Implications Of Domestic Abuse On Women - 1036 Words

Implications of Domestic Abuse on Women In a broad sense, domestic abuse is a set of problems related to family violence. Domestic violence is characterized by a pattern of violent or abusive behavior by one person in a domestic context against another, such as in a marriage or cohabitation (Paul, 2004). Domestic abuse can negatively affect anyone in any culture, age, race, and gender. Intimate partner violence is a type of violence that falls under domestic violence (Roberts, 2008). Other types of domestic violence include but are not limited to parent abuse, child abuse, child sexual abuse, elder abuse, and sibling violence. Men battering women is among the most obscure yet prevalent crimes today (Paul, 2004). Solely being a woman poses one of the greatest risks for becoming a domestic violence victim. Other factors such as age—younger versus older women; partnership status—separated, divorced, or cohabiting partners; socioeconomic status—low versus high income; and education contribute to the risk one may experience (Davies, 2008). Research has shown that women are more likely than men to be abused by their intimate partners. Furthermore, studies show that each year, millions of women are estimated to be physically abused. However, physical abuse is not the only kind of violence victims experience (Paul, 2004). Oftentimes, abusers also use sexual, emotional, and verbal abuse towards their victims. In addition, abusers gain power and control by economically deprivingShow MoreRelatedA Society Of Victims : Understanding And Preventing The Effects Of Domestic Violence Essay1348 Words   |  6 PagesVictims: Understanding and Preventing the Effects of Domestic Violence Domestic Violence has been an ongoing issue since the beginning of time and for centuries, considered a private family matter. While it may have been noticed, it was rarely addressed and intervention was rarely offered to, or accepted by the victim. With the uprising of feminist movements, domestic violence is now recognized as a serious social issue, with the implications of abuse reaching far past the four walls of the privateRead MoreDomestic Violence Against Indigenous Women947 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle â€Å"Domestic violence against indigenous women is everybody’s problem† domestic violence is depicted as a serious social problem that involves â€Å"unspeakable acts of violence† that leaves victims experiencing fear and despair (Taylor 2014). More specifically, the social construction of domestic violence will be discussed with an emphasis on Aboriginal women and a typology of intimate partner violence. The social construction of domestic violence has serious implications for victims of domestic abuseRead MoreGeneral Characteristics of Battered Woman Syndrome1700 Words   |  7 Pages3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. A surfacing psychological condition known as Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS), develops after experiencing physical and emotional abuse over an extended period of time. BWS has been subcategorized as a form of post-traumatic stress disorder, proving that it is indeed, a very serious and severe condition. Battered Woman Syndrome causes severe, emotional and psychological trauma in women after prolonged abuse in an intimateRead MoreThe Occurrence of Domestic Violence in the Gay and Lesbian Communities1440 Words   |  6 PagesDomestic violence, also referred to as intimate partner violence, intimate partner abuse or domestic abuse, affects over one million people in the United States alone. It can be carried out in any number of ways including physically, emotionally, sex ually, psychologically and/or financially. Its legal definition considers it to be â€Å"any assault, battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, or any criminal offense resulting in physically injury or death of one family member or household member by anotherRead MoreDomestic Violence Against Women Act910 Words   |  4 PagesDomestic violence affects millions of Americans in different circumstances annually. Over the years, the numbers of reported cases of domestic violence gained stable growth prompting social activists and legislators to draw stiff measures to counter the problem. About one in four women are affected by domestic violence in the United States. The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that at least four-hundred and seven-thousand incidents of domestic violence crimes were committed in the year 2010Read MoreDomestic Violence And Its Effects On Our Society Essay1456 Words   |  6 Pagesleads to long-term consequences. This is especially true of how domestic vio lence is currently governed by the criminal justice system and social norms. A lack of preventative care exists and this ignores the consequences of domestic violence in our society. Incidents of domestic violence are often treated as one-time or isolated occurrences; however, in many cases abusers and victims fall back into these learnt behaviors. Therefore, domestic violence is a never-ending cycle that cannot be stopped withoutRead MoreDomestic Violence : Policing Coercive Control915 Words   |  4 PagesThe badly bruised women sprinted away from her husband as he threw objects at her head. The women reached for the phone and quickly dialed for help. The battered women was out of breath as she sprinted out of the door towards the sirens. The women is safe for now however she refuses to file charges against her husband who has a history of violence. All across the United States, domestic violence causes havoc on families directly and indirectly. Moreover, domestic abuse not only affects the victimsRead MoreDomestic Violence Occurrences in Same Sex Relationships1346 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Domestic Violence Abstract In this paper, I have discussed domestic violence occurrence in same sex relationships. I have assessed the reasons and consequences of domestic violence in such homosexual partnerships. I have also provided a comparison of the findings with that in heterosexual relationships. In the end, I have given my opinion about what should be done to avoid this brutal crime. Domestic violence is initiated when the pattern of violent behaviors in an individual tries to controlRead MoreAnimal Cruelty Is A Crime Against Humanity1246 Words   |  5 PagesViolence against animals, child abuse, and domestic violence have a common denominator. This similarity is that all these forms of violence are considered family violence. It is hard to tell if they follow a specific order, or if it transpires all at once, however, what we do know is that preventing and understanding one form of violence may lessen, and even discontinue, other forms of violence (Ascione Arkow 1999). The book, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse: Linking the Circles of CompassionRead MoreCollege Women s Experiences Of Dating Violence1143 Words   |  5 Pageswere in a relationship and to better understand violence mutuality. Study shows the implications of young women’s relationships involving domestic violence. It includes physical injury, obesity, substance abuse, dep ression, low self esteem and anxiety disorders. The article states women are prone to violence because they had a partner or parents who abused them all the time or parents .Scholarly has suggested that women who are dating are more likely to experience violence than married couples. There

Essay about My Philosophy of Education - 754 Words

My Philosophy of Education I want to become a teacher for three reasons. The first is, I love children of all ages and want to help them in any way that I can. The second is, I want to influence children in a positive way and help them be all they can be, much like some of my teachers did me. Finally, I enjoy the feeling that I receive when a childs face lights up, because they understand something that I am explaining to them. That feeling is enough to make me teach, regardless of the paycheck. My philosophy of education is an eclectic one in that I am mainly pragmatist, but I am also slightly idealistic. I am pragmatic in that I believe the classroom should consist of a community of learners.†¦show more content†¦The children will have the mandatory textbooks, however, other books will be made available to them to use as references. I will also give my class an array of novels to read and discuss with each other, which will help them establish better comprehension and cooperation skills. The projects in my class will be centered on a mixture of hands on and cooperative learning because I believe that you learn something by actually doing it and being helped or encouraged by your peers. There will also be board games and video games that the children can play that will help them learn many different skill, thus the classroom seating will be arranged according to the activity at hand. My classroom will be both authoritarian and non-authoritarian. It will be authoritarian in the area of teaching style. It will be authoritarian in teaching style because I believe only the teacher can tell how each child learns best in the classroom. It will be non-authoritarian in discipline style, classroom organization, motivation, and leadership style. It will be non-authoritarian in discipline style so that there are no bad feelings created between the students, and so each student does not lose the respect of their fellow students because they were publicly scrutinized for what they did. It will be non-authoritarian in the otherShow MoreRelatedMy Philosophy On The Philosophy Of Education844 Words   |  4 PagesIn mathematics, as in life, everything must be brought to the simplest of terms. I base my teaching philosophy on the foundation that every student is capable of learning mathematics. I will strive, as a teacher, to ensure that my students are able to have a str ong foundation of mathematical skills when they leave my classroom. Some students believe that they are not mathematically gifted; therefore, incapable of learning mathematics. I believe to the contrary, all students with motivation, sustainedRead MoreMy Philosophy On Philosophy Of Education852 Words   |  4 PagesMy Philosophy of Education My philosophy of education is founded on a belief that all students have a desire to learn and to feel accepted. Learning takes place when students are able to have their specific needs meet inside the classroom, to feel accepted in the environment, and find the learning to be meaningful. I believe that before learning can take place a proper educational environment must be present inside the classroom. In order to make any classroom work I believe you need meet three criteriaRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education As A Education864 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent philosophy of education, and what purpose education serves in a child’s life. The five philosophies of education that we recognize are: Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Social Reconstructionism, and Existentialism. I would most recognize my philosophy of education as Essentialism. Essentialism has been a dominant influence in American education since World War II. It focuses on core curriculum of traditional academic topics. I believe that the purpose of education is teachingRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education And Education1038 Words   |  5 PagesMy Philosophy of Education When trying coming up with a personal philosophy of education, I had to ask myself what the purpose of education is. To me, the purpose of education is to teach students knowledge that is needed to make it through school and to succeed in the world after graduation. Anyone can go into teaching, but not every teacher can teach. Teachers go above and beyond to introduce methods, philosophies, and strategies to help their students learn, as well as, retain the informationRead MoreMy Philosophy of Education824 Words   |  4 Pages13 February 2011 My Philosophy of Education I believe that progressivism educational philosophy most closely matches my educational ideals. In my opinion based on the progressivism educational philosophy, the purpose of education is to enable students to learn useful knowledge that has meaning to them in the future. Thus, the most useful education for students is the skill of â€Å"learning how to learn†. When students understand the methodsRead MoreMy Education Philosophy 1511 Words   |  6 PagesPersonal Mission Statement Education is the imparting and acquiring of knowledge and skills through teaching and learning. As an educator, my personal mission statement is to master my subject area in order to serve as a role model for my students thereby producing students who thoroughly understand the subject matter, and who develop holistically. In order to achieve this goal I must have a set education philosophy with a strong Christian worldview. I must also have a general understanding of theRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education1056 Words   |  5 PagesPhilosophy of Student Engagement My philosophy of education is that every child should receive high quality education that is inclusive, relevant and meaningful to their life. I am a firm believer of making pedagogy relatable to my students. My vision is driven by my personal experiences with the American school system. I was what is thought of as â€Å"A child at risk†. I am an immigrant, black, Muslim student. My life is transactional as I am a part of multiple marginalized groups. Most of my teachersRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education And Education864 Words   |  4 PagesPhilosophy of Education Children are the future and their education is the key to our society’s success. When considering this, I realize I have an immense responsibility as an educator. The main focuses of my teaching are active learning, building character within students, and providing meaningful curriculum. I want to create a comfortable setting where every student feels safe to learn. In many ways, my philosophy agrees with the holistic approach to education. I feel this challenges the studentRead MoreMy Philosophy on Education814 Words   |  3 PagesMy Philosophy of Education I think when I made the decision to become a teacher I was not thinking the seriousness of this decision. When we become teachers we also become the molder that will shape our student to be successful in life. But when you decide to become a teacher in a Christian school you are not only shaping this student to be successful in life but we are also shaping their Christian mind to do things with a feeling knowing that they are shape and where made by the image of GodRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education1015 Words   |  5 Pagesimmediately sparked my interest in becoming an educator and share my personal beliefs on the important aspects of education. In addition to this, I will present various traits I believe are essential and critical for teachers to successfully fulfill their role as an educator. During my elementary years, I developed an urge to frequently ask many questions during the school day. Being able to question anything was astonishing to me. This was because my parents were unable to answer my questions and help

Hag Fishes Free Essays

My name is Khari Spencer, and I am running for treasurer. I know all of you are probably tired and bored of hearing all these speeches of people telling you to vote for them, so I hope my speech stands out to you. I think the quote â€Å"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,† is something we should all keep in our minds. We will write a custom essay sample on Hag Fishes or any similar topic only for you Order Now If I am elected for treasurer, I will try to make school something that you wish you could go back to. Money moves the wheels of history, and this year I will move those wheels like never before n the history of this school. Friends, desks and chairs will tremble and shake with the triumphent roar of coins and cash flowing into the hands of our excellent student council. Things will get done and we shall acquire great things for all people of all ages and classses within this family that is Paradise. Things will be done, and they will be done for -you-. As Franklin Roosevelt once said, â€Å"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. I feel that we can all embrace the joy of achieving something great this year, and I know that all of our efforts will bring a financial blessing upon the school if you elect me for student council treasurer. What would make me a good treasurer? What qualities could I possibly possess that could accord me the rights to be in any position of relative power? Behind this outer shell of awesomeness and an incredible personality lies someone who is more than capable of being meticulous. I’ve yet to overdraw my checking account (I’m saving that for college), and I actually do work out a personal budget (granted, that’s something I’m made to do, but hey. It still counts. ). This ridiculous amount of person greed and over the top focus on personal finance would make me an excellent treasurer. As for the non-financial element of the position, while it’s true I’ve never held an office, I’m a creative person, with many different ideas (even if a lot of them are ridiculous. I’m easy to talk to and I love working around and with people, so the suggestions of others would be more than welcomed. It would probably make my life a heck of a lot easier. I look forward to coming up with creative fundraising methods. I may not have a coin collection that could rival that of the US Federal Mint, nor do I have any skills at basketball. At all. Whatsoever. I do not have one thing that many of the greatest political candidates of our time all have in common: empty promises. I do not make promises that if elected, Led Zeppelin will play in the cafeteria . I do not make promises that if you vote for me, a poor African boy will be given food. I also do not make promises to embezzle only a small portion of our school funds for dubious personal use. Ultimately, one could say, this would not be something I could do alone. Whether I’m elected or not, it isn’t just the responsibility of the student government to make a fantastic school day. It comes down to all of you, even the people sitting in this room, bored out of your minds, to make this a possibility. While I’m sure that I could deal with the funds for a field trip, I certainly don’t want to pay $100 for two tickets. That’s insane. And four people can’t keep costs down while still maintaining all of the fun that is our learning time. While I’m looking to get involved in running our class’s finances and helping to organize class related events, I certainly don’t want to make all about me (only a little bit). If elected, I would ask for and regularly enlist the help of all of you. While I could attempt to commandeer this position in a bloody coop, I have chosen to take the legal route into student office. In order to win, succeed, and actually do a good job, I’ll need all of your help. I’m asking you to vote for me, and when/if I’m elected, I’m asking for you to help me and give me your input. This is, after all, about you, and not me. I’m running to work for you to make your 7th grade year as good as it can possibly How to cite Hag Fishes, Essay examples

Information System Project Management - Click To Get Solution

Question: Discuss about theInformation System Project Management. Answer: Feasibility Analysis Medical Affair Department comprise of the medical experts having an unparalleled experience about projects. Their diligence in medical affairs helps in maintaining clinical performances(PSI, 2016). Such groups are forming essential part of the todays bio pharmaceutical industry as they will be providing their assistance through availing the services of regulatory agencies, hospital consultants, key opinion leaders (KOLs) having a great scientific and medical knowledge about the values and the correct usages of products. The professionals working in Medical Affair Department were striving for the highest scientific integrity, so that they will be able to produce the successful clinical trials and provide their valuable contribution in the growth of market. Their activities were overlapping with the sales, clinical growth, Medical marketing and customer services. Now the team members of the Department has prepared a Medical Monitoring Plan also known as Safety Management Plan that will provide detailed instructions and explicit information for the safety reporting progress and study specific medical reporting process(Inventiv Health Vlinical, 2016). Technical Feasibility The technical feasibility of the Medical Affair Department can be outlined through its activities where project management group of the department were providing their services for standing out from other CROs of the industry. The staff members were hardly wired for meeting the study timelines and driving the goals of the movement over forwarded and focused directions. They were covering the areas where quality of enrolment and hard deliverables is everything(Crowley-Nowick, 2013). The project managers of the industry are known for their quality of service as on-time project delivery is the compulsory part of their working. Their 95% of success is drawn by the Patient Enrolment Expertise that has been completed on timely basis and ahead of the schedule, year after year. This program took place in three phases in which they have achieved their goals for multiple indications and trial complexities consistently from Phase I to Phase III(Kinapse , 2011). Economic Feasibility The rising healthcare costs have forced the employers and government to put their reliance on the controllers. The medical industry is facing challenge for the research and development productivity and there is overall risk-averse in regulatory environment(iconplc, 2016). There is heavy pressure on Medical Affair Department for the maintenance of continuous focus over the optimization of medical value and this has made the conditions critical for the survival of pharmaceutical organizations. All the reforms of Medical Affair Department have promised to intensify the trend. The increase in costs and economic value of medical activities took place due to gradual shift in the decision making power of the physicians over the stakeholders, who were ultimately driving the containment of costs. The engagement of key opinion leaders (KLOs) and advisory board have increased the demands of public scrutiny and greater transparency through the financial disclosures. The department is continuousl y upgrading their understandings of what the value means for the patients and stakeholders in the broader spectrum of society. For example: When patient thinks of out of pocket cost, at the same time physicians keep their focus over the reimbursement(Callan et al., 2014). Operational Feasibility One big mistake by the pharmaceutical company led to greater demand for the transparency of data, operations and policies. The increase in level of transparency will exert higher pressure over the pharmaceutical companies levying responsibilities of data dissemination and data generation. Therefore, the Medical affair Department has channelized some methods in which the companies need to prepare more detailed patient data that will form the basis for the trials of approved drugs and will discontinue the investigation that are easily accessible by the researchers(Diaglobal, 2016). Data management is the core in the clinical trial services. Its implementation in the day to day operational activities standardizes and processes consistent guarantee and high quality data. The delivery of data is made after getting an assurance of quality. This is ensured through validation and verification of procedures at each stage of the process. Such management of quality drives the acceptance on huge basis. This is not only adopted by Medical Affair Department while it is the global approach that is recognized through global compliance(GI LEAD, 2016). Requirement Specification Given below are some of the specifications providing review about the capabilities of Medical Affair Department: Project Scope Presently, the medical affair department is handling the enquiries manually but it was found that through Medical Enquiries Database assistance can be provided to the staff in daily work and allow them to respond towards the medical enquiries efficiently and effectively. The scope of the project will be described in the light of proposed system and it is as follows: It helps in providing an easy access towards the reference information. An easy access will provided for the past enquiries and researched responses. It will help in providing a statistical analysis about the medical enquiries that has been received previously. It will allow the user to make a rapid construction for the written replies. Project Objectives The objective of this project is to: To provide accurate clinical and technical information about the products and services of Medical Affair Department. To acknowledge about the partnering and collaborating departments dealing with Medical Affair Department. To keep the reviewers up to date with new regulatory challenges and processes. To provide an overview about the medical education activities and key claims in accordance with the relevant code of practice. To make a determination about the challenging competitors and internal departments, wherever appropriate. Functional Specification The functional specifications of the project are determined through defining about the instances and main theme of the study. The important function of Medical Affairs Department is to answer the medical enquiries about the medical products. Such information is usually received from the internal customers such as representatives as well as external customers that involves list of persons like retail and hospital pharmacists, doctors, consumers, drug information centres and others. The medical enquiries are received via fax, telephone and letter or in person. It ranges from very simple questions to the complex questions that can be easily resolved through answering over the telephone or either takes hours of research for the formulation of responses(pharmiweb, 2013). The responsibilities of the Medical Affair Department have risen with the merger of two pharmaceutical companies. They were now needed to handle the large number of enquiries with the increased portfolio of products. Pres ently, for resolving the enquiries, they record the receipt and reply them. The whole system works on paper based environment(Evers et al., 2016). Non-Functional Specification The non-functional specification will contain brief information about the issues that were addressed in the study. The inefficiencies of paper-based environment not only sidetrack the medical professionals while also creates delay in reimbursements and even requires compromise care. The recording of enquiries and resolving through Medical Enquiries Database would not only streamline the workflow while also reduces the operating cost(Hostetler, 2016). Apart from it, it will also enhance the experience of the patients. This strategy will not only transform the medical practices while also helps in making effective management of records. But such practices often require large investment and compelling for motivation through implementation of large scale solution. With the use of new technological innovations not only make the system efficient while also help in spending more time with the patients. In the paperless environment, many general practices can be developed such full integrati on of Window-based system including an access towards the full electronic medical records(Brooks, 2016). Project Constraints The modification in the traditional working environment creates many complexities. Similarly, here is the same case. The exploration of Medical Enquiries Database System, however reduce dependence on paper based environment but it will require some ambulatory care settings and requires proposal of some reasonable steps. One of the most critical steps in this process is to choose the knowledgeable and an experienced partner who will analyse the whole documentation system and helps in proposing the plan that will be most suitable in such kind of practices. This will help in gaining an insight that which benefit will be more suitable in particular medical practices and keep the favour on the part of patients. Another emerging issue is related with the resistance of staff for the change. The clinical environment is already highly interrupted and non-linear environment. Physicians may deny for making the changes because after the exposure of medical facilities through paperless environmen t, they may require to spend substantial amount of time over the computers and less over the medical care. Any solution that consumes higher time period is apt for the resistance. Project Work Breakdown Structure The project has discussed about a Medical case study of the Medical Affair Department that is compelling about the common issues of paper based system for the recording of enquiries. The topic has been evaluated in the light of feasibility study containing technical feasibility, economic feasibility and operational feasibility. Figure 1: Work Breakdown Structure Further analysis is done through defining some points under requirement specification containing information about scope of the project, objectives of the project, functional and non-functional specifications and constraints of the project. This study is quite useful for the further researches because it is demonstrating about the challenges of the paper based environment and the issues in maintenance of records of enquiries. It is further suggested about some of the strategies through which an attention towards the maintenance of the health records system can be gathered. References Brooks, C., 2016. Document Management Systems: A Buyer's Guide. [Online] Available at: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8026-choosing-a-document-management-system.html [Accessed 24 August 2016]. Callan, R.S. et al., 2014. Effectiveness and feasibility of utilizing E4D technology as a teaching tool in a preclinical dental education environment. Journal of dental education, 78(10), pp.1416-23. Crowley-Nowick, P.C.-N.J.S.a.P., 2013. The Role of Medical Affairs in Moving from RD to Commercialization. [Online] Available at: https://www.bioprocessintl.com/analytical/qa-qc/the-role-of-medical-affairs-in-moving-from-randd-to-commercialization-341871/ [Accessed 24 September 2016]. Diaglobal, 2016. Building a competent Medical Affairs team to support business needs: A personal perspective. Diaglobal. Evers, M. et al., 2016. What does a Medical Affairs Manager Do? McKinsey Company. GI LEAD, 2016. Senior Manager, Medical Affairs, Health Economics and Outcomes Research. [Online] Available at: https://gilead.avature.net/careers/FolderDetail/Foster-City-California-United-States-Associate-Director-Medical-Affairs-Health-Economics-and-Outcomes-Research/31582 [Accessed 24 September 2016]. Hostetler, R., 2016. A Realistic Transition Toward the Paperless Medical Practice. Healthcare Lanier Worldwide, Inc. iconplc, 2016. Medical Affairs. [Online] Available at: https://www.iconplc.com/services/clinical-research-services/medical-safety-services/medical-affairs/ [Accessed 24 September 2016]. Inventiv Health Vlinical, 2016. Medical Scientific Affairs. [Online] Available at: https://www.inventivhealthclinical.com/phase-ii-iii-clinical-trials-medical-and-scientific-affairs.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]. Kinapse , 2011. Performance Management in Medical Affairs. Kinapse Consulting. pharmiweb, 2013. What does a Medical Affairs Manager Do? [Online] Available at: https://www.pharmiweb.com/features/feature.asp?ROW_ID=1661#.V-ZXnih97IW [Accessed 24 September 2016]. PSI, 2016. Medical Affairs Division. [Online] Available at: https://www.psi-cro.com/full-service-cro/medical-affairs/ [Accessed 24 September 2016].

We Are Equal, Yet Different free essay sample

With feminism being pushed today and equal rights being enforced between the genders, people can forget how different males and females are. Not only are we different in our physical traits, but the genders also are distinctive in how our minds work, as presented in Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House.† Men and women are both human beings that are equal, yet our brains are hardwired differently. The brains of the genders contrast in dealing with stress, performing tasks, and even relationships. As read in the story â€Å"A Doll’s House,† Nora takes the role of taking care of her husband Torvald who has become sick with an illness and is unable to work, which Torvald is unaware of. So, because of Nora’s husband not being able to work and being ill she takes it in her own hands and begins making money to cure Torvald’s illness without him knowing, which brought her plenty of stress, but as Nora was stressed she but was under control and Torvald, eventually finds out and becomes devastated. We will write a custom essay sample on We Are Equal, Yet Different or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Nora when talking with her long-time friend says that when working she enjoyed working saying â€Å"Ah, I was tired so often, dead tired. But still it was wonderful fun, sitting and working like that, earning money,† (Ibsen 893). Even at this time where times would have seemed stressful for any individual. This is because the minds of men and women are literally hardwired differently. The mind of a man and woman are so different we cope with stress differently (Hensley). According to â€Å"10 Big Differences Between Men’s and Women’s Brains,† men will deal with stress usually with a fight or flight response meaning that when a stressful situation comes they disconnect from their emotions and act (Hensley). As for women, they tend to use a Tend and Befriend response, where they take care of themselves and form more bonds with people. In the story â€Å"A Doll’s House† this is how Nora responds to a stressful situation, rather than for a man w here they will just respond and just worry about getting the problem solved. Another way men and women minds differentiate is in performing task. In my research, women tend to be great at multi-tasking because the way their brains are structured. A woman uses more gray matter than a man in action processing tasks. â€Å"For men, they have more of a tunnel vision where they are focused on task at hand rather than a whole bunch at once† (Jantz). Due to this fact many can see how women can cook, clean, and take care of children all at the same time and men work at their jobs most of the day putting food on the table (Jantz). Just like in Doll’s House when Mrs. Linde took care of her brothers, mother, and she managed a store all at once saying â€Å"My mother was still alive, but bedridden and helpless and I had two younger brothers to look after. So, I had to scrape up a living with a little shop and a little teaching.† (Ibsen 890). This showed how much a woman can do at once rather than men who are better with focusing on one specific thin g. Men and women minds are opposite of each other even with getting task done because of the way the way the genders brains are structured because we are opposite genders. Furthermore, males and female’s minds differ in terms of relationships. Men because of the way they are designed tend to have difficulties understanding emotions which in return make it difficult to communicate with women in a relationship. Women on the other hand, can communicate through emotions, empathy, and nonverbal cues because of the way women were designed. For example, in the story â€Å"A Doll’s House†, Nora treats her husband with upmost respect and takes care of her children well, because she has the ability as a woman, to do so. As for Torvald he treats with wife in a way where he is the superior and is not very emotionally aware of how he treats Nora, calling her special names like a squirrel and lark, that somewhat teases her, and Nora does not appreciate it (Ibsen 881). This shows that men usually have trouble knowing how another person may feel as well as not pay attention n to their own emotions, especially during this time-period where there w ere gender roles. However, men having a hard time coping with emotions is not fully because the way they were made, society plays a role in this problem as well. Just because men have a hard time dealing with emotions does not mean they are unable to. Men and women minds are made differently so we can favor one another and procreate. The role the brain plays on relationships between men and women makes it where men and women have different abilities because the way their minds function diversely. A man and woman’s mind oppose in plenty of ways from the actual structure of the brain to how each gender thinks. Men and women cope with stress, perform tasks, and perceive relationships in a different way. However, just because one gender could do better than another area doesn’t mean they are better than the other. We all have strengths and weaknesses as an individual, but we can use our strengths to empower us. So, men and women being complete opposites is great for the world especially for how our minds are hardwired because we have different needs as a gender and abilities, we can complement each other. Therefore, in this world we live in today that says men and women are the same, I argue that it is not true because according to our biological bodies and minds we are not the same. Men can do some things that women cannot, and women can do things that men cannot. It is simply because we are opposite genders with different abilities and wants which is why our mind s are complete opposites as well.

buy custom Solar Energy essay

buy custom Solar Energy essay Introduction In the recent past solar energy, solar heat and radiant light from sun is being harnessed by man with the aid of a range of rapidly-evolving technologies. The radiation from the sun, together with other secondary solar-propelled resources like the wind and, hydroelectricity biomass and wave power, to a great extent account for most of the abundant renewable forms of energy on earth. Despite this, only a minute percentage of the solar energy is harvested. Solar energy is primarily the use of radiation from the sun to meet practical ends. Taking a closer look, it is clear that all forms of renewable energies, with the exception of tidal and geothermal energies, derive their power from the sun. This paper seeks to establish the various ways in which the solar energy is harvested and put into use to ensure that it yields more appealing energy results. It will look into the various ways in which it has been used and identify other ways in which it can be better applied and subsequently im proved. Solar technologies are generally categorized into either active or passive. This assumption is reached at depending on the means they distribute, convert and capture sunlight. For active solar techniques there are rampant use pumps, fans, and photovoltaic panels in the conversion of sunlight into more useful outputs. On the other hand, passive solar techniques involve selecting items with optimum designing spaces, thermal properties which naturally circulate air, and regarding the position of a foundation to that of the Sun. Active solar technologies result to increment in the supply of energy and are recommended to be excellent supply side technologies, contrary to this, passive solar technologies decrease the necessity of alternate resources and hence are considered to be demand side technologie (Prakash Garg 67). . The solar energy harvested has been used in different areas in the economic sectors across the world. It has facilitated the development and advancements in technologies both in business and scientific areas. Solar power has been used in architecture and subsequent urban planning where sunlight has affected building designs ever since the start of architectural history. The most common characteristics of passive solar architecture are relative orientations to the Suns position, the compact proportion (lower surface area to volume ratio), overhangs (selective shading) and most importantly thermal mass (Behrman 34). In cases where such elements are tailored to suit the local environment and climate, they are able to produce properly-lit areas which remain in an appealing temperature range. Solar energy has also been used in thermal technologies where its application has been used for space cooling, space heating, heat generation and process water heating. This has ensured that an alternative source of energy has been developed and to a great extent reduced the chances of environmental degradation due to use of other forms of material to produce energy (Sukhatme 170). Solar energy has also been used to make solar cookers which use sunlight for pasteurization, drying and cooking. These solar cookers can be classified into three major categories: reflector cookers, panel cookers and box cookers. Panel cookers make use of a reflective panel to guide sunlight rays onto a properly insulated container and attain temperatures comparable to that of box cookers. Similarly, reflector cookers use different concentrating geometries (trough, Fresnel mirrors, and dish) to direct light on a given for container cooking purposes. Hybrid solar lighting can also be used to diversify the use of solar energy in the day to day activitiess of man. Hybrid solar lighting is basically an active solar technique of availing interior illumination. HSL systems gather sunlight rays with the use focus mirrors which track the Sun and apply optical fibers in transmission of the same into a building to act as a supplement to the already existing conventional lighting. In applications involving single-stories, the systems have the capability of transmitting up to 55% of the sunlight received directly (Anderson 132). Solar distillation can also be explored to enhance improvement procedures in the use of solar energy. Solar distillation can be applied in the making of brackish water or saline potable. The stills are in a position to operate in hybrid, active, or passive modes. The use of double-slope stills is the most economical for domestic purposes that are decentralized; similarly, active units (multiple effects) are better s uited for large-scale scientific application. This venture is a great stepping stone towards total solar energy utilization as innovation is allowed to thrive freely and independent opinions put against the grid for thorough scrutiny (Brezet 453). In most of the solar harvesting plants, solar chemical processes need solar energy to propel chemical reactions. The same processes offset energy which could otherwise be attained from an alternate means and can divert solar energy to storable and transportable forms such as fuels. Solar aided chemical reactions are be divided into photochemical or thermo chemical. A range of fuels are produced by way of artificial photosynthesis. This multi electron catalytic chemical reaction involved in producing carbon-based fuels like methanol from the subsequent reduction of carbon dioxide is quite difficult. With the use of solar energy, these chemical reactions are eased and energy can now be stored in various other forms for later consumption. Buy custom Solar Energy essay

The deal with the devil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The deal with the devil - Essay Example Trying to remember what was on those hollow shelves that were attached in the wall up the sink. He went straight to the sink and washed his face in the faucet. After a few minutes, he got dressed casually and went out from his apartment for a walk. He entered a local bar that was only a couple of blocks away from his endangered abode. With only two bottle of beer, he felt his head becoming very heavy all of a sudden. While laying his head on the table, he felt something warm trickled down to his face. A tap in his back suddenly put a halt on this. He lifted his head up and saw that beside him a Chinese old man gazing at him to whom the hand that tapped him came from. He wiped the tears in his eyes and looked at the old man, his gaze questioning. "A chit-chat My wife left me, my dog left me, I lost my business, I owe the bank millions . . . I want to die, do you know that, and you're there for a chit-chat" he exasperated as if finding the old man's offer ridiculous. The old man brought out an old jar from his worn-out Chinese-designed travelling bag, an antique jar. It has embroideries and ash-like colors of blue and greens and shades of red in its body. The old man scanned hastily the room first as if making sure that their conversation will be secured. "This may help, but you will ha... "However, don't ever open this jar unless you are really desperate, miserable, and hopeless." David received the jar, intrigued. He was gazing at it intently for minutes; he was gazing too much that he didn't noticed the old man was not anymore in the seat when he looked at his direction. He picked up the jar, left some change in the table and stormed out in the bar despite of the rain pour. The Deal. Not more than 15 minutes, when he arrived at his apartment he opened the jar curiously. Ashes. Dull ashes. That's what the jar contains. He spilled them in the table and threw the jar heavily in the couch. He sat down and bowed his head. When he lifted his head he was stunned to what he saw. Standing in the table where the ashes before was a little creature that looked like a fetus. It is a scary looking creature that only measures a thumb, perhaps the scariest and the most bizarre thing he has seen in his life. He drew away from the table and run to the bathroom. When he attempted to locked the door of the bathroom he felt something moving at the top of his right shoulder - the creature seems sitting on it. Like attached or something. He remembered the old animation movie, which the talking cricket is always following the wooden boy. Feed me. With your blood. A drop every midnight. It is talking without even moving its mouth. No! David shouted. You have no choice. I'm yours now and you are mine. I will make your life better. Feed me! It said in low and hissing-like voice. Aware that it was nearly midnight the last time he checked the time, he hurriedly took his razor and slides his thumb on it. As it bleeds, the creature flew to his hand and sucked the trickling blood. David twitched and suddenly he fell. Riiiiiiiiing! David lifted his head, trying to

Letter to the Editor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter to the Editor - Essay Example The market price of crude oil would not be so high if the demand for it was not as high. The average home in the United States spends 6,000 kilo watts of electricity. Most of this electricity is currently been generated by petroleum. There are several constraints that are making it difficult for society to switch to renewable energy sources. One of the biggest obstacles is that there is an electricity grid infrastructure based on petroleum that is worth billions of dollars. Neither the federal, state, nor local governments are providing adequate incentives to foster the growth in alternative energy sources. The government has to be the number one supporter of the green movement for energy to become economically viable for home users. A lot of people are not willing to invest in a wind mill or solar panels because it is cheaper to acquire electricity from the utility companies. There are several solutions that can help remedy the situation, but it all stars through education. The gove rnment and private sector have to improve the public relations and advertisement to create awareness to the general public about the subject. The use of radio, television, and internet announcements must be used to ensure the greatest number of people receive the message. Internet advertising is a hot trend that has gained popularity in the marketing world. In 2012 the online advertising industry generated $89.4 billion worldwide (Plunkettresearchonline). Educating the general public about the subject will go a long toward gaining the support of the people. Two alternative renewable energies that households can utilize to get off the grid are solar and wind power energy. The government has to create incentive programs that provide a subsidy in the purchase of the technology. The subsidy has to be large enough to offset the lower cost of getting energy from the grid. The government has also provided a help hand to setting up setting up a larger fund to be use for research and develop ment in research to develop new renewable energy options. The private world also has to be involved in the movement towards been stopping the dependency in fossil fuels. Corporations have more financial resources than households which makes it easier form them to spend the necessary money to invest in solar and wind energy on a large scale. The private industry should also be eligible for government subsidies in order to lower the costs of acquiring the equipment. One of the benefits of installing solar panel systems is that the excess of production of the system can be sold to the electrical companies at market value. Renewable energy systems are a green product that people who are environmentally conscious will support. Society cannot continue to disregard the abusive usage of energy both in businesses and households. It has come a time for both the government and the private sector to make a commitment to stop the accelerated usage of fossil fuels as the raw material necessary to create energy. Petroleum is starting to because scarce. At the current rate of usage petroleum will be depleted within 40 years. The product useful life of petroleum can be increased by several decades if the government and private corporations work toward together towards finding a solution to the problem. Currently the two best technologies for creating electricity are solar and wind energy. Nuclear energy is also an opinion, but the capital needed to increate the infrastructure is a barrier of entry. An important industry that

Trade measures and commodities tariff and non-tariff barriers export Essay

Trade measures and commodities tariff and non-tariff barriers export taxes quantitative measures subsidies consumption taxes the - Essay Example Following is the discussion regarding the impact of measures in an in-depth manner. The aspect of tariffs and non-tariff barriers has been long noted to have a direct impact on the trade sector. In order to understand the impact of these barriers on trade; it is imperative to understand these barriers. Tariff barriers are basically inclinations of taxes which are posed on the products and articles which are imported from other regions of the world. It should be noted that over the years, government has made use of the tariff barriers to control economic activity (Hont). The impact of the tariff barriers can be noted briefly as positive and negative as well. Since these tariffs limit the amount of products to be imported in the country, it is significant for the domestic brands to get maximum reach to the consumers. This makes it easier to note the articles which are more needed in the country rather than overly filling the shelves. But the fact remains that this limit also diverges t he foreign investors to replicate their business in the region (Rawley and Behrendt). On the other hand, non-tariff barriers (NTBs) are notably more limiting when it comes to international trade. The non-tariff barriers undertake a number of generalizations including the licensing of the import, content regulation which is applied till the time it is sent to the market shelves (Klien). Also, technical barriers have also been considered as a more prominent limiting aspect of the NTBs. The trade barriers are merely applied to increase the trade, weaken the trade or restrict the trade. All the mentioned focus of the trade barriers are being observed in the international trading widely (Bowden). The biggest impact which has been noted over the years is that tariff barriers weaken not just the supply and demand pricing but also international trades between different countries. Overall, the border taxes, and other voluntary costs of the imports allows the government to keep a balance betw een the in-house domestic articles as well as international product saturation in the market (Hirschman). The major concern which has been enhanced by the international economic authorities is that the non-trade barriers have merely limit the underdeveloped countries to trade their product for economic activity since the taxes and licensing needs a lot of cost (Ransom). Also, export tax is another trade measure which has a very divergent effect on the trade which totally depends upon the market structure. It should be noted that the positive impact of the export tax on any country’s economy is in terms of domestic production (Hunt). It must be taken under account that if a country has a wider share of the international market with a respective product that it can be easier for it to reflect change on the price of the product in the international market. It is due to the aid of export taxes that these countries can exploit price of a product in the international market. Overal l, it can be said that with the help of export taxes, the export of the tax-imposing nation can be reduced by large (Dunkley). Followed by the above trade measures for limiting import, consumptions tax is just another measure which has marked a quiet

Hispanic Discrimination In The US

Hispanic Discrimination In The US Introduction Hispanics are considered a single minority group arising in the United States which certainly as the name suggests being a product of the Spanish. It is evident that Spanish environment is dominated in such territories hence the high level of discrimination against them the American people are afraid of such small tribes to being very strong communities not only in politics but also power and economic development which directly poses a threat towards their growth as a nation. There are those intense factors that have facilitated discrimination of this community in the US, for instance Media presentations, Linguistic point of view and residence legality. As a result of this, the type of discrimination being embraced by this small community includes lack of proper health care, victims of hatred and oppression, lack of proper rental-housing and lack of health insurance. Catalyzing factors in racial discrimination Media and Hispanic oppression In every issue arising facing the human kind, the media is always there as a facility of creating awareness to the general public. Media can therefore be a very sensitive channel of communication and public awareness. With media broadcasting all the live events occurring in the general public, politicians and prominent people, there are very high chances of transmitting cases of hater speeches from different speakers which can bring forth tension among different people as a reaction, either positively or negatively(Cummins and Gordon, 2006). News broadcasting is considered to be a rapid-fire technique of delivering the real world in terms of cultural, economical and political issues. Some media stations tend to employ animation technology to portray sarcasm regarding a certain community hence creating the same expression in many of the viewers who later practice such actions but now in the real world and ends up hurting one another socially. With the media being interested mostly in transmitting the bad news for instance cases of illegal immigration being emphasized more upon as compared to the legal migration of the small communities particularly the Hispanic community as asserted by Lee (1998). This therefore reveals the role of media and the kind of information the media people transmitting the general public, which counts for negativity in most of the cases. News paper articles with very eye catching headlines such as illegal migrants, foreign drug dealers and such information is usually taken seriously and the initial blame befalls the small communities, with Hispanic being among the suspected group due to lack of proper understanding and like of love for one another. According to Lester(1996), the media is always very effective in framing issues since the initial intent is to give the public what they would like to hear, all about hate for the one not related with, for example the small community being blamed for each and every form of negative issues ari sing. Residency Illegality assumption In the United States, approximately more than 42 million legally migrated residents are believed to have Latin origin as noted in a statistical abstract (2007). About 16 million of these residents, an approximate of 39 percent, are born as foreigners. According to US immigration statistics, certain fraction, about 11 million people, of this population are estimated to have illegally migrated with 8.7 million migrants being believed to be of Hispanic origin as supported by Therrien and Ramirez (2001). This therefore asserts that more than 85 percent of Hispanic migrants have legally obtained their US residency with majority of them having been born in the United States. This therefore justifies the Hispanic community living in the United States from being discriminated against and they should hold their grounds while fighting for their residency rights, since by balancing the legal versus illegal migrants it clearly points the great difference favoring the legal migrants and the mere fraction that represents the illegal migrants should not earn such level of discrimination against the whole community. According to Jorgensen (1996), the US politicians are the leading people passing such complaints against what they term to be illegal aliens. Reports have proven that Hispanic employees have really experienced very unfair job mistreatment from their employers both in public and private sectors. Despite their hard work in jobs, no credit or appreciation is accorded to them for instance wages raise, no chances for ideas sharing since their ideas are considered unworthy towards bringing forth development. (Jennifer, 2007) Language barrier In the United States, there is a very strong bond connecting language and racism. The main group tends to discriminate the minority groups which certainly reflect on the hatred towards the Hispanics by the United States majority group (or rather the whites) residents. For instance the use of mal mot wetback is a clear example of sarcasm characterization used to classify the Hispanics who cross the Rio Grande boundary to the United States illegally. Now, the problem comes in where all the Hispanics suffer this oppression having legally or illegally migrated to the United States, hence being considered a high level of misunderstanding where even the innocent have to suffer on the account of the illegal migrants. The minority groups that cannot speak the dominant language are restricted from participating in the dominant culture and this has brought forth a two-side culture of living with those speaking native language (English) oppressing the alien language speakers for instance the Hi spanic community. The English language community has realized the linguistic threat posed by the Spanish language speakers in the United States since they seem to multiply as time passes on. As a reaction to this linguistic threat, native language heritage has started a campaign towards supporting English as the immediate language that should be embraced by each and every resident in the united states, being an American, Asian, Spanish or black American. With respect to this, a form of US bilingual education has been highly documented and debated about as asserted by Rothstein (1998). To many people, this form of education was more of a confusion situation than a solution, since each and every ethnic group concentrated in learning in their own language, but the English language conquering the rest, hence the alien natives being forced to embrace the English learning since they could not meet the standards to bring forth the level of education needed to code with the American way of learning. Effect of this discrimination Victims of hatred In the united states, majority of federal hate crimes target crime victims with respect to ethnicity or basic race initiated programs, according to the UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting)program, there is a huge number of hate speech white victims as compared to the other groups. According to research carried by New Century Foundation organization, it is worthy to claim that hate crimes towards the minority groups are committed mostly by the black Americans as compared to the white Americans. Among the minority groups, the Hispanics are more prone to being victims of hate speech. Referring to practical examples, quoting a previous case of racial hatred that took place back in the year 1992 whereby an Asian American and being of Chinese descent was beaten to death by an angry mob believed to be white assailants as a result of unemployment level hence blaming Japanese and Chinese US invasion. Women discrimination Hispanic Women in the United States are more exposed to discriminations compared to their male counterparts particularly when it comes to the job and labor sector. Female Hispanics wages do lag behind as compared to their fellow men colleagues it is evident that in the united states of America, the wages to Hispanic women are much less as compared to the white men, women and Hispanic men of the same level. According to a research carried out on the month of March back in the year 1998, it was known that males embracing Hispanic ethnicity earned an average of $ 11.75 in an hour whereas women earned an average of $ 9.40 for the same work type. White Non- Hispanic males and females earned on average $ 15.75 and $ 11.29 respectively. This difference in wages was claimed to have been as a result of education level, work experience, occupation type, language and lastly discrimination against women. According to Oaxaca (1973), Hispanic women wages discrimination is as a result of difference s from each individuals characteristics subtracted from the total wage required to be paid hence coming up with a new calculation factor which is more of corruption and somehow reflects to discrimination also. Health care inequality The government had failed to provide better health facilities plus other requirements towards ones good health for instance poor services, in adequate insurance, complete lack of health insurance and reluctance towards health seek and care (Woolf, 2004). Systematic bias is also reflected much in the way inequality is handled in health care while delivering health services to the Americans where personally I feel that these people are yet to be treated like rest of the Americans else such discrimination will bring a bad reputation towards the Americans in the near future. Though there are developments of anti-racism organizations for instance the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, American-Arab anti-Discrimination committee, the National Italian American Foundation and the National congress of American Indians among others. Sabotaged health conditions and deaths rate In the US, there is a wide range of racial differences in delivering health services appropriately. The migrants are treated in a negative way as compared to the US white residents. With reference to an article published by the public health sector in the US, it is worthy to assert that more than 880,000 deaths could have been avoided back in the year 1991 to 2000, if proper health care had been given to the foreign residents, inclusive of Hispanics. These deaths occurred as a result of much sabotaged health facilities given to the non-natives, if these people had received the same level of health services as the white Americans, such loss could not have occurred. It is worthy to claim that currently in the United States of America, racial bias has also infected the health sector with the minority communities facing very harsh condition due to low level of response from the health officers, particularly the public health sector. Referring to a previous study carried by Hope and Eliza beth (1996) it is evident that lifetime effects of fascinating conditions like being psych comes as a result of lack of attendance from the medic al officers to the patients who end up suffering some brain and mental conditions that could have been prevented in one way or the other given the issue of community discrimination support was avoided at all cost. It is believed that the minority communities cannot receive some donations for instance blood, and other body organs transplant from the American people which shows the level of discrimination being faced by these people and the importance of immediate reforms being embraced pertaining the same. Majority of Americans from these minority communities face inadequate insurance, poor medical services, and very low level of medical centers. Patients are forced to queue in some specific medical institutions that they can afford to pay rather than trying to scramble in a health facility where they are not welcome. Housing discrimination Despite of earning low income, the living standards of the Hispanics cannot be justified by such income. The poor housing conditions have left this community to face housing discrimination where high charges are given but with very minimal maintenances being employed whereby tenants suffer roofs leakages and rats become part and parcel of the house living. Some landlords go to the level of refusing to refund security deposit in the case where a Hispanic tenant wants to move in into another house. Such landlords also violate the US landlord-tenant laws that protects both the tenant and the landlord, for instance the 1998 Congress- passed Fair Housing Act which was meant to eradicate housing discrimination, but the landlords seem to be very mean with the lust for money but less worried with the housing conditions and its influence on the tenants. Most of the landlords practiced the following unlawful housing discrimination: Employing other forms of lease or contract provisions when dealing with Hispanics as compared to non-Hispanics. Having minimum maintenance and repair practices to the houses rented by the Hispanics which was not the case for the natives. Having minimal laundry and exercise facilities to the Hispanics which was not the case for the rest of tenants. Forcing Hispanics to provide very high security deposits as compared to non-Hispanics. Having the Hispanics evicted from the houses due to late payment of rent. Religion discrimination Today in the United States, when interviewed on how they feel about the status of their religious belief, 19 percent of Americans claim to consider being minority whereas 78 percent do not consider themselves being minority. This explains that 19 percent of the Americans are being discriminated against with respect to their religious beliefs. This has enhanced the prejudice by the Native Americans against other races as supported by Lincoln (2006). With US having the white evangelicals representing the highest percentage in terms of religion, about 24% of them refer themselves as constituent of the minority religious group whereas an equivalent of 11% of protestants and 13 % of Catholics claiming the same. Conclusion From this research, it is evident that Hispanics are being ill treated by the white in United States of America, courtesy of various published reports and scenes as discussed in the body of this research paper. The level of discrimination against Hispanic community living in the US is very serious with immediate measures worthy to be employed to counter it. From job discrimination, housing, freedom of expression, educational rights, and other rights have been denied to the Spanish residents living in the United States. Studies have found that nearly three in every ten Hispanic workers feel they have been discriminated against in their employment. Some reports being referred to with racial slurs at work while one in four feel they are paid less and have reduced career advancement prospects than their Caucasian counterparts( Sebastian, 1995). It is therefore the high time that Civil right Act, under the federal law that covers discrimination towards a particular race, color or sex comes into real action and performance. It is worthy to claim that the Hispanics have been deprived from their human rights to enjoying their freedom of expression, speech and movement. The non-governmental organizations enhancing campaigns against racial discrimination should also continue without fear or threat from authority or other people whatsoever. The Hispanic community should recognize their rights and carry a strict campaign against being discriminated. The local government should protect these minority communities from racial discrimination as a posed method towards enhancing well-being of each and every citizen.

Characterization, Symbolism, and Repetition in Hundred Years of Solitud

Characterization, Symbolism, and Repetition in One Hundred Years of Solitude  Ã‚   The names of characters often suggest something about their personalities, either straightforwardly or ironically. Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Prudencio Aguilar is neither "prudent" nor "eagle-like" (aguila means "eagle" in Spanish).   Repetition of names and behaviors is another technique of characterization. Certain character types, e.g., the contemplative, stubborn man, or the impetuous, forceful man, the patient and nurturing woman, and so on, are represented by more than one individual in the several generations of the Buendia family. All the Jose Arcadios, for example, are assumed to have at least some of the traits of the original Jose Arcadio Buendia (impetuous and forceful), and all the Aurelianos have something in common with Colonel Aureliano Buendia (tendency toward solitude and contemplation). The repetitions are not exact, but the use of similar names is one way to suggest more about a character than is actually said. There are also repetiti ons of particular behaviors, for example, secluding oneself in a room for experiments or study. Some characters have characteristic signs to identify them. Examples include Pilar Ternera's laugh, Colonel Aureliano Buendia's solitary look, Aureliano Segundo's extravagance, Fernanda's continual muttering, and so on. Physical descriptions are used sparingly, letting the reader fill in the details beyond such generalities as "skinny" or "fat," "beautiful," "huge." An exception is made for Colonel Aureliano Buendia, who seems to be drawn from an especially clear mental image of the author's, as though copied from a photograph. Some of the more spectacular individuals are ... ...wears away the axle," until the whole system, including both the constant attempts to renew Macondo and the reproduction of the Buendia clan, breaks down.    Works Cited Bell-Villada, Gene H. Garcia Marquez: The Man and His Work. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990. Griffin, Clive. "The Humour of One Hundred Years of Solitude." In McGuirk and Cardwell, 81-94. James, Regina. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Revolutions in Wonderland. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1981. McGuirk, Bernard and Richard Cardwell, edd. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: New Readings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987). Williams, Raymond L. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Boston: Twayne, 1984. Wood, Michael. "Review of One Hundred Years of Solitude." In Critical Essays on Gabriel Garcia Marquez. McMurray, George R., ed. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1987.

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.