Linking instruction Essay Example for Free

Linking instruction Essay Teaching is always perceived as a straightforward process whereby teachers provide instruction and students learn. With this perspective, teaching is seen as a simple instruction–learning process. In actual practice, it is more realistic to view assessment as an integral component of the teaching process. In fact, it has been estimated that teachers devote at least one-third of their professional time to assessment-related activities (Stiggins Conklin, 1992). Assessment can and should provide relevant information that both enhances instruction and promotes learning. In other words, there should be a close alignment between theory, instruction and assessment. With this expanded conceptualization of teaching, instruction and assessment are integrally related, with assessment providing objective feedback about what the students have learned, how well they have learned it, how effective the instruction has been, and what information, concepts, and objectives require more attention. Instead of teaching being limited to an instruction–learning process, it is conceptualized more accurately as an instruction–learning–assessment process. For example, a misaligned curriculum, instruction, and assessment had been seen as one factor that led to poor student achievement. In the past, standardized norm-referenced tests, used traditionally for accountability, have only partially aligned with curricular materials and classroom instruction. These conditions obviously result in poor test scores (Burger, n. d. ). Using the standards-led alignment approach, this policy sought to align, integrate, and connect components of schools as systems (e. g. , assessments, curriculum, instruction, and accountability). According to Linn Herman (1997), standards-led alignment should use local content standards as the focal point to: †¢ foster the use of multiple assessment sources and methods, †¢ describe how classroom and accountability assessment relate to each other, †¢ align accountability and classroom assessment with learner outcomes, and †¢ ensure that teachers and administrators use appropriate forms of assessment, are skilled in interpreting data, can plan for re-teaching activities using data, and can evaluate the impact of specific programs and instructional strategies. To begin the alignment process, Allington and Cunningham (2002) advocated a comprehensive policy review to determine where all system elements connect (e. g. , curriculum, instruction, and leadership). Stiggins and Conklin (1992) illustrated the important role that teachers play in the process of aligning instruction and assessment methods with theory: As a nation, we spend billions of dollars on educational assessment, including hundreds of millions for international and national assessments, and additional hundreds of millions for statewide testing programs. On top of these, the standardized tests that form the basis of district-wide testing programs represent a billion dollar industry. If we total all of these expensive, highly visible, politically important assessments, we still account for less than 1 percent of all the assessments conducted in Americas schools. The other 99 percent are conducted by teachers in their classrooms on a moment-to-moment, day-to-day, and week-to-week basis. In summary, if an educational institution wants to have effective teachers, they needs incorporate in their educational paradigm to link theory in the methods of instruction and assessment. Instruction and assessment are both instrumental parts of the teaching process, and assessment is a major component of a teacher’s day-to-day job. Knowing the connection of these, teachers can obtain information that promotes self-understanding and they will have more ability to help students plan for the future. For example, parents and students can use assessment information to make educational plans and select careers that best match a students abilities and interests. References Allington, R. L. , Cunningham, P. M. (2002). Schools that work: Where All Children Read and Write.Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Linn, R. , Herman, J. L. (1997, February). A Policy Maker’s Guide to Standards-Led Assessment. Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States. Burger, D. (n. d. ). Using Standards-Led Policy to Align Assessment and Accountability Systems. Honolulu: Pacific Resources for Education and Learning. Retrieved 2 November 2006 at http://www. prel. org/products/re_/standards-led. htm. Stiggins, R. Conklin, N. (1992). In Teachers’ Hands: Investigating the Practice of Classroom Assessment. New York: SUNY Press.

Healthcare Policy in the US

Healthcare Policy in the US A healthcare policy is a set of rules and regulations that are put into effect to assist in the operation and the shape of health delivery. A healthcare policy covers a range of issue including public health, chronic illness and disability, long-term care, the financing of health care, preventive health care and mental health. There are two models of a healthcare which consist of the single payer and the social insurance system. In the single payer model, taxes are paid to the government which then pays healthcare providers such as nurses, doctors, and dentists to provide health services to individuals. In a social insurance system, citizens must purchase health insurance from non-profit insurance companies who will then use this health insurance to pay for services provided by healthcare providers. Healthcare is financed through private insurance companies which individuals can access through their employers and for the many Americans that are uninsured, there are three programs in which they can go through called Medicare, Medicaid, and The State Childrens Health Insurance Program. Medicare mainly deals with Americans who are over the age of 65 or disabled. Medicaid deals with people who are of low income or maybe classified as being poor. The State Childrens Health Insurance Program deals with people who are uninsured or low income children. There are so many aspects that can make up healthcare policy and there will be many more that will have an impact on healthcare in the future. Principles of US Health Policy There are many principal features of the United States health policy, but to name a few critical ones are: government as subsidiary to the private sector; fragmented, incremental, and piecemeal reform; pluralistic politics; the decentralized role of the states; and the impact of presidential leadership. These key characteristics of health policy work together or separately to pressure the progress and growth of health policy to benefit the country. The United Sates is one of the few countries in the world that does have a national health care system where their government pays the majority and is the leader in the health care organization. That is not the case in the US. The private sector is the leader and the government takes a back seat in the majority of the development of health policies. It is funny that Americans prefer to have as less involvement from the government as possible in relation to health care financing, delivery, and policy. Being a capital nation we are under the notion that the private sector can best organize and operate the production and consumption of goods and services in our country rather than the government. The US health care system is fragmented so much that it is almost impossible to track. Employers provide a voluntary insurance program to their employees that are paid for through payments from employees and employers together. Then you have the elderly you are covered through Social Security tax, government subsidized voluntary insurance for physician, supplementary, and prescription drug coverage. The indigent obtain health care through Medicaid which is funded through federal, state, and local revenues. American Indians, Congress, members of the armed forces, Veterans, and the executive branch have health insurance that is financed through the federal government directly. Any type of reform in America is incremental and piecemeal especially health care. For example Medicaid has had many much needed changes since its beginning in 1965. First, Congress changed the policy to have more children become eligible and in 1984 pregnant women and children in two parent families were granted health care if income restrictions were met. Policy changes are met with an array of complex political roadblocks that make much needed reform difficult to accomplish. Often it takes a revolutionary presidential election to overcome such barriers. As in any other policy debates in the US politics interest groups pluralism have an effect on the health policy. Powerful interest groups involved in health care politics adamantly resist any major change (Alford 1975). Each group deeply believes that their interests are the best and will fight very hard to protect their interest. For instance, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for American citizens over the age of 50. They are one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States with over 40 million members. Because they are such a well organized interest group they are very effective in influencing the decisions on policies that affect the seniors in this country. A decentralized role of the states has its pros and cons. The states provide financial support for the indigent and disabled through comprehensive health care programs. They also take on the additional responsibility of implementing the governments Medicaid and SCHIP programs for the elderly and children. On the flip side critics have suggested there is too much state control in regards to health policy changes. With each state having control over their own health policy decisions makes it extremely difficult to create a unified national health care policy. New presidents have always been the stepping stone for policy changes in America. Every president from Johnson to Bush has made an attempt to reform health care in some shape or form. The most recent major historical change has come with the election of President Obama. He has done what no other President has done, Health Care Reform. He is putting the control of peoples health care needs in their own hands. President Obamas presidential leadership impact will reform health care by making it more affordable, making insurance companies accountable for their actions, and provide coverage to all Americans. Development of legislative health policy Health policy is a set course of action undertaken by governments or health care organizations to obtain a desired health outcome (Cherry Trotter Betts, 2005). The health care system, including the public and private segment, with the political forces influence how systems are shaped by the health care policy-making processes. Public health policies start from local, state, or federal legislation, regulations which manage the terms of health care services. There are also institutional or business policies related to health care in addition to public policies. In the private sector the policies are developed by hospitals, accrediting organizations, or managed care organizations. Nurses, the largest number of health care providers are the most familiar with institutional policies including those developed and implemented by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The decision making in the public or the private sector, the scope of the issue, and the nature of the policy all have an impact on the characteristics of a policy (Thurber,1996). A basic understanding of the policy process is the first step in having a strategy on how to encourage potential power and control important changes in the health care system. It is a process that uses multiple points of access in order to provide a vision that influences the decision makers involved at each stage. There are three stages of policy making: the formulation stage, the implementation and the evaluation stage. In the formulation stage, input of information, ideas, organizations, research from key people and interest groups are put together. The implementation stage involves disseminating the collected information and starting to put the policy into action. During this stage, the proposed policy is transformed into a plan of action (International Council of Nurses, 2005). Public policy endorsed b y local, state, or federal governmental identities is usually put into practice through the normal process that interprets the policy into a written set of rules issued by the government agency that is responsible for overseeing the policy. All concerned groups contribute in the development of health care policy by providing necessary information needed to decide on the implementation. Nurses are a very important part in the preparation and implementation of the policy. As the largest one group of health care providers, nurses can successfully sponsor health care policy project; they also have a distinctive point of view on health care policies and expertise to share with the responsible agents. Nurses are a strong voice and active advocated group that leads to positive change and build consensus on important issues. The policy process also includes an evaluation and modification phase when existing policies are revisited and may be amended or rewritten to adjust to changing circumstances (Longest, 2006). Most major public policies are subject to modifications in this process. Smaller changes in already existing policies are usually easier to be implemented than major changes as less clarification and efforts are required to be implemented. A good example would be when the Medicare Program has undergone since its enactment in 1965. Another change is when the U.S. Congress in 1998 added nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists as providers that can bill for Part B services they provide to Medicare beneficiaries. Congress has changed Medicare program many times after that and put a number of preventive services to the Medicare program. The most recent change was done to Medicare Part D and added a prescription drug program available for Medicare beneficiaries. Health care issue moves through the phases of the policy process, from a proposal to an actual program that can be enacted, implemented, and evaluated, the policy process is impacted by the preferences and influences of elected officials, other individuals, organizations, and special interest groups (Longest, 2006). Political interactions take place when people get involved in the process of making decisions, making compromises, and taking actions that determine who gets what in the health care system. Special interest groups and individuals with a stake in the fate of a health care policy use all kinds of influencing, communication, negotiation, conflict management, critical thinking, and problem solving skills in the political arena to obtain their desired outcome (Cherry Trotter Betts, 2005; Kalisch Kalisch, 1982). Health care system is continuously changing, nurses in many institutions are taking the advocacy role, working together to reflect nursings perception in health care policies and to be implemented. However, the legislative process needs to be well understood and policy advocates should be aware that they may run the risk of working with the wrong people or at the wrong time and therefore the policy may not be established. Well prepared professionals can always find ways to promote for a better health care system. For the more experienced professional there are many resources available to nurse policy advocates who want to learn more about how to make a difference in key health care issues using legislative and policy processes and working within the political arena. The Future of Health Policy The future of health policy is unknown and difficult to predict. The US has struggled with conquering the health care system as one comprehensive unit. Instead, there have been individual attempts at specific problems, resulting in fragmented solutions. The anti-socialist views of the US citizens have thus far prevented a nationalized health care system, but this has not and will not stop many influential leaders from trying. Regardless of health care being a universal or disjointed system, the future of health policy aims at containing costs, increasing access, and improving quality. On March 2010, President Obama signed a health care reform bill. A preliminary estimate claims that the bill will reduce the deficit by $130 billion in the first ten years and by $1.2 trillion in the next ten years (Jackson Nolen, 2010). State-based insurance exchanges will be implemented as a way to purchase insurance for those who do not have access through their employer. The Medicare prescription coverage donut hole will be closed by 2020 and seniors will receive a 50% discount on brand name medications. Medicaid will be expanded, will include childless adults, and illegal immigrants will not be eligible. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions and children will be able to stay on their parents insurance plans until age 26. Beginning in 2014, there will be an individual mandate that everyone must have health insurance or have to pay a fine, with exceptions for low-income people. Employers with greater than 50 employees will be required to offer health insurance. There is no telling what the ultimate success will be of this bill, as it is a continued hot debate between political parties, but it puts some definition on the future of health policy. The role of state governments in health care has become more substantial. They hold the majority of the responsibility for regulating all aspects of the health care system. In addition, states contribute to financing Medicaid services, finance health coverage for state/public employees and retirees, and subsidize the costs of health care services for the uninsured. States also have the role of protecting the publics health through controlling the spread of communicable diseases, protecting the environment, preventing injuries, promoting healthy behaviors, responding to disasters, providing health services to those without access, monitoring the populations health status, and developing health care policies to benefit the community. The future of health policy shows that states will continue to perform these roles. Conclusion In closing, we feel that an issue such as healthcare must be thought through and have a decision made based on the need of the American peoples as well as the needs of the American economy. By this we mean that a decision should be developed based on a way to keep this great country from going bankrupt or prevent the American people from going broke when a plan goes into effect. In todays world, the U.S health Care System of today is turning into a disaster because many people are getting to the point to where they are not able to afford healthcare services due to the fact that they are not able to afford it or have lost their jobs are may have partial health care benefits. We feel that all Americans must try to stand up for what they believe and fight for a healthcare policy that will enable everyone to be able to have healthcare coverage so that our government will see that there is a need for a change in the future. Resources 1. Shi, L. Singh, D.A. (2008.) Delivering Health Care in America: A Systems Approach (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers 2. Jackson, J. Nolen, J. (March 23, 2010). Health Care Reform Bill Summary: A Look At Whats in the Bill. cbsnews.com. Retrieved, April 20, 2010, from: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000846-503544.html. 3. Alford, R. R. 1975. Health Care Politics: Ideology and interest group barriers to reform. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 4. S M Williams-Crowe and T V Aultman, State health agencies and the legislative policy process. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1403499/?page=1 5. Pamela White, Tobie H. Olsan, Carolanne Bianchi, Theresa Glessner, Pamela Mapstone, Legislative: Searching for Health Policy Information on the Internet: An Essential Advocacy Skill. Retrieved from: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN

Julius Caesar Essay -- essays research papers fc

Julius Caesar’s legacy and attributes are just as robust today as they were in his time. From the time he took power to the time of his death he accomplished more than many other men would have done in a lifetime. He brought the Roman Empire to its height and from his death on, the Empire did nothing but fall. He was one of the world’s greatest leaders and probably the best. At the age of 15 Caesar became head of his family when his father died in 85bc. His family wanted him to pursue a religious career as the priest of Jupiter but Caesar had other plans. He wanted to dive head long into a political career. He took maters into his own hands when in 84bc he married Cornelia the daughter of one of Rome’s stronger leaders at the time, Cornelius Cinna (Schlesinger 30). Cinna took power in 82bc when Rome’s leader at the time Gaius Marius died. Marius was married to Caesar’s Aunt Julia. Marius was killed in battle with one of his great enemies Sulla. Soon after this battle Sulla died also, but he still had many allies. Marius had let Caesar help him while he was leader by doing small jobs. Caesar gained much experience while helping out Marius. When Caesar was 25 he set sail for the island of Rhodes. But, on the way a band of pirates captured the ship and kidnapped him. While his family was raising ransom money he was a very difficult guest for the pirates. He strolled boldly around their ship and pointed out weaknesses in their sword fighting technique and told them he would kill them all after he was released. They were entertained by this young man but did not believe the threat (Green 19). His family finally paid his ransom. Soon after it was paid, Caesar learned that the government was not going to take action and pursue the pirates. Caesar took matters into his own hands. He organized a fleet of ships, captured the pirates and crucified their whole gang. The news of this spread quickly, and Caesar was both admired and criticized for acting so quickly. By age 30, Caesar was making Sulla’s allies very worried. But 30 was not too young for a roman so full of ambition. In 69bc, Caesar was serving as governor in farther Spain, administering Roman laws to Spanish tribes and subduing those who resisted. He went to go see the statue of Alexander the Great in the city of Cadiz. Alexander was a leader who had conquered much of the world by the age of 30. Caes... ... he died, it is amazing to think of all that he accomplished in his life. Also it is amazing to think of all that he could have accomplished if he had lived. His legacy lived on through Octavius, who named himself emperor of Rome and like all roman emperors that followed he took the name of Caesar. If he had stayed alive the Roman Empire could have conquered all of the Eastern Hemisphere. Rome defiantly benefited from him. Rome was the most powerful nation at the time and would have stayed that way for much longer if Julius Caesar had not been murdered. Works Cited Green, Robert. Julius Caesar. New York. Franklin watts publishing company, 1996 May, Robin. Julius Caesar and the Romans. East Sussex. Wayland publishing, 1984 Schlesinger, Arthur M. Caesar. Boston. Chelsea house publishers, 1987 Suetonius. The lives of the 12 Caesar's. Willamstown, MA. Corner house publishers, 1987 Blooming, Mike H. â€Å"Hero or Villain† 6 April, 1995

My First Car Essay -- Observation Essays, Descriptive Essays

It was a cold December night shortly after dusk, a likely setting for an event that would prove to be life altering. As fate would have it, this would be the night that I lost the material possession that truly meant the most to me. I would lose the one thing that gave me much pride and joy and excitement. I often think back and liken us to a newlywed couple, for we had only been together for 18 months and were still very much honeymooning. It was a night, a moment, that even now scoffs and mocks me as I travel thither and yonder with her replacement. But she can never be truly replaced and to call my current fix a replacement seems like a sort of blasphemy. I called her my Blue Angel. That's right! She was a brand new 1999 Atlantic blue Ford Mustang fully equipped with white racing stripes on each side, dark window tint, a rear spoiler, and a post-factory sound system that I installed personally just to complete the "dream ride" effect. We met on April 24, 1999,when my parents introduced us and told me she was all mine as a reward for graduating high school as valedictorian. And what a reward she turned out to be. We went everywhere together. I took her out to eat. When I'd go play ball somewhere, she went with me. Every day from April 24, 1999, to December 22, 2000, we were together. We were bonding in a way a young man can bond with no other, and there truly was no other for me. Other guys had bigger trucks and faster cars, but where my Blue Angel was lacking in size and power, she more than made up for in pure, unadulterated, raw emotion, She never let me down; she was always looking her best and never longing for attention from me or any of the other countless admirers and fans she won over for... ...ere living on love, my new friend and I are nothing more than meager acquaintances. His windows are not tinted, he does not have a backseat, and he lacks a decent stereo system, not to mention the whole appearance issue that made my previous relationship so special. He's not as fast or comfortable. He doesn't hug the road well at all. He's harder to handle and maneuver. He does have more cargo space and a wider wheel balance but what does that really mean? Really? I am fairly confident that one day I will meet another very similar to my beloved Blue Angel; but at this point in my life she could never mean the same. That level of thinking has passed. Things of importance are much different now than they were back then, but that hardly changes what she meant to me. She was special and will always hold a special place in my heart- I miss her dearly.

Women in Shakespeares Sonnet 130 Essay -- Sonnet 130 Shakespeare Wome

Women in Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 Shakespeare is expressing, though not in the first person, that he knows women are not the perfect beauties they are portrayed to be and that we should love them anyway. He uses two types of descriptions, one of their physical beauty and the other of their characteristics to make fun of all those ‘romantic’ poets trying to ‘brown nose’ the girls they like. One of the physical attributes, in the first quatrain, that he mentions is his â€Å"mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,† meaning she has no ‘twinkle’ in her eyes. In the first quatrain, he also speaks of coral as being â€Å"far more red† than the lips of his mistress; this is a use of imagery to show her non-beauty. He also recognizes that there are â€Å"no such roses† on her cheeks in the second quatra...

Advantages and Disadvantages of Living in Before Marriage

Today, many couples choose living in before marriage because they believe it will let them know if they are suited for marriage. Living in before marriage has some advantages and disadvantages for the couple and some of those are listed below. Some of the advantages of living in before marriage are: living-together Living together will lower the cost of food, rent and bills because two people are splitting the cost of living. In some cases, one person takes care of all the bills.In those cases, it is usually the woman who gets the benefit of free room and board costs. Having someone there for emotional support, sexual relations and for conversation without being committed in a marriage is considered an advantage for most couples. Living together before marriage allows the couple to test their compatibility. For some people, they want to feel that they can get along with someone while living together before they plan for their wedding. By living together, you will see how loyal your p artner is to you.This will help you build trust together that cannot be shaken if you agree to get married in the future. By living together, you can prepare for marriage ahead by learning someone’s habits, attitudes and manners. There are also some disadvantages of living together before marriage. These are: living-together2 By living together for a long time, you may get too comfortable with each other and totally avoid tying the knot in the future. Living together makes it easier for one partner to walk out on the relationship because there is no legal obligation to the other person.Living together can encourage an easy out for someone who wants it. Living together is often short-lived, statistics has shown. The female is the one who usually suffers if the relationship does not work out. Women tend to feel that they lose time, because of their biological clock, and dignity when they live together with a partner that ends in a break-up. No one knows for sure that living tog ether before marriage is the best thing to do. It is much easier to walk out of a relationship than it is walk out of a marriage.Everyone knows that divorce involves a lot more than what a break-up involves for a couple just living together. Many pastors and marriage counselors advise young couples that if they believe in the institution of marriage to find someone who believes in that themselves. People who believe in the sanctity of marriage do not suggest living with someone first just to get to know them better or see if they are well-suited for each other. After all, marriage is an institution, and we cannot learn things outside of an institution.

Deception Point Page 49

Marjorie Tench's raspy voice echoed in her mind. Are you aware that Sexton is accepting bribes from private aerospace companies? Gabrielle's pulse began racing as she gazed down the darkened hallway toward the archway that led into the senator's den. She knew she should speak up, announce her presence, and yet she felt herself inching quietly forward. She moved to within a few feet of the archway and stood soundlessly in the shadows†¦ listening to the conversation beyond. 55 While Delta-Three stayed behind to collect Norah Mangor's body and the sled, the other two soldiers accelerated down the glacier after their quarry. On their feet they wore ElektroTread-powered skis. Modeled after the consumer Fast Trax motorized skis, the classified ElektroTreads were essentially snow skis with miniaturized tank treads affixed-like snowmobiles worn on the feet. Speed was controlled by pushing the tips of the index finger and thumb together, compressing two pressure plates inside the right-hand glove. A powerful gel battery was molded around the foot, doubling as insulation and allowing the skis to run silently. Ingeniously, the kinetic energy generated by gravity and the spinning treads as the wearer glided down a hill was automatically harvested to recharge the batteries for the next incline. Keeping the wind at his back, Delta-One crouched low, skimming seaward as he surveyed the glacier before him. His night vision system was a far cry from the Patriot model used by the Marines. Delta-One was looking through a hands-free face mount with a 40 x 90 mm six-element lens, three-element Magnification Doubler, and Super Long Range IR. The world outside appeared in a translucent tint of cool blue, rather than the usual green-the color scheme especially designed for highly reflective terrains like the Arctic. As he approached the first berm, Delta-One's goggles revealed several bright stripes of freshly disturbed snow, rising up and over the berm like a neon arrow in the night. Apparently the three escapees had either not thought to unhook their makeshift sail or had been unable to. Either way, if they had not released by the final berm, they were now somewhere out in the ocean. Delta-One knew his quarry's protective clothing would lengthen the usual life expectancy in the water, but the relentless offshore currents would drag them out to sea. Drowning would be inevitable. Despite his confidence, Delta-One had been trained never to assume. He needed to see bodies. Crouching low, he pressed his fingers together and accelerated up the first incline. Michael Tolland lay motionless, taking stock of his bruises. He was battered, but he sensed no broken bones. He had little doubt the gel-filled Mark IX had saved him any substantial trauma. As he opened his eyes, his thoughts were slow to focus. Everything seemed softer here†¦ quieter. The wind still howled, but with less ferocity. We went over the edge-didn't we? Focusing, Tolland found he was lying on ice, draped across Rachel Sexton, almost at right angles, their locked carabiners twisted. He could feel her breathing beneath him, but he could not see her face. He rolled off her, his muscles barely responding. â€Å"Rachel†¦?† Tolland wasn't sure if his lips were making sound or not. Tolland recalled the final seconds of their harrowing ride-the upward drag of the balloon, the payload cable snapping, their bodies plummeting down the far side of the berm, sliding up and over the final mound, skimming toward the edge-the ice running out. Tolland and Rachel had fallen, but the fall had been oddly short. Rather than the expected plunge to the sea, they had fallen only ten feet or so before hitting another slab of ice and sliding to a stop with the dead weight of Corky in tow. Now, raising his head, Tolland looked toward the sea. Not far away, the ice ended in a sheer cliff, beyond which he could hear the sounds of the ocean. Looking back up the glacier, Tolland strained to see into the night. Twenty yards back, his eyes met a high wall of ice, which seemed to hang above them. It was then that he realized what had happened. Somehow they had slid off the main glacier onto a lower terrace of ice. This section was flat, as large as a hockey rink, and had partially collapsed-preparing to cleave off into the ocean at any moment. Ice calving, Tolland thought, eyeing the precarious platform of ice on which he was now lying. It was a broad square slab that hung off the glacier like a colossal balcony, surrounded on three sides by precipices to the ocean. The sheet of ice was attached to the glacier only at its back, and Tolland could see the connection was anything but permanent. The boundary where the lower terrace clung to the Milne Ice Shelf was marked by a gaping pressure fissure almost four feet across. Gravity was well on its way to winning this battle. Almost more frightening than seeing the fissure was Tolland's seeing the motionless body of Corky Marlinson crumpled on the ice. Corky lay ten yards away at the end of a taut tether attached to them. Tolland tried to stand up, but he was still attached to Rachel. Repositioning himself, he began detaching their interlocking carabiners. Rachel looked weak as she tried to sit up. â€Å"We didn't†¦ go over?† Her voice was bewildered. â€Å"We fell onto a lower block of ice,† Tolland said, finally unfastening himself from her. â€Å"I've got to help Corky.† Painfully, Tolland attempted to stand, but his legs felt feeble. He grabbed the tether and heaved. Corky began sliding toward them across the ice. After a dozen or so pulls, Corky was lying on the ice a few feet away. Corky Marlinson looked beaten. He'd lost his goggles, suffered a bad cut on his cheek, and his nose was bleeding. Tolland's worries that Corky might be dead were quickly allayed when Corky rolled over and looked at Tolland with an angry glare. â€Å"Jesus,† he stammered. â€Å"What the hell was that little trick!† Tolland felt a wave of relief. Rachel sat up now, wincing. She looked around. â€Å"We need to†¦ get off of here. This block of ice looks like it's about to fall.† Tolland couldn't have agreed more. The only question was how. They had no time to consider a solution. A familiar high-pitched whir became audible above them on the glacier. Tolland's gaze shot up to see two white-clad figures ski effortlessly up onto the edge and stop in unison. The two men stood there a moment, peering down at their battered prey like chess masters savoring checkmate before the final kill. Delta-One was surprised to see the three escapees alive. He knew, however, this was a temporary condition. They had fallen onto a section of the glacier that had already begun its inevitable plunge to the sea. This quarry could be disabled and killed in the same manner as the other woman, but a far cleaner solution had just presented itself. A way in which no bodies would ever be found. Gazing downward over the lip, Delta-One focused on the gaping crevasse that had begun to spread like a wedge between the ice shelf and the clinging block of ice. The section of ice on which the three fugitives sat was dangerously perched†¦ ready to break away and fall into the ocean any day now. Why not today†¦ Here on the ice shelf, the night was rocked every few hours by deafening booms-the sound of ice cracking off parts of the glacier and plummeting into the ocean. Who would take notice? Feeling the familiar warm rush of adrenaline that accompanied the preparation for a kill, Delta-One reached in his supply pack and pulled out a heavy, lemon-shaped object. Standard issue for military assault teams, the object was called a flash-bang-a â€Å"nonlethal† concussion grenade that temporarily disoriented an enemy by generating a blinding flash and deafening concussion wave. Tonight, however, Delta-One knew this flash-bang would most certainly be lethal. He positioned himself near the edge and wondered how far the crevasse descended before tapering to a close. Twenty feet? Fifty feet? He knew it didn't matter. His plan would be effective regardless.