Hitler in Middle East area (Nicholson M., 1998; Yuen H.L., 2006). The deconstruction approach can be used again to seek out more than one truth about the Second Gulf War in 2003. On 5th of February, 2003 United States Secretary of State, Colin Luther Powell proclaimed that the declaration of war was because of Iraqs possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction. The American government claimed that they were going to destroy the connection between Saddam Husseins Government and Al Qaida terrorists. American Ex President George Bush claimed that the war was inevitable in order to turn Iraq into a democratic nation. Some scholars argued that America intended to plunder Iraqs large oil reserves (Cited in Chui A.T., n.d.). The American administration tends to exclude many other possible interpretations of an event by only presenting the most favorable one with the assistance of the media (Nicholson M., 1998; Yuen H.L., 2006). While G. Bush refers to good and evil and frames the world in such terms, techniques as used during the Cold war, Postmodernists argue that neither term is pure or complete, but only becomes so in contrast to the other (Pà ¶lling-Vocke B., 2005b). Behind any event there is always more than one truth, as with the Gulf War and the 9/11 terrorism attacks on the New York Trade Centre: the reason broadcast to the world by the American administration was not the only one. The American government tends to intensify the reliability of certain interpretations with respect to these two events, and puts down the other possible but contrary interpretation. There are still lots of truths behind these wars that have not been exposed; Postmodernists try to use deconstruction to excavate truths (Nicholson M., 1998; Yuen H.L., 2006). 2.2 Double Reading Double reading is the other means used by Postmodernists to read a text more deeply and realize how there is always more than one reading. After the 1980s, Postmodernists started to use this method to analyze aspects of world politics like the anarchy problematique of dominant IR theory (Ashley R., 1988) and to explain international events such as the Kosovo War, the Gulf War or Nazi issues. Double reading and deconstruction are both methodologies used by Postmodernists to focus on texts and help us to realize that there is no absolute truth. These two ways of elaborating texts are both from Derrida. Derrida used this technique to show how these stabilizations operate by subjecting the text to two readings. The first time of the reading is only a repetition of the dominant concept and text and shows how it achieves its coherence (Smith S., 2008). The second time of reading is trying to read the text deeper and find the obvious contradictions from the first reading. All ideas in the text via the first reading seem natural stabilization; however, utilizing the second reading can help scholars to find some differences. From the double reading approach, people can realize that this way of reading the same text can reveal not only one seemingly natural idea but also can explore the other, contradictory ones. Double reading is a useful, Postmodernist tool to illustrate the shortcomings of the dominant analytical languages. For example, the anarchy problematique- no existence of central government or hegemonic nation in the world- rests on a series of questionable, theoretical suppositions or exclusions, and sovereignty and anarchy are mutually exclusive concepts, which have to be deconstructed (Pà ¶lling-Vocke B. , 2005b). In International Relation Theory, Richard Ashley has performed exactly such a double reading of the concept of anarchy(on the state-level). He first provided the reading of anarchy based on traditional IR theories and then went through the second reading which showed that the seemingly natural opposition between anarchy and sovereignty in the first reading is in fact false opposition. Ashley showed that the truth of the traditional assumptions made about anarchy is arbitrary (Smith S., 2008). While the dominating, orthodox analytical languages of the modernist project analyze the war in Iraq in neo-realistic terms, Postmodernism would use double readings to make visible the assumptions underlying such interpretations (Pà ¶lling-Vocke B., 2005b). Double reading is a useful tool for analyzing the post-war-war (May 2003 onwards) and illustrating that the reality is not as it is perceived by mainstream media (Pà ¶lling-Vocke B., 2005a). Postmodernists would also focus on analyzing the different interpretations of current affairs in Iraq and other world affairs. Conclusion Post-Positivism movements including Critical theory, Feminism, Post-colonialism, Poststructuralism and Postmodernism (which are so-called alternative approaches of IR theory) emerged as a reaction to the methodology led by Positivists and rationalists. . Some scholars have argued that Postmodernism does not have anything significant to contribute to the theorization of International Relations. Not only that, it also leads IR theory into chaos. However, the supporting evidence presented in this essay suggests that Postmodernism effectively provides many different ways of explaining and understanding systems of world politics. Postmodernism can be described as a challenge to the prevailing modernity project. It focuses on counter-hegemonic-theories and explains how conclusions perceived as rational only work within certain parameters. Postmodernists criticize the statement proposed by Positivism and Rationalism that power and knowledge are irrelevant. They present the Power-Knowledge relationship to let us understand that power in fact produces knowledge and they also propose the idea that there is no existence of absolute truth. From the Postmodernists perspective, there is always more than one truth existing in an event. Postmodernism also teaches us to employ techniques such as deconstruction and double reading to deconstruct texts and re-consider concepts that are seemingly natural and a matter of course. With regard to the war in Iraq, Postmodernists prefer to portray a wide array of descriptions and explanations than providing just one as the truth. With the world understood as a text, it is important that the textual interplay behind power politics is clearly seen and that we realize that all the references to this text are interpretive. Politicians always provide a reason for the war in Iraq such as It is about democracy and freedom or It is about the abundant oil. Postmodernists do not believe in the existence of only one truth behind the war and try to utilize genealogy, deconstruction and double reading to deeply analyze the text and explore the multiplicity of reasons. Although there are so many controversies surrounding the emergence and existence of Postmodernism, it is absolutely wrong and unfair to say that Postmodernism does not bring any significant contribution to our IR theory. During the past 20 years, Postmodernists have provided intelligent methodologies like double reading and deconstruction that may enable us to better analyze contemporary political issues. Obviously, Postmodernism plays an important role in the theorization of IR especially since economic structures, media, political and diplomatic systems have evolved into completely different forms from what they used to be, and they can no longer be easily analyzed by traditional IR theories.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Primary Health Care Essay -- Health, Policies, Regulations

Part A Primary health care evolves from the economic, cultural, social, and political conditions of a country, and it is described as an essential part of health care that is universally provided to individuals in a community at the country's and community's expense (World Health Organisation [WHO], 1978). The goal of primary health care is to address the main local health problems, but it involves community education about these problems in addition to providing disease treatments (WHO, 1978). Furthermore, primary health care is concerned with nutrition promotion, sanitation standards, family planning, immunisation, disease control and prevention, and it promotes and relies on community and individual participation in primary health care functions (WHO, 1978). Population health is concerned with policies and interventions that result in positive health outcomes within a community and further distribution of these outcomes among the individuals of the community (Kindig and Stoddart, 2003). Primary health care and population health overlap and complement each other because primary health care builds the fundamental infrastructure of the national health care system (WHO, 1978), so other aspects of national health care are built upon the principles, organisation, and functions defined in the country's primary health care policies and regulations. For example, primary care is provided to individuals, and population health is concerned with community health. However, population health depends on proper individual care because individuals with potentially communicable disease can be a threat to public health, so population health can plan its interventions in the community based on evidence collected from primary health observations... ...r intervention accordingly. Item #6. Finally, the issue of an influenza pandemic must be addressed by agencies and organisations other than health care providers, so the occupational health nurse in the role of the educator will notify and counsel boarder controls, travel agencies, and all international organisations about proper rules and regulations in this situation because entering and leaving Australia during a pandemic should not be allowed without proper vaccination. Although quarantines have proven ineffective against flu pandemics in the past, and a 90% air travel restriction can delay the pandemic by no more than two weeks (GlobalSecurity.org, 2011b), making vaccination obligatory for travellers should not be overlooked because it can both slow down the progress of the disease within the Australian community and prevent spreading it to other communities. Primary Health Care Essay -- Health, Policies, Regulations Part A Primary health care evolves from the economic, cultural, social, and political conditions of a country, and it is described as an essential part of health care that is universally provided to individuals in a community at the country's and community's expense (World Health Organisation [WHO], 1978). The goal of primary health care is to address the main local health problems, but it involves community education about these problems in addition to providing disease treatments (WHO, 1978). Furthermore, primary health care is concerned with nutrition promotion, sanitation standards, family planning, immunisation, disease control and prevention, and it promotes and relies on community and individual participation in primary health care functions (WHO, 1978). Population health is concerned with policies and interventions that result in positive health outcomes within a community and further distribution of these outcomes among the individuals of the community (Kindig and Stoddart, 2003). Primary health care and population health overlap and complement each other because primary health care builds the fundamental infrastructure of the national health care system (WHO, 1978), so other aspects of national health care are built upon the principles, organisation, and functions defined in the country's primary health care policies and regulations. For example, primary care is provided to individuals, and population health is concerned with community health. However, population health depends on proper individual care because individuals with potentially communicable disease can be a threat to public health, so population health can plan its interventions in the community based on evidence collected from primary health observations... ...r intervention accordingly. Item #6. Finally, the issue of an influenza pandemic must be addressed by agencies and organisations other than health care providers, so the occupational health nurse in the role of the educator will notify and counsel boarder controls, travel agencies, and all international organisations about proper rules and regulations in this situation because entering and leaving Australia during a pandemic should not be allowed without proper vaccination. Although quarantines have proven ineffective against flu pandemics in the past, and a 90% air travel restriction can delay the pandemic by no more than two weeks (GlobalSecurity.org, 2011b), making vaccination obligatory for travellers should not be overlooked because it can both slow down the progress of the disease within the Australian community and prevent spreading it to other communities. Primary Health Care Essay -- Health, Policies, Regulations Part A Primary health care evolves from the economic, cultural, social, and political conditions of a country, and it is described as an essential part of health care that is universally provided to individuals in a community at the country's and community's expense (World Health Organisation [WHO], 1978). The goal of primary health care is to address the main local health problems, but it involves community education about these problems in addition to providing disease treatments (WHO, 1978). Furthermore, primary health care is concerned with nutrition promotion, sanitation standards, family planning, immunisation, disease control and prevention, and it promotes and relies on community and individual participation in primary health care functions (WHO, 1978). Population health is concerned with policies and interventions that result in positive health outcomes within a community and further distribution of these outcomes among the individuals of the community (Kindig and Stoddart, 2003). Primary health care and population health overlap and complement each other because primary health care builds the fundamental infrastructure of the national health care system (WHO, 1978), so other aspects of national health care are built upon the principles, organisation, and functions defined in the country's primary health care policies and regulations. For example, primary care is provided to individuals, and population health is concerned with community health. However, population health depends on proper individual care because individuals with potentially communicable disease can be a threat to public health, so population health can plan its interventions in the community based on evidence collected from primary health observations... ...r intervention accordingly. Item #6. Finally, the issue of an influenza pandemic must be addressed by agencies and organisations other than health care providers, so the occupational health nurse in the role of the educator will notify and counsel boarder controls, travel agencies, and all international organisations about proper rules and regulations in this situation because entering and leaving Australia during a pandemic should not be allowed without proper vaccination. Although quarantines have proven ineffective against flu pandemics in the past, and a 90% air travel restriction can delay the pandemic by no more than two weeks (GlobalSecurity.org, 2011b), making vaccination obligatory for travellers should not be overlooked because it can both slow down the progress of the disease within the Australian community and prevent spreading it to other communities.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 26. Awakening

The constant drone of the machines continued to echo through my psyche as the evening street lights casted shadows through the hospital room. Rene refused to leave Bella's side for any period of time. I let her have my seat next to Bella but continued to stay in the room, sitting in the corner quietly listening to Rene's thoughts whirl through her child like mind. She was unlike Bella in every way; she even sensed danger when it came to the Cullen's, unlike Bella. My poor baby†¦what time is it? She looked towards the clock. Eleven. Charlie should be here shortly. I'm going to have to have a talk with him. Her thoughts then became a little disjointed in anger as she thought of her daughter falling down two sets of stairs because she had run away from Forks. Forks, she scoffed internally. I knew this wasn't a good idea. I warned her. I told her she didn't have to leave. What kind of mother am I to condemn my child to a place like Forks? Ignoring her constant prattling, I continued to stare, fixated on Bella, waiting for her eyes to open, willing them to just flutter. I couldn't see the clock that was over my head, but I was counting every second as they passed. It was easy to keep track because my only focal point was Bella and how long she had been devoid of consciousness. It had now been exactly 39,982†¦83†¦84 seconds since we arrived at the hospital. Her heart thrummed evenly as her scent was beginning to slowly return to her. The sweet nectar that was her life filled the room with the delicious aroma. Craving the sweetness, I brought the scent into my lungs, letting my throat burst into flames. It was only two hours ago that she finished her second blood transfusion and I was afraid her scent would forever be a pitiful imitation of the luscious blood pulsating through her body. It felt like my body was undergoing physical suffering owing to her condition. Her blood deficient was because of me; a creature so monstrous that I preyed on this innocent creature by allowing her to become a part of my life. More than that, she was my life. My phone lightly vibrated in my jeans pocket ?Cdistracting me from my internal torment – and I pulled it out to read a message from Alice. Just picked Charlie up from the airport. Will be there in fourteen minutes. Snapping my phone shut, I got up to move to Bella's other side. With her mother here, I kept my distance, not wanting to over step my bounds with a parental authority that I so recently met†¦and especially under these circumstances. â€Å"Charlie will be here shortly. Carlisle and Alice just picked him up from the airport,† I said lightly. It's about time. â€Å"That's good,† her eyes never left Bella's face. For over an hour before now I was struggling to come over and talk with Rene. I wanted to flush out a good story to tell her about why we were here in the first place. She got the gist of the story from the doctor about her going through a window after falling down two flights of stairs, but that was all. â€Å"Mrs. Dwyer,† I began. Such a gentleman†¦Mrs. Dwyer. Her penetrating gaze moved from Bella's face to mine. Her eyes widened a little at my appearance. It always caught humans off guard, the little indications they didn't comprehend, no matter how many times they'd seen one of us before. She studied my face for only a brief second before she saw the grief that was displayed squarely on my face. Ignoring her senses she brought her thoughts to my expression. He really cares for her. He looks like he is going to cry. â€Å"Rene,† she corrected me. â€Å"Yes, of course, Rene. I wanted to apologize for this whole incident,† I used my smoothest voice to ease her stress, one I retained for not alarming humans. â€Å"This isn't your fault†¦,† she began, but her thoughts caught up to her mouth. What was he doing down here anyways? He didn't†¦follow her did he? He's not a stalker†¦is he? She tried to smile politely but even without her thoughts as a guide I could have guessed what she was currently thinking. Her thoughts weren't far off base. I was her vampire stalker, watching her sleep every night. I continued, not wanting to think that once she recovered, this would be the end†¦no more stealthily hiding in her room. â€Å"Yes, it is my fault. I really care about your daughter, so please understand that I want the best for her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Why are you here?† She blurted out. â€Å"When I brought her home after playing baseball with my family she became upset. She really misses Arizona and after I confessed my feelings for her she became angry.† The memory of her yelling at me flashed through my mind. Though she was acting, it burned to hear her say goodbye and slam the door in my face which is ultimately my worst fear. His feelings? Hum, I wonder how much he actually cares for her†¦I hope her actions aren't because of me†¦my past†¦because of my fear of her staying in Forks. Nope, not his fault†¦mine, all mine. She stared at me with her eyes filling with the sorrow of her thoughts, so I went on, trying to distract her from her mental images. It was entirely my fault, not hers. â€Å"When I found out she had run off to Arizona†¦from a call she made to Alice, I had to fix it. Carlisle and Alice came with me to try and convince her to come back to Forks; that we all loved and missed her.† We all love her? Their relationship is a little more intense than I realized. Rene speculated. â€Å"She agreed to meet us at our hotel room but she never made it. Carlisle was actually in the hallway getting ice when he heard a loud crash. Alice and I heard it also,† The look on my face showed pure agony at the thought, though this wasn't acting, this was how I truly felt. â€Å"It was Bella; she had tripped and gone through a window. We rushed to get Carlisle but he was already there. All three of us helped stop the bleeding and get her to the hospital.† Poor child. He must have been scared out of his mind. Rene reached over to place her hand over mine. â€Å"Thank you for saving her.† â€Å"Thank Carlisle. He's the doctor,† â€Å"Yes, but without you, he might not of been able to stop the bleeding in time,† a tear slid down her face and the white blanket covering Bella now had a wet spot from the droplet. Edward, we're here. Alice called out to me through her mind. I have to warn you, he's not happy. You might want to get out of there before†¦ The door to the room flew open as Charlie came marching in, livid. His face was so screwed up in anger that all the blood had rushed to his face, covering it purple, like a radish with a sun burn. â€Å"This is all your fault,† he pointed a finger at my chest, coming closer and closer. I backed away from him, â€Å"I'm sorry.† It was a pathetic attempt, but it was all I could think to say with him advancing on me. I nearly knocked over my tray of food; nothing more than a prop, really, but my mind was in such anguish that I wasn't paying attention. No, this is my fault, Rene thought while stepping in between us. She placed her hands on Charlie's chest and began to push him towards the door. â€Å"Mr. Swan, I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began. Rene interjected. â€Å"Charlie, that's enough. Let's talk outside,† she commanded sternly. â€Å"You won't ever see my daughter again. Do you understand?† Charlie continued to shout at me as Rene continued to heave against him until he was outside of the door. His threat was unnecessary because I had to leave her to let her live a peaceful life without all the peril. I backed slowly into the corner, sitting down on the chair again. Bella's breath had picked up slightly; the tempo of her heart increasing, like she could sense the tension in the room. Watching her small chest lightly rise and fall with each breath, seeing the blood flow seamlessly through her translucent skin, listening to her heart which was echoed perfectly with the monitor all just emphasized how delicate and precious she really was. I had to save her from the nightmarish creature I feared and loathed that finally made it to the surface when I tasted the rich flavor of her blood. I was afraid that I wouldn't have enough discipline left to be around her forever. Would all my efforts fail? Pushing my ever growing thoughts of leaving from my mind ?C fighting tooth and nail against what I didn't want to be – I opened my mind to the conversation that was now being shouted in the hall. Listening in on their conversation wasn't difficult in the least. They were barely standing outside the door and with their raised voices it was loud enough that even the humans could hear it. â€Å"Charlie, calm down right this instance!† Rene yelled at him. â€Å"You left him in there with our daughter. She left because of him,† he growled furiously with the protective concern, emitting a possessive edge in his thoughts. I could witness his livid expression through Rene's human eyes. Not the best vision, but it would work. He was right, though; she did leave because of me, because of the danger I placed her in. Looking at her limp form on the bed, her brown hair surrounding her glorious bruised face only brought more fear rippling and quivering through my still form. I was gasping at the air like I'd been suffocated. â€Å"No. She left because of me! If she wasn't so scared to fall in love in Forks than she wouldn't have run away in the first place. This is my fault, not his. If you want to blame someone, blame me,† she retorted. â€Å"You didn't hear the way she yelled at him.† I flinched at the memory, my nerves stretching tight ?C guitar strings, tensed to resonate at the gentlest of pressure. â€Å"She was so angry and upset,† his voice had lowered some, noticing all the attention on them. Charlie hated attention as much as Bella did. â€Å"Wait, did you say love?† Rene eyed the door automatically, picturing my tortured face in her mind. â€Å"Yes. I believe he loves her,† she murmured. â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he stuttered. â€Å"That still doesn't matter!† â€Å"They were trying to help. You know our daughter, she is very clumsy. If it didn't happen now it probably would have happened in the future. It's better if it is when a qualified emergency room doctor is around,† Rene rubbed his shoulders. I could hear her impatience at her ex-husband. Dr. Jones was still on duty and over heard part of the conversation in the hall. Must be her father the way he was yelling. He walked towards them. â€Å"Hello, I'm Dr. Jones. I am the one who worked on your daughter this afternoon.† A nurse had followed behind him and entered the room. She began taking Bella's vitals, not even realizing I was sitting in the corner. Her thoughts concentrated on the information she was writing down on the chart. I continued to listen to the conversation outside the door. â€Å"Oh, hello, yes†¦I'm Charlie, her father. Dr. Cullen told me she was in a medically induced coma?† The light rhythmic movement of Bella's heart continued at a steadied beat, a little faster than when she was in a peaceful sleep. Again, I was counting the seconds. â€Å"Yes. She is healing nicely. Once her swelling goes down around her brain we will try and wake her, but it is strictly up to her body to decide when she is ready to awake from this coma,† he stated firmly, yet in a tone that would help ease his stress. â€Å"Yes. Of course. I understand,† Charlie rubbed his temples. â€Å"I'll leave you alone. Let you have some time with your daughter,† he murmured before walking away. â€Å"Thanks,† Charlie barely spoke. When the nurse swiveled around she finally saw me sitting there. Her heart jumped and began beating wildly. I didn't even see him sitting there. â€Å"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just leaving now,† she began to walk towards the door. Now that I think about it†¦ she glanced over her shoulder. He is hot! I might have to volunteer to come back in here tonight. She finally opened the door nearly knocking over Charlie who had reached for the door at the same time. Standing, I opened my mouth to apologize again. Charlie held up a hand. â€Å"No need.† Rene continued to stand in the hall, uncertain if she needed to enter or not, worried that Charlie might decide to release some more of his fury on me. â€Å"I'll leave you two alone,† I mumbled while walking out of the room. Rene turned to get dinner, taking deep breaths while her thoughts were grumbling in complaint at Charlie's behavior. And he's such a nice boy†¦I just don't understand. As soon as the door clicked shut Alice was at my side. I see he calmed down. He was in a white rage in the car on the way over here. I thought I was going to have to restrain him he was so angry. I nodded, not speaking. I was still burning from the pain. I know what you're planning. I ignored her. Curiosity continued to eat at her as she walked next to me down the hall which was rich with the scent of bleach and plastic. She looked at me inquisitively, wondering what I was thinking that was making the visions in her mind flash. My thoughts were burning, wishing I could know what was going through Bella's mind right now. Her mind was closed to me, and now her eyes were too, the one link I had left to her internal knowledge. Everything is going to be okay, I can see it. She tried to comfort me. Still, I continued to walk silently next to her. Bella's oddly deep brown eyes were fixated in my irises which were crimson with fresh human blood. My contacts were beginning to burn away. Before I could ask Alice, she had another box placed in her palm. Here, let's not give Charlie any reasons to hate you more. â€Å"Thanks,† I replied dully. If I thought going on a single hunting trip – leaving Bella behind, vulnerable – was excruciating, the next twelve hours were worse. The extreme and generally prolonged pain and mental suffering were the most constant of my torments. But, the most painful of my torments was Charlie's possessive nature over his daughter. With him here, I was basically kicked out of her room, Rene constantly apologizing for his poor behavior. During the afternoon hours Alice and Rene would converse about everything from style to yoga classes, even though Alice has no need for yoga. Though I sat there, listening to their conversations, they continued to become aware of how tightly wound I was, feeling the stress emanate out of me without the special gift that Jasper has. Edward, Alice called from her mind around two in the afternoon. Charlie is going back to Forks. The officers†¦well, he is the police force, they need him back. He already received that call and will be on a plane by five. This was the first decent news I had heard in days. Regardless, today would be a hard one. Harder than the day before because each second that I continued to count added to the time that her deep depths were closed, her mind locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Like Alice had predicted, Charlie came strolling around the corner to give us the news about his departure. He completely ignored me, but in his mind he was thinking daggers towards me. Daggers that would never pierce my cold, steel skin. Rene walked with Charlie out of the hospital, leaving Alice and I alone together. Let's go see Bella. Without answering her, I rose, walking quicker than human speed towards the room. Whenever Charlie wasn't taking up all of Bella's coma time, I was there, by her side. When I got the chance, I was holding her. Rene had stayed the night, and was planning on doing it again ?C something I wasn't terribly excited about. When we reached the door I opened it and was instantly hit with a spectacular scent wafting through the room. Each breath was full of fire which was also full of her life. I ignored the burning, pushed it in the back of my mind. There was a newspaper on her bedside table. I picked it up to the page that was left open. It was a story that covered the arson of a ballet studio and theft of a car that was left outside. Anger pulsed through me at the thought of James again, though I pushed it aside because another angry thought hit me. I wished that Rene hadn't known about this, because now she was too afraid to stay in her own home. My continuance of emotions ached for some kind of physical outlet, and yet the only outlet I had was now gone, dead. Not today†¦Alice murmured. She's not ready. My hopes plummeted at this news. She continued to watch the future which spun, twisted and became mangled again. I wish†¦ â€Å"This is obviously not the time to bring that up,† I barked. I was just going to say I wish she'd wake up soon, Alice's eyes were wide with innocence, and I didn't believe it for a second. Looking at her eyes, I saw the reflection of my own eyes which were an odd brown, muddy color. Momentarily it caught me off guard, forgetting I was wearing the contacts, even though they continued to obstruct my perfect vision. I stole my eyes away from her to bring them back to Bella's limp and lumpy form. Her eyes were closed lightly, as if she were very peaceful. Her hair glinted in the bright white light over her face. My remorse and the guilt burned with the thirst, and, if I had the ability to produce tears, they would have filled my eyes. Each second that I continued to count reminded me of the precious soul lying in the bed before us. She was so breakable, and I broke her, she was good and she didn't deserve my fate. My mind was bouncing around like a tennis ball, willing myself to stay away from her, to no longer let my life collide with hers†¦destroying it in the process. What have I done? As the hour passed my mind continually would titter on a line of right and wrong. First, my thoughts leaning one way, then the other. Alice was becoming irritated at my constant state of vivid flashes of the future which would crumble every time I changed my mind. Then, when I didn't think the burning could get worse, I imagined her waking up and kicking me out of her room. I had to remind myself that she had every right to hate me, to not trust me with her safety. That she should. Would you quit! Alice shouted from mind. You aren't going anywhere. I won't let you. Remember, you did save her life. Her thoughts were confusing and incomprehensible. Did I not place Bella in front of the danger that lurked around her until it struck? Wasn't this all my fault in the first place? Quickly, I decided that the best course of action was to ignore her thoughts. After an hour had passed Rene entered the room, her mind happily jumping from subject to subject. What books she liked, her favorite movies, how she painted Bella's new room in Florida. Each second, I counted†¦I angered even more†¦mostly at myself. I tried ignoring Bella once, letting her go and it didn't work. I remember thinking that there were other options besides her ultimate doom. Now that I am sitting at her bedside, where she was on the brink of death nearly twenty four hours ago, I realized that keeping her in the fragile state would inevitably destroy her. I had to leave. Not now, but after she recovered. I did this, I have to clean it up. I won't leave her here, broken, without help. I've had it! Alice stood up. â€Å"Rene, I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow.† So soon? Rene stared at me. But he's not good company. â€Å"I understand, dear. See you tomorrow.† Surely it had to be miserable being around me, but if they understood my frustrations, my ever growing war that was raging inside me, then they would leave me alone. I argued with myself as the evening hours progressed, afraid my less noble side would win the argument. To add to my ever growing torments, the silence emitting from Bella was torturing me. Night after night I watched over her, and she spoke, tossed, turned, and murmured some more. Not last night†¦and not tonight. The mystery that surrounded Bella continued to make my curiosity flare. The lure of her unprotected and unconsciously spoken thoughts were making me sick with regret. I should have stayed away and then tonight would have been like any other night when I went to visit her. I missed her murmurs, her spoken dreams and fears. The only sound from Bella was her light breathing, which had a little rattle from her bruised ribs and her steady heart beat. I shook my head in disgust at what I had done to her. Though she was bruised and tubes and wiring seemed to be coming from her every orifice, she was still beautiful. Her dark hair was tangled wildly around her pale face. As the night progressed into the early morning hours, Rene never kicked me out. Instead she slept resolutely with Bella's hand in hers. Jealousy raged inside me at her touch. I wanted it to be me holding her hand, lying with her, comforting her. It was foolishness to think that we belonged together, even though I could never imagine myself without her, or with anyone else. She deserved happiness and love with whomever she chose, yet she chose me†¦the cold inhuman creature that almost brought her to her death. Could a dead frozen heart break? I felt like mine was. In an instant, a memory flooded my troubled mind, making my mind teeter in yet another direction. That first evening I became the peeping tom†¦Bella, she was dreaming of me, mumbling my name. â€Å"Stay,† she sighed. â€Å"Don't go. Please†¦don't go.† That was the night she changed me, the rare and permanent thing that you could never give back. It was love, and no matter how many years pass, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, I would forever love this one girl. I gazed at her unconscious face, reminding myself of the love that had settled into every portion of my stone body that night. If I loved her though, then I was strong enough to leave her because that is what would be best. Loving her would not keep me from killing her, if I let myself make mistakes, like I did this week, she could be killed. Though, it would not be intentional, only a horrible accident. Obviously, I am capable of making mistakes. In only an half hour of speaking with her for the first time I slipped up twice. Deliberately, I took in a deep breath, letting her scent rip through me like wildfire. With each breath, I let it remind myself of the monster that was living deep inside me. Though he was gone, missing right now, I knew he was still there, sending waves of fire through my throat. Rene was sleeping soundly now, dreaming about a horseback riding class she had that was a little bizarre. Still, I continued to count the seconds as the sun rose over the mountainous horizon. I closed the vertical blinds so my skin wouldn't sparkle. Again, I felt my contacts disintegrate and had to replace them. In the bathroom, my eyes still were bright red with Bella's blood. Another reminder of the damage I inflicted upon her by being with her. I felt my pocket vibrate and reached in to grab my phone. It was nine in the morning. It had now almost been two days of a still, unmoving beauty lying in this bed, comatose. I read the message. Bella will awake at 913. Thought I'd give you the heads up so you could wake Rene so she could get her breakfast. It will give you time to be alone with Bella. A great relief spread over me at this news. The seconds I would no longer have to count because she would be awake, talking to me. Purposefully, I dropped my phone, the sound vibrated off the walls in the tiny room. Rene jumped to her feet. â€Å"What's going on? Where's Grace?† she mumbled, her face bewildered. I had to suppress a laugh. â€Å"Grace?† I asked. â€Å"Dream,† she muttered. That horse scares the living fire out of me! Again, my giddy state was hard to control. My lips twitched on the edges at the thought of her waking. â€Å"They are serving breakfast,† I offered. Oh course, he wants time alone with her. â€Å"Yes, breakfast sounds nice.† Rene left with one last glance over her shoulder before shutting the door. Curling up onto Bella's bed, I held her hand while watching the clock. The seconds were going by slower. The last minute before her awakening seemed to take twice†¦no three times as long. Each second that ticked by had my thoughts scattering in every direction. Now that I knew she would be awake soon, the thought of leaving her was inconceivable. I would always love this fragile human girl for the rest of my limitless existence. I gazed at her unconscious face, feeling this love for her settle into every portion of my cold steel body. If I wasn't strong enough to leave her maybe I was strong enough to construct a new future. She moaned while her eyes fluttered. Could a dead, frozen heart beat again? It felt like mine was about to.