Veiw from a statue Essay Example for Free

Veiw from a statue Essay As I stand here looking over the lush green foliage of thousands of trees, I glanced down toward the base of the mountain to see curvy, windy roads, weaving in and out between tiny little box houses, plotted around here and there. I can see for miles and miles, the views are breath taking. Thats mostly why people come to see me, to look out with me, to see the fantastic views. My arms are sore from standing here for about 75 years, just doing nothing but wondering. For many months I have started to think what is beyond the horizon of the sea. There could be a whole new world over the edge. Is there even an edge? Who knows? Years ago those little things climbed on my feet, just to get a better view or to pose in front of a compact box, with a blinding flash for a couple of seconds, but now there are large metallic fences at my feet. This is predominantly because I am old, weary and wearing out so I need protecting. People get here in many different ways, clear boxes which travel up and down continuously, moving stairs, or climbing 222 steps reaching the summit, exhausted. Oh yeah! I forgot to say about the odd people that walk all the way up the ridge of mount Corcovado who wear small shorts, long pulled up socks, big chunky boots, weird hats and really, really big bags on their backs. They come in there hordes, they come in all shapes and sizes; big ones; small ones; fat ones; thin ones; some are noisy; some are quiet; some just scream and laugh; some are in awe of me and gaze up at me, as I gaze out at the horizon. These people see me as a god, but if only it were true because all I want to do is just fly to the moon, to the white wonderful wide space, where I could rest my sore painful arms and legs. No one knows the pain Im in or even know I have any feelings. I remember the journey of how I came to be here. I was created by a local engineer called Heitor da Silva Costa. He made me out of reinforced concrete and layers of soap stone. Firstly I was going to be made out of steel but that wouldnt of had much of a chance against extreme weather conditions. I was built in small chunks and slowly brought to the top by a struggling train on the Corcovado Rack Railway. Then I was pieced together bit by bit, slowly rising above the ridge to embrace the people of the world. Through my amazingly large nostrils I can smell the wondrous cuisine from the land below swirling and rising up the mountain side. Just after dark the surroundings black out and all attention is drawn towards the bright lights of the city. Although no one else sees it, its not all happiness up here. I have seen many things in my life like robberys, suicides, murders, but what always happens almost every night is groups of people sell drugs and sit there injecting liquids into their arms, snorting dust and sniffing corrosive fumes of acids. The fumes are so strong even I get a headache and my heads made out of concrete! It is disgusting what they do, but it is what they want to do, and what could I do any way. As dawn emerges it makes up for the previous night. The sun rises and a new day begins. In the early morning, the mountain air is fresh and crisp; the sun rises leisurely, bringing a slow warmth to the city. The most beautiful part of the day is now, when it is peaceful and you can hear the chirping of the birds below. The heat from the sun breaks through my layers of soap stone reaching into the hard cold concrete inside.

The Children Act 2004 | Analysis

The Children Act 2004 | Analysis The Children Act was first introduced in 1989 and was amended in 2004 after an inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie. After the death of eight-year old Victoria Climbie in 2000, Lord Laming was asked by the Government to carry out an investigation to know if new regulation and guidance were needed to develop the safeguard of child system in England. The Governments answer to the Victoria Climbie Inquiry report (Laming, 2003) was the Keeping children safe report (DfES, 2003) and the Every child matters green paper (DfES, 2003), which in turn led to the Children Act 2004. This Acts ultimate purpose is to make the UK better and safer for children of all ages. The Act also created a Childrens Commissioner; putting in place services provided to and for children and young people by local authorities and other persons; dealing with Wales about advisory and support services in regards to family proceedings; dealing with private fostering, child minding and day care, adoption assessment panels, the explanation of reasonable penalty, the making of allowances as respects children and families, child safety orders, the Childrens Commissioner for Wales, The publication of material in connection to children dealing in legal cases and the release by the Inland Revenue of data relating to children. The government aims is for every child whatever their background or their conditions, to have the backing they need to: be healthy i.e. enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle; to stay safe i.e. to be free from harm and negligence; to enjoy and achieve i.e. to make the most out of life and to develop the skills to become an adult; to make a positive contribution i.e. to be in touch with the community and society and not taking part in anti-social or criminal conduct; To achieve economic well-being i.e. not being prohibited by financial difficulty from reaching their full ability in life. The green paper suggested improvements was into four main areas which are assisting parents and carers, early involvement and effective security, responsibility and combination locally, regionally and nationally and staff improvement. Being healthy It is shown by a study that those smoking regularly aged 11-15 in England has gone down since 1996 from 13 to 10 percent. But obesity level is rising. Between 1996 and 2001 the number of children who were obese having between 6-15 years old in England increase by 4 percent. Young rates of pregnancy were lower by 10 percent in 2001 than in 1998. But UK still has the most teenage pregnancies in Europe. The World Health Organisation published a report in 2002 that UK had the least suicide rate amongst 26 countries, but suicide is still responsible for 20 per cent of young deaths. Staying safe In March 2002, 59,700 children were in care in England, which is an increase of 22 percent since March 1994. But, the number on child protection registers in England have been decreasing as there were only 25,700 in March 2002 compared to 38,600 ten years earlier. Between 1981 and 2001 the percentage of young boys in England and Wales reprimanded or sentenced of a crime decreased from 7 per cent of young boys to 5 per cent, but the same rate for girls increased from 1.3 to 1.4 per cent. A research of criminal and harassment found that 46 percent being the target of some kind of crime in the last 12 months among those aged 11 to 16 in ordinary schools. In most cases of domestic violence where around one in ten women involved yearly, their children were present in the same or next room, and one in three child safeguard circumstances points to a past of domestic violence against the mother. Enjoying and achieving The number of those aged 11 reaching the normal level in English and maths went up by 12 percent, from 63 percent to 75 percent and from 61 percent to 73 percent in English and maths respectively since 1997. In 2002 more than half of 15 year olds got a minimum of five GCSEs at grades A*-C, a rise of more than 6 percent since 1997. However success is not steady through diverse ethnic groups like for example pupils from Chinese and Indian backgrounds succeed considerably over regular GCSE results; black pupils and those from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds do inferior in their GCSE results. Non-attendance has stayed the same from 1995/96 at 0.7 percent of half days absent. At the end of 2001, in every eleven youngsters having 16-18 years old, one was not in education, work or training and in every four youngsters between 16 and 18, one spend time out of education, training and employment. Making a positive contribution A new research of secondary students who are 11 to 18 years old showed that 86 percent had taken part in certain sort of community activity in the previous year and half participated in raising fund or gathering cash for charity. From the 2001 General Election, assessments found that attendance was lowest between those aged 18-24, as only two in five casted their vote. Economic well-being Between 1992 and 1995, 19 percent of children stayed in working age jobless homes, but in 2003, the percentage had fallen to 15.2. The percentage of children staying in homes with comparatively low earnings decreased between 1996-97 and 2001-02 from 34 to 30 after housing expenses. The percentage of children staying in homes with virtually low earnings fell largely from 34 percent to 20 percent after housing deductions. The Childrens Act 2004 established a Childrens Fund which is aimed to support in the abolition of poverty and economic difficulties felt by disadvantaged children or those whose familys monetary conditions leave them deprived by making sure that children aged between five and thirteen attend school regularly and also decreasing the risk of crime being carried out by these children, so that they can get the best promising start of their life. The Childrens Act 2004 specially caters for disabled children. Local authorities have a responsibility under the Act to arrange for  facilities to children in need if these amenities will aid keeping a child safe and healthy. After the death of baby P, there was a review conducted by Lord Laming which suggested that those dealing with children need to be properly trained to detect any problem so that social workers or other practitioners can better safeguard children under their responsibility. The Children Act 2004 provides a strong emphasis and a new approach to childrens services but is not sufficient in itself. Its application must be part of an extensive progression of transformation, concentrating on results and brought onward by local transformation packages in 150 Local Authority regions set within a national structure. The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services (NSF) is fundamental to this. It put forward a ten-year plan to encourage durable and continual progress in childrens health and well-being. As it is applied by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Local Authorities and other groups including other health bodies, it will add to the realisation of the five outcomes.

Public Health Policy in Australia

Public Health Policy in Australia Section 1 Healthy public policy is an denotative pertain for equity of health in all field of policy and for the benefit to impact in health. The importance of public health policy is to make a positive environment to enable people to lead healthy lives. Healthy public policy create a healthy choices possible for the citizens’ concerns. Public policy creates a physical and social environment of healthy lifestyle. As government sector pursuit of healthy public policy concerned with trade, education, agriculture, industry and communication require to take into account for the healthy consequences of their decisions in policy and these sectors should be answerable for the health consequences of their decisions in policy. The government should play an important role in healthy public policy for the economic consideration (1†¦.). According to the Catherine Althaus policies are theory about the world, some flourish while other shrivel up, the better designed the theory, the more tested its assumption’s, the greater the chance of success.(4..) The healthiness amends Quality of life, Productivity of workforce, Learning capacity, Strengthens of family and community. The government are responsible for making policy and allocate resources for the implemented policies, basically public policy can be defined as a system of law, course of action, regulatory measures and funding priorities regarding a given promulgated topic by a governmental representatives or entity.(3..) What is Health in All Policies (HiAP)? According to the definition of World Health Organization Health in All Policies (HiAp) is an approach path to public policies across sectors that consistently takes into account that the health decisions implications, synergies searches and destructive health impacts, avoidance in order to improve health and health equity of population. It also related to rights and obligations and improves accountability of impact in health policymakers at all levels of policymaking. The HiAP include a vehemence on the consequences of public policies on health systems, healthy wellbeing, and health determinants and contributes to sustainability of developments (2..). The HiAP approach are as follows; It ameliorates the public policy maker’s accountability for health impacts at all stages of policy making. It admits an emphasis on the effects of public policies on health systems, determinants of health and well-being. It contributes to sustainable development. Social determinants of health (SDH)is the core concept of HiAP in which health and wellbeing of the population is shaped. According to the definition of world health Organisation SDH is a conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age and theses circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, local and national levels(5†¦). For example transport, housing, education and the environment are some of the factors which affect health and wellbeing which lies outside of the main function of health systems and these are some of the broad changing areas in which most significant improvement in health and life expectancy over the 150 years and are not directly attributed to improvement in health care (6†¦). Health in all policy is a way of government working across to achieve better public policy results and simultaneously improve health of population and wellbeing consequences. A healthy population has positive impacts on economy, sustainability and productivity in which it benefit all sectors and society as a whole (6†¦.). How public policy are formed in Australia? In Australia the public policy is formulated not only by the influence of politicians but by contribution of many public servants and thousands of men and women who file the petition to parliament and ministers who join interest group, by media comment, union, corporation and community movements. The entire community is effected by public policy(4†¦.). The policy procedure are generally follow a logical system and that system seeks to structure the way problems are empathized and introduced, so that the decision makers can hear about the issues, understand options, learn of informed opinion, make choices, test their decision and evaluate their actions.(4..). Section 2 Issues are multi –sectorial and involve a range of interesting group Yes, according to the Food Security Policy it is clearly states about the multi sectorial issues which mostly affects Low income households such as sole parent, students English low proficiency peoples mainly newly migrants and refugees Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Northern suburbs householders People with mental illness or weak older adults who needed support for daily activities People with stress or who were homeless. HPP involves commerce, industry, voluntary, Organisation, community and government Yes, the Food Security Policy has been implemented with local government food security policy project which is funded by Victorian Department of Health. The main goal of this policy is to achieve to reduce the prevalence and impact of food insecurity. HPP involves the representation of: †¢ Northern Area Mental Health Service †¢ Neami Darebin †¢ Austin Health †¢ Northern Division of General Practice †¢ Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre †¢ Department of Health †¢ North East Primary Care Partnership †¢ Planning for a Healthier North †¢ Women’s Health in the North †¢ Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria Darebin Community Health Darebin Council Community Health and Safety Officers **Table is created according to the information of â€Å"The Food Security Policy† data. Health risks are global and not confined to regional boundaries Yes, the Food security is a global issue which will affect the future food security due to the climate change and increasing the demand if food production resource were reduced worldwide. According to the 2014 repot around 805 million people that is one in nine of the world’s population were chronically undernourished. The vast majority of this issues in developing country. (7†¦)According to the city food security policy. Current global climate change will affect the global food insecurity and that will continue to grow the capacity to produce and distribute food undernourishment due to the changes in water scarcity, food producing land for production of bio fuels, degradation of lands and land lose due to urbanization due to these above factors will increase the demand for food as the grows of population. Simultaneously will impact the community and household level with increased food price, increased transportation price and utilities price as well. The above factors al so will influence the food that will be available with increased local product, more depends on seasonal products and low processed product such as meat, dairy and imported food items. Thus will mostly effect the average community household to manage due to its affordability and vulnerable to food insecurity(8†¦.). HPP aims should be educational and not persuasive This is a limited rational because the report only explains about the food security policy should focus to educate the following issues such as Daily intake of vegetable and fruit particularly for disadvantaged groups. Lack of knowledge and skills related to healthy cooking and eating habits. Lack of knowledge about the Australian food products and how to use and this effect mostly newly migrants who don’t speak English. Lack of motivation and cooking healthy meals on a daily basis. Action for HPP takes many forms lobby groups, local community action. Limited because according to the report the local government capacity is limited to address the determinants of food security which are complex and influenced by global environmental, economic and social factors that are related to skill and production of food. The state and federal leadership on this issue of food security has been minimal and slow issue. The local government are showing their leadership in the food security area slowly because of need in their local community. The HPP of the Food Security Policy has been designed to reflect areas of action where local government can play a role in addressing local food security issues through both broad systemic response and social welfare around local land use planning, environmental sustainability and transport. HPP is intrinsically a political activity. No, the HPP of City Food Security Policy is not a political activity. The policy of food security is formed due to the city council’s community planning, partnership and performance of department are carry importance for the co-ordination of Food Security Policy. The council are responsible for the implementation of particular aspects of the policy making. Policy Summery The main benefit of developing such food security policy is to recognize the local government limited capacity to explain the determinants of food security which are complex and determined by global environmental changes, social factors and economic that related to production and acquisition of food. The HPP of Darebin also admitted that local government carry an important role play for responding to undernourishment of food insecurity to their municipal setting and how they can improve by implementing such HPP in which HPP contributing for making local and regional food supplies for accessibility in the future. Section 3 Health is multiphase and no more defined in terms of disease and illness or according to the WHO definition of health Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity†(†¦..), rather it is enlaced with social prevailing, economic, political and condition of environment where more food sustainability or access for land. According to Kaplan the major reason of disease and population suffering are rooted firmly in the social, behavioral and psychological world in which people grow, live and die are embedded in multiple factors of geographical, environmental, institutional and economic circumstances (9). The most responsibility for health inequities is due to the social determinates of health. When viewed through social health lens, the health inequities and public health opportunity which enables community health, planning and community priority circumstance is inconsistently used (10†¦). Health inequities is due to the social determinants of health within countries are influenced by political power, economically and socially unacceptable which is avoidable and unfair. The Health public policies made in all sectors can have profound effect on health of a population and health equity. The health of world is shaped by the demographic changes, climate change, globalization and urbanization. Some of the diseases disappear due to the living conditions improvement and in developing countries many poverty diseases is still present, this all factors will improve by implementing health public policy for the benefit of community and future development. In order to improve the population health and social determinants of health, Health in All policies is relevant method of public policy approach that accounts systematically into account, the decision implication in health and avoid harmful health impacts (11†¦). What are the major different between Health public policy and Health in All policy? Health public policy(HPP) Health in All Policy (HiAP) The redistribution of public policy income through : Pension provisions unemployment insurance child care (12†¦) giving opportunity to people to adopt healthy lifestyle; preventing people to adopt unhealthy lifestyle; and Creating healthy physical and social environments.(13..) The HiAP reflects the principles of legitimacy, accountability, Transparency (2..) Health implications of decisions, seeks synergies, Avoids harmful health impacts Improve population health and health equity. It access to information, participation, sustainability, and collaboration across sectors and levels of government (2..) *** Table is created according to the reference data given above. The benefit of Implication of Health policy is to plan, action and decision that are beneficial to achieve target society health care goals. Health policy outlines priorities and the expected roles of different groups and builds consensus and informs people (14..).For example the Food Security Policy distinguishes that local government is limited in its capacity to address all of the determinants of food security by implication of policy will improve the ongoing supply of nutritious and sustainable food available, and improving access to the available food supply, particularly for those who are most vulnerable to food insecurity (15..).The target group of this policy is Low income households ( sole person, sole parent and student ) English low proficiency people( new migrants and refugees ) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Northern suburbs Households People with a mental illness or disability (15†¦) The new public health approach will brings changes in environment and preventive measures with appropriate therapeutic interventions, especially to old age community and disabled persons. However the new public health will recognizes the health lifestyle problems and Underlying health lifestyle problems are concrete issues of local and national public policy and require to address issues by variety of Health Public Policies and the policies in all sectors will support the Health promotion. (16..)

Assisted Suicide :: essays papers

Assisted Suicide It is upsetting and depressing living life in the shadow of death. Many questions appear on this debatable topic, such as should we legalize euthanasia? What is euthanasia? What is assisted suicide? What is the difference between Passive and Active Euthanasia? What is Voluntary, Non-voluntary and Involuntary Euthanasia? What is Mercy Killing? What is "Death with dignity"? But if euthanasia was legalized, wouldn't patients then die peacefully rather than using plastic bags or other methods? And unfortunately the list continues. No one denies that there are many vulnerable persons who require the protection of the law. Take, for example, those in a temporary state of clinical depression, perhaps caused by a traumatic event in their lives. These persons will recover and go on to lead productive, happy lives, and it would be unconscionable to encourage or support them in a transitory wish to die. There are also many unemployed and unemployable, many disabled of all ages, and many senior citizens whose families might, for selfish or downright malicious reasons, encourage them to seek assisted suicide. All kinds of people in difficult situations could be at risk of being intimidated or forced into feeling their early death would be a convenience to society. Section 241 is doubly flawed. It is not an especially effective drawback against those who seek to prey on the vulnerable, but at the same time it forces persons enduring intolerable suffering to exist in that state against their own wishes, thus denying them their right of self-determination as citizens in a free democracy. Competent, rational human beings must have the right to determine their own health care according to their personal wishes, values and beliefs, as long as such a determination does not jeopardize the safety or well-being of any other person. We do not believe, for instance, that people have the right to kill themselves by driving recklessly and in so doing jeopardize the safety of others. To kill oneself by causing an explosion that will inevitably put others at risk is horror. It is also reproachable to end one's own life without regard to the trauma it might inflict on the vulnerable. People shall never forget the horror suffered by two young children who arrived home after school to find their mother hanging from the hall chandelier, or by a teen-age boy who found his father with his head blown apart from a self-inflicted shotgun wound in the kitchen of their home. We also need to consider the anguish of family members, friends and even health-care professionals who must continue to witness, day after day, Assisted Suicide :: essays papers Assisted Suicide It is upsetting and depressing living life in the shadow of death. Many questions appear on this debatable topic, such as should we legalize euthanasia? What is euthanasia? What is assisted suicide? What is the difference between Passive and Active Euthanasia? What is Voluntary, Non-voluntary and Involuntary Euthanasia? What is Mercy Killing? What is "Death with dignity"? But if euthanasia was legalized, wouldn't patients then die peacefully rather than using plastic bags or other methods? And unfortunately the list continues. No one denies that there are many vulnerable persons who require the protection of the law. Take, for example, those in a temporary state of clinical depression, perhaps caused by a traumatic event in their lives. These persons will recover and go on to lead productive, happy lives, and it would be unconscionable to encourage or support them in a transitory wish to die. There are also many unemployed and unemployable, many disabled of all ages, and many senior citizens whose families might, for selfish or downright malicious reasons, encourage them to seek assisted suicide. All kinds of people in difficult situations could be at risk of being intimidated or forced into feeling their early death would be a convenience to society. Section 241 is doubly flawed. It is not an especially effective drawback against those who seek to prey on the vulnerable, but at the same time it forces persons enduring intolerable suffering to exist in that state against their own wishes, thus denying them their right of self-determination as citizens in a free democracy. Competent, rational human beings must have the right to determine their own health care according to their personal wishes, values and beliefs, as long as such a determination does not jeopardize the safety or well-being of any other person. We do not believe, for instance, that people have the right to kill themselves by driving recklessly and in so doing jeopardize the safety of others. To kill oneself by causing an explosion that will inevitably put others at risk is horror. It is also reproachable to end one's own life without regard to the trauma it might inflict on the vulnerable. People shall never forget the horror suffered by two young children who arrived home after school to find their mother hanging from the hall chandelier, or by a teen-age boy who found his father with his head blown apart from a self-inflicted shotgun wound in the kitchen of their home. We also need to consider the anguish of family members, friends and even health-care professionals who must continue to witness, day after day,

Essay --

Nirav Patel MGMT 390 Final Exam December 18, 2012 1.) Why is the human resources department an important function in any company? What other things do human resources professionals have responsibility for besides managing employee health benefit programs? Give at least 3 other things that they oversee inside a company. a. Human resources department is an important function in any company because people from human resources hire the people in the first place, and this is the one duty they have to do carefully because hiring the hiring an employee for a job is not an easy task. It includes so many other tasks into it such as, hiring them, then evaluating them, making their schedule and so on. Their responsibility includes hiring the perfect employees, responding to employee’s major demands, and to use these employees to finish their goals. These are their major responsibilities. 3 things they oversee inside a company are their employees, complaints, and achievement of the company goals. 2.) Some people have said that an effective marketing strategy makes a buyer feel as if they want to buy a product rather than being sold on a product or idea. What types of things do good marketing managers do to make buyers feel that they want to buy a certain product or service? a. To make buyers feel that they want to buy a certain product or service, a good marketing manager would use strategies such as selling the product at cheaper price than competitor with no sale. They can also use idea of psychological pricing which means that the manager can set the price of the good at price point to make it less expensive. He/she can use target cost strategy, which means you set the price which satisfies customers and investor’s profit. Anot... ...nd of currencies. There are 12 Federal Reserve banks in the United States which is why we don’t need 5 or 6 large banks to manage. The federal bank controls the economy of United States by raising/dropping the interest rates. 7.) If someone said to you that all products should be advertised on the Internet and nowhere else would this be a sound concept? Why would people advertise elsewhere with so many people on line anyway? a. If someone said to me that all products should be advertised on the internet and nowhere, it would sound concept because people this days use the internet all the time. Also, these days people even use their internet to watch TV at home. For example, using veetle, jadoo, and other convertor boxes which use the internet to stream videos and TV channels. So if we broadcast advertises using the internet it would help advertisement business.

Indian Morphological Differences And Similarities Health And Social Care Essay

Background & A ; nonsubjective: Worldwide fluctuation in human growing and its familial and environmental factors have been described by many writers before. In this survey, an effort has been made to measure the morphological differences and similarities among 1-5 twelvemonth kids of rural countries of Uttar Pradesh State in India. The purpose of this survey was to find whether kids populating in diverse countries show their differences or similarities of organic structure size. Methods: For this intent, a transverse sectional territory nutrition profile survey conducted during 2002-03 was used. The information on 10,096 kids drawn from 1080 small towns in 54 territories is a portion of the territory degree Diet and Nutrition Assessment study, was considered. The average values for tallness and weight for 54 territories is taken as the input informations for subsequent analysis. The information was first normalized by agencies of Principal Component Analysis ( PCA ) and so K-means bunch was performed. Consequences: The PCA and bunch analysis yielded four distinguishable bunchs or forms in the kids anthropometric informations. These bunchs were ordered harmonizing to the mean organic structure size ( weight and tallness ) of kids. The average stature and organic structure weight of these kids in bunch I was 3.2 centimeter and 1.4 kilogram higher than those of bunch IV bespeaking clear difference between bunchs. Besides, the fluctuations between bunchs in their societal, demographic, wellness and nutrition parametric quantities were compared. Interpretation & A ; decision: The practical usage of PCA and bunch analysis and its virtues in analyzing the Uttar Pradesh pre-school kids growing fluctuations are discussed. These consequences will ease the decision maker to gestate and implement part specific action programmes for betterment in the nutritionary position of the community in general and pre-school kids, in peculiar. Cardinal words: anthropometric measurings, K-means Cluster Analysis, PCA, Nutrition, Socio-economic.IntroductionWorldwide fluctuations in human growing forms were described in the past by Tanner and Eveleth1,2. Growth and development of kids in a community are mostly influenced by the environment they live in, which include a host of factors related to socioeconomic, socio-cultural and agro climatic conditions. In this present paper, we tried to pull out the nutritionary forms of under five twelvemonth kids anthropometric informations collected at territory degree in the province of Uttar Pradesh in India. This survey was undertaken peculiarly in Uttar Pradesh because it is themost thickly settled province in India, holding about 170 million population3. Therefore, â€Å" geographic † clusterization of territories in big countries such as a State or part of a state based on nutritionary position of the kids may assist in placing assorted factors that have important influence o n the growing and development of the communities and to plan and implement appropriate region/state specific schemes for forestalling and control of undernutrition in the communities. The bunch analysis technique involves segregating a information set into different homogeneous groups based either on similarities or unsimilarities in the information. This technique is an easy replicable manner of building categorizations, which has attracted widespread popularity across diverse scientific disciplines4. Mahalanobis, Majumdar and Rao5 employed this method to do an anthropometric study of the united state manner back in 1949. Vasulu and Pal6 studied the relationship between anthropometric distinction and cultural diverseness in the Yanadi folk in different parts of India. This method has been successfully used on anthropometric measurings in China to sort growing profiles of children7 and in India to transport out societal selling schemes for control of Vitamin A deficiency8,9 every bit good as to place the forms in nutritionary informations of kids.Keri L. Monda and Barry M. Popkin10 used bunch analysis to make forms of overall activity and inaction in a diverse sam ple of Chinese young person and to measure their usage in foretelling fleshy position. Tucker KL11 demonstrated dietetic forms of different populations in US utilizing PCA-Cluster Analysis technique. For the intent of this survey, the informations collected during the District nutrition profile ( DNF ) study carried out in the State of Uttar Pradesh during the twelvemonth 2002-03 and reported during 2003-04 was utilised. The study included aggregation of informations on family socio economic, socio cultural and demographic specifics, nutritionary position of persons in footings of anthropometry and clinical scrutiny, mean nutrient and alimentary consumptions at the family degree and chest eating and kid raising patterns prevalent in the community. Following are the specific aims of the current survey: To organize geographical bunchs in the State of Uttar Pradesh, based on the anthropometric information of weight and tallness of preschool kids 2 ) To i Iiiiide dentify differences or similarities in the nutritionary position of kids populating in different bunchs. To analyze the family demographic, socioeconomic derived functions of the kids between the bunchs, in relation to the nutritionary position.Materials and MethodsSample DesignA cross sectional design was used for transporting out DNF study. In each territory, small town formed the Primary Sampling Unit ( PSU ) and the Household, the Secondary Sampling Unit ( SSU ) . Therefore, a sum of 400 HHs were covered from 20 small towns by covering 20 indiscriminately selected families from each small town. Sing the big fluctuation in the territory, due representation was given to all the blocks in the territory while choosing the small towns, by following graded random trying process coupled with chance proportion to size ( PPS ) .SubjectsThe anthropometric informations, viz. highs and weights available on 10,096 preschool kids ( 1 to 5 old ages of age ) from a sum of 87,491 persons of different ages of both the sexes from 54 territories of Uttar Pradesh was considered for analysis. The geograp hic distribution of the territories is shown in Fig. 1. The average values for tallness and weight for 54 territories is taken as the input informations for subsequent analysis.VariablesTwo anthropometric measurings viz. highs and weights were collected by research workers by utilizing standard equipment and processs. The research workers were trained and standardized in the study methodological analysiss by the Scientists of National Institute of Nutrition ( NIN ) , before originating existent informations aggregation in the field.Statistical methodThe information was first normalized by agencies of Principal Component Analysis ( PCA ) and so bunch was performed utilizing SPSS 15.0 statistical software12, utilizing the undermentioned process: The agencies of each variable for 54 territories were computed. An inter-variable correlativity coefficient matrix was derived. The PCA was extracted by following the undermentioned standards. The standard for truth of choosing principle constituent was 0.005. The minimal discrepancy for pull outing each constituent was 0.5. The value of all steps was transformed into principle-component tonss. The instances were clustered by k-means bunch method utilizing Euclidian distance which was calculated by the expression given below. Wherein dij is the distance between any two instances ( I and J ) in a group, Xik and Xjk are the chief constituent tonss of the kth chief constituent ( k=1,2,3aˆÂ ¦m ; here m=1 ) . The process for bunch was done by MacQueen method13 as follows: Step1: Partition the points into thousand initial bunchs Steo2: Proceed through the list of points, delegating point to the bunch whose centroid ( average ) is close. Recalculate the centroid for the bunch having the new point and the one which the point is removed Step3: Repeat the Step 2 until no reassignments take topographic point.ConsequencesThe average highs and weights by territory are listed in Table I. The Principle constituents extracted from the correlativity matrices are listed in Table II. Merely one rule constituent could be extracted from the information. The ‘EIGEN ‘ value ensuing from this constituent was 1.4 and could explicate 70 % of the fluctuation. The information was foremost transformed into Personal computer mark for the 54 territories which formed the input for executing bunch analysis utilizing K-means bunch analysis method. Four different bunchs or forms were observed in the information. A ocular representation bunch analysis represented as dendogram ( Fig.2 ) shows the bunchs being combined and the values of the distance coefficients at each measure. Looking at the dendogram, it appears that the four bunch method described may be appropriate, since the bunchs are easy explainable and occurs before the distance at which bunch go excessively big. The dendrogram rescales the existent distances to Numberss between 0 and 25, continuing the ratio of the distances between stairss. These bunchs were ordered harmonizing to the mean organic structure size ( weight and tallness ) of kids. The organic structure sizes which formed into different little bunchs are listed in table III. The average stature and organic structure weight of these kids in bunch I was 3.2 centimeter and 1.4 kilogram higher than those of bunch IV bespeaking clear difference between bunchs.Geographic factors:The bunch analysis which resulted in the formation of four distinguishable bunchs is presented in the map ( Fig. 3 ) . The map clearly showed the geographic unsimilarities in the organic structure size of kids. Many of the territories for whom the information was clustered were geographically next. It was observed that in most of the territories from Cluster I came from the western portion of the province, such as Ghaziabad, Farrukhabad, Etawah, which is comparatively comfortable part of the State. The bulk territories viz. Bijnor, Saharanpur, Meerut, Aligarh, Mathura, Maharajgunj etc. wh ich are grouped into Cluster II ranked as 2nd best segregation, are from Western and Eastern parts of the State considered to be developed parts. In contrast, in the Cluster IV which is considered to be holding lowest organic structure size of kids, most of the territories viz. Sitapur, Rae bareli, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Hamirpur belonged to Central and Budelkhand parts which are considered to be under-developed part. The above segregation of territories are in conformance with the informations of NFHS-II survey14,15 wherein the territories in the State were categorized into backward and non-backward territories.Socio-Economic Factors:The bunchs so formed were compared in relation to their socio-economic parametric quantities such as extent of land retentions, type of house, community, per-capita monthly income, denseness of population to see whether it was an artefact or if any relationships could be established. It was found that the territories in bunch I were comparatively more devel oped than in the other bunchs ( table IV ) . The differences observed between bunchs were both in footings of ‘population denseness ‘ and per capita income. It was besides observed that the proportion of under-privileged communities such as Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe population was much lower in the I & A ; II bunchs, compared to bunchs III and IV.Demographic factors:Demographic factors like sex ratio of population, birth order, kids covered for nutrition appraisal, literacy position, per centum married below 18 old ages of age were compared among the bunchs. It was observed that the territories in bunch I were better off when compared to constellate II, III and IV, with regard to all the above variables ( Table V ) . The sex ratio ( females for 1000 males ) , a good index of demographic alteration was 921 in bunch I, as against 882 in bunch IV. Similarly, the literacy position was 64 % in bunch I, compared to 52 % in bunch IV.Nutrition and Health factors:The exte nt of undernutrition among pre-school kids was assessed by Standard Deviation ( SD ) categorization by utilizing World Health Organisation ( WHO ) growing standards16, in footings of acrobatics ( tallness for age, & lt ; Median – 2SD ) reflecting long continuance undernutrition, blowing ( weight for tallness, & lt ; Median -2SD ) bespeaking current undernutrition and scraggy ( weight for age & lt ; Median -2SD ) bespeaking overall undernutrition. The proportion of kids with scraggy, stunting and blowing utilizing the above three standards were least in the territories of bunch I, as compared to constellate IV. The extent of underweight was 33 % incluster I, 45 % in bunch II, 52 % in bunch III and 58 % in bunch IV, bespeaking the extent of under nutrition is higher in bunchs II, III and IV when compared with Cluster I, though the differences were besides higher between bunch II and Cluster IV. Similar form was observed for stunting and blowing ( Table VI ) . The wellness parametric quantities like per centum adult females undergoing prenatal medical examinations in different clustered territories ranged from a high ( 50 % ) in bunch I to 47 % in Cluster IV. The institutional bringings were comparatively more in bunch I ( 20 % ) , compared to constellate IV ( 14 % ) , bespeaking better wellness attention use in bunch I territories ( Table VI ) .DiscussionThere are figure of methods available for clustering13, but the methods of PCA and bunch analysis was selected for this survey for the undermentioned grounds, viz. , ( I ) By utilizing the Principal Component Analysis method, the values of a nthropometric variables in each instance is transformed into chief constituent tonss, which reflects kids ‘s organic structure size more comprehensively than any individual variable, and ( two ) the bunch analysis was performed in this method, by ciphering the distances every bit good as sing the magnitude of difference between variables, therefore avoiding the drawbacks of other methods which use correlativity coefficients as the similarity step and be given to be sensitive to determine at the disbursal of magnitude6. The topics included in the present analysis were preschool kids, whose well being is considered as a placeholder to nutritionary position for the full community. The consequences of the present survey show that the difference in kids ‘s organic structure size are really different between different bunchs, i.e. between developed and under developed countries. All these factors exert the fact that there are important differences in organic structure size of kids in different bunchs ( countries ) . For illustration, most of the territories in Cluster I and Cluster II, which are considered as good bunchs in footings of their better nutritionary, wellness, societal and demographic indexs, are located in the western and eastern portion of the Uttar Pradesh State, which are considered to be comfortable parts. Restriction in this survey is that, other factors, such as the ecological conditions, life manner, which might act upon the nutritionary position of the preschool kids, are non considered. However, the present survey has identified possible countries of intercession for betterment in the nutritionary position of kids. The consequences of bunch analysis, are non merely of involvement, in footings of geographical, biological, ecological and anthropometric similarities but besides facilitate the decision maker to gestate and implement appropriate action programmes for betterment in the nutritionary position of the community in general and pre school kids, in peculiar.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 20

I didn't expect to hear from Dante so quickly. Based on what he'd said about the difficulty of the Nyx-charm, I'd figured it would be a while – if at all. Hugh's observations on the matter had only reinforced my growing skepticism about Dante's abilities. â€Å"I've got your protection,† Dante told me on the phone. â€Å"Or at least as close as I can get. You want it, come pick it up.† He disconnected. I drove to Rainier Valley, finding Dante's shop empty as usual. â€Å"Guess you don't see a lot of business so close to Christmas, huh?† â€Å"Actually,† he told me, emerging from the back room, â€Å"you'd be surprised at the kind of desperation the holidays can bring out in people. Here, catch.† He tossed me something baseball-sized. I caught it, feeling a little disappointed when I studied it closer. It looked like a wicker ball, made of very thin, dark branches. Through the gaps, I could make out a few things inside. One looked like a rock. Another looked like a feather. The whole thing rattled when I shook it. â€Å"This is it?† I asked. â€Å"This is going to keep away an uber-powerful dream entity? It looks like a prop from The Blair Witch Project.† â€Å"It can't force her away,† he said. â€Å"Nothing can. But it might make her think twice. It's more of†¦a repellent.† â€Å"Like citronella?† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Yes, like citronella. Depending on her energy charge, she might blow past it. If she's weak enough†¦well, it might hold her back.† I examined the ball again. It still didn't look like much to me. I sensed no power or magic off of it, but not all objects had an aura I could sense. For reading inanimate items, a psychic mortal tended to be more adept than a lesser immortal. My silence appeared to further annoy Dante. â€Å"Look,† he snapped. â€Å"You don't have to use it, but it took a fuckload of power for me to craft it, okay? It'd be nice if you could maybe withhold your customary sarcasm for a whole five minutes to thank me.† â€Å"My customary sarc – â€Å" I stopped the burst of temper starting to flare in me. Dante ranked near the top of my list of cynical acquaintances, but I wasn't exactly Pollyanna myself. I'd given him nothing but a hard time since I first came to him for help. And now, studying him, I noticed he was pale and tired-looking. His eyes were bloodshot. The ball might be worthless, but he'd clearly exerted some sort of effort in making it. â€Å"You're right,† I said. â€Å"I'm sorry. Thank you. Thank you for this.† His eyebrows rose, and I could actually see the self-control it took for him not to mock my sincerity. He nodded. â€Å"You're welcome.† We each waited for the other to speak. I don't think we knew what to do without the sarcasm. â€Å"So†¦did you find your angel friends?† â€Å"No. I apparently need a fucking Bat Signal or something. Jerome's gone too. Hugh – this imp friend of mine – could get a hold of him, but it'd probably piss Jerome off if we were wrong about all this.† I scowled, recalling the conversation in the deli. â€Å"Anyway, Hugh's pissing me off right now, so I don't even know if I want his help.† Dante smiled. â€Å"I thought succubi were supposed to make friends everywhere they went. Or is that a myth like the bat wings and flame eyes?† â€Å"He's just being an asshole about Seth.† Dante looked at me expectantly. I sighed. â€Å"He thinks us dating is a waste of time. And not because of the sex thing. He thinks I'm going to get hurt.† â€Å"Terribly altruistic of an imp. But then, considering your quasi-morals, I'm starting to think it's a bad idea to assume anything about you guys.† He took a few steps toward me and playfully tapped my nose. â€Å"And what about you? Do you think you're going to get hurt?† â€Å"No. And if I do, that's for me to deal with. Hugh shouldn't be worrying about it. And he shouldn't make Seth worry about it either!† â€Å"Don't get so upset about people worrying about you. It means they care. If enough of us were like that, there'd be a lot less pain in the world.† That was an unexpected observation from Dante. â€Å"Maybe. But there'd also be a lot less unnecessary stress.† He chuckled and caught hold of my hand. Flipping it over, he looked at the palm. â€Å"A random assortment of lines for this body?† he asked. I nodded. â€Å"Can you change it to your original?† â€Å"What, so you can read it? I thought this was a bunch of bullshit.† â€Å"Sometimes.† I waited for more, but it didn't come. His gray eyes were serious and thoughtful as they met mine. Something in them compelled me, and with great reluctance, I shape-shifted my hands back to the ones I'd been born with. I hadn't worn my original body since the day I'd become a succubus, and this small change felt unnatural. I hated this form. While my original hands weren't gargantuan, they were larger than was proportional to this petite frame I carried and appeared weird and mismatched. Dante held my hands in his and glanced back and forth between the palms. After just a few seconds, he snorted and dropped them both. â€Å"Surprise, surprise.† I shape-shifted them back to the way they had been. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Right-handed?† â€Å"Yeah.† He pointed to the left hand. â€Å"Those lines represent what you're born with – your inherent traits. The right hand is the hand that shows how you grow and change and adapt to what you're born with. Nature and nurture.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"Yours are identical on both hands. Your heart line is high on the palm – which means you have an intense, passionate nature. No surprise there. But it's broken into a million pieces. Sliced and diced.† He tapped my left hand. â€Å"You were destined for heartache.† He tapped my right hand. â€Å"And you are going to repeat that pattern forever. You aren't learning. You aren't changing.† â€Å"If I'm destined for it, then what does learning or changing have to do with anything? Isn't it a done deal?† I didn't like the censuring tone in his voice, like I'd done something wrong by having these palms. â€Å"Don't start,† he said. â€Å"I'm not a philosopher and don't want to get into any pre-destination or free-will debates. Besides, palm reading is a bunch of bullshit.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said dryly. â€Å"So I hear.† To my surprise, Dante put his arm around me and drew me close in a sort of half-hug. â€Å"Be careful, succubus. You've got a mess o' dangerous things in your life right now. On all fronts. I don't want to see you get hurt either.† I stayed in the embrace and rested my head on his chest. â€Å"When did you get so nice? Are you still trying to get me into bed?† â€Å"I'm always trying to get you into bed.† He pressed a kiss to my forehead, to my nose, and then to my lips. â€Å"But I kind of like you too. Just watch out.† I drove home after that, a bit confused over Dante's surprising behavior. Thinking about him, I soon arrived in Queen Anne before I knew it. I found neither Vincent nor the angels in my apartment and decided to go to the bookstore. I had today off too, but I knew they were busy and could use the extra help. I needed the distraction. Just before closing, Seth called my cell and asked if I could pick him up at his brother's. He and Terry had indeed gone to see the movie, but Seth's car was actually here in Queen Anne and he needed a ride now since Terry had originally picked him up. I finished what I was working on in my office and headed out. Terry and Andrea greeted me warmly when I showed up, reminding me to come to Christmas dinner – even though I'd long since told them I'd be there. They always regarded my relationship with Seth as a tenuous, fragile thing (which it was) and felt compelled to do all they could to protect it. The girls were as thrilled as always to see me, and they assaulted me with questions and chatter. All except Kayla. She'd apparently gotten to stay up late tonight. In some ways, her silence wasn't surprising. Aside from the startling conversation the other night, she almost never spoke anyway. But usually, she'd come forward with the other girls to see me. Tonight, she simply stayed on the couch, watching me solemnly. When Seth made motions to leave, I broke from the girls and went over to Kayla. â€Å"Hey, you,† I said, sitting down beside her. â€Å"How's it – â€Å" I hadn't touched her, but Kayla suddenly jerked away from me as though she'd been burned. Backing up, she scrambled off the couch and tore out of the room. We heard her small footsteps on the stairs as she ran to her room. Startled, I looked at the others. â€Å"What did I do?† â€Å"No idea,† said Andrea, puzzled. â€Å"She's been fine all night.† â€Å"Something must have gotten into her,† said Terry. â€Å"No telling with kids. Especially with girls.† He mussed Kendall's hair, and she yelped. Everyone promptly forgot about Kayla and continued to make farewells to Seth and me. I spoke to them half-heartedly, though. Kayla was always happy to see me, and last time, she'd demonstrated a special trust and belief in me. Tonight, she had looked at me with abject terror. Why? Was it a little girl mood? Or was there something hanging on me from another plane that I couldn't see? Just before we left, I asked if I could go say good-bye to Kayla and give talking to her another shot. Upstairs, I found her curled into a corner of her bed, clutching the unicorn. Her eyes widened in terror when she saw me, and I stopped in the bedroom door. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"You okay?† No answer, just wider eyes. â€Å"I won't come any closer,† I said. â€Å"Promise. But, please†¦just tell me. What do you see? Why are you afraid of me?† For a moment, I didn't think she'd answer. Then, finally, she spoke in a voice I could barely hear. â€Å"You're bad,† she whispered. â€Å"Why are you so bad?† That wasn't what I'd been expecting. I'd thought maybe she'd tell me there was a ghostly hag hovering above my head. Something in Kayla's words made my stomach sink. I knew I was evil – it was kind of the definition of a Hellish servant. I lived day to day with my eternal task, seducing and corrupting men. But somehow, a little girl telling me I was â€Å"bad† hit me harder than the cruelest, most profane accusation could. Without another word to her, I headed back downstairs. As I drove Seth back to my place, I gave him the scoop on the angels and my subsequent lack of progress. â€Å"You've got some creature stalking you, and you decided to go into work?† He sounded both amused and exasperated. â€Å"You might as well have gone to the movie with me.† â€Å"Oh.† I felt kind of stupid. â€Å"I didn't want to interrupt any brotherly bonding.† â€Å"And,† he added, â€Å"you forgot.† â€Å"I never forget about you,† I said stoutly. â€Å"But I was kind of distracted.† â€Å"Funny how that's never a good excuse when the roles are reversed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My apartment was still empty when we got there. I left my coat and Dante's charm in my bedroom and then went to sit on the couch with Seth. â€Å"I hate waiting,† I told him. â€Å"Why does this always happen? Some big, supernatural crisis pops up in my life, and I always end up sitting around and feeling useless. I'm always dependent on others.† â€Å"No, you aren't,† he said, lacing his fingers through mine. â€Å"You're wonderful and capable. But you can't do everything.† â€Å"I just wish I could do something else besides shape-shift and look good. I wish I could, I don't know, shoot laser beams out of my fingers or something.† â€Å"You think that'd stop Nyx?† â€Å"No. But it'd be cool.† â€Å"Me, I always wanted frost power.† â€Å"Frost power?† â€Å"Yeah.† Seth gestured dramatically toward my coffee table. â€Å"If we're talking superhero abilities. If I had frost power, I could wave my hand, and suddenly that whole thing would be covered in ice.† â€Å"Not frost?† â€Å"Same difference.† â€Å"How would frost and/or ice power help you fight crime?† â€Å"Well, I don't know that it would. But it'd be cool.† I laughed and snuggled into Seth, feeling better. I could wait this out. â€Å"Are you hungry?† I asked him. â€Å"Yasmine and Vincent have been waging their own version of Top Chef around here.† We went to the kitchen and found it stocked with more food than it had ever had since I moved in. I unwrapped a plate of what appeared to be slices of freshly baked shortcake. Seth pointed to the refrigerator. â€Å"If there are strawberries in there, it's proof of God's existence.† I opened the door and peered around. â€Å"Get ready for a religious experience,† I told him, pulling out a bowl of chopped-and-sugared strawberries. With the other hand, I pulled out a larger bowl covered in plastic wrap. â€Å"And homemade whipped cream.† â€Å"Hallelujah,† he said. We piled plates high with shortcake and strawberries, and suddenly, dream entities seemed downright comical. I unwrapped the whipped cream, and Seth promptly dabbed a finger in it. â€Å"Savage,† I scolded. â€Å"Heavenly,† he countered, licking off the cream. He stuck another finger into the bowl and held it out to me. I leaned forward and ran my tongue over the tip. Rich sweetness flooded my mouth. â€Å"Mmm,† I said, closing my eyes. â€Å"Mmm,† said Seth. I opened my eyes. â€Å"Are you talking about the whipped cream?† â€Å"Not exactly.† â€Å"You talking about this?† There was still whipped cream on his finger. I took it into my mouth and sucked gently on it, cleaning up the last of the cream and stroking Seth's skin with my tongue. When I finished, he exhaled a held breath. â€Å"Thanks for the cleanup.† â€Å"Cleanliness is next to godliness, I hear.† â€Å"I think I have more on me, though,† he said. â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"Where?† He swiped his finger through more whipped cream. â€Å"Right here.† I licked that off too, sucking and kissing all of the fingers on his hand – not just the guilty one. Finished, I flipped the hand over and kissed the top of it. â€Å"There. Sparkling clean.† Seth shook his head. â€Å"Oh no.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"You've got some on you too.† â€Å"Do I? Where?† He dipped into more whipped cream and dabbed it on my lips, my chin, and the side of my throat. â€Å"Everywhere,† he said. Before I could formulate a response, his mouth was on my neck, licking and kissing with as much sensuality as I had just used on his fingers. The eroticism of it astounded me – and I was hardly one to be caught by surprise with such things. I instinctually moved my body toward his, arching my neck back as his lips continued moving up. I felt his tongue, warm and amazingly skilled, clean up every drop of the whipped cream on my throat before sliding to my chin and finally to my mouth. We kissed harder, dessert (of the food nature) now forgotten. I felt his lips fit perfectly with my own. My back was against the counter, and Seth pressed his body against mine, trapping me. When I finally pulled back from the kiss, I could scarcely breathe. â€Å"Wow,† I said, eyes wide. â€Å"This is why I don't cook. It only leads to trouble.† Seth, still right against me, glanced left and then right. There was a heated, feral look in his eyes that made me shiver. â€Å"I don't see anything too bad happening.† â€Å"Not yet,† I admitted. â€Å"But you know the drill.† He shrugged. â€Å"Yeah. But nothing bad is happening now.† â€Å"It will if we – mmphf!† Seth was kissing me again, and this time his arms went around my waist, pulling us closer still. I wrapped my own arms around his neck, tilting my face upward to get more of the kiss. It was hot and dangerous and amazing, and I couldn't get enough. I knew, though, that I'd have to get enough of it pretty quickly here and was contemplating how to stop it when Seth broke away first. â€Å"Ah,† I teased. â€Å"You've come to your senses.† Seth smiled at me, and my heart raced at the juxtaposition of the animal desire and trademark laidback look on his face. â€Å"Nope,† he said. â€Å"Let's see how far we can go.† â€Å"You already know,† I said. â€Å"We've timed this before.† That was a bit of an exaggeration. We'd never had a stopwatch or anything, but we'd gained a good sense of how long and how deep a kiss could go before it was time to part. He shook his head. â€Å"Not kissing. This.† I wore a black tank top with a red cardigan over it. Seth reached out and unfastened the sweater's three large buttons and pulled it off of me. Letting it drop to the floor, he then rested his hands on my arms, fingers warm against my bare skin. He looked at me expectantly. â€Å"We're timing how quickly you can take off my sweater?† I asked. â€Å"Wrong answer. It's not always about you.† Removing his hands, he caught the bottom edge of his Cap'n Crunch T-shirt and pulled it over his head. He'd pulled me to his chest before it even hit the floor, and suddenly, I was face to face with golden, delicious-smelling Seth skin. Lots of it. Resisting the urge to start kissing his chest then and there, I looked up into his face and attempted levity. â€Å"Is this like strip poker? Except†¦without the poker part?† â€Å"This, Thetis,† he said, grabbing the edge of my tank top, â€Å"is a test. A test to see how far we can go on all dimensions. Not just kissing.† I should have stopped him, but the feel of his hands sliding up my torso was too intoxicating. The tank top went over my head and joined the other clothing on my kitchen floor. I laughed. â€Å"So†¦we know how much kissing we can do. Now you're trying to see how much naked we can do?† â€Å"Yes,† he said. He was attempting a dignified air. â€Å"It's a scientific experiment.† â€Å"Mostly it seems like you pulling off my clothes.† â€Å"That's part of it. We know how much we can kiss. But can we kiss naked? How long can we kiss naked? Is it the same?† â€Å"I don – â€Å" Again, he cut me off with a kiss, and my whole body tingled as my breasts pressed up against his chest. There was nothing between us, just skin on skin, and it was incredible. Between that and the kiss, I felt dizzy. And so, Seth's experiment progressed. He removed articles of our clothing one at a time, then would kiss me, pause, and examine the results. When we were both completely naked, he stepped back and admired my body, his face gleeful and smug. â€Å"I don't think the succubus thing is working,† he said. â€Å"Oh, it works, believe me,† I said, suddenly nervous. Every inch of me wanted to be touched and caressed and ravaged. My skin burned. And the hunger within me – the instinct that urged me to feed off human energy – was raging, realizing just how close it was to dinnertime. This had started out as an amusing game, but it now occurred to me how dangerous this had become. â€Å"It's less about naked and more about us not kissing so much. Remember that time we started making out in bed? I got some of your energy then, and we were dressed. Push this enough – or start doing things with other parts of our bodies – and it'll be game over.† I stepped back and reached for my shirt. â€Å"But you made good scientific progress tonight, I'll give you that.† Seth caught my wrist before I could get the shirt. He pulled me back to him. â€Å"Just a little bit more. Just to see.† He still had the same intensity and arousal all over him. I'd seen it in him before but never like this. â€Å"What more is there?† I asked. â€Å"Just one more kiss,† he said, feigning innocence. â€Å"A†¦parting kiss.† â€Å"Oh good grief.† â€Å"One kiss, Thetis. That's it.† I hesitated, then nodded. â€Å"Okay. Fine. But I'm onto you, so don't think you can get away with anything here.† â€Å"Noted.† At least that's what I think he said because it came out kind of muffled with his mouth crushing mine. I was pressed back against the counter again, and his hand was moving down my ass, down the back of my thigh. We were so close. So, so close. We'd never been this close, this naked, before. We'd certainly never been this naked and kissing before. I felt alive and on fire, craving him both as a succubus and a woman in love. The floodgates burst, and all the passion we kept restrained flowed forth. I could feel him, how hard he was and how much he wanted me. My own body responded in kind, pushing closer and grinding against him. His hand on the back of my thigh tensed and then pulled my leg up. It was barely around his hip when I felt†¦it. It. Seth's life. Sweeter than kissing, sweeter than whipped cream. It came into me pure and bright, unlike anything else I'd ever tasted – well, other than the last time I'd stolen some from him. I would have moaned if my mouth wasn't preoccupied. Reason seized me, and I did my best to squirm free. My best wasn't good enough, and all I could do was slide my mouth away from his. He simply moved down, kissing my neck. The energy didn't stop. â€Å"Seth. Seth. We made the point. We saw how far we can go.† His eyes, full of so much longing and passion, held mine. â€Å"Please, Georgina†¦we're so close†¦just this once†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We were so close. Too close. â€Å"No.† I pressed my palms to his chest. â€Å"Seth! Stop.† I shoved hard. â€Å"Stop!† I broke free all at once and staggered a few feet back, my hand catching the counter for support. The energy transfer cut off abruptly. He reached out a hand to help steady me, but I stayed out of reach. â€Å"Are†¦are you okay?† he asked. â€Å"I'm fine,† I said, breath heavy. â€Å"But you aren't. I got a little – a little of your energy.† â€Å"A little is nothing.† â€Å"Not to me,† I said, still keeping my distance. â€Å"It's not your energy,† he said. His eyes were still heated and hungry. â€Å"It's mine. And I think it was worth it.† He took a step forward. â€Å"And I'd think it was worth it, even if I lost more.† I held out my hand, palm-first. â€Å"Stop. Don't come closer. I don't trust you.† His expression became less aroused and more dumbfounded. â€Å"You†¦don't trust me? I never thought I'd hear you say that.† â€Å"That's not what I meant. Exactly. I mean, I don't know. I don't think you're going to rape me or anything, but you're†¦uh, persuasive. And you haven't been yourself lately. Ever since you got shot. You've been†¦I don't know. Risky. Like you're having a mid-life crisis.† â€Å"I'm having a life crisis, Thetis. I don't want to be one of those people who discovers on my death bed that I didn't do anything. Why can't you understand this? You're so quick to encourage Maddie to do exciting things, but you're still trying to protect me.† â€Å"It†¦it's different.† â€Å"How?† he asked. â€Å"Why is it okay for her to take risks but not me?† â€Å"Because there's a big difference between going rock climbing and sleeping with someone who's going to take years off your life. How long is this phase going to last? You always said it wasn't about sex between us.† â€Å"It's not,† he said stoutly. â€Å"Not at all. I love you for†¦so many reasons. More than I can even begin to describe. But I don't want to die never having touched you. Really touched you.† I stared. He was serious. How could he say he didn't want to die without touching me when touching me would only lead him closer to death? â€Å"You're only saying this because you haven't had sex in so long,† I accused. â€Å"You got all turned on and now you're not thinking straight.† â€Å"I am turned on,† he agreed. â€Å"By you. The woman I love.† He took another step toward me but still stayed far enough away so we didn't touch. â€Å"I want you, Georgina. So badly it kills me. I know you want me too. How can we go on being afraid of something we never tried? I'll take a hit for it, yeah, but if we go on for years†¦without ever knowing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head and sighed. â€Å"Please, Georgina. Just this once. Let us be together – really together.† I swallowed. He was so earnest. So sweet. So sexy. And so help me, he sounded reasonable. The calm way he spoke almost made me believe it didn't matter, that if I gave in and let our bodies come together, the loss would be small and inconsequential. I looked into his eyes and tried to convince myself of his rationalization, bringing up what Carter and others had said. That it was Seth's choice to make, nothing for me to worry about. But, of course, it was. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"I can't. Please, Seth. Don't do this. Don't look at me like that. I love you too – so, so much. But we can't do this. I'm telling you, you just need to have sex. Go out and find someone – anyone. It doesn't matter. I don't care. It'll fix all this and make it easier for us to go on.† â€Å"You would care,† he said, voice deadly calm. â€Å"You say you wouldn't, but you would.† â€Å"Not if it protects you.† â€Å"Protecting me doesn't matter.† â€Å"Damn it, it does!† I yelled, lunging forward. I drove my fists – lightly – into his chest, and all the emotion that had been building up throughout this argument suddenly burst out. â€Å"Don't you get it? I have to protect you! If anything happens to you – if I'm responsible for anything happening to you – it will kill me. It. Will. Kill. Me. I can't handle that. I can't handle anything happening to you. It will kill me!† I stopped my yelling and met Seth's eyes. Neither of us said anything. And as he stared down at me, I knew what he was thinking. Because I was thinking exactly the same thing. I had just given voice to what Hugh had said, what Seth had been worried about. In my outburst, I'd changed the balance of risk. It wasn't about Seth hurting. It was about me hurting. Gently, he reached out and caught my wrists. He removed them from his chest and let go. Backing up, still not speaking, he picked up his clothes and began dressing. I stayed where I was, naked and frozen. â€Å"Seth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said slowly. â€Å"I didn't mean it.† â€Å"It's okay, Thetis,† he said, fastening his pants and not meeting my eyes. â€Å"I understand. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I pushed you.† â€Å"No, no†¦it's not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's okay,† he repeated. His voice was so, so neutral. So, so steady. It wasn't natural. â€Å"Really. But I think I need to go. I think it's better for both of us, and God only knows you have enough going on without me to worry about.† I felt tears starting to fill my eyes. â€Å"I didn't mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know what you meant,† he said. He straightened his shirt and finally looked at me. â€Å"But seriously†¦I should leave. We'll talk†¦I don't know. We'll talk later.† He held out his hand, like he might touch my cheek, and then let it drop. With another sigh, he said good-bye and left. I stood exactly where I was, still not moving. My heart felt like it had just had acid thrown on it. It was burning and raw. Finally, finally, it all caught up with me. My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor. It was cold and hard against my bare skin. I drew my knees up to me and buried my face in them, wondering what I had done. Part of me screamed to go follow him, to beg him to come back, to tell him we could make love and have everything we had ever wanted. Another part, half-reason and half-pride, held me back. It was that same part that had stopped me from going after Andrew that day back in the garden after we'd fought about the Black Death. I'd let him go and gone out of my way to avoid him after that. When the plague finally came to our town, my bishop was one of the first to leave. I went with him and the rest of our household. Just like in The Masque of the Red Death, there was no true place to hide from sickness. Still, some places were better than others, and my bishop took care to keep to the better places. He survived. Months went by, and stories and rumors trickled in about the town we'd lived in. By that point, I'd grown weary of Geoffrey and decided it was time for me to move on. I got permission from my archdemon for a transfer to Florence and sneaked out of Geoffrey's house one night to make the long journey. Our old town was along the way, and a week later, I passed through it. A plague town wasn't quite like what modern people might imagine. It wasn't as though there were piles of bodies lying in the streets or anything. Not always. After all, Europe had survived the Black Death in the end, and civilization had still functioned through the worst of it. Crops were still grown, houses still built, babies still born. But the town seemed quieter and more melancholy than when I'd lived there. Andrew wasn't at the church when I stopped by, and an old man tending the grounds told me that Andrew was off helping some of his parishioners in one of the poorer districts. I found him there, inside the home of a brewer. The brewer had a large family – eight children – as well as a couple of brothers living with him. The house was small and cramped and filthy. Everyone in it was sick except for the brewer's wife who wearily tried to help Andrew take care of her family. â€Å"Cecily?† he asked in astonishment when he saw me. He was kneeling by a teenage boy. Something inside my chest blossomed with both joy and relief. Andrew was alive. He'd stayed, fought disease, and won. I strode forward and knelt beside him. The wife, giving water to a small girl, watched me uneasily. I wasn't in silk or anything, but I was clearly from a different class than theirs, and she didn't entirely know how to treat me. â€Å"You're alive,† I breathed. â€Å"I've been so worried. So worried I'd never see you again.† He smiled that gentle smile of his, and I saw more lines around his eyes than I'd seen before. â€Å"God didn't want to separate us quite yet,† he said. I looked down at the boy. I'd figured Andrew was feeding him or something, but I realized then that the priest was actually giving him last rites. The boy wore no shirt, and I could see on his neck and in his armpits the tell-tale dark pustules that had given the plague its name. The plague usually did what it was going to do in about a week, but from his emaciated look, you would have thought he'd been dying for years. His eyes were fever-bright, and I didn't know if he even knew we were there. Bile rose in my throat, and I averted my eyes. Standing up, I told Andrew, â€Å"I'll let†¦I'll let you finish this and wait outside.† I left the house, going out to where it was warm and things weren't dying. A while later, Andrew found me. I didn't ask if the boy was still alive. Instead, I said, â€Å"How many of them live? Out of all the ones you stay and risk your life for, how many of them actually survive?† He shrugged. â€Å"Three-quarters. Sometimes half, if they're very young or very old.† â€Å"Half,† I repeated flatly. â€Å"That's not very good.† â€Å"If one more person lives because of me, then that's very good.† I looked at that confident, serene face and sighed. â€Å"You're so damned frustrating.† He smiled. I sighed again. â€Å"What can I do to help?† The smile disappeared. â€Å"Don't make light of this, Cecily.† â€Å"I'm not. Tell me what to do.† And that was how I found myself playing nurse in a small town in backwoods England. Honestly, there wasn't anything glamorous one could do to fight the plague. It was all about basics, keeping the people clean and supplied with as much food and water as they could take in. The rest was in the hands of their immune system and – if you believed Andrew – God. When my patients began declining past the point of no return, I usually stopped helping. I couldn't stand to watch and left them to Andrew and his prayers. But sometimes I'd see people come back around, people whom I'd given up on, and then I could almost believe there was a higher power at work. At least, I believed that until Andrew got sick. It started slowly at first, a fever and aches, but we both knew what that meant. He ignored it and kept working until the symptoms began compounding. Finally, he couldn't fight it. Neglecting my other patients, I devoted myself fully to him. â€Å"You should help others,† he told me one day. His skin was pink and blotchy, and he was starting to get the dark spots around his lymph glands. Through all the sickness and fatigue, he was still beautiful to me. â€Å"Don't worry about me.† â€Å"I have to worry about you. No one else is.† It was true. Andrew had helped so many, but no one had come to his side, despite the fact that plague survivors tended not to catch it again. â€Å"It doesn't matter,† Andrew told me, voice frail. â€Å"I'm glad they've survived.† â€Å"You will too,† I said obstinately, even though the signs were starting to suggest otherwise. â€Å"You have to go on so you can keep doing your annoying good works.† He managed a smile. â€Å"I hope so, but I think my time in this world may be drawing to a close. You, though†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked at me – truly looked at me – and I was astonished at the love I saw there. I knew he'd been attracted to me, but I'd never expected this. â€Å"You, Cecily†¦you won't get sick. You will go on, strong and healthy and beautiful. I can feel it. God loves you.† â€Å"No,† I said sadly. â€Å"God hates me. That's why he lets me keep living.† â€Å"God only gives us tasks he knows we can handle. Here, take this.† He touched the gold cross around his neck, but he was too weak to take it off. â€Å"Take it when I'm gone.† â€Å"No, Andrew, you won't – â€Å" â€Å"Take it,† he repeated in as firm a voice as he could manage. â€Å"Take it, and whenever you see it, remember that God loves you and knows that no tragedy you face is ever too much for you to bear. You are strong. You will endure.† Hot tears spilled down my cheeks. â€Å"You shouldn't have done this,† I told him. â€Å"You shouldn't have helped them. You would've lived if you hadn't.† He shook his head. â€Å"Yes, but then I wouldn't have been able to live with myself.† Andrew lingered a few more days after that. I stayed with him, but every moment of it was agony. I hated watching what happened to him and was more convinced than ever that there really was no benevolent power looking after humans. He died peacefully and quietly, much as he'd lived. Another priest came to administer last rites when it happened, and Andrew's final conscious moments reflected hope and absolute faith in what would come next. I stayed to make sure the funeral arrangements were taken care of, not that there was much fanfare or anything. There were no viewings or fancy funeral halls in those days – at least not for men like him. I soon left England for the continent, and after a while, the pain of his death began to take on a new form. Oh, I still missed him – still burned and ached and felt like part of me had been ripped away. But added to that, guilt was starting to create a pain of its own. I felt like I should have taken better care of him. I should have insisted on him leaving with me when the plague came. Or maybe I should have gotten my hands dirtier while helping him tend the sick; it might have kept him away from whomever had infected him. Florence was a beautiful city, on the verge of the Renaissance when I got there. Yet even while living amongst all that splendor and art, Andrew's death tormented me for many years, the pain of guilt and missing him digging into my heart. It never entirely went away, but it did lessen – it just took a really, really long time. As Hugh had said, a long life simply means having more time to mourn.