The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 9 THIRD WHEEL

TIME BEGAN TO TRIP ALONG MUCH MORE QUICKLY than before. School, work, and Jacobthough not necessarily in that ordercreated a neat and effortless pattern to follow. And Charlie got his wish: I wasn't miserable anymore. Of course, I couldn't fool myself completely. When I stopped to take stock of my life, which I tried not to do too often, I couldn't ignore the implications of my behavior. I was like a lost moonmy planet destroyed in some cataclysmic, disaster-movie scenario of desolationthat continued, nevertheless, to circle in a tight little orbit around the empty space left behind, ignoring the laws of gravity. I was getting better with my bike, which meant fewer bandages to worry Charlie. But it also meant that the voice in my head began to fade, until I heard it no more. Quietly, I panicked. I threw myself into the search for the meadow with slightly frenzied intensity. I racked my brain for other adrenaline-producing activities. I didn't keep track of the days :hat passedthere was no reason, as I tried to live as much in the present as possible, no past fading, no future impending. So I was surprised by the date when Jacob brought it up on one of our homework days. He was waiting when I pulled up in front of his house. â€Å"Happy Valentine's Day,† Jacob said, smiling, but ducking his head as he greeted me. He held out a small, pink box, balancing it on his palm. Conversation hearts. â€Å"Well, I feel like a schmuck,† I mumbled. â€Å"Is today Valentine's Day?† Jacob shook his head with mock sadness. â€Å"You can be so out of it sometimes. Yes, it is the fourteenth day of February. So are you going to be my Valentine? Since you didn't get me a fifty-cent box of candy, it's the least you can do.† I started to feel uncomfortable. The words were teasing, but only on the surface. â€Å"What exactly does that entail?† I hedged. â€Å"The usualslave for life, that kind of thing.† â€Å"Oh, well, if that's all† I took the candy. But I was trying to think of some way to make the boundaries clear. Again. They seemed to get blurred a lot with Jacob. â€Å"So, what are we doing tomorrow? Hiking, or the ER?† â€Å"Hiking,† I decided. â€Å"You're not the only one who can be obsessive. I'm starting to think I imagined that place† I frowned into space. â€Å"We'll find it,† he assured me. â€Å"Bikes Friday?† he offered. I saw a chance and took it without taking time to think it through. â€Å"I'm going to a movie Friday. I've been promising my cafeteria crowd that I would go out forever.† Mike would be pleased. But Jacob's face fell. I caught the expression in his dark eyes before he dropped them to look at the ground. â€Å"You'll come too, right?† I added quickly. â€Å"Or will it be too much of a drag with a bunch of boring seniors?† So much for my chance to put some distance between us. I couldn't stand hurting Jacob; we seemed to be connected in an odd way, and his pain set off little stabs of my own. Also, the idea of having his company for the ordealI had promised Mike, but really didn't feel any enthusiasm at the thought of following throughwas just too tempting. â€Å"You'd like me to come, with your friends there?† â€Å"Yes,† I admitted honestly, knowing as I continued that I was probably shooting myself in the foot with my words. â€Å"I'll have a lot more fun if you're there. Bring Quil, and we'll make it a party.† â€Å"Quil's gonna freak. Senior girls.† He chortled and rolled his eyes. I didn't mention Embry, and neither did he. I laughed, too. â€Å"I'll try to get hin a good selection.† I broached the subject with Mike in English. â€Å"Hey, Mike,† I said when class was over. â€Å"Are you free Friday night?† He looked up, his blue eyes instantly hopeful. â€Å"Yeah, I am. You want to go out?† I worded my reply carefully. â€Å"I was thinking about getting a group†I emphasized the word†together to go see Crosshairs.† I'd done my homework this timeeven reading the movie spoilers to be sure I wouldn't be caught off guard. This movie was supposed to be a bloodbath from start to finish. I wasn't so recovered that I could stand to sit through a romance. â€Å"Does that sound like fun?† â€Å"Sure,† he agreed, visibly less eager. â€Å"Cool.† After a second, he perked back up to near his former excitement level. â€Å"How about we get Angela and Ben? Or Eric and Katie?† He was determined to make this some kind of double date, apparently. â€Å"How about both?† I suggested â€Å"And Jessica, too, of course. And Tyler and Conner, and maybe Lauren,† I tacked on grudgingly. I had promised Quil variety. â€Å"Okay,† Mike muttered, foiled. â€Å"And,† I continued, â€Å"I've got a couple of friends from La Push I'm inviting. So it sounds like we'll need your Suburban if everyone comes.† Mike's eyes narrowed in suspicion. â€Å"These are the friends you spend all your time studying with now?† â€Å"Yep, the very ones,† I answered cheerfully. â€Å"Though you could look at it as tutoringthey're only sophomores.† â€Å"Oh,† Mike said, surprised. After a second of thought, he smiled. In the end, though, the Suburban wasn't necessary. Jessica and Lauren claimed to be busy as soon as Mike let it slip that I was involved in the planning. Eric and Katie already had plansit was their three-week anniversary or something. Lauren got to Tyler and Conner before Mike could, so those two were also busy. Even Quil was outgrounded for fighting at school. In the end, only Angela and Ben, and, of course Jacob, were able to go. The diminished numbers didn't dampen Mike's anticipation, though. It was all he could talk about Friday. â€Å"Are you sure you don't want to see Tomorrow and Forever instead?† he asked at lunch, naming the current romantic comedy that was ruling the box office. â€Å"Rotten Tomatoes gave it a better review.† â€Å"I want to see Crosshairs† I insisted. â€Å"I'm in the mood for action. Bring on the blood and guts!† â€Å"Okay.† Mike turned away, but not before I saw his maybe-she's-crazy-after-all expression. When I got home from school, a very familiar car was parked in front of my house. Jacob was leaning against the hood, a huge grin lighting up his face. â€Å"No way!† I shouted as I jumped out of the truck. â€Å"You're done! I can't believe it! You finished the Rabbit!† He beamed. â€Å"Just last night. This is the maiden voyage.† â€Å"Incredible.† I held my hand up for a high five. He smacked his hand against mine, but left it there, twisting his fingers through mine. â€Å"So do I get to drive tonight?† â€Å"Definitely,† I said, and then I sighed. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"I'm giving upI can't top this one. So you win. You're oldest.† He shrugged, unsurprised by my capitulation. â€Å"Of course I am.† Mike's Suburban chugged around the corner. I pulled my hand out of Jacob's, and he nude a face that I wasn't meant to see. â€Å"I remember this guy,† he said in a low voice as Mike parked across the street. â€Å"The one who thought you were his girlfriend. Is he still confused?† I raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Some people are hard to discourage.† â€Å"Then again,† Jacob said thoughtfully, â€Å"sometimes persistence pays off.† â€Å"Most of the time it's just annoying, though.† Mike got out of his car and crossed the road. â€Å"Hey, Bella,† he greeted me, and then his eyes turned wary as he looked up at Jacob. I glanced briefly at Jacob, too, trying to be objective. He really didn't look like a sophomore at all. He was just so bigMike's head barely cleared Jacob's shoulder; I didn't even want to think where I measured next to himand then his face was older-looking than it used to be, even a month ago. â€Å"Hey, Mike! Do you remember Jacob Black?† â€Å"Not really.† Mike held out his hand. â€Å"Old family friend,† Jacob introduced himself, shaking hands. They locked hands with more force than necessary. When their grip broke, Mike flexed his fingers. I heard the phone ringing from the kitchen. â€Å"I'd better get thatit might be Charlie,† I told them, and dashed inside. It was Ben. Angela was sick with the stomach flu, and he didn't feel like coming without her. He apologized for bailing on us. I walked slowly back to the waiting boys, shaking my head. I really hoped Angela would feel better soon, but I had to admit that I was selfishly upset by this development. Just the three of us, Mike and Jacob and me, together for the eveningthis had worked out brilliantly, I thought with grim sarcasm. It didn't seem like Jake and Mike had made any progress towards friendship in my absence. They were several yards apart, facing away from each other as they waited for me; Mike's expression was sullen, though Jacob's was cheerful as always. â€Å"Ang is sick,† I told them glumly. â€Å"She and Ben aren't coming.† â€Å"I guess the flu is making another round. Austin and Conner were out today, too. Maybe we should do this another time,† Mike suggested. Before I could agree, Jacob spoke. â€Å"I'm still up for it. But if you'd rather to stay behind, Mike† â€Å"No, I'm coming,† Mike interrupted. â€Å"I was just thinking of Angela and Ben. Let's go.† He started toward his Suburban. â€Å"Hey, do you mind if Jacob drives?† I asked. â€Å"I told him he couldhe just finished his car. He built it from scratch, all by himself,† I bragged, proud as a PTA mom with a student on the principal's list. â€Å"Fine,† Mike snapped. â€Å"All right, then,† Jacob said, as if that settled everything. He seemed more comfortable than anyone else. Mike climbed in the backseat of the Rabbit with a disgusted expression. Jacob was his normal sunny self, chattering away until I'd all but forgotten Mike sulking silently in the back. And then Mike changed his strategy. He leaned forward, resting his chin on the shoulder of my seat; his cheek almost touched mine. I shifted away, turning my back toward the window. â€Å"Doesn't the radio work in this thing?† Mike asked with a hint of petulance, interrupting Jacob mid-sentence. â€Å"Yes,† Jacob answered. â€Å"But Bella doesn't like music.† I stared at Jacob, surprised. I'd never told him that. â€Å"Bella?† Mike asked, annoyed. â€Å"He's right,† I mumbled, still looking at Jacob's serene profile. â€Å"How can you not like music?† Mike demanded. I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. It just irritates me.† â€Å"Hmph.† Mike leaned away. When we got to the theater, Jacob handed me a ten-dollar bill. â€Å"What's this?† I objected. â€Å"I'm not old enough to get into this one,† he reminded me. I laughed out loud. â€Å"So much for relative ages. Is Billy going to kill me if I sneak you in?† â€Å"No. I told him you were planning to corrupt my youthful innocence.† I snickered, and Mike quickened his pace to keep up with us. I almost wished that Mike had decided to bow out. He was still sullennot much of an addition to the party. But I didn't want to end up on a date alone with Jacob, either. That wouldn't help anything. The movie was exactly what it professed to be. In just the opening credits, four people got blown up and one got beheaded. The girl in front of me put her hands over her eyes and turned her face into her date's chest. He patted her shoulder, and winced occasionally, too. Mike didn't look like he was watching. His face was stiff as he glared toward the fringe of curtain above the screen. I settled in to endure the two hours, watching the colors and the movement on the screen rather than seeing the shapes of people and cars and houses. But then Jacob started sniggering. â€Å"What?† I whispered. â€Å"Oh, c'mon!† he hissed back. â€Å"The blood squirted twenty feet out of that guy. How fake can you get?† He chuckled again, as a flagpole speared another man into a concrete wall. After that, I really watched the show, laughing with him as the mayhem got more and more ridiculous. How was I ever going to fight the blurring lines in our relationship when I enjoyed being with him so much? Both Jacob and Mike had claimed the armrests on either side of me. Both of their hands rested lightly, palms up, in an unnatural looking position. Like steel bear traps, open and ready. Jacob was in the habit of taking my hand whenever the opportunity presented itself, but here in the darkened movie theater, with Mike watching, it would have a different significanceand I was sure he knew that. I couldn't believe that Mike was thinking the same thing, but his hand was placed exactly like Jacob's. I folded my arms tightly across my chest and hoped that both their hands fell asleep. Mike gave up first. About halfway through the movie, he pulled his arm back, and leaned forward to put his head in his hands. At first I thought he was reacting to something on the screen, but then he moaned. â€Å"Mike, are you okay?† I whispered. The couple in front of us turned to look at him as he groaned again. I could see the sheen of sweat across his face in the light from the screen. Mike groaned again, and bolted for the door. I got up to follow him, and Jacob copied me immediately. â€Å"No, stay,† I whispered. â€Å"I'll make sure he's okay.† Jacob came with me anyway. â€Å"You don't have to come. Get your eight bucks worth of carnage,† I insisted as we walked up the aisle. â€Å"That's okay. You sure can pick them, Bella. This movie really sucks.† His voice rose from a whisper to its normal pitch as we walked out of the theater. There was no sign of Mike in the hallway, and I was glad then that Jacob had come with mehe ducked into the men's bathroom to check for him there. Jacob was back in a few seconds. â€Å"Oh, he's in there, all right,† he said, rolling his eyes. â€Å"What a marshmallow. You should hold out for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit.† â€Å"I'll keep my eyes open for someone like that.† We were all alone in the hallway. Both theaters were halfway through the movie, and it was desertedquiet enough for us to hear the popcorn popping at the concession counter in the lobby. Jacob went to sit on the velveteen-upholstered bench against the wall, patting the space beside him. â€Å"He sounded like he was going to be in there for a while,† he said, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he settled in to wait. I joined him with a sigh. He looked like he was thinking about blurring more lines. Sure enough, as soon as I sat down, he shifted over to put his arm around my shoulders. â€Å"Jake,† I protested, leaning away. He dropped his arm, not looking bothered at all by the minor rejection. He reached out and took my hand firmly, wrapping his other hand around my wrist when I tried to pull away again. Where did he get the confidence from? â€Å"Now, just hold on a minute, Bella,† he said in a calm voice. â€Å"Tell me something.† I grimaced. I didn't want to do this. Not just not now, but not ever. There was nothing lett in my life at this point that was more important than Jacob Black. But he seemed determined to ruin everything. â€Å"What?† I muttered sourly. â€Å"You like me, right?† â€Å"You know I do.† â€Å"Better than that joker puking his guts out in there?† He gestured toward the bathroom door. â€Å"Yes,† I sighed. â€Å"Better than any of the other guys you know?† He was calm, sereneas if my answer didn't matter, or he already knew what it was. â€Å"Better than the girls, too,† I pointed out. â€Å"But that's all,† he said, and it wasn't a question. It was hard to answer, to say the word. Would he get hurt and avoid me? How would I stand that? â€Å"Yes,† I whispered. He grinned down at me. â€Å"That's okay, you know. As long as you like me the best. And you think I'm good-lookingsort of. I'm prepared to be annoyingly persistent.† â€Å"I'm not going to change,† I said, and though I tried to keep my voice normal, I could hear the sadness in it. His face was thoughtful, no longer teasing. â€Å"It's still the other one, isn't it?† I cringed. Funny how he seemed to know not to say the namejust like before in the car with the music. He picked up on so much about me that I never said. â€Å"You don't have to talk about it,† he told me. I nodded, grateful. â€Å"But don't get mad at me for hanging around, okay?† Jacob patted the back of my hand. â€Å"Because I'm not giving up. I've got loads of time.† I sighed. â€Å"You shouldn't waste it on me,† I said, though I wanted him to. Especially if he was willing to accept me the way I wasdamaged goods, as is. â€Å"It's what I want to do, as long as you still like to be with me.† â€Å"I can't imagine how I could not like being with you,† I told him honestly. Jacob beamed. â€Å"I can live with that.† â€Å"Just don't expect more,† I warned him, trying to pull my hand away. He held onto it obstinately. â€Å"This doesn't really bother you, does it?† he demanded, squeezing my fingers. â€Å"No,† I sighed. Truthfully, it felt nice. His hand was so much warmer than mine; I always felt too cold these days. â€Å"And you don't care what he thinks.† Jacob jerked his thumb toward the bathroom. â€Å"I guess not.† â€Å"So what's the problem?† â€Å"The problem,† I said, â€Å"is, that it means something different to me than it does to you.† â€Å"Well.† He tightened his hand around mine â€Å"That's my problem, isn't it?† â€Å"Fine,† I grumbled. â€Å"Don't forget it, though.† â€Å"I won't. The pin's out of the grenade for me, now, eh?† He poked me in the ribs. I rolled my eyes. I guess if he felt like making a joke out of it, he was entitled. He chuckled quietly for a minute while his pinky finger absently traced designs against the side of my hand. â€Å"That's a funny scar you've got there,† he suddenly said, twisting my hand to examine it. â€Å"How did that happen?† The index finger of his free hand followed the line of the long silvery crescent that was barely visible against my pale skin. I scowled. â€Å"Do you honestly expect me to remember where all my scars come from?† I waited for the memory to hitto open the gaping hole. But, as it so often did, Jacob's presence kept me whole. â€Å"It's cold,† he murmured, pressing lightly against the place where James had cut me with his teeth. And then Mike stumbled out of the bathroom, his face ashen and covered in sweat. He looked horrible. â€Å"Oh, Mike,† I gasped. â€Å"Do you mind leaving early?† he whispered. â€Å"No, of course not.† I pulled my hand free and went to help Mike walk. He looked unsteady. â€Å"Movie too much for you?† Jacob asked heartlessly. Mike's glare was malevolent. â€Å"I didn't actually see any of it,† he mumbled. â€Å"I was nauseated before the lights went down.† â€Å"Why didn't you say something?† I scolded as we staggered toward the exit. â€Å"I was hoping it would pass,† he said. â€Å"Just a sec,† Jacob said as we reached the door. He walked quickly back to the concession stand. â€Å"Could I have an empty popcorn bucket?† he asked the salesgirl. She looked at Mike once, and then thrust a bucket at Jacob. â€Å"Get him outside, please,† she begged. She was obviously the one who would have to clean the floor. I towed Mike out into the cool, wet air. He inhaled deeply. Jacob was right behind us. He helped me get Mike into the back of the car, and handed him the bucket with a serious gaze. â€Å"Please,† was all Jacob said. We rolled down the windows, letting the icy night air blow through the car, hoping it would help Mike. I curled my arms around my legs to keep warm. â€Å"Cold, again?† Jacob asked, putting his arm around me before I could answer. â€Å"You're not?† He shook his head. â€Å"You must have a fever or something,† I grumbled. It was freezing. I touched my fingers to his forehead, and his head was hot. â€Å"Whoa, Jakeyou're burning up!† â€Å"I feel fine.† He shrugged. â€Å"Fit as a fiddle.† I frowned and touched his head again. His skin blazed under my fingers. â€Å"Your hands are like ice,† he complained. â€Å"Maybe it's me,† I allowed. Mike groaned in the backseat, and threw up in the bucket. I grimaced, hoping my own stomach could stand the sound and smell. Jacob checked anxiously over his shoulder to make sure his car wasn't defiled. The road felt longer on the way back. Jacob was quiet, thoughtful. He left his arm around me, and it was so warm that the cold wind felt good. I stared out the windshield, consumed with guilt. It was so wrong to encourage Jacob. Pure selfishness. It didn't matter that I'd tried to make my position clear. If he felt any hope at all that this could turn into something other than friendship, then I hadn't been clear enough. How could I explain so that he would understand? I was an empty shell. Like a vacant housecondemnedfor months I'd been utterly uninhabitable. Now I was a little improved. The front room was in better repair. But that was alljust the one small piece. He deserved better than thatbetter than a one-room, falling-down fixer-upper. No amount of investment on his part could put me back in working order. Yet I knew that I wouldn't send him away, regardless. I needed him too much, and I was selfish. Maybe I could make my side more clear, so that he would know to leave me. The thought made me shudder, and Jacob tightened his arm around me. I drove Mike home in his Suburban, while Jacob followed behind us to take me home. Jacob was quiet all the way back to my house, and I wondered if he were thinking the same things that I was. Maybe he was changing his mind. â€Å"I would invite myself in, since we're early,† he said as we pulled up next to my truck. â€Å"But I think you might be right about the fever. I'm starting to feel a little strange.† â€Å"Oh no, not you, too! Do you want me to drive you home?† â€Å"No.† He shook his head, his eyebrows pulling together. â€Å"I don't feel sick yet. Just wrong. If I have to, I'll pull over.† â€Å"Will you call me as soon as you get in?† I asked anxiously. â€Å"Sure, sure.† He frowned, staring ahead into the darkness and biting his lip. I opened my door to get out, but he grabbed my wrist lightly and held me there. I noticed again how hot his skin felt on mine. â€Å"What is it, Jake?† I asked. â€Å"There's something I want to tell you, Bella but I think it's going to sound kind of corny.† I sighed. This would be more of the same from the theater. â€Å"Go ahead.† â€Å"It's just that, I know how you're unhappy a lot. And, maybe it doesn't help anything, but I wanted you to know that I'm always here. I won't ever let you downI promise that you can always count on me. Wow, that does sound corny. But you know that, right? That I would never, ever hurt you?† â€Å"Yeah, Jake. I know that. And I already do count on you, probably more than you know.† The smile broke across his face the way the sunrise set the clouds on fire, and I wanted to cut my tongue out. I hadn't said one word that was a lie, but I should have lied. The truth was wrong, it would hurt him. I would let him down. A strange look crossed his face. â€Å"I really think I'd better go home now,† he said. I got out quickly. â€Å"Call me!† I yelled as he pulled away. I watched him go, and he seemed to be in control of the car, at least. I stared at the empty street when he was gone, feeling a little sick myself, but not for any physical reason. How much I wished that Jacob Black had been born my brother, my flesh-and -blood brother, so that I would have some legitimate claim on him that still left me free of any blame now. Heaven knows I had never wanted to use Jacob, but I couldn't help but interpret the guilt I felt now to mean that I had. Even more, I had never meant to love him. One thing I truly knewknew it in the pit of my stomach, in the center of my bones, knew it from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, knew it deep in my empty chestwas how love gave someone the power to break you. I'd been broken beyond repair. But I needed Jacob now, needed him like a drug. I'd used him as a crutch for too long, and I was in deeper than I'd planned to go with anyone again. Now I couldn't bear for him to be hurt, and I couldn't keep from hurting him, either. He thought time and patience would change me, and, though I knew he was dead wrong, I also knew that I would let him try. He was my best friend. I would always love him, and it would never, ever be enough. I went inside to sit by the phone and bite my nails. â€Å"Movie over already?† Charlie asked in surprise when I came in. He was on the floor, just a foot from the TV. Must be an exciting game. â€Å"Mike got sick,† I explained. â€Å"Some kind of stomach flu.† â€Å"You okay?† â€Å"I feel fine now,† I said doubtfully. Clearly, I'd been exposed. I leaned against the kitchen counter, my hand inches from the phone, and tried to wait patiently. I thought of the strange look on Jacob's face before he drove away, and my fingers started drumming against the counter. I should have insisted on driving him home. I watched the clock as the minutes ticked by Ten. Fifteen. Even when I was driving, it took only fifteen minutes, and Jacob drove faster than I did. Eighteen minutes. I picked up the phone and dialed. It rang and rang. Maybe Billy was asleep. Maybe I'd dialed wrong. I tried again. On the eighth ring, just as I was about to hang up, Billy answered. â€Å"Hello?† he asked. His voice was wary, like he was expecting bad news. â€Å"Billy, it's me, Belladid Jake make it home yet? He left here about twenty minutes ago.† â€Å"He's here,† Billy said tonelessly. â€Å"He was supposed to call me.† I was a little irritated. â€Å"He was getting sick when he left, and I was worried.† â€Å"He was too sick to call. He's not feeling well right now.† Billy sounded distant. I realized he must want to be with Jacob. â€Å"Let me know if you need any help,† I offered. â€Å"I could come down.† I thought of Billy, stuck in his chair, and Jake fending for himself â€Å"No, no,† Billy said quickly. â€Å"We're fine. Stay at your place.† The way he said it was almost rude. â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. â€Å"Bye, Bella.† The line disconnected. â€Å"Bye,† I muttered. Well, at least he'd made it home. Oddly, I didn't feel less worried. I trudged up the stairs, fretting. Maybe I would go down before work tomorrow to check on him. I could take soupwe had to have a can of Campbell's around here somewhere. I realized all such plans were canceled when I woke up earlymy clock said four thirtyand sprinted to the bathroom. Charlie found me there a half hour later, lying on the floor, my cheek pressed against the cold edge of the bathtub. He looked at me for a long moment. â€Å"Stomach flu,† he finally said. â€Å"Yes,† I moaned. â€Å"You need something?† he asked. â€Å"Call the Newtons for me, please,† I instructed hoarsely. â€Å"Tell them I have what Mike has, and that I can't make it in today. Tell them I'm sorry.† â€Å"Sure, no problem,† Charlie assured me. I spent the rest of the day on the bathroom floor, sleeping for a few hours with my head on a crumpled up towel. Charlie claimed that he had to work, but I suspected that he just wanted access to a bathroom. He left a glass of water on the floor beside me to keep me hydrated. It woke me up when he came back home. I could see that it was dark in my roomafter nightfall. He clumped up the stairs to check on me. â€Å"Stillalive?† â€Å"Sort of,† I said. â€Å"Do you want anything?† â€Å"No, thanks.† He hesitated, clearly out of his element. â€Å"Okay, then,† he said, and then he went back down to the kitchen. I heard the phone ring a few minutes later. Charlie spoke to someone in a low voice for a moment, and then hung up. â€Å"Mike feels better,† he called up to me. Well, that was encouraging. He'd only gotten sick eight hours or so before me. Eight more hours. The thought made my stomach turn, and I pulled myself up to lean over the toilet. I fell asleep on the towel again, but when I woke up I was in my bed and it was light outside my window. I didn't remember moving; Charlie must have carried me to my roomhe'd also put the glass of water on my bedside table. I felt parched. I chugged it down, though it tasted funny from sitting stagnant all night. I got up slowly, trying not to trigger the nausea again. I was weak, and my mouth tasted horrible, but my stomach felt fine. I looked at my clock. My twenty-four hours were up. I didn't push it, eating nothing but saltine crackers for breakfast. Charlie looked relieved to see me recovered. As soon as I was sure that I wasn't going to have to spend the day on the bathroom floor again, I called Jacob. Jacob was the one who answered, but when I heard his greeting I knew he wasn't over it. â€Å"Hello?† His voice was broken, cracking. â€Å"Oh, Jake,† I groaned sympathetically. â€Å"You sound horrible.† â€Å"I feel horrible,† he whispered. â€Å"I'm so sorry I made you go out with me. This sucks.† â€Å"I'm glad I went.† His voice was still a whisper. â€Å"Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault.† â€Å"You'll get better soon,† I promised. â€Å"I woke up this morning, and I was fine.† â€Å"You were sick?† he asked dully. â€Å"Yes, I got it, too. But I'm fine now.† â€Å"That's good.† His voice was dead. â€Å"So you'll probably be better in a few hours,† I encouraged. I could barely hear his answer. â€Å"I don't think I have the same thing you did.† â€Å"Don't you have the stomach flu?† I asked, confused. â€Å"No. This is something else.† â€Å"What's wrong with you?† â€Å"Everything,† he whispered. â€Å"Every part of me hurts.† The pain in his voice was nearly tangible. â€Å"What can I do, Jake? What can I bring you?† â€Å"Nothing. You can't come here.† He was abrupt. It reminded me of Billy the other night. â€Å"I've already been exposed to whatever you have,† I pointed out. He ignored me. â€Å"I'll call you when I can. I'll let you know when you can come down again.† â€Å"Jacob† â€Å"I've got to go,† he said with sudden urgency. â€Å"Call me when you feel better.† â€Å"Right,† he agreed, and his voice had a strange, bitter edge. He was silent for a moment. I was waiting for him to say goodbye, but he waited too. â€Å"I'll see you soon,† I finally said. â€Å"Wait for me to call,† he said again. â€Å"Okay Bye, Jacob.† â€Å"Bella,† he whispered my name, and then hung up the phone.

Yahoo! Internal Analysis

The Company When Yahoo! was founded in 1994 by Stanford Ph. D. students, David Filo and Jerry Yang, it began as their hobby and has evolved into a global brand that has changed the way people communicate with each other, find and access information, and make purchases. Today, Yahoo! Inc. is the Internet's leading global consumer and business Services Company, offering a comprehensive network of essential services for Web users around the globe as well as businesses of all sizes. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, Yahoo! www. yahoo. com) is the leader in traffic, advertising, household and business user reach. Yahoo! is also the most recognized and valuable Internet brand globally, reaching over 345 million unique users in 25 countries and 13 languages. The Only Place Anyone Needs To Go Find Anything, Communicate With Anyone, or Buy Anything Serving the world's largest Web audience, Yahoo! remains focused on becoming increasingly essential to the lives of consumers. St arting with its comprehensive, hand-built directory as well as the popular My Yahoo! ervice, Yahoo! offers a broad and deep array of communications, commerce and content services in over 100 distinct properties that lead consumers to make Yahoo! their home on the Internet and wireless devices. Fitting the lifestyles of the mobile consumer, Yahoo! offers an increasing array of essential, personalized, localized and timely information on wireless devices, including wireless phones, two-way pagers and personal digital assistants. Committed to extending content and services beyond the desktop, Yahoo! as the largest global mobile audience and the greatest breadth of wireless products and services of any Web content provider. Becoming Increasingly Essential to Businesses & Enterprises Worldwide As the No. 1 Internet network on corporate desktops, surpassing a 70 percent reach in the U. S. workplace, Yahoo! also offers a range of services for businesses and enterprises of all sizes. Corpor ate Yahoo! is an information portal solution that enables companies to communicate and interact directly with their employees, customers and shareholders over a secure and scalable platform. Yahoo!Broadcast Services is the leading provider of Internet audio and video streaming solutions for corporate and consumer communications, delivering thousands of live and on-demand, corporate events including: product launches, marketing programs, training/distance learning, keynote addresses, annual shareholder meetings, and quarterly earnings calls. Yahoo! ‘s Small Business services enable small businesses and professionals to establish and grow a business presence with services such as Yahoo! Domains, Yahoo! Website Services, Yahoo! Servers and Yahoo! Store. An industry leader in online advertising, Yahoo! ffers an integrated set of marketing services through Yahoo! Fusion Marketing that unite Yahoo! ‘s media, e-commerce, direct marketing, broadcast, and communication tools to a llow clients to find any audience, connect with anyone, and sell anything. Yahoo! ‘s data driven services provide unparalleled targeting and measurement capabilities far beyond banners, clicks, and conversions. Customized to integrate clients' traditional marketing programs online, Yahoo! Fusion Marketing programs generate greater customer acquisition and retention, extended brand value, and increased sales in today's global marketplace. SWOT AnalysisThe external environment includes all the factors outside the organization which provide opportunities or pose threats to the organization. The internal environment refers to all the factors within an organization which impart strengths or cause weakness of a strategic nature . The environment in which an organization exists can be, therefore defined as the opportunities and threats operating in the external environment apart from the strengths and weakness existing in the internal environment. A systematic approach to understand the environment of Yahoo is the SWOT analysis. Internal Factor Analysis (IFA) of the Yahoo CorporationStrengths The strength is an inherent capacity which an organization uses to gain a strategic and competitive advantage. The strengths of Yahoo Corporation are: * Yahoo! ‘s Overture is a tremendously profitable Internet advertising business. It focuses on affiliate advertising for large advertising accounts, in the same way as Google's Adsense programme. This is an important income stream for Yahoo!. * Yahoo! has over 500 million users of its services and solutions. This makes it a very powerful marketing company, with a very well known brand. Some reports indicate that it is the most popular website in the World. A key long-term strength is Yahoo! ‘s international business presence. As the Internet expands and it is adopted by more nations the opportunities for Internet brands begin to emerge. Yahoo! is well placed to take advantage of these opportunities with its strat egic business units in Asia, Europe and Australia. * The Yahoo! Directory is an original source of structured information. It has built over the last decade, and unlike mainstream search engines, its content is moderated (i. e. sites are vetted before their inclusion). Weaknesses: A weakness is an inherent limitation or constraint which creates strategic disadvantages for the company.It is overdependence on a single product line, which is potentially risky. The weaknesses of Yahoo are: * As per Jan 2012 data, a survey says yahoo’s market share in search engine is only 6% * Google already has more than 50% market share and the immediate competitors are Baidu which has same 6% and bing has 4% in search engine * Google being the leading the service provider on the internet , is grabbing the revenues from advertisements * Most of the services provided by Yahoo are unknown in the internet space. * Yahoo is ranked 5th in visitors among video sites. YouTube was first owned by Google .There has been near about 3 % slump per year in Yahoo’s image search. * Google search results produce double revenues as compared to Yahoo. * Yahoo is losing its market share in mailing services very gradually due to Google’s strong presence in search engine market and it related product portfolio complementing to search engine services * For Yahoo, differentiation is difficult. Almost all of its services are available from other sources such as Mail services, news, shopping, financial data and business directory services are provided by many others like MSN, CNN, e-bay, Money control etc. The future of Yahoo is uncertain as the technology develops and new unforeseen advertising media emerges. * Financial health of the company is not so promising for the investors. The company’s assets both in terms of intangible and tangible are on the declining side. Matching analysis Match the external factors against the internal factors of YAHOO! Opportunities| Threats| * Internet video advertising spending expected to increase by 82% to $610 million by 2009. * Yahoo! Inc has purchased Flickr. * Broadband expansion. * Yahoo! as a strong and talented employee base. * Yahoo! has penetrated markets that are still untouched by competitors. | * Google commands about 50% of all online searches and Yahoo! has only 24% according to Neilson/NetRating. * Consumer attitudes towards online advertising may become more negative. * Increasing strength of competitors. * Social websites such as MySpace and Facebook are now breaking into the online advertising market. * Google is surpassing Yahoo! in revenues. | Strengths| Weaknesses| * Yahoo! Inc. has beaten Google in the mobile market. * Yahoo!Inc. has many more auxiliary products compared to the competition. * Yahoo! Inc. has strong brand recognition. * Partnerships with MLB, VISA and NFL. * Access is available to anyone with internet access. | * Yahoo! is ranked 5th in visitors among video sites. YouTube which is owned by Google is ranked 1st. * Yahoo! image search has been declining 3% per year. * Google search results generate twice as much revenue as Yahoo!. * Advertising revenues are falling due to Google and other competitors in the market. | Alternative strategies or RecommendationsIt is clear that the Yahoo Corporation has faced some major challenges in staying on top of the Internet market. It is suggested that the corporation should continue to grow its customer base. The corporation can grow its customer base by successfully capturing the international market. In addition, Yahoo can enlarge its target customer statistics by including customers outside the age group of 18-34 like people of above 55 years. Yahoo has to distinguish itself from the rest of its competitors in the Internet market in order to successfully accomplish these objectives.The alternative strategy that the Yahoo Corporation can adopt is: Capturing the international market: In capturing the international market, Yahoo has been comparatively unsuccessful. Though, Yahoo provides its services in a variety of languages but it has been unable to contend with national companies of other countries. For example, in China, Yahoo holds less than 5% of the total Chinese market share. The majority of the China market is dominated by Chinese search engine known as Baidu. com. In August 2005, Google, the American rival has captured a significant portion i. . approximately 33% of the Chinese market. Moreover, near about 71. 3% of the overall international market has been captured by Google. Some of this percentage was grabbed from Yahoo. Yahoo must ensure that internet access is available to its target market in order to strategically grow its customer base. If the target market does not have the means or ability to access services, Yahoo will not be successful. It is important for Yahoo Corporation to capture international customers during the exposure to the Internet. This can create a comfort-zone for its new users.Yahoo also, should become familiar with the likes, dislikes, habits and other characteristics of each niche of the international market. The company should use appropriate marketing channels to create the demand in international market. The marketing techniques like sales promotion, advertising, publicity, etc. will work more effectively to capture international market. Expanding the target market: To become successful, it is important for the Yahoo Corporation to expand its target market. It is important that Yahoo tries to capture those who are its first-time Internet users.Through partnerships with telecommunications providers and cable companies, Yahoo should work to become a primary part of a new Internet service package. Yahoo can successfully get new web users to begin their Internet use. The users use the internet because it allows them to communicate with their friends and family members who are separated geographically. Furthermore, people like the Internet b ecause it allows them to find information and items that they can’t find elsewhere. With this demographic, travel, leisure and financial information tend to be popular.Yahoo should promote its different offerings in publications and media to achieve the best reach and to focus on the particular areas. Yahoo should publicize itself as a source of health information as well as a site that provides travel information for those who plan for retirement. Yahoo should portray itself as a portal of information. Differentiation: To remain competitive, Yahoo should adopt and initiate new projects. The company should begin as a search engine and expand its offerings by including finance, personals and hot Jobs and other activities.For example, Yahoo has realized that the potential users of Yahoo music consequently acquire a significant share of the online music industry. The ability to differentiate itself from its competitors is the main reason for the success of Yahoo. To promote new products, Yahoo is able to take advantage of its brand equity and its large user base. Yahoo should not limit itself to fixed media sites. Yahoo should attempt to commence a multimedia Internet project called runner. This video-intensive and web-based reality TV project will focus on a fugitive crisscrossing the country.Yahoo Corporation should also expand its Internet-based market to compete against traditional media. Conclusion Thus, it is concluded that in the dynamic Internet market, Yahoo is a strong and relatively established company. Its core competence includes focus on young adult users, regularly improving fixed web sites, driving advertising revenue and encouraging employees to be practical. All this points have been a formula for its success. Yahoo must apply aggressive strategies and maintain healthy financial statement to remain competitive.It is important that Yahoo carefully review all these strategies and examine the timing of its initiatives. The company can achiev e its target and growth by hiring competent managers and experienced consultants as well as by remaining focused on its core competencies. By maintaining the strategies, Yahoo will be able to position itself to become a leader in the race for multimedia domination. An understanding of the external environment in terms of opportunities and threats and the internal environment in term of strengths and weaknesses is important for the existence, growth and profitability of Yahoo Corporation.

Language and allusion analysis of Teaching English from an Old Essay

Language and allusion analysis of Teaching English from an Old Composition Book,Constantly Risking Absurdityand The Love Song - Essay Example At the same time, these could be symbols in a way that it collectively describes the speaker’s past, as full of regrets and wasted opportunity, especially in taking risks for intimate relationships. Using descriptive devices, such as sensory details, further developed the feeling of insecurity the speaker has, saying: "with a bald spot in the middle of my hair† (Eliot 39). Images and symbolisms go hand in hand; however, they can exist without the presence of the other. Like Eliot’s work, the poem â€Å"Constantly Risking Absurdity† written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, is built around imageries, symbolisms and few allusions. According to Edward Kent, Ferlinghetti’s poem is the writer’s definition of poets, as he performs â€Å"like an acrobat† (Ferlinghetti 6) every time he writes. It is the poet’s duty to present the unshakable truth to his audience, and if he fails to do this, he would fall to his death just like what a careless ac robat can become (Kent 1244).

Marriage versus living together Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Marriage versus living together - Essay Example They would not have anyone on their head to do the chores and thus be responsible for their own acts, behaviors and just about everything that comes under the heading of cohabitating. There is the premise that knowing the other partner is significant since it will form up as an essential ingredient in the line of marrying each other. One finds the strengths and the weaknesses of the other person when he lives with the partner and thus finds what is going on within their own lives and how best they could share their own selves with their chosen partners. Furthermore, the significance of living together by the couples becomes apparent when the issue of rockier marriage arises. This is because men and women would cheat after they are married and hence there would be no looking back by the other partner. In a living together scenario, if a partner cheats the other partner, there is always room for leaving the other partner high and dry and moving out of the house. The relationship ends there and then – no room for legal procedures, no court cases and no litigations at all. Cheating after marriage is a trauma that can neither be taken by a man nor by a woman, no matter whichever society they belong to. Nearly every culture has had some negatives drawn against the element of cheating in a marriage and thus all endeavors must be made to address this issue once and for all. Also, the pros and cons of living together have been outlined in cultural settings and have usually been described in detail by the cultural understandings and interpretations. Some religions like Islam are totally against such practices and even the religion of Christianity at some places and more so within the sexual domains has abstained from cohabitating in essence. Marriage however is a totally different perspective that is on offer even in the present times. It asks for more

IN the poem Theodore Roethe's My Papa's Waltz Choose a significant Essay

IN the poem Theodore Roethe's My Papa's Waltz Choose a significant word and find 3 different definitions and relate their uses back to the poem - Essay Example However, the word ‘beat’ used in the fourth stanza stands out to me as particularly meaningful. This word has several listed meanings within the American Heritage Dictionary. The three that seem particularly relevant associate this word with the concept of violence, the concept of music and the concept of exhaustion. The American Heritage Dictionary offers as its first definition of the word ‘beat’ as â€Å"to strike repeatedly; to subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse, batter; to punish by hitting or whipping, flog† (2003). This definition seems to infuse the poem with an undertone of violence that is reinforced by other words that have this same meaning. These include the ideas of ‘battered’ that is used both in the above definition as well as in Roethke’s third stanza as he indicates the battered condition of his father’s hand. This condition indicates that the man is accustomed to fighting and violence and has little or no reluctance to use this same force within the home as the small boy is scraped against the father’s belt buckle, another image for many children of violence as it is the belt that was often used as a direct means of punishment for young boys who broke the rules. The idea of violence suggested by the definition o f the word ‘beat’ is also found in the first stanza when the speaker confesses that he found it necessary to hang on â€Å"like death† (3) in order to avoid injury during these wild dances he shared with his father. The second meaning of the word ‘beat’ offered by the American Heritage Dictionary is focused on the concept of sound. Specifically, this meaning is defined as â€Å"to strike so as to produce music or a signal; to mark or count (time or rhythm), especially with the hands or with a baton† (2003). This seems to be the intended meaning of the word as it is used in the obvious context of the poem as the speaker

Mohawk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mohawk - Essay Example According to Kathleen Gallagher of the Millwaukee Journal Sentinal in a Christmas Day article 2006, carpet has dropped to 46% from 49% in sales of ALL floor coverings since '05. " People have to stand on something" said Haruki Toyama of Toyama Value Fund, in that recent article. Since this trend must have been apparent to the Mohawk Company a long time ago these folks have been moving into the tile and laminates end of floor coverings, hence their purchase and integration of the Belgian tile manufacturer mentioned. Instead of a careful and slow growing conservative company I see a concern poised to take advantage of lower transport costs than since the beginning of the Iraq war; along with an integrated tile manufacture, to challenge Shaw's leading market share in this industry. Instead of a stodgy conservative slow growth company, Mohawk seems poised on the cusp of an upsurge of growth if one reads into the future with this Sullivan article.

Health Care Disparities in the United States Research Paper

Health Care Disparities in the United States - Research Paper Example Yes, it is possible to eliminate health disparities in the United States. Eliminating the disparities that exist in healthcare is politically sensitive and rather challenging because they are somehow intertwined with a controversial record of race relationships in the US. Â  Some of the approaches that can be applied in eliminating health care disparities include increasing the competence and number of healthcare practitioners in areas which are underserved, expanding health insurance coverage, increasing the awareness base on root and arbitration to decrease the occurrence of health care disparities and raising community and health care practitioners understanding of racial or ethnic health care disparities. These strategies combined with others by the government are bound to be successful in eliminating health care disparities in the US. Â  The similar theme is that exists in the assigned articles is that eliminating health care disparities is key to improving the general quality of health care provided in the US. Most Americans do not often receive the quality health care that they deserve or on other occasions, the health care they get causes them harm (Williams, 2007). It is such incidences that have resulted in health care disparities in America.

Analysis of VSauce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of VSauce - Essay Example Creative re-engineering and several developmental phases enables VSauce to incorporate diversified mechanics that have seen them shift the focus from educative and informative channels to more scientific and comprehendible gaming channels and protocols that necessitate the collaborative impact and views and/or technical development from the users and designers in the community. This gives the channels a competitive advantage compared to other sites in that the diversity of the views and generative aspects from the collaborations help the site in development and design of cutting-edge features. Customization of videos in terms of quality and the subject matter, video, gaming, sports and the interactive aspects, offers freedom of exchange and transfer of knowledge. This merits attention as it incorporates the diversity of age, social and cultural background, economic wellness and freedom of choice from the variety which is the functional perspective of websites and their applications ( Brown 8). Vsauce incorporates the education aspect in the provision of digital, clear and chronological scientific motion pictures in the field of science giving the audience/ academic visitor a variety of videos which actualize the theoretical package taught in classroom atmosphere. This aspect diversifies its operations to more of a blog, content and archive site giving convenience to the variety of users/visitors. Also the incorporation accommodates diversified interests of a single visitor by harmonizing and providing multiple solutions in one site unlike other sites that will give specific solution to a specific interest/problem. For instance, introduction of VSauce2 that has five recurring segments to cover unusual knowledge and technology, â€Å"MindBlow†, a segment that covers the inventions that are useful and their significance to the society are not only humorous but touches the collaborative and the educative aspect of the invention part learnt in schools and in h istory. Also the â€Å"FAK† segment for facts and knowledge, which involves trivial questions, acts as a mental developmental program for all ages which gives the site credit in creativity aspects and collaborative ones as the channel’s work is from the users. Creativity is evident in the way VSauce incorporates the diversity of artistic talents from the users and the community in general. The incorporation of different â€Å"phases† of VSauce with time has seen developments in the users’ contribution in realizing the user’s talents and in line with the growth and development goal of the site and giving back to the society. For instance, the ‘BiDiPi’ segment that stands for build it, drive it and play it, incorporates the talents of the communities and the site user/fans and brings the competitive aspect of the site to the users which act as a motivational tool.

The Short-Term Significance Of The Anglo-Saxon Invasions Coursework

The Short-Term Significance Of The Anglo-Saxon Invasions - Coursework Example The invasion of England was a result of fighting between the British and the Anglo Saxons until around AD 500 at the Battle of Mount Badon which started as a result of a mutiny by Anglo Saxon mercenaries within the Roman army between 450 and 500. However, Gildas in his De Excidio Brittannie acclaims the resistance to Ambrosius Aurelianus who finally won the Battle of Mount Badon, which steamed the migration of the Anglo Saxons and their dominance of England as the Britons exhausted themselves with internal disputes, wars and general unrest. Discussion A most recent account based on a skeptical review of the archeological evidence by Hines notes that, while there was a general sequence of the transition from Roman Britain to Anglo-Saxon England, it cannot be dated to the exact dates as historians would desire. This is due to very little evidence in the form of Anglo Saxon artifacts that could be dated back to the 5th century. Anglo Saxon influence hence became more visible during the 2nd half of the 5th century resulting in the definition of the coming of the Anglo Saxons from the point which they achieved significant influence rather than their first arrival, c450 hence is just a date as any. The significances of the Anglo Saxon invasion in Britain can hence be analyzed in terms of the social, political, economic, cultural and economic impacts. As one of the short term social impacts of this invasion and final migration, the Anglo Saxons were assimilated into the Celtic culture and their social setting, especially in the central and southern parts of Britain. This contributed to the final creation of the Anglo Saxon England which basically led to the extensive use of the old English language. The language arose as a social need among the three different communities of the Anglo Saxons to communicate among each other (Gerrard, CA217. Celt was the language of the military and the higher in society who in any given society are usually few in number and the fall of the Romano British rule saw the fall in the number of Latin speakers, hence leaving the majority and the rest of the society to be speakers of old English whose growth in population increased the number of old-English speaker. The Anglo Saxon invasion of England is mainly known to have started by the invitation of Anglo Saxon mercenaries of 100 men on three ships by the Romans to help them in the war against the Picts and the Irish, and also others who came to their own accord. Their most known form of military advancement was on foot sores but during the aftermath of their invasion of Britain, and their expansion of their territory, they switched their military strategy to charging on horsebacks which can also be attributed to the expansion of their kingdom which meant large tracts of land to be covered, which logically could not be done on foot. In the early Anglo Saxon settlement in Britain, buildings were of simple construction, only using masonry in the foundation only but the rest was strictly using timber with thatch roofing. This form of architecture of the Anglo Saxon was because of not wanting to settle within the old roman cities. With the Roman settlement among the Anglo Saxons also saw a distinctive contrast in the form of construction of houses and in the overall architecture in totality (White, CA 211). The Roman settlement led to the building of monumental forms of architecture which can be attributed to Christianity since the churches of this age were to be built in a particular form of architecture. Christianity as a religion was formally introduced to the Anglo

Racial and Ethnic Relations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Racial and Ethnic Relations - Assignment Example The reason is very obvious. No matter how modern and liberal we have become, we still have not been able to come out of the so-called pride and prejudice system regarding gender and race. In the workplaces and outside, women of Color are always treated as low class citizens. If we survey through organizations, we come to know that white men are given high level job positions while employees of Color, and especially women of another race or other underrepresented minority groups, are given low level positions due to which there often arise interpersonal conflicts and the overall organizational culture gets affected. Complaints by women of Color regarding discrimination are not even heard. Due to this fact, there are a lot of discrimination cases at workplaces that go unidentified because the victims are always sure that they will not be given an ear and their problem will never be solved. The reason for this is that the offender is always someone who is at a higher job level or is of the other gender. This makes the complainant apprehensive about the issue. Women of Color also have to undergo sexual harassment at times.

Moral absolutism Essay Example for Free

Moral absolutism Essay When we speak of â€Å"Morality† we think of the difference between right and wrong, the difference between the good and the evil. We use morality to justify our actions and decisions. More often than not, people impose their morality on others and expect them to act in the way they find fit. They believe that the idea of right and wrong is universal. In her essay â€Å"On Morality†, Didion contradicts this theory and believes that everyone can have different ideas of morality based on their own perception. To make her point, Didion uses the examples of Klaus Fuchs and Alfred Rosenberg. Fuchs was a British traitor who leaked nuclear secrets to the Soviets, and Rosenberg was the Nazi administrator of Eastern Europe, where the Germans committed their most heinous and most murderous acts during World War II. Both of them claimed that what they did were morally appropriate. She then goes on to say that Jesus justifies what he did based on morality. The juxtaposition of these ideas affirms Didion’s theory that the conviction of morality is vastly based on perspective. This juxtaposition also helps prove that people use morality to justify almost anything. Osama Bin Laden believed that it was morally right to take the lives of millions of innocent civilians in the name of religion. President Snow, along with the Capitol, in The Hunger Games saw it fit to throw 24 teenagers in a battlefield and let them fight until only one remains. Morality does not seem like a tool to distinguish right from wrong, but a method to have a clean conscious, irrespective of whether one’s acts are good or bad. Didion also says, â€Å"For better or for worse, we are what we learned as children. † (158) This shows that the ideas we have of good and bad and the so-called â€Å"morality† is part of what we’ve learnt growing up. A lot of people might find it pointless to stay with a corpse on a highway. But to Didion, it is the moral thing to do. We do not leave behind our dead. Friedrich Nietzsche said, â€Å"Fear is the mother of morality. † Didion maintains that morality might differ from person to person. In my opinion, a lot of factors influence the decisions we make and then blame them on morality. â€Å"The right thing† is too abstract to be universal. Didion debates about the cannibalism acts and talks about the vestigial taboo that no one should eat their own blood kin. This might seem appalling to some while being a being of another’s culture. Didion says that morality has â€Å"the most potentially mendacious meaning. † (159) And I couldn’t agree more. There is a very thin line between right and wrong, and morality is what shows one where to draw it. But the basis of that line is so ambiguous, that people end up using morality to cover up their actions. The idea Didion presents is that humans are not equipped to distinguish between the good and the bad. We think that all actions are sound as long as they don’t hurt another person. But then we see people like Adolf Hitler. The man murdered millions of people. Yet, he had a bunch of supporters who helped him with these inhumane acts. But he did what he did in the name of morality, in the name of ‘respect for the greater race. ’ The central idea of this essay is that morality depends largely on perception. What one finds wrong may not necessarily be seen as inappropriate by another. â€Å"I followed my own conscience. † â€Å"I did what I thought was right. † Didion questions the reader how many madmen have said this and meant it? Didion doesn’t believe that these men shelter themselves under the illusion of morality but actually believe their actions are moral and justified. Maybe we ourselves have said it before and been wrong. Our conscience isn’t always the best judge of things. But the concept of morality makes it okay to just be impulsive and do what we think is correct in the moment. The relevance of our logic lacks frequency. One might not kill people on a daily basis but one might find it moral to do it someday and go ahead with it. Does this make them immoral? Is the act of killing immoral? What if the victim is a killer? The answers to questions relating to morality are not black or white. There could be various different instances where individuals might have different stands on issues. All of which they might believe to be morally correct. So the question is, who decides what is moral and what is not? What gives them the power to do so? Should the morality of one person be forced on another? Clearly, universal standards of right and wrong do not exist. The evidence Didion provided as well as instances we see around the world proves that fact. A lot of people do not agree with Didion’s idea of differing morality. The people who adhere themselves to a supposedly universal moral code can delude themselves into thinking people who do not follow that code are less humane. People need to stop fretting over moral absolutes and let morality run their life and effect every decision they make in order to ensure the future is safe from oppression and terrorism.

Globalisation: An Economic Phenomenon

Globalisation: An Economic Phenomenon Globalisation is in itself an abstract term without a fixed objective definition. The extent to which the world has become interconnected in even greater ways in recent contemporary history has blurred this definition further. To categorise Globalisation as an essentially economic phenomenon, sheds no light on the true circumstance the world finds itself in today. Economic integration may be a large contributing factor driving Globalisation forward, but it is far too simplistic to label globalisation as essentially an economic phenomenon, for the world we find ourselves inhabiting today has a much deeper level of interconnectedness than solely economics can profess accountancy for. Globalisation today has come to describe an ongoing and pervasive phenomenon which is redefining the economic, social and cultural dynamics of contemporary societies,  [1]  acting in all spheres of twenty first century life, not just those related to economic linkage. The world itself is interconnected in an ever growing number of ways not just trough the global nature of trade, finance and production but in other more diverse aspects of daily life. Socially people around the globe are becoming closer, supranational political institutions based not solely on economic aims but on political goals and social grounds, strengthen the argument that although economics plays an undeniable role within the concept of globalisation, this economic aspect can no longer be viewed in isolation from Globalisations other attributes. This argument is also evident in many of the problems the world faces today; terrorism, environmental disasters and epidemics, no longer affect nations in isolation rather affect the world as a whole, such is the varied and diverse nature of the phenomenon of globalisation. The nation sate can no longer effectively tackle problems within its own boarders, gone is the age of isolation. The informal ebbing away at state autonomy is, and will continue to be a major characteristic of globalisation, with politics-understood as the pursuit of world order and justice are played out in a global context,  [2]  thus globalisation is prevalent in all spheres of contemporary existence and this is what this essay will argue. Economic globalisation refers to the intensification and stretching of economic interrelations across the globe,  [3]  this is displayed through the instantly connected and dependant nature of global production; trade and finance, that has resulted from the deregulation of global markets allowing greater product and capital fluidity around the globe. This in part has been ever grater intensified through the development of communications and informations technologies, allowing business to operate instantly on a global scale, through the click of a computer mouse. Economic globalisation has relied upon the concepts of neoliberal economics as an ideological base. This has been exemplified through the Washington consensus. Although this consensus directly relates to the policies of the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary fund and the World Bank, it can be seen broadly as describing the agreed terms on which the economic aspect of globalisation has come to flourish. This consensus can be defined as the acceptance of trade and capital market liberalization, fiscal austerity, rapid privatisation, widespread deregulation and the downsizing of government,  [4]  Economic liberalisation has handed market forces free reign to decide global prices and levels of production allowing the Adam Smith notion of the invisible hand, to drive the market to its most profitable equilibrium. This free market aspect of globalisation can be exemplified through the recent trends within world trade. Global trade has become a principle factor of the economic aspect of the phenomena of globalisation. This globalised nature of trade has resulted in consumers dispersed across many corners of the planet purchasing the same articles and the same time  [5]  . Thus for manufactures the global market has allowed companies to source the best possible materials for production, at the lowest possible price, resulting in the global nature of both production and trade. For contemporary multinational companies, no longer is it important to produce a product within a particular nation when the product will be sold to consumers globally. Thus production competition and the trade of goods is no longer regionally affiliated but linked to a highly competitive global market by which companies are present across the globe with factories, offices and shops situated in many different regions, contributing to the economic aspect of globalisation. This economic aspect of globalisation has also been exemplified through the expansion of global finance. This change in money and capital markets since the 1970s is perhaps the most unequivocal indicator of the globalization of economic affairs  [6]  . Financial transactions are now processed instantly on a planetary basis, allowing a greater ability for companies to trade and produce regardless of geographical boarders. This financial flow has been coupled with and aided by greater levels of foreign investment through international share markets. Capital in todays globalised world can be traded instantly allowing investments into foreign companies from around the globe directly linking capital flow between countries through direct share investment. This foreign investment into production and trade has blurred the boundaries of nation sate further for example, as much United States dollar is now traded outside the US as inside  [7]  . This illustrates the truly global nature of finance, with clearly outlined currency boundaries becoming blurred. Possibly the best way to exemplify the true global nature of global economics is through the global financial firestorm of the 2008. This crisis was largely caused by the collapse subprime mortgage system within United States however, due to the interconnected nature of the financial system the collapse of investment banks within the US created a domino effect highlighting failing banks around the world, resulting in implementation of fiscal stimulus packages by governments throughout the western world. Economic globalisation has thus resulted in the ever greater interconnectedness and dependency level of national economies. No longer are nation sates economic decisions enacted in isolation. The global economy is quickly replacing the nation state economy. Critics argue that the loss of sovereignty from nation states in terms of economic policy has reduced accountability for decision when policy collapses however, there can be no argument that even if accountability is lost, globalisation does have and will continue to include an economic aspect. The economic aspect of the phenomenon of globalisation has an undeniable role in shaping a globalised world however; it is only through the linking of this economic aspect with other political, cultural and social aspects that we define globalisation as a whole. The economic aspect describes a greater level of interconnectedness within world markets, however this is not the only way the world is interconnected and thus does not define the complete notion of contemporary globalisation. Political globalisation has become a key constituent part and also a driving force behind contemporary globalisation. These political forces however often go unrecognised, Rarely, indeed are the political aspects of globalisation recognised by either its friends or its foes  [8]  . This does not mean however that this aspect of globalisation is less important or influential to the phenomena as a whole. We shall see that it is in fact political globalisation that often drives interconnectedness in much greater ways than those presented through global markets. The political aspect of globalisation can be easily represented by the plethora of international organisations, supranational bodies and international none governmental organisations, that profess an active role in delegating decision above individual nation sate circumstance, providing a forum for global issues to be targeted. Society in todays more global world is regulated in what can be described as a polycentric manner  [9]  . This is a manner by which even the most basic political decision is involved in a complex command structure based not solely within sates geographical boundaries. Increasingly political decision directly affects the interconnected nature of the world and thus, International organisations have developed in accordance to meet these new demands. An example of this new form of political globalisation is through the ever expanding role of the European Union. Although the Union was initially founded on economic grounds as the European Coal and Steel Community, it was now occupies a much deeper, active role in the daily politics of the 27 member sates. This can be illustrated through an ever greater focus on the social charter and the hoped creation of common European values. This more social aspect of globalisation through the EU however has not been void of critique most notably through the rejection of the European Constitution. States in this instance seemed unwilling for a greater level of deepened integration and pooled sovereignty. Despite this rejection however, there is no doubt that the role of the European Union has become undeniable in the daily lives of citizens, acting as a political institution within the phenomena of globalisation. The most notable institution within this political realm of globalisation is the United Nations, the United nations has an interest indeed and obligation to help secure the equitable and lasting success of globalisation  [10]  . The UN With 192 members represents the very embodiment of legitimate political globalisation. This aspect of political globalisation can be displayed through recent UN interventions into sovereign states, an increasing readiness by the UN to intervene within states would indicate a move towards global governance  [11]  . This intra state intervention notably professes global legitimacy through the support of member states. The UN is authorised in acting to maintain global order, thus the values of Globalisation are expressed through UN intervention. For example the NATO intervention into Kosovo was backed by the UN in order to avert ethnic cleansing. We are here seeing how global agreement through the UN allows the expression of a global consensus o n political values, providing legitimacy to intervene within sovereign states professing a global political mandate. Thus through UN intervention we are seeing a political institution upholding common planetary values thus, acting as a driving force behind the phenomenon of globalisation. This Political aspect of globalisation is also expressed through the growing focus on Human rights and social targets within nations. This once again represents a global consensus on issue and the formation of global policy, again through the UN. The Millennium Development Goals represent the formation of a global consensus to reduce poverty throughout the developing world. Here it is demonstrated that through an International political institution, global policy is formed that is then applicable on a global level. Critics argue that the failings of the millennium development goals highlight that globalisation is not an evenly spread phenomenon however, objective results for this question are regardless. The global agreement of nations to target these areas, exemplifies the way in which politics and policy through international organisations, contributes to the phenomena of globalisation. Another example of the way in which the phenomenon of globalisation is formed is through world issue politics. Within the globalising world, issues have developed that cannot be combated by the nation state alone, rather require global co-operation to resolve them effectively. These challenges to world security and peace have been varied in their origins, acting as agents of globalisation beyond the economic front. There has been a rising consensus between sates that global problems may need global solutions  [12]  . Examples of decisions taken transcending national borders, due to global nature of the issue, are those regarding the environment. The problems surrounding global warming have lead to, although in places reluctant in the case of the United States and China, a general consensus that this threat cannot be tackled effectively by any single nation no matter how large. Successful Global planetary agreements have been reached, notably with the almost universal adoption of the Montreal Protocol. This protocol tackled the depleting ozone layer through the banning of CFCS. Despite this ban having obvious economic impacts on the pharmaceutical companies of the richest nations in the world, Each country would have been better off had it rejected the Montreal Protocol  [13]  , agreement was reached. This signals an instance where Globalisation of issue rather that economics proved a driving force within the political branch of Globalisation. There became a political consensus that for the greater good of each individual country, the economic aspect must be overlooked and collective decision reached. Thus in this case it is not economics that drove globalisation, rather contemporary threats to world security that enabled collective agreement and the formation of global policy, thus contributing to the concept of globalisation. Despite this example however the more recent Kyoto protocol has stuttered greatly in comparison largely due to the most developed states of the world namely the USA and China refusing to ratify more radical cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases, principally on economic grounds. However, it is arguable here that it is not the agreement or consensus of nations on a piece of legislation that represents globalisation, although this is useful it is not necessarily needed. The very fact that every nation of the world entered into dialogue because of the global issue of climate change is enough to strengthen the argument for a globalising world not driven by economic interests necessarily but also to tackle global issues. Cultural interconnectedness is also becoming an ever greater feature of globalisation. It may here be arguable that economics and free trade ultimately dictating the way in which culture is becoming a less diverse concept through the influence and domination of multinational companies on everyday life. However we shall see that cultural globalisation has and will continue to become a distinct phenomenon within globalisation itself. The homogenisation of culture whether damaging or enhancing is taking place. Global brands such as Coca-cola, McDonalds represent an inescapable global culture that it is impossible to evade or counteract. The extent to which global brands are decaying national culture is arguable, however there can be little doubt that one of the most directly perceived and experienced forms of globalisation is the cultural form  [14]  . This cultural globalisation is seen critically by some and positively by others as a largely American phenomenon. Increasingly American brands are penetrating everyday lives in the most distant parts of the world. This McWorld culture is not only synonymous to the fast food industry it represents, but to virtually all aspects of modern life.  [15]   This cultural linkage through global branding has been greater intensified through the communications revolution. This has allowed the time space aspect of the world communication to shrink considerably. Global satellite television channels have allowed the same events to be portrayed simultaneously across the globe leading to a global identity being formed by which peoples around the world become synonymous, relaying the same information through various means of technology promoting links between individuals, communities and societies around the globe. Possibly the most notable example of this cultural aspect of globalisation is the development of language. Through the above mentioned Americanization of world culture native languages have suffered to compete on the world business stage. This has resulted in the extinction of many languages that have no longer proved beneficial in an ever Americanised world. Languages in the world have dropped from 14,500 in 1500 to less than 7,000 in 2000  [16]  , this represents the market like competition of cultures as an added dimension to contemporary globalisation allowing the strong to flourish and the weak to perish, in the continued path to an ever more global homogenised culture. The interlinking and merging of cultures from around the world can be seen as a driving force behind and a constituent part of the phenomenon of globalisation. Cultural practices lay at the very heart of globalization  [17]  , although it may be argued that it is the economic activities of multinational companies drives the global culture we are experiencing today, there is no doubt that this economic aspect is inherently liked to the greater interconnectedness within ideals and values. Multinational companies may drive culture forward through the global dimension of business however, as citizens of the world become familiar with global brands, a much deeper element of cultural globalisation is taking place thus, although linked to economics cultural synonymity is an undeniable part of the complex phenomenon of globalisation. Globalisation thus cannot be described as a purely economic phenomenon. We have seen that contained within globalisation are many different aspects that overlap to form what is understood as globalisation. The economic aspect of globalisation relies upon the political dimension of globalisation through the management of international monetary markets by global institutions such as the World Bank, but also relies upon the global consumerist demand created by a globalised culture. Globalisation is best seen as a spherical three dimensional fluid concept which contains; cultural political and economic aspects, which are dependant rather than independent from one another. A globalised world would not describe the mere interlining of world markets without the same influence of cultural and political interconnectedness that individuals experienced today.

An Introduction To Multiculturalism The Concept Sociology Essay

An Introduction To Multiculturalism The Concept Sociology Essay The definition of multiculturalism depends a great deal upon the context in which it is discussed. Concept of multiculturalism is constantly varying as more people make their voices heard to a recurrently increasing audience. Multiculturalism implies the diverse perspectives people develop and maintain through varieties of experience and background stemming from racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation and/or class differences in our society. Multiculturalism is the acceptance or promotion of various ethnic cultures. It is diversity valid to the demographic make-up of a specific place, often at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations. In this context, multiculturalists advocate extending equitable status to distinct ethnic and religious groups without promoting any specific ethnic, religious, and/or cultural community values as central. Multiculturalism should preserve the ideals of equality, equity, freedom and respect for individuals and groups as a principle fundamental to the success of a nation. Background of British Public Life Style that embraces Multiculturalism the Evolution Britian is one of Europes most multi-cultural nations. There are a number of policy drivers and historical happening that have led Britian to evolve into multicultural society that it is today. There is no infliction of immigration in the 1914 and 1948 Nationality Acts. Immigration remained low, however until after 1948. In 1953 the total number of immigrants to Britain was 2000 and by the end of the first half of 1962 the number had risen to 94,500. The 1948 British Nationality Act established positive immigration rights to Citizens of Commonwealth countries. Britain experienced an increase in immigration rate in post war era due to deficiency of labor. Initially men alone came to Britain for jobs but in late 1960s and early seventies their families joined them. These included mostly Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Buddhists as well as Christians and they settled in London, in the Midlands and the North and in the seaport towns of Liverpool and Cardiff. The immigration load of 1960s and early seventies made UK an ethnically and religiously diverse community. The idea that the immigrant would ultimately merge and become part of the host culture which was given in mid-50s was rejected. These communities develop their own cultural values. Racial tension increased and by the end of 1950s immigrants were subjected to unprovoked racist attacks. This resulted in the notion that immigration and race relations were politically controversial issues and there was a growing campaign to introduce immigration controls. Between 1950 and 1955 certain control measures were adopted to reduce the influx to Uk as the number of West Indian, Indian and Pakistani immigrants increased. But in spite of the strict immigration policy the population of immigrants is still growing Over the last decade most of the immigrants came from the Indian subcontinent or the Caribbean, i.e. from former British colonies. In 2004 the number of people who became British citizens rose to a record 140,795 a rise of 12% on the previous year. This number had risen dramatically since 2000. The huge majority of new citizens come from Africa (32%) and Asia (40%), the largest three groups being people from Pakistan, India and Somalia. This resulted in changes to the British way of life and the UK became known as a multicultural community. However, more recently the term multiculturalism is becoming a contested concept both in sociological discourse and in recent policy making. The term multiculturalism is generally thought to have arisen in Britain in a speech by the then Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins in 1966. While this term is current in the UK there are often instances where local politics can serve to exclude minority cultures while promoting the values of the dominant white culture. Multiculturalism is also a term which describes aspects of social policy. Multiculturalism is used in a number of ways which can serve either to celebrate difference or to act as a cover for what, in any real terms, is another form of enforced assimilation. It also needs to be recognized that diverse ethnic groups now consist of large numbers of people who have been born in Britain. Causes for Reduction in Peoples Moral Value and Multi-cultural Understandings of Harmony in UK 1. Materialistic Lifestyles and Lack of Religious Influences Nowdays people are inclined towards economic advancement rather than social advancement on basis of sticking to the moral values. Simplicity has been taken over by extravagent life styles and extra needs. This brings human cirlce of behavior and brings about significant impact on the entire social fabric. There is lack of religious and spiritual influences on people, and they do not tend to believe in virtues and moralities. In the The Twilight of a Great Civilization, with reference to lack of religious influences on nations and consequent emergence of immoralities, Theologian Carl Henry stated that there is no fixed truth, no final good, no ultimate meaning or purpose, and that the living God is a primitive illusionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it champions mysticism, occult forces and powers, communion with nature and exotic religions. This concept of illusional God is taking up roots in various sections of British society. 2. Fragmented Family Structure A dysfunctional family is detrimental to the development of an individual and usually results in low self-morale. Among the numerous factors for the deterioration of morals among the youth, such as lack of religious education and appreciation and peer pressure, a dysfunctional family were stated as the leading causes. The family is the basic building blocks of society. Abuse whether sexual, physical, emotional, or mental is a very real and crippling problem in families today. Young adults, couples and elderly struggle with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, sex addiction, abuse, incest, sleep disorders, divorce, mid-life illness, death and many more problems. The family has dramatically changed over the last 30 years. This results in the deterioration of morals, values, beliefs, priorities, and life styles. Such disjointed social systems where an individual is so aloof from family would definitely show rejection and lack of trust to other members of the society especially those from alien cultures. Lack of harmony in family structures ultimately lead to lack of harmony in multi-cultural society. 3. Disillusioned Youth Young people are taught in our schools and colleges that ethics, morals, right and wrong depend upon the situation. Some teachers and professors use the concept of Values Clarification to inculcate students that their desires represent valid moral and ethical values. Many of these people have come of age and are among our highest leaders today. Morality is vital in all areas of society. It is the critical education young people obtain that imparts ethical values that endow with lasting benefits. Todays teachings produce mixed results. Name calling and bulling due to racism is prevalent in British schools and educational systems. This causes discomfort to students from other cultures and creates sense of disharmony. 4. Negative Messages by Media Billboards, magazines, TV commercials, music videos all portray messages of sex, violence and extravagant lifestyles. Blood gore horror flicks or action packed ones are all full of images of violence. Even video games have element of adventure by infusing streaks of violence by use of guns, explosives, daggers. These channels of exposure to voilence makes us prone to being emotionally insensitive, and enhance trends of agression, anger and violence in the society. Violent and aggressive trends call up for dis-harmony amongst various segments of multi-cultural society. 5. Racist Behavior Racists do not like foreign people who live in the UK, either as immigrants or as visitors. Racist behavior is more widespread in areas where there are many immigrants or in towns where there are many international students. Racist behavior implies the use of slang expressions. The British Crime Survey reveals that in 2004, 87,000 people from black or minority ethnic communities said they had been a victim of a racially motivated crime. They had suffered 49,000 violent attacks, with 4,000 being wounded. At the same time 92,000 white people said they had also fallen victim of a racially motivated crime. The number of violent attacks against whites reached 77,000, while the number of white people who reported being wounded was five times the number of black and minority ethnic victims at 20,000. Most of the offenders (57%) in the racially motivated crimes identified in the British Crime Survey are not white. White victims said 82% of offenders were not white. 6. Hatered Flared due to Terrorist Attacks According to a report by BBC race-hate crimes increased by almost 600 per cent in London in the month after the July 7 bomb attacks, with 269 more offenses allegedly motivated by religious hatred reported to the Metropolitan Police, compared to the same period last year.  [1]  Muslim community living in Britian becomes subjected to harsh attitudes because they are all believed to be from terrorist groups. Religious leaders of Muslim groups hold the view that government and race bodies for pursuing a policy which, he claims, has alienated Muslims. These views were stated to be absurd by the Commission for Racial Equality. This rift between those representing Muslim community and the Commission for Racial Equality reflect a deep set sense of opposing views. Suggestions to Enhance Understanding and Harmony amongst Various Sections of British Society Media Propagation Media can play a vital role in promoting peace and harmony oriented messages. Role of Educational Systems Children and students should be taught respect and tolerance for other cultural and religious trends prevalent. They must be taught to tolerate and accept rather than to retaliate and reject. Students from different ethnic backgrounds should be encouraged to share knowledge about their cultural heritage, and the teacher can add the element of fun and interactive learning in the whole process, so that the students affiliate positivity with this exercise. At higher educational level, knowledge can be shared on wider platforms through tutorial, or intellectual discussions. Role of Government and Legal Bodies Fair and transparent government mechanisms, policy making, and legal framework. Human rights should be followed rigidly and justice should be available to all regardless of color, race or religion. Role of Peace Organizations Various organizations can come into play to drive peace and harmony campaigns. For example, Peace Boat has been active in the field of education for peace and sustainability through the organization of educational voyages, based o ­n lectures, workshops and study-exchange programmes both o ­nboard the ship and in ports of call. Their Global University and International Student (IS) programmes provide innovative approaches to peace and sustainability-related studies through intensive learning onboard and direct exposure to issues in various countries. Equal Opportunities and Freedom to Express Cultural Values Government should ensure equal opportunities regarding availability of basic necessities, housing, education, health care, employment should be available to all the communities and social stratas of UK. People should not feel awkward to expressing their cultural norms in anyway. Law should be made flexible to allow people to wear hijabs and veils (Muslim women), turbans (Sikhs) etc at work and educational places. Government should ensure that the performance of various religious cultural activities and festivals are not hindered in any way. Changes at Individual Level At the end of the day all these suggestions can add up to be nil if each one of us individually fails to take others as they are. Each one of us must work and evaluate our holistic approach of going about things. No one can compel us to exhibit tolerance or respect towards other communities unless we feel the need to do so within ourselves. The question might be: Why the need to change anyway? The answer: Change for a secure, peaceful and brighter tomorrow! Policy Areas to be covered by Government to Promote a Multi-cultural Society In UK 50 years ago, when for the first time the effect of mass immigration was experienced, the need for policy, political and legal changes was felt. With this the concern of the Government was to integrate and assimilate the incoming groups into host communities. Policy making is very crucial as it can help in formulating policies which helps in determining the representation which various ethnicities receives in television or press. It helps in determining the code of conduct for these communities, the dress code, and content of education, the freedom for observing religious holidays and to celebrate festivals. With the years Multiculturalism has initiated many disputes but the The UK Government has focused less on establishment of multicultural policy and more on issues of inclusion and cohesion. While it was principally ignored under Margaret Thatchers Government the success of New Labor has meant that the term has grow to be a common currency in political debate and in policy making. In 1997 the ODPM was given task for a social exclusion unit which aims to embark on research into a number of different areas. Social inclusion and cohesion are not just used in relation to diverse ethnic groups but are the basis for policy making in a number of other areas such as mental health, early years education and homelessness. Issues of inclusion cover a host of areas and can range from the numbers of ethnic minorities using childcare facilities, to those undertaking further education of some kind to increase their employment prospects. Policy making aimed at reducing inequalities in both the labor and the housing market. In order to be successful anti-racist strategies need to be multi-faceted and aimed at subjective, institutional, and structural racism. Past policies have been deficiently focused because there is no clear consensus in Britain what equal opportunity and multiculturalism mean either in ideological or practical terms. According to a Policy Studies Institute (1982) report found that in the majority of diverse ethnic communities rates of unemployment were twice as elevated among these groups as they were in the governing host group. There is a continuing disparity in terms of wages, exclusionary modes of hiring and higher unemployment rates, certain ethnic groups experience greater success in the labor market than do others. Housing policies also tend to discriminate against asylum seekers/refugees and other diverse ethnic groups. Clearly there are problems in the categorization of diverse ethnic grou ps and in present policy making, which, instead of greater inclusion sometimes tends to further leave out such groups. In the light of above mentioned scenario of policy decisions and proceedings, it is suggested that to sustain and promote a healthy Multi-cultural Society the Government should address the following policy areas: 1. Economic Policy Areas Economic policies should attract intellectual capital, trade, skilled migration, education, tourism, and science/technology. Establish partnerships between government agencies and business, industry, tourism, and education sectors to promote and maximize the economic advantages of cultural diversity and promote the State as a destination to work and live together. Develop supporting strategies for multiculturalism in international relations, tourism, trade and export areas. Develop educational and promotional activities to increase awareness of the economic benefits of multiculturalism. Develop strategies in the public sector to better capture the benefits of a diverse workforce. 2. Policies to Support Communities Policies should be developed for funding and investing in communities to further multiculturalism through research, policy development, advocacy, community awareness, festivals, services, projects and networks. Policies should be formulated in consultation with agencies and stakeholders in the community and across government on multicultural affairs. 3. Policies to Strengthen Multiculturalism in the Public Sector Government agencies should ensure that regardless of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, all communities have equal access to services. 4. Policies to Strengthen Community relations and anti-racism Policies should be designed for strengthening the sense of belonging in their local environment and in the global community. Policies should be taken up to promote positive and cohesive community relations across the whole community through a renewed community relations plan. 5. Policies to Develop Multicultural Education in British Schools Educational systems should be developed keeping in view the requirements and cultural backgrounds of students coming from various backgrounds. Methods of teaching and interaction should promote multi-cultural harmony amongst the students. 6. Policies for Equal Opportunities Policies should be developed to eunsure that people from all communities have equal access to basic necessities, housing, education, health care, and employment Transparency in Government Operations Transparency in government operations will definitely bring in good understanding between different sections of society. In principle, a basic requirement for transparency in the overall structure and functions of government is a clear demarcation of the boundaries between the public and private sectors and, within the former, between different levels of government with respect to the state enterprise sector.  [2]  Transparent government operations would mean sound government policies, administrative frameworks, finances, good governance, and overall fiscal integrity. Transparent government operations would be accountable to all the communities dwelling in the UK. It would clearly distinguish provision of rights, protection by law and facilities by the government to the people. This would cumulate a sense of justice and equality in the society and hence promote greater level of social security and harmony. Role of Public in Promoting Harmony and Understanding Public can play a major role in promoting harmony by abiding by the law and respecting multicultural policies. As discussed earlier each one of use must develop a sense of tolerance and respect for other members of the society. Public can actively participate in other communities cultural activities and not only promote a sense of harmony but also learn about other cultures. At homes parents must teach their children how to respect and deal politely with foreign children at schools. At work place, shopping malls, community centers we must learn to respect and treat all members of the community equally. *********************** REFRENCES: Giddens, A., Sociology, 2001, 4th Edition, Cambridge, Polity Press. Skellington R. and Morris, P., Race in Britain Today, 1992, London, Sage. Braham, P. Rattansi, A. and Skellington, R., Racism and Antiracism, 1982, London, Sage. 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Rattansi, A. and Skellington, Racism and Antiracism, 1992, London, Sage. Solomos, J and Back, L., Racism and Society, 1996, London, Macmillan Press. Modood, T. and Berthood R., Ethnic Minorities in Britain Diversities and Disadvantage, 1997, London, PSI. Multicultural Queensland making a world of difference, 2004, Queensland Government Multicultural Policy, Retrieved on 21st March 2010 from http://www.multicultural.qld.gov.au/media/maq_making_world_difference_policy.pdf Transparency in government operations, Retrieved on 20th March 2010, from: http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LyCV9MlnLPYpsTFdkCRBW0jF039GFrJhRMnS6WNP54VSvCvQ9M1G!144947719!-2000885492?docId=5001407337