Elderly Abuse

Everyone has the right to be protected in any means of abuse. Abuse of the elders will be considered as one of the worst. Elders are so vulnerable from such abuse causing them to feel distrustful and alone. Incidents of abuse are commonly occurring in nursing home facilities, impatient mental health hospitals, or within the person’s residence where the elders are not treated as how they should be.Abuse may come in verbal, physical, or even sexual means. Most of the victims were left with bruises, wounds, broken bones, or bed sores. Even worse, many suffer from trauma. Every year, many thousands of elderly abuse incidents are recorded. The sad part of it was most of the elders suffered the abuse, neglect, and extortion from their own family, relatives, and other persons in contact with them.In California, and in every other states of the United States of America, care givers and every other direct care workers ranked number one from the ones who commit the responsibility of suc h abuse. These include the physical abuse through hitting of any object and mishandling of the elders causing to bruises, sexual abuse from mean touching to rape, mental abuse implied with screaming and yelling to the victim, medical mistreatment through improper usage of drugs and inadequate treatment of sicknesses, and extortion.Abandonment would be another type of abuse wherein the caretaker always leaves the elder alone, causing the victim to be very inferior and just choose to isolate his/her self. There are many signs that may help you know if your elders are suffering from abuse and neglect. They always experience depression, confusion, dementia, and anger. How will the abuse be stopped? It will be possible through prevention. Once you noticed some signs of abuse, try to report it to your officials as soon as possible.

Driving Age Should Be Raised

Should homework be banned. Yes, I feel it should be banned because you don't get any time for yourself, pointless. Because you already get work at school, seriously, home too? It kills trees, waste of time, boring, some parents don't even get it, it completely stresses you out. Not only you, but the teachers because all they do is grade tests, homework, classwork, and projects. I'm pretty sure they're tired of doing it too. I don't feel homework necessary. Homework should be banned because it just isn't useful and wastes time.Homework is pointless because kids do enough work in school and they don't need more. When they come home they want to chill out, hang out with friends, or do something. Kids are in school for 8 hours a day doing work, other than lunch and recess. Homework is not relevant for kids. I did a survey at school at resource, and a majority of kids say that homework should be banned in school because it is stressful and they procrastinate until the last second. There i s no point in homework.It takes away from spending time with family. According to the text with research ‘Homework Should be Banned,' â€Å"Schools has increased from 9 to 3 with 1 ? hour of recess and lunch to 8:40 to 3:15 with only 30 minutes of lunch and recess. † This quote shows that too much is just too much homework. Also, another reason is that, according to research, some of the smartest countries like Finland and Japan don’t have homework. We can be just as smart as them without homework.Compare and Contrast Driving in the Winter and Driving in the SummerThis shows that homework has no academic benefits for grades. Stress on kids. I’m definitely not the only student who agrees with this topic. Students all over the world have their lives controlled by homework, because not only is it boring but it takes up so much time and effort and after 8 hours of school, it feels absolutely useless. Firstly a 12-13 year old should be getting at least 8-10 hou rs of sleep but it can be hard when you have homework to finish and worries about it

White paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

White paper - Essay Example The worth and value of stakeholders was not too high, before 21st century. However, it should be noted that stakeholders was a known terminology in legal concept, since long. The origin of the concept of stakeholders, in business or management field, had initially come into existence in 1963. At that time, the terminology of stakeholders appeared in the international memorandum of Stanford Research Institute. Stakeholders, then, were defined as â€Å"those guys without whose support the organization would cease to exist† (Friedman & Miles, 2006). In the 19th century, the concept of stakeholders referred to the respective owners of business organizations, who had invested money in it as well as possessed full power to enjoy all upcoming benefits of the organization. The author named Freeman had first emphasized on the importance of the term, â€Å"stakeholders†, in 1984, in his book, Strategic Management Stakeholders Approach. Long before 21st century, the business corpo rations were assumed to be artificial legal entities and the value of the so-called stakeholders, like, customers, suppliers, shareholders, government and employees, were assumed to be neutral. Thus, in that particular period, stakeholders of an organization were referred to as only those individuals in the market who could provide economic support to the corporation’s activities. Prior to 21st century, it was found that business corporations used to give importance and value to only those individuals who could support the concerned firm with some financial support. At that point of time, the owners of organizations were considered to be extensively powerful. According to the views of Lord Edward Coke, â€Å"corporations cannot commit treason, nor be outlawed nor excommunicated, for they have no souls† (Friedman & Miles, 2006). The interactions of stakeholders with the soulless organizations were extensively poor in the period before 21st century. The firms almost did not react or

Discuss the role of the Trinitarios, provide detail as to the origin Essay

Discuss the role of the Trinitarios, provide detail as to the origin of the organization, strategy-both political and military a - Essay Example According to Pons (149-150), without any foreign aid, the Trinitarios of Dominicans, headed by Juan Pablo Durate fought for Dominican independence; and the most significant move of Trinitarios was their win over Tomas de Bobadilla who was an opponent of Haitian government. The writer also says that Bobadilla’s political experience was an important factor for Trinitarios’ political strategy. The difference in opinion of Trinitarios with that of conservatives lowered their influence over the authority and they lost the power. However Trinitarios continued their effort to regain the lost power and demanded for higher ranks in the authority in order to attain the control of armed forces. Trinitarios set up their military coup and managed to establish their lost positions and power. Eventually Durate powered the control of country’s main garrison by attaining the post of military commander of Department of Santo Domingo. Following this, Durate succeeded in establishin g a new government through a series of proclamations. At the same time, there arose movements against Trinitarios and several actions to disable their power. According to Sagas and Inoa (3), the incessant efforts of Trinitarios brought forth the nation’s independence.

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 7

Research - Essay Example hat, in situations where there is the need to optimize the use of resources especially in the low income countries, there is a tendency to scale down the local strategies for quality to enable the practitioner and the constrained health providers to serve a larger population. The growth of the health sector has thus concentrated on geographical coverage and based more of their services to providing universal health at the expense of the quality. Most of the resources are focused to expansion leaving loopholes for inefficiencies and incompetence if not unprofessionalism. According to the article by the world health organization, there is a need to address the health issue from a systems perspective (World Health Organization, 3). For this research proposal, I will review previous data on the topic and develop the various problems encountered in health care, examine them in the light of the efforts to mitigate them and come up with a plan to work out the inefficiencies and ensure there is an optimal allocation of resources and optimal gains, as a result. When we look at health care in an economic perspective, health care involves the provision of services and the receipt of payment for the services (Lebrun-Harris, Lydie A., et al., 44). However, the rate with which an individual seeks health care largely depends on his/her resource endowments especially in cases where they are not covered by insurance cover and have to pay through an out-of –pocket basis. Access to health care is thus limited by the constrained resources. However, healthcare in the modern day has become more of an enterprise, and the providers are aiming at expanding more and reaping more profits for their services. This has led to the use of incompetent personnel in place of doctors, the use of low quality alternative medicine, application of procedures that undermine the patients’ health status, for better monetary rewards; among them carrying out a caesarian section where the patient can have

English Language Learners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English Language Learners - Essay Example The major education reform issue stemming from this perspective is that "bridges" must be created between the repertoire of students and forms of knowledge and behavior accepted within classrooms and the school. Building connections between schools and homes and communities is likely to be a necessary component in improving schooling success. There is a need to build multiple forms of connections. Two important goals are to strengthen parents' and community members' participation in the education of children and to improve the quality of instruction offered students. Yet a third goal may emerge as very important and that is to devise learning opportunities for parents so that they may improve their literacy and schooling knowledge and opportunity to help their children progress in school (Baker, 2001). This focus is not meant to imply lesser importance to parental and community involvement in schooling decisions and indeed the latter deserves separate attention in a broader, more systematic discussion of interventions. Everyday survival is dependent upon "funds of knowledge" or sociocultural capital that is exchanged among community members as they go about everyday activities. Funds of kno wledge are exemplified by skills required in everyday activities and chores of life, such as childcare, purchasing goods and appliances, repairing equipment and cars, dealing with institutions such as hospitals, banks, etc (Crawford, 1995). The survival of family and community in the everyday world requires making sense out of the world and requires cooperation among community members in resolving everyday needs and problems. Schools are critical. Many educators advise bilingual families avoid a native language usage and help their children to master a new language. They are settings where many of the skills for real world survival are learned (Crawford, 1995). This appreciation is missing for students because of the failure of schools to draw these connections into the curriculum and because bilingual students do not see the ways in which their own family-community experiences are related to schooling. Building ties between funds of knowledge in families, communities, and schools appears promising in that it can provide bilingual students with a way to see how school learning fits into the everyday experiences of family and community members. Extensions of such work to bridge connections between foreign students and other communities and institutions would also appear to be just as promising. Other institutional contexts worthy of attention include college and university connections to elementary and high schools and industry connections to home and community settings (Baker, 2001). Resources for language acquisition involve peer groups and roles models, home support and classroom interaction, motivation and community programs for bilingual children. Recent years, more attention to ways in which the everyday world of students is connected to schooling in and of itself will not ensure that students learn in classroom settings (Baker, 2001). The very nature of classroom activities needs to be reconceptualized and cast from within more effective models of teaching and learning (Crawford, 1995). While research on effective instruction has

Economic Cycle Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economic Cycle - Research Paper Example These fluctuations are what are referred as economic or business cycles and distinguish recessions from expansions. Recessions or depressions â€Å"are period of economic decline, expansion/boom of economic prosperity, and inclusive of the ebbs and flows of economic activity make up economic/business cycle† (Romer, â€Å"The Business Cycle†). Today, most economic experts tend to determine these cycles by identifying the turning and on-trend points through different methodologies like use of the level of output or level of output gap. Though economic cycles can be traced before WWII upon various economic crisis, much of the concept today adopted the classical work of Burns and Mitchell, who characterized them â€Å"as fluctuations of output around the growth path that occur with a frequency of three to five years† (Araujo 6). With a complete set of data for the period and greater understanding of the existing economic indicators, one could determine the amplitude and duration of the economic cycle, and the co-movement of economic activities involved when comparing several economies. Experts use economic indicators to forecast and explain the causes of the economic cycles. Considering there are recurrent seasons of booms and depressions, different events, policies and decisions applied or adopted by the involved parties must have occurred to either stimulate a shock or recovery after recessions. An economy is said to be at full employment when it achieves a level of production, when all the inputs to the production process are actively used, inflation remains constant, and output is within the normal range (Romer, â€Å"The Business Cycle†). Changes in factors that influence deviation from this normal production could trigger inflation and push the economy either beyond or below the full employment range to cause cycles in an economic performance. Below are the influencing factors; monetary policy, public spending, prising,

Interest Rates and the Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interest Rates and the Economy - Essay Example Now, the ability to ascertain credit at reasonably favorable terms i.e. good interest rates is something that households and businesses alike, regardless of their area of participation, must do themselves without any outside party determining or even influencing the terms of the final agreement between the borrower and the lender. Now, the floor interest rates which are present in the world and especially in our country initiate the process of the full recovery of the economy, however, it is distinctly important to understand that an easygoing and overtly mundane or banal economic recoil makes market analyst ponder over the notion that whether interest rates happen to be a factor that is critical enough in size and important than it can actually steer an entire economy without assistance or fail. If we conduct a thorough historical analysis of the world economy since the turn of the century, we will notice that the current recession which is ravaging the global economy has been cause d by a number of reasons, all of whom have been aired and given enough attention over this period, however, a critical factor in the downfall of a dynamic and well performing global economy have been a string of interest rate augmentations in 1999 and 2000. Given the fact that increasing the interest rates could certainly put to an end the promise of a burgeoning economy which has the potential to expand and influence the global economic, then it is important to note that the opposite of the above statement must also be true and should be put forth as an completely independent notion which states that decreasing the interest rates of the country could certainly boost an ailing economy and provide it with the impetus that it requires to rebound its way towards recovery and re-establishment. This way of reasoning, however, is not completely fool proof and without any loopholes. The real analogy that can be used, or perhaps that should have been used in this case is that the difference between the two is pulling on a rope and pushing of the rope in the two cases which we have just explained earlier; here pushing the rope is the instance of lower the interest rate in order to jumpstart the economy and boost its performance during a period of regression or stagflation. The recovery of the economy in 2004 has moved onto such a mature stage at the point when the author was formulating his opinion on the said matter that actually empirically showing whether we can ascertain that decreased interest rates were the reason that first immunized the economy and then brought the economy back from the dead to life, all against a backdrop of a general contamination of the economic melancholy that was being experienced at the time Professor Larry Allen was formulating his piece on the correlation between interest rates and the revival of an economy. Theoretical framework: A lot has been said about the interest rates and the economy in general but we have not discussed the theory of this specific occurrence as yet. Here, we will try to

History 11UT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History 11UT - Essay Example Back at home, pressure over the end to segregation of race was mounting and was heightened by the case between Brown versus the Board of Education. He, however, managed to quell down the pressure by offering direction and support to the African American students who faced racial segregation despite the ruing of the courts. Though his intervention came later on after the protest, the action he took to resolve the situation is commendable. Analyze Eisenhower’s foreign policy or his domestic policy. Domestic policy President Dwight domestic policy was characterized by following the rule of law. He made sure that the people of America respected the authorities and more so the rulings made by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had made a ruling in the Brown versus Education Board case that segregation of race in public schools was unconstitutional. However, the Governor of Arkansas defied this ruling by ordering troops in stopping nine African American students from attending an all-white school in Little Rock. This action sparked nation-wide protest forcing the president to intervene (Ayers, 2009). It is the ruling of the president in this scenario that showed his commitment to the rule of law. He order Federal troops to maintain law and order as the African American students attended these ‘white’ schools. ... The Supreme Court found out the racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional since it conflicted with the equal protection clause that is included in the fourteenth amendment. This means that African American students could be allowed in public schools that were persevered for the whites. However, this decision faced numerous challenges, which included protests from various parts of the state (Ayers, 2009). Montgomery bus boycott, on the other hand, was a civil rights movement that campaigned against racial segregation in public transport system. The boycott was sparked by Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, when she was forcefully arrested after refusing to give her seat to a white person in a public commuter bus. The boycott resulted to a ruling by the Supreme Court that declared segregation of race in public transport system unconstitutional. These two events were particularly crucial to the development of the civil rights movement since they introduced significant c hanges in the constitution that declared racial segregation unconstitutional. The events also helped profile the plight of civil activist since they received considerable public interest including the attention of the president. Both events were crucial, since they both highlighted racial segregation, in different situations in the United States. For instance, Brown’s decision highlighted segregation in schools while the Montgomery boycotts highlighted segregation in the public transport system. These events were successful in championing the civil rights of the black community in America. This was made possible by the United States Court which made a ruling in their favor. In both cases, the

Capstone Project Thesis Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Capstone Project - Thesis Proposal Example In this research, we will be investigating on ways of making owners of websites take responsibility of materials they post on their websites and who gets access to the materials. For example, implementation of ways such as putting age limits on their websites for individuals to be allowed access to the sites. Other means that will be investigated on their effectiveness is suggesting for the underage on scholarly sites to visit to help improve on their grades (Horn, 1999). Declaration of the issue as society issues will ensure those who own websites adhere strictly to the set rules. It will be an obligation for institutions to follow rules that provide guidelines and control of materials that get to the internet. Such guidelines may help to improve students performance and assist them to get quality information. School administrators will also be encouraged to advice students on reading academic materials to enhance improvement of students’ performance. Educating students on the effects of non-academic materials on their performance will be part of the objectives of the analysis (Bonnel & Smith,

The variable I am going to change will be the temperature Essay Example for Free

The variable I am going to change will be the temperature Essay The aim of my experiment is to investigate how the resistance of a wire is Affected by the length of the wire. I will be investigating by using three types of wire Thin, Thick and finally an even thicker wire then second time around. I will be also recording my results by taking down what the volt meter displays and what the Ammeter displays. I will be recording the results for each wire and also I will be increasing the wires thickness after I measure 10cm of length each time having taken down the results. Apparatus: Meter Ruler- Safety Goggles- Cell- Wire- Crocodile Clips- Ammeter- A Voltmeter- V Plan For the following experiment my plan will be to firstly wire up all the appliances to create a circuit then I will predict whether the resistance increases or whether it does not increase while the wire increases. I will carry out the experiment increasing the length of the wire by 10cm each time I will then take down the results of the voltage, current. To measure the voltage I will use a Voltmeter to measure the Voltage, to measure the length of the wire I will use a meter ruler and finally to measure the current I will use a Amp meter. After gaining these results I will work out the resistance using this formula: Resistance=Voltage/Current Having gaining the results I will write them up in a table from which I will plot the graph to support my results Then after drawing the graphs I will come to my conclusion, in my conclusion I will conclude what happened in the experiment and I will say whether my prediction is right. I will then come on to the evaluation of my experiment. Prediction My prediction is as the Length of the wire increase by 10cm the resistance will get affected making it to increase. The factors which may affect my experiment are firstly the cell(Battery) which may ran out or cause a defect, The voltmeter or ammeter may show the wrong Voltage or current and there also could be a wrong connection being made connecting the circuits. There also could be a user fault and they may measure the wrong length of wire. The factors which need to be controlled are to firstly to get a good working battery and them some healthy working wires. You need to make sure u connect the circuit correctly and also you need to make sure you measure the correct length each time. I will also keep the same temperature to make sure the experiment is even I will do this by using a thermometer to make sure the temperature is constant. I will be using Room temperature. Work Done By- SaNjE Balendra Table of results (Thin Wire) Length Voltage Current Resistance Here is the table of results for my second experiment in which I used a thick wire Table of results (2nd Thicker Wire) Length Voltage Current Resistance Here is the table of results for third and final experiment Work Done By- SaNjE Balendra Conclusion Having done my experiment I have come to my conclusion. In my experiment I have found out that as the length of the wire increases the resistance increases. This is because as the length of the wire increases it causes the current and voltage to increase which means the resistance increases as well resistance is equal to voltage divided by current. The resistance increases because there is more sufficient surface area which means the can atoms to collide, when the thickness increases it causes the resistance to decrease as there is a lot of surface area so there will be less collision. Evaluation The experiment proved to be a success and it went very well although it could be improved by trying other lengths, different voltages but also a different type of wire to be able to compare the resistance difference this would make a more interesting experiment. I feel overall my results were quite precise. You can see my results were accurate looking at all 3 of my graphs, which shows a straight line through most of the points apart from one or two which are on the line or not very apart from the line. The 2 points on the (thin wire) which was not close to the line was a Anomaly but it did not effect the gradient in the graph. In my experiment the places I think I made the most errors in the experiment was measuring the length of the wire as it was hard to measure the wire keeping it straight and then holding a meter wire to measure it. I can improve on how to measure the wire by using more than one person to either help me or do the experiment with me, I can also improve by being sensible and being focused on my work and on what am doing.

British newspapers Essay Example for Free

British newspapers Essay On Friday 25th October 2002, all British newspapers reported on the outcome of the trial of Alastair Irvine, the son of the Lord Chancellor, Derry Irvine. Alastair Irvine, 25 was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to six stalking, vandalism and gun charges arsing from his pursuit of a 19-year-old woman. By comparing the coverage of this story in four national newspapers, we can reach conclusions about their general approach, their choice of content, range of presentation and many aspects of life. It is important to choose a wide spread of newspapers so that all different viewpoints on the story are represented. The newspapers I have chosen are: The Daily Mail, The Daily Star, The Independent, The Guardian and The Times. Both The Daily Mail and The Daily Star are tabloids whilst the rest are all broadsheets. The newspaper that donates the most coverage to the story was The Daily Mail. The first thing you notice with the Mail article is the amount of space devoted to it. The single article takes up a whole page, save a small rather ironic advert entitled Autumn Delights. The actual column space is a huge fifty-five and a half centimetres, three times more than most of the other papers. Another main feature of the article is the very large picture of Alastair Irvine, which takes up much of the central part of the page. It is a very selectively taken photo, which portrays Alastair Irvine as being mentally insane. The other picture on the page is one of Lord Irvine, Alastairs father. This is again a photograph chosen specifically to influence the reader. The picture is slanted so that Lord Irvines eyes are staring directly into his sons. In addition, Lord Irvine has a very amused expression set on his face, giving the reader the impression that he is pleased to see his son go to prison. Also, Lord Irvine is dressed in his judges gown and some irony that a judges son be put in prison. One important thing to note is the Mails own view on politics. It is commonly known that The Daily Mail is opposed to New Labour and Mails own relationship with the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor, being a member of the Labour cabinet is likely to be given bad press. However, he has also had a dispute with the Daily Mails sister paper, The Mail on Sunday. Lord Irvine criticised The Mail on Sunday after it printed a story about his sons drug addiction, amongst other things criticizing Lord Irvines views on the legalization of cannabis; Lord Irvine took the matter to the press complaints commission. It is obvious that the paper and the Lord Chancellor do not have a very good relationship and why the Daily Mail is taking such a strong opinion on this one particular article. Another thing to note is the power with which the Daily Mail uses the headline. The headline draws immediately to the fact that the writers and most probably the readers are more interested in Lord Irvine rather than Alastair. The headline also uses very emotive words, used to influence the readers views. Amongst many other words used in the article, terrorising and young lovers are used in the headline. The idea that he has terrorised young lovers is a very strong and horrific thought and very strong language. This is used to make us feel that he Alastair Irvine is evil, reinforced by the striking photograph of Alastair Irvine. The strap-line also contains emotive words. Alastair Irvine is described as a drug addict and his actions shamed his family. The idea of Alastair shaming his family is supported by the smile of his father, Lord Irvine. It is also important to concentrate on the actual text used in the article. Usually in a newspaper the first paragraph should briefly summarize the story, however, the Daily Mail article concentrates on the fact that Alastair Irvine is Lord Irvines son and that he terrorised young lovers. The use of more words that are emotive and the focusing on the fact that he is the Chancellors son shows quite clearly how the Mail feel about this particular article. The second paragraph also shows the Mails own views on the story: Alastair Irvine, 25, pleaded guilty in return for a lenient sentence. The idea that the sentence given was lenient implies that the paper thought he deserved more and that the crime he committed was very serious compared to the punishment given. There are many examples throughout the Mail article of emotive words and personal feeling. The whole of the next paragraph is used as an example of the writer influencing the readers by the quality of language. All emotive words in this paragraph have been specifically placed here for this reason. The stating of the fact that he could have faced up to 18 years in jail. Shows again that the Mail think Alastair deserved more than his lenient sentence. The Mail also states that Alastair showed no emotion as he was led away. This again influences us into believing that Alastair was not repentant at all. However, many of us would believe that someone who has just pleaded guilty to a crime may feel repentant and somebody who is likely to face six months in jail would feel emotional. The Daily Mail article continues with words such as obsessed and hassle being used throughout the rest of the article. It is clear that the purpose of this article is not, as it should be, to provide news, but to deter from the facts and promote Alastair Irvine and therefore Lord Irvine as a bad person. It is important to study other aspects of the article. The page number this article is on does not reflect the true amount of importance that the Mail intended to place upon it, it being on a mere page seven. Granted other newspapers have had the article on earlier pages but the sheer size and effort put into the article reflect how much the Mail cares about this specific article. The language used in the article is not as simple as it could be however, it is not very complicated and this probably appeals to the readers of the Daily Mail. Overall, it is clear to see how this article has been written in a certain way to influence the reader and to not report the news but to change to news to serve its own purpose needed. This is a classic example of the media affecting the news in a specific way for a specific purpose. The next paper to be studied is The Daily Star. The Daily Star is too a tabloid newspaper. The Daily star article although not as large as the Mail version is still as biased and emotive. The first thing to notice is the Daily Star is the only newspaper present that does not include the words Lord Irvine or anything referring to the Lord in the headline. However, the Daily Star headline is much more vague and strong: Stalker son is jailed At first glance, this may give us the impression that a son of a stalker has been imprisoned rather than a stalking son has been jailed. The picture shows Alastair looking remarkably depressed with the situation unlike the Daily Mail article. However, the caption under picture bares a likeness to the Mails. The word caged is used whilst in the Mail article the word Manacled was used, both of these words are strong and give the impression that Alastair Irvine is some sort of trapped animal. The first paragraph, now, does describe who Alastair Irvine is. The words Lord Chancellor naturally arrive. The emotive word used in this paragraph is the use of the word love rival. This gives us the impression of some sort of battle occurring between Alastair and his love rival. This again is quite an unnecessary word which is used to bring sympathy to the stalked love rival. The language used in the Star article is a lot simpler, than the language used in the Daily Mail, this again appeals to the readers of The Daily Star, who are not expected to have a vast vocabulary. The only cross heading used in the article is a very striking one, Threats this gives the reader an impression of the article before they have actually read it and prepares the reader for the severity of the article. However, the content of the article is generally quite good, most of the information quite relevant, save Lord Irvine, a senior member of Government and a close friend of Toney Blair. The article is dotted with the odd emotive word however, nowhere as near as many as the Mail. The column length of the article in the Star is a mere fifteen centimetres, which is far below the average of all the other articles. Overall, apart from the misleading headline, the occasional unnecessary paragraph and the simple use of language The Daily Star provides an informative yet easily understood version of the story. The next paper is not a tabloid but a broadsheet, meant to report the news rather that influence the readers. The Independent does just that. The simple headline gives all the relevant knowledge needed. It tells us why the story is important, mentioning Lord Irvine, how long Alastair has been imprisoned for, and for what reason. The actual font size of the headline is very small compared to the previously discussed articles. The first paragraph is very informative. It tells us of the nature of his plea and of his crime. The giving of his age, followed by the nine-teen year old girl may be regarded as a ploy to influence the reader, however, I do not regard it as so. The Independents article is the most informative and goes into more detail that reported by any other newspaper. There are very few emotive words included however; the occasional one does turn up. The Independent also reports that the sentence received by Irvine was much lower than he deserved however it does not say it as bluntly as both the Mail and the Star. The Independent talks about his drug problem in detail. It mentions the fact that he actually travelled to California to undergo rehabilitation for his crack-cocaine addiction. It also goes into more detail than the other articles about the nature of his attacks and his threats. The independent talks about the psychological state that Alastair was in and also talks about the importance of this story politically, all with great measures taken to be unbiased and fact providing. The page number of the article shows the relative importance of the article, I personally feel it is a bit too high also the column length of the article at twenty-nine centimetres seams reasonable. The language used in the article is frivolous in places but overall, not too much more complicated that the Star article. This article has one sole purpose alone and that is to report the news and to provide as much information that is possible and relevant. Overall, out of the all the articles The Independent has the most informative article. It is impartial and provides a good insight into the news story. The final newspaper to be discussed is the Guardian. The first thing noticed of the article is the sheer size. It is only a little smaller than the Daily Mail. Noticeable too, however, is the very large picture of a handcuffed Alastair Irvine looking very depressed. The huge headline is simple and similar to the other broadsheets, referring to Lord Irvine and the crime committed. The strap-line however, is less impartial and divulges more into the thoughts of Lord Irvine who wished not to comment. We also note the photograph of Lord Irvine who is looking rather gleeful and again dressed in his judges gown. The caption also tells us that the Chancellor is happy that the case has been resolved, implying somewhat that he is happy to see his son go to prison. The actual content of The Guardians article is quite impressive also, it divulges into past confrontations between Lord Irvine and The Sunday Mail, and also in Alastairs drug problem. It mentions the charges and also a speech from the lawyer of Alastair Irvine who states the gratefulness of Alastair on getting off so lightly and the fact that he could not be guaranteed a win by his own lawyer. The article also mentions some politics and shows the gratefulness of the deputy district attorney at the lack of interference by Lord Irvine. This article again has no purpose but to inform the reader of the story with as much impartiality as possible. The story is only on page eight which is quite far back but the grand size of it makes up for its importance. The article is well structured with points interlinking from one to the other and the material covered is excellent with a wide range of points included that were not in other articles. The language is of a reasonable complexity and this also reflects the audience, which it is targeted at. Overall, the article is excellent apart from the few emotive words present, the strap-lines severity and the unnecessary size of the picture. In this essay, the void between tabloids and broadsheets has clearly been identified. From the extreme tabloid, which provides little useful information but much opinion of The Daily Mail to the extremes of broadsheet with a huge picture and lots of valuable information of The Guardian the progressive change of the articles has been highlighted. By personal favourite article is the Independents, being not only informative but also not excessive. Its size is enough for a quick but in-depth guide to the article and does not detract from it with the suggestion of being a difficult read. However, each article has its own niche market, and I, cannot speak for the variety of people who belong to the readers of any of the newspapers. That is someway creates a sense of impartiality, however, being me alone it is all I can offer. In summate, if a variety of people from different cultures were to write this essay the result may be different, not in quality but in content.

Islamic Education After Independence Education Essay

Islamic Education After Independence Education Essay Initially, Islamic education was taught after school hours. Starting from 1962, the Islamic religious subject was implemented and officially included in the school time table where it was taught for 120 minutes (2 hours) per week by the teachers approved by the state authority.(Education Ordinance 1957). Rosnani (1996) is of the opinion that although these recommendations were positive, in the sense that they gave importance to religious instruction in national and national-type schools, they affected all Islamic religious adversely i.e a decline in pupil enrolment because Malay parents saw many advantages in the national schools, firstly their children could learn religion whether in national and national-type English schools. Second, greater opportunities to further studies and, greater job opportunities that awaited graduates of national schools compared to religious schools.The decline in enrolment was due also to the automatic promotion until Form Three, the abolition of the Malayan Secondary School Entrance Examination and the establishment of national secondary schools. The second major consequence was the transformation of the the Madrasahs curriculum in accordance with the National Educational Policy where the Malay language replaced Arabic as the medium of language and the religious subject had to be reduced to accomodate new secular subjects i.e Malay language, English, Mathematics, Geography, History and general Science. The third major impact of the National Education Policy was the shortage of teachers in the Madrasah because qualified teachers left for better facilities and better pay offered by National schools. Madrasahs institutions also had acute financial problems and had to be rescued by state religious department. Rosnani, (1996) further claimed that these factors, in addition to changing societal values brought about the decline of Madrasah and near demise of pondok in 1960s. Paradigm shift a) The Integrated Curriculum for Primary School (ICPS) and The New Secondary School Integrated curriculum (NSSIC) It was a fact that the 70s witnessed the increase of Islamic conciousness among the Muslim throughout the Muslim World including Malaysia which subsequently contributed to educational reform. A few Islamic organizations such as ABIM, Al Arqam and Jamaat Tabligh were also formed during the 70s where their dynamic activities help to strengthen Islam in Malaysia. According to Ghazali (2000), there are many factors contributing to the Malaysian educational reform. Apart from the implementation of suggestions and report made in 1979, the changes in the political climate where people were more inclined to Islam should be considered. The influence of the Islamic movement in Iran gave a significant impact among the Muslims in Malaysia to support the Islamic party (PAS). Then, the government under the leadership of Tun Dr. Mahathir officially introduced Islamization policy in 1983. Consequently The Islamic institutions, the International Islamic University (IIUM) and the Islamic Banking were established. The philosophy of the University was inspired by the recommendations of the first World Conference on Muslim Education held in Mecca in 1977. According to this philosophy, knowledge shall be propagated in the spirit of Tawhid leading towards the recognition of Allah as the Absolute Creator and Master of mankind. Thus all disciplines of knowledge should lead towards subservience of this truth. Knowledge is a form of trust(amanah) from Allah to man, and hence man should utilize knowledge according to Allahs will in performing his role as the servant and vicegerent (khalifah) of Allah on earth. In this way the seeking of knowledge is regarded as an act of worship (Diary IIUM, 2005) Subsequently in 1982, The Ministry of Education, introduced The New Primary School Curriculum (NPSC). It was implemented nation wide in 1983. The NPSC was formulated to provide equal opportunity to students to acquire basic skills and knowledge in addition to inculcating noble moral values. The emphasis of this new curriculum is on the acquisition of the three basic skills,namely reading, writing and mathematics. With a renewed emphasis on integration, it was decided in 1993 that a change of name take place. The New Primary School Curriculum (NPSC) is now known as The Integrated Curriculum for Primary School (ICPS)(Curriculum Development Centre 1997). The New Secondary School Integrated curriculum (NSSIC) or integrated Curriculum for Secondary Schools (KBSM) which was guided by the recommendation of the first World Conference on Muslim Education 1977, in Makkah was introduced in 1988 for lower secondary level and in 1989 the curriculum was implemented in phase up to form five level. (Hasan.L, 1993). The main focus of the curriculum is on an integrated educational approach. The approach incorporated knowledge with skills and moral values. It also combine theory with practical training. The strategy is to incorporate Moral Values into curriculum and the Malay language with curriculum (Curriculum Development Centre,1997). b) The National Educational Philosophy (NEP) The Education Act 1961 has determined Malaysias education policies for over three decades until it was repealed in 1996. The Education Act 1996 is the latest and is the most comprehensive where it stated for the first time in writing the National Educational Philosophy (Under Act 550). The official statement of NEP states as follows : Education in Malaysia is an on-going effort towards further developing the potential of individuals in holistic and integrated manner so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious, based on the firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards, and who are resilient and capable of achieving a high level of personal well-being as well as being able to contribute to the betterment of the family, society and the nation at large. Langgulung, H (1993) stated that based on this NEP, the planning of KBSM is meant to help students to develop their intellectual, spiritual, emotional as well as physical potentials in comprehensive and integrated manner. It is hoped that the comprehensive and integrated development could create student who is able to adjust himself in society and contribute to the progress and the welfare of himself in order to function effectively and productively in the national development. Southeast Asian Education particularly Islamic Religious Education in Indonesia and Malaysia The Indonesian Experiences After the downfall of Ottoman Empire the entire Muslim countries were completely dominated by Western Colonial countries, particularly British, French, Spanish, Dutch and so forth. Southeast Asian countries were ruled by the British and the Dutch. The British ruled Malaya and North Borneo, whilst the Dutch ruled Indonesia. Dutch rule in Indonesia lasted for over three hundred years who used iron claws to suppress private schools that sought to establish carders to fight colonialists. The establishment of Sekolah Tinggi Islam Japan occupied Indonesia for three years, during which Dutch schools were totally closed down and replaced by Japanese curriculum including language of instruction. Indonesian fighters for Indonesian independence suggested that since all tertiary level of education were closed by Japanese, it is high time that Islamic higher institution of learning (Sekolah Tinggi Islam = STI) be established. The idea was suggested by Majlis Shura Muslimin Indonesia (Masyumi) along with the establishment of armed forces called Hizbullah (Gods Party). The prominent personalities leading the school are : 1. Dr. Mohammad Hatta (Vice President) as chairman 2. Mr. Soewandi (Civil servant) as deputy chairman 3. Mohammad Natsir (later on became the first Prime Minister of Indonesia after independence) as secretary 4. Several other members of society such as Prof. R.A.A Hoesein Djajadingrat, Dr.Hidayat, Dr. Soekiman and many others were acting as members of executives. The Sekolah Tinggi Islam started with four faculties i.e Law, Religion, Economics and Education. After independence, Religious faculty was sponsored by Ministry of religious affairs and became Government Institute religious of knowledge (Institute Agama Islam Negeri = IAIN) whose curriculum were planned by people graduated from Al Azhar. It is logical that the curriculum of IAIN in early days of its establishment was carbon copy of faculties in Al Azhar before the latest reforms in 1961. The institute originally has three faculties like in Al Azhar, i.e Usuludin, Shariah and Arabic language, later they added faculty of tarbiyyah (education) Organization like the Muhammadiyah during the Dutch rule even set schools using Dutch as a medium of instruction to compete with the schools established by the Dutch. Other organization such as Nahdatul Ulama (NU), Persatuan Islam(Persis) and Al -Irsyad continued to maintain Pesantren (religious training centre for Advanced Islamic Studies), Madrasah (Islamic schools) and pondok(Muslim boarding schools) which they had been managing, so much so that bumiputera (the son of the soil) children need not have to go to Dutch government schools for their education. In the early fifties the government tried to set up schools for the training of religious teachers (Sekolah Pendidikan Guru Agama-PGA) by putting some of the exising Madrasah under the management of religious affairs. The objectives was to train religious teachers in government schools where religious knowledge was also taught. This was followed by the setting up of Sekolah Guru Hakim Agama (SGHA) to cater to the needs of the Muslim jurists both in Shariah and the State courts. The Muslim organizations and Muslim community alike were quite disappointed with the scope offered by both the PGA and SGHA. Muslim organizations such as Muhammadiyah continued to be self reliant in the management of their schools. All they needed to do was to comply with the government regulations and current requirements. Pesantren too began to mushroom since the fifties. A press statement issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the later part of the seventies put the figure at 20,000 Pesantren with 9 million students. It is estimated that current figures have far exceeded these numbers in view of the 40% increasing of Indonesian population from 150 million in the seventies to a 220 million currently. Rapid Development of Islamic schools Among the factors that contributed to the rapid development of Islamic schools lately were: 1. The government inability to cater to the educational needs of all children. The problem therefore was partly resolved by the existence of private schools. 2. Dissatisfaction with the scope offered by the PGA and the SGHA in the fifties.The government, however, has been trying to improve the situation by: i) Accepting the standard of madrasah so that they would be at par with public schools. ii) Uplifting students of madrasah for admission into equivalent public schools at primary, lower secondary and upper secondary levels. iii) Recognizing the private madrasah certificate as equivalent to the state (government) madrasah certificate to enable leavers of private madrasah to continue with their studies in equivalent government schools iv) The influence of the Islamic revivalist phenomenon world wide, particularly the international Conferences of Muslim Education first held in Makkah 1977, Second in Islamabad 1980, Third in Dakka (Bangladesh), 1981, Fourth in Jakarta 1982, the Fifth in Cairo 1987 and Sixth in Makkah 1993 and the Seventh in South Africa 1996. The conferences had deliberated on this religious education from elementary to tertiary level and produced guidelines for the implementation. How far Muslim countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, have responded to these guidelines and implement them in their curriculum is yet to be seen. The International Conferences of Muslim Education mentioned above should be a stepping stone toward the unified religious curricular reforms in Muslim countries for the years to come. The Malaysian Experiences The history of Islamic religious education in Malaysia before independence The history of Islamic education in Malaysia dated back as early as 13th century when Islam first came to this region (Abdul Halim, 1995). Islamic education can be divided into four stages : i. Centered around teachers houses ii. Centered around mosques, suraus and madrasahs iii. Centered around religious institutions called pondok. (literally , Hut school) iv. Centered around religious institutions called madrasah schools i. Centered around teachers houses At the early stage it was carried out in a very informal way suitable to the environment of that time which it centered around teachers homes (rumah-rumah guru). Students came to the teachers (normally known as Ulama) homes to learn reading Quran and fardhu Ain (basic Islamic teaching). ii. Centered around mosques, suraus and madrasahs Due to the increasing number of students flocking to the teachers homes where the later could not accommodate all of them, then came the idea of religious education to be centered around mosques, suraus and madrasahs. The teachers used to sit with their students in circles. These teachers were easily received by the society even sometimes they were called to palaces to teach the king of the state and their relatives. iii. Centered around religious institutions called pondok Subsequently it centered around religious institutions called pondok. (literally, it means hut school) Pondoks are traditional religious schools which dominated the Malay world education system in the earlier part of 14th century. i.e pre colonial and even during colonial period. The pondok institution was the first and most influential legacy in Islamic education in both Malaysia and Indonesia (called Pesantran). The management of these pondoks differs from place/center to another place/center and there was no standard set of syllabus. However, the mode of instruction was similar to that practised in Makkah and Cairo before the advent of modern methods of teaching. Rosnani (1996) mentioned that many scholars have discussed the origin of Pondok institution in Malaysia, whether it originated from Sumatera, Indonesia or Pattani, in Southern Thailand. However, she argued that one cannot dismiss the possibility that the pondok institution was an influence of Makkah education of that era because the content and the teaching methods in pondok institutions were comparable to those in the Al Haram Mosque in Makkah and many pondok teachers had taken the pilgrimage to Makkah and deepened their knowledge of Islam. Some of the famous ulama (Tok guru) in the middle of 19th century were Tok Selehor, Tok Kenali, Tok Kemuning, Tok Ku Pulau Manis, etc. Although there was no standardised content and no limitation in the years of study. The pondok curriculum shared some common features of the subject. All pondoks usually include the basic disciplines such as Tauhid, Al-Quran, Fiqh, Hadith, Nahu, Sarf, Tasawwuf and Akhlaq. After years of study and considered as alim or knowledgeable by their guru these students will come back to their respective villages to teach and some may go abroad to further their study to Makkah, Cairo, Pakistan or India.. When these students went to Al Azhar University and other Middle East countries they were taught and trained with the curriculum of that particular place of study and easily got influenced by it. Thus, when they returned to their home countries they usually joined the existing pondok or established a new one. They would planned and implemented either totally or partially the curriculum they had went through in their early days as students. Thus, it was not a surprise to find out that many pond oks or madrasahs curriculum were the carbon -copy of Al- Azhar and other Middle East countries. This situation continues until now since the academic results or certificate given by these pondoks and madrasahs are not generally accepted by mainstream universities, many of these students have to continue their education in locations such as Pakistan, Egypt and other Middle East countries. iv. Centered around religious institutions called madrasah schools At the end of 19th century especially after World War 1, with the influence of Islah movement led by reformists Sayyid Jamaluddin Al Afghani (1839-1879) and Muhammad Abduh, (1849-1905), many religious madrasah schools were established in many places in Malaysia as alternative to pondok school and also to compete with the secular school. The Malaysian reformists ideas came from Sheikh Tahir Jalaludin and Shiekh Ahmad Al Hadi who were very much influenced by Al-Afghani and Abduh (Al Attas,1972). With these Madrasah system, Islamic education not only focus on spiritual, fardu Ain and Tauhid but it became more comprehensive, it include other subjects in the curriculum such as Arabic language, Maths and Geograph. Islamic Education during the British Period Japan conquered Malaysia (1941-45) and was defeated to the British. The British then made few educational reformations starting with Barnes Report and Fern Wu Report. Briefly, the Barnes Report stated the lack of religious instruction in schools had led Malay parents sent their children to learn religion in the afternoon sessions which were very tiresome. The committee suggested jawi be omitted and religious instruction be taught instead. Barnes Report also suggested only one system of primary education (national primary school) to be held. Fenn Wu Report suggested and supported trilingual where Malay, Chinese and English languages should be encouraged to be the medium of instruction. As a compromise, the government passed the Education Ordinance 1952, where the promotion of national school system by gradual introduction of English into Malay Vernacular schools and Malay and English languages into Chinese and Tamil Vernacular school and also recommended the maintenance of English nat ional type school. Interestingly, it also recommended that religious education be provided to pupils either within school premises or in suitable premises close by as part of the school lessons ( Hussein Onn,1957). During the British period education was divided into religious and non religious education. Here has the beginning of the secular education in Malaysia. Secular schools in Malaysia were largely an innovation of British colonial government. Many of the earliest schools in Malaysia were started in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Melaka, and Singapore. The oldest school in Malaysia is the Penang Free school, founded in 1816, followed by Malacca Free School later changed to Malacca High school in 1978. While the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) was established in 1905 based on English Public School. Many of these schools still carry with them an air of prestige although there is no formal difference between these schools and other schools. Islamic education after independence and the impact of National Educational Policy Formal educational policies came into place after Malayas independence in 1957. The task of the new government was to establish a national education system which, while making the Malay as the national language of the country, the languages and cultures of non- Malay communities are preserved and sustained. The most important development was the implementation of The Education Act 1961 where The Razak Report and the Rahman Talib Report became the basis for the formulation of this Act. The main features of the Razak Report are; a uniform national education and centralized examination system, A Malayan oriented curriculum, one type of national Secondary school, English and Malay language compulsory and Bahasa Melayu as the main medium of instruction. While the main features Rahman Talib Report are : Free primary and universal education, automatic promotion to Form 3, Establishment of schools Inspectorate, Bahasa Malaysia as the main medium of instruction, Religious/moral education as basis for spiritual development, emphasis on teacher education . In addition, the implementation of Islamic education in National Educationtal System was also based on the reports made during Razak Report (1956) and Rahman Talib Report (1960) where it is clearly stated that in any assisted school where not less than 15 pupils profess the Muslim religion, religious instruction to them shall be provided at public expense. Instruction in other religions to other pupils may be provided so long as no additional cost falls upon public funds and provided that no child shall be required to attend classes in religious instructions without the parents consent Initially, Islamic education was taught after school hours. Starting from 1962, the Islamic religious subject was implemented and officially included in the school time table where it was taught for 120 minutes (2 hours) per week by the teachers approved by the state authority.(Education Ordinance 1957). Rosnani (1996) is of the opinion that although these recommendations were positive, in the sense that they gave importance to religious instruction in national and national-type schools, they affected all Islamic religious adversely i.e a decline in pupil enrolment because Malay parents saw many advantages in the national schools, firstly their children could learn religion whether in national and national-type English schools. Second, greater opportunities to further studies and, greater job opportunities that awaited graduates of national schools compared to religious schools.The decline in enrolment was due also to the automatic promotion until Form Three, the abolition of the Malayan Secondary School Entrance Examination and the establishment of national secondary schools. The second major consequence was the transformation of the the Madrasahs curriculum in accordance with the National Educational Policy where the Malay language replaced Arabic as the medium of language and the religious subject had to be reduced to accomodate new secular subjects i.e Malay language, English, Mathematics, Geography, History and general Science. The third major impact of the National Education Policy was the shortage of teachers in the Madrasah because qualified teachers left for better facilities and better pay offered by National schools. Madrasahs institutions also had acute financial problems and had to be rescued by state religious department. Rosnani, (1996) further claimed that these factors, in addition to changing societal values brought about the decline of Madrasah and near demise of pondok in 1960s. Paradigm shift a) The Integrated Curriculum for Primary School (ICPS) and The New Secondary School Integrated curriculum (NSSIC) It was a fact that the 70s witnessed the increase of Islamic conciousness among the Muslim throughout the Muslim World including Malaysia which subsequently contributed to educational reform. A few Islamic organizations such as ABIM, Al Arqam and Jamaat Tabligh were also formed during the 70s where their dynamic activities help to strengthen Islam in Malaysia. According to Ghazali (2000), there are many factors contributing to the Malaysian educational reform. Apart from the implementation of suggestions and report made in 1979, the changes in the political climate where people were more inclined to Islam should be considered. The influence of the Islamic movement in Iran gave a significant impact among the Muslims in Malaysia to support the Islamic party (PAS). Then, the government under the leadership of Tun Dr. Mahathir officially introduced Islamization policy in 1983. Consequently The Islamic institutions, the International Islamic University (IIUM) and the Islamic Banking were established. The philosophy of the University was inspired by the recommendations of the first World Conference on Muslim Education held in Mecca in 1977. According to this philosophy, knowledge shall be propagated in the spirit of Tawhid leading towards the recognition of Allah as the Absolute Creator and Master of mankind. Thus all disciplines of knowledge should lead towards subservience of this truth. Knowledge is a form of trust(amanah) from Allah to man, and hence man should utilize knowledge according to Allahs will in performing his role as the servant and vicegerent (khalifah) of Allah on earth. In this way the seeking of knowledge is regarded as an act of worship (Diary IIUM, 2005) Subsequently in 1982, The Ministry of Education, introduced The New Primary School Curriculum (NPSC). It was implemented nation wide in 1983. The NPSC was formulated to provide equal opportunity to students to acquire basic skills and knowledge in addition to inculcating noble moral values. The emphasis of this new curriculum is on the acquisition of the three basic skills,namely reading, writing and mathematics. With a renewed emphasis on integration, it was decided in 1993 that a change of name take place. The New Primary School Curriculum (NPSC) is now known as The Integrated Curriculum for Primary School (ICPS)(Curriculum Development Centre 1997). The New Secondary School Integrated curriculum (NSSIC) or integrated Curriculum for Secondary Schools (KBSM) which was guided by the recommendation of the first World Conference on Muslim Education 1977, in Makkah was introduced in 1988 for lower secondary level and in 1989 the curriculum was implemented in phase up to form five level. (Hasan.L, 1993). The main focus of the curriculum is on an integrated educational approach. The approach incorporated knowledge with skills and moral values. It also combine theory with practical training. The strategy is to incorporate Moral Values into curriculum and the Malay language with curriculum (Curriculum Development Centre,1997). b) The National Educational Philosophy (NEP) The Education Act 1961 has determined Malaysias education policies for over three decades until it was repealed in 1996. The Education Act 1996 is the latest and is the most comprehensive where it stated for the first time in writing the National Educational Philosophy (Under Act 550). The official statement of NEP states as follows : Education in Malaysia is an on-going effort towards further developing the potential of individuals in holistic and integrated manner so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious, based on the firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards, and who are resilient and capable of achieving a high level of personal well-being as well as being able to contribute to the betterment of the family, society and the nation at large. Langgulung, H (1993) stated that based on this NEP, the planning of KBSM is meant to help students to develop their intellectual, spiritual, emotional as well as physical potentials in comprehensive and integrated manner. It is hoped that the comprehensive and integrated development could create student who is able to adjust himself in society and contribute to the progress and the welfare of himself in order to function effectively and productively in the national development. The Islamic educational challenge faced by Malaysia since Sept 11 To ensure that the Malaysian education system responds properly to the nation building, unity and the development of the country there were many curricula reviews and tremendous changes in Malaysia education since its independence in 1957. It is a well-known fact that the Muslim education system in the Muslim world including Indonesia and Malaysia is the extension of the Western educational system which is compartmentalised and secularized. As a consequence of the Western influence and the weaknesses of the Muslims, the religious curriculum in schools and university levels in both Malaysia and Indonesia are still compartmentalised. Rosnani ( 2004 2nd edition) claimed that the curriculum practiced in Muslim countries either borrowed wholesome or partially from the West and even the subjects and methodologies presently taught in the countries are copies of the Western. Here, it is important to note the statement made by Tan Sri Murad, the President of the social committee for the study of curriculum in national schools that the implementation of religious education at National Schools have a lot of weaknesses because there are still many students cant read Al Quran and write Jawi although they had attended six years of primary schools. (Berita Harian , 26/Feb/2003). Although there were many surveys and writings carried out for examples by Rosnani (1996), Sahari Langgulung (1999) and Abdul Hamid (2003) found several weaknesses of Islamic religious schools such as its curriculum, lack of facilities and financial and poor administration. However, one has to remember that SAR has contributed significantly to Islamic education in both Malaysia and Indonesia before their independence. Despite the weaknesses of Islamic religious schools, informal conversations and interviews with some Muslim parents revealed that they were still interested to enroll their children at this school due to a variety of reasons: i) With the high cost of living, many Muslim parents are both working full time thus they have very limited time to teach their own children and expect the schools to act on their behalf ii) Some of these Muslim parents are interested to teach their own children, unfortunately they themselves do not know how to read the Al- Quran and either have no or very limited knowledge regarding fardu Ain iii) Some parents also opt to send their children for religious classes after school hours or Sunday schools at the mosques because they feel that religious subject at the national school is not adequate or failed to meet their expectation iv) Many muslim parents are aware and worried about the moral decadence (social ills) in the society especially among the youth keep on increasing such as drug addicts, illegitimate child , bullying, gangsterism and etc. Thus it was not a surprise to learn that Peoples Religious Schools (SAR) in Malaysia mushroomed because parents were concerned about their children Islamic knowledge while the national school curriculum seemed inadequate. According to a daily newspaper, there were 500 SARs nation wide with 126,000 students receiving Islamic education in such institutions (NST, 22 Jan 2003). People Islamic religious schools (SAR) are schools mostly built, funded and owned by individuals or a group of people offering full time students Islamic religious education. These schools also use the curriculum which has been standardized by State religious department or Department for the advancement of Islam in Malaysia (JAKIM).These religious shools received the grant given by the government i.e RM 60 per year for a primary school student and RM120 for a secondary school student. However, in November 2002, the Malaysian government has stopped their state subsidy to SAR. The government gave two reasons for i.e that SAR lack of facilities which resulted students poor achievement and lack of trained teachers and thus urged parents to send their children to national schools (NST 9/10 Dec,2002). Rosnani (2004 2nd edition) raised a few important questions rega

Oscar Wildes The Importance Of Being Earnest :: essays research papers

Principal Characters Jack Worthing, gentleman of the Manor House; also known as "Ernest" Celcily Cardew, Worthing's pretty young ward Miss Prism, Cecily's governess Algernon Moncrieff, Worthing's friend Lady Augusta Braknell, Algernon's aunt Gwendolen Fairfax, Lady Bracknell's daughter The Reverend Canon Chasublc, Rector of Woolton Story Overview While Algernon Moncrieff and his manservant prepared for a visit froi-n his aunt, the formidable Lady Bracknell, their conversation turned to the question of marriage. Observing the servant's somewhat lax views on the subject, Algernon declared, "Really, if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?" This chat was interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Algernon's friend, Ernest Worthing Worthing was pleased to hear that Lady Bracknell - and her beautiful daughter Gwendolen - would be appearing for tea. But Algernon warned, "I am afraid Aunt Augusta won't quite approve of your bein here." Mildly insulted, Ernest demanded to know why. "My dear fellow," Algernon answered, "the way you flirt with Gwendolen is perfectly disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way Gwendolen flirts with you." At this point Worthing announced that he intended to propose marriage to Gwendolen, but was taken aback by Algernon's response: "I don't give my consent." Worthing, would first have to explain a certain "Cecily" in his life. As evidence of this relationship, he produced a cigarette case left behind by Worthing on an earlier visit - devotedly inscribed from "Cecily" to her loving "Uncle Jack." "Well," admitted Worthing, "my name is Ernest in town and Jack in the country." It happened, he said, that Cecily was his ward, who lived in his country home under the watchful eyes of a stern governess, Miss Prism. But to escape the stuffy constraints of country living, Jack had invented an alter ego: " . . . In order to get up to town I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest, who lives in Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes." Thus, Jack was often "called away" to the city to "rescue" irrepressible Ernest. Smiling, Algernon now confessed that he too was a "Bunburyist," a friend of the equally fictitious "Bunbury," a "permanent invalid," whom he visited whenever he chose to get away. When Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen arrived, Algernon took his aunt aside, leaving "Ernest" and Gwendolen alone. "Miss Fairfax," Worthing stammered, "ever since I met you I have admired you more than any girl - I have ever met since - I met you.

Globalisation :: Economics Capitalism Economy Essays

Globalisation Introduction To begin with, tell them that they will need to look at the essay questions today Later we will be doing a trial reflective exercise Let’s look at Globalisation My story When my colleagues and I were faced with redundancy we were placed in a unique position. Or perhaps it wasn’t quite so unique, just unspoken; ‘experts’ are not renowned for publicly applying their own theories to themselves. After years working as labour researchers or workplace change consultants we found ourselves in the position of having the stories we told other workers and their managements about why change was happening being reflected back to us by our managers and the people employed to facilitate our departures. We shifted from being purveyors of the discourses and narratives about why change was necessary to sitting in judgement of whether these very discourses and narratives applied to us, made sense to us, or were believable. Armed with more information than the average potentially redundant worker, we gathered around photocopiers, water coolers, staff room dining tables, coffee shop booths, each others desks - and discussed, argued, complained, questioned. As labour researchers we turned on labour theories, as change consultants we turned on theories of workplace change, and asked ourselves and each other, â€Å"Is what I’ve been saying for the last ten years really the case in my case? Now that I’m down there amongst it all instead of looking at it from the safety of an analyst’s lofty heights, does the story look and sound the same?† The Globalisation Story The stories we told the workers went generally like this: Globalisation led to economic and industry restructuring which leads to organisational change which means jobs change which means you have to do things differently to how you did them before and if you do not change, you won’t be able to give your customers what they want and you and your company and your country are gone† (hereafter called The Globalisation Story). Simple. Logical. Inexorable. Until we started telling it to ourselves and to each other. Then, with remarkable alacrity, we shifted from a reliance on causal explanation to an emphasis on interpretive understanding. Putting yourself inside the picture With many of us ‘experts’ in different stories - some were macroeconomists who understood globalisation theory, some of us were labour or industry economists who understood the theories of work and industry change, some were organisation researchers who knew about change management - we started to pick holes in other people’s stories and they picked holes in ours, many with the preface, â€Å"Your story doesn’t work for me because .

Comparing Heart of Darkness and A Separate Peace :: comparison compare contrast essays

Heart of Darkness and A Separate Peace There are many similarities between the books The Heart of Darkness and A Separate Peace. Most are between the two main characters' friends and how they deal with their situations and problems. The similarities between the two characters are their leadership skills, their expertise, and how their friends affect them. Mr. Kurtz and Finny both have incredible leadership skills. Finny is able to persuade Gene to do practically anything he wants him to do which in the end is his downfall since he convinces Gene to climb the tree with him and do a double jump. He also shows his leadership skills when he gathers a lot of the students and teaches them a new game that is fitted perfectly to his physical abilities. Mr. Kurtz showed these skills when he had the courage to go into the cillages of cannibals and convince them to give him their ivory or to tell them where they knew there was some. He also saved Marlow and his crew's lives when he commanded the natives to stop firing at their steamboat. "Kurtz got the tribe to follow him, did he?" I suggested. He fidgeted a little. "They adored him," he said." At the drop of his finger, he could have had the natives attack Marlow and his crew and kill them. While Mr. Kurtz and Finny are both alive, they are extremely good at what they do. Before his accident, Finney is the most athletic student at his school. After the accident, he tries to help Fene to become more athletic. His dream is for Finny to make the Olympics instead of him. Mr. Kurtz worked for a company that found ivory and then sold it to the public. "The he began again, assuring me Mr. Kurtz was the best agent he had, an exceptional man." Mr. Kurtz also brought back the most ivory then any other employee; "Sends in as much ivory as all the others put together." Both Mr. Kurtz and Finny had friends that had something to do with their deaths. In Finny's case, his friend Gene accidently jarred him off the tree branch that caused him to break his leg. When Finny got a brace on his leg, he tripped and broke it again, but when the doctor tried to mend it, bone marrow escaped and instantly killed him when it reached his heart.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 11~12

Eleven Catfish Catfish awoke to find a paint-spattered woman padding about the house in nothing but a pair of wool socks, in which she had stuck several sable brushes that delivered ochre, olive, and titanium white strokes to her calves whenever she moved. Canvases were propped on easels, chairs, counters, and windowsills – seascapes every one. Estelle moved from canvas to canvas, palette in hand, furiously painting details in the waves and beaches. â€Å"Y'all woke up inspired,† Catfish said. It was past dusk, they had slept away the daylight. Estelle painted by the light of fifty candles and the orange glow that washed from the open doors of the wood stove. Color correctness be damned, these paintings should be viewed by fire. Estelle stopped painting and raised her brush arm to cover her breasts. â€Å"They weren't finished. I knew something was missing when I painted them, but I didn't know what until now.† Catfish cinched his pants around his waist and walked shirtless among the paintings. The waves writhed with tail and scale and teeth and talon. Predator eyes shone out of the canvases, brighter, it seemed, than the candles that lit them. â€Å"You done painted that old girl in all of 'em?† â€Å"It's not a girl. It's male.† â€Å"How you know that?† â€Å"I know.† Estelle turned and went back to her painting. â€Å"I feel it.† â€Å"How you know it look like that?† â€Å"It does, doesn't it? It looks like this?† Catfish scratched the stubble on his chin and pondered the paintings. â€Å"Close. But it ain't a boy. That ol' monster the same one come after me an Smiley for catchin its little one.† Estelle stopped painting and turned to him. â€Å"You have to play tonight?† â€Å"In a little while.† â€Å"Coffee?† He stepped up to her, took the brush and palette from her, and kissed her on the forehead. â€Å"That sho' would be sweet.† She padded to the bedroom and came back wearing a tattered kimono. â€Å"Tell me, Catfish. What happened?† He was sitting at the table. â€Å"I think we done broke a record. I'm sore.† Estelle smiled in spite of herself, but pressed on. â€Å"What happened back then, in the bayou? Did you call that thing up out of the water somehow?† â€Å"What you thinkin, woman? I can do that, you think I be playin clubs for drinks and part the door?† â€Å"Tell me how you felt back then, when that thing came out of the swamp.† â€Å"Scared.† â€Å"Besides that.† â€Å"Wasn't nothing besides that. You heard it. Scared is all there is.† â€Å"You weren't scared after we got back here last night.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Neither was I. What did you feel back then? Before and after the thing came after you.† â€Å"Not like I'm feelin now.† â€Å"And how is that?† â€Å"I'm feelin real good to be here talkin to you.† â€Å"No kidding. Me too. How about back then?† â€Å"Stop doggin me, girl. I'll tell you. But I gots to go play in an hour and I don't know that I can.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"The Blues ain't on me. You done chased 'em off.† â€Å"I can throw you out in the cold without a shirt if you think it will help.† Catfish squirmed in his chair. â€Å"Maybe some coffee.† Catfish's Story After we gets some distance from whatever chasin us, we stop the Model T Ford and me and Smiley put that big ol' catfish thing in the backseat – his tail hangin out one side an' his head out't'other. Now this ain't at all what I expected, and Smiley ain't got the Blues on him, but I'm gettin me a grand case myself. Then I realizes we got us five hundred dollar coming, and them ol' Blues done melt right away. I say, â€Å"Smiley, I believes we should have us some celebratin, startin with some liquor and endin up with some fine Delta pussy. What you say?† Ol' Smiley, like usual, don't wanna piss on the parade, but bein who he is, he point out we aint got no money and Ida May don't approve of no pussy more'en a hundred yard from the house. But he feelin it too, I can tell, and before long we headed down a back road to find a bootlegger I know down there name of Elmore that sells to colored folk. That ol' white boy ain't got but two teeth, but he grindin 'em when we pulls up, all mad and wavin his shotgun like we come to bust up his still. I say, â€Å"Hey, Elmore, how your lovely wife and sister?† He say she fine, but lessin we shows some money quick, he gonna shoot him some niggers and get back to her before she cool off. â€Å"We a little short,† I say. â€Å"But we have us five hundred dollar come morning iffin you kind enough to give us a jug on credit.† An' then I shows him the catfish. That boy liked to shit his pants, and I was hopin he would, just to cover the smell comin off him natural, but instead he say, â€Å"I ain't waitin 'til mornin'. You want a jug, you give me a hunk o' that catfish right now. A big hunk.† Smiley and I thinks it over, and before long we got us a half-gallon of corn mash and ol' Elmore got hisself enough catfish to feed his wives and children and them-thats both for a week or more. Up the road a spell and this old whore name of Okra givin us the same speech about money, plus she sayin we need to take us a bath before she let us anywhere near her girls. And I comes back with the five-hundred-dollar story. She say five hundred dollar tomorrow and we can come in tomorrow, but if we want some pussy tonight, she want a hunk of that old catfish in the back. Them hos can eat some catfish too, I'm tellin you. I thought Smiley finally gettin the Blues on him when I hears him sayin how he give up a hundred dollar worth of catfish just for a bath. But that his choice. He wait in the car 'til I'm done and we head off to find a place to sleep 'til morning when we can cash in the fish. We pulls down a side road into some bushes, and we commencin to get us some sleep after a drink or two, when who come out the woods but a whole bunch of boys wearin them white sheets and pointy hoods, sayin, â€Å"Nigger, I guess you didn't read the sign.† And they tie us up to that ol' catfish and make us drag it back in the woods to a big ol' fire they got goin. That sho' a chill, I gots to tell you. To this day I can't walk by sheets hangin on a line without my backbone freeze up. I knows we sho' gonna die now, sayin my prayers and all best I can, while them boys kickin me in the mouth an' such while eatin catfish pieces what they roasted on sticks. Then I feels it and the kickin stops. I see ol' Smiley lyin in the dirt, coverin his head with his arms, one ol' bloody eye lookin' over at me. He feel it too. Them Klansmen staring into the woods like they long-lost momma gonna come out, big ol' grins on they faces, half of 'em rubbin they dicks through they pants. And she come out, all right. Big as a train, a howl like to make your ears bust and bleed. She take two of them in the first bite. I don't have to write Smiley no letter. Before we can say somethin, we up and runnin, still tied up to what left of that catfish carcass, running back for the road. We finds us a knife in the car and we gets loose lickety-split – Smiley crankin that ol' Model T and me behind the wheel workin the choke. Hollerin and screamin comin out the woods sounding like music now, them Klansmen gettin all eat up. Then it get quiet, just the sound of our breath and Smiley crankin the Model T. I'm yellin for him to hurry, I can hear that thing crashin though the woods. And finally, the Model T cranks over, but I can hardly hear it, 'cause that old dragon thing done broken out the woods and lets go a roar. I tells Smiley to get in, but he run back to the back of the car. â€Å"What you doing?† I say. â€Å"Five hundred dollar,† he say. And I see he throwing the catfish in the backseat. That stinky thing ain't nothin but a head now, so Smiley throw it in by hisself. Then he makes to jump on the running board and I looks over and he just snatched out the air. Gone. And them jaws coming down for the second time when I pull that ol' Model T in gear and take off. Smiley gone. Gone. Next day I find that white man say he pay five hundred dollar for the catfish, and he look at that big fish head and jus laugh at me. I say I lose the best friend I ever had, he better give me my goddamn money. But he laugh and tell me go away. So I hit him. Took that old fish head to court with me, but it don't make no difference. That judge give me six months in jail – hittin a white man and all. He tell the bailiff, â€Å"Take Catfish away.† They call me Catfish since. I don't tell the story no more, but the name still there. Had the Blues on me ever since, but they ain't no makin amends. By the time I get out, Ida May die of grief, and I ain't got a friend alive. Been on the road since. That thing on the beach, make that sound, she lookin for me. Catfish â€Å"It's a male,† Estelle said. She didn't know what else to say. â€Å"How you know?† â€Å"I know.† She took his hand. â€Å"I'm sorry about your friend.† â€Å"I just wanted him to get the Blues on him so we can make us a record.† They sat there at the table for a while, holding hands. Catfish let his coffee go cold in the cup. Estelle ran the story around in her head, both relieved and fearful that the shadows in her paintings now had a shape. Somehow, as fantastic as it was, Catfish's story seemed familiar. She said, â€Å"Catfish, did you ever read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway?† â€Å"He that boy write about bullfights and fishing? I met him once, down Florida way. Why?' â€Å"You met him?† â€Å"Yeah, that sumbitch didn't believe that story neither. Said he like to fish, but he don't believe me. Why you ask?† â€Å"Never mind,† Estelle said. â€Å"If this thing eats people, don't you think we should report it?† â€Å"I been tellin folks about that monster for some fifty years, ain't no one believed me yet. Said I was the biggest liar ever come outta the Delta. I'd have me a big house and a stack of records if not for that. You call the law and tell them 'bout this, they gonna call you the crazy woman of Pine Cove.† â€Å"We already have one of those.† â€Å"Well, ain't no one gonna get eat but me, and if I lose this gig 'cause they thinkin I'm crazy, I have to be movin on then. You understand?† Estelle took Catfish's cup from the table and placed it in the sink. â€Å"You'd better get ready to go play.† Twelve Molly To distract herself from the dragon next door, Molly had put on her sweats and started to clean her trailer. She got as far as filling three black trash bags with junk food jetsam and was getting ready to vacuum up the collec-tion of sow bug corpses that dotted her carpet when she made the mistake of Windexing the television. Outland Steel: Kendra's Revenge was playing on the VCR and when the droplets of Windex hit the screen, they magnified the phosphorescent dots, making the picture look like an impressionist painting: Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grande Warrior Babe perhaps. Molly froze the frame on the gratuitous shower scene. (There was always a shower scene in the first five minutes of her films, despite the fact that Kendra lived on a planet almost completely devoid of water. To address this problem, one young director had gotten the bright idea of using â€Å"anti-radioactive foam† in the shower scene and Molly had spent five hours with whipped Ivory Snow suds being blown on to her by an offscreen Shop-Vac. She ended up playing the rest of the film in a Bedouin burnoose to cover the rash that developed all over her body.) â€Å"Art film,† Molly said, sitting on the floor in front of the TV, dowsing it with Windex for the fiftieth time. â€Å"I could have been a model in Paris in those days.† â€Å"Not a chance,† said the narrator. He was still around. â€Å"Too skinny. They liked fat chicks back then.† â€Å"I'm not talking to you.† â€Å"You've used half a bottle of Windex for this little trip to Paris.† â€Å"Seems like cheap travel to me,† Molly said. Even so, she got up and took two glasses from the top of the TV. She was taking them to the kitchen when the doorbell rang. She opened the door with the rims of the glasses pinched in one hand. Outside, two women in dresses and heels and lots of hair spray were standing on her steps. They were both in their early thirties, blonde, and wore stiff smiles of either insincerity or drug use, Molly couldn't be sure which. â€Å"Avon?† Molly asked. â€Å"No,† the blonde in front said with a titter. â€Å"I'm Marge Whitfield, this is Katie Marshall, we're from the Coalition for a Moral Society. We'd like to talk to you about our campaign to reinstate school prayer. I hope we haven't caught you at a bad time.† Katie was in pink. Marge in pastel blue. â€Å"I'm Molly Michon. I was just cleaning up a little.† Molly held up the two glasses. â€Å"Come on in.† The two women stepped in and stood in the doorway as Molly took the glasses to the sink. â€Å"You know, it's interesting,† Molly said, â€Å"but if you put Diet Coke in one glass, and regular Coke in another, and let them sit for, oh, say six months, then come back, there will be all sorts of green stuff growing on the regular Coke, but the Diet Coke will be as good as new.† Molly returned to the living room. â€Å"Can I get you two something to drink?† â€Å"No thank you,† Marge droned in robot response. She and Katie were staring at the paused image of a wet and naked Molly on the television screen. Molly breezed by them and flipped off the television. â€Å"Sorry, an art film I made in Paris when I was younger. Won't you sit down?† The women sat down next to each other on Molly's tattered couch, their knees pinched together so tight they could have crushed diamonds to powder. â€Å"I love your air freshener,† Katie said, trying to pull out of her terror. â€Å"It smells so clean.† â€Å"Thanks, it's Windex.† â€Å"What a cute idea,† Marge said. This was good, Molly thought. Normal people. If I can hold myself together for normal people like these, I'll be okay. This is good practice. She sat down on the floor in front of them. â€Å"So your name is Marge. You don't hear that outside of detergent commercials anymore. Did your parents watch a lot of TV?† Marge tittered. â€Å"It's short for Margaret, of course. My grandmother's name.† Katie jumped in. â€Å"Molly, we're very concerned that our children's education is totally without any spiritual instruction. The Coalition is collecting signatures for reinstatement of prayer in school.† â€Å"Okay,† Molly said. â€Å"You're new in town, aren't you?† â€Å"Why, yes, we've both moved here from Los Angeles with our husbands. A small town is just a better place to raise children, as I'm sure you know.† â€Å"Right,† Molly said. They had no idea who she was. â€Å"That's why I brought my little Stevie here.† Stevie was Molly's goldfish who had died during one of her stays in County. Now he lived in a Ziploc in her freezer and regarded her with a frosty gaze every time she retrieved some ice. â€Å"And how old is Stevie?† â€Å"Uh, seven or eight. I forget sometimes, it was a long labor.† â€Å"He's a year behind my Tiffany,† Marge said. â€Å"Well, he's a little slow.† â€Å"And your husband is†¦?† â€Å"Dead.† â€Å"I'm so sorry,† Katie said. â€Å"No need, you probably didn't kill him.† â€Å"Anyway,† Katie said, â€Å"we'd really like to have your signature to send to the state senate. Single mothers are an important part of our campaign. And we're also collecting donations for the campaign to have the Constitu-tion amended.† She put on an embarrassed smile. â€Å"God's work needs funding too.† â€Å"I live in a trailer,† Molly said. â€Å"We understand,† Marge said. â€Å"Finances are difficult for a single mother. But your signature is just as important to God's work.† â€Å"But I live in a trailer. God hates trailers.† â€Å"Beg pardon?† â€Å"He burns them up, freezes, them out, tears them up with tornadoes. God hates trailers. Are you sure I wouldn't be hurting your cause?† Katie giggled. â€Å"Oh, Mrs. Michon, don't be silly. Just last week I read where a woman's trailer was picked up by a tornado and dropped almost a mile away and she survived. She said that she was praying the whole time and that God had saved her. You see?† â€Å"Then who sent the tornado in the first place?† The two pastel women squirmed on the couch. The blue one spoke first. â€Å"We'd love to have you at our Bible study group, where we could discuss that, but we have to be getting along. Would you mind signing the peti-tion?† She pulled a clipboard out of her oversized purse and handed it over to Molly with a pen. â€Å"So if this works, kids will be able to pray in school?† â€Å"Why, yes.† Marge brightened. â€Å"So the Muslim kids can turn to Mecca seven times a day or whatever and it won't count against their grades?† The blue and pink pastel ladies looked at each other. â€Å"Well, America is a Christian nation, Mrs. Michon.† Molly didn't want them to think she was a pushover. She was a smart woman. â€Å"But kids of other faiths can pray too, right?† â€Å"I suppose so,† Katie said. â€Å"To themselves.† â€Å"Oh good,† Molly said as she signed the petition, â€Å"because I know that Stevie could move up to the Red Jets reading group if he could sacrifice a chicken to Vigoth the Worm God, but the teacher won't let him.† Why did I say that? Why did I say that? What if they ask where Stevie is? â€Å"Mrs. Michon!† â€Å"What? He'd do it at recess,† Molly said. â€Å"It's not like it would cut into study time.† â€Å"We are working on behalf of the One True God, Mrs. Michon. The Coalition is not an interfaith organization. I'm sure that if you had felt the power of His spirit, you wouldn't talk that way.† â€Å"Oh, I've felt it.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Of course. You can feel it too. Right now.† â€Å"What do you mean?† Molly handed the clipboard back to Katie and stood up. â€Å"Come next door with me. It'll only take a second. I know you'll feel it.† Theo Theo's hopes of finding Mikey Plotznik rose as he drove through the residential areas of Pine Cove. Nearly every neighborhood had two or three people out searching with flashlights and cell phones. Theo stopped and took reports from each search party, then made suggestions as if he had the slightest idea what he was doing. Who was he kidding? He couldn't even find his car keys half the time. Most of Pine Cove's neighborhoods were without sidewalks or street-lights. The canopy of pine trees absorbed the moonlight and darkness drank up Theo's headlights like an ocean of ink. He plugged his handheld spot-light in the lighter socket and swept it across the houses and into the vacant lots, spotting nothing but a pair of mule deer eating someone's rosebuds. As he drove by the beach park – a grass playground the size of a football field, surrounded by cypress trees and blocked from the Pacific wind by an eight-foot redwood fence – he spotted a flash of white moving on one of the picnic tables. He pulled into the parking strip beside the park and pointed the Volvo's headlights, as well as the spotlight, at the table. A couple was going at it right there on the table. The flash of white had been the man's bare ass. Two faces turned into the light, eyes as wide as the two deer Theo had surprised earlier. Normally, Theo would have driven on. He was used to finding people â€Å"in the act† in cars behind the Head of the Slug, or parked along the more rugged strips of coastline. He wasn't the sex police, after all. But tonight he was irritated by the scene. It had been almost a whole day since he'd had a hit from his Sneaky Pete. Maybe it's a symptom of withdrawal, he thought. He turned off the Volvo and got out, taking his flashlight with him. The couple scrambled into their clothes as he approached, but didn't try to es-cape. There was nowhere for them to go except over the fence, where a narrow beach was bordered on both sides by cliffs and washed by treach-erous, freezing rip tides. When he was halfway across the park, Theo recognized the fornicators and stopped. The woman, a girl really, was Betsy Butler, a waitress down at H.P.'s Cafe. She was struggling to pull down her skirt. The man, bald ing and slack-chested, was the newly widowed Joseph Leander. Theo flashed on the image of Bess Leander hanging from a peg in the spotless dining room. â€Å"A little discretion's in order here, you think Joe?† Theo shouted as he walked toward them. â€Å"Uh, it's Joseph, Constable.† Theo felt his scalp go hot with anger. He wasn't an angry man by nature, but nature hadn't been working the last few days. â€Å"No, It's Joseph when you're doing business or when you're grieving over your dead wife. When you're boning a girl half your age on a picnic table in a public park, it's Joe.† â€Å"I – we – things have been so difficult. I don't know what came over us – I mean, me. I mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't suppose you've seen a kid around here tonight? A boy, about ten?† The girl shook her head. She was covering her face with one hand and staring into the grass at her feet. Joseph Leander's gaze darted around the park as if a magic escape hatch would open up in the dark if he could only spot it. â€Å"No, I haven't seen a boy.† Technically, Theo knew he could arrest them both on the spot for indecent exposure, but he didn't want to take the time to process them into County Justice. â€Å"Go home, Joe. Alone. Your daughters shouldn't be by themselves right now. Betsy, do you have a ride?† Without uncovering her face, she said, â€Å"I only live two blocks away.† â€Å"Go home. Now.† Theo turned and walked back to the Volvo. No one had ever accused Theo of being clever (except for the time at a college party when he fashioned an emergency bong out of a two-liter Coke bottle and a Bic pen), but he was feeling somewhat less than clever for not having investigated Bess Leander's death more carefully. It was one thing to be hired because you're thought to be a fool, it's quite another to live up to the reputation. Tomorrow, he thought. First find the kid. Molly Molly stood in the mud with the two pastel Christian ladies looking at the dragon trailer. â€Å"Can you feel it?† â€Å"Why, whatever do you mean?† Marge said. â€Å"That's just a dirty old trailer – excuse me – mobile home.† Until a second ago, she had only been concerned with her powder-blue high heels sinking into the wet turf. Now she and her partner were staring at the dragon trailer, wide-eyed. They could feel it, Molly could tell. She could feel it too: a low-grade sense of contentment, something vaguely sexual, not quite joy, but close. â€Å"You're feeling it?† The two women looked to each other, trying to deny that they were feeling anything. Their eyes were glazed over as if they'd been drugged, and they fidgeted as if suppressing giggles. Katie, the pink one, said, â€Å"Maybe we should visit these people.† She took a tentative step toward the dragon trailer. Molly stepped in front of her. â€Å"There's no one there. It's just a feeling. You two should probably go fill out your petition.† â€Å"It's late,† said powder blue. â€Å"Maybe one more visit, then we have to go.† â€Å"No!† Molly blocked their path. This wasn't as fun as she thought it would be. She had wanted to freak them out a little, not harm them. She had the distinct feeling that if they got any closer to the dragon trailer, school prayer would be losing two well-groomed votes. â€Å"You two need to get home.† She took each by a shoulder and led them back to the street, then pushed them toward the entrance of the trailer park. They looked longingly over their shoulders at the dragon trailer. â€Å"I feel the spirit moving in me, Katie,† Marge said. Molly gave them another push. â€Å"Right, that's a good thing. Off you go.† And she was supposed to be the crazy one. â€Å"Go, go, go,† Molly said. â€Å"I have to get Stevie's dinner ready.† â€Å"We're sorry we missed meeting your little boy,† Katie said. â€Å"Where is he?† â€Å"Homework. See ya. Bye.† Molly watched the women walk out of the park and climb into a new Chrysler minivan, then she turned back to the dragon trailer. For some reason, she was no longer afraid. â€Å"You're hungry, aren't you, Stevie?† The dragon trailer shifted shape, angles melting to curves, windows going back to eyes, but the glow wasn't as intense as it had been in the early dawn. Molly saw the burned gill trees, the soot and blistered flesh between the scales. Soft blue lines of color flashed across the dragon's flanks and faded. Molly felt her heart sink in sympathy. This thing, whatever it was, was hurting. Molly took a few steps closer. â€Å"I have a feeling you're too old to be a Stevie. And the original Stevie might be offended. How about Steve? You look like a Steve.† Molly liked the name Steve. Her agent at CAA had been named Steve. Steve was a good name for a reptile. (As opposed to Stevie, which was more of a frozen goldfish name.) She felt a wave of warmth run through her amid the sadness. The monster liked his name. â€Å"You shouldn't have eaten that kid.† Steve said nothing. Molly took another step forward, still on guard. â€Å"You have to go away. I can't help you. I'm crazy, you know? I have the papers from the state to prove it.† The Sea Beast rolled over on his back like a submissive puppy and gave Molly a pathetically helpless look, no easy task for an animal capable of swallowing a Volkswagen. â€Å"No,† Molly said. The Sea Beast whimpered, no louder than a newborn kitten. â€Å"Oh, this is just swell,† Molly said. â€Å"Imagine the meds Dr. Val is going to put me on when I tell her about this. The vegetable and the lizard, that's what they'll call us. I hope you're happy.† Peer Pressure â€Å"But I don't want to go among mad people,† Alice remarked. â€Å"Oh, you can't help that,† said the cat. â€Å"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.† â€Å"How do you know I'm mad?† said Alice. â€Å"You must be,† said the cat, â€Å"or you wouldn't have come here.† – LEWIS CARROL, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland