Unit III Assessment #2 Systemic Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit III Assessment #2 Systemic Effects - Essay Example Delhi recorded hypertension in 36.1% lifetime nonsmokers living in the city compared to the 9.5% of rural controls. The dominance of hypertension increased with increase in age. Despite the great prevalence, severity of hypertension was higher in the urban subjects. There was a record of 15.4% less severe stage 1 hypertension having systolic blood pressure of 140 to 159 mm Hg and more severe stage 2 hypertension in comparison with 6.1% and 0.9% of the rural controls having stage 1 and stage 2 systolic hypertension respectively. Stage 1 and stage 2 90 to 99 and greater than 100 mm Hg hypertension prevailed in 23.4% and 10.0% of Delhi citizens in contrast with 4.4% and 0.8% of control subjects correspondingly. An important and positive association transpired between the PM levels in Delhi’s air, the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in Spearman’s correlation experiment. Particulate air toxins along with lifestyle are great contributors of the prevalence of hypertension in Delhi. The elderly and those with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases are at high risks of death due to air pollution. Surprisingly, air pollution causes more deaths through cardiovascular diseases compared to the respiratory diseases, which are more associated with pollution of air. Hypertension prevailed in a high percentage among the lifetime nonsmokers, which increased with increase in age. Those in urban areas had less severe stage 1 hypertension and more severe stage 2 hypertension compared to those in rural stage 1 and stage 2 systolic hypertension (Gurjar, Molina, & Ojha,

Financial Inclusion Essay Example for Free

Financial Inclusion Essay Role of Government in financial inclusion Abstract:- This research paper contains the full information about the financial inclusion of the world’s economic. In this research paper we describe the financial inclusion basic meaning, definitions, scope significance. Now we move towards the second phase which include role of government role of banks in financial inclusion. we also include the reforms that has been done by the government and the other government organizations . We also include the main article that has been given by the different ministers about financial inclusion its reform. Financial Inclusion Meaning: Financial inclusion is a policy adopted by many countries to include more people in the financial set up of the country. It aims at tackling poverty and deprivation in the country. In simple terms financial inclusion refers to making the finance or the financial/banking sector more accessible to people. For example: Debit cards, internet banking and direct debit facilities are now common, convenient and cheap ways of paying for goods and services. Yet there are still people who are excluded from using these services. People who are losing out as they are unable to take advantage of the benefits offered by the range of financial products available. In developing and poor countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Afgan etc there are many people who do not even have a bank account or who are unable to take advantage of the loans and deposit benefits offered by banks due to various reasons like lack of knowledge, fear, lack of proximity etc. Today, personal debt is at a record igh and borrowing without a bank account means using high interest lenders. Many of the people in this position live in our poorest communities and find themselves without choice or access to basic financial services, making it even more difficult to find routes out of poverty. Defination: Financial Inclusion is the delivery of banking services at affordable costs to vast sections of disadvantaged and low income groups. Unrestrained access to public goods and servic es is the sine qua non of an open and efficient society. It is argued that as banking services are in the nature of public good, it is essential that availability of banking and payment services to the entire population without discrimination is the prime objective of public policy. The term Financial Inclusion has gained importance since the early 2000s, and is a result of findings about Financial Exclusion and its direct correlation to poverty. Financial Inclusion is now a common objective for many central banks among the developing nations. Financial Inclusion in India The Reserve Bank of India setup a commission (Khan Commission) in 2004 to look into Financial Inclusion and the recommendations of the commission were incorporated into the Mid-term review of the policy (2005-06). In the report RBI exhorted the banks with a view of achieving greater Financial Inclusion to make available a basic no-frills banking account. In India, Financial Inclusion first featured in 2005, when it was introduced, that, too, from a pilot project in UT of Pondicherry, by K C Chakraborthy, the chairman of Indian Bank. Mangalam Village became the first village in India where all households were provided banking facilities. In addition to this KYC (Know your Customer) norms were relaxed for people intending to open accounts with annual deposits of less than Rs. 50, 000. General Credit Cards (GCC) were issued to the poor and the disadvantaged with a view to help them access easy credit. In January 2006, the Reserve Bank permitted commercial banks to make use of the services of non-governmental organizations (NGOs/SHGs), micro-finance institutions and other civil society organizations as intermediaries for providing financial and banking ervices. These intermediaries could be used as business facilitators (BF) or business correspondents (BC) by commercial banks. The bank asked the commercial banks in different regions to start a 100% Financial Inclusion campaign on a pilot basis. As a result of the campaign states or U. T. s like Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala have announced 100% financial in clusion in all their districts. Reserve Bank of India’s vision for 2020 is to open nearly 600 million new customers accounts and service them through a variety of channels by leveraging on IT. However, illiteracy and the low income savings and lack of bank branches in rural areas continue to be a road block to financial inclusion in many states. Apart from this there are certain in Current model which is followed. There is inadequate legal and financial structure. India being a mostly agrarian economy hardly has schemes which lend for agriculture. Along with Microfinance we need to focus on Micro insurance too. The scope of financial inclusion The scope of financial inclusion can be expanded in two ways. ) through state-driven intervention by way of statutory enactments ( for instance the US example, the Community Reinvestment Act and making it a statutory right to have bank account in France). b) through voluntary effort by the banking community itself for evolving various strategies to bring within the ambit of the banking sector the large strata of society. When bankers do not give the desired attention to certain areas, the regulators have to step in to remedy the situ ation. This is the reason why the Reserve Bank of India is placing a lot of emphasis on financial inclusion. In India the focus of the financial inclusion at present is confined to ensuring a bare minimum access to a savings bank account without frills, to all. Internationally, the financial exclusion has been viewed in a much wider perspective. Having a current account / savings account on its own, is not regarded as an accurate indicator of financial inclusion. There could be multiple levels of financial inclusion and exclusion. At one extreme, it is possible to identify the ‘super-included’, i. e. , those customers who are actively and persistently courted by the financial ervices industry, and who have at their disposal a wide range of financial services and products. At the other extreme, we may have the financially excluded, who are denied access to even the most basic of financial products. In between are those who use the banking services only for deposits and withdrawals of money. But these persons may have only restricted access to the financial system, and may not en joy the flexibility of access offered to more affluent customers. Steps towards financial inclusion

Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay -- essays research papers

Defining a True Hero Is a hero the one who decides to stand up when everyone else is only thinking about it? Is a hero the one who retains integrity rather than give in to the world’s everyday temptations? Is a hero the picture of courage, or an example of morals? These are the questions that arise after reading the epic story of Beowulf by an anonymous author, and the romantic tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, also written by an anonymous author. The stories describe two very different heroes. Beowulf was undoubtedly a hero, but as time advanced and the world became more complicated, what constituted a hero became more shady; therefore, while he is not anything like Beowulf, Sir Gawain is also in fact a true hero. Beowulf is a hero. That is an undeniable fact. His heroic image stands out notably because Beowulf is what could be called an active hero while Sir Gawain plays the part of a passive hero, but still a hero nonetheless. Beowulf has one duty: he must fight and win. If he succeeds, he is a hero; if he fails he is simply a failure (except when he fails at defeating the dragon because he has already proved himself and goes with honor, which is different from initially failing). In the last lines of the story the author clearly acknowledges Beowulf’s overall triumph, "Telling stories of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, praising him for heroic deeds, for a life as noble as his name." Sir Gawain on the other hand ...

Orientalism: Defined and Shown Through The Work of Henry Kissinger :: Orientalism Said Kissinger Essays

Orientalism: Defined and Shown Through The Work of Henry Kissinger Edward Said first published Orientalism in 1978 and the book has continued to open readers' eyes to the true effects of biased thought. Said carefully examines what he calls 'Orientalism' in an attempt to show how different cultures view each other and depend upon other cultures to define their own. This essay will include a brief definition of Orientalism as well as how Henry Kissinger has an Orientalist view upon developing countries, shown through numerous examples from Said's book. Given on the first few pages of his book, Edward Said allows his readers to absorb the concept of Orientalism early on in his book, adding to the definition throughout. Said presents his definition of Orientalism in three "interdependent" fashions, the first shown through the Orient's place among Western European culture: The Orient is not only adjacent to Europe; it is also the place of Europe's greatest and richest and oldest colonies, the source of its civilizations and languages, its cultural contestant, and one of its deepest and most recurring images of the Other. In addition, the Orient has helped to define Europe (or the West) as its contrasting image, idea, personality, experience. [pp. 1-2] Simply put, Said claims that Orientalism represents how Europe has defined themselves against Oriental characteristics. A second form of Orientalism comes from the academic world and is still prevalent in today's society. Said states that "anyone who teaches, writes about, or researches the Orient [regardless of field of study] is an Orientalist, and what he or she does is Orientalism. In a more general sense, this can be seen when academics make the "ontological and epistemological distinction made between 'the Orient' and (most of the time) 'the Occident'" (p 2). Said states that while this form is not as common as in years past, Orientalism will exist so long as these ideas are taught. As the first of the two definitions deal with the "academic and imaginative meanings of Orientalism," the third meaning is derived from the combination of the first two. Said believes that Orientalism can also be thought of as "the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient- dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western style, for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient" (p 3). Orientalism: Defined and Shown Through The Work of Henry Kissinger :: Orientalism Said Kissinger Essays Orientalism: Defined and Shown Through The Work of Henry Kissinger Edward Said first published Orientalism in 1978 and the book has continued to open readers' eyes to the true effects of biased thought. Said carefully examines what he calls 'Orientalism' in an attempt to show how different cultures view each other and depend upon other cultures to define their own. This essay will include a brief definition of Orientalism as well as how Henry Kissinger has an Orientalist view upon developing countries, shown through numerous examples from Said's book. Given on the first few pages of his book, Edward Said allows his readers to absorb the concept of Orientalism early on in his book, adding to the definition throughout. Said presents his definition of Orientalism in three "interdependent" fashions, the first shown through the Orient's place among Western European culture: The Orient is not only adjacent to Europe; it is also the place of Europe's greatest and richest and oldest colonies, the source of its civilizations and languages, its cultural contestant, and one of its deepest and most recurring images of the Other. In addition, the Orient has helped to define Europe (or the West) as its contrasting image, idea, personality, experience. [pp. 1-2] Simply put, Said claims that Orientalism represents how Europe has defined themselves against Oriental characteristics. A second form of Orientalism comes from the academic world and is still prevalent in today's society. Said states that "anyone who teaches, writes about, or researches the Orient [regardless of field of study] is an Orientalist, and what he or she does is Orientalism. In a more general sense, this can be seen when academics make the "ontological and epistemological distinction made between 'the Orient' and (most of the time) 'the Occident'" (p 2). Said states that while this form is not as common as in years past, Orientalism will exist so long as these ideas are taught. As the first of the two definitions deal with the "academic and imaginative meanings of Orientalism," the third meaning is derived from the combination of the first two. Said believes that Orientalism can also be thought of as "the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient- dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western style, for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient" (p 3).

Historical inaccuracies in Ridley Scott’s film `Gladiator Essay

In recent years the emergence of filmmakers who expressed interest in adapting historical events as wide-screen presentations has revitalized public interest on historical events. But the usual problem is that the general public’s view usually gets distorted due to contemporary filmmakers’ nasty habit of utilizing their artistic license to its full extent More often than not, adaptations of historical events like Ridley Scott’s Gladiator offers a glimpse of early civilizations but neglects the aspect of historical accuracy which in turn cannibalizes scholarly efforts to reconcile public interest in the actual historical events. The glitz and glamour of commercial cinema is in large part responsible for the historical inaccuracies of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Martin Winkler (17) suggests that the reason behind a historical film’s departure from its origins is that the fiction which causes the inaccuracy is what sparks viewer interest in the first place. In accordance to Winkler’s theory, the elements incorporated in Gladiator contributes to the film’s historical infidelity; its principal characters, chronology, production design, and supposed intent of exhibiting the authentic life and culture of Imperial Rome, has been diluted by the filmmakers’ aesthetics. As per what the film entails, the structure of the Gladiator’s narrative appears to be drastically shortened. Commodus’ reign was marked by numerous assassination plots, including a scheme that involved her own sister Lucilla, all accounts of murdering the treacherous emperor have neither been established nor even mentioned in the film. Historical accounts further suggest that Commodus’ reign ended 13 years later upon his assassination (Boatwright, Gargola, & Talbert 405-406), the film, on the other hand, although the time frame of events were never actually mentioned or given much attention, it illustrated that Commodus reigned no more than two years (Ward 33). The film also depicts that Emperor Commodus died in a gladiatorial duel with Maximus, obviously in a coliseum, with the intent of bringing back democracy to Rome and re-establishing the country as a republic. While the 73rd book of Cassius Dio’s eye-witness account of Roman History imparts that a wrestler who popularly went by the name Narcissus choked the life out of Commodus, and the incident happened in the emperor’s bath. The film’s characters also share an extent of inaccuracy with the actual historical personalities from which they are derived from. Evidently, from appearance to characteristics, the film’s Commodus did not reflect the Roman Emperor whom history recognized. Primarily, Commodus’, in the film, is bequeathed as a dark hared man in his mid 20s who fights with his right hand and has an underdeveloped physique (Ward 33). While the historical Emperor Commodus was and 18-year old blonde with a well developed physique and fought with his left hand (Kyle 224-227). Likewise, the actual description of Commodus’ personal traits was inconsistent with the film as the historical Commodus was notorious for his corruption, violence, and lust for blood. The film shows the aforementioned characteristics through Commodus’ fixations on sports such as beast-hunting, chariot-racing, and gladiator combat as well as his claims to have won over 1,000 battles (Ward 32). However, Scott’s incarnation contradicts the true nature of the roman emperor as he is characterized by his guiltless lack of emotion and compassion, ruthlessness, cowardice, and mental instability (Hekster 53-56). Contrary to the film’s illustration that Lucilla had an 8-year old son named Lucius Verus, Allan M. Ward’s Gladiator in Historical Perspective entails that, historically, the son who went by the name Lucius Verus died during infancy. Also, Lucilla gave birth to three children during her marriage with Lucius Verus Marcus and only one of the three children survived and grew up, an unidentified daughter who became part of the assassination scheme against Commodus. Lucilla, however, bore a son but she did so in her marriage, with Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus, and the boy’s name was Aurelius Commodus Pompeianus who was 6-years old during the time of the film’s events. Similarly, the reason behind the strained father-daughter relationship between Lucilla and Marcus was the latter’s arrangements of a second marriage for his widowed daughter. Apart from the disrespecting reality that the second marriage occurred only 9 or ten moths after Verus’ demisae as well as the tremendous gap between the couple’s ages (Lucilla was 19 while Claudius Pompeianus was approximately in his 50s), Lucilla also felt undignified by the fact that her new spouse came from a family of provincial equestrians in Antioch, Syria (Ward 33-34). However, the film did not took such event into account leaving the reason behind the cold relationships between the former emperor and former Augusta vague (Ward 33-34). The film’s central character Maximus Decimus Meridius, is a fictional character based on the archetypes of able-bodied men from the far reaches of the empire’s jurisdiction who served as the materialization of Marcus Aurelius’ persisting idea of using men beneficial to the imperial cause (Ward 38). To a similar extent, Maximus’s character is attributed to two recognizable Roman political and military personalities, Marcus Nonius Macrinus who was one of Marcus Aurelius’ closest friends and Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus who was partly responsible for the Roman triumph over Marcomannic War in the film’s beginning (Popham). George Depue Hadzsits (70) suggests that a film such as Gladiator is more likely to revive interest in the subject of history considering that scholarly efforts simply produce fragments of history which does not fulfil the human yearning for knowledge. Hadzsits furthers that despite such visual spectacles’ temporal didactic value and lack of attention on the angle of accuracy, at least the interest for the subject matter is roused (Hadzsits 71). The problem with Gladiator, conversely, is that its revival of interest in Roman History, or ancient world history for that matter, seems to delineate the supposed dissemination of ancient Roman culture and alters it with norms that the filmmaker deems right. In terms of production design, the armour and weaponry worn and yielded by the gladiators appear to have a medieval design rather than Roman. Allan Ward (39) writes that gladiators had already been placed under categories like eques or horseman, provocator which is believed to be the term for challenger, murmillo or what is considered as water combatants, hoplomachus or gladiators who wield heavy weaponry, retiarius the net fighters, and secutors or contraretriarius otherwise characterized as the light armed fighters. However, Ward (39) argues that the film does not seem to highlight the distinctions between gladiators as all of the competitors generally wore the same armour with little differences in weapons of choice. Ward furthers that each fighter category comes with a different set of weapons and armour as well as a different style in combat. The matches between two gladiators are dependent of their category and fighting abilities, a secutor, for instance was often matched with a retriarius, perhaps due to the resemblance in the nature of their weapons and battle skills. Moreover, gladiators within a similar category were not paired to pit against each other, with the exception of the horsemen and the challengers. As mentioned earlier, one of the premises tied with Gladiator is the tendency to rouse interest on the life and culture of ancient Rome, but in this context the film is also inaccurate. James R. Keller (88) implicates that Gladiator imposes the American devotion to the principles of democracy. Initially, the final confrontation between Maximus and Commodus should incite the cultural importance of gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome, however, the re-arranged plot of the film that caused the conflict between the former general and the treacherous emperor to fail in its attempt to do so. The conflict then suggests that Maximus represents every working class, freedom loving American while Commodus serves as the embodiment of the corrupt, insensitive, and inconsiderate aristocrat (Keller 88). In its inaccurate entirety, Gladiator has proven itself to be more of a costume drama adaptation rather than a re-telling of an antiquated historical tale. Despite the filmmakers’ efforts to conduct research and seek consultation for relevant information about the film’s source, the direction remained in the production people’s perspective and not with the scholarly one as the motion picture continued with the re-arranged biographical information of the characters and the reformatted events in the lives of the characters. In addition, the film simply delivered a visual spectacle rather than a knowledgeable historical fact. Martin M. Winkler (204-205) writes that film producers and other individuals concerned with marketing cultural products habitually call on scholars to guide them in marketing historical films. This is, in large part, brought about by producers’ beliefs that scholar credibility is enough to amplify the promised prestige and revenue of their product. Scholarly prestige according to Winkler is mainly vital as a marketing strategy, but a more appropriate term seems to be deceptive advertising as investing parties and supposed artists convince the public of the accuracy of their distorted historical documentation with the aid of renowned experts

101 Los Boxers and Masculinity Professor Ramos Blog

101 Los Boxers and Masculinity Masculinity vs Toxic Masculinity Quick Write You are at your funeral, or the funeral of a man you respect. They say, He was a good man. What does that mean? Write for a couple of minutes on what it means to be a good man. What words come to mind? Masculinity vs Toxic Masculinity What is the difference? Los Boxers (130) Lets break down the story. Characters, themes, plot points.

Valentines Day Quotes for the Single Person

Valentine's Day Quotes for the Single Person If you are single, then Valentines Day may not be the  best time of the year for you. In fact, some are calling it, Singles Awareness Day. Seeing other people celebrating their love can make you a little envious. Even if you have a great life and arent actively seeking a partner, its easy to start hating on the holiday and perhaps feeling sorry for yourself. However, dont be let down. Lift your sagging spirits by reading these Valentines quotes and by dreaming of your own happily-ever-after. It doesnt have to include a knight in shining armor or a princess to be rescued. Mike Primavera You are never alone on Valentines Day if youre near a lake and have bread. KushandWizdom.tumblr I am constantly torn between I dont need anyone and Hey you, please fall in love with me. Emily Heller Ive been single for a while and I have to say, its going very well. Like... Its working out. I think Im the one. Robert Burton No cord or cable can so forcibly draw, or hold so fast, as love can do with a twined thread. Alexandra Penney The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands. Mignon McLaughlin No one can understand love who has not experienced infatuation. And no one can understand infatuation, no matter how many times he has experienced it. Anonymous A kiss is something you cannot give without taking and cannot take without giving. Theodor Reik The lover is a monotheist who knows that other people worship different gods but cannot himself imagine that there could be other gods. Henny Youngman A kiss is the shortest distance between two. Mae West I have found men who didnt know how to kiss. Ive always found time to teach them. Marguerite de Valois It is the same in love as in war; a fortress that parleys is half taken. Todd Ruthman It is the things in common that make relationships enjoyable, but it is the little differences that make them interesting. William Shakespeare Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. Aerosmith Falling in love is so hard on the knees. Anonymous True love is when you put someone on a pedestal, and they fall - but you are there to catch them. Mignon McLaughlin In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing. Jacques Benigne Bossuel The heart has reasons that reason does not understand. Philip Robinson And when the future hinges on the next words that are said, dont let logic interfere, believe your heart instead. Luciano de Crescenzo We are, each of us angels with only one wing; and we can only fly by embracing one another. Julius Gordon Love is not blind - it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less. Aristotle Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.

the things i carry Essay

the things i carry Essay the things i carry Essay Throughout the course of my life I have held on to personal memories as well as objects that hold emotional value. The Things I Carry are more than one can guess by just looking at me. At times in life, in all our lives, it seems that we carry things we would never imagine would weigh so much on us. I carry more than just my school supplies when I walk into the school every morning. I carry many thoughts about my past, present, and my future. I carry my conscience every second of the day. I carry 17 years of memories and experiences. I carry my backpack into school every day that I’ve had since fourth grade. Within the backpack I carry a dozen pen and pencils, scissors, glue, calculator, a five subject notebook, and a folder. I carry my English, trigonometry, and problems of democracy books. I carry my cell phone and wallet in my pockets. I carry my brownbag lunch that I make every night because I refuse to eat gross school lunch. I carry my basketball shoes to practice that I ’ve had for four years and have no grip left I carry more than just my school supplies when I walk into school. I carry all my drive to do well in school. I carry the dream of going off to college or elsewhere, and being successful in whatever I choose to do. I carry the determination to get good grades because I know I have it in me. With the good grades I also carry the laziness by ignoring my schoolwork. I carry a mindset that says B’s and C’s are acceptable, I can just skip a few assignments

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Paraphrase - Essay Example Some of them included: the American Standards Association, Crystal Eastman’ Work Accidents, and United Mine Workers. The era was marked by the perception that workers’ safety was necessary and that accidents at the workplace were mental. Safety concerns in the agricultural sector, the steel industry, and several other manufacturing industries had outstanding records. Of these industries, the Steel one led the way with the ideas by Fredrick Taylor making major contributions in creating a safe environment for the management. Taylor developed a favorable interaction between management policies, various processes, and worker schedule (McGerr, 2010). In addition, the researches in this period discovered that most accidents were psychologically made and that the only remedy was to create awareness and train individuals about the issue. However, the 1930s made it difficult for workers to sue those who violated the safety regulations due to the introduction of thoughts from the West. The Judiciary became stricter in ruling out cases, since they would consider the level of fault from both sides of the coin; the workers and the company in question. Following such challenges, there was little evidence that the psychological wa y of looking at safety was convenient. It was also a hard task for researchers to convince people that science and investigation would precisely solve the issue, thus the occupational approach became less popular. The Energy exchange theory consists of ideas related to modern science. It developed a connection between human injury and the various forms of energy. According to this theory, the first set of injuries meddles with the whole body. The energy exchanges establish the environment in which people’s fears, personalities, and goals play out. For example, when one kidney fails, the activities of the entire body are interfered with, since energy is not equally distributed or some chemical functions are not in order. In the

Computer Sciences and Information Technology Essay - 4

Computer Sciences and Information Technology - Essay Example They also expound how the finale of the Cold War blinded the country to the need to tackle these issues critically, and how China’s instructive successes, industrial supremacy, and technological aptitude make America reminisce the ways in which that used to be America at one point. They also explicate how the paralysis of America’s political structure and the attrition of fundamental American principles made it impractical for the nation to execute the policies. These are policies that the nation urgently requires. This is a volume that delves into the significant quandaries impacting America (Friedman and Mandelbaum, p.3). The significant quandaries outlined in the volume adversely confront the American nation, and hence; illuminate on the need to educate the labour force. This is crucial in this epoch of rapid globalization and drastic advancements in information technology. Additionally, there is also necessity to conquer the war on mathematics which has continuously led the nation’s uncontrolled cut on revenues and ignore the influence of deficits and the escalating debt burden. The warfare on physics has also resulted in the widespread rebuff of the realities of the energy plan and climate change strategies. There is also the political stalemate that is as a consequence of money in political affairs. In addition, there is the nation’s failure to invest in fundamental scientific research. Furthermore, this is a consequence of failure to address crucial infrastructure and to execute and sustain sound legislation of the markets. This consequently adds onto the quandary of globalization (Friedman and Mandelbaum, p. 183). The importance of globalization is the unrestricted movement of individuals, items and services. This idea disseminated from the U.S. to other nations. The nation enjoyed tremendous economic advancement. However, the country did not cater for the impacts of this globalization. With regard to globalization and techno logical advancement, jobs and individuals’ careers have been polarized. This polarization has resulted into eradication of habitual, middle skill jobs retaining high skill careers only which demand extensive education and numerous low salary jobs. These jobs, however, cannot be computerized. Nonetheless, the authors do not envisage the probable dramatic advancement of technology in the approaching decades (Friedman and Mandelbaum, p. 10). The two authors, however, profoundly believe that the revitalization of American prominence is achievable and possible. They explain how, America’s account, when correctly comprehended, provides a five-part procedure for prosperity that will enhance America to cope effectively with the present issues. They provide vibrant profiles of persons who have not lost hope on the American habits of gallant thought and remarkable action. They recommend a lucid way out of the predicament into which the American nation has fallen. This process al so comprises the rediscovery of some of the nation’s crucial principles and customs. Additionally, they foster the initiation of a novel, third party revolution to spur the nation. This volume is both an incisive exploration of the American situation today and a stimulating program for American revitalization. The volume commences by contrasting a six-month project to repair two escalators at New Jersey train depot with an eight months operation in China.

The Korean War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Korean War - Essay Example That policy was reiterated in 1945 at the Yalta Summit. It was further agreed that until Korea became independent, it would be under the joint trusteeship of the United States, China, and the Soviet Union. 1 The world's first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan on 6 August 1945; Russia entered the war on 8 August; and the Japanese surrendered on 14 August. With the sudden and unexpected Japanese surrender, there was great haste to cobble together plans to accept the surrender of Japanese field forces and to disarm them. The opportunistic Soviet declaration of war on Japan, coming two days after the first atomic bomb was dropped, made it necessary to agree on a line of demarcation between the zones within which the United States and the Soviets would accept the Japanese surrender. The U.S. State Department wanted the American zone to be as far north on the mainland of China as possible, including key points in Manchuria. The Army did not want to go into an area where few other forces were close at hand. In the planning for the surrender, two young American colonels, Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel, from the War Department's Operations and Plans Division (OPD), were assigned the task of findi ng a line. Neither was particularly knowledgeable about Korea or the Far East, although Rusk had served briefly with Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell in China during the war. They retired to an office and pondered over a National Geographic map. The Army wanted to have two ports, Inchon in the north and Pusan in the south. North of Inchon, there did not seem to be any natural geographic division. They settled on the thirty-eighth parallel. The Soviets agreed. Later Rusk learned that in the early 1900s, the Russians and japanese had, initially, proposed the thirty-eighth parallel as the dividing line between their respective spheres of influence. There has since been suspicion that the Soviets took agreement on the thirty-eighth parallel to be an acknowledgment of their historic sphere of influence.2 The U.S. XXIV Corps came ashore at Inchon to carry out the U.S. occupation mission. The Soviet Army moved down from the north, closed on the thirty-eighth parallel, and sealed the border. All subsequent attempts to proceed with a coordinated policy toward Korea failed. The occupation was not a happy task. Lieutenant General John R. Hodges, the XXIV Corps commander, called it the worst job he ever had. The troops disliked it intensely. In Japan, one commander addressed his incoming troops, warning them to behave and saying that they had only three things to fear -- diarrhea, gonorrhea, and Korea. In the south, the Koreans were not willing to wait for "due course" to achieve freedom and independence. They wanted it right away. And there were competing groups of all political stripes ready to take on the job. 3 The wisdom of maintaining American troops in Korea was questioned almost from the very start. To the Joint Chiefs, the troops were needed elsewhere. In the years that followed, with the Cold War becoming more frosty, force levels dropping, and other needs increasing, the question became more urgent. It was not a decision easily made. An ongoing discussion of the subject continued from 1947 to 1949. It revolved around the strategic value of Korea, its political importance, and its importance in contributing to U.S. prestige. In April 1947, the joint Strategic Survey Committee noted, "This is one country within which we alone have for almost two years carried on ideological warfare in direct contact with our ideological opponents so that to lose this battle would be gravely detrimental to the United States prestige and therefore security." 4The State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee (prior to the formation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) concluded: ". . . the U.S. cannot

Ethical issues of teenage abortion (social abortion) Essay

Ethical issues of teenage abortion (social abortion) - Essay Example Considering the dual goals of protecting society and the best interests of the teenager, facilitating access to safe abortion and providing support to the teenager who chooses this option appears to be the best approach. When teenage abortion is debated on the basis of biomedical ethics, it is found that the ethical applications in this context are completely different from those applied in the case of adults. Autonomy denotes the right of â€Å"a reasonable and competent person, who has been given appropriate and complete information --- to make his or her own decisions† (Klugman and Dudding, 2004). In the case of teenagers, a troubling question regarding autonomy is whether the pregnant girl is capable of understanding all the relevant medical information and weighing the risks involved in opting for an abortion. It is generally accepted that the teenager may be short-sighted and give undue importance to physical appearance, has not yet developed a permanent set of values, is more rooted in the present with no clear-cut perception of the future and lacks the cumulative experience which facilitates making correct choices (Dubler, Special Decision Making Concerns of Minors). Autonomy is linke d with respect for the confidentiality of the teenager. The U.K. Department of Health issued a revised guidance to doctors and health care professionals in July 2004, emphasizing the teenagers’ right to confidential sexual guidance and abortion. In the case of abortion, if the teenager â€Å"cannot be persuaded to involve a parent, every effort should be made to help them find another adult to provide support,† but her refusal to involve anyone else must be respected. While its’ detractors claim that teenagers are emotionally and physically ill-equipped to deal with the situation, supporters welcome the recognition of the health professionals’

Human Resource Management Company Changes Essay

Human Resource Management Company Changes - Essay Example The unstructured interview is the most used interview for selecting employees although this is most likely to change, as there is increasing evidence that the other two kinds of interview are a lot better at identifying applicants who are likely to do well on the job. The 'reliability and validity', which Wysocki (2000) refers to, are two standards that are used in the selection process. When an organization is trying to separate the best candidate out of a group of candidates, some sort of rating scale is needed, the people selecting the new employee need to be able rate each candidate numerically, the best way would be to give them a score for each selection method used. When all the candidates have been scored, their scores can be compared and decisions made about who is the best person for the job. "Five generic standards that should be met by any selection method are, (1) reliability, (2) validity, (3) generalisability, (4) utility and (5) legality." (De Cieri H, Kramar R, et al, 2003, p 196) The scores that are given to each candidate need to be reliable, that is free from random error. Reliability is defined by De Cieri and Kramar (2003) as 'the degree to which a measure is free from random error' . ... De Cieri and Kramar (2003), define validity 'as the extent to which performance on the measure is related to performance on the job.' This basically means that the scores of candidates need to be linked to how well they will perform on the job. The closer the link, the more valid the score. Generalisability is defined as "the degree to which the validity of a selection method established in one context extends to other contexts. Utility is the degree to which the information provided by selection methods enhances the bottom-line effectiveness of the organization." (De Cieri H, Kramar R, et al, 2003, p 205). "The final standard that any selection method should adhere to is legality. All selection methods should conform to existing laws and existing legal precedents."(De Cieri H, Kramar R, et al, 2003, p 207). Structured interviews usually have the highest reliability and validity scores when compared with unstructured or semi-structured interviews, making the structured interview the better choice of interview for the organization to use as a selection method. Schmidt and Hunter (1998) created a table rating the validity of different selection methods; the structured interview had a validity of 0.51 whilst the unstructured interview had a validity of 0.38. These numbers are correlation coefficients; a correlation coefficient is "a statistic that measures the degree to which two sets of numbers are related to each other."(De Cieri, H. & Kramar, R., 2003, p 197). This means that the structured interview is better than an unstructured interview at predicting how well a candidate will perform on the job. Other selection methods, which have also improved over the years, are used along with the selection interview, they include; "References, physical ability

Ethical issues of teenage abortion (social abortion) Essay

Ethical issues of teenage abortion (social abortion) - Essay Example Considering the dual goals of protecting society and the best interests of the teenager, facilitating access to safe abortion and providing support to the teenager who chooses this option appears to be the best approach. When teenage abortion is debated on the basis of biomedical ethics, it is found that the ethical applications in this context are completely different from those applied in the case of adults. Autonomy denotes the right of â€Å"a reasonable and competent person, who has been given appropriate and complete information --- to make his or her own decisions† (Klugman and Dudding, 2004). In the case of teenagers, a troubling question regarding autonomy is whether the pregnant girl is capable of understanding all the relevant medical information and weighing the risks involved in opting for an abortion. It is generally accepted that the teenager may be short-sighted and give undue importance to physical appearance, has not yet developed a permanent set of values, is more rooted in the present with no clear-cut perception of the future and lacks the cumulative experience which facilitates making correct choices (Dubler, Special Decision Making Concerns of Minors). Autonomy is linke d with respect for the confidentiality of the teenager. The U.K. Department of Health issued a revised guidance to doctors and health care professionals in July 2004, emphasizing the teenagers’ right to confidential sexual guidance and abortion. In the case of abortion, if the teenager â€Å"cannot be persuaded to involve a parent, every effort should be made to help them find another adult to provide support,† but her refusal to involve anyone else must be respected. While its’ detractors claim that teenagers are emotionally and physically ill-equipped to deal with the situation, supporters welcome the recognition of the health professionals’

Mandatory Arbitration Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mandatory Arbitration - Coursework Example Given that I have a start up business on car detail, I cannot create a contract that with mandatory arbitration. This is because, mandatory arbitration requires one or more parties while in this situation there is only one party which is me. Secondly, having been a smart entrepreneur, I have been trading on used equipment in order to keep my expenses as low as possible. Since, I was ecstatic when I did find a carpet cleaning machine for vehicles on craigslist. When I drove for three hours to the outskirts of Kansas City, so that, I could pick up the machine that was for two thousand dollars The seller Sam Sneeky had made an advertisement to the effect that the machine had only been used for two times and was still in perfect condition. But, on returning to my shop, I was grossly disappointed on finding out that the machine wouldn’t even turn on. Since am so disappointed that I want Sam to refund my two thousand dollars. The best state that I would report my case to is Kansas in a court that enjoys the jurisdiction on this matter. This is due to the fact that, the case did arise in Kansas City. A number of legal issues are presented in the above highlight. For example, when I had made a decision to enhance my car detail business, I have settled on negotiating a contract with the some of the car rental companies. Given that, I can provide a detailed cleaning whenever any of the company is ready and willing to sell the vehicle. Having approached the ‘We Rent Cars’ company with this noble proposal, they did let me know that, whenever they hire any individual or company to work for them. They often demand that, a detailed contract be reached that outlines all the terms. For in stance, I should fill in detailed information about my service or company. The legal issue presented here is that, the agreement fails to bind since; it’s not formulated with the consent of

The Iron Lady Essay Example for Free

The Iron Lady Essay The Iron Lady BY sptke25 The Iron Lady If you lead a country like Britain, a strong country, a country which has taken a lead in world affairs in good times and in bad, a country that is always reliable, then you have to have a touch of iron about you. Margaret Thatcher, the first woman to lead a major Western democracy, spoke these words. She served as Great Britains Prime Minister for more than eleven years (1979-1990), and led with an iron fist bringing down inflation in England, reviving the British economy, reclaiming the Falkland Islands, and never wavering against the Soviets in the Cold War. Born as Margaret Hilda Roberts on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, she was the youngest daughter of Alfred and Beatrice Roberts. Her father was a local businessman who operated a grocery store where the Roberts family lived in an apartment above. Thatcher was introduced to politics by her father. He was active in the town council and later became mayor. She was accepted at Oxford University where she studied chemistry, although it took second place to her love of politics. Thus, she became politically active on campus. She was elected president of the student Conservative Association at Oxford which ave way to many political connections for her future. She ran as the Conservative candidate for the Labour seat of Dartford at the General Elections of 1950 and 1951. Although she lost both times, she did win fame for being the youngest woman candidate in the country, since during the elections; she was only in her mid- Losing never deterred Thatcher. She continued her involvement with twenties. the Conservative Party in Kent where she met her future husband, Denis Thatcher. They were married in 1951. He, being a wealthy businessman, funded her studies for the bar, and she became a barrister in 1953. It was that same year she and her husband excitedly welcomed their twins, Mark and Carol into their family. Even though a new mother, Margaret Thatcher did not slow down her political rampage. She kept focus and finally in 1959 she smoothly took the election and claimed her seat in the House of Commons. She was everything from Secretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance to Secretary of State for Education and Science. She gained many supporters, as well as fueling many protesters; especially when she felt forced to make cuts in the Educational budget and tossed out free milk in the schools. This action gained her the nickname, Maggie Thatcher, milk snatcher. Her popularity and fortitude as a leader rebounded quite nicely, and she became the Conservative Leader. On January 19th, 1976 Thatcher made a speech in Kensington Town Hall. During this speech, she boldly attacked the Soviet Union. Her most famous lines were: The Russians are bent on world dominance, and they are rapidly acquiring the means to become the most powerful imperial nation the world has seen. The men in the Soviet Politburo do not have to worry about the ebb and flow of public opinion. They put guns before butter, while we put Just about verything before guns. Ministry newspaper, Red Star. Although others may have been offended by this, Thatcher took great pride in gaining that reputation from a government she held little to no admiration for. During the winter of 78/79 an epidemic of strikes broke out across Britain. The trade union was demanding pay increases. The government in place at the time, the Labours, seemed to be losing the confidence of the public, so at the General Election of May 1979, the Conservative party won. Margaret Thatcher was now the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first term of Thatchers Ministry was filled with economic pitfalls. She and her government put many long term goals into effect, which slowly proved to be successful. The economy was finally on the rise. Much political support was bestowed upon her because of this success, and re-election looked viable, yet that fate would be sealed by another event: The Falkland Islands. Argentina and Great Britain had been for years at odds with each other over the islands. The English had seized the Islands and remained in control of them since 1833. Yet on April 2, 1982 the Argentine troops invaded the island. They quickly were able to overcome the British marines stationed there. Margaret Thatcher working with the U. S. dministration hoped that a more diplomatic means would be possible while attempting to regain the islands, yet when this approach failed, she quickly and assuredly ordered military action. In doing so, Britain regained the Falkland Islands by June of 1982. The electorate was quite impressed and she swiftly won the 1983 election. Mrs. Thatcher was a staunch anti-communist and a supporter of NATOs decision to deploy U. S. Pershing and cruise mis siles in Western Europe during the Cold War. She also took a stand against anti-nuclear demonstrators at Greenam Common. The demonstrators were set on topping the delivery of the 160 missiles to be placed there. She also set the foundation for and delivered a modernized British Fleet consisting of Trident II nuclear submarines. She made her position quite clear as she stood with Ronald Reagan declaring that the Soviet Union was an evil enemy who deserved no No compromise, however, did not mean no discussion; Thatcher compromise. was not afraid to discuss the massive nuclear problem or the woes of communism with the newly elected Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. She found him to be extremely open-minded. He was willing to debate, argue his point, yet listen to the ther side. In an interview with CBS newsman Tom Fenton, she stated that he was the first person to have said: Look, all our hopes of communism are not being realized. It is not producing the standard of living, it is not producing the standard of technology, it is not producing the standard of social services. This total central control will not do, it will not do it, we have got to have more individual personal involvement. She felt that Gorbachev knew an increase of freedom was inevitable for improving his country. Thatcher found that she liked the man and was quoted as saying that she felt they could do business together.

The Wives Of The Dead English Literature Essay

The Wives Of The Dead English Literature Essay The Wives of The Dead is one of Hawthornes less remembered stories from a sequence of early tales he wrote in 1832. The story takes place in early eighteenth century Massachusetts Bay. Mary and Margaret are the two main characters, they are sister in laws who are drawn closer together because both their husband die within two successive days. However the story is not as simple as the plot. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his lengthy visual descriptions to create a symbolic and almost supernatural background. If the story is read rapidly the reader may make the mistake of thinking its simply exploring the nature of a womans grief. However buried beneath the deceit of the narrator, lay the details that reveal the true meaning of the story. Like all of Hawthornes writings the story does not lack complexity. As the story advances readers are forced to ask the question of whether the story deals with dreams or reality. A question that is often asked but never holds the value that Hawthorne place s in it in this story. The issue can be major or insignificant thats why Hawthorne says The following story, the simple and domestic incidents of which may be deemed scarcely worth relating (Hawthorne968). The Wives of The Dead illustrates the importance of distinguishing between reality in life and the nature of reality in dreams. Hawthorne writes The Wives of the Dead in the third person omniscient viewpoint. This allows him to tell the story from a godlike perspective. Elements that the main characters might not or can not be noticed are pointed or to the reader. Because of the circumstances in the story, Hawthorne uses this style so the reader has an idea of what is going on while the main character has stepped out of the room or turned away. In this stories case this style is used to give the reader information or an overview about what is going on while the character are sleeping. In third person omniscience, the reader can get the story from Margaret and Marys point of view. This style makes the story more interesting because both characters are blind to something the other one knows. In The Wives of the Dead the visitors that both Margaret and Mary get are unknown by one or the other character. They are unwilling to tell the other about the news they receive about their husbands. The blindness of both p arties causes tension between both characters that only the reader is aware of. The narrator will also do several things other than telling the story. Things such as sometimes commenting and judging characters or events like saying one of the sisters is mild, quiet, yet not feeble character(Hawthorne960). This form of writing also gives the narrator the ability to give misleading or even dishonest details. The narrator does this to make distinguishing between reality and unreality more difficult. Hawthorne provides clues to help distinguish the reality that may be hidden beneath dreams or the dreams that may be hidden under the reality. The first of the two sisters that may or may not have been dreaming is Margaret. She was the first of the two sisters to receive a message that their husband is not dead is Margaret. Margaret is the sister who is of the lively irritable temperament, she does not dream her visit because it happens before she falls asleep (Hawthorne969). Mary falls asleep first while Margaret became more disturbed by feverish, in proportion as the night advanced with its deepest and stillest hours (Hawthorne970). She does not fall asleep before her visits because her grief greatly disturbed her still. The visitor is a friendly innkeeper of the town who is known by Margaret (Hawthorne970). Further validation comes from Goodman Parkers account of having received the news of Margarets husband. Margaret receives word from an express the tiding of the frontiers (Hawthorne970).Goodman Parker states He tells me we had the better in the skirmish you wot of, and that thirteen men report slain are well and sound , and your husband among them(pg. 970)Nothing seems too miraculous or disputable that would indicate a supernatural aspect of a dream. After Margarets visit she goes to Marys room to tell her what has happened. She decides not to tell he because she does not want to further ber sadness. Margaret says Shall I waken her to feel her sorrow sharpened by my happiness (Hawthorne970). After deciding not tell Mary, Margaret notices a look of motionless contentment was how visionless as if her heart, like a deep lake(Hawthorne 971). The reason Mary could or could not have been dreaming are the brief details describing her face before she fell asleep and the description of Stephen. The narrator describes the look on Marys face as motionless contentment which suggests that she has made peace with the death of her husband(Hawthorne969). If she had made peace with the loss of her husband she would not be as likely to fall asleep with the wishful thinking that her husband may still be alive. Her actions before she goes to bed suggest she is trying to move on. Mary began to recollect the precepts of resignation and endurance, which piety had taught her(Hawthorne971) .Therefore, Marys dreaming that her husband is alive is possible but unlikely. If she had looked happy while she is asleep it will be okay to assume that she was dreaming that her husband was alive. However, there are many clues that suggest her visit is a dream, but not necessarily her dream. When Mary awakes for a little time, slumber hung about her lik e a morning mist(Hawthorne971). She is clearly in a state where she can easily fall back to sleep without realizing. When her visitor begins to knock on the door, she listened with imperfect consciousness and she does not answer until she is clearly wide awake (Hawthorne 971). So at the same moment of the knocking, she goes from a drowsy state to being wide awake. The pang of recollection darted into her mind when she answers the door (Hawthorne971). Mary recognizes her visitor and describes him as a unsuccessful wooer of her own named Stephen (Hawthorne972). a rejected lover of Mary who comes by seeking to comfort her with information about the guy who won her over. This is the first clue that seems very unlikely. The storm is over and the moon is out yet when she speaks to Stepehen, she notices that he is soaked. This can just be the narrator giving misleading information, but it serves to cast doubts about if this is really happening or if it is all in her head. The status of Mar ys husband is ultimately harder to prove than that of Margarets, and the evidence that cast doubts on Stephen are normal inconsistencies for a dream. The tale has many structural parallels within it. Each wife is awakened by a visitor who has news about the survival of their husbands. After receiving the good news thy each stop themselves from waking and telling the other what had happened. They are both sleeping restlessly at one point of the story but the story does not say for sure if they are dreaming. The main deception of the story is that what happens is exactly what both characters could dream. The story presents blanketed realities; however, they are not necessarily less real only because some events are not likely. The dramatic background of the story with the rainy twilight of autumn day suggests and is ideal for a dreamlike world (Hawthorne968). It is not clear if one, both, or neither of the characters are dreaming. Discussing the interpretation of the events or dreams is overlooking the purpose of the story. The point is simply a caution against ignorance of the distinction between dreams and reality.

Mackenzie King - Canadian Prime Minister :: essays research papers

The greatest Prime Minister of Canada was? Mackenzie King our 10thPrime Minister of Canada and by far one of our greatest. William Lyon Mackenzie King accomplished a lot in his twenty-0ne years of ministering our Country Canada! "It is what we prevent, rather than what we do that counts most in Government." (Mackenzie King august 26, 1936) This statement sums up the best secrets of Mackenzie King's success as prime minister, and perhaps, the key to governing Canada effectively. King's record of prime minister is sometimes difficult to judge. He had no uninteresting images, he gave no repetitive speeches, and he champions no drastic stage. He is remembered for his easygoing, passive compromise and conciliation (Gregory, page 267). Yet Mackenzie King led Canada for a total of twenty-two years, through half the Depression and all of the Second World War. Like every other prime minister, he had to possess ambition, endurance and determination to become prime minister and, in spite if appearances, his accomplishments in that role required political acuity, decisiveness and faultless judgment. William Lyon Mackenzie King was born in Berlin (later renamed Kitchener), Ontario in 1874. His father was a lawyer and his maternal grandfather was William Lyon Mackenzie, leader of the 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada. From an early age, King identified with his grandfather, an association that influenced him throughout his political life. King studied economics and law at the University of Toronto also, the University of Chicago. After graduating with an M.A. in 1897, he pursued his studies at Harvard. In 1900, he entered the civil service and became Deputy Minister of the new Department of Labor. King joined the Liberal party and won a seat in the 1908 election. The following year he was chosen Minister of Labor in Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier's Cabinet. After he lost his seat in the 1911 election, King worked as a labor advisor for the Rockefeller Foundation in the United States. He ran and lost again in the 1917 election. "Parliament will decide, he liked to say when pressed to act". Unlike most English-speaking Liberals, he stood by Laurier in opposition to conscription (Johnson, page 134). In 1919, King was elected leader of the Liberal party in the first leadership convention held in Canada. The party was still unpleasantly divided, with some Liberals in the Union government and some in Opposition. King stood on conscription two years before it won him the loyalty of Quebec.

General Henry Arnold and The United States Airforce Essay -- Military,

It can be argued that General Henry â€Å"Hap† Arnold is the father of the United States Air Force. His experiences, wisdom, and foresight are what made him, in every way, a visionary leader. Due to his efforts developing air mindedness during the first part of the 20th century, he shaped what is today the greatest Air Force on the planet. I will begin by explaining his effective use of transformational leadership and the impact it has on the development of airpower. Then I will explain how his acceptance of diversity impacted the war effort during WWII and the future of the United States Air Force. First, we must know what shaped him into the leader he eventually became. Hap Arnold started out his military career somewhat average. He attended the United States Military Academy graduating in 1907. While at the academy he was not a stand out student. Hap was so average he received an assignment to the infantry, instead of the cavalry, which was highly coveted at that time, similarly to getting accepted to pilot training out of the U.S. Air Force Academy today. In 1911 he became one of the first Army aviators and even won the Mackay trophy for taking a biplane to an altitude of 6,540 feet, a record at the time (Glines, 2006). The early days of military aviation was not without danger. Hap almost died when his plane when into an uncontrolled spin. After that experience he gave up flying, stating, â€Å"I cannot even look at a machine in the air without feeling that some accident is going to happen to it (Glines, 2006).† Billy Mitchell brought him back to the flying world in 1916. While stationed in San Diego he was able to get over his f ears and return to flying. He filled several positions during his career; supply officer, Sq... ...emier airpower in the world shows this. He moved the Air Corps from a small fighting force to, at the time of his retirement, the cusp of its own service. His actions were truly transformational. He also embraced diversity. By championing women pilots he showed the aspects of an inclusive environment. If it wasn’t for this average cadet we would not be discussing to aspects of what makes a visionary today. Bibliography Daso, M. D. (1994, January 25). DTIC. Retrieved from DTIC: http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a282164.pdf Glines, C. (2006, June 12). General Henry H. 'Hap' Arnold: Architect of America's Air Force. Retrieved from Historynet.com: http://www.historynet.com/general-henry-h-hap-arnold-architect-of-americas-air-force.htm Parrish, D. B. (2008). Hap Arnold Biography. Retrieved from National WASP Museum: http://waspmuseum.org/hap-arnold-biography/

Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five

â€Å"Thanks, Sheeb. Back at you.† Jezebel winked once, and then smiled wider until the black of her teeth seemed to envelop her entire face. She evaporated into the night. Sheba lingered in the dirty alley until the alluring scent of brimstone had faded away entirely, and then break time was over. Invigorated by the idea of joining the front lines, Sheba hurried back to her misery. The prom was in full swing, and everything was falling into place. Celeste was scoring high in her malicious game; she awarded herself a point for every girl who cried in a dark corner of the ballroom. Two points for every boy who threw a punch at a rival. All over the room, the seeds Sheba had planted were flowering. Hate was blooming alongside lust and rage and despair. A garden straight from hell. Sheba enjoyed it all from behind a potted palm. No, she couldn't force the humans to do anything. They had their innate free will, and so she could only tempt, could only suggest. Little things-high heels and seams and minor muscle groups-she could manipulate physically, but she could never force their minds. They had to choose to listen. And tonight, they were listening. Sheba was on a roll, and she didn't want any loose ends, so before she turned back to her most ambitious scheme-Cooper was pliant with intoxication now, ready for her direction-she sent her thoughts searching through the crowd for those small, annoying bubbles of happiness. No one was walking away from this prom unscathed. Not while Sheba had a spark in her body. Over there-what was this? Bryan Walker and Clara Hurst were staring dreamily into each other's eyes, totally oblivious to the wrath and despair and bad music surrounding them, just enjoying each other's company. Sheba considered her options and decided to have Celeste interfere. Celeste should enjoy that-nothing was more evilly fun than flaunting your power right in the face of a pure romance. Besides, Celeste listened to every suggestion Sheba fed her, entirely agreeable to any demonic scheme. Sheba continued with her evaluation before acting. Not too far away, Sheba found that she'd dropped the ball in an inexcusable fashion. Was that her own date, Logan, actually enjoying himself? Impossible. So, he'd found his Libby after all and they were both unacceptably happy. Well, that would be easy enough to rectify. She'd go reclaim her partner and send Libby running away in tears. Amateur and crude to intervene bodily†¦ Still, better that than let happiness win even one small battle. Sheba's assessment was almost done. There was just one more tiny pocket of peace-not a couple this time; it was a lone boy wandering into the far end of the room from the hall. That annoying Gabe Christensen. Sheba scowled in his direction. What did he have to be happy about? He was rejected and alone. His date was the scourge of the prom. A normal boy would be full of rage or pain right now. But he insisted on making more work for her! Sheba inspected Gabe's mind more closely. Hmm. Gabe wasn't really happy. In fact, he was worrying intensely at the moment, searching for someone. Celeste was quite clearly in his view, writhing to a slow song with Rob Carlton (Pamela Green watched the display with shocked eyes, despair leaking deliciously into the air around her), but she wasn't the source of Gabe's worry. There was someone else he wanted to find. So he wasn't happy-that wasn't the sensation that had trespassed on Sheba's atmosphere of misery. It was goodness itself that was exuding from this boy. Even worse. Sheba ducked behind the palm and pushed out with her thoughts. Smoke oozed from her nose. â€Å"Gabe.† Gabe shook his head absently and continued with his search. He'd waited half an hour as throngs of girls left the bathroom, drove after drove. Here and there Gabe had felt a weak pull, but nothing at all like that one girl's raging, suffocating need. When three separate groups had all come and gone, Gabe had stopped Jill Stein to ask after the girl. â€Å"Black hair and a red dress? No, I didn't see anyone like that in there. I think the bathroom is empty.† The girl must have slipped past him somehow. Gabe had just returned to the dance floor, brooding over the mystery girl. At least Bryan and Clara and Logan and Libby were having fun. That was good. The rest of the class seemed to be having an exceptionally nasty evening. And then, there it was again. Gabe's head jerked up, feeling the desperation he'd been searching for. Where was she? Sheba hissed in frustration. The boy's mind was entirely sober and singularly closed to her insidious voice. Well, that wasn't going to stop her. She had other tools. â€Å"Celeste.† It was time the evil girl tormented her own date. Sheba leaned lightly on Celeste, suggesting that avenue. After all, Gabe was attractive by human standards. Certainly good enough for Celeste, whose standards were hardly rigorous. Gabe was tall and subtly muscular, with dark hair and symmetrical features. He had pale blue eyes that Sheba personally found a bit repulsive-they were so decidedly un-damned, almost heavenly, ugh! – but that appealed to mortal girls. It was looking into those clear eyes that had made Celeste say yes to this squeaky clean do-gooder's invitation. Do-gooder, indeed. Sheba's eyes narrowed. Gabe had already been on her list before he insisted on disregarding her here at the prom. This was the very boy who had ruined her plans for the lecherous math teacher-just a little bit of pre-prom fun Sheba had arranged in between making sure that everyone asked exactly the wrong person to the big dance. If Gabe hadn't confronted Mr. Reese at a critical moment of temptation†¦ Sheba gritted her teeth and sparks flickered out of her ears. She would have ruined the man and the impossibly innocent girl, too. Not that Mr. Reese had had far to fall, but it would have been a fantastic scandal. And now the math teacher was being especially careful, made wary by those same sky-blue eyes. Feeling guilty, even. Considering counseling for his problem. Ugh! Gabe Christensen owed Sheba some misery. She would get her due. Sheba glared at Celeste, wondering why the girl had made no move toward her date. Celeste was still wrapped around Rob, enjoying Pamela's pain. Enough fun! There was havoc to be wreaked. Sheba whispered suggestions in Celeste's mind, nudging her in Gabe's direction. Celeste shrugged away from Rob and glanced toward Gabe, who was still combing through the crowd with his gaze. Her brown eyes settled on his blue for just a second, and then she moved, cringed actually, back into Rob's arms. Odd. Gabe's light eyes seemed to be almost as repellent to the vicious blonde as they were to Sheba. Sheba leaned again, but Celeste-for once-shook her off, trying to distract herself from thoughts of Gabe with Rob's eager lips. Baffled, Sheba cast around for another avenue to destroy the irritating boy, but she was interrupted by something much more important than one good human. Cooper Silverdale was simply quivering with rage on one side of the dance floor, glowering at Melissa and Tyson. Melissa had her head on Tyson's shoulder and was oblivious to the smug grin Tyson aimed in Cooper's direction. It was time to act. Cooper was considering another glass of punch to drown his pain, and he was much too close to passing out for Sheba to allow that. She focused on him, smoke at her ears, and Cooper realized dully that the green punch was revolting. He couldn't stand any more. He threw his half-empty cup to the floor and turned back to glare at Tyson. She thinks I'm pathetic, said the voice in Cooper's head. No, she doesn't even think of me at all. But I can make it so shell never be able to forget me†¦ His head thick with alcohol, Cooper reached back and stroked his hand along the barrel of the gun under his jacket. Sheba held her breath. Sparks flew from her ears. And then, in that vital second, Sheba was distracted by the knowledge that someone was staring intensely at her own face. Here, in the ballroom, that same sucking need, pulling at him-someone drowning, shrieking for help. It had to be the same girl. Gabe had never felt anything so urgent in his life. His eyes raked desperately over the couples on the floor, but he couldn't see her. He paced the edge of the floor, searching the faces of the people on the sidelines. She wasn't there, either. He saw Celeste with yet another boy, but his eyes didn't pause. If Celeste didn't claim her ride home soon, there wasn't much he could do about it. Someone else needed Gabe more. The need tugged at him again, yanked hard, and for a moment, Gabe wondered if he was going crazy. Maybe he'd only imagined the girl in the fiery dress. Maybe this sense of frenzied need was just the onset of some delusion. At that moment, Gabe's seeking eyes found what they were searching for. Stepping around Heath McKenzie's big sulking form, Gabe's eyes locked on a tiny, but brilliant, red flash. There she was-half-hidden behind a fake tree, her earrings glinting like sparklers again-the girl in the red dress. Her dark eyes, deep as the pool he'd imagined her drowning in, met his. The vibrant need was an aura surrounding her. He didn't have to think about moving toward her. There was probably no way he could have stopped himself if he'd wanted to. He was sure he'd never seen this girl before tonight; she was completely unfamiliar. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes were composed and careful, but at the same time they cried out to him. They were the focus of the need he felt. He could no more resist their plea than he could tell his heart to stop beating. She needed him. Sheba watched with disbelief as Gabe Christensen walked straight toward her. She saw her own face in his head and realized that the person Gabe had been looking for was†¦ Sheba. She allowed the brief distraction-knowing that Cooper was hers for the taking, that a few minutes' time wouldn't save him now-and rejoiced in the delicious irony. So Gabe wanted to be ruined by Sheba personally? Well, she would oblige him. It would make his misery even sweeter knowing that he'd chosen it himself. She straightened up in her hell-hound dress, letting it caress her figure suggestively. She knew what any human male would have to feel when he examined this dress. But the exasperating boy was focused on her eyes. It was dangerous to look straight into the eyes of a demoness. Humans who didn't look away fast enough could get trapped there. And then they were stuck, pining after the demoness forever, burning for her†¦ Biting back a smile, Sheba met his gaze, staring deep into his sky-colored eyes. Silly human. Gabe stopped a few short feet from the girl, close enough that he wouldn't have to shout over the loud music. He knew he was staring too intently-she would think he was rude, or some kind of freak. But she stared back, just as intent, her deep eyes probing his. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, when suddenly the girl's careful expression melted into one of shock. Shock? Or horror? Her pale lips fell apart, and he heard a little gasp escape them. Her stiff posture crumpled, and she began to collapse. Gabe jumped toward her and caught her in his arms before she could fall. Sheba's knees buckled when her fires went out. Her internal flame died, sucked dry, snuffed like a candle in a vacuum. The room was not so cold anymore, and she could smell nothing more than sweat, cologne, and stale, conditioned air. She could no longer taste the delicious misery she'd created. She couldn't taste anything but her own dry mouth. But she could feel the strong arms of Gabe Christensen holding her up. The girl's dress was soft and warm. Maybe that was the problem, Gabe thought as he pulled her toward him. Maybe the heat of the crowded room was too much combined with her heavy dress. Anxiously, Gabe brushed the silky hair away from her face. Her forehead seemed cool enough and her soft skin wasn't clammy with sweat. All the while, her stunned eyes never wavered from his. â€Å"Are you okay? Can you stand? I'm sorry, I don't know your name.† â€Å"I'm fine,† the girl said in a low, purring voice. Despite the purr, her voice was just as stunned as her eyes. â€Å"I†¦ I can stand.† She straightened up, but Gabe didn't let her go. He didn't want to. And she wasn't pulling away. Her small hands had crept up to rest on his shoulders, like they were dancing partners. â€Å"Who are you?† she asked in that throaty voice. â€Å"Gabe-Gabriel Michael Christensen,† he elaborated with a grin. â€Å"And you are?† Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five What do you think you're doing? she asked herself. Rhetorically, since she was already up the Snow-White-and-the-Seven-Dwarves-Do-Baby-Jesus neighbor's tree and staring into the yard of the house where she'd left Sibby. I can't wait to hear you say to the cops, â€Å"Yes, officer, I know I was trespassing but that woman was very suspicious because she was wearing false eyelashes.† With a full Creepy Cult costume. They just didn't go. Plus she had a hole for a nose piercing. And a French manicure. Maybe she just has really big pores! And a love of dated manicures! She wasn't what she was posing as. Is this about helping someone or having an excuse not to show up at prom and see Will with his face nuzzled in Ariel's huge, soft- Shut up, U-Suck. I was going to say hair. You are so not funny. You are so not brave. There were two guys sitting in the backyard, leaning across a picnic table toward each other with a book between them, both in T-shirts and khakis and Teva sandals, one of them wearing thick black-framed glasses, the other one with a scraggly beard. They looked like two geeky college guys playing Dungeons and Dragons and sounded like it too when the one wearing glasses said, â€Å"That's not how it works. It says in the Book of Rules she can't see for herself, only for other people. You know, like genies with wishes, how they can't grant their own.† Except they each had a large automatic rifle lying on the table next to them and Miranda could see shooting targets set up on the fence. So what? There are armed geeks. Maybe they're Sibby's protection. Go home. Sibby doesn't need you. She's fine. If she's fine, why isn't she out there trying to kiss the two boys? Miranda strained to hear something from inside the house but it was definitely soundproofed. A couple came out of sliding doors onto the patio away from the Geek Guys, a woman smoking a cigarette in short, tense puffs and a man. Miranda almost fell out of the tree when she recognized the woman as the cult lady, only now without the glasses, skirt, or sweater and with her hair down. Which doesn't mean anything. The woman whispered, â€Å"We still need the girl to tell us the location, Byron.† â€Å"She will.† â€Å"She hasn't yet.† â€Å"I told you, even if I can't get her to talk, the Gardener can. He's good at that.† The woman again: â€Å"I don't like that he brought a partner. That wasn't part of the plan. Does she get a cut-â€Å" The man called Byron cut her off. â€Å"Put that out and be quiet, we have company.† He pointed to the Geek Guys scrambling over to join them. The woman crushed her cigarette out under her foot and kicked it away. â€Å"Is She all right?† Bearded Geek asked breathlessly, pronouncing She like it should be capitalized. â€Å"Yes,† the man assured him. â€Å"She's resting after her ordeal.† Oh, they could not be talking about Sibby. Ordeal? No way. â€Å"Has She said anything?† Glasses Geek asked. The man said, â€Å"Just expressed how very grateful She is to be here.† Miranda almost snorted. Bearded Geek said, â€Å"Will we be able to see Her?† â€Å"When the Transition happens.† The geeks wandered off in a blissful daze and Miranda decided this was the weirdest thing she'd ever seen. But it proved that Sibby was in no danger. These people clearly worshipped Her. Which meant it was time- â€Å"Why is he called the Gardener, anyway?† Fake Eyelash woman asked the man. â€Å"I believe because he's good at pulling things out.† â€Å"Things?† â€Å"Teeth, nails. Joints. That's how he gets people to talk.† – time to find Sibby. Miranda dropped out of the tree into the neighbor's yard and found herself looking down the barrel of an automatic rifle. Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five I shudder. I can't help it. Even though she's not exactly my type, it's not pleasant to think of Lila as some vampire's midnight snack. â€Å"Aren't you worried,† I ask, hoping to change the subject a little, â€Å"that Lila's just going to tell Drake not to show up at the prom since we'll be there waiting?† I say we and not you because there is no way I'm letting Mary go after this guy alone. Which I know Veronica would think is sexist, too. But Veronica's never seen Mary smile. â€Å"Are you kidding me?† Mary asks. She doesn't seem to notice the we. â€Å"I'm counting on her telling him. That way he'll show up for sure.† I stare at her. â€Å"Why would he do that?† â€Å"Because killing the exterminator's daughter will totally raise his crypt cred.† Now I'm blinking at her. â€Å"Crypt cred?† â€Å"You know,† she says, tossing her ponytail. â€Å"It's like street cred. Only among the undead.† â€Å"Oh.† Strangely, this does make sense. As much as anything else I've heard this evening. â€Å"They call your dad the, um, ‘exterminator'?† I'm having a hard time picturing Mary's dad wielding a crossbow the way she did. â€Å"No,† she says, the smile vanishing. â€Å"My mom. At least†¦ she used to be. Not just vampires, either, but evil entities of all kinds-demons, werewolves, poltergeists, ghosts, warlocks, genies, satyrs, loki, shedus, vetelas, titans, leprechauns-â€Å" â€Å"Leprechauns?† I echo in disbelief. But Mary simply shrugs. â€Å"If it was evil, Mom killed it. She just had a gift for it†¦ A gift,† Mary adds softly, â€Å"I really hope I've inherited.† I just sit there for a minute. I have to admit I'm a little stunned by everything that's gone down over the past couple of hours. Crossbows and vampires and exterminators? And what in the world is a vetela? I'm not even sure I want to know. No. Wait. I know I don't want to know. There's a humming noise inside my head that won't stop. The weird thing is, I kind of like it. â€Å"So,† Mary says, lifting her gaze to meet mine. â€Å"Do you believe me now?† â€Å"I believe you,† I say. What I can't believe, actually, is that I do. Believe her, I mean. â€Å"Good,† she says. â€Å"It would probably be better if you didn't tell anybody. Now, if you don't mind, I need to start getting things ready-â€Å" â€Å"Great. Tell me what you need me to do.† Her face clouds with trouble. â€Å"Adam,† she says. And there's something about the way her lips form my name that makes me feel a little crazy†¦ like I want to throw my arms around her and race around the room at the same time. â€Å"I appreciate the offer. I really do. But it's too dangerous. If I kill Drake-â€Å" â€Å"When you kill him,† I correct her. † – chances are, his father is going to show up,† she goes on, â€Å"looking for revenge. Maybe not tonight. And maybe not tomorrow. But soon. And when he does†¦ it isn't going to be pretty. It's going to be awful. A nightmare. It's going to be-â€Å" â€Å"Apocalyptic,† I finish for her, a slight shiver going down my spine as I speak the word. â€Å"Yes. Yes, exactly.† â€Å"Don't worry,† I say, ignoring the shiver. â€Å"I'm all set for that.† â€Å"Adam.† She shakes her head. â€Å"You don't understand. I can't-well, I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you. And I certainly can't let you risk your life like that. It's different for me, because-well, because of my mom. But you-â€Å" I stop her. â€Å"Just tell me what time I'm picking you up.† She stares at me. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Sorry,† I say. â€Å"But you're not going to the prom by yourself. End of story.† And I must have looked really scary or something as I said it, because even though she opens her mouth to argue, she closes it again when she gets a look at my face, and only says, â€Å"Um. Okay.† Still, she has to add, â€Å"It's your funeral,† just to have the last word. Which is fine with me. She can have the last word. Because I know now that I've found her: my future partner in the inevitable struggle to survive in post-apocalyptic America. Mary The music is pounding in time to my heartbeat. I can feel the bass in my chest-badoom, badoom. It's hard to see across the room of writhing bodies, especially with the flickering light show coming down from the ballroom's ceiling. But I know he's here. I can feel him. And then I see him, moving across the dance floor toward me. He's holding two glasses of bloodred liquid, one in either hand. When he gets close enough, he hands me one of the glasses, then says, â€Å"Don't worry, it's not spiked. I checked.† I don't reply. I just sip the punch, grateful for the liquid-even if it is a little too sweet-because my throat is so dry. The thing is, I know I'm making a mistake. Letting Adam do this, I mean. But†¦ there's something about him. I don't know what it is. Something that sets him apart from all the rest of the dumb jocks in school. Maybe it's the way he saved me back at the club when I lost my nerve, his shooting at Sebastian Drake-progeny of the devil himself-with a ketchup-filled squirt gun. Or maybe it's the way he was so nice about my dad, not cracking any jokes about him being like Doc from the Back to the Future movies and even calling him sir. Or the way he picked up my mom's photo like that and seemed so stunned when I told him the truth about her. Or maybe it's just the way he looked when he showed up at quarter to eight this evening, so impossibly handsome in his tux-and even holding a red rose corsage for me†¦ despite that less than twenty-four hours ago, he hadn't even known he was going to the prom (good thing tickets were available for sale at the door). Oh well. Dad was ecstatic, for once acting like a normal parent, snapping photos-â€Å"For your mother to see, when she's better,† he kept saying-and trying to slip twenty-dollar bills into Adam's hand, telling him to â€Å"treat Mary to an ice cream after the dance.† Which frankly made me decide I like Dad better when he never comes out of the lab. Still. I knew I was making a mistake by not sending Adam packing right away. This is no job for amateurs. This is†¦ this is†¦ †¦ beautiful. I mean, that's how the ballroom looks. I almost gasped when I entered it on Adam's arm. (He insisted. So we'd look like a â€Å"normal couple† if Drake was there already and watching.) The Saint Eligius Prep prom committee really outdid themselves this year. Securing the four-story grand ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria was a feat all on its own, but transforming it into such a sparkling romantic wonderland? Miraculous. I just hope all those rosettes and streamers are fireproof. I'd hate to see them go up in the flames that are bound to appear when Drake's corpse begins to self-conflagrate after I stab him in the chest. â€Å"So,† Adam says, as we stand on the edge of the dance floor, sipping our punch in a silence that's-to be frank-quickly gotten a little uncomfortable. â€Å"How's this going to go down, anyway? I don't see your crossbow anywhere.† â€Å"I'm just going with a stake,† I say, showing him my leg through the slit up the side of my gown. I'd strapped a hand-carved piece of ash there, using Mom's old thigh holster. â€Å"Keeping it sweet and simple.† â€Å"Oh,† Adam says, after choking on his punch a little. â€Å"Okay.† I realize he hasn't looked away from my inner thigh. I hastily lower my skirt. And it occurs to me-for the first time-that Adam might be in this for reasons other than wanting to liberate his best friend's girlfriend from the spell of a bloodsucking fiend. Except†¦ can such a thing even be possible? I mean, he's Adam Blum. And I'm just the new girl. He likes me, sure, but he doesn't like me. He can't. I've probably only got about ten minutes left to live. Unless something radically alters what I'm pretty sure is about to go down. Blushing, I keep my gaze on the gyrating couples in front of us. Mrs. Gregory from U.S. History is one of the chaperones. She's going around, trying to keep girls from grinding on their dates. She might as well try to keep the moon from rising. â€Å"It'd probably be best if you kept Lila busy,† I say, hoping he doesn't notice that my cheeks are now as scarlet as my gown, â€Å"while I'm doing the staking. We don't want her throwing herself in my path just to try to save him.† â€Å"That's what I dragged Ted here for,† Adam says, nodding toward Teddy Hancock, who's sitting slumped at a nearby table, looking out at the dance floor in a bored manner. Like the rest of us, he's just waiting for Lila-and her date-to arrive. â€Å"Still,† I say. â€Å"I don't want you anywhere near me when†¦ you know.† â€Å"I heard you the first nine million times you told me,† Adam mutters. â€Å"I know you can take care of yourself, Mary. You've made that abundantly clear.† I can't help wincing a little. He's not having a good time. I can tell. Well, so what? I didn't ask him to come! He invited himself! This isn't a date, anyway! It's a slaying! He knew that from the outset. He's the one changing the rules, not me. I mean, who am I kidding? I can't date. I have a legacy to fulfill. I'm the exterminator's daughter. I have to- â€Å"Want to dance?† Adam startles me by asking. â€Å"Oh,† I say, with some surprise. â€Å"I'd love to. But I really should-â€Å" â€Å"Great,† he says and takes me into his arms, steering me onto the dance floor. Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five â€Å"Will died, Frankie,† she said. â€Å"The fall, the way he landed†¦ he didn't make it.† â€Å"I'm sorry†¦ what?† â€Å"Chen is on his way to get you. You'll stay with us, yes? As long as you want.† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"I mean†¦ I don't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The box of waffles fell from my hand. â€Å"Will didn't die. Will couldn't have died?† â€Å"Frankie,† she said, her voice infinitely sad. â€Å"Please don't say that,† I said. â€Å"Please don't sound so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I didn't understand how to make my mind work. â€Å"I know you loved him. We all did.† â€Å"Just wait† I said. â€Å"Spray painting? Will doesn't spray paint. That's something a pothead would do, not Will.† â€Å"Let's get you to the house. We'll talk about it then.† â€Å"But what was he spray painting? I don't understand!† Mrs. Yomiko didn't answer. â€Å"Let me speak to Yun Sun,† I pleaded. â€Å"Please! Put on Yun Sun!† There was a muffled exchange. Yun Sun came back on. â€Å"I'll tell you,† she said. â€Å"But you don't want to know.† A cold feeling spread over me, and suddenly, I didn't want to know. â€Å"He was spray painting a message. That's what he was up there doing.† She hesitated. â€Å"It said, ‘Frankie, will you go to prom with me? â€Å" I sank to the floor, next to a box of waffles. Why was there a box of waffles on the kitchen floor? â€Å"Frankie?† Yun Sun said. Tinny, faraway sound. â€Å"Frankie, are you there?† I didn't like that tinny sound. I pressed the Off button to make it go away. Will was buried in the Chapel Hill Cemetery. I sat, numb, through the funeral, which was closed-coffin because Will's body was too mangled to be viewed. I wanted to say good-bye, but how did you say good-bye to a box? At the grave site, I watched as Will's mother threw a handful of dirt into the hole where Will lay. It was horrible, but the horror felt distant and unreal. Yun Sun squeezed my hand. I didn't squeeze back. It rained that evening, a gentle spring shower. I imagined the ground, damp and cool around Will's coffin. I thought of Fernando, whose skull Madame Zanzibar had liberated after his coffin shifted in the wet earth. I reminded myself that the east side of the cemetery, where Will was buried, was newer, with tidy landscaping. And of course there were modern ways of digging graves now, more efficient than men with shovels. Will's coffin wouldn't come undug. It was impossible. I stayed with Yun Sun for nearly two weeks. My parents were called, and they offered to return from Botswana. I told them no. What good would it do? Their presence wouldn't bring Will back. At school, for the first few days, kids talked in hushed tones and stared at me as I passed. Some thought it was romantic, what Will did. Others thought it was stupid. â€Å"A tragedy† was the phrase most often used, spoken in mournful tones. As for me, I haunted the halls like the living dead. I would have ditched, but then I'd have been corralled by the counselor and forced to talk about my feelings. Which wasn't going to happen. My grief was my own, a skeleton that would rattle forever within me. One week after Will's death, and exactly one week before prom, kids started talking less about Will and more about dresses and dinner reservations and limos. A sallow girl from Will's chemistry class got upset and said prom should be canceled, but others argued no, prom must go on. It's what Will would have wanted. Yun Sun and I were consulted, since we were his best friends. (And since I, though they didn't say it, was the girl he died for.) Yun Sun's eyes welled with tears, but after a shaky moment, she said it would be wrong to ruin everyone's plans, that sitting home and mourning wouldn't do anyone any good. â€Å"Life goes on,† she said. Her boyfriend, Jeremy, nodded. He put his arm around her and drew her close. Lucy, president of the prom committee, placed her hand over her heart. â€Å"So true,† she said. She turned to me with an overly solicitous expression. â€Å"What about you, Frankie? Do you think you could get behind it?† I shrugged. â€Å"Whatever.† She embraced me, and I staggered. â€Å"Okay, guys, we're on!† she called, bounding across the commons. â€Å"Trixie, back to work on the cherry blossoms. Jocelyn, tell the Paper Affair lady we need a hundred blue streamers and don't take no for an answer!† On the afternoon of the dance, two hours before Jeremy was due to pick up Yun Sun, I crammed my stuff in my duffel bag and told her I was going home. â€Å"What?† she said. â€Å"No!† She put down a hot roller. Her makeup lay in front of her on her vanity, her Babycakes body glitter and Dewberry lip gloss, and her dress hung over the hook of her open bathroom door. It was lilac, with a sweetheart neckline. It was gorgeous. â€Å"It's time,† I said. â€Å"Thank you for letting me stay so long†¦ but it's time.† Her mouth turned down. She wanted to argue, but she knew it was true. I wasn't happy here. That in itself wasn't the issue-I wasn't going to be happy anywhere-but moping around the Komikos' house was making me feel trapped and making Yun Sun feel helpless and guilty. â€Å"But it's prom,† Yun Sun said. â€Å"Won't that be weird, being alone in your house on the night of prom?† She came over to me. â€Å"Stay till tomorrow. I'll be quiet when I come in, I swear. And I promise not to go on and on about†¦ you know. The after-parties and who hooked up and who passed out in the girls' bathroom.† â€Å"You should get to go on about that stuff, though,† I said. â€Å"You should stay out as late as you want and come in as loudly as you want and be giddy and spazzy and all that.† Unexpectedly, my eyes filled with tears. â€Å"You should, Yun Sun.† She touched my arm. I pulled away, but in what I hoped was an unobvious manner. â€Å"So should you, Frankie,† she said. â€Å"Yeah†¦ well.† I heaved my bag over my shoulder. â€Å"Call me any time,† she said. â€Å"I'll keep my cell on, even at the dance.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"And if you change your mind, if you decide you want to stay-â€Å" â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Or even if you decide to come to prom! We all want you there-you know that, right? It doesn't matter that you don't have a date.† I winced. She didn't mean it the way it sounded, but it most certainly did matter that I didn't have a date, because that date would have been Will. And I didn't have him not because he liked another girl or was suffering from a terrible case of the flu, but because he was dead. Because of me. â€Å"Oh God,† Yun Sun said. â€Å"Frankie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I waved her off. I didn't want any more touching. â€Å"It's all right.† We stood in a bubble of awkwardness. â€Å"I miss him, too, you know,† she said. I nodded. Then I left. I returned to my empty house to find that the electricity was out. Perfect. This happened more often than it should have: Afternoon thunderstorms threw tree branches into the transformers, and entire neighborhoods lost power for several hours. Or the power would go out for no reason. Maybe too many people had their air conditioners on and the circuits overloaded, that was my theory. Will's theory was ghosts, ha ha ha. â€Å"They've come to spoil your milk,† he'd say in a spooky voice. Will. My throat tightened. I tried not to think about him, but it was impossible, so I let him exist there with me in my mind. I fixed myself a peanut butter sandwich, which I didn't eat. I went upstairs and lay on my bed without turning down the covers. Shadows deepened. An owl hooted. I stared at my ceiling until I could no longer make out the spider-web cracks. In the dark, my thoughts went places they shouldn't. Fernando. Madame Zanzibar. You're just like all the rest, aren't you? Desperate for a heart-stopping romance? It was that very desperation that gave birth to my stupid Madame Zanzibar plan and even stupider wish. That's what prodded Will into action. If only I'd never taken the damn corsage! I bolted upright. Oh my God-the damn corsage! I grabbed my cell and held down the â€Å"three,† Yun Sun's speed dial. ?One? was for Mom and Dad; ?two? was for Will. I still hadn't deleted his name, and now I wouldn't have to. â€Å"Yun Sun!† I cried when she answered. â€Å"Frankie?† she said. â€Å"S.O.S.† by Rihanna blared in the background. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"I'm fine,† I said. â€Å"Better than fine! I mean, the power's out, it's pitch-black, and I'm all alone, but whatever. I won't be for long.† I giggled and fumbled my way into the hall. â€Å"Huh?† Yun Sun said. More noise. People laughing. â€Å"Frankie, I can hardly hear you.† â€Å"The corsage. I've got two wishes left!† I jogged downstairs, zinging with glee. â€Å"Frankie, what are you-â€Å" â€Å"I can bring him back, don't you get it? Everything will be good again. We can even go to prom!†