Beginners Guide for Zend Framework 2.0

Beginners Guide for Zend Framework 2. 0 When it comes to open source software and applications, Zend Framework is one of the most preferred platforms for web applications. Zend Framework 2. 0 has been released to overcome the common issues of the previous version and provide an advanced framework for the development of web applications. You can expect a lot of new features including cloud computing, superior event management, and advanced features for event tracking. The Beginners Guide for Zend Framework 2. is a series which will help you in getting started with Zend Framework 2. 0. We are going to discuss each and every aspect of ZF2. 0 with practical example. What’s new in Zend Framework 2. 0 Before starting with ZF2. 0, let us find out what’s new in this version †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ New and refactored Autoloaders Improved Exception System Advance and refactored View Component New Cloud Infrastructure component New and advan ced Event Manager component New Plugin Broker Strategy Rewritten Session Component New Dependency Injection ComponentPost 1 of series ——————————————————————————————————– How to setup Zend Framework 2. 0 Zend Framework 2. 0 is a whole new outfit for Zend Framework and you will find new components, renamed and changed components, and addition of advanced services for better web applications. You would be amazed with the bug fixes and error controlling components available with ZF2. 0. So you need a lot of modifications for this latest version and let us find out how to start working with ZF2. 0. Installing Zend framework 2. First of all you need to download the setup of ZF2. 0 and the best option is to download Zend Framework Minimal Package fo r Windows including PHP 5. 3 in it. Save the file in the library folder as library/zend. There are different methods for installing ZF2. 0 on your machine: †¢ †¢ †¢ Installation Using Pear Installation Using Subversion (svn) Using Git Installation with Pear For the users having Pear enabled on their system, the best method of installing ZF 2. 0 is by using Pear and following two simple command as: pear channel-discover pear. zfcampus. org pear install zfcampus/zfInstallation with Subversion (svn) Users having Subversion running on their system can download the software from public repository and you are not required to download the whole version, you can simply upgrade the frame work with new releases. Installing with Git Many programmers prefer Git for downloading the latest software upgrades and you can use Git for the latest version of ZF 2. 0. Getting ready for your first ZF Project Zend Framework has some specific system requirements like adding frame work in inc lude_path and access to scripts located outside the document.You need to have a proper directory structure before starting with the project and let us find out the best directory structure for your first ZF project 1. docroot/ 2. index. php 3. application/ 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. default/ controllers/ IndexController. php FooController. php models/ views/ 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. scripts/ index/ foo/ helpers/ filters/ blog/ controllers/ IndexController. php models/ views/ scripts/ index/ helpers/ filters/ news/ controllers/ IndexController. php ListController. hp models/ views/ scripts/ index/ list/ helpers/ Filters/ Each of the directories has a specific role and use, let us find out the importance of each of these directories Application: Application directory is meant for all the codes used for the application. Configs: This directory is responsible for the overall application. Modules: Modules are required for at different stages of development so make sure to create a directory for modules for any future requirements of the project. Data: Data directory is responsible for holding volatile and temporary data including sessions, logs, cache, and even the upload data.This directory will act as an easy to find data block for your application. Library: This directory is used for storing different libraries that are throughout the application. Add this directory in include_path for any reference and requirement. Scripts: Script directory is used for maintaining all the scripts including patches, command line, and cron scripts used in the application. Docs: This directory is created for storing data generated in the application and data directly used in the application. Setting Up bootstrapBootstrap is the entry and exit point for all the command in any given applications including requests, response, route, and even dispatch commands. For setting up your Bootstrap, create index. php file and a dd the following code in your application. Background Process: First of all, you need to define all the main directories as contants for easy access and then initiate Zend/Application/Application for starting the application. The command bootstrap() is used for booting the application and then transfer the control to the original bootstrap of the application.For higher security, make sure to mention minimum details in index. php and try to keep all the logic in the bootstrap class created in your application directory. The next step in setting up ZF 2. 0 is to create the . htaccess file for handling and redirecting all the requests to bootstrap. Create . htaccess file for your project The main function of . htaccess file is redirect all the requests made in the project to the public bootstrap file. Before creating the file, you need to mention its global configuration like rewriting writes and similar permissions.You can do it by following method. Create a directive in your vhost fi le and provide permission for . htaccess to be parsed. allow override all none Now create public/. htaccess file with following code: Once you have created the . htaccess file for your application, you are ready to start with the project. Although there are some simple steps left in the process including setting up the application. ini file and then you can start with creating your first controller, how to input data from user, filter the data, validating data, and a lot of different things.Conclusion: ZF 2. 0 has a lot of quality upgrades as compared to the earlier version and the best way to use all of these features is to follow this guide step by step. There are many new features added in ZF 2. 0 which makes it a really powerful tool for developing impressive web applications. One of the most important additions is the advanced Event Manager and Cloud Infrastructure tool provided in ZF 2. 0. There is a lot to learn in this new feature packed Framework. Next Post Contents: †¢ †¢ Displaying information to user How to link pages together

Mayday on Holderness Essay

In the poem, â€Å"Mayday on Holderness†, Ted Hughes analyses the relationship between man and nature. The theme of the second stanza is strongly focused on death, playing a part of the poem’s overall theme – the cycle of life. Another focus point of the stanza is the eternal being of nature and man’s need for it. Hughes picks up on the inferiority of mankind in comparison to â€Å"unkillable† nature. Hughes conveys the idea that nature is immortal and lives off our deads’ remains, we see this through the listing of â€Å"tributary graves† being part of what the North Sea â€Å"swallows†. This imagery is morbid and voices Hughes’ anti-pastoral feeling. He uses this poem to establish that nature is not clean, pure and innocent but instead has been dirtied and thrives off our dead and waste. Nature has destructive power as well as creative power. The river Humber that Hughes describes in this stanza is depicted as â€Å"a loaded single vein†. The use of this metaphor and comparison to a â€Å"vein† infer that the river is living, as veins are needed by the body to pump blood around and keep us alive. Leading us to label the river as the blood and the country as the flesh. This metaphor consequently conveying that the people of the North rely on the river, and as a whole rely on nature, to keep them alive. However, Hughes tells us that the river contains human remains; the river therefore is not only a symbol of life but also of death. This reflects the overall theme of the poem: life cycles. Hughes emphasises the density of death that is contained in the river through describing it as â€Å"loaded†. This adjective portraying that the river is so full up to the point that it is on the verge of exploding. In addition, the assonance of ‘i’ in the third line of the stanza mimics the flowing movement of the river Humber as it travels out of Hull to join the North Sea. This is also emphasised in many lines of the stanza through sibilance. Notably, for example, in the first two lines â€Å"sunset smudge† and â€Å"south skyline† share the hissing sound of the river’s water. Returning to the message Hughes is making about man’s subconscious need and reliance on nature, the imagery of the river as it â€Å"drains the effort of the inert North – Sheffield’s ores† reflects this. The point being made is that mankind focus their energy and time into manufacturing and industry (Sheffield being known for it’s steel production), turning them into lifeless, sluggish beings. Yet, we need nature to keep everything in equilibrium and without it we would not survive. The river is accepting and making use of what humans discard or have no use for, for example, the river swallows up all: â€Å"bog pools, dregs of toadstools†. The way Hughes calls the river Humber â€Å"Sheffield’s ores† is another reference to the importance of industry and also that nature is used by mankind in the same way Sheffield uses ores; for it’s important elements. We take nature for granted. The idea of nature being engulfed and overlooked by a world of manufacturing is inferred through the description of the river â€Å"melting†. This verb seems an unusual one to use and Hughes has selected it for it’s industrial connotations. As I previously mentioned, Hughes voices his anti-pastoral feeling in this poem. A filthy, more negative portrayal of nature is articulated. It appears that nature has had its purity removed, or it never existed. Hughes describes Hull’s â€Å"sunset smudge†. The connotations of â€Å"sunset† are romantic, peaceful and naturally beautiful. The juxtaposition of these two words creates severe contrast, as the word â€Å"smudge† is onomatopoeic, with a dirty, unclean sound created by the â€Å"sm† and thickness heard in the â€Å"d†. The last line of the stanza once again enforces the idea that nature has the ultimate power over all creatures on earth. â€Å"Insects, drunken, drop out of the air. † This imagery shows authority, as though the insects are falling at nature’s feet. In such a way that one would fall in front of their leader. It also expresses the idea that the insects are dropping death into the river after being poisoned by the river’s fumes. Which is another way that illustrates nature’s ultimate power and also the sense of nature’s destructive power.

Bd Railway

Organization Behavior of Bangladesh Railway In: Social Issues Organization Behavior of Bangladesh Railway An Assignment ON Organization behavior Submitted To: Dr. Syeda Lasna Kabir Associate Professor Dept. of Public Administration University of Dhaka. Submitted By: Md. Rajvi Hasan Roll No: MM–098 4th Year; 7th Semester Dept. of Public Administration University of Dhaka. Submission Date: 16th May 2011. Assignment topic A Research on Bangladesh Railway [pic] ? Introduction: Roads & Railways Division is one of the important Divisions in the Government under the Ministry of Communication.Ministry of Communication comprises two Divisions, 1. Roads & Railways Division and 2. Bridges Division. Roads & Railways Division shoulders a vast task and plays a vital role in socio-economic development of our country. It governs the Departments/Organizations which are playing very important roles in building our new nation. These are : (1) Roads & Highways Department (RHD), (2) Bangladesh Rai lway, (3) Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), (4) Bangladesh Road Transport corporation (BRTC), (5) Dhaka Transport Co-ordination Board and (6) The office of the Government Inspector of Bangladesh Railways (GIBR).The principal motto of this Division is to ensure improvement of socio-economic condition of the people of our country through formulating policies regarding roads, road transports and railways and through construction, development, expansion and maintenance of environment-friendly and user-friendly integrated roads and railway transportation. Bangladesh Railway (BR) is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh. It operates and maintains the entire railway network of the country.Railway operation in today's Bangladesh began on November 15, 1862 when 53. 11 kilometers of 5  ft  6  in  (1,676  mm) (broad gauge) line were opened for traffic between Darsana and Jagiti. The next 14. 98 kilometers 1,000  mm  (3  ft  3  3? 8  in) (meter gaug e) line was opened for traffic on 4 January 1885. In 1891, the construction of then Bengal Assam Railway was taken up by the British Government assistance but that was later on taken over by the Bengal Assam Railway Company.On 1 July 1895, two sections of meter gauge lines were opened between Chittagong and Comilla, a length of 149. 89 kilometers and between Laksam and Cahndpur, a length of 50. 89 kilometers. Railway Companies formed in England took up the construction and operation of these sections in middle and late 19th century. At time of the partition of India in 1947, Bengal-Assam Railway was split up and the portion of the system, about 2,603. 92 kilometers fell within the boundary of then East Pakistan and control remained with the central Government of Pakistan.Later with the effect from 1 February 1961, Eastern Bengal Railway was renamed as Pakistan Eastern Railway. Then in 1962, the control of Pakistan Eastern Railway was transferred from the Central Government to the Go vernment of East Pakistan and placed under the management of a Railway Board with the effect from the financial year 1962-63 by the presidential Order of 9 June 1962. As of 2005, the total length of railroad is 2,855 kilometres.Of that, 660  km are broad gauge tracks (mostly in the western region), 1,830  km are metre gauge tracks (mostly in the central and eastern regions) and 365  km are dual gauge tracks The gauge problem is being tackled by adding third rails to the most important broad and metre gauge routes, so that they become dual gauge. A major road-rail bridge at Jamuna opened in 1998 to connect the previously detached east and west rail networks. On March 2008, the broad gauge reached Dhaka, the national capital. Funding is being sought to upgrade the network and transform Bangladesh Railway into a profitable business.BR exceeded its target revenue earnings in the fiscal year 2007-2008. Bangladesh Railway provides various types of services ranging from shuttle servi ce for university students to freight and cargo service. But still BR could not make profit as it is providing services to the nation at a subsidised rate in order to help the country's economy and for the ease of people. Objective: The objectives of this study are 1) To understand & evaluate the departmentalization of the BR. 2) To know the Spam of Control system of this organization. 3) To analyze the applicability of the theory of ‘Job Specialization’ in this selected organization.Rationale of the study: We have to overview the internal coordinating mechanism, internal environment & the technology, age and the size of the organization. Because without knowing these features we can’t evaluate an organization’s hierarchy, efficiency, working environment in true sense. Research Question: The questions which will lead us to the research: 1. How does the span of control will work in BR? 2. What is the departmentalization of BR? 3. How job specialization is o ccurred? Hypothesis: On which the research are based on: 1. If it is a bureaucratic structure then the job specialization, departmentalization will be strict. . If it is a matrix structure, then job specialization, departmentalization will be much flexible than the previous one Research Methodology: 1. Content Analysis which is most common method for all types of research. The related books, publications, newspapers, internet sources etc have given information about the total scenario of the organization. 2. I have interviewed few officials to understand the situation of that org. Area of focus: The area we are focusing on: Bangladesh Railway Head Office, Top khana, Dhaka. And, Bangladesh Railway Administrative Building,Kamlapur, Dhaka. Limitations of the study: 1. I had very little time to complete this study. 2. I did not have enough experience to do such studies. 3. As the data are collected from key informants at their working hours, there is chance of not receiving exact accura te information 4. I faced non cooperation from some of the employees. †¢ Chapterization: 1. Introduction: The railway department is a semi-autonomous organization under the The Ministry of Communications. This study intends to find out the internal coordinating mechanism, how does it cope with the external environment.The whole system of communication, tasks, coordinating mechanism prevails around organizational structure. Job specialization & departmentalization are the two vital features of organization. And these two are hugely depended on that. If it follows a bureaucratic structure, then the job specialization & departmentalization will be as rigid as the bureaucracy. And if it follows a matrix structure, then it will be more open to the environment. 2. Theoretical Framework: In this study, we will try to define these with the following theories: Job Specialization:The method of job specialization involves breaking down a task to its lowest level and designing jobs around each part. This creates specialization, expertise, and improved quality. Job specialization design in the workplace is frequently seen in manufacturing and assembly lines where a worker focuses on one specific task and ability during the entire work shift. The task frequently repeats all day long. Specialization is the process of performing a certain task which makes a person be in limited in performing other activities out of work she/he is specializes purposely.Job descriptions are written statements that describe the: †¢ duties, †¢ responsibilities, †¢ most important contributions and outcomes needed from a position, †¢ required qualifications of candidates, and †¢ Reporting relationship and coworkers of a particular job. Job descriptions are based on objective information obtained through job analysis, an understanding of the competencies and skills required to accomplish needed tasks, and the needs of the organization to produce work. Job descriptions c learly identify and spell out the responsibilities of a specific job.Job descriptions also include information about working conditions, tools, equipment used, knowledge and skills needed, and relationships with other positions. The best job descriptions are living, breathing documents that are updated as responsibilities change. The best job descriptions do not limit employees, but rather, cause them to stretch their experience, grow their skills, and develop their ability to contribute within their organization. Departmentalization: Departmentalization refers to the process of grouping activities into departments.Division of labor creates specialists who need coordination. This coordination is facilitated by grouping specialists together in departments. The main types of departmentalization are- †¢ Functional departmentalization – Grouping activities by functions performed. Activities can be grouped according to function (work being done) to pursue economies of scale b y placing employees with shared skills and knowledge into departments for example human resources, IT, accounting, manufacturing, logistics, and engineering.Functional departmentalization can be used in all types of organizations. †¢ Product departmentalization – Grouping activities by product line. Tasks can also be grouped according to a specific product or service, thus placing all activities related to the product or the service under one manager. Each major product area in the corporation is under the authority of a senior manager who is specialist in, and is responsible for, everything related to the product line. LA Gear is an example of company that uses product departmentalization. Its structure s based on its varied product lines which include women’s footwear, children’s footwear and men’s’ footwear. †¢ Customer departmentalization – Grouping activities on the basis of common customers or types of customers. Jobs may be grouped according to the type of customer served by the organization. The assumption is that customers in each department have a common set of problems and needs that can best be met by specialists. The sales activities in an office supply firm can be broken down into three departments that serve retail, wholesale and government accounts. Geographic departmentalization – Grouping activities on the basis of territory. If an organization's customers are geographically dispersed, it can group jobs based on geography. For example, the organization structure of Coca-Cola has reflected the company’s operation in two broad geographic areas – the North American sector and the international sector, which includes the Pacific Rim, the European Community, Northeast Europe, Africa and Latin America groups. †¢ Process departmentalization – Grouping activities on the basis of product or service or customer flow.Because each process requires different skills, proce ss departmentalization allows homogenous activities to be categorized. For example, the applicants might need to go through several departments namely validation, licensing and treasury, before receiving the driver’s license. Span of control: The span of control refers to number of employees that directly report to a single manager. Span of control determines the structure of an organization, a narrow span of control results in hierarchal organization while broad span of control leads to flat structure.Since management represents the activities that do not directly result in productivity, they are rather a overhead, span of control determines the additional operational cost. Quantitatively,  companywide overhead can be calculated by dividing the total number of management staff with the size of organization. Span of control formulation What is an optimal ratio of manger to direct reports without compromising the productivity? It is a fundamental problem in designing the str ucture of an organization; empirically this range is pretty wide, from 4 to 22 depending upon the nature of work.In 1933, V. A. Graicunas, a paris based consultant formulated the span of control based on number of direct and indirect relationships that a superior has to manage. Graicunas identified three types of relationships: 1. Number of direct relationships between manager and subordinate, it represents the span of control. 2. Number of peer-to-peer relationships, it represent issues due to interpersonal conflicts. Note that each pair of peers represent 2 relationships and not 1, if there are two subordinates, dick and jane, dick might have different concern for jane than jane’s concern for dick.Hence for a manger, they represent 2 different set of problems and not one. 3. Data analysis ; data presentation: Bangladesh Railway is one of the most efficient ; large departments of GOB. Since the Department was founded the size of the major rail network in Bangladesh has grown . The Department is headed by a Director General who is supported by a number of officers. The total number of personnel in the Department is almost 35,000. It’s a huge number for any organization. To control this kind of large organizations, one needs to have very strong Span of control or line of authority. BR has that. pic] After independence, the railway was first supervised by a Railway Board which was abolished in 1982. Thereafter, the BR came under the jurisdiction of the Railway Division of the Ministry of Communications with the Secretary of the Division working as the Director General of BR. In 1995, instead of being the part of the Ministry, BR came under control of a professional Director General supervised by the Bangladesh Railway Authority that is chaired by the Minister of Communications. As the part of the Bureaucracy, BRfollows the BURREAUCRATIC STRUCTURE, which refers to the Tall Organization.According to the concept it is appropriate for Bureaucratic Organ izations. But, it causes some disadvantages too. DEPARTMENTALIZATION can be described as grouping employees on the basis of the similarity of expertise, knowledge. It enhances the success rate of an organization. As BR is a huge organization, it’s divided into several departments on the basis of the similar functions. BR is divided into two zones, East ; West, each under control of a general manager who is accountable to the Director General of Bangladesh Railway. The two zones have their separate departments or operation, maintenance, and finances. Each zone is divided into two divisions that contain departments for Personnel, Transportation, Commercial, Finance Mechanical, Way and Works Signaling ; Telecommunication, Electrical, Medical, etc. Each zone also has its Workshop Divisions, located at Pahartali and Saidpur, respectively. A locomotive workshop is located at Parbatipur for broad and metre gauge locomotives. BR manages its own Railway Training Academy. A separate Di rectorate under the Ministry of Communications is charged to inspect different works of BR in relation to safety.Job Specialization is the process of performing a certain task which makes a person be in limited in performing other activities out of work she/he is specializes purposely. It enables employees to become very skilled ; productive at their assigned task. Another motive of departmentalization is to ensure job specialization. It is usually seen that every department of an organization is assigned to those functions or tasks at which they are expert. The downside of job specialization tends to be that people can only do one task. They aren’t trained to multitask or handle multiple areas of a workplace.As a result, when a critical expertise is lost, the process can suffer. Additionally, workers under job specialization don’t have a wide array of applicable skills, so it becomes hard for them to adapt to a new function or need in the organization. It creates mono poly this means after specialization certain field of work may lead into boredom to the worker. Efficient administration of BR is also hindered by lack of rules and regulations that have been approved by the Board but are awaiting Government approval as well. Which creates delay to the recruitment process. Conclusion:Removing the old shield, the whole world is intending to get more modernized. But still we are following the hundreds years old ‘Bureaucracy system’ which has caused nothing but losses. Being a Bureaucratic organization or part BR is no different. They are still following the traditional bureaucratic model with no flexibility. Everything in the organization prevails according to the law ; regulation. Job specialization or departmentalization is fixed. They can’t work out of it, even in an emergency. There is little chance for the subordinates to present their ideas or opinions by crossing seniors.They maintain a very strict line of authority, where m anagers have the supreme authority. This may be the traditional bureaucratic role. But it has to change according to the needs of this millennium. As like the private organizations RHD officials should be given more freedom, authorization to take faster decision. Only then the organizational goal of customer satisfaction can be achieved. Reference: 1. http://www. railway. gov. bd 2. Class lectures 3. Railway Information book 4. Mr. Ahsanullah Bhuiyan, Deputy Director, Bangladesh Railway. 5. Mr. Sarwar Alam, Asstt. Commercial Officer, Bangladesh Railway. [pic]

Educating Young Adults about Sex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Educating Young Adults about Sex - Essay Example The learning stresses on both the vices and virtues of sex. It gives a background alongside which one develops into responsible and health grown-up capable of utilizing the inborn sex nature to the fullest capability, without getting obsessed by it. It allows one to recognize and become comfortable with individual’s sexuality. The rise in a number of young adults infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus according to the World Health Organization is attributed to the lack of sexual understanding by the young adults. This understanding can only be fully achieved through the introduction of sex education in the society. Successful sex Education plans for the young adults have common elements necessary for a healthy living in the modern world. Wieland and Jeune (pg78) the current world was formed by traditional people. Such people considered sexuality and sex as an offensive topic of discussion for people who are not married. On contrary Kirdy and Moira (pg 90) asserts that there is great need to have sex education offered to the young adults. Young adults do engage in sexual practices and therefore sexual education should not be meant for the married only. Initially, there was little importance attach to sex education for the young adults. Klein and Measor (pg 47) assert that it was until early 20th century that the world and the society started giving attention to the females. They started receiving more appreciations from their male counterparts. As a result, they started receiving same education in a school with the male students. The traditional role they played in the society was further uncalculated by introducing some added curriculum for the female students.According to Fielder (pg 44), the average marriage age has been delayed due to the carrier –oriented advance in life.  

Marketing segmentation of Chef boyardee Assignment

Marketing segmentation of Chef boyardee - Assignment Example They have a ready market. The other factor that would be considered while segmenting the market is the target clients’ lifestyle. The information on lifestyle and the demographics would help in accurately sub-dividing the market and supplying them with the appropriate brand and quality of Spaghetti Sauce, Spaghetti Meatballs, Macaroni, Lasagna, Pizza Maker or Pizza Sauce. In fact, the supply of these commodities would be purely pegged on the above factors because the company is still small and can not sufficiently serve the entire market. Each segment has its own uniqueness that need to be addressed when segmenting them. Upon identifying the diverse needs, tastes and preferences for each of the segment, high quality products would be sold to them at fairly cheaper and reasonable prices. On the other hand, in order to appeal to the company’s market segments, distributor outlets would be established in each place so as to supply them with the products in a steady and reliable manner. Even distribution would be maintained to ensure that none of the segments is discriminated

Qualitative methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Qualitative methods - Essay Example 2013). In order to avoid any probable deviation this research method focuses on limited sample or delimitating the research area. In the end of qualitative research certain suggestions are also given which are optional and general. Theory is taken to explore solution of hypothesis and data is collected. Data is collected from two sources i.e. primary and secondary. The primary methods are the interview, group discussion, observation, case study, different texts, visual images etc. The secondary methods are consultation of reference material, certain pictures related to focus data and visiting different libraries. Advantages 1. The basic question of a human is† why† and it is satisfied here in this research method. 2. It is easy to conduct as it does not require too much money. 3. It’s more focused with delimitation of sample. Disadvantages 1. Its limited to just a particular chosen sample so what applies to one sample cannot be applied to other sample of same popul ation. 2. It does not give statistics of a fact. Participant observation   It is an approach to collect data in qualitative research. This technique is used for disciplines as sociology, psychology human geography etc.  Often it comes close to certain group or parties like a group of a certain occupation, culture or religion and their behavior at a given time. It is of four types. How it is Useful This method is used to observe informal behavior of participant. It gives a better understanding to the researcher when he or she himself/herself gets involve practically. Different approaches are used as Informal interviews, direct  observing the sample, group participation and discussion,  tracing the personal history, derived results from these approaches. It may take time as months till years to derive results (Profile, 2012). Advantages 1. It’s valid and accepted more because it is an observation. 2. It brings social grooming on the part of observer and he/she gets to l earn how to interact in a better way. Disadvantages 1. It’s difficult to remain objective while observation because a researcher may get biased or participant can have influence on him. 2. A participant may behave artificially so it may give fake observation. 3. It takes too much time. Interview Checklist Interview Checklist is dos and don’ts of an interview. It is a formal criteria to judge an interview if it goes successful or not. Certain factors as appearance, application, personality, attitude, response, body language impressions are counted. Two types of interview are taken normally i.e. structured and less structured. How it is Useful It is useful to conduct a good interview. It gives an understanding of whole environment of interview and the particular behavior of respondent and interviewer. It gives the key to successful interview. Advantages Depending upon the types we discuss advantages as follows Structured Interview 1. It has a vast sample, so it’s beneficial. 2. Questions are arranged in sequence to

Sexual offender registration and Notification laws in the State of Essay

Sexual offender registration and Notification laws in the State of Florida - Essay Example e and corrections organizations in the enactment of this legislation has helped reduce the occurrence of sexual offenses among the citizen population and visiting tourists. Sexual Offender Registration and Notification laws are beneficial in the state of Florida because they offer the community access to information significant to their ability to safeguard themselves and their families against sexual criminals. The comprehensive national registration system for the registration of sexual offenders reacts to the brutal attacks by forceful sexual marauders on victims such as Jacob Wetterling and Megan Nicole Kanka. The law covers both those who are yet to start their sentence and those who have completed their criminal sentences. The aim is to keep track of the activities the sexual offenders partake and their current residence. This is essential to dissuade current offenders and future offenders. In addition, it ensures that residents are aware of the history of offenders and avert themselves from potential risks. It is easy to enforce restrictions through the application of laws such as the Jacob Wetterling Act. For instance, sexual offenders should not stay next to school institution or near minors. These restrictions must be disparate from those that apply to probationers or parolees. Although critics may argue that the laws are too austere to rehabilitate criminals, sexual offenders still pose a threat to humanity and there is a need to monitor their activities and

A Reaction essay paper on a book named Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo

A Reaction paper on a book named Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. for Ethnic studies class - Essay Example The novel is deeply engrossing and has sensitively explored the uncertainties and confusion of the young generation. I believe that the book reflects the general dilemma of youth who is caught between the good and the bad things of life. The religion and varying socio-cultural value system have increasingly become contentious because they fail to provide the contemporary society with strong uniform code of living. The clash of values and intolerance amongst the people at large needs to be tempered with forbearance and fortitude. People should become more like Ultima who interprets the spirituality and religion in terms of human values and resilience. The author has subtly introduced diversity of issues which are not only relevant but they are also vital ingredients of human life and must be nurtured for creating a better world for children. Indeed, by using magical realism, he has been able to emphasize and explain the social dilemma that people face against a covert or an overt act of untold violence and apathy. Reference Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. Grand Central Publishing. 1994.

Research methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research methods - Essay Example At the next level, the precise structure and the methods used for data collection and analysis are expected to be less clear in qualitative studies compared to quantitative ones (Kumar 2010). As a result, a misunderstanding may often results in regard to the characteristics of a qualitative study; in certain qualitative studies, their design is identical with the data collection method, as, for example, in the case of the participant observation’ (Kumar 2010, p.104). Further differences can be identified regarding the philosophical underpinning of the two approaches. More specifically, the qualitative studies are usually characterized as ‘naturalistic’, being depended on social evidence, while the quantitative studies are ‘positivistic’ (Rapport 2004, p.2), being depended on specific facts which can be analysed using tools that can ‘produce generalisable observations’ (Rapport 2004, p.2). On the other hand, qualitative studies are likely to emphasize on the relationship between the causes and the effects of particular events while the qualitative studies are based on the analysis of human behaviour, as reflected in the responses of participants to a series of events. In accordance with Lee (1999) one of the key characteristics of the qualitative approach is that it is ‘context – free’ (Lee 1999, p.8), meaning that it is not based on empirical results but it rather refers to findings that reflect the local conditions, as related to a series of events. From this point of view, researchers using the qualitative approach give emphasis on the responses of participants to specific events (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill 2009); in opposition, in quantitative studies researchers tend to focus on the development of empirical results, which need to be fully justified, as of the methods used for generating them, and verified; in qualitative approach, the researcher does not have such concerns since the qualit ative study can refer to the views of a limited number of participants (Hansen 2007); these views do not have to be tested as of their validity as in the case of quantitative studies. Moreover, Elliott (2005) noted that qualitative and quantitative approaches can be characterized as ‘divergent genres’ (Elliott 2005, p.184), based on different methods of data presentation; in quantitative studies, efforts need to be made for persuading the readers on the validity of results (Elliott 2005, p.184). In qualitative studies there is no such pressure; the reader has to be informed on the responses of the participants without further explanations on the characteristics of the data and the process involved (Elliott 2005). Section B In the context of the qualitative approach a series of different data collection methods can be used, in accordance with the research aims, the availability of sources and the target population. In the study of Bryman and Bell (2007) emphasis is given on the high range of data collection methods that respond to the requirements of the qualitative approach. Reference is made to five of the most known methods of data collection as used in qualitative studies: a) the participant observation in which the research has to observe the response of a group of persons to particular events; usually, the social group chosen

LOVE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

LOVE - Essay Example According to More’s work, love influences the duties assigned to individuals in different fields in life. In support of this assertion, More expounds on how love make men accept women to be assigned light duties (Barnet and Bedau 464). It is out of love that women are spared from things that can affect them in life. In connection with this, More also claims that Stewards ensure people work to earn a living but do not wear them out by keeping them at work for long hours. That is, the practice of humanity as a result of love make people save other people from problems since charity begins from home (Barnet and Bedau 468). In his work, More also argued that it is bad to deprive other people pleasure so that you can enjoy it yourself. According to him, depriving oneself pleasure for other person’s enjoyment portrays one’s humanity (Barnet and Bedau 468). In addition to this, More asserts that taking care of patients and providing them with what they need for recovery is a product of love (Barnet and Bedau 473). In tandem with More’s argument, the poem â€Å"Love is Sickness† presents love in a unique way. The metaphor â€Å"love is a sickness† shows that the modern society compares love to the sickness that affects the patient (a person in love). From the claim, it is apparent that love has symptoms, and it can be diagnosed. The poem also claims that love is full of uncontrollable woes.

The Federalist Papers, John Jay Essay Example for Free

The Federalist Papers, John Jay Essay John Jay remarks in Federalist Number 3 that â€Å"[t]he safety of the people doubtless has relation to a great variety of circumstances and considerations, and consequently affords great latitude to those who wish to define it precisely and comprehensively   (Jay, 1787).†Ã‚   By this he means that the new government has the ability to define and defend the people against all threats.   Jay also discusses wars.   He says that â€Å"[t]he number of wars which have happened or will happen in the world will always be found to be n proportion to the number and weight of the causes, whether real or pretend (Jay, 1787). † His solution against the threat of war from foreign powers is to have a United America versus a disunited America.   He also feels that it is in the best interests of all concerned to have a national government that will collectively â€Å"observe the laws of nations towards all these powers (Jay 1787).†Ã‚   Under a national government, treaties would be created and observed, because states can be arbitrary and capricious.   Jay carries over his logic for a federal government because he states that â€Å"such violences are more frequently caused by the passions and interests of a part than of the whole; of one or two States than of the Union. Not a single Indian war has yet been occasioned by aggressions of the present federal government (Jay, 1787).†Ã‚   Jay says in Federalist Number 4 that we should not invite hostilities, but in order to assure that hostilities are not invited, we should stand together as a nation.   As he puts it, [a]s the safety of the whole is the interest of the whole, and cannot be provided for without government, either one or more or many, let us inquire whether one good government is not, relative to the object in question, more competent than any other given number whenever (Jay, 1787). Jay also intimates that a strong central government will be able to stand up to the long-established powers of Britain, Spain and France.   He also says in Federalist Number 5 that as a united nation, we would be free of all â€Å"jealousies† and we would be â€Å"joined in affection (Jay, 1787). It is at this point that Alexander Hamilton takes over the argument to discuss â€Å"dangers and dissentions between the states (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   The first problem he sees is the problem of possible territorial disputes.   By having a   strong national government, the prospect of having this kind of dissention is diminished. Another source of dissention would be commerce.   According to Hamilton, â€Å"[t]he states less favorably circumstanced would be desirous of escaping from the disadvantages of local situation, and of sharing in the advantages of their more fortunate neighbors (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   With independent states, there lies the threat of some states holding power over others that have less means.   There would be various duties that would have to be paid among the different states, and would negatively affect the buying power of the receiving state.   By having a unified national government, he argues, these fears would be allayed. Next, Hamilton discusses the public debt of the union.   He discusses the reapportionment of the debt, and how, under a weak federal government it would be impossible to determine each state’s individual liability.   By having a national government, would allow the debt to be paid collectively or discharged collectively, with no one or two states bearing the burden of repayment. Hamilton next addresses the â€Å"union as a safeguard against domestic faction and insurrection (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   He starts out in Federalist Number 9 with a strong statement—â€Å"a firm union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States, as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection (Hamilton 1787).† By having a strong union, there is less likely to be internal strife or problems.   This is not a new idea, according to Hamilton.   This goes back to the days of Montesquieu, and his theories, however, Montesquieu recommended a small republic rather than an expanded one such as the United States.   If we were to go by his theory, according to Hamilton, we would â€Å"be driven to the alternative either of taking refuge at once in the arms of monarchy, or of splitting ourselves into an infinity of little, jealous, clashing, tumultuous commonwealths (Hamilton 1787).†Ã‚   He also says that a larger body of smaller states â€Å"arrive to such a degree of power as to be able to provide for the security of the united body (Hamilton, 1787).† He also states that â€Å"[s]hould a popular insurrection happen in one of the confederate states the others are able to quell it.   Should abuses creep into one part, they are reformed by those that remain sound.   The state may be destroyed on one side, and not on the other; the confederacy may be dissolved, and the confederates preserve their sovereignty (Hamilton, 1787).† In Federalist Number 10, James Madison takes up the fight.   He argues that factions are bad for the country because the majority forces its will on the minority with no consideration for their ideas or thoughts.   He argues affectively that a national government can control factions because the effects can be controlled. The administration of democracy effectively deals with the effects from factions and quells minority dissent.   In a republic, Madison says, â€Å"the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the purpose (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   He also notes that in a smaller society, there are fewer factions than in a larger society.   That makes it more probable that fewer people will dominate the society and the will of a few will rule the many.   In a larger society, there   is more of a chance that the will of all the parties will be heard and at some level be represented. Hamilton takes over at this point to talk about state connections and common ties that motivate the adoption of the new United States Constitution.   In Federalist Number 11, Hamilton talks about the â€Å"utility of the union in respect to commercial relations and a Navy (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   He notes that the government is best able to handle the large amount of farming and beginning manufacturing interests.   Additionally, the union will benefit from a navy, and having a national navy will perpetuate the idea of the United States as a player on the world stage.   He also takes on revenue.   He notes that â€Å"[t]he ability of a country to pay taxes must always be proportioned, in great degree, to the quantity of money in circulation (Hamilton, 1787).† Hamilton takes on economy in government next.   This has to do with saving money and spending it wisely.   He talks of territory, stating that â€Å"at the natural limit of a democracy is that distance from the central point which will just permit the most remote citizens to assemble as often as their public functions demand (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   He notes finally that â€Å"nothing can be more evident that the thirteen States will be able to support a national government (Hamilton, 1787).† In many ways, there is a dichotomy in what the Framers had to say about the new constitution.   They discuss many issues, from foreign and domestic threats to the threat of faction to how the new government will help facilitate the fledgling democracy.   The union is also meant to safeguard against domestic faction, help form a Navy, facilitate commerce and trade, and help maintain that democracy over the vast territory of the country.   The Framers had it right, that is, the new form of government was destined to be more complete and beneficial to the new country than the old Articles of Confederation. The Federalist Papers give us a new way to look at our Constitution and see it as a living document and not as a static display of old values and charm.   We must do our part to understand not only the document, but the fundamental readings that surround it, so that we are better able to make this Constitution OUR Constitution, and forever see it as an amazingly crafted document that will live in perpetuity. Works Cited Hamilton, Alexander. Federalist Number 6. The Federalist Papers. 2007. Founding   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fathers.org. 10 Mar 2009 http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/. Hamilton, Alexander. Federalist Number 7. The Federalist Papers. 2007. Founding

Romeo and Juliet movie comparison Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet movie comparison Essay The timeless tale of Romeo and Juliet has been told again and again; the similarities and differences between the films are endless. Two movies were made based on the classic love story, Romeo and Juliet. The first movie was made in 1968 and the second was a much more modern remake of the classic tale which was made in 1996. These movies told the romance in similar, but still in different ways. Both movies can be easily compared and differentiated because they were both alike and different at different times. Although both movies told the same story the time period was set in unlike eras, but they still had their resemblances. The older 1968 version was set in the time period when William Shakespeare actually wrote the play. The newer 1996 version was set in the modern era of the 90’s. Although the newer version was set in the 90’s the same dialogue that Shakespeare wrote was still used in the new film. In the older film the dialogue matched the time era the movie was set, unlike the newer version. Scenes like the balcony scene showed various differences and similarities. The modern version suggested a more modern time set due to the pool, elevator, and security cameras the guards were watching; in the older version the balcony scene was on an actual balcony, Juliet’s and Romeo’s clothes suggested a more renaissance time set. The balcony scene led to the same events that happened later on, and also showed Romeo and Juliet’s intense and outrageous love fo r each other. The time period is a big difference between the movies, but another scene that showed similarities and differences was the time where Romeo and Juliet spent their last moments together, the death scene. Within the death scene there are countless similarities and differences that can be revealed. In the modern version Juliet wakes up and witnesses Romeo die. In the older version Romeo drinks the poison and dies then Juliet wakes up. Both scenes show Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other and what they are willing to do to be together forever. The monument Juliet was in had her dead ancestors inside it as well as Juliet. In the new movie there are no dead bodies to be found. This scene has it’s differences but the major similarity that appears is Romeo and Juliet’s intense and extreme lengths they would go to for their love. The classic tale of Romeo and Juliet forbidden love has been told several times since it’s been written. The two movies that were made based on the story presented numerous similarities and differences. The time period revealed differences, although the dialogue revealed a similarity. Scenes such as the balcony scene and the death scene showed differences and similarities based on the time period, structure of the scenes, and order of events. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic and timeless tale that revealed numerous similarities and differences through the movies that were created.

A Study On Common Assessment Framework Social Policy Essay

A Study On Common Assessment Framework Social Policy Essay This essay will discuss why Common Assessment Framework was introduced to Childrens Services, what it attempts to achieve and whether or not it has been successful, the concept behind it and briefly, the difficulties in working with other health professionals to get the Common Assessment Framework to do what it was set out to do. The Every Child Matters Green Paper proposed the introduction of a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) as a central element of the strategy for helping children, young people and their families. (DfES 2004) Common Assessment Framework is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessments and referral (British Journal of Social Work (2009). The reform agenda in Childrens Service was catalysed by the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbià © (Laming 2003), an eight year old West African girl who was abused and murdered in the UK in 2000 as a result of extreme cruelty and neglect by her great-aunt and the her partner, who were her guardians. Background and Why CAF was Introduced An inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbià © (Laming 2003) exposed a failure to put in place the necessary basic procedures to protect her. Factors identified included lack of early intervention, poor co-ordination, failure to share information and the absence of anyone with a strong sense of accountability. As a result, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) was one of the measures introduced under the changes in child protection policies and the green paper, Every Child Matters (2003) therefore was introduced to set out proposals for major changes in childrens programmes to allow every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the needed support towards the achievement of a better outcome in the following key areas: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being (DoH 2003) The design, in conjunction with the lead professional and better information sharing policies and procedures; to change the method by which services are delivered, moving the focus from dealing with the consequence of difficulties in childrens lives, towards a more proactive preventative and precautionary measure. CAF is intended to be used for children who have additional needs which may not be complex or severe enough to require statutory intervention. It is for use in situations where there are concerns with how a child is progressing in any way (raised by the child, a parent or a professional), the childs needs are unclear, the childs needs are broader than a professionals own service can address or where it is thought that CAF would help to identify the childs needs. The draft Common Assessment Framework was developed in late 2004 with its revised version published in 2005. CAF is a new, more standardised approach for assessing the needs of children for service and deciding howthose needs should be addressed and met. It is meant for children with additional needs; that is, children at risk of poor outcomes (DfES, 2005b,p1). CAF is designed to be evidence-based , focusing on needs and strengths, rather than concerns as seen in the British Journal of social work (2009) 39, 1197-1217. The three stated aims of CAF are to support earlier intervention, improve multi-agency working by, for example embedding a common language of assessment; reduce bureaucracy for families (DfES, 2005b, p1.) CAF is not meant to replace many other assessment schedules used in the various agencies, such as the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families documentation, but the government would like the CAF to represent the main assessment tool to support inter-agency referral and multi-agency working (DfES, 2005b, p 2). Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is one of the contributing elements to the following both of which are outlined in the Childrens Act 2004, the delivery of integrated services the support inter-agency co-operation; and the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. [emailprotected] How are children services organised? What is the key legislation that governs children and childrens services, The aim of Every Child Matters is to have a few agencies working together bearing in mind their professional boundaries to liaise and support children from 0 to 19, using a simple language to meet the needs of these children. It came up with the Integrated Childrens System (ICS), the Contact Point and the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), they all have different systems and style of working but have one common goal which is to improve the well being and to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. When a child is seen as suffered neglect, abuse or has any server difficulty or being looked after under the Childrens Act 1989, their needs are assessed using the Framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their families. The Integrated Child System (ICS) is used at this stage, this is done by putting information together step by step and recording information about both the child and family, where a thorough assessment is required an in depth information is needed at this stage and must be gathered in a way that can set as the basis for decision making and can be used for different purposes. ICS is supported by information technology and its the basis of the electronic social care record for children. The IT system is also known as ISC. Contact Point is a fast method to find out who else is working with a particular service user, making it a lighter way to liaise and support, it is a major tool Every Child Matters uses to deliver a better service to Children and young people, having said that Contact Point only holds a little information about a child, parent, practitioners providing services to the child and carers until their 18th birthday, except for exceptional cases for example children with mental health and sexual health problems where their details are still held under sever security. Common Assessment Framework on the other hand comes in as soon as assessment is needed at the very early stage and deciding what action to take. It gives practitioners the chance to put together and record information about a child or young person with additional needs in an orderly, straight forward and simple. Work start from then and practitioners begin to look out for the needs and what should be done and its dealt with. CAF makes practitioners across all agencies, after the required training to go according to the procedures to achieve a dependable assessment that can be used by everyone dealing with the case. The national IT system to support CAF will be deve loped. (eCAF). This will help authorised practitioners to electronically create, share and store CAF within the agencies. Unlike Contact Point CAF only holds the information about some young people and children, with consent, and for a limited period of time. Both Contact Point and CAF were created to for use within childrens services, their goal is to help children with additional needs get the help and support they need, its a tool to make easy early intervention and help deal with additional needs before they get out of control and become more difficult to resolve. CAF and ICS has a common method to assessment, they both have a common way of collecting data about a child or young person around the domains of developmental needs of a child; parent capacity; and family and environmental factors. CAF and ICS are supported by technology where as Contact Point is a basically technology solution www.evertchildmatters.gov.uk Why was CAF introduced and whats its aim The green paper, Every Child Matters, proposed the introduction of a national Common Assessment Framework (CAF) as an important part of a strategy for helping children and young people to achieve the five priority outcomes of: being healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle; staying safe: being protected from harm and neglect; enjoying and achieving : getting the most out of life and developing the skills for adulthood; making a positive contribution: being involved with the community and society and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour; economic well-being: not being prevented by economic disadvantage from achieving their full potential in life. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) was decided upon based on the five basic keys. By the help of a lead professional and better information shearing procedure CAF was designed from the concerns that the existing procedures for identifying and responding to the needs of children who are not achieving the five outcomes identified in Every Child Matters do not work as effectively as they were meant to, to bring a better way of how services could be delivered, due to the fact that services have in the past been delivered based on dealing with the consequences of difficulties in childrens lives to preventing things from taking the wrong route from the start. Its main focus is to attain to the fact that every child gets the five keys. It is also created to help assessing children with additional needs which are not too complex or sever as to demand external intervention such as statutory intervention. CAFs aim is to give a method of assessment to give support to early intervention, to h elp decide what needs to be done at an early stage rather than later, its to provide good and a lot more evidence based referral to targeted and specialist services. CAF is created to enhance on joint working and communication between practitioners in a common language of assessment and views and as to how it could be resolved, it was also designed to improve the coordination and consistency around assessments leading to fewer and shorter specialist assessments. CAF was designed to help to decide whether other specialist assessments are needed and if so provide information to help get it done. It was to give a clear picture of a child or young persons needs to be built up over time and with the right consent shared among professionals. Has CAF achieved its aim?(positives and negatives) Through CAF some practitioner began to accept sheared responsibility for children and young people with additional needs. Apart from having to get parents consent to be part of the assessment procedure some practitioners and managers are in view that in conjunction with other services CAF has a lot more prospects in support to early intervention mostly universal services. Some also had doubt as to whether there was enough funds to meet the problems raised and the requirement of CAF. It is apparent that CAF has had mixed responses. One estimation of path-finding authorities revealed that practitioners and managers believed it has enabled a more rigorous follow-through of service delivery, promotion of better multi-agency working and were optimistic that it would eventually pull down thresholds for service receipt (Brandon et al., 2006). The introduction of CAF like everything has its strengths which in general gives a positive view seen by all, however, others have expressed their concerns about its been too formal to some organizations as descriptive tyranny, restricting the narrative making sense of the situation; the difficulties of various professionals and practitioners with other skills and expectations completing CAF differently or partially in the assessment process (Garrett, 2008; Gilligan and Manby, 2008; White et al, 2008). CAF in the East Riding for example is exclusively aimed as a minimal level involvement which will help use universal services to m anage early problems and deject wrong referrals to Social Care. The major intentional level for engagement agencies with the CAF has broader responsibility than CAF alone, covering all included services provision. The different agencies involved is broad, but some agencies are less active in attending meetings and buy in, in terms of resource input is limited. However, there some problems which lessen the positive involvement, and makes CAF less effective, these include less involvement of some agencies in terms of resources input. Practitioners were of view that CAF was not reducing the need foe reassessment, giving examples of some parents forced to repeat their stories during reassessments, I can understand sometimes practitioners would just want to be sure that things have not changed since the last assessment, but the public is of the view that CAF always has the updated information at any time needed, but for luck of training and human error we find out that CAF still is not d oing what it was set out. As well as distracting story-telling way of writing reports, the CAF writers often found that the boxes did not help them adequately to characterize the child and parents. The format of the CAF was opposed by some professionals and practitioners working with it.. Only some professionals used the language of need, whereas over 80 per cent talked about challenges. In addition to the descriptive demands, CAF forms also make CAF doesnt tell a story it feels like school exams, multiple choice, you can tick the boxes with the right answer, but it really doesnt give you er the er .The story. It is about narrative isnt it. Its about peoples lives. It isnt about um dividing a life up into a lot of small boxes. And when you put all those boxes together it will be EQUAL to the narrative As seen in (BJofSW 2009 39, 1197-1217) Sure start worker said I prefer a blank sheet of paper to express by thoughts ibid.. Upon a period of over a decades work in human services organizations, Gubrium et al describe what they call the descriptive tyrannies of people forms, forms used in one way or the other to describe and categorize people coming to the attention of human service professionals, hence, for Gubrium et al, the relations of form completion to human activity is two-fold. They are concerned with what sorts of descriptions the forms invite or the reportorial expectations assumed to underlie acceptance organizational description (Gubirum et al, 1989, p 197). What may be the rational, moral and artful capacities of form-completers? That is, what wiggle room (Erickson, 2004, p, 20) do they have with these descriptive demands? (Oxford University press 2008). Gubrium et al argue that, completed forms like any mode of description, have transformative effects. They do not simply describe events as they occurred in real time. For example they may contain mutually exclusive categorizations, which deman ds that the form-computer suspend disbelief that only one category can apply at any one time, bearing in mind that CAF is designed to have evidence-based , focused on needs and strengths, rather than concerns. Professionals are encouraged to evaluate strengths, needs, actions and solutions for children across three domains derived from the framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (DoH 2000). Please ignore the recommendation below still have that to do I have it written down will type it out tomorrow, Im working in the dark because my landlady forgot to get some electricity and my eyes are hurting now. My lecture ends at 11 so will finish it all with the Ref.. Recommendation and conclusion It is clear to me that the purpose of the CAF and its work load is to ensure that professionals attend to, and record information deemed most relevant to their primary activities as distinct at this historical moment. The CAF is also an over view presented as a complete professional judgement. However, I have shown above that the demands of the form cause information to be ordered in preferred ways, which can be unintelligible. I have talked about the fact that CAF constrains professional practice in particular ways, it is indeed designed to exert its own rigid demands, which can feel harsh to the one person completing the form. CAF in particular relies on the assumption that it can foster uniform professional application and an ordinary (White, Hall and Peckover, 2009). Laming (2009) still recommended that we need to involve more agencies to make the workload easier and effective and said the use of Common Assessment Framework CAF needs to be further promoted with Agencies. To achieve the reason it was introduced practitioners and everyone involved in using CAF must be fully aware of what its all about and must be fully trained to know the pros and cons of what CAF wants to achieve, other Agencies working in line with CAF must also keep their systems and information updated to suit the needs of the children and young people who might need this service to also live the lives they deserve. Parents and the general public must be fully aware of what CAF is hoping to achieve in that way they dont feel pressured if they are called upon to give their approval before an assessment is carried out for their children. Bibliography www.everychildmatters.gov.uk (assessed 13/01/2010) www.ecm.gov.uk/contactpoint. (assessed 12/02/2010) www.ecm.gov.uk/caf (assessed 12/01/201) www.ecm.gov.uk/ics (assessed 12/01/2010) Brandon, M., Howe, A., Daglry, V., Salter, C., Warren, C. and Black, J. (2006) Evaluating the Common Assessment Framework and Lead Professional Guidance and Implementation, Research Report No 740, Nottingham: DfES Department for education opportunity, releasing potential, achieving excellence(Ref DfES 2004) The political Quarterly Publishing Co, Ltd. 2005

Is Achilles right when, in the Iliad XVIII and subsequently, he Essay

Is Achilles right when, in the Iliad XVIII and subsequently, he bitterly blames himself for the death of Patroklos? The main theme of the poem, which is declared at the very beginning is the ‘wrath’ of Achilles. From this we are taken on a journey of human and divine responses. This central theme empowers a magnificently ‘articulated composition out of confusion of battle’.[1] Events that take place during this journey allow Homer to display and develop, within the social framework of heroic honour, the ideas of conflict, isolation, and reconciliation. Within this essay I will try to address one such consequence, the death of Patroklos, and see who, what or why this death occurred. Several factors need to be addressed in doing this, divine and human intervention and re-evaluations of positions. The question of influence from the ‘divine machinery’ is a very interesting one, it could be argued that they are there to dramatise a view of the human condition in which man is a prey to conflicting amoral forces. The ‘will of Zeus’ was not the catalyst that brought about the downfall of Patroklos, the request from Achilles came prior to this. The poem from that request unfolds to provide a balanced, symmetrical prose, one that provides necessary casualties along the way. It is with certainty though that their ‘influence’ is felt and witnessed throughout this journey, one that Albin Lesky raises with much success. He suggests that that divine and human causation is felt throughout, ‘a warrior feeling an irresistible courage’, this courage is explained away with the gods. What Lesky then goes onto say is that the human and divine work along side each other, one strengthens the other and that ‘the whole world is full of their influence’. A great warrior could attribute his ‘gift’ to the gods, and when his greatness escapes him ‘they’ are to blame. But this does not clear man of his responsibility, what he does with these divine gifts are solely down to him. This brings me back to the question of who was to blame? It could be suggested that Apollo had a hand in this down fall, he is responsible in setting actions in motion (1.43-52) and then again (24.33-54). But again it can be said that this too was a reaction to earlier requests. What it does show however is the balance which Homer provides throughout the poem. Apollo’s ... ...eresting one, not until book twenty four does Achilles finally eat and when he does, with Priam it symbolises his outwardly change, ‘he is urging a mutual activity, a token of common humanity’[4] The conversation between Achilles and Priam is one of understanding and remorse. In Achilles’ treatment of Priam there is real magnanimity, his anger cools and he looks beyond it to a serene and steady acknowledgment that man can do no more than bear the random fusion of good and bad, and with food, eating means living, and even grief must yield to necessity. Amid the human hope and in the knowledge of imminent death, Achilles for the first time sees life steadily and sees it whole. Together the divine and human influence reveal in the poem a linear impetus that supplement the equilibrium and the symmetry. The result is a twofold construction that is together cruel and cordial, but work beautifully in taking us to a roller-coaster conclusion. --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Lesky, Divine and Human Causation in Homeric Epic [2] Taplin, Homeric Soundings [3] Rutherford, Homer (1996) [4] Taplin, Homeric Soundings (1992)

Ethics and Reality Essay -- Religion Philosophy Papers

Ethics and Reality One of the most pervasive problems in theoretical ethics has been the attempt to reconcile the good for the individual with the good for all. It is a problem which appears in contemporary discussions (like those initiated by Alasdair MacIntyre in After Virtue) as a debate between emotivism and rationalism, and in more traditional debates between relativism and absolutism. I believe that a vital cause of this difficulty arises from a failure to ground ethics in metaphysics. It is crucial, it seems to me, to begin with "the way the world is" before we begin to speculate about the way it ought to be. And, the most significant "way the world is" for ethics is that it is individuals in community. This paper attempts to develop an ethical theory based solidly on Whitehead’s metaphysics, and to address precisely the problem of the relation between the good for the individual and the common good, in such a way as to be sympathetic to both. One of the most pervasive problems in theoretical ethics has been the attempt to reconcile the good for the individual with the good for all. It is a problem which appears in contemporary discussions (like those initiated by Alasdair MacIntyre in After Virtue) as a debate between emotivism and rationalism, and in more traditional debates between relativism and absolutism. I believe that a vital cause of this difficulty arises from a failure to ground ethics in metaphysics. It is crucial, it seems to me, to begin with "the way the world is" before we begin to speculate about the way it ought to be. The most significant "way the world is" for ethics, is that it is individuals in community, and this is the cosmology promoted by Whitehead. In Process and Reality, Whitehead outl... ... an action is performed, it has a determined relevance for future actions and entities so we have to make sure that our actions are the right ones. That is to say, not just any action, is an ethical action. An ethical action requires Goodness. By performing an action which can be described as good, my individual good action is linked with all good actions. It has been defined by the notion of Goodness, and contributes to the definition of Goodness. We have, then, a reciprocal relation between the good for the individual and the common good grounded in Whiteheadian metaphysics. Bibliography Sylvan, R. and Bennett, D., The Greening of Ethics, Cambridge, U.K.: The White Horse Press, 1994. PR Whitehead, A.N., Process and Reality, New York & London: Macmillan, 1978 edn.. RM Whitehead, A.N., Religion in the Making, N.Y.: New American Library, 1974 edn..

Advertising Manipulates People Essay -- Advertisements, Adverts

In our society, we are constantly surrounded by advertising. From the time our alarm clock wakes us up in the morning until we set it at night, our brains are bombarded with advertisements. Ads play a huge role in our lives, telling us what to buy, what car to drive, how our families should interact, and what we should look like. The business of Advertising is built on persuasion. Advertisements attempt to persuade us that we are not rich enough, pretty enough, thin enough, family oriented enough, and the list goes on. To put it more clearly, the advertising empire is built on the exploitation of the fears of the American people. They take the knowledge of our fears and attempt to convince us that if we buy their product, we will achieve all the things we need to attain perfection. The possessing of material goods and wealth as a determinate of our status and self-worth is a huge emphasis of advertising. It works by convincing people that the amount of money they have, and the quality of the goods that they own will gain them social acceptance. Advertising is then exploiting a persons fear of rejection. We are constantly being bombarded with images of famous people in designer clothing, driving expensive cars, and living in enormous mansions. We are taught that this is a portrait of success, and to be happy you must be successful. Therefore, the possession of these items will endow the possessor with happiness. The rich and famous are viewed as the most socially acceptable persons in our world. Advertising uses the images of these famous people to convince the rest of us average Americans that we need to buy all of the things that the celebrities have in order to be accepted and consequently happy. This is why celebrity endors... ...er and get along better if once a week you sit down at the table and play one of their games together. I mean, what else unites a family better than a good game of chutes and ladders? People are so afraid of having a â€Å"dysfunctional† or imperfect family that they will go as far as spending money on things they do not need in order to achieve this ideal. Once again, advertising has accomplished its goal. Advertising is a complex industry, focused on the selling of products by convincing people that they need them. It is a business that manipulates people in order to accomplish its goals, which it does quite effectively. Our society is one with many fears, and because of this advertising will continue to find new and different ways of exploiting them in order to market their goods. And as long as the American people continue to buy into it, they will be successful

Which impacts are the more serious effects arising from volcanic eruptions

Assess the extent to which primary rather than secondary impacts are the more serious effects arising from volcanic eruptions. (30 marks) A volcano is an earth hazard that occurs on faults between tectonic plates on a destructive boundary and an eruption is a natural disaster. A primary impact happens immediately after the disaster and before any response like death or collapsing or destruction of buildings. A secondary impact occurs later after the disaster, such less farm produce or a reduction in tourism.The severity of these impacts will differ considerably in a MEDC and LEDC where volcanic eruptions have taken place. These may be seen in the Mount St. Helen volcano eruption as well as in the Iceland volcanic eruption. They may also show that the impacts vary from volcano to volcano, place to place. Primary impacts are just as serious in LEDCs as in MEDCs. In the volcanic eruption of Mount St Helens there was little they could do to reduce the primary impacts of this disaster in an MEDC. Mount St Helens erupted in 1980 and killed 57 people even though an evacuation was set up and carried out.Even with money put aside to be put into a preparedness scheme they could not foresee that the volcano would erupt sideways causing the devastation to be more widespread. The evacuation beforehand had helped reduce the number of casualties which probably would have been more difficult in an LEDC environment. Research is looking into long period events such as volcanic eruptions however it is only at the stage where the only means is to monitor the volcano to see if it is about to erupt and try to reduce the primary impacts.However they can’t be predicted or how violent they will be so in cases such as Mount St Helens there is little to reduce the primary impacts. This shows how the primary impacts of some volcanic eruptions can be reduced by monitoring, however in the case of more severe eruptions there is little that can be done to reduce the primary impacts ari sing from a volcanic eruption, the only option being evacuation. The severity of secondary impacts will mostly depend on the response seen after the disaster.Due to its level of development an MEDC will most likely have money or back up to carry out a proper response scheme which is why secondary impacts in MEDCs are less serious. Another reason for there being much less secondary impacts in MEDCs is that due to the country’s higher GDP per capita, less people will live near to a volcano as they have enough money to be able to live in a place where they are less vulnerable to an earth hazard, as the area next to the volcano is less valuable in an MEDC.People in MEDCs do have a choice of where to live but in countries like Japan many people live within reach of volcanic eruptions in a dangerous area and these numbers are likely to increase as world population continues to grow. In LEDCs people often have no choice and are less aware of the risks. Therefore the primary impacts are more likely to be serious as more people in potential danger compared to an MEDC where there is less likely to be many people around in the area.However some volcanic eruptions can cause secondary impacts despite all this, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano in 2010 caused huge secondary economic impacts all over Europe due to an ash cloud. It was the largest disruption of air travel since World War Two, caused the BMW plant in Germany to close down for a month due to lack of parts and cost the European airline industry  £130 million a day. This shows how in MEDCs secondary impacts can be reduced with effective response, however in severe cases there can be no way to prevent secondary impacts arising from volcanic eruptions.In LEDCs more people live in the shadow of volcanoes due to poverty, shanty towns tend to arise in places where other development won’t happen due to the dangers such as on steep hills, on unstable ground or next to volcanoes; this causes the peopl e living there to be extremely vulnerable. This was seen in the Philippines in 1991 when Mount Pinatubo erupted killing 800 people, most of who died due to ash causing buildings to collapse which is a primary impact. This shows that in LEDCs, just as in MEDCs, there is little that can be done to reduce the primary impacts arising from a volcanic eruption.Secondary impacts in LEDCs tend to be severe as most don’t have a suitable response plan due to an ineffective government and may rely on aid to reduce secondary impacts. Secondary impacts can still occur even if primary impacts have been reduced; this was seen in the eruption of Montserrat in 1995. It’s most recent eruptions being very violent and has followed growth and collapse of lava domes inside the crater. It caused ash and lava flows affecting the population severely, however the secondary impacts where much worse.Mudflows such as lahars occurred due to a combination of water and volcanic ash and dust. There we re fires, landslides, a tsunami, crop failure and famine. All of these occurred due to and after the volcanic eruption. These had greater impacts on the population as the population of Montserrat fell from 10,728 (1990) to 6,409 (2000). Mainly due to the secondary impacts of the eruptions showing how, in LEDCs, secondary impacts can be very severe. Primary impacts are the more serious effects arising from volcanic eruptions rather than secondary impacts.This is because no matter whether you are in an MEDC or an LEDC the primary impacts from most eruptions are severe as you can’t build ‘volcano proof structures’ to protect buildings or land. Primary impacts are also where the most fatal incidents occur, like many deaths due to the eruption its self or collapsing of buildings. Although secondary impacts are also severe in LEDCs they can be reduced and over time more countries will develop to the stage where secondary impacts are able to be decreased in number.

Bullying in Our Life Essay

We all have been bullied or been a bullying in our life time, maybe not us. But our children have been bullied or is a bully without us even known. This is why I chose to write about bullying in school. We often hear on the news and internet how young people are shooting up schools, killing themselves cause of bullying. ‘‘60% of bullies have a criminal record† (Ryan Keller) by the adult age. However this essay will give you information and tools on how you and your child can solve bully problems in school s, also in the community’s even at work places. Most kids get teased by their sisters or brothers at some point in life and that’s what siblings usually do it’s not harmful teasing, but friendly and playful matter. But when it comes down to bullying were your teasing becomes hurtful, constant and really cross the line into bullying is a very intentional physical ,verbal Often time the child who is doing the bullying is a victim of bullying themselves, by someone at home. And they are looking for someone who appears to be weaker than them, so they can stand up to their bully. The second tool is we have to see why that child is a bully and help them to face their bully, they maybe stop begin a bully as well. The third tool is if you child see someone who is getting bullied, tell them don’t just walk by it go and get some help for them. Make a stand yell stop and help until someone comes and help.

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 9 THIRD WHEEL

TIME BEGAN TO TRIP ALONG MUCH MORE QUICKLY than before. School, work, and Jacobthough not necessarily in that ordercreated a neat and effortless pattern to follow. And Charlie got his wish: I wasn't miserable anymore. Of course, I couldn't fool myself completely. When I stopped to take stock of my life, which I tried not to do too often, I couldn't ignore the implications of my behavior. I was like a lost moonmy planet destroyed in some cataclysmic, disaster-movie scenario of desolationthat continued, nevertheless, to circle in a tight little orbit around the empty space left behind, ignoring the laws of gravity. I was getting better with my bike, which meant fewer bandages to worry Charlie. But it also meant that the voice in my head began to fade, until I heard it no more. Quietly, I panicked. I threw myself into the search for the meadow with slightly frenzied intensity. I racked my brain for other adrenaline-producing activities. I didn't keep track of the days :hat passedthere was no reason, as I tried to live as much in the present as possible, no past fading, no future impending. So I was surprised by the date when Jacob brought it up on one of our homework days. He was waiting when I pulled up in front of his house. â€Å"Happy Valentine's Day,† Jacob said, smiling, but ducking his head as he greeted me. He held out a small, pink box, balancing it on his palm. Conversation hearts. â€Å"Well, I feel like a schmuck,† I mumbled. â€Å"Is today Valentine's Day?† Jacob shook his head with mock sadness. â€Å"You can be so out of it sometimes. Yes, it is the fourteenth day of February. So are you going to be my Valentine? Since you didn't get me a fifty-cent box of candy, it's the least you can do.† I started to feel uncomfortable. The words were teasing, but only on the surface. â€Å"What exactly does that entail?† I hedged. â€Å"The usualslave for life, that kind of thing.† â€Å"Oh, well, if that's all† I took the candy. But I was trying to think of some way to make the boundaries clear. Again. They seemed to get blurred a lot with Jacob. â€Å"So, what are we doing tomorrow? Hiking, or the ER?† â€Å"Hiking,† I decided. â€Å"You're not the only one who can be obsessive. I'm starting to think I imagined that place† I frowned into space. â€Å"We'll find it,† he assured me. â€Å"Bikes Friday?† he offered. I saw a chance and took it without taking time to think it through. â€Å"I'm going to a movie Friday. I've been promising my cafeteria crowd that I would go out forever.† Mike would be pleased. But Jacob's face fell. I caught the expression in his dark eyes before he dropped them to look at the ground. â€Å"You'll come too, right?† I added quickly. â€Å"Or will it be too much of a drag with a bunch of boring seniors?† So much for my chance to put some distance between us. I couldn't stand hurting Jacob; we seemed to be connected in an odd way, and his pain set off little stabs of my own. Also, the idea of having his company for the ordealI had promised Mike, but really didn't feel any enthusiasm at the thought of following throughwas just too tempting. â€Å"You'd like me to come, with your friends there?† â€Å"Yes,† I admitted honestly, knowing as I continued that I was probably shooting myself in the foot with my words. â€Å"I'll have a lot more fun if you're there. Bring Quil, and we'll make it a party.† â€Å"Quil's gonna freak. Senior girls.† He chortled and rolled his eyes. I didn't mention Embry, and neither did he. I laughed, too. â€Å"I'll try to get hin a good selection.† I broached the subject with Mike in English. â€Å"Hey, Mike,† I said when class was over. â€Å"Are you free Friday night?† He looked up, his blue eyes instantly hopeful. â€Å"Yeah, I am. You want to go out?† I worded my reply carefully. â€Å"I was thinking about getting a group†I emphasized the word†together to go see Crosshairs.† I'd done my homework this timeeven reading the movie spoilers to be sure I wouldn't be caught off guard. This movie was supposed to be a bloodbath from start to finish. I wasn't so recovered that I could stand to sit through a romance. â€Å"Does that sound like fun?† â€Å"Sure,† he agreed, visibly less eager. â€Å"Cool.† After a second, he perked back up to near his former excitement level. â€Å"How about we get Angela and Ben? Or Eric and Katie?† He was determined to make this some kind of double date, apparently. â€Å"How about both?† I suggested â€Å"And Jessica, too, of course. And Tyler and Conner, and maybe Lauren,† I tacked on grudgingly. I had promised Quil variety. â€Å"Okay,† Mike muttered, foiled. â€Å"And,† I continued, â€Å"I've got a couple of friends from La Push I'm inviting. So it sounds like we'll need your Suburban if everyone comes.† Mike's eyes narrowed in suspicion. â€Å"These are the friends you spend all your time studying with now?† â€Å"Yep, the very ones,† I answered cheerfully. â€Å"Though you could look at it as tutoringthey're only sophomores.† â€Å"Oh,† Mike said, surprised. After a second of thought, he smiled. In the end, though, the Suburban wasn't necessary. Jessica and Lauren claimed to be busy as soon as Mike let it slip that I was involved in the planning. Eric and Katie already had plansit was their three-week anniversary or something. Lauren got to Tyler and Conner before Mike could, so those two were also busy. Even Quil was outgrounded for fighting at school. In the end, only Angela and Ben, and, of course Jacob, were able to go. The diminished numbers didn't dampen Mike's anticipation, though. It was all he could talk about Friday. â€Å"Are you sure you don't want to see Tomorrow and Forever instead?† he asked at lunch, naming the current romantic comedy that was ruling the box office. â€Å"Rotten Tomatoes gave it a better review.† â€Å"I want to see Crosshairs† I insisted. â€Å"I'm in the mood for action. Bring on the blood and guts!† â€Å"Okay.† Mike turned away, but not before I saw his maybe-she's-crazy-after-all expression. When I got home from school, a very familiar car was parked in front of my house. Jacob was leaning against the hood, a huge grin lighting up his face. â€Å"No way!† I shouted as I jumped out of the truck. â€Å"You're done! I can't believe it! You finished the Rabbit!† He beamed. â€Å"Just last night. This is the maiden voyage.† â€Å"Incredible.† I held my hand up for a high five. He smacked his hand against mine, but left it there, twisting his fingers through mine. â€Å"So do I get to drive tonight?† â€Å"Definitely,† I said, and then I sighed. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"I'm giving upI can't top this one. So you win. You're oldest.† He shrugged, unsurprised by my capitulation. â€Å"Of course I am.† Mike's Suburban chugged around the corner. I pulled my hand out of Jacob's, and he nude a face that I wasn't meant to see. â€Å"I remember this guy,† he said in a low voice as Mike parked across the street. â€Å"The one who thought you were his girlfriend. Is he still confused?† I raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Some people are hard to discourage.† â€Å"Then again,† Jacob said thoughtfully, â€Å"sometimes persistence pays off.† â€Å"Most of the time it's just annoying, though.† Mike got out of his car and crossed the road. â€Å"Hey, Bella,† he greeted me, and then his eyes turned wary as he looked up at Jacob. I glanced briefly at Jacob, too, trying to be objective. He really didn't look like a sophomore at all. He was just so bigMike's head barely cleared Jacob's shoulder; I didn't even want to think where I measured next to himand then his face was older-looking than it used to be, even a month ago. â€Å"Hey, Mike! Do you remember Jacob Black?† â€Å"Not really.† Mike held out his hand. â€Å"Old family friend,† Jacob introduced himself, shaking hands. They locked hands with more force than necessary. When their grip broke, Mike flexed his fingers. I heard the phone ringing from the kitchen. â€Å"I'd better get thatit might be Charlie,† I told them, and dashed inside. It was Ben. Angela was sick with the stomach flu, and he didn't feel like coming without her. He apologized for bailing on us. I walked slowly back to the waiting boys, shaking my head. I really hoped Angela would feel better soon, but I had to admit that I was selfishly upset by this development. Just the three of us, Mike and Jacob and me, together for the eveningthis had worked out brilliantly, I thought with grim sarcasm. It didn't seem like Jake and Mike had made any progress towards friendship in my absence. They were several yards apart, facing away from each other as they waited for me; Mike's expression was sullen, though Jacob's was cheerful as always. â€Å"Ang is sick,† I told them glumly. â€Å"She and Ben aren't coming.† â€Å"I guess the flu is making another round. Austin and Conner were out today, too. Maybe we should do this another time,† Mike suggested. Before I could agree, Jacob spoke. â€Å"I'm still up for it. But if you'd rather to stay behind, Mike† â€Å"No, I'm coming,† Mike interrupted. â€Å"I was just thinking of Angela and Ben. Let's go.† He started toward his Suburban. â€Å"Hey, do you mind if Jacob drives?† I asked. â€Å"I told him he couldhe just finished his car. He built it from scratch, all by himself,† I bragged, proud as a PTA mom with a student on the principal's list. â€Å"Fine,† Mike snapped. â€Å"All right, then,† Jacob said, as if that settled everything. He seemed more comfortable than anyone else. Mike climbed in the backseat of the Rabbit with a disgusted expression. Jacob was his normal sunny self, chattering away until I'd all but forgotten Mike sulking silently in the back. And then Mike changed his strategy. He leaned forward, resting his chin on the shoulder of my seat; his cheek almost touched mine. I shifted away, turning my back toward the window. â€Å"Doesn't the radio work in this thing?† Mike asked with a hint of petulance, interrupting Jacob mid-sentence. â€Å"Yes,† Jacob answered. â€Å"But Bella doesn't like music.† I stared at Jacob, surprised. I'd never told him that. â€Å"Bella?† Mike asked, annoyed. â€Å"He's right,† I mumbled, still looking at Jacob's serene profile. â€Å"How can you not like music?† Mike demanded. I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. It just irritates me.† â€Å"Hmph.† Mike leaned away. When we got to the theater, Jacob handed me a ten-dollar bill. â€Å"What's this?† I objected. â€Å"I'm not old enough to get into this one,† he reminded me. I laughed out loud. â€Å"So much for relative ages. Is Billy going to kill me if I sneak you in?† â€Å"No. I told him you were planning to corrupt my youthful innocence.† I snickered, and Mike quickened his pace to keep up with us. I almost wished that Mike had decided to bow out. He was still sullennot much of an addition to the party. But I didn't want to end up on a date alone with Jacob, either. That wouldn't help anything. The movie was exactly what it professed to be. In just the opening credits, four people got blown up and one got beheaded. The girl in front of me put her hands over her eyes and turned her face into her date's chest. He patted her shoulder, and winced occasionally, too. Mike didn't look like he was watching. His face was stiff as he glared toward the fringe of curtain above the screen. I settled in to endure the two hours, watching the colors and the movement on the screen rather than seeing the shapes of people and cars and houses. But then Jacob started sniggering. â€Å"What?† I whispered. â€Å"Oh, c'mon!† he hissed back. â€Å"The blood squirted twenty feet out of that guy. How fake can you get?† He chuckled again, as a flagpole speared another man into a concrete wall. After that, I really watched the show, laughing with him as the mayhem got more and more ridiculous. How was I ever going to fight the blurring lines in our relationship when I enjoyed being with him so much? Both Jacob and Mike had claimed the armrests on either side of me. Both of their hands rested lightly, palms up, in an unnatural looking position. Like steel bear traps, open and ready. Jacob was in the habit of taking my hand whenever the opportunity presented itself, but here in the darkened movie theater, with Mike watching, it would have a different significanceand I was sure he knew that. I couldn't believe that Mike was thinking the same thing, but his hand was placed exactly like Jacob's. I folded my arms tightly across my chest and hoped that both their hands fell asleep. Mike gave up first. About halfway through the movie, he pulled his arm back, and leaned forward to put his head in his hands. At first I thought he was reacting to something on the screen, but then he moaned. â€Å"Mike, are you okay?† I whispered. The couple in front of us turned to look at him as he groaned again. I could see the sheen of sweat across his face in the light from the screen. Mike groaned again, and bolted for the door. I got up to follow him, and Jacob copied me immediately. â€Å"No, stay,† I whispered. â€Å"I'll make sure he's okay.† Jacob came with me anyway. â€Å"You don't have to come. Get your eight bucks worth of carnage,† I insisted as we walked up the aisle. â€Å"That's okay. You sure can pick them, Bella. This movie really sucks.† His voice rose from a whisper to its normal pitch as we walked out of the theater. There was no sign of Mike in the hallway, and I was glad then that Jacob had come with mehe ducked into the men's bathroom to check for him there. Jacob was back in a few seconds. â€Å"Oh, he's in there, all right,† he said, rolling his eyes. â€Å"What a marshmallow. You should hold out for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit.† â€Å"I'll keep my eyes open for someone like that.† We were all alone in the hallway. Both theaters were halfway through the movie, and it was desertedquiet enough for us to hear the popcorn popping at the concession counter in the lobby. Jacob went to sit on the velveteen-upholstered bench against the wall, patting the space beside him. â€Å"He sounded like he was going to be in there for a while,† he said, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he settled in to wait. I joined him with a sigh. He looked like he was thinking about blurring more lines. Sure enough, as soon as I sat down, he shifted over to put his arm around my shoulders. â€Å"Jake,† I protested, leaning away. He dropped his arm, not looking bothered at all by the minor rejection. He reached out and took my hand firmly, wrapping his other hand around my wrist when I tried to pull away again. Where did he get the confidence from? â€Å"Now, just hold on a minute, Bella,† he said in a calm voice. â€Å"Tell me something.† I grimaced. I didn't want to do this. Not just not now, but not ever. There was nothing lett in my life at this point that was more important than Jacob Black. But he seemed determined to ruin everything. â€Å"What?† I muttered sourly. â€Å"You like me, right?† â€Å"You know I do.† â€Å"Better than that joker puking his guts out in there?† He gestured toward the bathroom door. â€Å"Yes,† I sighed. â€Å"Better than any of the other guys you know?† He was calm, sereneas if my answer didn't matter, or he already knew what it was. â€Å"Better than the girls, too,† I pointed out. â€Å"But that's all,† he said, and it wasn't a question. It was hard to answer, to say the word. Would he get hurt and avoid me? How would I stand that? â€Å"Yes,† I whispered. He grinned down at me. â€Å"That's okay, you know. As long as you like me the best. And you think I'm good-lookingsort of. I'm prepared to be annoyingly persistent.† â€Å"I'm not going to change,† I said, and though I tried to keep my voice normal, I could hear the sadness in it. His face was thoughtful, no longer teasing. â€Å"It's still the other one, isn't it?† I cringed. Funny how he seemed to know not to say the namejust like before in the car with the music. He picked up on so much about me that I never said. â€Å"You don't have to talk about it,† he told me. I nodded, grateful. â€Å"But don't get mad at me for hanging around, okay?† Jacob patted the back of my hand. â€Å"Because I'm not giving up. I've got loads of time.† I sighed. â€Å"You shouldn't waste it on me,† I said, though I wanted him to. Especially if he was willing to accept me the way I wasdamaged goods, as is. â€Å"It's what I want to do, as long as you still like to be with me.† â€Å"I can't imagine how I could not like being with you,† I told him honestly. Jacob beamed. â€Å"I can live with that.† â€Å"Just don't expect more,† I warned him, trying to pull my hand away. He held onto it obstinately. â€Å"This doesn't really bother you, does it?† he demanded, squeezing my fingers. â€Å"No,† I sighed. Truthfully, it felt nice. His hand was so much warmer than mine; I always felt too cold these days. â€Å"And you don't care what he thinks.† Jacob jerked his thumb toward the bathroom. â€Å"I guess not.† â€Å"So what's the problem?† â€Å"The problem,† I said, â€Å"is, that it means something different to me than it does to you.† â€Å"Well.† He tightened his hand around mine â€Å"That's my problem, isn't it?† â€Å"Fine,† I grumbled. â€Å"Don't forget it, though.† â€Å"I won't. The pin's out of the grenade for me, now, eh?† He poked me in the ribs. I rolled my eyes. I guess if he felt like making a joke out of it, he was entitled. He chuckled quietly for a minute while his pinky finger absently traced designs against the side of my hand. â€Å"That's a funny scar you've got there,† he suddenly said, twisting my hand to examine it. â€Å"How did that happen?† The index finger of his free hand followed the line of the long silvery crescent that was barely visible against my pale skin. I scowled. â€Å"Do you honestly expect me to remember where all my scars come from?† I waited for the memory to hitto open the gaping hole. But, as it so often did, Jacob's presence kept me whole. â€Å"It's cold,† he murmured, pressing lightly against the place where James had cut me with his teeth. And then Mike stumbled out of the bathroom, his face ashen and covered in sweat. He looked horrible. â€Å"Oh, Mike,† I gasped. â€Å"Do you mind leaving early?† he whispered. â€Å"No, of course not.† I pulled my hand free and went to help Mike walk. He looked unsteady. â€Å"Movie too much for you?† Jacob asked heartlessly. Mike's glare was malevolent. â€Å"I didn't actually see any of it,† he mumbled. â€Å"I was nauseated before the lights went down.† â€Å"Why didn't you say something?† I scolded as we staggered toward the exit. â€Å"I was hoping it would pass,† he said. â€Å"Just a sec,† Jacob said as we reached the door. He walked quickly back to the concession stand. â€Å"Could I have an empty popcorn bucket?† he asked the salesgirl. She looked at Mike once, and then thrust a bucket at Jacob. â€Å"Get him outside, please,† she begged. She was obviously the one who would have to clean the floor. I towed Mike out into the cool, wet air. He inhaled deeply. Jacob was right behind us. He helped me get Mike into the back of the car, and handed him the bucket with a serious gaze. â€Å"Please,† was all Jacob said. We rolled down the windows, letting the icy night air blow through the car, hoping it would help Mike. I curled my arms around my legs to keep warm. â€Å"Cold, again?† Jacob asked, putting his arm around me before I could answer. â€Å"You're not?† He shook his head. â€Å"You must have a fever or something,† I grumbled. It was freezing. I touched my fingers to his forehead, and his head was hot. â€Å"Whoa, Jakeyou're burning up!† â€Å"I feel fine.† He shrugged. â€Å"Fit as a fiddle.† I frowned and touched his head again. His skin blazed under my fingers. â€Å"Your hands are like ice,† he complained. â€Å"Maybe it's me,† I allowed. Mike groaned in the backseat, and threw up in the bucket. I grimaced, hoping my own stomach could stand the sound and smell. Jacob checked anxiously over his shoulder to make sure his car wasn't defiled. The road felt longer on the way back. Jacob was quiet, thoughtful. He left his arm around me, and it was so warm that the cold wind felt good. I stared out the windshield, consumed with guilt. It was so wrong to encourage Jacob. Pure selfishness. It didn't matter that I'd tried to make my position clear. If he felt any hope at all that this could turn into something other than friendship, then I hadn't been clear enough. How could I explain so that he would understand? I was an empty shell. Like a vacant housecondemnedfor months I'd been utterly uninhabitable. Now I was a little improved. The front room was in better repair. But that was alljust the one small piece. He deserved better than thatbetter than a one-room, falling-down fixer-upper. No amount of investment on his part could put me back in working order. Yet I knew that I wouldn't send him away, regardless. I needed him too much, and I was selfish. Maybe I could make my side more clear, so that he would know to leave me. The thought made me shudder, and Jacob tightened his arm around me. I drove Mike home in his Suburban, while Jacob followed behind us to take me home. Jacob was quiet all the way back to my house, and I wondered if he were thinking the same things that I was. Maybe he was changing his mind. â€Å"I would invite myself in, since we're early,† he said as we pulled up next to my truck. â€Å"But I think you might be right about the fever. I'm starting to feel a little strange.† â€Å"Oh no, not you, too! Do you want me to drive you home?† â€Å"No.† He shook his head, his eyebrows pulling together. â€Å"I don't feel sick yet. Just wrong. If I have to, I'll pull over.† â€Å"Will you call me as soon as you get in?† I asked anxiously. â€Å"Sure, sure.† He frowned, staring ahead into the darkness and biting his lip. I opened my door to get out, but he grabbed my wrist lightly and held me there. I noticed again how hot his skin felt on mine. â€Å"What is it, Jake?† I asked. â€Å"There's something I want to tell you, Bella but I think it's going to sound kind of corny.† I sighed. This would be more of the same from the theater. â€Å"Go ahead.† â€Å"It's just that, I know how you're unhappy a lot. And, maybe it doesn't help anything, but I wanted you to know that I'm always here. I won't ever let you downI promise that you can always count on me. Wow, that does sound corny. But you know that, right? That I would never, ever hurt you?† â€Å"Yeah, Jake. I know that. And I already do count on you, probably more than you know.† The smile broke across his face the way the sunrise set the clouds on fire, and I wanted to cut my tongue out. I hadn't said one word that was a lie, but I should have lied. The truth was wrong, it would hurt him. I would let him down. A strange look crossed his face. â€Å"I really think I'd better go home now,† he said. I got out quickly. â€Å"Call me!† I yelled as he pulled away. I watched him go, and he seemed to be in control of the car, at least. I stared at the empty street when he was gone, feeling a little sick myself, but not for any physical reason. How much I wished that Jacob Black had been born my brother, my flesh-and -blood brother, so that I would have some legitimate claim on him that still left me free of any blame now. Heaven knows I had never wanted to use Jacob, but I couldn't help but interpret the guilt I felt now to mean that I had. Even more, I had never meant to love him. One thing I truly knewknew it in the pit of my stomach, in the center of my bones, knew it from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, knew it deep in my empty chestwas how love gave someone the power to break you. I'd been broken beyond repair. But I needed Jacob now, needed him like a drug. I'd used him as a crutch for too long, and I was in deeper than I'd planned to go with anyone again. Now I couldn't bear for him to be hurt, and I couldn't keep from hurting him, either. He thought time and patience would change me, and, though I knew he was dead wrong, I also knew that I would let him try. He was my best friend. I would always love him, and it would never, ever be enough. I went inside to sit by the phone and bite my nails. â€Å"Movie over already?† Charlie asked in surprise when I came in. He was on the floor, just a foot from the TV. Must be an exciting game. â€Å"Mike got sick,† I explained. â€Å"Some kind of stomach flu.† â€Å"You okay?† â€Å"I feel fine now,† I said doubtfully. Clearly, I'd been exposed. I leaned against the kitchen counter, my hand inches from the phone, and tried to wait patiently. I thought of the strange look on Jacob's face before he drove away, and my fingers started drumming against the counter. I should have insisted on driving him home. I watched the clock as the minutes ticked by Ten. Fifteen. Even when I was driving, it took only fifteen minutes, and Jacob drove faster than I did. Eighteen minutes. I picked up the phone and dialed. It rang and rang. Maybe Billy was asleep. Maybe I'd dialed wrong. I tried again. On the eighth ring, just as I was about to hang up, Billy answered. â€Å"Hello?† he asked. His voice was wary, like he was expecting bad news. â€Å"Billy, it's me, Belladid Jake make it home yet? He left here about twenty minutes ago.† â€Å"He's here,† Billy said tonelessly. â€Å"He was supposed to call me.† I was a little irritated. â€Å"He was getting sick when he left, and I was worried.† â€Å"He was too sick to call. He's not feeling well right now.† Billy sounded distant. I realized he must want to be with Jacob. â€Å"Let me know if you need any help,† I offered. â€Å"I could come down.† I thought of Billy, stuck in his chair, and Jake fending for himself â€Å"No, no,† Billy said quickly. â€Å"We're fine. Stay at your place.† The way he said it was almost rude. â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. â€Å"Bye, Bella.† The line disconnected. â€Å"Bye,† I muttered. Well, at least he'd made it home. Oddly, I didn't feel less worried. I trudged up the stairs, fretting. Maybe I would go down before work tomorrow to check on him. I could take soupwe had to have a can of Campbell's around here somewhere. I realized all such plans were canceled when I woke up earlymy clock said four thirtyand sprinted to the bathroom. Charlie found me there a half hour later, lying on the floor, my cheek pressed against the cold edge of the bathtub. He looked at me for a long moment. â€Å"Stomach flu,† he finally said. â€Å"Yes,† I moaned. â€Å"You need something?† he asked. â€Å"Call the Newtons for me, please,† I instructed hoarsely. â€Å"Tell them I have what Mike has, and that I can't make it in today. Tell them I'm sorry.† â€Å"Sure, no problem,† Charlie assured me. I spent the rest of the day on the bathroom floor, sleeping for a few hours with my head on a crumpled up towel. Charlie claimed that he had to work, but I suspected that he just wanted access to a bathroom. He left a glass of water on the floor beside me to keep me hydrated. It woke me up when he came back home. I could see that it was dark in my roomafter nightfall. He clumped up the stairs to check on me. â€Å"Stillalive?† â€Å"Sort of,† I said. â€Å"Do you want anything?† â€Å"No, thanks.† He hesitated, clearly out of his element. â€Å"Okay, then,† he said, and then he went back down to the kitchen. I heard the phone ring a few minutes later. Charlie spoke to someone in a low voice for a moment, and then hung up. â€Å"Mike feels better,† he called up to me. Well, that was encouraging. He'd only gotten sick eight hours or so before me. Eight more hours. The thought made my stomach turn, and I pulled myself up to lean over the toilet. I fell asleep on the towel again, but when I woke up I was in my bed and it was light outside my window. I didn't remember moving; Charlie must have carried me to my roomhe'd also put the glass of water on my bedside table. I felt parched. I chugged it down, though it tasted funny from sitting stagnant all night. I got up slowly, trying not to trigger the nausea again. I was weak, and my mouth tasted horrible, but my stomach felt fine. I looked at my clock. My twenty-four hours were up. I didn't push it, eating nothing but saltine crackers for breakfast. Charlie looked relieved to see me recovered. As soon as I was sure that I wasn't going to have to spend the day on the bathroom floor again, I called Jacob. Jacob was the one who answered, but when I heard his greeting I knew he wasn't over it. â€Å"Hello?† His voice was broken, cracking. â€Å"Oh, Jake,† I groaned sympathetically. â€Å"You sound horrible.† â€Å"I feel horrible,† he whispered. â€Å"I'm so sorry I made you go out with me. This sucks.† â€Å"I'm glad I went.† His voice was still a whisper. â€Å"Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault.† â€Å"You'll get better soon,† I promised. â€Å"I woke up this morning, and I was fine.† â€Å"You were sick?† he asked dully. â€Å"Yes, I got it, too. But I'm fine now.† â€Å"That's good.† His voice was dead. â€Å"So you'll probably be better in a few hours,† I encouraged. I could barely hear his answer. â€Å"I don't think I have the same thing you did.† â€Å"Don't you have the stomach flu?† I asked, confused. â€Å"No. This is something else.† â€Å"What's wrong with you?† â€Å"Everything,† he whispered. â€Å"Every part of me hurts.† The pain in his voice was nearly tangible. â€Å"What can I do, Jake? What can I bring you?† â€Å"Nothing. You can't come here.† He was abrupt. It reminded me of Billy the other night. â€Å"I've already been exposed to whatever you have,† I pointed out. He ignored me. â€Å"I'll call you when I can. I'll let you know when you can come down again.† â€Å"Jacob† â€Å"I've got to go,† he said with sudden urgency. â€Å"Call me when you feel better.† â€Å"Right,† he agreed, and his voice had a strange, bitter edge. He was silent for a moment. I was waiting for him to say goodbye, but he waited too. â€Å"I'll see you soon,† I finally said. â€Å"Wait for me to call,† he said again. â€Å"Okay Bye, Jacob.† â€Å"Bella,† he whispered my name, and then hung up the phone.