The Last Leaf Review free essay sample

O Henry always has me saying O marvelous! The gruesome plots, the careful work on the minutest of the minute details, the unpredictable surprise endings, the imaginative use of connotation and so much more. He dared to personify the dreadful Pneumonia as the cold, unseen stranger! THE LAST LEAF remains one of my favorite short stories written by him. The plot revolves around two artist girls Sue and Johnsy who have their own studio in quaint old Greenwich Village. Theirs was a relationship fostered on mutual trust and their common tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves! All went hunky dory till Johnsy fell ill with pneumonia one cold November month. The disease seemed to drain out the last streaks of will and womanly taste from her being. She lay all day on her bed awaiting her death, looking out of the window listlessly. The doctor put her chances at one-in-ten, which he swelled up to one-in-five if Sue managed to get Johnsy to ask one question about the new winter styles in cloak sleeves! Here the author tries to cook up humor from a womans natural eye for fashion. We will write a custom essay sample on The Last Leaf Review or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Distressed by the doctors verdict Sue cried a Japanese napkin to a pulp another typical womanly reaction! She, at no cost, wanted to lose a friend who had so much in common with her and who had, for the past one year, been her staunch companion in everything from her artistic conquests to her personal trivia. With a heavy heart she gathered her drawing board and paintbrush (and a great amount of will) and made her way into Johnsys room. Johnsy lay there still as death itself. Sue began working on an illustration for a magazine story. Young artists must pave their way to Art by drawing pictures for magazine stories that young authors write to pave their way to Literature! Here the author has skillfully rawn a comparison between the two classes of strugglers and brought to light how the two, despite being so different in their genres, together make a wonderful piece! How many of us have actually read up a story because the illustrations were appealing?! Coming back to the story, our heroine Sue sat there in the room sketching with determination, trying to drown her sorrow into her art. Sud denly the sound of low moans broke her trance. She went quickly to Johnsys bedside. She was lying there eyes open wide and fixed outside the window. She was counting counting backwards! Sues solicitous glances found that Johnsy had her eyes on an old, old vine, the leaves of which had been ripped off its body, exposing the rotting skeleton. It had been losing leaves at an alarming rate, from over a hundred leaves on it three days ago to five Just then. In her desperation Johnsy cried out that her life would betray her the day the last leaf fell! Her friend rebuked her with magnificent scorn, calling her a scatterbrain! She declared that she wouldnt leave the room until she saw the last leaf fall off, which she was sure would happen before dark, and prove Johnsys paranoid fears unfounded. On the ground floor of Sues studio lived old Behrman. He was over sixty and sported a long Michael Angelo Moses beard dangling over an impish body. A failure in art his drawing board had waited forty years to receive the first line of the great masterpiece he planned to create! It was still waiting. He made both ends meet by serving as a model to young artists. And Sue was his regular customer. Later that day Sue went over to Behrman to get him to to him. The old man was visibly stupefied at what he heard and blabbered about illogical people of the world. Nevertheless, Sue went back home once her work was done. Days passed and the old vine started making small steps to becoming bald! As each day came and went, its leaves bid adieu one after the other. And Johnsy her belief was becoming a reality! She was slowly slipping away into death. So the leaves fell one after the other until one very last! Johnsy busied herself bidding her final farewell to the world. Days slipped away like sand; soon and fast, but the last leaf refused to fall off, determined not to betray its naked host! Rain, shine or the twilight, nothing could possibly make it part ways with the vine. The young woman waited and she waited still and then her patience wore off. The concluded that God didnt want her in his kingdom and realized that asking for death was a sin. For the first time through her illness she asked for her broth without waiting for Sue to Jostle it down her throat. Soon she was her true self again up and about! One afternoon as the two girls sat knitting, Sue broke the news of old Behrmans death from pneumonia. He was found cold and wet and in pain and beside him was a palette with green and yellow colours mixed on it. No one had wondered why the last leaf never fluttered, never moved Behrman had finally delivered his masterpiece! He had painted it the night the last leaf fell!

Family Member SSD Benefits

Family Member SSD Benefits Can Family Members Receive SSD Benefits? If you are receiving Social Security Disability, your family members may be entitled to receive a portion of your benefits. These dependent benefits can be paid to a spouse, divorced spouse and children.Let’s take a closer look at the circumstances for each.Spouse A spouse who is caring for your child who is 16-years-old or younger may receive benefits. The benefits will stop once a child is 16-years-old. However, the child will typically receive benefits until he or she reaches 18-years-old.If a spouse is 62-years old or older and his or her Social Security retirement benefits are lower than yours, he or she can receive benefits.Ex-Spouse A divorced spouse who is 62-year-old or older and collects retirement benefits that are less than yours can receive benefits.The marriage between you and the divorced spouse must have lasted for at least 10 years.The divorced spouse must not be remarried.Minor Children Please note that your biological child, adopted child or stepchild can re ceive benefits.Children who are unmarried and under the age of 18 are eligible for benefits until they reach 18-years-old.Adult Children If a child is between 18 and 19-years-old and is a full-time student, (cannot exceed 12th grade) he or she will receive benefits until graduation or two months after turning 19, according to which event occurs first.Disabled Children If a child is 18-year-old or older and has a disability that started before age 22, he or she will receive benefits.Grandchildren In some cases, a grandchild can receive benefits if:The parents of the child are deceasedThe grandchild started living with his or her grandparents before turning 18-years-oldHe or she received at least 50% of their financial support from their grandparent the year before the grandparent qualified for SSD.How Much Can Family Members Receive? The maximum family benefit must be 150-180%. If you are receiving SSD benefits, the amount you will receive is set at 100%. For example, if a father is receiving SSD benefits (100%) his eligible wife, and two children will receive an equal amount of benefits that range from 50-80% in total.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan  works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the  Social Security Disability benefits  they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental, or cognitive impairment, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  now for a free consultation at  800-949-2900.Let Michigan’s experienced Social Security Disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence. disability attorney, disability lawyer, Michigan Disability Attorney, social security disability family benefits

Judy Garland Biography and Profile

Judy Garland Biography and Profile Judy Garland ( June 10, 1922 - June 22, 1969 ) was a singer and actress who gained nearly equal acclaim in both fields. She was the first solo woman to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and the American Film Institute named her one of the 10 greatest female stars of American cinema. Early Years Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Her parents were vaudeville performers, and soon Frances joined her older sisters Mary Jane and Dorothy to become the singing and dancing act the Gumm Sisters. The details remain murky, but around 1934, the Gumm Sisters, in search of a more appealing name, became the Garland Sisters. Soon after, Frances officially changed her name to Judy. The Garland Sisters group broke up in 1935 when Suzanne, the oldest of the sisters, married musician, Lee Kahn. Later in 1935, Judy was signed to a contract with film company MGM without the usual screen test. However, the studio was not sure how to promote the 13-year-old Garland; she was older than the usual child star but still too young for adult parts. After a few unsuccessful projects, her breakthrough moment came when she was paired with Mickey Rooney in the 1938  film Love Finds Andy Hardy. Personal Life Judy Garlands turbulent personal life was marked by several instances of heartbreak. When Judy Garland was 13 years old, her 49-year-old father succumbed to meningitis, leaving her emotionally devastated. Years later, her first adult love, bandleader Artie Shaw, eloped with actress Lana Turner leaving Garland crushed. She received an engagement ring on her 18th birthday from musician David Rose who was at the time still married to actress Martha Raye. After the divorce, Judy and David were briefly married. Just three years later, in 1944, the marriage ended.   Following an affair with legendary director Orson Welles, while he was married to actress Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland married director Vicente Minnelli in June 1945. They had one daughter, singer and actress Liza Minnelli. By 1951 they were divorced. During the late 1940s, Garland was hospitalized following a nervous breakdown, underwent electroshock therapy to treat depression, and began to have serious problems with alcohol addiction. During June 1952, Judy Garland married her tour manager and producer Sid Luft. They had two children, singer and actress Lorna Luft and Joey Luft. They divorced in 1965. In November 1965, Garland married tour promoter, Mark Herron. They were divorced in February 1969, and she married her fifth and final husband Mickey Deans in March. In 1959, Judy Garland was diagnosed with acute hepatitis, and she informed doctors that she was unlikely to have more than five years to live. She said she would likely never sing again and remembered feeling relief at the diagnosis because it reduced much of the pressure in her life. However, she recovered over a period of several months and began performing concerts again.   Film Career Following her success in a series of films with Mickey Rooney, the teenage Judy Garland was cast in the lead role of 1939s The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, she sang what became identified as her signature song Over the Rainbow. It was a critical success and Garland earned a special Juvenile Academy Award for her performance in both The Wizard of Oz and Babes In Arms with Mickey Rooney. Judy Garland starred in three of her most successful films in the 1940s. In 1944s Meet Me In St. Louis she sang The Trolley Song and the holiday classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. For 1948s The Easter Parade, she teamed with legendary dancer and actor Fred Astaire. She starred in 1949s In the Good Old Summertime with Van Johnson. It was one of her biggest box-office successes and featured the movie debut of Judy Garlands three-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli. By 1950, Judy Garland earned a reputation for being difficult while filming new projects. She was accused of showing a lack of effort while drugs and alcohol also interfered with appearing on time for shoots. In 1954, Garland made a celebrated comeback in the second film version of A Star Is Born. Her performance earned accolades from critics and audiences alike, and she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 1961 she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Judgment at Nuremberg, but her days as a top Hollywood actress were over. Music Career The last two decades of Judy Garlands life were dominated by her success as a singer in concerts, TV shows, and on record. In 1951, she launched a highly successful tour of Great Britain and Ireland performing for sold-out audiences. The songs of vaudeville legend Al Jolson were a centerpiece of her concerts. During the tour, Garland experienced a rebirth as a performer. In 1956, she became the highest-paid entertainer yet in Las Vegas earning $55,000 a week for a four-week engagement. Judy Garlands first appearance on a TV special took place in 1955 on the Ford Star Jubilee. It was CBS first full-scale color broadcast and was a received stellar ratings. Following three successful TV specials in 1962 and 1963, Garland was given her own weekly series,  The Judy Garland Show. Although it was canceled after only one season, The Judy Garland Show earned four Emmy Award nominations including for Best Variety Series. On April 23, 1961, Judy Garland performed a concert at Carnegie Hall that many consider the highlight of her live performance career. A double album of the show spent 13 weeks at number one on the album chart and earned a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. After her TV series ended in 1964, Garland returned to the concert stage. She performed live at the London Palladium in November 1964 with her 18-year-old daughter, Liza Minnelli. A 1964 Australian tour turned disastrous when Garland was late to take the stage and accused of being drunk. Judy Garlands final concert appearance took place in Copenhagen, Denmark in March 1969, three months before her death. Death On June 22, 1969, Judy Garland was found dead in the bathroom of a rented house in London, England. The coroner determined the cause to be an overdose of barbiturates. He indicated the death was accidental, and there was no evidence of suicidal intent. Garlands The Wizard of Oz co-star Ray Bolger said at her funeral, She just plain wore out. Although initially interred at a cemetery in upstate New York, in 2017, at the request of Judy Garlands children, her remains were transferred to the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Legacy Judy Garlands reputation as one of the greatest entertainers of all time remains strong. More than two dozen biographies have been written about her since her death, and she was listed by the American Film Institute at #8 among all-time greatest female movie stars. The American Film Institute also listed her performance of Over the Rainbow as the top movie song of all time. Four more, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Get Happy, The Trolley Song, and The Man That Got Away are listed in the top 100. Garland received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1997. She has been featured twice on U.S. postage stamps. Judy Garland is also considered to be a gay community icon. There are differing reasons offered for that status, but the most common include identification with her personal struggles and her relationship to camp culture. In the late 1960s, news accounts of Garlands nightclub performances disparagingly commented on homosexual men being a disproportionately large part of the audience. Many also credit Over the Rainbow as being an inspiration for the gay communitys ubiquitous rainbow flag.

Safe Work Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Safe Work Environment - Essay Example The main question is whether or not the untidy state of the office in connection with the moving of desks and filing cabinets was such that it was a breach of the employer’s statutory duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. Assuming therefore that a work system was devised in which employees were supervised and competent regarding working around the boxes, and there was a reasonable explanation for the untidy state of the office, the employer is not in breach of the statutory and common law duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. The main question is whether or not it was reasonably practical to move the boxes from the work area and whether or not it was reasonable to expect for workers to assume some responsibility for their own safety given the state of the office at the time (Smith v Scott Bowyers 1986). The employer can also expect employees to exercise some degree of common sense in situations where an obvious danger exists (O’Reilly v National Rail 196 6). ... n that James would play a practical joke on Juliana and it would appear that the injury suffered by Juliana was a result of the practical joke and not as a result of the untidy state of the office. It is not known whether or not James was predisposed to playing practical jokes on the job. For example it was held in Smith v Crossley Brothers (1951) that where employers were unaware of the fact that an employee was a practical joker they cannot be vicariously liable for the harm caused by a practical joker on the job. In such circumstances the practical joke cannot be predicted nor can it be prevented. Moreover, in such a case, the employee is said to be off on a frolic of his own and not acting in the course of his or her employment (Smith v Crossley Brothers, 1951). Had James played a practical joke in the course of performing a duty, the employer would be vicariously liable for James’ behaviour and the resulting injury to Juliana (Harrison v Michelin Tyre Co. 1985). If he is known to be a practical joker on the job and the employer did nothing to stop or prevent James playing practical jokes, they may be vicariously liable for the injuries to Juliana (Hudson v Ridge Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 1957). It was held in Hudson that when an employer is aware that an employee by his or her behaviour poses a source of danger to other employees, the common law duty of care to provide a healthy and safe workplace requires the employer to remove that source of danger (Hudson v Ridge Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 1957). It therefore follows that now that the employer is aware of James’ behaviour and there is a reasonable belief that James may repeat this behaviour, the employer may dismiss James (Albernethy v Mott, Hay and Anderson 1974). The onus is on the employer to prove that the

Grace Hopper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Grace Hopper - Assignment Example She would become an employee of the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation. Hopper made valuable contributions in the development of programming languages and applications for the UNIVAC computer. She developed a compiler which helps to act as an interface between machine language and human language. This revolutionary accomplishment now forms the basis of modern programming languages and applications. It helped to create the basic syntax for coding applications. Hopper would invent the term â€Å"computer bug† when a real moth was found to be trapped in the UNIVAC computer (Beyer, 69). Hopper’s greatest contribution was the development of the COBOL which became the standard blueprint for modern programming languages. COBOL was easily understood and applied by computer programmers. It uses English language syntax as a means of developing efficient and effective applications. Hopper made valuable contributions in creating standards for programming languages. These standards have led to the immense proliferation and development of applications. Grace Hopper will always be acclaimed for making computer technologies accessible to the general public. Her valuable research now forms the basis of modern applications and

Human Sexuality Essay Example for Free

Human Sexuality Essay Teresita went to a fraternity party because shed heard that this fraternity really knew how to have fun and she really needed fun after a disastrous academic week. She knew that some women had been taken advantage of at previous parties, but she put that out of her mind, as she downed one drink after another. Just when things were getting dull, the coolest guy on campus took her by the hand, led her upstairs and talked her into having sex. The next day, Teresita noticed that her vagina was bruised and bleeding. She barely recalled having sex, but knew who was responsible for her condition, and filed rape charges against him with the campus administrator. Phillip was alone on the beach. Midnight was his favourite time of day, there were no other people around and he could really enjoy the sound of the waves and smell of the ocean breeze. He was almost asleep when he felt two women sit down next to him. One of them held down his arms while sitting on his chest. The other woman pulled down his bathing suit and began fellatio. In spite of his struggling and his anger, he got an erection. Both women took turns sitting on his erection, and left him when they were done. Phillip was confused he couldnt tell if he had been raped or not. He knows he didnt want to have sex with these women he didnt know, but cant understand why he couldnt fight them off (they were both smaller than him) and why he had an erection. Monica is seventeen and has been having sex with guys since she was fifteen. Gary is twenty-one and heard that Monica was hot stuff in bed. They go out and have consensual sex. Next day, Garys friend tells him he raped Monica. Is Garys friend correct?

Quasars and Active Galaxies Essay -- Essays Papers

Quasars and Active Galaxies The astronomical world is full of phenomena beyond the average person’s imagination. The technical tools and analytical methods astronomers use are very complex. The enormous numbers and distances are mind boggling. Theories behind astronomical phenomena are based on yet another theory. In order to understand the concept of quasars and active galaxies, one must first have a feel for the astronomical numbers involved. Secondly, a basic knowledge of the tools of the trade, and finally, a working knowledge of astronomical jargon. Once there is a working knowledge of the aforementioned factors, then there is the chance that one could be able to assimilate the complex theoretical properties that are used to discuss quasars and active galaxies. In order to understand the large numbers used to express the vast distances discussed in astronomy, one needs to relate these numbers to everyday life. During everyday conversation, people may say things like â€Å"the national debt is trillions of dollars,† â€Å"the lottery is up to 31 million dollars,† or â€Å"John Doe is a billionaire.† An astronomer might say that â€Å"one astronomical unit equals 93,000,000 miles or that a light-year is 5,870,000,000,000,000 miles.† The human comprehension level of all of these terms is probably nowhere near the actual truth behind how large these numbers really are. To obtain a feel for these gigantic distances used by astronomers, Astronomy Magazine writer, John P. Wiley says it may be helpful to keep in mind that it takes thirty-one years to count to one billion at the rate of one number per second. He also puts a voyage to a galaxy that is a billion light-years away into perspective by calculating how long it would take to get there in a vessel speeding along at 18,000 miles an hour. The trip would take 37 trillion years. When discussing galaxies and quasars, billions are the smallest numbers used (56,57). The theory of how quasars are created is based on the idea that the universe is expanding. Among astronomers, the popular consensus is that the Earth is in an expanding universe in which the laws of physics will hold true beyond this planet as well. G. Mark Voit, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, believes that the beginning of the universe was a time when many galaxies would be visible to the naked eye b... ... telescopes like Hubble, and the Very Long Baseline Interferometry Space Observatory (VSOP), have also proven useful analytical tools for astronomers. Black holes and quasars are interdependent theories. The explanation of black holes leads to an explanation for quasars. These phenomena lead astronomers to believe that there may be places in the universe where the laws of physics may break down, opening doors to new theories for future astronomers (Hawkings). Works Cited Bartusiak, Marcia. â€Å"Outsmarting the Early Universe.† Astronomy 26.10 (1998): 55-59. Chaisson, Eric., and Steve McMillan. Astronomy Today. 3rd ed. Toronto: Prentice-Hall, 1999. Disney, Michael. â€Å"A New Look at Quasars.† Scientific American 278.6 (1998): 52-57. Hawking, Stephen. â€Å"Universe.† PBS Home Video. BBC-TV, 1997. Olsen, Steve. â€Å"Black Hole Hunters.† Astronomy 27.5 (1999): 48-55. Peterson, Ivars. â€Å"The Birth of Twin Quasars.† Science News 137.4 (1990): 60. Voit, G. Mark. â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Quasars: Dormant Monsters May Lie Sleeping in Nearby Galaxies.† Sky & Telescope 97.5 (1999): 40-46. Wiley, John P. Jr. â€Å"A Googolplex of Galaxies.† Astronomy 27.5 (1999): 56-57.