Life Of Gladiators In The Roman Empire

Life Of Gladiators In The Roman Empire The name gladiator was derived from a Latin word gladiatores. Gladiators were both skilled and amateur fighters in ancient Rome who were regarded as expensive investments and fought to death in entertaining their spectators. Throughout the empire the matches took place in arenas with engagements pitying man against man or man against animals in combat. To the Romans themselves, the foundation of the arena was one of the significant features of their civilization. There was hardly any contemporary voice that was against the morality of staging gladiatorial combat in fact, the gladiators own epitaphs proudly talked about their profession without indignity, regret, or resentment. At present, the notion of gladiators combating to the death, and ideas of an amphitheatre where battle could be staged and watched by a passionate audience, epitomizes the extent to which the Roman Empire was capable of falling. The origin of gladiatorial combat originated from the Estruscan customs that sacrificed humans to appease the dead. The first gladiators were slaves who were forced to fight to the death at the funeral of an eminent aristocrat, Junius Brutus Pera in 264 BC. This spectacle was organized by the heirs of the deceased in honor of his commemoration. This concept of (the Munus) was that it kept alive the memories of important personalities after their death. The munus was held sometime after the funeral and were frequently repeated at annually or a five year intervals. This gladiatorial games or munera as it was locally referred were not made a regular part of public spectacle until the late first century. Gradually the gladiatorial exhibitions were separated from the funerary perspective and began to be staged by the affluent people as a way of showing of their power and influence in the society. The number of gladiators to be put on show was the main attraction, the bigger the number, th e more generous the sponsor was alleged to be, and the more thrilling the spectacle. Most gladiators were recruited from slaves, criminals and prisoners of war and had no choice if selected for such duty. Since they had lost their rights and some never had citizenship they had no option but to comply as they would have an opportunity of a renewed life in the arena as a respected gladiator. Surprisingly, a number of gladiators were not prisoners of war or slaves but free-born volunteers. They had never lost their rights as citizens but choose the profession voluntarily by pledging their allegiance to the owner of a gladiatorial troupe by swearing an oath to endure branding, flogging or die by the sword (UNRV History).The oath meant that the owner of the troupe had the final authority over the gladiators life, even assimilating him to the status of a slave. The key motivation was perhaps the down payment that a volunteer received after taking the oath as a gladiator. By the closing stages of the Republic, almost half of the gladiators were volunteers that took on the p osition of a slave for an agreed-upon duration of time, similar to agreed servitude that was widespread in the late second millennium. Throughout the Roman Empire gladiators were trained in exceptional and specialized schools called ludi that could be found as general amphitheatres. In these schools, the gladiators were subjected to a thorough training, fed on a high-energy diet and received expert medical attention, this made them an expensive investment that were not to be dispatched lightly. Rome itself boasted of four schools, the largest of which was named the Ludus Magnus and was connected to the Colosseum by an underground subway. The most famous training ground was the school of Capua where Spartacus sparked the gladiator and slave rebellion in 73 BC. In general, most of the gladiators would not battle more than two or three times a year but with the fame and fortune of the arena they would eventually buy out their freedom. However, some gladiators who had initially committed crimes were either anticipated to die within a year ad gladium, or might get their freedom after three years ad ludum, if they survive d in the arena (Coit 967). Matches involving gladiators took place in ampitheatres or colosseums and were often staged after the animal fights (Venationes) and open executions the noxii. In its original forms the equestrian status or persons of patrician often planned the matches in order to gain political favor on the part of the public and audience. The organizers of these games were commonly referred to as dominus, the editor or munerator and were privileged with the official status and respect of a magistrate. In case a gladiator dies in combat, the lanista or trainer received payment for compensation by the sponsor of the fatal and deadly spectacle almost a hundred times the cost of a gladiator who survived the battle. For this reason it was very much expensive for sponsors to supply the bloodshed that spectators frequently demanded, though if they did allow a gladiator to be slaughtered it was taken as a suggestion of their kindness(Bagnell 621). In spite of their servile, outlaw, legal and slavery status, gladiators commanded a wide-ranging following. They often benefited from great social prestige as even young Roman boys were fond of hanging out at gladiator schools and sometimes taking combat lessons by the gladiators, something their parents really disliked. In many occasions, Roman matrons in particular enjoyed having affairs with gladiators due to their celebrity status. Many tombstones of the gladiators had wall graffitis marked with comments such as, Celadus makes the girls swoon (Coleman). More so, there were cartoons that contained accompanying messages and headings scratched on plastered walls showing the tally of a gladiators records. It was the sanction of the sponsor, acting upon the wishes of the crowd in the coliseum, to make a decision whether to hand in official pardon for the defeated gladiator or consign him to the victor to be slain. The guiding rules for gladiatorial fights were almost certainly precise to different styles of combat. In the arena gladiators were armed individually in different combinations, each combination commanding its own fighting style and technique. It was uncommon to find gladiators being paired against an opponent in the same fighting style. For example, it was difficult to find the equites (horsemen) who entered the arena on chariots and horseback fighting against other horsemen. The most interesting pairing involved divergent advantages and disadvantages against each other the most favorite being combat between the fish fighter (Murmillo) and the hoplomachus or thraex. The fish fighter had a large shield that covered him from shoulder to calf giving him stout protection but was very heavy. The thraex carried a small squared shield in combat that only protected his torso while the hoplomachus had a small and rounded shield however; all of them wore leg protectors that stretched well abo ve the knee. Out of all the gladiators, the retiarius (Net fighter) was the most defenseless since he only had a shoulder guard on his left arm that acted as his protection. On regular combats he fought with the secutor who was heavily armed although virtually invincible, crumbled under the heavy weight of his armor. These gladiators were named according to their fighting styles, initially the various fighting styles emanated from the types of combat the Romans encountered with the natives who they fought and conquered. For instance, thraex literally meant inhabitants of Thrace the unfriendly land bordering the north and east by the Danube and notorious black sea respectively. Consequently, as styles in fighting became recognized and official gladiators were trained in a definite ethnic style that is totally different from his real place of origin. Interestingly there was also a category of women gladiators, this was widespread but never lasted for long as women fighting in the arena was outlawed by Emperor Septimius Severus in the third century, C.E. The Roman Empire had gladiatorial barracks that were marked by heterogeneity as membership and life of brotherhood constantly fluctuated due to betrayal and tours by troupes in the local circuit. Some gladiators survived up to retirement as fresh recruits were brought in to train as gladiators. Above all, gladiatorial combat was a demonstration of bravery and skillfulness.

Grammar Basics :: essays papers

Grammar Basics 1) Subject - The subject is the noun or the pronoun that performs the action of the verb in a sentence. In literary usage, the subject is the the idea about which something is being said. Predicate- The predicate of a sentence is the verb 2) Sentence - A sentence is a grammatical unit that is syntactically independent and has a subject that is expressed or, as in imperative sentences, understood and a predicate that contains at least one finite verb. ex. Joey ran to catch the elevator. 3) Phrase - A phrase is two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence. A collection of grammatically-related words without a subject or without a predicate is considered a phrase. 4) Introductory Phrase - a phrased used in the beginning of a sentence of paragraph ex. "Friends, Romans, countrymen....lend me your ears!" 5) Conjunction - A conjunction is the part of speech that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences...such as and, but, and because. 6) Clause - A clause is a collection of grammatically-related words including a predicate and a subject (though sometimes is the subject is implied). ex. I like to eat bagels Introductory Clause - An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence. ex. Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz. Dependant Clause - A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence. ex. When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . 7) Antecedent - The word, phrase, or clause that determines what a pronoun refers to. ex. The teacher asked the children where they were going. Relative Pronoun - A pronoun that introduces a relative clause and has reference to an antecedent ex. The child who is wearing the hat. 8) Introductory Conjunction - 9) I went to the movies with Joey, Andrew, Amy, and Michelle Julie, Sara, and I went to the grocery store last night.

short story :: essays research papers

A NEW PAGE by P. Ringon It’s been two weeks, and I haven’t made any real friends. It’s just that, I feel as if no one likes me. Sure, I’ve talked to a few people, like Jessica and this really hot guy Chase, but I’m starting to feel lonely again. I mean, I was captain of the cheerleading squad at my old school, and was one of the popular girls. Diary, I just don’t get it. Well, whatever, I’m way too tired to keep on writing so, let’s just hope tomorrow will be at least a little different from the norm, that I’m slowly getting used to. Until next time. Carissa woke up the next morning and carelessly stumbled out of bed. She looked in the mirror and thought no wonder no one’s really talked to me, I look like crap. Despite her morning thoughts, she and everyone else knew how gorgeous she actually was. With her hair done, face fresh, clean, made-up, and new clothes to show off, she headed out the door and jumped into her car. She sped down to the nearest Starbucks, just like she did every morning. She finally got to school, still getting used to how different things looked compared to her old one. Carissa was still not used to her dad’s line of work, even though it was the fourth time his company had transferred him. Following the same routine she had been going through for the past two weeks, Carissa sat in the courtyard and read one of her favorite novels, The Joy Luck Club, and sipped on her brand-name cappuccino with extra whipped cream, hoping that someone would take interest in her and maybe even spark a new friendship. Carissa was reading †¦water had turned a deep golden color, and then red, purple, when she was suddenly startled by someone who knocked over her cappuccino. Without even looking to see who did it she blabbed out, â€Å"Look! You need to watch where you’re going, Loser.† Carissa looked up and suddenly felt her heart sink and her face turn as red as an apple. It was Chase, and before she could even begin to apologize, he jumped in saying, â€Å"Oh, damn. Hey, umm, it’s Carissa, right? I’m so sorry, I was totally zoned out. Here, I have a Starbucks ‘ccino, too, and I didn’t even do so much as breathe on it yet.

OManjos Last Waltz Essay -- Creative Writing Narrative Essays

O'Manjo's Last Waltz It was another long week, and I was looking forward to the usual summer rituals of mowing lawns and hammering a few nails into any place they seemed to fit. I usually closed the auto parts store at 5:30 and stayed doing paperwork for another hour or so, but not on Fridays. Fridays were the finish line of a usually marathon week of complaining customers and dissatisfied employees. At 5:31, the place would be empty, dark, and eager for an echo. The old man knew this ritual, and when he came on Fridays, he usually blew in the door around 5:15. He had been coming in every week for about a year. We didn't know Joe's last name, we only knew him as "Old Man Joe." We call him "O'Mango," and he didn't seem to know the difference. His hearing was the least of his problems. He peppered his weekly visits over different weekdays, but it was always Fridays that he waited until 5:15. He makes the usual remarks every time he sits his old, marshmallow behind down at the counter. "Well, boy?" He'd ask. "What the hell are you looking at?" "I'm looking at the ugliest, most disgusting, onriest son-of-a-bitch I've ever seen!" Was my usual reply. "That's right, and don't forget it!" He would hold his dry, cracked hands in fists and shake them at me. "Keep it up, boy, and I'll whoop your scrawny little but right here and now." At some time in O'Mango's life, he was a prizefighter. His nose looked like it had taken more than its share of beatings, so I tended to believe the story. All the talk was, of course, our way of greeting each other. If he did intend to come after me, I'd most likely have him pushed out the door before he could get his oxygen tank over his shoulder. O'Manjo didn't really need ... ...opened. The neighbors didn't want money for them; they were just trying to sort things through, and knew Joe well enough to guess at our credit arrangement. They said Joe died peacefully in his sleep, without pain. I wondered if he just laid in bed listening to that tape over and over like it was some kind of drug and he was a junky. This didn't seem wrong to me. At least I'd know that he died happy. I imagined him waking up in heaven wearing his best dance shoes, and bouncing across the ballroom floor. There will always be another customer to fill Joe's stool and fire remarks at us, but none will replace Joe. When I think about it, I kind of feel guilty that he paid me ten dollars a month to be his friend. It was not a difficult job, but was merely human interaction that somehow becomes precious when it's lost. I just pray O'Manjo got his money's worth.

Better Community and Build a Healthier Life Essay

Better Community and Build a Healthier Life,† yesterday. Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit, ecumenical Christian community, has been created to make adequate housing a matter of conscience and action. Since its creation in 1976, it has built and improved more than 300,000 houses, sheltering more than 1,500,000 people in thousands of communities in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Eastern and Western Europe, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Habitat’s work is made possible by affiliates or people who are dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. As of this writing there are 132 affiliates in the Asia-Pacific region and 2,291 worldwide. Habitat’s work is far greater than the current number of affiliates and supporters nonetheless. Hence as it continually strives to achieve its mission Habitat is likewise constantly calling more volunteers to take their part in re-building the world. Anchoring on a statement made by Dr. Stephen Post, a professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and co-author of the forthcoming book Why Good Things Happen to Good People: The Exciting New Research That Proves the Link Between Doing Good and Living a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life that, â€Å"There is now a convergence of research leading to the conclusion that helping others makes people happier and healthier. So the word is out – its good to be good. Science increasingly says so,† former President and co-founder of Habitat for Humanity, Jimmy –more– relates volunteering to building a healthier life. For more details on how to participate to the Habitat’s action for a cause, please visit http://www. habitat. org/. Contact Name: Phone: Website: E-mail: ###

Huckleberry Finn Paper: Why the Ending Was a Let Down Essay

Throughout the novel, Huck and Jim are faced with problems and adventures. Jim teaches Huck the ‘right’ way to go about things and how to treat people. Most of the novel Huck grows as a person and matures. One might argue that it was because he was around other adults. But towards the latter part of the book, his old friend, Tom Sawyer arrives and Huck is up to his old tricks again. In the earlier parts of the book, Huck was very independent and thought of his own plans to get out of bad situations, but right after Tom wandered back into the story Huck just agrees with everything and anything that his friend suggests. He asks questions and tells Tom that it would be easier to perform the plan his own way, but Tom always puts his ideas down and disagrees with it. Clearly, throughout the first two-thirds of the novel, Huck’s character grows and Huck becomes more self-dependent, but every part of the story that Tom is involved in, he causes Huck to go back to his sam e old way. In chapter 16, there are two men that talk to Huck and ask if he’s seen any runaway slaves. At first Huck hesitates to answer because he’s had a southern upbringing which taught him to think that slaves are people’s property and if you see one trying to escape, you turn them in. But in another thought, Huck doesn’t really want to turn him in because he’s been having such a good time with Jim and they’ve become really good friends at this point. In the end, Huck makes up a story that his Pap is in the wigwam and that he has smallpox. The men in the canoe are put off by this information and feel sorry for Huck and his father, so they put forty dollars on a piece of drift wood and tell Huck to take it. â€Å"Then I thought a minute, snd says to myself, hold on: s’pose you’d ‘a’ done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad—I’d feel just the same way I do now Well, then, says I, what’s the use you learning to do right when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong†¦?† (Pg. 91) This attitude towards Jim is very different from his earlier one, in a previous chapter Tom helps Huck sneak out of the Widow’s house and Jim hears them making noise in the bushes. The two boys wait in the brush until Jim falls asleep and before they leave Tom has an idea that Huck doesn’t really want to do because he thinks that they might get caught. Tom ends up doing it anyway though; he takes Jim’s hat and puts it in the branches and ties Jim to the tree that he fell asleep under. None of this was Huck’s ideas, which makes Tom the less mature of the two. This is the starting level of Huck’s character where Tom is able to tell Huck what to do and his friend does never protests for long because he believes that Tom is so amazing and he really looks up to him. Huck thinks that if he does what Tom says, then he will be just as cool as his best friend. Later on in the novel this changes and he starts to form a mind of his own. He even starts to stray from what he knows as ‘what is right’. In chapter 26, the duke and the dauphin try to con $6,000 out of the Wilk’s family. One of the daughters, Joanna, can feel that something is up and starts to question Huck to see whether they’re lying or not. At first Huck tries to lie to her, but as Joanna’s interrogation goes on, her sisters tell her to be courteous towards their guests. Huck felt bad about the situation because he knew that his trickster companions were going to take this family’s money. â€Å"I felt so ornery and low down and mean that I says to myself, my mind’s made up; I’ll hive that money for them or bust †(175). So he thinks of a plan to take back the money that the duke and the dauphin took from them. I believe that if he had not grown up from his previous adventures with Jim, he would not have cared that these men were taking all this money from these people, in fact he’d probably want some of it for helping out. But Huck was very sympathetic for the family and tried to his best extent to fix what the conmen had done. This is a situation that proves how far Huck has come from being told what to do and looking up to Tom. Huck is now able to form his own opinions about things and starts to think â€Å"Hey, I am able to do things on my own. I don’t need Tom, or conmen, or anybody else to tell me what to do any more.† In chapter 31, Huck discovers that Jim is sold to a family by the dauphin. After he learns this, he starts to write a note to Tom so that he can tell the Widow were Jim is so she can go get him, but then he decides that he doesn’t want to turn Jim in. He’s had so many experiences with him on the river; he’s practically his family now. He even cried earlier when he found out that Jim had been captured. If he had been the same kid that he was before the adventures with Jim, he would have thought that it was the right thing for him to do by turning his friend in. But throughout the novel he learned that Jim is a human too, he’s not a piece of property. Jim has feelings, thoughts, and even a family. Huck was brought up to think that helping slaves was a bad thing, but from now on he knew that he would follow his heart and decided â€Å"All right then, I’ll go to hell!† (214). Here is another example that proves that Huck’s character has been growing throughout the novel. It shows this because of everything that this boy has gone through he has learned that it’s not always best to do what society says is right, sometimes it’s even extremely wrong and should never be done. In chapter 35, the two boys think of plans to get Jim out. Huck thinks of a short and easy plan, while Tom thinks of something more complicated. Tom also complains about how his Uncle Silas should have a watchman, watch dogs, a moat, and a handful of other obstacles that make their task harder to perform. By this time, Huck is so mesmerized by Tom because he thinks that everything that his friend does is so great that nothing can go wrong if Tom’s doing it. Tom gets his way, as usual, and they start stealing things that they need from Aunt Sally. They spend weeks on getting Jim out, when Huck’s idea would have only taken a few days at the most; Tom probably would not have gotten shot either. At one point Jim even lifted his chain from underneath the bed and went outside to help the boys. They could have just left then and there, but Tom had to make Jim’s escape as difficult as possible. If it was just Huck and Jim, they would have just left! This part of the novel was extremely hard to read, there was no point to prolong Jim’s escape, at this time in the plotline everything that had been made before was just being erased and there was just no point to the rest of this particular adventure with Tom; it was certainly not helping Huck’s character out. This last section of the book took strides backwards from Huck’s development of maturity throughout the novel. It was like taking a few steps forward only to take twenty more backwards. And overall makes the ending of the book a bit disappointing, Huck is right back where he started, he’s now living in a house with another family that will try to strip him of his freedom and make him more civilized. In my opinion, the last adventure of the story ruined what the others had built up for Huck’s character. At the end of the story Huck had reverted back to idolizing Tom and falling for all of his manipulative lies just as before.

Community and Population Health Essay

Introduction I currently reside in Denver County, Colorado. I have chosen to assess and analyze this community for this assignment. Denver, Colorado is located east of the Eastern Foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Denver County is centrally located within the city of Denver, Colorado and includes the Denver International Airport located north-east of the city. The elevation of this county is 5,277 feet and therefore is nicknamed the â€Å"Mile-High City†. Denver County contains 154.9 square miles of land with a large amount of parks and rivers, of which 1.4 miles is water. (City and County of Denver, 2011). Population Economic Status According to the 2010 census, Denver County has a population of 600,158 people with a median age of 33.7 years old (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). Denver County’s population is approximately 50% male and 50% female (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). The ethnicity of Denver County is predominately White (52.2%), with Hispanic (31.8%) and Black (9.8%) ethnic groups comprising the next largest population groups (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). The median household income in Denver County from 2008-2012 was is $49,091; compared to $58,244 for the entire state of Colorado (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010b). From2008-2012, 18.9% of households were at or below poverty; compared to an average of 12.9% for the entire state of Colorado (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010b). The average reported unemployment rate for persons ages 16 + in Denver County was 8.6% (with a +/- 0.4% margin of error) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). Denver County has a high percentage of educated workforce. In 2008-2012, 36.7% of the population age 25 + had obtained their Bachelor’s Degree, or a higher level of education; compared 28.5% for the entire US (U.S. Census  Bureau, 2010b). Although Denver County has a large percentage of educated residents, it also has a high number of homeless residents. In a survey taken in January 2013, an estimated 11,167 people were homeless in Denver (including employed homeless) (Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, 2013). Of those individuals, 43% were women and 62% were adults with children (Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, 2013). The birth rate in Denver County in 2012 was 9,236 (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). This was average compared to the previous two years – in 2011 there were 9,431 births compared to 2010 where there were 9,584 births (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). Denver County’s death rate in 2012 was 4,220 (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). This number was average compared to the previous two years as well – in 2011 there were 4,156 deaths and in 2010 there were 4,210 deaths. The number one cause of death in Denver County from 2010 – 2012 was cardiovascular disease (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). The majority of deaths related to population was individuals age 85+ (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). Denver County offers two primary basic food assistance programs. These programs are called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children). For the fiscal year of 2013, Colorado had an average of 47,636,090 persons from a total of 23,052,396 households were signed up for SNAP benefits (USDA, 2014a). This number had increased by approximately 1,027,016 persons from 2012 fiscal year (USDA, 2014a). For the fiscal year of 2013, Colorado had an average of 8,662,591 persons (including women, infants, and children) were receiving supplemental nutrition from the WIC program (USDA, 2014b). This number decreased by 245,249 persons from 2012 fiscal year (USDA, 2014b). Cultural Assessment The population size and sex of the cultural group I interviewed was of twenty white women. Out of the twenty women I interviewed, ten women were between the ages of 20-29 years old and ten women were between the ages of  30-49 years old. All twenty women are currently registered nurses on the internal medicine/oncology floor at the hospital I am currently employed at. The amount of nursing experience these individuals have ranges from two years to 29 years of experience. All twenty individuals interviewed have health insurance. The attitudes toward age and aging of the twenty individuals surveyed varied with a similar goal of staying healthy to prevent the onset of diseases. The younger group interviewed felt it was important to eat healthy and exercise to promote internal health and longevity of life in general. The older group interviewed were more specific with their answers and felt it was important to maintain low stress lifestyles to promote good mental and physical health, to exercise to promote strong bones/balance, to perform mental exercises to help prevent the onset of dementia, and to regularly attend appointments. Both groups agreed that positive vs. negative attitudes directly affect physical health and one’s quality of life. When I asked both groups of their opinions regarding what age adolescents are considered adults, I received drastically different answers. The younger group felt as if ages 18-19 years old are considered adults related to society’s description of an adult, the independency promoted with high school graduation, and the onset of college. The older group felt as if ages 22-23 years old are considered adults primarily related to maturity, life experiences, and the beginning of an entry level career after completion of a college degree. Both groups felt as if college education was an expectation. All of the individuals interviewed currently have their degree in nursing with an active nursing license. Approximately one-third of those interviewed have their Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and several of those interviewed possess recognizable specialty healthcare certifications. As an entirety, the group interviewed is healthy. Over half of those interviewed have no prior diagnoses regarding their state physical of health. The most obvious physical characteristic that both groups share is being overweight with eleven out of the twenty women interviewed currently being overweight according to their projected BMI. The entire population interviewed shared the mental challenge of overcoming the stress presented at work regarding difficult/challenging patients and all women interviewed believed they have compromised their safety while caring for a patient at one time or another in their career. When I asked this group what the usual sources of stress are, work was number one for all twenty women interviewed. The younger population interviewed stated that children/family and educational goals are some of their secondary sources of stress. The older population interviewed stated that aging/retirement and the health of other family members are their secondary sources of stress. Both groups primarily use the mountains/nature and outdoor activities, such as skiing and hiking, to cope with stress. Five of the individuals drive nearly sixty miles to work (one-way) daily, related to owning a home in the mountains to escape the â€Å"rush and chaos† of the city and helping to find a â€Å"balance in life†. Out of all twenty individuals interviewed, over 3/4 of the woman are married and/or have a significant other. When asked what their number one priority in life was, family was consistently number one. Most all other interests and goals were related to benefiting or bettering the family. Some of the answers named were continuing educational goals, buying a new home, having a baby, planning retirement, and helping their parents with activities of daily life. Of the cultural group identified, all of them share a team attitude while still exhibiting individualist perspectives unique to personal preferences and opinions. Neighborhood/Community Safety Denver is divided into about 80 different official neighborhoods within Denver County (City and County of Denver, 2011). Those 80 different neighborhoods have been divided into seven police and fire districts; including Denver International Airport with has its own district (Denver Police Department, 2014; Denver Fire Department, 2014). The average response time for the Denver Police Department varied in 2013 from 14.9 minutes to respond to urgent, emergency calls (from the time a 911 call was received to the time an officer arrived on the scene) to 16.9 minutes for an officer to respond to a non-emergency call (Maass, 2013). According to Lt. Matt Murray from the Denver Police Department, these slow response times  have been directly correlated with a lack of officers (Maass, 2013). According to Murray, the Denver Police Department can have as many as 1,426 officers and as of October 3, 2013, the Denver Police Department had only 1,350 officers (Maass, 2013). A new class of 70 recr uits are currently in training in hopes to decrease the department’s response times in 2014 (Maass, 2013). The Denver Fire Department maintains 34 different fire stations that are strategically split into seven districts (Denver Fire Department, 2014). Firefighter’s each work an average of three 24-hour shift with an average of 180 firefighter’s on-duty per shift (Denver Fire Department, 2014). The Denver Fire Department responds to a variety of calls including Fire Suppression, Rescue Operations, Hazardous Materials Response, Technical Rescue, Urban Search and Rescue, Water and Ice Rescue, High Angle Rope Rescue, Confined Space and Trench Rescue, Wildland Firefighting, and Emergency Medical Services. They also perform thousands of building inspections annually, daily training and certifications, public and community education, school fire drills, and organize other special events (Denver Fire Department, 2014). According to the Denver Fire Department 2012 Annual Report, there were a total of 101,531 alarms/calls made in 2012 that required the response of the fire department team (Maass, 2013). Out of those 101,531 calls made to the fire department, 54,350 were for medical calls, 8,103 were for auto accidents, 2,248 were for fires, and approximately 37,000 calls required other services or rescues (Maass, 2013). Denver County has a significant amount of violence, crime, and gang activity within the community. In January/February 2014 there were a total of 7,268 crimes captured by the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) (Denver Police Department, 2014). According to this reporting system, the crimes are broken down into four categories; (1) crimes against persons, (2) crimes against property, (3) crimes against society, and (4) all other offenses (Denver Police Department, 2014). The top two offenses in Denver County per category included (1) simple assault and aggravated assault, (2) larceny and criminal mischief/damaged property, (3) drug/narcotic violations and prostitution, and (4) disorderly conduct/disturbing the peace and  criminal trespassing (Denver Police Department, 2014). These figures are slightly elevated from a total of 6,822 crimes in January/February 2013 (Denver Police Department, 2014). There is a variety of different gang activity in Denver County. In 2003, Denver police estimated that there were 14,000 gang members in Denver who were affiliated with 220 different gangs (Gang activity in Denver, 2013). The Denver Police Department has since created gang prevention programs including education, a gang hotline, outreach programs for former gang members, crime stoppers anonymous tips hotline, and the Denver Police Department Gang Bureau (Denver Police Department, 2014). Even with gang prevention involvement in the community and with these prevention programs in place, from January-September 2013 there was a total of 143 total crimes that could be directly related to gang activity (Gurman, 2013). These crimes included homicides, sexual assault, robberies, and aggravated assault (Gurman, 2013). Denver County is also populated with a high level of alcohol and drug abuse. The availability of marijuana with the recent legalization of recreational marijuana makes marijuana the most widely abused drug in Denver County (Mendelson, 2014). Alcohol, methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine, and prescription drugs are all found within the city limits of Denver as well (Mendelson, 2014). Denver County is centrally located between two interstates; I-25 and I-70. These interstates have many different entry and exit points to and from the city that provide easier access for drug trafficking and other illegal activities. Denver County has many different programs protecting its air and water quality. The Environmental Quality Division (EQD) is responsible for a variety of measures including conducting compliance inspections of air emissions, monitoring pollutant levels, issuing permits, and constructing models of air pollutant levels in the Denver area (Department of Environmental Health, 2014a). In February 2014 Colorado became the first state to regulate methane emissions from hydraulic fracking (Kroh, 2014). This new regulation will directly increase water quality and decrease smog in the Denver area. The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) is responsible for monitoring the quality of water in Denver’s lakes and  streams. The DEH collects an average of 13,000+ water samples and conducts more than 50,000 tests annually to ensure that Denver’s drinking water is clean and safe (Department of Environmental Health, 2014c). The goal is for the city of Denver to have fishable and swim mable waters in all the lakes and streams by 2020 (Department of Environmental Health, 2014c). Denver’s Departments of Environmental Health, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation are all work together to ensure that the City meets this goal (Department of Environmental Health, 2014c). Denver’s current number one pollutant is trash and litter. Urban Drainage and Flood control district alone collects approximately 100 tons of trash from the streams and rivers in Denver annually (Department of Environmental Health, 2014b). There are several health risks living within Denver County. These risks include earthquakes, hazardous materials, winter storms, and severe thunderstorms with hail, lightening, tornados, and/or flooding (Office of Emergency Management, 2014b). Hit and run injuries have become an epidemic in Denver County with an increase in fatal crashes in Denver County. Denver police reported 18,662 hit-and-run accidents, both sustaining injuries and sustaining no injuries, during 2011-2013 (Hubbard, 2014). At least one person in Denver metro area is injured every day by a hit-and-run driver and nearly three times a month a pedestrian is fatally injured by a motorist who flees the scene (Hubbard, 2014). Colorado legislators have recently increased the potential prison sentence for hit-and-run cases resulting in bodily injury and/or death. They have also formalized an alert program to inform the public on suspects, vehicles, and/or license plate numbers in an attempt to help in track down perpetrators (Hubbard, 2014). Disaster Assessment and Planning The state of Colorado and city of Denver has worked hard to organize a variety of disaster and emergency preparedness plans within the community. One source of information, READYColorado, offers a variety of data sources for the community. Their website, READYColorado.com, offers awareness and disaster preparedness for a variety of natural disasters, technological disasters, and human caused disasters. The website also contains statistics, facts, and a calendar list of current events and training exercises. It offers links for volunteer opportunities regarding community involvement and educational classes and it also lists ways to stay informed of emergencies  from such sources such as radio, television, text, live twitter feeds, and blogs. Three critical facilities in Denver County include three specific venues; Coors Field with 50K capacity, The Pepsi Center with 19K capacity, and Sports Authority at Mile High Stadium with 76K capacity (City and County of Denver, 2011). The most vulnerable populations to these disasters are the 22.3% of households with children less than 18 years of age, the approximately 23,000 individuals 65+ that live independently, and the residents in 51 long term care facilities within Denver County (City and County of Denver, 2011). The primary disaster of concern for the Denver County is winter weather. Winter weather is an expectation living in Colorado. READYColorado contains information for home and vehicle preparation, emergency communications planning, proper dress for indoors and outdoors to protect the body from hypothermia, and hypothermia/frostbite warning signs. One can also find more information at Ready.gov, Colorado Department of Transportation, NOAA watch, and the American Red Cross regarding winter weather and the risks involved. Avalanches are of great threat to the mountainous regions of Colorado but do not pose a threat within Denver County. The risk of earthquakes is low in Denver County. However if an earthquake was to occur, the city would be very susceptible to extensive damage. Residencies and some of the older buildings in Denver are not made to withstand earthquakes and would most likely suffer damage to their structures (Office of Emergency Management, 2014b). Severe thunderstorms bringing hail, lightening, and tornados pose threats to the Denver County annually. Residents of the Colorado’s Front Range area are located in the heart of â€Å"Hail Alley† which begins mid-April and lasts through mid-August. The Front Range and Denver County receives a high frequency of large hail annually, averaging three to four hailstorms a year, and costing at least 25 million dollars in insured damage for each event (READYColorado and the State of Colorado, 2014b). Lightening poses the greatest threat to areas where the mountains and plains intersect (READYColorado and the State of Colorado, 2014b). Three deaths related to  lightning strikes have known to occur in Denver since 2001 (National Weather Service, 2011). Tornados pose a threat to all areas of Colorado; however tornados to not typically get high intensity ratings within Denver County (City and County of Denver, 2011). Flying debris from high winds cause most injuries. NOAA weathe r radio, telephone alerts, and television sources provide alerts severe thunderstorms and the destructive events that they bring. Denver County also has an outdoor warning siren system consisting of 76 electro-mechanical sirens that sound when there are tornado alerts and warnings (Office of Emergency Management, 2014a). Wildfire ignition by lightning is a bigger concern rural Colorado areas compared to the city. Respiratory problems can still result from the inhalation of smoke spread by wind. Wildfires burn thousands of acres and destroy hundreds of structures annually in Colorado. These fires are generally ignited by lightening or human causes and can easily be fueled by drought conditions, insect infestations, and heat. READYColorado offers information on risk assessment, home preparation, evacuation plans, and shelter information. More information regarding wildfires can be found at Ready.gov, Ready, Set, Go!, Surviving Wildfire, The Red Cross, US Fire Administration – FEMA, and Colorado State Forest Service websites. Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal is also a useful tool in determining fire risks. Currently, Denver’s fire risk is between lowest intensity and moderate intensity risk (Colorado State Forest Service, 2014). Flooding has a big impact on Colorado and in 2013 challenged many residents in the Denver area. NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, television, and internet sources provide information on flood watches and warnings, including flash floods in Denver County. Flash flooding along streams such as Cherry Creek, Clear Creek, and Harvard Gulch pose the greatest threats within the Denver area. The Corps of Engineers, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District websites provide 2013 flood information, current projects, and resources for flooding preparation and damage control in Colorado. Health risks involved from flooding include contamination from bacteria (ie. E.coli), parasites (ie. giaria), and viruses (ie. Hepatitis A), respiratory infections from mold and other irritants, and bodily injury from swiftly moving currents, electricity hazards, and hypothermia. It is very important for all Denver County residents to be up to date with Tetanus  vaccinations. Terrorism poses a rather unpredictable threat to Denver County. Denver County has a large metropolis population and houses both government buildings and military installations, contains large sports stadiums and an international airport. It is known that failure of the Cherry Creek Dam would cause catastrophic damage to both life and property within Denver County (City and County of Denver, 2011). There have been known international and domestic terrorist groups identified in Colorado during previous years (City and County of Denver, 2011). Education regarding the â€Å"eight signs of terrorism† can be found at multiple terrorism related websites including READYColorado.com. Denver also has specialized units including Denver Police Department Mounted Patrol, S.W.A.T.(Special Weapons And Tactics) who’s primary objective deals with hostage negotiation, drug busts and counterterrorism (City and County of Denver, 2011). Hazardous material spill have an increase potential in Denver County related to the many different companies storing hazardous materials within city limits. There are approximately 400 facilities storing reportable quantities of hazardous materials on properties located throughout the county (Office of Emergency Management, 2014). Each company is regulated by law to hold emergency plans that would go into effect if an accidental release of substance was to occur. The interstates bring added risk to Denver County related to the traffic along I-25 and I-70. These two interstates pass through densely populated areas of Denver County Denver fire and police have Hazardous Materials Response teams in place that are trained to respond to such an event(s). Denver County has nearly a dozen different hospitals with a vast amount of public transportation options such as bicycle, RTD bus and light rail services, taxi cabs, car2go, and Lyft services. Denver County has excellent communications and response teams in the event of a disaster with a vast amount of online education; however this information is published mostly in the English language. With such a large population of homeless in Denver County and 18.9% of all households at or below poverty level (U.S. Census  Bureau, 2010), the internet is not a good primary option for learning. Also, approximately 28% of all households speak a language other than English (City and County of Denver, 2011). Community Diagnosis Denver County is a very strong community regarding the number of educated workforce, median household income, number of hospitals, amount of public ground transportation, the protection of air and water quality, and the number of fire and police with specialty training teams and programs operating within the community. There is a very small percentage of residents 65+ who live independently and slightly over 1/5 of all households have children less than 18 years of age. The primary language is English and the community culture has a good overall team mentality. Denver County’s birth rate double the death rate with the leading cause of death cardiovascular disease in a primary death rate existing in the population 85+ (Colorado Department of Public Health, 2012). Denver County has many open avenues regarding opportunities and readiness attitudes within community. The population of Denver County is approximately 50% male and 50% female with a median age of 33.7 years old (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). This provides the community with the opportunity to explore young ideas and diversity among sexes. Denver County has a large number of homeless population with approximately 1/5 of the total population at or below poverty. These numbers exceed the national average. Denver County has two specific food programs being utilized greatly; SNAP and WIC benefits. There is a high number of crime, violence, and gangs within Denver County. There is a high level of alcohol and drug abuse within the community as well. Specialized police teams and community resources/programs assist with deterring these types of activities and assist in recovery efforts for those individuals. Colorado has recently legalized recreational marijuana which could be positive in terms of tax revenue for the state and future funding of programs and resources for the community. There could also be negative consequences regarding adolescent drug use and the increase of impaired drivers on the streets; however these statistics have not yet been measured and studied. Denver County is  contains a 100% urban population. This is both a strength and weakness to the city in terms of emergency evacuation. There are three critical facilities that exist in Denver County at specific venues with a capacity between 19K and 76K (City and County of Denver, 2011). Denver County is centrally located between I-25 and I-70 which can be an opportunity for evacuation or a barrier regarding avenues for drug trafficking and other illegal activities. There is a high ratio of hit-and-run injuries and fatalities within Denver County. Colorado legislators have recently increased potential prison sentences for hit-and-run cases resulting bodily injury and/or death. They have also formalized an alert program to inform and involve the public as an attempt to help track down perpetrators. The formulation of a city-wide educational program focusing on the prevention of hit-and-run occurrences may be beneficial in reducing these numbers as well. It is important for the Denver Police Department to have quicker response times to both emergent and non-emergent calls. Hopefully with the addition of new recruits for the force who are currently in training, Denver County will see quicker response time to all calls made. This will also hopefully decrease the amount of gang-related crimes and deter community activity in general. It is evident that Denver County has a large trash and litter problem. The initiation of more trash cans and recycle containers parallel with city-wide education would be beneficial in decreasing this problem. It would also be of benefit to the community and the court systems to enact a community service program that revolved around helping clean up the neighborhoods and streets. Denver County has good disaster and emergency preparedness plans within the community; however educational resources to the public need to be explored with a variety of different materials and other languages for maximum effectiveness. The primary educational method is by internet with most of the materials written in the English language only. Nearly 1/3 of all households in Denver County speak a language other than English. References City and County of Denver. (2011, Oct). Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment. Retrieved March 8, 2014, fromhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source =web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denvergov.org%2FPortals%2F428%2Fdocuments%2FDenver%2520Hazard%2520Identification%2520and%2520Risk%2520Assessment.pdf&ei=AvEtU6etF8OJogSh5oDwDw&usg=AFQjCNEEQhg_2-JDt_OVeX3pIyYSKGcx9g&bvm=bv.62922401,d.cGU Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (n.d.). Health Statistics: 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s& source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chd.dphe.state.co .us%2FResources%2Fvs%2F2012%2FDenver.pdf&ei+I14tU9zPA-SNygGZ-IDYBw&us G=AFQjCNH_VbyYxdRvmxNekgRu-y0LhIgrzw&bvm=bv.62922401,d.aWc Colorado State Forest Service. (2014). Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal. 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Water Quality Program: Trash and Litter. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://wwwdenvergov.org/environmentalhealth/ EnvironmentalHealth/EnvironmentalQuality/WaterQuality/tabid/444650/Default.aspx Department of Environmental Health. (2014c). Water Quality Program: Water Quality In Lakes and Streams. Retreived March 9, 2014, from https://wwwdenver.gov.org/environmental health/EnvironmentalHealth/EnvironmentalQuality/WaterQuality/tabid/444650/Default. Aspx Gang activity in Denver. (2013, August 17). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_activity_in_Denver Gurman, Sadie. (2013, October 15). The Denver Post. Denver Police: Gang violence rises this year, involves more victims. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.denverpost.com /breakingnews/ci_24309448/denver-police-gang-violence-rises-this-year?source=rss Hubbard, Brent. (2014, Feburary 17). Rocky Mountain PBS. Hit-and-run fatal crashes rising in Colorado. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.coloradoan.com/article/201 40217/WINDSORBEACON01/302170069/Hit-run-fatal-crashes-rising-Colorado Kroh, Kiley. (2014, February 24). Climate Progress: Colorado Become The First State To Regulate Methane Emissions from Fracking. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http:// thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/02/24/3322651/Colorado-methane-fracking/ Maass, Brian. (2013, October 3). CBS Denver. Denver Police Response Times Worsen, Complaints Rising. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/ 10/03/denver-police-response-times-worsen-complaints-rising/ Mendelson, Bruce. (2014, Feburary). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Abuse Patterns and Trends in Colorado and the Denver/Boulder Metropolitan Area – Update: Jan 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/organization/work groups-interest-groups-consortia/community-epidemiology-work-group-cewg/meeting- reports/highlights-summaries-january-2014-4 Metro Denver Homeless Initiative and National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (2013, January). The Gathering Place – Homelessness and Poverty Statistics. Retrieved On March 8, 2014, from http://www.tgpdenver.org/homelessnessfaq?printable National Weather Service. (2011, June 21). Colorado and National Lightning Casualty Statistics. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/?n=/Itg/Itg_stats_index. php Office of Emergency Management. (2014a). Alert and Warning Systems. Retrieved March 10, 2014, https://www.denvergov.org/AlertandWarning/tabid/391430/default.aspx Office of Emergency Management. (2014b). Potential Threats. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.denvergov.org/Redirect_404/tabid/391429/Default.aspx? READYColorado and the State of Colorado. (2014a). Retrieved March 10, 2014, from https:// www.readycolorado.com/ READYColorado and the State of Colorado. (2014b). Severe Weather/Thunderstorm. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from https://www.readycolorado.com/hazard/severe-weatherthunder storm READYColorado and the State of Colorado. (2014c). Tornado. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from https://www.readycolorado.com/hazard/tornado READYColorado and the State of Colorado. (2014d). Wildfire. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from https://www.readycolorado.com/hazard/wildfire