Chinese Women in the 21st Century Essay

â€Å"There would be no new China without the Communist Party†, I’ve heard of this saying since I was a little child. From then on, the Communist Party has left a deep and giant impression on me. China makes great progress under the leadership of the Communist Party which has always been the belief of China. I’ve been told that it would be a great honor to be a party member. So now I am a party member and the Chinese belief becomes my genuine belief. However, as growing up, I begin to wonder whether all the party members can regard the Communist party as their belief all the time and whether they are doing the things the party member should do. The answer is so disappointed. The power of Chinese belief and the awareness of Chinese people of supporting the belief are becoming weaker and weaker. China needs a firm and strong advocate of the belief. Many people can establish the belief of becoming a party member, but they can’t follow their original belief all the lifetime. Gradually they lose themselves in the debauchery lives and they forget what they have said under the flag. Other people without party affiliation are harder to see their own belief clearly. A nation without definite belief is lamentable and horrible because it can be easily destroyed by the outside rumor. Chinese dream of need a power to hold the belief is the same as my dream. We are facing the similar situation. It is easy for me to set up a goal, but I can’t carry out the goal from beginning to end. Sometimes the obstacles or the outside environment make me give up the goal. I lack the perseverance. I lack the power to hold the goal. I’ m a member of the Communist Party, but I’m not true of the name for the reason I’ve mentioned above. After many years, I’ m afraid of becoming the kind of person I disliked before. I’ m afraid of losing myself in the busy world. I’ m afraid of forget all the dream and belief made when I was young. I really need the power to help me hold the belief. China is developing and I’ m growing. We all share the same dream. China needs the citizens to awaken themselves and I need the self-awakening. The glamour of the surface must be very vulnerable. We should be tested by the time. Only holding the belief all the time can we go further towards the success. Chinese dream is my dream. Hoping the dream comes true.

Romanticism: Nature and the Individual

Nature and the Individual Romanticism is a style of literature that focuses on the inspiration of the beauty of nature. Throughout the 18th Century, there were many writers who wrote in this style. Some of the more famous pieces of Romantic literature and writers included The First Snowfall by James Russell Lowell, Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and Nature by Ralph Wald Emerson. By portraying the beauty of nature, these writers inspired a whole new era of writing. Romantic writers describe nature in three different seasons.The first of these seasons is winter. The winter season until the first snowfall is portrayed as a time of despair and agony because of its dark and dreary feeling. During the first snowfall, though, the snow falls â€Å"Flake by flake, healing and hiding the scar that renewed our woe. † The snow of winter minimizes the grayness of winter bringing a conversion from sadness to hope. The snow on the trees brings delight to those who view the beauty of nature. The second season that Romantic writers describe nature in is spring.Spring is â€Å"The change from storm and inter to serene and mild weather, from dark and sluggish hours to bright and elastic ones. † It is the time when the flowers start to come out, the birds come back from their migration, and nature is depicted extremely well. Spring is the bridge season from winter to summer. The last of the seasons that Romantic writers describe nature in is the summer months. These months consist of long, sunny days. This season is the happiest of all the seasons because the colors of nature are bright and â€Å"the air is a cordial of incredible virtue.The summer months are the epitome of what the beauty of nature truly represents as the trees and flowers are in full bloom and there is excitement in the air. The beauty of nature is a very descriptive style of writing. In this way, the author explains precisely what they are talking about. Descriptive writing is the best type of wr iting for the beauty of nature, because the author's creativity and imagination pours out into their writings. Whether it is winter, spring, or summer, the beauty of nature is always represented in a positive way as a time of hope.

Code of Ethics Paper Essay

Most professional healthcare organizations have defined a mission statement, a code of ethics, and core values. These three documents must be agreement with each other and work together to define the organization. A mission statement communicates the overall purpose of the organization, and uses concepts such as philosophy or distinctive factors (Babnik, Breznik, & Dermol, 2014). A code of ethics is defined as â€Å"one of the characteristics of a profession. It is defined by the profession through the professional association and serves to inform members of that profession and society about the profession’s expectations in ethical matters† (Kikuchi, 2005). Finally, core values are the chosen principles or virtues on which importance is placed (Fremgen, 2009). Here we will discuss these aspects of the American Nurses Association (ANA), as well as the relationship between the organizations goals, social responsibility, and the congruence between the ethical values and those of the professionals who belong to the organization. The nurse, in all professional relationships, practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems. The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group or community. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth. The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining and improving health care environments and conditions of employment conducive to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through individual and collective action. The nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration and knowledge development. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public promoting community, national and international efforts to meet health needs. The profession of nursing, as represented by associations and their members, is responsible for articulating nursing values, for maintaining the integrity of the profession and its practice, and for shaping social policy. The relationship between an association’s nurse’s culture, ethical behavior and decision making can be divided into severe parts. According to the Ethics Resource Center when serving the health care industry place more emphasis on profit, they risk losing their integrity. Health care practices that are more concerned with their place in the market often face greater challenges in maintaining ethical standards. Administrators, doctors and other health care workers provide ineffective care when their priorities become skewed. Care eventually is eroded when the organization’s culture promotes greed and power over patient-centered care. Now there are seven guidelines in making ethic decision making when individuals find themselves in the position to make decisions, they should first consider some of the guidelines associated with ethical decision-making, and keep these in mind throughout the entire decision-making process. Nurses deal with people during some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. It is therefore critical that there be a clear description of the duties and obligations that are an integral part of being a nurse. A high standard of ethics and personal responsibility is imperative. The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics is a nine-part that defines the expectations and responsibilities of the professional nurse. A code of ethics makes the primary values, obligations, and goals of a profession explicit. The American Nurses Association code of ethics serves a few purposes. It is a succinct statement of the ethical obligations and duties of every individual who enters the nursing profession. It is also the professions nonnegotiable ethical standard. The American Nurses Association code of ethics is also an expression of nursing’s own understanding of its commitment to society (ANA, n. d. ). Part of the statement of purpose, or mission statement, is that the American Nurses Association is dedicated to ensuring that an adequate supply of highly skilled and well educated nurses are available. The American Nurses Association is committed to meeting the needs of nurses as well as health care consumers. The code of ethics for nurses was established as an example for handling the responsibilities as a nurse in a behavior consistent with quality nursing care and the ethical responsibilities of the occupation. One ethical theory the American Nurses Association bases their code of ethics on is ethical relativism. They believe that people’s opinions vary from society to society and what one person believes is right is not necessarily what another person believes. This relates particularly to autonomy due to the fact that each individual is allowed to make their own decisions based on their care. The patient has the choice to accept or decline the care offered by their medical provider. the medical team has to abide by the patients choice whether or not they agree with it. another ethical theory that the American Nurses Association stands behind is deontology. Deontology, according to American Nurses Association (2014), â€Å"examines a situation for the essential moral worth of the intention of act, or rightness or wrongness of the act†. This theory correlates well with beneficence because it essentially means to be compassionate. As a nurse it is important to attempt and do well in every aspect of your job but it is most important to strive to help each individual to the best of ability. Most codes of ethics have little to say regarding charter and virtue, as such moral values are difficult to methodize than rules and principles of behavior. The American Nurses Association code is arguably unique in its relative emphasis on virtue and character, most especially the virtue of compassion. Most ethicists today recognize the importance of virtue and character in concert with the recognition of rules and principles in order to achieve a more complete and fulfilling moral life and in order to more sincerely and authentically discharge one’s moral duties. Even in the American Nurses Association code, the primary intended interpretation is likely to have been deontological and contractarian, but the importance of character and virtue is not ignored either.

Chick-fil-As Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chick-fil-As - Article Example Following the CEO’s remarks against LGBT rights, a customer yelled at a drive through employee telling her that he could not understand how she could manage to work at such a place. The customer seemed very angry and used abusive and threatening language. The customer was caught on video by a security camera and the matter was taken to the police. The issue of making statements like these can be a very emotional one, and can cause a lot of problems both to the person who gives such comments and to the public. The Chick-Fil-A case is a classic example of how random remarks on such groups can cause trouble. For instance, the CEO’s remarks on LGBT rights led to a lot of problems for the CEO as well as the Chick-Fil-A restaurants especially, considering that some municipalities threatened to deny operation licenses for Chic-Fil-A restaurant franchises. On the other hand, the artist act of vandalism in response to these remarks and the act of the man yelling at the drive through employee are also classic examples of how such comments can lead to dire repercussions. Not only that but their actions did not help in improving the image of LGBT groups, and many LBGT groups have come to condemn the actions of the two. Although the artist was charged in court for his acts of vandalism, he was to pay a bill of $700 to paint the wal l in order to remove the offensive graffiti on the wall. Facebook has been on the lime light with regards to how they the firm manages the privacy of users’ data. While the firm has improved the privacy mechanisms and privacy policies of the data it has about individuals, it is apparent that users’ ignorance on how to use these controls has been a major issue. Refraining from putting personal data on Facebook can be very useful, because it is probably the only way to guarantee that the users will not lose their personal information to other people. This is especially important considering that

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Summary - Assignment Example Resultantly, the author concluded that the ICT can be incorporated in the Etsako to optimize profits and to increase business efficiency. Three recommendations were proposed in this study. First, hospitality stakeholders should create awareness on the need for organizations to deploy ICT in their operations as a strategy to achieve effectiveness. Also, Hospitality organizations need to equip their employees with ICT skills through the launch of effective training programs. Finally, the ICT related workshops and seminars should be organized for hospitality proprietors and managers to get them acquainted with the significance of ICT in hospital operations. Dana (2013) conducted a statistical research with the primary objective of establishing the role of information technology in the hospitality industry. His research focused on the grouping manner of hotels in Mures County according to the use of ICT technology and the typological analysis of hotels in line with the IT. Interviews were conducted to collect data for the purpose of the research. The following hypotheses were generated and tested for the purpose of this research: After testing the research analysis, all the hypotheses of the study were reaffirmed. The main conclusion of the research was that in Mures County, the hotel industry has integrated little IT technology within their business framework. For those organizations that have incorporated ICT in the business framework, it is clear that this technology goes way far in contributing to the organizational profits. In this view, the author recommends that the hotel managers integrate IT into their business framework. For large organizations, Dana suggests that they adopt the use of professional software to improve their data management system. Lastly, the research recommends that more information technology awareness be created to facilitate its integration in the hospitality industry as a strategy to optimize organizational

Thesis(Research) Proposal Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thesis( ) - Research Proposal Example While this is the case, no study has been conducted about the Chinese students’ experience of acculturative stress or culture shock in the Canadian environment. This study seeks to fill this knowledge gap. Hypothesis This study hypothesizes that different environmental factors such as accommodation, place, and college type impact on the way Chinese students in Canada adapt to acculturation stress. Objectives 1. To establish the extent to which Chinese international students in Canada suffer from acculturative stress in their first year study. 2. To establish how Chinese international students in Canada suffer from acculturative stress in their first year study. 3. To establish the different environment changes that Chinese international students in Canada experience that lead them to experience acculturative stress. 4. To come up with recommendations that will help Chinese international students in Canada overcome acculturative stress Research Questions 1. To what extent do Ch inese international students in Canada suffer from acculturative stress in their first year study? 2. How do Chinese international students in Canada suffer from acculturative stress in their first year study? 3. ... Based on these insights, the policy makers can develop effective policies to deal with acculturative challenges. The results of the study may be important to Chinese students seeking to study in foreign countries as it may help them understand what to expect and deal effectively with culture shock. Managers, principals and professors of educational institutions may find the results of the study important as they may get an insight into how to help Chinese students in foreign environments adapt fast to new learning environments and cultures. Literature Review Over the past couple of years, the number of students leaving China to study overseas (mainly the U.S.A., U.K., Australia, and Canada) has been growing at an estimated 20% annually (Gu, 2013). A report by China’s Ministry of Education indicated that about 340,000 students from China sought education overseas in 2011 (Xu, 2012). In 2012 alone, according to the United Nations, one in every international student was Chinese. Going by current trends, it is estimated that there are more than 490,000 Chinese students in various educational institutions abroad in 2013 (Xu, 2012). The general trend toward the preference to study abroad among Chinese students is driven by the belief that education outside the boarders of China is more systematic and comprehensive, and that the experience is better than they otherwise would get in China. Other students are motivated by the fact that they do not have to sit for and pass university entry exams when they opt to pursue education in foreign educational institutions (Anonymous, 2013). Like other immigrants, Chinese students studying in foreign countries normally experience acculturative stress and its effects. Acculturative stress is a

How can strategic HRM contribute to strategic planning Essay

How can strategic HRM contribute to strategic planning - Essay Example The purpose of HRM is the proper deployment of an organisation's workforce to ensure achievement of organisational goals, simultaneously taking care of the interests of the workforce. Strategic HRM involves the development of an HRM policy that supports the strategic planning and management of an organisation. HRM strategies can support organisational strategies in the following areas; A strategic HRM ensures job satisfaction, justice, and congruence. Congruence implies that there are no discrepancies between different groups of employees, or disparity between an employee's organisational responsibilities and personal commitments. Every organisation needs to train and develop its staff to get the most out of them. Small and Medium Enterprises, especially, as compared to larger organisations operate with less manpower, so they must focus on getting the maximum out of their workforce to succeed in a competitive environment. Training is both formal and informal. Informal training is what an employee picks up on the job, and formal training involves being sent for a specific programme by the organisation. Training is of three types - to improve knowledge, skills or attitude. If a person learning to drive is told how to do it (turning the ignition, changing gears, using the steering) he acquires knowledge. He acquires skill when he can drive by himself; he acquires the correct attitude when he learns how to drive safely and without annoying others. An SME needs to assess the training requirements for its employees by first making a list of the knowledge and skills required to perform well, and then checking on how far its employees are qualified, and who needs what training. A company should take care of training right from the recruitment stage, by looking out for the right employees, who have the required qualities, and require less training, as training is costly. However, many companies are willing to recruit people with less formal qualification if they have the right attitude, because teaching skills/ knowledge to a person with the right attitude is easier, than getting work out of a person who has skills but is not interested in working. Once assessment is done, a plan should be formulated to send the employees for training, and this plan should to followed. Training activity should be seriously undertaken. The activity itself could be fun, without in any way reducing its seriousness. The training should also be relevant. In fact it should be clear to the employee that what he learns in a programme should be put into practice at the workplace, as soon as he is back. Training evaluation can be done by the

Uchina Guchi Preservation as a Viable Language Research Paper

Uchina Guchi Preservation as a Viable Language - Research Paper Example This statistics has left many researchers across the globe active on the possibility of some of the languages becoming extinct. Extinction of languages is a threat to any society that uses or which the language belongs to. These researches have led a revelation that there are several languages that are no longer inexistence due to certain reasons related to the original speakers, as well as, the authority that ruled the speakers. An example of the most affected languages is Uchina Guchi. Without the language, communication in the Islands would be literary shunned. Communication is the core and fundamental tool on which progress rely. Without communication, people will not conduct business. There would be no exchange of ideas. There will be no learning or education. These reasons prompt for the preservation of Uchina Guchi language as an important and viable language. Statistically, the languages remained are roughly about 5,800. This leaves an important question: how can 5% of the world population speak 5,800 languages? Further research depicts that two-thirds of the 5,800 languages are in great danger of extinction. The research also shows that in every two weeks, one of the two-thirds of the languages become extinct. The danger of such losses never goes unnoticed. Many of the indigenous minority language speakers struggle to retain their mother tongues. The same is true with the Ryukyu Islands, which is situated between Taiwan and Kyushu. One of the languages that face the dangers of becoming extinct is the UchinaGuchi language, also known as the Okinawan language. Okinawa is one of the endangered languages of the Ryukyu Islands. The UNESCO (United Nation Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) recognizes six languages spoken by the Ryukyu Island dwellers. The languages are, Kanigami, Amami, Uchinaa, Miyako, Yonaguni, and Yaeyama. According to the UNESCO, The most endangered languages in the list are

Inter Personal Communication between people from different cultures Essay

Inter Personal Communication between people from different cultures - Essay Example It also increases the levels up to which people tend to during communication in various cultures and ethnic relationships. Communications keeps happening. As the saying goes, 'you cannot not communicate'. On analysis of the interview the people from the Asian cultures provided to me and the answers that could be obtained from them with regard to the effective communication methods among the community was found to have the following: 1. Interpersonal communication in most of the Asian countries follow a formal structuring. The teacher in the community is addressed as 'sir' or with a respect over tone and not by his her name. This is valid for all seniors in the household, neighbors and other senior people whom the person comes across. Whereas, in contrast, the American way of addressing such people is by their name with a Mr or Ms or Mrs as the case may be and this considered as lack of respect in case of the Asian communities. The same becomes valid when you are a senior person, an American may not mind it rather would like you to address him as Mr Senior Person, but in the case of the Asian Community if a person is addressed so or with the first name, it was always found that the people tend to take offence. 2. In America when one meets the person he wants to discuss business with, it is done immediately on meeting the person. The welfare of the person or the family or other such things which are extraneous to the topic of the meeting is hardly discussed. It is normally to the point. In case of the Asian communities, the tendency is to first create a personal rapport before commencing the business talk. Pleasantries will be exchanged to a greater degree trying to know the welfare of the person, his family; may be his parent was sick and the person will be asked about all these. This is considered as a part of the involvement in the deal. After getting so much closer, the logic is one does not try to cheat the other. Getting directly to the point might appear snobbish to people from these cultures. 3. Interpersonal communication tends to be more personal and develops a rapport in most of the Asian cultures, whereas in the case of American cultures the relationship is more business like. There is no 'face' lost in the business or linked to the business in case of American businesses. In the case of Asian businesses, it is more often the face that matters and the kind of relationships that one develops over a period of time. This possibly is the reason why develop or getting into Asian markets is stiffer for new comers whereas it is not so for the American markets. 4. When meeting a stranger, the touch is not as much a part of the Asian culture as it is in the case of the American or European cultures. Some of the Asian cultures do practice a culture of embracing when a stranger is met for the first time, while certain others do only a folding of the arms or bending the body to the front in solemnity. Most of the Asians do not touch a stranger when they meet for the first time. Though of course, when they meet the second time, the embracing or the holding of the hand does take place. Touch of the hand is more of a solidarity indication as

5.Discuss the characteristics of group decision making. Identify the Essay

5.Discuss the characteristics of group decision making. Identify the benefits and issues in a hospitality or tourism context using relevant examples - Essay Example There are certain situations that group decision making is more preferable to individual decision making as it may be more efficient. In the hospitality industry however, its particularly stated that when creativity and efficiency is most essential, and there is relatively limited time group decision is the least preferred (Kusluvan 2003, p.18). Nevertheless, group decision making is beneficial as it has the advantage of individuals having diverse skills, experience and knowledge. Organizations in the hospitality industry are encouraged to incorporate more group decision making as its participative. Participative decision making in the sense that employees at different levels are asked to participate in the decision making process more so in decisions that affect them. Groups that are incorporated include task forces, project teams and committees as an attempt to achieve better decisions and more commitment to include employees. Decision making at group level will enhance the effectiveness of decision making and enhances problem solving. The combined effort of individuals is believed to improve the quality of decisions made. Some of the characteristics that are exhibited by successful groups include the following: the group is quite small, it exudes open communication among its members and they all have a common mind set, the group members easily identify with each other and they are all agreeable on acceptable group behavior (Walker, 2009, p.43). Group decision making does work best however when all the group members are accustomed to working together and there’s some overall commitment. Setbacks associated with group decision making however are it can be seen as a time consuming activity and more so when the members have a differing expertise point of view. There is also the fear that mediocre decisions are more likely to be made as group leaders at times tend to be more manipulative and dominating and likely to take credit when the

Rogue Trader Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Rogue Trader - Research Paper Example Moreover because of the high popularity of Leeson, the Bank allowed him to make his own trade settlement, which is highly unauthorized and risky in terms that the risk limit of loss is violated and the bank, has to pay margin money on a continuous basis to make up for the loss involved. Moreover the negligence of the Barings Bank management and huge dependence on Leeson caused the bank a huge loss of $1.7 billion (Krawiec, 23-26; Rogue Trader). The internal control mechanism of the Barings  bank was completely inefficient. It could be viewed by the fact that the Government body of the organization did not set any fixed limit for the position taking like position in intraday, in overnight position. Moreover the salary of the top management official were linked excessively to the speculated profit which promoted the top management official under the guidance of Leeson to take excessive position in derivative trades even risking the loss limits when led to huge losses incurred. Moreover the absence of any formal internal audit system allowed the bank to take unauthorized path of settling the huge loss in the error account (Rogue Trader). Thus there is a complete setback in the ethical standards of the bank, as the bank was more tied to the greed of the top officials putting on a huge risk for the bank as well as for its customers. The risk assessment mechanism of the bank was highly inefficient. The movie Rogue Trader shows that there was no proper outline of the risk assessment mechanism in the Barings  bank. The top officials did not set any limit about the risk tolerance level of the bank. Moreover positions taken by the officials in risky derivative trading under Leeson and drainage of money for making up for the margin calls promoted huge financial losses. Without proper internal audit system in place the reported loss was

Anthropology Essay Example for Free

Anthropology Essay Anthropology is the study of humans and society and cultures within that society. It studies how we as people evolve and change based on different locations in the world and different ways in which we are raised. Culture is learned through childhood and growing up watching how things are done and learning what actions are deemed acceptable. So when you are an anthropologist and step back to look at different societies, you are able to see difference between the same human in rituals, work, and the basic things they do to survive. Anthropologist look at different historical actions and the present day lives of citizens in culture to understand differences between themselves and the culture and society they are studying and may even take part in. Anthropology raises some issues within one culture while studying other cultures normal way of life. In order to understand what you are seeing and studying, you must actually watch or take part in other cultures and see what and especially why they do certain things. This can bring up questions of ethics. When people go to other places to study and learn other’s culture you must try to leave your culture and way of life behind. Anthropologists are not around to spread what they deem the best culture but to learn and understand what other cultures do and why they do those certain things. In the past, Anthropology was studying people far away from you with different types of lives and cultures. Recently, however anthropology has become the study of cultures you may actually take part in. Learning and improving upon yourself and your way of life. Anthropologists also study of all different things from the way culture is passed on, survives through the generations, and how people use culture in different societies to solve unexplainable events, disease, and way to act in a culture.

Briefing On Coaching And Mentoring Management Essay

Briefing On Coaching And Mentoring Management Essay This paper will critically assess the main approaches to coaching and mentoring; identify information needed to establish and implement effective strategies for coaching and mentoring; it will also identify the main barriers and blockages to effective coaching and mentoring; and lastly, it will expand on the requirements of an effective coaching and mentoring strategy. This paper will provide answer to the following questions: Identify and critically analyse the barriers and blockages that may occur to the successful implementation of a coaching and mentoring scheme at Coca-Cola Foods Identify management strategies that could be used to overcome blockages. Discuss the role played by key workplace stakeholders in enabling a learning culture in the workplace and identify how they could be used to help ensure that coaching and mentoring scheme was fully accepted and allowed to run successfully. What is coaching and mentoring? According to a journal from the (CIMA) website titled technical briefing: mentoring and coaching (2002), there is no universal definition for either of the terms (coaching and mentoring), as it can be defined differently in different contexts. For example: in Australia, wild life coaching is likely to be associated with humanistic psychology, whereas in the UK, is more likely to be associated with fringe medicine (Clutterbuck, D., 2008). However, in this paper coaching and mentoring is discussed in an organisational context. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) factsheet (2011) describes coaching and mentoring as a development technique used to enhance an individuals skills, knowledge or work performance based on the use of one-to-one discussion. Parsloe (1999, p8) defined coaching as, a process that enables learning and development to occur and thus performance to improve. He also added that in order to become a successful coach, one will need a comprehensive understanding of the various process, styles, skills, and techniques appropriate to different coaching situations. On the other hand, mentoring relates primarily to the identification and nurturing of potential for the whole person (Megginson Clutterbuck, 2005). In other words, a mentor acts as an adviser, counsellor, role model, and also, helps the client build a wider network from which to learn and influence. The differences between coaching and mentoring. The table below shows the differences between coaching and mentoring (Clutterbuck, 2008; Praxis Paper 14, 2007; CIMA Technical Briefing, January 2002). Coaching Mentoring Addresses performance in some aspect of an individuals work or life. Often associated with the entire development and career progress of an individuals work or life. More task-oriented, skills-focused, directed and time-bound. More open-ended personal development. Focuses on achieving specific objectives, usually within a preferred time period. Follows an open evolving agenda and deals with a range of issues. Similarities in coaching and mentoring. In some cases, coaching and mentoring share some common features such as: Both coaching and mentoring has to do with asking the right questions in order to generate individual self-awareness which can, in turn, lead to informed decision making, at whatever level of concern. They both offer a medium for analysis, reflection and action that ultimately allows the individual to improve in one more areas of their life or work. Coaching and mentoring are both linked with organizational change initiatives in order to help staff to accept and adapt to changes in a manner consistent with their personal values and goals. Why are coaching and mentoring programs important for organizations? Several organizations use coaching and mentoring programs as a fundamental part of the human resource development approach (Ensher Murphy (2010). Organizations benefit from coaching and mentoring programs as employees increase their sense of loyalty and commitment as a result of effective communication (Ensher Murphy (2010). Coaching and mentoring programs are also used as a tool by organizations to attract new employees, and for the retention of high potential talent. Coaching and mentoring programs offers a preventive option to improve performance before it becomes costly to the organization (Praxis Paper 14, 2007). With todays complex and fast-changing working environment, self-awareness, trust and relationships between managers and employees is vital. Therefore, coaching and mentoring programs offers a two-way relationship with both the individuals and the organizations, providing the opportunity to address such issues in a non-threatening way (Praxis Paper 14, 2007). What types of approaches and models are available for coaching and mentoring? It has been stated that coaching and mentoring can be seen as different styles on a continuum, with different approaches being suitable in different circumstances (Praxis Paper 14, 2007). Coaching Mentoring Figure 1: The Coaching/Mentoring Continuum (Praxis Paper 14, 2007) Main aim: Skills Performance Potential Personal Objectives: Finite/concrete Role/competencies Complex/evolving Style: Directive Non-directive Duration: Shorter Longer The most appropriate approach depends on the main aim of the intervention. These could be: Develop their skills: the coach usually has does a lot of telling and has specific and clear goals on how to develop the coachees skills. In most occasions, they have the expertise in the related field and want to pass it on. Improve their performance: the coach usually pays particular attention to the behaviour of the coachee, allowing the coach to observe any block that could affect the coachees performance. The GROW model can be applied in this situation. The GROW model is a performance coaching model where the coach asks a series of questions relating to the coachees Goal, their Reality, their Options and their Will. Maximise their potential: in this approach, the coach focuses on assisting the coachee to increase and expand their human capacities aiming at producing insight that allows them to see their situation from a different and wider perspective. A tool that can be used in this situation is the OSKAR model (Outcome, Scaling, Know-how and Resources). This model focuses on bringing out the existing skills and capabilities of the coachee to attain their self-defined goals. Proactively become the person they want to be: this approach offers the coachee a chance to stretch and challenge themselves to learn. The coach usually focuses on the coachees whole life (not just work) and does a lot of asking questions and listening. A well suited model for this approach will be the co-active, as it balances is the four corner coaching stones (the client is naturally creative, resourceful and whole; it addresses the clients whole life; the agenda comes from the client; and the relationship is designed alliance) to restore and give fulfilling meaning to the clients life. Stages in developing and implementing effective coaching and mentoring strategies. Burley Pomphrey, 2011cited in Clutterbuck (2003), identifies three main stages for developing and implementing effective coaching and mentoring as: context, process and outcome. These stages will enable the coach decide on the appropriate approach suitable for the intervention. An example of a typical coaching and mentoring process entails (Friday, E. Friday, S.S., 2002): Identifying the various target audiences the programs are to serve; Identifying the criteria for selecting mentees and mentors; Recruiting qualified mentees and mentors; Interviewing and selecting mentees and mentors; Matching and training mentees and mentors; Evaluating the mentee-mentor experience. Putting Coaching and Mentoring into practice: A case study of Coca-Cola Foods To address the first question, this section will briefly describe the company (Coca-Cola Foods) and the coaching and mentoring scheme implemented, it will also identify the barriers and blockages that was encountered during this process. Company overview Coca Cola is the number one manufacturer of soft drinks and also one of the most recognizable brands in the world and in the world. With their headquarters is situated in Atlanta Georgia. Coca-Cola sells nearly 400 different products in more than 200 different countries. 70% of its sales are generated outside of North America. Production is based on the franchise system Coca-Cola coaching and mentoring program (Veale Wachtel, 1996). Human Resource Development is considered as a key to building competitive advantage in Coca-Cola Foods. The company views coaching and mentoring as a tool for directly enhancing performance that is to continuously build employees skills in order to the creation of a high-performing organization. A challenge Coca-Cola was facing was the struggle to maximize and/or optimize their Human Resource Developments contribution to business success. In order to tackle this challenge, the company created a system of mentoring programs tools which included one -on-one mentoring, group mentoring and mentoring self-study. Up with the following approaches: To strengthen the link between business strategy and developmental focus; To involve leadership of the organization in all aspects of development; To use a variety of developmental tools to match personal and organizational needs better. The main aim of the coaching and mentoring program at Coca-Cola is to help the individual (employee) better understand the company and his or her role in it. However, the case study focuses on the coaching and mentoring processes used by the company to develop their employees. To maximize the benefits of coaching and mentoring, Coca-Cola Foods trains managers to establish a communication environment of mutual respect that is problem-focused and change-oriented. Some of the coaching and mentoring models used by Coca-Cola Foods in their training programmes are: The Hersey-Blanchard model with its emphasis on both task and support skills as a requirement of good coaching. This model focuses on using different leadership styles. For example, instead of using just one style, the model encourages successful leaders to change their leadership styles based on the maturity of the people theyre leading and the details of the task. Also, the company uses Front-line Leadership programme which has basic principles defining the tone and style of the conversation, and then other modules focused on the formats for communicating to enhance performance. The Front-line Leadership series clearly advocates mutual goal setting, discussion and problem solving within an atmosphere of trust and collaboration. Some potential barriers and blockages that could occur while implementing the coaching and mentoring program. When a coaching and mentoring programme is initiated in an organisation, it is necessary to understand the potential barriers that may occur for both members of the relationship. Considering these in advance and pointing them out to the potential coach and coachee may help to overcome them at an early stage. The incorrect matching of mentors/coaches and coachee/ protà ©gà ©s; The lack of managerial support; The resentment felt by those not involved in the coaching and mentoring programmes, perhaps due to a perception or favouritism; The creation of false promotional expectations; The overdependence of the mentor or mentee; Gender inequality; Blurring of role boundaries There are a number of factors which will contribute towards a successful relationship between mentor and mentee during the coaching and mentoring processes: Commitment and interest of the individuals involved Sufficient resources and organisational support Taking a holistic, personal approach Embedding the process in the organisational context Skills and experience of coaches and mentors Recognition of cross-cultural issues Ensuring an enabling external environment. Managerial strategies that could be used to overcome blockages. There are different ways a mentee can be supported, checked, encouraged and given constructive feedback. With each strategy, it is important to be aware of its purpose, appropriateness, the likely impact and its value to the mentee. Strategies can include: Giving advice offering the mentee your opinion on the best course of action. Giving information giving information on a specific situation (e.g. contact for resource). Taking action in support doing something on the mentees behalf. Observing and giving feedback work shadowing and observation by either or both parties. Observation coupled with constructive feedback is a powerful learning tool. Reviewing reflection on experience can develop understanding allowing one to consider future needs, explore options and strategies. The selection of strategies can be guided by a number of factors, such as: Values and principles underpinning the mentoring scheme in this case, encouraging self sufficiency and empowerment. Shared understanding between mentee and mentor of the purpose behind the mentoring relationship. Quality and level of the professional relationship. Level of experience and need of the mentee. Level of mentors own awareness and comfort with the mentoring process Managers will require the following skills for them to be good coaches and mentors: The role of stakeholders in coaching and mentoring It is crucial for managers to see the value and understand the importance of developing individuals, teams and the overall organisation. The primary relationship in any coaching or mentoring scheme is between the coach/mentor and the individual, but this may not be the only important relationship. Other key stakeholders such as the people representing the organisations interests, in most cases an HR and/or learning and development practitioner, and the individuals manager. All of these parties are interested in improving the individuals performance and therefore their contribution to the organisation. In the case Coca-Cola Foods, a ten-part coaching and mentoring scheme was initiated. Most facilitated mentoring programmes have a formal process which defines each step and audits the ongoing success of the programme. Although these processes will differ somewhat in how they address the needs of the stakeholders, most programmes generally follow procedures similar to those below: Mentees identified: in this step, Coca- Cola Foods identifies the group of people who are eligible for the mentoring programme. This can be done in a variety of ways looking at certain job levels, departments, employee characteristics, etc. Once the target group is defined, specific mentees can be identified by having them volunteer, be nominated by a boss or other sponsor. Identify developmental needs: the developmental needs are determined and an individual development plan is prepared in this stage. This can be done by having the mentees disclose what they think are their developmental needs, having bosses determine these needs, and/or having skill deficiencies revealed through assessment. Identify potential mentors: this step produces a pool of individuals who can serve as mentors. They may volunteer for the role, may be chosen by a mentee, or may be recruited by senior managers. Prior to selection, a mentors general ability and willingness to handle the role should be assessed. Mentor/mentees matching: a mentor is selected for a specific mentee after considering the skills and knowledge needed by the mentee and the ability of the mentor to provide practice or guidance in those areas. Compatibility of styles and personalities can be critical. Mentor and mentee orientation: before the start of the mentoring relationship, an orientation is held for both the mentors and mentees. For mentors this orientation covers time commitments, types of activities, time and budget support, the relationship with the natural boss, reporting requirements and the mentees responsibility for the development. Contracting: a clear agreement is an essential foundation for a good mentoring relationship. It includes a development plan, confidentiality requirement, the duration of the relationship, frequency of the meetings, time to be invested in mentoring activities by each party, and the role of the mentor. Periodic meetings: most mentors and mentees meet for performance planning, coaching, and feedback sessions. The frequency can be determined by the nature of the relationship and by geographical proximity. At these meetings, both parties are candid about progress of the process. Periodic reports: it will be easier to evaluate the success of the mentoring programme if periodic status reports are by both the mentor and mentee. Depending on the level of formality in the programme, this step may or may not occur. Conclusion: a mentoring relationship concludes when the items delineated in the initial agreement have been accomplished or when time/business/budget constraints will prevent the relationships from continuing. It may also be concluded when one of the pair believes it is no longer productive for them to work together. Evaluation and follow-up: after the relationship concludes, both the mentor and mentee are questioned, via interviews or other assessment instruments, about the value of the process, timing, logistics, time constraints and any other valid concerns that could affect the mentoring process. Communication is a plays a major role in building a coach/coachee relationship. Both parties can benefit from analysing a number of key skills (active listening and questioning). The skill of Active Listening Active listening is the ability to listen and internalise what is being said, essentially listening and understanding. You can use your whole self to convey the message of an active listener involved in the discussion, showing interest, gaining trust and respect. This can be achieved by using verbal and non-verbal communication. Using the art of questioning Questioning, if used effectively, is a very useful and powerful tool. It allows the mentee-mentor relationship to develop, assisting the mentee in exploring and understanding their experiences with the hope of formulating avenues and actions for the future. Conclusion The implementation of coaching and mentoring programmes at Coca-Cola was successful, as these programs helped strengthen the company and also fostered professional growth and development for the employees. Because there is a great deal of evidence regarding the important contributions which mentors make to career success, and because Coca-Cola has tied both mentor and coaching programmes to business goals, it would seem that Coca-Cola Foods approach is in line with both the scientific evidence and with recent proponents of achieving competitive advantage through people.

Conclusion On Foot Reflexology Health And Social Care Essay

Conclusion On Foot Reflexology Health And Social Care Essay This study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of foot reflexology in terms of enhancing psychological wellbeing of elderly people in selected old age home at Pondicherry. Ageing is the accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Health is vital to maintain well-being and quality of life in old age and is essential if older citizen are to continue making active to society. Problems of the ageing are mostly not due to age but largely due to psychosocial environment, diminishing supports and changes in life situations. According to traditional medicine each foot has over 7,000 nerve endings, 26bones, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles. This type of drugless therapy creates a physiological change in the body by naturally improving your Circulation, which reduces our body Tension and enhances relaxation. It aids in the elimination of the body waste and restoring the body functions to better health. The objectives of the study were To assess and compare the pre and post level of psychological wellbeing of experimental group. To assess and compare the pre and post level of psychological wellbeing of control group. To compare the pre test level of psychological well being between experimental group and control group.. To compare the post test level of psychological well being between experimental group and control group. To associate the pre test level of psychological wellbeing among elderly with their selected demographic variables To associate the post test level of psychological wellbeing among elderly with selected demographic variables. The research hypothesis stated were There is a significant difference between the pre test and post test level of psychological well-being among elderly in experimental group at p

Sylvia Plath Essay -- Essays Papers

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath’s mother was the daughter of two German immigrants who lived in Massachusetts. She grew up highly educated and became a high school English teacher. Sylvia Plath’s father had a doctorate in classical languages at Boston University. When Sylvia’s mother decided to earn her Masters degree at Boston University, Otto and Riri were married after a brief courtship, January 1932, in Carson City, Nevada. By mutual agreement, the mother immediately quit her job and became a homemaker. Her first child, Sylvia, was born October 27, 1932. Sylvia’s brother Warren was born one and a half years later on April 27, 1935. True to her word, Riri Plath was a devoted mother and wife. Otto Plath devoted himself to writing a book, so that the family had very little time for social life. Otto was also twenty years older than Riri and insisted on ruling the household with an iron hand. In fact, he even controlled the finances of the house to the degree that he insisted on doing all the shopping, groceries and otherwise. As controlling as he was, he was also a very loving and proud father and Sylvia and Warren grew up feeling loved by both parents. However, in 1936, Otto began to get extremely sick. He refused to go to see a doctor and he continued to work through much of his illness, which the family believed to be lung cancer. Then in 1938-1939, Warren also became sick. First with pneumonia, then later with asthma and other bronchial ailments. Riri Plath exhausted her resources trying to take care of the two sick men in her family. So Sylvia was often left with her maternal grandparents, whom she was very found of. In particular, she was very close to her grandfather, who she called â€Å"grampy†. In fact, she often in later writing would speak about him as if he was really her father. The following excerpt comes from her story â€Å"Among the Bumblebees† and describes an incident that actually occurred, according to Riri, (Pg. 22) with her grandfather. â€Å"†¦First father would go for a swim himself, leaving her in the shore. . . .After a while she would call to him, and he would turn and begin swimming shoreward, carving a line of foam. . . .cleaving the water ahead with the powerful propellers of his arms. He would come to her and lift her onto his back , where she clung, her arms looked around his neck, and go swimming out again. In an ecstasy of terror... ... and her and her husband settled back down in the United States. Both pursued their writing careers and worked off and on until they finally decided to return to London once again. In February 1960, Sylvia published her first volume of poetry called the â€Å"Colossus And Other Poems†. Both poets enjoyed continued success, but were even happier when on April 1, 1960, Sylvia gave birth to her first child, a daughter. A second child, a son, was born to the couple January 17, 1962. It was soon after this second birth that the marriage showed signs of great strain. Sylvia eventually found out that Ted was seeing someone else and she divorced Ted and attempted to continue with a normal life with her two children. She continued to experience success as a writer, and published several more books of poetry. However, her and her children’s illnesses and an extremely bad English winter, along with many lonely nights caused Sylvia to take her life on February 11, 1963. Bibliography 1. Aurelia Shober Plath. Letters Home by Sylvia Plath. New York City: Harper & Row Publishers, 1975. 2. The Academy of American Poets. â€Å"Sylvia Plath†. The Academy of American Poets. Online. 2000.

Law of Evidence: R v Kearley Essay -- Papers

Law of Evidence: R v Kearley Essentially this piece concerns whether the House of Lords correctly decided the case of R v Kearley[1]. The majority decided allowing the appeal, that the evidence concerned in this case was either irrelevant, and therefore inadmissible (unless part of the res gestae) or was inadmissible as hearsay in the form of an implied assertion. The facts of Kearley will be discussed, followed by an analysis of the decision by their Lordships, finally considering the issues of relevance and implied assertions in relation to the decision in Kearley. The facts of Kearley are well known. The disputed evidence was that the police officers whilst on the raid answered a number of callers to the flats, both by telephone and by visitors. The police officers testified that the callers were seeking to buy drugs in place of the original callers who were unwilling or unable to attend court. The appellant objected to the evidence on the ground that it was hearsay, but this was overruled. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal and certified a question to the House of Lords. Condensing the certified question, it was whether a person not called as a witness, for the purpose of not establishing the truth of any fact narrated by the words, but of inviting the jury to draw an inference from the fact that the words were spoken ? [2] On the issue of relevancy, Lord Ackner for the majority considered that each request was evidence of the state of mind of the person making the request, and that was an irrelevant issue in the trial. This was backed up by Lords Bridge and Oliver. It should be noted though that Lord Bridge f... ...[1986] 86 Cr App R 105 [15] DPP v Kilbourne [1973] AC 726 per Lord Simon at P756 [16] [1993] 13 Legal Studies 54, 65 [17] Law of Evidence (1999) Page 528 [18] [1993] 56 MLR 138, 146 [19] Per Lord Griffiths in Kearley at Page 348 [20] [1993] CLJ 40, 41 [21] ibid no. 19 [22] The Modern Law of Evidence (4th Edition) (Butterworths) [23] Wright v Doe D Tatham (1837) and Teper v R (1952) [24] [1993] 13 Legal Studies 54 59 [25] [1993] 56 MLR 138, 140 [26] Law of Evidence (1999) [27] [1992] NLJ 1194, 1194 [28] [1993] 56 MLR 138, 148 [29] [1993] 56 MLR 138, 151-152 [30] [1994] 110 LQR 431, 438 [31] Report No. 245: Evidence in Criminal Proceedings and Related Topics (1997) [32] Pattenden, Rein - (modified version though), and Cross [33] [1993] CLJ 40, 42

Giving Feedback Essay

Giving feedback to a classmate in a distance learning environment would be different from giving face to face feedback in many ways such as with distant learning you have to be sure to provide detailed information so that your classmate will understand. When providing feedback to a distant learner you have to be sure your words are used carefully try to critique the feedback as if you were the classmate an see what reaction you would give. When providing feedback face to face I am able to see the user’s reaction to the discussion. I also feel that when providing feedback face to face you feel a little more comfortable. Also, when providing feedback face to face I am able to see the user’s reaction to the discussion. Typically when I speak on a subject with someone I likeface to face coverag so I am able to see a reaction t our discussion. why I chose the OLS giving feedback to a classmate in a distance learning environment be different from giving face-to-face feedback 80% of communication is by the tone of voice we use, facial expression and in body language. Only 20% is in the words. If in a distance learning environment you have to very carefully pick your words so as to not be misunderstood or give offence. If face-to-face you could instantly see that soemone has misunderstood what you’re saying and could change it accordingly. Both however require honesty and openness. The usual best way of giving feedback is the â€Å"sandwich technique† – you say something good, then tell what they could improve on (never say they did something wrong), and finish on a positive; something like: â€Å"I really liked the way you wrote that story. I wouldn’t have minded if there had been more dialogue and less description, but overall I think you got the message over really well†. When you’re commenting on a post from someone, one tip you want to remember is your online tone is harder to distinguish than a face to face tone. Emoticons and jokes may seem juvenile, but they may keep a joke from being taken seriously. Also, in MS Word, when you’re reading someone’s paper, you can highlight a phrase, click insert comment, and comment away and it shows up very clearly what part of the paper you would like to comment on or edit. Save it with the comments and email it back to them.

Harm of Texting

Many parents and educators fear that the texting craze may have negative effects on teenagers’ writing skills. Because this is a relatively new area of concern, the few studies that have been done are inclusive. Everyone does, however, realize that text messaging is here to stay. Read the following articles. Summarize each article in at least two paragraphs per article. Then write your own opinion of the role of text messaging. (Everyone can agree that texting while driving is dangerous, so don’t get sidetracked by this point. ) Teens ready to prove text-messaging skills can score SAT pointsMany experts believe that teenage composition is as strong as ever due to the revolution of e-mail, instant-messaging (IM), text messaging and the internet. Many teens communicate on a daily basis using one or more of these methods. As a result, many experts believe that this generation is more proficient with the written word. Al Filreis, director of the Center for Programs in Conte mporary Writing at the University of Pennsylvania, has seen â€Å"the quality of student writing at the high school level go way up, and this is explained by the fact that they do more writing than they ever did. He believes that there's a genuine writing renaissance under way. Overall, this can help improve writing scores on the SAT, since it has undergone the broadest revision in its 80-year history. One of the biggest changes is a 25-minute, two-page essay. Other experts are not so sure about teens' competence in â€Å"real life† English. John Briggs, an English professor at the University of California, Riverside, says that â€Å"Though online reading may be thriving, the amount of reading that students do in preparation for college is sinking. He believes that online writing may cultivate informal use of language but it does not increase kids’ access to formal literature. He says, â€Å"Americans have always been informal, but now the informality of precollege culture is so ubiquitous that many students have no practice in using language in any formal setting at all. † Some experts believe that although bias exists in scoring the SAT essays, that the SAT essay could urge high schools to step up their writing instruction.Teachers admit that there is room for improvement and hope for renewed emphasis or writing programs in high schools. Many experts believe that writing instruction will get stronger. Problems associated with teen texting Millions of preteens and teens (ages 10-18) are taking advantage of the great options, including text messaging and picture messaging, offered with cell phones, PDA’s or Ipods. This generation is sending messages on everything including answers to exam questions and discussion about their secret life.Many parents are concerned that today’s preteens and teenagers are on the cell phones too much, which diminishes their use of proper grammar and the knowledge of sentence structure. Preteens and Teens have created their own language as a form of acronyms over their personal cell phones. Some educators suggest that this new age form of messaging may be hindering today’s teens’ abilities to apply grammar correctly in their writing and social skills. Many parents believe that they should monitor the type of messages that are sent over their cell phones and assist preteens and teens in proper spelling and grammar.However, there are numerous benefits as well as problems with the emergence of text messaging. It has brought a great deal of convenience, quickness, and a new language to our society. It has also created a very common but dangerous problem, texting while driving. The author of this article, Alfred Valenzuela, personally likes text messaging because it has many advantages. Many businesses use text messaging to remind you of appointments or to remind you to pay a bill.But the author, as a concerned parent, is also worried about its effects on preteens ’ and teens’ ability to read and write. My opinion of the role of text messaging I believe that the role of text messaging is meant to help keep society moving at a fast and efficient pace. Teenagers use text messaging as a way to have multiple conversations with people in their lives. It enables you to multi-task as well. Businesses use text messaging all around the world to give out quick information. It does not require them to call each associate one by one.A text message can reach up to 50 people at one time. I play baseball and my coach uses text messaging as a way to communicate with all of the players on the team. This is efficient in keeping the team informed in a timely manner because he does not have access to email all of the time. I think text messaging helps with communication as well. It takes less time and less effort to send a text then to call someone. People are constantly on the go and text messaging allows people to keep up with their business and social lives.Efficiency and consistency creates success. That is why there are constantly new upgrades of phones and other devices that work faster. Many people have very busy lives which make a demand for quicker and more efficient technology to help manage their lifestyles. I believe that the role of text messaging has been abused and used in ways that threaten the lives of people as well. However, overall it has helped society progress and achieves higher levels of success in a short amount of time.

Why Support the Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act

For the past years, health and health care have transformed to become the dominant economic and political issues in the United States and many other countries. Because most nations have experienced rapid rises in health care spending over the past 30 years, governments have assisted patients in their countries because the cost is simply becoming unaffordable for them.During the earlier times, provision of health care was a relatively simple matter. Doctors carried most of the equipment they used in a black bag and the same doctor was likely to attend a patient for most, or all, of her or his life. During those days the range of medical and surgical interventions was quite modest. Today, sophisticated diagnostic technology complements an extensive array of medical and surgical options making medical care a very complex, highly specialized, and costly commodity.One of the most alarming diseases that had burdened American people is kidney failure. According to a U.S. Newswire report (16 March 2005),   approximately 400,000 Americans currently suffer from kidney failure and of those, around 300,000 require dialysis several times a week, for an average of 3.5 hours per session. At the current rate of new cases — many the results of diabetes, obesity and hypertension — the number of patients is expected to quadruple to more than 2.2 million by the year 2030. Many experts recommended that early detection and better disease management is regarded as the best means to delay the onset of kidney failure.Definitely, kidney function is essential for life. Once a person’s own kidneys fail, some form of treatment is necessary if they are to go on living. Currently, there are two forms of treatment – dialysis (in which the kidney function is taken over by artificial means) and transplantation (in which another person’s kidney is used instead). Successful treatment – by dialysis or a transplant – now gives people with kidney fa ilure a new lease of life, sometimes for many years (Stein 2002, p. 122).However, death can be inevitable. Patients and families usually want to know how long a person can survive with untreated end-stage kidney failure. This too is variable, depending on the extent to which their old kidneys are working – and therefore the amount of urine that they pass. The kidneys may be able to get rid of some excess fluid, but unable to process waste products such as creatinine and urea, or salts such as potassium. It is the build-up of these substances in the blood (especially the potassium) that usually leads to death. This is why dialysis represents the success of our knowledge and skill in conquering a kidney illness. Dialysis is all about life. And, it could cost an insurmountable amount of money when someone goes to dialysis three times a week for the rest of his or her lifeIndeed, there is an immediate need to improve the government’s program that provides dialysis care for those with kidney failure. This is why the members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate introduced bipartisan legislation to update the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program, which 75 percent of the nation's dialysis patients rely on to live.This is called The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005, sponsored by Senators Rick Santorum and Kent Conrad, and Representatives William Jefferson and Dave Camp. This legislation would update Medicare's composite rate for ESRD — which does not automatically adjust for inflationary increases — as well as provide for important education and preventative programs to help stem the rising tide of kidney failure in the United States (U.S. Newswire, 16 March 2005).The primary reason for health care is to prevent or cure diseases or attend to people with chronic or terminal illnesses. It may be possible, however, for health care costs to undermine the soundness of what our pockets can afford, and such an eventuality would be und esirable. Hence, a pressing issue entails how to achieve a situation in which expensive medical care can continue to be available while, at the same time, the total cost of health care is scaled back so as to keep this cost in line with the overall rate of skyrocketing prices.For instance, Talladega in Alabama has only two dialysis units and there are almost 100 patients that cramp the two units. With The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 patients will be assured for better care among patients stricken with kidney disease through improvements in Medicare and enhanced education programs, which would prevent numbers in Talladega County from growing any more. Although the act currently sits in a Senate committee awaiting approval, that’s not stopping local doctors from offering warnings to at-risk patients.Ghayas Habash, a nephrologist, said that the main thing people need is to get the message across to people at risk for kidney failure, those with diabetes, hyper tension, black people and those with a family history. If only we address these people aggressively, we can prevent a lot of kidney failure (Casciaro, 18 August 2005).True enough, medical costs have more than doubled over the last decade, and health insurance premiums have risen nearly five times faster than wages. Americans are spending far more on health care than residents of any other industrialized country while receiving lower-quality care overall. Meanwhile, big U.S. businesses that provide health coverage to workers complain that the high costs are crippling their ability to compete with companies abroad whose workers get government-subsidized care.The Bush administration is encouraging consumers to switch to consumer-directed health plans, whose high co-payments would force them to shop for more cost-effective care. But critics argue that individuals can do little to control costs. Instead, they argue, the plans would primarily benefit the wealthy and that society must make hard choices about which care should be paid for by public and private dollars (Clemmit, 7 April 2006).The overwhelming amount of health care purchased in the United States is paid for by the government through Medicare and Medicaid or by privately owned health-insurance companies. Both Medicare-Medicaid and health insurance firms employ personnel, process claims, and issue payments. Their procedures and personnel are expensive and add to the cost of health care without actual medical benefit to anyone.Proposals have been made to dismantle the so-called third party infrastructure and change to a single-payer system in which government would provide and pay for health care. Taxes would be adjusted to cover the costs and administrative bureaucracy would be kept to a minimum so as to maximize efficiency. While a single-payer system has obvious merits, a national consensus in favor of such a system has not emerged. Thus, the problem of health care dollars paying for administrative infr astructure remains, and there is no clear indication as to how to resolve it.For kidney patients, The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 is long overdue because dialysis is not an option but a necessity for them to continue living. This legislation modernizes the Medicare ESRD program by: ·    creating public and patient education initiatives to increase awareness about Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and to help patients learn self-management skills; ·      ensuring patient quality through improvements in the ESRD payment system, including establishing an annual update framework and evaluating the effect of the new Physician Fee Schedule G-code visit requirements; ·      providing Medicare coverage for CKD education services for Medicare-eligible patients; ·    establishing an outcomes-based ESRD reimbursement demonstration project; ·    aligning incentives for physician surgical reimbursement for dialysis access to promote quality and lower costs;  ·      establishing a uniform training for patient care dialysis technicians; and ·    improving ESRD coverage by removing barriers to home dialysis and creating an ESRD Advisory Committee (RPA Website, 2006).Some critics have argue about the use of CKD education. In deeper analysis, CKD education is very crucial because people need to know the things about it prior to developing kidney failure but there is no funding for education that could have helped prolong your kidney function. This Act will be beneficial not only for CKD patients, but also for people who may be at risk. This act will definitely enable people that you (or your loved one) can get more treatments. With the current policy, most people cannot avail the dialysis they need because Medicare doesn't pay for more than 3 treatments a weekAs quality of care is everyone’s privilege, Medicare reimbursement should be updated annually for dialysis clinics just like it is for other providers. Medicare's low reimbursement could result to employer health plans paying more than their share and private companies have to pay higher. This would be a heavy burden for people with CKF because they need to pay higher premiums or their health coverage is reduced, or sometimes employees with CKF or employees that have dependents with CKF have the risk to lose their jobs because of the high costs on their part.Kidney patients need life-saving treatments that need to be improved because their lives are on the line and it is sapping them out of their funds because of the costs. Enacting Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 should therefore be prioritized and Congress should not think twice. Everything should be done to help CKF patients combat this lethal disease, and support them with all our efforts to get better treatments before it is too lateReferencesClemmitt, M. (2006, April 7). Rising health costs. CQ Researcher, 16, 289-312. Retrieved September 12, 2006, from CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2006040700.Renal Physicians Association (RPA). (2006). The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act of 2005 Bill #S.635. Retrieved September 12, 2006, from RPA Website at http://capwiz.com/renalmd/issues/bills/?bill=7319331&size=fullStein, A. (2002). Kidney Failure Explained. London: Class Publishing.U.S. Newswire. (2005, March 16). Members of Congress Announce Bipartisan Legislation to Update, Improve Kidney Care Quality and Ensure Access to Dialysis. Retrieved September 12, 2006 at http://www.prnewswire.com/products-services/reach-us-media-bloggers.htmlpublic-interest-newslines-2.htmlGetRelease.asp?id=44507

Nicholas I

Tsar (Czar) was one of the many autocratic leaders that ruled Russia. He was part of an autocratic monarch. Which had officially made him a sole ruler and a sort of king. He would persuade people by saying to them that he had a Divine Right we meant that God made him the ruler. Uneducated people often believed that if they were poor or wealthy it was God that had chosen their lives. In 1825 Nicholas I had a revolt with a group of revolutionaries called the Dismembers, they were the people that wanted a constitution, which then meant that he Tsar had to obey rules.The Tsar being an autocrat hated this idea, he then revolted and crushed that revolt. The Tsar was proclaimed the â€Å"Gendarme of Europe†. The only theory that Nicholas had of a government was Nationality, Autocracy, and orthodoxy [religion]. Any discussion and belief on politics against Nicholas was banned, but some aristocrats met In secret to discuss about politics and If they were discovered they were either han ged or sent to Siberia. During all of that In 1848 Western Europe the industrial revolution had started, this had brought technology, and new weapons.In 1854 Nicholas I believed that Russia was one of the greatest countries in Europe, he then decided to invade Turkey since they were connected to the black sea and so they had an interesting port for trading. Also the Turkish Empire was in a decrease in power so it would be easy to win. The other countries such as France and Britain did not co-operate very well for this idea so they fought on the Turkish side. Knowing that France and Britain ere in there industrial revolution they had better warfare. At the end of the Crimean War Russia had lost. In 1855 Nicholas I died of Pneumonia.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Thirty-five

I WISHED LISSA HAD â€Å"needed' me to go take out an army of Strigoi. I would have felt more comfortable with that than what she needed to do now: meet with Jill to discuss the coronation. Lissa wanted me there for support, as a kind of go-between. I wasn't able to walk that well yet, so we waited another day. Lissa seemed glad for the delay. Jill was waiting for us in a small room I'd never expected to see again: the parlor where Tatiana had berated me for moving in on Adrian. It had been a pretty bizarre experience at the time, seeing as Adrian and I hadn't actually been involved back then. Now, after everything that had occurred between him and me, it just felt †¦ strange. Confusing. I still didn't know what had happened to him since Tasha's arrest. Walking in there, I also felt terribly †¦ alone. No, not alone. Uninformed. Vulnerable. Jill sat in a chair, her hands folded in her lap. She stared straight ahead with an unreadable face. Beside me, Lissa's own features were equally blank. She felt †¦ well, that was the thing. I didn't know. I didn't know. I mean, I could tell she was uncomfortable, but there were no thoughts in my head to tip me off. I had no specifics. Again, I reminded myself that the rest of the world worked like this. You functioned alone. You did your best to manage strange situations without the magical insight of another person. I'd never realized how much I'd taken the thoughts of even just one other person for granted. The one thing I felt sure of was that both Lissa and Jill were freaked out by each other–but not by me. That was why I was here. â€Å"Hey, Jill,' I said, smiling. â€Å"How are you?' She snapped out of whatever thoughts had been occupying her and jumped up from the chair. I thought that was strange, but then it made sense. Lissa. You rose when a queen entered the room. â€Å"It's okay,' said Lissa, stumbling over her words a little. â€Å"Sit.' She took a seat opposite Jill. It was the biggest chair in the room–the one Tatiana had always sat in. Jill hesitated a moment, then shifted her gaze back to me. I must have provided some encouragement because she returned to her chair. I sat in one beside Lissa, wincing as a small pain tightened in my chest. Worry for me momentarily distracted Jill from Lissa. â€Å"How are you feeling? Are you okay? Should you even be out of bed?' The cute, rambling nature. I was glad to see it again. â€Å"Fine,' I lied. â€Å"Good as new.' â€Å"I was worried. When I saw what happened †¦ I mean, there was so much blood and so much craziness and no one knew if you'd pull through †¦' Jill frowned. â€Å"I don't know. It was all so scary. I'm so glad you're okay.' I kept smiling, hoping to reassure her. Silence fell then. The room grew tense. In political situations, Lissa was the expert, always able to smooth everything over with the right words. I was the one who spoke up in uncomfortable scenarios, saying the things that shocked others. The things no one wanted to hear. This situation seemed like one that required her diplomacy, but I knew it was on me to take charge. â€Å"Jill,' I said, â€Å"we wanted to know if you'd be willing to, well, take part in the coronation ceremony.' Jill's eyes flicked briefly to Lissa–still stone-faced–and then back to me. â€Å"What does â€Å"take part' mean, exactly? What would I have to do?' â€Å"Nothing hard,' I assured her. â€Å"It's just some formalities that are usually done by family members. Ceremonial stuff. Like you did with the vote.' I hadn't witnessed that, but Jill had apparently only had to stand by Lissa's side to show family strength. Such a small thing for a law to hinge on. â€Å"Mostly, it's about being on display and putting on a good face.' â€Å"Well,' mused Jill, â€Å"I've been doing that for most of this week.' â€Å"I've been doing it for most of my life,' said Lissa. Jill looked startled. Again, I felt at a loss without the bond. Lissa's tone hadn't made her meaning clear. Was it a challenge to Jill–that the girl hadn't faced nearly what Lissa had? Or was it supposed to be sympathy for Jill's lack of experience? â€Å"You'll †¦ you'll get used to it,' I said. â€Å"Over time.' Jill shook her head, a small and bitter smile on her face. â€Å"I don't know about that.' I didn't either. I wasn't sure how one handled the kind of situation she'd been dropped into. My mind rapidly ran through a list of more meaningless, kind things I could say, but Lissa finally took over. â€Å"I know how weird this is,' she said. She determinedly met Jill's green eyes–the only feature the sisters shared, I decided. Jill had the makings of a future Emily. Lissa carried a mix of her parents' traits. â€Å"This is weird for me too. I don't know what to do.' â€Å"What do you want?' asked Jill quietly. I heard the real question. Jill wanted to know if Lissa wanted her. Lissa had been devastated by the death of her brother †¦ but a surprise illegitimate sibling was no substitute for Andre. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be in either girl's place. I tried and failed. â€Å"I don't know,' admitted Lissa. â€Å"I don't know what I want.' Jill nodded, dropping her gaze, but not before I caught sight of the emotion playing across her face. Disappointment–yet, Lissa's answer hadn't entirely been unexpected. Jill asked the next best thing. â€Å"Do you want †¦ do you want me to be in the ceremonies?' The question hung in the air. It was a good one. It was the reason we'd come here, but did Lissa actually want this? Studying her, I still wasn't sure. I didn't know if she was just following protocol, trying to get Jill to play a role expected among royalty. In this case, there was no law that said Jill had to do anything. She simply had to exist. â€Å"Yes,' said Lissa at last. I heard the truth in her words, and something inside of me lightened. Lissa didn't just want Jill for the sake of image. A part of Lissa wanted Jill in her life–but managing that would be difficult. Still, it was a start, and Jill seemed to recognize that. â€Å"Okay,' she said. â€Å"Just tell me what I need to do.' It occurred to me that Jill's youth and nervousness were deceptive. There were sparks of bravery and boldness within her, sparks that I felt certain would grow. She really was a Dragomir. Lissa looked relieved, but I think it was because she'd made a tiny step of progress with her sister. It had nothing to do with the coronation. â€Å"Someone else will explain it all. I'm not really sure what you do, to be honest. But Rose is right. It won't be hard.' Jill simply nodded. â€Å"Thank you,' said Lissa. She stood up, and both Jill and I rose with her. â€Å"I †¦ I really appreciate it.' That awkwardness returned as the three of us stood there. It would have been a good moment for the sisters to hug, but even though both seemed pleased at their progress, neither was ready for that. When Lissa looked at Jill, she still saw her father with another woman. When Jill looked at Lissa, she saw her life completely turned upside down–a life once shy and private now out there for the world to gawk at. I couldn't change her fate, but hugging I could do. Heedless of my stitches, I put my arms around the young girl. â€Å"Thanks,' I said, echoing Lissa. â€Å"This'll all be okay. You'll see.' Jill nodded yet again, and with no more to discuss, Lissa and I moved toward the door. Jill's voice brought us to a halt. â€Å"Hey †¦ what happens after the coronation? To me? To us?' I glanced at Lissa. Another good question. Lissa turned toward Jill but still wasn't making direct eye contact. â€Å"We'll †¦ we'll get to know each other. Things'll get better.' The smile that appeared on Jill's face was genuine–small, but genuine. â€Å"Okay,' she said. There was hope in that smile too. Hope and relief. â€Å"I'd like that.' As for me, I had to hide a frown. I apparently could function without the bond because I could tell, with absolute confidence, that Lissa wasn't exactly giving the whole truth. What wasn't she telling Jill? Lissa did want things to be better, I was certain, even if she wasn't sure how. But there was something †¦ something small that Lissa wasn't revealing to either of us, something that made me think Lissa didn't actually believe things would improve. Out of nowhere, a strange echo from Victor Dashkov rang through my mind about Jill. If she has any sense, Vasilisa will send her away. I didn't know why I remembered that, but it sent a chill through me. The sisters were both mustering smiles, and I hastily did as well, not wanting either to know my concerns. Lissa and I left after that, heading back toward my room. My little outing had been more tiring than I expected, and as much as I hated to admit it, I couldn't wait to lie down again. When we reached my room, I still hadn't decided if I should ask Lissa about Jill or wait to get Dimitri's opinion. The decision was taken from me when we found an unexpected visitor waiting: Adrian. He sat on my bed, head tipped back as though he was completely consumed by studying the ceiling. I knew better. He'd known the instant we approached–or at least when Lissa approached. We stopped in the doorway, and he finally turned toward us. He looked like he hadn't slept in a while. Dark shadows hung under his eyes, and his cute face was hardened with lines of fatigue. Whether it was mental or physical fatigue, I couldn't say. Nonetheless, his lazy smile was the same as ever. â€Å"Your majesty,' he said grandly. â€Å"Stop,' scoffed Lissa. â€Å"You should know better.' â€Å"I've never known better,' he countered. â€Å"You should know that.' I saw Lissa start to smile; then she glanced at me and grew serious, realizing this was hardly let's-have-fun-with-Adrian time. â€Å"Well,' she said uneasily, not looking very queenly at all. â€Å"I've got some things to do.' She was going to bolt, I realized. I'd gone with her for her family chat, but she was going to abandon me now. Just as well, though. This conversation with Adrian had been inevitable, and I'd brought it on myself. I had to finish this on my own, just as I'd told Dimitri. â€Å"I'm sure you do,' I said. Her face turned hesitant, as though she was suddenly reconsidering. She felt guilty. She was worried about me and wanted to stand by me. I lightly touched her arm. â€Å"It's okay, Liss. I'll be okay. Go.' She squeezed my hand in return, her eyes wishing me good luck. She told Adrian goodbye and left, closing the door behind her. It was just him and me now. He stayed on my bed, watching me carefully. He still wore the smile he'd given Lissa, like this was no big deal. I knew otherwise and made no attempts to hide my feelings. Standing still made me tired, so I sat down in a nearby chair, nervously wondering what to say. â€Å"Adrian–‘ â€Å"Let's start with this, little dhampir,' he said cordially. â€Å"Was it going on before you left Court?' It took me a moment to follow that abrupt Adrian conversation format. He was asking if Dimitri and I had gotten back together before my arrest. I shook my head slowly. â€Å"No. I was with you. Just you.' True, I'd been a mess of emotions, but my intentions had been firm. â€Å"Well. That's something,' he said. Some of his pleasantness was starting to slip. I smelled it then, ever so faintly: alcohol and smoke. â€Å"Better some rekindling of sparks in the heat of battle or quest or whatever than you cheating right in front of me.' I shook my head more urgently now. â€Å"No, I swear. I didn't–nothing happened then †¦ not until–‘ I hesitated on how to phrase my next words. â€Å"Later?' he guessed. â€Å"Which makes it okay? â€Å"No! Of course not. I †¦' Damn it. I'd screwed up. Just because I hadn't cheated on Adrian at Court didn't mean that I hadn't cheated on him later. You could phrase it however you wanted, but let's face it: sleeping with another guy in a hotel room was pretty much cheating if you had a boyfriend. It didn't matter if that guy was the love of your life or not. â€Å"I'm sorry,' I said. It was the simplest and most appropriate thing I could say. â€Å"I'm sorry. What I did was wrong. I didn't mean for it to happen. I thought †¦ I really thought he and I were done. I was with you. I wanted to be with you. And then, I realized that–‘ â€Å"No, no–stop.' Adrian held up a hand, his voice tight now as his cool facade continued to crumble. â€Å"I really do not want to hear about the great revelation you had about how you guys were always meant to be together or whatever it was.' I stayed silent because, well, that kind of had been my revelation. Adrian ran a hand through his hair. â€Å"Really, it's my fault. It was there. A hundred times there. How often did I see it? I knew. It kept happening. Over and over, you'd say you were through with him †¦ and over and over, I'd believe it †¦ no matter what my eyes showed me. No matter what my heart told me. My. Fault.' It was that slightly unhinged rambling–not that nervous kind of Jill's, but the unstable kind that worried me about how close he was getting to the edge of insanity. An edge I might very well be pushing him toward. I wanted to go over to him but had the sense to stay seated. â€Å"Adrian, I–‘ â€Å"I loved you!' he yelled. He jumped up out of his chair so quickly I never saw it coming. â€Å"I loved you, and you destroyed me. You took my heart and ripped it up. You might as well have staked me!' The change in his features also caught me by surprise. His voice filled the room. So much grief, so much anger. So unlike the usual Adrian. He strode toward me, hand clasped over his chest. â€Å"I. Loved. You. And you used me the whole time.' â€Å"No, no. It's not true.' I wasn't afraid of Adrian, but in the face of that emotion, I found myself cringing. â€Å"I wasn't using you. I loved you. I still do, but–‘ He looked disgusted. â€Å"Rose, come on.' â€Å"I mean it! I do love you.' Now I stood up, pain or no, trying to look him in the eye. â€Å"I always will, but we're not †¦ I don't think we work as a couple.' â€Å"That's a bullshit breakup line, and you know it.' He was kind of right, but I thought back to moments with Dimitri †¦ how well we worked in sync, how he always seemed to get exactly what I felt. I meant what I'd said: I did love Adrian. He was wonderful, in spite of all his flaws. Because, really, who didn't have flaws? He and I had fun together. There was affection, but we weren't matched in the way Dimitri and I were. â€Å"I'm not †¦ I'm not the one for you,' I said weakly. â€Å"Because you're with another guy?' â€Å"No, Adrian. Because †¦ I don't. I don't know. I don't †¦' I was fumbling, badly. I didn't know how to explain what I felt, how you could care about someone and love hanging out with them–but still not work as a couple. â€Å"I don't balance you like you need.' â€Å"What the hell does that mean?' he exclaimed. My heart ached for him, and I was so sorry for what I'd done †¦ but this was the truth of it all. â€Å"The fact that you have to ask says it all. When you find that person †¦ you'll know.' I didn't add that with his history, he'd probably have a number of false starts before finding that person. â€Å"And I know this sounds like another bullshit breakup line, but I really would like to be your friend.' He stared at me for several heavy seconds and then laughed–though there wasn't much humor in it. â€Å"You know what's great? You're serious. Look at your face.' He gestured, as though I actually could examine myself. â€Å"You really think it's that easy, that I can sit here and watch your happy ending. That I can watch you getting everything you want as you lead your charmed life.' â€Å"Charmed!' The guilt and sympathy warring within me got a little kick of anger. â€Å"Hardly. Do you know what I've gone through in the last year?' I'd watched Mason die, fought in the St. Vladimir's attack, been captured by Strigoi in Russia, and then lived on the run as a wanted murderess. That didn't sound charmed at all. â€Å"And yet, here you are, triumphant after it all. You survived death and freed yourself from the bond. Lissa's queen. You got the guy and your happily ever after.' I turned my back to him and stalked away. â€Å"Adrian, what do you want me to say? I can apologize forever, but there's nothing else I can do here. I never wanted to hurt you; I can't say that enough. But the rest? Do you really expect me to be sad about everything else having worked out? Should I wish I was still I was accused of murder?' â€Å"No,' he said. â€Å"I don't want you to suffer. Much. But the next time you're in bed with Belikov, stop a moment and remember that not everyone made out as well as you did.' I turned back to face him. â€Å"Adrian, I never–‘ â€Å"Not just me, little dhampir,' he added quietly. â€Å"There's been a lot of collateral damage along the way while you battled against the world. I was a victim, obviously. But what about Jill? What happens to her now that you've abandoned her to the royal wolves? And Eddie? Have you thought about him? And where's your Alchemist?' Every word he slung at me was an arrow, piercing my heart more than the bullets had. The fact that he'd referred to Jill by her name instead of â€Å"Jailbait' carried an extra hurt. I was already toting plenty of guilt about her, but the others †¦ well, they were a mystery. I'd heard rumors about Eddie but hadn't seen him since my return. He was clear of James's death, but killing a Moroi–when others still thought he might have been brought in alive–carried a heavy stigma. Eddie's previous insubordination– thanks to me–also damned him, even if it had all been for â€Å"the greater good.' As queen, Lissa could only do so much. The guardians served the Moroi, but it was customary for the Moroi to step back and let the guardians manage their own people. Eddie wasn't being dismissed or imprisoned †¦ but what assignment would they give him? Hard to say. Sydney †¦ she was an even greater mystery. Where's your Alchemist? The goings- on of that group were beyond me, beyond my world. I remembered her face that last time I'd seen her, back in the hotel–strong but sad. I knew she and the other Alchemists had been released since then, but her expression had said she wasn't out of trouble yet. And Victor Dashkov? Where did he fit in? I wasn't sure. Evil or not, he was still someone who'd suffered as a result of my actions, and the events surrounding his death would stay with me forever. Collateral damage. I'd brought down a lot of people with me, intentionally or no. But, as Adrian's words continued sinking into me, one of them suddenly gave me pause. â€Å"Victim,' I said slowly. â€Å"That's the difference between you and me.' â€Å"Huh?' He'd been watching me closely while I'd considered the fates of my friends and was caught off guard now. â€Å"What are you talking about?' â€Å"You said you were a victim. That's why †¦ that's why ultimately, you and I aren't matched for each other. In spite of everything that's happened, I've never thought of myself that way. Being a victim means you're powerless. That you won't take action. Always †¦ always I've done something to fight for myself †¦ for others. No matter what.' I'd never seen such outrage on Adrian's face. â€Å"That's what you think of me? That I'm lazy? Powerless?' Not exactly. But I had a feeling that after this conversation, he would run off to the comfort of his cigarettes and alcohol and maybe whatever female company he could find. â€Å"No,' I said. â€Å"I think you're amazing. I think you're strong. But I don't think you've realized it–or learned how to use any of that.' And, I wanted to add, I wasn't the person who could inspire that in him. â€Å"This,' he said, moving toward the door, â€Å"was the last thing I expected. You destroy my life and then feed me inspirational philosophy.' I felt horrible, and it was one of those moments where I wished my mouth wouldn't just blurt out the first thing on my mind. I'd learned a lot of control–but not quite enough. â€Å"I'm just telling you the truth. You're better than this †¦ better than whatever it is you're going to do now.' Adrian rested his hand on the doorknob and gave me a rueful look. â€Å"Rose, I'm an addict with no work ethic who's likely going to go insane. I'm not like you. I'm not a superhero.' â€Å"Not yet,' I said. He scoffed, shook his head, and opened the door. Just before leaving, he gave me one more backward glance. â€Å"The contract's null and void, by the way.' I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. And in one of those rare moments, Rose Hathaway was rendered speechless. I had no witty quips, no elaborate explanations, and no profound insight. Adrian left, and I wondered if I'd ever see him again.