Berlin Wall Essay -- History

Berlin W every last(predicate)The Berlin Wall, for twenty-eight years, separated friends, families, and a nation. A lot of suffering began for Germany when World War II commenced, but by the end of the war Germany was in the mists of a disaster waiting to happen. After WWII was over Germany was divided into tetrad parts. The United States, big(p) Britain, and France controlled the leash divisions that were formed in the Western half and the Eastern half was controlled by the Soviet Republic. The Western divisions eventually united to make a federal republic, date the Eastern divisions became communist. Even though Berlin lay deep within the Soviet sector, the Allies thought it best to divide this capital. Therefore Berlin was also divided into four parts. The Soviet Union was in control of the eastern half of Germany. The Soviet Union make East Berlin the capital of East Germany. The other three counties were for each one in control of a small part of what was to be West Germany . These three countries decided that they would come together to form one country push through of their three divided parts. Those three divided parts formed West Germany. After all the land was divided the Soviet Union controlled East Germany. mediocre like the Soviet Union, the economy in East Germany was struggling to get back on its feet after the war. While West Berlin became a lively urban area like many American cities, East Berlin became what many thought of as a Mini-Moscow. In East Germany there was literary almost nothing. The shelves in the stores were practically bare, and what was there was not in very good quality. At first, the divisions between East and West Berlin were uncertain. There was nothing that divided the city. For more than decennary years after the official split of the city, East Berlin saw a major emigration of East Germans, unhappy with the communist system. Emigration was easy. With nothing corporeal to separate East and West Berlin, migration fr om totalitarianism to democracy was as easy for East Berliners as changing houses. The Soviet Union went against their promises to the people of East Germany, and made East Germany a Communist country. This decision by the Soviet Union separated East Germany even more from the rest of Europe. East Germany was now all by itself, and by the summer of 1952 the border between East and West Germany was closed only in Berlin was the border... ...ts_01_p.htm Tusa, Ann The Last Division A History of Berlin, 1945-1989 Great Britain, 1997 Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Grathwol, Robert P. and Moorhus, Dontia M. American Forces in Berlin 1945-1994 Cold War Outpost Washington D.C. Dept. of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program, 1994 Berlin Wall Facts http//www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/facts_01_p.htm Knorr, Marco citizen of West Germany trustworthy roommate interviewed on 11/17/99. Berlin Wall Facts http//www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/facts_01_p.htm Bowman, Stephan Crisis in Berlin, VFW, November 1998 34-38. The Division and Unification of Germany The arrive of the Berlin Wall http//members.tripod.com/Nevermore/wall.html, 1-5. The Division and Unification of Germany The Fall of the Berlin Wall http//members.tripod.com/Nevermore/wall.html 1-5. Ramous, Andreas A Personal Account of the Fall of The Berlin Wall The 11th and 12th of November, 1989 http//www.andreas.com/berlin.html 1-6. Berlin Wall Timeline http//www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/time.htm. Cooper, Belinda The Changing Faces of Berlin, World Policy Institute 57-68.

Human Relationships-Frankenstein Essay -- Literary Analysis, Mary Shel

Mary Shellys Frankenstein is book about the importance of man relationships and treating everyone with dignity and respect. The main character of the book is overlord Frankenstein who is a very intelligent man with a desire to create life in some other beingness. After he completes his creation, he is horrified to find that what he has created is a the Tempter. The monster is the ugliest, most disgusting creature that he has ever seen. professional being sickened by his creation allows the monster to run off and become all alone in the world. Throughout Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the theme of kind relationships to illustrate the stick by that man has with other beings and the need for love and affection. The importance of human relationships is shown throughout the book in many ways. Victors niggle says to him, I prevail a pretty present for my Victortomorrow he shall have it(18).Victor is very excited that he has such a precious gift that allow always be his . They become very close and refer to each other as cousins. However, there is a deeper a relationship between the two, and Victor vows to always protect and take of the girl whose name is Elizabeth. Mary Shelley uses this quote to explain how special Elizabeth is to Victor and that she is gift sent to him. Victors mother reinforces this again when she says to Victor and Elizabeth, My children, my firmest hopes of future happiness were authorityd on the prospect of your union. This expectation will now be the consolation of your father. Elizabeth, my love, you must supply my place to my younger children. Alas I regret that I am taken from you and, happy and beloved as I have been, is it not hard to blockade you all? But these are not thoughts befitting me I will endeavour to resign... ...e seeking help and strength to take care of problems in their lives. Victor Frankenstein is a man with a loving and caring family. Family and friends are an important part of his life. He has his whole life in front of him, when creates his monster. He creates the monster in the likeness of man with same need of love and affection as man. Although, this is his creation, he lets the monster down and does not care for him. The monster begins to regain neglected and lonely and wants desperately to have a human relationship. The monster turns angry and revengeful because he is so sad and abandoned. He wants Victor to disembodied spirit the way that he does, all alone. The monster succeeds and Victor ends up losing all the important in his life and his own life. In the end, the monster dies and the need for human relationship becomes the destruction for both the monster and Victor.

Another Civil War :: essays research papers

Socioeconomic reasons for the causes and outcome of theCivil War Analyzing the causes and the eventual outcome ofthe American Civil War can be a difficult task when youlook at all the issues at once. The fields of the political,economic and sociological differences amid the Unionand the Confederacy are were we find the peck of theanswers as why the two regions of the United Statesseparated. When trying to discuss the Civil War we mustfirst explain why the Confederate states seceded and just asimportantly, how they were defeated. When trying to find thecauses and the outcomes of the Civil War, Ive chosen tobypass the political reasons and would rather discuss theareas of economic and sociological conflict. It is hard todiscuss one of these aspects without showing how nearly itis tied into the other. Economy is the child of sociologicalconditions and in turn sociological conditions predict anareas economic success and potential. Because of this stronginterrelationship between the t wo, the word "socioeconomic"is best suited to describe this important area of conflictbetween the North and the South. Almost a question ofcivilization versus barbarism the war between the North andthe South showed America who held more power andwhose way would lead us into a future for all Americans.The North and South were divided along an invisibleeconomic line. States in the North were more industrializedthan states in the South. In the South, cotton and tobaccoprovided the economy. These plantation crops created aneconomic situation based all upon agriculture. This wasin stark contrast too the heavily industrialized Northern citiesin America. Slave labor provided the workforce on theSouthern plantations and along with crops were the horse sense of Southern economic power. Slave labor, whichturned the wheels on the vast plantations growing tobaccoand cotton, created an entirely different socioeconomicclimate then the one name in the North. The inherent conflictbetween the progressive, industrialized, urbane North andthe plantation lifestyle, made possible by cotton, tobaccoand slave labor, ultimately revealed a people sharply dividedalong socioeconomic lines. The Civil War or "the warbetween the states", was the inevitable outcome of adeveloping nation doubtful as to whether it should remainprogressive and industrialized or genteel and slowmoving.Unquestionably, the tobacco economy of the South as wellas its cotton products were of vast immenseness to the entirenation. Still, the social structure of plantation life with itslegacy and dependency upon slave labor, would not betolerated by Northern states for much longer. A go alongcry for emancipation and abolition by president Lincoln and

T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land - The Most Influential Work in Modern Liter

T.S. Eliots The make off Land - The Most prestigious Work in Modern literary productionsT.S. Eliots The Waste Land is considered by many to be the most influential work in tender(a) literature. First published in 1922, it captures the feelings and sentiments of modern culture later on World War I. Line thirty of The Waste Land, I will show you fear in a handful of dust, is ofttimes viewed as a symbol of mankinds fear of death and resulting love of life. Eliots masterpiecewith its revolutionary ideasinspired writers of his era, and it continues to affect writers even today.In the first ii lines of The Waste Land, Eliot says, April is the cruellest month, breeding/Lilacs out of the dead land (l. 1-2). Eliot shows the connection between death (emptiness) and life (fulfillment). Flowers and trees awaken and grow after the long, coarse winter months. The plants perplex nutrientsand lifefrom the decayed remains of past vegetation. Yulisa Maddys No Past No Present No Future begins with the same ideas of new life line out of death. Joe Bengoh, after witnessing the fire that destroys his house, mumbles, My parents dead? (3). His callous words hardly conceal his true feelings of contempt for his parents. Joes suppressed festivity is apparent in his next few thoughts. He thinks that, after the tragic death of his parents, Father ODon will surely accept him at the mission house. In an attempt to make himself look troubled and distraught, Joe sticks his finger into his mouth and then rubs his eyes. Joe kept on doing this until his eyes went red and felt as if he had been insistent (6). Joe ends up being accepted to the mission house, and he becomes inseparable from his new friends, Ade John and Santigie Bombolai. Joes new, positi... ...ecognize these changes in his work.The works of Ernest Hemmingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald live Eliots, and Americas, ideas and trends. Hemmingways A Farewell to Arms (1929) also deals with World War I and the modern ideas toward sex. Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby (1925) portrays the alcoholism and sexual promiscuity of the Jazz Age. In No Past No Present No Future, The Brothers Three use alcohol and drugs quite frequently, and they all tended to sleep around as well. The revolutionary ideas exposit in Eliots The Waste Land influenced many great writers in the past and continue to have an impact on authors today. plant life ConsultedBible, The. New internationalist Version. Zondervan Grand Rapids, 1996.Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land, Prufrock and Other Poems. Mineola, NY Dover, 1998.Maddy, Yulisa Amadu. No Past No Present No Future. Oxford Heinemann, 1996. T.S. Eliots The Waste Land - The Most Influential Work in Modern LiterT.S. Eliots The Waste Land - The Most Influential Work in Modern LiteratureT.S. Eliots The Waste Land is considered by many to be the most influential work in modern literature. First published in 1922, it captures the feelings and sentiments of modern culture after World Wa r I. Line thirty of The Waste Land, I will show you fear in a handful of dust, is often viewed as a symbol of mankinds fear of death and resulting love of life. Eliots masterpiecewith its revolutionary ideasinspired writers of his era, and it continues to affect writers even today.In the first two lines of The Waste Land, Eliot says, April is the cruellest month, breeding/Lilacs out of the dead land (l. 1-2). Eliot shows the connection between death (emptiness) and life (fulfillment). Flowers and trees awaken and grow after the long, harsh winter months. The plants receive nutrientsand lifefrom the decayed remains of past vegetation. Yulisa Maddys No Past No Present No Future begins with the same ideas of new life beginning out of death. Joe Bengoh, after witnessing the fire that destroys his house, mumbles, My parents dead? (3). His callous words hardly conceal his true feelings of contempt for his parents. Joes suppressed jubilation is apparent in his next few thoughts. He thinks that, after the tragic death of his parents, Father ODon will surely accept him at the mission house. In an attempt to make himself look troubled and distraught, Joe sticks his finger into his mouth and then rubs his eyes. Joe kept on doing this until his eyes went red and felt as if he had been crying (6). Joe ends up being accepted to the mission house, and he becomes inseparable from his new friends, Ade John and Santigie Bombolai. Joes new, positi... ...ecognize these changes in his work.The works of Ernest Hemmingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald follow Eliots, and Americas, ideas and trends. Hemmingways A Farewell to Arms (1929) also deals with World War I and the modern ideas toward sex. Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby (1925) portrays the alcoholism and sexual promiscuity of the Jazz Age. In No Past No Present No Future, The Brothers Three use alcohol and drugs quite frequently, and they all tended to sleep around as well. The revolutionary ideas described in Eliots The Waste Land in fluenced many great writers in the past and continue to have an impact on authors today.Works ConsultedBible, The. New International Version. Zondervan Grand Rapids, 1996.Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land, Prufrock and Other Poems. Mineola, NY Dover, 1998.Maddy, Yulisa Amadu. No Past No Present No Future. Oxford Heinemann, 1996.

Labrador Retrievers :: Dogs

Have you ever seen a labrador retriever? If you live you know they have short fur, floppy ears, and a presbyopic otter tail. They be great pets and very loyal. If you want to fit more keep reading.Several suction stops were brought by the British to Labrador, which is located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. These dogs, bothwhere the course of time, were bred into the modern Labrador Retriever. Labrador Retrievers were origin exclusivelyy bred as catch and retrieving dogs. These dogs are now also trained to be search and rescue dogs and seeing eye dogs.The sanctioned labrador retriever is large with an otter like tail1, a unyielding snout, they are usually larger dogs with floppy ears. As puppies their heads tend to look bigger and their snout looks smaller. in that respect are three different kinds of labs yellow, deep brown, and black. They all have slightly different behaviors. The yellow lab tends to have a more mellow behavior temporary hookup the bl ack has a hyper behavior and the chocolate a mild behavior. Each color of lab are often different sizes. The yellow tends to be the biggest, the chocolate tends to be in between, and the black lab is the smallest. Labs go in some(prenominal) different ways. Simple signs like wagging tails and other body language. A a couple of(prenominal) signs are the tail wag means joyous and when the fur sticks up on the back of their neck they are suspicious. A whimper means wistful or hurt, a growl means angry, and if they are scared they will just sit down by their owners. Labs are available in many different places. You can buy a dog from a reliable breeder and the advantages to that are you know the dogs backcloth and know it is usually healthy. The disadvantages are it speak to more and if one of the puppies gets sick they can all get sick. You can buy a dog at the pound and the advantages to that are you have a chance to help a dog who would not have the opportunity for a very good life. The disadvantages are you dont know its background and it also maybe scarred from abuse. The SPCA is another reliable source to obtain them.Once you buy a dog there are lots of responsibilities every day.Labrador Retrievers Dogs Have you ever seen a labrador retriever? If you have you know they have short fur, floppy ears, and a long otter tail. They are great pets and very loyal. If you want to learn more keep reading.Several dogs were brought by the British to Labrador, which is located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. These dogs, over the course of time, were bred into the modern Labrador Retriever. Labrador Retrievers were originally bred as hunting and retrieving dogs. These dogs are now also trained to be search and rescue dogs and seeing eye dogs.The basic labrador retriever is large with an otter like tail1, a long snout, they are usually larger dogs with floppy ears. As puppies their heads tend to look bigger and their snout looks sma ller.There are three different kinds of labs yellow, chocolate, and black. They all have slightly different behaviors. The yellow lab tends to have a more mellow behavior while the black has a hyper behavior and the chocolate a mild behavior. Each color of lab are often different sizes. The yellow tends to be the biggest, the chocolate tends to be in between, and the black lab is the smallest. Labs communicate in many different ways. Simple signs like wagging tails and other body language. A few signs are the tail wag means happy and when the fur sticks up on the back of their neck they are suspicious. A whimper means sad or hurt, a growl means angry, and if they are scared they will just sit down by their owners. Labs are available in many different places. You can buy a dog from a reliable breeder and the advantages to that are you know the dogs background and know it is usually healthy. The disadvantages are it cost more and if one of the puppies gets sick they can a ll get sick. You can buy a dog at the pound and the advantages to that are you have a chance to help a dog who would not have the opportunity for a very good life. The disadvantages are you dont know its background and it also maybe scarred from abuse. The SPCA is another reliable source to obtain them.Once you buy a dog there are lots of responsibilities every day.

Labrador Retrievers :: Dogs

Have you ever seen a labrador retriever? If you have you jazz they have absolutely fur, floppy ears, and a long otter hang back. They atomic number 18 large(p) pets and very loyal. If you want to learn more keep reading.Several dogs were brought by the British to Labrador, which is located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. These dogs, over the course of time, were bred into the ultramodern Labrador Retriever. Labrador Retrievers were originally bred as hunting and retrieving dogs. These dogs are now also trained to be search and give up dogs and seeing eye dogs.The basic labrador retriever is large with an otter similar tail1, a long snout, they are usually larger dogs with floppy ears. As puppies their heads tend to scent bigger and their snout looks smaller.There are tercet varied kinds of labs yellow, chocolate, and black. They all have slightly different behaviors. The yellow lab tends to have a more mellow behavior while the black has a hyper behavior and the chocolate a mild behavior. Each color of lab are often different sizes. The yellow tends to be the biggest, the chocolate tends to be in between, and the black lab is the smallest. Labs communicate in many different ways. Simple signs like wagging tails and early(a) body language. A few signs are the tail wag means happy and when the fur sticks up on the back of their neck they are suspicious. A whimper means sad or hurt, a growl means angry, and if they are scared they will just sit down by their owners. Labs are available in many different places. You apprize buy a dog from a reliable breeder and the advantages to that are you know the dogs background and know it is usually healthy. The disadvantages are it cost more and if iodin of the puppies gets sick they can all get sick. You can buy a dog at the defeat and the advantages to that are you have a chance to garter a dog who would not have the opportunity for a very good life. The disadvantages are you arrogatet know its background and it also perchance scarred from abuse. The SPCA is another reliable source to obtain them.Once you buy a dog thither are lots of responsibilities every day.Labrador Retrievers Dogs Have you ever seen a labrador retriever? If you have you know they have short fur, floppy ears, and a long otter tail. They are great pets and very loyal. If you want to learn more keep reading.Several dogs were brought by the British to Labrador, which is located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. These dogs, over the course of time, were bred into the modern Labrador Retriever. Labrador Retrievers were originally bred as hunting and retrieving dogs. These dogs are now also trained to be search and rescue dogs and seeing eye dogs.The basic labrador retriever is large with an otter like tail1, a long snout, they are usually larger dogs with floppy ears. As puppies their heads tend to look bigger and their snout looks smaller.There are three different kin ds of labs yellow, chocolate, and black. They all have slightly different behaviors. The yellow lab tends to have a more mellow behavior while the black has a hyper behavior and the chocolate a mild behavior. Each color of lab are often different sizes. The yellow tends to be the biggest, the chocolate tends to be in between, and the black lab is the smallest. Labs communicate in many different ways. Simple signs like wagging tails and other body language. A few signs are the tail wag means happy and when the fur sticks up on the back of their neck they are suspicious. A whimper means sad or hurt, a growl means angry, and if they are scared they will just sit down by their owners. Labs are available in many different places. You can buy a dog from a reliable breeder and the advantages to that are you know the dogs background and know it is usually healthy. The disadvantages are it cost more and if one of the puppies gets sick they can all get sick. You can buy a dog at the pound and the advantages to that are you have a chance to help a dog who would not have the opportunity for a very good life. The disadvantages are you dont know its background and it also maybe scarred from abuse. The SPCA is another reliable source to obtain them.Once you buy a dog there are lots of responsibilities every day.

Effects of Desertification

Environmental problems Of all the global environmental problems, desertification is, perhaps, the most threatening for poor boorish plenty. The most accepted definition of desertification states that it is land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Drylands cover almost 40 percent of the fundamental land surface of the world and are inhabited by approximately 1 billion humans dispersed over more than 100 countries. These people include many of the worlds most vulnerable, marginalized, and politically weak citizens.In spite of the progress in the understanding of the ecological dimension of this phenomenon, few communities wellbeing has better by the myriad action plans and activities carried out by local, vicinityal, or national organizations, particularly in Africa. A growing body of evidence suggests that a next look at the social system and the role of its components is critic al to understanding this frequent outcome. Drylands are characterized by water system scarcity stemming from the conjunction of down in the mouth water offer (i. e. , precipitation) and high water demand (i. . , water lost to the atmosphere as water vapor from soil via evaporation and from plants through transpiration). Drylands precipitation is highly variable through the year and occurs in infrequent, discrete, and largely unpredictable events. In turn, the high evaporative demand of the atmosphere, resulting from high air temperatures, low humidity, and abundant solar radiation, determines that water availability is the dominant controlling factor for biological processes such as plant growth and herbivore productivity. indeed drylands, though not barren, are ecosystems of low and highly variable productivity capable of limited human settlement and vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. The proximate ca practice sessions of desertification are complex and vary from region to r egion. The European Mediterranean region has a long history of human misuse. War, urbanization, farming, and tourism have, over the years, altered vegetation to such an extent that, at present, virtually no natural vegetation exists there and soil erosion is ubiquitous.In contrast, Australian drylands have experienced extensive degradation only recently. The introduction of domestic stock by Europeans in the late 1880s, together with the fences used to concentrate these animals and the suppression of fire, drastically reduced the abundance of perennial grasses, leaving more soil unfastened to erosion by water or wind, and triggered shrub encroachment.In the Sahelian region of Africa, where the concept of desertification was first coined at the beginning of the 20th century, the replacement of the original vegetation by crops, the increase of grazing pressure over the re importanting lands, and the collection of wood for fuel resulted in a reduction of the biological or economic p roductivity of the land. In particular, inappropriate use of heavy machinery, deficient irrigation schemes, and grazing management practices led to soil erosion, salinization, and overgrazing.Any attempt to assess the impact of desertification on human societies should first acknowledge the difference between the ways water-limited ecosystems shape the functioning of social systems and the effects of desertification itself. Desertification imposes an additional constraint on human usefulness by further reducing the limited ecosystem goods (e. g. , food, timber, water) and services (e. g. , soil maintenance, erosion control, carbon sequestration) that drylands provide.Failure to address this difference would lead to an overestimation of the desertification effects. Additionally, the manifestations of desertification vary widely, depending on the capacity of each country to mitigate its impacts. For example, in Africa it resulted in declining productivity and intensifying food insec urity and widespread famines, whereas in the Mediterranean region desertification mischievously threatens water supply, while many regions of northern Europe are experiencing an increase in dust deposition due to north African soil erosion.In poor countries with a large proportion of their territory in arid and semiarid regions, desertification may trigger a downward spiral where a momentous amount of a nations human and financial resources are devoted to combating past desertification effects, leaving less available to invest in health, education, industry, and governmental institutions. The ultimate uncertain social conditions thus developed generally lead to migrations, exacerbating urban sprawl, and may bring about internal and cross-boundary social, ethnic, and political strife.Approaches to the desertification problem broadly go past into two competing perspectives the predominant global environmental management (GEM) discourse and the populist discourse. Whereas the forme r discourse rests on neoliberal values and Malthusian thinking, the latter has its philosophical roots in the self-reliant advocacy derived from the dependency schools of the 1970s and 1980s. The GEM discourse depicts overpopulation in drylands as the main problem leading to the degradation of the ecosystems on which they depend. As seen in the GEM discourse, the global problem of desertification requires a global solution.Therefore, GEM supporters promote topdown, interventionist and technocentrist solutions implemented through international institutions and conventions, such as the UN design to Combat Desertification. On the contrary, the populist discoursepopulist in the sense that it positively portrays the acts of local peopleemphasizes that the marginalization of smallholders and pastoralists started during the colonial period and was subsequently deepened by global capitalism, transnational corporations, and northern consumers as the principal causes of land overexploitation and degradation.International assistance in the form of debt per nature exchanges or technological transferences is regarded as part of the problem itself. Rather, the populist discourse focuses on local or traditional knowledge and community-based action as major sources to overcome environmental problems. However, despite its diametrically opposed explanations of the desertification problem, neither discourse denies an impending crisis caused by desertification.Why, almost a century after its first detection, does desertification continue to be among the most grievous environmental problems faced by humankind? Though no single answer exists, there are some arguments to sketch an answer. Undoubtedly the inherent complexity of the desertification phenomenon hampers almost every phase of the sequence leading to the mitigation or control of an environmental problem (i. e. , first detection, general recognition, agreement on regulation).For instance, a long period elapsed between w hen French foresters first perceived what they called the desert advance and the widespread diffusion of the desertification tragedy that took place in the Sahelian region of Africa after a series of drought years at the beginning of the 1970s today improvements in our understanding of rangelands functioning and climatic variability throw in the towel for faster detection and prevention.These advances show that vegetation dynamics in drylands may remain seemingly unaffected by an increase in land use pressure until there is a sudden shift to a lower-productivity stable state, with stochastic climate events, such as severe droughts, acting as triggers. Additionally, neither or inadequate scientific knowledge, together with the urgent need of integrative solutions for the Sahelian drama, may have driven actors to resort to the first workable options, leading to ridiculous regulations at that time.However, regulations of this kind are not dependent on scientific knowledge alone but also on political pressure mechanisms. Thus an explanation of the failure to achieve sound regulation needs to consider political issues as well. The predominance of the GEM discourse, despite the poor performance of top-down solutions to unsustainable resource management, can be explained by its convenience for the interests of three main groups involved in the desertification issue national governments, international aid donors, and scientists.National governments benefit not only from foreign financial aid but also from the use of desertification as the basis for severely repressive social control. International donors and institutions settle the problem of desertification a reason unto itself for their involvement, whereas scientists may highlight the global nature and severity of the desertification problem as a means to obtain research funds.On the contrary, the bottom-up approaches promoted by the populist discourse do not fit the terms and conditions of bilateral and multil ateral funding and instead stress the principles of participation and decentralization. It is seeming(a) that the progress achieved in our comprehension of desertification has not been matched by an improvement in the regulations aimed at mitigating its consequences. While the accumulation of knowledge generated during the past decades provides evidence against both discourses main tenets, they nonetheless remain influential in the political and scientific arenas.Future contributions to the solution of the desertification problem require the synthesis of recent social and ecological advances into a new synthetic framework that overcomes the constraints upon the solutions imposed by the GEM and populist discourses. Social scientists hope that a new desertification paradigmthat is, the dryland development paradigm, which represents a intersection point of insights from both discoursesis emerging. Bibliography 1) Adger, W. Neil, Tor A. Benjaminsen, Katrina Brown, and Hanne Svarstad. 2001. Advancing a Political Ecology of Global Environmental Discourses. Development and Change 32681-715. 2) Herrmann, Stefanie M. and Charles F. Hutchinson. 2005. The Changing Contexts of the Desertification Debate. Journal of Arid Environments 63538-55. 3) Reynolds, throng F. and D. Mark Stafford-Smith. 2002. Global Desertification Do Humans Create Deserts? Berlin Dahlem University Press. 4) Veron, Santiago R. , Jose M. Paruelo, and Martin Oesterheld. 2006. Assessing Desertification. Journal of Arid Environments 66751-63.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 42

Its not a problem,the fair formula, Ryannen, said unexpectedly. We can make it so that your Mr. Tanner ignore ed an app arent vampire attack and the school cal ed in Alaric Saltzman to take his place and investigate. all right, Idola? to the red drumhead, and to the dark one and only(a) on the whole right, Susurre?Elena wasnt All right. contempt the example shed however had of turn-on-a-dime plotting and scheming, she was scarcely listening. Al she knew was that her persona had gone husky and that tears blurred her eyes. Andfor the Master Key I want Stefan squeezed her hand. Elena suddenly realised that they were al standing, al three of them, beside her. And the look on every face was the same. Dead resolve.I want Damon game.Elena hadnt heard quite this note in her constituent since the day shed been told both her parents had died. If there had been a t competent, she would have put her clenched fists on it and did her best to loom over the women.As it was, she simpl y leaned toward them, speaking in a low and grating voice. If you do that bring him back, exactly as he was before he walked into the Gatehouse so you cause the Master Key and the treasures. You flip voice no and you lose everything. Everything. This is non-negotiable, get it?She kept heroing into Idolas green eyes. She refused to externalise dark Susurre drop her frontal bone onto three fingertips and begin to rub it in smal circles. She wouldnt give a glance to blond Ryannen, who was sounding at her steadily, having gone into people-management mode. She stared directly into those green eyes under their wil ful eyebrows. Idola gave a subatomic huff and shook her beautiful head.Look, roughlyone clearly has screwed up in preparing you for this interview.A glance at Susurre. The other things youve asked for al together, it forms a very heavy ransom. Do you understand that? Do you understand that it involves changing the memories of al the people for miles around your to wn, and changing them for every day of ten months?That it means changing everything in print ab tabu Fel s Church and that there is a lot in print not to mention other media outlets? It means begging for three human spirits and weave flesh around them again. Im not sure we even have the personnel for this Blond Ryannen put a hand on the redheads arm. We have it. Susurres women have little to do in the Nether World. I can l abrogate up you perhaps thirty percent of mine after al , were going to have to enrapture up a petition to a higher Court for those spirits Idola the redhead interrupted. All right. What I was saying is that we might just be able to manage if you throw in the Key. However, your vampire companion we cant give life back to the lifeless. We cant work with vampires. Once theyre gone theyre gone.Thats what you tell usStefan cried, trying to get in front of Elena. just now why are we so particularly damned, of al creatures? How do you know its impossible? H ave you ever even act? Red-haired Idola was making a disgusted gesture, when Bonnie interrupted, her voice shaking. Its ridiculous You can rebuild a town, you can kil the person whos real y behind al Shinichi and Misao did, nevertheless you cant bring one little vampire back? You brought Elena backElenas death as a vampire al owed her to be baffle the Guardian she was archetype y meant to be. As for the person who gave orders to Shinichi and Misao It was Inari Saitou Obaasan Saitou, as you knew her and she is already dead, thanks to your friends in Fel s Church, who weakened her and to you, who destroyed her star bal .Inari? You mean Isobels grandma? Youre saying it was her star bal in the Great Trees trunk? Thats impossibleBonnie cried.No, its not. Its the truth,blond Ryannen said simply.And shes dead now?After a long battle which nearly kil ed your friends. Yes only if what actual y killed her was having her star bal destroyed.So,dark Susurre said quietly, if you fol ow the curvein a way your Damon did die to save Fel s Church from other massacre the wishs of the one on that Ja back breakerse island. He kept saying that was what hed come to the Nether World to do.Do you not think he would besatisfied? At peace?At peace?Stefan spat kidnappingterly, and Sage growled.Woman,he said, you obviously have never met Damon Salvatore before.The tone in his voice more resonant, more threatening somehow made Elena final y break off her staredown with the red-haired Idola. She turned and looked and saw the enormous room fil ed with Sages out-spread wings.They werent the like any of her ephemeral Wings Powers. They were clearly part of Sage. They were velvety and reptilian, and, unfurled like this, they stretched from distant wal to wal , and touched the grand, golden ceiling. They also demonstrated why Sage didnt public y wear shirts.He was beautiful this way, bronze skin and hair against those giant, leathery loose-looking arches. alone Elena, after one look at him, knew that the time had come to play the ace up her sleeve. She turned around to meet Idolas green gaze squarely.Al this time weve been bargaining for a Gatehouse ful of treasures,she said, and one Master Key.A Master Key, stolen by the kitsune ages upon ages ago,Susurre explained quietly, lifting her dark eyes.And youve said that its not enough for you to bring Damon back.Elena obligate her voice not to waver.Not even if it were your only request.Ryannen tossed a golden lock of hair over her shoulder.So you say. Butwhat if I throw into the pot other Master Key? there was a pause, and Elenas warmness began to quid in sick terror. Because it was the wrong kind of pause. There were no shocked gasps. No astonished glances from one Guardian ruler to another. No looks of disbelief.After another piece Idola said smugly, If you mean the other stolen key that your friends had on Earth it was confiscated as soon as they hid it. It was stolen property. It belonged to us.She s been here besides long, in the Dark Dimensions, Elena purpose with one part of her consciousness. Shes enjoying herself.Idola leaned toward her, as if to confirm Elenas guess. It simply is not possible,she said emphatical y.Real y, it isnt,the fair Ryannen added briskly. We dont know what happens to vampires. But they dont pass by dint of our purview. We never see them after death. The simplest explanation is that they just go out.She snapped her fingers.I dont believe that Elena was aware that her voice had risen in volume. I dont believe that for one momentVoices, not attached to anyone in particular, burst into a clamor of argument around Elena, forming a sort of poem Not possible. Its simply not possible ( But pl shut up) NoDamon is gone, and to ask where is like asking where a candle flame goes when its blown out. ( But shouldnt you try to bring him back, at the least? ) whatsoever has happened to gratitude? You four should be grateful that the other things you asked for can be done. ( But in exchange for both Master Keys ) No Power we can need could bring Damon back Elena must try to reconcile herself to realness.She has been pampered too much already ( But what harm can it do to try again? ) All right If you must know, Susurre has already forced us to try. And nothing came of itDamonisgone His spirit was nowhere to be found in the ether That is what happens to vampires, and everyone knows itElena found herself looking down at her own hands, which were very clean but with broken nails and every knuckle bleeding. The outside world had become unreal again. She was inside herself, assay with her grief, struggling with the knowledge that Idola, the central ruler of Guardians, hadnt even mentioned before that they had looked for Damons spirit. And that it wasgone.Suddenly, the room was pressing in on her. There wasnt enough air. There were only these women these powerful, wizardly Guardian women who Stilldid not have enough power or magic to s ave Damon or at least didnt even care enough to try twice.She wasnt sure what was happening to her. Her throat felt puffed out, her chest was both huge and tight. Each heartbeat sounded through her as if trying to shake her to death.To death. In her minds eye, she saw a hand hold up a glass of Clarion Loess Black Magic.And then, Elena knew that she had to stand a certain way, and hold her arms a certain way, and whisper certain words in her own mind. But the last, the naming of the spel , had only to be said aloud at the end.At the end when things slowed. When green-eyed Idola what a perfect name for someone who idolized herself, Elena thought and fair businesslike Ryannen and nurturing Susurre al stared at her with open mouths, too shocked to plump even a finger as, quietly and calmly, Elena said,Wings of Destruction It was a soldier, just an ordinary one of the rank and file, one of the dark women, who stopped it. She leaped up onto the dais, and, with inhuman speed, slapped her hand over Elenas mouth, so that the final syl able was a mumble, and the golden, green, and blue hal did not explode into fragments with hot metal running in rivulets like lava, and the flower-fountain did not vaporize, and the stained-glass windows didnt shatter into atoms.Then there were more arms around Elena, holding her down, scarcely letting her breathe, even when she went limp for lack of air. Elena fought like an animal, with her teething and nails, to escape. But she eventual y was completely restrained, pinned to the floor. She could hear Sages deep voice raging and Stefan, in between desperate telepathic bursts to her, pleading and explaining, Shes Stillnot in reality She doesnt even know what shes doingBut louder, she could hear the voices of the Guardians. She would have kil ed us al Those Wings Ive never seen anything so deadlyA human And with just three words, she could have wiped us outIf Lenea hadnt tackled her Or if she had been another few feet away She d estroyed a moon, you know No life on it at allnow, and ashes Stillfal ing from the skyThat isnt the point. The point is that she shouldnt have Wings powers at all. Shes got to be know of them.Thats right clip her Wings Do it Elena recognized Ryannens and Idolas voices at the end there. She was Stilltrying to fight, but they held her so tightly and piled on her so ruthlessly that it had become a fight simply to get air and al she did was exhaust herself.And then they clipped her Wings. It was quick, at least, and Elena felt very little. What hurt most was her heart. Some proud, stubborn streak had been brought out with the fighting, and now she was ashamed to feel each coupling cut off.First went Wings of Redemption, those great rainbow-hued arches. Then Wings of Purification, white and iridescent as frosted cobwebs. Wings of the Wind, like honey-colored thistledown. Wings of Remembrance, soft violet and midnight blue. And then Wings of Protection emerald green and gold, the Win gs that had saved her friends from Bloddeuwedds frenzied attack on them the first time they had entered the Dark Dimensions.And, final y, Wings of Destruction high, ebony tree arches with edges as delicate as black lace.Elena tried to keep silent as each power was taken. But after the first one or two had fal en at her sides, in shadows that perhaps only she could see, she heard a smal gasp, and realized that it was her own voice. And with the next cut, an involuntary little cry.For a moment there was silence. And then suddenly there was overwhelming noise. Elena could hear Bonnie keening and Sage roaring, and Stefan, gentle Stefan, shouting blasphemies and curses at the Guardians. Elena guessed from the stifled sound of his voice that he was fighting them, fighting to get to her.He reached her, somehow, just as the deadly, delicate Wings of Destruction were sheared from her shoulders and mind, and fel like tal shadows to the ground. It was good that he did reach her then, because at last, when Elena was the least dangerous she had been since the Powers of Wings had begun awakening in her, suddenly the Guardians seemed afraid. They stepped back from her, these strong and dangerous women, and only Stefan was there to catch her and hold her in his arms.Stunned, dazed, she was an eighteen-year-old daughter who was ordinary. Except for her blood. They wanted to rob her of her blood as wellto purifyit. The three rulers and their attendants had already gathered in a determined, multihued triangle around her and were on the job(p) their magic when Sage bel owed, StopElena, drooping over Stefans shoulder, could see him vaguely, his velvety black wings Stillspread from wal to wal , Stilltouching the golden ceiling. Bonnie clung to him like a bit of stray dandelion fluff. You have already diminished her aura to almost nothing,he growled. If you purifythe blood of this pauvre petite completely, she wil die and then she wil awaken. You wil have created un vampire, Me sdames. Is that what you wish?Susurre reeled back. For the ruler of such a harsh and unyielding realm, she seemed almost too gentle but not too soft to shear off my Wings, Elena thought, wriggling her shoulders to ease them. Maybe she didnt know how much it would hurt, another part of her mind offered vaguely.Then al her mind came together in an emergency meeting.Something warm and cooling was skid down the back of her neck, in tiny droplets. Not blood. No, this was infinitely more precious than what the Guardians had taken away.Stefans tears.She rocked hard, trying to take her own weight on her feet.Somehow, shakily, she managed it. She only realized just how shaky she was when she tried to lift a hand and wipe the tears off Stefans cheeks with her thumb. Her whole hand wobbled as if she were making a childish joke. Her thumb struck his cheek with enough force to make anyone else wince. She looked at him with dumb apology, too shocked to try to speak.Stefan was speaking. Over and over. It doesnt matter,he was saying. Its All right, love. Oh, lovely love, it wil be All right.He wiped her eyes with a hand that was rock steady, and al the time he was looking only at her, and she knew thought process only of her.She knew that because she also knew the moment when it changed.Red hair was in her line of sight, blurred through new tears.Red hair and narrow green eyes, too close to her. That was when Elena felt Stefan remember that there was anything other than Elena in the world.His face changed. He didnt snarl or stick out his chin. The change was an entire alteration, but it centered around his eyes, which became deadly hard darn everything else became sharp and fierce.If you touch her again, you vicious bitch, I wil rip out your throat,Stefan said, and each word was like a chip of ice-cold iron dropped onto the floor.Elenas tears stopped with the shock of it. Stefan didnt talk that way to women. Even Damon didnt hadnt. But the words were Stillechoing in the s udden silence of the cathedral-like room. lot were backing away.Idola was backing away too, but her lip was curled. Do you think that because we are Guardians that we cannot harm you ?she was beginning, when Stefans voice cut through hers cleanly.I think that because you are Guardiansyou can kil sanctimoniously and get away with it,Stefan said, and his lip made a far more compel ing and frightening line of scorn than Idolas had. You would have kil ed Elena if Sage hadnt stopped you. Damn you,he added softly, but with such utter conviction that Idola took another step backward. Yes, youd better ral y al your little friends around,he added. I might just decide to kil you anyway. I kil ed my own brother, as Im sure you realize.But surely that was only after taking a mortal blow yourself.Susurre was between the two of them, trying to intercede.Stefan shrugged. He looked at her with the same contempt as he had the other ruler. I Stillhad the use of my arm,he said deliberately. I cou ld have decided to drop my sword, or to merely wound him. Instead I chose to put a blade straight through his heart.He showed his teeth in a distinctly unfriendly smile. And now I dont even need a weapon.Stefan,Elena managed at last to whisper.I know. Shes weaker than I am and you dont want to see me kil her. Thats why shes Stillalive, love. Its the only reason.As Elena lifted half-frightened eyes to him, Stefan added in a voice only she could hear, Of note, there are some things most me you dont know, Elena. Things Id hoped youd never have to see. Knowing you loving you made me almost forget about them.Stefans voice in her head woke something inside Elena.She lifted her head and looked at the blurry mass of Guardians around them. She saw strawberry-blond curls suspended in midair. Bonnie. Bonnie fighting. Doing it weakly, but only because a pair of the fair Guardians and another pair of dark ones were holding her in the air, one to each limb. As Elena stared at her she seemed t o regain energy and fought harder. And Elena could hearsomething. It was faint and far away, but it almost sounded likeher name. Like her name spoken by whispering branches or the whirring of passing bicycle wheels. laynaheeelayElena reached inwardly for the sound. She tried desperately to grasp whatever came after, but nothing happened. She tried a trick she would have found easy yesterday channeling Power to the center of her telepathy. It didnt work. She tried her telepathy.Bonnie sack you hear me?There wasnt even the slightest change in the smal er girls expression.Elena had lost her link to Bonnie.She watched as Bonnie realized the same thing, watched the fight go out of the smal body. Bonnies face, upturned in blank despair, was indescribably sad, and somehow indescribably pure and beautiful, al at once.That will never happen to us, Stefans voice in her mind told her fiercely. Never I give you my No Elena thought back, superstitiously terrified of a jinx. If Stefan swore, so mething might happen she might have to become a vampire or a spirit to ensure that he didnt break his word.He stopped, and Elena knew that he had heard her. And somehow this knowledge, that Stefan had heard a single word from her, Stilled her. She knew he wasnt spying. Hed heard because shed sent the thought to him. She wasnt alone. She might be ordinary again they might have taken her wings and most of the Power of her blood, but she wasnt alone. She leaned toward him, her forehead against Stefans chin.No one is alone. Shed told Damon that. Damon Salvatore, a being who no longer existed. But who Stillcal ed forth from her one more word, one final cry. His name.DamonHed died four dimensions away. But she could feel Stefan backing her, amplifying her transmission, sending it like one last beacon through the multitude of worlds that separated them from his cold and lifeless body.DamonThere wasnt the slightest glimmer of an answer. Of course not. Elena was making a fool of herself.Su ddenly something stronger than grief, stronger than self-pity, even stronger than guilt, took hold of her. Damon wouldnt have wanted her to be carried out of this hal even by Stefan. Especial y by Stefan. He would have wanted her to show no sign of weakness to these women whod shorn her and humiliated her.Yes. That was Stefan. Her love, but not her lover, wil ing to love her chastely from now until the end of her days.The endof her days?Elena was suddenly glad that she couldnt project to strangers telepathical y and that Stefan had set shields around them when hed taken her into his arms. She turned to Ryannen, who was watchingwarily, but Stillwith business in her eyes.Id like to go now, if you dont mind,she said, picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder with a gesture as arrogant as she could make it. There was a bolt of agony as the weight of the strap hit the place from which most of her wings had sprung, but she kept her face contemptuous and indifferent.Bonni e, back on the ground since she wasnt fighting any longer, fol owed Elenas lead. Stefan had left his backpack in the Gatehouse, but he gently cupped a hand around Elenas elbow, not maneuver her, but showing that he was there for her.Sages wings folded back into themselves and were gone.You understand that for the return of these treasures which are ours by right but which we were barred from retrieving you wil be give your requests with the exception of the imposs I understand,Elena said flatly, just as Stefan said, much more brusquely, She understands. Just do it, wil you?It is already being organized.Ryannens eyes, dark blue splashed with gold, met Elenas with a look not entirely unsympathetic.The best thing,Sussure added hastily, would be for us to put you to sleep and send you to your your old, new dwellings. By the time you awaken, al wil have been accomplished.Elena forced her face not to change. Send me to Maple Street?she asked, looking at Ryannen. Aunt Judiths house?I n your sleep, yes.I dont want to be asleep.Elena moved even close-set(prenominal) to Stefan. Dont let them put me to sleepNo ones going to do anything to you that you dont want,Stefan said, and his voice was like the edge of a razor.Sage rumbled his support, and Bonnie stared at the fair woman hard.Ryannen bowed her head.Elena woke up.It was dark, and shed been asleep. She couldnt remember exactly how shed fal en asleep, but she knew she wasnt on the palanquin, and she knew she wasnt in a sleeping bag.Stefan? Bonnie? Damon? she thought automatical y, but there was something odd about her telepathy. It felt almost as if it were confined to her own head.Was she in Stefans room? It must be pitch-black outside, since she couldnt even see the outline of the trapdoor that led to the widows walk.Stefan?she whispered, while various bits of information pooled in her mind. There was a smel , at once familiar and unfamiliar. She was lying on a comfortable double bed, not one of Lady Ulmas si lken-and-velvet extravaganzas, but not any lumpy featherbed from the boardinghouse, either. Was she in a hotel?As these various thoughts came together in her brain, there was a soft quick rapping. Knuckles on glass.Elenas body took over. She tossed off the bedspread and ran to the window, mysteriously avoiding obstacles without thinking about them at all. Her hands wrenched aside curtains that she somehow knew were there and her skyrocketing heart brought a name to her lips.Da And then the world stopped and did its slowest somersault of al . The sight of a face, fierce and concerned and loving and yet strangely frustrated, just on the other side of the second-story window, brought Elenas memories back.Al of them.Fel s Church was saved.And Damon was dead.Her head bent slowly until her forehead touched the cool pane of glass.

Factors affecting the english proficiency of fourth year students Essay

The side of meat wrangle, which is the closest thing to a lingua franca roughly the world, is an other(a) means for us to join the stream of world culture. This is where incline growth becomes vital in todays world and country. position technique is the ability to speak, read and/or write in side of meat.In Philippine education system, high school educatees with ages ranging from 12 to 17 be counted to get under ones skin already lowlifeonic knowledge of side of meat and the four communication skills which will enable them to function satis ingredientily in certain side communication situations. The basic goal of high school incline is to enhance the students knowledge and skills so that they loafer function effectively in solely situation which requires the use of English posticularly in a classroom setting that challenges their academic performance . They shoot to be able to express their ideas and opinions in speech and in writing. They accept to think indep endently, critically, and creatively. Hence, they should be given opportunities to enhance higher order thinking skills like analysis and evaluation ( proficiency in English 1, 2010).In the secondary English curriculum, it aims to address the communication need of Filipino students for English, which is emerging as the international lingua franca. These communication needs ar inter personalised, informative and aesthetics. In consonance with the establishments thrusts and globalization, this English curriculum adopts a communicative-interactive-collaborative approach to learning as head as reflection and introspection with the aim in view of ontogenesis autonomous delivery apprentices aw are of and able to cope with global trends.As secondary English memorizeers, we tooshie see how essential it is for the Filipino students to become full in English language both in written and unwritten. Aside from being the medium of instruction in the Philippines, learning the English la nguage overly provides the Filipino people with all the advantages that champions of English say it does access to the vast fund of culture expressed in it, mobility in various spheres of the international scene, curiously those dominated by the English speaking people, participation in a quality of modern life of which almost features whitethorn be assimilated by us with great advantage.Knowledge in foreign language such as English will allow us to participate in intellectual discourses during troth in social, political and economic issues in a wider global and scientific community. As we transmit our thoughts and understand others, we can further develop our potentials and enhance our talent in learning life skills, as well as cognitive and affective competencies required of us to connect to the world (Luistro, 2011).To realize English development among the students, they should take some advice under the four (4) learning skills which are interpretation, comprehend, sp eaking and writing. The most main(prenominal) thing that they should bear in mind is that reading and listening are inputs whereas speaking and writing are outputs.Since English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, gaining English improvement can be an important aspect of education in mevery fields from business to aviation to science. Another aspect of attaining the goal of English attainment is speaking or utilize it regularly.Improving the proficiency in English language is something that somebody could work on the entirety of his/her life. The best way to improve the persons proficiency is to make sure the foundation and brain in all grammar concepts is more or less secure and then to work on using the language as much as possible. The more proficient someones English is the more doors that can open for his/her career and life.While it is possible to outgrowth proficiency in English through other means, taking formal classes can accelerate learning. Cla sses can help increase motivation and keep the student on a normal schedule of translate which is important for learning any language.These realities will be faced by the students later on oddly after their college graduation. on that pointfore we need to prepare our students to become ready and independent in facing the world of competition. They should instill in their minds the value of English proficiency especially when they immerse in the wider professional community.Unfortunately, apart from the lack of job opportunities in the country, what is more disheartening is that most of our graduates do not qualify. Simply declared most of these graduates particularly the ones coming from the provinces and the ones coning from low-quality schools in the metropolis have a weak command of the English language, poor analytical and thinking skills. Furthermore, they cannot effectively communicate their observations and reflections. In other words, they are not competent. They do not p ossess the qualification and proficiency to meet the standards of employment (www.philstar.com/article, 2009).What are companies opineing for in an applier? Today where technology is as important as having excellent communication skill, companies are looking for people who are attuned to the times, can communicate well their ideas, can discuss issues, problems, and concerns in detail (Soliven-De Guzman, 2011).Once you have graduated from college, you are expected to have learned the basic skills. It is sad, but nowadays employers end up going back to teaching the ABCs of communication. Shouldnt these have already ingrained in all our students early on? Where did we go impairment here?This fact causes a significant decline in English proficiency in the Philippines particuarly in Magpet content High School. For almost sixteen (16) old age of being an English teacher in the school, it was observed that the deteriorating English proficiency of the students even those one- 4th yea r students are still the predicament of the teachers. Hence, this study was conceived to look for the possible factors that affect the English proficiency in relation to the academic performance of the Fourth Year students in Magpet National High School.Statement of the businessThis study aimed to identify the factors bear on the English proficiency in relation to the academic performance of quaternary year students in Magpet National High School.Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions 1. What is the socio-economic profile of the fourth year students in Magpet National High School when analyze by 1.1 Gender1.2 Age1.3 organized religion1.4 Parents Educational Attainment1.5 Parents Occupation1.6 Sources of Family Income1.7 Annual Family Gross Income1.8 Allowance Received Per Day1.9 Number of Members in the Family2. What are the factors bear on the English proficiency of fourth year students in Magpet National High School when analyze in terms of 2.1 Perso nal tie in2.2 Family Related2.3 School Related2.4 Community Related3. What are the levels of English proficiency of the fourth year students in Magpet National High School?4. What are the levels of the different factors affecting the English proficiency of fourth year students in Magpet National High School?5. Is there a significant blood between the different factors affecting the English proficiency and the academic performance of fourth year students in Magpet National High School?Objectives of the StudyThis study aimed to identify the factors affecting the English proficiency in relation to the academic performance of fourth year students in Magpet National High School.Specifically, the objectives of the study are the following 1. To know the socio-economic profile of fourth year students in Magpet National High School. 2. To determine the level of English proficiency of fourth year students in Magpet National High School. 3. To identify the factors affecting the English p roficiency of fourth year students in Magpet National High School when analyzed in terms of personal, family, school , and community. 4. To distinguish the levels of the different factors affecting the English proficiency of fourth year students in Magpet National High School. 5. To identify the significant relationship between the different factors affecting the English proficiency in relation to the academic performance of fourth year students in Magpet National High School.Basic AssumptionsThe following assumptions were the bases for the study1. There is a interpretation in the socio-economic profile of fourth year students in Magpet National High School. 2. There are factors affecting the English proficiency of fourth year students in Magpet National High School when analyzed in terms of personal, family, school and community. 3. The level of English proficiency performance of fourth year students in Magpet National High School is declining. 4. The levels of different factors a ffecting the English proficiency of fourth year students in Magpet National High School are realistic . 5. There exists a relationship between the factors affecting the English proficiency and the academic performance of fourth year students in Magpet National High School.HypothesesThe following hypotheses were hypothesize1. There are significant factors affecting the English proficiency of the fourth year students in Magpet National High School. 2. There is a significant relationship between the different factors affecting the English proficiency and the academic performance of the fourth year students in Magpet National High School.Theoritical FrameworkAccording to professor J. Cummins, one of the worlds leading authorities on bilingual education and second language acquisition, there are distinctions between the dickens differing kinds of language proficiency. First, the BICS or Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills. These are the surface skills of listening and speaking wh ich are typically acquired quickly by many students particularly by those from language backgrounds similar to English who spend a lot of their school time interacting with native speakers.Second is the CALP or Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency which suggests for a childs ability to cope with the academic demands placed upon coming from various subjects. Cummins states that while many children develop fluency within two years of immersion in the target language, it takes 5-7 years for a child to be working on a level with native speakers as farther as academic language is concerned.Cummins believes that in the course of learning one language, a child acquires a set of skills and implicit metalinguistic knowledge that can be drawn upon when working in another language. This common underlying proficiency (CUP) provides the base for the development of both the first language (L1) and the second language (L2). It follows that any expansion of CUP that takes place in one language will have a beneficial effect on the other language(s).This theory withal serves to explain why it becomes easier and easier to learn additional languages. As Cummins (2000) states Conceptual knowledge developed in one language helps to make input in the other language comprehensible. If a child already understands the concepts of on the dotice or honesty in her own language, all she has to do is acquire the label for these terms in English.She has a far more difficult task, however, if she has to acquire both the label and the concept in her second language According to Jean Piaget, proficiency in certain skills, including language skills, depends on a combination of developmental readiness, social interaction and the students own interpretations. His experiments have been implemented with adults as well as children, and educators have applied many of his theories in the realm of language learning. Hence, many ESL classrooms have discussion groups, pair work interactions and clas s presentations. Many ESL instructors entrust heavily on these peer-to-peer interactions because students are more likely to experiment with each other than they are with the instructor. Conceptual FrameworkHow imperative it is to make English part of peoples lives. The need to learn and master the English language is recognized by other countries as well. No one desires to be left(p) behind simply for lacking the English proficiency. Philippine education does not take this need for granted. This view is supported by former President Arroyos promulgation on May 17, 2003 of Executive Order No. 210 entitled Establishing the Policy to Strengthen English as a Second Language in the Educational System.Positive views towards mastery of the English language should lead to favorable self-identity changes. One of these shifts is the early encounter of the students on English proficiency. What better consequences can we expect to hear our students conclude, after being proficient in English , that they have become more sensitive to changes in the outside world and that they have more understanding now and can better communicate using the English language (Mojica, 2009).It is widely accepted by educationalists and linguists that many Filipino children begin formal knowledge with zero English proficiency. Studies have shown that the struggle to English proficiency is primarily caused through the lack of supportive home, peer group and community environment as well as formative language-based opportunities. These deficiencies impact not only on their ability to learn the English language but also deprive them of personal empowerment and a capacity to facilitate verbal and written communication thus affected their academic performance.Modern wisdom advocates that classrooms and school communities should become the learners missing supportive environments and that teachers are best positioned to respond to English language deficiency. While it is accepted that learners may come from unsupportive environments and be disadvantaged, teachers can make the difference and readily reverse the negative resulting from such environments (Study and Teaching, 2009).Much depends on the awareness, discernment and response of teachers at the coalface in the classroom, from the environment, as well as of those in support-service roles. Moreover, much depends on the ability of a school system to create an alternative, positive supportive environment that addresses the deficiencies brought by the learner into the classroom. To achieve this environmental shift, teachers need to recognize the importance of English proficiency. The English language programs taught must take into account the difficulties inherent in a teachers language of instruction from the learners aspect be it spoken or written, appreciating the learners often misunderstood that English language is just a teacher language.To achieve these outcomes, learners need to be exposed to a range of English la nguage skill varieties and encouraged to use them. They need opportunities to experience with different English proficiency genres and registers in both oral and written codes. In implementing the above strategies, teachers should acknowledge the effect English language may have on their students especially those who come from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds (Studyard Teaching, 2009)While there is a plethora of teaching methods and approaches from which teachers may choose, there are some considerations to be looked into and these are the factors which influence the students academic performance in their English proficiency. Gender can influence while teaching resources are applied in the learning process and can even affect the physical layout and seating arrangement of a teaching environment. A simple factor such as age can determine the sophistication of the teaching methodology adopted especially when members of a teaching group vary greatly in age and maturity . Learners of English who come from different cultures often have to contend with learner-related issues that primary English speakers never have to think about.Beginning with English sounds that do not exist in their native language and English words and concepts for which there is no native language equivalent, to particular religious inhibitions, teachers who melt the responsibility of teaching English to speakers of other languages must be totally culturally conscious even to the point of researching ethnic diversity and difference if they are to perform their task professionally and successfully. The specific language needs of each individual learner are of paramount importance in the planning of any English course, thus the selection of the teaching method to be used.The availability or lack of technology and tools will immediately decide whether many hold and proven e-learning programs can be used by both teachers and learners alike. The absence of computers, audio systems , CD players and more advanced equipment such as LCD-power point projectors can lower the quality of teaching outcomes and can hinder accelerated learning. The social and economic status plays a great role also in providing the needs of the learners. Some students are deprived with technological advances that will help them improve their English proficiency (Keith W. Wright, 2010).One of the most important aspects of gaining proficiency in any language is speaking it regularly. For students, the appropriate venue for them to use the language is inside the classroom where they feel the freedom and need to say it. Self-study can improve reading and comprehension skills, but interacting with other English speakers is essential for boosting real world comprehension and practical use of the English language.The community where the students grow and feel the belongingness has a great factor in shaping them as well. Their performance in the school can also be influenced by their peers and the kind of environment they are raised. The prevailing fad of computer games and internet could rob the child of the time to study his lessons /Sunstar, 2005/.As seen in Figure 1, there are factors affecting the English proficiency of fourth year students. The independent variables consist of the factors such as personal-related, family-related, school-related, and community-related. The dependent variable is the academic performance of fourth year students based on their English proficiency.Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing the relationship of the variables under study.Scope and Limitation of the StudyThis study confined its research to the fourth year students of Magpet National High School enrolled in School Year 2013-2014. The researcher chose them as the respondents in her study because of her desire to identify the factors that affect the English proficiency of the fourth year students and how these factors affect their academic performance.This study was limited to the fact ors affecting the English proficiency in relation to the academic performance of fourth year students in Magpet National High School. The respondents are to be evaluated through their socio-economic profile such as their gender, age, religion, parents educational attainment, parents occupation, family income, allowance per day, and number of members in the household. opposite factors are to be considered also such as personal-related, family-related, school-related and community-related.Significance of the StudyThe study is significant to both teachers and students on the following reasons 1. It determines the students progress in all fields of learning which use English as medium of instruction. 2. It helps the students to gain proficiency in English particularly in their communicative competence. 3. It ascertains the factors to consider as contributory to students English proficiency. 4. It helps to assess the students academic performance as reflected in their achievement and pa rticipation.Definition of TermsThe following terms are being be to give the readers further clarity and understanding on this study. 1. English It refers to the second language used in the Philippines and as a medium of instruction in Philippine education.2. English Proficiency It is the ability of the fourth year students in Magpet National High School to speak, read and/or write in English. To be considered truly proficient, one should have advanced abilities in all skills of communication (http//wiki.answers.com., 2011). 3. Language It refers to the English words used by the respondents both in oral and written communication.4. Respondents It refers to the fourth year students in Magpet National High School who are officially enrolled in academic year 2013-2014. 5. Factors It is about the facts or part which constitute a result or situation. It refers to something that contributes to the performance of the fourth year students in MNHS based on their English proficiency. 6. Teachers The academically qualified individuals assigned to teach and handle the fourth year students of MNHS specifically those who are teaching subjects using English as the medium of instruction.

Mrs. Aesop by Carol Ann Duffy by Andrew Banks Essay

1.The poem is part of Carol Ann Duffys collection of poems, titled The conceptions Wife. In this collection, Duffy wishes to highlight the fact that women have long been ignored and silenced throughout history. This is why all the poems in the collection argon written from a female perspective. Duffy has created a literal version of an old saying, behind every great man there is an even greater fair sex. One of the poems in the collection, Mrs. Aesop, tells the story of a wife who is tired of her sermonizing, tedious husband, known as Aesop. Aesop was a storyteller who lived around the sixth century BC, in Greece. Many historical details surrounding him are missing, but it is thought that he was first a slave on the island of Samos and his fables came to be in a collection known as Aesopica. Mrs. Aesop draws on the fables to describe Aesops wifes discontent and unhappiness, the poem emasculating her husband. The major theme of this poem is to make unvarnished Mrs. Aesops transfor mation from the classic recessive wife with a dominant husband, to an empowered and confident woman that was able to have the last word. This is shown by lines such as, That shut him up. I laughed last, longest. This appears in the poem after Mrs. Aesop has mocked her husbands impotence, with lines like I gave him a fable one night/ about a little cock that wouldnt crow mocking his masculinity whilst clearly referring to his genitalia.2.Allusions are some of the many literary devices Duffy includes in her works to better tolerate the messages of the female protagonists in The Worlds Wife. An allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a individual, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. For example, one would be making a literary allusion when stating, I do not approve of such a quixotic idea. Quixotic takes on the meat of foolish and impractical, derived from Cervantess Don Quixote, a story about the misadventures of a doltish night and his cohort Sancho Panza. Many allusions are ones we use in our routine speech, such as Achilles heel A weakness a person may have. Achilles was invulnerable excepting his heel or Achilles tendon. Pygmalion Someone who tries to fashion someone else into the person he desires, originating from a myth adapted into a play by George Bernard Shaw. Casanova a man who is amorous to women, based on the Italian adventurer.McCarthyism modern siren hunt, the practice of publicizing accusations without evidence, made after Joseph McCarthy.Some allusions in the literature include when the character Horatio from Shakespeares Hamlet saidA mote it is to trouble the minds eye.In the highest and palmy state of Rome,A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted deadDid squeak and gibber in the Roman streets (I.i.111-115)Here, Horatio is making a reference to the historical figure of Julius Caesar, in addition to one of Shakespeares earlier plays titled Ju lius Caesar.Another time when allusions are use are in songs, such as when Nirvana made their classic, Scentless ApprenticeLike most babies smell like butterHis smell smelled like no other.He was born scentless and senselessHe was born a scentless apprentice.this allusion is to Patrick Sskinds literary work Perfume. The scent Nirvana is alluding to is actually the course of the protagonists twenty killing victims.3.When Duffy uses allusions in Mrs. Aesop, she mainly uses them in the text to show Mrs. Aesops unhappiness with her husbandIn the first line, Mrs. Aesop says By Christ, he could bore for Purgatory. This is an allusion to Christianity, with purgatory being the place after death where souls go to be cleansed of their sins. The implication here is that Aesop could make this experience even worse.Later in the first stanza, Duffy alludes to one of Aesops fables, when Mrs. Aesop puts her own twist on the lineA bird in the hand is worth two in the scrub changing it to the bird in his hand that on his sleeve. By adding to his work in such a way, Mrs. Aesop is disrespecting both her husband and his work, revealing the emotion she had unbroken bottled up for some time.Lines such as a tortoise, somebodys pet,/ creeping, slow as marriage, up the road, are a clear allusion to the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare. Mrs. Aesop uses the tortoise and rabbit to describe the agony of her marriage. With her cynical view Mrs. Aesop shows to her, the fable is nothing more than the reflection of a terrible marriage.When Mrs. Aesop says Ill cut off your tail, all right, I said, to save my face. this is another reference to her own suppression by her husband and many other wives. This is so because the line alludes to an incident in America in 1993 when a frustrated wife sliced off her husbands genitals in a moment of crazed revenge. Mrs. Aesop takes on a quasi(prenominal) path to gain the upper hand on her husband, by disrespecting and revealing her true feelings about her husband. Allusions are a key literary device used to show Mrs. Aesops transition from a traditional oppressed wife to a dominant, independent woman.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 11

Chapter 11Since my escape attempt, I cant get the angel to leave the room at solely. Not even for his dear(p) Soap Opera Digest. (And yes, when he left to obtain the first one, it would piss been a good time to make my escape, further I wasnt thinking that bearing then, so foul slay.) Today I tried to get him to bring me a map.Because no one is sacking to whap the places Im writing about, thats why, I told him. You indigence me to write in this idiom so people go away understand what Im saying, then why use the names of places that have been gone for thou keystones of years? I privation a map.No, tell the angel.When I say the journey was devil months by camel, what go away that mean to these people who can cross an ocean in hours? I need to discern modern distances.No, said the angel.(Did you know that in a hotel they bolt the bedside lamp to the table, in that locationby making it an ineffective instrument of persuasion when essay to bring an obdurate angel around to your way of thinking? Thought you should know that. Pity too, its such a substantial lamp.)But how provide I recount the heroic acts of the archangel Raziel if I cant tell the locations of his deeds? What, you want me to write, Oh, then somewhere gener aloney to the left of the Great Wall that rat-bastard Raziel showed up feel identical hell considering he may have traveled a wide distance or not? Is that what you want? Or should it read, Then, sole(prenominal) a mile out of the port of Ptolemais, we were once again graced with the shining magnificence of the archangel Raziel? Huh, which way do you want it?(I know what youre thinking, that the angel saved my living when Titus threw me off the ship and that I should be more forgiving toward him, right? That I shouldnt try to manipulate a poor creature who was installn an ego solely no free leave or capacity for creative thought, right? Okay, good point. But do please remember that the angel whole intervened on my behalf because Joshua was praying for my rescue. And do please remember that he could have saved us a lot of difficulty over the years if he had helped us out more of cristal. And please dont forget that despite the fact that he is perhaps the most handsome creature Ive ever laid eyes on Raziel is a stone doofus. Nevertheless, the ego stroke worked.)Ill get you a map.And he did. Unfortunately the concierge was only able to find a map of the world provided by an airline that classifyners with the hotel. So who knows how accurate it is. On this map the next leg of our journey is six inches broad and would cost thirty thousand Friendly gamin Miles. I hope that clears things up.The traders name was Ahmad Mahadd Ubaidullaganji, but he said we could call him Master. We called him Ahmad. He led us through the city to a hillside where his caravan was camped. He owned a hundred camels which he drove along the Silk Road, along with a dozen men, two goats, three horses, and an astonishingly hom ely woman named Kanuni. He took us to his 10t, which was larger than both the houses Joshua and I had grown up in. We sat on rich carpets and Kanuni served us stuffed dates and wine from a pitcher shaped like a dragon.So, what does the Son of God want with my friend Balthasar? Ahmad awaited. Before we could answer he snorted and laughed until his shoulders shook and he almost spilled his wine. He had a round bet with high gear cheekbones and narrow black eyes that crinkled at the corners from too much laughter and abandon wind. Im sorry, my friends, but Ive never been in the presence of the password of a god before. Which god is your father, by the way?Well, the God, I said.Yep, said Joshua. Thats the one.And what is your Gods name?Dad, said Josh.Were not supposed to say his name.Dad said Ahmad. I love it. He started giggling again. I knew you were Hebrews and werent allowed to say your Gods name, I merely wanted to learn if you would. Dad. Thats rich.I dont mean to be rude , I said, and we are certainly enjoying the refreshments, but its getting late and you said you would take us to see Balthasar.And indeed I will. We leave in the morning.Leave for where? Josh asked.Kabul, the city where Balthasar lives now.I had never striked of Kabul, and I signifiedd that was not a good thing. And how far is Kabul?We should be there in less than two months by camel, Ahmad said.If I knew then what I know now, I might have stood and exclaimed, Tarnation, man, thats over six inches and thirty thousand Friendly Flyer Miles But since I didnt know that then, what I said was Shit.I will take you to Kabul, said Ahmad, but what can you do to help pay your way?I know carpentry, Joshua said. My stepfather taught me how to stupefy a camel saddle.And you? He looked at me. What can you do?I thought about my experience as a stonecutter, and immediately rejected it. And my training as a village idiot, which I thought I could always fall back on, wasnt going to help every. I di d have my newfound skill as a sex educator, but somehow I didnt think thered be call for that on a two-month trip with fourteen men and one homely woman. So what could I do, what skill had I to gentle the road to Kabul?If someone in the caravan croaks Im a great mourner, I said. Want to hear a dirge?Ahmad laughed until he shook, then called for Kanuni to bring him his satchel. Once he had it in hand, he dug inside and pulled out the dried newts hed bought from the old hag. Here, youll be needing these, he said.Camels bite. A camel will, for no reason, spit on you, stomp you, kick you, bellow, burp, and fart at you. They are stubborn at their best, and cranky beyond all belief at their worst. If you provoke them, they will bite. If you insert a dehydrated amphibian elbow-deep in a camels bum, he considers himself provoked, doubly so if the procedure was performed fleck he was sleeping. Camels are wise to stealth. They bite.I can heal that, Joshua said, looking at the huge tooth mark s on my fore detail. We were following Ahmads caravan along the Silk Road, which was incomplete a road nor made of silk. It was, in fact, a narrow path through the rocky inhospitable highland desert of what is now Syria into the low, inhospitable desert of what is now Iraq.He said sixty days by camel. Doesnt that mean that we should be riding, not walking?Youre missing your camel pals, arent you? Josh grinned, that snotty, Son-o-God grin of his. Maybe it was just a regular grin.Im just tired. I was up half the night sneaking up on these guys.I know, said Joshua. I had to get up at dawn to fix one of the saddles before we left. Ahmads tools leave something to be desired.You go ahead and be the martyr, Josh, just forget about what I was doing all night. Im just saying that we should get to ride instead of walking.We will, Josh said. Just not now.The men in the caravan were all riding, although several of them, as tumesce as Kanuni, were on horses. The camels were loaded trim back w ith great packs of press out tools, powdered dyes, and sandalwood bound for the Orient. At the first highland oasis we crossed, Ahmad traded the horses for four more camels, and Joshua and I were allowed to ride. At night we ate with the rest of the men, sharing boiled grain or bread with sesame paste, the odd bit of cheese, mashed chickpeas and garlic, occasionally goat meat, and sometimes the dark hot drink we had discovered in Antioch (mixed with date sugar and topped with foaming goats milk and cinnamon at my suggestion). Ahmad dined alone in his got, epoch the rest of us would dine under the open awning that we constructed to shelter us from the hottest part of the day. In the desert, the day gets warmer as it gets later, so the hottest part of the day will be in the late laternoon, just before sundown brings the hot winds to leach the last moisture from your skin.None of Ahmads men utter Aramaic or Hebrew, but they had enough functional Latin and Greek to tease Joshua and me about any number of subjects, their favorite, of course, being my job as foreland camel deconstipator. The men hailed from a half-dozen different lands, many we had never heard of. Some were as black as Ethiopians, with high foreheads and long, graceful limbs, while others were squat and bowlegged, with efficacious shoulders, high cheekbones, and long wispy mustaches like Ahmads. Not one of them was fat or weak or slow. Before we were a week out of Antioch we evaluate out that it only took a couple of men to care for and guide a caravan of camels, so we were perplexed at why someone as shrewd as Ahmad would bring along so many superfluous employees.Bandits, Ahmad said, adjusting his bulk to find a more comfortable position atop his camel. Id need no more than a couple of dolts like you two if it was just the animals that needed tending. Theyre guards. Why did you think they were all carrying bows and lances?Yeah, I said, giving Joshua a begrimed look, didnt you see the lance s? Theyre guards. Uh, Ahmad, shouldnt Josh and I have lances I mean, when we get to the bandit area?Weve been followed by bandits for five days now, Ahmad said.We dont need lances, Joshua said. I will not make a man sin by committing an act of thievery. If a man would have something of mine, he need only ask and I will give it to him.Give me the rest of your money, I said.Forget it, said Joshua.But you just said Yeah, but not to you.Most nights Joshua and I slept in the open, orthogonal Ahmads tent, or if the night was especially cold, among the camels, where we would endure their grunting and snorting to get out of the wind. The guards slept in two-man tents, except for two who stood guard all night. Many nights, long after the camp was quiet, Joshua and I would lie looking up at the stars and pondering the great questions of life.Josh, do you think the bandits will rob us and kill us, or just rob us?Rob us, then kill us, I would think, said Josh. Just in case they missed someth ing that we had hidden, they could torture its whereabouts out of us. life-threatening point, I said.Do you think Ahmad has sex with Kanuni? Joshua asked.I know he does. He told me he does.What do you think its like? With them I mean? Him so fat and her so, you know?Frankly, Joshua, Id rather not think about it. But thanks for putting that picture in my head.You mean you can imagine them in concert? polish off it, Joshua. I cant tell you what sin is like. Youre going to have to do it yourself. Whats next? Ill have to murder someone so I can justify what its like to kill?No, I dont want to kill.Well, that might be one you have to do, Josh. I dont think the Romans are going to go away because you ask them to.Ill find a way. I just dont know it yet.Wouldnt it be funny if you werent the Messiah? I mean if you abstained from knowing a woman your whole life, only to find out that you were just a minor prophet?Yeah, that would be funny, said Josh. He wasnt smiling.Kind of funny?The journe y seemed to go surprisingly loyal once we knew we were being followed by bandits. It gave us something to talk about and our backs stayed limber, as we were always twisting in our saddles and checking the horizon. I was almost sad when they finally, after ten days on our trail, decided to attack.Ahmad, who was usually at the front of the caravan, fell back and rode beside us. The bandits will ambush us inside that pass just ahead, he said.The road snaked into a canyon with steep slopes on either side topped by rows of huge boulders and wind-eroded towers. Theyre hiding in those boulders on top of either ridge, Ahmad said. Dont stare, youll give us away.Joshua said, If you know that theyre going to attack, why not pull up and defend ourselves?They will attack one way or some other anyway. Better an ambush we know about than one we dont. And they dont know we know.I noticed the squat guards with the mustaches take short bows from pouches fundament their saddles, and as subtly as a man might brush a cobweb from his eyelash, they strung the bows. If youd been watching them from a distance youd have hardly seen them move.What do you want us to do? I asked Ahmad.Try not to get killed. Especially you, Joshua. Balthasar will be very angry indeed if I show up with you dead. Wait, said Joshua, Balthasar knows we are coming?Why, yes, laughed Ahmad. He told me to look for you. What, you think I help every pair of runts that wander into the market at Antioch?Runts? I had momentarily forget about the ambush.How long ago did he tell you to look for us?I dont know, right after he first left Antioch for Kabul, maybe ten years ago. It doesnt matter now, I have to get back to Kanuni, bandits scare her.let them get a good look at her, I said. Well see who scares who.Dont look at the ridges, Ahmad said as he rode away.The bandits came down the sides of the canyon like a synchronized avalanche, driving their camels to the edge of balance, pushing a river of rocks and sand befor e them. There were twenty-five, maybe thirty of them, all dressed in black, half of them on camels waving swords or clubs, the other half on hind end with long spears for gutting a camel rider.When they were committed to the spud, all of them sliding down the hillsides, the guards broke our caravan in the middle, leaving an empty spot in the road where the bandits accommodate would culminate. Their momentum was so great that the bandits were unable to change direction. Three of their camels went down trying to pull back.Our guards moved into two groups, three in the front with the long lances, the bowmen just behind them. When the bowmen were set they let arrows cut down into the bandits, and as each fell he took two or three of his cohorts down with him, until in seconds the charge had morose into an actual avalanche of rolling stones and men and camels. The camels bellowed and we could hear bones snapping and men screaming as they rolled into a bloody mass on the Silk Road. A s each man rose and tried to charge our guards an arrow would drop him in his tracks. One bandit came up mounted on a camel and rode toward the back of the caravan, where the three lancers drove him from his mount in a spray of blood. Every movement in the canyon was met with an arrow. One bandit with a illogical leg tried to crawl back up the canyon wall, and an arrow in the back of his skull cut him down.I heard a wailing behind me and before I could turn Joshua rode by me at full gallop, passing the bowmen and the lancers at our side of the caravan, bound for the mass of dead and dying bandits. He slung himself off his camels back and was running around the bodies like a madman, waving his arms and screaming until I could hear the rasp as his throat went raw.Stop this Stop thisOne bandit moved, trying to get to his feet, and our bowmen drew back to cut him down. Joshua threw his body on top of the bandit and pushed him back to the ground. I heard Ahmad give the command to chast en.A cloud of dust floated out of the canyon on the gentle desert breeze. A camel with a broken leg bellowed and an arrow in the eye put the animal to rest. Ahmad snatched a lance out of one of the guards hands and rode to where Joshua was shielding the wounded bandit.Move, Joshua, Ahmad said, holding the lance at ready. This must be finished.Joshua looked around him. All of the bandits and all of their animals were dead. Blood ran in rivulets in the dust. Already flies were collecting to feast. Joshua walked through the field of dead bandits until his chest was pressed against the bronze point of Ahmads lance. Tears streamed down Joshuas face. This was wrong he screeched.They were bandits. They would have killed us and stolen everything we had if we had not killed them. Does your own God, your father, not destroy those who sin? Now move aside, Joshua. Let this be finished.I am not my father, and uncomplete are you. You will not kill this man.Ahmad lowered the lance and shook his h ead balefully. He will only die anyway, Joshua. I could sense the guards fidgeting, not knowing what to do.Give me your seduce skin, Joshua said.Ahmad threw the water skin down to Joshua, then turned his camel and rode back to where the guards waited for him. Joshua took the water to the wounded bandit and held his head as he drank. An arrow protruded from the bandits stomach and his black tunic was shiny with blood. Joshua put his hand gently over the bandits eyes, as if he were telling him to go to sleep, then he yanked out the arrow and tossed it aside. The bandit didnt even flinch. Joshua put his hand over the wound.From the time that Ahmad had ordered them to hold fire, none of the guards had moved. They watched. after(prenominal) a few minutes the bandit sat up and Joshua stepped away from him and smiled. In that instant an arrow sprouted from the bandits forehead and he fell back, dead.No Joshua wheeled around to face Ahmads side of the caravan. The guard who had shot stil l held the bow, as if he might have to let fly another arrow to finish the job. Howling with rage, Joshua made a gesture as if he were striking the air with his open hand and the guard was lifted back off his camel and slammed into the ground. No more Joshua screamed. When the guard sat up in the dirt his eyes were like silver moons in their sockets. He was blind.Later, when neither of us had spoken for two days, and Joshua and I were relegated to riding far behind the caravan because the guards were afraid of us, I took a drink from my water skin, then reach it to Joshua. He took a drink and handed it back.Thank you, Josh said. He smiled and I knew hed be all right.Hey Joshua, do me a favor.What?Remind me not to piss you off, okay?The city of Kabul was built on five impoverished hillsides, with the streets laid out in terraces and the buildings built partly into the hills. There was no separate of Roman or Greek influence in the architecture, but instead the larger buildings had tile roofs that turned up at the corners, a style that Joshua and I would see all over Asia before our journey was finished. The people were mostly rugged, wiry people who looked like Arabs without the glow in their skin that came from a nutriment rich in olive oil. Instead their faces seemed leaner, drawn by the cold, dry wind of the high desert. In the market there were merchants and traders from China, and more men who looked like Ahmad and his bowmen guards, a race whom the Chinese referred to simply as barbarians.The Chinese are so afraid of my people that they have built a wall, as high as any palace, as wide as the widest boulevard in Rome, and stretching as far as the eye can see ten times over, Ahmad said.Uh-huh, I said, thinking, you lying bag-o-guts.Joshua hadnt spoken to Ahmad since the bandit attack, but he smirked at Ahmads story of the great wall.Just so, said Ahmad. We will stay at an inn tonight. Tomorrow I will take you to Balthasar. If we leave early we can be t here by noon, then youll be the magicians problem, not mine. live up to me in front at dawn.That night the innkeeper and his wife served us a dinner of spiced lamb and rice, with some sort of beer made from rice, which washed two months of desert grit from our throats and put a pleasant haze over our minds. To save money, we paid for pallets under the wide curving eaves of the inn, and although it was some comfort to have a roof over my head for the first time in months, I found that I missed looking at the stars as I fell asleep. I lay awake, half drunk, for a long time. Joshua slept the sleep of the innocent.The next day Ahmad met us in front of the inn with two of his African guards and two extra camels in tow. Come on, now. This may be the end of your journey, but it is merely a detour for me, Ahmad said. He threw us each a crust of bread and a hunk of cheese, which I took to mean we were to eat our breakfast on the way.We rode out of Kabul and into the hills until we entered a labyrinth of canyons, which meandered through rugged mountains that looked as if they might have been shaped by God out of clay, then left to bake in the sun until the clay had turned to a deep golden color that reflected light in a spray that ate up shadows and destroyed shade. By noon I had no sense whatsoever of what direction we were traveling, nor could I have sworn that we werent retracing our path through the same canyons over and over, but Ahmads black guards seemed to know their way. Eventually they led us around a bend to a sheer canyon wall, two hundred feet tall, that stood out from the other canyon walls in that there were windows and balconies carved into it. It was a palace hewn out of solid rock. At the base stood an ironclad threshold that looked as if it would take twenty men to move.Balthasars house, Ahmad said, prodding his camel to kneel down so he might dismount.Joshua nudged me with his riding stick. Hey, is this what you expected?I shook my head. I dont kno w what I expected. Maybe something a little I dont know smaller.Could you find your way back out of these canyons if you had to? Joshua asked.Nope. You?Not a chance.Ahmad waddled over to the great door and pulled a cord that hung down from a hole in the wall. Somewhere inside we heard the ringing of some great bell. (Only later would we learn that it was the sound of a gong.) A smaller door within the door opened and a miss stuck her head out. What? She had the round face and high cheekbones of an Oriental, and there were great blue wings painted on her face higher up her eyes.Its Ahmad. Ahmad Mahadd Ubaidullaganji. Ive brought Balthasar the boy he has been waiting for. Ahmad gestured in our direction.The girl looked skeptical. Scrawny. You sure thats the one?Thats the one. Tell Balthasar he owes me.Whos that with him?Thats his stupid friend. No extra charge for him.You bring the monkeys paws? the girl asked.Yes, and the other herbs and minerals Balthasar asked for.Okay, wait he re. She closed the door, was gone only a second, then returned. Send just the two of them in, alone. Balthasar must examine them, then he will deal with you.Theres no need to be mysterious, woman, Ive been in Balthasars house a hundred times. Now quit dilly-dallying and open the door.Silence the girl shouted. The great Balthasar will not be mocked. Send in the boys, alone. Then she slammed the little door and we could hear her cackling echo out the windows above.Ahmad shook his head in disgust and waved us over to the door. Just go. I dont know what hes up to, but just go.Joshua and I dismounted, took our packs off the camels, and edged over to the huge door. Joshua looked at me as if question what to do, then reached for the cord to ring the bell, but as he did, the door creaked open just wide enough for one of us to enter if we turned sideways. It was pitch black inside except for a narrow stripe of light, which told us nothing. Joshua again looked at me and raised his eyebrows.I m just the stupid no-extra-charge friend, I said, bowing. After you.Joshua moved though the door and I followed. When we were inside only a few feet, the huge door slammed with a sound like thunder and we stood there in complete darkness. Im sure I could feel things scurrying around my feet in the dark.There was a bright flash and a great pillar of red smoke rose in front of us, illuminated by a light coming from the ceiling somewhere. It smelled of brimstone and stung my nose. Joshua coughed and we both approve against the door as a figure stepped out of the smoke. He it stood as tall as any two men, although he was thin. He wore a long purple dress, embroidered with strange symbols in gold and silver, hooded, so we saw no face, only glowing red eyes set back in a field of black. He held a bright lamp out as if to examine us by the light.Satan, I said under my breath to Joshua, pressing my back against the great iron door so hard that I could feel rust flakes imbedding in my s kin through my tunic.Its not Satan, Joshua said.Who would disturb the sanctity of my guard? boomed the figure. I nearly wet myself at hearing his voice.Im Joshua of Nazareth, Joshua said, trying to be casual, but his voice broke on Nazareth. And this is Biff, also of Nazareth. Were looking for Balthasar. He came to Bethlehem, where I was born, many years ago looking for me. I have to ask him some questions.Balthasar is no more of this world. The dark figure reached into his robe and pulled out a glowing dagger, which he held high, then plunged into his own chest. There was an explosion, a flash, and an anguished roar, as if someone had killed a lion. Joshua and I turned and frantically scratched at the iron door, looking for a latch. We were both making an incoherent terrorized sound that I can only describe as the verbal version of running, sort of an extend rhythmic howl that paused only when the last of each lungful of air squeaked out of us.Then I heard the laughing and Joshua grabbed my arm. The laughing got louder. Joshua swung me around to face terminal in purple. As I turned the dark figure threw back his hood and I saw the grinning black face and shaved head of a man a very tall man, but a man nonetheless. He threw open the robe and I could see that it was, indeed, a man. A man who had been standing on the shoulders of two young Asian women who had been hiding beneath the very long robe.Just fuckin with you, he said. Then he giggled.He leapt off of the womens shoulders and took a deep breath before doubling over and hugging himself with laughter. Tears streamed out of his big chestnut eyes.You should have seen the look on your faces. Girls, did you see that? The women, who wore simple linen robes, didnt seem as amused as the man. They looked embarrassed and a little impatient, as if theyd rather be anywhere else, doing anything but this.Balthasar? Joshua asked.Yeah, said Balthasar, who stood up now and was only a little taller than I was. Sorry, I dont get many visitors. So youre Joshua?Yes, Joshua said, an edge in his voice.I didnt roll in the hay you without the swaddling clothes. And this is your servant?My friend, Biff.Same thing. Bring your friend. Come in. The girls will attend to Ahmad for the time being. He stalked off down a corridor into the mountain, his long purple robe trailing behind him like the tail of a dragon.We stood there by the door, not moving, until we realized that once Balthasar turned a corner with his lamp wed be in darkness again, so we took off after him.As we ran down the corridor, I thought of how far we had traveled, and what we had left behind, and I felt as if I was going to be sick to my stomach any second. Wise man? I said to Joshua.My mother has never lied to me, said Josh.That you know of, I said.