What Is Pain? Essay -- essays research papers

Pain is something that everyone feels at one point in their lives. A person's pain threshold is completely different from the next person. No two people experience pain the same way. "Unlike other sensations, pain can arise from intense stimulation in sensory pathways." ( Zimbardo PG 185) Pain is always subjective. People learn the application of this word through their own personal experiences. Pain can be helped. It can be eased and sometimes vanished completely. Most pain goes untreated or improperly treated. People do not have to suffer needlessly with their pain. With the medical know how and skills available today pain can be managed and cured. "The anterior cingulated cortex in the brain has been found to be the place where pain signals from different pathways converge."(Zimbardo PG 185) A persons response to pain involves " an interplay of biochemistry, nerve impulses and culturural factors.'( Zimbardo PG 185) A person's personality influences their response to pain. There are two main forms of pain. The first is acute pain. It is described as "sharp or sudden thrust of pain"(Webster Dic. PG267) One common form of acute pain would be headaches. Headaches usually come on suddenly with no warning. Although headaches can be eased and are not permanent they can affect a person in so many ways. "Pain is affected by experience and circumstance. A person who is unhappy may find a headache unbearable, while another person in a more sa...

Because I Could Not Stop for Death :: Literary Analysis, Dickinson

Because I Could Not Stop for Death is proclaimed to be Emily Dickinson’s most famous poem. This poem reveals Emily Dickinson’s calm acceptance of death. She portrays death being a gentleman that surprises her with a visit. Emily illustrates everyday scenes into a life cycle. While her metaphors explore death in an imitable way, her lines often contain as much uncertainty as meaning. Life and death are but trails to eternity and are seen less important when viewed in the framework of eternity. Emily Dickinson’s poem Death is a gentleman taking a woman out for a drive.† Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me† (Dickinson 1-2). Emily describes being a busy woman who is caught up with everyday situations. When it comes to death, no one plans on a time or date to die; what Emily is identifying as a tragic event is translated to being a casual experience. Emily writes, â€Å"The carriage held but just ourselves, and immortality,† (3-4). Emily describes her ride with death, but affiliates a third rider Immortality. â€Å"Davidson does not emphasize what is gained after death; she emphasizes what is lost because of death,† (Privatsky 35). Emily’s third passenger has a wide variety of interpretations. Normally, one doesn’t think about death, yet Emily’s approach to death is similar of the approac h to immortality. My viewpoint is Emily construes her belief in a soul that does not die but live on till eternity. â€Å"The idea of immortality is confronted with the fact of physical disintegration. We are not told what to think; we are told to look at the situation,† (Tate 26). According to Dickinson’s words, He slowly drove He knew no haste (5-6). Emily describes a relaxing slow pace towards an unknown destination. On the way she enjoys the peaceful scenes. â€Å"We passed the school, where children strove, At recess – In the Ring-â€Å"(Dickinson 9-10). Emily is reflecting in her past, this may also be seen as the beginning of a life cycle. Emily then goes on to say, We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain- (11). The phrase that she decides to use is judicious because she is not the observer, but instead she is the observed. At that point, she further goes on to describe â€Å"Setting Sun-â€Å" as the last scene in her ride.† All three of these ima ges suggest phases of the life cycle that the speaker has passed and is passing through and clue us in on her experience†¦Time has stopped for her, and the fields of grain do the gazing, not her,† (Semansky 34-35).

Response Journal for “The Charmer” by Budge Wilson Essay

Budge Wilson’s â€Å"The Charmer† is a remarkable tale of loss, morality, and love. It is the story of how a young girl comes to realize that her devilishly handsome brother is nothing more than a charmer. It is set in a 1950’s Halifax home where Zachary, the narrator’s brother, repeatedly abuses his privileges and takes advantage of his family. Zack seems to believe that his looks will help him escape any situation he may find himself in. He uses his sense of humour and charm to manipulate his family and friends. Zack has a way of making those around him feel special, and uses this quality to his advantage. His sister, Winnifred, washes his bike and fetches his baseball glove just to see his â€Å"flashing Colgate smile† and to be called Posie, the nickname he has chosen for her to let her know that she has measured up. He is aware that the cake his mother has baked is not meant for him, yet he eats it anyway. He offers an insincere but convincing apology, and she starts to bake another cake. His family are his willing slaves, and it is only after the tragedy of Lizzie’s death that they finally begin to see who Zachary really is. Zack is the imperfect model son, but his family is too blinded by love to see his flaws. His fake apologies somehow manage to touch their hearts, and allow them to forgive all of his mistakes. Zachary steals money and alcohol from his parents, but manages to get away with it. He gambles and crashes the family car, but goes unpunished. He is â€Å"the only son, the only brother, the oldest child,† but even more than that, he is as the title implies, the charmer. Despite his good looks and charming personality, Zachary does not accomplish anything in life. At twenty-four, he still lives at home, still wolfs down chocolate cakes, and still borrows the family car. He spends his money on his girlfriends and his alcohol, and gambles away what is left of it. He loses job after job, and is becoming, if he is not yet, an alcoholic. Zack has so much offered to him, but fails to apply himself to improve his situation. However, he cannot be held entirely responsible for his failures, as his family holds some of the blame. If they had only shown less sympathy, and had seen past his false facade, he would have learned early on that he  could not charm his way through life. The conclusion of the story is quite ironic, as the narrator’s daughter displays the very same deceiving qualities that her brother was famous for. Winnifred describes her daughter, Lizzie, as â€Å"pretty and mischievous† and is aware that Zachary was the same way. She is reminded of the manner in which her parents treated Zachary, and learns from their mistakes. She refuses to allow her daughter to become what Zack has, and punishes her accordingly. To portray the themes of this story, the author used a number of literary devices such as, allusion, characterization, flashback and paradox. Allusion is clear as the author refers to Zachary’s â€Å"Colgate† smile, and to the famous people that Winnifred often sees on television. These stars include Clark Gable, John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Steve McQueen, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Burt Reynolds, and Tyrone Power. Characterization is used to create Zachary’s character. The narrator says that her brother is charming, intelligent, and fun, but nevertheless a devil. Others say that he is sensitive, while he thinks he can escape any situation. He interacts with other characters, and uses them to further his own cause. The entire story is based on flashback, since the narrator is recounting the events of her childhood, and finishes the story by speaking of an incident that takes place when she is an adult. The paradox of this story is evident when the mother refers to Zack and says, â€Å"This is his way of coping. He’s probably suffering more than the rest of us.† The truth of this statement is highly improbable, since Zack seems to care for no one but himself, and does not even bother to visit his younger sister though he knows she is deathly ill. However, the character may be suffering emotional pain that his actions do not let on. â€Å"The Charmer† presents a timeless, captivating situation, which every reader can in one way or another, relate to. It is the tale of a sister, who sees her brother for who he is, and not who he pretends to be. It is a tale of a mother who cannot accept that her son is imperfect, and of a father who struggles to see past his own love for his son. Primarily, however, it is the story of one boy who ages into adulthood, yet does not mature, and who  hurts his family, yet feels no remorse beyond that which he pretends to.

Maid Abuse in Malaysia

Maid abuse is no longer a new issue in Malaysia. What is maid abuse? It is known as an assault and coercive behaviour, which mainly includes physical, psychological and at times sexual too, by employer or household members of employer against a person hired as a domestic help. Malaysia is one of wealthiest countries in South East Asia and therefore acts as magnet for migrants fleeing here to work. In Malaysia, majority of the domestic workers are full time workers and most of them come from neighbouring poor countries. There are various factors that lead to maid abuse in Malaysia. The unfortunate thing is that maid abuse does not only cause both mental and physical injuries to the maids, but it also jeopardize our international friendship with countries involved. Hence, there is an urgent need to solve this social issue. One of the major causes of maid abuse over here in Malaysia is the lack of comprehensive national policies for maid protection by our Malaysian Government. As pointed out by D’Cruz (2009), foreign domestic workers here are vulnerable as they lack of legal protection, which subjects them to any kind of working condition an employer sees fit. There is also no specific law in Malaysia on violence against domestic workers (wao. com. my). As stated by Lourdes (2008), maids are stuck in a Catch -22 situation because the second they seek for help from the authorities, their employers or agents will lodge reports against them. The Employment Act provides them the right to redress but the Immigration Acts removes it by making them illegals living here. According to Dass (2008) in Lourdes (2008), the employers will be informed by the agents that maids who misbehave would be given counselling but this counselling turns up to be filled with punishing and abusing. Maids are being told that if they repeat their mistakes, they will be sold into prostitution. Other than that, they are slapped and beaten in beaten in front of others so that the rest will feel threatened. In addition, the maids’ very own attitude too, contributed to the many cases of maid abuse. They are not serious in their work and as an example, according to Ho, his maid washed one bucket of the family’s clothes and hid the other behind the house under a shed below the mango tree. There are maids who also tend to take advantage of their employers by stealing things and using stuff without permission. Based on Ho’s statement, many of his family’s belonging including his underwear have been stolen by his maid before. This is just a real life example of what may lead to why employers lash out all their temper by abusing the maids. The abusive mindsets and attitudes towards maids too, contribute to maid abuse. Many Malaysians have negative perceptions of migrant domestic workers which contributes to the frequency and severity of abuse. They are often viewed as culturally inferior, sometimes â€Å"less than human†, and not considered as deserving of the same respect and consideration given to other human beings (wao. com. my). Adiwara stated that Malaysians have the tendency to look down on Indonesians because of the economic gap between the two neighbouring countries. Employers misjudge the performance of the maids and scold them unnecessarily and this may be due to some shortcomings in the employers themselves. There are certain employers who are concerned that there might be a rift between the child and parent when the children are culturally influenced by the maids (wao. com. my). Another party that should be put to blame for is the involvement of non-professional maid recruitment services, or more generally known as the maid agencies. According to Wong (2008) in Azizan (2009), a lot of money will be charged by the maid agencies and in order to meet the market demand, a few of the agencies will hunt for girls from the village, get them cleaned up and will send them right away to their respective clients without any training. This issue of untrained maids is supported by the Malaysian Association of Foreign Mai Agencies (PAPA) president Alwi Bavutty as he admits that PAPA is hold responsible for the maids. Throughout so many years, there are quite a number of negative effects that are being identified which are caused from maid abuse and many people are reatly affected by all these consequences. One of the major negative effects and is usually published in local newspapers are that the victims suffer both mentally and physically from maid abuse. As stated by D’Cruz (2009), the types of physical abuse are they are beaten, raped or tortured with hot boiling water. To make matters worse, there are several maid abuse cases where babies are born from the result of rape. Besides that, nearly all maid abuse victims have been treated like slaves. According to D’Cruz (2009), they are given only plain rice, several occasions with non-halal food even for those who are Muslims. Lourdes (2008) too, states that permanent working hour, termination benefits, sick leave, rest days, public holidays, overtime and every other benefit that a normal employee is entitled to are not provided to them. To further add on, as mentioned by D’Cruz (2009), the victims are not paid wages for months or even years of tiring work. All of the above clearly violates basic human rights and the employers need to be taken into action legally. Negative effect is also present during the legal process to claim their rights as it is mentally damaging for the victims as stated by D’Cruz (2009). It is hard for them to avoid depression as they are forced to put their lives on hold while reliving the trauma of the abusive days. Referring to Earth Times (2009), the economy and lifestyle of the community will be disturbed due to maid abuse. For example, Malaysia maid agencies are predicted to suffer massive losses due to Indonesian’s indefinite ban on sending maids over. This will somehow affect the productivity of Malaysia’s economy since because a large amount of domestic help comes from Indonesia. Apart from that, lifestyle of the community will be disturbed as tens of thousands of household would face difficulties due to the delay in the arrival of their maids and this would lead to a larger obstacle in the long run as families will have a hard time coping with work and family without any extra hands. Subsequently, relationship between countries involved will be jeopardized. As emphasized by The Star (2009), In Malaysia, when maid abuse became a hot topic among both Indonesians and Malaysians, it resulted in causing Indonesia taking a serious action of threatening to temporarily stop sending heir people to work in Malaysia. This has caused the political relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia to become awkward and it took a lot of effort to restore the friendship between the two countries. The maid abuse cases which were made known internationally have indirectly portray Malaysia as a cruel country. Every problem has its’ own solution and this goes to maid abuse too. This problem can be curbed through the roles of government and community. Both have to perform their roles in order to overcome this issue. The government can tackle issues related to the interest and welfare of maids. For instance, the government may to resort into measures like conducting random checks on homes. Through this, the early signs of mistreatment can be detected which will prevent this issue from getting worse. Referring to Boo (2010), there are no simple solutions in solving the issue of maid abuse. The solutions in the end lead to the importance of education and enforcement. An agency responsible in managing the welfare of maids should be set up as a channel for the maids to know who to contact and how to report against their bosses who abuse their rights. However, education on their rights needs to be supplied to the maids first. Cooperation between Malaysian government and related countries such as Indonesia government is important in curbing this problem. As stated by Malaysian Digest (2010), there are several cases involving the abuse of Indonesian maids had been solved through the close cooperation between Malaysian and Indonesian officer It shows that this issue can be solves peacefully as long as both countries are willing to cooperate. Based on Malaysian Digest, (2010), our government and Indonesian government has taken a smart action by signed a Letter of Intent on the sending of Indonesian maids to Malaysia. This letter requires Malaysian employers to give one day off in a week to their Indonesian workers and their passports be kept by the workers themselves unless agreed upon by both sides that the passport be kept by the employers which occurs in certain cases. This had prevented misunderstanding between the maids and the employers regarding the maids’ day off and passport matters. As suggested by Hariani Azizan (2009), another solution to this problem is through the roles of community. There are quite a number of ways on how the community can help the government to overcome this issue. For example, authorities can organize a weekly meeting among its community and invite the officers who are experts in the field of the maid’s rights to speak to the maids as well as provide check-ups and counselling for the maids without invading people’s privacy. Another alternative solution is to actually build shelter homes for the maid abuse victims. According to Malaysian Digest (2010), â€Å"Rumah Kita†, a shelter home that was launched to provide temporary accommodation and food for Indonesian female migrant workers who are faced with difficulties such as being cheated by employment agencies or abused by their employers. It is more effective when everyone in their respective neighbourhood take on the role of looking out for any abuse in their community and report them to the authorities. To conclude, there is an urgent need for maid abuse to be curbed as it brings negative impacts to many parties, especially to Malaysia as a whole. Therefore, everyone including the maid themselves must come together as a unit and cooperate to demolish this issue.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 5

I stared at him, and the world stood still for a moment. â€Å"Wait†¦Seth was meeting Simone there?† Roman shook his head. â€Å"I wouldn't say that exactly. It was more like she sought him out. He looked like he'd been working there for a while when she showed up.† â€Å"And then?† My voice was very small. â€Å"Then, she walked over to him and shyly introduced herself as a fan, saying she recognized him from his website. Picture perfect demure coquette.† â€Å"And then?† â€Å"She said she wished she had a book with her to sign and asked if he'd sign a piece of paper instead. He said he would, and then she sat down, all apologetic for bothering him. She said she had a couple questions and hoped he wouldn't mind if she stayed for a few moments.† I noticed then that I was clenching my fists. With a deep breath, I released them. â€Å"Seth wouldn't strike up a conversation with a stranger like that. Not without being horribly uncomfortable.† â€Å"Yeah,† Roman agreed. â€Å"He definitely had some of that social awkwardness.† There was a wry note in Roman's voice that I didn't like. The two men had once been rivals for my affection, and apparently, Roman was still holding on to some bitterness – and a feeling of superiority. Roman could be quite charismatic when he wanted. â€Å"But she did a pretty good job at playing just as shy and nervous. I think it made him feel better.† â€Å"So she did sit down?† â€Å"Yup†¦and stayed for about a half-hour.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. My volume made Godiva jerk her head up from a nap. â€Å"Did she try to seduce him?† Roman's expression turned considering. â€Å"Not in the usual way. I mean, she wasn't as boring as usual. But she put him at ease enough that he relaxed and seemed to like talking to her. She wasn't overtly sexual, and he didn't look like he wanted to jump her. It was just†¦I don't know. A nice conversation. Although, it had a few of those annoying facts she likes to drop.† He paused. â€Å"Oh, and she went brunette.† That bothered me more than it probably should have. â€Å"But he sent her away, right?† â€Å"No, Maddie showed up, and he left with her – after telling Simone it was nice to meet her.† Oh, irony. Never, never would I have imagined I'd be so relieved to have Maddie show up and take Seth home. I also never thought I'd be glad his devotion to her would keep him from falling prey to another woman's charms. I took a step toward Roman, my fists clenching again. I didn't blame him as messenger; I was simply driven by my own fury. â€Å"What the hell?† I demanded. â€Å"What fucking game is she playing?† He sighed. â€Å"I don't know. Maybe no game at all. She likes coffee. I've certainly seen her buy it before. She could have ended up there by coincidence and thought he looked like a good catch. God only knows why.† I ignored the barb. â€Å"Oh, come on, Roman. You're not that stupid. Do you honestly think that in a city like Seattle, out of all the men here, it's a coincidence that she shows up and starts hitting on my ex? You know as well as I do that there aren't many coincidences in our world.† â€Å"True,† he admitted, setting the remnants of his dinner on the coffee table. The cats went for it. â€Å"Will you stop doing that?† I demanded. â€Å"They're not supposed to be eating that kind of stuff.† â€Å"Don't take your bitchy attitude out on me.† But he stood up and took the plate to the kitchen. When he returned, he crossed his arms over his chest and stood in front of me. â€Å"Look, you're right to a certain extent about coincidences. It is weird that she would hit on Seth. But think about this too: don't you think there are a few things around here a little more important than your ex-boyfriend? Jerome's theory makes the most sense, you know. Hell let him keep his job, but that doesn't mean they're letting the whole incident go. They're the ultimate grudge-holders. They'd want to assess the situation. That's why she's here.† â€Å"Except that she's not assessing anything! Unless you consider my friends' Pictionary skills.† â€Å"You should have seen them play Jenga.† â€Å"This isn't a joke. I need to figure out what her game is. You have to take me with you when you spy on her again.† He raised an eyebrow. â€Å"I think that's a terrible idea.† â€Å"I can go invisible.† â€Å"She'll still sense you.† â€Å"You can hide my signature. You told me before that you could. Was that a lie?† Roman grimaced. Just before things had literally blown up between us, he'd asked me to run away with him, promising he could conceal me from the greater immortals. â€Å"I can,† he admitted. â€Å"But I just think you're asking for trouble.† â€Å"What am I risking?† â€Å"A lot. Whether it's Seth or Jerome, there's obviously something going on. Get tangled up in that, and you could be risking your life. I won't let that happen to you.† â€Å"Since when do you care what happens to me?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"Since you became my ticket to rent-free living.† And with that, he turned invisible, hiding his signature as well. â€Å"Coward!† I cried. My only answer was the front door opening and then shutting. He was lost to me, and I realized I'd again missed my chance to bring up my weird encounters from these last couple days. I tossed and turned again that night, but it had nothing to do with my fear of walking off the balcony or into Puget Sound. I was filled with rage, both at Simone for making the moves on Seth and at Roman for abandoning me. When I woke up in the morning, I took comfort in knowing I didn't need Roman to confront Simone. I could do that on my own. Of course, there were a few complications there, the first being I didn't know where Simone was. Her hotel was probably the logical place to start, though most succubi – even a bland one like her – wouldn't spend a lot of time hanging out there. Well, unless she had company – and I didn't really want to walk into anything like that. And anyway, I had one tiny commitment to attend to before I could go bitch-hunting. Maddie. I'd regretted my decision to go shopping with her the moment the words had left my mouth. Yet, somehow, I'd totally blocked out those feelings yesterday when I'd been sitting with Seth. A brief thought about the wedding had flitted through my mind†¦and then it had been gone. I'd spent the rest of the time laughing and talking with him as though there was no Maddie in the world. But as I headed over to the bookstore, where she and I had agreed to meet, I had to accept reality once more. Seth was no longer mine. He also wasn't Simone's. But I'd deal with that later. Maddie was waiting for me downstairs, but I used the excuse of needing coffee before we left, in order to dash up to the caf? ¦. I wanted to see if Simone was lurking. No matter her shape, I'd know if she was there. Yet, as I casually waited in line for my white chocolate mocha, I sensed nothing immortal. Seth was there, engrossed in his work, and never even saw me. Apparently, his muse was still going strong. I let him be and joined Maddie downstairs again. She had a list of eight store names and addresses. Most were dress shops, and I was skeptical that we could make them all before we were due into work. She was more optimistic, but then, that was typical of her. â€Å"No point in worrying right now,† she said. â€Å"We'll just do them one at a time and see where that gets us. Besides, the last few are bakeries, and we wouldn't want to eat a bunch of cake before trying on dresses.† â€Å"Speak for yourself,† I said, sliding into her passenger seat. â€Å"I'm not trying anything on.† She gave me a wry smile. â€Å"Aren't you? You're my bridesmaid, remember? We talked about it at the party.† â€Å"No,† I said swiftly. â€Å"I said and did all sorts of crazy stuff that night, but I never agreed to it. That I do remember.† Maddie's expression was still light, but I thought I heard a little hurt in her voice when she spoke next. â€Å"What's the big deal? Why don't you want to be one? You know I'd never dress you in anything horrible.† Why? I pondered the answer as she pulled into traffic. Because I'm in love with your future husband. I could hardly tell her that, of course. As it was, I could see my continuing silence was making her feel worse. She was reading it as a slight to our friendship. â€Å"I just†¦I just don't like all the, uh, fanfare that goes with weddings. There's so much planning and stressing about little details. I'd rather just sit back in the audience and watch you go down the aisle.† Well, actually, that was one of the last things I wanted to do. â€Å"Really?† Maddie frowned, but thankfully, it was more out of surprise than disappointment. â€Å"You're always so good at planning and little details. I thought you were into that.† That was a fair point. It was why I made such a good manager. â€Å"Yeah, kind of†¦but I mean, at the receptions, drunk guys always hit on the bridesmaids, you know? They think we're desperate because we're the ones not getting married.† Also not entirely far from the truth in my case. Maddie's smile returned. â€Å"Those are some pretty lame excuses.† They were indeed, but she said nothing more as we drove. After Maddie's initial failure with picking flattering wedding dresses, she now threw her faith completely into me to lead her to fashion success. It wasn't the first time this had happened, and I found myself slipping into style-advisor role pretty easily. In fact, if I was able to preoccupy myself with the objective parts of this process – flattering fit, color, etc. – it was easy to block out the big picture of her and Seth. The saleswomen working at the stores soon learned who was in charge here and backed off with their recommendations, simply fetching the dresses I indictated. I studied each one Maddie tried on, keeping my standards high. With so many stores to choose from, we could afford to be picky. â€Å"That one's good,† I said at our third store. It was corseted, narrowing her waist, and had a skirt that didn't flare. Those puffy ones always made the hips look bigger, though no one ever seemed to realize that. You had to be tall and thin to get away with that, not short and buxom like Maddie. She admired herself in the mirror, a look of pleasant surprise on her face. She was still drawn to ones that I didn't think were good choices, and this was the first of my picks that she really liked. The eager saleswoman jotted down the style number, and then Maddie started to turn around and try on the rest waiting in her dressing room. As she did, a dress on a mannequin caught her eye. â€Å"Oh, Georgina, I know what you said, but you have to try that on,† Maddie begged. I followed her gaze. The dress was slinky and sexy, floor-length violet charmeuse with straps that tied around the neck. You were wearing that color the first time we met. I averted my eyes. â€Å"Not ugly enough to be a bridesmaid dress.† â€Å"It'd look great on you. Everything looks great on you,† she added with a shake of her head. â€Å"Besides, you could wear that to other things. Parties and stuff.† It was true. It didn't scream bridesmaid. Not taffeta or bright orange. Before I could protest further, the saleswoman had already fetched one from the rack, guessing my size with that uncanny ability her kind had. So, reluctantly, I tried the dress on while Maddie went to her next option. The size wasn't perfect, but a little shape-shifting neatened it up where it needed to be. Maddie was right. It did look good on me, and when I stepped out, she took it as a done deal that I'd buy it – no, she offered to buy it – and would be in her wedding. The saleswoman, seeing an opportunity, and possibly getting back at me for my tyrannical attitude, had â€Å"helpfully† fetched two more dresses for me to try while I waited for Maddie. Maddie claimed she couldn't stand the thought of me waiting around with nothing to do, so I reluctantly took them into the dressing room. They too looked good, but not as good as the violet. I was returning them to the saleswoman when my eye caught something. It was a bridal dress. It was made of ivory duchess satin, the fabric wrapping around the waist and halter top. The skirt was draped, pulled into little tiers. I stared. It would have been a disaster on Maddie, but on me†¦ â€Å"Want to try it?† asked the saleswoman slyly. Something told me that bridesmaids covertly trying on brides' dresses wasn't a rare phenomenon around here. The desperate and mournful not-getting-married attitude in action. Before I knew it, I was back in the dressing room, wearing the ivory dress. You were wearing that color the first time we met. Seth had been wrong about that and corrected himself, but for some reason, the words came to me yet again. And the dress looked great. Really great. I wasn't overly tall but was slim enough that it didn't matter – and I filled out the top beautifully. I stared at myself in a way I hadn't with the other dresses, trying to imagine myself as a bride. There was something about brides and weddings that instinctively spoke to so many women, and I shared the impulse as well, jaded succubus or no. The grim statistics didn't matter: the divorce rates, the infidelity I'd witnessed so often†¦ Yes, there was something magical about brides, an image fixed into the collective subconscious. I could see myself with flowers in my hands and a veil on my head. There'd be well-wishers and joy, the giddy faith and hope of a beautiful life together. I'd been a bride once, so long ago. I'd had those dreams, and they'd blown away. I sighed and took the dress off, afraid I might start crying. There would be no wedding for me. No bridal hopes. Not with Seth, not with anyone. Those things were lost to me forever. There was only an eternity alone, no lifelong lovers, only those I shared a night with†¦. Unsurprisingly, I was kind of depressed for the rest of the day. Maddie bought the violet dress for me, and I was too glum to protest – which she read as acceptance of my bridesmaid fate. We made it through the rest of our dress stops but didn't get to the bakeries. By the end of it all, we had four candidates for her dress, which I regarded as good progress. My mood didn't abate at work. I holed up in my office as much as I could, seeking solitude and my own dark thoughts. When I finally made it home after that eternity-long day, I found the condo empty and was astonished at how much that hurt me. I wished with all my heart that Roman was around, and it wasn't even to talk about Simone or other immortal mysteries. I just wanted his company. I just wanted to talk to him and not be alone. He was an infuriating part of my life, but he was also turning into a fixed infuriating part of my life. With a gloomy eternity ahead, that meant something. I knew better than to wait up for him†¦but found myself doing it anyway. I lounged on the couch with Grey Goose and the cats, taking some small sweetness from those warm, furry creatures that loved me. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was on, which didn't cheer me up any. Like the masochist I was, I watched it anyway. At least, I thought I was. Because suddenly, the loud shriek of a car horn blasted into my ears. I blinked and jerked my head around. I wasn't on the couch. There were no cats, no vodka. I sat on the railing of my balcony, precariously positioned. The horn had come from below, on the street. One car had nearly swiped another, and the near-victim had honked in his outrage. I didn't exactly remember the trip out here. I did, however, remember the force that had drawn me – largely because it was still there. The light and the music – that feeling of comfort and rightness that was so hard to articulate hovered before me, off in the air. It was like a tunnel. No, it was like an embrace, arms waiting to welcome me home. Come here, come here. Everything will be all right. You are safe. You are loved. In spite of myself, one of my legs shifted on the railing. How easy would it be to step over, to walk into that sweet comfort? Would I fall? Would I simply hit the hard sidewalk below? It wouldn't kill me if I did. But maybe I wouldn't fall. Maybe I'd step into that light, into the bliss that could block out the pain that always seemed to surround me lately†¦. â€Å"Are you out of your fucking mind?† The driver that had nearly been hit had gotten out of his car and was yelling at the other. That driver got out and returned the insults, and a loud tirade began. One of my neighbors on the floor below opened his patio and shouted for them all to shut up. The argument, that jarring noise, brought me back to myself. Once more, the siren song faded away, and for the first time, I almost felt†¦regret. Carefully, I climbed off the rail and back to the solidity of the balcony. A fall might not kill me, but good God, it would hurt. I walked back into the condo, finding everything exactly as I'd left it. Even the cats hadn't moved, though they looked up at my arrival. I sat between them, absentmindedly petting Aubrey. I was scared again, scared and eerily attracted to what had just happened – and that scared me more. Despite the vodka tonight, my last encounter had proven alcohol wasn't to blame. No connection. Yet†¦it occurred to me there had been a common link all three times. My mood. Each time, I'd been down†¦sad about my lot in life, seeking reassurance that wasn't to be found. And that's when this phenomenon would happen, offering a solution and the comfort I thought was beyond me. That was bad news for me. Because if this thing was drawn to woe and unhappiness, I had plenty of it to go around.

Human Rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Rights - Research Paper Example orts and medical personals who attended to these patients, the symptoms were largely internal including breathlessness, foaming from the nose and mouth, dizziness, running nose, irritation and constriction of the eye pupils, blurredness, nausea, vomiting, general body weakness and loss of consciousness. These symptoms were consistent with exposure to neurotoxic substances The US assessment confirmed the death of more than 1400 people including many children (The White house, 2013; Syria chemical attack, 2013). Experts believe that this attack by the Syrian government aimed to eradicated opposition forces in the Damascus regions. In its previous attacks using most of its conventional weaponry the regime has been unable to clear the region of the opposition elements and hence has resorted to chemical warfare. The Syrian government has loads of chemicals in stock including sarin, mustard, VX, and munitions to deliver these agents to the target locations. The Syrian military is believed to possess thousands of tons of chemicals and its precursors including huge quantities of sarin along with the required knowledge and expertise on the use of chemical warfare (The White house, 2013; Syria chemical attack, 2013). The final call for carrying out a chemical attack rests with the Syrian President, Bashar al-Azad, who had initiated a similar chemical attack, but on a smaller scale last year in the Damascus region. Further reports have also confirmed that personal from the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) were involved in the preparation of the chemical weapons before the attack. The chemicals used for the attack were mixed in a nearby region and the regimen employed surface to surface rockets and artilleries to carry out the attack. Within three hours following the attacks, many hospitals in the Damascus region received thousands of people displaying symptoms of neurotoxin exposure. The role of the regimen in the attack was further confirmed through

Valuation of Corporate Social Responsibility Report Article

Valuation of Corporate Social Responsibility Report - Article Example One of the first findings of the investigation in regards to how Lithuanian companies report social responsibility was that there is a great variation in the content, volume, and indicators disclose by different companies. This can be a problematic issue because investors are not able to compare the information from different companies in a consistent matter. One of the greatest attributes of the financial statements used in the United States by public firms is that they are all prepared in the same manner. Another issue with the practices of Lithuanian companies in regards to social responsibility reports is that very few companies share the information with their shareholders. The culture in this country does not value the importance of social and environmental factors. Most scientists analyze the content of CSR reports separate from reports that illustrate financial information. I believe that this practice might be flawed because the use of a sound corporate social responsibility strategy can greatly impact the behavior of the customers of the company. For instance, Starbucks Cafe is selected by many coffee drinkers over the competition due to its support of green practices such as its use of Fair Trade Coffee. The four main issues included in the CSR report are human rights and human resources, product design and development, environmental protection, and community. The lack of generally accepted principles makes CSR not easily measurable. The firm’s reputation is closely connected to its social responsibility practices. Companies that undermine CSR aspects such as the community can have devastating public relation problems. Back in the late 1990’s Nike Corporation’s reputation hit an all-time low after the revelation of the sweetshops scandal. Many companies use CSR disclosure as an instrument for advertising purposes. On many occasions, CSR information is fragmented in the annual reports, websites, and other company reports. There is a lack of investigations related to valuation methodologies of social information. The GRI framework is an effective methodology used by many Spanish companies to report social information. The GRI is a long-term multi-stakeholder, international process whose mission is to develop and disseminate globally applicable sustainability reporting guidelines. Non-financial reporting provides information regarding ethical, environmental and social aspects. The essential aim of social reporting is to create a social transparency system for responsible decision making. Other names used for CSR disclosure documents are social progress reports, social responsibility reports, social reports, and sustainability reports. CSR philosophies should be integrated into all company activities in order to increase the efficiency of the firm. Some elements that help companies achieve better CSR results are good stakeholder management and leadership, prioritizing CSR needs, coordination with governmental a gencies, and regulations. Empirical studies showed that in Italy firm stock prices are not affected by the release of CSR reports even if firms pay close attention to social responsibility practices because the Italian financial market is not efficient and transparent. In the United States, CSR reports have the greater impact in investor decisions and ultimately in the prices of common stocks.