Telecommuting at IBM Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Telecommuting at IBM - Case Study Example This report analyzes the success and concerns of this initiative by identifying the process and the special features of this technological trend. A deeper insight is gained into the reasons for it being accepted or rejected for adoption by the employees at IBM Indiana and also proposes an action plan to address any immediate and long-term concerns to aid its implementation and sustenance. Prior to identifying the concerns in implementation, an understanding of the feedback from the employees and a quantitative analysis of the results would be useful for framing further initiatives for the success of telecommuting initiative for IBM, Indiana. Telecommuting is a practice among the corporate world "where paid workers work away from their normal place of work, usually from home" (InnoVisions Canada, n.d.). The reasons for telecommuting are many and it includes reducing layoffs, costs of real estate, etc. It is beneficial for both the organization as well the employees and offers advantages on both professional and personal fronts. While for the organization it offers the advantage of "increased productivity from the employees, reducing costs on real-estate, lesser absenteeism, etc. the benefits for the employees are in terms of flexibility in working hours, less commuting, more freedom of work, improved lifestyle, etc. (InnoVisions Canada, n.d.) 2. Summary of problems faced However, there are a few concerns that have been identified from the feedback given by the employees and addressing them is of importance to the organization. At the Indiana office where it is initially implemented, it is observed that about 10% of the telecommuters still complain of the lack of efficient support system and that the PCs, the phone lines and the scheduling are inefficient to sustain this initiative. They observed that the PCs provided to them are outdated IBM desktops with low configuration which makes them inefficient in complying with the latest technologies needed to implement this technique. The inefficiency of the support system to ensure the home phone to ring instead of directing the call to the voice mail is a major concern for all. Also, the lack of peer interaction, difficulty in exchanging information, reduced team work environment, lack of networking and socialization are other concerns expressed by these telecommuters. Lack of interaction with peers is r esulting in frustration and a feeling of isolation is creeping in many of these employees (wps.prenhall.com, pp164-169). Some also are yet to adapt to the new way of working at home and find that it is encroaching into their private life with less time for personal life due to reasons like workholism, lack of space at home, etc. There are some who find the exchange of data becoming difficult, but the major concern is the affect on print quality due to broken linkages in the support system. Also, the inefficiency of the system to access important data crucial for immediate solutions which otherwise can be accessed through the office LANs

Dealing with Diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dealing with Diabetes - Essay Example In the case of diabetes, your body is unable to keep blood sugar within those levels. Instead, your blood sugar consistently runs higher than normal. In Type 2 diabetes, your bodys insulin is unable to lower blood sugar because the fat cells in your body are immune to the effects of the insulin. Theres plenty of insulin in the body but your body isnt responding to it by absorbing the glucose out of your bloodstream. Type 2 diabetics often dont require insulin injections; instead, it may be controllable with diet, weight loss, and exercise. The symptoms of Type 2 diabetes can often be controlled by reaching your â€Å"ideal body weight† and by following a low-carbohydrate and low-fat diet. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is produced by your body. It lowers your bodys ability to metabolize sugars, while increasing the metabolism of fats. This means that your blood sugar will rise faster, reach higher levels, and stay at those higher levels longer. With higher levels of cortisol, insulin will no longer have an effect on blood sugar levels. If you have a condition that causes chronic stress, then, managing your diabetes becomes much more difficult. You should have regular medical checkups to ensure that you do not have other conditions besides the

Deregulation Of Downstream Oil And Gas Industry Business Essay

Deregulation Of Downstream Oil And Gas Industry Business Essay This study began with a historical background of deregulation, government motives and the benefits the deregulation of downstream oil and gas industry will deliver to Nigerians. The literature review provided an assessment of the opinion of two schools of thought: the opposing and the supporting group for deregulation. Their different views gave insight into the various reasons why government should or should not deregulate the industry. The purpose of the study is aimed to answer three questions: (1) What informed governments deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry and is it the only solution in Nigerias economic environment? 2) How can the government improve the implementation of the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry to achieve the actual policy objective? (3) In what way can government encourage the private sector to fully participate in the downstream oil and gas deregulation exercise? In order to answer these questions, this study solicited the views of Nigerians and some industry professionals through self-administered questionnaires. Response by industry professionals addressed the perspective of strategic management, implementation, innovation and competitive forces. The response from other Nigerians addressed the perspective of effects, challenges and prospects of deregulation. By using broad theoretical approach, this study has demonstrated that a wider scope and broader assessment of the downstream oil and gas sector deregulation can be achieved. The theoretical framework has also been empirically tested through the questionnaire response and hypotheses that were carried out and it has proven to be effective in understanding the dynamics of the industrys deregulation programme. The responses provided by industry professionals answers the first question on what informed governments deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry and is it the only solution in Nigerias economic environment. The second and third questions were also answered by them. Two respondents were not in support of deregulation, while the other two were in favour of the governments deregulation programme, stressing that deregulation is the only remedy for the problems in the oil and gas industry. Their views on the implementation of deregulation, control mechanism by regulatory agencies, innovation and competitive forces shows similar response. They feel government is not implementing deregulation properly and suggested a fully deregulated downstream oil and gas sector as against the current partial deregulation where NNPC is still involved in marketing activities and fixing product prices. On the aspect of government encouraging the oil marketers to ensure the success of deregulatio n, respondent (B) suggested providing loan facilities for them while, respondent (C) felt that providing a level playing field for equity and equal participation will drive the success of deregulation. From the analyses on quantitative data which illustrate the views and opinions of 150 Nigerians on the effects, challenges and prospects of the downstream oil and gas industry deregulation, we can infer that there is no significant difference in the response in support that deregulation would deliver positive effects to Nigerians and those against. The response on if challenges in the industry will hinder the success of deregulation also indicates no significant difference between those in support and those not in support. However, the response to the prospects of deregulation shows a significant difference in support that deregulation of the sector will facilitate better economic prospects and opportunities. In conclusion, based on the responses and views of Nigerians towards the downstream oil and gas deregulation, the study findings shows that deregulation of the sector is not properly implemented by the regulatory agencies. It also shows that the sector has been transformed to become competitive and market driven. It further reveals that the sector is not fully deregulated to enable market forces determine price, rather government is still fixing petroleum product prices. The overall result indicates that Nigerians are fully in support of deregulation of the sector, believing it will deliver positive effects, reduce challenges in the sector and create better prospects and opportunities. 6.2 Recommendation The purpose of this study is to examine the effects, challenges and prospects of the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry in Nigeria. To establish this objective, an analysis was conducted to evaluate findings on the effects, challenges and prospects. The study also examined deregulation implementation, competitive forces and innovation in the industry. This study recommendation would be based on the research findings, which includes the following: The response from staff (C) as shown in the appendix, suggests that the government is yet to fully deregulate the industry and NNPC is also still involve in product importation and distribution. He argued that the intending benefits of deregulation can only be achieved if the government totally discontinues direct participation and concentrates its efforts on the regulatory role. Against this background, this study recommends that government should display seriousness in implementing complete deregulation in the sector in accordance with the original policy framework. More oil marketers should be licensed, opportunities for free entry and exist should be allowed to encourage competition, equal participation and equity should be practiced without any sacred cow and more importantly, the demand and supply mechanism should be allowed to determine prices. This is the conventional concept that is obtainable in most countries where deregulation is practiced. The need for government to encourage and support oil marketers is also recommended in order to assist them acquire loan facilities. This view is consistent with the response from respondent (A) and (B) that suggested the provision of loan schemes most especially to indigenous oil marketers to grow in the industry. They argued that if governments wants to ensure that fuel scarcity is nipped in the bud, loan facilities should be granted to them to avoid supply lapses. This view is also supported by Kolawole (2012) who observes that probe by legislators of the sector reveals that the local content policy by way of encouraging indigenous operators are not enforced as claimed by The Indigenous Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (ISOAN). The ISOAN accused the NNPC of deliberately side-lining Nigeria ship owners from lifting fuel both locally and international. The practice by NNPC will not encourage the deregulation program. A non-discriminatory system should be enforced, especially to the local oil marketers and vessel owners. Inefficiency and lack of integrity contributes largely to the major problems affecting the downstream oil and gas sector. Corruption is the main problem militating against the government policy agenda of deregulation (Auwal and Mamman, 2012). According to respondent (C) he posits that the government monitoring arm like the PPPRA, DPR NNPC and the security agents saddled with the responsibility of appraising and ensuring the success of deregulation are complete disappointment and have failed in their assigned responsibility because of their corrupt practices. This implies that government should fight corruption by ensuring that the agencies responsible for implementing and coordinating the deregulation program are monitored to ensure they discharge their jobs with integrity. Corrupt officers collaborating with fuel importing syndicates to frustrate government policies of proliferation of refineries in Nigeria should be fetched out, arrested and punished in order to serve as a deterren t to others. To maintain competitive advantage under the industrys current deregulation platform requires innovative and strategic approaches to gain market position. This view corresponds with the observation made by the industry respondents on the high competitive nature of the sector. Hence, prompting them to carry out market intelligence to have a competitive edge over their competitors. Essentially, the oil marketers should be more proactive by engaging in technological innovations, training courses, research and development in order for them to remain competitive. They should also invest in high tech facilities like oil discharge jetties, pipeline networks for oil and gas product distribution to their customers. According to Barney and Zajac (1994) competitive strategies depends significantly on firms resources and capabilities. However, if the strategies are not adopted, the capabilities are more likely to emerge during periods of turbulence and market instability. Hart (1995) also argues that innovative strategies can lead to the development of firms specific capabilities which can be a source of competitive advantage. The analysis of the downstream oil and gas industry using Porters Five forces framework shows that the threats of new entrants is low. The reason as observed by respondent A and B is that the sector is capitally intensive with the old oil marketers enjoying economies of scale and large customer loyalty. New entrants are struggling to penetrate the industry under the deregulated environment. The analysis also reveals that threats of substitute to petroleum products is low. According to respondent C there is over dependence on petroleum products in the country without any foreseeable alternative in the near future. The bargaining power of suppliers as observed by respondent A is high, NNPC is mainly the dominant importer and distributor with only few other importers participating. This study recommends that for deregulation to succeed, the government should promote alliances and mergers among the smaller marketers in the industry to enable them take market position. Government should a lso think of diversification into renewable energy sources like wind energy, tidal waves and solar energy which is in high abundance in the country. This will reduce the high demand and over dependence on petroleum products. More oil marketers should be encouraged to get involved in products importation and distribution. The refineries should also be privatized for them to function properly and discourage importation. 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Deregulation Of The Nigerian Downstream Oil Sector; Keeping Faith With A Global At PPPRA Nigeria http://www.pppra-nigeria.org/articles.asp (Last visited 06/02/2013) Pera, A. (1988). Deregulation and privatization in an economic wide context. OECD Economic Studies No. 12, Spring 1989, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/43/35381774.pdf (Last visited 15/02/2013) PPPRA (2004). Resentations on Deregulation. www.pppra-nigeria.org/presentation.asp (Last visited 17/02/2013). Richard, A. (2012). FAQ on Deregulation of the Downstream Petroleum Sector and Removal of Fuel Subsidy. http://www.bizhallmark.com/index.php/feed/permalink/6557.txt (Last visited 19/02/2013) Tosanwunmi, O. (2012). Fuel Subsidy Removal or Deregulation: Evolving a Working Policy in Nigeria. http://alphaedufoundation.org/ (Last visited 13/02/2013) Wiley, J. (1999). Sampling of Populations: Methods and Applications www.oecd.org/dataoecd/11/53/33659904.pdf (Last visited 21/02/2013) Wolak, F. (2001). Market Design and Price Behavior in Restructured Electricity Markets: An International comparisons, Working Paper http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~wolak (Last visited 18/02/2013) Wolfl, A., Wanner, I., Kozluk, T. and Nicoletti, G. (2009). Ten years of product market reforms in OECD countries Insights from a revised PMR indicator. OECD Economics Department Working Papers No. 695, Apr., http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/29/41/42779045.pdf (Last visited 23/02/2013) OTHERS Adebayo, A. (1999). Facing the future of Nigeria. Lecture Delivered for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, Nigeria. Adedipe, B. (2004). The impact of Oil on Nigerias Economic Policy Formulation. Paper presented at the Conference organized by the Overseas Development Institute in Collaboration with Nigerian Economic Summit group. Adeogun, A. (2010). No Cartel is Big Enough to Determine Fuel Prices Under a Deregulated Regime, Daily Sun, Th

Collectivist Anarchism :: Papers

Collectivist Anarchism The philosophical roots of Collectivist Anarchism lie in socialism rather than liberalism. Collectivists believe that human beings are social animals better suited to working together for the common good, than for individual interests. When people are linked together by a common humanity they have no need to be controlled or regulated by a government. As Michael Bakunin proclaimed, 'social solidarity is the first human law, freedom is the second law'. Collectivist anarchists are sometimes criticised for holding a naÃÆ' ¯ve and hopelessly optimistic view of human nature. Human beings will be greedy if they are brought up in an unjust society, they will be caring if they are brought up in a society where justice and equality reign. This helps us to understand just why anarchists are so interested in education. Anarchism and Marxism - what's the difference? A number of parallels exist between Collectivist Anarchism and Marxismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ ÃÆ' ¼ Both see capitalism as a system of class exploitation ÃÆ' ¼ Human beings have the ultimate ability to order their own affairs without the controlling hand of state intervening. But Collectivists and Marxists do come into conflict over a couple of thingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ * Firstly Anarchists criticise Marxism's deterministic character, taking destiny out of the hands of the people, and making it an economic certainty. * Marxists view the proletariat as the only truly revolutionary class, whereas anarchists view everyone from peasants, to students, to the ethnic minorities, as victims of repression. * The ideologies also differ in the need for a 'vanguard party', with the specific purpose of leading the oppressed to utopia. Anarchists have always rejected traditional political means, and that only a spontaneous uprising of the masses can lead to true anarchism, and so avoid aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ * à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦'Dictatorship of the Proletariat', an idea crucial to defending the progression from capitalist to socialist, according to Marx, and one abhorred by anarchists, who view the state not as a symbol of class rule, but as an independent oppressive body.

Unit 2 – P5, M2, D2

In this essay, I am going to explain the main ways of promoting anti-discriminatory practice, which are; implementing government policies and guidelines at local level by managers and employees, staff training and development, challenging work colleagues who demonstrate discriminatory behaviour and telling a higher authority when rules are broken.I am also going to give examples of these strategies being used in a setting, give difficulties to each strategy and also justify ways of overcoming the difficulties. Implementing government policies and guidelines at local level by managers and employees means that you are making sure that employees and managers follow and promote policies, procedures and guidelines which are set out by the government for health and social care settings to follow.Examples of this being used is the manual handling policy being used when lifting and moving an elderly resident for a bath or out of bed, another example is the data protection act when storing ho spital records of a patient in a safe environment where only professionals can get access to it and the last example is COSHH and being aware of how to deal with body fluids in a health and social care setting and how to deal with waste.There are some difficulties that could arise when trying to use this strategy include staff in the setting be unaware of the policies, procedures and legislations that are in place to help the, untrained staff so they don’t really know what they are doing and the updating of policies and procedures.Although there are difficulties, there are ways of overcoming these difficulties such as staff training, managers having a zero tolerance policy in the setting, assigning someone to update the policies, procedures and legislations on a regular basis as they change, regular meetings to ensure that all staff are aware of the training needed and having CPD (continuing professional development) sessions.Using these ways to overcome the difficulties that arise during the strategy to identify discrimination is important because the less difficulties that there are for the strategy means that the strategy is more likely to work without any complications and will mean that all staff are trained to know all of the policies and procedures to help the service users and ensure that they are not in risk of harm. Staff training and development is there for service providers to use to teach new knowledge and to add to the workers knowledge, to teach all of the service workers of the policies and procedures and to keep them updated f any changes that happen within the policy and procedure and to ensure that they understand these changes and training and know how to put them into practice. An example of this being used is when service workers need to protect the service users from harm by using the safeguarding policy of the setting, another example is using the confidentiality procedure when a service user provides you with information that t hey don’t want sharing and your job is to keep to the procedure unless it puts the service user in harm, puts others in harm or they have convicted a serious offence.Another example of this strategy being used in a health and social care setting is the data protection procedure when keep patients records safe in a hospital and not letting non-professionals see their records. Difficulties that could arise when using this strategy could be loss of concentration when being taught new training, confusion and not understanding what the training means, the tutor being confused and using the wrong words to teach the training and giving the wrong information and staff not attending the training.There are ways to overcome these difficulties, these ways include; having training that is suited to the staff needs, for example, only giving them training which is desperately needed for their job role and not going of track to what they need, to make the training easy to use, easy accessibl e so the staff can get to it easily and won’t have any excuses not to turn up, to make the training flexible and maybe making it so that the staff won’t have to miss any of their job to do the training, to make the training interesting and finding different ways of learning, to make sure that all staff will turn up to the training make it compulsory so that they have to do the training to do the job but respect individuals values and beliefs and ensure comfortableness when the staff are doing the training so they are more likely to concentrate. Telling a higher authority when rules are broken means that all staff must know where to go to report any discriminatory behaviour in their setting, for example, reporting the incident to their manager or supervisor, but if it was their manager or supervisor who was being discriminated against or was doing the discriminatory behaviour, going to the external authority and knowing where to find them. An example of this is a nurse witnessing another nurse using di scriminatory behaviour against a patient; the witness must then pass it on their supervisors who will then resolve the problem. Another example is in a are home and a group of staff are being discriminated against by their supervisor because of their race, the staffs who are being discriminated against must report this behaviour to an external member of the setting – this is usually the authority or the manager of the care home/company. Difficulties that could arise when this strategy is putting put in practice include, staff may feel intimidated when going to high authority to report the incident and therefore may not report the incident causing the problem to get worse, the authority may not think that the problem is important so may not follow up the complaint for a while – or not at all, which would confuse the staff and make them feel worse because nothing is being done about their complaint and the behaviour from staff in the env ironment and some authority may not know how to deal with some discriminatory behaviour and therefore won’t do anything about the complaint.Ways to overcome these difficulties include keeping the reporters name confidential, and the reporter making sure that the report is followed up by checking that something has been done or dealt with, another way is to make sure that all high authority is trained into knowing how to deal with discriminatory behaviour. Challenging work colleagues who demonstrate discriminatory behaviour means to take action against those who participate in discrimination within the environment who are discriminating against another – another work colleague or a service user. An example of this is if a staff member is discriminating against a student in the setting and treating them differently because they have a disability, the person who witnesses this discrimination must report this to the programme manager who would then deal with the staff memb er in the appropriate way.Another example is a senior nurse reporting discriminating behaviour of another staff because of their mental health issue and the person who was given the report will look into the complaint and deal with the behaviour. Difficulties that can arise when this strategy is being put into action in a health and social care environment is there could be violence between staff members because of a reporting, there could be gossiping in the environment because a member of staff was dealt with because of discriminating behaviour, staff not knowing what discrimination is and therefore not knowing when or how to challenge other members of staff when they are using discriminating behaviour and the reporter may be victimised if the staff member who was discriminating finds out who reported them and they may feel uncomfortable around them.Ways to overcome these difficulties is to use policies and procedures to ensure that staff knows what to do in a discrimination situa tion, staff knowing what discrimination is and having a better awareness of it, explain to staff members why you have reported them and give evidence of the discrimination. I am now going to explain how staff workers and employers in a health and social care setting can make sure that they don’t let personal beliefs and value systems get in the way of being a health and social care professional. The main ways we can do this is to develop greater self-awareness and tolerance of differences, committing to the care value base, careful use of language and working within legal, ethical and policy guidelines.I am going to explain what these mean and also justify them, say why they are important to use in a health and social care environment. Developing a greater self-awareness and tolerance of differences means to know the about the differences between all individuals and understand that every individual will have different needs and to be aware of these needs and how to deal with them. This is important because this will tell staff members how to deal with anti-discriminatory and ensure that they understand how to deal with it, but also how to spot when discriminating behaviour is happening in the environment. Knowing when discrimination is happening and dealing with the situation will prevent situations in future happening between other staff members or service users.Tolerance is important to ensure everyone has equal opportunities. It is essential that you are aware of how you think of yourself and how you treat others and the reasons behind your behaviour, by doing this you will become more aware of others needs and also of other’s needs. Committing to the care value base; ‘The care value base is a set of rules or regulations and guidelines that every care practitioner has to follow in order to provide service to their or other clients or patients’ [http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Care_value_base]. The main thee rules of the care value base are; promoting equality and diversity of service users, promoting individual rights and beliefs and maintaining confidentiality.Committing to these rules means that whilst you are in the health and social care profession, you must not discriminate against any service users because of their age, culture, race, belief etc. , it also means that you must promote individuals rights and commit to their needs and know how to deal with their beliefs, these rules also include maintaining confidentiality, which means to not share personal information unless it is necessary. Committing to the care value base is important because it keeps the service users in your environment safe and out of harm, it also means that you will be honest with yourself and decide if you can commit to these rules; this will ensure that you can work within a health and social care environment.Careful use of language means that you need to be aware of other people’s language and how you communicate with th em, this is important because if you do not know the correct way to communicate with someone, they won’t be able to understand what you are trying to say to them and this could result in you giving them the wrong needs, wrong medication or leaving them in pain. It is important to ensure that you are communicating with a service user or worker in their preferred method of communication – this could be the spoken language, sign language, braille or another form of communication. Some people may use another person to support their communication such as an interpreter or translator. Using someone’s preferred communication is important because they need to understand what is happening to them in order for them to feel comfortable with you and to ensure that their health is being properly looked after.Working within legal, ethical and policy guidelines, this means that there are a lot of guidelines to work by in the health and social care profession and working in the health and social care environments means that you are committed to using these guidelines to keep the service users safe. This is important so that service users don’t get in any harm and therefore will make your job easier to do if you know what to do in each situation. Following procedures of the setting that an individual is working in is important because it shows that they can understand the rules of the setting and are committed to working in the setting and committed to keeping other people’s lives out of risk of any harm that they may come into.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 9

Bonnie winced at the nasty metalic taste in her mouth and blinked several times, until the room around her came back into focus. â€Å"Ugh,† she said. â€Å"I hate doing that.† Everyone was staring at her, their faces white and shocked. â€Å"What?† she said uneasily. â€Å"What'd I say?† Elena was sitting very stil . â€Å"You said it was my fault,† she said slowly. â€Å"Whatever is coming after us, I brought it here.† Stefan reached out to cover her hand with his own. Unbidden, the meanest, narrowest part of Bonnie's mind thought wearily, Of course. It's always about Elena, isn't it? Meredith and Matt fil ed Bonnie in on the rest of what she'd said in her trance, but their eyes kept returning to Elena's stricken face, and as soon as they finished tel ing her what she'd missed, they turned away from Bonnie, back to Elena. â€Å"We need to make a plan,† Meredith said to her softly. â€Å"We'l al want some refreshment,† Mrs. Flowers said, rising to her feet, and Bonnie fol owed her into the kitchen, eager to escape the tension of the room. She wasn't real y a plan girl, anyway, she told herself. She'd made her contribution just by being the vision girl. Elena and Meredith were the ones everyone looked to for making the decisions. But it wasn't fair, was it? She wasn't a fool, despite the fact that her friends al treated her like the baby of the group. Everyone thought Elena and Meredith were so clever and so strong, but Bonnie had saved the day again and again – not that anyone ever remembered that. She ran her tongue along the edges of her teeth, trying to scrape off the nasty sour taste stil in her mouth. Mrs. Flowers had decided that what the group needed to soothe them was some of her special elder-flower lemonade. While she fil ed the glasses with ice, poured the drinks, and set them out on a tray, Bonnie watched her restlessly. There was a rough, empty feeling inside Bonnie, like something was missing. It wasn't fair, she thought again. None of them appreciated her or realized al she'd done for them. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers,† she said suddenly. â€Å"How do you talk to your mother?† Mrs. Flowers turned to her, surprised. â€Å"Why, my dear,† she said, â€Å"it's very easy to speak to ghosts, if they want to speak to you, or if they are the spirits of someone you loved. Ghosts, you see, have not left our plane but stay close to us.† â€Å"But stil ,† Bonnie pressed on, â€Å"you can do more than that, a lot more.† She pictured Mrs. Flowers, young again, eyes flashing, hair flying, fighting the kitsune's malevolent Power with an equal Power of her own. â€Å"You're a very powerful witch.† Mrs. Flowers's expression was reserved. â€Å"It's kind of you to say so, dear.† Bonnie twirled a ringlet of her hair around one finger anxiously, weighing her next words. â€Å"Wel†¦ if you would, of course – only if you have time – I'd like you to train me. Whatever you'd be wil ing to teach me. I can see things and I've gotten better at that, but I'd like to learn everything, anything else you can show me. Divining, and about herbs. Protection spel s. The works, I guess. I feel like there's so much I don't know, and I think I might have talent, you know? I hope so, anyway.† Mrs. Flowers looked at her appraisingly for one long moment and then nodded once more. â€Å"I wil teach you,† she said. â€Å"With pleasure. You possess great natural talent.† â€Å"Real y?† Bonnie said shyly. A warm bubble of happiness rose inside her, fil ing the emptiness that had engulfed her just moments ago. Then she cleared her throat and added, as casual y as she could manage, â€Å"And I was wondering†¦ can you talk to anyone who's dead? Or just your mother?† Mrs. Flowers didn't answer for a few moments. Bonnie felt like the older woman's sharp blue gaze was looking straight through her and analyzing the mind and heart inside. When Mrs. Flowers did speak, her voice was gentle. â€Å"Who is it you want to contact, dear?† Bonnie flinched. â€Å"No one in particular,† she said quickly, erasing an image of Damon's black-on-black eyes from her mind. â€Å"It just seems like something that would be useful. And interesting, too. Like, I could learn al about Fel ‘s Church's history.† She turned away from Mrs. Flowers and busied herself with the lemonade glasses, leaving the subject behind for now. There would be time to ask again, she thought. Soon. â€Å"The most important thing,† Elena was saying earnestly, â€Å"is to protect Meredith. We've gotten a warning, and we need to take advantage of it, not sit around worrying about where it came from. If something terrible – something I brought somehow – is coming, we'l deal with it when it gets here. Right now, we look out for Meredith.† She was so beautiful, she made Stefan dizzy. Quite literal y: Sometimes he would look at her, catch her at a certain angle, and would see, as if for the first time, the delicate curve of her cheek, the lightest rose-petal blush in her creamy skin, the soft seriousness of her mouth. In those moments, every time, his head and stomach would swoop as if he'd just gotten off a rol er coaster. Elena. He belonged to her; it was as simple as that. As if for hundreds of years he had been journeying toward this one mortal girl, and now that he had found her, his long, long life final y had found its purpose. You don't have her, though, something inside him said. Not all of her. Not really. Stefan shook off the traitorous thought. Elena loved him. She loved him bravely and desperately and passionately and far more than he deserved. And he loved her. That was what mattered. And right now, this sweet mortal girl he loved was efficiently organizing a schedule for guarding Meredith, assigning duties with the calm expectation that she would be obeyed. â€Å"Matt,† she said, â€Å"if you're working tomorrow night, you and Alaric can take the daytime shift. Stefan wil take over at night, and Bonnie and I wil pick up in the morning.† â€Å"You should have been a general,† Stefan murmured to her, earning himself a quick smile. â€Å"I don't need guards,† Meredith said irritably. â€Å"I've been trained in martial arts and I've faced the supernatural before.† It seemed to Stefan that her eye rested speculatively on him for a second, and he forced himself not to bristle under her scrutiny. â€Å"My stave is al the protection I need.† â€Å"A stave like yours couldn't have protected Celia,† Elena argued. â€Å"Without Stefan there to intervene, she would have been kil ed.† On the couch, Celia closed her eyes and rested her head against Alaric's arm. â€Å"Fine, then.† Meredith spoke in a clipped tone, her eyes on Celia. â€Å"It's true, out of al of us, only Stefan could have saved her. And that's the other reason this whole team effort to protect me is ridiculous. Do you have the strength and speed these days to save me from a moving train, Elena? Does Bonnie?† Stefan saw Bonnie, coming in with a tray of lemonade glasses, pause and frown as she heard Meredith's words. He had known, of course, that with Damon dead and Elena's Powers gone, he was the only one left to protect the group. Wel , Mrs. Flowers and Bonnie had some limited magical ability. Then Stefan amended the thought further. Mrs. Flowers was actual y quite powerful, but her powers were stil depleted from fighting the kitsune. It came to the same thing, then: Stefan was the only one who could protect them now. Meredith might talk about her responsibilities as a vampire hunter, but in the end, despite her training and heritage, she was just another mortal. His eyes scanned the group, al the mortals, his mortals. Meredith, serious gray eyes and a steely resolve. Matt, eager and boyish and decent down to the bone. Bonnie, sunny and sweet, and with a core of strength perhaps even she didn't know she had. Mrs. Flowers, a wise matriarch. Alaric and Celia†¦ wel , they weren't his mortals the way the others were, but they fel under his protection while they were here. He had sworn to prote ct humans, when he could. If he could. He remembered Damon saying to him once, laughing in one of his fits of dangerous good humor, his face gleeful, â€Å"They're just so fragile, Stefan! You can break them without even meaning to!† And Elena, his Elena. She was as vulnerable as the rest of them now. He flinched. If anything ever happened to her, Stefan knew beyond a doubt that he would take off the ring that let him walk in the day, lie down in the grass above her grave, and wait for the sun. But the same hol ow voice inside that questioned Elena's love for him whispered darkly in his ear: She would not do the same for you. You are not her everything. As Elena and Meredith, with occasional interjections from Matt and Bonnie, continued to argue about whether Meredith needed the efforts of the group to guard her, Stefan closed his eyes and slipped into his memories of Damon's death. Stefan watched, foolish and uncomprehending and just not fast enough, as Damon, quicker than him till the last, dashed toward the huge tree and flung Bonnie, light as dandelion fluff, out of the reach of the barbed branches already plummeting toward her. As he threw her, a branch caught Damon through his chest, pinning him to the ground. Stefan saw the moment of shock in his brother's eyes before they rolled backward. A single drop of blood ran from his mouth down his chin. â€Å"Damon, open your eyes!† Elena was screaming. There was a rough tone in her voice, an agony Stefan had never heard from her before. Her hands jerked at Damon's shoulders, as if she wanted to shake him hard, and Stefan pulled her away. â€Å"He can't, Elena, he can't,† he said, half sobbing. Couldn't she see that Damon was dying? The branch had stopped his heart and the tree's poison was spreading through his veins and arteries. He was gone. Stefan had gently lowered Damon's head to the ground. He would let his brother go. But Elena wouldn't. Turning to take her in his arms and comfort her, Stefan saw that she had forgotten him. Her eyes were closed and her lips were moving soundlessly. All her muscles were taut, straining toward Damon, and Stefan realized with a dull shock that she and Damon were connected still, that a last conversation was being carried on along some private frequency that excluded him. Her face was wet with tears, and she suddenly fumbled for her knife and with one swift, sure movement, nicked her own jugular vein, starting blood flowing across her neck. â€Å"Drink, Damon,† she said in a desperate, prayerlike voice, prying his mouth open with her hands and angling her neck above it. The smell of Elena's blood was rich and tangy, making Stefan's canines itch with desire even in his horror at her carelessness in cutting her own throat. Damon did not drink. The blood ran out of his mouth and down his neck, soaking his shirt and pooling on his black leather jacket. Elena sobbed and threw herself on top of Damon, kissing his cold lips, her eyes clenched shut. Stefan could tell she was still in communion with Damon's spirit, a telepathic exchange of love and secrets private between them, the two people he loved most. The only people he loved. A cold tendril of envy, the feeling of being the outsider looking in, the one who was left all alone, curled along Stefan's spine even as tears of grief ran down his face. A phone rang, and Stefan snapped back to the present. Elena glanced at her cel and then answered, â€Å"Hi, Aunt Judith.† She paused. â€Å"At the boardinghouse with everybody. We picked up Alaric and his friend from the train.† Another pause and she grimaced. â€Å"I'm sorry, I forgot. Yes, I wil . In just a few minutes, al right? Okay. Bye.† She hung up and got to her feet. â€Å"Apparently at some point I promised Aunt Judith I would be home for dinner tonight. Robert's getting out the fondue set and Margaret wants me to show her how to dip bread in cheese.† She rol ed her eyes, but Stefan wasn't fooled. He could see how delighted Elena was to have her baby sister idolizing her again. Elena went on, frowning, â€Å"I'm not sure I'l be able to get out again tonight, but someone needs to be with Meredith at al times. Can you stay here tonight, Meredith, instead of at home?† Meredith nodded slowly, her long legs drawn up under her on the couch. She looked tired and apprehensive, despite her earlier bravado. Elena touched her hand in farewel , and Meredith smiled at her. â€Å"I'm sure your minions wil take good care of me, Queen Elena,† she said lightly. â€Å"I'd expect nothing less,† Elena answered in the same tone, turning her smile on the rest of the room. Stefan got to his feet. â€Å"I'l walk you home,† he said. Matt rose, too. â€Å"I can drive you,† he offered, and Stefan was surprised to find that he had to suppress the urge to shove Matt back into his seat. Stefan would take care of Elena. She was his responsibility. â€Å"No, stay here, both of you,† Elena said firmly. â€Å"It's only a few blocks, and it's stil broad daylight out. You look after Meredith.† Stefan settled back in his chair, eyeing Matt. With a wave, Elena was gone, and Stefan stretched out his senses to fol ow her as far as he could, pushing his Power to sense whether anything dangerous, anything at al , lurked nearby. His Powers weren't strong enough, though, to reach al the way to Elena's house. He curled his hands into tight, frustrated fists. He had been so much more powerful when he al owed himself to drink human blood. Meredith was watching him, gray eyes sympathetic. â€Å"She'l be okay,† she said. â€Å"You can't watch her al the time.† But I can try, thought Stefan. When Elena strol ed up her walk, Caleb was clipping the glossy green leaves of the flowering camel ia bushes in front of the house. â€Å"Hi,† she said, surprised. â€Å"Have you been here al day?† He stopped trimming and wiped the sweat off his forehead. With his blond hair and healthy tan, he looked like a California surfer transplanted to a Virginia lawn. Elena thought Caleb seemed just right on a perfect summer day like this one, a lawn mower humming in the distance somewhere, the sky blue and high above them. â€Å"Sure,† he said cheerful y. â€Å"Lots to do. It looks good, right?† â€Å"It real y does,† she said. And it did. The grass was mowed, the hedges were perfectly trimmed, and he had set out some daisies in the flower beds near the house. â€Å"What've you been up to today?† Caleb asked. â€Å"Nothing as energetic as this,† Elena said, suppressing the memory of the desperate race to save Celia. â€Å"My friends and I just picked someone up at the train station and hung out inside for the rest of the day. I hope the weather holds, though. We want to take a picnic up to Hot Springs tomorrow.† â€Å"Sounds like fun,† Caleb said agreeably. Elena was tempted for a moment to invite him along. Despite Stefan's reservations, he seemed like a nice guy, and he probably didn't know many people in town. Maybe Bonnie would hit it off with him. He was pretty cute, after al . And Bonnie hadn't real y been interested in anyone for a while. Anyone other than Damon, a secret little voice said in the back of her mind. But of course she couldn't invite Caleb. What was she thinking? She and her friends couldn't have outsiders around while they talked about what supernatural entity had it in for them now. A little pang of longing hit her. Would she ever be a girl who could have a picnic and swim and flirt and be able to talk to anyone she liked, because she had no dark secrets to conceal? â€Å"Aren't you exhausted?† she asked, quickly changing the subject. She thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. Had he realized she was thinking of inviting him along on the picnic and then changed her mind? But he answered readily enough. â€Å"Oh, your aunt ran me out a couple of glasses of lemonade, and I had a sandwich with your sister at lunchtime.† He grinned. â€Å"She's a cutie. And an excel ent conversationalist. She told me al about tigers.† â€Å"She talked to you?† Elena said with surprise. â€Å"She's usual y real y shy around new people. She wouldn't talk to my boyfriend, Stefan, until he'd been around for months.† â€Å"Oh, wel ,† he said, and shrugged. â€Å"Once I showed her a couple of magic tricks, she was so fascinated she forgot to be shy. She's going to be a master magician by the time she starts first grade. She's a natural.† â€Å"Real y?† said Elena. She felt a sharp shift in her stomach, a sense of loss. She had missed so much of her little sister's life. She'd noticed at breakfast that she looked and sounded older. It was like Margaret had grown into a different person without her. Elena gave herself a mental shake: She needed to stop being such a whiner. She was unbelievably lucky just to be here now. â€Å"Oh, yeah,† he said. â€Å"Look, I taught her this.† He held out a tanned fist, turned it over, and opened his hand to reveal a camel ia blossom, waxy and white, closed his hand, then opened it again to reveal a tightly furled bud. â€Å"Wow,† said Elena, intrigued. â€Å"Do it again.† She watched intently as he opened and closed his hand several times, revealing flower then bud, flower then bud. â€Å"I showed Margaret how to do it with coins, switching between a quarter and a penny,† he said, â€Å"but it's the same principle.† â€Å"I've seen tricks like that before,† she said, â€Å"but I can't figure out where you're hiding the one that isn't showing. How do you do it?† â€Å"Magic, of course,† he said, smiling, and opened his hand to let the camel ia blossom fal at Elena's feet. â€Å"Do you believe in magic?† she said, looking up into his warm blue eyes. He was flirting with her, she knew – guys always flirted with Elena if she let them. â€Å"Wel , I ought to,† he said softly. â€Å"I'm from New Orleans, you know, the home of voodoo.† â€Å"Voodoo?† she said, a cold shiver going down her spine. Caleb laughed. â€Å"I'm just playing with you,† he said. â€Å"Voodoo. Jeez, what a load of crap.† â€Å"Oh, right. Total y,† Elena said, forcing a giggle. â€Å"One time, though,† Caleb continued, â€Å"back before my parents died, Tyler was visiting, and the two of us went to the French Quarter to get our fortunes told by this old voudon priestess.† â€Å"Your parents died?† Elena asked, surprised. Caleb lowered his head for a moment, and Elena reached out to touch him, her hand lingering on his. â€Å"Mine did, too,† she said. Caleb was very stil . â€Å"I know,† he said. Their eyes met, and Elena winced in sympathy. There was such pain in Caleb's warm blue eyes when she looked for it, despite his easy smile. â€Å"It was years ago,† he said softly. â€Å"I stil miss them sometimes, though, you know.† She squeezed his hand. â€Å"I know,† she said quietly. Then Caleb smiled and shook his head a little, and the moment between them was over. â€Å"This was before that, though,† he said. â€Å"We were maybe twelve years old when Tyler visited.† Caleb's slight Southern accent got stronger as he went on, his tone lazy and rich. â€Å"I didn't believe in that stuff back then, either, and I don't think Tyler did, but we thought it might be kind of fun. You know how it's fun to scare yourself a little sometimes.† He paused. â€Å"It was pretty creepy, actual y. She had al these black candles burning and weird charms everywhere, stuff made of bones and hair. She threw some powder on the floor around us and looked at the different patterns. She told Tyler she saw a big change coming for him and that he needed to think careful y before he put himself in someone else's power.† Elena flinched involuntarily. A big change had certainly come for Tyler, and he had put himself in the vampire Klaus's power. Wherever Tyler was now, things hadn't turned out the way he'd planned. â€Å"And what did she tel you?† she asked. â€Å"Nothing much, real y,† he answered. â€Å"Mostly just to be good. Stay out of trouble, look out for my family. That kind of thing. Stuff I try to do. My aunt and uncle need me here now, with Tyler missing.† He looked down at her again, shrugged, and smiled. â€Å"Like I said, though, it was mostly just a load of crap. Magic and al that nutty stuff.† â€Å"Yeah,† Elena said hol owly. â€Å"Al that nutty stuff.† The sun went behind a cloud and Elena shivered once more. Caleb moved closer to her. â€Å"Are you cold?† he said, and reached a hand out toward her shoulder. At that moment a raucous caw burst from the trees by the house, and a big black crow flew toward them, low and fast. Caleb dropped his hand and ducked, covering his face, but the crow angled up at the last minute, flapping furiously, and soared away over their heads. â€Å"Did you see that?† Caleb cried. â€Å"It almost hit us.† â€Å"I did,† Elena answered, watching as the graceful winged silhouette disappeared into the sky. â€Å"I did.†

Free Essays on Stress Vs Reality

In this high-speed high tech world there are many stressors everywhere u look. People need to know how to deal with stress, because stress can lead to all kinds of illnesses it can even lead to death or suicide. I will write on the causes of stress the effects of stress and some ways u can deal with stress or at least reduce it. Many people can become stressed out for different reasons, but most people have some common stresses in their lives. One of the biggest stressors is the workplace. With deadlines, noise and having to be worried about being fired its no wonder people become stressed out because of work. Or if you are in school the same things apply having deadlines and grades to worry about can add stress to you no matter what grade level you are in. But an additional stress school can give is finical if your grades drop u might loose your scholarship and have to pay your way through. Another big one is traffic, the fumes and noise and bad drivers can really pile on the stress. I personally hate bad traffic because, of people cutting you off and tailgating and not using there turn signals, that all can add greatly to your stress not to mention it might give you a case of road rage. And finally on off the greatest of all stressors BILLS and other fiscal matters. Ah the dreaded word bills I bet your alr eady thinking of that stack of bills you have at home or might be getting in the mail today. If you are that right there is proof of what a big stressor this is no one like handling bills cause all you do is watch your money slip away. And also if you come short one month on your bills you get the additional stress of fearing for your possessions which you worked hard for at that stressful place called work. There is many ways stress can effect your body not to mention your mind. For one thing and probably the most common headaches and or migraines are cause by to much stress. Also another example would be a mental state of d... Free Essays on Stress Vs Reality Free Essays on Stress Vs Reality In this high-speed high tech world there are many stressors everywhere u look. People need to know how to deal with stress, because stress can lead to all kinds of illnesses it can even lead to death or suicide. I will write on the causes of stress the effects of stress and some ways u can deal with stress or at least reduce it. Many people can become stressed out for different reasons, but most people have some common stresses in their lives. One of the biggest stressors is the workplace. With deadlines, noise and having to be worried about being fired its no wonder people become stressed out because of work. Or if you are in school the same things apply having deadlines and grades to worry about can add stress to you no matter what grade level you are in. But an additional stress school can give is finical if your grades drop u might loose your scholarship and have to pay your way through. Another big one is traffic, the fumes and noise and bad drivers can really pile on the stress. I personally hate bad traffic because, of people cutting you off and tailgating and not using there turn signals, that all can add greatly to your stress not to mention it might give you a case of road rage. And finally on off the greatest of all stressors BILLS and other fiscal matters. Ah the dreaded word bills I bet your alr eady thinking of that stack of bills you have at home or might be getting in the mail today. If you are that right there is proof of what a big stressor this is no one like handling bills cause all you do is watch your money slip away. And also if you come short one month on your bills you get the additional stress of fearing for your possessions which you worked hard for at that stressful place called work. There is many ways stress can effect your body not to mention your mind. For one thing and probably the most common headaches and or migraines are cause by to much stress. Also another example would be a mental state of d...

Free Essays on If I Die In A Combat Zone

I have chosen a book called â€Å"If I Die In A Combat Zone† written by Tim O’Brien for my book review. This book is about Tim O’Brien’s experience as a foot solider in the Vietnam War. He spent a year in combat in My Lai, Vietnam. Since this is a fictional book the names of the characters have been changed. Chapter one describes a day in the life of Tim O’Brien. He is talking to a man named Barney when Captain Johansen gave the order to move on and check one more ville for that day. They came across Vietnamese that they nicknamed Charlie. After this place was secured as good as it could be they bedded down and tried to sleep. They slept in holes in the ground called foxholes.The next day they ate C rations and got ready to move on. Chapter two tells about Tim O’Brien growing up. It tells about his parents and about the town that he grew up in. He talks about the things he did in school and how he was trying to decide if God was real or not. He graduated high school and went away to college. Chapter three tells how Tim O’Brien was drafted into the war in 1968. He had a hard time trying to decide if he would go or he would run away to Canada. He did not want to die. He finally made up his mind to go to war even though he thought the war was wrong. Chapter four tells how the soldiers spent their nights looking out over rice paddies. They had a scope that allowed them to see in the dark. They kind of played games with it and let their imaginations run away. Chapter five tells how Tim O’Brien made a friend named Erik and how they got through the first months of army life together at Fort Lewis. He did not like this training. It tells of the things that he kept his mind on just to get through it. Erik liked poetry. All the soldiers at Fort Lewis were homesick for their families. Their drill sergeant was a man named Blyton. Everyone thought he was evil. When basic training was done Erik got to go to ... Free Essays on If I Die In A Combat Zone Free Essays on If I Die In A Combat Zone I have chosen a book called â€Å"If I Die In A Combat Zone† written by Tim O’Brien for my book review. This book is about Tim O’Brien’s experience as a foot solider in the Vietnam War. He spent a year in combat in My Lai, Vietnam. Since this is a fictional book the names of the characters have been changed. Chapter one describes a day in the life of Tim O’Brien. He is talking to a man named Barney when Captain Johansen gave the order to move on and check one more ville for that day. They came across Vietnamese that they nicknamed Charlie. After this place was secured as good as it could be they bedded down and tried to sleep. They slept in holes in the ground called foxholes.The next day they ate C rations and got ready to move on. Chapter two tells about Tim O’Brien growing up. It tells about his parents and about the town that he grew up in. He talks about the things he did in school and how he was trying to decide if God was real or not. He graduated high school and went away to college. Chapter three tells how Tim O’Brien was drafted into the war in 1968. He had a hard time trying to decide if he would go or he would run away to Canada. He did not want to die. He finally made up his mind to go to war even though he thought the war was wrong. Chapter four tells how the soldiers spent their nights looking out over rice paddies. They had a scope that allowed them to see in the dark. They kind of played games with it and let their imaginations run away. Chapter five tells how Tim O’Brien made a friend named Erik and how they got through the first months of army life together at Fort Lewis. He did not like this training. It tells of the things that he kept his mind on just to get through it. Erik liked poetry. All the soldiers at Fort Lewis were homesick for their families. Their drill sergeant was a man named Blyton. Everyone thought he was evil. When basic training was done Erik got to go to ...

Quotes About Being Nice from Famous People

Quotes About Being Nice from Famous People It is important to be nice. But sometimes being nice can be misconstrued as being weak. Should you be nice to everybody? Should you be nice only when others are nice to you? Do nice guys and gals finish last? Here are some interesting views and quotes about being nice.   Dave Barry A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person. Garrison Keillor You taught me to be nice, so nice that now I am so full of niceness, I have no sense of right and wrong, no outrage, no passion. Dag Hammarskjold It is easy to be nice, even to an enemy from lack of character. Addison Walker Its not true that nice guys finish last. Nice guys are winners before the game even starts. Wilson Mizner Be nice to people on your way up because you’ll meet them on your way down. Phyllis Diller Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home. Fay Weldon Young women especially have something invested in being nice people, and it’s only when you have children that you realize you’re not a nice person at all, but generally a selfish bully. Bill Gates Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one. Lord Hanson Always be nice to bankers. Always be nice to pension fund managers. Always be nice to the media. In that order. Drew Barrymore Weve got to learn hard things in our lifetime, but its love that gives you the strength. Its being nice to people and having a lot of fun and laughing harder than anything,  hopefully, every single day of your life. Michael Arlen It is amazing how nice people are to you when they know youre going away. Richard Simmons Everyone in this world is somehow connected. So why not just be nice to everybody. Robert De Niro The hardest thing about being famous is that people are always nice to you. Paul Arden Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great. To many people, being nice in order to be liked is more important. Theres equal merit in that, but you must not confuse being good with being liked. Kirk Douglas Virtue is not photogenic. What is it to be a nice guy? To be nothing, thats what. A big fat zero with a smile for everybody. Muhammad Ali At home, I am a nice guy: but I dont want the world to know. Humble people, Ive found, dont get very far. Lillie Langtry No person in the world ever lost anything by being nice to me. John Templeton It is nice to be important, but its more important to be nice. Bryan Cranston Weve been trained since kindergarten: Be nice, be kind, share, put on a smile. So were conditioned to squash our natural selfish instincts, and thats the right thing for society.

Race Relations Act 1976 And The Actions That Athea And The Commission Essay

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Interventional Literature Review on the Prevention of Type II Diabetes Research Paper

Interventional Literature Review on the Prevention of Type II Diabetes Mellitus - Research Paper Example Vegetarian and vegan diets also improve plasma lipid concentrations and have been shown to reverse atherosclerosis progression. In clinical studies, the reported acceptability of vegetarian and vegan diets is comparable to other therapeutic regimens. The presently available... literature indicates that vegetarian and vegan diets present potential advantages for the management of type 2 diabetes. American Diabetes Association (2011).Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes - 2011. Diabetes Care, 34(S1): S11.Fasanmade, O. A., Odeniyi, I. A., and Ogbera, A. O. (2008). Diabetic Ketoacidosis: Diagnosis and Management.  African journal of medicine and medical sciences, 37 (2):105. Abstract The objective of this manuscript is to review the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and management of diabetic ketoacidosis, one of the most common acute complications of diabetes mellitus. We performed a medline search of the English-language literature using a combination of words (diabetic ketoacidosi s, hyperglycemic crises) to identify original studies, consensus statements and reviews on diabetic ketoacidosis published in the past 15 years. Emphasis was placed on clinical manifestations of diabetic ketoacidosis, its diagnosis and treatment.Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an acute complication of diabetes mellitus that can be life-threatening if not treated properly. Once thought to occur only in patients with type 1 diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis has also been observed in patients with type 2 diabetes under certain conditions. The basic underlying mechanism for diabetic ketoacidosis is insulin deficiency coupled with elevated levels of counterregulatory hormones, such as glucagon, cortisol, catecholamines, and growth hormone. Diabetic ketoacidosis can be the initial presentation of diabetes mellitus or precipitated in known patients with diabetes mellitus by many factors, most commonly infection. The management of diabetic ketoacidosis involves careful clinical evaluation, cor rection of metabolic abnormalities, identification and treatment of precipitating and co-morbid conditions, appropriate long-term treatment of diabetes, and plans to prevent recurrence. Many cases of DKA can be prevented by better access to medical care, proper education, and effective communication with a health care provider during intercurrent illness. Provision of guidelines will also reduce mortality. Resources need to be redirected towards prevention by funding better access to care and educational programs. Abstract DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS AND THE HYPERGLYCEMIC hyperosmolar state are the most serious complications of diabetic decompensation and remain associated with excess mortality. Insulin deficiency

The Role of the Nurse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role of the Nurse - Essay Example Craig and colleagues (2006) discuss that assessment is a crucial first step in the delivery of health care, and often serves as the initial point of patient/nurse communication or contact. During the initial meeting with the patient, it is usually the nurse’s role to make a thorough evaluation of the patient (from head to toe) as a means of establishing baseline parameters for the patient’s general condition. This baseline is also the point of reference for nurses in order to monitor the patient’s progress from their point of admission to their point of discharge (Craig, et.al., 2006). The assessment as carried out by the nurse would also serve to guide the development of the nursing care plan. The role of the nurse in the assessment is to ensure a holistic evaluation of the patient, including the patient’s needs and the purpose of the medical consult (Rosdahl and Kowalski, 2011). As the assessment is carried out, the health issues of the patient – from the physiological to the psychological – would be established. During the assessment, it is also the nurse’s task to establish the patient’s medical history, which would include major and relevant health issues he has suffered in the past, including previous surgeries, allergies, and current medications (Rosdahl and Kowalski, 2011). ... 1). Frequency of sunbathing without any sun block as well as frequency of tanning sessions Question 1: At what time of the day do you usually sunbathe without using sun block? Rationale: It is important to determine the time of day the patient has usually sunbathed because there are certain times of the day when the rays of the sun are strongest, and exposure to the sun during these times increases one’s risk for getting skin cancer (Leiter and Garb, 2008). There is a need to establish whether or not the patient has often sunbathed at 11 am to 4 am where the risk for exposure to UV rays is at its peak (Leiter and Garb, 2008). Question 2: How often do you get sunburns? Rationale: It is also important to establish how often the patient has suffered sunburns because the repeated healing and burning of the skin during sunburns have a cumulative effect (Qureshi, et.al., 2012). Every sunburn incident represents skin damage and repeated incidents of sunburn would cumulatively increas e one’s risk for developing skin cancer (Qureshi, et.al., 2012). It is important to ask this of the patient in order to determine the level of risk she has already exposed herself to. 2) Mole is irregularly shaped two toned papule, with ill-defined light brown to pink medial and lower borders Question 1: Describe the changes which your mole has undergone? Rationale: Any irregularities in the shape of a mole often signify possible melanoma; more often than not, ill-defined moles signal skin cancer (Psaty, et.al., 2010). Question 2: Do you notice any pain in the area of the mole? Rationale: Pain on the moles may qualify the mole to be a suspicious mole which may also signal skin cancer or melanoma (Psaty, et.al., 2010). 3. Rapid change in the

FINAL PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Project Administration in Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Administration in Construction - Essay Example Good project managers attempt to make sure that the work is done right first time and that key accidents take place on the project. Whilst adherence to subsisting design decisions is the key concentration of quality regulation, there are exceptions to this standard. To begin with, unexpected circumstances, inaccurate design decisions or transformations needed by an owner in the facility purpose may need re-examination of design at the time of construction. Whilst these transformations might be influenced by the issue for quality, they stand for the occasions for re-design with all the attendant goals and restrictions. The other thing is that some designs depend on informed and suitable decision making during the building process itself. Since such decisions are founded on greater information regarding real site settings, the facility design could be more cost effective as a consequence. Safety during the building project is as well affected highly by decision made at the time of fore casting and design process. Some designs or building strategies are generically hard and hazardous to carry out, whilst other, comparable strategies possibly will minimize the likelihood of accidents. A range of distinct companies are possible for quality and safety regulation during building process. One widespread paradigm is to have a group accountable for quality guarantee and another group chiefly accountable for safety inside an organization. Supervisors and quality assurance personnel will be engaged in a project to stand for a range of distinct. Each of the parties directly concerned with project possibly will have their own quality and safety supervisors, including the owner and the architect. The inspector will be the contractor from the company. Over and above on-site inspections, samples of material will regularly be tested by a specialized laboratory to assure adherence. The supervisor to assure adherence with regulatory expectations will as well be involved. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regularly carry out site visits of work places alongside authorized inspection agencies. OSHA supervisors are expected by statute to give citations for all average infringements identified. Whilst the whole host of participants engaged in the building process will need the services of the supervisor, it cannot be stressed too boldly that the supervisor will just concentrate on formal check on quality regulation Quality regulation must be a key goal for all the members of this project team. Managers must be accountable for preserving and enhancing quality regulation. Worker engagement in quality regulation must be sought and awarded, including the introduction of novel ideas. Most crucial of all, quality enhancement will serve as a catalyst for enhanced efficiency. Provisions of work quality are an essential aspect of facility designs. Provisions of needed quality and components stand for the necessary documentation to illu strate a facility. Overall specifications of work quality are accessible in various areas and are issues in publications. For instance, excavation should proceed an adequate distance to allow inspection and other events. Concentrate pavements of greater strength amount to cost savings by delaying the time at which re-constructions are needed. On the contrary, concrete of substandard quality will require more regular covers or other re-construction processes. Contract specifications with modifications to the amount of a

Governments and Markets Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Governments and Markets - Research Paper Example Review of the Speech Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American citizen and lawyer. He is also a renowned commentator and politician. In his speech at Harvard University on government and marketplace, Eliot Spitzer addresses a wide variety of issues on the relationship between government and the economic domain. Basing his arguments on experience especially as a former state attorney general and a later as the New York governor, he discussed issues such as government intervention, the limits of government interference and means of reforming the corporate governance (Zimmerman, 2005). Gov. Eliot Spitzer divides his speech into three distinct and comprehensive areas. These are outlined as follows: the parameters of government intervention in the market place, response to the media cases and the reflection on proper governance. Eliot Spitzer observes that government involvement in the present-day American economy is limited. Gov. further divides his first subject of the speech into three are as of study. According to Eliot Spitzer, only the government can enforce rules relating to the integrity and transparency in the market place. ... He precisely points out the government’s weakness in carrying out unrealistic projects that he terms as â€Å"too big to fill.† According to him, too big to fill is too big not to fill. He further emphasizes that the US and its people needs new laws and not regulators who do not want to use the powers they have for the good of the economy. In accordance with his view, such regulators are only interested in creating crises of which they take advantage to get more power and promotions. On proper governance, he cites recent statistics on the ratio of the average CEO’s compensation to that of the average worker, which has unexpectedly grown from 40:1 to 550:1. On the other hand, he claims that the CEOs do not really provide value ten times the average worker in their respective places of work. He also criticizes the shareholders who are not interested in taking the much tougher task of reforming such corporations. Concepts Agreed with Eliot Spitzer’s view on t he role of the government in enforcing laws and regulations that relate to the integrity and transparency in the market is a brilliant idea. The market is only a single aspect in the coordination process of economic mechanisms (Stonehouse, 2004). The mechanism, however, consists of the market, government, and other firms. Without proper enforcement of non-price factors and laws, the market cannot function efficiently. The market mechanism can only handle gradual and secondary transformations. However, it is not enough to accelerate the development of supply competence and endorse self-motivated comparative advantage only. Consequently, some amount of government intervention is requisite to harmonize market forces at every level of market growth (Marquardt, 2012). However, the

Project Administration in Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Administration in Construction - Essay Example Good project managers attempt to make sure that the work is done right first time and that key accidents take place on the project. Whilst adherence to subsisting design decisions is the key concentration of quality regulation, there are exceptions to this standard. To begin with, unexpected circumstances, inaccurate design decisions or transformations needed by an owner in the facility purpose may need re-examination of design at the time of construction. Whilst these transformations might be influenced by the issue for quality, they stand for the occasions for re-design with all the attendant goals and restrictions. The other thing is that some designs depend on informed and suitable decision making during the building process itself. Since such decisions are founded on greater information regarding real site settings, the facility design could be more cost effective as a consequence. Safety during the building project is as well affected highly by decision made at the time of fore casting and design process. Some designs or building strategies are generically hard and hazardous to carry out, whilst other, comparable strategies possibly will minimize the likelihood of accidents. A range of distinct companies are possible for quality and safety regulation during building process. One widespread paradigm is to have a group accountable for quality guarantee and another group chiefly accountable for safety inside an organization. Supervisors and quality assurance personnel will be engaged in a project to stand for a range of distinct. Each of the parties directly concerned with project possibly will have their own quality and safety supervisors, including the owner and the architect. The inspector will be the contractor from the company. Over and above on-site inspections, samples of material will regularly be tested by a specialized laboratory to assure adherence. The supervisor to assure adherence with regulatory expectations will as well be involved. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regularly carry out site visits of work places alongside authorized inspection agencies. OSHA supervisors are expected by statute to give citations for all average infringements identified. Whilst the whole host of participants engaged in the building process will need the services of the supervisor, it cannot be stressed too boldly that the supervisor will just concentrate on formal check on quality regulation Quality regulation must be a key goal for all the members of this project team. Managers must be accountable for preserving and enhancing quality regulation. Worker engagement in quality regulation must be sought and awarded, including the introduction of novel ideas. Most crucial of all, quality enhancement will serve as a catalyst for enhanced efficiency. Provisions of work quality are an essential aspect of facility designs. Provisions of needed quality and components stand for the necessary documentation to illu strate a facility. Overall specifications of work quality are accessible in various areas and are issues in publications. For instance, excavation should proceed an adequate distance to allow inspection and other events. Concentrate pavements of greater strength amount to cost savings by delaying the time at which re-constructions are needed. On the contrary, concrete of substandard quality will require more regular covers or other re-construction processes. Contract specifications with modifications to the amount of a