Sexual Assault Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sexual Assault - Research Paper Example The attempt to or assaults to commit rape through threat or force are included. It excludes statutory rape. As of 2009, reports of forcible rape annually have reached 88,097. Of all the reported rape cases in 2009, 93% were rapes of force (URC). B. Rape by Fraud   Rape by fraud is a form of rape or sexual assault wherein the woman is made to believe that it is her husband whom she has sex with. Rape, as mentioned, is a woman’s the carnal knowledge in the absence of her consent and is obtained by threats, fraud, force, etc. The fraud here should be consist of certain strategies by which the woman is made to believe that the offender is her spouse (Lee v. State, 1902). C. Marital Rape   Marital rape, also referred to as intimate partner sexual assault, is one that is done or committed by the current or the past partner, whether boyfriend or spouse. It happens when there is forced intercourse within the marriage or the partnership. However, there are still many countries that do not consider marital rape as a crime. In the United States for instance, rape is defined as sexual conduct forced on an individual other than a wife since the wife sexual consent is presumed. D. Date Rape In acquaintance rape, the offender is usually somebody who the victim knows casually or by sight, such as a colleague or a neighbour. In date rape, the offender is somebody who the victim knows and who the victim has consented to spend time with. Somebody who commits acquaintance rape or date rape can make use of various tactics, such as seeing to it that she is isolated, locking the door, making promises of taking her home from an event or party but taking her someplace else instead; he may threaten the victim with public humiliation, telling her that he will tell their friends that they sexually romantic regardless of what might actually take place; he may pressure her emotionally, saying that if she doesn’t agree, he will leave her; or he may use economic pressure, sa ying that he deserves sexual intimacy because he paid for their dinner (Huff, 2009). II. Who are the offenders and their characteristics?   A. Age of Offenders According to Holmes (1991), sex offenders and rapists are likely to be young men below the age of 30 during the time of the assault. In a study conducted by Quinsey and Upfold (1985) involving 72 rape offenders, the average age of these offenders was 24 years old. The relationship between age and offense is seldom taken into consideration in the literature on rape beyond its descriptive qualities in the methodology. It was suggested that hormonal factors existing in young men were linked with sexual offense (Marshall and Barabee, 1984). B. Gender of Offenders According to researchers (e.g. Lievore, 2003; Avakame, 1999), between 97% and 99% of alleged sex offenders are male. While physiologically and legally females are also capable of committing rape, for example, by digitally or orally penetrating victims (both male and fe male), such instances seldom reach the criminal justice system (Matthews et al 1991). C. Class of Offenders According to Holmes (1991), overwhelmingly, convicted rape offenders are from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Usually, they have inconsistent employment history in unskilled works, have high academic failure rates, and come from unstable backgrounds (Bard et al, 1987). The underrepresentation of males from upper and middle class backgrounds may indicate a higher involvement in marital and date rapes, which have lower conviction and

Petrochemical Industry And Chemical Engineering Engineering Essay

Petrochemical Industry And Chemical Engineering Engineering Essay Petrochemical industry is being chosen as our main topic for the introduction to Chemical Engineering assignment. Petrochemical is the second level products being derived from crude oil after several refining processes. These chemicals are typically extracted during the refining process as  crude oil  and gas are distilled or cracked, and they can be utilized in a wide variety of ways. Petrochemical can be used to manufacture PVC. PVC is one of the oldest synthetic materials in industrial production.  Ã‚  Its early history is of multiple and accidental discovery in different places at different times as well as unsuccessful quests for commercial application. During the 1950s PVC is produced by a lot of companies and it volumes increased radically around the world. PVC products swiftly became vital to the construction industry; since it is resistance to light, chemicals and good in prevent corrosion, therefore, it is the best option to be used in building applications. Few more years later, Improvement is made toward the materials resistance to extreme temperatures, so that water can be transported to thousands of homes and industries through PVC. PVC is multipurpose and since PVCs has a lower cost than others, it good in durability and process ability to be used in industries therefore, it is fully utilize in health care, IT, transport, textiles and construction. In the polymerization process, the process for making PVC consists taking the simplest unit, which name as monomer, and linking these monomer molecules together. In order to create a compound that meets the requirement of the end product and of the processing technology to be used,  different additives such as plasticizers and stabilizers are added to PVC resin. Importance of Petrochemical Industry in Our Society The petrochemical industry is a complex industry that affects all spheres of life. Most items used in everyday life such as plastic products and soaps owe their existence to petrochemicals. The petrochemical industry connects downstream sectors such as pharmaceuticals with the upstream oil and gas industry.   The petrochemical industry converts feed stocks such as naphtha and natural gas components such as butane, ethane and propane through steam cracking or catalytic cracking into petrochemical building blocks such as olefins and aromatics. While olefins include ethylene, propylene, methanol and C4 stream such as butadiene, aromatics include benzene, toluene and xylene. The petrochemicals of commercial importance in the petrochemical industry include ethylene, propylene, benzene and xylene. These petrochemical building blocks are further processed to yield final products such as paints, polyester and plastics. Take ethylene for instance. It is processed into ethyl benzene, ethylen e oxide, ethylene dichloride, ethyl alcohol, acetaldehyde and polyethylene. These undergo further transformation to yield a wide range of products such as tyres, detergents, agrochemicals and plastic products. Originally, most plastics were made from the resins of plant matter. But it wasnt long before plastics were developed from petrochemicals. The packaging industry, the leading user of plastics, accounts for about one-third of total U.S. production. The building industry ranks second, which uses plastic to make  insulation, moulding, pipes, roofing, siding, and frames for doors and windows. Other industries, including automobile and truck manufacturing, also rely heavily on plastics. The United States was hardly alone in its rising use of petroleum products. Throughout the world, increased industrialization and rapid population growth created new and greater demands for oil. By the late 1950s, petrochemicals became one of the largest industries, and control over the sources and transportation of oil became a major national and international political issue. The Supply and Demand The raw material used for the production Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) is Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM). Naphtha, which refers to a several different liquid mixtures of hydrocarbon, is the major feed stock used for the production of VCM. The global VCM supply capacity in the year 2009 was 40.0 million tons which 50.8 % of it is based on Naphtha as feedstock. 27.2 % of the global capacity was based on Natural gas for feedstock followed by 17.2% by coal while only 4.7 % of the global capacity was based on other feed stocks. In terms of region oriented, Asia- Pacific had the largest production capacity in 2009 with 18.1 million tons of production which stands 45.1% of the market share followed by Europe with a production capacity of 10.4 million tons and a share of 25.8%. The Middle East had the capacity of 2.0 million tons and a share of 5.2% while South and Central America were closely behind with 1.6 million tons of production capacity with a share of 3.9%. Based on the report Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) Global Dynamics to 2020, global VCM demand in the year 2000 was 20.7 million tons and it grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% from the year 2000 to 2009 in which the demand in the latter year had reached 29 million tons. The report has also indicates that there will be increase in demand of VCM with growth of are a CAGR of 5.4% from 2009 to 2020. This means if the reports expectation is correct, the demand of VCM this year will be 32 million tones and by the year 2020, the demand will be reaching 50 million tones. Out of the 29 million tons of VCM demand in the year 2009, Asia-Pacific has the highest demand in the industry with 16.4 million tons with a major share of 56.4%. The North America had a demand of 5.9 million tons and its share was 20.3% while Europe had a VCM demand of 4.8 million tons, followed by South and Central America with demand of 1.2 million tons. The demand share owned by Europe was 16.5% while 4.1% of demand market share is occupied by South and Central America. The Middle East had a demand of only mere 0.8 million tons along with demand share of only 2.7%. In conclusion, we can see that the major demand of VCM is in Asia Pacific and this is also where the production capacity of VCM is highest in a region around the world. Hence, we can conclude that the production capacity is usually closely related to the demand of the region. Prospect of the industry The production of PVC is a chemical industry. To be more specific, it is a synthetic material industry. It is considered a segment of overall chemical industry with manufacturers representing 20% of chemical industry. The plastic industry, which manufacturing of PVC is, stands around 70% of the whole synthetic material industry which also includes rubber and manmade fibres. The production of PVC requires a lot of process which in turn will require a big plant for the manufacturing as well as storing. The manufacturing process is complex which requires an expertise in the field. Hence, the industry requires the skill and knowledge of a chemical engineer to maintain the plant as well as solving problem that exists within the manufacturing process. Besides, transportation of raw materials is also needed to be coordinated by the manufacturer to lower to cost to yield more profit. From the supply and demand perspectives, both of it is growing from year to year basis which is thoroughly discussed at Supply and Demand section. The reason to the increase in demand is due to the usage of this PVC material, mainly in piping but also diversify to other utilities like plastic for manufacturing of table lamp. On the other hand , the supply of raw material increases due to the demand. The industry plays an important role to the consumer in providing them the product as well as to the economy in making profit and providing jobs opportunity. Impact on the Environment During the manufacturing of PVC process, wastes such as production residue sand installation waste which give impact on the environment will be released out. vinyl chloride monomer is used to produce the  polymer  polyvinyl chloride  (PVC). VCM can be a carcinogen, can cause a rare form of cancer which known as angiosarcoma. Excluding its flammability potential at release, VCM quickly dissipates posing slight threat to human health in form of diluted form and quickly degenerates when exposed to normal daylight as in the open atmosphere. During the polymerization process, basically all of the VCM is changed into the inert polymer chains that form the PVC plastic. The possibility of residual unpolymerised VCM to stay on in the polymer and eventually transfer into food from PVC packaging is high. Some of the liquid  petroleum  hydrocarbon  will be released into the environment like the  ocean  or  coastal waters due to human activity, and is a form of  pollution. In case the balance of ecosystem will be affected. In the process, the combustion of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases and other air pollutants as by-products. In Addition, oil spill is a release of a petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to manufacturing PVC process. In other to reduce the impact on the environment, an capable waste management system will reduce the not being re-used and make the most of the use of economically and environmentally rational recovery schemes. Step of Incineration with Energy Recovery can be taken. Oil that used in PVC production can be utilised as a minimum twice, Incorporating PVC consumer products can be under controlled and reduces the amount of PVC going to landfill and reduces the pollutions. The modern incinerators are equipped with pollution control equipment and run to the highest standards therefore it can help to minimise the release of emissions to the environment. In addition,  mechanical and feedstock recycling can implemented Moreover, anything of the PVC recovery process, residual fraction of waste is contained which not recyclable. Controlled landfill still remains a disposal option in the limited fraction. The consumer product which containing PVC presence in landfill does not constitute a major risk to the environment is confirmed by finding of independent studies. .   Processes how PVC is manufactured (Electrolysis, Chlorination VCM Cracker) 1. Electrolysis: Electrolysis is a method of using electric current to drive a non-spontaneous chemical reaction. In the production of the PVC, chlorine is produced by separating the chlorine and sodium ions of a salt brine using the method of electrolysis. The electrolysis of salt brine will produce hydrogen gas and chlorine gas. 2 Chlorination: Chlorination is the process of adding chlorine into ethene to produce ethylene chloride also commonly known as vinyl chloride. The chlorine is from the process of electrolysis of brine salt from previous process. In chlorination , chlorine is added to ethene to replace two H atom from the molecule without breaking the double bond in ethene to produce 1,2-dichloroethane. Iron (III) is used as catalyst in the process.   CH2=CH2 + Cl2 > ClCH2CH2Cl   3 Thermal cracking (VCM Cracker): The main purpose of this process is to obtain the chloroethene also known as VCM. This is done because VCM couldnt be obtained by simple chlorination of ethene. Hence, this process is carried out to removed one atom of chlorine from 1,2-dichloroethane as well as recovering the carbon-carbon double bond to obtain VCM. Basically the process is being carried out with condition of 500  °C with pressure ranging from 15 atm to 30 atm. Under that condition, 1,2-dichloroethane decomposes to produce chloroethene (VCM) and hydrogen chloride.   ClCH2CH2Clà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢CH2=CHCl+HCl (Prepared by Lim Chung Kin, 0902959) (4 Quenching, 5 cooling water ,6 purification) Cracking furnace effluent must be quenched, or cooled rapidly, to keep coking at a minimum. Therefore, the hot effluent gases are typically quenched and partially condensed by direct contact with cold EDC in a quench tower. Alternatively, the hot effluent can first be cooled by heat exchange with cold liquid EDC furnace feed or by vaporizing boiler feed water (BFW) to produce high pressure steam in a transfer line exchanger (TLX) prior to entering the quench tower. This arrangement saves energy by decreasing the amount of fuel needed to fire the cracking furnace and/or steam needed to vaporize the feed. Then it will undergo the Purification process. Water elimination in a VCM purification system is achieved through on condition that a separation of a liquid mixture which consist of water, hydrogen chloride, and vinyl chloride into a hydrogen chloride distillate stream and an essentially pure vinyl chloride product stream in distillation column; and a drying system is placed in fluid communication with the distillation column midsection at a connection point where the water reached sufficient concentration so that a water functional mass transfer flux from a withdrawn midsection stream into a drying agent is provided. The temperature control in this column achieves EDC-water separation control. The VCM produced in the pyrolysis section is separated in the VCM purification section. In the HCL column, temperature control is used to distil HCL off the top of the mixed feed containing mainly EDC, VCM and HCL. The bottom product is fed to the VCM column, where the temperature is controlled to purify VCM as overhead product and the recovered EDC is recycled back to the EDC purification section After the VCM purification process, it is ends up in the feed to the oxychlorination process. If acetylene is allowed to enter the oxychlorination reactor, the acetylene would be readily converted to perchloroethylene and other heavily chlorinated by-products, resulting in a significant HCL efficiency loss. Consequently, the HCL recycle stream is usually passed through a hydrogenation reactor to selectively convert the acetylene to ethylene, which makes more EDC downstream. Hydrogenation is generally carried out in a fixed bed reactor packed with catalyst made from a precious metal on an inert support. Hydrogen is added to the feed in stoichiometric excess to ensure conversion of acetylene to ethylene. The reaction is temperature dependant, with lower temperatures being preferable to maximize conversion to ethylene. If the temperature is too high, a fraction of the acetylene may be further hydrogenated to ethane. (Prepared by Hew She Luan, 0905291) (Stripping, Centrifuging, Drying and Sieving Process) 7. Stripping: In all of the processes used to produce PVC, unreacted VCM is present at the end of the reaction. VCM is a carcinogenic substance and its removal from PVC is very important for both avoiding downstream emission and for recycle purpose. Superheated steam is injected into the polymerization product in the reactor. The steam causes unreacted VCM to vaporize making it easy to remove. The temperature of the steam injected into the polymerization product should be 180 while the pressure should be 10 bar. 8. Centrifuging: During this step, PVC is separated from VCM. The water to the inlet of the centrifuge is filtered to prevent PVC from being contaminated by impurities in the water. Nexis T filters rated at 10m are recommended to filter the water. 9. Drying: Most of the water is removed when the slurry passes through the centrifuge. A damp cake of polymer leaves the centrifuge and is conveyed into the fluid bed dryer. Here, the remaining water contained in the porous grains evaporates as a stream of heated air bubbles through the polymer powder. In order to minimize the emissions, the moist air is wet-scrubbed before discharge into the atmosphere.    10. Sieving: After the drying process, the PVC will go through sieving process where the PVC is separate into different sizes for further processing. (Prepared by Cody Yip Jun Kit, 10UEB00894) (Storage and Handling, Control Room and Polymerization) 11. Storage and Handling VCM must be stored in a tightly closed container in a cool, well ventilated area, away from direct sunlight, heat and incompatible materials .VCM can be stored in steel tanks at ambient temperature. The drums must be equipped with self closing valves, flame arresters and pressure vacuum. Consider installation of leak detection and alarm for storage and use area. VCM should not be stored below ground level. 12. Control Room A Control Room is the room where pumps, fans, blowers, mixers, mills and centrifuges are controlled by variable speed drives and soft starters. Minicomputers are used to control chemical reactors in the PVC production process. Computer control can bring advantages to a batch process, closer control of the process, major gains in safety and the opportunity to use larger, more efficient processing equipment. Under manual control, a polymerization cycle might take about 14 hours but computer control can cut this time to about 8 hours. Computer control also offers substantial gains in accuracy and safety. A typical computer controlled reactor stands about six stories tall and hold 30,000 to 50,000 gallons. While in manually controlled plants, each reactors capacity is between 2,000 and 7,000 gallons. Computer control enables PVC plants to meet new OSHA standards, effective April 1, 1976, that will limit the exposure of workers to VCM vapors. VCM vapor is a known human carcinogen. If inhaled or absorbed through the skin, it may be harmful. VCM vapors may be a reproductive hazard. 13. Polymerization The process of polymerization links together the vinyl chloride molecules to form chains of PVC. The PVC produced in this way is in the form of a white powder. This is not used alone, but blended with other ingredients to give formulations for a wide range of products.   In the polymerization process practically all of the VCM is processed into the inert polymer chains that make up the PVC plastic. It is possible for extremely low levels of any residual depolymerised VCM to remain in the polymer and eventually migrate into food from PVC packaging, but only at levels. Polymerization of PVC is divided into 2 types which is emulsion polymerization and suspension polymerization. Emulsion polymerization involves the polymerization of monomers in an aqueous medium containing surfactant and a water soluble initiator, producing PVC lattices. PVC lattices are colloidal dispersions of spherical particles, ranging in size between 0.1 and 3.0 ÃŽÂ ¼m. Most PVC lattices are spray dried and then milled to obtain fine powders, made up of agglomerates of latex particles. When mixed with plasticizers they disperse readily to form stable suspensions. During mixing most of the agglomerates are broken down into the original latex particles. Such dispersion of fine particles in plasticizers are known as plastisols or pastes, and the powder is called dispersion or paste polymer. The surfactant layer around the particle surface prevents their adsorbing the plasticizer at room temperature so they can be used as liquids and may then be spread on to fabric or other subs trates, poured on molds, or deposited on formers to produce flooring, wall covering, artificial leather, balls, toys, or protective gloves. There are other grades of PVC polymers, produced by emulsion polymerization, that do not form plastisols and that are used as blends with suspension PVC grades for extrusion application or in the manufacture of battery separator plates. These so-called emulsion polymers are of only minor economic interest. Sales in latex form are very limited; lattices are used in water-based paints, printing inks, and impregnated fabrics. (Prepared by A. Srinyanavel 0904742) (Packing and dispatch, compounding, converting and recycling) 14. Packing dispatch: In this process, soft PVC is packed on a semi-automatic snaking machine or manually, depending on the size, shape, and length and intended use of final product. The length of the roll cut on a stumble varies for fix packages form 10m to 100 m. However, other lengths are also obtainable upon appeal. Rolls are provided with 3 binding strips and marked with markets badges. Some soft PVC sizes are packed into polyethylene foil to provide appropriate security against incidental scratch or corrosion of their functionality. 15. Compounding: This process involves storage, conveying, metering, mixing, and cooling. All these operations occur prior to the actual melt compounding. The distribution becomes harder because the filler loading level is increased and the surface area of the mineral filler increases. The surface area increases rapidly due to the particle size decreases. These are important steps in the process that can affect the quality of PVC. If these requirements are not met completely, the final products physical properties will be affected. 16. Converting: This process is either makes final PVC products for sale or makes components for further uses. Different additives like stabilisers and plasticisers need to be added to PVC resin to create a compound that meets the requirement of the final product and of the processing technology to be used. Compounding may be carried out by the converters or by separate compounders who supply ready-made blends prepared for processing. The PVC compound is then converted by processes such as extrusion, moulding and calendaring. 17.Recycling: Polyvinyl Chloride can be reused; however the purity of the material tends to degrade with each time of reuse cycle. In addition, the separation of the different additives and compounds forming the plastic makes recycle a difficult process. The biggest problem with PVC recycling is that it is difficult to automate the sorting of plastic waste, and so it is labor-intensive. There are three ways of PVC recycling: mechanical recycling, mechanical recycling for mixed plastics and feedstock recycling. (Prepared by Cheah Kai Mun, 0904128) Role of chemical engineer in petrochemical industry Beneath all of the general responsibilities listed above, a petrochemical engineer must engage in numerous specific duties on a daily basis. The first duty which the petrochemical engineer is responsible for completing is research. The petrochemical engineer must take careful steps to ensure that what they are looking to manufacture and how they are looking to manufacture a product is the right avenue to pursue. The way to resolve this issue is by doing a lot of research on a variety of topics relating to petrochemical engineering. The petrochemical engineer is also responsible for designing a variety of items and this is a very important duty which they must complete. A petrochemical engineer must design various items such as measurement and control systems, petrochemical manufacturing equipment and petrochemical manufacturing processes. This is a major duty on the part of the petrochemical engineer and one which must be carried out with preciseness at all levels and stages.   A petrochemical engineer must also engage in a wide array of analyses. The things which the petrochemical engineer must analyze include test data, engineering design, design problems and research findings. The petrochemical engineer must take painstaking measures to adequately analyze these items as the outcome of the project could very well depend on the analysis which is undertaken by the petrochemical engineer.   One who is an engineer must develop certain procedures and policies as well so that there will be smooth operations all the way around the board. Various procedures and policies such as safety procedures, data tables and employment policies may all be in the hands of the petrochemical engineer. A senior level petrochemical engineer will have more to do with regard to developing policies and procedures within the company orcorporation.   The preparation of multiple reports is also in the hands of the petrochemical engineer. The petrochemical engineer must prepare data which specifically details the findings of certain tests and evaluations. These reports can be text or tables depending on the type of report which is needed.   A petrochemical engineer will also deal with other individuals a great deal. The reason for doing so is to relay the results and findings as well as oversee other petrochemical engineers and related workers in their field. From time to time, petrochemical engineers must lecture to their peers and the general public regarding their job and role in society. The Skills/Knowledge required by the engineer In the oil and natural gas industry such as PVC manufacturing industry, the Petrochemical Engineer is playing a important role. With all the products derived from crude oil it is practically impossible to imagine a world without them.   Act as a petrochemical engineer, several skills and knowledge are needed. Petrochemical engineers should be expert in analytical things. They need constantly putting their creativity to work, efficiently and on a large scale, transforming combinations of elements of matter, synthesizing new materials.  Besides, it is important to determine the most effective processes for normal production. For example, Design and develop newest and enhanced processes and equipment for converting the raw materials into products by using computers to simulate and control such processes. Other than that, creative and innovative thinking with excellent problem solving skills is important to a petrochemical engineer. In order to have an organized and high quality products being designed, engineers should always troubleshoot environmental problems in industrial processing and manufacturing plants. Just in the same way, efficient, safe and environmentally responsible plant operations needed to be ensured. Moreover, planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks skills across multiple projects are needed by an engineer. They acquire excellent both spoken and written, communication skills, and cooperate well in teams with people from different backgrounds and disciplines. Engineers, technicians, supervise technologists, and other involved in related activities. Additionally, participates aggressively in new product introduction are motivated, including influencing the design of the product to ensure manufacturability and quality conformance, testing the dependability of prototypes and managing the alteration into production.   Applying mathematical and scientific principles are needed too. Some of the processes such as catalytic cracking is developed by Petrochemical engineers to break down the complex organic molecules found in crude oil into much simpler molecules. Conclusion In a nutshell, chemical engineers need to possess skills, knowledge and experience in order to make the conversion of raw materials that enter the reactor into a useful product that leaves the reactor a success as well as minimizing the damage done to the environment. PVC production is still in demand worldwide even though everyone realizes that PVC takes a long time to decompose. However, the production of PVC will not be stopped as other industries still rely on plastics to manufacture or to pack their products. The industrial method to produce PVC involves 17 processes according to our group research and among the 17 processes some actually emit harmful materials or gases as a byproduct that causes damage to the environment. However, these processes must be made as environmentally friendly as possible to produce PVC without damaging the environment.

Gun Control Essay -- Second Amendment The Right To Bear Arms

â€Å"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.† Does our second amendment really give rights to civilians to carry guns, which are a mechanical device that expels a bullet which can accurately travel colossal distances? As the U.S. sees it today, guns are legal to anyone who fits their criteria. Guns have been used for hundreds of years in the history of our world and nation. However, gun control has been a major debating issue during the past few decades. On one side, there are those who completely agree with the control laws and on the other there are those who oppose gun control laws all together. Gun control opponents provide many justifications for carrying a gun, such as the second amendment, self-defense, hunting, or target practice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guns are not for everyone. Certain individuals cannot handle a firearm safely, and some individuals choose to use firearms unsuitably. Our society has passed laws regulating the possession and use of firearms, and more legislation is being considered. Most of this legislation restricts, to some degree, the rights of individuals to possess or use firearms. â€Å"Some limitations may be necessary, but some modern legislation has gone too far. Society benefits from firearms in the hands of conscientious citizens. Attempts to keep firearms away from these citizens do more harm than good.† (stated by the NRA)   ...

Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 11

The next few hours were the worst of Phil's life. First and foremost was his mother. As soon as shewalked in, Phil's priorities changed from wanting herto comfort him to wanting to comfort her. And ofcourse there wasn't any comfort. All he could do was hold on to her. It's too cruel, he thought dimly. There ought to be a way to tell her. But she would never believe it, andif she did, she'd be in danger,too†¦. Eventually the paramedics did come, but only afterDr. Franklin had arrived. â€Å"I called him,† James said to Phil during one ofthe interludes when Phil's mom was crying on Cliff. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"To keep things simple. In this state, doctors can issue a death certificate if they've seen you withinthe last twenty days and they know the cause ofdeath. We don't want any hospitals or coroners.† Phil shook his head. â€Å"Why? What's your problemwith hospitals?† â€Å"My problem,† James said in a clipped, distinctvoice. â€Å"is that in hospitals they do autopsies.† Phil froze. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. â€Å"And in funeral homes they do embalming. Whichis why I need to be around when they come to pick up the body. I need to influence their minds not toembalm her, or sew her lips shut, or-â€Å" Phil bolted for the bathroom and was sick. Hehated James again. But nobody took Poppy to the hospital; and Dr.Franklin didn't mention an autopsy. He just heldPhil's mother's hand and spoke quietly about how these things could happen suddenly, and how at leastPoppy had been spared any pain. â€Å"But she was so much better today,† Phil's motherwhispered through tears. â€Å"Oh, my baby, my baby.She'd been getting worse, but today she was better. â€Å" â€Å"It happens like that sometimes,† Dr. Franklinsaid. â€Å"It's almost as if they rally for a last burst of life.† â€Å"But I wasn'ttherefor her,† Phil's mom said, andnow there weren't any tears, just the terrible gratingsound of guilt. â€Å"She was alone when she died.† Phil said, â€Å"She was asleep. She just went to sleepand never woke up. If you look at her, you can seehow peaceful it was.† He kept saying things like that, and so did Cliff andso did the doctor, and eventually the paramedicswent away. And sometime after that, while hismother was sitting on Poppy's bed and stroking herhair, the people from the mortuary came. â€Å"Just give me a few minutes,† Phil's mother said, dry-eyed and pale. â€Å"I need a few minutes alonewith her.† The mortuary men sat awkwardly in the family room, and James stared at them. Phil knew what wasgoing on. James was fixing in their minds the factthat there was to be no embalming. â€Å"Religious reasons, is that it?† one of the men saidto Cliff, breaking a long silence. Cliff stared at him, eyebrows coming together.†What are you talking about?† The man nodded. â€Å"I understand. It's no problem.† Phil understood, too. Whatever the man was hearing, it wasn't what Cliff was saying. â€Å"The only thing is, you'll want to have the viewingright away,† the other man said to Cliff. â€Å"Or else a closed casket.† â€Å"Yes, it was unexpected,† Cliff said, his facestraightening out. â€Å"It's been a very short illness.† So nowhewasn't hearing what the men were saying. Phil looked at James and saw sweat trickling down his face. Clearly it was a struggle to controlthree minds at once. At last Cliff went in and got Phil's mother. He ledher to the master bedroom to keep her from seeing what happened next. What happened was that the two men went into- Poppy's room with a body bag and a gurney. Whenthey came out, there was a small, delicate hump in the bag. Phil felt himself losing rationality again. He wantedto knock things down. He wanted to run a marathonto get away. Instead, his knees started to buckle and his visiongrayed out. Hard arms held him up, led him to a chair. â€Å"Hangon,† James said. â€Å"Just a few more minutes. It's al most over.† Right then Phil could almost forgive him for being a bloodsucking monster. It was very late that night when everyone finallywent to bed. To bed, not to sleep. Phil was one solid ache of misery from his throat down to his feet, andhe lay awake with the light on until the sun came up. The funeral home was like a Victorian mansion,and the room Poppy was in was filled with flowersand people. Poppy herself was in a white casket with gold fittings, and from far away she looked as if shewere sleeping. Phil didn't like to look at her. He looked insteadat the visitors who kept coming in and filling theviewing room and the dozens of wooden pews. He'd never realized how many people loved Poppy. â€Å"She was so full of life,† her English teacher said. â€Å"I can't believe she's gone,† a guy from Phil's football team said. â€Å"I'll never forget her,† one of her friends said,crying. Phil wore a dark suit and stood with his motherand Cliff. It was like a receiving line for a wedding.His mother kept saying, â€Å"Thank you for coming,†and hugging people. The people went over and touched the casket gently and cried. And in the process of greeting so many mourners,something strange happened. Phil got drawn in. Thereality of Poppy's death was so real that all the vampire stuff began to seem like a dream. Bit by bit, hestarted to believe the story he was acting out. After all, everybody else was so sure. Poppy hadgotten cancer, and now she was dead. Vampires were just superstition. James didn't come to the viewing.- Poppy was dreaming. She was walking by the ocean with James. It waswarm and she could smell salt and her feet were wetand sandy. She was wearing a new bathing suit, thekind that changes color when it gets wet. She hoped James would notice the suit, but he didn't say anything about it. Then she realized he was wearing a mask. That was strange, because he was going to get avery weirdtan with most of his face covered up. â€Å"Shouldn't you take that off?† she said, thinkinghe might need help. â€Å"I wear it for my health,† James said-only itwasn't James's voice. Poppy was shocked. She reached out and pulledthe mask away. It wasn't James. It was a boy with ash blond hair,even lighter than Phil's. Why hadn't she noticed hishair earlier? His eyes were green-and then they were blue. â€Å"Who are you?† Poppy demanded. She was afraid. â€Å"That would be telling.† He smiled. His eyes wereviolet. Then he lifted his hand, and she saw that hewas holding a poppy. At least, it was shaped like apoppy, but it was black. He caressed hercheek withthe flower. â€Å"Just remember,† hesaid, still smiling whimsically.†Bad magic happens.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Bad magic happens,† he said and turned andwalked away. She found herself holding the poppy.He didn't ‘leave any footprints in the sand. Poppy was alone and the ocean was roaring. Clouds were gathering overhead. She wanted towake up now, but she couldn't, and she was aloneand scared. She dropped the flower as anguish surged through her. â€Å"James!† Phil sat up in bed, heart pounding. God, what had that been? Something like ashout in Poppy's voice. I'm hallucinating. Which wasn't surprising. It was Monday, the dayof Poppy's funeral. In-Phil glanced at the clockabout four hours he had to be at the church. Nowonder he was dreaming about her. But she had sounded so scared†¦. Phil put the thought out of his mind. It wasn'teven hard. He'd convinced himself that Poppy wasdead, and dead people didn't shout. At the funeral, though, Phil got a shock. His fatherwas there. He was even wearing something resembling a suit, although the jacket didn't match thetrousers and his tie was askew. â€Å"I came as soon as I heard†¦.† â€Å"Well, wherewere you?† Phil's mother said, thefine lines of strain showing around her eyes, the way they always did when she had to deal with Phil's father. â€Å"Backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Nexttime, I swear, I'll leave an address. I'll check my messages†¦.He began to cry. Phil's mom didn't sayanything else. She just reached for him, and Phil'sheart twisted at the way they clung to each other. He knew his dad was irresponsible and hopelesslybehind in child support and flaky and a failure. But nobody had ever loved Poppy more. Right then, Philcouldn't disapprove of him, not even with Cliff standing there for comparison. The shock came when his dad turned to Phil beforethe service. â€Å"You know, she came to me last night,† he said in a low voice. â€Å"Her spirit, I mean. She visited me.† Phil looked at him. This was the kind of weird statement that had brought on the divorce. His fatherhad always talked about peculiar dreams and seeingthings that weren't there. Not to mention collecting articles about astrology, numerology, and UFOs. â€Å"I didn't see her, but I heard her calling. I just wishshe hadn't sounded so frightened. Don't tell yourmother, but I got the feeling she's not at rest.† Heput his hands over his face. Phil felt every hair on the back of his neck standup. But the spooky feeling was drowned almost immediately in the sheer grief of the funeral. In hearingthings like â€Å"Poppy will live on forever in our heartsand memories.† A silver hearse led the way to ForestPark cemetery, and everyone stood in the June sunshine as the minister said some last words overPoppy's casket. By the time Phil had to put a rose on the casket, he was shaking. It was a terrible time. Two of Poppy's girlfriendscollapsed in near-hysterical sobs. Phillip's motherdoubled over and had to be led away from the casket.There was no time to think-then or at the potluckat Phil's house afterward. But it was at the house that Phil's two worlds collided. In the middle of all the milling confusion, hesaw James. He didn't know what to do. James didn't fit intowhat was going on here. Phil had half a mind togo over and tell him to get out, that the sick jokewas over. Before he could do anything, James walked up and said under his breath, â€Å"Be ready at eleven o'clock tonight.† Phil was jolted. â€Å"For what?† â€Å"Just be ready, okay? And have some of Poppy'sclothes with you. Whatever won't be missed.† Phil didn't say anything, and James gave him an exasperated sideways look. â€Å"We have to get her out,stupid. Or did you wantto leave her there?† Crash. That was the sound of worlds colliding. For a moment Phil was spinning in space with his feeton neither one. Then with the normal world in shards around him, he leaned against a wall and whispered, â€Å"I can't. Ican't do it. You're crazy.† â€Å"You're the one who's crazy. You're acting like itnever happened. And you have to help, because I can't do it alone. She's going to be disoriented at first, like a sleepwalker. She'llneed you.† That galvanized Phil. He jerked to stand up straightand whispered, â€Å"Did you hear her last night?† James looked away. â€Å"She wasn't awake. She was just dreaming.† â€Å"How could we hear her from so far away? Evenmy dadheard it. Listen.† He grabbed James by thelapel of his jacket. â€Å"Are you sure she's okay?† â€Å"A minute ago you were convinced she was dead and gone. Now you want guarantees that she's fine. Well, I can't give you any.† He stared Phil down with eyes as cold as gray ice. â€Å"I've never done this before, all right? I'm just going by the book. And there are always things that can go wrong.But,†he said terselywhen Phil opened his mouth, â€Å"the one thing I doknow is that if we leave her where she is, she's goingto have a very unpleasant awakening. Get it?† Phil's hand unclenched slowly and he let go of thejacket. â€Å"Yeah. I'm sorry. I just can't believe any ofthis.† He looked up to see that James's expressionhad softened slightly. â€Å"But if she was yelling last night, then she was alive then, right?† â€Å"And strong,† James said. â€Å"I've never known a stronger telepath. She's really going to be something.† Phil tried not to picture what. Of course, Jameswas a vampire, and he looked perfectly normalmost of the time. But Phil's mind kept throwing outpictures of Poppy as a Hollywood monster. Red eyes,chalky skin, and dripping teeth. If she came out like that, he'd try to love her. Butpart of him might want to get a stake. Forest Park cemetery was completely.different at night. The darkness seemed very thick. There was a sign on the iron gate that said, â€Å"No visitors after sunset,† but the gate itself was open. I don't want to be here, Phil thought. James drove down the single lane road that curvedaround the cemetery and parked underneath a hugeand ancient gingko tree. â€Å"What if somebody sees us? Don't they have aguard or something?† â€Å"They have a night watchman. He's asleep. I tookcare of it before I picked you up.† James got out andbegan unloading an amazing amount of equipmentfrom the backseat of the Integra. Two heavy duty flashlights. A crowbar. Some old boards. A couple of tarps. And two brand-new shovels. â€Å"Help me carry this stuff.† â€Å"What's it allfor?†But Phil helped. Gravelcrunched under his feet as he followed James on oneof the little winding paths. They went up some weathered wooden stairs and down the other sideand then they were in Toyland. That was what somebody at the funeral had calledit. Phil had overheard two business friends of Cliff'stalking about it. It was a section of the cemetery where mostly kids were buried. You could tell without even looking at the headstones because therewere teddy bears and things on the graves. Poppy's grave was right on the edge of Toyland. Itdidn't have a headstone yet, of course. There was only a green plastic marker. James dumped his armload on the grass and thenknelt to examine the ground with a flashlight. Phil stood silently, looking around the cemetery.He was still scared, partly with the normal fear that they'd get caught before they got finished, and partlywith the supernatural fear that they wouldn't.Theonly sounds were crickets and distant traffic. Treebranches and bushes moved gently in the wind. â€Å"Okay,† James said. â€Å"First we've got to peel this sod off.† â€Å"Huh?† Phil hadn't even thought about why therewas already grass on the new grave. But of course itwas sod. James had found the edge of one strip and was rolling it up like a carpet. Phil found another edge. The strips were about sixfeet long by one and a half feet wide. They wereheavy, but it wasn't too hard to roll them up and off the foot of the grave. â€Å"Leave 'em there. We've got to put them on againafterward,† James grunted. â€Å"We don't want it to lookas if this place has been disturbed.† A light went on for Phil.†That'swhy the tarpsand stuff.† â€Å"Yeah. A little mess won't be suspicious. But if weleave dirt scattered everywhere, somebody's going towonder.† James laid the boards around the perimeterof the grave, then spread the tarps on either side.Phil helped him straighten them. What was left where the sod had been was fresh,loamy soil. Phil positioned aflashlight and picked upa shovel. I don't believe I'm doing this, he thought. But he was doing it. And as long as all he thoughtabout was the physical work, the job of digging a hole in the ground, he was okay. He concentrated on that and stepped on the shovel. It went straight into the dirt, with no resistance. It was easy to spade up one shovelful of dirt and drop it onto the tarp. But by about the thirtieth shovelful,he was getting tired. â€Å"This is insane. We need a backhoe,† he said, wiping his forehead. â€Å"You can rest if you want,† James said coolly. Phil understood. James was the backhoe. He wasstronger than anyone Phil had ever seen. He pitchedup shovelful after shovelful of dirt without even straining. He made it look like fun. â€Å"Whydon't we have you on any. of the teams atschool?† Phil said, leaning heavily on his shovel. â€Å"I prefer individual sports. Like wrestling,† Jamessaid and grinned, just for a moment, up at Phil. It was the kind of locker-room remark that couldn't be misunderstood from one guy to another. He meantwrestling with, for instance, Jacklyn and Michaela. And, just at that particular moment, Phil couldn't help grinning back. He couldn't summon up anyrighteous disapproval. Even with James, it took a long time to dig thehole. It was wider than Phil would have thought necessary. When his shovel finallychunkedon somethingsolid, he found out why. â€Å"It's the vault,† James said. â€Å"Whatvault?† â€Å"The burial vault. They put the coffin inside it so it doesn't get crushed if the ground collapses. Get outand hand me the crowbar.† Phil climbed out of the hole and gave him thecrowbar. He could see the vault now. It was made ofunfinished concrete and he guessed that it was just a rectangular box with a lid. James was prying thelid off with the crowbar. â€Å"There,† James said, with an explosive grunt as he lifted the lid and slid it, by degrees, behind the concrete box. That was why the hole was so wide, toaccommodate the lid on one side and James on theother. And now, looking straight down into the hole, Philcould see the casket. A huge spray of slightly crushedyellow roses was on top. James was breathing hard, but Phil didn't think itwas with exertion. His own lungs felt as if they werebeing squeezed flat, and his heart was thudding hardenough to shake his body. â€Å"Oh, God,† he said quietly and with no particular emphasis. James looked up. â€Å"Yeah. This is it.† He pushed theroses down toward the foot of the casket. Then, inwhat seemed like slow motion to Phillip, he began unfastening latches on the casket's side. When they were unfastened, he paused for just aninstant, both hands flat on the smooth surface of thecasket. Then he lifted the upper panel, and Phillip could see what was inside.

Wong Kar Wai’s “In the Mood for Love”

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE Set in front of the conservative backdrop of 1960's Hong Kong, Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love tells the intimate tale of two people who, by fate, seem to land themselves in each other's company due to the common bond of the absence of their spouses. The plot of the film is by no means anything original, but it is deeply accentuated by the style in which the film is shot. With unconventional camera angles, an inconsistent musical score, and deep, luscious colors, In the Mood for Love brings a seemingly real perspective to a very personal story. Mr. Chow (Tony Leung) and Mrs. Chang (Maggie Cheung) coincidentally, move in to their small neighboring Hong Kong flats on the same day. Mr. Chow, a newspaper editor with an unseen, but presumably traveling, wife, and Mrs. Chang, a secretary, also with an unseen business executive husband. The two often find their paths crossing as they frequent the same streets, restaurants, and noodle shop. It is when they discover that their spouses are having an affair that they begin to see each other. Unlike very fast paced, show-all, American films, the relationship that blossoms between Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chang is not one of immense passion and love, but more of a deeper unsaid understanding. It is the simple gestures such as the conversations, the gazing into one another's eyes, and the holding of hands where the real relationship lies. This could not be clearer when, in a climactic moment of the film, they briefly caress each other's hands in the back of a taxi. The film is accentuated by the unconventional, but highly innovative camera work throughout. Often times the camera remains stationary while the characters move about, and sometimes out of the frame. It's as if to remind the audience that we are looking through a peep hole rather than through a movie screen, and that there are things that we will not be able to see. Throughout various portions of the film, like the rice cooker scene, for example, you can hear the characters speaking, but you will actually have to visualize what they are doing. The position at which the camera lies throughout the movie is also noteworthy because of the strange angles it is put at, such as under a bed, over a person's shoulder, through metal grating, and in general, low to the ground. It seems that Wong Kar Wai is telling us â€Å"no, that's too easy. You need to look at this from a more difficult position, as if you were eavesdropping on these very private moments†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The rich colors and costumes of the film play a very large part in how the story is told as well. In the first scene, at the appearance of Mrs. Chan and her very colorful dress, the audience is immediately drawn to her and continues to watch her throughout the rest of the film. From then on each dress, one right after the other, begins to astonish the viewer with its lush colors and interesting patterns. This immediately sets Mrs. Chan apart from any other character, especially Mr. Chow, who dresses in relatively the same attire every day, creating a very physical contrast between two characters who are emotionally similar. Not only does the costuming add emphasis to the film, but the lighting of most of the scenes adds another layer onto they already thick stylized coat of the film. Much of the film takes place on the very foreign and almost enigmatic streets of Hong Kong, usually during the night, and we are provided with not quite enough illumination to see everything perfectly. This adds a heightened level of mystery throughout the entire film, especially in the first half, before the characters really meet. The warm colors, in a sense, add quite a bit to the slow pacing of the film. These are not very cold, vivid, or fast colors, but rather ones that let the scenes take their time, in a place where conversations are not hurried and friendly games with neighbors last into the late hours of the night. The editing also does its part to slow down the movie, making the shifts between days seamless and slowing scenes down into slow motion to literally â€Å"juice† the magic out of them. However, much, if not all of the aforementioned material is simply technique none of the true bread and butter of movies is covered. This is simply because there hardly was any. Is the plot original? No, not really. Is the script solid? Well, considering there was no actual script to begin with, no. But is the way in which all of these, otherwise boring, elements filmed beautiful and interesting? Absolutely! It seems that the true core of this movie is missing, but who's to say that every movie has to follow a standard formula? THEMES TIME After reading some interviews I found that Kar-wai was very interested in the past, almost nostalgic for how Hong Kong was when he was growing up. He also finds interesting ways to show the passing of time in In the Mood for Love with the many beautiful dresses that Mrs. Chang wears. ISOLATION Another heavy theme in In the Mood for Love is isolation. In a couple of the interviews Kar-wai mentioned that people (like himself) fleeing Shanghai to Hong Kong basically had to cram into apartments. Kar-wai creates a limited visual space by having actors off-camera, shooting in narrow hallways. Even the character’s emotions seem to distance themselves. CINEMATOGRAPHY The way Wong Kar-wai and Chris Boyle go about shooting movies is the complete opposite from every other director we’ve studied this semester. Instead of taking a more professional approach of meticulously planning out every shot, they figure out what would be best determined by location, and it seems they act more like bumbling film students rather than award winning filmmakers. â€Å"Our styles come from the way we work; like in Fallen Angels we started working in a very small teahouse, and the only way we could shoot the scene was with a wide-angle lens. But I thought the wide-angle lens was too normal, so instead I preferred an extreme wide-angle. And the effect is stunning because it draws the characters very close to the camera but twists the perspective of the space so they seem far away. It became a contrast to Chungking Express, in which people are very far away from the camera but seem so close. Also, we work with very limited budgets and we don't have permits, so we have to work like CNN, you know, just breaking into some place and taking some shots. We often don't have time for setups, and sometimes when neighbors walk into the frames we have to cut them out, and that becomes a jump cut. I think 10 or 15 percent is preconceived. Most of it just happens. † –Wong Kar-wai This is all very surprising because the most notable features in In the Mood for Love is the look of the film, which is beautiful. It’s nice to know there are other ways to go about shooting a film, and that being meticulous doesn’t make you a better director. The way you take on the challenges of shooting a film to be as visually competent as possible makes you a director. WORKING WITH ACTORS Seeing how Kar-wai’s filming techniques are by the seat of your pants, it comes as no surprise that his directing of actors is just as spontaneous. During the filming of In the Mood for Love, Maggie Cheung said that the camera would be far away (because he’s shooting with a wide angle I’d assume) and that he would all of a sudden want to switch the shot to slow motion, without telling any of the actors. â€Å"He will see a shot and then suddenly he will picture it as a slow motion shot and he'll just say, let's try one of those, and then he'll just do it, without us even knowing. I’m not sure if this is the best way to go about directing an actor unless you are absolutely sure about what you’re doing. Wong Kar-wai seems to be a free spirit in the way he speaks, and directs. Plus he has a close relationship with many collaborators so everyone knows what is needed from them to complete his vision. Kar-wai seems to know the most ab out human emotions and how to properly show them on the screen so they’re believable. I remember there was an emotional scene where I was saying good-bye to Andy Lau at a bus stop. We had to retake that scene the next day because I was not very good. I thought I had been good because I had been crying and crying, but Wong Kar Wai said, â€Å"It is not about that. It is not about how many tears drop out of your eyes or how emotional you are. † I said, â€Å"No? But you ask me to cry and I am crying, why am I doing it wrong? † He said, â€Å"But when you cry you should try to hold back. Nobody cries just like that. The minute you feel the sting in your eyes your first reaction should be ‘I don’t want to cry,’ and to hold it back. † INFLUENCES Wong Kar-wai was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong when he was five. Leaving his 40 or so cousins, he became an only child thanks to the Cultural Revolution. Leaving the lifestyle of a small village full of friends and family your own age, to a city full of adults must have been very impressionable on the young Kar-wai. His mother loved movies and luckily for them there were plenty of theaters around playing Western, European, and local films, â€Å"we spent almost every day in the cinemas because she doesn't have any friends or relatives in Hong Kong†. Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and 2046 all take place during the 1960’s in Hong Kong, with slight political undertones so this place and time was obviously very important to him. Wong Kar-wai also seems to be heavily influenced by the French New Wave, but who isn’t? Like The 400 Blows and Breathless, Kar-wai’s films come off as a love letter to their settings because of how beautifully detailed the shots are. You can tell that he is in love with Hong Kong and that it is his greatest influence.