The American Foreign Policy Should Be Non-Interventionist...

The United States was once a non-interventionist nation that minded our own affairs. However, this nation is now always involved with other countries’ problems because America just cannot seem to mind its own business. The United States needs to stop getting involved in what is going on abroad frequently and start fixing problems at home because those are America’s top priority to discuss and handle. If the United States is going to consider getting involved in Foreign Affairs, the involvement should be valid and reasonable. The United States needs to significantly reduce its involvement in events abroad and mind its own business. The United States needs to stop minding other nation’s conflicts. The United States has been involved in†¦show more content†¦The involvement by military means will worsen the situation like it has in the Middle East and the relationship between the United States and Russia. â€Å"US Ambassador Samantha Power said the US rejec ted Russia’s military annexation of Crimea. She warned that the US and its allies, who imposed sanctions on Russia two days ago, are prepared to take additional steps if Russian aggression continues.† (â€Å"Russia and the US exchange threats†). Clearly threatening to start a war against a large superpower like Russia is not the best way to ensure the nation’s security and will only instigate more problems like war which is definitely something that should not happen. Another foreign conflict that the United States was involved in without a valid reason was the Abadan Crisis in Iran. It was a crisis when the Iranian government under the leadership of Mohammad Mossadegh nationalized the assets of the British Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) and expelled all western oil companies. The United States immediately stepped in and the CIA and the British MI6 orchestrated a coup to restore the pro-american Mohammad Reza Pahlavi back to power and have Britain and ot her new western oil corporations including ones from the United States to have their business interests in Iran. According to an article by The Guardian, British foreign secretary Sir Anthony Eden regarded Mossadegh as a serious threat to its strategic and economic interests after he nationalised the British AIOC.Show MoreRelatedThe Trends Of Foreign Policy And National Security1653 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican foreign policy has gradually changed since the birth of our nation. 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In â€Å"The Post-American World†, Zakaria shows us where America stands when compared to rapidly growing countries. America can no longer hold its position of acting director on the world stage with countries rapidly catching up. It is now America’s duty to provide suggestion pertaining to problems

Symptoms And Treatment Of Bipolar And Related Disorder

Abstract The following research paper will exposed the most common symptoms, diagnostic and therapy, in the treatment for Bipolar and Related Disorder due to Another Medical condition. Bipolar and Related disorder, is characterized by symptoms that occur in distinct episodes with periods of normal mood in between. Most of the time there is no clear pattern of when or how frequently manic or when or how often they alternate with depressive episodes will be produced. Mood swings can occur over a period of hours, days, weeks, months or even years. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) A series of illness may be factors for this illness to be triggered. Pathological and genetics factors could be involved. Social, family and others related must be taken in count for the diagnostic to take place. We will talk about the perseverance of the illness, and the treatment to follow at the moment of the diagnostic. (Rapee, R , 2012) Introduction Bipolar disorder is a serious disease of the brain. Also called manic-depressive illness. Those who suffer from bipolar disorder experience unusual mood swings. Sometimes feel very happy, animated and more active than usual, this is mania. And sometimes those who suffer from bipolar disorder feel very sad, depressed and are less active, this is depression. Many times when an illness had affected the Nervous System, Endocrine System. And all which might be related, its consequences can affect our physic. Also, the abuse ofShow MoreRelatedBipolar And Related Disorders : Symptoms And Treatment Of Bipolar Disorder1669 Words   |  7 PagesBipolar and related disorders are lifelong perplexing mental illnesses that are difficult to diagnose and treat. Bipolar illness is a chronic shifting of extreme euphoria (mania) and deep sadness or hopelessness (depressive) episodes, complicated by comorbidities and the potential for poor health outcomes. The occurrence of bipolar disorde r (BD) throughout the adult population in the United States is reported to be approximately 5.7 million people each year, with a lifetime prevalence of 3.9 percentRead MoreThe Dsm 5 : Bipolar And Related Disorders1693 Words   |  7 PagesThe DSM-5(2013) section on Bipolar and related disorders includes diagnoses for Bipolar I disorder, Bipolar II disorder, cyclothymic disorder, substance/medication induced bipolar and related disorder, bipolar and related disorder due to another medical condition, other specified bipolar and related disorder and unspecified bipolar and related disorder there is no classification for pediatric or early onset bipolar disorder. Though there is the following statement â€Å"the recognition that many individualsRead MoreMechanisms Addiction Reviews The Strong Relationship Between Bipolar And Substance Use Disorders1280 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationship between bipolar and substance-use disorder Mechanisms and treatment implications Bipolar disorder and substance-use disorders commonly occur in the same individual. In fact, bipolar disorder has a higher prevalence of substance-use disorders than any other psychiatric illness. Individuals with both disorders have a more severe course of bipolar disorder, including earlier onset, more frequent episodes, and more complications, including anxiety- and stress-related disorders, aggressive behaviorRead MoreBipolar Disorder And Mental Disorders1708 Words   |  7 PagesBipolar disorder is an emotional instability checked by great movements in disposition going from a hyper to a depressive state. Bipolar disorder is additionally called bipolar disease or manic depression. Bipolar disorder oppresses 3 to 5% of the populace with inconvenient impact on life possibilities. People with Bipolar Disorder will face life span danger for mood shifts, including fatal consequences. â€Å"It is sixth most common cause of disability in the United States (Altman et al., 2006).† AsRead MoreManic Depression And The Gemini Disorder Essay1490 Words   |  6 PagesGemini disorder† is most commonly known as Bipolar Disorder. This illness is a brain disorder, which causes abrupt and unusual mood shifts. These irritable mood shifts can be related to the individual’s energy, activity levels, or their ability to carry out daily tasks. This disorder goes beyond the ordinary mood swings we all are aware of. Manic depression has three forms that are characterized as periods of acute elevation of elatedness, or irritability. More often than not, the symptoms begin asRead MoreBipolar Disorder And Mental Disorders1364 Words   |  6 PagesIntro Bipolar disorder is an emotional instability checked by great movements in disposition going from a hyper to a depressive state. Bipolar disorder is additionally called bipolar disease or manic depression. Bipolar disorder oppresses 3 to 5% of the populace with inconvenient impact on life possibilities. People with Bipolar Disorder will face life span danger for mood shifts, including fatal consequences. â€Å"It is sixth most common cause of disability in the United States (Altman et al., 2006)Read MoreBipolar Disorder : Symptoms And Symptoms1390 Words   |  6 Pagesresearch of bipolar disorder will not only describe in detail the symptoms and affects of this mood disorder, but it will also include the advantages, disadvantages of the treatment and medications, and the major role that medications take. 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International Economic Development

Question: Write an essay on "International Economic Development". Answer: Introduction In this reflective essay I will be applying various foreign policy ideas implement them in democracy and then be able to see which policy is best able to improve the economic welfare of the country which will then be able to provide me with the Necessary number of voters to be elected in the country. Some of the areas that need to be revamped include foreign policy which includes international trade, foreign aid, immigration, welfare which includes poverty, equality, housing (public and private), pensions (public and private), unemployment benefit, economy includes GDP, tourism, competitiveness, currency, wages, unemployment, agriculture, recycling, energy, technology,. tax includes company, income, sales, property, public services includes healthcare (public and private), education (public and private), research funding, law and order includes crime, police, guns, prisons, transportation includes rail, road, air, oil (Jomo K. S. and Chowdhury, 2012). outcomes Since this was a developing country there are a lot of areas that still want policies to generate growth. I realized that the main problem in this country is high unemployment rate which if tackled would be able to give me more than 70% of the votes. This is due to the presence of a youthful population in the country that make up almost 60% of the total population. Hence I realized that policies should be focused on how generate and create employment for the youth who have no jobs. This can be tackled by improving the competitiveness of the country to attract foreign direct investments in the country and by doing so I will also be able to see that there is growth in the GDP. In recent years, the international economy has undergone significant changes that Our country has not been able to stay away, given its high degree of integration into the world economy on the one hand, and the important proximity to the main engine of this in recent times, the United States on the other. I will sign Free Trade Agreements with countries such as United States and Canada (NAFTA), to make Our country became an attractive destination for foreign investment for many transnational corporations and focused development model oriented abroad. Subsequently, as part of a trade policy with a clear liberalization objective, the country signed new trade agreements with other nations in the region in Central and South America, as well as with the European Union, Israel, the European Free Trade Association and Japan. This will definitely guarantee that there is creation of employment for the youth (Jomo K. S. and Chowdhury, 2012). implementation of a trade policy without a clear openness and liberalization objective, whose central axes are: to increase foreign trade and attracting foreign direct investment as driving forces of economic growth, it is time to make an assessment of process.Foreign trade, which has traditionally been the engine of growth in many economies, will also be to Our country, which is currently considered one of the most open economies.Trade liberalization, which started from mid nineties , when the country decides to face a new deregulatory step by seeking new business in the international market, yields high export figures for as well as increased foreign direct investment. Our country needs of global markets to maintain its foreign trade strategy, but the way of bilateral negotiations has not yielded the expected results, since exposed to competition in many sectors today reveal neglected, especially in agriculture as It shows in the well-documented case of rice the food chain, in which production losses, it has to add her job losses. It must support the local companies to export, since the revenue generated by sales abroad allow creation of employment both directly and indirectly. Winners in foreign trade sectors were those related to foreign investment, ie they have optimized their benefits on the basis of exploiting the main comparative advantage of transnationals Our country:In our country, foreign trade represents an essential instrument for achieving economic growth. It is for this that the relief has come close to the ceiling and still signing new trade agreements with other countries which are analyzed (Munshi and Abraham, 2004). An alternative would be the extension of that exportable offer based on knowledge and adding value, ie attributable to local businesses endogenous growth and focused on foreign trade, especially small and medium enterprises, key stakeholders in a strategy production development and weigh the existence of national networks between companies and between sectors. This policy gave me about 60% of the votes which will guarantee me the outright victory to be voted in. Investment in health, a priority of the package of social investment, and as an area that is so dear in peoples hearts healthcare investment should be able to bring in a substantial number of votes. About 40% of the people feel that health care in the country should be improved.Investment in health is a key package of social investment, where the contribution is recognized element health to a job-rich recovery. policies in this field and reforms of national health systems are essential for my election bid. Health is a value in itself, but also a precondition for economic prosperity. Health expenditure is conducive to growth. And the more effective use of the social and health budgets through advice and encouragement of good practice. I will unsure smart investment in sustainable health systems that are responsible for the organization and functioning of the health care services. To increase the efficiency of these services, it is not always necessary to spend more, but do it smarter. And ensure that the cost of healthcare for the people is at a minimum and is also quality (Singh, 2013). It is essential to put reforms and investments to achieve greater performance .Efficiency gains can be achieved in several ways, reducing hospitalizations and specialist consultations that are not necessary, strengthening primary care, encouraging the use of less expensive drugs equivalent (generic),evaluating the profitability of health technologies as a basis for decision making. and Investing in the health of people. The health status of individuals determines their degree of participation in social life and work, conditioning their productivity at work. On a larger scale, affects the financial impact on national health systems. Investments in the health sector can support economic growth by allowing people to remain healthy and active at work for longer.Another policy in this area is the investment in health promotion among children and youth, contributing to their physical and social development and, ultimately, their preparation to participate fully in society. Investment in health workers is another course of action..Investments to reduce health inequalities. Preventable diseases and deaths due to health inequalities represent a drain on human capital and should be reduced. Universal access to safe, effective and quality health services, greater cooperation between social services and health care and action on risk factors can combine to break the vicious circle of poor health, poverty and ex clusion. I recognize that implementation of this policy may require a long period to have real effect on the people (Arbuckle, 2012). The third problem to tackle was insecurity. Studies have revealed that the public believed that solutions to such problem should be through a joint action between the government and the community, because the traditional response based on the system of "police, justice and prison" was insufficient to contain the crime. Therefore, I need to articulate an adequate system of prevention and control of crime, which was emerging as the product of a thorough and comprehensive study of the situation in different areas prevailed (Grover, 2007). The causes of insecurity are, Lack of equal access to education and the labor market, Inadequate living conditions, Presence of high levels of violence, discrimination, intolerance and hopelessness. Existing conflicts in the family, in schools and child abuse charge singular importance, Abuse of drugs and alcohol. Shortcomings in the early years of life (lack of supervision, family breakdown, abuse, trauma). Difficulties in education (behavior problems, truancy and dropout rates, etc, Problems in the functioning of law enforcement agencies and courts. The diagnosis guided the implementation of the strategy, structured based on different policies for every need, which in turn contain various programs. These policies were applied throughout the national territory through various national, provincial and municipal agencies and jointly by the official, community and private sectors, developing various application programs. Work on the community focuses on creating informational and educational spaces about the magnitude of the criminal problem and its negative consequences for the country, as well as awareness of the conditions that encourage criminal actions and mechanisms created to fight it (Card, Blundell and Freeman, 2004). Other policies to tackle this problem are Plans targeting the family are intended to provide tools for the proper management of conflict situations and / or violent household, from the concept that the conflicting and aggressive family environment makes young people looking for spaces outside the bosom of the family linking, optionally with the criminal world. This policy of improving security guarantees me 33% of the votes in the game. With regards to taxes, my policy was to ensure that there is a sustainable government expenditure that ensures people are no overburdened by overtaxation.The importance of indirect taxes in low-income countries is largely due to aspects of tax administration and compliance. It is significantly easier to manage and administer indirect taxes raise income taxes. Customs duties, for example, are relatively easy to collect, that all goods entering the country through a port that can be controlled by tax administrators. All importers who do not fulfill the duties (or do not provide sufficient assurance) are not allowed to withdraw their assets (Hubbard, 2009). The income tax, on the other hand, is much more difficult to manage because the tax can not be collected through physical controls. The authorities rather require you to file a declaration and must invest resources to verify the declared income. The only exception is income taxable by withholding, but even in this case the authoritie s have to monitor withholding agents to ensure the transfer to the government of taxes withheld. The policy solution to these problems also consists of three parts: First, a recognition that the adaptation of the tax system to achieve a precise balance of social and economic objectives is necessary for example provision of subsidies where necessary , the second can not be achieved some gains by changing the combination of tax direct and indirect, but each instrument specific income should remain relatively well defined; third, the understanding that a sound tax structure without adequate attention to the tax administration is not a desirable tax policy (Singh, 2013). This will ensure that I get a considerable percentage of votes but not enough to get me elected because I only managed to get 40% of the total vote. Learning outcomes I utilised my resources to help work towards the objectives I set for this particular simulation. From this experience I found my weaknesses to be based around focusing on a few areas of investment and taking reactive measures to areas such as crime. Interesting was that I ended up investing a lot of money into crime reduction area , although the area of focus should have been employment creation (Anders, 2010). I find the topic of sustainability very interesting and something that is a major issue in todays society, and therefore, to achieve the outcome of GDP and economy, I was significantly focused on three areas of improving GDP, crime and health. From the investment and focus shown through the initiatives outlined in Description of Activities it is very clear to show that my personal values towards the worlds future were skewed towards these areas. Conclusion Of all these policies, the one that guaranteed me maximum votes and a win was the one that was to generate GDP growth. that we review in this report have been prolific in economic policies. If political power always tries to guide the evolution of the economy, much more it is doing now, where economic agents themselves ask relief intensely. I saw the face of crisis, companies and financial institutions around the world who have been performing poorly in the economy .in these simulations only the first p[olicy guaranteed me an outright win in election, thus, it tell you that a lot needs to be done to improve the GDP, ensure that the peoples social welfare is improve, job creation e.t.c. However, other policies in health, security and transport ensured that after implementation I get more than 30% of the total votes. Thus, the economy generally needs intervention in all spheres as the people felt that all areas needed reforms. However, full implementation of the policies may take a lon g time to realize the needed change. References Anders, G. (2010).In the shadow of good governance. Leiden: Brill. Arbuckle, G. (2012).Humanizing Healthcare Reforms. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Card, D., Blundell, R. and Freeman, R. (2004).Seeking a premier economy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Grover, J. (2007).Healthcare. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Hubbard, R. (2009).Macro economics. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Prentice Hall. Jomo K. S., and Chowdhury, A. (2012).Is good governance good for development?. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Mukhopadhyay, S. and Sudarshan, R. (2003).Tracking gender equity under economic reforms. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre. Munshi, S. and Abraham, B. (2004).Good governance, democratic societies and globalisation. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. Okma, K. (2009).Six countries, six reform models--the healthcare reform experience of Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, and Taiwan. New Jersey: World Scientific. Singh, S. (2013).Macro economics. New Delhi: APH Pub. Corp.

Introduction to American Business an Example of the Topic Business Essays by

Introduction to American Business Business is a crucial part in the development of societies and is by and large responsible for the economic growth of countries. Hence, when business ventures expand or financially grow in a certain region, it brings about relative effects to the economic status of that region. This in turn affects the capacity of the government or of the existing social institutions to provide for the needs of the citizens within the region. These provisions can manifest in many forms such as the increase in the quality of public and private health care, or an increase in the efficiency of the various social institutions and businesses in conducting their operations to the people in general. Thus, the impact of business, specifically its growth in a specific region, affects the standard of living of the inpiduals and their existing quality of life. Need essay sample on "Introduction to American Business" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed The decline in the performance of these business establishments also poses a series of effects to the standard and quality of life of people. In essence, it is enough to note that, although there may be little direct or immediate connection between business and the standard and quality of life, business nevertheless affects these two crucial factors in inpiduals. American business probably dates back way before the founding fathers have built the nation and the generations that followed. Since business can take form even in the simplest instances, business in America may have probably started since the time the native settlers of America. Eventually, commerce, specifically trade, developed among the American colonies of the past which primarily covered the inpidual groups during those times. Our Customers Often Tell Us:How much do I have to pay someone to make my paper online?Professional writers recommend: Academic Papers For SaleCustom Essay Order Cheapest Essay Cheap Essay Help Legitimate Essay Writing Services As years went on, the local commerce and the basic industries expanded which resulted to a wider scope among business establishments (Gabor, 2001). Among these early forms businesses during the period of the American colonies is the trade of the basic commodities such as wheat and other grains. The period of the Industrial revolution eventually shifted the processthe progress of commerce saw the development in the transactions. For instance, mass production became readily available with the rise in the machineries. Later on, the information and communication technology era paved the way for an even swifter means of transporting goods and completing business transactions even across continents. American business of today has become relatively complex although the basic notions of client and provider are still present. The foundation of capitalism can be extracted from its rational philosophy, the concept of self-fulfillment or egoism, and the consideration for the rights of inpiduals ("The Capitalism Site," 2005). Essentially, capitalism is a form of a political structure or system that largely depends on its philosophical groundings. Further, capitalism is a system that is founded on the tenet of the rights of inpiduals exemplified by the fact that the capitalist needs the laborers or similar types thereof in order to make use of his or her capital or investment. In a capitalist society, the structure of the system contains the workers at the base that determine the next corresponding level in the system. It is argued that the roots of capitalism can be traced to the mercantilist scheme (Hooker, 1996). When faced with an ethical dilemma, one question that one can ask oneself is: what is the best option in terms of practicability that must be taken. The idea of practicability can be determined or defined at least in terms of the immediate usefulness of the option in the given situation. For example, when one is faced with the situation of choosing between lying in order to secure the welfare of an employee or telling the truth in order to secure the welfare of the company, one should consider the option which has immediate usefulness, or perhaps the most useful option that has with it a larger positive effect. In this instance, one can choose to tell the truth in order to secure the welfare of the company which translates into securing the welfare of the rest of the employees. In essence, the perceived consequences of the persisting options in an ethical dilemma must be weighed against one another and against the context of the situation in order to weigh the most probable direction to take. Otherwise, one might be lost on which option to take as dilemmas are quite complex to analyze. People take the entrepreneurial challenge for several reasons. These may include financial reasons for the most part, or perhaps people are seeking to enhance their skills in entrepreneurship or their personality. Since entrepreneurship is no easy task, it requires the proper use of critical skills and special abilities as well as the intellectual thinking capacity of the inpidual. Entrepreneurship, hence, also serves as a training ground for the intellect where the mind is refined. Thus, a successful entrepreneur is the inpidual who is not only able to succeed in financial terms but one who is also able to acquire for oneself a more refined intellectual capacity and critical thinking and a better personality. Although monetary income can also serve as the basis for the success of the entrepreneur, the skills one is able to acquire are far beyond compare to wealth. Moreover, a successful entrepreneur is one who has achieved a significant status at least in the local region or area, or in the industry from which he or she belongs. Reputation in the world of entrepreneurship is one that is difficult to attain as it requires skills that are not easy to acquire. Skills such as critical thinking and analysis are only two of these significant skills that the entrepreneur should acquire in order to be successful. Moreover, these skills are not achievable overnightthey require a considerable length of time in order to be acquired or to be mastered. It takes months, years, or even decades for the entrepreneur to be successful or, at the least, be able to obtain significant fraction in the business world. How to achieve these ends is not only a matter of timeit also requires a significant amount of determination and will-power from the inpidual. The ability to successfully navigate the cunning waters of entrepreneurship is just one side of the golden objective of being successful. Maintaining the status of being a successful entrepreneur is another thing, and it requires precision and refined skills all the more. References The Capitalism Site. (2005). Retrieved August 1, 2007 Gabor, A. (2001). The Evolution of the American Business Press and the Companies It Covers. Retrieved August 1, 2007 Hooker, R. (1996). Capitalism. Retrieved August 1, 2007

Biography of Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer

Biography of Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer Alice Walker (born February 9, 1944) is a writer and activist, perhaps best known as the author of The Color Purple and more than 20 other books and poetry collections.  She is also known for  recovering the work of Zora Neale Hurston and for her work against female circumcision.  She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 and the National Book Award in 1984. Fast Facts: Alice Walker Known For: Writer, feminist, and activistBorn: February 9, 1944 in Eatonton, GeorgiaParents: Minnie Tallulah Grant and Willie Lee WalkerEducation: East Putnam Consolidated, Butler-Baker High School in Eatonton, Spelman College, and Sarah Lawrence CollegePublished Works: The Color Purple, The Temple of My Familiar, Possessing the Secret of JoySpouse: Melvyn R. Leventhal (m. 1967–1976)Children: Rebecca Leventhal (b. November 1969) Early Life Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the last of eight children born to Minnie Tallulah Grant and Willie Lee Walker. Her parents were sharecroppers who worked on a large cotton farm during the days of Jim Crow. Recognizing Alices abilities at a very young age, her mother got the 4-year old into first grade at East Putnam Consolidated, where she quickly became a star pupil. In 1952, a childhood accident blinded her in one eye. Medical conditions in the Jim Crow south meant she did not get proper medical treatment until six years later when she visited her brother in Boston, Massachusetts. Nevertheless, she went on to become valedictorian of her class at Butler-Baker High School. At 17, Walker received a scholarship to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, where she became interested in Russian literature and the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. In 1963, she was offered a scholarship to Sarah Lawrence College, and, after her activist mentor Howard Zinn was fired from Spelman, Walker transferred to Sarah Lawrence. There, she studied poetry with Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980), who would help her get her first collection of poems, Once, published in 1968. In her senior year, Walker studied in East Africa as an exchange student; she graduated in 1965. Professional Life After college, Alice Walker worked briefly for the New York City Department of Welfare and then returned to the south, moving to Jackson, Mississippi. In Jackson, she volunteered in voter registration drives and worked for the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP. She met fellow civil rights worker Melvyn R. Leventhal on March 17, 1967, and they married in New York and moved back to Jackson, where they were the first legally married biracial couple in the city. They had one daughter, Rebecca, born November 17, 1969, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1976. Alice Walker started her professional writing career as a writer-in-residence first at Jackson State University (1968–1969) and then at Tougaloo College (1970–1971). Her first novel,  a three-generation saga of sharecroppers called The Third Life of Grange Copeland, was published in 1970. In 1972, she taught a course in Black Womens Writers at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She continued steadily writing throughout this period. Early Writing By the mid-1970s, Walker turned to her inspirations from the Harlem Renaissance period of the early 20th century. In 1974, Walker wrote a biography of poet Langston Hughes (1902–1967), and the following year she published a description of her research with Charlotte Hunt, In Search of Zora Neale Hurston, in Ms.  magazine. Walker is credited with reviving interest in the writer/anthropologist (1891–1960). Her novel Meridian came out in 1976, and the subject was the civil rights movement in the south. Her next novel, The Color Purple, changed her life. Alice Walkers poems, novels, and short stories frankly deal with rape, violence, isolation, troubled relationships, bi-sexuality, multi-generational perspectives, sexism, and racism: all of the things which she knew from her personal experiences. Always, and more as she grew as a writer, Alice Walker has been unafraid to be controversial. The Color Purple When The Color Purple came out in 1982, Walker became known to an even wider audience. Her Pulitzer Prize and the movie by Steven Spielberg brought both fame and controversy. She was widely criticized for negative portrayals of men in The Color Purple, though many critics admitted that the movie presented more simplistic negative pictures than the books more nuanced portrayals. In two books- The Temple of My Familiar (1989) and Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992)- Walker took on the issue of female circumcision in Africa, which brought further controversy: was Walker a cultural imperialist to criticize a different culture? Legacy Alice Walkers works are known for their portrayals of the African-American womans life. She depicts vividly the sexism, racism, and poverty that make that life often a struggle. But she also portrays as part of that life, the strengths of family, community, self-worth, and spirituality. Many of her novels depict women in other periods of history than our own. Just as with non-fiction womens history writing, such portrayals give a sense of the differences and similarities of womens condition today and in that other time. Alice Walker continues not only to write but to be active in environmental, feminist/womanist causes, and issues of economic justice. Her latest novel, Now is the Time to Open Your Heart, was published in 2004; since that time her published work has been poetry. In 2018, she published a collection of poems titled Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart. Sources Alice Walker: By the Book. The New York Times, December 13, 2018.  Howard, Lillie P (ed.). Alice Walker Zora Neale Hurston: The Common Bond. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood, 1993.Lazo, Caroline. Alice Walker: Freedom Writer. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2000.  Ã‚  Takenaga, Lara. A Q. and A. With Alice Walker Stoked Outrage. Our Book Review Editor Responds. New York Times, December 18, 2018.  Walker, Alice. Alice Walker Banned.  Ed. Holt, Patricia. New York: Aunt Lute Books, 1996.  Walker, Alice (ed.) I Love Myself When I Am Laughing... Then Again When I Am Looking Mean Impressive: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader. New York: The Feminist Press, 1979.  Walker, Alice. Living by the Word: Selected Writings, 1973-1987. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Company, 1981.White, Evelyn C. Alice Walker: A Life. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2004.

Hillary Clinton and Universal Health Care

Hillary Clinton and Universal Health Care Hillary Clinton is perhaps most remembered during her tenure as the first lady of the United States in the mid-1990s for her unsuccessful push for universal health care, a controversial proposal seen at the time as a radical overhaul of the way Americans received coverage that drew strong opposition from both the drug and health insurance industries. The cornerstone of the plan was a mandate on employers to provide health insurance for all of their employees. Later in her political career, Clinton supported a mandate on Americans - not businesses - to purchase health insurance for themselves as part of a broad proposal to rein in costs and boost value and quality in the nations network of private health insurers. Clinton unveiled her newer proposals in her American Health Choices Plan during the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Said Clinton in September 2007: My plan covers all Americans and improves health care by lowering costs and improving quality. If youre one of the tens of millions of Americans without coverage or if you dont like the coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and youll get tax credits to help pay for it. If you like the plan you have, you can keep it. Its a plan that works for Americas families and Americas businesses, while preserving consumer choices. That same individual mandate became a part of President Barack Obamas health care law. Hillary Clinton and Universal Health Care Hillary Clinton was the first lady to President Bill Clinton in 1993 when he appointed her to chair the Presidents Task Force on National Health Care Reform. The president had warned in his inaugural address that the administration would face staunch opposition from powerful lobbies and special interests who would attempt to derail its efforts to provide coverage for all Americans, and he was right. Congressional Republicans opposed the plan, the public saw it as too complex and bureaucratic, but perhaps the kiss of death was the tremendous amount of criticism it received from health insurance industry, which went too far as to produce a multimillion-dollar television campaign against the proposal. The Clinton health care overhaul billed as the centerpiece of Bill Clintons presidency and a path to ensuring some 37 million Americans who had no coverage, died for lack of support in Congress in what was considered a major defeat for the administration and political setback for Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton Revises Health Care Proposals Clinton emerged with a new set of plans to ensure every American during the 2008 race for the Democratic presidential nomination. She said she had learned from her mistakes in 1993 and 1994 when the Clinton administrations proposals were too complicated, and that she had the scars to show for it. Clinton portrayed her new American Health Choices Plan as being one modeled after the health care program through which members of Congress are covered. The new array of choices offered in the menu will provide benefits at least as good as the typical plan offered to members of Congress, which includes mental health parity and usually dental coverage, Clinton said in 2007. Hillary Clintons plan would have required Americans to purchase health insurance and required insurers to cover everyone regardless of whether they had preconditions. It would have provided tax credits to Americans who couldnt afford to purchase health care and paid for them by rolling back the so-called Bush tax cuts on those earning more than $250,000 a year. Clinton said at the time her plan would have resulted in a net tax cut for American taxpayers.

Titanic Film Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Titanic Film - Movie Review Example The paper tells that in the movie â€Å"Titanic† each scene, irrespective of the situation, you would be swept off your feet, seeing its beauty. A typical example of mere creation would be the scene which shows the ships logo. The movie opens with a sepia tone scene of the first voyage of the ship. Slowly as the camera covers the entire ship, it shows that Titanic is the most elegant, grandest and beautiful ship to be ever made on the face of the earth. It shows how majestically it floats in the mighty Atlantic Ocean, even the smoke churning out of the tall smoke towers on the top of the ship, and with the most soulful hymns, to add icing on the cake. She simply becomes the metaphor for Eden, sailing in the ocean of blue. Slowly we see the title, ‘TITANIC’, which appears over dark waters, which eventually speaks of her story, in the same way as Eden, as she will also fall into the darkness of the water. ‘I’m flying’. This happens to be the most beautiful and memorable scene in this movie. Who could ever forget the scene when Jack and Rose stand on the frontest tip of the mighty ship and opens their arms wide, and feel like they are flying. Everything was perfect in this scene, the sun setting, the beautiful hymns of ‘Every Night In My Dreams’, Rose’s clothes and hair symbolizing her freedom, which she is beginning to move into, and the words that she says, â€Å"I Trust You†, to Jack. These aspects make it one of the most beautiful romantic scenes in the history of Hollywood.

Earthquakes in the Xi Chuan Province Research Paper

Earthquakes in the Xi Chuan Province - Research Paper Example Being near an active fault, the area regularly experiences light tremors due to the constant movement of the plates. However, there are instances where big, catastrophic earthquakes hit the region. An example of which happened on May 12, 2008, 06:28:04 (UTC) which according to official reports, seventy thousand people were killed, three hundred seventy four thousand people were injured, and about seventeen thousand more were reported missing. (Chen, Qiao, and Liu 809) To make a good equivalence, the Xi Chuan province is like Charleston of the United States. These places when they were established were not really plagued by catastrophe but, throughout the years, they became known to be the â€Å"center of calamity† for their respective countries. (Steinberg 5) For most people, inside and especially outside China, we only hear about these great catastrophes through the reports given by media. Although those in the media are sworn to present news in the most accurate way possible , it is hard for get such an accurate representation. There will always be bias and only snippets of the catastrophe can be recorded at one time. The perspective from which the report was derived is important in determining how a catastrophe will be seen by viewers inside and outside the immediate areas affected. Responses from these reports will ultimately determine how people will act with regard to the needs and situation of those struck with the calamity. There are several perspectives that a disaster report might come from. A disaster can be seen through the eyes on a local who has experienced the tragedy first hand, or through the eyes of an outsider, a foreign journalist perhaps that was tasked to report on the case. Another and more prevalent perspective, especially in a socialist country like China, is the perspective given by the government. These perspectives are the key that determines how locals as well as the policy makers will prepare their disaster management and pre paredness plan in for future catastrophes. Loopholes in the presentation of facts or exaggerations in the number of lives lost or damage to property can adversely affect these efforts to reduce damage and mortality for earthquakes. Aside from the perspectives, there are also a lot of ways wherein the reports on the disaster can be expressed. Newspapers and Blogs carry text and images regarding the aftermath of the disaster. Television and radio broadcasts also carry video and audio information about the activities and current situation of those affected. Incorporation different types of media and harnessing different modes of getting information disseminated can create a big effect on how a disaster is perceived and might well be the key determinants to the immediacy as well as the appropriateness of the actions instigated in response to the catastrophe. In this regard, the study intends to analyze how the Xi Chuan earthquakes are represented in media through text, videos, photo doc umentaries, and press releases. The study tries to connect how these reports affect the views of the locals, and even the rest of the world regarding earthquakes in the Xi Chuan province and will also try to determine the implications of these reports on the disaster management and preparedness plans for the area, the conduct of the rescue and relief operations as well as its effect on other relevant sectors. Literature Review A brief history of the study of seismic activity in the Xi Chuan basic region was detailed in the study of Han and Jiang (231). The Xi Chuan –

Technological Advancements in Communication Essay Example for Free

Technological Advancements in Communication Essay What technological advancements in communication were discussed in the article? In this article, The technological advancements in communication discussed included collaborative technologies like social computing, wiki’s, mash up’s, video conferencing, and instant messaging. These technologies allow businesses to get away from all the e-mails or traditional communication that involves only a select number of people. With collaborative technology, business can communicate with anyone they want and everyone feels like they are included. Choose two communication types and compare and contrast them. How could these be used in your workplace? Two of the communication types that I am going to compare are emails, and interactive spreadsheets like the one mentioned from smartsheet.com. In my workplace, we could use interactive spreadsheets to our advantage. We share emails back and forth to our subsidiaries’ in many countries. Most all of the different countries share a different language and translation could present a problem. With an interactive spreadsheet, you could have a space reserved for the different languages so that information could be translated one time instead of many times. Emails are only available to whoever you send them to. With an interactive spread sheet, information could be viewed by everyone and other people could put their two cents in. You would be creating a larger team than with emails. Do these technological advancements in communication follow what is traditionally considered business communication? Why? I think that these technological advancements in communication follow traditional business communication to a certain extent. Information is still being shared, teams are still collaborating, and decisions are still getting made. The difference with collaborative technology is that it is much easier to do all of this now. Businesses are able to communicate on a much broader level and more people can be involved. Technology is also  taking the leg work out of the equation for some businesses, freeing them up to concentrate on more important tasks.

Unwarranted Cellular Tracking in The United States Essay -- Personal F

In this day and age of technology and digital information, finding the location of a restaurant or landmark only takes the click of a button. At the same time, the technology being used for directions and GPS allows the government to find the location of anyone at any given moment, watching over all as they so please. The prevalence of unwarranted cell phone tracking is extremely high, so much so that a case was taken to the Supreme Court to debate the issue. It was decided in this case, United States v. Jones, that a device having its movements tracked is the same as trespassing on property (United States Supreme Court). More recently than this, the American Civil Liberties Union released several public records detailing the process police departments use before tracing cell phone locations. Shockingly, it was revealed that a large majority of departments around the country fail to acquire a proper warrant before tracking suspects (Crump). Considering the ubiquity of cell phones in society today, jokes about the government turning into a "Big Brother" watching over citizens have nearly become a reality in the U.S., with tremendous worries about what little privacy there is left. What was once thought of as a handy communication tool has now turned into a traveling tracker for the police to spy on the common man with. Imagine, every step outside of a denizen's home being tracked step for step. This was entirely unknown before, and the revelation of such broke the illusion of safety civilians thought they had. Law enforcement agencies shouldn't be allowed to so freely track cell phones without the use of a warrant, it violates a citizen's rights, gives no regard to privacy, and creates an inconsistent legal standard within ag... ...media story brings this issue to light again. Making the push to put reform on this matter and enacting a law to require warrants will restore the values law enforcement agencies are meant to uphold, and bring back the sense of security that is seldom found in society today. Works Cited Clark, M. Wesley. Cell Phones as Tracking Devices, 41 Val. U. L. Rev. 1413 (2007). Crump, C.. "Results of nationwide government cell phone tracking records request show frequent violations of Americans' privacy rights." . N.p., 2012. Web. 22 May 2012. Lightblau, Eric. "Police Are Using Phone Tracking as a Routine Tool." www.nytimes.com. New York Times, 03/3. Web. 28 May 2012. U.S. Supreme Court, . "United States v. Jones Opinion."supremecourt.gov. Us Government, 2012. Web. 28 May 2012. "Cell Tracking." Electronic frontier foundation. EFF, n.d. Web. 22 May 2012.

Human resources Essay Essay

This essay is basically about the Catastrophe Concepts contract. Catastrophe Concepts is an Australian manufacturer as well as a distributor of women’s fashion apparel. The sales manager of the company, Karen Stevens was hired by the company in the year 2001 and currently Karen works as a senior sales executive for Catastrophe Concepts. It has been eight years now that Karen is working for the company and is being paid $175,000 annually and is also provided with a company maintained car. However, there is no specific written record regarding Karen’s recruitment except for a letter that was sent to Karen in which she was welcomed to the company and it also said that she would be paid $75,000 annually by the company. However, Catastrophe Concepts is now facing a serious downturn that has concerned the marketing manager of the company, Lilly Zheng to question whether Karen should be allowed to continue working for the company or not. Karen has been working for Catastrophe Concepts since the last eight years with all sincerity and no issues of misconduct or decline in her performance can been seen as her performance has always been rated acceptable but she does not have any further chance of promotion or to further advance in her career. This is the reason why Lilly Zheng is concerned whether Karen should be allowed to continue working for the company or she should be terminated and due to this Lilly has a few questions in her mind and she wants the human resource manager, George Chapel to answer. In this part of the paper I would answer some of the questions arising in the mind of Lilly Zheng from the viewpoint of George Chapel. The first question that Lilly has in her mind is related to Karen’s termination and she wants to know how Catastrophe Concepts can terminate Karen. For this, I would say that termination would not be the correct word to be used in this case and the reason behind this is that an employee can only be terminated from the company on the basis of misconduct or due to unsatisfactory performance but Karen is not charged of any of the two so she cannot be terminated from Catastrophe Concepts. However, termination has a broader concept than this and it can be voluntary i. e. with the employee’s free will or it can be involuntary i. e. terminated by employer. Layoffs and dismissals are a part of involuntary termination. In this situation, Catastrophe Concepts can layoff Karen due to the downturn of the business or they can opt for a mutual agreement between Karen and the company. In order to make the termination soft, the company can take certain actions such as by asking Karen herself to resign and to convince her to do so by explaining her facts. Termination always leaves negative affects on the other employees working for the company as they become unsecure about their own job and their motivation level decreases. For this purpose, at the time when Karen is terminated, she should be given various incentives and should be allowed to leave the company in the most respectable manner (Storey 1998).. In case Karen agrees to leave the company and if she joins a competitor, there are many risks involved with this as Karen has worked for Catastrophe Concepts for quite a long period of eight years and she knows a lot about the company. Moreover, she is the senior sales executive and so she knows all the techniques of selling women’s apparel and where ever she will go she would definitely use her skills. Due to this, there should be some restrictions that should apply to Karen such as she should be made to sign a contract not to provide the company details to the competitor or to provide the competitor with the secrets of the company. (David 1997). If Karen provides confidential marketing information to the competitor, this would be very bad for Catastrophe Concepts as this will help the competitor not only to know the marketing secrets of the company but it would also help the competitor predict the future actions Catastrophe Concepts is planning to take and on this basis, they might come up with better strategies or they might use the same marketing plans before Catastrophe Concepts applies these strategies and plans and this will prove to be awful for Catastrophe Concepts. Another possibility that might happen after Karen’s termination is that she might lure and hire other staff currently employed by Catastrophe Concepts. This would also prove to be bad for Catastrophe Concepts as they would loose their employee and with the employee, they also have a lot of possibility off losing company’s information. Moreover, as the employees as already trained by Catastrophe Concepts, they would have to hire a new employee and train them all over again and this involves both financial and time cost. Huselid 1995). The second part of the paper suggests the restraint of trade clause that should have been included in Karen’s original written contract. Moreover, another thing that needs to be taken care off in this contract should be in context with the duration, extent and geography. For such situations, it is very important for Catastrophe Concepts to have a good human resource department so that they can fulfill their duties and do the best for the employees working in the company. It is the duty of the human resource department to come up with various strategies and trade clauses for the employees. Previously, however Catastrophe Concepts did not have any such trade clause due to which they are facing this problem now, therefore they should take steps now and should work on the clause so that such problems do not occur in future. It is always necessary for the company to have their legal rules defined to the employees so that they are aware of things. Having a trade clause would further enable to protect its legal rights and there should always be an agreement between the company and the employee. It is also a wise idea to have employment agreements as these would enable Catastrophe Concepts to guard their wellbeing against the employees working for the company; however the human resource department has to be careful when coming up with trade clauses and they should make sure that they have the most important ones already defined for the company. Some of the most important ones are mentioned in the paragraphs below. (Micallef & Powell 1997). When an employee agrees not to opt for a profession that is similar to the one he is currently working as in order to prevent competition against the company is possible when an employees signs a non-compete clause. Once the employee signs the contract, he is bound to obey it and he cannot opt for the same profession once he resigns or is terminated from a company. This contract can help the company to prevent the employee from distributing the company’s confidential information or any kind of trade secrets to the competitor. These secrets might include the company’s marketing strategies or the products the company plans to come up with in future. (Lado &Wilson 1994). Non-Solicitation Agreement would basically help Catastrophe Concepts to guard the employees from stealing information or the customers. Other than this, they can form non-competition agreements as they can center on geography, customers as well as knowledge. It is not likely for Catastrophe Concepts to stop the competitors from competing with the company but there are certain situations in which such contracts can be signed such as in employee-employer situation. Non-disparagement agreement averts the employee to speak bad things about the employer and the non-interference agreement averts the employee from interfering in relationships such as between the vendors or the customers, etc. Other than this, Catastrophe Concepts can also opt for confidentiality agreement, termination agreement and workplace property agreement, etc. Confidentiality agreement would prevent the employee from giving the confidential information of the company to the competitors while the termination agreement would help the company in terminating employees by making the employees sign a contract at the time they join the company. Moreover, another problem Catastrophe Concepts might face could be to keep the property at the workplace safe and secure and for this it is essential for the company to make the employees sign the workplace property agreement. (Leat 2001).

The Constructionist Perspective of Obesity

Abstract In this paper I will explore the social construction of obesity and how it formed into a social problem. Recent and growing media attention surrounding obesity in the United States, the so-called obesity epidemic remains a highly debated scientific and social fact. This paper examines the contemporary obesity debate through systematic examination of the claims and claim-makers involved in the controversy.I will not take sides, but merely show and clearly explain each side's views on the obesity epidemic. Social Construction of Global Warming . Social Construction Process: Creating a social problem using the social constructionist approach requires an audience who believes that there is in fact a problem before that topic is considered a social problem. There is a process to creating a social problem starting with â€Å"claims, claims-making, audiences and claims competitions.Regardless of whether claims are verbal, visual, or behavioral, they are the social problems work of claims- makers who want to convince audiences how to think about social problems and how to feel about these problems. † (Lose,2009) In this paper I will discuss the process n which obesity is viewed as an epidemic so therefore is a social problem. We have to ask ourselves, who are the people making this claim, who are they trying to target, and are they being successful? In other words is the targeted audience being persuaded in the belief: obesity is an epidemic?In this process I will compare and contrast two arguments dealing with obesity. One set of views is obesity is a problem of individuals making bad choices and on the other hand there is a belief the food industry has increased portion sizes and markets unhealthy food options with high fat, calories etc. So that obesity is understood as more than Just an individual issue. The sub argument is how should treatment is administered. Do healthcare professionals target individuals and teach them a healthy lifestyle or do y ou target the food industry to make changes in their products? II.Claim-maker of Obesity: The healthcare industry finds the obesity epidemic of great interest due to the strong connection between obesity and obesity related health side effects. Many studies have been done to monitor the increase of obesity with in United States. â€Å"Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and did not decline in any state, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (ROWS). Twelve states now have obesity rates above 30 percent.Four years ago, only one state was above 30 percent. † (â€Å"F as in,† 2011) As a result of these findings augments among health care professionals were establish focusing on the cause of obesity. One group of healthcare professionals believes the problem is an individual person's poor decision making which leads to obesity. I f a person is making bad hoicks in their eating habits and does not exercise then that person will eventually become obese. The other set of professionals would argue it is not in individual choice, but their environment in which they live in.Food companies are targeting their consumers with ads and their increased potion sizes so therefore more and more people are becoming obese. Both sides of the argument believe there is connection between obesity and obesity related health side effects. Each side has different beliefs on how to combat the obesity epidemic. One side of the house is focused on curing obesity while the other side focuses on prevention. A. Individual Problem: Claim-makers who feel obesity is an individual problem use individualism as their targeted moralities.There is a belief system that people embrace individualism, autonomy, and responsibility for their actions. The belief in the importance of individual's freedom to choose the types of food they consume and to h ave a more active lifestyle is embraced by most people. It is estimated that the leading cause of death in the United States is caused by â€Å"lifestyle† such as smoking, diet, exercise and sexual practices. (Adler & Stewart, 2009) Since studies have shown lifestyle is a cause f obesity, medical professionals using the medical model focus on the individual patient for a cure.They not only focus on lifestyles but genetics and family history. To them behavioral choices and therapy is the main target for intervention. Obesity is more than calories in verses calories out. There are other factors that go into this problem. More and more research is indicating that America's obesity crisis cannot be blamed entirely on too much fast food and too little exercise. Genetics plays a factor into which people are becoming obese. There are â€Å"natural and synthetic chemicals known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (Deeds), or as searchers have begun to call them, obsesses.Obsesses are chemicals that disrupt the function of hormonal systems; many researchers believe they lead to weight gain and, in turn, numerous diseases that curse the American populace. † (Perrine & Warlock, 2010) Other hormone disorders come into effect such at thyroid, adrenal glands, pituitary glands, ovaries which can also contribute to obesity. In many cases of weight loss management requires a balance of behavioral and medical intervention. This balance is created through the guidance of a physician.Another factor in the rise of obesity is parents of young children who have poor dating habits raise children who are obese. â€Å"Today's children are the first generation of Americans projected to have a shorter life span than their parents -? with one out of three at risk of developing Type Two diabetes, a crippling disease once seen only in adults. † (Stone, 2006) Parents instill healthy lifestyles in their children. They do this through family democracies, and beliefs and atti tudes in eating and physical activity.The significant associations between household, parent, and child variables offer a glimpse into the potential processes at work prior to a child's status as obese. For instance, measuring of general parenting and parent attitudes to-ward child eating and nutrition were meaningfully related to the kinds of foods available in the home and to children's activities, both potential risk factors for childhood overweight, Gable & Lutz, (2000) Children's roles in their own physical health and well-being cannot be discounted however, it is the parent who instill these values into their children.B. Public Health â€Å"The public health model differs from the medical model not only in its emphasis on prevention but also in its consideration of a wider range of causative factors. † (Adler Stewart, 2009) These factors focus is mainly on the food industry. Their believe system is the food industry exploits people by targeting lower income families and their environment. They do this through marketing, advertisements. Public health approaches in solving obesity does include health education, they approach the problem through legislative and regulatory means.Examples are nutrition standards for school lunch programs; bans on sugar-sweetened beverages in school's vending machines; requirements for developers of residential subdivisions to include bicycle paths, sidewalks, and parks; and zoning regulations for fast-food outlets. This group is using the moralities of equality of opportunity and equality under the law. Although obesity affects all demographics in the United States, some healthcare professional would argue obesity is target. Racial and ethnic minority adults, and those with less education or who make less money continue to have the highest overall obesity rates† (â€Å"F as in,† 2011) Published finding have reveal companies who produce products such as sodas, candies and alcoholic beverages target minoriti es verses the general audience. These advertisements are found on billboards in communities in predominantly African American and Hispanic. The advertisements are also seen in commercials and magazines that target African American and Hispanic audiences.The environment in which people live directly affects people food choices. Lewis and colleagues (2005) also identified substantially more point-of-sale advertising and promotion of unhealthful foods in restaurants in low-income African American and Latino communities than in more affluent white communities in Los Angels County. (Yankee, Cole, Brown, Williams, Hillier, Kline, Ashes & Beckman, 2009) Opportunities for physical activity, in low income neighborhoods are very low.Parks and walk able areas are scarce. Perceptions of resource quality, safety, and cultural relevance also affect physical activity levels. Research as concluded safety and quality factors in traffic fatalities, crime rates and park size effect obesity rates becau se counter to predictions, subpopulations generally considered vulnerable to obesity (and environmental injustices more generally) are more likely to live in willable neighborhoods and have better walking access to neighborhood parks than other groups.However, crime is highest in willable neighborhoods with large Latino and African-American populations and parks are smaller in areas populated by Latino/as. Given the higher prevalence of obesity and related diseases in lower income and minority populations the results suggest that benefits of built environments may be offset by social characteristics Ill. Audiences: The target audience for awareness of the obesity as a social problem targets every U. S. Citizen. Obesity is becoming a worldwide problem however the United States in the lead globally ranking the highest rates of obesity.Mainly the focuses is on physicians, nurses, dieticians/Dart's, nutritionists, fitness professionals, health educators, public health professionals, soc ial workers, psychologists, physical harpists, occupational therapists, teachers, administrators and school counselors. The other side tries to appeal to lawyers, food companies, and political representatives. These groups of people have the tools to promote change. IV. Power Relationships: As the obesity epidemic continues to intensify, it's becoming clear that there's more to obesity than lifestyle choices.Therefore, endocrinologists carefully examine the genetic and physiological causes and effects of obesity and develop treatment options that can produce concrete results. Endocrinologists are doctors that are facially trained to diagnose and treat diseases related to the body endocrine system – which regulates appetite, metabolism (food burning and waste elimination), and growth through chemicals known as hormones (â€Å"Combating obesity,† 2012) The same lawyers who battle the cigarette makers are now fighting the food companies.Dry, William Jacobs says â€Å"Fro m the days of â€Å"reefer madness,† that old anti- drug movie, the word â€Å"addiction† has conjured images of out-of-control behavior. But today, cutting edge science is shedding new light on addiction and its connection to chemical changes in the brain. If those changes can lead to compulsive behavior, mom scientists wonder if fatty foods and drugs Just might have more in common† (Stone, 2006) While most consumers would say what you eat is your choice. It's a matter of personal responsibility what you eat, but several academics and lawyers are arguing you're far less free to choose what's on your plate than you realize.While each group is made up of professionals who are notable, it is matter of persuading the audience to which solution is correct. V. Conclusion: Targeting obesity has support across the political spectrum. In the US, discussions of the supposed obesity epidemic usually take place within the context of a larger concussion, which assumes that t he increasing weight of the population is a sign of increasing moral laxity and that overweight and obesity are playing a significant role in driving up health care costs.This linkage is attractive for those who are ideologically committed to a focus on ‘individual responsibility, rather than on structural factors that continue to drive health care costs ever upward, and leave one out of every seven Americans without health insurance of any kind. Anxieties about increasing weight resonate with those on the left of the political spectrum as well, ho tend to interpret the ‘obesity epidemic' as both a by-product and a symbol of rampant consumer overcompensation and greedy corporations. Camps, Sashay, Reemerges, Oliver, Greaser, 2005) In this paper I have shown the construction of obesity as a social problem has been made through a series of steps used in the social construction of a social problem. Claims were made by those who feel obesity is problem of individual making b ad lifestyle choices and those who feel is the food industry plays a huge role in why more people are obese today. Both groups validate obesity is an epidemic and therefore a social problem however these groups battle the way we are to combat this problem.

GMOs essays

GMOs essays Benefits of Genetically Modified Organisms We live in a world that is constantly changing and advancing thanks to technological advancements, especially in the field of molecular genetics. Today, we are discovering and implementing new ways to overcome the ill-fated symptoms developed as a result from poor health or accidents. We are also making advancements in the field of agriculture thanks to molecular genetics. As we all know, food is an essential entity in our lives and is abundant as well as relatively easy to obtain here in the United States. However, as good as it may sound, this is not necessarily true for developing countries. Many people in developing countries receive very little food, if any, due to its scarcity. It is estimated that in Asia alone, close to 800 million people go to bed hungry every night due to food shortage. This problem can be alleviated by turning to the production of genetically modified organisms (a.k.a. GMOs). Genetically modified organisms can be plants or animals that have been genetically altered to produce or express a desired characteristic or trait. By genetically altering organisms such as crops, we can eliminate the use of pesticides by making the crops resistant to insects. We can also produce crops that are resistant to floods and droughts. Furthermore, with the use of molecular genetics, we are able to produce foods that are rich in nutrients and supplements. People in developing countries may not be fortunate enough to have a full course meal that contains nutrients from all four basic food groups. However, GMOs can with a little modification provide all the amino acids, vitamins, and minerals included in a good diet by simply consuming a genetically modified staple crop such as rice. In addition, by producing crops that are resistant to harsh environmental conditions as well as pests, we would see a rapid increase in the production of food thereby redu...

Free Essays Online

Free Essays Online Free Essays Online Free Essays Online Free essays online are abundant but you should be very careful not to copy a single line. Teachers as well as students are fully aware of the splendor of essays posted online. Therefore, do not play games with your academic career - use free essays online as samples only.   If you need help with essay writing, we offer customized assistance with all types of essays. You may either place an order or contact us for further clarification. is open 24/7! Free essay online sample - health At the personal level, risk-benefit decisions often involve the question of whether to avoid substances that may be harmful to health. Is the flavor of a steak well marbled with fat worth a possibly increased probability of dying of a heart attack? Is the relaxation, pleasure, and possible ease of weight control that accompanies smoking a sufficient benefit to counterbalance the substantially increased possibilities of dying young of lung cancer or circulatory disease? Do the benefits of using aerosol underarm deodorants or hair sprays compensate for possible health effects, which are certainly small (and may be zero), of inhaling them? People informally weigh such risks all the time, always in the face of uncertainty and often even without access to the basic information about the risks that society possesses. Even when considerable information is available, and the power to act is in your hands, decisions may not be easy. Suppose it were announced that your town's drinking water contained that chemical that gives you a one in 10 million chance of dying of liver cancer if you drink that water for the rest of your life. Would you spend $10 a year on a filter to remove the material? $100 a year? $1,000? Your answer would obviously depend on many things, including your age and financial situation. Consider a more familiar example. There are undeniable benefits to driving a private automobile's convenience being paramount among them. But when everybody is driving a private automobile and commuters spend hours daily in near gridlock, the convenience factor is reduced and the direct (accident) and indirect (air pollution) risks escalate. Even now the benefits of driving are difficult to balance against the escalating risks. How does one calculate into the conveniences and inconveniences of automobile commuting the risks of additional exposure to airborne carcinogens and heart-threatening carbon monoxide or the contribution that the automobile makes toward global warming? Is the residual convenience worth a month-shorter life expectancy? A year? Two years? Is it worth a 1-percent chance of subjecting your grandchildren to food shortages by contributing to future crop failures caused by global warming? A 2 percent chance? A 5-percent chance? Custom Writing The above sample is posted here for free. Thus, it is open for all visitors of the site. If you have found this page, your teacher may find it as well.  Thus, it is recommended to use customized writing help, service offered by professional writers. Your customized essay will be written from scratch and never resold to other customers.   Finally, it will not be posted anywhere online. Prices are very affordable.

Global Politcal economy - To what extent can free trade be viewed as Essay

Global Politcal economy - To what extent can free trade be viewed as beneficial to economic development Use specific examples to support your answer - Essay Example World Trade Organizations (WTO) , European Commission, US Trade Representative and Fronning, 2005 are all conclusive that countries derive benefits. Free trade encourages growth and jobs since lowering trade barriers is good for employment. However, it is noted that as trade expands ,some jobs are lost because of technology and competition from imports. In terms of job creation, EU Commission calculates that the creation of its single market meant 300,000 to 900,000 jobs to be created. Job prospects are enhanced in companies involved in trade. WTO reports 12 million people in the United States owe their jobs to exports; 1.3 million well paying jobs were created between 1994 and 1998. In Mexico, best jobs are those related to export activities, workers of sectors that export 60 percent of its production or more are paid 39% higher than the rest in the economy and those working in in-bond assembly plants are paid 3.5 times the Mexican minimum wage. Free trade brings competence in the system. It helps cut costs because of rules involved. For instance, when there is no free trade, different tariffs and duties are imposed; and if you were an importer of parts for your own production, it would be difficult to calculate different tariff rates charged on imports, thus buying would be very difficult. So in this aspect, free trade brings simplification and standardization of procedures, transparency, and increased certainty on trading conditions. Free trade discourages lobbying in the sense that governments are protected from lobbying of interest groups. For instance when a pressure group asks for protectionism, government can safely reject it on the basis of free trade agreements. Free trade encourages good governance since the rule reduces opportunities for corruption. Take for example quota system as a trade barrier. The quota system is the allocation of a specific amount for import or export. This system is prone to corruption because it

Essay/story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

/story - Essay Example She was already in Turkey, where she was now waiting for her mother Rose and her step-father Mustapha (Shafak 2007). She had the entire plan in her mind, coded and programmed, where she knew exactly how to target the enemies. One by one, she would take down each and everyone after which her Armenian blood would be satiated. Only after seeking revenge would she be able to return to America, and start a new life with little regrets and massive satisfaction. After having confirmed that Asya was indeed Zeliha`s daughter via a DNA test she had conducted before, she now had a leverage over Zeliha. She dug deeper to find out who the father of Asya was since she had her apprehensions when she sensed the discomfort in Zeliha`s eyes over the subject. She found rather odd that a bold audacious woman like Zeliha would abstain from accepting Asya as her own daughter, and more so as to keep Asya in the dark over who her father was. To dig deeper, Armanoush went ahead to investigate about all the past affairs Zeliha was having by the time she had conceived Asya. She had to find out who Asya`s father was, to further aggrandize the leverage over the situation which she had planned on exploiting later. Also, she was well aware of Mustsapha`s hesitation over visitng Turkey. In all these years, how come Mustapha never even thought of visiting his family, the Kazancis (Shafak 2007). She knew something was wrong, and she was determined to find out. Her instincts were telling her to plot a confrontation between Mustapha and aunt Zeliha, and she was sure something would pop, since Zeliha felt so uncomfortable with the idea of Mustapha visiting. Thus, that night, while her parents would arrive, she had planned out an episode to ensure a direct confrontation between Zeliha and Mustapha. Armanoush and Asya, along with Aunt Banu were leaving the doorway while aunty Zeliha came after them, perplexed and anguished at the same time. ‘Asya, come back here you.

Research Paper on Censorship Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

On Censorship - Research Paper Example Censorship has been used throughout the history not only in communist countries but in democratic countries as well. From the beginning of civilization, censorship has been used by groups as well as individuals to prevent and control dangerous creations, information and ideas which are pernicious for the society. Throughout history it has taken different courses and occurred for various reasons. The main causes of censorship are religion, politics and sex related issues. Censorship are usually done in several areas such print media (newspaper), radio and television for religious purposes and offensive texts and objectionable speeches or behavior. Censorship should be done to benefit the society as a whole, as it is essential to protect the society from internal threat, to maintain peace and order. Censorship is needed and can be justified as censorship is pivotal to maintain social stability, racial harmony and to protect the mass from dangerous influences which can hamper the social growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many people who are against censorship argues that censorship should not be done as the banning of ideas, thoughts and information in any stream  is unconstitutional, for the first amendment guarantees freedom of speech and the press. The Amendment 1 dictates that: â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievance† (Bill of Rights: Amendment I 1). The constitution did provide us with the freedom of speech and press, but it is not right to take this freedom and say anything we want anywhere, at anytime. Freedom should be used but in no way should it be misused. For example if a person hates another race and writes a book about abolishing that race, that person is clearly misusing his / her rights and at the same time dis rupting the harmony of the society. History has shown us time and again that man is an animal if not regulated by rules and regulations. If censorship is not done, the society, as we know, will be chaotic. Freedom should not be taken for granted and should not be misused. Censorship keeps freedom in control to maintain the social order.   It should be kept in mind that too much information can be and often is a dangerous thing. Having said that, it is true, there are some facts that are not suitable for the entire public. Censorship makes sure that dangerous ideas, ideologies, philosophies and outlook does not disrupt the citizens of the state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In today’s world, media plays a crucial role in influencing both good and bad behavior and ideas. One cannot argue the fact that it depends on the individual choices and what he / she feels like watching. But, the reality is that when one watches a television show, it stagnates into the memory. This often res ults in young people ending up absorbing information far more than they needed for their age group and this has a negative impact on them. Youth’s mind should not be tampered with negative thought or ideas as they are easily influenced by what they see and hear around them. If there is no censorship to check what the youth are watching, this can have a dangerous impact. There is no harm in filtering what

Montaigne Response Essay Example for Free

Montaigne Response Essay It is no secret Europeans have conquered not only new lands, but their neighbors on the Continent too, by lying and deceit since the days of Ancient Rome. Montaigne remarked on how â€Å"better bred sort of men†, i.e. the Europeans, are more curious and discover more than their uncivilized counterparts in the New World. Because of their â€Å"superior† breeding, this essentially allowed them to lie and explain things in order to positively affect them. Montaigne remarked on how when meeting a â€Å"plain ignorant fellow† of the New World, he appeared more likely to tell the truth, solely because he was uncivilized in the eyes of the Europeans. As he puts it, the Europeans cannot help but alter the story, never representing things how they are, but how they appeared to them. To contrast this, the Cannibal is just a simple, ignorant fellow, who tells things exactly as they are without distorting any facts or evidence. He is not capable of changing the story to suit his needs. That concept particularly stood out to me because it made me realize that the smarter, more educated, and arguably more civilized someone is, the better they are with words and the more likely they are to alter a story for personal gain. The primitive peoples of the New World were not capable of the high level deception and treachery the Europeans were. That is not to say that they were not capable of being just as cruel to their fellow man as the Europeans were, but as Montaigne puts it, lying, treachery, dissimulation, avarice, envy, detraction, pardon; they were unfamiliar concepts to the Cannibals. One question that transcends time is why some nations or peoples were able to conquer and subject others. There are many theories and arguments to answer this but I am going to make the case that it is because some can deceive and others cannot. For example, white fur traders in the early 1800s were able to get Native Americans addicted to whiskey, often diluted, and â€Å"flavored† with tobacco juice. Still, it had its desired effect and it left many tribes clamoring for more. Once the Native Americans inherent weakness for whiskey was known, fur traders and land speculators used the firewater to obtain Indian lands and furs. What is the theme of this glimpse from the past? The same words Michel de Montaigne used to describe what his Europeans colleagues were capable of; lying, treachery, dissimulation, avarice, envy, detraction and pardon. It seems to be a common theme when one people are taking over another. The concept of European superiority in the 16th century was no doubt reinforced by the magnificent art and culture that was blossoming during the Renaissance. Besides the Orient, the world was unknown, undiscovered and above all, not Christian. The Popes of the time were all too happy to commission expeditions to baptize the New World. The themes of avarice, treachery and cruelty are not exclusive to Europe, however the Europeans were able to export it on a global scale. These themes exist all over the world in every country, they are human traits, but it was the Europeans who left the Continent to conquer and kill, for God, Gold, and Glory. Cunning though they may have been, Montaigne hit the nail on the head when he remarked on European’s ability to distort the facts and to deceive the â€Å"lesser† peoples of the New World.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Cosmological Argument for the Exist

The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God The cosmological argument seeks to prove the existence of God by looking at the universe. It is an A posteriori proof based on experience and the observation of the world not logic so the outcome is probable or possible not definite. The argument is in three forms; motion, causation and being. These are also the first three ways in the five ways presented by Aquinas through which he believed the existence of God could be shown. Aquinas regarded Aristotle as the principal philosopher so many of these concepts originate in the thinking of Aristotle. One example of the cosmological argument is the argument of causation. Everything has a cause. Everything itself has a cause. But, you cannot have an infinite number of causes. Therefore there must have been an uncaused causer, which causes everything to happen without itself being caused by anything else. Such an uncaused cause is what people understand by 'God'. This idea was revisited by William Lane Craig who developed the Kalam cosmological argument. He reinforced the contention that the universe must have had a creator by firstly proving that the universe if finite. He proves this by explaining that the present would not exist in an actual infinite universe, because successive additions cannot be added to an actual infinite. The present does exist, as a result of a chronological series of past events. The universe must be finite. Craig seeks to prove that the universe must have had a beginning in time and that there must have been a creator who was uncaused. The Kalam argument makes the cosmologi... ...but does not prove there was a being that started this. The beginning of the universe could be put down to coincidence followed by the evolution of life. However, it does not disprove the existence of an uncaused causer. How do we not know that God was not responsible for the big bang? In conclusion we can see that there are many reasons to believe that the universe must have had a beginning. Both from a philosophical and scientific point of view. However, this cannot be proved, we are still able to question the idea. It is also debatable as to whether or not a personal creator was involved. This is down to personal belief and faith in God. I do not personally believe that the cosmological argument is strong enough to prove the existence of God. But, it is very convincing in proving that the universe had a beginning.

Vampire Academy Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN I WOKE UP STARING AT the boring white ceiling of the clinic. A filtered light – soothing to Moroi patients – shone down on me. I felt strange, kind of disoriented, but I didn't hurt. â€Å"Rose.† The voice was like silk on my skin. Gentle. Rich. Turning my head, I met Dimitri's dark eyes. He sat in a chair beside the bed I lay on, his shoulder-length brown hair hanging forward and framing his face. â€Å"Hey,† I said, my voice coming out as a croak. â€Å"How do you feel?† â€Å"Weird. Kind of groggy.† â€Å"Dr. Olendzki gave you something for the pain – you seemed pretty bad when we brought you in.† â€Å"I don't remember that†¦How long have I been out?† â€Å"A few hours.† â€Å"Must have been strong. Must still be strong.† Some of the details came back. The bench. My ankle getting caught. I couldn't remember much after that. Feeling hot and cold and then hot again. Tentatively, I tried moving the toes on my healthy foot. â€Å"I don't hurt at all.† He shook his head. â€Å"No. Because you weren't seriously injured.† The sound of my ankle cracking came back to me. â€Å"Are you sure? I remember†¦the way it bent. No. Something must be broken.† I manage to sit up, so I could look at my ankle. â€Å"Or at least sprained.† He moved forward to stop me. â€Å"Be careful. Your ankle might be fine, but you're probably still a little out of it.† I carefully shifted to the edge of the bed and looked down. My jeans were rolled up. The ankle looked a little red, but I had no bruises or serious marks. â€Å"God, I got lucky. If I'd hurt it, it would have put me out of practice for a while.† Smiling, he returned to his chair. â€Å"I know. You kept telling me that while I was carrying you. You were very upset.† â€Å"You†¦you carried me here?† â€Å"After we broke the bench apart and freed your foot.† Man. I'd missed out on a lot. The only thing better than imagining Dimitri carrying me in his arms was imagining him shirtless while carrying me in his arms. Then the reality of the situation hit me. â€Å"I was taken down by a bench,† I groaned. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I survived the whole day guarding Lissa, and you guys said I did a good job. Then, I get back here and meet my downfall in the form of a bench.† Ugh. â€Å"Do you know how embarrassing it is? And all those guys saw, too.† â€Å"It wasn't your fault,† he said. â€Å"No one knew the bench was rotted. It looked fine.† â€Å"Still. I should have just stuck to the sidewalk like a normal person. The other novices are going to give me shit when I get back.† His lips held back a smile. â€Å"Maybe presents will cheer you up.† I sat up straighter. â€Å"Presents?† The smile escaped, and he handed me a small box with a piece of paper. â€Å"This is from Prince Victor.† Surprised that Victor would have given me anything, I read the note. It was just a few lines, hastily scrawled in pen. Rose – I'm very happy to see you didn't suffer any serious injuries from your fall. Truly, it is a miracle. You lead a charmed life, and Vasilisa is lucky to have you. â€Å"That's nice of him,† I said, opening the box. Then I saw what was inside. â€Å"Whoa. Very nice.† It was the rose necklace, the one Lissa had wanted to get me but couldn't afford. I held it up, looping its chain over my hand so the glittering, diamond-covered rose hung free. â€Å"This is pretty extreme for a get-well present,† I noted, recalling the price. â€Å"He actually bought it in honor of you doing so well on your first day as an official guardian. He saw you and Lissa looking at it.† â€Å"Wow.† It was all I could say. â€Å"I don't think I did that good of a job.† â€Å"I do.† Grinning, I placed the necklace back in the box and set it on a nearby table. â€Å"You did say ? ®presents,' right? Like more than one?† He laughed outright, and the sound wrapped around me like a caress. God, I loved the sound of his laugh. â€Å"This is from me.† He handed me a small, plain bag. Puzzled and excited, I opened it up. Lip gloss, the kind I liked. I'd complained to him a number of times how I was running out, but I'd never thought he was paying attention. â€Å"How'd you manage to buy this? I saw you the whole time at the mall.† â€Å"Guardian secrets.† â€Å"What's this for? For my first day?† â€Å"No,† he said simply. â€Å"Because I thought it would make you happy.† Without even thinking about it, I leaned forward and hugged him. â€Å"Thank you.† Judging from his stiff posture, I'd clearly caught him by surprise. And yeah†¦I'd actually caught myself by surprise, too. But he relaxed a few moments later, and when he reached around and rested his hands on my lower back, I thought I was going to die. â€Å"I'm glad you're better,† he said. His mouth sounded like it was almost in my hair, just above my ear. â€Å"When I saw you fall†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You thought, ? ®Wow, she's a loser.' â€Å" â€Å"That's not what I thought.† He pulled back slightly, so he could see me better, but we didn't say anything. His eyes were so dark and deep that I wanted to dive right in. Staring at them made me feel warm all over, like they had flames inside. Slowly, carefully, those long fingers of his reached out and traced the edge of my cheekbone, moving up the side of my face. At the first touch of his skin on mine, I shivered. He wound a lock of my hair around one finger, just like he had in the gym. Swallowing, I dragged my eyes up from his lips. I'd been contemplating what it'd be like to kiss him. The thought both excited and scared me, which was stupid. I'd kissed a lot of guys and never thought much about it. No reason another one – even an older one – should be that big of a deal. Yet the thought of him closing the distance and bringing his lips to mine made the world start spinning. A soft knock sounded at the door, and I hastily leaned back. Dr. Olendzki stuck her head in. â€Å"I thought I heard you talking. How do you feel?† She walked over and made me lie back down. Touching and bending my ankle, she assessed it for damage and finally shook her head when finished. â€Å"You're lucky. With all the noise you made coming in here, I thought your foot had been amputated. Must have just been shock.† She stepped back. â€Å"I'd feel better if you sat out from your normal trainings tomorrow, but otherwise, you're good to go.† I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't remember my hysteria – and was actually kind of embarrassed that I'd thrown such a fit – but I had been right about the problems this would have caused me if I'd broken or sprained it. I couldn't afford to lose any time here; I needed to take my trials and graduate in the spring. Dr. Olendzki gave me the okay to go and then left the room. Dimitri walked over to another chair and brought me my shoes and coat. Looking at him, I felt a warm flush sweep me as I recalled what had happened before the doctor had entered. He watched as I slipped one of the shoes on. â€Å"You have a guardian angel.† â€Å"I don't believe in angels,† I told him. â€Å"I believe in what I can do for myself.† â€Å"Well then, you have an amazing body.† I glanced up at him with a questioning look. â€Å"For healing, I mean. I heard about the accident†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't specify which accident it was, but it could be only one. Talking about it normally bothered me, but with him, I felt I could say anything. â€Å"Everyone said I shouldn't have survived,† I explained. â€Å"Because of where I sat and the way the car hit the tree. Lissa was really the only one in a secure spot. She and I walked away with only a few scratches.† â€Å"And you don't believe in angels or miracles.† â€Å"Nope. I – â€Å" Truly, it is a miracle. You lead a charmed life†¦. And just like that, a million thoughts came slamming into my head. Maybe†¦maybe I had a guardian angel after all†¦ Dimitri immediately noticed the shift in my feelings. â€Å"What's wrong?† Reaching out with my mind, I tried to expand the bond and shake off the lingering effects of the pain medication. Some more of Lissa's feelings came through to me. Anxious. Upset. â€Å"Where's Lissa? Was she here?† â€Å"I don't know where she is. She wouldn't leave your side while I brought you in. She stayed right next the bed, right up until the doctor came in. You calmed down when she sat next to you.† I closed my eyes and felt like I might faint. I had calmed down when Lissa sat next to me because she'd taken the pain away. She'd healed me†¦ Just as she had the night of the accident. It all made sense now. I shouldn't have survived. Everyone had said so. Who knew what kind of injuries I'd actually suffered? Internal bleeding. Broken bones. It didn't matter because Lissa had fixed it, just like she'd fixed everything else. That was why she'd been leaning over me when I woke up. It was also probably why she'd passed out when they took her to the hospital. She'd been exhausted for days afterward. And that was when her depression had begun. It had seemed like a normal reaction after losing her family, but now I wondered if there was more to it, if healing me had played a role. Opening my mind again, I reached out to her, needing to find her. If she'd healed me, there was no telling what shape she could be in now. Her moods and magic were linked, and this had been a pretty intense show of magic. The drug was almost gone from my system, and like that, I snapped into her. It was almost easy now. A tidal wave of emotions hit me, worse than when her nightmares engulfed me. I'd never felt such intensity from her before. She sat in the chapel's attic, crying. She didn't entirely know why she was crying either. She felt happy and relieved that I'd been unharmed, that she'd been able to heal me. At the same time, she felt weak in both body and mind. She burned inside, like she'd lost part of herself. She worried I'd be mad because she'd used her powers. She dreaded going through another school day tomorrow, pretending she liked being with a crowd who had no other interests aside from spending their families' money and making fun of those less beautiful and less popular. She didn't want to go to the dance with Aaron and see him watch her so adoringly – and feel him touching her – when she felt only friendship for him. Most of these were all normal concerns, but they hit her hard, harder than they would an ordinary person, I thought. She couldn't sort through them or figure out how to fix them. â€Å"You okay?† She looked up and brushed the hair away from where it stuck to her wet cheeks. Christian stood in the entrance to the attic. She hadn't even heard him come up the stairs. She'd been too lost in her own grief. A flicker of both longing and anger sparked within her. â€Å"I'm fine,† she snapped. Sniffling, she tried to stop her tears, not wanting him to see her weak. Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms and wore an unreadable expression. â€Å"Do†¦do you want to talk?† â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She laughed harshly. â€Å"You want to talk now? After I tried so many times – â€Å" â€Å"I didn't want that! That was Rose – â€Å" He cut himself off and I flinched. I was totally busted. Lissa stood up and strode toward him. â€Å"What about Rose?† â€Å"Nothing.† His mask of indifference slipped back into place. â€Å"Forget it.† â€Å"What about Rose?† She stepped closer. Even through her anger, she still felt that inexplicable attraction to him. And then she understood. â€Å"She made you, didn't she? She told you to stop talking to me?† He stared stonily ahead. â€Å"It was probably for the best. I would have just messed things up for you. You wouldn't be where you are now.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† â€Å"What do you think it means? God. People live or die at your command now, Your Highness.† â€Å"You're being kind of melodramatic.† â€Å"Am I? All day, I hear people talking about what you're doing and what you're thinking and what you're wearing. Whether you'll approve. Who you like. Who you hate. They're your puppets.† â€Å"It's not like that. Besides, I had to do it. To get back at Mia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rolling his eyes, he looked away from her. â€Å"You don't even know what you're getting back at her for.† Lissa's anger flared. â€Å"She set up Jesse and Ralf to say those things about Rose! I couldn't let her get away with that.† â€Å"Rose is tough. She would have gotten over it.† â€Å"You didn't see her,† she replied obstinately. â€Å"She was crying.† â€Å"So? People cry. You're crying.† â€Å"Not Rose.† He turned back to her, a dark smile curling his lips. â€Å"I've never seen anything like you two. Always so worried about each other. I get her thing – some kind of weird guardian hang-up – but you're just the same.† â€Å"She's my friend.† â€Å"I guess it's that simple. I wouldn't know.† He sighed, momentarily thoughtful, then snapped back to sarcastic mode. â€Å"Anyway. Mia. So you got back at her over what she did to Rose. But you're missing the point. Why did she do it?† Lissa frowned. â€Å"Because she was jealous about me and Aaron – â€Å" â€Å"More to it than that, Princess. What did she have to be jealous about? She already had him. She didn't need to attack you to drive that home. She could have just made a big show of being all over him. Sort of like you are now,† he added wryly. â€Å"Okay. What else is there, then? Why did she want to ruin my life? I never did anything to her – before all this, I mean.† He leaned forward, crystal-blue eyes boring into hers. â€Å"You're right. You didn't – but your brother did.† Lissa pulled away from him. â€Å"You don't know anything about my brother.† â€Å"I know he screwed Mia over. Literally.† â€Å"Stop it, stop lying.† â€Å"I'm not. Swear to God or whoever else you want to believe in. I used to talk to Mia now and then, back when she was a freshman. She wasn't very popular, but she was smart. Still is. She used to work on a lot of committees with royals – dances and stuff. I don't know all of it. But she got to know your brother on one of those, and they sort of got together.† â€Å"They did not. I would have known. Andre would have told me.† â€Å"Nope. He didn't tell anyone. He told her not to either. He convinced her it should be some kind of romantic secret when really, he just didn't want any of his friends to find out he was getting naked with a non-royal freshman.† â€Å"If Mia told you that, she was making it up,† exclaimed Lissa. â€Å"Yeah, well, I don't think she was making it up when I saw her crying. He got tired of her after a few weeks and dumped her. Told her she was too young and that he couldn't really get serious with someone who wasn't from a good family. From what I understand, he wasn't even nice about it either – didn't even bother with the ? ®let's be friends' stuff.† Lissa pushed herself into Christian's face. â€Å"You didn't even know Andre! He would never have done that.† â€Å"You didn't know him. I'm sure he was nice to his baby sister; I'm sure he loved you. But in school, with his friends, he was just as much of a jerk as the rest of the royals. I saw him because I see everything. Easy when no one notices you.† She held back a sob, unsure whether to believe him or not. â€Å"So this is why Mia hates me?† â€Å"Yup. She hates you because of him. That, and because you're royal and she's insecure around all royals, which is why she worked so hard to claw up the ranks and be their friend. I think it's a coincidence that she ended up with your ex-boyfriend, but now that you're back, that probably made it worse. Between stealing him and spreading those stories about her parents, you guys really picked the best ways to make her suffer. Nice work.† The smallest pang of guilt lurched inside of her. â€Å"I still think you're lying.† â€Å"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar. That's your department. And Rose's.† â€Å"We don't – â€Å" â€Å"Exaggerate stories about people's families? Say that you hate me? Pretend to be friends with people you think are stupid? Date a guy you don't like?† â€Å"I like him.† â€Å"Like or like?† â€Å"Oh, there's a difference?† â€Å"Yes. Like is when you date a big, blond moron and laugh at his stupid jokes.† Then, out of nowhere, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was hot and fast and furious, an outpouring of the rage and passion and longing that Christian always kept locked inside of him. Lissa had never been kissed like that, and I felt her respond to it, respond to him – how he made her feel so much more alive than Aaron or anyone else could. Christian pulled back from the kiss but still kept his face next to hers. â€Å"That's what you do with someone you like.† Lissa's heart pounded with both anger and desire. â€Å"Well, I don't like or like you. And I think you and Mia are both lying about Andre. Aaron would never make up anything like that.† â€Å"That's because Aaron doesn't say anything that requires words of more than one syllable.† She pulled away. â€Å"Get out. Get away from me.† He looked around comically. â€Å"You can't throw me out. We both signed the lease.† â€Å"Get. Out!† she yelled. â€Å"I hate you!† He bowed. â€Å"Anything you want, Your Highness.† With a final dark look, he left the attic. Lissa sank to her knees, letting out the tears she'd held back from him. I could barely make sense out of all the things hurting her. God only knew things upset me – like the Jesse incident – but they didn't attack me in the same way. They swirled within her, beating at her brain. The stories about Andre. Mia's hate. Christian's kiss. Healing me. This, I realized, was what real depression felt like. What madness felt like. Overcome, drowning in her own pain, Lissa made the only decision she could. The only thing she could do to channel all of these emotions. She opened up her purse and found the tiny razor blade she always carried†¦ Sickened, yet unable to break away, I felt as she cut her left arm, making perfectly even marks, watching as the blood flowed across her white skin. As always, she avoided veins, but her cuts were deeper this time. The cutting stung horribly, yet in doing it, she was able to focus on the physical pain, distract herself from the mental anguish so that she could feel like she was in control. Drops of blood splattered onto the dusty floor, and her world began spinning. Seeing her own blood intrigued her. She had taken blood from others her entire life. Me. The feeders. Now, here it was, leaking out. With a nervous giggle, she decided it was funny. Maybe by letting it out, she was giving it back to those she'd stolen it from. Or maybe she was wasting it, wasting the sacred Dragomir blood that everyone obsessed over. I'd forced my way into her head, and now I couldn't get out. Her emotions had ensnared me now – they were too strong and too powerful. But I had to escape – I knew it with every ounce of my being. I had to stop her. She was too weak from the healing to lose this much blood. It was time to tell someone. Breaking out at last, I found myself back in the clinic. Dimitri's hands were on me, gently shaking me as he said my name over and over in an effort to get my attention. Dr. Olendzki stood beside him, face dark and concerned. I stared at Dimitri, truly seeing how much he worried and cared about me. Christian had told me to get help, to go to someone I trusted about Lissa. I'd ignored the advice because I didn't trust anyone except her. But looking at Dimitri now, feeling that sense of understanding we shared, I knew that I did trust someone else. I felt my voice crack as I spoke. â€Å"I know where she is. Lissa. We have to help her.†