Student Loan Crisis

Student Loan Crisis Beginning in the 1960’s the distribution of federal and non-profit funds have given students all over the United States the opportunity to pursue post-secondary educations. Although this method has given students the ability to go to college financially, the majority of the students are not able to pay the money back when finished causing debt. Currently students in the United States owe more than $1 trillion dollars worth of federal and private student loans.Surprisingly this number has surpassed the country’s credit card debt which is $852 billion dollars. This years presidential election has many serious & interesting topics being discussed such as gay marriage & immigration, but the topic of student loan debt is of high importance and relates to the majority of the country. More specifically student loans are affecting African Americans more than any other race today. Due to the economic state of the country and their lack of knowledge on student loans the majority of African Americans are unable to repay their loans.Student loan debt is one of the biggest issues facing African Americans in the 2012 presidential election due to their limited knowledge on student loans, cost of college, and the economy of the United States. The lack of knowledge on student loans combined with the cost of college causes numerous burdens on young black individuals but at the same time affects the country as a whole. One factor that African Americans frequently ignore or are unaware of is their ability to pay back their loans on time.Sophia Kerby says, â€Å"Studies show that only 37 percent of students are able to repay their loans on time. † (Kerby 1). Black students are borrowing tremendous amounts of money not knowing if they have the ability to pay the money back on time. Student loans are also causing the increased rate of African American dropouts in the country. For example, Ann-Marie Adams explains, â€Å"that 69 percent of bla ck students listed debt loads as a key reason for dropping out of college†.The inability to pay and the realization that they will not be able to pay off their loans causes them to end their academic pursuits. This is astonishing because according to Adams 60% of jobs in America require a college education, and due to their enormous student loans they will not get that chance to receive a college education. In order for blacks to succeed and compete in corporate America they need to receive some form of post-secondary education. Not only is receiving an education important to the black community, but it is also important to the overall country as a whole.The country’s economy needs educated individuals coming into the workforce, and if students are not able to finish their education then the economy will suffer. Ann-Marie Adams says, â€Å"America cannot have a  vibrant democracy and a robust economy with an uneducated populace† (Adams 1). The cost of college u ltimately causes black students to never get the chance to receive a post-secondary education or place unnecessary burdens on their lives. Either way these young bright minds do not have a fair chance to contribute to the resurrection of this once dominant economy.The educating of aspiring black college students and their parents on the dangers off student loans is imperative, so these young individuals will have the opportunity to contribute to the nation’s economy. The high rate of unemployment doesn’t give the majority of African American graduates the ability to pay back their student loan debt causing lingering affects to the black community. According to Ann-Marie Adams, up to 80% of the blacks in the graduating class of 2010 graduated with some form of student loan debt (Adams 1).With this high rate of African Americans leaving school with debt there is a demand for employment, but there are not enough jobs for them to obtain. The margin of â€Å"African Americ an youth at 30 percent†¦compared to the white youth unemployment rate of 16 percent† shows that African American graduates have a distinct financial burden (Kerby 1). The youth unemployment rate for African Americans is almost doubled compared to the youth unemployment rate for white Americans. This makes it that much more harder for black Americans to find sources of repayment since white Americans are able to get jobs easier.According to Adams, the average African American graduates with roughly 30,000 dollars worth of student loan debt (Adams 1). As the younger generation of blacks leave college with student loan debt that they are unable to payback, their ability to become homeowners and their ability to increase their wealth has diminished. Charlene Crowell explains, â€Å"The domino effect of debt begins with a student loan and then delays the ability to qualify for a mortgage†¦the ability to gain wealth is limited if not stymied†. The domino effect is t he main reason he majority of the black community is unable to reach the middle class. A college graduate in debt and not having the ability to pay their loans off in time because no jobs are available is the scenario for many blacks causing them to experience poverty. Julie Margetta Morgan says, â€Å"With high unemployment and underemployment and so few options for dealing with debt, it should come as no surprise that the delinquency rate on student loans is so high† (Morgan). The below average economic state of the United States doesn’t give African Americans the ability to successfully pay their debt back on time.Student loans are not only a detriment to African Americans individually, but they are affecting the economy as well. Like preciously stated, student loan debt is preventing African Americans from finishing college and being able to be an educated contributor to the country’s workforce. There are many methods that can be used to help prevent and fix the crisis. For example, probably the simplest method but the most effective will be informing young African Americans and their parents about the dangers of student loans and the steps used in taking out a reasonable loan.For example: There was an approximate 16 percent increase and 12 percent increase among black and Hispanic students, respectively, that took out private loans, from the 2003 ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œ04 to 2007 ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œ08 school years. While federal loans have lower interest rates than private loans, doubling the rate will bring the two closer together, making students of color more vulnerable to defaulting on their loans (Kerby) This shows how simple information on the benefits of a federal loan over a private loan could have prevented these families from taking on private loans.Holding seminars and presentations for high school students & parents would increase their knowledge resulting in better judgment. Another way of helping the African American community with the stud ent loan crisis is consistently funding aid programs for the low-income students. Kerby states, â€Å"Students who will lose eligibility or be cut from the Pell Grant program†¦will likely turn to loans to make up the difference† (Kerby 1). If these programs are funded properly then this will decrease African American’s need for student loans and ultimately decreasing the average student loan debt post-graduation.These two solutions will of course not completely fix the crisis, but they will jumpstart the needed repairing. Student loans have been a part of this country’s history for roughly fifty years and it has not caused any problems until this recent decade. This topic should be of high importance in the presidential election because it affects every citizen in someway. Whether it’s a parent unable to send their child off to college financially or a college graduate living in their mother’s house with $20,000 worth of debt, it affects us al l.The country needs to hear the truth and the facts about this crisis because this debt will keep increasing unless the individuals at risk are informed. The fact that this is the number one form of debt in our country today surpassing credit card debt is shocking. Every student planning to go to college or parent sending their child off to college should know the basics of student loans because one small signature can ruin the rest of their lives. Works Cited Adams, Ann-Marie. â€Å"Student Debt in the Black Community: Hampering Our Ability to Enter the Middle Class. Washington Post. The Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. . Crowell, Charlene. â€Å"The Domino Effects of Debt: Student Loans Trigger Financial Stress from Students To Retirees. † The Domino Effects of Debt: Student Loans Trigger Financial Stress from Students To Retirees. N. p. , 24 Aug. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 012. . Harkin, Tom. â€Å"The Debt Crisis In Higher Ed. † Time 180. 18 (2012): 44-51 . Print. Kerby, Sophia. â€Å"How Student Debt Impacts Students of Color. † Center for American Progress. N. p. , 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. . Morgan, Julie

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 1

Prologue The angel was cleaning out his closets when the call came. Halos and moonbeams were sorted into piles according to brightness, satchels of wrath and scabbards of lightning hung on hooks waiting to be dusted. A wineskin of glory had leaked in the corner and the angel blotted it with a wad of fabric. Each time he turned the cloth a muted chorus rang from the closet, as if he'd clamped the lid down on a pickle jar full of Hallelujah Chorus. â€Å"Raziel, what in heaven's name are you doing?† The archangel Stephan was standing over him, brandishing a scroll like a rolled-up magazine over a piddling puppy. â€Å"Orders?† the angel asked. â€Å"Dirt-side.† â€Å"I was just there.† â€Å"Two millennia ago.† â€Å"Really?† Raziel checked his watch, then tapped the crystal. â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"What do you think?† Stephan held out the scroll so Raziel could see the Burning Bush seal. â€Å"When do I leave? I was almost finished here.† â€Å"Now. Pack the gift of tongues and some minor miracles. No weapons, it's not a wrath job. You'll be undercover. Very low profile, but important. It's all in the orders.† Stephan handed him the scroll. â€Å"Why me?† â€Å"I asked that too.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"I was reminded why angels are cast out.† â€Å"Whoa! That big?† Stephan coughed, clearly an affectation, since angels didn't breathe. â€Å"I'm not sure I'm supposed to know, but the rumor is that it's a new book.† â€Å"You're kidding. A sequel? Revelations 2, just when you thought it was safe to sin?† â€Å"It's a Gospel.† â€Å"A Gospel, after all this time? Who?† â€Å"Levi who is called Biff.† Raziel dropped his rag and stood. â€Å"This has to be a mistake.† â€Å"It comes directly from the Son.† â€Å"There's a reason Biff isn't mentioned in the other books, you know? He's a total – â€Å" â€Å"Don't say it.† â€Å"But he's such an asshole.† â€Å"You talk like that and you wonder why you get dirt-duty.† â€Å"Why now, after so long, the four Gospels have been fine so far, and why him?† â€Å"Because it's some kind of anniversary in dirt-dweller time of the Son's birth, and he feels it's time the whole story is told.† Raziel hung his head. â€Å"I'd better pack.† â€Å"Gift of tongues,† Stephan reminded. â€Å"Of course, so I can take crap in a thousand languages.† â€Å"Go get the good news, Raziel. Bring me back some chocolate.† â€Å"Chocolate?† â€Å"It's a dirt-dweller snack. You'll like it. Satan invented it.† â€Å"Devil's food?† â€Å"You can only eat so much white cake, my friend.† Midnight. The angel stood on a barren hillside on the outskirts of the holy city of Jerusalem. He raised his arms aloft and a dry wind whipped his white robe around him. â€Å"Arise, Levi who is called Biff.† A whirlwind formed before him, pulling dust from the hillside into a column that took the shape of a man. â€Å"Arise, Biff. Your time has come.† The wind whipped into a fury and the angel pulled the sleeve of his robe across his face. â€Å"Arise, Biff, and walk again among the living.† The whirlwind began to subside, leaving the man-shaped column of dust standing on the hillside. In a moment, the hillside was calm again. The angel pulled a gold vessel from his satchel and poured it over the column. The dust washed away, leaving a muddy, naked man sputtering in the starlight. â€Å"Welcome back to the living,† the angel said. The man blinked, then held his hand before his eyes as if he expected to see through it. â€Å"I'm alive,† he said in a language he had never heard before. â€Å"Yes,† the angel said. â€Å"What are these sounds, these words?† â€Å"You have been given the gift of tongues.† â€Å"I've always had the gift of tongues, ask any girl I've known. What are these words?† â€Å"Languages. You've been given the gift of languages, as were all the apostles.† â€Å"Then the kingdom has come.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"How long?† â€Å"Two thousand years ago.† â€Å"You worthless bag of dog shit,† said Levi who was called Biff, as he punched the angel in the mouth. â€Å"You're late.† The angel picked himself up and gingerly touched his lip. â€Å"Nice talk to a messenger of the Lord.† â€Å"It's a gift,† Biff said. Part I The Boy God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh. VOLTAIRE Chapter 1 You think you know how this story is going to end, but you don't. Trust me, I was there. I know. The first time I saw the man who would save the world he was sitting near the central well in Nazareth with a lizard hanging out of his mouth. Just the tail end and the hind legs were visible on the outside; the head and forelegs were halfway down the hatch. He was six, like me, and his beard had not come in fully, so he didn't look much like the pictures you've seen of him. His eyes were like dark honey, and they smiled at me out of a mop of blue-black curls that framed his face. There was a light older than Moses in those eyes. â€Å"Unclean! Unclean!† I screamed, pointing at the boy, so my mother would see that I knew the Law, but she ignored me, as did all the other mothers who were filling their jars at the well. The boy took the lizard from his mouth and handed it to his younger brother, who sat beside him in the sand. The younger boy played with the lizard for a while, teasing it until it reared its little head as if to bite, then he picked up a rock and mashed the creature's head. Bewildered, he pushed the dead lizard around in the sand, and once assured that it wasn't going anywhere on its own, he picked it up and handed it back to his older brother. Into his mouth went the lizard, and before I could accuse, out it came again, squirming and alive and ready to bite once again. He handed it back to his younger brother, who smote it mightily with the rock, starting or ending the whole process again. I watched the lizard die three more times before I said, â€Å"I want to do that too.† The Savior removed the lizard from his mouth and said, â€Å"Which part?† By the way, his name was Joshua. Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Yeshua, which is Joshua. Christ is not a last name. It's the Greek for messiah, a Hebrew word meaning anointed. I have no idea what the â€Å"H† in Jesus H. Christ stood for. It's one of the things I should have asked him. Me? I am Levi who is called Biff. No middle initial. Joshua was my best friend. The angel says I'm supposed to just sit down and write my story, forget about what I've seen in this world, but how am I to do that? In the last three days I have seen more people, more images, more wonders, than in all my thirty-three years of living, and the angel asks me to ignore them. Yes, I have been given the gift of tongues, so I see nothing without knowing the word for it, but what good does that do? Did it help in Jerusalem to know that it was a Mercedes that terrified me and sent me diving into a Dumpster? Moreover, after Raziel pulled me out and ripped my fingernails back as I struggled to stay hidden, did it help to know that it was a Boeing 747 that made me cower in a ball trying to rock away my own tears and shut out the noise and fire? Am I a little child, afraid of its own shadow, or did I spend twenty-seven years at the side of the Son of God? On the hill where he pulled me from the dust, the angel said, â€Å"You will see many strange things. Do not be afraid. You have a holy mission and I will protect you.† Smug bastard. Had I known what he would do to me I would have hit him again. Even now he lies on the bed across the room, watching pictures move on a screen, eating the sticky sweet called Snickers, while I scratch out my tale on this soft-as-silk paper that reads Hyatt Regency, St. Louis at the top. Words, words, words, a million million words circle in my head like hawks, waiting to dive onto the page to rend and tear the only two words I want to write. Why me? There were fifteen of us – well, fourteen after I hung Judas – so why me? Joshua always told me not to be afraid, for he would always be with me. Where are you, my friend? Why have you forsaken me? You wouldn't be afraid here. The towers and machines and the shine and stink of this world would not daunt you. Come now, I'll order a pizza from room service. You would like pizza. The servant who brings it is named Jesus. And he's not even a Jew. You always liked irony. Come, Joshua, the angel says you are yet with us, you can hold him down while I pound him, then we will rejoice in pizza. Raziel has been looking at my writing and is insisting that I stop whining and get on with the story. Easy for him to say, he didn't just spend the last two thousand years buried in the dirt. Nevertheless, he won't let me order pizza until I finish a section, so here goes†¦ I was born in Galilee, the town of Nazareth, in the time of Herod the Great. My father, Alphaeus, was a stonemason and my mother, Naomi, was plagued by demons, or at least that's what I told everyone. Joshua seemed to think she was just difficult. My proper name, Levi, comes from the brother of Moses, the progenitor of the tribe of priests; my nickname, Biff, comes from our slang word for a smack upside the head, something that my mother said I required at least daily from an early age. I grew up under Roman rule, although I didn't see many Romans until I was ten. The Romans mostly stayed in the fortress city of Sepphoris, an hour's walk north of Nazareth. That's where Joshua and I saw a Roman soldier murdered, but I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, assume that the soldier is safe and sound and happy wearing a broom on his head. Most of the people of Nazareth were farmers, growing grapes and olives on the rocky hills outside of town and barley and wheat in the valleys below. There were also herders of goats and sheep whose families lived in town while the men and older boys tended the flocks in the highlands. Our houses were all made of stone, and ours had a stone floor, although many had floors of hard-packed dirt. I was the oldest of three sons, so even at the age of six I was being prepared to learn my father's trade. My mother taught my spoken lessons, the Law and stories from the Torah in Hebrew, and my father took me to the synagogue to hear the elders read the Bible. Aramaic was my first language, but by the time I was ten I could speak and read Hebrew as well as most of the men. My ability to learn Hebrew and the Torah was spurred on by my friendship with Joshua, for while the other boys would be playing a round of tease the sheep or kick the Canaanite, Joshua and I played at being rabbis, and he insisted that we stick to the authentic Hebrew for our ceremonies. It was more fun than it sounds, or at least it was until my mother caught us trying to circumcise my little brother Shem with a sharp rock. What a fit she threw. And my argument that Shem needed to renew his covenant with the Lord didn't seem to convince her. She beat me to stripes with an olive switch and forbade me to play with Joshua for a month. Did I mention she was besought with demons? Overall, I think it was good for little Shem. He was the only kid I ever knew who could pee around corners. You can make a pretty good living as a beggar with that kind of talent. And he never even thanked me. Brothers. Children see magic because they look for it. When I first met Joshua, I didn't know he was the Savior, and neither did he, for that matter. What I knew was that he wasn't afraid. Amid a race of conquered warriors, a people who tried to find pride while cowering before God and Rome, he shone like a bloom in the desert. But maybe only I saw it, because I was looking for it. To everyone else he seemed like just another child: the same needs and the same chance to die before he was grown. When I told my mother of Joshua's trick with the lizard she checked me for fever and sent me to my sleeping mat with only a bowl of broth for supper. â€Å"I've heard stories about that boy's mother,† she said to my father. â€Å"She claims to have spoken to an angel of the Lord. She told Esther that she had borne the Son of God.† â€Å"And what did you say to Esther?† â€Å"That she should be careful that the Pharisees not hear her ravings or we'd be picking stones for her punishment.† â€Å"Then you should not speak of it again. I know her husband, he is a righteous man.† â€Å"Cursed with an insane girl for a wife.† â€Å"Poor thing,† my father said, tearing away a hunk of bread. His hands were as hard as horn, as square as hammers, and as gray as a leper's from the limestone he worked with. An embrace from him left scratches on my back that sometimes wept blood, yet my brothers and I fought to be the first in his arms when he returned from work each evening. The same injuries inflicted in anger would have sent us crying to our mother's skirts. I fell asleep each night feeling his hand on my back like a shield. Fathers. Do you want to mash some lizards?† I asked Joshua when I saw him again. He was drawing in the dirt with a stick, ignoring me. I put my foot on his drawing. â€Å"Did you know that your mother is mad?† â€Å"My father does that to her,† he said sadly, without looking up. I sat down next to him. â€Å"Sometimes my mother makes yipping noises in the night like the wild dogs.† â€Å"Is she mad?† Joshua asked. â€Å"She seems fine in the morning. She sings while she makes breakfast.† Joshua nodded, satisfied, I guess, that madness could pass. â€Å"We used to live in Egypt,† he said. â€Å"No, you didn't, that's too far. Farther than the temple, even.† The Temple in Jerusalem was the farthest place I had been as a child. Every spring my family took the five-day walk to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. It seemed to take forever. â€Å"We lived here, then we lived in Egypt, now we live here again,† Joshua said. â€Å"It was a long way.† â€Å"You lie, it takes forty years to get to Egypt.† â€Å"Not anymore, it's closer now.† â€Å"It says in the Torah. My abba read it to me. ‘The Israelites traveled in the desert for forty years.'† â€Å"The Israelites were lost.† â€Å"For forty years?† I laughed. â€Å"The Israelites must be stupid.† â€Å"We are the Israelites.† â€Å"We are?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I have to go find my mother,† I said. â€Å"When you come back, let's play Moses and Pharaoh.† The angel has confided in me that he is going to ask the Lord if he can become Spider-Man. He watches the television constantly, even when I sleep, and he has become obsessed with the story of the hero who fights demons from the rooftops. The angel says that evil looms larger now than it did in my time, and that calls for greater heroes. The children need heroes, he says. I think he just wants to swing from buildings in tight red jammies. What hero could touch these children anyway, with their machines and medicine and distances made invisible? (Raziel: not here a week and he would trade the Sword of God to be a web slinger.) In my time, our heroes were few, but they were real – some of us could even trace our kinship to them. Joshua always played the heroes – David, Joshua, Moses – while I played the evil ones: Pharaoh, Ahab, and Nebuchadnezzar. If I had a shekel for every time I was slain as a Philistine, well, I'd not be riding a camel through the eye of a needle anytime soon, I'll tell you that. As I think back, I see that Joshua was practicing for what he would become. â€Å"Let my people go,† said Joshua, as Moses. â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"You can't just say, ‘Okay.'† â€Å"I can't?† â€Å"No, the Lord has hardened your heart against my demands.† â€Å"Why'd he do that?† â€Å"I don't know, he just did. Now, let my people go.† â€Å"Nope.† I crossed my arms and turned away like someone whose heart is hardened. â€Å"Behold as I turn this stick into a snake. Now, let my people go!† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"You can't just say ‘okay'!† â€Å"Why? That was a pretty good trick with the stick.† â€Å"But that's not how it goes.† â€Å"Okay. No way, Moses, your people have to stay.† Joshua waved his staff in my face. â€Å"Behold, I will plague you with frogs. They will fill your house and your bedchamber and get on your stuff.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So that's bad. Let my people go, Pharaoh.† â€Å"I sorta like frogs.† â€Å"Dead frogs,† Moses threatened. â€Å"Piles of steaming, stinking dead frogs.† â€Å"Oh, in that case, you'd better take your people and go. I have some sphinxes and stuff to build anyway.† â€Å"Dammit, Biff, that's not how it goes! I have more plagues for you.† â€Å"I want to be Moses.† â€Å"You can't.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I have the stick.† â€Å"Oh.† And so it went. I'm not sure I took to playing the villains as easily as Joshua took to being the heroes. Sometimes we recruited our little brothers to play the more loathsome parts. Joshua's little brothers Judah and James played whole populations, like the Sodomites outside of Lot's door. â€Å"Send out those two angels so that we can know them.† â€Å"I won't do that,† I said, playing Lot (a good guy only because Joshua wanted to play the angels), â€Å"but I have two daughters who don't know anyone, you can meet them.† â€Å"Okay,† said Judah. I threw open the door and led my imaginary daughters outside so they could know the Sodomites†¦ â€Å"Pleased to meet you.† â€Å"Charmed, I'm sure.† â€Å"Nice to meet you.† â€Å"THAT'S NOT HOW IT GOES!† Joshua shouted. â€Å"You're supposed to try to break the door down, then I will smite you blind.† â€Å"Then you destroy our city?† James said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"We'd rather meet Lot's daughters.† â€Å"Let my people go,† said Judah, who was only four and often got his stories confused. He particularly liked the Exodus because he and James got to throw jars of water on me as I led my soldiers across the Red Sea after Moses. â€Å"That's it,† Joshua said. â€Å"Judah, you're Lot's wife. Go stand over there.† Sometimes Judah had to play Lot's wife no matter what story we were doing. â€Å"I don't want to be Lot's wife.† â€Å"Be quiet, pillars of salt can't talk.† â€Å"I don't want to be a girl.† Our brothers always played the female parts. I had no sisters to torment, and Joshua's only sister at the time, Elizabeth, was still a baby. That was before we met the Magdalene. The Magdalene changed everything. After I overheard my parents talking about Joshua's mother's madness, I often watched her, looking for signs, but she seemed to go about her duties like all the other mothers, tending to the little ones, working in the garden, fetching water, and preparing food. There was no sign of going about on all fours or foaming at the mouth as I had expected. She was younger than many of the mothers, and much younger than her husband, Joseph, who was an old man by the standards of our time. Joshua said that Joseph wasn't his real father, but he wouldn't say who his father was. When the subject came up, and Mary was in earshot, she would call to Josh, then put her finger to her lips to signal silence. â€Å"Now is not the time, Joshua. Biff would not understand.† Just hearing her say my name made my heart leap. Early on I developed a little-boy love for Joshua's mother that sent me into fantasies of marriage and family and future. â€Å"Your father is old, huh, Josh?† â€Å"Not too old.† â€Å"When he dies, will your mother marry his brother?† â€Å"My father has no brothers. Why?† â€Å"No reason. What would you think if your father was shorter than you?† â€Å"He isn't.† â€Å"But when your father dies, your mother could marry someone shorter than you, and he would be your father. You would have to do what he says.† â€Å"My father will never die. He is eternal.† â€Å"So you say. But I think that when I'm a man, and your father dies, I will take your mother as my wife.† Joshua made a face now as if he had bitten into an unripe fig. â€Å"Don't say that, Biff.† â€Å"I don't mind that she's mad. I like her blue cloak. And her smile. I'll be a good father, I'll teach you how to be a stonemason, and I'll only beat you when you are a snot.† â€Å"I would rather play with lepers than listen to this.† Joshua began to walk away. â€Å"Wait. Be nice to your father, Joshua bar Biff† – my own father used my full name like this when he was trying to make a point – â€Å"Is it not the word of Moses that you must honor me?† Little Joshua spun on his heel. â€Å"My name is not Joshua bar Biff, and it is not Joshua bar Joseph either. It's Joshua bar Jehovah!† I looked around, hoping that no one had heard him. I didn't want my only son (I planned to sell Judah and James into slavery) to be stoned to death for uttering the name of God in vain. â€Å"Don't say that again, Josh. I won't marry your mother.† â€Å"No, you won't.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"I forgive you.† â€Å"She will make an excellent concubine.† Don't let anyone tell you that the Prince of Peace never struck anyone. In those early days, before he had become who he would be, Joshua smote me in the nose more than once. That was the first time. Mary would stay my one true love until I saw the Magdalene. If the people of Nazareth thought Joshua's mother was mad, there was little said of it out of respect for her husband, Joseph. He was wise in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, and there were few wives in Nazareth who didn't serve supper in one of his smooth olive-wood bowls. He was fair, strong, and wise. People said that he had once been an Essene, one of the dour, ascetic Jews who kept to themselves and never married or cut their hair, but he did not congregate with them, and unlike them, he still had the ability to smile. In those early years, I saw him very little, as he was always in Sepphoris, building structures for the Romans and the Greeks and the landed Jews of that city, but every year, as the Feast of Firsts approached, Joseph would stop his work in the fortress city and stay home carving bowls and spoons to give to the Temple. During the Feast of Firsts, it was the tradition to give first lambs, first grain, and first fruits to the priests of the Temple. Even first sons born during the year were dedicated to the Temple, either by promising them for labor when they were older, or by a gift of money. Craftsmen like my father and Joseph could give things that they made, and in some years my father fashioned mortars and pestles or grinding stones for the tribute, while in others he gave tithes of coin. Some people made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for this feast, but since it fell only seven weeks after Passover, many families could not afford to make the pilgrimage, and the gifts went to our sim ple village synagogue. During the weeks leading up to the feast, Joseph sat outside of his house in the shade of an awning he had made, worrying the gnarled olive wood with adze and chisel, while Joshua and I played at his feet. He wore the single-piece tunic that we all wore, a rectangle of fabric with neck hole in the middle, belted with a sash so that the sleeves fell to the elbows and the hem fell to the knees. â€Å"Perhaps this year I should give the Temple my first son, eh, Joshua? Wouldn't you like to clean the altar after the sacrifices?† He grinned to himself without looking up from his work. â€Å"I owe them a first son, you know. We were in Egypt at the Firsts Feast when you were born.† The idea of coming in contact with blood clearly terrified Joshua, as it would any Jewish boy. â€Å"Give them James, Abba, he is your first son.† Joseph shot a glance my way, to see if I had reacted. I had, but it was because I was considering my own status as a first son, hoping that my father wasn't thinking along the same lines. â€Å"James is a second son. The priests don't want second sons. It will have to be you.† Joshua looked at me before he answered, then back at his father. Then he smiled. â€Å"But Abba, if you should die, who will take care of Mother if I am at the Temple?† â€Å"Someone will look after her,† I said. â€Å"I'm sure of it.† â€Å"I will not die for a long time.† Joseph tugged at his gray beard. â€Å"My beard goes white, but there's a lot of life in me yet.† â€Å"Don't be so sure, Abba,† Joshua said. Joseph dropped the bowl he was working on and stared into his hands. â€Å"Run along and play, you two,† he said, his voice little more than a whisper. Joshua stood and walked away. I wanted to throw my arms around the old man, for I had never seen a grown man afraid before and it frightened me too. â€Å"Can I help?† I said, pointing to the half-finished bowl that lay in Joseph's lap. â€Å"You go with Joshua. He needs a friend to teach him to be human. Then I can teach him to be a man.†

Research Paper on San Diego County CAFR Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

On San Diego County CAFR - Research Paper Example The city functions under and is administrated by the State of California’s laws and its own Charter, as periodically modified since its acceptance by the electorate in 1931 (CAFR 24). The weather of San Diego County is portrayed by mild winters with most of the annual rainfall between November to March and warm and dry summers. It is known for its natural deep water harbor, long relationship with the U.S. navy, mild year-round climate, extensive beaches, and latest emergence as a biotechnology and healthcare development center. Most people who visit the county head to the wild animal park, San Diego zoo, sea world or Lego land. The national, regional and international economic condition has badly affected San Diego County’s City services and revenue. It has also exaggerated the health of the business community. In this tough economic environment, the City of San Diego has effectively balanced its annual budget and also implemented them on time i.e. by June 30 each year. This paper will provide an analysis of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) of San Diego County and the city also meet the Governmental Accounting Standard Board (GASB) 34 requirements because the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report has been prepared in conformance with the standards and principles for reporting as set forth by GASB 34. Governmental Accounting Standard Board (GASB) With the implementation of the GASB 34, the financial reporting model for local and state governments has been changed. The financial statements under GASB 34 must include: Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A); Government wide Statements involving Statement of Activities; Statement of Net Assets; Fund Statements; Notes to Financial Statements and Required Supplementary Information which includes the budgetary comparison. The CAFR of San Diego County meets the GASB 34 requirements as it is prepared in conformance with the standards and principles for reporting as required in GASB 34. Th e CAFR of the City also contains MD&A, Statement of Net Assets; Statement of Activities; Fund Statements; Notes to Financial Statements and Required Supplementary Information which includes the budgetary comparison of General Funds. The objective of the City’s CAFR is to provide with the financial statement which is of material misstatement. It maintains the accuracy of data; and fairness and completeness of the presentation. In addition, the City is keeping on to progress a complete internal control over the framework of financial reporting to ascertain satisfactory management of taxpayer funds (CAFR 22). According to GASB 34 and 51, in the government wide statements; all major assets are capitalized by the City of San Diego. Capital assets of both proprietary and governmental funds are utilized at the government wide level and proprietary assets are accounted at the fund level (CAFR 41). 2011 2010 With the execution of GASB 54, there was a considerable reclassification betw een Unrestricted and Restricted Net Assets. Restricted Net Assets resulted in an increase of $949,227 i.e. by $376,845 and Unrestricted Net Assets goes down by $394,573 (CAFR 36). The statistical section provides information as required by GASB 44. In addition to the financial sta

GUNNS AND THE AUSTRALIAN PULP AND PAPER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY Research

GUNNS AND THE AUSTRALIAN PULP AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY - Research Paper Example This study highlights the strategic problems of the company and suggests measures that can be taken up by the company to ensure its sustainable growth in future. The external environment of the company has been analysed using PESTEL analysis and the various competitive factors affecting the company have been identified utilising the Porter’s five forces model analysis concerning the global paper industry. The strict environmental regulations and the strong supplier power in the paper industry are identified to be having a significant impact on the company. The internal environment of the company has also been analysed utilising SWOT analysis as the strategic tool. The core competencies of the company have been identified to be its diversified products portfolio and it is trying to attain competitive advantage in the market through the strengthening of its core competencies. The financial analysis of the company shows that indebtedness is a major problem of the company and it i s facing difficulty to source its fund for future investments. Based on the in-depth analysis of the company and its environmental conditions the best strategic alternative for the company has been identified to restructure its business model, focusing more on plantation based business and accepting the proposed investment proposal related to Bell Bay pulpwood mill. 2. External Environmental Analysis Gunns Ltd. is engaged in the business activities related to forest management, processing, milling, exportation and merchandising of wood products (Bloomberg, 2012). The company operates its business in the global paper industry and the external environmental analysis of the company has been done in this study utilising various strategic tools like PESTEL analysis and Porter's Five Forces Model. 2.1 PESTEL Analysis PESTLE stands for Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors. It is an external environmental analysis tool which helps the organisations t o determine the external trends (Knowhownonprofit, n.d.). Hence Gunns Ltd. which is an Australian company, the country’s business environment can be better understood through the PESTEL analysis presented below: (Source: Businessmate, n.d.). a. Political: Different types of social welfare policies have been undertaken by the Australian government in the recent years like lending support to the aging people and the introduction of the scheme of paid parental leave. Apart from this the carbon tax was enacted by the Australian government recently but had to face protest from different industrial sectors of the country (BBC News Asia, 2012). b. Economical: There has been a steady growth of the Australian economy in the past 10 years. It is likely that the economy would continue to be strong paving way to further industrial growth and development in the nation. On the other and the indebtedness of Australia has increased which is evident from the rise of external debt as a percent age of GDP. At the end of the year 2011, Australia's debt from foreign countries grew to around 94.58% of GDP (Marketline, 2012). c. Social: In accordance with Central Intelligence (CIA) World Factbook the Gini coefficient of Australia ranges from 0 to 100, i.e. from perfect equality to inequality were 30.5 in 2006. The aging population of the country is also on

Case summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Case summary - Essay Example b) There was no distribution of current and/or accumulated earnings and profits. It can be determined that TWC did not redirect actual value to the petitioner by failing to charge its normal profit margin when receiving the reimbursement. a) Even though it is not the court’s mandate to construct and inform arguments for the parties involved, it could clearly determine that the timing of respondent’s constructive dividend adjustment is highly inappropriate and untimely. TWC was reimbursed for its work during 2004 and 2005 while the petitioners relocated into the home in 2005 (Johnson, 502). Therefore, if there was any constructive dividend that had been received then it would have been received, and therefore brought up in 2004 and/or 2005, not 2006. b) According Section 316(a) a dividend is any allocation of property that a firm makes to its stockholders from its earnings for the trading period and profits retained from the past periods (Johnson, 501). TWC did not make any profit or earnings from the transaction with Mr. Welle for the construction of his home. c) Ault and Arnold rightly argue that a constructive dividend usually arise when a corporation awards an economic benefit, specifically earnings and profits, on a stockholder without the expecting any payment or adequate consideration for the same (360). d) Not all business expenditure by an incorporated company that bestows some economic benefit on a stockholder can be termed as constructive dividend (Ault and Arnold, 358). Loftin & Woodward, 577 F.2d at 1215. e) Respondent did not elucidate how a the decision to forego profits, especially when the stockholder reimburses the corporation in full for its services, results in distribution of property which reduces the earnings and or profits as envisaged in section 316(a). The respondent also failed to substantiate the assertions with a credible case that sets precedent. f) Incidental or insignificant use of corporate property does not justify

Hearing impairment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Hearing impairment - Essay Example There are various reasons that cause deterioration in the level of education among indigenous Australians. Implementation of effective methods can raise the level of education among such people. It is also essential to identify the cause of hearing impairment and appropriate preventive measures should be adopted to manage the prevalence of this disorder. There are several policies and strategies implemented by the government to increase the level of education among the indigenous Australians with hearing impairment. In the past 30 years a lot of efforts have been made to increase the level of education among the indigenous Australians with hearing loss. There are various policies and strategies implemented by the government and the non government organization to curb this issue of education among such people. In spite of it, there still needs to be considerable progress made in the level of education among the indigenous population of Australia. The difference in the level of education among the two sections of the community in Australia affects its literacy rate. A study has revealed that 20 percent of the indigenous students meet the reading standards while 30 percent of them meet the righting standards. About 70 percent of the non-indigenous students meet both the righting and reading standards [Cronin, 2001]. One of the major causes of this difference is hearing impairment among the indigenous population of Australia. About 11 to 60 percent of the indigenous students suffer from hearing loss [Prevention of hearing impairment from chronic Otis media, n. d]. Australia's dominant culture, cultural misunderstanding and prejudices, family background and socio-economic status also attribute to lower level of education among such people. [Cronin, 2001]. The education process existing due to the racial discrimination between the indigenous and the non-indigenous population of Australia also has its implications on education of the indigenous population. Due to this racial difference sometimes, the teachers do not respond well to the needs of indigenous students. However, the major cause of concern is the hearing impairment that persists in this section. Hearing impairment is most prevalent among the indigenous population present in the central and northern Australia. This is mainly caused due to chronic Otis media. The risk factors that lead to this disease are overcrowding and exposure to wood, cigarette smoking, poor hygiene, inadequate housing, and high rate of naso pharyngeal colonization with pathogenic bacteria, Eustachian tube dysfunction, inadequate and unavailable health care [Prevention of hearing impairment from chronic Otis media, n. d]. Poor hygiene is also a main cause for several types of ear diseases which in turn leads to hearing impairment. It generally occurs during childhood, which is the most crucial stage in a person's development. A large percentage of the Australian children suffer from ear infection, which subsequently leads to hearing loss. Most of the infants have perforated eardrums. Hearing impairment affects the overall developmental activity of a child. The nerve between the inner ear and the temporal cortex of the brain is essential for the growth and development of speech and language in children. The language and numerical ability of such children retards due to

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Compare and contrast - Essay Example Another social working site, Friendster, was among the first to innovate this new brand of internet communication. Just a couple of years back, the competition was between Myspace and Friendster where it was an even matchup between the two. The Friendster logo has been so popular and recognizable for users and non-users alike. The need for convergence that was particularly prevalent among the youth was answered through these internet-based socializing sites. With Friendster, people were able to acquaint themselves to the possibility of meeting and keeping in touch with other people. But since then, Friendster has dwindled in terms of popularity and there is no denying that the primary reason for this is the fame that Facebook has gained over a short period of time. Both provide a valued facet of connectivity for their users but the features that Facebook has added is the reason for its current success in the internet. To be a member of both websites, the steps are quite simple. First, you will need to have a working email account where notifications depending on your specifications can be sent. One needs to go to their home page and follow the registration instructions. Here, you will be asked to provide particular details that range from name to affiliations to hobbies and interest. It is upon the user to fill in these factors accordingly. By signing in through the email and password that you have provided you are now on your way to getting connected. From here, it is up to you to start adding friends, applications, pictures, etc. It provides the option for personal taste and look of your very own profile page. Adding friends between the two is just one of the indications of the many differences between them. While both can search for friends by providing their email address or their names, it is quite obvious that it is easier to add friends in Facebook than in Friendster. In Facebook all you have to do is click on

Steve Jobs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Steve Jobs - Research Paper Example His mother, however, wished him to be adopted by another couple that were colleagues at the graduate programme. Her mother signed the adoption papers after being reassured that the child would be supported and encouraged to go to college despite him having only attended High School (Wikipedia par. 6). When later asked about his adoptive parents, Jobs stressed that they were his parents. His real parents, however, did marry in 1955 but divorced in 1982 after they had had a second child Mona Simpson who is a novelist. When Jobs was five years of age, the Jobs moved to Mountain View California. His parents adopted a daughter, Patty, Later. Paul was a handy man and worked as a mechanic and practiced carpentry (Wikipedia par. 6). He taught his son basic skills in electronics and handy work. This later became his hobby. Jobs was taught how to read before going to school by his mother, Clara, who was an accountant. Jobs was very frustrated by formal school system. When he attended Monta Loma Elementary school, he would play pranks on others. The school authority were of the idea that Jobs skip two grades owing to his excellent scores but his parents chose that he skip just one. He schooled at Cupertino Junior High and Homestead High School, both in Cupertino California. He made friends with his neighbour Bill Fernandez while at Homestead. Fernandez acquainted Jobs with Steve Wozniac, who was very extraordinary with electronics and computers (Moisescot par. 3). Wozniac and Fernandez showed Jobs the first computer that they had built and called ‘The cream Soda Computer’ and he was very interested. Wozniac attributed the name of the computer to the fact that they drank cream soda often when they were working on the project. He said he and Jobs had attended the same High School but had not met there. After graduating from high school in 1972, Jobs joined a college in Portland Oregon c alled Reed

The Adventure of the Speckled Band Essay Example for Free

The Adventure of the Speckled Band Essay It is fear; it is terror that sent me to London today. I was so agitated my face is surely drawn and grey with restless, frightened eyes because I have been unable to sleep for many a week now. I explained my sickening worries to Mr Holmes. He seemed very kind, knowledgeable and understanding which comforted me immensely. As before I felt like a hunted animal without knowing my stalker.  I good few years ago a good a friend of mine Mrs Farintosh had Mr Holmes remedy a problem of hers. This is where I got the idea to go and find him in London. My stepfather, always a difficult man, has become increasingly erratic, making me nervous and on edge anyway. My concerns started two days ago when I had to sleep in my sisters room as repairs had started in mine. My darling sister died in this bed. How I could I be expected to feel. Shudders of racking fear coursed through my veins. Indeed I would rather sleep anywhere but here .Sleep was far away last night but my sluggish senses could not fail to hear a low whistle. I can be certain it must have been the same sound my bewildered sister heard the night she died. Instinctively I reached for my lamp but I swear to God there was nothing there. Sleep eluded me from then on but at first light I made my way to London, praying that Mr Holmes could help me. He made me tell my story as best I could. At first I found the telling easy as we talked of times long ago when Dr Roylett was married to my dear mother.  Discussing how he seemed to lose his mind after my mothers passing was not so easy, but the worst was putting in to words the last few hours of my sisters life. That night we girls sat talking in my room, mainly of her approaching wedding. As she turned to enter her room she asked me the strangest question Tell me Helen, have you ever heard someone whistling in the dead of night? We discussed this and I suggested that it must have been the gypsies in the plantation. As usual we locked ourselves into our bedrooms because of the nature of the Drs Pets. I will never, ever forget that night. I had a feeling of premonition; a vague feeling of impending misfortune which I can only presume was because my sister and I are twins, with such links that are well known. The wind was howling and splashing against the windows. Amid all the hubbub of the gale, there burst forth the wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew that it was my sisters voice. I ran to her room and caught her before she fell to the floor. She writhed as one in who is in terrible pain and her limbs were dreadfully convulsed. I shall forget her final words, It was the band! The speckled band! We tried to revive her with brandy, for my stepfather had now arrived but she slowly sank and died. There was nothing more to do.  I feel some relief from pressure now that I have shared this story with Mr Holmes. I pray that he will be able to solve the mystery of my darling sister death.

Effective Governance Essay Example for Free

Effective Governance Essay Every successfully running organization that wishes to continue working with bright colors, intends to work in such an order that could help them not only to come up to the standards expected by their clients but also to meet their targeted objectives. This helps in survival and future success of the enterprise. To continue working like this, every organization would need effective governance that could help it in achieving its goals and objectives. Till now, there hasn’t been a proper definition of Effective Governance known yet, but it can be understood as the set of all the procedures, laws, processes, customs, policies, controls and systems that are used to safeguard the comp any and help to grow assets through which an organization can proceed in a successive manner. Effective governance is required for every company because it needs a strategic set of systems, controls, laws and regulations for its external capital, financial transactions, investment, growth and also to prevent relationships with stakeholders and others. In short, governance is a set of procedures, controls and systems through which a company prospers while securing accountability. On the whole, governance is entirely an internal system which helps the company in carrying out effective operations in collaboration with the external resources. External resources include the external capital and shareholders. External capital is the loan or equity used for the financing of the company to carry out their business activities, investment and growth. Shareholders and stakeholders are the external resources who make investment in the company’s business to make profit. The outcome of making investment in the business by the stakeholder/shareholder goes to the economic development of the country. It not only strengthens the confidence of the organization and investors, but also gives a boost to the social economy and helps in building up a strong relationship between both. Economic power of any nation can be measured from the annual investments made by the investors, shareholders, stakeholders in different organizations. The more sound and subtle investment made, the more a country would prosper and become stronger internally. Principles of Effective Governance: †¢ Leadership †¢ Empowerment and accountability given to stakeholders †¢ Good communication †¢ Fair service †¢ Perform to accomplish †¢ Measure †¢ Learn to grow †¢ Participation of the board †¢ Shareholders’ awareness According to an adverb, it is said that â€Å"Action speaks louder than the words†. So is with the companies with governance. A company having proper and effective governance has the ability to work more efficiently and in productive manner than any other company that does not have any sort of set of rules or governance to act upon. This governance applies on every single entity in the company. Let it be the entrepreneur, employees, management, shareholders, and other related bodies to the organization. All the people relating to the company would be satisfied that the organization would run in an ethical manner because it has a set of systems and controls that drives it to run smoothly and in a specific manner, that not only would help it to run productively but also has a certain future adjacent to it. It also helps in letting know about the responsibilities of every person related to the company that what should be their role to act upon in order to bring the maximum outcome from the business and thus, creates reputation of the company. In short, effective governance acts as a tool to run the business efficiently and produce remarkable results and profit. Good relationship with the stakeholder matters a lot for the business as well, that is why managing a good communication level with the shareholders is also very necessary and is a part of governance since governance depends on the establishment of manageable communication between both. Stakeholders can be individuals or institute who are part of the company externally. They are involved through the investment they have made in the business to promote the company and generate revenue. The involvement depends on the amount of financial investment they have made in the company. The relationship can be direct or indirect. Previously, effective governance was taken as a source to capitalize on the profits and revenue an organization can generate as much as possible. But, with the passage of time, governance processed and involved the aspects of responsibility, accountability and prevention of stakeholders, shareholders interest. Effective governance not only develops the company’ reputation but also safeguards and helps in protecting the risk of downfall of company’s reputation and status. An important factor that every organization would need is â€Å"Board of Directors†. This talented and diversified team is responsible for managing the whole infrastructure of the company and looks after the internal and external affairs including the relationship of stakeholders and carries out the maximum accountability. This is because the board of Directors is legally fully responsible for every matter that is handled and they can delegate the matter accordingly. If not practiced properly, the entire economic system of the country could go on stake because most of the public oriented companies deal on public shares, and without derived governance, the whole situation can be vulnerable. Any country’s economic platform cannot continue without effective governance, because it cannot rely on the government policies (that keep on changing due to the political conditions), nor any regulatory agency which in intact with the government policies and works for companies with stakeholders. Another factor that affects the governance of a company is decision making by the senior management. Decision making by the management ensures that the work carried out is a major responsibility that is made by following the company’s policies and procedures. It must ensure compliance with legal, regulatory and social requirements in their area of responsibility.

Antigone

Antigone In the play Antigone, written by Sophocels, there are many complications. The most important event is the killing of Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices. It was the main inspiration for the whole play. It all starts after King Oedipus was exiled from the city of Thebes after he learns that he has committed incest and patricide, his younger son Eteocles declares to be the king, exiling his older brother Polyneices. Polyneices then attacks Thebes with a huge army, but none of the two brothers wins the war because they both kill each other in combat. Creon then declares to be the king of Thebes, and he decides that Eteocles should be buried and honored as a hero while Polyneices body shouldn’t be honored, but it should be thrown in the streets of Thebes left for dogs and birds to be eaten in humiliation. Creon decides that the punishment for trying to bury the body of Polyneices will be death. Antigone, Eteocles and Polynices’ sister, insists that her br others body must be buried so that his spirit can rest in peace, in spite of the cautious advice of her younger sister, Ismene. She goes to the battleground, pouring sand over Polyneices body and performing burial rites. After that the guards discovers that someone was trying to bury the body, they uncover the dust from the body, and they starts to look for who does that. Antigone comes back insisting on burying her brother’s body .She finally allows herself to be captured after coming out of hiding when some guards try to uncover the body again, and a rebellious Antigone is brought to Creon. He decides to execute only Antigone since Ismenes is innocent and Antigone is sent outside of Thebes to starve to death in a cave. Even though Antigone was nothing but a girl left alone, she faces many obstacles by herself to do what she believes it is right without any concerns about the consequences. The first obstacle that faces Antigone was her sister, Ismene. They were the only two family members left after their father’s death and their two brothers’ shameful war against each other and killing each other in the battlefield. Instead of supporting her sister, and trying to keep what’s left of the family together, Ismene abandons Antigone and tries to convince her to obey the king’s orders. The author quotes Ismene saying â€Å"The worst of all if we violate the laws and override the fixed decree of the throne, its power- we must be sensible. Remember we are women, we’re not born to contend with men† (Sophocles 1144). It is clear that Ismene is so frightened of Antigone’s decision to bury her brother Polyneices. It is also clear how Creon, the king, put his fear in his people’s minds so he will has full control over his kingdom. Antigone doesn’t worry about Creon’s punishment and decides to continue. The autho r quotes her answering her sister â€Å" So, do as you like, whatever suits you best- I’ll bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory.† (Sophocles 1144). This quote shows how determined Antigone is to bury her brother without having any concerns about the result. It also shows how she considers the death a glory to her for doing what’s she believes is right. She considers honoring her brother by giving hem the proper burial is her obligation. Antigone overcomes this obstacle by excusing her sister from joining her to bury their brother. The second obstacle that faces Antigone is the king himself. He wanted to force his authority and power over the kingdom after the disturbance that happened in Thebes. He wants his orders and commands to be followed by everyone. Creon creates a monster of himself to scare his people; he likes power, authority, and to be obeyed. That’s why everybody was scared and afraid to disobey Creon except Antigone. She did what’s right; she wasn’t even afraid when the guards arrested her, she bravely surrendered to them (1152). Creon felt that he lost his power and authority once Antigone disobey his orders. Creon says, â€Å"This girl was an old hand at insolence when she overrode the edicts we made public. But once she’d don it- the insolence, twice over- to glory in it, laughing, mocking us to our face with what she’d done† (Sophocles 1154). He considers Antigone’s act an insult to the king without considering that she wants to give her brother the proper burial to honor him as prince. That explains why he was so harsh in his verdict to execute her by starvation. Antigone knows that she is doing what’s right and she surrenders to her destiny to be killed. On the other hand she seems to refuse to be killed by Creon, that’s why she killed herself as if she considers killing herself more honor than Creon kills her. The final obstacle that faces Antigone is her lover, Haemon, who was Creon’s son and who was very sad that he’s going to lose his pride. Antigone thinks about her lover. She doesn’t want to die and leave him because she loves him so much. She is between two difficult decisions. One of them is if she decides to step on what she believes in and forget about her honored brother to stay with her lover, the other decision is to leave her lover and to die for what she believes in. Antigone doesn’t think about her happiness; she rather dies because of what she believes in than stays with Haemon. She overcomes this obstacle by deciding to kill herself. Haemon, on the other hand, was used by Gods to punish Creon for his acts. He was not convinced with his father’s actions. Haemon states, â€Å"I see my father offending justice-wrong† (Sophocles 1161). He continues his conversation asking â€Å"Protect your rights? When you trample down the honors of the gods?† (Sophocles 1611). Haemon realizes the fact that his father doesn’t realize, is that he dishonors the gods. Haemon wants to explain to Creon that no matter what happened don’t disobey or disrespect the gods. Another thing Haemon realizes that Creon doesn’t realize that there is more powerful force than Creon’s force which is the gods force. Creon thinks that he has the ultimate power and authority that’s why he can’t see Haemon point of view. Haemon goes to Antigone’s grave and he couldn’t see her kills herself in the front of him, so he kills himself. In the play, Antigone faces a lot of obstacles, and she overcomes them all. She doesn’t give up, and once she feels that the king’s authority will bring her down, she decides to take her own life rather than the injustice system does. She is determining to do what she feels is right, no matter what the laws of the kingdom says. She is motivating by her obligations towards her family, and by her personal beliefs. She first faces her sister who is against her from the beginning, because she is afraid of Creon’s decrees. Antigone excuses her sister from burying her brother with her. Second obstacle Antigone faces is the rigorous king, Creon, who gives his strict orders that whoever bury Polynices will die. Antigone doesn’t care about Creon’s decrees; she knows the consequences will be the death penalty, but she stands bravely in front of Creon. The final obstacle Antigone faces is her lover who is so in love with her and he can’t see her dieing. Antigone also can’t see her lover cries and she can’t leave him as well. This is the most difficult obstacle that faces Antigone. Finally she kills herself when she finds that it’s more honor to kill herself than Creon kills her. Antigone knows that she will die for what she did. She put what she believes in before her and sacrifices her own life to do what’s right.

O, the Sweetness of Reading :: Literacy Illiterate Education Texas Essays

O, the Sweetness of Reading Works Cited Missing Deep in the wilderness of Texas, the untamed, open fields provide a vast space for imagination to run free. Tales of adventure, cattle ranches, gamblers, rogues, and scoundrels abound. In the book Raising Sweetness, author Diane Stanley contrasts the stereotype of uncivilized lawlessness with a story of eight Texas orphans and the sheriff in their town who adopted them. The contrast of a sheriff of the wild west and orphans provides a unique juxtaposition. Despite this contrast of the stereotypical Texas sheriff, a more realistic problem provides the major conflict of the story—the sheriff and the orphans can not read. Although illiteracy was a common problem in the west it is not a respected method of killing off bad guys. Therefore, modern depictions of the wild west overlook illiteracy. Because illiteracy is the main hindrance to the characters’ quest of being able to read a letter, the illustrations to the book become even more important than just providing interest to the reader. The pictures provide a medium in which not only actions and key information, but also emotions are portrayed. These illustrations become an integral part in adding depth to the story. Through the use of coloring, style, details not described in the text, and perspective the illustrations make the story more effective. The coloring in the pictures makes the story more effective because it portrays the emotion that correlates to the text. For example, one illustration has only the colors brown, black, and white. The corresponding text is a flashback of how the sheriff’s â€Å"darlin’ done broke† his heart (4). Thus, the coloring effectively portrays the sad emotion because dark, neutral colors have a depressing connotation associated with them. Another picture that uses dark coloring portrays the orphanage and the mean caretaker who made the orphans scrub floors with toothbrushes. This illustration uses different shades of brown as the only colors. The picture represents a flashback to a previous book in which the sheriff adopts all the children to save them from the horrid caretaker. The brown tones give the appearance of an old, faded picture. The tones also lack warmth or brightness thus, they correspond to the emotion of dislike for the caretaker. This portrays that the actions took place in the past, and emphasizes the unpleasantness of the memory. Conversely, the illustrator uses light pastel colors whenever the sheriff’s sweetheart, Miss Lucy, is shown.

Guillivers Travels :: Essays Papers

Guillivers Travels Satire in Lilliput In Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Swift uses satire to tell a tale of Lemuel Gulliver going on voyages in strange lands and meeting a variety of different characters. Jonathan Swift’s was one of the greatest satirists of his and our time. In the first book of Gulliver’s Travels millions of young schoolchildren have grown to love this famous story and never recognize the satire hidden in the story. In his first Book he uses satire to demonstrate English politics by using the citizens of Lilliput. Gulliver’s first adventure takes place in Lilliput. Gulliver gets shipwrecked and finds himself tied down by a considerable number of little people called Lilliputians. The Lilliputians stood only six inches high. During this time Swift recognized that England was also small in stature but was dominant force and had a great influence in Europe. England, despite its small size, had the potential to defeat any nation that might try to conquer them. Swift relates this situation with the Lilliputians. They only stood six inches tall but had the power to take on the, â€Å"Man-Mountain†, Gulliver. The ability of the Lilliputians to capture someone ten times their size can be seen as reinforcing their strength as a small nation, such as England. Thus becoming and remaining a great and powerful country. Swift’s personal life surfaced when Queen Anne represented the Lilliputian Empress. She was responsible for blocking Swift’s advancement in the Church of England because she was offended by his writing. Swift in Gulliver Travels had Gulliver urinate on the Empress’ room when it caught on fire. Gulliver’s urination on the palace offended the Lilliputians and thought that they where insignificant. Even though Gulliver’s urination intends to prevent a disaster, it also gives Gulliver the ability to control the Lilliputians in any way he likes. Swift uses this sequence of problems to show a personal issue in his life. Swift’s urination scene parody’s his own life giving him a satire within a satire. By pointing this out in the story, he mocks his critics. Swift further illustrates satire by comparing English government to Lilliput. In the early eighteenth century, the English government was under the Whig’s political party. Swift represented himself as Gulliver as being a Tory, and the Lilliputians as being power-hungry Whigs. Their heels of their shoes identified these parties.

The thud came again

Rose clicked the television on mute, straining her ear against the storm that splattered the roof with a mixture of rain and hail. The soft thump came from the basement, as though someone, or something, had knocked a book to the floor. Rose gripped the arms of the chair and cursed her husband for leaving her alone on a night like this, knowing she was fearful of storms, empty houses and prowlers, however imaginary they might be. She'd already lit every lamp and overhead light in the house, but they failed to dispel the damp, dreary feeling of impending doom. Rose was a bit too over protective about things, she wouldn't stay outside for more than 10 minutes, because of the dangerous sunrays. Her husband Jimmy had nagged her about getting a dog to keep her company on the nights he worked late, but she wouldn't have anything to do with a dog. What if the dog got rabies and went mad while she was alone with him? Her small delicate frame would be no match for a snarling animal who would shred her to pieces with its gnashing teeth. The television screen flickered in muted silence as it ran the news story again, warning the public about the man with the knife. He'd been fooling the police for weeks, leaving behind no clues or reasoning to his appetite for slaughtering woman who were home alone. But Rose knew where the man was. He was in her basement skulking around in the dark with the butcher knife between his teeth. She reached for the phone, preparing to summon the police again, but shuddered at the arrogance during their previous visit less than an hour ago. While searching room to room the officers exchanged glances, as if satisfying a woman's imagination was a waste of their precious time. â€Å"It's Rose Campbell again,† she said weakly into the phone. Despite her attempts to sound rational her voice quivered like a woman on the verge of insanity. â€Å"You must send someone right away. He's in my home†¦I know he is.† Lightning filled the night sky and Rose pulled the receiver away from her ear, fearful of being struck through the mouthpiece. She'd read somewhere about an elderly woman struck by lightning as it travelled through the phone wires and burned her to smithereens. She got more nervous as she thought of it. â€Å"Mrs. Campbell,† the officer sighed, â€Å"our officers have already checked your home from top to bottom and found nothing, why don't you make yourself a nice cup of tea and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Cup of tea?† Rose shouted as a clap of thunder hit the house. â€Å"I don't want a cup of tea†¦ there is a man in my house! I can hear him in the cellar, don't you understand?† It suddenly occurred to Rose that the intruder might hear her, race up the basement stairs, knife clenched in his fist, and put a quick slicing-end to her cry for help. She lowered her voice to a panicked whisper and listened for footsteps on the cellar stairs. â€Å"Maybe he wasn't in the basement when the officer's checked,† she whispered, â€Å"or maybe he was hiding†¦ behind the boiler maybe†¦ or came in through a window after they left.† Rose envisioned the office rolling his eyes like the others had done. â€Å"Okay, Mrs. Campbell,† he said in a defeated voice, â€Å"I'll send someone out as soon as I can.† â€Å"But when will that be?† she demanded, refusing to be treated like a mad woman while a maniac moved slowly just one story below. â€Å"I'm not sure,† his voice had the tone of impatience. â€Å"Lot's of problems due to the storm. We are all pretty busy. Maybe you could call a neighbour? Someone to sit with you till we arrive?† â€Å"Sir, I don't need a baby-sitter! I need you to come and arrest this killer!† There was a long pause followed by a sigh. â€Å"Okay Mrs. Campbell. I'll send someone right over.† Rose replaced the phone in its cradle, this was her lifeline, and trembled at the emptiness of the house. The roar of the storm scared her, a blanket of loneliness encased her, tickling the hairs on the back of her neck. A jolt of lightning crackled nearby, its brilliance exploding the yard beyond the window. The lights flickered, plunging her into darkness and Rose dug her nails into the fabric of the chair. The lights fluttered, fighting to stay alight as the storm roared directly overhead. The lights remained at half strength, their dirty yellow light casting deep shadows in the corners. The phone echoed loudly in the stillness, giving her the fright of her life. She lunged for it; her grip was tight on the receiver. â€Å"Rose? Rose, are you there?† Her husband's voice came wonderfully through the earpiece. â€Å"Yes,† Rose said through her dry mouth. â€Å"Jimmy, please come home right away.† â€Å"What's wrong Rosie?† â€Å"He's in the house, Jimmy†¦ a man with a knife is in the cellar. The police won't do anything about it.† She kept her voice low to prevent anyone but Jimmy from hearing her. There was a silence at his end and Rose didn't like the sound of it. She saw her husband's mind working, preparing to hear the same old speech about her imagination running away with her. â€Å"Now rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he began. â€Å"Don't Rose me!† Her voice shook with anger and panic. â€Å"But Rose†¦ we've been through this time and time again,† Jimmy said, his voice with patience. â€Å"You get yourself all worked up for nothing, scaring yourself half to death. I have to work late sometimes. You know that. Why don't you let me get you a dog to keep you company.† â€Å"What good is a dead dog when there's a killer in the house?† â€Å"Okay Rosie, okay. Maybe I can knock off a little early tonight, but we're going to have a talk about this.† The lights were burning with less strength than before and Rose felt the shadows creeping in on her. She pushed her shaking body from the chair and tiptoed into the kitchen, relieved that Jimmy would be home soon. She hadn't heard any more thuds from the basement. Had she imagined them? She did have an active imagination. Creeping past the closed cellar door Rose opened a kitchen drawer, removed a box of waxed candles and pushed two of them into their candlestick holders. A match lit and breathed life to the wicks. She decided to have a cup of tea and set the kettle on the stove. It came from behind her, on the other side of the cellar door, and Rose spun around, her heart quickening with each beat. She stumbled backwards and pressed against the kitchen counter, never taking her eyes from the doorknob. The cellar door was closed, but not tight, and something was pushing it outwards, revealing two fiery lights twinkling in the darkness. Rose clamped a hand over her mouth, fearful that a scream, however quiet, would squeeze the last bit of breathable air from her lungs. Spinning towards the counter she ran her hands across its surface searching for anything she might use as a weapon. Nothing. She pulled at the knob on the silverware drawer and sent the contents crashing to the floor. Fumbling through the mess Rose felt the carving knife handle and clenched it firmly in her fist. Thunder and hail rocked the frame of the house as another bolt of lightning crackled over her head, illuminating the kitchen just as the cellar door burst open. The creature with the bright eyes stood at opening, it stared at. Rose halted and squinted at the creature, its tail wagging side to side. â€Å"You're are cat!† she shouted, her veins pounding with blood. She tossed the carving knife to the floor. It's just a stupid little cat. Her laughter eased her frightful state, soothing her petrified nerves. The short-hared cat licked its paws. â€Å"Just a cat,† Rose whispered again as kneeled by its side and stroked its fur with her trembling hand. â€Å"Where did you come from, You scared me half to death.† Arching its back it rubbed against Rose's thigh. â€Å"You must be hungry? How about a bowl of milk?† She rose to her feet and opened the fridge door. â€Å"Just a cat indeed,† the man whispered from the shadows of the cellar. Candlelight glinted off the butcher knife in his fist.

Corn Research Essay Essay

Throughout my life I always had an idea that corn played a pretty large roll in our diets, but never gave the topic very much interest or investigation until this assignment. I found myself shocked by a lot of the information that I came across in the assigned reading, supermarkets, internet, and my own home. I immediately learned that I had many different misconceptions of both raw corn, and the foods that it is an ingredient of. This assignment had questions running through my mind regarding the healthiness of corn, the versatility of corn, and whether or not corn is even a vegetable. My investigation included a small notebook of mine, my kitchen and bathroom, two very well known supermarkets in Foods Co. and Smart & Final, and the world wide web. Searching through my own home, I found plenty of items that I never would have guessed to have corn in them. I was not too surprised with anything that I found in my kitchen or inside my refrigerator, but in my restroom were things that definitely caught me off guard. Both my toothpaste and tooth brush contain some type of corn product. My toothpaste bottle/tube stressed that the sorbitol in their product was sourced through the hydrogenation of corn oil, and that if the user has any sensitivity to corn he or she should see a doctor before using. The bristles of my sister’s tooth brush is filled with corn starch, for the purpose of creating a soft brushing experience for sensitive gums. Although both of those products surprised me greatly with their being made with corn, that was not my biggest shock. I found that even my deodorant was produced with corn-derived ingredients. I went on to read an article that says all natural deodorants are made with corn starch. The fact that corn is something that we use to both help restrain perspiration, and to generally keep a nice odor to ourselves really had me scratching my head. After explaining to my mother why I was wandering around the house gazing at random things and their ingredient labels, she pointed me in the direction of a few more corn involved products in her room. I soon discovered a few unexpected items such as hairspray, perfume, and nail polish remover. Never did I expect to see so many things that we use in our every day lives, outside of food products, to be created from, or influenced by corn-derived ingredients. The next area of my corn investigation was Supermarkets; specifically Foods Co. and Smart & Final. There were a few things that shocked me greatly in these places, but not quite as much as the search through my own home. Walking through the isles of Foods Co. and Smart & Final, I found quite an unpredictable corn filled product in both Wonder Bread and Pepperidge Farm Bread. Turns out that both of these brands run high in fructose corn syrup, being each of their fourth ingredient. As well as most breads, probably the most well known brand of ketchup, Heinz, is high in both corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup. Apparently I grew up pretty naive in believing that ketchup was made purely of tomatoes and possibly a little bit of salt. One thing that I found to be strange is that high fructose corn syrup is an ingredient in both protein/nutrition bars and candy bars. I was scratching my head for a good while trying to figure out if corn syrup was actually a healthy ingredient or an unhealthy one. Power Bars might have misunderstood the word â€Å"nutrition†, because the very famous Hershey Chocolate brand and Life Savers gummy candy are both very high on their amounts of corn syrup. The contrast of Power Bars claiming to be a healthy alternative to sugary snacks left me a bit confused. Overall I wasn’t completely blown away by most items found in supermarkets that use different forms of corn in their production, but there were a few that definitely made me scratch my head and think for a second. My investigation concluded after my venture to the supermarkets. Once I was home and reflected on my entire page of notes on what I discovered, my eyes were opened to the importance of corn in today’s culture. I began to realize that corn is much more than a bunch of kernels that feed our stomach and help create other basic foods. I always knew that corn played a large role in the production of common foods such as tortillas, chips, candy, and believe it or not I also knew that it was used in some brands of yogurt. Never did I expect to find it in condiments such as ketchup, or nutrition bars like the popular brand â€Å"Power Bars†; and I don’t think anybody would have guessed that corn is used in the production of in-home items like some hairsprays, toothpaste, and deodorants. I still think it is strange that corn is something that takes part in cleansing our bodies of odor and cleaning our teeth. The exploration throughout local supermarkets and my home helped me gain proper knowledge of corn’s versatility. I discovered that corn is not purely an edible product, but that it is something that can be used as an ingredient for cleansing tools such as toothpaste, and odor removers such as deodorants. Also, I learned of the different ways that corn can be altered to be a proper ingredient for certain products. When we say that corn is all around us, we certainly do not mean that there are yellow kernels in our soda cans, or that solid corn has been mixed into our toothpastes. There are different subdivisions of corn, or derivatives. When we say corn is all around us, we could mean corn starch, sweet corn, corn syrup, or others. As my in-home and supermarket exploration reached an end, my online investigation was about to begin. I decided to first answer the question that had me most intrigued: How healthy is corn for your body? I quickly found a very informative and factual blog website that provided exactly the information that I was hoping to learn. Eatingwell. com contained two articles written by separate authors, in two different years. The first article answered my question with two strong points, while the other brought to light five different myths about sweet corn. The first article, â€Å"What’s Fresh: Is Corn Healthy Or Not? † explained that corn is indeed a healthy ingredient. The author, Carolyn Malcoun, made it known that corn is a starchy vegetable. Like most other starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and peas, it contains a solid amount of fiber. Specifically speaking, corn contains four grams of fiber per one cup of kernels. Fiber, like most of us probably realize, is an indigestible portion of plant foods that is extremely healthy for us. Fiber is known for lowering blood sugar, reducing cholesterol, and very well could help prevent colon cancer. As well as containing fiber, corn is also filled with a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, like most yellow or green colored vegetables are. Lutein and zeaxanthin are both well known for reducing risk of chronic eye diseases such as cataracts, especially as you begin to age. So ultimately, this article was written to prove the fact that corn can very well be a part of a healthy diet. One note that was made very clear was that the corn this author was writing of was corn that is to be bought on the cob, not corn that makes enthol and high-fructose corn syrup, which is definitely not the same. Unfortunately, that is the type of corn that is found most common in the American diet. In fact, of the ninety-four million acres of corn that was grown in the United States in the year 2007, about one percent of it was sweet corn. It was a high recommendation to support your local farmers and receive your corn and other plant and ground-grown vegetables fresh. The next article that I examined was written by Matthew Thompson, in July of last year. Thompson is the associate food editor for EatingWell Magazine that brought to light five different but common myths about sweet corn, the corn that is found most commonly used in the American diet. The first myth that he tackled was the myth that most sweet corn is genetically modified. In the year of 2011, only three to four percent of the sweet corn grown on United State’s soil was genetically modified, which is planned to be a much different number in the summer of 2013. Monsanto, a giant sustainable agricultural company, is approving new genetically modified performance sweet-corn seeds. Although there has not been much word on how many of the new seeds will be planted throughout the summer, USDA (United States Department Of Agriculture) organic corn has been proved to be the way to go. The second myth was that corn is both fattening and sugary. The truth is that one ear of corn contains the same number of calories and even less than a quarter of the amount of sugar. Although that might mean that corn is one of the healthier choices at your family get together doesn’t mean that we should decide to scarf down a corn on the cob that is smothered in butter and other condiments of that nature. The third myth was that corn is made less nutritious when cooked. Although you might be thinking to yourself how much that makes sense (much like I id), cooking the corn actually increases antioxidant activity; which helps protect the body from diseases such as cancer and heart disease. The fourth myth is that corn has zero healthy benefits, which was quickly verified as an invalid assumption when I learned that one mid-sized ear of sweet corn offers a three-gram dose of dietary fiber which we earlier discovered to be extremely nutritious for our bodies. The fifth and last myth that was brought to light was that the best way to choose corn is by color. Turns out that the variety of the corn is far less important than the freshness of the cob. The color of the kernels actually doesn’t matter. Preferences will vary, just like choosing your flavor of ice cream. Curious as to how to choose the corn that would be considered most fresh? Simple. Don’t purchase corn that has been out of the field for over twenty-four hours. A quick Google search answered my last question: Is corn a vegetable? I had assumed that since corn is something that grows from the ground that it must be a vegetable, which I now know as not to be true. I learned that corn is actually considered to be a grain. Corn indeed grows from the ground, but is not attached to a stem, leaf, or root. However, this is a highly debated topic throughout America, ask the US State Senators of New York. They had the liberty of deciding the state vegetable. Despite the fact that the state of New York is the second largest onion producer in the United States, the popular vote went to corn. How can corn be the official vegetable of a state when it is actually considered a grain rather than a vegetable? I never found the answer to that one. Once my study of corn had completely reached an end, I finally realized how much I actually did not know about corn. A large number of different facts were brought to light, and the air was cleared referring to the different misconceptions and assumptions that I too have made about corn, as well as many of the people around my every day life. This is an assignment that I am happy I tackled on full force, because it had to do with my every day life. I am glad that I was able to have an assignment that was so relevant to the American lifestyle.

Physiological Disorders Essay

In this assignment I will be looking at the nature of two named physiological disorders. I will explain its sign and symptoms and access possible difficulties involved in the diagnosis of the disorders from their signs and symptoms. The two physiological disorders are coronary heart disease and breast cancer. Coronary heart disease: Coronary heart disease is the build-up of plaque such as cholesterol and other fatty substances within the coronary arteries causing a reduced or no supply of oxygen to the heart. The process of plaque lining the coronary arteries is called arteriosclerosis. Coronary heart disease can be caused and triggered by many different factors. These include: Smoking; lifetime smoking roughly doubles your risk of developing heart disease because the chemicals in tobacco get into the bloodstream from the lungs and they damage the blood vessels and other parts of the body. It is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease; High blood pressure; the blood pressure can become dangerous the higher it gets. An increased of blood pressure is an increase of the force of blood against the walls of the arteries and the higher the blood pressure the higher the likelihood the walls of the arteries can become damaged. This can lead to stiffness of the arteries making them less flexible which can lead to the build-up of cholesterol, even after being used on cells the extra gets deposited inside the artery wall lining which can lead to atherosclerosis and this can occur from unhealthy diet intake. Your blood pressure and cholesterol level are also important. All people aged over 40 should have a cardiovascular health risk assessment’ usually available at your GP surgery. If you have a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, treatment to reduce high blood pressure (hypertension) and/or cholesterol may be advised. Physical activity like exercising helps reduce blood pressure and the likelihood of obesity; Diabetes, people with diabetes have the same risk of developing heart disease as a person who has had a heart attack but who doesn’t have diabetes; obesity, obese individuals are more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood fats. If your blood vessel are narrow due to a build-up of atheroma or if the symptoms of coronary heart disease cannot be controlled using medication, surgery may be needed to open up or replace the blocked arteries in severe cases heart transplants may even be needed if the heart is too damaged to function after a serious  build-up of plaque or after a heart attack. Breast cancer: Breast cancer is the serious disorder that is very common amongst both men and women in today’s day and age. In the UK about 1 in 8 women develop breast cancer at some stage of their life and also it is the most common frequently investigated cancer in quality of life studies. The breasts and every other part of our body is made up of millions of individual cells normally they would function to multiply and grow in an orderly way the body has implicated, however in cancer this process goes wrong and dysfunctional cells begin to multiply rapidly and uncontrollably. It has not been proven why exactly the breast cancer is caused however there are many risk factors that are associated with breast cancer which if taken into consideration can help reduce the risk of the likelihood of getting breast cancer. Some of the risk factors: obesity and alcohol abuse; if a woman loses weight and limits alcohol intake, her risk of developing breast cancer may diminish; age, it is most common for women to develop breast cancer at an older age particularly women who have been through menopause and are over the age of 50; and some studies also have shown that diet and vitamins play a role in breast cancer risk the use of antiperspirants containing specific chemicals and environmental chemical use are also uncertain risk factors; previous breast cancer if you have previously has breast cancer you are at higher risk of obtaining and developing the disease again, this can be either in the same breast or in the other one; Alcohol, studies have showed that women who drink alcohol on a daily basis are more likely to develop diseases than those who do not drink at all. If you are concerned about a history of breast cancer in your family you should see GP and they will want to take a family history. Before seeing your GP it is a good idea to try to find out who in your family has been diagnosed with breast cancer at what age they were diagnosed ad their exact blood relationship to you. On the basis of the family history, it is usually possible for your GP to access your risk as either near-normal, moderate or high. If your risk is moderate or high then if you wish you may be referred to be a doctor who is specialist for further assessment and counselling. There are many treatments of breast cancer, the seriousness and the type of cancer will result in what type of treatment is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is given to advanced stage of breast cancer. And it is a nurse role to educate the women receiving chemotherapy about the  names of drugs and they are administered and their side effects. P2- Explain the signs and symptoms related to two named physiological disorders. Coronary heart disease The main symptom of coronary heart disease is angina. Angina is chest pain that occurs when the blood supply to the muscles of the heart is restricted. It usually happens because the arteries supplying the heart become hardened and narrowed. This can be a mild, uncomfortable feeling similar to indigestion. However, a severe angina attack can cause a painful feeling of heaviness or tightness, usually in the centre of the chest which may spread to the arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach. It is often triggered by physical activity or stressful situations. Symptoms usually pass in less than 10 minutes and can be relieved by resting or using a nitrate tablet or spray. If your arteries become completely blocked, it can cause a heart attack. A heart attack can cause severe pain in the centre of your chest, which may feel like very bad digestion or you can have mild pain and feel unwell. Symptoms can happen suddenly but sometimes the pain can develop more slowly. Symptoms include: a feeling of heaviness, squeezing or crushing in the centre of your chest, feeling dizzy, feeling breathless and feeling sick or vomiting. The symptoms of a heart attack can be similar to indigestion. A heart attack can happen at any time, including while you are resting and if heart pains last longer than 15 minutes it may be the start of a heart attack. Unlike angina the symptoms of a heart attack are not usually relieved using a nitrate tablet or spray. Heart failure can also occur in people with coronary heart disease when the heart becomes weak to pump blood around the body which can cause fluid to build up in the lungs that makes it increasingly difficult to breathe. The most common signs and symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath or trouble breathing; fatigue; and swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, stomach and veins in the neck. All of these symptoms are the result of fluid build-up in your body. When symptoms start, you may feel tire and short of breath after routine physical effort like climbing stairs. Breast cancer The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast. Most breast lumps are fluid-filled cysts or fibro adenomas which are benign. Benign neoplasms  are often the complication of fibrocystic hyperplasia and common in young women between 18-25 years and rare after the age of 50. However, you should always see a doctor if a lump develops as the breast lump may be cancerous. Other symptoms which may be noticed in the affected breast include: Changes in the size or shape of a breast Dimpling or thickening of some of the skin on a part of a breast The nipple becoming inverted (turning in) Rarely a discharger occurring from a nipple (which may be blood-stained) A rare type of breast cancer, causing a rash around the nipple, which can look similar to a small patch of eczema Rarely, pain in a breast. Pain is not a usual early symptom but many women develop painful breasts and this is not usually caused by cancer. P3- Describe the investigation that are carried out to enable the diagnosis of these physiological disorders? Coronary Heart Disease require many tests and investigations before a diagnosis can be made such as electrocardiogram which is also known as (ECG) is one of the most widely used tests for detecting heart problems with the help of this that regulates the heart cycle of contraction and relaxation. A number of electrodes (small, sticky patches) put on your arms, legs and chest. It’s important to have an electrocardiogram as part of an initial evaluation for any individual who is suspected of or diagnosed with coronary heart disease the test is likely to be repeated periodically to find out the occurrence of heart examinations. In some cases you may have an exercise ECG test or stress test; this is when an ECG recording is taken while you are exercising. If you experience pain while exercising, the test can help identify whether your symptoms are caused by angina which is usually due to CHD. Blood tests pick up abnormalities that influence how well the heart working e.g. they can detect raised levels of cholesterol, which may lead to CHD, abnormal levels of thyroid hormones which can affect the heart muscle cells are damaged in a heart attack. You may need to have a number of blood tests to monitor the activity of the heart; these may include cardiac enzyme tests which ca n show whether there has been recent damage to the heart muscle. An X-ray may be used to look at the heart, lungs and chest wall and this can help rule out any other conditions that may be causing your symptoms. If your doctor feels you are risk of CHD, they may carry out a  risk assessment. This involves asking about your medical and family history, your life style and blood test as I’ve already mentioned. If you have CHD you’re GP or practice nurse can tell you what your ideal weight is in relation to your build and height. Body mass index will be measured. You also need to regular exercise to make your heart and blood circulatory system more efficient, lower your cholesterol level, and also keep your blood pressure at a healthy level Breast Cancer has many investigations that take place before a diagnosis can be made such as a Biopsy is when a sample is taken of lump or abnormal area the biopsy sample is then analysed in a laboratory and the cells are examined this allows the doctors to see exactly what type of cancer it is and whether it’s likely to grow slowly or more quickly. There are many types of biopsies that can be used including core needle biopsy, blood tests and fine needle aspiration and excision biopsy. Scans can measure the size of the cancer and whether it has spread to other parts of the body or nearby this is called staging the cancer. Once the type and stage of the cancer is known the doctors can discuss with the individual how best to treat them. The different types of scans that can be used include ultrasounds, mammograms and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); ultrasound is an imaging technique that used sound waves to create a picture of the breast tissue. It is generally used as a test to a mammogram an ultra sound is the best way to check whether the lump is a solid or filled with fluid a mammogram is one of the most important tools to diagnose breast cancer. It is a breast X-Ray which helps to detect breast cancer, even before there are any obvious signs and symptoms. In the UK, women between 50 and 70 are invited to have a mammogram every three years as part of a national breast screening programme. The procedure is very safe and it doesn’t make more than 20 minutes there is some discomfort and pain in the breasts when the breast is pressed on an upper and lower plate. MRI imaging technology used in the diagnosis of cancer unlike a mammogram that uses X-Rays to get the images of the breast, MRI use magnets and radio waves to create 3D images of the breast tissue. Sometimes a dye is injected in to the individuals arm cancer cells need a large amount of blood supply for their growth and the MRI shows where and whether the dye is concentrated in certain areas indicating cancer cells and the picture it appears as a white dark background. Having investigations for a breast problem can be a  worrying and stressful time. The staff in the clinic will know that you want results as soon as possible and your specialist may be able to tell you what they think the outcome might be. However, the results of all the investigations you’ve had are usually needed before you can be given more detailed information. The clinic will let you know how and when you’ll get your results. M1- Assess possible difficulties involved in the diagnosis of the disorders from their signs and symptoms. There are many possible difficulties that can be involved in the diagnosis of coronary heart disease and one of them is ECG. Even though an ECG is an important test for detecting heart problems it isn’t advisable to have an ECG done every year because there are two reasons for this. The first is that there isn’t yet evidence that routine screening actually improves long-term health outcomes. Secondly, ECGS provide too many false-positive tests, especially in women leading to unnecessary additional tests and too many false-negative tests which lead to missed abnormalities. However, this advice could change in the future depending on new evidence from the clinical trials. People who are older or out of shape have arthritis, lung disease, vascular disease or other medical conditions or those who cannot exercise enough to undergo the exercise tolerance test take a phar macologic stress test. In place of exercise patients are given medications that increase the hearts need for blood, allowing doctors to detect blockages that obstruct the supply of blood. However, the test is considered safe for most people. Problems that can be involved in the diagnosis of breast cancer can include many women finding having a mammography to be uncomfortable or even painful but this is normally just for a short time. However some women may find that the pain or soreness lasts for a few days. Mammograms can sometimes show an abnormal area in the breast that is later found not to be a cancer when further tests are carried out. This is known as a false-positive result. It takes a lot of time to get the results for further tests and it can be a very worrying time and some women may continue to feel anxious even after they’ve been told they don’t have breast cancer (negative result). About 1 in 10 women who have breast screening will have an abnormal result and be asked to go for further tests. The tests may include more mammograms, ultrasound scans or biopsies of the  breast tissue which can cause pain or scarring. Most of the women asked back for further tests won’t have breast cancer. 1 or 2 mammograms to be takes again for various reasons including the following; The x-ray picture is blurred and cannot be read by the doctor; there is some kind of equipment failure for example the machine that processes the x-ray films breasts down however this is very rare. The mammogram missed part of the breast and it needs to be retakes so that the whole breast can be seen. Although mammography is the most effective and reliable way of detecting breast cancer early, it is not always perfect. A breast cancer may not be detected by mammogram because some cancers are very difficult to see on the x-ray and the person reading the x-ray may miss the cancer. This will happen very rarely no matter how experienced the person reading the x-ray is. So, to reduce the risk of a cancer being missed all mammograms are looked at by two people. Reference http://www.patient.co.uk/health/preventing-cardiovascular-diseases http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Coronary-heart-disease/Pages/Symptoms.aspx http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad/signs.html http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/breast-cancer-information/breast-awareness/referral-breast-clinic/mammogram-ultrasound-scan-core-biopsy-fna