The Golden Lily Chapter 10

THE SAN DIEGO TRIP continued to bother me, even though I knew I should let it go. As I often reminded myself, Adrian wasn't my concern, not like Jill and the others. Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about the terrible confrontation with him and Nathan – or Adrian's face afterwards. I felt even worse when a worried Eddie came to talk to me about Jill during breakfast on the following Monday. â€Å"Something's wrong with her,† he told me. Immediately, I looked up toward the cafeteria line, where Jill was waiting with her tray. There was a vacant look on her face, like she was barely aware of her surroundings. Even with no magical talent for auras, I could practically see the misery radiating off of her. â€Å"Micah's noticed it too,† Eddie added. â€Å"But we don't know anything that could be upsetting her this much. Is it because of Lia? Or is she being harassed again?† In that moment, I wasn't sure who I felt worse for: Adrian, Jill – or Eddie. There was practically as much pain in Eddie as there was in Jill. Oh, Eddie, I thought. Why do you keep doing this to yourself? He was clearly worried about her but wouldn't dare approach her or offer comfort. â€Å"There's nothing wrong with Jill. It's Adrian, and she's feeling it through the bond. He's going through a rough time.† I offered no more details on Adrian's situation. It wasn't my story to tell. Eddie's face darkened a little. â€Å"It's not fair that she has to endure his moods.† â€Å"I don't know,† I said. â€Å"Seems like it might be a fair trade for her being alive.† Adrian using spirit to bring Jill back from the dead was still a troubling matter for me. Every bit of Alchemist training I had said that kind of magic was wrong, far worse than any of the other magic I'd witnessed. One could even argue that what he'd managed was only a few steps away from the undead immortality of Strigoi. At the same time, whenever I saw Jill bright and alive, I was convinced that Adrian had done a good thing. I'd meant it when I said as much to him in San Diego. â€Å"I suppose,† said Eddie. â€Å"I wish there was a way she could block him out. Or at least a way to make him a little less moody.† I shook my head. â€Å"From what I've heard, Adrian was like that long before Jill was shadow-kissed.† Still, that conversation stuck with me, and I spent the day asking myself: what could I do to make Adrian happier? A new father obviously wasn't possible. I would have tried that on myself years ago if I could. Slushes were also out, partially because they only offered ten minutes of comfort and because I was still recovering from the last one. An idea finally came to me later on, but it wasn't one I could easily implement. In fact, I knew my superiors would say it was nothing I should even attempt – which is why I decided to do it in a way that wouldn't leave an e-mail or paper trail. I couldn't do it today, however, so I made a mental note to deal with it later. Besides, who could say? Maybe Adrian would shake off the effects of his fatherly encounter on his own. These hopes were actually reinforced when I saw Jill the next day at a school assembly. Assemblies like this were still a new concept to me, and we'd had exactly two since school started. One had been a welcoming gathering during our first week. The other had been a pep rally to cheer on the football team before Homecoming. Today's was called â€Å"Healthy Lifestyles.† I couldn't figure out what it was about or why it was important enough to interrupt my chemistry class. We were seated by grade in the school's gym, putting Jill and me in separate sections of the bleachers. Craning my neck to get a glimpse of her, I saw her sitting down near the front with Angeline and several friends she'd made through Micah. They'd welcomed her easily once they got to know her, which wasn't a surprise with how nice she was. Even Laurel, a girl who'd once tormented Jill, now gave her a friendly look. Angeline said something that made Jill laugh, and, overall, there was definitely an improvement in Jill's attitude. A very big improvement, judging from how much she was giggling. My spirits rose. Maybe Adrian really had bounced back. â€Å"Can someone tell me what this is about?† I asked. I had Eddie and Micah on one side of me, Trey on the other. â€Å"It's this group that comes to school and gives presentations about things like drugs and safe sex,† explained Micah. He was pretty active in student government, so I wasn't surprised he knew about today's agenda. â€Å"Those are kind of big topics,† I said. â€Å"Isn't this just supposed to be an hour? Doesn't seem like they can really provide thorough coverage of these issues.† â€Å"I think it's just supposed to be a quick overview,† said Trey. â€Å"Not like they're trying to do a seminar or anything.† â€Å"Well,† I declared. â€Å"They should.† â€Å"Did we miss anything?† Julia and Kristin pushed their way through others and squeezed themselves in between Trey and me. Trey didn't seem to mind. â€Å"We're trying to explain the point of this to Sydney,† Trey told them. â€Å"I thought the point was to get out of class,† said Julia. Kristin rolled her eyes. â€Å"This'll show you what you were missing by being homeschooled, Sydney.† Nothing could have prepared me for the spectacle that followed – mostly because never in my craziest dreams had I imagined weighty social issues would be addressed in musical numbers. The group performing for us called themselves Koolin' Around, and the inappropriate use of that K was nearly enough to make me walk out then and there. Before each song, they'd give a quick and totally vague info-blurb about the topic or – even worse – a skit. These little lectures always began with, â€Å"Hey, kids!† The first song was called â€Å"STDs Are Not for Me.† That was when I took out my math homework. â€Å"Come on,† Eddie told me, laughing. â€Å"It's not that bad. And people should know about this stuff.† â€Å"Exactly,† I said, not looking up from my homework. â€Å"In trying to be ‘hip' and ‘relatable,' they're trivializing issues that need to be taken more seriously.† The only time I tuned in again was when Koolin' Around had moved on to the evils of alcohol. One of the lyrics in their particularly atrocious song was, â€Å"Don't listen to what your friends say / Bourbon will totally ruin your day.† â€Å"Ugh. That's it,† I muttered. I sought out Jill again. She was watching with kind of a stunned disbelief, but just like earlier, there was none of that despair or melancholy. Some gut instinct told me why she'd had the mood change. Adrian hadn't snapped out of his gloom. Most likely he was drinking his way through it. Sometimes Jill would pick up some of the sillier side effects of intoxication – like the giggling I'd observed earlier – but eventually, alcohol actually numbed the spirit bond. The bright side of his indulgence was that it spared her some of his depression. The down side was that she could actually suffer the physical effects of a hangover later. Koolin' Around mercifully reached their last song, a big production number celebrating the joys of feeling good and living a healthy, happy lifestyle. They pulled up members of the student body to dance with them, earning a variety of reactions. Some students just stood there frozen and embarrassed, wearing expressions that said they were counting the seconds until this ended. Other students – particularly those who normally sought attention in class – made the biggest, most outlandish spectacle they could of themselves. â€Å"Sydney.† The warning note in Eddie's voice stopped me as I was about to return to my homework. That kind of concern could only be reserved for Jill, and I immediately looked at her again. Only, she wasn't the issue. Angeline was. One of the Koolin' Around members was trying to coax her out and even grabbed her hand. Angeline shook her head emphatically, but the guy seemed oblivious. Angeline might be okay around wild dances in the backwoods of West Virginia, but this was not a situation she was comfortable with. To be fair, what happened next wasn't entirely her fault. He really should have left her alone when she said no, but I guess he was too caught up in his feel-good mood. He actually managed to drag her to her feet, and that's when Angeline made her disapproval perfectly clear. She punched him. It was pretty impressive since the guy had almost a foot on her in height. I supposed that came from Eddie's training in how to take out taller Moroi. The guy staggered backward and fell, hitting the floor hard. There was a gasp from most of the students sitting nearby, though only one of the band members – a guitarist – noticed. The rest kept on singing and dancing. The guitarist hurried forward to her fallen colleague and must have threatened Angeline's personal space because Angeline punched her too. â€Å"Eddie, do something!† I said. He turned to me in astonishment. â€Å"Like what? I'd never make it there in time.† It was true. We were two thirds of the way up in the bleachers, surrounded by others. I could only watch helplessly as the rest of the spectacle unfolded. The band soon caught on that something was terribly wrong, and their music faltered, finally coming to silence. Meanwhile, a group of teachers had rushed the floor, trying to pry Angeline away from Koolin' Around's bass player. There was a frantic look in her eyes, like a trapped animal that had gone beyond reason and only wanted escape. The teachers finally managed to restrain her, but not before she'd thrown a speaker at the lead singer (she missed) and punched the school's shop teacher. Trey leaned forward, mouth gaping. â€Å"That's your cousin? Wow.† I didn't even bother responding. All I could think about was how in the world I was going to do damage control this time. Fighting was a serious offense in and of itself. I couldn't even imagine what attacking a motivational musical group would elicit. â€Å"She took out, like, three people twice her size!† Kristin exclaimed. â€Å"And I mean took out. Knocked them to the floor.† â€Å"Yeah, I know,† I said dismally. â€Å"I'm right here. I saw it all.† â€Å"How was she even able to do that?† asked Julia. â€Å"I taught her some moves,† remarked Eddie in disbelief. Unsurprisingly, no one even bothered sending this to Mrs. Weathers. Angeline was referred directly to the principal and vice principal. After her display, maybe they felt there was safety in numbers. It may have been Mrs. Weathers's recommendation or simply the fact that our fictitious parents (and â€Å"cousin† Angeline's) were notoriously hard to get a hold of, but I was asked to accompany her when she met with the administration. My pre-briefing with Angeline was short and to the point. â€Å"You will act apologetic and contrite,† I told her as we sat outside the principal's office. â€Å"What's contrite mean?† â€Å"Apologetic.† â€Å"Then why didn't you just say – â€Å" â€Å"And,† I continued. â€Å"If pushed for reasons, you will say you were overwhelmed and panicked. You'll say you don't know what came over you.† â€Å"But I didn't – â€Å" â€Å"And you will not mention how stupid they were or say anything negative whatsoever.† â€Å"But they are – â€Å" â€Å"In fact, don't speak at all unless you're asked something directly. If you let me handle this, it'll be over fast.† Angeline apparently took that to heart because she crossed her arms and glared at me, refusing to say anything else. When we were ushered into the office, the principal and vice principal – Mrs. Welch and Mr. Redding, respectively – were both sitting on the same side of one desk. They were side by side, presenting a united front that again made me think they feared for their lives. â€Å"Miss McCormick,† began Mrs. Welch. â€Å"I hope you know that what you did was completely out of line.† McCormick was Angeline's fake last name around here. â€Å"Violence and fighting of any kind are not tolerated at Amberwood,† said Mr. Redding. â€Å"We have high standards – standards meant to ensure the safety of everyone at this school – and expect our students to adhere to them. None of your other violations of school rules come close to what you did today.† â€Å"Even if we didn't have those other transgressions on file, there can be no question here,† said Mrs. Welch. â€Å"There is no place for you at Amberwood.† My stomach sank. Expulsion. Although the Keepers weren't entirely uneducated, her academic background had hardly been up to that of average high school students in the modern world. She was in a lot of remedial classes, and getting her into Amberwood at all had been quite a feat. Expulsion wasn't as bad as someone investigating how a petite girl like her could do so much damage, but it still wasn't an outcome I wanted. I could already imagine one of my superiors asking, why didn't you realize how volatile the school was making her? To which I would have to respond: because I've been too busy going on dates and helping vampires who aren't my concern. â€Å"Do you have anything to say for yourself before we notify your parents?† asked Mrs. Welch. They looked at Angeline expectantly. I braced myself for an irrational tirade. Instead, Angeline managed to produce some tears which, I had to admit, certainly looked contrite. â€Å"I†¦ I panicked,† she said. â€Å"I don't know what came over me. So much happened at once, and that guy was so scary, and I just freaked out. I felt threatened. I wanted everyone to get away from me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was nearly convinced, probably because it was seeded with truth. Angeline had had a number of flustered moments at Amberwood, no matter her bravado. There were more people at the school than had been in her mountain community, and she'd been so overwhelmed in her first week that we'd had to take turns escorting her to class. I really should've been paying more attention to her. Mr. Redding looked a tiny bit sympathetic – but not enough to change his mind. â€Å"I'm sure that must have been hard, but it was hardly reason for you to act in that way. Injuring three people and damaging expensive audio visual equipment were in no way appropriate responses.† Understatement. I was tired of the formalities and needed to fix things before they escalated further. I leaned forward in my chair. â€Å"You know what else isn't appropriate? A thirty-year-old guy – because that's how old he was, no matter how young and cool they were trying to be – grabbing a fifteen-year-old girl. It was bad enough that he did so when she clearly didn't want to go with him. The point is he never should have touched her in the first place. She's a minor. If a teacher did that, he'd be fired. I've read the book teachers are given from your HR department.† It had been an attempt to see if Ms. Terwilliger was abusing me. â€Å"Medical emergencies and breaking up a fight are the only times teachers can lay hands on students. Now, you might argue that that guy wasn't a teacher or employed by the school, but his group was invited here by the school – which is obligated to keep its students safe. You're a private school, but I'm certain the California Department of Education would have a few things to say about what happened here today – as will Angeline's father, who's a lawyer.† He was actually the leader of a bunch of mountain vampires and had multiple wives, but that was beside the point. I looked back and forth between Mrs. Welch and Mr. Redding's faces. â€Å"Now then. Shall we renegotiate your position?† Angeline was in awe after we left the office and went back to our dorm. â€Å"Suspension,† she exclaimed, a bit too much joy in her voice for my liking. â€Å"I really just get to skip class? That sounds more like a reward.† â€Å"You still have to keep up with your homework,† I warned. â€Å"And you can't leave the dorm. Don't even think about sneaking out because that will get you expelled, and I won't be able to save you again.† â€Å"Still,† she said, practically skipping, â€Å"this was all pretty easy.† I came to a halt in front of her, forcing her to face me. â€Å"It was not easy. You got off on a technicality. You've continually resisted efforts to follow the rules around here, and today – well, that was off the charts. You aren't back home. The only time you should even think about fighting here is if Jill is attacked. That's why you're here. Not to do whatever you want. You said you were up to the challenge of protecting her. If you get expelled – and it's a miracle you weren't – she's at risk. So get in line or start packing for home. And for God's sake, leave Eddie alone.† Her face had been kindling with anger as I spoke, but that last bit caught her off guard. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"I mean, you constantly throwing yourself at him.† She sniffed. â€Å"That's how you show a guy you like him.† â€Å"Maybe among the uncivilized! Here you need to back off and start acting like a responsible human being – er, dhampir. Whatever. You're making him miserable! Besides, you're supposed to be cousins. You're screwing up our cover.† Angeline's jaw dropped. â€Å"I†¦ I'm making him miserable?† I almost felt bad for her. The look of shock on her face was so great that it was obvious she really hadn't known what she was doing to Eddie was wrong. I was too worked up to feel much sympathy right then, though. Jill had acted out when we'd first arrived, and that had been just as frustrating. I'd come to enjoy our peace, and now Angeline was threatening all of that. Unlike Jill, she didn't seem to realize it, and I didn't know if that made things better or worse. I left an upset and frustrated Angeline off at her dorm room and also verified with Jill that Adrian had indeed been drinking. That and my agitation were more than enough to make me want to leave campus, if only for the escape. Brayden had asked earlier if I wanted to go out, but I wasn't up to that. I sent a quick text: Can't go out tonight. Family stuff. Then I headed off to Clarence's. I'd called ahead to make sure Dimitri and Sonya were there since I had no interest in having a one-on-one visit with the ancient Moroi. He wasn't around when I arrived. I found Dimitri and Sonya huddled over some cards with blots of dried blood, speculating on how to proceed. â€Å"It'd be interesting to get Strigoi blood and see if anything happened when I applied spirit,† she was saying. â€Å"Do you think you could manage that?† â€Å"Gladly,† said Dimitri. They noticed me. As soon as she looked up, Sonya asked, â€Å"What's wrong?† I didn't even bother asking how she knew. My face probably said more than my aura did. â€Å"Angeline got into a brawl with a motivational group at school.† Dimitri and Sonya exchanged looks. â€Å"Maybe we should go get some dinner,† he said. He grabbed a set of keys from the table. â€Å"Let's go downtown.† I never would've imagined that I'd look forward to going out with a Moroi and a dhampir. It was yet another sign of how far I'd advanced – or regressed, by Alchemist standards. Compared to most of the other people in my life, Dimitri and Sonya were grounded and stable. It was refreshing. I gave them a rundown of Angeline's behavior, as well as my thinly veiled legal threat. That part seemed to amuse Sonya. â€Å"Smart,† she said, twirling spaghetti on a fork. â€Å"Maybe you should be in law school instead of the Alchemists.† Dimitri found it less funny. â€Å"Angeline came here to do a job. She wanted out of the Keepers and swore she'd devote every waking minute to protecting Jill.† â€Å"There has been a bit of a culture shock,† I admitted, unsure as to why I was defending Angeline. â€Å"And those guys today†¦ I mean, if they'd tried to get me to join their sing-along, I probably would've punched them too.† â€Å"Unacceptable,† said Dimitri. He used to be a combat instructor, and I could understand why. â€Å"She's here on a mission. What she did was reckless and irresponsible.† Sonya gave him a sly smile. â€Å"And here I thought you had a soft spot for reckless young girls.† â€Å"Rose never would have done anything like that,† he countered. He paused to reconsider, and I could've sworn there was the hint of a smile there. â€Å"Well, at least not in such a public setting.† Once the Angeline topic was put to rest, I brought up the reason I'd come here. â€Å"So†¦ no experiments today?† Even Sonya's good nature faltered. â€Å"Ah. No, not exactly. We've gone over some notes on our own, but Adrian hasn't been†¦ he hasn't been quite up to the research this week. Or up to going to class.† Dimitri nodded. â€Å"I was over there earlier. He could barely answer the door. No idea what he'd been drinking, but whatever it was, he'd had a lot.† Considering their rocky relationship, I would've expected disdain in discussing Adrian's vices. Instead, Dimitri sounded disappointed, as though he'd expected better. â€Å"That's what I wanted to talk to you about,† I said. I'd eaten little of my dinner and was nervously tearing a roll into pieces. â€Å"Adrian's current mood isn't entirely his fault. I mean, it is, but I can kind of understand it. You know we saw his dad this weekend, right? Well†¦ it didn't go well.† There was a knowing glint in Dimitri's dark eyes. â€Å"I'm not surprised. Nathan Ivashkov isn't the easiest man to get along with.† â€Å"He sort of tore down everything Adrian's been trying to do. I tried to make a case for Adrian, but Mr. Ivashkov wouldn't listen. That's why I was wondering if you guys could help.† Sonya couldn't hide her surprise. â€Å"I'd gladly help Adrian, but something tells me Nathan's not going to really put much stock in what we have to say.† â€Å"That's not what I was thinking.† I gave up on the bread and dropped all the pieces to my plate. â€Å"You guys are both close to the queen. Maybe you could get her to tell Adrian's dad how†¦ I don't know. What an asset he's been. How much he's been helping. Obviously, she couldn't explain exactly what he's doing, but anything might help. Mr. Ivashkov won't listen to Adrian or anyone else, but he'd have to take a commendation from the queen seriously. If she'd do it.† Dimitri looked thoughtful. â€Å"Oh, she'd do it. She's always had a soft spot for him. Everyone seems to.† â€Å"No,† I said stubbornly. â€Å"Not everyone. There's a split. Half condemn him and write him off as useless like his dad. The other half just shrug and indulge him and say, ‘Well, that's Adrian.'† Sonya studied me carefully, a trace of that amusement returning. â€Å"And you?† â€Å"I don't think he should be babied or disregarded. If you expect him to do great things, he will.† Sonya said nothing right away, and I shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. I didn't like when she looked at me like this. It was about more than auras. It was like she could see into my heart and soul. â€Å"I'll speak to Lissa,† she said at last. â€Å"And I'm sure Dimitri will too. In the meantime, let's hope that if we follow your advice and expect Adrian to sober up soon, he will.† We had just paid the check when Dimitri's cell phone rang. â€Å"Hello?† he answered. And like that, his face transformed. That fierceness I so associated with him softened, and he practically glowed. â€Å"No, no. It's always a good time for you to call, Roza.† Whatever the response on the other end was, it made him smile. â€Å"Rose,† said Sonya to me. She stood up. â€Å"Let's give them a little privacy. You want to take a walk?† â€Å"Sure,† I said, rising as well. Outside, dusk was falling. â€Å"There's a costume store a few blocks away I actually want to check – if they're still open.† Sonya glanced at Dimitri. â€Å"Meet us there?† she whispered. He gave a quick nod. Once we were outside in the warm evening air, she laughed. â€Å"Ah, those two. In a fight, they're lethal. Around each other, they melt.† â€Å"Is that how you and Mikhail are?† I asked, thinking there wasn't much melting with Brayden and me, no matter how much I enjoyed spending time with him. She laughed again and glanced up at the sky, painted in shades of orange and blue. â€Å"Not exactly. Every relationship is different. Everyone loves differently.† There was a long pause as she chose her next words. â€Å"That was a nice thing you chose to do for Adrian.† â€Å"There was no choice to be made,† I countered. We crossed onto a busier street, full of brightly lit stores with water misters outside that were meant to cool off hot shoppers. I winced at what that mist was doing to my hair. â€Å"I had to help. He didn't deserve that kind of treatment. I can't imagine how Adrian's put up with that his whole life. And would you believe that what worried Adrian the most was that I would think less of him?† â€Å"Actually,† said Sonya softly, â€Å"I can very much believe that.† The costume store was still open, thanks to extended Halloween hours, but only for ten more minutes. Sonya wandered around the aisles with no real goal, but I headed immediately for the historical section. They had exactly one Greek-style dress left, a plain white gown with a gold plastic belt. I knelt down to take a better look. Opening the package, I felt the fabric. It was cheap, probably flammable. The dress was also an XL, and I wondered if Jill had learned enough in sewing club to take it in for me. With less than a week until the dance, my options were limited. â€Å"Really?† a voice beside me said. â€Å"Haven't you insulted me enough without resorting to this trash?† Standing above me was Lia DiStefano. Her curly hair was bound up with a bright red scarf, and a voluminous peasant blouse made her petite body look like it had wings. She peered down at me disapprovingly with kohl-lined eyes. â€Å"Are you following me?† I asked, getting to my feet. â€Å"Every time I'm downtown, here you are.† â€Å"If I were following you, I never would have let you set foot in here in the first place.† She pointed at the costume. â€Å"What is that?† â€Å"My outfit for Halloween,† I said. â€Å"I'm going Greek.† â€Å"It's not even the right size.† â€Å"I'll get it taken in.† She tsked. â€Å"I'm so appalled, I don't even know where to start. You want a Greek dress? I'll make you one. A good one. Not this monstrosity. My God. People know you know me. If you were seen in that, it'd ruin my career.† â€Å"Yeah, because what I wear to a high school dance will really make or break you.† â€Å"When's your dance?† she asked. â€Å"Saturday.† â€Å"Easy,† she declared. She gave me a once-over and nodded in satisfaction. â€Å"Easy measurements too. Is your sister dressing just as badly?† â€Å"Not sure,† I admitted. â€Å"She talked about making a fairy dress in sewing club. A blue one, I think.† Lia blanched. â€Å"Even worse. I'll make her a dress too. I've already got her measurements.† I sighed. â€Å"Lia, I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work. Jill absolutely cannot model for you again. It doesn't matter how much bribery you try.† Lia attempted an innocent look that was in no way convincing. â€Å"Who said anything about bribery? I'm doing this out of charity. It'd be a disgrace to let you two go out in anything less than the best.† â€Å"Lia – â€Å" â€Å"Do not buy that,† she warned, pointing at the costume. â€Å"It's a waste. You might as well set your money on fire – although, it probably wouldn't light as fast as that dress. I'll let you know when your costumes are ready.† With that, she turned on her high wooden heels and walked away, leaving me staring. â€Å"Did you get a costume?† Sonya asked me later, once the closing store forced us to leave. â€Å"Weirdly, yes,† I said. â€Å"But not from there.† Dimitri apparently wasn't done with his call, since he hadn't joined us yet. We strolled leisurely back toward the restaurant, wanting to give him more time with Rose. Other stores were closing, and the tourists were beginning to thin out. I explained the meeting with Lia. Sonya found it more amusing than I did. â€Å"Well, don't knock it,† she said. â€Å"If a designer wants to make you something, you're not obligated to give her anything else. Maybe she could help me out with bridesmaid dresses.† We crossed a less busy street and cut through a narrow alley with a brick building on one side and a tree-filled church lawn on the other. I'd admired the church on our way over, but now, in only a short time, evening had filled it with shadows and given it a foreboding look and feel. I was glad I wasn't walking through here alone. It felt strange to be reassured by a vampire's presence. â€Å"Lia does make amazing things,† I admitted. â€Å"But I don't know if we should encourage her.† â€Å"Fair enough,† said Sonya. â€Å"Maybe one of these days, you'll help me look for dresses. You've got a really good sense of – â€Å" She suddenly spun around toward the darkened churchyard. There was a look of fear on her face, but I saw nothing alarming – at first. Seconds later, four figures in black jumped out from behind the trees. One of them threw me against the brick wall while the other three pinned Sonya to the ground. I pushed back against my captor, but a muscled arm held me tightly. In the faint light, I saw a glimmer of something I never expected to see on the streets of Palm Springs: a sword. The dark figure poised it over Sonya's neck. â€Å"Time to go back to Hell,† he said.

How to Survive the First Year of College Essay

Everyone has a different college experience. The time we spend and relationships we form vary from person to person, but there are some commonalities most freshman experience in their first year in college. What follows are some simple and easy tips and suggestions to help those clueless and frightening incoming freshman survive their first year of college. The first tip of advice I would give anyone to make the most of their experience is to leave or expand comfort zones. To make the most of this time it will be inevitable to leave the bubble that have involuntarily formed over the past four years of high school. It is important to get out there and push the comfort levels that have been formed. Next, it is very important to make new friends. As we move away from high school and drift away from our past relationships, it is vital to form new relationships and make new friends to spend this important time of our lives with. Friends play a key role in our social growth and development. Friends will also play a crucial role in our college experience. They are there to support us and help us through the tough times that we all experience during college. They help us through the homesickness, relationships troubles, and anything else that comes our way and are possibly the single most important factor in surviving college. Another key to thriving in college is to get involved in extra-circular activities, groups, or teams. Getting involved is a great way to accomplish multiple of the above tips. This is an easy way to expand comfort zones and to meet new people in the process. Extra groups provide a good way to fill daily schedules and keep busy in between classes and homework. My next tip, is to go to class and to do the best possible in those classes. However, do not get overly stressed out or to focused on classes. When we become overly stressed nothing productive gets done and that benefits no one. Classes are important, however, missing a couple classes or not getting an A on that exam will not ruin any plans for the future. College is as much  a social experience as an educational one. It is important to find a good balance between the two and not to become consumed by the class work and studying. The next suggestion is the easiest. Find the library. The library is one of the most important buildings on campus. It is a nice quiet place that people go to study whenever they need to. When the dorm or apartment is bustling and focusing becomes too difficult, its nice to have somewhere quiet to go so that you can finish that project or write that essay. Lastly, enjoy your time in college. After college we enter the real world and workplace and it can be a scary thought. My best advice is just to make the most of these years and enjoy it in whatever way works best. So just relax and enjoy your time. College is a rollercoaster ride. No matter what we experience and no matter how different it may be it will have its ups and its downs. But when it comes down to it college is supposed to be one of the best times of our lives. So no matter what happens, the best advice anyone can give is just to enjoy the ride!

An Old Woman.

Having lost the promises of her past, she is reduced to her present state. As the speaker views her squarely, he, in a sort of ‘revelation’, becomes aware of the decay which has set in her person and which is extended to the decaying tradition symbolized by the hills and the temples. Without using many words, the old woman forces the narrator to look at her from closed quarters. It is then that he realizes the hypocrisy of society and the decadence of the social system that has ruined the old woman to a beggar. he finds that the social fabric is destroyed, architectural features go into ruins. Human values are forgotten. The old woman’s condition reduces the narrator to a small status when he feels as insignificant as that small coin in her hand. This poem humbles us to remember our responsibility to society. It reveals the callousness, a failure on our part to take care of the elderly, protect our heritage and preserve our values. In the rush of materialism and the desire to achieve, one takes all that one can from society, but giving the same back is largely forgotten. So the cracking hills, crumbling temples, crumbling of social order is directly a result of our negligence, our failure to act responsibly. Somewhere, the materialistic world has made man selfish, trapping him in a race to accumulate. When society has to face this onslaught, cracks appear, but selfish man forgets to repair the cracks, forgets to salvage lost values, thereby creating a dilapidated social fabric†¦. An Old Woman. Having lost the promises of her past, she is reduced to her present state. As the speaker views her squarely, he, in a sort of ‘revelation’, becomes aware of the decay which has set in her person and which is extended to the decaying tradition symbolized by the hills and the temples. Without using many words, the old woman forces the narrator to look at her from closed quarters. It is then that he realizes the hypocrisy of society and the decadence of the social system that has ruined the old woman to a beggar. he finds that the social fabric is destroyed, architectural features go into ruins. Human values are forgotten. The old woman’s condition reduces the narrator to a small status when he feels as insignificant as that small coin in her hand. This poem humbles us to remember our responsibility to society. It reveals the callousness, a failure on our part to take care of the elderly, protect our heritage and preserve our values. In the rush of materialism and the desire to achieve, one takes all that one can from society, but giving the same back is largely forgotten. So the cracking hills, crumbling temples, crumbling of social order is directly a result of our negligence, our failure to act responsibly. Somewhere, the materialistic world has made man selfish, trapping him in a race to accumulate. When society has to face this onslaught, cracks appear, but selfish man forgets to repair the cracks, forgets to salvage lost values, thereby creating a dilapidated social fabric†¦.

Marketing Management Class Discussion wk6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing Management Class Discussion wk6 - Essay Example The other partner is viewed as an outsider and will have to spend more if they are to operate in the market. However, these disputes can be resolved by conciliation between the business partners or an agreement between the countries so that they provide favorable trading terms to the affected parties. Nevertheless, there must be a mutual agreement between the two nations if investments are to increase in the future. By an outsider partnering a local company, they increase the level of investment and improve productivity of the country. This investment creates more jobs to the population and helps the economy to grow (Cravens, & Piercy, 2008). Hence, the host nation will benefit more even if it is indirectly. Thus, they should provide the other partner with equal rights so that they share costs and profits equally. They will be motivated and increase their bilateral ties that are beneficial in the

Financial Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Management - Assignment Example ..13 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.14 Part I 1 Cash 60000 Common Stocks 60000 2 Cash 32000 Bank Loan 32000 3 Truck 12000 Notes payables 2000 Loan payables - truck 10000 4 Office equipment 6000 Cash 6000 5 Office equipment 400 Cash 400 6 Office equipment 3600 Cash 3600 7 Inventory 60000 Cash 60000 8 Cash 340000 Account Receivables 60000 Sales 400000 CGS 240000 Inventory 240000 9 Inventory 200000 Cash 200000 10 Advertising expenses 20000 Cash 20000 11 Rent expense 7200 Utilities expense 4800 Telephone expense 1200 Employee salaries 112000 Cash 125200 12 Loan 3333 Interest expense 699 Cash 4032 13 Loan 8000 Interest expense 4160 Cash 12160 Cash Common Stocks 60000 60000 32000 6000 Bank Loan 400 32000 3600 8000 60000 Bal. 24000 340000 200000 Loan payable – Truck 20000 10000 125200 3333 4032 Bal. 6667 12160 Truck Bal. 608 12000 Office Equipment Notes Payable 6000 2000 400 3600 Bal. 10000 Inventory 60000 Account receivables 240000 60000 200000 Bal. 20000 Advertising expenses 20000 Sales Utilities expense 400000 4800 Rent expense Employee salaries 7200 112000 Telephone expense Interest expense 1200 699 4160 Cost of goods sold Bal. 4859 240000 Projected Income Statement Revenues 400000 Cost of goods sold 240000 Gross Profit 160000 Expenses Interest expense 4859 Telephone expense 1200 Employee salaries 112000 Utilities expense 4800 Rent expense 7200 Advertising expense 20000 Total expenses 150059 Net Income 9941 Projected Balance Sheet Current Assets Cash 608 Account receivables 60000 Inventory 20000 Total current assets 80608 Equipment, machinery Truck 12000 Office equipment 10000 Total equipment, machinery 22000 Total Assets 102608 Liabilities & Stockholders equity Current liabilities Notes payable 2000 Long-term liability Bank Loan 24000 Loan payable – Truck 6667 Total liabilities 32667 Common stocks 60000 Retained earnings 9941 Total equity 102608 The projected income statement of Garden Place showed the company is going to have good profitability during the upcoming year. The projected net income of the company is $9,941. The gross profit of the company is $160,000, while its gross margin is 40%. Gross margin is calculated dividing gross income by total sales. The gross margin is a measure of broad profitability (Garrison & Noreen, 2003). The net margin of the company is 2.48%. Net margin is a measure of the absolute profitability of the company. The net margin ratio is calculated dividing net income by total sales. The return on assets of Garden Place is projected to be 9.68%. Return on assets measures how profitable is a firm in relation to its assets (Investopedia, 2012). The return on equity of Garden Place is projected by be 14.21%. â€Å"Return on equity reveals how much profit a company earned in comparison to the total amount of shareholder equity found on the balanc e sheet† (Kennon, 2012). The total assets of the firm are projected to reach $102,608, while its total equity is projected to be $69,941. The current ratio of the company is projected to be 40.34. The firm’s current ratio is outstanding considering the fact that a good current ratio is one that is above the 1.0 threshold. The purpose of the current ratio is to demonstrate the ability of the company to pay off its short term debt (Investorwords, 2012). The formula to calculate current ratio is current assets divided by current liabilities. The debt

Should the government impose stricter guidelines on how much students Annotated Bibliography

Should the government impose stricter guidelines on how much students can borrow in student loans - Annotated Bibliography Example Therefore, it will be significant in enabling us to come up with an in-depth conclusion. Giving loans to students play a significant role in enabling them to finance their education. However, there must be strict rules in order to avoid overspending. This book will be significant in understanding the specific needs that are required. In addition, it will enhance the understanding of benefits of loans to the students. Students’ loans increase equality in the society. It enables the government to distribute funds equitably to the student. This book analyzes the costs of sustaining student loans. Therefore, it will be important in understanding the necessary measures that the government should take in order to help the students. Many students are burdened by loans after finishing school. This is because the government has not put the necessary measures to curb overspending. This book will be important in understanding how the gaps in laws are making it hard for the student and the government to recover from the loans. In addition, it will highlight the challenges that come with the issuance of the loans. Students’ loan has increased inequality. This is because there lacks effective laws to govern its distribution. This book will enable me understand how the loan has increased inequality in the society. In addition, it will be significant in understanding different gaps that need to be closed in order to increase its

Durkheims definition of Religion Application to Political Movements Essay

Durkheims definition of Religion Application to Political Movements - Essay Example This book received great accolade because Durkheim utilized a case study of the Australian aborigines, stating that they represented the most elementary form of religion within a society or culture. According to Durkheim, religious representations such as sacred rituals come into existence when groups of people come together and such rites or rituals are aimed at bringing people into a certain state of mentality while keeping them excited. Thus, in essence, religion gave people within a society a form of identification and mark of togetherness (Allen et al, 2012, p.2). His theory on religion was founded on the fact that sociology can be explained using natural sciences as it is a scientific study and in turn it can be proven using an experiment, in this case the case study. However, science is proven using scientific facts; the same cannot be said for religion, as it would be difficult to establish any religious facts. This was the main challenge facing Durkheim as he embarked on exp laining religion (Orru and Wang 1999, p.47). Criticism of his work stemmed from the fact that his case study featured ‘primitive peoples’, whose mode of thinking cannot be equivalent to western or rational thinkers of modern times. This was overlooked, nonetheless, because of the imaginative and insightful ideas that he was able to bring to light. It has been demonstrated that there is difficulty or it is of no significance to attempt to prove that religion can indeed be studied as a science; more so, that sacred rituals are a universal concept (Allen et al, 2012, p.6). Political Movements Commonly referred to as political sociology, the study of politics suggests that political parties function in the same way as religious sects. Followers in both cases exhibit the same kind of loyalty where leaders and/or fellow followers are justified or excused for any villainous crimes committed. Another theory explored suggests that even though political parties employ rituals and symbols as modes of self-representation, they are not similar to religious phenomenon. However, they need to be explained as demagogic means needed to preserve and reaffirm the authenticity of power among masses of people. This is referred to as the crowd manipulation interpretation, where the irrational aspects of belief and faith are used in an attempt to determine the impact of politics on the masses. For this reason, politics is termed as secular religion as a system of rituals and symbols are employed and this create an atmosphere of sacredness that, in turn, brings out politics as an object of worship and devotion (Jones, n.d). Following Durkheim’s argument, in order to understand fully religion we must go back in time and analyse religious phenomena historically. This explains why he selected the Australian aborigines as his case study; that however primitive they might have been, it would be significant to discover their constituent and how they gave rise to the mode rn religions. This is done by comparing constituent elements from both cases. Durkheim insists, nevertheless, that this analysis involving both historical and ethnographic observations is not a conceptual possibility but rather a concrete reality. Notably also, he explained his choice of the Australian aborigines, a pre-modern group stating that it was scientific because there needs to be a foundation for every concept to be rightly explained. This was in contradiction to scholars who use history as a means of bringing into disrepute their modern counterparts (Rosati 2009, p.13). This implies that religion or any

Medicaid Health Care Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medicaid Health Care Finance - Essay Example Medical Science is still in its development stages as cures for diseases that were incurable are being developed. Such an example is of cancer, Hepatitis B and etc. These diseases were incurable some time ago but the advancement in medical sciences has enabled doctors to cure such diseases. Treatment for these diseases is not only available but is also done at cheap rates that are affordable, but still affordability has been a problem. Medical Science has experienced two major problems in the last decade. Number one is the affordability of treatment and medicines for people and secondly the fraud and abuse of medicines which has become very common around the world (Kelman & Straker, 1999). In this paper we will discuss how the federal government of US has controlled the cost associated with the Medicaid program and how it has helped reduce the Medicaid fraud and abuse. Good health is significant to everyone. If a person can't pay for medical care right now, Medicaid can make it probable for him or her to get the care that is needed so that the person can get healthy and stay fit. Medicaid is obtainable only to certain low-income individuals and families who fit into an eligibility cluster that is recognized by federal and state law. Medicaid does not disburse money to a person instead, it sends payments straight to the person's health care provider (Heiser, 2008). Depending on the state's rules, a person may also be asked to compensate a small division of the charge for a few medical services. Medicaid is a state administered plan and each state sets its individual guidelines regarding eligibility and services. Many groups of people are roofed by Medicaid, even within these groups, though, definite requirements must be met. These may comprise of age, pregnancy, disability, blindness, or old age, income and resources and if a person is a U.S. citiz en or a lawfully admitted immigrant. The regulations for counting the income and resources differ from state to state and from group to group. There are particular rules for those who reside in nursing homes and for disabled children living at home (Commerce Clearing House, 2007). A child may be entitled for coverage if he or she is a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted immigrant, even if his or her parents are not. Eligibility for children is based on the child's status, not the parent's. Also, if someone else's child lives with a person, the child may be qualified even if that person is not because the earnings and resources will not add up for the child. Fraud and Abuse The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS is dedicated to fighting fraud and abuse, which redirect dollars that could or else be spent to preserve the health and welfare of Medicaid customers. To fortify its obligation, CMS has implemented a Medicaid veracity module. This is in reply to the requirements of the Deficit Reduction Act DRA of 2005, finalized on February 8, 2006 by the President, in which Congress proposed CMS to establish the Medicaid Integrity Program MIP. In doing so, it spectacularly augmented the resources accessible to CMS to fight fraud, misuse and exploitation in the Medicaid program. The DRA says that a five-year Comprehensive Medicaid Integrity Plan CMIP be printed to guide MIP growth and functions. This CMIP specially discusses statutory necessities, program

Part 1- To what extent can laws adequately combat terrorism Part 2- Essay

Part 1- To what extent can laws adequately combat terrorism Part 2- With refernce to the case of A(FC) V The Secretary of state for the Home Department [2004] - Essay Example s: â€Å"the following offences†¦ which are intentionally committed by an individual or a group against one or more countries, their institutions or people with the aim of intimidating them and seriously altering or destroying the political, economic or social structures of those countries will be punishable as terrorist offences." http://www.una-uk.org/archive/terrorism/terrorismhr.html Terrorism is perhaps the greatest danger mankind is facing today and it has become an enemy of human rights. Refugees and asylum seekers somehow seem to be seething under a sense of ill use and some of the countries to which they belong are now considered to be the breeding grounds of terrorismi. Public protection, national security and individual rights are clashing in Acts made for facing terrorism. This might even result in detention or deportation of people who are rather remotely connected with terrorism, or their refugee status could be revoked on suspicion. But war against terrorism has attained an expansive nature and encompassed the entire universe. David Blunkett, previous Home Secretary of UK, with good reasons, wanted the anti terror measures to be linked with combating illegal immigration, traffickers and granting of asylum. Most of the Western Governments and some of the Eastern nations like India, Nepal, and Srilanka are preoccupied with tackling terrorist activities. Adequately combating terrorism is not perhaps a proper phrase to be used. Terrorism and terrorist activities can never be eradicated fully, whatever could be the laws or however strict could be the security arrangements. A clever criminal can always find a loophole or two in the strong fabricii. In United Kingdom, there are many laws in place that should be able to effectively discourage terrorism. EU laws too cover UK laws and these laws over impose each other, and they should be able to create sufficient barrier against terrorism. But as we can see from recent events like London bombings, even though

Common European Army Essay Example for Free

Common European Army Essay The UK and France have been willing to follow the USA’s example of military force and shown support for the idea of an EU army. Other nations have clearly rejected this approach on the basis of pacifist arguments and because they are reluctant to commit to the high level of military spending this would imply. While the EU does like to see itself as the diplomat of the world and flaunt its achievements with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), it still ponders the possibility of a middle-of-the-road strategy of militarization and securitization. There is no necessity as regards the creation of European Union Army because member states already cooperate sufficiently with each other. Creating an EU army would prove to be unnecessary because most European states are already members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. For several decades NATO has been defending the military interests of Europe. It is hard to see a problem that NATO cannot solve, which the European Defence Force could instead. NATO exists to deal with situations of such magnitude that the nations of Western Europe are likely to adopt a common defence policy. In contrast, the EDF is targeted at smaller geopolitical incidents which would otherwise be ‘beneath’ the notice of NATO. Unfortunately smaller incidents by their nature do not have uniform effects on all EU member-nations, and are therefore unlikely to generate a consensus of policy among EU nations. The EU has as much power as it has, regardless of whether they have a single military or each nation cooperates accordingly with its own forces. A single military may give the appearance of more power, but nothing more unless great policy changes went along with its creation. It can be concluded, therefore, that there is no urgent necessity for creating a common European army at this moment and for now NATO is sufficient for the EU defence policy. Creating a common European Army would not be in accordance with the EU policy and would undermine the sovereignty of member states. Even if we assume that the massive costs of a standing military force can be borne by the EU and ts members, the key barriers to establishing a standing defence force are often political. Creating a European Defence Force de novo would require to decide on several questions, namely the command structure, whether the role should be merely defensive or include peacekeeping, the choice of equipment and supplier, creating a common defence policy, and choosing a language of communication. All of these questions involve political considerations or economic vested interests, all of which are likely to result in ongoing wrangling that will yield an ineffective EDF. The Treaty of Lisbon foresees that Member States can make available civilian and military resources to the Union for the implementation of its Common Security and Defence operations. However, any Member State has the right to oppose such operations and all contributions to them will be always on a voluntary basis. There is little or no will amongst EU governments to increase defence spending to the sort of levels required to make an EU based defence and security credible. Indeed, only the Dutch government has designated a specific part of their defence budget for the ESDP. A group of Member States who are willing and have the necessary capability will be able to undertake disarmament operations, humanitarian and rescue tasks, military advice and peace-keeping tasks. No Member State can be forced to participate in such operations. In conclusion it is reasonable to say that, although the creation of a common European army might bring more unity it will be an unfair act, since the interest of member-nations in the area of defense policy are very divergent. Therefore, in order to preserve sovereignty and financial stability military capabilities in the EU should remain in national hands.

Glycaemic Control for Type 2 Diabetes

Glycaemic Control for Type 2 Diabetes Case study 1: Glycaemic Status A newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patient attended his outpatient appointment and reported that he had been tightly monitoring his glycaemic control. The biochemical analysis produced the following results: Value Range [Plasma Glucose] fasting sample 12 mmol/l 4-6 mmol/l Urea 10.1 mmol/l 3.3-6.8 mmol/l HbA1c 10% Osmolality (mosm/kg) 277 mosm/kg 285-295 mosm/kg 1] Consider each of these findings and give an assessment of the   patient’s glycaemic control. The above type 2 diabetic patient with abnormal biochemical values [high fasting plasma glucose, HbA1C, urea and borderline Osmolality] showing hyperglycaemic condition though the patient reported, that he had been tightly monitoring his glycaemic control. This describes either his nonadherance to medication [1-4] or fluctuations in plasma glucose levels as he is a newly diagnosed diabetic patient. So he requires more counselling [14] about the disease monitoring [8] and management [5-7], medication [medication regimen] alterations. The high fasting plasma glucose value 12 mmol/l shows patient is having high blood sugar levels at the time of testing and high HbA1C value [10%] gives a retrospective assessment of the mean plasma glucose concentration during the preceding 6-8 weeks. As the percentage is twice the normal value [ High urea value 10.1 mmol/l shows that renal impairment caused by diabetes mellitus. Plasma creatinine and urea levels are established markers of Glomerular filtration rate [GFR]. High urea value in above patient suggests that impaired function of the nephrons. It could be attributed to a fall in the filtering capacity of the kidney thus leading to accumulation of waste products within the system [12-14, 16]. Borderline osmolality 277 mosm/kg suggests possibility of disrupted water balance from either excessive water intake [polydipsia caused by hyperglycaemia] or inadequate water excretion [impaired kidney function]. In this case further investigations like measurement of urine osmolality, urine volume and urine, plasma electrolytes [sodium] to confirm the reason for hypo osmolality [9, 22]. Thus above all classical symptoms are suggestive of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. 2] Discuss the importance of glycaemic control and the effects that poor control can cause in these patients. It is very essential to control the hyper glycaemia in diabetic patients as uncontrolled diabetes can cause life threatening consequences [14, 20]. Vascular disease is a common complication of persistent poor glycaemic control in diabetes [9, 13, 14-16]. Macro vascular disease due to abnormalities of large vessels may present as coronary artery, cerebrovascular or peripheral vascular insufficiency. A number of risk factors have been associated with the metabolic syndrome, including hypertension, poor glycaemic control, central obesity, smoking, dyslipidaemia and glycated end products [16]. Microvascular disease due to abnormalities of small blood vessels particularly affects the retina [diabetic retinopathy] and the kidney [nephropathy]; both may be related to inadequate glucose control. Microvascular disease of the kidney is associated with proteinuria and progressive renal failure. Diffuse nodular glomerulosclerosis [Kimmelstiel Wilson lesions] may cause the nephrotic syndrome. The renal complications may be partly due to the increased glycation of structural proteins in the arterial walls supplying the glomerular basement membrane; glycation of protein in the lens may cause cataracts. Skin disorders, Infections like urinary tract or chest infections, cellulitis, candida and erectile dysfunction is also most common and partly neurologically mediated. Diabetic neuropathy, which can be peripheral symmetric sensory, peripheral painful, acute mononueropathies or autonomic. Diabetic ulcers, which can be ischemic, infective. The joints can also be affected, Charcot’s joints [9]. Type 2 diabetic patients are more likely to suffer from a hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic non-ketotic state [HONK] when their diabetic control is deranged [17, 18]. Hypoglycaemia is most commonly caused by accidental over administration of insulin or oral anti diabetic drugs [9, 19]. 3] Describe how this particular patient could achieve a better glycaemic control. The above diabetic patient with abnormal biochemical values could achieve a better glycaemic control, by diet control, weight reduction [if patient is overweight], and increased physical activity, medication adherence, medication regimen alteration and most importantly high dose of insulin may be required to control the hyperglycaemic status [7, 9,17]. Additionally care providers must educate and motivate the patient to monitor glucose levels, control carbohydrate consumption and aggressively participate in self-care to control disorder. In type 2 diabetic patients incretin hormones [glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependant insulinotropic polypeptide] maintain normal glucose homeostasis. Thus dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, which enhance endogenous incretin function, are well suited for combination with other agents to promote daily glycaemic control without increasing the risk of hypoglycaemia or weight gain [21]. In this patient insulin secretion can be stimulated by sulphonyl urea drugs. Metformin decreases intestinal glucose absorption and hepatic gluconeogenesis as well as increasing tissue insulin sensitivity and which is particularly used in obese patients [9]. Acarbose delays postprandial absorption of glucose by inhibiting alpha-glucosidase. Glitazones activate ÃŽ ³-peroxisome proliferator activated receptors and which can reduce insulin resistance. Repaglinide increases insulin release from pancreatic ÃŽ ²-cells [9]. Glycaemic control efforts should involve quarterly glycated haemoglobin assessments, routine monitoring of daily blood glucose values and combination therapy that targets both fasting and post prandial hyperglycaemia. The lifetime strategy for diabetes management might involve aggressive efforts to control glycaemia daily and early in type 2 diabetes, with less stringent glucose targets and avoidance of hypoglycaemia as possibility of comorbidities, such as advanced cardiovascular disease and renal impairment [8, 14, 16, and 20]. References 1] Khattab, M. et Al. [2010] Factors associated with poor glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, 24, 84-89. [Accessed 12th February 2015]. 2] Almutairi, A.M. et Al. [2013] Predictors of poor glycemic control among type 2 diabetic patients. American Journal of Medical Sciences, 3 (2), 17-21. [Accesses 12th February 2015]. 3] Blackburn, F D., Swidrovich, J., Lemstra, M. [2013] Nonadherence in type 2 diabetes, practical consideration for interpreting the literature. Patient Preference and Adherence, 7, 183-189. [Accessed 12th February 2015]. 4] Di Bonaventura, M. et Al. [2014] The association between nonadherence and glycated haemoglobin among type 2 diabetes patients using basal insulin analogs. Patient Preference and Adherence, 8, 873-882. [Accessed 11th February 2015]. 5] Moreira, Jr. D E. et Al. [2013] Glycemic control and diabetes management in hospitalized patients in Brazil. Diabetology and Metabolic Syndrome, 5, 62. Available from: http://www.dmsjournal.com/content/5/1/62 [Accessed 11th February 2015]. 6] Schmeltz, R.L. et Al. [2011] Management of inpatient hyperglycemia. Lab Med, 42 (2), 427-434. Available from: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/744866_4 [Accessed 13th February]. 7] Fowler, J. M. et Al. [2011] Pitfalls in outpatient diabetes management and inpatient glycemic control. Clinical. Diabetes Journal.Org, 29 (2), 79-85. Available from: http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/2/79.full [Accessed 13th February 2015]. 8] Clarke, S. F. and Foster, J.R. [2012] A history of blood glucose meters and their role in self-monitoring of diabetes mellitus. British Journal of Biomedical Science, 69 (2), 83-93. [Accessed 13th February 2015]. 9] Crook, M.A. (2006) Clinical biochemistry. 7th ed. Hodder Arnold 10] Walker, S., Beckett, G., Rae, P. and Ashby, P. (2010) Lecture notes on clinical biochemistry. 8th ed. Wiley – Blackwell. 11] Marshall, WJ. and Bangert, SK. (2004) Clinical chemistry. 5th ed. Mosby 12] Idonije, O. B. et Al [2011] Plasma glucose, creatinine and urea levels in type 2 diabetic patients attending a Nigerian teaching hospital. Research Journal of Medical Sciences, 5 (1), 1-3. Available from: http://www.medwelljournals.com/fulltext/?doi=rjmsci.2011.1.3 [Accessed 13th February 2015]. 13] Alao, O. et Al. [2009] Cardiovascular risk factors among diabetic patients attending a Nigerian teaching hospital. The Internet Journal of Endocrinology, 6 (1), 1-8. Available from: https://ispub.com/IJEN/6/1/11009 [Accessed 13th February 2015]. 14] The management of type 2 diabetes [2014] NICE clinical guidelines 87. Available from: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg87 [Accessed 13th February 2015]. 15] Wallace, T. M and Matthews, D. R. [2000] Poor glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes: a conspiracy of disease, suboptimal therapy and attitude. The Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 93, 369-374. [Accessed 13th February 2015]. 16] Goud B. K, M. et Al. [2011] Serum urea, creatinine in relation to fasting plasma glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients. International Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences, 1 (3), 279-283. [Accessed 13th February 2015]. 17] Pesce, J. A. and Kaplan, A. L. [1987] Methods in Clinical Chemistry. Mosby. 18] Diabetic ketoacidosis. Information about DKA. Patient.co.uk. Available from: http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/diabeticketoacidosis [Accessed 14th February 2015]. 19] Tight diabetic control. American Diabetes Association. Available from: http://www.diabetes.org/livingwithdiabetes/treatmentandcare/bloodglucosecontrol/tightdiabetescontrol.html [Accessed 14th February 2015]. 20] Ousman, MD. Y. and Sharma, MD. M. [2001] The irrefutable importance of glycemic control. Clinical Diabetes Journal.Org, 19 (2), 71-72. Available from: http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/content/19/2/71.full [Accessed 14th February 2015]. 21] Bode, BW. [2009] Defining the importance of daily glycemic control and implications for type 2 diabetes management. Postgrad Med., 121 (5), 82-93. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19820277 [Accessed 14th February 2015]. 22] Weiner, D. Water regulation and osmolality. Available from: http://ocw.tufts.edu/data/33/497472.pdf [Accessed 17th February 2015]

Organizational Culture :: Free Essay Writer

Organizational Culture "†¦Japanese culture is very different from ours. For one thing, it consists almost entirely of Japanese people." (Barry, 43) Perhaps that seems an obvious statement, but how true it is. The culture of any business, organization, or even government is made up of the people that make the organization. Throughout this paper we will use the culture of the Japanese government as a medium, to see how culture affects the management and decision-making processes. Specifically we will look at how the culture affected the decisions of the government, and how those decisions affected the very lives of the Japanese people on a very dreadful day just over six years ago. A 20-second earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, devastated the city of Kobe, Japan on the morning of January 17th, 1995. Many were still sleeping at 5:46 when the earthquake struck, but they would soon awaken to find great frustration as the lack of public and personal transportation, communication lines, and open roads became increasingly apparent. Indeed, Japan's 6th largest city was facing a problem, and one that needed to be addressed immediately. (Adamson, par 1) q Is America an Autocracy? You have probably read in a newspaper, or watched on television a documentary about a natural disaster on American soil. It could be anything from an East-coast hurricane, to a Mid-west tornado, to a California earthquake. Typically, by the time you are just hearing about the event, the President of the United States will have already declared a "state of emergency." Local and national armed forces are immediately dispatched to help assist in any way possible. The way that the President took the information available at the time, and promptly made the decision reflects an autocratic leadership style, as defined by Dessler. (301) Why wasn't there a session of congress held to determine if it was really necessary to declare the emergency? Why weren't the citizens allowed to vote whether or not they deemed it wise spending of their tax-dollars? The President of the United States (obviously, by his title) has the authority to make decisions that affect the United States. Our cult ure allows him to have the power that he does, whether he is backed by congress or not. We allow him to declare a state of emergency because our culture defines a "state of emergency" as a problem that needs to be fixed.

Theodor Herzl: Father of Zionism? Essay example -- Theodor Herzl Essay

Theodor Herzl: Father of Zionism? Theodor Herzl is often referred to today as the Father of Zionism, a man known for his role in the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people. His most famous pamphlet, The Jewish State, inspired thousands of Jewish men and women from across the world, although particularly in Europe, to leave their homes to realize the glory of creating their own homeland in Palestine. While Herzl was originally a believer in the gradual assimilation of German and Austrian Jews into the European cultural world, the growing anti-Semitism within Europe led him to believe that the only solution to Jewish ostracism was the creation of a separate state for Jews in Palestine. Although Theodor Herzl became, over the course of his lifetime, a man who held a crucial role in the creation of a state that Jews across the world could take pride in and refuge from the prejudice they faced throughout the European world, he was never truly a believer in the traditions of Judaism and was primarily concerned with the necessity for the â€Å"reformation† of the Jewish culture instead of the founding of a prejudice-free environment. European anti-Semitism, a condition that influenced his own views on his culture, dominated the world that Theodor Herzl grew up in. In a world dominated by prejudice, even Herzl, who defended the rights of the Jews, viewed them as a people who had been corrupted by years of exile and persecution. The leading intellectuals of the time believed the Jewish people to be a race of money-lenders and usurpers with no capacity for change and as such were a class to be ostracized (Kornberg 21). In contrast, Herzl believed that while his people may have held the stereotypical Jewish vices of greedine... ... own culture. Although he held that the European Jews were exposed to extreme anti-Semitism, he also believed this oppression had caused them to become a people worthy of the stereotypes placed on them by the prejudiced European Christians. Herzl grew to believe that it was only though a complete disassociation with these peoples would the Jews again become a race of people worthy of European respect. Theodor Herzl is somewhat of an enigma in that he is a man who dedicated his entire life to the cause of improving the lives of his people for reasons that many would find to be prejudiced themselves. Works Cited Elon, Amos. Herzl. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975. Kornberg, Jacques. Theodor Herzl. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993. Prior, Michael. Zionism and the State of Israel: A Moral Inquiry. New York: Routledge,1999.

Characters in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- William Shakespeare

Shakespeare has always had the gift of creating characters each with their own unique facets that, in combination, make for a play full of multi-dimensional characters. In the case of Shakespeare’s perhaps most famous play Hamlet, a more prominent role is held by the defining traits of each of the more important characters. When looked at from a more in-depth perspective one would find that many of these traits are revealed through an inference inherent to their speech. In Hamlet’s case his most eloquent dialogue shows his analytical mind, but also poses a question over Hamlet’s confidence: with circumstances of precarious matter, does he lack the confidence to be decisive, procrastinating, and knowingly so, with the important decisions required of him, or is it simply that this time is spent reasoning things to their most full extent so that his course of action proves to be the correct one. With respect to Claudius there is an extreme confidence in his cunning and deceitful craft as he often speaks with a willful hypocrisy. Also, it will be shown that Claudius has a dominantly selfish personality, manipulating people in order to use them to achieve his own ends. And, lastly, Gertrude, who possesses an enigmatic persona, is one who makes difficult the task of interpreting her motives and mindset with any real certainty. Hamlet, a man with much intelligence, proves himself to be both logical and analytical. However, as he has sometimes revealed throughout the play, he procrastinates with what can seem to be over-analysis where the politics of the situation prove to be rather delicate, and yet when he is dealing with relatively inconsequential matters he can show as much confidence as Laertes. Through the readers’ eyes it is oft... ...ference and interpretation of each character’s manner and style of speaking. In the play Hamlet, much was learned simply by reading between each line of dialogue, and giving each line perhaps a few seconds more thought than is usual. Shakespeare filled each of his works with brilliant nuances that made necessary giving each word of each line further consideration, but what was most intriguing about this play in particular was that the reader was not only able to gain insight into the minds its characters, but also the mind of Shakespeare himself. It leaves much food for thought when one ceases to take things at face value, but instead delves into the numerous and immensely profound layers of meaning that have reinforced the words of Shakespeare for hundreds of years and for hundreds more to come. Works Cited Shakespear, William. Hamlet. Don Mills HBJ, 2009

Connective Tissue

Connective Tissue Characteristics of connective tissues †¢Extracellular matrix separates cells †¢Most widely variable of tissues †¢Many varied functions †¢Common (mesenchyme) origin †¢Degrees of vascularity Functions †¢Binding †¢Suport †¢Protection †¢Insulation †¢Transport Structural Elements †¢Fibers ?Collagen (white) fibres ?Elastin (yellow) fibers ?Reticular fibers †¢Ground substance ?Amorphous material fills space between cells and contains fibers ?Holds fluids ?Acts as molecular sieve ?Consists of interstitial fluid, cell adhesion proteins â€Å"glue†, proteoglycans †¢Cells Each class of connective tissue has a fundamental cell type that exists in an immature and mature form ?Undifferentiated cell gets suffix â€Å"blast† i. e chronoblast, they are actively mitotic, secrete fibers and ground subtance ?Once the cells synthesise the matrix they assume their less active mature mode indicated by suffix â €Å"cyte† i. e. lymphocyte Summary Fibers Ground Substance Cells Collagen Interstitial fluid Immature form â€Å"blast† Elastin Cell adhesion proteins â€Å"glue† Mature form â€Å"cyte† Reticular Proteoglycans Types of connective tissue †¢All consist of cells surrounded by matrix Differences reflect cell type, finer type and the proportion of matrix contributed by fivers †¢These differences determine connective tissue classes and their subgroups ?General (fibrous) connective tissue â€Å"proper† ?Specialised Connective tissues (skeletal – bone and cartilage, adipose, lymphoid, blood) Cells found in ‘Prototype' Connective Tissue †¢FIbroblasts †¢Adipocytes (fat cells) †¢Cells which migrate from blood ?WBC ?Other cells concerned with tissue response to injury Connective Tissue Proper Two subgroups – classification mainly based on finer arrangement and density: †¢Loose CT Areolar ?Reticular †¢Dens e CT ?Dense regular ?Dense irregular Connective Tissue Proper Sub groups Characteristics/Structural elements Loose Areolar Semi fluid Gelatinous ground substance Collagen, elastin, reticular loosely distributed Fibroblasts and macrophages are abundant Occasional adipocytes (fat cells) Widely distributed packing material of body Loose Reticular Matrix contains reticular fibers Reticular fibers form network of reticular cells (fibroblasts) Dense Regular Closely packed collagen fibers orientated in same direction Mainly fibroblasts Poorly vascularised (no blood vessels)White, flexible tissue with great tensile strength in one direction Wavy fivers – allow minimal ‘give' until fibbers are straightened Elastic CT has high elastic content i. e. ligaments and tendons Dense Irregular Closely packed collagen fibers orientated in same direction Mainly fibroblasts Poorly vascularised (no blood vessels) Collagen bundles are orientated in MANY directions Forms sheets where tension i s exerted in from many directions i. e. dermis of skin, fibrous joint capsules, fibrous capsules of many organs (kidneys, testis, bone, muscles) Blood †¢Classified as a connective tissue †¢Cells in matrix (plasma) Fibers are soluble proteins which only become visible during clotting †¢Functions ?Transport of nutrients (glucose, oxygen) ?Transport of wastes (CO2) ?Transport of gases (oxygen, CO2) ?Hormones Cartilage †¢Somewhere between dense CT and bone †¢Tough but flexible †¢Cartilage cells â€Å"chondro† prefix †¢Ground substance has firmly bound collagen fivers †¢Contains lots of tissue fluid (80% water) †¢No blood vessels or nerves (good for joints) †¢Perichondrium (dense irreg. CT) surrounds most cartilage †¢Growth both interstitial and appositional †¢Types: ?Hyaline ?Elastic ?Fibrocartilage Bone â€Å"Bone† can refer to: Osseous tissue (type of CT) †¢Organs of the body i. e. humerus (consisting of se veral tissue types) Bone as a tissue †¢Bone is connective tissue (osseous tissue) †¢Cells contained in a matrix †¢Matrix is hardened by deposition of calcium salts and other minerals = calcification (mineralisation) Functions of bony skeleton †¢Support †¢Protection †¢Rigid attachment †¢Levers for muscles †¢Blood formation †¢Electrolyte balance †¢Acid base balance †¢Detoxification General features of long bone †¢Compact bone †¢Spongy bone †¢Medullary cavity †¢Diaphysis (shaft) †¢Epiphysis †¢Epiphysis plate/line †¢Articular cartilage †¢Periosteum and endosteum

Gilbert & Sullivan- the Mikado

Alex Ewanyk American Musical Theater History Writing Assignment 1 Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado 2/7/13 Most would agree to say that two is better than one. William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan are by any means no exception to this. Gilbert, a playwright, and Sullivan, a composer, combined their talents to make the dream team of musical theatre. Together they have made some of the greatest and sophisticated musicals the world will ever see. The best of their shows are still being performed today, one of which is their famous musical, The Mikado.The Mikado is a comical musical which poked fun at a few aspects of England’s culture at the time. It quickly became popular among both the British and Americans. It eventually became popular in many other countries, which was an extraordinary feat at the time. Gilbert and Sullivan have an interesting history before coming together to make their great works such as The Mikado. Before William Gilbert started writing, he was an attorney. O n the side he would write poems which led to a series of his illustrated comical poems getting published by a few popular British magazines.This eventually opened the door to his career as a playwright. During the time Gilbert was starting his writing career, Arthur Sullivan was already making waves as a serious composer. He knew this was what he wanted to do with his life and for good reason. He was a great composer who could make a song to fit any mood. Sullivan was already making a great deal of money with his works and felt very comfortable, but both he and Gilbert could never have foreseen what was next to come. In the 1860’s John Hillingshead, the owner of the Gaiety Theatre hired Gilbert to write and Sullivan to compose their first work together titled Thepsis.In the crowd at the showing of Thepsis was aspiring producer Richard D'Oyly Carte and saw something in the work of Gilbert and Sullivan. He eventually contacts them to write a curtain raiser which turned out to b e very profitable. After the money started coming in, G;S were hooked. From then on, their career together officially started. The rest is history. One of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most famous work was a comedy called The Migato. The synopsis of this amusing musical is as follows. Before the story begins, Nanki-Poo, the Mikado’s son, fled from his father’s palace to escape being forced to marry Katisha, an elderly lady of the court.Nanki-Poo has become a traveling performer who falls in love with Yum-Yum, however he can’t marry her because Ko-Ko, her guardian, has decided to marry her himself. Nanki-Poo learns that Ko-Ko has been sentenced to death for violating the Mikado’s law against flirting. Nanki-Poo arrives in Titipu to determine if Ko-Ko has been executed, and therefore, if Yum-Yum is free to marry him. He encounters Pooh-Bah, a corrupt public official, and Pish-Tush, a noble, who informs him that Ko-Ko was saved at the last moment by a set of events, and then raised to the high rank of Lord High Executioner.Nanki-Poo loses hope when he learns that Ko-Ko plans to marry Yum-Yum immediately. There have been no executions in Titipu since Ko-Ko became Lord High Executioner. Ko-Ko receives a letter from The Mikado ordering him to execute someone or else lose his position as Lord High Executioner. As Ko-Ko ponders his dilemma of trying to find someone to execute, Nanki-Poo appears, saying that he’s going to commit suicide because he can’t marry Yum-Yum, the women he loves. Ko-Ko offers to allow Nanki-Poo to marry Yum-Yum for one month, after which, he will become his execution victim.Suddenly, Katisha appears and discovers Nanki-Poo, her lost love. After she is driven away, she rushes to inform the Mikado that his son has been found. As it goes into Act II, Yum-Yum is preparing for her one-month marriage to Nanki-Poo. Ko-Ko arrives with the shocking revelation that he has discovered a law decreeing that when a ma rried man is executed, his widow must be buried alive. Because of this the marriage between Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo is canceled. Nevertheless, Ko-Ko must find a â€Å"substitute† for execution or he will be decapitated by The Mikado. Nanki-Poo contrives a solution to save Ko-Ko’s life.A false contract confirming his own execution, but in exchange, he must be allowed to marry Yum-Yum and leave the country forever. Ko-Ko agrees. The Mikado finally arrives in Titipu. Ko-Ko believes that the purpose of his visit is to confirm that an execution has taken place so he produces the contract and proceeds to describe the execution with gusto. However, The Mikado has actually come to Titipu in search of his lost son and learns from the contract that Ko-Ko and his ministers executed his son. He declares them guilty of â€Å"composing the death of the Heir Apparent†.Their only hope to avoid execution is to show Nanki-Poo’s alive. Nanki-Poo hesitates to reveal himself, f earing that if Katisha learns that he has married Yum-Yum she will have him executed. The dilemma is resolved by Ko-Ko, who, at Nanki-Poo’s suggestion, woos, wins, and weds Katisha. In the end, all conflicts are put to an end as they celebrate Nanki-Poo’s marriage to Yum-Yum and Ko-Ko’s marriage to Katisha. This show quickly became extremely popular in England due to how it related to them but was also popular in the U. S. because of how funny, amusing, and ingenious it was.During the time The Mikado was created, the British were going through an â€Å"all things Japanese† craze. They were in a sense obsessed with the Japanese culture and customs for some reason. So in a sense, Gilbert was poking fun at this obsession while writing this play which centers on Japan in a humorous fashion. Let it be understood that he wasn’t making fun of Japan, but playing with the fact that people were trying to mimic the Japanese ways. As The Mikado got introduced to the U. S. , Americans actually started to adopt this trend of all things Japanese. â€Å"Mikado-Mania† was the name given to the American craze.A funny fact about The Mikado is that it’s one of the few musicals that every caused a diplomatic argument. When the prince of Japan visited England in 1907, the work was temporarily banned from being performed. This ban in turn backfired because the prince actually was hoping to see the play during his visit. This fact alone shows how widespread talk of The Mikado was. Gilbert and Sullivan will go down in history as one of the greatest stage musical teams of all time, if not the greatest. With works like The Mikado, how could they not be one of the greatest?Their plays have even been performed in other languages such as French, German, and Yiddish. After 120 years The Mikado is still one of the most frequently produced musicals of all time and fully deserves to be. Bibliography Ainger, Michael. Gilbert and Sullivan: A Dual Biography. N. p. : Oxford UP, 2002. Print. Kenrick, John. â€Å"Gilbert & Sullivan 101. † Musicals101. com. N. p. , 2000. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. ;http://www. musicals101. com/g;s101. htm;. â€Å"Plot Summary. † Gilbert and Sullivan Archive. N. p. , n. d. Web. 06 Feb. 2013. ;http://math. boisestate. edu/gas/mikado/html/summary. html;.

American Epidemic

In modern times, nobody who reads the newspapers or watches television can avoid the chilling fate that our country faces. School violence is a rapidly growing trend in America, and it seems to be there is nothing we can do to stop it. The offenders are from all races and social classes. They range from the high school hero to the high school dropout. It often seems the only thing they have in common is an utter disregard for their own life and the lives of others. In the following accounts, taken straight from American headlines, harrowing events fit for blockbuster fiction prove that our country is becoming victim to a new criminal: youthful rage. In generations past, the high school rebel was the boy all the girls wanted and all the boys wanted to be. He was the one in the leather jacket who went to class only to make snide remarks, drove too fast, and talked too slow. Jump forward to the end of the twentieth century, and the high school rebel is the boy who students ignore, the one who sits in the back of the classroom and never talks, wears all black and keeps to himself. He is the last student anyone would fear, but probably the most dangerous. He doesn†t want to take advantage of those who are smaller than him, but wants to seek vengeance on those who have hurt him, basically everyone. He, in fact, is sometimes a she. Of course, offenders can†t be classified into one group. Many times it is the last person you would ever imagine. That is the way it happened for Chester Jackson, a Detroit high school football star. Chester was a seventeen-year-old hero, a senior who had reached godlike status due to his work for the school football team. But if you ask his high school friends of their memories of Chester, they will not remember him running down the football field, but running down the hall, trying to save his own life. Like so many students, Chester found it amusing to tease the underclassmen. Particularly a fourteen-year-old freshman boy that was unable to defend himself when Chester and his friends pushed him in his own locker and secured the combination lock for three consecutive classes. That was the event they say made the boy snap. He brought a gun to school the next day, and even with all of his football training, Chester could not run fast enough to save his own life. He was the first student ever killed in a Michigan high school. Unfortunately, Chester†s story is not an isolated incident. School shootings are now a common occurrence. A place that used to be considered a safe haven is now turning into a death trap. Where lockers and drinking fountains used to be found there are now metal detectors and armed guards. Detroit high schools have expelled fifteen students since Chester†s murder inspired them to install metal detectors. Each of the students was carrying a loaded gun. Chester†s death also resulted in the now nation wide Barron Assessment and Counseling Center, a program designed to encourage youths to exchange their weapons for books. Marva Collins, principal of a Chicago Public School, sees the starting of these groups as bittersweet. † (These) Centers are extremely helpful, and have the right idea in mind, but how many children are going to have to die before our nation sits up and pays attention. Will mine be the next? † In 1994, children under 18 were 244% more likely to be killed by guns than they were in 1986. Gun owners of all ages state that their number one reason for owning a handgun is protection from criminals, yet they are 43 times as likely to kill a friend or family member than they are a criminal. In the 1980†³s it appeared that teen pregnancy was going to be the downfall of American society, but as Marion Wright Edelman, president of the children†s advocacy group puts it, † The crisis of children having children has been eclipsed by the greater crisis of children killing children. † Between 1979 and 1993, guns killed more than 60,000 children, a figure greater than the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. Also, a child in the United States is 15 times as likely to die as a result of gunfire than is a child in war-torn Northern Ireland. The statistics only succeed in proving what is becoming incredibly obvious; guns have become the clearest evidence of a growing despair among many American teenagers. As one young man puts it, † That†s just the way it is. Guns are just a part of growing up these days. You fire a gun and you can just feel the power. It†s like yeah. † Who is to blame for the newest American trend? Are parents not paying enough attention to their children? Are schools not educating students on proper anger management? These are both possibilities, but 6 out of 10 people agree: the problem lies in the media. It seems that you cannot attend a movie these days without having to prepare yourself for some degree of violence. Even â€Å"family† movies (those with a G or PG rating) are not immune to it. Television shows are nearly as bad, police dramas run nearly every night during prime time on major networks, exposing millions of young children to things they are not ready to see. The new wave of gangster rap shows young men boasting of killings and beatings, and the people of our country are proving to the corporations that offer these products one major thing; violence sells. Tommy Matola, president of a major music Corporation states â€Å"the things that (these) young men are speaking of are things that they grew up around, that millions of children are still growing up around. Society owes them for exposing a problem that may threaten our national security. † Even a typical cartoon show averages 41 acts of violence each hour, with an attempted murder every 2 minutes. Many parents want the Government to regulate what is available for children to see, but many maintain that it is not their responsibility. As Barry Lynn of the American Civil Liberties Union put it, † If you cannot persuade persons to reject what you consider to be exploitive or unhealthy, do not ask the government to impose your will on those same persons. † Lately, as youth violence has been more scrutinized by the public, many new laws have come into effect. The debate over what to do with juvenile offenders is one that will never be solved, but can be compromised to come up with a good solution. Currently, offenders who appear in juvenile court do not receive a criminal record. Therefore, when a child appears in front of a new judge, he will have no way of knowing how many times the child has convicted the same crime. The law of dismissing children from a criminal record was designed to protect them from stigma and prejudice, but more often there are negative results received not by the child, but by their victim. States have experimented with such things as punishing parents for crimes their children commit, and many have began to charge children accused of major crimes as adults. However, none of these laws have been threatening enough, as fourteen-year-old Arthur Bates has proven. Arthur spent many of his early years in mental facilities, but after it was decided that nobody could help him he was sent home to his mother. One day Arthur chose a house at random and planned on robbing it. Once he got in he realized the owner of the home, Lillian Piper, was asleep inside. Arthur proceeded to rape and kill Miss Piper, and then have a bowl of ice cream from her freezer and drive off in her Cadillac. About an hour later police, to whom he immediately confessed, stopped him. He then told them, â€Å"You can†t do anything to me. I just fourteen. † He was sentenced to seven months in reform school. To many, trying children as adults is the only fit punishment, but it has not been as helpful as its proponents had hoped. Usually, when these children are sent to adult institutions, they are sexually molested and taught new crimes. When the child leaves the institution, which many call their â€Å"crime school,† the child is now more dangerous than he ever had been. There have been many â€Å"crime camps,† instituted with juvenile offenders in mind, as well. At these camps, young offenders take part in â€Å"skills streaming† where they learn new ways to deal with real life situations. Whether any of these options really work is really in the eye of the public, and they cannot seem to agree. As Los Angeles police detective Robert Contreras puts it, â€Å"These kids are getting away with murder. They have no respect for anything and joke that in jail they†ll at least get three square meals a day. † Obviously, it is going to take more than one person to stop what is being called an American epidemic. Every parent, every child, every teacher, and every citizen is going to have to stand up and help achieve a solution. As of now, the students committing these crimes are not only literally getting away with murder but also being glamorized. Maryanne Britain, a Texas student, points out â€Å"I cannot name one of the students that was killed in Colorado, but I know the whole biography of the killers. What sense does that make? † Miss Britain has pointed out something that many of us don†t realize, in our country often times the offenders are mistaken as the victim. We lose sight of the crime at hand and try to blame the problem on society instead of the killers. We are all faced with the same graphic truth, and many of us are able to make it through life without killing anyone. Alone, we cannot accomplish much, but if we stand up to offenders as a nation, we can save the fate that we are now facing. All it will take to save the lives of our generation and many to come is everyone working together. That is when we will take our country back and truly make a difference. Perhaps teamwork can be the nations next epidemic.

Face of Freedom Essay

Read the question below and use your knowledge of the time period to write your response. You are welcome to refer back to the lesson; however, all writing should be in your own words. Question: Explain how freedoms for African Americans were socially, politically, and economically limited from 1865 to 1900? Your response should consist of at least three paragraphs including one paragraph for each of the following: social limitations political limitations economic limitations You should also include at least one person, term, or event from the lesson in each paragraph. African Americans were heavily persecuted in the time period, the late 1800’s as they faced various obstacles that threatened their social, political, and economic freedoms. African Americans struggled to get jobs, even more sparingly was equal pay. They had limits on places they could go to, punishable by ample time in jail. The weren’t able to get a high class job like us Americans. African Americans were not allowed to marry the white or go to the same schools. The African Americans had a hard time living in the 1800’s. Jim Crow’s law is a great example for this. African Americans were prevented from exercising their new political rights. The Klu Klux Klan were an extremist group that were against the African American. They Intimidated the voters, burned schools, and destroyed homes that belonged to black people and even antagonized the white folks who saw African Americans as people. Also, politicians and other people who strongly disliked African Americans made literacy tests and poll taxes in order to keep African Americans from voting as the tests and the tax sometimes were not enacted upon the white people. African Americans still had limited economic freedom even after the end of the Civil War. The biggest problem after the Civil War but did not know exactly where to go, especially in the South. The traveled far away, some stayed and did hard labor due to they didn’t have any where else to go or nobody to see. Not everyone was able to acquire their own land, which created the poverty of sharecropping. An example of limitation also is the black codes. The African Americans had to work hard, but is also helped maintain a cheap source of farm labor and sustain social hierarchy.

The Transition from Song to Yuan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Transition from Song to Yuan - Essay Example This was a crucial Chinese era which saw was impacted by many artists including Xu Xi. His Snow Bamboo painting is a notable representation of his creativity. The Snow Bamboo painting by Xu Xi (lived in the early Song period) has been described as being â€Å"worth more than 500 pieces of gold† by historians keen on the Song era. Painted on silk using grey ink, the painter manifested marvelous insight and deep sense of realism. The brushwork (bifa) is massively compliant of descriptive detail achieving magical results. One can hardly believe that this is the creation of human hands. Xu Xi presents the painting using a reserve skill where the bamboo plants are lightened against a dark background. This technique is then reversed in some parts of the painting where the bamboo leaves and stalks are darkened on a lightened silk. This technique went on to define the Song period and many artists â€Å"return† and creatively present their contemporary work using the reserve-rev erse method. Xu Xi creatively switches between the two methods unnoticeably and carefully draws attention away. Suggestions have been proposed that he used wax-resist method to achieve this feat. However, even the wax-resist skill cannot even reach the high standard portrayed by the painting above. The details that Xu Xi technique achieves are extraordinary. The light and dark effect illuminates an incredible measure of realism. The admirer is left engrossed on the subject depicted on the picture, subconsciously drifting away from the artist’s hand.