Disconnection in the Midst of Connectivity

The revolutions in the area of information and communications technology have brought the world closer. Literally, the world has shrunk because people from Europe can readily communicate with people from Asia; a daughter in the United States can easily contact her parents in South America. The mobile phone networks, the chat rooms and instant messengers in the internet, together with e-mail have significantly lowered the cost of inter-continental communications and have literally transcended space and time.In addition to this revolution, there is also a great deal of developments in the technologies available to humans in doing their chores and conducting their businesses. Even the simplest task can be automated and would require only a touch of a button for it to function. Washing machines, refrigerators and all sorts of electronic gadgets and equipments have indeed made life easier. This is especially true in the case of developed countries where these technologies are readily avai lable.Life has no hassles and lifestyles have become as easy as pushing another button on the remote control of the television. In less developed countries, however, this is not the case. The tendency is for them to rely on traditional means of doing things and conducting their business. Most of these countries in Asia, Africa, and South America doe not have access to most of these new technologies. As a result, they still tend to use their own bodily strength in conducting their businesses and going about their daily lives.For example, in farming, people from less developed countries use their own muscles and animals to till the soil and harvest their agricultural products later on. On the other hand, those in the developed countries tend to use heavy machinery to conduct the same set of activities. Has the use of technology led people and society to become lazy, apathetic and disconnected to the rest of the world? What about individuality? Has it been enhanced or is it being chall enged by these new technologies? As the world is shaped by these technologies, will individualism be melted into a smorgasbord of collectivity?Connectivity, Individuality, and the â€Å"Global Village† Marshall Mcluhan (41a) declared that the world has become a â€Å"Global Village†. He said this statement back when the use of the internet is not yet as widespread as it is now. This global village will come about as humans become increasingly dependent on electronic media and other forms of electronic technologies. Through this â€Å"electronic interdependence, the visual culture created by the coming of the printing press and the publication of books, humans will come to use electronic media more and more.Through the increasing popularity and acceptance of electronic media and the culture it develops, a new age will come in which humans will develop a collective consciousness and identity and individualism will be integrated into this collective consciousness. McLuha n declared his thesis in the early 1960s, back when the Internet revolution has not yet started climbing its ascent. This is due to the utilization and because of the message propagated by media since according to him â€Å"the medium is the message† (McLuhan, 20b).He also gave warnings that this global village, if its citizens were not aware of the impact of media and its effects on them as persons, then terror, totalitarianism or anarchy will reign in this village. Technology is, in itself, free of normative standards. When it is used towards certain ends, then it becomes an important tool in shaping the concept of the individual about himself, the relationship of other people to him, and how he stands in relation to the society that he lives in.McLuhan assumed that print technology is the bastion of individualism and that if it were rendered in electronic format, its effects on individualism would also change. (McLuhan, 158a). How do these new technologies increase the con nectivity of people around the world? According to Alstyne and Brynjolfsson (4), the speed of the transmission of data and communications has become very quick. In addition, millions of people have access to them, thus increasing the connectivity between and among people all over the world.Although this is the case, the capacity of individuals in absorbing and interacting with so much information is limited. The creation of a more or less uniform social consciousness based on connectivity is simply impossible. There are around 33 million articles and web pages in the Internet in May 1996 according to AlaVista (Alstyne & Brynjolfsson, 4). Transcending the Nation: Emergence of New Imagined Communities Benedict Anderson (6) in his book that sought to describe the nation and why people were so attached to it described the nation as an imagined community.This community was conceived in the minds of people with powerful bonds and relationships that are usually defined by religion, race, o r language. Anderson traced the development of the nation as an imagined community and pointed out that the printing of books in the people’s vernacular and the industry of publication or â€Å"print-capitalism† is instrumental in the emergence of this imagined community. The result of the diffusion of this medium of communication is that people across geographical areas bound by common languages started to drew together and conceptualize themselves as members of a community, albeit an imagined one.It should also be remembered that during the period of the rise of nationalism, the divine right of monarchs to their thrones were being challenged. Later, colonized people were also revolting against their colonial masters in a bid for independence and autonomy. As such, the common struggles, common language, and other commonalities brought these people together through the print media (Anderson, 7). Although it could be surmised that the people in the nations described by Anderson were still individuals, they were bound by a collective consciousness that led to the development of the nation.From the explanation of Anderson regarding the role of print media in developing imagined communities; as well as the discourse of McLuhan regarding the effects of the changes in the print media, it can be concluded that print media and more recently, electronic media have a huge impact in creating a collective consciousness. The problem of today’s electronic media, especially the internet, is that the message is diverse and there is no single coherent message that is being promoted.Rather there is a hodgepodge of messages and millions of files, most of them are unrelated (Alstyne & Brynjolfsson, 5). Given the bulk and diversity of topics in the World Wide Web, Alstyne & Brynjolfsson (5) have argued that what is happening is that there is a â€Å"cyber-balkanization† and fragmentation of internet and technology users according to their interest. As s uch, there are various cliques and groupings of individuals that keep out others who do not share the same interest with them.On the other hand, Pack (16) conjectured that the television is very powerful in shaping the perceptions and understanding of people about the world. Since most of the people of the world are exposed to the television, the advertisements, the shows and even the news reports among others are instrumental in the development of new imagined communities based on interest. Communication and Disconnection As people learn to communicate better in the setting of information and other communication technologies, there is a tendency for people to lose their non-verbal and non-linguistic communication skills.Because of the large amount of time spent by individuals in communicating online or using various information and communication technologies, they spend less time interacting with others, and thus might lose other non-verbal communication skills. This will be a sign ificant loss for society if information and communication technologies hamper the traditional means of communication of individuals in the society. Conclusion Information and communication technologies, as most products of science and innovation, have contributed to an easier lifestyle.However, there are tradeoffs to this. The traditional means of communication are being undermined by the excessive use of these technologies. In addition, the internet, the television and similar technologies are giving rise to new kinds of imagined communities based on common interest and pursuit. These imagined communities, however, lack a single coherent message in comparison to the â€Å"print-capitalism† discourse of Anderson (7) that gave rise to nations as imagined communities.Instead, what is present are a lot of several seemingly disconnected messages that bind certain groups of people across geographies through the process of â€Å"cyber-balkanization† as described by Alstyne & Brynjolfsson (4). In certain aspects, there is also an empowerment of individuality in information technology, especially in the Web 2. 0 technologies that seek to give more preference to the way that individuals conduct their computing and extend their presence online (O’Reilly, n. p. ).In the ending of Big Brother (Orwell, n.p. ) the characters in the novel were subjected to extensive brainwashing through the media—visual, print and even coercion. The novel also showed the potent power of media in propagating a message, even a wrong one at that. Such a scenario, however, is unlikely to happen with the current information technologies available since there is no centralized group or person controlling these technologies. Technologies may have had negative effects on the communication skills of people yet individualism is here to stay.

Human Nature and Power Essay

During the Renaissance, many brilliant philosophers have explored the concept of human nature. The question, what motivates humanity has been taken into consideration in the composure of virtually every society. By establishing that premise, many went on to create an ideal society with the intention of developing that thought. Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas More are outstanding representatives among them. In both More’s Utopia and Machiavelli’s The Prince, perfect societies are constructed. However, More and Machiavelli have different opinions about the human nature in relation to the role of power and authority. Thomas More optimistically describes human nature. He depicts that man by nature is good-willed and conforming. He believes that human nature can be improved. Therefore, if the governing power is to be removed then man would be a less hostile force. Niccolo Machiavelli, on the other hand, describes human nature negatively. Man is untrustworthy, ungrateful, greedy and lying. Machiavelli suggests that man will never change and that one will always attempt to overcome the other. Power and authority is implied in the very essence of Machiavelli’s work. It is tied in with the greed and selfishness. More believed human nature to be good, created by God, and susceptible to great improvement if social, political, and economic conditions were reformed so that human misery were eliminated and that fundamental human virtue were thereby liberated and nurtured. More believed in socialism insofar as it would eliminate private property, which he saw as the root of evil. He believed that when private property exists, and when money dominates all other considerations, then â€Å"it is hardly ever possible for a commonwealth to be governed justly or happily. † More believes that justice simply cannot exist when the â€Å"worst citizens† own the â€Å"best things,† or â€Å"where property is limited to a few. † In such a situation, those who have so much are â€Å"always uneasy,† fearing they will have it taken, and those who have so little â€Å"are utterly wretched† (More 38). Where there is no justice, people will believe that there is no reward for virtue, which will result in people behaving according to their lowest standards, rather than according to their highest. In Utopia, Thomas More’ view of human nature is far more positive than negative. While he certainly shows an awareness of the flaws in human beings, he attributes those flaws more to the environment, and political and socioeconomic factors, than to the nature of humanity. In other words, More shows that human nature can be altered by altering the environment. If the environment is improved, meaning socially, politically and economically, then the behavior of human beings will be improved, bringing out the best in human nature. So in More’s view, if the governing power and authority is to be removed then man would be a less hostile force. Machiavelli expresses his view of the basic lack of goodness in human nature. He believes that in general, most people have a primary interest in themselves, and are motivated by their financial greed. Men are mainly concerned with their property and honor. â€Å"When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content†¦ † If he â€Å"wishes to profess goodness at all times† he â€Å"must fall to ruin among so many who are not good. † If he wishes to maintain his power, he must â€Å"learn how not to be good, and to use it or not according to necessity† (Machiavelli 127). Machiavelli, envisions society as one that turns to power and satisfaction of vices as seen through The Prince. Machiavelli advises that to keep power one must learn to be corrupt. This advice is given due to the idea that one who knows not corruption and believes in honesty is faced with those who use manipulation as part of the job. Machiavelli also sees pursuing virtue as an act that leads to ruin, while serving vice will fortify life. Human nature is one that tends to be drawn to pleasant, satisfactory things. If there is no benefit to the self for actions performed, motivation to perform such actions will be low or nonexistent. As seen throughout history, many actions have been taken in order for people to gain power, even if that action is genocide. Men are willing to step over men in order to have power and make an enjoyable life for hisself. Such occurrences can be seen multiple times, being unprompted and completely by choice of the power hungry. According to the different point of view of human nature from More and Machiavelli above, we can understand how More and Machiavelli view power and the role of power and authority. In the Prince, the authority is in either monarchy or dictatorship. Machiavelli focuses on the manipulation of the people to maintain power. The importance lies in the fact that in a monarchy or dictatorship, one person has the power in a society and all the rest serve only to obey him. Starkly different is More’s creation. His society is a true communist one and it could also beargued that it is also a democracy. Leaders are elected by the people, who make their owndecisions freely. Nothing, not even power, is owned in that society by an individual. The power is distributed, thus empowerment. The capitalism of Machiavelli’s world, the idea strongly ties in with this contrast. it was written for the use of one man to dominate over and control his kingdom, it was obviously not meant for lesser mortals. It in itself is a tool of power which could be used for only the good of the prince who uses it. Whether or not the people are empowered does not matter, it is irrelevant. It only matters that theprince uses it to maintain his own power. In contrast, Utopia is a fantasy written by More tosuggest an alternative way of life for the people. He focuses very little on the doings of the princein his ideal society; what matters in Utopia is the actions of the people. One might even say thatthe people are empowered, but the ideals that truly run the society, are empowered. More’s truefocus does not even lie in power, but in the seeking of ideals. The Utopian society highlights the unwritten laws of morality that humans possess if they are raised in a society that promotes honesty and virtue. However, Machiavelli argues that men are evil and inherent selfishness, no matter how pleasant a society raises them. People’s natural tendency to lie, cheat, and steal swells up without any restrictions, destroying not only their own community but also their government. It is implied that the treatment of criminals is harsh and strict. In Utopia, More describes how this ideal society punishes its’ criminals and it is obvious that they are mild and gentle. Since vice is not only destroyed, and men preserved, but they are treated in such a manner as to make them see the necessity of being honest (Utopia, 14). Although More and Machiavelli’s opinions differ greatly in their view of human nature, both works are unbelievably intriguing in that each of the societies would leave an incredible mark in history. The visual given through More’s Utopia portrays society an optimist’s view. More believes that when given all equal opportunities and provisions, people will lead a virtuous, unselfish life. People will work for the benefit of other people in order to create an equal and pleasant society. People only turn to corruption when faced with shortages or vanity in believing some deserve more than others. So in More’s Utopian world, the governing authority is removed and the power is distributed. However, in the Prince, People’s natural tendency to lie, cheat, and steal swells up without any restrictions, power and authority is implied in the very essence of Machiavelli’s work. It is tied in with the greed and selfishness. So Machiavelli focuses on the manipulation of the people to maintain power.

The Golden Lily Chapter 22

SHOTS RANG OUT across the arena, taking down several more armed Warriors. I realized that Dimitri and Eddie weren't alone – because neither was holding a gun. The shots were coming from the roofs of the compound buildings that surrounded the arena. Chaos broke out as the gathered spectators jumped to their feet to join in the fray. My breath caught as I realized that many of them had their own weapons too. I was shocked to notice that the fallen Warrior on the ground next to me wasn't bleeding. A small dart hung from his shoulder. The sharpshooters' â€Å"bullets† must have been tranquilizers. Who were they? I looked back toward the entrance and saw that a few others with the look of guardians had entered the arena and were fighting with some of the Warriors, including Chris. This provided cover for Dimitri and Eddie to free Sonya. A flash of strawberry blonde hair caught my eye near them, and I recognized Angeline's lithe figure. Dimitri efficiently cut Sonya's straps then helped lift her toward Eddie. A zealous Warrior came at them, and Angeline quickly knocked him out – as though he were a motivational speaker. Beside me, one of the masters shouted, â€Å"Get the Alchemist girl! Hold her hostage! They'll negotiate for her!† The Alchemist girl. Right. That would be me. In the roar of fighting, hardly anyone heard him – save one. The bleach blonde girl had managed to evade being tranquilized. She leapt toward me. My adrenaline kicked in, and I was suddenly no longer afraid. With reflexes I didn't know I had, I reached into my purse and pulled out the so-called â€Å"potpourri.† I ripped it open and flung it out around me, shouting a Latin incantation that translated roughly to â€Å"see no more.† Compared to the scrying spell, this one was astonishingly easy. It required will on my part, certainly, but most of the magic was tied into the physical components and didn't need the hours of concentration that the other one had. The power surged through me almost instantly, filling me with a thrill I hadn't expected. The girl screamed and dropped her gun, clawing at her eyes. Cries of dismay from the masters sitting by me showed they too had been affected. I'd cast a blindness spell, one that would affect those near me for about thirty seconds. Some part of me knew that wielding magic was wrong, but the rest of me felt triumphant at stopping some of these trigger-happy fanatics, if only temporarily. I didn't waste any of that precious time. I jumped up from where I was sitting and ran across the arena, away from the fighting near the entrance. â€Å"Sydney!† I don't know how I managed to hear my name above all that noise. Glancing behind me, I saw Eddie and Angeline carrying Sonya out through the door. They paused, and a pained look crossed Eddie's face as he glanced around, assessing the situation. I could guess his thoughts. He wanted me to come with them. Most of the gathered Warriors had raced to the center of the arena, trying to stop Sonya's rescue. They outmatched me by a long shot, creating a wall between my friends and me. Even if I didn't have to actually fight anyone, it seemed impossible I'd slip by unnoticed – especially since several people were still shouting about â€Å"that Alchemist girl.† Shaking my head adamantly, I motioned for Eddie to go on without me. Indecision warred on his face, and I hoped he wouldn't attempt to break through the throng to get to me. I pointed at the door, again urging him to go. Sonya was the incapacitated one. I would find my own way out. Not waiting to see what he'd do, I turned and continued the way I'd been going. There was a lot of open space for me to cover, but fewer Warriors to stop me. Several buildings ringed the arena, some with doors and windows. I moved toward them, though I had nothing to break the glass. Two of the doors had padlocks. That left two without. The first one I tried turned out to have some unseen lock and wouldn't open. Frantic, I ran to the second and heard a shout behind me. The bleach blonde girl had regained her sight and was coming after me. Desperately, I turned the doorknob. Nothing happened. Reaching into my purse, I pulled out what the Warriors had mistaken for hand sanitizer. I dumped it out, spilling acid over the metal knob. It melted before my eyes. I hoped that would kill the lock. I threw my shoulder into the door, and it gave. Then I dared a peek behind me. My pursuer was lying on the ground, another victim of the tranquilizers. I breathed a sigh of relief and pushed through the door. I'd expected to enter another garage like the one I'd first been taken to, but instead I found myself in some sort of residential building. The empty hallways turned this way and that, and I felt disoriented. Everyone was at the free-for-all in the arena. I passed makeshift bedrooms, filled with cots and partially unpacked suitcases and backpacks. When I noticed what looked like an office, I hesitated in the doorway. Papers covered large foldout tables inside, and I wondered if any contained useful information about the Warriors. I wanted so badly to go in and investigate. These Warriors were a mystery to the Alchemists. Who knew what intel these papers contained? What if there was information that could protect the Moroi? I hesitated for the space of a few heartbeats then reluctantly kept going. The guardians were using tranquilizers, but the Warriors had real guns – guns they wouldn't be afraid to use on me. Better to get out of here with the information I already had than not get out alive. I reached the far side of the building at last and peered out a bedroom window. It was so dark outside now that I could hardly see anything. I didn't have the benefit of torches anymore. The only thing I could tell for sure was that I was no longer adjacent to the arena. That was good enough for me, though it would've been better if there was a door leading outside. I'd have to make my own. Grabbing a chair, I swung it into the window and was completely astonished when the glass broke easily. A few shards hit me, but nothing large enough to cause injury. Standing on the chair, I managed to climb out the window without injuring my hands. I was met by a warm, dark night. No electric lights were visible ahead, just open black land. I took this to mean I was on the opposite side of the compound where Trey had brought me. There were no roads, no sound from the highway we had traveled. There was also no sign of life anywhere, which I took as a good sign. Hopefully all the Warrior guards who normally paroled the grounds were off fighting guardians. If Sonya was out now, my hope was that the guardians would begin retreating – and grab me along the way. Even if they didn't, I wasn't above walking back to I-10 and hitchhiking. The compound was sprawling and confusing, and as I walked around it and still saw no sign of the highway, I began to grow uneasy. How turned around had I gotten? I only had a limited amount of time to get off Warrior property. They could be hunting me right now. There was also the disconcerting problem that once I made it to the periphery, I'd have to deal with the electric fence. Still, it might be best to forget looking for the freeway and simply make for the edge of the Warriors' camp so that I could – A hand grabbed my shoulder, and I screamed. â€Å"Easy there, Sage. I'm no gun-toting crazy guy. Crazy, yes. But not the rest.† I stared in disbelief, not that I could really make out much of the tall, dark figure standing over me. â€Å"Adrian?† The height was right, as was the build. As I stared, I became more and more certain. His hands steadied my shaking. I was so glad to see a friendly face – to see him – that I nearly sank into his arms in relief. â€Å"It is you. How'd you find me?† â€Å"You're the only human out here with a yellow and purple aura,† he said. â€Å"Makes you easy to spot.† â€Å"No, I mean, how'd you find me here? At the compound?† â€Å"I followed the others. They told me not to, but†¦ well.† In the faint moonlight I could barely see his shrug. â€Å"I don't follow directions well. When Castile came out with Sonya and started babbling about how you'd gone out some random door, I thought I'd take a quick walk around. I don't think I was supposed to do that either, but the guardians were kind of busy.† â€Å"You are crazy,† I snapped, despite how happy I was to know I hadn't been abandoned in this miserable place. â€Å"The Warriors are so mad that they'd probably kill a Moroi on sight if they saw you.† He tugged my hand forward. Even through his banter, there'd been a hard tone to his words. He was fully aware of the danger we faced. â€Å"Then we'd better get out of here.† Adrian led me back in the direction I'd come, then went around the opposite side of the building. I didn't see the freeway lights yet, but he soon turned and began running toward the property's far edge, away from the building. I ran alongside him, still holding his hand. â€Å"Where are we going?† I asked. â€Å"The guardians assembled near the back side of the compound, so they wouldn't be spotted. That part of the fence has been deactivated – if you can climb it.† â€Å"Of course I can climb it. I'm practically a prodigy in PE,† I pointed out. â€Å"The question is, can you, Mr. Smoker?† The fence began to come into focus as we approached, mostly because its shape blocked some of the stars. â€Å"That's the section. Behind the scraggly bush,† Adrian said. I couldn't see any bush but trusted in his eyes. â€Å"Go a little ways past that, and there's this country highway that the guardians used as a staging point. I'm parked there.† We came to a halt in front of the fence, both of us a little breathless. I peered upward. â€Å"You're sure it's still off?† â€Å"It was when we came in,† said Adrian, but I could hear a little uncertainty in his voice. â€Å"You think those guys would have gotten their act together enough to fix it already?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"But I'd still like to know for sure. I mean, most commercial electric fences won't significantly hurt someone, but we should know.† He glanced around. â€Å"Can we throw a stick at it?† â€Å"Wood doesn't conduct.† I rifled through my purse and found what I wanted: a metal pen with a foam grip. â€Å"Hopefully, the foam on this will block the worst of it if the fence really is hot.† Trying not to grimace, I reached out and touched the pen's barrel to the fence, half-expecting some intense charge to send me flying backward. Nothing happened. I slowly ran the pen along the fence, since most electric ones had an intermittent pulse. Sustained contact would be needed. â€Å"Looks clean,† I said, exhaling in relief and turning to Adrian. â€Å"I guess we're good to – ahh!† A bright light shone in my eyes, blinding me and killing whatever night vision I'd gained out here. I heard Adrian cry out in surprise as well. â€Å"It's the girl!† a male voice exclaimed. â€Å"And†¦ and one of them!† The flashlight was moved out of my face, and although spots still danced in my vision, I could make out two hulking figures rapidly approaching. Were they armed? My mind raced. Whether they were or not, they were still an obvious threat since Warriors apparently liked to practice bashing each other in their free time, and Adrian and I didn't. â€Å"Don't move,† said one of them. A blade shone in the gleam of the lowered flashlight. Not as bad as a gun, but not great either. â€Å"You're both coming with us, back inside.† â€Å"Slowly,† added the other. â€Å"Don't try any tricks.† Unfortunately for them, I still had a few up my sleeve. Quickly I put the pen back in my purse and grabbed another souvenir from Ms. Terwilliger's homework: a thin, round wooden bracelet. Before either Warrior could do anything, I snapped the wooden circle into four pieces and tossed them on the ground, calling out another Latin incantation. Again, I felt the rush of power and its exultation. The men cried out – I'd cast a disorientation spell, one that messed with equilibrium and made vision blurry and surreal. It worked a lot like the blindness spell, affecting those around me. I lunged forward and pushed one of our assailants down. He fell easily, too incapacitated by the spell to resist. The other guy was so distraught that he'd dropped the flashlight and was practically on the ground already as his attempts at balance failed. Nonetheless, I gave him a good kick to the chest to make sure he stayed down and grabbed his flashlight in the process. I didn't necessarily need it with Adrian's night vision, but these two would now be helpless in the dark when the spell wore off. â€Å"Sage! What the hell did you do to me?† Turning, I saw Adrian clinging to the fence, using it to hold himself up. In my eagerness to stop the Warriors, I'd forgotten the spell affected everyone near me. â€Å"Oh,† I said. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Sorry? My legs don't work!† â€Å"It's your inner ear, actually. Come on. Grab the fence and climb. One hand in front of the other.† I caught hold as well and urged him up. It wasn't the most difficult fence to climb – it wasn't electrified or barbed – and having it for support negated some of Adrian's disorientation. Nonetheless, it was still slow going as we made it toward the top. This spell lasted a little longer than the blindness one, but I was painfully aware that as soon as Adrian was free from it, the Warriors would be too. Against all odds, we made it to the top of the fence. Getting over to the other side was much more difficult, and I had to do a fair amount of acrobatics to help Adrian make the transition while keeping myself steady. Finally, I wrangled him into the correct position to climb down. â€Å"Good,† I said. â€Å"Now just reverse what you did before, one hand down in front of the – † Something slipped, either his hand or foot, and Adrian plummeted to the ground. It wasn't that long of a drop, and his height helped a little – not that he was in any shape to actually use his legs and land on his feet. I winced. â€Å"Or you can just take the short way down,† I said. I quickly scaled down after him and helped him stand. Aside from the spell's debilitation, he didn't seem to have suffered any damage. Slipping an arm around him and letting him lean his weight on me, I attempted to run toward the road he'd mentioned, which was now slightly visible. â€Å"Running† was difficult, however. It was hard work keeping Adrian up and I kept stumbling. Still, we made our way slowly from the compound, which was about as much as we could hope for. Adrian's state made him clumsy and heavy, and his height was a real inconvenience. Then, without warning, the spell wore off, and Adrian instantly recovered. His legs strengthened and his unwieldy gait straightened out. Suddenly, it was as though he were carrying me, and we practically tripped over each other trying to adjust. â€Å"You okay?† I asked, letting go. â€Å"I am now. What the hell was that?† â€Å"It's not important. What is important is that those guys have recovered too. Maybe I knocked them down hard enough to slow them down.† That seemed kind of unlikely. â€Å"But run anyway.† We ran, and even if he undoubtedly had the respiratory system of a chain smoker, his long legs made up for it. He could easily outdistance me but slowed so that we stayed together. Whenever he started to get ahead, he'd grab my hand again. Shouts sounded behind us, and I turned off the flashlight to make us harder to spot. â€Å"There,† said Adrian. â€Å"See the cars?† Slowly, out of the darkness, two SUVs materialized, along with a much more conspicuous yellow Mustang. â€Å"Very covert,† I muttered. â€Å"Most of the guardians have gotten away,† said Adrian. â€Å"But not everyone.† Before I could respond, someone grabbed me from behind. In a maneuver that would have made Wolfe proud, I managed the backward kick that he'd tried so hard to teach us. It caught my attacker by surprise, and he released me, only for his companion to shove me to the ground. Three figures ran toward us from the cars and hurled themselves at our attackers. Thanks to his signature duster, I knew Dimitri led the group. â€Å"Get out of here,† he called to Adrian and me. â€Å"You know where to meet. We'll cover you. Drive fast – they'll probably be on the road soon.† Adrian helped me up, and once again we ran together. I'd hurt my ankle in the fall, so I moved slowly, but Adrian helped me along and let me lean on him. All the while, my heart was threatening to pound out of my chest, even when we reached the safety of the Mustang. He guided me to the passenger side. â€Å"Can you get in okay?† â€Å"I'm fine,† I said, sliding in and unwilling to admit the pain was growing. I prayed I hadn't slowed us too much. I couldn't stand the thought of being the one responsible for Adrian's capture. Satisfied, Adrian raced over to the driver's side and started the car. The engine roared to life, and he followed Dimitri's orders to the letter, peeling out at a speed I was envious of. Out on this country highway, however, it seemed unlikely there were any cops. I glanced behind us a few times, but by the time we made it to I-10, it was obvious no one had followed us. I sighed gratefully and leaned my head against the seat, though I was still a long way from being calm. I couldn't assume we were safe yet. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"How on earth did you guys find me?† Adrian didn't answer right away. When he did, I could tell it was with great reluctance. â€Å"Eddie put a tracking device in your purse, back at my place.† â€Å"What? He couldn't have! They searched me.† â€Å"Well, I'm sure it didn't look like one. I don't know what he ended up getting. He got it from your people, actually. As soon as Trey confirmed the meeting tonight, Belikov was on the phone with every guardian in a two-hour radius, trying to recruit backup. He called the Alchemists too and convinced them to share some tech.† There were so many crazy things about what he'd just said, I didn't know where to begin parsing it. All sorts of wheeling and dealing had gone on without me realizing it. And even when it had been settled, no one had told me about it. Plus, the Alchemists had been involved? Helping the guardians to track me? â€Å"The earrings,† I said. â€Å"That's where they came from. The tracker must be in one of them. I never would have guessed.† â€Å"I'm not surprised, knowing the way you guys work.† The rest of tonight's reality began to sink in. The last of my fear subsided – only to be replaced by anger. â€Å"You lied to me! All of you! You should have told me what you were doing – that you were tracking me and planning a raid! How could you keep that from me?† He sighed. â€Å"I didn't want to, believe me. I told them over and over they needed to get you in the loop. But everyone was afraid you'd refuse to take the device if you knew about it. Or that you'd somehow slip up and give away the plan to those nuts. I didn't believe that, though.† â€Å"And yet, you didn't bother telling me yourself,† I snapped, still outraged. â€Å"I couldn't! They made me promise not to.† Somehow, his betrayal hurt worse than all the others. I had come to trust him implicitly. How could he do this to me? â€Å"No one believed I'd be able to talk the Warriors down, so everyone just made contingency plans without me.† Never mind that I hadn't been able to talk them down. â€Å"Someone should have told me. You should have told me.† There was legitimate pain and regret in his voice. â€Å"I'm telling you, I wanted to. But I was trapped. You of all people should know what it's like being caught between groups, Sage. Besides, don't you remember what I said just before you got in the car with Trey?† I did, actually. Almost word for word. No matter what happens, I want you to know that I never doubted what you're going to do. It's smart, and it's brave. I slouched further into my seat and felt like I was on the verge of tears. Adrian was right. I did know what it was like to have your loyalty stretched between different groups. I understood the position he'd been in. It was just, some selfish part of me wished that I'd been the one his loyalty had been strongest to. He tried, an inner voice said. He tried to tell you. The meeting spot that Dimitri had told Adrian to go to turned out to be Clarence's house. The place was crawling with guardians, some of whom were patching up each other's injuries. No one had been killed on either side, something the guardians had been very cautious about. The Warriors of Light already thought vampires were twisted and corrupt. They didn't need more fuel added to the fire. Not that tonight's raid was probably going to help matters. I had no clue how the Warriors would react or if there might be some lethal retaliation in store. I supposed the guardians and Alchemists had taken that into consideration. I wondered bitterly if any of them would share their opinions on it with me. â€Å"I know better than to offer to heal you,† Adrian told me, as we squeezed past a group of guardians. â€Å"Grab a seat in the living room, and I'll get you some ice.† I started to say I could get my own, but my ankle was growing increasingly painful. With a nod, I left him and made my way to the living room. A couple of unknown guardians were there, along with a beaming Clarence. To my surprise, Eddie and Angeline were also in there, sitting side by side – and holding hands? â€Å"Sydney!† he exclaimed. He immediately released Angeline's hand and hurried over to me, astonishing me with a hug. â€Å"Thank God you're okay. I hated having to leave you there. That wasn't part of the plan. I was supposed to have gotten you out with Sonya.† â€Å"Yeah, well, maybe next time, someone can fill me in on the plan,† I said pointedly. Eddie grimaced. â€Å"I'm sorry about that. I really am. We just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know, I know. Didn't think I'd go along with it, were afraid something would go wrong, etc., etc.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† I didn't entirely forgive him, but I was too tired to push the matter much further. â€Å"Just tell me this,† I said, lowering my voice. â€Å"Were you just holding hands with Angeline?† He blushed, which seemed ludicrous after the fierceness I'd seen him pull off back at the compound. â€Å"Er, yeah. We were just†¦ talking. I mean, that is†¦ I think we might go out sometime. Not at school, of course, since everyone thinks we're related. And probably not anything serious. I mean, she's still a little out there, but she's not as bad as I used to think. And she was really great in that battle. I feel like maybe I should get my head out of the fantasy with Jill and try some normal dating. If you'll let me borrow your car.† I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"Far be it for me to stop a budding romance.† Should I tell him Jill might not be such a fantasy after all? I didn't want to meddle. Eddie deserved to be happy, but I couldn't help but feel a little bad that I'd told Jill he might be interested. I hope I hadn't made things more complicated. Adrian returned with a bag of ice. I sat down in an armchair, and he helped position the ice on my ankle after I propped it up on a footstool. I relaxed as the ice began numbing the pain and hoped I hadn't broken anything. â€Å"Isn't this exciting?† Clarence asked me. â€Å"Finally, you were able to see the vampire hunters for yourselves!† I wasn't sure I'd describe the night with that much enthusiasm, but I did have to concede a point to him. â€Å"You were right,† I said. â€Å"I'm sorry for not believing you sooner.† He gave me a kind smile. â€Å"It's all right, my dear. I probably wouldn't have believed a crazy old man either.† I smiled in return and then thought of something from earlier. â€Å"Mr. Donahue†¦ you said when you encountered the hunters before that a human named Marcus Finch intervened on your behalf.† Clarence nodded eagerly. â€Å"Yes, yes. Nice young man, that Marcus. Certainly hope I run into him again someday.† â€Å"Was he an Alchemist?† I asked. Seeing Clarence's puzzled look, I tapped my cheek. â€Å"Did he have a tattoo like mine?† â€Å"Like yours? No, no. It was different. Hard to explain.† I leaned forward. â€Å"But he did have a tattoo on his cheek?† â€Å"Yes. Didn't you see in the picture?† â€Å"What picture?† Clarence's gaze turned inward. â€Å"I could've sworn I showed you some of my old pictures, back when Lee and Tamara were young†¦ ah, such good days those were.† I worked hard to stay patient. Clarence's moments of coherence were sometimes hard to get a hold of. â€Å"And Marcus? You have a picture of him too?† â€Å"Of course. A lovely one of the two of us. I'll find it one day and show you.† I wanted to ask him if he'd show it to me now, but with his place so crowded, it didn't seem like the right time. Dimitri arrived shortly thereafter, along with the last of the guardians who'd been at the compound. Dimitri immediately asked about Sonya, who I'd learned was resting in her bedroom. Adrian had offered to heal her, but Sonya had had enough clarity of mind to refuse him, saying she simply wanted blood and rest and a chance for the drugs to wear off naturally. Once Dimitri got this report and could rest easy about Sonya, he came straight to me, looking down from his lofty height at where I sat with my ice. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said. â€Å"I know you must have heard by now what happened.† â€Å"That I was sent into a dangerous situation with only half the information I needed?† I asked. â€Å"Yeah, I heard all about that.† â€Å"I'm not a fan of lies and half truths,† he said. â€Å"I wished there'd been another way. We had so little time, and this just seemed like the best option. No one doubted your ability to reason and make a compelling case. It was the Warriors' ability to listen and see reason that we didn't believe in.† â€Å"I can see why you guys didn't trust me with the plan.† Near me, I saw Adrian flinch at the way I said â€Å"you guys.† I hadn't intentionally meant anything by it but realized now that it sounded very condescending and Alchemist – so Us versus Them. â€Å"But I still can't believe the Alchemists went along with that – that they condoned keeping me out of the loop.† There were no free chairs left, so Dimitri simply sat down cross-legged. â€Å"There's not much I can tell you about that. Like I said, it was all short notice, and when I spoke with Donna Stanton, she felt it would be safer all around if you didn't know what was coming. If it makes you feel better, she was very adamant about us keeping you safe once we were there.† â€Å"Maybe,† I said. â€Å"It'd be better still if she'd thought about how I might feel when I found out I wasn't trusted with vital information.† â€Å"She did think about it,† said Dimitri, looking slightly uncomfortable. â€Å"She said you wouldn't mind because you understand the importance of not questioning your superiors' decisions and that you know what they do is for the best. She said you're an exemplary Alchemist.† Don't question. They know what's best. We can't take any chances. â€Å"Of course she did,† I said. I never question anything.

Assessment and Analysis of Whether We Are Coming Closer to the Essay

Assessment and Analysis of Whether We Are Coming Closer to the Objectives of Delivering Sustainable Communities - Essay Example This increasing population means that there is a strong need to develop more housing to accommodate the growing population, while maintaining the liveability and usability of the existing infrastructure. However, considering the environmental consequences of creating more buildings, the question of housing is not limited to just making more houses to accommodate people. With the anticipated level of growth, it is essential that the new developments be made such that their impact on the environment can be minimised and environmental sustainability can be built-in from the start. The question of environmental sustainability, then, is not limited to construction of buildings alone, but to creating sustainable communities which also encourage minimal use of personal transportation, minimise pollution, and maximise preservation and regeneration of green areas and other natural resources. The concept of sustainable communities was brought forward in UK in 2003 by then Deputy Prime Minister , Mr John Prescott, through a ?38bn plan for economic, social, and environmental development (OPDM, 2003). He termed sustainable communities as â€Å"places where people want to live, and work, now and in the future†. ... on services and housing caused by economic success, and reforming for delivery by ensuring right legal framework to support the action plan in the agenda. Appendix 1 shows the details of this budget for the different steps proposed in the policy document. This paper analyses the progress made in UK until now on these counts to assess how close UK has come to delivering sustainable communities. One of the key elements of sustainable communities is sustainable construction. The Cambridgeshire County Council has brought forward a guide for good practices on sustainable construction (Land Use Consultants, 2004). This guide illustrates how builders can make buildings that respect the environment and what key parameters builders must take into account in designing and constructing the buildings. These key parameters are: 1) Adapting to climate change: guidelines on ensuring healthy and comfortable environments for living and working through efficient landscaping and reducing the impact of natural disasters on buildings. 2) Energy: guidelines on minimising the amount of energy people need to use to lead their lives comfortably 3) Waste: guidelines on minimising the amount of waste generated and not reused in any way, in both demolition/ construction and occupation of buildings 4) Water: guidelines on encouraging the sustainable use and management of water resources 5) Materials: guidelines on minimising the wider impact of new developments through maximising the use of local, natural and sustainable materials II. Discussion The issue of delivering sustainable communities is systematically considered within the UK government planning, one of the 6 levers identified in the OPDM report of 2003. This is evident from the fact that the Sustainable Communities Act was made a law in

Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Film - Essay Example Claireese Precious Jones a.k.a. Precious (Precious), lives in the ghetto area with her unemployed mother, who only lives off of the government’s welfare assistance. On the other hand Michael Oher (The Blind Side) merely sleeps on the couch of one black maintenance guy who works at Wingate School since he was separated from his mom, who is a drug addict. Both of these main characters are also victims in their respective families – Precious was sexually abused by her father, and physically abused by her mother. Likewise, Michael or â€Å"Big Mike† has been a â€Å"ward of the government† because of his mom’s drug addiction, and her mother doesn’t even know who his father is. In the same way, Precious and Michael started off in the film as aloof or distant from everyone. For Precious, it was due to her mom’s penchant on calling her â€Å"stupid†, and telling her to â€Å"forget that school shit† because school will not give her anything. Her mom repeatedly drilled in Precious’ head the conservative notion that the woman’s existence is only to bear children and take care of the home. Similarly, from Michael’s standpoint, it was because of his fear of getting rejected since he had no family left to run to. Getting accepted into Wingate with the help of a friend was a blessing, but he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone so he isolated himself from most people. Both Precious and Big Mike grew up in environments which were not conducive to learning, hence their illiteracy at their age. The 2 characters are also somehow insecure of their looks because Precious was obese, and Michael was tall and bulky. In both cases, the school acted as a kind of a sanctuary where each of them was able to discover his/her true self-identity and to eventually find hope, new friends and achieve better lives. Precious and Michael were both able to rise above their past and turn over a new leaf. At t he film’s end, both characters are

Imagine that you are hanny write a letter to the roadman thank him for Essay

Imagine that you are hanny write a letter to the roadman thank him for his help tell him your real reason for doing this job - Essay Example A few months ago I met a gentleman by the name of Franklin P Scudder, who was in the knowledge of a German plot against England and who solicited my services. Sad to say, but when I returned to my premises after some time, I found Scudder murdered in cold blood. I decided to run away into hiding for many reasons. First I was scared that the people who murdered Scudder will also murder me. Second, I believed that the police will suspect me for the murder of Scudder. Third I wanted to get to the depth of the conspiracy narrated to me by Scudder. When I met you, I was actually being pursued by both the police and the German spies. It was only because of your help that I survived and managed to unravel this conspiracy against Britain, well in time. Thanks a lot for whatever you did for me and the country. Sincere regards, Richard Hannay.

Career planing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Career planing - Assignment Example cognizes the trends in the modern changing world in terms information and technology by constantly researching and acquainting myself with current concepts in mathematics, assessing, evaluating, and applying new strategies and techniques in an appropriate and continuous manner. I want to be involved in action research that will help test the effectiveness of class-specific strategies in order to be used to improve the performance of my students and others by availing them for adoption by other teachers. As a teacher, I will put my skills to task in finding and developing better learning resources and also share them with other educationists in the community. For the fact that my goals revolve around facilitating learning in young people, I will practice a learning lifestyle, share my personal learning with other educationists, and model lifelong learning. In this form of lifestyle, I will be able to gain self-actualization and fulfillment through continuous achievement of performance targets. It will also give me great pleasure to realize that the future is guaranteed of good leadership as a consequence of my

Evaluation Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Evaluation Report - Coursework Example An API allows a developer’s product or service to communicate to other products and services. APIs open up data and functionality to other developers and to businesses. It allows exchange of data both internally and externally.(Jetter,2011) According to apievangelist, an API gives third party developers â€Å"firewall† access to a company’s data and resources.(apievangelist n.d) TWITTER API Twitter is an information network and communication mechanism that produces more than 200 million tweets a day. The Twitter API is largely used by majority of developers to extend twitters social experience and functionality to their own applications. Twitter offers access to its data through use of its APIs. Twitter offers products for websites that easily integrates basic twitter functions for example the tweet button. Twitter also offers a search API for developers who want to allow a user to query for twitter content. The streaming API offered by twitter provides a real ti me sample of the twitter firehose. It is for developers with data intensive needs for example a data mining project. The twitter REST API enables the developer to access core primitives of twitter including timelines status updates and user information. LINKEDIN API LinkedIn is a social network for professionals and business people. According to LinkedIn, their API enables developers to provide an easy way of enabling professionals to sign in their site using LinkedIn credentials. It also enables engagement by bringing professional content to the developer’s site. It also enables powerful conversations through its provisional groups API.(Why develop with LinkedIn, n.d) PURPOSE OF REPORT This is an evaluation report containing a critical evaluation of three third party API’s. It evaluates and discusses each and every aspect of the APIs based on standard API principles. The third API is provided to contrast with the two mentioned APIs. The report aims to find the most su itable and most efficient API from the three for better development using APIs and their integration. AUTHENTICATION Authentication is the process of identifying user provided credentials and authorizing access to an applications functionality. This is a common feature found in most applications. A huge number of users have signed up with popular web applications including Twitter and LinkedIn. Due to the problem of creating separate and multiple user credentials combination of passwords and names, developers have turned to using this functionality from the mentioned applications. These applications provide authentication API’s that make it easier for the developer to rapidly integrate the functionality in their application . The authentication API also provides for extended feature sets and secure authentication and authorization for the developers application which all in all is beneficial to everyone. Twitter provides several variations of the authentication API for develo pers through the rest API version 1.1 Authentication using the Twitter API uses the OAuth authentication styles. The developer should choose the method of authentication. Twitter offers different flavours for authentication. These include the rest API for authentication, Search API for authentication and streaming API for authentication. Each of them has specific way of implementing Twitter’s OAuth authentication(Authentication and authorization,Twitter n.d). For the OAuth signed in option the developer must obtain OAuth access token

Themes of community, family, and mental illness in the book In Cold Research Paper

Themes of community, family, and mental illness in the book In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - Research Paper Example The clutter is portrayed as a well to do family of six who started from a humble background. At the time of the murder, Clutter was said to have graduated into a successful farmer and a generous employee who is admired by many people in his community. Capote in writing his book brings out certain pertinent ideas on the American living that are artistically captured in creatively organized themes. This paper examines the themes of community, family, and mental illness as portrayed in Capote’s In Cold Blood and how they are intertwined in describing a true American Countryside life. Community The role of the community in a Native American countryside life is pleasingly analyzed in Capote’s book by examining the organization of the community and the role played by the community members to each other in their bid to co-exist. Holcomb village is pictured as a middle class American village characterized by people of different caliber. According to Gibson, the Clutter is said to be one among the other members who can be graded as successful members of the Holcomb community and his status earns him a lot of respect from the whole community and in the whole state as a generous employer. The family is highly regarded as having started off from a humble background to their then state. ... e community members respect the Clutters because of his kindness despite his status despite the material wealth he owns as compared to the surrounding neighborhood and this is evidenced in the shock and sympathy with which the whole village receives the news about their murder. Capote describes a friendly community as one where the members live in harmony with each other regardless of one’s social status and the Clutter’s death is a revelation to the security threat in the region that a long time has co-existed in a peaceful environment. (Capote) This is contrasted with the Smith’s community, which is rather brutal, and each one is not concerned about the welfare of the other. Smith’s father is an example in this case who continuously batters his wife to an extent that they divorce. Moreover, the situation in the Smith’s village is expended when the Smith’s family is torn apart due to constant quarrels, he runs away from home and finding no f riends to confide in, he engages himself in crimes influenced by the bitter experiences and neglect he had been subjected. No one cares about him despite the ordeal he undergoes, Guest further asserts that his beating and humiliation by cottage mistress result from his maturity malfunction. Out of loneliness, Smith is most likely lured into criminal offenses, in order to avenge his bitter experiences, that lands him in and out of detention several times. Smith’s coincidental meeting with Dick who takes advantage of his situation is probably augmented by lack of care and intervention by the surrounding people and family friends. Even after he has landed into bad company the community members are still silent about this and no one intervenes to offer comfort or counseling to their troubled fellow. This only accelerates

History of education Essay Example for Free

History of education Essay Education has its downfalls. Students are only taught what society sees fit to teach them. This ideology has an astound effect when used as controlling propaganda. If a society doesnt want students to learn about a certain period of history, then it is not taught. Children might hear stories or tales from elders, but the majority is left in ignorance. In the United States, education is a tool to succeed in life. The quality of education that a student receives depends upon many issues. One of the biggest differences in education is between public and private schools. In a society that values money, such as ours, the rich are given a better  background in education than most people. For the general public, students are taught the same material, and excel at different rates than other students. The people that dont grasp the material usually fall behind and become the working class within our society. Those that excel become the backbone of our society, fueling our economy and developing ideas within our world. The difference in education is not only the skill that is provided, but also the attitude. The skills that are learned are definitely important, but the determination and attitude learned is priceless. The communists came up with the idea of equality for everyone. Every person gets the same schooling and education. This concept cannot possibly work. Every person is different, and some people lack the ability to work in a technical field. Everyone has a place in society, and some people will work hard physically all of their lives. Not everyone can be number 1. Inequalities definitely exist in education. The rich seem to get richer, and the poor seem to become poorer. A society consists of different classes of people, and each class is essential to the survival of all. The gap between the rich and the poor can never be eliminated, but by educating our people maybe it can become smaller.

Behaviourist Learning Theory Directed Nursing Practice Nursing Essay

Behaviourist Learning Theory Directed Nursing Practice Nursing Essay According to professional standards of the College of Nursing of Ontario, the leadership expectation is not limited to nurses who are in formal leadership positions; all nurses, no matter of what kind the positions they are, have obligation to demonstrate leadership. Leadership requires knowledge to understand not only our own beliefs, values and behaviour affecting others, but also others beliefs, and values to build respect, trust, and integrity in a health care team. This course requires students choose a theoretical framework to guide developing a learning plan, and then applying the theory to a practice project for the purpose of expanding their perspective of nursing practice as an independent thinkers in the organizational or global level of hospital or community setting. My project report will review and analyze how behaviourist learning theory (BLT) directs my learning activities in clinical practice as an independent thinker to prepare myself in optimizing my future nursing practice. It includes two components: knowledge and application. The knowledge component will involve reviewing and comparing relevant content about the correlation between the generations of nursing workforce and choice of leadership style from five recent scholarly articles, identifying their strength and limitation, as well as guiding my nursing practice to achieve my learning goals. The application component includes how the acquired knowledge was utilized to guide my critical thinking process for figuring out the true reality of correlation in working setting between the generations of nursing workforce and choice of leadership style, as well as the challenges I have experienced. Knowledge Component BLT views learning as the product of the stimulant conditions and the response; its focus is mainly on what is directly observable. Behaviourist may closely observe responses and then manipulate the environment to triage more desired stimulus to bring the intended change (Bastable, 2008, p. 54). That is the inspiration I choose the stimulant conditions different choice of leadership style from different generation of nursing workforces in my questionnaire survey project, and the response my learning outcome from the project, as the core concept from BLT as literature research topic to acquire related knowledge and apply it to my project about the correlation between generational diversity and choice of leadership in my clinical placement setting. Literature Review / Five Relevant scholarly Articles In her article, Hahn (2009) clearly realized todays reality is that nursing workforce is made up of multigenerational staff. Nursing managers and their team members might hold different attitudes, beliefs, work ethics, and job expectations. The generation gap increases and creates more opportunities for misunderstanding and conflict. For both leaders and team members, the understanding generational differences would benefit in creating strength and opportunity or a source of stifling stress and conflict. How to deal with the challenge from the multigenerational diversity and develop a highly functioning and cohesive nursing team are current focuses for the nurse manager to be an effective leader. Although Hahn did not directly explain which leadership style would fit current workforce situation, the suggested strategies in her article for managers to effectively manage a multigenerational team indicate the transformational leadership to be the choice as an effective leader. Her argum ent was supported by previous researches done by Ulrich (2001), Zemke, Raines and Filipczak (2001). According to the research done by Cummings, MacGregor, Davey, Lee, Wong and Lo, et al (2010), some forms of leadership might be possible to lead to negative outcomes. They made their research from 10 electronic databases that include 53 published quantitative studies, then used content analysis to analyze these studies; 64 outcomes emerged from their analysis were classified into five categories: (1) work environment factors, (2) productivity and effectiveness, (3) staff relationships with work, (4) staff satisfaction with work, role and pay, and (5) staff health and wellbeing. Their research found the leadership styles that focused on people and relationships, such as transformational, resonant, supportive, and consideration, were reported in 24 studies, which were associated with higher nurse job satisfaction; whereas the leadership styles that focused on tasks, such as dissonant, instrumental and management by exception, were reported in 10 studies, which were associated with lowe r nurse job satisfaction. Therefore, they concluded that the leadership that focused on task completion alone is not sufficient to achieve optimum outcomes for the nursing workforce; transformational and relational leadership are needed to enhance nurse satisfaction, recruitment, retention, and healthy work environments, particularly in this current multigenerational workforce. Differently, Stanley (2008, 2010) argued that congruent leadership will be the one that can facilitate greater effectiveness when dealing with generational issues. Because this approach of leadership rests on the leaders values and beliefs that are demonstrated on leaders role modelling of their personal nursing / health care or organizational values; the actions of this leadership style are matched (or are congruent) with followers values and beliefs when dealing with multigenerational employees. Followers who have the same or similar values will support and follow these leaders because of their own values alignment. While realizing the difference of values and beliefs that are truly existed between the generational groups, Stanley emphasized that leaders core nursing / health care values are likely to offer significant common ground for this leadership approach to ensure it will be employed successfully. Kowalski, Bradley and Pappas research (2006) seems to be in a supportive posit ion to Stanleys argument. In her article, from the efficiency and positive outcome of management in a health care organization, Robbins and Davidhizar (2007) articulated there is a direct link between leadership style and staff retention, satisfaction and patient satisfaction. Currently, the changing faces in health care workforces pushes the management of nursing on the edge of the change in management strategy using effective and appropriate leadership to prompt greater success in gaining and maintaining staff satisfaction, staff retention, and then, in long run, improving patient satisfaction. Staff retention and satisfaction are the driving forces for achieving the patient satisfaction. Comparing with transactional leadership in leadership strategy, mission and vision, communication, relationship-building, they argued that transformational leadership is more effective in gaining and maintaining staff satisfaction, retention, and patient satisfaction in health care organizations. Poor leadership on a nursi ng unit leads to unhappy, unmotivated, and less dedicated staff. The underlying fundamental is that a transformational leader has the ability to effectively communicate the vision, mission, and empower nursing staff, which in turn build and promotes a healthy working environment for the entire team. Generally, Arsenault (2004) realized that todays workforce is more diverse than ever. There are many diverse issues. One of them is generational differences, which is created by a shared collective field of emotions, attitudes, preferences, and dispositions. Relatively, the differences in the unique attitudes, values, and beliefs of each generation determines how each generation views leadership, and ranks admired leadership characteristics, which correlates to their choice in leadership style and favourite leaders. He concluded that generational differences are a legitimate diversity issue that must be recognized and understood by organizations and needs to be addressed in developing current and future leaders. The leaders of organizations need to recognize and understand that a unique persona, which is developed from generational difference and already translated into a mind-set that demonstrated in different emotions, attitudes, beliefs, values, preferences, and embodied activitie s in working setting. Accordingly, this mind-set creates differences in leadership style how a person of a generation will lead or how they prefer to be led. In summary, five researches reached the common port, that is, the generational diversity is a current issue in workforce that organization and leaders must recognize and understand in designing effective and productive leadership strategy and style in creating a healthy working environment. However, for what is the correlation between generations and choice of leadership style, Stanley (2008, 2010)s articles reached his unique port; it argued the congruent leadership will be the one that can facilitate greater effectiveness when dealing with generational issues. The research done Cummings, MacGregor, Davey, Lee, Wong and Lo, et al (2010) clearly reached the conclusion that transformational and relational leadership styles will enhance nurse satisfaction, recruitment, retention, and healthy work environments in todays multigenerational workforce; because their research was based on extensive search of related database, so their conclusion derived from the evidence-based literature rev iew is highly credential and statistically significant. Also, Hahn (2009) and Robbins and Davidhizar (2007) generally articulated the nursing leaders should take transformational leadership as the core concept of their management, but their articles do not show strong evidence to support their argument. Arsenaults article emphasized the generational diversity of workforces and its impact on leadership, but he actually did not figure out which leadership could be the effective in current working environment. Summary of Behaviourist Learning Theory (BLT) According to Bastables book (2008, p.54-55), whether dealing with animals or people, BLT views the learning process as a relatively simple chain or cycle; the focus of BLT is mainly on the phenomenon that is directly observable stimulus conditions and the associations formed in the learning process; the learning process is understood as the product of the stimulus from the environment and the responses. In order to enhance the learning process leading to the desired result, behaviourists or learners can closely observe and manipulate the environment by utilizing operant conditioning techniques of positive or negative reinforcement (Skinner, 1974, 1989) to increase or decrease the stimulus, thus, to reinforce or decrease the responses to bring about the intended change. Plan of Implementation Based on my learning goal (see appendix A), I applied the acquired knowledge of BLT to my learning process through a survey project about the generational difference in the perceptive response in their admiring leadership style based on their different emotions, attitudes, beliefs, values, working ethics, preferences, and embodied activities in working setting. Each answer to the survey questionnaire is one of the stimuli for my learning process. What I learned form the project is the response of the learning process. I designed a survey questionnaire (see appendix B) about the correlation between generational difference and choice of leadership styles, randomly distributed to 55 staff in two medicine units of two hospitals, and 53 responses has been collected; the statistically valid representative sampling size is 96.36%. Statistical analysis on the response has been done (Table 1). Poster presentation (Appendix C) has been presented in my clinical placement unit for feedback. Application Component The Rationale of Choosing Behaviourist Learning Theory (BLT) BLT suggests the learning process is the product of the stimulus from the environment and the responses to the stimulus; it views the learning process as a reoccurring chain or cycle between stimulus and response through operant conditioning techniques of positively or negatively enhancing stimulus. Learning will occur while the stimulus is positively or negatively enhanced. Such a theoretic framework can be applied to health teaching process (Bastable, 2008, p. 54-60). The designation for students project from the course outline is about the learning from the project about a nursing issue in a global or organizational level of a hospital or community setting. Based on the acquired knowledge from BLT, my intention of my project design is to view the responses from the survey as stimulus for my learning about the choice on leadership style in a health care team staff would be either as a leader or a team member. Each response is one of the stimuli for my learning. More choice selecti vely occurred on one particular leadership style will become an enhanced stimulus for my learning that will give me the idea of which leadership is most admired in current health care team. In my future career, I would work as either a team member or a team leader; I have to prepare my self to be knowledgeable for these two roles. I am trying to apply BLT to my self teaching and self learning process. Actually, teaching and learning are the two phases of one process. Summary of the Process Involved in Applying BLT From the literature review, the generational difference in the perceptive response in their admiring leadership style based on their different emotions, attitudes, beliefs, values, working ethics, preferences, and embodied activities in working setting was found (Stanley, 2008, 2010; Arsenault, 2004; Weston, 2006; Kramer, 2010; Swearingen Liberman, 2004; Robbins and Davidhizar, 2007; Hahn, 2009; Cummings, MacGregor, Davey, Lee, Wong and Lo, et al, 2010). Based on this finding, my project designed a survey questionnaire to ask two questions: (1) what is your generation? (2) transactional or transformational leader: which one you would like to be or prefer? The answers to these two questions will give me two kinds of information: what is the content of current workforces and what kind of leadership style is admired more in the working setting. The answer for each respondent could be viewed as one of the stimuli for my response my learning result for my future choice of leadership in future career. 55 copies of questioner were randomly distributed to health care team of two medicine units of two hospitals, including nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, manager, nursing educators, and unit supervisors / coordinators, clinical instructor, and nursing students. 53 copies of responses have been collected. Data has been coded and statistically analysed. The percentage of each generation in the health care teams, and the percentage of selecting transactional or transformational leader from each generation, and from the total sampling were calculated. The finding demonstrates the transformational leadership style is admired most in current working setting. This finding has been supported from the literature review of this report above. Discussion of how Gained Knowledge was Integrated into Learning Process The major components of stimulus and response of BLT were used in my learning process. Before my project survey, I had qualitative idea about the generational difference in beliefs, values, employment expectation, working ethics and orientation, but no quantitative idea about such difference, and no idea about how much their difference was in choosing working sett leadership style. Through the survey, I get the idea about how much each generation constitutes the content of health care workforce in these two units: Veterans are retired, Baby Boomers is 19%, Generation X is 53%, and Generation Y is 28%; the generation X and Y already constitutes 81% of the workforces. Among 10 answers from Baby Boomers, 2 answers chose transactional leader (20% of the generation), 8 answers chose transformational leader (80% of the generation); among 28 answers from Generation X, 4 answers chose transactional leader (14.3% of the generation), 24 answers chose transformational leader (85.7% of the gener ation); among 15 answers from Generation Y, 1 answer chose transactional leader (6.7% of the generation), 14 answers chose transformational leader (93.3% of the generation). Among the total samplings, 86.8% of answers chose transformational leader, only 13.2% of answer chose transactional leader. The finding also shows a trend of the major choices from each generation on the leadership style: from Baby Boomers to Generation Y, the percentage of the responses decreases in choosing transactional leader, and percentage increases in choosing transformational leader. It clearly demonstrates the significant difference between generations in admiring leadership style based on their different emotions, attitudes, beliefs, preferences, and embodied activities in working setting. The information analysed and concluded from the survey is the wanted stimulus for my learning it gives me the idea which leadership style could be effective and productive in a health care working environment. The m ultiple kinds of information obtained from the survey like the enhanced stimulus positively manipulated by behaviourist to strengthen my response in advocating transformational leadership as the style I will choose to be my favourite one in working environment. Challenge Encountered and Related Management Because my project about learning process involves the questioner survey, the challenge comes from the design and implementation of the survey process. The first challenge is the survey of this project is not a formal and academic survey. It is an anonymous mock survey. It does not involve in any interesting conflict and retain any private information about responders name, exact age, and gender, etc. Its purpose is limited to get the true information about the leadership style choice from different generation in the real working setting for my personal clinical learning process. So, it was not submitted to university ethics committee to seek pre-approval. The management strategy is anonymous survey and keeping the survey result within the learning process of this course. The second challenge is the design of the questioner survey. As a student project, there is no funding for rewarding the participants. Staff are busying with daily assignment and dont have spare time and compassion to answer too complicated questioner. The management strategy is to simplify the questionnaire design as much as possible, but it is still remained in detail enough to collect enough information to meet my learning goal. The third challenge is the limitation of sampling size. As a student project, it is impossible to have adequate time and financial resource to take survey in multiple units of multiple health care facilities. The management strategy is to utilize the chance of my working unit at another hospital and clinical placement unit at St. Michaels hospital to take my survey so that the sampling process will be more statistically valid and the finding will be more statistically representative from the limited sampling size. Outcome of the Project and Evaluation The outcome of the project is the finding of my survey truly demonstrates the generational difference in choosing leadership style in real working environment, which is supported from the literature review. The outcome of the project also reached my learning goal of this project: it uncovers the reality of generational difference in choosing leadership style and future trend in real working environment; and the finding is strong enough as enhanced stimulus to my response in my learning process based on BLT. Evaluation Criteria of Self-Evaluation of Learning Plan and Planning Change In my learning plan, the criterion of self-evaluation for knowledge component was set up as: able to select a specific theoretical model of leadership style based on current nursing environment. To better reflecting the learning experience from the project, I will modify it as: able to select related scholarly publication and a particular theoretical framework of leadership style based on current nursing working environment for literature review to acquire knowledge in guiding my learning process and practice project. For application component, the criterion of self-evaluation was set up as: able to develop questionnaires of assessing staff nurses values, beliefs and expectation on their choice of leadership style. To better reflecting the learning experience from the project, I will modify it as: (1) able to develop questionnaires of assessing staff nurses values, beliefs and expectation on their choice of leadership style; and (2) able to analyze the survey result and figure out the significant finding. Personal Growth and Development Before this clinical placement, I did have general idea about the generational difference in emotions, attitudes, beliefs, values, preferences, and embodied activities in working setting. However, I did not have clear idea about the generational difference in choosing leadership style in real working environment. Through applying BLT to assess staffs values, beliefs, expectation, attitude about the employment and work-life quality, and expectation of each generation on their choice of leadership style within the multiple generational cohorts, I found (1) current health care workforces is a three generation cohort, not a four generation cohort that was articulated in most of previous literatures, because Veteran generation is retired already; (2) from Baby Boomers to generation X and Y, the percentage of staff who choose transactional leadership style is linearly decreasing, the percentage of staff who choose transformational leadership style is linearly increasing; (3) presently, gen eration X is the majority in health care workforce, and generation Y is in the second place; in these two generations, the percentage of staff who chose transformational leadership style is 86% and 93%, which releases a clear information that transformational leadership style will work better for them. Totally, the outcome of the project tells me that in my future career, either as a team member or a team leader, transformational leadership was the style I should choose to work comparatively in a team or lead a team effectively. Conclusion According to the learning objective and teaching strategy of this course, a learning plan and practice project plan were developed based on the chosen theoretic framework. The project of survey was implemented in two medicine units of two hospitals. The survey result was statistically analysed and poster presentation was presented in the clinical placement unit. This report summarizes the acquired knowledge through the reviewing of five scholarly articles and the chosen theoretic framework, discussed the rationale on theoretic framework choosing, and the major concepts of BLT stimulus and response, which have been applied in my learning process. Also, the outcome of the project, experienced challenges, possible personal growth and development obtained from the project are discussed.

Disadvantaged Health Status of Indigenous People

Disadvantaged Health Status of Indigenous People Why are indigenous people in Australia still disadvantaged with regard to health and community services? The status of Indigenous health in contemporary Australia is a result of historic factors as well as contemporary socio-economic issues (Hampton Toombs, 2013, p. 1). The deficient health stature of Indigenous Australians is a contemporary consequence of their historical treatment as Australias traditional owners and as of a result of cultural issues that impact on the acceptance of health and community services. This historical treatment and cultural issues has led to Indigenous Australians experiencing social disadvantages, significantly low socio-economic status, dispossession, poverty and powerlessness within contemporary Australian society. Previous to the invasion and colonisation by the British on January 26, 1788, the indigenous people were the carers of Australia and the Torres Strait for a period of over 60,000 years. During this time, it is suggested that Indigenous Australians lived relatively prosperous lives and enjoyed generally better health than most people living in Europe (Hampton Toombs, Indigenous Australian concepts of health and well-being, 2013). Indigenous Australians mortality was greatly affected by the considerable loss of lives caused by the direct conflict with the British and by the arrival of introduced diseases, especially smallpox. The impact of this loss extended far beyond the immediate victims of disease, affecting the very fabric of Indigenous societies through depopulation and social disruption (MacRae, et al., 2012). Traditionally, Indigenous Australians had complete freedom over all parts of their lives such as, ceremonies, spiritual practices, medicine, social relationships, management of land and law and economic affairs (Saggers Gray, 1991). Along with the impacts of introduced diseases and conflict, Indigenous Australians also experienced harmful effects related to disconnection from Country due to the spread of colonists and their subsequent political policies. For an Indigenous Australian, Country is not just physical territory but the central aspect of their identity (Hampton Toombs, Racism, colonisation/colonialism and impacts on indigenous people, 2013). Occupation and colonialism impacted far beyond the physical, as Indigenous Australians had their culture devalued, traditional food sources destroyed, and were separated from their families and in some cases entire communities were expelled. This caused separation or loss of languages, beliefs and social structures which form the fund amental basis of Indigenous cultures. The current condition of Indigenous health has been impacted negatively by the stolen generations and other past government practises and for many Indigenous Australians, the ongoing effects have created other social, emotional and physical disadvantages. These disadvantages are evident through the social determinants of health, including; economic opportunity, physical infrastructure, and social conditions that influence the health of individuals, communities, and societies as a whole. Inequalities in these are especially evident in education, employment, income, housing, access to services, social networks, connection with land, racism, and incarceration rates. In all of these factors, Indigenous Australians experience considerably lower rates than non-Indigenous Australians, with the most disturbing being that Indigenous Australians have a drastically lower life expectancy rate and overall health status, than non-Indigenous Australians. For indigenous people, the rate of chronic disease is still 2.5 times higher than that of other Australians and they die 15 to 20 years younger than those in mainstream Australia (Australian Health Ministers, 2004). More than half of these figures are caused by chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and kidney disease. The majority of these chronic diseases are preventable and while research is continuing to find ways to reduce the risk factors, issues such as smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles are still major challenges in Indigenous communities throughout Australia. Healthy living choices are not easy for people living in remote communities which results in a high incidence of preventable chronic disease. Good nutrition is fundamental to the maintenance of general well-being and the prevention of sickness and disease. It plays an imperative role in pregnancy and early childhood, prevents obesity and type 2 Diabetes and can lower the risk of recurrent heart disease by up to 70%. However, remote communities face many barriers to healthy eating, including isolation, the high cost of food, the variable supply of fresh food, lack of community town infrastructure and inadequate health promotion support, are just a few of these barriers that prevent community people from being able to make healthy living choices All of these inequalities, combined with the social attitudes towards Indigenous Australians and their health in contemporary Australian society, contribute to the difficulties Indigenous Australians have accessing satisfactory healthcare. The provision of adequate healthcare for Indigenous Australians can be difficult as many service providers do not understand how Indigenous Australians view or understand health and many health services are not as user-friendly or culturally appropriate for Indigenous people as they are for non-Indigenous people. This adds to higher levels of disadvantage and a greater hesitance to utilise these services. The traditional Indigenous outlook on health is holistic. It integrates everything significant in a persons life, including land, environment, physical body, community, relationships, and law. Health is the social, emotional, and cultural well being of the whole community and the concept is therefore linked to the sense of being an Indigenous Aust ralian. Specific issues such as reducing the incidence of chronic disease requires a significantly greater effort in coordinating collective strengths, creating and delivering preventative programs and primary health care for Indigenous communities and while great work is being done, more efforts are required to reduce the high incidence of chronic disease on Indigenous people and communities. When designing and developing services to meet the needs of our Indigenous people, close collaboration and consultation with the people for whom the service will be provided is vital. It is important to remember that policies and practises of the past have had major adverse impacts on the health of contemporary Indigenous Australians, and these impacts have contributed significantly to the inequalities present in Indigenous and non-Indigenous health status. However, whilst health disadvantages experienced by Indigenous Australians are considered to be historical in origin, the perpetuation of the disadvantages relies heavily on contemporary structural and social factors. As a result of our history and because of the continuing disadvantage, our people have needs that differ from those of mainstream Australians. Therefore, it is also imperative that we acknowledge and respect the impact of events and issues in Indigenous peoples history when designing and delivering these services.

The Impact of Music on the Mind, Body and Spirit Essay -- Exploratory

The Impact of Music on the Mind, Body and Spirit Music is fun. The very mention of the word seems to stir emotions that are exciting and interesting. The mind shifts to recall memories that have long passed, moments that could presently be experienced, or future events that will hold a place in one's heart and mind. In everything, there is sound. Where there is sound, there can be music. Where there is music, activities are taking place with implications affecting one's path in life. In an elementary schoolroom, kindergardeners are learning the ABC song to go home and sing to their parents. Later, these kids are learning to not step on their date's feet on a gym floor at their first school dance. Years later, a team is preparing with exhilarating sounds to clash with their rivals. As this class of students is graduating, they reminisce during their class song. These events will shape their lives with the things they have learned along the way. I am a music fan and a supporter of learning, and, with this project, I learned that both had a connection. As a report, this paper tells of the ways having music in one's life benefits mentally, physically, and emotionally. The power of music stimulates brain growth in the uterus and during the early years of childhood. Also, it positively affects emotional awareness and attitudes from before birth and onward. One can build a comprehension of the world by the provision of patterns given by music. The ability to crawl, walk, and run is developed with more ease. Additionally, the use of sound improves language arts, which vocabulary and expressiveness. "As an integral part of culture, past and present, it helps pupils understand themselves and relate to others, forging important links... ...thin You. Simon & Schuster, Inc. New York 1985 p.186 Leviton, Richard. Brain Builders! West Nyack, NY: Parker Publishing Company, Inc. MENC staff. "Music Education Facts and Figures." Music Education Facts and Figures. December27,2003.[online]Available:http://www.menc.org/information/advocate/facts.html Nqnet. "Welcome to Instep Online." Accelerated Learning-Music to Help You Learn. December 19, 2003.[online]Available:www.nqnet.com/accelerated_learning.html Ortiz, John M. Nurturing Your Child with Music. Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Publishing, Inc. Schoen, Max. The Psychology of Music. The Ronald Press Company. New York 1940 p.91 Vos, Jeannette. "Parenting for K-6 Children." Music for Education. December 27, 2003. [online] Available: childparenting.about.com Weinberger, Norman M. "The Music in Our Minds." Educational Leadership Nov. 1998:36-39

Child Labor and Sweatshops are a Current Problem in the Fashion Industr

Child Labor and Sweatshops are a Current Problem in the Fashion Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many societies face the much overlooked problem of child labor and sweatshops in the fashion industry. Recently, Americans were stunned to learn that their apple pie sweetheart, Kathie Lee Gifford was associated with the exploitation of underage workers in Honduras. Gifford's story began the resurgence of knowledge of the growing problem of sweatshops in today's society. Contrary to popular belief, sweatshops still exist across the world in both third world countries and super powers such as America. Sweatshops incorporate the inhumane exploitation of workers, many of whom are underage, by providing extremely low wages as well as expecting unrealistic time commitments. In addition, the workers lack benefits and very few sweatshops abide by the required health codes. Sweatshops are obviously a growing problem that will not disappear with out change. Although the United States government has begun to take steps to alleviate the problem, there must be an increase in both awareness and legislation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The belief that the archaic-like prisons known as sweatshops have been abolished, has been proven false. They do, in fact, exist in not only foreign countries but also in America. The abuse of human rights is demonstrated as more than half the 22, 000 garment contractors in the United States don't pay workers minimum wage, according to the Labor Department, and working conditions are deplorable...Americans were horrified to learn last August of 72 Thai laborers imprisoned in El Monte, Near Los Angeles, who were forced to work up to 22 hours a day, seven days a week at $1.60 an hour" (Yeh).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More evidence is uprooted daily which... ...stry and Codes of Conduct. Online. HTML. Internet. 25 April 1997. Johnson, Paul. American Government. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Knoebel, Edgar. The Modern World. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988. Nifong, Christina. 'No Sweat' Pact to Cut Garment Worker Abuse. The Christian Science Monitor Online. HTML. Internet. 14 April 1997. Reuter. Clinton Unveils Clothing Sweatshop Pact. Online. HTML. Internet. 16 April 1997. Wendel, Melissa. Fashion Majors, Don't Sweat It. Online. HTML. Internet. 14 April 1997. Wilson, David. Apparel Task Force Fiasco. Online. HTML. Internet. 25 April 1997. Wilson, David. Fashion Industry Forum. Online. HTML. Internet. 25 April 1997. Yeh, Emerald and McMurray, Christine. Sweatshop Bargains: A Shopper's Dilemma. Online. HTML. Internet. 14 April 1997. 1 Labor Alerts is a service campaign for labor rights.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 33-34

33 RIVERA During the drive to Pine Cove, Rivera was nagged by the idea that he had forgotten something. It wasn't that he hadn't reported where he was going; he had planned that. Until he had physical evidence that there was a serial killer in the area, he wasn't saying a word. But when he knocked on the Elliotts' front door and it swung open, he suddenly remembered that his bullet-proof vest was hanging in his locker back at the station. He called into the house and waited for an answer. None came. Only cops and vampires have to have an invitation to enter, he thought. But there is probable cause. The part of his mind that functioned like a district attorney kicked in. â€Å"So, Sergeant Rivera,† the lawyer said, â€Å"you entered a private residence based on a computer data base that could have been no more than a mailing list?† â€Å"I believed that Effrom Elliott's name on the list represented a clear and present danger to a private citizen, so I entered the residence.† Rivera drew his revolver and held it in his right hand while he held his badge out in his left. â€Å"Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, this is Sergeant Rivera from the Sheriff's Department. I'm coming in the house.† He moved from room to room announcing his presence before he entered. The bedroom door was closed. He saw the splintered bullet hole in the door and felt his adrenaline surge. Should he call for backup? The D.A. said: â€Å"And so you entered the house on what basis?† Rivera came through the door low and rolled. He lay for a moment on the floor of the empty room, feeling stupid. What now? He couldn't call in and report a bullet hole in a residence that he had probably entered illegally, especially when he hadn't reported that he was in Pine Cove in the first place. One step at a time, he told himself. Rivera returned to his unmarked car and reported that he was in Pine Cove. â€Å"Sergeant Rivera,† the dispatcher said, â€Å"there is a message for you from Technical Sergeant Nailsworth. He said to tell you that Robert Masterson is married to the granddaughter of Effrom Elliott. He said he doesn't know what it means, but he thought you should know.† It meant that he had to find Robert Masterson. He acknowledged the message and signed off. Fifteen minutes later he was at The Breeze's trailer. The old pickup was gone and no one answered the door. He radioed the station and requested a direct patch to the Spider. â€Å"Nailgun, can you get me Masterson's wife's home address? He gave the trailer as residence when we brought him in. And give me the place where she works.† â€Å"Hold on, it'll be just a second for her address.† Rivera lit a cigarette while he waited. Before he took the second drag, Nailsworth came back with the address and the shortest route from Rivera's location. â€Å"It will take a little longer for the employer. I have to access the Social Security files.† â€Å"How long?† â€Å"Five, maybe ten minutes.† â€Å"I'm on my way to the house. Maybe I won't need it.† â€Å"Rivera, there was a fire call at that address this morning. That mean anything to you?† â€Å"Nothing means anything to me anymore, Nailsworth.† Five minutes later Rivera pulled up in front of Jenny's house. Everything was covered with a gummy gray goo, a mix of ashes, flour, and water from the fire hoses. As Rivera climbed out of the car, Nailsworth called back. â€Å"Jennifer Masterson is currently employed at H.P.'s Cafe, off Cypress in Pine Cove. You want the phone number?† â€Å"No,† Rivera said. â€Å"If she's not here, I'll go over there. It's just a few doors down from my next stop.† â€Å"You need anything else?† Nailsworth sounded as if he was holding something back. â€Å"No,† Rivera said. â€Å"I'll call if I do.† â€Å"Rivera, don't forget about that other matter.† â€Å"What matter?† â€Å"Roxanne. Check on her for me.† â€Å"As soon as I can, Nailsworth.† Rivera threw the radio mike onto the passenger seat. As he walked up to the house, he heard someone come on the radio singing a chorus to the song â€Å"Roxanne† in a horrible falsetto. Nailsworth had shown his weakness over an open frequency, and now, Rivera knew, the whole department would ride the fat man's humiliation into the ground. When this was over, Rivera promised himself, he would concoct a story to vindicate the Spider's pride. He owed him that. Of course, that depended on Rivera vindicating himself. The walk to the door covered his shoes with gray goo. He waited for an answer and returned to the car, cursing in Spanish, his shoes converted to dough balls. He didn't get out of the car at H.P.'s Cafe. It was obvious from the darkened windows that no one was inside. His last chance was the Head of the Slug Saloon. If Masterson wasn't there, he was out of leads, and he would have to report what he knew, or, what was more embarrassing, what he didn't know, to the captain. Rivera found a parking place in front of the Slug behind Robert's truck, and after taking a few minutes to get his right shoe unstuck from the gas pedal, he went in. 34 U-PICK-EM The Pagan Vegetarians for Peace called them the Sacred Caves because they believed that the caves had once been used by Ohlone Indians for religious ceremonies. This, in fact, was not true, for the Ohlone had avoided the caves as much as possible due to the huge population of bats that lived there, bats that were inextricably locked into the destiny of the caves. The first human occupation of the caves came in the 1960s, when a down-and-out farmer named Homer Styles decided to use the damp interior of the caves to cultivate mushrooms. Homer started his business with five hundred wooden crates of the sort used for carting soda bottles, and a half-gallon carton of mail-order mushroom spores; total investment: sixteen dollars. Homer had stolen the crates from behind the Thrifty-Mart, a few at a time, over the period of weeks that it took him to read the pamphlet Fungus for Fun and Profit, put out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After filling the crates with moist peat and laying them out on the cave floor, Homer spread his spores and waited for the money to roll in. What Homer didn't figure on was the rapid growth rate of the mushrooms (he'd skipped that part of the pamphlet), and within days he found himself sitting in a cave full of mushrooms with no market and no money to pay for help in harvesting. The solution to Homer's problem came from another government pamphlet entitled The Consumer-Harvested Farm, which had come, by mistake, in the same envelope with Fungus for Fun. Homer took his last ten dollars and placed an ad in the local paper: Mushrooms, $.50 lb. U-PICK-EM, your container. Old Creek Road. 9?C5 daily. Mushroom-hungry Pine Covers came in droves. As fast as the mushrooms were harvested, they grew back, and the money rolled in. Homer spent his first profits on a generator and a string of lights for the caves, figuring that by extending his business hours into the evening, his profits would grow in proportion. It would have been a sound business move had the bats not decided to rear their furry heads in protest. During the day the bats had been content to hang out on the roof of the cave while Homer ran his business below. But on the first night of Homer's extended hours when the bats woke to find their home invaded by harshly lit mushroom pickers, their tolerance ended. There were twenty customers in the caves when the lights went on. In an instant the air above them was a maelstrom of screeching, furry, flying rodents. In the rush to exit, one woman fell and broke a hip and another was bitten on the hand while extracting a bat from her hair. The cloud of bats soon disappeared into the night, only to be replaced the next day by an equally dense cloud of landbound vermin: personal-injury lawyers. The varmints prevailed in court. Homer's business was destroyed, and once again the bats slept in peace. A depressed Homer Styles went on a binge in the Head of the Slug. He spent four days in an Irish whiskey haze before his money ran out and Mavis Sand sent him to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. (Mavis could tell when a man had hit bottom, and she felt no need to pump a dry well.) Homer found himself in the meeting room of the First National Bank, telling his story. It happened that at that same meeting a young surfer who called himself The Breeze was working off a court-ordered sentence he had earned by drunkenly crashing a '62 Volkswagen into a police cruiser and promptly puking on the arresting officer's shoes. The farmer's story touched off an entrepreneurial spark in the surfer, and after the meeting The Breeze cornered Homer with a proposition. â€Å"Homer, how would you like to make some heavy bread growing magic mushrooms?† The next day the farmer and the surfer were hauling bags of manure into the caves, spreading it over the peat, and scattering a completely different type of spore. According to The Breeze their crop would sell for ten to twenty dollars an ounce instead of the fifty cents a pound that Homer received for his last crop. Homer was enraptured with the possibility of becoming rich. And he would have, if not for the bats. As the day of their first harvest neared, The Breeze had to take his leave of their plantation to serve the weekend in the county jail (the first of fifty – the judge had not been amused at having barf-covered police shoes presented as evidence in his courtroom). Before he left, The Breeze assured Homer that he would return Monday to help with the drying and marketing of the mushrooms. In the meantime, the woman who had been bitten during the debacle of the bats, came down with rabies. County animal-control agents were ordered to the caves to destroy the bat colony. When the agents arrived, they found Homer Styles crouched over a tray of psychedelic mushrooms. The agents offered Homer the option of walking away and leaving the mushrooms, but Homer refused, so they radioed the sheriff. Homer was led away in handcuffs, the animal-control agents left with their pockets filled with mushrooms, and the bats were left alone. When The Breeze was released on Monday, he found himself in search of a new scam. A few months later, while incarcerated at the state prison in Lompoc, Homer Styles received a letter from The Breeze. The letter was covered with a fine yellow powder and read: â€Å"Sorry about your bust. Hope we can bury the hatchet.† Homer buried the letter in a shoe box he kept under his bunk and spent the next ten years living in relative luxury on the profits he made from selling psychedelic mushrooms to the other inmates. Homer sampled his crop only once, then swore off mushrooms for life when he hallucinated that he was drowning in a sea of bats.