Western Civilization Essay Example for Free

Western Civilization Essay Between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, early modern European society began to fear the possibility that witches existed in their midst. The resultant panic led to massive persecution in the form of the trial and torture and subsequent execution of a 40,000 to 50,000 suspected witches, about 75% of which were women, over a period of 100,000 trials between 1450 and 1750. While estimates written in the mid-1970s place the figures at about 9 million women, this is an exaggerated estimate derived from extremist or polemical feminist accounts which seek to create a proto-feminist depiction of this period. Still, it is difficult to cite any other period in which women were persecuted and subject to atrocities of a similar or larger scale. In any case, it was rapid social, economic and religious transformation in Europe during this time that ‘helped’ set the stage for these witch hunts. Gibbons (1998) notes that the spread of Christianity led to a religious homogeneity that gave way to a declining tolerance towards pagan religions and witchcraft. Additionally, Europe in the early 14th century was crippled by rumors of a ‘malign conspiracy’ to bring down Christianized nations. In essence, the decline of religious diversity that comes with the hegemonic presence of Christianity as spiritual way of life of the common European meant that acceptance of other religions was rapidly diminished. The Black Death or bubonic plague which struck Europe during the mid 14th century intensified the rumors of the aforementioned conspiracy under the allegation that the plague was the creation of witches and other pagans who ostensibly sought to destabilize Christian rule. The implicit impact of the Reformation upon European Christendom also supports this view. During this period, the number of witch trials actually dropped, notes Gibbons (1998). As such, the conflict between the entrenched Catholicism and the emerging Protestant movement resulted in the collapse of Christian orthodoxy. Also, it is interesting to note that only the nations in which rapid development was occurring that the witch hunt panic was at its strongest. Spain, Italy and Portugal did not experience as much panic as the nations of Germany and Switzerland. In any case, the prevailing instability of Europe during this time exacerbated the witch panic. Because European civilization depended heavily on a homogenous grain-based agriculture – but without many of the industrial (albeit environmentally unsustainable) advances and insurances that it enjoys today – it was much more susceptible to the dangers of crop failure. Sociologists have noted that such crop failures are correlated with the occurrence of witch hunts, with the explanation being that there is a tendency within humans to blame inexplicable disaster on a much more ‘known’ variable (albeit one that is not well understood). Communities which experienced the crop failure would take their anxieties out on the community members who were considered deviant and therefore concluded to be responsible for such crop failures. Such a sociological explanation is not far removed from the same conditions which gave rise to the anti-Semitic sentiment that gave rise to Nazism, which blamed the Jewish people for economic problems. By the 18th century, the witch hunts began to subside. Perhaps the most significant macro explanation for this decline was the restoration of stability to Europe, which Hannam (2007) describes as creating an absence of the reasons that started them in the first place. For example, the height of the Salem witch trials occurred when theocratic authority was in question. Greater protections were given to impoverished women when England implemented the Poor Law. Also, radical new works in social thought led to greater acceptance of cultural and religious diversity and pluralism. REFERENCES Kagan, D. , Ozment, S. , Turner, F. (2007) The Western Heritage. 9th Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall. Gibson, J. (1998) â€Å"Recent Developments In The Study of the Great European Witch Hunt. † Pomegranate, Issue 5 Hannam, J. (2007) â€Å"The Decline of Witch Trials in Europe. † Medieval Science and Philosophy. Retrieved May 23, 2008 from: http://jameshannam. com/witchtrial. htm

Canadas Involvement In World War Two History Essay

Canadas Involvement In World War Two History Essay The day World War 2 was announced Canada was still part of the British Commonwealth and the pressure was on them to join the war effort too. Canada did join the war eventually but took a full week to make the final decision after Britain. This decision later would either make or break the victory of the Allies. The majority of Canada greatly contributed to World War 2 by helping Britain greatly financially, providing the Allies with supplies for the war effort and by persuading its citizens to join the army, air force, factories. The greatest weapon, that was mandatory for success was money and wealth. Canada played a major role in providing large amounts of money to the Allies to help with the war effort. Throughout the deadly war, Canada had contributed three billion dollars to Britain and supplied weapons and military vehicles (141, Bryce). By the end of the world war, the British land force was armed with 60 percent Canadian made small rifles, Bren guns and anti-tank weapons. Also, hundreds of Canadian made aircrafts such as the mustangs, hurricanes, and Spitfires. 40 percent of the heavy bomber units used by the RAF were manufactured in Canada (Stacey, Encyclopedia). In the beginning of the war, Britain had eighty thousand military vehicles, but in the escape of Dunkirk they lost seventy five thousand of them. Not only did Canada supply weapons and war materials but Canadas automotive business helped gain the loss of their military vehicles. Not only did Canada re-manufacture what was lost, but they also produced a surplus amount for Britain (Total Effort, Globe and Mail). This shows how willing the citizens and the government were to stop the Nazi Regime. Canada is the nation, Canadians are the people, and Canadians are who helped the allies to gain this victory. September of 1939, 58,337 men and women enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. Aside from the fifty thousand in the Canadian army, large groups of Canadians joined the British army, especially in the Royal Air Force. About 3,000 had joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1939, even though it was small crew it still played an integral role in many of the battles. Another 80,000 Canadians had volunteered for the navy but their services werent needed because the war had ended, before sixty ships and 13,500 men had the chance to be deployed (Veterans Affairs Canada, 2009). The greatest movement between the citizens was during the peak time of the war, when 439,000 women started to work in the service sector, 373,000 in manufacturing and 4,000 in construction. This was significant because the women werent mentally and physically prepared to work in such a small notice. Since for many g enerations women have only stayed home to nurture the children and take care of the house. Going into factories to produce items, let alone weaponry is a big transformation to their or anyones lifestyles (Canadian War Industry, 2007). War is a very a broad word, that combines all the battles that occurred into one category, but if the war is broken down to pieces there are many individual battles that can be analyzed in which Canada had an important role in. Operation D-Day is just one of the important battles that Canada leads the allies to a victory. D-Day was the allied invasion of Normandy, also remembered as the greatest seaborne invasion in history, which was just an 80 km wide stretch of land made up of five individual beaches. Canada was given the middle beach which shows that the allies really trusted the Canadian forces in doing a spectacular job. In total there were about 155,000 soldiers, nearly 5,000 ships, 50,000 vehicles and 11,000 planes were established for the assault. Canada had a share of 14,000 soldiers that were planned to land on the beaches; about another 500 were intended to be drop behind enemy lines by parachute or gliders. The Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force supported t he invasion by deploying 10,000 sailors, Lancaster bombers and Spitfire fighters. With such an armed squad they landed on the shores of Juno Beach where they were part of the British Second Army, under the command of British Lt. General Miles Dempsey. The units were however from all across the country, ranging from North Nova Scotia Highlanders, to the Canadian Scottish Victoria. The plan was carried out at 6 am in the morning with a high artillery strike of the beaches, in within an hour the soldiers were far away from the ships they had landed in. Exactly two hours later, the Canadians had devastated Juno beach and the German army was defenseless (CBC News, 2009). Everyhand feed baby that the world thought Canada was by Britain, was drastically changed after World War 2

Balder Essay :: essays research papers

Frigg loved Balder. She loved him so much that she tried to protect him from everything. Balder was the light of this world and everyone loved him. Frigg went around to everyone in the world and asked for their promise that they would never hurt Balder; she asked the beasts and the elements, she asked mother nature and all the other gods. They had all pledged that they would not hurt Balder, but she missed one little plant since she thought that it was too small and young to do any harm. The mistletoe on the very edge of the world was the only plant that she had not asked for his protection from harm.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She also trusted everyone. She trusted a little too much. She told Loki (who was in disguise) about this one plant that she had overlooked. She loved Balder and trusted all the gods not to put him in harm. They tested it, they threw stones and shot arrows at him which always hit the ground before they got near him. But Loki was jealous of Balder because every one loved him so much. So Loki set out to find the mistletoe. He was so jealous that he wanted Balder dead. His jealousy over took him even though he was a god. He set out and found the mistletoe without any trouble; he then came back to where all the gods were testing out Balder by throwing things at him. Loki found Balder’s blind brother and told him that he should be respectful and throw something at Balder too. So because of Loki’s jealousy he helped the blind brother aim the mistletoe at Balder and throw it. It killed Balder instantly. Even though every one knew that Loki had done it, becau se they had lost the one that they loved they were too sad to do anything about it. Frigg thought that she had made sure of Balder’s safety even though she had overlooked this one small plant. Because Frigg trusted Loki she told him about that plant, she never thought that he would have killed Balder.

Social Organization and Adaptation in Alpine Environments Essay

Social Organization and Adaptation in Alpine Environments Adaptive Strategies in Alpine Environments: Beyond Ecological Particularism, is an article that evaluates the similarities and differences of two alpine environments. The author’s main point of the article is to identify the consistencies of social organization and adaptation throughout communities existing in high altitudes. The mountain chains used to investigate these regularities were the Swiss Alps and the Himalayan Mountains. Along with finding the consistencies of the communities with in the mountains, they also wanted to discover whether adaptation was created though the mountain environment or outside influences. Rhoades and Thompson, through researching these different mountain ranges, find many similarities throughout the alpine communities. The authors have clear points as to why they believe that the Himalayans and the Alps are so similar. What they bring up first is the fact that they are both immense mountain ranges, and because of the size special adaptations are necessary for survival. Throughout the article though, Rhoades and Thompson do not forget the differences of the ranges. The main thing to be aware of, they point out, is the fact that the Alps are surrounded by a technological advanced and wealthy society. Compared to the Alps the Sherpas of the Himalayans are only a herding society that are not affluent, and the only wealth made in the surrounding areas are from the tourism of the mountains. Putting that aside, the similarities are abundant, considering the location and climate of the two ranges. The authors look to subsistence techniques, regulatory devices, ownership patterns, and sociopolitical forms to find the paralle... ...s of similarities from yet another alpine community of the Andes Mountains. In ending, the authors find that they cannot explain the evolution of alpine areas, but they have found that throughout world mountain communities adapt in similar ways to deal with the mountain environment. The authors also wish to expand on this research but hope to further look in to the adaptations as well as the cultures of the groups. Looking throughout the article it seems as if it has completely different intents than our text. Though the article discusses the Sherpas of Nepal, our text has a completely different idea when talking about the Sherpas of Melemchi. Bishop’s text is overall a more comprehensive study of the Sherpa, and gives more detail on their lives. If anything the article adds to the Bishop text and puts the Sherpa of Nepal in the bigger picture of the world.

Communication in The Global Village Essay -- Technology Globalization

The world that we understand is rapidly becoming a much smaller entity. Technology is rapidly bringing us to places we have never been before. Thanks to widespread globalization, and the explosive growth and use of the internet, people are uniting and communicating in ways never dreamed two decades past. While more developed countries are taking advantage of this new global village, less developed countries helplessly stay in their idle life rafts as the sharks of these new virtual communities circle round. In the dawn of time communication started with mediums such as facial expressions, groaning, and sometimes just whacking a member of your community in the head. Communications simplest form is essentially dying with the construction and use of this web of interweaving technology known as the internet. Unlike forms of communication of days long past , not everyone can get involved in this World Wide Web. The internet is a community that uses a simple non intentional form of segregation that limits the use of the internet to people who live in countries that have the ability to set up these online villages. The makings of this new virtual revolution is essentially separating people. In the article Social Policy for Cyberspace, Dale Spender argues how people are being rapidly separated into two groups: the Master Minds and those that are being kept in the dark. She also explains how the People in the real world are being divided up into the information-rich and the poor. (Spender, Composing Cyberspace, p 266.) Basically the people with access to a global village are moving forward and the people in underdeveloped countries are lying stagnant. Like myself, Spender believes strongly in the well being of Third World countri... ...ciety demands a world that must rapidly change and make life easier we will strive to achieve that level no matter what the task. Eventually everyone on this earth will be able to connect to create the ultimate utopian global village, but until then we must look to countries less fortunate than us and continue to try and industrialize them to bring them up to our cyber caliber before they are forgotten. Priority needs to be given to research and policies that actually examine and deal with the impact that the new technologies are having on human beings, globally, nationally and locally. (Spender, Composing Cyberspace, p 269.) Works Cited Holten, Richard. Composing Cyberspace: Identity, community, and knowledge, in the electronic age. United States: Mcgraw-hill companies inc. 1998. Spender, Dale. Composing Cyberspace; Social Policy for cyberspace. P. 266

Abortion Pill

â€Å"The abortion pill should be banned due to the negative consequences it causes to women† ________ Abstract The New Era's freedom of sexuality and contraception's campaigns had reached all the world, leading as a consequence the fact that in every country there are more and more unwanted pregnancies. Conception has been debated for so long, and there's not a scientific posture accepted officially by any nation, so due to desperation, medical experts had created what appeared to be -for some- the solution to unplanned pregnancies, the abortion pill.The components of this pill are lethal if the it doesn't work as it meant to be, psychological and physical effects can remain forever in women's life, without even a possible cure, depending on the cases. The purpose of this essay is to proof that its better to think before making any decision that will bring serious impacts in people's life, including family and of course, society; abortion with the pill its not easier or less painful than the other ways. INTRODUCTIONAbortion had been part of our history from many years ago, but do we really know how it appeared and how it influences negatively our society?. I shall began the development of this controversial subject by exposing the genesis of abortion; the first evidence of induced abortion is from the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus near the 1550 BC, but it was in China were this matter became a concurrent practice between women, so according to Chinese folklore, the Emperor Shennong prescribed mercury to induce abortions.In primitive cultures, they used physical activities as a way to interrupt pregnancy, such as climbing, weightlifting or diving, while others tend to use plants and its poisons or pouring hot water into the abdomen. Some archaeological discoveries indicate that surgical attempts to extract the fetus existed in these cultures. In Greece and Rome, abortion was practiced as well. Hippocrates, a Greek physician forbid the use of pessaries or vagina l suppositories to induce the interruption; apparently because they caused vaginal ulcers, in an oath for doctors.In the other hand, Scribonius Largus, a Roman famous doctor said that â€Å"Hippocrates, who founded our profession, laid the foundation for our discipline by an oath in which it was proscribed not to give a pregnant woman a kind of medicine that expels the embryo or fetus†[1]; the interpretation of this oath was only applied for women who were not prostitutes, because otherwise they would have to use methods such as jumping and touching their buttocks with their heels on each leap.There were found likewise certain objects described as instruments that apparently dilated cervix and curette inside of the uterus. Moving on to the second and third century, Tertullian, a Christian theologian, described surgical implements that were part of a procedure very close to what now we call dilation and evacuation, it consisted on a tool like an annular blade to curette and a blunted or covered hook to extract the fetus, they would use as well a copper needle or spike.Tertullian said that this procedures could take place only when the fetus was in an abnormal position in the womb and it would endanger the life of the mother, or when it had expired in the uterus[2]. Hyppolytus of Rome, wrote about women that binded tightly themselves around the middle in order to expel what was being conceived. Later on from 5th century to 18th, appeared new methods of abortions. The most popular one was to sit over a pot of steamed onions or to massage pressuring the abdomen to expulsion the baby.The physical means remained represented this time by battery or tightening the girdle, these were special bands worn while being pregnant to support the belly. In New Zealand, before colonization, drugs, religious ceremonies and the restriction belt were used. In Asia, the peasant Japanese women were hit till they abort, a proof of this are the statues erected in memory of abort ion in the Temple of Yokohama. In Cambodia's temples in their walls are some decorating paintings that shows a demon performing an abortion upon a oman who has been sent to the underworld for committing such a crime. In the 19th century, there were notorious advances in surgery, anesthesia and sanitation, and abortion was banned in the United States of America. Even though, research has shown that the most common and illegal method by that time was the flush inside the uterus. In France, family planning writers convinced the society that abortion was a logical solution to unwanted pregnancies. Women got desperate and started using objects such as spoons, sticks, candles and knives to abort.Statistics show that abortion remained dangerous and that 150,000 abortions that occurred annually in the U. S during the 20th century, one in six resulted in death[3]. The natural abortifacients were the inspiration for the creation of the abortion pill, this included botanical preparations with Italian catnip, cyperus, pennyroyal (which is lethal), savin, opium, lavender and thyme, even animals were used like crushed ants, saliva of camels and hairs of deers and even bear's fat.The abortion pill began in New York during the 1830's by Madame Restell who illicitly provided surgical abortion and the pill. She offered confidence and a good job, she called them â€Å"Female Monthly Regulation Pills†, the labels she used as advertising told about birth control and a possible miscarriage. Her purpose was to help women at first, but hen it became a millionaire business and she took advantage of it, extending her services not only to unmarried women who were pregnant, but also to those who were married and didn't want a baby yet, leading to the pioneer of family limitation of the time.She remained forty years in the market and was always the main target of criticism, she got arrested in 1841 and committed suicide in 1878[4]. The abortion pill's main component is called Mifep ristone, which is a synthetic steroid used as a pharmaceutical. Its both used as a contraceptive and an abortifacient during the first two months of pregnancy. It was discovered by Georges Teutsch, developed in Roussel-Uclaf Co. in 1980 but bettered by Emile Baulieu, who made tests of its use in eleven women in Switzerland at the University of Geneva's Cantonal Hospital, the results ere successful and in 1988 France announced its approval, despite antiabortion movements that took place. French government decided to distribute it free of charge and near 34,000 women used this pill for a short period of time, until Roussel-Uclaf settled a price. Mifepristone was introduced to Great Britain and Sweden in 1991, this is when the Roman Catholic Church protested and blocked all types of distribution of the abortion pill. After all boycotts, Exegyl in 1999 got the approval of Mifegyne (Mifepristone) in eleven additional countries and in 28 countries over the following decades.This medicine is approved for: Medical termination of pregnancies (up to 49 days of gestation), dilation of the cervix prior to mechanical cervical dilatation and labor induction in fetal death inside the uterus. This is sold in the U. S, and a 600 mg dose is administered combined with the proper counseling session; then 400 mg of misoprostol is given to the patient in order to provoke contractions, the accuracy of this method is calculated in the 92% of the cases, and if its not, then surgical procedure takes place.Its obvious that the purpose of this pill is to end up with life and bring to the whole world a new era of irresponsibility and freedom of sexual relations without contraceptive methods and promiscuity. Abortion's consequences can be referred as physical and psychological, though it varies from woman to woman, it depends on the organism and how it works, as well as moral and ethic values. Regarding physical aspect, it is proven by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists t hat this method has a risk of 0. 23% of failure and could lead to negative consequences for the mother[5].The list of complications can begin with abdominal pain, uterine cramping and vaginal bleeding from 9 up to 16 days, even though the last research show that almost 8% of women experienced bleeding for at least 30 days and between 4. 5 and 7. 9% of women require a surgical intervention, as we know this can lead to a more dangerous procedure. Nausea, vomiting, fatigue and diarrhea with fever are some other side effects. As we can see, its not only getting rid of a life, but jeopardizing your own body's health. The worst physical effect could be the Pelvic Inflammatory Disease also alled PID, which affects not only the uterus, but also the fallopian tubes and the ovaries by scarring inside the reproductive organs. Infections might take place due to viral, fungal, parasitic and bacterial infections. Over 100,00 women become infertile in the US each year because of PID[6], it can als o cause appendicitis, ruptured ovarian cysts and even tumors. This disease may be curable but in the worst of cases it can be permanent if the infection is in the fallopian tubes or ovaries, to avoid all this complications is through prevention.Infertility maybe a result of the use of the pill, this is the proof that using it is like playing to the roulette, you don't know what you are going to get afterwards. Neonatal exposure to a single large dose of Mifepristone causes both functional and structural reproductive abnormalities. In fact, 71 cases registered between 1987 and 1998 as continued pregnancy after the failure of using the pill, it is estimated that about 405,000 medical terminations of pregnancy using Mifepristone in the United Kingdom, France and Sweden.In 21 of the cases, Mifepristone was used alone, and in the others it was combined with misoprostol, sulprotone, gamesprost and an unspecified prostagladin. The research concluded that eight cases from the 71 embryos wer e malformed[7]. There's another example occurred in Brazil, a study showed that 42 infants ex[posed to the abortion pill (200-1600mg dose), had defects after their mothers fail in interrupting pregnancy during the first three months of gestation, proving that this problem is not only in Europe and North America, its also an issue of Latin America countries.Consequences are not just about physical, psychological might be even worse. Researches has been interested in post-abortion reactions, concluding in a period of psychiatric emotional paralysis, also called numbness; this mean women are unable to express any feeling or emotion, in order to finally get over it. Between 40 and 60% of women questioned reported negative reactions, 55% expressed guilt even after weeks of having committed abortion, 44% had nervous disorders, 36% had sleep lack, 31% experimented regrets and 11% has prescription of psychotropic medicine.These results are really alarming considering that these studies were made 8 weeks after abortion. Another research was based in interviewing 500 women, the 10% of them agreed that they had serious psychiatric complications and the 50% experienced negative feelings and hate for themselves. Statistics reveal that sex life of aborting women is affected dramatically represented by the 30-50% of sexual dysfunctions, losing pleasure for intercourse, pain and aversion to sex even males; or by the contrary promiscuous life style.As a result, most of them end up pregnant again to make up for what they did before. Teenagers that tend to abort, have higher risks of living with psychological perturbations forever, even more if they are under 17 years old; symptoms include self-reproach, depression, social regression, withdrawal, obsession to become pregnant again and hasty marriages[8]. Data indicates that there's a five tot en year period of denial of a woman who is traumatized by abortion in which she may repress all her feelings, avoid people, situations or events that could remind her of that episode.But it's not over at all, other women might feel pleased at first, but decades later they will burst into an emotional crisis, mainly during menopause, abortion is like a ghost chasing women's memories. Family is also affected by abortion, this is because all these psychological reactions increase the self-destructive behavior, the 80% percent of the questioned women expressed to feel self-hatred. The 49% reported drug abuse and the 39% began abusing from alcohol.Near the 14% accepted becoming alcoholic or addicted after the abortion period, the most worrying fact is that more than the half of them with the 60% have thought about suicide only the 28% succeeded in the attempt more than two or three times[9]. Considering all these numbers and information based on multiple studies done for years, it's time to educate our society in first place to avoid all this terrible and unnecessary nightmare women have to live everyday, because abortion unfortunately is an everyday issue.Women should analyze all the risks they are running only for some minutes of pleasure, responsibility is the most assertive way to handle sex life, the use of contraception had been promoted worldwide constantly since long time ago, so there's basically no excuse for acting selfish regarding a pregnancy. Is understood as well that there's non consensual intercourse, but never the less there other solutions for an unwanted child such as giving him/her up for adoption, since there are so many families wanting so much to have children without the opportunity to.The government is the one that should encourage teenagers and in general all the population to think about this issue and impose policies that supports correct sexual education so abortion rate could decrease. Life is a gift from God that should be appreciated despite any fact, we have no right to decide if someone must live or die. Medicine and technology had helped society grow this last year s, but it doesn't mean we don't have to set up limits to it, we can't let them control our lives and our destiny.The abortion pill should be banned not only because of scientific facts shown before but for ourselves, to make a better place we can live in. This not only about one life and by being selfish, but about our community and the example we are leaving behind for our future generations. Methods like this jeopardize the integrity of family, the moral values that makes it the nucleus of the society, setting the standards of promiscuity and false sexual freedom. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Scribonius, Compositiones Praef. 5. 0–23 (Translated and cited in Riddle's history of contraception and abortion) 2. Celsus (1935). â€Å"Prooemium†. In W. G. Spencer. De medicinal.London: Heinemann. p. 457. OCLC  186696262. http://penelope. uchicago. edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Celsus/7*. html. 3. Streitmatter, Rodger (2001). Voices of Revolution. Columbia University Press. p. 169 4. Richard son, Cynthia Watkins (2002). â€Å"In the Eye of Power: The Notorious Madam Restell† (PDF). Khronikos (University of Maine) 5. The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion  : Evidence-based clinical uideline number 7. London 6. STD Facts – Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)†. http://www. cdc. gov/std/PID/STDFact-PID. htm. 7. UK multicentre study group. The efficacy and tolerance of Mifepristone and prostaglandin in termination of pregnancy of less than 63 days gestation; UK multicentre study—final results. Contraception 1997; 55: 1-5 8. Wallerstein,et. al. , â€Å"Psychosocial Sequelae of Therapeutic Abortion in Young Unmarried Women†, Archives of General Psychiatry (1972) vol. 27 9.Reardon,†Criteria for the Identification of High Risk Abortion Patients: Analysis of An In-Depth Survey of 100 Aborted Women†, Presented at the 1987 Paper Session of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research, Denver. 10. Wilke, Handbook on Abortion, (C incinnati, Hayes Publishing Co. , 1979 11. Zimmerman, Passage Through Abortion (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1977 ———————– [1]Scribonius, Compositiones Praef. 5. 20–23 (Translated and cited in Riddle's history of contraception and abortion) [2]Celsus (1935). â€Å"Prooemium†. In W. G. Spencer. De medicina.London: Heinemann. p. 457. OCLC  186696262. http://penelope. uchicago. edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Celsus/7*. html. 1. [3]Streitmatter, Rodger (2001). Voices of Revolution. Columbia University Press. p. 169 1. [4]Richardson, Cynthia Watkins (2002). â€Å"In the Eye of Power: The Notorious Madam Restell† (PDF). Khronikos (University of Maine). [5]The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion  : Evidence-based clinical guideline number 7. London [6]†STD Facts – Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)†. http://www. cdc. gov/std/PID/STDFact-PID. htm. [7]UK multicentre study group.The efficacy an d tolerance of Mifepristone and prostaglandin in termination of pregnancy of less than 63 days gestation; UK multicentre study—final results. Contraception 1997; 55: 1-5 [8]Wallerstein,et. al. , â€Å"Psychosocial Sequelae of Therapeutic Abortion in Young Unmarried Women†, Archives of General Psychiatry (1972) vol. 27 [9]Reardon,†Criteria for the Identification of High Risk Abortion Patients: Analysis of An In-Depth Survey of 100 Aborted Women†, Presented at the 1987 Paper Session of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research, Denver

The Ocean

Why do I do it? Why do I scare myself with the ocean†¦? It is true, it is merciless, literally; it’s not conscious, so it has no feelings, no remorse, no pity, no awareness. It would be wrong to say it is inanimate, because it is certainly animate. And not alive, yet contains so much life within it might as well be. Like a Frankenstein body filled with cells and bacteria and nerve impulses yet no consciousness. My worst nightmare – I don’t have it very often but it’s a strong one – can take a variety of forms and happen in a variety of places: it’s being overwhelmed by a tsunami.I sat watching one of the biggest waves in the world – at Teahupoo – with my friend, a psychologist. I asked her what a psychologist would say that fear of a tsunami meant. â€Å"I dunno. Probably something to do with your mother. Normally is, eh? †. But I can’t help thinking I’m also just simply scared of death by drowning. Why then do I travel by freighter ship, why then do I want to sail across the ocean in a tiny sail boat? Funnily, the tsunami dream never occurs at sea. It’s always the shore that is inundated. With that wall of approaching death. But the sea still scares me.As well it should. It is the only sensible reaction to be cautious of such a beast. I keep on wishing to anthropomorphise it. Should I? Cautious, yes†¦ but scared? I’m trying to work out is my fear rational or irrational. Do I think the sea, the ocean, symbolises something, someone? Do I think something – like the tsunami – is coming to get me? Or someone? Or is it myself that’s haunting me? Even here on the bridge, of a vast freighter ship, 150 feet above the calm dark waters of the Pacific, I worry. I am outside, I hear a horn. Was that ours, I ask?The watchmen say no maybe it was the radio. It wasn’t a radio. I check the radar – nothing. I skip outside again this time with bi noculars. Give me a man with binoculars over your electronic instruments. Or is it just my lack of faith? Faith in what? In technology? In buoyancy? In myself? Every time I stand at a railing I crouch slightly. I am secretly terrified that someone might come up behind me and just topple me in. Even during the day to drop off the side of this ship would be practically certain death. No doubt about it. You would be gone, gone, gone.No one would see. And by the time they noticed your absence at dinner they would never, ever find you. Maybe the worst thing is that I know the ocean could swallow this whole enormous ship and not care. Not even show a trace of where it had been. Two miles deep in a matter of hours. The first mate assures me, helpfully, that yes, that could happen. Sometimes, they break in two, he says. And sink in minutes. So helpful. Not what I expected or hoped for him to say. And maybe that’s another thing. That if you die in a car crash at least there’s a body.There’s something for your family to cry over, to mourn, there’s a proof that you existed. Die in the ocean and they’ll probably never find your body. Your life, and the physical proof of your existence, will both be gone at the same time. We like to think we would live on in other’s memories. But it would be nice to have a grave. And there’s no substitute for still existing. I never realised before: yes, I want to lie in a grave. I want to die in a bed, and then be put in a grave. An orchard, where I can turn into sweet apples. Don’t tell anyone.But here, I don’t belong. This is not where I came from. As beautiful as it is this place, under the moon, the light on the ocean (or is that glimmer some obstacle we are heading for a collision with? ) it is not our home. We are not returning to the ocean, because it’s not where we’re from. Our bodies know this. They are averse to the endless waters where we could be lost , forever, completely, and never nurture the lands of our home again. On the horizon there is lightning. We can see a long way here: we can see everything – so we see lightning striking on all sides.Far in the distance. Out here, this is the wilderness, the wildnerness that was always here, and always will be. So much the same, and yet it keeps changing. Yet never for the better – not for good. You can never truly know it, and never make it your home, not here; however good your bushcraft. On land, in the wilderness, you could find a cave, a tree, build a cabin, protect yourself from the elements. Former wildernesses are communities, pubs, shopping malls. But the sea will always be a wilderness. Simply enough to lay your nose and mouth in will kill you.Just imagine what a whole ocean of it could do. What if that lightning suddenly strikes, on all sides, the rain lashing down, the waves lapping up? Already every time a furniture fitting shudders I worry. I stop writing to judge our pitch, our roll, is everything okay? I think I’m becoming more like my mum. But what if that lightning animated the sea, struck, lit it up with its ferocious flash of energy and gave life to that unconscious Frankenstein body? It’s alive, and it’s all around us, it’s angry and wild and immense.The combination is overwhelming, impressive, and terrifying. It’s alive, it towers over you; it’s coming to get you. You wonder why it hasn’t got you already. What watery trickery these sailors have with their heavy keel, with their well-shaped hull: to cheat death and rob the sea of its would-be prize. But the sea doesn’t care. It is poised over you like a skyscraper, one that comes crashing down every few seconds. And it does that again. And again. And again. Every few seconds, on every side. For hours. And then it’s calm. And as quickly as the storm came it relinquishes you.After all, it doesn’t care, it†™s not a man, an intellect, or a vengeance. It’s not your subconscious. It’s just a storm. And all that you have to protect yourself from it – all that I have to protect myself from it – is not luck or fate or talismans or wishes or even hopes or life plans or dreams. Nor technology nor skill nor discipline nor toil nor anything earned. Only yourself – only myself. Relying on myself, knowing myself, trusting, completely, myself, my mind, my body, my thoughts, my actions. And maybe that is why the ocean is so so scary.