Things They Carried By O`Briens Essays - The Things They Carried

Things They Carried By O`Briens In Timothy O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, a number of insightful themes are forwarded by the author. One theme in particular interests me the most; the subject area is how people handle their emotions through the avoidance or distortion of reality. Specifically, throughout the novel a number of characters respond to the emotionally charged realities they are confronted with in one of two major ways, distortion or escapism. This pattern, shown throughout the novel, surveys one manner in which humans approach the rough emotions they carry with them throughout their life. To support this thesis I will analyze a number of character's responses to emotional stressors and compare them against my claims of escape and distortion reactions. I have identified two major ways the characters I analyze respond to their realities in this novel, distortion and escapism. When I identify something as distortion, I intend to imply that the characters take the edge off of the reality of their situations by making the events they encounter seem less real. Examples of such behavior would include finding humor in otherwise horrifying situations or even romanticizing the environment around them to make it seem something different than what it is. The escapist manner of reacting to the intensity of emotions is to distance oneself from the actual events or surrounding. To accomplish this all a character needs to do is to daydream themselves away from the problem or to create alternative realities in their own mind. It is important to establish that O'Brien develops the premise that the emotions and situations these men had to deal with were very intense and traumatic. Beyond the more or less obvious contention that dealing with death and war might be painful, there is textual support that O'Brien is trying to get this message across. On page 20, the narrator says, "They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing-these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight." This analysis sets up textual basis for my theme. If it is true that these soldiers experience (d) tremendous emotions then there is room to analyze how they go about carrying their tangible "emotional baggage." Additionally, it should be noted that the characters I analyze in this paper are only a small representative sample of the larger number of characters who may very well fit my within my thesis statement. It is also noteworthy to mention that how I classify a character in terms of their response to emotional intensity-escape or distortion-is very much a debatable contention. Given that, I do believe, however, that my conclusions will stand on the merit of my analysis. In the first chapter, Timothy O'Brien wastes no time examining one coping mechanism, escapism. Escapism is a rather basic way of handling intense emotions. Timothy O'Brien first introduces a character named Lieutenant Jimmy Cross who exhibits the escapist manner of dealing with his emotions. Jimmy Cross is the Lieutenant of the group of men that this story focuses on. Jimmy Cross is first introduced fantasizing about his love, a girl name Martha. Martha is a student back home in New Jersey and for all intents and purposes does not return Lieutenant Cross's love. On pages 3 and 4, the narrator comments that, "They [the letters] were signed Love, Martha, but Lieutenant Cross understood that Love was only a way of signing and did not mean what he sometimes pretended it meant." Thus, despite the fact that Lieutenant Cross acknowledges that Martha probably does not return his love, he still daydreams about falling in love with Martha and the times they spent together before the war. The somewhat excessive, so it seems to the reader, amount of time Jimmy Cross spends thinking about Martha may indeed be a failure of reading. We ask ourselves why it is that Jimmy Cross spends so much time thinking about Martha? This and other similar questions about the daydreaming provide room for interpretation. This daydreaming of Martha is a way of escaping the intensity of emotion Jimmy Cross has to bear during the war. We find out that in the week before Ted Lavender dies Jimmy Cross daydreams a great deal about Martha. This daydreaming helps to take him away from the intensity of the war. On pages 9 and 10 the narrator describes how Lieutenant Cross would walk along his missions thinking about spending time with Martha. While on tour, Lieutenant Cross once received a pebble in a

Organization Structure, Processes and Design project on Magma Design Automation Essays

Organization Structure, Processes and Design project on Magma Design Automation Essays Organization Structure, Processes and Design project on Magma Design Automation Paper Organization Structure, Processes and Design project on Magma Design Automation Paper Magma Design Automation is a fast-growing provider of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software and design services. The company was founded in 1997 on the concept of combining logic design and physical design into a single system to better address emerging deep sub-micron design challenges. MDA is headquartered in Silicon Valley and has a global network of sales support personnel. Magma markets and supports its products through sales and support centers in North America, Europe, Japan, India and Asia-Pacific nations. Magma has grown substantially over the years to achieve sales of over $75 million in 2003. Magmas mission To create and deliver the best EDA software products and solutions, encompassing IC design from concept to completion, enabling our customers commercial success. Magmas Products Magma Design Automation provides electronic design automation (EDA) software that enables chip designers to meet critical time-to-market objectives, improve chip performance and handle multimillion-gate designs. Key products include Blast Create(tm), Blast Plan(tm), Blast Fusion(r) and Blast Noise(r). Magma software products comprise the only truly integrated RTL-to-GDSII design flow. Magmas Customers Magma licenses its design automation software to semiconductor manufacturers and electronic products companies around the world. Among them: Broadcom, Infineon, NEC, Texas Instruments, Toshiba and Vitesse. Need to expand operations ASIC/VLSI development business was rapidly shifting its base from US to India in the later half of 90s. As they form the main customers of Magma, it also needed to follow the change. The main reasons for the start of the Indian operations are: 1. Close proximity to the clients: Magma caters to the multinational companies like Texas Instruments etc, globally. So to support these operations they also have to start their operation in India. 2. High quality manpower and low cost: The availability of the pool of talented engineers in India at low cost was also a reason for the shift. 3. Faster Response Time: Being present locally will also provide the faster response time for the maintenance and support. With these considerations in mind, the company opened its first Indian office at Bangalore in May 2003 with an initial work force of 25 people. The operative goals of the Indian operations are: 1. To upgrade its Indian operations so that it can cater to the Asia-pacific market and Japan, and at a later stage to European market as well. 2. To be amongst the top 3 EDA providers in India. 3. To provide new product development via its RD department for global operations so as to move up in the value hierarchy. Magma India is a part of a Global Matrix structure. The matrix structure helps the company to coordinate between the Indian operation and the parent company in both the product development as well as business development in whole of the globe. The company has three major departments viz. RD, Product Engineering and Field Application Engineering, along with support departments of Finance, Human Resource Development, Information Technology and Marketing. The company has a dual reporting structure with the team in India working alongside the team in the different regions on the same product. Various divisions in different operations Organization structure of Magma design automation Work flows in Magma with the use of cross-functional teams, chosen on geographical and divisional basis as required by the project. The criterion for choosing the group leader is technical expertise. The employees then work on this temporary team till the project is completed. The employees keep moving from one project to another in this fashion in the same division. Each employee thus has a dual reporting structure. He reports to his project lead, in most cases in U.S., as well as the divisional head in India. The organization structure and design of Magma is mainly determined by five factors Organization Strategy and Goals External environment Organization life cycle and size Organizational Culture Technology Magma India follows a differentiation strategy for interacting with its competitive environment and in order to achieve organizational goals. The company attempts to distinguish its products from others in the EDA industry. The products of Magma India are differentiated on the basis of technology, architecture and the features offered by them. The EDA tools offered by Magma are of high quality and they are priced high. Magma is committed to differentiate its products from others in the industry and for this it invests heavily in RD, product research and has got tie ups with other companies to market its products. In order to differentiate its products and to keep a competitive edge, Magma has got a strong RD division. Magma has got a strong customer focus and its FAE department continuously interacts with customers. IT also sends its RD people to customer sites and forms cross-functional teams, if there is such a requirement, at the customer site. Thus, Magma India wants to have the structure and culture of a learning organization and rewards its employees for creativity and innovation. The organizations ability to be flexible is constrained by its divisional architecture. This can be a severe problem as Magma India grows in size. To overcome the disadvantages of the divisional structure in the long term, it should establish strong formal horizontal linkages between divisions. This will increase coordination and add flexibility to the organization. The sector in which Magma India is operating is highly dynamic with lots of activity going on. On one hand small companies are coming fast to fill the niche whereas the old companies are consolidating to retain their matte. Also the environment becomes highly unstable due to the extensive dependence of this sector on the emerging technology. Its main competitors are Cadence, Synopsis, and Mentor Graphics etc. The requirements of the customer are also changing i.e. change of the design due to advent of nanometer technology. There are only a few number of external complexities that means only few external elements are relevant to the company. For Magma, these are changes in technology and clients. Therefore the company is in simple environmental complexity and unstable environmental change. Therefore company shares a moderate to high uncertainty.

Child sexual abuse is a form of harm outlined in Working Together to Essay

Child sexual abuse is a form of harm outlined in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006). Having considered the literature related to this form of harm, a - Essay Example In the past there was a sense of shame and guilt on the child, where they were made to feel that the abuse was their own fault and that talking to anyone about the abuse they were suffering would bring shame on their families. Despite this new openness towards discussing abuse in the family the social workers are constantly facing difficulties in being able to assist those in need. Firstly the powers they are given to intervene are very limited and orders to have the child removed from the family home are only issued under the most extreme of circumstances. A further area that causes difficulties comes with having to deal with ethnic minority families. Within these families the children are often encouraged to not discuss the things that are happening in their homes. There are also cultural issues that can affect the way the child deals with the abuse they are suffering. Within some ethnic families sexual abuse of the child is in some ways regarding as normal. Some ethnic communities might regard the father of the child involving in sexual activity with the child as normal within their community. In order to protect children from abuse several pieces of legislation have been implemented. Child abuse first came under the spotlight in 1889 when the children’s charter was passed1. The aim of this was to prevent the cruelty of children by allowing the state to intervene in relationships between parents and children. Under the charter the police had the power to arrest anyone believed to be ill treating a child or to enter the home of a child they believed to be in danger. The Children’s Act 1908 introduced in Ireland made further changes towards protecting children and created juvenile courts and the registration of foster parents. Irish law went one stage further at this point in time by introducing the Punishment of Incest Act2. Prior to the inclusion of this Act the church were responsible for punishing those who committed incest. Despite legislation

Professional development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional development - Essay Example Unfortunately, there are some factors that disturb necessary reflective practice. At first, time restrictions do not give much air to reflective practice, as I have to solve numerous technical problems that should be settled immediately. Generally, my activity is not supposed to include much time for reflections, and custom practice also demands settling down definite concrete problems, rather than reflection in order to find alternative approaches or theoretical basis for professional strategies. Professional attitudes also comprise various kinds of activity, including technical support and resolving technical questions. Unfortunately, there are very few possibilities to implement mental activity for special theoretical reflections. But I need the time for mental activity, because it pushes me to self-development and this could help me in my professional sphere. In my experience over and over again I face the situations when technology outdoes the practice of tutor. These situations should be regarded from the point of view of the theory that comprises the notions of single-loop learning and double-loop learning. These schemes may be illustrated by examples from my professional experience. An example of single-loop may be a case when I have to print out a poster for a customer. At first, I need to choose a computer which is attached to the device. Then the poster is printed, I roll it up. The next step is to inform the user that the poster is ready and then I bring it to the reception and the customer collection for the user. As for double-loop learning, it is implemented in the case when after a virus that could damage the University system is reported; a team meeting is held out to find the most effective strategy to stop the virus. In this case the decision will depend upon the situation and possible effects. Often I implement reflection-in-action that is often described as thinking and making decisions while the situation unfolds. It involves changing the plans according to the circumstances of the situation. "The practitioner allows himself to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation, which he finds uncertain or unique. He reflects on the phenomenon before him, and on the prior understandings, which have been implicit in his behavior. He carries out an experiment which serves to generate both a new understanding of the phenomenon and a change in the situation." (Schn 1983: 68) Reflection-in-action may be characterized with the help of examples of single and double-loop learning. The former is implemented in the situation when I make copies of Microsoft CDs in QUB without changing the motives and governing variables. Double-loop learning is implemented in situation, when, for instance. A customer requires to provide him with a special equipment to be moved off, because it is old. In such cases I need to use a special program that is called autoclave to format a hard disk to delete the information. After that I contact Belfast City Council to learn about the costs, set a collection time and organize a session, where I will help a customer to get the equipment off. The practice described led me to use and explore the theories of Kolb. In order to make learning more helpful, Kolb (1976) came over with the idea that learners should go through four different stages. These stages are the following: the stage of experience, reflection, the development of new ideas and testing of the new ideas in practice (active

Overview of experience to gain professional membership Case Study

Overview of experience to gain professional membership - Case Study Example This will be very necessary for me in the execution of my duties by arranging meetings and discussing issues brought up my other colleagues. I have also attended several internal training such as training, reporting, and all aspects of project cost control during my working period; therefore gathering a lot of experiences. I have, therefore, been trained into completing my orders and workload at the best and satisfactory standards. That has also made me understand the different forms of contract and supporting documentation. I also have learned to behave professionally, learned to take criticism professionally, learned to do my job and do it perfectly, learned to make good and professional relationships with colleagues, be on time, maintain good performance records and participate on solutions. Within my role, I plan not only my workload and tasks, but also the workloads and tasks of other team associates who work with me. In my projects, I will have to set up and regularly run commercial site team meeting. Being the Senior Quantity Surveyor, I set team objectives and discuss issues that may be current and potential issues and also worries that the team may have. As a Senior Quantity Surveyor, I collect information from one or more sources, and then distribute the information to one or more audiences. I ensure that information management activities are effective and successful. These actions help me in discovering extra principles and strategies, as well as providing a substantial tactics to evolving a supreme information management strategy.1 Being a leader, my main objective is to ensure incessant progress to the strategic and response to the organization. Being a leader in my previous workstations, which include royal construction Ltd, Wates construction Ltd. among others, have made me have good and professional leadership skills. I ensure by managing the infrastructural assets. Moreover, I aim to provide the knowledge of cost effectiveness

Improve The Quality Of Basic Education Education Essay

Improve The Quality Of Basic Education Education Essay On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me Christmas is the season of sharing. In this event, we often give gifts to our family, relatives, friends and other people close to our hearts. We also receive gifts from them. But what is the best gift our true love would give to us? Most of the time, our parents would say that we should study hard because education is the only thing they could give to us. That is the reason why our parents are working hard, to give us education, because it is the most important gift we could have. It is a powerful tool that would help us a lot in dealing with everyday situations. A gift one cannot steal away from us and a tool money cannot afford to buy. We could not easily get it anywhere, it is something we should earn and achieve. The attainment of education is like setting up a Christmas tree, it takes time and we should exert extra effort and determination to achieve it. We deserve to have the best gift. We are worthy to have a quality tool. Our country needs to strengthen the very foundation of education- basic education. But how could we have the best gift? How could we improve the quality of basic education? Basic education, as Ive said earlier, is the very foundation of education. It is where one will spend his developing years and it is important to spend it in a quality system. It is the preparatory stage for higher education. That is why I am happy to promote adding two years in basic education (primary and secondary level of education). In this proposal, we would have additional one year for elementary (Grade 7) and another for secondary (5th Year) in public schools. Let me discuss some issues about this system. First, we would have a better quality of basic education. Because of two additional years, there is more time for learning. In this new and better system, we are not speeding up and cramming the span of time we could learn, but we are widening it to give space for new subjects and improved curriculum. In this system, the quality would be improved by rationalizing the contents of present subjects and by adding new subjects timely needed by the students. We cannot deny the fact that there is a necessity for us to improve basic education. We would have more time in learning and we are not going too fast unprepared. We would have improved curriculum and subject contents. Second, this proposal aims to promote the welfare of our struggling brothers and sisters. If this proposal is not for them then why the recommendation is adding two more years in basic education? According to The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, Article XIV, Section 2, Number 2, The State shall establish and maintain a system of free public education in the elementary and high school levels. So, why not establish two more years in pre-university education? The state would not have any responsibility to pre-university education, by the way. It is because the government is really trying its best to serve the people. Yes, this proposal may have an effect to our countrymen, but it is worth the perseverance and hard work. It is not intended to give them another burden, but it aims to improve their lives. Only incidental costs like transportation and food allowance are the concerns of the families, because basic education is free. And to address these concerns, the government is reall y willing to help them through conditional cash transfers wherein underprivileged families would get a subsidy from the government with due respect to latters conditions. Third, this proposal would lift the burden given to universities and colleges. According to Edilberto C. de Jesus of Philippine Daily Inquirer, Our own Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Philippine Task Force on Education conceded that the 10-year basic education cycle poses problems for our tertiary institutions and their graduates. In college, there are minor subjects and this is the result of problems in basic education. Instead of having the more important subjects in college, the college students still need to comply with minor subjects. Let us put De La Salle University -Dasmarià ±as (DLSU-D) as an example. In DLSU-D, we need to take basic English, Filipino, Math, Science, and Physical Education subjects. Well in fact, we could have these subjects in the additional years of proposed basic education system. Now, there is more time for them to focus on the subjects of their chosen fields. The problem caused by the present system would be addressed properly and not sho uldered by tertiary institutions and the students. Fourth, after graduation, the students would be in working age. Let us do the math. Sixteen years old, which is the typical age of students after high school graduation, plus 2 years from the proposal is equal to 18 years of age, the working age! This good intended effect would greatly influence the job requirement set by the majority of companies to job applicants. Usually, the job requirement is at least in second year college. But with this proposal, the scenario would change. Since the students would graduate at 18, the minimum employment requirement would be at least a high school graduate. Thus, this proposal is really beneficial to the graduates of new basic education system and those who plan or need to work right after high school due to certain circumstances. Fifth, this proposal is really practical. The proposal is a step by step process. It would take some time to have its full effect. The implementation of this new system would be every year. The Grade 1 students would have the new system and improved curriculum. After the succeeding year both Grades 1 and 2, would have the system. After another year Grades 1, 2 and 3 would have it, so on and so forth, until it would have its full effect up to 5th Year high school students. Why I do say this proposal is practical? This proposal is practical because there is no immediate need for the funds, Grade 7 and 5th year students are non-existent during the first six years and eleven years of implementation. Since, the proposal would take some time; the government still has the capacity to address different problems we have in our present system. The government would have the time in preparing for implementation years of improved basic education system. There is enough measure to solve the proble ms like lack of classroom, books, teachers, public schools and also the issue of dropout rate. There is enough time for us! We could build the classrooms and additional schools needed, train the teachers efficiently and process enough learning materials. It is worth the patience for the betterment of basic education system. Last, this proposal would let the system comply with international standards of education. According again to Edilberto C. de Jesus of Philippine Daily Inquirer, In 2009, Education Committee of Unescos Philippine National Commission noted that among 155 Unesco member countries, only Djibouti, Angola and the Philippines still fall below what has become the international norm. This is an issue we need to address because there is an arising concern for our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Our Filipino graduates are deterred by our present system with 10 year basic education system. Their global competence is at risk because other countries do not acknowledge the degrees that our graduates attained. If other countries would stop or doubt employing our OFWs, it would have a huge negative impact in our present economic condition. So, this proposal would help our countrys economy to grow continually and/or to be stable. By complying with global standards, the employment chances would incr ease for our OFWs and other Filipino professionals which would mutually benefit our economy and countrymen. Having two additional years in basic education is idealistic but it is really workable. Education is the most important gift could have. But we deserve to have best gift. We are worthy to have a quality tool. We need to strengthen the very foundation of our country through this plan which aimed to solve the arising problems from our present basic education system. The implementation of this plan would take some time like setting up a Christmas tree, we would have a hard time arranging and decorating it but after we are done, we would see its real beauty, we would feast our eyes with its glittering lights and we could say that it is worth it. We could always start doing something for the betterment of our education sector. Waiting for the progress to come by addressing the problems of present system is good. But it is better to take some practical actions to solve these problems while waiting. We could, we would and we should have the best and quality education. At the end of the day, this blessing would be achieved. That is why I am happy to propose adding two years in basic education.

Computer Crime :: essays research papers

Computer Crime Advances in telecommunications and in computer technology have brought us to the information revolution. The rapid advancement of the telephone, cable, satellite and computer networks, combined with the help of technological breakthroughs in computer processing speed, and information storage, has lead us to the latest revolution, and also the newest style of crime, "computer crime". The following information will provide you with evidence that without reasonable doubt, computer crime is on the increase in the following areas: hackers, hardware theft, software piracy and the information highway. This information is gathered from expert sources such as researchers, journalists, and others involved in the field. Computer crimes are often heard a lot about in the news. When you ask someone why he/she robbed banks, they world replied, "Because that's where the money is." Today's criminals have learned where the money is. Instead of settling for a few thousand dollars in a bank robbery, those with enough computer knowledge can walk away from a computer crime with many millions. The National Computer Crimes Squad estimates that between 85 and 97 percent of computer crimes are not even detected. Fewer than 10 percent of all computer crimes are reported this is mainly because organizations fear that their employees, clients, and stockholders will lose faith in them if they admit that their computers have been attacked. And few of the crimes that are reported are ever solved. Hacking was once a term that was used to describe someone with a great deal of knowledge with computers. Since then the definition has seriously changed. In every neighborhood there are criminals, so you could say that hackers are the criminals of the computers around us. There has been a great increase in the number of computer break-ins since the Internet became popular. How serious is hacking? In 1989, the Computer Emergency Response Team, a organization that monitors computer security issues in North America said that they had 132 cases involving computer break-ins. In 1994 alone they had some 2,341 cases, that's almost an 1800% increase in just 5 years. An example is 31 year old computer expert Kevin Mitnick that was arrested by the FBI for stealing more then $1 million worth in data and about 20,000 credit card numbers through the Internet. In Vancouver, the RCMP have arrested a teenager with breaking into a university computer network. There have been many cases of computer hacking, another one took place here in Toronto, when Adam Shiffman was charged with nine counts of fraudulent use of computers and eleven counts of mischief to data, this all carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.

Carrie Chapter Twenty-one

Part Three Wreckage From the national AP ticker, Friday, June 5, 1979: CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE (AP) STATE OFFICIALS SAY THAT THE DEATH TOLL IN CHAMBERLAIN STANDS AT 409, WITH 49 STILL LISTED AS MISSING. INVESTIGATION CONCERNING CARIETTA WHITE AND THE SO-CALLED ‘TK' PHENOMENA CONTINUES AMID PERSISTENT RUMOURS THAT AN AUTOPSY ON THE WHITE GIRL HAS UNCOVERED CERTAIN UNUSUAL FORMATIONS IN THE CEREBRUM AND CEREBELLUM OF THE BRAIN. THIS STATES GOVERNOR HAS APPOINTED A BLUE-RIBBON COMMITTEE TO STUDY THE ENTIRE TRAGEDY. ENDS. FINAL JUNE 5 030 N AP From The Lewiston Daily Sun, Sunday, September 7 (p. 3): The Legacy of TK Scorched Earth and Scorched Hearts CHAMBERLAIN – Prom Night is history now. Pundits have been saying for centuries that time heals all wounds, but the hurt of this small Western Maine town may be mortal. The residential streets are still there on the town's East Side, guarded by graceful Oaks that have stood for two hundred years, the trim saltboxes and ranch styles on Morin Street and Brickyard Hill are still neat and undamaged. But this New England pastoral lies on the rim of a blackened and shattered hub, and many of the neat houses have FOR SALE signs on their front lawns. Those still occupied are marked by black wreaths on front doors. Bright-yellow Allied vans and orange U-Hauls of varying sizes are a common sight on Chamberlain's streets these days. The town's major industry, Chamberlain Mills and Weaving, still stands, untouched by the fire that raged over much of the town on those two days in May. But it has only been running one shift since July 4th, and according to mill president William A. Chamblis, further lay-offs are a strong possibility. ‘We have the orders,' Chamblis said, ‘but you can't run a mill without people to punch the time clock. We don't have them. I've gotten notice from thirty-four men since August 15th. The only thing we can see to do now is close up the dye house and job our work out. We'd hate to let the men go, but this thing is getting down to a matter of financial survival.' Roger Fearon has lived in Chamberlain for twenty-two years, and has been with the mill for eighteen of those years. He has risen during that time from a third-floor bagger making seventy-three cents an hour to dye-house foreman; yet he seems strangely unmoved by the possibility of losing his job. ‘I'd lose a damned good wage,' Fearon said. ‘It's not something you take lightly. The wife and I have talked it over. We could sell the house – it's worth $20,000 easy – and although we probably won't realize half of that, we'll probably go ahead and put it up. Doesn't matter. We don't really want to five in Chamberlain any more. Call it what you want but Chamberlain has gone bad for us.' Fearon is not alone. Henry Kelly, proprietor of a tobacco shop and soda fountain called the Kelly Fruit until Prom Night levelled it, has no plans to rebuild. ‘The kids are gone,' he shrugs. ‘If I opened up again, there'd be too many ghosts in too many corners. I'm going to take the insurance money and retire to St Petersburg.' A week after the tornado of '54 had cut its path of death and destruction through Worcester, the air was filled with the sound of hammers, the smell of new timber, and a feeling of optimism and human resilience. There is none of that in Chamberlain this fall. The main road has been cleared of rubble and that is about the extent of it. The faces that you meet are full of dull hopelessness. Men drink beer without talking in Frank's Bar on the corner of Sullivan Street, and women exchange tales of grief and loss in back yards. Chamberlain has been declared a disaster area, and money is available to help put the town back on its feet and begin rebuilding the business district. But the main business of Chamberlain in the last four months has been funerals. Four hundred and forty are now known dead, eighteen more still unaccounted for. And sixty-seven of the dead were Ewen High School Seniors on the verge of graduation. It is this, perhaps, more than anything else, that has taken the guts out of Chamberlain. They were buried on June 1 and 2 in three mass ceremonies. A memorial service was held on June 3 in the town square. It was the most moving ceremony that this reporter has ever witnessed. Attendance was in the thousands, and the entire assemblage was still as the school band, stripped from fifty-six to a bare forty, played the school song and taps. There was a sombre graduation ceremony the following week at neighbouring Motton Academy, but there were only fifty-two Seniors left to graduate. The valedictorian, Henry Stampel, broke into tears halfway through his speech and could not continue. There were no Graduation Night parties following the ceremony; the Seniors merely took their diplomas and went home. And still, as the summer progressed, the hearses continued to roll as more bodies were discovered. To some residents it seemed that each day the scab was ripped 69 again, so that the wound could bleed afresh. If you are one of the many curiosity-seekers who have been through Chamberlain in the last week, you have seen a town that may be suffering from terminal cancer of the spirit. A few people, looking lost, wander through the aisles of the A&P. The Congregational Church on Carlin Street is gone, swept away by fire, but the brick Catholic Church still stands on Elm Street, and the trim Methodist Church on outer Main Street although singed by fire, is unhurt. Yet attendance has been poor. The old men still sit on the benches in Courthouse Square, but there is little interest in the checkerboards or even in conversation. The over-all impression is one of a town that is waiting to die. It is not enough, these days, to say that Chamberlain will never be the same. It may be closer to the truth to say that Chamberlain will simply never again be. Excerpt from a letter dated June ninth from principal Henry Grayle to Peter Philpott, Superintendent of Schools. †¦ and so I feel I can no longer continue in my present position, feeling, as I do, that such a tragedy might have been averted if I had only had more foresight. I would like you to accept my resignation effective as of July 1, if this is agreeable to you and your staff. . . Excerpt from a letter dated June eleventh from Rita Desjardin, instructor of Physical Education, to Principal Henry Grayle: †¦ am returning my contract to you at this time. I feet that I would kill myself before ever teaching again. Late at night I keep thinking: If I had only reached out to that girl, if only, if only †¦ Found painted on the lawn of the house tot where the White bungalow had been located: CARRIE WHITE IS BURNING FOR HER SINS JESUS NEVER FAILS From ‘Telekinesis: Analysis and Aftermath' (Science Yearbook, 1981), by Dean D. L McGuffin: In conclusion, I would like to point out the grave risk authorities are taking by burying the Carrie White affair under the bureaucratic mat-and I am speaking specifically of the so-called White Commission. The desire among politicians to regard TK as a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon seems very strong, and while this may be understandable it is not acceptable. The possibility of a recurrence, genetically speaking, is 99 per cent. Ifs time we planned now for what may be †¦ From Slang Terms Explained.. A Parents' Guide, by John R. Coombs (New York: The Lighthouse Press, 1985), p. 73: to rip off a Carrie. To cause either violence or destruction; mayhem. confusion; (2) to commit arson (from Carrie White, 1963-1979) From The Shadow Exploded (p. 201): Elsewhere in this book mention is made of a page in one of Carrie White's school notebooks where a line from a famous rock poet of the '60s, Bob Dylan, was written repeatedly, as if in desperation. It might not be amiss to close this book with a few lines from another Bob Dylan song, lines that might serve as Carrie's epitaph: I wish I could write you a melody so plain/ That would save you, dear lady, from going Insane/ That would ease you and cool you and cease the pain/Of your useless and pointless knowledge†¦ From My Name Is Susan Snell (p. 98): This little book is done now. I hope it sells well so I can go someplace where nobody knows me. I want to think things over, decide what I'm going to do between now and the time when my light is carried down that long tunnel into blackness †¦ From the conclusion of The State Investigatory Board of Maine in connection with the events of May 27-28 in Chamberlain, Maine: †¦ and so we must conclude that, while an autopsy performed on the subject indicates some cellular changes which may indicate the presence of some paranormal power, we find no reason to believe that a recurrence is possible or even likely †¦ Excerpt from a letter dated May 3, 1988, from Amelia Jenks, Royal Knob, Tennessee, to Sandra Jens, Maiken, Georgia: ? ­and your little neece is growin like a weed, awfull big for only 2. She has blue eyes like her daddy and my blond hair but that will porubly go dark. Still she is awfull pretty & I think sometimes when she is asleep how she looks like our momma. The other day wile she was playin in the dirt beside the house I sneeked around and saw the funnyest thing. Annie was playin with her brothers marbles only they was mooving around all by themselfs. Annie was giggeling and laffing but I was a little skared. Some of them marbles was going right up & down. It reminded me of gramma, do you remember when the law came up that time after Pete and there guns flew out of there hands and grammie just laffed and laffed. And she use to be able to make her rocker go even when she wasen in it. I gave me a reel bad turn to think on it. I shure hope she don't get heartspels like grammie did, remember? Well I must go & do a wash so give my best to Rich and take care to send us some pitchers when you can. Still our Annie is awfull pretty & her eyes are as brite as buttons. I bet she'll be a worldbeeter someday. All my love, Melia

Meaning of the suffix -ee

Meaning of the suffix -ee Meaning of the suffix -ee Meaning of the suffix -ee By Guest Author This is a guest post by Tony Hearn. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. Time was when the suffix -ee lived a quiet and well-ordered life in its own restricted little corner. Your bank slips would ask for the name of the payee, perhaps. Lawyers would talk about vendee and grantee. It was clear enough. The entity with the -ee was the recipient. All neat and tidy. But no more. I dont know what its been fed, but -ee is now mutant and rampaging. The suffix is derived through French -Ã ©(e) ultimately from the Latin suffix -a-tus. For those who care, its the past participle of -a- stem verbs, signifying something having been done. As such it is passive, not active. Hence the agent is the payer and the recipient the payee. In its passive sense its been around for a long while, especially in the Law. Vendee and grantee, for example, refer to the indirect object of an action (the person to whom something is done). Payee refers to a direct object (the recipient of an action). Interviewee as someone being interviewed dates from 1880-85. Trainee is unexceptionable enough. Taxee, a person who is taxed has made its ugly appearance in the Urban Dictionary, though it remains unknown to my published dictionaries. More such misfits exist. Somewhere along the line someone who should have known better morphed the suffix -ee into an all-purpose active termination. Absentee seems to be an early example (1537!), but here perhaps the idea is that a person has absented himself. No such excuse attaches to the modern plague. Now we have attendees who should surely be attenders. This gains 456,000 hits on a Google search! Apparently the rot set in early: the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary gives 1937 as the earliest citation. And what about standee: 147,000 hits? Have our readers got any more horrors to add to this rogues gallery? I am left wondering whether my bank clerk knows the difference any longer between payer and payee. It could make a lot of difference! Tony Hearn has had a lifetimes love affair with language and with English in particular. As a Primary School teacher in England he has promoted a love of language and the importance of a mastery of its use. He enjoys the byways of websites like The Phrase Finder. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their SynonymsCharles's Pen and Jesus' Name

Biography of Mary Read, English Pirate

Biography of Mary Read, English Pirate Mary Read (1685–buried April 28, 1721) was an English pirate who sailed with Calico Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny. Though little is known for certain about her former life, she was well-known as a pirate from 1718 to 1720. After being captured, she was spared hanging because she was pregnant but died shortly after due to an illness. Fast Facts: Mary Read Known For: One of the most famous female pirates of all time, Read sailed with Calico Jack Rackham during the early 1700s.Also Known As: Mark ReadBorn: 1685 in EnglandDied: 1721 (buried April 28, 1721) in Port Royal, Jamaica Early Life Most of the limited information about Mary Reads life comes from Captain Charles Johnson (believed by many, but not all, pirate historians to be a pseudonym for Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe). Johnson was descriptive, but never mentioned his sources, so most of Reads alleged background is in doubt. Read was supposedly born sometime around 1690 to the widow of a sea captain. Mary’s mother dressed her up as a boy to pass her off as her older brother, who had died, to get money out of Mary’s paternal grandmother. Mary found she liked dressing as a boy, and as a young â€Å"man† she found work as a soldier and sailor. Marriage Read was fighting for the British in Holland when she met and fell in love with a Flemish soldier. She revealed her secret to him and they married. For a time, they operated an inn called The Three Horseshoes not far from the castle at the town of Breda in the Netherlands. After her husband died, Read could not operate the inn alone, so she went back to war, dressing once again as a man. Peace was soon signed, however, and she was out of work. Read took a ship to the West Indies in hopes of finding new opportunities. Joining the Pirates While en route to the West Indies, Read’s ship was attacked and she was captured by pirates. Read decided to join them and for a while, she lived the life of a pirate in the Caribbean before accepting the king’s pardon in 1718. Like many former pirates, she signed on board a privateer commissioned to hunt down those buccaneers who had not accepted the pardon. The mission didn’t last long, however, as the whole crew soon mutinied and took over the ship. By 1720, she had found her way on board the pirate ship of â€Å"Calico Jack† Rackham. Anne Bonny Calico Jack already had a woman on board: his lover Anne Bonny, who had left her husband for a life of piracy. According to legend, Bonny developed an attraction to Mary, not knowing that she was a woman. When Bonny tried to seduce her, Read revealed herself. According to some accounts, they became lovers anyway, with Rackham’s blessing (or participation). In any event, Bonny and Read were two of Rackham’s most bloodthirsty pirates, each carrying- according to one report- a machete and a pistol. Read was a good fighter. According to legend, she developed an attraction to a man who had been forced to join the pirate crew. The object of her affection managed to irritate a certain cutthroat on board, who challenged him to a duel. Read, fearing that her would-be lover might get killed, challenged the brute to a duel of her own, scheduling it a couple of hours before the other duel was supposed to take place. She promptly killed the pirate, in the process saving the object of her affection. Capture and Trial By late 1720, Rackham and his crew were well known as dangerous pirates, and bounty hunters were sent out to capture or kill them. Captain Jonathan Barnet cornered Rackhams ship in late October 1720. According to some accounts, Bonny and Read fought valiantly while the men hid below deck. Rackham and the other male pirates were quickly tried and hanged in Port Royal, Jamaica, on November 18, 1720. Bonny and Read declared at their trial that they were pregnant, which was soon determined to be true. They would be spared the gallows until they had given birth. Death Mary Read never got to taste freedom again. She developed a fever and died in prison not long after her trial, probably sometime in early April 1721. Records from St. Catherine Parish in Jamaica show that Read was buried on April 28, 1721. Legacy Most of the information about Read comes from Captain Johnson, who most likely embellished at least some of it. It is impossible to say how much of what is commonly known about Read is true. It is certainly true that a woman by that name served with Rackham, and evidence is strong that both women on his ship were able, skilled pirates who were every bit as tough and ruthless as their male counterparts. As a pirate, Read didnt leave much of a mark. Rackham is famous for having female pirates on board (and for having an impressive pirate flag), but he was strictly a small-time operator, never getting close to the levels of infamy of someone like Blackbeard or the success of someone like Edward Low or Black Bart Roberts. Nevertheless, Read and Bonny have captured the public imagination as being the only two well-documented female pirates in the so-called Golden Age of Piracy. In an age and society where the freedom of women was greatly restricted, Read and Bonny lived a life at sea as full members of a pirate crew. As subsequent generations increasingly romanticize piracy and the likes of Rackham, Bonny, and Read, their stature has grown even further. Sources Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag:  The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1996.Defoe, Daniel. A General History of the Pyrates. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1972/1999.Johnson, Charles, and Margarette Lincoln. A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates. The Folio Society, 2018.Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: The Lyons Press, 2009.Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Mariner Books, 2008.

Civil Rights and Taxes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Civil Rights and Taxes - Research Paper Example This is where Civil Rights bridge the Constitution to make certain that those who were previously excluded from the Human Rights that existed, to guarantee they would not be overlooked any longer. The fight for those Civil Rights was a long and difficult road that still to this day remains a struggle because there are always new issues to replace the old. Civil Rights continue to deal with issues of race and religion, as well as, sexual preference and marriage and age discrimination. Overall the arena of Civil Rights is one of social concern it is rarely related directly to economical issues. So it may sound a bit unusual to discuss taxes in relation to the Civil Rights issues, but there is a certain amount of overlay. Taxes were designed as monies taken legally by the government from the citizens to participate in the funding of this country that we live in and enjoy. However, what happen when the taking of those taxes contradict the personal Civil Rights of individuals forcing citizens to financially participate in government endeavors that subverts their Civil Rights? It can happen and may continue to do so. That being said, it is entirely possible for taxes to violate the Civil Rights of the citizens of the United States. When this country was founded it was operated by wealthy, white male citizens. The rights they granted, primarily, benefited them, socially, politically, and economically. They were, by no means, malicious in their construct, but they were self-servingly inclusive. They excluded women. They excluded African Americans who were held in captivity and property for generations, as well as alienating other minority groups throughout time. P.B. Levy in his book â€Å"The Civil Rights Movement† gave a chronological list of all the incredible work done to gain Civil Rights for all the people who live in this country. From the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 to the ratifying of the

Project manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project manager - Essay Example State agencies should evaluate the complexity of the Project, the contract amount, and the risk if the labor is not performed effectively when deciding what components are essential. Functional department such as financial procurement and the task force facilitate smooth flow of the project. The project office consist of the project manager, steering committee to work on the project feasibility in collaboration with the various department associated with the project. The government agency function is to ensure subcontractors are put on the check to ensure they deliver. The chairman of the steering committee integrates in-house functional team and contractor. This gives a favorable environment for both parties to co-exist harmoniously to see the project accomplished (Kloppenborg 221). Department are essential in ensuring finances, and other project deliverables are availed at a timely manner. Department managers as members of the steering committee harmonize the project by ensuring the provision of necessary support are done in a convenient manner. Contracts officer authorizes the entire work directed by the project office. The contractor cost and contractual information is harmonized by the officer by incorporating the in-house functional groups and the customer. Projects are time based events that are carried out for a particular reason for a specified period. The manager restores to previous duty the moment the project is completed. A monitoring team could be instituted to ensure make randomly check to ensure the project is maintained. The project team members are responsible for maintenance of the project the moment it is initiated. Contractors are liable for any failures and the project office just facilitate the subcontractors functions by ensuring necessary supports are accorded (Kloppenborg