Aq for Conformity

Young people of my country conform and deviate, but in varying degrees. This is expressed by Suematsu in paragraph 3 of passage B where he states â€Å"Conform too much, and you are toast, deviate too much, and you are toast too. † in context to the school life. It is the same with Singapore. Young people of my country must find the perfect balance of conforming and deviating in order to be â€Å"popular†. And that answers the question as to why they conform and deviate. Even within Singapore, different young people may conform and deviate in different ways and in variable degrees.For example, students in a secondary school may find that breaking the rules, â€Å"deviating† in other words, is considered cool but students from a junior college may find conforming more to their style. This is probably due to the mental maturity of the different age groups. In secondary school, students are still young and may not fully comprehend the consequences of their actions o r maybe even be given rose coloured glasses by their peer (peer pressure), whereas in JC, the students have matured greatly from their secondary school days and understand the consequences they have to face in breaking a rule.However, we also have to consider what kind of circles the young people come from. Some young people may come from more shady backgrounds, and they may break more rules (of both society and school) than normal, but to them, or perhaps, to their social circle, it may be a form of conforming. It isn’t their fault as they have been brought up or have been exposed to such an environment at a early age. To them, it is the norm. they do not know how else to act except to deviate.Even within that circle, there may be some limits to the kind of rules or how many you can break. This is also illustrated by Suematsu who states â€Å"We all conform to some standard one way or another†¦ this collective standard can vary even within a society. † It is also seen in the undercurrents of Heath and Potter’s work where they state â€Å"they do place limits.. † which states that even with deviation, there is a limit to what you can do.As Heath and Potter argue, the conformity will not destroy individuality. Which is probably why most young people in my country tend to deviate less (in terms of society and rules). Even with our uniform, most of the young people do not bother to accessorize or alter our uniform (except maybe the length) too much. It is, in our perspective, a uniform, and therefore, is not an accurate representation of our true selves.We tend not to bother too much about showing off our individuality, saving that for when the weekend comes or when we go out. As Suematsu states â€Å"the conclusion that limited means of expression equals limited expressions of individuality which may be wrong. † Besides, â€Å"students have a thousand and one ways to modify a school uniform†, which is also another r eason why students conform to wearing the uniform, though they deviate a little by maybe, shortening the skirt a little too short, or wearing pretty hair accessories.It is probably also true that many young people of my country may fuss a little too much over details such as hair, makeup or attire (more often lately). When we go out, it is important to look our best in order to portray our individuality (this is the same for many other countries). Even so, be it our moral compass, or our parents or even the society, young people still conform to a certain type of limit set by above mentioned factors, though deviating. This is the so-called golden balance that Suematsu mentions.

Mother/Daughter Relationship in “I Stand Here Ironing”

There are numerous reasons why a child behaves in a certain way or why he or she grew up to be the person they are now.   Experts say that how a mother brings up her kid greatly affects the psychological thinking of her child.   Well, besides the other factors like race, environment, health, and education, they say that mothers have a great role in the nurturing of their child.   This is shown in the works, â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† by Tillie Olsen and â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan.   However, it was mother-daughter relationship shown in these emotion-steering novels. In the first novel mentioned, â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing†, this featured a mother who let the so-called experts take care of her child.   She thinks that the experts know what is best for her child (http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/analysis001.php).   Although she does want to follow the rules of these experts but she was forced to do so because she does not have any other choice (http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/). However, the environment also plays a large role why she was forced to follow the experts in sending her child, Emily, to nursery at a very early age, and sending her to a recuperative home where she moves by numbers, where she was not free to do what she wants and Emily was not even allowed to have physical contact with her parents.   And during this time, America was experiencing the Great Depression.   It was hard for the mother to manage their home, take care of young Emily, and it was most difficult to work. And because she had to work, she did not have ample time to spend with Emily.   It even got to a point where she had to let her parents-in-law to take care of Emily.   It was also a huge adjustment when her mother remarried but things got worse when she had four younger siblings.   There was also a time when the mother was pregnant with her second daughter and Emily got measles.   She was not permitted to come close her mother for the safety of not only her mother but also the baby.   As for school, Emily performed not at all satisfactory. Having four siblings to take care of, she can only study at night when all of them are already asleep.   Not to mention that her brothers and sisters were the culprit for scribbles on important material and missing books.   Emily was not at all close to her mother no matter how her mother tried to be close to her.   Her mother was too busy doing other things that she had not been really in touch with her daughter. Emily was always left alone.   On the contrary, she had a knack for arts and comedy.   Though her childhood can be classified as bleak, she can be found shining through the art of comedy.   It is quite remarkable that Emily had made it through it all without the actual help and guidance of her mother.   Unexpectedly, she found her real self, what her passion was without the supervision of her mother. The latter novel, â€Å"Two Kinds†, was presented as a mother prompting her child to excel in all fields especially in the field where the mother thinks that the child has a lot of potential at.   It was a novel wherein the child was forced to follow what her mother wants her to be.   It was a novel wherein the mother takes control of the life of the child.   She will determine the future of the child.   And great depression and misery await if their wants are not obeyed.   It involves kids prodded to be stars and geniuses. Well, it is usual for mothers to want the best for their children.   Although, sometimes, it gets worse that the children are not allowed to make their own choices.   Why do mothers, not only mothers but the same goes for both parents, behave this way?   This may be due to competition with other parents that they have produced a genius.   Or it may be due to their wants as kids that they did not achieve, so they want their children to be what they want to be.   Sometimes, the child becomes a rebel due to this kind of bearing. The child rearing style of the two novels are not exactly correct but it was the best they can think of.   The first was too lenient while the latter, too strict.   Although both mothers idolize the famous Shirley Temple, the first mother let he child be what she wants to be, while the other wanted her child to be a star.   Furthermore, both daughters achieved what they want to be in the end, but in different ways.   One was hiding from her mother and the other, from rebellion.   It is queer enough to think that no matter how a mother brings up her child, it would be the child’s decision who she wants to be and how she is going to make it there. REFERENCES BookRags Student Essays on â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan. 2000-2006. http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/11/10/16231/007. I Stand Here Ironing Summary, Detailed Analysis. http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/analysis001.php I Stand Here Ironing Summary, Detailed Summary. http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/ http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index9.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index10.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index11.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index12.html      

Isolated Chloroplasts Bad Example

Light Reactions in Isolated Chloroplasts Racquel Currie University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Hypothesis If isolated chloroplasts are boiled, the enzymes that occur in photosynthesis are disrupted and the DCIP will not reduce. Chloroplasts are a type of plastid found within the plant they are the basis of photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis there would be no life on earth. Photosynthesis takes the energy from sunlight and coverts it into a chemical energy that can be used by the plant.Isolating chloroplast is a way to separate plastids in order to study the details of the single cell. Isolating the chloroplast helps better understand the functions and helps determine if the isolated chloroplasts are adequate to complete photosynthesis. Biological activity will be determined by using a dye, dichlorophenolindophenol (DCIP), as a final electron acceptor. Using spectrophotometry, the reduction of DCIP will be measured to follow the dye from an oxidized (DCIP) to a reduced sta te (DCIPH2) as it accepts electrons from photosystem I (1). Boiling affects the Materials and MethodsIn order to isolate the chloroplasts, the process had to have been completed rapidly in subdued light. When the solutions were not being used they were stored on ice. Ten spinach leaves were rinsed and deveined. They were then placed over ice and chopped with a razor. After, the spinach was placed between eight layers of cheesecloth to squeeze all the liquid derived from the spinach. The liquid was then diluted by adding 20mL of homogenizing buffer (HB). The solution was added to a pre-cooled conical centrifuge tube, and was then centrifuged at 1000 x g for one minute.After, the solution was transferred to another pre-cooled centrifuge tube and was centrifuged at 3000 x g for one minute. Centrifugation resulted in the deposition of a green pellet on the wall of the centrifuge tube near the surface of the liquid (2). This green pellet, together with the green liquid, was separated fro m the more dense material that had been deposited at the bottom of the tube (2). The supernatant was decanted, and the pellet was re-suspended in 10 mL of HB. The final centrifuged process occurred at 3000 x g for one minute.After the final centrifuge the supernatant was poured off and discarded. The isolated chloroplasts were re-suspended and mixed with 10ML of suspension solution (SS). After this process to isolate the chloroplast it was stored on ice and was stable for two to four hours. After the isolation of chloroplasts the question was asked if boiled chloroplast would reduce DCIP reaction mixture, and would this affect the activity of electrons from photosystem 1. 0. 1 mL of chloroplast was measured with a pipette into a tube and then suspended in boiling water for one minute.A spectrometer was used and set to 0 (set at 600nm). There was also a control used, which was chloroplast that went through the same methods as above, although it did not get boiled (heated). The contro l was measured by the spectrometer and the treated (boiled) sample was measured immediately after the boiling process. The control and treatment was then exposed to bright light for 15 second intervals. After each interval the color density was measured by the spectrometer. This process continued until there was no change in the color density. ResultsFigure 1 Figure 2 Discussion DCIP was used as a marker to indicate if the photosynthesis was still taking place in the isolated chloroplasts after boiling. The DCIP replaced the NAPD enzyme. The hypothesis, if isolated chloroplasts are boiled, the enzymes that occur in photosynthesis are disrupted and the DCIP will not reduce was shown to be true based on the results of figure one and two. Where as the control’s color density did decrease with the exposed light intervals. Literature Cited 1. K. Sami Nichols Light reactions in isolated chloroplasts Lab 2. C.RALPH STOCKING. Chloroplast Isolation in non-aqueous media. Plant Physiolo gy 56-60. http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC541142/pdf/plntphys00351-0065. pdf 3. Paul Armond Heat-induced changes of chlorophyll fluorescence in isolated chloroplasts and related heat-damage at the pigment level. Carnegie Institution of Washington http://www. sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/000527287890138X 4. Eric Tuan The Effect of Light Conditions and Boiling on the Rate of Photosynthesis by Isolated Chloroplasts http://www. grochbiology. org/aplabwriteupexample. htm

Termination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Termination - Essay Example In such instances, it generally becomes necessary for the organization to consider terminating the employee. Termination should be considered as the most severe form of punishment that an organization can possibly impose on an employee and as such, it should be the most carefully considered form of disciplinary action. The experience of going through a job termination is considered to be traumatic for all of an organization’s employees. Of note is that the termination of employees at different levels or positions within the same organization varies considerably; Unlike the employees working in the lower level positions of the organizations, an organization’s executives and CEOs often do not have to worry about the probability of their positions being eventually eliminated. The main worry that individuals at this level often have is that of ensuring that they constantly try and please the organization’s board of directors because it is these boards that are tasked with the responsibility of firing and hiring of these executives. Most of the time, the board of directors only undertakes the rather drastic action of firing an executive or CEO due to a loss of confidence in the executive. This loss of confidence might be brought about by a number of factors that include a general decline in the level of productivity, the emergence of philosophical differences between the executive in question and the board of directors, economic reasons, or if there is a need to reorganize the organization. Of note however is that there are currently no formal termination appeal procedures for employees at this level (Mondy, 2013, p. 367). This group of employees is widely considered to be the most neglected and vulnerable in respect to employment termination. While an organization’s executives generally tend to have a considerable degree of clout that might aid in helping them to successfully

My Personal Code of Ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

My Personal Code of Ethics - Research Paper Example 220-221). This paper is an attempt to summarize my code of ethics for dealing with decisions concerning the individuals around me, the society, and myself. This paper would construct a brief code of ethics in light of my thoughts and experiences and would highlight that where these ethical norms appear to be in line or are inspired by the words, ideas, and theories of ethical theorists and philosophers. Beliefs and obligations to the society When it comes to my beliefs and obligations to the society, I believe that they are greatly in line with the utilitarian principle greatest good for the greatest number of people. The idea of greatest good for greatest number of people is the cornerstone of the ethical theory known as utilitarianism (Copp, pp. 41-47). Founded by Jeremy Bentham and nourished by John Stuart Mill (Copp, pp. 41-47), this school of thought comes under the umbrella of teleological ethical theories or consequentialism which believes that the consequences are and should be the prime criteria for determining the moral worth and status of actions (Copp, pp. 41-47). ... Important here to note is that utilitarianism believes in creating benefits that could be valid for the maximum number of people and not for only one’s own self (Rosen, pp. 63-64). I do not prefer to use horns while driving. I refrain myself from using non-recyclable products. I try to look for organic products and the ones, which have their origins in environmental friendly, green, and sustainable practices. I avoid using my car for short distances and instead use public transport. I will never throw garbage on the street or anywhere else in the dustbin, in fat, if I see garbage on the street, I will take out time and save it. I support animal rights and ethical treatment of animals. Quite clearly, all these actions may be hurting me to some extent but towards the end of the day, they appear to be creating the greatest benefit for the entire society and planet (Pojman & Tramel, pp. 125-126). However, important here is to note that, there is some contradiction between my ethic al principles and other principles of utilitarianism. One of the most important is the Millian arrangement of two principles of utilitarianism, according to which the principle of liberty comes first after the principle of utility (Sofroniou, pp. 36-39). Discussion regarding the same takes place later in the paper. Beliefs and obligations to other individuals As mentioned earlier in the paper that I beg to defer from the John Stuart Mill’s arrangement of the two important principles of liberty and utility. If we accept Mill’s arrangement, according to which utility should be the obvious selection if there is a clash between utility and liberty (Pojman, & Fieser, pp. 52-54). This would lead to a society where it would be ethical and moral to steal and divide the

Alice Malsenior Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alice Malsenior Walker - Essay Example She went on to attend Spelman College and then transferred to Sarah Lawrence College to which she received a scholarship. Her life as a child was steeped in poverty. Her parents were sharecroppers, and her father's main work involved dairy farming, for which he was paid approximately $300 per year. Her mother supplemented this by offering her services as a maid (Clark). Walker's home was very small, and she and her family lived a huddled life in it, often suffering extremes of temperature in the winters and summers. She spent her time watching people or playing tomboyish games with her older brothers (Danielle). She was a precocious child, who tackled the first grade at only four years old. Her self-perception was very good, and she enjoyed performing in front of crowds at church and other functions. This changed after she was shot in the eye by her brothers. When that incident occurred, her parents delayed taking her to the doctor as they had underestimated the extent of the injury, and instead attempted to treat it with home remedies. However, subsequent infection of the eye which led to a fever caused them to take her to a physician (after they tried curing the fever by strategically placed lily leaves around her head). The doctor was able to cause the eye to heal, but the scar that developed was also a scar to her psyche that she carried with her many years (Danielle). Her scar led to her bei... She was cured while visiting her brother in Boston by visiting a hospital where surgery was done to remove the scar from her eye. At the age of 17 she left home for Spelman College in Atlanta, for which she had received a scholarship for handicapped students. In college she participated much in political activism. She met Coretta King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr. and participated in the March on Washington, at which King gave his speech "I Have a Dream." She also traveled abroad to the World Youth Peace Festival held in Helsinki, Finland. However, she became unhappy at Spelman because the administrators were disapproving of her activism. So in 1963 she transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. During her final year of college, Walker discovered herself pregnant and subsequently resorted to abortion (Clark). The decision drove her to depression, and in that time she wrote to clear her mind. She produced several pieces of poetry, with which her professor became impressed and which formed the basis of her first published work, a collection of poetry entitled Once (Danielle). She later met and married the lawyer Melvyn Leventhal, who was also active in the civil rights world. She gave birth to a daughter named Rebecca (Clark). For three years she worked in New York in the department of welfare. She later taught for two years as Jackson State University and then at Tougaloo College. It is during this time that her literary career really took flight, with the publication of her second work The Third Life of George Copeland. Many of her works and themes reflect the nuances of her life. Her story "Everyday Use" reflects the anguish of a childhood spent in

Organisation and change Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organisation and change - Article Example This brings loyalty from franchises and suppliers and they become more committed for the company's growth (Aswathappa, 2006). The company is however challenged by the need to continuously innovate to grow while operating flawlessly (Gubman and Russell, 2006). This report will find out how McDonald's is managing change to survive in the competitive business environment. The aim of this report is to present a consolidated change portfolio for McDonald's. The objective of this study is to find out the drivers of change for this fast food joint and this will be achieved by P.E.S.T and. Force-field analysis. The objective of the study is also to identify and justify the type of change McDonald's is facing. In addition, the report will present the process of managing change within McDonald's by using relevant change models. A number of books, journals and magazines have been used to collect information for preparing this report. The report will be divided into several sections and will also include a summary of findings and recommendations as well as conclusion. McDonald's has been asked by the US government to ensure the health of its customers. The company acknowledged that some of their suppliers were heavily using growth-stimulating antibiotics on chicken, beef and pork. These chemicals were proven to be injurious to human health and the authorities asked the food giant to help curb this practice. McDonald's has asked the suppliers from the meat industry to phase out the practice or lose business. The company is also working with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to improve the ways in which animals are raised and slaughtered (Greider, 2003). Economic The number of children also increased due to the rise in per capita income in the 1950s. This good economic period saw an increase in the number of suburbs in America and this encouraged the proliferation of chain restaurants such as McDonald's. The company opened restaurants in convenient locations where families in their cars could eat quickly the very affordable food (Debres, 2005). McDonald's restaurants were present in a large number of American suburbs by 1965 and the company avoided inner city locations until the 1970s. The company stepped outside US in 1967 and entered Canada and Puerto Rico. It then forayed into Europe and found out that it will not be successful if it continued to operate in the suburbs. There was no commercial development in the suburbs of Europe and the main markets were in the central cities (Debres, 2005). Social McDonald's popularity soared during the 1950s and 1960s when the Americans changed their lifestyle and began to enjoy the post-war period. More number of Americans decided to have more children and it became a common sight to see families with three or more children. McDonald's was oriented towards the family market and focussed on attracting small children, teenagers and young adults (Debres, 2005). Today, the customers visiting these food joints appreciate a sense of freedom they feel once they step into the facility. The young adults are very happy about the self-service concept and the minimal adult contact they have in

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the application of LED bulbs Essay

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the application of LED bulbs for solving climate change - Essay Example Through such an engagement and analysis, it is the hope of this student that the reader will be able to gain a useful level of inference concerning LED technology and the future of how it will be accepted, utilized, and effect a gradual impact on green living within society. There are a range of regulatory frameworks which have been designed to encourage more awareness of energy consumption rates. Schemes such as ‘Smart Grids’ create greater efficiencies in energy consumption by monitoring consumer behaviour within electricity networks (Clastres, 2011). In a similar way the use of LED bulbs is now presented as part of the solution of reducing energy consumption (Humphreys, 2008). This is particularly important, not just as a single appliance saving energy, but as part of a wider shift in how users are adopting LED bulbs for in many respects, In man, it is behavioural changes which are the critical factor in tackling climate change, (Hobson, 2006). This view is supported by Paterson and Stripple (2010) who argue that individuals can contribute to the governing of climate change by undertaking specific actions to solve the problem. Hobson (2008) also notes that a gap currently exists between knowledge and action and that this has prevented the full realisation of a range of benefits from environmentally friendly initiatives. As a result, Hobson (2008) further asserts that policies relating to climate change should focus on removing such barriers through increased public education, infrastructural improvements and improving access to ‘green’ goods. Slocum (2004a) argues that climate change discourse should localize the effects of global warming in order that society has a better understanding about energy consumption and its effects on the local and global environment. With reference to wider issues of lighting, Slocum (2004a) further

Procurement Outsourcing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Procurement Outsourcing Strategies - Essay Example Additionally, the Wonderful Widgets Company gets to act as a management hub that executes the finalized strategies for the product. This reading focuses on the series of strategic initiatives that explain the perceived impact of forming strategic alliances in procurement and outsourcing. The impending questions regarding the issues with outsourcing this particular case scenario is what risks are involved, and whether the outsourcing strategies should depend on the product characteristics, for example, the clock speed. As the Supply manager, the tasks involved entail the identification and development of an effective procurement strategy that aids in lowering or reducing the monthly operational costs (Rosenfield, 2012). The final decision pertaining to procurement is also dependent on the business operations involved with the company. Streamlining the business processes is essential in enacting and implementing an appropriate procurement service that works in favor of the business goals in terms of minimizing the operational costs. The selection of a strategic source for the manufacturing components would aid the company in taking advantage of any classified duty rates or even if the company is eligible to participate in special trade programs. The dynamics of the transit costs ought to be calculated to determine the inventory carrying costs, the freight, duty and brokerage or insurance costs (Rosenfield, 2012). Subscribing to premium freight services that require paying higher percentages can prove to be expensive to the company’s operational costs. This is common for shipment of premium goods which uses carrier insurance. Consolidating the goods and components expected by the company from multiple suppliers helps in minimizing transport costs for the business. The variable transit times for goods from different suppliers results in higher payments for the company. Since the company

How Can Christianity Establish its Place in a Chinese Culture Research Paper

How Can Christianity Establish its Place in a Chinese Culture - Research Paper Example The Christian groups consisted of Protestants known as Ji du jiao and Catholics who were better known as Tian Zhu jiao of Lord of Heavenly Religion and a small number of Orthodox Christians (Tony 1994). China is a country dominated by ancient religious groups and beliefs like Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Christianity has had a rough journey to reach the position it is today. It has had problems like the persecution of leaders and followers, harassment, physical and mental abuse. Christianity in China has been growing significantly since the loosening of restrictions on religion in 1970 within the republic. However, many religious practices are still controlled by the authorities. Christianity had been in China from the 7th century AD but it later disappeared for many years and then it was re-introduced. The Persian missionary who came to China during the Tang Dynasty were the first Christians to settle in China. Their Christianity which was referred to as Nestorian thrived for many years until the emperor then, implemented anti-religious measures in 845 AD. As a result of the measures, all foreign religions and traditions including Christianity were kicked out of China (Arnold 1889). During the 13th century, under the reign of Yuan dynasty, Christianity was re-introduced but it did not last for long as the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Yuan Dynasty in the 14th century leading to the expulsion of Christianity again. Later in the 16th century, after Jesuits arrived in Beijing, they introduced western learning and Christianity began to sink deep into the people of China. Although it had grown, it remained a minority group in China. Missionaries started flocking to China and brought in westernization. Christianity had a great deal of influence on the people of China and its teaching started to influence the Chinese people (Yeo 1998).  Ã‚  

PATCH ADAMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PATCH ADAMS - Essay Example And even after being kicked out of school and sued in court, he manages to win the case. He eventually lays the groundwork for a medical clinic built around his philosophy. Over time, both patients and physicians become fond of him. The film ends with his graduation, where he receives a standing ovation for his innovative reforms in the field of medicine and health care. The filmmakers decided to choose a cast of different age groups and orientation. All through the film, you discover that the main character is much older than his fellow colleagues, but even that is justified in the story. Patch, unlike his friends, is not mindful of what others think of him. His younger colleagues seem to see things differently. They put their medical education in high regard, and they expect to conform to all the norms and practices of a professional doctor. But Patch sees growth and improvement within the profession. His care is patient-centered, and whenever he meets a patient in need, he comes u p with the proper and effective technique to care for him, regardless of the rules. In one of the scenes, Patch and the other students are being toured around the ward. Their clinical instructor seems oblivious to the patients’ needs. Patch sees this and takes the opportunity to say hi to her, which cheers her up. This ends up irritating the teacher. He then secretly enters the children’s ward and plays the part of a clown to cheer up the children. The nurses observing this, ask him to help them with one mentally ill man who the rest of the hospital staff fear to see, he bravely enters his room dressed as an angel and manages to soften up the man. He uses various therapeutic styles for different age groups, and they all prove effective.

Nursing Care Plan and Specimens Essay Example for Free

Nursing Care Plan and Specimens Essay Quality is a broad term that encompasses various aspects of nursing care (Montolvo, 2007). The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators [NDNQI] is the only national nursing database that provides quarterly and annual reporting of structure, process, and outcome indicators to evaluate nursing care at the unit level (Montolvo, 2007). Nursings foundational principles and guidelines identify that as a profession, nursing has a responsibility to measure, evaluate, and improve practice (Montolvo, 2007). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the ‘mislabeled specimen’ indicator for an inpatient rehab unit and devise an action plan based on best practices to decrease the incidence of mislabeled specimens. Analysis of the data According to Dock, (2005) accurate specimen identification is a challenge in all hospitals and medical facilities. Ensuring that specimens are correctly identified at the point of collection is essential for accurate diagnostic information (Dock, 2005). A mislabeled specimen can lead to devastating consequences for a patient (Dock, 2005). Specimen misidentification can be serious, resulting in misdiagnosis and mistreatment (Dock, 2005). For the second quarter of FY09, the rehab unit met their target of zero mislabeled specimens. The third quarter yielded two actual mislabeled specimens with a variance of two. The fourth quarter actual was one with a variance of one. The first quarter FY10 showed an actual of one and variance of one. For the FY09 the rehab had a total of four mislabeled specimens. This indicator was chosen because of the magnitude of this medical error. Nurses, administrators and laboratory personnel must collaborate and create ways to decrease the mislabeling of spec imens. Nursing plan Nursing interventions to decrease the number of mislabeled specimens and improve actual indicator scores are: 1) Ensuring proper identification of patient 2) The use of electronic technology and 3) Bedside labeling. Each of these interventions will positively impact patient outcomes and reduce errors. According to The Joint Commission [TJC], proper patient identification is best practice for decreasing mislabeled specimens (The Joint Commission as cited by Sims, 2010). National Patient Safety Goal [NPSG], 01.01.01 states that healthcare providers should use at least two identifiers to identify patients. For example, the patient’s full name and date of birth is used to properly identify a patient (The Joint Commission, 2014). According to Kim et al., (2013), developing a standardized specimen handling system has the potential to reduce errors. Figure 1. Steps to properly identifying a patient for specimen collection. Figure 1. Essential specimen handling steps. Blue items are physician-specific responsibilities; pink items are nursing staff-specific responsibilities. Adapted from â€Å"Standardized Patient Identification and Specimen Labeling: A Retrospective Analysis on Improving Patient Safety,† by Kim JK; Dotson B; Thomas S; Nelson KC; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2013 Jan; 68 (1): 53-6. The strongest intervention to reduce labeling errors is the addition of barcode technology (Brown, Smith Sherfy, 2011). The use of automated patient identification and specimen collection techniques can be an additional safety net for routines that are vulnerable to error, especially when coupled with strong systems designs (Brown et al., 2011). Brown et al (2011), found that the clinical applications of electronic and information technology support can assist in the identification, control, and reduction of error rates throughout the process. According to the World Health Organization [WHO] healthcare providers should encourage the labeling containers used for blood and other specimens in the presence of the patient (World Health Organization, 2007). This would suggest labeling specimens at the patient’s bedside or before leaving the room. Nurses should never label specimens before collection as this could lead to serious errors. Summary In summary, NDNQI indicators serve as a schoolmaster that holds nursing accountable to practice. An analysis of ‘mislabeled specimens’, found that an inpatient unit had a total of four incidents for FY09. While this does not seem like a great deal of errors, any one error could have detrimental consequences. The plan of action based on best practices is to properly identify the patient, using electronic technology, and labeling specimens at the bedside. References Brown, J.E., Smith, N., Sherfy, B.R., (2011). Decreasing mislabeled laboratory specimens using barcode technology and bedside printers. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, (26)1, 13-21. Retrieved from http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/waldenu?genre=articleissn=10573631title=Journal%20of%20Nursing%20Care%20Qualityvolume=26issue=1date=201101 Dock, B. (2005). Improving the accuracy of specimen labeling. Clinical Laboratory Science, 18(4), 210-2. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204803914?accountid=14872 Kim J.K., Dotson B; Thomas S; Nelson KC; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2013 Jan; 68 (1): 53-6. Retrieved from ent%20identification%20and%20specimen%20labeling%3A%20A%20retrospective%20analysis%20on%20improving%20patient%20safety.spage=53sid=EBSCO:rzhpid= Montalvo, I. (2007). The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI). Online Journal Of Issues In Nursing, 12(3). Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=50sid=909dc60d-9c0d-474c-a02e-2e8f9df097e1%40sessionmgr4003hid=4104bdata Sims, M. (2010). The Joint Commission clarifies key compliance issues. MLO: Medical Laboratory Observer, 42(4), 72. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=54sid=909dc60d-9c0d-474c-a02e-2e8f9df097e1%40sessionmgr4003hid=4104 The Joint Commission, (2014). National patient safety goals. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/2014_HAP_NPSG_E.pdf World Health Organization. (2007). Patient safety solutions. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/patientsafety/solutions/patientsafety/PS-Solution2.pdf

Impact of the Maoist Insurgency on the Nepalese Society

Impact of the Maoist Insurgency on the Nepalese Society CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1. The Nepalese people had a positive, but to a large extent unrealistic, expectation with the new political establishment of 1990, which had installed a democratic system of governance in the country. This form of governance was unable to meet the peoples expectations. Midterm parliamentary elections of November, 1994 resulted in a hung parliament that further led to a power-centric rivalry between various political parties. Maoists, a radical fraction of the Nepalese communist movement, whose ultimate goal was to establish a communist republic through armed struggle, found the prevailing environment most appropriate for triggering a long awaited armed struggle. The Maoists started an armed insurgency amidst political instability from the remote hills of mid Western region, and finally emerged as a threat to Nepals democracy. The Nepalese government, in its various capacities, fought the Maoist insurgency. The government was able to contain a growing insurgency, but had not been abl e to achieve the desired political end state within the existing constitutional framework. 2. Nepal endured the Maoist insurgency for more than a decade and this truly posed a formidable threat to national security. The government failed to anticipate and diagnose the problem properly in the first place and a frequently changing government could not effectively employ the instruments of national power by devising a coherent and coordinated national strategy. Ultimately, the government relied on security/military measures without formulating a viable and broader political and socio-economic strategy. The governments response to the Maoist challenge in general was reactive, inconsistent, and far from effective.   The extreme friction and division within the ruling circles prevented the state from articulating a clear, consistent and convincing response during the most critical phase of democratic transition. The conflict resolution and long-term stability in Nepal is still uncertain, yet the conflict settlement process has started after more than a decade long conflict. Ha d there been a better understanding of the insurgency from the beginning, conflict would have been less costly. 3.Emergence of Nepal Communist Party (Maoist).Understanding the birth of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), relates back to the conquest of Kathmandu valley in 1769 by a king from Gorkha, a small principality in central Nepal. By the end of the eighteenth century, the Shah dynasty of Gorkha through conquest, marriage and diplomacy had succeeded in annexing the small principalities and forming the country that is today known as Nepal. Towards the end of the unification campaign in the early nineteenth century, the Kings power waned and control of the state slid into the hands of the military families. Competition for the control of the state led to bloody struggle between different military families. From the mid nineteenth century onwards, the state machinery became the preserve of one family the Ranas. 4. With its aim to overthrow the Rana rule, the Nepali National Congress (NC) was formed in 1946 in Banaras by fusing the Akhil Bharatiya Nepal Rashtriya Congress, the Nepali Sangh and the Gorkha Congress. Pushpa Lal Shrestha who served as the office secretary for Nepali National Congress was dissatisfied with the NCs policies for a non-violent struggle. He quit the party and started working on setting up a communist party. He translated and published Marxs Communist Manifesto which was released on 15 September 1949, the date that is considered the founding day of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). Although political parties were legally prohibited during this time, Nepali students in India had been exposed to Marxist views and many were even affiliated to CPI (Communist Party of India). At the time of the 1950 uprising, the CPN was in the early stages of party formation. Although it enunciated its ideology of class struggle and armed revolution, the party was not explicit about its objectives nor was it clear about its role in the 1950 movement in which NC had professed overthrowing the Rana regime and establishing democracy with constitutional monarchy. Therefore, NC dominated the 1950 revolution and CPN began expanding its support base and exercising its strength only after 1950. 5. Ideological and personality clashes among the leaders began eroding the organizational unity of the CPN during the decades of 1960s and 1970s. The party divided into three branches: the moderates, the extremists and the radicals. In 1974 the ‘central nucleus split into the CPN led by Mohan Bikram and Nirmal Lama and the CPN led by Man Mohan Adhikari. The communist party led by Adhikari joined with smaller groups and formed the CPN (ML) in 1978. By 1991 the CPN (ML) joined hands with Pushpa Lals CPN (Marxist) to form the CPN (Unified Marxist Leninist) a nomenclature that is retained to this day. At the time of the 1990 movement, the CPN (UML) was the largest Communist organization in the country. 6. While the Communist party led by Man Mohan Adhikari was consolidating with smaller groups and expanding its base, the other CPN was experiencing numerous break offs. In May of 1979, King Birendra announced a national referendum. Disputes arose between the two leaders of this party regarding the referendum. Mohan Bikram Singh was unwilling to participate in a referendum called by the King while Nirmal Lama, general secretary, accepted the referendum and faced opposition within his party. As a result, he was forced to resign from his post. Ultimately, Mohan Bikram Singh and Nirmal Lama parted ways. Singh formed his own party the CPN (Masal) in 1983. In 1985, Masal fragmented into Mashal and Masal. Mashal, led by Mohan Baidya, was subsequently replaced by Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda, who would later be known as the Maoist supremo. The subsequent development and emergence of the Maoist party is shown in Appendix â€Å"A†. 7.Background of Maoist Insurgency in Nepal.The start of armed insurgency was not only the result of an opportunistic response to the emerging political instability after 1990 but also the product of a rational and deliberate calculation. Some form of radical elements of the leftist movement in Nepal has always believed in armed insurgency. The root of the communist movement in Nepal goes back to the birth of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) in 1949. The CPN had secured four seats out of 104 in the first ever parliamentary election conducted in 1959. The CPN was split on the question of supporting a royal takeover in December 1960. Towards the latter half of the 1970s, the communist movement in Nepal had also developed its radical factions which were influenced by the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Naxalites movement of India. Following in the footsteps of Naxlites, CPN (Marxist-Leninist) carried out killings of local land owners in eastern Jhapa district of Nepal during the la te 1970s, also known as Jhapa Uprising. This uprising was immediately suppressed by the then Panchyat government, a party-less government system under direct rule of the monarch. The Nepalese communists were generally divided into two groups until the end of the Panchayat system. One group was ready to follow democratic system and another believed in seizure of power through armed insurgency. CPN (Maoist), who started the armed insurgency in February 1996, was always in favor of armed insurgency. Maoists, through their open political front, forwarded a 40 point demand to the government in February 1996, as an ultimatum otherwise to begin an armed insurgency; however, the Maoists started the armed insurgency even before reaching the deadline. 8.Governments Counter Insurgency Strategy.Nepal had experienced 15 different governments from 1990 to April 2006. Political instability made democratic transition difficult and prevented the government from acting appropriately against the insurgency. Various governments endeavored to respond to insurgency with a range of policy instruments during their respective tenure. Weak administrative infrastructure, frequent changes in government, hung parliaments, lack of determined leadership, diverse interest and different views of major political forces towards insurgency contributed to reactive, inconsistent and sometimes counterproductive response. Maoists completed preparation of the armed insurgency by keeping the government unaware, in order to avoid government repression. As an initial response, the government preferred to use police forces without anticipating the long term consequences. Police operations engaged the Maoists, but never controlled the local population. These repress ive and heavy handed law and order measures further alienated the local populace, which ultimately benefited the insurgents for organizational expansion. Only with the November 2001 offensive by the Maoists, did the government become more serious. After initial setbacks, the government decided to take a immediate approach to address grievances at the local level. It was conceived as the Internal Security and Development Program (ISDP). Increased Maoist violence prevented the government from running such types of programs together with combat operations in the insurgency infested areas. The government was forced to back out of this program.   Nepalese government counter insurgency measures from 1996 to 2006 included programs as followings: Initial Police/administrative measures. Security/military measures with ISDP programs. Counter Insurgency Operations. Peace Talks Promulgation of Terrorist and Terrorism Act. Activation of special courts to try insurgents. METHODOLOGY Statement Of The Problem 9. The researcher intends to analyze the impact of the Maoist insurgency on the Nepalese society in terms of political, social, economic and security aspect which they were forced to undergo during the period. The researcher also lays suggestions and recommendations to assist the future military leaders for better understanding of the problems and ways to address all societal needs if exposed to similar type of environment in the future. Hypothesis 10. The Nepalese society and the people were the main victim of the conflict during the decade long insurgency, in terms of social, economic and political losses. Justification Of The Study 11. Conflict, war and warlike events themselves are intolerable events in a peaceful society and automatically their impact on the society and its organ is more intolerable. The research will limit itself to a brief description of the then prevailing political situation. The main focus of the research will be concentrated towards how the society experienced the insurgency/counterinsurgency operations. A detailed analysis of the states inability to visualize the social, political, security and economic impact realized during the counter insurgency will be analyzed in detail. 12. The sole intent to scrutinize the above mentioned aspects is to provide an insight view to all the readers to understand the psychological pressure that the Nepalese society had undergone during the counter insurgency operations. Despite being one of the most significant subjects, there were some limitations regarding preparation of the paper which includes; the time limitation to make detailed study and the other commitments of the researcher in the college as well. 13. There are various national and international books, research paper written, prepared published by military professionals, academicians journalist about the Maoist insurgency and the governments approach to the problem, but only few of them that were relevant to the subjects were studied for the preparation of the paper. Methods Of Data Collection 14. This paper is based on a review and examination of information gathered from a variety of secondary sources. Due to the nature and availability of numerous research works on the subject matter the researcher did not opt for any field based research. This study is based on a descriptive along with analytical study of the Nepalese governments counter insurgency strategy along with its impact on the Nepalese populace at large. For this, the researcher has mainly studied and analyzed books and various websites. This research is by no means a complete picture of the conflict in Nepal and neither a complete picture of the Nepalese experiences during the insurgency period. Neither does this research claim to cover all impacts, but merely constitutes a review dependent upon available information. Organisation Of The Dissertation 15. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner: The chapter II highlights the background reasons behind the decade long conflict, in which more than 13 thousand innocents lost their lives. The chapter III briefly tries to explain the societal experiences of the insurgency in various levels and facades. The chapter IV tries to analyze the victims of the insurgency. The chapter V finally concludes the research, with proving of the hypothesis. CHAPTER II BACKGROUND REASONS BEHIND THE CONFLICT General 16. On February 13, 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), initiated a Peoples War with over 5,000 actions being carried out throughout the country including armed assaults on police stations in rural districts, the confiscation of property from oppressive landlords and punishment of local tyrants. The Maoist movement in Nepal grew out of imbalance within the society due to poverty, unemployment and frustration among the youths. Inaccessible hills, lack of communication and illiteracy further created an environment where insurgency could easily take its roots. Political instability in the country and failure of political leaders to respond to the hopes of mass population further attributed to the rise of Maoist movement. 17. Geographical disparity.Mid Western and far Western regions are basically remote areas of Nepal suffering from widespread poverty, disparity, structural inequality, injustice and discrimination. This in turn provided the Maoist with perfect breeding ground. Hence, the insurgency started from the mid-Western region (namely Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan and Jajarkot districts). Gradually they were able to increase their influence across the country and later were virtually present in all seventy five districts from rural to urban and hills to terai (plain) areas. The geographical expansion and growth of the Maoist insurgency was sharp and ubiquitous mainly because of two reasons. First, they effectively and successfully utilized media, rights activists, frustrated masses (e.g., ex-bounded laborers, unemployed youths, etc.) and poor, marginalised and underprivileged groups. They also created reign of terror to help expand their activities. Second, complete failure of the government to address geographical inequalities and provide regionally balanced development opportunities and infrastructures. All form of governance had completely neglected these two regions as they were inaccessible and remote. 18.Impacts of the Security Forces.Nothing can be more appalling to innocent rural community than when security forces move in, searching for insurgents. Because of the poor training of the police personnel and their lack of knowledge and proper orientation, instead of resolving the problem, they usually end up becoming major problems themselves. Police Operations like Operation Romeo, Operation Kilo Shera-2 and Jungle Search Operations (1998-99) and Silent Kilo Shera-3, Delta and Operation Chakrabihu (2000-May 2001) did not prove effective. Instead they helped escalate the conflict from certain geographical areas to across the country. Large numbers of innocent people were victims of these operations, which developed further resentment and feeling of revenge. The government completely failed to recognize the gravity of the problem of geographically neglected areas. Thus the Maoist were able to give the impression to the general public that they truly represented their interests, need s and aspirations of geographically isolated poor rural population who had been excluded from the economic, political and social opportunities mainly because of staying in geographically remote and backward areas. 19.Social Exclusion and Acute Inequalities. Absolute poverty, lack of access to resources and failure of political structures to address these issues made the Nepalese society extremely vulnerable to conflict. Deep rooted social cleavages in terms of caste, ethnicity, gender, regional, cultural, linguistic and religious forms of discrimination provided fertile ground to escalate the conflict.Maoists successfully capitalised the widely discernible disillusionment of people towards poor performance of political structure. Dominance of certain groups (e.g., Brahmin, Chhetri and Newar) in all social, political and economic sectors promoted feeling of injustice and revenge as lower caste people strongly believed that they had been excluded from opportunities and resources. Maoists tactically utilised these feelings. The emergence of ethnic interest groups, awareness on social exclusion, ethnic inequalities and governance failure fuelled the conflict. 20.Unstable Government and Their Lack of Responsiveness.There has been considerable political instability since the inception of democracy in the country.   The performance of parliamentary democracy for years had repeatedly failed by its frequent shifting of alliances, changing stands with the alternative governments and seeking fresh elections. This trend created an unhindered and favorable environment for the Maoist to widen their influence, the government being unable to take any bold steps for the economic as well as social upliftment of the people. The people, who had great expectations from the political leaders after the restoration of democracy, were disheartened by their irresponsible acts of engaging themselves in internal wrangling. 21.Lack of good governance.The revolving door charade of ministers with the formation and fall of different governments only increased the corrupt practices across the board.The splitting of major parties created a weaker government which inspired the rampage corruption in the administrative sector. The nepotism and favoritism made people feel the class discrimination. Such conditions decreased the faith towards the government and the Maoists were successful in exploiting the discontented group to gain passive or active support.  Ã‚   22.Fragile Economy and Rampant Poverty. Nepal ranks among the poorest countries of the world. With no major industries for earning foreign currency and deteriorating tourism industry, the economic condition of the country is decreasing each day. No economic program had been implemented effectively in the remote areas where 85 percent of the populations are still in acute poverty. The 2002 Budget presented by the government headed by then Prime Minister Deuba painted a gloomy economic picture of the country. Out of Rs. 96.12 billion, Rs. 57.45 billion was set aside for regular expenditure and rest for developmental projects. Rs. 14 billion was allocated to the security forces. This meant regular expenses were higher than expenditure under the development section in the, and government was giving more importance to law and order than economic reform. 23.Ideology.Maoist Movement involves only a small minority of the countrys population as active participants. Most of the participants are members of the underground who perform their normal functions within the society along with their clandestine and covert activities. However, ideology has been an important factor in unifying the many divergent interests and goals that exists among the Maoist movements membership. As a common set of interrelated beliefs, values and norms, the ideology has been used to manipulate and influence the behavior of individuals with in the communities and societies. Such strategy of the Maoist has directly or indirectly motivated and attracted many innocent citizens of the country.   24.Illiteracy and ignorance. Nepals Functional literacy remains low, even though official statistics show that the literate population numbers at around 60 percent. Most of the literate or educated are again concentrated in the cities and often it is the illiterate majority that remains back in the villages where the Maoists are still active with organization building. Those without proper education are unable to distinguish between promises and practical goals and because they are â€Å"unaware† or not â€Å"critically conscious† about what they are told, they are more likely to be influenced. Inability of the people to differentiate between what is told to them and what is achievable is reason for the increase in support to the Maoists. Low literacy and lack of effective information and communication mechanisms in rural areas   provided the Maoists, the space to persuade locals to support their cause and at the same time failure of democracy to deliver up to the exp ectations of the people contributed to the frustrations of the poor and to the growth of the insurgency. Positive Aspects Of The Conflict 25. The conflict also had some â€Å"positive† aspects, i.e. if one discounts and pretends to temporarily forget the losses. These positive aspects are the social reforms initiated by the government after the Maoists began rattling the status quo by forcibly correcting some long-standing socio-cultural inequities. Some of those reforms were in the plans and programs of the government and political parties but had never really been implemented. The Maoists have effectively challenged the discriminatory and exploitative caste system and have taken the debate on ethnicity and identity to the level of discussion or regional autonomy and self-determination. 26. The Maoists advocate regional autonomy, promising nationalities and geographically specific regions the right to self-determination. Locally, Maoists women, enforced bans on alcohol production and distribution, which they claim had helped reduce social evils (domestic violence, for example), and also to improve food security by ensuring that food grains are not used for brewing alcohol. The anti-alcohol drive, however also had another side. Many of the ethnic populations need alcohol for religious ceremony and cultural events, and the industry is also a major employer. 27. In the village the Maoists are also said to have forcefully ended polygamy, by shaming or even killing those found guilty of the offense, which is something every woman would support. They also advocated equality of the sexes, and were able to portray that they are at least better than the state, on gender equality. According to published information, about one third of the Maoists militia comprises women, which is symbolically a better mix, compared to the status of women in state institutions. Furthermore, in the Maoists â€Å"base areas† places where they claimed to have complete control they tried out different development models, for example cooperatives, restoration of the tenancy rights of tillers and the setting up of â€Å"model† primary schools. CHAPTER III SOCIETAL EXPERIENCES OF THE INSURGENCY AND COUNTER INSURGENCY General 28. Nepal has endured a decade long brutal insurgency which pushed the nation to the brink of catastrophe. Notwithstanding the little knowledge and experience in Counter Insurgency (COIN), Nepals Armed forces were haphazardly deployed to mitigate the threat posed by the insurgents. Devoid of a proper political stratagem, however, the military response failed to yield the intended outcome.Any form of violence / conflict leaves behind physical scars not only on the mankind but also to its surroundings with the left away of damaged building, displaced individuals and families, disrupted public services along with the deaths and disappearances. However, the real damage is done on the hearts and minds of the people, most of them civilian peoples who stayed as bystanders during the entire period of the conflict sharing the both pain from the side of the rebel and the government forces. Hence following are some of the broad categories in terms of social, political, economic and security imp act that the researcher has identified as possible areas which were experienced by the Nepalese as a whole in the past conflict. Social Impact 29. The conflict in Nepal had resulted into death of more than thirteen thousand, from the hands of Maoist or the security forces. Many more have been impaired for life and thousands more have been displaced from their homes. There were fightings almost every day after November 2001, except during seven months of truce between January and August 2003. The conflict between the security forces and the Maoist in the past had far-reaching effects on any society, in terms of destruction, disruption, diversion and dissaving. Besides destruction of material, the conflict also disrupted the normal walk of life of the people causing social and economic losses, many of which were difficult to measure. Some of them being the pain of an individual or group that had lost their dear and near ones, anguish of bereaved widows, orphans and friends and families of those killed in the conflict, belonging either to security forces, civilians or the Maoist combatant. Besides, there is other aspect of the socio-cultural impact which includes displacement of people resulting to homeless, Human Rights violations, educational shutdown, detainees and disappearance, psychological and mental problems in children and women, degradation in environmental protection are some of the experiences faced by the society during the insurgency period. Following paragraphs discuss the socio-cultural impacts of the conflict, based on the findings from the research. 30.Displacement. Operation Romeo was the major pushing factor for the displacement of people right before the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) declared Peoples War on 13 Feb 1996 with an aim to overthrow the constitutional Monarchy and establish New Republican State. Later it was followed by the government launching Operation Kilo Sierra Two which also fuelled the displacement problem.The rate of internal displacement was further intensified after the government initiated actual counter insurgency operation. However there are no any definite statistics of the displaced people and the one available also shows the variations regarding the numbers of Internally Displaced People (IDP) which is shown in Appendix â€Å"B†, this however does not include the displaced people due to the threat of the government and security forces. 31. However it has been clear that the displacement had been both voluntary and forced. Those who left the village voluntary did so fearing they could be attacked by the Maoist, even though they were not threatened by them. Most of the voluntary migrants included members of the politician, local landlords, money lenders and the ones who were involved in illegal activities. The bitter experience of the displaced people could be understood easily since any individual that are forced to move from his/her place of residence faces multiple problems. 32.Children and Women.Where ever there is a conflict, children and women are often the worst sufferers in the conflicts, it is no doubt that many have appreciated Maoist for empowering women into their party but there are many more who blames Maoist for victimizing them as well. Though recruitment of women alongside of the men in the militia/guerilla has been termed as empowerment but at the same time the ignorance of the hardship that the women had to undergo during the conflict has always been neglected. Women experienced conflict differently than men, there were numerous cases regarding gendered form of violence during counter insurgency operations such as rape, slavery, deprivation of food, teenage widow and eviction from the family (according to Thapa, Ranjana, Impact of Armed Conflict on Women). They were victims of rape and torture and would often end up being forced to raise their children on their own, especially after their male partner were killed or captured. There were i ncidents where the young women/girls within Maoist had suffered from sexual abuse and exploitation, there was an interview in the national TV which the researcher still recalls, a 19 year old women Maoist cadre had claimed that she and many in their party had to fulfill the sexual desire of their own level Maoist cadre and she further notified that sometimes she even had to fulfill sexual desire of more than dozen per night. Overall, women had been adversely affected during these periods, whether as daughters, mothers, sisters or wives of both the personnel of the security forces and the Maoist. 33. Despite a national campaign â€Å"Children as Zone of Peace†, it was the children who were caught up in the Maoist conflict mainly as victims. Many had been killed in the Maoist Government conflict of which they were no part of. According to the INSEC, over 260 children under the age of 18 were killed in the conflict between 1996 till 2004. Many others were wounded and many had lost either both or one of their parents. According to other estimate, at least 2,000 children have lost one parent and more than 4,000 had been displaced. The Maoist at one hand had been using children as child soldier by either using them for combatant, cultural groups or as informants. At the same time the security forces have also used children in various ways such as guides, couriers and porters. Children nationwide experienced school disruptions because of Maoist attack on schools, forced closures and strikes at schools. The Maoist always use to see school going children as their potential fu ture combatant or child combatant resulting into abduction of entire class of student. 34. The framework projected in Appendix â€Å"C† provides an overview of an involvement of children in armed conflict and its impact which was distinctly experienced/ observed during the counter insurgency operations against the Maoist Peoples War. 35.Health and Food Security.Though many people had experienced death as a direct result of fighting from knife wounds, bullet, bombs and landmines, but many more died from malnutrition and disease due to Maoist Peoples war. The interruption of food supplies by the security forces, the destruction of agricultural and health services infrastructures by the Maoist, resulted into diminished food intake and severe malnutrition/infections, the target always being children and the older peoples in the society. The people living in the rural area of Nepal experienced serious cutback in local food production, caused by the migration of the merchants from the rural areas, lack of access to markets due to restriction imposed by the Maoist cadres and the displacement of able human resources from the villages. 36. In one incident in particular in 2004, Rolpa district suffered from transport blockade for nearly a year, similarly four village in Acham district faced movement restriction for over year and the Doti district faced blockade of food transportation for more than 6 months, all of them were enforced by the Maoist activists. On the other hand, in order to prevent food from falling into the hands of the Maoists, the security forces had also imposed small weekly quotas on private traders of food in some district. In some cases these amounts were so small that it was not worth for merchants to long risky journey to sell it. The quotas impacted civilians more then intended Maoist force because the Maoist regularly forced the villagers to provide them with meals, leaving very little food left for feeding families. 37.Human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. Trafficking of women and girls to India and other countries is a long standing prob

Comparing the Enthalpy Changes of Combustion of Different Alcohols :: Enthalpy

Comparing the Enthalpy Changes of Combustion of Different Alcohols Aim: I will find the enthalpy change of combustion of a number of alcohols so that I can investigate how and why enthalpy change is affected by molecular structure of the alcohol. Outline: I will use Methanol, Ethanol, Propanol and Butanol in the experiment. I will use these four because they should give me clear results, and they range from short chained to long-chained hydrocarbons, so patterns should be easy to spot in the conclusion. Variables: My independent variables are - The type of alcohol (I will use ethanol, methanol, propanol and butanol) My dependant variables are - the specific heating capacity of water - Mass of water in grams - Change in temperature of water My control variables are - The change in temperature of water- 20..C - The mass of water. If this were changed then all the results would be wrong, because it would take different amounts of energy to heat different volumes of water - The distance from the bottom of the calorimeter to the top of the wick. Otherwise different amounts of energy could escape each time making it an unfair test. Plan: From carrying out the follow experiment I will be able to find out the enthalpy change of each fuel I am testing. The enthalpy change of combustion of a fuel is the measure of energy transferred when one mole of fuel burns completely. I will use the fact that 42 Joules of energy are required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 C. Enthalpy change varies according to the following conditions – temperature, pressure and concentration of solutions. Therefore I will use a standard pressure of I atmosphere, a standard concentration of 1 mol dm†¦.3 and finally a specified temperature of†¦. I will use the equation enthalpy change = cm†¦..T c- Specific heating capacity of water m- Mass of water in grams †¦T- Change in temperature of water I will then compare the enthalpy changes and the types of molecular structures and so I will able to out why enthalpy change is affected by the molecular structure of the alcohol Prediction: I predict that as the number of carbons in the alcohol is increased, the enthalpy of combustion also increases. The enthalpy change of combustion of alcohols increases as the length of the chain increases. This can be explained if we compare one alcohol with the next in the series. The chain length increases with an addition of a CH2 group. When the alcohol is combusted what actually happens is the covalent bonds are broken, and new bond are formed.

Puritan Doctrine In 17th C. Li :: essays research papers

In seventeenth century America, the world was a frightening place. God could, and would, strike a man down at any time for any missteps he might take. Nature was filled with horrors, like Indians, and the Devil resided in the forest, waiting to steal peoples’ souls. In the eighteenth century, however, the Enlightenment began. Man discovered that he could learn by following others’ example, or by observing nature, rather than looking solely to the Bible for answers. People began to become concerned with their life here on the earth, rather than concerning themselves solely with the expectations of the afterlife. God stopped being thought of as a puppeteer, pulling the strings and controlling every movement, but as a clockmaker who had wound the world up and had then stepped back to watch. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine were two important figures in the Enlightenment. Although their philosophies differed on some matters, they both believed that the world was there to observe, not merely to act as a waiting room for the afterlife. This was a dramatic change from the seventeenth century viewpoint. Franklin and Paine’s viewpoints differed sharply from those that were held to be true in the seventeenth century, and nowhere were these differences as apparent as they were in the areas of knowledge, nature, and religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In regards to knowledge, the seventeenth century view was that knowledge was to gained through studying the Bible, and that the only purpose of gaining further knowledge would be to preserve the integrity of one’s own soul, or to help others in saving theirs. The Puritans’ interests in gaining or preserving knowledge were solely religious, and they also believed that any knowledge that man was to have could be found within the Bible. In The Autobiography (Part Two), Franklin writes that his main reason for setting up a subscription library was to give himself access to more books, and that the knowledge he gained would serve as his own personal â€Å"Means of Improvement† (575). According to the Puritans, if a person had a question, he or she needed only to search the scriptures for an answer. For example, when Anne Bradstreet was searching for an answer as to why her house, and all of her possessions contained therein, had burnt to the ground , she looked to scripture, and found solace in the idea everything she had, including her own life, was on lend from God (278).

Medical Marijuana: A not so new form of medical treatment Essay

Marijuana usage for the purpose of medical treatment has been a debated issue in many states and Countries around the world. The United Kingdom and Canada have both adopted laws that are directed at protecting patients and doctors from prosecution due to possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. Australia has passed laws, but has not put them into effect, and the United States has not made any allowances, leaving marijuana in the same category with other illegal drugs and allowing for prosecution if a person is found to be growing, possessing or using marijuana, regardless of the reasons. According to Dresser, there are currently fourteen states that have taken it upon themselves to enact laws that allow for the prescribing and use of medical marijuana, California being the most liberal in terms of allowed usages (7). While medical conditions that allow marijuana to be prescribed vary from state to state, Hall and Degenhardt write that accepted treatments generally incl ude issues such as nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, wasting due to HIV and aids, movement disorders and muscle spasticity disorders (690-692). Although many government and public agencies disagree on the medical benefits that marijuana may provide in the relief of chronic symptoms, marijuana seems to be growing in popularity among doctors and the patients that benefit from its use and a vast number of people feel it should be legalized for medical conditions across America. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is not a new issue. Prior to the twentieth century, marijuana was often used for treatment of symptoms caused by medical issues in both the United States and throughout Europe, Asia and India. In their report, Hall & Degenhardt stat... ... discusses a study that was performed in California and other States due to concerns about medical marijuana having an elicit effect of influencing young people and causing an increase in illegal marijuana use. The study showed that no abnormal increase was seen among people ages 16 to 25 following the legalization of medical marijuana. Wiwi, Amy Komoroski, and Nicole P. Crifo. "The Unintended Impact of New Jersey's New Medical Marijuana Law on the Workplace." Employee Relations Law Journal 36.1 (2010): 33-37. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. This article discusses the medical marijuana laws in New Jersey and offers suggestions to employers on how to address issues in the work place, such as failed drug testing and employee usage of marijuana. It also addresses the lack of consideration of employment in the drafting and passing of these laws. Medical Marijuana: A not so new form of medical treatment Essay Marijuana usage for the purpose of medical treatment has been a debated issue in many states and Countries around the world. The United Kingdom and Canada have both adopted laws that are directed at protecting patients and doctors from prosecution due to possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. Australia has passed laws, but has not put them into effect, and the United States has not made any allowances, leaving marijuana in the same category with other illegal drugs and allowing for prosecution if a person is found to be growing, possessing or using marijuana, regardless of the reasons. According to Dresser, there are currently fourteen states that have taken it upon themselves to enact laws that allow for the prescribing and use of medical marijuana, California being the most liberal in terms of allowed usages (7). While medical conditions that allow marijuana to be prescribed vary from state to state, Hall and Degenhardt write that accepted treatments generally incl ude issues such as nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, wasting due to HIV and aids, movement disorders and muscle spasticity disorders (690-692). Although many government and public agencies disagree on the medical benefits that marijuana may provide in the relief of chronic symptoms, marijuana seems to be growing in popularity among doctors and the patients that benefit from its use and a vast number of people feel it should be legalized for medical conditions across America. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is not a new issue. Prior to the twentieth century, marijuana was often used for treatment of symptoms caused by medical issues in both the United States and throughout Europe, Asia and India. In their report, Hall & Degenhardt stat... ... discusses a study that was performed in California and other States due to concerns about medical marijuana having an elicit effect of influencing young people and causing an increase in illegal marijuana use. The study showed that no abnormal increase was seen among people ages 16 to 25 following the legalization of medical marijuana. Wiwi, Amy Komoroski, and Nicole P. Crifo. "The Unintended Impact of New Jersey's New Medical Marijuana Law on the Workplace." Employee Relations Law Journal 36.1 (2010): 33-37. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. This article discusses the medical marijuana laws in New Jersey and offers suggestions to employers on how to address issues in the work place, such as failed drug testing and employee usage of marijuana. It also addresses the lack of consideration of employment in the drafting and passing of these laws.

Marketing Segmentation and Product Positioning

Marketing Segmentation and Product Positioning MKT 500-Marketing Management Strayer University April 27, 2011 In a rush to produce more and more crops to satisfy growing demand, producers have resort to using a lethal cocktail of pesticides to control disease and insect attack. Do you really know what goes into your food? This is why you need to be informed of the advantages of organic food. The quality of food has definitely gone down since the Second World War. For instance, the levels of vitamin C in today’s fruit bear no resemblance to the levels found in wartime fruit. Organic food is known to contain 50% more nutrients, minerals and vitamins than produce that has been intensively farmed. You will have to eat more fruit nowadays to make up the deficiency, but unfortunately that means eating more chemicals, more detrimental affects on your health eating something that should be good for all. Also don’t forget about the cocktail of anti-biotic and hormones that cattle and poultry are force fed. What happens to those chemicals when the animal dies? Digested and stored in human bodies is the answer. If you are as worried as I am about the health of your family then you need to seriously consider converting your family to the organic lifestyle. Organic Food Store SWOT Analysis Strengths Organic food is richer in Vitamins, Minerals, and Fiber and retains the level of nutrients for much longer. You will have more energy through consuming low levels of toxics and chemicals that slow your body down. Weaknesses People are unaware about organic food There is a rigid mentality of people to adapt to the change in their lifestyle. Opportunities Food habits are changing Standard of living is improving Threats Cost – Organic foods are more expensive than other food items Established competitors: Pizza Hut and McDonalds are creating a threat for Organics Fashion of junk food – Young consumers believe in fashion of junk food by not realizing the side effects it causes later

Carmen Boullosa Essay

My mother and father are both Mexican and so is basically my whole family. That would make my heritage to be Mexican or Mexican-American since I was born here in the U.S. In Mexico there are various types of writers. Some are authors, poets, journalists, play writers, script writers, song writers, etc. Carmen Boullosa was born on September 4, 1954 and is still alive today. She was born in Mexico City, Mexico. She started writing during her teens; at first did not like it but then grew up to love it. She has published many novels, poems and plays. As her writing became getting famous, her book have been translated into six different languages. Carmen has also won many awards for her great writing. Premio Xavier Villaurrutia, the Frankfurt Literaturpreis, and the Cafà © Gijà ³n Prize in Madrid are just some of the awards that Carmen has received for her writing. All of them reward her for her great writing. Feminism and the life of Latin Americans is what Carmen mostly focuses on in her writing. She likes to write about things she knows/likes about. When she first started to write as a teenage; she liked to write about girls being protagonisits. Carmen liked to be creative, so she always tried many writing styles. She would also visit the setting of other boks to get ideas or just to go to her happy place. That helped her a lot and also helped create many of her novels. There are many authors from Mexico. Many times, authors might come to Mexico to get inspiration for a new novel,poem, script or to just relax. Carmen sometimes likes to mention real world problems into her writing. Like in her novel Their Cows, We’re Pigs ; she mentions two different social and politic system that just can meet on the same page. Religion status is another thing she writes about in her novels. She mentions how many people are not the same reglion and how it is very important in many parts of Mexico. Carmen Boullosa seems like a great writer from all her biographies on her. She has written numerous of novels, poems, scripts, etc. She mentions a lot of real life problems if her writing and that is what I like about her. She writes about real thigns and mixes it with fiction and still makes if understandable and interesting. Carmen has won many awards for her writing which shows that she is a great writer and that why I chose her as the literary figure related to my heritage.

Fires of Jubilee- Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion

August 21, 1861 proved to be a day of sorrow, pain and lessons learned. The Fires of Jubilee is a historical account of the events that led to the bloodiest slave rebellion in southern history. Nat Turner is painted as a fairly intelligent and prophetic slave who believed he was chosen to free his people from their slave bondage. Nat’s rebellion last almost two whole days before being halted by militia men from the state of North Carolina, leaving upwards of 50 whites murdered in the aftermath. Although it took some time to fully accomplish, the rebellion of Nat Turner ultimately led to the freeing of the slaves some years later.The history of the south and slaves was forever changed by the events of the rebellion. Nat Turner’s name will forever be a symbol of black terror and violet retribution and at the same time, a legendary black hero. In the Old South, it was understood that Christianity was not only used to save heathen souls, but also to keep the slaves suppress ed and kept them from striking back against their masters. (Page 14) Southern white slave owners would pick and choose only certain bible lessons for the slaves to be shown.The owners felt that by restricting the knowledge of the slaves, they would be able to keep them inhibited. Words of the bible were twisted to mean different things to the slave population. Slaves were told that if they did not obey their masters and perform their allotted tasks that God would burn them in the flames of an eternal hell. To be good children of God the slaves were to accept their lot, be meek and faithful, patient and submissive, even if their masters were cruel. Slaves were taught to leave it to God to punish.And if they behaved great would be their reward in heaven. Page 14) Nat Turner was a very special slave. From a very young age it was obvious that Nat was intelligent and others around him knew it. People around Nat always thought he would grow up to be a prophet. â€Å"He was like a powerfu l angel whose wings were nailed to the floor. † (Page 69) As Nat grew older he also grew in his faith, he believed himself to be in full favor of God. He prayed daily and spent time in devotion and fasting to his heavenly father. In an attempt to gain more following Nat performed a baptism in the river of a white man.The result was not as he hoped, however it only helped to push him closer to his God. Nat began having visions for a time before the rebellion came into full plan. His visions were often bloody and violent, being described as blacks and whites fighting in battled under a darkened sky while thunder rolled in the heavens. Rivers of blood flowed free about and voices spoke from heaven saying â€Å"Such is your luck, such you are called to see, and let it come rough or smooth, you must surely bare it. † Nat was captivated by these visions and prayed fervently for a revelation.After some time had passed, the Spirit called out to Nat from the heavens saying †Å"Behold me as I stand in the heavens. † Nat looked up and saw the saviors hands stretched forth from east to west, even as they were on the cross on Calvary for the redemption of sinners. † (Page 36) Slave owners and others around town either passed Nat off as crazy or simply did not bother to believe him because he was not an ordained minister. In his own way, Nat was one of the most renowned prophets of his day. He was revered and trusted by many fellow slaves.Nat also claimed to have powers of healing and such. Several men became close confidents of Nat. He had full trust and confidence in his â€Å"lieutenants† as he called them. Four men Hark Travis, Nelson Williams, Jack Reese and Sam Edwards were Nat’s leading men in the rebellion. They were responsible for many things but spent a lot of time spreading discontent within the slave communities keeping them ready and on edge at any moment for the rebellion to begin. Nat’s lieutenants did not kno w a specific plan; he was quite secretive about the dates and details surrounding the rebellion.One of Nat’s visions gave him the final push he needed to bring the plan into full swing. At one point, a black spot appeared on the surface of the sun, for Nat this symbolized a black hand over the sun. This was his sign that God wanted him to rise up against his white enemies. Jehovah was commanding Nat to rise and move. Nat’s trusted generals stayed by his side as this revolt happened without warning. The violence raged on for more than twenty four hours. Many were left dead and dismembered in the aftermath.The consequences of the rebellion were very well known in the state and county. Immediate consequences were obviously the lost lives of the fifty-something whites. Many other slaves lost their lives as the militia began to fight and shut down Nat’s group. The entire county and state was on alert for any suspicious activity coming from any slaves. There was no wa y to tell if this was just the beginning or the ending. Rumors spread quickly throughout the state that Nat’s rebellion was only the beginning and that many other slaves outside of his county were planning to revolt as well.These rumors proved to not be true, but because the residents of the state were on high alert, many innocent, free blacks and slaves were killed simply for being suspicious. There were trials and hangings publicly in Virginia and North Carolina. The lives lost due to this rebellion went far beyond the men and women killed on the first two days by Nat and his crew. Eventually abolitionists were blamed for the rebellion because of their provocative material on flyers and in articles that were in circulation. Many whites believed that the reason for Nat’s rebellion was because of said flyers.No evidence has ever been found showing knowledge of the flyers being associated with Nat. It has come to be known that the true reason is because of Nat’s visions and callings from God; however whites did not want to believe that their God would allow this to happen. On a nationwide level the consequences began to affect many in the north as well. Abolitionists were to blame for all of these problems according to southern whites. Some of the more famous ones such as William Lloyd Garrison and Issac Knapp boldly stated that slaves should be freed immediately.They were believers that â€Å"Negros deserved life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness just like white people. † (Page 129) Many southerners did not agree with the abolitionists’ standings on slavery, in fact a vigilance association in South Carolina offered a $1,500 reward for any agitator convicted of distributing any of the abolitionist flyers or documents. No matter what anyone said, Southerners became increasingly anxious after the rebellion looking for someone to blame for Nat’s stand other than themselves. Things became increasingly hostile towards ab olitionists in the weeks and months after Nat’s revolt.Many in the south blamed the â€Å"Yankees† and made it difficult for people to express freedom of speech. (Page 135) Liberation of the slaves seem to be the only way to guarantee no further uprisings or revolts from the slaves but it was not easy to convince all of the whites of that. After all, they still had much work to be done on their farms and other items needed tending to on their plantations. Many southerners increasingly proclaimed that slavery was an institution and a positive and unequivocal good, condoned by the bible and ordained by God from the beginning of time. Page 143)A senator from Washington, John C. Calhoun made several statements on the subject of slavery. He went on to justify slavery on historical grounds insisting that â€Å"there never has yet existed a wealthy and civilized society in which one portion of the community did not, in point of fact, live on the labor of the other. † ( Page 143) There were many other reasons for not immediately freeing the slaves, on a nationwide level, many in the north were afraid that a radical freeing would cause a rush of newly free African Americans to rush into northern states.Much research and planning was put into the writing of The Fires of Jubilee. Reading the book it is hard to get a feel for exactly what Stephen B. Oates feelings are on slavery and the rebellion. This book has forever changed my opinion on slavery. I have studied about slavery as much as any other college student that is not a history major. Before reading this book, I knew and understood basic events leading up to the emancipation proclamation. This story seems so personal. You really get to know Nat on a personal level.As a Christian myself, I can relate with Nat on wanting to be close to God. I have never had a prophetic vision but I believe it when others tell me of their experiences. I do not feel Nat was right by revolting the way he did but the n again, I have never been in his shoes being suppressed by others around me. Nat was a very strong, god fearing man and I believe he felt his revolt was the only way to bring attention to the problem of slavery. Stephen B. Oates does a wonderful job with his descriptions in the novel.The work is very vivid and I can almost see the pictures in my head playing out like a movie, especially when Nat’s visions are described. I especially liked the ending chapter in the book when Stephen discusses his trip to the 1973 version of Southampton County. Reading his details makes me want to take a road trip just to see the things he seen for myself. I am not sure what would still be standing over 40 years after this book was written but it seems to be worth the trip. This book has given me a new opinion on slavery and how it affected the world that we live in today.I was not expecting to have such a different view on slavery and oppression at the beginning of this reading assignment. Th e story was quite touching even though there were parts that could have been avoided. Nat Turner will be a name I never forget when it comes to slavery. We still have lasting affects in today’s society of slavery. Even though most of the modern day African Americans that exist in my life did not have to deal with slavery, I can understand how they may still be affected by the idea of it.

Blunders and Thanks

I have always been fascinated by the rich and famous. They looked so much in control of every situation they were in. They exude a certain aura of power and many people just simply adore them. I will not try to pretend that I knew a lot of this people but in the community where I was living, a youngish couple who owned the largest construction supply business happened to live there, in a three-storey building and I often watched them with awed interest. I have bought a few things in their store and their office paneled in glass looked so grand.The second floor of the building is a showcase for home furnishings and looking at the prices of their goods only the rich could afford them, I’d mused. I learned from people talking that the third floor is their residence and as people talk, they said that it was a state of the art home, deserving for the very rich. The husband drove the grandest car in this part of our town and every morning I watch him drove to some place, attache cas e in hand, looking impressive and successful. The young wife stayed and manned the office and she too took the kind of self-assured look her husband radiates. The young couple was my inspiration.I would like to own a business one day and like them, I would be powerful too. From their looks, I believed that money brings satisfaction and contentment, happiness too. A lot of times when I daydream, I would picture myself in the fashion of the young couple’s situation, very much contented and in control over my business, employees and in every deal I have for my business. Judging from the meager income I earned from my job, the prospect looked bleak and oftentimes, I would feel frustrated. I was taking the ferry to the city and while waiting for the boat to leave, I was engaged with those day dreams again.I was deep into it when I noticed that familiar car getting at the 2 gangplank and the driver hurrying to open the passenger seat. Out came the young wife of the businessman carr ying a small bag. She is taking the boat and she is alone. She looked so chic with that small black dress and oversized Jackie O sunglasses. I lost her when she gets into the ferry. I was about to continue with my fantasy when a familiar voice roused me. â€Å"Is this seat taken? † It was her, looking a bit lost. â€Å"No,† I told her as she sat beside me. I am taking this trip alone. My husband arranged a car to fetch me at the pier. You go to our store sometimes didn’tyou? † I am surprised she noticed. â€Å"Yes,† I told her. I would have added, â€Å"I am your fan† least I would look stupid. â€Å"I am going to my husband’s youngest brother’s funeral. † â€Å"He will be buried today. † â€Å"Yes, she continued without waiting for me to ask, he is very young† â€Å"He is a special child you know and his family committed him into an institution. † There is a peculiar way about the way she talked to m e. We were not talking really. She expected me to listen and be attentive to her chat away. She did not even look at me. She talked about being bored to death at the store. She complained about the monotonous chores she have todo every day of her life including Sunday lunches at her husband’s family country house. She confessed about being jealous at people who have time to spend weekends at bars and cafes having good times with friends and meeting strangers. In-between confessions and complains she would get a call from somebody and they would talk for a minute or two. Some of those calls were from their office and others from the party of the funeral judging from her conversations on her phone. I was surprised with my reaction with her. The very first time I am nearest the person I so admired and she talked to me of things I considered so personal andbetween close friends only yet I do not feel the inspiration I expected to feel. I felt so drained. I 3 felt that this woman seeped my strength like a vampire sucking blood from her victims. The boats horn sounded signaling we have reached our destination. â€Å"You are going to the city aren’t you? † she asked, â€Å"You can share a ride with me, I’d be bored alone in that car,† she added. Instinct told me to say no and I did. â€Å"I am meeting someone in the pier,† I lied. â€Å"I would take the bus but thanks anyway and leave hurriedly away. â€Å"So much for the rich and famous,† I thought so amused.