The Devils Shadow Essay Example For Students

The Devils Shadow Essay The Devils ShadowTime Setting: The Devils Shadow by Clifford Lindsey Alderman took place in thelate seventeenth century from 1692-1693. This is the time period that the SalemWitch Trials took place. The main plot of the story rested on the eventsleading up to the Salem Witch Trials, the trials themselves, and the aftermathof the trials. Detailed accounts of witch executions, the actual trials, andthe events that caused the trials were discussed in the story. Place Setting: Most of the action in this story took place in Salem,Massachusetts. This was the birthplace of the witchcraft hysteria and it wasalso the actual site of the Salem Witch Trials. The town of Salem,Massachusetts in the late seventeenth century was a small puritan community thatwas largely uneducated and very superstitious. Since many lacked education,they did not understand many events that happened in their daily lives. Manythings that went wrong in their daily lives would be blamed on witchcraft orsorcery. Such common things as burnt bread or broken plates would be blamed onthe supernatural. Many people, especially the uneducated, firmly believed inthe existence of witches and warlocks. They believed that such individuals hadthe power to perform black magic that caused some kind of trouble. Every timesomething bad happened they would blame it on witches and witchcraft. We will write a custom essay on The Devils Shadow specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Main Characters: One of the main characters in this story was Tituba, anAfrican slave woman from Barbados. She was purchased in Barbados by a merchantnamed Samuel Parris. She lived in Barbados until Samuel Parris brought her toSalem to work as his servant. She was known to practice Obeah, an African cultsorcery. People who performed or practiced Obeah were said to be able topredict the future, make magical charms, and drive away evil spirits. Titubawas accused of teaching witchcraft to a small group of girls in Salem. Samuel Parris, another main character in this story, was a merchant whoattended Harvard University. He was the owner of Tituba and her husband. Hehad studied to become a minister before he left Harvard. He was a business manwho traded slaves, sugar, and rum in Barbados. Things began to not work out forhim when he started making less and less money. He gave up his career as amerchant in 1689 and moved to Salem to become a minister. Other main characters in this story include the girls that were taughtwitchcraft by Tituba, the judges in the courtroom, and the men and women whowere accused of witchcraft. Two Important Events: One important event in this story was when the hystericalgirls are assumed to have been influenced by Titubas witchcraft. This eventfit into the story because it triggered the witchcraft hysteria that followed it. Many people suddenly became accused after the girls became associated withTituba and witchcraft. This event gave a good illustration of life in the lateseventeenth century by showing how paranoid people were about the presence ofwitchcraft in their society. They were ready to believe that people werewitches at the drop of a hat, and because of this, they unjustly accused andmurdered hundreds of people. This can be seen as the starting point of thewitchcraft hysteria in Salem that killed so many people. Another important event in this story was when everything began to getout of control and people were being accused of witchcraft by the dozens. Itbecame a choice on whether or not you were going to accuse someone else in orderto save yourself. People that were accused just accused different people inorder to save themselves from hanging. Soon, everyone was accusing everyoneelse, and the trials had gone into utter chaos. This changed the course ofhistory because it made people realize how pointless the while witchcrafthysteria really was. It was also the first step towards the end of the hysteria. .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 , .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .postImageUrl , .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 , .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84:hover , .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84:visited , .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84:active { border:0!important; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84:active , .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84 .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub890ab0bbee2f4bbd2037b6ef4f3ee84:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Barbie Doll Poem Analysis EssayClass Differences in Society: By reading this story, I learned about the classdifferences in the society of Salem in the late seventeenth century. The factthat all of the blame was put on an African American slave woman from the startshows that the higher class people tended to blame the lower class people fortheir problems. Also, people accused of witchcraft instantly became looked downon in society. This relates to the fact that people tended to accuse peoplethat were already looked down on by society in order to lend credibility totheir accusation. All of these things have helped me to realize that classdifferences are evident in every soc iety. It has also led me to believe thatclass differences significantly affect the outcome of many historical events.

Free Essays on The Searchers By John Ford

Where Twain and Buffalo Bill’s writings deal with the emergence of the Anglo-American hero, John Ford deals with the manifestations of that hero in his film The Searchers. John Wayne, in his anti-heroic role as a bigot and intolerant, is a tragic, lonely, morally-ambiguous figure who is doomed to be an outsider. This film is the complex tale of a perilous, hate-ridden pursuit and pilgrimage of self-discovery by Ethan Edwards after a Comanche massacre on his family , while also exploring the theme of racial prejudice. It examines the inner chaos of a fiercely autonomous man obsessed with abhorrence and the need for retaliation , who searches for his two nieces among the Comanche tribe of Scar over a seven-year period. The form of this film was both minimalist and grand; Ford's classic location was Monument Valley, Arizona, with wide shots of human figures against an overpowering wilderness. Ford didn't use a lot of close-ups, and had very little camera movement and minimal dialogue. Contentwise, on the other hand, this film was far from moderate or conservative in policy. Using several techniques such as framing, costumes, specific shots, and music, Ford continually probed the edges of frontiers, physical, psychological and philosophical. He set opposites into conflict: Order vs. Freedom, civilization vs. wilderness, families vs. outsiders, the spirit vs. the letter of the law, myth vs. fact. The theme of the movie is a universal crisis delivered and disguised as a local conflict; of the search for self-satisfaction, retribution on much larger scales, and the laying of the past to rest. Ford uses several instances of â€Å"framing† a scene in order to convey a particular feeling of space, whether it be the domestic or the isolated. For example, in the opening scene, the screen goes black and a title appears: "Texas 1868." The film begins with a cabin door opening onto the frontier wilderness. This setting presents the visua... Free Essays on The Searchers By John Ford Free Essays on The Searchers By John Ford Where Twain and Buffalo Bill’s writings deal with the emergence of the Anglo-American hero, John Ford deals with the manifestations of that hero in his film The Searchers. John Wayne, in his anti-heroic role as a bigot and intolerant, is a tragic, lonely, morally-ambiguous figure who is doomed to be an outsider. This film is the complex tale of a perilous, hate-ridden pursuit and pilgrimage of self-discovery by Ethan Edwards after a Comanche massacre on his family , while also exploring the theme of racial prejudice. It examines the inner chaos of a fiercely autonomous man obsessed with abhorrence and the need for retaliation , who searches for his two nieces among the Comanche tribe of Scar over a seven-year period. The form of this film was both minimalist and grand; Ford's classic location was Monument Valley, Arizona, with wide shots of human figures against an overpowering wilderness. Ford didn't use a lot of close-ups, and had very little camera movement and minimal dialogue. Contentwise, on the other hand, this film was far from moderate or conservative in policy. Using several techniques such as framing, costumes, specific shots, and music, Ford continually probed the edges of frontiers, physical, psychological and philosophical. He set opposites into conflict: Order vs. Freedom, civilization vs. wilderness, families vs. outsiders, the spirit vs. the letter of the law, myth vs. fact. The theme of the movie is a universal crisis delivered and disguised as a local conflict; of the search for self-satisfaction, retribution on much larger scales, and the laying of the past to rest. Ford uses several instances of â€Å"framing† a scene in order to convey a particular feeling of space, whether it be the domestic or the isolated. For example, in the opening scene, the screen goes black and a title appears: "Texas 1868." The film begins with a cabin door opening onto the frontier wilderness. This setting presents the visua...

International Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Management - Essay Example As much as they try to deal with one culture in another country, they still experience others as they venture into other markets in search for cheap labor and raw materials. There are different moral standards within the countries, which brings challenges to the operation of multinational companies. Because of this, successful multinational companies require to solve these ethical issues to maintain their stability towards realizing the organizational goals. Ethical Issues Traditional Small-Scale and Large Scale Bribery Most of the developing countries lack strict laws to minimize bribery of the public officials. This is a contradictory to the practices by the developed countries where bribery is offense and punishable by law. In the developing countries, multinational companies experience ethical issues as they are forced to bribe foreign officers in exchange of the violation of the official duties. Foreign officers need bribes to offer services which they are meant to perform. This also implies in a case when the multinational companies fails to comply with certain provision and are forced to give bribery as a justification or failure. Similarly, multinational companies have to give hefty bribes in order to influence the making of policies or in case of a violation (MacDaniel, Hair & Lamb & 2007, 72). The issues of bribery are very rampant in the developing countries unlike in the developed countries where most of the multinational companies base. Because of this, theses corporations are operating in a dilemmas which they need to find a solution. Pricing Developing countries are characterized by unfair pricing and questionable invoicing where the buyer request for invoice showing a different price from the actual price of the product or service delivered. The regimes fix the corporation prices in order to face off local competition. The companies also dump their prices to below their mother countries and engage in the business practices, which are illegal in their home countries but are legal in their host country (Rendtorff, 2009, 436). These practices in pricing raise the ethical issues in which the multinationals companies operates in the host countries. As much as they want to remain relevant and capture the market share, they are forced to indulge in unethical activities to remain relevant to the laws and regulation governing business activities in the host country. Any corporation that wants to remain successful has to find a way of dealing with these ethical issues without being victim to the host nation by not complying with the law. However much it may pose a challenge more so when operating in a new business environment, the multinational companies have to strive, and do their best in managing their corporations to enable them meet their goals. Legal Issues Multinational companies face legal issues in their host countries different from their mother countries. Different countries operate under certain laws and vary depending w ith the framework in which the government requires them to operate. The legal challenges may come with undefined way of doing things that cause the company to close its operations or continue operating under inflexible and strict laws minimizing its full potential. In many cases, Legal issues affect the company in terms of penetrating the inner market and its relation with its stakeholders. Legal issues are binding and meant to influence the organization towards a certain direction.

Criminal Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Evidence - Essay Example s the right â€Å"to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The common arguments have been that it is illegal to conduct a search without a search warrant on the part of the law enforcement officer. Although the provisions of the Fourth Amendment hold that the right of a person against illegal searches is inviolable, there are exemptions to the enforcement of this right. Apprehensions on the road are one of the areas where the person may not legally invoke the Fourth Amendment1. In the case of Pennsylvania v Mimms2, the court rules that drivers and passengers have no Fourth Amendment right not to be ordered out of their vehicle once a proper stop is made. According to the case of California v Carney3, â€Å"The Constitution affords a lesser degree of protection for a vehicle than a residence because of the vehicle’s ready mobility†¦Ã¢â‚¬  However, the decision of this case should be tempered with the test of reasonableness enunciated under the case of Delaware v Prouse4 where the Court warned that there must be a reasonable ground for stopping the vehicle such as the reasonable suspicion that the driver do not have a license and that the vehicle is not registered. A law enforcement officer manning traffic should not just arbitrarily stop vehicles without just cause as this is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment right of the driver and the passengers. In case of Maryland v Wilson, the Court ruled that where the driver has committed a â€Å"minor vehicular offense† there is no reason to stop and detain the passengers. However, since technically, the passengers have already been stopped when the vehicle was stopped, the fact that they are requested by the law enforcement officers to disembark from the vehicle is of little concern. In the case of Michigan v Long it was ruled that an officer making a traffic stop may order passengers to get out of the car pending completion of the stop. In connection

Developing People Module Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Developing People Module Assessment - Essay Example This has been similar with the whole process of critical reflection as has been described by different experts (Gardner & Fook, 2007, pp. 19-33). It is a personal belief that intentions and motives play a crucial role in success or failure of a teaching-learning process. Besides theoretical frameworks and formal objectives of education, it is very imperative for a teacher to believe in things that later become a part of any learning process. However, at the same time, it is essential for an effective teacher to avoid inclusion of biasness resulting in making teaching a very difficult process that often is considered a simple process that is not the case at all. From module readings, it is an observation that experts (Rodgers, 2002, pg. 845) have set the criteria for reflection as a meaning-making process, disciplined way of thinking, and a notion that requires attitudes and interaction with the community. From understanding of these researches and personal experiences, it is a belief that teaching is nothing but a reflection of reflection, in which a teacher has to endeavor to reflect on his/her own reflections while at the same time, equipping learners with capacity to reflect on their own. This is one of the reasons that in initial sections of this reflection, I inclined to consider teaching as a learning process itself. In addition, from further observations, I can reflect considerably that for an effective and efficient learning and reflective process, it is very imperative for teachers to consider needs, experiences, context, and attitudes of learners (Gardner & Fook, 2007, pp. 41-53). In other words, personally, the learning process cannot reach to its plinth when teachers focus more on subject matters rather than learners’ intelligences. One can associate this personal new insight with Gardner’s argument in which â€Å"he questioned the validity of determining an individual’s intelligence through the process of taking a person out o f his natural learning environment and asking him to do isolated tasks he had never done before and probably would never choose to do again† (Armstrong, 1994, pg. 1). Particularly, a teacher has to play the role of a network hub in which he/she can allow the learners to bring and connect their own perceptions, experiences, and context in the learning process while at the same time, acting as an encoder, as well as decoder to understand and reflect on personal experiences of each learner. This may seem very unrealistic in theory; however, in classroom settings where teachers spend an extended period with the learners, this is possible and if implemented, may result in enriched learning experience. On the other hand, absence of such considerations may although enable a climber to reach to the mountain base with the help of a guide; however, may not equip him/her with skills to reach to peak and conquer the mountain without help of any guide and even without any oxygen support. A mountain guide can be a teacher or a facilitator, whereas, absence of oxygen support can be critical

Concept of Time Portrayed in Art

Concept of Time Portrayed in Art Time is a determinant concept in forms of art where motion is a key factor in order for a narrative to be explored as it occurs, such as in video art, performance, and theatre. The concept of time is also an important parameter for a two-dimensional artwork, which can comprise time through movement or as a snapshot. On the basis of the above syllogism, this essay will determine the nature of time, through the moment, as a still/snapshot in a static artwork and as a sequence in forms of art such as performance. The concept of capturing time in art comprised subjects for contemporary artists such as demonstrated by Christiane Baumgartner and Marina Abramovic, whose works will be explored through this essay: how do two antithetical mediums, namely; printmaking and performance, deal with this same theme and what are the results of the two visual languages that arise in depicting the sense of time? The antithesis of time itself is not only a parameter which is reflected in the mediums themseleves, but also in the content. In other words, the antithesis is also portrayed on a theoretical level. While Christiane Baumgartner uses the illusion of the motion continuity and thus the illusion of time by freezing it, Marina Abramovic deals with the actual and real aspect of time by extending the duration of an occurrence. Hence, there is a differentiated perspective in depicting and presenting the real time and the illusion of it, with time consisting of a weaving of reality and deception. Introduction The issue of time comprises a parameter which, beside the natural sciences was also the object of research by predominately philosophy and anthropology and thereby the extension the art itself, as art was considered to be an essential cultural characteristic. In this essay, the concept of time will be presented via the perspective of perceiving time through the antitheses outlined above. Initially, time should be divided into two categories; such as in the philosophical and sociological frameworks; namely in its real form and in its non-real form that is not quite so obvious. For instance, acquirable time the procedure of measuring time periods, is completely different from the procedure of perceiving time as a representative of or bearer of consciousness. The existence and at the same time the non-existence (lack of obviousness) of time is an object of research for the artists so as to define the sense of time passing via numerous optical dimensions. The model of perceiving time is formed every time by the aesthetic view of the artist. Philosophy and sociology in many cases are related to the artists point of view and thus an interactive relationship in shaping or reconstructing thoughts, which include the phenomenon of time is developed. The contrariety in the approach on the other hand does not create gaps between the aspects of time but they assist in developing depth and assiduous assortment in determining time. However, the contrariety approach comprises a method of analysis; thus, within such a framework regarding contrariety in the perspective of the concept of time, art presents a visual codex and visual symbols and hence the antithesis in approaching and perceiving time can be comprehended. One very good example is the concept of the time sense as it is understood by most people, specifically time or, the symbol that represents time; the clock is an invention that accommodates humans to divide or to plan their everyday lives. On the other hand, there is an application of the above syllogism which is not an invention of the human civilisation but underlies biological or natural laws which is the concept of human age that accompanies human beings during their entire lives. These two antithetical examples could be characterized as external and internal time. The first one is determined by the sound that is produced by the second-hand and the other by the heartbeat. The parameter of their antithesis, however, does not preclude their interaction, but rather it is a matter of visual perspective of their characteristics (Rudolf Arnheim, Art and visual perception: a psychology of the creative eye, University of California Press, 2004). Time has had a significant influence in the world of visual arts. Artists have depicted various symbols for time in order to express its impact as a philosophical question that is reflected in the human existence, or important events in history in order to represent the passing of time. The antithesis will be the main subject of interest in this research and stillness-movement, internal-external time, and fluidity-futility will be some of the main points for analysis. The expressions of time concepts differ from artist to artist due to the different perspective each of them uses. Salvador Dali (1904-1989), the Spanish surrealist painter of the 20th century, created in 1931 the work The persistence of memory. Time is the theme here, from the melting watches to the decay implied by the swarming ants. The title of the painting suggests memorys ability to remain intact as time decays around it. Dali painted this work with the most imperialist fury of precision and the only nod to the real are the distant landscape golden cliffs in Catalonia, where he lived. (Alkis Xaralampidis, Art in 20th century, volume II, 1993). Furthermore, Fransis Alys (born 1959), a Belgian artist who lives and works in Mexico City, in his documented video performance Paradox of praxis I (Sometimes doing something leads to nothing) deals with the concept of time in a different way from surrealism. Alys in this work expresses the futility of time and effort. The artist pushes a large block of ice through the streets of Mexico City for six or seven hours until it melts. It is a film about transformation, but it is also about the futility of human endeavor. It is an epic kind of uselessness that turns his apparently meaningless effort into an almost heroic event; nothing to something. The subtitle of the work is ultimately an idea which speaks to the frustrated efforts of everyday Mexico City residents to improve their living conditions. (Mark Godfrey and Klaus Biensenbach, Fransis Alys: A story of deception, 2010). Performance too, which is very much related to the concept of time because of its nature, has presented a number of works which deal with the sense of time. As a time-based art primarily and by extension a media-based one owns its nature The work of Christiane Baumgartner Christiane Baumgartner was born in Leipzig, Germany in 1967. Her work deals mainly with specific aspects of time concepts; speed and standstill. The images are taken from her own video stills and the chosen format is that of monumental woodcut, mainly black and white. Her aim is to combine in a way two mediums; a traditional, printmaking, with a contemporary one, video art. As the artists herself states: Its about bringing together the different mediums of the video still and the woodcut, about combining the first and the latest reproduction techniques to produce an image (Catalogue Alan Cristea gallery, London 2011). What her subjects often deal with is the movement between figuration and abstraction and the space between with speed and the passage of time recurring themes throughout her work. What she is mostly interested in is the shifting within the woodcut and the way it changes the image and becomes a blurred, non-figurative image (Catalogue Alan Cristea gallery, London 2011). For instance, in 1 Sekunde (fig. 3) the image disappears at points and becomes blurred through the representation of speed. Other digital images are taken at a very low resolution, 3 dpi, and as a result the printmaking effect creates an abstract image, as occurs in Deutscher Wald (fig. 4). Speed, both in terms of subject matter and technique is something she has always been interested in. Many of her works are images taken from highways or tunnels because their inherent movement has been something that attracts her. Through this rationale are made works such as Lisbon II (fig. 5) or Solaris I (fig. 6). Technically, the final work is the result of a procedure that takes significant time. The first step is to film the subject in which she is interested in and afterwards, she selects an image from the film which she thinks is the appropriate for cutting. The main point is to figure out which image I will end up bringing into the world. I will devote so much time to making it and give it so much significance in terms of scale, that I have to choose it very carefully. The fact that I am using a technique in which it will be reproduced more than once further influence my decision. (Catalogue Alan Cristea gallery, London 2011) Her main subject of interest is urban development and how life is affected by the environment. This material world was produced for humans, but at the same time has made life become an aspect in which a main point is speed. Cars, computers, busy highways, and people running, are the common images that exist in big cities. That is why in her work bridges, tunnels, and roads appear so frequently. In a world which is governed by speed, Baumgartner tries to slow down the way information is processed, to better reflect the way people live nowadays. There is so much movement in our physical lives than 20 years ago. But also the time of information and communication has speed up in an extreme way. Because we are expecting such quick responses to our communications we miss the time for the thinking process and also to really prioritize. (philagrafika, blog, http://philagrafika.blogspot.com/2009/05/interview-christiane-baumgartner.html) By choosing woodcut as a medium of expression, she asserts that is it her way of representing the contemporary situation. Her prints, which take a long time to make, effectively slow down time by extending the moment of the constitution of the image from a brief second, which in this case is the video still, to entire months, until the final work is ready. Baumgartner has created a visual language which needs to be viewed from a certain distance from the work so the image can be revealed. This language is consisted of horizontal lines which cut the subject in pieces so as to produce the illusion of movement and speed. When the viewer stands close to the work what he or she observes is actually thick and thin linear forms that reflect the virtuosity of the printmaker at a technical level. However, when the viewer keeps a distance from the artwork, then the entire theme is revealed. Specifically, the motifs assist the observer to comprehend the utility of the medium in relation to the forms in presenting the illusion of movement and thus, time itself. The visual language that is used makes the work of Christiane Baumgartner representative of the contemporary point of view in depicting motion and time. This is a very common perspective not only in fine art but also in contemporary media and video art. The work of the artist is the result of the contemporary perspective in depicting issues and concepts of time, through a more simplified aesthetic. The simplicity in using the medium and by extension, the thematic development in a composition also reflects the will of the artist to establish a relationship between the steady artwork and the viewer. In other words, she is trying to make the visual ability of the viewer actively participate mentally in the world she reconstructs. Hence, the concept of time is a parameter that connects the artist and artwork with the visual and mental ability of the observer. This is a conceptual tool in order for the artwork to communicate the illusion of motion portrayed to real time. This kind of reality is a vital factor for human beings because it produces subconscious images and memories. Due to the fact that Christiane Baumgartners works deal with the conceptual aspect of time in unreal time, she contributes to perceiving this issue from a point of view that functions as an antithesis. In a two-dimensional space she creates the illusion of a three-dimensional theme and in the end she also adds a fourth dimension (time), so as to reveal both the theoretical background of the concept and the sociological extension of it as it is formed in the contemporary life. The social character of Christiane Baumgartners artwork reflects in a way the contemporary model of life. Although the real time remains the same, the contemporary life in the modern societies goes faster. The human itself has created the speed in order to compress life inside the urban environment. Time compresses a contemporary citizen like motion in art is displayed through compression of lines. If a viewer observes the rush hour in a city then he or she will realise how in a mental form, motion is similar or equal to time. Namely, a passing person is a parabolic symbol of passing time. This is why the immediacy of the medium is related to the complexity passing time. The steadiness or the immobility that the medium itself includes is altered by the motion that is depicted. In the same logic, the steadiness or the immobility of environment is altered by human motion itself. All these examples reflect the antithetical nature in perceiving time. In one print of Christiane Baumgartne r a close observation will be a starting point to perceive moving time in a still depiction while she underlines the fact that she uses a slow medium like woodcut to express a fast idea. The work of Marina Abramovic Performance art contrasts to the above perspective regarding time via a static or still medium. Performance is a branch of artistic expression whose basic elements that create its nature are time and space, the presence of which along with the active involvement of the artist and essentially, the audiences presence or interaction is vital. Performance as a visual art incorporates the characteristic of time as a dynamic aspect of its nature. Thus, the medium itself includes the reality of the duration of time as an important parameter which is used extensively by the performance artists. It is like a tool for the performer in depicting the issue or the concept of his interest by using his or her presence. Marina Abramovic, born in 1946 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, has been a representative artist since the 1970s, the starting point for her career in performing arts. Her work of this type of expression indicates her perspectives of many aspects of her personal experiences but mainly her intellectual enquiries. In many of her performances there are references to the concept of time regardless of the fact that time itself is included in the medium. For instance, in the Relation in movement (1977) Abramovic and Ulay moved in a circle direction repeatedly by driving around a square in Paris for hours. They kept driving until it got dark. The only existing lights were those of the car. There was continuity and duration to this action until the next morning. The couple had different tasks to accomplish; Ulay followed the back wheel and Abramovic loudly stated the number of the accomplished rounds. Additionally, the next morning revealed the black marks that the wheels had created in the ground a nd they tried to follow those marks. Another significant point which is not a usual one was the lack of audience. Only passers-by witnessed the event. The main idea of the performance was to present the repeated movement in physical and mental level. Namely, they presented in a symbolic way the minds circles around an idea or thought. The concept of time enters this performance as an idea that is divided into two subcategories: the obvious time that comprises the duration of the night that the performance took place, and the time which was emphasised every time Abramovic shouted the number of laps completed. In the first case, the artists dealt with time as a frame to present their performance which was main aspect of the length of the performance. In the second case, time took the form of the space and the movement together. In other words the artists defined on the basis of both space and movement the nature of time. Each lap comprised the value of time according to their perspective. The symbolism is still the same, but the gravity of the importance in perceiving time is not solid and this was determined by the artists. Marina A bramovic and Ulay on the basis of relation in movement developed another performance of relevance to the present research, entitled Relation in Time (1977). In Relation in time a static situation is described. The couple Abramovic and Ulay are sitting facing back to each other with their hair tied together as a symbol of their connection. The duration of their performance lasted 16 hours in a gallery without any audience and only during the 17th and hour were the audience allowed to watch the performance. The couple was still sitting motionless for this final hour. During all this time there were only few changes in their presence. According to Lilian Haberer their shared plait, their external connection, their umbilical cord, works loose as the hours pass. She continues in the same sense to explain that there is a contrast to the outward connectedness in their inward separateness, their different feelings (Lilian Haberer, Collection: Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany). Abramovic and Ulays approach is revealing because of the fact that time takes the form of destruction, ruination, spoilage and damage. As an example of this destructive operation of time, the couple presents the human relationship which is the main subject of their performance. The direct reference to the ugly face of time in the human life represents the inner fear of all human beings. This type of continuity causes the objects and the living creatures to age and become old. The relationships and the parameters that enrich them are also under the fear of spoilage. The old man as a symbol of the age of time has now given its place to the more conceptual ones. Like Abramovic and Ulay present, time is not an annoying feeling. The impact of time in living creatures as a natural procedure leads them to fall despite its ugliness. It is as natural as death itself in a symbolic or literal way. In the case of Abramovic, time no longer leads down a threatening path of aging, death and ending: it is reproducible (Klaus Biesenbach, Marina Abramovic: The artist is present) This approach concerning time also involves sociological and philosophical understandings. If we consider the philosophical nature of time as a route to death or a procedure that leads human beings to physical and mental decay, then it is a rational conclusion that it also affects human social unity. With sociological determination, this model of understanding time has a significant behavioral impact. This syllogism transforms the concept of time from an ordinary system of measuring into a system of interpreting life. The performance reveals these parameters and gives multiple dimensions in interpreting the inner intellectual process of social life as a diachronic phenomenon. The perspective that is created makes the viewer redefine his or her position in the society. Admittedly, this rationale is a main idea in many performances produced by Abramovic and the personal experiences make the philosophical inquires more obvious via art. In her latest performance at MoMA The artist is Present Abramovic performed the longest work in her performing career. She sat motionless for more than 700 hours in total, seven hours every day the museum was open, for more than 3 months. In this performance she was sitting silent and motionless at a table in the museums atrium inviting visitors to sit silently across from her for how long they chose to, making the performance interactive and becoming in this way participants in the artwork. She will not talk or respond to any of the participants, but their involvement in the process is essential and fundamental element for the work to be completed. The artist is present is one of her most representative time based works as it deals with the long duration and the passing time remaining motionless and speechless. Most of her works contain a kind of mystic energy from which she derives great power in order to concentrate and remain motionless. In Nightsea Crossing she describes staring into Ulays eyes and from a certain moment on seeing only a blue, blind, empty screen in front of her, like the length of her arm, to achieve an empty timeless stare. (Klaus Biesenbach, Marina Abramovic: The artist is present) The artist is present features, according to Biesenbach, as many of her works do, in the endless act of sitting, which is a central aspect to her art. Biesenbach continues: in contemporary times sitting has taken the form of political protest (Klaus Biesenbach, Marina Abramovic: The artist is present). Durational sitting is the principal of The artist is Present which finds Abramovic sitting at a table and waiting for the visitors to get involved in the occurrence. The table here has a symbolic and a parabolic meaning. It functions as a stage and at the same time refers to another motif in her work, which considers images from the ritual daily familial gathering during mealtimes and the routine of a motionless life as time passes and its marks become obvious. The main idea in this last performance is the impact of time in the contemporary life. How much time one disposes in order to participate in the artwork is a personal decision and it depends on the way people nowadays divide time. In a world that is governed by speed, every moment is important. Hence, how willing is each of us to let time pass by is a matter that Abramovics performance deals with. Abramovic says you have to give me your time in order to see the workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Klaus Biesenbach, Marina Abramovic: The artist is present) and this is true in any aspect of contemporary life; we have to give time in order to do anything. Biesenbach underlines that while there is no empirical duration established for MoMAs visitors, the moment one sits in the chair, he or she participates in an unspoken agreement with the artist to enter into another perspective (Klaus Biesenbach, Marina Abramovic: The artist is present)

Early Arizona Women Teachers :: Essays Papers

Early Arizona Women Teachers At the end of the nineteenth century, Arizona was not a state, merely a territory, with a fledgling government and an even more rudimentary school system. Great distances separated people and often the eight children required to start a school and hire a teacher could not be gathered in an area. When they could, however, the teacher was often in for a surprise. Holding school in old saloons, carrying water to the schoolhouse every day, having to use turned over barrels for desks, and being the sole caretaker of the schoolhouse were just a few of the hardships faced by teachers. For women teachers, there were still more: being paid less than male teachers, even though they were the majority, being unable to keep her job if she married, and not being able to attain higher positions such as superintendent or principal. Despite these conditions, women actively and ably pursued careers in teaching, and often went beyond the call of duty for their students and their community. By facin g many obstacles and overcoming them, the early women teachers of Arizona greatly improved the status of Arizona schools and that of women everywhere. In this period, the lot of teachers was a much more expanded role in the community than that of present-day teachers. Many teachers had to become translators when faced with the problem of teaching children who knew little or no English. In the book, Portrait of a Teacher: Mary Elizabeth Post and Something of the Times in Which She Lived, Ruth Leedy Gordon explains that Mary Elizabeth Post, an early schoolteacher in Yuma,learned Spanish simply to communicate with her students (10). She also wrote recipes for her pupils’ mothers in Spanish and went to their homes to show them how to cook new dishes (76). In their collection of stories from the pioneer days in Arizona, Dust in Our Desks: Territory Days to the Present in Arizona Schools, Alleen Pace, Margaret Ferry and L.J. Evans recorded that in an Arizona town called Morenci, teachers taught night classes for those who wanted to learn English, as well as those who wanted to learn Spanish (29). The language barrier created a lot more work for Arizona teachers, work that was not written in their contracts, but they took on the task of learning another language and teaching English to others without complaint.

The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Three

Vickie's screams went out of control. Bonnie could feel panic rising in her chest. â€Å"Vickie, stop it! Come on; we've got to get out of here!† Meredith was shouting to be heard. â€Å"It's your house, Caroline. Everybody grab hands and you lead us to the front door.† â€Å"Okay,† Caroline said. She didn't sound as frightened as everybody else. That was the advantage to having no imagination, Bonnie thought. You couldn't picture the terrible things that were going to happen to you. She felt better with Meredith's narrow, cold hand grasping hers. She fumbled on the other side and caught Caroline's, feeling the hardness of long fingernails. She could see nothing. Her eyes should be adjusting to the dark by now, but she couldn't make out even a glimmer of light or shadow as Caroline started leading them. There was no light coming through the windows from the street; the power seemed to be out everywhere. Caroline cursed, running into some piece of furniture, and Bonnie stumbled against her. Vickie was whimpering softly from the back of the line. â€Å"Hang on,† whispered Sue. â€Å"Hang on, Vickie, we'll make it.† They made slow, shuffling progress in the dark. Then Bonnie felt tile under her feet. â€Å"This is the front hall,† Caroline said. â€Å"Stay here a minute while I find the door.† Her fingers slipped out of Bonnie's. â€Å"Caroline! Don't let go-where are you? Caroline, give me your hand!† Bonnie cried, groping frantically like a blind person. Out of the darkness something large and moist closed around her fingers. It was a hand. It wasn't Caroline's. Bonnie screamed. Vickie immediately picked it up, shrieking wildly. The hot, moist hand was dragging Bonnie forward. She kicked out, struggling, but it made no difference. Then she felt Meredith's arms around her waist, both arms, wrenching her back. Her hand came free of the big one. And then she was turning and running, just running, only dimly aware that Meredith was be-side her. She wasn't at all aware that she was still screaming until she slammed into a large armchair that stopped her progress, and she heard herself. â€Å"Hush! Bonnie, hush, stop!† Meredith was shaking her. They had slid down the back of the chair to the floor. â€Å"Something had me! Something grabbed me, Meredith!† â€Å"I know. Be quiet! It's still around,† Meredith said. Bonnie jammed her face into Meredith's shoulder to keep from screaming again. What if it was here in the room with them? Seconds crawled past, and the silence pooled around them. No matter how Bonnie strained her ears, she could hear no sound except their own breathing and the dull thudding of her heart. Bonnie started to nod miserably, then abruptly lifted her head. â€Å"Where's Vickie?† she whispered hoarsely. â€Å"I don't know. I had to let go of her hand to pull you away from that thing. Let's move.† Bonnie held her back. â€Å"But why isn't she screaming?† A shudder went through Meredith. â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"Oh, God. Oh, God. We can't leave her, Meredith.† â€Å"We have to.† â€Å"We can't. Meredith, I made Caroline invite her. She wouldn't be here except for me. We have to get her out.† There was a pause, and then Meredith hissed, â€Å"All right! But you pick the strangest times to turn noble, Bonnie.† A door slammed, causing both of them to jump. Then there was a crashing, like feet on stairs, Bonnie thought. And briefly, a voice was raised. â€Å"Vickie, where are you? Don't-Vickie, no! No!† â€Å"That was Sue,† gasped Bonnie, jumping up. â€Å"From upstairs!† â€Å"Why don't we have a flashlight?† Meredith was raging. Bonnie knew what she meant. It was too dark to go running blindly around this house; it was too frightening. There was a primitive panic hammering in her brain. She needed light, any light. She couldn't go fumbling into that darkness again, exposed on all sides. She couldn't do it. Nevertheless, she took one shaky step away from the chair. â€Å"Come on,† she gasped, and Meredith came with her, step by step, into the blackness. Bonnie kept expecting that moist, hot hand to reach out and grab her again. Every inch of her skin tingled in anticipation of its touch, and especially her own hand, which she had outstretched to feel her way. Then she made the mistake of remembering the dream. Instantly, the sickly sweet smell of garbage overwhelmed her. She imagined things crawling out of the ground and then remembered Elena's face, gray and hairless, with lips shriveled back from grinning teeth. If that thing grabbed hold of her†¦ I can't go any farther; I can't, I can't, she thought. I'm sorry for Vickie, but I can't go on. Please, just let me stop here. It was a whole series of sounds, actually, but they all came so close together that they blended into one terrible swell of noise. First there was screaming, Sue's voice screaming, â€Å"Vickie! Vickie! No!† Then a resonant crash, the sound of glass shattering, as if a hundred windows were breaking at once. And over that a sustained scream, on a note of pure, exquisite terror. Then it all stopped. â€Å"What was it? What happened, Meredith?† â€Å"Something bad.† Meredith's voice was taut and choked. â€Å"Something very bad. Bonnie, let go. I'm going to see.† â€Å"Not alone, you're not,† Bonnie said fiercely. They found the staircase and made their way up it. When they reached the landing, Bonnie could hear a strange and oddly sickening sound, the tinkle of glass shards falling. And then the lights went on. It was too sudden; Bonnie screamed involuntarily. Turning to Meredith she almost screamed again. Meredith's dark hair was disheveled and her cheekbones looked too sharp; her face was pale and hollow with fear. Tinkle, tinkle. It was worse with the lights on. Meredith was walking toward the last door down the hall, where the noise was coming from. Bonnie followed, but she knew suddenly, with all her heart, that she didn't want to see inside that room. Meredith pulled the door open. She froze for a minute in the doorway and then lunged quickly inside. Bonnie started for the door. â€Å"Oh, my God, don't come any farther!† Bonnie didn't even pause. She plunged into the doorway and then pulled up short. At first glance it looked as if the whole side of the house was gone. The French windows that connected the master bedroom to the balcony seemed to have exploded outward, the wood splintered, the glass shattered. Little pieces of glass were hanging precariously here and there from the remnants of the wood frame. They tinkled as they fell. Diaphanous white curtains billowed in and out of the gaping hole in the house. In front of them, in silhouette, Bonnie could see Vickie. She was standing with her hands at her sides, as motionless as a block of stone. â€Å"Vickie, are you okay?† Bonnie was so relieved to see her alive that it was painful. â€Å"Vickie?† Vickie didn't turn, didn't answer. Bonnie maneuvered around her cautiously, looking into her face. Vickie was staring straight ahead, her pupils pinpoints. She was sucking in little whistling breaths, chest heaving. Shuddering, Bonnie reeled away. Meredith was on the balcony. She turned as Bonnie reached the curtains and tried to block the way. â€Å"Don't look. Don't look down there,† she said. Down where? Suddenly Bonnie understood. She shoved past Meredith, who caught her arm to stop her on the edge of a dizzying drop. The balcony railing had been blasted out like the French windows and Bonnie could see straight down to the lighted yard below. On the ground there was a twisted figure like a broken doll, limbs askew, neck bent at a grotesque angle, blond hair fanned on the dark soil of the garden. It was Sue Carson. And throughout all the confusion that raged afterward, two thoughts kept vying for dominance in Bonnie's mind. One was that Caroline would never have her foursome now. And the other was that it wasn't fair for this to happen on Meredith's birthday. It just wasn't fair. â€Å"I'm sorry, Meredith. I don't think she's up to it right now.† Bonnie heard her father's voice at the front door as she listlessly stirred sweetener into a cup of chamomile tea. She put the spoon down at once. What she wasn't up to was sitting in this kitchen one minute longer. She needed out. â€Å"I'll be right there, Dad.† Meredith looked almost as bad as she had last night, face peaked, eyes shadowed. Her mouth was set in a tight line. â€Å"We'll just go out driving for a little while,† Bonnie said to her father. â€Å"Maybe see some of the kids. After all, you're the one who said it isn't dangerous, right?† What could he say? Mr. McCullough looked down at his petite daughter, who stuck out the stubborn chin she'd inherited from him and met his gaze squarely. He lifted his hands. â€Å"It's almost four o'clock now. Be back before dark,† he said. â€Å"They want it both ways,† Bonnie said to Meredith on the way to Meredith's car. Once inside, both girls immediately locked their doors. As Meredith put the car in gear she gave Bonnie a glance of grim understanding. â€Å"Your parents didn't believe you, either.† â€Å"Oh, they believe everything I told them-except anything important. How can they be so stupid?† Meredith laughed shortly. â€Å"You've got to look at it from their point of view. They find one dead body without a mark on it except those caused by the fall. They find that the lights were off in the neighborhood because of a malfunction at Virginia Electric. They find us, hysterical, giving answers to their questions that must have seemed pretty weird. Who did it? Some monster with sweaty hands. How do we know? Our dead friend Elena told us through a Ouija board. Is it any wonder they have their doubts?† â€Å"They're forgetting already,† Meredith replied softly. â€Å"You predicted it yourself. Life has gone back to normal, and everybody in Fell's Church feels safer that way. They all feel like they've woken up from a bad dream, and the last thing they want is to get sucked in again.† Bonnie just shook her head. â€Å"And so it's easier to believe that a bunch of teenage girls got riled up playing with a Ouija board, and that when the lights went out they just freaked and ran. And one of them got so scared and confused she ran right out a window.† There was a silence and then Meredith added, â€Å"I wish Alaric were here.† Normally, Bonnie would have given her a dig in the ribs and answered, â€Å"So do I,† in a lecherous voice. Alaric was one of the handsomest guys she'd ever seen, even if he was a doddering twenty-two years old. Now, she just gave Meredith's arm a disconsolate squeeze. â€Å"Can't you call him somehow?† â€Å"In Russia? I don't even know where in Russia he is now.† Bonnie bit her lip. Then she sat up. Meredith was driving down Lee Street, and in the high school parking lot they could see a crowd. She and Meredith exchanged glances, and Meredith nodded. â€Å"We might as well,† she said. â€Å"Let's see if they're any smarter than their parents.† Bonnie could see startled faces turning as the car cruised slowly into the lot. When she and Meredith got out, people moved back, making a path for them to the center of the crowd. Caroline was there, clutching her elbows with her hands and shaking back her auburn hair distractedly. â€Å"We're not going to sleep in that house again until it's repaired,† she was saying, shivering in her white sweater. â€Å"Daddy says we'll take an apartment in Heron until it's over.† â€Å"What difference does that make? He can follow you to Heron, I'm sure,† said Meredith. Caroline turned, but her green cat's eyes wouldn't quite meet Meredith's. â€Å"Who?† she said vaguely. â€Å"Oh, Caroline, not you too!† Bonnie exploded. Her eyes came up and for an instant Bonnie saw how frightened she was. â€Å"I can't take any more.† As if she had to prove her words that minute, she pushed her way through the crowd. â€Å"Let her go, Bonnie,† Meredith said. â€Å"It's no use.† â€Å"She's no use,† said Bonnie furiously. If Caroline, who knew, was acting this way, what about the other kids? She saw the answer-in the faces around her. Everybody looked scared, as scared as if she and Meredith had brought some loathsome disease with them. As if she and Meredith were the problem. â€Å"I don't believe this,† Bonnie muttered. â€Å"I don't believe it either,† said Deanna Kennedy, a friend of Sue's. She was in the front of the crowd, and she didn't look as uneasy as the others. â€Å"I talked with Sue yesterday afternoon and she was so up, so happy. She can't be dead.† Deanna began to sob. Her boyfriend put an arm around her, and several other girls began to cry. The guys in the crowd shifted, their faces rigid. Bonnie felt a little surge of hope. â€Å"And she's not going to be the only one dead,† she added. â€Å"Elena told us that the whole town is in danger. Elena said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Despite herself Bonnie heard her voice failing. She could see it in the way their eyes glazed up when she mentioned Elena's name. Meredith was right; they'd put everything that had happened last winter behind them. They didn't believe anymore. â€Å"What's wrong with you all?† she said helplessly, wanting to hit something. â€Å"You don't really think Sue threw herself off that balcony!† â€Å"People are saying-† Deanna's boyfriend started and then shrugged defensively. â€Å"Well-you told the police Vickie Bennett was in the room, right? And now she's off her head again. And just a little bit earlier you'd heard Sue shouting, ‘No, Vickie, no!'?† Bonnie felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. â€Å"You think that Vickie- oh, God, you're out of your mind! Listen to me. Something grabbed my hand in that house, and it wasn't Vickie. And Vickie had nothing to do with throwing Sue off that balcony.† â€Å"She's hardly strong enough, for one thing,† Meredith said pointedly. â€Å"She weighs about ninety-five pounds soaking wet.† Somebody from the back of the crowd muttered about insane people having superhuman strength. â€Å"Vickie has a psychiatric record-â€Å" â€Å"Elena told us it was a guy!† Bonnie almost shouted, losing her battle with self-control. The faces tilted toward her were shuttered, unyielding. Then she saw one that made her chest loosen. â€Å"Matt! Tell them you believe us.† Matt Honeycutt was standing on the fringe with his hands in his pockets and his blond head bowed. Now he looked up, and what Bonnie saw in his blue eyes made her draw in her breath. They weren't hard and shuttered like everyone else's, but they were full of a flat despair that was just as bad. He shrugged without taking his hands from his pockets. Bonnie, for one of the first times in her life, was speechless. Matt had been upset ever since Elena died, but this†¦ â€Å"He does believe it, though,† Meredith was saying quickly, capitalizing on the moment. â€Å"Now what have we got to do to convince the rest of you?† â€Å"Channel Elvis for us, maybe,† said a voice that immediately set Bonnie's blood boiling. Tyler. Tyler Smallwood. Grinning like an ape in his overexpensive Perry Ellis sweater, showing a mouthful of strong white teeth. â€Å"It's not as good as psychic e-mail from a dead Homecoming Queen, but it's a start,† Tyler added. Matt always said that grin was asking for a punch in the nose. But Matt, the only guy in the crowd with close to Tyler's physique, was staring dully at the ground. â€Å"Shut up, Tyler! You don't know what happened in that house,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Well, neither do you, apparently. Maybe if you hadn't been hiding in the living room, you'd have seen what happened. Then somebody might believe you.† Bonnie's retort died on her tongue. She stared at Tyler, opened her mouth, and then closed it. Tyler waited. When she didn't speak, he showed his teeth again. â€Å"For my money, Vickie did it,† he said, winking at Dick Carter, Vickie's ex-boyfriend. â€Å"She's a strong little babe, right, Dick? She could have done it.† He turned and added deliberately over his shoulder, â€Å"Or else that Salvatore guy is back in town.† â€Å"You creep!† shouted Bonnie. Even Meredith cried out in frustration. Because of course at the very mention of Stefan pandemonium ensued, as Tyler must have known it would. Everyone was turning to the person next to them and exclaiming in alarm, horror, excitement. It was primarily the girls who were excited. Effectively, it put an end to the gathering. People had been edging away surreptitiously before, and now they broke up into twos and threes, arguing and hastening off. Bonnie gazed after them angrily. â€Å"Supposing they did believe you. What did you want them to do, anyway?† Matt said. She hadn't noticed him beside her. â€Å"I don't know. Something besides just standing around waiting to be picked off.† She tried to look him in the face. â€Å"Matt, are you all right?† â€Å"I don't know. Are you?† Bonnie thought. â€Å"No. I mean, in one way I'm surprised I'm doing as well as I am, because when Elena died, I just couldn't deal. At all. But then I wasn't as close to Sue, and besides†¦ I don't know!† She wanted to hit something again. â€Å"It's just all too much!† Bonnie thought. â€Å"No. I mean, in one way I'm surprised I'm doing as well as I am, because when Elena died, I just couldn't deal. At all. But then I wasn't as close to Sue, and besides†¦ I don't know!† She wanted to hit something again. â€Å"It's just all too much!† â€Å"Yes, I'm mad.† Suddenly Bonnie understood the feelings she'd been having all day. â€Å"Killing Sue wasn't just wrong, it was evil. Truly evil. And whoever did it isn't going to get away with it. That would be-if the world is like that, a place where that can happen and go unpunished†¦ if that's the truth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She found she didn't have a way to finish. â€Å"Then what? You don't want to live here anymore? What if the world is like that?† His eyes were so lost, so bitter. Bonnie was shaken. But she said staunchly, â€Å"I won't let it be that way. And you won't either.† He simply looked at her as if she were a kid insisting there was so a Santa Claus. Meredith spoke up. â€Å"If we expect other people to take us seriously, we'd better take ourselves seriously. Elena did communicate with us. She wanted us to do something. Now if we really believe that, we'd better figure out what it is.† Matt's face had flexed at the mention of Elena. You poor guy, you're still as much in love with her as ever, thought Bonnie. I wonder if anything could make you forget her? She said, â€Å"Are you going to help us, Matt?† â€Å"I'll help,† Matt said quietly. â€Å"But I still don't know what it is you're doing.† â€Å"We're going to stop that murdering creep before he kills anybody else,† said Bonnie. It was the first time she'd fully realized herself that this was what she meant to do. â€Å"Alone? Because you are alone, you know.† â€Å"We are alone,† Meredith corrected. â€Å"But that's what Elena was trying to tell us. She said we had to do a summoning spell to call for help.† â€Å"An easy spell with only two ingredients,† Bonnie remembered from her dream. She was getting excited. â€Å"And she said she'd already told me the ingredients-but she hadn't.† â€Å"Last night she said there were corrupting influences distorting her communication,† Meredith said. â€Å"Now to me that sounds like what was happening in the dream. Do you think it really was Elena you were drinking tea with?† â€Å"Yes,† Bonnie said positively. â€Å"I mean, I know we weren't really having a mad tea party at Warm Springs, but I think Elena was sending that message into my brain. And then partway through something else took over and pushed her out. But she fought, and for a minute at the end she got back control.† â€Å"Okay. Then that means we have to concentrate on the beginning of the dream, when it was still Elena communicating with you. But if what she was saying was already being distorted by other influences, then maybe it came out weird. Maybe it wasn't something she actually said, maybe it was something she did†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† â€Å"Hair! I asked her who did hers, and we talked about it, and she said, ‘Hair is very important.' And Meredith-when she was trying to tell us the ingredients last night, the first letter of one of them was H!† â€Å"That's it!† Meredith's dark eyes were flashing. â€Å"Now we just have to think of the other one.† â€Å"But I know that too!† Bonnie's laughter bubbled up exuberantly. â€Å"She told me right after we talked about hair, and I thought she was just being strange. She said, ‘Blood is important too.' â€Å" Meredith shut her eyes in realization. â€Å"And last night, the Ouija board said ‘Bloodblood-blood.' I thought it was the other thing threatening us, but it wasn't,† she said. She opened her eyes. â€Å"Bonnie, do you think that's really it? Are those the ingredients, or do we have to start worrying about mud and sandwiches and mice and tea?† â€Å"Those are the ingredients,† Bonnie said firmly. â€Å"They're the kind of ingredients that make sense for a summoning spell. I'm sure I can find a ritual to do with them in one of my Celtic magic books. We just have to figure out the person we're supposed to summon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Something struck her, and her voice trailed off in dismay. â€Å"I was wondering when you'd notice,† Matt said, speaking for the first time in a long while. â€Å"You don't know who it is, do you?†

The Astronomical vs. Meteorological Seasons

The Astronomical vs. Meteorological Seasons If someone asked you when each of the seasons occurs, how would you respond?  Your answer may depend on whether you think of the seasons  in a more traditional, or  a more weather-related way. Astronomical Seasons Change at the Equinoxes and Solstices The astronomical seasons are the ones most of us are familiar with because  their  start dates are  listed on our calendars. Theyre called astronomical because, like our calendar, the  dates of their occurrence are based on the position of Earth in relation to the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere: Astronomical winter is a result of Earths north pole being tilted its farthest away from the sun,  and the suns light aiming directly at southern latitudes. It begins on December 21-22.  Astronomical spring is a result of Earths north pole tilt moving from its maximum lean  away from the sun to one equidistant from the sun,  and of the suns light aiming directly at the equator. It begins on March 21-22.  Astronomical summer is a result of Earth being tilted its farthest towards  the sun, and the suns light aiming directly at north latitudes. It begins on June 20-21.Astronomical fall is a result of Earths tilt moving from its maximum lean  towards the sun to one  equidistant from the sun,  and of the suns light  aiming directly at the equator. It begins on September 21-22. Meteorological Seasons Change Every 3 Months Another  way to define  the seasons is by grouping the twelve calendar months into four 3-month periods based on  similar temperatures. In the Northern Hemisphere: Meteorological winter  begins on December 1. It includes the months of  December, January, and February (DJF)Meteorological spring  begins on March 1 and includes the months of  March, April, and May  (MAM).Meteorological summer  begins on June 1. It includes the months of  June, July, and August (JJA).Meteorological fall  begins on September 1 and includes the months of  September, October, and November (SON). Meteorologists didnt implement this classification just for the heck of it. Rather, they prefer to deal with data from whole rather than fractions of months, and align calendar dates more closely with the temperatures felt during that period, the scheme (which has been around since the early- to mid-1900s) allows weather scientists  to more easily compare weather patterns from one season to another something the astronomical convention makes cumbersome due to seasonal lag (the delay in seasonal temperatures settling in). Which Set of Seasons Wins Out? The astronomical seasons are the more traditional way of defining our four seasons. Although folks may not be used to the meteorological way, in a lot of ways its the more natural scheme for how we live our lives today. Gone are the days when we pore over the happenings of the celestial heavens and organize our lives accordingly. But organizing our lives around months and similar stretches of temperatures is more true to our modern reality.

Dealing With the Check 21 Banking Law

Dealing With the 'Check 21' Banking Law A sweeping new federal banking law known as â€Å"Check 21† will go into effect beginning October 28, speeding up check processing and putting consumers at risk for more bounced checks and fees, warns Consumers Union. The consumer group is advising consumers to keep a careful eye on their bank statements in the coming months and issued a set of tips to avoid some of the law’s potentially negative impacts. â€Å"Check 21 will be a boon for the banks who will save billions of dollars once it’s fully implemented,† said Gail Hillebrand, Senior Attorney with Consumers Union’s West Coast Office in a CU press release. â€Å"Consumers could end up losing out if they’re not careful and if banks use the new law as an excuse to bounce more checks and collect more fees.† Starting October 28, 2004, consumers will discover that their bank account statements will come with fewer – or perhaps none – of their canceled paper checks, as banks begin to process checks electronically. Consumers will enjoy less â€Å"float,† meaning that the checks they write will clear much faster. Under the new law, checks could clear as early as the same day, but banks won’t be under any obligation to make funds from checks that consumers deposit into their accounts available any sooner. That could mean more bounced checks and more overdraft fees paid by consumers. Banks maintain that the law will be implemented gradually, but consumers will begin to experience its effects in the coming months as more and more banks and merchants take advantage of electronic processing and other provisions of the law. So even if a consumer’s bank doesn’t implement Check 21 right away, another bank or merchant that processes the consumer’s check might choose to do so. That means the original check may never be returned to the consumer’s bank so the consumer won’t receive the canceled paper check in their bank statement. And any check the consumer writes might clear as early as the same day. Consumers Union is advising consumers to review their bank statements carefully to get a better sense of how Check 21 is affecting them and offers the following tips to avoid its potential pitfalls: Expect the checks you write to clear faster, but not your deposited checks: Dont write a check unless the funds are already in your account.The checks you write will clear faster, but banks arent required to speed up the time when they make funds available from checks that you deposit.Most banks will credit checks you deposit into your account in one day if the check is local. Deposits that are made through ATMs can take an extra day to be credited to your account.And out-of-town checks you deposit can take additional days to be credited to your account.The best way to ensure that your paycheck will be deposited quickly is to arrange for direct deposit through your workplace. Social Security check recipients can also arrange for direct deposit. (Note: starting in 2013, Social Security stopped issuing paper benefit checks.)Ask for a â€Å"recredit† right in writing if your bank makes a check processing error: If a check you write is paid twice, or paid for the wrong amount, or something else goes wrong with your checking account, you may have the right to â€Å"recredit† under Check 21. This â€Å"recredit† right means that you are entitled to have the funds returned to your account within 10 business days unless the bank proves that there was no error. If something goes wrong with your checking account, make a written request that your bank recredit the funds to your account. Your bank can avoid the 10-day recredit deadline if you did not receive a substitute check.Ask for a substitute check if there is a problem with your account involving a check: Check 21 restricts recredit to consumers who were provided with a substitute check. If there is a problem with your account involving a check, always ask for a substitute check, which is a special kind of copy of your paper check. If you now get your original checks back, you could ask for an account that returns substitute checks every month. If your bank charges too much for an account that returns substitute checks every month, look for another bank.Find out how your bank plans to treat you under Check 21: Not all banks plan to implement Check 21 in the same manner. Find out if your bank will give you a substitute check if you ask for one and if it plans to charge customers an extra fee for a substitute check. And find out if your bank places a hold on your deposits so you can take steps to avoid bouncing checks and paying overdraft fees once the checks you write start to clear more quickly under Check 21. A fact sheet on the Check 21 law is available at:  federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/regcc-faq-check21.htm

Anti-Islam Discourse of Medieval Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anti-Islam Discourse of Medieval Europe - Essay Example Anti-Islam Discourse of Medieval Europe This anti-Islam discourse had begun and has been propagated for centuries as the West has continued to link terrorism to Islam, launching a series of attacks in their backyards in their supposed attempts to avert and defeat terror. This rhetoric has grown stronger in recent years as most of the highly profiled enemies of peace and the war on terror have been defined as Muslims. All these have led to a generalized fear of Islam and Muslims, a situation that has been described by several intellectuals and activists as Islamophobia. This has been evidenced by acts such as vandalism of their places of worship, increasing hate crimes against people thought to be Muslim, and sensational coverage by the press of the threats posed by the Muslim community. Some of the selective policing and surveillance that is focused on the Muslim communities and a widespread assumption is that Islam is antithetical to values democratic have also been influenced. This common fear has led to even further for mulation of government policies that have posed a threat to the civil liberties of the Muslims living in such western countries. As a result, there has been hostile, and a suspicious relation experienced between these two worlds. This radicalization and Orientalism by the Western nations begun when these nations, regarding themselves as superior, felt the need to conquer and civilize the societies they regarded as uncivilized and exotic in their practices.

The films we have screened in the second part of the course display Essay

The films we have screened in the second part of the course display some reactions to the challenges (social, political, cultura - Essay Example In this way, each of the main characters in each of these films represented the way that change is inexorable, even if society doesn't really want it, because these figures do not fight for change. They are witnesses to the changes, on the sidelines, yet, at the same time, are driving the revolutions that they are a part of. This is true of all three films – they are not necessarily portraits of people who are railing against the establishment so much as they are portraits of people who, ironically, don't really care about the establishment. This is what makes their characters so ironic and poignant at the same time. For instance, Wyatt and Billy are the ultimate nihilistic characters. One could see that, within their heads, there was never a thought that they would bring about the cataclysmic changes that men like them brought about in the 1960s. After all, the hippies were the ones who helped to end the Vietnam War, who helped usher in a period of civil rights, who preached the gospel of peace and love and freedom. They were the counterculture who helped change the dominant culture, yet there was no sense that these two men even realized how important they were in the big scheme of things. They literally were drifters – they rode their bikes, smoked a lot of weed, picked up a hitchhiker and stayed on the commune for a few days. Then they â€Å"crashed† a parade by riding in it as a joke – this got them put into jail, where they met a drunken ACLU lawyer, picked him up and brought him along on their adventure. That lawyer was killed in their camp, and they continued on their way, virtually as if nothing happened, and had a great meal and a visit to a prostitute by using the money found in George, the dead lawyer's, wallet. They give LSD to the two prostitutes, have an interesting trip in the graveyard by the Mardi Gras parade, continue on their way, and both of them soon end up dead. The nihilism of these two is shown in just about everything that happens to the two. Everything's all good, really, even though Billy does try to protest about certain things – the first hippy they pick up pumps gas for them, and there is money in that tank, which makes him paranoid, but Wyatt assures him its all good. They go to the commune and get in with that lifestyle for a little while, admiring the fact that they are living off the land. But what shows the ultimate in their nihilism is how they treated George – the man was beat to death in their camp, and, while they did seem sad about it, they weren't so broken up about it that they used George's money to treat themselves to wine, women and song. The film doesn't even show what they do with the body – presumably they left the body there in the woods, with the sleeping bag covering it. What the film is also trying to show is the struggle that the counterculture had against the dominant culture, assuming that the dominant culture is represented by the pol icemen who arrested them for â€Å"parading without a license,† the men who beat them up in their camp, or the hillbillies who killed them in the end. Which makes their nihilism all the more ironic, because they weren't struggling against the dominant culture at all, so much as they were in their own little bubble of a world. This was