Infectious Diseases

The only means of recovery is rest and drinking a lot of fluids. Taking cold medications will only help relieve the symptoms. Hepatitis, Viral Hepatitis can either be acute or chronic. That means, it can either be a temporary illness, or it can be a permanent condition Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver ND other tissues.It can be caused by a viral Infection. The onset of hepatitis can also be caused by drug abuse or overexposure to a chemical The treatment for viral hepatitis, acute or chronic, is rest. Influenza Influenza, commonly known as â€Å"the flu,† Is also caused by a virus. Its symptoms are more severe than the common cold Influenza only needs to be treated with bed rest and fluids. Non-linctuses Diseases: Possible Causes Cancer Cancer Is caused by the transforming effect of carcinogens on normal cells.Characterized by the unrestrained growth of abnormal cells on or in tissues of the body. Treatment for cancer usually involves surgery and some form of radiati on therapy or chemotherapy. Coronary Heart Disease Coronary heart disease is the most common circulatory system disease. Damage to the heart is caused by reduced blood flow to the heart resulting from blocked or narrowing coronary arteries. Coronary heart disease usually goes unnoticed until chest pain is felt or a heart attack occurs.Its symptoms can be treated with drugs or surgery. Diabetes, Type I It is a disease of the pancreas in which insulin is not produced in the correct amounts so that glucose (sugar) can be converted into energy or stored as fat. Include excessive thirst and urination. Type I diabetes is mainly treated with regular insulin injections. Diabetes, Type II It is a disease of the pancreas in which insulin is not produced In the correct Type II diabetics are treated with a similar routine of diet and exercise.

Inadequate Qualified Nurses Essay

HealthCare industry in United States and across the globe carried so much responsibility that they are often referred to as â€Å"god† because of the relevance, power and most importantly, their job as lifesaver. Health Care industry is a very lucrative industry in United States and they constitute the large workforce. Despite of all their numerous duties and the entire good job, they are doing, â€Å"The problem Lies Within: Inadequate Qualified Personnel. Health Care industries in United States constitute of a large workforce and most importantly, it is an essential service that carries duty non-stop. The inadequacy of the Nurses, the qualified ones, have been blamed on many factors such as working environment, societal attitude about the profession, to mention but few. The shortage of Nurse appears to be heading towards a path of decline unless an urgent measure is taken to address the situation. That not only the majority of nursing professional are aging but many young people are choosing other careers. This could be because of the hours of work put into the job, as well as the stress involved. In view of this, the experienced among them are opting out and look for less stressful and more lucrative careers. According to the statement, by the House of Education and Workforce Committee, â€Å"The nursing workforce is aging and there are not enough new nurses entering the profession to replace those retiring or leaving† (Heinrich, 2001). A survey conducted shows that half of the current employed RNs by the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals had considered leaving the patient care field for reasons other than retirement over the past two years (Heinrich, 2001). The implications is that less qualified personnel will be handling most of the health issues which is very dangerous and most importantly all the administrators and other facilities will be affected. Meanwhile, the economy will be affected as well as social issues. The statistical rates of the birth and death rate will be affected as well. The Death rate according to the statistical data released by the United States Census bureau shows a significant increase in death rate since 2008. Most aged people and our seniors will have to be the ones that bear the great effect of this, as they need the attention as well as the touch of our Nurses. The shortage of Nurses is the issue that affects anyone who is a provider or consumer of healthcare services in United States. From the foregoing, it is clear that â€Å"Problem Exists†- Inadequate Qualified Nurses. There is no problem without a remedy or a solution. Having identified the problem, the next thing is to look for the ways out. The first thing is to improve the working conditions and the workplace environment; government should encourage the students with tuition assistance and grants as this would serve as a motives for the intended ones who will like to enroll in nursing school, though the present administration have promised to invest in education and training, this is a good step in a right direction. We should also develop a strategy for awareness and respect for the profession; this they can do to uplift the profession. Government should invest in this noble venture as well and thereby encouraging people to have an interest in the profession. There should be incentives to the new and old among them, as this would put a stop to frequent occupational mobility moving from one job to other. The incentives such as tuition reimbursement, employee’s stock purchase plan, and other incentives that improve the working environment. Finally, improving the workplace environment starts from within the profession itself. We have to take pride in whatever we are doing and this is very significant as willingness to do things come from the inside and not when someone are forced or coerced to do so. References Heinrich, J (2001, July 10). Emerging nurse shortages due to multiple factors. FDCH government account reports. Retrieved from http://ehostvgw20.epnet.com Nursing Shortage: It is likely to get worse before it gets better (Electronic Version) (2001 August) Occupational Health Management, 11(8). 85 The Evolving Nursing Shortage: A Study of Nursing Shortage in America Retrieved from: http://www.ayatravelnursingjobs.com/nursingshortage/ Facts on the Nursing Shortage in North America: Why is there a Nursing Shortage? Retrieved from: http://www.nursingsociety.org/Media/Pages/shortage.aspx

Comparison of Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln

Julius Caesar is remembered as one of the history greatest general, and a popular leader of the roman republic. Julius Caesar would always compare himself to Alexander the greatest. For almost 15 years Julius Caesar led armies against enemies. Abraham Lincoln was also remembered as one of the greatest in American history at his time, he was the 16th president of the United States of American. He was born on February 12, 1809; Lincoln was 51 years old when he was elected president.Abraham Lincoln was a leader in the union of the civil war; he impacted on American history because he help get rid of slavery and also kept our union together as one. Slavery was a big issue in the United States Abraham managed to bring the country closer to equality. Julius Caesar was one of the first leaders to publish the newspaper, he made the Roman calendar, and the month of July was named after him.Julius Caesar effectively transformed the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire under his rule. He made p olitical alliances that helped him rise in power, then he started a civil war won and became dictator for life in the Roman world in 48 B. C. Julius and Abraham were both assonated. Julius Caesar helped poor people. He took the money from the rich and gave it to the poor. Unfortunately the rich didn't like this. Most of the rich people were in the senate.One day when Caesar went to the senate they all teamed up against him and stabbed him to death. Julius Caesar had too much control and power, Rich people wanted to rid himself. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to die of assassination. Abraham Lincoln was killed because of his promotion of voting rights for blacks. He was shot once in the back of his head by John Booth this shot immediately dropped him to the floor.

Family values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family values - Essay Example I also believe that the non-existence of corporal punishment will enhance changes in my daughter, including social or other aspects in her life. Therefore, in my decision not to incorporate corporal punishment norms as a consequence of development within the boundaries of raising a child, there is always a necessity for me to systematize the procedure of teaching by example for my daughter. It is a known idea that teaching by example has an impact on behavior rather than the outputs of a child. But nevertheless, as an end-result of my efficient ideals on raising children, belief and acceptance of the holistic development of my daughter is always easy and worry-free. On the other hand, I was raised in a family where corporal punishment existed and where I was rarely given a chance. In order to optimize my development, my parents always controlled my academic learning with great knowledge and effectiveness. However, I was seldom enabled to be participative in doing work-based choices to further improve my decision-making skills and capabilities. I can say that the inappropriately implemented and my dysfunctional participation within my family failed to improve my productivity. Likewise, the existence of corporal punishment within our family instilled more fear on me than learning. With the existence of consistent threats, the imbalance of outputs and my incomplete development paved the way for me to reverse the situation in raising my daughter. For example, the objective to develop the proper attitudes and behavior of my daughter in order to guarantee her development and necessary growth includes me teaching by example in order for her to follow in the midst of confusion. My ideals and dedication to teach my daughter with the proper ideals to guarantee her good upbringing are always in my mind and is fortunately being managed well by my daughter. The change, formulation, inspiration, improvement and empowerment of my daughter significantly rely on my proper upbringing and child-raising ideals. To my Teen-aged Daughter: I am writing to you a letter to share to you my ideas with regards to the statement that, "Family values change as society changes. As a result, ideas about how children should be raised change." You are my only daughter and you know I was raised in a family of six. I have many ideals about raising children, but the two that stand out the most and what I used to bring you up include no threats and never degrading you. You and I know that majority of the triumphant activities that you have rely tremendously on the excellent interpersonal interaction and relationship that both you and I have. I am always bounded with a unified objective of not to threaten nor degrade you, that's why I realized that the control of your developments as a teen-ager must be always coordinated with the individuals that will help you succeed and will never degrade you during the hardest times. I believe my effort in discussing with you my objective of not threatening or degrading you as part of your development under guidance is always important. Interaction is the highly recommended way that we always use. Obtaining my trust and your trust and managing a smooth parent-child relationship is always a critical factor to your holistic development, and

Analysis of a System, Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of a System, - Case Study Example The system of this kind is called transport intelligent systems. From the case study on the city highway, it was thought of as the stock of flowing traffic. Therefore, a stock is a foundation of every system (Meadows, 2008). Here the stocks are traffic flows, road, traffic lights, etc. because they can be measured, counted, and visible all the time. 1 Traffic flow variation on the scale of years or decade implies a reduction or an increase in the volume. For an increase in traffic flow means increase in the number of private vehicles amidst the public vehicles while the road network within the city remains constant. Within a decade, traffic flow can be reduced when the number of private vehicles is reduced and the number of public vehicles and increase and also increasing the road network within the city 2 Traffic flow can vary by day of week and/ hours of the day through creating many access ways to the city centre to reduce traffic congestion on the road. Traffic flow can be high on the working day of the week especially when there is a significant event taking place, for example, national celebrations such as Independence Day, etc. and on this day traffic flow become so high compared to any other days of the week. Traffic flow can in hours of the day, taking the morning hours (starting from 7:00 am to 8:30 am) when people are rushing to their work. At this time the traffic, volume is very high and reduces starting from 9:00 am when most people have reached their workplaces (Meadows, 2008). Then from 5:00 pm, the traffic flow starts increasing up to 7:00 pm when most people have reached their homes. 3 Traffic flow can vary with distance from the city due to presence of junction on the road; where there is a road junction at far distance from the road traffic diverts and leave the city centre with less traffic therefore leading to a reduction in traffic flow. Where there is a road

Reflective journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflective journal - Essay Example Students in this model are required to make sure that the company expands its operations as well as increase its revenue output. Before the process started, the teacher divided the class into different groups which were to compete with each other in business modeling. It was during these groups that I learnt effective decision making processes among other skills as discussed in this paper. How I performed as a member of my team As a member of my team, I performed well and was fully involved in the decision making process. Although it was I was not mandated to perform all the tasks involved in the process, I was engaged in other activities such as conducting research on different topics and issues. The expertise and knowledge of our team leader helped us avoid role conflict among the different team members. Since everybody has different capabilities and abilities, he assigned roles according to our natural talents and interests. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of every member of our team. This skill helped him in allocation of tasks and roles that different people would perform. Not everybody has equal capabilities as we are all naturally different. Therefore, those who were slow were offered support. This helped us in making swift and effective decisions that did not negatively affect our performance. I conducted thorough research for the benefit of the team and as a way of showing my active participation. To be successful, all members of a team should handle their duties cautiously and with seriousness. As such, they should show concern and be fully involved in all the teams’ activities. Different people have different performance levels. While working as a team, it is imperative to understand that all people have different capabilities and have different performance abilities. What I learnt from working in the team Teams are an essential tool for learning from peers as they offer engaged students with different knowledge and skills. Students get a chance to learn from other fellow students. Students also have the opportunity to practice different skills such as communication skills and public relations skills. For a team to be successful there must be the existence of good communication skills and members (Hayes & Hayes 2002, p., 112). Again, they should be able to work together and understand the need for them to be involved in the group. In the whole modeling process, I learnt about teamwork and its importance to people working for a single course and aiming at a common goal. Our goal was emerging the best team after the whole process. We planned to grow the share capital of our company and grow our market share. I learnt that in a team, arriving at a decision took a longer time than when working individually. In a team, there are various options available for the team to exploit in reaching a particular agreement (Adair 2010,  13). Personally, I developed good decision making skills that I find useful all the time. Area s I can improve on in my teamwork For a team to carry out its mandate successfully, it requires a number of factors to work in its favor. First, the team members must agree to pursue a common goal and move towards a similar direction. Our team was able to settle on our strategy and decide on the ways to use so that we could achieve our goal (Bell & Smith 2011,

Explain how inbound logistics, conversion operations and outbound Essay

Explain how inbound logistics, conversion operations and outbound logistics converge to provide intergrated logistics - Essay Example rations involves several essential elements of a business such as production management, information flows, transportation of goods, warehousing, inventory control etc. Handling such activities with precision has become inevitable for the companies to gain competitive advantage over their competitors and strengthen its market positioning. It covers several operational aspects of a business, such as order processing, distribution of goods, as well as packaging which are essential for the timely receipt of raw materials as well as delivery of the finished products to the end users. Logistics can be defined as â€Å"The process of planning, implementing, and controlling procedures for the efficient and effective storage of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements. This definition includes inbound, outbound, internal, and external movements1.† While the business dictionary defines logistics as â€Å"planning, execution, and control of the procurement, movement, and stationing of personnel, material, and other resources to achieve the objectives of a campaign, plan, project, or strategy. It may also be defined as the management of inventory in motion and at rest.2† Michael Porter’s Value Chain Model3, is an essential tool that helps in analyzing the various activities through which, the firms across the industry, seek to create competitive advantage. This model involves a series of support activities which are shown in the following diagram: The basic idea behind this model is to depict the various activities that create value to the organization which should be far greater than the cost involved in providing the product or service, hence creating a substantial profit margin in the process. These activities are explained through the case study of the â€Å"Bombay Dabbawalas† (Lunch box carriers from a city in India), a six sigma operation, recognized as a

A Report on the Investigation on the Allegations against a Plant Essay

A Report on the Investigation on the Allegations against a Plant Employee of an Acquired Corporation, Lakes Inc - Essay Example The investigation landed on a big clue, which made it clear that the offence was done in the preparation of invoice for purchase of items. From this case it was found that actually, the invoice was supposed to be prepared for purchasing high definition flat screen television but the prepared invoice was in the name of a computer server. The investigation is carried out from August to November 2009. In the mean time, it was also found that the employee has submitted the invoice through the purchase department for a refund amount of $8,795.60. Due to this issue, the director of purchasing department, Mr Bob Smith, and the administrative assistant, Ms Mary Bad, had to be terminated from the company. The company maintains a database for all the items they purchase and a particular code is fixed for the items, which relates to the work done by the administrative assistant. As part of the investigation, a visit was made to all the stores from where the goods were purchased. The manager of one store said that in the past six months, Bob Smith had done two more purchases and these items were delivered either to him or his assistant. He showed the invoices of these items that had been purchased. When comparing these with the plant invoices, the file had only copies. Everything in the invoice except the name of the items was similar. The director of the purchasing department and the administrative assistant are the culprit in this case. They cheated the company and this had been continuing for several years. The invoices, the proof and the statement of the store manager have been apt evidences for this particular investigation. Bob Smith and Mary Bad were cheating the company by making false invoices and purchasing costly items with the company’s earnings. They might even resell these items at a higher price and make more profits out of it. The case is found to be misappropriation on purchasing the asset. There are various schemes for asset misappropriation such a s â€Å"skimming, cash larceny, fraudulent disbursements, and non-cash larceny and misuse† (Albrecht n.d pg 2). Misappropriation of the Asset Fraudulent Disbursement Scheme From these schemes, the one, which is similar to the case under study here, is the fraudulent disbursements scheme. Asset misappropriation schemes consist of â€Å"those frauds in which a perpetrator employs trickery or deceit to steal or misuse an organization’s resources† (Albrecht n.d pg 1). In this case, both the director and his assistant have taken assets of the organization to benefit themselves. Here, misappropriation of assets occurred during the purchase of goods and services. The organization pays extra for purchased goods and services, as all of them were not used in the plant. It includes a billing scheme, which involves employers making payments based on false invoices for personal purchases as done by Mr Bob Smith and Ms Mary. Such type of asset misappropriation frauds are seri ous enough, which result in material misstatement of the financial statements of the organization, without the knowledge of the management. Finally, the company incurs a huge loss and a lot of damages. Final Results of the Investigation Asset misappropri

Project proposal Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project proposal - Dissertation Example al., 2011; Amoako, 2011). The research will therefore focus on the effect of staff training on enhancing the experiences of the customers visiting McDonald’s. The research will further help to evaluate the different techniques employed by the management of the company in training their staff for maintaining effective relationships with their customers. The globally renowned foodservice retailer McDonald’s has in excess of 33,500 restaurants serving around 68 million people across 119 countries every day. The company employs more than 1.7 million personnel worldwide. Although 80% of the restaurants are franchised, McDonald’s is committed in providing best-in-class products and services in each of its restaurants spread across the world. Furthermore, Diversity and inclusion is a part of the company’s culture which has helped the company in maintaining effective relations with vast number of people from various cultural backgrounds (McDonalds, 2012). Limitati ons In this modern world, it has been recognised that companies in the hospitality and food chain industry integrate innovative strategies to train their employees for enhancing customer relationships and experiences regarding their service. Thus, the study involves a wide range of researches from the primary sources. However, due to the appropriateness and unavailability of adequate information, this research will consider taking both primary and secondary sources (Olejnik & Algina, 2000; Bazeley, 2004). Overall Research Aim The aim of the research is to analyse the effects of staff training in McDonald’s for enhancing the experiences of the customers. Furthermore, the research will focus on identifying the different and innovative strategies which are employed by McDonald’s in providing efficient training to their employees. Specific Research Questions The research will be conducted in order to evaluate the answers for the following questions: 1. What is the relation ship between employee performance and customer experience in the food chain industry? 2. What are the staff training aims and strategies initiated by McDonald’s? 3. How staff training acts as a determining variable towards effective customer experiences in McDonald’s? Research Methodology Research methodology is referred to a structured framework through which the research is conducted for generating appropriate results. In other words, it is the identification of appropriate methods which will result in deriving the desired objectives and aims of the research (Spratt & et. al., 2004). According to Brannen (2009), there are three types of research methods, namely, qualitative, quantitative and mixed approach. The author further stated that mixed approach has however gained rapid popularity. In the mixed approach, both qualitative and quantitative results are derived for appropriately fulfilling the objectives as well as to remain in focus with the research aims (Branne n, 2009; Flowers, 2009). In the proposed research, the qualitative results will be evaluated by reviewing various numbers of journals and books written by popular scholars. On the

Power point presentation on The Goblin shark , the retractable jaw, PowerPoint

Power point on The Goblin shark , the retractable jaw, shape and colour of body as well as the electro-sensitive organs for finding prey - PowerPoint Presentation Example The goblin shark’s classification is as follows: it is from the kingdom Animalia, under the phylum chordata, class chondrichthyes, the cartilagenous fishes, subclass elasmobranchii, order lamniformes, family mitsukurinidae, genus mitsukurina, and species owstoni. The English common name is goblin shark, and its Japanese name is Ten-gu za-me, which is literally translated as goblin shark, due to the protruding snout. Slide 4 The goblin shark is mostly seen in the coastal areas of Tosa Bay and Boso Peninsula in Japan, where it was first seen. They are demersal, meso-pelagic to benthic, and are mostly found in the bottom of the ocean floor, as evidenced by fishermen catching them in nets that are dragged on the bottom of the ocean. They can be found as deep as 2000m. They are mostly found in temperate areas, but are also found around the tropics, as shown in the succeeding slide. Slide 5 As seen from the distribution pattern, in yellow, these are the areas where sightings of the goblin shark are recorded from mostly sparse literature available. Because of the inability of the shark to live in aquariums, presumably due to its adaption in living at great depths, other parts of its life cycle such as reproduction and growth are remained in obscurity. However, examining the bowels of dead goblin sharks have made their feeding habits and prey known. Slide 6 As apex predators of the ocean, goblin sharks are just like other sharks that have electro-sensitive organs called the ampullae of Lorenzini, which detect the motions of prey near the ocean floor. Their retractable jaws suck in prey, and with the combination of their blade-like teeth prevent the prey from escaping. They are also known to be nocturnal, due to some sightings of them surfacing the waters at night. Slide 7 The prey most found in the stomachs of the goblin sharks that were caught were small, mesopelagic teleosts such as lantern

Business-to-Business Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business-to-Business Marketing Report - Essay Example (Zoltners, Sinha & Lorimer 2009: 3). A motivated sales force will usher higher sales as compared to an unmotivated sales force. A well-coached, well-trained sales force ushers more sales than an untrained sales force. 2.1 â€Å" Sales Force Structure â€Å" If a company markets a single product to one industry with customers spreading over many locations and in such an event, it is ideal to employ a territorial sales force structure. On the other hand, if a company sells different products to many varieties of customers, it may either engage a product sales force structure or a customer sale force structure or a mixture of both. Under the territorial sales force setup, an exclusive geographic province is assigned to each sales person to market the company’s whole range of products to all customers in that geographical area. Under this structure, each sales person role and accountability are clearly defined. Company with diversified products engages different kinds of product s sales forces. For instance, Lear Corporation’s employ outstanding 145-sales force that brings many feats to the company. Lear sales force is good at relationship building and to satisfy customer’s needs. (Kotler 2008:423). American Express ,PepsiCo, and the Hartford Financial Services Group. sales personnel comprise one of the company’s most expensive and productive assets and increasing their figures may increase both revenue and costs to the company. (Kotler 2008:423). 2.2 â€Å" Various Sales Promotional Tools† A company’s sales promotion mix includes a mixture of various types of sales promotional tools employed by it to market its products or services. The chief six sales promotional tools are – advertising, personal...About $ 800 billion is being spent by all American companies each year on sales force, which is about 3 times the quantum of dollars spent on advertising. Many past empirical studies have found communication; commitment, trust, social contracts and co-operation are the variables that influence B2B relationships. As per eMarketer, about 88% of the shoppers prefer to do shopping online instead of traditional shopping as they can shop through online 24 hours a day and 365 days during a year. According to DoubleClick research study, about 73% of interviewees answered that they purchased a product through online due to email marketing. This demonstrates that B2C marketing is gaining momentum nowadays. SPSL should maintain adequate sales force and should launch its own website. SPSL should publish some success stories, offer the visitors some plumbing tips on how to keep their plumbing system hassle-free, and there should be a review section where its customers can post their views and recommendations about the SPSL services. SPSL can also introduce e-mail campaigns, pay-per-click campaign, local SEO programs and other online marketing strategies to attract new customers. SPSL should also publish in their websites positive reviews’, blog entries, and forum discussions section, about its past deals and upcoming ones.

High renaissance Essay Example for Free

High renaissance Essay This is the period in the art history which connotes the culmination of the art of the early renaissance between 1480 and 1527. It was one of the greatest outbursts of creativity in the art history. It has been described as the period in which there were convergences of wealth of talents concentrating in the same area. The early renaissance focused on the artists in Florence, but the high renaissance centered on the artists in Rome due to increased patronage by the then pope Julius 11. During this period, these artists possess their tools and facilities which make their works better than what has been done before. The high renaissance came to an end after about 40 years of existence when Raphael: one of the prominent artists, died in 1520, coupled with the sack of Rome in 1527. Three of the greatest ever artists were credited for this period in history. They were called the big three; they are Leonard da Vinci, Rapheal Sanzio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti Artist that contributed to high renaissance 1] Leonard da Vinci; his painting titled the last supper (1490) was said to have started the high renaissance . He lived between 1452 and 1519. His work Vitruvian Man was also part of his contribution during this time. 2] Michelangelo Buonarroti; he lived between 1475 and 1564. His painting in the Vatican and the painting title Delphia Sibyl created much impart during this period. He also did The Creation of Adam during this period. 3] Raphael Sanzio; his painting which is also in the Vatican and the painting titled ‘Saint George struggling with the dragon’ made him an exceptional artist during this time. He lived between 1483 and 1520. 4] Fra Bartolommeo; his painting which he did in 1515 title ‘Annunciation with the Saint’ make him well known. He lived between 1472 and 1517. 5] Marcantonio Raimondi; he lived between 1475 and 1534, his work the ‘Judgment of Paris made him exceptionally good during this time. REFERENCE: The High Renaissance; http://www. artcyclopedia. com/history/high-renaissance. html Shelley Esaak (2008) The High Renaissance in Italy http://arthistory. about. com/cs/arthistory10one/a/high_

Experiments of Copper (II) Sulphate

Experiments of Copper (II) Sulphate Aim This experiment is to calculate the x which is water of crystallization and the chemical equation is CuSO4 (aq) Â · xH2O (s) and to observed colour changed when complex formation of copper (II) sulphate are formed. Introduction Molar mass is summation of all the atomic masses in a chemical equation. Transition metals are the elements which are found in the d-block in The Periodic Table. The element which is in the first transition series is strong oxidizers and they can form bivalent metal ions which have reducibility and its charge is 2+. Because of empty of d-orbital, transition metals easily form coordination compounds. Copper can form coordination compound; however, its d10 structure is stable so that its highest charge is +3. Hydrochloric acid, its chemical formula is HCl. It is a strong acid and is easily vaporize so that after opening the container which contains HCl, the acid vapour will be seeing very clearly. Because HCl can volatilize, it will combine with the water and form HCl drops (Baidu.Baike, 2009). Copper (II) sulphate often exists as a crystallization as a pentahydrate which means a molecule contains five crystallization of water. It can be sale as blue vitriol which is a chemical material using to produce pigments, battery and so on (Chmicalland21, nd). Ammonia solution is a colourless liquid and has pungent smell. If it is exposing to air it loses NH3 quickly (Down.Food126, 2008). The displacement reaction is a simple substance reacts with a compound, and forms other kinds of simple substance and compound. The Crystal Theory is a theory that search for the chemical bond of the transition metals. The transition metals ions are located on the crystal field and surrounding by anions and dipole molecules. The anions are called central ions, and the dipole molecules are called ligands. These ions can affect the energy which belongs to d-orbital, because of a splitting of energy levels. However, this theory can used to explain the colour changes of the complex (Science.Jrank, 2010). Lister and Renshaw (2000, p469) has pointed out that the molecules or ions use lone pairs to form dative bonds with a d-block metal which is surrounding by a transition metal to form, its a complex. In addition, these kinds of molecules or ions are called ligands. Method Firstly, several apparatus were used in this experiment, for instance, crucible, spatulas, burner, tongs, electronic balance, stand, dessicator, paper clip, conical flasks and pipettes. Secondly, some chemical were used, for example, hydrated copper sulphate, water, concentrate hydrochloric acid, ammonia solution. The last but one, students should wear the coat and safety glasses in the experiment. Part A First, the inside of crucible was cleaned. Second, a paper clip was placed into the crucible and weighed by electronic balance. The weight was recorded down to 0.01g. Third, 3g of copper sulphate was placed into the crucible using the spatula, and was weighed by the electronic balance. Fourth, the burner was lit, and was put under the stand. The paper clip and copper (II) sulphate was placed on the stand and was heated for about 5 minutes. The crystal was stirred with the paper clip. The colour was observed. Fifth, the crucible was placed inside the dessicator for 5 minutes to cool down using tongs (The paper clip was left in the crucible). Sixth, the crucible was weighted when it was cool enough. At last, some water was added into the crucible and indicates the blue colour which is the colour of crystallization of water. Part B Firstly, some copper sulphate and water was put into 3 conical flasks and was shaken to dissolve. Secondly, concentrated hydrochloric acid was dropped into one conical flask using a pipette and observed. Lastly, some ammonia acid was dropped into a second conical flask using another pipette until the colour changed. The colour of this solution should observe carefully after different volume ammonia acid was added. Discussion Part A The chemical formula in part A is CuSO4 (aq) Â · xH2O (l) > CuSO4 (aq) + xH2O (l) Mr 160 + 18x 160 Mass 2.22g 1.4g 1.4 (160 + 18x) = 160 * 2.22 224 + 25.2 = 355.2 25.2 x = 131.2 x = 5.20634 Therefore, x is equal to 5. Here is an explanation of the calculation. The Mr of CuSO4 is 160, and the Mr of water is 18x which the x is still a unknown value. The mass of CuSO4 and water is 2.22g and 1.4g. The number cross multiplies with each other. As a result, the x was come out. Thus, the value of x is slight greater than predict. According to the theory, the right result should be lower than 5 value, maybe the copper sulphate was oxidised, and the water of crystallization was not evaporated enough so that influence the final result. The copper (II) sulphate became black because of the oxidation of the copper. The copper (II) sulphate in the experiment was heated twice in order to make the water of crystallization evaporate completely. If it heated too strongly, the colour of copper sulphate will turn to black. The chemical equation of this reaction is: CuSO4 (aq) > CuO (s) + SO3 (g) Part B One of the reasons why the colour changed is causes by spectrum. The copper (II) sulphate indicated blue in the experiment. Because when the ordinary sunlight passes through the solution, the solution absorbed the wavelengths of the light. The red area in the spectrum was absorbed by the copper (II) ions. However, the sunlight which through the solution and on the other side of the conical flasks made the solution indicates the colour except red. The blue colour is the mixture of wavelengths (Chemguide, 2009). The colour changed in ammonia solution added into copper (II) sulphate is causes by the complex. The light blue colour substance was indicated, and this is basic copper sulphate precipitate. After more ammonia solution was poured into the solution, the precipitate will dissolve and produce [Cu (NH3)4] 2+ which is an indigo colour substance and replaced the basic copper sulphate, and water molecule was replaced by ammonia (Chemguide, 2009). The chemical equation is: Cu2 (l) + 4NH3 (l) > [Cu (NH3)4] 2+ (aq) The transition metals have their own colour causes by d orbital. When the HCl was poured into copper (II) sulphate solution, the [Cu (H2O) 6]2+ was produced, and the colour of this ion is blue. After that, the [CuCl4]2+ was produced, and its colour is yellow. However, the solution was turned to green. Lister and Renshaw (2000, p476) pointed out that the energy gap between d orbital is suitable for the frequency of electromagnetic radiation in the ordinary light, as a result, most of the transition metal has its own colour. Conclusion To summarize, part A shows that how to calculate the water of crystallization, and colour changed between hydrated copper (II) sulphate and anhydrous copper (II) sulphate. In part B shows the definition of ligands, complexes and colour change cause by the spectrum. Reference Baike.Baidu [online] (2009) Available at: http://baike.baidu.com/view/1729.htm?fr=ala0_1_1 Accessed date: December 28, 2009 Chemguide [online] (2009) Available at: http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/complexions/colour.html Accessed date: January 6, 2010 Chmicalland21 [online] (nd) Available at: http://chemicalland21.com/industrialchem/inorganic/COPPER%20SULPHATE%20PENTAHYDRATE.htm Accessed date: January 10, 2010 Down.food126 [online] (2008) Available at: http://down.food126.com/download/view-software-3346.html Accessed date: December 28, 2009 Lister, R. and J., Renshaw (2000). Chemistry for Advanced Level (3rd edition). Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd, Accessed date: December 28, 2009 Lane, R (2009) Chemistry Practical 2 Handout Accessed date: December 28, 2009 Lookchem [online] (2008) Available at: http://www.lookchem.com/COPPER-II-SULFATE-PENTAHYDRATE-1-1-5-/ Accessed date: December 28, 2009 Science.Jrank [online] (2010) Available at: http://science.jrank.org/pages/13786/crystal-field-theory.html Accessed date: January 6, 2010

Looking At Laboratory Information Systems Information Technology Essay

Looking At Laboratory Information Systems Information Technology Essay INTRODUCTION Healthcare is always a top priority within any collection of individuals, whether it is the workforce, schools, churches, communities, states, countries etc. This is because mortality rates are directly affected by the level of healthcare available, and effective productivity is dependent on good health and high mortality rates. Developed nations tend to invest large sums of money into healthcare, in order to prevent most ailments before they become epidemics, however, due to lack of emphasis on the importance of healthcare, African nations suffer from low mortality rates caused by lack of proper laboratory procedures and equipment, to test and accurately diagnose problems ahead of time. Even though we are now in a highly advanced technological era, Nigerian hospitals still conduct tests, data collection, and calculations manually, leaving a huge opening for errors which could lead to wrong diagnosis and in turn, wrong treatment. As we humans become ever increasingly dependent on computer technology in our daily lives, it then would be appropriate to utilize technological solutions to problems conventional methods prove inefficient at. These problems can be solved with the use of a properly configured software system to manage all administrative tasks in the laboratories. The most effective use of technology to solve to these issues would be carried out using open source software popularly known as a Laboratory Information System (L.I.M.S). The model of this work seeks to provide an application which will enable vital functionalities such as proper documentation and storage of patient information, patient specimen/sample tracking, and most important, patient test results. In the light of the above, the proposed system applies the web application development approach in its information architecture and processing, however this system will run on a local machine as opposed to running on a remote server over the internet. Consequently at completion of this work, the end product should be a Laboratory information management system which handles activities in the lab from the entry of a patient to the laboratory to the generating of a test result or Laboratory report. BACKGROUND OF STUDY The study for the development of the laboratory information management system uses a medical laboratory facility: Bakor Medical laboratory as its case study. Investigations indicate that the following steps or procedures are undertaken in the process of getting tested in the medical laboratory. On entry into the laboratory a document known as the Patient Investigation form. This form holds information such as the Patients name, age sex, on filling this form the patient is then billed. The patient Investigation form is then transferred to a second laboratory attendant who then uses the information retrieved from the aforementioned form to fill the laboratory request book. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM In recent times, due to increase in population, there is constant pressure on providers of various services to provide innovative methods of dispensing a sizable amount of services to great amount of people in the shortest possible time. Consequently, organizations are constantly resorting to technological solutions to meet up with the ever increasing demand for quality and speedy service delivery and with virtually everything in our day to day lives being technologically driven, should there not be a scenario where paper documentation is completely annihilated from medical laboratories?, where a system is adopted in which patient records and data are properly stored such as to enable features such as patient/visitor history tracker, where a returning patients history can aid the laboratory in deducing what type of test a visitor would request for, statistical reports generation where useful statistical information is inferred based on test results e.g whether or not there is an incr ease or decrease of new HIV infections, should there not be a software/application where other stakeholders in the health-care delivery processes such as doctors and pharmacists have access to laboratory generated information to aid in their health-care administration?, should the retrieval of patient test records be slow and cumbersome?, why must results be entered directly on the result document, therefore a backup copy is unavailable. Questions such as these will serve as a guide to the development of a robust system than manages various tasks in the medical laboratory. 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Based on the statement of the problems above the research question for this study are: How will the development of a laboratory information management System greatly increase the laboratorys efficiency? OBJECTIVE OF STUDY To design a robust Laboratory information System that will efficiently aid in the running of the laboratory facility To hold and provide timely information about each visitor to the laboratory To reduce the need to hire staff through the proper application of technological solutions therefore cutting cost. With a proper functioning and comprehensively designed application, Laboratory tasks such the following can be achieved: SAMPLES MANAGEMENT A LIMS can automate the management of samples. An organization can configure its analytical parameters and calculations into the LIMS before implementing the software in the laboratory. After sample registration, the system can print barcodes which it can scan at the end of the analysis when loading results into the LIMS. The system can check the completed results, automatically validating those which comply with specifications; and reporting (but not validating) out-of-specification results. A LIMS may release or retain lots and batches, according to a laboratorys specifications and calculations. Once results come available for the labs clients or owners, they can extract them in  PDF, XML  or spreadsheet files from the LIMS interface. (Note that moving insufficient data to a spreadsheet may lose the traceability of changes). LABORATORY USERS One may configure a LIMS for use by an unlimited  number of users. Each user owns an interface, protected by security mechanisms such as a login and a password. Users may have customized interfaces. A laboratory manager might have full access to all of a LIMS functions, whereas technicians might have access only to functionality needed for their individual work-tasks. ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS AUTOMATION As of 2009  LIMS implementations can manage laboratory sampling, consumables sampling schedule and financial (invoices). SCOPE OF STUDY Bakor Medical centre has various departments and sections based on the issue at hand to be dealt with; however this study focuses mainly on the lab processes, including data collection and management. This study takes the patient from the moment of entry into the medical centre, filling forms, up till the moment the test is taken, from that point onwards the study will focus on the methods used by the laboratory attendant to collect and store data, through recording of findings and submission of results This study will also concentrate on data backup and retrieval methods and will highlight potential errors and problems that could be encountered if the entire process was carried out manually instead of using a well configured computer application. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY The Computer based Laboratory information management System is quite desirable as it will benefit the laboratory in the area of repetitive task automation. It will serve as an assistant to the medical laboratory scientist. It will also benefit patients as they will be able to retrieve record from previous visits to the laboratory. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY The limitations of this study include: Inability to obtain actual test result document, as this goes against medical ethics for a third party to view Laboratory specimen or test results. Unavailability of qualified laboratory scientist at the study locations to properly explain terms and laboratory procedures. LITERATURE REVIEW From tasting urine to microscopy to molecular testing, the sophistication of diagnostic techniques has come a long way and continues to develop at breakneck speed. The history of the laboratory is the story of medicines evolution from empirical to experimental techniques and proves that the clinical lab is the true source of medical authority. Three distinct periods in the history of medicine are associated with three different places and therefore different methods of determining diagnosis: From the middle ages to the 18th century, bedside medicine was prevalent; then between 1794 and 1848 came hospital medicine; and from that time forward, laboratory medicine has served as medicines lodestar. The laboratorys contribution to modern medicine has only recently been recognized by historians as something more than the addition of another resource to medical science and is now being appreciated as the seat of medicine, where clinicians account for what they observe in their patients. The first medical diagnoses made by humans were based on what ancient physicians could observe with their eyes and ears, which sometimes also included the examination of human specimens. The ancient Greeks attributed all disease to disorders of bodily fluids called humors, and during the late medieval period, doctors routinely performed uroscopy. Later, the microscope revealed not only the cellular structure of human tissue, but also the organisms that cause disease. More sophisticated diagnostic tools and techniques such as the thermometer for measuring temperature and the stethoscope for measuring heart rate were not in widespread use until the end of the 19th century. The clinical laboratory would not become a standard fixture of medicine until the beginning of the 20th century. Ancient diagnostic methods In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the earliest physicians made diagnoses and recommended treatments based primarily on observation of clinical symptoms. Palpation and auscultation were also used. Physicians were able to describe dysfunctions of the digestive tract, heart and circulation, the liver and spleen, and menstrual disturbances; unfortunately, this empiric medicine was reserved for royalty and the wealthy. Other less-than-scientific methods of diagnosis used in treating the middle and lower classes included divination through ritual sacrifice to predict the outcome of illness. Usually a sheep would be killed before the statue of a god. Its liver was examined for malformations or peculiarities; the shape of the lobes and the orientation of the common duct were then used to predict the fate of the patient. Ancient physicians also began the practice of examining patient specimens. The oldest known test on body fluids was done on urine in ancient times (before 400 BC). Urine was poured on the ground and observed to see whether it attracted insects. If it did, patients were diagnosed with boils. The ancient Greeks also saw the value in examining body fluids to predict disease. At around 300 BC, Hippocrates promoted the use of the mind and senses as diagnostic tools, a principle that played a large part in his reputation as the Father of Medicine. The central Hippocratic doctrine of humoral pathology attributed all disease to disorders of fluids of the body. To obtain a clear picture of disease, Hippocrates advocated a diagnostic protocol that included tasting the patients urine, listening to the lungs, and observing skin color and other outward appearances. Beyond that, the physician was to understand the patient as an individual. Hippocrates related the appearance of bubbles on the surface of urine specimens to kidney disease and chronic illness. He also related certain urine sediments and blood and pus in urine to disease. The first description of hematuria or the presence of blood in urine, by Rufus of Ephesus surfaced at around AD 50 and was attributed to the failure of kidneys to function properly in filtering the blood. Later (c. AD 180), Galen (AD 131-201), who is recognized as the founder of experimental physiology, created a system of pathology that combined Hippocrates humoral theories with the Pythagorean theory, which held that the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water), corresponded to various combinations of the physiologic qualifies of dry, cold, hot, and moist. These combinations of physiologic characteristics corresponded roughly to the four humors of the human body: hot moist = blood; hot dry = yellow bile; cold moist = phlegm; and cold dry = black bile. Galen was known for explaining everything in light of his theory and for having an explanation for everything. He also described diabetes as diarrhea of urine and noted the normal relationship between fluid intake and urine volume. His unwavering belief in his own infallibility appealed to complacency and reverence for authority. That dogmatism essentially brought innovation and discovery in European medicine to a standstill for nea rly 14 centuries. Anything relating to anatomy, physiology, and disease was simply referred back to Galen as the final authority from whom there could be no appeal. Middle Ages In medieval Europe, early Christians believed that disease was either punishment for sin or the result of witchcraft or possession. Diagnosis was superfluous. The basic therapy was prayer, penitence, and invocation of saints. Lay medicine based diagnosis on symptoms, examination, pulse, palpitation, percussion, and inspection of excreta and sometimes semen. Diagnosis by water casting (uroscopy) was practiced, and the urine flask became the emblem of medieval medicine. By AD 900, Isaac Judaeus, a Jewish physician and philosopher, had devised guidelines for the use of urine as a diagnostic aid; and under the Jerusalem Code of 1090, failure to examine the urine exposed a physician to public beatings. Patients carried their urine to physicians in decorative flasks cradled in wicker baskets, and because urine could be shipped, diagnosis at long distance was common. The first book detailing the color, density, quality, and sediment found in urine was written around this time, as well. By a round AD 1300, uroscopy became so widespread that it was at the point of near universality in European medicine. Consequently, the clinical laboratory became a standard fixture of medicine at the beginning of the 20th century; it is now an integral part of the health-care delivery process and is seen as the basis for medical diagnosis. In recent times a medical laboratory scientist (MLS), formerly known as a medical technologist (MT) or clinical laboratory scientist (CLS), functions as a medical detective, performing laboratory tests that provide physicians with information that assists them in preventing, diagnosing and treating diseases and maintaining patient wellness.   The medical laboratory scientist performs a wide variety of laboratory tests, ranging from simple dipstick urine tests to complex DNA tests that help physicians assess risk of diseases. Using test results, physicians can uncover diabetes, cancer, heart attacks, infections and many other diseases.   Medical laboratory scientists interact with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other members of the healthcare team to provide timely, accurate information so the patient can receive the correct medical treatment.   Medical laboratory scientists use sophisticated biomedical instruments and technology, microscopes, complex electronic equipment, computers, and methods requiring manual dexterity to perform tests on blood, body fluids, and tissue specimens. Clinical laboratory testing sections include clinical chemistry, hematology, Immunohematology (Blood Bank), immunology, microbiology and molecular diagnostics. EFFECTS OF MEDICAL LABORATORIES Medical Laboratories have played a pivotal role over the years. As stated above, in ancient times, physicians relied on various inaccurate means of disease diagnosis such as urine tasting, listening to the lungs etc. However with the advent and subsequent evolution of modern medical laboratory facilities, plus the discovery of the cellular nature of human tissue and the invention of the microscope, medical diagnosis made a tremendous leap from a 50-50 accuracy ratio to an 80% accuracy rating for laboratory based medical diagnosis. Therefore the use of medical laboratories has greatly increased the accuracy of diagnosis; hence the physician can administer the proper kind of treatment. The use of laboratories has also led to various discoveries, such as new strands of Viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi. It also acts as a monitor for new strands of drug resistant bacteria. CHALLENGES FACED BY MEDICAL LABORATORIES The main challenges and bottle-necks encountered by medical laboratories over the years include. Inability to preserve patient samples or specimens such as blood, sputum, stool, over a long period of time for reference purposes hence making patient to specimen matching and tracking, Efficient information sharing and retrieval between the laboratory scientist and those administering treatment has been a problem. MEDICAL LABORATORIES: IMPROVEMENTS AND THE FUTURE For the efficient functioning of the diagnosis system, health-care delivery, scientific research into bacteriology and disease causing organisms, technology should be applied to automate administrative tasks, such as the visitor registration and result documentation. By making judicious use of computer software to automate and manage tasks in the laboratory there will be a dramatic increase in its efficiency. Consequently this will greatly reduce the need to recruit and pay personnel to carry out administrative duties therefore such resources can be channeled towards more important needs of the laboratory. TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM/PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE TO BE USED IN STUDY The technologies to be used in the development of this Laboratory Information Management system is an open source programming language known as PHP, together with a MYSQL driven database, a solid browser based application will be developed. PHP: PHP also known as Hypertext Pre-processor, it belongs to a class of languages known as middleware (Needham, 2006). These languages work closely with the web server to interpret the request made from the web, processes these request, interact with other programs on the server to fulfill the request and then indicates to the web server exactly what to serve to the clients browser. It is the leading web programming language for design of web applications. It possesses a language similar to C, Java or Pearl. Its uses include: retrieving user input and saving it in a database, retrieving information from a database and general data manipulation processes. THE CLIENT: Simply refers to end users of an application that connect to a remote server to carry out computational processes THE SERVER: An application known as a web server listens for requests a client makes, responds to those requests and serves out the appropriate response (Greenspan, 2002) MYSQL: Refers to an open source relational database management system with a set of programs that access and manipulate these records. (Descartes, 2003). It is a  relational database management system (RDBMS)  that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. APACHE WEB SERVER: Apache is a web server notable for playing an important role in the initial growth of the world-wide web. It is responsible for accepting Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request from web client (web browsers) and serving the HTTP responses along with optional data content which usually are HTML pages. These platforms are used in this research work because: There are open source meaning there are free to use and develop with without having to purchase licenses or fulfill any legal obligation to the owners of the technology. It is easy to deploy on a local machine Its hardware requirements are minimal therefore making its installation and usage less cumbersome. Developer tools and support services for the platform/technology are readily available at absolutely no cost. DATA COLLECTED FOR LABORATORY TEST Lab Investigation Form: This form is used for general patient registration and data collection. Data collected on this form include Patient Name Patient age Hospital Number Specimen Blood Specimen Sputum Stool Urea Various Swap Investigation Record Clinic Details Name of Doctor Lab Request Book: Used to record Patients data for that day. Name Lab Investigation Done Amount Time in Data Collected for lab tests Lab result book (Used for recording patients results) Patients Name Date of birth Gender Test Results Date Hospital registration Number Extra Comments SUMMARY The use of technological solutions greatly reduces costs, increase profits, save human effort and provide better services to customers/clients The use of an LIS (Laboratory information System) in the running of a medical laboratory facility greatly improves the documentation process; makes patients records retrieval a lot easier and faster, records are not lost and are kept safe via regular backup of the available data. With the use of a Laboratory information system, various kinds of data deductions, surveys and reports can be easily generated for statistical purposes such as the average percentage of persons with a certain kind of disease, Genotype or blood type etc. CONCLUSION A properly developed Medical Laboratory information system will greatly increase productivity, increase the quality of services delivered by the facility and greatly reduce the amount of man hours put into the delivering the laboratory services

Trip Hop Essay -- Music Philosophy Papers

Trip Hop Lush soundscapes infused with a rich layering of soulful guitar riffs, jazzy horns and atmospheric strings, interwoven with innovative sampling and grounded by a hip-hop beat, slowed to a brooding moody tempo. Words can barely frame the complexity that is Trip Hop music. It is a genre so startlingly refreshing and innovative that the term Trip Hop itself only came into existence in the mid 90s, in an attempt to describe a musical style that defies all known musical categories. Trip Hop is an obscure offshoot of the umbrella term of electronic music. Trip Hop draws from a kaleidoscope of influence of jazz, hip-hop, dub and drum and bass. The essence of Trip Hop is sampling, the remixing of snippets of music from the recordings of other artistes. As such, Trip Hop has often been accused of being merely a hybrid sample which stitches together imitations other genres, and is undeserving of being termed a musical genre in its own right. Should an art form which employs mimicry be discredi ted, as Plato suggests in Republic X? In the part of book X of The Republic, where he deals with the function of Art in the republic, Plato discusses the imitative quality of Art, the appeal of Art and Poetry, and the effects of Poetry and drama. Written in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon, the main thrust of the argument asserts that God is the only one true creator and that all other forms of creativity are but mere imitations of the original idea conceived by God (820). Socrates charges the creative arts for being deceptive and far removed from realityand asserts the argument that creativity opposes logic and reasoning, appealing only to the emotions (828). The dialogue culminates in a call for the banishment of... ... corresponds to what Plato terms as "mimetic art" it surpasses mere plagiarism and elevates sampling to an intellectual art form through the creativity injected by personal interpretation. Works Cited Plato. The Collected Dialogues of Plato, Including the Letters. ed. Edith Hamilton and Hunington Cairns. Princeton:Princeton UP, 1961. Segal, Victoria. "On the Road-Portishead" VOX Feb 1998. PNYC. Portishead -Roseland New York. Portishead & Lemon Films Production. VCD, Polygram Video, 1998. Portishead Dummy. Go! Beat, 1994. Tricky Maxinquaye . Island Records, 1995. Borders-San Francisco Feature- An Electronic Music Primer http://www.borderstores.com/stores/57/hm_feature3.html Ink Blot Magazine's Trip Hop Habitat http://www.big-shot.com/inkbot/trip_hop_badger.htm The Breakbeat Primer http://www.plato.nl/e-primer/breakbeat.htm

The Appeal of Home :: Essays Papers

The Appeal of Home In the Greek camp at the end of the Iliad, we see Achilleus arrive at the conclusion that is the theme of the entire poem—that to be mortal is to suffer. However, Homer leaves unanswered the logical question regarding this conclusion: If to live is to suffer, then why live at all? This then becomes the central question of the Odyssey, in which we are given an entirely different kind of character who rejects two distinct possibilities—an immortal relationship and a utopian community—for his own â€Å"wife and his homecoming† (I, 13). The question we are then compelled to ask is, what could Penelope and his Ithakan household possibly offer that is worth more than utopia and immortality? To illustrate what Odysseus could’ve had, Homer shows us a contrast for each aspect of Odysseus’s longing—a couple and a community. Through these contrasts, we are shown just why these options don’t measure up for Odysseus. The immortal couple is embodied in the marriage of Helen and Menelaos, who have been promised the equivalent of eternal bliss in the Elysian Fields. While Menelaos had his homecoming delayed, he never had to resist temptation along the way. The Trojan War and the journey back are nostalgic stories for him, to be recounted for guests as a means of recapturing the past glory of fighting. And Helen, unlike Penelope, certainly has never been one to spurn attractive men and remain loyal to her husband, or to anything at all for that matter. She could not even choose a side in a war fought ostensibly for her sake (IV, 250-284). It is meaningful that, rather than have to deal with the guests’ weeping, she slips something in their drinks to prevent their show of emotion (IV, 219-227). Helen avoids connection with men while her husband wants only to connect with the past. Once guaranteed immortality, there is no pressing need for either of them to attempt the extraordinarily difficult task of truly understanding one another because there is always time for that later. This is the marriage that Odysseus could’ve had had he stayed with Kalypso, but he understands its emptiness and refuses it, instead choosing a woman whom he knows has spent the interceding years resisting men whom Helen would’ve jumped right into bed with. But Odysseus returns for more than just the single meaningful relationship between himself and Penelope.

General Motors strategy and objectives Essay

GM is considered one of the world’s most treasured automotive companies over time and has attracted most loyalty from the esteemed customers in the automobile industry. To the suppliers and dealers, the GM has been the preferred business partner. To investors, GM means a blue chip holding by virtue of a long-term lucrative growth. GM led the global automobile sales for the past 77years successive years from 1931 through 2007, which is longer than any other manufacturer; it’s currently among the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer. General Motors strategy and objectives The GM Company operates to produce the highest quality automobiles in the market worldwide and in its recent strategies it has emerged among the best in terms of embracing new technology, business diversification. Out of the total number of automobile it produced in the year 2012, 72% of them were purchased. This is a positive indication of the influence and loyalty the firm has attained in the market. The sector of automotive is experiencing a lengthy period of declined profitability and sales. To ensure future growth, GM has proposed three strategies; Retrenchment strategy focuses on product redevelopment, more specifically brand reinvention. The next approach to GM’s redevelopment is a growth strategy, which has the option of expanding GM into emerging countries. The last strategy, is a restructuring strategy which explains a way to raise profits in the long term by revising the current pension plans and health care. The main strategy focuses on the retrenchment strategy it provides the greatest amount of near-term and sustainable profitability. How should GM use its scarce financial and human resources to stop its slide? GM needs to become more competitive and turn around its financial performance and ensure long-term profitability. For the past four years, GM has successfully been formulating and implementing effective strategies to enhance growth and profits in its worldwide market and some of these strategies include, investing almost $11 billion of its capital of 35 U.S.in expanding its facilities and since 2009 it has done so to ensure, more efficient productivity and to form higher quality vehicles. The joint projects in China, which have been constructing new factories that are anticipated to improvement the company’s production capacity by about 30 % to more than usual 5 million units annually by the coming year of 2015. So far in Europe, Opel that is one of GM’s affiliates is undertaking among the largest product belligerent in its history and is introducing 23 new vehicles and ten new engines due 2016 In addition, the South America’s GM affiliate energized its Chevrolet product inventory with a full assortment of refined, fuel-efficient and technologically advanced automobiles. In its process of relocating the GM headquarter to achieve a consolidated international operations to other parts like Singapore, which will help in sharpen the companies of south Asia region, Human Resource Balance scorecard is used to measure the performance of the financial and non-financial situation in General Motors Company. The score card entails financial perspective, customer perspective, internal perspective, and growth perspective. It enables General Motors to develop a comprehensive view of their operations and to better all operating and investment activities to long and short-term strategic objectives (Mural, 2008). Balance scorecard improves employee satisfaction and increases employees motivation, in general ensures human capital development. High-performance work system Open systems, autonomous work teams and performance-based pay are known as high-performance work system (Rouse, 2000). The system is known as a high involvement work system, high commitment, and flexible work systems. In GM there are only three factors that affect the high-performance work system; technology, retrenchment of employees and layout design. Retrenchment will cause GM lose employees who are much talented and subsequently lose a competitive edge. To surviving in a competitive environment, the company must rely on their workers creativity, strong teamwork, and problem-solving ability. The use of technology is a feature in the high-performance work system, all managers in every department of GM must be able to identify the technology they use in their firm. The information System can store data on employees that can help managers in deciding which employee is performing or not. Layout of GM offices and production plants is required to design to increase employee’s pro ductivity. The job designing would be performed well by the human resource manager. GM should come up with the proposals to transform the existing layout to an improved sustainability working layout. Sustainability strategies The company has adopted a Customer-Driven Sustainability strategy over the past few years. Its priorities have largely concentrated on building the foundation of the global sustainability practice, which aims at achieving the following, †¢ Creation of operational and product guarantees †¢ Identification of impact effective areas †¢ Enlargement of sustainability reporting practices and publication of the report †¢ Formation and alignment of corporate strategies and positions †¢ Development of processes for consistent global effecting, Most part of the foundational efforts is already completed, and the company anticipates spending the next several years of the building industry leadership in those areas of sustainability where we can make the greatest impact. Innovations that grow business by presenting new products and services that clients long for, while helping GM in responding to big trends and solving environmental issues and social disquiets.Integration that enhances sustainability is adopted embraced at all levels in GM at the global, regional and local stages across all strategic utilities and are vital in all the company’s undertakings. Transparency that is vital in building trust and accountability via the development of commitments to measure as well as manage progress through regular disclosure and reporting. Engagement with employees is encouraged in order creating a sustainable mindset in the whole company and with the external stakeholders to look for opinions on issues of concern and input for further improvements. Marketing GM has decided to reduce its product portfolios and direct the focus on Chevrolet, Cadillac as its â€Å"full-line marquis. The move is a drastic moving from their previous marketing strategy which includes offering an assortment of vehicles for every brand. This marketing strategy is formulated in order to prevent the opportunity for overlapping products. Instead of producing too many average vehicles, General Motors will be able to focus on great vehicles that will make the brand stand out. The Detroit News stated that all three brands GMC, Buick, and Pontiac will be offered under a single dealership. This change was made to increase productivity and branding within each dealership. Market information The following is a representation of the data that was adopted from the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange. The Quarterly price variations based on the high and low prices from day to day trades of the GM common stock on the New York Stock Exchange, the principal market through which the stock is traded, are as follows (GM Annual report. Years Ended December 31, 2012 2011 2012 2011 High Low High Low Quarter HIGH LOW HIGH LOW1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $27.08 $20.75 $39.18 $30.00 2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $27.0030 $19.24 $30.47 $28.17 3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $25.01$18.72 $32.08 $19.77 4th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $28.88 $57.67 $26.55 $17.10 GM Company and its subsidiaries Successor Predecessor Years Ended December 31, July 10, 2009 Through December 31, 2009 January 1, 2009 July 9, 2009 Year Ended December 31, 2012 2011 2010 2008 Income Statement Data: Total net sales and revenue (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $152,254 $150,277 $135,591 $ 59,474 $ 47,115 $148,979Reorganization gains, net (b) . . . . . $128,155 $ Income (loss) from continuing operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6,134 $ 9,286 $ 6,502 $ (3,786) $109,003 $ (31,051) Net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests . . . 52 (97) (331) 511) 115 108 Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders (c) . . . . . . . . . $ 6,88$ 9,190$ 6,12 $ (4,297) $08,106 $(30,719) Net income (loss) from common stockholders . . . . $ 4,86 $ 7,585$ 4,608 $ (4,428) $109,118 $ (30,941) GM $0.01 par value common stock and Old GM $1-2/3 par Value common stock Basic earnings (loss) per share: (d)Net income (loss) from common Stockholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 3.11 $ 4.95 $ 3.12 $ (3.58) $ 178.63 $ (53.47) Diluted earnings (loss) per share: (d)Net income (loss) attributable to common Stockholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2.91 $ 4.59 $ 2.88 $ (3.58) $ 178.55 $ (53.47) SWOT Analysis Strengths; it has manufacturing distribution, assembly offices and also warehouses operations in 55 countries.GM is well rooted not only in U.S but also throughout the world. GM shares are still aggressive in China experiences will make them come back in the competition. However, variety of different brands help them to reach all target markets. Weaknesses: GM has a debt with the government. Poor organizational structure since there is a lack of communication between employees from the top to bottom, profitability is decreasing. Downsizing thousands of people.Opportunities: GM can use its competitors ideas to get back, they still have loyal customers. Increasing demand for hybrid/electric vehicles, GM still have Opportunities in emerging markets. Changing clients demand new model types. Threats: The gas prices are increasing rapidly; competition is developing new car styles and efficient. The rising raw materials prices and environmental emission standards. The crisis is a threat in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Social responsibility GM addresses health and vitality of the global communities through financial contributions like donations and volunteer initiative. GM invests in projects that improves health, education, and safety and also address the needs for technology and innovation. Their actions are guided by values; they are the drivers of their decisions, essence of their code of conduct. At GM social responsibility starts with their core values particularly the values of integrity, individual responsibility, and respect. All their corporate activities are measured against these values. They put their values into practice through their Winning with Integrity guideline employee conduct. This summarizes their important legal obligations and policies in the conduct of the business. In summary, GM is working on building solutions to the challenges of the community involvement every day because they need to be a trusted company. Conclusion The determined relevant market value at the date of the overall financial statements applies to the complete year, in spite of the appropriate market value calculated during the previous quarters of the current year. Using the two-class technique to analyze basic earnings per a single share and the increased dilutive of the two-class or converting method to calculate diluted earnings per share in the previous due December 31 of 2012 and 2011. The two-class method for computing EPS, as well as undistributed earnings are oftenly allocated to common stock and the Series B Ideal Stock according to its respective contribution rights in the undistributed revenues, as if all the earnings for the time had been exhaustively been distributed.(Form 10-K Annual Report, P36-41). Unpredictability may result in calculating of earnings per share from time to time subject to whether the application of the two-class technique is essential. The application of the two-class technique occasioned to an allocation of undistributed incomes to the Series B as Preferred Stockholders and, consequently, 152 million common stock equivalent from the already conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock are usually not considered outstanding for purposes of determining the weighted-average mutual shares outstanding in the computation of diluted paychecks per share in the years (GM press release, January 2012) .December 31, 2012to the year ended2011.The MLC circulated approximately 272 million permits for its common stock for its unsecured creditors including the GUC Trust. The warrant holders can use their covers at any time proceeding to their respective expiration dates (GM press release, January 2012). Upon exercising of these warrants, the shares allotted will be encompassed in the number of basic dividends remaining that are used in the calculation of earnings per share. The securities and license necessary to buy 313 million shares of the common stock were unsettled at December 31, 2012 and 2011, and in which46 million shares were exempted in every year’s calculation of diluted incomes per share because the warrants’ exercise price was more than the prevailing market average worth of the common shares(GM press release, January 2012). Under the capital stock method, the presumed undertaking of the unsettled permits resulted in over 104 million and 130 million dilutive shares in the two consecutive years ended on December 31, 2012 and 2011.Diluted earnings per share comprised of the consequence of 15 million and 13 million investment in RSUs arranged to certain global executives in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.In July 2011, the 61 million dividends of common stock funded the pension plans of January 2011 met the criteria to be eligible as plan resources for bookkeeping resolutions. The shares were considered unresolved for incomes per share purposes opening in July2011 (GM press release, January 2012). The totals in the year concluded on December 31, 2012 include dwindling charges relating to the investment in PSA of about $220 million, Income linked to numerous insurance retrievals of $169 million, a fee of $119 million in connection with the entry into the contract to sell the GMS business, which later led in a drop in the carrying value to proposed fair value, and appreciation of deferred returns from technology contracts with SGMW of $115 million(GM press release, January 2012). He total figures concluded in the year ended December 31, 2011included impairment charges associated to the investment of Ally Financial of $555 million, which is reflected as a gain on the sale of Ally Financial favored shares of $339 million, and appreciation of deferred revenue from technology contracts with SGMW of $113 million. On the other hand, the amounts in the year ended December 31, 2010 include the gains from the reversal of an accumulation for contingently issuable shares of GM Company common stock to the MLC of $162 million, which was a gain accrued after the sale of Saab valued $123 million, this resulted in an improvement on the acquisition of GMS of $66 million and an increase on the sale of Nexteer of $60 million (GM Annual Report, p51-58). References â€Å"GM Delivered 9.7 Million Vehicles Globally in 2013† (Press release). General Motors. Accessed 11th December 2014 â€Å"Form 10-K Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2012 Commission File Number 001-34960. Accessed 11th December 2014 General Motors Company† (PDF). General Motors. February 15, 2013. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Accessed 11th December 2014 â€Å"About GM: GM Corporate Officers†. Media.gm.com. June 19, 2012. Accessed 11th December 2014 GM Press Release (January 20, 2012). â€Å"GM global sales up 7.6% in 2011 to 9.026M vehicles; China and US largest markets†. Green Car Congress. Accessed 11th December 2014 Source document

Inft Adult Learning Theory

inft Adult Learning Theory Dustin Stamey Adult Learning Theory Summary Non Traditional college students make up a large percent of the total population. There are a few categories that they fall into. The first category is workers. Non-traditional students might have either lost their job or are doing training to move up the ladder from their current position. The second category is military veterans. After years in the service, their professional education took a back seat. All they know is military service. For them, it will be really hard to acclimate into civilian life.The third category is adults that just received their GED and are now pursuing a life in higher education. It is important to provide for the adult learners so that they can thrive. M. S. Knowles said that there are four principles that characterize adult learners. â€Å"1. They are self directed, take responsibility for their own actions, and resist having information arbitrarily imposed on them. 2. They have an extensive depth of experience, which serves as a critical component in the foundation of their self identity. 3. They are ready to learn.As most adult learners return to college voluntarily, they are likely to actively engage in the learning process. 4. They are task motivated. Adult students returning to college attend for a specific goal and the primary component of their motivational drive tends to be internal† (Knowles, 1984) According to Schraw and Moshman there are three â€Å"Metacognitive Frameworks† that help people build their own learning theories. These would include Tacit, Informal, and Formal. Some of the metacognitive skills are built over time, such is the case with tacit and informal theory.These are made from educators and very repetitive jobs that do not require critical thinking. One of the biggest problems with adult learners is their gap in education. The adult has learned practical education instead of learning academic knowledge. Practical knowle dge can be used in everyday tasks like at work. Academic knowledge is not. There are ways to help the individual bridge the gap and make connections between the two. For example, an introductory writing class might show differences in practical and academic. The adult learners will also need a detailed syllabus. A set of instructions are very important.Adult learners are very goal oriented and need to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Educators need to use strategies to invite the adult learner to want to learn. Using these strategies make it easier to adapt to a cognitive and critical thinking mindset. Article 2 Adult learning Theory for the Twenty-First Century Educators want to help facilitate learning. They must learn more about their students in order to do this through â€Å"embodied learning, spirituality, and narrative†. (Merriam, pg 93) Adult learning is a very complex problem and cannot be boiled down to something simple.It is forever changing. There have been m any advances since Mezirows idea of transformational learning. (Merriam, pg 94) A bigger value has been placed on exactly where the education is taking place like work, home, and school. There are numerous factors that can affect each place like size, lighting, and background activities. There has been an increased attention to learning context. There finally has been an acknowledgment that learning is a â€Å"multidimensional Phenomenon†. (Merriam, pg 95) It used to be that learning was taking in facts and converting it to knowledge.Now it is said that learning involves the body, mind, spirit, and emotions. The mind (brain) changes when it is in learning mode. There is a mind body connection. There is also a connection between life experiences and mental capacity. Reflection I have read both articles completely. For the most part, I feel that they adequately describe the adult learner. There are many options that one could use to apply this to their own lives. Personally, th e article Adult Learning Theory: Applications to Non-Traditional College Students really hit home. I fall into almost all of their categories.I have a full time job and even though I haven’t lost my job yet, I feel that a college education can help me further my career. From the working standpoint, repetitiveness of my daily tasks does not contribute to a higher standard of learning. I also fall into the category for veterans. I was in the Air force for 7 years. I can relate to military veterans. Most of them are deployed a long time and school is not an option. Most of them choose to wait till they get out to start school. I had to wait from 2003 till now to get started in school and the gap in education is killing me.Liberty University has a fantastic grasp on what I need personally to succeed in school. The articles touch base on starting school with the right mind set and environment. With the gap in education that I have it was important to see the correlation between be ginning (starter) classes and making the connection between practical knowledge and academic knowledge. This will really help me. A detailed syllabus helps me keep track of what’s due and when I need to turn it in. I took it a step further and made a calendar of assignments and turn in dates.My wife has also been enlisted in keeping me on the right path and on time. One of the articles spoke about adults being goal oriented. This is absolutely right in my case, and is a product of my own design. I need to see an end to a means. There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel for me. The article gives the impression that goal orientation is a downside to learning and I do not agree. The second article honestly was a bad choice. There was not a lot of information on how I can improve on my adult learning. It was more of a generalization about another publication than actual facts.Having said that, we will see if there is anything that I can use The article states that adult le arning is very complex. I could not agree with them more. In an average day, I work 9 hours at my job, come home, start dinner, run errands, and spend quality time with my son. It is hard to find time for studying and course work. The thing that it is not just the time constraints that get me. My environment does not help in any way. It’s dimly lit and has a loud surrounding. This makes it a little hard to concentrate. If I had a bad day at work then I probably won’t be in the right mood to study.Over all, both articles were helpful in understanding the dilemmas that an adult learner faces. Institutions of higher learning have a grasp on how to cater to these individuals. Although each person is different, instituting the best practices works well for adult learners. Dustin Stamey References Kenner, C & Weinerman J, (Spring 2011). Adult Learning Theory: Applications to Non-Traditional College Students. (41. 2), pp. 87-96 Merriam B, S. , (2008). Adult Learning Theory fo r the Twenty-First Century. . 2008 (Issue 119), pp. 93-98

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 18

Chapter 18 I have been out among you, eating and talking and walking and walking and walking, for hours without having to turn because of a wall in my way. The angel woke me this morning with a new set of clothes, strange to the feel but familiar to the sight (from television). Jeans, sweatshirt, and sneakers, as well as some socks and boxer shorts. â€Å"Put these on. I'm taking you out for a walk,† said Raziel. â€Å"As if I were a dog,† I said. â€Å"Exactly as if you were a dog.† The angel was also wearing modern American garb, and although he was still strikingly handsome, he looked so uncomfortable that the clothes might have been held to his body with flaming spikes. â€Å"Where are we going?† â€Å"I told you, out.† â€Å"Where did you get the clothes?† â€Å"I called down and Jesus brought them up. There is a clothing store in the hotel. Come now.† Raziel closed the door behind us and put the room key in his jeans pocket with the money. I wondered if he'd ever had pockets before. I wouldn't have thought to use them. I didn't say a word as we rode the elevator down to the lobby and made our way out the front doors. I didn't want to ruin it, to say something that would bring the angel to his senses. The noise in the street was glorious: the cars, the jackhammers, the insane people babbling to themselves. The light! The smells! I felt as if I must have been in shock when we first traveled here from Jerusalem. I didn't remember it being so vivid. I started to skip down the street and the angel caught me by the shoulder; his fingers dug into my muscles like talons. â€Å"You know that you can't get away, that if you run I can catch you and snap your legs so you will never run again. You know that if you should escape even for a few minutes, you cannot hide from me. You know that I can find you, as I once found everyone of your kind? You know these things?† â€Å"Yes, let go of me. Let's walk.† â€Å"I hate walking. Have you ever seen an eagle look at a pigeon? That's how I feel about you and your walking.† I should point out, I suppose, what Raziel was talking about when he said that he once found everyone of my kind. It seems that he did a stint, centuries ago, as the Angel of Death, but was relieved of his duties because he was not particularly good at them. He admits that he's a sucker for a hard-luck story (perhaps that explains his fascination with soap operas). Anyway, when you read in the Torah about Noah living to be nine hundred and Moses living to be a hundred and forty, well, guess who led the chorus line in the â€Å"Off This Mortal Coil† shuffle? That's where he got the black-winged aspect that I've talked about before. Even though they fired him, they let him keep the outfit. (Can you believe that Noah was able to postpone death for eight hundred years by telling the angel that he was behind in his paperwork? Would that Raziel could be that incompetent at his current task.) â€Å"Look, Raziel! Pizza!† I pointed to a sign. â€Å"Buy us pizza!† He took some money out of his pocket and handed it to me. â€Å"You do it. You can do it, right?† â€Å"Yes, we had commerce in my time,† I said sarcastically. â€Å"We didn't have pizza, but we had commerce.† â€Å"Good, can you use that machine?† He pointed to a box that held newspapers behind glass. â€Å"If it doesn't open with that little handle, then no.† The angel looked perturbed. â€Å"How is it that you can receive the gift of tongues and suddenly understand all languages, and there is no gift that can tell you how things work in this time? Tell me that.† â€Å"Look, maybe if you didn't hog the remote all the time I would learn how to use these things.† I meant that I could have learned more about the outside world from television, but Raziel thought I meant that I needed more practice pushing the channel buttons. â€Å"Knowing how to use the television isn't enough. You have to know how everything in this world works.† And with that the angel turned and stared through the window of the pizza place at the men tossing disks of dough into the air. â€Å"Why, Raziel? Why do I need to know about how this world works? If anything, you've tried to keep me from learning anything.† â€Å"Not anymore. Let's go eat pizza.† â€Å"Raziel?† He wouldn't explain any further, but for the rest of the day we wandered the city, spending money, talking to people, learning. In the late afternoon Raziel inquired of a bus driver as to where we might go to meet Spider-Man. I could have gone another two thousand years without seeing the kind of disappointment I saw on Raziel's face when the bus driver gave his answer. We returned here to the room where Raziel said, â€Å"I miss destroying cities full of humans.† â€Å"I know what you mean,† I said, even though it was my best friend who had caused that sort of thing to go out of fashion, and not a moment too soon. But the angel needed to hear it. There's a difference between bearing false witness and saving someone's feelings. Even Joshua knew that. â€Å"Joshua, you're scaring me,† I said, talking to the disembodied voice that floated before me in the temple. â€Å"Where are you?† â€Å"I am everywhere and nowhere,† Joshua's voice said. â€Å"How come your voice is in front of me then?† I didn't like this at all. Yes, my years with Joshua had jaded me in regard to supernatural experiences, but my meditation hadn't yet brought me to the place where I wouldn't react to my friend being invisible. â€Å"I suppose it is the nature of a voice that it must come from somewhere, but only so that it may be let go.† Gaspar had been sitting in the temple and at the sound of our voices he rose and came over to me. He didn't appear to be angry, but then, he never did. â€Å"Why?† Gaspar said to me, meaning, Why are you talking and disturbing everyone's meditation with your infernal noise, you barbarian? â€Å"Joshua has attained enlightenment,† I said. Gaspar said nothing, meaning, So? That's the idea, you unworthy spawn of a razor-burned yak. I could tell that's what he meant by the tone in his voice. â€Å"So he's invisible.† â€Å"Mu,† Joshua's voice said. Mu meaning nothing beyond nothingness in Chinese. In an act of distinctly uncontrolled spontaneity, Gaspar screamed like a little girl and jumped four feet straight in the air. Monks stopped chanting and looked up. â€Å"What was that?† â€Å"That's Joshua.† â€Å"I am free of self, free of ego,† Joshua said. There was a little squeak and then a nasty stench infused us. I looked at Gaspar and he shook his head. He looked at me and I shrugged. â€Å"Was that you?† Gaspar asked Joshua. â€Å"Me in the sense that I am part of all things, or me in the sense of I am the one who poofed the gefilte gas?† asked Josh. â€Å"The latter,† said Gaspar. â€Å"No,† said Josh. â€Å"You lie,† I said, as amazed at that as I was at the fact that I couldn't see my friend. â€Å"I should stop talking now. Having a voice separates me from all that is.† With that he was quiet, and Gaspar looked as if he were about to panic. â€Å"Don't go away, Joshua,† the abbot said. â€Å"Stay as you are if you must, but come to the tea chamber at dawn tomorrow.† Gaspar looked to me. â€Å"You come too.† â€Å"I have to train on the poles in the morning,† I said. â€Å"You are excused,† Gaspar said. â€Å"And if Joshua talks to you anymore tonight, try to persuade him to share our existence.† Then he hurried off in a very unenlightened way. That night I was falling asleep when I heard a squeak in the hall outside of my cell, then an incredibly foul odor jolted me awake. â€Å"Joshua?† I crawled out of my cell into the hall. There were narrow slots high in the walls through which moonlight could sift, but I saw nothing but faint blue light on the stone. â€Å"Joshua, is that you?† â€Å"How could you tell?† Joshua's disembodied voice said. â€Å"Well, honestly, you stink, Josh.† â€Å"The last time we went to the village for alms, a woman gave Number Fourteen and me a thousand-year-old egg. It didn't sit well.† â€Å"Can't imagine why. I don't think you're supposed to eat an egg after, oh, two hundred years or so.† â€Å"They bury them, leave them there, then dig them up.† â€Å"Is that why I can't see you?† â€Å"No, that's because of my meditation. I've let go of everything. I've achieved perfect freedom.† â€Å"You've been free ever since we left Galilee.† â€Å"It's not the same. That's what I came to tell you, that I can't free our people from the rule of Romans.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because that's not true freedom. Any freedom that can be given can be taken away. Moses didn't need to ask Pharaoh to release our people, our people didn't need to be released from the Babylonians, and they don't need to be released from the Romans. I can't give them freedom. Freedom is in their hearts, they merely have to find it.† â€Å"So you're saying you're not the Messiah?† â€Å"How can I be? How can a humble being presume to grant something that is not his to give?† â€Å"If not you, who, Josh? Angels and miracles, your ability to heal and comfort? Who else is chosen if not you?† â€Å"I don't know. I don't know anything. I wanted to say good-bye. I'll be with you, as part of all things, but you won't perceive me until you become enlightened. You can't imagine how this feels, Biff. You are everything, you love everything, you need nothing.† â€Å"Okay. You won't be needing your shoes then, right?† â€Å"Possessions stand between you and freedom.† â€Å"Sounded like a yes to me. Do me one favor though, okay?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"Listen to what Gaspar has to say to you tomorrow.† And give me time to think up an intelligent answer to someone who's invisible and crazy, I thought to myself. Joshua was innocent, but he wasn't stupid. I had to come up with something to save the Messiah so he could save the rest of us. â€Å"I'm going to the temple to sit. I'll see you in the morning.† â€Å"Not if I see you first.† â€Å"Funny,† said Josh. Gaspar looked especially old that morning when I met him in the tea room. His personal quarters consisted of a cell no bigger than my own, but it was located just off the tea room and had a door which he could close. It was cold in the morning in the monastery and I could see our breath as Gaspar boiled the water for tea. Soon I saw a third puff of breath coming from my side of the table, although there was no person there. â€Å"Good morning, Joshua,† Gaspar said. â€Å"Did you sleep, or are you free from that need?† â€Å"No, I don't need sleep anymore,† said Josh. â€Å"You'll excuse Twenty-one and I, as we still require nourishment.† Gaspar poured us some tea and fetched two rice balls from a shelf where he kept the tea. He held one out for me and I took it. â€Å"I don't have my bowl with me,† I said, worried that Gaspar would be angry with me. How was I to know? The monks always ate breakfast together. This was out of order. â€Å"Your hands are clean,† said Gaspar. Then he sipped his tea and sat peacefully for a while, not saying a word. Soon the room heated up from the charcoal brazier that Gaspar had used to heat the tea and I was no longer able to see Joshua's breath. Evidently he'd also overcome the gastric distress of the thousand-year-old egg. I began to get nervous, aware that Number Three would be waiting for Joshua and me in the courtyard to start our exercises. I was about to say something when Gaspar held up a finger to mark silence. â€Å"Joshua,† Gaspar said, â€Å"do you know what a bodhisattva is?† â€Å"No, master, I don't.† â€Å"Gautama Buddha was a bodhisattva. The twenty-seven patriarchs since Gautama Buddha were also bodhisattvas. Some say that I, myself, am a bodhisattva, but the claim is not mine.† â€Å"There are no Buddhas,† said Joshua. â€Å"Indeed,† said Gaspar, â€Å"but when one reaches the place of Buddhahood and realizes that there is no Buddha because everything is Buddha, when one reaches enlightenment, but makes a decision that he will not evolve to nirvana until all sentient beings have preceded him there, then he is a bodhisattva. A savior. A bodhisattva, by making this decision, grasps the only thing that can ever be grasped: compassion for the suffering of his fellow humans. Do you understand?† â€Å"I think so,† said Joshua. â€Å"But the decision to become a bodhisattva sounds like an act of ego, a denial of enlightenment.† â€Å"Indeed it is, Joshua. It is an act of self-love.† â€Å"Are you asking me to become a bodhisattva?† â€Å"If I were to say to you, love your neighbor as you love yourself, would I be telling you to be selfish?† There was silence for a moment, and as I looked at the place where Joshua's voice was originating, he gradually started to become visible again. â€Å"No,† said Joshua. â€Å"Why?† asked Gaspar. â€Å"Love thy neighbor as thou lovest thyself† – and here there was a long pause when I could imagine Joshua looking to the sky for an answer, as he so often did, then: â€Å"for he is thee, and thou art he, and everything that is ever worth loving is everything.† Joshua solidified before our eyes, fully dressed, looking no worse for the wear. Gaspar smiled and those extra years that he had been carrying on his face seemed to fade away. There was a peace in his aspect and for a moment he could have been as young as we were. â€Å"That is correct, Joshua. You are truly an enlightened being.† â€Å"I will be a bodhisattva to my people,† Joshua said. â€Å"Good, now go shave the yak,† said Gaspar. I dropped my rice ball. â€Å"What?† â€Å"And you, find Number Three and commence your training on the posts.† â€Å"Let me shave the yak,† I said. â€Å"I've done it before.† Joshua put his hand on my shoulder. â€Å"I'll be fine.† Gaspar said: â€Å"And on the next moon, after alms, you shall both go with the group into the mountains for a special meditation. Your training begins tonight. You shall receive no meals for two days and you must bring me your blankets before sundown. â€Å"But I've already been enlightened,† protested Josh. â€Å"Good. Shave the yak,† said the master. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when Joshua showed up the next day at the communal dining room with a bale of yak hair and not a scratch on him. The other monks didn't seem surprised in the least. In fact, they hardly looked up from their rice and tea. (In my years at Gaspar's monastery, I found it was astoundingly difficult to surprise a Buddhist monk, especially one who had been trained in kung fu. So alert were they to the moment that one had to become nearly invisible and completely silent to sneak up on a monk, and even then simply jumping out and shouting â€Å"boo† wasn't enough to shake their chakras. To get a real reaction, you pretty much had to poleax one of them with a fighting staff, and if he heard the staff whistling through the air, there was a good chance he'd catch it, take it away from you, and pound you into damp pulp with it. So, no, they weren't surprised when Joshua delivered the fuzz harvest unscathed.) â€Å"How?† I asked, that being pretty much what I wanted to know. â€Å"I told her what I was doing,† said Joshua. â€Å"She stood perfectly still.† â€Å"You just told her what you were going to do?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"She wasn't afraid, so she didn't resist. All fear comes from trying to see the future, Biff. If you know what is coming, you aren't afraid.† â€Å"That's not true. I knew what was coming – namely that you were going to get stomped by the yak and that I'm not nearly as good at healing as you are – and I was afraid.† â€Å"Oh, then I'm wrong. Sorry. She must just not like you.† â€Å"That's more like it,† I said, vindicated. Joshua sat on the floor across from me. Like me, he wasn't permitted to eat anything, but we were allowed tea. â€Å"Hungry?† â€Å"Yes, you?† â€Å"Starving. How did you sleep last night, without your blanket, I mean?† â€Å"It was cold, but I used the training and I was able to sleep.† â€Å"I tried, but I shivered all night long. It's not even winter yet, Josh. When the snow falls we'll freeze to death without a blanket. I hate the cold.† â€Å"You have to be the cold,† said Joshua. â€Å"I liked you better before you got enlightened,† I said. Now Gaspar started to oversee our training personally. He was there every second as we leapt from post to post, and he drilled us mercilessly through the complex hand and foot movements we practiced as part of our kung fu regimen. (I had a funny feeling that I'd seen the movements before as he taught them to us, then I remembered Joy doing her complex dances in Balthasar's fortress. Had Gaspar taught the wizard, or vice versa?) As we sat in meditation, sometimes all through the night, he stood behind us with his bamboo rod and periodically struck us on the back of the head for no reason I could discern. â€Å"Why's he keep doing that? I didn't do anything,† I complained to Joshua over tea. â€Å"He's not hitting you to punish you, he's hitting you to keep you in the moment.† â€Å"Well, I'm in the moment now, and at the moment I'd like to beat the crap out of him.† â€Å"You don't mean that.† â€Å"Oh, what? I'm supposed to want to be the crap I beat out of him?† â€Å"Yes, Biff,† Joshua said somberly. â€Å"You must be the crap.† But he couldn't keep a straight face and he started to snicker as he sipped his tea, finally spraying the hot liquid out his nostrils and collapsing into a fit of laughter. All of the other monks, who evidently had been listening in, started giggling as well. A couple of them rolled around on the floor holding their sides. It's very difficult to stay angry when a room full of bald guys in orange robes start giggling. Buddhism. Gaspar made us wait two months before taking us on the special meditation pilgrimage, so it was well into winter before we made that monumental trek. Snow fell so deep on the mountainside that we literally had to tunnel our way out to the courtyard every morning for exercise. Before we were allowed to begin, Joshua and I had to shovel all of the snow out of the courtyard, which meant that some days it was well past noon before we were able to start drilling. Other days the wind whipped down out of the mountains so viciously that we couldn't see more than a few inches past our faces, and Gaspar would devise exercises that we could practice inside. Joshua and I were not given our blankets back, so I, for one, spent every night shivering myself to sleep. Although the high windows were shuttered and charcoal braziers were lit in the rooms that were occupied, there was never anything approaching physical comfort during the winter. To my relief, the other monks were not unaffected by the cold, and I noticed that the accepted posture for breakfast was to wrap your entire body around your steaming cup of tea, so not so much as a mote of precious heat might escape. Someone entering the dining hall, seeing us all balled up in our orange robes, might have thought he stumbled into a steaming patch of giant pumpkins. At least the others, including Joshua, seemed to find some relief from the chill during their meditations, having reached that state, I'm told, where they could, indeed, generate their own heat. I was still learning the discipline. Sometimes I considered climbing to the back of the temple where the cave became narrow and hund reds of fuzzy bats hibernated on the ceiling in a great seething mass of fur and sinew. The smell might have been horrid, but it would have been warm. When the day finally came for us to take the pilgrimage, I was no closer to generating my own heat than I had been at the start, so I was relieved when Gaspar led five of us to a cabinet and issued yak-wool leggings and boots to each of us. â€Å"Life is suffering,† said Gaspar as he handed Joshua his leggings, â€Å"but it is more expedient to go through it with one's legs intact.† We left just after dawn on a crystal clear morning after a night of brutal wind that had blown much of the snow off the base of the mountain. Gaspar led five of us down the mountain to the village. Sometimes we trod in the snow up to our waists, other times we hopped across the tops of exposed stones, suddenly making our training on the tops of the posts seem much more practical than I had ever thought possible. On the mountainside, a slip from one of the stones might have sent us plunging into a powder-filled ravine to suffocate under fifty feet of snow. The villagers received us with great celebration, coming out of their stone and sod houses to fill our bowls with rice and root vegetables, ringing small brass bells and blowing the yak horn in our honor before quickly retreating back to their fires and slamming their doors against the cold. It was festive, but it was brief. Gaspar led us to the home of the toothless old woman who Joshua and I had met so long ago and we all bedded down in the straw of her small barn amid her goats and a pair of yaks. (Her yaks were much smaller than the one we kept at the monastery, more the size of normal cattle. I found out later that ours was the progeny of the wild yaks that lived in the high plateaus, while hers were from stock that had been domesticated for a thousand years.) After the others had gone to sleep, I snuck into the old woman's house in search of some food. It was a small stone house with two rooms. The front one was dimly lit by a single window covered with a tanned and stretched animal hide that transmitted the light of the full moon as a dull yellow glow. I could only make out shapes, not actual objects, but I felt my way around the room until I laid my hand on what had to be a bag of turnips. I dug one of the knobby vegetables from the bag, brushed the dirt from the surface with my palm, then sunk in my teeth and crunched away a mouthful of crisp, earthy bliss. I had never even cared for turnips up to that time, but I had just decided that I was going to sit there until I had transferred the entire contents of that bag to my stomach, when I heard a noise in the back room. I stopped chewing and listened. Suddenly I could see someone standing in the doorway between the two rooms. I drew in my breath and held it. Then I heard the old woman's voice, speaking Chinese with her peculiar accent: â€Å"To take the life of a human or one like a human. To take a thing that is not given. To claim to have superhuman powers.† I was slow, but suddenly I realized that the old woman was reciting the rules for which a monk could be expelled from the monastery. As she came into the dim light from the window she said, â€Å"To have intercourse with anyone, even down to an animal.† And at that second, I realized that the toothless old woman was completely naked. A mouthful of chewed turnip rolled out of my mouth and down the front of my robe. The old woman, close now, reached out, I thought to catch the mess, but instead she caught what was under my robe. â€Å"Do you have superhuman powers?† the old woman said, pulling on my manhood, which, much to my amazement, nodded an answer. I need to say here that it had been over two years since we had left Balthasar's fortress, and another six months before that since the demon had come and killed all of the girls but Joy – thus curtailing my regular supply of sexual companions. I want to go on record that I had been steadfast in adhering to the rules of the monastery, allowing only those nocturnal emissions as were expelled during dreams (although I had gotten pretty good in directing my dreams in that direction, so all that mental discipline and meditation wasn't completely useless). So, that said, I was in a weakened state of resistance when the old woman, leathery and toothless as she might have been, compelled me by threat and intimidation to share with her what the Chinese call the Forbidden Monkey Dance. Five times. Imagine my chagrin when the man who would save the world found me in the morning with a twisted burl of Chinese crone-flesh orally affixed to my fleshy pagoda of expandable joy, even as I snored away in transcendent turnip-digesting oblivion. â€Å"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!† said Joshua, turning to the wall and throwing his robe over his head. â€Å"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!† I said, roused from my slumber by the disgusted exclamation of my friend. â€Å"Ahhhhhhhhhh!† said the old woman, I think. (Her speech was generously obstructed, if I do say so myself.) â€Å"Jeez, Biff,† Joshua stuttered. â€Å"You can't†¦I mean†¦Lust is†¦Jeez, Biff!† â€Å"What?† I said, like I didn't know what. â€Å"You've ruined sex for me for all time,† Joshua said. â€Å"Whenever I think of it, this picture will always come up in my mind.† â€Å"So,† I said, pushing the old woman away and shooing her into the back room. â€Å"So†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Joshua turned around and looked me in the eye, then grinned widely enough to threaten the integrity of his ears. â€Å"So thanks.† I stood and bowed. â€Å"I am here only to serve,† I said, grinning back. â€Å"Gaspar sent me to look for you. He's ready to leave.† â€Å"Okay, I'd better, you know, say good-bye.† I gestured toward the back room. Joshua shuddered. â€Å"No offense,† he said to the old woman, who was out of sight in the other room. â€Å"I was just surprised.† â€Å"Want a turnip?† I said, holding up one of the knobby treats. Joshua turned and started out the door. â€Å"Jeez, Biff,† he was saying as he left.