Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Six

â€Å"Sheba,† she said, her dark eyes widening. â€Å"Sheba†¦ Smith.† â€Å"Well, would you like to dance then, Sheba Smith? If you feel well enough.† â€Å"Yes,† she breathed, half to herself. â€Å"Yes, why not?† Her eyes never left his. Not moving from where they were, Gabe and Sheba began swaying to the rhythm of yet another wretched song. This time, the horrid music didn't offend Gabe as much. Gabe put it together then. New girl. Amazing dress. Sheba. This was Logan's date, the one who'd asked him to the prom and then wanted nothing more to do with him. For a half second, Gabe worried if it was wrong for him to infringe on his friend's date. But the worry passed quickly. For one thing, Logan was happy with Libby. There was no sense in interrupting something that was clearly meant to be. For another, Sheba and Logan were clearly not meant to be. Gabe had always had a good instinct for that-for the personalities that belonged together, for compatible natures that would pull together harmoniously. He'd been the butt of many jokes about matchmaking, but he didn't mind. Gabe liked people to be happy. And this intense girl with the deep pools in her eyes-Sheba-did not belong with Logan. That desperate sense of need had calmed when he'd touched her. Gabe felt much better with her in his arms-holding her seemed to soothe the strange call. She was safe here, no longer drowning, no longer lost. Gabe was afraid to let her go, worried that the burning need would return. It was an odd first for Gabe, this feeling of being in exactly the right place, of being the only one that belonged here. It wasn't that he'd never had a girlfriend before-girls liked Gabe, and he'd had many casual relationships. But they never lasted. There was always someone else they belonged with. None of them really needed Gabe, except as a friend. And they'd always stayed good friends. It had never been like this. Was this where Gabe belonged? Shielding this slender girl, holding her safe in his arms? It was silly to think so fatalistically. Gabe tried hard to act normal. â€Å"You're new at Reed River, aren't you?† he asked her. â€Å"I've only been here a few weeks,† she confirmed. â€Å"I don't think we have any classes together.† â€Å"No, I would have remembered if I'd been close to you before.† It was an odd way of phrasing it. She stared into his eyes, her hands clinging gently to his shoulders. Instinctively, he pulled her a little closer. â€Å"Are you having a good time tonight?† he asked. She sighed, a deep sigh from the center of her being. â€Å"I am now,† she said, oddly rueful. â€Å"A very good time.† Trapped! Like an idiot, like a new-spawned whelp, a novice, a rookie! Sheba leaned into Gabe, unable to resist. Unable to want to resist. She stared into his heavenly eyes and had the most ridiculous urge to sigh. How had she not seen the signs? The way goodness itself surrounded him like a shield. The way her suggestions bounced right off him harmlessly. The way the only ones safe from her evil tonight-those little bubbles of happiness outside of her control-were the people he'd touched and interacted with, his friends. The eyes alone should have been warning enough! Celeste was smarter than Sheba. At least her instincts had kept her away from this dangerous boy. Once she was free of his piercing gaze, she'd kept a safe distance between them. Why hadn't Sheba understood the reason behind this? And the reason Gabe had chosen Celeste in the first place. Of course he'd been drawn to Celeste! It all made sense now. Sheba swayed to the beat that rumbled through the air, feeling the security of his body around her, protecting her. Tiny, unfamiliar tendrils of happiness twisted their way through her empty core. No-not that! Not happiness! If she was already feeling happy, then better things couldn't be too far behind. Was there no way to avoid the horrible wonder of love? That wasn't very likely when you were in an angel's arms. Not a true angel. Gabe didn't have wings, he'd never had them-he wasn't one of those sappy birdbrains who'd traded feathers and eternity for human love. But one of his parents had done just that. Gabe was fully half-angel-though he didn't have a clue about his nature. If he'd had any idea, Sheba would have heard that in his mind and escaped this divine horror. Now it was only too obvious to Sheba-this close, she could smell the scent of asphodel clinging to his skin. And, clearly, he'd inherited his angel-parent's eyes. The heaven-blue eyes that should have been a dead giveaway, if Sheba hadn't been so wrapped up in her evil plotting. There was a reason even experienced demons like Jezebel were wary of angels. If it was hazardous for a human to stare into a demon's eyes, it was doubly so for a demon to get locked into an angel's. If ever a demon met an angel's gaze for too long, pfffffft! – out went the fires of hell and the demon was trapped until the angel gave up on saving him. Because that's what angels did. They saved. Sheba was an eternal being, and she was trapped for however long Gabe decided to keep her. A full angel would have known what Sheba was at once, and driven her out if he were strong enough, or given her a wide berth if he wasn't. But Sheba could imagine what her presence would feel like to someone with Gabe's instinct to save. Innocent of the knowledge he needed to understand, Sheba's damned state must have been like a siren's call. She stared helplessly into Gabe's beautiful face, her body filling with happiness, and wondered how long the torture would last. Already too long to save her perfect prom. Without her hellfire, Sheba had no influence over the mortals here. But she was still fully aware, watching helpless and disgustingly blissful, as it all fell apart. Cooper Silverdale gasped in horror as he looked at the gun glistening in his shaking hand. What was he thinking? He shoved the weapon back into its hiding place and half ran to the bathroom, where he violently vomited the punch into the sink. Cooper's stomach problems interrupted Matt and Derek's fistfight, which was just warming up in the men's room. The two friends squinted through their swollen eyes at each other. Why were they fighting? Over a girl that neither of them even liked? How stupid! Suddenly, they were interrupting each other in their urgent need to apologize. With smiles on split lips and arms around shoulders, they headed back to the ballroom. David Alvarado had given up his plans to jump Heath after the dance, because Evie had forgiven him for disappearing with Celeste. Her cheek was soft and warm against his now as they swayed to the slow music, and there was no way he would hurt her by disappearing again, not for any reason. David was not the only one who felt that way. As if the new song was magical rather than insipid, the dancers in the big ballroom each moved instinctively toward the person they should have come with in the first place, the one that would transform the night's misery into happiness. Coach Lauder, lonely and depressed, looked up from the unappetizing cookies straight into Vice Principal Finkle's sad eyes. She looked lonely, too. The coach walked toward her, smiling hesitantly. Shaking her head and blinking her eyes like someone trying to escape a nightmare, Melissa Harris pulled away from Tyson and ran for the exit. She would find the concierge and get a cab†¦ Like a rubber band that had been stretched too far, the atmosphere at Reed River's prom now snapped back with a vengeance. If Sheba had been herself, she would have pulled that rubber band until it exploded into pieces. But now all the misery and wrath and hate vanished. The human minds had been stuck in their grip too long. With relief, everyone at the prom relaxed into happiness, grasped at love with two hands. Even Celeste was tired of the mayhem. She stayed in Rob's arms, shuddering slightly at the memory of those perfect blue eyes, as one slow song melted into the next. Neither Sheba nor Gabe even noticed the song change. All her delicious pain and misery destroyed! Even if she did get free, Sheba was destined for middle school now. Where was the injustice?! And Jezebel! Had she planned this? Tried to distract Sheba from the fact that a dangerous half-angel was here tonight? Or would she be disappointed? Was she really there in encouragement? Sheba had no way to find out. She wouldn't even be able to see Jezebel now-whether the horned demoness was laughing or chagrined-with her fires extinguished. Disgusted with herself, Sheba sighed in happiness. Gabe was just so good. And, in his arms, she felt good, too. She felt wonderful. Sheba simply had to get free before happiness and love ruined her! Would she be trapped with some feather-back's heavenly offspring forever? Gabe smiled at her, and she sighed again. Sheba knew what Gabe would be feeling now. Angels were never happier than when they were making someone else happy, and the bigger the lift in that other person's spirit, the more ecstatic the angel. As perfectly miserable and damned as Sheba had been, Gabe must be flying now-it would be almost as good as having wings. He would never want to let her go. There was just one chance left for Sheba, just one way back to her wretched, miserable, burning, stinking home. Gabe had to order her there. Thinking of this chance, Sheba felt much worse, felt a welcome wave of her former misery. Gabe tightened his hold on her as he sensed her slipping down, and the misery was drowned in contentment, but Sheba remained hopeful. She stared up into his love-filled angel-eyes and smiled dreamily. You're evil incarnate, Sheba told herself. You have a true talent for misery. You know suffering inside and out. You can get yourself out of this trap and everything will be like it used to be. After all, with as much pain and havoc as Sheba was capable of causing, how hard could it possibly be to get this angelic boy to tell her to go to hell? Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Six â€Å"Put them up,† Glasses Geek said. â€Å"I mean your arms. Miranda did what he said because his hands were shaking so much she was afraid he'd shoot her by accident. â€Å"Who are you? What are you doing here?† he demanded in a voice that shook almost as much as his hands. â€Å"I just wanted to get a glimpse of Her,† she said, hoping she made it sound right. He narrowed his eyes. â€Å"How did you know She was here?† â€Å"The Gardener told me, but I didn't know where She was being kept so I climbed up that tree to look.† â€Å"Which affiliate are you with?† I knew this would end in tears. What now, smarty pants? Miranda raised an eyebrow and said, â€Å"Which affiliate are you with?† Adding for good measure, â€Å"I mean, I would remember a guy like you if I'd seen you before.† It worked! She saw him swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. She would never doubt How to Get-And Kiss-Your Guy again! He said, â€Å"I'd remember you, too.† She hit him with a dose of Winsome Smile and saw the Adam's apple do some more moving. She said, â€Å"If I give you my hand to shake, will you shoot me?† He chortled and put down the gun. â€Å"No,† still chortling. Holding out his hand now. â€Å"I'm Craig.† â€Å"Hi, Craig, I'm Miranda,† she said, taking it. Then flipped him onto his back and knocked him out cold in a single silent move. She looked at her hand for a second in shock. She'd definitely never done that before. That had been very cool. If you're going to be an idiot and risk everything, you might as well do what you came for. You know, instead of just staring at the guy you knocked out? She bent to whisper, â€Å"Sorry. Take three aspirin for your head when you wake up and you'll feel better,† in his ear, and moved around the edge of the safe house. There must have been an open window because she could hear voices here, the man who had been outside before now saying to someone, â€Å"Are you comfortable?† And Sibby answering, â€Å"No. I don't like this couch. I can't believe this is the nicest room in the house. It looks like a place for a grandma.† Heh! Miranda followed the sound of Sibby's voice and found herself standing in front of one of the street-facing plate-glass windows, looking through a gap in dark blue drapes into a living room. There was a spindly-looking couch, chair, and coffee table. Sibby was in the chair, her profile to Miranda, with a plate of Oreos in front of her. She looked fine. The man was perched on the couch, smiling at Sibby, saying, â€Å"So, where are we supposed to drop you?† Sibby took the top cookie off the Oreo and ate it. â€Å"I'll tell you later.† The man kept smiling. â€Å"I'd like to know so I can plan the route. We can't be too careful.† â€Å"Oh my gods, there's like hours before we go. I want to watch some TV.† Miranda heard the man's heart speed up and saw his hand flex but he kept his tone light when he said, â€Å"Of course.† Then added, â€Å"As soon as you tell me where we're taking you.† Sibby frowned at him. â€Å"Are you deaf or something? I said I'd tell you later.† â€Å"It's in your best interest to talk to me. Otherwise I'm afraid I'll have to bring in someone else. Someone a bit more†¦ forceful.† â€Å"Fine. But while I'm waiting, can I please watch TV? Tell me you get cable. Oh gods, if you don't have MTV, I'm going to be really pissed.† The man stood up with an expression on his face like he wanted to break something, then abruptly turned to face the door. Miranda heard footsteps coming toward the room from the hallway, and with them a familiar cha-cha heartbeat. Two seconds later Deputy Sergeant Caleb Reynolds burst through the door. See? Sibby's in no danger. The police are here. Scram. Deputy Reynolds said to the man, â€Å"What's taking so long?† â€Å"She won't talk.† â€Å"I'm sure she'll change her mind.† His heartbeat picked up. Sibby glanced at him. â€Å"Who are you?† Caleb said, â€Å"I'm the Gardener.† This was extremely not good, Miranda decided. â€Å"I wasn't very impressed with the front lawn,† Sibby told him. â€Å"I'm not that kind of Gardener. It's a nickname. They call me that because-â€Å" â€Å"Actually, I'm not even vaguely interested. I don't know what you're planning, Plant Boy-â€Å" â€Å"Gardener,† he corrected, going a touch red. † – but if you need to know where I'm supposed to be picked up by the Overseer, then you have to keep me alive, right? So you can't exactly threaten me with death.† â€Å"Not death, no. But pain.† He addressed the man. â€Å"Go get me my tools, Byron.† As the man left the room, Sibby said, â€Å"I'm not going to tell you anything.† Deputy Reynolds circled around so he was leaning over her chair, his back to the window. â€Å"Listen to me-† he said, his heartbeat slowing down suddenly. Miranda did a round-off, smashing through the window feet first, then knocked him unconscious with a side kick to the neck before he could turn around. She bent to whisper, â€Å"Sorry,† in his ear, decided as punishment not to tell him about the aspirins, grabbed Sibby, sprinted to the car, and stepped on the gas. Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Six Yun Sun's voice grew sharp. â€Å"Frankie, no!† â€Å"I'm such an idiot-why didn't I think of it before?† â€Å"Wait. Don't do it, don't make the-† She broke off. I heard a â€Å"whoops,† followed by drunken apologies and someone saying, â€Å"Oh, I love your dress!† It sounded like everyone was having fun. I'd soon be having fun with them. I made it to the den and approached the bookshelf where I'd left the corsage. I patted the tops of the books and then the space behind them. My fingers found softness, like petals of skin. â€Å"I'm back,† Yun Sun said. The background sounds had diminished, suggesting she'd stepped outside. â€Å"And, Frankie, I know you're hurting. I know that. But what happened to Will was just a coincidence. A terrible, terrible coincidence.† â€Å"Call it what you want,† I said. â€Å"I'm making my second wish.† I plucked the corsage from behind the books. Yun Sun's anxiety intensified. â€Å"Frankie, no, you can't!† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"He fell from three hundred feet! His body was†¦ they said he was mangled beyond†¦ that's why they had a closed casket, remember?† â€Å"So?† â€Å"He's been rotting in a coffin for thirteen days!† she cried. â€Å"Yun Sun, that is a tasteless thing to say. Honestly, if it were Jeremy being brought back to life, would we even be having this conversation?† I drew the flowers to my face, lightly touching the petals with my lips. â€Å"Listen, I've got to go. But save some punch for me! And Will! Ooo, make that lots of punch for Will-I bet he'll be absolutely crazed with thirst!† I flipped my phone shut. I held the corsage aloft. â€Å"I wish for Will to be alive again!† I cried exultantly. The stench of decay thickened the air. The corsage curled, as if the petals were shrinking in on themselves. I flung it away on autopilot, just as I'd shake off an earwig that chanced to light on my hand. But whatever. The corsage wasn't important. What was important was Will. Where was he? I glanced around, ridiculously expecting him to be sitting on the sofa, looking at me like You're scared of a bunch of dried flowers? Pitiful! The sofa was empty, a gloomy, looming shape by the wall. I darted to the window and peered out. Nothing. Just the wind, fluttering the leaves on the trees. â€Å"Will?† I said. Again nothing. A tremendous well of disappointment opened inside me, and I sank into my father's leather armchair. Stupid Frankie. Stupid, foolish, pathetic me. Time passed. Cicadas chirped. Stupid cicadas. And then, so faint, a thud. And then another. I straightened my spine. Gravel popped on the road†¦ or maybe the driveway? The thuds came closer. They were labored and with the odd offbeat of a limp, or of something being dragged. I strained to hear. There-a thump, ten feet away on the porch. A thump that was distinctly inhuman. My throat closed as Yun Sun's words wormed back to me. Mangled, she'd said. Rotting. I wasn't paying attention before. Now it was too late. What had I done? I jumped out of the chair and fled to the entry hall, safe from the eyes of anyone-or anything-who might choose to peer through the den's wide windows. What, exactly, had I brought back to life? A knock echoed through the house. I whimpered, then clapped my hand over my mouth. â€Å"Frankie?† a voice called. â€Å"I'm, uh†¦ yikes. I'm kind of a mess.† He laughed his self-deprecating laugh. â€Å"But I'm here. That's the important thing. I'm here to take you to prom!† â€Å"We don't have to go to prom,† I said. Was that me sounding so shrill? â€Å"Who needs prom? I mean, seriously!† â€Å"Yeah, sure, this from the girl who would kill for the perfect romantic evening.† The knob rattled. â€Å"Aren't you going to let me in?† I hyperventilated. There was a series of plops, like overripe strawberries being dropped into the trash, and then, â€Å"Aw, dude. Not good.† â€Å"Will?† I whispered. â€Å"This is so uncool†¦ but do you have any stain remover?† Holy crap. Holy, holy, holy crap. â€Å"You're not mad, are you?† Will asked. He sounded worried. â€Å"I came as fast as I could. But it was so frickin' weird, Frankie. Because, like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My mind flew to airless caskets, deep in the ground. Please, no, I thought. â€Å"Forget it. It was weird-let's leave it at that.† He tried to lighten things up. â€Å"Now are you going to let me in, or what? I'm falling to pieces out here!† I pressed my body against the hall wall. My knees buckled, I wasn't doing too well with muscle control, but I reminded myself that I was safe behind the solid front door. Whatever else he was, Will was still flesh and bones. Well, partially. But not yet a ghost who could move through walls. â€Å"Will, you've got to go,† I said. â€Å"I made a mistake, okay?† â€Å"A mistake? What do you mean?† His confusion broke my heart. â€Å"It's just†¦ oh God.† I started crying. â€Å"We're not right for each other anymore. You understand, don't you?† â€Å"No, I don't. You wanted me to ask you to prom, so I asked you to prom. And now for no good reason†¦ ohhh! I get it!† â€Å"You do?† â€Å"You don't want me to see you! That's it, isn't it? You're nervous about how you look!† â€Å"Um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Should I run with this? Should I say yes just so he would leave? â€Å"Frankie. Dude. You have nothing to worry about.† He laughed. â€Å"One, you're beautiful; and two, compared to me, there's no way you won't look like†¦ I don't know, an angel from heaven.† He sounded relieved, as if he'd had a niggling sense of something being off, but couldn't quite place his finger on it. But now he knew: It was Frankie having self-esteem issues, that's all! Silly Frankie! I heard a shuffling, and then the bump of a small wooden lid. My body tensed, because I knew that bump. The milk box-crap. He'd remembered the key in the milk box. â€Å"I'm letting myself in,† he called, slump-thumping back to the front door.† ‘Kay, Franks? ‘Cause all of a sudden I'm, like, dying to see you!† He laughed, jubilant. â€Å"I mean, wait, that came out wrong†¦ but, heck, guess that's the theme of the night. Everything's coming out wrong-and I do mean everything!† I fled to the den, where I got on my hands and knees and frantically patted the floor. If only it weren't so dark! The deadbolt stuck, and Will jangled the key. His breathing was clotted. â€Å"I'm coming, Frankie!† he called. Jangle, jangle. â€Å"I'm coming as fast as I can!† My fear ratcheted so high that I was thrown into an altered state of reality. I was gasping and crying out, I could hear myself, and my hands were blind feelers, pawing and slapping as I crawled. With a thunk, the bolt slid home. â€Å"Yes,† Will crowed. The door swished over the frayed carpet at the exact instant my fingers closed on the crumbling corsage. â€Å"Frankie? Why is it so dark? And why aren't you-â€Å" I squeezed my eyes shut and spoke my final wish. All sounds ceased, save for the rustle of wind in the leaves. The door, continuing its slow trajectory, bumped against the doorjamb. I stayed where I was on the floor. I sobbed, because my heart was breaking. No, my heart was broken. After several moments, the cicadas once again took up their yearning chorus. I rose to my feet, stumbled across the room, and stood, shivering, in the open doorway. Outside, a pale shaft of moonlight shone on the deserted road. Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Six I'm too stunned to do anything to stop him, really. Well, okay, as the initial shock of it is wearing off, I find I don't want to stop him. I'm stunned to realize that†¦ well, I like how it feels, being in Adam's arms. It feels good. It feels safe. It feels warm. It feels†¦ well, almost as if I were a normal girl, for a change. Not the new girl. Not the exterminator's daughter. Just†¦ me. Mary. It's a feeling I could get used to. â€Å"Mary,† Adam says. He's so much taller than me that his breath tickles the tendrils that have fallen from the updo that I've twisted my hair into. I don't mind, though, because his breath smells good. I look up at him dreamily. I can't believe I never noticed-really noticed-how handsome he is before now. Well, last night, actually. Or maybe I noticed, but it never really registered, because what would a guy like him ever see in a girl like me? In a million years, I never thought I'd end up at the prom with Adam Blum†¦ And okay, sure, he only asked me because he obviously feels sorry for me, on account of my mother being a vampire and all. But still. â€Å"Hmmm?† I say, smiling up at him. â€Å"Uh.† Adam seems uncomfortable, for some reason. â€Å"I was wondering if-you know, when this is all over, and you've dusted Drake, and Lila and Ted are back together-you'd want to, um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Oh God. What's happening? Is he†¦ is he about to ask me out?. Like on a real date? One that doesn't include sharp, pointy objects? No. This isn't happening. This is a dream or something. In a minute, I'm going to wake up, and it's all going to go away. Because how could such a thing even be possible? I can't breathe, I'm so sure I'll break whatever spell we're both under if I do†¦ â€Å"Yes, Adam?† I ask. â€Å"Well.† He can't seem to make eye contact anymore. â€Å"Just if you'd want to, you know, maybe hang out-â€Å" â€Å"Excuse me.† The deep voice that interrupts Adam then is all too familiar. â€Å"But may I have this dance?† I close my eyes in frustration. I cannot believe this. I am never going to get a guy I actually like to ask me out at this rate. Never. Never. Never. I am going to stay a freak-the product of similar freaks-for the rest of my life. Why would a guy like Adam Blum ever want to go out with me in the first place? The child of a vampire and a mad scientist? Let's face it. Not going to happen. And I've had it. I've had it up to here. â€Å"Listen, you,† I say, whirling around to face Sebastian Drake, whose blue eyes widen a little at the fire in mine. â€Å"How dare you come oozing around†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But then my voice trails off. Because suddenly all I can see are those eyes†¦ †¦ those hypnotically blue eyes, which suddenly make me feel like I could dive into them, letting their warmth wash over me in sweet, soft waves†¦ It's true he's no Adam Blum. But he's looking at me in a way that makes it clear he knows that, and that he's sorry for it, and that he's going to do everything he can to make it up to me†¦ more than make it up to me, even†¦ And the next thing I know, Sebastian Drake is taking me into his arms-gently, so gently-and leading me from the dance floor toward a set of French doors through which I can see a night-darkened garden, bathed in twinkling fairy lights and moonlight†¦ just the kind of place to which you'd expect to be led by the golden-haired descendant of a Transylvanian count. â€Å"I'm so glad we finally have the chance to meet,† Sebastian is saying to me in a voice that seems to caress me like a feather-soft touch. Everyone and everything we've left behind us-the other couples; Adam; a stunned Lila, staring after us jealously; Ted, staring jealously at her; even the streamers and rosettes-seems to melt away as if all that exists in the world is me, the garden that I find myself in, and Sebastian Drake. Who is reaching up to smooth some loose tendrils away from my face. In a dim, inner recess of my mind, I remember that I'm supposed to be afraid of him†¦ to hate him, even. Only I can't think why. How could I possibly hate someone as handsome and sweet and gentle as he is? He wants to make me feel better. He wants to help me. â€Å"You see?† Sebastian Drake is saying, as he lifts one of my hands and presses it, softly, against his lips. â€Å"I'm not so terrifying, am I? I'm just like you, actually. Just the child of-let's face it-a very formidable person, who's trying to figure out his own place in the world. We have our burdens, do we not, you and I, Mary? Your mother says hello, by the way.† â€Å"M-my mother?† My brain seems to be as filled with fog as this garden we're standing in. Because while I can picture my mother's face, I can't remember how Sebastian Drake could possibly know her. â€Å"Yes,† Sebastian says, his lips now moving from my hand and up toward the crook of my elbow. His mouth feels like liquid fire against my skin. â€Å"She misses you, you know. She doesn't understand why you won't join her. She's so happy now†¦ she doesn't know the pain of illness†¦ or the indignity of aging†¦ or the heartbreak of loneliness.† His lips are on my bare shoulder now. I'm having trouble breathing. But in a good way. â€Å"She is surrounded by beauty and love†¦ just like you could be, Mary.† His lips are by my throat. His breath, so warm, has seemed to cause my spine to go limp. But it's all right, because one of his strong arms has gone around my waist, and he's holding me up, even as my body, as if of its own volition, is arching backward, allowing him an unobstructed view of my bare throat. â€Å"Mary,† he whispers against my neck. And I feel so peaceful, so serene-something I haven't felt in years, not since Mom left-that my eyelids drift closed†¦ And the next thing I know, something cold and wet hits me in the neck. â€Å"Ow,† I say, opening my eyes and slapping a hand there†¦ then pulling it away to find my fingers slick with some kind of clear moisture. â€Å"Sorry,† Adam calls from where he's standing a few feet away, his arms stretched out in front of him, the mouth of his Beretta 9mm water pistol aimed right at me. â€Å"I missed.† A second later, I am gasping for air as a thick cloud of acrid, burning smoke hits me in the face. Coughing, I stagger away from the man who, just seconds before, had been holding me so tenderly, but is now clutching at his smoldering chest. â€Å"Wha-† Sebastian Drake gasps, pounding at the flames leaping from his chest. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Just a little holy water, dude,† Adam says, as he continues pumping away at Drake's chest. â€Å"Shouldn't bother you. Unless, of course, you're a member of the undead. Which, unfortunately for you, it appears you are.† And a second later, I've come back to my senses and am reaching beneath my skirt for my stake. â€Å"Sebastian Drake,† I hiss, as he sinks to his knees before me, howling in pain. And rage. â€Å"This is for my mother.† And I plunge the hand-carved piece of ash deep into the place where his heart would have been. If he'd had one. â€Å"Ted,† Lila says, in a syrupy voice, as her boyfriend lies across the contoured plastic bench with his head in her lap. â€Å"Yes?† Ted asks, looking up at her adoringly. â€Å"No,† Lila says. â€Å"That's what I'm getting for my tattoo next time I'm in Cancn. Across the small of my back. The word Ted. So from now on, everyone will know I belong to you.† â€Å"Oh, honey,† Ted says. And pulls her head down so he can stick his tongue in her mouth. â€Å"Oh my God,† I say, looking away. â€Å"I know.† Adam's returned from throwing a glow-in-the-dark twelve-pound bowling ball down the disco-lit lane. â€Å"I almost liked her better when she was under Drake's spell. But I guess it works out better this way. Ted'll hurt a lot less than Sebastian. That was a strike, by the way. In case you missed it.† He slides onto the bench beside me and looks down at the scoring sheet in the glow of the lamp just above my head. â€Å"Well, what do you know? I'm winning.† â€Å"Don't get cocky,† I say. Although I have to admit, he has a lot to brag about. Not just winning at Night Strike bowling, either. â€Å"Just tell me,† I say as he reaches up and finally pulls off his bow tie. Even in the weird disco lights of Bowlmor Lanes-the bowling alley where we'd retreated for our post-prom activities, a mere nine-dollar cab ride from the Waldorf-Adam still looks obscenely handsome. â€Å"Where'd you get the holy water?† â€Å"You gave a bunch of it to Ted,† Adam says, looking down at me in some surprise. â€Å"Remember?† â€Å"But how'd you get the idea to put it in the water gun?† I demand. I'm still reeling from the evening's earlier activities. Midnight bowling is fun and all. But nothing can really compare with slaying a two-hundred-year-old vampire at the prom. Too bad he'd fizzled into ash out in the garden, where no one but Adam and I could see it. We'd have been voted prom king and queen for sure, instead of Lila and Ted, who are both still wearing their crowns†¦ although they've tilted a little rakishly, due to all the kissing. â€Å"I don't know, Mare,† Adam says, filling in his own score. â€Å"It just seemed like a good idea at the time.† Mare. No one has ever called me Mare before. â€Å"But how did you know?† I ask. â€Å"I mean, that Drake had-well, whatever? I mean, how could you tell that I wasn't faking it? To lull him into a false sense of security?† â€Å"You mean besides the fact that he was about to bite you on the neck?† Adam raises a single dark brow. â€Å"And that you weren't doing a damned thing to stop him? Yeah, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.† â€Å"I'd have snapped out of it,† I assure him, with a confidence I most definitely do not feel, â€Å"as soon as I felt his teeth.† â€Å"No,† Adam says. Now he's grinning down at me, his face illuminated by the light from the scoring desk's single lamp. The rest of the bowling alley is in darkness, except for the balls and pins, which glow with an eerie fluorescence. â€Å"You wouldn't have. Admit it, Mary. You needed me back there.† His face is so close to mine-closer than Sebastian Drake's ever got. Only instead of feeling as if I could dive into his gaze, I feel as if I'm about to melt under it. My heartbeat staggers. â€Å"Yeah,† I say, unable to keep my gaze from drifting toward his lips. â€Å"I guess I kinda did.† â€Å"We make a good team,† Adam says. His own gaze, I can't help noticing, isn't straying far from my mouth, either. â€Å"Wouldn't you say? I mean, especially in light of the coming apocalyptic event? When Drake's dad finds out what we did tonight?† I can't help gasping a little at that. â€Å"That's right,† I cry. â€Å"Oh, Adam! He's not just going to come after me. He's going to come after you, too!† â€Å"You know,† Adam says. And now his gaze has drifted from my mouth, and downward. â€Å"I really do like that dress. It goes great with bowling shoes.† â€Å"Adam,† I say. â€Å"This is serious! Dracula could be getting ready to descend upon Manhattan at any moment, and we're wasting time bowling! We've got to start getting ready! We need to prepare a counterattack. We need to-â€Å" â€Å"Mary,† Adam says. â€Å"Dracula can wait.† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"Mary,† Adam says. â€Å"Shut up.† And I do. Because I'm too busy kissing him back to do anything else. Besides, he's right. Dracula can wait.

As Long as You Love Me

Knowledge is Power. Learning is the most powerful tool in the world. The more you know the better you get along in the world. Unless you have a decent education Jobs will be scarce and you will struggle for the rest of your life trying to make ends meet. You don't have to be rich to survive, but you sure do need your education to stay ahead of the tax man, hunger, and ending up out on the streets of the city. Education is wonderful and with every turn of it you learn something interesting.Wiseacres is an example of how you can help others by what you know, but also learn from others. It keeps your mind active and on the ball As we age (and we all do) unless you keep your mind active you will have a poor quality of life. Knowledge keeps you alive and young. There Is also the knowledge of life. Some people who have never had the opportunity for a fine education can be wiser than the ones that have a good education because they have learned much from life the hard way .Education is wisd om and having an education and closing your eyes and heart around you is the first turn to Ignorance of the mind, Getting paid for better Jobs Having a education will allow you a better chance of getting a Job that pays a above Mullen wage. Many people who are making what Is labeled as PEANUTS Is because the employer is not paying you for what you know, but what you can do physically-youth these days need to know the consequences of not finishing high school. School drops will attend is the Hard School of Knocks.Which is the bad experiences in life that will occur if you don't know. Ignorance which meaner not knowing will occur if you don't stimulate your mind with what's important. To survive you must have knowledge and money. 30th of these equal power. I am not guessing that all educated people are smart, I know many educated people who eave no common sense. There are many who can quote formulas but cannot tell you one thing about LIFE in general. So you need both to survive in th is world. I have always said if you don't live life, life will live you.Go to school. Get your lesson, do your very best. Increase your skills and fertilize your brains. The only useless brain is the one in a Jar. Formal education, together with plenty of work by the student can produce qualifications and credentials that are essential for most types of better paying Jobs. You getting deduction meaner you're getting less salary†¦. Do have a education that you will receive a good job remember their are people with the best education possible and still can't find a better Job than flipping burgers for a life.Its not wrong to think that but there is more to it they think about what college you were n compared to someone else so Just think about It first. It Is very easy to explain Importance of education. No human beings are able to survive properly without education. By the meaner of education only one's potential can be used to make decision. Through education only one can make separate identity. It is most important in life like our basic need foods, clothe and shelter. With the beginning we learnt how to interact with others, how to make friends because of education only.As I remember when my parent's had enrolled my name in school not only I learnt the alphabets and numbers but also I made friends, interacted with them with teachers. With further development you were faced with the sense of competition and desire and other such emotions and feelings, you also learnt to control these emotions and feelings. And also teaches how to act in different situations. Education is not Just stricter teaching a person the basic academics, say computers, mathematics, geography or history education is a much larger term.If you want to find out the impact of education on any individuality, you better do an intense observation to the ways of well-educated people and then compare them with an illiterate man. You would get a clear picture of the education and its accurate concept. Education is one of the important factors which formulate the persona of a person. Education is a productive and beneficial factor in a person's life. It is everyone's right to get. The training of a human mind is not complete without education.Only because of education a man are able to receive information from the external humanity, to notify him with past and receive all essential information concerning the present. When one travels around the world, one observes to what an extraordinary degree human nature is the same, whether in India or Australia, London, Europe or America. Conservative education makes independent thinking extremely complicated. If we are being educated merely to achieve distinction, to get a better Job, to be more efficient, to have wider domination over others, then our lives will be shallow and empty.If we re being educated only to be scientists, to be scholars wedded to books, or specialists addicted to knowledge, then we shall be contributing to the destruction and misery of the world. We may be highly educated, but if we are without meaningful combination of thought and feeling, our lives are incomplete and clashing. Education develops a meaningful outlook on life. The individual are different but to accentuate the differences and to encourage the development of a definite type education is must. Education is not Just a matter of training the mind. Training makes for efficiency, but it does not bring about completeness.Knowledge and efficiency are necessary, which brings up by education. Education should help us to discover lasting values; unfortunately, the present system of education is making us submissive, emotionless and deeply thoughtless. Systems, whether educational or political, are not changed without explanation; they are transformed when there is a fundamental change in ourselves. The individual is of first importance, not the system; and as long as the individual does not understand the total process of himse lf, no system can bring order and peace to the world.

A Portrait of the City of Mumbai

City that never sleeps. Iambi, capital of Maharajah's and financial capital of India, home to Plywood film industry and home to people from all over the country. The local language spoken here is Amaranth but English and Hindi are also spoken fluently. So a new visitor will not have much trouble.Temperature varies throughout he year. March- June is summer months with temperature reaching almost degree . June- October monsoon season with rain in full force. November to February is mainly winter months but being a coastal city the winters are mild here and pleasant weather. The Places to see here are the : colonial architecture from the Victorian times , the Gateway of India, the Cathartic Shiva Terminus building, the Hajji all mosque , film city . The famous Tag Mall hotel is located Just opposite the Gateway of India.The Iambi University buildings and the High Court are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city. Nehru science center and Nehru planetarium are very g ood place to visit as they have museum and planetary views shown at both centers Iambi has a few beaches, at Juju, Psychopath, Marvel. In addition to this, Iambi is also known for its own lip-smacking pap abaci, belle purr and kebabs. Iambi is a shopper's delight with bargain buys, exclusive boutiques, ethnic markets and mini bazaars.The Iambi city also has a flourishing cultural life. Being the seat of the Indian (Hindi) film industry, Iambi stages regular performances in music, dance and drama. The Hindi film industry, also known as Plywood, produces the largest number of films in the world. Iambi caters to the needs of almost all sections through sporting activities, nightclubs, pubs, theaters, beaches, shopping Malls and restaurants. Old and new, rich and poor, classical and modern- Iambi is truly a melting pot! A Portrait of the City of Iambi By Misunderstanding

Observations and child interactions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Observations and child interactions - Assignment Example He would pull himself up on couches, chairs and tables and very quickly do a scramble from one edge to another, but when he was about to stand without support, he would totter and fall quickly to his bottom. Sometimes this upset him and at other times he would just try again. The observations took place on two different days. Interpretations The first observation was made over the course of about five minutes. When the mother sat on the floor with her child, their bond was clear by the way he would respond to her movements. He understood her cues just like she could anticipate his movements. They had played this game on many occasions. She would hold out her hands with the palms up which would get him excited. He would slap at them until he placed his hands in hers, sometimes scooting a bit towards her on the floor. Pulling himself up by holding onto her hands, he would stand while making eye contact with his mother. She sucked in her breath and make a unique repeating blowing sound between her lips as she stood up on her knees, and then rose to her feet. Bending over with his hands in hers, she would then kiss his forehead and then say â€Å"so little man, where do you want to go?† The child responded by taking steps towards her, moving more quickly until he started to fall forward at which point she scooped him and swung him around as he laughed. The practice of walking was a game with a chronology that they both seemed to expect. This same ritual happened on both occasions when they were observed. This interaction was highly interactive with the child and the mother watching each other intently. She spoke in warm, happy tones as they both prepared for the end of the ritual. The relationship with the grandmother was a little different. The interactions between the grandmother and Kyle were done also on two occasions for about five minutes. The grandmother took Kyle’s hands rather than waiting for him to give them to her. She pulled him to his fe et, and then led him walking from one place to the other. Although Kyle was energetic and was enjoying moving from place to place, his focus was on his feet and where he could run, but he was not focused on his grandmother’s face. She eventually picked him up and kissed his neck, making him laugh and then clap. The second time I observed them she pulled him to his feet and let him around the room, but he tripped and fell, falling to the ground. She tried to sooth him but his mother came to intervene. The second interaction happened three days later in about 5 minutes each. The grandmother, the mother, and the child were all in the room. This time the grandmother went first. She lifted Kyle to his feet and began to walk him around the room, his feet stepping over one another as he pulled and she pulled in different directions. Kyle became frustrated and it ended with him in tears. His mother picked him up and soothed him. Eventually, she sat on the floor with him, kissing him and laughing with him, keeping her eye contact with him during the prelude. Eventually she put her hands out, but he did not immediately put them into hers. He did within a minute, however, and then they stood together. He took more tentative steps at first, but when he realized that he was in control of where they would go he began to step in different directions. He tired more quickly than he did than during the first observation,

History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

History - Assignment Example Nevertheless, the current act encompasses various social insurance programs as well as social welfare. These social securities are funded through payroll taxes called FICA (Federal Insurance Contribution Act tax) or SECA (self-employed Contribution Act tax) The 1935 was very instrumental in ensuring that the public is given the best health care within a minimum budget line. Additionally, the act was meant to assist states furnish their financial assistance. The project was also funded by the taxpayers (Folly and Palmer 2010). The early, 1920s was characterized by shooting, lynching and whipping. The majority of the victims were Jews, blacks Catholic or immigrants. The populist movement roaring 20s was a period when widespread economic and social change occurred. During this period, discrimination was based on popularity. Everything, including political movements, social welfare was based on race. White southern leaders were mobilizing black voters in ways that saw narrow cooperation through the element of color (Folly and Palmer 2010). Jim Crow laws were a name given to a ruling after states that were in the South that passed the Anti-African American Legislation. These laws were including laws that were discriminating African American to attend public schools and more importantly the usage of public facilities such as hotels, public bath, cinemas, restaurants among others. This was the same period when African Americans were segregated from the usage of trains and buses. During the Cold War, the terms various terms were used to refer politician. Hawks and Doves were used to refer to politicians so that they can categorize their views on the war from foreign policies. These labels were meant to make them accessible and understandable to the public. Nevertheless, sometimes these labels were inaccurate and therefore they could be quite ambiguous if their integrity is not verified (Folly and Palmer 2010). World War I Neutrality Battle

Interventions for the working Stage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interventions for the working Stage - Essay Example In another proposal, work satisfaction appeared to be affected by work attributes that can be unfavorable for some workers, such as its â€Å"low decision attitude and high job demands† (Cox, 1993, p. 15). Demands on both sides, individual and organizational, generate stressful tensions when shortcomings are foreseen on both sides. Aside from personal and work expectations, a number of maladaptive cognitive and behavioral problems appeared to further hamper better functions of adults in work areas. Cognitive areas need to be constantly updated to better meet occupations demands, thus, inadequate trainings and seminars, in combination with excess workloads, can hamper cognitive development and account for stress and discontent. Behaviorally, people appear to act up when they are not recognized for excellent performance, do not receive incentives, and are plagued by unsupported colleague interactions (Davis & McKay, 2009). The work culture of negative self-talk can aggravate the stressful atmosphere, as the need for affiliated group approvals are interspersed with events of blame for the shortcomings of others, preventing the acceptance of adult newcomers in organizations (Davis, Robbins Eshelman, & McKay, 2000, pp. 107-119).

Christianity and European Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Christianity and European Civilization - Essay Example The focus of the essay "Christianity and European civilization" is on Christianity as a Political Power. Thrive for Christianity was further observed during the Germanic kings who spread the religion through Western Europe. These kings were converted into Christianity by missionaries during the Roman Empire but they practiced more of Arianism rather than Roman Catholicism. During the 6th century, many kings from Germany were found to convert into Christianity along with their warriors and subjects. The emphatic power exercised by the bishops caught the attention of the Germanic kings who granted the bishops the power to administer the predominant Romans. They established monasteries and enlarged the span of followers of Christianity among the people of Western Europe. The Germanic kings who identified monasteries as the best tool for clutching the political supremacy over the Christians in Europe set up several such centers with the help of local nobles. Their trial was to influence the people with the injection of spiritual power with an objective of sentimentally capturing their political feelings with the religious approach. Apart from the prominent partner United Kingdom, Ireland was another aim of the politically motivated spirituality of the bishops employed by the Germanic kingdom. The Irish accepted the proposal with a new lookout for spreading the religion across the continent by deploying missionaries to spread Christianity. However, as McManners (181) states, western Christendom failed to incorporate its non-catholic citizens.

Progress Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Progress Report - Essay Example Most recently, Samsung was forced to pay a huge amount as fine, resulting from the court verdict on Apple’s sue regarding patent infringement. Thus, there arises a highly significant and immediate need to rethink Samsung’s strategies in order to ensure that they do not erroneously imitate others and also that their designs are not copied by other firms. Here, a study is conducted on the patent strategy of Samsung, with the intention to come out with a possible solution for infringement issue. The cost incurred in this process is estimated to be around $1000. It is believed that by completing this research, it will be possible to reduce issues of patent infringement between smart phone makers. At this point, the second phase of the study has been completed. Firstly, the completed work 1-2 is discussed, and then the focus is thrown on future works 3-5. Mainly five stages are formed for the research and there is a prescribed deadline for completing each task. Investigate the extent of patent competition and infringement in the smart phone industry. Based on â€Å"2012 mobile user survey,† under smartphone user preferences category, Apple led the graph by holding account for 38% of user interest and HTC came in second position and Samsung came third with 15% of the market preference (Keynote, 2012, 1). The report indicates the intensity and stiffness of market competition. By analysing â€Å"ITC’s† (International Trade Commission) article â€Å"Smart Phone patent battle,† it is revealed that patent infringement activity is a very common issue in the smartphone industry (Hynes & Sinnott, 2011, 39). Identify the patent related problems Samsung smartphones face with other competing firms as well as the defects of existing patent strategy in the current industrial scenario. Almost all infringement verdicts were taken against Samsung. So it is clear that their patent strategy has some default, recently forcing

Case Study 3 - TechSoup Global and NetSquared Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

3 - TechSoup Global and NetSquared - Case Study Example According to Greenberg (2009) NPOs particularly benefit from social media as compared to traditional communication methods mainly because communication via social media brings prospects for the organization costs getting lowered along with the lowering of cost of delivering services. Also the idea of being a part of the emergence of new social patters is highly promising for the Non Profit Organizations as compared to association with the conventional traditional communication means. Merilainen (2011) narrates that since the main aim of NPOs and NGOs is to make their point of views prevalent into the public and to political agendas communication is extremely essential for them. The main aim is to involve public opinion into their proposed changes and thoughts and gain favor from the masses. This purpose is served without the involvement of any finances via social media. The propagation via social media is also thought to get more responses since people can affirm their opinions and s upport free of cost and they do not have to physically get involved in the scenario. This flexibility of use promotes the involvement of public. ... Social networks are forums where all kinds of individuals and organizations make the impression of their virtual entity. Entertainment personnel and politicians make use of the popularity and widespread reach of the Social Networks and social media. They are usually active on these communication mediums and can therefore be reached very easily via it. Common public is also one of the potential audiences that the NPOs would try to reach. The promoting of their causes would be done well if the support of the common masses is with them. Regarding the potential means of accessing NPO audiences via Social Networks and Social Media Lassila (2010) mentions that Social Network Services incorporate viral marketing as one of their main marketing strategies. It is via viral marketing only that Non Profit Organizations are enabled to reach massive number of audiences. The author quotes the example of American Red Cross who incorporated the SNS viral marketing strategy and spread their messages t o their audiences via their celebrity followers on twitter. Inside Facebook.com's author Smith advises the NPO's marketers that the trusted referrals within social media are the most powerful marketing message. Via viral marketing available in Social Media NGOs and NPOs can segment their target audience groups based on persons' interests. This way the audience feel the messages of the NPOs to be more personalized and get inclined towards them. Via the viral messaging to all kinds of audiences on social media the NGOs can also tell about their donation possibilities (Regan, 2011). One advantage of this strategy is that personal presentations of the NPOs get enhanced as a result of it

Juvenile justice system Essay Example for Free

Juvenile justice system Essay Juvenile justice cases are closely watched and highly confidential. There are various steps involved in juvenile justice system When the Juvenile probation department takes over the case, the intake officer will analyze the case then decides whether to terminate it or have it heard in a court of law or handle it informally if need be. As the juvenile awaits trial he or she may be confined in protected custodial facility. The judge will determine if the juvenile would be in custody throughout the hearing or not based on the crime committed. Over 60% of the juvenile cases are heard informally and most of them are dismissed. This happens when the juvenile pleads guilty and ready to undertake the court requirements usually arrayed in a â€Å"consent decree†. The requirements vary from compensation to paying for damages or compulsory curfews. Rehabilitation would be another option incase of drugs and alcohol abuse. Once all parties in question agree to the consented decree the juvenile will be set free on probation pending fulfillment of the commitment failure to which the juvenile will be subjected to a formal hearing in a juvenile or criminal court depending on the crime. If your son has been arrested by the law enforcer, the mistake committed is ascertained to determine if the youth should be held in custody and charged or be released or could be transferred to a different youth program based on the matter in question. The decision is made based on the current crime committed or previous crime records if any. The juvenile could be held in adult prison as the authorities try to consult the parents and make transfer arrangements. In the adult prisons the Juveniles are isolated from the adults and are required to be move from this adult prison within six hours from arrest.

Vaccines and Misinformation Surrounding Them

Vaccines and Misinformation Surrounding Them Celeste Clark An Argumentative Exploration into Vaccines and Misinformation Surrounding Them: TL;DR, Vaccination and Autism Have No Correlation Since the late 1990s, myths about the risk of a link between standard infant vaccination and those administered being autistic as a result, as well as general superstition or skepticism over the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, have been perpetuated and grown in popularity. So much so, that the president (at time of writing, Donald J. Trump) has questioned their safety, potentially putting millions of lives at risk. Vaccination is important for the health and well being of a community, as well as the human race, and should not be disputed. The belief in the chance of developing autism from vaccination is a harmful conviction to autistic people and children who dont get vaccinated because of their parents irrational fear that says, through their actions, I would rather my child die of a preventable disease than have a disorder. Especially in the current climate of alternative facts and conflicting information, it is imperative one should mold their beliefs to fit the facts, not m old the facts to fit their beliefs. Firstly, the positive (a double-meaning here of favorable and certain) effects of vaccination. On the authority of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Although children continue to get several vaccines up to their second birthday, these vaccines do not overload the immune system. Every day, your healthy babys immune system successfully fights off millions of antigens-the parts of germs that cause the bodys immune system to respond. The antigens in vaccines come from weakened or killed germs so they cannot cause serious illness. Vaccines contain only a tiny amount of the antigens that your baby encounters every day, even if your child receives several vaccines in one day. People are usually vaccinated when they are very young, since their immune systems are weak and not well developed. At their young age, they have a higher risk of contracting and failing to successfully combat diseases they come in contact with. The process of developing and testing vaccines begins with a laboratory, continues with clinical trials, and ends with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), who must approve a vaccine, its safety, and its effectiveness before its distribution and use in the United States. It is such a controlled and extensive process, it typically takes 10 to 15 years of research and testing before the vaccine is presented to, and approved or rejected by, the FDA. Vaccines, in their preventative nature, will likely seem to have a lack of effects to the person they are administered to-e.g., Person A gets vaccinated and nothing changes. Their life goes on as normal, and they do not notice that they have not come down with the disease that the vaccine counteracted. However, Person B was not vaccinated, gets the disease, and feels the full effects of what the vaccine silently prevented in Person A. For such a simple, quick procedure with a low-profile effect, its incredible the positive response it can have on an individual and a community. That, coupled with the fact almost all insurance covers it, makes it seem rather appalling more people fail to take advantage of it. An adverse event is, essentially, a coincidence; a health problem that occurs following vaccination that possibly could be induced by a vaccine. A side effect is a reaction shown to correlate to a vaccine by scientific studies and tests. The difference between adverse events and side effects is significant, especially in an argument as controversial and serious as this. It is important to recognise that personal anecdotes are not evidence. Adverse events reported to the VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) are not necessarily side effects caused by vaccination. Vaccines do not affect or alter genes in any way, and gene mutation is what most likely causes autism, stated here by the Autism Society, There is no known single cause for autism spectrum disorder, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism compared to in neurotypical children. Researchers do not know the exact cause of autism but are investigating a number of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics and medical problems. In many families, there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities, further supporting the theory that the disorder has a genetic basis. While no one gene has been identified as causing autism, researchers are searching for irregular segments of genetic code that children with autism may have inherited. Autism is a developmental disorder, a broad spectrum of different symptoms and traits, found in people of all races, genders, ages, etc. It is becoming more commonly diagnosed due to increased knowledge. It is not a disease, nor is it curable or caused by vaccines. This quote from the article Vaccines Dont Cause Autism, but Thats Not the Point by Leslie Waghorn explains the moral wrong of accusing vaccination of provoking autism, and how it affects autistic people: . . . The panel discussion being broadcast was teens and adults with autism and how federal funding could better support them. As the show closed, the moderator asked if anyone on the panel felt a vaccine had caused their autism. Silence. One teen panelist spoke up, no, but it hurts that you would ask that question. The moderators tone softened, he apologized and asked why. . . . As I recall his response was, because it makes me feel like Im damaged or broken, when Im not. I was born this way. My brain just works differently than most other peoples. When people talk about vaccines and autism it makes me feel like Im not a person but a bad result. It reminds me that no one wants a kid like me and parents will risk their kids lives and everyone elses just to make sure their kid doesnt turn out like me. Even if vaccines did cause autism, it isnt a death sentence. Vaccine-preventable diseases can be. Children are not better off dead than disabled. Sources Cited   Ã‚   Achievements in Public Health, 1900-1999 Impact of Vaccines Universally Recommended for Children. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 02 May 2001. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Culp-Ressler, Tara. Massive New Study Provides The Best Proof Yet That Vaccines Dont Cause Autism. ThinkProgress. ThinkProgress, 22 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Ensuring the Safety of Vaccines in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health Human Services, Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Evidence Vaccines Work. Northern Rivers Vaccination Supporters. N.p., June 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. The Facts Behind Vaccine Safety. New York State. Department of Health, Feb. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Fine, Paul, Ken Eames, and David L. Heymann. Herd Immunity: A Rough Guide. Clinical Infectious Diseases 52.7 (2011): 911-16. Oxford Academic. Infectious Diseases Society of America, 01 Apr. 2011. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child. Vaccines.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. How Do Vaccines Work? HealthyChildren.org. American Academy of Pediatrics, 21 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. How Vaccines Work. Vaccineinformation.org. Immunization Action Coalition, 15 Aug. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Importance of Vaccines. Vaccineinformation.org. Immunization Action Coalition, 09 Nov. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Khalakdina, Asheena, Alejandro Costa, and Sylvie Briand. Smallpox in the Post-eradication Era. Weekly Epidemiological Record 91.20 (2016): 257-64. World Health Organization. WHO, 20 May 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Making the Vaccine Decision. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 03 Aug. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. New Meta-analysis Confirms: No Association between Vaccines and Autism. Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks Inc., 19 May 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Olson, Samantha. History Of Autism And Vaccines: How One Man Unraveled The Worlds Faith In Vaccinations. Medical Daily. IBT Media Inc., 23 July 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Possible Side-effects from Vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 02 Dec. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Proof That the HPV Vaccine Works. HealthyWomen. National Womens Health Resource Center, Inc., 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children? ProCon.org. N.p., 31 Jan. 2017. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Stern, Alexandra Minna, and Howard Markel. The History Of Vaccines And Immunization: Familiar Patterns, New Challenges. Health Affairs. Project HOPE, 01 May 2005. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Understanding How Vaccines Work. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health Human Services, Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Understanding Risk. The History of Vaccines. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Vaccination Greatly Reduces Disease, Disability, Death and Inequity Worldwide. World Health Organization. WHO, Feb. 2008. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Vaccine Myths Debunked. Public Health. PublicHealth.org, 27 May 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Vaccine Safety: Examine the Evidence. HealthyChildren.org. American Academy of Pediatrics, 26 Jan. 2017. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Vaccine Safety. ImmYounity. Sanofi Pasteur Inc., 03 Feb. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Vaccine Side Effects and Adverse Events. History of Vaccines. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Vaccines Work! Immunization Action Coalition. National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4037.pdf>. Waghorn, Leslie. Vaccines Dont Cause Autism, But Thats Not the Point. The Scientific Parent. TheScientificParent.org, 07 Mar. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Whats in Vaccines. Vaccines.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 01 May 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. What Causes Autism? My Child Without Limits. United Cerebral Palsy, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. What Is Autism? | Causes. Autism Society. Autism Society, 15 July 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Why Do People Think That Vaccines Can Cause Autism? Caresquad. Caresquad.com, LLC, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Willingham, Emily, and Laura Helft. The Autism-Vaccine Myth. NOVA. Public Broadcasting Service, 05 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. Willingham, Emily, and Laura Helft. What Is Herd Immunity? NOVA. Public Broadcasting Service, 05 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

The Socio Cultural Forces Economics Essay

The Socio Cultural Forces Economics Essay As discussed earlier also, the Al Ain Diary is planning to expand its business overseas market of Germany by launching its new camel product within the foreign country. Thus, the launching of new products in the new market gave rise to development of the new international strategy which requires the external environmental analysis of the Germany market in comparison to the UAE market. The business environmental analysis of the Germany is done as under: Socio-Cultural Forces: Socio cultural forces have great impact over the international business as it is directly related with the external and the internal customers of the country. Germany is considered as the most popular nation of Europe and contributes a lot to the national culture of Europe, such as the German culture. In order to establish the international business within Germany, it is very essential for Al Ain to induce the cultural and social factor of the country within the international strategy. The key cultural and social features of the country are as follows: Ordnung: German living and the working style is regulated by the structures such as with the help of laws, rules, procedures linked with the economic, political and social factors. Thus, the German business is regulated by the strict and prescribed rules and regulations of having low degree of flexibility and spontaneity. Focussed Facts: The decision making and the problem solving process are based on the objective facts within the country. So, such processes are governed by logical analysis of information rather than perception. Focussed Tasks: Germans believe that they have to achieve the task that is in their hands rather than future tasks. They have well defined structure of their tasks and the interpersonal relationship plays a secondary role in the business. Communication Style: Germans follow direct and confrontational communication style. Therefore, the business discussions are followed by the open criticism and the project problems are not taken as the personal issues. Punctuality is the essential and vital part of doing business in Germany. German Business culture is well defined and strictly followed on the structures and hierarchy. There is a clear description of roles and responsibilities for each and every person. Personal life is never mixed in the professional life by the Germans. Business relationships are often made for mutual advantage. The level of formality is even maintained within the business and the colleagues. The first name is only taken by the closed ones, however within the professional environment, the last names and appropriate titles are used. Business meetings are totally formal procedures and greeting is initiated with the firm and brief handshake. Body language and eye contact plays a very vital role in business communications. The official language of the country is German and most of the Germans follow Christianity (Gorrill, 2007). Hofstedeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Cultural dimensions of Germany in comparison to UAE: Power Distance: The power distance in Germany is highly decentralised and supported by the strong middle class. The score for the power distance is 35, which shows that the co-determination rights of the country is comparatively extensive and requires management. While in the UAE, power distance is highly centralised and governed by the upper middle class. Individualism: German society is truly individualistic and controlled by the short families with parent child relationship. While the UAE society is mostly grabbed by the expatriates and the migrants from the different countries. Masculanity/ Feminity: Germany has a very high score in this factor and performance is highly valued in the country with transparency. The people in Germany have high standard of living and managers are decisive and assertive. While in the UAE, the society strongly follows the male dominance and women are restricted to work outside. The high level of standards is also maintained in the UAE society. Uncertainty Avoidance: Germany is among the uncertainty avoidant country and the UAE also falls in the same category. To avoid uncertainty, they plan everything wisely and try to set rules, laws and regulations to rely on. The above analysis depicts that there is a great cultural differences between the culture of UAE and Germany and thus for the expansion of Al Ain within Germany all the cultural factors must be kept in mind as it directly related the internal and external customers of the company. Operation in Germany comprises of local employees following the German culture so the whole HRM should be designed within the cultural paradigms of Germany. The Major area of focus is the customers of Germany as they also believe in German culture and thus much concentration should be given on the cultural areas as these factors directly affects the loyalty of the customers. Economic and Socio-Economic Forces: The economy of UAE have witnessed a significant rise in the past decade, wherein they have been considered with an adequate economic stability and viable growth rates which are inclusive by their increased GDP and Fiscal Balance. On the other hand, the economic growth statistics of the UAE which was reported to be 2.9% owing to the impact of depreciated oil prices evident on a global scale will subject to vulnerability. Germanyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economic freedom score is 71.0 which make the German economy as the 26th freest economy in the index of 2012. German economy has ranked as the 12th among the 43 countries of the European Region. The foundation behind such long term competitiveness and dynamic growth is based on the high quality legal regime of the country and strongest rule of the law. Regulatory efficiency of the market and the open market polices benefits Germany to contribute within the global economic business and market. The economy has been emerged from the effects of the global economic downturn which has negatively affected the financial and economic management. The budget deficit of the country has been pushed over the 3 % of the GDP (Germany). The population of Germany 81.726 million which makes it 16th most populated country. 13.7 % of the total population accounts for the people of age group 0-14 while 66.1 % of the total population accounts for the age group of 15-64 and 65 and above age group accounts for 20.3 % of the total population. The sex ratio within the economy is 0.97 Male/Female. The local German citizens within the total population accounts for 73.63 %, while German citizens with immigrant background accounts for 10 % of the total population and 8 % of the total population are foreigners without German citizenship. The literacy level within the country is 90 % and over 10 % of the German youngsters are functionally illiterate. The government of the country is democratic, parliamentary republic and federal republic and the GDP accounts for 3.571 trillion USD. The economic analysis depicts that there is a great scope for the business in the German economy as the economic structure of country strongly supports the business environment. The expansion of Al Ain in the German market i therefore beneficial for both the countries in economic respect. Legal Forces: The Federal government of the Germany is recognized as the constitutional state that ensures the stability within the laws and the protection of liberty and equality within the country. Basic law acts as the standard for the democratic constitutional state. The federal constitutional court monitors the management and maintenance of the rights and the preservation of the justice within the country. The administration of the country is being divided into five branches namely: Ordinary. Labour. Administrative. Social Financial Courts. Generally there are three tiers that re-analyse the decision of the court. 20000 independent judges pass the justice who are bounded by law and passes the judgement. There are 5000 public prosecutors and 15000 lawyers in the country. The internationally stabilised and recognized legal environment is able to attract the foreign countries to trade and operate the entrepreneurial activities within the country (The Legal System). The above analysis depicts that the strong and structural legal system is being followed in the German constitution and thus the expansion of Al Ain Group within German market should be done with all the standard legal norms and regulations. Political Forces: The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has been developed as an industrially fertile hub which has attracted various multinational corporations, diplomatic relations and investments made by the government in the various initiatives. The impact of Emiratisation policy may be seen in the Labor law which requires private sector organizations to employ 20% of their work force from the domestic population compulsorily. This means that any private sector organization which fails to obey to the recruitment regulations would be banned from undertaking any further recruitment of additional foreign employees in their organization. The Germany is the unified country which does not represents and depends for the decisions on two different type of government i.e. state and central government and thus the political stability of the government is very high. The Basic Law initiates the Supremacy of political parties in the government system which results to the development of all the government policies through the organizational structure of political parties that ultimately adds stability to the political environment. The trade restrictions within the country of Germany are restricted by the norms of WTO and EU Community. WTO trying to ensure that minimal technical or the non-tariff barriers are faced by the traders to smoothen the trade and economy. The above analysis depicts that the political environment of Germany is quite stable which supports the expansion of Al Ain through fulfilling all the political norms. Labour Forces: As per the data revealed by the labour ministry of UAE in the year 2010, the number of expatriate workers in the UAE symbolizing the stamina of the oil-rich economy is 3.8 million. A hasty financial and economic boom in the region of Gulf led to more than replication of the number of expatriate workers from 1.8 million in the year 2001 to four million in the climax year of 2007 prior to it slumped to 3.8 million by 2010 due to economic tightening in the stir of the global economic meltdown of 2009. (3.8 million foreign workers in the UAE, labor minister says, 2011). There are lot many issues due to the expatriate workers in the UAE. The first and foremost issue is that the immigrant or expatriate workforce may act as barrier and challenge the country by endorsing their own governments welfare or that of a planned crime within the alliance or federation. Secondly the expatriate employees frequently require a higher rate of payment for rendering their services and practically they tran sfer all the revenues and income to their countries rather than expanding or investing that amount in UAE. This affects the economy of UAE very badly in terms of revenue deficit, fiscal deficit, balance of payment, gross domestic product and gross national product etc. Last but not the least, immigrants or expatriate workforce exaggerate pre existing segments of society within the country since they learn to be the chief workers in non-oil industrial sector of the UAE, while the local Emiratis of UAE usually prefer to get employed for the government sector. (United Arab Emirates Overview of economy). The domination of expatriates over the UAE nationals is projected to have developed in around 8.2 million with UAE local citizens making only 11.47%. The UAE attracts personnel from across the globe, primarily from the Asian subcontinent and the Arab region. The key issues pertaining to the expatriate workers in the UAE are the Remittance of local revenue to the other countries. The do minance of expatriates in the employment sector affects the career and growth opportunities of the local Emiratis people a lot. (Suter, 2005) The employee employer relationship within the country of Germany is strongly being regulated by strong and tightly controlled legal processes. Various amendments in the law have resulted to the Germany as the system focussing on the industrial democracy and harmony. But still there are some problems in the system which results to economic difficulties. The above analysis depicts that strong labour laws and regulations must be followed by Al Ain to expand its operations in the country of Germany.

Elements of Poetry and Essay Writing :: Education, Writing

I was surprised to find that I could use so many of the techniques that poets use in writing my own essays. For example, by choosing certain words, I can set the tone for the essay and demonstrate certain attitudes. Also, I can take advantage of several technical methods, such as abstractions, assonance, and figures of speech to make an essay more interesting. Further, I think it is important to try and understand the poets meaning behind their word choice. After analyzing the poems of John Donne, Anne Bradstreet, and Robert Frost, I will discuss how I think certain elements can be used in my own writing. Anne Bradstreet used words such as â€Å"loved†, â€Å"happy†, and â€Å"reward† to set a positive tone (963). The author’s attitude came across as grateful and appreciative. In contrast, Robert Frost chose to use words such as â€Å"perish†, â€Å"hate†, and â€Å"destruction†, which displayed a negative tone and attitude (1009). I never really gave this much consideration before, but I think I could use this technique in the future. By choosing the correct words, I can make sure the readers are interpreting my writing as I mean it to come across. I also discovered several technical methods that can be used in my essay writing. This is another area that I never really paid attention to. Sure, I have used some of them, but never knew what they were called or understood the full effect of them. Abstractions and several figures of speech were amongst some of the methods that were found. For example, â€Å"Batter my heart, three-personed God† (Doone 988), â€Å"To My Dear and Loving Husband† (Bradstreet 963), and â€Å"Fire and Ice† (Frost 1009), abstractions were used. Abstractions are words that we use to describe something that has no concrete reality (Charters 787). For example, in Doone’s poem, the author used words such as â€Å"weak† and â€Å"untrue† (989). Bradstreet also used this technique by using the word â€Å"love† (963). And finally, Frost’s word choice was cleverly utilized with using â€Å"desire† and â€Å"hate† (1009). These are also considered examples of figurative speech in that they use simile or metaphor in describing the subject (Charters 795). I feel by taking advantage of some of these techniques, I can make my essays more interesting for readers. To add, I found several figures of speech techniques such as metonymy, apostrophe, hyperbole and symbols were used in Anne Bradstreet’s poem â€Å"To My Dear and Loving Husband† (963).

Pindar :: essays research papers fc

Classical Mythology PINDAR A PERFECT POET Pindar was born at Cynoscephalae, near Thebes, the member of a noble family. He lived from about 518 B.C. to approximately 438 B.C. Pindar is considered by many to be the greatest lyric poet of ancient Greece. He began writing at a very young age and soon his poetry was popular throughout Greece.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He traveled widely but spent much of his time in Athens and in Sicily at the home of Hieron. This may account for his being enamored with the Olympic games, which he often wrote about. Hiero bred horses and offered his steeds to the athletes to enter in the chariot races. Pindar’s poems often paid tribute to the winner of various events but with out a doubt the chariot races were given his highest praise. Greek society savored these odes for their rich poetic language and imagery, moral ideas, and vivid portrayals of sacred myths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The poems were not so much an account of the sporting events but what transpired afterward. The storyline or narrative myth was always connected to the winner and ensuing celebration. Each poem meant to be sung with dancing or even a procession for the victor, usually upon the athlete’s return to his home city. Being a deeply religious man with high moral standards, Pindar’s main characters normally displayed the same attributes. Pindar was also famous for being the first Greek writer to speak of the immortality of the soul and judgement by the gods after death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pindar is given credit for inventing the Pindaric ode. An ode built of three stanzas - strophe, antistrophe, and epode repeated in series. These stately intricate poems set the standard. They are often referred to as perfect in form and beautiful in language. Of all his poems 45 odes have survived. These make up one of the greatest collections of odes by a Greek author during this time. The forty-five victory odes represent and celebrate triumphs at the four great Panhellenic festivals. The Olympic, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian games. Three of the Olympian Odes celebrated the victories of Pindar’s close friend and confidant Hieron. The Nemean and Isthmian Odes concentrate more on wealthy clients and tyrants of the time who perhaps sponsored the athletes. The Pythian Odes were written for the Aeginians; the last of which was dedicated to an Aeginian wrestler, Aristomenes. What makes this poem so noteworthy is the fact it ended with a not e of sadness. Pindar :: essays research papers fc Classical Mythology PINDAR A PERFECT POET Pindar was born at Cynoscephalae, near Thebes, the member of a noble family. He lived from about 518 B.C. to approximately 438 B.C. Pindar is considered by many to be the greatest lyric poet of ancient Greece. He began writing at a very young age and soon his poetry was popular throughout Greece.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He traveled widely but spent much of his time in Athens and in Sicily at the home of Hieron. This may account for his being enamored with the Olympic games, which he often wrote about. Hiero bred horses and offered his steeds to the athletes to enter in the chariot races. Pindar’s poems often paid tribute to the winner of various events but with out a doubt the chariot races were given his highest praise. Greek society savored these odes for their rich poetic language and imagery, moral ideas, and vivid portrayals of sacred myths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The poems were not so much an account of the sporting events but what transpired afterward. The storyline or narrative myth was always connected to the winner and ensuing celebration. Each poem meant to be sung with dancing or even a procession for the victor, usually upon the athlete’s return to his home city. Being a deeply religious man with high moral standards, Pindar’s main characters normally displayed the same attributes. Pindar was also famous for being the first Greek writer to speak of the immortality of the soul and judgement by the gods after death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pindar is given credit for inventing the Pindaric ode. An ode built of three stanzas - strophe, antistrophe, and epode repeated in series. These stately intricate poems set the standard. They are often referred to as perfect in form and beautiful in language. Of all his poems 45 odes have survived. These make up one of the greatest collections of odes by a Greek author during this time. The forty-five victory odes represent and celebrate triumphs at the four great Panhellenic festivals. The Olympic, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian games. Three of the Olympian Odes celebrated the victories of Pindar’s close friend and confidant Hieron. The Nemean and Isthmian Odes concentrate more on wealthy clients and tyrants of the time who perhaps sponsored the athletes. The Pythian Odes were written for the Aeginians; the last of which was dedicated to an Aeginian wrestler, Aristomenes. What makes this poem so noteworthy is the fact it ended with a not e of sadness.

Environmental and Ethical Issues Essay

The main issue that is reverberating these days throughout the world is of Sustainable Development. Sustainable development is â€Å"the development in way that meets the requirements of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (IAEA, 2005). It has three main dimensions: Social, Economic, and Environmental (Stevens, 2005). The ratio of pollutants whether they are liquid, gaseous, or nuclear are being dumped into the natural resources that are water and air, is increasing sharply. This concern is considered to very crucial since the environmental degradation is on its way, or in other words the process of global warming is on its way. The ice caps are melting, ozone layer is depleting, and the degree of naturalness in the environment is decreasing. Though there are many sectors and industries that need to be rectified, but airline industry is the one over which the paper would emphasize on. Moreover, discrimination has become a part of many organizations where minorities or women are discriminated in terms of sexual harassment, glass ceiling, and low salaries. The paper would discuss about the how KLM Royal Dutch Airlines communicates its Ethical and moral principles and through what channels. Airline Industry Airline industry is one of those industries that have been under severe criticism by the critics. The reasons are quite simple; the airline industry is held responsible for the emission of huge amount of greenhouse gases into the air by the airplanes that damage the quality of air, and as well as deplete the ozone layer. When such gases are emitted into the air they cause the temperature to increase, which further results in the melting of ice caps and rising up of sea levels. KLM’s Ethical Principles KLM Royal Dutch Airlines does consider such ethical and moral issues in conducting its business and has shaped its business culture, procedures, and policies in line with the moral and ethical principles that need to be appended with the business activities. KLM has a strong vision and mission that highlight the core of their business i. e. Corporate Social Responsibility. Not only this, the airline company also have other ways of communicating those values and principles such as, Code of Conduct guide, employee’s manual, and supervisor’s manual of responsibilities. Let’s discuss its mission and values that are designed for abiding by the CSR and ethical principles of conducting business. Company’s Aim The aim of KLM is to â€Å"achieve profitable growth that contributes to its own corporate aims as well as to economic and social development† (KLM, 2010). Strategies Adopted â€Å"The company offers a reliable and health dose of Dutch pragmatism, where innovative and safe products that are efficient, and also paying proactive attention to the environment and corporate social responsibility† (KLM, 2010). Not only this, it also gives special attention to its employees by providing them mobility, flexibility, better working conditions, better health, and equal opportunities. Corporate Social Responsibility KLM has shaped its policies that not only benefit the customers, but also the employees, environment and overall society. It strives to become leader in the airline industry in terms of CSR. Since KLM flies all over the world so it considers it mandatory to function in a sustainable fashion. Optimal health, security, and safety measures are taken for the passengers and employees; moreover, KLM works with charity organizations to serve the community as well. As far as the code of conduct is concerned, ‘the company values and prioritizes ethically responsible activities and honest conduct’ (KLM, 2010). Communication of Ethical Principles The company communicates its corporate values and principles through several ways such as, it has embedded the Corporate Social Responsibility principles in its business culture that is totally based on providing the customers, community, and employees with quality products/ services and working conditions. The vision and mission of the company along with some core values are communicated through organizational communication channels such as, wall hangings, symbols, slogans, success stories, newsletters, and quarterly guides to the employees working within the organization (Robbins & Judge, 2007). When it comes to communicate such ethical and moral values to other organizations, press releases and newsletters are issued that build and maintain the image of the company. Those press releases and newsletters often emphasize on the business practices adopted by the company and the achievements made through them. As far as the general public or customers are concerned, they are made aware of these principles and values through website where comprehensive information regarding the business practices and values is given; moreover, those who subscribe them with KLM services often receive brochures and newsletters that keep them aware of all the happenings. Community or other areas of the country also get to know about KLM, since the company takes an active role in offering charities to and participating in charitable programs. When employees are hired, they are provided with extensive guide to study that talks about the fundamental values, norms, beliefs, and practices that should be abided by when working for the company. Moreover, quality surveys are also conducted from the passengers or potential customers regarding the quality of service level and other aspects of the company through research tools such as, questionnaires, focus groups, and informal interviews (Zikmund, 2006). Room for Improvement Although the company does its best to implement by the social, cultural, legal, and other international laws along with business practices that are suitable for the customers and environment, but still some improvement can further be made. New technologies related to aircrafts and other software solutions must be introduced. If efficient fuel that costs lesser and fuel efficient technologies are used, there would be many advantages of doing so. The industry would have to bear low costs of fuel, better fuel management, and high revenues due to increased sales that would result due to low fare prices. Policies of the companies towards the environmental sustainability should be rigid and must ensure the due care for the customers and the environment as a whole. The company must ensure that it abides by almost all the ethical principles such as, utilitarian principle, distributive justice, Kantian rights, due care theory, etc. (Velasquez, 2006). Benefits That Can Be Achieved Introducing and implementing such environment-friendly and ethical principles within the organizational practices and business activities would definitely result in lucrative outcomes. The company would gain appreciation from the side of government, grab attention of the investors who would invest more, gain customer loyalty which would increase market share and sales, and eventually result in huge profits and opportunity to expand the business. Implementation of Improvements If I were a leader of KLM, I would bring on some improvements by signing contracts with certain IT outsourcing companies for the implementation of better networking and software structure. Utilizing efficient-fuel would be my second strategy that could save huge amount of costs and also prevent the atmosphere from getting contaminated. Another change that I would have made was to bring on base the overall business on the environmental-friendly and sustainable practices. Better customer service would be ensured by keeping in touch with them and taking feedback after flights. As far as the organizational structure is concerned, I would have ensured equal opportunity for everyone in every job-related aspect, and improving the internal processes, management, strategies, and measures of performance to maintain the environment. And finally, contracting or partnering with other organizations – whether in the same industry or not – that specialize and possess mastery in sustainable development and providing modern solutions to meet the requirements of this dynamic environment. Conclusion Therefore, sustainable development has become a vital requirement for the businesses to incorporate in their policies. The airline industry can adopt certain measures that favor going green; this will not only benefit the industry but also the environment and society as a whole. References IAEA. (2005). Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies. August 4, 2010. From http://www. oecd. org/dataoecd/60/41/35407580. pdf KLM. (2010). Corporate Social Responsibility. Retrieved on August 4, 2010. From

Effects of gangsterism Essay

Effect of gangsterism towards individual Gangsterisms are the social phenomenon which occurs widely among teenagers in our country. With the rapid increase of this problem, gangsterisms can give a lot of negative impact towards individual, family, and society. In term of individual, student who involves themselves with gangsterism will face bad consequences in their life including having a dark future. Thus, their future might be threatened due to the result of their behavior. Most probably they will be detained because somehow they able to create chaotic scene in their surroundings. This will also affect their life as they unable to perform their study in higher level and they might spend their teenage years in juvenile school or rehabilitation centre. On the contrary, those with a bright future able to continue their study while they had wasting their precious life in prison. Effect of gangsterism towards parents In the context of family, parents need to receive the bad treatment as the result of their children behavior. Most probably, parents might be insulted or becoming the subject of hatred from people in their surrounding. They might be blame for what their children had done and through other people eyes they had to be responsible. Somehow, there are parents who try so hard, in order to guide their children back to the right path. However, some children are too stubborn and ignore the advice of their respectful parents. In addition, parents need to face with reality that their children are not turn into a good person and turn out differently from what they had expected. Effect of gangsterism towards society As for society, they will feel insecure and threatened over this matter because they felt that the surrounding is not the safe place anymore due to the violent act of gangster. The behavior of gangster might endanger their life because at some point, gangster can turn out to be a killer and some of them also fight among each other to show their power. In addition, this kind of phenomenon also spread widely in school. Johnson and Johnson (2005) stated that the researchers determined that the alarm about rampant violence in school is not justified, but concern about the frequency with which adolescents victimize each other is, even though the victimizations are more  bothersome than injurious. In addition, it had come to the stage where school compound cannot be considered as a safe place anymore due to the gangsterism activities that take place in school area. Middleton-Moz and Zawadski (2002) argue that our own lack of awareness often causes us to be both deaf and blind to the pain experienced by our nation’s youth and, as a result, our young people too often become the prisoners of their sadness and depression, seeing little possibility for change and no way. Therefore, it show that our own lack of concern over what had happened make the matter of gangsterism getting worst until the victim of gangsterism are being abuse physically and emotionally. Society is no longer felt peace and harmony in the country which they had resided. Statistical figure The statistical figure was brought out by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during the Parliamentary session on June 9, 2010 portrays the number of students who involved with gangsterism. From the figure , it stated that the number of students nearly doubled since 2005. It begins with 32 cases recorded and the numbers reach its high peak on 2008 with the value of 81. Although, the number had slightly decreased to 60 cases in 2009 but the number still considered high compared to the earlier cases recorded in 2005. As for figure which provided by ACP Amar Singh Sidhu on his journal title Journal of the Kuala Lumpur Royal Malaysia Police College, No.4 on 2005, it reveal that majority of delinquents detained in the rehabilitation centre was from Indian races with the number of 316 people. On the other hand, both Malay and Chinese represent the similar number with 111 people for each race to be detained. Who should be blamed? Teenager nowadays lack of focus. We mean that they do not know where they are heading, whether in the academic or social sense. Therefore, this gives rise to several problems, mostly gangsterism happens among the teenagers who involved in sosial ills such as drug addicts, smoking, and gambling. These teenagers are not bothered about their studies and it is evident that they are involved in gangsterism. So, who should be blamed for gangsterism? Do we  have to put the blame on the parents, teachers or anyone else? We strongly believe that the one that should be blamed for gangsterism among teenagers is the individual himself or in the other word is we. We are the ones to be blamed for gangsterism because we are the ones who decide on how we want to live our life. We are responsible to manage ourselves. If we discipline ourselves towards the positive behavior, then we will behave well. We are the one to choose how we manage our life. In any decision or action that we made, we have to take full responsibilities of whatever the consequences that we will have to face due to the decision making. For example, if friends offer us a drug and if we have a firm standpoint, then we’ll kindly say no to the friend. Next, we think one of the factors that cause gangsterism among teenagers is the parents. Nowadays, parents are so busy and they focus more on earning more money. They are so busy with their job and rarely have time to be with their children at home. They become workaholic and they are not concerned about their children needs. They assume that providing their children with materialism is more than enough but the fact is their children actually need more attention from their parents. For instance, parents give money and provide cars for their children but the children feel lonely. So, they will do anything to fill in the emptiness they feel inside. They might be involved in gangsterism to overcome the loneliness they felt. Then, we personally think peer pressure is the one to be blamed for gangsterism among teenagers. The teenagers are easily influenced by their friends. When they mix with the wrong friends, they might be involved in crimes. As friends are among the closest people to the teenagers, they will eventually be influenced by their friends. For example, if their friends are a gangster, soon they’ll become one. This is because, their friends might attract them to try something new for them like gang fights. The teenagers are too young and they have a strong instinct of wanting to try something new. So, they will follow their friends. We strongly suggest that perhaps it is time that parents, teachers and  non-government body’s work together to direct and counsel our teenagers. Parents should play their role to educate their children and spend more time communicating with their teenage children. Teachers should try establishing a closer rapport with students. Everyone must work together to find the correct mechanism in order to overcome gangsterism among teenagers. Who should be responsible for the increase of this problem in the recent years? We are trying to find who are responsible for the increase of gangsterism cases in the recent years. Here, firstly parents are responsible due to their important role in teenagers’ life. The parents must play their role and provide their children with a good spiritual and moral background. Then, teenagers themselves should be responsible of what they have done in their life. Teenagers have their own brain, so they should be supposed to think carefully before they do something. Besides that, authorities also should be responsible because only they can make the strict enforcement and to punish the teenagers who involved themselves in gangsterism. Finally, the society is also responsible for the increase of this problem in the recent years because we live in a society so, if they do not play their role and cannot be aware of the problem occur in their resident and place, they should be responsible of this increasing of number of the gangsterism cases. The reasons of gangsterism cases among teenagers First of all, influences by the peer group can create gangsterism cases. As we all know, peer group plays an important role in moulding one’s characters because they will be able to lead their friends in doing something whether to do good things or bad things. In the fact of teenagers who usually have the urge to do something new, they will slightly done bad things without thinking of the effects of that action in their life. Challenges from their peer group will make them not to feel frightened anymore in doing bad things especially in school, while they are involved themselves in gangsterism. Peer group is the main reason of the gangsterism happened among teenagers because usually teenagers tend to share their problems with their friends rather than discussing it with their family. For them, only their friends will understand better their feelings so, whatever their friends do, they will follow it even though they realize it is a wrong action. Another reason  leads to gangsterism is the teenagers nowadays are always lack of parental love from their parents who are busy twenty-four hours to find money until they do not realize that their children are neglected by them. They also do not play their role as parents who are the people that are responsible to provide their children with a good spiritual and moral background. Besides that, the environment of the teenagers will also create gangsterism to be happened. Teenagers who have a good environment such as the conducive environment in their home will be able to keep a distance with this social problem, while teenagers who have bad environment will involved themselves in gangsterism easily because only this way, they will feel more released. Why I’m saying like this? Broken family background always creates a bad environment right? So, it is parents’ responsibilities to prevent their marriage problem become one of the main reasons why their children involved th emselves in gangsterism. Furthermore, the fourth reason why teenagers involved themselves in gangsterism is because mass media’s influences. Of course in the television, there are so many advertisements, films or dramas, even cartoons always publish for everyone. The violent action in those things will influence the teenagers to follow whatever action played by the author. Last but not least, the reason of gangsterism cases among teenagers might be also because there are no specific rules and strict enforcement from the authorities. The teenagers seem like do not have any feeling of frighten to do gangsterism because they know the rules and strict enforcement are not exist anymore to punish them when do something wrong especially in gangsterism cases. Cooperation by the society When you say ‘society’, what is comes to your mind? Of course society is a group of people who are close to you besides your family and relatives, right? Society also plays an important role in order to solve this crucial problem. As we discussed earlier, peer group, parents, school counselors, authorities and mass media are the people who have responsibility to solve this problem, but society also plays an important role too. The society has to work hand-in-hand to help government combat this problem. In order to do that, the development of positive values in the society through various programs that can be generating long-term benefits must be conducted. Programs like ‘gotong-royong’ and campaign like ‘Belia Benci Dadah’ will generate long term benefits to the teenagers in the sense of responsibility as a citizen and also a future leader for next generation. This will increase their spirit on developing themselves with good personality and try to prepare themselves with many types of knowledge. As a result, they will totally think that gangsterism will cause bad effects to their loving country and also their respective society. To conclude, if society plays their part in solving the gangsterism cases that happen in their society, the gangsterism cases will not occur anymore in their neighborhood. Mass media’s responsibility Mass media always influenced people. Do you all agree with me? Think about it. Especially kids and teenagers who have the urge to learn something new and want to try it, they always being trap with the film they just watched in the television. Influence by mass media should be taken into consideration. Mass media must know their limits in publishing something. They must be aware of whatever programs they want to publish have bad effects or not to the audience especially teenagers who usually like to imitate the violent action in the television. Mass media also can help to solve this gangsterism cases by publishing advertisements on bad effects of gangsterism activities among teenagers. As a result of this action, I’m sure teenagers will keep a far distance from gangsterism activities and they will totally not have any feelings to be involved themselves in that bad activities. They will choose to involve themselves in participating in such a good and beneficial activities like watching a debate or other programs that beneficial for their studies organized by the mass media. In short, we can conclude that mass media’s responsibility is important in order to solve this crucial problem among teenagers nowadays. Strict enforcement by the authorities Strict enforcement by the authorities also can solve this gangsterism problem among teenagers. Nowadays, teenagers seem not to have any feeling and are frightened of what they are going to do. So, if the authorities let them know that there are some strict enforcement will be taken towards the guilt of gangsterism cases, teenagers will think twice when they want to be  involved in gangsterism because they know if they are caught by the authorities, there will be punishment and strict enforcement waiting for them. In brief, only strict enforcement by the authorities will make the teenagers feel frightened be involved in gangsterism. Thus, authorities must play their role in solving this problem before it gets worse day by day Advice and guidance by the school’s counselors School counselors also play an important role to solve gangsterism problems among teenagers. As we know, teenagers spend their time almost half of their days in school, so that, if school counselors are playing their role as instructor, facilitator and also counselor to their students by giving and organizing some proper and suitable programs, their students will be more knowledgeable and have views on bad effects in doing gangsterism activities. They will be more aware that gangsterism will make them suffer and life as a student will become worse if they are punished to be expelled from school. In other words, only school counselors have a big role and carry the responsibility in creating a good personality in their students’ characteristics. The school counselors must keep in touch with their students who are involved themselves in disciplinary problems because most probably these students might bring themselves in gangsterism cases too. Besides that, the school counselors must try to find ways to avoid gangsterism activities to be happen in their school. To summarize, if the school counselors are always aware about their students’ activities, the number of teenagers involved in gangsterism will be decrease day by day and gangsterism cases can be solved by the advice and guidance by the school counselors. Parental love and responsibility given by the parents Do you all agree that parents play an important role in solving this problem? I want to convince all of you about the truth of this statement. I totally agree with this statement because of some reasons I had discovered .First and foremost, parents play a part in helping their children to choose the right friends. This is due to the fact that friends play the important role in moulding one’s characters especially among teenagers. A group of good friends can guide and lead the youth to a better future in their life. Thus, parents should always keep an eye on which their children’s friends are. It should be better if parents are close to their children too. Another reason is I agree that parents play an important role as it is because parents nowadays are too occupied with their jobs until they forget to think about their children’s needs and feeling. They tend to have no time to spend with their children. For them, finding money is an important thing. But to think it carefully, what is the use of your billions of money if your children are neglected and do not get parental love from you as their parents? Besides that, the third reason why parents play an important role to solve this problem is the family background. Broken family background always gives bad effects to the teenagers nowadays who involve themselves in gangsterism. They love to release their tension by being involved in gangsterism with their friends. They will feel more comfortable and release tension outside with their friends doing gangsterism rather than in the house by looking at their mother and father quarreling all the time because of marriage problems. Last but not least, the reasons I have discovered are parents play an important role to solve this problem, that is parents who are the people that are responsible to provide their children with a good spirit ual and moral background. In brief, with enough education of this two aspects, I’m sure this problem can be solved because their children will think twice if they want to involve themselves in gangsterism activities because they know by doing that, their parents will be ashamed to have children like them and their children know that gansterism will bring bad effects to them. I think it is enough of my evidences to convince you all that this problem can be solved if parents play their role in helping their children avoid being involved in the gangsterism. Conclusion Based on our research we had done, it can be conclude that there is a great necessity to give more attention towards cases that related with young delinquents who involve themselves in gangsterism. This problem had to be wisely handled to ensure that their future will not be ruined due to their involvement in gangsterism. Thus, parents, government, and society have to play their roles effectively in order to curb the spreading of gangsterism among school student. In addition, need to realize the consequence by each  action or behavior which taken by them. They have to aware that each behavior that deviant and forbidden to the law will cause them to be punished. Therefore, government need to strict and regulate the available law, so teenager will be afraid to involve with gangsterism. As for parents, they need to give full attention to their children and guide them to the right path before things getting worst and difficult to handle. Society also is one of the important elements to curb this matter. By providing information to the police, they automatically help the enforcer task to deal with gangsterism. With the cooperation from each member in the country, there is a high possibility that this social illness will finally found its remedy.