Friday, December 27, 2019

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus As A Slow Progressive Disease

Introduction: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is characterized either by beta cell failure resulting in inadequate production of the hormone insulin (which is responsible for the uptake of glucose in body cells from the blood), or insulin resistance leading to decreased tissue sensitivity or response to insulin, resulting in hyperglycemia (Mahan, Escott-Stump Raymond, 2012). Insulin resistance is when cells of the body in target tissues of the muscle, liver and adipose cells fail to respond to insulin, even if there is a compensatory increase in insulin secretion (hyperinsulinemia) (Mahan et al., 2012). Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus accounts for 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases and is often diagnosed mainly in adults older than 30 years of age, but is also happening more in young adults and children (Mahan et al., 2012). Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a slow progressive disease and may be present long before you know it (Mahan et al., 2012). Manifestations of the disease are hyperglycemia (high blood glucose), fatigue, excessive thirst (polydipsia) and frequent urination (polyuria), and areas of gray-brown skin pigmentations, known as acanthosis nigricans (Mahan et al., 2012). Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is multi-factorial and involves several risk factors; some of the most powerful contributing risk factors are adiposity and a longer duration of obesity (Mahan et al., 2012). Others risk factors are multi-factorial and they include genetic and environmental factors,Show MoreRelatedDiabetes Mellitus : An Autoimmune Disease1238 Words   |  5 Pages Diabetes or as doctors would refer by as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has a high blood glucose level (above 110 mg/dL) because insulin production is inadequate, the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin or even both. Diabetes mellitus is also a contributing factor of development of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, renal failure, blindness, and stroke as individuals’ age. There are 3 different types of diabetes mellitus, type 1diabetes mellitusRead MoreDiabetes Mellitus : An Autoimmune Disease1261 Words   |  6 PagesDiabetes or as doctors would refer by as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has a high blood glucose level above 110 mg/dL because insulin production is inadequate, the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin or even both. Diabetes mellitus is also a contributing factor of development of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, renal failure, blindness, and stroke as individuals’ age. There are 3 different types of diabetes mellitus, type 1diabetes mellitusRead MoreA Research On High Risk Population851 Words   |  4 PagesOne of the prospects of research on high-risk population is the ability to recognize the disease and its outcomes, is to identify and implement of evidence-based intervention that will reverse or slow the progress of the negative outcomes of the disease (Ricci-Cabello, et al. 2013). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a progressive and protracted disease related with substantial morbidity and mortality. African Americans (AA) adults have the highest occurrence of T2DM due to factors such as obesityRead MoreDiabetes Mellitus : A Group Of Diseases That Affect Your Body Uses Blood Sugar1601 Words   |  7 PagesFT030 Diabetes Mellitus Research Paper Annabelle Anglo 03/17/2015 According to Mayo Clinic, â€Å"Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is vital to your health because it s an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It s also your brain s main source of fuel.† (Mayo Clinic, 2005) Diabetes Mellitus has 3 types: Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, and Gestational Diabetes. Type 1 DiabetesRead MoreDiabetic Nephropathy : The Major Complications Of Diabetes Mellitus1573 Words   |  7 PagesDiabetic nephropathy is one of the major complications of diabetes mellitus. Current statistics suggests that diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease in the United States as well as many other Western societies. It is also reported to be one of the most significant long-term complications in terms of morbidity and mortality for individual patients with diabetes. Diabetes is responsible for 30-40% of all end-stage renal disease (ESRD) cases in the United States. This paper is meantRead MorePathophysiology Of Diabetes Mellitus And Diabetes Essay1189 Words   |  5 PagesPathophysiology of Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Mellites(DM), is a deficiency of insulin action causing hyperglycemia. The majority of DM have a decreased secretion of the cells, insulin resistance, or counterregulatory hormones( McPhee Hammer, 2010). Insulin is synthesized from the beta cells from the pancreases. Composed from A peptide and B peptide connected to C peptide and disulfide bonds. Insulin is a hormone that aids in metabolism. encourages glucose uptake and the synthesis works mainlyRead MoreThe Prevalence Of Type 2 Diabetes1440 Words   |  6 PagesThe increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is causing huge health problem through out the world including developed countries. Mostly people with low income groups are affected in developed countries (Zimmet 2001).The magnitude of the healthcare problem of type 2 diabetes results mainly from its association with obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Indeed, type 2 diabetes has now been identified as one manifestation of the â€Å"metabolic syndromeà ¢â‚¬ , a condition characterised by insulin resistanceRead MoreAdvocacy For Management Of Diabetes1669 Words   |  7 PagesADVOCACY FOR MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES Introduction Diabetes mellitus is defined as a condition characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from the body s inability to use blood glucose for energy (American Diabetes Association, 2015). The different types of diabetes are the following: Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, diabetes mellitus associated with other conditions or syndrome, and prediabetes. Prediabetes is a situation where a person has a blood sugar level higher than normalRead MoreA Brief Note On Diabetes Mellitus And Mellitus2107 Words   |  9 PagesDiabetes mellitus is usually a lifelong metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia or high sugar levels in the blood; can be caused by lack of insulin, insulin resistance, or both. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar. It controls the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats that the body used for energy. Without insulin, glucose (sugar) in the blood builds up causing hyperglycemia. There are 3 classic symptoms of diabetes ; the 3 Ps: polyuria which defines as frequentRead MoreThe Incidence And Severity Of Diabetic Nephropathy1269 Words   |  6 Pagesparent who has diabetic nephropathy. Age — For type 1 diabetes, the risk of developing ESRD is very low for patients diagnosed prior to age 5; at older ages, the relationship of age to progression to ESRD is uncertain Blood pressure — Higher blood pressures have been noted to be associated with diabetic nephropathy. Obesity — A high body mass index (BMI) in patients with diabetes has been associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease. In addition, diet and weight loss may reduce albuminuria

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Role of Women in Islam - 4056 Words

Lomonosov Moscow State University Business School The Analysis of the Role of Women in Islamic Culture by ... May 24, 2012 Abstract My paper is written in purpose to cover the issue of the role of women in Islamic culture. My first part is devoted to the status of women according religious texts of Islam, Quran and Sunna. The first factor that determines the role of Muslim women is spirituality. In this regard women are equal to men; they†¦show more content†¦Osman M.F. , a Ph.D. in Islamic law and institutional history from Princeton University, supports this statement by stressing out that women are not seen as â€Å"a mere shadow or an extension of a man, always following him†(1993, p.3). He believes that women are free as individuals and are responsible for their faith and actions under the Islamic law. Hasan Abdul Ghaffar, a scholar of Hadith and a member of the Islamic Ideological Council in Pakistan, takes the same stand and concludes: There can thus be no doubt that in the Hereafter, men and women will both be judged, each individual bearing the burden of its own acts, each soul will be punished for its transgressions and each will be rewarded for its obedience to Allah (1996, p. 4). As Women’s League points out basing on the Quran, both males and females are supposed to play â€Å"the role of vicegerents† (1995, â€Å"Role as Vigerents† section), praying to God and living up to his injunctions so that they can finally get to the paradise:†Say: Behold, my prayer, and all my acts of worship, and my living and my dying are for God alone† (Quran, 6:163). Some people may regard that the â€Å"vicegerency† of a woman should mainly be performed through childbearing. Nevertheless, there is no division of the â€Å"vicegerency† between sexes in the Quran, moreover, women should not be disregarded for being infertile or deciding not to have children. As evidence, the prophet Muhammad had children only from two of his wives, Khadija andShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Women Within Islam1044 Words   |  5 PagesGender roles within Islam have been widely disputed throughout history. However, new thoughts on the role of women within Islam began to emerge with the writings of Sufi scholar Muhammad b. Ali b. Muhammad Ibn al-Arabi al-Ta’i al-Hatimi. Ibn al-Arabi’s thoughts concerning Islamic women within the 12th and 13th centuries drew much attention from the Islamic community. This attention was originally seen as heresy, and many responded with hostility as well as the denouncement of Ibn al-Arabi’s faithRead MoreThe Role of Women in Islam Essay1357 Words   |  6 Pagesled to the belief that the group was vulnerable through the girls and women. Females were seen as a burden and many were the victims of infanticide because they were in need of protection from capture and were seen as a drain on the family’s meager resources. The most common form of ridding the family of an unwanted girl was to â€Å"bury her in the dust† which was done while the child was still ali ve. Once established, Islam condemned this practice and required that â€Å"†¦those who had killed theirRead MoreThe Roles Of Women s Islam2106 Words   |  9 PagesThe role of women in Islam is not easily defined. Muslim women today are struggling to deal with the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with the role of women in Islam. The Qur’an and the practice of the Prophet Muhammad recognize the different functions of women and mutually support both roles of men and women. The Qur’an encourages a fair, balanced social and family life. While the Western society consider Islam an â€Å"oppressive religion† with regard to women, Muslim women point out the freedomRead MoreWomen Role in Christianity and Islam996 Words   |  4 Pagesbeginning of the early Christian church, starting with Jesus, women were important members of the movement. The examples of the manner of Jesus reveal his attitudes toward women and show repeatedly how he liberated and a ffirmed women. Both complementarians and egalitarians see Jesus as treating women with compassion, grace and dignity.[2] The gospels of the New Testament, especially Luke, often mention Jesus speaking to or helping women publicly and openly, contrary to the social norms of the timeRead MoreRole of Women in Islam Past and Present3043 Words   |  13 Pagestopic is: Role of Women in Islam Past and Present In this paper I will argue that the position of women in Islam according to the Qur an and Hadiths (tradition) of the Prophet differs vastly from Islam in practice, currentely. It is not the Islamic ideologies that determine the position of women in the Islamic societies; it is rather the pre-Islamic patriarchal ideologies existing in a particular society, combined with the lack of education and ignorance, which construct the Muslim women s positionRead MoreThe Role of Women and Community in Christianity Versus Islam Essay1158 Words   |  5 PagesChristianity and Islam are two of the world’s largest and most recognized religions. They are both religions believing in one God and each has a holy book, the Qur’an and the Bible. Both books encourage belief in God and teach patience and honesty. They both also forbid lying and stealing and believe in some type of Heaven and Hell. So, if they have so much in common, why is there so much conflict between the two? This que stion is the exact reason why I chose to take World Religion. I thoughtRead MoreMuslim Women As A Symbol Of Oppression856 Words   |  4 PagesIn the past decade, Islam has been viewed as a male dominant religion. Many people in the west proclaim that Muslim women are forced to wear and do things out of their own will and, therefore, the western society perceives Muslim women as a symbol of oppression. The main subject of controversy is the Islamic veil. In addition, the west proclaims Islam to be a sexist religion as the Muslim women are not held equal to men including a limited amount of women’s rights in Islam. In the Deepa Kumar articleRead MoreThe World s Second Biggest Religion Right After Christianity1676 Words   |  7 Pagesmention the name of Islam or say that someone is a Muslim, we automatically think about terrorism, bombing, and other various acts of violence. If people say that they are Muslims, then we start judging them in a negative manner. Especially whe n the topic of being a woman in the religion of Islam arises, people start questioning on why women are treated so poorly in this religion. Coming from a Muslim family, I think that Islam is an underestimated religion in our society today. Islam is a very beautifulRead MoreWomen s Role Of A Muslim Woman1440 Words   |  6 Pages Women’s Role in Islam In the west, the common picture of a Muslim woman is the stereotype of a woman hidden behind a veil, a voiceless, silent figure, stripped of rights. This picture of the Muslim woman is all too familiar to us, in large part because this is how the western media portrays women in Islam. If this is the picture of what most people think a Muslim woman is, what people think the roles of these women are not any better. Many people would think the roles of these women include beingRead MoreThe Rights And Privileges Of Women1527 Words   |  7 PagesAli Dadkhah Ms. Majida Salem 12th Islamic Studies 3/28/2017 Rights of Women The rights and privileges of women have been targeted by western haters of recent times, attempting to make the world believe that women have no rights in Islam. In reality however it is the complete opposite, women have the same rights as men (in mostly all cases) and have even more leniency. â€Å"As for anyone - be it man or woman - who does righteous deeds, and is a believer withal - him shall We most certainly cause to

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Proposal To Wal-Mart

Question: Discuss about a Report on Proposal To Wal-Mart? Answer: Introduction Purpose Public holidays are given to people to have some quality time with their family members but unfortunately, most of the businesses have been using it for their own interest. Many retail businesses are open in public holidays especially in thanksgiving and black Friday. Most of the people get off on thanksgiving but not the people who work at retail stores;they start their work from morning to late evening (Banjo, 2015). They are also supposed to work until all night during black Friday sales because stores are open late on thanksgiving through black Friday. Businesses make tons of profit on black Friday but does it help to gain positive employee morale in terms of employees side as well? Is it helping business internally and externally both? Does it help business in a long run? Is it healthy for business? Is it good for company image? Background Wal-Mart is one of the largest retailer, second-largest corporation, and largest private employer in Unites States. Wal-Mart has been continuously making headlines about their infamous employment practice. It has been symbolic for much of what is wrong with employers and the issues in the work. It makes an enormous profit every year to remedy some infamous workplace practices like no public holidays, low pay, inadequate health care, exploitation of workers etc. Wal-Mart has not yet understood the loss they went through and still going on. Even every small and big business knows how to form positive employee morale in their work place and why it is very important (Berfield, 2014). They know the value of their talented and motivated employees and they also know that if they cant retain them for long time, other companies will do it. Having a good employee is the best assets of every business; therefore, they should be respected and appreciated for their hard work. Wal-Mart is a popular retail Company of United States. They sell product like insulated jacket, mens freelance, waterproof jacket, funnel neck fleece top etc. The organization has started to launch new outlets in various state of united state. But according to the company survey it has been seen that the organization facing customer relationship problem in those outlet. The employees of the organization are not able to handle the customers. It is going to be a big problem to the organization. So in order to mitigate the problem the organization should undertake a unique recruitment and selection procedure in order to hire employees who will be very much able in interacting with the customers. Discussion This section will consist of various elements that will enable the reader to understand the exact solutions that has been recommended to the firm Wal-Mart. Problem Statement For every business, the negative impact of low employee morale includes low production, excessive outsourcing, bad company image, high number of turnovers, and waste of time. It is because if employee leaves being unsatisfied, it would be a complete loss of time, money and on top of that, they will also take all the knowledge, skills and ability to another place or organization. If employee morale is not good, there will be lots of absenteeism because employee will no longer be motivated to work hard or wont feel empower to perform well. Additionally, unhappy employee will always look for a reason or will come up with an escape plan (Felix, 2015). This reason might bring consequences like fake sick leave or emergency leave that will result in extra cost for health insurance. Wal-Mart has been known for the worse service, they do not know how to treat their employees and make them happy. That would be the only reason why they have not yet earned their good company image as well as goo d employees relation. Need to change the problem statement The article in Think Progress on October 16, 2014 tells us about Wal-Mart opening all day on Thanksgiving Day along with Black Friday requiring a millions associates to work. The article also informs us that they have been opening on Thanksgiving Day for almost 25 years now. Wal-Marts workers have actually gone in strike to demand more full time work for those who want it as well as higher pay. Workers have staged massive strike and protests on Black Friday for many years (Ferreira Almeida, 2015). Comparing to Wal-Marts news if we read article about Apple on Business Insider, we can tell how important it is to have good employee morale. Apple is not only a big company with huge profits but also a company with excellent employee morale. They have done so much progress with their employees morale in past few years and its one of the most outstanding company with very positive employee morale, which not only provide benefits but also appreciates their employees. That might be the reason Apple is doing so great with employees as well as their profits. The employees who work at Apple store are surely more motivated than Wal-Marts employees (Hwang and Park, 2015) There are many more articles about Wal-Mart not being a good employer. These articles and news should be enough reasons for Wal-Mart to take step towards providing good employee morale to their workers. There are so many reasons why Wal-Mart should be providing positive employee morale to their employees. For example, they should understand that if employees are satisfied, they will be motivated to perform works in more efficient way and also will help them to create new ideas. If employees are disengaged, then they will be less efficient and loose productivity speed, which might result in loss of thousands of dollar for business (James, McKechnie and Swanberg, 2011). Keeping the positive employee morale high will always help business to gain loyalty, high productivity, business success and maintain a good company image. In order to develop and maintain good morale, company should understand the value of the employee and their needs which would not only help to motivate them but will also help to retain good employees for a longer time than usual. Therefore, positive employee morale affects the work, commitment and productions. So, its every business job to keep positive employee morale levels high. For every business, employees are the engines that will either drive productivity in a good or bad way. So, in order to have good production, business should understand their employees needs, which would not only help to create employee morale but will also help for companys success (K.Narmadha, 2011). To ensure commitment and increase employee morale, businesses should be able to provide what their employees deserves like providing public holidays, health insurance, sick leaves, fitness centers, good pay, diverse environment and fair compensation, student refinancing etc. Analyzing of data to provide the ultimate recommendation Data presentation Graph 1: Customer rating to Wal-Mart on Black Friday (Source: Created by author) Graph 2: Employee rating to Wal-Mart on Thanks giving day (Source: Created by author) Recommendation The first and foremost recommendation to Wal-Mart is to keep the stores open on Black Friday, which can be easily argued by evaluating the results of the above stated graph. The evaluation of the graph quiet clearly shows that almost 74 % of the customers responded in a negative manner regarding closing of the stores of Wal-Mart on Black Friday. Therefore, it can be quiet reasonably recommended that Wal-Mart should keep its stores open on Black Friday, which will make the consumers of Wal-Mart even more satisfied, hence enhancing their business opportunities. On the other hand, the second recommendation to Wal-Mart can be quiet easily provided from the evaluation of the graph that shows the satisfaction of the employees due to the entire day holiday on Thanks giving day. To increase the productivity of a particular store in the retail chain as if Wal-Mart, employee cooperation is very important. The management of employee engagement is very important to enhance the employee cooperation. By the process of employee engagement management will be able to engage employees in their job by reducing the conflict between them. In a store if conflict is high, then the customer will be unsatisfied and the performance of the store will come down. If the organization is successful in engaging their employees by the process of employee engagement then it will help to enhance the productivity of the employees as well as the productivity of the store will also increase. The customer will remain satisfied with the performance of the store staff and the sa le will rise (La and Yi, 2015). Therefore, it can be quiet reasonably recommended that Wal-Mart should keep its stores closed on Thanks giving day, which will help the firm to increase their employees satisfaction. There are many retail stores, which do not realize how important employees are. Employees are the important part of every small and big business because the success of the business depends on employees and their service more than employer or the company itself. Businesses do everything for its business to promote but they do not like to spend money on their employee, they do not understand how important it is to appreciate employees hard work and dedications (Mayer and Noiseux, 2015). Business should not necessarily provide all the benefits that employer cannot afford but it should at least provide some regular benefits, which employees needs. For example: holidays, sick leaves, health benefits, discounts etc. These benefits arent that expensive if employer knows how to choose the right benefits and can easily be given to employees within a budget, which would not only benefit employee but the company itself. Holidays does not have to be paid all the time if employer understands the value of holidays for their employees and is ready to provide some time off that is just good enough in order to create a good employee morale and positive relationship (Miller Cockrell, 2015). The business, which shows their concern towards their employees will always get success in creating positive employee morale like Anne M. Mulcahy (CEO of Xexox) mentioned in her quotes. Customer feedback system Wal-Mart is a retail chain who is selling consumer products. The customers in this segment are very sensitive with their products and they need customer satisfaction. These types of work require highly trained employees who can perform well in front of customer (Moorthy et al., 2014). There should be a system that will document the feedback of every customer. Customer feedback form is an effective tool where customer will justify the performance of the retail staff about their behavior, ability to satisfy customer need etc. This will help to monitor the performance of the employee and their development. Conclusion The study of the entire chapter quiet clearly concludes that Wal-Mart should not close its stores on Black Friday. It has been concluded that the store of Wal-Mart should be opened at Black Friday. It will enhance the sales volume of the organization. The customers of the organization will be much more satisfied if then organization opens their store on Black Friday. The employees of the organization will give their utmost effort to satisfy their customer on that day. From the graph of the Wal-Mart it can be seen that most of the customer and employees have given views on opening their stores on Black Friday. It is recommended that the Wal-Mart should close their store at Thanksgiving Day. Reference List Banjo, S. (2015).Wal-Mart Spreads Black Friday Over Five Days.WSJ. Retrieved 27 August 2015, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/wal-mart-spreads-black-friday-over-five-days-1415768464 Berfield, S. (2014).Wal-Mart's Black Friday Strikes: Are the Workers Already Winning?.Businessweek.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015, from https://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-11-28/walmart-black-friday-strikes-are-the-workers-already-winning Felix, K. (2015). Factors for Customer Satisfaction and Customer Dissatisfaction in Commercial Banks.MJSS. doi:10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s2p584 Ferreira, L., Almeida, C. (2015). Employee Turnover and Organizational Performance: a Study of the Brazilian Retail Sector.Brazilian Business Review,12(4), 27-56. doi:10.15728/bbr.2015.12.4.2 Hwang, M., Park, S. (2015). The Impact of Walmart Supercenter Conversion on Consumer Shopping Behavior.Management Science, 150515090149005. doi:10.1287/mnsc.2014.2143 James, J., McKechnie, S., Swanberg, J. (2011). Predicting employee engagement in an age-diverse retail workforce.Journal Of Organizational Behavior,32(2), 173-196. doi:10.1002/job.681 K.Narmadha, K. (2011). Indian Ites Industry and Employee Attrition An Overview.IJAR,4(3), 243-245. doi:10.15373/2249555x/mar2014/74 La, S., Yi, Y. (2015). A Critical Review of Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty, Relationship Marketing, and Customer Relationship Management.Kmr,30(1), 53. doi:10.15830/kmr.2015.30.1.53 Mayer, S., Noiseux, Y. (2015). Organizing at Walmart: Lessons from Quebec's Women.GLJ,6(1). doi:10.15173/glj.v6i1.2455 Miller, T., Cockrell, C. (2015). A Discussion of "Workplace Culture Mediates Performance Appraisal Effectiveness and Employee Outcomes: A Study in a Retail Setting".Journal Of Management Accounting Research, 150709110647007. doi:10.2308/jmar-51210 Moorthy, M., Seetharaman, A., Jaffar, N., Foong, Y. (2014). Employee Perceptions of Workplace Theft Behavior: A Study Among Supermarket Retail Employees in Malaysia.Ethics Behavior,25(1), 61-85. doi:10.1080/10508422.2014.917416 nassar, B. (2015). The customer trust and customer commitment of e-customer relationship management: study at Jordan of mobile phone services.IJECRM,9(1), 33. doi:10.1504/ijecrm.2015.070697 Parisio, A., Neil Jones, C. (2015). A two-stage stochastic programming approach to employee scheduling in retail outlets with uncertain demand.Omega,53, 97-103. doi:10.1016/j.omega.2015.01.003 S.Janani, S. (2011). Employee Turnover : Present Scenario of Indian IT Industry.IJAR,4(3), 254-256. doi:10.15373/2249555x/mar2014/78 Schmidt, D. (2015). Product-Service Systems for Influencing Customer Barriers and Customer Acceptance.JOEBM,3(10). doi:10.7763/joebm.2015.v3.321 Yazdanpour, S., Maroofi, F. (2015). Job Characteristics Model on Role of Employee on Sales Performance and Customer Satisfaction of Retail Stores.Journal Of Applied Sciences,15(6), 894-902. doi:10.3923/jas.2015.894.902

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Kath & Mouse Part 2 Essays - Awake, Music Industry,

Kath & Mouse Part 2 Kath is being even worse to me now that I won the talent contest but at least she isn't getting that much support. After the contest people started to talk to me and all of a sudden I had friends. Kevin is now being even nicer to me and is getting real close so were coming best of buddies. I heard a rumor in our school that Kevin want to be more then friends and is going to ask me out after I sing at Christine's. I felt like nothing would be able to ruin my mood but Kath found a way. Just the day before the dance Kath came up to me and yelled, "I hope you have a good time at Christine's. Oh by the way?Mouse? my brother isn't going because he wants to stay away from you and he knows your going to be there." "Uh huh, well it just so happens that isn't true and we talked just yesterday about the party and what were going to do," I replied grinning. Kath then stormed off with her nose in the air at the sound of these words. After that little incident I avoided Kath the rest of the day and right before I left the school Kevin came up to me. "I'll get my dad to drive us to the party if you don't have a ride," he told me. "Sure pick me up at 7:00, you remember my address right?" I asked. "Yep," he replied. When I got home I started to get ready. I took a warm shower and tried to choose myself a matching selection of clothes. At the end I decided on a tight baby blue tank top and a white mini-skirt. I also started to do my hair. A french twist with a bit of spizazz to it. After that, all I had left to do was my make-up. My mom told me which make-up I should use and how to put it on because I haven't used it before. I put on eyeliner, some rouge, and mascara to help me look even more beautiful. I was totally ready at around 6:30 but I still fiddled with my hair and my skirt a lot until it was 7:00. At 7:05 Kevin came in his dads blue Ford pick-up truck to pick me up. "Goodbye! Pick me up at 1:00," I yelled to my parents. "Let's go!" called Kevin. I jumped into the truck and we made our way to the party. When we got there Kevin's dad told us to have a good time and he drove off. I knocked on the door and Christine answered. She welcomed us by saying, "Hey, come on in." "Thanks," replied Kevin. When we walked in a loud rush of music hit us and I was almost knocked backwards. I was very tense at the party but after a while I got really relaxed and started to talk to people. Before I knew it the party was about to end and Christine just asked me to sing. I chose a beautiful song called "Time of Your Life". After I sang the last note everyone applauded and Kevin came up to me. "Great job Helen. Um, I was wondering if you would go out with me?" he asked embaresly. "Oh Kevin of course I will," I said happily. After that I was in heaven and on top of the world. When my mom picked me up I said, "Goodbye Kevin, see ya tomorrow." The next day it seems that the whole school knew I was going out with Kevin. The only person who didn't look happy about it was Kath. She looked disappointed and furious. I knew she was going to find away to break Kevin and me up. A few days passed and I got a note from Kevin. It read, "You know I've been thinking. Maybe we shouldn't see each other. Actually how about you don't even talk to me." I was very token back, emotionally hurt and just wanted to kill someone. Then a while later I cooled down?I started thinking. What if Kath sent me the note to break Kevin and me up? In fact every time I tried talking to