Arthur Miller uses Alfieri for Dramatic Essay

In the second part of his speech, Alfieri brings about a notion of tragedy, ‘Another lawyer, quite differently dressed, heard the same complaint and sat there as powerless as I, and watched it run its bloody course. ‘ This gives the audience a hint as to what is going to come ahead. The fact that Alfieri speaks in the third person indicates that the calamity has already happened and he was powerless to stop it. The idea of fate and destiny and destiny is also brought about. When Eddie, the protagonist of the play is introduced the scenario of a typical Greek tragedy is set up. Eddie is a good person but he has a flaw; his obsessive love for his niece, Catherine. If he is then put in an appropriate circumstance where his weakness is tested, he is likely to encounter tragic circumstances. The next time Alfieri addresses the audience the story has already been put into context. The audience are unaware of Eddie’s love for his niece and he could be easily mistaken as an over protective father. Eddie pays for her typing lessons and has ambitions for her to rise to a different class. ‘You ain’t all the girls. ‘ He is proud of her looks, yet concerned she will attract the wrong sort of men. ‘The heads are turning like windmills. ‘ In addition Eddie finds it difficult to admit that Catherine has become an independent woman. ‘I guess I just never figured†¦ that you would grow up. ‘ This Alfieri soliloquy helps the plot to progress. Again he uses the past tense, reminding us that he is recalling something which has taken place. Eddie is described as good and hardworking man, the audience can therefore sympathise and even like him. However Eddie has a fate and destiny which he cannot control. Towards the end of this short appearance, Alfieri notifies us on the arrival of the cousins and the play again unfolds. Subsequently we meet Alfieri who again mentions Eddie’s destiny. ‘Eddie Carbone had never expected to have a destiny. ‘ Yet again we are given the impression that Eddie is a good person and is someone you would expect to have a fairly normal life. ‘A man works, raises his family, goes bowling, eats, gets old, and then he dies. ‘ However we are reminded as Alfieri closes his speech that Eddie does have a flaw and as a result there will be devastating consequences. As a result of which, the audience are left in suspense and uncertainty as to what is to come ahead. ‘There was a trouble that would not go away. ‘ His next appearance is one of the most important in the play. Alfieri begins by saying how he is acquainted with Eddie and his family, which helps to put his relationship with the husky, middle-aged longshoreman into context. He then reveals that Eddie came to visit him in the first instance. ‘I remember him now as he walked through my doorway – his eyes were like tunnels. ‘ Which indicates that Eddie was out of control and looked fierce. Alternatively this could make the audience feel concerned towards his actions and what is to come next. It is the first time in the play that Alfieri transforms from being a narrator to actually a part of the action. As an actor taking part in the action, both his language and behaviour are more formal. In terms of language, Alfieri is more articulate and elevated; his sentences consist of professionalism and throughout this scene he is the voice of reason and sanity as opposed to the prejudiced and hurt Eddie. However Eddie is aggravated by Alfieri’s clear and focused attitude towards the law, as Eddie cannot differentiate between the law and the justice of the vendetta. ‘But the law is very specific†¦ The law does not. ‘

Early Childhood Influences Your Outcome in Life Essay

In the early years of your childhood, is the time when you learn most of your traits that will make you who you are for the rest of your life. Whether your parents held you enough when you are a child can determine if you are successful in life, or if you drop out of high school and start beating your wife and kids. If you teach your kids when they are little to tie their shoes or to spell their name than they are more likely to like school, your culture can determine whether they do well in school or if they don’t understand from the beginning. Some researchers say that if you have a good parent that loves you, spends time with you, or well if they really just help you out while you are a child your child has a better chance at doing well at school because they aren’t starting so far behind. If you have a low economic standing than child usually just fall back into the gangs, or drugs because they don’t have the support to stop and get out. Your outcome in life almost always stems from how you are treated as a child. When you start school you are thrown into a mix of people, some can read already and write while others don’t even know their name. If you start kindergarten and you are already so far behind than it’s hard to catch back up. If the child wasn’t shown their numbers before because their parents didn’t help them very much while they were growing up. If as a parent you isolate your children by not educating them or leaving them by themselves while doing homework than they’re going to have a hard time trying to figure out what to do, and they know that their parents aren’t there to check in on the homework. Michael Thompson, Ph.D. â€Å"A parent may be working out of the home, or need to be working in the home and cooking dinner. So if you are home, stay close, and if you are not there, have another adult check to make sure it’s going OK. And remember that all homework is not equal, so not everything will need your rapt attention.† Research says that you need to have some interaction while the child is doing their homework. Whenever you send the children away to school yes they are away but you need to help and stay informed because it isn’t always the students fault that they are getting in trouble maybe they just don’t understand something or the teacher isn’t explaining it the way they need to learn it. As a parent you need to help your children out because it will affect their outcome in life, because if every time they try and ask a question and the teacher yells at them obviously they aren’t going to ask; but if as a parent they stay informed with the teacher than the parent can help on the home end too. Socioeconomic standing is very important to how a child will develop. In low socioeconomic areas there is very poor education, low parental control, and a high gang/violence rate. If you are brought up with only knowing the life of the streets you have a higher percentage of staying there. This is because you are â€Å"born into it†, if you have the ability to go to a high achieving school get good grades and have peers that do the same then obviously you are going to do better. For an example I inserted the graph above if you are born into a higher-class family you are more than likely going to stay there, but if you are born into a lower class family you are more likely to stay there (graph found on You’re Born Into It America sited in the bibliography). There is the example of gang violence, which is an element that thrives in the lower class; it gives power, brotherhood, family and money. Gangs are a large part of what hold some of the brightest people back. In California alone males ranging from 7th-12th grade 50.9% of males were associated with gangs; that was in 2010. Living in a socioeconomically depressed neighborhood makes it hard enough to get out and make it on your own but the fact that there are gangs influencing these minors left and right make it even harder. A great example of someone growing out of a socioeconomically depressed neighborhood is Julian Castro who was the first Latino keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Castro was raised in San Antonio by a single mother who worked her hardest to proved all she could for her two sons. Julian and his brother Joaquà ­n both worked very hard to get out of their depressed area so that they could provide for their mother. They both graduated from high school and were accepted to Stanford, then to Harvard. These to Hispanics made the choice to be hard working and expand their view on living, they knew there was more to life than not having anything. One of the main reasons they were able to do so well is that their mother and grandmother helped them as much as they could. Julian became the first keynote speaker to be a Latino because he wanted to beat the odds; he did not want to end up like the people he saw around him. Another great story is President Barak Obama’s he was born in Hawaii, his father and mother both left him to be brought up by his grandparents. They did not have very much money and Barry had to find his own way to pay for college since no one set that up for him. Obama had a very hard life growing up, working multiple jobs, keeping his grades up, studying for tests and trying to get scholarships so he could go to college. He did it though, and now he is the most important man in the United States and possibly the world. He worked his way out of the life he had as a child and did not want that life for his future children. In president Obama’s speech after the 2012 election he said â€Å"†¦you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the united states of America, the best is yet to come.† He was speaking of each persons individual journey in this country, you have the choice to grow up and try and your hardest to make a better life for yourself even if your parents are not there all the time. The U.S.’s census bureau reported that around 30% of families in America are being headed by a single parent. These houses may be dysfunctional and â€Å"doomed to failure† (usg.org) but many people that have grown up in a single parent home have had just as much attention as someone that has two parents. In America, 22 million children have a one-parent household, a mother runs 83% of those houses and half of those mothers do not receive any type of child support to help out. Not receiving child support have put 70% of single parent moms in poverty making on average $13,00 annually. Currently there are over 9.8 million mothers as a single parent. Living in that type of poverty is hard to do but plenty of people are able to do it and grow up and become an amazing person with a great future. The people who say that because they live in poverty they are always going to be poor are going to stay there because it takes hard work and dedication to grow out of the socioeconom ically depressed neighborhood you grew up in. In 2000 the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that 90% of 4th grade parents participated in parent-teacher conferences among the 8th grade that number dropped to about 57%. Parents believe that once you are in middle school you can do your homework by yourself because the parents are not helpful since they do not remember it themselves. In elementary school parents are totally involved since everyone is still a â€Å"child† but you do not grow out of adolescence till you are 18 because you are not a legal adult so parents should be helping their children out till they are a senior in high school because that is why you have parents. Many schools do not even reach out to a parent if their child is failing or being suspended, because well they are an adult now. It is said that most children who have a strong parental backing through high school will do better in college. The students who have a parent helping them choose the road they follow 97% of the time make better choices when it comes to drugs, sex and partying in college. In Isanti County only 69% of parents attend conferences while the percent for lower grades is higher. Researchers say its because in elementary schools teachers have on average 20-30 children total while middle and high school teachers have over 120 students so its a lot harder to keep in touch with parents. That is why parents need to stay involved with their child’s education. Your childhood has influences on your outcome in life of course but you can change the out come of your life and make it what ever you want it to be. Being born into poverty does not mean you have to stay there the rest of your life. Parental involvement and personal goals are how you change your outcome. Obama and the Castro twins are perfect depictions of how goals that are met can make you what ever you would like to become. References Barack Obama Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story – Biography.com . (n.d.). Famous Biographies & TV Shows – Biography.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www.biography.com/people/barack-obama-12782369?page=3 Julian Castro Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story – Biography.com. (n.d.). Famous Biographies & TV Shows – Biography.com. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.biography.com/people/julian-castro-20967527 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Emerging Trends. (n.d.). FBI. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment 774,000 gang members and 27,900 gangs active in the US: Crime News à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Crime in America.Net. (n.d.). Crime in America.Net: Crime, Violent Crime, Criminals, Crime News, Statistics and Research. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://crimeinamerica.net/2010/04/01/774000-gang-members-and-27900-gangs-active-in-the-us-crime-news/ Adolescence: Are Parents Relevant to Students’ High School Achievement and Post-Secondary Attainment? / Browse Our Publications / Publications & Resources / HFRP – Harvard Family Research Project. (n.d.). HFRP Home / HFRP – Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/adolescence-are-parents-relevant-to-students-high-school-achievement-and-pos t-secondary-attainment Elementary, r. U. (n.d.). Reports of Gang Membership, by Gender and Grade Level: 2008-2010 – Kidsdata.org . Kidsdata: Data and Resources about the Health of Children . Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.kidsdata.org/data/topic/table/gang-gender.aspx?f=1&loc=2,127,347,1763,331,348,336,171,321,345,357,332,324,369,358,362,360,337,327,364,356,217,353,328,354,323,352,320,339,334,365,343,330,367,344,355,366,368,265,349,361,4,273,59,370,326,333,322,3 Helping With Homework. (n.d.). PBS. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/parents/goingtoschool/helping_homework.html Living With One Parent – Vertical Thought | United Church of God. (n.d.). United Church of God. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.ucg.org/marriage-and-family/living-one-parent/ President ObamaÃÆ' ¢Ãƒâ€šÃ¢â€š ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ¢â€ž ¢s Election Night Speech – Video Feature – NYTimes.com. (n.d.). The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & M ultimedia. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/06/us/politics/06-obama-election-night-speech.html Sias, E. (n.d.). Concerns discussed with low parent-teacher conference attendance in Braham | The Isanti County News. The Isanti County News. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from http://isanticountynews.com/2012/11/20/concerns-discussed-with-low-parent-tea

A Dirty Job Chapter 27

27 BITCH'S BREW Lily had been looking all night for a way to approach Minty Fresh. She'd made eye contact with him a dozen times over the course of the evening, and smiled, but with the atmosphere of dread that fell over the room she was having trouble thinking of an opening line. Finally, when an Oprah movie of the week came on the television and everyone gathered around to watch the media diva beat Paul Winfield to death with a steam iron, Minty went to the breakfast bar and started flipping through his day planner, and Lily made her move. â€Å"So, checking your appointments?† she said. â€Å"You must be feeling optimistic about how things will go.† He shook his head. â€Å"Not really.† Lily was smitten. He was beautiful and morose – like a great brown man-gift from the gods. â€Å"How bad can it be?† Lily said, pulling the appointment book out of his hand and flipping through the pages. She stopped on today's date. â€Å"Why is Asher's name in here?† she asked. Minty hung his head. â€Å"He said you've known all about us for a while.† â€Å"Yeah, but – † She looked at the name again and the realization of what she was seeing was like a punch in the chest. â€Å"This is that book? This is your date book for that?† Minty nodded slowly, not looking at her. â€Å"When did this name show up?† Lily asked. â€Å"It wasn't there an hour ago.† â€Å"Well, fucksocks,† she said, sitting down on the bar stool next to the big man. â€Å"Yeah,† said Minty Fresh. He put his arm around her shoulders. With Charlie pulling on the legs of the bobcat guy (who was doing some impressive screaming considering he had prototype vocal cords) and the squirrel people dog-piling onto the Boston terrier, they were eventually able to extricate their lieutenant from the jaws of the bug-eyed fury with only a few snags in his Beefeater's costume. â€Å"Down, Bummer,† Charlie said. â€Å"Just chill.† He didn't know if chill was an official dog command, but it should be. Bummer snorted and backed away from the surrounding crowd of squirrel people. â€Å"Not one of us,† said the bobcat guy, pointing at Bummer. â€Å"Not one of us.† â€Å"You shut up,† Charlie said. He pulled a beef jerky from his pocket that he'd brought for emergency rations, tore off a hunk, and held it out to Bummer. â€Å"Come on, buddy. I told the Emperor I'd look out for you.† Bummer trotted over to Charlie and took the beef jerky from him, then turned to face down the squirrel people as he chewed. The squirrel people made clicking noises and brandished their weapons. â€Å"Not one of us. Not one of us,† chanted Bob. â€Å"Stop that,† Charlie said. â€Å"You can't get a mob chant going, Bob, you're the only one with a voice box.† â€Å"Oh yeah.† Bob let his chanting trail off. â€Å"Well, he's not one of us,† he added in his defense. â€Å"He is now,† Charlie said. To Bummer he said, â€Å"Can you lead us to the Underworld?† Bummer looked up at Charlie as if he knew exactly what was being asked of him, but if he was going to find the strength to carry on, he was going to need the other half of that beef jerky. Charlie gave it to him and Bummer immediately jumped up to a higher, four-foot pipe, stopped, barked, then took off down the pipe. â€Å"Follow him,† Charlie said. After an hour following Bummer through the sewers, the pipes gave way to tunnels that got bigger as they moved along. Soon they were moving in caves, with high ceilings and stalactites in the ceiling that glowed in various colors, illuminating their way with a dull, shadowy light. Charlie had read enough about the geology of the area to know that these caves were not natural to the city. He guessed that they were somewhere under the financial district, which was mostly built on Gold Rush landfill, so there would be nothing as old-looking or as solid as these caves. Bummer kept on, leading them down one fork or another without the slightest hesitation, until suddenly the cave opened up into a massive grotto. The chamber was so large that it simply swallowed up Charlie's flashlight and headlamp beams, but the ceiling, which was several hundred feet high, was lined with the luminous stalactites that reflected red, green, and purple in a mirror-smooth black lake. In the middle of the lake, probably two hundred yards away, stood a great black sailing ship – tall-masted like a Spanish galleon – red, pulsating light coming from the cabin windows in the rear, a single lantern lighting the deck. Charlie had heard that whole ships had been buried in the debris during the Gold Rush, but they wouldn't have been left preserved like this. Things had changed, these caves were all the result of the Underworld rising – and he realized that this was just a hint of what was going to happen to the City if the Underworlders took over. Bummer barked and the sharp report echoed around the grotto, sending a cloud of bats into the air. Charlie saw movement on the deck of the ship, the blue-black outline of a woman, and he knew that Bummer had led them to the right place. Charlie handed his flashlight to Bob and set his sword-cane on the cave floor. He drew the Desert Eagle from the shoulder holster, checked that there was a round in the chamber, cocked the hammer, then reset the safety and reholstered the pistol. â€Å"We're going to need a boat,† Charlie said to Bob. â€Å"See if you guys can find something we can make a raft from.† The bobcat guy started down the shore with Charlie's flashlight, scanning the rocks for useful flotsam. Bummer growled, tossed his head like he had ear mites or perhaps to indicate that he thought Charlie was insane, and ran out into the lake. Fifty yards away he was still only in water up to his shoulder. Charlie looked at the black ship and realized that it was sitting way, way too high out of the water – that, in fact, it was sitting with its hull on the bottom in only about six inches of water. â€Å"Uh, Bob,† Charlie said. â€Å"Forget the boat. We're walking. Everyone quiet.† He unsheathed his sword and sloshed onward. As they approached the ship they could make out details in its construction. The railings were fashioned from leg bones lashed together, the mooring cleats were human pelvises. The lantern on the deck was, in fact, a human skull. Charlie wasn't exactly sure how his powers as Luminatus were going to manifest themselves, but as they reached the hull of the ship he found himself very much wishing it would happen soon, and that levitation would be one of the powers. â€Å"We're fucked,† said Bob, looking up at the black hull curving above them. â€Å"We're not fucked,† Charlie said. â€Å"We just need someone to climb up there and throw us a rope.† There was some milling around amid the squirrel people, then a lone figure stepped out of the little crowd – this one appeared to be a nineteenth-century French dandy with the head of a monitor lizard. His outfit – the ruffles and the coat – actually reminded Charlie of pictures that Lily had shown him of Charles Baudelaire. â€Å"You can do it?† Charlie asked the lizard guy. He held out his hands and lifted one foot out of the water. Squirrel paws. Charlie lifted the lizard guy as high as he could up to the hull, and the little creature caught ahold in the black wood, then scurried up the side of the ship and over the gunwale. Minutes passed, and Charlie found himself listening hard for some hint as to what was going on above. When the thick rope splashed down next to him, he leapt two feet in the air and barely contained blasting out a full-blown man-scream. â€Å"Nice,† said Bob. â€Å"You first, then,† Charlie said, testing the rope to see if it would hold his weight. He waited until the bobcat guy was about three feet over his head before he tucked the sword-cane down inside the Lexan plate strapped over his back and started the climb himself. By the time he was three-quarters of the way up the rope, he felt as if his biceps were going to pop like water balloons and he entwined his motocross boot into the rope to rest. As if being granted a second wind by the gods, his biceps relaxed and when he resumed climbing he felt as if he might really be gaining his power as the Luminatus. When he reached the railing, he grabbed one of the bone mooring cleats and swung himself up until he sat straddling the rail. He swung around and his headlamp caught the black shine in her eyes. She was holding the bobcat guy like an ear of corn, her claw driven through his skull, pinning his jaw shut. There was flesh and goo glowing dull red, running down her face and over her breasts as she tore another bite out of the Beefeater. â€Å"Want some, lover?† she said. â€Å"Tastes like ham.† At the breakfast bar in Charlie's apartment, Lily said, â€Å"Shouldn't we tell them?† â€Å"They don't all know about us. About this.† Minty held the date book. â€Å"Just Audrey.† â€Å"Then shouldn't we tell her?† Minty looked at Audrey, who was sitting on the couch entwined in a sleepy pile with Charlie's sister and one of the hellhounds, looking very content. â€Å"No, I don't think that would serve any purpose right now.† â€Å"He's a good guy,† Lily said. She snatched a paper towel off the roll on the counter and dabbed her eyes before her mascara went raccoon on her again. â€Å"I know,† Minty said. â€Å"He's my friend.† As he said it, he felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down to where Sophie was staring up at him. â€Å"Hey, do you have a car?† she asked. â€Å"Yes, I do, Sophie.† â€Å"Can we go for a ride?† Without any hesitation, Charlie whipped the sword-cane out of his back and snapped it down on the Morrigan's wrist. She lost her grip on the bobcat guy, who bolted, screaming, across the deck and over the opposite railing. The Morrigan grabbed the sword-cane and tried to wrench it from Charlie's grasp. He let her – pulled the sword free, then drove it into her solar plexus so hard that his fist connected with her ribs and the blade came out her back, sinking into the wooden hull of the lifeboat she was reclining against. For a split second his face was an inch from hers. â€Å"Miss me?† she asked. He rolled away just as she slashed at him. He got his forearm up just in time to deflect the blow away from his face, the thick Lexan plate on his forearm stopping the claws from taking off his hand. She lunged for him, but the sword kept her pinned to the boat. Charlie ran down the deck away from her as she screeched in anger. He saw light coming from a door that must have led to the cabin at the aft of the ship – that same red glow – and he realized that it had to be coming from the soul vessels. Rachel's soul could still be in there. He was only a step from the hatch when the giant raven dropped in front of him and spread her wings out across the deck, as if trying to block the whole end of the ship. He backpedaled and drew the Desert Eagle from the shoulder holster. He tried to hold it steady as he clicked off the safety. The Raven snapped at him and he leapt back. The beak then pulled back, changed, bubbled into the face of a woman – but the wings and talons remained in bird form. â€Å"New Meat,† said Macha. â€Å"How brave of you to come here.† Charlie pulled the trigger. Flame shot a foot out of the barrel and he felt as if someone had hit him in the palm with a hammer. He thought he had aimed right between her eyes, but the bullet had ripped through her neck, taking half of the black flesh with it. Her head lolled to the side and the raven body flailed its wings at him. Charlie fell backward onto the deck, but pulled the pistol up and fired again as the raven was coming down on him. This one caught her in the center of the chest and sent her flying backward, up onto the cabin roof. The ringing in his ears felt like someone had driven tuning forks into his head and hit them with drumsticks – a long, painful, high-pitched wail. He barely heard the shriek from his left as another Morrigan dropped out of the rigging behind him. He rolled to the railing and brought the gun up just as she slashed at his face. The gun and his forearm pad absorbed most of the blow, but the Desert Eagle was knocked from his grasp and slid down the deck. Charlie did a somersault to his feet and ran after the gun. Nemain flicked her claws at his back and he heard the sizzle as the poison strafed the Lexan pad down his spine and burned onto the deck on either side of him. He dove for the pistol and tried to roll and come up with it pointed at his attacker, but he misjudged and came up with the back of his knees against the bone railing. She leapt, claws first, and hit him in the chest just as he fired the Desert Eagle and he was driven backward over the railing. He hit flat on the water. The air exploded from his body and he felt like he'd been hit by a bus. He couldn't breathe, but he could see, he could feel his limbs, and after a couple of seconds of gasping, he finally caught a breath. â€Å"So, how's it going so far?† asked the bobcat guy, about two feet from Charlie's head. â€Å"Good,† Charlie said. â€Å"They're running scared.† There was a big chunk bitten out of the middle of Bob's torso, and his Beefeater uniform was in tatters, but otherwise he seemed in good spirits. He was holding the Desert Eagle cradled in his arms like a baby. â€Å"You'll likely need this. That last shot connected, by the way. You took off about half of her skull.† â€Å"Good,† Charlie said, still having a little trouble catching his breath. He felt a searing pain in his chest and thought he might have broken a rib. He sat up and looked at his chest plate. The Morrigan's claws had raked the front of it, but in one spot he could see where a claw had slipped under the plate and into his chest. He wasn't bleeding badly, but he was bleeding, and it hurt like hell. â€Å"Are they still coming?† â€Å"Not the two you shot. We don't know where the one you stuck with your sword went.† â€Å"I don't know if I can make it up that rope again,† Charlie said. â€Å"That may not be a _roblem,† Bob said. He was looking up to the ceiling of the grotto, where a whirlwind of squeaking bats was spiraling around the mast, but above them was beating the wings of another creature altogether. Charlie took the pistol from Bob and climbed to his feet, nearly fell, then steadied himself and backed away from the hull of the ship. The squirrel people scattered around him. Bummer let loose with a fusillade of angry yapping. The demon hit the water about thirty feet away. Charlie felt a scream rising in his throat but fought it down. The thing was nearly ten feet tall, with a wingspan of thirty feet. Its head was as big as a beer keg, and it appeared to have the shape and horns of a bull, except for the jaws, which were predatory, lined with teeth, like a cross between a shark and a lion. Its eyes were gleaming green. â€Å"Soul stealer,† it growled. It folded its wings into two high points behind its back, and stepped toward Charlie. â€Å"Well, that would be you, wouldn't it?† Charlie said, a little breathless still. â€Å"I'm the Luminatus.† The demon stopped. Charlie took the hesitation to bring up the pistol and fire. The shot took the demon high in the shoulder and spun him to the side. He turned back and roared. Charlie could smell the creature's breath, like rotting meat, wash over him. He backed up and fired again, his hand numb now from the recoil of the big pistol. The shot knocked the demon back a step. There was shrill cheering from above. Charlie fired again and again. The slugs opened craters in the demon's chest. He wavered, then fell to his knees. Charlie aimed and pulled the trigger again. The gun clicked. Charlie backed up a few more steps and tried to remember what Minty had shown him about reloading. He managed to hit a button that released the clip from the pistol, which plopped into the water. Then he unsnapped one of the pouches under his arm to retrieve an extra clip. It slipped out and fell into the lake as well. Bob and a couple of the squirrel people splashed forward and started diving beneath the water, looking for the clip. The demon roared again, unfurled his wings, and, in one great flap, pulled himself to his feet. Charlie unsnapped the second clip and, with his hands shaking, managed to fit it into the bottom of the Desert Eagle. The demon crouched, as if to leap. Charlie jacked a shell into the chamber and fired at the same time. The demon fell forward as the huge slug took a chunk out of his thigh. â€Å"Well done, Meat!† came a female voice from above. Charlie looked up quickly, but then back to the bullheaded demon, who was on his feet again. Then he braced his wrist and fired, and again, walking forward, pumping bullets into the demon's chest with each step, feeling any second as if his wrist would just shatter into pieces from the recoil, until the hammer clicked on an empty chamber. He stopped, just five feet away from the demon when it fell over, facefirst into the water. Charlie dropped the Desert Eagle and fell to his knees. The grotto seemed to be tilting before him, his vision tunneling down. The Morrigan landed on three sides of him. Each had a glowing soul vessel in her claw and was rubbing it on her wounds. â€Å"That was excellent, lover,† said the raven woman standing closest to the fallen demon. Charlie recognized her from the alley. The stab wound his sword had made in her stomach healed over as he watched. She kicked the bullheaded demon's body. â€Å"See, I told you that guns suck.† â€Å"That was well done, Meat,† said the one to Charlie's right. Her neck was still knitting back together. She was the one he'd blasted up onto the cabin roof. â€Å"You guys do bounce back with a certain Wile E. Coyote charm,† Charlie said. He grinned, feeling drunk now, like he was watching all this from another place. â€Å"He's so sweet,† said the hand-job harpy. â€Å"I could just eat him up.† â€Å"Sounds good to me,† said the Morrigan to his left, whose head was still a little lopsided. Charlie saw the venom dripping from her claws, then looked to the wound below his chest plate. â€Å"Yes, darling,† said hand job, â€Å"I'm afraid Nemain did nick you. You really are quite the warrior to have lasted this long.† â€Å"I'm the Luminatus,† Charlie said. The Morrigan laughed, the one in front of Charlie did a little dance step. As she did, the bullheaded demon lifted his head from the water. â€Å"I'm the Luminatus,† said the demon, black goo and water running between his teeth as he spoke. The Morrigan stopped dancing, grabbed one of the demon's horns, then pulled his head back. â€Å"You think?† she said. Then she plunged her claws into the demon's throat. He rolled and threw her off, sending her sailing twenty feet in the air to smash into the hull of the ship. The Morrigan behind Charlie patted his head as she passed. â€Å"We'll be right with you, darling. I'm Macha, by the way, and we are the Luminatus – or we will be in a minute.† The Morrigan fell on the bullheaded demon, taking great chunks of flesh and bone off his body with each slash of their talons. Two took to the air and swept in, taking swipes at the demon, who flailed at them, sometimes connecting, but too weakened from the gunshots to fight effectively. In two minutes it was finished, and most of the flesh had been flayed from it. Macha held his head by the horns like she was holding the handlebars of a motorcycle, even as the demon's jaws continued to snap at the air. â€Å"Your turn, soul stealer,† Macha said. â€Å"Yeah, your turn,† said Nemain, baring her claws. Macha held the demon head out in front of her, driving it at Charlie. He backed away as the teeth snapped inches from his face. â€Å"Wait a minute,† said Babd. The other two stopped and turned to their sister, who stood over what was left of the demon's corpse. â€Å"We never got to finish.† She took one step before something hit her like a ball of darkness, knocking her out of sight. Charlie looked at the demon head coming at him, then there was a loud smack and Macha was yanked to the side as if she'd had a bungee cord attached to her ankle. The screeching started again and Charlie could see the Morrigan being whipped around in the darkness, splashing, and chaos – he couldn't follow what was happening. His eyes wouldn't focus. He looked to Nemain, who was now coming at him with her claws dripping venom. A small hand appeared at the edge of his vision and the Morrigan's head exploded into what looked like a thousand stars. Charlie looked to where the hand had appeared before his eyes. â€Å"Hi, Daddy,† Sophie said. â€Å"Hi, baby,† Charlie said. Now he could see what was happening – the hellhounds were tearing at the Morrigan. One of them broke, jumped into the air and unfurled her wings, then dove at Sophie, screeching. Sophie raised her hand as if she was waving bye-bye and the Morrigan vaporized into a spray of black goo. The souls, thousands of them, that she had consumed over the millennia, floated into the air, red lights that circled the grotto, making the whole huge chamber appear to have been frozen in the middle of a fireworks display. â€Å"You shouldn't be here, honey,† Charlie said. â€Å"Yes, I should,† Sophie said. â€Å"I had to fix this, send them all back. I'm the Luminatus.† â€Å"You†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah,† she said matter-of-factly, in that Master of All Death and Darkness voice that is so irritating in a six-year-old. The hellhounds were both on the remaining Morrigan now, tearing her in half as Charlie watched. â€Å"No, honey,† Charlie said. Sophie raised her hand and Babd was vaporized like the others – the captured souls rose like embers from a bonfire. â€Å"Let's go home, Daddy,† Sophie said. â€Å"No,† Charlie said, barely able to hold up his head. â€Å"We have something we have to get.† He lurched forward and one of the hellhounds was there to brace him. The whole army of squirrel people was coming around the bow of the ship, each carrying a glowing soul vessel he'd retrieved from the ship's cabin. â€Å"Is this it?† Sophie said. She took a CD from Bob and handed it to Charlie. He turned it in his hands and hugged it to his chest. â€Å"You know what this is, honey?† â€Å"Yeah. Let's go home, Daddy.† Charlie fell over the back of Alvin. Sophie and the squirrel people steadied him until they were out of the Underworld. Minty Fresh carried Charlie to the car. A doctor had come and gone. When Charlie came to he was on his bed at home and Audrey was wiping his forehead with a damp cloth. â€Å"Hi,† he said. â€Å"Hi,† Audrey said. â€Å"Did Sophie tell you?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"They grow up so fast,† Charlie said. â€Å"Yeah.† Audrey smiled. â€Å"I got this.† He reached behind his chest plate and pulled out the Sarah McLachlan CD that pulsated with red light. Audrey nodded and reached out for the disc. â€Å"Let's put that over here where you can keep an eye on it.† As soon as her fingers touched the plastic case the light went out and Audrey shuddered. â€Å"Oh my,† she said. â€Å"Audrey.† Charlie tried to sit up, but was forced back down by the pain. â€Å"Ouch. Audrey, what happened? Did they get it? Did they take her soul?† She was looking at her chest, then looked up at Charlie, tears in her eyes. â€Å"No, Charlie, it's me,† she said. â€Å"But you had touched that before, that night in the pantry. Why didn't it happen then?† â€Å"I guess I wasn't ready then.† Charlie took her hand and squeezed it, then squeezed it much harder than he intended as a wave of pain washed through him. â€Å"Goddammit,† he said. He was panting now, breathing like he might hyperventilate. â€Å"I thought it was all dark, Audrey. All the spiritual stuff was spooky. You made me see.† â€Å"I'm glad,† Audrey said. â€Å"Makes me think I should have slept with a poet so I could have understood the way the world can be distilled into words.† â€Å"Yes. I think you have the soul of a poet, Charlie.† â€Å"I should have made love with a painter, too, so I could feel the wave of a brushstroke, so I could absorb her colors and textures and really see.† â€Å"Yes,† Audrey said, brushing at his hair with her fingers. â€Å"You have such a wonderful imagination.† â€Å"I think,† said Charlie, his voice going higher as he breathed harder, â€Å"I should have bedded a scientist so I would understand the mechanics of the world, felt them right down to my spine.† â€Å"Yes, so you could feel the world,† Audrey said. â€Å"With big tits,† Charlie added, his back arching in pain. â€Å"Of course, baby,† Audrey said. â€Å"I love you, Audrey.† â€Å"I know, Charlie. I love you, too.† Then Charlie Asher, Beta Male, husband to Rachel, brother to Jane, father to Sophie (the Luminatus, who held dominion over Death), beloved of Audrey, Death Merchant and purveyor of fine vintage clothing and accessories, took his last breath, and died. Audrey looked up to see Sophie come into the room. â€Å"He's gone, Sophie.† Sophie put her hand on Charlie's forehead. â€Å"Bye, Daddy,† she said. EPILOGUE THE GIRLS Things settled in the City of Two Bridges, and all the dark gods that had been rising to erupt out over the world remembered their place and returned to their domains deep in the Underworld. Jane and Cassie were married in a civil ceremony that was dissolved and sanctioned a half-dozen times over the years. Nevertheless, they were happy and there was always laughter in their home. Sophie went home to live with her Aunties Jane and Cassandra. She would grow to be a tall and beautiful woman, and eventually take her place as the Luminatus, but until then, she went to school and played with her puppies and had a fairly wonderful time as she waited for her daddy to come get her. THE SHOPKEEPERS While Minty Fresh had believed in the adage that in every moment there is a crisis, his belief had been somewhat academic until he started seeing Lily Severo, when it became very practical indeed. Life jumped up several steps for him on the interesting scale, to the point where the Death Merchant part of his existence became the more prosaic of his pursuits. They became renowned around town, the giant in pastels always in company with the short, Gothic chef, but the City really stood up and took notice when they opened up the Jazz and Gourmet Pizza Place in North Beach in the building that had once housed Asher's Secondhand. As for Ray Macy, Inspector Rivera set him up with a lady pawnbroker from the Fillmore named Carrie Lang, and they hit it off almost immediately, having in common a love of detective movies and handguns, as well as a deep mistrust for most of humanity. Ray fell deeply in love, and true to his Beta Male nature, was doggedly loyal to her, although he always secretly suspected her of being a serial killer. RIVERA Inspector Alphonse Rivera has spent most of his life trying to change his life. He'd worked in a half-dozen different police departments, in a dozen different capacities, and although he was very good at being a cop, he always seemed to be trying to get out. After the debacle with the Death Merchants and the strange, unexplainable things that had gone on around it, he was simply exhausted. There had been a brief time when he'd been able to leave police work and open a rare-book store, and he felt as if that might have been the only time he had ever truly been happy. Now, at age forty-nine, he was ready to try it again: take an early retirement and just read and live in a calm, unevent-filled world of books. So he was somewhat pleased when, two weeks after the death of Charlie Asher, he went to his mailbox to find a substantial envelope that could only be a book. It was like an omen, he thought as he sat down at his kitchen table to open the package. It was a book – what looked like a very rare and bizarre children's book. He opened it and turned to the first chapter. So Now You're Death: Here's What You'll Need. THE EMPEROR The Emperor enjoyed a happy reunion with his troops and went on to rule benevolently over San Francisco to the end of his days. For leading Charlie into the Underworld, and for his boundless courage, the Luminatus gave Bummer the strength and durability of a hellhound. It would fall to the Emperor to explain how his now all-black companion – while he never weighed more than seven pounds soaking wet – could outrun a cheetah and chew the tires off a Toyota. AUDREY Audrey continued her work at the Buddhist center and did costuming for a local theater group, but she also took a volunteer job with hospice, where she helped people to the other side as she had done for so long in Tibet. The hospice position also, however, gave her access to bodies that had been recently vacated by their souls, and she used these opportunities to cycle the squirrel people back into the human flow of birth and rebirth. And for a while, there were remarkable instances of people recovering from terminal illness in the City, as she exercised the p'howa of undying. She didn't give up her work with the squirrel people altogether, however, as it was a skill she had come to over a long time and a lot of work, and it could still be extraordinarily rewarding. At least that's how she was feeling as she looked over her latest masterpiece in the meditation room of the Three Jewels Buddhist Center. He had the face of a crocodile – sixty-eight spiked teeth, and eyes that gleamed like black glass beads. His hands were the claws of a raptor, the wicked black nails encrusted with dried blood. His feet were webbed like those of a waterbird, with claws for digging prey from the mud. He wore a purple silk robe, trimmed in sable, and a matching hat with a wizard's star embroidered on it in gold thread. â€Å"It's only temporary, until we find someone,† Audrey said. â€Å"But take my word for it, you look great.† â€Å"No, I don't. I'm only fourteen inches tall.† â€Å"Yeah, but I gave you a ten-inch schlong.† He opened his robe and looked down. â€Å"Wow, would you look at that,† Charlie said. â€Å"Nice.†

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Paper on your career or dream - Essay Example In a similar way, I thought that the best career path I should follow was that of a nurse. Reading interesting stories about the way nurses saved lives made me want to become a nurse in my life. As I progressed through school, I realized that nurses only provided care to patients with doctors playing the most important role in saving lives. However, becoming a medical doctor did not attract me as the appropriate career choice. After joining college to undertake a marketing course, I still have not discovered my career choice although I have engaged in modeling with the view of traveling around the world next year. Nonetheless, travelling around the world will open my viewpoint about various perspectives that will make me identify the choice of career path that I will follow although I think the business world appears more appealing and the best choice for anyone traveling across the world. Consequently, my marketing course will help me market the future business that I will engage in with my traveling exploits creating contacts that will become crucial once I started practicing

Threats to Forest Ecosystems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Threats to Forest Ecosystems - Assignment Example The Agenda 21 highlighted the need to alleviate poverty, change methods of production and consumption and addressing various issues to promote sustainable development. In this light let us review the efforts of some of the rich and poor countries of the world towards protecting our environment (Earth Summit, 1997). According to the National Atlas of the United States (2000), United States is a country rich with forests. About one-third of the country is covered with forests which comprise about 747 million acres of the land. Fortunately, to some extent, the country has been able to preserve its forests for the past 100 years. This has been primarily due to reversion of marginal farmland in the east, increased plantation in the south and control over forest fires. However, the country has faced problems due to urbanization, increased agriculture, reservoir construction and natural disasters. Approximately 48 lower states of America have experienced deforestation due to human interruption to such an extent that forests have lost their originality. With the increase in the population, there has been a significant loss of the original forest and the current situation shows that the century-old forest covers only 7% of the forest area. In the east, the forest covers about 384 million acres area and includes broadleaf and coniferous forests. In the west, the forest covers an area of 363 million acres of predominantly coniferous trees. A lot of forest area is owned by private people as well. About 10 million people own about 422 million acres of forest area (National Atlas of the United States, 2000). Nogueroun (2002) states that forests in the United States have played a major role in boosting the country’s economy. Forests are used for the production of timber and nontimber products such as medicinal herbs, berries, mushrooms. Timber industry relies totally on Forests.

What Competitive Strategy Coca Cola Should Adopt to Develop Business Dissertation - 1

What Competitive Strategy Coca Cola Should Adopt to Develop Business Expansions in China - Dissertation Example has released new bottling operations in China with plans of expanding its business. The company has commitments towards the country for investing in further growth in â€Å"one of the world’s largest and fastest growing beverage markets† (Guinness, 2011, p.166). The beverage market in China is known to be one of the most vibrant markets in the country. Monnikhof and Kranenberg (2000) had presented facts that around 48 percent of the populations are regular consumers of beverages in China (Alon, 2003, p.151). However, the country has other popular beverage companies as well like the Wahaha Future Cola or Wahaha Extreme Cola that pose competition for the Coca-Cola Company (Zhang & Alon, 2011, p.287). Globalization and the increasing competition in the current business world reflect the growth and development of different businesses and their expansion across different countries. The beverage industry is one of the largest industries in the world. The Coca-Cola Company being one of the leading companies in the world’s beverage industry, a research on their business strategies would help in an understanding of how leading companies create and maintain their position in their own countries as well as in other countries through expansions. China’s beverage industry reflects a huge market, particularly for large companies like the Coca-Cola Company. ... e business strategy for the company that may help the company in developing its business expansion in China and maintain its position above and over its competitors 2. Rationale of the Study: Globalization and the increasing competition in the current business world reflect the growth and development of different businesses and their expansion across different countries. The beverage industry is one of the largest industries in the world. The Coca-Cola Company being one of the leading companies in the world’s beverage industry, a research on their business strategies would help in an understanding of how leading companies create and maintain their position in their own countries as well as in other countries through expansions. China’s beverage industry reflects a huge market, particularly for large companies like the Coca-Cola Company. The company has its operations in China but the growing competitions and other internal and external factors may affect the successful expansion plans of the company. The rationale of the study is in the learning and understanding of the competitive business strategies of a leading beverage company that may benefit the expansion of the company in the China market. In the modern world of increased globalization, there is a need to learn the theories and concepts followed by large companies to have a view on the strategies necessary to keep up a position of a company in the industry among its competitor companies. This study would be focused on the Coca-Cola Company that already has its operations in the China market and would look for further expansions to which the company has the requirement of innovative and competitive strategies that would keep its position above its competitors. Hence, this study is rational in the context that

Texas admitted to the Union in 1845 Research Paper

Texas admitted to the Union in 1845 - Research Paper Example The path of Texas from early colonization to statehood has always been filled with events important to American history as a whole. The first humans to inhabit the land were Native Americans. Over 30,000 Native American tribes roamed the land1. One tribe, the Caddos, were known for not only being a peaceful tribe, but for their distinctive tattoos and clothing2. It is believed that the very word â€Å"Texas† can be traced back to Native Americans, as the word â€Å"Tejas† is thought to be the Spanish translation for the Caddo word â€Å"friend†3. However, the Native Americans of Texas history were not allowed to live peacefully, as Europe soon came in to colonize their lands. The first country to colonize Texas was Spain. In 1519 Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda made a map of the Texas coastline, allowing Spain to establish its first foothold4. In 1528, Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca came to what is now Texas in search of â€Å"cities of gold†5. However, the land was not formally claimed for Spain until 1598, and the first permanent Spanish settlement and mission, Corpus Christi de la Isleta, took another eighty-four years to be formed6. Once this was done, Spain would not be forced away from them until hundreds of years in the future. The main objectives for the Spanish were gold and population growth. No amount of gold was ever found, and many lost their lives while looking for the wealth they believed to be in the area7. In 1682, permanent Spanish missions were established by priests to convert the local Native American population to Christianity8. The belief behind this was that converting the Native American population would strengthen the position of Spain in the New World9. Though the priests tried their best, their actions were hampered by the death rate of Native Americans upon being exposed to European diseases10. This did not deter the Spanish from building

The Rejection of the Conflict Thesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Rejection of the Conflict Thesis - Essay Example The two men provided evidence of their theory through various examples of when scientists clashed with Catholic authorities or Christendom. Interestingly enough, it has been discovered that most of the evidence presented in these two books was either inaccurate or downright falsified in an effort to prove the theory. For this reason, and the fact that other historical evidence points against this theory, most (if not all) of the scientific community today has just about rejected this Thesis. Holding that cases where religion and science are directly in opposition are rare, and the exception rather than the rule, most of the scientific community considers the Conflict Thesis to be inaccurate. While accepting that there may be a few cases where religion and science may be opposed, this paper contends that there is no intrinsic conflict between the two, thus the rejection of the Conflict Thesis by the scientific community is all but natural.... Written by Andrew Dickson White, who also happens to be one of the co-founders of Cornell University, the book asserted that no matter how honorable and good the â€Å"intention† of religion (or religiously affiliated people), their interference with science always gave a wicked result. White, while supporting the thesis put forward by Draper, put forward a seemingly scholarly piece of work, which seemed properly documented with scholarly looking footnotes. This Theory can be termed to be the reason behind the negative image of religion laymen as well as scientists hold, even to this day. The Theory, though based on false assumptions and outright fabrications, seems to oversimplify the relationship religion has with science. Religion and science have had a complicated relationship that can in no way be termed one-dimensional. In fact, in most cases religion has fostered science and scientific knowledge. Though at times religion or religious authorities have been reluctant to e mbrace science in its entirety, however, it is not true to think that this was the norm. Moreover, agreeing that there have been times when religion and science have come head to head, the conflict between the two has been short lived. Such a conflict is more of an exception than a norm, and the contention of a constant conflict between the two is false and oft exaggerated (take for example the falsified story of Christians proclaiming the earth to be flat, which unfortunately is still thought to be true by many). To say that religion is the cause for the slow growth of science (of for its suppression) is to ignore other factors that have played a part in this regard.

Learning Disabilities and its Causes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Learning Disabilities and its Causes - Essay Example If a child is diagnosed, it is necessary to trace back his history of activities to uncover the risk factors. Genetics is the most suspected cause of learning disabilities, while some cite a relationship to IQ. Surprisingly, there are those who believe that it is the result of too much television. Poor diet and lack of early childhood intervention are also attributable cases. Most people cite early intervention as the remedy, while half of the respondent erroneously believe that medication and mental health treatment is a solution. Common characteristics are classified under academic problems, attention disorders, poor motor abilities, psychological challenges, poor cognition, reading challenges, oral language problems, social skill dysfunction, and mathematical disorders. Even so, some students may only exhibit one of these characteristics, while some will still be successful in class even with some disabilities. Problems arise based on the duration, intensity, and quantity of the characteristics. Boys are more prone to girls to have a learning disability. To maintain attention, assignments should be in smaller segments, the time for each class should be increased gradually, prompts and verbal and written cues are essential. Finally, it is essential to teach students to identify and highlight information. Predictions, in form of pictures, graphs, headings, and subtitles can help a student activate prior knowledge before reading and increase attention. In addition, questions are necessary before reading to increase attention to important information. An advanced organizer can help focus on key material while self-monitoring and self-evaluation techniques are applicable for longer passages. Direct instruction helps to identify and instruct specific academic skills and the use of proven teaching techniques. This teacher-directed method ensures information is organized  and presented in an organized manner.  

Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Justice - Essay Example The need for justice is necessitated because of claims made by an individual or groups on the other on the ground of misconduct or unfairness. Crime is one of the prevalent forms of such misconduct and hence it calls for the development of a special branch of the judiciary system which is known as the criminal justice system. The extent of the crime rate has been on the rise and continues to be so presently. However, the question that comes up is whether justice has been able to reach each of the victims and has led to the happiness of the society through its regulation. The answer to this question is well –known to all. Daily reports of crime show the extent to which such activities have increased and how the perpetrators go about moving freely in the society. This does not imply that the concepts of justice has changed, it only reflects the underlying inability of the concerned authorities to impart it. Justice is a social order that keeps individuals safe from crimes such as thefts, murders, assaults and abuses. In the macro sense, it protects countries from wars, terrorism and other types of ‘unjust’ activities. Justice also ensures a person’s freedom and autonomy in making choices. However, the role of justice in taking actions comes into play when such freedoms are misused by those individuals. (Kelsen) Criminal justice has been formulated to control incidents of crime as a part of the justice imparting system. The role of justice is not only to give the seeker his due rights but also to create an environment that is not conducive of crime. That is to explain that it does not only punish the perpetrator and thus gives justice to the victim, it also has a duty to transform the perpetrator to avoid recidivism. Further, in the eyes of justice, every one is equal. Justice does not show biases and favoritism. Thus, the punishing of a criminal is the duty of justice not for the sake of the

Methadone Treatment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Methadone Treatment - Essay Example As a result, there have been many advances and research into the field of psychopharmacology. One of the widely used pharmaceutical treatments on people suffering from heroin addiction is a drug known as methadone. Heroin is a synthetic version of morphine. The opium poppy plant is the base from which it is synthesized. The compound of Heroin was first synthesized in 1874. After it was synthesized, it was marketed as a non-addictive morphine substitute and often used as a cough suppressant. It was originally marketed by Bayer. After reformation in the government in regards to drug administration and regulation, the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed in 1914 which moved this drug for only recreational use. Eventually, it was moved to a Schedule I drug and made illegal. Characteristics of Schedule I drugs include the fact that there is a high likelihood of abuse and they provide very little medicinal purpose. The pharmacology of heroin is what makes it a very addictive substance. Th e typical paths of administration are either through snorting or through intravenous injection. The reason that heroin has such a quick effect on the body is because it is highly lipid soluble. It binds to specific opioid receptors which induce an effect of euphoria for the user. This is caused by an excess in the secretion of dopamine and the occupation of dopamine in these opioid receptors. These receptors are located throughout the body, but in particular in the brain and spinal cord. Drug dependence occurs when people have used heroin for such a long period of time that their body has been chemically changed and they can no longer function without the drug. As a result, the withdrawal symptoms can be extremely horrible and can include: depression, anxiety, nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, etc. One of the many commonly reported adverse side effects is the feeling of crawling on the skin, which leads to lesions and scars to form from users obsessive scratching. Fatality from withdrawal is not commonly observed with this type of addiction (US Department of, 2005). One of the most commonly used drugs in the treatment of heroin addiction is Methadone. It was first synthesized in 1937 in Germany. It works by occupying the opioid receptors in the body which is able to block the effects of dopamine in the body. This opioid agonist is also a glutamate inhibitor which helps prevent the excitatory action in the central nervous system. This allows the user to come off the heroin addiction much easier. The medication is taken orally once a day and typically has an effect of between 24 and 36 hours. While methadone moves to take the place of heroin in the addiction, it is able to block many of the more harmful effects of the addiction, but does not provide that high associated with heroin. The addiction, however, becomes the same with methadone, but can sometimes take more time to come off of (Broekhuysen, 2000). Even though it has been shown that methadone is an important c omponent in the recovery process, there are many critics who believe that this is â€Å"merely substituting one addiction for another.† It is because there is large criticism regarding whether the addiction is being treated as a medical addiction. Like the idea of people selling prescription drugs illegally, many critics feel that if methadone is made too widely used, then it will become an abused drug in the trafficking industry due to

Introduction to Astronomy Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Astronomy Essay The life cycle of a star is a process that is not only beautiful but, fascinating to those fortunate ones who have the chance to study the subject. To the uneducated soul, gazing upon the night sky wondering what is out there is not a common thing. But being able to learn about what is really out there and how it became, that my friends, is truly an amazing task. One has to wonder just how we know what type of star we are looking at or at what point in the star’s life cycle the star dwells. Since the dawn of man, we have studied the stars, and until the last century, astronomers have found ways to measure four properties of stars: their luminosities, temperatures, radii, and masses. With this knowledge, they now have classified thousands of stars by plotting these stars on diagrams and charts characterized by any pair of these specific properties. A Star is Born Stellar Nursery – Nebula The proverbial birth of a star starts within a huge cloud of gas and dust known as a nebula. A nebula is approximately 21 light-years in width. When the gases and elements of the nebula start to contract due to the pull of its own gravity, it will create a protostar, which can startingly grow to roughly 60 million miles across. This is where the star begins to take shape. In order for a star to grow, it will need nuclear fusion to take place, and that requires tremendous amounts of pressure and heat. Main Sequence Stars The enormous pressure that is created compresses together elements to form more elements and to create energy. With hydrogen being the least dense and easiest to fuse, stars begin fusing hydrogen first. The side effect of this fusing of nuclei, or nuclear fusion, is the production of two positrons, two neutrinos, and the release of energy. Stars that are in the hydrogen burning process are known to be in the main sequence. Stars will spend the majority of their lifespan in the main sequence. Using the standardized classification system, astronomers find that about 90% of all stars cluster in thin bands on each the noted diagrams. Red Giant Eventually in the star’s life, the hydrogen supply in the core will begin to expire, when this happens, the sun’s core becomes unstable and will begin to contract. Consequently, the outer shell of the star, which consists mainly of hydrogen, will start to expand. During the expansion, it cools and will begin to glow red. The star now resides a red giant phase of its life cycle (Cain, 2009). Practically all stars will evolve identically up to the red giant phase, yet depending on the amount of mass a star, the next phase in the life cycle can be greatly different. Supergiants One possible evolution of extremely massive stars, although rare, is to become a supergiant. But what is a supergiant? When the radiation released by the fusion of helium into carbon it causes the red giant to expand even larger, perhaps into a star roughly 400 times the Sun’s size. The End of Days – Death of a Star White Dwarf A white dwarf, or a remnant of a star that has collapsed, are the destiny of stars like our sun. This phase in the life cycle is attained when the nuclear fuel supply is exhausted. Typically, a white dwarf can have the mass of about six-tenths the mass of our sun, but obtains size considerably smaller than that of the Earth. A white dwarf is formed when the shroud of a red giant is ejected as the core burns the last bits and pieces of its nuclear fuel. A white dwarf slowly fades into oblivion as it cools down. Supernova Possibly, exceedingly massive stars can continue to fuse heavy elements in order to produce more energy. Nevertheless, once iron is formed, it cannot be fused to make more energy. This is because iron has such a high binding energy and is thus very stable. Due to the immense gravity, the core will collapse and huge amounts of gas on the surface will blast out into space. This phase in the star’s life cycle has now become a supernova. Neutron Star Following a supernova explosion, the iron core of the star may be enormously massive, and may have an immense force of gravity. It has now become a neutron star, where the negative force, or pushing effect, between neutrons stops the contraction caused by gravity. Pulsar It is possible for a neutron star to spin rapidly following a supernova explosion. A result of this spinning, the neutron star may send out two beams of radio waves, light, and X-rays. These beams radiate in a circle as the star is spinning, and thus appears that the light from the star is pulsing intermittently. This is why it is called a Pulsar. Blackhole Yet some extremely massive supergiants, many with a mass more than four times that of our own Sun, may continue contracting until their nuclei are compacted into even more dense matter. The compacting matter forms a body so dense that it forms a black hole. A black hole is an extremely massive and dense, spectral body with a gravitational pull powerful enough to prevent the escape of light (Newman, 2002). Life as We Know It Astronomers believe Earth and all its living organisms are composed of elements formed in the interiors of stars, especially supergiants that exploded as supernovas. As astronomers across the globe scour planetary systems, both within and beyond our galaxy, in the quest to find life, they are centering their attention on each systems habitable zone. The habitable zone is where heat radiated from the star is just right to keep a planets water in liquid form (Williams Pollard, 2000), the sweet spot of the solar system.

Characterization of Biochemical Pathways

Characterization of Biochemical Pathways Disscussion: Scorpion envenoming resulted in alteration in pyramidin, histidin, tyrosine, glycerophospholipid and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways after 48 hours. These effects are an outcome of acute seizures and early myocardial injuries disorder in the group of experimental rates. Metabolite set enrichment analysis results also showed that pancreas, nerve cells and mitochondria are the most affected organs. The toxicity of a given compound refers to its ability to disrupt some biological functions at a certain level of biological organization (i.e., cell, tissue, or organ) It is also related to the amplitude and the duration of the exposure and also to the degree of absorption of the substance by the organism, its distribution, biotransformation and elimination or accumulation (Topol, 2004). Understanding the mechanism of a toxic event is a challenging task, especially in the field of drug research and development. The symptoms caused by scorpion stings in animal models are similar to those observed in humans (Padilla et al., 2005). Glycerophospholipids are known to display a high degree of molecular heterogeneity in mammalian tissues. In addition to their function as structural components of membranes, some molecular species may participate in specific biophysical and biochemical functions (Mason and Dobbs, 1980). Krshina Murthy (2000) suggested that the probable mechanism of death due to scorpion envenoming syndrome is alteration in phospholipid fractions concentrations mainly phosphatidylinositol and phospatidylglycerol (Murthy, 2000). He postulated that disruption of phosphatidylglycerol choline and phosphatidyl inositol are the main causes of death. Glycerophosphocholine metabolite are involved in cell signaling and membrane integrity of the cell and serine is the precursor for choline and acetylcholine biosynthesis which is required in the brain and therefore any damage of the cell membrane can affect glycerophospholipids metabolites pathway and its concentration. In our study, Glycerophospholipid metabolism was one of the main pathways that have been altered by envenomation and this confirms the Krishna Murthy hypothesis. Scorpion envenoming causes fuel-energy deficits and results in inability to utilize the existing metabolic substrates by different organs, which ultimately may lead to death. This is caused by a massive release of catecholamine, angiotensin II, an increase in glucagon and cortisol (Amaral et al., 1994; Avogaro et al., 1996; Balasubramaniam and Murthy, 1984; Basu et al., 1990; el-Amin, 1992; Gajalakshmi, 1982; Gueron and Ilia, 1996; Mirakabadi, 2013). Steroid hormones mediate a wide variety of vital physiological functions such as anti-inflammatory agents. They are also principally, involved in cell signaling, integrity and stability of the cell membrane as well as fuel or energy storage and energy source in cells. In our study cholesterol, dehydroepiandrosterone, 2-methoxyesterone and aldosterone profiles have shown changes. Disruption of cell membrane and liver function failure resulted due to cytotoxic effect of the H.lepturus venom (Heidarpour et al., 2012; R . Dehghani 2012). So the alterations in steroid hormones metabolites pathway are due to cytotoxic effects of venom. In the present investigation, envenomation by H. lepturus causes alteration in carnosine and 1-methylhistidine metabolite concentration of histidine metabolism pathway. Carnosine which is an endogenous cytoplasmic dipeptide(b-alanyl-l-histidine) and have numerous physiological activities in normal muscles activities (Nagasawa et al., 2001) Histidine and carnosine at low concentration could improve hyperglycemia complications with reduction of proinflammatory cytokine levels, increase insulin secretion, and enhance glutathione peroxidase activity. It has been showed that serum glucose elevated and hyperglycemia resulted by envenomation (Lee et al., 2005). Therefore, alteration in carnosine might be due to hyperglycemia state produced by scorpion venom. GENNIP (1999) showed that pyrimidine metabolism which is the building blocks of DNA and RNA is responsible for the cell programming machinery. Pyrimidine metabolism along with purine pathway fulfills a variety of functions in the metabolism of the cell of which the most important are regulation of energy conservation and transport, formation of coenzymes and of active intermediates of phospholipid and carbohydrate metabolism (GENNIP, 1999). Nyhan (2005) postulated that the catabolic pathways for pyrimidine have yielded a number of patients with specific enzymatic deficiencies, most of them with mental retardation, seizures, or both (Nyhan, 2005; Nyhan, 2005 ). Degradation disorders of pyrimidine can be presented as anemia, neurological deficits or devastating multisystem mitochondrial disorder (H. Anne Simmonds and Gennip, 2003). Our results also showed that the concentration of four metabolites of pyrimidine pathway i.e. Dihydrothymine, Deoxyuridine, Deoxycytidine, and Beta-alanine were changed which might be due to neurological deficits and acute seizures, which are caused by scorpion venom and change in cell metabolism. Venom of many scorpions species cause the activation and delay of inactivation of neural sodium channel which induce a massive release of catecholamines and acetylcholines by the postganglionic nerve both in the circulation and in specific organs, such as increase in rate and force of contraction of the heart tissues.(Gueron and Yaron, 1970; Sofer et al., 1997) Tyrosine is the main precursor for catecholamine, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Our results demonstrated that some of intermediate metabolites in this pathway including iodotyrosine, p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and acetoacetic acid metabolite show changes which might be due to increase in catecholamine secretion in the stung victim. Similar clinical manifestations of diabetes are usually observed in scorpion sting victims(Zare and Tanikawa, 2002). Scorpion envenoming causes the release of counter-regulatory hormones (glucagon and cortisol) with suppressed insulin secretion. Under these conditions, the metabolism of carbohydrate, protein, and fat is directed towards catabolism. This provokes gluconeogenesis with glucose elevation in serum. During catabolic states such as starvation and diabetes free fatty acids and ketone bodies, compete as fuels for muscle metabolism. Whereas, after prolonged starvation in man free fatty acids displaced ketone bodies as preferred fuels for oxidation in striated muscle (Hagenfeldt et al., 1971; Owen and Reichard, 1971) intracellular ketone-body concentrations in striated muscle increased plasma concentrations rose during starvation and diabetic states and causes ketoacidosis and increase of H+ ions concentration of blood . In our study, synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies specially acetoacetic acid was affected in this pathway which is in accordance with Krishna Murthy study (Murthy, 2000). To summarize, our findings show that the application of metabolomics approaches could play an important role in the characterization of biochemical pathways in the animal model, which envenomed with Hemiscorpius lepturus venom. Our finding indicates the involvement of multiple system and organs in scorpion envenoming syndrome in which the most affected organs are pancreas, nerve cells, mitochondria, and spleen with similarities to acute seizures, the early marker of myocardial injuries and different seizures disorder, which confirm the earlier acute scorpion pancreatitis and myocardial injury reports (Bartholomew, 1970; Novikov et al., 2000).

Critical Debate On Nuclear Family Sociology Essay

Critical Debate On Nuclear Family Sociology Essay There is a great deal of work within many disciplines, such as history, psychology and anthropology, on family studies, available to researchers. This undoubtedly serves to inform our awareness of the interdisciplinary, varied, and at times controversial, nature and lack of stability around the idea of family. Much of this research highlights a number of major perceived problematics: the related characteristic political discourses, social policies and cultural narratives, which differ dramatically from contemporary family relationships and formations of the 21st century. In view of this, this essay critically explores the concept of the nuclear family. It discusses the political contexts and social discourse in which understanding of family has been set. It explores how and why understandings of what make family have changed, paying attention to how it is lived within contemporary society. It reflects on the practices that equate to family. Section 1 Critical debate on nuclear family Many early functionalist sociologists perspectives on the family (Murdock, 1949; Talcott Parsons, 1960) focus heavily on the idea of the nuclear family, which consists of a married couple (male and female) and their biological offspring. There are many issues with the functionalist nuclear family model. For example, it assumes the family to be composed of a heterosexual couple, and that specific structures and practices exist which define this type of family (Widner Jallinoja, 2008). Further to this, the nuclear family model makes assumptions about gender roles within these specific structures (OINONEN, 2008). It is heterosexist (Stacey Davenport, 2002; Pothan, 1992), based on traditional historic ideas of what family should be (Richardson, 2001). For example, the man is the provider and the woman is the nurturer. It promotes hierarchies within the family, with the man situated at the top in relation to the woman, but also as adults in relation to the children (Taylor, 1998). This model can also be seen as western, and assumes a universal model rather than thinking through the historical and cultural specificity of family formations. As a functionalist construct, some researchers (Weeks, Heaphy Donovan, 2001) highlight the heterosexual functions and practices that families have assumed, such as the socialisation of children, where children and young people learn social roles and morals, what is right or wrong: the norms. Donavan (2013) notes this as the heterosexual assumption; similarly, Rich (2007) discusses this in terms of compulsory heterosexuality, assuming this is how gendered roles are transmitted and important for the development of sexualities. The functionalist nuclear family model makes the assumption that specific family formation is not neutral, often with a privileging of heterosexuality (Donavan. 2013). This, however, is a certain form of heterosexuality, as not all heterosexuals are privileged in the same way, for example, if they live outside of the normative ways of living associated with the nuclear family model, such as single or gay parents. Therefore, it could be argued that the nuclear family model is heterosexualised, classed and racialised against these none-normative ways of living (single and gay parents) and their forms of inappropriate heterosexuality. It could be claimed that the functionalist nuclear family model suggests that there is a particular form of living within a heterosexual way that becomes the pinnacle of how we should live, look up to and aspire to do or be. That is not just in terms of how we live with our families, but also the practices within and outside of society: the public and private, for example how we believe authentic love happens. To conclude, many early functionalist sociologists perspectives on the nuclear family (Murdock, 1949; Talcott Parsons, 1960) are now heavily criticised and outdated. However, what we do have are cultural, political and ideological discourses that equate the family to being a specific shape, structure and set of roles. Section 2 Political and social contexts Before discussing and evaluating the new terms and theories within and around family, it is important to reflect on the political contexts and social discourse in which understandings of family and specifically the nuclear family have been set. The late 80s and early 90s were noted as the start of a neo-liberalist society, yet ideologically this era also promoted a particular way of living: a neo-conservative family life. After reading up on some of the literature around government policy and practices from this period, I can see a real contradiction as to whether the state had any involvement in personal / private family lives or not. It tended to step away, detach and disengage in one sense, yet normalise, regulate and control in another. For example, Thatchers views on family and what family was were simple: traditional Victorian family values and the nuclear family. Thatcher and the Conservative government argued that the 60s had started to tear apart this ideal of the family and promote inappropriate promiscuity and sexual freedom. Thatchers also disliked the fact that there were many social movements developing, such as the Hippy Movement, Civil Rights Movement and Peace Movement, and in the late 70s and early 80s, the conservative government felt like their ideal of the family was under attack (Holborn Steel, 2012). Thatcher argued that this was potentially the end of society and the nuclear family and that she will fight hard to regain the traditional family values. It could be claimed that her neo-conservative intentions were to reinforce traditional Victorian family values in society, and re-establish the importance of the traditional heterosexual nuclear family. There was a great deal of legislation created on the basis of Thatcherism, a new hegemonic politics in which the Left was increasingly marginalized. For example, Section 28 (also known as Claus 28) of the local government act 1988 was a controversial amendment to the UKs local government act 1986. Enacted on the 24th May 1998, the amendment stated that local education authorities shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality or promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship. After Section 28 was passed, there was a lot of debate as to whether it actually applied in schools or whether it applied only to local education authorities. Most teachers acted extra cautious due to not knowing what they were actually permitted to do. Some sociologists (Weeks, 2007) believed that Section 28 enlisted teachers to stigmatise part of our society; and this then caused schools to fail to engage in basic social justices. In relation to these concerns; and a call for further explanation by numerous professionals working in the pedagogic environment, the National Union of Teachers published a statement, remarking that: whilst section 28 applies to local authorities and not to schools, many teachers believe, albeit wrongly, that it imposes constraints in respect of the advice and counselling they give to pupils. Professional judgement is therefore influenced by the perceived prospect of prosecution. Similarly, the Department for Education and Science (1988) made the following statement regarding Section 28: Section 28 does not affect the activities of the school governors, nor the teachers. It will not prevent the objective discussion of homosexuality in the classroom, nor the counselling of pupils concerned about their sexuality Many Conservative backbenchers disagreed with the above statements, and supporters such as Baroness Knight of Collingtree (then Conservative MP Jill Knight) who introduced Section 28, and wanted to back up her initial justification for the act, discussed the history behind initially setting up Section 28. She was the chairman of her local Child and Family Protection Group, and was contacted by numerous concerned parents who strongly objected to the fact that their children were being taught about homosexuality through specific literature that was being used to teach their 5 and 6 year olds. For example, a book called The Playbook for Kids about Sex, in which brightly coloured stick men showed all about homosexuality, and how it was done. Another book called The Milkmans on his Way explicitly described homosexual intercourse. In retrospect, the above statements seem to suggest something of an internal problem: a problem with the literature that was being produced for the pedagogic environments. This was also brought to light in 1983, when the Daily Mail reported that a copy of a book entitled Jenny lives with Eric and Martin, portraying a little girl who lives with her father and his gay partner, was provided in a school library run by a London Education Authority. There was a large political response towards Clause 28; and this served to galvanise the disparate British gay rights movement into action; and the resulting protests saw the rise of now famous groups like Stonewall, started by, amongst other people, Ian McKellen and OutRage!, subsequently led by Peter Tatchell, who is still now an iconic gay activist (Tatchell, 1993; LGF, 2008). Although Section 28 has been repealed on the 18th November 2003 by section (122) of the local government act 2003, there are still a number of complex issues to be tackled with regards to the teaching of homosexuality, gay marriage and contemporary family life. Faith school are a major problem (LGF, 2008), and as Waller (2009) suggests religious views need to be addressed more. More debate is needed on love, respect and diversity within and outside of contemporary family life for faith schools, as this would then avoid the so called promotion of homosexuality and pretend family relationships, and focus more on the diversity of sexuality and family life. Gay rights activists, such as Tatchel (2001), discuss their concern for the lack of progress within this area, and mentioned that there is going to be more of a battle to beat the last acceptable prejudice within our education system (LGF, 2008). In contrast, Waller (2009) suggested that as sex education in England and Wales has been regulated solely by the Secretary of State for Education since the Learning and Skills Act (2000) and the Education Act (1996), it could be argued that Section 28, before its repeal, was already largely redundant. Local education authorities, such as Manchester, continued to deliver training to their staff on how to deliver their services without discrimination against lesbians and gay men; and these pioneering works were never once challenged by the act (Waller, 2009). There is, however, one case of Section 28 being used to bring a case to the courts against a council. In May, 2000, the Christian Institute unsuccessfully took Glasgow City Council to court for funding an AIDS support charity which the Institute alleged promoted homosexuality and disrespectful family relationships. It could be suggested that in order to create change, we must consider the psychology (Hanley, 1993): mapping the information against the general certificate of secondary education (GCSE) curriculum, and making it accessible to the children. Training the teachers so that they are confident in delivering it correctly, as at present, many teachers are not equipped to discuss the complexities of the human sexuality and contemporary family life. Cookson et al, (2009) suggests that this personal and professional development should be a priority for any local education authority. Schools should be encouraged to expressively forbid discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation within their codes of conduct, whether the school has a religious character or not (Cookson et al, 2009). Then, at an appropriate stage of the national curriculum, students should be encouraged to examine the variety of views on human sexuality and family life, and as Waller (2009) suggests, this will then allow them to develop their own position within their understanding of and within these complex areas. However, despite the controversy around Section 28, it should be noted that Thatcher supported legalising homosexuality in the 1960s, and in the face of severe opposition from Tory traditionalists, in 1967, she voted in favour of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. The Conservative government still however caused much uproar, as although the hegemonic legislation was in force, to ostracise; to an extent it did the opposite. It made people fight. Fight for their right to have equality, to be a family, or at least have that choice. Although many gay communities had been decimated by the AIDS epidemic, something extraordinary happened. People joined together, from within and outside of their communities, as a family, setting up support groups, lobbying parliament, fighting for their right as a community, and as a family. Not blood-related though, but as families of choice (Donavan, 2012; Weeks, 2001). They had connectedness, cared for each other, and were loyal: and not the drug-taking, promiscuous loons as described by one Tory MP at the time (Briggs, 1987). Over the following years, many of the HIV positive men died, and during this period further inequalities became stark. Partners, who had supported, cared for and loved their partner for many years were not recognised legally, for example, during the sale of a house. Blood family members of the deceased or dying would deny same sex partners access to their dying partners bedside or attendance at the funeral. These harsh inequalities highlighted through these challenging times, but also politicised a generation (Donavan, 2013). Weeks (2007: 2) support this notion of politicisation, and suggests that the longer term perspective tells us something different as despite the setbacks, pain and loss of the 1980s and early 1990s we can now see that under the surface of events, dramatic changes in sexual and intimate life were taking place, a sort of grass roots revolution, that have transformed the possibilities of LGBTQ lives In view of Weeks (2007) quote, it should therefore be argued that the battle for legislative reform is about a formalisation of a right to exist in the public sphere, and a public declaration of, for example, love, marriage, equal opportunities and family. Weeks (2007) supports this critique and proposes that this shake up also started to deconstruct the idea of a family unit, and so destabilise specific social norms and boundaries, which existed between the public and the private. This political and social shift is important, as when public and private start to collide, the old school family unit that is ideologically engrained within society and culture is challenged (Richardson, 2000). This is a powerful, and much needed shake up, which has had considerable consequences further down the line, and has attacked many discriminative social forces and factors underpinned within many forms of discrimination. It is also important to acknowledge the processes and changes underpinned within the wider political, economic and cultural realities, and how these may have been challenged. In de constructing the idea of the family, we can then start to challenge the tradition behind it, which takes away its power, its right to dominance, govern and lead. This idea of tradition is still however problematic, as Weeks (2007) notes, due to the fact that the evidence is limited when looking at tradition beyond specific recent time frames and histories, and that due to this lack of empiricability, can we be certain people always follow tradition, and by tradition I mean as how we see it. It could be argued that this was not the case, and tradition, as we see it, has shifted over time, context and reality. What we see now as tradition may have at specific points in history been its opposite, with the normal of our tradition shifting to the abnormal of our non-traditional realities. Therefore, it could be argued that tradition and its underpinnings are by no means monochrome, in any historical, political and / or cultural reality. Williams (2004) conceptualises this well and terms this re-traditionalisation, yet Weeks (2007) still argues for more of a de-traditionalisation. Whatever the term used, it could be argued that either or suggest that back in the 80s during the birth of Stonewall and other political and social equality movements, and also now, as we were (and still are) searching for an individualism, or a framework that supports this. It could be maintained that if people were allowed to manage their own lives, their own way of living, without fear or discrimination, different forms of community and / or individual arrangements would develop, assisting life in its creative, problem-solving, innovatory way. This process of social restructuring (or as Williams (2004) terms re-traditionalisation and Weeks (2007) terms de-tradionalisation) is important to consider with my research when thinking about my research, and the participants (also my own) political, cultural and social histories and contexts, and how these have been changed, adapted and developed within and outside of tradition as we see it now in this specific context and reality, during their specific coming-out process. Section 3 Why / how family has changed and how it is now lived + reflections on family practices. These previously discussed political and social developments highlight the fact that ways of living have changed, causing major variations in the compositions and practices of families and intimate relationships. At the core of the debate sociologists such as Finch (2007), Smart (2007), Donavan (2013) and Stacey (2004) emphasise that the old concepts no longer capture the realities of contemporary family living and that new definitions, concepts, ideas, ideologies, terms and legislation are needed. Smart (2007: 84), a feminist sociologist and academic, defines the family as: a set of personal relationships that are forged together to create dynamic and multidimensional connections held together through shared histories and memories. Smarts (2007) quote suggests that individuals live in a diverse array of living conditions and relationship formations, within and throughout a major social institution and a locus of much of an individuals social activity. It also highlights the importance of shared histories and memories, not just blood ties or relations. Smarts (2007) definition recognises that this new conceptualisation of family highlights the significance of dependencies, interdependencies, connectedness and relationalism as central features within social grouping identified as family. All the above suggests there are many factors that shape the experience of family life, for example, social class, race, sexuality (lesbian or heterosexual couples) and family structure, for example, nuclear family, extended family and single-parent families. This adds a new dimension to the study of family as it links family experiences to other influences in society, signifying that the family is not an isolated entity but rather an integral part of the wider social system with society. Calvin (2011), on the other hand, disagrees with much of Smart (2007) observations and defines the family as: a social unit created by blood, marriage, or adoption, which can be described as nuclear (parents and children) or extended (encompassing other relatives). There remains many obvious problematics within the Calvin (2011) definition. For example, extended family may not be relatives, but could be friends, neighbours, work colleagues, and / or ex or current partners. The nuclear family concept has also been critiqued by many (Finch, 2007, Smart, 2007 and Donavan, 2013) (also see section 1) and holds many perceived problematics: westernised, heterosexist, gendered, and assuming a universal model which alludes to the historical and cultural specificity of contemporary family formations. It could be argued that in contemporary society, many individuals now live in households that are single-parent, gay, lesbian, interfaith, international, interracial, intergenerational, and increasingly single-person, not to mention families of long-term companions, adopted children, or half-siblings. Calvins (2011) definition does not seem to take this specificity and multidimensionality into consideration. Fields, Jason and Casper (2001:67) support my critique of Calvins (2011) definition, and suggest that it is generally assumed today that the modern family has undergone significant transformations in its structure, and that societal changes have contributed to a harsh reduction in the percentage of classical typical families, predominantly nuclear families. Replacing these are childless families, one parent families, other family formations, and quasi-family units based on non-marital cohabitation (Fields, Jason and Casper, 2001:69), which includes (and will include more so after the recent legalisation of gay marriage in the UK) gay parents and families. Sociologists such as Finch (2007) and Smart (2007) have clearly highlighted the many diverse arrays of living as a family, and how this must be recognised within the literature. However, there are also many terms that underpin these theories, for example, families of choice (Weeks, Donavan, and Heaphy), postmodern families, and families of origin (Morgan (2007). There has been much debate as to whether these sit alongside the idea of the nuclear family or in opposition. There has also been much debate around a shifting postmodern nuclear family. This section of this essay will therefore discuss and evaluate some of these terms, critiquing the literature. Donavan et al (2001) incorporated the term families of choice (also known as families we choose coined by Kath Western, 1998) which means literally asking the participants for names of people they see as family. For example, if I decided to use this term within my research and one of my participants stated that 2 of his friends, his step brother and his second aunt were the people he recognised as family this would be fine. Similarly, if another participant involved no blood relatives this would also be fine. Families of choice literally mean people choose their families. Donavan (2001) does however express some concerns with this method and notes that within her 2001 study with Weeks and Heaply, two well-known social constructionists, as many of the heterosexual participants named blood family when ask to discuss family; whereas many of the non-heterosexual participants named mainly friends and (ex) lovers as family. Although this does not suggest an obvious issue, it does suggest a lack of closeness, or connectness with the LGBT participants and their blood family compared to that of their heterosexual counterparts. Although this term sits well for my research, the same issue could occur. A way around this could be to break the question down further. For example, ask the participants to name 5 people who they feel are most important to them in their life. And once a list has been put together, ask them to decide who they see as family. This 2 staged question may be a way of getting around this issue around participants misunderstanding the term family. Not including the term family would be helpful until I understood who they classed as family. On the other hand, by using the term families of choice, I am giving the participants a choice to choose whoever as their family members, and this open-ended approach is enabling them to decide. Therefore, would it really be an issue if they did not include any blood relatives, or included all blood relative? Modern policy (Children and Adoption Act, 2006; Equal Marriage Bill, 2013; Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, 2008) has noted a shift to two parents of any gender (but still a demonization of single parent families due to an underlying stigmatization mainly but not exclusively enhanced by stereotypical negative Media perceptions). The question is could we call the 2 parent family of the same gender a nuclear family and would we want too? Donavan (2013) suggests it is not, although structurally it looks the same, i.e. two parents, 2 children, a household, but if you look at the social roles within it, it is very different. For example, there may be no men or no women involved, and usually there is at least one parent who has no biological relation to the child. It could therefore be argued that the term postmodern family sits better here (and also potentially within my research). This term suggests it can be what it is, in this specific moment in time, through the specific structures and practices it has/uses. This concept also recognises that what you describe as your family now may not be family in 5 years time for example. Although it could be argued that the term postmodern family is doing nothing apart from saying meaning of family can change historically. On the other hand, terms that help to destabilise gendered and heterosexist terms like that nuclear family model are a welcome addition. There are many different ways of theorizing family and the practices within it, but in reality, when it comes to gay youth and my intended area of study, many of these individuals will come from heterosexual family set ups and have been exposed unconditionally to heterosexual family practices. Therefore, using the a term like families of origin (Morgan, 2007) could be beneficial as it describes the setup of your life at that point in time, whether it be step families, friends, blood mother or adopted father. This again gives the participant flexibility in their choices. The term origin however may be confusing as origin suggests where you have come from, which then suggests blood or adopted family, with the exclusion of friends, (ex) partners, and work colleagues. It could also be beneficial to ask my participants about their understanding of families i.e. where they see their families being, or who is classed as their family, as during Weeks, Heaply and Donavans (2001) study, many of their LGBT participants failed to recognise blood family as family members. This would suggest that they may have disconnected from their families of origin and that it did not occur to them to speak or include them into their LGBT sphere, or private world. However, this study is now 12 years old, and many changes have occurred since then, potentially highlighting a shift in generational understandings and acceptance of how, who and why we consider certain people to be classed as our family. In view of the above, Finch (2007: 71) notes that the way in which we consider our family is qualitatively orientated. By this she means decided by a number of internal and external factors including, location, relationships, love, employment, religion, sexuality and friendship. In view of Finchs (2007) consideration, it could be argued that this process of qualitative orientation demands considerable creativity when initiating the design, composition and practices of the family, and how these intimate networks are constructed, perceived and maintained (Stacey, 2004: 359). It could also be argued that as Stacey (2004) has identified this as a process, this then suggests a considerable shift from the previous definition of family and the nuclear family, through the household or through kinship: set and defined, to a more holistic way of thinking, friendly and accepting to the diversity and variation of modern family formations. Gabb (2008: 22), who is an interdisciplinary sociologist, terms this the extended family. Her research consists of a combination of autobiographical, anecdotal and empirical methods and methodologies, which re-situate emotions at the centre of family studies. She suggests that the process of family selection mentioned by Stacy (2004) requires an extended approach; a wide angle research lens that can record the evolving matrix of intimacy (Gabb, 2008:17). I agree with Gabbs (2008) comments on the matrix or intimacy and argue that this idea places much emphasis on relationship formation, which in turn constitutes and creates family life. Contemporary psycho-sociologists Mcload and Thomson (2009) support this critique, and suggest that Gabbs (2008) idea of the extended family places increasing importance on the way in which relationships are built, with ideas of social change at the forefront of this process. The contemporary research above highlights the importance of recognises fluidity within the composition of the family unit and also highlights briefly how we select family; however, it is also important to discuss how contemporary family life is defined more by doing family things rather than being a family. For example, Morgan (1996) is one of the most influential sociologist who initially highlighted the importance to shift sociological analysis away from family as a structure to which individuals in some sense belong, towards understanding families as sets of activities which take on a particular meaning, associated with family, at any a given point in time (Finch, 2007:66). Morgan (1996) defines these family practices as: a set of practices which deal in some way with ideas of parenting, kinship and marriage and the expectedness and obligation which are associated with these practices. The key features of the practices approach in general are as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ An attempt to link the perspectives of the observers and the social actors; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ An emphasis on the active or doing; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A sense of the everyday; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A sense of the regular; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A sense of fluidity or fuzziness; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A linking of history and biography. Morgan (2011) uses the term family practices as an illustration of wider currents of thought in sociology engaged with understanding how social relations are enacted and represented as symbols, combining a number of key concepts that other scholars have used to analyse contemporary families. These include fluidity, diversity, and multi-facetedness, by rooting our understanding of doing family in the everyday and the routine. These everyday routines are where individuals constitute certain actions and activities as family practices, as family (defined by Morgan and Finch) is a facet of social life, not a social institution; it represents a quality not a thing. A good example of this routine that constitutes family practices was in Finch (2007) where she discusses 2 examples of her own family practices: the weekly phone call which she makes to her sister; and her care in assuring that a step child gets Christmas presents as valuable as those she gives to her own children. These are actions that allow her to regard these people as part of her family. Finch (2007:55) also quotes from my perspective these are family practices. When discussing these practices, Morgan (1996: 190) recognises that these practices are often little fragments of daily life which are part of the normal taken for granted existence of practitioners. Their significance derives from their location in a wider system of meaning. Finch (2007:66) supports Morgan (1996) quote and suggest that the emphasis is on social actors creatively constituting their own social world. It could therefore be argued that an individuals understanding of family is subject to change over time and locations, deeply rooted in individual biographies and realities. This is something I need to