Plate techtonics Essay Example for Free

Plate techtonics Essay The Earth’s crust is composed of numerous plates which are constantly moving in relation to one another. This movement is responsible for earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain formation and the theory describing this phenomena is called plate tectonics. Plate techtonics was first described in the 1960’s and unified the theories of contenental drift and magnetic field change. The Earth’s interior is divided into three major sections based on their composition: the crust, mantle, and core. The crust is the uppermost portion, and accounts for less than 1% of its volume. It varies in thickness from 2 to 35 miles and it is this layer. Below the crust is a thick layer of rock called the mantle which is nearly 1500 miles thick. The core consists of 15 % of the Earth’s volume and 32% of its mass. It is very dense and is made mostly of iron. Another set of divisions of the Earth’s interior can be made based on mechanical differences and types of heat transfer; the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. The innermost asthenosphere is hotter and fluid-like. The lithosphere is a division made up of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. It is cool and rigid and is broken up into seven major and many minor techtonic plates. These plates move in relation to one another at one of three types of plate boundaries: convergent or collision boundaries, divergent or spreading boundaries, and transform boundaries. Most of the worlds active volcanoes occur along plate boundaries. The major plates are African Plate, Antarctic Plate, Arabian Plate, Australian Plate, Caribbean Plate, Cocos Plate, Eurasian Plate, Indian Plate, Juan de Fuca Plate, Nazca Plate, North American Plate, Pacific Plate, Philippine Plate, Scotia Plate, and the South American Plate. There are also many minor plates throughout the world.   As techtonic plates move, they interact with each other and create friction, pressure and/or strain. Stress builds up in both plates and when it reaches a level that exceeds the threshold of rocks on either side of the fault, this accumulated potential energy is released. The brittle upper crust reacts by fracture, or instantaneous stress release to allow motion along the fault. Energy released in this way is the cause of earthquakes which are commonly found along transform boundaries. The San Andreas Fault along the western coast of North America is a well known transform boundary. Here, the Pacific and North American plates meet and move against each other. Other examples of transform faults include the Alpine Fault in New Zealand and the North Anatolian Fault in Turkey. Mendocino Fracture Zone offshore northern California). Divergent boundaries consist of two plates that move apart from each other. When this occurs, a space is created and fills with molten magma. Spreading is not usually uniform and can create massive fault zones. Divergent boundaries are common in the sea floor and are the cause of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise. Convergent boundary action depends on the density of the plates that are colliding. Oceanic plates tend to be more dense, with a higher percentage of heavy elements. When a dense oceanic plate collides with a less-dense continental plate, the oceanic plate is typically thrust underneath. This forms a subduction zone and is responsible for oceanic trenches and mountain ranges. An example of a continental-oceanic subduction zone is the area along the western coast of South America where the oceanic Nazca Plate is being subducted beneath the continental South American Plate. Another phenomenon that occurs as the subducting plate descends is a rise in temperature as hot water that has been encased in the porous oceanic crust is released. As the water rises into the mantle of the overriding plate, it lowers the melting temperature of the surrounding mantle, producing â€Å"melts† (magma). These melts rise to the surface and are the source of some of the most explosive volcanism on Earth because of their high volumes of extremely pressurized gases. Mount St. Helens was formed in this way. As these melts rise to the surface and cool, they form long chains of volcanoes inland from the continental shelf and parallel to it. South America is dense with this type of volcanic mountain building from the subduction of the Nazca plate. In North America the Cascade mountain range, extending north from Californias Sierra Nevada, is also of this type. The entire Pacific Ocean boundary is surrounded by long stretches of volcanoes and is known collectively as The Ring of Fire which are the most active volcanoes in the world. When two continental plates collide, they will buckle and compress or one plate goes under the other creating mountain ranges. Currently, the northern margin of the Indian plate is being pushed under the Eurasian plate, and is creating the Himalayan Mountains. When two plates with oceanic crust collide, they typically create an island of volcanoes that erupt through the overriding plate. Japan and the Aleutian Islands were formed in this way. The world is constantly changing and the occurrence of natural disasters is a constant threat. Life in a high risk location may be uncertain, but many people have chosen to live near these potentially dangerous areas for reasons that they feel outweigh the risk. Choice is part of our rights as a human being, and we each must educate ourselves as to our environmental risks and weigh our priorities to make the decisions that are right for each of us. Our awareness of plate techtonics can allow us to assess our future risks. Not allowing people to live in high risk areas would remove their choices over their own lives.

VitraHaus Construction Analysis

VitraHaus Construction Analysis The home of Vitra Home Collection, VitraHaus (2006-2010), is located on Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany.1 It was designed by Basel-based architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron and opened in 2010.2 The purpose of the VitraHaus was to provide a space to present Vitra Home Collection furniture arrangements in different style genres and also provide inspirational ideas for visitors home and their own taste in design.3 In Charles Ray Eames Showroom, this was overcome by use of precedents which includes minimalism and the architects previous projects in Munich, Basel, and Paris.4 A) Historical Introduction: The VitraHaus(fig.1) was initiated as the home of the Vitra Home Collection that launched in January 2004.5 The company Vitra is a manufacturer and retailer of many leading furniture designers works.6 Vitra is also known for the Vitra Campus(fig.2) that make up its premises in Wil am Rhein.7 It is where company s widely acclaimed architecture of museum, atelier, showrooms, warehouse and manufacturing buildings are situated which make up its premises.8 These buildings are known for its internationally recognized architects such as like Frank Gehry, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Nicholas Grimshaw, Alvaro Siza and Antonio Citterio as well as structures by Jean Prouv? and Richard Buckminster Fuller.9 Since its foundation in 1950, the company focused mainly on office furnishings and has targeted business clients until they launched its Home Collection in January 2004 with a new target group in mind: individual customers with an interest in design.10 It features collection of unique home product s including design classics, re-editions, as well as works by contemporary designers.11 The Vitra Home Collection was displayed in a former factory building on the main Vitra production site until the company decided to have a space solely serve for the Home Collection.12 To construct an additional space on the Vitra Campus, the company commissioned two Basel based architects Herzog and de Meuron in 2006 to design the home of Vitra Home Collection the VitraHause.13 The design development took place from 2006 to 2007 and the construction continued from 2007 to 2009 where the VitraHaus opened in Feburary 22nd 2010.14 The construction of VitraHaus was also a starting of a new chapter in the history of Vitra Campus since it was the newest addition in sixteen years since the last building the Vitra Design Museum by Frank Gehry in1994.15 B) Spatial Organization and Planning: The VitraHaus is a five storey structure with twelve houses within the building.16 (fig.3) The Charles and Ray Eames showroom (fig.4) is located in the third floor of VitraHaus with dimension of approximately 90sq.meter.17 The visitors discovery on the path through the VitraHaus starts from fourth floor of the building towards the lower floors.18 As one starts their tour in fourth floor loft, they are introduced to a spectacular view of the Tullinger Hill and the history of Vitra and the VitraHaus.19 After one has been introduced to a brief knowledge of the Vitra and its history of furniture, The Vitra Classic awaits in the third floor (fig.5) where Charles and Ray Eames showroom is located.20 The Vitra Classic floor can be reached by three different paths throughout the building.21 First is to take the main stair which connects all the floors in the building.22 This main stair will introduce you directly to Charles and Ray Eames showroom which is located in the North East side of the floor.23 The second method is to take a lift which also connects all the floors in the building.24 However, the lift will lead you to the other collection of Vitra Classics which is located in the South West side of the floor.25 But one can easily walk to the other side of the floor.26 The third is a spiral stair which is accessible from the second floor.27 On the arrival of this spiral stair, one can choose to walk straight forward to the South West part of the floor or turn around to visit the Charles and Ray Eames collection.28 As you enter the showroom (fig.6), the front facade with glazed gable ends opens up the room to the view of landscape and the Vitra Campus.29 The daylight from the window also makes the room feel more spacious. On the East of the room is the display wall with wall mounted shelving and colour coded signage to categorize Charles and Ray Eames designs.30 To the West side of the space, chairs are displayed on the floor along the wall with different flooring that separates between the display area and circulation floor.31 The West side of the space also has the spiral stairs which opened up upper part of the wall which gives view of second floor which presents the Living, Eating, and Working at Home collections.32 C) Materials and Construction Method(s): The VitraHaus is a five storey structure of stacked volumes of the archetypal house which comprised of twelve houses.33 Five houses are set at the ground floor with seven more houses are stacked up, intersected and in support of one another.34 Stacked into a total of five storeys and breathtakingly cantilevered up to fifteen metres in some places, the twelve houses, whose floor slabs intersect the underlying gables, create a three-dimensional assemblage ? a pile of houses that, at first glance, has an almost chaotic appearance.35 The VitraHaus rises above the other buildings on the Vitra Campus with maximum dimensions of 57 metres in length, 54 metres in width and 21.3 metres in height.36(fig.7) The deliberate intention was to grant an overview of the surrounding landscape, the campus as well as an overview of the Home Collection by constructing a vertically oriented structure with a small footprint.37 The charcoal coloured stucco on the exterior of the building unifies the structure, and connects it to the surrounding landscape.38 (fig.8) A wooden plank floors made from the local larch wood defines an open central area, where five ground floor buildings are grouped.39 (fig.9) It performs as a conference area, Vitra Design Museum Shop, business lounge and a Vitrine exhibition space, the lobby with a reception area and a caf? with an outdoor terrace for summer use.40 As interior and exterior spaces interpenetrate, so do two types of forms: the orthogonal-polygonal, as perceived from the exterior, and the organic, which produces a series of spatial surprises in the interior. 41(fig.10) It is a secret world that is intended by Herzog de Meuron with a suggestive, almost labyrinthine character. 42 On the path through the five storeys, the complexity of the interior space arises not only from the angular intersection of the individual houses but also from the integration of a second geo metrical concept.43 All of the staircases are integrated into expansive, winding organic volumes that figuratively eat their way through the various levels of the building like a worm, sometimes revealing fascinating visual relationships between the various houses, at other times blocking the view.44 The individual houses, which have the general characteristics of a display space, are conceived as abstract elements.45 With just a few exceptions, only the gable ends are glazed, and the structural volumes seem to have been shaped with an extrusion press.46 An important feature of the VitraHaus is the glassed end gables(fig.11); a feature which gives the house two personalities.47 By day the surrounding countryside appears to be drawn into the interior and to become almost a part of the decoration; in contrast, however, when darkness falls, the illuminated interior of the building glows from within, while its physical structure seems to dissipate.48 The rooms open up; the glazed gable ends turn into display cases that shine across the Vitra Campus and into the surrounding countryside.49 D) Furnishings and Ornamentation: The philosophy of Vitra Home Collection is to provide inspirational ideas for individuals home and their own taste in design rather than an interior design system or a homogeneous product line.50 Vitra Home Collection wishes to inspire customers to furnish their home as a process of collage of products and objects according to one s individual preferences and circumstances.51 To allow one to be inspired, and encourage to explore and heighten their sense of design, the interior of the overall space is very simple and furnishings are used as minimal as possible.52 The interior walls are finished in white which gives priority to the furniture displays and allow the characteristics of furniture presents its fullest .53 Since the space is used to showcase the retail furniture, series of wall shelving and signage are used to display.54 The white shelves are mounted in different levels with colourful signage to categorize the types of Charles and Ray Eames chairs into plastic, wire, aluminu m, and ply wood groups.55 The rugs or different variety of floor furnishings are used to give the boundary to the additional furniture displayed on the floor.56 The spot lightings are mounted in the ceiling as ambient light as well as to emphasize the products.57 Since there are minimal use of ornamentations, the abstract structural volumes interacting through the space and the glazed gable ends adds rhythm to the space.58 The high ceiling, white finishes, light wood floors, and large windows give spacious feeling to the space.59 Each house has a touch screen catalogue(fig.12) where each visitor can insert their VitraHause keycard and browse through Vitra s catalogue, purchase a product on a spot or learn about particular design or designer.60 The Vitra Classic Collection also features the Photo me La Chaise Armchair which is set of a La Caise Armchair by Charles and Ray Eames with a camera that allows visitors to have memorable photo time upon their visit to the VitraHaus.61 The photo can be stored in a personal VitraHause keycard and can be emailed later.62 E) Functions and Signification: Since the company Vitra is a manufacturer and retailer company that acquired licenses for the designs of Charles and Ray Eames in 1951, it is not a surprise to see that one of the showrooms in VitraHaus was dedicated to the designs of Eames.63 The Charles and Ray Eames showroom functions as a space that showcases the works of Charles and Ray Eames in different range of groups.64 The groups are categorized by the materials used in the making of the chairs which includes but not limited to; plastic, wire, aluminum, and ply wood.65 As mentioned earlier, the deliberate intention of the building was to grant an overview of the surrounding landscape, the campus as well as an overview of the Home Collection by constructing a vertically oriented structure with a small footprint.66 This has been illustrated in the Charles and Ray Eames showroom with large window that has an overview of the campus and the opening for the spiral stair case allows an overview of the Home Collection on lower floors.67 The philosophy of the Vitra Home Collection also has been demonstrated successfully in the space.68 The Vitra Home Collection s intention was to provide inspirational ideas for individuals own taste in design so one can furnish their home as a process of collage of products and objects according to one s individual preferences and circumstances.69 This philosophy is successfully delivered through minimal interior design of the space.70 It allowed the unique characteristics of each chairs to be presented in its fullest with the contrast of the white wall.71 This contrast and display almost creates an imagery of pallets of colourfull paints on a white canvas which inspires visitors to explore and imagine their own design of space.72 The special photograph set and digital catalogue also adds excitement and convenience to the visit.73 The space that is solely dedicated in respect of the design classic, with the company s philosophy of provide a space that can inspire one to build and develop their own design world.74 This suggests that the space not only functions as a showroom, but it also functions as a space for an education, preservation of stories, personal knowledge and to be one s muse.75 F) Designer s Sources/Inspirations/Influences/Precedents: The concept of the VitraHaus contains two direct quotations of the themes that appear repeatedly in the oeuvre of Herzog de Meuron: the theme of the archetypal house and the theme of stacked volumes.76 Herzog de Meuron has aimed not for virtuosity but innovation, looking always to the broader culture and art for inspiration.77 Referring to Andy Warhol, Jacques Herzog has said, He used common Pop images to say something new. That is exactly what we are interested in: to use well known forms and materials in a new way so that they become alive again. 78 Their influences of the archetypal house and theme of stacked volumes can be seen in many of their work from precedents to future projects that are in progress.79 The Goetz Collection, in Munich 1989-1992 (fig.13), St. Jakob Turm in Basel 2005-2008 (fig.14), and Rue des Suisses in Paris 1996-2000 (fig.15) are one of the precedents that has been designed by Herzog and de Meuron.80 Another form of their precedents study can be found at the Herzog and de Meuron Exhibition at the Walker Art Centre in November 2000 to February 2001.81 The exhibition included from material studies to technical drawings and from initial models to full-scale prototypes(fig.16).82 Here, many prototypes of stack up of geometrical shapes can be found.83 In VitraHaus, it was especially appropriate since the primary purpose of the five-storey building is to present furnishings and objects for the home.84 Due to the proportions and dimensions of the interior spaces ? the architects use the term domestic scale ? the showrooms are reminiscent of familiar residential settings.85 Architect Jacques Herzog, naturally, sees the situation somewhat differently.86 For Herzog, the project was a chance to get away from development driven architecture and a rare opportunity to complete an author driven project.87 Through the stacking and interlacing you not only create a multitude of new forms and architectural spaces but achieve a wonderful paradox: a simple, familiar house design which appears complex on account of the numerous intersections.88 This perceived complexity is further enhanced by the combination of the external orthogonal-polygonal form and the more organic internal form which results, principally, from the spiral staircases and occa sional open spaces and small side windows.89 Principally the black exterior allows the effect of floating houses by allowing the structure to merge with the darkness.90 In addition the anthracite of the VitraHaus contrasts with the brilliant white of Frank Gehrys neighbouring Vitra Design Museum.91

The Implementation Of Policies And Legislative Social Work Essay

The Implementation Of Policies And Legislative Social Work Essay Children are de ¬Ã‚ ned as in need when they are unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development; or whose health and development are likely to be signi ¬Ã‚ cantly impaired, or further impaired without the provision of services under s.17(10); o are disabled as defined in s.17(11); or those who are in specific need of safeguarding under Part V of the (CA)(1989). Ann had recently been separated with her husband due to domestic violence and is currently living in a womens refuge with her 12 years old daughter. She had reported feeling depressed and lack resources. The development of a definition of domestic violence in Yemshaw v Hounslow LBC [2011] UKSC 3 (SC), decision by the court set a precedent that was used in meeting the needs of families. Children witnessing domestic abuse have now been included in the definition of harm under s.31(9) of the CA (1989). Section 17(1) of the CA (1989), places a general duty on Local Authorities (LA) to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within its area who are in need. It is based on the presumption that so far as it is consistent with their duty, children upbringing should be promoted within the family with an emphasis on parental responsibility as defined under s.3(1) of the CA (1989). This is complemented and reinforced under s.10(3) of the CA (2004), which requires LAs to have regard to the importance of parents and other persons caring for children in improving the well-being of children. LAs are directed through their specific duties and powers specified in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to provide services considered appropriate to meet the needs of children in need with the aim of avoiding the need for care proceedings . This includes homelessness, the psychological effect of witnessing abuse and disruption with school. Under s.17(6) the LAs can provide accommodation, counselling or as in th e cash of domestic violence, assistance in cash. Social workers are charged with discretion in making ethical decisions and should therefore use case law for additional guidance (Brammer, 2010: 190). In R v Nottingham City Council [2001] EWHC Admin 235, it was established that assessment is not a discretionary duty. Additionally, In R. (on the application of MM) v Lewisham LBC [2009] EWHC 416, it was held that the consideration given to the referral fell far below the standard required by law. The CA (1989) stipulates the legal framework within which Social Work practice with children in need is situated. Its child-centred approach is embodied in the welfare paramountcy principle s.1 and the welfare checklist s.1(3) states factors that must be considered with respect to determining the childs best interest. This welfare principle is also evident in s.3(5) and s.17. It adopt the principle that any delay s.1(2); in considering whether to make, vary or discharge s.31 and s.8 orders, s(1)(4); is likely to prejudice the childs welfare; and no order should be discharge except it is unequivocally in the childs best interests. The complexities and uncertainties of family life have brought about evolving policies and guidelines to complement the legislative framework (Davis, 2009). An understanding of childrens needs requires a multidisciplinary evidenced-based assessment, which is prescribed under The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (DoH, 2000). This is conferred under s.7, LA Social Services Act (1979) and requires LAs to comply with their duties. The Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003) led to the enactment of the CA (2004): it requires LAs under s.11(4) to have regards of statutory guidance to cooperate and make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Working Together to Safeguard Children (DCSF, 2010) specifies how agencies should work together: it states unequivocally the proactive early identification of additional needs and the provision of appropriate services. The complexities and tension of multi professional perspective is recognised in The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) (DfE, 2009) and based assessment on consistency and coordination between agencies (Brammer, 2010). There are potential dissonances between legislative framework and the ethical frameworks, which informs social work practice. Parton (2006) noted the complexities of balancing child empowerment and professional judgement, and suggested that Social workers should advocate for children through their active participation in accordance with s.17(4A and 4B). Graham (2011: 1541) highlighted a substantial cultural shift to include children in planning and decision-making through the construction of the social model of childhood. This principle sought to reconcile the concept of child autonomy and right, with professional accountability and responsibility (Williams, 2008). The concept of best interest and the welfare of the child set out in s.1(3) and A8 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) is also embodied in decision-making (Butler and Hickman, 2011). In a speech at the Institute of Public Policy Research, Educational Secretary Michael Gove claimed that safegu arding children is inundated with optimism bias (Media, 2012). The law confers both a discretionary and obligatory duties, and the prediction of impairment is given emphasis under s.31 and s.17. It is therefore critical for social workers to have an ethical consideration when discharging their powers and duties, and reflect social work values in their proportionality of intervention under the Human Rights Act (HRA) (1998) which is seen as an additional scrutiny of practice (Brammer 2010: 114). The value of outcome focus needs analysis and multi-agency working is compatible with social work values. It recognise the complexities and sensitivity of domestic violence, and emphasis on the compounding effect of stereotypical assumptions and stigma faced by individual and families (Sheppard, 2006). Social workers conceptualisation according to Connolly, et al (2006) is invaluable in promoting social inclusion. This is particularly relevant to Anns situation. Assessment should not be based on a single event; careful consideration must be given the long-term effect of domestic violence (Williams, 2008). It must be conducted sensitively with an emphasis on respectful uncertainty, flexibility, openness and honesty about professional involvement (Laming, 2003). Strafford,et al (2010:13) locates the process of assessment in the context of a Systems approach. Social workers need to be aware of the likely impact of any intervention on the family. Social workers are required to adopt a principled approach based on negotiation and partnership. The CA (2004) requires LAs to coordinate services with relevant agencies: this gained explicit recognition in the Working Together to Safeguard Children guideline and reflects an acknowledgement that disadvantage occurs within a context of multiplicity of interlocking factors and social dynamic of the family (Graham, 2011). Social workers must therefore, integrate best-known evidence to inform professional judgement to accounts for the uniqueness, uncertainties and potential value conflicts (GSCC, 2003). Anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practices are integral to social worker practice and enshrined in law. The GSCC (2003: 1.5) code of practice stresses the importance of respecting diversity and different culture and values. Further, s.22(5) requires due consideration to be given to a childs religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background which is also encapsulated in A.14 of HRA (1998), the right not to be discriminated against. The amendment of parental responsibility by the Adoption and Children Act (2002) to include adult with real relationship accounts for value placed on recognition of diversity of families to combat social exclusion (Strafford,et al 2010: 16). Millar and Corby (2006) highlighted the positive effect of a detailed assessment: Munro (2011) and Wise et al (2011: 95) are however, critical of the bureaucracy and the prescriptive nature of the Assessment Framework, which distracts social workers from their core therapeutic function. This presents a dilemma of balancing the need of a more rigorous assessment framework with the CAF (Crisp, et al, 2007). Social inclusion and integration are intrinsic to social work, however, Palmer (2003) and Goldthorpe and Monro (2005) notes that there is concern amongst social workers that the high eligibility criteria have seen a shift from family support to reactive child protection practice thereby further excluding and marginalising families. This have led social workers to question the concept of needs led service provision. Stafford, et al, (2011) reports on the conflicts and complexities around issues of confidentiality and information sharing within multidisciplinary teams. This posed a dilemma between the welfare of the child and Anns right to confidentiality. Domestic violence occurs within the context of both civil and criminal domain. This present are a wide range of shared and diverse models of knowledge and practice amongst professionals involved with children and families (Graham, 2011). OLoughlin and OLoughlin (2008: 41) noted the complexities of balancing the rights and responsibilities of parents and the rights and needs of children. This present a dilemma between a principled welfare approach and s.8 orders as highlighted in Debbonaire (2012). Cleaver et al (2010) noted that whist childrens needs occur within the family and environmental context and often interlinked with those of their parent: It is crucial that practice is child-centred and needs considered separately through childrens active participation (Mullender 2002: 121). The complexities of parental contact from the perpetrator of abuse might expose the children to witnessing more abuse. The legislative framework and policies have an enormous impact on social work practice. The complex interplay of skills, values and knowledge; the prevailing social attitudes; and the conflicting and overlapping imperative, have been analysed as the range of dilemmas and conflicts faced by social workers. What is most noteworthy, however, is the need for sound professional judgement and ethical consideration.

Medieval Castles Essay -- essays research papers fc

Medieval Castles and their Interior   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although it is thought that medieval times were barbaric they too enjoyed many comforts we still do today. There is much more to the castle then its’ size or the stone arches inside which are still used in many homes today. Castles today are still flocked to by millions of people every year. Sometimes you even see copies of castles right here in the U.S.A but they are not quite the same. Although they were originally built to protect the King, Castles became more and more popular among other nobles as well. Each family castle had their own special design and touch but most castles of medieval times had a lot of the same basic elements in their interior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Within the shell keep and behind the great walls of these castles there was always one basic element: the great hall. It was often on the ground floor but sometimes it was raised to the second floor for extra security. â€Å"The great hall was a large one-room structure with a lofty ceiling†(Giess 58). This was where all the people of the castles slept (excluding the lord and the Lady). There was of course a great big curtain put up so the ladies would be separate from the men. It wasn’t until the end of the century when separate rooms were invented. The great hall was usually located in the very center of the castle and walls built out of stone surrounded the whole room. The entrance was in a sidewall near the lower end of the hall. An outside staircase would be built if the hall were on the second floor. The family would usually have its feasts in this room (Gies 60). For even more security they would have guards stand outside the great hall on all sides of the room so guests would feel safe when they were feasting (Nardo 57). Early halls were aisled like a church, with rows of wooden posts or stone pillars supporting the timber roof. Windows were equipped with wooden shutters secured by an iron bar but they were rarely glazed. It wasn’t until the13th century a king or a great baron might have white or greenish glass in the windows. Then later in the14th century that glazed windows were in every castle (Gies59).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the castle, the first floor or ground floor (it was sometimes called) was the actual earth itself. ... ...d. All that remains now are ruins that dot the countryside every where throughout England.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though the castle has disappeared it has not been completely forgotten. Today many decorators and homeowners borrow and try to recreate the barbaric look. A lot of people find in quite romantic. People are reminded of royalty and all the important people during this period like King Arthur and Robin Hood. In conclusion, the Medieval Castle’s interior decoration began to have importance and much of its’ innovations are still used today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WORKS CITED Nardo, Don. The Medieval Castle. California: Lucent Books, 1997. Singman, Jeffery L. Medieval Europe. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999. Gies, Frances, et. al. Life in a Medieval Castle. New York: Thomas Crowell Company,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1974. â€Å"Interior Design.† World Book Encyclopedia. 1995. ed. Medieval Castles. 12 Dec 2001. http://www.castles-of-britain.com

Heathcliff as Byronic Hero of Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights Essay

Heathcliff as Byronic Hero of Wuthering Heights      Ã‚   It is difficult if not impossible to find a character in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights that is 100% convincing as the hero -- until one applies the qualities of the Byronic hero.   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When considering Wuthering Heights Heathcliff immediately jumps to mind as the villainous character.   Upon his return he wickedly orchestrates Hindley's economic demise and takes control of the Heights.   He attempts to win Catherine, now a married woman, back and when that fails takes in marriage Isabelle Linton, Edgar's sister, with the sole intention of torturing her as a way of avenging himself on Edgar for marrying the woman he loved.   When Hindley died Heathcliff took his son, Hareton, in order to treat him as cruelly as Hindley had treated Heathcliff, thus taking his revenge on Hindley.   To further punish Edgar, Heathcliff kidnaps Cathy, forces her to marry his son, Linton, and in so doing gains possession of Thruschcross Grange and has the authority to treat Cathy as he desires.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Heathcliff obviously has a nasty vengeful side but that makes his character perfect to bear the mantle of the Byronic hero.  Ã‚   He rebels against the social order in his world by attempting to defy Hindley and associate with Catherine and later in his attempt to woo her from Edgar's arms and home and make her his own.   He is very definitely self-destructive and cares for no one but himself and Catherine, which at times seem debatable.   His passion in life is not life but to avenge himself upon everyone that has ever slighted him.   He systematically destroys the lives of the people who hurt him but he refuses to stop there - insisting upon further punishing those individuals through... ...nder the earth until he can join her in death so that he need not endure a single day without the knowledge of her close by.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All of Heathcliff's actions sprung from his desire to be with Catherine.   When he was denied this, primarily because of his social standing and background, he sets about to ruin the lives of those who assume they are better than he because of their position in society.   Heathcliff cannot be categorized a villain but rather is dubbed Byronic Hero and to some extent, the victim of a spoiled manipulative brat.    Works Cited Damrosch, David, et al., ed.   The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. B.   Compact ed.   New York: Longman - Addison Wesley Longman, 2000. Bronte, Emily.   Wuthering Heights. Norton Critical ed.   3rd ed.   Ed. William M. Sale, Jr., and Richard J. Dunn.   New York:   W. W. Norton, 1990.   

Grapes Of Wrath: Summary :: essays research papers

Grapes of Wrath: Summary The book Grapes of Wrath tells about the dust Bowl people's troubles they had coming to California. It tell about the Joad's trip from Oklahoma to California. There are twelve people in the Joad family. The one person that stood out the most between thee family was Ma. Ma's great strength, and smart thinking is what keeps the Joad family together and going. Ma's strong suites are shown through out the book. Nancy Reagan once said, "A women is like a tea bag-only in hot water do you realize how strong she is." I don't know how Nancy Reagan did this but she described Ma Joad to you exactly. The first time that Ma's strength was showed was when grandma died. She lied to an inspector telling him, "We got a sick ol' lady. We got to get her to a doctor. We can't wait." The inspector bought the story and let them pass on their way to California. Even then Ma didn't tell the family that grandma was dead, instead she laid there next grandma's dead carpus until they got to California. "She looked over the valley and said , Grandma's dead." She keeps the family together when they want to split up. The first time that this was showed in the book when they pulled over to help the Wilsons with the car. Tom suggested that him and Casey stay and fix the car while the rest of the family go's on to Bakersfield and that they would meet them there. Ma then let out her fury, she held up a tire iron and demanded that they all stick together and that they will go to Bakersfield together. Ma is also very smart. Her common sense is a higher then the rest of the family's. When Tom gets hit under the eye by a officer Ma devises a plan to get Tom out of that government camp. She says, "We'll put one mattress on the bottom, an' then Tom gets quick there, an we take another mattress an' sort of fold it so it make a cave." She really puts her foot down with what she wants

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 26

Chapter 26 You can travel the whole world, but there are always new things to learn. For instance, on the way to Capernaum I learned that if you hang a drunk guy over a camel and slosh him around for about four hours, then pretty much all the poisons will come out one end of him or the other. â€Å"Someone's going to have to wash that camel before we go into town,† said Andrew. We were traveling along the shore of the Sea of Galilee (which wasn't a sea at all). The moon was almost full and it reflected in the lake like a pool of quicksilver. It fell to Nathaniel to clean the camel because he was the official new guy. (Joshua hadn't really met Andrew, and Andrew hadn't really agreed to join us, so we couldn't count him as the official new guy yet.) Since Nathaniel did such a fine job on the camel, we let him clean up Joshua as well. Once he had the Messiah in the water Joshua came out of his stupor long enough to slur something like: â€Å"The foxes have their holes and birds have their nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.† â€Å"That's so sad,† said Nathaniel. â€Å"Yes, it is,† I said. â€Å"Dunk him again. He still has barf on his beard.† And so, cleansed and slung over a camel damply, Joshua did by moonlight come into Capernaum, where he would be welcomed as if it were his home. â€Å"Out!† screeched the old woman. â€Å"Out of the house, out of town, out of Galilee for all I care, you aren't staying here.† It was a beautiful dawn over the lake, the sky painted with yellow and orange, gentle waves lapped against the keels of Capernaum's fishing boats. The village was only a stone's throw away from the water, and golden sunlight reflected off the waves onto the black stone walls of the houses, making the light appear to dance to the calls of the gulls and songbirds. The houses were built together in two big clusters, sharing common walls, with entries from every which way, and none more than one story tall. There was a small main road through the village between the two clusters of homes. Along the way were a few merchant booths, a blacksmith's shop, and, on its own little square, a synagogue that looked as if it could contain far more worshipers than the three hundred residents of the village. But villages were thick along the shores of the lake, one running right into the next, and we guessed that perhaps the synagogue served a number of villages. There was no central square around the well as there was in most inland villages, because the people pulled their water from the lake or a spring nearby that bubbled clean chilly water into the air as high as two men. Andrew had deposited us at his brother Peter's house, and we had fallen asleep in the great room among the children only a few hours before Peter's mother-in-law awoke to chase us out of the house. Joshua was holding his head with both hands as if to keep it from falling off his neck. â€Å"I won't have freeloaders and scalawags in my house,† the old woman shouted as she threw my satchel out after us. â€Å"Ouch,† said Joshua, flinching from the noise. â€Å"We're in Capernaum, Josh,† I said. â€Å"A man named Andrew brought us here because his nephews stole our camels.† â€Å"You said Maggie was dying,† Joshua said. â€Å"Would you have left John if I'd told you that Maggie wanted to see you?† â€Å"No.† He smiled dreamily. â€Å"It was good to see Maggie.† Then the smile turned to a scowl. â€Å"Alive.† â€Å"John wouldn't listen, Joshua. You were in the desert all last month, you didn't see all of the soldiers, even scribes hiding in the crowd, writing down what John was saying. This was bound to happen.† â€Å"Then you should have warned John!† â€Å"I warned John! Every day I warned John. He didn't listen to reason any more than you would have.† â€Å"We have to go back to Judea. John's followers – â€Å" â€Å"Will become your followers. No more preparation, Josh.† Joshua nodded, looking at the ground in front of him. â€Å"It's time. Where are the others?† â€Å"I've sent Philip and Nathaniel to Sepphoris to sell the camels. Bartholomew is sleeping in the reeds with the dogs.† â€Å"We're going to need more disciples,† Joshua said. â€Å"We're broke, Josh. We're going to need disciples with jobs.† An hour later we stood on the shore near where Andrew and his brother were casting nets. Peter was taller and leaner than his brother, and he had a head of gray hair wilder than even John the Baptist's, while Andrew pushed his dark hair back and tied it with a cord so it stayed out of his face when he was in the water. They were both naked, which is how men fished the lake when they were close to the shore. I had mixed a headache remedy for Joshua out of tree bark, and I could tell it was working, but perhaps not quite enough. I pushed Joshua toward the shore. â€Å"I'm not ready for this. I feel terrible.† â€Å"Ask them.† â€Å"Andrew,† Joshua called. â€Å"Thank you for bringing us home with you. And you too, Peter.† â€Å"Did my mother-in-law toss you out?† asked Peter. He cast his net and waited for it to settle, then dove into the lake and gathered the net in his arms. There was one tiny fish inside. He reached in and pulled it out, then tossed it back into the lake. â€Å"Grow,† he said. â€Å"You know who I am?† said Joshua. â€Å"I've heard,† said Peter. â€Å"Andrew says you turned water into wine. And you cured the blind and the lame. He thinks that you are going to bring the kingdom.† â€Å"What do you think?† â€Å"I think my little brother is smarter than I am, so I believe what he says.† â€Å"Come with us. We're going to tell people of the kingdom. We need help.† â€Å"What can we do?† said Andrew. â€Å"We're only fishermen.† â€Å"Come with me and I'll make you fishers of men.† Andrew looked at his brother who was still standing in the water. Peter shrugged and shook his head. Andrew looked at me, shrugged, and shook his head. â€Å"They don't get it,† I said to Joshua. Thus, after Joshua had some food and a nap and explained what in the hell he meant by â€Å"fishers of men,† we became seven. â€Å"These guys are our partners,† Peter said, hurrying us along the shore. â€Å"They own the ships that Andrew and I work on. We can't go spread the good news unless they are in on it too.† We came to another small village and Peter pointed out two brothers who were fitting a new oarlock into the gunwale of a fishing boat. One was lean and angular, with jet-black hair and a beard trimmed into wicked points: James. The other was older, bigger, softer, with big shoulders and chest, but small hands and thin wrists, a fringe of brown hair shot with gray around a sunburned bald pate: John. â€Å"Just a suggestion,† Peter said to Joshua. â€Å"Don't say the fisher-of-men thing. It's going to be dark soon; you won't have time for the explanation if we want to make it home in time for supper.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said, â€Å"just tell them about the miracles, the kingdom, a little about your Holy Ghost thing, but stay easy on that until they agree to join up.† â€Å"I still don't get the Holy Ghost thing,† said Peter. â€Å"It's okay, we'll go over it tomorrow,† I said. As we moved down the shore toward the brothers, there was a rustling in some nearby bushes and three piles of rags moved into our path. â€Å"Have mercy on us, Rabbi,† said one of the piles. Lepers. (I need to say something right here: Joshua taught me about the power of love and all of that stuff, and I know that the Divine Spark in them is the same one that is in me, so I should have not let the presence of lepers bother me. I know that announcing them unclean under the Law was as unjust as the Brahmans shunning the Untouchables. I know that even now, having watched enough television, you probably wouldn't even refer to them as lepers so as to spare their feelings. You probably call them â€Å"parts-dropping-off challenged,† or something. I know all that. But that said, no matter how many healings I saw, lepers always gave me what we Hebrews call the willies. I never got over it.) â€Å"What is it you want?† Joshua asked them. â€Å"Help ease our suffering,† said a female-sounding pile. â€Å"I'll be over there looking at the water, Josh,† I said. â€Å"He'll probably need some help,† Peter said. â€Å"Come to me,† Joshua said to the lepers. They oozed on over. Joshua put his hands on the lepers and spoke to them very quietly. After a few minutes had passed, while Peter and I had seriously studied a frog that we noticed on the shore, I heard Joshua say, â€Å"Now go, and tell the priests that you are no longer unclean and should be allowed in the Temple. And tell them who sent you.† The lepers threw off their rags and praised Joshua as they backed away. They looked like perfectly normal people who just happened to be all wrapped up in tattered rags. By the time Peter and I got back to Joshua, James and John were already at his side. â€Å"I have touched those who they said were unclean,† Joshua said to the brothers. By Mosaic Law, Joshua would be unclean as well. James stepped forward and grabbed Joshua's forearm in the style of the Romans. â€Å"One of those men used to be our brother.† â€Å"Come with us,† I said, â€Å"and we will make you oarlock makers of men.† â€Å"What?† said Joshua. â€Å"That's what they were doing when we came up. Making an oarlock. Now you see how stupid that sounds?† â€Å"It's not the same.† And thus we did become nine. Philip and Nathaniel returned with enough money from the sale of the camels to feed the disciples and all of Peter's family as well, so Peter's screeching mother-in-law, who was named Esther, allowed us to stay, providing Bartholomew and the dogs slept outside. Capernaum became our base of operations and from there we would take one- or two-day trips, swinging through Galilee as Joshua preached and performed healings. The news of the coming of the kingdom spread through Galilee, and after only a few months, crowds began to gather to hear Joshua speak. We tried always to be back in Capernaum on the Sabbath so that Joshua could teach at the synagogue. It was that habit that first attracted the wrong sort of attention. A Roman soldier stopped Joshua as he was making the short walk to the synagogue on Sabbath morning. (No Jew was permitted to make a journey of more than a thousand steps from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday – all at once, that is. One way. You didn't have to add up your steps all day and just stop when you got to a thousand. There would have been Jews standing all over the place waiting for Saturday sundown if that were the case. It would have been awkward. Suddenly I'm thankful that the Pharisees never thought of that.) The Roman was no mere legionnaire, but a centurion, with the full crested helmet and eagle on his breastplate of a legion commander. He led a tall white horse that looked as if it had been bred for combat. He was old for a soldier, perhaps sixty, and his hair was completely white when he removed his helmet, but he looked strong and the wasp-waisted short sword at his waist looked dangerous. I didn't recognize him until he spoke to Joshua, in perfect, unaccented Aramaic. â€Å"Joshua of Nazareth,† the Roman said. â€Å"Do you remember me?† â€Å"Justus,† Joshua said. â€Å"From Sepphoris.† â€Å"Gaius Justus Gallicus,† said the soldier. â€Å"And I'm at Tiberius now, and no longer an under-commander. The Sixth Legion is mine. I need your help, Joshua bar Joseph of Nazareth.† â€Å"What can I do?† Joshua looked around. All of the disciples except Bartholomew and me had managed to sneak away when the Roman walked up. â€Å"I saw you make a dead man walk and talk. I've heard of the things you've done all over Galilee, the healings, the miracles. I have a servant who is sick. Tortured with palsy. He can barely breathe and I can't watch him suffer. I don't ask that you break your Sabbath by coming to Tiberius, but I believe you can heal him, even from here.† Justus dropped to his knee and kneeled in front of Joshua, something I never saw any Roman do to any Jew, before or since. â€Å"This man is my friend,† he said. Joshua touched the Roman's temple and I watched the fear drain out of the soldier's face as I had so many others. â€Å"You believe it to be, so be it,† said Joshua. â€Å"It's done. Stand up, Gaius Justus Gallicus.† The soldier smiled, then stood and looked Joshua in the eye. â€Å"I would have crucified your father to root out the killer of that soldier.† â€Å"I know,† said Joshua. â€Å"Thank you,† Justus said. The centurion put on his helmet and climbed on his horse. Then looked at me for the first time. â€Å"What happened to that pretty little heartbreaker you two were always with?† â€Å"Broke our hearts,† I said. Justus laughed. â€Å"Be careful, Joshua of Nazareth,† he said. He reined the horse around and rode away. â€Å"Go with God,† Joshua said. â€Å"Good, Josh, that's the way to show the Romans what's going to happen to them come the kingdom.† â€Å"Shut up, Biff.† â€Å"Oh, so you bluffed him. He's going to get home and his friend will still be messed up.† â€Å"Remember what I told you at the gates of Gaspar's monastery, Biff? That if someone knocked, I'd let them in?† â€Å"Ack! Parables. I hate parables.† Tiberius was only an hour's fast ride from Capernaum, so by morning word had come back from the garrison: Justus's servant had been healed. Before we had even finished our breakfast there were four Pharisees outside of Peter's house looking for Joshua. â€Å"You performed a healing on the Sabbath?† the oldest of them asked. He was white-bearded and wore his prayer shawl and phylacteries wrapped about his upper arms and forehead. (What a jamoke. Sure, we all had phylacteries, every man got them when he turned thirteen, but you pretended that they were lost after a few weeks, you didn't wear them. You might as well wear a sign that said: â€Å"Hi, I'm a pious geek.† The one he wore on his forehead was a little leather box, about the size of a fist, that held parchments inscribed with prayers and looked – well – as if someone had strapped a little leather box to his head. Need I say more?) â€Å"Nice phylacteries,† I said. The disciples laughed. Nathaniel made an excellent donkey braying noise. â€Å"You broke the Sabbath,† said the Pharisee. â€Å"I'm allowed,† said Josh. â€Å"I'm the Son of God.† â€Å"Oh fuck,† Philip said. â€Å"Way to ease them into the idea, Josh,† I said. The following Sabbath a man with a withered hand came to the synagogue while Joshua was preaching and after the sermon, while fifty Pharisees who had gathered at Capernaum just in case something like this happened looked on, Joshua told the man that his sins were forgiven, then healed the withered hand. Like vultures to carrion they came to Peter's house the next morning. â€Å"No one but God can forgive sins,† said the one they had elected as their speaker. â€Å"Really,† said Joshua. â€Å"So you can't forgive someone who sins against you?† â€Å"No one but God.† â€Å"I'll keep that in mind,† said Joshua. â€Å"Now unless you are here to hear the good news, go away.† And Joshua went into Peter's house and closed the door. The Pharisee shouted at the door, â€Å"You blaspheme, Joshua bar Joseph, you – â€Å" And I was standing there in front of him, and I know I shouldn't have done it, but I popped him. Not in the mouth or anything, but right in the phylacteries. The little leather box exploded with the impact and the strips of parchment slowly settled to the ground. I'd hit him so fast that I think he thought it was a supernatural event. A cry went up from the group behind him, protesting – shouting that I couldn't do such a thing, that I deserved stoning, scourging, et cetera, and my Buddhist tolerance just wore a little thin. So I popped him again. In the nose. This time he went down. Two of his pals caught him, and another one at the front of the crowd started to reach into his sash for something. I knew that they could quickly overrun me if they wanted to, but I didn't think they would. The cowards. I grabbed the man who was pulling the knife, twisted it away from him, shoved the iron blade between the stones of Peter's house and snapped it off, then handed the hilt back to him. â€Å"Go away,† I said to him, very softly. He went away, and all of his pals went with him. I went inside to see how Joshua and the others were getting along. â€Å"You know, Josh,† I said. â€Å"I think it's time to expand the ministry. You have a lot of followers here. Maybe we should go to the other side of the lake. Out of Galilee for a while.† â€Å"Preach to the gentiles?† Nathaniel asked. â€Å"He's right,† said Joshua. â€Å"Biff is right.† â€Å"So it shall be written,† I said. James and John only owned one ship that was large enough to hold all of us and Bartholomew's dogs, and it was anchored at Magdala, two hours' walk south of Capernaum, so we made the trip very early one morning to avoid being stopped in the villages on the way. Joshua had decided to take the good news to the gentiles, so we were going to go across the lake to the town of Gadarene in the state of Decapolis. They kept gentiles there. As we waited on the shore at Magdala, a crowd of women who had come to the lake to wash clothes gathered around Joshua and begged him to tell them of the kingdom. I noticed a young tax collector who was sitting nearby at his table in the shade of a reed umbrella. He was listening to Joshua, but I could also see his eyes following the behinds of the women. I sidled over. â€Å"He's amazing, isn't he?† I said. â€Å"Yes. Amazing,† said the tax collector. He was perhaps twenty, thin, with soft brown hair, a light beard, and light brown eyes. â€Å"What's your name, publican?† â€Å"Matthew,† he said. â€Å"Son of Alphaeus.† â€Å"No kidding, that's my father's name too. Look, Matthew, I assume you can read, write, things like that?† â€Å"Oh yes.† â€Å"You're not married, are you?† â€Å"No, I was betrothed, but before the wedding was to happen, her parents let her marry a rich widower.† â€Å"Sad. You're probably heartbroken. That's sad. You see those women? There's women like that all the time around Joshua. And here's the best part, he's celibate. He doesn't want any of them. He's just interested in saving mankind and bringing the kingdom of God to earth, which we all are, of course. But the women, well, I think you can see.† â€Å"That must be wonderful.† â€Å"Yeah, it's swell. We're going to Decapolis. Why don't you come with us?† â€Å"I couldn't. I've been entrusted to collect taxes for this whole coast.† â€Å"He's the Messiah, Matthew. The Messiah. Think of it. You, and the Messiah.† â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"Women. The kingdom. You heard about him turning water into wine.† â€Å"I really have to – â€Å" â€Å"Have you ever tasted bacon, Matthew?† â€Å"Bacon? Isn't that from pigs? Unclean?† â€Å"Joshua's the Messiah, the Messiah says it's okay. It's the best thing you've ever eaten, Matthew. Women love it. We eat bacon every morning, with the women. Really.† â€Å"I'll need to finish up here,† Matthew said. â€Å"You do that. Here, I'd like you to mark something for me,† I looked over his shoulder at his ledger and pointed to a few names. â€Å"Meet us at the ship when you're ready, Matthew.† I went back over to the shore, where James and John had pulled the ship in close enough for us to wade out to. Joshua finished up blessing the women and sent them back to their laundry with a parable about stains. â€Å"Gentlemen,† I called. â€Å"Excuse me, James, John, you too Peter, Andrew. You will not need to worry about your taxes this season. They've been taken care of.† â€Å"What?† said Peter. â€Å"Where did you get the money – â€Å" I turned and waved toward Matthew, who was running toward the shore. â€Å"This good fellow is the publican Matthew. He's here to join us.† Matthew ran up beside me and stood grinning like an idiot while trying to catch his breath. â€Å"Hey,† he said, waving weakly to the disciples. â€Å"Welcome, Matthew,† Joshua said. â€Å"All are welcome in the kingdom.† Joshua shook his head, turned, and waded out to the ship. â€Å"He loves you, kid,† I said. â€Å"Loves you.† Thus we did become ten. Joshua fell asleep on a pile of nets with Peter's wide straw fishing hat over his face. Before I settled down to be rocked to sleep myself, I sent Philip to the back of the boat to explain the kingdom and the Holy Ghost to Matthew. (I figured that Philip's acumen with numbers might help out when talking to a tax collector.) The two sets of brothers sailed the ship, which was wide of beam and small of sail and very, very slow. About halfway across the lake I heard Peter say, â€Å"I don't like it. It looks like a tempest.† I sat bolt upright and looked at the sky, and indeed, there were black clouds coming over the hills to the east, low and fast, clawing at the trees with lightning as they passed. Before I had a chance to sit up, a wave broke over the shallow gunwale and soaked me to the core. â€Å"I don't like this, we should go back,† said Peter, as a curtain of rain whipped across us. â€Å"The ship's too full and the draft too shallow to weather a storm.† â€Å"Not good. Not good. Not good,† chanted Nathaniel. Bartholomew's dogs barked and howled at the wind. James and Andrew trimmed the sail and put the oars in the water. Peter moved to the stern to help John with the long steering oar. Another wave broke over the gunwale, washing away one of Bartholomew's disciples, a mangy terrier type. Water was mid-shin deep in the bottom of the boat. I grabbed a bucket and began bailing and signaled Philip to help, but he had succumbed to the most rapid case of seasickness I had ever even heard of and was retching over the side. Lightning struck the mast, turning everything a phosphorus white. The explosion was instant and left my ears ringing. One of Joshua's sandals floated by me in the bottom of the boat. â€Å"We're doomed!† wailed Bart. â€Å"Doomed!† Joshua pushed the fishing hat back on his head and looked at the chaos around him. â€Å"O ye of little faith,† he said. He waved his hand across the sky and the storm stopped. Just like that. Black clouds were sucked back over the hills, the water settled to a gentle swell, and the sun shone down bright and hot enough to raise steam off our clothes. I reached over the side and snatched the swimming doggy out of the waves. Joshua had laid back down with the hat over his face. â€Å"Is the new kid looking?† he whispered to me. â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"He impressed?† â€Å"His mouth is hanging open. He looks sort of stricken.† â€Å"Great. Wake me when we get there.† I woke him a little before we reached Gadarene because there was a huge madman waiting for us on the shore, foaming at the mouth, screaming, throwing rocks, and eating the occasional handful of dirt. â€Å"Hold up there, Peter,† I said. The sails were down again and we were rowing in. â€Å"I should wake the master,† said Peter. â€Å"No, it's okay, I have the stop-for-foaming-madmen authority.† Nevertheless, I kicked the Messiah gently. â€Å"Josh, you might want to take a look at this guy.† â€Å"Look, Peter,† said Andrew, pointing to the madman, â€Å"he has hair just like yours.† Joshua sat up, pushed back Peter's hat and glanced to the shore. â€Å"Onward,† he said. â€Å"You sure?† Rocks were starting to land in the boat. â€Å"Oh yeah,† said Joshua. â€Å"He's very large,† said Matthew, clarifying the already clear. â€Å"And mad,† said Nathaniel, not to be outdone in stating the obvious. â€Å"He is suffering,† said Joshua. â€Å"Onward.† A rock as big as my head thudded into the mast and bounced into the water. â€Å"I'll rip your legs off and kick you in the head as you crawl around bleeding to death,† said the madman. â€Å"Sure you don't want to swim in from here?† Peter said, dodging a rock. â€Å"Nice refreshing swim after a nap?† said James. Matthew stood up in the back of the boat and cleared his throat. â€Å"What is one tormented man compared to the calming of a storm? Were you all in the same boat I was?† â€Å"Onward,† Peter said, and onward we went, the big boat full of Joshua and Matthew and the eight faithless pieces of shit that were the rest of us. Joshua was out of the boat as soon as we hit the beach. He walked straight up to the madman, who looked as if he could crush the Messiah's head in one of his hands. Filthy rags hung in tatters on him and his teeth were broken and bleeding from eating dirt. His face contorted and bubbled as if there were great worms under the skin searching for an escape. His hair was wild and stuck out in a great grayish tangle, and it did sort of look like Peter's hair. â€Å"Have mercy on me,† said the madman. His voice buzzed in his throat like a chorus of locusts. I slid out of the boat and the others followed me quietly up behind Joshua. â€Å"What is your name, Demon?† Joshua asked. â€Å"What would you like it to be?† said the demon. â€Å"You know, I've always been partial to the name Harvey,† Joshua said. â€Å"Well, isn't that a coincidence?† said the demon. â€Å"My name just happens to be Harvey.† â€Å"You're just messing with me, aren't you?† said Josh. â€Å"Yeah, I am,† said the demon, busted. â€Å"My name is Legion, for there are a bunch of us in here.† â€Å"Out, Legion,† Joshua commanded. â€Å"Out of this big guy.† There was a herd of pigs nearby, doing piggy things. (I don't know what they were doing. I'm a Jew, what do I know from pigs, except that I like bacon?) A great green glow came out of Legion's mouth, whipped through the air like smoke, then came down on the heard of pigs like a cloud. In a second it was sucked into the pigs' nostrils and they began foaming and making locust noises. â€Å"Be gone,† said Joshua. With that the pigs all ran into the sea, sucked huge lungfuls of water, and after only a little kicking, drowned. Perhaps fifty dead pigs bobbed in the swell. â€Å"How can I thank you?† said the big foaming guy, who had stopped foaming, but was still big. â€Å"Tell the people of your land what has happened,† Joshua said. â€Å"Tell them the Son of God has come to bring them the good news of the Holy Ghost.† â€Å"Clean up a little before you tell them,† I said. And off he went, a lumbering monster, bigger even than our own Bartholomew, and smelling worse, which I hadn't thought possible. We sat down on the beach and were sharing some bread and wine when we heard the crowd approaching through the hills. â€Å"The good news travels quickly,† said Matthew, whose fresh-faced enthusiasm was starting to irritate me a little now. â€Å"Who killed our pigs?† The crowd was carrying rakes and pitchforks and scythes and they didn't look at all like they were there to receive the Gospel. â€Å"You fuckers!† â€Å"Kill them!† â€Å"In the boat,† said Josh. â€Å"O ye of little – † Matthew's comment was cut short by Bart grabbing him by the collar and dragging him down the beach to the boat. The brothers had already pushed off and were up to their chests in the water. They pulled themselves in and James and John helped set the oars as Peter and Andrew pulled us into the boat. We fished Bart's disciples out of the waves by the scruffs of their necks and set sail just as the rocks began to rain down on us. We all looked at Joshua. â€Å"What?† he said. â€Å"If they'd been Jews that pig thing would have gone over great. I'm new at gentiles.† There was a messenger waiting for us when we reached Magdala. Philip unrolled the scroll and read. â€Å"It's an invitation to come to dinner in Bethany during Passover week, Joshua. A ranking member of the Sanhedrin requests your presence at dinner at his home to discuss your wonderful ministry. It's signed Jakan bar Iban ish Nazareth.† Maggie's husband. The creep. I said, â€Å"Good first day, huh, Matthew?†