Cash Grants Essay example -- Mexican Government, The Cash Program

Consider the compact of co-responsibility between the government and recipients. What is needed to make the compact work? Progresa had the goal of increasing the basic capabilities of extremely poor people in rural Mexico (Levine, 2007, p.67). Progresa is a program developed by the government of Mexico in 1997, and was implemented by President Ernesto Zedillo. With the help of Santiago Levy who was an economist, Progresa was developed to help break the cycle of poverty in Mexico. In order for the compact to work between the government and the recipients, a change had to take place from the governments’ standpoint. The government came to the realization of what the recipients needed and to provide that for them. Since the government was willing to fund the program to help the recipients, it demanded the recipients’ responsibility towards the program. For the first time, the Government of the Republic set in motion a program that will deal with the causes of poverty in an integral manner (Levine, 2007, p. 67). The recipients would be held accountable for their part in the program. They would be held liable for participating in the program by being responsible and attributing the responsibility of their choices towards the program. The government funded the program financially while the recipients’ responsibility included sending the children to school, getting the children immunized, and making sure their healthcare and nutritional needs were met. What was needed to make the compact work was the union and responsibility of the government and the recipients as a team. Why were the cash grants given to mothers? Do you think this was a good idea or a bad one? What might have been positive and negative consequences of this choice... ...not efficient there can be a greater risk of funds not being used wisely. There would be a need to have precautions set in place to prevent funds from being misused or even the overspending of funds that would be used to distribute to recipients. One way of creating an efficient system â€Å"is to have simple delivery mechanisms. Evidence suggests that small regular, automated payments are less likely to suffer corruption than large, infrequent, discretionary payments. The spread of computerisation will help in this regard, but will be much reinforced by the eventual introduction of personal identity systems, and the registration of births, deaths and marriages†(Farrington,2005). Organization is also a key to being an efficient program. With organization their can possibly be less confusion of how the program is intended to be designed so it can grow towards success.

Occupy Wall Street Movement Essays -- Political Science

Occupy Wall Street Movement If heavy student loan debt , soaring tuition fee, climbing taxes, plummeting financial aid, nose-diving employment opportunities, exacerbating inequality between common people and wealthy class, are some of the issues that infuriate you and lead you to blame government’s generous bailing out failed banks and other financial institutions then you cannot not know about Occupy Wall Street(OWS) movement. List all information you know about your subject Occupy Wall Street is one of the top 10 US protest movements inspired by popular revolts against authority in Egypt and Tunisia which finally led to toppling of their respective presidents. It began on 17th September 2011 in liberty square in Manhattan’s Financial District (occypywallst.org). As per Special news in Times Of India, OWS was initiated by Canadian Activist group, Adbusters. So far, this movement has spread over across 1500 cities globally and around 100 cities in US. According to Drake Benett, David Graeber is an anthropologist, who played a key role in transforming a small rally into global protest movement, this movement is in response to the common people’s frustrations and resentments with two important issues. The first issue is the influence of the corporates on government decision making system. The second issue is the way government treated debt issues of financial industry as opposed to individual borrowers as a consequence of financial crisis i n 2008.(Benett,†David Graeber-the Anti Leader of Occupy Wall Street, Oct,20011) According to the protesters, current dismal economic situation is a result of government bailing out the insolvent brokerage firms, banks and corporation in 2008. OWS has adopted the slogan; we are 99%. Paul... ...e a leader who is sensitive to issues and sensible enough to direct the movement to achieving its targeted goals and making us realize the dream of living in the utopian world! Works Cited Bennet, Drake. â€Å"David Graeber-The Anti-Leader Occupy Wall Street.† Business week. Bloomberg L.P, 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Brenac, Sacha. â€Å"The Failures of Occupy Wall Street.† The Bullet. The Bullet, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Gray, Heather. â€Å"Occupy Wall Street vs Kingian Methods.† Positive Peace Warrior Network. N.p., 4 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Krugman, Paul. â€Å"We Are the 99%.† New York Times. The New Yorks Time Co, 24 Nov. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. â€Å"99% vs 1%.† Times Of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Solomomn, Daniel. â€Å"Occupy Wall Street’s Failed Revolution.† PolicyMic. Mic Networks Inc., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.

Painting a Portrait of Death Essay -- essays research papers fc

â€Å"Painting a Portrait of Death† Death is inevitable to all forms of life. In giving birth to a typical family, Flannery O’Connor immediately sets the tone for their deaths, in the story, A Good Man is Hard To Find. O'Connor’s play on words, symbolism and foreshadowing slowly paves the way for the family’s death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  O'Connor begins to paint the image of death with her presentation of the grandmother. As the family prepares for their adventure the grandmother carefully selects her attire. â€Å"A navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet† (O'Connor 267). The imagery of the grandmother’s impeccable attire foreshadows her position at the end of the story. When a person dies it is common that they are adorn in their best outfit. The grandmother has symbolically prepared herself for her eternal rest in a coffin as she is dressed in her Sunday best. O'Connor continues to incorporate the theme of death into the story, as she provides the readers with the reason for the grandmother’s ensemble, â€Å"in cares of an accident, anyone see ing her dead on the highway would know at once she was a lady† (O'Connor 267). Symbolically the grandmother is walking down the path of death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the family travels closer to...

Life or death †whose decision is it anyway?

The courses of actions that were taken shall be justified through the use of Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative. The categorical imperative provides that one ought to, â€Å"[a]ct only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.† There are however two formulations of the categorical imperative. The above-mentioned is the first one and the second is â€Å"[a]ct in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any another, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end.†Scenario 1The primary issue at hand is whether or not it was ethical for the doctors in George Washington Hospital to insist that her baby be allowed to live despite Angela’s, her physicians’ and her family’s objections; especially when it was found that in the end, the surgery was a contributing cause to Angela’s death. Thus, the primary issue here is wheth er or not abortion would have been ethical given the situation. What is the best course of action to take given the situation?But even before proceeding, what exactly is the situation? The situation is the fact that Angela is faced with cancer and she has only a few days to live. Her physicians and her family wanted to preserve her life as much as they could. In addition, the surgery (cesarean section), which while gives the baby 50 to 60% chance to survive, endangers Angela’s life and withers the last few days that she has left, not to mention the fact that .   Furthermore, they estimated that there was a less than 20 percent chance that the child would be disabled.   The physicians also testified that the surgery would increase the chances of Angela Carter’s death.The best course of action taken was the course taken by the doctors in George Washington Hospital to insist that her baby be allowed to live despite Angela’s, her physicians’ and her famil y’s objections.. Thus, given the situation it would not have been ethical to abort the baby. This decision can be justified using Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative.The categorical imperative can be explained simply through the discussion on duties. Basically if a course of action or decision is one’s duty, then it can be willed to become a universal law. If on the other hand, a course of action is not part of one’s duty then it cannot be said to become a universal law.Given the situation above, it is the duty of Angela’s doctors to uphold the value of life. In fact as doctors, it is part of their Hippocratic Oath â€Å"[t]o practice and prescribe to the best of my ability for the good of my patients, and to try to avoid harming them† and â€Å"[n]ever to do deliberate harm to anyone for anyone else’s interest.† However, it becomes complicated as they, in a way have to choose between Angela’s and her baby’s li fe. As it is their duty to protect their patients’ lives, they are now confronted with a scenario that they have to inevitably choose one of their patients’ lives. Thus, the question is can the doctors continue performing their duties without aborting the baby? Are there alternatives?Subjected to the first formulation of the categorical imperative, the action not to abort and keep the child may be regarded as a universal law and may be imposed upon any other individual who finds himself/ herself in such a situation.They may do without abortion as the same is in compliance with their duty to preserve life because there are other means by which they may still comply with their duty to Angela to protect and safeguard her life. One of these is by making sure that she is given the best possible attention during the surgery. It must be noted that Angela’s is bound to live for only a few days, no matter what the doctors do.The course of action is further affirmed and c larified as it is subjected to the second formulation. From such maxim arises the duty that human life must be protected and safeguarded because it must not be treated just as a means but always at the same time as an end.Ideally, the best course of action is to try all means possible and necessary to safeguard both Angela and her baby’s life. However, it must be noted that Angela’s life is already on the losing end and no matter what the doctors do, she was bound to die sooner rather than later. Thus, aborting the baby is but a means to making sure that Angela will live albeit for a few a days; with this fact, such course of action does not pass the second formulation of the categorical imperative. The life of the baby must be treated not just as a means but also as an end.Thus, in this case the doctors of George Washington Hospital undertook to perform the best course of action given the situation as at the end of the day, life or death is not a decision that any per son can make. For that matter, no one person can ever make that decision for someone else.Scenario 4The primary issue in this scenario was whether or not it would be ethical for the Dr. Wendy Smith to inform Jack’s father that he will die unless he gets a liver transplant.The issue arises from the fact that Jack believes that his father’s situation will worsen once the gravity of his predicament is made known to him. On the other hand, Dr. Wendy Smith believes by his sworn duty to inform the patient of what he is up against.In this situation there is a clash of duties between the duty of Jack to his father, as a son and the duty of the doctor to Jack’s father as his doctor. It is the duty of Jack to do everything in his power to make sure that the best interests of his father is upheld and taken care of. On the other hand, in addition to the above-mentioned duties of a doctor â€Å"[t]o practice and prescribe to the best of my ability for the good of my patient s, and to try to avoid harming them† and â€Å"[n]ever to do deliberate harm to anyone for anyone else’s interest,† it is also their duty â€Å"[t]o keep the good of the patient as the highest priority.†We shall now find out the resolve of the conflicting duties by subjecting them to the two formulations of the categorical imperative.With respect to Jack’s duty, it is true that the upholding the best interests of one’s parent can be willed that it should become a universal law. In addition, by upholding the best interests of one’s parent, one acts in such a way that he/she treats humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any another, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end.With respect to Dr. Wendy Smith’s duties â€Å"[t]o practice and prescribe to the best of my ability for the good of my patients, and to try to avoid harming them,† â€Å"[n]ever to do deliberate harm to anyone for anyone else’s interest,† and â€Å"[t]o keep the good of the patient as the highest priority.† The same can be willed that they can become universal laws and the same are also means by which humanity is treated not just as a means but also as an end.Thus, as both were subjected to the categorical imperative and both passed the formulations, what then? It can be noted that Jack’s duty is to make sure that the best interests of his father are upheld, but how does Jack know what his best interests are? Is concealing the truth to him of his best interest? Thus, we subject this to the categorical imperative.Concealing the truth cannot be willed to become a universal law. If the same were to be allowed to become universal law then all concealments of truth in all situations not related to the situation at hand will be justified. The same is inconsistent to upholding the virtue of truth. At the same time, concealing the truth is actually a method by which one is treated as a means and not as end. This is so as concealment provides a myopic view – it is a mere means for the people around Jack’s father to avoid the issue of his impending demise for themselves rather than making sure that Jack’s father is apprised of his situation and is prepared for the worst possible ending of his situation.Thus, the best course of action to take is the action backed up by Dr. Wendy Smith’s duty as a doctor to inform the patient of his predicament no matter how grave said situation is.

Research on Pulau Ubin in Singapore

HH2001 Singapore: The Making of A Cosmopolitan City-State Research Paper Ong Wei Xiu Janine U1230453D Introduction The purpose of this essay is to find out how Pulau Ubin played a significant role in the development of Singapore since the late 1800s until today. I shall begin by giving a brief introduction of Pulau Ubin and go on to elaborate about how the island played a significant role in helping Singapore’s development in various aspects. This topic shall be investigated according to two main categories – granite quarrying and adventure island.I will then conclude the essay by commenting about whether Pulau Ubin will continue to play a significant role in Singapore’s development in the near future. Brief Introduction On Pulau Ubin Shaped like a boomerang, Pulau Ubin is the second largest offshore island of Singapore. Measuring a distance of about 7 kilometres across and about 2 kilometres at its breadth with area of around 10 square kilometres, the island lie s towards the northeast of the city-state in the Straits of Johor.It is a stone island mainly â€Å"composed of igneous rocks of granite that are believed to be more than 200 million years old. † Since the founding of Singapore by the British, the island has been known for its vast resource of granite. The first two lighthouses of the country were built with granite from Pulau Ubin. Subsequently, granite was fashioned for various purposes throughout the city-state’s history, including the building of the iconic HDB flats on mainland Singapore.The exposure to sea, abandoned quarry lakes and secondary forests make Pulau Ubin a â€Å"natural choice for training†. The trend of adventure training on the island took flight when the Outward Bound School set up its first site on the island while answering the government’s call for the creation of a â€Å"rugged society† that could withstand the rigours of sudden nationhood in 1967. Other adventure campsite s and facilities were later developed around the island to cater to the needs of outdoor adventure enthusiasts. Granite QuarryingAfter the British founded Singapore, vast amounts of granite were found on Pulau Ubin. Works began in 1848 to extract the granite for building Singapore’s first lighthouse located in Pedra Branca, a small island 56 kilometres to the east of mainland Singapore. Captain James Horsburgh, a hydrographer who surveyed and chartered seaways and large bodies of water, realised that as Pedra Branca was a small rocky island that was not easily recognizable from a distance and it made the island a hazard for ships passing by.Hence, John Turnbull Thomson, a British civil engineer, built the Horsburgh Lighthouse (named after Captain James Horsburgh) in 1847 using bricks and mortar. However, it was not strong enough and could not last. Thomson then turned his eyes onto the granite stones of Pulau Ubin and had it fashioned in 1848 by stonebreakers and cutters to b e used for the construction of the lighthouse. This helped Singapore to also claim ownership of the island that was often disputed for by the surrounding region.Subsequently, a second lighthouse located in Pulau Satumu, the Raffles Lighthouse, was also built using granite from Pulau Ubin to mark the southernmost tip of Singapore’s territory. It proved to be of huge importance as it served as a safety marker for â€Å"one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes† in the â€Å"narrowest section of the Singapore Strait. Apart from these two lighthouses that helped to mark out significant territorial points of Singapore, the granite from Pulau Ubin was also used for the construction of the Causeway between Singapore and Malaysia over a pan of 5 years from 1919. With more quarrying works to be done because of the large amount of granite needed by the British to build infrastructure on mainland Singapore, population started to rise on Pulau Ubin. Soon, the island became a major supplier of granite for the building industry. The local Malays also tapped onto the resources and started â€Å"selling polished granite slabs, stone tombs and granite grinders. † The British constantly saw the need for an in-depth study about the vast amounts of granite that could be extracted for construction and roadworks.They eventually came up with a â€Å"[r]eport on the availability of granite on Singapore and the surrounding islands† in 1950 to find out exactly where and how much granite could be extracted on the various parts of Singapore (of which, more than twice the number of areas identified were from Pulau Ubin). There are a total of five granite quarries on Pulau Ubin. Despite having quarries like Aik Hwa Granite Quarry which produced about 160 to 180 tonnes of granite per month and support up to 40 percent of what was needed for the construction works in Singapore, there was a shortage in granite supply in the early 1990s.This caused the grani te suppliers to think of ways to increase their productivity. Resources Development Corportation (RDC), one of the quarries on Pulau Ubin, even looked into installing a new crusher plant. Eventually, all the quarries on Pulau Ubin and mainland Singapore was made to close down by the Public Works Department (PWD) in order to protect the natural environment as well as to free up the land â€Å"for better economic use. † Adventure IslandIn 1967, Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then-Minister for Defence and Interior asked for the setting up of an Outward Bound School (OBS) to build a â€Å"rugged society† in light of the challenges faced by a young nation that was just denied of being a part of a large domestic market. By putting participants through trainings on land and at sea, OBS hoped to train and help them to realize the value in themselves and others, as well as discover their strengths in order to be free from fear and self-doubt.The ‘rugged nature’ of the wild terrains on Pulau Ubin was a natural choice for it to become an optimal site for OBS. Having the capacity to train 23,000 people (comprising children, youths and adults) a year and having been â€Å"pivotal in the training of young Singaporeans to meet the changing needs of society†, OBS has made an impact in the nation of Singapore through running its range of programmes on its two Pulau Ubin campsites.Apart from bringing out the best in the people of Singapore, the experience of training in OBS was also vital in training budding leaders of the country. Singapore’s current Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong (the son of the then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew), had much to testify for when he spoke of his fond memories of how he blended in with everyone else, realized that he could â€Å"push himself to the limit, and do things [he] never thought he could do† during an OBS’ course back in 1967.He went on to praise the OBS for being â€Å"one of the best Outwar d Bound centres in the world†. All these could not have been possible, if not for the initial efforts of volunteers who passionately set up the logistics and ran the courses ceaselessly on Pulau Ubin. The Ministry of Education (MOE) also realized how Pulau Ubin was an ideal location to place two major campsites for promoting a rugged lifestyle in training student cadets from National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC).Dr Tay Eng Soon, the Senior Minister of State (Education) then, announced the plans to build these two sites back in 1990, citing that the reason for doing so was to get children â€Å"out of their flats and come closer into contact with nature, as Singapore is now highly urbanised. † The government had plans of developing Pulau Ubin as an â€Å"Adventure Island† since 1990. The island was suitable in supporting an array of outdoor activities, residential amenities and adventure facilities while putting disturbance to the natur al environment to the minimum.Singaporeans have also demonstrated an interest towards a life of adventure on the island of Pulau Ubin, creating a kind of ‘top of mind awareness’ about the island being the iconic site for adventure-enthusiasts currently and in the future. Conclusion Having put down its status as one of the major granite suppliers for Singapore since the 1990s, Pulau Ubin has transformed its image from being an island that churns out tonnes of granite for construction on the mainland to being an ideal sanctuary away from the bustling city with a holistic variety of adventure activities waiting to engage the city dwellers of all ages.Whether it is the experience of being a part of the nation-building process during the heydays of granite quarrying or the memories forged by having attended various camps and outdoor activities conducted on the island, Pulau Ubin seems to have played a significant role in the development and progress of Singapore as a nation, as well as in the hearts and minds of Singaporeans in general. However, the future of Pulau Ubin may not be anything like its past.In the government’s concept plan presented in the parliament, there seems to be plans of linking Pulau Ubin to the mainland through MRT line extensions as well as developing the island in light of the situation of land scarcity on mainland Singapore. Though these were just some of the hints gathered from a book by the Government’s Concept Plan back in the 1990s, one cannot deny that Pulau Ubin has always maintained an important status in the minds of the state’s planners, and will probably always be, in the years to come. Reference: The Causeway, A Great Engineering Work Completed.. † The Straits Times, June 27, 1924. Alexander, FES. Report on the availability of granite on Singapore and the surrounding islands. Singapore: Government Publications Bureau, 1950. Chua, Ee Kiam. Pulau Ubin: Ours to Treasure. Singapore: Simply Gree n, 2000. Boonzaier, Jonathan. â€Å"Raffles remains beacon of light in Singapore Strait. † Trade Winds, April 13, 2013. Yum, Shoen Liang. â€Å"Govt should study further its plan for Ubin and Tekong. † The Straits Times, The Sunday Times edition, sec.Forum, March 02, 1991. â€Å"Granite quarry owners seek to resume blasting. † The Business Times, June 18, 1990. â€Å"Granite suppliers step up production to meet demand.. † The Business Times, , sec. Business Times Singapore, September 13, 1990. â€Å"Keep Ubin as it is, says Chok Tong after touring ‘Adventure Island'. † The Straits Times, The Sunday Times edition, October 09, 1990. â€Å"Long-term development plans for Tekong and Ubin revealed. † The Straits Times, The Sunday Times edition, sec. Home, February 25, 1991. Of Courage and Character.Outward Bound Singapore: The first 40 years. Singapore: People's Association, 2007. â€Å"Two big campsites to promote the rugged life on the c ards. † The Straits Times, The Sunday Times edition, sec. Home, June 01, 1990. Waller, Edmund. Landscape planning in Singapore. Singapore: Singapore University Press, 2001. http://books. google. com. sg/books? id=L5kLBHwUwfEC;pg=PA48;lpg=PA48;dq=hdb quarry;source=bl;ots=EEUo_IR_5h;sig=twpNwCT89Xnc30TpJrtKsk3zxxI;hl=en;sa=X;ei=d8dqUbvvMu-ViQeC8oD4DA

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 7

Ella Dean's got his music blasting upstairs at full volume and it's rattling the ceiling. I start picking up the garbage in the kitchen, avoiding the confrontation of seeing him again. Propping the trash can against my hip, I drag my arm along the counter, pushing a line of bottles into it. I pull out the bag and tie the string shut, holding it far away from me. â€Å"God, that stinks.† â€Å"Still cleaning up after dad, I see.† Dean enters the kitchen. He's dressed in slacks and a button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His dark brown hair is cut short and it shows off the scar on the top of his forehead, where I accidently hit him during a freak accident while we were playing baseball with a tent pole and a basketball. â€Å"Nothing changes around here, even when you leave for a year.† He opens the fridge and steals a beer. â€Å"Although, you do look different. Did you finally clean up your act?† â€Å"Do you really care if I did?† I drag the garbage bag toward the back door. â€Å"I think you made it perfectly clear the last time you were here that you don't give a shit what happens to me.† He pops the cap off the bottle. â€Å"Are you still on that?† â€Å"You told me I killed our mother,† I say quietly. â€Å"How could I be over that?† He sips his beer and shrugs. â€Å"I thought you left so you could move on with your life.† I summon a deep breath. â€Å"I didn't move on. I bailed just like you did.† â€Å"I ran away for the same reason you ran away because staying here means dealing with the past and our pasts are the kind that need to be locked away and never revisited.† â€Å"You mean dealing with mom's death. And the fact that it was my fault she's dead. Or that I'm responsible for her death.† He peels at the beer bottle label. â€Å"Why do you always have to be so blunt about everything? It makes people uncomfortable.† I'm changing back into my old ways and I need to collect myself. Opening the back door, I toss the garbage bag onto the back steps. â€Å"Do you want to go get some dinner or something? We could go out to Alpine where no one really knows us.† He shakes his head, gulps down the rest of the beer, and then tosses the empty bottle into the trash. â€Å"The only reason I came back here was to get the rest of my stuff. Then I'm out. I got stuff to go back to that's more important than family drama and alcoholic fathers.† He leaves me in the kitchen and a few seconds later, the music is turned up louder. It's an upbeat rhythm and it drives me crazy, so I crank on the kitchen radio, blasting â€Å"Shameful Metaphors† by Chevelle. I start sweeping up the kitchen, blocking out my brother's words. He always liked to nitpick me apart, which was fine, but at the funeral, he crossed a line we can never come back from. The back door swings open and the wind rushes in as my dad stumbles into the kitchen. His shoes are untied, his jeans are torn, and his red shirt is stained with dirt and grease. His hand is wrapped with an old rag that's soaked in blood. Dropping the broom to the floor, I rush to him. â€Å"Oh my God, are you okay?† He flinches from me and nods his head, staggering to the sink. â€Å"Just cut myself on the job. No biggie.† I turn down the music. â€Å"Dad, you weren't drinking at work, were you?† He turns the faucet on and his head slumps over. â€Å"The guys and I had a couple of shots during lunch break, but I'm not drunk.† He removes the rag and sticks his hand under the water, letting out a relieved sigh as the water mixes with his blood. â€Å"Is your brother home? I thought I saw his car in the driveway.† I grab a paper towel and clean up the blood he got on the counter and on the floor. â€Å"He's upstairs packing up some stuff or something.† He dabs his hand with a paper towel, wincing. â€Å"Well, that's good I guess.† I lean over to examine his hand. â€Å"Do I need to take you to the doctor? That looks like it might need stitches?† â€Å"I'll be fine.† He grabs a bottle of vodka, takes a swig, and then douses his hand with it. â€Å"Dad, what are you doing?† I reach for the first aid kit above the sink. â€Å"Use the rubbing alcohol from the first aid kit.† Breathing through clenched teeth, he wraps up his hand with a paper towel. â€Å"See, good as new.† â€Å"It can still get infected.† I take out the kit and set it on the counter. â€Å"You should really let me take you to a doctor.† He stares at me for a moment with his eyes full of agony. â€Å"God, you look so much like her, it's just crazy†¦ â€Å"He drags his feet as he walks out the doorway and into the living room. Seconds later, I hear the television click on and the air fills with smoke. Suppressed feelings surface as I put the first aid kit back into the cupboard. Cranking up the music, I drowning out my pain and busy myself with the dishes. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I wipe my hands off on a towel before checking my messages. There's the voicemail from Micha from yesterday that I still haven't listened to and a new text message from him. The text message seems like the less dangerous of the two. My hand trembles as I read it over and over again, then finally respond. I toss the phone on the counter and focus on cleaning because it's simple. And simple is just what I want. Micha I barge into Ella's house. Something bad happened, probably because of her douche bag brother. Ella is scrubbing down the counters with the same amount of energy as a drummer. Her hair is pulled up, but pieces hang loose in her face. She has the music on, so she doesn't hear me come in. I walk up behind her, wanting to touch her, but instead I turn the music down. She drops the paper towel she is holding and reels around. â€Å"You scared the hell out of me.† She presses her hand to her chest. â€Å"I didn't hear you come in.† â€Å"That's kind of obvious.† I search her green eyes, crammed with misery. She fidgets with a stack of plates and carries them over to the cupboard before backtracking to the sink. She's wound up over something and too much energy is in her. Her mom was like that a lot of times. But Ella's not her mother, whether she realizes it or not. I collect the plates from her hand and set them in the sink. â€Å"Do you want to tell me what's got you all worked up?† Tapping her fingers on the sides of her legs, she shakes her head. â€Å"I should have never sent you that text. I don't know why I did it.† She starts to turn away from me, but I catch the bottom of her shirt. â€Å"Ella May, stop talking to me like we're business associates. I know you better than anyone and I know when something's bothering you.† â€Å"I said I was fine.† Her voice is tight as she forces back the tears. The girl never lets herself cry, even when her mom died. â€Å"No, you're not,† I steer her by the shoulders toward me. â€Å"And you need to let it out.† She stares at the floor. â€Å"I can't.† I tuck my finger under her chin and raise her head up, looking into her eyes. â€Å"Yes, you can. It's killing you inside.† Her shoulders quiver and she lets her head fall against my chest. I rub her back and tell her it will be okay. It's not much, but it's enough for the moment. Finally she pulls back and her face is unreadable. â€Å"Where's Lila?† â€Å"I left her with Ethan at the shop.† I sit down on the kitchen table that's stacked with unopened bills. â€Å"She's supposed to come back here when her car's fixed.† She gazes out the window, lost in her thoughts. â€Å"She could just go home after Ethan's done. She doesn't need to come back here.† â€Å"Where does she live?† â€Å"In California.† â€Å"Then she probably shouldn't leave tonight.† I glance out the window at the sun setting behind the shallow hills. â€Å"It's late and she's going to be driving by herself, right?† Ella nods, spaced out as she twists her hair around her finger. â€Å"And I worry about her making the drive by herself. I mean she practically freaked out when we ran into Grantford at the restrooms over by the lake.† My fingers grip the edge of the table. â€Å"You ran into Grantford?† She lowers her hand from her hair and lets it fall to her side. â€Å"Yeah, but it wasn't a big deal. He just acted like himself and you know how that is.† I release the table from my death grip, trying to clear the anger out of my head. No matter what Ella says, Grantford never should have left her on the bridge that night when she was that out of it. I stretch my legs out in front of me and change the direction of the conversation. â€Å"How did you end up becoming friends with Lila?† She bites down on her lip, contemplating. â€Å"We were roommates.† She shrugs, letting her lip pop out from her teeth and it drives me crazy because all I want to do is bite down on it myself. â€Å"She was really nice and different from all my friends here and I wanted a change.† I hop off the table and move in front of her. â€Å"Change is good, but completely shutting down is a whole other story, Ella, have you†¦ Did you ever talk to anyone about what happened with your mom?† Her shoulders stiffen and she turns for the doorway, preparing to leave. â€Å"That's none of your business.† I block her path. â€Å"Yes it is. I've known you forever, so I get full rights to what's inside your head.† Her eyes narrow and she puts her hands on her hips. â€Å"Get out of my way, Micha Scott.† â€Å"What is it with you using my last name?† I say. â€Å"Before, when you'd get mad at me, you'd just call me a douche bag.† â€Å"I don't use those words anymore,† she says flatly. â€Å"I'm nicer than that.† â€Å"Really?† I accuse. â€Å"Because you sure seem pissed off at me all the time.† â€Å"I'm trying not to be,† she fumes. â€Å"But you're making it very hard for me.† â€Å"Alright, you need a time out. I've had enough of your stubborn crap.† I pick her up by the waist and throw her over my shoulder. She lets out a startled gasp, and pounds her fists onto my back. â€Å"Dammit Micha, put me down!† Ignoring her, I walk out the back door and down the empty driveway. I think about grabbing her ass just because I can, but I'm afraid she might bite me†¦ although, that doesn't sound bad. â€Å"Micha,† she complains furiously. â€Å"Put me down!† My mom steps out of the house as I carry her toward the garage. She's dressed in a black dress a little too short for her age. Her highlighted hair is fluffed up like a poodle and her makeup is caked on. She must have a date. She stops on the top step and tilts her head to the side to get a better look. â€Å"Ella, is that you?† Ella stops fussing and lifts up her head to look at my mom. â€Å"Hi, Miss Scott. How are you?† â€Å"Hi, honey, I'm doing good†¦ but is there a reason Micha's carrying you like that?† she questions. â€Å"Are you hurt?† Ella shakes her head. â€Å"No, I'm fine. Micha just thinks he's funny.† Which means she secretly likes what I'm doing, but won't admit it. â€Å"Actually, I'm taking her for a ride,† I say slyly, inching my hand up the back of Ella's leg, and she slaps the back of my head playfully. â€Å"I'm taking you for a ride in my car. And you think I'm the pervert?† My mom sighs, shaking her head, and opens her purse. â€Å"Well, it's nice to see you two together again.† She takes out her car keys and her heels click as she trots down the steps. â€Å"Micha sure has missed you while you were gone.† â€Å"Bye mom,† I wave her off, heading for the garage again, as my mom climbs into her Cadillac parked in the street near the curb. â€Å"Is she going on a date?† Ella asks curiously. â€Å"She's been going on a lot of dates lately.† I swing open the car door and set her down in the passenger seat. She tries to climb out. â€Å"I'm not going anywhere tonight Micha.† I gently push her back into the seat. â€Å"I'm not going to let you sit around in your room and sulk while your brother's around. Let's go out and have some fun.† She pauses, crossing her arms over her chest and her boobs nearly pop out of her top. â€Å"But I need to be there when Lila comes back. I can't just let her come back to Dean and my dad passed out on the couch.† â€Å"I'll take care of it.† I rip my gaze from her tits, take out my cell phone, and text Ethan. Me: Taking Ella up to The Back Road. Wanna get Lila and meet us up there? Ella slumps back into the seat. â€Å"What are you up to?† I hold up my finger. â€Å"Just a sec.† Ethan: Yeah, sounds cool. Me: Is Lila up for it? And make sure u ask her. Don't just assume. Ethan: She said she's good†¦ but is Ella ok with going up there? Me: We'll c when we get up there. Ethan: Dude, she's gonna kick ur ass. Me: C U there. I stuff my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and close her door before climbing into the driver's seat. â€Å"Where are you taking me?† she asks, trying to appear annoyed but her inquisitiveness seeps through her eyes. â€Å"It's a surprise.† Once the garage door is open, I peel down the driveway. â€Å"And Lila and Ethan are going to meet us there.† â€Å"A surprise, huh?† she mulls it over. â€Å"I'm not a fan of surprises.† My lips spread to a grin. â€Å"You're such a liar.† She stays silent and I know I've won this one, which is rare, but I'll take it. With a swift crank of the steering wheel, I align the car onto the road and spin the tires off into the night, happy because I managed to chip away a tiny piece of that armor she's wearing.

Importance of Art in Our Life

It is usual human nature to admire beauty around us, such as we are often awe-struck when we see a painting, or read a beautiful poem, or listen to soothing music! Art is everywhere around us in many forms and holds a significant value in our lives. It is difficult to describe â€Å"Art† in literal terms, but broadly it is understood to be a form to express one’s feelings through any object or medium like paper, music, colours, technology, magic, photography etc. It could be abstract, realistic, naturalistic, conceptual, and inspirational.It is agreeable that we are surrounded by Art and also rely on it in our daily routine. When we enter someone’s home, it is difficult to stop ourselves to appreciate the way the living room is decorated. You would find rhythm and harmony in the way furniture are placed; photographs adorn a wall, paintings hung above the sofa or any particular artefact placed in a corner or centre piece on a coffee table etc. This is also art, on e doesn’t have to be a painter to be an artist, how an individual expresses him/herself, uses imagination and creative energy to embellish and decorate the surrounding.Arts have many forms — visual and performing arts are the ones that could be related easily. Visual arts broadly comprise of paintings, drawing, clay modelling, architecture, photography etc. and performing arts include dance, music, opera, theatre, magic, spoken words, circus art and musical theatre. It is inter-related with Entertainment. When you make people enjoy, laugh, cry, and angry by your performance, that is the art of entertaining. There is a big world of Entertainment and almost all of us find solace watching their work.Music has a great impact on our mood; it makes us joyful and relaxes us and keeps the energy on. Not only music, but also movies, plays and theatre also makes us active. This reveals how much we are hemmed in by Arts and Entertainment. It could be concluded that importance of Arts in our lives is very similar to entertainment. Now-a-days Art and Craft Education are encouraged at schools for children as it provides a platform for the young ones to express and explore their imagination. It could be very inspirational as well.