Friday, August 21, 2020

The Known Unknown :: Poem, Poetry

Man alone stands amazed at man's accomplishments, which are nothing. Had neither a desire we in this world to be conceived Nor we wish to be dead, as we wish to live on On the off chance that our introduction to the world just as death be not of our desire Why in life a desire and for each a conflict? Crying showed up you goodness! Man, individuals grinning around So grinning part from earth, crying individuals sound Gaiety and cheerfulness to your kin your introduction to the world was Lament them let your end, your life an honorable motivation riddle, passing, opens the Creator of universe Still people opine His very presence differing Camel concealed, passed we guarantee, its impressions in the sand The universe accomplishes for the engravings of God's presence stand Man's information is so wide, his shrewdness so thin Particle to space vanquished yet never tomorrow For an incredible tomorrow, live to kill human distress The mists shed to give us a greener tomorrow

Monday, July 13, 2020

MindMeister 4.1 for iPad arrives! - Focus

MindMeister 4.1 for iPad arrives! - Focus Please note: this article was last updated in 2011. For the most up-to-date news on MindMeister for iOS please visit mindmeister.com/apps Great news for fans of our MindMeister for iPad app! We’ve recently released Version 4.1 which packs a number of improvements and requested features into your favorite mobile mind mapping app. If you’re a regular to syncing, you’ve already updated to the latest version, but if not, please update your app here. Based on your outstanding feedback and requests, we’ve focused on a number of usability features and functions that are particularly useful when used in a live mapping/note taking fashion. To put these new features to the “real world” test, all maps that were made for our live mind mapping of the TEDxVienna event were created using only an iPad2, running the pre-release version of 4.1. What’s New? Watching a number of you interact with the MindMeister for iPad app, we sought to find a way to make your maps more meaningful, but at the same time keep the speed and usability factor up. In this release, we’ve focused on a number of these features, and are happy to present: ? New auxiliary keyboard: recently used icons, node highlights, and quick node creation ? New context menu for nodes (tap selected node) ? New node creation gestures (double tap above, below or beside current node) ? Support for 6 all new MindMeister themes ? Support for alternative login methods (Uni Login) a special request by our Danish partners. We will be adding alternative login options, i.e. Facebook, Google, OpenID in the future. A huge Thank You! to all those that have been providing excellent feedback on both our MindMeister for iPad app, as well as our MindMeister for iPhone and MindMeister for Android apps. If youd like to contribute, please get in touch! MindMeister 4.1 for iPad arrives! - Focus Please note: this article was last updated in 2011. For the most up-to-date news on MindMeister for iOS please visit mindmeister.com/apps Great news for fans of our MindMeister for iPad app! We’ve recently released Version 4.1 which packs a number of improvements and requested features into your favorite mobile mind mapping app. If you’re a regular to syncing, you’ve already updated to the latest version, but if not, please update your app here. Based on your outstanding feedback and requests, we’ve focused on a number of usability features and functions that are particularly useful when used in a live mapping/note taking fashion. To put these new features to the “real world” test, all maps that were made for our live mind mapping of the TEDxVienna event were created using only an iPad2, running the pre-release version of 4.1. What’s New? Watching a number of you interact with the MindMeister for iPad app, we sought to find a way to make your maps more meaningful, but at the same time keep the speed and usability factor up. In this release, we’ve focused on a number of these features, and are happy to present: ? New auxiliary keyboard: recently used icons, node highlights, and quick node creation ? New context menu for nodes (tap selected node) ? New node creation gestures (double tap above, below or beside current node) ? Support for 6 all new MindMeister themes ? Support for alternative login methods (Uni Login) a special request by our Danish partners. We will be adding alternative login options, i.e. Facebook, Google, OpenID in the future. A huge Thank You! to all those that have been providing excellent feedback on both our MindMeister for iPad app, as well as our MindMeister for iPhone and MindMeister for Android apps. If youd like to contribute, please get in touch!

Thursday, May 21, 2020

What Neuroscience Tells Us About Morality - 1925 Words

Patricia S. Churchland s book entitled Braintrust: What Neuroscience tells Us About Morality, takes us on a walk through the scientific advances in evolutionary biology, genetics and neuroscience that have lead us to the question of wether morality can be explained or justified by science. The goal being an attempt at creating a framework for which to understand human morality. Churchland, a professor at the University of California San Diego in her book asks what is morality? Is it divinely inspired, or instinct, or an abstract set of rules? She argues, that a real understanding of morality begins with an understanding of the brain. Churchland begins by agreeing with the observations of Aristotle, Hume and Darwin that humans are social animal but extends them by asking what they mean in terms of brain physiology. However, David Hume s argument still remains, one cannot deduce what ought to be from something that is. I.e knowing why people lie, will not deduce reasoning behind when it is ok to lie. In this case translating to, â€Å"you cannot derive moral values directly from facts uncovered by science†. This is the basis of the only true respectable type of thought, for most anglo-american philosophers, known as deductive thinking . With this in mind, it seems as though science has no place in our understanding of morality, and therefore no need for the book? However, Churchland argues, without trying to disprove, early on, that this type of philosophical approach in itsShow MoreRelatedTheme Of The Disneyland Of Consciousness1720 Words   |  7 Pagesclip the audience is taken through scenarios and sit uations that portray a sense of a person’s consciousness being made to think that certain animations are in real sense true. Although the scenarios tend to portray childish thought about the actions being seen, what we stimulate in our own reality may not always appear to be the way we want it to be. In this regard, the theme behind the Disneyland of Consciousness is the ability for an individual to explore the animatronics image that is aided byRead MoreLanguage and human identity1466 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿TOK Essay Language is a powerful tool for mankind by hearing speeches or learning in schools makes us believe that we got knowledge through language where in fact it is not always true only by a stronger ability in language could change peoples perspective. It is not just how people communicate it is the way for mankind to see the world in different perspective of different perceptions that are influenced by emotions and cultures. According to BBC.co.uk â€Å"It’s estimated that up to 7,000 differentRead MoreSimple Muscle Movement - Original Writing1521 Words   |  7 Pageswhich you have thought before. ‘I could not smoke,’ you’ve struggle with quitting before. You know it all comes down to choosing not to smoke. In one simple muscle movement you can put down the cigarette and just not do it. It’s a simple choice you tell yourself. Split seconds before lighting and smoking the cigarette, it’s an open choice. You don’t have to smoke. â€Å"Ye ah right,† you say to yourself. You light the cigarette and inhale a satisfying draw. You exhale the drag and think to yourself, â€Å"IRead MoreDan Golemans Social Intelligence Book Review3616 Words   |  15 Pagesrevelation of this new discipline is that people are wired to connect. Neuroscience has discovered that our brain’s very design makes it sociable, unavoidably drawn into a neurological connection whenever we interact with another person. This two-way connection allows us to affect everyone we interact with both physically and mentally. The new science of social intelligence should be thought of in terms of being intelligent not just about our personal and professional relationships, but also in them.Read MoreAmerican Psycho : Does Insanity Negate Responsibility?3774 Words   |  16 PagesMorally Responsible Agents--those who are concerned with morality decide based on normative moral standards. Elliott then claims that sociopaths are excused from culpability, as they are not concerned with morality at all (and are hence not Morally Responsible Agents). This leads to two issues: first, as Ishtiyaque Haji of the University of Calgary points out, moral concerns are exaggerated by Elliott (122). Haji argues that since morality is normally not a pressing issue, Elliott’s definition isRead MorePsychology 100 Test Review1815 Words   |  8 PagesWhat is psychology? The scientific study of behavior and mental processes Development of psychology as a science Wilhelm Wundt founded the first psychology laboratory. Student of Wudnt s, E.B. Titchner named Wundt s approach structuralism. William James gave field an American Stamp, invented functionalism Contemporary approaches to psychology Biological Approach (focus on the body) Neuroscience Behavioral Approach (behavioral responses and their environmental determinants) PsychodynamicRead MoreThe Trolley Problem Essay2004 Words   |  9 Pagescausing one person to die to save the five other people and refraining and doing nothing would allow the five to die and the one person to live. The second part of this scenario would put Frank in a very personal position to choose to do something about the situation at hand, or to let five people die; or deliberately push a large person to save the five. This would seem like a very hard choice for most people. The moral issue in question is to look at a large person as the answer to stop the trolleyRead MorePositive Psychology5612 Words   |  23 Pages Corresponding Address Krishan Kumar, M. Sc, M. Phil (M SP), PhD (Pur) Clinical Psychology, Computational Neuroscience National Brain Research Centre, Manesar Email- keshusony@rediffmail.com Ph.no. 9999516319 Dr. Rajiv Dogra Associte Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology Post Graduate College and Medical Sciences, Rohtak Email- Rajeevdogra@rediffmail.com What is positive psychology? Positive psychology (pp) is the scientific study of optimal human functioning. ItRead MoreThe Development of Empathy10581 Words   |  43 Pagesother person’s state. For example, Eisenberg and colleagues (1998) propose that empathy is â€Å"an affective reaction that results from the apprehension or comprehension of another’s emotional state or condition, and that is identical or very similar to what the other person is feeling or would be expected to feel† (p. 702). Decety and Jackson (2004) propose a more cognitive model featuring three functional components that interact to produce an empathic response (see Figure 1). These componentsRead MoreMoral Development During Adolescence Essay8689 Words   |  35 Pageswork an understanding of moral issues such as rights and justice was developed. Hence, Moral development during the adolescent years can be defined as the way young people learn to decide what is right and wrong, which in turn forms the basis of their principles of justice(Hart Carlo 2005). Determinants of morality on adolescents have been focused on moral cognitions and socialisation agents, principally parental influences, as contributed by cognitive developmental and moral socialisation theories

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

My Virtual Life Report Essay - 882 Words

Set 1: 9 months-ATTACHMENT Attachment is defined as the positive emotional bond that develops between a child and a particular individual. Of the four major patterns of attachment (secure, avoidant, ambivalent and disorganized-disoriented), I would consider Blair securely attached. Like other children who have a secure attachment pattern, Blair uses me, her mother, as a type of home base (Feldman, 2012). At 8 months Blair is cautious and shy in new situations. She has a typical fear of strangers but will eventually warm up somewhat to a new situation. Blair shows a strong preference for me over others. I am always talking and thinking about Blair. When my husband and I find time to go out, I find myself worrying and calling grandma to†¦show more content†¦171).† This, in other words, is when a child cannot completely perform a task independently but can do it with a bit of assistance from a more competent figure. This zone of proximal development is something I experience with Blair. At two yea rs old she has got to pick out her tooth and hairbrush, but she still needs a bit of help with both operations. Another idea that Vygotsky believed in was the method of scaffolding. This is known as the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth (Feldman 2012). For example, sometimes Blair has a tough time communicating using her words. I often encourage conversation by asking questions that instigate more of a response from Blair. This helps her grow in her communication and is good practice for her. Cognitive development was viewed by Vygotsky as the product of social interactions. He focused on the social aspects of development and learning instead of concentrating on individual performance. Set 4: 3 years-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT As Blair gets older she is adapting to and coping with different social situations in and outside of home. At home Blair has been giving a lot more attitude. When she doesn’t understand my directions she often gets frustrated and throws a tantrum. I try to give Blair many opportunities to express herself and makeShow MoreRelatedReality : Virtual Reality737 Words   |  3 Pages Virtual Reality Have you ever used virtual reality before? Virtual Reality is a computer technology that replicates the environment real or imaged and stimulate the user’s physical presence and allows the user to interact with it. In this report I am going to talk about how popular and amazing Virtual Reality is. Virtual Reality is a wonderful thing I was once at my friend’s house, and I had never used one of them before. I was sitting there and she brought the headset out and I asked her whatRead MoreVirtual Work689 Words   |  3 PagesVirtual Work Definition: Virtual Work is â€Å"work performed away from the traditional physical workplace by using information technology† (McShane Von Glinow, 2013, p. 21) Summary: The article entitled â€Å"The Third Wave of Virtual Work† written by Tammy Johns and Lynda Gratton discusses how virtual work has evolved in three different waves over the past thirty years. The first wave of virtual work started in the mid 1980’s and created a demand for freelancers/independent contractors withRead MoreMapinfo Data Report758 Words   |  4 Pagesmapping functionality and survey reports using the Crystal reports. The Crystal reports, is a third party software used for creating reports directly from the Mapinfo database, in the form of tabular data form. CE1.13 I documented all measurements and findings based on the land survey and submitted it to the operation manager for further verification and allocation of the new site for the cell site. CE1.14 I was also in-charge for providing pre-deployment survey report for installation of new BTS towerRead MoreWhat Is Mapinfo Software?1032 Words   |  5 PagesMapinfo software uses the vector coordinates for virtual mapping. I was assisted by a land surveyor for collecting the vector coordinates of the area covering the new site. I noted the data provided by the land surveyor based on the GPS receiver as excel (.XLS) format and I updated the vector coordinates in the Mapinfo software. CE1.12 In Mapinfo software, I used Raster image option for generating detailed topographical features and calculating the geographical distances and areas. I implementedRead MoreMy Virtual Child1219 Words   |  5 Pagestwenty inches long. I heard her cry; it was like music to my ears. I felt as if I had just won first place in an Olympic race and my trophy was this cute little bundle of joy. Virtual Husband and I named her Dakota. (Manis, 2008.) I decided it would be fun to name my virtual child after my favorite childhood toy, so we named her Dakota, after my teddy bear. Dakota has a virtual sister whose name is Rose. Her name was decided because a rose is my favorite flower. Although the girls are three years apartRead MoreOverview Of 13 Spatial Data Of The New BTS Site Data893 Words   |  4 Pagesdirected CE1.15 I updated the mapping functionality and survey reports using the crystal reports. The crystal reports, is third party software used for creating reports directly from the Mapinfo database, in the form of tabular data. I documented all measurements and findings based on the land survey and submitted report to Team lead for further verification of the report. CE1.16 I was in-charge for providing pre-deployment survey report for installation of the new BTS tower. I investigated the terrainRead MoreMapinfo Essay1037 Words   |  5 Pagesoverlap of the images and vector values. Since Mapinfo support 3D view of the topography, I investigated different terrain regions which were suitable for installation of the BTS tower. Since I was involved in the predication of pre-deployment survey report which analyses the RF activity in the location, finalization of the ideal location was in the later stages. CE1.14 I combined the raster image of Mapinfo with Google earth for getting more information about neighbouring BTS towers in the new locationRead MoreMapinfo Case Analysis1106 Words   |  5 Pagesthe images and vector values. Since Mapinfo support 3D view of the topography, I have investigated different terrain regions which were suitable for installation of the new BTS tower. Since I was involved in the predication of pre-deployment survey report for analysing the RF activity in the location, finalization of the ideal location was in the later stages. CE1.15 I combined the raster image of Mapinfo with Google earth for getting more information about neighbouring BTS towers in the new locationRead More I Love Technology! Essay605 Words   |  3 Pagesbeing taught what a slide rule was. My father pulled it out one day when I was checking my math homework with a calculator. He explained to me how it worked and told me that that was his â€Å"calculator† when he was in school. I took one look at that contraption, with all of its confusing measurement markers and immediately felt lucky to have my calculator, which did not look nearly as complicated as his old slide rule. From that point on I remember my father always taught me that technologyRead MoreTeam Leadership Theory And Practice1472 Words   |  6 Pagesare work units that have are interdependent and share common goals (Northouse,2016). In this week?s unit, team leadership will be explained through the Hill Model for Team Leadership and how it applies to team effectiveness. Furthermore, virtual and non-virtual team will be compare and contrast and how to create cohesiveness. Team leadership theory is the key to developing success high performing teams. Hill Model for Team Leadership The Hill Model for Team Leadership theory is broken down into

Bite Me A Love Story Chapter 10 Free Essays

10. Unlikely Knights THE EMPEROR They called it Wine Country. What it was, in fact, was an area south of Market Street, adjacent to the Tenderloin, where liquor stores sold a high volume, yet small variety, of fortified wines like Thunderbird, Richard’s Wild Irish Rose, and MD 20-20 (known in the wine world as Mad Dog, for the propensity of its drinkers to urinate publicly and turn around three times before passing out on the sidewalk). We will write a custom essay sample on Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 10 or any similar topic only for you Order Now While Wine Country was technically the SOMA, or the â€Å"fashionable† South of Market Street neighborhood, it had yet to draw the young professional crowd that sprayed everything with a shiny coat of latte and money, as had its waterfront neighbor. No, Wine Country consisted mainly of run-down apartments, sleazy residence hotels, deeply skeezy porn theaters, and old industrial buildings, which now housed mini-storage units. Oh, and a huge Federal Building that looked like it was being molested by a giant steel pterodactyl, but evidently that was just the government trying to get away from their standard bomb shelter architecture to something more aesthetically appealing, especially if you liked Godzilla porn. It was in the shadow of that architectural abomination that the Emperor had taken his search for the alpha vampire cat. He and the men didn’t spend much time in Wine Country, as he had lost a decade in a bottle somewhere and had since forsworn the grape. But it was his city, and he knew it like the cat-scratch scars on Bummer’s muzzle. â€Å"Steadfast, gents, steadfast,† said the Emperor, throwing his shoulder against a Dumpster behind a hundred-year-old brick building. Bummer and Lazarus had commenced low, rumbling growls since they’d come into the alley, as if there were tiny semi-trucks idling in their chests. They were close. The Dumpster rolled aside on rusty wheels, revealing a basement window with a sheet of plywood loosely fitted into it. The building had once housed a brewery, but had long since been refitted for storage, except for the basement, half of which had been bricked off from the inside. But this window had been forgotten, and it led to an underground chamber completely unknown to the police, where William, and other people who succumbed to the Wine Country’s charms, would seek shelter from the rain or the cold. Of course, you had to be drunk to think it was a good place to stay. Except for the spot by the window, the basement was completely dark, as well as damp, rat infested, and reeking of urine. As he pulled away the plywood, the Emperor heard a high sizzling sound, and the smell of burning hair came streaming out the window. Bummer barked. The Emperor turned away and coughed, fanned the smoke away from his face, and then peered into the basement. All over the visible parts of the floor, cat cadavers were smoldering, burning, and reducing to ash as the sun hit them. There were scores of them, and those were just the ones the Emperor could see from the window light. â€Å"This appears to be the place, gents,† he said, patting Lazarus’s side. Bummer snorted, tossed his head, and ruffed three times fast, which translated to, â€Å"I thought I would enjoy the smell of burning cats more, but strangely, no.† The Emperor got on his hands and knees, then backed through the window. His overcoat caught on the window sill and actually helped him in lowering his great bulk to the floor. Lazarus stuck his head in the window and whimpered, which translated to, â€Å"I’m a little uneasy about you being in there by yourself.† He measured the distance from the window to the basement floor and pranced, preparing himself to leap into the abyss. â€Å"No, you stay, good Lazarus,† said the Emperor. â€Å"I fear I wouldn’t be able to lift you out once you are down here.† With the ashes of burned cats crunching under his shoes the Emperor made his way across the room until he reached the end of the direct light that lay across the floor like a dingy gray carpet. To move farther he’d have to step on the bodies of the sleeping-well, dead-cats, as even in the shadows, he could see that the floor was covered with feline corpses. The Emperor shuddered and fought the urge to bolt to the window. He was not a particularly brave man, but had an overly developed sense of duty to his city, and putting himself in harm’s way to protect her was something he was compelled to do, despite the acute case of the willies that was crawling up his spine like an enormous centipede. â€Å"There must be another entrance,† the Emperor said, more to calm himself than to actually impart information. â€Å"Perhaps not large enough for a man, or I would have known.† He tentatively nudged a dead cat aside with his toe, cringing as he did it. The vision of the vampire cats engulfing the samurai swordsman filled his head and he had to shake it off before taking another step. â€Å"A flashlight might have been a good idea,† he said. He didn’t have a flashlight, however. What he had were five books of matches and a cheap, serrated-edged chef’s knife that he’d found in a trash can. This would be the weapon he’d use to dispatch the vampire cat, Chet. In his younger, naà ¯ve days, last month, he’d carried a wooden sword, thinking to stake the vampires in the heart, movie style, but he’d seen the old vampire nearly torn apart by explosions, gunfire, and spear guns by the Animals when they’d destroyed his yacht, and none of it seemed as effective as had the little swordsman he’d seen in the SOMA. Still, a flashlight would have been nice. He lit a match and held it before him as he moved into the dark, working his foot between cat bodies with each step. When the match burned his fingers, he lit another. Bummer barked, the sharp report echoed through the basement. The Emperor turned and realized that he’d somehow made his way around a corner and the window was no longer visible. He reached inside his great overcoat and felt for the handle of the chef’s knife, which was stuck in his belt at the small of his back. He pushed on, moving into another room, a large one as far as he could tell, but still, to the edge of the match light, the bodies of cats littered the floor, most of them lying on their sides as if they’d just dropped over, or in awkward piles, as if they’d been in the middle playing, or fighting, or mating when something suddenly switched them off like a light switch. Another distant bark from Bummer, then a deeper one from Lazarus. â€Å"I’m fine, men, I’ll be finished with this and back out in no time.† Well into his third book of matches, the Emperor saw a steel door, partly ajar. He made his way to it; the dead cats thinned out and then there was a bit of a clearing in the carnage, although only for a foot or two, as if a path had been cleared, but a narrow one. He stood and caught his breath. He heard men’s voices, but coming from back by the window, amid them more barking and now snarling from the men. â€Å"I’m in here!† the Emperor called. â€Å"I’m in here. The men are with me!† Then a distant voice. â€Å"Mo-fuckas need to cover this up. The City see it they brick this bitch up, then where we go when it rain?† There was a thump, then a grating noise, a rusty creaking, and the Emperor realized it was the sound of the plywood being fit back into the window and the heavy Dumpster pushed into place before it. â€Å"Block them wheels,† said the voice. â€Å"I’m here! I’m here!† called the Emperor. He gritted his teeth, preparing to run across the deep carpet of cat corpses to the window, but he hesitated, the match burned his fingers, and darkness fell upon him. THE ANIMALS â€Å"I’m pretty sure it’s the Apocalypse,† said Clint, not even looking up from his red-letter King James Bible. The Animals were spread out in various positions around the basketball court, playing HORSE. Clint, Troy Lee, and Drew sat with their backs to the chain-link fence. Troy Lee was trying to read over Clint’s shoulder, Drew was packing pot into the bowl of a purple carbon-fiber sports bong. Cavuto and Rivera made their way around the outside of the court. â€Å"What’s up my niggas!† came a scratchy, wizened voice-totally out of place for the surroundings-like someone smacking a fiery fart out of a tiny dragon with a badminton racket. Rivera stopped and turned toward a small figure who stood at the foul line dressed in enormous sneakers and an Oakland Raiders hoody big enough for a pro offensive tackle. Except for the cat-rim glasses, it looked like Gangsta Yoda, only not so green. â€Å"That’s Troy Lee’s grandma,† said the tall kid, Jeff. â€Å"You have to give her a pound or she’s going to keep saying it.† Indeed, she had a fist in the air, waiting for a pound. â€Å"You go ahead,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You’re ethnic.† Rivera made his way to the tiny woman and despite feeling completely embarrassed about it, bumped fists with her. â€Å"Troot,† said Grandma. â€Å"Truth,† said Rivera. He looked to Lash, who had been the ad hoc leader of the Animals after Tommy Flood was turned vampire. â€Å"You okay with this?† Lash shrugged. â€Å"What are you gonna do? Besides, it’s prolly the Apocalypse. No time to roll all politically correct up in this bitch when the world is ending.† â€Å"It’s not the Apocalypse,† said Cavuto. â€Å"It’s definitely not the Apocalypse.† â€Å"I’m pretty sure it is,† said Troy Lee, looking over Clint’s shoulder at Revelation. They all gathered around the seated Animals. Rivera took out his notebook, then shrugged and put it back in his pocket. This wasn’t going to be in any report. Drew sparked up the bong, bubbled a long hit, then handed it to Barry, the balding scuba diver, who inhaled the extra off the top. â€Å"We’re cops, you know?† said Cavuto, not sounding that sure of it himself. Drew shrugged and exhaled a skunky blast. â€Å"S’okay, it’s medical.† â€Å"What medical? You have a card? What’s your condition?† Drew produced a blue card from his shirt pocket and held it up. â€Å"I’m anxious.† â€Å"That’s not a condition,† said Cavuto, snapping the card out of Drew’s hand. â€Å"And this is a library card.† † Reading makes him anxious,† said Lash. â€Å"It’s a condition,† said Jeff, trying to look somber. â€Å"It’s for arthritis,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"He doesn’t have arthritis. It’s not a thing.† Cavuto was pulling handcuffs out of the pouch on his belt. â€Å"She does,† said Troy Lee, pointing to his grandmother. The old woman grinned, held up her card, flashed an arthritic â€Å"West Coast† gang sign, and said, â€Å"What’s up, my nigga?† â€Å"I’m not giving her a pound,† said Cavuto. â€Å"She’s like ninety. You must. It is our way,† said Troy Lee in his mysterious ancient Chinese secret voice. From his sitting position, he bowed a little at the end for effect. Cavuto had to bend down to give the old woman a pound. â€Å"You know you’ll never escape the killer cats in those giant shoes,† he said. â€Å"She doesn’t understand,† said Barry. â€Å"No comprende English,† said Gustavo. â€Å"Cats?† said Rivera. â€Å"Your message.† â€Å"Yeah, you said to call if anything weird happened,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Actually, we said not to call us,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Really? Whatever. Anyway, the Emperor came banging on the store windows last night all freaked out about vampire cats.† â€Å"Did you see them?† â€Å"Yeah, there were shitloads. And I don’t know how you’re going to take them down. That’s why it’s pretty obvious that it’s the Apocalypse.† Clint, the born-again, now looked up. â€Å"I figure that the number of the beast is a number of how many. So, there were like six hundred sixty-six at least.† â€Å"Although it was hard to count,† said Drew. â€Å"They were in a cloud.† Rivera looked to Troy Lee for explanation. â€Å"It was like they’d all gone to vapor, like we saw the old vampire trying to do that night we blew up his yacht. Except they were all merged into one, big-ass vampire cloud.† â€Å"Yeah, it started coming into the store, even with the door locked,† said Jeff, now at the foul line, sinking his fourth swish in a row. â€Å"How’d you stop it?† Cavuto asked. â€Å"Wet towel under the door,† said Barry. â€Å"It’s what you do when you’re smoking weed in a hotel and you don’t want everyone calling security. You’re always supposed to have a towel. I read about it in a guide for hitchhiking through the galaxy.† â€Å"Skills,† said Drew, a little glassy-eyed now. â€Å"But, if not for the wet towel, it was the Apocalypse,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Clint is looking in the book of Revelation for the part about the towel now.† â€Å"I hope it’s like Thunder Dome Apocalypse,† said Jeff. â€Å"Not zombies trying to eat your brain Apocalypse.† â€Å"I’m pretty sure it’s going to be, city-wiped-out-by-vampire-cats Apocalypse,† said Barry. â€Å"You know, just going on what we know.† â€Å"It’s not the Apocalypse,† said Cavuto. â€Å"So, what happened?† Rivera asked. â€Å"The cloud just went away?† â€Å"Yeah, it sort of distilled to a big herd of cats and they went running every which way. But what do we do tonight if it comes back? The Emperor led it right to us.† â€Å"Where is the Emperor?† â€Å"He went off this morning with his dogs. Said he thought he knew where the prime vampire cat might be and that he and the men would dispatch it and save his city.† â€Å"And you let him?† â€Å"He’s the Emperor, Inspector. You can’t tell him shit.† Rivera looked at Cavuto. â€Å"Call dispatch to post a bulletin to call us if anyone sees the Emperor.† â€Å"We’re not getting off work today, are we?† said Cavuto. â€Å"Take an Apocalypse day,† said Barry. â€Å"Woo-hoo! Apocalypse day!† Troy Lee’s grandma fired off a barrage of Cantonese to her grandson, who replied with the same. The old woman shrugged and looked up at Cavuto and Rivera and spoke for about thirty seconds, then went and took the ball from Jeff, then shot a complete air ball, at which everyone cheered. â€Å"What? What?† said Cavuto. â€Å"She wanted to know what Barry was woo-hooing about, so I told her.† â€Å"What did she say?† â€Å"She said no big deal. They had vampire cats in Beijing when she was a girl. She said their shit is weak.† â€Å"She said that?† â€Å"The idiom is different, but basically, yeah.† â€Å"Oh good,† said Cavuto, â€Å"I feel better.† â€Å"We need to find the Emperor,† Rivera said. Cavuto pulled the car keys out of his jacket. â€Å"And pick up our Apocalypse jackets.† â€Å"What about us?† asked Lash. Rivera didn’t even look back when he said, â€Å"You guys have more experience fighting vampires than anyone on the planet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We do, don’t we?† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Oh, we are so fucked,† said Lash. â€Å"That’s sad,† said Drew, repacking the bowl of the bong. â€Å"Really sad.† THE EMPEROR Darkness. He waited a moment, listening to his pulse beat in his ears before striking another match. â€Å"Courage,† he whispered to himself, a mantra, an affirmation, a sound to keep him from jumping out of his own skin at every creak or rustle in the dark. He lit the match, held it aloft. He pulled at the big steel door, throwing his weight, and it moved a few inches. Perhaps this was the other way out. It was clear that all these cats hadn’t come in through the window, not with the plywood blocking it. He elbowed the door aside, feeling the resistance of a drift of dormant vampire cats piled up against it. When the opening was wide enough to squeeze through, he put his shoulder inside, then paused as the match went out from the movement. He was inside, and the floor seemed clear at his feet, although it felt as if he was standing on powder. As he lit the next match he hoped to see a stairway, a hallway, perhaps another boarded-up window, but in fact what he saw was that he was in a small storeroom fitted with wide metal shelves. The floor was indeed covered with a thick layer of dust, and among it, rumpled clothing. Ragged overcoats, jeans, and work boots, but also brightly colored satin garments, hot pants, and halter tops, tall platform shoes in fluorescent colors, dingy under the dust and darkness. These had been people. Homeless people and hookers. The fiends had actually dragged people down here and fed on them-sucked them to dust, as the little Goth girl had termed it. But how? No matter how strong or ravenous, the cats were still just housecats before they had turned. And they hadn’t seemed cooperative. He couldn’t imagine a pack of twenty vampire cats dragging a fully grown person down here. It didn’t make sense. The match burned his finger and he tossed it aside, then pulled the knife from his belt before lighting the next. When the next match flared, he saw something on one of the high shelves at the far side of the room. Something quite a bit larger than a housecat. Perhaps it was one of their victims who had survived. He adjusted his grip on the knife and moved forward, trying not to cringe as the dusty clothing clung to his feet and ankles. No, not a cat. At least not a housecat. But it had fur. And a tail. But it was the size of an eight-year-old child, and it was snuggled up against something even larger. The Emperor raised the knife and stepped forward, then stopped. â€Å"Well, you don’t see that every day,† he said. The cat thing was spooning the naked form of Tommy Flood. How to cite Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 10, Essay examples

Friday, April 24, 2020

Tinker V. Des Moines School District (1969) Essays -

Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969) Des Moines School District Court Briefing Represented By Glenn Xavier In December 1965, a large group of families located in the Des Moines School District decided that they would support a proposed cease-fire for the Vietnam War by wearing black armbands. The Des Moines Public School District met in advance, and held some hearings on its behalf. They found that this could potentially cause a disruption in the school classroom, and created a rule prohibiting students who wore the armband to school, punishing them by a suspension until they complied with the new rule. A young woman, Mary Beth Tinker, wore a black armband in clear defiance with the school's new policy, forcing the district and school officials to suspend her. 4 others were suspended also, out of the 18,000 in the district. In the classroom and on school grounds, children elicited many comments to the display of "truce". There was no violence, but this "school-ground-teasing" could easily become so. On December 21, 1965, the school board met again and voted to uphold the armband restriction after a few complaints from students and parents. The school board members stated that it is their job to uphold order, and provide a safe learning place for the children of America. This display of defiance and cease-fire could potentially cause disorder within the school environment. It was the school boards expert opinion that this could cause disorder.