A World Without Sound Essay Sample free essay sample

â€Å"I don’t want to be bothered by noise. I’m tired of hearing atrocious things. † I do non kick anymore†¦ good. about noise at least. I am now deaf. I see smiling faces but can non hear laughter. I am able to feel concern and fright. but no longer can I hear someone’s calls and shrieks. Spoken discourse differs from written because one is able to set up emotionally the way of the conversation through voice. The inflexion of one’s voice can alter the signifier of the words to show peculiar properties. â€Å"She talks a batch. † can be said with a somber tone because it is factual. If it is said with backtalk. person finds the girl’s gabbing to be an irritation. Life has non changed drastically. Most of what I did as a hearing individual I am able to make now. but I miss â€Å"smaller things. We will write a custom essay sample on A World Without Sound Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † I miss telling takeaway over the telephone and waking up to birds peeping. I even miss being awoken by the Sirens on exigency vehicles tardily at dark. I am non entirely in this silent universe ; everyone is deaf. Everyone has fallen victim to a awful virus. No 1 is certain as to how or why the virus came approximately. The deafening virus is viewed both positively and negatively. I find comfort in sharing my experience with friends. household. and even aliens. Everyone throughout the universe is confronting a similar state of affairs: life without sound. Deafness has ever existed ; there are audile instructors and address healers that have been educated and trained to help persons sing partial or entire hearing loss. Unfortunately. the universe population outnumbers these persons. and they. excessively are deaf. Hearing AIDSs and cochlear implants are available. excessively. to help with hearing loss. However. to keep these devices can be dearly-won. and in the instance of cochlear implants. invasive surgery is required. Documented every bit early as the 5th century B. C. in Plato’s Cratylus. groups of deaf people have used gestural linguistic communication: â€Å"If we hadn’t a voice or a lingua. and wanted to show things to one another. wouldn’t we try to do marks by traveling our custodies. caput. and the remainder of our organic structure. merely as dense people do at nowadays? † Sign linguistic communication is defined as a linguistic communication that uses manual communicating and organic structure linguistic communication to convey significance. Sign linguistic communication may affect at the same time uniting manus forms. orientation and motion of the custodies. weaponries or organic structure. and facial looks to show the speaker’s ideas. Sign languages exhibit the same lingual belongingss and use the same biological abilities. as do unwritten linguistic communications. Persons are propelled to increase their cognition. accomplishments. or understanding because of uncertainty. wonder. incomprehension. and uncertainness. In both noisy and tongueless universes. explicating inquiries is necessary because it may take to an reply that solves one’s larning demand ( s ) . and she may oppugn farther while unwraping more cognition and greater apprehension. Six indispensable inquiries to inquire when seeking cognition and apprehension are â€Å"who. † â€Å"what. † â€Å"where. † â€Å"when. † â€Å"why. † and â€Å"how. † â€Å"Who† is concerned with what or which people were affected/involved. â€Å"Where† is concerned with the location/position of a individual. event. or object. â€Å"When† refers to a clip or circumstance. â€Å"What† asks information to stipulate something. â€Å"Why† asks for what ground or intent did an action/event return topographic point. â€Å"Howà ¢â‚¬  Tells in what mode something occurred. Like a relentless five-year-old kid oppugning his female parent. we must neer halt inquiring â€Å"why. † It is a simple inquiry. but can be the most hard to inquire. As we mature. we stop oppugning and merely accept replies or conditions. and travel frontward with our lives. Asking â€Å"why† stimulates our heads. In our deaf-and-dumb person universe. we must foremost inquire. â€Å"Why are we deaf? † Was the virus inflicted upon the universe so we could break understand what is like to be handicapped in order to be more understanding? On the other manus. is the Earth being punished? It is hard for us to inquire â€Å"why† because we are excessively accustomed to routine. Deafness has forced me to interrupt my modus operandi. go motivated. and more originative. I have become cognizant of other attacks of communicating and diversion. I can no longer keep an unwritten conversation with a friend while sipping a cappuccino ; alternatively. we must utilize manus gestures in order to pass on. I do non pass my eventides in forepart of a telecasting set since I have to read captions ; I now prefer busying my clip with reading. throwing Frisbees. or playing tennis. We. excessively. must inquire one another â€Å"why. † Not merely does â€Å"why† function as a footing for group treatment but it will promote others to oppugn their ain modus operandis or milieus. By inquiring others â€Å"why. † we may larn how others are get bying with their newfound hearing loss. Having an unfastened forum will non merely be curative but may reenforce oppugning everything like we did as kids. Asking â€Å"when† something happened or will go on is of import when informing an person or a group. but when life in a tongueless universe. the inquiry is least of import because no 1 is certain when our hearing will be restored. We must non brood on our hearing loss ; if we do. it may do isolation and depression. I keep reminding myself. and others. we are valuable. Our focal point should be on educating one another about status. If we do non oppugn. we do non larn ; hence. we do non derive greater apprehension of a belief or construct. The most basic ground for inquiring is so we get replies. I am incognizant as to how long this worldwide hearing loss will prevail. but I intend to garner every bit much cognition so I can understand my hearing loss and aid others. excessively. By oppugning what has occurred. it allows me to be more accepting of my hearing loss and helps me to keep an unfastened head. Through the treatment and inquiring of hearing loss. I am bring outing implicit in frights and limited beliefs. therefore opening myself to all that life has to offer.

The Life of Pi Essay Example

The Life of Pi Essay Example The Life of Pi Paper The Life of Pi Paper which illustrates the Old mans frustration linked with loneliness as In the first forty days the boy had been with him, demonstrating the old mans first compassion for the boy. Compassion for objects of nature is a clear comparison between both Pi and Santiagos attributes, with Pi seen strongly linked to religion as a form of companionship. The reader identifies Pis affliction for nature using extensive description of the sloth, Sleepiness and slothfulness and seeing everything in a Mango-like blur expresses Pis detailed observation using alliteration and metaphor to attract the attention of the reader to the simplicity of the sloth. Pis love for nature is immediately compared with his interest in religion as his religious studies on the cosmogony theory of Isaac Luria is an important motif as this foreshadows the sinking of the Tsimtsum as the theory explains the contraction of the universe. Religion is viewed in this novel as a form of companionship, as Pi finds friendship and kindness in his religious ideologies that play a significant part in his survival. As the reader can identify Pis exclusion from society as a young boy, Pis religious exploration into Hinduism, Christianity and Islam can be seen as stories which spread the teachings of a faith, but to offer comfort in Pis challenge of social acceptability. Pis exclusion is presented with humour, but the reader can sense the empathetic tone as, Its Pissing Patel! The sound would disappear, but the hurt would linger the cruelty of children comes as news to no one unprovoked uncalled for. The author has linked childhood exclusion to enforce religious importance to the character, which is in contrast to The Old Man and the Sea as he is excluded in adult life. Santiago is seen in the first part of the novella to be ostracized from society as many of the fisherman made fun of the old man, but the author expresses the bond between Manolin and Santiago as a companionship, which is expressed through dialogue. Hemmingway has used dialogue between these characters to further portray their emotional bond, revealing their relationship with paternal qualities, The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him. Manolin wants to help Santiago to get sardines and to offer him a beer on the Terrace, expressing Manolins devotion to the Old man against his fathers wishes for him to fish on another boat. The reader recognises conflict in that Manolins parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally Salao, illustrating the strength of relationship and companionship between both characters. Hemmingway uses Salao to establish the Latin American influence and setting of the novella. This is used repeatedly throughout the novel to furthermore establish the culture from which this fishing tale is set. In contrast Pi can be seen to have a strong relationship with his father, with clear admiration in that his father is a zoo keeper, linking his affliction for animals and nature. The zoo is a symbol of freedom for Pi, a place in which his problems could be forgotten as the author uses language to create a place of tranquility, with the reader identifying Pis personal relationship with the animals as he, left for school under the benevolent gaze not only of his mother but also of bright -eyed otters and burly American bison and stretching and yawning orang-utans. This conveys a level of friendship with nature, as personification is used to create a sense of youthful observation which echoes Pis relationship with Richard Parker. Furthermore Martel makes use of vivid imagery to elaborately place the animals importance for Pi silver diamond doves, Cape glossy starlings, peach-faced lovebirds. The use of alliteration shows Pis deep observation, seeking acceptance from nature. Hemmingway presents the theme of nature in comparison to Martel, which is used to comfort the characters in their seclusion as their need for companionship places significant importance on the animals. Santiagos first observation of nature is when the reader identifies the characters dream of Africa, a sign of the old mans child hood which is used three times in the novel to signify peace with nature, the long, golden beaches and the white beaches, so white they hurt your eyes he smelled the tar and oakum of the deck The author has used colour and sense of smell to depict the scene, offering a sense of regeneration which is used to create a cycle of nature comparing dreams of youth with old age, which leaves the realism and negatives of survival and his isolation with tranquility. In the same way Martel uses the Zoo as a symbol for freedom from his isolation, but the structure of the novel in its three parts echoes the three stages of life in Birth, Life and Death. The first section explores Pis youthful exploration of nature and religion emphatically illustrated as A germ of religious exaltation, no bigger than a mustard seed, with continuation through maturation with Richard Parker to the realisation of his families death at the end of the novel. Anthropomorphism is a theme which can be seen in both texts, as the author uses this form of personification to create a clearer relationship between man and animal, with Martel using Richard Parker as the predominant animal in Pis survival, with the Old mans relationship with the Marlin. The striking use of a human name to represent the tiger is appealing to the reader as the author presented the character at the start of the novel as Pi reminisces Dare I say I miss him?. I do miss him. I still see him in my dreams. The writer uses short sentences to provide an empathetic response from the reader, the reader wants to know who Richard Parker is as he is seen to be an important character in Pis life. The use of this animal links Pis relationship to his mother, father and his brother, as the tiger is a symbol of family life which he harnesses to resolve his loneliness. Pis expression of love for Richard Parker is seen in Pis desperation for him to survive, What are you doing, Richard Parker? Dont you love life Through the use of rhetorical questioning the reader can identify Pi finds comfort in communicating with the animals, with Orange Juice presenting the maternal figure linking his own mother in his thoughts. In comparison Hemmingway uses personification to explore the Old mans affection for the sea and nature, with the author presenting the Old mans love for the sea as la mar. It is explained that la mar describes the sea as a feminine object, which links the Santiagos loneliness from losing his wife with his affection for the sea. At the start of the text the characters emotional pain is represented as Once there had been a tinted photograph of his wife he had taken it down because it made him too lonely. Hemmingways simplicity in style immediately explores the characters loneliness, with the boy and nature seen as objects which Santiago can confide in to forget his isolation. As in similarity with Pi, Santiago shares a relationship with the marlin which shows clear indication of compassion but at the same time hatred for the fish as Fish Ill stay with you until I am dead.. I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him.. These quotations explore Santiagos changing view of the marlin placing his life before the fish in one view but on the other hand realising that killing the fish is what he must do. This can be compared with .. Together? Well be together? Have I gone mad?.. from Life of Pi which in the same way explores the realisation of what is needed to survive against a characters need for companionship, with both characters deciding what is the most important attribute, survival or companionship. Survival as explained in the introduction quotation is an individuals instinct for self preservation, which can be split into several categories. The Old Man and the sea clearly presents the theme of determination, a theme which links the relationship between himself and the boy. Santiago views his challenge for survival with the Marlin as something which he must prove to the boy I told the boy I was a strange old man Now is when I must prove it. This represents to the reader that Santiago views his survival as a personal challenge, linked with the boys fascination with the Old mans skill at fishing And the best fisherman is you There is no such fish if you are still strong as you say. These quotes clearly illustrate the boys admiration for the old man, with the old man realising his compassion for the boy as I wish I had the boy repeated through the novella places the boy in high regard.

The Relevance of Attachment Theory and Mother-Infant Bonding to the Essay

The Relevance of Attachment Theory and Mother-Infant Bonding to the Practice of Music Therapy - Essay Example The Attachment Theory The attachment theory was postulated by a British psychiatrist named John Bowlby and it was further elaborated on by his colleague who an American developmental psychologist is named Mary Ainsworth (Sigelman & Rider, 2009, p. 406). â€Å"The theory was grounded primarily on ethological theory and therefore asked how attachment might have evolved† (Sigelman & Rider, 2009). This theory also derived some of its concepts from psychoanalytic theory as stressed by Sigelman and Rider (2009). â€Å"According to Bowlby , an attachment is a strong affection tie that binds a person to an intimate companion; moreover, it is also a behavioural system through which humans regulate their emotional distress when under threat and achieve a sense of security by seeking proximity to another person† (Sigelman & Rider, 2009, p. 407). In addition, Bowlby argued that just as infants are programmed to respond to their caregivers, adults are biologically programmed to resp ond to an infant's signals; accordingly, it is rather daunting for an adult to ignore a baby's cry or fail to warm to a baby's grin (Sigelman & Rider, 2009). ... motional adversity in childhood; in both cases Bowlby supposed that the children went on to develop a range of behavioural, emotional and mental health problems (Oldfield et al., 2008). Central to the thinking of attachment theory is that a child has to believe that an attachment figure is present both psychologically as well as physically; Bowlby discovered that an attachment figure who was physically present and yet emotionally absent could arose similar feelings of anxiety and distress as an attachment figure who physically absent (Oldfield et al., 2008). Significantly, for children to thrive they need a close, continuous care-giving relationship: an attachment figure who is available and responsive to their needs as stressed by Oldfield et al. (2008). In relation to the attachment theory, music therapy, for example, has been a known measure in helping adopted children to deal with their tragic experiences in the past that may have been liable for their present behaviour. â€Å"M usic therapy, being an important non-verbal medium, allows children to go back to the early moments in their life and to process their daunting experiences† (Oldfield et al., 2008). In addition, the non-verbal nature of music therapy enables adoptive parents to respond to their adopted child in a new way, persuading the child to value their new family; working in this way enables a child to become more securely attached as they develop trust and security in their adoptive parents (Oldfield et al., 2008). In lieu of this process, the music therapist functions as the facilitator in building healthy relationships within the family (Oldfield et al., 2008). The Strange Situation Mary Ainsworth is a significant figure in the attachment theory of Bowlby for the reason that she studied attachment

Outdoor recreation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Outdoor recreation - Research Paper Example Considering a water sports park would ideally fit into the given location and also ideal to target the market. Simulating the similar effects of the sea shore i.e generating waves similar to the sea in a make shift pond would really attract peoples curiosity and there by bringing huge crowds. The design of water recreational sports ideally identifies the recreation and sporting opportunities available on the newly acquired land owned by the agency and also harmonizes with the site, and is both suitable and capable of accommodating all infrastructure requirements. Primarily the Albury city is suitable for any kind of development which can be a greatest advantage To provide within the overall concept all required buildings, structures, amenities and leisure opportunities for the target market of the theme and the regional population it is important to conduct a survey or a study which can clearly indicate us what exactly would be suitable for the people and according to the geographical location. ... 1. A waves generating water pond. 2. A 300 mrts long water skate board. 3. A huge ocean like pond which can accommodate motor boats for scuba diving and water rafting. 4. A big enclosure at the entry which accommodates large number vehicles for parking. 5. A complex at the beginning for booking tickets and visitors lounge and waiting area. 6. Electronic entry gates which can avoid unauthorized entry. 7. 2-3 different food complexes just after the entry in side the recreation center. 8. A separate water pond for women and couples for who ever prefer. 9. Sprawling games enclosure which has many kinds of rides like Columbus, Tora Tora and Giant wheel etcetera for children. 10. Video games for children and electric bumper cars. 11. Depending upon the budget a golf course would also be advisable. The above mentioned infrastructure would at least require a minimum of 50 acres of land for a comfortable environment. Management structure: The management of the recreation center can be outsourced to some other company or can be managed by the owner of the recreation center. The advantage in outsourcing the maintenance is that any loss or unavoidable situations can be put on the shoulders of the outsourced company. Management has so many functions to take care and some times it becomes difficult to manage so, employing a professional company in maintenance can be a better option for a smooth functioning of the center. Management of the company also needs to take care about the security of the infrastructure and we should be very keen on out sourcing the security of the infrastructure to the best security agency so that the people coming to the recreation center and also the infrastructure can be felt safe in their hands. The security depends on what security

The Evolution of the British Welfare State Essay

The Evolution of the British Welfare State - Essay Example It is often said that the Great Statesman, who rescued a warn-torn Britain in the First World War, Winston Churchill lay the very foundations of the British welfare state. Even as back as 1909 he had laid the groundwork for his "radical reforms," for the labor workforce aimed at making working conditions pleasant and to improve labor relations with the employer.The modern-day health insurance system is indeed a brainchild of Churchill and in 1946 despite his conservative roots he still gave support for Clement Atlee's introduction of near-full socialism in Britain.The emerging labor party, in particular, took it upon itself towards a commitment to reform and social justice, which was later dubbed rhetorically as the British brand of socialism. And thus began a period collective welfare which sought to rid the society of the "scramble for private gain" which tainted the society's ideals and conscience in the name of "Capitalism".According to contemporaries like George Bernard Shaw who called this an "installment of Socialism" rather than a revolution.Britain has had much to learn from its contemporaries in this regard. Whereas the Soviet Union seemed a complete package of central planning a concept new to the West, the British Government took this influence to enlarge its role in the Economic sector.This was the inception of a "Welfare state" which began in the mid-thirties as the Government became active in its industrial ventures.The saving of the national economy was a cause shared by all the affectees of the war.The traditional 19th-century liberalism was in shambles now and the concept self-interest being a social good was rejected as plain selfish and Unjust. One of the key leaders of this movement Prime Minister Attlee once remarked that the capitalism and self-interest was "a pathetic faith resting on no foundation of experience." The new Britain as envisaged by its labourite perceivers would be a promised land where past mistakes would never be repeated and the government would take responsibility for its people. The Beveridge Report was prepared by a government-appointed commission during World War II under William Beveridge, a former economist, and bureaucrat.The aim of this report was to slay the "five giants" of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness.The report generated worldwide controversy particularly in the Soviet and German circles, as Britain braced its role as a welfare state.The Beveridge report played a pivotal role in the setting up of free medical care(the modern day NHS), promoted the idea of pensions and welfare education and housing and unemployment benefits

Singapore English

Singapore English Introduction The range of domains and depth of use of English are closely related to the degree and manner of nativization in a non native variety. For the second category of users, however, the use of English is restricted to international purposes and the elite of societies in certain very specific domains like academic discussions and publications. The Singapore award-winning poet, Edwin Thumboo, expresses: We were very conscious of writing in English but not writing in England. We had to domesticate the English Language, give it a local habitation. For instance, I have never published a poem about a nightingale. But, of course, you cannot substitute one bird for another; you have to make the language your own. We were looking for an identity while using English to express it. (The Straits Times, 1989, November 1) Countries are institutionalized varieties, which have developed over an extended period of time and are now used in many domains. In his arguments for recognizing these varieties, Kachru says that non-native users of English have internalizations which are linked to their own multilinguistic, sociolinguistic and sociocultural contexts (B. B. Kachru, 1991, p. 5). The varieties differ from native varieties, in range and depth of their nativized features. The deviations from native norms occur at almost all linguistic levels -phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, style and discourse, and they are systematic and productive. These latter varieties of non-native English (or new English (for examples of non-native English, see (Moag, 1982), as they have been called recently, have been accorded status by both native and non-native speakers and have received much attention from linguists, educators and writers. Some linguists have gone to the extent of advocating use of the educated nativized variety of English as the standard for teaching (Tay Gupta 1983; Gupta 1986). Historical Background of English in Singapore and Malaysia Any historical discussion on Singapore, especially relating to the period before its independence in 1965, is almost always linked to historical development in Malaysia. This is inevitable as Singapore was one of the Straits Settlements in British Malaya and, in 1963, it became a political component of the independent Malaysia. Therefore, until its separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore and Malaysia constituted a single political entity. The establishment of British settlements in Penang (1786) and Singapore (1819) and the British take-over of Malacca in 1824 from the Dutch in Great Britains attempt to control access to the Straits of Malacca, essential to its tea trade with China, mark the beginning of the influx of immigrants and the development of large and diverse speech communities in Malaya. The increasing British influence on the Malay Peninsula coincided with the further influx of large groups of Chinese from the south-eastern provinces of China and the Tamil-speaking Indians from South India. This was a result of increased production of tin and, at the beginning of twentieth century, the establishment of the rubber industry (Platt Weber, 1980). Platt and Weber note that by the twentieth century there had developed in the British Straits Settlements and the Malay States a series of complex communities consisting not only of ethnic subgroups speaking their own native languages and dialects but also belonging to different social classes and backgrounds and engaged in different forms of employment (Platt Weber, 1980, p. 4). At the beginning of nineteenth century, British interests in Malaya and the Straits Settlements expanded, and it was clear to some members of non European ethnic groups that English was an important, powerful language. It was the language of the colonial masters; it was the language of government and administration, and it was used extensively in the judiciary. Thus, a good command of the language was certainly an asset. However, with the rapid expansion of their interests in the region, the British soon saw the need for a group of English-educated non-Europeans who could assist them in their duties. They thus authorized the establishment of private secular mission-supported schools in the Straits Settlements at the beginning of the nineteenth century (for a brief account of the history of English education from 1819 to after 1978, see Chua, 1990). These schools were at first available only to children from the well-to-do families of the different ethnic groups but later medium families were able to use these education. These English-educated school children would use English at home with their neighbors who also attended English-medium schools. Their younger siblings, being impressed by the new language, also acquired some English even before starting school. Thus, the use of English spread from the school domain to the home domain, and later, to the employment and friendship domains (Platt Weber, 1980). It is thus clear that unlike some other varieties of English, Singapore-Malaysian English has developed through education. Some varieties of English like American English, Australian English, Canadian English, New Zealand English, etc. have evolved in a natural way because of mixing of settlers over a period of time, while others like creoles have developed though pidgin English (Platt Weber, 1980). The post-colonial era in the history of Malaysia and Singapore is marked by two major political changes. One was the independence of Malaya in 1957 from British rule, followed by the formation of Malaysia incorporating the Federation of Malaya, the crown states of Sabah and Sarawak and the then self-overned Singapore in 1963. The other was the separation of Singapore from the political union of Malaysia in 1965.These political changes have had an immense influence on the spread and use of English in Malaysia and Singapore. English spread in Singapore Unlike Malaysia, where the use of English is gradually decreasing, Singapore has seen an expansion in its use. This is mainly due to increased enrollments in English-medium schools (Doraisamy ,1969).At the end of 1983, when the Ministry of Education decided that all schools, starting from January 1984, would be gradually converted into National Stream schools and English will be taught as first language. However, as more people are educated in English and with fewer people speaking Malay, English is slowly replacing Malay as the language for inter-ethnic communication, especially among the younger generation (for discussions on interethnic communication, see Platt Weber, 1980, and Tay1982a) . As English is now the common language in all schools we can thus assume that it will play an even more important role in international domains like trade, diplomacy, cultural exchange, conferences and intranational domains such as government administration, law, education, home and friendship communication in the near future. The widespread use of English within the nation itself inevitably means that English has gone through the process called indigenization (Moag Moag, 1977; Moag, 1982; Richards, 1979a) or nativization (B. B. Kachru, 1983a). To use B. B. Kachrus words (B. B. Kachru, 1982b), English has been transplanted from its source country (Britain) and acculturated to the local environment. What this means is that certain features in native British English have been permanently modified in view of the new cultural setting in Singapore which involves the interplay of the distinct ethnic cultures of Malays, Indians, and Chinese. These features manifest themselves in the phonology, lexis, syntax, semantics and styles of discourse in Singapore English. Therefore, when Singaporean English users speak or write English, there are telling signs that distinguish them from native English speakers or writers from Britain, America, Australia or New Zealand, although educated Singaporean speakers or writers have little problem making themselves understood. What are the features that distinguish the English of Singaporeans from that of, for example, the Englishmen or Americans? Characteristics and features of Singapore English The pioneering work done on Singapore and Malaysian English is the book by Tongue entitled The English of Singapore and Malaysia (1974). The book contains useful data on the phonology, syntax and lexis of Singapore English but it lacks theoretical foundation. The data are categorized under the dichotomy of standard and sub-standard forms. Some of the sub-standard forms given are actually not wrong but used in the variety of English. More importantly, Singaporean English is not treated as a system on its own, and the sociolinguistic contexts surrounding the use of sub-standard forms are not considered. Crewes works (1977, 1978a, 1978b, 1979) reflect his purist attitudes towards Singapore English. He regards Singapore English as a foreign language and implies that the English-educated Singaporean is a helpless and pitiable person. Later, Crewe came forward with the book British English and Singapore English.Exercises in Awareness (Crewe, 1979). The book claims to help Singaporeans to get rid of â€Å"Singaporeanisms† with a series of exercises where individual sentences have to be corrected so as to make them look more like British English. A more scholarly and systematic treatment of Singapore and Malaysian English is by Platt and Weber in their book entitled English in Singapore and Malaysia (1980). Using the methods of statistical correlation designed by Labov (1972a, 1972b), they observe that there is a direct correlation between the degree and frequency of divergence from Standard British English and variables such as formality, topic, domain and relationship of interlocutors. They looked at Singapore English as a system. Singapore English have been discussed from different views and therefore variety of characteristics and features have been mentioned and discussed. This study covers parts of these characteristics. Rythem: Deterding (Deterding, 2001; Deterding, Brown, Low, 2005) investigated the contrasting rhythmic properties of two varieties of English: Singapore English, which is often described as syllable-timed, and British English, which is more usually assumed to be stress-timed. Deterings (2001) study showed that there is a significantly greater variability in this measure of syllable-to-syllable duration for British English, which supports previous indications that, by comparison, Singapore English might indeed be regarded as being more syllable-timed. Additionally, it was found that there is little evidence of the influence of speaking rate on the measured differences in rhythm, but there is some evidence that the greater frequency of reduced syllables with a schwa in British English contributes to the difference between the two varieties. Grammar: Difference between Singapore and British English grammar has been discussed by scholars (Deterding, Low, Brown, 2003; Lim, 2004). †¢ Verbs:Verb generally appears in an uninflected form (Wee, 2004).For example, as Wee shows, â€Å"the verb eat is not marked for tense or number. Because the verb are uninflected, time and aspectual information are conveyed via words (using words like yesterday or already). o A.He eat here yesterday o B. He not yet eat lunch o C. They eat already Aspect is marked via forms like always, already or still. Thus, always is used to mark habituality o The bus always late The progressive aspect is marked by still o Late already, you still eat. Be and got: Platt and Weber (1980) noted that Singapore English clauses that are attributive or equative tend not to use the verb be o The house very nice The verb got is used variously in Singapore English as a perfective, a possessive, and an existentional marker o He got go to Japan o You got buy lottery? o You got nice shirt o Here got many people †¢ Nouns: As Wee (2004) mentioned: â€Å"Within the noun phrase, Singaporean tends to make use of articles. It treats non count nouns and its relstive clauses are ordered rather differently than their counterparts in more standard varieties of English†(p. 1058) †¢ Objects: Object preposing is another characteristic of Singapore English. â€Å"The object, (direct or indirect) is commonly preposed, giving rise to example like following†: o To my sister sometimes I speak English o The movie dont know whether good or not †¢ Question forming:† In wh-interrogatives, the interrogative pronoun typically remains in situ†(Wee, 2004, p. 1063) o You buy what? o This bus go where? For yes/no questions, they make use of the invariant tag is it. It also has another tag or not o The food good or not? o You busy or not? †¢ The passive:† Singaporean use kena passive phrase† (Wee, 2004, p. 1064) o The thief kena caught (by the police) †¢ Adjective reduplication: â€Å"Adjective reduplication in Singapore English intensifies the meaning of the base adjective†: o Dont always eat sweet-sweet (very sweet) things. La and Lah: These two Variables perform an important part in Singapore English and are interesting topics for linguistic experts. For instance, findings from Bell and Ser (1983) concluded that: â€Å"The existence of strict rules governing the occurrence of La not only in sentences but also inside the structure of noun phrases and verb phrases. La demonstrates the value of solidarity, friendship, a reduction of social distance between participants, in contrast with Lah dignals hostility and social distancing function†(p.17) References Bell, R. T., Ser, L. P. Q. (1983). To-day la? Tomorrow lah!; the LA Particle in Singapore English. RELC Journal, 14(2), 1-18. Deterding, D. (2001). The measurement of rhythm: a comparison of Singapore and British English. Journal of Phonetics, 29, 217-230. Deterding, D., Brown, A., Low, E. L. (2005). English in Singapore : phonetic research on a corpus. Singapore ; New York: McGraw Hill. Deterding, D., Low, E. L., Brown, A. (2003). English in Singapore : research on grammar. Singapore ; New York: McGraw Hill. Lim, L. (2004). Singapore English : a grammatical description. Amsterdam ; Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Platt, J. T., Weber, H. (1980). English in Singapore and Malaysia : status, features, functions. Kuala Lumpur ; New York: Oxford University Press. Wee, L. (2004). Singapore English: morphology and syntax. In E. W. Schneider B. Kortmann (Eds.), A handbook of varieties of English : a multimedia reference tool. Berlin ; New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

Speech Outline

Thesis Statement: If people knew the beneficial effects of music it may help them succeed. Body: I. How does listening to music help you succeed? A. Depending on the type of music you listen to it could help improve your moo d. It can bring a â€Å"more positive mind set', which helps with the reduction of stress, which essentially can improve your I immune system. Transition: How music can decrease stress â€Å"Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies†¦Music can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lower Eng blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones. † according to Psych Central. B. It is said that classical music is what you should listen to but researchers say t at you can listen to any music for a stress reliever. â€Å"We think the pleasant State that can be induced by music leads to special pH histological changes which eventually lead to stress reduc tion or direct immune enhancement. Said Dry. Irony En, Dry. En lead recent research about music's effect on the immune system. I. So, if you're feeling stressed listen to your favorite music. Transition: Reducing stress will help you from getting sick. L. Stress hormones are likely to leave the body and Mucilaginous A is increase De when listening to music A. â€Å"Scientists found that after volunteers had listened to just 50 minutes of uplift Eng dance music, the levels of antibodies in their bodies increased.They also found that stress hormone levels, which c an weaken the immune system, decreased after being exposed to the music. The scientists tested 300 people, asking the m to listen to the dance music or to a random collection of tones. † Transition: Music will help you remember stuff. Music can help you remember important things, and help you study for a test It has been said, â€Å"Research has shown that music with a strong beat can stir elate brain waves to resona te in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thin inning†.II. At the University of California at Irvine researchers had students study for a et SST without listening to music and then take the test. Then had students study for another test while listening to music c, they then took the test the second time. The outcome was that when the students listened to music the test scores we re higher from when they studied without music. After this study they began to name this the â€Å"Mozart Effect†. Psych Cent trial. Conclusion: People should listen to music if they are feeling sick, stressed out, or want to f Ochs on something.

Angels Demons Chapter 121-125

121 The camerlegno erupted through the doors of St. Peter's Basilica at exactly 11:56 P.M. He staggered into the dazzling glare of the world spotlight, carrying the antimatter before him like some sort of numinous offering. Through burning eyes he could see his own form, half-naked and wounded, towering like a giant on the media screens around the square. The roar that went up from the crowd in St. Peter's Square was like none the camerlegno had ever heard – crying, screaming, chanting, praying†¦ a mix of veneration and terror. Deliver us from evil, he whispered. He felt totally depleted from his race out of the Necropolis. It had almost ended in disaster. Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra had wanted to intercept him, to throw the canister back into its subterranean hiding place, to run outside for cover. Blind fools! The camerlegno realized now, with fearful clarity, that on any other night, he would never have won the race. Tonight, however, God again had been with him. Robert Langdon, on the verge of overtaking the camerlegno, had been grabbed by Chartrand, ever trusting and dutiful to the camerlegno's demands for faith. The reporters, of course, were spellbound and lugging too much equipment to interfere. The Lord works in mysterious ways. The camerlegno could hear the others behind him now†¦ see them on the screens, closing in. Mustering the last of his physical strength, he raised the antimatter high over his head. Then, throwing back his bare shoulders in an act of defiance to the Illuminati brand on his chest, he dashed down the stairs. There was one final act. Godspeed, he thought. Godspeed. Four minutes†¦ Langdon could barely see as he burst out of the basilica. Again the sea of media lights bore into his retinas. All he could make out was the murky outline of the camerlegno, directly ahead of him, running down the stairs. For an instant, refulgent in his halo of media lights, the camerlegno looked celestial, like some kind of modern deity. His cassock was at his waist like a shroud. His body was scarred and wounded by the hands of his enemies, and still he endured. The camerlegno ran on, standing tall, calling out to the world to have faith, running toward the masses carrying this weapon of destruction. Langdon ran down the stairs after him. What is he doing? He will kill them all! â€Å"Satan's work,† the camerlegno screamed, â€Å"has no place in the House of God!† He ran on toward a now terrified crowd. â€Å"Father!† Langdon screamed, behind him. â€Å"There's nowhere to go!† â€Å"Look to the heavens! We forget to look to the heavens!† In that moment, as Langdon saw where the camerlegno was headed, the glorious truth came flooding all around him. Although Langdon could not see it on account of the lights, he knew their salvation was directly overhead. A star-filled Italian sky. The escape route. The helicopter the camerlegno had summoned to take him to the hospital sat dead ahead, pilot already in the cockpit, blades already humming in neutral. As the camerlegno ran toward it, Langdon felt a sudden overwhelming exhilaration. The thoughts that tore through Langdon's mind came as a torrent†¦ First he pictured the wide-open expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. How far was it? Five miles? Ten? He knew the beach at Fiumocino was only about seven minutes by train. But by helicopter, 200 miles an hour, no stops†¦ If they could fly the canister far enough out to sea, and drop it†¦ There were other options too, he realized, feeling almost weightless as he ran. La Cava Romana! The marble quarries north of the city were less than three miles away. How large were they? Two square miles? Certainly they were deserted at this hour! Dropping the canister there†¦ â€Å"Everyone back!† the camerlegno yelled. His chest ached as he ran. â€Å"Get away! Now!† The Swiss Guard standing around the chopper stood slack-jawed as the camerlegno approached them. â€Å"Back!† the priest screamed. The guards moved back. With the entire world watching in wonder, the camerlegno ran around the chopper to the pilot's door and yanked it open. â€Å"Out, son! Now!† The guard jumped out. The camerlegno looked at the high cockpit seat and knew that in his exhausted state, he would need both hands to pull himself up. He turned to the pilot, trembling beside him, and thrust the canister into his hands. â€Å"Hold this. Hand it back when I'm in.† As the camerlegno pulled himself up, he could hear Robert Langdon yelling excitedly, running toward the craft. Now you understand, the camerlegno thought. Now you have faith! The camerlegno pulled himself up into the cockpit, adjusted a few familiar levers, and then turned back to his window for the canister. But the guard to whom he had given the canister stood empty-handed. â€Å"He took it!† the guard yelled. The camerlegno felt his heart seize. â€Å"Who!† The guard pointed. â€Å"Him!† Robert Langdon was surprised by how heavy the canister was. He ran to the other side of the chopper and jumped in the rear compartment where he and Vittoria had sat only hours ago. He left the door open and buckled himself in. Then he yelled to the camerlegno in the front seat. â€Å"Fly, Father!† The camerlegno craned back at Langdon, his face bloodless with dread. â€Å"What are you doing!† â€Å"You fly! I'll throw!† Langdon barked. â€Å"There's no time! Just fly the blessed chopper!† The camerlegno seemed momentarily paralyzed, the media lights glaring through the cockpit darkening the creases in his face. â€Å"I can do this alone,† he whispered. â€Å"I am supposed to do this alone.† Langdon wasn't listening. Fly! he heard himself screaming. Now! I'm here to help you! Langdon looked down at the canister and felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw the numbers. â€Å"Three minutes, Father! Three!† The number seemed to stun the camerlegno back to sobriety. Without hesitation, he turned back to the controls. With a grinding roar, the helicopter lifted off. Through a swirl of dust, Langdon could see Vittoria running toward the chopper. Their eyes met, and then she dropped away like a sinking stone. 122 Inside the chopper, the whine of the engines and the gale from the open door assaulted Langdon's senses with a deafening chaos. He steadied himself against the magnified drag of gravity as the camerlegno accelerated the craft straight up. The glow of St. Peter's Square shrank beneath them until it was an amorphous glowing ellipse radiating in a sea of city lights. The antimatter canister felt like deadweight in Langdon's hands. He held tighter, his palms slick now with sweat and blood. Inside the trap, the globule of antimatter hovered calmly, pulsing red in the glow of the LED countdown clock. â€Å"Two minutes!† Langdon yelled, wondering where the camerlegno intended to drop the canister. The city lights beneath them spread out in all directions. In the distance to the west, Langdon could see the twinkling delineation of the Mediterranean coast – a jagged border of luminescence beyond which spread an endless dark expanse of nothingness. The sea looked farther now than Langdon had imagined. Moreover, the concentration of lights at the coast was a stark reminder that even far out at sea an explosion might have devastating effects. Langdon had not even considered the effects of a ten-kiloton tidal wave hitting the coast. When Langdon turned and looked straight ahead through the cockpit window, he was more hopeful. Directly in front of them, the rolling shadows of the Roman foothills loomed in the night. The hills were spotted with lights – the villas of the very wealthy – but a mile or so north, the hills grew dark. There were no lights at all – just a huge pocket of blackness. Nothing. The quarries! Langdon thought. La Cava Romana! Staring intently at the barren pocket of land, Langdon sensed that it was plenty large enough. It seemed close, too. Much closer than the ocean. Excitement surged through him. This was obviously where the camerlegno planned to take the antimatter! The chopper was pointing directly toward it! The quarries! Oddly, however, as the engines strained louder and the chopper hurtled through the air, Langdon could see that the quarries were not getting any closer. Bewildered, he shot a glance out the side door to get his bearings. What he saw doused his excitement in a wave of panic. Directly beneath them, thousands of feet straight down, glowed the media lights in St. Peter's Square. We're still over the Vatican! â€Å"Camerlegno!† Langdon choked. â€Å"Go forward! We're high enough! You've got to start moving forward! We can't drop the canister back over Vatican City!† The camerlegno did not reply. He appeared to be concentrating on flying the craft. â€Å"We've got less than two minutes!† Langdon shouted, holding up the canister. â€Å"I can see them! La Cava Romana! A couple of miles north! We don't have – â€Å" â€Å"No,† the camerlegno said. â€Å"It's far too dangerous. I'm sorry.† As the chopper continued to claw heavenward, the camerlegno turned and gave Langdon a mournful smile. â€Å"I wish you had not come, my friend. You have made the ultimate sacrifice.† Langdon looked in the camerlegno's exhausted eyes and suddenly understood. His blood turned to ice. â€Å"But†¦ there must be somewhere we can go!† â€Å"Up,† the camerlegno replied, his voice resigned. â€Å"It's the only guarantee.† Langdon could barely think. He had entirely misinterpreted the camerlegno's plan. Look to the heavens! Heaven, Langdon now realized, was literally where he was headed. The camerlegno had never intended to drop the antimatter. He was simply getting it as far away from Vatican City as humanly possible. This was a one-way trip. 123 In St. Peter's Square, Vittoria Vetra stared upward. The helicopter was a speck now, the media lights no longer reaching it. Even the pounding of the rotors had faded to a distant hum. It seemed, in that instant, that the entire world was focused upward, silenced in anticipation, necks craned to the heavens†¦ all peoples, all faiths†¦ all hearts beating as one. Vittoria's emotions were a cyclone of twisting agonies. As the helicopter disappeared from sight, she pictured Robert's face, rising above her. What had he been thinking? Didn't he understand? Around the square, television cameras probed the darkness, waiting. A sea of faces stared heavenward, united in a silent countdown. The media screens all flickered the same tranquil scene†¦ a Roman sky illuminated with brilliant stars. Vittoria felt the tears begin to well. Behind her on the marble escarpment, 161 cardinals stared up in silent awe. Some folded their hands in prayer. Most stood motionless, transfixed. Some wept. The seconds ticked past. In homes, bars, businesses, airports, hospitals around the world, souls were joined in universal witness. Men and women locked hands. Others held their children. Time seemed to hover in limbo, souls suspended in unison. Then, cruelly, the bells of St. Peter's began to toll. Vittoria let the tears come. Then†¦ with the whole world watching†¦ time ran out. The dead silence of the event was the most terrifying of all. High above Vatican City, a pinpoint of light appeared in the sky. For a fleeting instant, a new heavenly body had been born†¦ a speck of light as pure and white as anyone had ever seen. Then it happened. A flash. The point billowed, as if feeding on itself, unraveling across the sky in a dilating radius of blinding white. It shot out in all directions, accelerating with incomprehensible speed, gobbling up the dark. As the sphere of light grew, it intensified, like a burgeoning fiend preparing to consume the entire sky. It raced downward, toward them, picking up speed. Blinded, the multitudes of starkly lit human faces gasped as one, shielding their eyes, crying out in strangled fear. As the light roared out in all directions, the unimaginable occurred. As if bound by God's own will, the surging radius seemed to hit a wall. It was as if the explosion were contained somehow in a giant glass sphere. The light rebounded inward, sharpening, rippling across itself. The wave appeared to have reached a predetermined diameter and hovered there. For that instant, a perfect and silent sphere of light glowed over Rome. Night had become day. Then it hit. The concussion was deep and hollow – a thunderous shock wave from above. It descended on them like the wrath of hell, shaking the granite foundation of Vatican City, knocking the breath out of people's lungs, sending others stumbling backward. The reverberation circled the colonnade, followed by a sudden torrent of warm air. The wind tore through the square, letting out a sepulchral moan as it whistled through the columns and buffeted the walls. Dust swirled overhead as people huddled†¦ witnesses to Armageddon. Then, as fast as it appeared, the sphere imploded, sucking back in on itself, crushing inward to the tiny point of light from which it had come. 124 Never before had so many been so silent. The faces in St. Peter's Square, one by one, averted their eyes from the darkening sky and turned downward, each person in his or her own private moment of wonder. The media lights followed suit, dropping their beams back to earth as if out of reverence for the blackness now settling upon them. It seemed for a moment the entire world was bowing its head in unison. Cardinal Mortati knelt to pray, and the other cardinals joined him. The Swiss Guard lowered their long swords and stood numb. No one spoke. No one moved. Everywhere, hearts shuddered with spontaneous emotion. Bereavement. Fear. Wonder. Belief. And a dread-filled respect for the new and awesome power they had just witnessed. Vittoria Vetra stood trembling at the foot of the basilica's sweeping stairs. She closed her eyes. Through the tempest of emotions now coursing through her blood, a single word tolled like a distant bell. Pristine. Cruel. She forced it away. And yet the word echoed. Again she drove it back. The pain was too great. She tried to lose herself in the images that blazed in other's minds†¦ antimatter's mind-boggling power†¦ the Vatican's deliverance†¦ the camerlegno†¦ feats of bravery†¦ miracles†¦ selflessness. And still the word echoed†¦ tolling through the chaos with a stinging loneliness. Robert. He had come for her at Castle St. Angelo. He had saved her. And now he had been destroyed by her creation. As Cardinal Mortati prayed, he wondered if he too would hear God's voice as the camerlegno had. Does one need to believe in miracles to experience them? Mortati was a modern man in an ancient faith. Miracles had never played a part in his belief. Certainly his faith spoke of miracles†¦ bleeding palms, ascensions from the dead, imprints on shrouds†¦ and yet, Mortati's rational mind had always justified these accounts as part of the myth. They were simply the result of man's greatest weakness – his need for proof. Miracles were nothing but stories we all clung to because we wished they were true. And yet†¦ Am I so modern that I cannot accept what my eyes have just witnessed? It was a miracle, was it not? Yes! God, with a few whispered words in the camerlegno's ear, had intervened and saved this church. Why was this so hard to believe? What would it say about God if God had done nothing? That the Almighty did not care? That He was powerless to stop it? A miracle was the only possible response! As Mortati knelt in wonder, he prayed for the camerlegno's soul. He gave thanks to the young chamberlain who, even in his youthful years, had opened this old man's eyes to the miracles of unquestioning faith. Incredibly, though, Mortati never suspected the extent to which his faith was about to be tested†¦ The silence of St. Peter's Square broke with a ripple at first. The ripple grew to a murmur. And then, suddenly, to a roar. Without warning, the multitudes were crying out as one. â€Å"Look! Look!† Mortati opened his eyes and turned to the crowd. Everyone was pointing behind him, toward the front of St. Peter's Basilica. Their faces were white. Some fell to their knees. Some fainted. Some burst into uncontrollable sobs. â€Å"Look! Look!† Mortati turned, bewildered, following their outstretched hands. They were pointing to the uppermost level of the basilica, the rooftop terrace, where huge statues of Christ and his apostles watched over the crowd. There, on the right of Jesus, arms outstretched to the world†¦ stood Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca. 125 Robert Langdon was no longer falling. There was no more terror. No pain. Not even the sound of the racing wind. There was only the soft sound of lapping water, as though he were comfortably asleep on a beach. In a paradox of self-awareness, Langdon sensed this was death. He felt glad for it. He allowed the drifting numbness to possess him entirely. He let it carry him wherever it was he would go. His pain and fear had been anesthetized, and he did not wish it back at any price. His final memory had been one that could only have been conjured in hell. Take me. Please†¦ But the lapping that lulled in him a far-off sense of peace was also pulling him back. It was trying to awaken him from a dream. No! Let me be! He did not want to awaken. He sensed demons gathering on the perimeter of his bliss, pounding to shatter his rapture. Fuzzy images swirled. Voices yelled. Wind churned. No, please! The more he fought, the more the fury filtered through. Then, harshly, he was living it all again†¦ The helicopter was in a dizzying dead climb. He was trapped inside. Beyond the open door, the lights of Rome looked farther away with every passing second. His survival instinct told him to jettison the canister right now. Langdon knew it would take less than twenty seconds for the canister to fall half a mile. But it would be falling toward a city of people. Higher! Higher! Langdon wondered how high they were now. Small prop planes, he knew, flew at altitudes of about four miles. This helicopter had to be at a good fraction of that by now. Two miles up? Three? There was still a chance. If they timed the drop perfectly, the canister would fall only partway toward earth, exploding a safe distance over the ground and away from the chopper. Langdon looked out at the city sprawling below them. â€Å"And if you calculate incorrectly?† the camerlegno said. Langdon turned, startled. The camerlegno was not even looking at him, apparently having read Langdon's thoughts from the ghostly reflection in the windshield. Oddly, the camerlegno was no longer engrossed in his controls. His hands were not even on the throttle. The chopper, it seemed, was now in some sort of autopilot mode, locked in a climb. The camerlegno reached above his head, to the ceiling of the cockpit, fishing behind a cable-housing, where he removed a key, taped there out of view. Langdon watched in bewilderment as the camerlegno quickly unlocked the metal cargo box bolted between the seats. He removed some sort of large, black, nylon pack. He lay it on the seat next to him. Langdon's thoughts churned. The camerlegno's movements seemed composed, as if he had a solution. â€Å"Give me the canister,† the camerlegno said, his tone serene. Langdon did not know what to think anymore. He thrust the canister to the camerlegno. â€Å"Ninety seconds!† What the camerlegno did with the antimatter took Langdon totally by surprise. Holding the canister carefully in his hands, the camerlegno placed it inside the cargo box. Then he closed the heavy lid and used the key to lock it tight. â€Å"What are you doing!† Langdon demanded. â€Å"Leading us from temptation.† The camerlegno threw the key out the open window. As the key tumbled into the night, Langdon felt his soul falling with it. The camerlegno then took the nylon pack and slipped his arms through the straps. He fastened a waist clamp around his stomach and cinched it all down like a backpack. He turned to a dumbstruck Robert Langdon. â€Å"I'm sorry,† the camerlegno said. â€Å"It wasn't supposed to happen this way.† Then he opened his door and hurled himself into the night. The image burned in Langdon's unconscious mind, and with it came the pain. Real pain. Physical pain. Aching. Searing. He begged to be taken, to let it end, but as the water lapped louder in his ears, new images began to flash. His hell had only just begun. He saw bits and pieces. Scattered frames of sheer panic. He lay halfway between death and nightmare, begging for deliverance, but the pictures grew brighter in his mind. The antimatter canister was locked out of reach. It counted relentlessly downward as the chopper shot upward. Fifty seconds. Higher. Higher. Langdon spun wildly in the cabin, trying to make sense of what he had just seen. Forty-five seconds. He dug under seats searching for another parachute. Forty seconds. There was none! There had to be an option! Thirty-five seconds. He raced to the open doorway of the chopper and stood in the raging wind, gazing down at the lights of Rome below. Thirty-two seconds. And then he made the choice. The unbelievable choice†¦ With no parachute, Robert Langdon had jumped out the door. As the night swallowed his tumbling body, the helicopter seemed to rocket off above him, the sound of its rotors evaporating in the deafening rush of his own free fall. As he plummeted toward earth, Robert Langdon felt something he had not experienced since his years on the high dive – the inexorable pull of gravity during a dead drop. The faster he fell, the harder the earth seemed to pull, sucking him down. This time, however, the drop was not fifty feet into a pool. The drop was thousands of feet into a city – an endless expanse of pavement and concrete. Somewhere in the torrent of wind and desperation, Kohler's voice echoed from the grave†¦ words he had spoken earlier this morning standing at CERN's free-fall tube. One square yard of drag will slow a falling body almost twenty percent. Twenty percent, Langdon now realized, was not even close to what one would need to survive a fall like this. Nonetheless, more out of paralysis than hope, he clenched in his hands the sole object he had grabbed from the chopper on his way out the door. It was an odd memento, but it was one that for a fleeting instant had given him hope. The windshield tarp had been lying in the back of the helicopter. It was a concave rectangle – about four yards by two – like a huge fitted sheet†¦ the crudest approximation of a parachute imaginable. It had no harness, only bungie loops at either end for fastening it to the curvature of the windshield. Langdon had grabbed it, slid his hands through the loops, held on, and leapt out into the void. His last great act of youthful defiance. No illusions of life beyond this moment. Langdon fell like a rock. Feet first. Arms raised. His hands gripping the loops. The tarp billowed like a mushroom overhead. The wind tore past him violently. As he plummeted toward earth, there was a deep explosion somewhere above him. It seemed farther off than he had expected. Almost instantly, the shock wave hit. He felt the breath crushed from his lungs. There was a sudden warmth in the air all around him. He fought to hold on. A wall of heat raced down from above. The top of the tarp began to smolder†¦ but held. Langdon rocketed downward, on the edge of a billowing shroud of light, feeling like a surfer trying to outrun a thousand-foot tidal wave. Then suddenly, the heat receded. He was falling again through the dark coolness. For an instant, Langdon felt hope. A moment later, though, that hope faded like the withdrawing heat above. Despite his straining arms assuring him that the tarp was slowing his fall, the wind still tore past his body with deafening velocity. Langdon had no doubt he was still moving too fast to survive the fall. He would be crushed when he hit the ground. Mathematical figures tumbled through his brain, but he was too numb to make sense of them†¦ one square yard of drag†¦ 20 percent reduction of speed. All Langdon could figure was that the tarp over his head was big enough to slow him more than 20 percent. Unfortunately, though, he could tell from the wind whipping past him that whatever good the tarp was doing was not enough. He was still falling fast†¦ there would be no surviving the impact on the waiting sea of concrete. Beneath him, the lights of Rome spread out in all directions. The city looked like an enormous starlit sky that Langdon was falling into. The perfect expanse of stars was marred only by a dark strip that split the city in two – a wide, unlit ribbon that wound through the dots of light like a fat snake. Langdon stared down at the meandering swatch of black. Suddenly, like the surging crest of an unexpected wave, hope filled him again. With almost maniacal vigor, Langdon yanked down hard with his right hand on the canopy. The tarp suddenly flapped louder, billowing, cutting right to find the path of least resistance. Langdon felt himself drifting sideways. He pulled again, harder, ignoring the pain in his palm. The tarp flared, and Langdon sensed his body sliding laterally. Not much. But some! He looked beneath him again, to the sinuous serpent of black. It was off to the right, but he was still pretty high. Had he waited too long? He pulled with all his might and accepted somehow that it was now in the hands of God. He focused hard on the widest part of the serpent and†¦ for the first time in his life, prayed for a miracle. The rest was a blur. The darkness rushing up beneath him†¦ the diving instincts coming back†¦ the reflexive locking of his spine and pointing of the toes†¦ the inflating of his lungs to protect his vital organs†¦ the flexing of his legs into a battering ram†¦ and finally†¦ the thankfulness that the winding Tiber River was raging†¦ making its waters frothy and air-filled†¦ and three times softer than standing water. Then there was impact†¦ and blackness. It had been the thundering sound of the flapping canopy that drew the group's eyes away from the fireball in the sky. The sky above Rome had been filled with sights tonight†¦ a skyrocketing helicopter, an enormous explosion, and now this strange object that had plummeted into the churning waters of the Tiber River, directly off the shore of the river's tiny island, Isola Tiberina. Ever since the island had been used to quarantine the sick during the Roman plague of A.D. 1656, it had been thought to have mystic healing properties. For this reason, the island had later become the site for Rome's Hospital Tiberina. The body was battered when they pulled it onto shore. The man still had a faint pulse, which was amazing, they thought. They wondered if it was Isola Tiberina's mythical reputation for healing that had somehow kept his heart pumping. Minutes later, when the man began coughing and slowly regained consciousness, the group decided the island must indeed be magical.

Archetype Cinderella and Rough-Faced Girl Comparison

Archetype Cinderella and Rough-Faced Girl Comparison Throughout Native American culture, they have always used everything and not waste anything. For example if they hunt a buffalo, the Indians make sure everything from the buffalo is used. They use the skin for clothing, bones for tools, and meat for food. Everyone is equal except the wise old men and the shaman. Native Americans use the nature to guide them through the day. They know the meaning of respect and never rebelled against authority. Indians never cared how their clothing looks to their peers; they always wore what was given to them. The American culture of the 1950s is the exact opposite of the Native Americans. The years after World War Two were generally prosper and stable for the middle-class Caucasian. The United States manage to turn the post war into a consumers culture with a snap of a finger. During immediate boom of consumerism, suburbs, and economy it overshadowed the some poverty.Yamacraw Creek Native Americans meet with the Trus...

Make Ammonium Nitrate from Household Chemicals

Make Ammonium Nitrate from Household Chemicals Fireworks season is coming up, so before I get into the new fireworks projects, I wanted to cover the synthesis of a common chemical used for pyrotechnics: ammonium nitrate. Another fun project to try with ammonium nitrate is to make an endothermic reaction. You can buy ammonium nitrate as a pure chemical or you can collect it from instant cold packs or some fertilizers. You can make ammonium nitrate by reacting nitric acid with ammonia, but if you dont have access to nitric acid (or dont want to mess with it), you can make ammonium nitrate from readily available home chemicals. Gather Materials You will need: 138 g sodium bisulfate (found with pool chemicals, used to lower pH)1 mole equivalent of a nitrate salt... any of the following85 g sodium nitrate (common food preservative)101 g potassium nitrate (which you can buy or make yourself)118 g calcium nitrate (tetrahydrate)ammonia (common household cleaner)methanol (optional, which may be found as HEET fuel treatment) Ingredients Dissolve the sodium bisulfate in the mininum amount of water (about 300 ml).Dissolve your nitrate salt in the minimum amount of water (amount depends on the salt).Mix the two solutions.Next you want to neutralize the solution, which is quite acidic. Stir in ammonia until the pH of the mixture is 7 or higher. Use a pH meter (or pH paper). Reacting ammonia, sodium bisulfate, and nitrates will give you sodium sulfate and ammonium nitrate.Sodium sulfate and ammonium nitrate have different solubilities in water, so boil the solution to get the sodium sulfate to crystallize. Remove the liquid from heat when crystals of sodium sulfate form in the bottom of the pan.Chill the solution in the freezer to get as much of the sodium sulfate as possible to drop out of the solution.Run the solution through a filter (coffee filter or paper towels) to separate the solid sodium sulfate from the ammonium nitrate solution.Allow the ammonium nitrate solution to evaporate, which will give you ammonium nitr ate, with some sodium sulfate impurity. This is good enough for most chemistry projects. If you want to further purify the ammonium nitrate, dissolve it in about 500 ml of methanol. The ammonium nitrate is soluble in methanol, while the sodium sulfate is not.Run the solution through a filter, which will give you sodium sulfate on the filter and a solution of ammonium nitrate.Allow the methanol to evaporate from the solution to obtain crystalline ammonium nitrate. Safety Information The chemicals used in this project are smelly and corrosive, so this project should be performed under a fume hood or outdoors. As always, wear gloves, eye protection, and appropriate clothing. Some of the reagents and the final product are flammable or are oxidizers, so keep the chemicals away from open flames.

Is there a best age to begin kindergarten Research Paper

Is there a best age to begin kindergarten - Research Paper Example Every child is brilliant and intelligent. That is a fact. There is no doubt that he will perform well in school. Nevertheless, the real concern is not related as to whether the child has the talent or not but is related to the child's emotional and social preparedness. Basically, these things affect or manipulate each other. Some of the most common child modifications are contingent to the teacher’s manner of teaching and some other factors that influence how a child may perform in the classroom - factors like the attitude and the personality of the teacher as well as the method in which the class is being managed. If the child is more inclined to social interactions and on his personal volition would be willing to submit to the instructions of his or her teacher, then he may easily conform and adapt to this new test by the age of five. [Student’s Last Name] 2 Psychologists, sociologists, researchers and policy makers have poured in an overwhelming effort in order to de termine whether there is a best age for children to start school. In the United States alone, the usual age of kindergarten children is around five years old and obligatory attendance age plays between the ages of five and eight years old. Many policymakers in the United States expressed their dissenting opinions regarding the acceptable age for school admission and many schools based their decisions on the child’s birthdate. ... Due to the intricacy and the difficulty of the educational system that we have today, most of us, especially educational institutions for pre-schoolers place a strong substantial significance on the child’s competence in reading and mathematical sciences. Is the determination of the ideal age to begin kindergarten important? Does it really matter? The significance of early and repeated standardized tests for young children in order for them to meet the academic challenges in school is being accentuated and supported by education reforms and more so by The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. While this was ratified in order to ensure the academic success in high school as well as in college, the testing begins early in order to guarantee that the children are headed in the right direction when it comes to â€Å"grade-level requirements†. A comparatively easy approach to enhance the performance in earlier years of education is to increment the average age of children enroll ing for kindergarten classes. Accordingly, this can be done by setting a â€Å"cut-off date† for kindergarten admission or by [Student’s Last Name] 3 advising parents to delay kindergarten admission for an additional one year (1 year). Mostly, school administrators and pre-school teachers are positive that the more mature the child is once he is admitted in kindergarten classes, the more potential there is for academic success. A lot of parents have faith in the idea of delaying the kindergarten entry of their children because they concede that it will contribute to their children’s edge in terms of academic performance. This is what they call as â€Å"redshirting†. In most cases, children who were admitted to kindergarten classes develop boredom and disinterest in school activities than those

Theodore Roosevelt's Main Contributions to American History Essay

Theodore Roosevelt's Main Contributions to American History - Essay Example This paper will discuss the main contributions of Theodore Roosevelt to American history. â€Å"Theodore brought modernism to the American government† (Woods 2010, 1). He was properly suited for this responsibility. Philosophically, Roosevelt was an expert who was determined to bring effectiveness and intelligence to fight against spoilers of the natural environment, as well as international disorder. Roosevelt was as historians put it, "the first great leader who changed America to the modern industrial age" (Woods 2010, 1). Roosevelt had little endurance with federalism and also with a majority of the constitutional barriers that stood between him and the establishment of a fresh American state. Politically, Theodore was a dedicated nationalist. He, therefore, could hardly bring himself to address Thomas Jefferson, whom he detested. Moreover, as late as the 1880s, Roosevelt was still criticizing Jefferson Davis as a traitor. Roosevelt was angered by The Confederate cause bec ause it denied a large united nation its own justification. â€Å"Roosevelt took to the presidential office a consistent and thorough philosophy of a government† (Woods 2010, 1). What a former leader might have done without fanfare or hesitatingly, Theodore Roosevelt formed a much better principle. ... They all echo the president's self-belief in proficient commissions and his stewardship assumption of the executive branch. As one historian put it, these acts, put together, "may well be regarded as the dawn of a modern regulatory nation, the great America" (Woods 2010, 1). Not all American leaders were confident at this view. One traditional Republican stated that Roosevelt was â€Å"unconsciously or consciously trying to focus all power in Washington, to eliminate state lines, as well as to govern the people by bureaus and commissions." Roosevelt was a natural publicist. â€Å"He offered an astonishing heritage to the American citizens of a variety of resources and lands in public ownership† (Bedford/St Martin's 2009, 16). He used the Presidency's "bully pulpit" successfully to stimulate public interest in conservation matters. Theodore’s key contribution to the conservation movement was "wielding his presidential status to craft an alliance of people from civic lea ders and naturalists who favored conservation to useful resource specialists, as well as users" (Woods 2010, 1). No success shows this better than the Governor's Conference of 1907. At this meeting, Roosevelt conveyed all the country’s governors and several other leaders together and, using his own eagerness for conservation, he ignited policies, discussions and proceedings that still echo today at many levels of the American government. â€Å"Theodore Roosevelt also assumed that he had a duty to spread American interests and ideas across the globe† (Roosevelt 2006, 1). As the leading world power, the U.S. had an apparent chance to remake the global system in a manner that would eradicate the old ruins of war, as well as corrupt alliances. Roosevelt