SPECIAL PROBLEM IN OFFICE MANAGEMENT Essay Example for Free

SPECIAL PROBLEM IN OFFICE MANAGEMENT Essay Relative Standing Today from the Past to Today criteria: a.) Nation’s Share of Capital Definition of â€Å"Share Capital†: Funds raised by issuing shares in return for cash or other considerations. The amount of share capital a company has can change over time because each time a business sells new shares to the public in exchange for cash, the amount of share capital will increase. Share capital can be composed of both common and preferred shares. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) The GDP is monetary value of all goods and services produced in a nation during a given time period, usually one year. Basically, it’s a tally of everything bought for money during the course of a year. Consumer purchases from a candy bar to a car are counted in the GDP. When business buy  computer, farmers sell their crops, or a corporation exports goods overseas, the transaction all increase the GDP. Government spending, whether for a highway or a new bomber, also contributes to the GDP. Gross National Product (GNP) It is an additional measure of the size of the economy. It is the market value of final goods and services purchased by households, by government, and by foreign in current year. It uses slightly different criteria than GDP, and GDP is more often used for comparison of a nation’s economic progress against that of other countries. GDP and GNP in the Global Economy Due to factors such as technological advances, of trade barriers, and expansion of international financial markets, the world’s economies are more interconnected than ever before and the weakness of one can affect the health of them all. An internal crisis that affects the financial health of one country can send shockwaves around the world. Most government of the world maintains a national accounting system that compiles various measures of economic activity. There is even a set of international guidelines, the system of National Accounts, which provides on measuring GDP and other key statistic. Income approach Sum the income received by all producers in the country. Production approach Estimating the Gross values of Domestic output in various economic activities. Determining the intermediate consumption Deducting intermediate consumption from domestic value to obtain the Net Value of domestic output. Comparing GDP of Different Nations When computing GDP, nations use their local currency. In order to compare it to the GDP’s of other countries, it must be converted to a common currency. Converting value of currency, however, may result in an incomplete understanding of the true worth of money on a foreign nation’s economy. The same goods and services do not the same amount in every country. In addition to asking how much local currency equal in U.S., dollars one should ask how much value of a dollar will buy in the country. Expenditures Approach to Calculating GDP The expenditures Approach to calculating GDP by summing the four possible types of expenditures as follows: GDP = Consumption +Investment +Government Purchases +Net Exports Consumption The largest components of the GDP, consumption are calculated by adding durable and non-durable goods and services expenditures. Investment Investments in fixed assets and increases in inventory. Government Purchases Equal to the government expenditures less government transfer payments (welfare, unemployment payouts, etc.) Net exports Exports minus imports. Imports are subtracted since the GDP is defined as the output of the domestic economy. There are three approaches to calculating GDP -Expenditure approach Calculated the final spending on goods and services. -Production approach Calculate the market value of goods and services. These three approaches are equivalent with each rendering the same result. Per capita income The concept of international inequality refers to inequality across countries due to differences in per capita income among them. This concept of inequality takes as the unit of analysis, countries (nations) and, implicitly, omits intra-country income differences among its citizens. There are several methodological considerations involved in cross-country comparisons of per capita income: the exchange rates used in the comparisons (observed or purchasing power parity), the source of income data (survey-based or national accounts), etc. An important methodological issue, relevant for assessing the empirical recent evidence on the evolution of international inequality is how to weigh countries to compute an index of international inequality. One procedure —unweighted international inequality— is to assume that all countries count equally (in an analogy, a sort of UN General Assembly concept in which one country is one vote). Another concept is to weigh countries by population weighted international inequality. Here a more populous country (e.g. China) counts more than a small country (e.g. Luxembourg) when making inferences about the welfare level of the â€Å"representative individual† in the world economy. Another concept is world inequality. Here the unit of analysis is the citizen of the world rather than countries. The concept of world inequality treats, in principle, all individuals in the world the same and ranks them from the poorest to the richest, regardless their country of origin (Milanovic, 2001). An index of world inequality can be decomposed as the sum of international (between countries) inequality plus national (within country) inequality plus an overlapping component or residual (Yitzhaki, 1994). In other words, the distribution of income (welfare) of an individual of the world is the outcome of distributional patterns within the country he/she lives and the distribution of incom e of his/her country with respect to other countries (plus the overlapping term or residual). National inequality, say the disparity of the distribution of income within a country, provide the bridge between international and world inequality. The determinants of international inequality are the forces generating different rates of growth across countries that, over time, generate (important) differences in per capita income, living standards and levels of development across nations. In turn, national inequality depends on factor prices, ownership of productive resources within countries, demographic patterns, technical change and macroeconomic cycles. Of course, several of these factors can affect also international inequality. Health care Services Although predicated on the premise that the global concept is new, it actually had its origins in the late 1800s. Religious foreign mission groups felt it was their spiritual calling to tend to the sick and afflicted in poor countries (Schroth Khawaja, 2007). The religious work of missions was closely linked to medical work. These missionaries believed that the services they provided were designed to reduce human misery and suffering, thereby elevating the status of God in the minds of people. Mission hospitals and mission doctors served as important points of entry of Western medicine into other countries, and were the hub of medical knowledge and practice. Private healthcare facilities were established as part of the charitable mission. Even now, medical mission groups, such as Doctors without Borders and Heal the Nations, provide charitable medical care to the developing world. Subsequent innovations in healthcare have made it possible to bring patients from other countries into US hospitals for care that is not available in their home country. Specialists from US hospitals may also be utilized in countries that have no such physicians. For instance, Operation Smile, an international medical humanitarian organization, has a presence in over 50 countries (Magee, 2009). Their focus is surgical treatment of children with cleft lip and palate while providing the necessary medical training for local medical volunteers that will result in self-sufficiency for these communities. Often  persons travel to the US to avoid delays in care due to long lines and waiting periods experienced in other countries that may have universal coverage. Telemedicine is the exchanging of patient information through the Internet or cybertechnology. This ability allows healthcare professionals to communicate patient status regardless of distance (Goldbach West, 2010). Telehealth and teleconferencing have been used extensively for consulting with other professionals as well as reaching patients who live in rural or remote areas. The most popular direction globalization has taken is in the area of medical tourism. This aspect involves patients choosing to leave one country for another in order to seek quality specialized care or major surgery at a reduced cost (Keckley Underwood, 2007; Goldbach West, 2010). Countries such as India, Singapore, and Thailand provide care such as cardiac surgery, joint replacements, and reconstructive surgery at significant differences in cost. For instance, in India, a person can have cardiac surgery for approximately $25,000 less than the cost in the US. Along with the medical care provided, these locations offer a vacation-like atmosphere. Another feature that encourages the use of medical tourism is the availability of medications and technologies that may be experimental in some countries but readily available in others. Because of the cost differential, some private insurers also offer incentives to utilize medical tourism as a means of accessing health care services. Although medical tourism has led to knowledge development on a worldwide scale, concerns remain as to quality and liability. However, despite these concerns, entities such as medical tourism have the potential to increase awareness of illness and disease processes. This knowledge could be empowering to developing countries. Since the early 1990s, over 48 million people have been displaced due to the environmental crisis and its health related impact (Toole, 1995). HIV rates are increasing both in the US and abroad, infecting nearly 25 million people. Other diseases such as tuberculosis and cholera have developed into drug-resistant strains proven difficult to treat, thus increasing the disease transmission rates. It is predicted that by 2020, heart disease will  become the leading cause of disease an disability followed by depression and traffic accidents (Murray Lopez, 1996). Poverty has been found to be a leading predictor of health disparities. More than 25 percent of the world’s population lives in poverty. This economic burden results in decreased access to necessary and affordable healthcare. Public and private healthcare expenditures worldwide equal about 8 percent of the world’s economic output (World Bank, 1993). Life Expectancy As noted at the beginning of this chapter, globalization is here to stay even if it benefits just one set of nations of the world. However, that does not mean that it is fair, justifiable, and that its course cannot be altered. On thing remains clear: Most citizens of this world realize the injustices and are asking the major powers and corporations that benefit from the system to ensure that the planet is the ultimate winner, bringing an end or reduction to inequities or disparities, especially in health, the theme of this chapter, and provide the means, the knowledge, and the empowerment they need politically, economically, and environmentally to live better lives. This chapter has argued, and many others have done, that one of the most potent sticks through which to measure the objectives and the success of the phenomenon we have come to call globalization is the extent to which health and health care systems function for the extension of life expectancy and access to quality health care services. One can argue that, in the final analysis, globalization and its acclaimed successes are interdependent on people’s health. Health concerns and priorities dominate our lives and without it, life is almost meaningless, as it is for many who carry the burden of disease, especially when this condition can be easily alleviated, as is the case with many infectious and communicable diseases in the developing world. According to Okasha (2005): The process [of globalization] has clearly both negative and positive results and is likely to create both losers and winners. Globalization has promised to grant the world instant communication, fast and efficient means of travel, a widened access to technology, cross-border cultural interaction and globalized approaches to environmental issues. However, it also entails  deregulation of commerce and the creation of supernational political and economic bodies. As a result, the gap is widening between societies that â€Å"enjoy knowledge, tec hnology and the ability to control events and others which are still backward, ignorant, frustrated, helpless and unable to follow progress and selfactualization† (Okasha, 2005). The public response It is encouraging, however, that the unfairness of the system has not gone unnoticed. Labonte Torgerson (2003) remind us that the WTO has actually been under fire from social and human rights activists, the United Nations, civil society, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and even from the European countries themselves, which created it at the Uruguay Round of Talks on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO’s â€Å"level playing field,† with different rules and treatment, â€Å"is pushing many of these countries into deeper health-compromising poverty. Its negotiations to open public services to trade will hasten their privatization, with loss of access for the poor.† In other words, the health needs for most inhabitants of this planet appear gloomy for the foreseeable future. Looking toward solutions What is the solution? The intent of our chapter was not to give solutions to the problems of globalization but to provide an overview of what the phenomenon and its system have done to the health of many people of the world, currently reflected in the existing health disparities or inequities that have prevented them from enjoying access to quality health â€Å"care, life saving knowledge, reasonable income, clean air, clean water, sanitation, land, and gainful employment.† In order to reap the benefits of globalization, say many experts, â€Å"we need novel approaches to international cooperation that place national self-interest in the context of global mutual interest to promote international cooperation and goodwill† (Frenk and Gomez-Dantes, 2000; Pang Guindon, 2004). References: The Impact of Globalization Determinants and the Health of the World’s Population Mario J. Azevedo and Barbara H. Johnson School of Health Sciences, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, USA Globalization for Development: Trade, Finance, Aid, Migration and Policy Golding Kenneth A. Reinert

Cultures Essay -- essays research papers

A Christmas Season in Poland In today’s society, it is very important to have knowledge of the different cultures that surround us. Most individuals that are born and raised in America practice the beliefs and social life of Americans. Most Americans tend to forget there are other cultures that surround us in our everyday life. However being born and raised as Americans, it is easy to ignore our descendents and our ancestors’ cultural background. In my case, my ancestors were Polish and have a very different cultural background than I do as an American. For instance, the Christmas season, which one would believe is celebrated the same way throughout the world, is in fact celebrated in various different ways. In Poland, there is no Thanksgiving like in the USA. Therefore, there is not any special designated shopping day to start the Christmas season. The Polish Christmas season begins November 30th with a celebration called St. Andrew’s Day. There is a long tradition of fortune telling especially for non-married girls on the November 30th in Poland. Since November 30th is under a patronage of St. Andrew the habit of fortune telling is called St. Andrew’s Day. The main purpose of St. Andrew Day celebrations is to predict the future of unmarried girls, especially their prospects for a good marriage. St. Andrew’s Day is a night of magic for young girls (Urban-Klaehn, 2005). The next day of celebration during the Christmas season is St. Barbara's Day. One of the most celebrated days associated with workers group is St. Barbara's Day on December 4th. St. Barbara is a patron of coal miners. Miners' profession was always considered dangerous, but prestigious, therefore, this day called "Barbà ³rka" or Barburka" was celebrated for centuries in a spectacular way. The name of the feast originates from St. Barbara as a patron (Pace, 1996). On St. Barbara’s Day, miners are dressed in the special uniforms. The uniform consists of a black suit and hat with a feather. The color of the feather, white, red, or black, depends on the rank of the miner. Miners wear their decorative uniforms not only during Barborka, but also for weddings, funerals, and other important political or social ceremonies (Urban-Klaehn, 2005). Christmas and St. Nicolas Days are not celebrated at the same time in Poland, but th... ...n Christmas season. However some practices are close to the same, the actions and the beliefs of Poles vary tremendously from those of Americans. How can the same holiday be celebrated in so many different ways by so two different cultures? Although my ancestors are Polish, being born and raised in America, I practice the beliefs and practices of the American people. Is this a good thing or is it a bad thing? I do not have the answer to that question, but I know that it has to be a good thing to for every individual to have knowledge of his or her ancestors and cultural background. References Houston, S. (2004). Christmas in Poland - Christmas Eve (Wigilia). News and Observer, pp. E1. Retrieved May 31, 2005, from Proquest database. Urban-Klaehn, J. (2005). Christmas in Poland; St. Nicolaus Day (Dec. 6). Retrieved May 31, 2005, from http://www.bellaonline.com/about/polishculture Urban-Klaehn, J. (2005). Christmas in Poland - Christmas Eve (Wigilia). Retrieved May 31, 2005, from http://www.bellaonline.com/about/polishculture Pace R. (1996). Polish holidays are rich in old customs and tradition. Business America, 117 (12), 2-6. Retrieved May 31, 2005, from Proquest database.

The Host Chapter 29: Betrayed

Maybe I should have run the other way. But no one was holding me back now, and though his voice was cold and angry, Jared was calling to me. Melanie was even more eager than I was as I stepped carefully around the corner and into the blue light; I hesitated there. Ian stood just a few feet ahead of me, poised on the balls of his feet, ready for whatever hostile movement Jared might make toward me. Jared sat on the ground, on one of the mats Jamie and I had left here. He looked as weary as Ian, though his eyes, too, were more alert than the rest of his exhausted posture. â€Å"At ease,† Jared said to Ian. â€Å"I just want to talk to it. I promised the kid, and I'll stand by that promise.† â€Å"Where's Kyle?† Ian demanded. â€Å"Snoring. Your cave might shake apart from the vibrations.† Ian didn't move. â€Å"I'm not lying, Ian. And I'm not going to kill it. Jeb is right. No matter how messed up this stupid situation is, Jamie has as much say as I do, and he's been totally suckered, so I doubt he'll be giving me the go-ahead anytime soon.† â€Å"No one's been suckered,† Ian growled. Jared waved his hand, dismissing the disagreement over terminology. â€Å"It's not in any danger from me, is my point.† For the first time he looked at me, evaluating the way I hugged the far wall, watching my hands tremble. â€Å"I won't hurt you again,† he said to me. I took a small step forward. â€Å"You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to, Wanda,† Ian said quickly. â€Å"This isn't a duty or a chore to be done. It's not mandatory. You have a choice.† Jared's eyebrows pulled low over his eyes-Ian's words confused him. â€Å"No,† I whispered. â€Å"I'll talk to him.† I took another short step. Jared turned his hand palm up and curled his fingers twice, encouraging me forward. I walked slowly, each step an individual movement followed by a pause, not part of a steady advance. I stopped a yard away from him. Ian shadowed each step, keeping close to my side. â€Å"I'd like to talk to it alone, if you don't mind,† Jared said to him. Ian planted himself. â€Å"I do mind.† â€Å"No, Ian, it's okay. Go get some sleep. I'll be fine.† I nudged his arm lightly. Ian scrutinized my face, his expression dubious. â€Å"This isn't some death wish? Sparing the kid?† he demanded. â€Å"No. Jared wouldn't lie to Jamie about this.† Jared scowled when I said his name, the sound of it full of confidence. â€Å"Please, Ian,† I pleaded. â€Å"I want to talk to him.† Ian looked at me for a long minute, then turned to scowl at Jared. He barked out each sentence like an order. â€Å"Her name is Wanda, not it. You will not touch her. Any mark you leave on her, I will double on your worthless hide.† I winced at the threat. Ian turned abruptly and stalked into the darkness. It was silent for a moment as we both watched the empty space where he had disappeared. I looked at Jared's face first, while he still stared after Ian. When he turned to meet my gaze, I dropped my eyes. â€Å"Wow. He's not kidding, is he?† Jared said. I treated that as a rhetorical question. â€Å"Why don't you have a seat?† he asked me, patting the mat be-side him. I deliberated for a moment, then went to sit against the same wall but close to the hole, putting the length of the mat between us. Melanie didn't like this; she wanted to be near him, for me to smell his scent and feel the warmth of his body beside me. I did not want that-and it wasn't because I was afraid he would hurt me; he didn't look angry at the moment, only tired and wary. I just didn't want to be any closer to him. Something in my chest was hurting to have him so near-to have him hating me in such close proximity. He watched me, his head tilted to the side; I could only meet his gaze fleetingly before I had to look away. â€Å"I'm sorry about last night-about your face. I shouldn't have done that.† I stared at my hands, knotted together in a double fist on my lap. â€Å"You don't have to be afraid of me.† I nodded, not looking at him. He grunted. â€Å"Thought you said you would talk to me?† I shrugged. I couldn't find my voice with the weight of his antagonism in the air between us. I heard him move. He scooted down the mat until he sat right beside me-the way Melanie had hoped for. Too close-it was hard to think straight, hard to breathe right-but I couldn't bring myself to scoot away. Oddly, for this was what she'd wanted in the first place, Melanie was suddenly irritated. What? I asked, startled by the intensity of her emotion. I don't like him next to you. It doesn't feel right. I don't like the way you want him there. For the first time since we'd abandoned civilization together, I felt waves of hostility emanating from her. I was shocked. That was hardly fair. â€Å"I just have one question,† Jared said, interrupting us. I met his gaze and then shied away-recoiling both from his hard eyes and from Melanie's resentment. â€Å"You can probably guess what it is. Jeb and Jamie spent all night jabbering at me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I waited for the question, staring across the dark hall at the rice bag-last night's pillow. In my peripheral vision, I saw his hand come up, and I cringed into the wall. â€Å"I'm not going to hurt you,† he said again, impatient, and cupped my chin in his rough hand, pulling my face around so I had to look at him. My heart stuttered when he touched me, and there was suddenly too much moisture in my eyes. I blinked, trying to clear them. â€Å"Wanda.† He said my name slowly-unwillingly, I could tell, though his voice was even and toneless. â€Å"Is Melanie still alive-still part of you? Tell me the truth.† Melanie attacked with the brute strength of a wrecking ball. It was physically painful, like the sudden stab of a migraine headache, where she tried to force her way out. Stop it! Can't you see? It was so obvious in the set of his lips, the tight lines under his eyes. It didn't matter what I said or what she said. I'm already a liar to him, I told her. He doesn't want the truth-he's just looking for evidence, some way to prove me a liar, a Seeker, to Jeb and Jamie so that he'll be allowed to kill me. Melanie refused to answer or believe me; it was a struggle to keep her silent. Jared watched the sweat bead on my forehead, the strange shiver that shook down my spine, and his eyes narrowed. He held on to my chin, refusing to let me hide my face. Jared, I love you, she tried to scream. I'm right here. My lips didn't quiver, but I was surprised that he couldn't read the words spelled out plainly in my eyes. Time passed slowly while he waited for my answer. It was agonizing, having to stare into his eyes, having to see the revulsion there. As if that weren't enough, Melanie's anger continued to slice at me from the inside. Her jealousy swelled into a bitter flood that washed through my body and left it polluted. More time passed, and the tears welled up until they couldn't be contained in my eyes anymore. They spilled over onto my cheeks and rolled silently into Jared's palm. His expression didn't change. Finally, I'd had enough. I closed my eyes and jerked my head down. Rather than hurt me, he dropped his hand. He sighed, frustrated. I expected he would leave. I stared at my hands again, waiting for that. My heartbeat marked the passing minutes. He didn't move. I didn't move. He seemed carved out of stone beside me. It fit him, this stonelike stillness. It fit his new, hard expression, the flint in his eyes. Melanie pondered this Jared, comparing him with the man he used to be. She remembered an unremarkable day on the run†¦ â€Å"Argh!† Jared and Jamie groan together. Jared lounges on the leather sofa and Jamie sprawls on the carpet in front of him. They're watching a basketball game on the big-screen TV. The para-sites who live in this house are at work, and we've already filled the jeep with all it can hold. We have hours to rest before we need to disappear again. On the TV, two players are disagreeing politely on the sideline. The cameraman is close; we can hear what they're saying. â€Å"I believe I was the last one to touch it-it's your ball.† â€Å"I'm not sure about that. I wouldn't want to take any unfair advantage. We'd better have the refs review the tape.† The players shake hands, pat each other's shoulders. â€Å"This is ridiculous,† Jared grumbles. â€Å"I can't stand it,† Jamie agrees, mirroring Jared's tone perfectly; he sounds more like Jared every day-one of the many forms his hero worship has taken. â€Å"Is there anything else on?† Jared flips through a few channels until he finds a track and field meet. The parasites are holding the Olympics in Haiti right now. From what we can see, the aliens are all hugely excited about it. Lots of them have Olympic flags outside their houses. It's not the same, though. Everyone who participates gets a medal now. Pathetic. But they can't really screw up the hundred-meter dash. Individual parasite sports are much more entertaining than when they try to compete against each other directly. They perform better in separate lanes. â€Å"Mel, come relax,† Jared calls. I stand by the back door out of habit, not because I'm tensed to run. Not because I'm frightened. Empty habit, nothing more. I go to Jared. He pulls me onto his lap and tucks my head under his chin. â€Å"Comfortable?† he asks. â€Å"Yes,† I say, because I really, truly am entirely comfortable. Here, in an alien's house. Dad used to say lots of funny things-like he was speaking his own language sometimes. Twenty-three skidoo, salad days, nosy parker, bandbox fresh, the catbird seat, chocolate teapot, and something about Grandma sucking eggs. One of his favorites was safe as houses. Teaching me to ride a bike, my mother worrying in the doorway: â€Å"Calm down, Linda, this street is safe as houses.† Convincing Jamie to sleep without his nightlight: â€Å"It's safe as houses in here, son, not a monster for miles.† Then overnight the world turned into a hideous nightmare, and the phrase became a black joke to Jamie and me. Houses were the most dangerous places we knew. Hiding in a patch of scrubby pines, watching a car pull out from the garage of a secluded home, deciding whether to make a food run, whether it was too dicey. â€Å"Do you think the parasites'll be gone for long?† â€Å"No way-that place is safe as houses. Let's get out of here.† And now I can sit here and watch TV like it is five years ago and Mom and Dad are in the other room and I've never spent a night hiding in a drainpipe with Jamie and a bunch of rats while body snatchers with spotlights search for the thieves who made off with a bag of dried beans and a bowl of cold spaghetti. I know that if Jamie and I survived alone for twenty years we would never find this feeling on our own. The feeling of safety. More than safety, even-happiness. Safe and happy, two things I thought I'd never feel again. Jared makes us feel that way without trying, just by being Jared. I breathe in the scent of his skin and feel the warmth of his body under mine. Jared makes everything safe, everything happy. Even houses. He still makes me feel safe, Melanie realized, feeling the warmth where his arm was just half an inch from mine. Though he doesn't even know I'm here. I didn't feel safe. Loving Jared made me feel less safe than anything else I could think of. I wondered if Melanie and I would have loved Jared if he'd always been who he was now, rather than the smiling Jared in our memories, the one who had come to Melanie with his hands full of hope and miracles. Would she have followed him if he'd always been so hard and cynical? If the loss of his laughing father and wild big brothers had iced him over the way nothing but Melanie's loss had? Of course. Mel was certain. I would love Jared in any form. Even like this, he belongs with me. I wondered if the same held true for me. Would I love him now if he were like this in her memory? Then I was interrupted. Without any cue that I perceived, suddenly Jared was talking, speaking as if we were in the middle of a conversation. â€Å"And so, because of you, Jeb and Jamie are convinced that it's possible to continue some kind of awareness after†¦ being caught. They're both sure Mel's still kicking in there.† He rapped his fist lightly against my head. I flinched away from him, and he folded his arms. â€Å"Jamie thinks she's talking to him.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Not really fair to play the kid like that-but that's assuming a sense of ethics that clearly does not apply.† I wrapped my arms around myself. â€Å"Jeb does have a point, though-that's what's killing me! What are you after? The Seekers' search wasn't well directed or even†¦ suspicious. They only seemed to be looking for you-not for us. So maybe they didn't know what you were up to. Maybe you're freelancing? Some kind of undercover thing. Or†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was easier to ignore him when he was speculating so foolishly. I focused on my knees. They were dirty, as usual, purple and black. â€Å"Maybe they're right-about the killing-you part, anyway.† Unexpectedly, his fingers brushed lightly once across the goose bumps his words had raised on my arm. His voice was softer when he spoke again. â€Å"Nobody's going to hurt you now. As long as you aren't causing any trouble†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged. â€Å"I can sort of see their point, and maybe, in a sick way, it would be wrong, like they say. Maybe there is no justifiable reason to†¦ Except that Jamie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My head flipped up-his eyes were sharp, scrutinizing my reaction. I regretted showing interest and watched my knees again. â€Å"It scares me how attached he's getting,† Jared muttered. â€Å"Shouldn't have left him behind. I never imagined†¦ And I don't know what to do about it now. He thinks Mel's alive in there. What will it do to him when†¦?† I noticed how he said when, not if. No matter what promises he'd made, he didn't see me lasting in the long term. â€Å"I'm surprised you got to Jeb,† he reflected, changing the subject. â€Å"He's a canny old guy. He sees through deceptions so easily. Till now.† He thought about that for a minute. â€Å"Not much for conversation, are you?† There was another long silence. His words came in a sudden gush. â€Å"The part that keeps bugging me is what if they're right? How the hell would I know? I hate the way their logic makes sense to me. There's got to be another explanation.† Melanie struggled again to speak, not as viciously as before, this time without hope of breaking through. I kept my arms and lips locked. Jared moved, shifting away from the wall so that his body was turned toward me. I watched the movement from the corner of my eye. â€Å"Why are you here?† he whispered. I peeked up at his face. It was gentle, kind, almost the way Melanie remembered it. I felt my control slipping; my lips trembled. Keeping my arms locked took all my strength. I wanted to touch his face. I wanted it. Melanie did not like this. If you won't let me talk, then at least keep your hands to yourself, she hissed. I'm trying. I'm sorry. I was sorry. This was hurting her. We were both hurting, different hurts. It was hard to know who had it worse at the moment. Jared watched me curiously while my eyes filled again. â€Å"Why?† he asked softly. â€Å"You know, Jeb has this crazy idea that you're here for me and Jamie. Isn't that nuts?† My mouth half-opened; I quickly bit down on my lip. Jared leaned forward slowly and took my face between both his hands. My eyes closed. â€Å"Won't you tell me?† My head shook once, fast. I wasn't sure who did it. Was it me saying won't or Melanie saying can't? His hands tightened under my jaw. I opened my eyes, and his face was inches away from mine. My heart fluttered, my stomach dropped-I tried to breathe, but my lungs did not obey. I recognized the intention in his eyes; I knew how he would move, exactly how his lips would feel. And yet it was so new to me, a first more shocking than any other, as his mouth pressed against mine. I think he meant just to touch his lips to mine, to be soft, but things changed when our skin met. His mouth was abruptly hard and rough, his hands trapped my face to his while his lips moved mine in urgent, unfamiliar patterns. It was so different from remembering, so much stronger. My head swam incoherently. The body revolted. I was no longer in control of it-it was in control of me. It was not Melanie-the body was stronger than either of us now. Our breathing echoed loudly: mine wild and gasping, his fierce, almost a snarl. My arms broke free from my control. My left hand reached for his face, his hair, to wind my fingers in it. My right hand was faster. Was not mine. Melanie's fist punched his jaw, knocked his face away from mine with a blunt, low sound. Flesh against flesh, hard and angry. The force of it was not enough to move him far, but he scrambled away from me the instant our lips were no longer connected, gaping with horrorstruck eyes at my horrorstruck expression. I stared down at the still-clenched fist, as repulsed as if I'd found a scorpion growing on the end of my arm. A gasp of revulsion choked its way out of my throat. I grabbed the right wrist with my left hand, desperate to keep Melanie from using my body for violence again. I glanced up at Jared. He was staring at the fist I restrained, too, the horror fading, surprise taking its place. In that second, his expression was entirely defenseless. I could easily read his thoughts as they moved across his unlocked face. This was not what he had expected. And he'd had expectations; that was plain to see. This had been a test. A test he'd thought he was prepared to evaluate. A test with results he'd anticipated with confidence. But he'd been surprised. Did that mean pass or fail? The pain in my chest was not a surprise. I already knew that a breaking heart was more than an exaggeration. In a fight-or-flight situation, I never had a choice; it would always be flight for me. Because Jared was between me and the darkness of the tunnel exit, I wheeled and threw myself into the box-packed hole. The boxes crunched, crackled, and cracked as my weight shoved them into the wall, into the floor. I wriggled my way into the impossible space, twisting around the heavier squares and crushing the others. I felt his fingers scrape across my foot as he made a grab for my ankle, and I kicked one of the more solid boxes between us. He grunted, and despair wrapped choking hands around my throat. I hadn't meant to hurt him again; I hadn't meant to strike. I was only trying to escape. I didn't hear my own sobbing, loud as it was, until I could go no farther into the crowded hole and the sound of my thrashing stopped. When I did hear myself, heard the ragged, tearing gasps of agony, I was mortified. So mortified, so humiliated. I was horrified at myself, at the violence I'd allowed to flow through my body, whether consciously or not, but that was not why I was sobbing. I was sobbing because it had been a test, and, stupid, stupid, stupid, emotional creature that I was, I wanted it to be real. Melanie was writhing in agony inside me, and it was hard to make sense of the double pain. I felt as though I was dying because it was not real; she felt as though she was dying because, to her, it had felt real enough. In all that she'd lost since the end of her world, so long ago, she'd never before felt betrayed. When her father had brought the Seekers after his children, she'd known it was not him. There was no betrayal, only grief. Her father was dead. But Jared was alive and himself. No one's betrayed you, stupid, I railed at her. I wanted her pain to stop. It was too much, the extra burden of her agony. Mine was enough. How could he? How? she ranted, ignoring me. We sobbed, beyond control. One word snapped us back from the edge of hysteria. From the mouth of the hole, Jared's low, rough voice-broken and strangely childlike-asked, â€Å"Mel?†

The Death Penalty Laws Date - 1505 Words

The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes (History of the Death Penalty 1). Executions back then relied on more torturous methods without regard to the executed. As the use of the Death Penalty was issued out, its popularity spread throughout the neighboring countries and has become more refined for modern use. In June of 2004, â€Å"New York’s death penalty law was declared unconstitutional by the state’s high court† (â€Å"History†¦Ã¢â‚¬  3). Between the early 1950’s and late 1970’s, the death penalty became suspended for going against the constitution, only to get reinstated after the brief pausing period. Having to take a pausing period to consider options for taking a human life merely demonstrates how confused and undecided the supreme court can be when it comes to choosing the route of convic ts. According to the Bureau of Justice, before the Kennedy v. Louisiana case of 2008, in Texas, â€Å"..the only other penalty punishable by death besides murder is the rape of a child under 14..† (â€Å"History...† 16). No convictions have happened since establishment, yet the supreme court finds it okay to take a human life despite the convict not taking one themselves. While rape is punishable by multiple years or sentences depending on severity in Texas, deciding to take the life of a human being when no murder has been conducted shows how unfairly a courtShow MoreRelatedThe Death Penalty Should Be Abolished1691 Words   |  7 PagesThesis: The death penalty has to be abolished if American society wishes to progress. I. Introduction The death penalty, or capital punishment, is an archaic and barbaric practice; a fallacy of the criminal justice system. II. In the history of death penalty tells the accounts of the dramatic change over four centuries III. Counter argument A. Justice is the leading argument of supporters of capital punishment B. Supporters of the death penalty argue that the death penalty provides retributionRead MorePros And Cons Of The Death Penalty1104 Words   |  5 PagesKill the killer! The death penalty should be allowed in all 50 states because the death penalty deters crime, helps with overcrowding, the bible says it is okay, and helps the victims’ families. The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, has been around for centuries. â€Å"It dates as far back as the Ancient Laws of China, the death penalty has been established as a punishment for crimes,† says Michael H. Reggio. The death penalty was adopted by many countries because of its ability to deterRead MoreBureau Of Justice Statistics : The United States Primary Source For Criminal Justice1439 Words   |  6 Pagesefficient and evenhanded. The website is relevant to my topic as the site have information such as information on executions, trends, clear definition, and time between imposition of death sentence and execution. The site was revised the same date of access, therefore the information is up to date and would be useful. Death Penalty: Pros and Cons ProCon.org. n.p.13 Apr. 2009. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. ProCon.org is a nonprofit public charity. It provides resources for critical thinking without bias. The informationRead MoreCapital Punishment : An Ultimate Torture Method Essay1352 Words   |  6 Pages Capital punishment has been used as a penalty for criminal behavior for many years; however, its’ utilization has not been constant throughout American history. The basis of capital punishment has undergone a number of changes and improvements in the past, essentially alternating in and out of public favor. At its’ start, capital punishment was ultimately used as a means of torture. Criminals were bludgeoned, boiled, burned, torn apart by animals, etc.—it was an ultimate torture method. ThroughoutRead MoreCapital Punishment : The Death Penalty1452 Words   |  6 PagesThe death penalty also known as capital punishment is when the government decides whether or not to kill a person depending on their crime. If it’s a petty crime you won’t be considered for death penalty but when you commit a heinous crime such as mass murder or rape and murder the courts may rule for you to get the death penalty. The death penalty can date back hundreds of years ago to the 13th century when the Code of Hammurabi was created. One of its infamous laws was â€Å"an eye for an eye†. WhenRead MoreA Research Paper : States And Capital Punishment845 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"States and Capital Punishment.† Ncsl.org, 2 Feb. 2017, www.ncsl.org/research/civil- and-criminal-justice/death-penalty.aspx. The use of this data is aimed to emphasize that more than half of the country has the death penalty in their prison systems. The writer, that is, The National Conference of State Legislatures, is a nonpartisanship agency who serves as a researcher for state and state-federal legislations that impact state politics, the agency was established in 1975, because of theRead MoreThe Death Penalty Has Been Considered An Issue Since The1607 Words   |  7 PagesThe death penalty has been considered an issue since the Eighteenth century, when the first established death penalty laws were in effect. There are vast differences in the way people view the death penalty; some oppose it and some agree with it. In the recent decades the death penalty has become a more popular controversial topic. The people who oppose the death penalty have very different reasons than people who agree with it. Death penalty advocates believe that the death penalty deters crimeRead MoreThe Death Penalty And The Imp acts On Society1540 Words   |  7 Pagesresearch my final paper on was the death penalty and the impacts on society it has. As the death penalty is widely discussed topic from many angles and perspectives so within this topic there was many ways for me to go about this and research it. One of the methods I personally enjoyed was watching American death row documentaries. These documentaries show a perspective that s hard to understand from just reading it on a scholarly or pop culture source. The death penalty was also known as â€Å"capital punishment†Read MoreShould The Death Penalty Be Responsible For Making Such A Decision?1651 Words   |  7 Pagesto support these opinions or are they just that: opinions? The death penalty is something that has been around for centuries, but lately it has been the center of many controversies. While there are no cut and dry answers to these questions, there is one thing that is certain; before we are quick to make assumptions on the issue, there are some basic facts that we should first be made aware of when deciding whether the death penalty provides closure to families, or if it is legal murder carried outRead MoreCapital Punishment Essay781 Words   |  4 Pagesfighting for a safe and just world, and those who want to abolish the death penalty, weakening our already struggling legal system. Capital punishment may be a controversial subject, but it is one that must be addressed with todays violent society. The death penal ty provides the necessary punishment and deterrent for criminals in the United States. The possibility of executing an innocent man is the main ammunition for anti-death penalty movements. A quote from an article in the Boston Herald written