Causes of the black death

There are several reasons as to why the Romans chose London as a settlement these include land, the Romans were excellent constructors therefore they needed a large amount of land to build their Empire. Another reason was that they noticed a river (now known as the River Thames). The Romans realised that this river could be extremely useful in many ways such as water for growth and survival, transport to get from one location to another and for trade, with the river ships from all over the world would be able to access this point to trade a variety of things for instance silver to make jewellery and coins, wool to make clothes, they also imported silk from China to decorate clothing and many more. By importing merchandise from other countries the Romans were able to raise their standards of living and have many luxuries. In approximately 50AD the Romans named London ‘Londinium'. Londinium was crowned capital of England there were two main reasons for this since the River Thames was in London for trades still coming in, and because they had a strong defence in Londinium as they settled in the north bank of the River Thames where two hills protected them which gave them better possibilities in war. It was essential for the Romans to have a brilliant defence because there were still Celtics roaming around who were always trying to win back land with brutal force such as the attack of Queen Boudicca in 61 AD who burnt Londinium to the ground she was described as: â€Å"Very tall, the glance of her eye most fierce; her voice harsh. A great mass of the reddest hair fell down to her hips. Her appearance was terrifying.† By the 1300s London's population had grown to 80,000 many things had changed London was a progressing city. In the 1300s there were a variety reasons people decided to settle in London. London was an improving city with many attractive buildings, there were lots of occupation available for all such as farming, tannery working, fishing and more, for entertainment there were hundreds of theatres to visit, there were countless number of Cathedrals to visit and London had easy transport because of the River Thames along with the London Bridge. Medieval London was made up of narrow and twisted streets, and the majority of buildings were made from very flammable materials such as wood and straw, which made fire a constant threat. Hygiene in London was awfully poor people weren't conscious about their health they got rid of rubbish anyhow they threw out their waste without caring where it fell. The houses would have had none of the things we accept as normal today – no running water, no toilets, no baths and washing basins. Soap was unheard of and as was shampoo. People would have been covered with dirt, fleas and lice. Beds were simply straw stuffed mattresses and these would have attracted lice, fleas and all types of bugs. Bathing would be rare even for the rich, rich people might have had a bath a few times a year! Your toilet would have been a wooden bucket which would have been emptied into the nearest river at the start of the day your water supply would also come from the same river. Families would have cooked and slept in the same room. Children would have slept in a loft if the cruck house was big enough. At night, any animal you owned would be brought inside for safety. There were a number of reasons for this. First, wild animals roamed the countryside. England still had wolves and bears in the forests and these could easily have taken a pig, cow or chickens. The loss of any animal could be a disaster but the loss of valuable animals such as an ox would be a catastrophe. If left outside at night they could also have been stolen or simply have wandered off. If they were inside your house, none of these would happen and they were safe. However, they must have made the house even more dirty than it usually would have been as none of these animals would have been house-trained. They would have also brought in fleas and flies etc. increasing the unhygienic nature of the house. Some of the settlement factors people would look for in the fourteenth century were high-quality occupation offered for all such as such as bakery, leatherworking, blacksmithing, carpenters, armourers, bowyers/fletchers and swordsmithing. People chose places which looked eye-catching and there was an enjoyable place to visit and People would want better and improved transport as well as brilliant security and fair laws. The Black Death started in Europe when the Genoese decided to escape the plague by fleeing from Caffa (where the Black Death originated from). The Genoese boarded their ships and set sail for Italy carrying rats, flees and the Black Death with them. The Black Death transmitted when a flea drank a rat's blood that carried the yersina pestis (plague germs). The yersina pestis would multiply until the flea's gut was clogged with it. The flea would then bite a human ejecting the rat's blood into the open wound the human would then be infected. This cycle carried on until the lives of 50 million people were taken from them in Europe wiping out half of London's population. It is said that the that the It was simple for the Black Death to spread in London since Hygiene in London was awfully poor as shown in the fourth paragraph there was a lot of congestion because London was dreadfully overpopulated and houses were still being developed people would cook, eat, sleep and go to the toilet in the same room which meant a lot of germs. In conclusion I think that the settlement of London did help the plague to spread in the 1300s because of various reasons including many of the reasons shown above mainly since the type of people that who settled there, and the fact that they had no sewage for their waste to go to. But I think that if the people not just in London but all around the world were more alert and aware of germs and hygiene then the Black Death would never have started.

Obama’s Health Care Reform

Obama’s Health Care Reform Building the universal health care system is one of the campaign promises of the Obama administration. Health care occupies a special place on public finance; it’s different with other goods markets in the daily life. It’s one of the important issues for the government, which associated with people’s life and death. People have high quality health care is a right of all people and should provide as a public service. People got their health insurance from the working companies, the government, or the insurance companies.The health care reform is the large part in Barack Obama’s presidency. On March. 23rd, 2010, finally the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law. Obama wants to use health care reform to stimulates the economy in the short run, but also reduce the deficit problem in the long run. This health care reform is the most important transition for the US. As we known US is the only developed countries which doesn’t have universal health coverage, it has more than 40 millions who don’t have health care insurance, also some family can’t afford the high health insurance cost.Also the public funds for the health care are also high; the US has the high cost health care but inefficient operation system. Now the aging problem become more serious, it has more retirees, the elders need more health care, and this increases the pressure of the health care insurance, increase the cost of the health care; also some technique widely used caused the expenditure increase†¦ The Obama’s health care plan quickly increase the number of people who have health care insurance by spending money upfront.The Act includes the health insurance providers are mandated to accept person, charging them the same rate as individuals without conditions; extend the coverage, provides more subsidies to the poor people to get the insurance, provide affordable health coverage for all Am ericans, no matter that are rich or poor; people have choice to select their insurance and doctors, it aims to eliminate some worst practices of the insurance company; reduce the cost and make health insurance more effective.The US would keep the employee-based health insurance to cover most Americans, also create a public insurance system for people who do not have insurance. The employers have to pay into the system for the employees or provide health care insurance as good as the federal system. Also individuals would pay into the public system, the government would give subsidy to lower the cost and make them affordable for the low-level class.As a family, 38% think that the life would be better off, 43% think that there’s no change; As the whole country, we find that 59% think the country will do better after health care reform, 19% think that there would be no change after reform, 12% think their life would be worse off. So to the whole country, most of people support t he reform. Actually, this reform brings the US many changes. To the whole US citizen, it extends coverage through mandated. The health care plan will provide affordable and efficient health insurance coverage for most Americans.So people who in the middle-level class or low-level class have ability to join into this health care plan. They all have right to get high quality health care. US expand the Medicaid range, give subsidy insurance premium to someone were poverty; creating a â€Å"national health insurance exchange†, it’s control by the government and sell insurance to people who don’t have health insurance; As shown in the graph, using the health care plan, the share of the population with health insurance coverage would increase to 93. 3% in 2019, spend about 20. 9% GDP on health care, means that government care more about people’s health.Change the US health care system to lower cost but high quality system. Obama put forward that â€Å"antitrus t laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for malpractice insurance. † This not only reforms the medical malpractice system, regulate the insurance company, but also improve the efficiency of the whole system, improve patient safety. The most important part of Obama’s policy is make investment in health information technology, this strategy nor only improve the health care quality, also reduce the cost in long run society. He provides a competitive insurance market to promote more efficient and more competition.Promoting prevention and strengthening public health. In previous health care plan, less than one in twenty five goes for prevention. Obama’s notion of the health care plan is â€Å"to create the conditions and opportunities that allow and encourage Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles. † Prevention is the national priority, providing opportunities to have healthy lifestyle and keep disease away. .. For example, have more primary care provider and disease prevention program, established National Prevention, Health Promotion†¦ these federal agencies would help to build good promotion and prevention for the country.The government provides special funds for promotion and prevention; this would improve the quality of health care, improve the public health strategy and develop the new technology; provide new prevention technology information and regular screening for people†¦government provide such services to prevent disease by healthy lifestyle. The reform not only affects the health care, but also the economy. The most important impact on industry is the insurance industry.As the demand and for insurance increase because the regulation on employers, also the supply decrease the price is low due to the regulation, this would decrease the cost of health insurance. Recent years, insurance industry is overhead, by this health care reform, it reduces the overhead status and reduces the competition in this ind ustry. Obama’s plan regulate the insurance industry by providing new purchasing pools, standards the health care package, reducing expenses, promoting competition†¦without the reform, government spending on Medicare and Medicaid is unsustainable, also raising during years, by this, the family save a lot.The reform has regulation on employers should provide health insurance to the employees. Also to some small business, the government provide special subsidy fund to help them build the health care plan†¦ Obama’s plan tries to overhaul the previous health care system. He stands as the patient, the health care provider, employers, employees, government†¦ attempt to change aspect from different person’s opinion. This reform changes the current health care system and affects the economy, to build a universal health care system. It has variety advantages, but also it has some problems.Like government require employees to provide employers health insuran ce if they don’t have. To employers, this is not good news, basically, this increase their cost of hiring employers, and means that they should hire less people by the same amount spending. Also American is a democratic state; people have their own right to choose what they want. Obama’s opinion is build the universal health care system, but realization way is force all people to buy health insurance, people lost their right; at the same time, they should provide personal information to the insurance company, including their habits.The most important is government power expansion to the health insurance; Americans lost their own medical decision, the decision power transfers to the government. Also there’s problem whether the cost containment strategies going to support this universal health cares system in long run†¦ Now it’s hard to say the future of this health care reform, weather is good to public, or have some problem, time would tell us the tr uth. According to the short term, the reform is good for Americans and the economics also good for the people who cannot afford the insurance.It has positive impact on the society, become one of a big jump in the history. Citation: 1. http://www. calpoly. edu/~efisher/Econ%20464/NicoleWallen%20Senior%20Project. pdf 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Health_care_reform_in_the_United_States 3. http://healthpolicyandmarket. blogspot. com/2008/03/detailed-analysis-of-barack-obamas. html 4. http://www. bing. com/images/search? q=health+care+obama+plan&FORM=BIFD

Black Music In America Essay Research Paper

Black Music In America Essay, Research Paper Black Music in America: A History Through Its People Tahirah Carter by James Haskins Intro to Music I have decidedly learned allot about the Development of American Music in this category. I found it to be really challenging. So when I was faced with the job of make up ones minding which book I would make my study on, I chose Black Music in America by James Haskins. This book gave a elaborate history of non merely the music genres but it? s performing artists. We already know that American music is made up of music from many different types of cultural backgrounds. What gives this book a plus is that it highlights some other facets of American music, and its performing artists. The points and events that truly caught my attending were the concert vocalizing, Minstrelsies, Jubilee vocals, and brass sets. Born as a slave, a miss by the name of Elizabeth Greenfield moved to Philadelphia. She moved at that place with her Mistress and her parents. Fortunately while in Philadelphia they were set free. At the age of 42 she moved to buffalo New York in order to ship onto new chances as a vocalist. When she reached New York chance came strike harding. She began a calling of concert vocalizing. With a scope of three and one one-fourth octaves you would believe that chance kept knocking, but it didn? T. Therefore she moved to Europe where she would acquire the attending and recognition that was due to her. While in Europe Elizabeth was shown great grasp for he endowment? Even Queen Victoria demanded that she performed for her at the Buckingham Palace. On the history of Elizabeth making so good in Europe, She gained newfound popularity in the provinces. As you see, it wasn? t easy for inkinesss to do a life in the U.S. That forced inkinesss to either perform in Europe or the northern provinces of the U.S.. Some inkinesss even had to fall back to executing in Minstrelsies. Minstrelsies started out as an avenue for Whites that were seeking to ship on new and exciting civilization. At this clip America was free from Britain. Since white America no longer was attached to Britain, they ventured out to derive a sense of American civilization. White folk singer really used to see plantations to analyze the manner inkinesss interacted with each other. For their public presentations, these white Folk singers would take coal and colourise their faces black. Their public presentations consisted of skits, including dance and music, which imitated inkinesss. Initially minstrelsies weren? T brought about with the pure purpose of jabing merriment at Blacks. But after the Civil War things changed. White persons stopped sing the plantation for new s tuff. They began to utilize the same negative stuff over and over once more. This is what gave birth to many of the Stereotypes that African Americans are victim to, even until this really twenty-four hours. James Bland was one of the African Americans whom got his pes in the door by executing and composing in the black face Minstrelsy. After being a portion of white minstrelsies, Bland finally had the chance to play in an all black Minstrel called Haverly # 8217 ; s European Minstrel Show. After the performing artists departed from that group, Bland decided to remain in Europe While populating in Europe Bland was allowed to execute in shows without holding to set on the? darky face. He became highly popular. Finally he returned to the U.S. where he couldn? t tantrum in because American Music had taken a bend since the clip that he left. Bland managed to chant down the black idiom and beat in his public presentations. That may in fact be the ground why at one clip he was so successful. Another group of people that besides tried to sing ( what I? ll call ) ? acceptable? music are The Fisk Jubilee Singers. They were a posh group of vocalists that started out with the purpose to raise money for their school. They began with the program to sing choruses, couples, solos and other? acceptable? signifiers of American Music. Over clip, with the influence of their wise man George White, they began to sing Negroes spirituals. On their first circuit to Europe they sang before Queen Victoria and her royal household. Due to the predominately white audiences hungriness for Old Negroes Spirituals, the Fisk Jubilee vocalists were able to raise a big sum of money for their school. Another sector of the Black music history that I think is extraordinary is the brass set sector. I already knew that the stoping of the civil war made brass set instruments accessible. But what I didn? T know is that another thing that helped popularise brass sets was the regulation of New Orleans that restricted harlotry to black vicinities. This caused? between 15 hundred and twenty two hundred cocottes to put up store in an country that became known as? Storyville? . Even though? Storyville? wasn? t great in morality it was great economically for New Orleans. It made it possible for many concerns to boom. Among those concerns were? Sporting? houses. These? Sporting? houses employed Brass Bands. Brass bands besides played funerals, amusement Parkss, and other community events. Buddy Bolden, a wind innovator, led rather a few New Orleans Brass Bands. During this clip the Creoles and the inkinesss had no pick but to incorporate. Creoles hadn? T truly valued black music, and inkinesss knew that it wasn # 8217 ; T appreciated. Nevertheless that didn? t halt them from playing their Black Marias out. In fact that prompted them to play every bit loud as possible in order to overpower the Creoles. Buddy Bolden was one of the inkinesss that had the ability to make merely that. Along with his strong sound that he strived for, he improvised standard ragtime and blues pieces. Unfortunately he didn? Ts have every bit much control over his life that he had over his trombone. He became an alky, contracted syphilis so finally die in a mental establishment. I? m sorry to state that he died without cognizing his part to the development of what we now call wind. I made a witting determination to foreground the information in this book that I had neer read about in the yesteryear. On the contrary you should cognize that this book contains really elaborate information on the parts of black American music history that is popular in today # 8217 ; s society. It covers everything from slave vocals to Motown. Check it out! Bibliography Black music in America by James Haskins

Rhetorical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Rhetorical analysis - Essay Example The main theme for this speech was the need for equality and human rights that covers people from all racial backgrounds in the US. In order to achieve desired effects on the audience, King applies several rhetorical appeals pathos being among them. In the speech King employs the use of pathos which by definition is the appeal to the emotions in order to gain approval which enables him change the audience’s perceptions of race relations by convincing them not to hate each other on basis of race but to instead hate racism which will be the basis for a new, better world. During the delivery of the speech, King described the black people as being â€Å"crippled† by the â€Å"manacles of segregation† and â€Å"chains of discrimination† (Luther 1963). These words are specifically aimed at making the audience realize the situation of the black community who are in great calamity. By using the word â€Å"chains† King want the audience to realize that racial discrimination has made being black a crime. This is because innocent black people were being treated as if they had committed a crime and therefore, have to be restrained. Another instance of the use of pathos is the mention of the black people being stranded on a â€Å"lonely island of poverty† while rest of the American society were enjoying themselves in â€Å"ocean of material prosperity† (Luther 1963). This statement is meant to inform the audience that contrary to the ancient belief that the blacks were poor because they were not as clever as the whites , it was actually the white American society that was literally holding them back. Apart of the use of pathos to appeal to his audience, King also uses logos which is the use of reason by supplying the necessary data, evidence, and irrefutable facts when making an argument. King used a number of facts that were present in

Cars,culture and tactical technical communication Essay

Cars,culture and tactical technical communication - Essay Example We need to consider and put ourselves in the users place, focusing on relationships between technology and culture and creating more tactical technical communication of users as producers. Kimball discusses the importance of broadening the scope of technical communication, by focusing on Johnsons concept of the user-as-producer, which states that users are not just consuming or practicing products, but rather that they are producing knowledge derived from their experience, their daily lives especially, in the form of technological narratives. Kimball believes that the "Narrativity allows the prospect of users not only through producing and engaging in tactics, but also sharing with them through tales of fooling, tricking, and taking advantage of the strategic system." Kimball writes about how institutional strategies and individual tactics are different. And he introduces to us the de Certeaus concepts of Bricolage (making and doing what you can with what you have.) and la perruque (involving a pleasure in making something for its own sake) as tactics wherein users make use of appropriate things against strategies to suit their circumstances and purposes. As far as I am concerned, I think that we need to understand how users want to create new experiences and express their knowledge outside of what we design, along with how users get through and try to remove cultural resistance against authority. To make this mutation and integrated position between the reader and the author, linking objects to narrative is crucial. Kimball analyzed user communities with the help of two cases of Beetle and Locost. Muir and Champion, used a new way to talk about their manual, technological narratives, and people loved to make their own narratives beyond that. They focus on the Bricolage and la perruque ways of encouraging users to use and produce appropriate things as producer. I think the

Factors that Influence the Occurrence of Crimes Essay

Factors that Influence the Occurrence of Crimes - Essay Example It is rare for people to drink intoxicating liquor. It is uncommon to see several teachers drink intoxicating liquor inside the classroom. Likewise, it is uncommon to see people drinking intoxicating liquor during church services. It is also rare to find people drinking intoxicating liquor during cooking class. Crimes occur in places where gangs control. Crimes occur in places where there are more guns or deadly weapons. There are more murders and rape crimes committed outside school buildings compared to murder and rape crimes committed inside school buildings. The presence of security guards inspecting the presence of deadly weapons prevents or reduces the occurrences of students or other persons carrying deadly weapons or guns inside the school premises. Sacco and Kennedy reiterated (2008) some crimes occur within guardianship environment. Often crimes occur between family members. Husbands may kill wives for cheating or having an affair. Parents may violate the rights of their ch ildren. Stealing small coins of things from family members is a normal part of growing up in many families. Some fathers rape their daughters inside their home. Sacco and Kennedy reiterated (2008) insist some street crimes are due to gangs. This category also falls under victims and offenders intersecting in time and space. Gangs often fight each other for control of territory. The street gang victims people passing through their territory. Some gangs do not think twice when they plan to inflict damage on the persons passing through their territory. In addition, many gangs also prey on stores and other establishments within their community. Compared to streets having no gangs, the crime incidence is generally lower. Logic dictates that eliminating the gangs will reduce the gang-related crimes. In terms of income, Sacco and Kennedy  reiterated (2008) proposed there are more crimes in communities classified as poor when compared to communities composed of people having above average income or salary.  

Strategic Alternatives and Inplementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Alternatives and Inplementation - Essay Example One of the most important advantages that the firm will be able to derive from this strategic step would be to focus on its core competencies. By outsourcing tasks such as the installation of meters as well as monitoring functions, it will be able to direct its energies in effectively forecasting the demand and upgrade its capacity to fulfill the future demands that may arise due to increases in population. However, the formation of strategic alliances may result into the dilution of control of the organization over certain of its functions and it may be forced to continue its strategic alliances in order to continue to enjoy such services. What is also significant to note that the firm may not develop its internal competencies to cope with such type of problems. Process Re-engineering is another important strategic alternative that the organization needs to perform in order to control different activities and their overall impact on the performance of the firm. It seems that the different tasks that are performed within the organization are relatively inefficient and does not lead to the achievement of the overall strategic objectives of the organization. Since the organization faces certain constraints such as non-availability of the indigenous workforce as well as lack of effective HR policies and procedures, therefore, a process- re-engineering will be an effective method to radically modify the existing systems and procedures. Process Re-engineering will allow the organization to revamp its various systems and procedures and redesign the same according to its existing capabilities and resources. It is also significant to understand that the implementation of this strategic alternative shall take place in a phased manner with the introduction of the change management process at the organizational level. Achieving the full-time commitment of the top management of the firm is another important step that needs to be completed before the formal initiation of the process. Further, the firm must also identify the different processes that need to be modified in order to achieve the overall increase in the efficiency of the organization. The identification of the processes, however, needs to be done on an enterprise-wide level with more focus on re-engineering the core activities of the firm. The design phase shall include the re-designing of the activities according to the best practices.

ELISA ASSAY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ELISA ASSAY - Essay Example In this graph various dilution of mouse anti rabbit Ig G antibodies were used to determined concentration of rabbit Ig G. the most effective dilution will be between 1/4000 to 1/8000, as in rest of the cases, at lower concentration of Ig G there is no linearity with increasing concentration of rabbit IgG (like in case of 1/2000). At1/2000 dilution concentration of mouse anti-rabbit Ig G is too high compared to rabbit IgG and hence there is no linier relation. Similarly at more than 1/8000 dilution concentration of anti rabbit IgG becomes to less compared to concentration of rabbit Ig G. hence there will not be any anti rabbit Ig G available to bind with rabbit Ig G at higher concentration. In given scenario the optimum dilution for mouse anti- rabbit IgG will be 1/6000 which gives linear correlation with increase in concentration of rabbit IgG. Here in case of goat anti rabbit Ig G the over all binding and absorption profiles restricts it use for estimation of rabbit IgG. There are two different scenario 1) In case of lower dilution (1/2000) there is lots of non specific binding resulted in to very high absorption at lower concentration of rabbit Ig G and get saturated at slightly higher concentrations of rabbit Ig G. 2) In case of higher dilution (1/4000 and above) there is very less binding due to non specificity of polyclonal anti body.

Advanced financial accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Advanced financial accounting - Essay Example The use of Fair value of in the UK’s Financial Reporting Standards appears to take the position of the US Academics which is conservative in character. This is supported by the statement of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) which stated that the UKs Accounting Standards Board (ASB) has put itself in a potentially serious conflict with the International Accounting Standards Board over the use of fair value.1 ACCA reported the response the IASB’s discussion paper ‘Fair Value Measurements’, where the ASB made clear it rejection of much of the underlying rationale of the IASB’ paper’s proposals. The ASB seemed to have asserted that the use of the US approach to fair value was not appropriate in Europe. While the US standard SFAS 1572 could useful as a methodology to know market-based exit prices, as admitted by the ASB, the UK board is not fully convince that the assumption that fair value3 should necessarily be equated with exit value.4 ASB does not also accept to have a ‘one size fits all’ approach to fair valuation as it suggested instead ‘standard by standard’ basis. It also criticized the statement â€Å"that fair value should always be assessed from the perspective of a market participant, rather than the entity† as it asserted more prominence to be given that would address the importance of entity-specific measures.5 Given the position taken by the ASB in its statement or comment concerning the fair value accounting, it is doubtful if UK will recognize the importance of fair values, with reference to international accounting standards the same way that IASB is giving the same issue in accounting. 2.2 Describes the alternative methods by which assets and liabilities could be measured, and critically assesses the performance of each method against the Qualitative Characteristics of financial information described in the ASB’s Statement of Principles (the Conceptual Framework). The

Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Social Responsibility - Essay Example Social responsibility works to the best interest of the society. In other words, social responsibility seeks to promote social welfare subject to the decisions and actions taken by business enterprises. The underlying welfare is defined in terms of social impacts that result from the daily business activities of many and different enterprises. The business fraternity is expected to play a moral and ethical role in developing the society as they progress with their daily activities. This implies that part of their success and benefit should be channeled to the society. Essentially, the three primary factors that social responsibility accounts for include the economy, environment and society (Allen, 2011). The growth, development, and sustainability of these three factors encompass the role of social responsibility. Any enterprise operating in the societal setting needs to consider the economic, environmental, and social implications of its activities. The ultimate objective of social responsibility is to ensure that enterprises do not adversely affect the society. On the same note, the new venture is factored in the process to ensure that social responsibility is realized. The new venture, therefore, drives social

Hills Like White Elephants Essay Example for Free

Hills Like White Elephants Essay Ernest Hemingway’s short story â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† touches on an issue people have faced in the past and continues today: communication problems in a relationship. The ability to communicate your feelings to another person during complicated times reveals the true strength in a relationship. Hemingway tells his story through conversations between the two main characters, the American and the girl, named Jig. The characters face the harsh reality of an unexpected pregnancy and conflict is created through their dialogue. Their obstacle is complicated by their inability to deliver their differing opinions to each other. The couple’s failure to communicate their opinions straightforward turns the conversation into a tactic of manipulation. On the surface, it seems the American is the one doing the manipulation and trying to persuade the girl to have the abortion, but when Jig’s dialogue is looked closer, it’s clear that she participates in attempting to control the conversation, as well. Regardless of who is more successful, their relationship is damaged forever. To begin, the man does not want to be forced to deal with the complications of starting a family and giving up his lifestyle of travelling. He wants the girl to have an abortion, but he wants her to feel like the decision she makes is that of her own. The truth is he believes and knows his words will play a huge influence on her decision. After a few drinks, the man brings up the sensitive issue to the girl by choosing his words carefully: â€Å"It’s really an awfully simple operation† (Hemingway 133). The man tries pushing the issue further by inserting his own judgment and assuring her that â€Å"they just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural (133). His manipulation can be seen clearly when he suggests â€Å"[The baby’s] the only thing that bothers us† (133). It is clear that their relationship has not been the same since hearing news about the baby. I think she begins to realize that she is left with the choice between having the baby or being with him, which could be depicted when she â€Å"put her hand out and took hold of two of the strings beads, â€Å"referring to only two people being able to be together: her and the baby or her and the man. The man is also planting the idea into the girls mind that he wants her to have a say in the matter and to soften its impact. You’ve got to realize†¦ that I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to. I’m perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you (134). Yet, when asked if the baby means anything to him, the man replies, â€Å"I don’t want anyone else†. In this line the American is referring to the baby in the girls womb and is saying that he wants only her. While its implications are insensitive, the man believes he is appealing to the girls desire for a man devoted to her. Instead of telling Jig that he does not want a baby to complicate their lives, the man tries to make it seem like an abortion is the best thing for the couple through his careful manipulation. The man’s manipulation is very noticeable, but he is not the only one who can play that game. On the surface, the girl appears helpless and dependent, but if viewed from a different perspective she could be seen as manipulative. Hemingway names her â€Å"the girl† to portray her as somebody who is naive and immature. She appears to be dependent on the man by asking him questions such as, â€Å"What should we drink?† (132) or â€Å"What does it say?† (132). However, she is much smarter than she may seem and communicates her feelings through indirect ways without being offensive to the older man. During their conversation about the drinks tasting like licorice, the girl comments, â€Å"Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe† (132). She is trying to show her frustration towards the man in a subtle way. Her frustration is built on the fact that, despite always wishing for a baby, she might not have that chance anymore if she decides to have the abortion. The girl also makes it aware that her frustration runs deeper into their relationship. Upon trying a new drink, Jig questions their life, â€Å"That’s all we do, isn’t it — look at things and try new drinks?† She uses â€Å"all† in a desperate attempt to show the man that she is bored of her life and their relationship, which Bauer suggests â€Å"does not seem to be moving into any kind of commitment† (Bauer), that she deeply wants. As the man suggests that everything will be better after the abortion, The girl reacts, â€Å"And you think then that we’ll be alright and be happy† (133). Without the man even realizing, the girl, to me, has gone from uncertainty to certainty because she did not have to ask the question, already knowing that, as Bauer suggests, â€Å"Whatever they do about the baby, they will not go back to where they were† (Bauer). The girl seems to be in control of the conversation and in response to the man’s claim â€Å"I’ve known lots of people that have done it† (133), she offers sarcasm, â€Å"And afterwards they were all so happy.† The girl realizes that the man is clueless and will never understand. She realizes that she does not have a real decision in her abortion, feeling that the man has already made the decision for her. To compensate for her lack of autonomy, she wants to make the man feel guilty for making her have the abortion, so she tells him, â€Å"then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me† (134). Jill grows more explicit to her refusal, as she repeats several times â€Å"No we can’t† (134), ironically refuting his agreement of her own sarcastic statement, â€Å"We can have everything† (134). The man fails to understand her point of view and when Jill points out that â€Å"once they take it away, you never get it back† (134), the man thinks she is talking about their world of travelling, proving his ignorance and selfish desire to hang on to that. Yet if the girl carries the baby to term, the steady sex life that the American has enjoyed will come to an end: Not only will he have to forego sex during her pregnancy, but he will also have to fight for time to have sex with the girl once the babofy is born. Regardless of how seriously the American would take his responsibilities as a father, simply having the baby living with the girl at home would remind the American that he can no longer enjoy the fairly carefree lifestyle that he and the girl led prior to the babys birth. In a sense, he would be entering adult life a second time. Another aspect of youth that the American relives is traveling. In looking at the bags with labels from all the hotels where they had spent nights (Hemingway 76), he is not only thinking of their lovemaking but also of the different places they have been to. Not only is the American sleeping with a young woman but he is also taking her to countless different cities. The man and the girl are vagrants with money, seeing the world as if there were nothing else for them to do. This vagrancy also serves the purpose of masking the fact that the American is not moving quickly from one woman to another—indeed, that he cannot do so. Instead of moving between partners, he is moving between cities and countries. Were the girl to give birth to the baby, though, this traveling would likely be forced to stop—and even if the couple could still go to different places, they would either have to take the baby with them or find someone to leave it with. In observing the girls willingness to carry their baby to term, he sees that she is ready to grow up, to take on responsibility, to settle down.

Shakespeares Merchant of Venice Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares Merchant of Venice Essay The persecution of specific races has always been existent, and throughout history, the Jewish religion has suffered most from it. They were convicted of heresy, and often killed because of their beliefs. Such is the kind of racial discrimination toward Shylock, the Jewish character in The Merchant of Venice. Some believe that the character as a greedy, coldhearted villain, which is not the case. In Shakespeares play, The Merchant of Venice, Shylock was a victim of years struggle against discrimination toward his religion. One of the most persistent charges against Shylock was that he was cruel and bloodthirsty. Antonio says in act 4 scene 1 that it is impossible to soften his Jewish heart. Bassanio constantly calls him a cur and insults him; how can he call Shylock coldhearted when he and many other characters constantly jeer at Shylock. This also added reason for Shylocks revenge. He wasnt a bloodthirsty miscreant, but a Jew fighting for revenge against years of being spet upon, being treated like a dog, being a victim to Christianity. In his I am a Jew speech, he gives these precise reasoning, saying to bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge (Act 3, Scene 1). He doesnt seek revenge personally against Antonio, but against the Christians that have jeered at him and his religion for so long. He explains how since he is a human like any other Christian, he may seek revenge like any other Christian has. The constant repetition in his speech is the word: revenge. Shylock is accused of being bloodthirsty and barbarous, when his quest for revenge differed none from the vengeance any other human would seek and deserve. Another reason Shylock was criticized was for not showing mercy toward Antonio. In no way was Shylock impelled to let Antonio off easily. On the contrary, the agreement had been made very straightforwardly. Shylock says in act 4, scene 1, Wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee twice? Shylock uses a metaphor to describe the discriminatory acts against him as a serpents sting. He had been stung before by this, and now, when he has a chance for revenge to slay the serpent, he would not back down and let the serpent sting once more. But unfortunately, the serpent evaded his sword on a technicality, and in fact did sting once more. Portia accuses Shylock of  seeking the life of a citizen as an alien, and tells Shylock Downand beg mercy of the Duke (Act 4, scene 1). Through only a mere technicality did Antonio escape death, and now Portia taunts Shylock and makes him beg forgiveness? The merciless evil is more evident in the heart of the Christian characters than in Shylock. Shakespeare then tries to compare the Jew with the other characters by having Antonio forgive Shylock. This is how Shakespeare tries to cleanse the image of Christianity, but in sooth, Antonio won the case by a mere technicality, and ridicules Shylock by forgiving him. Shylock was also portrayed by some to be remarkably greedy and stingy . Antonio and Bassanio are shocked at the fact of paying interest which Shylock demands. This creates the illusion that Jews began charging interest before Christians did. This, of course, it outright false. Interest was not started by one faith, but by several intelligent people, whether Jewish or not. Nowhere is it recorded, but most likely, Christians themselves were the first to incorporate this charge. And if Shylock were truly that greedy, would he not have accepted the bribe from Bassanio of three times the debt? Bassanio was foolish to believe that Shylock would be tempted with mere money over a life-long revenge that was about to take place. Not only foolish, but very discriminatory to think Shylock was greedy because he was Jewish, and he could just buy Antonios life back from the peril it had encountered. Shakespeares play, The Merchant of Venice, portrayed the image of Jews to be greedy, merciless, and coldhearted. Shylock is thought by many to have been a villainous creep because of this, when in fact he was a victim of racism. This and many other discriminatory works truly ruined the image of Jewish people and created a stereotype. This stereotype is the cause of hatred toward the faith. In the holocaust, Jews were killed for the mere fact that they were Jewish. The Nazis measured peoples noses because it was assumed that Jews had long noses, and if they didnt pass, they were sent to camps and/or executed. This stereotype is now inevitable. Too much hatred has developed, because of these horribly discriminatory pieces of work, to change the life-long struggle for the Jewish people.

Distinctions Between International Law And Municipal Law

Distinctions Between International Law And Municipal Law George, the Chief Justice of Ruretania, has been invited to sit on the ICJ as an ad hoc judge in a case now before the Court. After many years dealing with domestic law issues, he is now experiencing some difficulty in assessing the material submitted to the Court by the parties. These materials include: a. An article in the American Journal of International Law written by an eminent jurist; b. Draft articles prepared by the International Law Commission; c. A decision of the Supreme Court of one of the parties to the dispute; d. A United Nations General Assembly Resolution; e. A Treaty to which only one of the parties to the dispute is a party; f. A statement by the foreign minister of one of the parties; and g. A previous decision of the ICJ. Draw up a detailed memorandum for George explaining the sources of modern international law and advising him in particular as to the weight he should attach to the above-mentioned materials as sources and evidence of international law, drawing upon doctrinal aspects, relevant court judgments and opinions of authors. Introduction One of the primary points of distinction between international law and municipal law may be drawn from the nature of their sources. International law has been described by authors as a decentralized system which arguably lacks a predefined and concrete structure which discriminates between potential sources as to their importance and value in the resolution of issues  [1]  . The international judge does not have reference to a constitution, codes of law or statutes as in the municipal scenario. This is due to the fact that in international law there is no compulsory jurisdiction and any rules which a state must abide to are the same rules which it has expressly consented to, either by way of its consistent practice in the formation of custom or else expressly in the formation of treaties. Technically speaking, such contractual arrangement usually creating mutual obligations by way of treaty are the only source of international which is by its very nature objectively binding upon states, a reflection of the pacta sunt servanda principle in domestic Civil Law. It is for this reason that the law of treaties has been held to be a primary principle for centuries. Custom, on the other hand is primarily a matter of evidence. Brownlie  [2]  speaks of a categorization between the formal and the material sources of law. The formal sources are the legal procedures and methods for the creation of rules of general application which are legally binding on the addressee such as international custom created by constant state practice and the law contained in treaties. The material sources, on the other hand, provide evidence of the existence of rules which, when proved, have the status of legally binding rules of general application, here one can include decisions of international courts or tribunals, resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations and possibly Doctrinal sources. Brownlie continues to argue that in reality, save the usefulness in academia, th e so-called elevation of formal sources do not really exist in international law  [3]  as this would create a hierarchy which is not actually present. The Statute of the ICJ  [4]  constitutes a generally accepted list of the sources of international law ascribed to by the court  [5]  : 38 (1)The Court, whose function is to decide in accordance with international law such disputes as are submitted to it, shall apply: a. international conventions, whether general or particular, establishing rules expressly recognized by the contesting states; b. international custom, as evidence of a general practice accepted as law; c. the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations; d. subject to the provisions of Article 59, judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, as subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law. An article in the American Journal of International Law written by an eminent jurist In order to help the Chief Justice of Ruretania in the performance of the new role of ad hoc judge in a case before the International Court of Justice, we need to give guidance on how to assess and use the contents of an article published in the American Journal of International Law written by an eminent jurist, that was submitted by the parties as part of the materials to be used as part of the deliberations of the judges. Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice lists the traditional sources of International Law, which include the international conventions of a general or a particular nature that are recognised by the parties to the case, international custom that is evidenced by general use and acceptance at law, general principles of law as accepted by civilised nations and as subsidiary means to establish these rules of law, the judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified jurists of the various nations. At the time of drafting, the term convention was used to mean any sort of agreement, however with the passage of time this term was redefined to make a specific reference to multilateral treaties. Without any doubt these written, accepted and published agreements are the primary source of law-making at the international law level. The only situation where any other rule takes precedence over a treaty is where the rules forms part of the jus cogens doctrine. Jus cogens is a normative rule that is generally accepted by the majority of states and from which no other state can expect to be given a derogation. It is also argued that the international custom as evidence of a general practice that is accepted by law is of equal validity and importance to the contents of treaties as new customs may replace previously agreed treaties and new treaties replace older customs. Article 38(d) of the ICJ statute specifically states that judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations may be used as subsidiary sources and the court is entitled to refer to these publications. This is subject to the provisions of Article 59 of the same statute. Article 59 states that the decision of the International Court of Justice shall have no other bearing or binding force except on the parties of the case in question. However as part of the courts decision, reference to other judicial decisions and to previously published works of eminent writers may be made. The works of prominent jurists and scholars are accepted only as secondary or subsidiary sources of international law but can be considered to be an essential element in the development of the rules that are included treaties, custom and the general principles of the law. More recently, the acts or resolutions of the various international organizations are also being considered as secondary sources of international law. Draft articles prepared by the International Law Commission In 1946, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to set up a committee of legal experts to pass on recommendations to the UN Secretary General on the ways the General Assembly could proceed in the development of codification of international law. This Commission recommended that the UN sets up a permanent Commission with the same task. Thus in 1947 the UN set up the International Law Commission which has as its objectives the codification of international law as well as solving international legal problems  [6]  . The International Law Commission prepares drafts, according to Section 20 of its Statute  [7]  , which are requested by the General Assembly or by government, by an inter-governmental organization or by a UN agency or on its own initiative. When the matter is brought to its attention by the General Assembly, one of its members sits with the Commission as a Special Rapporteur. In order to finalise a draft the Commission prepares a plan of work, receives written opinions and suggestions from the governments and then puts these together into a final draft. This final draft is submitted to the General Assembly for its final approval. B.G. Ramcharan  [8]  describes the International Law Commission as the vehicle for systematizing consolidating, up-dating, adapting, and expanding the law, and for giving an opportunity to the States [] to participate in this process. In The Work of the International Law Commission  [9]  any draft is given a dual aspect. On the one hand there is the codification of existing law as well as the formulation of what the Commission considered to be desirable developments in the field. How effective are draft articles for George? Although draft articles prepared by the International law Commission are a good indication of the general opinion on an issue in the international sphere (due to the opinions submitted by the States), these provisions are not binding. Therefore a provision in a Convention or a decision by the ICJ has more binding effect. In fact the 1952 draft convention on arbitral procedure, although it was described as unexceptionable and as perfect from a technical point of view, it still was not accepted as the basis of a convention as the members of the General Assembly saw it as over-ambitious  [10]  . Conventions concluded by the UN on the basis of drafts prepared by the ILC include the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties between States and International Organizations or between International Organizations, Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of State Property, Archives and Debts and others. Drawing a comparison between the draft articles of one of the above and the actual Convention, one can easily see that most of the draft articles are adopted into the Convention word by word. I have carried out this exercise for the first twenty articles of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. In this comparison I have found that the substance of the articles has to a large extent been carried on into the Convention. Moreover the General Assembly introduced four other articles but removed only one whole article and two sub-articles. From this exercise I can conclude that the draft articles, before the Convention was enforced, were a very good indication of the opinio juris on the matter especially due to the fact that states give their opinion prior to the drawing up of a draft. Therefore my advice to George would be that when he has to decide on a specific matter, first he should look into written legal provisions especially Conventions which have the most binding effect. If his findings are lacking he ought to see if the ILC has drawn up draft articles on the matter (since these are a codification of the unwritten customary law). Otherwise George has to look at the other sources of international law such as court decisions and the opinion of publicists on the matter as laid down in Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice. A decision of the Supreme Court of one of the parties to the dispute As the name indicates, the Supreme Court is the most important organ of the judiciary of the nation. However, within the international sphere, this position is taken up by the International Court of Justice. This does not reduce the importance of the Supreme Court, but its authority is merely superseded by a more senior court, which regulates conduct between states. Nevertheless, there is a theoretical issue which divides this are into two schools of thought: dualism and monism. Dualist doctrine points to essential differences between international law and municipal law. This consists primarily in the fact that local legislation differs from international law in a fundamental way as international law regulates law between sovereign states whilst municipal law applies solely within a state and regulates the relationship between the citizens of a state and its executive.  [11]  This theory was espoused particularly by the German jurist Heinrich Triepel, who argued that in case of conflict between municipal and international law, a court would apply municipal law.  [12]   On the other hand, monism was espoused by jurists who believed in the supremacy of international law even within the municipal sphere. International law is seen as the best available moderator of human affairs, and a logical condition of the legal existence of states.  [13]   However, these theories were criticized on the basis that they hold conflicting views with the way that international courts ought to behave. Nevertheless, a state cannot refrain from its international obligations citing municipal law, as provided in Article 27 of the Vienna Convention which states that A party may not invoke the provisions of its internal law as justification for its failure to perform a treaty.  [14]   Municipal law is also relevant in international law as has been demonstrated in numerous cases. In fact, many instances in international law require concordance with municipal law to function correctly, such as in cases related to extradition and protection of human rights, as well as treaties. Municipal law is important to such an extent that it can be used to determine cases in international tribunals. In the Serbian Loans Case  [15]  , the Permanent Court considered whether it had jurisdiction under its statute in a case where the point at issue was a question which had to be decided by the application of municipal law. It concluded that the duty of the Court was to exercise jurisdiction when two states agree to have recourse to the Court. The Court weighted the case and decided to apply Serbian law in this case. The role of municipal law in international law was closely examined in the case concerning Certain German Interests in Polish Upper Silesia.  [16]  In this case, the Court observed that it was not called upon to interpret Polish law, but there was nothing to prevent the Court from judging whether Poland was acting in conformity with the Geneva Convention. Brownlie states that this statement indicates that municipal law can be considered as something which can create international responsibility. The general proposition is that international tribunals can take account of municipal laws only as facts to further discussion.  [17]   Brownlie also states that in the practice of the International Court and other international tribunals the concept of municipal law as mere facts had six distinct aspects  [18]  . These aspects are: Municipal law may be evidence of a violation of a rule of treaty or a customary law Judicial notice does not apply to matters of municipal law, as the international tribunal will require proof of the existence of municipal law In accordance with the Serbian Loans case, interpretation of municipal law by national courts is binding on an international tribunal Municipal law must be applicable to an extent within international tribunals International tribunals cannot declare the invalidity of municipal law and respect domestic jurisdiction International law may designate a system of domestic law as the applicable law  [19]   Thus, given that in some cases international courts may apply municipal law, George must not discard totally the decisions of the Supreme Court, but must use it in order to help him with the case he is assigned to. Nevertheless, international law still supersedes municipal law, as provided in Article 27 of the Vienna Convention. The United Nations General Assembly Resolution Hon. Chief Justice, in order to understand better what is a United Nations General Assembly resolution, it would be ideal to start by providing you with a short and background information on the General Assembly itself. The United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs  [20]  of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. This means, that since there are 192 member states in the United Nations, each and one of them is a member of the General Assembly. Each member of the General Assembly has one vote and important matters such as the elections of members, peace and security, budgets, and the suspension/discharging of members, is done by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. Other recommendations which are considered to contain less weight, are decided by a majority voting. As stated in the official website of the UN, the General Assembly meets under its president or secretary general in regular yearly sessions, the main part of which lasts from September to December and resumed part from January until all issues are addressed (which often is just before the next sessions start). It can also meet for special and emergency issues. The Presidency rotates annually and the President is voted for by the same members of the United Nations. It is customary that the largest and most powerful countries, such as China, do not hold the presidency. On the other hand, countries such as Luxemburg and Switzerland, although small, had the presidency in the 1970s. It is therefore important to point out that even Malta held the Presidency back in the 1990, when the general assembly elected Dr. Guido De Marco as president of its forty-fifth session. Although the power of the President is limited, he may accomplish much through his personal influence and political adeptness.  [21]   The UN General Assembly Resolution The General Assembly votes on many resolutions brought forward by member states. It is interesting to appreciate that since 1945, at least 9229 resolutions spanning a vast and varied range of international issues have been adopted by the General Assembly.  [22]   Whilst this record of the General assemblys formal concern, considerations and expression of views is indeed impressive, the fact remains that, except for budget and membership questions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding on member states.  [23]   The legal competence of the General Assembly to consider legal matters flows from the UN Charter. Article 10 gives the General Assembly the authority to discuss and make recommendations on any matter within the scope of the Charter, either to the United Nations membership generally or to the Security Council in particular.  [24]   In addition, the charter imposes two major restrictions on the General Assemblys powers to discuss and make recommendations. The first is embodied in the principle set out in Article 2, paragraph 7 of the charter, which prohibits the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state and the second restriction is found in Article 12 of the Charter, which states that the General Assembly shall not make any recommendation while the Security Council is exercising its functions in respect to any international dispute. However, although this might suggest that the General Assembly has no powers at all, resolutions have frequently been the origin of multilateral treaties drafted and promulgated under UN auspices.  [25]  General Assembly declarations had sometimes evolved into conventions adopted by the international community. Prominent among these declarations are those dealing with the use of forces back in the 1960s.  [26]   Hon. Chief Justice, it is therefore important for you to know that back in the 1970s Malta was also involved in a very important resolution, embedding principles related to the seabed and its resources. In fact, it was Arvid Pardo, a Maltese diplomat, who initiated a fifteen year process which led to a near-unanimous passage of General Assembly Resolution 2749  [27]  . The principles brought forward in the resolution were later incorporated in the Law of the Sea Convention. This eventually proves that although resolutions are not binding, they may influence the nature and substance of international law in many ways and may also have legal force if they are regarded as statements of customary international law. The General Assembly thus is not a World legislature. It does not codify laws or norms even though they are adopted unanimously and without any formal opposition. General Assembly resolutions are merely recommendations however the General Assembly can function as an instrument to collect and shape up into tangible form the international communitys customary norms. State practice then becomes the main factor determining whether General Assembly resolutions give rise to new norms of international law or remain merely recommendations. Such new norms subsequently are codified into recognized principles of International Law through the promulgation of special conventions adopted by the General Assembly and approved by the required number of parties. A Treaty to Which only one of the parties to the dispute is a party A treaty is an international agreement concluded between states in written form and governed by international law, whether embodied in a single instrument or in two or more related instruments and whatever its particular designation  [28]  . They are generally held to be an ever-increasingly important source of international law and are a key towards the ends of developing a system of peaceful cooperation amongst states irrespective of their domestic legal particularities  [29]  . Since 1945, over 33,000 treaties have been deposited with the UN  [30]  . In Art.38(1)(a), the Statute of the International Court of Justice makes reference to international conventions establishing rules which are expressly recognised by the contesting states which may either be general or particular in their application. This article gives a very wide definition which seems to include not only bilateral and multilateral treaties but also any form of international agreement in any form. It often happens that the language of a treaty which is presented before the court as a document containing rules recognised by the states in dispute is not always manifestly clear and precise as to make it clear whether such treaty is actually applicable to the circumstances of the case. The court will proceed to interpret the instrument, therefore determining its scope and effect and applicability to the dispute in question. According to Art.36(2)(a) of the Statute of the ICJ, states may at any time and by common accord, recognise as compulsory the jurisdiction of the court in the resolution of several legal disputes which might arise between them, amongst these, the Statute mentions the interpretation of a treaty. In any case, the Vienna convention lays down that treaties must always be interpreted in good faith and in accordance with the ordinary meaning of the words contained within, given their context within the treaty  [31]  . The norm in public international law is that a treaty creates rights and obligations only between its parties, therefore third party states are not bound by any treaty which they have not individually entered into. This notion is best expressed by the maxim pacta tertiis nec nocent nec prosunt  [32]  . Art.34 of the Vienna Convention states that a treaty does not create either obligations or rights for a third state without its consent. This reasoning had already been confirmed in the earlier case dealing with the German Interests in Polish Upper Silesia  [33]  back in 1925. In this case, the PCIJ stated that a treaty only creates law as between states which are parties to it; in case of doubt, no rights can be deduced from it in favour of third states. There are however some slight exceptions to this otherwise general principle. A norm which was originally confined to a treaty between a limited number of states may eventually become part of international custom through state practice and therefore achieve general application  [34]  . The position at international laws appears to be clear enough in regard to cases where obligations are imposed on states which are merely third parties two treaties entered into by other states. The situation may tend to differ in cases which concern the granting of rights to third parties. The question is over when, if at all, such a right becomes complete and enforceable by the third party state. According to Brownlie and McNair amongst others, the general rule is that the third state only benefits in this sense if it expressly or implicitly assent to the creation of the right.  [35]  The corollary is that the third state may refuse the right either explicitly or else simply by failing to exercise the alleged right. On the other hand, if a third state has accepted a right, the right cannot be revoked by the actual parties to the treaty if it can be established that the right conferred was not originally intended to be revocable, save the third states freedom to consent to such revocation or limitation  [36]  . Strictly speaking, in the case brought before Judge George the matter of there being a treaty to which only litigant (A) is a party does not have a bearing on the relationship between states A and B in litigation since B is clearly a third party to the treaty and is therefore outside the scope of any rights or obligations created or conferred by the treaty provided that B had not consented to any obligations created by the treaty or else accepted any rights arising from the same. A statement by the foreign minister of one of the parties Parliamentary statements are one of the modes to detect a state practice and the position a state takes in the international plane. The foreign minister on a number of occasions may be asked to elucidate the states position on a particular issue of an international concern, thus parliamentary statements, can evoke a particular state practice. A state practice is a general practice which is normally accepted as law. The other limb is that this state practice must be accepted as law and this is what we call opinio juris sive necessitatis. This opinio juris sive necessitatis is what authors refer to as the psychological element of states, this is because the state practice has to be accompanied by the intent which represent why the state acts in that particular manner. This means that parliamentary statements and therefore ministers statements in the international court of justice reflects and determine the state practice and what its position is. The Position of the Minister in the ICJ Another important thing that we must notice is that the International Court of Justice deems the position of foreign Ministers to be of a very important nature. This is illustrated in Belgium VS Congo delivered by the International Court of Justice on 14th Febuary 2002 where it implied that customary international law grants to foreign ministers as long as they hold their office the advantage of absolute jurisdiction and inviolability. The reason behind this is for the international court of justice to ascertain performance of the very importatnt functions that foreign ministers excercise when they represent their states. This clearly points out that the international court of justice gives a lot of importance to the position of the foreign minister in the international court of justice but the question that arises is Does it give the same importance to their statements? One must begin by saying that for a statement of foreign minister to be accepted and taken into consideration it must be in accordance with international law. In fact a point that was revealed in Military and Paramilitary Activi

Essay example --

Many people, especially women, are plagued with fat storage in their lower bodies including their hips and thighs. Spot reduction isn't possible, and to reduce this dreaded jiggle, you must lose fat from your entire body through diet, cardio and strength training. (See References 1) A daily workout plan can keep you on track, and ensure that you're putting in the work required to reach your goal. Cardio On Most Days Cardio burns calories that can help you lose weight from your entire body including from your wobbly bits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio a week. (See References 2) You can accumulate this by scheduling a 30-minute cardio session on five days of the week. Focus on leg-intense cardio that engages your hips and thighs. Go ice skating, jog, walk briskly, take a kickboxing or step-aerobics class, or use a stair climber or an elliptical machine. Strength Training Twice a Week Muscle tissue burn more calories than fat even when you're resting. (See References 3) To stimulate muscle tissue as y...

The Annunciation: A Painting by Francisco de Zurbaran :: Essays Papers

The Annunciation: A Painting by Francisco de Zurbaran Works of art can best be appreciated when the elements of design, the principles of design, and the iconography of the work are observed and understood. The Annunciation, a painting by the Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran, is a work of art that incorporates both the elements and principles of design. The iconography of the painting is of great importance as well as its aesthetic quality. The ability to create a picture of The Annunciation in one’s mind is a key factor in understanding the analysis of the work. Francisco de Zurbaran approaches the painting with a naturalistic style. The painting features a room in which a woman – like angel is seen at the left kneeling on the ground before the Virgin Mary. The figure of Mary is placed between a chair and a small wooden table draped with a green cloth. Mary disregards an open Bible on the table, as she appears solemn while staring at the floor. Floating above the two main figures in the upper left side of the painting are cherubs resting on a bed of clouds. They happily gaze down at Mary with eyes from Heaven. The Annunciation uses elements of design to create a visually pleasing picture. The visual elements consist of light, color, texture, shape, and line. The use of light is one of the most evident elements in this painting. The source of light is not directly visible in the painting, but appears as a radiant angelic host floating above the two main figures. Light emphasizes the fair skin of the Angel and Mary as they both look down towards a shadowy floor. Light also reflects the open Bible on the table suggesting emphasis on the holiness of Mary. The rest of the room remains eerily dark and dull. Color is used to draw attention to important characters and objects in the painting. The red of Mary’s shirt emphasizes her place as the main figure. A bright, yellow cloud floating above the room symbolizes the joy of the angelic figures. De Zurbaran uses warm colors in the foreground. The room, used as the background for the scene, is painted in dark colors utilizing different hues of gray and brown. An observer can also obtain a sense of texture in this painting.

Hiroshima Essay -- essays research papers

The most significant theme in John Hersey’s book â€Å"Hiroshima† are the long- term effects of war, confusion about what happened, long term mental and physical scars, short term mental and physical scars, and people being killed. The confusing things after the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima where that the city had been wiped out, all means of communication where gone, all the roads and street signes where wiped out, destroyed or blocked by collapsed buildings â€Å"†¦saw through the darkness that all the houses in her neighbourhood had collapsed.†1 People not knowing what had happened as there had been no siting of a plane before the bomb was dropped, not being sure if a bomb or a fire had caused all the damage â€Å"The Americans are dropping gasoline. They’re going to set fire to us!†, and not knowing what the site effects of the bomb would be on the people and land such as acid rain â€Å"The drops grew abnormally large.†2 The long-term mental and physical scars left on the people of Hiroshima would have been not knowing what happened to family members, and friends who where missing and still are missing to this day, â€Å"You’ve go to find him†3, and â€Å"†¦.search for him.†4 The physical scars left on the people of Hiroshima after the bombing are, organ damage, disease, accelerated aging, eye brows burnt off and skin damaged on faces and hands. People forgetting what Americans did to Japanese civilians, by dropping that awful thing, â€Å"He was slowing a bit. His memory, like the world’s was gettin...

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Twelve

Stefan looked at Elena, snow crystals dusting his dark hair. â€Å"What about Matt?† â€Å"I remember-something. It's not clear. But that first night, when I wasn't myself -did I see Matt then? Did I-?† Fear and a sick sense of dismay swelled her throat and cut her words off. But she didn't need to finish, and Stefan didn't need to answer. She saw it in his eyes. â€Å"It was the only way, Elena,† he said then. â€Å"You would have died without human blood. Would you rather have attacked somebody unwilling, hurt them, maybe killed them? The need can drive you to that. Is that what you would have wanted?† â€Å"No,† Elena said violently. â€Å"But did it have to be Matt? Oh, don't answer that; I can't think of anybody else, either.† She took a shaky breath. â€Å"But now I'm worried about him, Stefan. I haven't seen him since that night. Is he okay? What has he said to you?† â€Å"Not much,† said Stefan, looking away. † ‘Leave me alone' was about the gist of it. He also denied that anything happened that night, and said that you were dead.† â€Å"Sounds like one of those individuals who can't cope,† Damon commented. â€Å"Oh, shut up!† said Elena. â€Å"You keep out of this, and while you're at it, you might think about poor Vickie Bennett. How d'you think she's coping these days?† â€Å"It might help if I knew who this Vickie Bennett is. You keep talking about her, but I've never met the girl.† â€Å"Yes, you have. Don't play games with me, Damon-the cemetery, remember? The ruined church? The girl you left wandering around there in her slip?† â€Å"Sorry, no. And I usually do remember girls I leave wandering in their slips.† â€Å"I suppose Stefan did it, then,† Elena said sarcastically. Anger flashed to the surface of Damon's eyes, covered quickly with a disturbing smile. â€Å"Maybe he did. Maybe you did. It's all the same to me, except that I'm getting a little tired of accusations. And now-â€Å" â€Å"Wait,† said Stefan, with surprising mildness. â€Å"Don't go yet. We should talk-† â€Å"I'm afraid I have a previous engagement.† There was a flurry of wings, and Stefan and Elena were alone. Elena put a knuckle to her lips. â€Å"Damn. I didn't mean to make him angry. After he was really almost civilized all evening.† â€Å"Never mind,† said Stefan. â€Å"He likes to be angry. What were you saying about Matt?† Elena saw the weariness in Stefan's face and put an arm around him. â€Å"We won't talk about it now, but I think tomorrow maybe we should go see him. To tell him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena lifted her other hand helplessly. She didn't know what she wanted to tell Matt; she only knew that she needed to do something. talk about it now, but I think tomorrow maybe we should go see him. To tell him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena lifted her other hand helplessly. She didn't know what she wanted to tell Matt; she only knew that she needed to do something. Elena looked at him hard. â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"But-will you be all right? I should stay with you-â€Å" â€Å"I'll be fine, Elena,† Stefan said gently, â€Å"Go on.† Elena hesitated, then nodded. â€Å"I won't be long,† she promised him. Unseen, Elena slipped around the side of the frame house with the peeling paint and the crooked mailbox labeled Honeycutt. Matt's window was unlocked. Careless boy, she thought reprovingly. Don't you know some-thing might come creeping in? She eased it open, but of course that was as far as she could go. An invisible barrier that felt like a soft wall of thickened air blocked her way. â€Å"Matt,† she whispered. The room was dark, but she could see a vague shape on the bed. A digital clock with pale green numbers showed that it was 12:15. â€Å"Matt,† she whispered again. The figure stirred. â€Å"Uh?† â€Å"Matt, I don't want to frighten you.† She made her voice soothing, trying to wake him gently rather than startle him out of his wits. â€Å"But it's me, Elena, and I wanted to talk. Only you've got to ask me in first. Can you ask me in?† â€Å"Uh. C'mon in.† Elena was amazed at the lack of surprise in his voice. It was only after she'd gotten over the sill that she realized he was still asleep. â€Å"Matt. Matt,† she whispered, afraid to go too close. The room was stifling and overheated, the radiator going full blast. She could see a bare foot sticking out of the mound of blankets on the bed and blond hair at the top. â€Å"Matt?† Tentatively, she leaned over and touched him. That got a response. With an explosive grunt, Matt sat bolt upright, whipping around. When his eyes met hers, they were wide and staring. Elena found herself trying to look small and harmless, nonthreatening. She backed away against the wall. â€Å"I didn't mean to frighten you. I know it's a shock. But will you talk to me?† He simply went on staring at her. His yellow hair was sweaty and ruffled up like wet chicken feathers. She could see his pulse pounding in his bare neck. She was afraid he was going to get up and dash out of the room. Then his shoulders relaxed, slumping, and he slowly shut his eyes. He was afraid he was going to get up and dash out of the room. â€Å"Yes,† she whispered. â€Å"You're dead.† â€Å"No. I'm here.† â€Å"Dead people don't come back. My dad didn't come back.† â€Å"I didn't really die. I just changed.† Matt's eyes were still shut in repudiation, and Elena felt a cold wave of hopelessness wash over her. â€Å"But you wish I had died, don't you? I'll leave now,† she whispered. Matt's face cracked and he started to cry. â€Å"No. Oh, no. Oh, don't, Matt, please.† She found herself cradling him, fighting not to cry herself. â€Å"Matt, I'm sorry; I shouldn't even have come here.† â€Å"Don't leave,† he sobbed. â€Å"Don't go away.† â€Å"I won't.† Elena lost the fight, and tears fell onto Matt's damp hair. â€Å"I didn't mean to hurt you, ever,† she said. â€Å"Not ever, Matt. All those times, all those things I did- I never wanted to hurt you. Truly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then she stopped talking and just held him. After a while his breathing quieted and he sat back, swiping his face with a fistful of sheet. His eyes avoided hers. There was a look on his face, not just of embarrassment, but of distrust, as if he were bracing himself for something he dreaded. â€Å"Okay, so you're here. You're alive,† he said roughly. â€Å"So what do you want?† Elena was dumbfounded. â€Å"Come on, there must be something. What is it?† New tears welled up, but Elena gulped them back. â€Å"I guess I deserve that. I know I do. But for once, Matt, I want absolutely nothing. I came to apologize, to say that I'm sorry for using you-not just that one night, but always. I care about you, and I care if you hurt. I thought maybe I could make things better.† After a heavy silence, she added, â€Å"I guess I will leave now.† â€Å"No, wait. Wait a second.† Matt scrubbed at his face with the sheet again. â€Å"Listen. That was stupid, and I'm a jerk-â€Å" â€Å"That was the truth and you're a gentleman. Or you'd've told me to go take a hike a long time ago.† â€Å"No, I'm a stupid jerk. I should be banging my head against the wall with joy because you're not dead. I will in a minute. Listen.† He grabbed her wrist and Elena looked at it in mild surprise. â€Å"I don't care if you're the Creature from the Black Lagoon, It, Godzilla and Frankenstein all rolled up into one. I just-â€Å" â€Å"Matt.† Panicked, Elena put her free hand over his mouth. â€Å"I know. You're engaged to the guy in the black cape. Don't worry; I remember him. I even like him, though God knows why.† Matt took a breath and seemed to calm down. â€Å"Look, I don't know if Stefan told you. He said a bunch of stuff to me -about being evil, about not being sorry for what he did to Tyler. You know what I'm talking about?† â€Å"I know. You're engaged to the guy in the black cape. Don't worry; I remember him. I even like him, though God knows why.† Matt took a breath and seemed to calm down. â€Å"Look, I don't know if Stefan told you. He said a bunch of stuff to me -about being evil, about not being sorry for what he did to Tyler. You know what I'm talking about?† Matt nodded. â€Å"So it was your basic crap. I should have known.† â€Å"Well, it is and it isn't. The need is strong, stronger than you can imagine.† It was dawning on Elena that she hadn't fed today and that she'd been hungry before they'd set out for Alaric's. â€Å"In fact-Matt, I'd better go. Just one thing-if there's a dance tomorrow night, don't go. Something's going to happen then, something bad. We're going to try to guard it, but I don't know what we can do.† â€Å"Who's ‘we'?† Matt said sharply. â€Å"Stefan and Damon-I think Damon-and me. And Meredith and Bonnie†¦ and Alaric Saltzman. Don't ask about Alaric. It's a long story.† â€Å"But what are you guarding against!† â€Å"I forgot; you don't know. That's a long story, too, but†¦ well, the short answer is, whatever killed me. Whatever made those dogs attack people at my memorial service. It's something bad, Matt, that's been around Fell's Church for a while now. And we're going to try to stop it from doing anything tomorrow night.† She tried not to squirm. â€Å"Look, I'm sorry, but I really should leave.† Her eyes drifted, despite herself, to the broad blue vein in his neck. When she managed to tear her gaze away and look at his face, she saw shock giving way to sudden understanding. Then to something incredible: acceptance. â€Å"It's okay,† Matt said. She wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. â€Å"Matt?† â€Å"I said, it's okay. It didn't hurt me before.† â€Å"No. No, Matt, really. I didn't come here for that-â€Å" â€Å"I know. That's why I want to. I want to give you something you didn't ask for.† After a moment he said, â€Å"For old friends' sake.† Stefan, Elena was thinking. But Stefan had told her to come, and come alone. Stefan had known, she realized. And it was all right. It was his gift to Matt-and to her. But I'm coming back to you, Stefan, she thought. As she leaned toward him, Matt said, â€Å"I'm going to come and help you tomorrow, you know. Even if I'm not invited.† Then her lips touched his throat. December 13, Friday Dear Diary, I know I've written that before, or thought it at least. But tonight is the night, the big one, when everything is going to happen. This is it. Stefan feels it, too. He came back from school today to tell me that the dance is still on-Mr. Newcastle didn't want to cause a panic by canceling it or something. What they're going to do is have â€Å"security† outside, which means the police, I guess. And maybe Mr. Smallwood and some of his friends with rifles. Whatever's going to happen, I don't think they can stop it. I don't know if we can, either. It's been snowing all day. The pass is blocked, which means nothing gets in or out of town on wheels. Until the snowplow gets up there, which won't be until morning, which will be too late. And the air has a funny feeling to it. Not just snow. It's as if something even colder than that is waiting. It's pulled back the way the ocean pulls back before a tidal wave. When it lets go†¦ I thought about my other diary today, the one under the floorboards of my bedroom closet. If I own anything anymore, I own that diary. I thought about getting it out, but I don't want to go home again. I don't think I could cope, and I know Aunt Judith couldn't if she saw me. I'm surprised anybody's been able to cope. Meredith, Bonnie-especially Bonnie. Well, Meredith, too, considering what her family has been through. Matt. They're good and loyal friends. It's funny, I used to think that without a whole galaxy of friends and admirers I wouldn't survive. Now I'm perfectly happy with three, thank you. Because they're real friends. I didn't know how much I cared about them before. Or about Margaret, or Aunt Judith even. And everybody at school†¦ I know a few weeks ago I was saying that I didn't care if the entire population of Robert E. Lee dropped dead, but that isn't true. Tonight I'm going to do my best to protect them. I know I'm jumping from subject to subject, but I'm just talking about things that are important to me. Kind of gathering them together in my mind. Just in case. Well, it's time. Stefan is waiting. I'm going to finish this last line and then go. I think we're going to win. I hope so. We're going to try. The history room was warm and brightly lit. On the other side of the school building, the cafeteria was even brighter, shining with Christmas lights and decorations. Upon arriving, Elena had scrutinized it from a cautious distance, watching the couples arrive for the dance and pass by the sheriff's officers at the door. Feeling Damon's silent presence behind her, she had pointed out a girl with long, light brown hair. â€Å"I'll take your word for it,† he replied. Now, she looked around their makeshift headquarters for the night. Alaric's desk had been cleared, and he was bent over a rough map of the school. Meredith leaned in beside him, her dark hair sweeping his sleeve. Matt and Bonnie were out mingling with the dancegoers in the parking lot, and Stefan and Damon were prowling the perimeter of the school grounds. They were going to take turns. â€Å"You'd better stay inside,† Alaric had told Elena. â€Å"All we need is for somebody to see you and start chasing you with a stake.† â€Å"I've been walking around town all week,† Elena said, amused. â€Å"If I don't want to be seen, you don't see me.† But she agreed to stay in the history room and coordinate. It's like a castle, she thought as she watched Alaric plot out the positions of sheriff's officers and other men on the map. And we're defending it. Me and my loyal knights. The round, flat-faced clock on the wall ticked the minutes by. Elena watched it as she let people in the door and let them out again. She poured hot coffee out of a Thermos for those who wanted it. She listened to the reports come in. â€Å"Everything's quiet on the north side of the school.† â€Å"Caroline just got crowned snow queen. Big surprise.† â€Å"Some rowdy kids in the parking lot-the sheriff just rounded them up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Midnight came and went. â€Å"Maybe we were wrong,† Stefan said an hour or so later. It was the first time they'd all been inside together since the beginning of the evening. â€Å"Maybe it's happening somewhere else,† said Bonnie, emptying out a boot and peering into it. â€Å"There's no way to know where it's going to happen,† Elena said firmly. â€Å"But we weren't wrong about it happening.† â€Å"Maybe,† said Alaric thoughtfully, â€Å"there is a way. To find out where it's going to happen, I mean.† As heads raised questioningly, he said, â€Å"We need a precognition.† All eyes turned to Bonnie. â€Å"Oh, no,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I'm through with all that. I hate it.† â€Å"It's a great gift-† began Alaric. â€Å"It's a great big pain. Look, you don't understand. The ordinary predictions are bad enough. It seems like most of the time I'm finding out things I don't want to know. But getting taken over-that's awful. And afterward I don't even remember what I've said. It's horrible.† know. But getting taken over-that's awful. And afterward I don't even remember what I've said. It's horrible.† Bonnie sighed. â€Å"It's what happened to me in the church,† she said patiently. â€Å"I can do other kinds of predictions, like divining with water or reading palms†-she glanced at Elena, and then away-â€Å"and stuff like that. But then there are times when -someone-takes me over and just uses me to talk for them. It's like having somebody else in my body.† â€Å"Like in the graveyard, when you said there was something there waiting for me,† said Elena. â€Å"Or when you warned me not to go near the bridge. Or when you came to dinner and said that Death, my death, was in the house.† She looked automatically around at Damon, who returned her gaze impassively. Still, that had been wrong, she thought. Damon hadn't been her death. So what had the prophecy meant? For just an instant something glimmered in her mind, but before she could get a grasp on it, Meredith interrupted. â€Å"It's like another voice that speaks through Bonnie,† Meredith explained to Alaric. â€Å"She even looks different. Maybe you weren't close enough in the church to see.† â€Å"But why didn't you tell me about this?† Alaric was excited. â€Å"This could be important. This-entity-whatever it is-could give us vital information. It could clear up the mystery of the Other Power, or at least give us a clue how to fight it.† Bonnie was shaking her head. â€Å"No. It isn't something I can just whistle up, and it doesn't answer questions. It just happens to me. And I hate it.† â€Å"You mean you can't think of anything that tends to set it off? Anything that's led to it happening before?† Elena and Meredith, who knew very well what could set it off, looked at each other. Elena bit the inside of her cheek. It was Bonnie's choice. It had to be Bonnie's choice. Bonnie, who was holding her head in her hands, shot a sideways glance through red curls at Elena. Then she shut her eyes and moaned. â€Å"Candles,† she said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Candles. A candle flame might do it. I can't be sure, you understand; I'm not promising anything-â€Å" â€Å"Somebody go ransack the science lab,† said Alaric. It was a scene reminiscent of the day Alaric had come to school, when he'd asked them all to put their chairs in a circle. Elena looked at the circle of faces lit eerily from below by the candle's flame. There was Matt, with his jaw set. Beside him, Meredith, her dark lashes throwing shadows upward. And Alaric, leaning forward in his eagerness. Then Damon, light and shadow dancing over the planes of his face. And Stefan, high cheekbones looking too sharply defined to Elena's eyes. And finally, Bonnie, looking fragile and pale even in the golden light of the candle. â€Å"I'm just going to look into the candle,† Bonnie said, her voice quivering slightly. â€Å"And not think of anything. I'm going to try to-leave myself open to it.† She began to breathe deeply, gazing into the candle flame. And then it happened, just as it had before. Bonnie's face smoothed out, all expression draining away. Her eyes went blank as the stone cherub's in the graveyard. She didn't say a word. That was when Elena realized they hadn't agreed on what to ask. She groped through her mind to find a question before Bonnie lost contact. â€Å"Where can we find the Other Power?† she said, just as Alaric blurted out, â€Å"Who are you?† Their voices mingled, their questions intertwining. Bonnie's blank face turned, sweeping the circle with sightless eyes. Then the voice that wasn't Bonnie's voice said, â€Å"Come and see.† â€Å"Wait a minute,† Matt said, as Bonnie stood up, still entranced, and made for the door. â€Å"Where's she going?† Meredith grabbed for her coat. â€Å"Are we going with her?† â€Å"Don't touch her!† said Alaric, jumping up as Bonnie went out the door. Elena looked at Stefan, and then at Damon. With one accord, they followed, trailing Bonnie down the empty, echoing hall. â€Å"Where are we going? Which question is she answering?† Matt demanded. Elena could only shake her head. Alaric was jogging to keep up with Bonnie's gliding pace. She slowed down as they emerged into the snow, and to Elena's surprise, walked up to Alaric's car in the staff parking lot and stood beside it. â€Å"We can't all fit; I'll follow with Matt,† Meredith said swiftly. Elena, her skin chilled with apprehension as well as cold air, got in the back of Alaric's car when he opened it for her, with Damon and Stefan on either side. Bonnie sat up front. She was looking straight ahead, and she didn't speak. But as Alaric pulled out of the parking lot, she lifted one white hand and pointed. Right on Lee Street and then left on Arbor Green. Straight out toward Elena's house and then right on Thunderbird. Heading toward Old Creek Road. It was then that Elena realized where they were going. They took the other bridge to the cemetery, the one everyone always called â€Å"the new bridge† to distinguish it from Wickery Bridge, which was now gone. They were approaching from the gate side, the side Tyler had driven up when he took Elena to the ruined church. Alaric's car stopped just where Tyler's had stopped. Meredith pulled up behind them. â€Å"Where are you taking us?† she said. â€Å"Listen to me. Will you just tell us which question you're answering?† â€Å"Come and see.† Helplessly, Elena looked at the others. Then she stepped over the threshold. Bonnie walked slowly to the white marble tomb, and stopped. Elena looked at it, and then at Bonnie's ghostly face. Every hair on her arms and the back of her neck was standing up. â€Å"Oh, no†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. â€Å"Not that.† â€Å"Elena, what are you talking about?† Meredith said. Dizzy, Elena looked down at the marble countenances of Thomas and Honoria Fell, lying on the stone lid of their tomb. â€Å"This thing opens,† she whispered.