Review Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Review Article - Essay Example Aiken and her peers sought to determine the relationship between nurse-patient ratio and the quality of nursing care provided with focus on mortality and rescue success rates on surgical patients. Nurse job dissatisfaction and burnout due to the increased number of patients handled were also explored. The study involved a survey of 10,184 nurses and 232,342 patients from general, orthopedic, and vascular surgery wards. Recorded data of 168 adult general hospitals were also acquired. Data gathered included determination of nurse-patient ratios, mortality rates, failure to rescue within 30 days of admission and nurse satisfaction. These were then statistically analyzed to determine the relationship that exists between nurse-patient ratios to the other three factors explored. After adjusting for different factors such as sex, years of nursing experience, academic credential and size of hospitals, the results indicated that there is a congruent relationship between nurse-patient ratio and failure-to-rescue rate within 30 days of admission. For every additional patient the nurse is made responsible to handle, the failure rate increases by 7%. Nurse burnout also increased by 23% per additional patient and job dissatisfaction by 15%. Several factors have been found to cause the nursing shortage which includes bet... The study by Aiken and her peers adds further evidence to the notion that the additional number of patients tended to by nurses inhibits them from functioning more effectively. There are several studies further linking nurse-to-patient ratio and negative health outcomes. The significance of all these studies is that it highlights the need to take action immediately to address the nursing shortage for if none is taken or if authorities drag their on this subject, we may expect further decline in medical care quality. In my experience, every additional patient is a unique case thereby calling for an individualized nursing intervention. Nurses do have limitations and having more patients tended to help reach that limitation point. This is not only about physical capacities but also mental and emotional limitations as many nurses today are exposed to more complex diseases and violent and abusive patients and even doctors. Added to the stress is the constant threats and nagging by relatives to focus attention on their loved ones. Hospital and other clinical settings provide a tense working environment where the smallest mistake can be fatal. Nurses are human beings too and like everybody else, more work drains the person's ability to function effectively. There is a need to determine solutions to address the problem immediately or we may have a severely compromised medical system. Authorities, both from public and private institutions, should come together to establish a course of action. The evidence is already there and Aiken and her peers' study stresses that we are running not only of time but also of nurses. Summary: Jeffreys, M. (2005). Clinical Nurse Specialists

The study a library Essay Example for Free

The study a library Essay 2. 1 Background of the study A library is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, a corporation, or a private individual. Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by people who choose not to — or cannot afford to — purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need material no individual can reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional assistance with their research. In addition to providing materials, libraries also provide the services of librarians who are experts at finding and organizing information and at interpreting information needs. Libraries often provide quiet areas for studying, and they also often offer common areas to facilitate group study and collaboration. Libraries often provide public facilities for access to their electronic resources and the Internet. Modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. They are extending services beyond the physical walls of a building, by providing material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing very large amounts of information with a variety of digital tools. Kalayaan National High School started when Mrs. Esmelita P. Ulangca, the principal of Bagong Silang High School, felt an urgent need of an annex school in order to accommodate the heavy influx of enrolment of students. In 1996, the construction of two(2) three-storey building with 9 classrooms each were constructed in Phase 10 Bagong Silang, Caloocan. The first enrollment commenced on May 21,1997 where the first batch of 1,450 first year enrollees and organized into 14 sections with 18 teaches from Bagong Silang High School. As classes went on another three-storey with 15 classrooms was also constructed, 300 second year and 212 third year students from Bagong Silang Hish School were transferred. Along with them were 8 teachers. The first inauguration of the said buildings was held February 6,1998. In June 29,1998, a Division Memorandum No. 97 s. 1998 was issued to inform the field that the establishment of Kalayaan National High School(formerly Bagong Silang National High School Annex) as per Republic Act No. 8644 entitled â€Å"An Act Establishing a National High School in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City to be known as Kalayaan National High School and Appropriating Funds Thereof, lapsed into law on May 30,1998. Library System is one of Transaction Processing System because it can process large records and data of the school and it is also use for library transactions like borrowing and returning books. In Computerized Library System, the data are kept accurate in order to lessen errors in listing of books and computation of penalties. Library System is also designed to perform the process involve in acquisition, cataloguing, and circulation of books in the library. The proponents intend to propose to develop A Computerized Library System for Kalayaan National High School to enhance the transactions of the current procedure of their library. 2. 2 Overview of the current System Borrowing For those who are new borrowers they will be given a library card and fill up all the informations needed. The students are allowed to borrow as many books as they want inside the library premises. Anyone who wishes to borrow a book must physically check by himself the book stored in the shelf to know if it is available, if it is he should bring it to the librarian together with his library card. If he wishes to borrow it for over night he must return it the following day(excluding Saturday and Sunday), if he fails to return it he will need to pay for penalty per overdue books which cost 1 peso per day; if the student fails to pay for the penalties his clearance will be hold. But if the borrower is a Faculty there is a logbook provided for them to write their name, title of the book, date borrowed, and date returned and he is allowed to borrow the book for the whole school year and return it before the school year ends, if he lost or damaged the book his clearance won’t be cleared. Returning For returning the book the borrower will return it to the librarian and find his Borrower’s Card then the librarian will check if it is returned on the right date if it is not the borrower must pay for his acquired penalty. For Faculty members they will give the book to the librarian to record it on the logbook for faculty’s borrowed book the date they returned it. For all the penalties for overdue books,damage books and return boooks they will pay it to the librarian. For overdue books the students should pay penalty per overdue books which cost 1 peso per day. For lost or damage books the students should pay for the price of the book or replace it with a new one. Reports The librarian anually submitting the library’s annual inventory report by checking the books manually in the library, the librarian should physically check the books on the shelves and match it on the list of their books thatthey have. The report was done using Microsoft Excel. 2. 3 Project Rationale The following will be the beneficiaries of this study: * School They will be able to provide better service to their students because of a more organized records and user-friendly library. This study will also uplift the image of school by providing an optimal use of new technology. * Librarian He will be able to monitor the books easily and provide a record of library transactions such as borrowing and returning of books. Generating of reports such as list of books, list of Borrowers, list of Borrowers with offense, list of Damage books, list of Lost books, list of borrowed books, list of returned books, Inventory of Book will be more faster and easy. * Borrowers They do not need to search manually for the books they wished to borrow and they could easily know the availability of the book. The borrowing process could be more faster than their current procedure. * Library The library could easily monitor the condition of their books as well as its availability and stocks, because on their current system the librarian should physically check the books on the shelves. Generation of reports such as list of books, list of Borrowers, list of Borrowers with offense, list of Damage books, list of Lost books, list of borrowed books, list of returned books, Inventory of Books will be easier and faster. They could manage and easily update their records and transactions. * Proponents They would enhance their programming skills and knowledge in developing a system. * Future Researchers They could use this as a referrence for their study and guide for improving this system.

Punishment And Rehabilitation Between Prison Probation Services Criminology Essay

Punishment And Rehabilitation Between Prison Probation Services Criminology Essay When the prison population doubles, then doubles again, and then doubles again as it has done in EW from 15,900 in 1901 to nearly 90,000 in 2010, it follows that there will be substantial increase in the number of supervised by National Probation Service (NPS). The probation service is responsible for the commissioning and delivery of offenders who are subject to a court order or those released on licence from prison. The probation service focuses on the following aims and objectives: proper punishment, protecting public, reduce re-offending, assisting courts in sentencing, victim empathy, rehabilitation and finally best use of resources. As shown, its aims are less about the welfare of offenders and more about social control, which will be covered in more depth in this chapter. During the late 1990s, the probation service was targeted by the media for its poor ability to administer probation orders due to the lack of effective punishment for offenders (Ward et al 2002). Association Of Chief Officers Of Probation (ACOP) released the results of their study which revealed what was feared. It clearly demonstrated that improving enforcement was fundamental for proper punishment and public protection. Thereby, in order to re-gain public confidence and that of the courts, the service took an active approach to ensure that those who breach an order will be returned to court or custody for further sentencing. However, data collected by the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO) indicated that; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦many of the recalls were for technical reasons such as not following rules, or missing appointments. In the majority of the cases of those recalled for technical reasons, there was no evidence of risk to the public. Cases published by the Napo include individuals who were recalled for not getting up in the morning, for reporting to the wrong probation office, for loosing their permanent address, because of tags not workingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (cited in Sim 2009 page 112) Thereby, although probation officers attempts to protect public with rigorous enforcement orders, for Hearnden and Millie (2004) these changes made little advancement because organisational effectiveness of law enforcement agencies has been seen in terms of control and punishment, rather than rehabilitation of offenders. Recent research findings support Hearnden and Millies claim as re-conviction rates within the first two years of being released from prison is more than 60% (Telegraph 2008). As a consequence of an organisational shift towards law-enforcement, it has been told that control-oriented models of NOMS had an inhibitory effect on the performance of rehabilitation and treatment needs of offenders. Although control-oriented and rehabilitative forms of treatment have been used together, one of the other has been obviously pre-eminent; punishment. This, as a result, brought a punitive criminal justice system which also increased fears about the disappearance of the caring and socially aware aspects of probation work. For Farral (2002) such changes have been a dismal failure because professional literature recommends assisting individuals in the process of self-change and building on strengths. In support, Farrals (2002) project which included interviewing almost two hundred probationers revealed the very small role that supervising probation staff had played in any successful desisting from crime. It has, for long, been recommended by Bottoms and McWilliams (1979) and many others that the elements of rehabilitation and punishment should be separated from each other. More controlling the probation service may be, but Ames (2002) told that probation staffs are often reluctant to punish offenders because they have understandably felt that this is not their proper business, and indeed is not within their power (Duff 2003). It has come to be assumed by many probation officers that offenders have problems, often involving their adjustment to society and to life in general. And because the problems of many more offenders lie in their situation, past and present, rather than in themselves, officers are more willing to refer offenders to agencies in which they can obtain special help with housing, employment, drug or alcohol problems and mental health needs which are all considered to be aspects of re-offending (Thames Valley Criminal Justice Board 2007). This reinforces the arguments put forward by Bottoms and McWilliams over twenty years ago when they wrote that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ help may be more crime-reducing than treatment (1979: 174). It is clear fro m this statement that offenders require understanding, and as a result of their understanding they will receive insights which will substantially alter their attitudes after a criminal activity. The notion of reintegration is well known in Marunas Liverpool desistance study where he found that participants often talked about the role of probation officers in recognising redemption (Maruna 2000). But not only do the probation officers play big role in re-integration; models of reintegration stress the need for changes in both role and status for the released prisoner: The exchange theory concept of reciprocity suggests that only by taking responsibility for making things right with victims and victimised communities can offenders change either the communitys image of them or their perceptions of themselves. (Bazenmore and Stinchcomb 2004: page) So the emerging question is how can offenders change either the communitys image of them or their perceptions of themselves. For Williams (1995: 124), the latter can be achieved by developing a professional relationship with the client. However, there is a barrier. In contrast to Ames (2002), more recent findings revealed that the attitude of the probation officer to the probationer is no longer as it would be adopted by a sensible friend. Though there are still elements in place in to supply advice, assist and befriend but in reality it is lacking. Strategies For Effective Offender Supervision highlighted the necessity for a higher detailed quality approach to deal with offenders by addressing more of their specific behaviour (HMIP 1998b). Offenders can change communitys image of them by undertaking community work in the community- which is a form of punishment. Nonetheless, no matter how strict the supervision of offenders, and no matter the extent of technology used, it will not be considered to be as effective as the simple act of imprisonment because offenders are not under a total control which prison affords, and is therefore not physically prevented for a period from committing further crimes. However, there are many reasons which provoke government from abolishing the objective of proper punishment; from an effective punishment in the community the offenders are more likely to able to pay compensation to their victims (Home Office, 1998: 7) by having the chance to re-appraise their lives and their relationships to other people. Moreover, as well as being economic for the taxpayer, it also boosts the probationers chance of finding employment as many offenders have poor work records; especially among school leave rs. In theory, community sentences help to ease the pressure on the prison system. As well as being cheaper than prisons, community sentences have shown to have lower recidivism rate; in 2007, 37% of people on a community order re-offended within one year of the order coming to an end as it offers a difficult but genuine opportunity for self-determination and an incentive to use it in legitimate directions. Community orders lasts between 60 and 240 hours of useful labour in the community. Approximately 70% of supervised offenders will be on community sentences each year. With community sentences, probation service aims to provide punishment (the hard work); reparation (working for the community); deterrence (giving up free time to work for nothing); incapacitation (restriction of liberty); and rehabilitation (achieving something worthwhile, and perhaps even learning a new skill). Among the community sentences performed by offenders has been work in youth clubs, hospitals and elderly home s, construction, painting and decorating, cleaning and many more. As psychologist ________ assert The desire to be wanted is basic to human nature (reference). In regards to community sentences, many who feel rejected by their families or society can under the right circumstances find fulfilment in discovering that they are needed by others. For example, Inner London Probation Service provides Bulldog Employment Project for offenders who are fully capable of work. The participants are paid more than they would receive from unemployment benefits, but less than they could obtain outside the programme. In due course they can leave work not only with the habit but also with an employers reference. This example provides the base of support which enables the offender to rise above their situation so they do not return to a life of crime by increasing their empathy with victims and growing their sense of community responsibility. (Ward 2008). This is consistent with Bazelmore and Stitchcombs model of reintegration. However, in some places the community wo rk has not been so inventive; it has been claimed that a few public service institutions in North London have been painted four times because the local probation service has run out of ideas (reference) In addition to the fact that community penalties lack the denunciatory power and the punitive elements of imprisonment, there is a huge amount of criticism that the idea of punishment turned upside down when considering that offenders often enjoy and continue to work voluntarily after the order expired. This is an opposition to utilitarian theory because the amount of pain derived from the community sentence is not greater than the amount of pleasure that is derived the forbidden activity (reference) Despite the potential of non-custodial sentences as an alternative to custody, magistrates and judges are sceptical of their use particularly when regarding the adequate supervision of offender which is resulting in prisons becoming a massive and seemingly indispensable pillar of contemporary social control (Garland 2001:14), which does not do anything to overcome the contemporary crisis experienced with the prison system. Having said that there have also been cases where non-custodial s entences have been imposed on minor offenders who would otherwise have received lesser penalties or none. This proves that there is inconsistency when imposing a sentence. And also, apart from being an excessive invasion of their liberty, this overloads the probation service. Another form of community penalty is the curfew order (electronic tagging) which is predominantly used for juveniles. Since electronically monitored curfews were introduced and implemented throughout in EW, their use has increased dramatically from 9,000 cases in 1999 to 53000 in 2004-05 (reference). The Home Office spend over  £100 million on the electronic monitoring of curfews. Although the primary purpose of electronic tagging is to monitor a curfew and reduce the opportunities for offenders to commit further crimes during their sentence, this does not prevent the offender from potentially deviating during the day. National Audit Office (NAO) reported that those who breached their curfew were more likely to have committed an office whilst on tag than those who had complied with the curfew (NAO 2006:3:1) In addition to this some offenders have tampered with or removed their tagging device which increase the risk of a breach and the subsequent risk of recidivism. However, some sc holars told that reconviction rates vary by offender- some statistics giving more convincing results. Despite the various criticisms, electronic tagging is financially more beneficial compared with incarceration. Moving on, as a result of tensioning recidivism rates and adverse publicity many critics point their finger at the probation service for its poor job handling. Speaking from their own experience and their knowledge of being part of a wider national probation workforce, staff reported sheer numbers of sickness absences which are sometimes accompanied by feelings of fear and insecurity (BBC News 2009a). These resulted in staff-resignations which further pressurised staff (BBC News, 2009b). Statistics are available to confirm this; each year the probation service commences the supervision of some 165,000 offenders; the caseload on any given day is believed to be in excess of 200,000 (Ministry of Justice 2009: 3). The funding invested to probation service over the recent years to provide more effective and beneficial service, particularly in supervision of community sentenced offenders allowed the service to become a more attractive proposition for the courts, not simply because they fel t resources are in place to enable them to use community orders more widely, but also because it is considered by courts to be more efficient and suitable form of treating and training offenders than imprisonment (Ministry Of Justice 2008). Given that the service as a whole relies upon the loyalty and integrity of its staff (reference), it is unimpressive that staffs are often feeling unsupervised and unsupported by their bosses (BBC News 2009c). In an attempt to reduce workload between the years of 2001-2008, the number of staff involved in the probation service has increased by 37%. This hides the reduction in the number of professionally qualified probation officers by 4%. Despite the rise in number of staff, the ratio of offenders to qualified probation officers has dramatically risen from 31:1 to 40:1, which is an increase of 28% as a result of numerous factors affecting the flows and caseloads. (NPS for England and Wales, 2005) Some of these factors are; the number of cases passing through the courts and the number found guilty; the length of time spent on remand; the custody and court order rates at the courts; and the number of offenders breaching court orders. Moreover, the role of the probation has expanded in many directions. As though the current workload is not enough, the probation service now has a duty to contact victims about the progress of the case and also give free and emotional support and practical help to victims of crime, their family, friends and anyone who is affected by it. According to _____ this is a rational decision because if the service continued to withdraw ignoring victims it would be targeted publicly and politically for its naiveness, thus it would also be morally unacceptable to behave as though the offenders need for rehabilitation is more important than victims. Of particular importance is that, according to _________, being equipped with fewer roles and responsibilities would make the service more likely to achieve those aims. Overall, a particular attention must be paid to rising workloads and staff dis-satisfaction, which in itself is bad but what is also important is that it makes the job of the probatio n service much more difficult and the possibility of rehabilitation and punishment far less likely to be successful than it otherwise would be. For instance, only about half of community sentence orders ran their full-course or at most, the likely offenders were terminated early for good progress. This could possibly be due to the fact the staff in these facilities are under immense pressure which produce hasty decisions, which are then reflected in the recidivism rates (Ministry of Justice 2009: 2). In order to reach its primary objectives, Multi-Agency Public Protection (MAPPA) was introduced in April 2001 to improve powerful management system for those offenders who are a potential threat to the community à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ensuring that public protection is the priority (MAPPA, 2005) For the most serious of cases MAPPA can take further actions to prevent distress to citizens. However, the plausibility of this agency is limited. An independent investigation agency, Panorama, revealed that only the top two risk levels, two and three, are tracked by the service. They argue that majority of violent criminals in England and Wales include sex offenders who are only classified as a low risk and subject to less supervision. (Panorama) In order to protect the public and reduce re-offending, risk assessment forms the basis for successive intervention and management of offenders by identifying harms posed. It is an important feature of the probation service and a core activity of a fully qualified probation officer. The intentions of government ministers for improving the risk assessment is clear; to be seen to be fighting crime on a politically sensitive issue.(reference) However, such an objective was difficult to achieve when traditional ways of working based on professional autonomy led to inconsistency and variation in probation practice. As a solution, over the decade, various risk assessment tools have been developed to eliminate inconsistency, but were, too, often open to criticisms. Ultimately, the creation of OASys sought to fulfil the aims of the prison and probation service by working in partnership with other institutions and also ensuring that probation officers assessed risk against the same criteria i n the same previous way. Howard et al (2006:33) highlighted the effectiveness of OASys as the best of actuarial methods of prediction with structured clinical judgement. However, critical consequences have been acknowledged by staff such as the loss of autonomy and de-skilling. Many officers complained that their job was becoming increasingly standardised, technical, and routine. (Leach 2004) The same argument was put forward by probation officers in a previous risk assessment tool such as LSI-R. (Robinson 2003). However, such changes in New Labours image of the modernized correctional institutions failed to materialise with respect to the protection of ex-prisoners upon release. This could perfectly be explained in the case of Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo, who were the victims of correctional service for their errors which left offenders free to kill (BBC News 2009c). Equally important, according to Shaw, in the week following release, prisonersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are about 40 time s more likely to die then the general population (2007; 1) because offenders have problems in meeting their basic needs for food and shelter. Their basic needs also act as a barrier to develop relationships with other people. Such arguments are nothing new; as early as in the late 1960s, Dr. Eugene Heimler (1967) provided a convincing argument that when the satisfaction of a mans basic needs falls below a certain level he finds it increasingly difficult to struggle with his everyday life, with all the pressures and forces of social living. A step taken by the Labour government to successfully meet its objective of rehabilitating offenders and protecting public was by developing staff. In an attempt to ensure that staff are of the right quality, well trained and efficiently used, labour government have abolished the diploma in Social Work and replaced it by integrating level 4 NVQ and an undergraduate degree to become a probation officer. The underlying reason for a change was to move beyond a social work curriculum by maintaining a university base. (Nellis, 2003: 95) Although the new requirement is much more preferable to the previous, there are some limitations that must not be masked. A major concern is the diminution of properly contextualised understanding of offending which was the strength of social work training. (Bhui 2001:1)Thus the emerging question is, though new probation officers may know how to run an effective programme, will they have a good comprehension of wider relevant issues such as social deprivat ion and so on? Surely this is still a concern for the service for the reason of there being little scope for the probation officers to decide how they want to work due to the introduction of accredited programmes and minimum standards they have to follow. In support, a newspaper article informs that officers spend about 25% of their time face-to-face with offenders (BBC News 2009b) which highlights how technical staffs have become. So rather than being encouraged to do as they are told, officers should be given the environment to think independently as professionals which would also eliminate dissatisfaction and enable them to meet their, and offenders, psychological needs. Frankly probation service was targeting both, offenders and victims, in its early years, (Smith et al., 1988) but this was not the case in the last decade or two. This Another problem stemming from punishment in the community is that if an offender is undergoing a probation order of treatment is later charged with a further offence, the court will most likely disapprove its previously given generous opportunity. This will lead to an inclination not only to impose a prison sentence, but an imprisonment longer than that which might otherwise be considered appropriate. This could perfectly be explained in the case of Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo, who were the victims of correctional service for their errors which left offenders free to kill (BBC News 2009c). The punishment should be imposed by the court, and rehabilitation should be agreed between the offender and the probation officer. In EW, although punishments are largely dependent on the court order issued, Carter report told that they do not tend to address the needs of the offender (91). However, a problem stemming from punishment in the community is that if an offender is undergoing a probation order of treatment is later charged with a further offence, the court will most likely disapprove its previously given generous opportunity. This will lead to an inclination not only to impose a prison sentence, but an imprisonment longer than that which might otherwise be considered appropriate. This could perfectly be explained in the case of Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo, who were the victims of correctional service for their errors which left offenders free to kill (BBC News 2009c). (See extra stuff document) for a conclusive paragraph Nonetheless, the ineffectiveness of such roles and responsibilities should not solely be attributed to the probation service or to the Ministry of Justice. Indeed, they can not find satisfaction in work and recreation, and do not have the motivation to acquire the necessary skills. The likelihood of reintegration is made worse given that many probationers are illiterate. It is possible that illiterate people commit more offences than others, because fewer opportunities are available to them. When the offenders return to their home, they again associate with the society that bred the criminal activity in the first place. Many offenders come from areas where poverty and low education standards overwhelmingly influence criminal behaviour. It can not of course be concluded that illiteracy is alone responsible; other factors can also influence criminal behaviour, such as the care and support shown by teachers and other participants and the fact that these individuals were motivated to seek self-improvement. Surely probation officers should not be held liable to fix what education institutions failed to do; teach reading and writing.

Flight in Toni Morissons Song of Solomon Essay -- Song Solomon essays

Flight in Toni Morisson's Song of Solomon I do not have the fondest memories of moving to this area. Of everyone in my family, I was the only one who did not want to move. I had no choice, however, so I had to live with it. Seeing how depressed I was, my parents decided to do something special for my birthday. Ever since I was little I had always dreamed of flying, so when we were in Crawford looking for property, my parents arranged for someone to take me up. The day was cold, cloudy and dreary, but the realization that I was actually going to fly made up for it. Flight has always infatuated me. Maybe it is the weightlessness of birds that does it, but flight has always been more than just a type of transportation to me. It was a gift I did not have. For this reason, I was able to connect with the novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. In the novel Song of Solomon, the theme of flying is developed by a dynamic song for which the book is named. The "Song of Solomon" helps develop the theme of flying by introducing it in the opening scene, by showing what flight means to the main character Milkman, as well as, through its constant changing, showing the true meaning of the novel. The activity in the opening scene can be rather confusing, however, there is one action that ties it all together. One character, which will eventually be known as Pilate, begins singing as soon as she sees Mr. Smith, an insurance agent, preparing himself to 'fly', or commit suicide. The fact that she is singing really has no effect, but the song she sings does. She begins singing, "O Sugarman done fly away/ Sugarman done gone/ Sugarman cut across the sky/ Sugar man gone home...." (p 6) This song describes Mr. Smith, who is wearing blue silk wi... ...ansportation, or a form of recreation. It was a way to get away from your insecurities, the pressures of life. It was being able to have your own life in your hands. As Milkman faces death by someone else's hands, he uses that gift. By taking his own life he shows that 'flying' is what keeps us free of chains, burdens and social pressures, and lets us choose what is right for us. Music is a wonderful attribute to the arts, and in the case of Toni Morrison's novel Song of Solomon, it is what ties the theme of flight together. Whether it is allowing the introduction of the theme, showing the feelings of a character or leading the reader to find the meaning of the novel, it is indisputable that the "Song of Solomon," a song of flight, ties the theme and essentially the novel together. Works Cited: Morisson, Toni. "Song of Solomon." Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1977.

Meditation Essay -- Natural Healing, Meditation Therapy

Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects. Western medicine has recently discovered the powerful affects of meditation, by allowing doctors to treat the body and the mind. In reality, the mind is a very misunderstood and unexplored region of the human existence. Modern science knows more about the composition of the earth than it does about the mechanics of the human brain. Yet, meditation thwarts all notions of modern medicine with its shocking ability to to take obscure visualizations and create physical responses in the body. Mahayana Buddhism, found mainly in the autonomous region of Tibet, has become the main reference and standard for meditation practices in the west. Tibetans have used meditation for centuries as treatment for illness, and now, modern medicine of the western world is just beginning to reap the benefits of this unique and unconventional treatment for a variety of physical and mental ailments. Once a practice reserved strictly for Buddhist monks, meditation has become a worldwide phenomenon. Simply enter â€Å"Buddhist meditation† into the any Inter... ...ay 2015. https://www.sbp-journal.com/index.php/sbp/article/view/390 Michalon, Max. â€Å"Selflessness in the Service of the Ego,† American Journal of Psychotherapy. Vol.55, No.2, 2001. Web. 21 May 2015. http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/4765470/selflessness-service-ego-contributions-limitations-dangers-buddhist-psychology-western-psychology Tacon, Anna. â€Å"Meditation as a Complementary Therapy in Cancer,† Family and Community Health. Vol. 26, Issue 1. pp63-73, January – March, 2003. Web. 18 May 2015. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/10712485_Meditation_as_a_complementary_therapy_in_cancer Terrence, Clifford. Diamo Healing: The Buddhist Medicine and Medical Psychiatry of Tibet. Motilal Banarsidass. 2003. Thera, Nyanaponika. Translated by Roberts, Peter. The Heart of Buddhist Meditation. Weiser Books; Revised edition, July 1, 2014.

Dominant Images of Women and Gender Construction

Introduction Women in society are viewed as subordinates to men. Women are expected to listen, sit and wait for the men. There are examples of the subordination of women everywhere you look. In literature, the media and different societies all over the globe, women are portrayed as lesser than men. In the past, many Eastern and Western societies did not allow women to be educated due to the fact that men thought women should not have the knowledge and be able to use their knowledge in any way. Men treated women in such a primitive manner.All the females needed to know were the basics of keeping house, raising children, and following their husband’s orders. In section 2, I will describe two dominant imageries of women. I will provide modern day examples of these two dominant images which I chose to discuss. I will discuss how these images co-play with the mechanisms of gender construction. There will be a feed-back loop on the effects of expectations of women due to these 2 typ es of imagery. 2. Women as Sex Objects Women are often viewed as sex objects.One reason why men view women as sex objects is because men use women to reproduce and without women, there will be no way to have more children. Another reason why men view women as sex objects is because it makes them feel more superior to women. This is especially true in the porn industry. Pornography constructs women as what men want sexually. Pornography is the answer to the fantasies of men. Women are constantly being dominated by men and used to satisfy the men’s desires. In many cases, women who are perceived as â€Å"dangerous† are often made to appear less threatening, more childlike.Women who are perceived to be too pure are portrayed to be more â€Å"bad†. Many antipornography feminists protest against pornography because it degrades women and promotes violence against women. Overall, pornography radiates a bad image of women to the world. As a result of women being viewed as sex objects, men acquire a certain expectation from women to act and behave the way women are portrayed in pornography. Sometimes, men take pornography scenes too literally and are tempted to re-enact the scenes out, giving life to these fantasies. In MacKinnon’s, Pornography, Civil Rights, and â€Å"Speech†: The books that were ound with this man were: Violent Stories of Kinky Humiliation, Violent Stories of Dominance and Submission – you think feminists made up these words? – Bizarre Sex Crimes, Shamed Victims, and Water Sports Fetish, Enemas and Golden Showers. The Minnesota Supreme Court said, â€Å"It appears that in committing these various acts, the defendant was giving life to some stories he had read in various pornographic books. †(1993: 379). Women as Earth Mothers Ever since ancient times, women have been viewed as earth mothers because they are considered to be closer to nature.Staying at home, having kids, raising the kids, teachin g, cooking and cleaning – these are all the things that are expected naturally from women. According to anthropologist Sherry Ortner: Women are universally devalued and this is tied to the symbolic association of women and â€Å"nature†. (1974: 29). She argued nature is controlled by culture by means of symbol and artifacts. In her sense, â€Å"culture† is associated with human consciousness and the products of humans, such as technology and thoughts which humans use to control â€Å"nature†.This means that culture is superior to nature because it can form and shape nature any way it wants to shape it according to the needs or wishes of humans. As earth mothers, women are associated with â€Å"nature† and men have been associated with â€Å"culture†; so therefore, men are seen as superior to women and men can easily control women. Women are considered closer to nature in 3 ways. One is due to their ability to bear children. To be able to rep roduce makes women a step closer to nature than men. Another reason is based on the fact that women are caretakers or infants and children.They are nurturing individuals who take care of children who are too young to acquire cultural values so this makes children closer to nature. The women are viewed as even closer to nature because they are taking care of these young children who have yet to acquire culture. The third way women are seen as earth mothers is because women deal with more concrete issues such as taking care of the children, taking care of her husband, and housework. As a result of women being viewed as earth mothers, the women act the role while the men expect the women to have kids and nurture the family.If this standard expectation is not followed, society will criticize the individuals. 3. Conclusion There are many dominant images of women. The main ones I chose to discuss are women portrayed as subordinate sex objects and women portrayed as nurturing earth mothers . The world is still filled with the idea that women are subordinates compared to men and it will be a tough fight for feminists; but little by little, progress is being made. Soon, not only women are going to be viewed as the caretakers of the family – men are slowly adopting the roles women are currently playing. Society is gradually changing.

Chapter 18 The Weighing of the Wands

When Harry woke up on Sunday morning, it took him a moment to remember why he felt so miserable and worried. Then the memory of the previous night rolled over him. He sat up and ripped back the curtains of his own four-poster, intending to talk to Ron, to force Ron to believe him – only to find that Ron's bed was empty; he had obviously gone down to breakfast. Harry dressed and went down the spiral staircase into the common room. The moment he appeared, the people who had already finished breakfast broke into applause again. The prospect of going down into the Great Hall and facing the rest of the Gryffindors, all treating him like some sort of hero, was not inviting; it was that, however, or stay here and allow himself to be cornered by the Creevey brothers, who were both beckoning frantically to him to join them. He walked resolutely over to the portrait hole, pushed it open, climbed out of it, and found himself face-to-face with Hermione. â€Å"Hello,† she said, holding up a stack of toast, which she was carrying in a napkin. â€Å"I brought you this†¦.Want to go for a walk?† â€Å"Good idea,† said Harry gratefully. They went downstairs, crossed the entrance hall quickly without looking in at the Great Hall, and were soon striding across the lawn toward the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was moored, reflected blackly in the water. It was a chilly morning, and they kept moving, munching their toast, as Harry told Hermione exactly what had happened after he had left the Gryffindor table the night before. To his immense relief, Hermione accepted his story without question. â€Å"Well, of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself,† she said when he'd finished telling her about the scene in the chamber off the Hall. â€Å"The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! But the question is, who did put it in? Because Moody's right, Harry†¦I don't think any student could have done it†¦they'd never be able to fool the Goblet, or get over Dumbledore's -â€Å" â€Å"Have you seen Ron?† Harry interrupted. Hermione hesitated. â€Å"Erm†¦yes†¦he was at breakfast,† she said. â€Å"Does he still think I entered myself?† â€Å"Well†¦no, I don't think so†¦not really,† said Hermione awkwardly. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean, ‘not really'?† â€Å"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?† Hermione said despairingly. â€Å"He's jealous!† â€Å"Jealous?† Harry said incredulously. â€Å"Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?† â€Å"Look,† said Hermione patiently, â€Å"it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault,† she added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth furiously. â€Å"I know you don't ask for it†¦but – well – you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous – he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Great,† said Harry bitterly. â€Å"Really great. Tell him from me I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it†¦.People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'm not teiling him anything,† Hermione said shortly. â€Å"Tell him yourself. It's the only way to sort this out.† â€Å"I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up!† Harry said, so loudly that several owls in a nearby tree took flight in alarm. â€Å"Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself once I've got my neck broken or -â€Å" â€Å"That's not funny,† said Hermione quietly. â€Å"That's not funny at all.† She looked extremely anxious. â€Å"Harry, I've been thinking – you know what we've got to do, don't you? Straight away, the moment we get back to the castle?† â€Å"Yeah, give Ron a good kick up the -â€Å" â€Å"Write to Sirius. You've got to tell him what's happened. He asked you to keep him posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts†¦.It's almost as if he expected something like this to happen. I brought some parchment and a quill out with me -â€Å" â€Å"Come off it,† said Harry, looking around to check that they couldn't be overheard, but the grounds were quite deserted. â€Å"He came back to the country just because my scar twinged. He'll probably come bursting right into the castle if I tell him someone's entered me in the Triwizard Tournament -â€Å" â€Å"He'd want you to tell him,† said Hermione sternly. â€Å"He's going to find out anyway.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"Harry, this isn't going to be kept quiet,† said Hermione, very seriously. â€Å"This tournament's famous, and you're famous. I'll be really surprised if there isn't anything in the Daily Prophet about you competing†¦.You're already in half the books about You-Know-Who, you know†¦and Sirius would rather hear it from you, I know he would.† â€Å"Okay, okay, I'll write to him,† said Harry, throwing his last piece of toast into the lake. They both stood and watched it floating there for a moment, before a large tentacle rose out of the water and scooped it beneath the surface. Then they returned to the castle. â€Å"Whose owl am I going to use?† Harry said as they climbed the stairs. â€Å"He told me not to use Hedwig again.† â€Å"Ask Ron if you can borrow -â€Å" â€Å"I'm not asking Ron for anything,† Harry said flatly. â€Å"Well, borrow one of the school owls, then, anyone can use them,† said Hermione. They went up to the Owlery. Hermione gave Harry a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, then strolled around the long lines of perches, looking at all the different owls, while Harry sat down against a wall and wrote his letter. Dear Sirius, You told me to keep you posted on what's happening at Hogwarts, so here goes – I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion. I don't who put my name in the Goblet of Fire, because I didn't. The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff. He paused at this point, thinking. He had an urge to say something about the large weight of anxiety that seemed to have settled inside his chest since last night, but he couldn't think how to translate this into words, so he simply dipped his quill back into the ink bottle and wrote, Hope you're okay, and Buckbeak – Harry â€Å"Finished,† he told Hermione, getting to his feet and brushing straw off his robes. At this, Hedwig fluttered down onto his shoulder and held out her leg. â€Å"I can't use you,† Harry told her, looking around for the school owls. â€Å"I've got to use one of these.† Hedwig gave a very loud hoot and took off so suddenly that her talons cut into his shoulder. She kept her back to Harry all the time he was tying his letter to the leg of a large barn owl. When the barn owl had flown off, Harry reached out to stroke Hedwig, but she clicked her beak furiously and soared up into the rafters out of reach. â€Å"First Ron, then you,† Harry said angrily. â€Å"This isn't my fault.† If Harry had thought that matters would improve once everyone got used to the idea of him being champion, the following day showed him how mistaken he was. He could no longer avoid the rest of the school once he was back at lessons – and it was clear that the rest of the school, just like the Gryffindors, thought Harry had entered himself for the tournament. Unlike the Gryffindors, however, they did not seem impressed. The Hufflepuffs, who were usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindors, had turned remarkably cold toward the whole lot of them. One Herbology lesson was enough to demonstrate this. It was plain that the Hufflepuffs felt that Harry had stolen their champion's glory; a feeling exacerbated, perhaps, by the fact that Hufflepuff House very rarely got any glory, and that Cedric was one of the few who had ever given them any, having beaten Gryffindor once at Quidditch. Ernie Macmillan and Justin FinchFletchley, with whom Harry normally got on very well, did not talk to him even though they were repotting Bouncing Bulbs at the same tray – though they did laugh rather unpleasantly when one of the Bouncing Bulbs wriggled free from Harry's grip and smacked him hard in the face. Ron wasn't talking to Harry either. Hermione sat between them, making very forced conversation, but though both answered her normally, they avoided making eye contact with each other. Harry thought even Profes sor Sprout seemed distant with him – but then, she was Head of Hufflepuff House. He would have been looking forward to seeing Hagrid under normal circumstances, but Care of Magical Creatures meant seeing the Slytherins too – the first time he would come face-to-face with them since becoming champion. Predictably, Malfoy arrived at Hagrid's cabin with his familiar sneer firmly in place. â€Å"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion,† he said to Crabbe and Goyle the moment he got within earshot of Harry. â€Å"Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer†¦.Half the Triwizard champions have died†¦how long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet.† Crabbe and Goyle guffawed sycophantically, but Malfoy had to stop there, because Hagrid emerged from the back of his cabin balancing a teetering tower of crates, each containing a very large Blast-Ended Skrewt. To the class's horror, Hagrid proceeded to explain that the reason the skrewts had been killing one another was an excess of pent-up energy, and that the solution would be for each student to fix a leash on a skrewt and take it for a short walk. The only good thing about this plan was that it distracted Malfoy completely. â€Å"Take this thing for a walk?† he repeated in disgust, staring into one of the boxes. â€Å"And where exactly are we supposed to fix the leash? Around the sting, the blasting end, or the sucker?† â€Å"Roun' the middle,† said Hagrid, demonstrating. â€Å"Er – yeh might want ter put on yer dragon-hide gloves, jus' as an extra precaution, like. Harry – you come here an' help me with this big one†¦.† Hagrid's real intention, however, was totalk to Harry away from the rest of the class. He waited until everyone else had set off with their skrewts, then turned to Harry and said, very seriously, â€Å"So – yer competin', Harry. In the tournament. School champion.† â€Å"One of the champions,† Harry corrected him. Hagrid's beetle-black eyes looked very anxious under his wild eyebrows. â€Å"No idea who put yeh in fer it, Harry?† â€Å"You believe I didn't do it, then?† said Harry, concealing with difficulty the rush of gratitude he felt at Hagrid's words. â€Å"Course I do,† Hagrid grunted. â€Å"Yeh say it wasn' you, an' I believe yeh – an' Dumbledore believes yer, an' all.† â€Å"Wish I knew who did do it,† said Harry bitterly. The pair of them looked out over the lawn; the class was widely scattered now, and all in great difficulty. The skrewts were now over three feet long, and extremely powerful. No longer shell-less and colorless, they had developed a kind of thick, grayish, shiny armor. They looked like a cross between giant scorpions and elongated crabs- but still without recognizable heads or eyes. They had become immensely strong and very hard to control. â€Å"Look like they're havin' fun, don' they?† Hagrid said happily. Harry assumed he was talking about the skrewts, because his classmates certainly weren't; every now and then, with an alarming bang, one of the skrewts' ends would explode, causing it to shoot forward several yards, and more than one person was being dragged along on their stomach, trying desperately to get back on their feet. â€Å"Ah, I don' know, Harry,† Hagrid sighed suddenly, looking back down at him with a worried expression on his face. â€Å"School champion†¦everythin' seems ter happen ter you, doesn' it?† Harry didn't answer. Yes, everything did seem to happen to him†¦that was more or less what Hermione had said as they had walked around the lake, and that was the reason, according to her, that Ron was no longer talking to him. The next few days were some of Harry's worst at Hogwarts. The closest he had ever come to feeling like this had been during those months, in his second year, when a large part of the school had suspected him of attacking his fellow students. But Ron had been on his side then. He thought he could have coped with the rest of the school's behavior if he could just have had Ron back as a friend, but he wasn't going to try and persuade Ron to talk to him if Ron didn't want to. Nevertheless, it was lonely with dislike pouring in on him from all sides. He could understand the Hufflepuffs' attitude, even if he didn't like it; they had their own champion to support. He expected nothing less than vicious insults from the Slytherins – he was highly unpopular there and always had been, because he had helped Gryffindor beat them so often, both at Quidditch and in the Inter-House Championship. But he had hoped the Ravenclaws might have found it in their hearts to support him as much as Cedric. He was wrong, however. Most Ravenclaws seemed to think that he had been desperate to earn himself a bit more fame by tricking the goblet into accepting his name. Then there was the fact that Cedric looked the part of a champion so much more than he did. Exceptionally handsome, with his straight nose, dark hair, and gray eyes, it was hard to say who was receiving more admiration these days, Cedric or Viktor Krum. Harry actually saw the same sixth-year girls who had been so keen to get Krum's autograph begging Cedric to sign their school bags one lunchtime. Meanwhile there was no reply from Sirius, Hedwig was refusing to come anywhere near him, Professor Trelawney was predicting his death with even more certainty than usual, and he did so badly at Summoning Charms in Professor Flitwick's class that he was given extra homework – the only person to get any, apart from Neville. â€Å"It's really not that difficult, Harry,† Hermione tried to reassure him as they left Flitwick's class – she had been making objects zoom across the room to her all lesson, as though she were some sort of weird magnet for board dusters, wastepaper baskets, and lunascopes. â€Å"You just weren't concentrating properly -â€Å" â€Å"Wonder why that was,† said Harry darkly as Cedric Diggory walked past, surrounded by a large group of simpering girls, all of whom looked at Harry as though he were a particularly large Blast-Ended Skrewt. â€Å"Still – never mind, eh? Double Potions to look forward to this afternoon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Double Potions was always a horrible experience, but these days it was nothing short of torture. Being shut in a dungeon for an hour and a half with Snape and the Slytherins, all of whom seemed determined to punish Harry as much as possible for daring to become school champion, was about the most unpleasant thing Harry could imagine. He had already struggled through one Friday's worth, with Hermione sitting next to him intoning â€Å"ignore them, ignore them, ignore them† under her breath, and he couldn't see why today should be any better. When he and Hermione arrived at Snape's dungeon after lunch, they found the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of his or her robes. For one wild moment Harry thought they were S.P.E.W. badges – then he saw that they all bore the same message, in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage: SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY- THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION! â€Å"Like them, Potter?† said Malfoy loudly as Harry approached. â€Å"And this isn't all they do – look!† He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green: POTTER STINKS! The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Harry. He felt the heat rise in his face and neck. â€Å"Oh very funny,† Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls, who were laughing harder than anyone, â€Å"really witty.† Ron was standing against the wall with Dean and Seamus. He wasn't laughing, but he wasn't sticking up for Harry either. â€Å"Want one, Granger?† said Malfoy, holding out a badge to Hermione. â€Å"I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up.† Some of the anger Harry had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in his chest. He had reached for his wand before he'd thought what he was doing. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor. â€Å"Harry!† Hermione said warningly. â€Å"Go on, then, Potter,† Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his own wand. â€Å"Moody's not here to look after you now – do it, if you've got the guts -â€Å" For a split second, they looked into each other's eyes, then, at exactly the same time, both acted. â€Å"Funnunculus!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Densaugeo!† screamed Malfoy. Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles – Harry's hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up – Hermione, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth. â€Å"Hermione!† Ron had hurried forward to see what was wrong with her; Harry turned and saw Ron dragging Hermione's hand away from her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione's front teeth – already larger than average – were now growing at an alarming rate; she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, toward her chin – panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry. â€Å"And what is all this noise about?† said a soft, deadly voice. Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, â€Å"Explain.† â€Å"Potter attacked me, sir -â€Å" â€Å"We attacked each other at the same time!† Harry shouted. â€Å"- and he hit Goyle – look -â€Å" Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. â€Å"Hospital wing, Goyle,† Snape said calmly. â€Å"Malfoy got Hermione!† Ron said. â€Å"Look!† He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth – she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back. Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, â€Å"I see no difference.† Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight. It was lucky, perhaps, that both Harry and Ron started shouting at Snape at the same time; lucky their voices echoed so much in the stone corridor, for in the confused din, it was impossible for him to hear exactly what they were calling him. He got the gist, however. â€Å"Let's see,† he said, in his silkiest voice. â€Å"Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions.† Harry's ears were ringing. The injustice of it made him want to curse Snape into a thousand slimy pieces. He passed Snape, walked with Ron to the back of the dungeon, and slammed his bag down onto the table. Ron was shaking with anger too – for a moment, it felt as though everything was back to normal between them, but then Ron turned and sat down with Dean and Seamus instead, leaving Harry alone at his table. On the other side of the dungeon, Malfoy turned his back on Snape and pressed his badge, smirking. POTTER STINKS flashed once more across the room. Harry sat there staring at Snape as the lesson began, picturing horrific things happening to him†¦.If only he knew how to do the Cruciatus Curse†¦he'd have Snape flat on his back like that spider, jerking and twitching†¦. â€Å"Antidotes!† said Snape, looking around at them all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly. â€Å"You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Snape's eyes met Harry's, and Harry knew what was coming. Snape was going to poison him. Harry imagined picking up his cauldron, and sprinting to the front of the class, and bringing it down on Snape's greasy head – And then a knock on the dungeon door burst in on Harry's thoughts. It was Colin Creevey; he edged into the room, beaming at Harry, and walked up to Snape's desk at the front of the room. â€Å"Yes?† said Snape curtly. â€Å"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs.† Snape stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face. â€Å"Potter has another hour of Potions to complete,† said Snape coldly. â€Å"He will come upstairs when this class is finished.† Colin went pink. â€Å"Sir – sir, Mr. Bagman wants him,† he said nervously. â€Å"All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry would have given anything he owned to have stopped Colin saying those last few words. He chanced half a glance at Ron, but Ron was staring determinedly at the ceiling. â€Å"Very well, very well,† Snape snapped. â€Å"Potter, leave your things here, I want you back down here later to test your antidote.† â€Å"Please, sir – he's got to take his things with him,† squeaked Cohn. â€Å"All the champions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Very well!† said Snape. â€Å"Potter – take your bag and get out of my sight!† Harry swung his bag over his shoulder, got up, and headed for the door. As he walked through the Slytherin desks, POTTER STINKS flashed at him from every direction. â€Å"It's amazing, isn't it, Harry?† said Colin, starting to speak the moment Harry had closed the dungeon door behind him. â€Å"Isn't it, though? You being champion?† â€Å"Yeah, really amazing,† said Harry heavily as they set off toward the steps into the entrance hall. â€Å"What do they want photos for, Colin?† â€Å"The Daily Prophet, I think!† â€Å"Great,† said Harry dully. â€Å"Exactly what I need. More publicity.† â€Å"Good luck!† said Colin when they had reached the right room. Harry knocked on the door and entered. He was in a fairly small classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet. Five chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to a witch Harry had never seen before, who was wearing magenta robes. Viktor Krum was standing moodily in a corner as usual and not talking to anybody. Cedric and Fheur were in conversation. Fheur looked a good deal happier than Harry had seen her so far; she kept throwing back her head so that her long silvery hair caught the light. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, was watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye. Bagman suddenly spotted Harry, got up quickly, and bounded forward. â€Å"Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Harry, in you come†¦nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment -â€Å" â€Å"Wand weighing?† Harry repeated nervously. â€Å"We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead,† said Bagman. â€Å"The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter,† he added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. â€Å"She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet†¦.† â€Å"Maybe not that small, Ludo,† said Rita Skeeter, her eyes on Harry. Her hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jeweled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson. â€Å"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?† she said to Bagman, but still gazing fixedly at Harry. â€Å"The youngest champion, you know†¦to add a bit of color?† â€Å"Certainly!† cried Bagman. â€Å"That is – if Harry has no objection?† â€Å"Er -† said Harry. â€Å"Lovely,† said Rita Skeeter, and in a second, her scarlet-taloned fingers had Harry's upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip, and she was steering him out of the room again and opening a nearby door. â€Å"We don't want to be in there with all that noise,† she said. â€Å"Let's see†¦ah, yes, this is nice and cozy.† It was a broom cupboard. Harry stared at her. â€Å"Come along, dear – that's right – lovely,† said Rita Skeeter again, perching herself precariously upon an upturned bucket, pushing Harry down onto a cardboard box, and closing the door, throwing them into darkness. â€Å"Let's see now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She unsnapped her crocodile-skin handbag and pulled out a handful of candles, which she lit with a wave of her wand and magicked into midair, so that they could see what they were doing. â€Å"You won't mind, Harry, if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill? It leaves me free to talk to you normally†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"A what?† said Harry. Rita Skeeter's smile widened. Harry counted three gold teeth. She reached again into her crocodile bag and drew out a long acid-green quill and a roll of parchment, which she stretched out between them on a crate of Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover. She put the tip of the green quill into her mouth, sucked it for a moment with apparent relish, then placed it upright on the parchment, where it stood balanced on its point, quivering slightly. â€Å"Testing†¦my name is Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter.† Harry hooked down quickly at the quill. The moment Rita Skeeter had spoken, the green quill had started to scribble, skidding across the parchment: Attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, forty-three, who's savage quill has punctured many inflated reputations – â€Å"Lovely,† said Rita Skeeter, yet again, and she ripped the top piece of parchment off, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into her handbag. Now she leaned toward Harry and said, â€Å"So, Harry†¦what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?† â€Å"Er -† said Harry again, but he was distracted by the quill. Even though he wasn't speaking, it was dashing across the parchment, and in its wake he could make out a fresh sentence: An ugly scar, souvenier of a tragic past, disfigures the otherwise charming face of Harry Potter, whose eyes – â€Å"Ignore the quill, Harry,† said Rita Skeeter firmly. Reluctantly Harry looked up at her instead. â€Å"Now – why did you decide to enter the tournament, Harry?† â€Å"I didn't,† said Harry. â€Å"I don't know how my name got into the Goblet of Fire. I didn't put it in there.† Rita Skeeter raised one heavily penciled eyebrow. â€Å"Come now, Harry, there's no need to be scared of getting into trouble. We all know you shouldn't really have entered at all. But don't worry about that. Our readers hove a rebel.† â€Å"But I didn't enter,† Harry repeated. â€Å"I don't know who -â€Å" â€Å"How do you feel about the tasks ahead?† said Rita Skeeter. â€Å"Excited? Nervous?† â€Å"I haven't really thought†¦yeah, nervous, I suppose,† said Harry. His insides squirmed uncomfortably as he spoke. â€Å"Champions have died in the past, haven't they?† said Rita Skeeter briskly. â€Å"Have you thought about that at all?† â€Å"Well†¦they say it's going to be a lot safer this year,† said Harry. The quill whizzed across the parchment between them, back and forward as though it were skating. â€Å"Of course, you've looked death in the face before, haven't you?† said Rita Skeeter, watching him closely. â€Å"How would you say that's affected you?† â€Å"Er,† said Harry, yet again. â€Å"Do you think that the trauma in your past might have made you keen to prove yourself? To live up to your name? Do you think that perhaps you were tempted to enter the Triwizard Tournament because -â€Å" â€Å"I didn't enter,† said Harry, starting to feel irritated. â€Å"Can you remember your parents at all?† said Rita Skeeter, talking over him. â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"How do you think they'd feel if they knew you were competing in the Triwizard Tournament? Proud? Worried? Angry?† Harry was feeling really annoyed now. How on earth was he to know how his parents would feel if they were alive? He could feel Rita Skeeter watching him very intently. Frowning, he avoided her gaze and hooked down at words the quill had just written: Tears fill those startlingly green eyes as our conversation turns to the parents he can barely remember. â€Å"I have NOT got tears in my eyes!† said Harry loudly. Before Rita Skeeter could say a word, the door of the broom cupboard was pulled open. Harry looked around, blinking in the bright light. Albus Dumbledore stood there, looking down at both of them, squashed into the cupboard. â€Å"Dumbledore!† cried Rita Skeeter, with every appearance of delight – but Harry noticed that her quill and the parchment had suddenly vanished from the box of Magical Mess Remover, and Rita's clawed fingers were hastily snapping shut the clasp of her crocodile-skin bag. â€Å"How are you?† she said, standing up and holding out one of her large, mannish hands to Dumbledore. â€Å"I hope you saw my piece over the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards' Conference?† â€Å"Enchantingly nasty,† said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. â€Å"I particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat.† Rita Skeeter didn't look remotely abashed. â€Å"I was just making the point that some of your ideas are a little old-fashioned, Dumbhedore, and that many wizards in the street -â€Å" â€Å"I will be delighted to hear the reasoning behind the rudeness, Rita,† said Dumbledore, with a courteous bow and a smile, â€Å"but I'm afraid we will have to discuss the matter later. The Weighing of the Wands is about to start, and it cannot take place if one of our champions is hidden in a broom cupboard.† Very glad to get away from Rita Skeeter, Harry hurried back into the room. The other champions were now sitting in chairs near the door, and he sat down quickly next to Cedric, hooking up at the velvet-covered table, where four of the five judges were now sitting – Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Mr. Crouch, and Ludo Bagman. Rita Skeeter settled herself down in a corner; Harry saw her slip the parchment out of her bag again, spread it on her knee, suck the end of the Quick-Quotes Quill, and place it once more on the parchment. â€Å"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?† said Dumbledore, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. â€Å"He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament.† Harry hooked around, and with a jolt of surprise saw an old wizard with large, pale eyes standing quietly by the window. Harry had met Mr. Ollivander before – he was the wand-maker from whom Harry had bought his own wand over three years ago in Diagon Alley. â€Å"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?† said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room. Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Olhivander and handed him her wand. â€Å"Hmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said. He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it chose to his eyes and examined it carefully. â€Å"Yes,† he said quietly, â€Å"nine and a half inches†¦inflexible†¦rosewood†¦and containing†¦dear me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"An ‘air from ze ‘ead of a veela,† said Fleur. â€Å"One of my grandmuzzer's.† So Fleur was part veela, thought Harry, making a mental note to tell Ron†¦then he remembered that Ron wasn't speaking to him. â€Å"Yes,† said Mr. Ollivander, â€Å"yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands†¦however, to each his own, and if this suits you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, â€Å"Orchideous!† and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip. â€Å"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order,† said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. â€Å"Mr. Diggory, you next.† Fleur glided back to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he passed her. â€Å"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?† said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. â€Å"Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn†¦must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches†¦ash†¦pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition†¦You treat it regularly?† â€Å"Polished it last night,† said Cedric, grinning. Harry hooked down at his own wand. He could see finger marks all over it. He gathered a fistful of robe from his knee and tried to rub it clean surreptitiously. Several gold sparks shot out of the end of it. Fleur Delacour gave him a very patronizing look, and he desisted. Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, â€Å"Mr. Krum, if you please.† Viktor Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Mr. Ollivander. He thrust out his wand and stood scowling, with his hands in the pockets of his robes. â€Å"Hmm,† said Mr. Olhivander, â€Å"this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I†¦however†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes. â€Å"Yes†¦hornbeam and dragon heartstring?† he shot at Krum, who nodded. â€Å"Rather thicker than one usually sees†¦quite rigid†¦ten and a quarter inches†¦Avis!† The hornbeam wand let off a blast hike a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight. â€Å"Good,† said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. â€Å"Which leaves†¦Mr. Potter.† Harry got to his feet and walked past Krum to Mr. Ollivander. He handed over his wand. â€Å"Aaaah, yes,† said Mr. Ohlivander, his pale eyes suddenly gleaming. â€Å"Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember.† Harry could remember too. He could remember it as though it had happened yesterday†¦. Four summers ago, on his eleventh birthday, he had entered Mr. Ollivander's shop with Hagrid to buy a wand. Mr. Ollivander had taken his measurements and then started handing him wands to try. Harry had waved what felt like every wand in the shop, until at last he had found the one that suited him – this one, which was made of holly, eleven inches long, and contained a single feather from the tail of a phoenix. Mr. Ollivander had been very surprised that Harry had been so compatible with this wand. â€Å"Curious,† he had said, â€Å"curious,† and not until Harry asked what was curious had Mr. Olhivander explained that the phoenix feather in Harry's wand had come from the same bird that had supplied the core of Lord Voldemort's. Harry had never shared this piece of information with anybody. He was very fond of his wand, and as far as he was concerned its relation to Voldemort's wand was something it couldn't help – rather as he couldn't help being related to Aunt Petunia. However, he really hoped that Mr. Ollivander wasn't about to tell the room about it. He had a funny feeling Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill might just explode with excitement if he did. Mr. Ollivander spent much longer examining Harry's wand than anyone else's. Eventually, however, he made a fountain of wine shoot out of it, and handed it back to Harry, announcing that it was still in perfect condition. â€Å"Thank you all,† said Dumbledore, standing up at the judges' table. â€Å"You may go back to your lessons now – or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end -â€Å" Feeling that at last something had gone right today, Harry got up to leave, but the man with the black camera jumped up and cleared his throat. â€Å"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!† cried Bagman excitedly. â€Å"All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?† â€Å"Er – yes, let's do those first,† said Rita Skeeter, whose eyes were upon Harry again. â€Å"And then perhaps some individual shots.† The photographs took a long time. Madame Maxime cast everyone else into shadow wherever she stood, and the photographer couldn't stand far enough back to get her into the frame; eventually she had to sit while everyone else stood around her. Karkaroff kept twirling his goatee around his finger to give it an extra curl; Krum, whom Harry would have thought would have been used to this sort of thing, skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group. The photographer seemed keenest to get Fleur at the front, but Rita Skeeter kept hurrying forward and dragging Harry into greater prominence. Then she insisted on separate shots of all the champions. At last, they were free to go. Harry went down to dinner. Hermione wasn't there – he supposed she was still in the hospital wing having her teeth fixed. He ate alone at the end of the table, then returned to Gryffindor Tower, thinking of all the extra work on Summoning Charms that he had to do. Up in the dormitory, he came across Ron. â€Å"You've had an owl,† said Ron brusquely the moment he walked in. He was pointing at Harry's pillow. The school barn owl was waiting for him there. â€Å"Oh – right,† said Harry. â€Å"And we've got to do our detentions tomorrow night, Snape's dungeon,† said Ron. He then walked straight out of the room, not looking at Harry. For a moment, Harry considered going after him – he wasn't sure whether he wanted to talk to him or hit him, both seemed quite appealing – but the lure of Sirius's answer was too strong. Harry strode over to the barn owl, took the letter off its leg, and unrolled it. Harry – I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted – we need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd ofNovember? I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbkdore's nose. Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd ofNovember as quickly as you can. Sirius