4 Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals of Louisiana

Strong Attachment and Life Changes for Children - 798 Words

A transition in childcare is moving from one situation to another this usually involves a change of a physical environment and a change of carer for part of the day such transitions could include child-minders, private day nurseries, crà ¨che, children centre, primary to secondary school, moving house, moving school, puberty, nappy’s to toilet and cot to bed. If a child is moving countries it will be major effect on their social development because it will be a complete different place for the child, they will need to go to a new school and make new friends, intellectually the child will not be learning as well because it’s a new area, this will be a big transition for them but also this can be good for the child because they are good at making new friends also the friends can show them around the environment which will be a positive development. If a child’s parents have a divorce, this can bring a big transition to the child’s life. Not getting love from both parents. The child might be upset most of the time and have low self-esteem. They might be upset about this in school which might make them behind on work and they might not be interacting with friends and family. Physically the child will not be eating properly because of stress of parents and also wouldn’t learn intellectually as well. Some children may experience frequent or multiple transitions this could include parents separating, moving from primary to secondary. Moving schools or houses. Moving from primaryShow MoreRelatedThe Attachment Theory and Factors Damaging to Attachment1163 Words   |  5 PagesAttachment Theory Relationships are the building block for personality and are significant in children’s ability to grow into substantial individuals who can thrive in an often harsh world. Constructing lasting and fulfilling relationships is an integral part to development as the interpersonal bonds forged are not only highly sought after but also set the ground work for all upcoming expressive interactions. Relationships and attachment go hand in hand as attachment is the strong and lasting linkageRead MoreEarly Infant Attachment And Subsequent Development1005 Words   |  5 PagesAnalyze the research on early infant attachment and subsequent development. The infant-caregiver relationship is vastly important to the proper and healthy development of an infant and throughout the duration of the infant’s life. However, the types of relationships attained through attachments as well as socialization goals vary across cultures (Gross, 2011).Secure infant attachments are however, extremely important to overall healthy psychosocial development and prosocial behavior and can be analyzedRead MoreAttachment And Its Effects On Children s Life1025 Words   |  5 PagesAttachment starts to develop since the women’s pregnancy, during this stage of human development the female starts to cultivate emotional attachment to the fetus. The method in which attachment is formed during gestation will eventually affect or enhance the child stance during pregnancy or even after birth. Attachment can be defined as the manner in which an infant creates an emotional connection between specific members. Attachment can be clearly detected, especiall y with the persons who are closerRead MoreChildhood Development And Childhood Stages1633 Words   |  7 Pagesearly and middle childhood. Attachment will be used as a key theme and the discussion will demonstrate the importance of attachment and how it contributes to both social and emotional development, and well-being. The second theme that will be considered is emotion, to demonstrate how emotions develop and how the parent, child and environment interact to affect children’s emotional development and well-being. The key issues that will be discussed include, early attachment experiences and how they affectRead MoreApplying Theory1698 Words   |  7 Pagesadolescents and their formation of relationships by applying attachment theory. INTRODUCTION PART ONE: Development milestones and tasks in adolescents (ages 13 to 18 years) †¢ Attachment experiences †¢ Trust †¢ Parental influences PART TWO: Adolescent Problems Regarding Attachment †¢ Attachment disorders PART THREE: Application of Attachment Theory †¢ Attachment theory explanation of issue occurrence at adolescent stage Read MoreAttachment Theory : A Psychological Model1638 Words   |  7 PagesAttachment theory is a psychological model that provides an influential, biologically driven explanation of how the parent-child interaction emerges and how it influences human development over a life span. The term attachment refers to the complex set of related thought processes and behaviors towards a primary care giver. The attachment behaviors are biologically guided by our natural instinct for protection and safety. This evolved behavioral system organizes human motivation, emotions, cognitionRead MoreAn Attachment Between A Child And An Adult1609 Words   |  7 PagesAn attachment between a child and an adult who is unique to them is essential to a child’s health and well-being, this is called the attachment theory. A key person is a member of staff or adult with responsibilities for a child/children, to mak e them feel safe and always cared for. The key person needs to respond sympathetically to children’s feelings and their actual behaviour, also meeting a child s emotional needs by reassuring they can try to can get problems sorted out. By being attached toRead MoreAttachment : A Deep And Enduring Emotional Bond1313 Words   |  6 Pages Attachment: An Analysis â€Å"Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space’’ Mary Ainsworth (1973) In this essay I will explore the meaning and purpose of attachment and discuss research into attachment concentrating on John Bowlby’s 1944 â€Å"44 thieves† study conducted to test his maternal deprivation theory and Schaffer Emerson’s 1964 â€Å" Glasgow babies† study. There are twoRead MoreAn Important Aspect Of Intimate Relationships And The Human Condition? Attachment And Attachment Theory1717 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is attachment and why is it an important aspect of intimate relationships and the human condition? Attachment and attachment theory states that there is a strong affectional tie that binds a person to an intimate companion (Sigelman Rider, 2015). One of the first theorists that formulated this theory was John Bowlby. He proposed that, based on infants interactions with caregivers, infants construct expectations about relationships in the form of internal working models- cognitive representationsRead MoreAttachment Is The Best Educational Environment For Their Students1313 Words   |  6 Pagespleading their father to stay with them during parent drop-off at school. This is known as attachment and is a very critical part of child development. Attachment is a strong emotional bond that forms between infant and caregiver in the se cond half of the child’s first year. (Parke 201) Although attachment is developed within the first year of a child’s life, it is measurable way beyond that time-frame. Attachment is categorized in four different ways. It is important for preschool teachers to be able

Too Much Punch For Judy free essay sample

English as a world language and its future in India Many people think that the teaching of English is playing havoc with our native regional languages. Even the protagonists of Hindi, our national language, are deadly opposed to it. They think that English is a foreign language and an average Indian can neither understand it, nor express himself in it. Moreover much energy of a child is being wasted in the learning of English. So English should altogether be abolished from this land. No doubt, English is an international language. Most of the research work in science and technology in the world is being done through the medium of English. English is the window for western knowledge to India. A very poor country as India is, it is very difficult to translate all the latest knowledge into national and regional languages. Even if an effort is made in this respect, till the knowledge concerned is translated, the theory has since changed meanwhile. We will write a custom essay sample on Too Much Punch For Judy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page That is why even countries like China and Japan have started giving more attention to the study of English to get the latest knowledge. It is also argued that our freedom fighters like M. K. Gandhi, JPL. Nehru, Cochlea etc. were greatly influenced by western political thought on freedom through a study of English philosophers, thinkers and poets. English is said to be a great link between different Indian languages and a strong bond for national integration. Clout, teaching of English leads to large-scale failures in various examinations. Yet, a formula should be evolved such that English is taught in schools and colleges but not at the cost of Indian languages. The teaching of English cannot and should not be dispensed with. English language has taken deep roots in the country. It has acquired its own identity and character. English plays an important part in maintaining professional relationship between India and foreign investors, flocking to India. Indians have attained a high degree proficiency in this language. The upsurge f Multinational companies and BPOs in India is due to this proficiency of Indians in English. India is set to give a boost to education in 11 five year plan. Planning Commission has decided to give 20 percent of plans total fund for education. It has also been said that additional money will be used for teaching and promoting English language, which is considered as a passport to a secure future. English has played and will continue to play a key role in different spheres of Indian life.

Orientalism Essays - Orientalism, Postcolonial Literature

Orientalism Said describes Orientalism as, "...the generic term that I have been employing to describe the Western approach to the Orient; Orientalism is the discipline by which the Orient was (and is) approached systematically, as a topic of learning, discovery and practice". By this, Said is saying because we treated the East like a school subject, we have learned to treat the East as an inferior. Which has developed into something called Orientalism. The poets, authors and statesmen of the nineteenth-century have made Orientalism every thing that it is. They started out with the intent of learning about a civilization of people that was extremely different from ours. Their intentions were academic and nothing more really. Unfortunately, their almost unconscious prejudices and fears of the unknown, led to the slow cultural and then political domination of the place referred to as the Orient. I agree with Said on the matter of knowledge leading to slow domination, but I think he needs to be much clearer on the fact that it was arrived at with good intentions. Our predecessors wanted to understand, unfortunately there were much too eager, and presumptuous. In 1798, Napoleon invaded down through Syria. Although this was one of the first attempts to invade the Orient, two people were ahead of him. Both were scholars from Europe, Antiquetil-Duperron and Abraham-Hyacinthe. These men gave the first images of language, text and civilization to Europe. The started the fascination with the Orient, and Napoleon's urge to dominate it. Out of his failed plan to take over Egypt, came more people who wrote about the Orient without experiencing it. Said called these authors "textual children". Said also goes on to describe the "textual attitude"; this mindset believes everything you read. In this case reading about places, and the generalizations made, and believing these simplifications of a rather complex area, to be the concrete truth. This is an attitude, which I personally believe exists. It is apparent in the Western world because an education is such a commonly valued, and widely available institution. A common phenonmenon has developed in the West, using our education as a barometer to measure our merit based on how much knowledge we can cram, and regurgitate. Although that phenomenon doesn't have a name, it's by-product would be the textual attitude. Said reasons that the textual attitude comes from feeling threatened by the unknown, and formerly unattainable. With this I would have to agree. So many times in history, whenever the Europeans or even Americans, are threatened with change, or unfamiliraity we seek to dominate it. For example our first colonist landed in the United States because our freedome was being threatened by the Eurpeans, who were trying to control our beliefs. We, then take over the native's land, the native himself, and proceed to oppress the Africans because they are different than us. Hitler oppressed the Jews, and other cultures because they were different than him, and the United States denies Communist countries because they choose to follow a different style of governing. By the look of history, we are afraid of what is different, Said argues that we battle our fear, with the ability to describe anything in text. "The idea in either case is that people, places, and experiences can always be described by a book, so much so that the book acquires a greater authority, and use, even than the actuality it describes." To be evenhanded, we must also recognize the textual attitude as a generalization, and because of that it retains much less value. To be giving one culture stereotypes because of the stereotype it has given another culture, is the same as two wrongs don't make a right. Of course Said has another theory on the textual attitude. He argues that the thinking that books are always extremely accurate also comes from trial and error. He stated that if a book on lions and how they are fierce is read, and then the reader encounters a fierce lion, not only is the author believed, but encouraged to write more, and in turn will be read more widely. Edward W. Said's theory is a profound one: "books on fierce lions will do until lions can talk". As the world expanded, so did the practices of colonialism, and imperialism. Kipling's poem about White Men "cleaning up" a land, it also states that without freedom, war will be the consequence. Said picked a wonderful poem to illustrate the Western man's feeling of superiority. He feels that he is responsible for all men. Kipling also implies that

6 Email Mistakes that Get You Fired

6 Email Mistakes that Get You Fired We spend a distressing amount of time on email. It’s a bigger and bigger part of our jobs and our lives. It can also be an extremely revealing facet of our personalities and an indicator of how capable we are professionally. We all think we write high-caliber, businesslike emails, but we all get plenty of emails that just aren’t polished enough. Is it possible you might be guilty of substandard email? Here are six things you should make sure you’re not doing.Being forward-happySimply forwarding an email to your coworkers or your boss does not clear you of responsibility. If you really want to disseminate that information, try editing the subject to be more eye-catching, then include a brief, but informative note in the body to introduce the email you are forwarding with the reason you are forwarding it.Being grammar lazyGrammar is not a relic of the past. And people will notice when you disregard it. If you want to be respected, you need to make a habit of drafti ng smart, professional emails. Resist the temptation to express yourself in exclamation points and emoji. Use concise, correct language instead. And remember to be brief.Relying on clichà ©Check the next five emails you write before you send them. Are you using stock clichà ©s and dead language that isn’t yours? Or worse- are you using corporate speak? Talking about â€Å"circling the wagons† or â€Å"digging deep† or other meaningless phrases? Try to keep your language fresh and clean and surgically to the point.IMHO lolzNobody cares that you can use all the trendy acronyms, whether either irony or earnest. There is no place for them in a professional forum. Srlsy.Replying allUnless you have a very good reason to do so- i.e. everyone on that original thread absolutely needs a piece of information that only you possess- just don’t do it. You’ll just clog everybody’s inboxes with an unnecessary reply. If you’re communicating with you r team and boss, leave your boss out of the back-and-forth and CC her only when she needs to be in the loop on a particular message.Cleaning out your inboxIt doesn’t seem like something you might be doing wrong; it’s what organized, productive people do, right? Wrong. Chances are, the time you spend sorting all your emails into file folders is time you could actually spend working and furthering your career.

The Challenge of Young Man Gro essays

The Challenge of Young Man Gro essays The Challenge of Young Man Growing towards the World of Adults The story A by John Updike is a tale of a young man who is compelled to figure out the difference between cruel reality and obscure fantasy. Using the first person point of view, Updike gives an inside look into the adolescent mind of Sammy, the narrator and main character. The young man feels discontent with his ordinary adult surroundings and tries to get out of the intolerant social atmosphere to seek unconventionality. The setting of A a small grocery store, represents an intolerable society. In addition, the characters, such as the insensible customers, Stokesis and Lengel, add to the feeling of unbearable strictness and monotonousness in this conservative society. On the other hand, the fascinating girl, Queennie, symbolizes longing for the future to the growing young man. Through the main characters conflict between the two types of opposing characters, Updike says that despite fearful uncertainty, Sammys youthful aspirations to be free of tradition make him unwilling to try to meet the unrealistic expectation of society. In this story, the A ...the women generally put on a shirt before they get out of car into the street... (608). So there is no room for stepping beyond the normal and the proper. Sammys life is a tiresome monotonous routine of a checker-board green and cream rubber tile floor (607), regularly ordered and neatly arranged aisles, and the constant noise of the check out slot machine. Furthermore, he is repressed by the electric eyes not allowing anything to escape and by a cash-register-watcher always tripping him up. Such setting o ...

Anonymity and Abuse on the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Anonymity and Abuse on the Internet - Essay Example The issue of anonymity is one that has posed a number of concerns for the people who use the Internet because there are so many individuals who hide their identities and therefore pose as imposters (Saco 2002). Similarly abuse is another aspect that has come to the fore with the passage of time. Abuse means that the users of the Internet are being blamed and cursed for no mistake of theirs. It also means that the individuals who are using the Internet are being treated in an unfair manner. This is an important tangent that needs to be resolved in a proactive fashion and should be taken care of in a quantifiable capacity. Anonymity and abuse over the Internet are some of the most pressing issues that need to be analyzed and understood in a proper way. This is because the repercussions for the same are immense and the magnanimity of these could be estimated with the passage of time. The different software and programs that are used over the Internet have been effective at outlining the issues and problems which have come to the fore (Mclean 2002). One should believe that anonymity and abuse over the Internet remains a problematic area that must be understood within the proper contexts (Cowan 2004). If this is not done in the most righteous way, there could be serious consequences for the people who matter the most within the related settings. These could include the users who are browsing over the Internet, the ones who frequent social networking websites, blogs and so on and so forth.

Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Health Care - Essay Example As a result of this, there are cases where treatment for some seemingly incurable diseases was successfully done in this institution. Weaknesses - Though superb in providing health care, the Mayo Clinic had been allegedly accused of "defrauded the United States by misapplying certain grant funds from the National Institutes of Health and its parent agency (Harsh Criticism for the Mayo Foundation's Accounting Practices)." High medication fees cost is another weakness of the company. Opportunities - With its state-of-the-art medical facilities and research, Mayo Clinic has capability to dominate its market share. It is also a world leader in achieving breakthroughs and improvements in health care technology. Threats - Bioterrorism is one of the threats that infests medical institutions nowadays especially in distinguished medical institutions like Mayo Clinic. The incompatibility of applying modern IT technology to Mayo Clinic's system is another threat. 2. Leadership is a very vital component in any organization. ... Decisions come from a committee with a multi-departmental representation. Its principle in incorporating teamwork in its design is clearly reflected in its management system. Mayo Clinic has been very successful under this management system. In fact, it has been hailed numerous times for its world-class quality medical service. However, at times when snap and urgent decisions are needed, a single capable leader should do the job. Mayo Clinic should address this topic to avoid any cases where prompt and immediate action is needed. They should add a policy in the by-law stating that when cases of this nature happen, they should give the chairman the power to decide on and to implement emergency regulations. 3) There are various conditions where alliances are very risky between the parties involved. One of these is when a party's business or interest belongs to a totally different nature than that of the business nature of the alliance being formed. An example of this is when two businesses form a biotechnology firm where one party belongs to the field of health care services that has no background on medical research and the other is from the realm of software development that has no previous product line that caters to medical services. The lack of familiarity of one or both of the parties is very risky for the partnership or corporation, especially now that competition is very fierce and speed of technological improvement, very rapid. Though we can say that the learning curves of both parties are very high, still the risk of delivering quality results are high considering the time spent on learning the trade and the necessary operational know-how and wisdom that the

Neuropsychological Impact Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Neuropsychological Impact - Essay Example On the other hand, impulses were sent by waves on unmyelinated fibers. If a single peripheral fiber has been damaged, the myelins sheath gives off a track that is responsible for its regeneration. The myelin sheath does not always attain the perfect regeneration for each fiber. Sometimes, the correct muscles fibers are nowhere to be found so some motor neurons of the peripheral nervous system die. When the myelin layer is damaged, the individual may be prone to a higher level of dysfunctionality. Unmyelinated fibers and myelinated axons of the mammalian central nervous system do not regenerate. The reason for this is that the CNS of mammals in enclosed in the spinal column, which has a lesser deal of trauma rather than the peripheral nervous system. Research shows that optic nerve fibers in postnatal rats can regroup. But its regeneration often depends on two conditions namely: axonal die-back has to be prevented with appropriate neurotrophic factors and neurite growth inhibitory com ponents have to be inactivated. This led the scientists to further understand the regeneration of nerve fibers in mammalian CNS. For invertebrates, propagation of action potentials in unmyelinated axons is sufficient to run fast. To accelerate the speed, the axon should be a little larger. Increasing the speed of action potentials and increasing the diameter of the axon is not possible in vertebrates. Angeli et al.' s (2010) mentions that Squid giant axons spread up to 1 mm in diameter and have a great speed. Mammalian nerves have about 400 fibers in the same cross-sectional area as the squid giant axon. So if every nerve fiber is size of the squid giant axon, every nerve in mammals would be about 2 cm in diameter. Thus a different... This paper stresses that MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, in communication with each other. Nerve cells communicate by electrical signals called action potentials on long-fiber axons that are wrapped in an insulating substance called myelin. In MS, the immune system attacks and damages the myelin. In case of loss of myelin, axons can no longer effectively carry signals. Name comes from multiple sclerosis, scarring and in particular in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, which consists mainly of myelin. Although much is known about the procedures involved in the disease, the cause remains unknown. Theories include genetics or infections. Many environmental risk factors have been found. Almost all of the neurological symptoms may occur with the disease and often progresses to physical and cognitive disabilities. MS takes several forms, with new symptoms occurring either accumulates in discrete attacks or slowly over time. This report makes a conclusion that there is no known cure for multiple sclerosis. Treatment attempted return of function after an attack, preventing new attacks and prevent disability. MS drugs can have side effects or bad to be tolerated and many patients pursue alternative treatments, despite the lack of support for scientific studies. The prognosis is difficult to predict, depending on the subtype of disease, disease characteristics of each patient; the first symptoms and the degree of disability the person experiences as time advances, the life expectancy of patients 5-10 years younger with respect to the affected population.

Privatization of Transmission Corporation of NAPOCOR

Privatization of Transmission Corporation of NAPOCOR In Philippine context, privatization is used to refer to the policy which allows the government to disengage in activities which are not part of the governments inherent function. This may be in many forms, such as the complete turnover of public corporations to the private sector and contracting services to private firms who has the necessary resources to manage it, or the government would just turnover certain services to the private sector but it would still be under some government regulatory procedures and incentives. This privatization mostly occurs within the framework of economic globalization. By economic globalization, it means that privatization is used as a measure to pursue the globalist restructuring of the state and to further develop the market access which mostly benefits the business elites of a state and of course, the transnational corporations (TNCs) (UP and Stiftung 91-93). Privatization, along with liberalization and deregulation, is also a part of neoliberal globalization which aims to produce surplus products within the economy and also huge capital for production. In the process, private sector continues to have a big role over the public sector activities, made possible by direct transfer of ownership and management and by the elimination of the laws that promotes the public interest (deregulation), and through the reduction of budget for the basic services, that in turn leads to the graver degradation on the access on public services of the people. For example, in privatizing public utilities like the water and power sector of the Philippines, many detrimental factors are experienced by the people, particularly the government workers under the corporation because they were displaced as private companies turned to control those sectors. The poorest sector of society also was immensely affected since those private companies seek to get high profits which leads to very high prices at the peoples expense (IBON xi-4). During the Marcos regime, a decree on creation of government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) was made through Presidential Decree (PD 2029) and later on through PD 2030, a policy was made which promulgates privatization. By the time of Cory Aquinos regime, this decree was first implemented through Presidential Proclamation 50 on the 9th of December in 1986 (TransCo). In 1990, Aquino also signed 6957 or what we call as the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) law which has let and approved the intervention of the private sector in the financing, contracting, operation and also maintenance of infrastructure projects. But in 1993, when Ramos assumed the presidency, he signed RA 7718 amending the BOT law and further allowed the full involvement of private sector in crucial government development projects. Through this act, various forms of privatization schemes have evolved (TransCo). Many reasons were presented by the government regarding the privatization of the GOCCs. To enumerate some, they said that through transferring these assets to the private sector, it would yield a better efficiency in its operations. Furthermore, it was also stated that the government needed to collect more revenues for government spending to improve the economy, and this can only be done with such move. Also stated as reasons by the government is that first, it would lead to increase in investments which will boost up the economy and will also help to develop markets for capital generations. Through lessening the budget for public services in GOCCs, and selling those which are poorly performing and money-wasting, the government expected to decrease our budget deficit and also to recover its expenditures (PSALM). START OF NAPOCOR PRIVATIZATION When the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) was created in 1936, our government has mandated it to generate and transmit sources of energy while letting the private sector to be in charge of its distribution. But it 1980s, the government has started to gradually entrust the entire power sector to private companies. From former Pres. Aquinos Executive Order (EO) No. 215 issued in 1987, the power generation sector of NAPOCOR was started to be deregulated. By the power of build-operate-transfer scheme, EO No. 215 also gave way to private firms to establish and manage power plants in the country. This situation was further strengthened when Ramos took over the presidency. RA 7648, the Power Crisis Act of 1993 was passed and encouraged more private companies to partake in the power generation sector of NAPOCOR. Later in 1984, Expanded BOT law was also passed and had given Ramos to have emergency powers which allowed him to make contracts, most of which were foreign corporations, regardi ng the construction, repair and other technical maintenance of NAPOCOR without the need to undergo it through a public bidding (IBON 82-83). Due to the contracts of mostly 10 to 25 years made with the foreign companies, NAPOCOR was obliged to pay the power contracted to them whether they had actually produced or consumed power or not. This is what is referred to as the take or pay provision. According to this provision, NAPOCOR needs to buy 75-80 percent of a firms power capacity even though it didnt really produced or consumed it. This in turn made NAPOCOR to pass the obligation to the local consumers even though they really hadnt consumed even a small part of it, which is really a great burden since it takes about 60 percent of the total power available at the economy. Of course, this is clearly seen when power distributors such as Meralco get wholesale power from NAPOCOR and pay for it which is the Purchased Power Cost Adjustment (PPCA) that corresponds it (IBON 83-84). Aside from this Purchased Power Cost Adjustment or PPCA, NAPOCOR has also passed the Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) fees to the power distributors due to the need to do its obligation to supply enough fuel to the firms or power plants in which it had its long-term contract with, regardless of the fluctuations in the price of oil or fuel in the global market or even in the domestic domain. These two costs of NAPOCOR and wholesale costumers further make up the Fuel and Purchased Power Costs Adjustments or FPCA (IBON 84-85). Furthermore, the contracts made by NAPOCOR to the independent power plants (IPPs) are in dollar rates. This only means that charges between the two entities are affected by the foreign exchange rates or peso-dollar rates to compensate the change in payout because of the continuing weakness of peso currency as against dollars. Due to the fact that these IPPs are owned by foreign companies, they are selling their power to NAPOCOR by almost $20 per megawatt hour (mWh) higher than the power sold to them by their own power generators. Of course, these very high rate would translate and reflect to the additional fees charged to the end-consumers of electricity through the purchased power adjustments (PPA) without their power to refuse against it even though in 2002, a review made by the government showed that most of these IPPs has either legal or financial issues and are disadvantageous for the government itself. During the Arroyo administration, this PPA was still not stopped in operations of NAPOCOR since it was a great source of income for the government, although we know that the local consumers are the ones who intensely suffer from it; and also of course not to jeopardize the privatization of NAPOCOR and to continue attracting foreign corporations to invest and participate in such measures of the government. Among other transnational corporations (TNCs), NAPOCORs IPPs incorporate energy sectors giants such as Marubeni, Kawasaki, Mitsui, Chevron, and Enron (IBON 85). According to Meralco, PPA is just one cost adjustment mechanism that is passed on to the local consumers, since there is also the CERA which is intended so that Meralco will be able to recuperate the changes in operating costs and repayment of principal debt mainly brought about by the changes in foreign exchange rates in which the contracts are bound. Due to this, Meralco claims that only little of the consumer charges go to them, since it primarily goes to NAPOCOR as PPA and to the government as franchise tax. But, apparently it turns out that these might be made up stories or complains since Meralco as a power distributor was also allowed to have its own IPPs by virtue of former Pres. Aquinos EO 215. Meralco has indeed three IPPs which are among the countrys largest companies which supply almost half of its power requirements. This only means that Meralco, having its own IPPs actually earns a lot of money from the PPA. It has also made use of it to make a way out of the controversy arising from the fact that it has monopoly control over power distribution. By this, it was also able to control and manipulate the computations regarding the IPPs which are remarkably its sister companies. For example, First Gas which is one of its IPPs and partly owned by Meralco itself, was used to make anomalous transactions in PPA since Meralco c an actually protect and cover the supply cost from the said IPP even though in reality it doesnt even delivered one kilowatt of power to Meralco (IBON 86-89). Meanwhile, we can clearly see that the results of letting private corporations participate in the power industry is contrary to the rationale behind its approval, which among others is to relieve the government from its burden on funding the setting up of power generating plants (UP and Stiftung 115-116). Instead of it happening, the reverse had taken place. NAPOCOR has left in charge of paying the debt obligations of the IPPs assured by state guarantees which were made to further attract investors. Through those incentives, including long-term power contracts, IPPs were assured that they will have return on investments whatever happens. Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) Through the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA which is RA 9136, payment for stranded costs of NAPOCOR or the costs due to stranded debts and contracts, were passed on to consumers as a universal charge along with the cost of restructuring the power industry. This was implemented during the Arroyo administration when she declared that the government must not shoulder this expense but must be recuperated through a universal charge. To further clarify some previously mentioned terms, stranded debts as part of the stranded cost is the obligations that will be left out by NAPOCOR once it is sold to private individuals, while the other one, the stranded contract cost is the difference from the price of electricity from the wholesale market to be set by EPIRA itself and the price from IPPs. Due to this very large cost of NAPOCORs obligations which are partly paid by the government through debt from foreign sources, very high priced bonds were sold by the government to finance its principal obligations mainly due to those long-term contracts. So it is obvious that it has only made the government and the people suffer from paying them instead of getting away from funding large amount for power generators, while the private sector like the transnational corporations (TNCs) and other local elites were getting more and more income from it each year making it as its milking cow. Also it is evident that PPA has only intens ified the dependence of government to private sector to pay its foreign debts and its grave situation of national bankruptcy which clearly impacts detrimental effect to the poor Filipino citizens (IBON 89-91). Actually, in 2001, the Arroyo administration had pushed EPIRA to be approved for a great loan to be released, the $900 M ADB Power Sector Restructuring loan which was filed since 1998. IMF had also played a part on its approval, since it made it a condition for it to release a $300 M rehabilitation loan for the Philippines since 1999. By this, we could clearly see that the government had pushed it not to improve the condition of accessible power service to the people, but the adverse that favored the private companies and further strengthened their control over the power service. Transmission Corporation (TransCo) Along EPIRA in 2001, the creation of a National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) in 2003 under NAPOCOR was also signed into law. In line with this, the Arroyo administration had also pushed for its privatization by the mandate of the same aforementioned law. This TransCo as a GOCC is basically in charge of operating and managing the power transmission system of the country which will link power plants to the electric distribution utilities throughout the Philippines (TransCo). In simple terms, it will be taking control over the transmission and sub-transmission functions, assets, as well as the liabilities of NAPOCOR. TransCo, in taking over the sub-transmission assets will manage it until they are finally disposed into their proper distribution utilities which in turn will hold its planning and overall maintenance of those assets. But, as like NAPOCOR, through EPIRA, TransCo is mandated to be privatized through either an outright sale or a management concession contract lasting fo r about 25 years. The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Finance (DOF) were basically in charge in the planning and setting up its transfer to private companies (Cook and Mendoza, 9; 68). As again an expectation of the government, from privatizing TransCo, it expects a high income which will be used to pay the NAPOCORs remaining debt that is extensively big which will in result lessen or decrease the governments public sector deficit. Aside from that expected revenue from its sale, the government also expects that when a technologically advance and proficient private concessionaire will take over the transmission line, it will result to more efficient and world class network. It says that due to the crippling energy crisis, people are hard to be provided with a dependable and secured supply of electricity at low rates, so privatization of such sector will be a necessary response to it, while attracting more investments at the energy division (Perez). But, the government actually marginalizes the stake of local power sector by doing this. First, they can be exploited since through the privatization of TransCo, it will surely lead to a monopoly of the private business. Since in EPIRA, the cross-ownership of distribution, generation, and transmission under NAPOCOR is allowed, this only means that through the profit-seeking goal of the monopolies over those areas, power rates will still remain indefinable (TransCo). TransCos privatization clearly manifest the government favoring TNCs as well as local elites like the Lopez Group of Companies in their reinforced power over the Philippines power sector. According to the president of PSALM or Public Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Edgardo del Fonso, it would seem not attractive to foreign investors if the assets of TransCo will not be franchised nationwide (PSALM). Actually, based on a primer released by IBON Foundation in 2003, there were already at least eight TNCs which had expressed their interest in the privatization of TransCo, not to mention that these TNCs are among the worlds largest. And some of those TNCs were already on hold of some local power industries operations. But due to certain limitations of our constitution, they were only allowed to operate up to 40 percent of the power sector, but then again PSALM had admitted that later on, it is possible that there would be some restructuring to be done to allow greater share of private sector on power service. This only means that possibilities are open on the total foreign control of our local power sector at the expense of the national interest and welfare. As of now, this transmission system under NAPOCOR known as the crown jewel of the governments power privatization program is already at the hands of the private sector. On the 12th of December in 2007, PSALM has conducted a successful bidding for TransCos 25-years concession contract to be able to maintain its functions on transmission. On the year 2008, it finally announced that TransCos transmission function will be transferred under the management of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the successful bidder who offered a US $3.950B for the said concession after the three failed attempts in the previous years (PSALM). This was despite the opposition of various consumer and militant groups like the People Opposed to Warrantless Electricity Rates (Power) and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) because for them it was a crucial step for the government to take since the burden soon will heavily fall at the local consumers when the winning bidder will make a way to recover its loss and investments at the earliest time possible. As Legazpi cited in her article, according to Tapang, a convener of Power, (Transcos) infrastructure provides a highway for electricity and other uses. Whoever controls it can impose a toll fee on users of this highway. In the hands of private interests, there is always the potential for abuse in the name of greater profits. Bayan has also released their statement through their secretary general in the person of Reynato Reyes, adding that TransCo is of strategic importance to our economy and so it must remain as state-owned and it is basically a prejudice on the part of the g overnment to continue to such action due to the fact that this will lead to a great load to be carried on by ordinary consumers (Legazpi). Amidst those oppositions, unfortunately on that same year also, the congress had approved a bicameral resolution which will grant franchise of TransCo to NGCP, legitimizing it as a private unit to run a public service. By December of that year, former Pres. Arroyo signed the law which will officially grant franchise to NGCP, RA 9511. Following that year, in 2009, TransCo was formally turned over to PSALM in a ceremony held at PSALMs office in Makati on January 14, 2009. The event significantly indicated the NGCPs authority to start TransCos operation under its new management with Atty. Moslemen T. Macarambon as its first new president. Currently, it is headed by Rolando T. Bacani, president and CEO (TransCo). After the sale transaction of TransCo, NGCP has paid almost US $1B to PSALM as provisioned by the contract as its straight payment for its operation. PSALM is also confident that after TransCos privatization and turning over of NGCP on its operation will eventually result to an efficient operation and effective maintenance of our transmission network, while counting on the successful record and wide experience of the consortium and its foreign partners (PSALM). After TransCos successful bidding and private transfer of ownership, PSALM is still opening its invitation for bidding of other power plants such as those at Naga, Cebu, the Naga Power Plant Complex, in Tongonan, Leyte, the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plants, and in Pililia, Rizal, the Malaya Therman Power Plants (PSALM). In 2010, many assets under power generation have been sold as well as its contracted capacities. In spite all of those, the PSALM and the government still pushes for further privatization of the power sector. EFFECTS OF PRIVATIZATION When the government resort to privatizing state owned corporations especially those involved in economic services, this basically turn to an impact which is as destructive as the liberalization of trade and investment. As a Third World country, taking this crucial step marginalizes the interest and welfare of the people and other economic development programs and projects for the country. The people are more vulnerable and are easily affected by the impact of having no jobs and the inaccessibility of basic social services. After some years of the promise of improved effectiveness and efficiency of these privatized sectors by the government to the people as the reason behind the privatization of such basic public services, the supposedly good results are yet unseen but on the contrary, public menaces and difficulties are experienced of the people on that particular service (IBON 131-134). First of all, the government did not had a financial relief on privatizing public services, since like in NAPOCOR and other corporations, the government becomes more bankrupt and indebted to private or foreign investors since privatizing assets only provide short-term or one-time big-time revenue, but in the long run, results to a great dependence on private sector due to the debts incurred after privatization. it has also resulted to a lesser allocation of budget for other social services due to the automatic appropriation of budget to debt servicing mandated by the law. Some privatized assets by the government were also not as considerable since sometimes they are key economic players in the countrys economic growth. Moreover, in the case of privatization of NAPOCOR, the government had shouldered the huge liabilities left when it was privatized, or some parts of it. This results to a huge public funds being used to pay for its interests and amortization. Through state guarantees, t he government bore the obligations of the IPPs, which through long-term contracts are assured by the government to have return on its investments no matter what. In short, the government is no more than losing in this kind of program and gradually is put into a profound bankruptcy. This is one of the main reasons behind the fiscal crisis experienced by national government in 2004 and still contributes to the worsening condition of the economy. On improved efficiency One point that is to be remembered regarding privatization is that having the private sector does not necessarily mean that the previously owned and controlled corporation of the government would yield better efficiency. In the first place, they were not created to be profit-oriented but to provide accessible support and basic service to the people. This is critical to the consumers situation, since if the market fails, there should the government to secure them against it and continue to provide them its responsibility. Supposedly, our government expect that when private corporations took control over it, they will invest in its improvement, but just like the MWSS privatization, this is not what is actually happening but they use their revenues to expand their properties around the globe, in short they are not concerned of efficacy of operation of the corporation, but more concerned on how to gain more profits. Peoples access to basic services When GOCCs are privatized, people can expect spikes in their rates and inaccessibility and unaffordability of the basic service that were previously provided to them by the government in low and accessible prices. Of course this is only logical since private corporations main objective is no other than to get more profit. We can expect this effect to be mostly aggravating to the poor and marginalized Filipino citizens who also try their best to survive with their very small income that doesnt increase in real terms and growing joblessness throughout the country. In fact, almost 20 percent of an average household income is spent to pay their electricity bills alone. Because of this, some of the poor Filipino families had chosen to cut their electricity connection to lessen daily budget costs, or even on some families their supply was cut due to being not able to pay for their high electric bill. Up to now, many the typical Filipino consumers are not able to get basic services at lower or reasonable rates since as like the government said, those privatized institutions should have been more efficient due to improved infrastructure implemented by private firms. But, it just bloated up their rates that the people could hardly pay for it, just like in the power service of NAPOCOR, cost recovery mechanisms were passed to the peoples responsibility. So through that, we can already conclude that when market forces rule without any regulation from the government promoting public welfare, the consumers situation is largely at stake and worsened. Because of this we can clearly say that where is the choice of power and power choice that the government said and promised to its consumers if the power industry and its functions will be privatized? Clearly, it shows that it was merely a false and deceiving statement. Workers situations Aside from these detrimental impacts, privatization also increases level of unemployment especially in underdeveloped nations like the Philippines. This is due to the displacement of workers from the previous state-owned corporations or in other way, through contractualization of those somehow lucky workers left at the privatized corporation. In this way, workers are put in an acute situation while the private corporation continues to gaining more profits and cutting production costs. They are also aggrieved through cutting their wages without their power to stop those private firms. In the restructuring and privatization of NAPOCOR, more than 2,000 of its employees had already lost their job and currently, as threats of further privatization of electric cooperatives are on the way, this number will possibly increase. Aside from the employees of NAPOCOR who lost their jobs, there are also many workers from industrial and commercial sectors who lost their jobs due to closure of their companies which one of the factors which caused it is the very high electricity rates that they have lesser production that cannot compete with other industries either around the country or outside. Factory workers also dont get wage hike since their employers insist that they are spending more and more on operation and maintenance costs as industrial electricity rates also sores up. Actually last July 2009, more than 1,000 former workers of TransCo were not accepted by NGCP to continue their work on it after 5 months of transition period, despite having EPIRA assurances that were not that effective afterwwards. This was due to the high NGCP standards in accepting new employees according to the Mindanao Transco Employees Union or Mintrea. Before TransCo was privatized, the consortium of the private companies to take over it said that they will not let those more than 5,000 employees of TransCo to lose their jobs instead they will again hire them even privatization is already done. But according to Walder Revellar, North Luzon chapter president of Mintrea, most of the TransCo employees suffered retrenchment even before when NAPOCOR was started to be privatized when reorganization within the sector began. Most of them were of old age but has not reached the age of retirement on the new private administration of TransCo due to forced leave since according to them, they dont have the full capacity to absorb all of the previous workers of TransCo. Being too old to be rehired, workers like them as a result had difficulties in finding new jobs because of their age constraint. Some of the previous employees also are at young age, which are said to be too young to be retired, that could have done great job on TransCo if they w ere not removed from their jobs as Revellar stressed out also. Unfortunately, despite the workers complains they couldnt anything about that concern because it has been transferred already to the private sector (Inquirer). After of all the results of TransCo privatization, it only appears to us that the government is just making a way to decline its social responsibility to the state and most especially to the people in providing the basic services that it must provide in the first place. Public utilities and services play an important role in protecting the poor and marginalized sector of society so letting the free-market and the market forces operate on its own on those assets would defy the public assets original intent like the power sector in generating efficient and affordable electricity throughout the country. It had also meant a lesser government intervention to the economic and social activities of the state, and so it results to peoples situation becoming worse over time as private sector continues to exploit our resources and earn super-profits. This should not be tolerated since first and foremost, these are all done at the peoples expense.

Monitoring Human Rights Essay

Human rights have had a major impact on international human life and constitute a very important test for national institutions. Moreover, they constitute a standard for reforming society and evaluating the policies and practices of international economic and political platforms[1]. The Human Rights Committee closely monitors the proper implementation of the International Covenant by state parties. Therefore all the state parties are under an obligation to submit periodic reports to the Committee. These reports should contain the details of the implementation of human rights in their respective states. In the first instance, these states are required to submit their report within one year after having ratified the Covenant. These states are also required to submit these reports whenever the Committee insists upon their submission. Upon receipt of these reports, the Committee reviews them and suggests its recommendations to the states. These recommendations are generally in the form of concluding observations. In order to ratify international human rights treaties, there is a need for state parties to work in compliance with international monitoring frameworks. These frameworks require the provision of periodic reports on the status of implementation of the requirement of these treaties[2]. The act of issuing general observations by a treaty body depends on the process of reviewing the reports submitted by state parties. Observations are the collective assessment of these reports and the governments are enabled to determine the steps to be undertaken by them in order to promote and effectively implement human rights. The importance of the dialogue is to receive advice on the measures to be adopted in order to implement treaty provisions in a better fashion. Hence the state parties are required to implement the concluding observations made by the treaty bodies and address these observations in their subsequent reports[3]. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights or OHCHR plays an important role in promoting efforts to obtain global ratification by undertaking campaigns for ratification. This initiative would act as a catalyst and stimulate state governments, civilians, intergovernmental organizations and other organizations. The OHCHR promotes the integration of targets for ratification of the international treaties on human rights. It is an instrument that has been designed by the Common Country Assessments and UN Development Assistance Frameworks[4]. The OHCHR is a technical cooperation device, which is aimed at assisting state parties in implementing and promoting human rights. Technical assistance programs are provided upon requests from governments and should be utilized by them. There should be a transparent process with the consultation of civil society to be adopted with regard to nominating state representatives to the treaty. This could further enhance the effectiveness in finding a suitable candidate for the purpose. State parties have to advertise vacancies in the treaty bodies in the national press and other media. This would improve the chances of obtaining better candidates and also facilitates assessment of the candidate’s expertise. Subsequent to the nomination, the state governments should exhibit the list of applicants to the public at large[5]. Article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women requires the state parties to submit a report on the legislative, judicial and administrative measures that a state had to initiate in order to promote the provisions of the Convention. It also stipulates that the state has to furnish the progress report with regard to the status of human rights, within one year after entering the Convention. Subsequently, this report had to be submitted every four years and whenever the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women requires it[6].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this respect and in order to fulfill the obligations laid down by Article 18, the Committee suggested that the state parties should invariably follow the general guidelines with regard to the form, content and date of reports. These guidelines were designed in order to assist state parties to submit the reports in a uniform manner so that the state parties and the Committee would be in a position to have knowledge about the implementation of those provisions[7]. Under Article 14 of the Convention on all Forms of Racial Discrimination a state can recognize the competence of the committee to receive and consider representations from its citizens who allege violation of rights granted by the convention. The state is required to change its laws if the committee discovers a violation of the convention.   Moreover, the state parties have to furnish details of the convention measures adopted by them as a report, once in two years and the committee, in turn, reports to the UN General Assembly once a year in this regard.[8] The Human Rights Committee or the HRC was formed in order to monitor state compliance with the ICCPR. Article 40(3) of the HRC, stipulates that the HRC’s members have to serve in their personal capacity. Moreover, Article 38 states that newly elected members should work in an impartial and conscientious manner[9]. The ICCPR consists of eighteen experts in human rights, who have a good moral conduct. The monitoring measures of the ICCPR are first, state parties are required to submit periodic reports to the HRC that must describe their efforts to promote the Covenant provided human rights and the developments in the provision of these rights. On receiving this report, the HRC would evaluate the facts and make the necessary observations. Second, state parties have to accept the HRC’s authority to entertain complaints from other state parties regarding non – compliances with ICCPR obligations[10]. General Comments, which are adopted by the HRC, address articles or issues of the ICCPR and indicate the ability of the HRC to examine worldwide reports in respect of the diversified political, legal and social systems[11]. Article 41 of the Covenant authorizes the Committee to hear complaints among the states and the First Optional Protocol enables the latter to entertain complaints from individuals in respect of violations of rights guaranteed by the Covenant by the State Parties. There would be three sessions per year of the Committee and it has to publish its interpretation of the Covenant of human rights provisions. Moreover, the Committee’s power covers the Second Optional Protocol, which deals with the elimination of the death penalty[12]. The report E/CN.4/1997/74 of the United Nations, which is based on previous reports that had been, submitted to World Conference on Human Rights, concerns the ratification of some of the treaties. This report assumes that the existing supervisory system is sound and valid. In addition, it also assumes that adequate reporting has taken place. Moreover, it assumes that the progress in the quality of reporting procedures is by its very nature very slow. Further, this report is based on the premise that the extant system is not viable and that the overall objectives cannot be achieved in the absence of drastic remedial measures being adopted[13]. This report makes several assumptions. Some of these assumptions are that the treaty’s supervisory system are sound and remain legitimate; despite difficulties, considerable progress has been registered by the treaty bodies; progress has to be based on an effective monitoring system, which beneficially modifies the relevant procedures and institutions and the extant system is untenable and the achievement of the various objectives requires significant changes to the reporting system[14]. International efforts to promote human rights require the universal ratification of the essential treaties.   The rate of ratification of these treaties has shown a remarkable increase after the Vienna Conference. The reasons responsible for the increase in the number of such ratifications are described in the sequel. The first reason is that several new states succeeded to these treaties. The second reason is that the Fourth World Conference on Women resulted in the ratification of the CEDAW by a large number of states. The third factor is that of the unimaginable success that was attendant upon the efforts to enhance the number of countries that were in favour of ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Despite the success of this convention on the rights of the child, it has come to light that there is a need to take further steps against countries that have failed to ratify this convention[15]. In addition, these treaty bodies are available only in two languages and translations take quite a bit of time for completion. Some of these treaty bodies have laid a great emphasis on upon what have been termed as special reports[16]. It was contended by Tomuschat that the submission of reports pertaining to the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid was inadequate to the extent that the whole system could be deemed to be a failure[17]. Some of the recommendations of this report are that there should be consultations with the major international organizations in respect of efforts to promote ratification. In addition, special advisers should be appointed in order to ratify and report. Moreover, there should be an adoption of special measures in order to streamline the reporting system for the less populated nations[18]. Article 28 of the ICCPR requires the Human Rights Committee to consist of eighteen members. These members should possess and exemplary moral character and should be bestowed with acclaimed expertise in the human rights[19]. Article 40 of the ICCPR requires the States Parties to inform the Secretary General of the UN regarding the measures adopted by them in respect of this Covenant[20]. In a meeting conducted in Geneva on the 27th and 28th of July 1996, the committee discussed the possibility modifications to its reporting procedures. The decisions arrived at in this meeting were transformed into an official document at the sixtieth session of this committee. In this meeting discussions were conducted regarding the format and focus of periodic reports, the methodology to be adopted by the committee in dealing with state reports, the standards that had to be established in respect of state reports and the procedure to be adopted in the case of delinquent reports[21]. Although the working of the committee can be influenced by the work of the more specialized treaty bodies it is empowered only to interpret and apply the ICCPR. The standards that are applicable to the protection of human rights differ from one treaty provision to another and the committee may choose the most appropriate of such standards in any particular situation. Moreover, the committee should, wherever and to the extent possible, avoid a conflict with the provisions of other treaty bodies[22]. During the 1626th and 1627th meetings the Committee thoroughly examined the fourth periodic report submitted by Iraq[23] on 27th October 1997 and on 5th November 1997 in the 1640th meeting, and the Committee declared its observations. It condemned the apathy of the state in dealing with the implementation of domestic laws and the provisions of the Covenant. The Iraqi delegation interacted with the Committee and submitted its answers to the Committee, furthermore this delegation made detailed clarifications regarding the prevailing conditions in the state[24].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In its examination, the Committee acknowledged that Iraq’s war with Iran and the aftermath of its invasion of Kuwait had resulted in a substantial destruction of the nation’s infrastructure. However, the Committee was of the view that despite these difficulties, the government of Iraq had been responsible for the implementation of the provisions under the Covenant and that it could not evade its responsibility in this regard[25].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Committee further suggested that reasonable steps should be taken in order to ensure equal rights for people of all religious groups, in addition to the ethnic minorities. Further, the government of Iraq was directed to furnish this information in its next periodic report and to give sufficient details regarding the implementation of Articles 26 and 27 of the Covenant[26].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Committee further directed that there should be submission of reports with regard to the difficulties encountered by non – governmental organizations in respect of establishment and operability. The Committee acknowledges that the necessary initiatives should be undertaken immediately so as to facilitate the establishment and smooth operation of independent non – governmental organizations working in the area of human rights[27].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Committee furnished these guidelines to the government of Iraq along with reports submitted by other state parties to be referred to as a model. Moreover, it requested the government of Iraq to submit in its next periodic report full particulars of the steps taken by it in this regard[28].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During its 1628th and 1629th meetings held on the 28th of October 1997, and during its 1642nd meeting held on the 5th of November 1997, the Committee reviewed the second periodic report of Sudan[29]. The reports submitted by Sudan were helpful in assessing the prevailing conditions in the state. The Committee recognized the fact that the implementation of the Covenant was hindered due to the armed conflicts in the southern regions of Sudan. These differences were causing difficulties in the implementation of the Covenant and the Committee advised the government of Sudan to include the provisions of periodic reports of the other state parties in its next periodic report[30].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the 1675th to 1677th meetings, the Committee reviewed the initial report of Israel[31]. The Committee recognized the fact that the reasons for non implementation of the Covenant could be attributed to the frequent attacks on the population, the other problems that related to its occupation of territory and its war with bordering states. Nevertheless, the Committee instructed the government of Israel that according to Article 4 of the Covenant, the state should not fail to provide fundamental rights even under such emergency conditions[32].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Committee was satisfied with the steps initiated by Israel like establishing several ministries that dealt with the status of women. It was also satisfied with the functions of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women. Another measure that the government had taken was the establishment of a national level authority on the advancement of women in the state by bestowing several responsibilities on it. The government’s amendment of the Equal Employment Opportunities Law made employers liable in sexual harassment cases and the government also enacted legislation to bring about the Equal Pay (Male and Female Employees) Law[33].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Committee reviewed the second periodic report of Algeria[34] in its 1681st to 1684th sessions and complimented the state party for having resolved some of the issues pointed out in the Committee’s concluding observations,[35]which had been made in the initial report on Algeria in 1992. The factors that had contributed to the inadequate implementation of the Covenant were the extensive and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, which resulted in great loss of human life and the violent activities in the state. These issues made it imperative to maintain law and order in the state in order to protect fundamental rights in Algeria[36]. As such the states have been provided with insufficient support in putting into practice their duty to ensure human rights and in modifying their domestic laws, policies and practices in order to be more effective in establishing human rights. There is little guidance in respect of the manner in which the laws are to be sustained and construed by the states with the result that states have to face an even greater problem while carrying out their human rights obligations[37]. Bibliography Tomuschat, â€Å"Human Rights, States Reports†, in R. Wolfrum and C. Philip (eds.), United Nations: Law, Policies and Practice (Munich, Beck and Dordrecht, Martinus Nijhoff, 1995), vol. 1, p. 631. Charles R. Beitz. Human Rights as a Common Concern, The American Political Science Review, Vol. 95, No. 2. (Jun., 2001), pp. 269-282. 26 August 2007. Christian Tomuschat, Human Rights: Between Idealism and Realism. (2003). Oxford University Press. P. 140. CCPR/C/133. December 22nd, 1997. Report on the informal meeting on procedures. ICCPR. United Nations. CCPR/C/103/Add.2 CCPR/C/75/Add.2 CCPR/C/81/Add.13 CCPR/C/101/Add.1 CCPR/C/79/Add.1 Document E/CN/4/1997/74, dated March 27, 1996. United Nations Economic and Social Council. Effective Functioning of Bodies Established Pursuant to United Nations Human Rights Instruments. Final Report on Enhancing the Long Term Effectiveness of the United Nations Human Rights Treaty System. E/CN. 4/ 1997/74. March 27, 1997. Commission on Human Rights, Fifty – third Session. Human Rights Committee. Monitoring civil and political rights. Retrieved 2 September 2007. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, G.A. res. 2200A (XXI), 21 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 52, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171, entered into force 23, 1976. Michael Banton, The Future of UN Human Rights Treaty Monitoring. Chapter 3, Decision – Taking in the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Philip Alston and James Crawford (Eds). 2000. Cambridge University Press. P. 55. Monitoring State Obligations on International Human Rights: United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies/Committees. 26 August 2007 Report of the Human Rights Committee. Volume I. General Assembly Official Records †¢ Fifty-third Session Supplement No. 40 (A/53/40). Retrieved September 2, 2007 Thynne, Kelisiana. ANZSIL CONFERENCE 2007 REFORM OF UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS: CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS Enhancing the rule of law in international human rights treaty bodies. United Nations Proposals to Strengthen the Human Rights Treaty Bodies

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 9

â€Å"Nice glow,† Bastien told me when he answered the door the following afternoon. â€Å"Yeah. Tell me about it.† I traipsed into his house wearing the Tabitha body, and pulled up a stool at his kitchen counter. He handed me a Mountain Dew from the refrigerator. â€Å"Why so glum? Couldn't have been all that bad.† â€Å"It was okay. In that sleazy, backroom sort of way. Seth came over afterward and couldn't stop telling me how pretty I was.† â€Å"Of course he did.† Bastien was sporting a glow of his own today. â€Å"How could he help it? He's a weak mortal, just like they all are.† I ignored the jibe and took down half the can in one gulp. â€Å"On the topic of ‘weak mortals,' how'd your football game go?† â€Å"Ridiculously boring. Bill must have fantastic speech writers because his conversation is on the same level as that cupboard's over there. But, on the bright side, I did talk to Dana several times, and I think I repaired the damage you did.† â€Å"Ye gods, will you get over this? I didn't do anything. You have no one to blame for that but yourself.† â€Å"Hey, I didn't fall down the stairs. Anyway, I took your advice and played sympathetic brother. She really seemed to go for it. Except†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Except what?† He frowned, blue eyes perplexed. â€Å"She seems to like me well enough. She asks about my job, she asks about you. But something's weird. I just don't feel like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Like she's going to throw herself at you any time soon? Huh. I never would have guessed.† His expression hardened, doubts banished. â€Å"It's just a matter of time, that's all. Like that convent in Brussels. Remember how well that turned out?† I grinned. â€Å"Just a matter of time. Sure. So what are your plans today?† â€Å"Nothing. I'll probably go out later, but now I'm just sort of hanging around. Mitch is supposed to be at work, after all.† â€Å"Well, let's sneak you out and go see a movie or something.† Frankly, I was eager to do something semi-fun. I had finally made it to my day off, and it hadn't come a moment too soon. The only thing that bothered me was not knowing what had happened at the bookstore when – or rather if – Doug came in this morning. If Warren or Paige had been around, they might have banned him for a while. But I certainly didn't have that power, and I hated to lose the coverage anyway. I'd finally resorted to calling Janice, telling her to ring my cell immediately if there were any repeat problems. I hadn't heard anything so far. Bastien allowed himself grudging interest in a movie. â€Å"Anything good playing?† The doorbell rang before we could check. â€Å"Geez, Bas. It's like Grand Central Station whenever I'm here.† â€Å"Probably a Jehovah's Witness,† he decided, checking out the door invisibly. â€Å"Huh. It's Jody. Wonder what she wants.† I supposed Dana visiting would have been more serendipitous, but I found Jody's presence a relief. â€Å"Well, let her go. You're supposed to be at work.† He nudged me. â€Å"You answer.† â€Å"Me?† â€Å"Sure. Make up some reason to be here. She's chummy with Dana. You can do some reconnaissance.† â€Å"Oh, for goodness – â€Å" The doorbell rang again, and Bastien looked at me pleadingly. I had a good opinion of Jody, but I didn't like him mixing me up in his affairs. Grumbling, I went to the door. Maybe she was just dropping off more baked goods or something, I thought. Her face burst into a grin upon seeing me. â€Å"I was hoping it was you! I thought I recognized the Passat.† I smiled back at her. â€Å"Good memory. Did you need Mitch? He's at work.† â€Å"No, not really. I just saw the car and wanted to say hi. Are you hanging out here?† â€Å"Uh, yeah. It's my day off, and I promised him I'd†¦do some yard work.† Bastien, hovering invisibly nearby, got a kick out of that. â€Å"It's a great day for it,† she agreed. I supposed it was, in that crisply sunny sort of way that sometimes shows up in winter. At least we had no rain today. â€Å"What were you going to do? It looks like the lawn service took care of most of the leaves.† That it had. I tried to think of something superfluous that suburbanites wouldn't have already underpaid someone else to do. â€Å"I was going to plant some flowers.† â€Å"Oh!† She clasped her hands together, brown eyes alight. â€Å"That's a great idea. Do you want some help?† â€Å"Uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Beside me, Bastien nearly had a seizure. He nodded his head vigorously and mouthed the word reconnaissance. Yard work was the last thing I wanted to do on my day off, but now I'd gone and boxed myself in. â€Å"Sure. I don't really know what to do anyway.† That had to be the understatement of the year. â€Å"Let me grab my coat, and we'll go to my favorite nursery,† she squealed. â€Å"This is going to be fun.† She dashed back to her house, and I glared at Bastien. â€Å"I hate you.† â€Å"Don't I know it.† He clapped me on the back. â€Å"I'm sure you have a green thumb somewhere, Fleur . If not, you can shape-shift one.† â€Å"You owe me. Big time.† Jody drove us to some gardening place that looked like a maze of greenery to me. Actually, greenery wasn't quite the right word. Many of the trees and plants had lost leaves, turning brown and yellow as winter deepened. A maze of vegetation, I guess. â€Å"They're still alive,† she told me, assessing plants with an expert eye. â€Å"Although, this isn't exactly the best time to do plantings. Still, we should be able to manage something since the ground isn't too hard yet.† I grimaced. â€Å"Sounds dirty.† She laughed. â€Å"How'd you get slated for this?† â€Å"My brother doesn't†¦always think things through. And he's pretty persuasive when he wants to be.† And annoying. And pushy. â€Å"I can see that. He's pretty cute too. Bet he gets women to do anything he wants.† â€Å"You have no idea.† This made her smile again. â€Å"Well, hang in there. Once you get started with this kind of stuff, you get into it. And it's not that dirty. You want dirty, I'll tell you about Guatemala someday.† â€Å"When were you in Guatemala?† Whoa. Somehow I managed her circle picking places like Malibu and Paris for vacations. â€Å"When I was in the Peace Corps.† â€Å"You were in the Peace Corps?† â€Å"Yup. When I was younger.† I stared after her as she continued checking out the selection. Jody had been in the Peace Corps and worked as an art teacher. She was clearly talented creatively. She was smart and had a good personality. How the hell had she gotten mixed up with Dana? We ended up buying several plants she called Christmas Roses, plus some bulbs she warned might or might not come up in the spring. Once back at Bastien's, we bundled up in coats and gloves and set to digging in his front yard. I saw him peek out the window and wave at me at one point; I stuck my tongue out at him when Jody wasn't looking. Jody was only too happy to tell me about her past. I'd ask the occasional clarifying question, and she'd then go on for a while more. I listened, commenting occasionally, and – as much as I hated to admit it – found the afternoon passing pleasantly. She had been right: garden work wasn't so bad once you started. Inevitably, her chatter turned to the CPFV, and she both surprised and relieved me by admitting some discontent. â€Å"I mean,† she was saying, â€Å"I stand by them. Absolutely. It's just sometimes, I wish we were doing things in different ways. â€Å" I looked up, happy to take a break from hacking at the hard ground. â€Å"What kinds of things?† She pursed her cute lips together. â€Å"I guess†¦like†¦we spend a lot of time telling people what to do and what not to do, you know? Like we're trying to help them lead better lives, and I think that's good. After all, Dana says an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.† Ugh. Clich? ¦ anyone? â€Å"But I also wish we were doing something for those that need help now. Do you know how many families in this area don't have enough to eat? It'd be great if we could work with local food banks to do something about that – especially with the holidays coming up. Or like†¦we do a lot to help teens make smart choices, but I visited some shelters for girls that are already in trouble. They've run away. They're pregnant. Dana says they're lost causes, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You don't think so?† I asked gently. She had stopped digging too and stared absentmindedly at the bulb she held. â€Å"I don't think anyone's beyond help. But Dana†¦I mean, she's so smart. She knows more than me about this stuff. I trust what she says.† â€Å"Nothing wrong with questioning.† â€Å"Yeah, I suppose. It's just, well, she's been a good friend to me.† Her eyes focused on something not here, something far away and long ago. â€Å"A couple years ago, Jack and I had some, you know, problems. I mean, it happens right? No relationship's perfect.† â€Å"No,† I agreed grimly. â€Å"Anyway, she helped me work through that. I feel sort of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Obligated?† Jody fumbled. â€Å"I-I don't know. I guess so. Sometimes, she's hard to know†¦like she can surprise you with things you never saw coming. Other times†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She shook her head and gave a nervous laugh. â€Å"I don't know what I'm saying. She's wonderful. The most amazing person I've ever met. She does so much good.† She changed the subject abruptly after that, and I let her. We moved on to happier topics, and I found myself laughing along with her and enjoying her company. At one point, I ran into Bastien's kitchen and made us hot chocolate. We drank it outside as we finished the last of our plants, finally sitting back and admiring our handiwork. Despite my initial misgivings, I kind of liked accomplishing something so tangible. â€Å"Look,† said Jody. â€Å"Dana just came home.† Sure enough, Dana's Explorer pulled in next door, and a moment later, the woman herself strolled over. She graced us with one of those ice-bitch smiles. â€Å"This looks cozy.† Jody's earlier bubbly nature seemed somewhat diminished. â€Å"Tabitha needed some gardening help, so I came over.† â€Å"Wasn't that nice of you.† Dana gave the other woman a look I couldn't interpret, save that disapproval and possibly anger underscored it. Although I had been arguing to the contrary with Bastien, I got the feeling I might truly have pissed off Dana more than I'd suspected, creating the bad impression he kept accusing me of. It looked like Dana may even have voiced her opinions of me to Jody. I watched Jody's face pass through a range of emotions. I felt pretty confident there was more iron in there than her surface showed, and for a half a second she looked as though she might lash out in defiance. Then, after a moment's eye contact, she looked away, backing down. Perhaps I should have simpered just then and tried to weasel into Dana's good graces, but mostly I felt angry at what I perceived as her chastisement. She had no right to do that Jody. â€Å"It was incredibly nice,† I said sharply. â€Å"Jody's one of those rare, honestly good people in the world. Not just one who pretends to be. But of course you already know that.† Jody blushed furiously, and the edges of Dana's smile twitched a little. â€Å"Yes. Yes, she is. How's your ankle doing?† â€Å"Good as new.† â€Å"Glad to hear it.† We all waited in awkward silence. I decided I would wait out Dana this time, no matter how scary that stare. She, of course, was a master of waiting, so it wasn't a surprise when Jody was the one who cracked. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. â€Å"Well. Jack should be home soon. I should get going.† I stood up with her and helped her gather the tools. We all exchanged a few more stiff remarks, then parted ways. â€Å"What happened? What happened?† exclaimed Bastien when I came back inside. â€Å"I saw Dana out there.† â€Å"Nothing new. Jody's a saint; Dana's a bitch. I hope you hurry up and get this done with.† â€Å"Damn it, I'm trying! I don't suppose you found out anything useful?† â€Å"Not really†¦although, I think Jody knows something about Dana. Something juicy enough even for you. She wouldn't tell me exactly what.† The incubus clung to this piece of information like a dog with a bone. â€Å"You've got to find out what! Call her up tomorrow. Take her to lunch.† â€Å"Jesus, Bastien. I like her, but I'm not doing your work for you. This is your show, remember? Besides, I do have a life, you know. â€Å" He scowled. â€Å"That's up for debate.† â€Å"Why are you so worked up about this Dana thing anyway? I mean, I'd love to see her fall, but the way you're acting†¦I don't know. It's totally pushing you over the edge.† â€Å"Why shouldn't I be worked up? Just because you don't play the soul game anymore doesn't mean the rest of us don't have an eye on our careers.† I knew Bastien too well not to suspect there was some other reason we were fighting all the time. â€Å"And that's all it is, huh? Just good old-fashioned American work ethic?† â€Å"Yes,† he said stiffly. â€Å"There's nothing wrong with that.† We locked matching Hunter gazes, and I tried to let him know with my eyes that I knew there was more than he was telling me. He stared stonily back, refusing to open up. At last, I shook my head, not wanting to be drawn into any more fighting. â€Å"Mind if I use your hot tub?† I asked instead. He gestured toward the back patio. â€Å"Sure. Have the run of the house. Use me and go.† â€Å"You're being childish.† Not answering, he went off to watch TV. I let myself out through the patio and flipped open the hot tub's lid. Hot steam poured out, and I sighed with pleasure. It felt downright decadent after being out in the cold all day. Glancing around, I took in the vine-covered privacy trellises. There were three of them with a person-sized gap between each one. Dusk was rapidly giving way to darkness, and I felt pretty obscured from the neighbors. I stripped off my clothes and tentatively put a foot in the tub. Hot. Very hot. I yanked it out, then waited a minute before trying again. Slowly, I eased the rest of me in, bit by bit. When I was finally submerged from the neck down, I exhaled happily and leaned my head back against the edge. Fantastic. I kicked on the bubbles and closed my eyes. Suddenly, I found myself able to forget it all. Doug. The guy from the club. Dana. Seth. Well, maybe not Seth entirely. But I could forget the bad things, at least. When my hair had curled from the steam and sweat was rolling down my forehead, I stood up and sat on the tub's edge, letting the air dry me off. A lot of people don't understand outdoor hot tubs, but I preferred them to indoor ones. Nothing can match that temperature change. Once cooled, I sat back in the water, ready to repeat the process. I could have done this all night and been perfectly happy. I'd only been back in the water a few minutes when I heard a twig snap from somewhere nearby. It was like a bad-horror-movie clich? ¦, butterrifying nonetheless. I shot out of the water, splashing everywhere, scrambling over the side as I heard a rustle of leaves and brush. â€Å"Bastien!† I yelled, running back into the house. He tore into the room, face pale and alarmed. â€Å"What's the matter?† I backed away from the patio, pointing. â€Å"There's someone out there. â€Å" Nothing could really hurt me, of course, but being immortal does not relieve a person of instinctual fear and caution. There'd be time to feel embarrassed about girly behavior later. His eyes cut to the patio, and he moved outdoors without any hesitation to look around. My knight. I waited in the kitchen, dripping water onto the wood floor, my heart still thumping. He returned a few minutes later and shook his head. â€Å"There's nothing out there. You imagined it.† â€Å"No. It was there. I heard it.† â€Å"Then it was an animal.† He suddenly smirked. â€Å"Or maybe Reese getting a thrill.† When I didn't laugh at the joke, he approached and pulled me to him, unconcerned about getting his clothes wet. My body trembled against his. â€Å"It's all right,† he murmured. â€Å"You're okay. You're safe.† He pulled off his blazer and wrapped it around me. It was too big, but it felt wonderful. I huddled against him, still too fazed to shape-shift some more substantial clothing on. â€Å"Come on, Fleur .You know I'm here. You know I won't let anything happen to you.† The animosity we'd built from our fight went away, and suddenly we were back to normal again. He took me upstairs to his bedroom, still keeping his arm around me. I shape-shifted dry as we walked and turned back into my Georgina self. Changing into his usual shape as well, he pulled me down to the bed with him so my head rested on his chest. A lot of immortals don't understand the way incubi and succubi relate to each other. We tend to touch a lot, in ways that are small but still intimate by most standards. I'd been accused many times of being sexually involved with Bastien – or someone else – over the years. Yet the truth was that in all of our time together, he and I had never actually had anything romantic happen. We were close, physically and emotionally, but that came from friendship, nothing more. Because honestly, when you spent most of your existence giving complete strangers access to your body, it seemed stupid not to enjoy physical bonding with those you actually cared about. And again, by physical bonding, I just meant small things, not even those that resulted in orgasm or a PG rating. Petting. Stroking. Massaging. Kissing here and there. They were all signs of closeness. We needed them, I think, to keep ourselves sane with the way we lived. And there was a certain comfort to knowing that in doing this, the other person got exactly the same thing in return. I could not have had such an equitable emotional relationship if I'd sought a similar physical exchange with, say, Hugh or the vampires. It would have meant something different to them. Which was why I could lay there in Bastien's bed, half naked, with my body twisted around his. We laughed under the blankets, reminiscing about past times when we had to sleep in similar – but less comfortable – ways. Ship cabins. Narrow boardinghouse beds. Campsites along country roads. Then too, we'd huddled together for warmth and security. I ended up spending the whole night with him. He held me the entire time in as gentlemanly a way as Seth might have. But with Bastien, I didn't toss and turn with worry all night over what damage one careless touch might do. It was the best night of sleep I'd had in weeks. When I returned home the next day, I called Seth and asked him if he'd been at the bookstore yesterday. He verified that he had and that Doug had behaved himself. â€Å"He was kind of goofy and chipper but nothing like that day.† â€Å"Good. I hope that's the end of it.† There was an awkward pause, and then Seth asked, too casually: â€Å"Were you out again last night? I called you pretty late and didn't get an answer. â€Å" â€Å"Oh, yeah. I stayed at Bastien's all night.† â€Å"Oh.† Silence. â€Å"It's not what you think,† I hastily assured him. â€Å"We just slept. Perfectly platonic. Just like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You and me?† Silence. â€Å"Nothing happened. He's like a brother to me. Honest. He's the last person you should be jealous of.† â€Å"I'm not jealous. Not exactly. But if you say it's nothing, then it's nothing. I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing you of lying. I know you wouldn't do that.† I thought about oral sex at the dance club and my bare skin pressed against Bastien's. I might not lie, but I didn't always tell Seth the whole truth either. A few days later, Seth and I went to another Nocturnal Admission concert. Doug and I had worked together all week in a civil manner, if not exactly a friendly one. Seth picked me up at my place and again could only stare in wonder at my appearance. I'd gone out hunting with Bastien last night – against my better judgment – and had taken another victim. The glamour hadn't quite diminished yet, and I would have looked hot even in a burlap bag. So, I suppose wearing the kind of dress I did was just outright mean. It was a little slip of a dress in gray cotton jersey, with a ribbon threaded around it that tied just under my breasts. The thin-strapped, V-necked top showed lots of cleavage; the skirt hung soft and drapey to just above my knee. It was like a winter sundress. Seth put his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. â€Å"You never fail to surprise me. I always think I know what to expect with you. Then I actually see you, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He couldn't finish, but his eyes did it for him. They slid up and down my body, making my insides melt. Throw me on the bed and take me, I begged silently. Out loud I said, â€Å"We should get going.† At the concert, Nocturnal Admission performed as spectacularly as last time. Their following had increased, and people packed every square inch of the place. I had trouble seeing the stage but could hear every golden note. Fortunately, I got to see plenty of Doug later. The venue had let him use the place for another wild, post-concert party. Adoring women – and several men – clung flirtatiously to him and the other band members. Doug hugged me when he saw me, arranged for someone to make me a decent drink, and acted as though nothing had happened between us. I guessed I was glad to set aside the hard feelings, but now that I knew what to blame his behavior on, his bright and wild demeanor unnerved me. Casey showed up at one point, still looking a bit gaunt, but obviously on the mend. From across the room, I watched her tentatively approach Alec. He'd been talking to Wyatt the guitar player and turned to give her an obviously forced and fake smile. I couldn't hear the conversation, but the message came through loud and clear. She wanted to talk to him, to get his attention in some way, and he was blatantly snubbing her. I could see him shaking his head as she spoke, an almost desperate look on her face. Finally, he simply walked away, leaving her staring and upset. â€Å"I want to go over there and punch him,† I told Seth. â€Å"No, you don't. It's their business, not yours.† I turned on him. â€Å"Damn it, Seth! How can you always be so placid and nonconfrontational? Don't you stand up for anything?† He regarded me coolly. If he was surprised or offended by my outburst, he didn't show it. â€Å"I stand up for plenty of things. I just know when to pick my battles, that's all. So should you.† â€Å"You realize he slept with her and then turned around and dropped her cold. He may have even used sinister ways to do it.† â€Å"Believe me, I'm not condoning that, but Casey's got to be the one to say something. Otherwise, it's just you making accusations and starting a scene.† I scowled, half agreeing with him but still wishing I could help. Looking around, I couldn't see her anymore, which was probably just as well. With any luck, she'd gone home and would swear off the company of men for a while. Seth left for the bathroom, and almost the moment he was gone, Alec sidled up. â€Å"Hey, Georgina. You look hot.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. I angled my body away, hoping he'd get the signal I wasn't interested. He was lucky I didn't just turn around and deck him. â€Å"You're, like, the best-looking woman in here tonight.† Whether that was actually true or not, I knew the life-force surplus made me the most attractive. There was a difference. Eyeing Alec, I suddenly toyed with the idea of returning his flirtation and sleeping with him. I rather liked the idea of seeing him sprawled out unconscious and sick somewhere. Nah. On second thought, considering he was such a sleazebag, I probably wouldn't steal enough energy to do much more than wind him. â€Å"You drinking those vodka gambits again?† he asked, still pushing the act. â€Å"Gimlets,† I corrected. â€Å"Well, the bar can make anything if you want something different. And there's weed everywhere. I think I saw Corey with acid too.† This guy just couldn't stop trying to fuck women over. He didn't care how he did it. Seth showed up just then, and I turned to him with a dazzling smile. â€Å"Nice talking to you Alec,† I said breezily, taking Seth's arm. â€Å"See you around.† â€Å"What was that about?† asked Seth, once we were out of earshot. â€Å"That asshole was trying to pick me up again. Right after turning away Casey. God, I hate him. He was trying the usual stuff too. Trying to push more drinks on me. Telling me how hot I was.† Seth leaned his face toward mine. â€Å"You are hot.† â€Å"Stop that. You're giving me funny ideas.† He continued holding me close. I really needed to wait two days before seeing him after a fix. â€Å"Ever wonder how far I could kiss you on the lips?† he asked. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Well, I can somewhat substantially kiss your cheek and neck, right? Your lips though†¦well, those have to be quick, brushing kind of kisses. Too much intensity and tongue with your mouth is right out. So, I figure there must be a middle ground.† â€Å"Have you been drinking?† â€Å"Just thinking, that's all.† The rapture from my glow was reflected in his face. Forgetting about anyone we knew seeing us, I let him lean his mouth toward my own. Ever so gently, his lips touched mine. Not a family-type slip of a kiss, nor a saliva-exchanging deep kiss either. It was like a caress. His lips slowly stroked my lips, his tongue just barely tracing the contours of my mouth. Electricity ran from my head to my toes and tried to run back up again, but it got delayed between my legs. Seth stepped away. â€Å"Anything bad happen?† â€Å"No,† I breathed. â€Å"But I think we need to conduct several repeat experiments, just to make sure.† Suddenly, from across the room, we heard whoops and cheers, followed by a terrific crashing sound and gasps of alarm. Without conscious communication, Seth and I moved as one to see what had happened. Doug lay in a heap on the floor in front of the stage, laughing hysterically. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked Corey. His eyes were heavily dilated, and I remembered Alec saying the bass player had acid. â€Å"It's a new Olympic sport. Stage-table High Jumps.† Following his gaze, I saw a table set up on the stage. About fifteen feet away, on the floor by Doug, was an overturned table. I looked back and forth. â€Å"Did he try to jump from that table to that one?† Corey cackled. â€Å"Sure did. Shit. He almost made it. Caught the edge on his way down.† â€Å"He could have broken his leg,† muttered Seth in disgust. â€Å"Or worse.† Doug seemed to be okay. Some solicitous women in tight shirts were helping him stand. He caught my eye and laughed harder. â€Å"Don't look so panicked, Kincaid. I'm fine†¦but if you want to make sure, you can come kiss me too and make it all better.† He winked at Seth, and others laughed with him, without knowing why. I was soon forgotten as more adoring people swarmed in. Seth and I retreated. â€Å"What was he thinking?† I fretted. â€Å"I mean, he's always doing crazy acrobatic stuff on stage, but he had to have known he couldn't make that.† â€Å"If he's not thinking straight, there's no telling what he believes. Drugs,ll do that. Give you a sense of invincibility.† I reminded myself to look up those drug names Cody had suggested. I didn't know if it'd do any good, but it'd at least make me think I was doing something. â€Å"Hey,† I exclaimed, pulling Seth to an abrupt stop. â€Å"It's him again.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"That guy talking to Alec. The weird gothic, male-model-type guy.† Seth followed my gesture. Way on the other side of the place, near the bar, Alec and the man I'd seen at the earlier concert were having a heated argument. The GQ-poet guy looked stern and cold tonight, dampening his otherwise suave and polished looks. Alec had a pleading look. The drummer gesticulated frantically, his face desperate and frightened. The other man shook his head sternly, face unyielding. He waved a hand toward the crowd and then said something to Alec. Alec's face paled, and he once more turned into a pitiful supplicant. The other man shook his head yet again, then strode off. He didn't approach us exactly, but he had to move in our direction to reach the exit. He was still a good fifty feet away and separated by walls of people when an odd, prickly feeling touched my skin. It was strange and discordant, yet sleek at the same time. It was almost like what I'd felt around Doug and the band, except that had been unidentifiable. This was clearly a person's signature. It was linked to that man, pulsing with sentience. I choked out a strangled sound and quickly stepped back out of range. Pulling Seth with me, I threw my arms around him and kissed his neck. As I did, I watched out of the corner of my eye as the strange man froze and jerked his head around, looking out over the crowd. He had felt me too. His eyes passed over us several times, but we drew no especial focus. We were just another couple getting hot and heavy. I tensed, waiting for him to come closer and try to sense me again. Without knowing why, I didn't want him to find me. He scanned a bit longer before giving up and continuing his retreat. When he had left, I relaxed and leaned into Seth. â€Å"What†¦?† â€Å"That man that was talking to Alec,† I said, still in shock. â€Å"He's an immortal.† Seth's eyebrows rose. â€Å"Really? What kind? Angel? Demon?† â€Å"None of the above. He's not one of mine.† â€Å"What do you mean not one of yours?† â€Å"Not all immortals are part of the heaven and hell system. There are a lot of other creatures walking the world: nymphs, orisha, oni†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You do realize you've just thrust me into a theological quandary likely to keep me awake at night for years,† he joked. When I didn't answer, he turned serious. â€Å"Okay. So what kind was he?† I shook my head. â€Å"That's the thing. I don't know. I don't know what he was exactly.†