Managing quality in a childcare setting Essay Example for Free

Managing quality in a childcare setting Essay 1.  Two pieces of legislation that ensure quality provision are The Children’s (Scot) Act 1995 and The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 links parts of child care, family and adoption law, that affect children’s quality of life. The Act puts children first and brings together three key principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; non-discrimination; the child’s welfare is the first thought; and that childrens views should be listened to. It incorporated these principles into Scottish legislation and practice. By following this act, settings can work towards a high quality environment that conforms to standards. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 is legal framework to give support where needed, for children’s learning, short or long term. The Scottish Government require all children and young people to realise their full potential and get the most from the learning available to them through connecting with a quality setting. The Act looks into supporting needs and co-ordinated support plans. The education authorities are charged with identifying needs, arranging suitable provision, creating co-ordinated support plans and reviewing and monitoring what provision is provided. 2.  Two pieces of non-legislative requirements that support a quality provision are Pre-birth to Three: Positive Outcomes for Scotlands Children and Families (Pre-birth to 3) and Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) Pre-birth to 3 leads on from Birth to Three: supporting our youngest children as it now appreciates the impact of pregnancy on children and learning. It supports the Scottish Government’s ethos to develop a quality workforce that is supported and skilled with shared value base so that they can provide  children and their families with a good quality lasting outcome. It describes 4 key best outcomes – the rights of the child, responsive care, respect and relationships, and aims to encourage good quality practice through spreading knowledge from current research; using 9 key principles; for example the role of the staff, observations and partnership working involving other agencies. Girfec is an approach which allows practitioners to concentrate on what makes a positive difference for all children and young people and their families, and how these improvements can be delivered. It has been developed from a range of policies and strategies such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Early Years Framework and the Curriculum for Excellence. There are ten core parts to it, such as developing a shared understanding of wellbeing; and a set of values and principles, such as promoting respect, patience, honesty and reliability as good qualities that are valued by children, young people, families and practitioners, which enables a quality practice to those agencies working across the range of children’s services. It is gradually being incorporated into all existing practices, policies and legislation that affects children, young people and their families. 3.  A human resource issues that support quality provision are Disclosure Scotland: Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG). Disclosure Scotland is a Scottish Government agency. Its purpose is to protect the safety of vulnerable people in Scottish society through maintaining a list of individuals who are unsuitable to work with children or vulnerable adults. It also creates a document for organisations and potential employers which lists an individual’s criminal history information. This allows them to make knowledgeable decisions when dealing with recruitment. The PVG scheme requires all those who have regular contact with children and protected adults (paid or unpaid) to become members. It permits employers to check that the people they are recruiting do not have a history of harmful behaviour. 4.   The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 was created to give more protection to people who were using care services, by producing a structure for care regulations, raising the quality of provision and by building a competent and confident workforce. It set up two independent organisations: the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission) and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). The Care Commission’s responsibility was to regulate and inspect (using the National Care Standards), a range of services providing care to children, adults and older people, and deal with registration, complaints and enforcements. It also promoted dignity and encouraged independence for care users. The previous system was Edinburgh and Lothian’s Registration and Inspection Service (ELRIS) which used both local authority and health boards to register and inspect care services (both private and voluntary). The SSSC’s responsibility was to improve the quality of the services by raising the standards of practice of the social services workforce: through supporting professionalism, standardising and promoting the training of the workforce and creating a code of practice for the staff and employers to follow. The SSSC allows individuals to have a shared value base, with everyone involved behaving and guided by the same values, beliefs, concepts and principles. By raising the practice, a good quality provision can give children the best start in life. Those who register with the SSSC, do so relevant to the role they hold in the work place not what qualifications they have, i.e. for a particular role you can have a range of suitable qualifications. The SSSC standardises the training and education required. It creates an equal footing for all workers doing the same job therefore showing the same level of competence which in turn increases public awareness and confidence in the role of providing a quality setting. It provides assurance that the people registered have integrity and are committed to their role whether they have the qualification or are working towards it. By committing to taking responsibility for their own learning to develop knowledge and values as well as assessing and updating regularly, practitioners are safeguard their continuing suitability for registration.  Registered childminders however are not required to be registered with the SSSC, as they are firstly registered with the Care Inspectorate, but find it is good practice to follow the SSSC code of practice and undertaking training. In 2010 the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act’s objective was to streamline a number of government agencies. The work of the Care Commission and the Social Work Inspection Agency was consolidated into a new body: the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Agency (SCSWIS). The Social Work Inspection Agency had previously regulated local authority social work services. In 2011, SCSWIS had a name change: becoming the Care Inspectorate. The Care Inspectorate ensure quality care is promoted by registering and inspecting, individuals and organisations, such as childminders, voluntary organisations and local authorities as well as promoting improvement in care, social work and child protection services. The Care Inspectorate uses the National Care Standards as guidelines to register and inspect care services against. The National Care Standards: Early Education and Childcare of Children up to the age of 16 was created up by the Scottish Government, as required by the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, and involved consultation with a large group of people such as service users, their families, carers, staff, expert bodies, service providers and professional associations. It represents the rights of the child and young person, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is used by service providers and the Care Inspectorate, to uphold and develop the quality of services and whether the services were conforming to the regulations. There are 14 standards with the main principles being dignity, privacy, choice, equality and diversity, safety and realising potential. The standards promote quality in child care settings by encouraging issues such as: effective communication between staff, parents and carers; sharing information as appropriate with other professionals involved with the child’s development; having staff establish effective working relationships with support agencies and with each other, families and children and providing opportunities for children and their family in the wider  community. References Scottish Social Services Council (2011) Code of Practice [online] available at http://www.sssc.uk.com/Codes-of-Practice/sssc-codes-of-practice-for-social-service-workers-and-employers.html (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish Government (2004) The Children’s (Scot) Act 1995 [online] available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/10/20066/44708 (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish Government (2209) Education (Additional Support for Learning) [online] available at (Scotland) Act 2004 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/welfare/ASL (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish Government. (2010) A guide to Getting it right for every child [online] available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright/background (accessed on 12.01.2014) Disclosure Scotland. (2011) Protecting Vulnerable Groups [online] available at http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/pvg/pvg_index.html (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish Government (2005) A Framework for Supporting Front Line Staff: Summary Version ) [online] available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/05/10101405/14096 (accessed on 12.01.2014) The Scottish government (2002) The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 [online] available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/01/14484/2531 (accessed on

Middle School Essay Example for Free

Middle School Essay As we start this new school year, I wish to welcome all of you to Roberto Clemente Middle School. In the previous year, we have introduced and developed new ways to teach students and maximize their capabilities in learning different subjects and disciplines. Even if there are problems encountered along the way, your efforts and inputs have been vital to create new methods and alternatives to address these issues. As we enter to school year 2009-2010, I encourage each one to continue supporting our projects and endeavors to further develop student growth and achievement. Through the years, Roberto Clemente Middle School has sought to improve our education and facilities by constantly training teachers and introducing new practices wherein they can learn and develop. At the same time, to meet the challenges of 21st century education, our faculty and administrators have aligned new systems of instruction and presented new ways to appreciate information with the use of new technological alternatives. To continue pursuing our vision for excellence, Roberto Clemente Middle School shall continue its pursuit of effective instruction as well as dwelling into new ideas that can improve practice. We believe that for your children to grow and develop holistically, it is crucial to raise appreciation and motivation. Due to this, our programs are focused on setting the balance between what students need and your expectations. We deem that this process can create new avenues for our students to become adaptive to the changing trends of the current time. This year, we seek to improve our state scores by addressing on subject areas that are lagging behind standards. For example, we have hired some new and experienced Math teachers. Their inclusion into the faculty can help encourage our teachers to learn and develop in the process. At the same time, our educators in English and Math have undergone seminar and training to introduce and develop new teaching strategies available today. This can help them address further your children’s needs and develop a better learning environment in the classroom. These together with the results shall be communicated to you accordingly in the meetings we shall be setting up for you. To ensure your active participation and involvement this year, Roberto Clemente Middle School has come up with different programs and schemes that enable everyone to take part in helping reach our vision and goals. One approach we seek to do is encouraging parents and guardians to take part in meetings. The time frame for this would be the second week of July which would run from 9am – 3:00pm. In here, I and teachers shall be available for consultation and open forum of significant and relevant issues that may be of interest for everyone. At the same time, part of the responsibility of teachers is to enhance communication is by formally writing letters showing the progress of your children in school. This can actively give you insights and ideas of his/her standing compared to other students. Likewise, it can encourage sharing of opinions and thoughts on issues significant for your child’s growth. With your inputs and opinions, we can derive new approaches and schemes that are suitable on both parties. These approaches can help you in monitoring the progress of your child and finding ways to participate in guiding and exploring opportunities for improvement. It is through these aims and goals that I seek to promote the necessary plans for this school year. Your participation and cooperation in these initiatives can help us recognize these visions and remain to be dynamic and accountable for every action we pursue. Again, welcome to Roberto Clemente Middle School and thank you for your trust in what our school can offer for your children.

Adaptation Of The Antigone Of Sophocles English Literature Essay

Adaptation Of The Antigone Of Sophocles English Literature Essay This paper is for a presentation about how Brechts adaptation of Antigone could be pave way for proto-Marxists behaviour and belief in the end of the World War II. The presentation would shed light on how Sophocles original play about divine intervention and early laws in ancient times could have led to passivity in terms of oppression, and how Brecht tried to raise the suppression in his means of adapting Antigone. Bertolt Brecht was a man of great achievements in the field of Arts. He has helped shaped the world of theatre acting as it is known today with his varying styles and approaches  [1]  . Throughout his career, he has helped transform lives and the artistic industry. When it comes down to it, it could be said that Brecht is among those who are responsible for opening the eyes of the people for their power to revolt and defend their stands against their betters. Since the Elizabethan era follows the whims of monarchs and the decrees of royalty and their superiors, those who are poor are left without a voice to be heard. They will pay high taxes if it was asked of them, they will march on to war if their landlord commands them to do so. Following this logic, it is no wonder that Bertolt Brecht labels Ancient Greeks and Englishmen of that age as barbarians  [2]  . They could be classified as barbarians in such a way that they are embracing the emotions expressed by the heroes of Sophocles and Shakespeare. Though pretty the dialogue might be, there lies a hidden truth in each accusation that the audience are barbarians in the sense that they are lapping the tragedies and misfortune of other people and using them as their own gauge of how beautiful their lives are. And if it so happens that the barbarians were able to catch a glimpse of how horrid reality was to those who are less fortunate than their high statures, then they would continue to ignore it and proceed in their daily lives without trying to make a difference. Perhaps in order to shed light and shock these barbarians as Brecht refers to the upper class, he adapted a popular play by Sophocles entitled Antigone. Sophocoles original play was about earthly laws and the power of the divine and heavens wrath. However, Brechts aptly called The Antigone of Sophocles showed a political play which illustrated how a divided country could be devastated after a pointless war  [3]  . Brechts adaptation of Antigone reflects how familial tragedy could be turned into a political pawn in a timely manner wherein the Germans are ripe for understanding and changes. Yet before the speaker brings the listeners deeper into the mind of this unusual mind, it would be most preferable to introduce Brechts background and who he was. This will help the audience understand the context of Brechts works, which will thus enable them to relate more on how his works could be used to go in accordance with Sophoclean tragedy. The year 1898 brought to life Bertolt Brecht to a modest family, wherein he was exiled in 1933 when Nazis occupied Germany. He left Germany and disembarked to a journey heading to Austria, and found himself in the Switzerland and the soils of France. He set premature roots in Denmark, and had to leave after six years when the war was its earnest. Brecht at that time eluded it with his loved ones by going to Sweden, and finding refuge in Finland, and by travelling along the length of the Soviet Union. Finally, he found a boat which took him all the way to the land of the free, which is in Los Angeles, California, in the United States in the year 1941  [4]  . In the safety of Los Angels, California, Brecht wrote his masterpieces entitled Mother Courage, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Good Person of Setzuan, and the famed The Life of Galileo. The last piece was previewed in Hollywood which stared a big name in theatre of that era: Charles Laughton, who assisted Brecht in penning the English text. The Life of Galileo was proven to be so beautiful that it was showed in Broadway for a season  [5]  . During this time, Brecht was already planning to return to Europe, but it was not fated to be. The House Committee on Un-American Activities as a branch of the US Congress subpoenaed artists, directors, and writers who were allegedly known as having leftist sympathies. There were ten writers and directors who were sent to jail because they were uncooperative and insisted on their rights to Freedom of Religion and Political Belief. As a result, they were dubbed as the Unfriendly Ten, and were sentenced to contempt. Brecht was the eleventh person to be subpoenaed by the Committee. On October 30th, Committee Chairman J. Parnell Thomas tried Brecht and questioned him about the play Die Massnahme which was set in the Japanese Noh and was published in a left-wing publication in the United States. Brecht denied allegiance to any left-wing movements, and was hereby released by the Committee to pursue his writing. Antigone was written from March 30 to December 12, 1947. Brecht was in Zà ¼rich, Switzerland with his family when the play was finished. It was first shown in Chur Stadttheater in February 1948  [6]  . From its opening night, theatergoers have mentioned how Brechts The Antigone of Sophocles is shrouded in mystery. Perhaps this could be attributed to the unavailable English translation, which was only made available during 1984. From 1948 to the launch of the English translation, the audience had to make do with Brechts adaptation of the original Sophoclean tragedy  [7]  . The original play portrays Brechts loose translation of Friedrich Hà ¶lderlins prior interpretation from Sophocles original drama. A member of the audience notes how an argument between Creon and Antigone becomes political when Antigone berates Creon, yet Creon retorts in anger and demands Antigones silence  [8]  . Though it was clear that Creon was in the wrong, society still dictates that a woman cannot hold such strong opinions against her betters. Another controversial fact about the play is how despite the fact that less than five months prior the plays opening night, Brecht was questioned by the Committee about his loyalty to the country, and yet he wrote such a controversial scene wherein Creon was urging the audience to condemn Antigone for her lack of patrionism. Willet (1959) mentions how despite the script being written by Hà ¶lderlin, Brecht has changed the lines to fit his message. His style was carefully interwoven with Hà ¶lderlins that is become impossible to distinguish which lines where written by which writer. Therefore Sophocles tragedy was given an entirely different meaning from what it was initially intended for. Brecht was also famed for using the Chorus to lead the audience in their responses. In line with Brechts changes to the script, it became apparent that Antigone became concerned with the rights and needs of an individual, against the power and needs of the State, which is the situation during its showing in Switzerland  [9]  . Though Sophocles initial script indicated how individuals should submit blindly to Fate and to decision of gods at all costs, Brechts interpretation of Antigone displayed how it could be possible that mans fate is man himself  [10]  . Perhaps it could be said that Brecht introduced post-Marxist ideals in the play, and how the original beautiful tragedy was translated into a political ploy. Brecht showed the means of a post-war, defeated Eastern Germany, and how he changed Sophocles intention about divine laws upon the reality of state terror after the war. In Brechts The Antigone of Sophocles, it was portrayed how the Berlin of 1945 was in utter disarray. Through the story of Antigone, Breech was able to show how two sisters who might have a brother who left his responsibilities and deserted the German force by hanging himself would fare. There are two choices: would they risk being caught by the authorities, or should they leave him? Brecht showed how Creon was a very brutal tyrant, and how the system is smothering the people  [11]  . Brecht showed consistency in his works when he repeated how passive acceptance could be ruined people. He mentioned this in Kleines Orpnon as well as in Antigone  [12]  . The political message of Antigone is plain and simple. When it was rewritten by Brecht, Europe was still adjusting after the turmoil caused by World War II, and the author had personally witnessed the changes brought about by the destruction and disability of leaders to admit theyre wrong. This goes hand in hand with the message in Brechts Antigone, wherein violence feeds upon itself, and entices those surrounding the violence to a vicious cycle of wars and conflicts that will continue after the people involved are dead, and are crushed for all their supports  [13]  . At the start of the play, Creon launched Thebes in a very aggressive and deadly war against Argos. This was similar to Berlins air-raids during the World War II. Creon consistently brings destruction and violence, and takes down his whole country into destruction, instead of surrendering in order to salvage some of their home. The audiences of the play have said that this is similar to Hitlers black motives against Antigones white actions to try to give her brother a decent burial. Hitler tried to drag down all the people, and Brecht was trying to tell the German citizens to raise against Hitler as Antigone argued with Creon to be able to bring peace and harmony within the country  [14]  . There were others who mentioned that Antigone was the symbol of hope and all that is good. Creon was the tyrant whom Antigone was resisting to follow his evil deeds. She was the angelic voice of reason and conscience, and that goodness comes the practical lesson of achieving practical wisdom against adversity  [15]  . With the Chorus which represents the masses in accordance to Creons messages and military victory, they are leading the audience into thinking that war is the proper answer to their problems instead of peace. However, in the end of Brechts written script, the Chorus turns against Creon, and attacks him for launching the unnecessary war  [16]  . This could be said to be an eye-opener for the audience, as they felt the power of the masses and how they could share their opinions for the betterment of the group. Yet according to history, the death of Stalin brought about the revolution of East Berlins workers. This uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks, and Brecht was said to have supported the repression  [17]  . There were speculations about how Brecht was rewarded for his efforts by having his pieces premiered and performed, and how the Stalin Peace Prize which he was given during 1955 was another emblem of how he supported Marxists behaviors. Nevertheless, after he died in 1956, the world all mourned for the great writer. This presentation shows how Bertolt Brecht was able to change the perspective of people in the turbulent times of World War II. In comparison with Sophocles original piece, Antigone and Creon were given the opportunity to discuss their defensible claims before the tirades of the war went on. In the original story, Polynices was not allowed to be buried for he was deemed as a traitor. Antigone then goes against the decree and buries Polynices, which angers Creon. Thus continues Sophocles tragedy wherein Antigone argues that she was following the divine commands of gods to bury the dead, and Creon was insisting that Antigone went against the States wishes  [18]  . Sophocles thesis is simple: Antigone shouldnt have buried Polynices because this is against the States orders. Yet with Brechts version, Antigone was the one in the righteous position because she was opening up the eyes of the State and the people that to deprieve the dead of burial is unjust and unfavoured by gods. In the end the question to be answered is how much the people is willing to raise up against the country. The Antigone of Sophocles in Brechts adaptation opens the possibility of a political play which reflects the horrors inflicted by the war and the concerns of modernity. Is the power of the State so great that even dead men cannot receive justice? Brecht was able to show the different side of the war: war wherein the families of deserters were suffering for not being able to pay their loved ones proper respect, and how to swallow their morality for the sake of not enraging the gods. The speaker strongly believes that in Brechts adaptation of Antigone was given the proper justice it deserves by todays mediums and forms of communication. The Sophoclean tragedy was able to step up and be in accordance to Brechtian Epic Theatre which relieves the past and makes the audience feel the impact of the war. Clearly, it is a matter of addressing which position should the audience play in terms of determining their freedom, and the possibility of controlling a mans own fate, instead of letting the heavens be the judge of the future.

Essay --

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 was one of the most devastating times in the history of the United States of America, it plagued each city and town with starvation, homelessness and even suicide. The twenties were truly a tough time for the US and all of its citizens. The Roaring Twenties, the decade that came after World War I and inevitably led to the Wall Street Crash, came in a time where money and wealth were prevalent. Coming after the war, the United States had great confidence, a large amount of Americans who lived in secluded areas or small towns moved to the big cities to promote an industrial living style in the United States. While the American cities flourished and blossomed into the greatest places on earth,the amount of people who moved to the big cities left the agricultural ways of the US in the dust, leaving the farmers in economic shock, making agriculture the main reason for a major loss of money in the US. This happened throughout the decade and would later be blam ed as one the main factors that led to the 1929 stock market crash. Over the weekend of October 26th and 27th , the activity of the Stock Market was known and read all across the United States. On October 28, "Black Monday", a huge amount of investors decided to abandon the stock market in order to maintain their personal wealth, and the downfall erupted with a record loss in Dow Jones Industrial for the day of 38.33 points, or 13%.(Galbraith 47) The next day, "Black Tuesday", October 29, 1929, about sixteen million shares were traded, and Dow Jones lost an additional 30 points, or 12%, talk flurried that U.S. President Herbert Hoover would not veto the pending Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. The volume of stocks traded in order to maintain wealth or at... ...usinessmen in 1932 when things were just about at their worst. Squalid cardboard campsites were created in cities to live in...called "Hoovervilles". The nick-name of the soup given out by charities for the unemployed was "Hoover stew". However, Hoover did do some good. Money was used to create jobs to build things such as the Hoover Dam. In 1932 he gave $300 million to the states to help the unemployed (Emergency Relief and Reconstruction Act) but it had little impact as states run by the Republicans believed in "rugged individualism" more than Hoover did and they used only $30 million of the money offered to them. Which seems backwards, but they stood behind what they believed in and it ended out fine. The stock market crash of 1929 was the most significant crash in U.S. history. Although the crash itself only lasted four days, it led to a catastrophic sell-off.

Blindness in Richard Wrights Native Son Essay -- Native Son Essays

Blindness in Richard Wright's Native Son Does it seem sometimes as if people are ignorant to other feelings? Have you ever had a friend get away with something or toy with someone's thoughts to benefit him or her? Similar types of blindness occur in the novel Native Son by Richard Wright (1940). The story starts in the Great Depression with a poor black family waking up to a foot long rat in their one room apartment. Bigger, the main character, and his younger brother Buddy narrowly kill it without bodily harm. Bigger is supposed to start a job for a rich white man as a chauffeur. Bigger has never really interacted with white people before and is not wanting to be there. After an accident on his first day, he kills the man's daughter and throws her body into their furnace, severing her head from her body to make it fit. He acts like he didn't do anything and slyly puts the blame on Jan, her communist boyfriend, while leaving a ransom note. It almost works until the media finds remnants of her bones in the ashes of the fire. Bigger believes that he will be blamed and runs away with his girlfriend, who he also ends up killing. He ends up being cornered by a mob of white people and taken to jail. His trial is fast and unjust, but he is convicted regardless of the surprising help of Jan and his lawyer. During the course of the novel, there are many instances where people were blinded by the actions of others or did not realize that their actions were negatively affecting their own lives. The following will better explain and demonstrate this. When Bigger first meets Mary, he instantly hates her for her ignorance in prodding him when all he wants is to be left along. Her blindness about his thoughts and feelings makes him hat... ...nd pray because she thinks she is only drunk. This is may be considered somewhat ironic. However, Bigger could also be considered 'blind' in this situation because he doesn't see what he is doing and how it will eventually end his own life. There are other instances where Richard Wright uses 'blindness' as a symbol. Bigger considers the whites 'blind' of blacks and blacks 'blind' of freedom after he kills. During the entire story, the reader senses that Bigger is lost in life. He never understand why he acts the way he does until his lawyer, Max, explains to him why whites seclude blacks and why blacks naturally push back. In the end, everyone is 'blind' for one reason or another. Work Cited "Native Son" Native Son Richard Wright. 30 April 2004. Barnes & Noble. <http://www.sparknotes.com/> Wright, Richard. Native Son. New York: Harper & Row, 1966.

The Sweat Lodge :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sweat lodge is a key healing and spiritual practice of most, if not all, Native American cultures. A variant of the sweat lodge is seen in those cultures from the artic to South America. It can be seen as a form of water therapy as it uses extreme heat and water to produce its effects. Specifically I will explain my personal journey and experience as a participant of a Mohawk sweat lodge. Each tribe has its own unique way of performing the sweat even if they all share the same base upon which to personalise it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Mohawk sweat lodge that I attended on Thanksgiving last October is an experience I will not soon forget. It was an interesting blend of people coming together to share in a sacred experience for the spiritual healing of a friend. My friend is Mohawk and he gathered his five closest friends to join him; all of us Caucasians, the shaman/medicine man, the shaman’s wife (a medicine woman in here own right), the fire keeper and the woman in Hudson who graciously allowed us to use her land for this occasion. Names have purposely been omitted for the sake of anonymity as the type of sweat was one of personal healing and not a general sweat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The figures in the sweat are the shaman who directs and explains the procedure of the sweat and conducts it. The next figure is the fire keeper who tends the fire on which the stones for the sweat are heated and transfers them with the help of a pitchfork which he hands to the person closest to the entrance of the lodge as he does not enter the lodge. The final figure is the person being healed, in this case my friend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As this sweat was a personal healing we all had to be intimately involved in the preparations, we did not have to build the lodge only cover it with skins and tarps. The frame of the lodge had been built for a previous sweat. Before we could cover the lodge we had to lay down cedar on the floor of the lodge in an intricate manner based on the traditional beliefs of the Mohawk. This task is normally done by the women and those men who are attuned with their feminine energy, as such I was asked to join in this task. Laying down the cedar branches that have been cut into small pieces was a very calming exercise; it also provided me with a chance to learn about some herbal lore from the other women.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 19

19. Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Oh Day Dwellers Doth Betray Me? My heart has been torn asunder, and I am faced with the revelation that my most awesome-haired mad scientist of passion may in fact be an uncaring assbag who has sullied my innocence and whatnot and then cruelly cast me aside. So, that sucks. ‘Kayso, like it says in the Bible, â€Å"with great power, comes great responsibility,† which I totally learned by pushing my vamp abilities too far in trying to show off for Foo by diving through our boarded-up windows. So I was â€Å"doh,† and I passed out-real passed out, like head-injury passed out, not vampyre passed out. But in my unconsciousness, Foo and Jared gave me blood, and I healed, so when I woke up in the bedroom, I came leaping out into the living area, my claws ready to rend flesh and kick ass. And I was all, â€Å"Rawr!† And who do I see there but the vampyre Flood, my most recently escaped master gone mad, who has never even seen me in this outfit, let alone as a vamp. So I was all, â€Å"Rawr!† hoping my fangs were showing. And he was all, â€Å"Hi, Abby.† And I was all, â€Å"Rawr! Fear me!† And he was all, â€Å"That's not a thing. Saying rawr is not a vampyre thing.† And I'm like, â€Å"It is too. I'm totally showing my animal power and fierceness.† And he's like, â€Å"No, you're not, you're just saying rawr in a big voice. It's not a thing.† â€Å"It could be a thing,† I go, in my defense. And Jared is like, â€Å"I don't think it's a thing, Abs.† And I'm like, â€Å"Well then how about I drain you until you're dust and put you in the cat box, Jared? Is that a vampyre thing?† And he was all, â€Å"‘Kay. I'm sorry. Rawr is totally a thing.† So I looked at Flood with pity, having humiliated him on the field of battle. But it is in the gentler monster that humanity is revealed, so I'm like, â€Å"It's a thing for some of us. So, check it, I'm nossssss-feratu. Like you, only, you know, not fashion retarded. Speaking of, why do you look like the window at Banana Republic?† Flood was always sort of jeans and flannel before, like he was caught in some '90s grunge vortex, but now he was like linen and tan leather. And Flood's like, â€Å"I was running around the streets naked until a few hours ago.† And I was like, â€Å"‘Kay. My bad.† So he's all, â€Å"Abby, we need to go. I need to find Jody and I need your help.† And then Foo, who has been doing science stuff in the kitchen, comes over and he's like, â€Å"Abby, I can switch you back. I can switch you both back. I already have Tommy's serum made from before.† And I'm like, â€Å"You are trs cute when you're threatened.† And I jump over there and kiss him deeply-like I can hear a couple of his vertebrae crack. But then I go to slap him, so he won't think I'm a slut, and Tommy catches my hand. And he's all, â€Å"Abby, you have to stop doing that. You could kill him.† I'm like, â€Å"Really?† He's all nodding. And Foo's all mouthing â€Å"thank you† to him, like I don't have vampyre hearing and don't know that he's being a total little bitch about it. So I, like, turn on Foo and go, â€Å"Rawr.† I don't care what Tommy says, Foo trembled in fear. And Tommy's like, â€Å"Let's go, Abby.† Like Foo hasn't said a word. And I grab my Pirate Bunny messenger bag and start to pack in my laptop and charger, and Flood is all, â€Å"Leave that here.† And I'm like, â€Å"How will I express my angst and dark inspirations and whatnot?† And Flood is like, â€Å"I thought we'd go suck the blood out of some people.† And I was like, â€Å"‘Kay, but I'm still taking my laptop. I have to do my blog. I have subscribers.† I do. Well, a subscriber. And he's like, â€Å"If we have to go to mist you'll lose it.† And I'm like, â€Å"You don't know how to do that.† And he's all, â€Å"I do now.† And I'm all, â€Å"Teach me. I didn't go to ancient evil vampyre school like you.† And he's like, â€Å"I'm nineteen, remember? I went to public school. In Indiana.† And Foo's like, â€Å"You're only nineteen? You're not even old enough to drink?† And Jared is like, â€Å"Shut up. He's her dark lord. Our dark lord.† And Foo's like, â€Å"Fine. Go. Be careful. Text me. I'll be here trying to save the world.† And Tommy's all, â€Å"I'm just going to try to save the woman I love, and that's as good as the world to me.† And I was like-nothing. I just looked at Tommy. But I would have done him on a bed of carpet tacks right then. So outside the love lair, which is technically not mine and Foo's anymore, now that the rightful owners are not imprisoned in bronze, I go, â€Å"So, where do we start?† And Flood is all, â€Å"We start by finding a safe place to sleep during the day.† And I'm all, â€Å"The love lair. Foo and Jared will be our minions and whatnot.† And he's like, â€Å"The last time I went out there I woke up inside a statue, and the last time you were up there your love ninja gave you blood with a sedative.† And I'm all, â€Å"No.† And he's all, â€Å"Yeah.† And I'm all, â€Å"Foo, you crapacious little geek! Can I go slap him around a little?† And Flood is all, â€Å"He was going to change you back. To save you.† And I go, â€Å"Without even asking? I think not, noble vamptard. As soon as we find the Countess I'm coming back. There will be screaming.† And Flood's like, â€Å"You don't have any confrontation issues, do you?† And I'm all, â€Å"No, I'm very insecure, actually, but I have found that if you roll up screaming like a madwoman, hair on fire, guns blazing, no one is going to mention the zit on your forehead.† Which is totally true. â€Å"Okey dokey,† goes the vampyre Flood. â€Å"We'll look for someplace low or high. Low is probably safest, we can look for maintenance closets in the BART tunnels, but that keeps us out of the north end of the City, because there's no subway there. High, harder to find a place, but it gives us more choice, and it's less obvious, if Rivera and Cavuto are looking for us. There are a lot of utility sheds and meter shelters on roofs.† So I'm like, â€Å"Are we going to sleep together?† And Flood's like, â€Å"No, but we'll be dead in the same space.† And I was thinking, â€Å"How romantic,† but I go, â€Å"Let's get high.† And Tommy's all, â€Å"I think that's a good idea. Jody lived in the north end of the City and so did I. It makes sense that's where she'd go. We need to get into the upper floors of a tall building and look down on other roofs, look for a shed or something. Climbing up won't be a problem. You can tell if there's people in it by looking for heat. You know you can see heat now, right?† And I'm like, â€Å"I was figuring that it was that or that every lightbulb was leaking into the sky. But how do you know all this other stuff?† And Tommy's like, â€Å"I have no idea.† And I was like, â€Å"If we find a roof shack with a pigeon coop by it we'll have snacks when we wake up.† I know, perky. I must resist the perky. Must resist the perky. So, like, an hour later we've found our sweet roof grave on a building in the financial district, and Flood and I are walking up Powell Street, toward California and the Fairmont, where the Countess was last seen. And we are totally alive with the night. There's like two cities in the City. I didn't see it before. There's like the indoor city, the daytime city, with people inside of apartments and restaurants and offices, and they have, like, no fucking clue about the outside city. And there's the outside city people, who are in the streets all the time, and who know every hiding place, and every tree, and where it's dangerous, and where it's just creepy. The outside city people live on, like, a different plane of existence, like they don't even see the inside people either. But when you're a vampyre, the two cities are all lit up. You can hear the people talking and eating and watching TV in their houses, and you can see and feel the people in the streets, behind the garbage cans, u nder the stairs. All these auras show, sometimes right through walls. Like life, glowing. Some bright pink, like Foo's, some sort of brown, or gray, like on the AIDS vet panhandling at the corner of Powell and Post. And I'm totally losing my ability to appear bored, because it's fucking awesome. I'm trying to be chill for Flood, but I want to know. So I'm like, â€Å"What's with the pink ring around people?† And he's like, â€Å"It's their life force. You can tell how healthy they are by it. You'll be able to smell if they're dying, too, but you won't know that right away.† I know, whoa. So I'm like, â€Å"Whoa.† And he's all, â€Å"You see it for a reason.† And I'm like, â€Å"‘Splain, s'il vous plaà ®t.† And he's all, â€Å"Because you're only supposed to take the sick, the dying. It's part of our predator nature. I didn't know that before I-I was lost, but I know it now.† I know, whoa. So I'm like, â€Å"Okay, how do you turn to mist?† And he's like, â€Å"It's mental. Completely. You can't think about it, you just have to be.† And I'm like, â€Å"You're fucking with me, aren't you?† And he's all, â€Å"No, if you think, it doesn't work. You have to just be. Words get in the way. I think that's why the cats do it instinctively. That's the key. Instinct. I don't function well on instinct. I'm a word guy.† And I'm all, â€Å"I'm a word guy, too,† like a total dwee-bosaurus. I know. How is it that I, acting Mistress of the Greater Bay Area darkness, can be reduced to spewing nano-brained beauty-queen dialog when I should be enjoying the heady power of my vamp immortality? Simple, I am a romance slut, and there's nothing I can do about it. If a guy does or says something romantic, I'm all, â€Å"Oh, please excuse me, kind, sir, let me dial down my IQ and oh, if it would please sir, may I offer you this moist, yet helpless va-jay-jay that seems to have lost its way.† I was clearly born in the wrong time. I should have been born in Wuthering Heights times. Although if I was Cathy, I would have hunted down that Heathcliff guy and beat him with a riding crop like a sado-hooker with his Black Card on file. Just sayin'. So there's nothing at the Fairmont. We talk to the bellman and the guy at the concierge desk, who talks to the front-desk guy who says that he's not at liberty to talk about guests, when I whip a hundred-dollar bill on him and he says â€Å"the redhead† never showed up again after the day the cops came around asking for her. He said the cops took a cooler from her room. And Tommy's like, â€Å"She just vanished.† And I'm all, â€Å"Do you want to get coffee? I have a bag of blood and ten thousand dollars in my messenger.† The nosferatu can totally drink lattes as long as they put some blood in it, unless they're lactose intolerant. And he stops and looks at me. He's like, â€Å"Really, ten thousand? Think that will be enough?† And I'm like, â€Å"Well, you'll have to drink the cheap stuff, but I like to drink my lattes directly out of the veins of a toddler, and those little fuckers aren't cheap.† And he's like, â€Å"Okay, you just completely creeped me out.† So I'm all, â€Å"You suck at this. Let's go get coffee and do some vamp stuff, like beat up some pimps and whatnot.† â€Å"Since when is beating up pimps a vampyre thing?† â€Å"Since I was looking for the Countess and they kept trying to recruit me because I'm am so awesome sexy that desperate losers will totally pay to do me, which is flattering and whatnot, but I still kind of feel like they would have taken advantage of me because of my youth and naivety.† â€Å"So you want to go beat them up.† â€Å"I want to try that kung-fu thing where you tear their heart out and show it to them while it's still beating. Trs macabre, non? Plus, I'll bet the look of surprise on their faces will be worth it. Did you do that when you were out slaughtering people with Chet?† â€Å"I don't remember any of that. I don't remember slaughtering people.† â€Å"That's why the pimps were trying to recruit me. You and Chet ate all their hos.† â€Å"You make it sound so sordid.† â€Å"Okay, you make eating hos sound pretty. Talk poetry to me, writer boy.† And he looks all heartbroken and whatnot. And he's like, â€Å"That's what Jody calls me.† And I'm like, â€Å"Sorry. Where do you want to look for her now?† â€Å"I don't know. What time is it?† And I look at the watch that the Countess gave me, and I'm all, â€Å"A little after one,† in my I am total poop on a stick voice. † Polk Street.† And I'm all, † Why Polk Street?† He's like, â€Å"Because I'm out of ideas and we need to resort to magic.† And I'm like, â€Å"Sweet! Let's rock the dark magic!† I was tempted to do a booty dance of total dark magic celebration, but I thought it might reveal my secret. ‘Kayso, we roll into this coffee shop on Polk Street, and it's all full of hippies and hipsters and couples on dates and drunks sobering up and whatnot. And everyone turns and looks at us. I'm about to chuck a spaz, because I realize that I haven't fixed my makeup since I bounced my face off the plywood in the love lair. So I'm all, â€Å"Tommy, psssssst, do I look like a cannibal corpse on crack?† And he stops and looks at me for a second, and he's like, â€Å"No more than usual.† And I'm all, â€Å"Do I have raccoon eyes?† And he's like, â€Å"You've kind of taken your broken clown look to the next level, with the crusted blood around your mouth. You look cute.† Flood can be very sweet for a doofus from Indiana. I felt like I had made the right decision to choose him to be my Dark Lord, even if he was only nineteen instead of five hundred. So I feel like I should say something nice back, so I'm like, â€Å"You're not as pathetic in those clothes.† Then I realize that didn't sound as nice as I liked, so I'm all, â€Å"I want a triple soy latte with type O in it while we're waiting for magic and whatnot.† And Flood is all, â€Å"She's here.† I know. I'm like, â€Å"Whaaaa?† ‘Kayso, Flood sends me for coffees and says he'll meet me at a table in the back, so when I show up, he's sitting with this ginormously fat gay guy, wearing a purple silk wizard robe with silver stars and moons on it, and his head is shaved and there's a pentagram tattooed on it, just like I drew on Ronnie's head with a Magic Marker. I know! And he has a crystal ball on his table on a stand made out of dragons, and a sign that says MADAME NATASHA, FORTUNES TOLD $5.00, ALL PROCEEDS GO TO AIDS RESEARCH. And so I come up and Flood is all, â€Å"Madame Natasha, this is my minion, Abby Normal.† And I'm all, â€Å"Enchant,† in, like, perfect fucking French. â€Å"Most fly eye-liner, Madame.† He had like spider fake lashes and glitter liner out to his ears. And Madame Natasha is all, â€Å"Oh, sweet of you to say, child. Your ensem is trs chic as well. But you should have a jacket, little thing like you could freeze in the fog.† And I'm all ready to throw down anti-mom you're-not-the-boss-of-me-talk on him, then I'm kinda okay with it. Like maybe I would get along with the Motherbot better if she were a ginormous gay guy. And I sit down next to Madame Natasha, because Flood is, like, in the client seat, and Flood's all, â€Å"Madame Natasha told my fortune when I first came to town, and said that I would meet a girl, but the death card kept coming up, so she couldn't figure it out.† Then he turns to Madame and is like, â€Å"You were right on the money, I ended up meeting a dead girl.† And Madame's all, â€Å"Oh my,† and she pulls this little fan out of one of her chins and starts fanning herself. ‘Kayso, I pull out the bag of blood and squeeze a little into my coffee, then into Flood's, and he's all, â€Å"Abby, put that away.† And I'm all, â€Å"Why?† And he's all nodding toward people, who are totally not looking at us now, but like really reading or texting hard. And he's like, â€Å"They'll freak.† And I'm like, â€Å"Oh bitch, please. They all saw my eye makeup, they saw how I'm dressed, they saw my dark and mysteriously colored hair, and they think I'm just trying to freak them out by pretending to pour blood in my coffee. So they are all furiously not freaking out so as to not give me the satisfaction because then they wouldn't be sophisticated City peeps. This is not my first funeral, Red State.† â€Å"Oh, I like her,† goes the Madame. â€Å"She's got spunk.† And Flood is like, â€Å"Okey dokey.† And I'm like, â€Å"If you keep saying ‘okey dokey' I will be forced to replace you as my Dark Lord.† And Madame is all, â€Å"It does sound a little corn-fed, love.† And Tommy is all, â€Å"Never mind how I talk. You remember, right, Madame? You remember me?† And the Madame is all â€Å"Oh, yes, yes, I do now. You were the one who had achieved Olympic levels in masturbation, weren't you?† And Flood was all, â€Å"Uh, no, that part was someone else, uh-â€Å" So, like, the master needed a hand, if you know what I mean, so I was like, â€Å"Oh chill, it's a stress thing, everyone does it. I'm flicking the bean under the table right now just to dial the tension back a little. Yes. Yes. Yes! Oh-zombie-jeebus-fuck-me-Simba-lion-king-hakuna-matata! Yes!† So I spaz-gasmed a little and kind of slid down in my seat breathing hard. Then I like look up at the Madame with one eye and I'm like, â€Å"They're freaking out now, aren't they?† And she just kind of nodded with big eyes and whatnot. So, you know, embarrassment for my Dark Lord totally diverted. But this one crusty day dweller is all looking up from his Wall Street Journal at me with a disgusted face, so I'm all, â€Å"Rawr.† And Flood looks at me. And I'm like, â€Å"Shut up, it's a thing. He shouldn't even be allowed out at night, using my dark without permission.† So I rawred Wall Street again for eavesdropping. So we sort of drank our coffee for a while and Madame looked at her cards and then, like, looked up seemed disappointed that we were still there, but Flood was on it. He's all, â€Å"The woman you told me I would meet, I met her. We live together.† And the Madame holds up her hand, which means, â€Å"shut the fuck up† in fortune-teller language. And she looks at her cards some more. Then she looks at her tip jar. Then Flood looks at me and like does the tip jar nod. So I pull a hundred out of my messenger bag and drop it in the jar. And Flood's like, â€Å"Abby!† And I'm like, â€Å"Hello, woman you love? You want to bargain hunt?† And he's all, â€Å"‘Kay.† So Madame Natasha puts down a few more cards, and goes, â€Å"A redhead.† And we're all, â€Å"Yeah.† And she's all, â€Å"She's hurt, but she's not alone.† And we're all, â€Å"Uh-huh.† And she lays out about six more cards, and she goes, â€Å"That can't be right.† And Flood is like, â€Å"If you're getting the dead thing again, that's okay, we've worked through that.† And Madame is like, â€Å"No, it's not that.† And she shuffles the cards, not cool, like a dealer, but gentle, and every which way on the table, like she's really trying to confuse the cards. Then she lays them out again. And her eyes are getting bigger as she goes-each card, bigger eyes-until she lays down the last in her pattern and she's all, â€Å"Oh my.† And we're all, â€Å"What? What?† And she's, â€Å"This has never happened, in thirty years of consulting the cards.† And we're, â€Å"What? What?† And she's, â€Å"Look.† There were fourteen cards on the table. All kinds of pictures and numbers. And I'm like, ready to go, â€Å"‘Splain, please.† But then I see what she's big eyes about. They are all the same suit. So I'm, â€Å"They're all swords.† And she's like, â€Å"Yes. I'm not sure how to even interpret this.† And I'm all, â€Å"She's hurt, she's not alone, and all the cards came up swords?† And she's, â€Å"Yes, dear, that's what I just said, but I don't know what it means.† And I'm, â€Å"I do. Can you do them again?† And I slap another hundred in her jar. And she's, â€Å"‘Kay.† Then she lays them all out again, and this time there's a lot of swords, but also other cards. And I'm, â€Å"Well?† And she's all, â€Å"In this configuration, the swords signify north, but also, the air, a sailing ship perhaps. It doesn't make sense.† And we're like, â€Å"What? What?† And she's like, â€Å"A sunken ship?† And I'm like, â€Å"It makes total sense.† And Flood is like, â€Å"It does?† And I'm like, â€Å"Stay right there, Madame. We may be back.† And Flood is like, â€Å"What? What?† And I'm all, â€Å"I forgot to tell you about the little guy with the sword.† And he's like, â€Å"You really adjust to this magical stuff fast, Abby.† And I'm like, â€Å"Are you trying to say I'm perky? Because I'm not. I'm complex.† I am. Shut up, I am. He's looking at me right now, like we should be going. Even though I am typing at awesome speed. Okay, that's it, dude, you're harshing the depth out of my literature. I'm coming. What a whiner. Gotta go. We're going to run out of dark. Byez. THE OLD ONES Makeda put on the glasses and watched the bricks at the corner of the building light up. They'd find the cats by behavior, because even vampire cats are cats, and they marked their territory. Elijah had told them where it had started and where it was likely to move. The special sunglasses, combined with their vampire vision, allowed them to see the phosphorus expelled in the cats' urine as glowing. They could even see a half-life, of sorts. Something marked days ago would glow much dimmer than something marked only a few hours ago. â€Å"That way,† said Makeda. Rolf cocked his head toward the boarded-up loft apartment on the second floor. â€Å"That's the loft where Elijah said he turned the first cat. There are people up there. Sounds like two.† â€Å"That's also where he was fried by a jacket covered with sun lights,† said Makeda. â€Å"I say we clean up the cats first, they're less tricky.† Rolf nodded to Makeda, who bolted down the alley without another word. They followed the trail, a mark here and there, many blocks until they reached the Mission, where the trail started to sunburst out. â€Å"I don't know which way to go,† said Bella. â€Å"We need to get a vantage point.† Rolf looked around and spotted the tallest building in the area. â€Å"How about that one, the one that looks like a robot pterodactyl is perched on it? He pointed to the black glass Federal Building. Makeda said, â€Å"It's an abomination.† â€Å"Said the abomination,† snarked Rolf. â€Å"I'll go. I have to go up solid, I need the glasses.† He shrugged off his overcoat and dropped his weapons on top of it. â€Å"Well go to mist if you lose your grip,† said Makeda. â€Å"I'll catch your glasses. If you fall off of that thing solid we'll have to scrape you into a bag to get you back to the ship.† He grinned, showing his fangs, then started a steady climb up the sheer corner of the building. Bella pulled a pack of cigarettes from her jacket, shook one out, lit it, then blew a long stream of smoke up after Rolf. â€Å"What if Elijah lied about turning more humans? He's lied before.† When they'd retrieved the old vampire from the City initially he'd brought along a blond vampire woman, claiming she was the only one. She hadn't survived the first month at sea. Weak vessels, they called her type. â€Å"He didn't admit turning the cat, either, until we found the news stories on the Internet.† â€Å"We need to talk to him again when we get back to the ship, if there's time.† Rolf thumped to the pavement beside them. â€Å"That way. About six blocks. There's a sunburst pattern that's centered there and spreads out ten blocks or so in every direction. I could actually see a hundred or so cats on a roof there.† â€Å"Let's go, then,† said Makeda. â€Å"That's not all,† said Rolf. â€Å"There is a group of men hunting them. Eight of them.† â€Å"How do you know they're hunting the cats?† â€Å"Because two of them lit up their coats. If I hadn't been wearing the glasses I'd be blind. They're wearing the sun jackets that Elijah warned us about.† â€Å"Well, fuck,† said Makeda. â€Å"That's eight more we have to kill.† â€Å"At least,† said Rolf. â€Å"How much time before daylight?† â€Å"Two and a half hours,† said Bella, checking her watch. â€Å"Don't we have a sniper rifle on the ship?† â€Å"Somewhere,† said Rolf. â€Å"Well, they can't turn on a sun jacket if they're dead before we're within five hundred yards.† â€Å"Messy,† said Makeda. â€Å"Bullets leave bodies.† â€Å"I'd rather have to dispose of a couple of bodies than get fried by a sun jacket,† said Bella, taking charge now. â€Å"Rolf, you and I will go after the cats. Take out as many as we can. Makeda, follow the hunters, keep your distance, see where they go, and meet us back at the ship. Tonight cats. Tomorrow night, humans.† â€Å"I hate cats,† said Makeda. â€Å"I know,† said Bella. â€Å"There's something else,† said Rolf. â€Å"There was something else on the roof with the cats. Something bigger.† â€Å"What do you mean ‘something'?† asked Makeda. â€Å"I don't know,† said Rolf, â€Å"but it wasn't putting out any heat, so it's one of us.†