Social Movements Essay Example For Students

Social Movements Essay Elspeth WilsonA Partial View of Political ProcessSocial movements require a fairly complex and multi-dimensional paradigm in order to adequately explain the multiplicity of factors that contribute to their development and sustenance. Like both McAdam and Costain, I believe that the political process model is a much more appropriate theory for social movements than either the classical model (with its emphasis on psychology) or the resource mobilization model (with its ultra-capitalistic approach to all socio-political interactions). Indeed, unlike the classical and resource mobilization theories, the political process model incorporates a number of different factors, making it significantly more realistic and versatile. Both McAdam and Costain analyze a set of empirical evidence in order to judge the credibility of the political process model as a comprehensive paradigm for social movements. While I except the political process model as the most accurate theoretical description of so cial movements, I do not agree with Costain’s reformulation of ‘political process.’ Indeed, I believe that Costain succumbs to a subtle regression into elitist theory. In Social Movements as Interest Groups, Costain begins by stating that â€Å"traditional measures of interest group influence frequently fail to capture the impact social movements have on legislation† (p. 285). From this opening, we can assume that she intends to reveal the actual impact of social movements on legislation through a non-traditional method of measurement. In this context, Costain searches for a theory that captures the influential dynamics of social movement success. Her answer is the political process theory, which â€Å"suggests that the presence of leadership and resources (particularly those provided by external groups) is less important in determining movement success than the structure of political opportunity faced by the movement† (p. 288). But what exactly constitutes this structure of political opportunity? Costain argues that movements only emerge when the federal government becomes more favorable and supportive towards the members and goals o f the movement. Thus, according to Costain, the mild support of the government was instrumental in the psychological preparation of the movement’s members; a favorable government encouraged women to realize that there was a possible political solution to their discontent. In this way, at the base of every successful social movement, Costain establishes a prerequisite of an increasingly favorable government (that spurs the psychological state necessary for a large-scale social movement). Thus, the government indirectly influences the formation of the social movement, and the social movement then pressures its (oftentimes reluctant) supporter to pass legislative or protective action. In Costain’s model, the government is the key figure in both the formation and the success of the social movement. While the government clearly plays an important role in almost every stage of the formation and proliferation of a social movement, I do not think that it is nearly so crucial to the birth of social movements. Indeed, I find Costain’s emphasis on government a sort of regression to the earlier elitist theories concerning the resources necessary for the success of a social movement. The national government is essentially an elitist institution. Federalism (combined with the basic prerequisites of contemporary successful politicians) makes a certain degree of elitism a necessary reality of American representative democracy. Thus, Costain’s paramount emphasis of governmental influence on the formation of social movement is not entirely consistent with political process theory. Furthermore, I believe that there is sufficient evidence that governmental support does not always precede the formation of successful social movements. While both the civil rights movement and the wo men’s movement might both seem to superficially conform to the ‘governmental support clause’ of Costain’s political process paradigm, this is certainly not the case with all movements. For example, a movement that is particularly hostile towards the government (or seeks to negatively influence the actions of the government) would probably find the government to be fairly unreceptive to their views. This type of negativity would remove the step of governmental support from the equation because it would be exceedingly illogical for the government to support a group that was fundamentally against it. Thus, when analyzing a movement that takes a stand against the direct actions of the federal government, we would clearly not expect the emergence of the movement to be preceded by governmental support for its cause. The anti-war movement represents one of the more significant and widespread social movements of the twentieth century. The government, however, had little interest in the facilitation of the movement’s goals for world peace and an end to the Vietnam War. Because of this, I must argue that government facilitation and support of movements is not necessarily the primary requirement for the formation of all social movements. Instead, I believe that a movement can have a profound impact by inciting the sympathies of large sections of the American populace—this is what most contemporary social movements tend to do. It is likely that this type of sympathetic identification is also a fairly modern phenomenon, and has resulted primarily from the advent of sophisticated forms of mass media (particularly television news programs that reach a large sector of the population). Indeed, it is the sympathetic response of people to profound cases of injustice that seems to place government in the oftentimes-uncomfortable position of having to remedy the situation. For instance, during the civil rights movement, people were horrifie d and outraged at the violent means used by the police to subdue peaceful black protestors. Similarly, the anti-war protests at colleges like Kent State, Berkeley, and Santa Barbara, resulted in horribly violent encounters between the students and the police. Regardless of whether or not the public agreed with the students’ goals, there amassed widespread sympathy for the peaceful protestors that were consistently assaulted by the police. While war is traditionally a time of patriotism, mass protests coupled with media coverage of the horrors of the actual fighting, lead to a stigmatization of the Vietnam War and the resignation of President Johnson from the presidential race. I understand that the anti-war movement may be a difficult social movement to analyze due to its lack of organization. However, I believe that it represents an important exception to Costain’s emphasis on the role of the government at the beginning stages of social movements. While the government may often alter its convictions towards a movement, and become more supportive, I do not believe that this is a necessary component for the development of a successful movement. Indeed, with the help of the press and the media, a large grassroots movement can certainly work its way from the people (bottom) to the government (top), rather than beginning with the government before becoming an important influence in American society. Contemporary social movements are much more dynamic and less predictable than Costain’s argument implies. While I disagree with Costain, I do not believe that my skepticism actually harms the political process theory (as I was expressed by McAdam). Indeed, political process theory remains the most plausible explanation for the complex and dynamic nature of American social movements. Political Issues

Managing Disasters Students Essay Example

Managing Disasters Students Essay Students have a major role to play in managing disasters. They can: †¢ Spread awareness about disasters and tips to handle them. †¢ Organise mock camps in their holidays in neighboring villages to train people to cope up with disasters like earthquakes †¢ Be part of emergency rescue teams mostly the training goes side by side along with compulsory military training programs (another opinion: Search and rescue is a highly specialized job and should be left to professionals) A big aspect of disaster management is preparedness. The basic role of the student is AWARENESS of what to do during and after disasters. This would lessen panicking, paranoid and uncontrollable people running around. Knowing what to do when disaster strikes will also lessen the death toll. Knowing what to do after disaster, and at least basic first aid, will enable students help the authorities in saving lives. The role of students in any capacity is to learn as much as they can about the subject at hand. In the case of disaster management, this is a very wide open field. A student should learn causes of disasters and figure out ways to reduce the risk of an catastrophe from happening in the first place. Here is what wikipedia has to say about disaster management: Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. It is a discipline that involves preparing, supporting, and rebuilding society when natural or human-made disasters occur. We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Disasters Students specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Disasters Students specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Disasters Students specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In general, any Emergency management is the continuous process by which all individuals, groups, and communities manage hazards in an effort to avoid or ameliorate the impact of disasters resulting from the hazards. Actions taken depend in part on perceptions of risk of those exposed. Effective emergency management relies on thorough integration of emergencyplans at all levels of government and non-government involvement. Activities at each level (individual, group, community) affect the other levels. It is common to place the responsibility for governmental emergency management with the institutions for civil defense or within the conventional structure of the emergency services. In the private sector, emergency management is sometimes referred to as business continuity planning. * Students can help in rehabilitation and resettlement of victims * They can spread awareness through rallies in streets * Volunteer in the information centres and form associations for the Disaster-Day * Provide the victims with basic needs * Preventing disasters at home stopping building fires due to petty reasons like a short circuit

Significance Of Semiotic Texts In Gang Culture

Significance Of Semiotic Texts In Gang Culture Introduction Gangs use various signs and symbols to communicate different messages. Gang sub-culture has taken root in many urban areas across the world. Gang members have unique signs and symbols which they use to distinguish themselves from members of other gangs. This paper will discuss various signs and symbols commonly used in gangs and how they impact on the way gang members interact.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Significance Of Semiotic Texts In Gang Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hand Signs Gang members use hand signs to pass across different messages to their peers. These messages are only understood by gang members. Gang members use these signs to pass across instructions to their fellow members to do particular actions. These hand signs are done through symbols of letters or gestures to convey certain meanings. In many urban societies, gang culture has become one of the most common methods of self-expression. Hand signs make it possible for gang members to interact and exchange specific information related to their own dealings (Carlie, 2002). These signs help to convey different types of messages which a gang member is supposed to carry out as expected of him. Hand signs are normally accompanied by other gestures to convey visual messages to targeted recipients. Walking styles and other forms of body language help to communicate different ideas between gang members. Sometimes, they serve as warnings of imminent arrests from law enforcement officers. Hand signs can also be used to warn a gang member of a possible violent attack by members of an opposing gang. Gang affiliation is a sub-culture which has gained popularity among many young people. Hand signals are used to communicate anger, feelings of disrespect or other desires between two or more gang members (Carlie, 2002). Therefore, gang members use these signs to show their loyalty and the pride they have in being me mbers of their gang. Tattoos Tattoos are some of the most common signs used to identify gang members. Gang members use tattoos to show the respect they command within their gangs. These tattoos serve as symbols of activities which an individual gang member has done to show his loyalty. Gang members who are willing to endure pain and torture without revealing secret criminal dealings of their gangs are highly respected. Therefore, tattoos are used to show how valuable they are to their gangs and the roles they play as members of their respective gangs (Schneider, 1999, p. 67). Gang members who have gone to prison for one offence or another are also highly regarded and this is shown through tattoos they have on their bodies. Some tattoos are used to show the number of people a gang member has killed or the activity which he has done to earn the respect of his fellow gang members.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first pap er with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, tattoos are some of the most common symbols used in gang sub-cultures for different reasons. They can also be used to show respect for fellow gang members killed by other rival gangs. In many instances, gang members use tattoos to show their masculinity and bravado so as to intimidate other people. Tattoos are symbols of rebellion to the rule of law and order, which is one of the most common values gangs are known for. Some gang members also believe in various myths which they believe have strong relevance to their gangs (Schatzberg, p. 59). They etch tattoos on their bodies to signify that they revere these mythologies because of the value attached to them by their gangs. They are socialized by their leaders to attach a lot of value to these myths to enable them perform their roles effectively. Graffiti and other Symbols Other symbols which are commonly used by gangs include graffiti, clothing, accessories, colors and language. Graffiti is used to mark out territories in urban areas where gangs obtain illegal revenue from. These visual displays serve to warn other rival gangs not to do any ‘business’ in those locations failure to which they will face violent repercussions. Graffiti is also used to threaten members of particular gangs with violence if they continue doing a particular activity in a certain area (Klein, 2006, p. 79). Clothes, accessories and different colors are used to identify members of a gang and their attachment to its values. Sagging pants was a common form of gang expression used in the 1990’s to communicate various messages on male sexuality. Some gangs have their own language which members use to communicate to stop their secrets from leaking out to law enforcement officers. All these signs help to convey particular messages about gangs and their sub-cultures. Gang members are socialized to appreciate these signs because they strengthen their loyalty to their gang s. Signs and symbols help to make members aware on activities which they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to do them. These symbols are also pronouncements of deeds which have occurred or have not yet taken place. Signs and symbols help to convey various values and attitudes which gang members in various urban locations have a lot of pride in. References Carlie, M. (2002). Graffiti and other gang identifiers. Into the abyss:A personal journey into the world of street gangs. Retrieved from http://people.missouristate.edu/MichaelCarlie/what_i_learned_about/gangs/graffiti_and_other_identifiers.htmAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Significance Of Semiotic Texts In Gang Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Klein, M.W. (2006). Street gang patterns and policies. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Schatzberg, R. (1993). Black organized crime in Harlem: 1920-1930. New York, NY: Garland Publishing. Schneide r, E.C. (1999). Vampires-dragons-and Egyptian kings: Youth gangs in postwar New York. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999.

I just need a one page summary on an argument Essay

I just need a one page summary on an argument - Essay Example They hold that decisions made by individuals in their health are binding in the case they become terminally ill or incapacitated. For this reason, they support practices of advance directives, arguing that they do not pose any risks to patients (Levine, 2009). This further implies that advance directives do not in any way limit rights of patients. Patients have choices to make; meaning that those that do not wish to document their wishes at a time they are incapacitated can refrain from doing so. Arguments against advance directives hold that patients at their health may lack adequate information about advance directives, and they may, therefore, make hasty decisions without necessarily knowing how they would react in an incapacitation situation. In such a circumstance, patients’ autonomy in the context of advance directives is questioned. However, Steven Luttrell and Ann Sommerville argue that patients and people in general always make decisions without necessarily having adequate information about a situation. On the same note, judgment is used where experience lacks. Fundamentally, the directive cannot be implemented if the patient in his or her terminal illness changes his or her mind on earlier filed advance

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Research Paper Example Individual beliefs and perceptions have a significant influence on their health. Research studies and works in this direction have proved that these beliefs affect individual behaviour in terms of their eating habits, medication routine or following their doctors’ instructions. Such behavioural aspects also have a strong impact on the individual’s physiological system and its effects on the immune system or cardiovascular systems. Research evidence has also supported the belief that the patient’s health conditions are also influenced by the beliefs and perceptions of the health professionals. The health professionals’ belief impacts the nature of treatment adopted and the way it impacts the patient’s own perception on his health condition and subsequent health behaviour (Broome and Llewelyn, 1995). The theoretical approaches and research findings over the decades have sought to explain the impact of such variables on individual health behaviour and the extent to which it predicts health outcomes. Different models have sought to explain health related behaviours and among these models the locus of control has been the focus of much research. The locus of control refers to â€Å"the degree to which individuals perceive events in their lives as being a consequence of their own actions, and thereby controllable (internal control), or as being unrelated to their own behaviour, and therefore beyond personal control (external control)† (Bahar, 1988, p45). The work on health locus of control (HLOC) has been inspired by Rotter who conceptualized the measurement scale to evaluate individual behaviour or expectancy in different dimensions. These dimensions include internality, powerful others and chance (Broome and Llewelyn, 1995). The internal HLOC relates to the individual belief that their health outcomes is attached to their health behaviour and hence it can be controlled, powerful others HLOC indicates that individual health is dependent on the behaviour of

Library System Essay Example for Free

Library System Essay This chapter deals with the review of Literatures and Studies. It also presents the synthesis of the review and its relevance to the present study. Related Literature AMA student Kariz Reinalyn B. Galano (et. al. Don Ricardo C. Lazaro, Rozmaigne Ann L. Sebastian, Kevin Patrick E. Viesca) (2012) cited in their approved thesis proposal at present ACLC has three hundred sixty five students enrolled. The institution is currently using a manual system in their Library and has weak security. Students can borrow books but need to return it within 5 school days. There is no proper monitoring on books being returned. There are no penalties imposed to the students as well. The only way the librarian will find out if there are still pending books not returned is during the end of semester at the inventory period. The librarian then will not sign the clearance of the students who failed to return the books. Another problem is the list of inventory of books. The students need to go and ask for the librarian’s assistance in order for them to search for the books. Karen Foss (2010), Library Director of the Catawba County Library System in Newton, North Carolina has expressed that it is difficult to find materials to help new public library managers cultivate their professional development. Most of the research and writings on library management have focused on academic libraries and only recently has there been more interest in the administration of public libraries. The skill and style of public library managers – the directors, branch managers, and department and service managers who are leading these institutions – strongly affects the culture of a public library. Library staff looks to these managers to help them navigate through the rapid changes that are occurring in public libraries as these changes in technology, roles, and user expectations strongly alter their daily routines of public service. Contemporary library managers need a wider array of skills and attributes than their earlier and more traditional counterparts and will need to seek continual professional development to remain effective as public libraries transition into the twenty-first century. These managers will also need to distinguish between management and leadership skills and learn to identify and mentor leaders within their staff who can assist in the transition. According to Alvin javelosa (2011) library is a collection of books, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. The term library has itself acquired a secondary meaning: a collection of useful material for common use, and in this sense is used in fields such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, electronics and biology. this study will help the library personnel or the librarian in monitoring the books accurately. Further, the use of cataloguing will be made easier through an advance system provided by this study. The librarian is encountering problems in doing transactions like borrowing books, checking the availability of books, returning and accessioning of books because all the transactions are being done manually. The process is time consuming. This proposed system will provide their library a computerized system making it more organized and easy to access. The advantage of this study is to make their current system more effective and efficient. This computerized library system is a transaction processing system (TPS) that will provide a convenient cataloguing, inventory, monitoring, accessioning, borrowing, returning, security and retrieving of records. html) According to Mohd Fairuz Anwar Bin Mahadi (2005), The Library management system will store all the books and members information that consist book number, book title, author name and racks to the system database. The system also provides search function to help students find the book by number of book. Search functions will search through the books database to look for the book and view where the book is situated. For the administrator user, only librarians have access to view or edit data from the system databases. Administrator user will handle administrative functions such create new LMS user account and decide the number of days allowed for the borrowed books. User needs to enter correct password and user id before user can access this function. From here, user can add, delete or update the book and borrower database. (http://library. utem. edu. my/index2. php? option=com_docmantask=doc_viewgid=3761Itemid=208) According to Donna M. Salinas (2010) Library is the best place in the school where the students review and study. It is the place where students study so our group aims to improve the manual operation of the library system. We thought of something that makes the time of students and library personnel decreases for searching and borrowing of books. (http://www. scribd. com/doc/56632694/library-system) Related Studies: According to Shelagh (2001) Fisher library management system is becoming marginalized in the context of ICT developments currently taking place within the library sector because suppliers have failed to keep up with such developments, or have been more concerned with keeping up with the changes in the core functions. The aim of this research, therefore, was to determine the feasibility of developing and disseminating a model system specification which could be used to assist and guide libraries in the procurement of library management systems. The premise was that if a core set of requirements for library management systems, as articulated by purchasing libraries, could be identified, it followed that it would be feasible to develop a model specification or ‘toolkit’ on which procuring libraries could draw. Identification of a potential core set of requirements could be identified primarily by undertaking analyses of  specifications produced by libraries for the tendering process in acquiring a library management system. Thus forty-one specifications were collected from libraries which had recently acquired a library management system, and these were subjected to various levels of analysis. The results are reported in Section 4. Secondly, it was decided that as library system suppliers were in receipt of large numbers of specifications produced by procuring library authorities they were in a strong position to comment on the feasibility, and desirability, of developing a model specification. Thus, a survey of UK system suppliers was undertaken to determine the collective view of suppliers on the role, content, quality and usefulness of the specification as a procurement tool. The results of the survey are reported in Section 5. A detailed account of the methods used in this Study is provided in Section 3. The next section (Section 2) provides a review of the literature on the role and content of specifications, and identifies weaknesses in approaches to producing specifications for the purchase of library systems. (et. al. Rachel Delbridge, Sian Lambert) (http://www. cerlim. ac. uk/projects/harmonise/harmonise. pdf) According to Veronica Adamson (2008) Changes in society and technology are impacting significantly on UK HE libraries and consequently on their management systems. Demographic changes, political and economic drivers are affecting university services and funding structures, and a ‘new realism’ of pragmatic economic and business considerations presides. (JISC SCONUL LMS Study Report, March 2008) Library management systems have developed in response to technical advances and user requirements, mainly in developing electronic interfaces, refining standards and access protocols, purchasing and acquisition processes and cataloguing systems. Increasing globalization of goods, services and communities means that technical platforms are now developed on an international basis and implemented for a worldwide network of users and contributors. A new market for library services and information provision has emerged, with Google and Amazon as a de facto paradigm and metaphor for discovery and delivery. Perceptions of the role and function of the university library are changing, developing and often conflicting, particularly in relation to the provision for collection and circulation, resource discovery, ownership and control, personalization  and seamless access to resources. Enhancing usability and accessibility for an increasingly diverse user community is of increasing importance for libraries. Today’s library users expect speed and immediacy of information discovery, one-stop access to aggregated services, user-generated open content, and personalized, workflow-related delivery to the desktop. (et. al. Paul Bacsich, Ken Chad, David Kay, Jane Plenderleith) (http://www. jisc. ac. uk/media/documents/programmes/resourcediscovery/lmsstudy. pdf) According to Herrera C Rocio (1987) the work habits of users in any activity requiring information, the importance they attach to obtaining it and the facilities at their disposal, their knowledge of these facilities, their assessment of their value and the possibility of their obtaining what they are looking for are the factors that affect user behaviour in the quest for information. The behaviour of the users of university libraries specifically is affected, in addition to the above factors, by others directly related to the university environment, such as teaching methods and the type of education provided. The countrys education system is a teaching-learning process largly consisting in an essentially repetitive pattern in which the student consumes and reproduces the concepts transmitted by the teacher. This model is mainly based on the university lecture system, in which the teacher simply gives a course of study and provides the pupil with a brief bibliography consisting basically of texts. The result has been that education has not become a critical and creative process and library resources have accordingly been under-utilized. As regards the response to the information services provided by university libraries, it can be said that research workers do not use the services properly since the role of the library as an agent for the transfer of information has been disregarded in the research process, this type of user tending to acquire information through informal channels of communication, such as personal contacts with other colleagues. In its turn, the library has neglected its task as a constituent part of the research enterprise, forgetting that one of the priorities of the university, in addition to its teaching role, is that of research, which is the source of much knowledge of benefit not only to the university but also to the community in general. The university library should pay special attention to ascertaining not only the specific information needs of each type of user but also user behaviour patterns in the information retrieval process, in order that these needs may be met and the factors responsible for the non-use of the library restricted to a minimum. This will be achieved through an appropriate methodology for conducting user studies, which will then provide guidelines for the organization of user training or instruction courses aimed at the various groups. These courses will influence the future response of users to information services. Since user behaviour in the information retrieval process determines the level of library-user interaction, continual monitoring by the librarian of changes in that behaviour is necessary. These changes are dependent not only on information needs but also on the possible impact of the introduction of new services. This shows that, over and above the matter of training in the use of library resources, user behaviour presents a number of special features, largely reflecting the fact that the information needs of those concerned are not well defined and that their request for information are consequently vague and very general. It follows that library staff should bear in mind their active role in promoting and publicizing their services and resources since, despite the continual emphasis placed on the role of information in development, it has been shown that users tend to dispense with non-essential information, the usual practice being to rely on memory, to evade the problem or to solve it with vague or incomplete information. However, it should not be overlooked that there is another group of users who consult libraries actively and effectively in order to satisfy their information needs; although accessibility influences the use that they make of resources, the most important thing for this group is their confidence and faith in the information system. (c Loreto M. Libia and Rua R. Ivan) (http://www. unesco. org/webworld/ramp/html/r8722e/r8722e0l. htm) According Neelakdan,B (2010) a sincere attempt has been made towards finding out ways and means for automating activities in the School of Chemistry Library. The objective of this study is to use the Koha Open Source software system for the automation of the major day ­ to ­day activities of the various section of the School of Chemistry Library, which is tiresome and cumbersome. After the investigation, the researcher has found that Koha Software is more suitable for the library Automation. This project had the basic objective of designing a bibliographic database for the School of Chemistry library, with which the automation of circulation routines is carried out. From this point of view it may be concluded that Koha is a useful package for the creation of a database and for information retrieval. This set of Manuals for the automation of circulation section is tested with the database created from the collection of chemistry department library. A sample database for a few thousand works and a database of the users/borrowers are created. With that test sample the Manuals for each function of the circulation section is tested with the available computer system. Koha is an integrated software system with all the required models for small to very large libraries. It is found that this automation projects will serve as a model for any library. (http://www. ipublishing. co. in/jarvol1no12010/EIJAER1014. pdf) According to Dio P. Doble (2011) A college strengthens its educational level through the advancement of its library. The Botolan Community College Computerized Library System aimed to enhance the procedures of the library, from manually operated to a computerized system. This proposal’s purpose was to ease the transactions in the library, i,e. , leading of books, storing of books, search engine for books, manage members of the library and secure the library system. The librarian and the library users still use the manual way of transacting of borrowing and returning of books. The librarian use log books in listing the books. They use library cards and card catalogues in searching for reading and reference materials. (http://www. scribd. com/doc/99431218/Computerized-Library-System)

A Day of Fishing with my Dad Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

A Day of Fishing I can still remember that day. All the beauty of nature collected in one moment. I can still feel the sponginess of the winter-aged leaves under my feet. I felt as though I was walking on a cloud, the softness of the leaves cushioning my every step, they were guiding me along the wooded path to a small creek. The humming of the water moving with the crispness of the air, together they were singing a promise of a fresh and clean new season. It was a beautiful spring that year. Every so often a day like that comes back and I am reminded of posing for our picture together. My cheeks begin to ache as I remember the smile so big on my face when the camera snapped. I thought my face would break in half if I tried to smile any wider. I was four years old and my hair was a lovely brunette with spears of pale blonde. The color every woman dreams of now. Shoulder length and bobbed I covered all my hair with a baseball hat, a smaller vesion of my father, we were going fishing. My skin was white for lack of sun from winter but my cheeks were bright red from the brisk air. T-shirt and jeans I was ready to fish. Of course my mother made certain that I was wearing my spring jacket. My mother seemed so happy. In my reflection of the situation her dream of a family had come true. She had me and my father, we were spending quality time together. She wasn't too fond of fishing, not that it was my favorite thing to do either; but my father was taking us. Wow he loved fishing. It's funny, I can't really remember what my mother was wearing but then again she wasn't in the picture. She was behind the camera and I think sometimes my memories fade when there isn't a picture to remind me. My father seemed to share my moth... ...d dreams. It is not like I never see him or talk to him; I do. He has been in and out of my life ever since. Occasionally he calls to say hi or ask how I'm doing; he is never consistent. Our convesations are short and very uncomfortable. When I am out shopping or running errands I sometimes run into him by chance, (or fate who knows). All of our truths and his lies are always there but never talked about. I can't remember the last time he called on my birthday, sometimes I wonder if he even remembers my birthday or even thinks of me when my birthday comes around every year. He never calls on holidays. It is really hard for me to talk to someone who was once my father, and now is a complete stranger. After all the things I know about my father, the strangest feeling I have is under the hurt and the pain, what I hope and pray for is day we might go fishing again.