Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 17

17. Wide Awake in Sucker-Free Okata scraped the last few drops of blood from the container into the burned-up white girl's mouth. He'd managed to save two of the eight quart containers, but it wasn't going to be enough, he could tell, and after the fight at the butcher shop and his escape, he knew he wasn't strong enough to give her any more of his own blood. She'd need more, and he was going to have to start thinking of her as something besides the â€Å"burned-up white girl.† She was starting to resemble a real person now, more than a person-shaped cinder. A very old, very scary dead person, to be sure, but a person nonetheless. Her red hair nearly covered the pillow now, and she'd moved, if only a little, closing her mouth after the last drops of blood went in. No ash had flaked away with the movement. Okata was glad. Her exposed fangs made him a little uneasy, but now she had lips, sort of. He picked up his sketch pad from the floor, moved to the end of the futon to get a different angle, and began drawing her, as he'd been doing every hour or so since he'd returned from the butcher. He was still covered with the blood that had splashed on him during the fight, but it had long since dried and except for washing his hands so he could work, he'd forgotten it. He finished the sketch, then moved to his workbench, where he transferred a refined version of the drawing to a piece of rice paper so thin it was nearly transparent. He would replicate this drawing four more times, then each would be glued to a woodblock and carved away to make the plate for a different line or color. He looked over his shoulder at her, and felt a tremor of shame. Yes, she looked like a person now, an old, desiccated grandmother, but he shouldn't leave her like that. He took a bowl from the shelf above his little kitchen sink, filled it with warm water, and then knelt by the side of the futon and gently sponged the last patina of ash from her body, revealing the blue-white skin underneath. The skin was smooth, like polished rice paper, but pores and hair follicles were forming as he wiped the ash away. â€Å"Sorry,† he said in English. Then in Japanese he said, â€Å"I have not been mindful, my burned-up gaijin girl. I will do better.† He went to the cabinet under his workbench and removed a cedar box that looked like it might have been fashioned to hold a set of silverware. He opened the lid and removed the square of white silk, then stood and let the garment fall open to its full length. Yuriko's wedding kimono. It smelled of cedar, and perhaps of a bit of incense, but mercifully, it didn't smell of her. He laid the kimono out next to the burned-up girl, and ever so slowly, he moved it under her, gently worked her skeletal arms into the sleeves, then closed the robe and tied it loosely with the white obi. He arranged her arms at her sides so they looked comfortable, then picked up a small flake of dried blood that had fallen from his face onto her breast. She looked better now. Still wraithlike and monstrous, but better. â€Å"There you go. Yuriko would be pleased that her kimono helped cover one who had nothing.† He returned to his workbench and began the drawing for the block that would carry the yellow ink for the futon, when he heard movement behind him and wheeled around. â€Å"Well, don't you look yummy,† Jody said. TOMMY Tommy spent the early evening in the library, reading The Economist and Scientific American. He felt as if all the words were bringing him back from the animal realm to being a human being, and there were plenty of words in those magazines. He wanted his full powers of speech and human thought before he confronted Jody. He also hoped that his memory of what had happened would come back with his words, but that didn't seem to be working. He remembered a red blur of hunger in his head, being thrown through a window and landing on the street, but between that and the time when his words returned in the basement, with the Emperor, he could remember very little. It was as if those experiences-hunting, finding shelter of darkness, snaking his way through the City in a cloud of predators gone to mist-were filed in a part of his mind that locked as soon as the ability to put words to senses returned. He suspected that he may have helped Chet kill people, but if that was the case, why h ad he saved the Emperor? Fortunately, he hadn't lost the ability to turn to mist, which was how he'd obtained the outfit he was wearing now. The whole ensemble-khaki slacks, blue Oxford-cloth shirt, leather jacket, and leather boating moccasins-had been on display in a window at a men's store on Union Square, suspended by monofilament fishing line into the shape of a casual cotton ghost that was haunting other, equally stylish but substanceless marionettes around some deck chairs and artificial sand. Just after the dinner hour, when the store was at its busiest, Tommy streamed in under the door, into the outfit and became solid. With a quick crouch, he snapped all the monofilament line and walked out of the store fully dressed, bits of fishing line curling in his wake. It would, he thought, have been the smoothest, most audaciously cool thing he had ever done, if it hadn't been for the straight pins that had fastened the shirt to the slacks. But after a minor fit on the sidewalk as he yanked the pins out of his back, hips, and abdomen, while rhythmically chanting, â€Å"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch,† he returned to the calm and casual cotton-clad vampire aspect he'd been going for. He waited until he was at the library, in the stacks, before he pulled the piece of cardboard out of his collar and yanked off various tags and threads. Fortunately, there had been no anti-theft tags on the display outfit. Now he was ready, or as ready as he was going to get. He had to go to Jody now, hold her, tell her he loved her, kiss her, shag her until all the furniture was broken and the neighbors complained (undead predator or not, he was still nineteen and horny), then figure out what they were going to do about their future. As he walked back through the Tenderloin, dressed in his â€Å"please rob me† white boy outfit, a jittery crackhead in a hoody that had once been green, but now was so dirty it was shiny, tried to rob him with a screwdriver. â€Å"Give me your money, bitch.† â€Å"That's a screwdriver,† Tommy said. â€Å"Yeah. Give me your money or I'll stab you with it.† Tommy could hear the tweaker's heart fluttering, smell the acrid stench of rotting teeth, body odor, and urine on him, and could see an unhealthy, dark gray aura around him. His predator mind flashed the word â€Å"prey.† Tommy shrugged. â€Å"I'm wearing a leather jacket. You'll never get a screwdriver through it.† â€Å"You don't know that. I'll get a running start. Give me your money.† â€Å"I don't have any money. You're sick. You should go to the hospital.† â€Å"That's it, bitch!† The crackhead thrust the screwdriver at Tommy's stomach. Tommy stepped aside. The tweaker's movements seemed almost comically slow. As the screwdriver went by, Tommy decided it might be best if he took it, and he snatched it away. The robber lost his balance and tumbled forward into the street and lay there. With the flick of his wrist, Tommy threw the screwdriver onto the roof of a four-story building across the street. Two guys who had been standing in an alley a few feet away, thinking about taking the robbery over from the crackhead, or at least robbing him if he was successful, decided they would rather go see what was happening on the next block. Tommy was a half a block away when he heard the uneven, limping footsteps of the crackhead coming up behind him. He turned and the crackhead stopped. â€Å"Give me your money,† said the tweaker. â€Å"Stop robbing me,† said Tommy. â€Å"You don't have a weapon and I don't have any money. It's totally not working for you.† â€Å"Okay, give me a dollar,† said the crackhead. â€Å"Still don't have any money,† Tommy said, turning his pants pockets inside out. A note from inspector 18 fluttered to the sidewalk. He heard movement above-claws on stone-and cringed. â€Å"Uh-oh.† â€Å"Fifty cents,† said the crackhead. He put his hand in the pouch pocket of his hoody and pointed his finger like it was a gun. â€Å"I'll shoot.† â€Å"You have got to be the worst armed robber ever.† The crackhead paused for a second and pulled his gun-posed hand out of his pocket. â€Å"I have my G.E.D.† Tommy shook his head. He thought he'd left the cats behind, but the felines either still had some connection to him, or there were so many of them now that there was nowhere in the City you could go where they wouldn't be hunting. He didn't relish trying to explain the whole phenomenon to Jody. â€Å"What's your name?† he said to the crackhead. â€Å"I'm not telling you. You could turn me in.† â€Å"Okay,† Tommy said. â€Å"I'll call you Bob. Bob, have you ever seen a cat do that?† Tommy pointed up. The crackhead looked up the side of the building to see a dozen cats coming down the bricks, face-down, toward him. â€Å"No. Okay, I'm not robbing you anymore,† said the tweaker, his attention taken by the clutter of vampire cats descending on him. â€Å"Have a nice evening.† â€Å"Sorry,† said Tommy, meaning it. He turned and jogged up the street to put some distance between himself and the screaming, which only lasted a few seconds. He looked back to see the crackhead gone. Well, not really gone, but reduced to a pile of gray powder amidst his empty clothing. â€Å"It's how he would have wanted to go,† Tommy said to himself. He would have thought the cats would go for the two in the alley, but now they were taking the people right out on the open street. He was going to have to get Jody and talk her into leaving the City, like they should have in the first place. He jogged the twelve blocks to the loft, careful not to run so fast that he might be noticed. He tried to look like a guy who was just late getting home to his girlfriend, which, in a way, he was. He waited outside the door for a moment before pushing the buzzer. What was he going to say? What if she didn't want to see him? He didn't have any experience to draw on. She'd been the first girl he'd had sex with while sober. She was the first girl he'd ever lived with. She was the first to take a shower with him, to drink his blood, to turn him into a vampire, and to throw him broken and naked through a second-story window. She was his first love, really. What if she sent him away? He listened, looked at the plywood still over the windows, sniffed the air. He could hear people inside, at least two, but they weren't talking. There were machines running, lights buzzing, the smell of blood and rat whiz wafting under the door. It really would have felt better if there were romance in the air, but, well, okay. He ran his fingers through his hair, snatched away the last strands of fishing line trailing from his clothes like errant crystal pubes, and pushed the button. FOO Foo had just placed the vials of Abby's blood in the centrifuge when the buzzer on the intercom went off. He flipped the switch, then looked over at Abby, lying on the bed. She looked so peaceful, undead and drugged and not talking. Almost happy, despite having a tail. But the police wouldn't understand. He ran into the living room and shook Jared out of the game-induced trance he had entered on his game console. Foo could hear the death-metal sound track coming from Jared's headphones, tinny screeching and tiny chainsaw rhythms, like angry chipmunks humping a kazoo inside a sealed mayonnaise jar. â€Å"Whaaa?† said Jared, yanking out his earbuds. â€Å"Someone's at the door,† whispered Foo. â€Å"Hide Abby.† â€Å"Hide her? Where? The closet is full of medical crap.† â€Å"Between the mattress and the box springs. She's skinny. You can mash her in there.† â€Å"How will she breathe?† â€Å"She doesn't need to breathe.† â€Å"Sweet.† Jared went for the bedroom, Foo for the intercom. â€Å"Who is it?† he said, keying the button. He really should have installed a camera. They were easy to wire and he got a discount at Stereo World. Stupid. â€Å"Let me in, Steve. It's Tommy.† Foo thought for a second he might pee a little. He hadn't finished building the high-intensity UV laser, and Abby hadn't worn her sun jacket. He was defenseless. â€Å"I can see why you might be mad,† said Foo, â€Å"but it was Abby's idea. I wanted to turn you back to human, like you wanted.† Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. Tommy was going to kill him. It would be humiliating. The guy didn't even have an undergrad degree. He was going to be murdered by an undead Anglo liberal-arts tard who quoted poetry. The buzzer went off again. Foo jumped and keyed the intercom. â€Å"I didn't want to do it. I told her it was cruel to put you guys in there.† â€Å"I'm not mad, Steve. I need to see Jody.† â€Å"She's not here.† â€Å"I don't believe you. Let me in.† â€Å"I can't, I have things to do. Scientific things that you wouldn't understand. You have to go away.† Okay, now he was a tard. â€Å"I can come in, Steve, under the door or through the cracks around the windows, but when I go back to solid, I'll be naked. Nobody wants that.† â€Å"You don't know how to do that.† â€Å"I learned.† â€Å"Oh, that's cool,† said Foo. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Could he get the door shut and duct taped before Tommy could ooze in. The great room was already taped up to contain the rat fog. â€Å"Buzz me in, Foo. I have to see Jody and I have to feed. You still have some of those blood pouches, right?† â€Å"Nope. Sorry, we're all out. And Jody's not here. And we've installed sunlamps all over the loft, Tommy. You'd be toast.† He did have some blood bags. In fact, he still had some of the ones with the sedative in it that he'd used to knock Abby out. â€Å"Steve, please, I'm hungry and hurt and I've been living in a basement with a bunch of vampire cats and if I turn to mist my new outfit is going to get stolen while I'm up there snapping your neck with my junk hanging out.† Foo was trying to think of a better bluff when a dark sleeve shot by him and he heard the door lock buzz downstairs. He looked up at Jared. â€Å"What the fuck have you done?† â€Å"Hi,† Tommy said in Foo's ear. â€Å"He sounded so sad,† Jared said. THE OLD ONES At sundown the three awoke inside a titanium vault under the main cabin and checked the monitors that were wired like a nervous system to every extremity of the black ship. â€Å"Clear,† said the male. He was tall and blond and he'd been lean in life, so he remained so, would remain so, forever. He wore a black silk kimono. The two females cranked open the hatch and climbed out into what appeared to be a walk-in refrigerator. The male closed the hatch, pushed a button concealed behind a shelf, and a stainless-steel panel slid across the hatch. They walked out of the fridge, into the empty galley. â€Å"I hate this,† said the African female. She had been Ethiopian in life, descended from royalty, with a high forehead and wide eyes that slanted like a cat's. â€Å"It was to this face that Solomon lost his heart,† Elijah had told her, holding her face in his hands as she died. And so he called her Makeda, after the legendary Queen of Sheba. She didn't remember her real name, for she had worn it for only eighteen years, and she had been Makeda for seven centuries. â€Å"It's different,† said the other female, a dark-haired beauty who had been born on the island of Corsica a hundred years before Napoleon. Her name had been Isabella. Elijah had always called her Belladonna. She answered to Bella. â€Å"It's not that different,† said Makeda, leading the way up a flight of steps to the cockpit. â€Å"It seems like we just did this. We just did this-when?† â€Å"A hundred and fifty years ago. Macao,† said the male. His name was Rolf, and he was the middle child, the peace-maker, turned by Elijah in the time of Martin Luther. â€Å"See what I mean,† said Makeda. â€Å"All we do is sail around cleaning up his messes. If he does this again I'm going to have the boy drag him out onto the deck during the day and video it while he burns. I'll watch it every night on the big screen in the dining room and laugh. Ha!† Although the oldest, Makeda was the brat. â€Å"And what if we die with the sire?† asked Rolf. â€Å"What if you wake up in the vault on fire?† He palmed a black glass console and a panel whooshed open in the bulkhead. The cockpit, big enough to host a party for thirty, was lined in curving mahogany, stainless steel, and black glass. The stern half was open to the night sky. But for the ship's wheel, it looked like an enormous Art Deco casket designed for space travel. â€Å"I've died before,† said Makeda. â€Å"It's not that bad.† â€Å"You don't remember,† said Bella. â€Å"Maybe not. But I don't like this. I hate cats. Shouldn't we have people for this?† â€Å"We had people,† said Rolf. â€Å"You ate them.† â€Å"Fine,† said Makeda. â€Å"Give me my suit.† Rolf touched the glass console again and a bulkhead opened to reveal a cabinet filled with tactical gear. Makeda pulled three black bodysuits from the cabinet and handed one each to Rolf and Bella. Then she slid out of her red silk gown and stretched, naked, her arms wide like Winged Victory, her head back, fangs pointed at the skylight. â€Å"Speaking of people,† said Bella. â€Å"Where's the boy? I'm hungry.† â€Å"He was feeding Elijah when we awoke,† said Rolf. â€Å"He'll be along.† Elijah was kept below in a vault similar to their own, except the prime vampire's vault was airtight, locked from the outside, and was fitted with an airlock system so the boy could feed him. â€Å"Irie, me undead dreadies,† said the pseudo-Hawaiian as he came up the steps, barefoot and shirtless, carrying a tray of crystal balloon goblets. â€Å"Cap'n Kona bringin' ya the jammin' grinds, yeah?† The vampires each spoke a dozen languages but none of them had the slightest idea what the fuck Kona was talking about. When he saw Makeda stretching, the blond Rastafarian stopped and nearly dumped the goblets off the tray. â€Å"Oh, Jah's sweet love sistah, dat smoky biscuit givin' me da rippin' stiffy like dis fellah need to poke squid with that silver sistah on de Rolls-Royce, don't you know?† Makeda fell out of her â€Å"Nike† posture and looked at Rolf. â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"I think he said he would enjoy violating you like a hood ornament,† said Rolf, taking a snifter from the tray and swirling dark liquid under his nose. â€Å"Tuna?† â€Å"Just caught, bruddah,† said Kona, having trouble now balancing the tray while trying to hunch to conceal the erection tenting his baggies. Bella took her snifter from the tray and grinned as she turned to look out the windscreen at the City. The Transamerica Pyramid was lit up in front of them, Coit Tower just to the right, jutting from Telegraph Hill like a great concrete phallus. Makeda took a slinky step toward Kona, â€Å"Should I let him rub oil on me, Rolf? Do I look ashy?† â€Å"Just don't eat him,† Rolf said. He sat in one of the captain's chairs, loosened the belt of his black kimono, and began working the Kevlar bodysuit over his feet. â€Å"Quaint,† said Makeda. She took another step toward Kona, held her bodysuit before her, then dropped it. In an instant she had gone to mist and streamed into the suit, which filled as if a girl-shaped emergency raft had been deployed inside. She snatched the last goblet out of the air as Kona flinched and dumped the tray. â€Å"Will you oil me up later, Kona?† Makeda said, standing over the surfer now as he cowered. â€Å"Nah need, matey, you shinin' plenny fine. But dat other ting bein' a rascal fo' sure.† He held his hand to his chest and ventured a glance up at her. â€Å"Please.† â€Å"It's your turn,† said Bella with a smile, her lips rouged with tuna blood. â€Å"Oh, all right,† said Makeda. â€Å"But use a glass.† Kona reached into the pocket of his baggies and came out with a shot glass, which he held with both hands before his head like a Buddhist monk receiving alms. She pushed her thumb against one of her fangs, then let the blood drip into Kona's shot glass. Ten drops in, she pulled her thumb away and licked it. â€Å"That's all you get.† â€Å"Oh, mahalo, sistah. Jah's love on ya.† He drained the blood then licked the shot glass clean, as Makeda watched and sipped her tuna blood. After a full minute, with the ersatz Hawaiian still lapping away at the glass, his breath heaving like he was hoisting the anchor by hand, she took the shot glass and held it away from him. â€Å"You're done.† â€Å"Bug eater,† Bella said, disgusted. Now she was in her own bodysuit and had drained her goblet of blood. â€Å"Oh, I think he's cute,† said Makeda. â€Å"I may let him oil me up yet.† She ruffled Kona's dreadlocks. He was staring blankly into space, his mouth open, drooling. â€Å"Just don't eat him,† Rolf said. â€Å"Stop saying that. I won't eat him,† said Makeda. â€Å"He's a licensed captain. We need him.† â€Å"All right. I'm not going to eat him.† Bella walked over, yanked a dreadlock from Kona's head, and used it to tie back her own, waist-length black hair. The surfer didn't flinch. â€Å"Bug eater,† she repeated. Rolf was back at the cabinet, snapping together various bits of weaponry. â€Å"We should go. Grab a hood, gloves to go with the sunglasses. Elijah said they had some sort of sunlight weapons.† â€Å"This is different,† said Bella, gathering all the high-tech kit from the weapons cabinet, as well as a long overcoat to cover it all. â€Å"We didn't have all this in Macao.† â€Å"As long as you're not bored, darling,† said Rolf. â€Å"I hate cats,† said Makeda as she pulled on her gloves.

Purpose of Social Studies in Schools

What is social studies? * Social studies is the integrated study of social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawn upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion and sociology as well as a appropriate content from the humanities and natural sciences. The goals of social studies 1. Fostering attitudes and identifying values Values are ends or ideas which are held by a person.They are the standards or codes which direct our actions. Attitudes are directly derived from values. Our values determine how we behave, each person or society have different values. The teaching of positive values is important because it teaches children to value themselves and also their environment. Children copies values from the people around them mostly adults. Displaying good attitudes will teach children respect for truth, respect for truth, reasoning, enquire and freedom to make choices. . Developing skills Developing skills helps individual to understanding the world around them and help them to cope with it. This skill helps individuals develop proper problem solving skills. It is important for citizens to have information or fact about where they live and the people in their environment. This will help them to understand major issues in their local, national and global communities. There are two types of skills to be developed, intellectual skills and social skills.The skills of critical thought (intellectual skills) provides for: Grasping the meaning of a statement or action, Separating fact from fiction/opinion, Assessing the relevance of the facts, Assessing the reliability to the facts, Judging whether sufficient information is available, Finding out what factors influence the situation, Recognizing all possible actions that could be taken, Deducting the possible and Deciding which the best solution is. Social s kills are human-relations skills which are needed for effective functioning of a group.They imply a concern for the feelings of others in the group and can be taught effectively by group work experiences which require participants: To cooperate with others to achieve common goals, To practice reaching consensus, To willingly explain and support their viewpoint, To express disagreement in a friendly way, to listen to and seriously consider the suggestions of others, to develop empathy with other people and to develop self-discipline and responsibility 3. Establishing knowledge and understandingEvery person living in a country need to have basic information or facts about the society they live in or in other words the world they live in. This is the background for understanding their own experiences. The learner will acquire strategies to analyze, interpret, create, and use resources and materials. Knowledge and understanding of the past enable us to analyze the causes and consequence s of events and developments, and to place these in the context of the institutions, values and beliefs of the periods in which they took place.Study of the past makes us aware of the ways in which human beings have viewed themselves, their societies and the wider world at different periods of time. There are a few objectives; Use map and globe reading skills, Interpret graphs and charts, Detect bias, Interpret social and political messages of cartoons and Interpret history through artifacts, arts, and media. 4. Promoting social participation Social studies are primarily concerned with preparing citizens who are equipped with the knowledge and possess the skills to participate in affairs of society.In our Jamaican society we have a democratic system, it is important for every eligible citizen to participate in the election of our leader. The knowledge contained in social studies programmes provides pupils with information, develop the understanding they will need to play these roles a adults and to make reasoned and informed decisions. At the same time, the activities and experience provided in the programmes enable the development of a range of values attitudes and skills such as reading and study skills as well as intellectual and social skills.Knowledge, values, attitudes and skills are necessary for active participation in civic affairs. These skills provide the link between knowledge and values and attitudes which make participatory action possible. Justify the place of social studies in the primary school curriculum. Personally I think social studies are out on the back burner too often; more emphasis should be place on this subject area. Social studies help children to develop their identity. The study of individual development and identity will help students to describe factors important to the development of personal identity.They will explore the influence of peoples, places, and environments on personal development. Students will hone personal skill s such as demonstrating self-direction when working towards and accomplishing personal goals, and making an effort to understand others and their beliefs, feelings, and convictions. I believe social studies should be part of the curriculum for the purpose of helping students understand human interactions that occurred in the past, and occurring now, and that are likely to occur in the future.The reasons for these understandings is to help students develop and nurture values that will make it more likely that they will be able to determine for any situation what the right thing is and do it, especially when the right thing is hard to do. Since we live in a society, having a deep knowledge of society helps a person to be a better citizen to any country. For the younger generation to grow up to become humane, it is important that the generation is exposed to different societies.It is necessary to show them differences in lifestyles that people around the world have. Learning how to app ly civic ideals as part of citizen action is essential to the exercise of democratic freedoms and the pursuit of the common good. Through social studies programs, students acquire a historical and contemporary understanding of the basic freedoms and rights of citizens in a democracy, and learn about the institutions and practices that support and protect these freedoms and rights, as well as the important historical documents that articulate them.Students also need to become familiar with civic ideals and practices in countries other than our democratic republic Children need to be exposed to various social aspects of mankind and made to understand the different aspects of social behavior. It is necessary to make children realize their duty towards society. Social studies are an important subject because of its main purpose, creating good citizen. It aims at creating educated individuals who can grow up to be responsible citizen of their nation.The study of social studies intends to build creative, caring and courteous human beings out of children. Teaching our children social studies increase the possibility of their becoming knowledgeable individuals. Teaching them social studies increases chances that they will adhere to ethical and moral values in their life, for positively contributing members of their communities. We want children to gain the ability to become independent in every aspect. We most certainly want children to be knowledgeable about the world they live in.This goal of developing â€Å"good citizen’’ is vast, but so is the impact we as teachers will have on children in adulthood. It is through the teaching of social studies that we can shape our students into citizens worthy of respect. The knowledge contained in social studies provides children with information, develop the understandings they will need to play these roles as adults and to make reasoned and informed decisions. It develops values, attitudes and skills such as r eading and studying, as well as intellectual and social skills.In the early grades, students are introduced to civic ideals and practices through activities such as helping to set classroom expectations, examining experiences in relation to ideals, participating in mock elections, and determining how to balance the needs of individuals and the group. During these years, children also experience views of citizenship in other times and places through stories and drama. By the middle grades, students expand their knowledge of democratic ideals and practices, along with their ability to analyze and evaluate the relationships between these ideals and practices.They are able to see themselves taking civic roles in their communities. The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world. Students learn where people and places are located and why they are there. They examine the influence of physical systems, such as climate, weather and seasons, and natural resources, such as land and water, on human populations.They study the causes, patterns and effects of human settlement and migration, learn of the roles of different kinds of population centers in a society, and investigate the impact of human activities on the environment. This enables them to acquire a useful basis of knowledge for informed decision-making on issues arising from human-environmental relationships. Another purpose of this subject is to help children deal with problems. Today’s children are faced with a lot of problems in schools and in their homes. Children are being abused and subjected to domestic violence.Children are in gangs and on drugs. These are some of the challenges children have to deal with in their everyday lives. The ability of problem solving is probably the most important skill any person should have. Children will also be more capable of making wise decisions. Young learners begin by priorit izing their economic wants vs. needs. They explore economic decision-making as they compare their own economic experiences with those of others and consider the wider consequences of those decisions on groups, communities, the nation, and beyond.In the middle grades, learners expand their knowledge of economic concepts and principles, and use economic reasoning processes in addressing issues related to fundamental economic questions. Most people think of history when they think of social studies. History plays a large role in social studies. History examines the forces of change and continuity. Its study enables us to understand the relationship between the present and the past and the mistakes and the triumphs that this world that this world has been through. Students are required to learn about the past in order to provide them with a context for today’s society and current events. As the popular Jamaican term goes â€Å"you have to know where you are coming from to know w here you are going†. History lessons also provide students with valuable role models such as Martin Luther King. These are just some of the importance or social studies in the curriculum. Social studies course work # 1 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2. What is social studies? (3)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3. Identify and discuss the goals of social studies? (12)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4. Justify the place of social studies in the primary school curriculum. (10)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 . Reference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..

Propose and Justify Research Method and Design Proposal

Propose and Justify Method and Design - Research Proposal Example 2. Available Research Methods There are two methods available to the researchers when it comes to developing an appropriate research design. As the design of the research work is the basic pillar of the reliability of results retrieved, it becomes of pivotal importance for researchers to carefully select a research design and methodology keeping in view the nature of the study. The two types of methodologies identified by the researcher are qualitative research and quantitative research. Qualitative research methods are primarily the personal interpretation of the researcher’s idea about the subject on which research work is carried out. The outcomes retrieved from qualitative researches vary mainly because each member of the sample has its own opinion and perceptions about different phenomena. The most popular characteristic of qualitative research work is that the data on which the results are tested is also descriptive and qualitative in nature. Qualitative research methods are appropriate for studies that aim at identifying prevailing trends, social practices or different phenomena. In this manner, qualitative research is more suitable for environmental studies. ... These research designs help researchers to test the reliability of the outcomes from primary research by applying statistical and mathematical formulas. The outcome of these calculations helps the researchers to monitor the reaction of sample members towards a number of questions, multiple choice questions, stimulators and case studies. The best aspect of the quantitative research method is that it allows researchers to adopt scientific approach to find the answers to research questions and validate or reject hypothesis. Another factor which makes quantitative research methods more reliable and accurate is that it depends upon the cause and effect to validate or reject the hypothesis, thus facilitating to conclude the research work efficiently. 3. Selected Research Method Considering the research problem, which is aimed to identify the impact of monetary and non-monetary motivators on employees’ motivation, the researcher has selected the quantitative research method and desig n. For this reason, the researcher has selected two companies, i.e. ABC Corporation and XYZ Associates. The reason behind selecting the quantitative research methodology is that it allows the researcher to manipulate the statistical data pertaining to employees’ perception of motivators into useful information and answer the research questions. This data contains employees’ responses to a survey questionnaire which represents employees’ degree of agreement and disagreement with particular statements. These statements measure the respondents’ idea about different motivators, and then help to rank the motivators from top to bottom, according the employees’ preference for each motivator. The research methodology adopted

Debate] about should voters approve some particular measure that Essay

Debate] about should voters approve some particular measure that allows some state or county to regulate legalized prostitution - Essay Example The first group is represented by proponents of the so-called proposition K (a measure to decriminalize prostitution) who also agree on the necessity of legalization and subsequent regulation. The members of this group suggest a variety of measures that would help regulate prostitution as a legalized business in the United States. The second group is represented by the opponents to the Proposition K and to legalization of prostitution in the United States. For this group, the question of the prostitution regulation by law does not exist as they oppose the very idea of its decriminalization and legalization of â€Å"the world’s oldest profession† (Armentano, â€Å"The Case for Legalized Prostitution†). This paper explores the arguments of both groups using the Toulmin model and provides a justified perspective on the issue. Firstly, the rhetorical situation is considered as the phenomenon of prostitution is discussed in the context of modern American society and i ts status. Next, the arguments of each side are analyzed with the help of the Toulmin model, which will help to reveal the common backing. Further, the author’s perspective on the issue will be discussed. ... In addition, it is alleged that the illegal status of prostitution has prevented women from working in safe conditions and urged them to work in the streets. Also, illegal prostitution, which is deemed a misdemeanor, incurs millions of tax dollars to be spent on investigation and prosecution of this criminal offense. To illustrate, statistic data show that Los Angeles spends around 100 million dollars a year to deal with prostitution (Armentano, â€Å"The Case for Legalized Prostitution†). Besides, it was estimated that nearly a half of illegal prostitutes in New York City and Washington D.C. were HIV-positive back in the 1990s (Armentano, â€Å"The Case for Legalized Prostitution†). Proponents of prostitution legalization and regulation warrant that legalization and regulation of prostitution is beneficial in many ways. They back their statement by saying that legalized brothels, with strict regulation by the state, in combination with severe penalties for the so-calle d johns that seek sex in the streets, will prevent human trafficking, spread of infections, and victimization of prostitutes (Lee & Persson 1). While it can be said that prostitution is a morally challenging occupation that promotes the decay of norms and values in the society and does not deserve decriminalization and legalization, it remains a fact that to use the services of sex workers or not is a personal choice of each of us. In addition, some people oppose the idea that legalized and regulated prostitution will help reduce victimization of prostitutes pointing out that the black market will still exist and keep recruiting girls from poor nations, the fraction of involuntary prostitutes as

Health care provider and faith diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health care provider and faith diversity - Essay Example This means that the caregivers are given the liberty on how to deal with the patient as long as the procedure is aimed at treating the patient. Medicine and prayer should form part of the treatment package for Baha’i followers. Christians believe that in as much as caregivers offer vital services, it is God who heals the sick. Christianity favors medicine and medical practice, faith and prayer during patient care. The paper will discuss the various beliefs in relation to healthcare from various spiritual perspectives. The practice of healthcare at all levels allows nurses to meet and attend to patients from various religious backgrounds and some of them could be holding to beliefs that are different from those held by the nurse. The development of good rapport with the patients is critical for nurses as it allows them to secure maximum cooperation with them. This therefore requires that a nurse should be able to accept diversity of faith expressions among their patients. In this paper, I make analyses of the philosophy/spiritual perspective of care in three faiths namely Buddhism, Sikhism and Baha’i and compare them with the Christian perspective and my personal perspective. The Buddhist approach to healing and health is in regard to its emphasis on spiritual practice, and patient care for Buddhist patients follows the same philosophy. Meditation, belief and spiritual practice are three critical healing components in Buddhism. One of the beliefs is that spiritual practice enables the individual to realize the opportunity for practice in times of adversity like sickness and how to use this opportunity to attain personal transformation and transcendence. This practice replaces the feelings of being a victim with feelings of being a victor. Buddhists also belief that a sick person cannot change their past but can control the future by acting with clarity and skill (Bhikshu, 2006). This requires

The Accusing Girls in Arthur Miller's The Crucible Research Paper

The Accusing Girls in Arthur Miller's The Crucible - Research Paper Example Redefining Aristotelian ideas about theatre, playwrights of the twentieth century talked of ideas and images that haunted them, often taking on the political class through their plays. Significant among these new writers was Arthur Miller. His play, The Crucible, talks about America that was increasingly intolerant towards differences within its society. The critique of this society and its political groups comes in a veiled manner, through a critique of the Salem Witch Trials that happened in the seventeenth century in Puritan America. This critique serves two purposes. Firstly, it saved Miller, to a certain extent, from the intolerant intellectual climate that he was writing about. On the other hand, it also served to highlight the cruelty of the same climate by equating it to one of the most horrific incidents in American history where innocent men and women were put to death because of the political needs of a certain class of people. This paper shall seek to analyze the characte rs of the two accusing girls within the play – Abigail Williams and Betty Parris. The motivations of these characters for accusing the other characters are not ideological or religious. They accuse other people of witchcraft for their own individual purposes. While this is not to say that accusing another person wrongly for religious purposes can be condoned, the absolute lack of any principles that guide the accusations is astounding. Miller focuses the attention of his readers and audience towards this hypocrisy that is present in the American society, something that he talks of as being present since the days of the Salem Witch trials since 1693 (Linder). This hypocrisy is borne out of a fear that does not let a person rest, according to the play. Abigail Williams seems to be a part of this fear and amidst talks of punishing witches, she seeks to seduce John Proctor. The hypocrisy of this ideological standpoint is revealed at those points where both Abigail and Proctor see k to conceal the details of their relationship. What Abigail seems to be seeking is merely sexual pleasure. However, a reluctance to accept this is accompanied by a desire to victimize other women as witches. Historically, the women who were victimized as witches were mainly persons of sexualities that were not sanctioned by the ultra-conservative Puritan church. They also belonged to that class of women who were unable, under the Puritan dispensation, to fulfill their educational ambitions (Blumberg). This can be seen in the references that characters make to women who read, in The Crucible. It is, thus, all the more tragic when women fail to support their initiative and condemn them as witches. This defines the predicament of people like Abigail Williams, Mary Warren and Betty Parris. Instead of displaying a certain kind of solidarity towards each other, they seek to victimize each other for their own short-term goals. The persons who gain from these accusations are those who seek to cheat others out of their land and set up their own farms, thus perpetuating patriarchal forms of living that would then make possible incidents such as the trials in the future. The events that Miller talks of in The Crucible are historically accurate to a certain extent. They are, however, also fictionalized to a large degree. This helps the

Analysis of John Adams Quincys Quote about a Leader Essay - 16

Analysis of John Adams Quincys Quote about a Leader - Essay Example In the contemporary work settings, what fails most of the businesses is not lack of finances or assets. It is the lack of an effective leader who can inspire the followers to visualize success and lead them through as they pursue the company’s goals and objectives. John Adams’ Quincy’s quote indicated above touches on the core of leadership; inspiration. As Adair (2009) puts it, to lead effectively is not just to be at the forefront. Good leadership is evaluated based on various parameters including the ability to inspire and bring out the best from the followers. Quincy says to become a leader one must be able to inspire other people to dream more; to imagine great things. A good leader stimulates their team to set goals and objectives that may sound ridiculous. The leader should instil confidence and a sense of belief amongst the followers. This makes the team develop the resilience that no matter what challenges they go through, they never lose focus and determination on their set goal. For example, in a situation where workers have virtually no substantial plans other than working for the company in the same capacity for years, a Human Resource Manager (leader) may inspire such staffs not only through the words they speak but also actions. In the end, the staff may feel rejuvenated after they are challenged to seek for more out of their lives (Northouse, 2010). Consequently, Quincy talks about learning as an art of demonstrating leadership. A learner is both a learner and a teacher. The behavioral theory of leadership maintains that leadership is as a result of behavior learning. The theory posits that good leaders can be trained and inspired by their mentors (Hoffmann, 2007). The behavioral theory bases its arguments on the ability of humans to learn through observation, hearing or even modelling. This means that leaders can be a source through which followers retrieve skills and knowledge of how to do or how not to do. An influential person with a strong ego is likely to influence learning and behavior change than others.