Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 24

I ran down to the lake, the sound of the stake ripping through Damons flesh echoing in my mind. Once I got to the shore, I stared at my reflection in the water. My hazel eyes stared back, my lips pressed into a thin line. With an angry jerk, I threw a pebble into the pond, shattering my image into a thousand little ripples. Part of me wanted to jump in the lake, swim to the other side, and never come back. Damn Damon to hell if death was what he wanted so much. But no matter how much I wished hed die, I couldnt kill him. Despite everything, we were brothers, and I wanted–needed–to do everything in my power to save him. After all, blood was thicker than water. I laughed bitterly as I thought of the deeper meanings of the metaphor. Blood was also more complicated, more destructive, and more heartbreaking than water. I sank into the brackish sand at the waters edge and lay back with a sigh, letting the wan November sun cascade over me. I dont know how long I remained like that before I felt muffled footfalls vibrate the ground beneath me. I sighed. I dont know what Id hoped to find, coming down to the lake, but my peace and quiet was ruined when Callie sat down next to me. â€Å"Everything okay?† she asked, throwing a small rock into the lake with a plunk. She didnt turn to face me. â€Å"I just could you leave me alone?† I muttered. â€Å"Please.† â€Å"No.† I sat up and looked her square in the face. â€Å"Why not?† Callie pursed her lips, her forehead crinkling as though she were working through a complicated problem. Then, hesitantly, she reached out with her tiny pinky finger and traced the outline of my lapis lazuli ring. â€Å"The monster has a ring like this,† she said. I jerked my hand away in horror. How could I have forgotten about our rings? Callie cleared her throat. â€Å"Is the vampire, is he your brother?† My blood ran cold, and I jumped to my feet. â€Å"No, Stefan! Stay.† Callies green eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed. â€Å"Please. Just stay. I know what you are, and Im not afraid.† I took a step back, my breath coming in rapid gasps. My mind spun, and I felt nauseated all over again. â€Å"How can you know what I am and not fear me?† â€Å"Youre not a monster,† she said simply. She rose to her feet as well. For a moment, we just stood there, not speaking, barely breathing. A duck cut an arc through the lake. A horse whinnied in the distance. And the scent of pine tickled my nose. I noticed then that Callie had removed all the vervain from her hair. â€Å"How can you say that?† I asked. â€Å"I could kill you in an instant.† â€Å"I know.† She looked into my eyes as if searching for something. My soul, perhaps. â€Å"So why havent you? Why dont you now?† â€Å"Because I like you,† I said, surprising myself with the words. A whisper of a smile flitted across her lips. â€Å"I like you too.† â€Å"Are you sure about that?† I took her wrists in mine and she pulled away a little. â€Å"Because when I touch you, I dont know whether I want to kiss you or or â€Å" â€Å"Kiss me,† she said breathlessly. â€Å"Dont think about the alternative.† â€Å"I cant. If I do, it wont stop there.† Callie moved closer to me. â€Å"But you saved me. When your brother lunged for me, you staked him. You staked your own brother. For me.† â€Å"Just in the stomach, not the heart,† I pointed out. â€Å"Still.† She placed her hand on my chest, right over where my heart used to be. I stiffened, trying not to inhale the scent of her. Before I could react, she pulled a needle out of her pocket and punctured her index finger. I froze. Blood. Just one drop of it, like a single ruby, balanced there on the tip of her finger. God,Callie'sblood. It smelled like cedarwood and the sweetest wine. My face began to sweat, and my breathing became heavy. My senses sharpened, and my fangs throbbed. Fear flashed in Callies eyes and radiated off her body. And just like that, my fangs retracted. I fell backward, panting. â€Å"See, youre not a monster,† she said firmly. â€Å"Not likeheis.† The wind picked up, causing Callies hair to ripple out behind her like the waves in the lake. She shivered, and I stood up, pulling her close. â€Å"Maybe,† I whispered into her ear, drinking in the heady scent of her, my mouth inches from her neck. I couldnt bear to tell her about all the lives Id taken, how Damon thought thatIwas the monster. â€Å"But hes my brother. And its my fault hes in there.† â€Å"Do you want me to help you free him?† she said heavily, as if shed known all along that our conversation would come to this. â€Å"Yes,† I said simply. Callie chewed on her lip as she played with a strand of her hair, wrapping it on her finger, over and over again. â€Å"But you dont have to.† I avoided her eyes, so I knew I wasnt compelling her. She stared at me carefully, as if my face were a cipher she could decode. â€Å"In two days,† she said, â€Å"meet me at midnight. Thats when Damon will be moved to our attic.† â€Å"Are you sure?† She nodded. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Thank you.† I cupped her cheeks with my hands and leaned forward, pressing my forehead to hers. And then I kissed her. As we stood, palm to palm, chest to chest, I could have sworn I felt my heart come back to life, beating in perfect sync with hers.

Child Obesity Essay

Child obesity has reached epidemic proportions in countries such as the United States, and is a growing issue that has profound consequences of physical and emotional development in children. Obesity is largely the result of lack of exercise and dietary lifestyle choices that promote weight gain, and when these habits begin early in childhood they have a strong potential to persist for the rest of an individual’s life. The detrimental effects of obesity have led to a rise in skyrocketing diseases, with diabetes being at the top of the list. Unfortunately, diabetic children are at greater risk of developing high cholesterol and hypertension, also increasing the chances of suffering from heart complications. Medical bills and office visits seem to be growing alongside their weight, due to the major health problems many face from being overweight. Many factors contributing to child obesity are associated with dietary habits, physical inactivity, and socio-economic status. In the article â€Å"Prevalence of Obesity, Diabetes, and Obesity-Related Health Risk Factors† researchers conclude that obesity in childhood leads to both immediate and long-term health consequences, including an increased risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, joint problems, and an overall poor health status. The researchers point out that a third of high blood pressure cases and 88 to 97% of cases of type II diabetes are a result of obesity. Furthermore, their research draws attention to the correlation between obesity and congestive heart failure, heart attack, sudden cardiac death, abnormal heart rhythms, and how high cholesterol and hypertension in overweight individuals place them at even a greater risk of stroke. The authors add, in a population based sample 70% of obese youths had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although the research points out a strong link between obesity and many chronic diseases, it is a health issue that can be prevented by encouraging children to practice regular exercise and to focus on choosing healthier foods for their body. The opportunity for children to consume an abundance of fast food than earlier generations has created vast opportunities for adolescents to become obese. The high consumption of sugary foods and drinks with minimal nutritional value, particularly in school cafeterias has become a primary culprit. It is highly evident that the majority of food options in schools contain high caloric starched carbohydrates loaded with tons of grease, oil, cream, cheese, and butter. Tragically the junk foods offered in schools are increasing the likelihood of diabetes and other major health problems, so it is of utmost importance to increase education and government interventions due to childhood obesity increasing worldwide. Educated families of healthy dietary options, and transforming unhealthy cafeteria school meals, will greatly increase awareness and improve the overall health of children lives’. To help address the childhood obesity problem, the First Lady, Michelle Obama has initiated the campaign â€Å"Let’s Move† which aimed to influence healthy eating habits in children by providing healthier lunch options in schools, and to do this she helped pass a bill to increase funding for school cafeterias to replace their unhealthy foods with salad bars. The First Lady also worked with the American Beverage Association to develop clearer calorie labels for soda. There is a severe challenge in low-income neighborhoods, being bombarded with fast food joints and very few healthy supermarkets. Many families are not able purchase nutritious meals, nor wholesome organic fruits, vegetables, and meat.

Case Study Research in Supply Chain Management Essay

Case Study Research in Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Supply chain management is developing as one major approach in business management together with the administration. Supply chains are sets of organizations and streams of chains. These streams include finances and products. To achieve a competitive position, (Handfield and Nichols, 1999, p.2) notes; supply chain management should be integrated into improved chain relationship. In the research methodology, two issues were looked at, the first analysis of the research content then outline of the research. Through content analysis research process that was conducted was described according to five steps outlined by Stuart et al. (200) suitable for empirical methods. A model of this process has four steps comprising; material collection, descriptive analysis, dimension selection and material evaluation. Case study research definition makes an empirical inquiry that seeks to establish a contemporary phenomenon within the context that pertain real life. The case study can be used for three different purposes. According to (Yin 2003, p. 3) one of those purposes is a determination of the feasibility of the procedure used in that research. Another purpose is describing completely the phenomenon within the context. It also explains the happenings of the data. For contrast, some cases use replication logic. However, they can be used in the selection of typical cases in the set domain (Eisenhardt, 1989). This particular context gives rise to the question whether the whole study was deeply based.

Drucker - New Organizations Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drucker - New Organizations - Article Example ill be a chief guiding force for the functioning and growth of the organization and information built up does not mean that organization needs a large data-processing capability. The new ways of information system generated through the application of computers will reduce the man power requirement. The raw data available through various means will be used to generate the information but the process itself will require knowledge. Knowledge is always a specialized discipline and that is why organization will need more and more specialists to convert available information into knowledge. Thus, knowledge-based organizations will, overtime, replace all command-and-control kind of business establishments. To convey his points about information based organization, Drucker has put forward the example of British Civil Administration, which was run in India during the period of eighteenth century through World War II without any need of middle management cadre. The whole of the India was governed by merely 1000 officers heading a district administration. It was totally a flat organization structure. The officer used to report directly to the provincial political secretary. Their being total nine provinces each political secretary had at least 100 administrative officers under him to manage the show. The officer used to send a detailed report to the secretary for all the assigned tasks, the achievements and discrepancies and the detailing about the opportunities and emerging threats in the ensuing period. Political secretary would also response with full comments for necessary guidance. Peter points out about the effectiveness of such system as an organization. What is noteworthy is that information based organizations look for simple and clear objectives. At times, there are a few common objectives for all that leads to actions and those objectives are carried out by specialists. Thus, information-based business is structured around goals and clearly defines expectations

Apply Strategical Frame Works and Strategies Essay

Apply Strategical Frame Works and Strategies - Essay Example Apple has huge brand image and immense popularity in the global markets. The smashing success of the company came with the introduction of iPod. This helped the company to take the music industry by surprise. Apple’s products are considered to be of superior technology and highly trendy by most consumers, and therefore the company has been enjoying high sales since its inception (Shafiqhamsi, 2011). The tremendous success and growth of Apple in the US in the late 1970s made the company develop strategies of expansion. Apple wanted to primarily venture into the markets of Europe and Japan. Apple is a huge success in the Japanese markets at present. Initially due to lack of distribution and non-localization of the company in the Japanese market, the company was seen to sell its products at a very high price. As a result, very few consumers could afford buying the products of Apple. Corporate arrogance also had a negative impact upon Apple’s entry into Japan. As a result, the company’s first attempt of entering the Japanese market was a failure. By the 1980s Apple had decided to become more committed to developing its market in Japan. The company increased its efforts towards localizing its products. Apple expanded its distributor network in Japan and took steps for increasing brand awareness. By 1999 the launch of the new iMac and iBook had helped Apple to gain imme nse popularity in the Japanese market. The company was also seen to capture almost 23% of the market share. Soon Apple established itself as a strong player in the Japanese consumer electronics market. The Apple craze of the US soon captured Japan too. In 2004, almost 1,500 people in Tokyo and 2,500 people in Osaka lined up in front of the Apple stores in demand for the new iPod mini. The supply of the iPod mini was lesser than the demand. Japanese consumers were of the opinion that the iPod mini was an ideal product for them. They consider that the product is of high utility,

Vegetarianism and Its Various Benefits Research Paper

Vegetarianism and Its Various Benefits - Research Paper Example People may also turn vegetarian since they feel that human beings are supposed to eat food that is obtained only from plant sources. Vegetarianism can also be manifested in different forms and degrees with some people deciding to be extreme followers and some deciding against it. With the increase in the number of vegetarians in the world, there are sects even within vegetarians. There are some who eat eggs and dairy products and others who avoid them. They are classified into lacto-vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, vegans and so on and so forth (Vegetarianism, n.d.). These categories prove the importance that people assign to the constituents of their diet in a world comprising people who are increasingly conscious of their appearances and their health. In many industrial countries this may be a survival tactic to gain more immunity against the pollution that is prevalent in these countries. In others, it may be a means of gaining protein from certain sources whil e remaining faithful to their religious practices. Anyhow, these sects within the larger group of vegetarians prove how strong the overall movement against what they perceive as cruelty to animals is. In some cases, religious beliefs can be the root cause of vegetarianism and in such instances, people start attaching great value to their vegetarianism as it is a symbol of their culture. Especially in communities that consist of immigrants, vegetarianism can be a strong reminder of the culture of the homeland and may be held on to with great strength. This can be seen in the Jain communities of the United States of America. Originally from the Indian subcontinent, the people belonging to the Jain community are mostly lacto-vegetarians and they believe in not inflicting violence upon animals. This is a part of the larger theories of nonviolence that were propounded by the founder of Jainism, Mahavir (Mehta, n.d.). The importance of vegetarian diets is significant in the cultures of Ja inism and some sects of Jains even wear cloth masks so as to not accidentally inhale insects and cause harm to them. The conflict between different cultures that believe in vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism as parts of their religion creates problems for many nations. In multicultural and multi-religious societies across the world, such problems keep surfacing. In such a scenario, it becomes important for one to analyze the position of vegetarianism in the world and whether it would not be beneficial to adopt vegetarianism as a whole. This discussion is at a hypothetical level as people are free to choose the food of their choice unless of course, there are instructions from the state to the contrary. This paper shall look at the benefits of vegetarianism for human beings at an individual level and also for the environment. It shall speak of the different positive effects that vegetarianism ahs on the human body. It shall also discuss the negative effects that the meat industry ha s on the environment and the flora of a nation. The conservation of the environment would receive a boost if the presence of the meat-production centers in the world would decrease. Vegetarian diets often have the ability to provide the body with substances that would enable it to detoxify itself. The presence of various kinds of vitamins and minerals in these diets, absent from meat-only diets, helps the body to purify itself of the toxic substances that may be

Journal Opinion Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal Opinion Article - Essay Example Energy Information Agency 1). It was evident therefore that the forecasted decline was pinpointed to lesser consumption. The advisory even noted that there was an increase in the electric prices of as much as 2%; which, if the expected milder temperatures would turn out to be unrealized; then, consumers would actually expect a higher average electric rate. It is just interesting to note that only in a country like the U.S. could it be possible to expect a decline in electric bills during summer months. In other Asian countries, for instance, it has been evident that during summer months, consumers are already expecting greater financial stress due to increases in rates of electricity. It is traditionally asserted that â€Å"electric delivery rates do not change in the summer; however, your bill may rise in summer due to higher consumption† (Oncor par. 1). And the sources of potential increases in consumption include: (1) vacation from school puts children at home most of the time during summer and therefore, expect to use more television, personal computers, and other electric gadgets; (2) due to obviously higher temperature than cool months, air-conditioning or other ventilation units are turned on longer; (3) since more people are consuming more on electricity through the noted consumption patterns, the cost of fuel (dependin g on demand and supply) could likewise be affected. As such, although there could be some valid points in the report written by Morath, when the basis of comparison for electric bill rates were the three consecutive summers that were deemed hotter; one is convinced that overall, consumers could still expect some increases in their electric bill due to the reasons enumerated above that could affect consumption usage; in conjunction with the announced 2% increase in the average prices of electricity, as announced. Early announcement of an impending decline might even spur consumption levels to greater heights and consumers might

Police and Society Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Police and Society Assignment - Essay Example Lately, in London, disgraces revolved around police involvement in and disbursements from organized crime, especially in drug squads and obscene publication squads. Other scandals include beating up of suspects, perjury, and tampering with confessional evidence. The Metropolitan Service recently investigated cases, which have brought in more attention to officers, mostly in specialized squads, benefiting from their position, such as through theft of money, protection of criminals, and the resale of detained drugs (Lesage, 2005). An increase in recognition of the prevalent nature of police corruption has resulted in significant developments in Wales and England. Task forces are being put in place to create good practice guidance in preventing corruption by the police. At a force level, corruption concerns and their professional standards have resulted in institution of ‘professional stands units’ in most of the police forces in Wales and England, which are dedicated to in vestigating and identifying corruption, misconduct, fraud, domestic violence, racist, sexist, or homophobic behavior, spurious claims of sickness to be granted a sick leave, and criminality among police staff. Principles of Police ethics and methods of accountability to deter police corruption Promoting an ethical culture â€Å"Policing by example† is one of the police strategies that have been incorporated in West Midlands, and involves various themes to set high standards of behavior in professional practices and in dealing with the public. It emphasizes high standards in the workplace and the significance of leadership. This ensures that harassment and other victimization forms are not tolerated, including the protection of policemen who report unethical actions among colleagues. â€Å"Policing by example† is an idea that can be promoted in other parts of the UK through glossy documents distributed in major police forces and training intended to raise awareness and guidance to challenge unacceptable behavior. There should be developments in political and public culture of civil liberties and individual rights in the UK to encourage more open public criticism on ethics of the police, especially in relation to minorities. Groups and communities should be organized to represent those who can rally community opinion and criticize police practice, which is in support of more external and legal regulation. It is logical to assume that this principle towards special interest group alarm about civil or legal rights and minority claims will increase open support for more aggressive governance and civil regulation of the police. Consequently, the government will be forced to put in place these new and more aggressive national demands for police accountability. The new Police accountability Basing on a neo-liberal critique of traditional management and government of the police, new philosophies and internal self-governance forms are being proposed. The e ntire political governance of the police is shifting away from the old models of reactive accountability that depend on the application of hierarchical, external legal rules, central regulations, and discipline that is punishment-centered. This traditional model of public review or accountability has failed to provide effective police accountabi

Damage That Has Been Done to Children of Divorce Essay Example for Free

Damage That Has Been Done to Children of Divorce Essay When a marriage is not working, there is a breakdown of communication, common goals, or trust, and often this ends in divorce. A divorce is a very painful process with detrimental effects on children that are involved (Wienstock 5). The general trauma of a divorce and the level of severity it has on a child are mainly due to the childs age when a divorce takes place. The psychological effects are normally considered long term and the hardest to deal with for children involved (Persons 1). The easiest of all effects of a divorce is a child is behavior outburst normally displaying aggression and a feeling of not caring about anything or anyone anymore. The general effects of a divorce can affect everyone involved, but often the children will show the stress and emotions of a divorce more openly that an adult would. The fear of abandonment and losing one of the parents is devastating on a child (Wienstock 3). How a children perceives their homes normally sets the level of damage children are going to have to cope with through out the divorce and thereafter. If a child perceives the home as stable, they may handle a divorce well, but if a child perceives a home as freighting and scary place, they may try to avoid dealing with it at all. The trauma that a child endures will probably be worse than a child in a stable household environment. The most important issue that affects the level of perception and a level of damage is the age of a child when the parents divorce (Wienstock 3). Younger children will normally take a divorce of their parents more personally and handle it worse than an older child would. The psychological effects are more categorized as long-term effect that leave the children feeling responsible and blaming themselves for the guilt of a divorce everyone going through. Most children exercise a sense of loss during a divorce that can only be compared to as lost of a loved one (Children of Divorce 4). Feeling of rejections and loneliness normally confuses a child to the point of depression and some times suicide. The struggle as a child trys to keep in contact with the absent parent without  offending the parent that they are still are with becomes stressful and some times damaging to a young child (Wienstock 4). The deepest of all emotions is anger, and it is the easiest to recognize in older children that are coping with a divorce (Persons). The anger is normally turned toward both parents and sibling in the household (Wienstock 4 5). The behavior change in a child is almost immediate after the announcement of a divorce. The behavior outburst and disruption in a childs life are signs that a child is having a hard time dealing with the idea of parents splitting up. Academic problems with school activities and grades and physical displays of anger are the first of behavior effects to be seen in a family that is falling apart (Wienstock 5). Older children and even younger children are turning to drugs and alcohol to cope with the emotional stress of losing one of the parents in the household . Girls tend to become sexual active with older partners, as they long to find a father like figure to replace the parent that is no longer a direct part of their lives (Wienstock 5). Boys tend to have shorter relationships refusing to get close for fear of being rejected again as they might have felt when their mother left them with his father as a child during a divorce. These children are just trying to find someone that they feel will not abandoned them as they feel their parents have done to them. The painful process that is broken into stages is navigated by a child and adults alike that have been subject to a divorce. The loss of the other parent is compared by most specialists to a death of a loved one. In therapy, the psychological effects in children are normally over looked as a child grows up and into adults themselves. These children typically are found to have poor relationships and an unbalanced social life as they struggle to find where they belong in this world. The physical effects that affect everyone are the choices that children make while thinking that they will never survive the divorce. Drugs, alcohol, and the sexual behaviors of the older children are just a few effects that a divorce can have on the children. The poor decisions of the current generation to enter in to marriage lightly at such a young age, leaves our society open for a generation of emotion basket cases of parents to raise the our future  generations..

Case Analysis - Jennifer Essay Example for Free

Case Analysis Jennifer Essay Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is a common thing in some of the states where it is legally allowed. But, many people believe that the advocacy of Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is morally and ethically wrong . This paper analyses the case study of a Leukaemia patient Jenifer with respect to medically assisted death. Introduction Jenifer was a leukaemia patient who denied the treatment because of the complexity in the treatment and the limited anticipated success percentage.  She was ready to face the destiny and thought that her remaining time in the world is precious and it is not for spending in the hospital beds just like the recently died famous British celebrity Joe Goody. Though many of her close relatives tried to change her decisions, she has rejected all the treatment options. She has asked her close friend and nurse, Donna to give her some medications which may end her life in order to escape from the painful life. People have different opinions about Physician assisted suicide (PAS). Proponents of mercy killing argue that it is better to assist a person medically to terminate his life, if he/she is in a pathetic condition and no hope for a survival while the critics believe that nobody has the right to take the life since nobody can recreate it artificially. Even amidst the huge development of science and technology still the mysteries surrounding the birth and death is still unknown. Nobody knows from where we come and where we go and because of that life has precious value. The creator has certain mission to fulfil while sending the person to earth and only he has the right to call the person back once the mission is completed. It is ethically wrong to act against the will of the creator. â€Å"In order to be accountable, nurses act under a code of ethical conduct that is grounded in the moral principles of fidelity and respect for the dignity, worth, and self-determination of patients. Nurses are accountable for judgments made and actions taken in the course of nursing practice, irrespective of health care organizations policies or providers directives† (ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statement) Human life is so important and the every attempt of the nurse should be to preserve the human life. Nurses can take any actions to protect the life of a patient. At the same time a nurse should not be engaged in any sort of actions which may put the patient’s life in jeopardy. In the given case, Donna is not only a nurse, but a real friend as well for Jenifer. Both of them had close emotional attachments and relationships. So, Donna may be in an agony whether to allow Jennifer to die by giving her medications needed for that, or not. Donna was a friend and at the same time, a nurse. She should give priority to her profession and professional ethics in this situation. It is a fact that Jenifer is suffering from severe pain and it is difficult for Donna to remain helpless. Only thing Donna can do in these circumstances is try to lift the morale of Jenifer using some counseling techniques. Donna is primarily a nurse and she may be attached to many people through friendship relationships. It is not possible for her to assist all the suffering people or the people in no hope condition to die. Her profession is intended for saving the life rather than ending it. Even the doctors, who have the primary authority of treating the patients, often confused and hesitated to engage in activities related to mercy killing even if it is legally allowed. A nurse has no role in taking the decisions about mercy killing. It should be decided by the patient, doctor and the relatives of the patient. Conclusions Human life is so precious and mysterious so that nobody should attempt to finish it deliberately. Only the creator has the right to make modifications in his creations. Creator should have the right to destroy or sustain the life. Since no human has so far succeeded in creating a life, he has no authority to take it.