Monday, December 30, 2019

Profile of Pope Clement VI

Pope Clement VI is an important figure in Medieval History. Key Facts Pope Clement VI was also known as Pierre Roger (his birth  name). Accomplishments Sponsoring a naval crusading expedition, buying land for the papacy in Avignon, patronizing arts and learning,  and defending the Jews when pogroms flared up during the  Black Death. Occupation: Pope Place of Residence and Influence: France Important Dates: Born:  c.  1291Elected pope: May 7, 1342Consecrated: May 19, 1342Died:  1352 About Pope Clement VI Pierre Roger  was born in Corrà ¨ze, Aquitaine, France, and entered a monastery when he was still a child. He studied in Paris and became a professor there, where he was introduced to Pope John XXII. From then on his career took off; he was made  abbot of Benedictine monasteries at Fà ©camp and La Chaise-Dieu before he became archbishop of Sens and Rouen and then a cardinal. As Pope, Clement  was strongly pro-French. This would cause difficulties when attempting to broker peace between France and England, who were at that time engaged in the decades-long conflict that would come to be known as the Hundred Years War. Unsurprisingly, his efforts saw little success.   Clement was  the fourth pope to reside in Avignon, and the continued existence of the Avignon Papacy did nothing to lessen the problems that the papacy  had with Italy. Noble Italian families disputed the papacys claim to the territory, and Clement sent his nephew,  Astorge de Durfort, to settle matters in the Papal States. Though Astorge would not be successful, his use of German mercenaries to aid him would set a precedent in papal military matters that would last another hundred years. Meanwhile, the Avignon Papacy persisted. Not  only did Clement turn down an opportunity to return the papacy to Rome, but he also purchased Avignon from Joanna of Naples, whom he absolved of her husbands murder. Pope Clement  chose to stay in Avignon during the  Black Death and  survived the worst of the plague, though a third of his cardinals died. His survival may have been due, in large part, to his doctors advice to sit between two huge fires, even in the heat of summer. Though it wasnt the doctors intent,  the heat was so extreme that plague-bearing fleas couldnt get near him. He also offered  protection to the Jews when many were persecuted under suspicion of starting the pestilence. Clement  saw some success in crusading, sponsoring a naval expedition that took control of Smyrna, which was given to the Knights of St. John, and ended its pirate raids in the Mediterranean. Spurning the idea of clerical poverty, Clement  opposed extremist organizations like the Franciscan Spirituals, who advocated absolute rejection of all material comforts, and became  a patron of artists and scholars. To that end, he enlarged  the papal palace and  made it a sophisticated center of culture. Clement was a generous host and a magnanimous  sponsor, but his lavish spending would deplete the funds his predecessor, Benedict XII, had so carefully amassed, and he turned to taxation to rebuild the papacys treasury. This would sow the seeds of further discontent with the Avignon Papacy. Clement died in 1352 after a short illness. He was interred as per his wishes at the abbey at  La Chaise-Dieu, where 300 years later Huguenots would desecrate  his grave and burn his remains. More Pope Clement VI Resources Pope Clement VI in Print Clement VI: The Pontificate and Ideas of an Avignon Pope (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series) by Diana Wood Pope Clement VI on the Web Pope Clement VI, Substantial biography by N. A. Weber at the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Immigration Reforms Domino Effect - 1347 Words

The actions made in today’s societies across the country not only affect those situations immediately at hand, but also those for generations to come. This paper will be delving into immigration reform in Arizona, and more specifically the negative effects that the border surge has had on the socio-economic status of the Grand Canyon state. The motivation for choosing this topic comes from the time spent personally living in Arizona for 12 years and seeing it as one of the most dynamic states having to solve problems for a multitude of issues that arouse within it. The main drive for this paper is the question that asks, what are the socio-economic impacts of the Arizona immigration legislation? This question focusing more on supporting†¦show more content†¦A lot was learned from Wilson’s article as it became clearer as to who was supporting the idea of the immigration reform having negative effects on Arizona socio-economic status. Also the article posed a lot of critical questions that were very helpful to the question this paper poses, but also challenged it with questions asking how much do undocumented immigrants put into Arizona’s economy? Will businesses begin to fail as they are forced to conform to the new government border surge and endure all the negative results that follow these big changes to Arizona’s cultural image? All very surprising as these were questions not yet introduced to this paper. Relating back to class, Wilson is able to bring up concepts that can be compared to lectures all the way back in week 2 talking about overpopulation and resource usage. Although this paper is not about overpopulation the great number of undocumented immigrants can pose a smaller scale problem in Arizona that could fall into this category, as more immigrate the resources Arizona has to offer may not be sufficient for the combined number of undocumented and documented citizens. Now touching base with other half, the social effects of the immigration law reform in Arizona now trickle down from the government and business troubles to the struggles of everyday life for residents. This article looks into what economies essentially thrive on in order

Friday, December 13, 2019

Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two Free Essays

EIGHT HOURS EARLIER†¦ â€Å"Foxy girls know that silence may be golden-but only for four seconds. Anything longer and you re heading for Awkward Avenue,† Miranda read, then frowned at the book. â€Å"If you feel the countdown creeping, make him an offer! A simple ‘Would you like some nuts? said with a smile can break the silence stagnation in a snap. We will write a custom essay sample on Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now Remember, foxy is as foxy does.† Miranda was starting to deeply distrust How to Get-And Kiss! – Your Guy. Leaning against the side of the black Town Car parked in the loading zone at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport that June evening, she thought of how totally thrilled she’d been when she’d found it at the bookstore. It looked like an and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after dream come true in book form-who wouldn’t want to learn â€Å"The Five Facial Expressions That Will Change Your Life† or â€Å"The Secrets of the Tongue Tantra Only Da Pros Know†? – but having done all the exercises, she wasn’t convinced of the transformative powers of the Winsome Smile or spending half an hour a day sucking on a grape. It wasn’t the first time a self-help book had let her down-Procrastinate No More and Make Friends with YOU had both been total disasters-but it was depressing because she’d had such high hopes this time. And because, as her best friend, Kenzi, recently pointed out, any senior in high school who acted like Miranda did ar ound her crush really, really needed help. She tried another passage. â€Å"Rephrase one of his questions back to him, adding that hint of suggestion with a raised eyebrow. Or pick up the conversation with a pickup line! You: Are we in the china section? Him: No, why? You: Because you are fine. If china isn’t your thing, this one never fails to launch-You: Are you wearing space pants? Him: No, why? You: Because your butt is-â€Å" â€Å"Hello, Miss Kiss.† Miranda looked up and found herself staring up at the cleft chin and tanned face of Deputy Sergeant Caleb Reynolds. She must have been really distracted to not even have heard his heartbeat when he approached. It was distinctive, with a little echo at the end, kind of like a one-two-three cha-cha beat (she’d learned about the cha-cha beat from You Can Dance! another massively unfortunate self-help experience). He’d probably have trouble with that when he got old, but at twenty-two it didn’t seem to be stopping him from going to the gym, at least from the looks of his pecs, biceps, shoulders, forearms, wrists- Stop staring. Since she had an attack of Crazy Mouth whenever she tried to talk to a cute guy-let alone Santa Barbara’s youngest sheriff’s deputy, who was only four years older than she and who surfed every morning before work and who was cool enough to get away with wearing sunglasses even though it was almost 8:00 p.m.-she said, â€Å"Hi, deputy. Come here often?† Causing him to frown. â€Å"No.† â€Å"No, you wouldn’t, why would you? Me either. Well, not that often. Maybe once a week. Not often enough to know where the bathrooms are. Ha-ha!† Thinking, not for the first time, that life should come with a trapdoor. Just a little exit hatch you could disappear through when you’d utterly and completely mortified yourself. Or when you had spontaneous zit eruptions. â€Å"Good book?† he asked, taking it from her and reading the subtitle, â€Å"A Guide for Good Girls Who (Sometimes) Want to Be Bad† out loud. But life did not come with a trapdoor. â€Å"It’s for a school project. Homework. On, um, mating rituals.† â€Å"Thought crime was more your thing.† He hit her with one of his half smiles, too cool to pull out a big grin. â€Å"You planning on foiling any more convenience store heists any time soon?† That had been a mistake. Not stopping the guys who’d held up Ron’s 24-Hour Open Market #3, but sticking around long enough to let the police see her. For some reason they’d found it hard to believe that she’d just been leaning against the lamppost when it fell across the front of the robbers’ car as it sped through the intersection. It was sad how suspicious people were, especially people in law enforcement. And school administration. But she’d learned a lot since then. â€Å"I’m trying to keep it to one heist a month,† she said, hoping for a light, ha-ha-I’m-just-kidding-foxy-is-as-foxy-does tone. â€Å"Today it’s just my regular job, VIP airport pickup.† Miranda heard his cha-cha heartbeat speed up slightly. Maybe he thought VIPs were cool. â€Å"That boarding school you go to, Chatsworth Academy? They let you off campus any time you want or only certain days?† â€Å"Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, if you’re a senior. We don’t have classes then,† she said and heard his heartbeat pick up more. â€Å"Wednesday and Saturday afternoons free. What do you do for fun?† Was he asking her out? No. Way. NOWAYNOWAYNOWAY! Flirt! she ordered herself. Winsome Smile! Say something! Anything! Be foxy! Now! â€Å"What do you do for fun?† she repeated his question back to him, raising one eyebrow for that hint of suggestion. He seemed taken aback for a second, then said very formally, â€Å"I work, Miss Kiss.† Please give a warm welcome to Miranda Kiss, our new Miss Idiot Girl of the year, she thought. Said: â€Å"Of course. Me too. I mean, I’m either driving clients or at team practice. I’m one of Tony Bosun’s Bee Girls? The Roller Derby team? That’s why I do this,† meaning to point to the Town Car but bashing it with her hand instead. â€Å"You have to be a driver for Tony’s company, 5Bs Luxury Transport, to be on the team. We usually only have games on the weekends, but we practice on Wednesdays, sometimes on other days†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Crazy Mouth trailed off. â€Å"I’ve seen the Bees play. That’s a professional team, isn’t it? They let a high school student play?† Miranda swallowed. â€Å"Oh, sure. Of course.† He looked at her over the top of his sunglasses. â€Å"Okay, I had to lie to get on the team. Tony thinks I’m twenty. You won’t tell him, will you?† â€Å"He believed you were twenty?† â€Å"He needed a new jammer.† Deputy Reynolds chuckled. â€Å"So you’re the jammer? You’re good. I can see why he might have made an exception.† Eyeing her some more. â€Å"I never would have recognized you.† â€Å"Well, you know, we wear those wigs and the gold masks over our eyes so we all look the same.† It was one of the things she liked about Roller Derby, the anonymity, the fact that no one knew who you were, what your skills were. It made her feel invulnerable, safe. No one could single you out for†¦ anything. Deputy Reynolds took his sunglasses all the way off now to look at her. â€Å"So you put on one of those red, white, and blue satin outfits? The ones with the short skirts and that cute cape? I’d like to see that sometime.† He smiled at her, right into her eyes, and her knees went weak and her mind started playing out a scenario involving him without his shirt but with a pitcher of maple syrup and a big- â€Å"Well, there’s my lady,† he said. â€Å"Catch you.† And then walked away. – stack of pancakes. Miranda watched him go up to a woman in her early twenties-thick blond hair, thin but muscular-put his arm around her, and kiss her neck. The kind of woman whose bras had tags that said, SIZE 36c, not MADE BY SANRIO in them. Heard him saying excitedly, â€Å"Wait until we get to the house. I’ve got some amazing new toys, something special just for you,† his voice husky, heart racing. As he passed Miranda, he lifted his chin in her direction and said, â€Å"You stay out of trouble.† â€Å"Yeah, you too,† Crazy Mouth told him. Miranda wanted to bang her head against the top of the car at how idiotic she was. She tried to give a Lite Laff (expression number four from the book) but ended up making herself choke instead. When they were across the parking lot, she heard the woman asking who she was and heard Deputy Reynolds say, â€Å"The local Town Car driver.† â€Å"She’s the driver?† the woman said. â€Å"Looks like one of those girls from Hawaiian Airlines you used to date, but younger. And cuter. You know how your judgment gets around cute young girls. You’re sure I don’t need to be concerned?† Miranda heard him laugh, the genuine amusement in his voice as he said, â€Å"Her? Baby, she’s just a high school student who has a crush on me. Trust me, you’ve got nothing to worry about.† And thought: Trap. Door. Now. Please. Sometimes having superhearing supersucked. How to cite Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two, Essay examples Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two Free Essays Gee, thanks, Madame Z, I thought. Could we dig a little deeper here? Give me something to work with? â€Å"But is he-I mean, the person-going to act on his passion?† I was brazen, despite my knotted stomach. â€Å"To act or not to act†¦ that is the question?† Madame Z said. We will write a custom essay sample on Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Yes, that is the question.† â€Å"Ahhh. That is always the question. And what one must always ask oneself-† She broke off. Her eyes flew to Will, and she paled. â€Å"What?† I demanded. â€Å"Nothing,† she said. â€Å"Something,† I said. Her message-from-the-spirits performance wasn’t fooling me. She wanted us to think she’d been suddenly possessed? That she’d had a stark and powerful vision? Fine! Just get to the bloody answer! Madame Z made a show of pulling herself together, complete with a long, shaky draw on her cigarette. Looking dead at me, she said, â€Å"If a tree falls in a forest, and no one’s there to hear it, does it still make a sound?† â€Å"Huh?† I said. â€Å"That’s all I’ve got. Take it or leave it.† She seemed agitated, so I took it. Although I made cuckoo eyes at Yun Sun when Madame Z wasn’t watching. Will claimed not to have a specific question, but Madame Z was oddly insistent on relaying a message to him anyhow. She waved her hands over his aura and warned him sternly of heights, which was curiously appropriate as Will was an avid rock climber. What was more curious was Will’s reaction. First his eyebrows shot up, and then a different emotion took over, like some secret anticipatory pleasure. He glanced at me and blushed. â€Å"What’s going on?† I asked. â€Å"You have your sneaky face on.† â€Å"Exsqueeze me?† he said. â€Å"What are you not telling us, Will Goodman?† â€Å"Nothing, I swear!† â€Å"Don’t be stupid, boy!† Madame Z harped. â€Å"Listen to what I’m saying.† â€Å"Oh, you don’t have to worry about him,† I said. â€Å"He’s a total Mr. Safety.† I turned back to Will. â€Å"For real. Do you have a fabulous new climbing spot? A brand-new shiny carabiner?† â€Å"It’s Yun Sun’s turn,† Will said. â€Å"Yun Sun, go.† â€Å"Can you read palms?† Yun Sun asked Madame Z. Madame Z exhaled, and she was barely engaged as she traced her finger over the plump pad below Yun Sun’s thumb. â€Å"You will be as beautiful as you allow yourself to be,† she told her. That was it. Those were her pearls of wisdom. Yun Sun seemed as underwhelmed as I was, and I felt like protesting on all our behalves. I mean, seriously! A tree in the forest? Be careful of heights? You will be as beautiful as you allow yourself to be? Even with her somewhat convincing touches of atmospheric creepiness, the three of us were getting cheated. Me in particular. But before I could say anything, a cell phone on the desk rang. Madame Z picked it up and used a long orange nail to punch the talk button. â€Å"Madame Zanzibar, at your service,† she said. Her expression changed as she listened to whoever was on the other end. She grew brisk and annoyed. â€Å"No, Silas. It’s called a†¦ yes, you can say it, a yeast infection. Yeast infection.† Yun Sun and I shared a glance of horror, although-I couldn’t help it-I was also delighted. Not that Madame Z had a yeast infection. I mean, ick. But that she was discussing it with Silas, whoever he was, while all of us listened in. Now we were getting our money’s worth. â€Å"Tell the pharmacist it’s the second time this month,† Madame Z groused. â€Å"I need something stronger. What? For the itching, you idiot! Unless he wants to scratch it for me!† She twisted on her swivel chair, pumping one Juicy Coutured leg over the other. Will looked up at me, his brown eyes wide with alarm. â€Å"I will not be scratching it for her,† he stage-whispered. â€Å"I refuse!† I laughed, thinking it a good sign that he was showing off for me. The Madame Z experience hadn’t gone as intended, but who knew? Maybe it would end up having the desired effect after all. Madame Z pointed at me with the lit end of her cigarette, and I ducked my chin contritely, like Sorry, sorry. To distract myself, I focused on the strange and varied clutter on her shelves. A book called Magic of the Ordinary and another titled What to Do When the Dead Speak-But You Don’t Want to Listen. I nudged Will with my knee and pointed. He mimed choking the poor deceased bastard, and I snortled. Above the books I saw: a bottle of rat poison, an old-fashioned monocle, a jar of what looked like fingernail clippings, a stained Starbucks cup, and a rabbit’s foot, claws attached. And on the shelf above that was†¦ oh, lovely. â€Å"Is that a skull?† I asked Will. Will whistled. â€Å"Holy cannoli.† â€Å"Okey-doke,† Yun Sun said, averting her eyes. â€Å"If there really is a skull, I don’t want to know about it. Can we leave now?† I took her head in my hands and pointed her in the right direction. â€Å"Look. It still has hair!† Madame Z snapped her cell phone shut. â€Å"Fools, every one of them,† she said. Her pallor was gone; apparently talking to Silas had shaken her out of her funk. â€Å"Ahh! I see you found Fernando!† â€Å"Is that whose skull that is?† I asked. â€Å"Fernando’s?† â€Å"Oh God,† Yun Sun moaned. â€Å"Wormed his way to the surface after a gully washer, out in Chapel Hill Cemetery,† Madame Z told us. â€Å"His coffin, that is. Crappy wooden thing, must’a been from the early nineteen hundreds. No one left to care for him, so I took pity on him and brought him here.† â€Å"You opened the coffin?† I said. â€Å"Yep.† She seemed proud. I wondered if she’d worn her Juicy Couture during the grave robbing. â€Å"That’s gross that it still has hair,† I said. â€Å"He still has hair,† Madame Z said. â€Å"Show some respect.† â€Å"I didn’t know dead bodies had hair, that’s all.† â€Å"Skin, no,† Madame Z said. â€Å"Skin starts to rot right away, and believe me, you don’t want to smell it when it goes. But hair? Sometimes it keeps growing for weeks after the deceased has made his crossing.† â€Å"Wowzers.† I reached down and tousled Will’s honey-colored curls. â€Å"Hear that, Will? Sometimes the hair keeps growing.† â€Å"Amazing,† he said. â€Å"What about that?† Yun Sun asked, pointing to a clear Tupperware container in which something reddish and organlike floated in clear liquid. â€Å"Please tell me it didn’t come from Fernando, too. Please.† Madame Z waved her hand, like Don’t be ridiculous. â€Å"That’s my uterus. Had the doc give it to me after my hysterectomy.† â€Å"Your uterus?† Yun Sun looked ill. â€Å"I’m going to let ’em toss it in the incinerator?† Madame Z said. â€Å"Fat chance!† â€Å"And that?† I pointed to a clump of dried-up something on the highest shelf. This show-and-tell was proving far more enjoyable than our actual readings. Madame Z followed my gaze. She opened her mouth, then closed it. â€Å"That’s nothing,† she said firmly, although I noticed she had a hard time tearing her eyes from it. â€Å"Now. Are we done here?† â€Å"Come on.† I made praying hands. â€Å"Tell us what it is.† â€Å"You don’t want to know,† she said. â€Å"I do,† I said. â€Å"I don’t,† Yun Sun said. â€Å"Yes, she does,† I said. â€Å"And so does Will. Right, Will?† â€Å"It can’t be worse than the uterus,† he said. Madame Z pressed her lips together. â€Å"Please?† I begged. She muttered something under her breath about idiot teenagers and how she refused to take the blame, whatever came of it. Then she stood up, pawing the top shelf. Her bosom didn’t jiggle, but stayed firm and rigid beneath her top. She retrieved the clump and placed it in front of us. â€Å"Oh,† I breathed. â€Å"A corsage.† Brittle rosebuds, their edges brown and papery. Sprigs of graying baby’s breath, so desiccated that puffs of fiber dusted the table. A limp red ribbon holding it all together. â€Å"A peasant woman in France put a spell on it,† Madame Z said in a tone that was hard to decipher. It was as if she were compelled to speak the words, even though she didn’t want to. Or, no. More like she did want to but was struggling to resist. â€Å"She wanted to show that true love is guided by fate, and that anyone who tries to interfere does so at her own peril.† She moved to return the corsage. How to cite Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two, Essay examples Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two Free Essays The mist of nothing slipped slowly from me in a painful series of prickles and the sound of two people arguing. I felt sick, not from my entire back tingling so painfully I could hardly stand to breathe, but from the feeling of helpless fear that the hushed, back-and-forth voices pulled from my past. I could almost smell the moldy fluff of my stuffed rabbit as I had curled into a ball and listened to the two people who were my entire world frighten me beyond belief. We will write a custom essay sample on Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now That they had both told me it hadn’t been my fault hadn’t lessened my grief at all. Grief I had to hold inside until it became a part of me. Pain that adhered to my bones. To cry in my mother’s arms would say I loved her more. To cry into my dad’s shoulder would say I loved him best. It was a crappy way to grow up. But this†¦ this wasn’t my parents arguing. It sounded like two kids. I took a breath to find it came easier. The last of the haze started to fade with the tingles, and my lungs moved, aching as if someone were sitting on them. Realizing my eyes were shut, I opened them to find a blurry black just before my nose. There was a heavy, plasticky smell. â€Å"She was sixteen when she got in that car. It’s your fault,† a young but masculine voice said hotly, oddly muffled. I was getting the distinct impression that the argument had been going on for some time, but I only remembered snatches of it amid uneasy thoughts of nothing. â€Å"You are not going to put this on me,† a girl said, her voice just as hushed and determined. â€Å"She was seventeen when he flipped her coin. This is your screwup, not mine. God save you, she was right in front of you! How could you miss it?† â€Å"I missed it because she wasn’t seventeen!† he shot back. â€Å"She was sixteen when he picked her up. How was I supposed to know he was after her? How come you weren’t there? You slipped up big time.† The girl gasped in affront. I was cold. Taking a deeper breath, I felt a surge of strength. Fewer tingles, more aches. It was stuffy, my breath coming back warm to me. It wasn’t dark; I was in something. â€Å"You little piss-ant!† the girl snapped. â€Å"Don’t tell me I slipped up. She died at seventeen. That’s why I wasn’t there. I was never notified.† â€Å"But I don’t do sixteen,† he said, his voice going nasty. â€Å"I thought he was flipping the boy.† I suddenly realized the black blur throwing back my breath was a sheet of plastic. My hands came up, and my nails pushed through it in a stab of fear. Almost panicking, I sat up. I’m on a table? It sure felt hard enough for one. I shoved the plastic off me. Two kids were standing by a set of dirty white swinging doors, and they spun in surprise. The girl’s pale face went red, and the guy backed up as if embarrassed to have been caught arguing with her. â€Å"Oh!† the girl said, tossing her long dark braid behind her. â€Å"You’re up. Uh, hi. I’m Lucy, and this is Barnabas.† The guy dropped his eyes and waved sheepishly. â€Å"Hey,† he said. â€Å"How you doing?† â€Å"You were with Josh,† I said, my finger shaking as I pointed, and he nodded, still not looking at me. His costume looked odd next to her shorts and tank top. Both of them wore a black stone pendant around their necks. They were dull and insignificant, but my eye went to them because they were the only thing the two shared. Other than their anger at each other and their surprise at me. â€Å"Where am I?† I said, and Barnabas winced, a tall form scuffing his feet against the tile. â€Å"Where’s Josh?† I hesitated, realizing I was in a hospital, but†¦ Wait a minute. I was in a freaking body bag? â€Å"I’m in the morgue?† I blurted. â€Å"What am I doing in the morgue?† Moving wildly, I got my legs out of the plastic bag and slid to the floor, heels clicking in some weird counterpoint as I caught my balance. There was a tag on a rubber band around my wrist, and I yanked it off, taking some hair along with it. I had a long rip in my skirt, and heavy grease marked it. Dirt and grass were plastered to me, and I stank of field and antiseptic. So much for getting my deposit back. â€Å"Someone made a mistake,† I said as I shoved the tag in a pocket, and Lucy snorted. â€Å"Barnabas,† she said, and he stiffened. â€Å"This is not my fault!† he exclaimed, rounding on her. â€Å"She was sixteen when she got in that car. I don’t do sixteen! How was I supposed to know it was her birthday?† â€Å"Yeah? Well, she was seventeen when she died, so it is your problem!† Dead? Were they blind? â€Å"You know what?† I said, feeling more steady the longer I stood here. â€Å"You two can argue till the sun goes nova, but I have to find someone and tell them I’m okay.† Heels clicking, I headed for the dirty white twin doors. â€Å"Madison, wait,† the guy said. â€Å"You can’t.† â€Å"Watch me,† I said. â€Å"My dad is going to be so-o-o-o ticked.† I strode past them, getting twenty feet before a feeling of disconnection hit me. Dizzy, I put a hand to an empty table as the odd sensation roared from nowhere. My hand cramped where it rested, and I pulled it away as if burned when it seemed the coldness of metal had touched my bone. I felt†¦ spongy. Thin. The soft hum of the ventilation grew muffled. Even the pounding of my heart became distant. I turned, hand to my chest to try and make it feel normal again. â€Å"What†¦Ã¢â‚¬  From across the room, Barnabas shrugged his thin shoulders. â€Å"You’re dead, Madison. Sorry. You get too far from our amulets, and you start to lose substance.† He gestured to the gurney, and I looked. My breath slammed out of me. Knees buckling, I half fell against the empty table. I was still there. I mean, I was still on the gurney. I was lying on the cart in a torn body bag, looking far too small and pale, my elaborate dress bunched up around me in an elegant display of forgotten grace out of time. I was dead? But I could feel my heart beat. Limbs going weak, I started to crumple. â€Å"Swell. She’s a fainter,† the girl said dryly. Barnabas lurched forward to catch me. His arms slid around me and my head lolled. At his touch, everything rushed back: sounds, smells, and even my pulse. My lids fluttered. Inches from me, Barnabas’s lips pressed tight. He was so close, and I thought I could smell sunflowers. â€Å"Why don’t you shut up?† he said to Lucy as he eased me to the floor. â€Å"Show a little compassion? That’s your job, you know.† The cold from the tile soaked into me, seeming to clear the gray about my sight. How could I be dead? Did the dead pass out? â€Å"I’m not dead,† I said unsteadily, and Barnabas helped me sit up and put my back to a table leg. â€Å"Yes, you are.† He crouched beside me, his brown eyes wide and concerned. Sincere. â€Å"I’m really sorry. I thought he was going to flip Josh. They usually don’t leave evidence like a car behind like that. You must really be a broken feather in their wing.† My thoughts flashed to the crash, and I put a hand to my stomach. Josh had been there. I remember that. â€Å"He thinks I’m dead. Josh, I mean.† From across the room came Lucy’s caustic â€Å"You are dead.† I sent my gaze to the gurney, and Barnabas shifted to block my view. â€Å"Who are you?† I asked as the dizziness slipped away. Barnabas stood. â€Å"We, ah, are Reconnaissance Error Acquisitions Personnel. Evaluation and Recovery.† I thought about that. Reconnaissance Error Acquisitions†¦ R.E.A.P.E.R.? Holy crap! A surge of adrenaline shot through me. I scrambled up, eyes fixed on me on the gurney. I was here. I was alive! That might be me, but I was standing here, too. â€Å"You’re grim reapers!† I exclaimed, feeling my way around the table and putting it between us. My toes started to go numb, and I stopped, my gaze darting to the amulet around Barnabas’s neck. â€Å"Oh my God, I’m dead,† I whispered. â€Å"I can’t be dead. I’m not ready to be dead. I’m not done yet! I’m only seventeen!† â€Å"We’re not grim reapers.† Lucy had her arms crossed defensively as if it were a sore spot. â€Å"We’re white reapers. Black reapers kill people before their coin should be flipped, white reapers try to save them, and grim reapers are treacherous betrayers who brag too much and won’t survive to see the sun turn back to dust.† Barnabas looked embarrassed as he shuffled his feet. â€Å"Grim reapers are white reapers who were tricked into working for†¦ the other side. They don’t do much culling since black reapers don’t let them, but if there is a sudden, massive death toll, you know they’ll show to pull a few souls early, in as dramatic a way as possible. They’re hacks. No class at all.† This last was said with a bitter voice, and I wondered at the rivalry, backing up until I started going spongy again. Eyeing their amulets, I edged forward until the feeling went away. â€Å"You kill people. That’s what Seth said. He said something about culling my soul! You do kill people!† Barnabas ran a hand across the back of his neck. â€Å"Ah, we don’t. Most of the time.† He glanced at Lucy. â€Å"Seth is a black reaper, a dark reaper. We only show up when they target someone out of time, or there’s been a mistake.† â€Å"Mistake?† My head swung up in hope. Did that mean they could put me back? Lucy came forward. â€Å"You weren’t supposed to die, see. A dark reaper took you out before your coin should have been flipped. It’s our job to stop them, but we can’t sometimes. We’re here to make a formal apology and get you where you’re going.† Frowning, she looked at Barnabas. â€Å"And as soon as he admits it was his fault, I can get out of here.† I stiffened, refusing to look at me on the gurney. â€Å"I’m not going anywhere. If you made a mistake, fine. Just put me back! I’m right there.† I took a step forward, scared out of my mind. â€Å"You can, right?† Barnabas winced. â€Å"It’s kinda too late. Everyone knows you’re dead.† â€Å"I don’t care!† I shouted. Then my face went cold in a sudden thought. Dad. He thought I was†¦ â€Å"Dad†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I whispered, panicking. Taking a breath, I turned to the swinging doors and broke into a run. â€Å"Wait! Madison!† Barnabas shouted, but I hit the doors hard, stumbling through them even though they only swung three inches. But I was in the next room. I had sort of passed through them. As if I weren’t even there. There was a fat guy at a desk, and he looked up at the tiny squeak the doors made shifting. His little piggy eyes widened, and he took a huge breath. Mouth open, he pointed. â€Å"There’s been a mistake,† I blurted, heading to the open archway and the dimly lit hall. â€Å"I’m not dead.† But I was feeling really weird again. Misty and thin. Stretched. Nothing sounded right, either, and the gray was edging my sight to make a tunnel-like vision. Behind me, Barnabas pushed through the doors. Immediately the world shifted to normal. It was the amulet he wore that kept me solid. I had to get me one of those. â€Å"Yes, she is,† he said, never slowing down until he grabbed my wrist. â€Å"You’re hallucinating. She’s not really here. Neither am I.† â€Å"Where did you come from?† the guy managed, staring. â€Å"How did you get in there?† Lucy shoved in, the swinging door banging against the wall to make me and Desk Guy jump. â€Å"Madison, quit being a stiff. You gotta go.† This was too much for the technician, and he reached for the phone. I twisted my wrist, but Barnabas wouldn’t release me. â€Å"I have to talk to my dad!† I exclaimed, and he yanked me off balance. â€Å"We’re leaving,† he said, a new threat in his eyes. â€Å"Right now.† Frantic, I stomped on his foot. Barnabas howled, his gangly form bending double as he let go. Lucy laughed at him, and I darted for the hallway. Try to stop me, I thought, then ran right into something big, warm, and smelling of silk. I backed up, becoming scared when I saw it was Seth. He had killed me with a sword that left no mark when driving me off a cliff failed to do it. He was a dark reaper. He was my death. â€Å"Why are there two of you?† he asked as he looked at Barnabas and Lucy. The cadence of his voice was familiar, but the sound of it hit my ears wrong. And the scent of sea now smelled like rot. â€Å"That’s right,† he added, pulling his gaze back to me, and I shuddered. â€Å"You died on the anniversary of your birth. Two reapers. My, my, my. Such the drama queen, Madison. I’m glad you’re up. It’s time to go.† Hunched and afraid, I retreated. â€Å"Don’t touch me.† â€Å"Madison!† Barnabas shouted. â€Å"Run!† But there was only the morgue to run to. Lucy got in front of me, hands spread wide as if she could stop Seth with her will alone. â€Å"What are you doing here?† she said, voice shaking. â€Å"She’s already dead. You can’t flip her twice.† Seth scuffed his shoes confidently. â€Å"As you said, I flipped her coin. She’s mine if I want her.† Barnabas paled. â€Å"You never come back for them. You’re†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His eyes darted to the stone about Seth’s neck. â€Å"You’re not a black reaper, are you?† Seth grinned as if it was a big joke. â€Å"No. I’m not. I’m a little bit more. More than you can handle. Leave, Barnabas. Just walk away. It won’t hurt if you do.† I stared at Barnabas, helpless. His brown eyes met mine, saw my fear. I watched him visibly gather his courage. â€Å"Barnabas!† Lucy shouted, terrified. â€Å"Don’t!† But Barnabas launched himself at the dark figure in black silk. In a motion so casual it was frightening, Seth turned to smack him with the back of his hand. Arms and legs flailing, Barnabas flew backward, hitting the wall and slumping to the floor, out cold. â€Å"Run!† Lucy shouted, pushing me toward the morgue. â€Å"Stay in the sun. Don’t let the black wings touch you. We’ll get help. Someone will find you. Get out of here!† â€Å"How?† I exclaimed. â€Å"He’s in front of the only door.† Seth moved again, this time backhanding Lucy. She crumpled where she stood, leaving only me since the technician had either passed out or was hiding under the desk. Jaw trembling, I stood to my full height-such as it was-and tugged my dress straight. Deeper in it yet, apparently. â€Å"She meant,† Seth said, his voice both familiar and strange, â€Å"to run through the walls. You had a better chance against the black wings in the sun than with me under the ground.† â€Å"But I can’t†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I started, then looked at the swinging doors. I went through them, having shifted them open only a few inches. What the heck was I? A ghost? Seth smiled, chilling me. â€Å"Nice to see you, Madison, now that I can really†¦ see you.† He took off his mask and let it drop. His face was beautiful, like chiseled stone made soft. I licked my lips and went cold to the bone when I remembered him kissing me. Holding one arm to myself, I backed away, trying to get out of Barnabas’s and Lucy’s influence so I could run through the walls. Hey, if Mr. Creepy thought I could do it, then maybe I could. Seth followed, step for step. â€Å"We leave together. No one will believe I culled you unless I throw you at their feet.† Heels clicking, I kept moving. My gaze darted to Barnabas and Lucy, both still sprawled on the tile. â€Å"I’d rather stay, thanks.† My heart pounded, and my back hit the wall. A little yelp slipped from me. I was far enough away from them that I should be misty, but I wasn’t. I stared at Seth, then at that black stone about his neck. It was the same. Damn it! â€Å"You don’t have a choice,† he said. â€Å"I’m the one that killed you. You’re mine.† He reached out, grabbing my wrist. Adrenaline surged, and I twisted. â€Å"The hell I am,† I said, then kicked him in the shins. He clearly felt it, grunting as he bent in pain, but didn’t let go. He had put his face in my reach, though, and grabbing his hair, I slammed his nose against my rising knee. I felt cartilage snap, and my stomach turned. Cursing in a language that hurt my head, he let go and fell back. I had to get out of here. I had to be solid or I’d never make it. Heart pounding, I grabbed the stone about his neck, pulling the necklace over his ears and off him. It tingled in my hand like fire, and I clenched my fingers around it, willing to suffer if it meant I would be whole. Seth hit the floor, gaping up at me with red blood covering his face. He looked as surprised as if he had run into a glass wall. â€Å"Madison†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Barnabas rasped from the floor. I turned, seeing him stare at me with pain-laced, unfocused eyes. â€Å"Run,† he gasped. Seth’s amulet in my hand, I turned to the open hallway†¦ and I ran. How to cite Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two, Essay examples Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two Free Essays And he wants me to know that he’s coming. He’s playing with me now†¦ just like his father played with Mom, before he†¦ well, did what he did to her. Then I hear a strange sound-a sort of whoosh-followed by another â€Å"Dammit!† What is happening? â€Å"Sebastian. We will write a custom essay sample on Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Lila’s voice sounds bemused. â€Å"Someone is shooting ketchup at you!† What? Did she just say†¦ ketchup?. And then, as I carefully turn to try to get a look past the pillar to see what Lila is talking about, I see him. Not Sebastian. His shooter. And I can hardly believe my eyes. What’s he doing here? Adam It’s all Ted’s fault. He’s the one who said we should follow them on their date. I was like, â€Å"Why?† † ‘Cause the dude’s trouble, man,† Ted said. Except there’s no way Ted could have known that. Drake had basically turned up from out of nowhere outside Lila’s Park Avenue apartment building just the night before. Ted had never even met him. How could he know anything about the guy? Anything at all? But when I mentioned this, Ted said, â€Å"Dude, have you looked at him?† I have to admit, the T Man has a point. I mean, the guy looks like he walked straight out of an Abercrombie Fitch catalog or something. You can’t trust a guy who’s that, well, perfect. Still, I’m not down with following other guys around. It’s not cool. Even if, like Ted said, it was just to make sure Lila didn’t get into trouble. I know Lila is Ted’s lady-ex-lady now, thanks to Drake. And okay, she’s never been the shiniest fork in the drawer. But following her on this date with the dude she’s hooked up with? That just seemed like a bigger waste of time than-well, that two thousand-word, double-spaced essay I’ve got due in Mrs. Gregory’s U.S. History class on Monday. Then Ted had to go and suggest I bring the Beretta 9mm. The thing is, even though it’s just a water pistol, toy guns that look as real as that are illegal in Manhattan. So I haven’t really had an opportunity to use mine much. Which Ted knows. And is probably why he kept going on about how freaking hilarious it would be if we soaked the guy. Because he knew I wouldn’t be able to resist. The ketchup was my idea. And, yeah, it is pretty juvenile. But what the hell else am I going to do on a Friday night? It beats a U.S. History paper. Anyway, I told the T Man I guessed I’d be down with his plan. So long as I was the one who got to do the shooting. Which was fine with Ted. â€Å"I just gotta know, man,† he’d said, shaking his head. â€Å"Know what?† â€Å"What this Sebastian dude’s got,† he said, â€Å"that I don’t.† I could’ve told him, of course. I mean, it’s pretty obvious to anyone who freaking looks at Drake what he’s got that Ted doesn’t. Ted’s a decent-looking guy and all, but Abercrombie material he is not. Still, I didn’t say anything. Because the T Man was really hurtin’ over this one. And I could sort of understand why. Lila’s just one of those girls, you know? All big brown eyes and big, well, other parts, too. But I won’t go there on account of my sister, Veronica, who says I need to stop thinking of women as sex objects and start thinking of them as future partners in the inevitable struggle to survive in postapocalyptic America (which Veronica’s writing her senior thesis on because she feels the apocalypse is going to occur sometime in the next decade, due to the country’s current state of religious fanaticism and environmental recklessness, both of which were present at the fall of Rome and various other societies that no longer exist). So that’s how me and the T Man ended up at Swig-fortunately, Ted’s uncle Vinnie is their liquor distributor, which is how we got in, and without having to go through the metal detector like everybody else-shooting ketchup at Sebastian Drake with my Beretta 9mm water pistol. I know I was supposed to be home doing that paper for Mrs. Gregory, but a guy’s got to have some fun, right? And it was fun to see those red stains spurting all over the guy’s chest. The T Man was actually laughing for the first time since Lila sent him that text message during lunch, telling him that he was on his own for the prom, because she was going with Drake. Everything was going great†¦ until I saw Drake staring at that pillar over to one side of the dance floor. Which didn’t make any sense. You’d have thought he’d have been looking over at us, in our VIP booth (thanks, Uncle Vinnie), considering that’s the direction the ketchup assault was coming from. That’s when I noticed there was somebody hiding behind it. The pillar, I mean. Not just any somebody, either, but Mary, that new girl from my U.S. History class, the one who never talks to anybody but Lila. And she was holding a crossbow. A crossbow. How the hell did she get a crossbow through the metal detector? No way does she know Ted’s uncle Vinnie. Not that it matters. All that matters is that Drake’s staring at the pillar Mary’s crouched behind like he can see straight through it. There’s something about the way he’s looking over at her that makes me†¦ well, all I know is that is not where I want that guy looking. â€Å"Moron,† I mutter. Mostly about Drake. But also about myself, a little. And then I aim and shoot once more. â€Å"Oh, snap,† Ted yells happily. â€Å"Did you see that? Right in the ass!† That gets Drake’s attention, all right. He turns†¦ †¦ and suddenly, I get what they mean about blazing eyes. You know, in Stephen King books, or whatever? I never thought I’d actually see a pair. But that’s exactly what Drake’s got, as he stares at us. Eyes that are most definitely blazing. Come on, I find myself thinking in Drake’s direction. That’s right. Come on over here, Drake. You wanna fight? I’ve got a lot more than just ketchup, dude. Which isn’t exactly true. But it doesn’t end up mattering, because Drake doesn’t come over anyway. Instead, he disappears. I don’t mean that he turns around and leaves the club. I mean that one minute he’s standing there, and the next he’s†¦ well, he’s just gone. For a second the fog from the dry ice seems to get thicker-and when it clears, Lila is dancing by herself. â€Å"Here,† I say, thrusting the Beretta into Ted’s hand. â€Å"What the-† Ted scans the dance floor. â€Å"Where’d he go?† But I’ve already taken off. â€Å"Grab Lila,† I yell back at Ted. â€Å"And meet me out front.† Ted utters some pretty choice expletives after that, but no one even notices. The music’s too loud, and everyone’s having too good a time. I mean, if they didn’t notice us shooting at some dude with a ketchup-filled water gun-or a few seconds later, that dude literally vanishing into thin air-they’re hardly likely to notice Ted shouting the F word. I reach the pillar and look down. She’s there, panting as if she’s just run a marathon or something. She’s got the crossbow clutched to her chest like a kid’s security blanket. Her face is as white as notebook paper. â€Å"Hey,† I say to her, gently. I don’t want to startle her. But I do anyway. She practically jumps out of her skin at the sound of my voice and turns wide, frightened eyes up at me. â€Å"Hey, take it easy,† I say. â€Å"He’s gone. Okay?† â€Å"He’s gone?† Her eyes-green as the Great Lawn in Central Park in May-stare up at me. And there’s no missing the terror in them. â€Å"How-what?† â€Å"He just vanished,† I say with a shrug. â€Å"I saw him looking at you. So I shot him.† â€Å"You what?† How to cite Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two, Essay examples Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two Free Essays â€Å"Are you kidding? I barely got off suspension in time to be allowed to come tonight.† Of course, at the moment Gabe was wishing the timing hadn’t been so helpful. â€Å"I’m lucky I didn’t get expelled. We will write a custom essay sample on Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now † â€Å"Mr. Reese had it coming. Everyone knows that.† â€Å"Yeah, he did,† Gabe said, a sudden edge sharpening his tone. Everyone at school was wary of Mr. Reese, but there wasn’t much they could do until the math teacher crossed a line he shouldn’t have. All the upperclassmen knew about Mr. Reese, too, but Gabe wasn’t about to stand by while he stalked that clueless freshman kid†¦ Still, knocking out a teacher was a bit extreme. There was probably some better way to have handled the situation. His parents had been supportive, though, as usual. Logan interrupted his thoughts. â€Å"Maybe we should take off,† Logan said. â€Å"I’d feel bad-if Celeste needs a way home†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That girl is not your type, Gabe.† She’s pure evil-and a full-on whore, Logan could have added, but those just weren’t the kinds of things you wanted to say about any girl while Gabe was in hearing range. â€Å"Let her get a ride with the guy sticking his tongue down her throat.† Gabe sighed and shook his head. â€Å"I’ll wait to make sure she’s okay.† Logan groaned. â€Å"I can’t believe you asked her. Well, can we ditch out long enough to pick up a few decent CDs at least? Then we could hijack that pile of crap the DJ’s playing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I like the way you think. I wonder if the limo driver would mind a side trip†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Logan and Gabe ended up in a mock argument over the best CDs to retrieve-the top five were obvious, but from there down the list was a little more subjective-both of them having a better time than they’d had all evening. It was funny, but as they joked around, Gabe had a sense that they were the only ones having a good time. Everyone in the room seemed to be frowning about something. And over in the corner by the stale cookies, it looked like a girl was crying. Wasn’t that Evie Hess? And another girl, Ursula Tatum, also had red eyes and smeared mascara. Maybe the music and the punch weren’t the only things about this prom that sucked. Clara and Bryan looked happy, but aside from those two, Gabe and Logan-both recently humiliated and rejected-seemed to be enjoying themselves more than everyone else. Less perceptive than Gabe, Logan didn’t register the negative atmosphere until Libby and Dylan started arguing; abruptly, Libby stalked off the dance floor. That caught his attention at once. Logan shifted his weight, his eyes glued to Libby’s departing figure. â€Å"Hey, Gabe, do you mind if I ditch you?† â€Å"Not at all. Go for it.† Logan nearly sprinted after her. Gabe wasn’t sure what to do with himself now. Should he find Celeste and ask whether she minded if he bailed? He wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of prying her loose from someone else in order to ask, though. He decided to get another bottle of water and find the quietest corner possible to wait for the evening to drag to an end. And then, as he went searching for that quiet corner, Gabe felt the strange pull again, stronger than he’d ever felt it in his life; it was like someone was drowning in black waters and screaming to him for help. He glanced around frantically, wondering where the urgent call was coming from. He couldn’t understand the vital, jagged edge of this distress. It was like nothing he’d ever felt before. For just a moment, his eyes locked on one girl-on her back, as she was walking away from him. The girl’s hair was black and glossy, with a mirrorlike sheen. She wore a spectacular floor-length dress the color of flames. As Gabe watched, her earrings flashed once, like little red sparklers. Gabe began walking after her in an almost unconscious movement, drawn by the wrenching need that surrounded her. She turned slightly, and he got a glimpse of an unfamiliar pale, aquiline profile-full ivory lips and black slanting brows-before she ducked through the ladies’ room door. Gabe was breathing hard with the effort of not following the girl into no-man’s-land. He could feel her need sucking at him like quicksand. He leaned against the wall across from the bathroom, folded his arms tight across his chest, and tried to talk himself out of waiting for the girl. This lunatic instinct he had was way off base. Wasn’t Celeste proof of that? It was all just imagination. Maybe he should leave now. But Gabe couldn’t force his feet to move one step away. Though the girl barely reached five foot three inches in her stiletto heels, something about her figure-whip-slender and rod-straight as a fencing foil-made her appear tall. She was a walking contradiction in more ways than height-both dark and light with her inky hair and chalky skin, both delicate and hard with her tiny, sharp features, and both inviting and repellent with the mesmerizing undulations of her body under the hostile expression on her face. Only one thing about her was not ambiguous-her dress was, without question, a work of art: Bright red tongues of leather flame bared her pale shoulders and licked down her willowy curves until they kissed the floor. As she crossed the dance floor, female eyes followed the pathway of the dress with envy and male eyes followed it with lust. There was another phenomenon that followed her; as the girl in the fiery dress passed through the dancers, little gasps of horror and pain and embarrassment rippled out from around her in strange eddies that could only be coincidence. A high heel cracked, twisting the ankle inside it. A satin dress split along a seam from thigh to waist. A contact lens popped out and was lost on the dirty floor. A vital bra strap snapped in two. A wallet slipped from a pocket. An unexpected cramp announced an early period. A borrowed necklace scattered in a shower of pearls to the floor. And on and on-little disasters spinning small circles of misery. The pale dark girl smiled to herself as if she could somehow sense that misery in the air and enjoy it-taste it, perhaps, considering the way she licked her lips in appreciation. And then she frowned, furrowing her brow in fierce concentration. The one boy who was watching her face saw a strange red glitter near her earlobes, like shooting red sparks. Everyone else turned just then to stare at Brody Farrow, who clutched his arm and shouted in pain; the slight movement of the slow dancing had dislocated his shoulder. The girl in the red dress smirked. With her heels ringing sharply against the tile floor, she strode down the hall to the ladies’ room. Faint moans of pain and chagrin trailed after her. A crowd of girls hovered in front of the wall-length mirrors inside the bathroom. They only had a moment to gape at the stunning dress, to notice how the slight girl inside it shivered briefly in the stuffy, too-warm room, before the chaos distracted them. It started with Emma Roland stabbing herself in the eye with a mascara wand. She flailed in dismay, striking the full glass of punch in Bethany Crandall’s hand, which then drenched Bethany and stained three other dresses in the most inconvenient places. The atmosphere in the restroom was suddenly hotter than the temperature as one girl-sporting a hideous green smear across her chest-accused Bethany of throwing the punch on her purposely. The pale dark girl only smiled slightly at the brewing fight, and then strode to the farthest stall in the long room and locked the door behind her. She did not make use of the privacy the way one might expect. Instead-showing no fear of the less-than-sterile environment-the girl leaned her forehead against the metal wall and squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands, balled into sharp little fists, also rested against the metal as if for support. If any of the girls in the ladies’ room had been paying attention, they might have wondered what was causing the red glow that shone dully through the crack between the door and the wall. But no one was paying attention. The girl in the red dress clenched her teeth tightly together. From between them, a hot spurt of bright flame shot out and singed black patterns into the thin layer of tan paint on the metal wall. She started to pant, struggling with an invisible weight, and the fire burned hotter, thick fingers of red crackling against the cold metal. The fire reached up to her hair, but did not scorch the smooth, inky locks. Traces of smoke began to seep from her nose and ears. A shower of sparks popped from her ears as she whispered one word through her teeth. â€Å"Melissa.† Back out on the crowded dance floor, Melissa Harris looked up, distracted. Had someone just called her name? There didn’t seem to be anyone close enough to be responsible for the low sound. Just her imagination, then. Melissa looked back at her date and tried to concentrate on what he was saying. Melissa wondered why she had agreed to go to the prom with Cooper Silverdale. He wasn’t her type. A small boy, consumed with his own importance, with too much to prove. He’d been oddly hyper all night, bragging about his family and his possessions nonstop, and Melissa was tired of it. Another faint whisper caught Melissa’s attention, and she turned. There, too far across the crowd to be the source behind the sound, Tyson Bell was staring straight at Melissa over the head of the girl he danced with. Melissa looked down at once, shuddering, trying not to care who he was with, forcing herself not to look. She moved closer to Cooper. Boring and shallow, maybe, but better than Tyson. Anyone was better than Tyson. Really? Is Cooper really the better option? The questions popped into Melissa’s thoughts as if they came from someone else entirely. Involuntarily, she glanced up into Tyson’s heavily lashed dark eyes. He was still staring. Of course Cooper was better than Tyson, no matter how beautiful Tyson was. That beauty was just part of the trap. Cooper babbled on, stumbling over his words as he tried to capture Melissa’s interest. You’re out of Cooper’s league, the thought whispered. Melissa shook her head, embarrassed for thinking that way. It was vain. Cooper was just as good as she was, as good as any other boy. Not as good as Tyson. Remember how it was†¦ Melissa tried to keep the images out of her mind: Tyson’s warm eyes, full of longing†¦ his hands, rough and soft against her skin†¦ his rich voice that made even the most common words sound like poetry†¦ the way just the lightest pressure of his lips against her fingers could send her pulse sprinting in her veins†¦ Her heart thumped, aching. Deliberately, Melissa dredged up a new memory to combat the rebel images. Tyson’s iron fist smashing into the side of her face without warning-the black spots blossoming in front of her eyes-her hands bracing against the floor-vomit choking in her throat-raw pain shaking her whole body- He was sorry. So sorry. He promised. Never again. Unwanted, the image of Tyson’s coffee eyes swimming with tears clouded her vision. Reflexively, Melissa’s eyes sought Tyson. He was still staring. His forehead creased, his eyebrows pulled together, grief-stricken†¦ Melissa shuddered again. â€Å"Are you cold? Do you want my-?† Cooper half-shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and then stopped himself, his face flushing. â€Å"You can’t be cold. It’s so hot in here,† he said lamely as he withdrew the offer, buttoning the jacket back into place. â€Å"I’m fine,† Melissa assured him. She forced herself to look only at his sallow, boyish face. â€Å"This place kinda sucks,† Cooper said, and Melissa nodded, happy to agree with him. â€Å"We could go to my father’s country club. There’s an incredible restaurant, if you’re in the mood for dessert. We won’t have to wait for a table. As soon as I mention my name†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Melissa’s attention wandered again. Why am I here with this little snob? asked the thought that was so strangely unfamiliar in her head, though it came in her own voice. He’s a weakling. So what if he couldn’t hurt a kitten? Isn’t there more to love than safety? I don’t feel the same need in my stomach when I look at Cooper-when I look at anyone besides Tyson†¦ I can’t lie to myself. I still want him. So much. Isn’t that love, that wanting? Melissa wished she hadn’t drunk so much of that vile, burning punch. It was impossible to think clearly. She watched as Tyson left his partner stranded and crossed the floor until he stood right in front of her-the perfect broad-shouldered football hero cliche. It was as if Cooper didn’t exist there between them. â€Å"Melissa?† he asked in his melting voice, sorrow twisting his features. â€Å"Melissa, please!† He held his hand out toward her, ignoring Cooper’s wordless spluttering. Yes yes yes yes yes chanted in her head. A thousand memories of desire rocked through her. Her clouded mind buckled. Hesitantly, Melissa nodded. Tyson smiled in relief, in joy, and pulled her around Cooper and into his arms. It was just so easy to go with him. Melissa’s blood ran through her veins like fire. How to cite Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Essay Art and Architecture History

Question: Write an essay on "Art and Architecture History". Answer: 1. Art and architecture in china and japan There have two types of philosophy, and it also depends on the Taoism and Confucianism. There have a different process of the Taoism teaching system with the nature with the help of the meditation. But the Confucianism maintains a social order regarding the personal discipline. Moreover, the Taoist mainly contents landscape paintings which are closely balanced against the depth and the variety of a great traditional art in China[1]. The strategies f the great Chinese individual homes stressed Confucian architectural sequence since these types of traditional gardens which also permit a massive amount of less ordered arrangement of the Taoist. Conversely, it never suggests a weakness in the features of the Chinese architecture and art. Chinese culture and their painting are always graceful and delicate since the Chinese art and also their architecture has a need to be persisted with this procedure of this construction of the bracketed timber for centuries[2]. These types of traditional formation of the expression of the Chinese artistic are needed to be applied to the Buddhists and also required when the religion mainly appeared in the country China. The Chinese aesthetic is now refined and also mostly generates and disciplined that is deceptively beautiful and straightforward. These types of philosophy mainly considered as the formation of the Chinese culture. 2. The baroque The conventional Baroque architecture were in oval or ellipse shape or more complicated plan derived from complex geometrical figure. Francesco Borromini a renowned architecture of that period have provide features general mood of the Baroque period in Italy. He had designed a church, which ground plan was in the shape of bee for honoring the patron, who commissioned to design the church. The walls of the church was all the way through alternatively concave and convex. Apart from the intricate ground plans, the consequential curving walls outstanding features of Baroque buildings. There are another most eminent architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini had made another significant architecture Church of S. Andrea al Quirinale is im portant example of Baroque architecture. The Baroque period is illustrated that the outcome of such Renaissance. Its architecture and art are mostly become more dynamic than the classism of this preceding epoch[3]. Moreover, the Baroque represents in this context a c ompetition between the Christian with the Catholic Church and they also utilize this type of services of the architects and the artists who need to stray. Moreover, Baroque architecture almost became more plastic throughout the utilization of the line in surfaces, bold and also the plans or the strategy, at times ornamentation, exotic. However, the sculpture also provides the heightened plasticity according to conveying the intensity that is emotional needed by to set up the dramatized. The painting also plays a significant role in this scenario. It always represents naturalistic, and also reveals a new symbolism and also the dynamism with the help of the motifs and light also its intimacy depend on the addressees. Baroque architecture is the examples are to be found throughout the country like Latin America and Europe. Baroque is mainly stood for an oddly shaped pearl, irregular whether it means a contorted argument, pedantic of such dialectic value[4]. It describes here a relative ly complex dialect who originating from the country Rome and also flowering during a certain period and also embraced sculpture and painting with the architecture. It was also designed to form illusion and spectacle. Conversely, most of the architecture, sculpture and painting are generating during a period like 17 the century and also it is known as "Baroque." This baroque is mainly three strands such as Easel Art, Greater Realism, and the Religious Grandeur. 3. The renaissance It is the case of the Italy. Renaissance art is mainly driven by new concept about the humanism:. It is a philosophy that had been the foundation to achieve the goal such an example like the democracy of the ancient pagan Greece[5]. Humanism played a vital role in this case a secular dogma and also religious, and it also attached and shows a great importance to worth and the dignity of an individual. Theres have several causes of the Renaissance like increased the prosperity, weakness of the church and also an age of the exploration. Moreover, the positive currents are the main evident in Italy. It is oriented though the Florence was the centre of silk, wool and also such other jewelry art and also house to the fabulous prosperity of the art-conscious and cultured Medici family. Church position in this scenario describes that to give a momentum to this Renaissance. It also permitted to spread the humanism[6]. The Renaissance epoch in the history of the art and the architecture represents the onset of the western discovery era that also appeared a common viewpoint to all aspects of the world and also nature. A European architect explores the new route of the sea, also discovered the new continents, and also they set up new colonies in the world. In this context, Renaissance technique, some contemporary and modern technology are also incorporated into the art and architecture of th e Italy. European architects, painters, and the sculptors demonstrated the new techniques and also the new knowledge. In this scenario, Renaissance, architect and the painter of the country Italy a commentator Giorgio Vasari and it was one of the classic antiquity art which drove the Renaissance, and it also developed properly to imitate and examined the nature[7]. 4. Buddhist and hindu art and architecture in india The Eastern architecture and the art start in India. The Indus valley civilization was strictly related to the Egypt and the Mesopotamia. The features of the Indian art need to be recognized. Moreover, Indian architecture and the art is developed at the time of early centuries A.D. the two types of religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. The unique model of formation of such architectural like stupas and the rock cutting temple, supple contours and also it poses a sculpture, and it also discloses "unclassical temperament. In spite of that, these are influenced in the East region like such countries Japan and China and the popularities of the Buddhism have still reduced in the country India. Moreover, Hindu communities need to continue to specify the Indian landscape with facilitate an interesting and unique temple formation and it also tries to boost some other regions such inspiring sculpture[8]. 5. Romanesque and gothic Gothic era always tries to follow the Romanesque period. But they never follow same elements. The primary difference in between Romanesque churches and the Gothic cathedrals is ideological. The two main architecture styles have a large number of similarities, but there are present several differences because of the lifestyles are totally changed in a period between two poques. Romanesque was mainly described to more for the protection than for such any aesthetic quality like gothic cathedrals[9]. Monasteries homed the saints relics and at that period relics cult became cultural factors which enhance the architecture. Moreover, Devout Christians need to undertake large pilgrimages according to venerate and visit the relics of martyrs and Saint. Roman architecture is the Roman in origin and had a substantial conceptual framework. The Gothic cathedrals were mainly made a slander skeleton and also with such flying and arches bitterness that provides impressions of luminosity and harmony[ 10]. Gothic architecture incorporated large windows of the stained glass. Gothic need to have mullioned windows and the Romanesque need to had splayed windows, as because Gothic is become more luminous than the Romanesque. References Grel, Meltem ., and Kathryn H. Anthony. "The canon and the void: gender, race, and architectural history texts."Journal of Architectural Education59, no. 3 (2006): 66-76. Gillespie, S, "Lucretius' Renaissance". inRenaissance Studies, , 2013, n/a-n/a. Kajiya, K, "Posthistorical traditions in art, design, and architecture in 1950s Japan". inWorld Art, 5, 2015, 21-38. Roth, Leland M., and Amanda Roth Clark.Understanding architecture: Its elements, history, and meaning. Westview Press, 2013. Paxmann, C A Ibelings,From mud huts to skyscrapers. in , Munich, Prestel, 2012. Smith, K, "Kathryn A. Smith. Review of "A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe" by Conrad Rudolph.". incaa.reviews, , 2008. Kleiner, Fred.Gardners Art through the Ages: A Concise Western History. Nelson Education, 2015. Woods, Ann. "ART 577: History of Architecture." (2015). Wackerl, L J Michael,Royal style. in , Munich, Prestel, 2012. WATSKY, A, "LOCATING 'CHINA' IN THE ARTS OF SIXTEENTH-CENTURY JAPAN". inArt History, 29, 2006, 600-624.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Can Individual Virtue Survive Corporate Pressure Essay Example

Can Individual Virtue Survive Corporate Pressure? Essay There are two opposing points of view presented by Robert C. Solomon and Gilbert Harman on the question of ‘Can Individual Virtue Survive Corporate Pressure?’ The two views can be loosely classified as pitting ‘determinism’ against ‘freewill’. Robert Solomon argues that â€Å"whatever the structures, the individual’s choice is free, and therefore his character or virtue is of the utmost importance in creating a good moral tone in the life of a business.† Gilbert Harman, on the other hand, â€Å"employs determinist arguments to conclude that no individual can of his own free choice make a difference in a group enterprise†. (Newton, et. al., 2011, p.60) Robert Solomon objects to the deterministic standpoint, by noting how there is an evasion of ‘responsibility’ by both corporations and its managers for their actions. When corporate executives cite ‘market forces’ as ‘compelling external circumstances’ that hinder sovereignty in their decision making, they are merely exposing their lack of leadership skills. Moreover, as Solomon points, workers in corporations â€Å"tend to behave in conformity with the people and expectations that surround them, even when what they are told to do violates their ‘personal morality’.† (Newton, et. al., 2011, p.63) In many ways, what are considered as meritorious within the confines of a corporation is usually seen as vices outside this realm. For example, qualities such as the tendency to blindly obey authority, act in unison with the crown and refusing to take personal responsibility for broader consequences have no value outside the corpo rate framework. Solomon then goes on to cite eminent philosophers from the past, including Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill and David Hume in emphasizing the importance of individual character and virtue. He even refers to ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Confucius to underscore his point. Although these philosophers lived before the industrial era, their ideas hold good across contexts, for they do address the merits of holding firm in the face of ‘external’ compulsions and authorities. In the modern context, the dominant institution for authority and conformity is the business corporation. But the preoccupation of these philosophers is not only whether individual virtue ‘can’ survive external pressure, but also whether it should. And to this question they answer largely in the affirmative. We will write a custom essay sample on Can Individual Virtue Survive Corporate Pressure? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Can Individual Virtue Survive Corporate Pressure? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Can Individual Virtue Survive Corporate Pressure? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer What Robert Solomon is able to do is present a brand of virtue ethics that adapts the most enduring aspects of empiricism (with its emphasis on character) with more recent insights offered by the social sciences. Hence a viable compromise between agency and environment can be achieved, whereby, a theoretical and practical model of character can be drawn â€Å"that emphasizes dynamic interaction both in the formation and in the interplay between personal agency and responsibility on the one hand and social pressures and the environment on the other†. (Newton, et. al., 2011, p.63) Gilbert Harman essays a thorough rebuttal to Robert Solomon’s thesis. Harman’s major objections are toward Solomon’s underestimation of the empirical threat to virtue ethics, and â€Å"his a priori claim that empirical research cannot overturn our ordinary moral psychology is overstated†. (Newton, et. al., 2011, p.77) Harman also notes an attribution error in Solomon’s argument, in that, the latter overplays seemingly obvious differences in character traits between people. Harman also questions the adaptability and relevance of the Milgram, Darley and Batson experiments, upon whose results Solomon constructs most of his analysis. As Harman succinctly concludes his essay, â€Å"Aristotelian style virtue ethics shares with folk psychology a commitment to broad-based character traits of a sort that people simply do not have. This does not threaten free will and moral responsibility, but it does mean that it is a mistake to base business ethics on that sort of virtue ethics.† (Newton, et. al., 2011, p.83) Despite this pessimism with the existing corporate structures, Harman ends on an optimistic note by allowing for the possibility of a model of virtue ethics in which virtuous behavior is socially supported and sustained. Having scrutinized the presentation of both the authors, I am inclined to agree with Gilbert Harman when compared to Robert Solomon. It is difficult to imagine how individuals can assert their personal moral values and virtues in a corporate environment that has a distinctly limited vision and goal – mostly economic. The term ‘economic’ is the key here, for it is the most compelling reason why the discourse of personal virtue ethics is not compatible with business goals. Business corporations are economic institutions, whose major purpose is to garner short-term profit. It celebrates the principle of ‘Greed is good’ with no hint of embarrassment. In this milieu, a worker will have to leave out his individual framework of morality when he enters the premises of a corporation. Even the sense in which business corporations view human beings – resources and commodities fetched from the labor market – makes it highly incongruent with morality in the conventional sense. The ‘market’ is much hailed by the political system and is promoted as a mechanism through which industrial production is increased and quality of our lives enhanced. But it also corrupts an individual’s character due to a reward system that works by way of benefiting those who ‘beat the system’. This was alluded to by Karl Marx when he talked about the commoditization of labor. Marx had â€Å"insight into this process. In an era in which the market is virtually deified, we need to understand how insidiously it eats away at our humanity and transforms us into caricatures of human beings.† (Carson, 1995)

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on Beverage Industry

The Non-Alcholic Beverages Industry: Improvement of Resource Efficiency and Environmental Performance Non-alcoholic beverages include milk, juices of fruits and vegetables, and carbonated and uncarbonated soft drinks. Milk and the dairy industry are covered separately under Food Processing. The primary environmental aspects of these industries involve water use and wastewater discharge from products and washing, chemical use in cleaning, and management of scrap and solid waste. The most significant environmental impacts in this industry are from water pollution and packaging disposal. There are many technical reports on treatment of wastewater from beverage production. There are relatively few reports on cleaner production available. Primary solutions include process measurement and control, water recycling, chemical substitution and reduction, energy efficiency, and new product development using waste materials. The industry associations and leading companies provide extensive information on their packaging including use of environmentally improved designs, recycling systems and technologies. The Food Processing document has many general resources for the food and beverage industry that should be consulted for solutions for the beverage industry. The table below lists solutions to reduce waste and pollution in non-alcoholic beverage production. Company environmental programs should demonstrate that these options have been considered thoroughly. Direct links to online guides to pollution prevention follow the table. Solutions to Increase Efficiency and Reduce Waste in Beverage Production Companies raw materials cleaning: consider alternatives to batchwise bath immersion such as: - water recycling/reuse - spray washing - countercurrent washing cleaning of equipment consider: - non-stick surfaces to reduce contamination - dry cleaning before water washing - automatic detection of product/water interfaces - effective s... Free Essays on Beverage Industry Free Essays on Beverage Industry The Non-Alcholic Beverages Industry: Improvement of Resource Efficiency and Environmental Performance Non-alcoholic beverages include milk, juices of fruits and vegetables, and carbonated and uncarbonated soft drinks. Milk and the dairy industry are covered separately under Food Processing. The primary environmental aspects of these industries involve water use and wastewater discharge from products and washing, chemical use in cleaning, and management of scrap and solid waste. The most significant environmental impacts in this industry are from water pollution and packaging disposal. There are many technical reports on treatment of wastewater from beverage production. There are relatively few reports on cleaner production available. Primary solutions include process measurement and control, water recycling, chemical substitution and reduction, energy efficiency, and new product development using waste materials. The industry associations and leading companies provide extensive information on their packaging including use of environmentally improved designs, recycling systems and technologies. The Food Processing document has many general resources for the food and beverage industry that should be consulted for solutions for the beverage industry. The table below lists solutions to reduce waste and pollution in non-alcoholic beverage production. Company environmental programs should demonstrate that these options have been considered thoroughly. Direct links to online guides to pollution prevention follow the table. Solutions to Increase Efficiency and Reduce Waste in Beverage Production Companies raw materials cleaning: consider alternatives to batchwise bath immersion such as: - water recycling/reuse - spray washing - countercurrent washing cleaning of equipment consider: - non-stick surfaces to reduce contamination - dry cleaning before water washing - automatic detection of product/water interfaces - effective s...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Ecosystems in South West Australia Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ecosystems in South West Australia - Assignment Example Climate change directly influences the rate of NPP and carbon storage. Drier and warmer climate results in undesirable parameters such as UV radiation, tropospheric and biotic factors that result in reduction in carbon storage in plant parts. Shifts in precipitation and temperature result in the conversion of soil carbon to CO2; therefore, carbon storage is decreased. Shifts in the disturbance regime also influence carbon availability in the ecosystem. Disturbances from wildfires, back beetles, and wind reduce carbon availability and t6he net primary production of other nutrients (Bernard, Leadley and Hungate, 2005). Question Two Mineralization is an important process in the long-term manufacture of nutrients required by plants for growth. Elevated levels of CO2 in the atmosphere stimulate biomass production, increased litter fall, and rhizodeposition. The delivery of labile organic matter increases and in turn, influences the deposition of soil microorganisms that enhance nutrient availability and carbon storage. An increase in the net carbon input in the soil causes decreased nitrogen mineralization, and subsequently increases temporarily immobilized nitrogen as well as carbon sequestration. The result of mineralization is the long-term immobilization of atmospheric nitrogen (Bernard, Leadley, and Hungate, 2005). Nutrient cycling is a highly localized process that involves exchanges between plants and soil in ecosystems.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Potential Effects of a Large Earthquake Essay

The Potential Effects of a Large Earthquake - Essay Example The essay "The potential effects of a large earthquake" discusses the possible areas to move in, their main good and disruptive factors. Earthquake hazard mapping is mainly used in California in efforts to ensure that there is effective land use. There has been an awareness on seismic safety to both public and private investors to prevent building or occupying areas with active faults. The first location we are discussing is 3700 Perie lane, San Jose which is near San Andrea’s faults. The information which is going to guide us in understanding better the area and its activities based on maps and geotechnical data from geological investigations, technical reports and reports from the geological survey regarding earthquakes and liquefaction potential brought about by landslide zones. The stability of the 3700 Perie lane, San Jose is mainly affected by the material type, vegetation cover, inclination and moisture content. There are numerous types of landslides in the area of San Jose and the major one in this area is the rock slide, translational and rotational, earth slide, complex slides, earth slides, debris slides and rock fall. Different Zones along Perie |lane, San Jose are high influenced by either geological or soil conditions which have a great impact on the development of the area. This city is well known as the most active in earthquakes and tsunamis by seismologist and geologist. A regular occurrence of Tsunamis along San Andrea Faults is associated with the crustal movement along the active fault zones.

Monday, November 18, 2019

My experience with writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My experience with writing - Essay Example An English writer will always prefer writing in English where as a person like me whose native language is Arabic, like to write in Arabic only. It will be difficult for me to write in English or Hindi. Why writers prefer their own native language for writing? Children in my country learn to write at the age of 6. In fact I acquired the writing skill little bit later at the age of 7. My father was an expert in writing newspaper articles and some of my uncles were fond of writing poems. I started writing poems at the age of 14 and one of my teachers has encouraged me a lot in writing poems. I was comfortable in writing poems in Arabic. But it was not easy for me to write the poems in English. One of my poems which were translated to English with the help of one my friends is given below. Writing requires lot of knowledge and also lot of in depth analysis. Since I am comfortable with the Arabic literature available in my country, I will be more interested in writing in Arabic rather than in English. If I want to express my ideas or opinion about a topic then I will get the suitable words from Arabic language only because of my lack of awareness about English language. Of course I agree that since English is an international language, it may have better words or expressive vocabularies than Arabic. But because of my lack of awareness about such big words from English, I may not be able to express my ideas, opinions or suggestions properly in English. Writing in own language provides ample freedom in selecting the words or vocabularies. The meaning of the words must be well understandable to the readers. I am confident of making the Arab people aware of my views through my literature like poems. But I am not sure how other people from a different country or region perceive my language. Though language will never prevent me from expressing my views internationally, I am not sure whether people from other countries will enjoy my

Friday, November 15, 2019

Integrating ICT in Teaching and Learning

Integrating ICT in Teaching and Learning Information and Communications Technology commonly termed as ICT comes from the acronym IT and CT and refers to methods of storing, manipulating and communicating information. Information Technology (IT), as defined by the Smart Computing Dictionary, is A general term used to describe any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, or disseminate information. IT refers to the most expensive, complex computers, with devices usually dealing with electronic data in binary format. However, these IT machines are not able to communicate with one another. And, Communication Technology (CT) is the term used to describe telecommunications equipment through which information can be sought and accessed. (New Zealand MOE, 1998). Examples include: video conferencing, teleconference phones, and modems. Globally, educational systems are adopting new technologies to integrate ICT in the teaching and learning process, to prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need in their subject matter. In this way the teaching profession is evolving from teacher-centered to student-centered learning environments. ICT integration is understood as the usage of technology seamlessly for educational processes like transacting curricular content and students working on technology to do authentic tasks (Kainth and Kaur). Nowadays ICT facilitate not only the delivery of lessons but also the learning process itself. This includes computer based technologies, digital imaging, the internet, file servers, data storage devices, network infrastructure, desktops, laptops and broadcasting technologies namely radio and television, and telephone which are used as instructional tools at schools. INTEGRATING ICT IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS In Mauritius government has spent tremendously to promote ICT integration in teaching and learning. Is it worth investing so much money? What advantages do ICT have in education? Many researchers have given their view points about the advantages and how ICT can be integrated in curriculum. Allen (1997) believed that the basic skills of the future are the use of powerful technologies. The traditional textbook can no longer fulfill the need in the rapid changing and the information-explosion world. He asserted that the traditional teacher-centered approach makes classroom no longer an effective system to prepare students for the realities which they face in the near future. Parmley et al. (1997) stated that technology works best as a supporting tool-making complex processes or creative experience either possible or easier to accomplish. He thought that technology can offer new ways to provide meaningful, real-life context for learning, it also allow students to collaborate with peers and experts across the country and around the World. Rosener (1997) described IT as good as, or even better than, traditional method of teaching and learning as it being limitless of time and space. Poole (1998) pointed out that suitably integrated computer use can contribute to successful results in the classroom as to: support teaching and learning, support childrens socialisation, enable children with disabilities to integrate and enables a teacher to duplicate excellence. According to Kennewell et al. (2000), integration of ICT in teaching requires understanding at a deeper level to facilitate the development of strategies and process to identify opportunities, solve problems and evaluate solution. They believe that these higher-level objectives require not only technical knowledge and skills, but the ability to choose an effective strategy for a problem. Poole (1998) shared his view that the technology is only a tool to both teacher and student. The effectiveness of the tool depends entirely on the skills they bring to the learning process. He believed that the teachers task is thus to nurture the students willingness to learn. Gregoire et al (1996) provided the following important points in respecting student learning in analysing that the contribution new technologies can make to teaching and learning: New technologies stimulate the development of intellectual skills New technologies contribute to the ways of learning knowledge, skills and attitudes, but still dependent on pre-requisite knowledge and type of learning activity. New technologies spur spontaneous interest more than traditional approaches of learning. Students using new technologies concentrate more than those in traditional settings Moreover the above outlined points are balanced by further genuine observations: Benefits of ICT for students are greatly dependent on the technological skills of the teachers and their attitudes towards technology. Skill and attitude in turn are largely dependent on the staff training in this area. (UNESCO Paris, 2002). 2.2.1 Impact of ICT on education In educational context, ICT has the potential to increase access to education and improve its relevance and quality. Tinio (2002) asserted that ICT has a tremendous impact on education in terms of acquisition and absorption of knowledge to both teachers and students through the promotion of: Active learning: ICT tools help for the calculation and analysis of information obtained for examination and also students performance report are all being computerised and made easily available for inquiry. In contrast to memorisation-based or rote learning, ICT promotes learner engagement as learners choose what to learn at their own pace and work on real life situations problems. Collaborative and Cooperative learning: ICT encourages interaction and cooperation among students, teachers regardless of distance which is between them. It also provides students the chance to work with people from different cultures and working together in groups, hence help students to enhance their communicative skills as well as their global awareness. Researchers have found that typically the use of ICT leads to more cooperation among learners within and beyond school and there exists a more interactive relationship between students and teachers (Grà ©goire et al., 1996). Collaboration is a philosophy of interaction and personal lifestyle where individuals are responsible for their actions, including learning and respect the abilities and contributions of their peers. (Panitz, 1996). Creative Learning: ICT promotes the manipulation of existing information and to create ones own knowledge to produce a tangible product or a given instructional purpose. Integrative learning: ICT promotes an integrative approach to teaching and learning, by eliminating the synthetic separation between theory and practice unlike in the traditional classroom where emphasis encloses just a particular aspect. Evaluative learning: Use of ICT for learning is student-centered and provides useful feedback through various interactive features. ICT allow students to discover and learn through new ways of teaching and learning which are sustained by constructivist theories of learning rather than students do memorisation and rote learning. And a mentioned in Teaching of ICT by MIE/IGNOU (2005), improvements in telecommunication technologies can lead education to provide more independence to teachers and students by: Better use of learning resources- a presentation once made through use of technologies can be showed to students over and over again. Motivating to learn-ICTs combine text, sound, and colourful, moving images that increase learners motivation and their interest to learn. Facilitating the acquisition of basic concepts that are the foundation for higher order concepts and creativity can be facilitated through drill and practice as repetition and reinforcement of content and skills are being focused. Aspect Less traditional pedagogy More emerging pedagogy for the information society Active Activities prescribed by teacher Whole class instruction Little variation in activities Pace determined by the programme Small groups Activities determined by learners Many different activities Pace determined by learners Collaborative Individual Homogenous groups Everyone for him/herself Working in teams Heterogeneous groups Supporting each other Creative Reproductive learning Apply known solutions to problems Productive learning Find new solutions to problems Integrative No link between theory and practice Separate subjects Discipline-based Individual teachers Integrating theory and practice Relations between subjects Teams of teachers Thematic Evaluative Teacher-directed Summative à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Student-directed DiagnosticTable 2.2.1 Overview of Pedagogy in the Industrial versus the Information Society While theoretical arguments can be put forward to provide a strong rationale for the use of ICT in enhancing the teaching and learning process, the only real rationale is based on whether, in practice, it has a positive impact on learning, the learners, and teachers (Newhouse, 2002). learning environment entities and external entities. IMPACT OF ICT ON LEARNERS ICT has very strong effect in education and it provides enormous tools for enhancing teaching and learning. There have been many studies that have highlighted the various ways that ICT may support teaching and learning processes in a range of disciplinary fields such as the construction of new opportunities for interaction between students and knowledge and accessing information. ICT enable new ways teaching and learning when used appropriately under right conditions such as suitable resources, training and support. ICT also offers the potential to meet the learning needs of individual students, to promote equal opportunity, to offer learning material, and also promote interdependence of learning among learners (Leach, Ahmed, Makalima Power, 2005). The five ways to establish and sustain effective learning environments through ICT suggested by the Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning (2000) are: 1. Real world problems 2. Scaffolding 3. Feedback, reflection and guidance 4. Local and global communities 5. Extending teacher learning. (Newhouse, 2002) IMPACT OF ICT ON TEACHERS Roblyer and Edwards (2000) suggested that there are five important reasons for teachers to use technology in education: (1) Motivation; (2) Distinctive instructional abilities; (3) Higher productivity of teachers; (4) Essential skills for the Information Age and (5) Support for new teaching techniques (Samak, 2006). In order to make use of technology in the classroom effectively, educators should have a positive attitude toward technology and they should be trained in using the modern technologies in their respective field of education. Chin and Hortin (1994) stated that teachers must act as the change agent in the relationship between technology and the students as teachers are more likely to implement the recommended and proposed changes concerning ICT in education. But at the same time there are many challenges faced by educators as they consider how best to best incorporate ICT tools into their teaching. This is being discussed in the following article. 2.4.1 Factors affecting technology integration in Teaching and Learning I. Jung talks about the enormous challenge teachers are facing in our society due to the rapid expansion of knowledge. The modern technologies are demanding that teachers learn how to use these technologies in their teaching. Hence these new technologies increase the teachers training needs. Gressard and Loyd (1985) asserted that teachers attitudes toward computers are a key factor in the successful implementation of ICT in education. They pointed out that teachers do not always have positive attitudes towards computers and their poor attitudes may lead to a failure of the computer- based projects. Also the most commonly cited barriers are: lack of time; lack of access; lack of resources; lack of expertise and lack of support (Butler and Sellbom, 2002, Leggettt Persichitte, 1998). Another barrier given by Butler and Sellbom (2002) and Chizmar Williams (2001) is reliability. Reliability included hardware failures, incompatible software between home and school, poor or slow internet connectivity and out of date software which are available mostly at school while the students/educators are having more up-to-date software at home. SUBJECT DIFFERENCE IN ICT INTEGRATION Subject being taught is also a factor influencing the integration of ICT in the teaching and learning process. In general, science teachers have more positive attitudes towards ICT and possess a higher level of computer literacy knowledge than other teachers such as Arts, Humanities and Commerce. Law et al (2000) believe that they used ICT in their teaching more frequently. Rosener (1997) sated that the use of IT should be used when they provide more opportunities for students to visualise and understand study materials. In areas where the subject matter focuses more on value, meaning and philosophical ideas, IT will only partially be able to substitute for human interaction. However, in areas which have a high volume of students studying the subject like the sciences which constitute of a standardised curriculum and factual content, it will more likely be able to supplement the content and teaching methods with use of ICT. ICT AND MATHEMATICS There are many potential uses for computers in the teaching and learning process of mathematics. According to Oldknow and Taylor (2000), the role of ICT in the teaching and learning process of mathematics are as follows: In terms of teachers, the use of ICT:- Improves their efficiency Reduces their administrative burden since less paperwork Releases more time to address students individually Provides better records of students progress Acts as a stimulus to rethinking their approach to their mathematics teaching Acts as a stimulus to rethinking their understanding of mathematics Acts as a means to communicate with other teachers sharing the common problems. The use of ICT makes students:- Engage their attention and motivate them Stimulate their curiosity Encourage them to develop their problem-solving strategies Provide models and images which aid them in concept formation Improve their test and examination results since they learn by own pace and learn through feedback provided to them. Mathematics lessons are associated with real life situations and increases the relevancy of the lessons to the real world. The curriculum needs to be updated continually to take account of the technology prevalent in society. Mathematics has tended to be very abstract while most students tend to operate on a concrete level. The use of concrete materials in some lessons is useful but often not convenient. The computer can provide experiences with virtual concrete materials. In approaching problems associated with remedial and extension students computer use can provide appropriate material and overcome classroom management problems. In 1995 the National Council for Educational Technology published a leaflet in which are included the six opportunities students can enhance their mathematics learning through the use of ICT: Learning from feedback: Fast and reliable feedback is provided which encourages students to make their own judgements and to test out and work over their ideas. Observing patterns: The use of computers and electronic calculators enables students to practice as many examples as possible when working out mathematical problems. This chains their study of patterns. Seeing connections: With use of ICT graphs and related formulae and tables of numbers are readily linked. Changing one value probes them to see the immediate effects in the other variables thus helps students to understand the connections between them. Working with dynamic images: Students can make use of IT to manipulate diagrams. This encourages them to visualise the change of geometry when using the required software and this develops their reasoning skills. Exploring data: With the use of IT students get the opportunity to work with real data which can be represented in a variety of ways, which supports explanation and analysis. Teaching the computer: When students design algorithm to achieve a particular result, they are required to express their commands clearly and in the correct order thus developing their thinking skills. These listed opportunities are applicable with the existence of ICT tools that can help students in their mathematics learning and teachers can map those mentioned opportunities with the various types of ICT tools (including both software and hardware), from the guide ICT and Mathematics, for instance Hand-held technology use numerical and graphing features of graphical calculators with data-loggers Programming languages use Logo Small software in the form of games and simulations. Spreadsheets set up a basic spreadsheet to enter data and replicate formulae- use of advance facilities of like statistical graphing Web-sites explore web-based resources related to mathematics teaching. Whiteboards use of electronic whiteboards for whole-class teaching, using OHPs. General purpose software Microsoft Office package such as Excel, Word, Explorer and PowerPoint. Mathematics teaching software dynamic geometry software(for constructions and transformations e.g. for coordinates, measures) and interactive package including graph-plotting using Graph-plotters, data-handling (database or statistical software), symbolic algebra. E-learning- For e.g.Xerte (open source e-learning) is an interactive program and a fully-featured e-learning development for creating rich interactive environment. An example is taken from the guide ICT and Mathematics on the dynamic geometry software. This can help students arrive at a convincing proof. Figure 2.6: Geometry Software The software is used to see the sights of the relationship between the areas of quadrilaterals and the areas of the figures formed by joining their midpoints. The two areas appear to be equal, but clearer seen by dragging A,B,C or D about through the software. So formulating a speculation that the area of EFGH is always half that of ABCD EFGH always appears to be a parallelogram or by adding a diagonal BD, might suggest geometric relationships from which students can arrive at a convincing proof. As mentioned in the leaflet from Mathematics and IT a pupils entitlement in the guide ICT and Mathematics: As the technology progresses and becomes more prevalent, teachers will also need to be continually reconsidering the mathematical content of their teaching. Having software which can, for example, solve systems of equations at the touch of a button has strong implications for the way particular topics are approached. One vital aspect of the widespread availability of ICT tools and easy access to resources of mathematical information through the Internet is that they can enable us to keep in touch with developments prevailing around the world for Mathematics. The four key concepts, highlighted in the ICT in mathematics (DfES, 2004), that are noteworthy for mathematics are: using data and information sources; organising and investigating; analysing and automating processes; models and modelling. How can the use of ICT raise standards in mathematics? (DfES, 2004) ICT can be used as a tool: to support teachers in teaching an objective more effectively, in improving lesson design and improving teaching and learning; to enable pupils to engage with learning and to be motivated to improve their learning; to enable pupils to access geometrical, graphical and statistical ideas dynamically and so to make connections in their learning; to build pupils confidence in their mathematical abilities by testing their conjectures, learning from feedback and using reasoning to modify their solutions. Students learning mathematics most benefit from the use of ICT in areas such as: the teacher using an interactive or electronic whiteboard for starters and plenaries; the teacher using an electronic whiteboard for interactive teaching in the main part of the lesson; using generic software such as databases or spreadsheets as a means of making sense of data; using content-free, mathematics-specific software on computers or graphical calculators to aid visualisation and help make connections in algebra and geometry; using simple programming languages, such as LOGO, to build increasingly complex mathematical models and relationships in shape and space, number and algebra; using content-specific software, usually targeting specific mathematical skills; processing and interpreting experimental information from data-loggers; using information resources such as the Internet, CD-ROMs or data files. E-Learning E-Learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. (Wikipedia). It can use an information network or even no network necessary for the lessons delivery and interaction. It can also be termed as term online learning. Tinio mentioned that Web-based learning is a subset of e-learning and refers to learning using an Internet browser (such as Netscape or Internet Explorer). Figure 2.6.2: E-Learning 2.6.3 Blended Learning Another learning model which is evolving in our educational system is blended learning. This refers to combining traditional classroom methods with e-learning solutions. For example, students in a traditional class can be assigned with printed copies and also online materials through an educational program and even have online monitoring sessions with their teachers through the chat. Blended learning is a supplement to traditional delivery methods in class to support face-to-face lessons. (Tinio). Blending learning can be an online or offline process. 2.6.4 Open Source E Learning Like any teaching styles, e-learning requires a variety of resources to be run effectively. (Tinio).So there are many interactive packages which can be of great use and they are free software packages and of good use to educators since they help to add plain text, images, videos, drawings and other interactivities to their teaching and also various types of questions are included like: true/false multiple choice matching fill in the blank calculations When the student clicks on the submit button, they get their feedback directly and can have repetition of the work if need is. Thus e-learning can be beneficial to educators in the following ways as described by the University of Nottingham: E-learning is delivered through blended learning to supplement traditional learning methods. E-learning can cover a large or small part of a lesson, having already the necessary materials that can be converted into e-learning. Any use of technology to support the teaching and learning process can be described as e-learning. Help to manage and organise lessons materials in a more effective and efficient way Reduction of administrative tasks, for example printed materials and marking tests Enable educators to monitor student involvement and progress and offer support and advice promptly and make effective use of teacher-student contact time Widen communication opportunities with students Help the change in educators role from knowledge provider to learning facilitator Encourage the development of flexible learning materials. The University of Nottingham stated that in terms of students, e-learning: Encourage flexibility of access to lesson materials- anytime, anywhere Provide self-responsibility for learning and allow students to learn at their own pace and to keep track of their progress Enhance student participation while encouraging less confident students to take part Encourage student engagement when using interactive learning materials and improve students motivation and satisfaction and facilitate understanding of the subject matter Promote communication with educators Promote peer support as there is more interaction between the students Help in the preparation of upcoming topics and revision of preceding lessons Increase the accessibility of information and lesson materials to students with low abilities in the subject matter.