A Blizzard Under Blue Sky - 1 - 2539 Words

Pam Houston has taught creative writing at Denison University in Ohio, where she completed her undergraduate studies, and her short stories have appeared in various literary magazines. Presently completing her doctoral studies at the University of Utah, Houston is also part of the world of womens fashion magazines as a contributing editor for Elle and a frequent contributor to Mirabella and Mademoiselle. For a number of years, Houston has also worked part-time as a river guide and hunting guide in the western United States and has written about those activities for the publications Outside and Travel and Leisure. Houstons interest in the outdoors forms the core of the stories in Cowboys Are My Weakness (1992), stories that have been†¦show more content†¦There was no wind and no clouds that morning, just still air and cold sunshine. The hair in my nostrils froze almost immediately. When I took a deep breath, my lungs only filled up halfway. I opened the tailgate to excited whines and whimpers. I never go skiing without Jackson and Hailey: my two best friends, my yin and yang of dogs. Some of you might know Jackson. Hes the oversized sheepdog-and-something-else with the great big nose and the bark that will shatter glass. He gets out and about more than I do. People Ive never seen before come by my house daily and call him by name. Hes all grace, and hes tireless; he wont go skiing with me unless I let him lead. Hailey is not so graceful, and her body seems in constant indecision when she runs. When we ski she stays behind me, and on the downhills she tries to sneak rides on my skis. The dogs ran circles in the chest-high snow while I inventoried my backpack one more time to make sure I had everything I needed. My sleeping bag, my Thermarest, my stove, Alexs bivvy sack, matches, lighting paste, flashlight, knife. I brought three pairs of long underwear - tops and bottoms - so I could change once before I went to bed, and once again in the morning, so I wouldnt get chilled by my own sweat. I brought paper and pen, and Kool-Aid to mix with my water. I brought Montana House chicken stew andShow MoreRelatedThe Sun - Original Writing1648 Words   |  7 PagesIt was a warm and cozy afternoon, with the temperature reaching 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The never-ending sky stretched across the landscape, painting a splash of vibrant blue with a few white puffs of cotton cloud in between. The sun rays were still shining brightly, casting shadows across a wide field full of green grass. The sounds of various birds chirping could be heard clearly everywhere, and occasionally a b utterfly would fly around, landing gently on the ever-fragile petals of the Clarie flowersRead MoreThe Dust Bowl1192 Words   |  5 PagesRays of golden sunlight were piercing the blue sky. Today was a hot day. There had been no rain in the last month. A young child was playing in the field while his father was harvesting the crops. The boy was playing among the newly harvested golden vegetables. There were a lot more vegetables than he remembered from years past. The boy knew they were going to sell most of this harvest. Where are the other plants that he remembered? Why was corn the only thing growing? Why is it in straight linesRead MoreThe Building Of Western Civilization1869 Words   |  8 Pagesaware of climate change and the human effects that contributed to its growth. There were climate models that predicted a variable increase in the global temperature of 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100, as well as a rise in sea level between 1 and 4 feet.1 According to these mod els, CO2 emissions started to increase at the same time as the Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth century. The increase in factory machinery as well as land use both caused a spike in the emission levels. HumanityRead More Independence and the Development of the American Identity and Mathematics in the Ninteenth Century5631 Words   |  23 PagesMr. Rocell had to stay in Sweden because of his tuberculosis. Nevertheless, Mr. Rocell said, Go to the United States. It is strong enough that Lincolns assassination will not plummet the nation into chaos. Although he did not place this optimism under the title of Manifest Destiny, the idea that the United States is strong, and will continue despite opposition, is a part of this concept. Hulda married, and her family settled in a sod house in northern Minnesota. Her husband showed independenceRead MoreThe Guest by Albert Camus5142 Words   |  21 Pages1 The Guest by Albert Camus Translated by Justin OBrien he schoolmaster was watching the two men climb toward him. One was on horseback, the other on foot. They had not yet tackled the abrupt rise leading to the schoolhouse built on the hillside. They were toiling onward, making slow progress in the snow, among the stones, on the vast expanse oft he high, deserted plateau. From time to time the horse stumbled. Without hearing anything yet, he could see the breath issuing from theRead MoreHeavy Metal Music7270 Words   |  30 PagesZeppelin,  Black Sabbath  and  Deep Purple  attracted large audiences, though they were often critically reviled, a status common throughout the history of the genre. In the mid-1970s  Judas Priest  helped spur the genres evolution by discarding much of its  blues  influence;  Motà ¶rhead  introduced a  punk rock  sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Bands in the  New Wave of British Heavy Metal  such as  Iron Maiden  followed in a similar vein. Before the end of the decade, heavy metal had attracted a worldwideRead MoreJetblues Good Service Quality9603 Words   |  39 PagesIt seems as though JetBlue has strayed from their original core values, although, the company seems to be on the way to resolving the issues that plague them. STRATEGIC PROFILE (John Beck and Admira Salazar) Starting Off In the Right Direction Jet Blue was birthed in 1999 by David Neeleman and went public in 2000 as an independently owned and operated Airline. Headquarters is located in Long Island, New York with its main base at John F. Kennedy International Airport with most of the flights occurringRead MoreAn Article On Earth Essay10094 Words   |  41 PagesEarth The Blue Marble photograph of Earth, taken by the Apollo 17 lunar mission. The Arabian peninsula, Africa and Madagascar lie in the upper half of the disc, while Antarctica is at the bottom. The Blue Marble photograph of Earth, taken during the Apollo 17 lunar mission in 1972. Orbital characteristics Epoch J2000[n 1] Aphelion 151930000 km (1.01559 AU) [n 2] Perihelion 147095000 km (0.9832687 AU) [n 2] Semi-major axis 149598261 km (1.00000261 AU) [1] Eccentricity 0.01671123[1] Orbital periodRead MoreEssay on Fall of Asclepius95354 Words   |  382 PagesFall of Asclepius By Harm 1 and Icrick Prologue Where should I begin? The apocalypse happened so fast. In less than a month, monsters infested every part of this world. People panicked, people died. They clawed at each other just to get out of all the infested areas around the world. There was problem about fleeing from infested areas. Everywhere was infested. There was no where anyone could go without encountering the walking plague. You know that phrase War is Hell? Well... its deadRead MoreInnovators Dna84615 Words   |  339 PagesW P R E S S BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 100092 00 i-vi r1 rr.qxp 5/13/11 6:52 PM Page iv Copyright 2011 Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher

The Media and Mass Misinterpretation of Islam Essays

The Media and Mass Misinterpretation of Islam As the cross is the symbol of Christianity, the Star of David the symbol of Judaism, the Crescent Moon and Star are supposedly the symbols of Islam. Islam at its core is a peaceful religion, which like many other religions over the ages has at times been misunderstood not only as to the values it preaches, but also in relation to its core beliefs. Although in today’s post September 11th world Islam and its followers, who are also known as Muslims, tend to be associated with acts of terrorism, the Middle East and anti-American beliefs, Islam at its core is radically different than what most people perceive it to be. Being the fastest-growing religion in the world, Islam’s 1.2 billion†¦show more content†¦Even if you stretch out your hand against me to kill me, I shall not stretch out my hand against you to kill you. â€Å"If anyone murders an [innocent] person, it will be as if he has murdered the whole of humanity. And if anyone saves a person it will be as if he has saved the whole of humanity. Though these two quotes are just a sample of the hundreds which can be found within the Quran, where it plainly states that violence is contradictory to the Muslim religion, there are some excerpts where it appears that the Quran does actually condone acts of aggression against others. In an effort to resolve these contradictions the Muslim scholars at the renowned Institute for the Secularization of Islamic Society (ISIS) have stated in MSN reporter Seth Stevenson’s article, Islam? A Peaceful Religion, that these â€Å"sword verses† came into the Muslim religion after the Muslim prophet Mohammed gained considerable military strength and still lacked converts amongst the Jews and Christians. Another one of the major problems, which effectively highlights the fact that Islam is gravely misunderstood in today’s Western world, is the symbol most non-Muslims associate with Islam. The mere suggestion that the Crescent Moon and Star aren’t the true symbols of Islam would seem almost comic to most educated Westerners seeing as these two items, with the help of our media and news outlets, have become almost synonymous with theShow MoreRelatedInspire, The, And Inspire The Believers Essay1157 Words   |  5 Pagesbombs used in the attack. The Boston Bombers are praised in â€Å"Remembering Boston† by Qadhi Bishr. In the opening â€Å"Editor’s Letter† Yahya Ibrahim states, â€Å"Muslims continue to face the results and consequence of the fierce crusade aggression against Islam.† He praises the 9/11 attacks as â€Å"the blessed 9/11 attacks,† and calls on Muslims in the West to join in jihad â€Å"in the cause of the events of 9/11.† He asserts that the â€Å"Mujahidin took an oath to defend the honor of the Prophet Muhammad,† siting theRead MoreReligious Terrorism : Islamic Terrorism1586 Words   |  7 Pages It also does not help that today’s social media thrives off of rude and belligerent internet memes that portrays just an average Middle-Eastern man as a awful, blood-shedding menace. There is one religion that is always directly connected to the basic terrorist stereotypes, and that religion would be Islam. Islam is defined as the religion of the Muslims, a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah. Though Islam produces the majority of terrorists, not allRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria2095 Words   |  9 PagesRecently, much media attention has been given to the radical terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). To many, this group is a representation of Islam and affirms the stereotype that Islam is comprised of radical terrorists that are cruel to women, children, and minorities. Commonly, Westerners maintain that Muslims oppose peace and, instead, are set on converting everyone to Islam. This paper, therefore, will examine the basic tenants and beliefs of ISIS and compare them to mainstreamRead MoreAnti Islam Sentiments On American Culture Essay1696 Words   |  7 PagesThough there is a seemingly massive amount of people who have just now come out with anti-Islam sentiments, it is clear that this is not really the case. Citing the radical policy suggestions and bans suggested by Donald Trump, there is also reference to American history and how the citizens of America are, unlike Europe and Asia, products of immigrants who chose to come to America (aside from slaves and Native Americans). Citing journalist Rose Wilder Lane in 1936, they take her quote that saysRead MoreDoes Islam Encourages Conflict And Terrorism As Well As Establish Why Islam2199 Words   |  9 Pages This section aims to establish whether Islam encourages conflict and terrorism as well as establish why Islam is under the limelight and seen as a violent religion. This section of my project will be employing statistical and thematic analysis strategies so a better understanding can be made to the empirical data gathered. Within exploring my research, diverse themes stood out. A range of 30 News articles were coded identifying negative depiction. (See Figure 1:5) Islamophobia attacks have risenRead MoreIslamic Religion Of Islam And Islam2553 Words   |  11 Pagesthese four words establish the fundamental explanation of the word Islam. A deep study of Islamic teachings and thought reveals that Islam is a religion of peace, security and protection; the true believers in the sight of God and His Messenger are those who embody those qualities. The dominant religion of Islam has been the center of much attention and controversy in today’s civilization. The Western perspective s ubjugates Islam and the Muslim counterparts as violent, aggressive, deviant and terroristic;Read MoreThe Phenomenon Of Violent Political Islamism3203 Words   |  13 Pages3. Discuss the phenomenon of violent political Islamism. What are its origins, aims and grievances? How ought we to deal with the phenomenon? Political Islam, or Islamism, is the instrumental use of Islam to pursue socio-political objectives. Islam in this case is not merely a religious construct, but a political ideology. Individuals, groups, and organisations pursue political ideas and programs based on Islamic principles and concepts. They aim to implement Islamic law (Sharia) in both the publicRead MoreResearch Design And Methods Of Public Schools1435 Words   |  6 Pagessame study analyzed adult’s knowledge of different religions from around the world. The study found American adults over the age of 20 scored poorly . The theme addressed here refers to the idea that to fight ignorance, you educate people. The media portrays mass amounts of negativity for example regarding issues in the Middle East. Since 9/11, â€Å"Muslims† have been associated with terrorism and extremist views. Yet, little do people understand the extreme radical views that Americans believe to be installedRead MoreIn recent year s, a small piece of cloth has managed to cause quite a stir. The scarf, or hijab,1600 Words   |  7 Pagesgroups. With many different consumptions of religion, what it means, what is considered to be practicing and what is not can lead to negative misunderstandings. Ultimately the decisions are up to the individuals although; there is likely to be misinterpretation between the meaningfulness of religion to family and society. On an even bigger scale of things this could also impact society and it’s views towards the religion and those practicing it which can lead to unfair treatment. The importance andRead MoreThe Religion Of Islam And Islam3231 Words   |  13 PagesABSTRACT The religion of Islam has become a controversial issue in today’s 21st century. In spite of excessively negative representations by Western propaganda, increasing numbers of the population are pursuing to learn more about the wonderful religion of Islam. More frequently than not, these people are becoming more pleasantly startled by the product of their exploration. In fact, increasing numbers of people are embracing Islam nowadays then they did prior to the horrific attacks on September

Night Creature Dark Moon Chapter One Free Essays

I have always loved the dark of the moon, when the night is still and serene, when all that can be seen are the stars. There are those who term the dark moon a new moon, but there is nothing new about the moon. It has been here from time forgotten and will be here long after we are dead. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Creature: Dark Moon Chapter One or any similar topic only for you Order Now I spend my days, and most of my nights, inside a stone fortress in the wilds of Montana. I’m a doctor by trade, though not the kind who gives out lollipops after dispensing vaccines and pills. Instead I mix a little of this and a little of that, over and over again. My degree reads â€Å"virologist.† In English, that means I have a Ph.D. in the study of viruses. Don’t worry, I won’t let the excitement kill me. The boredom might, though, if the loneliness doesn’t do it first. Of course, I’m not completely alone. There’s a guard at the door and my test subjects, but none of them are great conversationalists. Lately I’ve started to feel watched, which is pretty funny considering I’m the one in charge of the surveillance cameras. Paranoia is one of the first signs of dementia; except I don’t feel crazy. Does anyone? I’ve come to the conclusion I need to get out more. But where would I go? Most days I don’t mind being locked tight inside the safest place in the West. The world is pretty scary. Scarier than most people realize. You think the monsters aren’t real? That they’re merely the figment of childish imaginations or delusional psychosis? You’re wrong. There are things walking the earth worse than anything in Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Unsolved Mysteries would have a stroke if they got a look at my X-files. But since lycanthropy is a virus, werewolves are my specialty. I’ve devoted my life to finding a cure. I have a personal interest. You see, I’m one of them. The powers that be say a life is formed by changes – decisions made, roads not taken, people we’ve left behind. I’m inclined to agree. On the day my whole world changed – again – a single decision, that fork in the road and the one I left behind walked into my office without warning. I was at my desk updating files, when the scuff of a shoe against concrete made me glance up. The man in the doorway made my heart go ba-boom. He always had. â€Å"Nic,† I murmured, and in my voice I heard more than I wanted to. The strong nose, full lips, wide forehead were as I remembered. But the lines around his mouth and eyes, the darker shade of his skin, hinted at a life spent exposed to the elements. The flicker of silver in his short hair was as shocking as him being here in first place. He didn’t smile, didn’t return my greeting. I couldn’t blame him. I’d professed love, then disappeared. I hadn’t spoken to him since. Seven years. How had he found me? And why? Concern replaced curiosity, and my hand inched toward the drawer where I kept my gun. The guard hadn’t called to clear a visitor, so I should shoot first, ask questions later. In my world, an enemy could lurk behind every face. But I’d always had a tough time shooting people. One of the many reasons the boss kept me isolated in the forest. I’d learned long ago how to gauge a suit for a shoulder holster. Nic had one. A disturbing change in a man who’d once been both studious and dreamy, in love with the law and me, not necessarily in that order. Why was he carrying a gun? Since he hadn’t drawn his, I drew mine, then pointed the weapon at Nic’s chest. Loaded with silver, I was ready for anything. Except the punch of his deep blue eyes and the familiar timbre of his voice. â€Å"Hey, sweetheart.† In college that endearment had made me all warm and stupid. I’d promised things I had no right to promise. Now the same word, uttered with cool sarcasm, annoyed me. I’d left for his own good. However, he didn’t know that. I got to my feet, stepped around the desk, came a little too close. â€Å"What are you doing here?† â€Å"I didn’t think you’d be thrilled to see me, but this isn’t exactly the welcome I expected.† His gaze lowered to the gun, and I was distracted by the scent of him. Fresh snow, mountain air, my past. He grabbed the weapon, twisted it away, then tucked me against his body with an elbow across my throat. I was no good with firearms. Never had been. I choked, and Nic released the stranglehold on my windpipe, though he didn’t release me. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of metal on the desk. He’d put my gun aside. One less thing to worry about. â€Å"What do you want?† I managed. Instead of answering, he nuzzled my hair and his breath brushed my ear. My knees quivered; my eyes burned. Having Nic so close was making me remember things I’d spent years trying to forget. And the memories hurt. Hell, I still loved him. An uncommon rush of emotion caused my muscles to clench, my stomach to roil. I wasn’t used to feeling anything. I prided myself on being cool, patrician, in charge: Dr. Elise Hanover, ice queen. When I let my anger loose, bad things happened. But no one had ever affected me like Nic. No one had ever made me as happy or as sad. No one could make me more furious. I slammed my spike heel onto his shiny black shoe and ground down with all my weight. Nic flinched, and I jabbed my elbow into his stomach. I forgot to pull my punch, and he flew into the wall. Spinning around, I watched him slide to the floor, eyes closed. Oops. I resisted the urge to run to him, touch his face, kiss his brow. For both our sakes, we couldn’t go back to the way things had been. Nic’s eyelids fluttered, and he mumbled something foul. I let out the breath I’d been holding. He’d be all right. I doubted he was often on the losing end of a fight. Since I’d seen him last he’d bulked up – the combination of age and a few thousand hours with a weight machine. What else had he been doing in the years we’d been apart? He’d planned to become a lawyer, except he didn’t resemble any lawyer I’d ever seen. The suit, yes, but beneath the crisp charcoal material he was something more than a paper-pushing fast talker. Perhaps a soldier decked out in his Sunday best. My gaze wandered over him, catching on the dark sunglasses hooked into his pocket. Suit. Muscles. Men in Black glasses. â€Å"FBI,† I muttered. Now I was really ticked off. Nic’s eyes snapped open, crossing once before focusing on my face. â€Å"You always were smarter than you looked.† I’d been the victim of enough dumb-blonde jokes to last me several lifetimes. The moronic jabs and riddles had bothered me, until I realized I could use the speaker’s attitude to my advantage. If people thought I was stupid, they weren’t expecting anything else. So I didn’t rise to Nic’s bait. He’d been sent here by the big boys, without warning, and that meant trouble. â€Å"I suppose you want me to hand over my gun?† he grumbled. I shrugged. â€Å"Keep it.† A weapon filled with lead was the least of my worries. He struggled to his feet, and I experienced an instant of concern when he wobbled. I’d hit him way too hard. â€Å"Let me give you some advice,† he said. â€Å"I’ve always found that the people we least expect to shoot us usually do.† Funny, I’d found that, too. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I demanded. His brows lifted. â€Å"No hugs, no kisses? You aren’t glad to see me? If I remember correctly I should be the one who’s angry.† He sat on a chair without being invited. â€Å"Oh, wait.† His eyes met mine. â€Å"I am.† Nic had every reason to be furious. I’d snuck out in the night as if I had something to hide. Oh, wait. I did. Nevertheless, being near him hurt. I couldn’t tell Nic why I’d left. I couldn’t apologize, because I wasn’t really sorry. I couldn’t touch him the way I wanted to. I couldn’t ever touch anyone that way. â€Å"You didn’t come here to talk about our past,† I snapped. â€Å"What does the FBI want with the Jger-Suchers?† I wasn’t the only one fighting monsters. I was merely the geeky member of a select group – â€Å"hunter-searchers† for those a little rusty on their German. Though financed by the government, the Jger-Suchers were a secret from all but those who needed to know. If it got out that there were monsters running all over the place, people would panic. Not only that, but heads would roll. Unlimited cash for a Special Forces monster-hunting unit? Someone would definitely lose their job, and we’d lose our funding. So we pretended to be things we weren’t. For instance, I was a research scientist investigating a new form of rabies in the animal population. Most of our field agents carried documentation identifying them as wardens for various natural resource departments. Until today, the precautions had worked. No one had ever come snooping before. The question was: Why now? And why him? How to cite Night Creature: Dark Moon Chapter One, Essay examples

Qualitative Research for Rationale and Standards - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theQualitative Research for Rationale and Standards. Answer: Introduction The following assignment will aim to critically appraise the work by Smith et al. (2014) in relation to the brimming issue of obesity by virtue of acknowledging definite criteria as laid out in the article by Popay et al. (1998). The proposed framework will help in recognizing the contribution of the qualitative study under consideration in the health service research. The vital themes associated with subjective meaning, the context of research, selection of study participants, interpretation with respect to participants accounts, the active consideration of the lay knowledge, flexibility as exhibited by the researcher within the research procedure in addition to the generalizability of the findings as expressed through the study discourse will be discussed in due course within the assignment. Emphasis will be laid on scrutinizing the distinctive features pertinent to the qualitative research and derive meaningful observations and interpretations through evaluation of the rigor and t he robustness satisfactorily. Criteria for evaluation of qualitative research after Popay et al. (1998) Subjective Meaning The proceedings of the study indicated that the research was carried out with respect to the focus group comprising of subjects as overweight adolescents and their parents. It has been mentioned that the inclusion criteria for the subjects were that they have underwent a healthy lifestyle program as intervention. The focus group was questioned about their experiences and opinions pertaining to the use of text messages as support during the maintenance period following the intensive intervention. The style and content of the text messages were questioned to them to get their valuable response. All the subsequent assessments were carried out by virtue of referring to the content and thematic analysis as procured from the study participants. Thus, it is more than evident that the resources and subjective interpretations of the participants were utilized to frame the subsequent analysis that in turn based on a strong foundation adding to the authenticity. Participant Validation The theoretical underpinnings and objectives of the research conducted were thoughtfully used in the study to obtain suitable information regarding their experiences and opinions specific to the maintenance phase following the intervention that supported healthy lifestyle program. Reflection of the experiences as expressed by the adolescent focus group of 12 adolescents was videotaped after receiving formal approval from the participants ends. Answers were received from the adolescents considering that they would reflect on their thoughts and opinions as applicable through the chosen six text messages retrieved from the databases that were previously used during the high intensity maintenance phase. However, the researchers speculated that the obese adolescents would not always resort to voicing their true opinion regarding the chosen theme and instead express a more socially acceptable view, Therefore, in order to allay such apprehension and confounding factor, secondary view from 1 3 parents were utilized for the sake of validation of the information provided by the adolescents. Thus, confirmation from the parents that further corroborated with the adolescents opinions added to the relevancy of the data that has been derived. Description of Context The circumstances as suitable with the focus group have been succinctly described in the article that hold potential for future implications. The vulnerable group of adolescents falling within the age bracket of 12-16 years has been selected as the focus group and the issue of text messaging as a support during post healthy lifestyle intervention program has been introduced and explored. Considering that good health promotion in the adolescents is a challenging task, the improvisation and implementation of novel approaches to facilitate health and wellbeing has been identified crucial and an effective way to combat the situation. However, dearth of information with regards to the obese and overweight adolescents where text messaging through technological intervention might act as a potential way of supporting engagement or behavior change in the maintenance phase following an intervention was identified as the area of investigation. Therefore, the necessity to fathom the perceptions of the adolescents was recognized to be important so that the dropout rates in case of pediatric weight management programs may be curtailed by recognizing their beliefs, perceptions about the given issue. Lay Knowledge The pivotal emphasis for the study was laid upon retrieving the perceptions of the adolescents under two broad themes such as what they liked or though they wanted in a text message for the purpose of supporting behavior change as well as how they experienced responded to text messages. The sub themes with respect to the like/want theme comprised of the overall tone of the text, timing, frequency, mention about long term goals in addition to inclusion of practical tips. Further lack of motivation, feeling of shame, barriers to change, lack of motivation and unfavorable comparison with other adolescents were recognized as sub themes to response to text theme. Therefore recording of all these accounts in relation to the participants certainly added to the given volume of data in the study and offered a deeper insight into the topic. Moreover, the results obtained following this trail hold promise in healthcare sector as the policymakers may took serious consideration of the identified themes to result in introduction of suitable policy meant for holistic development and in this case, policy with respect to management of obesity in the identified population of adolescents. Flexibility The variability in the research design as observed within the focus group of participants added to the quality of the study undertaken rather than simply following a standardized approach for conducting the research. It has been demonstrated in the article that four focus groups comprising of overweight and obese adolescents were conducted in the study so as to encompass the three waves of participants who undertook the programs at different times. Similar four focus groups were meant for the parents of these adolescents as well consisting of few, 3 to 4 members to facilitate rich discussion with the text messages. Sampling The article clearly offers an insight about the demographic of the study participants. In order to successfully address the issue relevant to the topic of investigation, a small sample size that fit into the study design was incorporated. 12 adolescents and 13 parents were involved with the study as they clearly suited the purpose of research. Most of the subjects for the study were found to belong to the middle to low socio-economic areas and were of white Australians origin. Thus, it may be said that the sampling procedure in the study though appears to be purposive, conforms to the study protocol. Generalizability Situational representativeness of the study findings is harbored in course of the study whereby it is said that the overweight and obese adolescents are not competent enough to voice their opinion about the effectiveness of the text messages during healthy lifestyle intervention program include maintenance phase. Selection of the subjects through theoretical sampling may be attributed as a causative factor for the lack of generalizability due to lack of accuracy in population representation. Thus, the fact depicted through the qualitative study that simultaneous engagement and behavior change in adolescents through text messaging may not be a feasible option, calls for greater insight and probe to establish the possible relation between the two variables. Conclusion Careful interpretation of the findings and other aspects of the research article under consideration have brought to the forefront the vital understanding about the applicability and resourcefulness of the article that has been critically appraised. The utility of the findings and implications for future research is clearly evident through appraisal of the article subjected to fulfillment of the established criteria as indicated by work of Popay et al. (1998). The robustness of the article and its findings are indicative of the potential that may be perceived in relation to the study results for future reference, deeper probe by clinical researchers. References Popay, J., Rogers, A. and Williams, G., 1998. Rationale and standards for the systematic review of qualitative literature in health services research. Qualitative health research, 8(3), pp.341-351. Smith, K.L., Kerr, D.A., Fenner, A.A. and Straker, L.M., 2014. Adolescents just do not know what they want: a qualitative study to describe obese adolescents experiences of text messaging to support behavior change maintenance post intervention. Journal of medical Internet research, 16(4).