Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Modern Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Modern Philosophy Essay Herman Ebbinghaus has pointed out that psychology and philosophy are intertwined one way or the other. In order for Psychologists to study human behavior, as well as metal process, they must go step back and consider being philosophical. One must be rational and logical when studying this process and behavior, thus going back to psychology’s roots. Towards the end of the Renaissance period, Rene Descartes emerged and was tagged as the father of Modern Philosophy. As mentioned, Philosophy and Psychology work hand in hand in analyzing human behavior. Descartes’ ideas were formed when he said that he found formal education with the Jesuits was not enough to feed his thirst for knowledge and distraught on the lack of knowledge that was fed to him during his college or scholastic days. Because of this he opted to explore and find things out on his own. Descartes strong desire to get answers and fill his doubts with facts and certainties; he spent his time finding ways to unite all knowledge. Though a philosopher, he â€Å"for example, he combined his interests in optics and physiology by extracting the eye of an ox and examining the properties of the lens, thereby discovering the fact that retinal images are inverted (as cited, Vrooman, 1970). † Descartes had four rules: First, he would accept nothing as true unless it presented itself so clearly and distinctly to my mind that there was no reason to doubt it (Descartes, 1637/1960, p. 15). Second, he would take problems and analyze them, reducing them to their fundamental elements. Third, he would systematically work from the simplest of these elements to the more complex, and fourth, he would carefully review his conclusions to be certain of omitting nothing. As a rationalist, he has said that reasoning is innate in humans. The capacity to think and put logic and into, perhaps a situation or event in a person’s life is something that is natural and that people do not rely on just experience. People are given the gift to think and make decisions, and these are made and achieved because of man’s ability to rationalize and think logically. Because he was a scientist and a mathematician, he believed that one must doubt on things that has no basis and can not be explained. Cognitive Psychology deals with mental process or the mental state of a person. For instance, studying or analyzing the mental state of a child. According to Jean Piaget, a person’s mental growth had education as a key role in a child’s mental development. It is said that, it is our teachers or mentors that one develops his perception and thinking, among others. In relation to Ebbinghaus’ study of Memory and Forgetting, experiments have been made in order to analyze a person’s capability to memorize and forget. With the help of research and methodology, and Ebbinghaus’ invention of some tests for memory retention, we begin to understand how memory works and improved. What stuck me most on Watson’s manifesto is his strong point and statement that man’s behavior or contribution has been applied to different facets of life and education. Upon reading this, I realized I believed and agree to his principles and view. Psychology is about behavior and a person’s behavior is linked to how he thinks. There is an array of reasons why a person acts or behaves in a certain way. This may be contributed by life experiences, family background, culture or influences of peers. A person may act differently because of their beliefs as well and their way of living. Behavior is also an expression of one’s feelings and emotions. An art fanatic or an artist may act differently or a little bit off the edge, but to them, their behavior and ways are but normal and they are merely expressing themselves, with the way they talk, dress or even walk. Another example is a person’s cultural beliefs and practices. Because people emerged and come from different races and cultures, they act and behave differently. Cultural beliefs are formed in our minds at very young age. These were passed on to us by our parent or ancestors. And from that very young age, till the time that we grow old, those teachings will remain if not in our hearts but in our subconscious. Even though we move away from our birthplace, one way or the other, in spite the influence of the today’s generation and the ever so changing world, we still go back to our own roots and ways. References (N. A. ). DESCARTES: THE BEGINNINGS OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE (N. A.). Chapter 10: JOHN B. WATSONAND THE FOUNDING OF BEHAVIORISM

Monday, August 5, 2019

Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana

Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana IMPACT OF JANANI SURAKSHA YOJANA ON INSTITUTIONAL DELIVERY AND INFANT MORTALITY RATE IN KARANATAKA Mamatha K.G Abstract The Government of India launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) mainly to strengthen health services in the rural areas. It seeks to provide effective health care to the rural population by improving access, enabling community ownership, strengthening public health systems, enhancing accountability and promoting decentralization (Ministry of Health Family Welfare 2005). Under the NRHM, there is a specific scheme, the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which was introduced in April 2005. The main objective of JSY scheme is reducing Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) by encouraging institutional deliveries, particularly in Below Poverty Line families. The paper intends to study the impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana on institutional delivery and Infant Mortality rate. The results show that before implementation of JSY the rate of institutional delivery was less and IMR was high. But after the implementation of JSY the number of institutional deliveries ha s increased and infant mortality rate has reduced significantly. Finally, it can be concluded that NRHM launched by Government of India holds great hopes and promises to serve the deprived undeserved communities of rural areas. If Government improves the awareness on Janani Suraksha Yojana then there is no doubt that Karnataka can increase its institutional delivery and reduce infant mortality rate. Keywords: Institutional Delivery, Infant Mortality Rate, Janani Suraksha Yojana and Karnataka. Introduction Every pregnant woman hopes for a healthy baby and an uncomplicated pregnancy. However, every day about 1500 women and adolescent girls die from problem related to pregnancy and childbirth. Every year, some 10 million women and adolescent girls experience complications during pregnancy, many of which leave them their children with infections and several disabilities (G.R Jayashree). Pregnant women die in India due to a combination of important factors like, poverty, ineffective or unaffordable health services, lack of political, managerial and administrative will. All this culminates in a high proportion of home deliveries by unskilled relatives and delays in seeking care and this in turn adds to the maternal mortality ratios. The institutional delivery plays major role in reducing MMR and IMR. In India, while 77 percent of pregnant women receive some form of antenatal check-up, only 41 percent deliver in an institution. Even though all services are free only 13 percent of the lowest income quintile delivers in a hospital. As per sample registration system 2005, IMR in India was 58 and institutional delivery was 38.7 whereas in Karnataka IMR was 50 per 1000 live births and institutional delivery was 60 (SRS 2001-2003 and NRHM Implementation Plan 2011-12). In developing countries like India, the health care services are not equally distributed. The organizational structure requires a concern particularly with the maternal health. The Government of India has been implementing various programmes from time to time to tackle these issues. It launched the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme in 1997, which aimed at universalising immunization, ante-natal care and skilled attendance during delivery. Reduction of maternal mortality was an important goal of RCH-II that was launched in 2005. One of the main interventions was to provide emergency obstetric care at the first referral unit. Incentives were also given to staff to encourage round the clock obstetric services at health facilities (Ministry of Health Family Welfare 2008). Later in 2005, the Government of India launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) mainly to strengthen health services in the rural areas. It seeks to provide effective health care to the rural population by improving access, enabling community ownership, strengthening public health systems, enhancing accountability and promoting decentralization (Ministry of Health Family Welfare, 2005). Under the NRHM, there is a specific scheme the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which was introduced in April 2005. The main objectives of JSY scheme were reducing Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) by encouraging institutional deliveries, particularly in Below Poverty Line families. Under this scheme cash incentives are given to women who opt for institutional deliveries and also to the local health functionary ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) who motivates the family for institutional delivery and helps them in obtaining ante-natal and post-natal services. As of today, the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a largest conditional cash transfer programme in the world, with the number of beneficiaries increasing from a mere 7 lakh in 2005-06 to almost 92 lakh in 2009-10. Review of Literature â€Å"A Rapid Appraisal on Functioning of Janani Suraksha Yojana in South Orissa† undertaken by Nandan (2008) reviewed the operational mechanism and usage status of JSY Scheme, reasons for non usage, perception and awareness of beneficiary and non beneficiary mothers and the involvement of ASHAs, ANMs along with district and block officers in the implementation of JSY. The study on â€Å"Advantages as Perceived by the Beneficiaries of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) in Bikaner District† by Kumari(2009) revealed that some essential advantages perceived by the beneficiaries of JSY were safe delivery at PHCs and CHCs, helpful in population control, payment of Rs. 1400 to the mother (in rural areas) after delivery, full protection after delivery etc. Whereas, last but not least advantages expressed by the beneficiaries were testing of salt sample for protection from Gulgund, availability of water, bed and electricity etc. at PHCs. The study on† Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana on Selected Family Health Behaviors in Rural Uttarpradesh† by Khan et.al (2010) informs that Janani SurakshaYojana is a monetary incentives and non-incentivized services and counseling by the ASHA have increased Client-provider contact, the percentage of women receiving three ANC check-ups. This study briefly explores extent to which the JSY has succeeded in achieving its goal or promoting positive family health behaviors that have a significant bearing on maternal and neonatal mortality. Ambrish (2010) in his study â€Å"Effect of Mortality Incentives on Institutional Deliveries: Evidence the Janani Suraksha Yojana in India† observed that the scheme has been in operation only for 5 years and the sample covers only the first three of these years. Hence, the paper captures only the short-run impact of the scheme. The short-term result indicates the JSY is indeed making a difference. Even though the JSY seems to have a positive impact on the institutional deliveries, its impact on maternal and neo-natal mortality is minimum. Mutharayappa (2010) revealed that institutional deliveries have increased, along with knowledge of family planning methods and utilization of government health services. These are encouraging sign. Promoting of institutional deliveries need to be sustained in order to reduce pre natal and neo- natal mortality rates. The study on† Missed Opportunities of Janani Suraksha Yojana Benefits among the Beneficiaries in Slum Areas† by Wadgave et.al (2011) mainly focused on main reasons of missed opportunities of JSY benefits among the beneficiaries. Out of 3212 women 360 (11.20) were eligible for getting the benefits of Janani Suraksha Yojana. Among the 360 only 118 (32.78) women got the benefit of JSY while, 242 (62.22) missed the opportunity of getting JSY benefits due to lack of JSY information, difficulty in getting the documents fulfilled and not filling the form at proper time were three common reasons in not getting the benefit of JSY. The percentage of beneficiaries was more in receiving ANC care delivery done in Government hospitals. Dilip et.al (2012) in their study â€Å"Low Coverage of Janani Suraksha Yojana among Mothers in 24-Parganas (South) of West Bengal in 2009† reported that inadequacy of fund and delayed payments of financial benefits lead to low coverage of JSY. Institutional delivery has increased with decreasing in Infant Mortality Rate after implementation of JSY. Objectives of the Study The present study has the following objectives: To Study the impact of JSY on institutional delivery rate in Karnataka. To Study the impact of JSY on infant mortality rate in Karnataka. Hypotheses of the Study The following hypotheses have been tested Janani Suraksha Yojana has significantly increased the number of institutional deliveries and reduced the infant mortality rate in Karnataka. There is significant relationship between Institutional deliveries and IMR rate in Karnataka. Methodology Keeping the objectives in the mind, the present study employs various statistical and econometrics tools like table, graph, Paired t test and Correlation co-efficient. Sources of data The secondary data is collected from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Statistical Report, RCH Second Implementation Plan, NRHM Operational Guideline, NRHM Annual Reports, Karnataka State Report on NRHM 2005, Karnataka Human Development Reports 2005, SRS Bulletin, WHO Reports, Five Year Plan Documents, Word Bank Reports and Census Reports. Results and Discussion Table.1: Institutional Delivery rate In Karnataka From 2001-2010 NRHM Programme Implementation Plan for 2010-2011 Vidhana Soudha http://stg2.kar.nic.in/healthnew/nrhm/PDF/PIP 2010-11.pdf Chart.1: Institutional Delivery rate In Karnataka From 2001-2010 From the table and chart [Table.1 Chart 1], it is clear that Institutional Delivery Rate in Karnataka from 2001 to 2010. Before implementation of JSY, institutional delivery rate was 60 percent in 2005 but after implementation of JSY which increased 63 percent to 91.3 percent in 2006 to 2010. Table.2: Paired Sample T Test on Institutional Delivery Rate in Karnataka On the basis of analysis conducted by using paired sample T test, there is a significant difference in the number of institutional deliveries. Further, it pointed out that after implementation of JSY scheme a significant increase was observed in institutional delivery rate in Karnataka. Table.3: Infant Mortality Rate in Karnataka from 2001-2012 Source: SRS Bultain 2012 and Databook for DCH; 10th March, 2014 IMR (*2011, 2012) Chart.2: Infant Mortality Rate in Karnataka from 2001-2012 From the table and chart [Table.3 chart.2], it is clear that Infant Mortality Rate in Karnataka from 2001 to 2012. The infant mortality rate of Karnataka was 58 per 1000 live birth as per the censuses in 2001, out of which 69 percent were rural areas and 27 percent were urban areas. Keeping pace with the national average, Karnataka recorded a sharp decline in the infant mortality rate from 50 percent in 2005 to 32 percent in 2012. It means before implementation of JSY infant mortality rate was high and after implementation of JSY infant mortality rate has declined significantly. Table .4: Paired Sample T Test on Infant Mortality Rate in Karnataka On the basis of analysis conducted by using paired sample T test, it indicates that the IMR rate was 52.80 before implementation of JSY and it has decreased to 43.80 percent after implementation of JSY. Overall, the decreased rate of IMR was 9.00. The t statistic is significant at 1% (df: 5, t: 10.06, sig.0.001) level. Hence the null-hypothesis of no difference is rejected and alternative hypothesis of significant difference is accepted. Table.5: Correlation between Institutional Delivers and IMR Significant negative correlation has observed between Institutional Deliveries and Infant Mortality Rate. Where the correlation of -.971 was found to be significant at .001 level. In other words with an increase in the Institutional Delivery the IMR rates have been reduced. Findings of the Study Before implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojana institutional delivery rate was less and IMR rate was high. After implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojana has helped to increase the rate of institutional delivery and reduce the rate of infant mortality significantly. Significant negative correlation has observed between Institutional Deliveries and Infant Mortality Rate. In other words with an increase in the Institutional Delivery and the IMR rates have been reduced. Conclusion The result of the formative study clearly indicates that Janani Suraksha Yojana has increased the institutional deliveries in India and Karnataka. It found that institutional deliveries have increased and IMR has been reduced after implementation of JSY. Does, it can be conclude that if the implementation process is strengthened, quality improved and programme is effectively monitored, the institutional deliveries will increases in future their by helps in reducing the IMR rate. Further it will helps to full fill the commitment made towards IMR under Millen Development Goals. References Ambrish Dongre, (2010 â€Å"Effect of Mortality Incentives on Institutional Deliveries: Evidence the Janani Suraksha Yojana in India†, SSRN Publication, 1-27, New Delhi. Basic Indicators: Health Situation in South East Asia. World Health Organization, South East Asia region, Community journal 2004; 56-2-3. Dilip K Mandal,Prabhdeep Kaur, and Manoj u Murhekar, (2012) â€Å"Low Coverage of Janani Suraksha Yojana among Mothers in 24-Parganas (South) of West Bengal in 2009†, Biomed Central the Open Access Publisher. Khan.M.E. Ashok kumar. Health Status of Women in India; Evidence from National Health Survey.2010 August; vol 6:1-21. Khan M.E, Avishek Hazra, and Isha bhatnagar, (2010)† Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana on Selected Family Health Behaviors in Rural Uttarpradesh†, Journal of Family Welfare, Vol. 56, New Delhi, 9-21. Kumari Vinod, Dhawan Deepali Singh, Archana Raj, (2009) â€Å"Advantages as Perceived by the Beneficiaries of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) in Bikaner District†, Journal of Dairying food and Home Scinces,Vol,28 issues 3and 4. Mutharayappa, R., 2010, Functioning of Janani Suraksha Yojana in Hassan District Karnataka. The Indian Journal of Social Work, 71(2):167-180. Nandan Devadasan, Maya Annie Elias, Denny Jhon Shishir Grahacharya and Lalnuntlangi Ralte, (2008), â€Å"A Conditional Cash Assistant Programme for Promoting Institutional deliveries among the Poor in India: Process Evaluation Results,† International Journal of Commerce, Economics and Management, Vol. No.2. Nandan (2008),â€Å"A Rapid Appraisal on Functioning of Janani Suraksha Yojana in South Orissa,† Indian journal of Community Medicine, Oct-Dec 35(4), 453-454. Operational Guidelines for Implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojana. Parul Sharma, Jayanti Seemwal, Surekha Kishore, (2011) â€Å"A Comparative Study of Utilization of Janani Suraksha Yojana in Rural Areas and Urban Slums†, Indian journal of community Health, Vol.22, No.2, vol.23, No1. Wadgave Hanmath Vishwanath, Gajanan M JettiUpendra, Tannu (2011) â€Å"Missed Opportunities of Janani Suraksha Yojana Benefit among the Beneficiaries in Slum Areas†, National journal of Community Medicine, Vol, 2 and Issues1.

Historical Perspectives of Male Nursing

Historical Perspectives of Male Nursing Rachelle Neighbarger Introduction Predominantly, nursing has always been considered as female dominated profession guided by extreme stereotypical perceptions of sexuality. Generally, the nursing profession is marred by wide apparitions of gender imbalance on the perception that nursing has its foundation in the prospects of Florence Nightingale thereby ever since it is often defined as a marginalized profession most suitable and deserving for women. The public at large has the preset perception that men who settle for nursing as their profession do so simply because they were rejected into a medical school and for self actualization purposes. Many at times those men who settle on nursing as their career choice often do so simply because they failed in a particular field and many at times they usually end up quitting their jobs the first few years. This is simply because men in the nursing industry experience a great deal of discrimination and professional barriers that generally inhibit their full specialty that pus hes them to hold onto such a job for long. However, this stereotypical perception does not help in the push for more number of nurses be it male or female who simply get into the profession for purposes of caring for individuals who are ill or need close medical attention on a round the clock basis. Historical Perspective of Male Nursing In the long run, the stereotypical perceptions lead to male nurses being discriminated against where there full working rights are denied on the basis of socially constricted gender roles. Take for instance, situations in the nursing profession where male nurses cannot be promoted to leadership role on the basis of their gender, with regards to varied forms of nursing training which leads to their exclusion in practicing in fields like gynecology or obstetrics. Perhaps it is simply because of their lack of will to practice in these fields or poor networking or rather the basic underlying problem-gender discrimination. The numbers of men enrolling in nursing educational programs is minimal, a majority of those enrolling are the female counterparts; perhaps this trend is conceptualized by the fact that the nursing profession is perceived with a feminine touch to caring (Paterson Saydack, 1996). This paper thus seeks to examine how the man has adapted to the nursing profession, the his torical background of male nursing, the advantages and disadvantages of practicing as a male nurse, infer on the impact of men turning to nursing as a profession and finally juxtapose all the aforementioned details with a slight touch of personal perception of men in the nursing industry. Underpinned in this paper’s discussion of male nursing is a clear cut inference of discrimination in the nursing profession that is guided by gender-based stereotypical connection. Historical Background In the 20th Century specifically during Florence Nightingale’s time, nursing was considered a woman-only occupation were men were strongly vilified and perceived as being incapable of offering any caring services simply because of they had ‘horny’ hands that were considered unfavorable to care offer thus prompting their exclusion from the profession of nursing (Kippenbrock, 2010). Furthermore, males are considered to lack empathy as opposed to their female counterparts who are considered to have varied ways of expressing their feelings thereby easily getting in touch with their patients more easily. In actual sense, there exists documentation that men played the roles of nurses in Egypt dating back to 250 B.C.E; Nightingale professionalizing nursing is what has created the existing dispersed discrepancy where it is mostly defined as a woman profession while on the other hand being greatly marginalized to men. The existence of a marginalized profession has thus pus hed our education system where a majority of those allowed to enroll into school are female and even if a man gets to successfully finish his nursing education, it is a daunting task for them to practice comfortably in the nursing profession simply because of their gender makes them to be discriminated against. On a broader perspective, even if a man successfully gets to be enrolled into a satisfying nursing profession there still exists numerous prohibitions that inhibit their career progress simply because they are channeled into departments that do not help them grow personally. Take for instance the case of the Canadian Forces or rather the avert United States Army which up until 1967 did not give authority for men to sign up into their systems for nursing. Irrespective of the fact that there was constant development in the nursing profession allowing men to practice, legally by 1970 male nurses were still being barred from making rotations in some sections of hospitals. Analysis of literature related to nursing demonstrates that only a minimal number of men practice nursing, a trend that is fuelled by the larger prospect of women and men nursing registries being separated from each other thus closing out some nursing privileges like further education to the male nurses who have the will power to grow in the profession just like their female counterparts. Patients are also not to be left out in the historical description of the nursing profession as being inclined towards the men; most patients have always considered their nurses to being female, a survey c arried out by Bernard Nodes Group demonstrates that a majority of patients irrespective of their age and gender preferred to be attended to by female nurses as opposed to the males whom they found really awkward offering care services to them. Pros and Con of Men Practicing as Nurses Reflections on the introduction and the historical background of male nursing, it is evident that this is a profession muddled with great gender-related discrimination that is inclined to have a feminist touch. With the aforementioned details in mind and after scouring through various peer reviewed articles on male nursing, it was deductible that the cons outweigh the cons when it comes to men taking the turn of choosing nursing as a preferable profession for them. Important to note above all is the fact that when pushed by personal will to go after something, one is usually self-driven into attaining their set goals irrespective of what the general public thinks of their choice; similarly as a man when one is willing to pursue nursing as a career, nothing stops them. Firstly, the nursing profession though gradually evolving has always been guided by the traditional Victorian family ideology where the role of men is to be ‘doctors’ considered as heads of organizations, t he women taking up a latter role of being the handmaiden which is in most cases defined as the nursing role and finally the patient role is played by children who need to be taken care of by doctors and handmaidens. It thus became a tradition that the role of being a nurse was strictly meant for women which in the long run has pushed men away from enrolling into nursing schools. Irrespective of the fact that this model is no longer practiced in the nursing profession, a great deal of nurses is guided by its tenets as evident by the dominance of women in this profession. The fact that there exists extensive barriers in the way of men enrolling into the nursing profession; men usually exhibit varied difficulties before they turn out as clinical nursing professionals. Society’s perception of nursing as a female profession exerts extreme pressure on men who sign up to be nurses; they are expected to perform way better in comparison to their female counterparts. Another issue that is a disadvantage for males enrolling for nursing from an educational setting to a hospital setting, males is generally outnumbered. To an extent it pushes them to a higher level of scrutiny and the education curriculum is inclined to only suit female students. The fact that they are male also in many circumstances dictates that they be given heavy tasks, in other situations, they could also miss out on educational opportunities like scholarships for nurses which in many circumstances are usually meant for female students. Though it is rarely experienced, male nurses are often ridiculed on the basis of their gender and it is an issue that keeps many from pursuing a nursing career; men are scared of being ridiculed for signing up for a female dominated profession. The general public looks down upon men who are nurses which in the long run push the men nurses to be stigmatized and perform their duties with extreme anxiety and in some cases it becomes stressful for them. On the offset, a flip on the other side of the coin demonstrates that men who turn to nursing as their preferred profession have an upper hand when handling medical cases. Patients prefer being handled by a male nurse as they consider they are confident in handling critical situations in which the female counterparts in some instances cannot be handle comfortably (Thetis Roberts, 2008). Men enrolling in nursing school also demonstrate a drive by men to help curb the nationwide shortage of nurses which with regards to World Health Organization data that suggests there has been a drop in nurses between the year 2000 and 2001 (Burth, 2005). Men filling up the deteriorating gap are ideal way which is not only beneficial to governments but also has great salary packages that a great deal of people are willing and greatly looking forward to earning such paychecks. The misguided notion that nursing is meant for women should not deter any male from pursuing their dream of being professional nurses; it should be a stepping stone towards the path of offering care services to the medically ill and needy so that the basic prospect of nursing is attained and generally achieved in the long run. Provision of intimate care for male patients has always been a problem for female nurses, men enrolling as nurses helps cater for such an issue in the medical industry. Personal Statement on Male Nursing Making the decision of becoming a male nurse comes with a great deal of responsibility and the need to be prepared for varied proponents considering that it is a female dominated field. In actual sense, gender is not in any way beneficial to anybody with regards to turn towards offering medical services to patients. Furthermore, women in a working environment tend to be more open to their male counterparts as opposed to their fellow women thereby creating a conducive environment for working where all and sundry can share their experiences thus establishing a working environment where nurses have a broader sense of belonging. With the extensive strides being made in nursing that is aimed to changing the public’s perception of nursing as a female profession, more and more men are continuously turning to be great nurses though in minimal numbers but the change is eminent. Although the nursing fraternity has opened its arms wide open for men, some aspect of the nursing profession are still hostile to male nurses; take an example of a situation involving a mother-baby rotation, the patient in this case-a woman will not be willing for a male nurse attend she will strongly prefer that all her care needs be handled by a female nurse. That aside, the general population of patients has received male nurses attending to them with a warm heart though in the beginning the reception of being attended to by a male nurse is usually a surprised one but later they get warmed up to the general idea. The most important thing when dealing with discrimination against male nurses is attending to the foundational problem of men not being willing enough to sign up for , finding ways of changing this perception by the men themselves is the first step towards transitioning nursing from a female dominated field to one which is accommodative to people of both sexes. Impact of Male Nursing on the Nursing Profession Men play an instrumental role in service provision in the nursing environment with a unique combination of skill set, a fact that has prompted the need for governments to turn into a rigorous exercise of recruiting and accepting men into the nursing profession which retrospectively caters for the problem of a deteriorating workforce. Men turning to nursing as a profession of choice, is good news for the looming nursing scarcity which has been experienced lately; men joining the equation is the most ideal and probable way by which this shortage can be catered for. Demographics relating to nurse numbers have been changing over the years with the acceptance of more men towards the profession: in the late 20th Century male nurse numbers was estimated at around 45,060 but by spin of over two decades down the line the number of male nurses has gradually developed to levels of 568,185 male nurses in the United States (Barkley, 2010). Great steps are being made by nursing organizations that have pushed for recruitment initiatives mainly targeted towards pushing more men to enroll into nursing schools and now currently scholarships targeted to male students are being offered. Consequently, personal appeals are being made to students in an effort to turn their misperception as a career meant only for women. Important in the whole transitioning process from a female dominated profession to a multifaceted one is the fact that the healthcare industry is offering comparatively high wages for nurses coupled up with the ideal of stable employment opportunities. References Barkley, K. (2010). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration . Retrieved 2015 13-January from The Registered Nurse Population: Initial Findings from the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses: ,http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/rnsurveys/rnsurveyinitial2008.pdf. Burth, A. (2005). Gender bias and discrimination in nursing education. Can we change it? Nurse Educator , 64-65. Kippenbrock, S. (2010). School of nursing variables related to male student college choice. Journal of Nursing Education , 118-121. Paterson, T., Saydack, C. (1996). Learning to care: Gender issues for male nursing students. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research , 25-39. Thetis, M. G., Roberts, J. I. (2008). Nursing, Physician Control and Monopoly. Indianapolis: Indiana Univeristy Press.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Cuban Missile Crisis Analysis Essay -- History Historical Cuba Essays

Cuban Missile Crisis Analysis Works Cited Missing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most important events in United States history; it’s even easy to say world history because of what some possible outcomes could have been from it. The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was a major Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. After the Bay of Pigs Invasion the USSR increased its support of Fidel Castro's Cuban regime, and in the summer of 1962, Nikita Khrushchev secretly decided to install ballistic missiles in Cuba. President Kennedy and the other leaders of our country were faced with a horrible dilemma where a decision had to be made. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara outlined three possible courses of action for the president: "The political course of action" of openly approaching Castro, Khrushchev, and U.S. allies in a gambit to resolve the crisis diplomatically, an option that McNamara and others considered unlikely to succeed; "a course of action that would involve declaration of open surveillance" coupled with "a blockade against offensive weapons entering Cuba"; and "military action directed against Cuba, starting with an air attack against the missiles" (Chang, 2). When U.S. reconnaissance flights revealed the clandestine construction of missile launching sites, President Kennedy publicly denounced (Oct. 22, 1962) the Soviet actions. The options of taking military action against Cuba and Russia luckily never took place and President Kennedy chose to impose a naval blockade on Cuba and declared that any missile launched from Cuba would warrant a full-scale retaliatory attack by the United States against the Soviet Union. On Oct. 24, Russian ships carrying missiles to Cuba turned back, and when Khrushchev agreed (Oct. 28) to withdraw the missiles and dismantle the missile sites, the crisis ended as suddenly as it had begun. The United States ended its blockade on Nov. 20, and by the end of the year the missiles and bombers were removed from Cuba. The chosen level of analysis and international relation theory to explain this event are the individual-level of analysis and realism. This level of analysis focuses on the individuals that make decisions, the impact of human nature, the behavior of individuals acting in an organization, and how personality and individual experiences impact foreign policy... ...g by President Kennedy and his staff the world would have went to World War III and possibly would never have been the same again. This analysis explained the Cuban rebels in the Bay of Pigs invasion, the importance of the great leaders of the United States, the important decision making by the U.S. leaders, and the crazy leaders of the Soviet Union and Cuba. The Cuban missile crisis was a very dangerous episode, bringing the world’s major military powers to the brink of nuclear war. This event was important to world history and to all the main leaders involved. President Kennedy was assassinated shortly after that, but is still regarded as one of the best Presidents in U.S. history mainly because of how he dealt with that event. Fidel Castro and the country of Cuba are not recognized by the U.S. to this day and are still banned from trade. The Soviet Union has collapsed since the Cuban Missile Crisis and is now known as Russia. The Soviet Union is no longer a communist government and now gets along well with the United States. The bottom line is that this one event prevented a possibly world wide tragic nuclear war and has greatly affected the way the world is shaped today.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Abortion :: essays research papers

Sara is driving down 7th avenue in her red pickup truck, in a hurry and traveling well over the speed limit. Becky, who is 3 months pregnant, is waiting to cross the street on the corner of 7th avenue and Bell. The street light changes and Becky is signaled by the crosswalk sign to proceed across the street. Sara is putting in a new CD and not paying attention to the fact that she has a red light, without enough time to stop Sara runs the red light and hits Becky who has just started to cross the street. Now Becky is rushed to the hospital, she is hurt but will live but her baby dies. Should Sara be charged with the death of the unborn baby? On the other hand, Jessica, who is a 16-year-old girl, decides to sleep with an 18-year-old boy. She gets pregnant and has an abortion because she is not ready to be a mother. Should Jessica be charged with the death of an unborn baby? The answer to both of the questions is, yes. Abortion is wrong, cruel and most of all, it goes against the word of GOD.When a woman decides to have sex she is taking the chance of getting pregnant, even if she uses protection. If she doesn't want to get pregnant she shouldn't have sex, and she should be responsible enough to suffer the consequences. For example, Carrie is very promiscuous and finds out that she is pregnant, so she goes and has an abortion. Next time Carrie finds out that she has HIV, well she can't pay someone to get rid of her problem so she has to deal with it. Why shouldn't she have to deal with the fact of being pregnant? There are many other options to killing an innocent human: adoption or raising the child with the help of parents. However, some girls are forced to have an abortion.No matter the reason someone has for an abortion, it is still cruel. Some women are forced to have an abortion either by their parents or their spouse. This circumstance is very hard to argue because the woman who is pregnant is not making the choice and should not be held accountable for it. And that is the only reason anyone might consider having an abortion. Look at it like this, Jeff and Bonnie are building a house, what's the first thing they do?

Friday, August 2, 2019

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 21

I woke up the next morning with the worst hangover of my life, and that's saying something. It was actually the cold air that woke me, blowing in through the shattered windows and whipping the curtains around. Seattle had mild winters, but it was still November. I shape-shifted on a heavy sweater and then noticed that Sol's blood had not disappeared from my skin during last night's transformation, the blood had dried to fine, glittering red crystals on me and everything else. I picked up his discarded silk shirt and discovered it did a pretty good job at wiping them off. The previous night was a blur, and I had trouble remembering the fine details. I supposed I could blame whatever mystery liquid I'd drank for that. Looking around at the wreckage brought a lot of the events back to me, and the rest I pieced together. Not wanting to linger in this place, I found my cell phone and called for a cab. As I rode back into Seattle, I decided I wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep some more. My shift didn't start until later; Doug was opening. Wait. No, he wasn't. Doug was in a hospital bed. Sighing, I directed the driver to take me to the bookstore. Three voice-mail messages waited for me when I arrived in the office. One was from the author we had doing a signing that night, E. J. Putnam. All was in order with his flight; he expected to be here as scheduled. The second message was Beth calling in sick. Jesus. Couldn't anyone stay healthy anymore? That put us down two people now. Warren wrapped up the messages, saying he'd be back from Florida later today and would stop in tonight. I decided to be mad at him out of sheer principle. I'd spent the last week dealing with chaos; he'd been golfing in eighty degree weather. I got the store running and then staked out a register. Short-staffing will keep a person busy, at least. It gave me little time to reflect on last night's events. Or Doug. Or the fact that Seth hadn't come in today. Or my fight with Bastien. â€Å"Are you Georgina?† I looked up into the face of a pretty Japanese-American woman. Her face and build just barely crossed over into plumpness, and she wore her black hair in a high ponytail. Something about her smile seemed familiar. â€Å"I'm Maddie Sato,† she explained, extending a hand. â€Å"Doug's sister.† I shook her hand, astonished. â€Å"I didn't know Doug had a sister. â€Å" Her smile quirked a little. â€Å"Lots of them, actually. We're kind of spread out around the country. We all sort of do our own thing.† â€Å"So you came to†¦see Doug?† I hesitated to bring up such a delicate subject, but why else would she be here? She nodded. â€Å"I've been with him this morning. He's doing great and said to tell you hello.† That was the best news I could have received. â€Å"He woke up.† â€Å"Yes. He's grumpy and punchy but otherwise fine. He said he has some CDs in your office he wants. He asked if I could pick them up.† â€Å"Sure, I'll show you,† I said, leading her toward the back. Wow. Doug's sister. â€Å"How'd you find out about Doug?† â€Å"Seth Mortensen called me.† I stumbled and nearly walked into a display of gardening books. â€Å"How do you know Seth?† â€Å"I write for Womanspeak magazine. Seth had some questions about a feminist organization that he needed answered for his book, and Doug gave him my e-mail address about a month ago. So, we've been in touch a couple times. When Doug†¦got sick, Seth tracked down my number in Salem and called last night. â€Å" Part of me felt a little jealous that Seth had an e-mail correspondence with her that I hadn't known about, but I immediately quashed such feelings. What he'd done had been terribly considerate. And typical of him. Quietly efficient and kind. I led Maddie into the office and found the CDs in a drawer. â€Å"Did you drive up last night or this morning?† She shook her head. â€Å"Actually Seth picked me up.† â€Å"I†¦what? In Salem? That's, like, four hours away.† â€Å"I know. It was really nice. I don't have a car, so he drove right down after he called, got me in the middle of the night, and then brought me to Doug.† My God. Seth had made an eight-hour round-trip last night. No wonder he wasn't here; he'd gone home to crash. That also meant he hadn't necessarily taken off from the hospital to get away from me. He'd done it to help Doug. A pleasant flutter spread through me at this, half of it relief, half of it a response to still more evidence of Seth's continuing decency and consideration of others. Maddie left me her cell phone number and promised to send my good wishes to Doug. As she was leaving my office, Janice entered it. â€Å"Hey Georgina, Lorelei Biljan's here.† â€Å"Oh, okay. Wait.† I did a double take. â€Å"You mean E. J. Putnam. â€Å" â€Å"No. It's definitely Lorelei. E. J.'s a guy.† â€Å"I know that,† I said. â€Å"But her signing's a week from today. Putnam's is today. I had a message about it and everything.† â€Å"I don't know. I just know she's here.† A horrible sinking feeling built up in me. I followed Janice out and shook hands with a small, solidly built middle-aged woman. I'd seen Lorelei Biljan's pictures in her books. Everything was the same from her brown pixie haircut to her characteristic black clothing. â€Å"I'm going to see some sights today but wanted to check in first,† she told me. â€Å"Oh. Okay. Great.† I smiled thinly, willing myself to keep breathing. We chatted a little bit more, and as soon as she was gone, I tore back to Paige's office and ransacked her desk. Sure enough, her schedules showed both authors coming in today. On the master staff calendar, however, she'd put them on separate days. Our own in-store posters also had them on separate days, but checking newspaper ads, I saw them again scheduled for the same day. Our website declared both appeared today, which meant we'd have fans of both here tonight. Good grief. This was like some bad, clich? ¦d sitcom. We had two dates for the dance. I sat at Paige's desk and rubbed my temples. How had this happened? How had perfect, efficient Paige messed up? I quickly answered my own questions: because she had other things on her mind. She had an increasingly complicated pregnancy on her hands, one that had kept her out for almost three weeks now. A distraction like that would let anyone make mistakes. Unfortunately, I had to deal with them. Andy stuck his head inside. â€Å"Oh, hey, there you are. Bruce said to ask you if any of us can help in the caf? ¦. They're short. And Seth just called the store's main line. Said to tell you he can't do the thing tomorrow. â€Å" â€Å"Seth called?† I asked stupidly. So he wasn't asleep. And the â€Å"thing† tomorrow had been a date to see a local Celtic band play at a pub. But he was cancelling. The noble reasons I had attributed to him for keeping away from me suddenly seemed less altruistic. â€Å"Okay. Thanks.† I stared into space. My world was falling apart around me. I wasn't speaking to the two men I cared about the most. I was in charge of a bookstore that didn't have enough people to run it. Two authors were coming tonight, each expecting to have center stage to promote their books. We didn't have room for that. And to top it all off, I felt like shit. The residual effects of that drug had left me with a wicked headache, and I hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep. Killing a god will really wear you out. I had too much to do and not enough energy or willpower to do it. Let alone the means. I needed a miracle. Divine intervention. And as feasible as that might seem in my line of work, it probably wasn't going to happen. Unless†¦ Divine intervention? I found my purse and pulled out one of the packets of ambrosia. Those weird crystals pulsed out at me as I stared at them. What would happen? Nocturnal Admission had risen to stardom in a short time on these. Could I survive one hellish day at work? Would these give me the stamina and know-how to get through it? Or would I just turn into a slobbering sex kitten? I no longer believed Sol had given these to me last night. That had indeed been a date-rape drug. But these†¦these might be able to offer me some sort of inspiration to get out of this mess. Of course, there was the whole dangerous addiction and withdrawal problem. But this was my first time. Even mortals had to go through a couple doses before things got nasty, and Carter had said it would take even longer for me to hit the downside. I was probably safe, so long as I didn't get too into whatever it was I was about to become. Maybe it was the fatigue, but I didn't hesitate further. Don't overthink it, just act. I ordered a white-chocolate mocha from the caf? ¦ and dumped the crystals in once I was back in my office. â€Å"Bottoms up,† I muttered, just before knocking it all back. When I'd finished, I rested my head on the desk and waited for something to happen. Anything. Mostly I still felt sleepy. I yawned. When did this stuff kick in? How would I know? And good grief, what would I do if this turned into a disaster too? What if it made my day worse? I mean, not that it could get worse. I had two authors booked for tonight. The jealousy Tammi had once joked about could very well occur. Two was a bad number. Two led to rivalry. Add more, and it becomes a friendly group matter, not a one-on-one competition for space and spotlight. I'd been to big events where lots of authors spoke and read. Sometimes they sat on a panel and answered questions together about writing, inspiration, and publishing. Getting those perspectives was neat. It was a cool opportunity for fans of all the writers, and then later, said fans could have books signed by multiple authors. Those events were big deals. They took a lot of planning and a lot of advertising, not to mention a lot of staff. I sat up a couple minutes later, realizing I'd long since jolted to alertness. I didn't have time to note when that had happened or what it meant. I had too many things to do. My mind raced. In a flash, I was out on the main floor, hunting down Andy. I handed him a staff roster. â€Å"I need you to call every person who's not working today – except for the sick ones. See if they'll come in. Preferably for the rest of the day. If not, we'll take what we can get. Then ask everyone here who's not closing if they can close. Tell them they'll get time-and-a-half.† Andy stared as though he'd never seen me before, but I didn't give him time to question me. I went back to my office, paged Maria, and called Maddie Sato while I waited. When Maddie answered, I explained to her what I hoped she could do for me. She sounded surprised by my request, but she agreed nonetheless. She also promised to make another phone call for me that I wasn't too keen on making myself. Maria appeared just as Maddie and I hung up. Maria worked part-time and was shy and quiet. She preferred to avoid the registers if she could, being much happier lost in the shelves. She was also an amazing artist. I handed her a piece of poster board from our supply cabinet. â€Å"I need you to make a poster for tonight's event.† â€Å"The signing?† she asked. â€Å"Er, signings?† Everyone had heard about the double booking by now. â€Å"Not just a signing. It's a literary extravaganza. It's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I came up with and then promptly rejected several possibilities. â€Å"It's the Emerald Lit Fest.† Boring, but straightforward. Sometimes that was better than a gimmick. â€Å"Yes. The first annual one. And put on here that these authors will be there.† I handed her a list I'd already made up. â€Å"Mention that they'll autograph books. And that we'll have drawings for prizes.† I thought some more, making it up as I went along. The ideas just leapt off my tongue. â€Å"And that 10 percent of all sales will be donated to the Puget Sound's Literacy Project.† â€Å"Wow,† she said. â€Å"I didn't know all this was going on.† â€Å"Yeah,† I agreed briskly. â€Å"Me either. Draw it, type it, cut and paste, whatever. Just do it. I need it in twenty minutes. And it needs to look good. â€Å" She blinked and then immediately set to work. While she did, I made phone calls. Print ads were a no-go, but almost everyone had a website. I called the big papers and the small artsy ones. I also called the local writers' groups and convinced them to e-mail their members. Finally, I called radio stations. They were less willing to do anything on short notice, but they were my best bet at immediate advertising. I could have the DJs mention us without a formal commercial. That took a bit of finagling, but we had an account with most of them already that guaranteed payment, and the charitable angle was hard to resist. Okay, I was hard to resist. Even over the phone, I could hear myself wooing and persuading with an unholy skill. Maria stopped working at one point to stare at me with an almost hypnotized look. Shaking her head, she returned to her poster. Andy popped in with the annotated roster. We hadn't roped in quite as many as I would have liked, but we'd definitely increased our numbers. And most of the current staff was staying. Maria finished her poster just then, and it did look good. I drove to the print shop that usually handled our business and turned the poster over to them. â€Å"No,† the manager told me flatly, making my manic flurry of activity come to a screeching halt. â€Å"I can't do all that in under an hour. Three hours maybe. â€Å" â€Å"Hour and a half?† I cajoled. â€Å"It's for charity. An emergency situation just came up.† She frowned. â€Å"An emergency literacy situation?† â€Å"Literacy is always an emergency. Do you know how many children in the Puget Sound area struggle with reading due to lack of resources and education?† Fortunately, being in the book business, I knew all the grim stats. By the time I was done with her, that battle-axe was nearly in tears. She'd do my order, she promised, and she'd do it in my original hour. While those were being printed, I traveled over to Foster's Books. Locally owned, that store wasn't as big as Emerald City, but it had the same sort of reputation as a local landmark. Technically, we were rivals. Garrett Foster, the owner, looked up when I entered. â€Å"Looking for a job?† â€Å"I've got one for you,† I told him sweetly, leaning on his counter. â€Å"I need you to get in touch with Abel Warshawski for me.† Abel Warshawski was a reclusive local author who wrote wildly popular books about the Pacific Northwest. He and Garrett were longtime friends, so Abel only did appearances at Foster's. Garrett arched a grizzled eyebrow. â€Å"Abel only comes here. You know that. â€Å" â€Å"I do. Which is why I didn't ask for his number.† I laid into Garrett then about how half of Emerald City's staff were in dire health. I talked about charity and literacy statistics. I pointed out that we weren't technically rivals anyway, since he was in Capitol Hill and I was in Queen Anne. Besides, the book industry was like a family. We all had the same goals. â€Å"My God, woman,† he murmured when I finished. I didn't think I'd taken a breath during my entire spiel. â€Å"Are you sure you don't want a new job?† â€Å"I just want Abel for the night.† He bit his lip. â€Å"Think we could get Mortensen over here for a signing some time?† â€Å"Hmm.† I considered this. Bartering was in my blood. â€Å"That depends. You guys close a few hours earlier than us, right? Think we could get a few of you to help us out tonight? Paid, of course.† â€Å"You've got some balls,† he muttered. He stared at me, still thinking, but I knew I had him. He couldn't resist. â€Å"Okay, but only if we get Mortensen during a hot time – around his next release.† â€Å"Done.† I didn't like sharing Seth, but lots of big authors made multiple Seattle appearances when a new book came out. I hoped Seth didn't mind being whored out. Oh, well. That was for later. Before I left, I bought all of Foster's American Mystery and Womanspeak magazines. He hesitated a moment as he rang them up. â€Å"Hey†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked me over. â€Å"I don't suppose you read that story Mortensen wrote†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well,† I said with a breezy smile, no longer caring about my doppelganger, Genevieve, â€Å"let's just say he's not the first man I've given some ‘inspiration' to.† As a parting gift, I also gave Garrett one of our advertisements since I'd had the print shop make me a few to take with me before starting the big order. He stared at the poster incredulously. â€Å"You already put Abel on it! Before you even talked to me!† I left him gaping and went to pick up my posters. I returned to the bookstore and distributed them among three of the staff, arming each with a list of places to hang them. I sent them off and then managed the bookstore end of things, which mostly involved moving a lot of furniture and assigning employee duties for tonight. When six o'clock rolled around, it really was like a miracle had occurred. Signings normally occurred in the second floor caf? ¦. That spot still made up the heart of the show, but I'd had the rest of the second floor cleared out. That meant a lot of shelves and displays got crammed together while the speakers were on, but it didn't matter so much. Most of the people there wanted to hear the authors, not browse books quite yet. And what people we had. E. J. Putnam and Lorelei Biljan had each drawn in their respective science fiction and literary fiction crowds. That was big enough, but my advertising had drawn in even more. We were packed. We needed every inch of space rearranging the furniture had allowed. I couldn't remember ever having this many people in the store. Putnam and Biljan had been a little shaken – and initially unhappy – to find themselves in the midst of the Emerald Lit Fest rather than an ordinary signing. I passed off the confusion as a miscommunication with their people and thanked them for helping the charity. I also reminded them this was a good opportunity to show off for people who normally read other genres, and it wasn't even like either writer was slighted†¦too much. Each of them got to read a ten-minute excerpt and then field fifteen minutes of questions. It was a bit expedited for a signing, yes, but it worked and gave us time to then have a Q&A session with our full panel of authors, consisting of the two headliners plus Seth, Maddie, and Abel. Prize-drawings occurred throughout it all, and I emceed everything myself, not even knowing what I said half the time. â€Å"I can't believe you gave Seth second-billing to Putnam and Biljan,† Andy remarked softly to me during the panel. Only those two authors had been given exclusive spotlight. â€Å"He's bigger than both of them put together.† â€Å"He's also extremely good-natured,† I murmured back. Now that I had a momentary breather, I couldn't stop drinking Seth in. I felt like I hadn't seen his whimsical smile and brown eyes in ages. In fact, I hadn't ever seen that particular Captain and Tennille shirt he wore. I wanted to run up to him but held back. Maddie had been the one to ask him to participate, on my behalf. It was one of the things I'd asked her to do this morning. When all the speaking was done, I had the staff more or less move everything back. We left the caf? ¦ cleared out and set up a table for each of the authors to do signings. Even Maddie, who was fairly obscure, had some takers. Womanspeak had sort of a cult reputation, and I think she'd gained a few fans during the panel. Passing by Seth as he spoke to a fan, I caught his eye and paused. A moment of awkwardness hung between us that even my ambrosia-induced mania could not overcome. We had too much unresolved business between us yet. â€Å"Thank you,† I said simply. â€Å"Thank you for doing this.† â€Å"Well,† he said after a moment. â€Å"You know me. I haven't missed an Emerald Lit Fest yet. I'm not about to start now.† The store was nowhere near emptying when closing came, so we let them stay, especially since we were doing a hell of a business. It was around then that Warren showed up. He stood next to me and joined me in a survey of the crowd around us. â€Å"Why,† he said after a moment, â€Å"do I feel like a parent who has just returned home and found his teens throwing a party?† â€Å"Paige double-booked Biljan and Putnam. This seemed like the logical solution.† â€Å"And when did you discover the double-booking?† â€Å"This morning.† â€Å"This morning,† he repeated. â€Å"So, instead of, say, moving furniture on the first floor and simply having two concurrent signings, you decided – with less than a day's notice – to have a star-studded, massively advertised soiree with more people than this store can hold?† I blinked. Wow. That really would have been a simpler solution. â€Å"It's a ‘fest,' actually. Not a soiree. And don't forget it's for charity.† Warren jerked his head toward me. â€Å"We're donating this to charity?† â€Å"Only 10 percent,† I assured him. â€Å"But there's actually a woman here from the Literacy Project who was so impressed that she wants to talk about us getting involved in a much bigger fundraiser with them. It probably won't be until next year – in the spring, of course. We wouldn't want to conflict with the next Emerald Lit Fest.† â€Å"The next one?† â€Å"Well, yeah. It's a tradition now.† I'd been riding the high from all of this pretty steadily all night. I was still so high, in fact, I probably could have arranged and implemented the second Emerald Lit Fest for tomorrow morning. Something suddenly occurred to me. â€Å"Hey, am I in trouble?† He rubbed his eyes. â€Å"Georgina, you are†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head. â€Å"Beyond words. And not in trouble. Definitely not. We won't do this much business on Black Friday.† He gave me one of his nicer smiles, reminiscent of our more intimate days. â€Å"Why don't you go home now? You need it. Your pupils are really big.† â€Å"Are you throwing me out? Are you sure I'm not in trouble?† â€Å"You're not in trouble. But I've heard about how much overtime you've been putting in, as well as†¦other things. Paige is going to be here next week, and we'll sit down and talk then.† He suddenly did a double take. â€Å"Is that Garrett Foster working one of our registers?† I walked home reluctantly. It wasn't easy abandoning one's brainchild. I still felt high and giddy, like pure adrenaline ran in my veins. I couldn't just go home. I needed to do something. Plan something. Anything active. A few guys glanced at me as we passed each other, and I smiled provocatively at them, nearly making one run into a garbage can. Maybe there were other ways of being active tonight. My cell phone rang, and I answered without thinking. It was Bastien. â€Å"Damn it. I forgot I was supposed to be screening my calls. I'm still not speaking to you.† â€Å"Don't hang up. I have to talk to you.† â€Å"No, I told you – â€Å" † Fleur ,I'm leaving.† I heard a strained, weary tone to his voice. He wasn't talking about going out for the night. My euphoric glow dimmed a little. â€Å"You're leaving Seattle.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because it isn't going to work with Dana. We both know it.† I stood in front of my building now and stared at it blankly, waiting for some ambrosia inspiration to give me the insight that would help Bastien finally woo Dana. Nothing happened, so I did the only thing I could. â€Å"I'll be right over.† I found his door unlocked when I arrived and walked inside. â€Å"Mitch† stood in the kitchen with his back to me, hands resting on the island, entire posture slumped. I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his back. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I whispered. â€Å"Me too.† â€Å"The cooking thing didn't pan out?† I almost laughed at my own pun. God, this ambrosia was great. â€Å"No. Although, I can make a lovely creme brulee now. I have some in the refrigerator if you want to try it.† He sighed. â€Å"But no, it wasn't working. And you knew that, didn't you?† He turned around so that we faced each other. I looked away. â€Å"Yeah. But I didn't want to†¦I dunno. I hoped, I guess. Hoped it would work out.† We stood there in silence for a while. No matter how angry I was at him, I hated seeing him like this. Devastated. Defeated. † Fleur, I want to apologize about that night – â€Å" â€Å"No, it's not all your – â€Å" â€Å"Just listen to me first,† he admonished. â€Å"There's something I have to tell you. Something about Seth.† And then, just like every other time I visited, the doorbell rang. The incubus waved an annoyed hand. â€Å"Leave it.† â€Å"It could be her.† â€Å"I don't care. I don't want to see her.† Maybe he was pessimistic, but I'd eaten the Food of the Gods. I felt like I could do anything. I knew I could do anything. My confidence and cleverness knew no bounds. I had created a new tradition at Emerald City in a matter of hours. Surely I could still find some last glimmer of hope for Bastien if I had a chance to speak to Dana face-to-face. â€Å"There still might be a way,† I told him as I walked to the door. † Go invisible if you want. I want to talk to her. â€Å" â€Å"If it's even her,† he called after me. But it was her. â€Å"Tabitha.† She smiled. â€Å"I thought I saw you come in.† I returned her smile with my own. A dazzling one. I wasn't going to be shy and idiotic around her anymore. I should never have been that way under normal conditions, let alone now, when I was at my finest. â€Å"I'm so glad you could stop by,† I told her, warmth oozing out of every pore. I beckoned her in as though I lived there. As much as she saw me over there, I might as well have. â€Å"Please, come inside. Let me get you something to drink.† For the first time, I saw Dana off guard. I was not the Tabitha she knew, and she didn't know how to handle it. Bastien stood in the kitchen, invisible, arms crossed defiantly over his chest. I winked at him and then turned back to Dana. â€Å"Mitch is out for a while, if you wanted to see him.† â€Å"Oh. That's fine. I can, um, stay for a little while†¦I guess.† She seemed unnerved by my control of the situation. I poured us both iced tea, and we sat down at the table. I led us into conversation about our days, telling her about an awesome charity event I'd been to at a downtown bookstore. Dana recovered some of her composure and returned to her smooth and controlled self. Her bigoted nature aside, the woman could manage a decent conversation, and we clicked. Too bad she didn't channel her intelligence into more useful areas, I thought. As we talked about assorted things, the solution to the whole Dana situation struck me – it was so obvious. I don't know if it was the ambrosia or not, but I couldn't believe how blind we'd all been. How had none of us figured out the problem with her? What kind of seduction experts were we? Bastien was right. Dana was a lost cause. For him. â€Å"Dana,† I interrupted in a most un-Tabitha way, â€Å"I'm really glad you came over tonight because there's something I've needed to ask you.† She choked on her tea. â€Å"Yes?† I propped my elbows on the table, resting my chin in my hands so I could have solid eye contact. â€Å"You said a little while ago that you and Bill had lost the romance and that you didn't care. But you know what? I don't believe that. I think you miss it. I think you crave it. But not with him.† Dana's face went pale, eyes wide. Bastien, standing nearby, wore a similar look. I didn't care. We had nothing to lose at this point. â€Å"Am I right?† I leaned closer. â€Å"There is something missing, isn't there? And you were lying about not knowing what's sexy. You know. You know what turns you on, and you want it. You want it so bad, you can taste it.† I swear, you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Dana worked forcibly to control her breathing, staring and staring at me as though I might vanish if she blinked. â€Å"Yes,† she finally croaked. â€Å"You've been right about a lot of things. Like how we can't choose who we want. And yes†¦I think we both know what I'm talking about, Tabitha.† Some of her old confidence began to return. â€Å"At first, I wasn't sure. You were so hard to read. But then, after I saw how awkward things were with you and your boyfriend – how you never wanted to talk about him and said you weren't attracted to him – I knew for sure. That little lingerie show you put on for me cinched it. You were amazing. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I'd already seen you naked in the hot tub, and that had been agonizing enough. I had to see you naked again. And then, as I talked to you more, I realized you were intelligent too. Just like tonight.† She took a deep, quaking breath and reached out her hand to cover mine, fingers slowly dancing along my skin. â€Å"You're right. I do want something. So bad I can taste it. I know it's wrong, and I know it's immoral, but I can't help myself. I can't help who I want. Can't help wanting you.† No wonder Bastien hadn't been able to close the deal. Dana had wanted me. Probably from the moment I stepped out of the pool in that skimpy bathing suit. Staring at her, I thought about all the horrible things her group did. I also thought about Bastien being tortured by some demon. In some cases, being immortal wasn't always a blessing. Now, I could save him from that fate and send a little payback to the CPFV. I smiled back at Dana, letting my body language speak for me as the tension mounted. I admit, I was a little surprised that all of my previous encounters had been read as advances on her, but well, whatever. The invisible incubus had run out of the room somewhere around â€Å"I had to see you naked again.† He returned now, wielding the video camera. Seeing my calculated silence, he waved the camera at me frantically, glee all over his face. I held the power now to change everything. The power to achieve what Bastien had been fighting for. To save him and humiliate the CPFV. If I could just pull this off. The ambrosia had proved today that my strongest talents lay in improvisation and planning, the ability to multitask and solve problems. That was great. It made me feel better about myself than I had in a while. It was probably what had led me to realize the truth about Dana too. But what about my earlier musings about the ambrosia? In regard to sex? Was my sexual prowess still a key part of me? Had the ambrosia enhanced that too? Could I rock some man – or woman – in bed? Looking at Dana and her now-obvious lust, I knew the answer. I gave a sultry laugh and jauntily brushed my hair out of my face. I could and would rock her world. I was a team player, after all. For both teams. Squeezing her hand, I moved toward her. â€Å"I feel exactly the same way.†

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Externalities – Essay

An externalities Is â€Å"an external effect, often unforeseen or unintended, accompanying a process or activity†. In the time of the Industrial Revolution, externalities were not thought of at all. Particularly in the field of energy, the only cost considered was the cost of production. The detrimental effect of the dirty energy on the environment was not factored in and, until recently, has not been thought of at all. The cost paid for fuel at the pump basically includes two things: production cost and profit margin.There Is one huge cost that Is not factored In though which Is the money that It costs to support a falling environment. Energy Is probably the most prevalent case of negative externalities there is. Not just fossil fuels but also the second largest energy provider, nuclear power, has huge negative externalities attached. The recent events in Japan have shown how expensive these supposedly cheap energies can become. The damage done by the melt down of the nuclear reactor after the earth quake will undoubtedly cost the Japanese billions of dollars to repair. This is only part of the cost though.The money for medical care will result in large expenditures as well. Neither of these costs is as devastating as the loss of life caused by such accidents though. The death toll and lingering health effects on the inhabitants of the area should also be major factors considered in the cost of â€Å"cheap† energy. This Is not the first occurrence either. Coherency and Three Male Island demonstrate how these resources, however many safety regulations they have In place, can still suffer from catastrophic events. The difficulty encountered with this though is short sightedness among the consumer.They want cheaper prices at the gas pump, and don't realize that if there is an oil spill that their tax money is going to have to help clean it up, as well as the prices at the pump going up as the market compensates. So the reaction to disasters arguably levels out the cost of the Inexpensive fuels. For some reason it seems that there have been more cataclysmic events in recent years than the past. This cannot exactly be statistically proven but it is easy to infer. With the population expansion, the demand for energy will continue to rise.And without moving forward on cleaner energies, the inexpensive energy Industry will error the growth of the population. This paired with the possibility of more frequent natural disasters Is not good. The roll of negative externalities will grow and people will realize the implications once it is too late. It is time to start factoring externalities into the cost of energy. This will spur the growth of alternative energies and move towards a safer system. The idea that only the cost of production should be factored in to something as dangerous as nuclear power seems to De an I removed. AAA let over Trot e a e Tinny century, Ana need s to De