You Belong To Me Essay Example For Students

You Belong To Me Essay Word Count: 650Mary Higgins Clark does a great job of keeping the reader in suspense. Mary Higgins Clark introduces many characters that all could me suspects in the crimes she describes in this novel. was definitely one of her best works. Dr. Susan Chandler, a clinical psychologist, is researching cases of missing women. On her daily talk show, she focuses on the case of Regina Clausen who disapeared on a cruise three years earlier. In Reginas belongings, a turquoise ring with the inscription You Belong to Me engraved on the inside of the band is found. Carolyn Wells, a viewer, calls the show and says she recieved and identical turquoise ring from a man while on a recent cruise. He tried to persuade Carolyn to leave the cruise and rejoin it in another city. Carolyn agrees to meet with Dr. Chandler to discuss the turquoise ring. On her way to meet with Dr. chandler, Carolyn was pushed in front of a van. She is seriously injured and in a coma. Carolyns husband, Justin, is suspected of trying to murder her. Dr. Chandler thinks he may also have something to do with Reginas disappearance. We will write a custom essay on You Belong To Me specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Soon other people that are related to the case are mysteriously murdered. Hilda Johnson who witnessed Carolyns accident claims it was intentional. Hilda si murdered after she tells the police her side of the story. The next day on Dr. Chandlers show a viewer named Tiffany calls and says her boyfriend bought her an identical turquoise ring. She cannot remember the exact location, but it was a shop in Greenwich Village. Tiffany also mentions that the day she was there a sharp dressed man came in and bought several turquoise rings. Soon both Tiffany and the shop owner are brutally stabbed to death. In the meantime, Dr. Chandler is dating two people. One is a psychologist and guest on her show, Dr. Don Richards. The other is a wealthy man named Alex Wright. Certain facts are introduced about both of these men that lead the reader to beleive that one of them may be the murderer. As Dr. Chandler gets closer to solving the case, she does not realize the danger she is in. While working late one night, she is hit over the head by a man, Alex Wright. This is the climax of the novel because the reader finally discovers who the killer is. Alex then admits to the previous murders. He also reveals the abuse he received from his stepmother while growing up. Killing the women is a release of rage for him. Alex now wraps Dr. Chandler up in a plastic bag to kill her. She saved herself by cutting the bag on a piece of broken glass. Dr. Chandler solved the case and saved her life;she also put a murderer in jail. You Belong to Me points out the dangers vulnerable lonely women face. Mary Higgins Clarks characters are definitely believable with the help of a present day setting in New York. You Belong to Me is a very suspenseful book in which the purpose is to mainly entertain. Mary Higgins Clark creates two evident conflicts in this novel, person vs. person and person vs. self. The conflict person vs. person is apparent when Alex is murdering he victims and when Dr. Chandler is working against him to solve the case. Person vs. self is a major conflict because his main targets are women who are lonely and have no self-esteem. This conflict is also shown when Alex reveals the emotional abuse his stepmother inflicted on him. You Belong to Me is a well-written book intended for young adults and adults, it is a must read novel.

More Answers to Questions About Punctuation

More Answers to Questions About Punctuation More Answers to Questions About Punctuation More Answers to Questions About Punctuation By Mark Nichol Here are my responses to three recent queries from readers about various punctuation matters. 1. In the sentence â€Å"I went to school, although I was feeling ill,† is the comma correct, or is it optional where the meaning is clear? Most subordinating conjunctions require no preceding comma (for example, consider sentences in which before, if, or when bridge two independent clauses), but those that come before a contrasting statement, such as one that begins with although and whereas, should be preceded by one. 2. In the following sentence, is the use of single inverted commas correct, or incorrect?: â€Å"I thought to myself, ‘It’s a good thing that we are going down the stairs, as I would never be able to climb them back.’† For internal thoughts, format as you have done, or italicize thoughts instead of enclosing them in inverted commas (or quotation marks, as they’re usually called in the United States). Here’s a post I wrote on the topic. 3. Today I wrote the sentence â€Å"The assessment is no longer required for technologists; only managers and higher.† I wasn’t sure which punctuation to use where the semicolon is. A comma wouldn’t provide a long enough pause to get my point across. I toyed with the idea of a colon, but it didn’t seem quite right. I went with a semicolon because â€Å"only managers and higher† seemed like a truncated independent clause. Seeing it now (after clicking Send), I think it maybe should have been a dash. What do you think? I think that a comma is sufficient in this sentence, but, yes, for more emphasis, I would use an em dash (and follow it with â€Å"only for managers and higher†). A colon isn’t appropriate, because what follows is a comparison of sorts, not an expansion or definition. To merit a semicolon, what follows would have to be explicitly constructed as an independent clause, not just an abbreviated version of one. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases3 Cases of Complicated HyphenationThe Difference Between e.g. and i.e.?

Strategies for Building Effective Relationships Research Paper - 1

Strategies for Building Effective Relationships - Research Paper Example Is it possible to add new features to the existing product or entirely a new product needs to be developed? Where do the company’s products stand in comparison to competition in terms of overall acceptability? While marketing department’s feedback will help ascertain the key features required for a new product, the design department will help develop a product with those features. Developing a product with good aesthetics is also the responsibility of the design department. The costing department will put its efforts in keeping the cost as low as possible because that is the mantra for enhancing its acceptability. While marketing department emphasizes on ‘optimal pricing of the product’ as one of the essential requirements, the production and process department of the company will assess whether the current setup of machinery and equipment is sufficient to produce a new product commercially or any further investment on capital equipment is required. If addi tional investment is necessary, the finance department will have to explore whether it is feasible to manage those funds at all and if yes, then at what cost? The point is that while developing a new product, the project leader needs to coordinate with numerous departments and extract their expertise successfully. It is indeed a challenging job as none of the department directly reports the project leader. The project leader needs to exhibit exemplary leadership qualities to complete the task given by the company management. He needs to resolve conflict situation that may arise time to time between the departments of the company and their office-bearers, especially when it is known that the last project leader failed to resolve conflicting situations with peer managers and supervisors. While developing a new product through participatory management, the role of a project leader is multifaceted. Primarily, they need to be creative and innovative with good empathy for the customer so that they can develop a product at an affordable cost that is unique and no one else offers in the marketplace. At the same time, they must assess the company's strength accurately to deliver such a product on a commercial scale within a stipulated period. They also need to take some key decisions on final product design or features after great deliberations within the organization that may have long-term repercussions on the company. That is where they need to be visionary too. Prima facie, it may appear that the project leader functions as a coordinator and facilitator in the development of a new product but their success will largely depend upon how accurately and precisely, they can resolve all issues that may crop up during the developmental phase and in that sense, their leadershi p role takes over all other roles.

Energy Medicine as the Medicine of Future Dissertation

Energy Medicine as the Medicine of Future - Dissertation Example Within energy healing, there are various fields like contact rejuvenation, spiritual rejuvenation, bio-field energy healing, Qigong, Reiki, distant healing, and therapeutic touch. Spiritual healing is primary non-denominational (that is, it is not controlled by any specific religious group or sect) and faith based on religious traditions are not mandatory for curing patients. On the other hand, it has been noted that faith healing is based on religious notions. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine or NCCAM (US), energy healing is one of five realms of "complementary and alternative medicine" (CAM) (NCCAM, What Is Complementary and Alternative Medicine? 2005). In their review, NCCAM classified the process of practicing energy healing into two basic categories, veritable and putative. Veritable – healing based on energy measurable energy fields, like sound or electromagnetism. Here there are use of measured and specific frequencies and wavelengths for healing patients (Vallbona and Richards, 1999). These therapies are based on the theory that energy flow and electrical impulses govern all human processes and the various processes used within the therapies tend to create low levels of energy at specific wavelengths and frequencies that aid in the healing process of a patient. Of the two forms (veritable and putative), it has been seen that science and technology of veritable form of energy medicines is developing at a fast rate with effective treatment results (Markov, 2007). In the veritable approach, Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy or PEMFT shows a great potential in treatment. This form of therapy uses non-invasive tools that produce electricity while channeling magnetic pulses, which initiate small amount of electrical charges to start the repair of body cells. PEMF is especially effective as it can pierce through body matter with loss of very low levels of energy (ibid). There are various studies that have shown the clinical effectiveness of PEMF in bone healing and growth, in repairing damages to soft tissues, restraining inflammation at the level of the cell membranes, and in controlling pain; and in 1979 after FDA approved PEMF it is now widely used within mainstream clinical treatment with high potential for future use (Simmons, Mooney, and Thacker, 2004). Putative  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ healing based on energy fields that are primarily at theory levels and remain unmeasured as in traditional Chinese medicines, Ayurveda, and homeopathy. In this approach, healers believe that a form of vital energy flows through the physical body of any human body, though it cannot be measured in an absolute form using customary techniques and measuring tools. However, the healers feel that they are capable of working with this form of hidden energy and can view it, which allows them to modify the physical body and bring in positive changes in the patient’s health condition. In these therapies the underlying vital energy force that forms the main element, is known as chi or qi in the traditional Chinese medicine while it is referred to as prana in the Indian form of Ayurveda. In an average person, his/her health is ascertained by the nature of the vital energy flow and its balance. The blocks or imbalances in the energy flow within the human body invariably lead to diseases. When such blocks or imbalances take place in the human body various energy medicine processes like acupressure or acupuncture, help the patient to regain health by correcting energy flow imbalances within the energy meridians. In energy medicinal therapies that include forms like the rejuvenating touch and Reiki, the

Aids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Aids - Essay Example Sharing the information often comes with more advantages than keeping quiet about it since it helps the partners to decide about the future of their relationships and the additional safety measures they should adopt. One major shortcoming that comes with telling a partner about one’s HIV status is that there is increased risk that the relationship may enter a rocky face as a result of mistrust, embarrassment or shock towards such revelation. Reactions towards such disclosures vary, but the fact the partners have always utilized protection means that the risk of such infections being transmitted is minimal. Disclosure of one’s HIV/AIDS status may be tough, but it can help minimize the stress that comes along with living with such infections as well as improve the overall health of the infected person. As much as it is a personal choice, there are laws in some countries that require one to share such information with specific people (AIDS, 2014). Sharing ones HIV status may go as far as preventing possible prosecution in case an individual knowingly puts his partner at risk of getting infected. Knowing about the status and sharing the information while time utilizing it, is more adva ntageous than not telling at all. This is because it gives the partners a chance to tolerate and accept each as well as lead a healthy life where the risk of the uninfected partner contracting the disease from the uninfected partner is completely eliminated (Aidsmap,

Barriers to Healthcare for Diabetic Ethnic Minorities

Barriers to Healthcare for Diabetic Ethnic Minorities Comparing Barriers to Healthcare in Diabetic Ethnic Minorities in Urban Versus Rural Settings Noreen Choudhary   Issue/Problem There has been abundant research done in the study of ethnic minorities and their access to healthcare. Attention has been paid to common barriers such as language, knowledge and communication, which are all culturally influenced. Most of this research has focused on general access to healthcare and not specific diseases. There is very little reserach on comparing barriers that exist depending on location. The issue I would be exploring in my study is determining the differences in potential barriers that exist in access to healthcare among ethnic minority diabetic individuals in urban versus rural settings. The potential barriers in access should differ depending on the location since the type and amount of resources present varies in both settings. This study hopes to contribute to the literature by focusing on diabetes and determining the differences in barriers that exist for ethnic minorities in the urban versus rural settings. Background The regions with the greatest incidence of diabetes are Africa and Asia, where the rates are expected to rise two or three times (Oldroyd, Banerjee, Heald Cruickshank, 2005). The three countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes are USA, China and India (Oldroyd et al., 2005). The largest increases are expected in Brazil, Indonesia, Bangladesh , Pakistan and Japan (Oldroyd et al., 2005). Type 2 diabetes is most common among ethnic minority groups residing in developed countries (Oldroyd et al., 2005). Diabetes is a chronic illness that requires continuing medical attention as well as self-management education (American Diabetes Association, 2002). Renfrew et al. (2013) reported on barriers to care present in a Cambodian population near Boston. The study highlighted the importance of a culturally sensitive healthcare system for Cambodians (Renfrew et al., 2013). The researchers found the following barriers in access to healthcare: patients’ views of chronic disease, diabetes management, communication, psycho-social factors, diabetes etiology and explanatory models and fears of interacting with the healthcare system (Renfrew et al., 2013). The researchers were advocating for a culturally sensitive approach to healthcare for this population because most of the barriers identified were culturally influenced. Some of these culturally influenced barriers were patients’ mistrust in the western model of health, replacement by alternative medicine, belief that western medicine is an ‘instant’ cure, and desire to please the practitioners (Renfrew et al., 2013). Researchers found these barriers among other whic h were influenced by cultural beliefs of the patients (Renfrew et al., 2013). Smith, Garie, and Schmitz (2014) illustrated self-reported use of diabetes healthcare services in a Quebec community-based sample. The study found that people with major depression were more likely to be high users or non-users of diabetes healthcare services (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). People with major depression reported more problems with accessing diabetes healthcare services (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). People with major depression perceived more problems with the healthcare they received (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). The results also showed that people with major depression perceived problems with the length of time they had to wait to see a doctor, that there is a lack of specialist care in their area and are more likely to report having problems getting to the doctor due to transportation and health problems (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). The low service users represent a particularly vulnerable group who may need to be targeted by interventions in order to encoura ge them to visit a doctor (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). The finding in this study was important because it showed that perceived problems with accessing healthcare services could impact utilization of healthcare. Wagner et al. (2013) reports on the effects of trauma on the risk for disease development and access to healthcare. Mental health problems among Southeast Asian refugees are well known but the long term affects of mass violence as re-settled refugees age are less well described (Wagner et al., 2013). This study investigated any potential relationship that may exist between trauma symptoms, self-reported health outcomes, and barriers to healthcare among Cambodian and Vietnamese persons in Connecticut (Wagner et al., 2013). Healthcare access and occurrence were measured regarding patient-provider understanding, cost and access, and interpretive services (Wagner et al., 2013). Individuals with greater levels of trauma symptoms were associated with greater lack of understanding, cost and access problems, and the need for an interpreter (Wagner et al., 2013). Although these Southeast Asian immigrants arrived to United States as refugees more than 20 years ago, there continues to be high l evels of trauma symptoms among this population which are associated with increased risk for disease and decreased access to healthcare services (Wagner et al., 2013). This article was interesting because it didn’t mention the usual barriers we talk about when it comes to access to healthcare (such as language). The last article I found was titled, ‘Diabetes care quality is a question of location’ by The Press Association. The article talks about the standard of diabetes healthcare in England depending on a postcode lottery (The Press Association, 2013). The quality of care patients receive depends whether it’s provided by a GP or a hospital, it depends on the location (The Press Association, 2013). The report found big regional differences in patients’ access to quality, integrated care (The Press Association, 2013). Some areas were four times more likely to get annual checks needed to manage their conditions (The Press Association, 2013). This article is similar to my research project however instead of rural and urban settings, it focused on location in terms of where healthcare was sought, a clinic, hospital, or GP (The Press Association, 2013). Purpose/Aim of your Project The aim of my research proposal is to identify any potential barriers that may exist in access to healthcare among ethnic minority diabetics in rural versus urban settings. My original research proposal was investigating potential barriers in access to healthcare among ethnic minority diabetics without the location factor. When I started looking up literature, I found there was already enough information in this area and my research wouldn’t add anything distinctive to this field. I started reading more articles and doing a literature review, I didn’t find any studies comparing potential barriers in urban and rural settings. After reviewing the comments I received from the professor after the first assignment, I was actively looking for gaps in research when reading articles. Therefore, I decided to alter my original question after I found this gap. If there are differences in the types of barriers present in these two distinct settings, then hopefully my research would bring this to the forefront of healthcare providers and policymakers and would result in equitable care in urban and rural settings. Rationale/justification Canada is known for its multiculturalism with Ontario being the most ethnically diverse province [3]. Almost 13.4% of Canadians identified themselves as being a visible minority in the 2001 census [3]. Since diabetes is most prevalent in ethnic minorities and Canada is one of the most ethnically diverse countries, it’s understandable why there is an abundance of research in this field. There is a currently a gap in research that my research would potentially fulfill. While reading articles present in my field of interest, I couldn’t find any that compared barriers in access to healthcare present in urban versus rural settings. This sort of information is necessary for policymakers to reduce or even eliminate these barriers to achieve high quality of care for diabetic individuals in the future. If the results conclude that the barriers present in the urban settings differ from the ones present in the rural setting, then there is work to be done. We must ensure health equity when it comes to access to healthcare and eliminate any geographical factors that come into play. We must ensure healthy places for all individuals but especially diabetics who require a lot of social and medical support. Also, the need for culturally appropriate health care to accommodate the unique needs of ethnic minorities. The other research gap I found was studies didn’t talk about information loss during translations, either during patient and practitioner interactions or researcher and patient interactions. I think it’s an important factor to consider in studies consisting of subjects who speak another language. For instance, in one study the researchers found that patients didn’t understand the concept of chronic disease and I believe that this was due to information loss during translation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide healthcare professionals with information on the different barriers that exist among urban and rural settings in order to achieve health equity. Researchable research question The research question for my study is: What are potential barriers in access to health care among ethnic minorities with diabetes in the urban versus the rural settings? Intellectual guideposts Ontology is the theory of being or what reality fundamentally is, in social sciences it is closely linked with ethical implications (David Sutton, 2011). The basic premise of phenomenological ontology is that for humans reality is not something separate from its appearance (David Sutton, 2011). The way we think about ourselves is fundamental to what we are (David Sutton, 2011). For me, I think that health is a fundamental aspect of being human, it’s a basic right and an underlying factor in our existence. All individuals should have access to healthcare and this access should be equitable, regardless of one’s location. The particular ‘epistemological’ (theory of knowledge) stance (positivist, critical theoretical or interpretivist) will be grounded in assumptions about the basic character of being human (David Sutton, 2011). My research project is rooted in the interpretivist paradigm because I believe that access to healthcare is an important aspect of being human. Health is an important part of being human and to achieve this health, we need a culturally sensitive and acceptable healthcare system for ethnic minorities. Axiology is about the values each individual has and its influence on their research [print]. There are no value-free sociologies, values are foundational for knowledge-producing systems [print]. The topic of this study began with a personal experience I have with diabetes but eventually filtered out to form a researchable question that could add value to the field. Coming from a background in biology, we are taught that there is something wrong with the body and it needs to be fixed, that health is solely a biological factor. This was purely based in a positivist paradigm which is aligned with quantitative research. I believe that healthcare access regardless of ethnicity, location, age, sex, or gender is crucial for all humans. Coming from a country with a poor healthcare system also influences my view in terms of healthcare access. I believe that health has a strong social component which cannot be measured quantitatively and thus I adopted an interpretivist and qualitative approa ch for my study. The best way to undergo my study would be by utilizing a qualitative approach, more specifically, open-ended interviews. I want to gain insight into the barriers that are present for each individual from these ethnically diverse backgrounds. I want to understand their perspective and beliefs, and how these influence their use of the healthcare system. After I understand these barriers, I will compare the difference in the types of barriers that are present among those living in the urban and rural settings. Since I am using open ended interviews, I believe the best rhetorical choice would be passive. I believe the participants in the study should have the freedom to talk in depth about the issue at hand. I don’t want to influence their answers in any way but at the same time they should have the opportunity to freely express themselves. Especially in my study which includes ethnic minorities, there may be language barriers present so this freedom to answer freely would be a pl us for the participants. Interpretive/theoretical frame My research project will be embedded in the interpretive paradigm. More specifically, I will be adopting the constructionism theory. â€Å"Constructionists focus on how people create meaningful social reality for themselves through their interactions and thereby create a sense of order through shared beliefs (David Sutton, 2011).† Constructionists adopt qualitative approaches such as interviews and unstructured observation (David Sutton, 2011). I believe that culture is important in defining health, it influences our behaviour in terms of how we access and utilize our healthcare system. For example, Renfrew et al. (2013) talked about how people’s perceptions on chronic illness affected their use of the healthcare system. One’s culture, beliefs, views and attitudes affects their behaviour in terms of healthcare use. This is relevant to my research project because I want to understand the barriers that exist for ethnic minorities with diabetes but with the added element of comparing these barriers in two settings: urban and rural. References: American Diabetes Association. (2002). Standards of medical care for patients with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care, 25, 533-549. David, M., Sutton, C. (2011). Social research: An introduction. London : Sage Publications. Oldroyd, J., Banerjee, M., Heald, A., Cruickshank, K. (2005). Diabetes and ethnic minorities. Postgrad Medical Journal, 81, 486-490. Renfrew, M. R., Taing, E., Cohen, M. J., Betancourt, J. R., Pasinski, R., Green, A. R. (2013). Barriers to care for Cambodian patients with diabetes: Results from a qualitative study. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Undeserved, 24(1), 633-655. Smith, Garie, Schmitz (2014). Self-reported use of diabetes healthcare services in a Quebec community-based sample: impact of depression status. Public Health, 128, 63-69. The Press Association. (2013, December 10). Diabetes care quality is question of location. Nursing Times. Retrieved from http://www.nursingtimes.net/home/clinical-zones/diabetes/diabetes-care-quality-is-question-of-location/5066307.article Wagner et al. (2012). Trauma, healthcare access, and health outcomes among Southeast Asian refugees in Connecticut. Journal Immigrant Minority Health, 15, 1065–1072. Peer Feedback Form Is it clear what issue or problem the author will investigate through this study? Explain. Yes, the author is studying healthcare access by immigrants from two different backgrounds: those from developed countries and those from underdeveloped countries. It is evident in the assignment what the researcher will be trying to determine and why they have chosen to do so. There is a gap in understanding barriers in access to healthcare that exist between immigrants from developing countries and those from developed countries. Is the approach chosen, qualitative or quantitative a suitable choice, and will it bring insight into the research question? Explain. The approach is qualitative and this is a suitable choice. Since the researcher wants to understand why people over or under use the healthcare system and wants their opinion/views, it’s best to use a qualitative approach. By using interviews, for example, they can gain insight into the factors that influence people to use or not use the healthcare system in their country. Has the author explained connections to the literature, including what gaps exist in our knowledge about the topic? Explain. Yes, the author has clearly explained why they want to do this research and what gap it will fill. They have mentioned that previous research has been done on immigrants and access to healthcare, however, none have focused on the differences in this access based on country of origin (developed/developing). Are the aims of this project clear and well written? Explain. Yes, the aims are quite clear. The author wants to understand the factors that prevent immigrants from using the healthcare system based on their country of origin, the Western or Eastern countries. They want to compare these factors and understand if any differences exist. Is the research question clearly stated? Is it researchable? Does it fit well within approach the author has selected? Explain. The question is clearly stated and is researchable. It will fit with the qualitative approach that the researcher has chosen because it will allow them to understand from the immigrants’ views why they chose or didn’t choose to utilize the healthcare system. They want to understand the barriers that exist for them individually and thus, the best approach is to use qualitative methods. Has the author properly and convincingly used the intellectual guideposts for research, explaining her or his project and position relative to these? Explain. Yes, the author used the intellectual guideposts to explain her position on each one. The use of the constructionism theory in this research proposal makes sense. They want to understand the barriers that exist for each individual and this is influenced by how people create and perceive their realities, the basis of constructionism. Is it clear which paradigm and theoretical frame will be used in this study? Explain. It is quite evident that this research is based on the interpretive paradigm. As she stated in this assignment, â€Å"The largest factor guarding our interpretations of the social world is culture.† This perfectly fits with this research study because I’m sure that most of the barriers that exist in access to healthcare are influenced by culture. This is especially true for most immigrants who come from countries that are different culturally. What suggestions can you make or ideas can you bring to enhance the overall clarity of the proposal? Explain. Overall the assignment was very well done, however, I’m just wondering if you are concentrating on new or long term immigrants. I think this would potentially affect the types of barriers that are present. For example, language or knowledge would be more of a barrier for newer immigrants. Maybe you could control for this aspect, as it could be a potential confounder. Good luck! 1

Analysis of the Gempei War Essay -- Gempei War Japanese History Essays

Analysis of the Gempei War In May 1180 Prince Mochihito, the son of Retired emperor Go-Shirakawa, issued a statement urging the Minamoto to rise against the Taira. While Mochihito would be killed in June and Minamoto Yorimasa crushed at the Battle of the Uji, a fire had been set. In September Minamoto Yoritomo, who had recieved Mochihito's call from Miyoshi Yasukiyo, set about raising an army in the Province of Izu, where he had been in exile. There was an irony in the preceeding events, as Taira Kiyomori had himself sown the seeds of the war, so the poetic tale goes. His great error, we are told, had been to spare the sons of Minamoto Yoshitomo in the wake of the Heiji disturbance, allowing these three boys - Yoritomo, Noriyori, and Yoshitsune - to mature and form the leadership of a new and dangerous threat. In fact, Yoritomo's own call to arms in the east was recieved cautiously at best. He did manage to kill the local Taira governor, but was defeated at the Battle of Ishibashiyama by Oba Kagechika. In the wake of this hard setback, however, Yoritomo did recieve the valuable additon of Kajiwara Kagetoki to his staff. Elsewhere in the Kanto, local families began to respond to Yoritomo in varying degrees and in Shimosa and elsewhere set about eliminating Kyoto-appointed officals. This often provoked inter-province and occasionally inter-clan civil war, a common and oft-overlooked element of the Gempei War. By the Spring of the following year, Yoritomo could count on at least the tacit support of most of the notable families in the Kanto, although the Chubu, though by now nominally Minamoto dominated, existed beyond his immediate control. Yoritomo's Kanto domain is occasionally referred to as the TÃ ´gaku, and rather then surge forward against the Taira, he contented himself for the time being with consolidating his hold locally. The Taira response to the violence was mixed and uncertain. Kiyomori dispatched his grandson Koremori with an army eastward, but he turned back at the Fuji River in Suruga Province. Closer to home, Taira Tomomori - who would prove the most able of the Taira - had defeated the combined forces of old Minamoto Yorimasa and the warrior monks of the Miidera at the Uji River in late June. To punish the monks for their involvement thus far in the fledgling conflict, Kiyomori ordered the Miidera burned and, a few months later, a nu... ...ted to a degree for the benefit of the audience. In a sense, the specifics of the Gempei War - the battles, armies, and tactics - were secondary to the political arena. The only truly decisive battle, from a 'war-winning' standpoint, was Kurikawa. The famous fights at Ichi no Tani, Yashima, and Dan no Ura were 'nails in the coffin', conducted while Yoritomo himself was busy consolidating his hold over Minamoto occupied Japan. One might even argue daringly that Dan no Ura, which looms so large in Japanese history, was essentially a 'mopping up' operation given legendary and almost Homeric (for lack of a better word) dimensions by the Heike Monogatari's prose. Any one of the three battles mentioned probably paled in significance to the 1184 Court-Minamoto agreement that, if nothing else, paved the way for the Kamakura Bakufu. In the final analysis, many of our questions about the Gempei War - and the years preceding it - will never be conclusively answered due to a simple lack of full historical documentation. At the same time, the 20th Century saw a long-overdue reevaluation of the events leading up to the foundation of the Kamakura Bakufu. Happily, this is an ongoing endeavor.