Interviews on Reform Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Interviews on Reform - Assignment Example This type of community is comprised of mainly adults. Public schools provide an opportunity to meet and interact at different negotiation points. It becomes easy for students to interact with individuals from diverse values and backgrounds. Public schools comprise of students with a diverse range of abilities and disabilities. The backgrounds provide individuals from different cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic background. The diverse environment exposes the students to different levels of interpersonal and communication issues. The numbers of students in a public school provide students with a different environment as compared to that provided by home schools and private schools. Students are able to engage in team projects and competitive sports with a diverse platform (Turnbull, Turnbull, & Wehmeyer, 2008). What are the major problems in need of reform or improvement? The public schools are faced with challenges that require reforms. Schools face challenges ranging from the struct ure, curriculum, the school’s mission, experiences and specifically. The first problem faced by American public schools is the school size. 70% of schools in America have an access of up to 2500 students. This compromises the quality of education received by students. The ration of students to teachers is as large as 100 students per teacher. Minimized attention comes with high dropout rates due to the overcrowding problems. The issue of the public curricula also comes as a concern for the reformists. The structure of the public schools curricula fails to impart on the academic and knowledge skills. To improve the structure, the schools require improvement on the subjects provided, including the period taken to complete the curriculum. The missions of schools have hindered the progress of school improvements. The mission of public school is to prepare the students to adopt into the high school curriculum. Interdisciplinary units and lesson plans increase in complexity on an a nnual basis. In relation to curricular demands, student diversity and accountability, the lesson plan and activities are bound to change. Working on Social Studies, Technology, Art and Drama curriculums indicate a better diversity for the students. The curriculum demands for new state frameworks that require continual change. Standardization tests set through district policies dictate the instruction methods used and how they address the needs of English language learners. Linguistics of English come with a diverse implication in designing programs intended to range the learners according to their abilities. The importance of targeting a certain population while outlaying the lesson plan depends on various aspects. The rationale on interdisciplinary aspects while setting a lesson plan needs to consider different aspect including the language and culture, learning styles, active participation, learning strategies in specific areas of the lesson, development of thinking skills and tra nsfer process, student empowerment and parental involvement (Turnbull, Turnbull, & Wehmeyer, 2008). Recommendations: What do you think will â€Å"fix† the problem? Learning styles Learning styles involve using sheltered language while implementing learning strategies. It allows students to develop the subject matters through English language. Through using different learning styles, teachers apply comprehensive lessons aiding in the

Erik Erikson Essay Example for Free

Erik Erikson Essay

Essay --

â€Å"Everybody on Earth can ask, ‘Why me?’ about something or other. It doesn’t do any good. No one is immune to heart-ache, pain, and disappointments. Sometimes we can make things better by helping other people. I’ve come to realize the importance of that †¦ I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be†(Miller). This quote was said by Mary Tyler Moore. Mary Tyler Moore is a celebrity that was made famous for her various television roles in the 1960s and the 1970s. Throughout her life, she has been able to overcome an abundant amount of adversities. Some of these adversities include divorces, the death of her own son, alcoholism, miscarriage, and diabetes. Her life has been one of much grief, struggling, and heart-ache. Although Mary Tyler Moore has been forced to overcome many life-changing adversities throughout her life, she is still living her life today to help others overcome the struggles of some of the same problems that she has de alt with herself. Mary Tyler Moore was born on December 29, 1936 in Brooklyn Heights, New York (Wohl). Her relationship with her parents was not a very loving nor caring one. In Mary’s book, After All, she describes the type of people that her mother and father were at that time. She illustrates her father as somewhat of a remote person in her life, calling him a â€Å"sullen† and â€Å"off-putting father.† Although her father was a great story teller and other children loved that about him, he could have cared less for their affection (Moore 8-9). However, the children still adored him and Mary says that the reason being was that they had fathers who held them and told them they were pretty. Her father never did that to her, so she saw him a little differently (Moore 8-9). Mary Tyler Moore’s relationshi... ...ss and to address and improve its course for others and myself,† (A Relentless Illness). Mary Tyler Moore is truly a remarkably strong woman. She has faced so many trials throughout her lifetime. Having the ability to overcome and defeat all of her adversities has made her one of many heroes for an incredulous number of people today. Looking ahead and never forgetting the past that made her who she is now, Mary now fills her life with things like the joy of living, reading, being creative, and knowing that she is doing the right thing (MTM on Dealing). Now, instead of being regretful about things that happened to her, she looks back and appreciates all of the happenings that have shaped her into who she is now. Of her life overall, Mary says that there have been a few blips along the way. However, she says, â€Å"I must say, I did a remarkable job of it,† (Marcus).

Internship in Public Relations Department of an Advertising Agency Essay

Section I Introduction 1.1 Background Internship is one of the essential parts required for the completion of MBA program. It is to provide first hand exposure to the students about the real work scenarios in business organizations. It allows students to imply their theoretical knowledge in the real workplace by enhancing their ability and confidence level in the dynamic business world. Besides, one of the objectives of this program is to enhance student’s interpersonal, communication, report writing skills as well as presentation skills and to understand different viewpoint of the staff and the customer of the organization. 1.2 Objective of the internship The objectives of my internship at Prisma Advertising agency are: To fulfill the requirement of MBA program of Pokhara University. To understand importance Public Relations in corporate world. To understand how public relations enhances brand image. To comprehend successful events. 1.3 Placement For the purpose of internship, the trainee was allowed to perform internship in the organization where she was actively working for past two years. The organization is an advertising agency named Prisma Advertising located in Kalikastha, Kathmandu. The internee had been working in Public Relations Department (PR) as an Executive. 1.4 Expected Learning Experiencing the real life working environment Expand the boundaries of theoretical learning Develop better public relation skills with media as well as in corporate sector Section II Industry and Organization Profile 2.1 Industry Profile There are no records of any kind that tell us about the origin and history of Nepali advertisements. The earliest form of advertising may thus be taken as the trumpet blowing tradition of kings and maharajas to disperse royal messages. The advent of Mass Communication in Nepal can be said to have been through such official proclamations, which were usually accompanied by the use of musical instruments like drums or trumpets. The age-old oral tradition of promotion by vendors selling their wares in the market can also be taken as another early form of advertising. With the national daily  Gorkhapatra churning out advertisements on a regular basis, the advertising sector caught momentum, and the next major development came in the form of an advertising agency, Laxman Upadhaya’s Nepal Advertisers. The main objective of the agency was to publish flashy and attractive advertisements in the print media. Three years later, following in the footsteps of Upadhaya, Keshav Lamichane started Nepal Printing and Advertising Agency owned by Keshav Lamichane. This agency held the accounts of prime clients like Janakpur Cigarette Factory, Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation and Nepal Bank Limited. 2.2 Prisma Advertising Profile Prisma Advertising is the franchisee of Mathew and Ogilvy in Nepal. It is one of the most creative agencies which established in 1991. It is a full service office with team of 47 people which has been growing as creative leader and 360 degree brand stewardship. It provides wide range of services from media, branding, and sales promotion to advertisement. They continuously thrive to provide creative products by giving a consumer touch to what they deliver, also offer fully integrated marketing communication solutions as well as focus on building brand relationship with the consumers. It has been awarded as The Best Agency of the Year 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 & 2007-2008 (four years in a row). In addition to it also has won the only international advertising award for Nepal – â€Å"Bell Ringer 2000† from Johnson &Johnson, USA. Prisma approach to communication: These activities are part of the prisma advertisement agency which is provided to the clients according to the promotion they required for their products and services. 2.3 Importance of Public Relation Department Why does Brand or an Organization need a Public Relation Department? Unless one is a celebrity, good public relation just does not happen on its own. It takes lots of skill and consistent hard work, over a period of time. It’s part art, part science and when practiced correctly the results can be very rewarding. Here are few reasons why Public Relations is important: Media coverage increases credibility Paid advertising increases name recognition; media relations increases credibility. When people read a story about the excellence of a particular organization in a newspaper or see a story praising the company on television, they are much more likely to have a favorable opinion of that particular organization. Media coverage helps to attract â€Å"quality† prospects  Because a public relations increases credibility, it helps to attract those who want the best. When people have heard of the organization or brand and have a favorable impression of it, it is easier to attract and hold their attention while the organization or the brand tell their story. Media coverage makes you a player  Coverage in important publications or on TV can make the organization or brand look much larger than it is. Public relations help to avoid price competition  If people believe that the particular brand is the best, they will understand why it is worth paying the price. A public relations program stretches the marketing budget  Because the media does not charge for news coverage, the relative cost of a good program is a lot less than for paid media or a direct mail campaign. Best way to launch a brand  Public relations are also considered by many as the best way to launch a brand or new product. When something is new the media often will write about it because of its news value. Section III Critical Analysis of Job Performed 3.1 Function of Public Relation Department PR Department functions to maintain and enhance mutual understanding/relationship between its clients and public. The core responsibility of the PR Department is to build and protect the brand. PR communicates client’s views, objectives and purposes to the general mass and at the same time monitors feedback and correcting the public attitudes/ reactions. For this, department focuses on major areas: Crisis Management: To avoid any crisis and its adverse effects to its clients, the PR Department prepares press releases and makes them public through media vehicle. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Also known as corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business and corporate social performance that forms of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. To fulfill these responsibilities the company’s want to conduct events, and any such social events are organized for the client by this department. For example: charity program. Further, they also create social awareness for NGOs and INGOs and other organizations working for the welfare of the society at discount rates. Event Management: Various events such as press conference, product launching events etc. are organized either to provide new information or introduce a new product. In such events, various media houses, guests are invited and are provide with the press release which gives details about the event. Monitoring and tracking current scenario: Either it be country’s current happenings or competitor’s activities, PR Department tracks the entire essential data with the help of media and reports to the internal staff members as well as the client in daily basis as well as a monthly reports. 3.2 Activities Performed The internee was part of a PR Team and there were five members in this team. Public Relation Head, Senior Public Relation Supervisor, Copy Writer and PR Executives are the designations of this team. The internee was working under direct assistance of Senior Public Relation Supervisor. Each team members  had their specific task that they were assigned to and those were mentioned in their job description. Following were the job assigned to the intern. 1. Everyday internee had to make a daily update on country’s news update regarding political, business and social happenings and send it to the clients. 2. Track on competitor’s activities like press ad, news and send it to respective clients. 3. Make Share of Expense (SOE) respective to the competitor’s and send it to clients on monthly basis. 4. Make regular interactions with media as well as clients to enhance better public relation. 5. Make press releases, news articles on client’s activities and send it to media for the coverage. 6. Organized events like Press Conferences, Formal meetings with government bodies, and Cocktail parties as per the clients need. 7. Crisis management of the clients. Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS Launch, Coca-Cola Inter-School National Football Tournament, Coca-Cola ‘Live Positively ‘and Western Union’s collaboration with Mercy Corps to empower 1200 women to be financially literate were some of the major events organized as an internee under PR Department. The major task of the PR Department during these events was to highlight the program as much as possible with the help of media as well as word of mouth publicity. Few of the coverage of these events are attached below. Coverage of the Events Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS launch Coca-Cola Inter-School National Football Tournament Coca-Cola ‘Live Positively’ Western Union’s collaboration with Mercy Corps Activities Performed Working as an intern in PR Department, internee had to face several crisis situations where various brand reputation damaging news were covered by  newspapers and television. To tackle with those situations, crisis management was done. Few examples of Crisis Management are as follows: Nepal Samachar Patra and Sagarmatha Television were continuously showcasing various news regarding faulty products of Bottler’s Nepal Limited. To surpass those negative news, internee with the PR team had undergone the crisis management by flowing the positive news of the company in The Kathmandu Post. This is a technique where PR people do not counter the negative news directly but highlights the positive aspect of the company, person or the brand to put the positive news in the top of the publics mind. Negative News covered by Nepal Samachar Patra Positive News published in The Kathmandu Post 3.3 Public Relation Department Analysis As an internee under PR Department of an advertising agency, 3.4 Problem Identification and Solution Alternatives As every best effort does have a loop hole, PR Department also has to face certain problems at times.

Rabindranath Tagore Contribution Towards Education

What are the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi in Education? SWASTIK Historical Development of Basic Edcuation Mahatma Gandhi explained the concept of Basic Education through a series of articles in his Harijan magazine in 1937. In the conference at Wardha after a detailed discussion about Gandhiji's articles the scheme of Basic Education took shape under the leadership of Dr. Zakir Hussain. The following four resolutions were passed. (i) Free and compulsory education should be given to all children for a period of seven years. (ii) The medium of instruction should be the mother tongue, iii) The process of education should be centred round some form of manual production work in the shape of a craft. (iv) This education should be self-supporting to some extent. The Central Advisory Board of Education set up a Committee under the Chairmanship of Sri B. G. Kher to suggest measures for implementing these resolutions. Then another Committee was appointed under the same Chairman to recommend action coordinating the Basic Education with higher education. The recommendations of both these Committees were approved by the CABE and included in the Report on Post-war Educational Development in India. Also read: Woman Unknown by Rabindranath TagoreIn 1944, although Govts, both at the national and state levels accepted Basic Education as the national pattern, progress in its implementation was not satisfactory. Merits of Basic Education (1) Work as a central place: Since work occupies a central place in life, it had an important place in Basic Education. Dignity of labour was emphasized by him and work was made an integral part of this education. (2) A new method of teaching: Through Basic Education Gandhiji introduced a new method of teaching. This method is to teach all subjects through crafts and taken as activity-centred meant to free children from tyranny of words and cramming. 3) Self-supporting education: As a corollary to craft-centred education, it was visualized by Gandhiji that schools need be self- supporting. The carfts organized scientifically would result in more production and the sale-proceeds must fetch a good income. (4) Socially sound system of education: Basic education was sound sociologically. The then class-labour and chasm between mental and physical labour and the spirit of dependence on others were required to be removed from the society. In short, Basic education was intended to eradicate many ills of the society. 5) Training for Citizenship: Basic education was providing for training students in democratic living and practices. It was aiming at forming positive attitudes, creating interests and appreciation, developing understanding and imparting skills in citizenship. On the whole, it was a training citizenship. Drawbacks in Basic Education (1) Selection of Crafts: Since craft was occupying an important place in Basic school curriculum, selection of a suitable craft was determining the success and efficiency of Basic Education. But most of the schools followed the trodden path or tereotyped process without bothering for the local conditions and needs. For example, in the areas where cotton was not grown and had to be brought from a long distance, weaving was introduced as a craft even in those areas. (2) The Principles of Correlation: In Basic schools every subject was being taught through a craft. The principle of correlation was tried to be adopted in all subjects, but in real situation it was done as a ritual without any sincerity or seriousness. In fact, correlation was a slogan and fiction. (3) The Idealism of self-sufficiency:It was complained that the schools cannot be made self-sufficient with the production by children. The concept of self-sufficiency was thought to be idealism and was not emphasized by most of the teachers and inspecting officers. Products by unskilled hands were not selling well and fetching adequate income. Rather Basic Schools were more expensive than traditional schools. (4) The Principles of Equality: Although Basic Education was visualized to be socially sound for removing the existing disparities, it was rather aggravating the situation.It was tending to be meant for the ch ildren of poor labourers and farmers only and children of high class families were not going to these schools. The gulf between poor and rich classes rather widened due to Basic Education. (5) Proper Orientation and Understanding: Basic schools called for highly qualified and well-equipped teachers for properly teaching subjects through correlation and organizing crafts with efficiency. But in fact many teachers employed in such schools were lacking proper understanding of the Basic Education principles and desired orientation with the idealism or values impregnated in the system.Present Condition Although Basic Education faced a sorry state of affairs many of its principles are still appreciated for their practical value and psychology as well as sociological importance. The Kothari Commission, 1964-66 endorsed a large number of its essential features like work experience, community living, community service, citizenship training, world brotherhood, social and spiritual values and integrating knowledge with experience and so no. After a lapse of more than three decades a National Education conference was convened by Shriman Narayan at Sevagram in 1972 where Basic Education was praised by many.A resolution was passed with consensus of all Education Ministers and Vice Chancellors who attended the conference, â€Å"education at all levels should be imparted through socially useful and productive activity, linked with economic growth and development in both rural and urban areas†. The Iswarbhai Patel Committee supported most of the principles of Basic Education with great stress on work education or socially useful productive work. The UNESCO Commission Report â€Å"Learning to Be† also used the term Basic Education for Primary Education and laid emphasis on many forms of social and economic activities to be organized in the schools.The Basic Education system has been hailed as â€Å"the ideal solution for the reform of teaching methods in Indian S chools† by Dr. Gunnar Myrdal, the celebrated author of â€Å"Asian Drama† and as â€Å"one of the most interesting and promising developments in Indian Education† by Prof. Castle the renowned writer of â€Å"Education for self-help†. It goes without saying that India would have been a happier place at present, if the useful features of Basic Education had been given effect to with sincerity of all concerned.

5 Fluctuating Forms of Gender-Specific Language

5 Fluctuating Forms of Gender-Specific Language 5 Fluctuating Forms of Gender-Specific Language 5 Fluctuating Forms of Gender-Specific Language By Mark Nichol The English language is riddled with suffixes that specify gender, and efforts to mirror the slow-but-sure improvement in gender equality are reflected in shifting usage in this area. Such progress, however, is inconsistent. Here’s where we stand with various treatments: 1. -ess Words altered to include an -ess ending to specify reference to a woman are generally going by the wayside: Often, a female movie, television, or theater performer is identified as an actor (though performing-arts awards retain best-actress categories), whereas terms for female members of royalty such as princess and duchess, in keeping with the anachronistic survival of the concept, persist. Likewise, there’s no reason to genderize host or waiter, or author or poet, but we hold on to enchantress, goddess, and mistress. (And, if we have any sense, we hold on to enchantresses, goddesses, and mistresses.) In addition, as you know, stewards and stewardesses were transformed into flight attendants long ago. (The U.S. Navy, by the way, no longer uses steward as an official term for an officers’ attendant.) 2. -e English preserves a few terms derived from French in which an e is appended to the end of the masculine form of some words to refer to a woman, including fiancee and confidante. Conversely and obscurely a man who divorces his wife is a divorce (like the feminine form, pronounced â€Å"di-vor-say† and, in print, with an acute accent mark over the e). 3. -trix Another French form, -trix, is obsolete when referring to a female aviator, but English preserves the form in dominatrix, even though one rarely refers to a dominator (not in polite company, anyway). 4. -ine and -ina Hero applies to male and female do-gooders alike (and retiring heroine avoids the accidental misspelling as heroin). But what about those heroes of the US government, the drug czars and the energy czars and their ilk? (The word czar is the more modern Russian form the older variant is tsar of Caesar.) No president has appointed a female czar, but if that happened, would we refer to her as a czarina? Not likely, except in jocular usage. 5. -woman and -person The same folks who bristle at being scolded when they refer to humankind as mankind will no doubt fuss about this next point, but don’t use the suffix -man unless you’re referring to a man: It’s not necessary to employ the cumbersome term chairperson to refer to a female presiding or administrative officer or the position itself, or to distinguish between a chairman and a chairwoman; just say chair. (No, chair is not just the word for a piece of furniture; it’s the time-honored term, on its own, for an elected or appointed position.) Unfortunately, no such shortcut exists for referring to members of legislative bodies, but congresswoman and assemblywoman are no-brainers. The nonspecific terms congressmember and assemblymember are attested but fairly rare; the open forms (with Congress and Assembly capitalized) are more common. (â€Å"Member of Congress† is also frequently employed, but â€Å"member of the Assembly† is not.) But what do you call a woman who likes to fish (other than, um, a great catch?). Fisherwoman may seem awkward, but that’s just because we’re not used to it yet. As is the case with chairwoman or congresswoman, it’s a matter of only one more small syllable inserted in an already lengthy word. If you’re a man who washes clothes for a living, do you want to be referred to as a washerwoman, just because that’s the dominant usage? By rejecting gender-neutral language, you’re subjecting half the population to the same indignity. This isn’t political correctness run rampant; it’s inevitable and inexorable usage correction, part of the evolution of language (with the obligatory Neanderthal-like branch stubs on the evolutionary tree like waitron and waitperson as gender-neutral forms of waiter). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:36 Adjectives Describing LightAcronym vs. InitialismTreatment of Words That Include â€Å"Self†

The Best Historical Anime Series

The Best Historical Anime Series The Best Historical Anime Many people know that the most important events in the history of humankind are presented in many films and books. However, not all cinephiles know that there are anime series on historical subjects. Here is the historical anime list that will interest even the most demanding film critics. Baccano! This cartoon series represents the USA in the 20s of the 20th century. New York is the center of the main action. Cartoon makers were able to recreate the atmosphere of that time. You will see gangsters, exquisite ladies, retro cars, casinos, gangster clashes and much more interesting things in this anime. Black Butler The mystical name of this anime immediately prompts the audience to the idea that the action takes place in London. The cartoon depicts the period of the Victorian era. One of the main characters of the anime has his own business for the production of toys and lives a normal life. However, once he learns that his butler is a demon who is called upon to protect his house by any means. Do not expect to see the exact reproduction of the atmosphere of the Victorian era in this series. For example, the main character has a chainsaw, which is not consistent with the period presented in the anime. The Last Vampire This anime tells the story of the Japan-Vietnam War. The main character is a teenage girl who at first glance is no different from her peers. However, in fact, she is a vampire and a spy. The cartoon shows a lot of cruel and bloody scenes. This is a kind of mixture of horror and fiction. Gji Wu Gen The king of the northern lands of Van refuses to submit to the will of the Gods, thereby incurring their anger on his people. Wu Gen is the son of the rebel king. Wang comes to the aid of his old friend and rival Qi Yu, the legendary sword master. If King Van fights for his people, seeking to overthrow the gods, then the swordsman fights only to protect the queen with whom he is in love. Intrigue in the Bakumatsu Anime actions take place in Tokyo, Japan. The girl meets a mysterious man who gives her a pocket watch. They look unusual, but behave even more strangely they always show one direction, as if pointing the way somewhere. As a result, the girl comes to the temple of Toria. Suddenly the temple transfers her from the present to the period of Bakumatsu. Being in an era where values ​​are completely different from the values ​​of her time, she wants to go back to her home as soon as possible. The Emperors Strategy Born in an imperial family, Chu Yuan weighs in every step, fearing to lose everything because of his own negligence. He ascended to the throne at the age of eighteen, and six months later, civil unrest began in Yunnan Province. Although not all the courtiers showed unanimity, they waited for the new emperor to cope with this situation. The emperor had not yet managed to undertake anything. Duan Bai Yue led the troops to quell the rebellion. In the dim light of the moon, Chu Yuan put a wax seal on a secret letter and sent it over 800 miles to Yunnan. The pen pressed so hard on the paper that the outlines of the letters were visible on the back. One could understand how angry the young emperor was when he was writing those lines. Wonderland Young Ye Xing Yun, after the departure of his teacher, becomes the new leader of the great Tianyuan clan. New opportunities force Ye Xing Yun to step on a dangerous path, but tactics, strategic thinking and the help of experts are excellent tools for solving problems and revenge. The Age of Valor Toyotomi Hideyoshi is about to unite the provinces into one state. He wants to capture the castle of Odovar, which is defended by Udziyasu Hojo, known as Leo Sagami. Generals trained by Hideyoshi himself (Ishida Mitsunari, Kato Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori, Ootani Yitsitsugi, Sima Sakon and Nao Kantsugu) participate in the battle. Among the warriors, there are two people, for whom the capture of the castle is of particular importance. These are brothers Nobuyuki and Yukimura from the Sanada clan. Yukimura bravely rushes into the thick of battle. His brother does not lag behind. Blazing Night Raid China, 1931. The KMT with the support of the United States seized power and moved the capital to Nanjing. The Communists and a number of military leaders do not agree with this alignment; a sluggish civil war is raging in the country; the strangest unions and alliances appear and die. Japan, of course, could not stay away from these events, but the difficult situation in the Yamato land precluded direct intervention. Therefore, the Japanese authorities entrusted the actions in Shanghai to unofficial structures, including the secret organization Sakurai. The combat part of the organization consists of four agents with unique abilities: a telepath and aristocrat Yukina, who came to China in search of her older brother, her servant Natsume, who possesses super-sharp vision, a hereditary samurai Kazura, who owns the gift of teleportation, and telekinetic Aoy. These fighters of the invisible front solve questions day after day in favor of the Land of the Rising Sun. Princess Principal London is divided into the east and west by a large wall. The girls serve as secret spies, enrolled in queen Mayfairs prestigious school. Girls use their individual abilities to remain active in the underworld of disguise, espionage, penetration and car chases. The Rose of Versailles The action of the Rose of Versailles takes place in the second half of the 18th century in pre-revolutionary France. General de Jarà © has no heir. The desire to raise a son who will continue his paternal military career turns out to be so strong that the general calls his last daughter Oscar-Francois and raises him as a boy. When Oscar turns 14, her father presents her to the king not as a shy debutant, but as a contender for the title of the commander of the Queen’s personal guard. Oscar achieves this high rank and becomes the bodyguard of the young Marie-Antoinette. Mai Mai Miracle Japan, 1955. The quiet town of Hofu is surrounded by rice fields; life flows slowly and steadily. However, the 9-year-old Cinco Aoki, the leader of the local children, never feels bored. After all, there are so many mysterious and interesting things around! She learned that once their city was the capital of Suo, from where it was within easy reach of Kyoto, the ancient imperial capital, by the Inland Sea. A thousand years ago, the daughter of the governor lived in a house by the sea. The anime tells about the world of childhood, which is so pure, naive and simple, and which has no boundaries. You can make friends with a strange visitor from Tokyo and with a princess from the distant past. Everything is possible, as long as there is the strength of the spirit and imagination. Cinco and her friends touch this thousand-year magic. Watch this good historical anime to plunge into the atmosphere of a miracle. Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth Paris, the last quarter of the 19th century. Wars and revolutions have died down for a long time; the barricades of the Commune remained in the recent past. France is still a world power, and its capital is the center of European culture. Oscar Claudel is a merchant and traveler. He brought a young girl Yune from Japan, and she began working in his store. Very soon, Yune settled into a new house and began to bring benefits, not only helping with the housework but also attracting visitors with her exotic look. The young master gradually learns to appreciate the young assistant, who, as it turns out, understands much more than he says. As always, problems are not at all in the language gap, problems are usually in our heads, in honesty with ourselves and with each other.

German First Names and Their English Equivalents

German First Names and Their English Equivalents Anyone researching names soon becomes aware that, because of spelling variations and other changes, it is often difficult to determine the true origin of a name, particularly family names. Many names were altered (Americanized, anglicized) for various reasons. Just one example: The German last name  Schà ¶n  (beautiful) became  Shane, a change that deceptively hides its German origin. Not all German first or last names have an English equivalent, but many do. We wont bother with obvious ones like Adolf, Christoph, Dorothea (dor-o-taya), Georg (gay-org), Michael (meech-ah-el), Monika (mow-ni-kah), Thomas (tow-mas), or Wilhelm (vil-helm). They may be pronounced differently but the resemblance is hard to miss. First Names (Vornamen) Adalbert/Albrecht (Albert)Alois (Aloysius)Anja/Antje/Anke (Anna)Brbel  (Barbara)Beke (north German form of Bertha)Bernd/Bernt (Bernard)Birgit (Swedish form of Brigitte, which is actually a Celtic name)Dolf (short form from names ending in - dolf)Dorle (Dora, Dot, Dorothy)Eugen (oy-gen, Eugene)Franz (Frank)Gabi (form of Gabriele)Gerhard (Gerald)Gottfried (Geoffrey, Jeffrey, Godfrey)Greta (Margaret)Hans/Jens/Johann(es) (Jack, John, Jonathan)Heinrich/Heino/Heinz (Henry)Ilse (Elizabeth)Jakob (James)Jà ¶rg/Jà ¼rgen (George)Jutta (Judy/Judith)Karl/Karla (Charles/Carol)Karsten/Carsten/Kersten (variation of Christian)Katrin (C/Katherine)Kirsten/Kirstin (Christine)Lars (Larry), Leni (Helen/e)Ludwig  (Lewis/Louis)Margit (Martha)Matthias (Mathew)Nastasja (Anastasia),Nils (Nick)Ninja (neen-ya, Nina)Peer (Peter)Reinhold (Reginald)Renate (Renee)Rolf (Rudolph)Rà ¼diger/Rudi (Roger, Rudolph)Sepp (form of Joseph)Silke (Frisian form of Cecily/Cecilia)Steffi (Stephanie)Thea (short form of Doroth ea)Theo (Theodore) Wim (form of Wilhelm).   Female German  First Names These female german names do not have an English equivalent. Ada/AddaAdelheid (Heidi is the familiar form)Astrid, Beate, Brunhild(e)Dagmar (from Danish)DietrunEffi/Elfriede/ElfiEike (also male)ElkeFraukeFriedel (related to Elfriede)GerdaGerlindeGertrud(e)GiselaGunthild(e)HarmkeHedwigHeidrunHeikeHelgaHilde/HildegardHildrunHilkeImkeIrmaIrmgardIrmtraudIngeborgKaiKriemhildLudmillaMarleneMathildeMeinhildOttilieRoswithaSentaSieglindeSigridSigrunSonjaTanja (from Russian)ThedaTilla/TilliTraudeTrudiUlrikeUnaUrsula/UschiUte/UtaWaltraudWilhelmineWinifred Male First Names These male german names do not have an English equivalent. AchimBodo/Bot(h)oDagobert (no, not Dogbert!)Detlef/DetlevDieter,DietmarDirkEberhardEckehard/EckartEgonEmil (masculine form of Emily,  Emilio in Span)EngelbertErhard/ErhartFalkoGandolfGerd/Gert,Golo, Gunt(h)erGustav (from Swedish)Hartmut,HartwigHelgeHelmutHolger (from Danish)HorstIngomarJoachim (Achim)KaiKnutManfredNorbertOdo/UdoOtmarOttoRainer (rye-ner)ReinholdSiegfriedSiegmund/SigmundSà ¶nkTorsten/ThorstenTillUlfUlrich/UliUweVeitVilmarVolkerWaldemarWern(h)erWielandWigandWolfgangWolfram

Political Sensibilities of Milk and Philadelphia( movies) Essay

Political Sensibilities of Milk and Philadelphia( movies) - Essay Example However, it is important to note that the film Philadelphia has more impact than Milk as far as raising political sensitivity on matter of homosexuality is concerned. Milk is about the last eight years of Harvey Milk’s life. Harvey Milk was not only a gay activist but also the first openly gay man to be elected into a major public office in America (Charity, 2008). On the other hand, Philadelphia is about the life of Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer, who after contracting Aids is being hooded out of the law firm he practices law in (Perry, 2001). This film proceeds to illustrate the basic human rights and the needs of Andrew, his experience of alienation and vulnerability. It is however noteworthy that though Philadelphia affects the perspective of many Americans on matter of homosexuality it does not do it more vigorously as Milk. Milk and Philadelphia put gay subject matter into mainstream America, even though this subject was a taboo in 1990s when they were both released. In my opinion, the movie Milk changed the perspective of majority of Americans toward the homosexual population. In 1970s for instance, homosexual people enjoyed lesser liberty that the rest of the population which is not the case today courtesy of films like Milk and Philadelphia and gay right activists activities. To majority of American, homosexuality was wrong and immoral and therefore in their opinion unacceptable to them. Milk has a very big impact on our political view as far as homosexuality is concerned. It also compels us to pay close attention to the gay population and their rights. While it is utterly impossible to perfectly understand someone who does not come from your own background, and especially when it comes to matters of sexuality, people can almost experience it for a brief duration through the realistic visual of films. Films give people the insight they need to

Exemplars in legal and ethical issues in rehabilitation or physical Essay

Exemplars in legal and ethical issues in rehabilitation or physical therapy practice - Essay Example In this process, the doctor warns that although the patient will be able to work normally or even run, he advises that the exercise should not be vigorous. The physician plans of an 8-week therapy session where the patient is up to different tests. The exercises are made on a regular to help the patient cope with the pain at the stump area. After the therapy sessions, the patient feels normal and comfortable with his bionic right leg. The physician keeps a true record of each days exercise. On the point of discharge from the therapy, patient A returns to his normal practice at the tracks. After a few sessions on the tracks, he complains of pain at the stump area. This leads him back to the physician with insistence of getting a raw deal. He threatens to sue the physician since he cannot return to his professional racing even after the therapy. Is this claim compelling? This case is without a doubt related to contributory negligence. This alleged lawsuit stands no ground since the therapist has clear records of all the therapy sessions and the advice given to patient A. The records are clearly documented and therefore the patient lacks sufficient cause for the lawsuit. To solve this crisis, the patient can opt for a different solution. This is whereby he returns to the doctor so that more therapy sessions can be prescribed if indeed he was not to return full in the race trucks. On terms of legality, the doctor gave the patient a chance to choose. This is based on the principle of respect to autonomy. Patient B is an old man suffering stroke and has been through therapy. The patient is showing positive signs in terms of response to therapy. After the patient care unit for post stroke patients agrees that no more therapy can be availed to the patients, the family members agree to take the patient back home. However, after a brief look up at the family’s history, the doctor notices that the family

Quantitative Research Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Quantitative Research - Article Example sures that the researcher is neutral and not biased to the positive or even the negative side but stands neutral in order to solve the problem at hand. The literature review should be relevant to the problem being looked into and well understood to the researcher. The researcher must be in a position to understand what is really required of him so as to solve the problem at hand. The review might as well as include some other investigations that have been carried out on the problem or a problem related to the one in question. After having understood the problem the researcher should be able to identify the variables that affect or interfere with the research. If the variables have an effect on the outcome, then he or she ought to have to ways to neutralize or reduce the effect of the variables to achieve the desired results. The variables may either be dependent or independent variable, where the independent variable is the effect variable set by the investigator and it may also be considered to as the factor while the dependent variable is the observed or effect variable that is not set by the investigator. The tentative prediction or explanation of relationship between two or more variables to the problem at hand must also be looked into. It helps the investigator to translate the statement of the problem into a precise and ambiguous prediction of the outcome. Some research ideas may not have a definable hypothesis especially when they are descriptive. Hypothesis statements are most applicable in intervention and evaluation studies where comparisons are done on correlation for relationships. The objective in the research on English language learners is to help them achieve a better academic performance so that they may be in a get together with their peers in terms of class performance. Questions on how to achieve the objective should be formulated and suitable answers to obtained. In the English language learners case the major question should be how to

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

Project - Assignment Example The constructive discussion with the with the various teams of IT, manufacturing, distribution and marketing helped in the charting out of four probable alternative that can be implemented by the company. The alternatives that are identified ranged from operating as separate business, merging all functionalities, merging nothing at all as well as merging some functionality. After weighing out the advantages and disadvantages associated with the four alternatives, the acquiring company has focused on progressing ahead with the alternative associated with merging of some functionality. By opting for the alternative related to merging some functionality, the acquiring company will have a series of unique advantages. Explaining in a more elaborate manner, it can be said that the acquisition of the soft candy company by the client has already increased as well as diversified their product portfolio. The diverse product portfolio will help the company to market their product to a larger group of target audience, who has a liking for either or both hard and soft candy kind of products. In order to gain the maximum amount of mileage in regards to the expansion of the product portfolio, the client company should focus on implementing a series of strategies. The first strategy is to create demand for the company’s expanded product portfolio through strong advertising. The advertising campaign should focus largely on raising awareness for the new soft candy products as well as developing an overall brand for the company. The second strategy is to separately identify and forecast the demand for hard and soft candy products in the various pockets of the domestic market and then sending estimated amount of products to fulfil the variable demand and thereby eliminate the option of either stock out or accumulation of inventory. This method of identifying and forecasting of product demand in the various pockets of the

Major Depression Disorder Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Major Depression Disorder - Case Study Example The negative effects of MDD are often manifested in the patient’s inability to function normally in a personal and social capacity. Given her other pre-existing conditions, many of the symptoms are enhanced and result in a series of clinical manifestations discussed herein.Mrs. X’s subjective manifestation was initially evident when she has begun to shun speech and the company of others, she spends a lot of time by herself and the few time she speaks she is cynical and very pessimistic. When the social worker asked her if she wanted to go to talk to a doctor, she said he would only try to poison her again and refused anything to do with hospitals. She also contemplated suicide a lot and she would sometimes be heard muttering that God should not take away her health and her ability to â€Å"escape it all†. Her language was generally soft spoken but she displayed some latency in speech, tending to speak slowly and hesitantly and sometimes seeming to lose her stream of thought and wondering of the course of the conversation. On admission, her MMSE (mini mental examination) score was 25/30, he thought the content was low in tempo and the logical coherence was at times challenging. However, after she had undergone medication and two courses of ECT, her speech improved becoming more engaging and she was able to come up with more constructive and logical thought; in the short run, ECT tends to produce more immediate results than antidepressants, however, it negatively affected her short term memory albeit temporally.

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

Project - Assignment Example The constructive discussion with the with the various teams of IT, manufacturing, distribution and marketing helped in the charting out of four probable alternative that can be implemented by the company. The alternatives that are identified ranged from operating as separate business, merging all functionalities, merging nothing at all as well as merging some functionality. After weighing out the advantages and disadvantages associated with the four alternatives, the acquiring company has focused on progressing ahead with the alternative associated with merging of some functionality. By opting for the alternative related to merging some functionality, the acquiring company will have a series of unique advantages. Explaining in a more elaborate manner, it can be said that the acquisition of the soft candy company by the client has already increased as well as diversified their product portfolio. The diverse product portfolio will help the company to market their product to a larger group of target audience, who has a liking for either or both hard and soft candy kind of products. In order to gain the maximum amount of mileage in regards to the expansion of the product portfolio, the client company should focus on implementing a series of strategies. The first strategy is to create demand for the company’s expanded product portfolio through strong advertising. The advertising campaign should focus largely on raising awareness for the new soft candy products as well as developing an overall brand for the company. The second strategy is to separately identify and forecast the demand for hard and soft candy products in the various pockets of the domestic market and then sending estimated amount of products to fulfil the variable demand and thereby eliminate the option of either stock out or accumulation of inventory. This method of identifying and forecasting of product demand in the various pockets of the

Math Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Math - Essay Example Therefore, conjecture, the graphs of the sine function and its derivative cosine function are sinusoids of different phases i.e. the derivative is also a sine function with a phase-shift of (or) is true. For making graph of above sine function and its derivative functions, there will be need of taking value of constant ‘a’. In general, the ‘a’ is called as amplitude of the function. Figure 3 shows the different graphs of sine function and its derivative function for different values of ‘a’ (i.e. 2, 3, and 5). From above figure 3, it is obvious that the graphs of the sine and it derivative cosine functions (for different values of ‘a’) are sinusoids of different phases. The derivative is also a sine function with a phase-shift of (or). Here, the constant ‘a’ (amplitude) different values only change the shape of the sine and cosine functions. As the value of ‘a’ (either positive or negative) increases the shape of the curve will also changes and it goes far from x-axis. The above conjecture for can be verified by graphing similarly as verified for earlier, as shown in figure 2. For same values of constant ‘a’, all the graphs of function, and will be similar and will follows the same path. Therefore, it can be said that all the functions represent the same function, which is derivative of function. From table 2 it is obvious that all values for derivative functions are same (3rd, 4th and 5th column). Therefore, conjecture, the graphs of the sine function and its derivative cosine function are sinusoids of different phases i.e. the derivative is also a sine function with a phase-shift of (or) is true. From figure 1 and figure 4, it can be seen that as the value of b increases, the number of cycle for and for, also increases. For b = 1 the number of cycle is 2, and for b = 2, 3, and 5 the number of cycle is 4, 6 and 10 respectively. In addition, for derivative functions the amplitude

Water Pollution Essay Example for Free

Water Pollution Essay Water pollution refers to the contamination of water sources with harmful materials such as sediments, organic wastes, minerals, thermal pollutants, nutrients, toxic chemicals as well as other hazardous compounds. Water pollution makes water not to be safe for cooking, drinking, farming and fishing (Sharma, 2009). 2. Where does this pollution come from? The primary sources of water pollution include agricultural, municipal and industrial wastes. The municipalities, industries and agricultural sectors increasingly discharge harmful compounds into water sources thus contributing to water pollution. These toxic compounds end up in lakes and deprive aquatic organisms of the oxygen which is critical for their survival. Human activities such as mining also contribute to water pollution. Mineral elements such as chromium, copper, iron, nickel, platinum, tin and zinc are released into water sources during mining (Sharma, 2009). 3. What impacts can it have on wildlife and overall water quality? Since the organic wastes need oxygen for decomposition, the aquatic wildlife is endangered. The phytoplankton population which forms the primary sources of food for aquatic animals is greatly deprived of oxygen which they use in photosynthesis. The decreased levels of phytoplankton will imply a reduced number of wildlife in water. Excessive amounts of elements released into water sources during mining such as platinum and chromium inhibit sunlight penetration that also reduces the photosynthetic capacity of phytoplankton. The important quality of water such as the allowance of light penetration is therefore reduced significantly with pollution (Sharma, 2009). 4. What impacts can it have on human health? Water pollution impacts human health by causing diseases such as bilharzias, cholera and dysentery because dirty water hosts the water pathogens causing these diseases. The mineral elements deposited to water sources especially the heavy metals such mercury can have serious health impact among developing children. The cognitive development process is delayed with mercury poisoning. Other water pollutants such as chlorinated dioxins and furans are highly carcinogenic (Sharma, 2009). 5. What are ways to decrease the amount or impact? Water pollution can be reduced through encouraging individuals to be responsible while handling water and treating sewage. Water pollution regulations such as common-law principles, federal and state statutes and administrative rules are some of the ways in which the impact of water pollution can be reduces. The offenders who go against the law should be prosecuted and this will reduce the incidences of water pollution (Sharma, 2009). Reference: Sharma, P. D (2009). Fundamentals of our environment, its problems and control measures. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from http://knol. google. com/k/fundamentals-of-our- environmentalpollutions#%2828%29E%2829%29_Water_pollution_and_its_prev ention_and_control%283A%29

Cannabis Use in Canada: Legislation and the Future

Cannabis Use in Canada: Legislation and the Future Crime refers to behaviors that are a violation of codified law. However, the exact definition of crime is complex and ever-changing, as it depends on social, political and economic factors. For example, what may be considered a crime one day, may be seen as legal the next (Law Commission, 2004). This concept is exemplified by the evolution of laws regarding the possession of cannabis that has occurred throughout the years in Canada. Ever since cannabis and its derivatives have been introduced in Canada years ago, government prohibition of it has been the subject of an ongoing debate of whether it should be legalized or not. Proponents of cannabis use argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol (CAMH, 2014). Therefore, prohibiting cannabis intrudes on an individuals fundamental freedoms. On the other hand, opponents argue that cannabis is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of children and that cannabis use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine (Evans, 2013). This paper analyzes the current approach to possession of cannabis in Canada, paying close attention to relevant laws and legal cases. This paper will further argue that from a variety of approaches to deal with cannabis, legalization is the most useful and effective method. Background Cannabis, primarily derived from the female plant, Cannabis sativa, is believed to have evolved on the steppes of Central Asia. The history of cannabis use goes back as far as 12,000 years, which places the plant among humanitys oldest cultivated crops (CAMH, 2014). The first record of the drugs medicinal use dates to 4000 B.C. where it was used as an anesthetic during surgery. From the 17th to the mid 20th century, standardized cannabis found their way into British and US pharmacopoeias and was widely used in western medicine, often considered a household drug used for treating various kinds of ailment ranging from headaches and toothaches to menstrual cramps (MacQueen, 2013). Cannabis eventually fell out of use in western medicine, and was banned in most countries as part of national and international drug control legislation that was originally designed to control traffic in opiates but was extended to include a broad range of other psychoactive agents. However, in the 1970s, cann abis use rose dramatically and became a part of the youth culture due to its mood and perception altering properties, which made it a recreational drug of choice for many individuals (Blaszczak-Boxe, 2014). Throughout its long history, parts of the cannabis plant have been smoked, chewed, eaten, and even brewed for its effects on the human biochemistry. Marijuana- also called weed, pot, grass, reefer, and a vast number of other slang terms- comes primarily from the flower part of the cannabis plant and is one of the most abused drugs in the world (Evans, 2013). There are hundreds of compounds in marijuana, but the chemical responsible for the drugs psychoactive effects is tetrahydrocannbinol, or THC. Marijuana affects two main parts of the human body, the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system (CAMH, 2014). The central nervous system, which mainly controls thoughts and registers sensations throughout the body, can be impacted through varying doses of marijuana. For example, a low dose of marijuana results in a sense of well being and drowsiness/relaxation (Ponto et al., 2004). As the dose increases, other effects tend to come in, usually altered sense of time and sensory a wareness. At much higher to extreme doses, paranoia, hallucinations, panic attacks and delusions have been reported to occur. The cardiovascular system can be affected by cannabis use through increased heart rate and dilation of eye blood vessels. There can also be difficulties in body movement and coordination as the dosage of cannabis increases (Ponto et al., 2004). As with some other psychoactive drugs, the use of cannabis is not benign. Research has found both benefits and harms associated with cannabis use. Cannabis has therapeutic qualities and many people consume it for its psychoactive effects (Room et al., 2010). A number of the potentially useful effects have been well studied and confirmed scientifically in both experimental animals and human volunteers and patients. One of these is the moderately good analgesic action, principally against chronic musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain (Evans, 2013). Furthermore, only about ten percent of individuals who consume the drug become dependent, a rate that is extremely low in comparison to other illicit and legal drugs. In fact, tobacco, a drug that is considered legal in Canada, has a dependency rate of 32% (Health Canada, 2015). The potential for harm exists, particularly for people who consume it frequently or begin using in adolescence. These harms include impairment of learning, memory, alertness, reaction speed and judgment (Babor et al., 2010). Those who are dependent on cannabis have been documented to face both cardiovascular and respiratory issues such as chronic bronchitis. In addition, research suggests that high levels of cannabis use can be linked to lung and prostate cancer (Room et al., 2010). Despite the negative effects of high levels of cannabis use, it is crucial to acknowledge the fact that most individuals do not become dependent on the drug. Rather, most will experiment with cannabis use only a few times in their life (Room et al., 2010). Canada has one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the world. Despite the existence of serious criminal penalties for possessing, producing, and selling cannabis, the 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey found that 40% of Canadians have used cannabis in their lifetime and about 10% report having used it in the past year (Health Canada, 2015). Additionally, the survey indicates that Canadian youth aged 15 to 19 are more likely to consume cannabis than adult Canadians. In fact, Canadian adolescents have among the highest rates of cannabis use compared to their peers in other developed countries (UNICEF Office of Research, 2013). According to the 2012 Canadian Community Health survey, 22.4% of youth aged 15 to19 reported past-year use of cannabis and in total, youth use cannabis at a rate 2.5 times higher than adults aged 25 and older (Statistics Canada, 2015). In view of these statistics, it is unsurprising that cannabis is widely available throughout Canada and that a w ell-established cannabis market exists in Canada. Laws surrounding the possession of Cannabis in Canada In Canada, cannabis use became illegal in 1923 after the Act to Prohibit the Improper Use of Opium and other Drugs added cannabis to the list of illicit substances. Cannabis then became an illegal substance under the same category of harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin, despite lack of scientific or criminal correlations to suggest such categorization (CAMH, 2014). An increase in illicit drug use in the 1960s and 1970s was met by greatly increased criminalization and the associated individual and social costs. The strain on the courts, and the rising numbers of otherwise law-abiding youth being sentenced for recreational use of cannabis created pressures for the liberalization of Canadas drug laws. As a result, the Commission of Inquiry in the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in 1972 (commonly referred to as the Le Dain Commission) was formed to address the growing concern about drug use and appropriate responses. The Le Dain Commission concluded that drug prohibition, specifically canna bis use, results in high costs but relatively little benefit. The Le Dain Commission proposed that all criminal penalties associated with cannabis be removed, along with the development of less coercive and costly alternatives to punitive punishments, but was immediately rejected by the government at the time (Broughton, 2014). By the mid-1980s there was growing acknowledgement of the limitations of law enforcement in reducing the demand for drugs as the Canadian police forces were pursuing more cannabis arrests than ever before (Hathaway and Erickson 2003). As a result, in 1987, the Canadian federal government announced a harm reduction model approach to drug use to address substance use with both supply and demand reduction strategies. This model views drug use, particularly cannabis use, as an undeniable fact in society and seeks to reduce the harms caused by it rather than advocating abstinence (Hathaway and Erickson 2003). Despite this model, Canadas approach to cannabis was still largely a model of criminal prohibition. For example, Dian Riley of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy argues that this model is an ineffective and inappropriate drug policy that causes more harm than the drug itself (Broughton, 2014, p.4). In fact, since the first three years after the implementation of the program, the proportion of drug offenders in Canadas prison rose from 9 percent to 14 percent (Hathaway and Erickson 2003). The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act In 1997, there was the introduction of a new drug law that was meant to address some of the problems of past law and to adapt some of the positive experiences of other countries around the globe. The new law, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996), is Canadas federal drug control statute and establishes eight Schedules of controlled substances and two Classes of precursors. This act outlines penalties for possession, trafficking and production of the substances established as illegal, including cannabis (MacQueen, 2013). Under this act, cannabis and its derivatives are considered as schedule II drugs and possession of it is illegal (Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, 1996). However, due to R. v. Parker (2001), the Supreme Court of Canada declared that section 4 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which deals with the prohibition against possession of marijuana, was too broad insofar as it failed to create an exception for medical marijuana use. As such, in 2001 Health C anada issued a set of regulations giving individuals access to marijuana for medical purposes. The Medical Marihuana Access Regulations (2001), which went into effect in 2002, outlined two categories of individuals who may legally access marijuana prescribed by their doctor. These two categories mainly deal with individuals suffering from severe pain as a result of medical conditions. Individuals who have a medical condition described in category 1 or who are approved under category 2 can legally obtain medicinal marijuana distributed by the company CannaMed or can grow their own for personal consumption (Broughton, 2014). Thus, it is possible to have legal access to marijuana for medical purposes in Canada while recreational use of marijuana is still a criminal act. Despite the tough penalties in place, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996)has been criticized for criminalizing drug users and its failure to reduce drug availability while at the same time the financial and human costs of criminating cannabis continue to rise. Additionally, analyses of current policy practices demonstrate a failure to achieve the set out goals of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996)in reducing the consumption of cannabis (Broughton, 2014). Instead, criminalization has created further social issues. For example, an increase in arrests under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996) has not led to a decrease in the use of marijuana, with around 60,000 Canadian arrested for simple possession every year. On the contrary, the number of distributors and consumers has only increased in recent years (Room et al., 2010, p.60). The experiences within Canadian courts also demonstrate the inefficiency of the current approach to cannabis. For example, th e case of R. v. Malmo-Levine (2003) deals with the possession of marijuana. Malmo-Levine was charged with possession and trafficking of marijuana. He argued that the criminalization and punishment of possession of marijuana goes against his rights as stated in section 7 in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms declares that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice (Canadian Charter, 1982, s 7). Malmo-Lavine argued that, by attaching a criminal penalty of imprisonment for simple possession of marijuana the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996)deprived him of liberty in a manner that is not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. Malmo-Lavine suggested that it is a principle of fundamental justice that the criminal law can only prohibit activities that cause some sort of harm, and the possession of marijuana does not constitute as harm to others(R. v. Malmo-Levine, 2003). Justice Arbour, in the dissenting opinion, stated that the criminalization of cannabis punishes those who pose little risk to society and limits their Charter rights. Nevertheless, the majority of the Supreme Court of Canada did not agree with Justice Arbours argument and instead ruled that the law against the recreational use of marijuana did not violate the Charter in any of the ways suggested by Malmo-Lavine (R. v. Malmo-Levine, 2003). The cases of Readhead (2008) and Evers (2011), further exemplifies how the approaches outlined in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996) leads to unnecessary arrests and unfair targeting of individuals. In R. v. Readhead (2008), the accused was charged with the possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of two and one half years. Readhead argued that the sentencing judge erred in his decision and asked for a fairer sentence. The British Columbia Court of Appeal stated that the sentence prescribed by the sentencing judge is within the proper scope of his judgment, but still reduced the sentence to two years less a day. As pointed out by the British Columbia Court of Appeal, Readheads past experience with the law, in which he has three previous charges for trafficking marijuana, did not deter or rehabilitate him in any way( R. v. Readhead, 2008). In R. v. Evers (2011), the accused was charged wi th the offences of unlawfully producing a controlled substance and possessing this substance for the purposes of trafficking. However, despite Everss lack of remorse for producing marijuana and her explicitly stating that she intended to continue her grow operation, the trial judge did not impose any jail time. The trial judge stated that there was no point in imprisoning Evers as doing so would only make her a martyr for the legalization of marijuana (R. v. Evers, 2011). Both of these cases show the ineffectiveness of the current law in deterring individuals from possessing and using cannabis. The prohibition of cannabis and criminalization of its users does not deter people from consuming it. The evidence on this point is clear: tougher penalties do not lead to lower rates of cannabis use (Chandra, 2014). Perhaps it is time that there should be an examination of the actual effects of cannabis on Canadians rather than blindly prohibiting the possession of cannabis. Alternatives to Cannabis Prohibition As discussed above, all available evidence indicates that the criminalization of cannabis use is ineffective, costly, and constitutes poor public policy. Globally, there is growing debate about the efficacy of criminalizing drugs such as cannabis, in particular that the health, social, economic and criminal harms of this approach outweighs any intended benefits (Chandra, 2014). As such, there are three main alternatives to full cannabis prohibition: decriminalization, partial prohibition and legalization. Models of cannabis decriminalization vary greatly, but generally involve removing possession of small amounts of cannabis from the sphere of criminal law. Essentially, prohibition remains, but instead of incarceration the use of cannabis becomes civil violations punishable by fines (Babor et al., 2010). Removing criminal penalties for cannabis possession should result in a reduction in both the number of individuals involved in the criminal justice system and the cost of enforcement , thus reducing the burden to individuals and to the legal system. Moreover, evidence suggests that a decriminalization approach can reduce some of the adverse social impacts of criminalization (CAMH, 2014). An example of a country that follows a decriminalization model is Portugal. Since the implementation of this system, Portugal has seen declines in substance misuse and in drugà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ related harm, a reduced burden on the criminal justice system, and a reduction in the use of illicit drugs by adolescents (Room et al., 2010). While it is not possible to conclusively attribute these trends in Portugal to a shift in decriminalization, these findings present strong support that at the very least, decriminalizing cannabis does not result in major problems. Partial prohibition regimes of cannabis possession are brought about by two distinct approaches, namely either de facto legalization or de jure legalization. Within the model of de facto legislation, cannabis use is formally prohibited by criminal law, yet applicable laws are not enforced and thus not sanctioned by any punitive interventions (Babor et al., 2010). Netherlands famously takes a de facto legalization approach to cannabis. Although the drug is still deemed illegal, personal use of cannabis is tolerated and is made available through dispensaries called coffee shops. Cannabis use or sale outside of the regulated spaces of these coffee shops is followed by police warnings or fines (Babor et al., 2010). In other words, personal cannabis use and supply to the end consumer in the Netherlands is regulated similarly to alcohol or tobacco use in many jurisdictions. One of the major benefits cited for the legally tolerated dispensaries is that it helps consumers from being exposed to illegal markets where there may be availability of harder drugs (Room et al., 2010). Evidence demonstrates that the Netherlands has a lower rate of cannabis use than in the United States which suggests that partial legalization of cannabis will not necessarily lead to an increase in use. Within the model of de jure legalization, personal use quantities are allowed to be carried and consumed by citizens. Punishments of cannabis use are either explicitly written into the drug statute or the scope of the law does not include cannabis possession (Chandra, 2014). These reforms have so far predominantly been aimed at selected places (e.g. the home) or at specific populations (e.g. medical marijuana users) (Babor et al., 2010). An example of a country that follows a de jure model of legalization is Spain. In Spain, possession or use of cannabis is prohibited by the law, yet there is no punishment or enforcement when involving small amounts. In 2002, Cannabis Social Clubs appeared in the country. These are non-commercial organizations of users who get together to cultivate and distribute enough cannabis to meet their personal needs without having to turn to the black market (Alonso, 2011, p. 2). Since, 2002 it is estimated that Cannabis Social Clubs have enabled several thou sand people to stop financing the black market and to know the quality and origin of what they are consuming, whilst creating jobs and tax revenue (Alonso, 2011). A third alternative that has been widely supported is legalization of cannabis with health-focused regulation. Legalization removes the social harms and costs associated with prohibition. In effect, legalization endorses marijuana as socially acceptable. It eliminates criminal penalties, reducing prices, increasing availability, and de-stigmatizing use (Broughton, 2014). Moreover, it is estimated that removing criminal and civil penalties for possession of cannabis would eliminate more than $ 1 billion dollars that is spent annually in Canada to enforce these ineffective laws (Evans, 2013). Advocates of legalization of cannabis point out that cannabis is no more harmful than alcohol or tobacco and should therefore be regulated in a similar fashion. In the same way that alcohol prohibition in Canada was an abject failure which promoted crime and actually loosened the federal governments control over the importation and production of the substance, cannabis can also be seen as leading down the same path (CAMH, 2014). Moreover, advocates in favor of cannabis legalization claim that cannabis use is not an act of criminal nature and thus the federal government does not have the authority to ban it. They further argue that cannabis is neither harmful nor immoral and thus only the province has the power to regulate the use, distribution, and sale of marijuana (CAMH, 2014). This argument would equate marijuana with alcohol, which is also regulated independently by the governments of each province. Like all drugs, cannabis use has negative outcomes (Evans, 2013). However, the evidence shows that this does not justify the prohibition of the drug. For example, legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco can be far more dangerous and addicting than cannabis can ever be capable of, but these substances are still considered legal in Canada. Instead of focusing on the evidence, the mere prohibition of cannabis use only leads to further harm for users. Some opponents of legalization fear that it would send the wrong message about the risks of cannabis. But current rates of cannabis use in Canada already suggest that youth are not getting the right message (MacQueen, 2013). For instance, despite prohibition, 23% of Ontarios high school students and 40% of young adults use cannabis. A 2013 UNICEF study of 29 Wealthy nations found that Canadian youth rank first in cannabis use, but third from last in tobacco use -even though cannabis is illegal while tobacco is legal (MacQueen, 2013). Moreover, an examination of public opinion polls over the last few decades shows a steady increase in the proportion of Canadians who support the legalization of marijuana, rising from only 19 percent in 1977 to 57 percent in 2012 (Grenier, 2013). Lorne Bozinoff of Forum Research Inc says that given these statistics, the public no longer favors devoting time and resources required to restrict marijuana use and possession, instead favoring a legalize and tax strategy (Grenier, 2013, p.4). It is also important to note that legalization alone does not reduce the health risk and harms of cannabis. Instead legalization presents the government with the opportunity to regulate cannabis to mitigate those risks something that cannot be effectively done under decriminalization or prohibition (CAMH, 2014). Legalization under a health-focused model is based on the fundamental principles of harm reduction. Harm reduction is a pragmatic approach to reducing individual and social harms associated with drug use. This approach accepts that certain interventions focused on diminishing the harmfulness of a substance, even if they increase the extent of substance use, may be able to reduce the total adverse consequences on the individual, as well as society (Pates Riley, 2012). In regards to cannabis use, harm reduction approaches acknowledge that there are no known effective solutions for completely eliminating drug-use or drug-related problems in the public. Therefore, the main char acteristic of harm reduction is that it focuses on the reduction of harm as its primary goal, rather than reduction of drug use per se (CAMH, 2014). It is important to note that harm reduction principles are not meant to promote drug use, but instead recognizes the reality of drug use and measures success in terms of quality of life improvements for the individual (Broughton, 2014). For example, legalization of cannabis would attempt to reduce the harmfulness of cannabis use, without necessarily stopping drug use altogether. To reduce harm, legalization of cannabis is a necessary but definitely not a sufficient- condition. It must include effective control on availability and regulation that steers users towards less harmful practices. Conclusion Prohibition of cannabis use has not succeeded in preventing cannabis use or mitigating its harms. On the contrary, it has exacerbated the health harms of cannabis and created costly social ones as well. Legalizing and strictly regulating cannabis allows for more control over the risk factors associated with cannabis-related harm and is a better alternative to the current approach (Broughton, 2014). It is important to realize that the Canada of 1997 when the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996) was first established bears almost no resemblance to Canada of today. This explains why since its inception, the Criminal Code has changed many ambiguous laws to legalize and decriminalize certain actions (e.g., prostitution, assisted suicide, etc). Essentially, the laws have needed to evolve in order to better accommodate societal needs and advancing scientific research. Similarly, based on current research showing that criminalizing cannabis has not been an effective policy, perhaps it is time to re-examine our approach to cannabis use and advocated for legalization. References Alonso, M. (2011). Cannabis social clubs in Spain: A normalizing alternative underway. Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies, 9. Retrieved March 3, 2017, from http://druglawreform.info/en/publications/legislative-reform-series-/item/1095-cannabis-social-clubs-in-spain Babor, T., J., Caulkins, Edwards, G., Fischer, B., Foxcroft, D., Humphreys, K., . . . Strang, J. (2010). Drug policy and the public good. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Blaszczak-Boxe, A. (2014). Marijuanas History: How One Plant Spread Through the World. Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://www.livescience.com/48337-marijuana-history-how-cannabis-travelled-world.html Broughton, M. (2014). The Prohibition of Marijuana. Manitoba Policy Perspectives, 1(1). Retrieved March 1, 2017, from https://umanitoba.ca/centres/mipr/media/1._Prohibition_of_Marijuana_Broughton.pdf CAMH. (2014). Cannabis Policy Framework. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Retrieved March 1, 2017, from https://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/influencing_public_policy/Documents/CAMHCannabisPolicyFramework.pdf Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c11 Chandra, F. (2014). The Current Approach to Cannabis Possession in Canada: Issues and Alternatives. Sociology and Anthropology Student Union Undergraduate Journal, 1. Retrieved March 3, 2017, from summit.sfu.ca/system/files/iritems1/15204/SASU-Chandra.pdf Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, SC 1996, c 19. Retrieved from http://canlii.ca/t/l44r Criminal Code, RSC (1985) c C-46 Evans, D. (2013). The Economic Impacts of Marijuana Legalization. The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice, 7(4). Retrieved March 4, 2017, from http://www.globaldrugpolicy.org/Issues/Vol%207%20Issue%204/The%20Economic%20Impacts%20of%20Marijuana%20Legalization%20final%20for%20journal.pdf Grenier, E. (2013). Majority of Canadians want to loosen marijuana laws: polls . The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/majority-of-canadians-want-to-loosen-marijuana-laws-polls/article14010389/ Hathaway, A. D., Erickson, P. G. (2003). Drug Reform Principles and Policy Debates: Harm Reduction Prospects for Cannabis in Canada. Journal of Drug Issues, 33(2), 465-495. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/002204260303300209 Health Canada. (2015). Canadian Tobacco Alcohol and Drugs (CTADS): 2013 summary. Retrieved February 28, 2017, from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canadian-tobacco-alcohol-drugs-survey/2013-summary.html Law Commission. (2004). What is a crime?: defining criminal conduct in contemporary society. Retrieved March 1, 2017, from http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/pdf/chapters/whatisacrime/whatcrime.pdf MacQueen, L. (2013). Why its time to legalize marijuana. Macleans. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/why-its-time-to-legalize-marijuana/ Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, SOR/ 2001-227 (available on http://lois-laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-2001-227/index.html) Pates, R., Riley, D. (2012). Harm Reduction in Canada: The Many Faces of Regression. Harm Reduction in Substance Use and High-risk Behaviour: International Policy and Practice. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://canadianharmreduction.com/sites/default/files/Harm%20Reduction%20in%20Canada.pdf Ponto, L. L., Oleary, D. S., Koeppel, J., Block, R. I., Watkins. (2004). Effect of Acute Marijuana on Cardiovascular Function and Central Nervous System Pharmacokinetics of [15O]Water: Effect in Occasional and Chronic Users. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 44(7), 751-766. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15199080 Room, R., Fischer, B., Hall, W., Lenton, S., Reuter, P. (2010). Cannabis Policy: Moving Beyond Stalemate. Oxford University Press. R. v. Evers, 2011 BCCA 330 (available on CanLII) R. v. Malmo-Levine; R. v. Caine, [2003] 3 SCR 571, 2003 SCC 74 (available on CanLII) R. v. Parker, 2000 CanLII 5762 (ON CA), (available on CanLll) R. v. Readhead, 2008 BCCA 532 (available on CanLII) Statistics Canada. (2015). Prevalence and correlates of marijuana use in Canada, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2015004/article/14158-eng.htm UNICEF. (2013). Child Well-being in Rich Countries: A comparative overview. Innocenti Report. Retrieved March 1, 2017, from https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc11_eng.pdf

Conformity and Individuality in a Small Town Essay -- essays research

Conformity and Individuality in a Small Town John Updike was born in Shillington, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1932. His father was a high school math teacher who supported the entire family, including his grandparents on his mothers side. As a child, Updike wanted to become a cartoonist because of The New Yorker magazine. He wrote articles and poems and kept a journal. John was an exceptional student and received a full scholarship to Harvard University. At Harvard he majored in English and became the editor of the Harvard newspaper. Upon graduation in 1954, he wrote his first story, Friends from Philadelphia, and sent it to The New Yorker. This started his career and he became one of the great award winning authors of our time. In a transcript of a radio interview with Updike, he says his duties in the early works were to â€Å"describe reality as it had come to me, to give the mundane its beautiful due.† (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec03/updike_12-29.html retrieved 7/27/05) Updike felt as though ordinary middle-class life was enough to write about and that there was enough drama, interest, relevance, importance, poetry in it. The ‘A&P’ written by John is about middle and, presumed, upper middle class life and the characters are ones that people can easily identify with. There is the teenage boy, Sammy, working a meaningless job ogling scantily clad teenage girls, a married man with children, Stokesie, doing the same, an uptight store manager, Lengel, who, in this case, is a man but could have easily been a woman in today’s society, the insecure teenage girls, who Sammy nicknamed ‘Plaid’ and ‘Big Tall Goonie-Goonie, following around their â€Å"leader,† the leader herself, Queenie, who is confident in her socioeconomic status as well as her appearance, the housewives who cover themselves in public, the cash-register-watcher, the ’sheep’ or the other people in the A&P doing their grocery shopping, and the butcher, McMahon. All of these characters allow any reader to identify with them in some way, whether past or present. The story takes place on a summer afternoon in an eastern coastal town at a local grocery store, the A & P. The protagonist is Sammy; is a teenaged boy who works at the A&P. Sammy is also the narrator of the story, the reader sees through his ey... ...have given boys a hard time? Would the boys have had real names? These are questions for every reader to decide for themselves. Annotated Bibliography Porter, M. Gilbert.: "John Updike's 'A & P': the establishment and an Emersonian cashier." English Journal 61 (1972):1155-1158. Reinforces Sammy’s discust for the A&P clientele. At the same time, Sammy realizes he is an individual with individual thoughts and feelings that do not conform with the moral, social and ethical standards of that time. Saldivar, Toni. "The Art of John Updike's 'A & P.’† Studies in Short Fiction. 34:2 (1997): 215-225. This demonstrates Sammy’s desire to express his individuality and rebel against the conformity of society at that time and the A&P’s representation of that conformity. Wells, Walter. "John Updike's 'A & P': A Return Visit to Araby." Studies in Short Fiction 30.2 (1993): 127-133. Demonstrates the maturity process of Sammy. Confusing sexual impulses for being a ‘hero.’ Sammy thinks he is impressing the girls, but they don’t even notice. Reinforces the individuality/conformity themes.

Care of Suicidal Patient in Ed

This article Is about caring for pediatric patients who are suicidal. I believe In coincided with what we have recently been learning about during our clinical experience. I was also Interested in this article because I had worked In pediatrics for six years prior to working in a rehab/nursing home setting. After reading this article, I learned ways to carefully screen the pediatric patient, how to do an assessment and how some families act and what measures of support they need during their families time of crisis.This oracle gave a case study of a boy that was brought Into the emergency apartment with his mother and grandfather. When the nurse met him in the reception area he was sitting In a chair with his legs pulled up to his chest and his shoe laces were untied. He avoided eye contact during their meeting. The mother in the case study was visibly upset.This boy was brought to the emergency department because this young boy was found in the kitchen holding a butcher knife to his neck, when his mother walked In and got the young boy to give her the knife, Prior to this day there were many changes in the young boys life, he recently started a new school and he was diagnosed with Espalier's syndrome. This boy also had trouble making friends in his school and he was being bullied. Other children at school were threatening this boy. This story made me think of all the children that are In POEMS and how he seemed to have a lot of things In common with them. They were all in similar situations.The nurse after obtaining this history from his mother and asking about any medications, vaccinations, allergies, possible exposures to communicable diseases also needed to obtain his vital signs and head to toe assessment The young boy let the nurse do his height and weight but as soon as the nurse put the stethoscope to he boys chest he felt his heart pounding and he thought It meant he was going to die. The boy had anxiety during the assessment so the nurse stopped the a ssessment and showed what she needed to do on his mother and after the boy relaxed a little bit, he allowed the nurse to finish the assessment on him.The nurse got a one on one to stay with this patient because he was at risk for doing harm to himself. The nurse also had to obtain an EGG and urine drug screen. In our clinical setting, I have seen the urine drug screen used on every patient but not the EGG. According to this article, It Is Important to obtain a baseline EGG because many psychophysiology agents can affect the conduction system of the heart. After the boy was medically cleared, he was eligible to meet with the psychiatrist and social worker. He had to wait for the psychiatrist and he became agitated and started kicking the wall.Security had to be called Into the room and the safety door was lowered. The nurse removed their name badge and their bandage scissors as they were both safety hazards. The nurse re-entered the room keeping their pathway to the door unobstructed . All dangerous items were removed from the room. The nurse used many different techniques to deescalate the situation and used the mother to get Information of things that have worked In the past. When the boy was ready to discharge, the nurse gave them education on a safety plan the called tort keeping knives out to the boys reach and tallow up tort outpatient care.No medications were given to calm him down. The suicide rate in the entire world has increased over the past few decades with a greater number of boys attempting suicide then girls. In 2010, there was a study hat found 14% of children ages 11-20 reported having suicidal thoughts within the previous month. According to this article, Native American males have the highest suicide rate in the United States for children over 10, and non-Hispanic black females have the lowest rate.Some psychosocial risk factors include, the presence of an underlying psychiatric condition, a history of prior suicide attempts, a history of phy sical or sexual abuse, and a lack of mental health treatment. Poor coping skills have been identified as a predictive of a suicide attempt in both sexes. Environmental and social risk factors include owning a gun in the household, being homeless or living in a corrections facility or group home, poor parent-child communication, social isolation, bullying and difficulties at school.Many emergency rooms are using the five level triage classification systems called Emergency Severity Index Triage Algorithm. This takes into account not only the acuity of the patient but also the number of resources that will be required during the evaluation. A level 1 patient would require immediate life-saving intervention. A level 2 patient would be considered in the â€Å"danger zone,† and needs emergent retirement. Level 3 patients need more the 1 resource, level 4 patients require 1 resource and level 5 patients require none.At the Children's Hospital Boston, the use a screening tool that c onsists of 4 questions, â€Å"Are you here because you tried to hurt yourself? † â€Å"In the past week, have you been having thoughts about killing yourself? † â€Å"Have you ever tried to hurt yourself in the past other than this time? † â€Å"Has something very stressful happened to you in the past few weeks? † If the patient answers yes to one or more of these questions they become characterized as SSI bevel 2, and the nurse would explain the policy on physical and chemical restraints which are only used as a last resort.Some strategies that nurse's use to promote successful interactions with the patient and their family members include active listening, close observation of behavior, attending to non-verbal body language, asking open-ended questions, conveying a non-judgmental attitude, clarifying information, and providing support. The patient's safety is always the greatest concern as well as the staffs safety. Family education is very important wh en working with suicidal patients, because heir care is often managed at home.It is important for them to follow up with outpatient care, outpatient psychiatric support, and a home safety plan. Also, the nurse needs to let the family know if when they will need to seek emergency care again. This article has helped me gain a better understanding of the psychiatric patient, no matter the age, even though it focused on pediatrics. All these techniques can be used when dealing with suicidal patients. Our role as nurse's plays an important role in managing our patient's care while they are in our care and promoting their health y educating our patients and their families.

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 9

Returning to Queen Anne, I discovered I still had a lot of evening left. Unfortunately, I had nothing to do. A succubus without a social life. Very sad. It was made sadder still by the fact that I could have had any number of things to do but had dropped the ball on them. Certainly Doug had asked me out often enough; no doubt he was now enjoying his day off with a more appreciative woman. Roman I had also turned down, beautiful eyes and all. I smiled wistfully, remembering his easy banter and quick, bright charm. He could have been O'Neill, made flesh from Seth's novels. Thinking of Seth reminded me he still had my book and that I was going on Day 3 without it. I sighed, wanting to know what would happen next, to be lost in the pages of Cady and O'Neill. Now that would have been a way to spend the evening. The bastard. He'd never bring it back. I'd never find out what – With a groan, I suddenly wanted to smack my forehead for my own stupidity. Did I or did I not work for a large bookstore? After parking my car, I walked over to Emerald City and found the massive display of The Glasgow Pact that was still up from the signing. I grabbed a copy and carried it to the front counter. Beth, one of the cashiers, was momentarily free. â€Å"Will you demagnetize this for me?† I asked her, sliding the book over the counter. â€Å"Sure,† she said, running it across the pad. â€Å"Are you using your discount on it?† I shook my head. â€Å"I'm not buying it. I'm just borrowing it.† â€Å"Can you do that?† She passed the book back to me. â€Å"Sure,† I lied. â€Å"Managers can.† Minutes later, I showed my prize to an unimpressed Aubrey and turned on the water in my bathtub. While it filled, I checked my messages – none – and sorted through the mail I'd picked up on the way in. Nothing interesting there either. Satisfied nothing else required my attention, I stepped out of my clothes and sank into the watery depths of the tub, careful not to get the book wet. Aubrey, crouching on a nearby counter, watched me with squinty eyes, apparently pondering why anyone would willingly immerse themselves in water ever, let alone for extended periods of time. I figured I could read more than five pages tonight since I'd been deprived for the last couple of days. When I finished the fifteenth, I discovered I was three pages from the next chapter. Might as well end with a clean break. After I was done, I sighed and leaned back, feeling decadent and spent. Pure bliss. Books were a lot less messy than orgasms. The next morning, I went to work, happy and refreshed. Paige found me around lunchtime as I sat on the edge of my desk and watched Doug play Mine Sweeper. Seeing her, I leapt from my position while he hastily closed down the game. Paige ignored him, fixing her eyes on me. â€Å"I want you to do something with Seth Mortensen.† Uneasily, I remembered the love slave comment. â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"I don't know.† She gave a small, unconcerned shrug of the head. â€Å"Anything. He's new to town. He doesn't know anyone yet, so his social life is probably dismal.† Recalling his cold reception yesterday and conversational difficulties, I wasn't exactly surprised by this news. â€Å"I took him on a tour.† â€Å"It's not the same.† â€Å"What about his brother?† â€Å"What about him?† â€Å"I'm sure they're doing social things all the time.† â€Å"Why are you fighting this? I thought you were a fan.† I was a fan – a major one – but reading his work and interacting with him were proving to be two very different things. The Glasgow Pact was amazing, as was the e-mail he'd sent. Spoken conversation was a bit†¦ lacking. I couldn't tell Paige this, of course, so she and I went back and forth a bit on the issue while Doug looked on with interest. Finally, I agreed against my better judgment, dreading the prospect of even proposing the venture to Seth, let alone embarking upon it. When I finally made myself approach him later in the day, I was fully braced for another brush-off. Instead, he turned from his work and smiled at me. â€Å"Hey,† he said. His mood seemed so improved that I decided yesterday must have been a fluke. â€Å"Hey. How's it going?† â€Å"Not so well.† He tapped the laptop's screen lightly with his fingernail, eyes frowning as he focused on it. â€Å"They're being a bit difficult. I just can't quite get the grip I need on this one scene.† Interest swept me. Bad days with Cady and O'Neill. I had always imagined interacting with such characters must be a nonstop thrill. The ultimate job. â€Å"Sounds like you need a break then. Paige is worried about your social life.† His brown eyes glanced back to me. â€Å"Oh? How so?† â€Å"She thinks you aren't getting out enough. That you don't know anyone in town yet.† â€Å"I know my brother and his family. And Mistee.† He paused. â€Å"And I know you.† â€Å"Good thing, because I'm about to become your cruise director. â€Å" Seth's lips quirked slightly, then he shook his head and looked back at the screen. â€Å"That's really nice – of you and Paige both – but not necessary.† He wasn't dismissing me as he had yesterday, but I still felt miffed that my generous deal was not being embraced, especially since I was offering it under duress. â€Å"Come on,† I said. â€Å"What else are you going to do?† â€Å"Write.† I couldn't argue with that. Writing those novels was God's Own Work. Who was I to interfere with their creator? And yet†¦ Paige had given a directive. That was nearly a divine commandment in itself. A compromise popped into my head. â€Å"You could do something, I don't know, research-related. For the book. Two birds with one stone.† â€Å"I've already got all the research I need for this one.† â€Å"What about, uh, ongoing character development? Like†¦ going to the planetarium.† Cady had a fascination with astronomy. She would often point out constellations and link them to some symbolic story analogous to the novel's plot. â€Å"Or†¦ or†¦ a hockey game? You need fresh ideas for O'Neill's games. You'll run out.† He shook his head. â€Å"No I won't. I've never even been to a hockey game to begin with.† â€Å"I – what? That's†¦ no. Really?† He shrugged. â€Å"Where†¦ do you get the game info from then? The plays?† â€Å"I know the basic rules. I pick up pieces on the Internet, patch it together.† I stared, feeling betrayed. O'Neill was absolutely obsessed with the Detroit Red Wings. That passion shaped his personality and was reflected in his actions: fast, skilled, and at times brutal. Believing Seth to be meticulous about every detail, I had naturally assumed he must know everything about hockey to have written such a defining trait into his protagonist. Seth watched me, confused by whatever stunned look I wore. â€Å"We're going to a hockey game,† I stated. â€Å"No, we – â€Å" â€Å"We are going to a hockey game. Hang on a sec.† I ran back downstairs, kicked Doug off our computer, and got the information I needed. It was just as I'd suspected. The Thunderbirds' season had just started. â€Å"Six-thirty,† I told Seth, minutes later. â€Å"Meet me at Key Arena, at the main window. I'll buy the tickets.† He looked dubious. â€Å"Six-thirty,† I repeated. â€Å"This'll be great. It'll give you a break and let you actually see what the game's like. Besides, you said you were blocked today.† Not only that, it would fulfill my obligation to Paige in a way that didn't require much talking. The stadium would be too loud, and we'd be too busy watching to need conversation. â€Å"I don't know where Key Arena is.† â€Å"You can walk to it from here. Just keep heading for the Space Needle. They're both part of the Seattle Center.† â€Å"So when are you meeting me?† There was a warning note in my voice, daring him to cross me. He grimaced. â€Å"Six-thirty.† After work, I set off to run my own errands. I had nothing new to work on with the vampire hunter enigma until Erik got back to me. Unfortunately, the mundane world still had its own share of requirements, and I spent most of my evening taking care of miscellany. Like restocking my supply of cat food, coffee, and Grey Goose. And checking out the new line of lip glosses at the MAC counter. I even remembered to pick up a cheap, assemble-it-yourself bookshelf for the fire-hazard stacks of books in my living room. My productivity knew no bounds. For dinner, I grabbed Indian food and managed to land at Key Arena precisely at six-thirty. I didn't see Seth anywhere but didn't panic just yet. The Seattle Center was not easy to navigate; he was probably still wandering around the Needle, trying to make his way over here. I bought the tickets and sat down on one of the large cement steps. The air had turned chilly tonight, and I snuggled into my heavy fleece pullover, shape-shifting it a bit thicker. While waiting, I people-watched. Couples, groups of guys, and excited children were all turning out for Seattle's fierce little team. They made for interesting viewing. When six-fifty rolled around, I started getting nervous. We had ten more minutes, and I worried Seth might have gotten seriously lost. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the store, wondering if he was there. Nope, they told me, but Paige did have his cell number. I tried it next, only to get voice mail. Annoyed, I snapped my phone shut and huddled farther into my own embrace to stay warm. We still had time. Besides, Seth not being at the store was a good thing. It meant he was on his way. Yet, when seven and the start of the game arrived, he still wasn't there. I tried his cell again, then looked longingly at the doors. I wanted to see the beginning of the game. Seth might never have watched hockey, but I had and liked it. The continual movement and energy held my attention more than any other sport, even if the fights sometimes made me squirm. I didn't want to miss this, but I'd also hate for Seth to walk up and not know what to do when I wasn't where I said I'd be. I waited fifteen more minutes, listening to the sounds of the game echoing toward me, before I finally faced the truth. I had been stood up. Such a thing was unheard of. It hadn't happened in†¦ over a century. I felt more stunned than embarrassed or angry by the revelation. The whole thing was just too weird to fathom. No, I decided a moment later, I was mistaken. Seth had been reluctant, yes, but he wouldn't just refuse to come, not without calling. And maybe†¦ maybe something bad had happened. He could have been hit by a car for all I knew. After Duane's death, one could never predict when tragedy might hit. Yet, until I had more information, the only tragedy I faced now was missing the game. I called his cell again, this time leaving him a message with my number and whereabouts. I would come outside and retrieve him if needed. I went into the game. Sitting alone made me feel conspicuous, driving home the sadness of my situation. Other couples sat nearby, and a group of guys kept eyeing me, occasionally nudging one of their number who wanted to come talk to me. Being hit on didn't faze me, but looking like I needed it did. I might choose not to date, but that didn't mean I couldn't do it when I wanted. I didn't like others perceiving me as desperate and alone. I felt that way enough sometimes without outside confirmation. At the first break, I bought a corndog to console myself. While sifting through my purse for cash, I found the slip of paper with Roman's phone number. I stared at it while I ate, remembering his persistence and how bad I'd felt refusing him. My sudden painful abandonment fired the need to hang out with someone, to remind myself I really could have social contact when I wanted. Common sense froze me briefly as I was about to dial, cautioning that I would be breaking my decades-long vow of not dating nice guys. There were more prudent ways to deal with an unused hockey ticket, that reasonable inner voice reminded me. Like Hugh or the vampires. Calling one of them would provide a safer interaction. But†¦ but they treated me like a sister, and while I loved them like family too, I didn't want to be a sister just now. And anyway, it wasn't like this was even a real date. This would be a simple matter of companionship. Plus, the same precautions it had provided for Seth – lack of interaction – applied for Roman too. It would be perfectly safe. I dialed the number. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"I'm tired of holding on to your coat.† I could hear his smile on the other end. â€Å"I figured you'd thrown it away by now.† â€Å"Are you crazy? It's a Kenneth Cole. Anyway, that's not really why I called.† â€Å"Yeah, I figured.† â€Å"Do you want to come to a hockey game tonight?† â€Å"When does it start?† â€Å"Um, forty minutes ago.† A Seth-worthy pause. â€Å"So, you just now thought to invite me?† â€Å"Well†¦ the person I was going with didn't exactly show up.† â€Å"And now you call me?† â€Å"Well, you were so adamant about going out.† â€Å"Yes, but I'm†¦ wait a minute. I'm your second choice?† â€Å"Don't think of it like that. Think of it as more like, I don't know, you're stepping up to fulfill what someone else couldn't.† â€Å"Like the Miss America runner-up?† â€Å"Look, are you coming or not?† â€Å"Very tempting, but I'm busy right now. And I'm not just saying that either.† Another pause. â€Å"I'll stop by your place after the game, though.† No, that wasn't how this was supposed to play out. â€Å"I'm busy after the game.† â€Å"What, you and your no-show have other plans?† â€Å"I†¦ no. I have to†¦ put together a bookcase. It's going to take a while. Hard work, you know?† â€Å"I excel at that handy-type stuff. I'll see you in a couple hours.† â€Å"Wait, you can't – † The phone disconnected. I closed my eyes in a moment of exasperation, opened them, then returned to the action on the ice. What had I just done? After the game, I skulked back home. The elation of winning couldn't overpower the anxiety of having Roman in my apartment. â€Å"Aubrey,† I said upon entering, â€Å"what am I going to do?† She yawned, revealing her tiny, domestic-sized fangs. I shook my head at her. â€Å"I can't hide under the bed like you. He won't fall for it.† Both of us jumped at the sudden knock at the door. For half a second, I did consider the bed before deigning to let Roman in. Aubrey studied him a moment, then – apparently being too overwhelmed at the sight of a sex god in our midst – darted off for my bedroom. Roman, casually dressed, stood bearing a six-pack of Mountain Dew and two bags of Doritos. And a box of cereal. â€Å"Lucky Charms?† I asked. â€Å"Magically delicious,† he explained. â€Å"Requisite for any sort of building project.† I shook my head, still amazed at how he had managed to weasel his way over here. â€Å"This isn't a date.† He cut me a scandalized look. â€Å"Obviously. I'd bring Count Chocula for that.† â€Å"I'm serious. Not a date,† I maintained. â€Å"Yeah, yeah. I get it.† He set the stuff on the counter and turned to me. â€Å"So, where is it? Let's get this started.† I exhaled, uneasily relieved by his matter-of-fact manner. No flirtation, no overt come-ons. Just honest, friendly helpfulness. I'd get the shelf built, and then he'd be gone. We tore into the huge box, dumping out loose shelves and panels, as well as an assortment of bolts and screws. The directions were short on words, mostly containing some cryptic diagrams with arrows pointing to where certain parts went. After minutes of scrutiny, we finally decided the large backboard was the place to start, laying it flat on the floor with the shelves and walls placed on top. Once everything was properly aligned, Roman picked up the screws, studying where they joined the various parts together. He examined the screws, looked at the box, then turned back to the shelf. â€Å"That's weird.† â€Å"What is?† â€Å"I think†¦ most of these things usually have holes in the wood, then they include a little tool to put the screws in.† I leaned over the wood. No premade holes. No tools. â€Å"We've got to screw these in ourselves.† He nodded. â€Å"I've got a screwdriver†¦ somewhere.† He eyed the wood. â€Å"I don't think that'll work. I think we need a drill.† I felt awed at his hardware prowess. â€Å"I know I don't have that.† We hightailed it over to a big chain home store, walking in ten minutes before they closed. A harried salesclerk showed us to the drill section, then sprinted off, calling back a warning that we didn't have much time. The power tools stared back at us, and I looked to Roman for guidance. â€Å"Not a clue,† he finally admitted after a span of silence. â€Å"I thought you excelled at this ‘handy-type stuff.' â€Å" â€Å"Yeah†¦ well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He turned sheepish, a new look for him. â€Å"That was kind of an exaggeration.† â€Å"Like a lie?† â€Å"No. Like an exaggeration.† â€Å"They're the same.† â€Å"No they aren't.† I let the semantics go. â€Å"Why'd you say it then?† He gave a rueful headshake. â€Å"Partially because I just wanted to see you again. And the rest†¦ I don't know. I guess the short answer is you said you had something hard to do. So I wanted to help.† â€Å"I'm a damsel in distress?† I teased. He studied me seriously. â€Å"Hardly. But you are someone I'd like to get to know better, and I wanted you to see I've got more on my mind than just getting you into bed.† â€Å"So if I offered you sex here in this aisle, you'd turn me down?† The flippant remark came off my tongue before I could stop it. It was a defense mechanism, a joke to cover up how confused his earnest explanation had made me. Most guys did just want to get me into bed. I wasn't quite sure what to do with one who didn't. My glibness succeeded in killing the pensive moment. Roman became his old confident and charming self, and I almost regretted the change I'd wrought, wondering what might have followed. â€Å"I'd have to turn you down. We've only got six minutes now. They'd kick us out before it was done.† He snapped his attention to the drills with renewed vigor. â€Å"And as for my so-called handy skills,† he added, â€Å"I'm a remarkably fast learner, so I wasn't really exaggerating. By the end of the night, I will excel.† Not true. After arbitrarily picking out a drill and coming home, Roman set himself to aligning the bookcase's pieces and putting them together. He fit one of the shelves to the backboard, lined up his screw, and drilled. The drill went through at an angle, missing the shelf entirely. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† he swore. I moved in and yelped when I saw the screw sticking through the back of my bookshelf. We took it out and stared bleakly at the conspicuous hole left behind. â€Å"Probably it'll be covered by books,† I suggested. He set his mouth in a grim line and attempted the same feat again. The screw made contact this time but was still at an obvious angle. He pulled it out again, finally inserting it correctly on his third try. Unfortunately, the process only repeated as he continued. Watching hole after hole appear, I finally asked if I could try. He waved his hand in a defeatist gesture and handed me the drill. I fitted in a screw, leaned over, and drilled it in perfectly in my first attempt. â€Å"Jesus,† he said. â€Å"I'm completely superfluous. I'm the damsel in distress.† â€Å"No way. You brought the cereal.† I finished attaching the shelves. The walls came next. The backboard had small hash marks to help with alignment. With careful scrutiny, I tried to line it up cleanly along the edges. It proved impossible, and I soon realized why. Despite my perfect drilling, all of the shelves were affixed crookedly, some too far to the left or right. The walls could not fit flush with the backboard's edges. Roman sat back against my couch, running a hand over his eyes. â€Å"My God.† I munched on a handful of Lucky Charms and considered. â€Å"Well. Let's just line them up as best we can.† â€Å"This thing'll never hold books.† â€Å"Yeah. We'll do what we can.† We tried it with the first wall, and though it took a while and looked terrible, it sufficed as serviceable. We moved on to the next one. â€Å"I think I finally have to admit I'm not so good at this,† he observed. â€Å"But you seem to have kind of a knack. A regular handywoman.† â€Å"I don't know about that. I think the only thing I have a knack for is barely scraping by with things I have to do.† â€Å"That was a world-weary tone if ever I heard one. Why? You got a lot of things you ‘have to do'?† I nearly choked on my laugh, thinking about the whole succubus survival scene. â€Å"You might say that. I mean, doesn't everyone?† â€Å"Yes, of course, but you've got to balance them with things you want to do. Don't get bogged down with the have- to's. Otherwise, there's no point in being alive. Life becomes a matter of survival.† I finished a screw. â€Å"You're getting kind of deep for me tonight, Descartes.† â€Å"Don't be cute. I'm serious. What do you really want? From life? For your future? For example, do you plan on being at the bookstore forever?† â€Å"For a while. Why? Are you saying there's something wrong with that?† â€Å"No. Just seems kind of mundane. Like a way to fill the time.† I smiled. â€Å"No, definitely not. And even if it was, we can still enjoy mundane things.† â€Å"Yes, but I've found most people harbor dreams of a more exciting vocation. The one that's too crazy to ever actually do. The one that's too hard, too much work, or just too ‘out there.' The gas station attendant who dreams of being a rock star. The accountant who wishes she'd taken art history classes instead of statistics. People put their dreams off, either because they think it's impossible, or because they'll do it ‘someday' â€Å" He had paused from our work, his face serious once more. â€Å"So what do you want, Georgina Kincaid? What is your crazy dream? The one you think you can't have but secretly fantasize about?† Honestly, my deepest longing was to have a normal relationship, to love and be loved without supernatural complications. Such a small thing, I thought sadly, compared to his grandiose examples. Not crazy at all, just impossible. I didn't know if I wanted love now as a way of making up for the mortal marriage I'd destroyed or simply because the years had shown me that love could be a bit more fulfilling than being a continual servant of the flesh. Not that that didn't have its moments, of course. Being wanted and adored was an alluring thing, a thing most mortals and immortals craved. But loving and longing were not the same things. Relationships with other immortals seemed a logical choice, but employees of hell proved nonideal candidates for stability and commitment. I'd had a few semisatisfying relationships with such men over the years, but they'd all come to nothing. Explaining any of this, however, was not a conversation Roman and I were going to have anytime soon. So instead, I confessed my secondary fantasy, half-surprised at how much I wanted to. People didn't usually ask me what I wanted from life. Most just asked me what position I wanted to do it in. â€Å"Well, if I weren't at the bookstore – and believe me, I'm very happy there – I think I'd like to choreograph Vegas dance shows.† Roman's face split into a grin. â€Å"There, you see that? That's the kind of wacky, off-the-wall thing I'm talking about.† He leaned forward. â€Å"So what holds you back from bare breasts and sequins? Risk? Sensationalism? What others will say?† â€Å"No,† I said sadly. â€Å"Simply the fact that I can't do it.† † ‘Can't' is a – â€Å" â€Å"I mean, I can't choreograph because I can't write routines. I've tried. I can't†¦ I can't create anything, for that matter. Anything new. I'm not the creative type.† He scoffed. â€Å"I don't believe that.† â€Å"No, it's true.† Someone had once told me that immortals were not meant to create, that that was the province of humans who burned to leave behind a legacy after their short existence. But I'd known immortals who could do it. Peter was always concocting his original culinary surprises. Hugh used the human body as a canvas. But me? I had never been able to do it as a mortal either. The lack was in me. â€Å"You don't know how hard I've tried to do creative things. Painting classes. Music lessons. I'm a dismal failure at worst, a copycat of another's genius at best.† â€Å"You've been pretty adept with this building project.† â€Å"Another person's design, another person's directions. I excel at that part. I'm smart. I can reason. I can read people, interact with them perfectly. I can copy things, learn the right moves and steps. My eyes, for example.† I pointed to them. â€Å"I can apply makeup as well or better than any of the department store girls. But I get all my ideas and palettes from others, from pictures in magazines. I don't make up anything of my own. The Vegas thing? I could dance in a show and be perfect. Seriously. I could be the star of any revue – following another's choreography. But I couldn't write any moves myself, not in any major or significant way.† The wall was done. â€Å"I don't believe it,† he argued. His passionate defense both surprised and charmed me. â€Å"You're bright and vivacious. You're intelligent – extremely so. You have to give yourself a chance. Start small, and go from there.† â€Å"Is this the part where you tell me to believe in myself? The sky is the limit?† â€Å"No. This is the part where I tell you it's getting late, and I need to go. Your shelf is finished, and I have had a lovely evening.† We stood up and lifted the bookcase, leaning it against my living room wall. Stepping back, we studied it in silence. Even Aubrey appeared for the inspection. Each shelf sat at a crooked angle. One of the sidewalls almost lined up straight with the backboard's edge, the other had a quarter-inch margin. Six holes were visible in the backboard. And most inexplicably of all, the whole thing seemed to lean slightly to the left. I started laughing. And I couldn't stop. After a moment of shock, Roman joined me. â€Å"Dear Lord,† I said finally, wiping tears away. â€Å"That's the most horrible thing I've ever seen.† Roman opened his mouth in disagreement, then reconsidered. â€Å"It just might be.† He saluted. â€Å"But I think it'll hold, Captain.† We made a few more mirthful comments before I walked him to the door, remembering to give him his coat back. In spite of his jokes, he seemed more genuinely disappointed about our shelf failure than I did, like he had let me down. Somehow, I found this more appealing than his perfectly timed lines or charming bravado. Not that I didn't love those too. I studied him as we said goodbye, thinking about his â€Å"chivalry† and passionate belief in me following my heart's desire. The lump of fear I always carried around people I liked softened a little. â€Å"Hey, you never told me your crazy dream.† The aqua eyes crinkled. â€Å"Not so crazy. Just still trying to score that date with you.† Not so crazy.Just like mine. Companionship over fame and glamour. I took the plunge. â€Å"Well, then†¦ what are you doing tomorrow?† He brightened. â€Å"Nothing yet.† â€Å"Then come by the bookstore just before closing. I'm giving a dance lesson.† The dance lesson would have lots of people. It would be a safe compromise for us. That smile faltered only slightly. â€Å"A dance lesson?† â€Å"You have a problem with that? Are you changing your mind about going out?† â€Å"Well, no, but†¦ is it like the Vegas thing? You covered in rhinestones? Because I could probably get into that.† â€Å"Not exactly.† He shrugged, the charisma on high-beam. â€Å"Well. We'll save that for the second date.† â€Å"No. There's no second date, remember? Just the one, then that's it. We don't see each other anymore. You said so. Super-secret Boy Scout†¦ whatever.† â€Å"That might have been an exaggeration.† â€Å"No. That would be a lie.† â€Å"Ah.† He winked at me. â€Å"I guess those two aren't the same then after all, eh?† â€Å"I – † My words halted at the logic. He gave me one of his roguish bows before sweeping away. â€Å"Farewell, Georgina.† I went back inside, hoping I hadn't just made a mistake, and found Aubrey sitting on one of my shelves. â€Å"Whoa, be careful,† I warned. â€Å"I don't think that's structurally sound.† Although it was late, I didn't feel tired. Not after this wacky evening with Roman. I felt wired, his presence affecting both my body and mind. Inspired, I shooed Aubrey off the bookcase and started transferring my stacks. With each new weight addition, I expected collapse, but the thing held. When I got to my Seth Mortensen books, I suddenly remembered the cataclysm that had sparked this whole evening. Anger kindled in me once more. I'd heard nary a word from the writer the entire time. The getting-hit-by-a-car thing might still be a possibility, but my instincts doubted it. He had stood me up. Half of me considered kicking his books in retaliation, but I knew I could never do that. I loved them too much. No need to punish them for their creator's shortcomings. Longingly, I picked up The Glasgow Pact, suddenly anxious to read my next five-page installment. I left the rest of my books unshelved and settled on the couch, Aubrey at my feet. When I reached the stopping point, I discovered something incredible. Cady was developing a love interest in this one. It was unheard of. O'Neill, ever the charming ladies' man, got around all the time. Cady remained virtuously pure, no matter the number of sexual innuendoes and jokes she traded across the table with O'Neill. Nothing tangible had happened thus far in the book, but I could read the inevitable signs of what was to come with her and this investigator they'd met in Glasgow. I kept reading, unable to leave that plotline hanging. And the farther I read, the harder it was to stop. I soon took a secret, irrational satisfaction at breaking the five-page rule. Like I was somehow getting back at Seth. The night wore on. Cady went to bed with the guy, and O'Neill became uncharacteristically jealous and freaked out, despite his usual surface charm. Holy shit. I left the couch, put on pajamas, and curled up in my bed. Aubrey followed. I kept reading. I finished the book at four in the morning, bleary-eyed and exhausted. Cady saw the guy a few more times as she and O'Neill wrapped up their mystery – as enthralling as ever, but suddenly less interesting compared to the interpersonal developments – and then she and the Scotsman parted ways. She and O'Neill returned to Washington, D.C., and the status quo resettled. I exhaled and set the book on the floor, unsure what to think, mainly because I was so tired. Still, in a valiant effort, I got up from bed, found my laptop, and logged into my Emerald City e-mail. I sent Seth a terse message: Cady got some. What's up with that? Then, as an afterthought: By the way, the hockey game was great. Satisfied I'd registered my opinion, I promptly fell asleep†¦ only to be awakened a few hours later by my alarm clock.