Gender Roles in The Thin Man Essay

The period of the 1930s was an offshoot of the â€Å"roaring twenties† or the â€Å"jazz age†, a time when women gained a heightened sense of prominence in the society after the First World War saw young men leaving their homes and their work in response to the nation’s call to arms (Freedman, 1974, p. 374). Towards the end of the war and at the beginning of the 1930s, women became more in control of their liberty, proof of which is their newly recognized right to suffrage (Murphy, 1996, p. 52). They became regular members of the social workforce, thereby giving them a renewed sense of control over their lives. The â€Å"flapper†Ã¢â‚¬â€young women who defied the norms of what a conservative woman is by engaging in casual sex and wearing short skirts, among others—took the center stage, so to speak. As for men, such circumstances only brought them closer to the temptation of pleasing the opposite sex. This is clearly portrayed in the 1934 film The Thin Man. In the film, Nick Charles and his wife Nora represent the life of married couples whose lives are characterized primarily by the attitudes of the social elites—fun meant enjoying martinis and sleuthing. In a way, the couple captures the gender roles of each partner during the 1930s. Nora was a wealthy heiress who had almost everything at her disposal. She was beautiful and seemed to have a passion for adventure owing largely to her living a life of liberty. She was the 1930s woman who saw life as the ultimate provider of adventure in all its daring forms. Nick was a handsome man and a retired private detective who previously investigated and solved murders. He was the 1930s man who was deeply entrenched with his passion for resolving issues no matter what it takes, much to the amusement of the female partner. In fact, Nora was more than delighted upon knowing that Nick accepted the task of investigating the disappearance of his friend Clyde Wynant and the death of Clyde’s former girlfriend, Julia Wolfe. It leaves little room to speculate that Nora was indeed the typical 1930s woman who seized her liberty as if it would never run out, putting her self to risky situations together with her man. She portrayed the woman who embraced the â€Å"flapper† culture with open arms, spending her time drinking alcohol or romantically engaging her partner. While she remained supportive of Nick like a female partner might usually commit herself into, she was on her own a liberal minded individual. For the most part, Nick played the role of the adventurous husband which perfectly complements Nora’s interest in the same. He was someone who lived every danger with such boldness. He was someone who sought the pleasure of his spouse—from accepting her request for him to take the case to completely allowing her to partake in his drinking sessions—no matter what the cost may be. It goes to show that Nick was a man who shared entirely similar interests with his spouse and will gladly fulfill whatever it is that will make his woman happy. It was his role to please his woman. On the other hand, it was the woman’s role to act is if she was herself a man, fully absorbed in exactly the same interests as the husband’s. Here we see the approximate gender roles prevalent during the 1930s. Men and women had more similarities than differences as far as their inclinations are concerned. To a certain degree, there was no â€Å"woman†. Woman drank, dressed and acted in an unconventional so that they may be desired by the opposite sex, and actively participated in fairly dangerous tasks. Her liberty stood at the very core of her character and this made her more appealing to every man. Towards the end of the film, Nick gives in to the implied gesture of Nora to spend the night together in the same bed. The scene is revealing insofar as it gives rise to the idea that women exerted a certain influence or power over men especially when it comes to passionate affairs. The 1930s woman had too much liberty, in fact, that she can do anything she pleases and become pleased in the end. Nevertheless, the 1930s man still had a lot to do with her sources of pleasure. References Dyke, W. S. V. (Director). (1934). The Thin Man. United States: MGM. Freedman, E. B. (1974). The New Woman: Changing Views of Women in the 1920s. The Journal of American History, 61(2), 372-393. Murphy, M. (1996). ‘†¦ And All That Jazz’: Changing Manners and Morals after World War I. Montana: The Magazine of Western History, 46(4), 50-63.

American Nationalism

Following a perceived victory in the War of 1812, the surge of nationalistic spirit that swept the nascent U. S. nation revealed its significance as a catalyst for unified change. The nationalism manifested itself economically, socially and politically, and was evident through the emergence of a uniquely American culture. The first major political and economic policy change was the emergence of Henry Clay’s American System. The system created an expansive, accessible credit institution, protectionist tariff act, and an invigorated investment in infrastructure (Kennedy 256). The motive for the new policy was the desire to lessen American dependence on cheap British imports. In establishing related acts such as the Tariff of 1816, the nationalist Congress acted directly in the interest of protecting American infant-industries, rather than acting purely from the consumer’s pricing interest. Furthermore, the national bank whose charter had expired was reinstated in an effort to bring in more revenue to the federal government (Kennedy 256). In line with the American System, revenues from tariffs would be allotted to the creation of new transportation methods, such as the Erie Canal (Kennedy 257). However, sectionalism was still present, as states opposed federal funding of interstate commerce, especially those of New England and the Hartford Convention. Despite the sectionalism, an American culture did arise, as seen through the literature of Washington Irving and American-written textbooks (Kennedy 256). Furthermore, America was able to defensively assert its intentions in the Western Hemisphere under the Monroe Doctrine. Although the new American identity unified the country, it was partially built on the unfortunate issue of slavery that would arouse the sectionalist differences between North and South in the years after the Missouri Compromise.

A Case Study On Potential Correlation Between Specific Student Characteristics And Academic Dishonesty In Writing

A Case Study On Potential Correlation Between Specific Student Characteristics And Academic Dishonesty In Writing Does academic dishonesty in writing differ among various student demographic categories at Emory? The purpose of this study was to examine potential significant associations between certain student characteristics (college year, gender, GPA, credit hours, hours spent on academics and pressure felt to succeed) and their involvement in academically dishonest activities on writing assignments. The data for this analysis were obtained from a voluntary questionnaire attempted by 228 students in QTM100 during the Fall 2014 semester. However, after applying exclusion criteria, only 195 out of the 228 were included in the analysis. Any student that did not have a fully completed survey was excluded; also, any observation with improbable or impossible responses was also not considered. For example, any student listing a GPA above 4.0, enrolling in credit hours above 22 or below 12, and/or spending over 70 hours per week on academics outside of class was excluded. In the questionnaire, cheating in writing was assessed through six parts, including citing fake page numbers and sources, having someone else write the paper, purchasing the paper online, paraphrasing without acknowledging sources, directly copying words without giving credit, and borrowing ideas without crediting the original source. If a student provided an affirmative response to any of these six parts, he/she was considered a â€Å"yes† for having taken part in academic dishonesty in writing; otherwise, he/she was identified as â€Å"no† for not having participated in such activities. Two-sample t-tests were conducted for the quantitative independent variables, namely GPA, credit hours and time spent on academics. The ?2 test was used for the categorical variables (pressure, gender, grade level). The sample of 195 students studied was majority freshman (51.3%), large majority of female students (73.3%), averaged a GPA around 3.41, was enrolled between 16-17 credit hours and spent an average of almost 17 hours every week on academics outside of class. The overall sample appeared to mostly feel a fairly high amount of pressure to succeed. A statistically significant association (a = 0.05) was only found for gender, where there is strong evidence to suggest that cheating in writing differs between males and females. For the other variables, we failed to find any significant association; rather, there is no apparent difference between those that have committed academic dishonesty in writing and those that have not. By comparing the â€Å"Yes† and â€Å"No† columns for each respective independent variable except gender, it can be observed that means for GPA, credit hours, hours spent on academics, and proportions for pressure felt to succeed between the two groups are largely the same. There are several limitations to what we can infer from this analysis. First, we cannot conclude any causal relationships due to the study’s observational nature. Also, this is not a random sample, so it may not be a good representation of all Emory students. The self-reported nature of the study also means that the accuracy of the data cannot be ascertained. However, in a greater sense of the Emory student population, it can be realized that academic dishonesty in writing is not specific to certain student demographics; many people, regardless of their GPA, the amount of pressure they feel or how busy they are with academics, have been academically dishonest in writing assignments at one point or another; oddly enough, though, it appears females are far more likely to cheat in writing than males. Appendix 1: Data cleaning and recoding. There was an extensive process to remove implausible values from the data set, including the following exclusion criteria. For GPA, initially, the minimum was 1.9 and maximum was 4.2. As it is impossible to obtain a GPA above 4.0, all GPA values above 4.0 were removed. For hours spent on academics, values ranged from 3 to 109; however, since the higher end of this range is fairly unlikely, the limit for hours spent on academics outside of class was decreased to 70, which seems to be a reasonable weekly maximum, after factoring in class time and necessary living tasks. Credit hours were adjusted to only contain values between 12 and 22, since this is the acceptable range for number of credit hours enrolled to qualify as an Emory College student. The original question â€Å"On a scale of 1-10, indicate how much pressure you feel to succeed† naturally yielded quantitative results under the â€Å"pressure† variable, but these numerical values were recoded into 3 categoric al intervals of pressure levels: minimal/moderate (0-5), high (6-8) and very high (9-10). Because QTM 100 is considered an introductory college course, it was unreasonable to expect an even distribution of students between the four college years; more than half of the eligible sample consisted of freshmen (100 of 195). As a result, the categorical variable representing year in college was re-coded into a dichotomous categorical variable, with possible categories of freshman and 2nd year and above. Any observation that failed to meet the above limit criteria, or originally did not have the entire questionnaire complete, were coded as missing and excluded from the analysis. Appendix 2: Statistical analysis. *All mentions of â€Å"cheating† and â€Å"academic dishonesty† refer only to academic dishonesty in writing. â€Å"Yes† and â€Å"No† groups refer to those that have been academically dishonest in writing and those that have not, respectively. Association between college year (freshman, 2nd year and above) and academic dishonesty ?2 test of independence H0: college year and academic dishonesty are independent HA: college year is associated with academic dishonesty. ?2 = 1.45; p-value = 0.2279 At the a = 0.05 significance level, we fail to reject H0 and conclude that academic dishonesty is independent of college year, and there is no statistically significant evidence to suggest there is an association. This result is quite practically meaningful, as it appears that cheating is independent of college grade level. Association between gender (male, female) and academic dishonesty ?2 test of independence H0: academic dishonesty is independent of gender HA: gender is associated with academic dishonesty ?2 = 10.64; p-value = 0.0011. At the a = 0.05 significance level, we reject H0 and conclude that academic dishonesty is associated with gender. Specifically, there is statistically significant evidence to suggest that academic dishonesty is far more prevalent among female than male students. It is hard to say if there is any practical significance in this result, given the largely disproportionate amount of females in the sample, but the very low p-value suggests that in practice, perhaps females are far more susceptible than males to participate in academic dishonesty. Association between GPA and academic dishonesty â€Å"Yes† group: mean GPA, 3.41; standard deviation, 0.36 â€Å"No† group: mean GPA, 3.42; standard deviation, 0.40 Two-sample t-test for difference of means H0:  µYES =  µNO, HA:  µYES ?  µNO, where  µ represents true mean GPA t = 0.34; p-value = 0.7352 There appears to be no apparent difference in GPA between the two groups. Unsurprisingly, at the a = 0.05 significance level, we fail to reject H0 and conclude that academic dishonesty is independent of student GPA, and there is no statistically significant evidence to suggest an association. This result is quite practically meaningful, as it is surprising to observe that students with lower GPAs are not more susceptible to cheating. Association between number of credit hours taken and academic dishonesty â€Å"Yes† group: mean credit hours, 16.37; standard deviation, 2.17 â€Å"No† group: mean credit hours, 16.44; standard deviation, 2.12 2-sample t-test for difference of means H0:  µYES =  µNO, HA:  µYES ?  µNO, where  µ represents true mean number of credit hours taken t = 0.24, p-value = 0.8119 At the a = 0.05 significance level, we fail to reject H0 and conclude that academic dishonesty is independent of number of credit hours taken, and there is no statistically significant evidence to suggest an association. This result is quite surprising as well, as it would be expected that students with a greater course load would have less time on average to allot to individual assignments, leading to a higher amount of cheating; however, this does not appear to be the case. Association between hours spent on academics outside of class and academic dishonesty â€Å"Yes† group: mean hours spent on academics, 16.29; standard deviation, 7.18 â€Å"No† group: mean hours spent on academics, 17.19, standard deviation, 8.71 Two-sample t-test for difference of means H0:  µYES =  µNO, HA:  µYES ?  µNO, where  µ represents true mean hours spent on academics outside of class t = 0.78, p-value = 0.4336. At the a = 0.05 significance level, we fail to reject H0 and conclude that academic dishonesty is independent of number of hours spent on academics outside of class, and there is no statistically significant evidence to suggest an association. This is also surprising, as in practice, it would be expected that those that spend less time on academics tend to be more lazy and find shorter ways to get their writing assignments done. Association between pressure felt to succeed and academic dishonesty ?2 test of independence H0: academic dishonesty is independent of pressure felt HA: pressure felt is associated with academic dishonesty ?2 = 0.50, p-value = 0.7791. At the a = 0.05 significance level, we fail to reject H0 and conclude that academic dishonesty is independent of pressure felt to succeed, and there is no statistically significant evidence to suggest an association. This is quite practically meaningful, as it would be expected that those that felt a lot of pressure to succeed would be more likely to succumb to cheating, but in fact, it is those that feel little/moderate pressure that have the highest proportion of cheaters.

Analysis Report Tata Steel of India Research Paper - 1

Analysis Report Tata Steel of India - Research Paper Example The Indian Government has pursued a policy of progressively opening India’s local economy to foreign competition, and there is currently no levy or tax restriction on the import and export of iron and steel products. (India Ministry of Steel, 2009) The consequence of this is considered to be increased competition in the sector, and lower prices, particularly as set by Chinese steel producers for export. China produced over 10 times the steel capacity of India, at 567 million metric tons in 2009 compared to 56.1 million metric tons produced by India in the same period. (India Ministry of Steel, 2010) Nevertheless, Tata Steel has produced a corporate strategy to meet these competitive challenges, and this includes sustainability policies directed at the greater welfare of workers, the environment, and community. This report will review Tata Steel’s sustainability policies as implemented by corporate management to determine the success of these programs and to recommend ch anges that are mutually beneficial to the stakeholders of the company. Tata Steel states publicly that â€Å"the primary purpose of a business is to improve the quality of life of people.† (Tata Steel, 2011) This tenet constitutes the cornerstone of the company’s sustainability policy and represents the wider mandate held by corporate management on behalf of stakeholders. In India, there is a need for social and economic development that uplifts people out of poverty. One of the main processes that enable individuals to improve their living condition in the modern, globalized economy is the possession of a professional, well-paying job. Another factor is the level of education that an individual receives in the formative years of development.

Kosair Children's Hospital Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Kosair Children's Hospital - Assignment Example According to the discussion the hospital is heavily equipped with equipments and facilities to handle all child conditions. The physical facilities include beds, intensive care units, and cardiology equipments among many others. The facilities are well arranged in the hospital depending on the type of service they offer. They are also well arranged and put in records to ease access in emergency times. A perfect example is the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) which has a 97 bed capacity which are for intensive and critical care newborns, isolation rooms, private rooms for storage of beds and other valuables, Kids Kare which is a home settings for all the babies in need of long term care or those who are machine dependent as well as Pedway access between the hospital and Norton Hospital.From this paper it is clear that the hospital has a large patient or client base considering the fact that it offers medical attention to all children regardless of their parent’s ability to p ay for the medical expenses.   The hospital takes care of around 120,000 children per Annum, a large number which the hospital cannot take care in terms of finances and that is why it receives donations from the Children’s Hospital Foundation and other well wishers.  The hospital engages in numerous clinical activities which include child safety, nursing care, cardiology, allergy and immunology services, intensive care unit, surgical services among many other activities.

Assess Competitive conditions in the banking industry in Saudi Arabia Essay

Assess Competitive conditions in the banking industry in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example udi Arabia, the need to establish and develop a modern banking industry was felt, and as a result the foundations of a full-fledged banking industry was laid in the year 1952 (Homoud, 2011). Keeping in view the significant growth and developments in the banking industry of the country, the question arises that whether the banking industry of Saudi Arabia is competitive enough over the past few years (Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, 2014). In this paper, the researcher has made use of the method put forward by Rosse and Panzar (1977) for the measurement of the extent to which competition exists in the banking industry of a country. In this regard, the researcher has presented estimates of the Rosse-Panzar H Statistic by making use of information pertaining to financial performance of selected Saudi Arabian banks. After the introduction section, the report includes a brief review of the banking sector of Saudi Arabia, a discussion of the theory, methodology and data considered in conducting this study, empirical results obtained from analysis of information and conclusions reached thereon. Today, the Saudi Arabian banking industry is regarded as amongst the fastest growing and developing in the world. Apart from the fact that the operating environment in the country for banks is competitive at present, the industry is expected to gain more competency owing to the fast paced technological and regulatory developments in the region and all over the world. The competency, resilience and strength of the Saudi Arabian banking industry is also evident from the fact that during the recent financial crisis, the industry managed to report positive growth figures, and also showed consistency in its growth in lending operations. At present, the Saudi Arabian banking industry is largely run by private sector and therefore capital lent in the country largely moves from the private sector (Homoud, 2011; Almazari & Almuman, 2012). As per the statistics published by the Central

What is beauty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is beauty - Essay Example For some people beauty may depend on outward appearance. Aesthetics happens to be the opposite of beauty. In today’s world we tend to mix beauty and aesthetics together. Aesthetic happens to be your outer appearance that attracts people. This include your clothing and body. People may go on buying expensive clothes or make up just to make them look presentable or attractive to others. This happens to be a characteristic of the material world. Beauty can be said to be your personality rather than looks. It is something that makes you original and shine through all the odds. Simply by applying, make up, having cosmetic surgery, you may be able to cover up all you shortcomings but you can’t get hold of a decent personality. The most you may be able to do is end up as a commodity, a fashion icon but you looks will eventually fade away and you’ll be left empty handed. An example of a private school may be taken. All the children wear uniform to attend school. The shirt blouse pants all are of the same colour and material. All the students tend to look almost the same. In this case it shall be hard to determine who has a better appearance or outer look than others. Charisma attracts one another rather than looks in this case. The possibility of aesthetics coming in between is minimised as everyone is dressed simply and equally. Inner beauty as we call it, becomes a source of attraction rather than the outer appea rance. Beauty is looked upon is this world very differently. Any two people shall have different views and ideas regarding beauty. The spirit and values hardly shall match. In simple words, beauty is something that authenticates a person rather than giving a false impression. If beauty did not exist we would be living in a materialistic society where ones looks and appearance would matter more than their actions. Without personality and

Week 5 Discussion Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 5 Discussion - Coursework Example Roger Wilson approved the bill from Mr. Griesedeck despite being aware that the funds had been used for political donation. In 2009, Douglas Morgan made request for a $3,000 donation that would be recovered in the same manner as the first one (Lippmann, 2012). Fortunately, the company legal team noticed the bill was strange during a routine review of all legal matters. As a result, Wilson was forced to give Mr. Griesedeck the money back using his personal savings. The type of fraud was done using the expenditure cycle. Legal fees for the company are part of the expenditures that are regularly paid. The use of the expenditure cycle was meant to help hide the fraud due to the routine nature of meeting legal bills. Expenditure cycle is full of loopholes that many people use to misappropriate funds. Lippmann, R. (2012, April 12). Former Mo. Gov. Wilson pleads guilty to misappropriating insurance co. funds. Retrieved from St. LouisPublicRadio:

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 51

Assignment Example The story has it that Israel cabinet voted to grant legal status to some 800 children of migrant workers who have lived in Israel for more than 5 years and can communicate in Hebrew language and have attended school in the state. The writer has also illustrated that the migrant workers have been prohibited from being involved in romantic relationships. Another story in focus by Al Jazeera is the story of injustice in President Obama regime (Al Jazeera, 2010). The USA president who is a former legal practitioner is termed to have no respect for civil liberties. The writer laments that the treatment of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is symbolic in the minds of Muslims. Her treatment has resulted in the damage of US-Muslim relations as applied to Pakistan than any state department program could undo. Obama is being blamed for delaying justice in this case which is as good as justice denied. Other stories that are making the headlines are the tickets to the gun show in USA whereby anyone interested in purchasing any firearm can get it because guns have been declared legal tender. Also on nuclear energy in Iran, the Arabs are condemning the ambition of the Iranians to be dictated by wisdom and not by emotions and many more other stories are covered under this series. The reflection of the coverage stories of Al Jazeera indicates that the interest lies on the basis of conflict at all levels both locally and

McBride Financial Services Governance Evaluation Essay

McBride Financial Services Governance Evaluation - Essay Example The organization is experiencing many challenges at the initial stage since it is a private and small firm. The chief executive officer, Mr. Hugh, is one of the key impediments to the accomplishment of the firm objective, since he is the proprietor of the firm and, as a result, there is a tendency of putting his own interests first. McBride being the chairman of the board and a chief executive officer will have a considerable manipulation of the decision made by the board of directors as well as the management team (Maimako, 2010). This is because being the head of the two organs he can object to a decision that is unfavorable to his own interest. Commercial analysts have criticized the organization for its inability to comply with the rules of investment and borrowing funds from beltway investment. Beltway investment emphasizes that all the firms that seek any assistance from it must comply with all the requirements of investment, failure to which the application of the assistance w ill be null and void. The management of McBride investment is willing to obey and follow all the requirements of Beltway Investments. The management strategy of beltway investment seems to have some doubtful professional standards though McBride seriously opposes the perception. Beltway investment grants firm the freedom to manage their own style. It emphasizes the universal standards of corporate governance and any equity-based compensation plans in line with the achievement of the firm’s objectives. There should be no any form of discrimination. Even though McBride is seeking to fully comply with beltway investment he insists that his decision on the directors and the management method are to be followed. He further insinuates that the firm will manage their finances in their own way to meet the firm’s objectives. McBride financial services will not entertain interference in its affairs. They think that external entities will jeopardize the firm’s operations a nd thwart the achievement of the set goals, (Tricker, 2009). Challenges of McBride financial services MacBride financial services have many challenges since it is a new firm as well as the brokerage firm. In line with corporate governance, the firm has to comply with the international standards where best practices and the formal laws are to be observed. In a nutshell, the problems of the firm are natural since the management organ of the firm has adopted practices that are not within the global standards of corporate governance. McBride financial services are faced with the problem of personnel recruitment. The organization depends on personnel appointed by McBride. These appointments are of doubtful standards since they are based on personal relationships instead of professional qualifications. The decisions to be made by the management organs are so critical and the people to be employed are supposed to be of immense integrity. This means they should undergo a thorough recruitmen t process to get the best. The policy of Mr. Hugh on appointment is that he appoints individuals who go by what he says, and does what he expects of them. This might not work well for the firm's strategic objectives. In the event that the firm experiences by the administrative problem, it will be extremely difficult for them to solve them internally. (Hirschey, & Makhija, 2004).

Performance - Dance Essay Example for Free

Performance Dance Essay Content: the performance we saw was a very simple setting with surprising contemporary dancing. It was a group of 6 dancers but 7 including the choreographer. Some very impressionable moments were when they would do the lifts and floor work all together I felt it was very strong and interesting. Interpretation\connection: three important things I feel the audience should know about the performance is that the piece was a very different modern type of dance, it was based on animal instinct, and there was no specific genre of dance used for the performance to be based on. The most impressionable moment or me was when the dancers were each lined up separately with their backs towards the audience in between the pillars on the back wall up stage, I like this moment because I thought the lighting and spacing really caught everyone in the audiences eye. I felt the modern aspect, the theme of animal instinct and there being no exact genre of dance made me more open to the performance as art because I didnt try to compare it to anything else I just watched it for what it was. For example at first I felt it was very weird but as it went it went on I grew to be more open to it. Elements of dance: shape- The use of shape in the performance was unlike anything I have ever seen, they used every shape humanly possible but still made it look effortless and keep the audience watching. Space- The performance was well spaced at many times they were perfectly spaced between the large lines on the floor which was very cool looking. Time- There was no specific time ever really used because they has music that had no set beat or time. Dynamic- they used a large amount of emotion for this performance it was unique and really brought the piece to life through there dancing. Overall impression: My impression of the performance is I thought it was a very unique and strong piece of dancing. I liked the use of shape and spacing I thought they were done very well, but I didnt like the music I didnt really think it was the best for the dancing and they could have chosen much better music since the dancing was so strong. Overall I thought it was a strong and well done performance.

Has the lottery replaced the government in the funding of education Essay Example for Free

Has the lottery replaced the government in the funding of education Essay The overarching aims of education underlie the construction of the curriculum and funding. Education, in the broader sense, aims to develop the individual, to enlarge a child’s knowledge, experience and imaginative understanding, and thus his awareness of moral values and capacity for enjoyment and also to enable the child to take his place in society. The school education on the other hand, has the aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and achieve, to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. Consider the school of the late 20th century. It has not changed a whole lot in the last fifty years or so. Isolated from the rest of the world except for one or two school-business partnerships. Working at the edges of the school, these partnerships attempt to provide students with some insight into the working world or give some marginal discretionary resources for the principal to use. The resources are used on one of a multitude of unrelated programs that the school has set up to cope with the problems that society has dumped on the school. The school itself has created barriers that shelter and isolate it from the work of the world that goes on around it. The technological innovations that are pervasive in the business world have yet to penetrate the classrooms except for a single computer in each classroom that the teacher barely knows how to use. Few business people, even the partners, ever come to school; those who do are shocked by the conditions they find and by the discipline problems with which teachers must contend. Still they are comforted by the fact that school feels pretty much like it did when they went to school. On the other hand, the quality of services on a university campus is one thing; to measure the quality of manufactured goods is another matter. Chubb, J. and Moe, T. takes this further and says that a service cannot be objectively measured. Such frustration stems from the difference between services and goods. For example, educational services are intangible and cannot be packaged, displayed or inspected fully by prospective students. Services also have a perishability problem because they cannot be stored for future delivery: when students cut class, the professors time is wasted. Unlike goods, services are difficult to separate from their provider: an academic course is as fascinating or as boring as the professor. There is also a lot of variability in services. For example, the mood of the professor could impinge on his or her tolerance for chatting in class. Services are difficult to standardize. Unlike manufactured goods, services are not as susceptible to strict quality control. With regards to these needs in education, more states are actually looking for fund in order to pursue educational development. Out of 42 states that uses lottery, 24 of it uses the proceeds for school financing aside from the support of the government. In line with this research, the data that describes the 2005 and 2006 development of schools in each state considered. Basically, this paper attempts to identify if the massive lottery practices in each states promotes educational development in terms of funding. The Report  From the previous discussion, The Chicago Reporter found out that the lottery does not supplement school funding, even though the proceeds goes directly the state’s Common School Fund. On the other hand, the South Carolina Education Lottery was approved by constitutional referendum in 2000, and implemented shortly thereafter. In contrast to other education lotteries, the legislation establishing the lottery contains substantive measures to ensure that lottery revenues supplement, rather than replace, general fund tax revenues earmarked for education. Aside from this, the involvement of lottery in funding the schools’ needs show a good advantage as California Performance Review supported the option. California lottery players, retailers and, most importantly, its public schools, all stand to gain from changing state laws that restrict the lotterys ability to increase sales. These changes are not only consistent with the mandated purpose of The Lottery Act as approved by the voters, they represent the only risk-free way to ensure that lottery dollars to education will not actually decrease. In line with this, this paper will evaluate and compare the current development in 46 states in which 24 of it uses the proceeds of lottery to education while the other 22 only uses the support of the government. The Method To determine the current performance of schools in 46 states, the researcher compares the amount of budget between states w/ lottery proceeds used in school funding and states w/o lottery proceeds used in school funding. To determine the difference of budget between these states and the status of development in each school, the researcher conducted an analysis from the data obtained in these 46 states (The distribution of data is shown in the Appendix A) using t-test procedures. From 24 schools that are currently using lottery proceeds, the analysis of their education budget was also compared to their previous years in which lottery proceeds is not being considered (see Appendix B). The use of its mean and coefficient of variation are performed for evaluation of budget.

Formations And Techniques In Soccer Physical Education Essay

Formations And Techniques In Soccer Physical Education Essay Different type of formations may be used depending on the skill of the opposite team but also whether the team is playing more attacking or defending. A 4-2-4-1 formation is a soccer formation with only one striker upfront. The striker is the player located highest up the field, his main task is to score goals for the team. Before we could analysis the 2 players in the case, we would like to look at some of the tips to be a good striker. A good striker must be able: Kick the ball in the goal (good at striking). A striker who can score goals on a regular basis will become important to his team. As a striker, he needs to learn to score with all different parts of the body. Shot on Site (aiming). In today game, scoring opportunities are so rare as compared to last time, so when the striker has the chances to shot, dont wait. In addition, good strikers must constantly running (good agility and speed), trying to create spaces and taking risks. It only takes one. Many strikers will beat players and create space for themselves, but yet hesitate to shoot in front of goal. Figure 1 below shows the no of times both the player score a goal, saved with 2 hands and blocked. Preliminary analyses from Figure 1, revealed that player B tends to score more goals (13) than player A (8), since the coach are looking for a striker, the ability to saved with 2 hands and blocked are not so important as compared to the ability to score. Figure 2 shows the no of chances both player A and B missed by shooting the ball wide away from the goal post, shooting the ball too high in front of goal post and missed a goal even in front of the goal post. As observed, player A tends to have higher misses (12) than player B (2), in terms of shooting the ball wide. The different of shooting the ball too high is not too great among the 2 players. In summary, as compared to player A, player B is a key returning scorer, who averaged a healthy 13 goals in the last season. His expertises on attack puts extreme stress on opposing defenses. He is sharp on the goal, seldom placed the ball wide. However, he tends to have some misses when he is near the goal post. The final choice: Player B to be selected. Figure 1 Players able to score Figure 2 Players not able to score Part B What is periodization? Periodization is defined as a process to structure the training program into phases, where athletes will train progressively and with variety. In general, a standard periodization plan consists of macro cycle (2-4 months), meso cycle (2-6 weeks) and micro cycle (5-7 days) which last for at least 12 months. Tudo Bompa is the man who improved the training system invented by the USSR, the improved periodization system stressed the importance of having different training stress throughout the year rather than to maintain a constant training plan. Using this method, Tudo Bopma has produced 11 medalists in various Olympics including 2 gold medals and 2 World championships for: track and field and rowing (Wikipedia, 2010). The importance and relevance of periodization in sports Many times, athletes are no longer motivated to train because they realized that their sport performance have not improved, no matter how hard they train hard. Having periodization is the way to change the athletes training program at regular intervals so that the athletes can work harder. Periodization can be applied to many various sport ranging from cycling, marathon, rowing and it can be used it on both male and female. Periodization training, in particular includes 7 different major components, they are technical, strength, power, speed, anaerobic, aerobic and mental. A study conducted for 34 women at the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University has proved that a periodized strength-training program can give better results than a non-periodized program The women in the periodized group have gained more in lean muscle, greater reductions in body fat and more strength gains than the non-periodized group after 12 weeks (Marx, J.O, 2001). Factors that affect periodization Periodization plan can be affected by several factors, these includes training stress and non training stress. Athletes undergo training or competition too intensively will usually become fatigue after sometimes. Fatigue is one of the factors that affect the athletics sport performance; hence coaches developing the periodization plan must includes management of fatigue also. Athletes are human after all, they will get sick and injured sometimes, when athletes are sick they are no longer able to continue and follow the periodization plan. Other non training stresses are: Lack of financial support from family or association, Lack of motivation from the athletes themselves, Social environment like countries at war, unrest, Too much travelling that causes sickness among some athletes. Description of the success of the periodization plan The success of the periodization plan is when all the athletes are able to complete all the competition that the coaches have planned, with no injuries and sickness, they are able to achieve their peak sport performance and win medals for the countries, clubs etc. Training plan for Mark Figure 1 Macro Cycle for 12 months for Mark in 2010 2011 Observations in relation to the skills, motor abilities and types of training in a training plan for Mark. According to Dr Ivan Astori (Dr Ivan Astori, 2010), a full knee reconstruction surgery is a major operation. Patients like Mark will experience high degree of pain after the operation and pain medication will be needed for the first 1 to 3 days. He will be able to sit in a chair and walk with crutches within 1 to 5 days. Mark will then undergo rehabilitation and physiotherapy till he is able to straighten out, flex and bend his knee. Next, he will be able to swim after 2 weeks of the surgery. After 2 to 3 months, the patient will be walking, biking and golfing, although running and jumping are discouraged. A full recovery to full strength is expected to take up 6 months. A successful soccer player like Mark, he needs to rely on the precise coordination of stability, agility and power production, hence during the periodization cycle, needs such as proprioceptive and kinesthetic awareness components must be heavily trained so to put him back into competitive level. In addition, footwork drills are also important for him because of the numerous quick and rapid changes in direction and speed that occur during the match. With all these in mind, a periodization plan that includes different frequency, different intensity, time of training and type of training like aerobic, anaerobic, speed, power, strength, technique, tactics, will need to plan for him. Specific objectives on the various phases of training/cycles in his training plan. A typical English Premier League season will start in Aug and ends in May next year, hence the periodization plan has to start in Sep and end til Jul when the new season starts in Aug. The periodization plan for Mark were broken into different meso level like General Preparation, Specific Preparation, Pre Competition, Competition, Recovery cycles as shown in figure 1 and also the different volume and intensity level. First, in the general preparation cycle which last for 5 months, since Mark is still recovering from his knee surgery, all the training will be concentrating on building his overall strength, improve his mental skill and aerobic level, but the level of intensity and volume must be maintained at low level (e.g. range 1 to 2, as shown in figure 2). The types of training could include swimming, cycling, weight training and slow jogging. All the training will be increased progressively from 1st to the 5th month without the comprised of the players injury. Second, in the specific preparation cycle which last for the next 5 months, Marks training will be concentrating on Speed, Power and Mental skill, however as compared to the previous 5 months, the intensity and volume will have to slightly increase by 1 tick. The job of training speed in soccer can be very complex and it must be planned properly. Here are some of the attributes that will make a better player: Speeding quickly off the mark Accelerating quickly over 10-15 yards Good speed endurance Fast possession of the ball Fastness of feet or agility Able to change direction quickly The ability to execute skills quickly Fast in thinking (Sporting Excellence Ltd, 2010) The types of training are as follow: At the start of a training session, speed training like speed drills that completed over short distances with rests can be conducted, e.g. 6 X 25 meters each (500 meters total) with 2.5 minutes rest between each rep. Soccer players must have the ability to maintain high levels of speed, even when tired, speed endurance e.g. run a long distance 150 yards at full intensity (90% 100%) with full recovery 15 minutes between each repetition. The types of Power training for Mark are weight training that includes high intensity, high weights and fast moving reps. The weight training will accomplish two of the main goals for the players; they are injury prevention and improved performance. Third, in the pre-competition and competition cycle which last for 1 month and 8 months respectively, emphasis should be given to technique, tactical, mental skill and anaerobic training. Technical training should include improving the skill of kicking, dribbling, passing, shooting, throw in and heading. The 2 major components of soccer tactics are how to attack and defend. Tactical drills are executed in training sessions to develop an understanding of the tactics to be used in the next games against the weaknesses of the opposition team. The most popular type of anaerobic training for soccer players is interval training. This helps the soccer players to develop strength through short bursts of speed in a variety of actions such as stopping, turning, and directional changes. Lastly, in the recovery cycle which last for at least 1 month, there are several methods can be apply to the players such as complete rest, like taking a 1 week break without any soccer training, go for massage, there are some positive effects of massage, these include relief of muscle fatigue and reduction of excessive swelling. Relaxation techniques can also improve the players ability to focus. Also, go to see a doctor for any physical damages to the players body. Figure 2 Volume Vs Intensity for the Macro Cycle Tapering Tapering is defined as the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition, tapering is used in many endurance sports, such as the marathon, athletics and swimming. A significant period of tapering like a week or more is essential for optimal performance. During tapering, volume, intensity, load of the training should be reduce so that the players can achieve peak performance during the game. Specific intervention strategies to improve Marks movement skills and fitness. The following are some of the strategies help to improve Marks movement skill and fitness: To build up the strength and endurance of his leg muscles, in particular doing weight training for quadriceps and hamstrings. The type of weight training for quadriceps are squats (3 sets of 15 reps), lunges (3 sets of 15 reps), leg extension, leg lifts , leg press and for hamstrings are leg curls, leg dead lift, lunges. To improve his cardiovascular conditioning, Marks need to move his body with his large muscle groups over a sustained period of time. these exercise can be cycling, swimming, jogging, circuit weight training.

Bipolar Disorder in Adolescents Essays -- health, spectrum disorder

Case Study In this paper, I will present a case study in which I will describe the struggles of living with an adolescent diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I will discuss the case, the family relationships, the causes and diagnosis, and the treatment options currently available to those with bipolar disorder in general. The purpose of my paper is to make the reader aware of what goes on in the life of an adolescent with bipolar disorder type II. VR is a vibrant, beautiful, fun loving 17 year old. She is witty, creative and has a deep passion for dance. Over the last couple of years however, there are many times when she becomes so sad that it is difficult for her to function. She will go to sleep immediately after school and still have a hard time getting up in the morning. My parents have received numerous phone calls from her teachers advising us that she will fall asleep in class and this is after having slept 12 hours the prior night. During these times of sadness, VR refuses to talk with her friends. In fact, she refuses to talk to anyone or do any of the activities she so thoroughly enjoys. VR also has times when she is extremely full of energy and nothing stops her. Although this doesn’t happen as often, this excess energy is much more extreme than normal adolescent behavior. When she experiences these bouts of excess energy, VR talks non-stop. She talks so fast that people have a hard time comprehendin g what she is saying. It is during these episodes that she will go nights without any sleep and still function normally. In addition to days of complete sadness or excessive energy she also has to deal with erratic menstrual cycles. During these times, she gets extremely bad headaches, throws up, and bleeds qui... ...ents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1, 439-449. Lewinsohn, P.M., Seeley, J.R., & Klein, D.N. (2003). Bipolar disorders during adolescence. Acta Psychiatry Scan, 108(418), 47-50. Miklowitz, D.J. (2007). The role of the family in the course and treatment of bipolar disorder. Psychological Science, 16(4), 192-194. Morris, C.D., Miklowitz, D.J., & Waxmonsky, J.A. (2007). Family-focused treatment for bipolar disorder in adults and youth. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63(5), 433-445. Sullivan, A.E., & Miklowitz, D.J. (2010). Family functioning among adolescents with bipolar disorder. Journal of Family Psychology, 24(1), 60-67. Wilkinson, G.B., Taylor, P., & Holt, J.R. (2002). Bipolar disorder in adolescence: Diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 24(4), 348-357.

Gold Rush And War :: essays research papers

A gold rush leads to war The American Civil War (1861-1865) and the Reconstruction period that followed were the bloodiest chapters of American history to date. Brother fought brother as the population was split along sectional lines. The issue of slavery divided the nation's people and the political parties that represented them in Washington. The tension which snapped the uneasy truce between north and south began building over slavery and statehood debates in California. In 1848, settlers discovered gold at Sutter's Mill, starting a mass migration. By 1849, California had enough citizens to apply for statehood. However, the debate over whether the large western state would or would not allow slavery delayed its admittance. Delegates from the south threatened to secede if California was admitted as a free state. Meanwhile, tempers also flared in New Mexico and Texas over border disputes, and abolitionists fought pro-slavery advocates over the issue of slave trading within the District of Columbia. Southern political leaders, mostly Democrats, proposed a convention in Nashville to discuss secession. In 1850, Henry Clay proposed the Compromise of 1850 to Congress. The Compromise contained the following provisions: California would enter the union as free state. New Mexico territory would be divided into New Mexico and Utah, and offered popular sovereignty. Texas must yield disputed territory to New Mexico in return for federal assumption of its state debt. Trading, but not possession, of slaves would be banned from the District of Columbia. Fugitive slave laws would be enhanced. Zachary Taylor, who was president at the time, was prepared to veto the bills, but died suddenly. His successor, Millard Fillmore, allowed the provisions to pass one at a time with the help of Stephen Douglas. The Nashville Convention met soon afterwards and denounced the plan, but took no decisive action. This uneasy truce would last for only four years. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act makes further compromis e practically impossible. It granted popular sovereignty to both states, in the hopes that they would split on the slavery issue and continue the shaky equality between slave and free states. Nebraska quickly adopted an free-soil constitution and was admitted as a free state. Kansas, however, was badly split along sectional lines, and opposing political forces ratified both a free and a slave constitution in 1855. Riots broke out everywhere, and "Bleeding Kansas" fell into chaos. John Brown, an infamous and rebellious abolitionist, killed five pro-slavery activists in 1856 in retaliation for the murder of five abolitionists.

Henry Ford :: essays research papers

In 1915, in an effort to end World War I, he headed a privately sponsored peace expedition to Europe that failed dismally, but after the American entry into the war he was a leading producer of ambulances, airplanes, munitions, tanks, and submarine chasers. In 1918 he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate on the Democratic ticket. After weathering a severe financial crisis in 1921, he began producing high-priced motor cars along with other vehicles and founded branch firms in England and in other European countries. Strongly opposed to trade unionism, Ford–who incurred considerable antagonism because of his paternalistic attitude toward his employees and his statements on political and social questions–stubbornly resisted union organization in his factories by the United Automobile Workers until 1941. A staunch isolationist before World War II, Ford again converted his factories to the production of war material after 1941. In 1945 he retired. Other Accomplishments and Controversies His numerous philanthropies, in addition to the Ford Foundation, included $7.5 million for the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and $5 million for a museum in Dearborn, where in 1933 he established Greenfield Village–a reproduction of an early American village. Ford also wrote, in collaboration with Samuel Crowther, My Life and Work (1923), Today and Tomorrow (1926), Moving Forward (1931), and Edison as I Knew Him (1930). Ford's international reputation made him a natural target for journalists. His libel suit against the Chicago Tribune in 1919 led to an examination by the Tribune attorney, intended to show Ford's lack of education. Anti-Semitic articles in Ford's Dearborn Independent brought further legal controversy; he was forced to apologize for the articles. In the 1930s, Ford was widely attacked for employing Harry Bennett, a former boxer who established a squad of thugs to spy, beat up, and otherwise intimidate union organizers. Ford was also a poor manager who failed to capitalize on his company's early success. In the 1920s he failed to respond to consumer tastes by introducing new models and the company fell far behind General Motors. By the time of his retirement, the company's accounting procedures were so primitive that Ford's managers were unable to accurately tell how much it cost to manufacture a car and the company was losing $9.5 million a month. Later Generations His son, Edsel Bryant Ford, 1893—1943, b. Detroit, shared in the control of the vast Ford industrial interests. He was president of the Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death, when his father once more became (1943) president of the company.

Closed Head Injury

Closed Head Injury Case Study Y. W. is a 23-year-old male student from Thailand studying electrical engineering at the university. He was ejected from a moving vehicle, which was traveling 70 mph. His injuries included a severe closed head injury with an occipital hematoma, bilateral wrist fractures, and a right pneumothorax. During his neurologic intensive care unit (NICU) stay, Y. W. was intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation, had a feeding tube inserted and was placed on tube feedings, had a Foley catheter to down drain (DD), and had multiple IVs inserted. He developed pneumonia 1 month after admission.Closed Head Injuries: Closed head injuries result from a blow to the head as occurs, for example, in a car accident when the head strikes the windshield or dashboard. These injuries cause two types of brain damage. 1. Define the term primary head injury. A primary head injury (or primary impact) is also known as a â€Å"coup injury. † The injury occurs under the site of impact with an object such as a hammer or a rock. The brain strikes the skull after the head strikes the object of impact (Lewis, et al, Fig 57-14). This is the site of the direct impact of the brain on the skull.Often there is edema around the site of impact. 2. Define the term secondary head injury. The secondary head injury is also known as contrecoup injury occurs on the side opposite the area that was impacted. These injuries tend to be more severe and overall patient prognosis depends on the amount of bleeding around the contusion site (Lewis, et al, 1425). Often it is the secondary brain injuries that show few initial symptoms and then have serious side effects days to weeks later. 3. What is normal intracranial pressure (ICP), and why is increased ICP so clinically important?Normal intracranial pressure ranges from 5 to 15 mm Hg. A sustained pressure above the upper limit is considered abnormal. Pressure changes in the brain effect the brain’s compliance. Complianc e is the â€Å"expandability of the brain† With low compliance, small changes in volume occur and result in greater increases in pressure. Elevated intracranial pressure is clinically significant because â€Å"it diminishes CPP, increases risks of brain ischemia and infarction, and is associated with a poor prognosis† (Lewis, et al, p. 1425-1427). 4. Identify at least five signs and symptoms (S/S) of increased ICP. signs and symptoms of increased ICP are †¢Decreased LOC (level of consciousness) †¢Respiratory problems (maintaining a patent airway is critical in the patient with increased ICP. Pt is at increased risk of airway obstruction (Lewis, et al, p. 1434). †¢Elevated systolic BP due to ischemia and pressure on the brainstem. †¢Bradycardia due to the ischemia and pressure on the brainstem as well. †¢Pulmonary edema due to increased sympathetic activity as a result of increased intercranial pressure. 5. List 4 medication classifications that the ICU nurses could use to decrease or control increased ICP.Some of the medications that the ICU nurses could use to decrease or control increased ICP would be: †¢Opioids (morphine sulfate and fentanyl) †¢IV anesthetic sedative propofol (Diprivan) to manage anxiety and agitation. †¢Vecuronium (Norcuron), cisatracurium besylate (Nimbex): nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents: achieve complete ventilatory control in the treatment of refractory intracranial hypertension. (These agents paralyze muscles without blocking pain or noxious stimuli, therefore they are used in combination with sedatives, analgesics, or benzodiazepines (Lewis, p. 436)). †¢Dexmedetomidine (Precedex): alpha-2 agonist; used for continuous IV sedation of intubated and mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU setting for up to 24 hours. †¢Benzodiazepines are usually avoided in the ICU in management of the patient with increased ICP because of the hypotensive effect and long hal f-life. (Lewis, et al, p. 1436). 6. List 8 nursing measures that the ICU nurses could use to decrease or control increased ICP. * Maintain the patient in the head-up position. Elevation of the head of the bed reduces sagittal sinus pressure, promotes drainage from the head via the valveless venous system through the jugular veins, and decreases the vascular congestion that can produce cerebral edema† (Lewis, et al, p. 1436) * Position the bed so that it lowers the ICP while optimizing the CPP; not above 30 degrees. * Turn the patient with slow, gentle movements. Rapid changes in position may increase ICP. * Avoid extreme hip flexion—this risks raising intra-abdominal pressure which increases ICP. Turn pt every 2 hrs (minimum). * Protect the patient with ICP from self-injury with adequate padding on the bed.Because of likelihood of decreased LOC, confusion, agitation, and the possibility of seizures increase the risk for injury. * Be prepared to explain situations to fam ily and caregivers and the patient. With increased ICP, anxiety is likely and the prognosis can be distressing. By providing short, simple explanations that are appropriate, it allows the patient and the caregiver to acquire the amount of information they desire (Lewis, p. 1438). * Decorticate or decerebrate posturing is a reflex response in some patients with increased ICP. The nurse can use turning, skin care, and even passive range of motion. Monitor fluid and electrolyte status. Disturbances can have an adverse effect on ICP. Closely monitor IV fluids with the use of an accurate intravenous infusion control device or pump; monitor intake and output and daily weights. (Lewis, et al, 1437) * Perform neurological assessments every hour. 7. Y. W. ’s medication list includes clindamycin 150 mg per feeding tube q6h, ranitidine (Zantac elixir) 150 mg per feeding tube bid, and phenytoin (Dilantin) 100 mg IV piggyback (IVPB) tid. Indicate the reasons for each. †¢Clindamycin 1 50 mg per feeding tube q6h: Treatment of respiratory tract infections; to treat Y.W. ’s pneumonia. (Skyscape, 2012). †¢Ranitidine (Zantac elixir) 150 mg per feeding tube BID: Used to treat and prevent stress ulcers (stress-induced GI bleeding in critically ill patients). Due to head injury, overstimulation of the vagus nerve from TBI. †¢Phenytoin (Dilantin) 100 mg IVPB TID: Used to treat and prevent tonic-clonic seizures and complex partial seizures. Seizure is seen in 5% of patients with a non-penetrating head injury (Lewis, et al, p. 1445). 8. A STAT portable chest x-ray (CXR) is ordered after each central venous catheter (CVC) is inserted.According to hospital protocol, no one is permitted to infuse anything through the catheter until the CXR has been read by the physician or radiologist. What is the purpose of the CXR, and why isn’t fluid infused through the catheter until after the CXR is read? The chest x-ray confirms the proper placement of the central venous catheter. If fluid is infused through the catheter before a CXR has confirmed placement, the patient is at high risk for systemic infection or possible pneumothorax (which would occur if the catheter were to be entered into the lung by mistake instead of the superior vena cava).CASE STUDY PROGRESS Y. W. spent 2 months in acute care and is now on your rehabilitation unit. He follows commands but tends to get agitated with too much stimulation. His tracheostomy site is well healed, and the pneumonia is finally resolving. He is still receiving supplemental tube feeding and has some continued incontinence of both bowel and bladder. Y. W. has a supportive group of friends who are students at the university; several of them are also from Thailand. 9. Y. W. ’s latest lab results are as follows: Na 149 mmol/L, K 4. mmol/L, Cl 119 mmol/L, total CO2 21 mmol/L, BUN 12 mg/dl, creatinine 1. 2 mg/dl, glucose 123 mg/dl, WBC 15. 4 thou/cmm, Hgb 14. 9 g/dl, Hct 36. 4%, platelets 140 t hou/cmm. Are any of these of concern to you, and what would you suggest to correct them? I am concerned about 3 of the labs. Sodium: high (increased); hypernatremia; high sodium levels cause neurologic problems including intense thirst, lethargy, agitation, seizures, postural hypotension, weakness, and decreased skin turgor. Chloride: High, increased; High chloride levels occur because of increased sodium levels.It is important to correct the sodium level so the chloride level can follow suit. Again, hypernatremia and the nurse must watch out for dysrhythmias, HTN, and impaired mental response. –> Correcting increased sodium would include: Hypotonic saline (via IV) and 5% dextrose in water (IV)- (Lewis, et al, p. 312) WBC count:15. 4 increased; this increased level indicates infection. This can be attributed to the patient’s diagnosis of Pneumonia. Administration of appropriate antibiotics will help bring the white count back to a normal level. 0. Are you surprised by Y. W. ’s agitated behavior? Explain. YM’s agitation is of no surprise. Patients that have head injuries often express agitation easily. Increased intracranial pressure and the head injury the patient has experienced can cause agitated behavior to arise. It is imperative for the nurse to use interventions to decrease the agitated behavior which can further lead to feelings of anxiety. Providing a calm and non-stimulating environment, free of stressors, is a good way to do this (Lewis, et al, p. 1438).Also, the nurse can elevate the bed 15-30 degrees with appropriate oxygenation applied. 11. Outline a general rehabilitation plan for Y. W. based on the above data. The rehab plan will include -physical therapy- working on gross motor skills, walking, sitting, transferring, and range of motion -occupational therapy- aids in completion of ADLs and learning of new techniques to complete these tasks of daily living -nutrition- proper nutrition to keep patient nourished and als o consuming enough vitamins/minerals/proteins to aide in healing. nursing staff- administer antibiotics, pain medications, and supportive care. -speech therapy- to evaluate and aide with swallowing, eating/drinking, and eventually verbal communication improvements. 12. Y. W. ’s mother has just arrived in the United States and speaks no English. What measures can be taken to facilitate communication between medical personnel and the mother? First and foremost the nurse should find out what language is the mother’s native language. Most people are unaware but it is not safe to assume there is one language that will apply to an entire country.Quite a few countries speak a language based on their village. The nurse will need to acquire an interpreter that will speak the language that best suits the mother. If the patient’s friends/classmates are around, they can also be used to aid in interpretation and communication between health care staff and family. 13. Y. W. à ¢â‚¬â„¢s mother will need a place to stay while in the United States. What can you do to facilitate the initial contact with the Thai community? Hopefully the other Thai students are around or could make a suggestion for the patient’s mother.I would also ask the social worker if they know of any thai-specific cultural centers in the area. I could check with the interpreter, and see if they have a lead. I would also google Thai community San Diego and see what I could find. 14. What special discharge planning considerations are there in this case? Discharge considerations for this patient will involve knowing where the patient is discharging to. The nurse will need to know if the patient is staying in the US and continuing with follow-up outpatient rehab with our facility and if not, then where will they be.The nurse and other members of the healthcare/rehab team need to educate the patient on his injury and what comes next for him in terms of rehabilitation. The nurse needs t o consider what modifications YM has made to his lifestyle post injury. Discharge planning should include an outpatient schedule for OT, PT and Speech (assuming he will stay here). Education for caregivers and family is also very important so that the patient has a support system available during the recovery and rehabilitation process.The patient will need to be sent home with any tools he will need for ADLs, with medications or supplements that are still necessary for recovery. If the patient is in need of special services or devices (i. e. wheelchair, ramps, vehicle to accommodate special devices, etc. ), a case manager should be sought out to ensure that these needs are met. References Lewis, et al, (2011). Medical-Surgical Nursing Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. 8th ed. Vol 1. St Louis, Missouri: Mosby. Skyscape. (2010). Skyscape Medical Resources (Version 1. 9. 11) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://itunes. apple. com/

Twilight 8. PORT ANGELES

8. PORT ANGELES Jess drove faster than the Chief, so we made it to Port Angeles by four. It had been a while since I'd had a girls' night out, and the estrogen rush was invigorating. We listened to whiny rock songs while Jessica jabbered on about the boys we hung out with. Jessica's dinner with Mike had gone very well, and she was hoping that by Saturday night they would have progressed to the first-kiss stage. I smiled to myself, pleased. Angela was passively happy to be going to the dance, but not really interested in Eric. Jess tried to get her to confess who her type was, but I interrupted with a question about dresses after a bit, to spare her. Angela threw a grateful glance my way. Port Angeles was a beautiful little tourist trap, much more polished and quaint than Forks. But Jessica and Angela knew it well, so they didn't plan to waste time on the picturesque boardwalk by the bay. Jess drove straight to the one big department store in town, which was a few streets in from the bay area's visitor-friendly face. The dance was billed as semiformal, and we weren't exactly sure what that meant. Both Jessica and Angela seemed surprised and almost disbelieving when I told them I'd never been to a dance in Phoenix. â€Å"Didn't you ever go with a boyfriend or something?† Jess asked dubiously as we walked through the front doors of the store. â€Å"Really,† I tried to convince her, not wanting to confess my dancing problems. â€Å"I've never had a boyfriend or anything close. I didn't go out much.† â€Å"Why not?† Jessica demanded. â€Å"No one asked me,† I answered honestly. She looked skeptical. â€Å"People ask you out here,† she reminded me, â€Å"and you tell them no.† We were in the juniors' section now, scanning the racks for dress-up clothes. â€Å"Well, except for Tyler,† Angela amended quietly. â€Å"Excuse me?† I gasped. â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"Tyler told everyone he's taking you to prom,† Jessica informed me with suspicious eyes. â€Å"He said what?† I sounded like I was choking. â€Å"I told you it wasn't true,† Angela murmured to Jessica. I was silent, still lost in shock that was quickly turning to irritation. But we had found the dress racks, and now we had work to do. â€Å"That's why Lauren doesn't like you,† Jessica giggled while we pawed through the clothes. I ground my teeth. â€Å"Do you think that if I ran him over with my truck he would stop feeling guilty about the accident? That he might give up on making amends and call it even?† â€Å"Maybe,† Jess snickered. ‘†If that's why he's doing this.† The dress selection wasn't large, but both of them found a few things to try on. I sat on a low chair just inside the dressing room, by the three-way mirror, trying to control my fuming. Jess was torn between two – one a long, strapless, basic black number, the other a knee-length electric blue with spaghetti straps. I encouraged her to go with the blue; why not play up the eyes? Angela chose a pale pink dress that draped around her tall frame nicely and brought out honey tints in her light brown hair. I complimented them both generously and helped by returning the rejects to their racks. The whole process was much shorter and easier than similar trips I'd taken with Ren? ¦e at home. I guess there was something to be said for limited choices. We headed over to shoes and accessories. While they tried things on I merely watched and critiqued, not in the mood to shop for myself, though I did need new shoes. The girls'-night high was wearing off in the wake of my annoyance at Tyler, leaving room for the gloom to move back in. â€Å"Angela?† I began, hesitant, while she was trying on a pair of pink strappy heels – she was overjoyed to have a date tall enough that she could wear high heels at all. Jessica had drifted to the jewelry counter and we were alone. â€Å"Yes?† She held her leg out, twisting her ankle to get a better view of the shoe. I chickened out. â€Å"I like those.† â€Å"I think I'll get them – though they'll never match anything but the one dress,† she mused. â€Å"Oh, go ahead – they're on sale,† I encouraged. She smiled, putting the lid back on a box that contained more practical-looking off-white shoes. I tried again. â€Å"Um, Angela†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked up curiously. â€Å"Is it normal for the†¦ Cullens† – I kept my eyes on the shoes – â€Å"to be out of school a lot?† I failed miserably in my attempt to sound nonchalant. â€Å"Yes, when the weather is good they go backpacking all the time – even the doctor. They're all real outdoorsy,† she told me quietly, examining her shoes, too. She didn't ask one question, let alone the hundreds that Jessica would have unleashed. I was beginning to really like Angela. â€Å"Oh.† I let the subject drop as Jessica returned to show us the rhinestone jewelry she'd found to match her silver shoes. We planned to go to dinner at a little Italian restaurant on the boardwalk, but the dress shopping hadn't taken as long as we'd expected. Jess and Angela were going to take their clothes back to the car and then walk down to the bay. I told them I would meet them at the restaurant in an hour – I wanted to look for a bookstore. They were both willing to come with me, but I encouraged them to go have fun – they didn't know how preoccupied I could get when surrounded by books; it was something I preferred to do alone. They walked off to the car chattering happily, and I headed in the direction Jess pointed out. I had no trouble finding the bookstore, but it wasn't what I was looking for. The windows were full of crystals, dream-catchers, and books about spiritual healing. I didn't even go inside. Through the glass I could see a fifty-year-old woman with long, gray hair worn straight down her back, clad in a dress right out of the sixties, smiling welcomingly from behind the counter. I decided that was one conversation I could skip. There had to be a normal bookstore in town. I meandered through the streets, which were filling up with end-of-the-workday traffic, and hoped I was headed toward downtown. I wasn't paying as much attention as I should to where I was going; I was wrestling with despair. I was trying so hard not to think about him, and what Angela had said†¦ and more than anything trying to beat down my hopes for Saturday, fearing a disappointment more painful than the rest, when I looked up to see someone's silver Volvo parked along the street and it all came crashing down on me. Stupid, unreliable vampire, I thought to myself. I stomped along in a southerly direction, toward some glass-fronted shops that looked promising. But when I got to them, they were just a repair shop and a vacant space. I still had too much time to go looking for Jess and Angela yet, and I definitely needed to get my mood in hand before I met back up with them. I ran my fingers through my hair a couple of times and took some deep breaths before I continued around the corner. I started to realize, as I crossed another road, that I was going the wrong direction. The little foot traffic I had seen was going north, and it looked like the buildings here were mostly warehouses. I decided to turn east at the next corner, and then loop around after a few blocks and try my luck on a different street on my way back to the boardwalk. A group of four men turned around the corner I was heading for, dressed too casually to be heading home from the office, but they were too grimy to be tourists. As they approached me, I realized they weren't too many years older than I was. They were joking loudly among themselves, laughing raucously and punching each other's arms. I scooted as far to the inside of the sidewalk as I could to give them room, walking swiftly, looking past them to the corner. â€Å"Hey, there!† one of them called as they passed, and he had to be talking to me since no one else was around. I glanced up automatically. Two of them had paused, the other two were slowing. The closest, a heavyset, dark-haired man in his early twenties, seemed to be the one who had spoken. He was wearing a flannel shirt open over a dirty t-shirt, cut-off jeans, and sandals. He took half a step toward me. â€Å"Hello,† I mumbled, a knee-jerk reaction. Then I quickly looked away and walked faster toward the corner. I could hear them laughing at full volume behind me. â€Å"Hey, wait!† one of them called after me again, but I kept my head down and rounded the corner with a sigh of relief. I could still hear them chortling behind me. I found myself on a sidewalk leading past the backs of several somber-colored warehouses, each with large bay doors for unloading trucks, padlocked for the night. The south side of the street had no sidewalk, only a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire protecting some kind of engine parts storage yard. I'd wandered far past the part of Port Angeles that I, as a guest, was intended to see. It was getting dark, I realized, the clouds finally returning, piling up on the western horizon, creating an early sunset. The eastern sky was still clear, but graying, shot through with streaks of pink and orange. I'd left my jacket in the car, and a sudden shiver made me cross my arms tightly across my chest. A single van passed me, and then the road was empty. The sky suddenly darkened further, and, as I looked over my shoulder to glare at the offending cloud, I realized with a shock that two men were walking quietly twenty feet behind me. They were from the same group I'd passed at the corner, though neither was the dark one who'd spoken to me. I turned my head forward at once, quickening my pace. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather made me shiver again. My purse was on a shoulder strap and I had it slung across my body, the way you were supposed to wear it so it wouldn't get snatched. I knew exactly where my pepper spray was – still in my duffle bag under the bed, never unpacked. I didn't have much money with me, just a twenty and some ones, and I thought about â€Å"accidentally† dropping my bag and walking away. But a small, frightened voice in the back of my mind warned me that they might be something worse than thieves. I listened intently to their quiet footsteps, which were much too quiet when compared to the boisterous noise they'd been making earlier, and it didn't sound like they were speeding up, or getting any closer to me. Breathe, I had to remind myself. You don't know they're following you. I continued to walk as quickly as I could without actually running, focusing on the right-hand turn that was only a few yards away from me now. I could hear them, staying as far back as they'd been before. A blue car turned onto the street from the south and drove quickly past me. I thought of jumping out in front of it, but I hesitated, inhibited, unsure that I was really being pursued, and then it was too late. I reached the corner, but a swift glance revealed that it was only a blind drive to the back of another building. I was half-turned in anticipation; I had to hurriedly correct and dash across the narrow drive, back to the sidewalk. The street ended at the next corner, where there was a stop sign. I concentrated on the faint footsteps behind me, deciding whether or not to run. They sounded farther back, though, and I knew they could outrun me in any case. I was sure to trip and go sprawling if I tried to go any faster. The footfalls were definitely farther back. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder, and they were maybe forty feet back now, I saw with relief. But they were both staring at me. It seemed to take forever for me to get to the corner. I kept my pace steady, the men behind me falling ever so slightly farther behind with every step. Maybe they realized they had scared me and were sorry. I saw two cars going north pass the intersection I was heading for, and I exhaled in relief. There would be more people around once I got off this deserted street. I skipped around the corner with a grateful sigh. And skidded to a stop. The street was lined on both sides by blank, doorless, windowless walls. I could see in the distance, two intersections down, streetlamps, cars, and more pedestrians, but they were all too far away. Because lounging against the western building, midway down the street, were the other two men from the group, both watching with excited smiles as I froze dead on the sidewalk. I realized then that I wasn't being followed. I was being herded. I paused for only a second, but it felt like a very long time. I turned then and darted to the other side of the road. I had a sinking feeling that it was a wasted attempt. The footsteps behind me were louder now. â€Å"There you are!† The booming voice of the stocky, dark-haired man shattered the intense quiet and made me jump. In the gathering darkness, it seemed like he was looking past me. â€Å"Yeah,† a voice called loudly from behind me, making me jump again as I tried to hurry down the street. â€Å"We just took a little detour.† My steps had to slow now. I was closing the distance between myself and the lounging pair too quickly. I had a good loud scream, and I sucked in air, preparing to use it, but my throat was so dry I wasn't sure how much volume I could manage. With a quick movement I slipped my purse over my head, gripping the strap with one hand, ready to surrender it or use it as weapon as need demanded. The thickset man shrugged away from the wall as I warily came to a stop, and walked slowly into the street. â€Å"Stay away from me,† I warned in a voice that was supposed to sound strong and fearless. But I was right about the dry throat – no volume. â€Å"Don't be like that, sugar,† he called, and the raucous laughter started again behind me. I braced myself, feet apart, trying to remember through my panic what little self-defense I knew. Heel of the hand thrust upward, hopefully breaking the nose or shoving it into the brain. Finger through the eye socket – try to hook around and pop the eye out. And the standard knee to the groin, of course. That same pessimistic voice in my mind spoke up then, reminding me that I probably wouldn't have a chance against one of them, and there were four. Shut up! I commanded the voice before terror could incapacitate me. I wasn't going out without taking someone with me. I tried to swallow so I could build up a decent scream. Headlights suddenly flew around the corner, the car almost hitting the stocky one, forcing him to jump back toward the sidewalk. I dove into the road – this car was going to stop, or have to hit me. But the silver car unexpectedly fishtailed around, skidding to a stop with the passenger door open just a few feet from me. â€Å"Get in,† a furious voice commanded. It was amazing how instantaneously the choking fear vanished, amazing how suddenly the feeling of security washed over me – even before I was off the street – as soon as I heard his voice. I jumped into the seat, slamming the door shut behind me. It was dark in the car, no light had come on with the opening of the door, and I could barely see his face in the glow from the dashboard. The tires squealed as he spun around to face north, accelerating too quickly, swerving toward the stunned men on the street. I caught a glimpse of them diving for the sidewalk as we straightened out and sped toward the harbor. â€Å"Put on your seat belt,† he commanded, and I realized I was clutching the seat with both hands. I quickly obeyed; the snap as the belt connected was loud in the darkness. He took a sharp left, racing forward, blowing through several stop signs without a pause. But I felt utterly safe and, for the moment, totally unconcerned about where we were going. I stared at his face in profound relief, relief that went beyond my sudden deliverance. I studied his flawless features in the limited light, waiting for my breath to return to normal, until it occurred to me that his expression was murderously angry. â€Å"Are you okay?† I asked, surprised at how hoarse my voice sounded. â€Å"No,† he said curtly, and his tone was livid. I sat in silence, watching his face while his blazing eyes stared straight ahead, until the car came to a sudden stop. I glanced around, but it was too dark to see anything beside the vague outline of dark trees crowding the roadside. We weren't in town anymore. â€Å"Bella?† he asked, his voice tight, controlled. â€Å"Yes?† My voice was still rough. I tried to clear my throat quietly. â€Å"Are you all right?† He still didn't look at me, but the fury was plain on his face. â€Å"Yes,† I croaked softly. â€Å"Distract me, please,† he ordered. â€Å"I'm sorry, what?† He exhaled sharply. â€Å"Just prattle about something unimportant until I calm down,† he clarified, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. â€Å"Um.† I wracked my brain for something trivial. â€Å"I'm going to run over Tyler Crowley tomorrow before school?† He was still squeezing his eyes closed, but the corner of his mouth twitched. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"He's telling everyone that he's taking me to prom – either he's insane or he's still trying to make up for almost killing me last†¦ well, you remember it, and he thinks prom is somehow the correct way to do this. So I figure if I endanger his life, then we're even, and he can't keep trying to make amends. I don't need enemies and maybe Lauren would back off if he left me alone. I might have to total his Sentra, though. If he doesn't have a ride he can't take anyone to prom†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I babbled on. â€Å"I heard about that.† He sounded a bit more composed. â€Å"You did?† I asked in disbelief, my previous irritation flaring. â€Å"If he's paralyzed from the neck down, he can't go to the prom, either,† I muttered, refining my plan. Edward sighed, and finally opened his eyes. â€Å"Better?† â€Å"Not really.† I waited, but he didn't speak again. He leaned his head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling of the car. His face was rigid. â€Å"What's wrong?† My voice came out in a whisper. â€Å"Sometimes I have a problem with my temper, Bella.† He was whispering, too, and as he stared out the window, his eyes narrowed into slits. â€Å"But it wouldn't be helpful for me to turn around and hunt down those†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't finish his sentence, looking away, struggling for a moment to control his anger again. â€Å"At least,† he continued, â€Å"that's what I'm trying to convince myself.† â€Å"Oh.† The word seemed inadequate, but I couldn't think of a better response. We sat in silence again. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was past six-thirty. â€Å"Jessica and Angela will be worried,† I murmured. â€Å"I was supposed to meet them.† He started the engine without another word, turning around smoothly and speeding back toward town. We were under the streetlights in no time at all, still going too fast, weaving with ease through the cars slowly cruising the boardwalk. He parallel-parked against the curb in a space I would have thought much too small for the Volvo, but he slid in effortlessly in one try. I looked out the window to see the lights of La Bella Italia, and Jess and Angela just leaving, pacing anxiously away from us. â€Å"How did you know where†¦ ?† I began, but then I just shook my head. I heard the door open and turned to see him getting out. â€Å"What are you doing?† I asked. â€Å"I'm taking you to dinner.† He smiled slightly, but his eyes were hard. He stepped out of the car and slammed the door. I fumbled with my seat belt, and then hurried to get out of the car as well. He was waiting for me on the sidewalk. He spoke before I could. â€Å"Go stop Jessica and Angela before I have to track them down, too. I don't think I could restrain myself if I ran into your other friends again.† I shivered at the threat in his voice. â€Å"Jess! Angela!† I yelled after them, waving when they turned. They rushed back to me, the pronounced relief on both their faces simultaneously changing to surprise as they saw who I was standing next to. They hesitated a few feet from us. â€Å"Where have you been?† Jessica's voice was suspicious. â€Å"I got lost,† I admitted sheepishly. â€Å"And then I ran into Edward.† I gestured toward him. â€Å"Would it be all right if I joined you?† he asked in his silken, irresistible voice. I could see from their staggered expressions that he had never unleashed his talents on them before. â€Å"Er†¦ sure,† Jessica breathed. â€Å"Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting – sorry,† Angela confessed. â€Å"That's fine – I'm not hungry.† I shrugged. â€Å"I think you should eat something.† Edward's voice was low, but full of authority. He looked up at Jessica and spoke slightly louder. â€Å"Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight? That way you won't have to wait while she eats.† â€Å"Uh, no problem, I guess†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She bit her lip, trying to figure out from my expression whether that was what I wanted. I winked at her. I wanted nothing more than to be alone with my perpetual savior. There were so many questions that I couldn't bombard him with till we were by ourselves. â€Å"Okay.† Angela was quicker than Jessica. â€Å"See you tomorrow, Bella†¦ Edward.† She grabbed Jessica's hand and pulled her toward the car, which I could see a little ways away, parked across First Street. As they got in, Jess turned and waved, her face eager with curiosity. I waved back, waiting for them to drive away before I turned to face him. â€Å"Honestly, I'm not hungry,† I insisted, looking up to scrutinize his face. His expression was unreadable. â€Å"Humor me.† He walked to the door of the restaurant and held it open with an obstinate expression. Obviously, there would be no further discussion. I walked past him into the restaurant with a resigned sigh. The restaurant wasn't crowded – it was the off-season in Port Angeles. The host was female, and I understood the look in her eyes as she assessed Edward. She welcomed him a little more warmly than necessary. I was surprised by how much that bothered me. She was several inches taller than I was, and unnaturally blond. â€Å"A table for two?† His voice was alluring, whether he was aiming for that or not. I saw her eyes flicker to me and then away, satisfied by my obvious ordinariness, and by the cautious, no-contact space Edward kept between us. She led us to a table big enough for four in the center of the most crowded area of the dining floor. I was about to sit, but Edward shook his head at me. â€Å"Perhaps something more private?† he insisted quietly to the host. I wasn't sure, but it looked like he smoothly handed her a tip. I'd never seen anyone refuse a table except in old movies. â€Å"Sure.† She sounded as surprised as I was. She turned and led us around a partition to a small ring of booths – all of them empty. â€Å"How's this?† â€Å"Perfect.† He flashed his gleaming smile, dazing her momentarily. â€Å"Um† – she shook her head, blinking – â€Å"your server will be right out.† She walked away unsteadily. â€Å"You really shouldn't do that to people,† I criticized. â€Å"It's hardly fair.† â€Å"Do what?† â€Å"Dazzle them like that – she's probably hyperventilating in the kitchen right now.† He seemed confused. â€Å"Oh, come on,† I said dubiously. â€Å"You have to know the effect you have on people.† He tilted his head to one side, and his eyes were curious. â€Å"I dazzle people?† â€Å"You haven't noticed? Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?† He ignored my questions. â€Å"Do I dazzle you?† â€Å"Frequently,† I admitted. And then our server arrived, her face expectant. The hostess had definitely dished behind the scenes, and this new girl didn't look disappointed. She flipped a strand of short black hair behind one ear and smiled with unnecessary warmth. â€Å"Hello. My name is Amber, and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?† I didn't miss that she was speaking only to him. He looked at me. â€Å"I'll have a Coke.† It sounded like a question. â€Å"Two Cokes,† he said. â€Å"I'll be right back with that,† she assured him with another unnecessary smile. But he didn't see it. He was watching me. â€Å"What?† I asked when she left. His eyes stayed fixed on my face. â€Å"How are you feeling?† â€Å"I'm fine,† I replied, surprised by his intensity. â€Å"You don't feel dizzy, sick, cold†¦ ?† â€Å"Should I?† He chuckled at my puzzled tone. â€Å"Well, I'm actually waiting for you to go into shock.† His face twisted up into that perfect crooked smile. â€Å"I don't think that will happen,† I said after I could breathe again. â€Å"I've always been very good at repressing unpleasant things.† â€Å"Just the same, I'll feel better when you have some sugar and food in you.† Right on cue, the waitress appeared with our drinks and a basket of breadsticks. She stood with her back to me as she placed them on the table. â€Å"Are you ready to order?† she asked Edward. â€Å"Bella?† he asked. She turned unwillingly toward me. I picked the first thing I saw on the menu. â€Å"Um†¦ I'll have the mushroom ravioli.† â€Å"And you?† She turned back to him with a smile. â€Å"Nothing for me,† he said. Of course not. â€Å"Let me know if you change your mind.† The coy smile was still in place, but he wasn't looking at her, and she left dissatisfied. â€Å"Drink,† he ordered. I sipped at my soda obediently, and then drank more deeply, surprised by how thirsty I was. I realized I had finished the whole thing when he pushed his glass toward me. â€Å"Thanks,† I muttered, still thirsty. The cold from the icy soda was radiating through my chest, and I shivered. â€Å"Are you cold?† â€Å"It's just the Coke,† I explained, shivering again. â€Å"Don't you have a jacket?† His voice was disapproving. â€Å"Yes.† I looked at the empty bench next to me. â€Å"Oh – I left it in Jessica's car,† I realized. Edward was shrugging out of his jacket. I suddenly realized that I had never once noticed what he was wearing – not just tonight, but ever. I just couldn't seem to look away from his face. I made myself look now, focusing. He was removing a light beige leather jacket now; underneath he wore an ivory turtleneck sweater. It fit him snugly, emphasizing how muscular his chest was. He handed me the jacket, interrupting my ogling. â€Å"Thanks,† I said again, sliding my arms into his jacket. It was cold – the way my jacket felt when I first picked it up in the morning, hanging in the drafty hallway. I shivered again. It smelled amazing. I inhaled, trying to identify the delicious scent. It didn't smell like cologne. The sleeves were much too long; I shoved them back so I could free my hands. â€Å"That color blue looks lovely with your skin,† he said, watching me. I was surprised; I looked down, flushing, of course. He pushed the bread basket toward me. â€Å"Really, I'm not going into shock,† I protested. â€Å"You should be – a normal person would be. You don't even look shaken.† He seemed unsettled. He stared into my eyes, and I saw how light his eyes were, lighter than I'd ever seen them, golden butterscotch. â€Å"I feel very safe with you,† I confessed, mesmerized into telling the truth again. That displeased him; his alabaster brow furrowed. He shook his head, frowning. â€Å"This is more complicated than I'd planned,† he murmured to himself. I picked up a breadstick and began nibbling on the end, measuring his expression. I wondered when it would be okay to start questioning him. â€Å"Usually you're in a better mood when your eyes are so light,† I commented, trying to distract him from whatever thought had left him frowning and somber. He stared at me, stunned. â€Å"What?† â€Å"You're always crabbier when your eyes are black – I expect it then,† I went on. â€Å"I have a theory about that.† His eyes narrowed. â€Å"More theories?† â€Å"Mm-hm.† I chewed on a small bite of the bread, trying to look indifferent. â€Å"I hope you were more creative this time†¦ or are you still stealing from comic books?† His faint smile was mocking; his eyes were still tight. â€Å"Well, no, I didn't get it from a comic book, but I didn't come up with it on my own, either,† I confessed. â€Å"And?† he prompted. But then the waitress strode around the partition with my food. I realized we'd been unconsciously leaning toward each other across the table, because we both straightened up as she approached. She set the dish in front of me – it looked pretty good – and turned quickly to Edward. â€Å"Did you change your mind?† she asked. â€Å"Isn't there anything I can get you?† I may have been imagining the double meaning in her words. â€Å"No, thank you, but some more soda would be nice.† He gestured with a long white hand to the empty cups in front of me. â€Å"Sure.† She removed the empty glasses and walked away. â€Å"You were saying?† he asked. â€Å"I'll tell you about it in the car. If†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I paused. â€Å"There are conditions?† He raised one eyebrow, his voice ominous. â€Å"I do have a few questions, of course.† â€Å"Of course.† The waitress was back with two more Cokes. She sat them down without a word this time, and left again. I took a sip. â€Å"Well, go ahead,† he pushed, his voice still hard. I started with the most undemanding. Or so I thought. â€Å"Why are you in Port Angeles?† He looked down, folding his large hands together slowly on the table. His eyes flickered up at me from under his lashes, the hint of a smirk on his face. â€Å"Next.† â€Å"But that's the easiest one,† I objected. â€Å"Next,† he repeated. I looked down, frustrated. I unrolled my silverware, picked up my fork, and carefully speared a ravioli. I put it in my mouth slowly, still looking down, chewing while I thought. The mushrooms were good. I swallowed and took another sip of Coke before I looked up. â€Å"Okay, then.† I glared at him, and continued slowly. â€Å"Let's say, hypothetically of course, that†¦ someone†¦ could know what people are thinking, read minds, you know – with a few exceptions.† â€Å"Just one exception,† he corrected, â€Å"hypothetically.† â€Å"All right, with one exception, then.† I was thrilled that he was playing along, but I tried to seem casual. â€Å"How does that work? What are the limitations? How would†¦ that someone†¦ find someone else at exactly the right time? How would he know she was in trouble?† I wondered if my convoluted questions even made sense. â€Å"Hypothetically?† he asked. â€Å"Sure.† â€Å"Well, if†¦ that someone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Let's call him ‘Joe,'† I suggested. He smiled wryly. â€Å"Joe, then. If Joe had been paying attention, the timing wouldn't have needed to be quite so exact.† He shook his head, rolling his eyes. â€Å"Only you could get into trouble in a town this small. You would have devastated their crime rate statistics for a decade, you know.† â€Å"We were speaking of a hypothetical case,† I reminded him frostily. He laughed at me, his eyes warm. â€Å"Yes, we were,† he agreed. â€Å"Shall we call you ‘Jane'?† â€Å"How did you know?† I asked, unable to curb my intensity. I realized I was leaning toward him again. He seemed to be wavering, torn by some internal dilemma. His eyes locked with mine, and I guessed he was making the decision right then whether or not to simply tell me the truth. â€Å"You can trust me, you know,† I murmured. I reached forward, without thinking, to touch his folded hands, but he slid them away minutely, and I pulled my hand back. â€Å"I don't know if I have a choice anymore.† His voice was almost a whisper. â€Å"I was wrong – you're much more observant than I gave you credit for.† â€Å"I thought you were always right.† â€Å"I used to be.† He shook his head again. â€Å"I was wrong about you on one other thing, as well. You're not a magnet for accidents – that's not a broad enough classification. You are a magnet for trouble. If there is anything dangerous within a ten-mile radius, it will invariably find you.† â€Å"And you put yourself into that category?† I guessed. His face turned cold, expressionless. â€Å"Unequivocally.† I stretched my hand across the table again – ignoring him when he pulled back slightly once more – to touch the back of his hand shyly with my fingertips. His skin was cold and hard, like a stone. â€Å"Thank you.† My voice was fervent with gratitude. â€Å"That's twice now.† His face softened. â€Å"Let's not try for three, agreed?† I scowled, but nodded. He moved his hand out from under mine, placing both of his under the table. But he leaned toward me. â€Å"I followed you to Port Angeles,† he admitted, speaking in a rush. â€Å"I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and it's much more troublesome than I would have believed. But that's probably just because it's you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without so many catastrophes.† He paused. I wondered if it should bother me that he was following me; instead I felt a strange surge of pleasure. He stared, maybe wondering why my lips were curving into an involuntary smile. â€Å"Did you ever think that maybe my number was up the first time, with the van, and that you've been interfering with fate?† I speculated, distracting myself. â€Å"That wasn't the first time,† he said, and his voice was hard to hear. I stared at him in amazement, but he was looking down. â€Å"Your number was up the first time I met you.† I felt a spasm of fear at his words, and the abrupt memory of his violent black glare that first day†¦ but the overwhelming sense of safety I felt in his presence stifled it. By the time he looked up to read my eyes, there was no trace of fear in them. â€Å"You remember?† he asked, his angel's face grave. â€Å"Yes.† I was calm. â€Å"And yet here you sit.† There was a trace of disbelief in his voice; he raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Yes, here I sit†¦ because of you.† I paused. â€Å"Because somehow you knew how to find me today†¦ ?† I prompted. He pressed his lips together, staring at me through narrowed eyes, deciding again. His eyes flashed down to my full plate, and then back to me. â€Å"You eat, I'll talk,† he bargained. I quickly scooped up another ravioli and popped it in my mouth. â€Å"It's harder than it should be – keeping track of you. Usually I can find someone very easily, once I've heard their mind before.† He looked at me anxiously, and I realized I had frozen. I made myself swallow, then stabbed another ravioli and tossed it in. â€Å"I was keeping tabs on Jessica, not carefully – like I said, only you could find trouble in Port Angeles – and at first I didn't notice when you took off on your own. Then, when I realized that you weren't with her anymore, I went looking for you at the bookstore I saw in her head. I could tell that you hadn't gone in, and that you'd gone south†¦ and I knew you would have to turn around soon. So I was just waiting for you, randomly searching through the thoughts of people on the street – to see if anyone had noticed you so I would know where you were. I had no reason to be worried†¦ but I was strangely anxious†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was lost in thought, staring past me, seeing things I couldn't imagine. â€Å"I started to drive in circles, still†¦ listening. The sun was finally setting, and I was about to get out and follow you on foot. And then -† He stopped, clenching his teeth together in sudden fury. He made an effort to calm himself. â€Å"Then what?† I whispered. He continued to stare over my head. â€Å"I heard what they were thinking,† he growled, his upper lip curling slightly back over his teeth. â€Å"I saw your face in his mind.† He suddenly leaned forward, one elbow appearing on the table, his hand covering his eyes. The movement was so swift it startled me. â€Å"It was very†¦ hard – you can't imagine how hard – for me to simply take you away, and leave them†¦ alive.† His voice was muffled by his arm. â€Å"I could have let you go with Jessica and Angela, but I was afraid if you left me alone, I would go looking for them,† he admitted in a whisper. I sat quietly, dazed, my thoughts incoherent. My hands were folded in my lap, and I was leaning weakly against the back of the seat. He still had his face in his hand, and he was as still as if he'd been carved from the stone his skin resembled. Finally he looked up, his eyes seeking mine, full of his own questions. â€Å"Are you ready to go home?† he asked. â€Å"I'm ready to leave,† I qualified, overly grateful that we had the hour-long ride home together. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to him. The waitress appeared as if she'd been called. Or watching. â€Å"How are we doing?† she asked Edward. â€Å"We're ready for the check, thank you.† His voice was quiet, rougher, still reflecting the strain of our conversation. It seemed to muddle her. He looked up, waiting. â€Å"S-sure,† she stuttered. â€Å"Here you go.† She pulled a small leather folder from the front pocket of her black apron and handed it to him. There was a bill in his hand already. He slipped it into the folder and handed it right back to her. â€Å"No change.† He smiled. Then he stood up, and I scrambled awkwardly to my feet. She smiled invitingly at him again. â€Å"You have a nice evening.† He didn't look away from me as he thanked her. I suppressed a smile. He walked close beside me to the door, still careful not to touch me. I remembered what Jessica had said about her relationship with Mike, how they were almost to the first-kiss stage. I sighed. Edward seemed to hear me, and he looked down curiously. I looked at the sidewalk, grateful that he didn't seem to be able to know what I was thinking. He opened the passenger door, holding it for me as I stepped in, shutting it softly behind me. I watched him walk around the front of the car, amazed, yet again, by how graceful he was. I probably should have been used to that by now – but I wasn't. I had a feeling Edward wasn't the kind of person anyone got used to. Once inside the car, he started the engine and turned the heater on high. It had gotten very cold, and I guessed the good weather was at an end. I was warm in his jacket, though, breathing in the scent of it when I thought he couldn't see. Edward pulled out through the traffic, apparently without a glance, flipping around to head toward the freeway. â€Å"Now,† he said significantly, â€Å"it's your turn.†