Saturday, August 31, 2019

Humanae Vitae Reflection Essay

Humanae Vitae – Encyclical Letter on the regulation of birth As a Roman Catholic, I have been raised to believe what the Church has taught for centuries. As we are living in Humanae Vitae, surely challenges will arise for some people in today’s society when they read this text. Although I had difficulty seeing one statement noted in the text the way in which the Church had, I found myself agreeing with the Pope in the problems presented in terms of today’s society. Beginning with the â€Å"problem and competency of the magisterium,† Pope Paul writes at the start of the document, â€Å"†But the most remarkable development of all is to be seen in man’s stupendous progress in the domination and rational organization of the forces of nature to the point that he is endeavoring to extend this control over every aspect of his own life — over his body, over his mind and emotions, over his social life, and even over the laws that regulate the transmission of life† (n. 2). Although Human life did come from God, belongs to God, and goes back to God, I believe that we are our â€Å"own† spirits, and that we were created with choices, including the fact that we in a sense control our realities that make up the way we live our lives and the things we do on a daily basis. I do not believe it is an illusion as Pope is suggesting and further more do not believe we are bought at a price from God – although in a sense, the choices in which God gives us are the prices â€Å"we pay† to live the life in which we were granted, it is up to us as individuals. Forward looking, as the new question of â€Å"principle of totality† comes into play, I believe that the problem of sex in society today, or perhaps the way in which the younger generations view sex, is flawed. I agree that sexual activity in which Pope Paul was writing that it is wrong to diminish its message and that it does belong to the context of committed love, sealed by marriage and openness to life because it is the greatest reflection and reasoning to which the gift of sexuality was given to us. Furthermore, I wholeheartedly believe in the doctrinal principles in section II that present â€Å"a wholistic vision of man† (n. 7). The underlying joints to a faithful life are chastity and marriage, demanding â€Å"conjugal love, responsible parenthood, and conformity to the creative intention and design of God† are clear. In the section of Consequences of Artificial Methods, I gree that in limens terms, how easily using birth control and other artificial methods could open the door to marital infidelity and a lowering of moral standards, especially our generation. Today, sex has become a part of the American society that has led the young to be easily swayed in believing and succumbing to various forms of temptations, including pre-marital sex. I think a large part in this is the way in which you are raised, the kids in which you surrounded yourself with, and how much influence parental figures had in their children’s sex lives. It is consistent in the opinion of the encyclical letter that not much experience is needed to be aware of and understanding human beings and that the young need to be taught early on to not sway from the â€Å"moral law. † Instead, they need â€Å"incentives† to keep the moral law because temptation is everywhere, and without supervision and someone to be there as a guardian, I believe the child is more apt to fall victim to such evils, which could potentially have dire consequences as they move into their adult life. Another powerful statement in which I fully agree with has to do with a man who gets accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget â€Å"the reverence due to a woman† and disregard her physical and emotional equilibrium, reducing her to an instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection. In my opinion, these are very warranted and strong, loaded statements. My reasoning is that, again, I feel like younger generations of men were not raised with the same level of respect for the way in which to treat their female peers. This I contribute to a number of factors, including the media of today’s society and the parenting of the child’s adolescence. However, I believe simply because a woman uses contraceptives does not entitle the man to view the woman any differently. Rather, I believe that the man is aware of the way in which he treats women, or in other words, that he either respect women physically and emotionally entirely, or he does not. And from that point, if he does not, that man could then use contraceptives as a â€Å"tool† in a sense to further his selfishness. I think a good reasoning behind this may come also from the way in which the boy was raised and the way in which he was brought up to view women. For example, if a young boy was raised with a father who abused his mother, he may take either extremes depending on the way it effected him: A, the boy could despise his father for what he did to his mother and swear that he will always respect women and never be like his father, or B, he could revert to his father’s ways and treat future women with the disrespect that was taught by his dad. Either way, I believe it is not where you come from, it is what you do with your situation and I believe faith can have a lot of encouragement in that. In summary, a good concluding statement found in the Encylical Letter about the authority and responsibility of the Church to always declare the truth is powerfully presented in n. 18: She does not, because of this, evade the duty imposed on her of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical. Since the Church did not make either of these laws, she cannot be their arbiter—only their guardian and interpreter. It could never be right for her to declare lawful what is in fact unlawful, since that, by its very nature, is always opposed to the true good of man. With that said, I believe having faith in today’s society can yield a better life for everyone who opens their mind to a new way of thinking. Yet, although with today’s influences and high paced life, living a faithful life may not be easy, it is rewarding and purifying. The views of the Church keep you grounded as it reminds you to fulfill your blessings given to you by God.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Theory and Practice of Work with Young People

‘The group constituted an open air society, a communal gathering which had great importance socially, culturally and economically. ——— During each nightly meeting the young worker, once fully integrated, listened, questioned, argued and received unawares an informal education..' (Roberts in Smith, 1998:24). Describing his experience of street groups in the early part of the 20th century, Roberts uses the term ‘informal education' to describe the accidental learning that took place as a direct result of the interaction between young working men. But can what we call ‘informal education' in the 21st century be described as accidental? Mark Smith argues that whilst: ‘Learning may at first seem to be incidental it is not necessarily accidental; actions are taken with some purpose. The specific goal may not be clear at any one time – yet the process is deliberate.' (Smith, 1994:63). Throughout this assignment I shall be exploring the term ‘informal education', examining its origins and meanings, its purpose and practice. Using historical information to examine the early roots of present day youth work, I shall asking whether anything has really changed in the past 150 years by exploring the issues that I face in my day to day practice as a youth and community worker. In 1755 Jean Jacques Rousseau published his work ‘A Discourse on Inequality' and argued that as civilisations grew, they corrupted: ‘Mans natural happiness and freedom by creating artificial inequalities of wealth, power and social privilege' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-rous.htm) In 1801 Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi published How Gertrude Teaches Her Children. Like Rousseau, Pestalozzi was concerned with social justice and he sought to work with those he considered to be adversely affected by social conditions, seeing in education an opportunity for improvement. (Smith, 2001). In the first half of the 20th century John Dewey published three books that built on the earlier work of educationalists like Rousseau and Pestalozzi. These works heavily influenced the development of informal education as we know it today since they: ‘Included a concern with democracy and community; with cultivating reflection and thinking; with attending to experience and the environment.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-hist.htm#theory). In 1946 Josephine Macalister Brew's book Informal Education: Adventures and Reflections, brought informal education into the realm of youth work. This was followed in 1966 by The Social Education of the Adolescent by Bernard Davies and Alan Gibson. Since then there have been numerous works on the subject of informal education, most notably, in relation to youth work, those of Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith. So what exactly is informal education? Like many terms in use today, it is widely used to describe an enormous variety of settings and activities. In 1960 the Albermarle Report used it to describe youth work provision as: ‘The continued social and informal education of young people in terms most likely to bring them to maturity'. (in Smith, 1988:124). Houle (1980) favoured the experiential definition of informal education describing it as ‘education that occurs as a result of direct participation in the events of life' (In Smith, 1988:130), whilst Mark Smith said ‘one way of thinking about informal education is as the informed use of the everyday in order to enable learning' (Smith, 1988:130). In 2001 Smith went further, describing informal education that: ‘* works through and is driven by conversation * involves exploring and enlarging experience * can take place in any setting' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) And of its purpose: ‘At one level, the purpose of informal education is no different to any other form of education. In one situation we may focus on, say, healthy eating, in another family relationships. However, running through all this is a concern to build the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm). Whilst I would agree with Mark Smiths definition of informal education there is and has been an enormous diversity of opinions, theories and explanations of exactly what sort of community we need for people to be happy and fulfilled. Smith's assertion that the role of informal educators is to work towards all people being able to share a ‘common life' with an emphasis on: ‘Work for the well-being of all, respect the unique value and dignity of each human being, dialogue, equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives' (Smith, 2001, http://www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) involves a commitment to anti-oppressive practice that is expounded in much of the literature surrounding the field of informal education. But this has not always been the case and can we hand on heart honestly lay claim to practicing liberating education in our work today? Whilst Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Dewey all identified structural inequalities and believed that ‘education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform' (Dewey in Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/archives/e-texts/e-dew-pc.htm) the application of their theories were not always applied to the work of those who first began providing services for young people. Indeed early ventures into the field of youth work are often seen as controlling not liberating and as overtly oppressive instead of anti-oppressive. ‘The early youth service history in both England and Wales has been described – as a time when work with young people was characterised by both appalling social and employment conditions and by rapid social and political change caused by the development of an industrialised urban society' (Jones & Rose, 2001:27) It is within this context that intervention by middle class societies and organisations in the 1800's was seen to be necessary in order to rescue, control and/or rehabilitate young, working class people. Concern over the working conditions of children and young people brought into being an array of groups, clubs and educational services and policies designed to rescue and protect young people from the worst excesses of employment practices and the failure of working class parents to provide a suitable and controlled home life. ‘Working class adolescents were thought to be most likely to display delinquent and rebellious characteristics – because it was widely assumed that working class parents exercised inadequate control over brutal adolescent instincts' (Humphries 1981 in Smith, 1988:9) This moral underclass discourse lays the blame for social inequalities, poverty and disaffection solely on the shoulders of the working class themselves because: ‘The problems faced are then seen not so much as structural but as personal. The central deficit is often portrayed as emotional or moral' (Smith, 1988:56). And it also suggests that: ‘Their behaviour, without coercion and control, will mean that they will remain unable to join the included majority' (Payne, 2001: handout) By the end of the 19th century, compulsory education and a growing number of welfare statutes meant that youth workers focus shifted from welfare and rescue to a concern with the moral character of young people which was underpinned by the growing influence of Victorian family ideology. ‘The Victorian middle class had very definite ideas about the ideal family and the desirability of imposing such an ideal upon the whole of society.' (Finnegan, 1999:129) This was: ‘Not just a family ideology but also a gender ideology. It was a careful and deliberate attempt to reorganise the relations between the sexes according to middle-class ways and values and then define the outcome as somehow being natural' (Smith, 1988:4) Thompson says of this view: ‘To describe, for example, the traditional male role of breadwinner as ‘natural' adds a false, pseudo-biological air of legitimacy.' (Thomspon, 2001:28) This was at a time when the ‘discovery' of adolescence by Hall and Slaughter and a biologically determined explanation of human behaviour meant that: ‘Those who saw it as their duty or job to intervene in the lives of young people, now had a suitable vocabulary of scientific terms with which to carry forward their intentions' (Smith, 1988:9) The Biological determination of human behaviour further justified differentiated gender roles within the family as well as creating an: ‘Ideology of adolescence marked out (by) a biologically determined norm of youthful behaviour and appearance which was white/anglo, middle class, heterosexual, able bodied male' (Griffin, 1993:18) However, just as family ideology was a driving force in determining social relations at the beginning of the twentieth century; it is just as powerful here in the twenty-first. Roche & Tucker say that: ‘It is through the use of the representations (discursive messages and images) contained within ‘family ideology' that social policies and educational and welfare arrangements are constructed and maintained.' (Roche & Tucker 2001:94) Gittins agreed: ‘Family ideology has been a vital means – the vital means – of holding together and legitimising the existing social, economic, political and gender systems.' (Gittins in Roche & Tucker 2001:94) This is significant if Driver and Martell are correct in asserting that present day ‘Labour increasingly favours conditional, morally prescriptive, conservative and individual communitarianisms' (Driver & Martell, 1997:27) which Etzioni believed would right the social problems of today that are attributable to the ‘failure of people to exercise social and moral responsibility' (Etzioni in Henderson & Salmon, 1988:22). Etzioni emphasised the role of the traditional nuclear family in inculcating in children the right moral standards and he described communitarianism saying: ‘Communitarians – call for a peer marriage of two parents committed to one another and their children' (Etzioni in Henderson & Salmon, 1988:22) Like the Victorians, present day government can be seen as equally keen to legislate into being their ideology of the nuclear family through the use of stricter divorce laws and punitive measures imposed on single parents. The decision to cut lone parent premiums from income support and child benefit in 1998 are examples of a willingness to impose their ideology on society as a whole despite the fact that what they are proposing as ‘normal' or ‘natural' is not bourn out statistically. ‘The ideological norm of the nuclear family is often presented as if it were a statistical norm whereas, in fact, only 23% of households follow the nuclear family pattern of biological parents with their dependent children.' (Thompson, 2001:28) Michael Anderson also points out that despite the belief that the traditional family has only recently become fragmented, marital break up was a regular feature of 19th century Britain and is not peculiar to the 20th century. Comparing marital dissolution caused by death in 1826 and by death and divorce in 1980, Anderson concluded that: ‘The problem of marital break-up is not then new – (it) was clearly, statistically, an equally or even more serious problem' (Anderson in Drake, 1994:73) However, this desire and determination to bring about a particular kind of society influenced by a set of morals and ideals is reminiscent of Mark Smiths definition of the purpose of informal education as: ‘A concern to build the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm). The only real difference lies in the definition of what makes for community fulfilment and happiness. Smith says that informal education: ‘Involves setting out with the intention of fostering learning. It entails influencing the environment and is based on a commitment to certain values..' (Smith, 1999:19). It would not be difficult to describe the efforts of the middle class in the 19th century in such a way although with our 21st century eyes we now believe we can read the intended control and oppression of working class communities behind their ideals. But in the 21st century are we actually doing much better? If our suspicions concerning the intentionality behind the actions of Victorian middle class youth workers are correct, can we say our own intentionality is any purer? If intentionality can be understood as power as defined by Bertrand Russell when he says that power is the ‘production of intended effects' (in Jeffs & Smith, 1990:5), we could be accused of wielding power in order to create the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm), according to our own philosophies, beliefs and current hegemonic principles, in much the same way that we accuse the middle class philanthropists of the 19th century. Is the ability to wield power to effect change in the lives of others conducive with a practice that has at its heart a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice which: ‘Means recognising power imbalances and working towards the promotion of change to redress the balance of power' (Dalrympole & Burke, 2000:15). As professional workers we can also be considered middle class? All of which begs the question, have we more in common with our predecessors than we like to think? It is certainly possible that they too thought they were operating with the same ‘moral authority' that Jeffs & Smith describe as part of an informal educators role in: ‘Being seen by others as people with integrity, wisdom and an understanding of right and wrong' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:85) Especially in their desire to provide a ‘strong guiding influence to lead them (young people) onward and upward socially and morally' (Sweatman, 1863 in Smith, 1988:12). No doubt they would also have agreed with Kerry Young's description of youth work as supporting ‘young people's moral deliberations and learning' (Young in Banks, 1999:89). But early youth workers cannot be described as concerned with equality and anti-oppressive practice. On the contrary, their work was: ‘Contained within particular class, gender, racial and age structures: a woman's place was in the home, to be British was to be best, betters were to be honoured and youth had to earn its advancement and wait its turn' (Smith, 1988:19) This made life extremely difficult for anyone who did not fit the stereotypical image of British youth. Tolerance and respect for other races and religious systems was not a feature of informal education and, for example, the estimated 100,000 Jewish immigrants that arrived in Britain between 1840 and 1914 had great difficulty: ‘Maintaining a distinctive culture in a climate of oppression and restriction – (coupled with) pressures – to acculturate to middle-class norms' (Pryce, 2001:82) So what of my practice, of my intentionality? Do I operate from a moral underclass ideology that blames homeless young people for their situation or do I work from a redistributive discourse that sees the issue of poverty as central to the exclusion these young people experience? Can what I do in my day to day practice be termed informal education? Am I concerned with oppression and anti-oppressive practice? Much of what I and Nightstop as an agency do in our work involves enabling young people to live within a system that is discriminatory, unfair and biased towards a particular form of family ideology that suggests that young people should remain dependent on their parents until financially independent or aged 25 which means that they are entitled to lower rates of benefit. Even those young people who work find themselves living on lower wages than their older colleagues. Christine Griffin argued that the discovery of adolescence: ‘Emerged primarily as a consequence of changes in class relations as expanding capitalist economies demanded a cheap and youthful labour force' (Griffin in Roche & Tucker, 2001:18) Even today the notion that young people deserve less pay than their elders finds voice in the policies of the minimum wage which offers no restriction on wages for 16/17 year olds and a lower rate for those aged 18-22. Our continued involvement in teaching them to budget their reduced incomes could easily be described as an expression of an ideology that believes that it is the lack of skills these young people have that cause them difficulties in surviving the benefit and pay systems rather than a belief in the failure of the systems to provide adequate means of survival. And if this was all that we do we could not be described as informal educators if part of the formulae for informal education involves: ‘Equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives' (Smith, 2001, http://www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) However, whilst enabling young people to develop the skills necessary to live independently we also encourage them to question the inequalities they face and the ideologies underpinning them. By engaging young people in conversation, which Jeffs and Smith say is ‘central to our work as informal educators' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:21), and asking ‘is that fair' and ‘why do you think that is' we encourage them to question things they take for granted as normal and natural and involve them in what Freire described as ‘problem-posing' education which encourages people to critically examine the world so they may: ‘Perceive the reality of oppression, not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform' (Freire, 1993:31). I do not believe the same can be said for the work of early youth workers and much of the work they undertook can be understood as designed to maintain the status quo, to silence the witnesses to oppressive regimes and to control the masses that were beginning to organise themselves via the emergence of trade unions. Emile Durkheim described this type of education as ‘simply the means by which society prepares, in its children, the essential conditions of its own existence' (Giddens, 1972:203), which can be understood as a form of social control. ` The process which enforces values and maintains order is termed social control` (Hoghughi, 1983 in Hart, 2001, youthworkcentral.tripod.com/sean1.htm) Again the question arises, as informal educators in the 21st century are we doing much better? Sean Hart believes we may not. Social control within a context of community work may be regarded as a process of continuity. Indeed much community work, especially that of those with right wing political ideology, involves self-help and making the best of what you have. Thus, it could be argued that this kind of work reinforces the current hegemony and deflects from attempts to challenge the oppression it creates. (Hart, 2001, youthworkcentral.tripod.com/sean1.htm) The difficulty in this for my work is that the young people with whom I work must learn to make the best of what they have and the daily grind of finding enough to eat means that they have little energy left for dismantling oppressive regimes. As Friere said: ‘One of the gravest obstacles to the achievement of liberation is that oppressive reality absorbs those within it and thereby acts to submerge human beings consciousness' (Freire, 1993:33). And as they struggle with meeting their most basic of needs I sometimes find it difficult to justify my continuing commitment to educate them about inequality when their overwhelming deprivation is viewed from my comfortable, middle class life style. The inescapable ethical dilemma is very clear since their need pays for and justifies my existence as the manager of Nightstop. As Mark Smith says the welfare professions: ‘Provide a rich source of desirable jobs – for members of elite and middle class groups where such groups can enjoy varying degrees of power, privilege and freedom in their work' (Smith, 1988:58). And I certainly do have power, not only within my own organisation but within local government departments who actively seek my input on the development of services for homeless young people. But in order to ensure that I do not ‘help to maintain the system which supports (me)' (Smith, 1988:58) I now encourage those systems to interact directly with the young people for whom services are being designed at the same time as encouraging young people themselves to play an active part in service development by helping them develop their social intelligence. This can be described as: ‘An understanding of social rules which govern our interactions and an ability to follow or manipulate these to achieve our ends.' (Graham in Hunter, 2001:75). and although this means that I favour David Clarks model of community ‘as a collection of social systems and of individuals in community as affected by different systems' (Hunter, 2001:20) and of community development as ‘opening systems up to each other' (Hunter, 2001:112) this does not fit with Freire's view that: ‘The solution is not to â€Å"integrate† them into the structure of oppression but to transform that structure so that they can become â€Å"beings for themselves' (Freire, 1996:55). However, I also believe that young people themselves have the ability to transform the structure by virtue of their active involvement within it since I do not see young people as incapable of making a vital and valuable contribution to their communities. In this I seek to avoid the accusation that I have a ‘lack of confidence in the people's ability to think, to want and to know' (Freire, 1996:42). The same cannot be said of the youth workers in the early 20th century who felt it necessary to improve young people but without the welfare and rescue focus found it necessary to have other ways of encouraging young people to attend. This was resolved in so far as young people were to be attracted by leisure opportunities whilst support from the ruling classes could be enlisted via the aims of moral improvement so close to their heart. Baden-Powell's identification of citizenship as an answer to problematic youth in 1907 enabled him to offer up scouting and its emphasis on: ‘Observation and deduction, chivalry, patriotism, self-sacrifice, personal hygiene, saving life, self-reliance, etc' (Jeal, 1995:382) Claiming this would produce a new generation of young people who would fit more closely the ideals sought. In other words he described his practice in terms likely to fit the dominant ideology of the day in order to secure the support he needed to continue the work. Again reminiscent of today since: ‘Attempts to attract changing sources of funding have usually been accompanied by promises to elicit from young people whatever behaviour was required by the particular funding body' (Young in Banks, 1999:78). I encounter the dilemma between the needs of my organisation for funding and the desire to end the stereotypical classification of homeless young people on a regular basis as I am frequently required to describe homeless young people in terms that are labelling and oppressive in order to meet the criteria and therefore the ideology of funders which suggests that young people should be capable of independent adult life but whose efforts are actually ‘ consistently thwarted by (their) relegation to the status of a dependent underclass' (Henderson & Salmon, 1988:30). The new youth service of 1900s found that: ‘While clubs have exploited the need for recreation among working class adolescents, and combined this with their being vehicles for a conservative ideology, they did not necessarily attract large numbers' (White early 1900's in Smith, 1988:14). Concern with the numbers of young people attending youth provision is no less today than it was then. The continued need of sponsors, whether statutory or voluntary, for statistical information concerning the use of facilities and opportunities, means that we are ever pushed towards quantifying our work for evaluation purposes instead of concentrating on the quality of provision. Mark Smith says that: ‘Part of the reason for the failure to attract working class young people lies in the tension between social provision and improving aims' (Smith, 1988:14) and although he was describing the dilemmas of early youth workers I believe this is also present today. If informal education has purpose then it cannot be anything other than improving, even Jeffs and Smith say that informal education works to the ‘betterment of individuals, groups and communities' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:83). And if we are not honest and open about our improving aims, can young people be said to be participating voluntarily from a position of informed consent? The need to ‘improve' and ‘socialise' young people has continued to be a recurring theme throughout the 20th century within government policy. The Education Act of 1918 gave Local Education Authorities the power to spend money on the ‘social training of young people' (Smith, 1988:34). Circular 1486, In the Service of Youth (Board of Education, 1939) which said that youth services should have ‘an equal status with other educational services' (Nicholls, 1997:8) talked of the disruption the '14-20 age group had suffered in its physical and social development' (Smith, 1988:34). Circular 1516, The Challenge of Youth said the aim of an LEA should be to ‘develop the whole personality of individual boys and girls to enable them to take their place as full members of a free community' (Nicholls, 1997:9) whilst Circular 1577 (Board of Education 1941) required young people to register with their LEA and ‘be interviewed and advised as to how they might spend their leisure time' (Smith, 1988:35). In 1960 the Albermarle Report portrayed ‘the main job of youth work as being to help young people to become ‘healthy' adults' (Smith, 1988:49) although Mark Smith argues that the ‘second element of Albemarles vision for the youth service (was) the containment and control of troublesome youth' (Smith, 1988:71). In 1966 the Home Office Children's Department began planning: ‘Community Development Projects – to aid work preventing family breakdown and juvenile delinquency' (Nicholls, 1997:20) which effectively takes us back 100 years. Informal education since then has taken on many guises, from concern about dwindling numbers of young people attending provision, to a growing awareness that there are young people who do not attend at all, the ‘unattached' youth. However it is the continuing response to a problematic discourse that has characterised the series of moral panics about young people that has in the past and continues today to shape youth work. Conclusion Although a growing political awareness of the needs of young people who have been marginalised and excluded by society because of their race, gender, disability, sexuality and class etc., led to targeted work that was and is ‘issue based', youth work has, throughout the past 150 years, maintained its associational character (Smith, 2001). However, recent work has begun to concentrate more on the individual than the ‘social groupwork' (Smith, 2002, www.infed.org/youthwork/transforming.htm) Smith says is fundamental to informal education. The linking of the youth service to the Connexions Strategy with its emphasis on surveillance, control and containment, coupled with an individual, case work emphasis will mean that: ‘The concern with conversation, experience and democracy normally associated with informal education is pushed to the background' (Smith, 2002, www.infed.org/youthwork/transforming.htm) Working to state led objectives and targets that are fed by a communitarianist ideology that focuses on the family mean that what informal educators do in the twenty-first century does not differ greatly from the work undertaken in the 19th and the assumption that adults have a right to intervene in the lives of young people, from a variety of hidden agendas and purposes continues unchallenged. In 1944 Paneth asked: ‘Have we been intruders, disturbing an otherwise happy community, or is it only the bourgeois in us, coming face to face with his opponents, who minds and wants to change them because he feels threatened? Or do they need help from outside? (Paneth, 1944 in Smith, 1988:37).

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Angels Demons Chapter 6263

Suddenly someone grabbed him from behind. It was Vittoria. She was breathless and tugging at his arm. From the look of terror on her face, Langdon could only imagine one thing. She found a body. He felt an upswelling of dread. â€Å"Ah, your wife!† the docent exclaimed, clearly thrilled to have another guest. He motioned to her short pants and hiking boots. â€Å"Now you I can tell are American!† Vittoria’s eyes narrowed. â€Å"I’m Italian.† The guide’s smile dimmed. â€Å"Oh, dear.† â€Å"Robert,† Vittoria whispered, trying to turn her back on the guide. â€Å"Galileo’s Diagramma. I need to see it.† â€Å"Diagramma?† the docent said, wheedling back in. â€Å"My! You two certainly know your history! Unfortunately that document is not viewable. It is under secret preservation in the Vatican Arc – â€Å" â€Å"Could you excuse us?† Langdon said. He was confused by Vittoria’s panic. He took her aside and reached in his pocket, carefully extracting the Diagramma folio. â€Å"What’s going on?† â€Å"What’s the date on this thing?† Vittoria demanded, scanning the sheet. The docent was on them again, staring at the folio, mouth agape. â€Å"That’s not†¦ really†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Tourist reproduction,† Langdon quipped. â€Å"Thank you for your help. Please, my wife and I would like a moment alone.† The docent backed off, eyes never leaving the paper. â€Å"Date,† Vittoria repeated to Langdon. â€Å"When did Galileo publish†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Langdon pointed to the Roman numeral in the lower liner. â€Å"That’s the pub date. What’s going on?† Vittoria deciphered the number. â€Å"1639?† â€Å"Yes. What’s wrong?† Vittoria’s eyes filled with foreboding. â€Å"We’re in trouble, Robert. Big trouble. The dates don’t match.† â€Å"What dates don’t match?† â€Å"Raphael’s tomb. He wasn’t buried here until 1759. A century after Diagramma was published.† Langdon stared at her, trying to make sense of the words. â€Å"No,† he replied. â€Å"Raphael died in 1520, long before Diagramma.† â€Å"Yes, but he wasn’t buried here until much later.† Langdon was lost. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"I just read it. Raphael’s body was relocated to the Pantheon in 1758. It was part of some historic tribute to eminent Italians.† As the words settled in, Langdon felt like a rug had just been yanked out from under him. â€Å"When that poem was written,† Vittoria declared, â€Å"Raphael’s tomb was somewhere else. Back then, the Pantheon had nothing at all to do with Raphael!† Langdon could not breathe. â€Å"But that†¦ means†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes! It means we’re in the wrong place!† Langdon felt himself sway. Impossible†¦ I was certain†¦ Vittoria ran over and grabbed the docent, pulling him back. â€Å"Signore, excuse us. Where was Raphael’s body in the 1600s?† â€Å"Urb†¦ Urbino,† he stammered, now looking bewildered. â€Å"His birthplace.† â€Å"Impossible!† Langdon cursed to himself. â€Å"The Illuminati altars of science were here in Rome. I’m certain of it!† â€Å"Illuminati?† The docent gasped, looking again at the document in Langdon’s hand. â€Å"Who are you people?† Vittoria took charge. â€Å"We’re looking for something called Santi’s earthly tomb. In Rome. Can you tell us what that might be?† The docent looked unsettled. â€Å"This was Raphael’s only tomb in Rome.† Langdon tried to think, but his mind refused to engage. If Raphael’s tomb wasn’t in Rome in 1655, then what was the poem referring to? Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole? What the hell is it? Think! â€Å"Was there another artist called Santi?† Vittoria asked. The docent shrugged. â€Å"Not that I know of.† â€Å"How about anyone famous at all? Maybe a scientist or a poet or an astronomer named Santi?† The docent now looked like he wanted to leave. â€Å"No, ma’am. The only Santi I’ve ever heard of is Raphael the architect.† â€Å"Architect?† Vittoria said. â€Å"I thought he was a painter!† â€Å"He was both, of course. They all were. Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael.† Langdon didn’t know whether it was the docent’s words or the ornate tombs around them that brought the revelation to mind, but it didn’t matter. The thought occurred. Santi was an architect. From there the progression of thoughts fell like dominoes. Renaissance architects lived for only two reasons – to glorify God with big churches, and to glorify dignitaries with lavish tombs. Santi’s tomb. Could it be? The images came faster now†¦ da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Monet’s Water Lilies. Michelangelo’s David. Santi’s earthly tomb†¦ â€Å"Santi designed the tomb,† Langdon said. Vittoria turned. â€Å"What?† â€Å"It’s not a reference to where Raphael is buried, it’s referring to a tomb he designed.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"I misunderstood the clue. It’s not Raphael’s burial site we’re looking for, it’s a tomb Raphael designed for someone else. I can’t believe I missed it. Half of the sculpting done in Renaissance and Baroque Rome was for the funeraries.† Langdon smiled with the revelation. â€Å"Raphael must have designed hundreds of tombs!† Vittoria did not look happy. â€Å"Hundreds?† Langdon’s smile faded. â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"Any of them earthly, professor?† Langdon felt suddenly inadequate. He knew embarrassingly little about Raphael’s work. Michelangelo he could have helped with, but Raphael’s work had never captivated him. Langdon could only name a couple of Raphael’s more famous tombs, but he wasn’t sure what they looked like. Apparently sensing Langdon’s stymie, Vittoria turned to the docent, who was now inching away. She grabbed his arm and reeled him in. â€Å"I need a tomb. Designed by Raphael. A tomb that could be considered earthly.† The docent now looked distressed. â€Å"A tomb of Raphael’s? I don’t know. He designed so many. And you probably would mean a chapel by Raphael, not a tomb. Architects always designed the chapels in conjunction with the tomb.† Langdon realized the man was right. â€Å"Are any of Raphael’s tombs or chapels considered earthly?† The man shrugged. â€Å"I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean. Earthly really doesn’t describe anything I know of. I should be going.† Vittoria held his arm and read from the top line of the folio. â€Å"From Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole. Does that mean anything to you?† â€Å"Not a thing.† Langdon looked up suddenly. He had momentarily forgotten the second part of the line. Demon’s hole? â€Å"Yes!† he said to the docent. â€Å"That’s it! Do any of Raphael’s chapels have an oculus in them?† The docent shook his head. â€Å"To my knowledge the Pantheon is unique.† He paused. â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But what!† Vittoria and Langdon said in unison. Now the docent cocked his head, stepping toward them again. â€Å"A demon’s hole?† He muttered to himself and picked at his teeth. â€Å"Demon’s hole†¦ that is†¦ buco divolo?† Vittoria nodded. â€Å"Literally, yes.† The docent smiled faintly. â€Å"Now there’s a term I have not heard in a while. If I’m not mistaken, a buco divolo refers to an undercroft.† â€Å"An undercroft?† Langdon asked. â€Å"As in a crypt?† â€Å"Yes, but a specific kind of crypt. I believe a demon’s hole is an ancient term for a massive burial cavity located in a chapel†¦ underneath another tomb.† â€Å"An ossuary annex?† Langdon demanded, immediately recognizing what the man was describing. The docent looked impressed. â€Å"Yes! That is the term I was looking for!† Langdon considered it. Ossuary annexes were a cheap ecclesiastic fix to an awkward dilemma. When churches honored their most distinguished members with ornate tombs inside the sanctuary, surviving family members often demanded the family be buried together†¦ thus ensuring they too would have a coveted burial spot inside the church. However, if the church did not have space or funds to create tombs for an entire family, they sometimes dug an ossuary annex – a hole in the floor near the tomb where they buried the less worthy family members. The hole was then covered with the Renaissance equivalent of a manhole cover. Although convenient, the ossuary annex went out of style quickly because of the stench that often wafted up into the cathedral. Demon’s hole, Langdon thought. He had never heard the term. It seemed eerily fitting. Langdon’s heart was now pounding fiercely. From Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole. There seemed to be only one question left to ask. â€Å"Did Raphael design any tombs that had one of these demon’s holes?† The docent scratched his head. â€Å"Actually. I’m sorry†¦ I can only think of one.† Only one? Langdon could not have dreamed of a better response. â€Å"Where!† Vittoria almost shouted. The docent eyed them strangely. â€Å"It’s called the Chigi Chapel. Tomb of Agostino Chigi and his brother, wealthy patrons of the arts and sciences.† â€Å"Sciences?† Langdon said, exchanging looks with Vittoria. â€Å"Where?† Vittoria asked again. The docent ignored the question, seeming enthusiastic again to be of service. â€Å"As for whether or not the tomb is earthly, I don’t know, but certainly it is†¦ shall we say differente.† â€Å"Different?† Langdon said. â€Å"How?† â€Å"Incoherent with the architecture. Raphael was only the architect. Some other sculptor did the interior adornments. I can’t remember who.† Langdon was now all ears. The anonymous Illuminati master, perhaps? â€Å"Whoever did the interior monuments lacked taste,† the docent said. â€Å"Dio mio! Atrocits! Who would want to be buried beneath piramides?† Langdon could scarcely believe his ears. â€Å"Pyramids? The chapel contains pyramids?† â€Å"I know,† the docent scoffed. â€Å"Terrible, isn’t it?† Vittoria grabbed the docent’s arm. â€Å"Signore, where is this Chigi Chapel?† â€Å"About a mile north. In the church of Santa Maria del Popolo.† Vittoria exhaled. â€Å"Thank you. Let’s – â€Å" â€Å"Hey,† the docent said, â€Å"I just thought of something. What a fool I am.† Vittoria stopped short. â€Å"Please don’t tell me you made a mistake.† He shook his head. â€Å"No, but it should have dawned on me earlier. The Chigi Chapel was not always known as the Chigi. It used to be called Capella della Terra.† â€Å"Chapel of the Land?† Langdon asked. â€Å"No,† Vittoria said, heading for the door. â€Å"Chapel of the Earth.† Vittoria Vetra whipped out her cell phone as she dashed into Piazza della Rotunda. â€Å"Commander Olivetti,† she said. â€Å"This is the wrong place!† Olivetti sounded bewildered. â€Å"Wrong? What do you mean?† â€Å"The first altar of science is at the Chigi Chapel!† â€Å"Where?† Now Olivetti sounded angry. â€Å"But Mr. Langdon said – â€Å" â€Å"Santa Maria del Popolo! One mile north. Get your men over there now! We’ve got four minutes!† â€Å"But my men are in position here! I can’t possibly – â€Å" â€Å"Move!† Vittoria snapped the phone shut. Behind her, Langdon emerged from the Pantheon, dazed. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the queue of seemingly driverless taxis waiting by the curb. She pounded on the hood of the first car in line. The sleeping driver bolted upright with a startled yelp. Vittoria yanked open the rear door and pushed Langdon inside. Then she jumped in behind him. â€Å"Santa Maria del Popolo,† she ordered. â€Å"Presto!† Looking delirious and half terrified, the driver hit the accelerator, peeling out down the street. 63 Gunther Glick had assumed control of the computer from Chinita Macri, who now stood hunched in the back of the cramped BBC van staring in confusion over Glick’s shoulder. â€Å"I told you,† Glick said, typing some more keys. â€Å"The British Tattler isn’t the only paper that runs stories on these guys.† Macri peered closer. Glick was right. The BBC database showed their distinguished network as having picked up and run six stories in the past ten years on the brotherhood called the Illuminati. Well, paint me purple, she thought. â€Å"Who are the journalists who ran the stories,† Macri asked. â€Å"Schlock jocks?† â€Å"BBC doesn’t hire schlock jocks.† â€Å"They hired you.† Glick scowled. â€Å"I don’t know why you’re such a skeptic. The Illuminati are well documented throughout history.† â€Å"So are witches, UFOs, and the Loch Ness Monster.† Glick read the list of stories. â€Å"You ever heard of a guy called Winston Churchill?† â€Å"Rings a bell.† â€Å"BBC did a historical a while back on Churchill’s life. Staunch Catholic by the way. Did you know that in 1920 Churchill published a statement condemning the Illuminati and warning Brits of a worldwide conspiracy against morality?† Macri was dubious. â€Å"Where did it run? In the British Tattler?† Glick smiled. â€Å"London Herald. February 8, 1920.† â€Å"No way.† â€Å"Feast your eyes.† Macri looked closer at the clip. London Herald. Feb. 8, 1920. I had no idea. â€Å"Well, Churchill was a paranoid.† â€Å"He wasn’t alone,† Glick said, reading further. â€Å"Looks like Woodrow Wilson gave three radio broadcasts in 1921 warning of growing Illuminati control over the U.S. banking system. You want a direct quote from the radio transcript?† â€Å"Not really.† Glick gave her one anyway. â€Å"He said, ‘There is a power so organized, so subtle, so complete, so pervasive, that none had better speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.’ â€Å" â€Å"I’ve never heard anything about this.† â€Å"Maybe because in 1921 you were just a kid.† â€Å"Charming.† Macri took the jab in stride. She knew her years were showing. At forty-three, her bushy black curls were streaked with gray. She was too proud for dye. Her mom, a Southern Baptist, had taught Chinita contentedness and self-respect. When you’re a black woman, her mother said, ain’t no hiding what you are. Day you try, is the day you die. Stand tall, smile bright, and let ’em wonder what secret’s making you laugh. â€Å"Ever heard of Cecil Rhodes?† Glick asked. Macri looked up. â€Å"The British financier?† â€Å"Yeah. Founded the Rhodes Scholarships.† â€Å"Don’t tell me – â€Å" â€Å"Illuminatus.† â€Å"BS.† â€Å"BBC, actually. November 16, 1984.† â€Å"We wrote that Cecil Rhodes was Illuminati?† â€Å"Sure did. And according to our network, the Rhodes Scholarships were funds set up centuries ago to recruit the world’s brightest young minds into the Illuminati.† â€Å"That’s ridiculous! My uncle was a Rhodes Scholar!† Glick winked. â€Å"So was Bill Clinton.† Macri was getting mad now. She had never had tolerance for shoddy, alarmist reporting. Still, she knew enough about the BBC to know that every story they ran was carefully researched and confirmed. â€Å"Here’s one you’ll remember,† Glick said. â€Å"BBC, March 5, 1998. Parliament Committee Chair, Chris Mullin, required all members of British Parliament who were Masons to declare their affiliation.† Macri remembered it. The decree had eventually extended to include policemen and judges as well. â€Å"Why was it again?† Glick read. â€Å"†¦ concern that secret factions within the Masons exerted considerable control over political and financial systems.† â€Å"That’s right.† â€Å"Caused quite a bustle. The Masons in parliament were furious. Had a right to be. The vast majority turned out to be innocent men who joined the Masons for networking and charity work. They had no clue about the brotherhood’s past affiliations.† â€Å"Alleged affiliations.† â€Å"Whatever.† Glick scanned the articles. â€Å"Look at this stuff. Accounts tracing the Illuminati back to Galileo, the Guerenets of France, the Alumbrados of Spain. Even Karl Marx and the Russian Revolution.† â€Å"History has a way of rewriting itself.† â€Å"Fine, you want something current? Have a look at this. Here’s an Illuminati reference from a recent Wall Street Journal.† This caught Macri’s ear. â€Å"The Journal?† â€Å"Guess what the most popular Internet computer game in America is right now?† â€Å"Pin the tail on Pamela Anderson.† â€Å"Close. It’s called, Illuminati: New World Order.† Macri looked over his shoulder at the blurb. â€Å"Steve Jackson Games has a runaway hit†¦ a quasi-historical adventure in which an ancient satanic brotherhood from Bavaria sets out to take over the world. You can find them on-line at†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Macri looked up, feeling ill. â€Å"What do these Illuminati guys have against Christianity?† â€Å"Not just Christianity,† Glick said. â€Å"Religion in general.† Glick cocked his head and grinned. â€Å"Although from the phone call we just got, it appears they do have a special spot in their hearts for the Vatican.† â€Å"Oh, come on. You don’t really think that guy who called is who he claims to be, do you?† â€Å"A messenger of the Illuminati? Preparing to kill four cardinals?† Glick smiled. â€Å"I sure hope so.† Angels Demons Chapter 6263 Suddenly someone grabbed him from behind. It was Vittoria. She was breathless and tugging at his arm. From the look of terror on her face, Langdon could only imagine one thing. She found a body. He felt an upswelling of dread. â€Å"Ah, your wife!† the docent exclaimed, clearly thrilled to have another guest. He motioned to her short pants and hiking boots. â€Å"Now you I can tell are American!† Vittoria’s eyes narrowed. â€Å"I’m Italian.† The guide’s smile dimmed. â€Å"Oh, dear.† â€Å"Robert,† Vittoria whispered, trying to turn her back on the guide. â€Å"Galileo’s Diagramma. I need to see it.† â€Å"Diagramma?† the docent said, wheedling back in. â€Å"My! You two certainly know your history! Unfortunately that document is not viewable. It is under secret preservation in the Vatican Arc – â€Å" â€Å"Could you excuse us?† Langdon said. He was confused by Vittoria’s panic. He took her aside and reached in his pocket, carefully extracting the Diagramma folio. â€Å"What’s going on?† â€Å"What’s the date on this thing?† Vittoria demanded, scanning the sheet. The docent was on them again, staring at the folio, mouth agape. â€Å"That’s not†¦ really†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Tourist reproduction,† Langdon quipped. â€Å"Thank you for your help. Please, my wife and I would like a moment alone.† The docent backed off, eyes never leaving the paper. â€Å"Date,† Vittoria repeated to Langdon. â€Å"When did Galileo publish†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Langdon pointed to the Roman numeral in the lower liner. â€Å"That’s the pub date. What’s going on?† Vittoria deciphered the number. â€Å"1639?† â€Å"Yes. What’s wrong?† Vittoria’s eyes filled with foreboding. â€Å"We’re in trouble, Robert. Big trouble. The dates don’t match.† â€Å"What dates don’t match?† â€Å"Raphael’s tomb. He wasn’t buried here until 1759. A century after Diagramma was published.† Langdon stared at her, trying to make sense of the words. â€Å"No,† he replied. â€Å"Raphael died in 1520, long before Diagramma.† â€Å"Yes, but he wasn’t buried here until much later.† Langdon was lost. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"I just read it. Raphael’s body was relocated to the Pantheon in 1758. It was part of some historic tribute to eminent Italians.† As the words settled in, Langdon felt like a rug had just been yanked out from under him. â€Å"When that poem was written,† Vittoria declared, â€Å"Raphael’s tomb was somewhere else. Back then, the Pantheon had nothing at all to do with Raphael!† Langdon could not breathe. â€Å"But that†¦ means†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes! It means we’re in the wrong place!† Langdon felt himself sway. Impossible†¦ I was certain†¦ Vittoria ran over and grabbed the docent, pulling him back. â€Å"Signore, excuse us. Where was Raphael’s body in the 1600s?† â€Å"Urb†¦ Urbino,† he stammered, now looking bewildered. â€Å"His birthplace.† â€Å"Impossible!† Langdon cursed to himself. â€Å"The Illuminati altars of science were here in Rome. I’m certain of it!† â€Å"Illuminati?† The docent gasped, looking again at the document in Langdon’s hand. â€Å"Who are you people?† Vittoria took charge. â€Å"We’re looking for something called Santi’s earthly tomb. In Rome. Can you tell us what that might be?† The docent looked unsettled. â€Å"This was Raphael’s only tomb in Rome.† Langdon tried to think, but his mind refused to engage. If Raphael’s tomb wasn’t in Rome in 1655, then what was the poem referring to? Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole? What the hell is it? Think! â€Å"Was there another artist called Santi?† Vittoria asked. The docent shrugged. â€Å"Not that I know of.† â€Å"How about anyone famous at all? Maybe a scientist or a poet or an astronomer named Santi?† The docent now looked like he wanted to leave. â€Å"No, ma’am. The only Santi I’ve ever heard of is Raphael the architect.† â€Å"Architect?† Vittoria said. â€Å"I thought he was a painter!† â€Å"He was both, of course. They all were. Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael.† Langdon didn’t know whether it was the docent’s words or the ornate tombs around them that brought the revelation to mind, but it didn’t matter. The thought occurred. Santi was an architect. From there the progression of thoughts fell like dominoes. Renaissance architects lived for only two reasons – to glorify God with big churches, and to glorify dignitaries with lavish tombs. Santi’s tomb. Could it be? The images came faster now†¦ da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Monet’s Water Lilies. Michelangelo’s David. Santi’s earthly tomb†¦ â€Å"Santi designed the tomb,† Langdon said. Vittoria turned. â€Å"What?† â€Å"It’s not a reference to where Raphael is buried, it’s referring to a tomb he designed.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"I misunderstood the clue. It’s not Raphael’s burial site we’re looking for, it’s a tomb Raphael designed for someone else. I can’t believe I missed it. Half of the sculpting done in Renaissance and Baroque Rome was for the funeraries.† Langdon smiled with the revelation. â€Å"Raphael must have designed hundreds of tombs!† Vittoria did not look happy. â€Å"Hundreds?† Langdon’s smile faded. â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"Any of them earthly, professor?† Langdon felt suddenly inadequate. He knew embarrassingly little about Raphael’s work. Michelangelo he could have helped with, but Raphael’s work had never captivated him. Langdon could only name a couple of Raphael’s more famous tombs, but he wasn’t sure what they looked like. Apparently sensing Langdon’s stymie, Vittoria turned to the docent, who was now inching away. She grabbed his arm and reeled him in. â€Å"I need a tomb. Designed by Raphael. A tomb that could be considered earthly.† The docent now looked distressed. â€Å"A tomb of Raphael’s? I don’t know. He designed so many. And you probably would mean a chapel by Raphael, not a tomb. Architects always designed the chapels in conjunction with the tomb.† Langdon realized the man was right. â€Å"Are any of Raphael’s tombs or chapels considered earthly?† The man shrugged. â€Å"I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean. Earthly really doesn’t describe anything I know of. I should be going.† Vittoria held his arm and read from the top line of the folio. â€Å"From Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole. Does that mean anything to you?† â€Å"Not a thing.† Langdon looked up suddenly. He had momentarily forgotten the second part of the line. Demon’s hole? â€Å"Yes!† he said to the docent. â€Å"That’s it! Do any of Raphael’s chapels have an oculus in them?† The docent shook his head. â€Å"To my knowledge the Pantheon is unique.† He paused. â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But what!† Vittoria and Langdon said in unison. Now the docent cocked his head, stepping toward them again. â€Å"A demon’s hole?† He muttered to himself and picked at his teeth. â€Å"Demon’s hole†¦ that is†¦ buco divolo?† Vittoria nodded. â€Å"Literally, yes.† The docent smiled faintly. â€Å"Now there’s a term I have not heard in a while. If I’m not mistaken, a buco divolo refers to an undercroft.† â€Å"An undercroft?† Langdon asked. â€Å"As in a crypt?† â€Å"Yes, but a specific kind of crypt. I believe a demon’s hole is an ancient term for a massive burial cavity located in a chapel†¦ underneath another tomb.† â€Å"An ossuary annex?† Langdon demanded, immediately recognizing what the man was describing. The docent looked impressed. â€Å"Yes! That is the term I was looking for!† Langdon considered it. Ossuary annexes were a cheap ecclesiastic fix to an awkward dilemma. When churches honored their most distinguished members with ornate tombs inside the sanctuary, surviving family members often demanded the family be buried together†¦ thus ensuring they too would have a coveted burial spot inside the church. However, if the church did not have space or funds to create tombs for an entire family, they sometimes dug an ossuary annex – a hole in the floor near the tomb where they buried the less worthy family members. The hole was then covered with the Renaissance equivalent of a manhole cover. Although convenient, the ossuary annex went out of style quickly because of the stench that often wafted up into the cathedral. Demon’s hole, Langdon thought. He had never heard the term. It seemed eerily fitting. Langdon’s heart was now pounding fiercely. From Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole. There seemed to be only one question left to ask. â€Å"Did Raphael design any tombs that had one of these demon’s holes?† The docent scratched his head. â€Å"Actually. I’m sorry†¦ I can only think of one.† Only one? Langdon could not have dreamed of a better response. â€Å"Where!† Vittoria almost shouted. The docent eyed them strangely. â€Å"It’s called the Chigi Chapel. Tomb of Agostino Chigi and his brother, wealthy patrons of the arts and sciences.† â€Å"Sciences?† Langdon said, exchanging looks with Vittoria. â€Å"Where?† Vittoria asked again. The docent ignored the question, seeming enthusiastic again to be of service. â€Å"As for whether or not the tomb is earthly, I don’t know, but certainly it is†¦ shall we say differente.† â€Å"Different?† Langdon said. â€Å"How?† â€Å"Incoherent with the architecture. Raphael was only the architect. Some other sculptor did the interior adornments. I can’t remember who.† Langdon was now all ears. The anonymous Illuminati master, perhaps? â€Å"Whoever did the interior monuments lacked taste,† the docent said. â€Å"Dio mio! Atrocits! Who would want to be buried beneath piramides?† Langdon could scarcely believe his ears. â€Å"Pyramids? The chapel contains pyramids?† â€Å"I know,† the docent scoffed. â€Å"Terrible, isn’t it?† Vittoria grabbed the docent’s arm. â€Å"Signore, where is this Chigi Chapel?† â€Å"About a mile north. In the church of Santa Maria del Popolo.† Vittoria exhaled. â€Å"Thank you. Let’s – â€Å" â€Å"Hey,† the docent said, â€Å"I just thought of something. What a fool I am.† Vittoria stopped short. â€Å"Please don’t tell me you made a mistake.† He shook his head. â€Å"No, but it should have dawned on me earlier. The Chigi Chapel was not always known as the Chigi. It used to be called Capella della Terra.† â€Å"Chapel of the Land?† Langdon asked. â€Å"No,† Vittoria said, heading for the door. â€Å"Chapel of the Earth.† Vittoria Vetra whipped out her cell phone as she dashed into Piazza della Rotunda. â€Å"Commander Olivetti,† she said. â€Å"This is the wrong place!† Olivetti sounded bewildered. â€Å"Wrong? What do you mean?† â€Å"The first altar of science is at the Chigi Chapel!† â€Å"Where?† Now Olivetti sounded angry. â€Å"But Mr. Langdon said – â€Å" â€Å"Santa Maria del Popolo! One mile north. Get your men over there now! We’ve got four minutes!† â€Å"But my men are in position here! I can’t possibly – â€Å" â€Å"Move!† Vittoria snapped the phone shut. Behind her, Langdon emerged from the Pantheon, dazed. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the queue of seemingly driverless taxis waiting by the curb. She pounded on the hood of the first car in line. The sleeping driver bolted upright with a startled yelp. Vittoria yanked open the rear door and pushed Langdon inside. Then she jumped in behind him. â€Å"Santa Maria del Popolo,† she ordered. â€Å"Presto!† Looking delirious and half terrified, the driver hit the accelerator, peeling out down the street. 63 Gunther Glick had assumed control of the computer from Chinita Macri, who now stood hunched in the back of the cramped BBC van staring in confusion over Glick’s shoulder. â€Å"I told you,† Glick said, typing some more keys. â€Å"The British Tattler isn’t the only paper that runs stories on these guys.† Macri peered closer. Glick was right. The BBC database showed their distinguished network as having picked up and run six stories in the past ten years on the brotherhood called the Illuminati. Well, paint me purple, she thought. â€Å"Who are the journalists who ran the stories,† Macri asked. â€Å"Schlock jocks?† â€Å"BBC doesn’t hire schlock jocks.† â€Å"They hired you.† Glick scowled. â€Å"I don’t know why you’re such a skeptic. The Illuminati are well documented throughout history.† â€Å"So are witches, UFOs, and the Loch Ness Monster.† Glick read the list of stories. â€Å"You ever heard of a guy called Winston Churchill?† â€Å"Rings a bell.† â€Å"BBC did a historical a while back on Churchill’s life. Staunch Catholic by the way. Did you know that in 1920 Churchill published a statement condemning the Illuminati and warning Brits of a worldwide conspiracy against morality?† Macri was dubious. â€Å"Where did it run? In the British Tattler?† Glick smiled. â€Å"London Herald. February 8, 1920.† â€Å"No way.† â€Å"Feast your eyes.† Macri looked closer at the clip. London Herald. Feb. 8, 1920. I had no idea. â€Å"Well, Churchill was a paranoid.† â€Å"He wasn’t alone,† Glick said, reading further. â€Å"Looks like Woodrow Wilson gave three radio broadcasts in 1921 warning of growing Illuminati control over the U.S. banking system. You want a direct quote from the radio transcript?† â€Å"Not really.† Glick gave her one anyway. â€Å"He said, ‘There is a power so organized, so subtle, so complete, so pervasive, that none had better speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.’ â€Å" â€Å"I’ve never heard anything about this.† â€Å"Maybe because in 1921 you were just a kid.† â€Å"Charming.† Macri took the jab in stride. She knew her years were showing. At forty-three, her bushy black curls were streaked with gray. She was too proud for dye. Her mom, a Southern Baptist, had taught Chinita contentedness and self-respect. When you’re a black woman, her mother said, ain’t no hiding what you are. Day you try, is the day you die. Stand tall, smile bright, and let ’em wonder what secret’s making you laugh. â€Å"Ever heard of Cecil Rhodes?† Glick asked. Macri looked up. â€Å"The British financier?† â€Å"Yeah. Founded the Rhodes Scholarships.† â€Å"Don’t tell me – â€Å" â€Å"Illuminatus.† â€Å"BS.† â€Å"BBC, actually. November 16, 1984.† â€Å"We wrote that Cecil Rhodes was Illuminati?† â€Å"Sure did. And according to our network, the Rhodes Scholarships were funds set up centuries ago to recruit the world’s brightest young minds into the Illuminati.† â€Å"That’s ridiculous! My uncle was a Rhodes Scholar!† Glick winked. â€Å"So was Bill Clinton.† Macri was getting mad now. She had never had tolerance for shoddy, alarmist reporting. Still, she knew enough about the BBC to know that every story they ran was carefully researched and confirmed. â€Å"Here’s one you’ll remember,† Glick said. â€Å"BBC, March 5, 1998. Parliament Committee Chair, Chris Mullin, required all members of British Parliament who were Masons to declare their affiliation.† Macri remembered it. The decree had eventually extended to include policemen and judges as well. â€Å"Why was it again?† Glick read. â€Å"†¦ concern that secret factions within the Masons exerted considerable control over political and financial systems.† â€Å"That’s right.† â€Å"Caused quite a bustle. The Masons in parliament were furious. Had a right to be. The vast majority turned out to be innocent men who joined the Masons for networking and charity work. They had no clue about the brotherhood’s past affiliations.† â€Å"Alleged affiliations.† â€Å"Whatever.† Glick scanned the articles. â€Å"Look at this stuff. Accounts tracing the Illuminati back to Galileo, the Guerenets of France, the Alumbrados of Spain. Even Karl Marx and the Russian Revolution.† â€Å"History has a way of rewriting itself.† â€Å"Fine, you want something current? Have a look at this. Here’s an Illuminati reference from a recent Wall Street Journal.† This caught Macri’s ear. â€Å"The Journal?† â€Å"Guess what the most popular Internet computer game in America is right now?† â€Å"Pin the tail on Pamela Anderson.† â€Å"Close. It’s called, Illuminati: New World Order.† Macri looked over his shoulder at the blurb. â€Å"Steve Jackson Games has a runaway hit†¦ a quasi-historical adventure in which an ancient satanic brotherhood from Bavaria sets out to take over the world. You can find them on-line at†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Macri looked up, feeling ill. â€Å"What do these Illuminati guys have against Christianity?† â€Å"Not just Christianity,† Glick said. â€Å"Religion in general.† Glick cocked his head and grinned. â€Å"Although from the phone call we just got, it appears they do have a special spot in their hearts for the Vatican.† â€Å"Oh, come on. You don’t really think that guy who called is who he claims to be, do you?† â€Å"A messenger of the Illuminati? Preparing to kill four cardinals?† Glick smiled. â€Å"I sure hope so.†

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Business ethics - Essay Example â€Å"It is often said that deontologists unlike consequentialists believe that there are certain acts that are wrong in themselves† (Lippert-Rasmussen, 2010: p15). In other words, deontology indicates that there are things that are inherently right and things that are inherently wrong. One does not need to question why they are so. One must just do it because that is the right thing to do. There are no debates about it. Thus, a distinction is made between deontology and consequentialist philosophy on the grounds that consequentialists mainly examine the bigger picture of the results of a given activity or process. Hence, they evaluate the consequences and the impact of a given activity or process. However, deontology differs significantly because it supports the position that things are inherently either bad or good. And a person must choose one and not question it. Basford and Selvin commented in deontology and stated that â€Å"... they are ethics of duty and principle as they relate to what is intrinsically good, they are often seen as encompassing virtue ethics† (2012, p215). This implies that deontology supports the idea that doing what is right is a duty. And it is inherently so because some higher power or authority requires what is write in a strict and prescribed format. Hence, there is no room for negotiation and compromise. Deontology forms a class of absolute ethics – and it must be done irrespective of the circumstances or the situation at hand (Kelly and Magill, 2009). People must do what is required and prescribed and there is no need to examine or factor in the consequences of the action. If it is right, it must be done. If it is wrong, it must not be done. This is a form of ethic based on moral obligation and it is determined by principles and ideas (Hitchcock et al, 2012). Teleological ethics on the other hand, are consequentialist ethics that are based on the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Information System Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Information System Development - Essay Example   Ã‚  The third stage is system design, which specifies the functions and operations of the new system. The fourth stage is system acquisition, where an organization purchases the necessary components of the system. The fifth stage is system implementation, where the responsible personnel installs and tests the new system to make it operational (Papadopoulos, 2008). The final stage is system maintenance, where there are regular adjustments to maintain its operational status until the system’s life elapses.   The approaches to system development have their differences. The System Development Life Cycle uses stages of system development, and therefore requires a lot of time to implement. The other approach is prototyping, which involves the creation of an experimental model in a quicker and cheaper manner. The other approach is use of packages, where an organization purchases fully developed programs. The other approach is the End-user development, where an organization buil ds a system with less technical assistance, using the end-users. Finally, outsourcing is the other approach, where an organization uses external vendors for the development and operation of its information system (Davies, 2011).   In the conception activities of system development, there is the creation of a feasibility report and formulation of recommendations regarding a system. System analysis involves data collection, analysis, and documentation. For instance, the data collection occurs through interviews or observations, for the determination and documentation.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Leadership for Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership for Organizations - Essay Example This intentional feature of acquiescence distinguishes from the various kinds of manipulations reliant on official power. The final aspect focuses on the fact that the consequences of leadership lead to deriving desired behavior from the followers. These desired actions are supposed to be decisive and are targeted towards an intention in a particular organizational structure. In other words, leadership is the competence of an individual to channelize and to stimulate the followers for the reason of exerting increased endeavor towards the accomplishment and effectiveness of the organization (Weiss, 2011). The paper intends to comprehend the leadership style that would be best suited to ensure the degree of success of an organization. Thus, this paper will make an attempt towards comprehending and evaluating the key concepts of leadership in a particular organization. The organization chosen for the reason of realizing the purpose of the paper is the Ashford Rotary Club. Leadership The ory & Its Way of Working Transformational Theories The transformational theories or this particular approach entails the basic notion that alteration and the function of leadership is predicting and putting into practice the reconstruction in terms of performance in the organizations. Leaders pursuing this approach help in prompting emotions within the followers which are perceived to stimulate them in order to behave in a definite way that can be referred as exchange relations. Transformational leaders are generally learnt to have a good vision and adequate management skills in order to generate an emotional union with the concerned followers. It has been noticed that the leaders possess a tendency to motivate the followers with the intention to attain the purposes that go further than their respective self interest (Boyle, 2003). Transformational leaders are known to entail three core characteristics and they are motivation, empowerment and morality. The motivational factor in suc h leaders is learnt to aim at the upper-order needs, for instance self-actualization in comparison to the other fundamental behavioral as well as emotional needs. The feature of morality emphasizes on the development of the followers. This particular core feature engages the incorporation of the moral values in relation to a particular organization within the followers which aids in giving rise to united orientation among the group members. Finally, the trait or quality of empowerment entails decisive independence, dynamic task management along with effectiveness of the individuals. Therefore, the three features of the transformational leaders help in attaining the following mentioned factors with regard to the followers (Boyle, 2003). An instance can be observed in terms of the President of the Ashford Rotary Club who acts as a leader for the members by guiding them. The President is known to follow a transformational style of leadership as he strongly motivates the members towards serving the community to the maximum. He never fails to admire or acknowledge the work done by his members and makes it a point to speak about the achievements of the respective members with the others. This helps in strongly encouraging the members in exerting increased efforts towards the attainment of the objectives of the Rotary Club despite witnessing grave problems such as dearth of funds (Ashford Rotary Club, n.d.). Effect of Power &

Stage Two Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stage Two - Assignment Example n stage, one of the projects a case study was conducted and it came to revelation that the information technology of the place should be improved in order to meet the objectives of the management. This paper will explain how a technology solution suggested in the case study in stage one will improve the process; come up with a specific technology solution and the effects of the technological solution to the business. The proposed system in which the restaurant will work is when the introduction of a new technological system will depend if the customer had made an earlier reservation order through the restaurants website or not. If the customer had made one, he will find his or her table reserved and a waiter waiting for the customer’s arrival. The customer will provide the order number, which he obtained from the website after making the reservation. The waiter will signal the number to the counter where it will be instantly transmitted to the kitchen monitor to ensure the order is ready. IF the customer had not made a reservation on the website he will undergo go almost the same process but instead of giving the order number to the waiter, the customer will make the order will the waiter note them down in the I- pad. The chosen process will work effectively with a good and reliable technology in because it will reduce the movement of the waiters going to the counter to present orders req uested by the customer. Furthermore, the process will be fast compared to the old process because within a minute the kitchen would have received an order of a certain customer. The Deli management should ensure each table has at most two I-pads in which the customer will use to make orders. The I-pads should contain software that would be easy to use for those who are computer illiterates and the level of speed in the I-pads should be high. The management should consider making the joint be a Wi-Fi hot spot. The hot spot may attract more customers who want to do their office

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Media Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Media Literacy - Essay Example And Im never the kind of person to base reality on the contents of a movie because, if that were the deal, the movie industry would be crap. I am genuinely interested in Jack and Rose, the main characters of Titanic. Their romance is not based on eternity and doesn’t consist of well-versed lines or cliches. They seem like real people brought together by difficult circumstances. Its refreshing to watch two people hawking loogies off the boat deck and having a great time together. There is sexual tension, but it doesnt dominate. It feels like one of those relationships that when the passion wears off you still have a deep, abiding friendship and love. And, above all, they dont assume they will love each other forever and dont let each other get in between living life to the fullest. They are just living day by day as are the rest of us. Trying to get by. Something that is so heartbreaking is the way the characters lose this innocence throughout the movie as the plot unravels. They change throughout the story and through their devastating experiences. We see Rose board the Titanic feeling trapped and bogged down by the superficial upper class society, and doesnt ever believe she can break free. But, by the end of the movie, she is free and goes on to live a very colorful life. On the other hand, we have Jack who is free and, well, a drifter. Hes gotten around a lot, but theres a very endearing innocence and good nature to his personality that casts a light-hearted feel on the first half of the show. Sadly, he doesnt live to see the day following the sinking and, while the ship is going down, its interesting to watch his facial expressions because I see pain, fear, and a sort of disillusionment. The special effects in this film are absolutely amazing. In the first half of the movie, our eyes are able to drink in the costumes and striking reconstruction of the actual ship. The second half always sends chills down my spine because it transports you to

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The Impossibility of Religious Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Impossibility of Religious Freedom - Essay Example The arguments leading to the determination of the case are in themselves suggestive of the position taken by Sullivan. The court’s determination argument, the free religious practice of rights must be based on a sincerely held religious belief†¦Moreover, that Holt proved it, by being neither slight nor idiosyncratic with tenets of Islam is arbitrary. The argument as explained by Sullivan essentially means that it rests with the courts to debate and establish whether or not the religiously-motivated practices are enjoying protection under the first amendment of the constitution. The court had to determine the growth of mustache was sincerely and genuinely motivated by the Islam religion. The condition in itself amounts to a violation of the religious freedom in the sense that the interrogation of legitimacy. Sullivan ably supports his position that â€Å"through interrogating the legitimacy of religious behavior in this first instance, the court fundamentally destroys the very idea of religious freedom. He continues, By requiring authentication of the religious motivation, the courts extend free exercise clause onto the behavior that is legitimized by virtue of external proofs like sacred texts, clerical pronouncements, widespread adherence or historical tradition. The argument implies that by the courts attempting to widen the scope of free practice, to accommodate all the subjective and unsubstantiated claims of motivating religion, they risk subjecting all the laws to exceptions.

Friday, August 23, 2019

(Interpretive Essay on Women in the 19th Century)

(Interpretive on Women in the 19th Century) - Essay Example This is the period when work for a woman became different. This is attributed to the fact that women during the 19th century gained access to rights and even embraced working away from home, as opposed the prior concept of women always working at home. With regard to this, this essay will discuss some evolutionary cases in regard to women in the 19th century in relation to #87 Nickerson's Case, #89 Mercein vs People Ex Rel Barry, #96 Declaration of Seneca Falls convention, #136 Bradwell vs ILL, #137 Minor vs Happersett. Women’s position in the family during the 19th century and decency During this period, women were meant to respect the father as the head of the family as seen from the #89 Mercein vs People Ex Rel Barry. According to this case, Barry, the father of the infant expected to be granted more opinions and privileges on the infant more than the mother of the child. This is related to prior ways of handling issues of the family before 19th century. It is the judge Mer cein who changed this perception especially to individuals like Barry and made it clear that both the parents needed to provide custody for the child (Rife & Smith, 2002). Nickerson’s case is another evidence of what women not being considered to play important roles in the development of their children; this is related to biasness that was implicated on the mother of the child when handling issues on custody. This is also the period that women were not allowed to make any statements in the public, and the divorce laws always favored the man of the family, who was always considered to be the head of the family. Women in most instances could not make any contracts, appear in lawsuits as one of the witnesses in a case, or even initiate laws suits. During this period, most of the women who were now categorized to be in the working class category increasingly shunned marriage (Rife & Smith, 2002). Women’s rights in the 19th century in education Initially, women were meant not to proclaim self-independence as attributed to the fact that most of them were not allowed to go for proper education, thus not allowed into profession. It is through #96 Declaration of Seneca Falls conventions that women’s perception on being self-independent came out clearly. The year 1865, women were given an opportunity to pursue their careers, for instance, become doctors. This can be evidenced from the first woman to become a doctor, Elizabeth Garrett in the year 1836-1917. This is the period that she also managed to become the first female mayor of her town. Most of the female lawyers and dentists were produced during this period (Rife & Smith, 2002). It is through this convention that women could now be legitimate owners of some properties, serve in the juries as key decision makers and also the issue of voting rights was brought in to light during this period. As a result, women begun to have almost an equal power to men in the society. For example, the case base d on Seneca Falls convention, was mainly meant to address the major issues on women’s right. This mainly touched social issues, economic, religious and political. This followed that, in the year 1884 and the following years, most of the women were allowed to attend classes at Oxford University and also take their examinations seriously for the first time. Although they were given the opportunity to take their exami

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Treating traumatic stress in children and adolescents Essay Example for Free

Treating traumatic stress in children and adolescents Essay Introduction                      Trauma, according to the National Trauma Society, is the among the leading causes of death in the last forty years and accounts for close to 80 percent of the general population in the US. The study shows that children and adults are the common victims; approximately half of the adult population in their late teens is victims to a case of maltreatment or trauma while about 25 percent report more cases. Chemtob and Abramovtiz (2008) undertook studies in preschool and noted 53% of the children experiencing 1 of the 13 cases. This figure however secludes other causes of trauma, as it does not entail sexual and physical abuse. Trauma starting at such an early stage in life sets the ground for psychopathology in later stages of life. This paper shall focus on the nature of traumatic injury, what causes it, the varied forms of trauma present and how to cope as well as vital treatments available. Traumatic Experience                      Trauma is any case that experiences a prolonged or irregular harm of the body. The experience is life threatening and may overwhelm the mechanisms in the body vital in protecting the body. Several people go through many instances of trauma. Severe trauma like combat exposure and serious accidents are common instances. However, even the most successful people face traumatic experiences. Issues in childbirth, sickness or injury, parental drunkenness or insanity as well a parental divorce are common instances of traumatic instances for children (Boer, and Verken, 2009). In future, motor vehicle cases, surgical processes, lack of employment or passing away of loved family members are all cases that are life threatening. The issue regarding trauma or other bad experiences is the level at which it affects with the happiness of an individual. Other people can succumb to depression and dysfunction even from less what appears as less serious cases. This form s of reactions relates to an individual’s health and how much trauma the have experienced in the earlier part of their life. When one is able to go through hard times in life, like being happy, then the traumatic event forms part of their past allowing them to live their present life. In cases where the traumatic cases are not well managed or connected to the body, then an individual’s experiences is lived as though the past and present are still connected. A good instance a Vietnam person who is aware of his mental condition that is at present while his body still lives as though it is still in the early 70s. The person is bound to suffer from panic attacks and paranoia on a daily basis and this noted from the varied symptoms of misery (Blaustein, Kinniburgh, 2007). The body processes and not the actual event that took place are the main causes of the post-traumatic dysfunction. The war that took place in Vietnam took place long in the past. The events that take place in him are memories to people who have not recovered. The trends in the person’s body and nervous system operation, that started much earlier, form the basis of emotions, and thoughts that make a person agonize over unresolved trauma. There are several forms of trauma, like natural di sasters which experts states is common in 13-30 percent of people who have gone through such experiences of natural disasters. The natural disasters may range from earthquakes, fires, floods, and volcanic eruptions. Other forms of traumatic event comprise of mass interpersonal violence, fires, vehicle accidents, sexual assaults and violence among others. Early Development of Trauma                      Getting to know of the ways interpersonal relationships at the start of life affects the progress of neural pathways used in self-regulation. This is vital as it helps us know the formation of an individual’s personality, behavior, and persistent trend in the family dynamics. A psych neurobiological aspect that is keen on the first years of a person’s life when the human brain is growing rapidly those other parts of their life. Traumatic events have an impact on a person’s mind and body and have long-term impact on their life. Secure attachment bonds are the most effective process to help in coping against trauma-induced psychopathology in children and adults (Blaustein, Kinniburgh, 2007). The increasing number of children who have the signs of psychiatric disorder in the modern day and create challenges to community and mental state to assess the vital elements of attachment formation and the time many people believe is the ba sis where all psychiatric disorders arise. Nature and Causes of Trauma                      A person’s life goes through several issues among them; a review one’s life in terms of the success, failures and things set to achieve; looking for a meaning in life like their place in the society, things valued against expectations; conversant of ageing, the goals to meet and; the physical attributes like grey hair, and hormones. These changes in a person’s life affect a person’s life resulting to depression and trauma. Trauma events can be objective or subjective lacking the ability to control something. Traumatic cases may not arise due to disasters; they can also be due to accidents, and stress. This makes a person to suffer from varied signs of trauma. There is similarly other factor in the social realm like trauma like war or politics that can lead to extensive or unexpected cases of trauma. Cases like when one watches dangerous instances that may lead to the death of a person or witnessing the death of a person c an cause trauma, while instances of human rights violations like kidnapping or torture are most common causes of posttraumatic disorders (PSTD)( Alexander, 2012). There are also cases of domestic violence that cause trauma like marriages, child abuse and sexual cases. Studies show that sexual violence is a common cause of trauma. The trauma may have notable effects on a person’s emotions. Avoiding emotional distress is viable but may not work; however, stopping emotions can be stopped by intense emotions. Therefore, there is a probability to manage emotions, reflect, and control them before they become hard to control. Emotions like fear and anxiety are notable in experiences. Keeping aware of things allows one to apply defense mechanisms before they go out of hand. Additionally, it is necessary that one becomes aware of the symptoms of trauma. Every person responds differently, this can lead to emotions like anger and fear and it may be destructive on an individual’s life like keeping distance from friends and misusing drugs. It is easy to see a person with traumatic signs. They are grouped into physical, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive signs. A person’s body may react by facing pains, tiredness, lack of appetite, and lack of sleep. These signs are common irrespective of the physical condition of the person. The emotional signs arising from trauma are fear and anxiety, shock and belief. This makes a person become overwhelmed. The emotional stress that arises due to trauma can affect a person’s behavior and their relation with other people (Blaustein, Kinniburgh, 2010). They remove themselves from the social setup, start abusing drugs, and acquire poor tendencies. The pattern of though acquired by a person is affected by the event and cognitive signs like poor concentration, and difficulty making decisions arise. These signs begin once the traumatic event is experienced. This event is hard to recover from and may take up to years to acquire their original state. The victim-based elements can lead to variations of the impact of traumatic experiences, which regard to: gender, age and lifestyle, and nervous system as well as the distress surrounding the experience. Trauma can alter the meaning of life and create feelings and experiences not easily grouped in diagnostic guidebooks. These existential effects comprise of notable emptiness, lack of connection with the spiritual being or disruptions in ability to care and trust (Arvidson, et. al., 2011). There exist varied forms of traumatic reactions like depression, psychotic depression, anxiety, and stress. Trends applied in the flow of energy and information defined as chaotic states show the absence of resolution of trauma. The impact is that it interferes with the capacity to adapt to changes in an environment. The attachment association at the start of life shapes the maturity of a child’s brain, which starts an adaptive activity in the assessment visual and auditory socio-emotional communicative signs and stress reaction. This model of critical understanding into child development similarly operates in teenagers and adults. Reid states that trauma takes place before there is sufficient differentiation of the person from others and before one acquires the ability to symbolize, a child is not able to remove itself from experience. This is common in adults and children going through traumatic disorders. Effects of Trauma                      When faced with a dangerous situation, people in most cases go through feelings of fear and helplessness. This experience can be through physical harm or witnessing an event. After these experiences begin to go through experiences that changes how they see life. The length of time these problems are noted may have a bad impact on the victims. There are varied effects that arise from these conditions; a person may get overwhelmed with fear and others may begin showing symptoms. The most common symptoms include mental and physical re-minder of the experience(s). Re-experiencing the trauma is common in the survivors. This means that they continue to have similar mental, emotional, and physical experiences that took place sometime back. This can be thinking about the trauma, witnessing image of what took place, feeling disturbed and feeling physical impressions similar to what took place. The victims acquire the feelings and act a though the trauma is taking place again; they start feeling vulnerable, panic, anger and think of harming people (Roth, 2013). This is since they are anxious and get agitated, they get trouble sleeping and concentrating. These problems are never voluntary and the victim finds it hard to control it from taking place. Mentally, the experience can comprise, bad memories, change of mood when reminded of the event, difficulty controlling emotions due to anxiety and difficulty concentrating. There are similarly physical reactions to trauma like difficulty sleeping, getting agitated, startled by loud sounds, getting sweaty and shaky when faced with certain situations and difficulty breathing. Due to these upsetting feelings, the trauma victims in most cases behave as though they are in constant danger when stressed or something reminds them of an event. They may tend to feel unsecure in cases that are not dangerous. Since these people acquire the feeling of danger in certain circumstances, they may become aggressive in cases that are not necessary. Although going through the signs are not a pleasant feeling, they show that the body and mind are trying to handle the traumatic experience. These signs are automatic and there is a probability that going through these signs are part of the mind’s effort to make sense of what takes place. Post Traumatic Symptoms                      There are two forms of symptoms for traumatic victims: secondary and associated symptoms. In secondary symptoms, issues arise due to post-traumatic experiences and avoidance signs. For instance, since a person wants to evade talking about a traumatic experience an increased number of symptoms may arise as a result. As time goes by, the secondary symptoms are a trouble and affect the victim compared to the first experience and avoidance signs. Associated symptoms are issues that arise indirectly from excessive fear; however, it may take place because of things that take place at the time the trauma happened. For instance, a person who is psychologically traumatized in an accident may be harmed physically and depressed due to he cannot work or leave the house. There are varied issues known as secondary or associated trauma signs: aggressive tendency to other people can take place due to frustration over the ability to manage the traumatic signs (Lopez, 2012). Similarly, it can take place when other events that took place at the period of trauma make the person angry. Some people become aggressive since they grow up in a family with people overreacted when they become angry and could not manage their feelings. Since anger makes people to stay away, they similarly hinder people from creating a positive connection and getting assistance. Anger and aggression have the ability to result to job issues, marital and relationship is sues as well as loss of close associates. Similarly, guilt can arise when traumatic sign make it hard to meet the daily responsibilities. Moreover, it can take place when people start doubting their actions or what they missed in trauma. Most people in trying to resolve issues end up blaming themselves. This is not genuine and it does not take into consideration issues that arise. This leads to extensive levels of distress and can stop a person from meeting other people. The society in such cases ends up blaming the survivor and this is not right. The victims can at times feel disconnected from their friends, family, and associates. In most cases, it does not take into consideration the reason as to why the event took place and starts having trouble in expressing what they feel. After the traumatic experience, the victims are not able to handle some issues and stop trying to mend their relationships with friends and family (Roth, 2013). The victims can similarly face some physical signs and issues that arise due to facing extended period of physical distress or anxiety. They hence stop going for medical checkups, as it is constant reminder of trauma and leads to anxiety and hence poor health. The habits commonly applied by victims of trauma like consumption of alcohol have the effect of deteriorating the health of victims. Similarly, other things can take place like when going through trauma like physical injury (Lieberman, van Horn, 2008). Lastly, misuse of drugs and alcohol are other ways that people going through trauma us e to stop any bad feelings. These common steps would prove harmful to the victims in future. However, the posttraumatic experience signs and other trauma-connected issues could take up a big chunk of an individual’s attention when they do through pain, and distress. Effective Therapeutic Interventions                      People have varied meanings to their lives and this is common in their experiences and life choices made. The life forms their identity and it is shaped by psychological, cultural or event. It is hence necessary to take into consideration the elements necessary for effective management of traumatic experiences. The ability to sustain continuity at a general life perspective and trauma level is believed to be a sign of managing trauma. This ability ought to show itself and the victim should be aware. Acquiring meaning from life is a vital step in coping with trauma. The most effective process entails an inner search for value of life to the victim. Questions like why and what to achieve are some of these questions for the survivor in getting meaning. The realization of the ability of the body as a problem and solution in post-traumatic experiences results to the emergence of psychotherapy. In reference to talk therapy as a model of coping with trauma, the method acts as though the mind and emotions are an area of healing. The body processes are more accurate when compared to using talk or emotional elements (David and Driscoll, 2013). The strength and persistence of traumatic experiences shows that we are able to repeat tendencies, feelings, and thoughts in a repetitive manner. These patterns may go on for long disregarding efforts to control it. This persistence arises due to past traumatic instances having being due to life or death. The interventions affecting the ameliorating trauma ought to focus on advancing the effectiveness of psychobiological communications in the body attachments and maximizing the maturation of limbic-autonomic connections and brain systems applied in regulation. Assessing oneself is the most effective way to coping with trauma among the varied ways available in assessing oneself in cases of traumatic experience. Possessing the feeling of responsibility, guilt or passiveness are what goes through an individual. These factors start to rise when coping begins. According to psychologists and spiritual leaders, there ought to undertake several processes to cope with trauma. The first step is to taking good care of the body, it can be physical injury or emotional affliction. This is through eating fruits and a balanced diet, constant exercise like running and sit-ups as well as getting enough sleep to get a healthy body (Kuhn, and Pieramici, 2011). These steps are vital as it helps an individual cope with stressful situations and improves their mood. Additionally, one is able to mobilize their support model through creating a good relationship and connecting with others going through these experiences. When one is able to talk about what they experience they are in a good position to understand their emotions and are able to note what needs rapid action. Keeping a normal schedule is another professional measure that helps cope with trauma. The victims should stay in touch with others and avoid keeping to themselves. Their daily activities should progress as normal as this will allow them to setup themselves and acquire a sense of order and avoid life iss ues that arise. Having fun with life is another way to coping with stressful situations, as doing things that one likes; cooking, watching the television, or singing. This allows one to restore their life. Victims of traumatic experiences in most cases go through hard times in life and may feel secluded from others. In such instances, it is recommended to seek help from experts like psychiatrist, counselors, spiritual leaders, or other people who may offer valuable assistance (Allen, 2008). In this regard, meditation and prayer are useful ways and is often encouraged by spiritual leaders like pastors and priests. Looking for spiritual guidance could be of great help to victims in getting to understand and get answers to questions or doubts people face in life. In all the efforts applied to help victims of trauma to cope with the condition, it is highly recommended that they do not do things that would aggravate their condition. This could be like avoiding drug, stressful environments, and harmful people. It is common for trauma victims to engage in drugs as a way to ease their pain. However, professional studies and advice show that these drugs pose a harm in any progress made to get b etter (Legome, and Shockley, 2011). It is hence more advisable to take time and follow doctors and pastor’s advice. Taking time off to relax, walk in parks and listening to soothing music is helpful. Spending time with family and friends are also vital in soothing the mind.   Spiritual and Practical Methods to coping with Trauma                      Trauma is both a psychological and emotional change of the body. An effective of treating the mind is through soothing the mind and acquiring meaning to life. This can be through use of spiritual and practical measures in handling trauma. Spiritual leaders like pastors and priests are known and keen to handling depression and trauma. They help individuals to handle depression and trauma. They are of the belief that prayer allows us to handle issue we face in life. Christians see trauma as one where it stimulates through the feel of guilt or harming other people’s feelings as well as having outlived God’s will leading to depression. Moreover, when one has the feeling of death, it can harm and lead to trauma (Johnson, 2011). In this regard, meditation on the Holy Scriptures, prayer and other spiritual activities can allow one have the ‘balm of Gilead’ that heals the sick or sin. References are made to the scriptures on how G od comforts the depressed and not pulled down by depressions. There is justification for spiritual healing, though spiritual leaders call upon their follows to acquire a more practical model and look for treatment from health professionals. Conclusion                      Posttraumatic experience is a condition that causes much distress to its victims. This paper has focused on varied issues that relate to posttraumatic experiences and considers it an act of detachment of the memory from the self. It focused on the causes of trauma. They are varied types like those caused by natural disasters; floods, fire, and earthquake: there those that arise from personal experience like sexual harassment, rape, accidents, and death. Its victims have symptoms that are easy to identify like depression, lack of concentration, sweaty and shaky. They have some memories that trigger a reaction of fear and insecurity. The victims end up being in a state that they lose control of themselves. The effects that arise from this condition is that they can harm themselves and those close to them, they become detached from the social setup and this may lead to them getting involved in drugs and alcohol to cope with it. It is treatable and this is through psychotherapy, which involves the victims, process and integrates so that they can in the end work as other memories work as opposed to working on its own. Therapy entails handling and comforting the victim to restore the feeling of safety. They victims here are allowed to tell their story and are able to understand themselves and their environment in a setting of light and hence restore relationships. This process is with the help of professionals like counselors and psychiatrists. Similarly, the treatment can take a spiritual turn where pastors and priests help the trauma victims to cope with their conditions. Spiritual and professional are vital as they help restore the person in a state of peace and tranquility. Overall, trauma victims need a lot of love, care, and consideration for them to get back to their initial state. They need to go through exercises, relaxation and go about their normal activities with the help of friends and family. 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