Profile of Inflammatory and Infective Skin Diseases

Profile of Inflammatory and Infective Skin Diseases Contributors with their highest academic degree: GIRI VISHAL P*. , MD (PHARMACOLOGY) GIRI OM P. , MD (MEDICINE), PhD (MEDICINE) GUPTA SUDHIR K. , MD ( SKIN VD) SHUBHRA KANODIA , MDS (Std), (ORAL MEDICINE AND RADIOLOGY) Department(s) and institution(s) : â€Å"Clinico-Epidemiological Profile of Inflammatory and Infective Skin  Diseases in a Tertiary Care Centre of South India† ABSTRACT The present medical audit-study was undertaken to analyze clinical and epidemiological profile of inflammatory and infective skin diseases and to arrive at important facts about these diseases.1134 patients who attended the Dermatology of a   Medical and College Hospital were the subjects of this study . The findings were recorded in a proforma for analysis and interpretation .Etiological analysis revealed that majority ( 599 ; 52.82 % ) of dermatoses belonged to inflammatory group followed by infective group ( 535 ; 47.18 % ). Of the inflammatory group, allergic contact dermatitis ( 209 ;18.43 % ) was the most common entity followed by irritant contact dermatitis (180; 15.87 %) , seborrhroeic dermatitis( 120 ; 10.58 % ), atopic dermatitis ( 50; 4.41 % ), psoriasis ( 20; 1.76 % ) and pompholyx ( 20 ; 1.76 % ).Of the infective group, bacterial infection was the most common disease ( 349 ; 30.78% ) followed by scabies (122 ; 10.76 %) , fungal (57 ; 5.02 %) and viral infection( 3 ; 0. 26 % ).This study provides a preliminary baseline data for future clinical research. It might also help to assess the changing trends of inflammatory and infective skin diseases . Key Words: inflammatory skin diseases, infective skin diseases, changing trends in skin diseases. INTRODUCTION The pattern of skin disease is a consequence of poverty , malnutrition , overcrowding , poor hygiene , illiteracy and social backwardness in many parts of India . The examination for skin diseases is an important component of health care practice for all. Status of health , hygiene and personal cleaniness of a society can be judged from the prevalence of certain skin diseases in the community . The pattern of skin diseases vary from one country to another and within the same country from one state to another due to various climatic , cultural and socio-economic factors.[1,2] MATERIAL AND METHODS The relevant data available from medical case records of the Dermatology outpatient department of a Medical College and Hospital was collected by the investigator in person during period January 2011 to June 2012 . Name ,age ,gender , type and duration of disease were recorded in a proforma for analysis and interpretation of data . Total 1134 ( one thousand one hundred thirty four ) medical case records of inflammatory and infective skin diseases were collected and scrutinized for this observational ,perspective and medical audit- study. RESULTS Out of 1134 patients scrutinized , 220 ( 19.40 % ) patients were children up to five years of age and 149 ( 13.14 % ) children were 6 to 10 years of age . Most of adults 358 ( 31.57 % ) were aged 21 to 40 years and 146 ( 12.87 % ) adults belonged to 41 to 60 years age group . Females ( 581 ; 51.23 % ) slightly outnumbered males ( 553 ; 48.77 % ). [ Table 1-6] The majority ( 599 ; 52.82 % ) of patients belonged to inflammatory group followed by infective group ( 535 ; 47.18 % ). [Table1,2] Pattern of inflammatory skin diseases revealed allergic contact dermatitis to be the commonest ( 209 ; 18.43 % ) followed by irritant contact dermatitis (180 ; 15.87 % ) , seborrhoeic dermatitis ( 120 ; 10. 58 % ) , atopic dermatitis ( 50 ; 4.41 % ) , psoriasis ( 20; 1.76 % ) and pompholyx ( 20; 1.76 % ). [ Table 1 ] Among infective skin diseases , bacterial infection ( 349 ; 30.78 % ) was most common entity . Scabies was recorded in 122 ( 10.76 % ) patients . Fungal infection was recorded in 57 ( 5.03 % ) and viral infection 3 ( 0.26 % ) patients .[ Table 2 ] Seasonal variation pattern was observed in some diseases . Impetigo and dermatophytosis were recorded mainly in rainy and summer seasons. Scabies was recorded mainly in winter and rainy seasons . Atopic dermatitis and seborrhoeic dermatitis were documented more in winter season . DISCUSSION Pattern of inflammatory and infective skin diseases has varied in different studies. In this study , majority ( 599; 52.82 % ) of skin diseases belonged to inflammatory group followed by infective group ( 535 ; 47.18 % ) . A similar pattern of dermatoses has also been reported in several other studies .[3-8] However, in other studies infective group has been the predominant dermatoses.[9-22] Of the inflammatory dermatoses , allergic contact dermatitis was the commonest ( 209; 18.43 % ) out of all 1134 patients followed by irritant contact dermatitis( 180; 15.87 % ), seborrhoeic dermatitis ( 120 ; 10.58 % ), atopic dermatitis ( 50; 4.41 % ), psoriasis ( 20 ; 1.76 % ) and pompholyx (20; 1.76 % ). In chidren aged up to five years atopic dermatitis was the commonest ( 8 ; 0.71 % ) followed by seborrhoeic dermatitis ( 7 ;0.62 % ) , irritant contact dermatitis ( 6;0.53 % ) and pompholyx ( 2 : 0.18 % ). Similar finding has been observed in other studies . [2,5,6] Of the infective dermatoses, bacterial infections (349; 30.78 %) were the most common followed by fungal ( 57; 5.03 % ) and viral infections ( 3; 0.26 % ). Similar pattern has been observed in some other studies as well .[2,5] Studies have reported fungal infection to be more common.[13,14,22] Viral infections out-numbered bacterial and fungal infections in few studies .[7,8] Impetigo was the commonest ( 158 ; 13.93 % ) bacterial infection followed by secondary pyoderma ( 133; 11.73 % ), folliculitis ( 25 ; 2.20 % ), furunculosis ( 20; 1.76 % ) and acute paronychia ( 13; 1.15 % ). Scabies was the most common infestation seen in 122 ( 10. 76 % ) patients in the present study . CONCLUSION Majority of dermatoses belonged to inflammatory group followed by infective group , though the difference is narrow (64 ; 5.64 % ).Of the infective group bacterial infection was the most common disease followed by scabies , fungal and viral infection. This study points towards changing trends in dermatoses . This study provides preliminary baseline data for the future epidemiological and clinical research . It might also help to assess the changing trends of dermatoses. REFERENCES 1. William H.C. â€Å"Epidemiology of skin diseases† in : Burns T, Breathnach.S COXN Griffiths editors, Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology, 7th ed. Oxford : Blackwell science ; 2004 ; 81 : 06-21. 2. Balal M , Khare AK , Gupta LK , Mittal A , Kuldeep CM. Pattern of paediatric dermatosis in a tertiary care centre of South West Rajasthan . Indian J Dermatol 2012 ; 57 : 275 -8 . 3. Das DA, Haldar HS, Das DJ, Mazumdar MG, Biswas BS, Sarkar SJ. Dermatological disease pattern in an urban institution in Kolkata. Ind J Dermatol 2005;50:22-3. 4. Symvoulakis EK, Krasagakis K, Komninos ID, Kastrinakis I, Lyronis I, Philalithis A, et al. Primary care and pattern of skin diseases in a Mediterranean island. BMC Fam Pract 2006;7:6. 5. Gul U ,Cakmak SK, Gonul M, Kilic A , Bilgili S . Pediatric skin disorders encountered in a dermatology outpatient clinic in Turkey .Pediatr Dermatol 2008 ; 25 :277-78 . 6. Nanda A, Hasawi FA, Alsaleh QA. A prospective survey of pediatric dermatology clinic in Kuwait: An analysis of 10,000 cases.Pediatr Dermatol 1999 ; 16: 5-11. 7.Wenk C, ltin PH . Epidemiology of pediatric dermatology and allergology in the region of Aargau, Switzerland. Pediatr Dermatol 2003 ; 20: 109-12 . 8. Hon KL, Leung TF ,Wong T, Ma KC, Fok TF . Skin diseases in chinese children at a pediatric dermatology centre. Pediatr Dermatol 2004 ;21: 109-12 . 9. Nnoruka EN. Skin diseases in south-east Nigeria: A current perspective. Int J Dermatol 2005;44:29-33. 10. Tomb RR, Nassar JS. Profile of skin diseases observed in a department of dermatology (1995-2000). J Med Liban 2000;48:302-9 11 . Das KK. Pattern of dermatological diseases in Gauhati medical college and hospital Guahati. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 20011;77:603-4. 12. Agarwal S, Sharma P, Gupta S, Ojha A. Pattern of skin diseases in Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2011;77:603-4. 13 . Das S, Chatterjee T. Pattern of skin diseases in a peripheral hospitals skin OPD: A study of 2550 patients. Ind J Dermatol 2007;52:93-5.10 14. Sanjiv Grover, Rakesh K. Ranyal and Mehar K Bedi; â€Å"A cross section of skin diseases in rural Allahabad† , Indian J.Dermatol. 2008 ; 53 (4): 179-81. 15 . Kar C, Das S, Roy AK. Pattern of skin diseases in a tertiary institution in Kolkata. Indian J Dermatol 2014;59:209 16. Ghosh SK, Dey SK, Saha I, Barbhuiya JN, Ghosh A, Roy AK. Pityriasis versicolor: a clinicomycological and epidemiological study from a tertiary care hospital. Indian J Dermatol. 2008;53(4):182-5. 17. Bhalla.K.K, â€Å"Pattern of skin diseases in a semi-urban community of Delhi†, Indian J.dermatol.venereol.leprol. 1984; 50: 213-4. 18. Gangadharan C , Joseph A , Sarojini A. Pattern of skin diseases in Kearla . Indian J Dermatol Venerol Leprol 1976; 42 : 49 -51 . 19 . Kuruvilla M, Dubey S, Gahalaut P., â€Å"Pattern of skin diseases among migrant construction workers in Mangalore†, Indian J.Dermatol.venereol.leprol. 2006; 72: 129-32. 20. Kuruvilla M, Sridhar KS, Kumar P, Rao G. Pattern of skin diseases in Bantwal Taluq, Dakshina Kannada. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2000;66:247-8.11 21 . Dayal SG, Gupta G.P, â€Å"A cross section of skin diseases in Bundelkhand region UP.†, Indian J.Dermatol.venereol.leprol, 1977; 43: 258-61. 22. Devi T, Zamzachin G, â€Å"Pattern of skin diseases in Imphal†.Indian J.Dermatology, 2006; 51: 149-50. Table 1 : Pattern of skin inflammation in both sexes Diseases Male Female Total No. % No. % No. % Allergic contact dermatitis 105 9.26 104 9.17 209 18.43 Irritant contact dermatitis 81 7.14 99 8.73 180 15.87 Seborrhoeic dermatitis 71 6.26 49 4.32 120 10.58 Atopic dermatitis 19 1.68 31 2.73 50 4.41 Psoriasis 11 0.97 9 0.79 20 1.76 Pompholyx 8 0.70 12 1.06 20 1.76 Total 295 26.01 304 26.81 599 52.82 Table 2 : Pattern of skin infection in both sexes Diseases Male Female Total No. % No. % No. % Impetigo 72 6.35 86 7.58 158 13.93 Secondary pyoderma 72 6.35 61 5.38 133 11.73 Folliculitis 10 0.88 15 1.32 25 2.20 Furunculosis 8 0.70 12 1.06 20 1.76 Acute paronychia 5 0.44 8 0.70 13 1.15 Scabies 56 4.94 66 5.82 122 10.76 Pediculosis 2 0.18 2 0.18 4 0 .35 Dermatophytosis 22 1.94 15 1.32 37 3.26 Pitiriasis versicolor 11 0.97 9 0.79 20 1.76 Molluscum contagiosum 0 0 3 0.26 3 0.26 Total 258 22.75 277 24.43 535 47.18 Table 3 : Pattern of skin inflammation in different age groups (years) Diseases up to 5 6-10 11-20 No. % No. % No. % Allergic contact dermatitis 0 0 4 0.35 33 2.91 Irritant contact dermatitis 6 0.53 7 0.62 27 2.38 Seborrhoeic dermatitis 7 0.62 14 1.23 29 2.56 Atopic dermatitis 8 0.71 5 0.44 4 0.35 Psoriasis 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pompholyx 2 0.18 5 0.44 3 0.26 Total 23 2.03 35 3.09 96 8.47 Table 4 : Pattern of skin inflammation in different age groups ( years ) Diseases 21-40 41-60 61-100 No. % No. % No. % Allergic contact dermatitis 80 7.05 47 4.14 45 3.97 Irritant contact dermatitis 104 9.17 30 2.65 6 0.53 Seborrhoeic Dermatitis 40 3.53 20 1.76 10 0.88 Atopic dermatitis 20 1.76 3 0.26 10 0.09 Psoriasis 13 1.15 3 0.26 4 0.35 Pompholyx 10 0.88 0 0 0 0 Total 267 23.54 103 9.08 75 6.61 Table 5 : Pattern of skin infection in different age groups ( years ) Diseases up to 5 6-10 11-20 No. % No. % No. % Impetigo 96 8.47 37 3.26 15 1.32 Secondary pyoderma 59 5.20 35 3.09 23 2.02 Folliculitis 1 0.09 1 0.09 3 0.26 Furunculosis 1 0.09 1 0.09 4 0.35 Acute paronychia 0 0 1 0.09 1 0.09 Scabies 37 3.26 34 3.00 23 2.03 Pediculosis 0 0 0 0 3 0.26 Dermatophytosis 1 0.09 4 0.35 4 0.35 Pitiriasis versicolor 0 0 0 0 0 0 Molluscum contagiosum 2 0.18 1 0.09 0 0 Total 197 17.37 114 10.05 76 6.70 Table 6 : Pattern of skin infection in different age groups (years) Diseases 21- 40 41- 60 61- 100 No. % No. % No. % Impetigo 7 0.62 3 0.26 0 0 Secondary pyoderma 8 0.70 4 0.35 4 0.35 Folliculitis 15 1.32 4 0.35 1 0.09 Furunculosis 10 0.88 3 0.26 1 0.09 Acute paronychia 4 0.35 6 0.53 1 0.09 Scabies 20 1.76 4 0.35 4 0.35 Pediculosis 0 0 0 0 2 0.18 Dermatophytosis 17 1.50 10 0.88 2 0.18 Pitiriasis versicolor 10 0.88 9 0.79 1 0.09 Molluscum contagiosum 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 91 8.02 43 3.80 16 1.41 1

Q. Tarantinos Use of Different Film Elements in Kill Bill and Pulp Fic

Q. Tarantino's Use of Different Film Elements in Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino has used the lightning, colour, sound, camera, mise-en-scene, iconography, speed of editing and special effects in Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction to make the audience want to carry on watching. These film elements have been used very effectively by the director in the openings of both films to build audience interest. The first aspect – lightning was very helpful in building interest in Kill Bill. The opening scene of Kill Bill is in black and white. It was originally coloured but the critics have decided that the blood which appears in this scene is too offensive and have censored it. The best way to make the blood ‘less visible’ without remaking the beginning of the film was to use black and white. It has a dramatic and disturbing effect on the audience because of the negative atmosphere the scene gets them into – the audience feels danger, suspense. In the opening scene lightning has been used to characterise the woman. The light is natural; it comes from the windows in the church where the scene is set. The woman’s face is half lit but the other half is black. This was probably shown to symbolise her two sides: good and bad. It gives the audience an insight into the woman’s character – it tells them that she does have an evil side. At this point the audience might have a good reason to keep on watching – to find out those two sides of the woman they have just met. The first scene of Kill Bill confronts the audience’s idea on what wedding should look like. The woman, which is heavily beaten up is wearing... ... it interesting, full of iconography, dynamic effects, original sound etc. the director built himself a great tool for keeping the audience until the whole plot is justified. A non-linear plot is also ‘unique’ to films directed by Quentin Tarantino, by whom this style has been developed. If I was Quentin Tarantino, I would call my new film ‘Contradiction’. I think that it would fit the ‘Tarantino style’ of things in the wrong order. It links with the theme of paradox, for example one thing denies another, but that other thing seems true. The same can be spotted in Tarantino films – the end is at the beginning and the beginning at the end, so what is the beginning and what is the end in reality? Although the narrative is non-linear, in Tarantino’s films there is always a clear key, consequence that justifies the plot.

Creationism and Public Schools Essay -- essays research papers fc

Creationism and Public Schools   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The issue of whether creationism should be taught in public schools, rather than evolution, is a new one. It has only been in the past fifty years that it has even been in debate. Public school science classes, when discussing the origins of life on Earth, coincided with Sunday school classes. Students learned that the Earth, universe and everything else was created in seven days, by God, as stated in the Old Testament. It was not until recently with the rise of scientific reason and equal rights organizations did these teachings become questioned. The argument spurs from each person’s personal belief, and that is where things get complicated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To successfully teach creationism in public schools, you have to decided a definitive creationism story to base it on, and with Christianity, this is a problem. Protestant fundamentalists will interpret the Bible as literally as possible. While Catholics and Orthodox Jews will interpret it as they see fit. This is a basic element of religion. Each group has its own views and interpretations of the Bible, and these groups will never agree on one specific idea. Therefore, how could you base a lesson on an idea that varies depending on who you are talking too?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evolution on the other hand, is based on evidence that in the scientific field is not debated. Tangible proof has been established for evolution. It is a widely accepted theory, that most with an understanding of it, accept it as fact. Unlike creationism, the ideas that found evolution are not subject to personal opinion, they are stated as factual information, and the ideas are not questioned by those who believe it. With creationism, you introduce debate between students and teachers on how the Bible should be read. The class then becomes a theology class, instead of a biology class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are some who try and teach creationism as a science, calling it â€Å"Creation Science.† They state that God created the Earth and that God also created evolution as a means of self preservation. They alter the original story in Genesis to fit Darwin’s theory on evolution. Linking creationism to evolution and acknowledging the existence of evolution makes this pseudoscience sound more plausible and scientific. This is referred t... ...ism has no place in a public science classroom. Students do not need to be sheltered from learning the origins of life on Earth. Science explains the origins of life with the theory of evolution, and what better place to learn about evolution than in a science class? Religion explains the origins of life with creationism, and what better place to learn about creationism than in a religious environment? Science should stay out of churches, and churches should stay out of classrooms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bibliography Abramsom, Paul Creationism.org Creationism FAQ 2004. Paul Ambramson. http://www.creationism.org/topbar/faq.htm Arthur, Joyce. Creationism: Bad Science or Immoral Pseudoscience?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1996. Joyce Arthur. http://mypage.direct.ca/w/writer/gish.html BibleGateway.com Deuteronomy 21:18-21 :: King James Version   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2003. Gospel Communications Network. http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Deuteronomy+21:18-21 Teaching Science, Not Dogma: The Creationism Controversy 2001. Anti-Defamation League http://www.adl.org/issue_religious_freedom/create/creationism3.asp

hGH’s Effects on AIDS Wasting Syndrome :: Biology Biological Research Papers

hGH’s Effects on AIDS Wasting Syndrome "As for the fact that the disease tends to produce death, this is a matter of small significance. Life itself tends to produce death; living is a sort of gradual dying. All that distinguishes what is known is known as a healthy man from what is known as a diseased man is that the latter promises to die sooner – and even this probability is not always borne out by the event." H.L. Mencken What is Human Growth Hormone?. When asked to think about the human growth hormone (hGH) and its uses, many would envision an abnormally short man or woman who needs the hormone in order to grow to an average height. And in fact, this is one of the hGH’s most vital functions, yet there are many more uses for the hormone, unknown to much of the general public. Human growth hormone is a protein consisting of one hundred and ninety one amino acids and possessing a molecular weight of 21,700 (http://www.eng.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/FUNDAMNT/human.htm). It is produced in the pituitary gland of humans, where if functioning normally, it is secreted continuously throughout a person’s lifetime. The hormone promotes growth throughout adolescence and has a major role in the metabolism of adults (http://www.novo.dk/backgrou/backgrou/bahghuk.htm). hGH has many uses including the treatment of hypopituitary dwarfism, bone fractures, burns, and bleeding ulcers. In fact, until 1988 hGH was only used to tr eat those with growth hormone insufficiency, caused by a limited supply of the hormone (http://www.novo.dk/backgrou/backgrou/bahghuk.htm). However, with the widespread infection of the HIV virus, hGH has experimentally and effectively been found to benefit those suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome. What is AIDS Wasting Syndrome?. Often nicknamed "slim disease" in parts of Africa, wasting syndrome, in which there is intense loss of lean body mass, is killing people with AIDS. It is now the "second most frequently reported AIDS-related clinical condition in the United States, second only to Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (Weinroth, 1995). In wasting syndrome, the body begins to burn lean body mass and fat instead of the normal energy, making the body more susceptible to deadly infections. (http://www.critpath.org/newsletter/wtp/0496/growth.htm). The weight loss is very often associated with chronic weakness, constant diarrhea, and/or prolonged, unexplained fever (Weinroth, 1995).AIDS wasting arises in about 15-40% of late-stage AIDS cases (http://www.critpath.org/newsletter/wtp/0496/growth.htm). There is, however, a higher occurrence among women, Hispanics, and intravenous drug users. hGH’s Effects on AIDS Wasting Syndrome :: Biology Biological Research Papers hGH’s Effects on AIDS Wasting Syndrome "As for the fact that the disease tends to produce death, this is a matter of small significance. Life itself tends to produce death; living is a sort of gradual dying. All that distinguishes what is known is known as a healthy man from what is known as a diseased man is that the latter promises to die sooner – and even this probability is not always borne out by the event." H.L. Mencken What is Human Growth Hormone?. When asked to think about the human growth hormone (hGH) and its uses, many would envision an abnormally short man or woman who needs the hormone in order to grow to an average height. And in fact, this is one of the hGH’s most vital functions, yet there are many more uses for the hormone, unknown to much of the general public. Human growth hormone is a protein consisting of one hundred and ninety one amino acids and possessing a molecular weight of 21,700 (http://www.eng.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/FUNDAMNT/human.htm). It is produced in the pituitary gland of humans, where if functioning normally, it is secreted continuously throughout a person’s lifetime. The hormone promotes growth throughout adolescence and has a major role in the metabolism of adults (http://www.novo.dk/backgrou/backgrou/bahghuk.htm). hGH has many uses including the treatment of hypopituitary dwarfism, bone fractures, burns, and bleeding ulcers. In fact, until 1988 hGH was only used to tr eat those with growth hormone insufficiency, caused by a limited supply of the hormone (http://www.novo.dk/backgrou/backgrou/bahghuk.htm). However, with the widespread infection of the HIV virus, hGH has experimentally and effectively been found to benefit those suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome. What is AIDS Wasting Syndrome?. Often nicknamed "slim disease" in parts of Africa, wasting syndrome, in which there is intense loss of lean body mass, is killing people with AIDS. It is now the "second most frequently reported AIDS-related clinical condition in the United States, second only to Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (Weinroth, 1995). In wasting syndrome, the body begins to burn lean body mass and fat instead of the normal energy, making the body more susceptible to deadly infections. (http://www.critpath.org/newsletter/wtp/0496/growth.htm). The weight loss is very often associated with chronic weakness, constant diarrhea, and/or prolonged, unexplained fever (Weinroth, 1995).AIDS wasting arises in about 15-40% of late-stage AIDS cases (http://www.critpath.org/newsletter/wtp/0496/growth.htm). There is, however, a higher occurrence among women, Hispanics, and intravenous drug users.

Teenagers Frustrations

Teenager's Frustrations -Stress From studying -Peer Pressure -Cyber Bullying As competition in the career world increases, the pressure to do well in studies and be a straight-A student also increases. As such, nowadays many students who actually want to be a step higher than the rest are putting too much pressure on themselves as to Juggle with many extra curricular activities and extra subjects on top of the usual 9 that students take.With the burden of doing well in all these objects, students get overworked and a few cases like these actually end up in suicide. Such stress from studying are one of the frustrations teenagers face. Peer pressure might be a common term to many of us but this is a huge problem amongst students in school. Peer pressure can be either good or bad in many ways. One benefit of peer pressure would be when a student is motivated through peer pressure to do as well as his friends are doing thus being helpful to his/her academics.Another would be when a stude nt mingles with the wrong company such as smokers and thus peer pressure without mind control would actually motivate him to smoke which is absolutely not beneficial to him in anyway. Thus, peer pressure is a big challenge teenagers around the world face. In the 21 -SST century where technology makes the world go round, lies technology negative points. One of such negative points would be cyber bullying which is commonly seen in social networking sites such as Backbone, Twitter andNamespace. These cases of cyber bullying usually come in forms of threats to the person which might embarrass or depress the victim by any sort. Thus, not being able to take the embarrassment, many have died. One of such cases would be the cyber bullying of Megan Meier which resulted in her hanging herself 3 weeks before her 14th birthday. Some teenagers are faced with such challenges on a daily basis and must seek help before anything gets out of hand. Red-topic sentence blue-concluding sentence

Apple Management Essay

Why was Dubinsky initially successful? Her first 3 years at apple from July 1981 through the fall of 1984 was ones continuous success with increasing authority and recognition. She refined and formalized the apple product distribution policy. She exactly understood apple situation in market and create a marketing execution funnel that Apple Company didn’t have this system before. She and her group took all apple products from their respective manufacturing sites to the dealers. They improved warehousing, customer service, credit, repair service, order entry, and a technical group to assist dealers. She was risk taker. Maintained relationship with apple dealers. Willingly and ably fought for her subordinates and for apple dealers and customers. Focused primarily on her caring and honest relationship with her subordinates, Worked closely with 6 distribution centers across the country, She always supported company decision even if she didn’t agree with it. She always had a company’s interest at heart, she was extremely intelligent, had a great sense of humor, had a good ability in presentation, she was self confident, she was very direct. How and why did things unravel? Steve Jobs forced Coleman to do Dubinsky’s job and set up a new distribution plan, and it was more than new distribution system. It was a total change in distribution and manufacturing strategy, taking apple from supply-driven to demand-driven and reducing the distribution and warehouse centers from six to zero, it focused only on central processing units, ignoring apple’s other products, there was no provision for customer complaints and product returns; it was inconvenient for dealers who would be required to split their request between the two product divisions and their respective directors of manufacturing. How did Dubinsky react and why? It was unfair from the side of Dubinsky because it should have been his job to prepare a new system for distribution if required. She found the wrong parts in the distribution plan of Coleman but she could not persuade others to change the company marketing strategy and they did not give her a chance to change or improve that. It’s obvious that she took an emotional decision. But she decided and made an ultimatum: if Campbell did not agree to her terms, she would leave apple. And after that she wrote her letter of resignation, she told weaver about her ultimatum. How should she and others at apple handle the circumstances differently? Steve Jobs was forcing Coleman to do Dubinsky’s job and set up a new distribution plan, and Jobs was doing that because he could make Coleman think in Job’s way, since he was working in Jobs division as director of manufacturing. But that was unfair from the side of Dubinsky because it should have been his job to prepare a new system for distribution if required, since she was responsible for distribution. In that situation, we cannot blame Dubinsky for getting offended; but on the other hand, it’s obvious that she took an emotional decision. She should have acted more professionally. She had already found the wrong parts in the distribution plan of Coleman. Other then criticizing, she should have spent her time on setting up another and new distribution plan. It is obvious that, Apple could reduce its costs with a new distribution system, so that, change was required and it would be done so mehow. She could have harmonized the system that Apple was already using and the system which was proposed by Coleman. It seems like some of the products that Apple manufactured were not suitable for the Just-in-time distribution system, and some of them were suitable. So they could use just-in-time system for some products, but also use the existing distribution system for the required products. That could reduce the number of warehouses and reduce the costs. Probably she should have come up with a new plan. She didn’t want any interventions from the outside while setting up her plan, but, that was an emotional reaction too. The ultimatum she gave was a wrong attitude. She should took recommendations and advice and evaluate a new plan for distribution. How do you explain the success of the transformation? Transformation is successful if improved efficiency and outcome or simplified the way to achievement. In order to remain successful, most businesses need to continually transform and reinvent themselves. Companies who understand this principle are better prepared for the future, and can adjust if need be to the changing world around them. Here are four guidelines that are important to the business transformation process. In order to have a successful transformation we need to: Understand our Company and Its Values understand our goals, set ourselves apart from others, decide our own future. Products and services may come and go, but a company should always remain true to its core values. It is not enough just to have goals. You also have to understand and completely believe in them. Even if you are in the process of transforming certain parts of your business, it is important to stay focused on the primary goals. Make sure you understand why your business exists, and how it makes a difference to your customers. Successful companies almost always have something about them that is just a bit different from their competitors. This is where business transformation can really come into play. Many times a company can greatly increase their level of success and profitability by just revising a few small details. Stay true to your overall goals and mission, but never stop searching for ways to add value and innovation to your company. What was done well and what could have been done differently? AACP had been transformed from an unprofitable hierarchical and demoralized organization whose very existence was at stake, to a profitable, modern and existing company. Bringing in senior managers from outside the industry to replace the old guard revitalized the entire organization .significant effort went into developing new insurance products .expanding distribution and launching bold marketing campaigns, started to actively engage with the local community. Set out to regain AACP’s position as Thailand number two life insurer .finding a replacement for the former chief agency .major change in how agents get paid. Build relationships. Exchange sales techniques .listen to motivational speakers and insurance industry leaders. Reorganization the agency sales force, restructuring the product portfolio, rebuilding the management team, re designing the work environment, reinforcing people management and†¦ but all these changes was regardless to culture factors and there was not sufficient time for employees and customers to adopt with these abrupt changes. It was better first persuade employees and customers about changes. Preparation is necessary before change. What is different about how transformation change works (or not) in Southeast Asia? Each of the Southeast Asian states and the manifold societies of which they are composed are going through incisive processes of transformation. Southeast Asia has long been identified and recognized as one of the most promising and thriving economic regions in the world, and thus inevitably a potential attraction for companies that want to expand their business activities. Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Philippines and Vietnam are enlisted among the fastest growing economies in the world. millions people has earned Southeast Asia a huge base of purchasing power and enriched it in terms of infrastructure development, communication and information technology, power sectors and environment. The members of ASEAN are a great market export destination for Canada after China. The entire credit goes to the explosive economic expansion and an equally strong demand. This happens not only because Southeast Asia has a strong foothold in foreign markets, but also because it gets huge tax benefits from different foreign countries. The strategic location, pro-business environment, attractive tax regulations, skilled labor, technologically superior infrastructure, competent legal set up, upstart lifestyle and a government that is stable as well as proactive, together contribute to the business culture of Southeast Asia. . Southeast Asia attracts a large number of international firms every year. As compared to the other Asian countries, Southeast Asia calls for the least amount of operations. Apart from the tourism industry, huge revenue is generated from trades and expo Southeast Asia is witnessing a huge boom in the IT industry as well. The IT industry is making its hub there and reducing their operational cost substantially. A number of companies in this region derive immense benefit from the similarities in terms of culture, language and even accents. Over all, it can rightly be said that the business culture of Southeast Asia is such that the region is constantly moving high towards the pinnacle of economic growth and justifying itself as a region of increased importance in today’s world of globalization. Clusters of dynamic economies that include the ‘newly emerging’ as well as the ‘highly developed’ are constantly operating and growing as per their characteristic manners and disciplines. All major world religions were established in Southeast Asia. In the course of their introduction to local societies, Hinduism (Bali, Java), Theravada Buddhism (Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia), Sunni Islam (Indonesia, Malaysia), Christianity (Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam), Confucianism and Daoism (Vietnam) were adapted to, and transformed by, these societies’ beliefs and their ritually enacted ideas about the Socio-political, cosmological and moral order, with all these different in languages, cultures and religions. It is almost impossible to survive without change.

Part Four Chapter III

III Andrew had spent hours deciding which clothes he ought to wear for his first day's work at the Copper Kettle. His final choice was draped over the back of the chair in his bedroom. A particularly angry acne pustule had chosen to bring itself to a shiny tight peak on his left cheek, and Andrew had gone so far as to experiment with Ruth's foundation, which he had sneaked out of her dressing-table drawer. He was laying the kitchen table on Friday evening, his mind full of Gaia and the seven solid hours of close proximity to her that were within touching distance, when his father returned from work in a state that Andrew had never seen before. Simon seemed subdued, almost disorientated. ‘Where's your mother?' Ruth came bustling out of the walk-in pantry. ‘Hello Si-Pie! How – what's wrong?' ‘They've made me redundant.' Ruth clapped her hands to her face in horror, then dashed to her husband, threw her arms around his neck and drew him close. ‘Why?' she whispered. ‘That message,' said Simon. ‘On that fucking website. They pulled in Jim and Tommy too. It was take redundancy or we'll sack you. And it's a shitty deal. It's not even what they gave Brian Grant.' Andrew stood perfectly still, calcifying slowly into a monument of guilt. ‘Fuck,' said Simon, into Ruth's shoulder. ‘You'll get something else,' she whispered. ‘Not round here,' said Simon. He sat down on a kitchen chair, still in his coat, and stared across the room, apparently too stunned to speak. Ruth hovered around him, dismayed, affectionate and tearful. Andrew was glad to detect in Simon's catatonic gaze a whiff of his usual ham theatrics. It made him feel slightly less guilty. He continued to lay the table without saying a word. Dinner was a subdued affair. Paul, apprised of the family news, looked terrified, as though his father might accuse him of causing it all. Simon acted like a Christian martyr through the first course, wounded but dignified in the face of unwarranted persecution, but then – ‘I'll pay someone to punch the fucker's fat face through the back of his neck,' he burst out as he spooned apple crumble into himself; and the family knew that he meant Howard Mollison. ‘You know, there's been another message on that council website,' said Ruth breathlessly. ‘It's not only you who's had it, Si. Shir – somebody told me at work. The same person – The Ghost of Barry Fairbrother – has put up something horrible about Dr Jawanda. So Howard and Shirley got someone in to look at the site, and he realized that whoever's doing these messages has been using Barry Fairbrother's log-in details, so to be safe, they've taken them off the – the database or something – ‘ ‘And will any of this get me my fucking job back?' Ruth did not speak again for several minutes. Andrew was unnerved by what his mother had said. It was worrying that The_Ghost_of_Barry_Fairbrother was being investigated, and unnerving that somebody else had followed his lead. Who else would have thought of using Barry Fairbrother's log-in details but Fats? Yet why would Fats go for Dr Jawanda? Or was it just another way of getting at Sukhvinder? Andrew did not like it at all †¦ ‘What's the matter with you?' Simon barked across the table. ‘Nothing,' Andrew muttered, and then, backtracking, ‘it's a shock, isn't it †¦ your job †¦' ‘Oh, you're shocked, are you?' shouted Simon, and Paul dropped his spoon and dribbled ice cream down himself. ‘(Clean it up, Pauline, you little pansy!) Well, this is the real world, Pizza Face!' he shouted at Andrew. ‘Fuckers everywhere trying to do you down! So you,' he pointed across the table at his eldest son, ‘you get some dirt on Mollison, or don't bother coming home tomorrow!' ‘Si – ‘ Simon pushed his chair away from the table, threw down his own spoon, which bounced onto the floor with a clatter, and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him. Andrew waited for the inevitable, and was not disappointed. ‘It's a terrible shock for him,' a shaken Ruth whispered at her sons. ‘After all the years he's given that company †¦ he's worried how he's going to look after us all †¦' When the alarm rang at six thirty the next morning, Andrew slammed it off within seconds and virtually leapt out of bed. Feeling as though it was Christmas Day, he washed and dressed at speed, then spent forty minutes on his hair and face, dabbing minuscule amounts of foundation onto the most obvious of his spots. He half expected Simon to waylay him as he crept past his parents' room, but he met nobody, and after a hasty breakfast he wheeled Simon's racing bicycle out of the garage and sped off down the hill towards Pagford. It was a misty morning that promised sunshine later. The blinds were still down in the delicatessen, but the door tinkled and gave when he pushed it. ‘Not this way!' shouted Howard, waddling towards him. ‘You come in round the back! You can leave the bike by the bins, get it away from the front!' The rear of the delicatessen, reached by a narrow passageway, comprised a tiny dank patch of stone-paved yard, bordered by high walls, sheds with industrial-sized metal bins and a trapdoor that led down vertiginous steps to a cellar. ‘You can chain it up somewhere there, out of the way,' said Howard, who had appeared at the back door, wheezing and sweaty-faced. While Andrew fumbled with the padlock on the chain, Howard dabbed at his forehead with his apron. ‘Right, we'll start with the cellar,' he said, when Andrew had secured the bicycle. He pointed at the trapdoor. ‘Get down there and see the layout.' He bent over the hatch as Andrew climbed down the steps. Howard had not been able to climb down into his own cellar for years. Maureen usually tottered up and down the steps a couple of times a week; but now that it was fully stocked with goods for the cafe, younger legs were indispensible. ‘Have a good look around,' he shouted at the out-of-sight Andrew. ‘See where we've got the gateaux and all the baked goods? See the big bags of coffee beans and the boxes of teabags? And in the corner – the toilet rolls and the bin bags?' ‘Yeah,' Andrew's voice echoed up from the depths. ‘You can call me Mr Mollison,' said Howard, with a slightly tart edge to his wheezy voice. Down in the cellar, Andrew wondered whether he ought to start straight away. ‘OK †¦ Mr Mollison.' It sounded sarcastic. He hastened to make amends with a polite question. ‘What's in these big cupboards?' ‘Have a look,' said Howard impatiently. ‘That's what you're down there for. To know where you put everything and where you get it from.' Howard listened to the muffled sounds of Andrew opening the heavy doors, and hoped that the boy would not prove gormless or need a lot of direction. Howard's asthma was particularly bad today; the pollen count was unseasonably high, on top of all the extra work, and the excitement and petty frustrations of the opening. The way he was sweating, he might need to ring Shirley to bring him a new shirt before they unlocked the doors. ‘Here's the van!' Howard shouted, hearing a rumble at the other end of the passageway. ‘Get up here! You're to carry the stuff down to the cellar and put it away, all right? And bring a couple of gallons of milk through to me in the cafe. You got that?' ‘Yeah †¦ Mr Mollison,' said Andrew's voice from below. Howard walked slowly back inside to fetch the inhaler that he kept in his jacket, which was hanging up in the staff room behind the delicatessen counter. Several deep breaths later, he felt much better. Wiping his face on his apron again, he sat down on one of the creaking chairs to rest. Several times since he had been to see her about his skin rash, Howard had thought about what Dr Jawanda had said about his weight: that it was the source of all his health problems. Nonsense, obviously. Look at the Hubbards' boy: built like a beanpole, and shocking asthma. Howard had always been big, as far back as he could remember. In the very few photographs taken of him with his father, who had left the family when Howard was four or five, he was merely chubby. After his father had left, his mother had sat him at the head of the table, between herself and his grandmother, and been hurt if he did not take seconds. Steadily he had grown to fill the space between the two women, as heavy at twelve as the father who had left them. Howard had come to associate a hearty appetite with manliness. His bulk was one of his defining characteristics. It had been built with pleasure, by the women who loved him, and he thought it was absolutely characteristic of Bends-Your-Ear, that emasculating killjoy, that she wanted to strip him of it. But sometimes, in moments of weakness, when it became difficult to breathe or to move, Howard knew fear. It was all very well for Shirley to act as though he had never been in danger, but he remembered long nights in the hospital after his bypass, when he had not been able to sleep for worry that his heart might falter and stop. Whenever he caught sight of Vikram Jawanda, he remembered that those long dark fingers had actually touched his naked, beating heart; the bonhomie with which he brimmed at each encounter was a way of driving out that primitive, instinctive terror. They had told him at the hospital afterwards that he needed to lose some weight, but he had dropped two stone naturally while he was forced to live off their dreadful food, and Shirley had been intent on fattening him up again once he was out †¦ Howard sat for a moment more, enjoying the ease with which he breathed after using his inhaler. Today meant a great deal to him. Thirty-five years previously, he had introduced fine dining to Pagford with the elan of a sixteenth-century adventurer returning with delicacies from the other side of the world, and Pagford, after initial wariness, had soon begun to nose curiously and timidly into his polystyrene pots. He thought wistfully of his late mother, who had been so proud of him and his thriving business. He wished that she could have seen the cafe. Howard heaved himself back to his feet, took his deerstalker from its hook and placed it carefully on his head in an act of self-coronation. His new waitresses arrived together at half-past eight. He had a surprise for them. ‘Here you are,' he said, holding out the uniforms: black dresses with frilly white aprons, exactly as he had imagined. ‘Ought to fit. Maureen reckoned she knew your sizes. She's wearing one herself.' Gaia forced back a laugh as Maureen stalked into the delicatessen from the cafe, smiling at them. She was wearing Dr Scholl's sandals over her black stockings. Her dress finished two inches above her wrinkled knees. ‘You can change in the staff room, girls,' she said, indicating the place from which Howard had just emerged. Gaia was already pulling off her jeans beside the staff toilet when she saw Sukhvinder's expression. ‘Whassamatter, Sooks?' she asked. The new nickname gave Sukhvinder the courage to say what she might otherwise have been unable to voice. ‘I can't wear this,' she whispered. ‘Why?' asked Gaia. ‘You'll look OK.' But the black dress had short sleeves. ‘I can't.' ‘But wh – Jesus,' said Gaia. Sukhvinder had pulled back the sleeves of her sweatshirt. Her inner arms were covered in ugly criss-cross scars, and angry fresh-clotted cuts travelled up from her wrist to her inner arm. ‘Sooks,' said Gaia quietly. ‘What are you playing at, mate?' Sukhvinder shook her head, with her eyes full of tears. Gaia thought for a moment, then said, ‘I know – come here.' She was stripping off her long-sleeved T-shirt. The door suffered a big blow and the imperfectly closed bolt shot open: a sweating Andrew was halfway inside, carrying two weighty packs of toilet rolls, when Gaia's angry shout stopped him in his tracks. He tripped out backwards, into Maureen. ‘They're changing in there,' she said, in sour disapproval. ‘Mr Mollison told me to put these in the staff bathroom.' Holy shit, holy shit. She had been stripped to her bra and pants. He had seen nearly everything. ‘Sorry,' Andrew yelled at the closed door. His whole face was throbbing with the force of his blush. ‘Wanker,' muttered Gaia, on the other side. She was holding out her T-shirt to Sukhvinder. ‘Put it on underneath the dress.' ‘That'll look weird.' ‘Never mind. You can get a black one for next week, it'll look like you're wearing long sleeves. We'll tell him some story †¦' ‘She's got eczema,' Gaia announced, when she and Sukhvinder emerged from the staff room, fully dressed and aproned. ‘All up her arms. It's a bit scabby.' ‘Ah,' said Howard, glancing at Sukhvinder's white T-shirted arms and then back at Gaia, who looked every bit as gorgeous as he had hoped. ‘I'll get a black one for next week,' said Sukhvinder, unable to look Howard in the eye. ‘Fine,' he said, patting Gaia in the small of her back as he sent the pair of them through to the cafe. ‘Brace yourselves,' he called to his staff at large. ‘We're nearly there †¦ doors open, please, Maureen!' There was already a little knot of customers waiting on the pavement. A sign outside read: The Copper Kettle, Opening Today – First Coffee Free! Andrew did not see Gaia again for hours. Howard kept him busy heaving milk and fruit juices up and down the steep cellar steps, and swabbing the floor of the small kitchen area at the back. He was given a lunch break earlier than either of the waitresses. The next glimpse he got of her was when Howard summoned him to the counter of the cafe, and they passed within inches of each other as she walked in the other direction, towards the back room. ‘We're swamped, Mr Price!' said Howard, in high good humour. ‘Get yourself a clean apron and mop down some of these tables for me while Gaia has her lunch!' Miles and Samantha Mollison had sat down with their two daughters and Shirley at a table in the window. ‘It seems to be going awfully well, doesn't it?' Shirley said, looking around. ‘But what on earth is that Jawanda girl wearing under her dress?' ‘Bandages?' suggested Miles, squinting across the room. ‘Hi, Sukhvinder!' called Lexie, who knew her from primary school. ‘Don't shout, darling,' Shirley reproved her granddaughter, and Samantha bristled. Maureen emerged from behind the counter in her short black dress and frilly apron, and Shirley corpsed into her coffee. ‘Oh dear,' she said quietly, as Maureen walked towards them, beaming. It was true, Samantha thought, Maureen looked ridiculous, especially next to a pair of sixteen-year-olds in identical dresses, but she was not going to give Shirley the satisfaction of agreeing with her. She turned ostentatiously away, watching the boy mopping tables nearby. He was spare but reasonably broad-shouldered. She could see his muscles working under the loose T-shirt. Incredible to think that Miles' big fat backside could ever have been that small and tight – then the boy turned into the light and she saw his acne. ‘Not half bad, is it?' Maureen was croaking to Miles. ‘We've been full all day.' ‘All right, girls,' Miles addressed his family, ‘what'll we have to keep up Grandpa's profits?' Samantha listlessly ordered a bowl of soup, as Howard waddled through from the delicatessen; he had been striding in and out of the cafe every ten minutes all day, greeting customers and checking the flow of cash into the till. ‘Roaring success,' he told Miles, squeezing in at their table. ‘What d'you think of the place, Sammy? You haven't seen it before, have you? Like the mural? Like the china?' ‘Mm,' said Samantha. ‘Lovely.' ‘I was thinking about having my sixty-fifth here,' said Howard, absent-mindedly scratching at the itch Parminder's creams had not yet cured, ‘but it's not big enough. I think we'll stick with the church hall.' ‘When's that, Grandpa?' piped up Lexie. ‘Am I coming?' ‘Twenty-ninth, and what are you now – sixteen? Course you can come,' said Howard happily. ‘The twenty-ninth?' said Samantha. ‘Oh, but †¦' Shirley looked at her sharply. ‘Howard's been planning this for months. We've all been talking about it for ages.' ‘†¦ that's the night of Libby's concert,' said Samantha. ‘A school thing, is it?' asked Howard. ‘No,' said Libby, ‘Mum's got me tickets for my favourite group. It's in London.' ‘And I'm going with her,' said Samantha. ‘She can't go alone.' ‘Harriet's mum says she could – ‘ ‘I'm taking you, Libby, if you're going to London.' ‘The twenty-ninth?' said Miles, looking hard at Samantha. ‘The day after the election?' Samantha let loose the derisive laugh that she had spared Maureen. ‘It's the Parish Council, Miles. It's not as though you'll be giving press conferences.' ‘Well, we'll miss you, Sammy,' said Howard, as he hauled himself up with the aid of the back of her chair. ‘Best get on †¦ all right, Andrew, you're done here †¦ go and see if we need anything up from the cellar.' Andrew was forced to wait beside the counter while people passed to and from the bathroom. Maureen was loading up Sukhvinder with plates of sandwiches. ‘How's your mother?' she asked the girl abruptly, as though the thought had just occurred to her. ‘Fine,' said Sukhvinder, her colour rising. ‘Not too upset by that nasty business on the council website?' ‘No,' said Sukhvinder, her eyes watering. Andrew proceeded out into the dank yard, which, in the early afternoon, had become warm and sunny. He had hoped that Gaia might be there, taking a breath of fresh air, but she must have gone into the staff room in the deli. Disappointed, he lit up a cigarette. He had barely inhaled when Gaia emerged from the cafe, finishing her lunch with a can of fizzy drink. ‘Hi,' said Andrew, his mouth dry. ‘Hi,' she said. Then, after a moment or two: ‘Hey, why's that friend of yours such a shit to Sukhvinder? Is it personal or is he racist?' ‘He isn't racist,' said Andrew. He removed the cigarette from his mouth, trying to keep his hands from trembling, but could not think of anything else to say. The sunshine reflected off the bins warmed his sweaty back; close proximity to her in the tight black dress was almost overwhelming, especially now that he had glimpsed what lay beneath. He took another drag of the cigarette, not knowing when he had felt so bedazzled or so alive. ‘What's she ever done to him, though?' The curve of her hips to her tiny waist; the perfection of her wide, flecked eyes over the can of Sprite. Andrew felt like saying, Nothing, he's a bastard, I'll hit him if you let me touch you †¦ Sukhvinder emerged into the yard, blinking in the sunlight; she looked uncomfortable and hot in Gaia's top. ‘He wants you back in,' she said to Gaia. ‘He can wait,' said Gaia coolly. ‘I'm finishing this. I've only had forty minutes.' Andrew and Sukhvinder contemplated her as she sipped her drink, awed by her arrogance and her beauty. ‘Was that old bitch saying something to you just then, about your mum?' Gaia asked Sukhvinder. Sukhvinder nodded. ‘I think it might've been his mate,' she said, staring at Andrew again, and he found her emphasis on his positively erotic, even if she meant it to be derogatory, ‘who put that message about your mum on that website.' ‘Can't've been,' said Andrew, and his voice wobbled slightly. ‘Whoever did it went after my old man, too. Couple of weeks ago.' ‘What?' asked Gaia. ‘The same person posted something about your dad?' He nodded, relishing her interest. ‘Something about stealing, wasn't it?' asked Sukhvinder, with considerable daring. ‘Yeah,' said Andrew. ‘And he got the sack for it yesterday. So her mum,' he met Gaia's blinding gaze almost steadily, ‘isn't the only one who's suffered.' ‘Bloody hell,' said Gaia, upending the can and throwing it into a bin. ‘People round here are effing mental.'