Writing an application essay
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Classroom Management Observation Essay
Did you see the rudimentary or optional video? * Elementary 1. Perception and Description A. Depict the watched study hall routines.The class begins with the kids expelling materials from their work area to get composed. Having the kids expel all materials from their work area to sort out them as indicated by size shows the youngsters to have regard for their property and others. Next, the kids go on a study hall visit. She likewise examines the methodology for marking books all through the study hall library. Next, she portrays the systems for if understudies need to acquire materials off the teacherââ¬â¢s work area. The understudies should consistently inquire. At that point, the youngsters go over the timetable, so they know, what's in store all through the school day. From that point forward, the kids get familiar with the significance of going to class regularly. Next, the instructor has the studentsââ¬â¢ line up. The first run through understudies are required to arrange; the instructor clarifies the system and the explanation. At that point the educator examines marking in and out methods for heading off to the workplace, the bathroom, and the medical attendant station. The understudies must sign out, print their name on the suitable line, and circle the spot they are going, at that point put the time, and take a pass. The understudies discover that they have more opportunity in the third grade than second, since they no longer need to request to get water at the drinking fountain and hone pencils, as long as there is nobody else at the drinking fountain, or the pencil sharpener. At last, the understudies gain proficiency with the systems for getting colored pencils and different materials. Similar guidelines apply as long as nobody is at the pastel or material station the understudies can feel free to get colored pencils. The understudies must snatch a container, get a bunch of colored pencils for the crate, and go discreetly back to their seats. This will diminish study hall interferences and will increa se a feeling of trust between the understudies and the instructor. B. Portray the usage techniques for schedules in the watched study hall. The instructor actualizes the strategies for schedules as she would some other subject. For instance, if the instructor were showing math, she would depict it, clarify it, and afterward have the kids practice it. In the video, the instructor depicted to the understudies how they would arrange, at that point she clarified why they would arrange that way, and afterward she let the kids practice. 2. Investigation, Exploration and Reasoning A. Foresee studentsââ¬â¢ level of commitment with the watched study hall routines.The understudies level of commitment is high the kids are eager about realizing what the educator expects of them. Later in the school year, I anticipate that the understudy will have a similar degree of commitment as from the principal day of school. The youngsters will comprehend what the instructor expect of them, with respect to schedules and techniques. The schedules and techniques will turn out to be to a greater degree a propensity. B. Break down a potential re ason for the watched study hall schedule. The reason for the youngsters expelling all things from their work area and sorting out them as per size is so the kids will know where all books and materials are consistently. This will diminish the measure of homeroom interruptions, on the grounds that the youngsters won't need to go to and fro to their book sacks and different regions of the study hall to get materials. The materials are in a sorted out region in the work area. 3. Associations with other showing rehearses A. Clarify the reason for the watched homeroom schedules as they identify with the learning environment.The motivation behind having the kids take a study hall visit is to acclimate themselves with focuses and materials so the youngsters will know precisely where to go when they need certain things, which will cause less study hall disturbances. The watched schedules identifies with an improved learning condition for the classroomThe reason for expelling materials from their work area to get composed is to instr uct understudies to have regard for their property, themselves, as well as other people. Having regard for their property and others improves the learning condition in light of the fact that every understudy will endeavor to act in a good way by having regard for themselves and their environmental factors, which thusly, will diminish the measure of study hall disturbances. Next, the youngsters go on a study hall visit. She additionally talks about the strategy for marking books all through the study hall library. Having the understudies sign books all through the study hall library shows understudies the significance of returning things back to their right position, which identifies with improving the learning condition since keeping things slick, composed in their right arrangement is basic for a learning domain to flourish. Next, she depicts the strategies for if understudies need to obtain materials off the teacherââ¬â¢s work area. The understudies should consistently inquire. This shows the understudy to take nothing without approaching and again to have regard fo r their property and others, which thus improves the learning condition, if everybody solicit before taking something from another person. Next, the educator has the studentsââ¬â¢ line up. The first run through understudies are required to arrange; the educator clarifies the technique and the explanation. The educator has the understudy to quie line up unobtrusively, by size to see and record for all understudies as the understudies stroll through the lobby. This improves the learning condition in light of the fact that the instructor is answerable for the whereabouts of all understudies so observing every youngster is critical to have a fruitful learning condition. The understudies must stay calm as they stroll through the corridor so they won't upset different understudies. At that point the instructor examines marking in and out techniques for setting off to the workplace, the bathroom, and the attendant station. Having the understudies sign in and out encourages that it is so critical to tell the instructor their whereabouts. This additionally instructs obligation. It is significant for the instructor to know the whereabouts of all understudies in their group consistently, having the understudies sign in and out monitors constantly, which improves the learning condition. The understudies discover that they have more opportunity in the third grade than second, since they no longer need to request to get water at the drinking fountain and hone pencils, as long as there is nobody else at the drinking fountain, or the pencil sharpener. This makes a feeling of trust between the understudies and the educator, which improves conduct in light of the fact that the understudies won't have any desire to mishandle the trust. Picking up trust improves practices, and great practices improve the learning condition and give understudies a bounty of chances to learn. At last, the understudies become familiar with the systems for getting colored pencils and different materials. Similar standards apply as long as nobody is at the pastel or material station the understudies can feel free to get colored pencils. The understudies must snatch a crate, get a bunch of pastels for the bin, and go unobtrusively back to their seats. This will diminish study hall interferences and will increase a feeling of trust between the understudies and the instructor, which improves the learning condition. Studentsââ¬â¢ changes commonly all through out the day, from entering school, to going to breakfast, to leaving the lounge, to entering class. Advances between exercises can be testing and unpleasant for understudies, however with association and key desires, educators will wipe out a great deal of confusion during these advances. Kââ¬8 Situations 1. Start of the day: Class is beginning A. enter homeroom, the youngsters will discover seat B. void book pack, arrange work area C. hangs up book pack, sit unobtrusively trust that guidelines will start errands 2. Day's end: Going home A. get book sack off holder place books required for schoolwork in book pack B. tidy up work area and zone around work area C. Sit and remain discreetly until the instructor calls your method of transportation 3. Progress between exercises: Moving to focuses A. At the sign (darken the lights) the understudies to end movement; understudies start taking care of materials for the current task. B. Understudies tidy up and take out materials from next task C. at the point when the instructor walks out on the light, understudies must be in their seat discreetly prepared to start next movement. 4. Conveyance of materials: Getting colored pencils off rack A. ensures nobody is at colored pencil station B. Stroll over to the colored pencil station, get a container, and take a bunch of pastels C. return unobtrusively to your work area 5. Field trip: emptying the transport A. get off the transport on the field trip, ensure you are with your accomplice B. tunes in to ALL headings C. remain in assigned gatherings 6. Break: Going to the rec center A. Line up unobtrusively for break B. Walk unobtrusively down the lobby to exercise center or assigned territory for the afternoon C. Tune in for headings for exercises for the afternoon 7. Fire or fiasco drills: leaving the structure in case of fire A. At the point when the alert sounds, the understudies will rapidly arrange before the entryway B. Tune in for the instructor to call your line C. Walk rapidly and unobtrusively a line, tune in for headings from your educator What educators do toward the start of the school year to arrange their rooms and set up an administration framework impacts what occurs all through the remainder of the year. Schedules are the endurance of every day homeroom life. The schedules above are indispensable all together for your group to run easily. In the start of the day, when class is beginning it is significant for the kids to enter class discover their seat, void book sacks and sort out their work area unobtrusively with the goal that the instructor can gauge participation and document what number of kids went to the class that day. Toward the day's end, when the youngsters are returning home, it is significant for the understudies to get book sack off holder place books required for schoolwork in book pack, tidy up work area and territory around work area, sit, and remain discreetly until the instructor calls your method of transportation. This is significant with the goal that all understudies to return home sa
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Emotions and Posture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Feelings and Posture - Essay Example Be that as it may, one obviously unmistakable distinction to my stance from these different exercises existed when I chipped away at a PC in a situated position. Since my vision is declining, it is progressively hard to work with a good ways from the PC screen, which caused a slight sluggard in my stance while finishing PC errands. Be that as it may, I encountered no slumping stance during the way toward understanding books or completing other myopic errands. In the wake of finishing these underlying perceptions through the span of three days, I controlled the stance variable for the following three days. Some portion of this control was a marginally slumped position by around 15 degrees. I inferred that this level of progress would not be promptly unmistakable by other people who realized me well; in any case, I accepted the change would enroll at certain levels in both my own psyche states and those of others. So as to look after consistency, I kept this slumped position during all exercises and consistently for those three days during which the analysis was being led. When my body got familiar with the new position through some training and cognizant idea, the new stance appeared to be regular, which permitted me to overlook that variable as I connected with others and continued with my day by day life. During these communications, the distinctions I saw were not huge. Others appeared to be set in their view of my body with the end goal that they couldn't see the distinction in my stance. In any case, my cooperations with others changed in that I felt less certain (incompletely on account of my thought that terrible stance is an ugly characteristic) and less open to relational association. A lessening in certainty may have made a criticism circle in which my conduct influenced otherââ¬â¢s communications with me during the hour of the test. Be that as it may, as I stated, there were no perceptible contrasts in the manner in which others saw or connected wi th me while the control of my stance was happening. After the trial time frame had finished up, I came back to my typical examples, including rearranging to my ordinary stance. From this, I found the relational certainty I had before the stance change and I felt less reluctant about my alluring (or ugly) position. Stance, all things considered, doesn't get a lot of cognizant idea from a great many people except if obviously their stance is discernibly terrible either to oneself or to other people. Generally speaking, my typical examples appear to have returned with no significant contrast. The subject of whether the stance control at last brought about an adjustment in my feelings relies upon the circumstance. In certain circumstances, the terrible stance variable made me more averse to take part in cooperations with others since I felt less appealing. On edge feelings could be appended to the awful stance in that manner. In different circumstances, the terrible stance variable had no impact on how others treated me, which left feelings like bliss from acknowledgment unaltered. My state of mind didn't endure as a result of an awful position, at any rate as indicated by my perceptions. A genuine confinement to this trial is, obviously, oneself giving an account of a variable I am constantly enticed to consider over the span of the trial. All things considered, in spite of this restriction, I accept that feelings can be influenced by pose, expecting that one has a thought of good stance as a truly appealing characteristic and that one either sees himself as having a positive or negative one. In the event that the individual or the general public has no
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Whats On Your Nightstand Topical Applications
Whats On Your Nightstand Topical Applications Ive been thankful, in the past week, for things that can be applied topically, bug spray in particular: Its High Mosquito Season here in the Mid-Atlantic (and many other regions). Who wants to be troubled by pesky flying insects when youre comfily esconced on a chaise in your backyard, in the middle of a great read? No one, thats who, but for me in particular, thinking about bug spray led to thinking about the phrase topical application which led to thinking how funny it is that topical can refer to a surface, but also to a subject area. (Yes, Im a wild woman.) That reminded me of the times in my reading life during which Ive followed one subject down a rabbit hole. Often, but not only, were these times centered around school. Sometimes I just get on a kick about a time period or a historical figure and want to read lots of stuff about it or her. A few years back, it was Marie Antoinette. Last year, it was the Mitford Sisters. This summer, its natural history and solitary individuals (Muir, Carson, Audobon). I know Im not alone in this. From time to time your TBR pile has resembled a library catalog number, hasnt it? This week, tell us about the topics that have you gathering up essays, histories, biographies, treatisesyou name it. I cant wait to hear about your topical fascinationsand hope those skeeters stay far away from you.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Smoking Should be Banned in Public Places Essays - 1464 Words
During the past few decades it has come to light that smoking kills. The federal government mandates that every pack of cigarettes carry a warning on it that smoking can lead to health problems including death. But the messages are rather clinical, for example: ââ¬Å"Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy.â⬠Smoking is a danger to oneââ¬â¢s own health but there is now evidence that smoking can affect others as well. Second hand smoke has been shown to cause cancer. Second hand smoke has been shown to produce the same negative health effects that smoking first hand does. Cities across the nation are taking it upon themselves to address the issue of smoking in public place because of the evidence aboutâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The hospitality industry has long argued that smoking bans cause great financial difficulty for bars and restaurants because of the link between smoking and drinking. But a new study by the University of Minnesota shows that smoking bans in eight Minnesota cities did not have any significant impact on employment in those businesses (Benson). One of the aspects that are argued is the freedom of choice. Freedom of choice mandates if a person wants to smoke they should be able to. While the freedom of choice issue is debated and measures are taken to assist people in breaking their addiction to smoking there are strong reasons for implementing a nationwide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. Smokers want to be able to enjoy a cigarette following their meal or while they sip their drinks. They have lobbied to stop bans around the country and threatened to boycott any business that voluntarily places a ban on smoking in their establishment. For a long time, the hospitality industry maintained that if nonsmokers didnt like smoke, then they shouldnt go into places that allowed it. Few buy that argument any more. Nonsmokers want to go where they want and not have to suffer exposure to smoke as the price they pay. The Tobacco Industry fights smoke-free laws because smoke-free laws result in a decline in the consumption of tobacco products, an increase in the cessation rate among smokers, and an overallShow MoreRelatedShould Smoking Be Banned Public Places?941 Words à |à 4 Pagesindividuals get older they try to cope with the stresses of everyday life by continuing to smoking. It makes them feel more relaxed and at ease. Whatever the reason is, it is a hard habit to break once one starts. For many smokers today it is getting hard to find a place to smoke. Comedians joke about going to another planet just to light up. Smoking should be banned in public places because smoking is just as bad for nonsmokers as it is fo r smokers. The effects of secondhand smoke orRead MoreShould Smoking Be Banned Public Places?864 Words à |à 4 PagesSmoking is one of the practices which is considered highly dangerous to our health because it impacts the smoker and the people around them. There are approximately one billion smokers. Smoking is a big issue that the nonsmoker faces. For example, when the smokers smoke in public places like restaurants, universities and other public places it hurts the non-smoker. The non-smoker breathing the cigarette, marijuana or hookah smoke from the smoker do both of them are breathing toxic chemicals. In aRead MoreShould Smoking Be Banned Public Places?950 Words à |à 4 Pagesday I walk in to public place with a friend right away we sat down to eat, we were having a conversation later we smell cigarette smoke in the air. I start coughing from the smell of smoke. I also notice a lot of customers who like eating dinner at a public place smoking cigarette. Smoking is a big health p roblem I feel it is not fair to take away cigarette for people who smoke in American who desire smoke cigarette. Even thought the same as the concession is able to be taking place on this topicRead MoreShould Smoking Be Banned Public Places?885 Words à |à 4 Pagesday I walk into public place with a friend right away we sat down to eat, we were having a conversation later we smell cigarette smoke in the air. I start coughing from the smell of smoke. I also notice a lot of customers who like eating dinner at a public place smoking cigarette. Smoking is a big health problem I feel it is not fair to take away cigarette for people who smoke in American who desire smoke cigarette. Even thought the same as the concession is able to be taking place on this topicRead MoreSmoking in Public Places Should Be Banned Essay474 Words à |à 2 PagesSmoking in Public Places Should Be Banned I feel very strongly that smoking in public places should be banned. I will list my reasons for my thinking below and explain why I think this. I cannot stand walking down a street behind someone who is smoking. Every time they exhale I then have to walk into a cloud of their smoke. My clothes smell, because they have been saturated with the smoke, it gets into my hair too. It also affects my health. It was found that sevenRead MoreEssay on Smoking In Public Places Should Be Banned463 Words à |à 2 PagesSmoking In Public Places Should Be Banned There should be rules enforced for smoking in public places. Smokers just do not know the negative influence they are spreading. A puff of cigarette can harm a smokers health. When I go to a restaurant I do not like to leave smelling like smoke. It is the same going to a garbage dump, and smelling like garbage. I am not a smoker, and I cannot stand having the stench of smoke on my clothes. The smell of smoke is not harmful, but secondhand smoke isRead MoreEssay Smoking Should NOT Be Banned in Public Places730 Words à |à 3 PagesSmoking Should Not Be Banned in Restaurants à à à à à In the perfect situation, smoking policy would be set by bar or restaurant owners, and customers would patronize the establishments with the policy they prefer. Customers would decide-without the governments help-if they want to avoid smoke-filled rooms or enter them. They might even choose to sit in an area sectioned off for smokers or non-smokers, but the ultimate issue is choice (Ruwart 1). When the government starts telling restaurantRead MoreEssay about Smoking In Public Places Should be Banned766 Words à |à 4 Pages Do you mind people smoking around you in public places? According to the pro-smoking group Air Initiative 7 in 10 of you do. Do you think it is fair to discriminate against smokers, forcing them to stand outside and smoke? On the other hand is it fair that non-smokers should have to inhale second hand smoke which can dame their health? (Do you support this ban or do you oppose it?) Personally I oppose it as I believe that non-smokers shouldnâ⬠â¢t be subjected to a smoky environment on a night out.Read MoreNationwide Smoking Ban: Smoking Should be Banned in All Public Places899 Words à |à 4 Pagesthe public about its dangers in 1972 (Schick Glantz, 2005). Do people knowingly have the right to put othersââ¬â¢ health at risk? No, they do not. Exposure to cigarette smoke is a public health risk. Therefore, smoking should be banned in all public places, nationwide. There has been no attempt to impose a national smoking ban by the U.S. government. All current bans are in place because of state and local legislation. Americans for Nonsmokersââ¬â¢ Rights lists the various state and local smoking lawsRead MoreEssay about Smoking Should be Banned in All Public Places1133 Words à |à 5 PagesSmoking Should be Banned in All Public Places Every year thousands of people die because of having cancer or other tobacco related illnesses due to smoking. Smoking is seen everywhere from our own television screens to even the world wide web; the internet. Tobacco is the substance that is in these cigarettes. These tobacco products are promoted through tobacco ads that are found almost everywhere you turn. They are in magazines, television screens, on the internet
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Hawaiiââ¬â¢s Renewable Energy Future Essay example - 1859 Words
ââ¬Å"By 2020, Hawaii is aiming to generate 20 percent of its energy from non-fossil fuelsâ⬠(Brown et al. 2008, 11). According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Arent et al. 2009, 1-2), petroleum accounts for 90% of Hawaiiââ¬â¢s energy consumption and 75% of their electricity. Since Hawaii has no pipelines or oil fields, they are forced to import petroleum to accommodate their energy needs (Arent et al. 2009, 1). Hawaii is disconnected from the rest of the United States, which means that Hawaii has to take care of its own energy needs (Croucher 2010, 79).How can alternative energy sources reduce the need to import of petroleum? Hawaiiââ¬â¢s geography is optimal to make use of biofuel, solar, and geothermal resources (Brown et al. 2008,â⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Hawaii has the bioavailability to support biofuels as a renewable resource. In addition to fuel crops, Hawaii also has abundant resources for biomass heating. During their research Turn et al. (2002, 4) found that the biomass resources for Hawaii include: swine, dairy, and poultry manure, sugarcane bagasse and trash, pineapple processing waste, macadamia nut shells, municipal solid wastes, food waste from commercial food preparation facilities, sewage sludge, and fat, oil and grease wastes from food preparation activities. One of the main advantages is that biomass energy can use municipal solid waste. Hawaii also produces about 10 pounds of trash per person coming to about 1.8 million tons of trash per year (Yap 2008). Hawaii has a power plant that can use over 2,000 tons of garbage a day to generate electricity (Covanta Energy 2011). Hawaii has decided to start exporting its garbage to give it enough time to expand the power plantââ¬â¢s capacity (Yap 2008). Smaller scale biomass fueled power generation can help get rid of agricultural and municipal refu se, while alleviating the strain on the electricity grid and providing a cheap locally based source of electricity (Turn, Keffer, and Staackmann 2002, 17). If Hawaii develops biomass as a renewable resource, it can reduce the need to import petroleum and export garbage. Biomass is not the only renewable alternative option for Hawaii, ethanol can also be produced in Hawaii. According Keffer et al.(2009, 253), usingShow MoreRelatedSustainability in Hawaii847 Words à |à 4 Pagesclimate change, habitat destruction and exploitation of resources threaten the ââ¬Å"pale blue dot,â⬠the demand for sustainable development that meets our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs grows every greater. However, sustainable practices promise a future where economic and environmental needs can coexist in harmony. Sustainability calls for protection of our natural world for generations to come ââ¬â this has always been the challenge of environmentalRead MoreHawaiis High Cost Of Living1577 Words à |à 7 Pageshave learned about Hawaiiââ¬â¢s Economic Outlook. We look a look at the growths and decline of Hawaiiââ¬â¢s economy through looking at the Hawaiiââ¬â¢s GDP and comparing it the whole na tions GDP. The next week we learned about Hawaiiââ¬â¢s expansion and contraction. During this week, we focused on different factors that caused Hawaiiââ¬â¢s economic ups and downs thought Hawaiiââ¬â¢s history. The third week we, learned about Hawaiiââ¬â¢s economical structure, which focused on diversification in Hawaiiââ¬â¢s economy. The fourthRead MoreA Report On Net Metering1575 Words à |à 7 Pagesmoments for other local customers. Customers feeding electricity back to the grid can present unique challenges for grid operators trying to manage supply and demand efficiently. For example, in cases such as Hawaiiââ¬â¢s, unwanted solar energy that utilities are forced to take may add too much energy to an already-taxed system, increasing the risk of voltage spikes. Aside from the challenges for grid operators in balancing the flow of electricity, utilities also face economic challenges as net meteringRead MoreGlobal Warming : Crisis Or Not?1849 Words à |à 8 Pages Is how we live our daily lives having a massive negative impact on the Earth and greatly raising its temperature to dangerous levels? And are humans causing dangerous levels of greenhouse gases? Deforestation, and the burning of fossil fuels for energy, transportation, and use in factories could all be contributing to the huge increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. If so, then the fight against CO2 emissions, and it being the highest priority, needs justification. The opinion of some people is thatRead MoreDesalination of Water4116 Words à |à 17 Pagesin this direction were the solar distillation methods employed (c.49 B.C.) by the legions of Julius Caesar for using water from the Mediterranean. Modern technological advances led to the development of more efficient distillation unit s using solar energy; however, since these units have small capacities, their utility is restricted. Distillation plants having high capacities and using combustible fuels employ various devices to conserve heat. In the most common system a vacuum is applied to reduceRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words à |à 656 PagesGerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History Jack Metzgar, Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Lamb The Gospel According to Biff, Christââ¬â¢s Childhood Pal Chapter 24 Free Essays
string(33) " his dogs down by the riverbank\." Chapter 24 Iââ¬â¢ve finally finished reading these stories by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These guys make the whole thing seem like an accident, like five thousand people just showed up on a hill one morning. If that was the case, getting them all there was the miracle, let alone feeding them. We will write a custom essay sample on Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christââ¬â¢s Childhood Pal Chapter 24 or any similar topic only for you Order Now We busted our asses to organize sermons like that, and sometimes we even had to put Joshua in a boat and float him offshore while he preached, just to keep him from getting mobbed. That boy was a security nightmare. And thatââ¬â¢s not all, there were two sides to Joshua, his preaching side and his private side. The guy who stood there railing at the Pharisees was not the same guy who would sit around poking Untouchables in the arm because it cracked him up. He planned the sermons, he calculated the parables, although he may have been the only one in our group that understood any of them. What Iââ¬â¢m saying is that these guys, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they got some of it right, the big stuff, but they missed a lot (like thirty years, for instance). Iââ¬â¢ll try to fill it in, which is why, I guess, the angel brought me back from the dead. And speaking of the angel, Iââ¬â¢m about convinced that heââ¬â¢s gone psycho. (No, psycho isnââ¬â¢t a word I had back in my time, but enough television and Iââ¬â¢ll have a whole new vocabulary. It applies. I believe, for instance, that ââ¬Å"psychoâ⬠was the perfect term for John the Baptist. More about him later.) Raziel took me to a place where you wash clothes today. A Laundromat. We were there all day. He wanted to make sure I knew how to wash clothes. I may not be the sharpest arrow in the quiver, but itââ¬â¢s laundry, for Christââ¬â¢s sake. He quizzed me for an hour about sorting whites and colors. I may never get this story told if the angel keeps deciding to teach me life lessons. Tomorrow, miniature golf. I can only guess that Raziel is trying to prepare me to be an international spy. Bartholomew and his stench rode one camel while Joshua and I shared the other. We rode south to Jerusalem, then east over the Mount of Olives into Bethany, where we saw a yellow-haired man sitting under a fig tree. I had never seen a yellow-haired person in Israel, other than the angel. I pointed him out to Joshua and we watched the blond man long enough to convince ourselves that he wasnââ¬â¢t one of the heavenly host in disguise. Actually, we pretended to watch him. We were watching each other. Bartholomew said, ââ¬Å"Is there something wrong? You two seem nervous.â⬠ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s just that blond kid,â⬠I said, trying to look in the courtyards of the large houses as we passed. ââ¬Å"Maggie lives here with her husband,â⬠Joshua said, looking at me, relieving no tension whatsoever. ââ¬Å"I knew that,â⬠said Bart. ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s a member of the Sanhedrin. High up, they say.â⬠The Sanhedrin was a council of priests and Pharisees who made most of the decisions for the Jewish community, as far as the Romans would allow them, anyway. Aside from the Herods and Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, they were the most powerful men in Israel. ââ¬Å"I was really hoping Jakan would die young.â⬠ââ¬Å"They have no children,â⬠Joshua said. What Josh was saying was that it was strange that Jakan hadnââ¬â¢t divorced Maggie for being barren. ââ¬Å"My brother told me,â⬠I said. ââ¬Å"We canââ¬â¢t go see her.â⬠ââ¬Å"I know,â⬠I said, although I wasnââ¬â¢t sure why not. We finally found John in the desert north of Jericho, preaching on the bank of the Jordan River. His hair was as wild as ever and now he had a beard that was just as out of control. He wore a rough tunic that was belted with a sash of unscraped camel skin. There was a crowd of perhaps five hundred people there, standing in sun so hot that you had to check road signs to make sure you hadnââ¬â¢t accidentally taken the turnoff to hell. We couldnââ¬â¢t tell what John was talking about from a distance, but as we got closer we heard him say, ââ¬Å"No, Iââ¬â¢m not the one. Iââ¬â¢m just getting things ready. Thereââ¬â¢s one thatââ¬â¢s coming after me, and Iââ¬â¢m not qualified to carry his jockstrap.â⬠ââ¬Å"Whatââ¬â¢s a jockstrap?â⬠Joshua asked. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s an Essene thing,â⬠Bartholomew answered. ââ¬Å"They wear them on their manhood, very tightly, to control their sinful urges.â⬠Then John spotted us over the crowd (we were on camelback). ââ¬Å"There!â⬠said John, pointing. ââ¬Å"You remember me telling you that one would come. Well, there he is, right there. Iââ¬â¢m not kidding, thatââ¬â¢s him on the camel. On the left. Behold the Lamb of God!â⬠The crowd looked back at Josh and me, then laughed politely as if to say, Oh right, he just happened along right when you were talking about him. What, we donââ¬â¢t know from a shill when we see one? Joshua glanced nervously at me, then at Bart, then at me, then he grinned sheepishly (as one might expect from a lamb) at the crowd. Between gritted teeth he asked, ââ¬Å"So am I supposed to give John my jockstrap, or something?â⬠ââ¬Å"Just wave, and say, ââ¬ËGo with God,'â⬠Bart said. ââ¬Å"Waving here ââ¬â waving there,â⬠Josh mumbled through a grin. ââ¬Å"Go with God. Thank you very much. Go with God. Nice to see you. Waving ââ¬â waving.â⬠ââ¬Å"Louder, Josh. Weââ¬â¢re the only ones who can hear you.â⬠Josh turned to us so the crowd couldnââ¬â¢t see his face. ââ¬Å"I didnââ¬â¢t know I was going to need a jockstrap! Nobody told me. Jeez, you guys.â⬠Thus did begin the ministry of Joshua bar Joseph, ish Nazareth, the Lamb of God. ââ¬Å"So, whoââ¬â¢s the big guy?â⬠John asked, as we sat around the fire that evening. Night crawled across the desert sky like a black cat with phosphorus dandruff. Bartholomew rolled with his dogs down by the riverbank. You read "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christââ¬â¢s Childhood Pal Chapter 24" in category "Essay examples" ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s Bartholomew,â⬠Joshua said. ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s a Cynic.â⬠ââ¬Å"And the village idiot of Nazareth for over thirty years,â⬠I added. ââ¬Å"He gave up his position to follow Joshua.â⬠ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s a slut, and heââ¬â¢s the first one baptized in the morning. He stinks. More locusts, Biff?â⬠ââ¬Å"No thanks, Iââ¬â¢m full.â⬠I stared down at my bowl of roasted locusts and honey. You were supposed to dip the locusts in the honey for a sweet and nutritious treat. It was all John ate. ââ¬Å"So this Divine Spark, all that time away, thatââ¬â¢s what you found?â⬠ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s the key to the kingdom, John,â⬠Josh said. ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s what I learned in the East that Iââ¬â¢m supposed to bring to our people, that God is in all of us. We are all brothers in the Divine Spark. I just donââ¬â¢t know how to spread the word.â⬠ââ¬Å"Well, first, you canââ¬â¢t call it the Divine Spark. The people wonââ¬â¢t understand it. This thing, itââ¬â¢s in everyone, itââ¬â¢s permanent, itââ¬â¢s a part of God?â⬠ââ¬Å"Not God the creator, my father, the part of God thatââ¬â¢s spirit.â⬠ââ¬Å"Holy Ghost,â⬠John said with a shrug. ââ¬Å"Call it the Holy Ghost. People understand that a ghost is in you, and they understand that it goes on after you, and youââ¬â¢ll just have to make them believe that itââ¬â¢s God.â⬠ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s perfect,â⬠Joshua said, smiling. ââ¬Å"So, this Holy Ghost,â⬠John said, biting a locust in half, ââ¬Å"itââ¬â¢s in every Jew, but gentiles donââ¬â¢t have it, right? I mean whatââ¬â¢s the point, after the kingdom comes?â⬠ââ¬Å"I was getting to that,â⬠said Josh. It took John the better part of the night to deal with the fact that Joshua was going to let gentiles into the kingdom, but finally the Baptist accepted it, although he kept looking for exceptions. ââ¬Å"Even sluts?â⬠ââ¬Å"Even sluts,â⬠Joshua said. ââ¬Å"Especially sluts,â⬠I said. ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢re the one who is cleansing people of their sins so they will be forgiven,â⬠Joshua added. ââ¬Å"I know, but gentile sluts, in the kingdom.â⬠He shook his head, assured now by the Messiah himself that the world was going to hell in a handbasket. Which really shouldnââ¬â¢t have surprised him, since that had been his message for over ten years. That, and identifying sluts. ââ¬Å"Let me show you where youââ¬â¢ll be staying.â⬠Shortly after I had met him on the road to Jerusalem, John had joined the Essenes. You couldnââ¬â¢t be born an Essene, because they were all celibate, even in marriage. They also refrained from intoxicating drink, adhered strictly to Jewish dietary law, and were absolutely maniacal about cleansing themselves, physically, of sin, which had been the big selling point for John. They had a thriving community in the desert outside of Jericho called Qumran, a small city of stone and brick homes, a scriptorium for copying scrolls, and aqueducts that ran out of the mountains to fill their ritual baths. A few of them lived in the caves above the Dead Sea where they stored the jars that held their sacred scrolls, but the most zealous of the Essenes, which included John, didnââ¬â¢t even allow themselves the comfort of a cave. He showed us accommodations near his own. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s a pit!â⬠I screamed. Three pits, to be exact. I suppose thereââ¬â¢s something to be said for having a private pit. Bartholomew, with his many canine pals, was already settling into his new pit. ââ¬Å"Oh, John,â⬠Josh said, ââ¬Å"remind me to tell you about karma.â⬠So, for over a year, while Joshua was learning from John how to say the words that would make people follow him, I lived in a pit. It makes sense, if you think about it. For seventeen years Joshua had spent his time either studying or sitting around being quiet, so what did he know about communicating? The last message heââ¬â¢d gotten from his father was two words, so he wasnââ¬â¢t getting his speaking skills from that side of the family. On the other hand, John had been preaching for those same seventeen years, and that squirrelly bastard could preach. Standing waist deep in the Jordan, he would wave his arms and roll his eyes and stir the air with a sermon that would make you believe the clouds were going to open and the hand of God Hisownself was going to reach down, grab you by the balls, and shake you till the evil rattled out of you like loose baby teeth. An hour of Johnââ¬â¢s preaching and you were not only lining up to be baptized, youââ¬â¢d jump right in the river and try to breathe the bottom muck just to be relieved of your own wretchedness. Joshua watched, and listened, and learned. John was an absolute believer in who Joshua was and what he was going to do, as far as he understood, anyway, but the Baptist worried me. John was attracting the attention of Herod Antipas. Herod had married his brother Philipââ¬â¢s wife, Herodia, without her obtaining a divorce, which was forbidden by Jewish law, an absolute outrage by the more severe laws of the Essenes, and a subject that fit well into Johnââ¬â¢s pervasive ââ¬Å"slutâ⬠theme. I was starting to notice soldiers from Herodââ¬â¢s personal guard hovering around the edge of Johnââ¬â¢s crowds when he preached. I confronted the Baptist one evening when he came out of the wilderness in one of his evangelical rages to ambush me, Joshua, Bartholomew, and a new guy as we sat around eating our locusts. ââ¬Å"Slut!â⬠John shouted with his ââ¬Å"thunder of Elijahâ⬠voice, waving a finger under Bartââ¬â¢s nose. ââ¬Å"Yeah, John, Bartholomewââ¬â¢s been getting laid a lot,â⬠I said, evangelizing for sarcasm. ââ¬Å"Almost,â⬠said Bart. ââ¬Å"I mean with another human being, Bart.â⬠ââ¬Å"Oh. Sorry. Never mind.â⬠John wheeled on the new guy, who put his hands up. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m new,â⬠he said. Thus rebuked, John spun to face Joshua. ââ¬Å"Celibate,â⬠Joshua said. ââ¬Å"Always have been, always will be. Not happy about it.â⬠Finally John turned to me. ââ¬Å"Slut!â⬠ââ¬Å"John, Iââ¬â¢m cleansed, you baptized me six times today.â⬠Joshua elbowed me in the ribs. ââ¬Å"What? It was hot. Point is, I counted fifty soldiers in the crowd today, so ease up a little on the slut talk. Youââ¬â¢re backed up or something. You really need to rethink this no marriage, no sex, no fun, ascetic thing.â⬠ââ¬Å"And the honey-and-locust living-in-a pit thing,â⬠said the new guy. ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s no different than Melchior or Gaspar,â⬠Joshua said. ââ¬Å"They were both ascetics.â⬠ââ¬Å"Melchior and Gaspar werenââ¬â¢t running around calling the provincial governor a slut in front of hundreds of people. Itââ¬â¢s a big difference, and itââ¬â¢s going to get him killed.â⬠ââ¬Å"I am cleansed of sin and unafraid,â⬠said John, sitting down by the fire now, some of his verve gone. ââ¬Å"Yeah, are you cleansed of guilt? Because youââ¬â¢re going to have the blood of thousands on your hands when the Romans come to get you. In case you havenââ¬â¢t noticed, they donââ¬â¢t just kill the leaders of a movement. Thereââ¬â¢s a thousand crosses on the road to Jerusalem where Zealots died, and they werenââ¬â¢t all leaders.â⬠ââ¬Å"I am unafraid.â⬠John hung his head until the ends of his hair were dipping into the honey in his bowl. ââ¬Å"Herodia and Herod are sluts. Heââ¬â¢s as close as we have to a Jewish king, and heââ¬â¢s a slut.â⬠Joshua pushed his cousinââ¬â¢s hair out of his eyes and squeezed the wild manââ¬â¢s shoulder. ââ¬Å"If it be so, then so be it. As the angel foretold, you were born to preach the truth.â⬠I stood up and tossed my locusts into the fire, showering sparks over John and Joshua. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve only met two people whose births were announced by angels, and three-quarters of them are loony.â⬠And I stormed off to my pit. ââ¬Å"Amen,â⬠said the new guy. That night, as I was falling asleep, I heard Joshua scrambling in the pit next to mine, as if a bug or an idea had roused him from his bedroll. ââ¬Å"Hey!â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"What?â⬠I replied. ââ¬Å"I just did the math. Three quarters of two is ââ¬â ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"One and a half,â⬠said the new guy, who had moved into the pit on the other side of Josh. ââ¬Å"So Johnââ¬â¢s either all crazy and youââ¬â¢re half crazy, or youââ¬â¢re three-quarters crazy and Johnââ¬â¢s three-quarters crazy, or ââ¬â well ââ¬â actually itââ¬â¢s a constant ratio, Iââ¬â¢d have to graph it out for you.â⬠ââ¬Å"So what are you saying?â⬠ââ¬Å"Nothing,â⬠said the new guy. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m new.â⬠The next morning Joshua leapt out of his pit, shook off the scorpions, and after a long morning whiz, kicked some dirt clods into my pit to thunk me from my slumber. ââ¬Å"This is it,â⬠Joshua said. ââ¬Å"Come down to the river, Iââ¬â¢m going to have John baptize me today.â⬠ââ¬Å"Which will make it different from yesterday in what way?â⬠ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢ll see. I have a feeling.â⬠And off he went. The new guy prairie-dogged up out of his pit. He was tall, the new guy, and the morning sun caught on his bald scalp as he looked around. He noticed some flowers growing where Joshua had just relieved himself. Lush blossoms of a half-dozen vibrant colors stood surrounded by the deadest landscape on the planet. ââ¬Å"Hey, were those there yesterday?â⬠ââ¬Å"That always happens,â⬠I said. ââ¬Å"We donââ¬â¢t talk about it.â⬠ââ¬Å"Wow,â⬠said the new guy. ââ¬Å"Can I tag along with you guys?â⬠ââ¬Å"Sure,â⬠I said. And thus did we become four. At the river, John preached to a small gathering as he lowered Joshua into the water. As soon as Joshua went under the water a rift opened across the desert sky, which was still pink with the dawn, and out of the rift came a bird that looked to be fashioned from pure light. And everyone on the riverbank said ââ¬Å"oohâ⬠and ââ¬Å"ahh,â⬠and a big voice boomed out of the heavens, saying, ââ¬Å"This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.â⬠And as quickly as it had come, the spirit was gone. But the gatherers at the riverbank stood with their mouths open in amazement, staring yet into the sky. And John came to his senses then, and remembered what he was doing, and lifted Joshua out of the water. And Joshua wiped the water out of his eyes, looked at the crowd who stood stunned with mouths hanging open, and he said unto them: ââ¬Å"What?â⬠ââ¬Å"No, really, Josh, thatââ¬â¢s what the voice said, ââ¬ËThis is my son, with whom I am well pleased.'â⬠Joshua shook his head and chewed a breakfast locust. ââ¬Å"I canââ¬â¢t believe he couldnââ¬â¢t wait until I came up. Youââ¬â¢re sure it was my father?â⬠ââ¬Å"Sounded like him.â⬠The new guy looked at me and I shrugged. Actually it sounded like James Earl Jones, but I didnââ¬â¢t know that back then. ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s it,â⬠said Joshua. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m going into the desert like Moses did, forty days and forty nights.â⬠Joshua got up and started walking into the desert. ââ¬Å"From here on out, Iââ¬â¢m fasting until I hear something from my father. That was my last locust.â⬠ââ¬Å"I wish I could say that,â⬠said the new guy. As soon as Joshua was out of sight I ran to my pit and packed my satchel. I was a half day getting to Bethany, and another hour asking around before someone could direct me to the house of Jakan, prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin. The house was made of the golden-tinged limestone that marked all of Jerusalem, and there was a high wall around the courtyard. Jakan had done very well for himself, the prick. You could house a dozen families from Nazareth in a house this size. I paid two blind guys a shekel each to stand by the wall so I could climb on their shoulders. ââ¬Å"How much did he say this was?â⬠ââ¬Å"He said it was a shekel.â⬠ââ¬Å"Doesnââ¬â¢t feel like a shekel.â⬠ââ¬Å"Would you guys quit feeling your shekels and stand still, Iââ¬â¢m going to fall.â⬠I peeped over the top of the wall and there, sitting under the shade of an awning, working at a small loom, was Maggie. If she had changed, it was only that sheââ¬â¢d become more radiant, more sensuous, more of a woman and less of a girl. I was stunned. I guess I expected some sort of disappointment, thinking that my time and my love might have shaped a memory that the woman could never live up to. Then I thought, perhaps the disappointment was yet to come. She was married to a rich man, a man who, when I knew him, had been a bully and a dolt. And what had always really made Maggieââ¬â¢s memory in my mind was her spirit, her courage, and her wit. I wondered if those things could have survived all these years with Jakan. I started to shake, bad balance or fear, I donââ¬â¢t know, but I put my hand on top of the wall to steady myself and cut myself on some broken pottery that had been set in mortar along the top. ââ¬Å"Ouch, dammit.â⬠ââ¬Å"Biff?â⬠Maggie said, as she looked me in the eye right before I tumbled off the shoulders of the blind guys. I had just climbed to my feet when Maggie came around the corner and hit me, full-frontal womanhood, full speed, leading with lips. She kissed me so hard that I could taste blood from my cut lips and it was glorious. She smelled the same ââ¬â cinnamon and lemon and girl sweat ââ¬â and felt better than memory could ever allow. When she finally relaxed her embrace and held me at armââ¬â¢s length, there were tears in her eyes. And mine. ââ¬Å"He dead?â⬠said one of the blind men. ââ¬Å"Donââ¬â¢t think so, I can hear him breathing.â⬠ââ¬Å"Sure smells better than he did.â⬠ââ¬Å"Biff, your face cleared up,â⬠Maggie said. ââ¬Å"You recognized me, with the beard and everything.â⬠ââ¬Å"I wasnââ¬â¢t sure at first,â⬠she said, ââ¬Å"so I was taking a risk jumping you like that, but in the midst of it all I recognized that.â⬠She pointed to where my tunic had tented out in the front. And then she grabbed that betraying rascal, shirtfront and all, and led me down the wall toward the gate by it. ââ¬Å"Come on in. You canââ¬â¢t stay long, but we can catch up. Are you okay?â⬠she said, looking over her shoulder, giving me a squeeze. ââ¬Å"Yeah, yeah, Iââ¬â¢m just trying to think of a metaphor.â⬠ââ¬Å"He got a woman from up there,â⬠I heard one of the old blind guys say. ââ¬Å"Yeah, I heard her drop. Boost me up, Iââ¬â¢ll feel around.â⬠In the courtyard, with Maggie, over wine, I said, ââ¬Å"So you really didnââ¬â¢t recognize me?â⬠ââ¬Å"Of course I recognized you. Iââ¬â¢ve never done that before. I just hope no one saw me, they still stone women for that.â⬠ââ¬Å"I know. Oh, Maggie, I have so much to tell you.â⬠She took my hand. ââ¬Å"I know.â⬠She looked into my eyes, past my eyes, her blue eyes looking for something beyond me. ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s fine,â⬠I said, finally. ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s gone into the desert to fast and wait for a message from the Lord.â⬠She smiled. There was a little of my blood in the corners of her mouth, or maybe that was wine. ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s come home to take his place as the Messiah then?â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes. But I donââ¬â¢t think the way people think.â⬠ââ¬Å"People think that John might be the Messiah.â⬠ââ¬Å"John isâ⬠¦Heââ¬â¢sâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s really pissing Herod off,â⬠Maggie offered. ââ¬Å"I know.â⬠ââ¬Å"Are you and Josh going to stay with John?â⬠ââ¬Å"I hope not. I want Joshua to leave. I just have to get him away from John long enough to see whatââ¬â¢s going on. Maybe this fastâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ The iron lock on the gate to the courtyard rattled, then the whole gate shook. Maggie had locked it behind us after weââ¬â¢d entered. A man cursed. Evidently Jakan was having trouble with his key. Maggie stood and pulled me to my feet. ââ¬Å"Look, Iââ¬â¢m going to a wedding in Cana next month with my sister Martha, the week after Tabernacles. Jakan canââ¬â¢t go, heââ¬â¢s got some meeting of the Sanhedrin or something. Come to Cana. Bring Joshua.â⬠ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ll try.â⬠She ran to the closest wall and held her hand in a stirrup. ââ¬Å"Over.â⬠ââ¬Å"But, Maggieâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å"Donââ¬â¢t be a wuss. Step, hands ââ¬â step, shoulders ââ¬â and over. Be careful of the pottery on top.â⬠And I ran ââ¬â did exactly as sheââ¬â¢d said: one foot in the stirrup, one on her shoulder, and over the wall before Jakan could get in the gate. ââ¬Å"Got one!â⬠said one of the old blind guys as I tumbled down on top of them. ââ¬Å"Hold her still while I stick it in.â⬠I was sitting on a boulder, waiting for Joshua when he came out of the desert. I held out my arms to hug him and he fell forward, letting me catch him. I lowered him to the rock where I had been sitting. He had been smart enough to coat all the exposed parts of his skin with mud, probably mixed from his own urine, to protect it from burning, but in a few spots on his forehead and hands the mud had crumbled away and the skin was gone, burned to raw flesh. His arms were as thin as a small girlââ¬â¢s, they swam in the wide sleeves of his tunic. ââ¬Å"You okay?â⬠He nodded. I handed him a water skin I had been keeping cool in the shade. He drank in little sips, pacing himself. ââ¬Å"Locust?â⬠I said, holding up one of the crispy torments between my thumb and forefinger. At the sight of it I thought Joshua would vomit the water he had just drunk. ââ¬Å"Just kidding,â⬠I said. I whipped open the mouth of my satchel, revealing dates, fresh figs, olives, cheese, a half-dozen flat loaves of bread, and a full wineskin. Iââ¬â¢d sent the new guy into Jericho the day before to bring back the food. Josh looked at the food spilling out of the satchel and grinned, then covered his mouth with his hand. ââ¬Å"Ow. Ouch. Ow.â⬠ââ¬Å"Whatââ¬â¢s wrong?â⬠ââ¬Å"Lipsâ⬠¦chapped.â⬠ââ¬Å"Myrrh,â⬠I said, pulling a small jar of the ointment from the satchel and handing it to him. An hour later the Son of God was refreshed and rejuvenated, and we sat sharing the last of the wine, the first that Joshua had had since weââ¬â¢d come home from India over a year ago. ââ¬Å"So, what did you see in the desert?â⬠ââ¬Å"The Devil.â⬠ââ¬Å"The Devil?â⬠ââ¬Å"Yep. He tempted me. Power, wealth, sex, that sort of thing. I turned him down.â⬠ââ¬Å"What did he look like?â⬠ââ¬Å"He was tall.â⬠ââ¬Å"Tall? The prince of darkness, the serpent of temptation, the source of all corruption and evil, and all you can say about him is he was tall?â⬠ââ¬Å"Pretty tall.â⬠ââ¬Å"Oh, good, Iââ¬â¢ll be on the lookout then.â⬠Joshua said, pointing at the new guy. ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s tall, too.â⬠I realized then that the Messiah might be a little tipsy. ââ¬Å"Not the Devil, Josh.â⬠ââ¬Å"Well, who is he then?â⬠ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m Philip,â⬠said the new guy. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m going with you to Cana tomorrow.â⬠Joshua wheeled around to me and almost fell off his rock. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢re going to Cana tomorrow?â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes, Maggieââ¬â¢s there, Josh. Sheââ¬â¢s dying.â⬠How to cite Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christââ¬â¢s Childhood Pal Chapter 24, Essay examples
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Artificial Intelligence and Its Threats in Humanity
Question: Discuss about theArtificial Intelligence and Its Threats in Humanity. Answer: Introduction: Artificial Intelligence and its Threats to Humanity Ever since its conceptualization, Artificial Intelligence research has explored a variety of problems and approaches and all problems such problems are direct impacts on the humanity. By far the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it. However, success in the quest for artificial intelligence has the potential to bring unprecedented benefits to humanity, and it is, therefore, worthwhile to investigate whether AI has the potentially to improve the conditions of humanity and ensure that it remains robust and beneficial, or it is a threat to humanity. Thesis Statement: The assignment deals with whether the artificial intelligence is responsible for the robust growth of the humanity or it makes the human redundant at work. Discussion: Claim 1: Positive Implications of Development in Artificial Intelligence There are several people finds that AI will kill the humanity if it becomes part of peoples daily lives but deeply presumed that it will become smarter than human minds and make them redundant at work. On the contrary, Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom discusses several doomsdays scenarios in his book of Super intelligence. He said that the AI might felt its presence in the all of the earths surface with nuclear reactors, solar panels, supercomputing facilities with protruding cooling towers, launchers of space rocket, or other installations. This book, thus, claims that AI has the enough potentiality to maximize the long-term cumulative realization of its values. However, the philosopher warns that Before the prospects of intelligence explosion, we humans are like small children playing with a bomb. On the contrast, there are many counterparty arguments have been made that against the unexpected intelligence explosions, mainly taken care of the technical limitations and logics. For in stance, sci-fi writer Ramez Naam discussed in his essay for H+ magazine that there is need some time and resources for inventing human destroying technologies even if people have the super intelligent mind an thus, it needs to be contributed to the human economy to obtain what it needed. Developing faster chips, for example, requires not just new designs but its needed to build chip fabrication foundries. There is another counterargument to be made based on the ethical and philosophical manner. The benefits of humanity are completely depends on the humans interest and fight off human resistance. In other words, it is completely an independent action. In other sense, the argument said that AI lives with rewards and punishments including punishments from us for behaving badly. Thus, this can be observed by many intelligent agents that a promising Artificial Intelligence will have to develop a humanlike moral sense to stay in the world of dominated by humans and need to be judged whether the activities delivered with the help of AI is right or wrong. By the time it is in a position to imagine tiling the Earth with solar panels, it will know that the application of AI would be morally wrong to do so. Claim 2: Robots Could Wipe Out Humanity by Accident The article anticipates that the machines could deliberately wipe out the human race or do so by accidently because the application of Artificial Intelligence is completely instruction-driven and communication-friendly[1]. Therefore, there is a high chance of machine could accidently misinterpreting an instruction, because the language is understated. Speaking at a debate on artificial intelligence in Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, that all the tasks done by AI are followed a specific set of instructions. The parameters of artificial intelligence are drawn with an objective for solving problems about optimization problem[2]. Moreover, the advent of artificial intelligence provided the framework for transferring the problems solving approach onto A.I who in turn are burdened with sol, regarding solving problems which are beyond the realm of existing research. Moreover, AI is not fed with a sense of moral principles and is developed in a manner that solves optimizat ion issues. Thereby, instances can come where solving a problem requires extinction of humans, thereby bereft of any morality or sense of right and wrong the AI can infect turn on human beings and other species and do harm to them in order to mitigate any problem solving issues. It is not irrational to expect robots to realize that the skills it possesses regarding analytical and quantitative competence are beyond the realm of average humans, thereby a dictatorial tendency may occur amongst the AIs. There are some arguments that extent of artificial intelligence threatening people will stop taking jobs or being used by people against other people rather than machine taking a life of their own and increasing to gain power [3]. Violence is not the singular threat posed by artificial intelligence[4]. There are several others threats have been identified which could negatively impact on humanity. There are different ways AI could violate the level of privacy of the humanity. For instance, the facial recognition system of Facebook is criticized for breaching the human privacy. This system can recognize an individual in photos, and that informs the tagging recommendation of Facebook with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Furthermore, the system also recognized peoples traits, such as how the clothes that they wear or how people stand and so on. However, there is a fear that if this kind of technology is implemented into things like a system of security, this could be treated as privacy minefield. Claim 3: Artificial Intelligence does not Stimulate the Human Behavior: There are several areas of specialization of Artificial Intelligence from programming computers which help to take decisions in real-life situations and play games against humans, natural human languages developed by computers, system that stimulates intelligence and robotics. However, the problem exists mainly in the area of the human behavior because computers are not capable of comprehensively stimulating the behavior of human[5]. In the recent development phase in the world of intelligent that the systems of computers are now extensively used in assembly plants. However, the world of robotics are hardly identified the objects depending on appearance or feet, and they are still moving and hold objects awkwardly. While the application of the AI at the time of using it in voice recognition software, allows the computer to convert spoken sounds to another, they even do not understand what they are doing. This has been anticipated that the Artificial Intelligence has the limited usage in the area of the Medicine and Engineering which are very expensive. However, the artificial intelligence has increasingly become more science and less fiction [6]. For instance, Google is one company who is investing in the technology of artificial intelligence to develop driverless cars. On the other hand, Toyota has partnered with Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the application of robotics and intelligent vehicles. The emerging applications of AI by the several companies, it is completely contradict the theme of this assignment. The glowing application of Artificial Intelligence is only inevitable that these systems are bound to become part of humans daily life. Conclusion: After evaluating all three claims, this can be concluded that AI has enough potential to increase the human facilities. Several companies are already acknowledged that the application of AI has the capabilities to contribute in the daily life of the people. However the applications often face many obligations due to expensive invention process. Furthermore, the human instructions are often misinterpreted by the robotics and thus, the theme of the assignment is still in controversies. References: Expert Claims Intelligent Robots Could Wipe Out Humanity(2015) Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3143275/Artificial-intelligence-real-threat-robots-wipe-humanity-Accident-claims-expert.html Gurkaynak, Gonenc, Ilay Yilmaz and Gunes Haksever, "Stifling Artificial Intelligence: Human Perils" [2016]Computer Law Security Review Is Artificial Intelligence Really A Threat To Humanity?(2015) Tech Times https://www.techtimes.com/articles/80029/20150828/artificial-intelligence-really-threat-humanity.htm Parkes, D. C. and M. P. Wellman, "Economic Reasoning And Artificial Intelligence" (2015) 349Science The Philosophical Argument Against A.I. Killing Us All (2016) Slate Magazine https://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/04/the_philosophical_argument_against_artificial_intelligence_killing_us_all.html
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