The debate, which has already turned emotional Free Essays

The national debate on abortion concerns both the legal as well as the moral aspects of the issue. The debate has not only grown provocative but it has also become very divisive as well, effectively polarizing Americans into those who support the practice and those who oppose it. The debate, which has already turned emotional, has devised labels for the two opposing camps. We will write a custom essay sample on The debate, which has already turned emotional or any similar topic only for you Order Now Pro-abortion Americans are referred to as â€Å"anti-life† or â€Å"pro-choice† while those who are against the practice have been called â€Å"pro-life† and â€Å"anti-choice† (Internet Infidels, 2005). In other words, if one goes by these labels, a woman who resorts to abortion is guilty of putting an end to life by exercising her choice. One who is against the practice of abortion, on the other hand, is all for allowing the life of a fetus to continue. It is also the contention of the â€Å"pro-lifers† or the anti-abortion camp that it is the duty of government to prohibit women to end their pregnancy through abortion, thereby illegalizing the practice. Abortion advocates, on the other hand, maintain that women should be given a choice whether to continue or discontinue their pregnancies and that government should not interfere with this choice. Some people also use the terms secularists and atheists to refer to advocates of abortion while most anti-abortion Americans are said to belong to the different Christian denominations in the country. This only goes to show that anti-abortion Americans consider themselves to be God-fearing while viewing those who favor abortion as non-believers (Religious Tolerance.org, 2008). Labels notwithstanding, proponents and opponents of abortion have offered their own arguments in support of their positions. While there are those who argue in favor of abortion for the simple reason that they believe it to be their right to choose whether to bring their pregnancy to fruition or discontinue them for their own personal reasons, many pro-abortion Americans favor abortion only under specific circumstances. One situation where pro-choice advocates really insist on abortion is when the pregnancy endangers the life of the woman. According to them, in such a situation, it is better to opt for an early abortion and save the life of the pregnant woman than wait for the fetus to fully develop and risk killing the mother or cause her to suffer from permanent disability because of the pregnancy. Another situation is when the pregnancy is the result of rape and incest. They argue that rape and incest are heinous crimes which produce highly traumatized victims. When these crimes result to pregnancy, the victims are consequently tortured since their pregnancy serve as a constant reminder of their harrowing experience. If abortion is not allowed in such cases and the women ultimately give birth, the lives of both the women and their children would be hell. Still another is when prenatal tests show that the fetus is either malformed that life after birth would only be for a few hours or a few days, or that the child would be so retarded that his or her life would only be one suffering after another. Abortion proponents claim that ending such a pregnancy would be an act of mercy (Religious Tolerance.org, 2008). Opponents of abortion, however, have rejected the arguments put forth by its advocates. First, they argue that ending pregnancies resulting from rape and incest is completely immoral. According to them, abortions in such cases amount to â€Å"killing an innocent child because of the crimes of her father.† They do not subscribe to the belief that doing away with the evidence of the crime (the pregnancy) would ultimately mitigate the situation. Instead, they maintain that while criminals should be punished for their crimes, the innocent should be allowed to live. Second, opponents of abortion take exception to the argument that it is the right of the pregnant woman to decide whether to have an abortion or not. According to them, if the pregnant woman believes that she has certain rights, the child that she is carrying also has the right to live (Johansen, 1996). Finally, pro-life advocates maintain that children are God’s gift to man and that their parents are simply their caretakers. Children, therefore, should be allowed to live the life that God had planned for them (D’Silva, 2007). Personally, I believe that abortion is an issue that should be treated on a case to case basis. Although it is generally believed that a fetus is already a form of life, the moment its existence would prove fatal to the mother, abortion should be allowed. My reason is simple: if a pregnancy could kill the mother, then it is better to abort it than risk the life of the mother and possibly that of the child. I am also convinced that even if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, such crimes are not enough to punish the innocent by killing the children of rapists and incestuous fathers. Indeed, children should never be punished for the sins of their fathers. References D’Silva, R. (2007). Anti-Abortion Arguments – Reasons Against Abortion. Retrieved September 12, 2008 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/antiabortion-arguments-reasons-against-abortion.html Internet Infidels. (2005). On The Issue of Abortion. Retrieved September 12, 2008 from http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/debates/secularist/abortion/index.shtml Johansen, J. (1996). A Summary of Pro-Choice Arguments. Retrieved September 12, 2008 from http://www.pregnantpause.org/abort/choicarg.htm Religious Tolerance.org. (2008). Abortion access: All sides of the issue. Retrieved September 12, 2008 from http://www.religioustolerance.org/abortion.htm    How to cite The debate, which has already turned emotional, Papers

Borderline Personality Disorder as Shown in Girl, Interrupted free essay sample

The movie Girl, Interrupted was released in 1999 and centered on the story of an eighteen year old girl, Susanna Kaysen, who has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. The movie takes place in the Boston area in the late 1960’s. Susanna Kaysen, is the daughter of a prominent well-known economist. The story is based around Susanna’s personal struggles and when she was admitted into a mental hospital for what she called a â€Å"half-hearted attempt† to kill herself. Throughout the movie, she further describes what made her decide to check herself into the institution, what it was like there, and other thoughts she had toward the world. Diagnosis Susanna Kaysen was admitted into Claymoore Hospital and was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. In the beginning of the movie she started off by saying, â€Å"People ask, how did you get in there? What they really want to know is if they are likely to end up there as well. I can’t answer the real question. All I can tell them is, it’s easy.† Kaysen continued on by explaining how it is very simple to slip into a similar universe, one that is invisible from this side, but once you are in that universe you can easily see the world that you came from. I believe that Susanna Kaysen met the criteria for a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. The 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual lists several symptoms of borderline personality disorder, and to be diagnosed she had to meet at least 5 of them (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). In many cases, a person that has been diagnosed with BPD and has arrived in a mental health emergency room have intentionally hurt themselves in one way or another, ranging from alcohol and substance abuse, delinquency, unsafe sex, and reckless driving (Coffey et. al., 2011; Sherry Whilde, 2008). Other situations that can occur in a person diagnosed with BPD are shifts in their moo ds, having an unstable self-image, impulsivity, unstable relationships, anger, and physical aggression and/or violence. The first of the criteria for BPD in Girl, Interrupted, was having suicidal thoughts and doing things to contribute to a possible suicide by attempting what Susanna called a â€Å"half-hearted attempt† to kill herself by taking a bottle of aspirin with vodka. In the movie, she stated that she has a headache, which I believe could have been true to a point, but she also was feeling more and more pressure from her family and friends to be more â€Å"normal† and at the same time there was a fallout with the teacher she had been having an affair with. The second criteria was inflicting harm on the body by cutting or bruising. After she attempted suicide, she was rushed to the emergency room the camera angle switched from everybody frantically moving around to help to her wrists. She had bruises all over her wrists and she kept telling the doctors she didn ’t have any bones in her hand. It doesn’t explain how she got the bruises anywhere in the movie, but I can assume it was by some type of self-harm. Physical discomfort offers relief from emotional suffering by â€Å"snapping† them out of their â€Å"emotional overload.† The third criteria was Susanna’s attempts to remain in the relationships to avoid feeling abandoned. Toward the middle of the movie, she has a flashback of the affair she had with one of the teachers and with a guy that she met after her high school graduation. In both cases, she was having unsafe sex and staying in the relationships so that she felt wanted and loved, and not rejected. The fourth criteria was filling the emptiness that was being felt by doing something she knew wasn’t right but gave her a thrill. Susanna felt as if nothing was going how she wanted it and she was the only person feeling that way. In the movie, Susanna and Lisa, a girl in the institution, decid ed to sneak out of the institution and go on a trip to visit another girl that had been there with them, Polly. Both of them knew they could get into trouble, but the continued on anyway. The fifth criteria was when she experienced a shift in moods and felt like she had no sense of herself at all. Toward the end of the movie, there was a time Susanna was convinced she wasn’t going to get better and she got defensive over what Dr. Wick was telling her about her diagnosis. She continued on and stated how â€Å"she didn’t care† and her new favorite word to describe herself was ambivalent because she said it meant she didn’t care anymore and she was going to do whatever she felt was right. Dr. Wick continued on and asked Susanna if she knew what the word ambivalent meant, Susanna replied, â€Å"It means, I don’t care.† Dr. Wick then told her that the word actually meant undecided or in two minds, kind of like thinking, â€Å"will I stay or will I go?† and then asked Susanna if she cared about herself. I believe Susanna developed these patterns more in adulthood, but everything stemmed from her childhood events. Etiology There are several different views on how a person like Susanna could have developed BPD. One view that theorists have, is that an early lack of acceptance by parents may lead to a loss of self-esteem, increased dependence and an inability to cope with separation (Caligor Clarkin, 2010; Sherry Whilde, 2008). Children with parents that have neglected or rejected them, verbally abused them, or otherwise behaved inappropriately around them, have an increased chance of developing BPD. Multiple parent substitutes, divorce, death, physical and/or sexual abuse are also things that play a part in developing BPD. Sexual abuse is one of the most common contributors to the development of BPD and children that experience it at least four times are more likely to develop it (Huang et. al., 2010; Bradley et. al., 2005). In the movie, Susanna’s mom made a comment on when Susanna was a baby, she was changing her diaper and she turned around for a split second and that was when Susanna rolle d off the bed and broke her leg. She said the doctor put Susanna in a full body cast and her parents went on a 4,000 mile trip with Susanna buckled in the backseat in the body cast. There are also biological factors that could be contributing to BPD. Studies have shown that people with an overly active amygdale, a part of the brain that controls fear and negative emotions, and an underactive prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain linked to planning, self control, and decision making, can cause a person to develop BPD. More people that have BPD and that are more aggressive tend to have a lower serotonin activity than most people. Treatments Most clinical circles today use the dialectical behavior therapy method. This method focuses on the cognitive and behavioral techniques such as homework, assignments, psychoeducation, improving and teaching social skills. It also focuses on the humanistic and contemporary psychodynamic approaches by putting the client and therapist’s relationship in the center of their treatment, teaching the client proper boundaries and acceptance. Groups that use this method also help the clients by having them relate to others in the group and showing that they are able to receive support from them. Studies have shown that people that have been through this method have increased their ability to tolerate stress, improved their social skills, better attitudes toward life situations, maintaining a more stable identity and they are more likely to stay in the treatment. Other studies have been done to find that clients that take medications such as antidepressants, antibipolar, antianxiety, and antipsychotic drugs along with psychotherapy have benefited and fewer suicidal behaviors and hospitalizations have been reported. If I were to treat Susanna, I would most likely use the dialectical behavior therapy to treat her borderline personality disorder. The reason I would choose this is partially because it is more commonly used today within many clinical circles and I feel that having her focus on social skills, the relationship between her therapist, others in the group, and herself, realizing that she is able to receive support from others, and maintaining a healthier life would greatly benefit her. I think it would help her refrain from contemplating another suicide attempt, participating in unsafe activities and it would help control her anger, depression and any other emotions she had been feeling. Summarization The movie Girl, Interrupted was released in 1999 and centered on the story of an eighteen year old girl, Susanna Kaysen, who has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Susanna Kaysen was admitted into Claymoore Hospital and was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. In order for a person to be diagnosed, they need to meet at least five of the criteria listed in the DSM. The first of the criteria was having suicidal thoughts and doing things to contribute to a possible suicide by attempting what Susanna called a â€Å"half-hearted attempt† to kill herself by taking a bottle of aspirin with vodka. In the movie, she stated that she has a headache, which I believe could have been true to a point, but she also was feeling more and more pressure from her family and friends to be more â€Å"normal† and at the same time there was a fallout with the teacher she had been having an affair with. The second criteria was inflicting harm on the body by cutting or bruising. After she attempted suicide, she was rushed to the emergency room the camera angle switched from everybody frantically moving around to help to her wrists. She had bruises all over her wrists and she kept telling the doctors she didn’t have any bones in her hand. The th ird criteria was Susanna’s attempts to remain in the relationships to avoid feeling abandoned. Toward the middle of the movie, she has a flashback of the affair she had with one of the teachers and with a guy that she met after her high school graduation. In both cases, she was having unsafe sex and staying in the relationships so that she felt wanted and loved, and not rejected. The fourth criteria was filling the emptiness that was being felt by doing something she knew wasn’t right but gave her a thrill. In the movie, Susanna and Lisa, a girl in the institution, decided to sneak out of the institution and go on a trip to visit another girl that had been there with them, Polly. They knew they could get into trouble, but the continued on anyway. The fifth criteria was when she experienced a shift in moods and felt like she had no sense of herself at all. Dr. Wick was explaining her diagnosis and Susanna stated how she didn’t care and did her own thing for a little longer before realizing it wasn’t right. There are several different views on how a person like Susanna could have developed BPD. One view that theorists have, is that an early lack of acceptance by parents may lead to a loss of self-esteem, increased dependence and an inability to cope with separation (Caligor Clarkin, 2010; Sherry Whilde, 2008). Children with parents that have neglected or rejected them, verbally abused them, or otherwise behaved inappropriately around them, have an increased chance of developing BPD. I believe that Susanna’s development of BPD started when she was younger but developed more as she got older. I also believe it’s because of the lack of self-confidence that Susanna had growing up and once she got older that affected her BPD. If I were to treat Susanna, I would most likely use the dialectical behavior therapy to treat her borderline personality disorder. The reason I would choose this is partially because it is more commonly used today within many clinical circles and I feel that having her focus on social skills, the relationship between her therapist, others in the group, and herself, realizing that she is able to receive support from others, and maintaining a healthier life would greatly benefit her. I think it would help her refrain from contemplating another suicide attempt, participating in unsafe activities and it would help control her anger, depression and any other emotions she had been feeling. Susanna’s behaviors in the movie Girl, Interrupted are consistent with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, most likely contributed by events that happened in her childhood and an overly reactive amygdale, and which could be treated by the dialectical behavior therapy.

10 Facts on Prehistoric Art for a Case Study

10 Facts on Prehistoric Art for a Case Study Before going into the details of the facts to provided here, it is important for us to explore the times before history was actively recorded by discussing the meaning of the word ‘prehistoric’. The term prehistoric literally means ‘before history’ and it covers the thousands of years before the ancestors of man discovered writing. In prehistoric ages, Homo sapiens made use of art as the only written medium for transferring their thoughts for the sake of posterity. Prehistoric art forms are divided into three distinct eras which are: The Lower Paleolithic: which occurred 500,000 years ago and defines the period when the only art forms of Homo erectus were scratches on cave walls using animal bones. The Middle Paleolithic: this occurred 50,000-100,000 years ago and by then, man had discovered how to draw and paint crudely. The Upper Paleolithic: occurred 10,000-50,000 years ago and is defined as the period man began to paint as well as create figurines and other items for domestic use. This article will attempt to provide 10 facts that cut across the eras explained above which can be used as reference points when writing an essay on prehistoric art. Prehistoric art forms were drawn for definite purposes and these purposes were generally ritualistic and to glorify the hunt. Other prehistoric drawings depicting seasonal animals were also attempts by prehistoric man to document the seasons as they came and went. Prehistoric men truly resided in caves and carried out most of their activities in hiding. This is due to the fact that they hid from predators as well as the ever changing elements of nature. Although prehistoric men drew on sand and rocks, the ravages of time eclipsed these drawings and we have only the cave art to tell us about their culture. Prehistoric artist actively believed that depicting an object or item in art form was a way of putting a binding spell on the drawn item. Therefore while they drew animals in clear details to cast hunting spells on the animals, they abstained from drawing exact depictions of themselves in order not to create binding spells. Although the belief in one Supreme Being would come later in time, prehistoric humans believed in hunting gods and fertility goddesses as can be seen in their works of art Prehistoric Drawing and Painting Materials: the art forms in the middle and upper Paleolithic era were much more developed than the bone pickings and scratches of the lower Paleolithic era. Prehistoric artists made use of their fingers, bird feathers and animal bones as drawing tools. While for painting, prehistoric artist took advantage of the different types of clay to produce red, brown and yellow colors. And for black, charcoal  and mud mixed with cave water was used in creating the color black. Prehistoric Art and Painting Techniques: while most people associate prehistoric art with the backwardness of the cave man, prehistoric art shows otherwise. In the caves of La Vache, archaeologists discovered charcoal tracings underneath the animal paintings depicted on its walls. This showed advanced drawing techniques such as sketching to achieve accuracy. Also, hollowed bones and feathers were used as painting tools which goes to show the advanced spray painting techniques used in prehistoric art. Prehistoric Art, Sculpture and the Pictures Depicted: studies show that earlier art forms from the prehistoric era were usually drawings or animals with arrows or spears in them while humans were hardly featured till later in the middle Paleolithic. So prehistoric art forms contained mainly animals such as Bison, cattle, reindeer, mammoths and aurochs. Further analysis of prehistoric art forms showed that 75% of these art works were created by hunters while a mere 15% were created by gatherers. Human sculptures and art works began to feature in prehistoric art during the upper Paleolithic period in the form of stick sketches and the Venus figurines. Prehistoric Art and Location: prehistoric art works have been unearthed in caves and archaeological sites all over the world but the most notable mentions are:South Western France and Northern Spain which are home to over 350 sites where cave paintings have been discovered. Prehistoric art works from these regions are jointly known as Franco-Cantabrian cave art. Other notable mentions are southwestern Germany, South Africa, India and China. Where are the Oldest Cave Paintings Located? Radiocarbon dating techniques have been applied to most cave paintings found across the globe to determine their ages and the facts show that: El Castillo cave paintings in Cantabria Spain are the oldest paintings that have been discovered to date. Its age is set at approximately 39,000 BCE. Next is the Leang Timpuseng cave in Indonesia which is dated to have been painted in 37,500 BCE. Third is the Chauvet cave in France created around 30,000 BCE. Prehistoric Art and Sexual Depictions: although it took a while for prehistoric artists to start depicting humans in their paintings and sculptures, early figurines showed that the female form were more popular objects of interest than the male form. These early sculptures of women figures always followed the artistic format of a large breasted woman with protruding stomach and hip regions. They might have been viewed as sexual in this modern age. Prehistoric Art included Sculpture: Although most art works from the prehistoric age were cave drawings and paintings, the middle and lower Paleolithic age witnessed the inclusion of sculpting as a means of creating art in prehistoric times. Bas-relief techniques were used in creating sculptures as can be seen from the Venus of Laussel sculpture and prehistoric artist made use of limestone and unfired clay in sculpting these objects. Here is where we come to the end of the cool facts on prehistoric art works which can be used when drafting case study on prehistoric art. These facts were provided to aid your research and writing process if giving such a project. So do not hesitate to use them as reference points where and when the need may arise. Additionally don’t hesitate paying a visit to our 20 topics for a case study on prehistoric art as well as our genre specific guide. References: Wikipedia: Prehistoric Art.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_art Visual Art Encyclopedia: Prehistoric Art of the Stone Age.  visual-arts-cork.com/prehistoric-art.htm Francis, G. (2007). Religious Awareness in Art Forms from Prehistory to Today 3-5  crossroadsnyc.com/files/Greene_CaveArt.pdf Laura, T. (2007). Introduction to Prehistoric Art, 20,000-8,000 B.C.  metmuseum.org/toah/hd/preh/hd_preh.htm Kiaren, J. (2005). Female Figurines of the Upper Paleolithic.  ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/venus-figurines-european-paleolithic-era-001548 Alan, D. (). Venus Figurines of the European Paleolithic: Symbols of Fertility or Attractiveness?  ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/venus-figurines-european-paleolithic-era-001548 Soffer, O. Adovasio, J. (2000). Textiles, Basketry, Gender and Status in the Upper Paleolithic.  unl.edu/rhames/courses/current/venus1.pdf

There are No Failed Books 3 Ways to Save a Trunk Novel - Freewrite Store

There are No Failed Books 3 Ways to Save a Trunk Novel - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by author Jeff Somers.  He has published nine novels, including the  Avery Cates Series  of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books, the darkly hilarious crime novel  Chum  from Tyrus Books, and most recently tales of blood magic and short cons in the  Ustari Cycle.       When Truman Capote died in 1984, he hadn’t published a major work since the absolute classic In Cold Blood in 1965. He’d produced material, yes; mainly short stories and some screenplays. Some of that work had been highly regarded, but nothing on the scale and ambition of In Cold Blood or Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Over the course of those two decades, Capote had transformed from a predominantly literary figure into a general celebrity, a man known for his parties, his circle of famous friends, his wit, and his television appearances more than his writing. But Capote hadn’t been idle. In fact, in January 1966 he signed a contract with Random House for a new novel, receiving a $25,000 advance (nearly $200,000 in 2017 money). The book proposal was ambitious: A modern reworking of Proust’s immense In Search of Lost Time. Capote worked on the book (titled Answered Prayers) for the next twenty years, occasionally publishing chapters from it, and renegotiating his contract twice (getting a further $750,000 in 1969 and a promise of $1 million if he ever finished the book in 1980, money he never saw). He once remarked about the book â€Å"either I'm going to kill  it, or it's going to kill me,† and history shows who won that struggle. The unfinished draft of the novel was published posthumously. There are many possible reasons why Capote couldn’t finish this novel. Maybe his celebrity was too enticing and he lost his drive to create. Or it might have been the reaction early chapters received: Much of the book was a thinly veiled depiction of his high society friends and their very embarrassing behavior, which cost him those friends- something that Capote reportedly took very hard. Or maybe it was just one of those books that all authors begin and then lug around with them for years, even decades- sometimes their whole lives. We call them Trunk Novels- novels that start off with so much promise, so much excitement, and then proceed to consume hundreds of thousands of words and huge tracts of time without ever coalescing into something resembling coherency. Every author has at least one. Most of us have several.       Too Good To Fail The problem with a Trunk Novel is there’s something there. A premise or an experiment, an energy, a challenge- something that brings you back to it again and again even though you can never get it to work. You revise, you scrap and start over, you recast it in different genres, you try to put it away and forget about it, but you can’t. And even if you are eventually able to put the book aside, should you? After all, you put a lot of good work into it. A lot of time, ideas, and solid writing. Instead of abandoning Trunk Novels, rethink them- here are three strategies for getting them out of your trunk and into publishable shape without losing any more of your sanity or precious time. Method 1: The Mashup If you’ve got more than one Trunk Novel cluttering up your hard drive with its imperfect sadness, one ambitious but potentially brilliant strategy is to combine them. This requires a certain amount of overlap in terms of genre and style, of course (though it doesn’t have to be a perfect match, as many genres combine wonderfully well- like romance and horror) and will probably need quite a bit of fix-up revision, but it can work. (Photo by  Erwan Hesry  on  Unsplash) The reason why it works is simple: Many Trunk Novels have great stuff in them- and it’s often complementary stuff. One novel I was working on for years had a solid plot, a good framework of events and motives, but it lacked interesting characters and lush description. A second book, separated from the first by several years, had a cast of characters I loved spending time with, but meandered through a plot that barely qualified. Taking the two and combining them resulted in a strong novel that popped off the page. I haven’t sold that novel yet, but my agent is enthusiastic. Method 2: Call It Sometimes you can get caught up in the supposed â€Å"rules† of professional writing. One of those rules concerns the marketability of a novel, and specifies that in order to have any chance your novel has to hit a certain word count (80,000 words is usually the quoted number, though you’ll hear variations on that). And thus, were a million Trunk Novels born because writers are reluctant to admit that what they’ve actually written is a novella or a short story. Writers sometimes desperately try to turn works into novels because they think novellas are impossible to sell, and short stories aren’t worth it in terms of money or attention. But novellas are actually easier to sell these days than in the past, thanks to digital platforms that don’t really care about word counts, and short stories have been having a Moment as increasing numbers of them are being adapted into film and television- see Arrival, The Grey, and Total Recall- leading many agents to reevaluate the wisdom of writers spending time and effort on shorter works. (Photo by  Simson Petrol  on  Unsplash) So, if you have a novel that’s been sitting in the Trunk for a while, consider whether the problem isn’t the story or the writing, but it’s girth. Is it a novella or short story that you’ve been trying to bulk up to novel size? Try cutting it mercilessly down and see what you have. You might be surprised. Method 3: The Inversion Another way to save a Trunk Novel from oblivion is to run a critical eye over your assumptions about the book. That initial moment of inspiration we experience is often powerful- one of the best things about being creative is that rush of energy when you have â€Å"the idea.† That power also burns certain things into your brain, like who the main or POV character should be, or the tone the story needs, or the precise pacing of the plot events. Over time, these turn into assumptions- no matter how often you attack the book unsuccessfully, you never think about changing the bedrock of that initial inspiration. You become blind to the possibilities offered by other characters who might be promoted or explored, other stylistic choices, or other third acts that go off in crazy directions. (Photo by  Dardan Mu  on  Unsplash) The secret sauce in this approach isn’t so much that you were wrong about everything from the beginning, but in the thrill of the unknown. By the time you’re ready to admit that a book is a Trunk Novel, there’s a very good chance you’ve been over each scene, every line of dialog, and every plot twist many, many times. It’s familiar, and familiarity breeds contempt and blindness. You can’t see it any more. Changing something fundamental about the book forces you into unknown territory, bringing back some of that electric buzz of discovery and revealing new ways forward. With a book stuck in Trunk Mode, that can jump-start the creative process and get you over the finish line. Not every novel can be saved, and writing a bad book is just part of being a writer- but if you’ve got a novel that just won’t go quietly into that dusty drawer, consider trying one of these techniques to rescue it once and for all. So, how many Trunk Novels are you hauling around with you? Have you ever managed to make one work? Let us know if you did, and if so, how you did it!    Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. He has published nine novels, including theAvery Cates Series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com) and theUstari Cycleseries of urban fantasy novels. His short story â€Å"Ringing the Changes† was selected for inclusion inBest American Mystery Stories 2006,his story â€Å"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through† appeared in the anthologyCrimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris, and his story â€Å"Three Cups of Tea† appeared in the anthologyHanzai Japan. He also writes about books forBarnes and Noble andAbout.com and about the craft of writing forWriter’s Digest, which will publish his book on the craft of writingWriting Without Rules in 2018. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.

Polish worker Andrezej Freitag been killed in construction site Essay

Polish worker Andrezej Freitag been killed in construction site - Essay Example His employer, Discovery Homes Limited was fined 5,000 pounds after being found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act. The director of the company was also fined 4,000 pounds after being found guilty of going against section 37(1) of the act. It was concluded that Freitag’s death could have been avoided had his employer done enough about the safety hazards that were present at the construction site. An investigation showed that Freitag died as a result of a faulty protection barrier that should not have been used for the type of work he was doing (HSE News Release, 2009). The case above is just one of many in which the safety and health of employees have been compromised leading to irreparable damages and loss of lives. In the case above, the compny and the manager in charge of the construction work were fined for neglecting the safety and health needs of their employees. They failed to see to it that there was ample protection against unnecessary injuries to em ployees and yet they are required by aw to oversee their employees overall health and safety while they are at work. Freitag’s death would probably have been avoided had the company and its director ensured that appropriate protection on building heights was in place. Some of the important aspects of UK Health and Safety Legislations are discussed below. The Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act, 1974 This legislation forms the basis of health and safety laws in the UK and it covers all employees as well as any individual affected by certain work activities. Section 2 of the legislation requires all employers to ensure that the health and safety of employees is well taken care of by employers. The same section also stipulates that employers should consult with safety representatives in trade unions on health and safety issues affecting the organization. Section 3 of the legislation stipulates that all employers should make sure that non-employees who may be affected by the orga nization’s work activities are not exposed in any way to health and safety hazards. Section 7 deals with the responsibilities of the employee in ensuring that he is safe at all times while he is working (HSE, 1999). Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999 The main requirement of this legislation is for employers to carry out risk assessments as a way of reducing or eliminating health and safety hazards. This piece of legislation also requires employers to set up procedures that mitigate employees’ health and safety at the workplace. This is the legislation that requires all employers to provide enough clear information about the health and safety policies of the organization to employees (Lewis and Sergeant, 2004). Workplace Regulations 1992 This law deals with any physical conditions that might affect employees’ health and safety at the workplace. According to these regulations, employees must meet certain minimum standards in relation to: lig hting, ventilation, first aid, buildings and equipment maintenance, temperature, toilet and rest facilities (HSE, 1999). Health and Safety Regulations 1992 These regulations require employers to carry out assessments of their employees’ who normally use display screen equipment. The employers are

Modern Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modern Philosophy - Essay Example Leibnitz seeks to avoid the pure isolation of the mind from the body as in the case of Descartes. Monads are established as the most simple substance of which there are no parts or extensions (paragraphs 1 and 2). In paragraph 6 "monads have no windows" and hence are self-existing in a way. Leibnitz must explain what he means. Monads are different from each other because it is impossible for there to be the same thing in nature or else one thing would not be "discernible form another", things or monads must have an "internal difference" (p. 9). These differences are created from internal causes (p. 11). It is these internal causes which can make something that is itself, different or cause it to change and appear different. We are aware of our perceptions of these things, or of the thing that is undergoing change. Descartes was mistaken not to treat perception as a way of giving us what a thing and its changes are. Hence Descartes was left with the mind and or consciousness standing by itself. Leibnitz explains that perception represents "a multiplicity in the unit" of the simple substance. This is his way of saying that the mind cannot be separated from consciousness of the body. At paragraph 17, Leibnitz says that "...perception and that which depends upon it are inexplicable on mechanical grounds." That which recognizes substance and its various attributes cannot be based on the "figures and motions", or logic. Leibnitz in 15 has explained that it is Appetition or desire which is able to move from one perception to its wholeness or to new perceptions. If one were to move from the mind to the body, it would take not mere thought, but "Appetition or desire" to place these two together as a collective unit. Monads, as simple substances, are immaterial and have no extension. Yet they have their own perspective and something gives them extension and purpose. They have a certain self-sufficiency based on their internal activities. In paragraph 19 Leibnitz says tha t perception could allow simple substances to have souls, but that this is not possible unless perception is accompanied by memory. Mind gives monads or simple substances extension, purpose and identity. Whereas Descartes would say there is mind without body, Liebnitz would argue that there can be no mind without body. Mind and body are both monads, but the point is that it is the mind which is able to recognize the perception of the body or a rock outside the body with extension and secondary qualities such as color and taste. Humans are able to think empirically, such that there will be "daylight tomorrow." This is evidence the rational ability that humans have, and the knowledge of necessary and eternal truths that give us Reason and distinguishes us from animals (p. 29). Truth derives from the two great principles of contradiction (p. 31), and of sufficient reason (p. 32). These both refer to the two kinds of truths, reasoning is based on the principle of contradiction, and deal s with necessary truths that are found by analysis, such as in mathematics. The principle of sufficient reason allows for contingent truths, or truths based on fact (p. 36). By establishing the concept of simple substances first, Liebnitz is able to move the concept of self-identity as a truth. There cannot be substance with the mind's perception of it. Even the mind has

Finding common ground Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Finding common ground - Essay Example Both its proponents and opponents are very vocal about their respective points of view. Some headway has been made as regards this issue within specific states in America. However, the jury is still out on certain contentious issues regarding this matter. These include matters such as; who has the right to define what a marriage is, should a judge decide on such matters, or should this decision be left to the public through a popular vote. In the Newsweek article by Anna Quindlen, the author starts by recognizing the significance of the ruling in Loving v. Virginia which stated that interracial marriages were not illegal as had earlier been ruled. Before this, it was considered a crime to be party to interracial marriage and Mr. Richard Loving and his wife Mildred Jeter were accused of miscegenation (Quindlen, 1). The Supreme Court ruled that marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man and cannot be denied on the basis of race. In this article the author who is a proponent of same sex marriage argues that in most cases the decision against same sex marriage are influenced by the financial factor and in most cases religion is only used as a scapegoat for the rejection of same sex rights(Quindlen, 2). The author argues that by continuing to refuse to legally recognize unions between individuals of the same sex, there are benefits that are being forgone such as the ability of these couples to adopt children and give them a better chance of advancing in life. The author also scoffs the notion that allowing homosexuals to adopt children will distort the image of marriage in the eyes of these children, arguing that heterosexuals have already done this on their own without much help from the gay community (Quindlen, 4). In the second article titled Interracial Marriage: Slippery Slope? By La Shawn Barber, the author argues that the decision in Loving v Virginia was totally justified and cannot be compared to gays demanding for the right to marriage (La