Television Analysis Of Jersey Shore

Television Analysis Of Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore is a reality TV show that has become one of the most popular shows in television today, and the producers are working on a season three. The show began in 2009, and since has had two seasons, which were widely viewed by many people. Some question, What is this show all about, and I reply that it is a show consisting of eight young people; Paul DelVicchio, Nicole Polizzi, Michael Sorrentino, Sammi Giancola, Ronnie Ortiz Magro, Jenni Farley, Vinny Guadagnino, and Angelina Pivarnick. All these people are young Italian people that come to a beach house, and basically just have fun. They all party, go out to clubs, drink alcohol uncontrollably, have sex, and just act like the stereotypical young person. Jersey Shore is not a survivor type reality show, or even a fear factor type reality show, but in my opinion, it is a bunch of young people that act immature, do bad things to have fun, and just make fools out of themselves in front of the whole country. However, Jersey Shore tries to make it seem like they are really good people because they work some of the time on the show in minimum wage jobs, but the times that those scenes are shown, the time frame is very minimal. Thus, this shows that the show is trying to show that they are doing something productive, but then again it shows the bad things more often because those are what are most interesting to society. So, the Jersey shore is a show that portrays young people to be the stereotypical young person, and in a sense persuades the people of America that this is how young people act. Additionally, the show portrays genders in ways that seem to be stereotypical as well. Gender Roles on the Jersey Shore (female) Females are often criticized by men that if they dont look like a real woman, then theyre not worth talking to. Meaning, if they do not wear makeup, dress up to show sex appeal, wear high heels, do their hair, they are not worth the time. However, this does not exist in the Jersey Shore because that is exactly what all the women do on the show. For instance, before they go to the club in basically every episode there will be a scene being shown that shows them getting ready, and that includes the women putting on makeup, sexually appealing clothes, and doing their hair. For instance in Episode 12, Season Two you see all the girls getting ready and Nicole Snookie Polizzi says We got to get ready and make sure we look good before we go to the club, (mtv.com) Thus, the show portrays the female as if they have to look good to go out, and wear nice clothes, and make sure their hair is done, which in my view, is really not the way most women are. Furthermore, when looking past that idea of the way women are supposed to look, I discovered that the show also portrays women to be the type that just want to have sex all the time and find good looking males. For instance, in just about every episode the women are always talking about the places to go to see all these good looking men, and how they would like to have sex with them. Additionally, when they go in the clubs, they dance rather sexually and get very close to their male counterparts in the club. So, perhaps, the Jersey Shore is trying to send the message that if you are going to clubs, you will meet women like this, and I find that to be a very stereotypical bias because not all women go to the clubs to simply dance dirty, and have sex. Hence, I believe that the Jersey Shore portrays women to be sex objects that love going out and showing off their bodies. Gender roles (male) Male gender role in the show is portrayed differently from women, but it does have a similarity. Men on the show are shown to be huge ripped guys that are very clean looking. That is where the similarity comes in between the male and female roles because they both are being portrayed as what people want in a man or woman, based on the media portrayal in this society. Additionally, the show stereotypes masculinity because Jersey Shore makes it seem like you have to look this way to be masculine, which means having a six pack, or being ripped. Moreover, the show does not only show male masculinity to be a role, but also shows male dominance to be a major role. For instance, in Season Two, Episode 11, Mike The Situation Sorrentino says to Nicole Snooki Polizzi when they are in the club that Im the man of the house, and when I say it is time to go, and then we go. Ive always done this when we have gone out. I always round people up(mtv.com), but words can only express so much, so you wou ld actually have to see it before your very own eyes to see how he believes he is dominant over Nicole Snooki Polizzi. In contrast, I believe that the show also shows men in a feministic way. The reason I say that is because the men on the show are often doing things typical of a woman. For example, the guys will go out and get a tan at a tanning salon, which is often seen being done by women. In addition, the guys, like the women, spend a lot of time doing their hair, getting dressed, and basically they just spend their time on themselves. However, I believe this is done purposely to show that they are clean, and that the male gender can too care about his body. Although they do that purposely, I believe viewers will still question how truly realistic is this reality show. So, gender roles in the show are portrayed in an way that intentionally try to attract viewers, but knowledgeable people will be able to tell that these are not the way all men and women are. Negative influence on young people Jersey Shore is a show that heavily stereotypes young people, but in my opinion, they do not take into consideration the negative effects they can have on the younger crowd. The younger people in America are often brainwashed by the media and believe everything that is being told or broadcasted. Therefore, Jersey Shore is a prime example of a show that can have these negative effects. The effects it might have differ between the genders, but when you look at the bigger picture it is quite similar. It is similar because most young people that are watching the show might now believe that they should act like these stereotypical young people are acting. However, they might not realize that this is not truly a hundred percent correct, and that this can possibly have a negative influence on their lives if they choose to act this way. In my opinion, I believe that what they do on the show will have a negative influence on a younger persons life because they would now start drinking more, clubbing more, having sex more, which all could result in negative outcomes. For instance, drinking could lead to an alcohol problem, clubbing could lead to sex, which can ultimately lead to a sexually transmitted disease that can be life threatening. So, younger people are potentially in danger when absorbing these false ideas and actions being portrayed on the show, and this can cause a number of problems in society itself to increase just because of one show. Alcohol addiction can increase, number of minors entering clubs can increase, and the most devastating thing would be if sexually transmitted diseases increase, which already seem to be on the rise. So, I have said what the show can do to people, but this is mainly considering people that already do these things. However, a bigger problem could be the effects it has on the people who do not do these negative things in their lives, and that is what could cause a significant increase in those areas I mentioned above. Thus, I believe that this will in fact affect the young people who do not already do these things, and that could be very bad for society. It could be bad for society because when you look at the long term effect this can have it can seem quite terrifying. It can seem terrifying because imagine the death rate increase due to some of these issues, and that can cause emotional problems, family problems, and to think this could be the long term effect all because of one show is just horrible. Therefore, I believe that the Jersey Shore presents many stereotypes that can have very negative outcomes on peoples lives if they try to imitate these people. Unrealistic Message of Partying Some might argue that this is all that is done on the show, but some might disagree, but partying seems to happen quite frequently on Jersey Shore. In every show the crew gathers up at least once at night and goes to the club and parties. However, it is done so often, it starts to seem unrealistic. It begins to seem unrealistic because it is portrayed as if All young people have time to do is go out and party all the time, but that is definitely not true because people that are in school, or who are young parents, or working a full time job will in most cases, not have the time to be partying like they do on the Jersey Shore. So, with that being said, I believe that if America believes that this is how young people are in this country, then I have proven my point that the media brainwashes society. Furthermore, Jersey Shore portrays partying as fun, which shows that they are generalizing the idea that partying and clubbing is fun. However, once again Jersey Shore is showing another way it tries to bring in the viewers of America. Although they portray clubbing to be fun, but that does not mean everyone thinks that it is fun. Sometimes, people say that clubbing is for young single people just trying to find a partner, which I agree with. Additionally, this relates to the show stereotyping young people because they are assuming that all young people like to go partying and clubbing, which is also not true, and I am a prime example of that because I do not like partying or clubbing, and I believe there are better alternatives to meet people or find a partner, such as attending an event of some sort. Therefore, I believe that Jersey Shore intentionally attacks these stereotypes to attract a person in this society who does not know much about media, and believes everything that is p ortrayed by them. Therefore, many people that are like this will watch the Jersey Shore, and did for the past two seasons. Advice for watching Jersey Shore is a show that you should watch with a stereotyping in mind. That Stereotyping is used so much in the show you might even forget how many times it appears. So, when you are watching this show, dont believe everything that you see, and try to mock these people. They are a bunch of people who getting a high salary to act like this because this is what the producers believes America wants to see based on the medias portrayal of young people in todays society, which you can argue is true because it is the most watch show on MTV in years. However, I do advise you that if you start to act like these people it can have very negative effects on your life. For example, if you start drinking like this, you could possibly become an alcoholic, which can lead to severe liver damage, family problems, and even a self addiction problem that may be very hard to overcome. Additionally, if you start having sex as frequently as these people do, you will eventually get a STD because these people are kissing, touching, and doing all those lustful things with many different people, and statistics show how easy it is in todays world to receive an STD when you are with numerous partners. As a result, you might receive a life threatening STD, such as aids. All in all, the main advice I would give you when watching the show is watch it as a show. So, watch it as a TV show and not as a reality show because the things being presented in the show in my opinion are just not real. So, watch this show for pleasure, but dont try to imitate these people because they would not be able to spend all that money on their hair, clothes, clubs, etc, if they did not ge t paid by MTV. So, I know most people will not listen to my advice, but ultimately I think it needs to be said. Conclusion Jersey Shores main point is to portray young people that are good looking, cool, and what people want based on stereotypes. Jersey Shore was a show that brought MTV back on its feet because MTV was a show that was showing steady decline in its viewers for the past several years until the Jersey Shore aired. Thus, I believe that the producers came up with a good idea that would pull viewers in and watch this show. However, what theyre doing cannot only affect the young minds of America, but cause an increase in other problems such as alcohol addiction, underage clubbing, and most of all sexually transmitted diseases. So, I believe that Jersey Shore has accomplished its goal by stereotyping young people because many people in this country watched the show, and still do. In conclusion, the effects this show can be negative, or could be positive, but it is your decision to watch, so with that being said, will you watch.

Asthma Pathophysiology: Etiology and Risk

Asthma Pathophysiology: Etiology and Risk School nursing is one of several traditional roles for community health nurse. Providing health care for schools placed for a number of reasons. In the first place, school environment it self may create hazards which students must be protect from. Beside, children need to be healthy to learn effectively .similarly vital reason is, maintaining the health of children today produce healthy adults in years to come. Subsequently, protect and promote the health of overall community. Jocelyn Elders a former U.S surgeon stated you can not educate a child who isnt healthy and you cant keep a child healthy who isnt educated this common says teaches us the importance of keeping school child healthy as well as the necessity of school nurse (Clark, 2008). An estimated 7 million U.S. kids under age 18 have been diagnosed with asthma and more than 13 million days of school are missed each year because of the condition, as indicated by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (KidsHealth,2011) . According to my week rotation in Tareq Bin Ziad primary school, I have notice that asthma ranked the 2nd highest disease among the school children based on the statistic done by the school nurse. Therefore, I have chosen asthma as a topic of my written assignment. This paper aims to identify literature review about asthma definition, pathophysiology, causes, risk factor and sign and symptoms, diagnosis and treatments. Secondly, it will clarify community health nurse strategies including comprehensive assessment, intervention and prevention. Definition and statistics Asthma is a disease that involves periodic episodes of severe but reversible bronchial obstruction in person with hypersensitive or hyperresponsive airway. Accordingly, a significant rise in episode of acute asthma requiring immediate hospitalization in children has occurred during the last 2 decades. On the contrary, frequent repeated attack of acute asthma may lead to irreversible disease in the lung and development of chronic asthma. It was proven that, in the age group 5 to17 years about 140 per 1000 persons have been diagnosed with asthma. However the number of attacks peaks in school children in September, often associated with increase in incidence of common cold (Gould,2006). Although asthma is considering COPD group, likewise it is more common, more serious and more manageable than it is generally though. As asthma known to be chronic with some individuals so, it consider long live condition and might lead to death if not well managed in acute episodes . In UK, asthma kills about 1600 adults and 20 children annually (Hough, 2005). Pathophysiology, Etiology and Risk factor Asthma may be classified in different ways. It may be acute or chronic, acute referring to single episode where as chronic referring to long-term condition. A recently developed system rates a case of asthma on a clinical scale ranging from mild, intermittent, severe and persistent (Gould, 2006, P.393). Mater of fact there are three phases of response take place in asthmatic patient. Firstly, sensitization stage, which occurs in atopic people via exposure to allergens in fetal or early life, stimulates production of excess immunoglobulin -E (IgE) antibodies in the serum. IgE becomes fixed to mast cells, which then react to antigens by releasing bronchoconstrictor mediators such as histamine. Serum IgE is five times greater in people with asthma than in those without. Once allergic asthma has developed removal from the allergen does not always prevent continuing asthma, it might delay it only. Second stage called hyperreactive stage, what special about this stage it can occur with or without allergic component. Continued exposure to allergens or response to other stimuli leads to mast cell degranulation and release of inflammatory cytokines such as eosinophils . Also it releases bronchoconstrictor mediators such as histamine and extra mucus. Besides, chronic inflammation damages the surface of epithelial layer causing hyperreactivity of bronchial smooth muscle. Thirdly, bronchiconstrictors mediators and hyperreactive bronchial smooth muscle lead to exaggerated bronchoconstriction .These triggers might be food such as diary products, egg and acidic drink .pets, balloon, smoking, cold whether, indoor condition (dust) , some drugs, gastroesophageal reflux disorder and emotions such as depression and frustrated chest infection and exercise (Hough, 2005,P.366). Another facts associated with asthma pathophysiology are Impaired mucocilary function, edema formation, vascular congestion, increase vascular permeability, production of thick tenacious mucus, thikining of ai rway wall (McCance Huether, 2006). There is no single cause of asthma, but certain factors may increase the likelihood of developing it. These factor can be categorized as genetic and environmental factors including: A family history of asthma or other related allergic conditions (known as atopic conditions), such as eczema, food allergy or hay fever. Having bronchiolitis as a child (a common lung infection among children) and being born prematurely (especially if you needed a ventilator). Developing another atopic condition such as a food allergy and being exposed to tobacco smoke as a child particularly if your mother smoked during pregnancy. As well as being born with a low birth weight less than 2kg or 4.5 pounds (Asthma, 2010). Additionally causes are viral upper respiratory infection, sedentary life style, poor ventilation and increased air pollution (Gould, 2006). Few risk factors related to asthma including gender, obesity, smoking and population differences. Before puberty asthma occurs more often in males while after adolescence, it appears to be more common in females. Some experts argue that excess weight pressing on the lungs may trigger the hyperreactive response in the airways typical of asthma. Others believe that asthma leads to obesity by inhibiting physical activity, although several studies have found no difference in activity levels between people with or without asthma (health central, 2011). Sign and symptoms and Diagnoses The sign and symptoms of asthma vary from person to person and in any individual from time to time. Some of theses are Shortness of breath (especially with exertion or at night), Wheezing sounds, coughing may be chronic (worse at night and early morning) , sweating , bluish color to the lips and face , anxiety and chest tightness (Medicine Net, 2011). Similarly important symptoms including : Pulling in of the skin between the ribs when breathing (intercostal retractions), Abnormal breathing pattern, tachycardia, hypoxia, tick tenacious or sticky mucus ,chronic dry cough in some and others have productive cough (Copstead Banasik, 2010) Actually, there is no simple test to diagnose asthma. Nevertheless, general partitions normally diagnose asthma by asking about the symptoms, what trigger it, how often and what settle it down. Coupled with some questions about medications patient use, life style, occupational and home and work environment. Other test are spirometry, to assess how well your lungs work and Peak expiratory flow rate test which defined as a small hand-held device known as a peak flow meter can be used to measure how fast you can blow air out of your lungs in one breath (Medicine Net, 2011). Further more, asthma can be diagnosed based on physical finding, sputum examination, pulmonary function test, and blood gases analysis and chest radiography. Complete blood count can show an elevate number of white blood cells with increased eosinophils. Equally important test is skin testing and inhalation test to determine type of allergens. Conversely, skin testing is usually more helpful in young patient who have extrinsic asthma. Arterial blood gases may be normal in mild condition but as long as it become severe respiratory alkalosis and hypoxia will be shown (Copstead Banasik, 2010). As it is mentioned previously, asthma classified as mild, intermittent, severe and persistent. Other classifications are status asthmaticus and it characterized by prolonged attack more that 24 hours, leading to dehydration. Asphyxia asthma, this attack leads to arrest within hours or minute. Another one is nocturnal asthma, related to asthma at night and it considers symptoms free in the day. Besides, occupational asthma, usually seen in adults and attribute to substance in work place. in addition to drug induced asthma , aspirin intolerance occurs in about 10% of asthmatic people because it reacts with in hours after ingesting it .one more is premenstrual asthma, it present as particularly severe monthly asthma attack during the 5- 10 days leading up to menstruation. As well as, exercise induced asthma; this is common in children and adolescents. Bronchospasm often occur within three minute after the end of exercise and resolve in 60 minute (Hough, 2005). Prevention and treatment Minimizing the number and severity of acute attacks is crucial to prevent permanent lung damage, reduce risk of infection and to prevent chronic lung disease such as asthma. General measures to reduce asthma include avoidance of common triggering factors, doing skin test to determinate the stimuli casing allergy and avoid it. Good ventilation at home and school area, regular swimming sessions are of great benefit for school age children to strengthen chest muscle. Administer prophylactic medication as children go back to schools and at first sign of cold. During acute attack many individuals carry inhalers so they can self administer bronchodilator, usually beta adrenergic agent such as (ventolin). This medication can be also used prior to exercise or known stimuli to avoid attack happening. Controlled breathing techniques and a reduction of anxiety often decrease the severity of attack. When chronic inflammation develops it is recommended to use glucocorticoids such as (Beclovent) b ecause this medication is more effective in reducing the second stage of inflammation in the airway. In cases like status asthmaticus hospital care is essential because patients do not respond to bronchodilators. In chronic condition prophylaxis is given to the patients such as Cromolyn sodium; a prophylatic medication administer by inhaler on a regular daily basis. The drug inhibits the release of chemical mediators from sensitized mast cell and decreases the number of esenophils, thus reduce hyperresponsiveness (Gould, 2006). Assessment Physical assessment for asthma patient includes examine nose, mouth, throat, sinuses, ears, chest and skin. Community health nurse is responsible for this assessment by examine patient nose for signs of increased nasal drainage, swelling inside the nose, check throat for signs of drainage, indicating inflammation and infection in the sinuses .Listen to child chest for wheezing, indicating blockage of airflow in the airways. Observe chest muscle for breathing and examine patient skin for signs of an allergy (Essig, 2011) Moreover, asthma can cause tiredness and weakness therefore child lacks energy and unable to perform simple tasks ( Haines Clarke, 2009). Asthma can be affected by psychological aspect such as stress, anxiety, sadness and can be provoke by environmental irritants or allergens, exercise, and infection. It also is associated with an elevated prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders (Lehter,Feldman, Giardino, Song Schmaling, 2011). Regarding social assessment nurse can found that asthmatic child tend to stay alone always because of feeling embarrassed about their condition and medication taking in school or in public area( Essig, 2007) . Due to asthma some children lose their self -esteam ; others may fear oh having asthma attack if they are at school or around friends ( Roberts , 2010). Children with asthma who live in economically deprived urban areas tend to have more-severe asthma and poorer outcomes over the course of the illness. Frankly there is evidence that in some low-income children with asthma, parents have problems with treatment compliance and adhering to home management guidelines factors that clearly affect the course of the illness in children (Nelson , Awad, Alexander Clark , 2009). To perform environmental assessment nurse need to collect information about patient area of living, home environment, work environment and school environment. Importance of this assessment is to reduce irritant and allergens in the sittings where asthmatic patient spends more time. Tobacco smoke and air pollution are the mainly two respiratory irritant that asthma patient suffer from ( NHLBI , 2011) Prevention and Intervention Primary prevention asthma patient are mainly education and awareness about the condition. It is recommended to avoid smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, particularly during pregnancy and early childhood. About infant regular and exclusive breast feeding reduce risk for asthma. Let the patient be aware about all risk factor associated with developing asthma such as allergen from food, animal, infection and bad life style (Arshad , 2005). Secondary prevention of asthma defined as intervention for child or patients who are at high risk for the development of asthma but who have not yet developed asthma symptoms or signs. Beside those who are at initial development of the disease. Theses patients have family history of allergic disease or atopic conditions. Secondary prevention of asthma falls in to three phases: pharmacological treatment, control of environmental allergy and allergen -specific immunotherapy which reduced the progression of asthma and prevented an associated increase in bronchial hyperreactivity.( Canadian medical association, 2005) Tertiary prevention is the stage where patient already have the disease however community health nurse role is to decrease attacks and reduce complications. Patient with allergic asthma , ezema and atopic dermatitis must reduce exposure dust and animal such as dogs and cats. Thus, improve system control and prevent excecerpation. Also pharmotherapy is very important in this stage (WHO, 2002). There are many nursing intervention for asthmatic patient like Maintain respiratory function and relieve bronchoconstriction while allowing mucus plug discharge. Let the patient have enough rest and relaxation. As ordered, administer oxygen by nasal cannula breathing and to increase arterial oxygen saturation during an acute asthma attack. Place the patient in semi-fowler position and encourage diaphragmatic breathing. Reassure the patient during an asthma attack and stay with him .Encourage the patient to express his fears and concerns about his illness. Encourage regulate exercise as a part of asthma treatment; promote good nutrition and good hygiene. Demonstrate the proper use of metered dose inhaler properly. Educate client (recognize triggers: smoke, dust, mold, weather changes, and animals). Administer drugs and I.V. fluids as ordered (Nursing file, 2009). Conclusion Asthma is a chronic condition characterized by obstructing the bronchial airway. Usually it developed in childhood and symptoms decrease while grow up. Number of asthmatic children is increasing yearly due to the environmental factors. Simply asthma happened when inflammation of airway occurs, bronchospasm of airway muscle, edema of air way and increase mucus secretion. Many factors can cause asthma like environmental factor, family history, infection and allergy. Main sign and symptoms are wheezing sounds, coughing, more secretions and chest tightness. It can be diagnosed by asking patient about the symptoms, pulmonary function test, sputum examination, blood gasses analysis and chest X-ray. In treating asthma ventolin , beclovent and prophylaxis like cromolyn sodium are common . Physical, phychological, economical, environmental and social assessment is needed to done for asthmatic patient. Prevention of asthma categorized in to primary, secondary and tertiary. Nursing intervention for asthmatic patient vary. Some of these interventions are maintain respiratory rate, let patient complete rest and administer medications and oxygen. What is Fashion? What is Fashion? What is Fashion? For centuries individuals or societies have used clothes and other body adornment as a form of nonverbal communication to indicate occupation, rank, gender, sexual availability, locality, class, wealth and group affiliation. Fashion is a form of free speech. It not only embraces clothing, but also accessories, hairstyles, beauty and body art. What we wear and how and when we wear it, provides others with a shorthand to subtly read the surface of a social situation. Fashion as a Sign System Fashion is a language of signs, symbols and iconography that non-verbally communicate meanings about individuals and groups. Fashion in all its forms from a tattooed and pierced navel, to the newest hairstyle, is the best form of iconography we have to express individual identity. It enables us to make ourselves understood with rapid comprehension by the onlooker. Fashion as a Barometer of Cultural Changes How we perceive the beauty or ugliness of our bodies is dependant on cultural attitudes to physiognomy. The accepted beautiful female form that Rubens painted is subliminally undesirable nowadays, if we are to be thought beautiful in a way that the majority accepts in the 21st century. Today an inability to refashion and reshape our bodies whilst constantly monitoring the cultural ideal leaves us failing the fashion test. Those that pass the fashion test invariably spend their lives absorbed in a circle of diet, exercise, cosmetic surgery and other regimes. This includes the rigors of shopping in search of the ultimate garb. The Need for Tribal Belonging Our reluctance to give ourselves a regular makeover through diet, exercise, and consistently conscious use of specific dress styles infers that we have the personality flaws of a weak willed human. We become in the eyes of fashion aficionados somewhat inadequate and imperfect in the fashion stakes. Thus we strive to keep a culturally satisfying appearance so that we feel better, whereas in fact we are striving to stay in the tribe, whatever type of tribe that may be. Group affiliation is our prime concern with regard to fashion. As long as some group similarity is identified within the group, our personal fashion whether current or dated can belong to any tribe. It is the sense of belonging marked by how we fashion ourselves that gives us the tribal connection. Roles An innate characteristic of human beings is the desire to strive for differentiation. The removal of Sumptuary Laws and rigid dress codes has enabled the individual to use fashion as a means to identify clearly the many different roles that a person plays in any one day. Sociologists borrowed the word role from the theatre because, like actors individuals play many parts and each part has to be learnt. Roles are continually learned and rehearsed and relearned. They are also shared, because like the actors on a stage, fluid interaction only occurs if all the performers know the behaviour expected. Class Stratification The Edwardians were experts in the art of role play. They had had sufficient time to readjust to the new patterns of behaviour established by the Victorians. The Edwardians were socially stratified into those who wore tailor made clothing down to those who wore other peoples cast offs. The poor simply looked poor, because their raiment betrayed them. Whilst the rich and nouveau riche displayed their wealth through an iconography of signs and symbols that enhanced their body image in the eyes of those that saw themselves as socially inferior. Role Set Roles and activities are closely linked to what people wear. People are affected by their role-set, which includes boyfriends, girlfriends, sisters, brothers, friends, husbands, lovers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, relatives, employers, customers, clients, work mates, business colleagues, peer and age groups. The people with whom a purchaser interacts affects the final purchase and this applies to any fashion dominated item from interior furnishings to choice of cars. Likewise the purchase of fashionable clothes, fabrics, or accessories becomes a visual currency and speaks volumes silently. The tools of fashion provide the signs and symbolism that function as an information service for the role-set. People are so aware that others make judgements about them through their clothes and accessories that many run up huge debts to appear to belong to a particular lifestyle. Frequently the rest of their role-set are doing likewise. Members of the role-set often encourage them. Only individuals with a strong sense of self identity stick their necks out and admit to wearing items that others might consider dubious or passÃÆ' ©. Occupation, Status and Purpose of Clothing Those with high status occupations will wear the clothes they think others expect them to wear. They will not wish to experience role conflict by wearing the incorrect clothing. It is from the clothes a person wears that we get our first impression of personality. They provide mental clues to a persons status and occupational role, as well as being a means of conforming to peer group expectations. Clothes also have the utilitarian function of providing both protection from the extremes of the elements, keeping us warm or cool or safe. They also act as an aid to modesty or immodesty as the wearer so desires. The state of a persons clothes is synonymous with self respect and is a sign of respectability. It also adds another sign that the person has sufficient status in society to maintain at the cost of time and money, laundering, dry cleaning and repair. To be respectable some expense has to be incurred in the maintenance of cleanliness and neatness. Veblens The Theory of the Leisure Class Thorstein Veblen the US economist who wrote the book The Theory Of The Leisure Class in 1899 maintained that Dressing for status as an outward expression of wealth is indeed functional, by the very fact that such clothes prevent the wearer from engaging in manual labour. Also because of their restrictive design they need the assistance of others to dress the wearer and keep clothes in pristine condition. Veblen devoted a whole chapter of his book to Dress As An expression Of The Pecuniary Culture. He wrote our apparel is always in evidence and affords an indication of our pecuniary standing to all observers at first glancedress, therefore, in order to serve its purpose effectively should not only be expensive, but it should also make plain to all observers that the wearer is not engaged in any kind of productive labour Foremost in Veblens mind must have been the fashions of the 1890s a decade that gradually favoured increasing conspicuous consumption by the rich. A century later the vogue for power dressing in the 1980s saw excessive indulgence and conspicuous consumption in fashion. Fashionable behaviour was the epitome of conspicuous waste, but the purest form of relief in a stressed, angst ridden society. Status Symbols One of the most favoured forms of semiotic distinction is fashion, because fashionable clothes, accessories and body adornment are easy for others to observe at glance. Incidental items, particularly branded specific handbags footwear, jewellery, accessories and new hairstyles act also as important status symbols. First a fashion is approved by others. Then it is copied because of competition. Finally it is replaced as it becomes commonplace and has ceased to fulfill its function of being distinctive. The status fashion can be anything from a particular jewel such as solitaire diamond stud earrings or the latest fad for long drop gold earrings to a brand logo pair of jeans in a particular style and colour. The ability to decode trends that are not deliberate and obvious is limited to a small group who adopt consumer items early. Wearing a Uniform Some people instinctively know how to appear respectable to the majority through their clothing. Others are less obviously successful in attaining consistently reliable grooming. The rise of the Corporate Uniform adopted by banks and similar institutions in the 1980s reinforced power dressing. It indicated how important the uniform is as a means of distinguishing one person from another instantly. Uniforms provide us with mental clues. Occupational Uniform Wearing an occupational uniform puts an employee in the position of being a visual metaphor. We learn quickly to associate different uniforms with different role conceptions and different role expectations. We connect the policeman or security guards uniform with authority, law, order and help. Likewise we associate the nurses or paramedics uniform with help, care, protection and mothering. By contrast the jaunty overall and hat of the ice cream vendor with the promise of pleasure. When people put on a uniform they adopt what they think it symbolises, but even people who dont wear a specific occupational or leisure uniform tend to know vaguely what to wear. Those who adapt their wardrobe to â€Å"fit in† with their company, succeed much faster in terms of upward job mobility. Mass Youth Uniform Young people in particular adopt the uniform of their peer group. However the uniform must be the peer groups uniform, not one imposed on them by adults. Fashion in the form of a mass youth uniform can create a sense of belonging to the peer group and a feeling of identity as the adolescent personality reaches maturation. For the majority, an old status symbol, be it a brand, a logo or attitude accessory is old-fashioned the moment is loses favour within the group. An up to date status symbol cries out to some I must have it now. The mobile phone as a belt accessory was a perfect example of this. As new products develop, last years non WAP mobile phone version is passÃÆ' ©. It is essential to have the latest fashion accessory, to gain instant peer approval Mass Production and New Textile Technology Between the first and second World Wars mass production of clothing truly developed. But it was not until clothes rationing was introduced in the UK that production methods became more streamlined. Rationing of cloth and haberdashery, along with strict specifications ensured manufacturers created garments in a speedy, efficient, economic manner whilst attaining a certain standard of quality control. By the 1950s increasing numbers of women abandoned the little dressmaker and bought from the increasing majority of chain stores. Department stores like Debenhams continued to move with the times experimenting with new fabrics and new looks. By the 1990s were using designers like Jasper Conran to design ranges with style and flair. A whole range of exciting yarns, new fashion fabrics, protective materials and engineered fabrics became widely available after 1960. New materials and fabric finishing techniques are at first exclusive and expensive. Initially they are offered to the world of Haute Couture. A couple of years later they filter to the mass market. Youth Cult in the Global World The youth cult of the teenager in the 1950 s became a major force in the1960s. Other contributing influences were the glamour of the cinema, the television in ordinary homes and a change in attitudes and values after the introduction of the female birth pill. Global coverage of the mood of society was absorbed from the cinema, television and fanzine magazines. The world had instant access to the latest trends and fashions as fast as the picture could be transmitted. Today what people see in their homes on television or when surfing the Internet soon becomes accepted very quickly as normal and everyday. In the comfort of ones own home the television monitor scales down the stark newness of an idea, especially the impact of a fashion concept and this makes it easier for us to accept more quickly when worn by others even if we cant see ourselves wearing a similar item. Fashion Cycles The young have not always been dominant in fashion history. Until the Victorian Era a fashion look took between 10 and 15 years to permeate country areas. Once rail travel improved mass communication between country and city, the cycle of fashion speeded up so fast, that by the Edwardian Era in 1901, fashion was moving in a yearly cycle. Emancipation of Women and the contribution of all classes of women to the 1914 1918 war enabled and encouraged women to adopt more practical clothing and to try out new styles in fashion, hair and beauty. By the millennium everyday changes in lifestyle included fitness and health pursuits, car and air travel and centrally heated environments in homelife. All created a need for clothing fashion designed for the way we live now. How we perceive our persona and what we want to say to society in a very visual camera obsessed culture, is still expressed through our bodies, the way we wear clothes, jewellery and body art. Today fashion and beauty can be affordable for everyone. There is always a range such as Avon that provides quality beauty, make up and accessory products at a prices most can afford.

Film :: essays papers

Film Legalization: A Debate In the United States today, there is much controversy about the legalization of certain drugs. In a book written by Eliot Marshal entitled Legalization: A Debate, he talks about such circumstances. Not only does he just talk about the U.S., but the laws on drugs around the world. â€Å"Laws regulating drug use vary widely from country to country. In Malaysia, for example, substance abuse is a violation of religious law and drug trafficking is automatically punished by death. In Nepal, by contrast, the government not only tolerates the use of psychoactive substances but collects taxes on the drug trade. Policies concerning drug abuse in the United States lie somewhere between these two extremes and are constantly changing as evidence concerning the dangers and consequences of drug use accumulates.† In the book, the talk about Prohibition comes up. The author writes, â€Å"In time, Prohibition came to be seen not just as a failure but as a desperate and foolish mistake. Today, many people who oppose controls on â€Å"recreational† drugs - particularly controls on marijuana - cite Prohibition as evidence that it is futile to try to outlaw a popular intoxicant. The heart of this argument is that, even if it was desirable in theory, prohibition cannot be carried out in practice. People will find a way to get what they want, the argument goes, and outlawing a drug merely sends drug seekers into an illegal black market.† Another chapter in the book, which is discussed by the author, is Illicit Drugs as Medicine. The author talks about a man named Robert Randall. Robert Randall is a man who can just walk into a pharmacy and pick up a prescription that contains about 300 neatly packed marijuana cigarettes. He had taken this idea all the way to the court as being â€Å"marijuana therapy†. The marijuana is cultivated on a farm run by the federal government in Mississippi and processed under federal government. He had said that the marijuana eased the pain caused by his illness known as glaucoma. Glaucoma, is a progressive disease of the eye and optic disc that often results in blindness. Randall does not have to pay for the marijuana, because the government does not want to put itself in the awkward position of selling marijuana, an illegal activity. Marijuana has also been proven to help out other illnesses. For example, marijuana has been proven useful in preventing the nausea and vomiting com mon in cancer patients treated with strong chemicals and radiation.

Being a Good Leader in the Marines Essay -- Marines Leadership Counsel

Being a Good Leader in the Marines â€Å"In order to be a good leader, there are two things to remember. Lead from the Front and always set the Example. From these two leadership principles, everything else will fall into place.† These are the words that have ended all of my counseling sheets with since I began writing them as a Corporal and will continue to do as long as I counsel Marines. I was brought up in the Marine Corps with this philosophy and have adopted it as my own. Leading from the front is often times one of the leadership principles that is easier said by some than actually done. Those so called leaders that would tell their Marines to do something that ‘they’ would never really do themselves. Coming in font of your Marines on a Monday morning without a fresh haircut or pressed uniform and actually having the nerve to address them on how ‘unsatisfactory’ they appear. I have actually had the unpleasant experience of witnessing this, from a receiving perspective. Is this what anyone would call Setting the Example? I have had both the pleasure and discomfort of being led by good and bad leaders. The way I simply define leadership is by being able to do as you say. Lead from the front and Set the example. There are several different items that I have stored in my leadership â€Å"bag of tricks†. The one that I find myself applying the most is the ability to be both stern but flexible. I am a true believer in the statement that no one is perfect. As a leader I feel tha...

Free College Essays - Anse as a Vulture in As I Lay Dying :: As I Lay Dying Essays

Anse as a Vulture in As I Lay Dying Human beings are commonly accepted as social creatures. They are considered evolved due to the fact that they were the first animals to develop a written language to help with communication. In the book, As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner compares the characters to less evolved species. The resemblance between the characters and their inanimate counterparts in nature is used in the book to show how inhuman they are in personality. Many birds are carnivorous, that is, they prey upon other animals for food. In this book, Faulkner uses the character of Anse Bundren to personify a vulture. Anse is compared to predatory birds in order to expose the similarities of the nature and behavior, of the human and the animal species. Anse resembles a vulture when Addie first sees him. She describes him as a tall bird hunched in the cold weather (170). Anse is often depicted as having a humped, motionless, and cold silhouette (51-52). While he gazes at Addie lying in bed, he partakes an "owl-like quality of awry-feathered, disgruntled outrage within (49)." Anse is often unshaven, dirty, seeming dark and dreary. He is selfish and continually on the prowl, like a culture, for more money and extravagance. The Latin meaning for the word "vulture" is the basic nature of these birds: breeze scavengers. Rarely flapping their large wings, vultures cruise by on air currents, searching for dead animals to eat. Anse grabs Addie's attention by driving past the school house watching Addie. He drives by, trying to catch a glimpse, almost stalking her, as a vulture would stalk its prey before attacking. Anse is not gentle and loving. He stands, stiff as a scarecrow, silent, and grotesque. His position evokes fear in others and makes them do what he desires. When Addie excepts Anse's proposal to marriage, he takes her from her home and place of birth, and brings her to his farm. Addie's life, from that point on, is harsh and ungratifying. It is when Addie is with Anse, that she realizes that her father's beliefs are true -- the purpose of life is to get ready to be dead. Anse, like a vulture, is cool and calculating. As Addie is lying in bed, Anse sits on the front doorstep of the house waiting for her to die.

Disastrous Date Essay

I remember my first date. Not only because it was my first romantic experience with who I considered during that time â€Å"the boy of my dreams†, but also because it was one of the most embarrasing experiences of my life. I was 17 years old back then, but I remember it like if it was yesterday. We took a long road trip from Carolina to the Old San Juan. Along the way we were sharing experiences and funny anecdotes, we were telling each other the kind of stories you tell in highschool, about pranks, teachers, odd classmates and issues that only a highschool student can understand. We arrived to the restaurant and everything in it looked fancy. The sights were all bright because of the illumination of the place; everything was sorrounded with colorful lamps with different shapes, there were autographed pictures of what appeared to be various local celebrities who had visited the restaurant, such as Josà © Feliciano and Ednita Nazario, the tables were decorated with red and yellow roses, Dean Martin’s lovable music was comming out of the restaurant’s speakers and the smell of garlic frying in olive oil in the air gave me that sensation that only good Italian restaurants can give to a woman with a great taste like myself. As we walked in the host politely saluted us and asked my date if he had a reservation, to which he replied â€Å"yes†, after checking my date’s name and last name in a thick, old, black binder with Italy’s flag and the restaurant’s logo on its cover the host walked us to our table. The service was great, I can tell because only a few minutes after taking our seats the waiter was with our menus and offering us drinks. My date comfortably asked for the wine of the house, because apparently he already knew the place and he was eighteen years old, the legal drinking age in Puerto Rico, when the waiter turned to me and I got nervous, because at that time I never had a drink of alcohol in my life, not even a drop, so I pointed out the brownish looking drink of the lady in the next table and mumbled â€Å"iced tea for me please†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . I was nervous because I had this idea back then that alcohol plays an  important role in a teenager’s social live. When I was in highschool, all my friends under eighteen were drinking in parties, concerts or other social events, they even brought to school alcohol hidden in gatorade bottles and such, and, as every person who have experienced the highschool drama knows, all the â€Å"cool kids† were doing it. I felt inmature because my date was about to have some kind of fancy wine while I asked for iced tea like some fifth grader girl. I will not ever forget the face he made when he heard me ask for iced tea, he had this mixture of doubt and mock in his expression, like frowning and smiling simultaneously. â€Å"Come on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said sarcastically while winking his eye â€Å"†¦ I won’t tell your parents you had a glass of wine or two†, I stood strong to my principles by answering â€Å"no thank you, ice tea is fine†, I don’t know if I did it because I was being brave against the peer pressure or afraid that at some point of the night someone from the restaurant’s personnel would approach me asking for an ID. The waiter came back to take our order with a tray on his hands which contained a garlic bread basket, my date’s glass, a bottle of wine and a huge glass of what appeared to be my iced tea. I remember we asked that night for a pizza with eggplants, green peppers, tomato slices, onions and extra cheese with basil sauce on top, the pizza dough was dipped in olive oil and served in a hot pan. As we waited for the food to arrive I took a sip from my drink, I noticed it tasted weird, it was sour, a little bit bitter and it was also effervescent like soda, it didn’t tasted like any iced tea I had before, but since we were in a fancy place and I didn’t wanted to look unrefined, I assumed that’s how elegant people drink their iced tea, I thought to myself that if I drank fast the taste wouldn’t bother me. With the passage my drinking speed increased, a sip turned into a swig, a swig into a gulp and a gulp into three glasses. Little did I know the contents o f my drink. As the glasses were draining one by one I started feeling woozy, like if I just came out from a long rollercoaster ride. My face felt warm, my respiration got colder, my tongue got tangled when I spoke, I found almost impossible to control the volume of my voice, my eyelids were struggling to remain open, and my arms and legs became droopy. Suddenly, I found myself in  a good mood, laughing at each joke he told, even when they were not funny, and also I became very sincere, telling him almost every really deep and personal anecdotes and cofessing every single reason why I found him attractive in every way, I even told him, like I mentioned before, why he was the â€Å"boy of my dreams†, without knowing it, I was drunk for the first time in my life. He was not a fool whatsoever, he knew I was drunk, but he couldn’t explain himself why, since the only thing I had that night were three huge glasses of â€Å"iced tea†, he asked the waiter in an angry tone of voice how come I was drunk with three glasse of iced tea, the waiter replied that was because there were five differet types of liqueur in a Long Island Iced Tea, vodka, tequila, rum, gin and triple sec. Apparently our waiter got confused, because when he took our order the drink I pointed out from the lady on the table next to us was actually a Long Island Iced Tea. Needless to say we left the restaurant that momment with shame in our faces, to top it all off, on our way to the car we came across with my english school teacher, the one who talked like Edward James Olmos in that movie where he was a math teacher, he recognized me and greeted me and I greeted him back, until this day I think because of the distance I was from him he didn’t noticed how drunk I was but, who knows. I cannot say that our date was a total waste of time. Even tough I was drunk he behaved like a gentleman the whole time. He never took advantage of my state and I respect and admire that in a man. He carried me in his shoulders like a wounded soldier, he also made several stops in different business locations without complaining when I needed to go to the bathroom, he held my hair for it to avoid getting dirty when I puked, he even didn’t got mad because I did it in his new shoes. After sitting for a while in the park, having two water bottles and an energy drink I regained some sobriety, he gave me some mint bubblegum for the nausea and drove me back home, I puked once on the way but he was nice enough to pull over and open the door. I finally arrived home around 2:00 AM, I puked once more before going to bed and fall sleep, it is still a mistery for me how could I puke so much in one night. I woke up the next day with the sound of my cellphone ringing, I was dizzy, had a headache and it felt like the phone was ringing inside my skull, I answered and I heard the sound of his voice asking me if I was ok  and also if I remembered something about the night before, I answered him by apologizing several times, describing how I felt that morning and that I partially rememberd what happened during our date, he explained to me almost laughing that weird pehnomena I was experiencing was called a â€Å"hangover†. He called me again when I fully recovered, surprisingly enough to ask me out again, I told him that I would go out with him if we avoid going to the Old San Juan for a long while, because after what happened in our first date I could never show my face again around that area.

In case you forget

There was death at the start, just as there was death at the end. Though whether a fleeting wisp of this crossed the Irishman's dreams and shook him awake on this least likely of mornings, he would never know. All he knew that when he opened his eyes that the world was somehow changed. As always the first thought that come to his head was the quick, searing hope that the last eight weeks had never happened. But as he saw the pale morning light filtering through her curtains, reality hit him with an icy certainty-Aileen was dead, and it was his entire fault. He looked at his alarm clock; 7:00 shone angrily at him in red, making him turn back to the wall. It beeped impatiently at him, and it was that, not the cold, which finally gave him the thought to give up his worthy fight and struggle out of bed. He breathed in the faint lingering smell of musty perfume. Photos of horses stared down at him from the walls. He was in his wife's room. A coat was slung over the chair where Aileen had left that morning of the accident. The hairbrush of the table was coated in a fine layer of dust, a few blonde hairs clinging to the bristles. Nothing in the room had changed for four weeks, not since the day Aileen Flaherty died. At the sight of the familiar things, his stomach twisted. He glanced at the photo of him and her. Pat and Allie. Patrick Harper and Aileen Flaherty. Sergeant Major and Horse whisperer. Mr and Mrs Patrick Harper. Husband and wife. There were tears in his eyes, which he reckoned was from the dust in the room. He got dressed. His kharki and olive uniform was oddly loose after the tight dress uniform of the funeral. Harper gazed in the mirror. Everything was to military precision. His blue eyes had not lost the desperation and soulessness that the dark alleyways of Dublin required. He picked up his rifle and placed a finger in a notch of unpolished metal. It was this small dip, in the butt of the gun, which gave Patrick Harper the small amount of Gaelic luck, which soldiers said was invincible. He just wanted to get out of this room. It was too much to bear; knowing that Allie was never coming back. A small silver locket was worn around his throat. It had saved the sergeant-major's life once, a stranger had fired across the street and the tall Irishman shivered at the thought of what would have happened if the precious metal heart had not been attached around his neck. A small photo of his soul mate was in it, and he was suddenly angry that he had it. He made a mental note to take it off later. The week that had followed Aillie's death had been a blur, and for him it was probably best that it had remained like that. For days he had been almost catatonic. The Latin words had washed meaninglessly over him and he read, dry-eyed, over and over her name and date of birth and death. And still tears would not come. He wanted to cry, he really did, but something was stopping him. He could only think of the blood on her neck which looked like a necklace of broken rubies and that he had noticed irrelevantly that red didn't not suit her and he made a note not to buy her a ruby necklace for her birthday. He had felt the sting of tears as he knelt beside her and held the silent, still warm body that he most loved in the world and had cried out inside at his own brutality. Her warmth would fade just as the memory of her would fade and he would forget the character that gave this exquisite creature life and love. She would exist now only in his memory and of those of who had known her best. She had given herself to him and never doubted the decision, unlike him. And now he had killed her. It should have been himself who had been caught in the blast, he who died, not this and his grief was formless, incoherent, a pain of betrayed love. The war-lord had not even noticed the girl in Harper's arms. ‘Congratulations. You did it.' He had done it so that he could free Ireland and St Patrick. He had done it so that innocent blood had been spilt on the pavement. He had done it so that he could feel a pain, so great, that he would never feel it again. They had then given him thirty silver coins, for his service to Ireland. Five pounds fifty in change, exactly. Every one of those thirty pieces of silver to him was blood money. Blood that was still fresh on his hands and would remain so for evermore. Sometimes he would wake up and feel happy and then he would see the blank postcard on the desk, still franked, but it meant that someone close had died for his or her country. Then the happiness went. Sometimes he would see her in the street and his heart leaped. Then the knowledge that she no longer existed would sink in. It was the training day of the recruits that had brought about the change. The sergeant- major had stabbed his bayonet repeatedly into the belly of the straw bales dressed in the uniform of English paratroopers. He had lost his humanity then, humanity that Allie had unearthed during their married years. He had felt the tears coming to his eyes. Tears of guilt and anger, no longer held back by the crushing weight of guilt, flooded over his cheeks. It unlocked a sluice gate inside of him and for two weeks he wept and let out all the pain, that as a soldier he was trained to ignore. He could have drowned himself in the salty water that was not rain. But in the calm aftermath, Harper took stock and decided to survive. In that moment he had became an adult. You could see it when he didn't know he was being watched, and from his eyes glittered a sad and old Gaelic magic, as old as time itself. Patrick Harper opened his diary. It was April the 12th, six weeks since the bomb had been secretly planted and with it buried the bloodied remains of his spouse's body. That was strange. April was already a dozen days old, Allie's death already eight weeks in the past. He had marked with a pencil March the twenty-fourth to the first of April because that was when he had expected his first child. He remembered how the bloom of pregnancy was in her and how beautiful she had looked in those heavy months. He looked at the chair, in which she had sat and told him about his child and he had held her, speechless. His child. He had been so happy then. There was no joy now. The rifle was thrown down because he did not want to hold a killing machine any longer. As a top marksman he had spilt enough innocent blood. Much more than he could count. He checked his wallet. A library card that expired today, but he had not the heart or the energy to renew it. Aillie had encouraged him to read, to take his mind off what he knew she knew that he had done the whole day. She had kept silent on the whole issue, but he knew that she didn't approve. He had read just to keep her happy, but in the week before the accident he had taken to reading her the story of Macbeth. The man who had killed to get what he had wanted, lost his humanity, and could not back out. In the end it had destroyed him. He remembered that Lady Macbeth went mad from the blood on her hands. That there was a darkness in her that she could not escape. Perhaps there was a darkness in him too. There was a shopping list in there too, which she had typed up so that he could go and get something to eat. She had said that she was coming in a bit later as she had to check up on the horses at the stables. She had never come home. He had ripped it into three pieces, because he thought it not worthy of her. He had saved a piece, the only bit where her actual handwriting was shown and he pulled it out now and marvelled that he had never actually seen her own scruffy hand until after her death. His hand carefully placed the relic back into his wallet along with the library card, the pocket diary and the thirty silver coins that he had yet to summon the courage to either ignore or destroy them. The cuckoo clock on the wall opened its tiny wooden doors and the cheerful little bird popped out announcing that it was half past seven. It was always late and Harper automatically checked the time on his own analogue watch, without realising that it had already stopped working on the twenty-second of March. The day his world stood still. Harper reckoned it was the blast that had destroyed the mainspring. But he had taken it along to the fixing shop anyway and had said that it had fallen off the table onto the floor. No one noticed the lie, nor the pricking of tears that covered up the real truth. He had wanted to tell them the truth, to shrug off the awful weight of his conscience, but there was a lady behind him. They could not fix it and told him that it was a lost cause and also asked him if he was sure if it had fallen onto the table as surely a greater force had broken it. He answered curtly that he had an extremely hard floor and the case was left as that, as no one dared cross the tall man with dried blood on his shirt. It was getting light and he knew that he should have left the house by this time. It was a dangerous time to be out on the streets and alleyways at dawn. The bright light, fierce and orange, made it hard to see the camouflaged barrels of guns and the dark green uniforms of British riflemen. He checked his pockets for any spare ammunition, bandages and anything else that might come in useful if a vengeful enemy was on the prowl. Emptied out onto the table, the pockets produced a piece of string, a couple of Irish punts, a small shiny paperclip, a chewed pencil and a piece of paper which a sketchy map had been scrawled on. He screwed the map up and threw it away. The other objects, he decided, were not of any use so he left them on the dresser next to the blank postcard. Harper took the thin rectangular card in his hand. The Irishman took one look at it and stashed it irritably into his pocket, so that he would not have to go through the torture of seeing it every morning. He would burn it later. A bunch of keys, all shapes and sizes, hung by the bedroom door. He plucked them from their resting-place, wanting to keep his hands and mind busy so as not to dwell on the bitterness inside of him. There was the front door key, the back door key, and the key to the small battered car of his that was collecting dust in the garage. There was also a group of strange shaped keys, their handle diamond shaped instead of the regular circular ones. They called up a distant memory in him, the faded pictures in his mind kept in rhythm with the metallic jangle of their knocking together. He still could not think what they were for, and so not wanting to annoy himself any longer he freed them from the main group and put those in his pocket too. Subconsciously he knew that he was taking them with him because they were connected with Allie's mortise lock, which she had put absolute faith in. It did not matter that their house had been burgled three times in a row, she still insisted that the rusty metal clump remain on the door. They had had their first argument over that lock and Allie had thrown a book at him, cutting his cheek and leaving a small scar. Harper had been the stock of jokes from the soldiers for a few weeks after that. He did not care. He was lucky. He had Allie. They were in it together. The mirror, from which he still had not moved, glittered in the light. It made his uniform look grey. His eyes were grey. His heart was grey. A shadow of his former personality. He was glad Aileen could not of seen him now. She wouldn't have even recognised him. ****** Blood pounded in his head, his breath rasped in his chest. The rifle on his back thumped on his spine, the metal foresight dug into his skin. It slipped into the hinge of his elbow with the rhythm of his feet, which slipped on the slushy cat-ice. Harper and Liam Kelly dived into the relative shelter of a brick corner. Bullets ricocheted, taking pieces of brick and dust off the wall. Hot air seared past their pulsing cheeks, tiny metal balls, so destructive, slapped into the pavement, inches away from their feet. The sergeant and the private loaded quickly, knowing every second the procedure took, minutes were stole from their lives. Instinct took over, the movements refined by practice and desperation. There was no time to think about what happened next; to the best fighters, it came as a second nature. Harper touched the familiar small island of unpolished metal, something to fight against the curse of bad luck. Kelly saw his friend feel the small dip in the rifle's butt, and he knew that the sergeant's keen mind was already at work. He had bruised his shoulder and had twisted his ankle on the sloppy slush, but that was all. He could see the pink in the snow, the pigment caused by the fresh blood of his comrade's. Worst of all was the sound of their screams, a sound that he had heard many times before, but now it seemed to have been magnified a hundredfold. Now Harper turned and worked his way around the wall again, giving space to the flickering bullets, Kelly supposed so as not to drive them nearer to the young fresh teenagers, who hid round the opposite corner. He stopped and looked at Kelly and then called out to him. ‘Stay there Liam. Don't move.' Then without any sign of fear, he walked towards the men in the green uniforms of British Riflemen. Kelly could see his lips moving, but he could not hear the words over the sharp, snapping retort of the rifles. Perhaps he was praying, or maybe not at all. He did not stop until he was right up to them and only then did they seem to register his tall looming presence. Liam saw him reach for a screaming horse's bridle and grip them hard. With a firm hand, ignoring the slapping bullets by his face, he pulled the bay mare off her hind legs. Then he slapped her hard on the rump and sent her away. Thus cheated of their game, the Rifleman turned their attention to the tall Irishman. The picture of what followed stayed with every man and women on the street till the day they died. And never would they know for sure what had happened. The platoon of green-jackets wheeled to their left, sending beautiful, crystal shards of snow and slush up into the air. For a moment they appeared not to know what to make of the man who stood undaunted before them. What was certain was that Harper could have walked away. Two or three steps to the side could have denied the British the glory of another Irish death. The Riflemen, so Kelly believed, would simply have let him be gone, where others had led. Instead, Harper stepped towards them. The moment he moved, as he must have foreseen, the Rifles snapped into action. And even now, Harper could have stepped away. He knew where the guns would fire, what was happening inside the mechanics of them and why, before it even knew itself. Yet on this day, he neither dodged nor ducked nor even flinched, and, once more, walked forward. Harper could hear Aileens voice calling out his name. ‘I'm here.' He whispered ‘What is it?' The group of green jackets raised the barrels, the light reflecting off the metal onto the snow. They licked their lips and they lined up the foresight onto the lone solitary target. At this distance they could not miss. The settling snow was still too thick for Kelly to be sure, but he thought he saw Harper open his hands a touch and, in a movement so flowing that he may of imagined it, showed the British his open palms. It was as though the Irishman was offering something and perhaps it was what he had always wanted to offer the gift of friendship and peace. But although he would never from this day forth mention the thought to anyone, Kelly had a vivid impression that it was otherwise and that Harper, without fear or despair, was somehow offering himself. ‘I'm here. What is it?' And then he knew. ******* They buried Patrick Harper by Aileen. The intention was to keep the funeral small and for family only, but on the day about one hundred people came, touched by the actions of the tall, handsome soldier in the white-sugared street. There was room for only a few in the small but ornate Catholic Church, so they threw open the doors and people watched from outside where cherry blossom danced and cartwheeled in the small breeze. He was found, lying there, a tiny smile on his face, motionless on the snowy carpet. It eyes were loosely shut as if he were sleeping peacefully. They typed this up on the army records of births and deaths. But there was one thing which they had not mentioned. Tucked away, from all sight were two claddagh rings. One gold and one silver. The Irish icon of friendship, love and loyalty. They were wrapped in a torn piece of paper, one side a list of food items and on the other side, scrawled blue ink pen which was in the handwriting of Aileen Harper. On the paper, all she'd written, inscribed in the ancient language of the Irish Celts were the small italic letters which made up four short words. In case you forget.