The Importance Of Export

The Importance Of Export Export is essential part of the Trade. Among the word export is considered as export led growth hypothesis or theory or assumption for a countries development. Export led growth is very debatable issue around the word and different opinions of economists. Economists strongly beliefs that to measure economy growth is really complex which depends on various factors like trade, capital accumulation (both physical and human), price fluctuation, income distribution and political condition as well as many uncertain characteristics (Emilio 2001). From the last three decades export led growth has been issue of substantial research and empirical examination (Mahadevan 2007). The export led growth is always debated topic in the literature on Trade and development. The relationship between exports and economic growth is one of the main comprehensively investigated issues on the Development and empirical literature. There is argue on whether countries should encourage export sector to gain economic growth climaxed into which is identified as Export- Led Growth (ELG), ELG indicates that countries adopt an external direction tend to achieve superior economic performances (Galimberti 2009). There are lots of different views on like exports as an engine of growth or assume like it as only handmaiden of growth and however others proposes that there is simultaneous relationship between the two (Mohammad Karunaratne 2004). Most of studies concentrate on the relationship between exports and GDP while some of such as focus at relationship between exports and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth (Hatemi-J Irandoust 2001), (Hacker Hatemi-J 2003) and (Bernard Jensen 2004) , others such as examined the relationship between exports and labour productivity growth (Kunst Marin 1989), (Marin 1992) and (Thangayelu Rajaguru 2004). At wider level, the focus of the debate is on whether or not a country is better served by orienting trade policies to export promotion or import substitution(Giles Williams 2000) and Export led growth debate is focus on Is a country better processed by pointing export promotion or trade policies or to import substitution(Bhagwati 1988). The theory of neo- classical trade supports that export can contribute to economic growth of the country whereas some argument that the controversies are highly non-rational and there is not firm based from economic theory (Dani 1994), in addition countries empirical evidence such as South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and China defends the neo-classical arguments (Mohammad Karunaratne 2004). The sensational growth operations of these countries have motivated many to illustrate trade policy as a fundamental component of economic development (Krueger 1998) (Sachs Warner 1995). Consequently, the aim of this study is to examine the export led growth using the one of the developing country. The mainly focus on a single developing country, analysing empirically between the diversification of the export and the economic growth of the country by identifying the countrys export programmes and strengths and weaknesses. Thus, the final purpose of this study is to measure the significance of exports in the developing country how export leads growth of the economy. Globalisation and Export Globalisation concerns to the developing interdependence of countries consequential from the growing international trade, finance, people and ideas in one universal open market. The main factors of this integration are International trade and cross-border investment flows. Economic globalisation is not a new remarkable development. There is not particular definition of globalisation but economists usually use the term to refer to international integration in commodity, capital and labour markets (Bordo, Michael Taylor 2003). There have been two phases of the Globalisation (BALDWIN MARTIN 1999). The first phase started proximately the mid 19th century and declined with the beginning of World War I and the second phase began in the consequences of the World War II and prolongs today. Many economist argue that it begun as early as the second half of the 19th century and decreased with the start of World War I (Taylor 2002),(Kenwood Lougheed 1999). In the both phases of Globalisation the output growth and rapid trade went together with the significant changes in the world economy. There is one precious lesson from the history that globalisation has not been horizontal process. A number of international institutions instituted in the come around of World War II World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), World Trade Organisation (WTO) established in 1995. They all have played a great role in encouraging free trade instead of protectionism. According to Mike Moore as well the past Director General of the World trade Organisation (WTO) Globalisation has joined imperialism, colonialism, capitalism and communism in becoming an all purpose tag, which can be wielded like a club in almost any ideological direction. It is the defining political economic and social phenomenon of the new millennium (Moore 2003, p. 15). There are lots of definitions given by different institutions or organisations like World Bank (Stern 2002, p. 53), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED 2002, p. 20), International Monitory Fund (IMF) (Krueger 2002) and in simple terms globalisation define as international trade and diversification of business one country to another country in terms of human power, commodities or services. According to OCEDs 2006 report one of the important features of the globalisation is reducing the barriers of trades and Foreign Direct Investment is becoming essential factor in the world-wide process of industrial reforming and the growth of authentically global industries.(OECD 2006). Over the last two decades, globalisation has excellent devoted a boost to world trade, has risen one and a halftimes quicker than world output, and the variation has even been noticeable superior in current years as world trade development accelerated very sturdily (Giurgiu 2009). The scope of exports and imports as a ratio of GDP is constantly rising, reason behind that is many countries in the world are giving opportunity to do international trade. Another reason for globalisation is rapidly increase due to free trade, customs unions and other types of co-operation between countries. According to Welfens (1999) defines a examination involving export exposure and import penetration would be considered as example of globalisation and Heckscher purported that export flow are foundation on comparative advantage and economics(Tayeb 2000, p. 15). Every coin has pros and cons same as globalisation is also a debatable issue, there are some positives effects and some are negatives. So at the same time gives benefits and creates new threats to the societies, individuals and economic systems. There are uncertainties that it might aggravate the space between rich and poor, might be within the country or cross the country, making new fears to human safety in terms of financial instability, political, and cultural insecurity and environment deficiency (Martens Raza 2010). In other words, the advantageous, pioneering and dynamic aspects of globalisation are being annoyance, and accordingly some more counteract, by forces that create interference and marginalisation, such as exodus and population growth, the appearance of contagious infections, expanding inequalities in development world-wide, weather fluctuation, an immediate loss of bio-diversity and the shortage and pollution of natural resources (Rennen Martens 2003). Facts and Figure of economy According to the data of the World Trade Report of 2008, after World War II international trade come back with excellent growth which was noticeable with world commodity exports, increased by more than 8 per cent annum in actual 1950-1973 period terms over. Again there was negative impact on the trade growth subsequent reasons, impact of two oil price shocks, internal presser of inflation caused by monetary diversification and inadequate macroeconomic adjustment polices. In 1990s, trade increased because of the partly motivation by advance resolution in the information technology sector. Although in the year 2001 the small retrenchment of trade origin by the dotcom crisis, the year 2000-07 period the average extension of world commodity exports constantly rise with averaging 6 per cent . The whole average from 1950 to2007 period trade extension on averaged by 6.2 per cent which is much solid than the first phase of the globalisation from 1850 t0 1913 (World War I period). After World War II the price of dollar was increased very quickly before World War I the trade insignificant expansion of the past period is more than double as fast as in the former period (9.8 per cent versus 3.8 per cent per annum) (WTO 2008). GDP of the World (all data are in US dollars US) During the financial crises on year 2008 the estimated world GDP was 2.7% while in the year 2009 the GDP rate was (-) 0.7% estimated which is very shocking GDP due to the effect of the financial crises year 2007-2008 and in the year 2010 estimated GDP was 4.7% which is dramatically which indicates good economic growth of the world. There are top ten things which have great contribution in the export sectors 1st position is electrical machinery including computers the export rate is 14.8%, 2nd position mineral fuels including oil, coal, gas and refined products which has second highest rate 14.4%, 3rd position is nuclear reactors, boilers and parts rate is 14.2%, 4th place cars, trucks and buses 8.9%, 5th place is scientific and precision instruments 3.5%, 6th position is plastics 3.4%, 7th place is iron and steel rate 2.7%, 8th is organic chemical 2.6%, 9th place take pharmaceutical products 2.6%, last but not least diamonds, pearls and precious stones 1.9%. These are the main export sector for the world wild and for the integrated diversification in the export sector. This all data are as per world economy report 2011. Export led growth The fundamental relation between economic growth and exports has long been border and central of substantial discussion and debate among the economists, public sectors and trade professionals. On the bases of theoretical approach, there are four probable results (Chen 2007). First result is that export growth is measured to be the main causal of an economic growth in production and employment. It is called Export-led Growth (ELG) hypothesis. ELG growth is categorised in one direction consideration from export to Gross Domestic product. The second result is Growth driven Export hypothesis assumes that an increase in GDP usually direct to representing rise in exports (Bhagwati 1988). There is one direction relationship from output to export for Growth Driven Export. Third and fourth outcomes also very important cant ignorable which two-way direction relationship and neutral relationships between economic growth and exports (Grossman Helpman 1991). In the simple words export lead growth is an economic development strategy which is used by developing country to another country to get comparative advantage. Export and foreign trade play a great role to rise countrys economic growth and development. ELG model or strategy or hypothesis is mainly used for the counties like developing countries and developed countries to generate benefits on each other. According to (Jung Marshall 1985) export led growth is enhanced output, employment and consumption which directs to rise in the demand for a countrys output. There is positive bonding between the exports and economic growth its gained from the foreign markets. In other word can say that export is an engine of growth. According to (Awokuse 2008) , export can grow three ways; first, export development can be a medium for output growth directly as a part of total output. There is demand of domestic products in the foreign market which can reason for economic growth in output through enhancement in the income and employment in the sector of export. Second, export growth can also influence via different ways like large number of utilization ability, distribution of efficient resource, economies of scale development and inspiration of technological perfection because of overseas (foreign markets) competition (Helpman Krugman 1985). With the help of the economies of scale companies or firms or organisations can take advantage on non-export sector which is externally but internally it helpful to whole economy growth. Third, diversification of ex ports provides foreign exchange which is essential for output growth (Esfahani 1991). Following researchers have (Feder 1982), (Ram 1985), (Tyler 1981), (Ukpolo 1994), and (Bodman 1996) the same opinion on the export and economic growth relationship. The models of (EDWARDS 1991) propound integrating positive effects from trade to enlargement are correlated to an significantly near originated by (Lewis 1955) who argue that developing countries have more incorporated technological advantage than rest of the world which does not integrated. There are three main groups which highly interested on the export performance; first is public policy makers, second managers and third is researcher (Sousa et al. 2008) (Katsikeas, Leonidou Morgan 2000) . Public-policy-makers analyse that exporting is approach to collect foreign exchange reserves, rising employment levels, better productivity and in that way increasing wealth of the country (Czinkota 1994). Managers, it is essential because it boosts corporate development and make sure that firm should survive for long term (Samiee Walters 1990) (Terpstra Sarathy 2000). Research has also important role they identifies exporting a challenging and promising theories in international marketing (Zou Stan 1998). There are only two aspect of the export led growth the first is that export led growth can generate profit so that country can balance their finances as well as reduce the long term debts and develop material for the export. The second aspect is that export led growth which is much more debatable issue which increase the export growth which helpful to increase in the GDP of the country. According to (Thirlwal 2000, p. 6) economics theories indicates that two types of benefits from trade liberalization which has subsistence advantage. The two benefits are static gains and second dynamic gains. Static gains can be achieved by the resources reorganisation from lease productive sector to higher sector, directing to specialization. The second dynamic gains involve with international trade, enhancement of investment and quick productivity development based on the economics of scale, leaning by doing effects and the acquiring knowledge regarding overseas, specially throughout foreign direct investment. According to Palley the most of East Asian countries had a number of negative effects due to importance on export lead growth. 1st it prohibited the progress of the domestic market growth. 2nd it indicates that developing countries are race to the bottom because of the regulatory competition among themselves. 3rd it creates conflicts or problems between the developing countries and developed countries. 4th there is affiliation between exports led growth and financial volatility by developing overinvestment booms. 5th because of the importance take placed on global goods and commodity markets, this model has infuriated the long- trend decline in developing countries trade. Last but not least the most import, export led growth has resisted the reliance of developing countries on the developed world, consequently becoming helpless and decline the latters market. Palley also argue that export led growth which is used by the East Asian countries form last decades but its not any longer be st strategy (Palley 2002).

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening Chapter Fourteen

Elena felt her flesh creep at the words. â€Å"You don't mean that,† she said shakily. She remembered what she had seen on the roof, the blood smeared on Stefan's lips, and she forced herself not to recoil from him. â€Å"Stefan, I know you. You couldn't have done that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He ignored her protestations, just went on staring with eyes that burned like the green ice at the bottom of a glacier. He was looking through her, into some incomprehensible distance. â€Å"As I lay in bed that night, I hoped against hope that she would come. Already I was noticing some of the changes in myself. I could see better in the dark; it seemed I could hear better. I felt stronger than ever before, full of some elemental energy. And I was hungry. â€Å"It was a hunger I had never imagined. At dinner I found that ordinary food and drink did nothing to satisfy it. I couldn't understand that. And then I saw the white neck of one of the serving girls, and I knew why.† He drew a long breath, his eyes dark and tortured. â€Å"That night, I resisted the need, though it took all my will. I was thinking of Katherine, and praying she would come to me. Praying!† He gave a short laugh. â€Å"If a creature like me can pray.† Elena's fingers were numb within his grasp, but she tried to tighten them, to send him reassurance. â€Å"Go on, Stefan.† He had no trouble speaking now. He seemed almost to have forgotten her presence, as if he were telling this story to himself. â€Å"The next morning the need was stronger. It was as if my own veins were dry and cracked, desperate for moisture. I knew that I couldn't stand it for long. â€Å"I went to Katherine's chambers. I meant to ask her, to plead with her-† His voice cracked. He paused and then went on. â€Å"But Damon was there already, waiting outside her rooms. I could see thathe hadn't resisted the need. The glow of his skin, the spring in his step, told me that. He looked as smug as the cat who's had the cream. â€Å"But he hadn't had Katherine. ‘Knock all you like,' he said to me, ‘but the female dragon inside won't let you past. I've tried already. Shall we overpower her, you and I?' â€Å"I wouldn't answer him. The look on his face, that sly, self-satisfied look, repelled me. I pounded on that door to wake†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He faltered, and then gave another humorless laugh. â€Å"I was going to say, ‘to wake the dead.' But the dead aren't so hard to wake after all, are they?† After a moment, he went on. â€Å"The maid, Gudren, opened the door. She had a face like a flat white plate, and eyes like black glass. I asked her if I could see her mistress. I expected to be told that Katherine was asleep, but instead Gudren just looked at me, then at Damon over my shoulder. † ‘I would not tellhim ,' she said at last, ‘but I will tell you. My lady Katerina is not within. She went out early this morning, to walk in the gardens. She said she had much need of thought.' â€Å"I was surprised. ‘Early this morning?' I said. † ‘Yes,' she replied. She looked at both Damon and me without liking. ‘My mistress was very unhappy last night,' she said meaningfully. ‘All night long, she wept.' â€Å"When she said that, a strange feeling came over me. It wasn't just shame and grief that Katherine should be so unhappy. It was fear. I forgot my hunger and weakness. I even forgot my enmity for Damon. I was filled with haste and a great driving urgency. I turned to Damon and told him that we had to find Katherine, and to my surprise he just nodded. â€Å"We began to search the gardens, calling Katherine's name. I remember just what everything looked like that day. The sun was shining on the high cypress trees and the pines in the garden. Damon and I hurried between them, moving more and more quickly, and calling. We kept calling her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena could feel the tremors in Stefan's body, communicated to her through his tightly gripping fingers. He was breathing rapidly but shallowly. â€Å"We had almost reached the end of the gardens when I remembered a place that Katherine had loved. It was a little way out onto the grounds, a low wall beside a lemon tree. I started there, shouting for her. But as I got closer, I stopped shouting. I felt†¦ a fear-a terrible premonition. And I knew I mustn't-mustn't go-† â€Å"Stefan!† said Elena. He was hurting her, his fingers biting into her own, crushing them. The tremors racing through his body were growing, becoming shudders. â€Å"Stefan, please!† But he gave no sign that he heard her. â€Å"It was like-a nightmare-everything happening so slowly. I couldn't move-and yet I had to. I had to keep walking. With each step, the fear grew stronger. I could smell it. A smell like burned fat. I mustn't go there-I don't want to see it-† His voice had become high and urgent, his breath coming in gasps. His eyes were wide and dilated, like a terrified child's. Elena gripped his viselike fingers with her other hand, enfolding them completely. â€Å"Stefan, it's all right. You're not there. You're here with me.† â€Å"I don't want to see it-but I can't help it. There's something white. Something white under the tree. Don't make me look at it!† â€Å"Stefan, Stefan, look at me!† He was beyond hearing. His words came in heaving spasms, as if he could not control them, could not get them out fast enough. â€Å"I can't go any closer-but I do. I see the tree, the wall. And that white. Behind the tree. White with gold underneath. And then I know, I know, and I'm moving toward it because it's her dress. Katherine's white dress. And I get around the tree and I see it on the ground and it's true. It's Katherine's dress,†-his voice rose and broke in unimaginable horror-â€Å"but Katherine isn't in it.† Elena felt a chill, as if her body had been plunged into ice water. Her skin rose in goose-flesh, and she tried to speak to him but couldn't. He was rattling on as if he could keep the terror away if he kept on talking. â€Å"Katherine isn't there, so maybe it's all a joke, but her dress is on the ground and it's full of ashes. Like the ashes in the hearth, just like that, only these smell of burned flesh. They stink. The smell is making me sick and faint. Beside the sleeve of the dress is a piece of parchment. And on a rock, on a rock a little way away is a ring. A ring with a blue stone, Katherine's ring. Katherine's ring†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Suddenly, he called out in a terrible voice, â€Å"Katherine, what have youdone ?† Then he fell to his knees, releasing Elena's fingers at last, to bury his face in his hands. Elena held him as he was gripped by wracking sobs. She held his shoulders, pulling him to her lap. â€Å"Katherine took the ring off,† she whispered. It was not a question. â€Å"She exposed herself to the sun.† His harsh sobs went on and on, as she held him to the full skirts of the blue gown, stroking his quivering shoulders. She murmured nonsense meant to soothe him, pushing away her own horror. And, presently, he quieted and lifted his head. He spoke thickly, but he seemed to have returned to the present, to have come back. â€Å"The parchment was a note, for me and for Damon. It said she had been selfish, wanting to have both of us. It said-she couldn't bear to be the cause of strife between us. She hoped that once she was gone we would no longer hate each other. She did it to bring us together.† â€Å"Oh, Stefan,† whispered Elena. She felt burning tears fill her own eyes in sympathy. â€Å"Oh, Stefan, I'm so sorry. But don't you see, after all this time, that what Katherine did was wrong? It was selfish, even, and it washer choice. In a way, it had nothing to do with you, or with Damon.† Stefan shook his head as if to shake off the truth of the words. â€Å"She gave her life†¦ for that. We killed her.† He was sitting up now. But his eyes were still dilated, great disks of black, and he had the look of a small bewildered boy. â€Å"Damon came up behind me. He took the note and read it. And then-I think he went mad. We were both mad. I had picked up Katherine's ring, and he tried to take it. He shouldn't have. We struggled. We said terrible things to each other. We each blamed the other for what had happened. I don't remember how we got back to the house, but suddenly I had my sword. We were fighting. I wanted to destroy that arrogant face forever, to kill him. I remember my father shouting from the house. We fought harder, to finish it before he reached us. â€Å"And we were well matched. But Damon had always been stronger, and that day he seemed faster, too, as if he had changed more than I had. And so while my father was still shouting from the window I felt Damon's blade get past my guard. Then I felt it enter my heart.† Elena stared, aghast, but he went on without pause. â€Å"I felt the pain of the steel, I felt it stab through me, deep, deep inside. All the way through, a hard thrust. And then the strength poured out of me and I fell. I lay there on the paved ground.† He looked up at Elena and finished simply, â€Å"And that is how†¦ I died.† Elena sat frozen, as if the ice she'd felt in her chest earlier tonight had flooded out and trapped her. â€Å"Damon came and stood over me and bent down. I could hear my father's cries from far away, and screams from the household, but all I could see was Damon's face. Those black eyes that were like a moonless night. I wanted to hurt him for what he had done to me. For everything he had done to me, and to Katherine.† Stefan was quiet a moment, and then he said, almost dreamily, â€Å"And so I lifted my sword and I killed him. With the last of my strength, I stabbed my brother through the heart.† The storm had moved on, and through the broken window Elena could hear soft night noises, the chirp of crickets, the wind sifting through trees. In Stefan's room, it was very still. â€Å"I knew nothing more until I woke up in my tomb,† said Stefan. He leaned back, away from her, and shut his eyes. His face was pinched and weary, but that awful childlike dreaminess was gone. â€Å"Both Damon and I had had just enough of Katherine's blood to keep us from truly dying. Instead we changed. We woke together in our tomb, dressed in our best clothing, laid on slabs side by side. We were too weak to hurt each other anymore; the blood had been just barely enough. And we were confused. I called to Damon, but he ran outside into the night. â€Å"Fortunately, we had been buried with the rings Katherine had given us. And I found her ring in my pocket.† As if unconsciously, Stefan reached up to stroke the golden circlet. â€Å"I suppose they thought she had given it to me. â€Å"I tried to go home. That was stupid. The servants screamed at the sight of me and ran to fetch a priest. I ran, too. Into the only place where I was safe, into the dark. â€Å"And that is where I've stayed ever since. It's where I belong, Elena. I killed Katherine with my pride and my jealousy, and I killed Damon with my hatred. But I did worse than kill my brother. I damned him. â€Å"If he hadn't died then, with Katherine's blood so strong in his veins, he would have had a chance. In time the blood would have grown weaker, and then passed away. He would have become a normal human again. By killing him then, I condemned him to live in the night. I took away his only chance of salvation.† Stefan laughed bitterly. â€Å"Do you know what the name Salvatore means in Italian, Elena? It means salvation, savior. I'm named that, and for St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. And I damned my brother to hell.† â€Å"No,† said Elena. And then, in a stronger voice, she said, â€Å"No, Stefan. He damned himself. He killedyou . But what happened to him after that?† â€Å"For a while he joined one of the Free Companies, ruthless mercenaries whose business was to rob and plunder. He wandered across the country with them, fighting and drinking the blood of his victims. â€Å"I was living beyond the city gates by then, half starved, preying on animals, an animal myself. For a long time, I heard nothing about Damon. Then one day I heard his voice in my mind. â€Å"He was stronger than I, because he was drinking human blood. And killing. Humans have the strongest life essence, and their blood gives power. And when they're killed, somehow the life essence they give is strongest of all. It's as if in those last moments of terror and struggle the soul is the most vibrant. Because Damon killed humans, he was able to draw on the Powers more than I was.† â€Å"What†¦ powers?† said Elena. A thought was growing in her mind. â€Å"Strength, as you said, and quickness. A sharpening of all the senses, especially at night. Those are the basics. We can also†¦ feel minds. We can sense their presence, and sometimes the nature of their thoughts. We can cast confusion about weaker minds, either to overwhelm them or to bend them to our will. There are others. With enough human blood we can change our shapes, become animals. And the more you kill, the stronger all the Powers become.† â€Å"Damon's voice in my mind was very strong. He said he was now the condottieri of his own ‘ company and he was coming back to Florence. He said that if I was there when he arrived he would kill me. I believed him, and I left. I've seen him once or twice since then. The threat is always the same, and he's always more powerful. Damon's made the most of his nature, and he seems to glory in its darkest side.† â€Å"But it's my nature, too. The same darkness is inside me. I thought that I could conquer it, but I was wrong. That's why I came here, to Fell's Church. I thought if I settled in some small town, far away from the old memories, I might escape the darkness. And instead, tonight, I killed a man.† † No,† said Elena forcefully. â€Å"I don't believe that, Stefan.† His story had filled her with horror and pity†¦ and fear, too. She admitted that. But her disgust had vanished, and there was one thing she was sure about. Stefan wasn't a murderer. â€Å"What happened tonight, Stefan? Did you argue with Tanner?† â€Å"I†¦ don't remember,† he said bleakly. â€Å"I used the Power to persuade him to do what you wanted. Then I left. But later I felt the dizziness and the weakness come over me. Asit has before.† He looked up at her directly. â€Å"The last time it happened was in the cemetery, right by the church, the night Vickie Bennett was attacked.† â€Å"But you didn't do that. Youcouldn't have done that†¦ Stefan?† â€Å"I don't know,† he said harshly. â€Å"What other explanation is there? And I did take blood from the old man under the bridge, that night you girls ran away from the graveyard. I would have sworn I didn't take enough to harm him, but he almost died. And I was there when both Vickie and Tanner were attacked.† â€Å"But you don't remember attacking them,† said Elena, relieved. The idea that had been growing in her mind was now almost a certainty. â€Å"What difference does it make? Who else could have done it, if not me?† â€Å"Damon,† said Elena. He flinched, and she saw his shoulders tighten again. â€Å"It's a nice thought. I hoped at first that there might be some explanation like that. That it might be someone else, someone like my brother. But I've searched with my mind and found nothing, no other presence. The simplest explanation is that I'm the killer.† â€Å"No,† said Elena, â€Å"you don't understand. I don't just mean that someone like Damon might do the things we've seen. I mean Damon is here, in Fell's Church. I've seen him.† Stefan just stared at her. â€Å"It must be him,† Elena said, taking a deep breath. â€Å"I've seen him twice now, maybe three times. Stefan, you just told me a long story, and now I've got one to tell you.† As quickly and simply as she could, she told him about what had happened in the gym, and at Bonnie's house. His lips tightened into a white line as she told him how Damon had tried to kiss her. Her cheeks grew hot as she remembered her own response, how she had almost given in to him. But she told Stefan everything. About the crow, too, and all the other strange things that had happened since she had come home from France. â€Å"And, Stefan, I think Damon was at the Haunted House tonight,† she finished. â€Å"Just after you felt dizzy in the front room, someone passed me. He was dressed up like-like Death, in black robes and a hood, and I couldn't see his face. But something about the way he moved was familiar. It was him, Stefan. Damon was there.† â€Å"But that still wouldn't explain the other times. Vickie and the old man. Idid take blood from the old man.† Stefan's face was taut, as if he were almost afraid to hope. â€Å"But you said yourself you didn't take enough to harm him. Stefan, who knows what happened to that man after you left? Wouldn't it be the easiest thing in the world for Damon to attack him then? Especially if Damon's been spying on you all along, maybe in some other form†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Like a crow,† murmured Stefan. â€Å"Like a crow. And as for Vickie†¦ Stefan, you said that you can cast confusion over weaker minds, overpower them. Couldn't that be what Damon was doing to you? Overpowering your mind as you can overpower a human's?† â€Å"Yes, and shielding his presence from me.† There was mounting excitement in Stefan's voice. â€Å"That's why he hasn't answered my calls. He wanted-† â€Å"He wanted just what's happened to happen. He wanted you to doubt yourself, to think you were a killer.But it isn't true, Stefan . Oh, Stefan, you know that now, and you don't have to be afraid anymore.† She stood up, feeling joy and relief course through her. Out of this hideous night, something wonderful had come. â€Å"That's why you've been so distant with me, isn't it?† she said, holding out her hands to him. â€Å"Because you're afraid of what you might do. But there's no need for that any longer.† â€Å"Isn't there ?† He was breathing quickly again, and he eyed her outstretched hands as if they were two snakes. â€Å"You think there's no reason to be afraid? Damon may have attacked those people, but he doesn't control my thoughts. And you don't know what I've thought about you.† Elena kept her voice level. â€Å"You don't want to hurt me,† she said positively. â€Å"No? There have been times, watching you in public, when I could scarcely bear not to touch you. When I was so tempted by your white throat, your little white throat with the faint blue veins beneath the skin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His eyes were fixed on her neck in a way that reminded her of Damon's eyes, and she felt her heartbeat step up. â€Å"Times when I thought I would grab you and force you right there in the school.† â€Å"There's no need to force me,† said Elena. She could feel her pulse everywhere now; in her wrists and the inside of her elbows-and in her throat. â€Å"I've made my decision, Stefan,† she said softly, holding his eyes. â€Å"I want to.† He swallowed thickly. â€Å"You don't know what you're asking for.† â€Å"I think Ido . You told me how it was with Katherine, Stefan. I want it to be like that with us. I don't mean I want you to change me. But we can share a little without that happening, can't we? I know,† she added, even more softly, â€Å"how much you loved Katherine. But she's gone now, and I'm here. And I love you, Stefan. I want to be with you.† â€Å"You don't know what you're talking about!† He was standing rigid, his face furious, his eyes anguished. â€Å"If I once let go, what's tokeep me from changing you, or killing you? The passion is stronger than you can imagine. Don't you understand yet what I am, what I can do?† She stood there and looked at him quietly, her chin raised slightly. It seemed to enrage him. â€Å"Haven't you seen enough yet? Or do I have to show you more? Can't you picture what I might do to you?† He strode over to the cold fireplace and snatched out a long piece of wood, thicker than both Elena's wrists together. With one motion, he snapped it in two like a match stick. â€Å"Yourfragile bones,† he said. Across the room was a pillow from the bed; he caught it up and with a slash of his nails left the silk cover in ribbons. â€Å"Yoursoft skin.† Then he moved toward Elena with preternatural quickness; he was there and had hold of her shoulders before she knew what was happening. He scared into her face a moment, then, with a savage hiss that raised the hairs at the nape of her neck, drew his lips back. It was the same snarl she'd seen on the roof, those white teeth bared, the canines grown to unbelievable length and sharpness. They were the fangs of a predator, a hunter. â€Å"Your white neck,† he said in a distorted voice. Elena stood paralyzed another instant, gazing as if compelled into that chilling visage, and then something deep in her unconscious took over. She reached up within the restraining circle of his arms and caught his face between her two hands. His cheeks were cool against her palms. She held him that way, softly, so softly, as if to reprove his hard grip on her bare shoulders. And she saw the confusion slowly come to his face, as he realized she was not doing it to fight him or to shove him away. Elena waited until that confusion reached his eyes, shattering his gaze, becoming almost a look of pleading. She knew that her own face was fearless, soft yet intense, her lips slightly parted. They were both breathing quickly now, together, in rhythm. Elena could feel it when he started to shake, trembling as he had when the memories of Katherine had become too much to bear. Then, very gently and deliberately, she drew that snarling mouth down to her own. He tried to oppose her. But her gentleness was stronger than all his inhuman strength. She shut her eyes and thought only of Stefan, not of the dreadful things she had learned tonight but of Stefan, who had stroked her hair as lightly as if she might break in his hands. She thought of that, and she kissed the predatory mouth that had threatened her a few minutes ago. She felt the change, the transformation in his mouth as he yielded, responding helplessly to her, meeting her soft kisses with equal softness. She felt the shudder go through Stefan's body as the hard grip on her shoulders softened, too, becoming an embrace. And she knew she'd won. â€Å"You will never hurt me,† she whispered. It was as if they were kissing away all the fear and desolation and loneliness inside them. Elena felt passion surge through her like summer lightning, and she could sense the answering passion in Stefan. But infusing everything else was a gentleness almost frightening in its intensity. There was no need for haste or roughness, Elena thought as Stefan gently guided her to sit down. Gradually, the kisses grew more urgent, and Elena felt the summer lightning flicker all through her body, charging it, making her heart pound and her breath catch. It made her feel strangely soft and dizzy, made her shut her eyes and let her head fall back in abandon. It's time, Stefan, she thought. And, very gently, she drew his mouth down again, this time to her throat. She felt his lips graze her skin, felt his breath warm and cool at once. Then she felt the sharp sting. But the pain faded almost instantly. It was replaced by a feeling of pleasure that made her tremble. A great rushing sweetness filled her, flowing through her to Stefan. At last she found herself gazing into his face, into a face that at last had no barriers against her, no walls. And the look she saw there made her feel weak. â€Å"Do you trust me?† he whispered. And when she simply nodded, he held her eyes and reached for something beside the bed. It was the dagger. She regarded it without fear, and then fixed her eyes again on his face. He never looked away from her as he unsheathed it and made a small cut at the base of his throat. Elena looked at it wide-eyed, at the blood as bright as holly berries, but when he urged her forward she did not try to resist him. Afterward he just held her a long time, while the crickets outside made their music. Finally, he stirred. â€Å"I wish you could stay here,† he whispered. â€Å"I wish you could stay forever. But you can't.† â€Å"I know,† she said, equally quiet. Their eyes met again in silent communion. There was so much to say, so many reasons to be together. â€Å"Tomorrow,† she said. Then, leaning against his shoulder, she whispered, â€Å"Whatever happens, Stefan, I'll be with you. Tell me you believe that.† His voice was hushed, muffled in her hair. â€Å"Oh, Elena, I believe it. Whatever happens, we'll be together.†

Should Sex Education Be Mandatory - 1364 Words

Throughout the United States, many people debate whether young adults should receive sex education in their school curriculum. Statistics show that one-third of girls become pregnant before the age of 20. An increase in teen pregnancy could be due to the age of which females reach puberty. Today, there has been an enormous increase in young girls reaching puberty before the age of seven. Could encouraging sex education in schools decrease the amount of pregnant teens? The purpose of sex education is to educate adolescents of the consequences of engaging in sexual behaviors and making them aware of techniques to protect themselves if they choose to become sexually active. Many people argue about the impacts of abstinence-only sex education programs versus abstinence-plus sex education programs. Millner, Mulekar, and Turrens (2015) define abstinence-only programs as curricula that encourages strictly abstinence as a means of prevention whereas abstinence-plus programs emphasize abstine nce as the safest technique but also promotes the use of contraceptives. I will argue that abstinence-plus sex education should be mandatory in school curriculum because it teaches young adults to practice abstinence as well as methods to protect themselves if they decide to engage in sexual activity. In Millner’s study (2015), a Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview system was used to gather data from 522 parents in Mobile, Alabama on their views of sex education in public schools. To gatherShow MoreRelatedShould Sex Education Be Mandatory?1575 Words   |  7 Pagesof condoms (Implementing Sex Education). By not allowing sex education in our schools we are desperately hindering our children from the basic knowledge that any person should know, whether they are young or old. Sex education is something that should be mandatory in schools and it is for the greater good of the country as a whole to provide sex education and refusing to do so is unconstitutional. With the majority of adults in America believing comprehensive sex education ought to be taught in schoolsRead MoreShould Sex Education Be Mandatory?876 Words   |  4 PagesI think sex education should be mandatory in the U.S. public school system because it is my young male experience that our youth is having sex younger than we think and need to know more about their bodies. A lot of explaining is needed in America today with all the increase in diversity of the families. It needs to an open conversation at home and school. It need to be explained and re-explained in each stage of education and become a requirement. Even when I was a child in school it was not takingRead MoreSex Education Should Be Mandatory Essay1998 Words   |  8 Pagesclueless about sex and end up making terrible mistakes. Growing up in today s society, sex has come to the point where it is no longer discrete and children see this and begin creating misinterpretations about sex. Parents who fail to talk to their own kids about sex and how it is important to protect themselves are blamed for their child’s mistake. No one can blame the parents for not talking to their children because, not everyone may be comfortable with talking to their kids about sex and have toRead MoreSexual Education in Public Schools760 Words   |  3 PagesSexual education has long been a topic of debate among many different in our American society.  The public schools system offers sexual education or sex ed to all students, and offer parents the option to exclude their children from these class rooms.  Discussions to making these classes mandato ry has drawn some positive supports and negative supports in the forum disputes of sex education topic.  Due to the high number of teen pregnancies (As of 2012, the teen birth rate was 29 births per 1,000 teenRead MoreThe Significance Of Sex Education982 Words   |  4 PagesOctober 2017 The Significance of Sex Education As teenagers start to grow up, they face with many difficult decisions about relationship and sexual behavior in their lives. It can impact their lives, health and behavior. To make sure that your children follow the right path to live a healthy life, sex education can prepare them to make good decisions. If you are not sexually active, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give up your chance to learn about it. Sex education shouldn’t be limited to teenagersRead MoreThe Best Kind of Sex Education708 Words   |  3 Pages There is much controversy over which form of sex education should be taught, comprehensive sex education, or abstinence-only sex education. The definition for comprehensive sex education is responsible and balanced sexuality education that seeks to assist young people in understanding a positive view of sexuality, provide them with information and skills about caring for their sexual health, and help them acquire skills to make decisions now and in the future. It is medically accurate and providesRead MoreSexual Education And Sex Ed1697 Words   |  7 PagesSexual education (sex ed) in public schools has long been a controversial and debated topic in society. There are several questions when it comes to approaching sex ed in schools. These questions include: appropriate age for introducing sex ed; should sex ed be mandatory or optional; and whether sex ed programs should be comprehensive or abstinence-based. Sex ed is a necessary subject to teach in schools. It should be appropriate to the grade level and taught in a knowledgeable, unbiased manner.Read MoreSexual Education And Sex Education1358 Words   |  6 PagesDo Not Have Sex, You Will Get Pregnant Die (Mean Girls) What if a rapist was coming at someone? Do kids know what to do besides lie on the ground and cry? What if a teenager had an unplanned pregnancy? Do they know their options about abortion or adoption or keeping the baby? Will young adults know the results of their choices? Sexual education teaches all of the following, and kids in the curriculum are more likely to defend themselves in a plot when they were approached by a stranger (â€Å"TeachingRead MoreGraduation Speech : School For Twelve Years And Not Learning Basic Lessons Essay1290 Words   |  6 Pagesto and apply when in middle school. High school should be where every student learns complex lessons and strategies that they will apply to real life situations as they grow older. Teachers give lessons on math equations, encoding poems, and mixing music. As the students soon graduate, they take these lessons with them with and use them in life. Even though we learn most of these necessary lessons, there are many high schoo l students that should be learning what they need to know in life. AfterRead MoreThe Unspeakable Word: Censorship in Schools Essay725 Words   |  3 Pagesday. Parents act like talking about sex in school is absurd or unheard of. These people are crazy pretending that there little precious baby has never heard the unspeakable word, â€Å"SEX!!† Sex needs to be discussed in school and needs to be done in a mature educational manner, and it needs to be discussed in school because it is rare for students to talk to their parents about sex. It is imperative for all schools to make it mandatory to take a Sex education class while attending a public high school

Dinosaur Intelligence, and How Its Measured

Gary Larson framed the issue best in a famous Far Side cartoon. A Stegosaurus behind a podium addresses an audience of his fellow dinosaurs: The pictures pretty bleak, gentlemen. ..the worlds climates are changing, the mammals are taking over, and we all have a brain about the size of a walnut. (See a slideshow of the 10 smartest dinosaurs.) For over a century, that quote has pretty much summed up popular (and even professional) opinions about dinosaur intelligence. It didnt help that one of the earliest dinosaurs to be discovered and classified (the above-named Stegosaurus, in 1877) possessed an unusually small brain, about the size of, yes, a walnut (its brain was so small, in fact, that paleontologists once speculated that Stegosaurus had a supplementary brain in its butt). It also didnt help that dinosaurs are long extinct; wiped out by the famine and freezing temperatures in the wake of the K/T Extinction 65 million years ago. If only theyd been smarter, we like to think, some of them might have found a way to survive! One Measure of Dinosaur Intelligence: EQ Since theres no way to travel back in time and give an Iguanodon an IQ test, naturalists have developed an indirect means of evaluating the intelligence of extinct (as well as living) animals. The Encephalization Quotient, or EQ, measures the size of a creatures brain against the size of the rest of its body, and compares this ratio to that of other species of roughly the same size. Part of what makes us human beings smart is the enormous size of our brains compared to our bodies; our EQ measures a hefty 5. That may not seem like such a big number, so lets look at the EQs of some other mammals: on this scale, wildebeests weigh in at .68, African elephants at .63, and opossums at .39. As you might expect, monkeys have higher EQs: 1.5 for a red colobus, 2.5 for a capuchin. Dolphins are the only animals on the planet with EQs even close to those of humans; the bottlenose comes in at 3.6. (By the way, EQ scales vary considerably; some authorities set the average human EQ at about 8, with the EQ of other creatures scaled up proportionally.) As you might expect, the EQs of dinosaurs (based on the analysis of their fossil remains) are spread across the lower end of the spectrum. Triceratops weighs in at a scant .11 on the EQ scale, and it was the class valedictorian compared to lumbering sauropods like Brachiosaurus, which dont even come close to hitting the .1 mark. However, some of the swift, two-legged, feathered dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era posted relatively high EQ scores—not quite as smart as modern wildebeests, but not that much dumber, either. How Smart Were Carnivorous Dinosaurs? One of the trickiest aspects of animal intelligence is that, as a rule, a creature only has to be smart enough to prosper in its given ecosystem and avoid being eaten. Since plant-eating sauropods and titanosaurs were so massively dumb, the predators that fed on them only needed to be marginally smarter—and most of the relative increase in the brain size of these carnivores can be attributed to their need for better smell, vision and muscular coordination, their tools for the hunt. (For that matter, one can argue that the reason sauropods were so dumb is because they only had to be marginally smarter than the giant ferns they munched on!) However, its possible to swing the pendulum too far in the other direction and exaggerate the intelligence of carnivorous dinosaurs. For example, the doorknob-turning, pack-hunting Velociraptors of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World are a complete fantasy—if you met a live Velociraptor today, it would probably strike you as slightly dumber (though a lot more dangerous) than a chicken. You certainly wouldnt be able to teach it tricks, since its EQ would be an order of magnitude below that of a dog or cat. (This is part of the reason why dinosaurs, as a general rule, dont make very good pets.) Could Dinosaurs Have Evolved Intelligence? Its easy, from our present-day perspective, to poke fun at the walnut-brained dinosaurs that lived tens of millions of years ago. However, you should bear in mind that the proto-humans of five or six million years ago werent exactly Einsteins, either—even though, as stated above, they were significantly smarter than the other mammals in their savannah ecosystems. In other words, if you managed to time-transport a five-year-old Neanderthal into the present day, she probably wouldnt do very well in kindergarten! This raises the question: what if at least some dinosaurs had survived the K/T Extinction 65 million years ago? Dale Russell, the one-time curator of vertebrate fossils at the National Museum of Canada, once caused a stir with his speculation that Troodon —a human-sized theropod dinosaur about as smart as an opossum—might eventually have evolved a human-sized level of intelligence if it had been left to evolve for another few million years. It should be noted, however, that Russell didnt propose this as a serious theory, which will come as a disappointment to those who still believe intelligent reptoids live among us.