The Stupidest Angel Chapter 11

Chapter 11 A SLUG TRAIL OF GOOD CHEER He might have been made of polished mahogany except that when he moved, he moved like liquid. The stage lights reflected green and red off his bald head as he swayed on the stool and teased the strings of a blond Stratocaster with the severed neck of a beer bottle. His name was Catfish Jefferson, and he was seventy, or eighty, or one hundred years old, and not unlike Roberto the fruit bat, he wore sunglasses indoors. Catfish was a bluesman, and on the night before the night before Christmas, he was singing up a forlorn twelve-bar blues fog in the Head of the Slug saloon. Caught my baby boning Santa, Underneath the mistletoe (Lawd have mercy). Caught my baby boning Santa, Underneath the mistletoe. Used to be my Christmas angel, Now she just a Christmas ho. â€Å"I hear dat!† shouted Gabe Fenton. â€Å"Sho-nufF, sho-nuff. True dat, my brutha.† Theophilus Crowe looked at his friend, just one in a whole line of awkward, heartbroken men at the bar, rocking almost in rhythm to the beat, and shook his head. â€Å"Could you possibly be any whiter?† Theo asked. â€Å"I gots the blues up in me,† Gabe said. â€Å"She sho-nuff did me wrong.† Gabe had been drinking. Theo, while not quite sober, had not. (He had shared a toothpick-thin spliff of Big Sur polio weed with Catfish Jefferson between sets, the two of them standing in the back parking lot of the Slug, trying to coax fire out of a disposable lighter in a forty-knot wind.) â€Å"Didn't think you muthafuckas had weather here,† Catfish croaked, having sucked the joint so far down that the ember looked like the burning eye of a demon staring out of a cave of dark finger and lip. (The calluses on the tips of his fingers were impervious to the heat.) â€Å"El Ni;o,† Theo said, letting loose a blast of smoke. â€Å"Say what?† â€Å"It's a warm ocean current in the Pacific. Comes up the coast every ten years or so. Screws up the fishing, brings torrential rains, storms. They think we might be having an El Nià ±o this year.† â€Å"When will they know?† The bluesman had put on his leather fedora and was holding it fast against the wind. â€Å"Usually after everything floods, the wine crop is ruined, and a lot of cliffside houses slide into the ocean.† â€Å"And dat because the water too warm?† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"No wonder the whole country hate your ass,† said Catfish. â€Å"Let's go inside fo' my narrow ass gets blowed back to Clarksville.† â€Å"It's not that bad,† said Theo. â€Å"I think it'll blow over.† Winter denial – Theo did it, most Californians did it – they assumed that because the weather was nice most of the time, it would be nice all of the time, and so, in the midst of a rainstorm, you'd find people outdoors without an umbrella, or when nights dipped into the thirties, you'd still see someone dip-pumping his gas in surfer shorts and a tank top. So even as the National Weather Service was telling the Central Coast to batten down the hatches, as they were about to get the storm of the decade, and even though winds were gusting to fifty knots a full day before the storm made landfall, the people of Pine Cove carried on with their holiday routine like nothing out of the ordinary could happen to them. Winter denial: therein lay the key to California Schadenfreude – the secret joy that the rest of the country feels at the misfortune of California. The country said: â€Å"Look at them, with their fitness and their tans, their beaches and their movie stars, their Silicon Valley and silicone breasts, their orange bridge and their palm trees. God, I hate those smug, sunshiny bastards!† Because if you're up to your navel in a snowdrift in Ohio, nothing warms your heart like the sight of California on fire. If you're shoveling silt out of your basement in the Fargo flood zone, nothing brightens your day like watching a Malibu mansion tumbling down a cliff into the sea. And if a tornado just peppered the land around your Oklahoma town with random trailer trash and redneck nuggets, then you can find a quantum of solace in the fact that the earth actually opened up in the San Fernando Valley and swallowed a whole caravan of commuting SUVs. Mavis Sand even indulged in a little California Schadenfreude, and she was a Californian born and raised. Secretly, she wished for and enjoyed the forest fires every year. Not so much because she liked watching the state burn down, but because for Mavis's money, there was nothing better than watching a burly man in rubber handling a hefty hose, and during the fires, there were plenty of those on the news. â€Å"Fruitcake?† Mavis said, offering a suspicious slice on a dessert plate to Gabe Fenton, who was drunkenly trying to convince Theo Crowe that he had a genetic predisposition toward the blues, using some impressively large words that no one but he understood, and periodically asking if he could get an ;amen; and â€Å"five up high,† which, as it turned out, he could not. What he could get was fruitcake. â€Å"Mercy, mercy, my momma done made a fruitcake look just like that,† Gabe howled. â€Å"Lawd rest her soul.† Gabe reached for the plate, but Theo intercepted it and held it out of the biologist's reach. â€Å"First,† Theo said, â€Å"your mother was an anthro professor and never baked a thing in her life, and second, she is not dead, and third, you are an atheist.† â€Å"Can I get an amen?!† Gabe countered. Theo raised an eyebrow of accusation toward Mavis. â€Å"I thought we talked about no fruitcake this year.† The prior Christmas, Mavis's fruitcake had put two people into detox. She'd sworn that it would be the last year. Mavis shrugged. â€Å"This cake's nearly a virgin. There's only a quart of rum and barely a handful of Vicodin.† â€Å"Let's not,† Theo said, handing the plate back. â€Å"Fine,† Mavis said. â€Å"But get your buddy off his blues jag. He's embarrassing me. And I once blew a burro in a nightclub and wasn't embarrassed, so that's saying something.† â€Å"Jeez, Mavis,† Theo said, trying to shake the picture from his mind. â€Å"What? I didn't have my glasses on. I thought he was a hirsute insurance salesman with talent.† â€Å"I'd better get him home,† Theo said, nudging Gabe, who had turned his attention to a young woman on his right who was wearing a low-cut red sweater and had been moving from stool to stool all night long, waiting for someone to talk to her. â€Å"Hi,† Gabe said to the woman's cleavage. â€Å"I'm not involved in the human experience and I have no redeeming qualities as a man.† â€Å"Me either,† said Tucker Case, from the stool on the other side of the red-sweater woman. â€Å"Do people keep telling you that you're a psychopath, too? I hate that.† Tucker Case, under several layers of glibness and guile, was actually quite broken up over his breakup with Lena Marquez. It wasn't so much that she had become a part of his life in the two days he had known her, but that she had begun to represent hope. And as the Buddha said: â€Å"Hope is merely another face of desire. And desire is a motherfucker.† He'd gone out seeking human company to help dilute the disappointment. In another time, he'd have picked up the first woman he encountered, but his man-slut days had left him lonelier than ever, and he would not tread that lubricious path again. â€Å"So,† Tuck said to Gabe, â€Å"did you just get dumped?† â€Å"She led me on,† Gabe said. â€Å"She tore my guts out. Evil, thy name is woman!† â€Å"Don't talk to him,† Theo said, taking Gabe by the shoulder and unsuccessfully trying to pull him off his bar stool. â€Å"This guy's no good.† The young woman sitting between Tuck and Gabe looked from one to the other, then to Theo, then at her breasts, then at the men, as if to say, Are you guys blind? I've been sitting here all night, with these, and you're going to ignore me. Tucker Case was ignoring her – well, except for inspecting her sweater cakes as he talked to Gabe and Theo. â€Å"Look, Constable, maybe we got off on the wrong foot –  » â€Å"Wrong foot?† Theo's voice almost broke. As upset as he appeared, he appeared to be talking to the woman in the red sweater's breasts, rather than to Tucker Case, who was only a foot beyond them. â€Å"You threatened me.† â€Å"He did?† said Gabe, angling for a better look down the red sweater. â€Å"That's harsh, buddy. Theo just got thrown out of the house.† â€Å"Can you believe guys our age can still fall so hard?† Tuck said to Theo, looking up from the cleavage to convey his sincerity. He felt bad about blackmailing Theo, but, much like helping Lena hide the body, sometimes certain unpleasantries needed to be done, and being a pilot and a man of action, he did them. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Theo asked. â€Å"Well, Lena and I have parted ways, Constable. Shortly after you and I spoke this morning.† â€Å"Really?† Now Theo looked up from the woolly mounds of intrigue. â€Å"Really,† Tuck said. â€Å"And I'm sorry things happened the way they did.† â€Å"That doesn't really change anything, does it?† â€Å"Would it make a difference if I told you that I absolutely did not harm this alleged Dale Pearson, and neither did Lena?† â€Å"I don't think he was alleged,† said Gabe, slurring at the breasts. â€Å"I'm pretty sure he was confirmed Dale Pearson.† â€Å"Whatever,† said Tuck. â€Å"Would that change anything? Would you believe that?† Theo didn't speak right away but appeared to be waiting for an answer from the decolletage oracle. When he looked up at Tuck again he said, â€Å"Yeah, I believe you.† Tuck nearly aspirated the ginger ale he was drinking. When he stopped sputtering he said, â€Å"Wow, you suck as a lawman, Theo. You can't just believe a strange guy who tells you something in a bar.† Tuck wasn't accustomed to being believed by anyone, so to have someone take him at face value†¦ â€Å"Hey, hey, hey,† said Gabe. â€Å"That's uncalled for –  » â€Å"Well, fuck you guys!† said the woman in the red sweater. She jumped up from her stool and snatched her keys off the bar. â€Å"I am a person, too, you know? And these are not speakerphones,† she said, grabbing her breasts underneath and shaking them at the offenders, her keys jingling cheerfully as she did, completely defusing the effect of her anger. â€Å"Oh – my – God,† said Gabe. â€Å"You can't just ignore a person like that! Besides, you're all too old and you're losers and I'd rather be alone on Christmas than spend five minutes with any of you horn dogs!† And with that she threw some cash on the bar, turned, and stormed out of the bar. Because they were men, Theo, Tuck, and Gabe watched her ass as she walked away. â€Å"Too old?† Tuck said. â€Å"She was what, twenty-seven, twenty-eight?† â€Å"Yeah,† Theo said. â€Å"Late twenties, maybe early thirties. I didn't think we were ignoring her.† Mavis Sand took the money off the bar and shook her head. â€Å"You were all paying her proper attention. Woman's got some issues when she's jealous of her own parts.† â€Å"I was thinking about icebergs,† said Gabe. â€Å"About how only ten percent of them show above the surface, yet below lies the really dangerous part. Oh, no, I got the blues on me again.† His head hit the bar and bounced. Tuck looked to Theo. â€Å"You want some help getting him to the car?† â€Å"He's a very smart guy,† said Theo. â€Å"He has a couple of Ph.D.s.† â€Å"Okay. Do you want some help getting the doctor to the car?† Theo was trying to get a shoulder under Gabe's arm, but given that he was nearly a foot taller than his friend, things weren't working very well. â€Å"Theo,† Mavis barked. â€Å"Don't be such a friggin' wanker. Let the man help you.† After three unsuccessful attempts at hefting the bag of sand that was Gabe Fenton, Theo nodded to Tuck. They each took an arm and walked/dragged the biologist toward the back door. â€Å"If he hurls I'm aiming him at you,† Theo said. â€Å"Lena loved these shoes,† said Tuck. â€Å"But you do what you feel like you need to.† â€Å"I have no sex appeal, a rum-pa-pa-pum,† sang Gabe Fenton, in spirit with the season. â€Å"My social skills are nil, a rum-pa-pa-pum.† â€Å"Did that actually rhyme?† asked Tuck. â€Å"He's a bright guy,† said Theo. Mavis creaked ahead of them and held the door. â€Å"So, I'll see you pathetic losers at the Lonesome Christmas party, right?† They stopped, looked at one another, felt camaraderie in their collective loserdom, and reluctantly nodded. â€Å"My lunch is coming up, a rum-pa-pa-pum,† sang Gabe. Meanwhile, the girls were running around the Santa Rosa Chapel, putting up decorations and preparing the table settings for a Lonesome Christmas. Lena Marquez was making her third circumnavigation of the room with a stepladder, some masking tape, and rolls of green and red crepe paper the size of truck tires. (Price Club in San Junipero only sold one size, evidently so you could decorate your entire ocean liner without making two trips.) The act of serial festooning had taken Lena's mind off her troubles, but now the little chapel was starting to resemble nothing more than the nest of a color-blind Ewok. If someone didn't intervene soon the Lonesome Christmas guests would be in danger of being asphyxiated in a festive dungeon of holiday bondage. Fortunately, as Lena was moving the ladder to make her fourth round, Molly Michon snaked a foot inside and pulled the chapel's double doors open; the wind from the growing storm swept in and tore the paper from the walls. â€Å"Well, fuck!† said Lena. The crepe paper swam in a vortex around the middle of the room, then settled into a great wad under one of the buffet tables Molly had set up to one side. â€Å"I told you a staple gun would work better than masking tape,† Molly said. She was holding three stainless-steel pans of lasagna and still managed to get the oak double doors closed against the wind with her feet. She was agile that way. â€Å"This is a historical landmark, Molly. You can't just go shooting staples into the walls.† â€Å"Right, like that matters after Armageddon. Take these downstairs to the fridge,† Molly said, handing the pans to Lena. â€Å"I'll get you the staple gun out of my car.† â€Å"What does that mean?† Lena asked. â€Å"Do you mean our relationships?† But Molly had bounded back out through the double doors into the wind. She'd been making more and more cryptic comments like that lately. Like she was talking to someone in the room besides Lena. It was strange. Lena shrugged and headed back to the little room behind the altar and the steps that led downstairs. Lena didn't like going into the basement of the chapel. It wasn't really a basement; it was more of a cellar: sandstone walls that smelled of damp earth, a concrete floor that had been poured without a vapor barrier fifty years after the cellar had been dug and so seeped moisture and formed a fine slime on top in the winter. Even when the stove was cranked and an electric heater turned on, it was never warm. Besides, the old, empty pews stored down there cast shadows that made her feel as if people were watching her. â€Å"Mmmm, lasagna,† said Marty in the Morning, your drive-time dead guy in the a.m. â€Å"Dudes and dudettes, the little lady has certainly outdone herself this time. Get a whiff of that?† The graveyard was abuzz with moldy anticipation of the Lonesome Christmas party. â€Å"It's highly inappropriate, that's what it is,† said Esther. â€Å"I suppose it's better than that horrible Mavis Sand woman barbecuing again. And how is it that she's still alive, anyway? She's older than I am.† â€Å"Than dirt, you mean?† said Jimmy Antalvo, whose faceprint was still embedded in a telephone pole on the Pacific Coast Highway, where he'd hit it at age nineteen. â€Å"Please, child, if you must be rude, at least be original,† said Malcolm Cowley. â€Å"Don't compound the tedium with cliche.† â€Å"My wife used to put a layer of hot Italian sausage between every layer of cheese and noodles,† said Arthur Tannbeau. â€Å"Now, that was some good eatin'.† â€Å"Sort of explains the heart attack, too, doesn't it?† said Bess Leander. Being poisoned had left a bitter taste in her mouth that seven years of death could not wash away. â€Å"I thought we agreed not to talk about COD guilt,† said Arthur. â€Å"Didn't we agree on that?† COD was shorthand of the dead for Cause of Death. â€Å"We did agree,† said Marty in the Morning. â€Å"I do hope that they sing ‘Good King Wenceslas, † said Esther. â€Å"Shut the fuck up about ‘Good King Wenceslas, would you? No one knows the words to ‘Good King Wenceslas, no one ever has.† â€Å"My, my, the new guy is cranky,† said Warren Talbot, who had once been a painter of landscapes but after liver failure at seventy was fertilizing one. â€Å"Well, it's gonna be a great party to listen to,† said Marty in the Morning. â€Å"Did you hear the constable's wife talking about Armageddon? She's definitely taking a cruise down the Big Nutty.† â€Å"I am not!† shouted Molly, who had come down to the basement to help Lena clear space in the two refrigerators for the salads and desserts that they had yet to unload. â€Å"Who are you talking to?† said Lena, a little frightened at the outburst. â€Å"I think I've made my point,† said Marty in the Morning.

Achieving Excellence through Unity Essay

â€Å"One is said to be the loneliest number of all. † It sounds cheesy but it does make sense. This passage though sounds good, seems different on how others understand . One in this passage, refers to the number, the volume, the physical being. One can signify being alone, solitude and seclusion, but if we would come to think of the other parallel of ONE, we might come up to these ideas : one means UNITY , one means TRIUMPH , one means TOP and one means EXCELLENCE. Our distinguished members of the board of judges, esteemed members of the academe, my fellow orators, beloved parents and friends, every day we face many moments of truth, daily choices that present us opportunities for excellent performance . But let me ask you two things, first, â€Å"Do we really have the presence of excellence in our lives? â€Å" Well, allow me to give you some points . We Filipinos are well – known for being talented an enthusiast yet, we cannot escape from the fact that we are almost at the edge of the abyss of stagnation. The poverty , the never ending conflict in Mindanao , the immortality , high rate of criminality and the continuous declining quality of our education in the past twenty years, is this what we call excellence? And here’s my next question, â€Å"Are we really helping others to gain excellence by cultivating their talents ?† We merely answer, yes, because we think that we are excellent if we have the talents , the guts, and the confidence to execute things through enhancing others’ talents, we are helping them to become excellent ones . But we are wrong ! For excellence is not about the talent alone, in fact , the major of it has nothing to do with the talent . I t is a desire to share knowledge and to build a perfect vision of competence to cope with promising future. But sometimes we failed ; we failed to teach one another the competence we need. We are untrained in excellence which makes a man passionately desire to be a perfect citizen , who knows how to rule and to obey with justice and  wisdom. Now , whom can we blame ? To whom will we point our fingers ? – TO NO ONE – but to ourselves. Yes , we are . Ask me why? It is because we are part of each other’s life. Remember, if someone was about to slip , someone else could catch him. But the question is, † Do we exert some effort?† Mesdames and Sir , please ask yourselves : How can ONE makes our lives?†

Protecting Victims’ Rights

The criminal justice system is designed to prevent crime from occurring, as well as administering justice after a crime is committed. One important aspect of this side of the law is to ensure that victims of crime are well protected and receive fair treatment throughout the process. That is why government and local agencies are required to ensure victims’ rights, from making sure that the accused stays away to notification for every important date concerning the crime. And no single segment of crime victims receives as much protection as female victims of sexual crimes. More than any other group of crime victims, female victims of sexual assault, harassment, and other sexual crimes are the main focus of many local, state, and federal law enforcement measures to ensure the protection of victims’ crime. As the federal level of the justice system offers a vast amount of information regarding the protection of victims’ rights, it serves as the perfect starting point to understanding victims’ rights. The most comprehensive bill that covering victims’ rights is 18 United States Code, Section 3771, which includes eight measures designed to protect victim’s rights. One point of the Bill of Victim’s Rights is that the victim has the right to be reasonably protected from the accused (United States House of Representatives, 2006). This includes every measure that local and government authorities can take to make sure the accused does not cause any further hardship or threaten the victim in any way. Another important part of the victims’ bill of rights is making sure that victims are able to state their case in full, and have the right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding (United States House of Representatives, 2006). Making sure that victims utilize their right to be heard begins initially with the law enforcement agent taking their statement. The purpose of the victim impact statement is to give the victim of the crime the chance to express, in writing, the impact of the crime, including all economic losses, physical or psychological injuries, and significant changes to the victim’s quality of life (Commonwealth of Virginia, 2000). Whatever the victim tells the law enforcement agents about the impact of the crime on his or her life helps determine the types of assistance that a victim may need. For sexual assault victims this aspect of the process is very important, as the crime is often committed with few or no other witnesses. Victims of sexual assault illustrate many of the reasons that victims require such strong protection of their rights. Because of the violent nature of rape and sexual assault, victims are often traumatized far more than other crime victims. Victims of sexual assault and rape are often left frightened and unwilling or unable to pursue the necessary course of justice against their perpetrators. This fear might encourage them to withhold information that may also be embarrassing or painful to bring up, leading to the perpetrator getting away with the crime. As serious crimes, the charges that result from sexual assault and rape are significant and can result in severe penalties for the perpetrator, including long prison sentences. However, despite the seriousness of sexual crimes, most victims fail to report them to authorities for a variety of reasons, including the fear that their rights may not be fully protected. The fact that many of these victims do not report the crime leads to the criminals not being convicted. As for all sexual crimes against females, rape remains the least reported of them all, which also includes having the least number of indictments and least number of convictions of all violent crimes in America; the segment of the population that experiences the highest amounts of rape and lowest amounts of reporting them is among college students, where the reporting rate is around 5%. (Fisher, et. al, 2000). This low instance of reporting of sexual assault and rape illustrates an important deficiency in the criminal justice system’s ability to convince female sexual crime victims of their rights. Many of the reasons that females cite for not reporting the crimes inflicted against them include fear of blame from society, desire to quickly move on with their lives, their desire to avoid a long investigation and subsequent trial, and finally out of concerns for their privacy. It is the job of police, the district attorney’s office, and federal branches to make sure that none of these reasons prevent a victim from reporting a crime. Because of this there are many programs designed to provide crime victims with accurate information about the criminal justice system and the many rights that victims possess. At the federal level, the Department of Justice offers many programs and initiatives to ensure that victims are made fully aware of their rights. The Office of Justice Programs has an Office for Victims of Crime that works throughout the year on programs designed to assist victims of crime through grants. The amount of help that the Office for Victims of Crime gives to victims is considerable. In Fiscal Year 2007, Office of Victims of Crime distributed more than $370 million to the states through Victims of Crime Act, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 30, 2004 and contains four major sections related to crime victims and the criminal justice process, which include protecting crime victims' rights, eliminating the substantial backlog of DNA samples collected from crime scenes and convicted offenders, and improving and expanding the DNA testing capacity of federal, state, and local crime laboratories (U. S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime [OVC], 2008). The Office for Victims of Crime has also given assistance grants and more than $165 million to the states through Victims of Crime Act compensation grants, with both the victim assistance grants and the victim compensation awards funded by the Crime Victims Fund, which is culled from fines, penalties, and bail forfeitures collected from convicted federal criminals (OVC, 2008). Other compensation measures taken on behalf of victims include providing reimbursement to crime victims for crime-related expenses such as medical costs, mental health counseling, funeral and burial costs, and lost wages or loss of support. hile state victim assistance programs fund local victim assistance services such as crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter, and criminal justice system advocacy (OVC, 2008). And, while the Office for Victims of Crime provides monetary compensation to many victims, it also heads up several programs designed to create a stronger conglomeration of criminal justice d epartments to ensure the protection and assistance of crime victims. The Office trains criminal justice professionals about the needs and rights of victims of crime and provides them with the latest in ideas and practices in victim protection through such networks as the Office’s Help Exchange Lessons and Practices in Victim Services message board, and finally the Office sponsors the National Victim Assistance Academy, an annual training conference for those who assist victims and survivors of crime (OVC, 2008). While there remain many programs set up by the Department of Justice to ensure victims’ rights, most of the inspiration for the programs continues to come from the basic tenets of the Victims’ Bill of Rights. Another important aspect of the Victims’ Bill of Rights is that the victim is made aware of everything that occurs in the case as it progresses. This also means that the victim has the right to any and all information concerning the case of the prosecution. According to the U. S. code victims have: â€Å"The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused† (United States House of Representatives, 2006). This means that victims should not be made to wait for the latest information that arises in the case, including any revelations about the accused or any changes in his or her status. Providing accurate and timely information to victims about their rights is one of the main ways of protecting their rights, and the Nationwide Automated Victim Information and Notification System has been established to make sure that they receive information pertaining to their case as soon as it becomes available. Began with funding by the Office for Victims of Crime, the Victim Information and Notification System is a computer-automated system that notifies crime victims of key events in their cases, including an offender’s release before trial or from prison; as of September 2007, VNS was serving more than 1,300,000 crime victims nationwide with information on federal criminal justice cases provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Attorneys' Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (OVC, 2008). By keeping crime victims informed of the status of their case and of the perpetrator, criminal justice professionals are able to provide victims with a piece of mind that allows them to retain a semblance of a normal life after crime. The Victims’ Bill of Rights continue with: â€Å"The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding; the reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case† (2006). By giving the victim the right to access the court information, as well as hear the case made against the accused in detail, the federal and local governments are ensuring that victims have significant influence on the outcome of the case. They are able to revise and mistakes made in the case of the prosecution, and they are also able to participate as much as possible in the proceedings. Not only does this help the victim put some of the trauma from the crime behind him or her, but it also significantly affects the ability of the Government to prosecute the accused. Additional rights ensured by the Victims’ Bill of Rights are loyal to the basic ideals of the American Bill of Rights and deal mainly with the right to a speedy trial. According to the bill, victims have: â€Å"The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law; the right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay† (United States House of Representatives, 2006). This not only ensures that the law will pursue the case against the accused to prevent further crime, but it also reinforces the role of the law as efficient protector. Also, by ensuring that the proceedings move in a timely manner, the victim is not required to endure a long and painful process. These measures go along well with the final right guaranteed by the victims’ bill of rights, and that is the right to be treated with fairness and with respect for dignity and privacy (2006). In the end, this is most important of all the rights, and perhaps a culmination as well, as all of the rights assured victims are to treat them with the utmost respect, fairness, and dignity. The duty of the U. S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice is to ensure victims of crime that their rights will be protected, and their results have been mixed at best. While there remain many important programs to educate victims on their rights, the case of sexual assault and rape victims and their low rate of reporting crimes against them speak of a general failure in assuring victims of their rights’ protection. Organizations like the Office for Victims of Crime must work harder to ensure that the victims of crime requiring the most assurance and protection receive what they need, and not just monetary compensation for financial losses or medical bills. While some rights vary from state to state, with some states guaranteeing even more rights to victims than others, the general protections afforded by the Victims’ Bill of Rights should be known by all victims. In the end, educating victims on their rights is the biggest protection that any government or local authority can offer victims of crime.

Change in Boiling Point of Water with Molarity Essay

Change in Boiling Point of Water with Molarity - Essay Example In the beaker A NaCl was not dissolved. Concentration of this solution was expressed as 0 molar aqueous solution (0M). In beaker B 5.8gms of NaCl was dissolved and hence a 1 molar aqueous solution (1M) was obtained. In the beaker C 17.4gms of NaCl was dissolved and hence a 3 molar aqueous solution (3M) was obtained. Lastly in the beaker D 29.0gms of NaCl was dissolved and the molarity of this aqueous solution was 5M. It is very clear that boiling point of the solution increases with molarity of the aqueous solution. It implies that the boiling point of water and the amount of dissolved salt, or molarity of the solution, are in direct proportion. If the increase in temperature were to be denoted by t and the molarity of the aqueous solution by M and if k were to be a constant, then, 4) The exact amounts of salt to get 0M, 1M, 3M, 5M aqueous solutions respectively should be dissolved in the water in the beakers. The formula Molarity = Moles of solute/Liters of Solution should be used for this purpose1. Some of controlled variables are Normal Pressure of 1 atmosphere, Identical beakers in all regards like made of same dimensions and material, The burner level, Pure distilled water, etc. The independent variable was the molarity and the dependent variable was the temperature.

Land Ethics and Land Aesthetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Land Ethics and Land Aesthetics - Essay Example Land ethics endeavors to integrate moral values to human relations with the natural environment. Once human beings, perceive the environment as an intricate part of the society, they will realise that its destruction leads to the entire suffering of the human force. The Amazon may not be in America and many assume that its destruction will only affect the communities around it. However, effects of environmental destruction are adverse and universal (Callicott 38). According to Aldo Leopold, the first western environmentalist, nature, politics and economy depend on each other. In addition, Leopold considered the community as a structure not made up of the humans only but other aspects of nature like soil, plants, animals and water (Budd 60). Land ethics focuses on fusing both land and community as parts of an ecosystem network. These two fundamental parts interact with each other, with each element possessing basic rights. The human community needs nature as much as nature needs the s ociety. From this point of view, the land ethic is a holistic perception of ecosystems. Environmental conservatives like Aldo Leopold made immense efforts to protect the environment and endangered species. Land ethics concerns itself with how a single organism whether protected or endangered contributes directly to the ecosystem (Callicott 56). Supporters of land ethics argue that if this single organism’s presence or absence affects the entire ecosystem, then protecting it is not an option. Therefore, land ethics regard land as an independent and essential part of the society, contrary to what many regard land as a resource for exploitation. As a result, land ethics also focuses on the aesthetic value of land for preservation of a quality and productive natural environment. Until the early 18th century, aesthetics were a term associated mostly with visual arts such fashion and design and fine art. Texture, colour, touch, smell and taste are all aspects that make up aesthetic s. Land aesthetics deals with how human beings perceive value and appreciate their natural ecosystem (Budd 78). When it comes to nature environment, aesthetics comprises of both manmade and natural environments. Land aesthetics aims at correct planning and preservation of quality ecosystems both natural and manmade. Manmade environment include game parks and reserves, dams, green houses and even industries. While natural environment comprises of lakes, rivers, deserts, plains and mountains. Land ethics and aesthetics go hand in hand since they both aim at conservation and preservation of a quality environment for a better future (Callicott 78). Land aesthetic and the land conservation are the two principal subjects of evolutionary and ecological theory. Together they symbolize a consistent environmental axiology (Zimmerman 40). An ecosystem refers to the combination of weather, soil, water, air, plants and animals of a place that create a chain of dependency among these elements. In his book â€Å"Sand County Almanac†, Aldo Leopold states that human beings should maintain the dependency chain in an ecosystem to avoid future calamities. This is achievable only when human communities change their mentality and begin perceiving land as part of the society. As the expansion of homes, industries, infrastructure and social amenities, progresses, it is critical to reduce the impacts they have on

Correctional Officers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Correctional Officers - Essay Example In many cases female candidates with many years of work experience and efficiency were not allowed to be promoted only because of the reason that they were females. The ability of the female correctional officers will often be questioned by the administration and they are always doubted by the male co-workers. The female correctional officers will have to work extra hard to prove themselves.    Because of the nature of work and the high stress level in the corrections, it will be difficult to leave work at the workplace and therefore it becomes difficult for them to relax at home. Women are mostly not hired in male prisons because of the growing concern about their security and safety and there is also a possibility of violation of privacy of the inmates. The male prison administrators and the male guards found the presence of women as a problem. The courts have often recognized that there is always a possibility of assault on female correctional officers. There is also inequality in job  assignments to the women correctional officers especially in cases where there is a need of direct contact with the inmates. â€Å"The ambiguous and contradictory court rulings have provided no clear, definitive direction for resolution of the conflict between the equal employment rights of women correctional officers and the privacy rights of male inmates† (Tewksbury & Collins, 2013). Some of the researchers are of the view that the amount of psychological stress faced by the female officers has caused health concerns for them. The experience of the women correctional officers is complicated and filled with broken barriers. The male superior officers also sometimes do not provide the important information with respect to inmate interaction, which can help them to succeed professionally. The amount of freedom provided to the female correctional officers is minimum and they are made to work for longer hours. Senior male officers also disregard them in the context of their training and their social interactions and they also tend to exercise excessive supervision on them. The environment in the  correctional system does not give the required trust and respect to female officers. The possibility  of   sexual harassment by the inmates as well as colleagues is also another problem faced by the female correctional officers. Question 28 of 30 Summarize the management problems that special need inmates pose for corrections officials?   For this study, the special â€Å"populations are defined as those prisoners who exhibit unique physical, mental, social, and programmatic needs that distinguish them from other prisoners and for whom jail and prison management and staff have to respond to in nontraditional and innovative ways† (Stojkovic, 2005, p. 3). Correction officials are most often unable to effectively manage and supervise special need population of prisoners. The methods of management of the special need prisoners by the correctio nal leaders are many times questioned. Traditional methods of treatment of prisoners will not suit special needs inmates. In the traditional method, the issues of physical and mental health are not primary consideration. If the special needs population has to be effectively managed, the existing policies will have to be altered and innovative methods adopted.

Lab Discussion Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion - Lab Report Example Further, when carrying out the consistent, repeatable measurements the slopes of position versus time graph and the average velocity were found to be relatively same as deduced from the ranges of each measurement. In which case, the maximum value for slope coincided with that for average velocity same to the minimum value; hence, we deduced that the ranges are in agreement. This shows that a change in position against time directly affects the average velocity of the object in question. Further, the experiment also showed that the relationship between position versus time and velocity is affected by the direction of motion. This was deduced when the motion detector was rotated thereby giving different curves at each instance of rotation. Further, when the graphs for velocity were recorded for the different curves, aforementioned, the velocity versus time graph effectively changed. The rotation of the car leads to a change from positive slope to a negative slope. Consequently, this shows that just the way rotation affect the position time graph so it does to the

Cloud computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Cloud computing - Research Paper Example These clouds are often considered as private, hybrid or public. Research question or thesis statement of the study is – â€Å"what is the working style of cloud computing in group and personal uses and ways in which it can replace physical storage comprising of its advantages and disadvantages†. The entire study would be based on secondary research to identify the probable benefits and loophole of the mechanism. This study would even reveal the ease which is provided by cloud computing in context of group use as well as personal use. Cloud computing is a network that enables resource, information and capability sharing which makes work simpler and quicker. â€Å"Cloud computing is all about resource sharing in order to achieve economies of scale and coherence that is almost similar to utility across network† this was stated by Jon Brodkin. This statement highlights the fact that cloud computing deals with information sharing or forming a network. The foundation of the concept states it to be a broader approach of shared services and converged infrastructure. Cloud computing majorly focuses on maximizing the overall efficiency of different shared resources. The cloud resources are not only associated with sharing across multiple users but on demand are even dynamically reallocated. Some of the proponents stated that â€Å"cloud computing enables a firm to eliminate upfront infrastructure costs and be aligned towards projects which would help in differentiating their firm from competitors (Brodkin 10).â₠¬  There are two essential components of cloud computing which is known as front end and back end. Internet is the medium through which these two parts connect with each other. A sample architecture of cloud computing is given in figure1. The front end is that part which is viewed by customer or client and the back end represents the system’s cloud section. Front end encompasses the computer network and applications essential to access cloud

Race and Educational Inequalities in the United States of America Essay

Race and Educational Inequalities in the United States of America - Essay Example This essay stresses that educators, teachers and men as well as women of conscience living within communities have also made a substantial effort to diminish inequalities in education, improve access and also to enhance the quality of education within the country. After a great struggle for the achievement of equality in education and for the reform of the school system, it can be argued that by and large the government does try to provide schools in which it is possible for children to acquire a decent education. Spending by the government on education in the United States of America is the highest in all OECD countries. This paper makes a conclusion that substantial effort has been made to adequately provide for education in the country, it can only be inferred that some other social phenomenon is interfering with the processes associated with educating children and presenting the gaps that are obvious in educational statistics. Although teachers can try to impart quality education in schools, it becomes very difficult for them to correct the problems that children may be facing outside of school, because the resources are limited and classes can be large. A child does not get educated in school only and is also educated at home. Although, a government can try to assist with improving the poverty situation and perhaps try to correct problems that are encountered in tough neighborhoods, it is difficult for a government to change the culture that is made available to a child at home and to change racial culture, unless the problems are severe.

The World Film joural Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The World Film joural - Essay Example The film’s characters  exist  in  reality  making it more  real  and  intense; in fact, some of the cast resided in Rio de Janeiro at the time of shooting this film. City of God focuses on the tagline that if one chooses to  run,  the  beast  catches up with  them and, if they choose to  stay, the  beast  eats them. This is a moral dilemma which faces the characters in the film, who have to  choose  to either leave the crime-infested suburb or stay put and become affected by the organized crime. The film has received much acclaim on different aspects ranging from receiving four Academy Award nominations, the best writing (adaptation), directing, editing and cinematography. The film opens by chickens  being prepared  for a meal, but one of the chickens manages to escape and  is chased  by a  gang  member who meet Rocket, a  youth  who seems to  believe  that the gang is out to kill him. The film’s  excellent  cine matography comes out when the chicken halts between the Rocket and the armed gang member showing the  confusion  being witnessed  in the area by most young persons, unsure of which side to  follow; either the  bunch  of criminals or the  ordinary  person. Suddenly, we  are taken  back to Rocket’s childhood days where he is playing  soccer; here, we learn how the City of God  was established  in the late 1960s. ... This, in turn, endears the trio to the citizens, who  protect  the  former  and some young men even  idolize  them as heroes and saviors of the community. However, such idolization has detrimental effects for some of the boys in the City of God as seen through Li’l Dice, who manages to talk his counterparts into raiding a motel and robbing its occupants off their valuables. Being too young, Li’l Dice  is tasked  to serve as a lookout for the police, a move that angers Li’l Dice, who subsequently uses his issued gun to kill all the motel occupants. In the City of God, induction into the life of crime and gangs takes place at a tender age as evident through Li’l Dice  being given  a gun to  warn  his  crew  of police’ arrival. The law enforcement agencies  are brought  into the limelight upon the occurrence of the motel massacre. In the story, the police have a laid back attitude towards  criminal  gangs, choosing t o wait until a crime as grave as the massacre occurs before they  act  ((Lins and Entrekin, p. 113). Cohesion among members of criminal gangs is minimal as they  turn  against one another upon the slightest provocation. Li’l Dice, who appears to have enjoyed the act of killing, shots down his friend Goose after stealing from him. The film leaps forward into the 1970s where we note that Rocket has since joined a group of  youthful  hippies, the â€Å"Groovies†, who take part in smoking marijuana. Rocket’s  infatuation  with a girl draws him further towards his interest in photography.  However, his efforts of getting closer to the girl  are squashed  by â€Å"the Runts†, a group of young trouble seekers under the leadership of Li’l Dice who now refers to himself as Li’l Ze. Li’l Dice’s  evolution  into a drug king results in his wanton

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Essay - 1

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) - Essay Example SHRM is regarded as an approach to the management of human resources, which offer a strategic system in support of long-term business objectives, goals, and outcomes. SHRM entails long-term issues of the people within the organization which include structure, culture, quality, commitment, values, and matching resources with the future needs. Strategic human resource management is a complex endeavor that evolves over time (Nankervis et al., 2008). The opinions regarding the relationships of SHRM with business strategy and planning are varied from one scholar to another. This paper will explore the issue of SHRM as it relates to health services organization. Just like other organizations, health service organizations are under great pressure from customers to maintain quality as well as pressure from other organizations. This changing business environment through competition calls for advanced strategic approaches. In the case of John Hopkins hospital, which falls under health service organizations, the issue of SHRM has been adequately considered. The organization has been steadfast in addressing employee issues through training and development, motivation, leadership, and rewards system. The organization is much aware on the importance of SHRM through prioritization of employee needs (Schulz & Johnson, 2003). In aligning the organizations to SHRM, several strategies have been put in place. The main issue of concern is that SHRM entails the prioritization of the needs of human resources in the organization. Some of the factors put into consideration in positioning the organization include investment in the people. Since human resources play a fundamental role in the organization, training and development is a key issue. Introduction and encouragement of learning and development to the employees is a strategic move of increasing employee efficiency. Strategic human resource management by educating employees is essential for increasing capability. Learning process helps in aligning employees with skills to address the organizational needs. Training and development of employees is a strategic move in HRM, which positions the employees for dealing with all production requirements of the organization (Brand & Bax, 2002). Health service organizations seeking to strategize their human resources need to align their human resource capacity with the organization’s vision and mission. Development of intellectual capital of the employees is essential in SHRM. By educating employees and increasing their intellectual capital, an organization is able to benefit from realization of its goals. This is mainly on the aspect of customer service and quality, whereby the employees are empowered with skills and knowledge of dealing with day to day organizational operations (Fegley, 2006). Another aspect of strategic human resource management is the definition of required behaviors and alignment with the organizational culture. It is essential to note that that establishment of a good organizational culture helps in enhancing human capital and performance. Managers should be steadfast in setting organizational standards, which match the vision and mission of the organization. This includes the setting of values and norms which every member of the organizati

Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Human Resources Essay Human Resource Policies Assessing personnel needs HR must be approachable if an employee seeks advice regarding employment Recruiting personnel   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recruitment must be objective and has to meet the standards of the company Screening personnel Applicants must be screened in an objective manner and test their aptitude for the job Selecting and hiring personnel   Upon selection, the hired applicants will be more than qualified for the job applied for Orienting new employees to the organization   Newly-hired employees are oriented by the company guided by its mission and vision Deciding compensation issues Compensation and other benefits should be discussed upon signing the contract. Benefits and Compensation Basic Salary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The monthly wages that an employee must received due to work rendered. Night Differential   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An employee who works from 10pm until 6am will get a 30% of his basic salary Fringe Benefit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employees should be   complemented with the following: housing, group insurance (health, dental, life etc.), income protection, retirement benefits,daycare, tuition reimbursement, sick leave, vacation (paid and non-paid), social security, profit sharing, funding of education, and other specialized benefits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employee awards Prolific   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An employee is award because he works more than is required. Efficiency   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An employee is awarded because of his work ethic and objectivity Resourcefulness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     An employee is rawwarded due to his ability to find alternatives for the betterment of the job Customer Satisfaction It is always a company standard to treat a client in a proper manner, so as to make an increase in sales. Such award given to the employee makes him a role model for other employees. Innovative An employee is given this award because he strives for progress Salesmanship An employee makes a transaction beyond his quota, sales of the company would increase and will give the company and the manufacturer a boost on their public relations. Citation: The Art of Motivation: An Incentive Industry Primer

Ethics and Corruption in Cycling

Ethics and Corruption in Cycling Ethics in Sport- The Case of Cycling Introduction The Higher Moral and Ethical Ground Conclusion Bibliography Introduction As one of the world’s more demanding sports, cycling extracts as well as expects a maximum performance from its professional participants. It pits them directly against the world’s best in the sport on almost every outing, thus creating a field of competition whereby they are judged, and rated in almost every outing against the leading stars. Unlike other team sports whereby one’s performance is measured, and or gauged against those of a like skill or position, cycling does not provide this cushion or hedge. One’s performance comes under direct scrutiny each, and every outing with time sheet comparisons to indicate one’s standing, be it the mountain climbing segment, sprints, or overall balanced performance through a stage or Tour. The demands of strength, endurance, intestinal fortitude, and mental stamina that is spread in most cases over days, and in the case of the Tour de France, weeks, creates an atmosphere of pressure to perform that is unkno wn in any other type of professional sport. Dr. Alejandro Lucia (Cheung, 2003), a world recognized authority in the physiology of professional cycling, has stated that the training as well as discipline required to participate exact a high mental toll that is also a factor of the high stress of physical conditioning as well as genetics. As would be expected, each country with major participants in professional cycling has its own cycling federation, however, the Union Europà ©enne de Cyclisme, European Cycling Union, is the confederation that oversees the Union Cycliste Internationale, International Cycling Union, which is the professional organization that oversees professional cycling events globally (UEC, 2007). This organization has the responsibility for the issuance of licenses to professional cyclists, along with the enforcement of rules and regulations, which in this instance includes doping (UCI, 2007a). The professional cycling devisions that the the UCI oversees are road cycling events, track, mountain bike, cyclo- cross, BMX, Trials, indoor cycling, and para-cycling (UCI, 2007a). The International Cycling Union is a non-profit-making organization that was founded on 14 April 1900, and is headquartered in Aigle, Switzerland (UCI, 2007b). The organization’s aims represent: The regulation of professional cycling on the international level, The promotion of cycling internationally, in every country as well as at all levels, The organization of professional cycling World Championships for all cycling divisions, The encouragement as well as maintenance of friendly and professional relationships between all cycling divisions, The promotion of sporting ethics as well as fair play, The representation of professional cycling along with the defence of its interests internationally, And the collaboration with the International Olympic Committee concerning cycling events held in the Olympics (UCI, 2007b). It is item 5. the promotion of sporting ethics as well as fair play, along with morals that represents the focus of this examination. And in keeping with such, the International Cycling Union has adopted a ‘Code of Ethics’ that defines and specifies the conduct of action, and rules governing all professional cycling events (UCI, 2007c). It specifies that all executive, management, administrative, cyclists, and other individuals and associations in any way affiliated as well as coming under the aegis of the International Cycling Union must adhere to said ‘Code of Ethics (UCI, 2007c). It sets forth that on a daily basis, all participants must comply with the rules of the ‘Code of Ethics’ with respect to (UCI, 2007c): human dignity, principles of nondiscrimmination concerning race, gender, ethic origin, gender, philosophical as well as political opinions, religion, marital staus, or any other forms of discrimination for whatever reason, the principle of nonviolence in any form as well as the exerting of any type of pressure, and or harassment by any means, specify physical, professional, mental, and sexual, the maintenance of integrity, to hold the priority of the best interests of the sport on a daily basis, to hold the priority of the interests of the sport as well as its athletes regarding financial interests, to protect the environment, to maintain neurality in political issues, and Olympism. Within this ‘Code’ it is required that all parties uphold the principles as well as interests of professional cycling as well as refraining from any behaviour that might jeopardize the sport, and or the reputation of the UCI (UCI, 2007c). Within this framework is the important concept of ‘integrity’, which means â€Å"the firm adherance to a code of †¦ moral or artistic values †¦ (Interactive Playground, 2007). The preceding is specially inportant in the context of this examination as it focuses on the ‘ethical and moral questions’ of drug use in the sport. Integrity represents a skill that is learned over time (Interactive Playground, 2007). As a part of the UCI ‘Code of Ethics’, integrity, under Article 4, is stated as the fact that all parties associated with the UCI shall therefore refrain from the asking for, acceptance of, and or proposal, either directly or indirectly, that any payment as well as commission, along with any advantages and or services of any type that has not been agreed to or authorized by the UCI shall not be undertaken (UCI, 2007c). Furthermore, under inetgrity it also states that when any type of offers of the aforementioned variety are made, that the UCI be so informed (UCI, 2007c). Said conditions under integrity, Article 5, go on to add that parties as covered under their association with the UCI can only accept symbolic gifts that are bestowed in the spirit of freindship as a matter of local custom, and that any other types of gifts are to be forwarded to the UCI (UCI, 2007c). The ‘Code’ goes on to cover such fields as ‘Conflict of Interests’, and Confidentiality’ in laying out specific terms of conduct (UCI, 2007c). In keeping with the foregoing, the UCI has established an ‘Ethics Commission’, that has been granted authority in the following areas (UCI, 2007c): to oversee and ensure that all facets of the ‘Code’ are respected, to field and receive complaints with regard to any infringement to the ‘Code’, to provide advice as well as assistance concerning ethical matters in all phases of the ‘Code’, to provide advice on the avoidance as well as resolution of conflicts of interests, to recommend sanctions as a result of offences against the ‘Code’, to set forth measures for the application and adherence to the ‘Code’, and to put forth proposals recommending programmes to teach and advise on ethics. The foregoing represents an extremely important facet in this discussion in that the UCI has taken an active stance in the areas of ethics, and morals, as defined by integrity. The foregoing represents a critical aspect in the examination of breaches, and scandals that have befallen the sport of cycling that have made the news recently, particularly in the instance of the most recent winner of the Tour de France. The Consequences of Individual Actions As indicated in the UCI’s ‘Code of Ethics’ as well as by the actions taken by this organization as far back as the 1960s when an article representing doping was introduced into the organization’s rules, drugs have been a key consideration in ensuring that a level as well as trustworthy representation of the sport was, and is a part of its operation (UCI, 2007d). The preceding focus was further enhanced by the following subsequent rules, and regulations (UCI, 2007d: in 1966 a similar article, on doping as referred to in 1960, was added to the UCI Technical Guide, in 1967, the UCI published its first list representing substances that were prohibited, in 1967 the UCI put into motion the first sanctions taken against riders that refused to undergo testing, 1967 represented the publishing of the first Medical Control Rules, which were the forerunner to the Anti-doping Rules The above historical understanding of the stance, and active programmes of the UCI is important in the context of recent events on doping in the sport of cycling. This examination shall cover the most noteworthy of these types of events, noting that doping issues have been a part of individual athlete rule broaching since the 1960’s (UCI, 2007d). The Tour de France represents professional cycling’s most premier, and prestigious event. It’s â€Å"†¦scale and social and cultural significance demands the academic attention that it has not always received †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 1). Covering in excess of 4,000 kilometres throughout France, and a few neighbouring countries, millions of on-hand spectators as well as hundreds of millions across the globe via television, and other forms of media follow the event. First conducted in 1903, the Tour has been held as a pinnacle of sporting fairness that shows athletes at their best over three weeks of grueling competition through mountains, and flat stages that average around 150 plus kilometres per day (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 228). Waddington (1998, p. 161) advises â€Å"†¦that a good Tour takes one year off your life, and when you finish in a bad state, they reckon three years†¦ You cant describe to a normal person how tired you fee l†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . They add that â€Å"†¦fatigue starts to kick in on the Tour after ten days if youre in good shape, and after five days if youre not in your best condition physically† (Waddington, 1998, p. 161). Waddington (1998, p. 161) adds that â€Å"Then, it all just gets worse and worse, you dont sleep so much, so you dont recover as well from the days racing, so you go into your reserves, you get more knackered, so you sleep less†¦ Its simply a vicious circle†. Robert Millar, a Scottish cycling professional who rode in the Tour, goes on to state that â€Å"It takes two weeks to recover from a good Tour, three months to recover from a bad one† (Waddington, 1998, p. 161). This event is being utilized in the context of this examination as a result of the intense competition between riders to look good on the world stage in cycling’s biggest event. The preceding translates into the fact that the â€Å"†¦Tour de France cannot avoid seeing an increase in the demands on competitors with the ever-growing importance of television, whose systematic coverage of every stage has also brought in, on top of the necessary battle for the stage win, the necessary battle for permanent presence in front of the TV cameras, therefore making races ever faster† (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 229). They add that there is a â€Å"†¦ long-standing presence of doping in the Tour brings us back to the excessive nature of the race† (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 229). The first instance of doping in the Tour de France occurred in 1924 as a result of the confessions of the Pelissier brothers who admitted using â€Å"†¦cocaine for the eyes, thats chl oroform for the gums† † (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 230). The next significant doping issue occurred in 1955 when Tour riders Jean Mallejac, Ferdi Kubler and Charly Gaul† admitted to taking substances (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 229-230). Doping issues were subsequently repeated in † (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 230): 1966 representing the first year in which â€Å"†¦-doping tests were carried out in the Tour de France †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 230). In 1975 the first rider tested positive for doping, In 1977 another incident was uncovered, In 1980, there was another issue of a rider testing positive for drugs. But, the most noted example came in 1998 when the winner of the Tour, Marco Pantini tested positive in a subsequent race called the Tour of Italy in 1999 (Appleyard, 2006). In 2000, Frenchman Richard Virengue, a celebrated rider in the Tour, admitted to using drugs during a Festina trial (Dauncey and Hare, 2003, p. 232), with the biggest scandal taking place in 2006 when major Tour riders Jan Ullrich, a winner of the Tour in 1997, and Ivan Basso where forced to withdraw from the event (Leicester, 2006). But, for the first time in the history of the Tour de France in 2006, the winner was later declared ineligible and stripped of his title after testing positively for drugs (Bagratuni, 2006). Subsequent testing after the Tour was completed found that Landis tested positive for the 17th stage to Morzine that he won in what has been termed â€Å"†¦ spectacular fashion after a long ride over 130 kilometres †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that included â€Å"†¦ three major alpine peaks† ( Bagratuni, 2006). The discovery wound up causing the cancellation of a later racing event in the Netherlands as well as Denmark, and set off an international furor over doping that had been building for years (cbc.ca, 2006a). The scandals brought back to the forefront past cycling scandals, as a result of the magnitude of the 2006 Tour winner being stripped of his crown. A lot of journalists stated that the 1998 scandals nearly killed the Tour’s integrity as well as value when an employee of the Festina team was arrested with a carload of â€Å"†¦ performance enhancing drugs †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that included one called erythropoietin (EOP), which is â€Å"†¦ a hormone that helps the blood carry more oxygen †¦Ã¢â‚¬  which thus lets riders carry on longer as well as faster (cbc.ca, 2006a). That incident lead to the arrest of six members of the Festina cycling team, out of nine utilized in the Tour, who admitted to the use of drugs that aided in their performance, along with the leader of the Credit Agricole team Christophe Moreau, who later in that same year â€Å"†¦ tested positive for anabolic steroids† (cbc.ca, 2006a). The litany continues with the following incidents as well as allegations (cbc.ca, 2006a): 2002 saw Stefano Garzelli, the â€Å"†¦ leader of the Vini Caldirola team †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (cbc.ca, 2006) tested positive for probenecid. The preceding is a diuretic that is often used to mask the presence of other drugs. 2003 saw Igor Gonzalez, a Spanish cyclist, being banned from the Tour de France after he tested positive for an anti-asthma. 2004 saw the police in France seize EPO, amphetamines as well as male hormones, and the arrest to Cofidis team cyclists. Lance Armstrong, the most celebrated Tour winner was accused of doping allegations, and later cleared. The preceding has damaged the reputation, and sporting fairness of cycling, and represents a long list of doping scandals that have also rocked other sports. The spectacular performances of the 1970s, and 80s East German swimming teams saw a large number of stellar performers later come down with negative health and side effects â€Å"†¦such as liver cancer, organ damage, psychological defects, hormonal changes and infertility †¦Ã¢â‚¬  that called into question that they might have taken performance enhancing drugs (cbc.ca, 2006b). Kornelia Ender, the winner of four gold and the silver gold medals during the 1972, and 76 Olympics revealed she had been taking drug injections since she was 13 (cbc.ca, 2006b). Her situation mirrors that of other East German swimmers Barbara Krause, four gold and silver medals, Carola Nitschke, and others (cbc.ca, 2006b). Incidents of doping scandals hit the 1983 Pam Am Games that was held in Caracas, Venezula, U.S. Track and Field, professio nal baseball and football in the United States, and a host of other sports (cbc.ca, 2007a). The pressures to perform in all manner of sports is clear, and in the case of professional cycling has been particularly damaging owing to the international nature of the sport. The Higher Moral and Ethical Ground The preceding examples as well as histories of cycling, and other scandals have left the sport in a serious state of affairs. These events, and created a situation that has put â€Å",,, cycling at a fork in the road† (Case and Sachs, 2006). The failure of Floyd Landis to pass drug tests after winning the Tour de France resulted in the disbanding of the entire team as sponsors canceled their contracts (Abt, 2006). Gibbs (2000, p. 4) opens up a broad range of considerations in the case of ethics that takes into account that it, ethics, brings with it the responsibility for others. He states that ethics also takes into account that â€Å"We also are responsible for each other in a mutual way when justice requires us to become present, one-to-another† (Gibbs, 2000. p. 4). A situation that is made even more the case in cycling as a team is built to promote one rider, and when that rider or members of the team fails, the entire team suffers. The case of the collapse of Floyd Landis’ team after the 2006 Tour scandal is evidence of this point. Gibbs (2000, p. 4) stated the foregoing above, which in a team sport such as cycling makes such a bind more important. He adds that â€Å"†¦we are bound asymmetrically to each other, and ethical mutuality is possible only because of that excess of responsibility† (Gibbs, 2000. p. 4). And add that such represents a community whereby the actions of one affect the standings of others. As a community, cycling represents a prime example of the foregoing. Mottram (2003, p. 52) brings forth an interesting proposition that â€Å"The motivating factors for drug misuse do not necessarily lie in the hands of the athlete†. He (Mottram, 2003, p. 52) points to a number of studies whereby â€Å"†¦the majority of athletes, coaches, medical practitioners and others involved in sport do not favour the use of performance-enhancing drugs†. There is an ‘however’ he states, which represents that â€Å"†¦these results may reflect the respondents ethical and moral attitudes to the problem, but in practice the pressures of competition may compel them to take a more pragmatic approach to drug taking† (Mottram, 2003, p. 52). Gibbs (2000, p. 4) adds to the foregoing in stating that â€Å"†¦ethics are the will, conscious intentions, deliberate choices, or the perfection of an individual rational life†. Sports, and in this instance cycling, embody rules of fair play, ethics, and other value systems that the public idealizes, and seeks to believe in a world of uncertainty, corporate, and political corruption. Fans, and more importantly children, tend to view winning athletes as role models, thus when that trust is shattered it damages not just the individual, but the sport as a whole. Dauncey and Hare (2003, p. 182) describe this as â€Å"The spectators ethical analysis of the conduct of their favorite riders is arguably more complex than that of the Tour organizers (limited to the rules of the race) or that of the French state (limited to French law and Republican values towards sport) or that of cycle sports international ruling bodies such as the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)†. Conclusion Ethics is a concept, ideal, and principle that is rooted in moral philosophy. Plato’s dialogues delves into the question â€Å"†¦of the subjectivity or objectivity of morality provides the focus for the earliest complete works of philosophy †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Graham, 2004, p. 1). Our belief, and use of moral values represents an evolution of the human spirit that is traced back to Plato, and his teacher Socrates. They held that â€Å"†¦ there is a radical difference between the world of facts, and the world of values, between physis and nomos to use the Greek words, the difference being that when it comes to matters of value, the concepts of true and false have no meaningful application† (Graham, 2004. p. 1). Thus, Graham (2004, p. 1) holds that â€Å"By implication, then, in ethics there is no scope for proof and demonstration as there is in science and mathematics; ethical argument is a matter of rhetoric, which is to say, of persuading people to believe what you believe rather than proving to them that the beliefs you hold are true†. Rist (2001. p. 1) states that there is a core concern in ethics that is â€Å"†¦widely admitted to be a crisis in contemporary Western debate about ethical foundations†. He tells us that we are members of a larger community and that what binds us together in a livable society is the belief, and practice of ethics as a matter of trust (Rist, 2001. p. 205). He (Rist, 2001. p. 119) brings up the foundational principle of â€Å"†¦the problem of the relation between fairness and justice (in what circumstances and by what criteria should people be treated equally†, and that rules are seemingly needed if fairness as well as rights â€Å"†¦ are to be enforced†. He continues that ethics refers to the good life for humans as a whole, and that morality â€Å"†¦is limited to what we are told we ought, or more probably what we ought not to do† (Rist, 2001, p. 120). Hare (1997, p. 1) tells us that ethics can also be termed as a moral philosophy whereby it represents the point that â€Å"†¦philosophers come closest to practical issues in morals and politics†. Outka and Reeder (1993, p. 29) advise that the idea representing moral philosophy is and has been central to the history of philosophy and figures prominently with regard to â€Å"†¦recent moral, legal, and political thought and action†. They bring forth the interesting proposition that â€Å"†¦there is agreement on very general principles †¦ (of morality) †¦ such as the Golden Rule, and disagreement over more specific precepts, or that there is agreement over general moral ends and disagreement over particular means or purely factual considerations†. Morality represents the concept of does and don’ts, and that the â€Å"†¦mark of a civilized society is that its members share this concept, for only because they have it do civilized people acknowledge that human conduct everywhere is properly judged by standards accessible to members of societies other than their own, whose opinions they are not entitled to ignore† (Outka and Reeder, 1993, p. 29). The preceding is central to this discussion of the ethical, and moral questions of drug use in cycling. The ‘Code of Ethics’ as defined by the International Cycling Union has nine key points, representing (UCI, 2007c): human dignity, principles of nondiscrimmination concerning race, gender, ethic origin, gender, philosophical as well as political opinions, religion, marital staus or any other forms of discrimination for whatever reason, the principle of nonviolence in any form, as well as the exerting of any type of pressure and or harassment by any meas, specify phyical, professional, mental and sexual, the maintenance of integrity, to hold the priority of the best interests of the sport on a daily basis, to hold the priority of the interests of the sport as well as its athletes regarding financial interests, to protec the environment, to maintain neurality in political issues, and Olympism. The foregoing harkens back to Gibbs’ (2004, p. 4) statement that we are â€Å"†¦responsible for each other in a mutual way when justice requires us to become present, one-to-another†. He adds that â€Å"†¦we are bound asymmetrically to each other, and ethical mutuality is possible only because of that excess of responsibility†. That sense of community represents what the International Cycling Union is, and thus the highly damaging effects of individual actions to the whole. As the overall governing body of cycling, the International Cycling Union seeks to make these principles a reality, however, it has failed to manifest these into the consciousness of some of its members, which represents a real source for concern. It, the taking of drugs, has been stated by the International Olympic Committee in the following manner (Mottram, 2003, p. 52-53): â€Å"†¦ the use of doping agents in sport is both unhealthy and contrary to the ethics of sport, †¦it is necessary to protect the physical and spiritual health of athletes, the values of fair play and of competition, the integrity and unity of sport, and the rights of those who take part in it at whatever level†. It, drug use, represents a condition that â€Å"†¦is contrary to the very principles upon which sport is based† (Mottram, 2003, p. 53). Dubin (1990) states that â€Å"Sport is considered as character building, teaching the virtues of dedication, perseverance, endurance and self-discipline†. He adds the important observations that â€Å"sport helps us to learn from defeat as much as from victory, and team sports foster a spirit of co-operation and interdependence†¦import(ing) something of moral and social values and†¦integrating us as individuals, to bring about a healthy, integrated society drug abuse would have no place in sport† (Dubin, 1990). Thus, the question, in light of the preceding examples of drug use, is why so many athletes have resorted to cheating†, and â€Å"Why are the rules that govern sport often regarded as obstacles to be overcome or circumvented rather than as regulations designed to create equality of competitive opport unity and to define the parameters of the sport?† (Dubin, 1990). The unfair advantage of the use of drugs in sport lessens the outcome, and masks the potential of those who have superior abilities that are hidden by cheaters. It reduces the concept of sport itself, which is defined as â€Å"an activity, pastime, and competition †¦ â€Å" (Allwords.com, 2007). The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, 2007) states â€Å"The spirit of sport means competing fairly and performing to the best of your abilitythe pursuit of excellence with honor†. The international implications of doping in sport has drawn the attention of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2005) which drafted doping in sports, whereby it stated that â€Å"†¦ sport should play an important role in the protection of health, in moral, cultural and physical education and in promoting international understanding and peace†. The preceding is a broader application of the meaning and purpose of sport than addressed in this examination, but nevertheless is an important facet in the understanding of the attention and implications of sport in our lives, as stated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, 2007). Such higher ideals were and are behind the International Cycling Union’s ‘Code of Ethics’, and the personal as well as individual responsibility of each and every person as well as organization affiliated or associated with it. Loland (2002, p. 143) advises that â₠¬Å"†¦fair play is commonly understood as a set of norms for rule conformity and justice†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . He continues that (Loland, 2002, p. 144): Fairness, represents when â€Å"Parties voluntarily engaged in sport competitions ought to act in accordance with the shared ethos of the competitions if this ethos is just†. And that fair play provides for an equal platform of rules, regulations, methodologies and systems whereby â€Å"†¦competitors are given equal opportunity to perform by eliminating or compensating for significant inequalities that the competitors cannot influence in any significant way and for which they cannot be held responsible†. Loland (2002, p. 144) states that unless there is fair play, then the performance of athletes is not based upon talent, but some hidden advantages that corrupt the outcome and prompts inequality. The use of substances to enhance sport’s performance represents an issue that is as old as sport itself (Mottram, 2003. p. 307). Fair play is the operative concept behind the rules and regulations of the International Cycling Union, and is the ethical and moral foundation. The efforts of the ICU, as put forth by McNamee and Parry (1998) is that â€Å"†¦ the moral structure of sport in terms of an implicit social contract (and thus to offer a rationale for why we should condemn cheating and so forth) needs further careful exploration through studies of both the history of sport and the contract tradition†. Midgley (1974. p. 143) continues that â€Å"the social contract is just one sort of analogy for underlying moral structures that seem to bind societies together, as a co nceptual tool used by the prophets of the Enlightenment to derive political obligation from below rather than from above†. Fairness and justice go to the root of modern civilization as the basis for order, and cooperation. Hare (1970. p. 179) argues that it is â€Å"†¦our duty to obey the rule always keep your promises is simply part of a game (the institution of promising, in this case), and that we could just as easily decide not to play, in which case the duty would disappear†. He concludes that â€Å"For unless one accepts this principle, one is not a subscribing member of the institution which it constitutes, and therefore cannot be compelled logically to accept the institutional facts which it generates.† (Hare, 1970. p. 179). The preceding are the principles and reasons for the existence of the International Cycling Union and its binding ‘Code of Ethics’ on its members. It is the duty of these members to uphold and adhere to the principles of this ‘Code’ as it represents the foundation for public trust and belief in the fact that the outcome of competitions reflects honest and accurate performances. The ‘Play the Game Conference’ held on 10 November 2005 issued a declaration that best sums up that reasons for fairness, honest, integrity, morals and ethics in sport (Pro Cycling News, 2005). It calls for the organizing bodies within sports to: Ensure that corruption, is eliminated from sports, And that the integrity of sports management is upheld by maintaining ethical behaviour, Through a demonstration of commitments to counter corruption. Corruption in sport represents any activity that changes the outcome from what it would have been if everyone adhered to the rules. It thus then provides the public with a true recording of performances in an arena they can trust and believe in. The pressures to perform mean little if such is aided by unfair advantages that skew results, thus it is the duty of the monitoring organization to enforce the rules as strictly as possible to minimize cheating, as well as to administer strong drug testing. The community of cycling is larger than the athletes and members of the International Cycling Union. It includes every spectator that has and will ever watch the sport. In light of the recent and numerous scandals, much needs to be done to re-establish a platform of trust that the public can look ate and believe that the ills of the past, are in fact in the past. Such will restore cycling to its former prominence, and help to further bound the community of athletes and fans to fair play, e thics and morality. Bibliography Abt, S. (2006) Cycling: Shunned by sponsors, Landis’ team dies. 15 August 2006. Retrieved on 17 April 2007 from http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/15/sports/bike.php Allwords.com (2007) sport. Retrieved on 18 April 2007 from http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3Keyword=sportgoquery=Find+it!Language=ENG Appleyard, B. (2006) Drugs and Debauchery. 3 July 2006. Vol. 135. New Statesman Bagratuni, J. (2006) Tour winner Floyd Landis tests positive in latest cycling shock. 27 July 2006. Retrieved on 17 April 2006 from

How Vowel Sounds are Produced

How Vowel Sounds are Produced Speech sounds of English are 44 sounds. These sounds can be divided into two groups: Consonants (24) and vowels (20). The consonants are also divided into two categories: voiceless and voiced sounds. The voiceless are nine: k, p, t, f, h, s, É µ, tʃ, and ʃ. The voiced are fifteen: b, d, g, w*, j*, n, m, ņ¹, z, dÊ’, Ê’,  °, l, r, and v. The action of the vocal cords (i.e., the state of the glottis) determines weather a sound being produced is voiced or voiceless. When the vocal cords are brought close together, but not shut tightly, the air escaping from the lungs causes them to vibrate: this is called voicing, and a sound produced while the vocal cords are vibrating is a voiced sound. When the vocal cords are apart, no vibration occurs, and sounds produced with the glottis in this state are voiceless sounds. Are /j/ and /w/ consonant or vowel sounds? The two semi- vowels /j/ and /w/ are mainly vocalic glides that start near a close vowel, /i/ or /u/. The most important thing to remember about these phonemes is that they are phonetically like vowels but phonologically like consonants. These sounds resemble vowels in their open articulation and in being voiced, but differ from them in other phonetic aspects; in other words, they display consonantal behavior in relation to other sounds. The definite article the, for example, is pronounced /  °Ãƒâ€°Ã¢â€ž ¢/ before /j, w/, as in /  °Ãƒâ€°Ã¢â€ž ¢ jiÉâ„ ¢/, / °Ãƒâ€°Ã¢â€ž ¢ we °Ãƒâ€°Ã¢â€ž ¢ /, the year, the weather respectively, in which case the semi-vowels appear to behave like consonants. By the same token in RP the /r/ usually deletes before the semi-vowels as it does before consonants so the sequences for women, for you are realized as / fÉâ„ ¢ ju:, fÉâ„ ¢ wumÉâ„ ¢n /respectively. What is meant by a vowel? A vowel is defined as a sound which is produced or made without any kind of obstruction (closure or impediment) to the flow of air in the mouth as it passes from the larynx to the lips. In all  vowels, the mouth passage is unobstructed. If it is obstructed at any time during the production of a speech-sound, the resulting sound will be a  consonant. So the difference between vowels and consonants is a difference in the way by which they are produced. In other words, vowels are the sounds which are produced without narrowing or closure of the air passage. Vowel sounds, of course, normally voiced, so that the voicing is not relevant for their production. There are three parameters by which we describe a vowel in English: first the height of the tongue or openness of the mouth. This gives us the categories: close, half-close, half-open, open (an alternative set of categories is also sometimes used: high, mid-high, mid-low, low). Second, the area of the mouth that has the highest part of the tongue or the general area of the mouth in which the vowel is made. This gives us the categories: front, central and back. A third set of categories involves the shape of the lips; the categories are roundeded and spread (unrounded). Vowels of English can be divided into two categories: pure vowels and diphthongs. The pure vowels are 12 sounds and the diphthongs are 8 sounds. The difference between pure vowels and diphthongs (glides): The pure vowels are the ones that are made with the mouth taking up a single position during the articulation. Diphthongs, by contrast, are vocalic glides, and the configuration of the mouth changes in the course of the articulation of the vowel sound. . In other words, diphthongs are the sounds that consist of a movement or glide from one vowel to another. A vowel which remains constant and does not glide is called a pure vowel. Unlike the pure vowels, diphthongs are defined as vowel glides produced by a quick movement of the tongue from one position to another. The vowel in hat, for example, is produced differently from that in hate -the former is realized with a pure vowel /à ¦/; the latter with a diphthong /eÄ ±/. Note the change in the vowel quality in the realization of /eÄ ±/ where the tongue glides quickly from the position of /e/ to that of /i/. Features of vowels [+syllabic], [-consonantal], [+continuant], [+voiced], [-sibilant], [+sonorant] Pure vowels: (12) Pure vowels of English can be classified into three groups according to the general area of the mouth in which they are made or produced. There are three areas in which pure vowels are produced: Front, Central and Back. Front vowels (4) /i: /, /I/, /e/, /à ¦/ In the front area of the mouth (tongue), English has four vowels. These four front vowels are made with spread (unrounded) lips. Two vowels are in the close area. One is the close front spread vowel found in beat or sheep and symbolized by /i:/ , so these words can be described phonetically as /bi:t/ and / ʃi:p/.It also occurs initially as in eat /i:t/ and finally as in tea /ti:/. The other is a more open and a more central close front vowel, usually described as a lowered and centralized close front spread vowel. It is represented by the symbol /I/, and it occurs initially as in in /in/, medially as in sit /sit/ and finally as in happy /hà ¦pi/. English has no a vowel at precisely either the half-close or the half-open position, but one mid way between the two. This is usually described as mid front spread vowel. It is sometimes symbolized by e (Ɇº). This vowel occurs initially as in egg /eg/, medially as in set /set/, and it does not occur finally. The other English front vowel is in the open area but it is not completely open: it is somewhere between half-open and open, although it is usually as an open front spread vowel. This front vowel can occur initially as in and or an /à ¦nd, à ¦n/, medially as in man, can, /mà ¦n , kà ¦n/ and finally this vowel does not occur. Back vowels (5) /a: /, /Ɇ/,  /Ɇ: /, /u/, /u: / In the back area of the mouth we can recognize five vowels in English. Four of them are made with rounded lips and one with spread lips. There are also two vowels in English that fall in the close back area. One is the close back rounded vowel, as found in boot and tool and symbolized by u:, so these words will be transcribed phonetically as /bu:t/ and /tu:l/. The other is a more open and more central variety. It usually described as a (lowered and centralized) close back rounded vowel. It is represented by the symbol u. It occurs medially as in put and book. As in the case of front vowels, English has no vowels at precisely half-close and half-open back position. There is one vowel somewhere between the two, probably nearer to half-open than half-close. It is symbolized by Ɇ: It may be described as a mid back rounded vowel. It occurs initially as in orbit, order, medially as in ball, and bought. In the open back area two vowels are found in English, one made with rounded lips, the other with spread lips. The open back rounded vowel is, is like its front counterpart, not completely open but somewhere between half-open and open. It is symbolized by Ɇ. It may be described as an open back rounded vowel. It occurs initially as in of, on, odd, and medially as in dog, top, and dot. The open back spread vowel is not completely back and it tends towards the central position. This vowel is symbolized by a:. It occurs initially as in arm, medially as in part and finally car. Central vowels: /ÊŒ/, /3:/, /Éâ„ ¢/ We come now to the final group of pure vowels, those made in the central area of the mouth. There are three vowels produced in this area in English, all with spread lips. One of these vowels is in the open area, but like a and Ɇ in fact mid-way between half-open and open, although it is described as an open central spread vowel. It is represented by the IPA symbol for a half-open back spread vowel, namely ÊŒ. This vowel occurs initially as in up, under, and medially as in but/ /bÊŒt/ and some /sÊŒm/. The other two central vowels in English are both mid central spread vowels, that is mid-way between half-close and half-open. One is represented by the symbol 3:. It occurs initially as in earth and earn, and medially as in girl bird, etc. The latter sound is often referred to the schwa vowel. It is symbolized by Éâ„ ¢ and it can be described as an unstressed mid central spread vowel. It occurs initially as in above /Éâ„ ¢bÊŒv/, along /Éâ„ ¢lɆÃƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ /, ahead /Éâ„ ¢hed/, medially as in consider / kÉâ„ ¢nsIdÉâ„ ¢/, consist /kÉâ„ ¢sIst/, continue/ kÉâ„ ¢ntInju:/ and finally as in father/ fa: °Ãƒâ€°Ã¢â€ž ¢/, teacher/ ti::tʃÉâ„ ¢/. Diphthongs (8) As mentioned above diphthongs are the sounds that consist of a movement or glide from one vowel to another. Unlike the pure vowels, diphthongs are defined as vowel glides produced by a quick movement of the tongue from one position to another. In other words, they are a combination of two vowels. They are eight vowels: /ai/, /ei/, /Ɇi, /au/, /Éâ„ ¢u/, /eÉâ„ ¢/, /iÉâ„ ¢/, /uÉâ„ ¢/. The easiest way to remember them is in term of three groups divided as in the below diagram The closing diphthongs have the characteristic that they all end with a glide towards a closer vowel I or u. The first closing diphthong is /ei/. The beginning point of this diphthong is the mid front spread pure vowel of English e. It occurs initially as in aim, age ate, medially as in lake, take, make and finally as in say, and play. A second diphthong in this group begins with an open front spread vowel a, moving towards the closing front spread vowel i . This diphthong is represented by ai. This vowel occurs initially as in aisle, medially as in nine, and finally as in buy. The third diphthong in this group begins with a mid (between open and half-open) back rounded pure vowel Ɇ, moving towards the close front spread vowel i. This diphthong is represented by Ɇi. It occurs initially as in oil, medially as boys and finally as in joy. The second group of diphthongs comprises those tending u. The first in this group starts with the unstressed mid central spread vowel Éâ„ ¢ moving towards u. This diphthong is symbolized with Éâ„ ¢u. It occurs initially as open, medially as in home and finally as in go. The other in this group starts with an open central spread vowel a, moving towards u. It is represented by au. It occurs initially as in out, medially as in house and finally as in now. The third group is the centering diphthongs glide towards the Éâ„ ¢ (schwa) vowel. In other words, the diphthongs of this group tend towards the mid central spread vowel Éâ„ ¢. First, the diphthong that begins with (the lowered centralized) close front spread vowel I, moving towards the vowel Éâ„ ¢. This diphthong is represented by iÉâ„ ¢. It occurs initially as in ears, medially as in museum and finally as in clear, fear and here. The second diphthong in this group begins with a mid front spread vowel e, moving towards Éâ„ ¢. It is represented by eÉâ„ ¢. It occurs initially as in airline, medially as in shares and finally as care, fair, pair and hair. The last diphthong in this group begins with the close back rounded vowel u, moving towards the unstressed central spread vowel Éâ„ ¢. It is symbolized by uÉâ„ ¢. This diphthong occurs medially as in cruel, and finally as in pure, poor, and sure. Summary Features of English vowels uË Ã‚  Ã‚   ÊÅ   Ɇ ɆÃƒâ€¹Ã‚  É‘Ë Ã‚   ÊŒ à ¦ ɜˠÃ‚  Ã‚   e iË  Ä ± + + + + + + + + + + + Syllabic _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Consonantal + + + + + + + + + + + Sonorant + + _ _ _ _ _ _ _ + + High _ _ _ + _ _ + _ _ _ _ Low + + + + + _ _ _ _ _ _ Back + + + + _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Round + + + + + + + + + + + continuant _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Sibilant Pure vowels iË Ã‚  Ã‚   a close, front, spread vowel Ä ± a (lowered and centralized) close, front spread vowel. e  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a mid, front, spread vowel à ¦ an open, front, spread vowel uË Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a close, back, rounded vowel ÊÅ   a (lowered and centralized) close, back, rounded vowel :ɆÃƒâ€¹Ã‚ Ã‚   a mid (between half-close and half-open) back, rounded vowel Ɇ a mid (between open and half-open) open, back, rounded vowel É‘Ë Ã‚   an open, back, spread vowel :ɜˠÃ‚   a mid, central, spread vowel. ÊŒ an pen, central, spread vowel Éâ„ ¢ an unstressed, mid, central, spread vowel Diphthongs eÄ ± begins with the mid (between half-close and half-open) front spread vowel e, moving towards (lowered and centralized) close front spread vowel Ä ±. aÄ ± begins with the open front spread vowel a, moving towards the (lowered and centralized ) close front spread vowel Ä ±. ɆÃƒâ€žÃ‚ ± begins with the mid (between open and half-open) back rounded pure vowel Ɇ, moving towards the close front spread vowel i Éâ„ ¢u begins with the unstressed mid central spread vowel Éâ„ ¢ moving towards (lowered and centralized ) close front spread vowel u. au begins with the open central spread vowel a, moving towards the (lowered and centralized ) close back rounded vowel u. eÉâ„ ¢ begins with the mid front spread vowel e, moving towards the unstressed mid central spread vowel Éâ„ ¢. iÉâ„ ¢ begins with the (lowered centralized) close front spread vowel i , moving towards the vowel the unstressed mid central spread vowel Éâ„ ¢. uÉâ„ ¢ begins with the close back rounded vowel u, moving towards the unstressed central spread vowel Éâ„ ¢.