Texting and Driving

Driving a Thin Line I’d be lying if I said I never text while driving. But I recognize the dangers, and try to do it as little as possible. However, there are still incidents that occur. One day, I was driving down Highway 6, passing Walmart, and received a text from my brother asking what time baseball practice was. I went to reply and took my focus off my driving. This immediately endangered myself, anyone else in the car, and everyone in the cars around me. While texting, I have no ability to respond to events as they occur around me on the road. Even if I may be able to text while driving and maintain control and not crash, if someone around was to do something dumb, my ability to react safely to that is severely diminished. For example, the other day I was driving home on Williams Trace, my radio blaring 94. 5 The Buzz, Erik in the passenger seat, when someone swerved to avoid debris on the road. I was able to react to this, and get out of the way, because I was focused solely on the road, with no distractions. Driving is always dangerous, because even if I drive perfectly, I could still get in a wreck because of the actions of others, over which I have no control. And by texting while driving the chances of this are greatly increased. That also assumes that when texting, I am also able to retain 100% of my normal driving faculties. This is completely false though. Even if I am able to text without looking at my phone, my mind is still distracted from an activity that requires my full attention. And if I do take my eyes off the road to text, I might as well be driving blind. My ability to conduct myself safely is almost completely gone at that point. There have been times when I’ve been looking at my phone texting, then looked up to find myself rapidly approaching stopped cars, and had to slam on the brakes. Every time so far I’ve been lucky, but that can only last so long. Eventually I won’t look up in time, and will slam into the back of those cars. Every time I pick up my phone, I’m putting lives on the line. Who knows who’ll be in that car I hit? It could be full of little kids on their way home from soccer practice, and I just potentially hit them. Texting while driving goes beyond just endangering myself on the road. Every time I pick up that phone, I’m potentially harming all of my passengers, plus all the cars around me. A lot of the time when I drive, my brother is in the passenger seat. So when I drive with him, its my responsibility to keep him safe. It goes beyond just making a stupid decision that affects myself, I’m making a stupid decision that affects my little brother. I’m putting his life on the line through my own foolishness and selfishness. The same holds true for anyone on the road with me. That grandmother driving to the store to pick up some groceries, or the little kid riding along with their parents to get some lunch, I’m personally putting their lives on the line when I text and drive. There is rarely any legitimate reason to text and drive. The vast majority of the texts I receive and send are not life or death situations that require my immediate attention, but when I answer that text, I put myself in a life or death situation. I’m also failing in the responsibility that I and every other person takes up when they get behind the wheel, to drive to the best of my abilities in order to keep myself and those around me safe. It would hurt nothing if I was to simply ignore my phone for the duration of the trip, then answer any messages I’ve received. So by texting while driving, I’m putting at risk the lives of all around me, plus my own, all so that can have conversation that could wait. Texting and Driving It has commercials, ads, and billboards all over the united States promoting not to text and drive â€Å"it can wait†, because it is very dangerous; not only for their life but others as well. This somewhat graphic commercial asserts that an ordinary person can take their eyes off the road and in an instance destroy his/her live or the lives of others, and does this effectively through graphic images, common text message subject matter, and a negative theme. The use of graphic Images are very apparent In this commercial. This commercial appeals to their sense of compassion by having a very shocking end result.In the rhetorical appeal they are using ethos because they are showing what could actually happen. They choose to use very graphic real images, so people may actually listen and see what can happen that fast. The somewhat disturbing result helps people to see the real case scenario in hopes that maybe they can get the message across. It has a very emotional mood because n o one wants to crash and possibly die from that mistake. This commercial Is very appealing because it works to show Just how quick things can happen.The first time someone sees this particular commercial AT&T can remember make a vow to never ext and drive again. It shows that the text messages are coming through and the girl is reading and testing back then the crash happened. The rescue people knew she was testing and driving because they found her phone and text messages were still coming through and she crashed not long after she sent the text. It Is one thing to hear what â€Å"can† happen, but to actually see a real Life scenario on the TV screen did something to the viewers, and they believe this happens to too many when they see it.The commercial appeals to teenagers by showing a common theme in their conversations. The girl is testing her friend about a boy. She keeps looking down at her phone and back up at the road. The testing then suddenly becomes more Interesting to her, and she Is more wrapped up in the phone than she is the road. Then she does not make It to where she Is going because that text was more knows she is about to crash, but it is then too late to do anything about it. Waiting to check a phone can help save people from getting hurt or killed.Taking eyes off of the road for five seconds equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. Testing and driving is as bad as drinking and driving. Most people who are exiting and driving spend more time in the other lane than their own. The ad is not only for teenagers but it is for everyone. Parents are Just as bad as teenagers about testing and driving. Phones show be turned off while the vehicle is in motion and not back on till the vehicle stops. Negative themes are quite uncommon for commercials.Commercials usually try to promote the ads. In a rhetorical appeals, they use pathos because they are showing the emotional content. In this instance, it is very eff ective to teenagers. The commercial makes them actually believe that this could happen to them. AT&T wants to use the worst possible scenario to make sure teenagers see the consequences that could come of their actions. Nobody wants to lose a love one because of this mistake, so that is why the commercial is promoting to not text and drive.Negative images are more realistic and make people actually see what can happen very quickly. Making the mistake to text while driving is not only putting one person's life in danger but everyone who they meet on the road. When meeting a car on the same side of the road is never a good feeling and then seeing them on their phone. AT has decided against preaching the same boring message we may hear room our parents â€Å"stay off of that phone! † They have chosen a much more effective way to get the message across by using a drastic and emotional theme.As people can see, AT effectively uses a common text message conversation, a negative them e, and graphic images to get a very powerful message across. Since AT is so popular, people think it can potentially save more lives. It pulls at the viewer's heart strings and shows Just how easily something like this can happen if they do not pay attention to the road. AT&T is trying to get the message out that the text messages can wait. There is nothing more important to do or say while driving. Texting and Driving It has commercials, ads, and billboards all over the united States promoting not to text and drive â€Å"it can wait†, because it is very dangerous; not only for their life but others as well. This somewhat graphic commercial asserts that an ordinary person can take their eyes off the road and in an instance destroy his/her live or the lives of others, and does this effectively through graphic images, common text message subject matter, and a negative theme. The use of graphic Images are very apparent In this commercial. This commercial appeals to their sense of compassion by having a very shocking end result.In the rhetorical appeal they are using ethos because they are showing what could actually happen. They choose to use very graphic real images, so people may actually listen and see what can happen that fast. The somewhat disturbing result helps people to see the real case scenario in hopes that maybe they can get the message across. It has a very emotional mood because n o one wants to crash and possibly die from that mistake. This commercial Is very appealing because it works to show Just how quick things can happen.The first time someone sees this particular commercial AT&T can remember make a vow to never ext and drive again. It shows that the text messages are coming through and the girl is reading and testing back then the crash happened. The rescue people knew she was testing and driving because they found her phone and text messages were still coming through and she crashed not long after she sent the text. It Is one thing to hear what â€Å"can† happen, but to actually see a real Life scenario on the TV screen did something to the viewers, and they believe this happens to too many when they see it.The commercial appeals to teenagers by showing a common theme in their conversations. The girl is testing her friend about a boy. She keeps looking down at her phone and back up at the road. The testing then suddenly becomes more Interesting to her, and she Is more wrapped up in the phone than she is the road. Then she does not make It to where she Is going because that text was more knows she is about to crash, but it is then too late to do anything about it. Waiting to check a phone can help save people from getting hurt or killed.Taking eyes off of the road for five seconds equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. Testing and driving is as bad as drinking and driving. Most people who are exiting and driving spend more time in the other lane than their own. The ad is not only for teenagers but it is for everyone. Parents are Just as bad as teenagers about testing and driving. Phones show be turned off while the vehicle is in motion and not back on till the vehicle stops. Negative themes are quite uncommon for commercials.Commercials usually try to promote the ads. In a rhetorical appeals, they use pathos because they are showing the emotional content. In this instance, it is very eff ective to teenagers. The commercial makes them actually believe that this could happen to them. AT&T wants to use the worst possible scenario to make sure teenagers see the consequences that could come of their actions. Nobody wants to lose a love one because of this mistake, so that is why the commercial is promoting to not text and drive.Negative images are more realistic and make people actually see what can happen very quickly. Making the mistake to text while driving is not only putting one person's life in danger but everyone who they meet on the road. When meeting a car on the same side of the road is never a good feeling and then seeing them on their phone. AT has decided against preaching the same boring message we may hear room our parents â€Å"stay off of that phone! † They have chosen a much more effective way to get the message across by using a drastic and emotional theme.As people can see, AT effectively uses a common text message conversation, a negative them e, and graphic images to get a very powerful message across. Since AT is so popular, people think it can potentially save more lives. It pulls at the viewer's heart strings and shows Just how easily something like this can happen if they do not pay attention to the road. AT&T is trying to get the message out that the text messages can wait. There is nothing more important to do or say while driving. Texting and Driving It has commercials, ads, and billboards all over the united States promoting not to text and drive â€Å"it can wait†, because it is very dangerous; not only for their life but others as well. This somewhat graphic commercial asserts that an ordinary person can take their eyes off the road and in an instance destroy his/her live or the lives of others, and does this effectively through graphic images, common text message subject matter, and a negative theme. The use of graphic Images are very apparent In this commercial. This commercial appeals to their sense of compassion by having a very shocking end result.In the rhetorical appeal they are using ethos because they are showing what could actually happen. They choose to use very graphic real images, so people may actually listen and see what can happen that fast. The somewhat disturbing result helps people to see the real case scenario in hopes that maybe they can get the message across. It has a very emotional mood because n o one wants to crash and possibly die from that mistake. This commercial Is very appealing because it works to show Just how quick things can happen.The first time someone sees this particular commercial AT&T can remember make a vow to never ext and drive again. It shows that the text messages are coming through and the girl is reading and testing back then the crash happened. The rescue people knew she was testing and driving because they found her phone and text messages were still coming through and she crashed not long after she sent the text. It Is one thing to hear what â€Å"can† happen, but to actually see a real Life scenario on the TV screen did something to the viewers, and they believe this happens to too many when they see it.The commercial appeals to teenagers by showing a common theme in their conversations. The girl is testing her friend about a boy. She keeps looking down at her phone and back up at the road. The testing then suddenly becomes more Interesting to her, and she Is more wrapped up in the phone than she is the road. Then she does not make It to where she Is going because that text was more knows she is about to crash, but it is then too late to do anything about it. Waiting to check a phone can help save people from getting hurt or killed.Taking eyes off of the road for five seconds equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. Testing and driving is as bad as drinking and driving. Most people who are exiting and driving spend more time in the other lane than their own. The ad is not only for teenagers but it is for everyone. Parents are Just as bad as teenagers about testing and driving. Phones show be turned off while the vehicle is in motion and not back on till the vehicle stops. Negative themes are quite uncommon for commercials.Commercials usually try to promote the ads. In a rhetorical appeals, they use pathos because they are showing the emotional content. In this instance, it is very eff ective to teenagers. The commercial makes them actually believe that this could happen to them. AT&T wants to use the worst possible scenario to make sure teenagers see the consequences that could come of their actions. Nobody wants to lose a love one because of this mistake, so that is why the commercial is promoting to not text and drive.Negative images are more realistic and make people actually see what can happen very quickly. Making the mistake to text while driving is not only putting one person's life in danger but everyone who they meet on the road. When meeting a car on the same side of the road is never a good feeling and then seeing them on their phone. AT has decided against preaching the same boring message we may hear room our parents â€Å"stay off of that phone! † They have chosen a much more effective way to get the message across by using a drastic and emotional theme.As people can see, AT effectively uses a common text message conversation, a negative them e, and graphic images to get a very powerful message across. Since AT is so popular, people think it can potentially save more lives. It pulls at the viewer's heart strings and shows Just how easily something like this can happen if they do not pay attention to the road. AT&T is trying to get the message out that the text messages can wait. There is nothing more important to do or say while driving.

Information and Decision-Making Essay

Individuals in the world make decisions every single day of their lives. Decision-making, however, is even more important in the lives of leaders because they are running an organization which relies on their judgment and discretion for such decisions. Decisions have to be made carefully and based on the most accurate and updated information available. Otherwise, the quality of the decision would be affected by whim, suppositions, and assumptions, which might be difficult to quantify and verify. Because of the understanding of the importance of decision-making in an individual’s and an organization’s life, Maruska and Wheatley (2003) wrote How Great Decisions Get Made. Through their book, they address the different factors affecting the decision-making process—those factors intrinsic to the decision-maker as well as factors that are found in the extrinsic environment. Furthermore, they highlighted the importance of gathering information, no matter how difficult and routine it might seem. In addition to this, the authors proposed ten simple yet comprehensive steps that can help a leader in the decision-making process. The basic framework that the authors seek to establish is that decision-making should not be made out of fear, where the leaders and the decision-makers feel backed into the corner and that they have little choices left. Rather, they espouse hope-based decision-making no matter how difficult a situation may seem at first. The authors carefully explained the different outcomes and procedures that happen to people who make decisions out of fear as opposed to making them based on hope. In this regard, the case studies offered freely throughout the book are helpful in elucidating the message that the authors were promoting. The book’s language and layout are simple to follow yet it offers profound insight into an otherwise difficult process. Ten Steps to Making Effective Decisions The first step that the authors posited is the importance of enlisting the help of everyone in the decision making process (Maruska & Wheatley, 2003, p. 36). By doing this, more people would be able to provide inputs on how to make the decision. Moreover, they can provide additional information, which would eliminate fear out of the decision-making equation. Furthermore, by enlisting everyone, the leaders can avoid making enemies in the process. The second and third steps relate to discovering the shared hopes of everyone concerned and listening to the real issues that have to be addressed. By discovering the hopes and the fears of the people who will be affected by the decision, the perspectives of leaders will become less biased and will be grounded on what the situation really is (p 54). Based on the hopes and fears, it would be necessary to identify the options available for the group (p. 74). These options, however, should be backed up by data and by relevant information that could aid the decision-making process. Maruska and Wheatley (2003, p. 90) highlighted the importance of right information. The world is teeming with information nowadays, thanks to the Internet. However, not all available information is relevant to the issue being decided upon. As such, by taking into account the hopes and the fears of the stakeholders in the decision-making process, the right information will be identified and they will be helpful in mapping out the solution. The authors further believe that if there is 100% information, there would be zero debates. The task of the leader therefore would be to gather information and make sure that these pieces of information are indeed relevant. The authors also advised that decision-makers should foresee difficulties along the way and be prepared with alternatives that were not originally planned. But even in these cases, information gathering is still very important as they can steer the decision-makers to the right or wrong decision (p. 118). Conclusion Maruska and Wheatley (2003) were able to describe fully the decision-making process and the importance of gathering the right information. The case studies that they cited were also helpful in highlighting the importance of this process. For people who are in government whose decisions are crucial to the life and death of individuals, literally, or to CEOs upon whom the life of the organization has been put, How Great Decisions are Made is a great textbook for decision-making. This process is never an easy one. Rather, there are a lot of complications along the way. However, the authors were able to present a simple but not simplified view of the decision-making process and how information can make or break the effectiveness of the decisions made by leaders. They also highlighted the importance of teamwork and the process of discovering the shared hopes, dreams, and fears of the people serving with the leaders making the decision. After all, leaders are not only deciding for themselves. Rather, they are making decisions on behalf of their subordinates and of all the people who will be affected by the decisions made by these leaders. The presentation of the book is also easy to follow and would be accessible to anyone interested in improving their decision-making skills.

Blog about Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Blog about Public Relations - Essay Example This is what ethics commands. But take for instance one would like to get votes from people and yet his score card is very low. He or she might resort to propaganda as a PR tool. He will boast of projects he or she did not initiate and in the end people might trust him. The politicians might also say false information about their opponents in order to gain political mileage. Though unethical it might lower the PR of the opponent. Governments may also resort to unethical means in order to maintain their PR. They may promise things they know they cannot fulfill. For example, the government may promise to employ all its citizens in the period of about three years when it well knows this is not possible. This would be propaganda which is unethical but it really works in most cases. Ethics means doing the right thing. Every government or organizations needs to employ ethics in its undertakings in order to raise their public relations. Public relation is how an individual, organization, or government is perceived by others. It is a communication tool. Some individuals, organizations have resorted to propaganda in order to raise their public relations but this discussion argues otherwise (Moloney, 2006). It is important to give the right information in order to raise your public relations. Let us for example take a business organization. The business may try to give false information about their products in order to realize higher sales. This might work at the start but as people realize they might shun away from such a business. This will lower the public image of such an organization. It is just important to do everything ethically in the business and this will help raise your business PR (Campbell and Scaife, 1998). Governments must also do the right things in order to raise their PR. A government may fool its citizens once, twice but not forever. Once the people

Business letter Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Business letter - Coursework Example The accident was extensive causing injury to four employees while rendering the boiler irreparable. Fortunately, the accident occurred during lunch break a feature that limited the number of causalities. The accidents could have possibly caused a catastrophe at the company had t occurred at any other time during the day. The four employees were from the mechanical department and were running a mechanical check on the boiler at the time of explosion. In yet another twist of luck, the four had moved to the control panel seeking to switch off the boiler before they could work on it at the time of the explosion. One of them had serious burns while the remaining three of them had minor burns among other injuries. The explosion caused a scare at the company. The health and safety authority arrived soon thereafter and are continuing with the investigation alongside the company’s mechanical team to determine the cause and extent of the

Malcolm X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Malcolm X - Essay Example A. Emotional/mental trauma The film portrays the emotional/mental trauma felt by Malcolm "Detroit Red" Little (later known as Malcolm X) in his personal life. One can easily identify that the grass root level reason behind his earlier life as criminal was the problems in his personal life. One can see that untimely death of his father affected his development as a child. Besides, his mother’s status as a single parent eventually led to metal illness and its after-effects. So, emotional/mental trauma felt by Malcolm is the integral part of the film. B. Crime Crime is not the main theme of the film because the film aims to unveil Malcolm’s transformation from a criminal to a religious reformer and a leader. But Malcolm’s earlier life was interconnected with crime and incarceration. So, the director did not neglect Malcolm’s earlier life as a criminal. Reynolds points out that â€Å"The film moves back and forth in time, showing how the brutality affecting M alcolm’s family history is internalized through his transformation into â€Å"Red† the gangster† (64). To be specific, economic problems forced him to lead the life of a criminal. For instance, in the film, Malcolm and his friend conducted a robbery, which ultimately led them towards incarceration. C. Racism The director makes use of an indirect way to introduce the theme of racism in the film. Malcolm’s life in the prison, especially his friend’s influence, is significant in educating him on racism. But Baines (Malcolm’s friend) utilizes the chance to attract him towards Islamic faith, not to fight against racism and related issues. In the end, Malcolm was ready to change his views on racism because religious conversion did not help him to solve his problems. D. Religious perspective Malcolm’s transformation from a criminal to a religious leader did not help him much to reform his community. To be specific, his transformation as the m ember of the Nation of Islam and the follower of Elijah Muhammad limited his scope as a social reformer. For instance, his views on racism were influenced by Islamic ideology. In the film, his increased influence among the members of the Nation of Islam forced Elijah Muhammad to turn against him in the end. Character sketches Malcolm X, Betty X, Baines and Elijah Muhammad are the most important characters in the film. A. Malcolm X (Denzel Washington): Malcolm X is the protagonist of the film and almost all the characters revolve around this character. Besides, the protagonist’s transformation from a criminal to a religious/ social reformer is the most important factor behind the development of the plot. Lee provides ample importance to the character of Malcolm because this character represents the historical development of religious/ social reformation in the mainstream society. B. Betty X (Angela Bassett  ) In the film, Betty X is Malcolm X’s wife. But she does not have any particular influence upon her husband. Her role in the film is overshadowed by Malcolm’s character. From a different angle of view, Malcolm’s wife is entrapped within her domestic domain. Within this context, her role was to look after her children, not to influence her husband. In some situations, she acted the role of a medium for Malcolm to communicate with his followers. For instance, when he was in Mecca, he used his wife as a

Ecological Design A strategy for business practice Dissertation - 1

Ecological Design A strategy for business practice - Dissertation Example Development of an eco design through research and subsequently incorporating the same in a business operation is the challenge faced by most companies. This general factors influencing eco design, the areas of change where eco design is applicable, the methods adopted by companies in introducing products and the manner in which an eco design is integrated with business operations form a part of this dissertation. Eco-Design is the design and development of products that are both environment friendly and economically viable. The word derives its origins from the concept of a synergy between design, economy and ecology. (Miriam Borchardt, Leonel A.C.Poltosi, Miguel A Sellito and Gianfraco M.Pereira, 2009) A design which is able to satisfy all three requirements in an effective manner is said to be a successful eco-designed product. With the world globalising at a fast rate there has been a rapid increase in the both the demand and consumption of goods. New players emerging and competin g in the global market, has put a severe strain on the available natural resources and the idea of creating a environment friendly product has been relegated to the background. The three basic issues that an eco-design addresses are (1) The new age customer is getting more information regarding the dangers of environment pollution. He is thus getting more informed regarding the choices he can make while selecting a product. Thus he is able to demand products that are safe and environment friendly which leads to a direct pressure.

Management Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Theories - Assignment Example The both are geared towards improving the productivity of organizations as well as their effectiveness which is quite evident in the scientific theory as it tries to follow all the simplistic and universal set rules in order to realize higher productivity in the organizations and make everything run smoothly. A similar spirit is seen in the humanistic theory as it stresses on situational suitability and coming up with principles that assure them of their success without having to rely on the universal ones (Robbins, 2006). All this is geared towards achieving success in the management of these organizations as well as their effectiveness.Both theories try to make an improvement on the relationship between managers and their workers as seen with the scientific theory through emphasis of working with togetherness between the workers and managers. On the same note, the humanistic theory also insists on managers understanding organizational situations before figuring out the best way to work with and through other people as they co-ordinate activities. As all these are done for the better of the managers and the workers, it is meant to improve the relationship between them and make the work environment comfortable.Both the scientific and humanistic theory have diversified views on how to improve management and create efficiency in the organizations and be sure that their goals are achieved. Though they have common goals of improving management and efficiency in organizations.

Reader response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reader response - Essay Example Moreover, the searches they conduct as well as detainment is racially biased. The authors posit that the border patrol is a venture that has proved unsuccessful and is likely to prove so in the future. Despite the efforts made by the patrol border, masses of people still migrate into the American territory. This paper will present a response to Silko’s text. In my opinion, the border patrol exercise only serves to limit the freedom of movement enjoyed by many Americans because of the numerous stops in different places. My view conforms to the opinion of the author expressed in the first paragraph of the text when she says, â€Å"As proud citizens, we grew up believing the freedom to travel was our inalienable right, a right that some Native Americans had been denied in the early 20th century† (115). Evidently, American citizens have a right to enjoy the freedom of movement, however, the stringency of the border patrol only serves to contravene this right. With the border patrol in places, Americans are frustrated by the numerous stops impromptu searches and in the worst cases imprisonment. From the author’s experience during the fateful night when they were stopped, it becomes evident that the border patrol is a source of frustration to the Americans (Archuleta 115). The experience of the author after being stopped by the border patrol is not an isolated case because the border patrol agents are stopping people at a higher frequency than any other time in history. The author highlights that, â€Å"Unfortunately, what happened to me is an everyday occurrence here now† (118). This statement is meant to place emphasis on the increasing rates of patrols at different checkpoints. The border patrol has increased its activity and extends its control to all the highways and roads that lead to the border o emanate from the border in states such as California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It is disturbing to learn about the different cases highlighted by the

Recommendation paper about google Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Recommendation paper about google - Essay Example Based upon the SWOT analysis, the summary of the important recommendations that are provided for the direction of Google’s strategy are as follows (a) tailoring its product to suit local markets rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all strategy (b) integrating its products to allow customers to shift seamlessly from one product to the other (c) moving into the social networking domain and (d) addressing privacy issues in order to promote widespread use of its products. The company is named â€Å"Google†, a play on the word â€Å"Googol† that is a mathematical term for the number 1 followed by a hundred zeros.(www.google.com). This represents the spirit of the company, to be constantly innovating and branching out into new areas, so that the company has now evolved into a global enterprise employing 16,800 people and reporting revenues of $16,594 million for the fiscal year ended December 2007.(Datamonitor, 2008). But as this report will demonstrate, staying at the forefront of innovation is important, but so is consolidation of the gains that Google has achieved so far, as well as effective integration and streamlining of its products and operations. Google has been at the forefront of innovation over the years, continuously adding improved features. Some of these include AdWords, Google Scholar, Google Earth and Froogle. Over a short period of twelve years, the company has evolved into a global technology leader that is focused upon improving the ways in which people connect with information. It occupies a strong market position through the use of its proprietary technology and infrastructure (DataMonitor, 2008). It’s AdWords and AdSense programs have been significant generators of revenue from advertising. But the weaknesses in the company are the failure to effectively integrate products, and a weak presence in the social networking domain. The company also faces competitive threats from companies

Descriptive Writing Essay Example for Free

Descriptive Writing Essay I could feel a gentle warm breeze that was blowing in from the west, bringing with it a mouth-watering smell of strawberry ice cream. Also with the wind came the enchanting smell of fresh salty air mixed with another smell that I didn’t recognise. The active bustling metropolitan was surrounded by rolling emerald green hills, giants watching over me. In the centre of the city sat a colossal thirty storey skyscraper made purely out of glass and reinforced steel. The city faced the never ending topaz sea: it stretched all the way up to a calm and pleasant lake which glittered over a mile away in the distance. The north section of the city was taken up by imposing skyscrapers and a humming metropolitan of lights and music; a huge building encrusted completely with multi-coloured gems that bathed the city in the reflective luminosity. Nestled at the bottom of the skyscrapers were dozens of magnificent and completely unique cafe’s and bars. The first cafe at the top was a marble building that looked like a mausoleum, with heavy columns. The second bar was completely different- a million lights flashed from every surface. The third cafe was a long, low building with the front made completely of glass that was patterned with hundreds of different patterns, and it had beanbags inside and low coffee tables. Another cabin was covered in flowers that had grown on the walls and doorway and another spectacular cabin was made of solid gold that seemed to glow in the sunlight.

Power Factor Correction Using Boost Converter Technique Engineering Essay

Power Factor Correction Using Boost Converter Technique Engineering Essay This paper researches a design a single phase rectifier with improved power factor by using the boost converter technique. This paper presents the use of boost converter technique can improve the power factor. By designing the needs of the techniques, the overall Power Factor (PF) would be improved to the expectation. The low power factor is caused by non-linearity of the input current. Boost converter is one of method of re-shaping the input waveform to be same pattern with the sinusoidal input voltage. The connected controls that act as a Power Factor Correction (PFC) circuit. The results were compared without PFC and passive PFC and active PFC. Finally the simulation results are shown to verify the performance of this modified the PFC. Keywords : rectifier , boost converter , active PFC , passive PFC , power factor correction (PFC) , power factor Introduction In most electrical and electronic power supplies, the AC input is rectified is connected directly after the diode rectifier bridge. The AC mains are common and extended source of energy. DC power supply is needed for operation of electronic equipments such as in computers, televisions, monitors and others. A simple circuit consisting of diode rectifiers and bulk capacitor can possible to obtain DC voltage. The problem of the input circuit, the high harmonic distortions on the line and excessive peak input currents are produced and the result of power factor in the system is poor. [1] In order to improve these problems, many power factor corrections of ac dc converters are presented to achieve high power factor and low harmonics distortion by modifying the input stage of the diode rectifier and the filter capacitor circuit. Power factor is defined as the ratio of the real power (P) to the apparent power (S) or cosine for pure sine wave for both current and voltage that represent s the phase angle between the current and voltage waveform. Figure 1.0a shows the power factor triangle.[2] Power factor is measure how efficiently electrical power is consumed. The power factor can vary between 0 to 1. It can be either lagging (inductive) or leading (capacitive). The poor power factor result in reduced efficiency which increases cost electricity.[2] Many utilities companies call upon penalties for the low power factor. When a converter has less than unity power factor, it means that the converter absorbs apparent power that is higher the active power it consumes. A higher VA rating than the load needed from the power source should be rated. Figure 1.0a: Power factor triangle The boost converter most widely used topology for achieving power factor correction. The figure shows the PFC boost converter circuit. [3] The process of reshaping the input current is done by boost converter. The bulk energy storage capacitor sits on the output side of the boost converter rather than just after the diode bridge. The control circuit for this project used low-cost components and satisfactory results. Figure 1.0b: relationship of Ac input voltage and current Figure 1.0b is show the waveform of relationship between Ac input voltage and current. The waveform is due the purely resistive non linear load. SYSTEM DESRIPTION A single phase rectifier with boost converter is shown in figure 1. Boost converter is used for reshaping input current. Figure 1.1a: Boost PFC converter Figure 1.1b: Voltages and currents waveforms Figure 1.1a and 1.1b shows that the basic configuration of rectifier that uses Boost converter technique as PFC with its respective voltages and currents. The input current would be highly non-linear for rectifier without PFC. It happened when the capacitor is having large value. [4] The boost converter involves a switch, a diode, an inductor and a capacitor. The switch and diode are depending on the voltage and current stress that they must handle for all the possible operating conditions. The boost converter also called step up converter which is the output voltage always greater than the input voltage. POWER FACTOR CORRECTION Power factor correction (PFC) is one of the methods to improve the low power factor of a system by using suitable devices. There are two type of the PFC namely the passive and active power factor correction. The aim of the power factor correction circuits is to make the input of the power supply behave like purely resistive or a resistor.[4,5] By using the passive PFC, it can achieve the objective of the low power factor applications. The addition of a filter inductor which is connected to the series with the input circuit, the passive elements is introduced to improve the line current. This passive element will increased to a value of 0.7 approximately. The achievement is degraded with the smaller values of inductance. The passive PFC is more suitable at lower power levels. The active power factor correction results are more suitable option for achieving the nearest unity power factor and the sinusoidal input current waveform. The active PFC design functions by controlling the input current in order to make the current waveform behave like the supply voltage. A converter and switching frequencies higher than the AC line frequency is added between the output of the diode bridge rectifier and the bulk capacitor in the active power factor correction. NON ISOLATED ISOLATED BOOST/BUCK, BUCK+BOOST PWM RECTIFIER FLYBACK FORWARD PWM RECTIFIER HIGH FREQUENCY LOW FREQUENCY P.W.M RESONANT Singe phase OFFLINE PDC circuit ACTIVE PFC PASSIVE PFC Figure 1.2: singe phase offline PFC topologies. PASSIVE POWER FACTOR CORRECTION The AC-DC converter comprises of a full bridge rectifier followed by a large filter capacitor for the input stage. The input current for the rectifier circuit comprises of the largest discontinuous peak current pulses. The high distortion of the input current occurs due to the diode rectifier conduct for the short period.[7] By using this passive power factor correction, the value of the power factor can be increased of the 0.7 approximately. Increasing power factor due to the idea of passive PFC which is to filter out the harmonic currents by using low pass filter. Thus, this passive power factor correction has the following main advantages and disadvantages: Advantages à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ it has a simple structure, it is reliable and rugged. The cost was very low and the high frequency switching losses are not sensitive to noises. Disadvantages à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ it create harmonic, it has poor power factor, it produces high losses and it reduces power maximum power capability from the load. In the passive PFC, the use of the inductor in the input circuit is simply used. . ACTIVE POWER FACTOR CORRECTION An active PFC is a power electronic device designed to control the amount of power drawn by a load and obtain a power factor as close as possible to unity. In an active PFC, the function was by controlling the input current and make the current behave like supply voltage. There are two classes of the active PFC solutions which are the low frequency and the high frequency active power factor correction. METHODOLOGY The simulation process is carried out by using PSIM software. The PSIM simulation model for overall system is shown in figure 2.0. The simulation circuit can be divided to three sections which are the main source (input), the PFC (rectifier) and the load (output). Figure 2.0: PSIM simulation model for overall system The software simulation process is divided into three steps which are non linear load, passive PFC and active PFC (boost converter). Start Without PFC. Simulation process using PSIM With PFC by using active filter (boost converter) With PFC by using passive PFC 1 2 3 Figure 2.1: flowchart of the simulation process First, a non-linear load without PFC is simulated for proof of concept using PFC. Figure 2.1.1 shows the flowchart of the process of the first simulation step. 1 Circuit modeling Connect a non linear load Desired result End Yes No Circuit simulation Figure 2.2: flowchart without PFC circuit In the next step, passive PFC is added in the circuit. The passive PFC which is additional to the diode bridge rectifier. The passive elements are introduced to improve the nature of line current. As the voltage increases, the sizes of PFC components increase too. Figure 2.1.2 shows the flowchart of the process of the second simulation step. 2 Circuit modeling Connect a non linear load Add passive element to the circuit Desired result End Yes No Circuit simulation Desired result End Yes No Circuit simulation 3 Circuit modeling Connect a non linear load Add boost converter after bridge diode in the circuit Add control circuit Figure 2.1.2 : flowchart for third simulation Figure 2.1.2: flowchart for second simulation In the third step, an active PFC replaced the passive PFC. The boost converter is added in this circuit. An active PFC can control the amount of power drawn by a load and obtains the power factor as close as possible to unity. Then the control circuit also added to the boost converter. Mosfet is used in the boost converter circuit which is a switching. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Without Power Factor Correction For the non linear load which is the circuit without the PFC , the power factor is low compares to the the using of power factor correction. From the waveforms , as we can see the power factor is 0.6 from 0.1 seconds onwards. The shape of input current is not likely the the shape of input voltage. It it because there are some disturbance happened in system. Figure 3.1 : without PFC Figure 3.2 : PF , Vin and Iin waveforms With Passive Power Factor The first step of the simulation is designed for non linear load. In the next step, a passive element which is the inductor is added to improve the nature of the line current. From these figure, the power factor increased to 0.7. The shape of input current also not behave like the input voltage. But it was better compare to using without PFC. Figure 3.3: Passive Power Factor Correction Figure 3.4: PF, Vin and Iin waveforms With Active Power Factor Correction by using Boost Converter In this step, the boost converter replaced the passive element which is using the Mosfet as the switch. Through the simulation, the power factor is improved to 0.9 from 0.1 seconds onwards. The process of reshaping the input current happened. The shape of input current also likely of the shape input voltage. From this simulation, by using the boost converter is obtained to get the power factor as close as possible to unity. The main of AC input voltage is rectified to the boost converter that mainly consisting of an inductor, Mosfet, a power diode, and a bulk capacitor. The boost converter is one of the high switching frequency topologies. Figure 3.5: PF, input current and input voltage waveforms Types Power factor Without PFC 0.6 Passive PFC 0.7 Acvtive PFC 0.9 Table 1: the value of power factor from simulation The table 1 shows that the power factor increase from 0.6 to 0.9. We get these values from the simulation of the three circuits. The rectifier with power factor correction was developed to realize the performance of this project. The power factor improvement by using active PFC was get good result compare to using passive filter. It is because the active PFC is more complex than passive PFC. the power factor correction makes the load look likely resistive element compare to a nonlinear load one without PFC. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the simulation results matched to the theories involved. This paper presents a research about power factor improvement by using power factor correction. The use of the power factor correction is to improve the low power factor and to make the input of power supply behave like to the purely resistive. The PFC circuitry that the controls the Boost converter is having the limitation when the loads current are smaller. The circuit will avoid the AC current to flow exceeding to the load demand. From the simulation results , the power factor is almost unity and purely sinusoidal input current followed the input voltage. ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to sincere thank you to my supervisor PM Pauziah bt Mohd Arsad , deparment of Electrical Engineering , UiTM Shah Alam for providing me the necessary guidance to carry out this project. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her constant support and guiding me throughout my work. Besides, I also would like to sincere thanks to my parents because always support me. Then thanks to all my friends who are help me during my project was running.

The Futility of Dreams in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men Essay exampl

The Futility of Dreams in Of Mice and Men    Everyone has a dream they hope to achieve, but dreams are not always possible to attain. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, two ranch hands, George and Lennie, find work in Salinas Valley. Lennie, constantly getting into trouble, inadvertently causes the two of them to be run out of town and thus have to find new work regularly. George and Lennie's search for work in the hope of accomplishing their dream of a small farm of their own displays how futile realizing dreams can be. The major themes identified by commentators in Of Mice and Men are friendship and isolation, hope and futility(Votteler 334). Through George and Lennie's friendship, the hope to achieve their dream is kept alive. "George, little and clever, feels that Lennie has been given into his keeping"(Moore 341). "Simpleminded and gentle, Lennie possesses great physical strength and becomes unwittingly destructive when startled"(Votteler 334). Although Lennie is very strong, he is also very timid and has trouble remembering things, but under George's control, Lennie is calm and docile since he just does what George tells him to(Moore 341). According to Moore, "Of Mice and Men tells the story of two drifting ranch hands, George and Lennie, who dream, as rootless men do, of a piece of land of their own, where they will 'belong'"(341). George tells Lennie that the loneliest guys in the world are like them working on ranches, have no family, no place to belong for continually moving on to a new ranch, and have nothing to look forward to(Steinbeck 13). With them, it is not like that because they have a future, somebody to talk to, and are working toward getting their own farm with a couple ac... ...ited by Thomas Votteler, Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993, p. 341-342. Rascoe, Burton. "John Steinbeck," in Steinbeck and His Critics: A Record of Twenty-Five Years, edited by E. W. Tedlock, Jr. and C. V. Wicker, University of New Mexico Press, 1957, pp. 57-67, in Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol. 75, edited by Thomas Votteler, Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993, pp. 336-339. Shurgot, Michael W. "A Game of Cards in Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men'," in Steinbeck Quarterly, Vol. XV, Nos. 1-2, Winter-Spring, 1982, pp. 38-43, in Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol. 75, edited by Thomas Votteler, Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993, pp. 362-365. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. Votteler, Thomas. Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol. 75, edited by Thomas Votteler, Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993, p. 334-335.   

Two Scavengers in a Truck,Two Beautiful People in Mercedes and Nothings

Two Scavengers in a Truck,Two Beautiful People in Mercedes and Nothings Changed Compare and contrast of two poems from different cultures- ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two beautiful People in Mercedes’ and ‘Nothings Changed’. ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in Mercedes’ by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, is a poem about four very different people brought together by traffic lights turning red. The poet is protesting against the inequalities within a democracy. ‘Nothings Changed’ by Tatamkhulu Afrika, is a poem which is also protesting, but about the way black people are treated in a place where the poet used to live, in District Six, in South Africa, where apartheid took place. In the poem ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in Mercedes’, the poet compares four people. The four people are brought together by the traffic light turning red. The poem is set in downtown San Francisco at 9 O’clock in the morning. First he describes the two garbage men in their truck. He compares them with a very elegant couple in their Mercedes, who have a very different lifestyle. The poet describes the two garbage men as- ‘two scavengers up since four a.m. grungy from their route’ This phrase creates the image of vultures swooping around San Francisco early while everyone is asleep, because vultures are often described as scavengers. The word ‘grungy’ also makes it clear to the reader that the garbage men are dirty and grubby. The writer tells us that the garbage men have been up since four a.m. This tells us that they are hard workers. In contrast, the poet describes the couple in the Mercedes as- ‘The man in a hip three piece linen suit with shoulder length blond hair and sun... ...manner, and the writer clearly wants to make himself heard. The poet, Tatamkhulu Afrika also talks about his own personal experiences, but on the other hand Lawrence Ferlinghetti, just writes about people he might have seen on the street. I personally preferred ‘Nothings Changed’ by Tatamkhulu Afrika, although I really liked ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in Mercedes’ by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, I thought ‘Nothings Changed’ was more thought provoking and I think I learnt more about the poet from it, because he was not afraid to express his feelings and opinions. However, I agree with both of the poets on their opinions. I think that everyone should be treated equally and no one should be made to feel like they are worse than someone else, just because they do not have a sophisticated car or because they are a different race or colour.

Alcohol in the body

After the ingestion of the alcohol by the man, it passes from the stomach then to the intestines and into the blood stream in a process called absorption. This alcohol is then broken down by body chemicals called enzymes. In this case alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde after a mediation of an enzyme called Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH). ADH is believed to cause non-dehydration symptoms of hangover, like nausea. This process occurs in the liver. Under the influence of other enzymes acetaldehyde is quickly converted to acetate which is eventually reduced to water and carbon dioxide.An enzyme called cytochrome in the liver metabolizes the liver. This enzyme is increased in the event of continuous heavy drinking by the person in question. Although large percentage of alcohol consumed is metabolized in the liver, some small portions of unmetabolized alcohol will still find their way in urine of the individual. It is also likely to find some portions in breath. 30 to 45 minutes of after wi ll see the man’s blood alcohol level rise.Despite the amount of alcohol consumed by the individual, the liver will only be able to metabolize a specified amount of alcohol per hour. This rate of alcohol metabolism depends on the amount of metabolizing enzymes in the liver of the guy. This amount of enzymes varies from one individual to another. It appears to have some genetic determinants. Alcohol is absorbed more slowly than it is consumed. Consequently, the consumption needs to be checked to reduce the risk of it accumulating in the body due to its slow metabolism. Alcohol can even intoxicate the body.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 19

Nineteen LISSA HAD BEEN MY best friend ever since elementary school, which was why keeping so many secrets from her lately had hurt so much. She was always open with me, always willing to share what was on her mind – but then, maybe that was because she had no choice. I used to be that way with her, yet at some point, I'd started locking my secrets in, unable to tell her about Dimitri or the real reason I'd messed up with Stan. I hated it being that way. It ate me up inside and made me feel guilty around her. Today, however, there was absolutely no way I could wiggle out of explaining what had happened at the airport. Even if I made up something, the fact that I was on half-time with Christian would be a huge tip-off that something was going on. No excuses this time. So, as much as it hurt, I gave her and Christian – as well as Eddie and Adrian, who were hanging around – the short version of what had happened. â€Å"You think you saw ghosts?† Christian exclaimed. â€Å"Seriously?† The look on his face showed me that he was already building a list of snide comments to make. â€Å"Look,† I snapped, â€Å"I told you what was going on, but I don't want to elaborate on it. It's getting worked out, so just let it drop.† †Rose †¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Lissa uneasily. A hurricane of emotions was beating through to me from her. Fear. Concern. Shock. Her compassion made me feel that much worse. I shook my head. â€Å"No, Liss. Please. You guys can think whatever you want about me or make up your own theories, but we're not going to talk about it. Not now. Just leave me alone about it.† I expected Lissa to badger me because of her normal persistence. I expected Adrian and Christian to because of their irritating natures. But even though my words had been simple, I realized I'd delivered them with a harshness both in voice and manner. It was Lissa's surprised mental reaction that alerted me to that, and then I needed only to look at the guys' faces to realize I must have sounded incredibly bitchy. â€Å"Sorry,† I mumbled. â€Å"I appreciate the concern, but I'm just not in the mood.† Lissa eyed me. Later, she said in my mind. I gave her a brief nod, secretly wondering how I could avoid that conversation. She and Adrian had met to practice magic again. I still liked being able to be close to her, but I was only able to do so because Christian was hanging around too. And honestly, I couldn't figure out why he stayed. I guess he was still a little jealous, despite everything that had happened. Of course, if he'd known about the queen's matchmaking schemes, he might have had good reason. Nonetheless, it was clear these magic lessons were starting to bore him. We were in Ms. Meissner's classroom today, and he pulled two desks together and stretched out across them, tossing an arm over his eyes. â€Å"Wake me when it gets interesting,† he said. Eddie and I stood in a central position that let us watch the door and windows while also staying near the Moroi. â€Å"You really saw Mason?† Eddie whispered to me. He turned sheepish. â€Å"Sorry†¦you said you didn't want to talk about it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I started to say yes, that was exactly what I'd said†¦but then I saw the look on Eddie's face. He wasn't asking me about this out of perverse curiosity. He asked because of Mason, because of their closeness, and because Eddie wasn't over his best friend's death any more than I was. I think he found the idea of Mason communicating from beyond the grave reassuring, but then, he hadn't been the one to actually see Mason's ghost. â€Å"I think it was him,† I murmured back. â€Å"I don't know. Everyone thinks I imagined it.† â€Å"How did he look? Was he upset?† â€Å"He looked †¦ sad. Really sad.† â€Å"If it was really him †¦ I mean, I don't know.† Eddie looked at the ground, momentarily forgetting to watch the room. â€Å"I've always wondered if he was upset that we didn't save him.† â€Å"There was nothing we could have done,† I told him, reiterating exactly what everyone had told me. â€Å"But I wondered that too, because Father Andrew had mentioned that ghosts sometimes come back for revenge. But Mason didn't look that way. He just seemed like he wanted to tell me something.† Eddie looked back up suddenly, realizing he was still on guard duty. He didn't say anything else after that, but I knew where his thoughts were. Meanwhile, Adrian and Lissa were making progress. Or rather, Adrian was. The two of them had dug up a bunch of scraggly plants that had died or gone dormant for the winter and put them in little pots. The pots were now lined up in a row on a long table. Lissa touched one, and I felt the euphoria of magic burn within her. A moment later, the scrappy little plant turned green and sprouted leaves. Adrian stared hard at it, as though it held all the secrets of the universe, and then exhaled deeply. â€Å"Okay. Here goes nothing.† He lightly placed his fingers on a different plant. Here goes nothing might have been an accurate statement, because nothing actually happened. Then, a few moments later, the plant shuddered a little. A hint of green started to grow in it and then it stopped. â€Å"You did it,† said Lissa, impressed. I could also feel that she was a little jealous. Adrian had learned one of her tricks, but she still hadn't learned any of his. â€Å"Hardly,† he said, glaring at the plant. He was completely sober, with none of his vices to mellow him. Spirit had nothing to stop it from making him feel irritable. With our moods, we actually had something in common tonight. â€Å"Damn it.† â€Å"Are you kidding?† she asked. â€Å"It was great. You made a plant grow – with your mind. That's amazing.† â€Å"Not as good as you, though,† he said, still sounding like he was ten years old. I couldn't help but pipe in. â€Å"Then stop bitching and try again.† He glanced over at me, a smile twisting his lips. â€Å"Hey, no advice, Ghost Girl. Guardians should be seen and not heard.† I flipped him off for the â€Å"Ghost Girl† comment, but he didn't notice because Lissa was talking to him again. â€Å"She's right. Try it again.† â€Å"You do it one more time,† he said. â€Å"I want to watch you†¦. I can kind of feel what you do to it.† She performed her trick on another plant. I again felt the magic flare up, as well as the joy that came with it – and then she faltered. A flash of fear and instability tinged the magic, smacking a little of when her mental state had deteriorated so badly. No, no, I begged silently. It's happening. I knew it would if she kept using the magic. Please don't let it happen again. And like that, the dark spot within her magic went away. All of her thoughts and feelings returned to normal. I noticed then that she'd also made the plant grow. I'd missed it because I'd been distracted by her lapse. Adrian had missed the magic too because his eyes were on me. His expression was troubled and very, very confused. â€Å"Okay,† said Lissa happily. She didn't realize he hadn't paid attention. â€Å"Try again.† Adrian focused his attention back on their work. Sighing, he moved to a new plant, but she gestured him back. â€Å"No, keep working on the one you started. Maybe you can only do it in small bursts.† Nodding, he turned his attention to his original plant. For a few minutes, he just did nothing but stare. Silence reigned in the room. I'd never seen him so focused on anything, and sweat was actually forming on his forehead. Finally, at long last, the plant twitched again. It grew even greener, and tiny buds appeared on it. Glancing up at him, I saw him narrow his eyes and grit his teeth, no doubt concentrating for all he was worth. The buds burst. Leaves and tiny white flowers appeared. Lissa made what could only be called a whoop of joy. â€Å"You did it!† She hugged him, and feelings of delight washed over me from her. She was sincerely happy that he'd been able to do it. And while she was still disappointed at her lack of progress, it inspired hope in her that he'd replicated her abilities. That meant they truly could learn from each other. â€Å"I can't wait until I'm able to do something new,† she said, still a tiny bit jealous. Adrian tapped a notebook. â€Å"Well, there are plenty of other tricks in the world of spirit. You've got to be able to learn at least one of them.† â€Å"What's that?† I asked. â€Å"Remember that research I did on people who'd shown weird behaviors?† she asked. â€Å"We made a list of all the different things that showed up.† I did remember. In her search to find others with spirit, she'd uncovered claims about Moroi demonstrating abilities no one had ever seen. Few people believed the reports were true, but Lissa was convinced they were spirit users. â€Å"Along with healing, auras, and dream walking, we seem to also have some super compulsion going on.† â€Å"You already knew that,† I said. â€Å"No, this is even more hard-core. It's not just telling people what to do. It's also making them see and feel things that aren't even there.† â€Å"What, like hallucinations?† I asked. â€Å"Kind of,† he said. â€Å"There are stories of people using compulsion to make others live through their worst nightmares, thinking they're being attacked or whatever.† I shivered. â€Å"That's actually kind of scary.† â€Å"And awesome,† said Adrian. Lissa agreed with me. â€Å"I don't know. Regular compulsion is one thing, but that just seems wrong.† Christian yawned. â€Å"Now that victory has been achieved, can we call it a night with the magic?† Glancing behind me, I saw that Christian was sitting up and alert. His eyes were on Lissa and Adrian, and he did not look happy about the victory hug. Lissa and Christian had broken apart, though not because they'd noticed his reaction. They were both too distracted by their own excitement to notice his glare. â€Å"Can you do it again?† asked Lissa eagerly. â€Å"Make it grow?† Adrian shook his head. â€Å"Not right away. That took a lot out of me. I think I need a cigarette.† He gestured in Christian's direction. â€Å"Go do something with your guy. He's been terribly patient through all of this.† Lissa walked over to Christian, her face alight with joy. She looked beautiful and radiant, and I could tell it was hard for him to stay too mad at her. The harsh expression on his face softened, and I saw the rare gentleness that only she could bring out in him. â€Å"Let's go back to the dorm,† she said, grabbing his hand. We set off. Eddie walked near guard with Lissa and Christian, which left me with far guard. It also left me with Adrian, who had chosen to lag behind and talk to me. He was smoking, so I got to be the one to deal with the toxic cloud that generated. Honestly, I couldn't figure out why no one in charge had busted him for this. I wrinkled my nose at the smell. â€Å"You know, you can always be our far-far guard and stay behind with that thing,† I told him. â€Å"Mm, I've had enough.† He dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, leaving it behind. I hated that almost as much as him smoking in the first place. â€Å"What do you think, little dhampir?† he asked. â€Å"I was pretty badass with that plant, wasn't I? Of course, it would have been more badass if I'd, I dunno, helped an amputee grow a limb back. Or maybe separated Siamese twins. But that'll come with more practice.† â€Å"If you want some advice – which I'm sure you don't – you guys should lay off on the magic. Christian still thinks you're moving in on Lissa.† â€Å"What?† he asked in mock astonishment. â€Å"Doesn't he know my heart belongs to you?† â€Å"It does not. And no, he's still worried about it, despite what I've told him.† â€Å"You know, I bet if we started making out right now, it would make him feel better.† â€Å"If you touch me,† I said pleasantly, â€Å"I'll provide you with the opportunity to see if you can heal yourself. Then we'd see how badass you really are.† â€Å"I'd get Lissa to heal me,† he said smugly. â€Å"It'd be easy for her. Although†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The sardonic smirk faded. â€Å"Something weird happened when she used her magic.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"I know. Could you sense it too?† â€Å"No. But I saw it.† He frowned. â€Å"Rose †¦ remember when you asked about being crazy and I said you weren't?† â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I think I might have been wrong. I think you are crazy.† I nearly stopped walking. â€Å"What the hell does that mean?† â€Å"Well†¦you see, the thing is, when Lissa did the second plant†¦ her aura dimmed a little.† â€Å"That would go along with what I felt,† I said. â€Å"It was kind of like she †¦ I don't know, grew mentally fragile for a moment, kind of like she used to. But it went away.† He nodded. â€Å"Yeah, that's the thing†¦the darkness in her aura went away and into yours. Like, I've noticed before that you guys have a big difference in auras, but this time, I saw it happening. It was like that spot of darkness jumped out of hers and into yours.† Something about that made me shiver. â€Å"What does it mean?† â€Å"Well, this is why I think you're crazy. Lissa isn't having any side effects from the magic anymore, right? And you, well†¦ you've been feeling kind of short-tempered lately and you're, like, seeing ghosts.† He said the words casually, like seeing ghosts was just something that happened from time to time. â€Å"I think whatever harmful thing there is in spirit that screws with the mind is leaking out of her and into you. It's making her stay stable, and you, well†¦ as I said, you're seeing ghosts.† It was like being smacked in the face. A new theory. Not trauma. Not real ghosts. Me â€Å"catching† Lissa's madness. I remembered how she'd been at her worst, depressed and self-destructive. I remembered our former teacher, Ms. Karp, who'd also been a spirit user – and completely out of her mind enough to become Strigoi. â€Å"No,† I said in a strained voice. â€Å"That's not happening to me.† â€Å"What about your bond? You have that connection. Her thoughts and feelings creep into you †¦ why not the madness too?† Adrian's manner was typically light and curious. He didn't realize just how much this was starting to freak me out. â€Å"Because it doesn't make any – â€Å" And then, it hit me. The answer we'd been searching for this whole time. St. Vladimir had struggled his whole life with spirit's side effects. He'd had dreams and delusions, experiences he wrote off to â€Å"demons.† But he hadn't gone completely crazy or tried to kill himself. Lissa and I had felt certain that it was because he had a shadow-kissed guardian, Anna, and that sharing that bond with her had helped him. We'd assumed it was simply the act of having such a close friend around, someone who could support him and talk him through the bad times since they hadn't had antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs back then. But what if†¦ what if†¦ I couldn't breathe. I couldn't go another single moment without knowing the answer. What time was it anyway? An hour or so before curfew? I had to find out. I came to an abrupt halt, nearly slipping on the slick ground. â€Å"Christian!† The group in front of us stopped and looked back at me and Adrian. â€Å"Yeah?† Christian asked. â€Å"I need to take a detour – or rather, we do since I can't go anywhere without you. We need to go to the church.† His eyebrows rose in surprise. â€Å"What, you need to confess something?† â€Å"Don't ask questions. Please. It'll only take a few minutes.† Concern crossed Lissa's face. â€Å"Well, we can all go – â€Å" â€Å"No, we'll be fast.† I didn't want her there. I didn't want her to hear the answer I was certain I'd get. â€Å"Go to the dorm. We'll catch up. Please, Christian?† He studied me, expression oscillating between wanting to mock me and wanting to help. He wasn't a complete jerk, after all. The latter emotion won out. â€Å"Okay, but if you try to get me to pray with you, I walk.† He and I split off toward the chapel. I moved so fast that he had to scurry to keep up. â€Å"I don't suppose you want to tell me what this is about?† he asked. â€Å"Nope. I appreciate your cooperation, though.† â€Å"Always glad to help,† he said. I was certain he was rolling his eyes, but I was more focused on the path ahead. We reached the chapel, and the door was locked, unsurprisingly. I knocked on it, staring anxiously around to see if any lights shone through the windows. It didn't look like it. â€Å"You know, I've broken in here before,† said Christian. â€Å"If you need inside – â€Å" â€Å"No, more than that. I need to see the priest. Damn it, he's not here.† â€Å"He's probably in bed.† â€Å"Damn it,† I repeated, feeling only a little bad about swearing on a church's doorstep. If the priest was in bed, he'd be off in Moroi staff housing and inaccessible. â€Å"I need to – â€Å" The door opened, and Father Andrew peered out at us. He looked surprised but not upset. â€Å"Rose? Christian? Is something wrong?† â€Å"I have to ask you a question,† I told him. â€Å"It won't take long.† His surprise grew, but he stepped aside so we could enter. We all stopped and stood in the chapel's lobby, just outside the main sanctuary. â€Å"I was just about to go home for the night,† Father Andrew told us. â€Å"I was shutting everything down.† â€Å"You told me that St. Vladimir lived a long life and died of old age. Is that true?† â€Å"Yes,† he said slowly. â€Å"To the best of my knowledge. All the books I've read – including these latest ones – say as much.† â€Å"But what about Anna?† I demanded. I sounded like I was on the verge of hysteria. Which I kind of was. â€Å"What about her?† â€Å"What happened to her? How did she die?† All this time. All this time, Lissa and I had worried about Vlad's outcome. We'd never considered Anna's. â€Å"Ah, well.† Father Andrew sighed. â€Å"Her end wasn't as good, I'm afraid. She spent her whole life protecting him, though there are hints that in her old age, she started growing a little unstable too. And then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And then?† I asked. Christian was looking between the priest and me, completely lost. â€Å"And then, well, a couple months after St. Vladimir passed on, she committed suicide.† I squeezed my eyes shut for half a second and then opened them. This was what I'd been afraid of. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Father Andrew said. â€Å"I know how closely you've followed their story. I didn't even learn this about her until reading it recently. Taking one's life is a sin, of course†¦but, well, considering how close they were, it's not hard to imagine how she may have felt when he was gone.† â€Å"And you also said that she was starting to go a little crazy.† He nodded and spread his hands out. â€Å"It's hard to say what that poor woman was thinking. Many factors were probably involved. Why was this so pressing?† I shook my head. â€Å"It's a long story. Thanks for helping me.† Christian and I were halfway to the dorm before he finally asked, â€Å"What was that all about? I remember when you guys were looking into this. Vladimir and Anna were like Lissa and you, right?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said glumly. â€Å"Look, I don't want to get between you guys, but please don't tell Lissa about this. Not until I find out more. Just tell her †¦ I don't know. I'll tell her that I suddenly panicked because I thought I had more community service scheduled.† â€Å"Both of us lying to her, huh?† â€Å"I hate it, believe me. But it's also best for her at the moment.† Because if Lissa knew that she might potentially make me insane †¦ yeah, she'd take that hard. She'd want to stop working her magic. Of course, that was what I'd always wanted †¦ and yet, I'd felt that joy in her when she used it. Could I take that away from her? Could I sacrifice myself? There was no easy answer, and I couldn't start jumping to conclusions. Not until I knew more. Christian agreed to keep it secret, and by the time we joined the others, it was almost time for curfew anyway. We had only about a half hour together, and then we all split off for bed – including me, since the part-time field experience agreement said I couldn't do nighttime duty. The Strigoi risk was low in general anyway, and my instructors were more concerned about me getting a full night's sleep. So when curfew came, I walked back to the dhampir dorm alone. And then, when I was almost there, he appeared again. Mason. I came to an abrupt halt and glanced around me, wishing someone else was there to witness this and settle the crazy-or-not thing once and for all. His pearly form stood there, hands in the pockets of his coat in an almost casual way that somehow made the experience that much weirder. â€Å"Well,† I said, feeling surprisingly calm, despite the sorrow that washed over me whenever I saw him. â€Å"Glad to see you're alone again. I didn't really like the extras on the plane.† He stared, expression blank and eyes sad. It made me feel worse, guilt twisting my stomach into knots. I broke. â€Å"What are you?† I cried. â€Å"Are you real? Am I going crazy?† To my surprise, he nodded. â€Å"Which?† I squeaked. â€Å"Yes, you're real?† He nodded. â€Å"Yes, I'm crazy?† He shook his head. â€Å"Well,† I said, forcing a joke through my hurricane of emotions. â€Å"That's a relief, but honestly, what else would you say if you're a hallucination?† Mason just stared. I glanced around again, wishing someone would come by. â€Å"Why are you here? Are you mad at us and looking for revenge?† He shook his head, and something in me relaxed. Until that moment, I hadn't realized how worried I'd been about that. The guilt and grief had been wound up so tightly in me. Him blaming me – just as Ryan had – had seemed inevitable. â€Å"Are you †¦ are you having trouble finding peace?† Mason nodded and seemed to grow sadder. I thought back to his final moments and swallowed back tears. I'd probably have a hard time finding peace too, taken from my life before it began. â€Å"Is there more than that, though? Another reason you keep coming to me?† He nodded. â€Å"What?† I asked. There were too many questions lately. I needed answers. â€Å"What is it? What do I need to do?† But anything other than a yes or no question was beyond us, apparently. He opened up his mouth as though he would say something. He looked like he was trying hard, like Adrian had with the plant. But no sound came out. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I whispered. â€Å"I'm sorry I don't understand †¦ and†¦I'm sorry for everything else.† Mason gave me one last wistful look and then vanished.

Christian Perspective on Counseling Essay

This is a personal theory paper which focuses on the Christian perspective; it involves the integration of faith and scripture into the personal counseling process. It discusses personality structures, individual differences and the motivations that guide and push the human person. Included is a contextual definition of health and the factors that cause illness. They are understood by using psychological techniques in concurrence with Biblical truths. Employing a theological worldview for counseling helps a therapist’s awareness of the innermost complexities of a client and enables them to be an effective guide towards the path of hope and healing. Introduction Counseling is centrally and critically a relationship between people who care (Crabb, 1977). It is essential that a psychotherapist develop a genuine desire for the well-being of a client. This is an ideal arrangement for which a Christian counselor can flourish, because â€Å"Every Christian is called to a ministry of encouraging and helping others (Crabb, 1977)†. Although an atmosphere of caring and encouragement is not limited to Christians it is ideal to integrate psychology and Christian spirituality to most effectively aid clients. Personality Personality structure and components There are many theories involving the structure of the human personality. One is the theory presented by Dr. Ron E. Hawkins (2006a). In this theory, Dr. Hawkins likens each individual to many concentric circles. Every circle is affected by the other circles but every one has its own distinctive characteristics. This structure can best elucidate the complexities that exist inside an individual. The boundaries between circles can help determine the source of each dilemma and each circle provides a different approach to problem-solving. The first circle is the innermost circle of a person and encapsulates the very essence of being human. It is in this most personal circle that the Holy Spirit inhabits within each believer, as supported by the biblical quote â€Å"The kingdom of God is within you† (Luke 17:21). Also included in this circle are the options of free-will and the concept of original sin. The original sin is common to all human beings as maintained by Paul when he writes his letter to the Romans and utters, â€Å"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God† (Romans 3:23). It must be noted that outside of issues involving deliverance, there is not much that can be dealt with in this circle by human intervention. Instead, if a problem really reverberates from this circle it must be surrendered in strong faith to the hands of God. The next circle encloses the soul, feeling, and cognitive aspects of the human being. For most clients looking for counseling, this is the circle that receives the most focus. It is in this circle that emotional and psychological troubles not originating from biological sources resonate. The next circle in this theory of personality makeup is the biological circle. This circle consists of the biological processes and focuses on the wellness of the physical human body. Problems in this circle include chemical imbalance which is the failure to normalize the chemicals in the brain, resulting in problems like obsession, anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, and insomnia. Problems in this circle are more likely to have physical sources, like physical trauma or abuse. The next circle is another prevailing source of problems dealt with in counseling. The temporal circle, it is the beginning of external focused aspects. In this circle, external environmental structures like society and culture have a significant influence on the individual. Societal values and cultural expectations will always have an impact on personality development. Society, friends, family, and church are examples of the temporal systems that must be dealt with when counseling people. Learning who the client is responsible to and what he is responsible for is essential to developing personal responsibility (Cloud & Townsend, 1992). Additionally, the influences of the client’s family system are dealt with in this circle. The Bible supports this, â€Å"fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord† (Ephesians 6:4). Many problems can be rooted from the effects of family and environment The final circle of the human personality structure is the circle of the supernatural. This includes the archetypal epic struggle between good and evil, demons and angels. Despite this concept it is important to keep in mind that â€Å"our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms† (Ephesians 6:12). The Bible states that demonic power is a real and it would be imprudent to disregard its potential. Spiritual forces have a great impact on personality development and it cannot be excluded from the growth process Motivation There are five basic propositions about motivation: [1] human beings are all motivated to seek our needs, [2] motivational energy is channeled through the mind and results in specific behavior, [3] motivated behavior is always directed towards a goal, [4] when a goal is perceived to be impossible a state of disequilibrium exists, and finally, [5] all behavior is motivated and all behavior makes sense (Crabb, 1986). Motivation is a drive toward security and significance, with these thoughts in mind, Dr. Crabb details that the definitive goal of counseling is to â€Å"free people to better worship and serve God by helping them become more like the Lord† (1977). Individual differences In counseling, the level of maturity of each client must be assessed. Individuals are in the process of ‘moving over’ and ‘moving up’, clients differ in as to where they are in the process of dealing with presenting problems in a manner consistent with scripture and developing a Christ-like character (Crabb, 1977). Perhaps the most important reason that accounts for individual differences is that God provided free will to His creation. This free will makes each person unique and not merely a puppet with predetermined actions. Alteration of procedure used in counseling is necessary when dealing with different types of people. Some clients should be approached in a feeling level while others should be led spiritually. Cognitive based personalities are best dealt with on the thinking level and those suffering from physical disabilities are helped first with their tangible needs (Hawkins, 2006). Health A contextual explanation of health All counselors should want their clients to become healthy. According to McMinn (1996), the three factors that determine health are: accurate awareness of self, accurate awareness of needs and involvement in healthy relationships. Basing self-worth on the word of God is an effective strategy; to be able to create a self-image based on the unconditional love of Christ is a helpful direction for people who are injured in the different psychological aspects of their lives. McGee (1992) states, â€Å"changing our beliefs from false beliefs to the truths of God’s Word will assist us in experiencing more appropriate emotions and thereby will change the way we respond†. Helping clients to become more Christ-like in seeking self-worth and happiness is the goal of Christian counseling. A contextual explanation of illness The sources of illness are biological, cognitive, emotional and spiritual. Biological are often the easiest to identify they have physical signs that can be studied. Biological illnesses include physical sickness, chemical imbalances, and traumatic abuse. Typically, biological problems can be treated with medications or removal of the source of problem. For instance, physical trauma caused by an abusive husband involves treatment wherein the first step is to remove the victim from the abusive relationship. The cognitive aspect is the area of focus for most counseling therapies. Many problems that counselors must contend with relate to cognitive disorders, including depression, anxiety, guilt, and fear. The illnesses with a cognitive source are of critical concern as they are often more difficult to treat than biological illnesses. Emotional causes must also be considered. Sandra Wilson’s (2001) mantra of Hurt People Hurt People explains how emotional damage begets more emotional damage. Out of wounded emotions, people repeat the same torture to those they are closest to. Finally, illnesses can also be of a spiritual character. In order to be successful and productive counselors â€Å"we have to learn to distinguish between organic or psychological mental illness and a spiritual battle for the mind,† (Anderson, 2000). Spiritual illnesses stem from sin, a lack of faith, and destructive influences. Anderson (2000) advises, â€Å"Don’t think Satan is no longer interested in manipulating your mind in order to accomplish his purposes. Satan’s perpetual aim is to infiltrate your thoughts with his thoughts and to promote his lie in the face of God’s truth. He knows that if he can control you thoughts, he can control your life† Therapeutic Involvement Techniques, methods The Bible provides excellent guidance in various aspects of life; it is an excellent source for every Christian counselor. Accordingly, â€Å"all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness† (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In a helping relationship, techniques are used to help the client reach the point of change. One approach that Christian counselors should not be without is prayer. Craigie and Tan (as cited in McMinn, 1996) write, â€Å"Indeed, praying with clients that they may be liberated from resistant misbeliefs, that they may be empowered to do the truth, and that they may come into a deeper relationship with the truth can sometimes be a most powerful experience†. The use of scripture in therapy sessions is useful in integrating God’s Truths to a client’s mindset. The use of the technique miracle question is helpful; this is a method of questioning which begins by helping the client imagine a situation wherein, overnight, a miracle happens that solves all their familial problems. The client has to define what differences they would observe to prove that a miracle had taken place. This is vital in making the client realize how vastly improved their relationships will be when the problems are resolved and defines the goal they aim to achieve. The method of Scaling questions is another tool used to rate the client’s current state, with zero/one being the most ideal and ten being the worst, this facilitates the therapist in identifying factors that prevents them from moving up the scale and recognizes what pushes them down. This is helpful in shifting the client’s focus from problems to solutions. The goal of therapy is promoting a high level of self-worth; the therapist must introduce genuineness into the environment by omitting shame from the process. This can be supplemented with compliments and positive encouragement by vocalizing admirable traits; it is a helpful exercise that generates an atmosphere of goodwill more conducive to problem solving. Hawkins (2006b) identifies the first in counseling step as own having an understanding of the real problem. Then, he goes on to reality testing. From there, a plan of action is formulated and the client is occupied with taking tenure to this plan of action and accepting accountability for its conclusion. Lastly, the counselor helps in building support and responsibility into the process of transformation concerning the client. A good cognitive counseling approach is to focus on the inner-voice and truth. The inner-voice is often constructed as a direct result of the temporal and supernatural circles in which an individual develops. In destructive or less-than-ideal relationships, the individual can develop spiteful and untruthful concepts about themselves which are constantly conveyed by the inner-voice. An understanding of truthful reality, often combating the untrue inner-voice, is critical for change. As Dr. Backus and Dr. Chapian explain, â€Å"locating and identifying pain-causing fabrications plus learning the factual reality-based truth† is therapeutic and critical for healing (2000). Expectations in success Counselors can measure success of counseling by evaluating the client’s progress in the accurate awareness of self or needs and by determining if they are participating in healing relationships (McMinn, 1996). McMinn’s affirms that, â€Å"A more careful look suggests that spiritual and psychological health require a confident sense of self, an awareness of human need, and limitations, and confiding interpersonal relationships with God and others† (1996). Real success in psychotherapy is measured by advancement not perfection. Worldview Dimensions Every individual possesses a worldview whether or not they recognize it. For example, the temporal system an individual develops in will have significant impacts on the individual’s worldview. Someone who was raised in a war torn environment with rampant violence and lawlessness will have a different set of moral code than a person is raised in a secure and peaceable community. These worldviews affect the progress in counseling; worldviews differ from person to person and may include science, perception or the Bible. It is imperative for the Christian counselor to have a broad perception of what his/her worldview consists of. The Biblical worldview filters pertinent information through the sieve of God’s Word. Since all issues are not addressed in Scripture, to sift means to see if the issue lines up with God’s Word (Collins, 2001). Uniting psychology, spirituality, and theology encompasses all the components of human behavior necessary to assess functioning (McMinn, 1996). Conclusion The integration of spirituality and theological scriptures to counseling provides a panoramic view of how psychotherapy can progress. The Bible must be used as a reference in choosing ideologies, techniques or processes to integrate in a personal theory. The use of solutions-based therapy, also referred to as ‘solution focused therapy’ or ‘brief therapy’, is a type of talking therapy that is based upon social constructionist philosophy. It includes miracle and scaling questions. It focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy. The approach focuses on the present and hopes for future, because as Dr. Worthington explains, â€Å"hope provides the motivation to work† (1999). Cognitive therapy can be used most effectively in Christian counseling because the cognitive approach is imperative in changing the client’s self-awareness by challenging negative thoughts and untruths. Cognitive therapy helps unchain the client from unrealistic expectations by perceiving and revising the pointless difficulties they place on themselves. Understanding the components of human personality through the theory of concentric circles is important in developing a complete strategy for helping individuals change. Recognition of an integrated model that considers the scripture of Christian teachings is a potent tool in wrestling against the dysfunction residing in a client’s life. Resources Anderson, N. (2000). The bondage breaker. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers. Backus, William and Chapian, Marie. (2000). Telling yourself the truth. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers Cloud, H. & Townsend, J. (1992). Boundaries: When to say yes when to say no to take control of your life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Collins, G. (2001). The Biblical basis of Christian counseling for people helpers. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress Publishing Group. Crabb, Larry. (1977). Effective biblical counseling: A model for helping caring Christians become capable counselors. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Hawkins, Ron E. (Speaker). (2006). Model for guiding the counseling process. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University. Hawkins, R. E. (Producer). (2006b). Grid for tracking process [Motion picture]. (Available from Liberty university, 1971 University Boulevard, Lynchburg, VA 24502) Worthington, Everett L. (1999). Hope-focussed marriage counseling. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press Greece. McGee, R. (1992). Search for significance: Build your self worth on the forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press. McMinn, M. (1996). Psychology, theology and spirituality in Christian counseling. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wilson, S. (2001). Hurt people hurt people: Hope and healing for yourself and your relationships. Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

Looking at the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet Essay

Romeo and Juliet’, a play originally written by William Shakespeare in 1595 – 1600 is a tale of love and tragedy involving two young people who fall in love, but find it ends in disaster due to their age old family feud. This play had been directed as a film in 1968 starring Olivia Hussey, but never before has it been modernised as a film. By choosing to do this the problem that faced Baz Luhrman when he was directing the film version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was that he could not predict whether there would be an audience for Shakespearean stories in a modern culture. Particuarly as the age group he was targeting were those who would probably still be at school, where Shakespeare had been stereotyped as ‘boring’. This problem was tackled by updating the swords involved by replacing them with guns, adding a famous cast known to the particular chosen age group and backing the film up with modern music. The opening scene of Baz Luhrman’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ begins with a screen of black, and a very small television screen in the centre. As the shot continues the camera zooms in on the television screen that is showing a coloured female newsreader, with a plain background and a split ring in the top right hand corner. This entrance to the first scene of the film forces the audience to concentrate on the film by introducing it slowly, making you feel anything missed will detract from the film’s impact. The newsreader is dressed in red, the classic colour of love, danger, passion and blood, and the ring split in two with the words â€Å"Star-crossed lover† subtly introduce the main themes of the films while the audience is focusing on what the newsreader is reporting. The screen around the television is black, focusing all attention on the newsreader, and her voice is quiet and sounds almost muted while she talks of the feud of Verona, re-enforcing the director’s obvious wish to capture the attention of the viewers. With this red on black theme it seems to represent the blood and tragedy of the story of Romeo and Juliet on the rest of the town, and almost shows the final tragic word on the darkness of the two feuding families. From this opening, though the newsreader does not directly speak of the main characters, Romeo and Juliet, you feel as if the feud is already familiar before entering in to the actual film. The change from the first scene to the second is a very quick jump cut. The camera zooms very close in on the newsreader tilting, and jumps through to a street in Verona, travelling down it and coming to a halt at a large statue of Jesus, but only allowing you a very quick glance before switching to a black screen with the words â€Å"In Fair Verona† in large white capitals at eye level. It then jump cuts back to a the same picture of Jesus, but this time it is a closer shot, and holds for a bit longer, before very quickly zooming back to show the statue in between two sky scrapers, one named â€Å"Capulet† in red, and one named â€Å"Montague† in blue. The buildings are the highest in the street, and with the statue in between them seem very important and noble, informing the audience of the family’s wealth and power, and also of their rivalry. The statue standing dead centre between the two towers shows that while religion is important in this story, and does to a certain extent act as a barrier between the two families, it is much smaller then the buildings, symbolising that their feud may prove stronger then their religion. The next shot is a jump cut on to the camera moving on to the streets of Verona, and a tracking shot of a police car with the words â€Å"Verona Beach† written down the side. This shot of the police car informs the viewers that police are involved, and the place the play is set in is called â€Å"Verona Beach†. Once focused on the car the camera tilts and zooms out, jumping in to a zoom in shot of the same statue of Jesus, which it zooms in on, jump cuts back to a second shot and zooms in again, this time blurring the statue. This blurring shows the disregard held by the families towards their religion as the feud gets greater. The scenes by now are moving very quickly and are very separated, not flowing smoothly at all. It is quite difficult to keep with the speed at which the film is moving, Luhrman once again trying to keep the audiences attention. Following on from the blurred shot of the statue, the camera, remaining blurry, focusing in turn, on the signs above each building, reading first â€Å"Capulet† in red and then â€Å"Montague† in blue. These choices of colour cause you to question whether or not the Capulet family are more ‘fierce’, with their name in red. You then get a tracking shot of a police helicopter against what you assume to be a church, and the city of Verona. Again re enforcing the religion verses law theme that is apparent throughout this film in Verona. Following this is a zoom in shot of a person lying on a mattress in the street surrounded by dirt and people in black. Through this shot you assume the person involved is injured, showing the severity of the feud. Again, jump cutting to the next scene, though seeming to slow the pace slightly, you get an aerial tracking shot from the helicopter with the diagetic sounds of the propellers, of a large statue of the Virgin Mary standing with open arms. Quickly moving on through a jump cut the statue of Jesus seen before is briefly shown, before zooming in on his face, although it is made up of many small dots, and shown in dark grey and black. This shot is held and zoomed out to reveal a ‘family tree’ with both families on it, starting at the top with ‘Ted Montague’ and ‘Fulgencio Montague’. Symbolic of the hatred that is passed down the family through each generation. The music up to this point has been very loud and ‘menacing’, increasing in volume when what I see as ‘relevant shots’ are held. The lighting has been bright throughout, all shots set in the day, and there have been no characters introduced until the family tree. The beginning shots seem to be more introducing the place and the themes than the characters themselves. The layout of this tree implies that the rivalry started between these two men and has been passed down through the family. With the statue of Jesus with open arms set between the two families reminds us of the strong religion present in the city, and the grey colour of the pictures and background sets in almost like a cloud of grey, strongly contrasting with the colour we have seen in the previous scenes. As well as being the first shot of the characters, also introduced in this scene is the first voice since the newsreader, although this time it is non diagetic, in the form of a voice over. The music reaches a climax and then fades away to a quiet backing for the deep male voice commenting on the family trees in front of us. The shots of this ‘tree’ are broken up by shots of fire and newspapers titled â€Å"Montague vs Capulet†, and while the speed of the changing shots has slowed down, now dissolving in to each other, Luhrman makes up for it with the impact of the shots he is using, you need more time to look at each one then before. Coming off the newspaper shot using dissolving and fire, we see the familiar screen of black with white text reading â€Å"In Fair Verona†, reminding us of the setting while looking in to the characters, as seen before when the city was being introduced and we were shown the names of the families. This subtle mixing of the two is very effective in showing the strong relationship between the setting and characters, and the effect that they have on each other. This phrasing of â€Å"Fair Verona† is ironic, as although we are being told the city is fair, we are shown only violent shots of the goings on and only ‘controversial† shots of the place itself. Moving on from the text shot we are shown a series of tracking shots of Verona, similar to those shown before, combining diagetic sounds such as the helicopter propellers with non diagetic such as the voice over. We then get another still shot of a newspaper reading â€Å"Ancient Grudge† followed shortly by a third newspaper reading â€Å"New Mutiny† and a picture of one of the young Montague boys. This â€Å"ancient grudge† followed by â€Å"new mutiny† re enforces the idea of the feud being passed down the family that we were introduced to through the family tree. The text is also in older style writing, showing that such an old thing has carried through in to modern day. This picture of the young Montague holding a gun is the first we see of the younger generations of the families, and it is associated with anger through his face and death through his gun. The next newspaper clip we get is â€Å"Civil blood†, also read out to us by the voice over, this emphasises the fact that the brawls caused by the families do not only affect themselves, but the rest of Verona. We are shown a tracking shot of a middle ages coloured man wearing helicopter equipment against a dark background, fitting as the shots seem to be getting darker, set later on in the day. The word ‘Police’ is shown in large white text against black, symbolising their affect on the feud, good on bad or clean on dirty. There is then a series of shots of Verona and magazines with bullets on the covers, showing how much violence there is in the city. It is made out to be a loud, busy dangerous place reflected in the characters themselves. The feuding families seem to sum up the rivalry present within the city, Religion verses hatred, Law verses war. Although you may argue that at this stage you are unable to establish whether it is the place reflected through the characters or the characters strife being the reason for the way the place is. We then get our first shot of a man and a woman in a black car, both look drawn and very worried. Jump cutting through to a shot of a second couple, obviously the other family, recognisable only because of the quick glance we got of the man on the family tree. This creates a broken up image of the families, imposing the idea that the families ‘get in the way’ of each other. As the music builds up again there are two screens of just text, when put together reading â€Å"A pair of star crossed lover take their life†. The ‘T’ in the ‘take’ is actually a cross when you look at it, bringing religion in to death. At this point the voice over is stopped and the music becomes loud again. Following the text the camera then jumps from one to another introducing through text and a frozen image of each character, the Capulets, the Montagues, both with the under text ‘Romeo’s mother/father’ and ‘Juliet’s mother/father. To follow we meet the chief of police ‘Captain Prince’, the Governor’s son ‘Dave Paris’ and ‘Mercutio’, Romeo’s best friend, in a provocative position with his face angry and his finger pointed with a gun on him. Each character has a shot held on them for about 5 seconds before jumping straight on to the next. As the music builds up we see a pair of eyes, later recognised to be those of Romeo Montague, pushing the door of a church open to reveal light and flowers, portraying the church as a place of sanctity. This relates to the theme of religion present throughout the film, and it also gives a preview of the place in which the lovers lives end. Luhrman would have realised that as ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is such a widely read play the majority of the audience would know then ending of the film, thus giving him a lot of scope to play around with previews of the rest of the film. The music quickens pace and very quickly we are run through the text previously shown and spoken but at a speed that it is not supposed to be read. This is followed by shots of fireworks, choirboys singing high piercing notes almost as a climax, guns shooting showing violence, main characters and eventually finishes on a black screen with â€Å"William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet†. This creates a point of high climax, quickly let down by the still almost ‘dead’ screen in comparison to previous shots. The mention of William Shakespeare is the first we hear of the author, and in mentioning him Luhrman has made himself seem almost modest, discarding any impression made implying that it is Luhrman’s own play. The title then moves off the screen to the left and the film begins. As an opening sequence for this particular film I find it very effective. The setting of such a film in modern day would have proved very difficult, but the replacement of swords by guns has a huge impact on its success. The violence is portrayed well and you learn just about enough to follow the film as it opens but not enough to know what happens between now and the death of the characters. I like the way Luhrman lets the audience know the resulting death of the characters, but he does not say who dies. This builds up an immense suspense throughout the film. This introduction is done in such a way that it will captivate almost everyone’s attention through moving so quickly and creating such a tense atmosphere.