Ducati Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ducati - Assignment Example Along with this, such a niche market strategy is implemented by Federico Minioli in order to amplify its net sales thereby amplifying its profitability to a certain extent. Apart from this, in order to enhance its revenues, Ducati decided to utilize its own interpretation like high-performance super sport bikes, low-weight sports bikes, high comfort long riding bikes, stylish bikes and many others that proved extremely effective for the organization in future. Moreover, in order enhance the performance of the bikes Mr. Federico Minioli tried to offer more concentration over technical excellence and reliability as compared to others. By doing so, the EBITDA enhanced from 33.4 million Euros to about 60.0 million Euros in the year 2000. Not only this, the market share of the organization of Ducati also enhanced by 6.7 percent in 2000 that helped the organization of Ducati to protect itself from an insolvent condition. In addition, the reputation of the organization of Ducati also enhanced due to its ability to offer extremely comfortable and versatile bikes at a quite competitive price for all age-groups. This acted as a boon for the organization thereby enhancing its customer range and consistency and dependency to a significant extent among others. Thus, it might be clearly stated that the above mentioned strategy proved extremely beneficial for the organization thereby paving its path for success. In this age, every individual desire to attain stylish and value-added products at a quite competitive price. Keeping this fact in mind, Mr. Federico Minioli designed the bikes of the organization of Ducati. All the bikes of Ducati are extremely fashionable and trendy in appearance as well as comfortable, so as to cover long distances. Not only this, Ducati also designed knee-down bikes, bikes to cover urban roads high-performance and low weight bikes for the sport lovers and many others in order to

Business related Essay Example for Free

Business related Essay 1. Define Marketing. What is marketing process as set out in your text book. Explain the various elements of marketing process. ( LO1; Assessment Criteria 1.1) 2. Select an organization of your choice, identify the marketing orientation it focuses on and evaluate the benefits and costs of the marketing orientation for the selected organization ( LO1; Assessment Criteria 1.2) 3. The Dunkin’ Donut Case: ( LO1; Assessment Criteria 1.2) For more than 50 years, Dunkin’ Donuts has offered customers throughout the United States, and around the world, a consistent experience – the same donuts, the same coffee, the same store dà ©cor – each time a customer drops in. Although the chain now offers iced coffee, breakfast sandwiches, smoothies, gourmet cookies, and Dunkin’ Dawgs in addition to the old standbys, devoted customers argue that it’s the coffee that sets Dunkin’ Donut apart. To keepcustomers coming back, the chain still relies on the recipe that founder Bill Rosenberg crafted more than 50 years ago. The company is so concerned about offering a consistent, high-quality cup of coffee that managers in Dunkin’ Donut’s â€Å"Tree-to-Cup† program monitor the progress of its coffee beans from the farm to the restaurant. The result? Dunkin Donuts sells more cups of coffee than any other retailer in the United States – 30 cups a second, nearly one billion cups each year. Building on that success, the company plans to more than triple its current number of stores, amassing 15,000 franchises by the year 2015. What marketing orientation does Dunkin Donut follow here and why? Give reasons and justification Learning Outcome/s achieved in the assignment: By completing this assignment successfully, the student will achieve the following learning outcome:Learning Outcome LO1 Understand the concept and process of marketing Assessment Criteria 1.1 explain the various elements of the marketing process 1.2 evaluate the benefits and costs of a marketing orientation for a selected organisation Grading Criteria PASS The student will be awarded a PASS grade if he/she achieves all assessment criteria MERIT: The student will be awarded a Merit grade if he/she The learners evidence shows for : M1 Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions †¢ effective judgements have been made †¢ complex problems with more than one variable have been explored †¢ an effective approach to study and research has been applied DISTINCTION: The student will be awarded a Distinction grade if he/she The learners evidence shows for: †¢ conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and have been justified D1 Use critical reflection to evaluate own work †¢ the validity of results has been evaluated using and justify valid conclusions defined criteria †¢ self-criticism of approach has taken place †¢ realistic improvements have been proposed against defined characteristics for success

Florence Nightingale Theory Case Study

Florence Nightingale Theory Case Study Clinical Application of Florence Nightingale Theory (Paper) Amber Hussain Overview of Theory Everything in this world that has been created by God has some meaning attached to it and has to perform some role in this world. Similarly[M1] Florence Nightingale developed modern nursing based on her life experiences. She was the pioneer who gave the concept of nursing education and was considered as the first nursing theorist. It was a Crimean war where serving as nurse and observing dead patients forced her to develop an environmental theory. Her first theory was termed as â€Å"environmental theory† and was published in 1860. The theory describes the relationship of people with their environment. According to her, disease is a reparative process, which is not always the cause of sufferings but nurses ought to modify the environment for nature to act upon[M2]. Selanders (2010) comments that â€Å"The principle of environmental alteration has served as a framework for research studies† (P.88). Nightingales’ environmental theory reflects a great consideration in providing holistic approach to the patients by inculcating four major metaparadigms which consist of individual, environment, health and Nursing. All four concepts are interlinked with each other. An individual is a human being who is effected by the environment and acted upon by a nurse. Environment is a way which a nurse can manipulate for natural laws to act in order to make the human body healthy or vice versa. Health is viewed as a holistic level of wellness which is maintained by the customized environmental factors and facilitated by the nurses to maintain it. In the same way, for Florence, nursing is a separate entity in the field of medicine and the vital role of a nurse is to keep the patient in an environment where they remain healthy and where the maximum healing takes place. â€Å"The nurse is responsible for maintaining the environment in such a manner as to maintain the health of the patient† (Selanders, 2010, p.87) These environmental alterations are represented as the canons of Florence Nightingale environmental theory which are classified into 13 sub concepts. These canons includes ventilation and warming, health of houses, noise, light, nutrition, bed bedding, personal cleanliness, variety ,taking food, petty management, chattering hopes and observation of the sick. She believed that this is the responsibility of nurse to alter the environment in a manner that it can help the patient to have a better recovery. She emphasized that air a person breaths should be clean, odor free and room temperature should be moderate. Houses should be clean and well-constructed. A good sunlight and calm surroundings should also be considered as they create tangible effects on body. Patient and a nurse should practice hand hygiene as a Personal cleaning. Bed should be dry, wrinkle free and placed at the lowest portion. Individual should be preferred to eat small frequent meals without any distractions. Patien t should be provided hopes and all his concerns should be listened and addressed. Lastly, nurse should keenly observe patient and his environment. All these will help to provide patients with patient centered care. Clinical Scenario This theory can be applicable in different clinical scenarios with different context but I can best relate it to a clinical scenario related to my life experience, which stunned me during my student life. It was one of the government hospitals where I was assigned in a pediatric ward with 4 years old patient suffering from pneumonia. Next to my assigned bead was a 3years old baby boy who came with the complaint of dehydration. Child was on intravenous fluids and antibiotics. While nurse was taking history from the mother, I realized that he belongs to a poor family and has recurrent history of cough since after his birth. Child was recovering well and was advised to discharge. Few hours before his discharge, he developed small red scaly spots on the back which within 3-4 hrs increased in size and spread to the extremities. Mother shared the concern with nurse, to which she said that these are just heat rashes which can probably be due to hot weather. In order to provide comfort to baby, mother started applying heat powder on child’s whole body butbaby became restless due to itching and burning of rashes. After few hours, the rashes appeared on whole body including chest and face due to which child was presented with respiratory distress. Mother started hue and cry due to which the nurse and doctors arrived. Nurse started to perform vital signs and she observed that baby’s respiration and pulse were high. Doctor diagnosed these as anaphylact ic reaction which were a result of urticarian rashes. The child was kept on triple regimen therapy including prednisolone and was suggested for allergy test and Complete Blood Count (CBC). Laboratory diagnosis reveled that WBCs was high and baby was reported as severely allergic to dust. After this incident, I was stressed up as a baby who was about to discharge, suddenly developed allergy which converted to anaphylaxis. I did a root cause analysis and identified the following possible reasons: i) baby was not bathed since 3 days, ii) there was no bedding changed and iii) the room was full of dust heaps, eatables and wet clothes. After realizing its root cause, I changed bedding and gave bath to the child. I also taught mother the importance of giving regular bath, its proper techniques and also emphasized on personal hygiene. Analysis of Clinical Scenario by Applying Florence Nightingale Theory Keeping all the views into considerations, the above case I experienced is now to be related to the theory of Florence Nightingale. In Nightingales four metaparadigm, Individual is a 3 years old baby who required proper environment. Dehydration is a disease due to which patient was admitted. Unchanged bedding, dirty area and lack of patient care are the environmental factors due to which the baby suffered from anaphylaxis and also other patient, staff and relatives were at risk. The nurse is the one who was assigned with baby, and did not pay attention on the environment. If a nurse having skills and knowledge, could have altered the baby’s environment, then baby would have not suffered with sever anaphylactic reaction. According to Florence Nightingale (1996) â€Å"If a patient is cold, if a patient is feverish, if a patient is faint, if he is sick after taking food, if he has a bed-sore, it is generally the fault not of the disease, but of the nursing† (p. 6). By taking environmental theory into account, the major canons which suits in above clinical scenario are ventilation and warming, health of houses, bed bedding, personal cleanliness and observation of the sick. Ventilation and warmth is the most important concept without which other concepts are nothing. The area where baby was present was dirty and full of the foul smell due to the presence of food and damp cloths. The damp cloth which dries in patient room can go into the air where patient is present. The eatables which were present without cover/lid, the moisture of that evaporates in patient area and can spoil the air. The nurse and mother were so insensitive that they were unable to recognize that patient is being treated in an unhygienic environment. â€Å"The more that is known about your child’s environmental exposures and experiences, the more accurately one can predict the risk of immune dysfunction and immune-related disease† (Dietert, Rodney Janice, 2010, p.15). However, Nightingales strongly emphasized on the presence of fresh and clean air as well as avoidance of foul smell and fumigations. It is the air we breathe which purifies the blood. This impure air if provided with untidy room can be a disaster for the patient as he can develop numerous diseases. Nightingale explains the above factor in her concept Health[M3] of houses. The room in which the baby was admitted was full of dust and there was no one, including a nurse who noticed and rectified this factor. Therefore, dust heap was the source of environmental impurity and patient’s allergic factor. This factor was coupled with the allocation of beds in the room. The beds were so congested that there was no such corner where outer atmosphere find its way for providing clean and fresh air. The patient care was further compromised by the bedding that was available for the patient. It is well explained in the cannon bed and bedding. The nurse was aware of the fact that the b edding that is offered to patient hasn’t changed since few days. The child, who was already sick and was depositing his exhaled sick breath and body’s unsafe flora into the bed, had exaggerated his sickness due to the unchanged and old wrinkle full bedding provided to him. According to Nightingale, the large amount of moisture of exhaled air goes into bedding which contains organic matter and is noxious for health. Beita (2013) also emphasized that â€Å"It’s a chore, but washing all bedding weekly in hot water is a sure way to get rid of dust mites† Personal cleaning, be one of the important canon is also nicely related to the baby’s health. Baby has not bathed since 3 days which made him more prone to infection and allergies. Nightingale in her theory intensely advised nurses to pay attention to patients’ personal hygiene. She also gave consideration to sponging methods, usage of soft water and hand washing. Last but not the least, observation of the sick is also a very essential canon to be integrated with the case. In this scenario nurse did not had a sound observation and she neglected patient care. Even, when mother of the baby made her realize that baby is having rashes, she ignored and gave falsify reason of having heat rashes. She did not observe that the environmental factors has became a cause of patient sufferings. While, according to Florence Nightingale, The most important practical lesson that can be given to nurses is to teach them what to observe—how to observe—what symptoms indicate improvement—what the reverse—which are of importance—which are of none—which are the evidence of neglect—and of what kind of neglect. Due to all these environmental factors the baby in this scenario ended up with anaphylactic reaction which could have been prevented if all above measures would have taken care. Let us consider the impact of local context which affect the critical incident of the case. Primarily, the age of baby (3years old), his present complaint (dehydration) and his history of recurrent cough made him susceptible to acquire infection and allergies. â€Å"Children, because of their smaller bodies are more vulnerable to the impacts of bad indoor air† (Beita, 2013). Secondly unidentified allergies were present during his admission which badly effected baby’s health. Then the misperception of the nurse that the red spots are heat rashes due to warm weather, ended baby with anaphylaxis. Also, the nurse’s lack of knowledge regarding environmental influence and her busy schedule, compromised baby’s hygiene care, which leads baby to severe life threatening condition The impact of this scenario is not only on the individual baby, but it can also be on all the patients admitting to the particular ward/ hospital, due to unfavorable environment. It is also evident in the scenario that client belong to the poor family, which contributes to the economic burden to the family and consequently on the community. Hypothesis Derived from Theory to Test Nursing Interventions If Government will invest more in the infrastructure of hospitals, it will decrease the chances †¦ If nursing training is being provided up to the mark in every nursing institution, then patient recovery would be fast If infection control educations have been done continuously in media, then it will decrease chances of infection allergies If hospitals would develop their policies and procedures, then it will reduce nosocomial and other infections If signs of specific allergies/ infections have been posted in hospital as a guide for nurses, they would easily rectify the problem and patient complication would be less. Summarization To summarize, integrating Nightingale’s theory in the clinical scenario, has increased my knowledge regarding this particular theory and it helped me to view nursing as discipline. This assignment has basically given me theoretical concepts for understanding my own experienced observation, in a more meaningful way. I have never thought about this unpleased clinical scenario but through this assignment and integration of theory I did analysis of my observation which pointed out to specific outcomes. Also it helps me to make connections while considering options for interventions. For this theory I now realize that though this theory was developed in early century, however its implication is still consistent with modern era and many health care professionals are consistently following it in some way or the other. I will also apply this theory whenever and wherever it would be pertinent, as it helps to prevent from many diseases and infections. References: Beita,B.(2013). Home breathable home. The Environmental Magazine. 24 (3): 28-9 Dietert, Rodney R., Janice. (2010). Strategies for protecting your childs immune system:  Tools for parents and parents -to-be. Singapore: W.S: Hackensack Nightingale, F. (1992). Notes on Nursing: what it is and what it is not. Philadelphia PA: J.B.  Lippincott Company Selanders, L.C. (2010). The Power of Environmental Adaptation: Florence Nightingales  Original Theory for Nursing Practice. Journal of Holistic Nursing.28 (1), 81-88. The Power of Environmental Adaptation: Florence Nightingales Original Theory for Nursing Practice 2010 Louise C. Selanders, EdD, RN, FAAN  Journal of Holistic Nursing American Holistic Nurses Association Volume 28 Number 1 March 2010 81-88  © 2010 AHNA 10.1177/0898010109360257 http://jhn.sagepub.com Becker, E. (2001, August 27). Prairie farmers reap conservations rewards. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com Strunk, W., Jr., White, E. B. (1979). The guide to everything and then some more stuff. New York, NY: Macmillan. Gregory, G., Parry, T. (2006). Designing brain-compatible learning (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. The interactions between the body and environmental factors generally follow very simple rules. Some exposures are useful and may play a critical role in promoting good health. Others are problematic and can damage the health of our children. Title:Strategies for Protecting Your Childs Immune System : Tools for Parents and Parents -to-be Author:Dietert, Rodney R., Dietert, JaniceDate:2010 Source:E: The Environmental MagazineDate:May 1,2013. Home breathable home by beita belli The general definition of environment is anything that, through manipulation, assists in putting the individual in the best possible condition for nature to act. Therefore, the environment has internal and external components . (P.8) Journal of Holistic Nursing The Power of Environmental Adaptation: Florence Nightingales Original Theory for Nursing Practice 2010 Louise C. Selanders, EdD, RN, FAAN Journal of Holistic Nursing American Holistic Nurses Association Volume 28 Number 1 March 2010 81-88  © 2010 AHNA 10.1177/0898010109360257 http://jhn.sagepub.com [M1]Helen keller [M2]Did not understand [M3]Connectivity is missing

The Influence of the Supernatural in William Shakespeares Macbeth Essa

The Influence of the Supernatural in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Dramatic impact is the effect on the audience. 'Macbeth' is a play designed to be performed for and to involve the audience. Dramatic influence is the way supernatural has effect upon the characters in the play. In Shakespeare's time, most people believed in witches and witchcraft and they were the objects of morbid and fevered fascination. Persecution reached terrifying proportions. Between 1560 and 1602, hundreds of people, mostly women, were convicted as witches and were executed. Although some voices were raised against this superstitious and barbarous persecution, most people had believed in witched. There were hundreds of pamphlets describing the lurid details of witchcraft trials printed. They enjoyed large and popular sales, which were the equivalent to our popular newspapers today. Witches were credited with diabolical powers. They could do things like predicting the future, fly, bring on night in daytime, cause fogs and kill animals. They cursed enemies with fatal wasting diseases and induced nightmares and sterility, and could take demonic possession of any individual they chose. Witches could raise evil spirits by concocting a horrible brew with nauseating ingredients. Macbeth may have been performed before King James in 1606. King James was very keen on the topic of witches. He did many investigations of witchcraft. A group of witched attempted to kill him once, but their plot was discovered and was taken to trial. There are many events in the play of Macbeth, showing much of dramatic impact on the audience and dramatic influence acted upon the... ... revenge for his family. Shakespeare tries to create a supernatural atmosphere by the language he uses. Certain words recur throughout Macbeth, creating meaning, atmosphere and significance. For example the words, 'blood', 'fear', and 'sleep'. The use of words like this repetitively, creates tension, and a dark, spooky and dramatic atmosphere. Characters like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had spoken soliloquies, which reveals to the audience their inner thoughts and motives. Macbeth often thinks aloud, about half his lines seem to be spoken to himself. This use of him thinking aloud is very essential to the audience, as the audience needs the knowledge of how he feels after acting upon something. For example, he had felt bad after killing Duncan, and he had kept killing because he did not want to lose what he had gained.

Macroeconomics Problem Set 1 Essay

To derive the PS approximation, data on GDP, Consumption, and Government expenditures was obtained from the website as detailed in the homework. Then using excel I was able to recreate the formula given with the actual data to get the approximation numbers. B. The true measure of PS was obtained much the same way as the approximation, only this time I used data for Private Sector Savings and Private Disposable Income pulled from the database instead of Y, C, and G. C. Attached. Overall it’s not a terrible approximation. There appears to be a rough five billion dollar inflation in the approximation from the true value, but over the course of time the trends remain similar. Every now and then you will see a significant dip in the approximation at the same time the true value significantly spikes, but aside from that they behave much the same, with a seemingly uniform $5 bil over-approximation across the years. E. For these two measures to be the same, there can be no government, and no international trading. The reason for no government is that taxes must be zero to allow for Y to stand alone in both denominators; also there must be no government deficit so as to allow for no interest payments. With no taxes and no deficit, it follows that there can be no government spending whatsoever (this takes care of removing transfer and interest payments from the first equation as well). As for having a closed economy with no imports/exports, this is because the Net Factor Payments have to equal zero to allow for these equations to equal each other.

Lycurgus constitution essays

Lycurgus constitution essays Philosophy is a study that tries to define and explain how people in a community should live wisely. In his Life of Lycurgus, Plutarch wrote ...Lycurgus produced an inimitable constitution,... showing... the spectacle of an entire city acting like philosophers... (Readings, p.185). Unlike other philosophers, Lycurgus ideas were practical; his laws didnt just describe the proper way of living, but also put it to work. Using his constitution, Spartans became harmonious, developed feelings of honor, self-reliance, and self-control which the leader believed were the keys to living wisely. In addition such destructive force as individualism was replaced by a desire to serve the community. Lycurgus first reform was an economic one. He started by redistributing the land. Since there was an immense gap between the poor and the wealthy people, he created equal incomes for all Spartans. Then, he devaluated gold and silver, making only iron currency legal. This action rid Sparta of sophists, charlatans, prostitutes, gold and silver smiths. It also stopped trade and all negative influences of outsiders. To take away unnecessary desire for riches and luxury, Lycurgus introduced common dinning tables which provided just enough food for men not to be hungry. He believed eating in luxurious settings and stuffing oneself with excess of food softened and weakened him. Lycurgus thought that dining at home contributed to greed and took away from living wisely. Also he believed using services of others (servants) at dinner caused feelings of inequality and concentration on material good rather than nonmaterial one which Lycurgus advertised. Luxury became extinct an d for the most part so did pride, envy and crime. The Lycurgan system made it so that the Spartans would only attempt to compete in courage and virtue instead of competing for material goods like more land and w...

How to Conjugate the Verb Smettere in Italian

How to Conjugate the Verb Smettere in Italian   Some definitions of â€Å"smettere† include: To stopTo leave offTo ceaseTo give up What to know about smettere: It’s an irregular verb second-conjugation verb, so it does not follow the typical -ere verb ending pattern.It’s a transitive verb, which takes a direct object.The infinito is â€Å"smettere†.The participio passato is â€Å"smesso†.The gerund form is â€Å"smettendo†.The past gerund form is â€Å"avendo smesso†. Indicativo/Indicative   Il presente io smetto noi smettiamo tu smetti voi smettete lui, lei, Lei smette essi, Loro smettono Ad esempio: Vorrei parlarti sul serio, quindi smettila con gli scherzi. - I want to talk to you seriously, so stop with the jokes. Il passato prossimo io ho smesso noi abbiamo smesso tu hai smesso voi avete smesso lui, lei, Lei ha smesso essi, Loro hanno smesso Ad esempio: L’insegnante ci ha sgridato, perà ² non abbiamo smesso di parlare. - The teacher yelled at us, but we didn’t stop talking. L’imperfetto io smettevo noi smettevamo tu smettevi voi smettevate lui, lei, Lei smetteva essi, Loro smettevano Ad esempio: La bambina non smetteva di piangere. Voleva andare al parcogiochi. - The little girl kept on crying. She wanted to go to the playground. Il trapassato prossimo io avevo smesso noi avevamo smesso tu avevi smesso voi avevate smesso lui, lei, Lei aveva smesso essi, Loro avevano smesso Ad esempio: Mi ha detto che aveva smesso di parlarle. - You told me that you had stopped talking to her. Il passato remoto io smisi noi smettemmo tu smettesti voi smetteste lui, lei, Lei smise essi, Loro smisero Ad esempio: In quel periodo smisi di andare a scuola. - In that period, I quit going to school. Il trapassato remoto io ebbi smesso noi avemmo smesso tu avesti smesso voi aveste smesso lui, lei, Lei ebbe smesso essi, Loro ebbero smesso TIP: This tense is rarely used, so don’t worry too much about mastering it. You’ll find it in very sophisticated writing. Il futuro semplice io smetter noi smetteremo tu smetterai voi smetterette lui, lei, Lei smetter essi, Loro smetteranno Ad esempio: Promettimi che smetterai di essere duro con te stesso. - Promise me that you’ll stop being hard on yourself. Il futuro anteriore io avr smesso noi avremo smesso tu avrai smesso voi avrete smesso lui, lei, Lei avr smesso essi, Loro avranno smesso Ad esempio: Avr smesso di lavorare, spero che ne trovi un altro prestissimo. - She must have stopped going to work, I hope she finds another one really soon. Congiuntivo/Subjunctive Il presente che io smetta che noi smettiamo che tu smetta che voi smettiate che lui, lei, Lei smetta che essi, Loro smettano Ad esempio: È tempo che tu smetta di fumare. - It’s time you quit smoking. Il passato io abbia smesso noi abbiamo smesso tu abbia smesso voi abbiate smesso lui, lei, Lei abbia smesso essi, Loro abbiano smesso Ad esempio: Penso che lei abbia smesso di scrivere, perchà © non guadagnava abbastanza soldi. - I think she quit writing because she wasn’t earning enough money. L’imperfetto io smettessi noi smettessimo tu smettessi voi smetteste lui, lei, Lei smettesse essi, Loro smettessero Ad esempio: Volevo che tu smettessi di giocare ai videogiochi e parlassi con me. - I wanted you to stop playing video games and talk to me. Il trapassato prossimo io avessi smesso noi avessimo smesso tu avessi smesso voi aveste smesso lui, lei, Lei avesse smesso essi, Loro avessero smesso Ad esempio: Credevo che avessero smesso, ma il giorno dopo hanno riavviato la loro ditta da zero. - I thought they had given up, but the next day, they restarted their business from the bottom up. Condizionale/Conditional Il presente io smetterei noi smetteremmo tu smetteresti voi smettereste lui, lei, Lei smetterebbe essi, Loro smetterebbero Ad esempio: Smetterei di imparare parole inutili ed invece mi concentrerei sulle frasi importanti. - I would stop learning useless words and I would concentrate instead on important phrases. Il passato io avrei smesso noi avremmo smesso tu avresti smesso voi avreste smesso lui, lei, Lei avrebbe smesso essi, Loro avrebbero smesso Ad esempio: Ci ha detto che avrebbe smesso di vagabondare se un’azienda le avesse offerto un posto di lavoro. - She told us that she would stop wandering if a company would offer her a job.

Something Strange Happens Every Day Essays - Bob Stookey, King

Something Strange Happens Every Day Essays - Bob Stookey, King Something Strange Happens Every Day A man, Bob Johnson, leans on a cold, concrete pillar, silently waiting for the train to take him to work. He waits as he has waited for the past seven years of his monotonous, somewhat mechanical existence. He glances calmly at his wristwatch; thirty-seven minutes past eight o clock in the morning. Damn, he thinks to himself. Oh well, theyll have to let me off, he mumbles to himself, its the first time Ive been late in the seven years Ive worked there. So, Bob slowly makes his way to the edge of the platform so as to get a good seat on the train. Around him, people mill around waiting for the same train Bob waits for. Directly behind him, a fat woman sits on a wooden bench holding her designer label bag in her lap, close to her chest. She is obviously very self-conscious and she glances around nervously. Nearby the fat lady, three African-American guys, aged around 20, dressed in ridiculously oversized clothing, listen to a rap song on a portable stereo. To his left, a businessman and his associate stand underneath a train schedule board discussing some important topic. Near him stands a group of Japanese tourists, looking at a half-folded map, trying to figure out the best route to arrive at their destination. Two of them are in a heated argument, speaking very quickly in Japanese. Bob then catches a glimpse of a crowd of school kids heading towards the platform with their chaperones; they are going on a day-trip to the Natural History Museum. While Bob is lost in his silent study of the Human-Being, the advance warning lights lined along the edge of the platform where there is a six foot drop to the train tracks, warning people that the train will arrive in just a few moments. Everybody hears the high-pitched squeal of metal wheels on metal rails, and a sudden rush of air against his face from the fast moving train brings Bob back to his senses. At this moment everyone waiting for the train; the fat lady, the homeboys, the business associates, the tourists and the school group, in amongst a slew of other interesting people; begin crowding the platform where Bob calmly waits to go to work. In all the rushing, panic, and pushing of people, Bob Johnson, who was waiting calmly to get onto the train, somehow gets jostled by the wave of people and topples over. He falls straight into the middle of the tracks. Chaos. Somebody screams, everybody looks, everybody screams, everybody runs. Bedlam takes over; no one knows quite exactly what to do. Bob, after what seems like an eternity, pushes himself slightly off the ground and spits some blood to the gravel floor. Looking straight at the ground, still gathering his senses, he is abruptly hit with a state of shock and confusion. He hears the growing screeching noise of the trains breaks. He looks up and to his right and sees the trains lights and bulking mass, bearing down on him. At the moment just before impact, and Bobs almost-apparent death, some ones muscular hand grabs him by his arm and pulls him off the path of his surefire demise, leaving only Bobs briefcase to be torn apart by the quick-moving train. Every single last muscle in Bob Johnsons body aches and he cant stop himself from shaking. All he feels is adrenalin pumping through his mind, and his body. He finally gains his senses back, and sits up impulsively, and looks around. A feeling of relief floods through him where the adrenalin once did before. It was only a dream. He is now in the comfort of his own bed, he looks over on his bedside stand, at his alarm clock, it is five o clock in the morning and the sounds of a city gearing up and preparing for a long day fill his head. He gets up and starts his morning routine. He takes a nice refreshing shower, and eats some almost-burnt toast and drinks a glass of orange juice, just as he has showered and eaten breakfast for the past seven years of his monotonous life. As he is getting dressed into

A critique of Music Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A critique of Music - Assignment Example The Quintet uses a typical four movement format with Allegro, Larghetto, Menuetto and Allegretto giving variation in mood and pace back and forth from fast to slow. Like most classical pieces, there is a clear development in a straight line from start to finish, with repetition here and there which gives it a regular structure. Mozart uses chromatic harmonies but they are not allowed to dominate. One of the most noticeable features of the orchestration is how the clarinet and the other instruments alternate, as if they are playing with each other. A good example of this is the second movement which starts with the clarinet and cello, goes on to use clarinet and violin, and carries on with these changes so that the clarinet pops in and out of the music. It is not just a main clarinet with strings accompanying it. All of the instruments take over the melody and then give it back to the clarinet. The greatest strength of the piece is the lyrical voice of the clarinet which is fully used in all its range and flexibility. If it has a weakness, it is the adherence to the classical format, which is perhaps a little bit predictable. The piece is one of my favourites, especially the second movement because of the sadness that is pouring out of it. According to Wold and others (p. 233) Mozart is â€Å"the most nearly perfect musical creator in the history of Western music† and this quintet is one of his most popular and most perfect compositions and so it is unlikely that it will ever be

Environmental Laws Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Environmental Laws - Research Paper Example National Environmental Policy Act was instituted by U.S. national policy to promote the enhancement of the environment. Furthermore, it established the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) of the president. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Introduction The economic has a big role in determining how many and the type of environmental laws to be passed. Environmental law is a general term that describes international treaties, regulations, statues and national legislation or common law that works to regulate interaction of humanity and natural environment. This is mainly so as to reduce impacts of human activity. There are a number of laws that are created by economic conditions: National Environmental policy Act, oil pollution Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, Endangered Species Act, Food Quality Protection Act, Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act among others. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is one of United States e nvironmental law. It was established in 1970; moreover, it was the first statues of the environment belonging to the modern era. Furthermore, The National Environmental Policy Act was established by U.S. ... The most significant effect of NEPA was to establish procedural requirements for all federal government agencies to prepare environmental assessments and environmental impact statements . Furthermore, EAs and EISs include statements of the effects of the proposed federal agency actions to the environment. Moreover, procedural requirements of NEPA procedural apply to all federal agencies in the executive branch. However, NEPA does not apply to the President, to Congress, or to the federal courts. NEPA has three sections: the proclamation of national environmental goals and policies, the instituting of provisions that are action-forcing for federal agencies to ensure observation of those policies and goals and lastly, the establishment of a Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in the president’s Executive Office. Furthermore, The NEPA process comprises of an evaluation of applicable environmental effects of a federal project task, including a series of relevant alternatives. M oreover, the NEPA process begins with developing a proposal by an agency to address a need to take an action. Once a decision on whether or not the actions proposed is covered under NEPA is made. In addition, there are three analysis levels that a federal agency may accomplish to comply with the law (Stern, et al, 2009). These three levels include: Categorical Exclusion preparation, preparation of an Environmental Assessment and Finding of number Significant Impact; or drafting and preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. 3 Furthermore, a major federal action has been increased in scope to include most things that a federal agency could regulate or prohibit. Moreover, in practice, a project is expected to meet guidelines of NEPA when a federal agency gives any part of the financing

Relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction at Essay

Relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction at Mcdonalds restaurants - Essay Example HR initiatives of McDonald’s greatly facilitate job satisfaction and create a highly motivated and effective workforce. It promotes a sense of shared vision and collective responsibility resulting in improved performance and productivity. Apart from this, McDonald’s conscientiously encourages professional development through in-house training and creating a continuous learning environment. It helps nurture a high standard of ethics and quality work by inculcating sense of responsibility and accountability in their work parameters. The regular incentives for improved performance, in-house discount on food items and flexible timings are few other vital factors for high job satisfaction amongst the McDonald’s workforce. The recent initiatives by the management to promote employment of people who have been unemployed for more than six months hugely reflects the company’s social consciousness and labor friendly policies (Burley, 2009). One can therefore, conclu de that organizational commitment and job satisfaction at McDonald’s are intrinsically linked. The various service and reward programs encourage its employees to give their best. Its commitment to diversity at workplace ensures relationship building through cross cultural understanding and mutual respect. Reference Burley, Briar. (25 March, 2009) McDonald’s to help unemployed.

Response Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Response Paper - Essay Example At the beginning of his essay, McCloskey dismantles the three established and scholarly proofs of God’s existence. Although some people may wonder why McCloskey disproves these arguments first and would even accuse him of practicality for having done so instead of attacking God’s existence itself, one should remember that the basis of Christian faith rests upon these three arguments of God’s existence, which have been established by the greatest of Christian scholars in early history. McCloskey begins with the cosmological proof of God’s existence and disproves its validity. According to McCloskey, â€Å"The mere existence of the world constitutes no reason for believing in the existence of [an all-powerful first cause or uncaused cause]† (McCloskey 63). This is logical. It would be perfectly all right to think that the existence of a computer necessitates the existence of a maker, because one knows that that is true. Nevertheless, the existence of the world is different from the existence of the computer, for the computer is man-made. Any man-made object is made by man, but since the world is not man-made, then it is definitely not made by man, OR perhaps nothing or no one really made it. The belief of theists is that anything that exists must have been made or created at some point. Nevertheless, no one can simply state this claim a priori; otherwise, it will be an assumption. Thus, McCloskey refutes the cosmological proof of the existence of God simply because he was speaking from what he knows and from the limits of his knowledge, which are simply and practically the same as the limits of any sane person’s knowledge. McCloskey is innocent in making his atheistic claims for it is true that he cannot see or perceive that the existence of the world necessitates the existence of a maker. Besides, anyone who can see such an existence must only be claiming to be able to do so perhaps on the basis of personal faith, an ima gined vision, or a physical proof to which he subjectively assigns meaning. In short, a theist believes that God exists because he has won the lottery that he was praying for, his sick child got better, the pastor said so, or just because he could â€Å"feel† it. Nevertheless, the point is that, in any case, no theist has seen the â€Å"connection† between God and the world. Moreover, since there is no way that a maker is seen as necessary, it also follows that it does not matter whether this maker is all-powerful or not. Aside from the cosmological argument, McCloskey refutes the argument from design and the teleological argument, because, according to him, in order to prove that this argument is true, â€Å"†¦genuine indisputable examples of design or purpose are needed† (64). This is also logical. What is â€Å"design† anyway? Perhaps, the theists have sought to define design as the series of events or an elaborate interconnection of things and ev ents that somehow either makes some sense to them or emotionally appeals to them. Perhaps, what the theists see that makes them believe in a design is a pattern or a cycle, like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, or the harmonious revolution of the planets around the sun. This is so dramatic and it feels so good to bask at these wonders of nature. Nevertheless, although it is possible that a pattern is

Measures by which the programme for the construction of the structure Essay

Measures by which the programme for the construction of the structure could be reduced - Essay Example It also emits Carbon Dioxide which is a major air pollutant and a determining factor to global warming. The main obstacles faced by the construction industry, thus, are to convey buildings that are economic in sustaining the life quality. This goes hand in hand with time reduction on the effect of the environmental, economic, social drains that affects us in one way or another. The main focus of this document is to elaborate on the obligations, benefits and background to sustainable building construction. Ways of meeting these obligations are provided at the end. The first crucial step is to seek permission from the local authority in form of an application for change of user. This will need the approval of the local authority’s plans for the area. (IEEE, 2005).That is, whether the area is official recognized as an industrial area only or a residential area. Depending on the prevailing by-laws, the approval may be issued or not. Afterwards, we can proceed to the preliminary design of the office. That is, the floor layout of the offices required among other things. These specifications will be tailored to the client in Hong Kong. A detailed assessment of the existing building will be done to check integrity of the current building, the kind of foundation, parts of the building that are intact or need re-designing to fit in the preliminary design. This will be done with assistance of the current building’s construction team, the building inspection unit from the local authority and the proprietors of the new building. We may need to consider all renovations done previously and any recommendations from the local authority inspection unit. After the detailed assessment is performed, a provisional design is done incorporating the findings in the earlier conducted detailed assessment. The design is presented to the client for his approval and finally forwarding to the local

SSDD Forensics Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

SSDD Forensics Issues - Essay Example The logical acquisition approach is based on acquiring a logical bit-by-bit copy of the directories and various types of files (address files) found within the iPhone file system. But, Physical acquisition implies a bit-by-bit copy of an entire physical store (e.g., a memory chip). Logical backups are considered a rich source of data files that can help build evidence. They can also provide proof of the pairing relationship between the computers that have been previously synced with the iPhone device if that computer was seized as part of the investigation. A physical acquisition has the advantage of allowing deleted files and data remnants to be examined. Physical extraction acquires information from the device by direct access to the flash memories. Generally, this is harder to achieve because the device vendors need to secure against the arbitrary reading of memory so that a device may be locked to a certain operator. The name of the backed-up folder is a long combination of forty hexadecimal numbers and characters (0-9 and a-f) and represents a unique identifier for the device from where the backup was obtained. This unique identifier appears to be a hashed value since it was the same unique name given to the backed-up folder by iTunes on both Mac and Windows operating systems. Within this folder reside hundreds of backup files with long hashed filenames consisting of forty numbers and characters. These filenames signify a unique identifier for each set of data or information copied from the iPhone memory. Backed-up data is stored in three file formats, plist files which stores data in plaintext format, mddata files which stores data in a raw binary format and info files which store encoded metadata of the corresponding binary mddata files. Figure 3 shows the Backup folder containing the backed-up files. Generally, the iPhone file system stores data in binary

Response Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Response Paper - Essay Example At the beginning of his essay, McCloskey dismantles the three established and scholarly proofs of God’s existence. Although some people may wonder why McCloskey disproves these arguments first and would even accuse him of practicality for having done so instead of attacking God’s existence itself, one should remember that the basis of Christian faith rests upon these three arguments of God’s existence, which have been established by the greatest of Christian scholars in early history. McCloskey begins with the cosmological proof of God’s existence and disproves its validity. According to McCloskey, â€Å"The mere existence of the world constitutes no reason for believing in the existence of [an all-powerful first cause or uncaused cause]† (McCloskey 63). This is logical. It would be perfectly all right to think that the existence of a computer necessitates the existence of a maker, because one knows that that is true. Nevertheless, the existence of the world is different from the existence of the computer, for the computer is man-made. Any man-made object is made by man, but since the world is not man-made, then it is definitely not made by man, OR perhaps nothing or no one really made it. The belief of theists is that anything that exists must have been made or created at some point. Nevertheless, no one can simply state this claim a priori; otherwise, it will be an assumption. Thus, McCloskey refutes the cosmological proof of the existence of God simply because he was speaking from what he knows and from the limits of his knowledge, which are simply and practically the same as the limits of any sane person’s knowledge. McCloskey is innocent in making his atheistic claims for it is true that he cannot see or perceive that the existence of the world necessitates the existence of a maker. Besides, anyone who can see such an existence must only be claiming to be able to do so perhaps on the basis of personal faith, an ima gined vision, or a physical proof to which he subjectively assigns meaning. In short, a theist believes that God exists because he has won the lottery that he was praying for, his sick child got better, the pastor said so, or just because he could â€Å"feel† it. Nevertheless, the point is that, in any case, no theist has seen the â€Å"connection† between God and the world. Moreover, since there is no way that a maker is seen as necessary, it also follows that it does not matter whether this maker is all-powerful or not. Aside from the cosmological argument, McCloskey refutes the argument from design and the teleological argument, because, according to him, in order to prove that this argument is true, â€Å"†¦genuine indisputable examples of design or purpose are needed† (64). This is also logical. What is â€Å"design† anyway? Perhaps, the theists have sought to define design as the series of events or an elaborate interconnection of things and ev ents that somehow either makes some sense to them or emotionally appeals to them. Perhaps, what the theists see that makes them believe in a design is a pattern or a cycle, like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, or the harmonious revolution of the planets around the sun. This is so dramatic and it feels so good to bask at these wonders of nature. Nevertheless, although it is possible that a pattern is

SSDD Forensics Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

SSDD Forensics Issues - Essay Example The logical acquisition approach is based on acquiring a logical bit-by-bit copy of the directories and various types of files (address files) found within the iPhone file system. But, Physical acquisition implies a bit-by-bit copy of an entire physical store (e.g., a memory chip). Logical backups are considered a rich source of data files that can help build evidence. They can also provide proof of the pairing relationship between the computers that have been previously synced with the iPhone device if that computer was seized as part of the investigation. A physical acquisition has the advantage of allowing deleted files and data remnants to be examined. Physical extraction acquires information from the device by direct access to the flash memories. Generally, this is harder to achieve because the device vendors need to secure against the arbitrary reading of memory so that a device may be locked to a certain operator. The name of the backed-up folder is a long combination of forty hexadecimal numbers and characters (0-9 and a-f) and represents a unique identifier for the device from where the backup was obtained. This unique identifier appears to be a hashed value since it was the same unique name given to the backed-up folder by iTunes on both Mac and Windows operating systems. Within this folder reside hundreds of backup files with long hashed filenames consisting of forty numbers and characters. These filenames signify a unique identifier for each set of data or information copied from the iPhone memory. Backed-up data is stored in three file formats, plist files which stores data in plaintext format, mddata files which stores data in a raw binary format and info files which store encoded metadata of the corresponding binary mddata files. Figure 3 shows the Backup folder containing the backed-up files. Generally, the iPhone file system stores data in binary

Analytical Support for Decision Making Self Reflection Essay Example for Free

Analytical Support for Decision Making Self Reflection Essay The analytical support for decision making course is really indeed touching every aspect from my daily job as a lead optimization engineer dealing with a huge drilling real time streaming data. In the past I have worked to prepare quarter review annual report for our center. Honestly, it was consuming a lot of time to construct a valuable presentation that will impress the upper management. As of time being ASDM is a strong aid to be creative in utilizing, analyzing, projecting illustrating for our daily data. Here I will highlight major subjects that I got so many benefits from: Data Gathering ASDM is a real guide to perform data analysis. It learns the first steps in how to gather data how to deal with it. The good part in the assignment is the data was real and taken from World Bank website and the challenge is to identify the best data find out ways to get the missing data by quantitative approaches. The lesson learned here is any data has to go through cleansing process to be worth for analysis to reach trustful results. Surveys As we are seeing many surveys floating around in every single website or newspapers in the media, the real question is how trustful the results are. Now with ASDM approaches, it is easier to now that, to dig deep in the survey process. How the survey was done, whom were the sample, location and the time it was conducted. In addition to the right guide in how to do different types surveys analyze the results for best decisions. Regression As regression deals with trends to find out the relationship level criteria help a lot in projection. In my daily work I’m dealing with many drilling trends, like the drilling rig hook load (HKL), surface torque while performing the drilling operation. My job is to identify the strong relationship between many drilling parameters do a projection. Like for HKL torque utilizing regression to find out the regression model in a specific formation will help us in identifying the normal / upnoraml trends prior drilling operation for better optimization savings. In addition the regression will help a lot in the projection ahead to the final drilling target depth. MCDA Multi criteria decision analysis is the decision maker best tool to identify take in consideration all the factors with relative to their weights influence in the subject matter. Real life is chain of continuous MCDA has to be taken but differs in size complication. Although, VISA software is a simple light, it is superior software to include every single step illustrate it with a nice simple way. Personally we are running many projects that take in consideration several factors MCDA is the best guide came at the right time.

Effectiveness Of Electronic Medication Administration Record System Information Technology Essay

Effectiveness Of Electronic Medication Administration Record System Information Technology Essay The report will highlight that to enhance technology in clinical setting is not easy. It required lot of support and resources. In-addition technology cannot be successful without well organized plan. It requires long term planning. This report will provide the overview of pilot implementation of electronic medication administration record (eMAR) system. Health care providers need to understand the importance of eMAR its role in improving patient care safety. This system will help to increase patient safety and have extremely positive impact on hospital reputation. It also helps to decrease medication errors and adverse drug reaction via safe medication administration. It also helps to save printing cost. Pilot implementation of the system assist in identifying issues related to medication administration error in hospital setting. Thus, help to understand how IT processes help to enhance safety. It further helps to understand analyze benefits of the system and how IT facilitates can reduce the chances of error by having robust computerized system. This paper helps to identify users anxiety to accept the IT systems and little modification in programming helps to get positive outcome. This paper investigates why IT systems are unsuccessful and suggest computer literacy and simple modification and technical support to users will help to expedite the process to achieve everlasting solutions to provide quality and safe care to the patients Introduction: The quality of patient care and safety is one of the most significant aspects of health care sector. Nursing and medical professionals face increased need of using information technology in day to day operations with an overall aim of improving the quality of care by increasing patients safety. Currently, hospitals facing patient safety issue related to medication administration. Numerous studies conducted to identify number of medication administration error. Stoppler (2006) pointed it as Approximately 1.3 million people are injured annually in the United States following so-called medication errors. Chiang (2008) supported this issue as Medication errors have been a major concern of patient safety initiatives for all health care systems of the world. Internationally health care facilities are struggling hard to increase patient safety via safe medication administration, because existing paper base medication administration record process is not safe and presented with large number of errors. Russo, (2007) stated that, current paper based medication administration record (MAR) is an inefficient process with no decisive workflow, that places needless stress on nursing staff and lead to illegible entries can resulted in medication administration errors. Therefore, to maintain the quality of drug dose administration and to prevent medication administration errors, electronic medication administration record (eMAR) system, is found to be significant. Few studies suggested that eMAR is a bedside medication administration recording tool providing new levels of recording medication administration activities by dropping error rates and making the administration of medications safer for patients. This report aims to outline the background to implement eMAR system, process of implementation, strength weakness of newly developed system and potential benefits on complete implementation to develop insights about newly developed electronic system for medication administrat ion record. Background: At my institution in 2006 during Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCIA) survey, auditors were not able to find out the administration record of one of the drug of a patient. This generated a thought to have electronic records for all the care provides to the patients. Malloch (2007) highlighted the need of electronic record as: Three specific applications within the electronic record-computerized physician order entry (CPOE), electronic medication administration records (eMAR), and clinical documentation-are impacting patient safety in numerous ways by decreasing incorrect and unnecessary treatments and medications, as well as improving the timeliness of careà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.The benefits from these 3 applications vary, depending on the implementation sequence; some organizations implement each application as separate initiatives, while other organizations have implemented all 3 applications simultaneously. (p. 159) Consequently our organization decided to initiate each application separately. CPOE for medication prescription, dispensation and medication order review had already been implemented in July 2005. Therefore higher management decided to design and develop in-house system of eMAR for safe medication administration as an initial step towards electronic patient record. The purpose was to eradicate manual MAR and replace with eMAR since current paper based MAR sheets had following subsequent issues: Manual administration record are more prone to error Prone to being lost as difficult to manage paper Utilizes large amount of paper Not meeting the JCIA requirement Administration record not available after discharge Data retrieval is difficult from paper based MAR Sheet Paper records are frequently lost unorganized Sloppily written record lead to legibility issues Mekhjian et al (2002) found that manual medication administration charting resulted in a transcription error rate of 11.3 percent whereas transcription errors were completely eliminated via eMAR. Further literature supports that the most common errors reported were administering drugs at the wrong time or neglecting to administer drugs at all. eMAR provided the framework for improvements in patient safety and in the timeliness of care. (Mekhjian, 2002). Bates Cullen (1995) suggested that 78% of errors leading to drug errors are due to inadequate information management system of eMAR. Furthermore, eMAR has gained a foothold in inpatient settings to support medication administration safety. It prevents paper records prone to being lost, incomplete, or misread. California Institute for Health Systems Performance report highlighted that upto 38% of inpatient medication errors occur at the administration stage (Miller et.al, 2001) Solution: Electronic Medication Administration Record System Safe medication administration is one of the most important elements of care. During hospitalization nurses are responsible to administered medication safely to the patients. This activity is performed multiple times in a day for an individual patient. It is a complex process therefore accurate documentation of the medication administration is extremely important. Jylha Saranto (2008) cited: The complexity of the medication management process exposes it to errors, and medication errors can occur at any point in the medication management process. A survey recently conducted in a Finnish hospital showed that more than half of reported adverse events (66%) were medication errors, most of them relating to documentation (33.6%) However, manual MAR had lot of issues related to patient safety and could lead to adverse drug events. Thus, organization decided implement for eMAR because it allows nurses to manage medication administration efficiently as it has the potential to make the administration of medication safer for the patients by reducing error rates (Westbrook, 2007). Therefore following steps were taken: eMAR task force developed to explore the need of technology including hardware software Group reviewed current medication administration process and developed flow diagram for expected system Visited different hospitals in USA to develop understanding of the system and its flow Conducted regular meeting with ISD for system design and development After having vigorous exercise team identified that eMAR could not be implemented completely without right patient identification and right drug identification. This system is heavily dependent on admission and pharmacy system. Therefore bar-coded wrist band bar-coding unit dose system would be pre- requisite. Consequently sub-group was developed to explore bar-coding system for different applications. The purpose to incorporating bar-coding in health care setting is to improve the quality of care by reducing medical error and by decreasing the cost of care for the patient. Thus, admission and pharmacy departments had been involved for bar-coding implementation. After multiple sitting and cost analysis, group decided to break eMAR implementation in 3 different phases Phase 1) Implementation of Barcodes: Patients Armbands for right patient identification for all the inpatients on arrival from admission department Bar-coded medication labels for identification of 5 rights include right patient, right drug, right time, right dose right route. Further pharmacy system generates medication administration schedule; this schedule will be foundation stone for eMAR. Phase 2) Medication Trolley Purchase new medication trolleys with Laptop having wireless connectivity barcode reader to view active drug list due at specific time, to follow 5 rights Phase 3) Online MAR Develop software of eMAR to eliminate manual MAR and initiate online entry after administration in computer to eradicate paper How this will work Nurse will identify the patient by scanning wrist band Nurse will then scan the Medication Cassette Bin of respective patient First RIGHT will be identified at this point Right Patient Nurse will then scan the Medication Labels Remaining four RIGHTS will be identified at this point Right Drug Right Dose Right Time Right Route Nurse Administer the Dose to the Patient After Administration, Nurse will put her Signature electronically into the system Thus above requirements were communicated to the senior management. Consequently due to lack of resources implementation of all above requirement were not possible at once because huge amount of money is required for barcode implantation in admission and pharmacy department and sophisticated medication trolley with laptop barcode reader. Therefore, team determined to implement eMAR successfully, with good outcome and within the resources provided, all above phases need to be implemented step by step. Thats why 3 sub-groups have been developed to initiate the work for each activity. Group 1 will work on Bar-coding planning and implementation. Group 2 will be responsible for purchasing of sophisticated medication trolley and group 3 will work on software development for electronic administration entry for medication. However, phase 3 of aforementioned plan was to be implemented first as it only required in-house software developments with no extra cost involvement and further built on existing CPOE system. Therefore, group 3 comprises of nursing and information system department (ISD) team work together to design and develop the system. ISD developed first template of eMAR in December 2006 and presented to nursing management team for feedback, they suggested few modifications. Modified version presented to them again for re-evaluation in February 2007. Afterward, pilot implementation was done in 5 beded cardiac step down unit in April 2007. Same was replicated in other cardiac stopdown units. Subsequently it was replicated in other units depending upon the availability of computers. Therefore, 06 desktop computers, 20 wall mounted computers in intensive care units, 2 mobile trolleys without medication bins 2 laptop mounted medication trolleys were provided in nursing units to cover 153 beds out of 520 beds. This covers 30% of total admitting patients. This phase will help to overcome issues of legibility, decrease chances of data lost as not need to manage paper since no paper is required. It helps to meet the JCIA requirement as data retrieval is easy and able to find out administration record. In-addition this will help to have ontime administration record and nurse need to sign the medication after administration and system will capture administration time which will further help to indentify wrong time administration, delayed administration and miss dose administration. Through this phase patient safety issue is still not resolved as identification of 5 rights is achieved manually because bar-coding is yet to be implemented. However, further implementation discontinued after July 2008 due to resource limitation for computerized laptop based eMAR trolley barcode implementation. In-addition few reservation for further implementation related to multiple frequent system breakdown and users resistance for further implementation was also highlighted. Therefore, eMAR task force re-collected to discuss and resolve above concerns to promote further. They identified following issues: Issues related to system functionality System performance/ shutdown issue. Issues related to limited hardware availability Training issue and computer literacy issues Users resistance as system force them for ontime documentation whereas paper base MAR have provision to sign the administration record as per their own accord On other hand group 1, barcode team implemented bar-coded armbands for all the inpatient. Now only medication label to be bar-coded is pending, for that label has been designed and approval has been taken from nursing users and pharmacy. Bar-coded label printer is to be purchased and pilot testing of barcode label needs to be carried out. Group 2 representatives explored different eMAR trolleys available in the market to identify the most suitable for our working environment. Our requirement is light weighted small trolley with 10 medication bin as 1 nurse is assign to 10 patients. Finally it was decided to purchase Atromick Medication Trolley. Purchase order was generated to have sample trolley to pilot. Trolley has been piloted successfully and received positive feedback from nursing users. Therefore, it was decided to purchase 72 more trolleys as required by nursing units. 46 trolleys will be purchase by October 2010 and remaining will be purchased in 2011. System feedback after pilot implementation Information technology seems to be more proficient and provide transparent alternative to manage issues/concerns smoothly. After pilot implementation of in-house developed eMAR software and Atromick medication trolley few strength and weaknesses were identified. We identified that most of the users in our hospital are not well computer literate. This lead to increase resistance and they prefer to use manual system. Another most important issue is lack of interest from some of the nursing managers. They even not agreed to initiate the pilot project and the main reasons were lack of staff, lack of computer literacy, lack of hardware availability on nursing floor and they felt it would increase staff workload. Their concerns were well taken and computer training had been provided to nursing staff before initiation and on regular basis as well. Moreover, extra computers have been provided on nursing floor before pilot implementation. Nursing director is working hard to increase number of staff but its difficult as currently nurses turnover rate in our organization is 17%. Lastly management group was explained that it definitely increase some workload initially but it save nurses time currently utilize on maintaining paper record and data retrieval as it will be more transparent. It also increases safety of the patient and their record and have ontime documentation of drug administration. Thus, pilot project has been put into practice for 30% of hospital beds. The pilot project helped us to be acquainted with the weaknesses of the system which includes: Lack of material resources human resources Gaps in software programming i.e. initially all the stat orders and single dose order automatically disappeared from the screen with drug stop time. This created frustration among users as they were not able to mark administration for pre post transfusion drugs, chemo therapy drug, pre post operative drugs. Another gap is related to infusion screen as nurses have to sign infusion record every hourly which increase their workload. Multiple time system got stuck/ slowdown/ non functional endorse resentence of users as they feel whole process is very slow Users highlighted that system is not user friendly On multiple occasion users identified that same drug appears twice on the screen. On investigation it was find out that its because physician enter new order for same drug without discontinuing the previous one. Therefore, modification is required in CPOE system. Unsatisfactory technical support Lack of training System usually found to be slow which lead to increase administration recording time Beside, this one of the most important issues is resistance from users side as it increases their workload as well as their accountability, because paper base system has provision to sign the administration record as per their own accord. Whereas, electronic system increase obligation for ontime documentation. Another most important weakness is related to patient safety issue as bar-coding system has not been initiated yet and users relays on manual identification of 5 rights. However, in conjunction with above resistance, users satisfaction survey conducted in July 2008 showed 79.9% satisfaction of users with the system. The results appear with positive feedback but they highlighted area for improvement. Their feedback enclosed request for multiple modification, for instance separate screen for cyctotoxic drug administration as this required to mark start and stop administration time with comments as these drugs administration time last for hour. Demand to generate multiple reports to view administration record, miss dose administration record, administration record of discharge patient, administration report of particular drug etc. Primarily system starts with single screen for all type of administration i.e. intravenous infusion, PRN and routine medication which overcrowd administration screen and create confusion. Therefore, requested to develop separate option for each. In-addition modification was requested for infusion screen as current option requi res to sign infusion every hourly. Survey also highlighted some of the strength of the system pointed out by users which include: System helps users to easily identify numbers of doses administered to particular patient for specific drug as data retrial is extremely easy, though sometimes it takes time due to slowness of the system but its faster than manual process as data retrieval is difficult with paper base system. In addition it helps users to identify miss doses, delayed administration and skipped administration. It decreases utilization of paper and save printing cost. It helps to identify reason for delayed miss dose administration Administration screen appears with current drug only i.e. due for administration for next dose time. System frequently update with changes in CPOE system and has good interface with pharmacy and admission system System is easy to operate and output (Administration reports) data from system is reliable and accessible System appears with detail information regarding drug including drug name, ID, required dose, dose time, route, frequency, star time and stop time, drug comments if any for safe administration. System is provided with dictionary based comments column for nurses to enter administration comments if any, in case of delayed, missed early administration. Paper base system utilizes nurses time to print medication label on drug review and then need to paste them in MAR sheet. This system omits all above and reviewed order in CPOE system automatically appears on eMAR screen for administration. Thus, many nurses found this system very effective the only concern is related to more time required at entry level. We identified that nurses with good computer skills are more positive towards IT systems. Chiang (2008) cited that Studies have shown that, for instance, nurses found that the IT system was good in aiding prevention of medication errorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.but required a lot of time in operating the system. Potential benefits of the system after complete implementation eMAR system can improve the administration record and will able to provide accurate administration time of the drug. It advances patient safety by right patient and right drug identification via bar-coding system. To elevate further safety option has been developed in a manner to mark administration after actual drug administration to the patient as system is not provided with any go back to your old ways option, which will help to increase reliability. System has been provided with mandatory option to enter comments for delayed administration or miss administration which will help later to identify causes and corrective action can be taken to improve business. Besides the safety of patient and its data, other supplementary benefits are cost and saving of storage space. Currently our hospital utilize huge amount ($15857/annum) of money for storage space. Although, these potential benefits are currently not very visible but it will be apparent with complete computerization of patients record. In addition an electronic system gathers all at one wave length and has standardized practice. This will provide opportunity to have good interface with national and international systems later. To get most out of it nurses suggested to provide medication order review screen drug formulary on eMAR system to save nurses time for multiple login. Kuperman Gibson (2003) cited This technology can yield many significant benefits and is an important platform for future changes to the health care system. Conclusions Patient safety is our main objective while working in clinical setting. Therefore, technology needs to be adopted to enhance safety. This will help to progress further. We all need to work continue to enhance computerization and involve information communication technology in hospital setting. Our organization actually works hard to achieve eMAR to increase patient safety and by 2011 we will certainly achieve our target to reduce medication administration error. Above report shows that eMAR system helps to increase safety, decrease medication administration error and safe printing cost. On top of it system will avoid wrong time error and have ontime documentation.

Comparing the Film and Novel Versions of Sam Hanna Bell’s December Brid

Comparing the Film and Novel Versions of Sam Hanna Bell’s December Bride If the movie based on Sam Hanna Bell’s novel December Bride is considered to be good, it is only because the novel itself is nothing short of great. Having viewed the movie on two separate occasions, some four months apart, this writer found herself to still be somewhat bewildered by a few of the events portrayed. The novel clears the Irish fog swirling around those events creating a much more solidly constructed story. In addition, the characters of Sarah and Frank are developed to a much deeper level. The great leap in years that occurs at the end of the movie is shortened in the novel and in consequence, the story flows more smoothly. Perhaps December Bride would have faired better as a TV mini-series with hours and hours at its disposal rather than being confined to the short span of time allotted the movie. Within the confines of the movie, before the reading of the novel, this writer found the following several elements of the story confusing: who is Fergus and how does he fit in; Sarah’s standing on the hill looking toward her mother’s house seems unfinished; why does the Reverend Sorleyson treat his wife, Victoria, with such distain; what is the significance of the meal in which Hamilton orders Sarah to cook the fish for the Catholic woman; why does Frank voice no objections at the marriage of Sarah and Hamilton? Read on and ye shall uncover the answers. The novel opens in Chapter One revealing the end of the story. Two elderly persons, Sarah and Hamilton, are being married by the young Reverend Isaac Sorleyson in a church that is nestled in a graveyard. People from the surrounding countryside are huddled among the gravestones brac... ...tride, promising to be at the church with Hamilton in the next week thus bequeathing the father’s name on both her children. Notes: [1] Small boat with oars. [2] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.22. [3] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.27. [4] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.48. [5] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.48. [6] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.41. [7] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.44. [8] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.125. [9] the residence of a Presbyterian clergyman (15th century) [10] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.68. [11] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.134. [12] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.138. [13] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.149. [14] child [15] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.123. [16] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.179. [17] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.289.

The Threat of Nihilism: New Educational Opportunities? :: Education Philosophy Philosophical Essays

The Threat of Nihilism: New Educational Opportunities? ABSTRACT: If the educator is characterized by a willingness to stand for something and simultaneously willing to care for someone, then the philosophy of authenticity should help the educator out of the problems that the Enlightenment project and some of its critics have created. While our integrative authenticity should rescue us from despair, it should also correct the possible immobilism occasioned by the interpretation of some postmodernist authors. Here, what we take as somehow fulfilling us, to a certain extent also conceived in a naturalistic way, binds us to the ways of structuring our concerns so that others can participate in a common framework. But such a philosophical perspective is confronted with two objections. First, one asks whether it is still ethics given the importance it gives to the empirical level. Second, it is questioned whether there really is a place for the other, whether it in fact transcends subjectivism. This paper deals with some of Nietzsche's central ideas and argues that the reproach of extreme relativism and scepticism is not justified. It concludes that one may find on the contrary an interesting way of dealing with the necessarily individualistic nature of education as well for the educator as for the educandus. If education can be conceived as an answer from one individual person to another, particularity, care, integrity and trust are of the utmost importance, and so is what "being authentic" means. Of course, an agent cannot articulate a project concerning who she wants to be without a context of intersubjectivity. Such a project must constitute a particularly illuminating example of what can be done in a certain social predicament. Furthermore, authentic identity presupposes a moment of recognition on the part of another. Authentic identity can thus mean pursuing a project in which a willed uniqueness is expressed and the wish for others to recognize this unique person whom we want to become. If the educator is characterized by her willingness to stand for something and simultaneously willing to care for someone, then the philosophy of authenticity, thus conceived, should help the educator out of the problems that the Enlightenment project and of some of its critics have pressed on her. While her integrative authenticity should rescue her from despair, it should also correct the possible immobilism occasioned by the interpretation of some postmodernist authors. Here, what we take as somehow fulfilling us, to a certain extent also conceived in a naturalistic way, binds us to the ways of structuring our concerns so that others can participate in a common framework.

Adolescent Development Essay

There are mutual influences between an individual and their social environment. There are also at-risk factors involved in the life of a developing adolescent that interconnects with a series of reciprocal systems. I can recall as a developing adolescent quickly maturing into adulthood, the many social, economic, external and internal influences that contributed to certain at-risk behaviors. These type of influences impacted me directly and indirectly. I was influenced by the several environments I was in, and I also contributed to influencing the environment around me. Attempting to exert control over uncontrollable circumstances only lead to desperate situations and weighty consequences. However, learning to accept my present circumstances, and how to appropriately respond to the hardship and temptations in life developed positive life changes. Individual human development occurs within interconnected and embedded ecological systems (McWhirter et al, 2013). The ecological systems include the individual, the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, and macrosystem (McWhirter et al, 2013). The individual consists of genetic and biological factors, and personality characteristics (McWhirter et al, 2013). The microsystem consists of the people that the individual comes into direct contact with and who the individual interacts with (McWhirter et al, 2013). The mesosystem is the embedded interconnections between different microsystems and the impact of the interactions that take place (McWhirter et al, 2013). The exosystem consists of the interconnections between one or more settings that indirectly involve the individual (McWhirter et al, 2013). The macrosystem represents the social blueprint of cultural values, societal structure, gender-role socializations, race relations, belief systems, and national and international resources (McWhirter et al, 2013). The chronosystem is the interconnection and interaction of the individual within different environments, and is the transitions that occur during the course of the individual’s lifetime (McWhirter et al, 2013). These interconnecting systems are referred to as the ecological model, and assumes that the individual is continually interacting with his or her environment hat produces constant change due to mutual influences (McWhirter et al, 2013). Part A – The Ecological Model The core of who I really am involves the combinations of my genetic predispositions, evolutionary and biological components, personality characteristics, and the ongoing process of behavioral, cognitive, and affective experiences (McWhirter et al, 2013). Who I am has a lot to do with my expe riences in life, my responses to life events, and the social and environmental influences and interactions involved. The ecological model provides a greater understanding of how I influence my environment and my environment influences me. This is important because it is through the interactions of the ecological systems that help me better understand myself and others. The Individual. I entered the world with an umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, struggling to live due to insufficient oxygen intake. As a child I was very susceptible to illness. As an adult I discovered that I was living with an autoimmune disorder. I have very vivid fragmented memories as a child of several doctor office visits. At the personal level, I was a very fearful, anxious, angry, socially withdrawn child who experienced an unstable, insecure, neglectful, abusive, and dysfunctional home environment. The structure of personality develops in childhood and continues to develop in adulthood (Caspi, Roberts & Shiner, 2005). I developed a combination of extraversion and introversion traits. These traits show themselves depending on how safe I determine the environment around me to be. As a child I experienced positive and negative emotionality. I at times struggle with viewing the world as a safe place and occasionally viewed it as threatening. I experienced anxious distress with a tendency toward anxiety, sadness, insecurity, and guilt. As a teenager I experienced darker emotions such as anger, frustration, and irritation. I developed agreeable personality characteristics as a child. In adulthood I sometimes struggle with the fear of rejection, self-acceptance, people pleasing tendencies, self-awareness, and feeling comfortable in my surrounding environment and own skin. I also developed a strong motivation to achieve academically, and have a strong sense of independence. As a child and through my teenage years I was not allowed to have an opinion or express individuality, which resulted in the inability or challenge to think on my own, questioning who I am through life stages, fearful of making decisions on my own and especially decisions I need to make on behalf of others, and codependency issues. The Microsystem. I grew up in a traditional family household for a time being that consisted of my mother, father, and sister. Although, it was considered a traditional two parent household, my father was rarely home, and when he was home he was unavailable. My mother was emotionally unavailable and suffered from manic depression. My mother stayed at home and my father was either out working or pursuing one of his addictions. My family was homeless until I was the age of 5. We had lived and slept in my father’s suburban, randomly stayed with strangers, and at times lived in a recreational vehicle. I assumed responsibility and care of my younger sibling, my mother, myself, and household chores. I entered the stages of maturity alone and without parental support. The lack of positive parenting during my adolescent years made me vulnerable to at-risk risk behaviors such as premarital sex, tobacco use, substance abuse, gang involvement and mental and social disorders (Clinton & Clark, 2010). At the age of ten I was removed from my parent’s custody and placed in foster care where my sibling and I were separated and placed in different homes. In the foster system I was only allowed to socialize at school, and attended church depending on whether or not my foster parents at the time deemed it necessary. My sister and I went through several foster home placements which resulted in the loss of security, the loss of our personal possessions, and sense of belonging. Being bounced from home to home, it was difficult maintaining a close friendships with others. I developed an internal mechanism of being friendly with everyone, but not allowing myself to develop a close friendship with others. As I gained independence and freedom in my later teen years and early adulthood, I became more involved in church. The Mesosystem. I grew up in a rural community with a lack of parental involvement. There were no real established mesosystem relationships. The environment was inconsistently positive and very negative at times. Since school was my outlet, I strived for academic excellence and successfully achieved it. School seemed to be the only sense of stability. The Exosystem. Outside agencies that developed policies and created public resources were an indirect benefit to me as an adolescent and young adult. During childhood, I was able to eat lunch at school, and enjoy extracurricular activities such as Campfire Girls, cheerleading, and Key Club. I was given accessibility to the basic needs that my parents could not afford such as cloths, food, and shelter. As an adult, several community resources helped my daughter and escape and terminate a domestically violent relationship. The Macrosystem. During adolescence I was exposed to abuse, neglect, and violence first hand and via the television. My father grew up in the south and was very racist toward certain nationalities and races of people. The cultural context consisted of low socioeconomic status (SES), poverty, and experiencing our Native American ethnic background and being exposed to several conflicting belief systems. I grew up on a culture where corporate punishment was an acceptable practice. The culture valued individuality, independence, and self-reliance. I grew up in poverty with a prevailing crime rate not as noticeable as it is today. Social norms included the overuse of antibiotics (McDonnell Norms Group, 2008), and the use of drugs and alcohol were socially acceptable. Chronosystem. A pattern of environmental events, transitions, and sociohistorical circumstances contributed to my development over my lifespan. Both of my parents lived disloyal and adulterous life styles. Overtime, there unhealthy and dysfunctional patterns of relating to each other resulted in a separation. My father died when I was 17 years old. My parent’s marriage legally dissolved at the time of my father’s death. My mother remarried multiple times. My sister and I were exposed to their dysfunctional lifestyle, which tremendously impacted our lives. I personally, transitioned through many of life events by experiencing two divorces, being a single-mother of four children for quit sometime, remarrying and adjusting to a blended family, the loss of my oldest daughter, and facing the social political arena at work. Part B – At-Risk Tree Metaphor The At-risk tree is an analogy that allows people to understand the range of issues involving at-risk adolescence (McWhirter et al, 2013). The soil of the tree represents the individual’s societal environment (McWhirter et al, 2013). The roots refer to family, school, and peer groups that connect the tree to the soil (McWhirter et al, 2013). The trunk represents the developing attitudes and behaviors of each child (McWhirter et al, 2013). The branches of the tree represent the attitudes and behaviors that lead to specific risk categories (McWhirter et al, 2013). The soil of my family growing up consisted of poverty, low socioeconomic status (SES), judgmental and racist attitudes, abusive and neglectful home environment, and conflicting belief systems. The three primary roots are family, school, and peer groups (McWhirter et al, 2013). My parent’s inability to raise my sister and me in a loving, secure, stable, and nurturing environment, and expose us to family conflict, abuse, neglect, lack of parenting, being emotionally unavailable, and an unstructured home environment contributed to my dysfunction and the at-risk behaviors in my life. The school system was unaware of our life circumstances and did not any support. My sister ended up dropping out and getting involved with drugs. I became sexually involved with my boyfriend at the age of 15 and became pregnant at the age of 16. My daughter gave me the drive to continue my education and succeed academically in order to provide her with a better life. I was withdrawn during my adolescence and teenage years. Although, I made intent to get along with everyone, I did not associate with everyone. The peer group I involved myself in strived for academic excellence and engaged in positive extracurricular activities. The trunk of the at-risk tree representing my life consisted of low self-esteem, and depression. The branches of at-risk categories in my life were high-school dropout, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and suicide. I was at risk for teen pregnancy and became pregnant at the age of sixteen. I succumbed to sexual activity with one partner in high school that resulted in teen pregnancy. I was very fortunate that at risk behaviors did not escalate. My tree was broken and bruised and produced damaged fruit. Instead of running to quick gratification I learned to run to God. I found my value and security in Christ. My branches although bruised eventually healed and produced good, healthy fruit. It took a lot of effort, drive, motivation, will, and trusting God in the midst of temptation and hardship. I was fortunate to have a variety of Gardeners in my life from Christian counselors, law enforcement, human service workers, youth group leaders, Sunday school teachers, and church mentors who helped me redirect my lifestyle. I learned how to be academically successful, a loving, supportive, caring mother to my children, a hard worker of integrity, and to do the right thing when the wrong thing seems easier at the time being.

My Experience in the Military Essay

My darkest hour was also the moment I became a man. When all my years of training, all the blood, sweat, and tears of running, aiming, skills training, and hand to hand combat had finally been put to the test. My first kill. It wasn’t a proud moment but it was one on necessity and choice that I’ve played over and over again and I still get the same result. It would have gone exactly the same. September 21st 1999, 1327 Zulu time. We were flying over Almaty, Kazakhstan. The rattling of the POS tin can they call an airplane was really making me queasy. ‘Man less than an hour before we land. It’s not coming soon enough. ’ I thought. Then came the dreaded command that started the chain of events that changed my life forever. â€Å"AAG! 9 o’clock. I repeat AAG! 9 o’clock! † Yelled our Staff Sgt, â€Å"You know the drill, men. Time to grow wings! † Now to you non-military personnel, an AAG is an anti-aircraft gun. Now it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize, hey we’re in an aircraft. You see where this is going. Time to grow wings means, we’re jumping off this plane. This might be fine and dandy for a para-trooping unit. We were not a para-trooping unit. Now most of our unit has had parachuting training, well all except one, me. Now in my defense I had been busy with officer training so really hadn’t had much time. I now wish I had made time. So as we’re being shoveled out of the plane, there’s AAG blasts going off all around us. Then came my turn where I never thought you could get a jumping lesson in 30 seconds. Well it was enough for me. Out I went. Exciting, exhilarating, and scary as hell, were the first three things that came to mind. Now I’m no meteorologist but there are these invisible paths the air flows called vectors and if you don’t know what you’re doing you can be rerouted from you initial path. This is how I ended up drifting away from my unit. I pulled my chute once I realized this and landed about half a click north of my click. I landed in a courtyard and did the most natural instinct that could come to mind. I ran. Now the guys manning these AAG’s also had troops on foot and they figured out real quick where I was, and that I probably would make a real nice hostage. A US officer is a gold bar waiting to be snatched. I went for high ground as I checked my GPS tracker looking for my unit. Once on the roof of a nearby building, I began running south from rooftop to rooftop looking for a good place to either regroup or stand my ground in case of a firefight. I didn’t know how far behind me the enemy was but I felt them breathing down my neck, so to speak. I looked ahead on my route and noticed a 25’foot gap between me and the next building and it was a floor shorter than the building I was on. I had 10 steps to make a choice. Ten, I detach my pack. Nine, off goes my helmet. Eight, I increase my speed. Six, five, four, ‘This isn’t going to end well’, Three, I rear up, two, one†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I leapt. For a second I thought this is it. But then realized I’m going to clear it, I’m actually going to clear it. I did, right into a window. I rolled twice and started to catch my bearing and get up when I felt a searing pain in my back. I was being tackled. I looked up while on my back to a sweaty, angry look I recognized all too well, the look of a man wanting to kill me. I don’t know where he came from or who he was but I knew these were things I would have to worry about later. For now I have to stay alive. I felt his arm pressing into my throat and damn it hurt. I brought my right fist up and into his temple. It jeered him enough to release the choke. He reached back with the same arm and pulled something out from what looked like his back pocket, a knife. As soon as I realized what it was it was already headed at my face. I took both arms and grabbed for the wrist of the armed hand. He twisted his hand and sliced at my left forearm, I lost grip only with that hand for a slight second, jabbed him in the ribs giving me enough time to re-grip. He was trying to put all his weight into the armed hand and still hold me down while I kept my eyes and both hands focused on the knife filled hand and wrist. I was holding up until the pain from the slice began to overwhelm me and I felt woozy. I felt like this was it, I am going to lose my grip and this knife was about to go into my face. I quickly thought of everything that would follow and everything that has happened to me up to that point in an instance. Then as if a blessing from God, the door burst open and I redirected my focus to the door. So did he, which was his mistake. I quick glanced back at him and noticed two things. His eyes were off of me and his push weakened just for a second. The only second I needed. I pivoted my upper half to my right and pulled his arm towards where my head once was, jamming the knife into the hardwood floor. I brought my right elbow into his head and he toppled over. I reached for my side arm, rolled away, up on to one side, aimed and fired twice. My pistol and eyes both rose up and to the left to the doorway and fired three more times. Both enemies, cancelled. I took what seemed like an eternity to curse, catch my breath and regroup myself. I stood up and realized the fight wasn’t over. I still had to make it to my unit. I made my way through the apartment I earlier crashed into, out into the hallway and back up to the roof. I noticed insurgents on the rooftop directly behind me making half-ass shots at me. I leapt to the next rooftop, made cover behind a chimney, pulled my pistol took two deep breaths and†¦.. Well you’ll just have to wait for next time for that one. You ask yourself what I would do if I were in a life and death situation. Did it turn out like I thought? Nothing like it. Because when it really happens you go into autopilot. It all happened so quickly, but when I relive it in the nightmares that haunt me to this day, it seems like forever. It wasn’t a cool thing to do it, but was it necessary for my survival? Yes. If I could do it all over again, I would have taken the para-trooping courses.