Captain History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Skipper History - Essay Example For example, the Romantic magnification prompted the idea of ‘identity’ among the Europeans while empowering them to separate themselves based on religion, culture, language and conventions. Consequently the country’s interests were put beneath the national intrigue basically watched by a specific gathering living in the general public (Nationalism). This was an exceptionally critical occasion in the ancient time as it is currently viewed as the significant reason for World War I. In addition, before the actuation of patriotism the administrations were made and continued based on sway of God, majestic mastery or corresponding to a particular line. These administrations were increasingly effective as far as common equity among their kin. Be that as it may, when the European populace got mindful of the patriotism and expressed rehearsing it, from there on the progressivism took over them. Radicalism expelled the control of religions from government arrangements and law implementation offices while stretching out the most extreme position to the ‘people’ or general residents (Nationalism). This hidden idea of radicalism is presently drilled as majority rule government. Today students of history accept that on the off chance that patriotism was not presented in the mid nineteenth century, at that point there were huge possibilities that the world’s most destroying wars had never ejected. Thus being Captain History I got this occasion to improve the world a spot to live today. On my way back to the nineteenth century I will intently examine the patriotism and from that point I will distinguish its accelerating factors. For example, individuals in the late eighteenth century were confronting gigantic cultural issues and unfairness which really urged them to acknowledge patriotism so every individual could protect its privileges while rehearsing control over the impeded gatherings of the general public. Thus I will set up a worl dwide association in the mid nineteenth century so as to ensure the privileges of individuals while giving proportional chances to each nation. The association will be made on the framework of United Nations Organization with a main General Secretary who will assess and examine the issues of various countries dwelling in a similar nation. From that point the secretary would require spreading worldwide harmony while expelling the idea of patriotism. Individuals in the mid nineteenth century were fundamentally in reverse as far as mechanical headways and correspondence frameworks. Accordingly, it would be exceptionally trying for me to start such a worldwide association. Thus I would convey the absolute generally solid and fitting innovative hardware to the memorable period. This would not just assistance me in building up a worldwide harmony association however it will likewise help the researchers of that period. In the end the establishment of patriotism will be expelled from the h istory though individuals in the contemporary world would encounter further developed innovation. Prohibition of patriotism from the nineteenth century will really ensure a superior future on the grounds that noteworthy records uncover that patriotism was trailed by partnership legislative issues. Shared safeguard union is the most evident model which was framed because of the comparable patriotism approach among the European nations. According to the understanding between various nations, for example, Russia and Serbia, Austria and Germany, France and Russia, Britain and Japan,

Akai MPC2000 (MIDI PRODUCTION CENTER) Essay -- essays research papers

AKAI MPC2000 MIDI PRODUCTION CENTER  â â â â coming up next is a rundown of the propelled highlights of the AKAI MPC2000, which incorporate an inherent sampler, sequencer and the sky is the limit from there. Here is a definite general portrayal of the AKAI MPC2000. Enormous 248 x 60 spot LCD show with illustrations. 6 capacities keys under the LCD show give different capacities on each page. Worked in 1.44 megabyte floppy circle drive to store the two successions and sound information. Worked in SCSI interface for putting away information to outside hard circle. Here is a nitty gritty depiction of the AKAI MPC2000’s worked in sampler. 16-piece, 44.1kHz sound system testing High limit sound memory: 2 megabytes standard (22 seconds mono or 11 seconds sound system), expandable to 32 megabytes with SIMM memory. Advanced inspecting contribution for direct account from computerized sources with IB-M208P board. 128 sounds (tests) might be held in memory at once. 32 concurrent playback voices. The envelope or channel can be set for each stable. Discretionary multi-impacts generator EB16 for adaptable impacts. Test records might be stacked from AKAI S1000 and S3000 circles. IB-M208P (discretionary) empowers you to blend and yield inward sampler sounds from 8 singular yields. A limit of 24 projects (sound assignments and sound parameter settings) can be made. A choice between poloyphonic (numerous sounds are overlaid when a similar sound is played persistently) or mono (the subsequent sound quiets the first). It is conceivable to stop the playing of a so...

In-House or Outsourced Call Center

In-House or Outsourced Call Center Today’s business environment can only be described as volatile and unpredictable. Changes take place so fast that they could make even the heads of the most seasoned businessmen and strategists turn. In order to adapt to these fast-paced changes, business organizations have to employ various tools and methodologies.One of the current trends that businesses find themselves adhering to is the increasing importance of call centers. If you look at the number of call centers all over the world and compare it to that of, say, ten, twenty, years ago, you will notice a drastic increase. This alone denotes how call centers are becoming more and more indispensable for business processes across industries. © Shutterstock.com | pikselstockToday, youll learn about 1) a simple definition of a call center, 2) the two types of call centers, 3) the major considerations when choosing to use an in-house or outsourced call center.DEFINING THE “CALL CENTER”A call center is essentially a physical centralized division, office or facility specially designed â€" and equipped with all the necessary resources, technologies and tools â€" to receive, manage and process large numbers of customer requests, queries or concerns over the telephone. Their tasks cover both inbound and outbound calls, covering a wide area that includes marketing, sales, customer service, technical support, telemarketing and financial management. The most common examples of call centers today include telephone service facilities set up to provide assistance in technical matters, sales promotions and marketing campaigns.Call centers have definitely come a long way from the earliest on record, which was said to be the call ce nter belonging to the Birmingham Press and Mail in the UK. This was in 1965 and, at that time, the call centers were called “Private Automated Business Exchanges”. It was only in recent years that the name became “call center” and caught on.The fast pace at which technology advanced in the recent decade also meant that the call center industry evolved just as quickly. Today, call centers have become more automated than ever. Their reach has also widened because, thanks to virtual centers, they can now set up satellite offices in different areas all over the globe.In the past, call centers were tasked with performing only one function: to handle calls. Nowadays, call centers have turned into contact centers, performing various roles and responsibilities. They also handle other forms of correspondence or communication, on top of telephone calls. Some BPOs even offer dispatch and remote diagnostics services.Another significant change in how call centers work is that they now op erate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The usual setup was assigning people on shifts, or choosing only certain hours in a day for calls to be entertained. Today, customers can make their call at any time of the day or night.Roles of a Call CenterIf we are to put things in general terms, the main operation of all call centers is “Customer support”, and that can be further broken down into “customer service” and “technical support”. We have briefly touched on what call centers usually do. Let us take a more in-depth look at the roles or functions of call centers today.Handle outgoing calls for the sale of products and servicesHandle outgoing calls for debt management (collection, mainly)Handle inbound calls for assistance and inquiries regarding products and servicesHandle massive volumes of correspondence such as letters, faxes, emails and live chat conversationsPerform remote diagnostics activitiesPerform dispatching activitiesTaking all these, by acting as the direct rep resentative between a business and the customers, the call center is given the ultimate role of serving as the bridge between the two, actively cultivating a harmonious, productive and profitable business-customer relationship. Customer satisfaction is definitely high on the list of priorities, as this will result to customer loyalty and, naturally, retention.Components of a Call CenterSpecialized management. Automated processes, skilled and highly qualified manpower, and other cultural components will all be for nothing without quality leadership. Call center management shares many similarities to other business or organizational setups, but the workflow within the company calls for specialized forms and styles of management of people, processes, and resources.Agents with specialized skills. Call center agents undergo rigid training before they can be certified to deliver call center service to clients. Having certified professional call center agents increases the level of trust t hat customers have in businesses that utilize their services.Call Center automated processes and technologies. Call centers do not rely on their agents alone. They also make sure they are equipped with the proper technology in order to optimize their functions and their workflow. There are no standardized technologies, however, since they are made to be adaptable to different types of businesses, depending on the industry or field that the business’ operations fall under.Support and integration. This is the actual operation of the call center. Customer service refers to the efforts and activities provided by the call center in order to cultivate relationships with customers and subsequently maintain and preserve them. Technical support, on the other hand, involves the rendering of hardware or software support, especially in the face of increasing automation across industries. These two are then integrated into the business operations in order to maximize results.TWO TYPES OF CALL CENTERSThere are several types of call centers today, but we will focus on the two types according to management and location: in-house and outsourced call centers.#1: In-House Call CentersMany businesses decide to set up their own call centers, within their business premises, and staffed with their own people. These are called in-house call centers.Pros:Direct and full control over the call center operations of the company. This is probably the biggest advantage of setting up your own in-house call center. You call all the shots, and you make all the decisions. In short, you have direct control over how you handle your relationship with your customers.Exclusive branding and personal touch. Customers appreciate brands that are clearly and obviously putting a lot of their personal touch to their processes. Thus, many are impressed when they know that they are talking to call center agents that are practically brand ambassadors of the business. They also feel more at ease getting supp ort from people who “are actually part of the organization”, since they come across as more sincere and knowledgeable. After all, they are not paid or are bound by a contract to perform call center functions.Tightened security. Having your call center in-house means you get to keep a tighter rein on all data and information. Everything stays within your business, with members of the organization being the only ones privy to it. You do not risk exposure of this information by sharing it with a third-party call center service provider.Cons:High initial investment. This is one of the harshest realities of having in-house call centers: they are expensive to set up, from the infrastructure to the initial staffing and agent recruitment.Higher administrative and maintenance costs. You have already invested significantly in setting up a physical location for your in-house call center. Do not forget that it will not run itself. Your call center needs to have its own management team in pl ace, which means you have to hire supervisors, program managers and team leaders, not to mention coaches who will guide the call center agents along. Overhead costs are also considerably higher, since you have to take into account the cost of utilities, facilities and even support staff. There is also a need for high contingency funds, in anticipation of upgrades and updates that may be required in the future.Less focus on core activities. Customer service and support, no matter how important, are still essentially of a support nature. They are not the core processes or activities of the business. A retail company’s core activity is sales and distribution. A manufacturing company is on production. An in-house call center runs the risk of eating up a lot of time that could have been devoted to the core processes. In the end, this will compromise the overall productivity of the business. Sure, you have a well-maintained and well-ran call center, and you have customers who are happy with your customer service and technical support. However, if you have less products to sell or the quality of your products has decreased, you can be sure that the customers will slowly start to disappear. That is not a trade-off that you want, is it?More non-productive agent time. Consider this: you will spend considerable time and resources when you recruit agents for your in-house call center. Once the recruitment process is over, you still have to let them undergo training and coaching. While all these are going on, you are paying for every minute of their time, and that includes the waiting periods.Vulnerability to management changes. Continuity also becomes a problem. Say, for example, that there has been a change in the management of the business, and the new management deemed an in-house call center to be low on its list of priorities. There is a chance that it could be discontinued. That means that all the resources that went into it are dismissed and wasted.#2: Outsourced Call CentersThis involves looking for call center functions outside of the business, from companies that specialize in providing call center services.Pros:Straightforward financial planning. If you decide to outsource, you’re making the budgeting and financial planning aspect of your business much simpler. You do not have to maintain separate budgeting for your call center, because all the costs of infrastructure, maintenance and administration are already incorporated into the fee agreed upon between the company and the BPO.Scalability and Updated technology. BPOs are on the forefront of companies that make use of advanced and cutting-edge technology. You do not want to be bothered to monitor these advancements and see if your infrastructure needs an upgrade. That is the concern of the BPO, not yours.Optimization of Productivity. Think about this: there are various other areas of the business that need your attention, such as sales, research and development, and marketing. Howev er, a lot of your time is occupied by the process of setting up and running a call center. Now imagine if you do not have to do all that. Imagine if you could leave it to others who are far more experienced and knowledgeable at it than you, then you can fully focus on those other areas that need your attention. In another aspect, outsourcing also means that you will only be paying for the productive agent time, since there is no longer a need to recruit and train call center agents.The outsourced call center already has these well-trained and highly qualified agents to get on the job immediately. This trickles down to the next advantage of outsourced call centers, which is cost savings.Reduction of costs. Compared to in-house call center operations, outsourcing is more cost-efficient. In fact, many claim that companies can save as much as 50% if they choose to outsource. If the company decides to hand over the management of all telephone-related matters to an external call center, a ll the expenses associated with maintaining its own call center will be eliminated. Some of the costs that will be reduced include cost of setting up and maintaining a communications infrastructure, operational charges incurred in running the call center, the salary of the call center staff, the cost of training and re-training agents, coaches and other personnel, as well as various maintenance and other administrative expenses. In its place, they will have to pay the contract fee, or regular charges agreed upon with the call center service provider, but it is bound to be lesser.Trained staff and reliable resources. Staff of BPOs are specifically trained to go about their tasks with high levels of efficacy, so they have less “dead time call”, or the unproductive hours, minutes or seconds that are usually spent involving the more “minor” aspects of the calling process, such as the act of dialing, letting the phone ring before answering the phone. In addition, they are also ex pected to have formulated their own technologies, programs or software to minimize these unproductive times. More importantly, however, businesses have greater assurance that their customer service and support are in great hands when left with these external call centers. After all, outsourced call centers have stringent recruitment and training standards and procedures for all the agents that they hire into their companies.Cons:Lesser control on the part of the business. The business is essentially handing over its “customer relationship reins” to the outsourced call center. Sure, they still make the most important decisions, but the day-to-day, smaller occurrences will be left to the call center agents handling them. Outsourcing is also often done in offshore locations, which makes it impossible for businesses to keep an eye on them.Geographical constraints. Outsourcing means looking elsewhere for a company to perform call center functionalities. Therefore, it also involves lo oking into the location of the service provider, because businesses would like to keep open lines of communication and contact with them at all times. Another offshoot of this issue is the language barrier. You will notice that some of the largest BPOs are based in countries in Middle and Southeast Asia, so there is that lingering doubt that these non-native English speakers might be unable to communicate smoothly with native speakers. It is imperative, then, that companies make sure they outsource to companies that can easily surmount any language constraint.BPOs spreading themselves too thin. Unless you are one of two or three clients of an outsourced call center, this will not be a problem. However, call centers often work with dozens (even hundreds, for the larger operations) of clients at the same time. That means you cannot be guaranteed their 100% focus. Their customer loyalty may also be put into question, especially when they serve clients belonging to the same industry.CON SIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING A CALL CENTERBefore you can make a final decision on whether you should outsource a call center or set up your own within your business, you have to take the following into consideration.Your current resources. Can you afford to set up and maintain your own call center in the long term? Do you have enough to finance setting it up, and can your working capital cover the recurring costs of running it?Your priorities. Take a look at your core activities and assess if you can maintain an in-house call center without compromising them. There has to be a balance in order for the business processes to go as usual, while strengthening your customer relationship through your call center.Volume of calls. If your product is not complicated, then there will be fewer customer care calls. With a small volume of calls, it will not be prudent to spend money on a call center. The same applies if you don’t yet have very many customers.Conducting a feasibility study is highly recommended in order to ascertain whether you can, and should, set up and run an in-house call center, or outsource it instead. Of course, if you go for the latter, there is a need to make your choice carefully. There are so many BPOs out there today, so you have a lot of choices. We suggest checking out their track record, the companies that they service and work with, their rates and their specialties.

Play Is An Essential Part Of Every Child s Life Essay

Play is an essential part of every child s life and is vital for the enjoyment of childhood as well as social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. When children are asked about what they think is important in their lives, playing and friends is usually at the top of the list. Play is a fun way for children to learn and because it’s fun, they become more engaged in what they’re doing; meaning that they are more likely to remember what they’re learning. Play is natural for children, it isn’t something they have to be taught. Nobody can force children to play, it’s something they do as they grow, an ordinary concept of their development as a person. Children are able to be free when it comes to play, this means choosing what they explore, instead of having it forced upon them. Play is important for the learning, development and well-being of children. Play is important as it can support the different aspects of children’s physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social (P.I.L.E.S). Physical development can be supported as children are always moving when playing, also outdoor play enables them to run and move freely outside. When children engage in physically active play, she is strengthening physical coordination. She might do this by climbing, kicking, running, balancing, and jumping. A child going through an obstacle course, for example, is working on physical coordination. Intellectual development can be supported through play using activities suchShow MoreRelatedImportance Of Siblings Essay1171 Words   |  5 Pagesface whatever life sends. In life, the family is truly essential, and the most essential members of the family are siblings. Siblings stand with each other through thick and thin. They show each other the ropes for many things and are the companions that face most of life’s problems. One may argue that a single child will turn out to be better as the child will grow to be independent and will have all the attention of the parents. Moreover, it may work financially in favor of the child as he will receiveRead MoreProduct Review : Step2 Deluxe Toy Workbench1004 Words   |  5 PagesProduct review: Step2 Deluxe Toy Workbench Every parent want the best for their growing child. Child development is a crucial aspect in every aspect of life. The future mainly depends on how your child grew up and to some extent, the toys they interacted with. Therefore, parents should consider toy features and how they relate to real life before purchasing. An example to that can be possible choice is the Step2 Workbench. Looking at some of the key product features, you can make an informed decisionRead MoreMusical Instrument Benefit An Individual1593 Words   |  7 PagesLearning to play any musical instrument benefits an individual in all aspects of life, whether it s academically, socially, physically, or emotionally. Instruments that were created to make musical sounds are categorized into five main groups; strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and keyboards. And all it takes is dedication and admiration in order to successfully learn how to play an instrument. I believe that musicians, those who have musical ability, have an advantage over other individualsRead MoreGraduation Speech : Grade School1559 Words   |  7 Pagesus begin our day with the bell ringer. Please complete the three math problems that are on the board. You must do these by yourself... and yes, that includes you Jonathan. You don t want me to have another conference with your mother, right? That s what I thought. You will all have ten minutes, so go ahead and begin. We will go over them together after time is up. They will help us review our long division, which I introduced yesterday. If you have any questions, please raise your hand.  Ã‚   DoesRead MoreThe Availability Of Play Opportunities For Children During Early Childhood Programs1611 Words   |  7 PagesPurpose of the Study: To analyze the availability of play opportunities for children in early childhood programs in rural India. Rationale of the Study: The study is being conducted after reading various researches conducted in this field. India is a land of diversities and hence the availability of play and its opportunities are also varied. This study attempts to analyze this diversity at three different setups. Play enhances a child’s development significantly. It serves as a foundation for manyRead MoreJohn Bowlby s Theory Of Attachment1439 Words   |  6 Pagesparents believed that spending too much time with him could lead to him becoming a spoilt child. At age 7 he was sent to boarding school by his parents. After finishing boarding school Bowlby went on to study psychology at Trinity College in Cambridge and worked with delinquent children. Once he graduated from Trinity he volunteered at a school and worked with two unstable children which inspired him to become a child psychiatrist. After this he went on to study medicine at University College HospitalRead MoreThe Call for Quality Daycare for All Children951 Words   |  4 PagesThe Call for Quality Daycare for All Children. Daycare has turn into a debate for the reason there are two sides to every debate and then there is what some would call the middle. There are advantages and disadvantages when it comes to leaving one’s child in the care of another individual and many aspects play an acting role and the list is unlimited when comes to what all it involves. Although a very large number of parents require the assistances of childcare facilities’, because of the economyRead MoreCritical Issues Paper Of Testing Equality1682 Words   |  7 Pagesfunctionality of the child s life. As we know, early diagnosis is key producing long-term effects whenever families and parents are diligent in getting their children help. Throughout the diagnosis process, it is imperative to take every element into account. Considerations such as race, culture, and socioeconomic status may affect the validity and reliability of the test. Although the test can be administered exactly as it should be, there ar e many different characteristics of the child in their upbringingRead MoreAn Early Childhood Educator My Goal1621 Words   |  7 Pagesto promote the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of each child. I also believe that play should be the base of learning since children learn best by doing. I believe that a balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated activities is essential balance can be developed by using the developmentally appropriate practice approach, which means that activities should be â€Å"appropriate for each child and relevant to the child’s ability, needs and interests, also including the child’sRead MoreMy Career As An Educator947 Words   |  4 Pages Teachers are one of the largest forces a child will encounter in their life to help them in their journey of self. As a teacher it is important to understand this and be able to create a learning environment for the needs of all. I accept that my philosophy is mine and ke ep my mind open to the knowledge of others in my career as an educator. Therefore, I consider myself to be eclectic in my methods of education. As a lifelong learner, I am reliant on my teachers to help me develop new theories

Depression Treatments - 1690 Words

CONTEXT Depression is a psychological disease. It is one of the most common mental illnesses (Blais, et al., 2013). Depression was known since antiquity. Hippocrates diagnosed it in fourth century BC (McNamara and Horan, 1986). After World War II, depression was described as â€Å"aggression turned inward† (McNamara Horan, 1986). Now there is Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, which is designed to evaluate how severe is depression (Gibbons et al., 2012). Depression is known worldwide. In European countries there are generally two ways of treatment: using antidepressants or psychotherapy. The systems differ from country to country. In United Kingdom general practitioner [GP] has a right to prescribe drugs, but in Germany only psychiatrist or†¦show more content†¦All their comparisons are in favor of psychological model of treatment. They draw the conclusion that the relationship of patient and therapist is important. The therapist has to support the patient and focus on the context of the problem to provide the best opportunity for symptom reduction (Ankatberg Falkenstrà ¶m, 2008). The treatment should be delivered correctly for the positive outcome. Antidepressants do not affect the cure of patient as much, as it is thought. Therefore the time spent with therapist when the patient is taking antidepressants should be increased. According to Ankatberg and Falkenstrà ¶m (2008), â€Å"patients should feel better understood, supported and engaged in treatment.† But in the earliest research psychotherapy was ranked the least effective at follow-ups (McLean and Hakstian, 1979). Having considered these findings, it would seem that psychotherapy should be investigated more deeply. Also it is possible to treat depression from relational perspective. Gibbons et al. (2012) conducted an experiment. There were patients only with pure depression, without any other disorders. The treatment consisted in discussing five to ten real life stories of the patient that included most important people in their life. The therapist had to go in detail into each relationship to help the patient understand his behavioural patterns that led to depression. The success rate was high. This experiment has proved that dynamic, short-term (12 weeks), and focusedShow MoreRelatedStigma And Treatment Of Depression1585 Words   |  7 Pages Introduction Depression has become a daunting problem around the world, with the World Health Organization listing it as the leading cause of disability.1 As well, in 2030 it is anticipated to be second on a list of fifteen major disease burdens.2 In the United States, depression is a large, but often overlooked epidemic. It is estimated that 6.7% of the U.S. population suffer from depression yearly, with a lifetime diagnosis rate of approximately 16%.3,4 Additionally, it is estimated that 4-5%Read MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Depression1180 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Depression is a serious and prevalent problem in the 21st century and had been for a long time. It is the most common mood disorder and has a lifetime prevalence rate of 6-25% in international studies (Carr, 2012). 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Discuss her symptoms of depression, intake interview, and why the counselor’s own perception of psychopathology is extremely important in the diagnostic process (GCU, 2015). Make sure her family member knows about medications, treatments, referrals, and any other special instru ctions (Wolters, 1999). MISCONCEPTIONS OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY We had a subjectRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Depression Essay2726 Words   |  11 PagesDepression is quite common nowadays-statistics say that nearly 10% of people in the United States suffer from it each year, and 30% of women are depressed. Many of these people suffer in silence, so to speak, never talking to their doctors about their problem, let alone their friends and family. Some are able to find the courage to talk to their regular doctors, though they may feel awkward and shy discussing the problem. And it does take courage to speak up, trust me-I know because I suffer fromRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Depression1950 Words   |  8 Pagesintroduced psychiatric therapy called bibliotherapy helps restore many people’s ailments, such as depression, one piece of literature at a time. Depression is a major disorder that thousands have to live with everyday, but less than half go to a form of therapy for the disorder. Bibliotherapy can either be prescrib ed by themselves or they can get a doctor to give recommendations. Bibliotherapy helps with depression by showing better results than other therapies and by empathizing with many characters andRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Depression Essay2079 Words   |  9 PagesDepression is a disabling mental disorder that is related to mood and characterized by persistent feeling of sadness, poor sleep and suicidal ideation in severe forms. As a topical issue, emphasis is often reserved for those with evident symptoms, with little emphasis on vulnerability. For women, the nature of sex hormone production makes them particularly vulnerable as they grow older and by the age of forty five to sixty years, depressive symptoms are quite common and they are closely related toRead MoreDepression: Symptoms, Types, and Treatments Essay1956 Words   |  8 PagesDepression is an equal opportunity disorder, it can affect any group of people with any background, race, gender, or age. Depression is a sneak thief that slips quietly and gradually into people’s lives - robbing them of their time, and their focus. At first, depression may be undetectable, but in the long run a person could become so weighed down that their life may feel empty and meaningless. 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First, spirituality enhances our mood in many ways, an example being the calming effects when one meditates. Feelings of connectedness to other people, and asking questions about our existence and purpose give our life meaning. Practices such as prayer, yoga and meditation can all relax the

Food safety Free Essays

Time Is what causes and encourages humans to change. When one starts something they may not know everything about It until they actually begin to participate and lea run as they go. Over many years, people all around the world have developed different types of lie epistyles. We will write a custom essay sample on Food safety or any similar topic only for you Order Now Years ago, society relied on the hunted gather method to gather food. It later transitioned from farming and then into city life. This meant people were living much closer together, a Lowing asses to spread mostly from food not being properly preserved. This was different f room the farming lifestyle where the owner knew whether or not food was safe because he or s he was growing It themselves. Many did not expect this change because city life was new to t hem, something they had never experienced before. When society changes so fast, It takes a while for the people to adapt to new dangers. The importance of food safety became more bob loss with these changes in society. Over time, people became aware of all the diseases and sis uses that food causes humans. Once these diseases became more and more noticeable, individuals set out to solve the Issues. Many seeded ways to preserve food which ended up largely shaping and changing our world’s society today. The shift from a rural lifestyle to city life allowed food safety to evolve with new inventions and discoveries causing the food industry to beck mom more sanitary and keep people from getting sick. How to cite Food safety, Essays Food safety Free Essays Food safety has become a major concern these days for us, because many restaurants are diverging there focus from producing and providing good quality food towards the provision of food that does not require enough work and cost. Of the two approaches of enhancing food safety, the one that implies a stronger enforcement program by the local health department would be much more effective than simply making it mandatory for the restaurant employees to conduct training sessions for learning the techniques for food safety. The reason why the former technique is better is that even if the employees are trained, they would still not act the way we want them to due to the lust for profits and putting less effort. We will write a custom essay sample on Food safety or any similar topic only for you Order Now Whereas, if certain stiff rules and regulations are developed and implemented, all the restaurants would automatically start abiding by those rules in order to avoid penalties or bans. Such rules might include disposing off of food that smells or has become infected, washing hands before cooking, and keeping utensils and kitchen clean (Food and Drug Administration, 2010). The effectiveness or efficiency of any business or organization is deeply impacted by the ‘attitudes’ of employees. Attitudes are basically the judgments that are formed by a person regarding the characteristics or nature of any object, act, or event. It might be positive, negative, or indifferent. The attitudes of workers matters a lot in the business environment, since they are the main assets of a company who perform all the activities that might be interlinked with each other. Attitudes shape emotions and behaviors, so if the workers do not really care about the hygiene or safety of the food and carry on the methods the way they are, then the compromise would be done on the safety and quality of food. Whereas, if the workers have strong values, beliefs, and perceptions, then they would most probably be taking care of the safety and promoting others too to consider effective and safety methods when storing, cooking or serving. Answer – 2 Since the department has limited resources to overcome the issue of mosquito bites and illness; therefore, efficient and cheap methods must be adapted to fight with the problem. West Nile Virus results in the flu-like illness among the children who have regular immune systems. As far as the prevention of being bit by the mosquitoes is concerned, the best way to avoid being bit is to use insect repellent and emptying the standing water from buckets, open-floors, or flower pots. People can simply put on some insect repellent or oil on their body – face and hands – before going to sleep; this automatically keeps the mosquitoes away from biting. Secondly, to stay within the home at the time of dawn and dusk would protect the people from being bit by the mosquitoes, since they are very active at these timings (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2010). And for the control of mosquito population in the community, the best measure that can be adapted is to make people aware about the factors that lead to further enhancement in the population of mosquitoes. One sound method is to clean the stagnant water from various places such as, buckets, open-floors, garden, or flower pots. It is obvious that if there is no open water, it would not get contaminated, and hence would not result in the production of more mosquitoes. This strategy is quite effective and cheap as compared to the process of fumigation, which requires high costs and expenses. References Food and Drug Administration. (2010). Food Safety. Retrieved on July 28, 2010. From http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/foodsafety. html National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2010). West Nile Virus. Retrieved on July 28, 2010. From http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/westnilevirus. html How to cite Food safety, Essays

Food safety Free Essays

Time Is what causes and encourages humans to change. When one starts something they may not know everything about It until they actually begin to participate and lea run as they go. Over many years, people all around the world have developed different types of lie epistyles. We will write a custom essay sample on Food safety or any similar topic only for you Order Now Years ago, society relied on the hunted gather method to gather food. It later transitioned from farming and then into city life. This meant people were living much closer together, a Lowing asses to spread mostly from food not being properly preserved. This was different f room the farming lifestyle where the owner knew whether or not food was safe because he or s he was growing It themselves. Many did not expect this change because city life was new to t hem, something they had never experienced before. When society changes so fast, It takes a while for the people to adapt to new dangers. The importance of food safety became more bob loss with these changes in society. Over time, people became aware of all the diseases and sis uses that food causes humans. Once these diseases became more and more noticeable, individuals set out to solve the Issues. Many seeded ways to preserve food which ended up largely shaping and changing our world’s society today. The shift from a rural lifestyle to city life allowed food safety to evolve with new inventions and discoveries causing the food industry to beck mom more sanitary and keep people from getting sick. How to cite Food safety, Essays Food safety Free Essays Food safety has become a major concern these days for us, because many restaurants are diverging there focus from producing and providing good quality food towards the provision of food that does not require enough work and cost. Of the two approaches of enhancing food safety, the one that implies a stronger enforcement program by the local health department would be much more effective than simply making it mandatory for the restaurant employees to conduct training sessions for learning the techniques for food safety. The reason why the former technique is better is that even if the employees are trained, they would still not act the way we want them to due to the lust for profits and putting less effort. We will write a custom essay sample on Food safety or any similar topic only for you Order Now Whereas, if certain stiff rules and regulations are developed and implemented, all the restaurants would automatically start abiding by those rules in order to avoid penalties or bans. Such rules might include disposing off of food that smells or has become infected, washing hands before cooking, and keeping utensils and kitchen clean (Food and Drug Administration, 2010). The effectiveness or efficiency of any business or organization is deeply impacted by the ‘attitudes’ of employees. Attitudes are basically the judgments that are formed by a person regarding the characteristics or nature of any object, act, or event. It might be positive, negative, or indifferent. The attitudes of workers matters a lot in the business environment, since they are the main assets of a company who perform all the activities that might be interlinked with each other. Attitudes shape emotions and behaviors, so if the workers do not really care about the hygiene or safety of the food and carry on the methods the way they are, then the compromise would be done on the safety and quality of food. Whereas, if the workers have strong values, beliefs, and perceptions, then they would most probably be taking care of the safety and promoting others too to consider effective and safety methods when storing, cooking or serving. Answer – 2 Since the department has limited resources to overcome the issue of mosquito bites and illness; therefore, efficient and cheap methods must be adapted to fight with the problem. West Nile Virus results in the flu-like illness among the children who have regular immune systems. As far as the prevention of being bit by the mosquitoes is concerned, the best way to avoid being bit is to use insect repellent and emptying the standing water from buckets, open-floors, or flower pots. People can simply put on some insect repellent or oil on their body – face and hands – before going to sleep; this automatically keeps the mosquitoes away from biting. Secondly, to stay within the home at the time of dawn and dusk would protect the people from being bit by the mosquitoes, since they are very active at these timings (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2010). And for the control of mosquito population in the community, the best measure that can be adapted is to make people aware about the factors that lead to further enhancement in the population of mosquitoes. One sound method is to clean the stagnant water from various places such as, buckets, open-floors, garden, or flower pots. It is obvious that if there is no open water, it would not get contaminated, and hence would not result in the production of more mosquitoes. This strategy is quite effective and cheap as compared to the process of fumigation, which requires high costs and expenses. References Food and Drug Administration. (2010). Food Safety. Retrieved on July 28, 2010. From http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/foodsafety. html National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2010). West Nile Virus. Retrieved on July 28, 2010. From http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/westnilevirus. html How to cite Food safety, Essays

Medical Laboratory Quality Systems and Accreditation

Abstract Nowadays, physicians and public health programme managers are dependent on the technological advancements in health laboratories to make knowledgeable assessments. At the same time, people have continued to demand quality laboratory results. The definition of quality services has been elaborated via the International Organization of Standardization (ISO).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Medical Laboratory Quality Systems and Accreditation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Health laboratories are nowadays required to provide quality service, through the use of quality equipment. This process requires unremitting monitoring and frequent assessment using various evaluation tools. The World Health Organization has been a strong supporter for the execution and evaluation of quality in health laboratories. The application of Lean thinking in the health care system has been aimed at increasing efficienc y, reducing waste and enhancing a united working environment. Key words ISO – international Organization of Standardization WHO – World Health Organization Accreditation – official identification by a trustworthy body that a laboratory is proficient in conducting its operations. Lean thinking – Lean thinking is the detection and abolition of waste which allows managers to encourage precision via progressive developmentAdvertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Introduction Quality management and emphasis on safety in the laboratory is an old concept. The laboratories have been observed to rely on guidance developing organizations, for aid in procedures and accreditation programs. An example of such organizations is the CLSI, formerly referred to as NCCLS. The quality of services provided by a laboratory is dependent on the quality of reagents and equi pment used, as well as the suppliers. The techniques used in quality management have been tried and tested since the period of the great depression, with major developments being noticed in Canada. This development was possible through leadership and establishment of international standards (Guarriello 1997, p 69). Method The research was based on various articles, which were selected based on a few factors. These articles used had globally identifiable effects. The material used was also appropriate, in terms of the methodology used to conduct the investigation, the number of subjects in the research, their age and gender, as well as their response rates to the survey. The literature used was mainly published literature, and academic research, obtained from on-line sources such as PubMed and Embase. The material obtained was categorized into various sections in order to highlight the problems faced by laboratory Healthcare systems, identify causes and propose remedies, based on Lea n thinking. The discussions of statistical data were beneficial in supporting the advantages of Lean thinking in diagnostic laboratories (Ben-Tovim, et al. 2008, p 29). Laboratory errors Through various studies conducted to determine the variables that affect the quality of laboratory services, some common factors were found to be the leading causes of unreliable health laboratory services. Laboratory errors were observed to be a result of understaffing, inadequate attention to detail, poor sample control, poor workload management, poor verification of results, non-validated tests, time pressures and lack of quality control and assessment. These factors were observed to collectively result on poor quality management in health laboratory (Ben-Tovim, Bassham, Bolch, Martin, Dougherty, Szwarcbord 2007, p 14).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Medical Laboratory Quality Systems and Accreditation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To resolve these issues, the first step was the creation of an agency, such as the International Society for Quality Healthcare. The next step involved the formation of a group to work with. The people necessary for such a venture include industry suppliers to provide equipment, health care providers, the public or patients, recognition agencies, EQA providers and standards development. The next and final step in the efforts to provide quality management in health laboratories was the creation of a workable system. This system comprised various elements including a clear declaration of policy, enhanced tracking of outcomes, better quality monitoring as well as better awareness of client contentment (Boaden 2006, p 461). Lean process The Lean approach originated from fields other than healthcare, though the practises could be properly incorporated into care delivery. Lean Lab involves the identification and abolition of non-value adding activities in a clinical l aboratory, based on progressive enhancement using a systematic approach. Lean lab looks at enhancing safety, improving the response to physicians and patients by enhancing flexibility, decreasing or abolishing wastages of supplies, motion and space, ensuring a steady rate of tests and specimen preparation, maximizing staff responsibilities, reducing expenses by increasing the capacity and minimizing time for analysis, and creating a position for everything, and placing everything at its rightful place (Cooper Mohabeersingh 2008, p 4). The main objective of the application of Lean in the laboratory is the delivery of quality patient laboratory results. These results should be satisfactory to the patient, produced at the lowest cost, and released within the shortest time. Lean looks at process reorganization, change in process management while observing redundant motion, recognizing waste and acknowledging the patient’s view of quality care (Kelly, Bryant, Cox, Jolley 2007, p 18). Lean principles Based on the application of Lean to the clinical laboratory, there were five Lean principles observed. The first principle is value, as perceived by the patient. Value refers to the features that the client pays for, including attention given, quality of service and fast service delivery.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second principle is value stream. This implies looking at the individual processes for providing medical care and identifying and removing any wastage. The third principle is flow, which implies the uninterrupted provision of a service, in value-adding steps. The fourth principle is pull, which is beneficial in helping to identify any cause of action, for smooth running of the processes. The final principle is continuous improvement, which places various features under scrutiny, including time, resources and information, necessary to provide quality service to the client (King, Ben-Tovim, Bassham 2006, p 396). Lean principles are meant to increase quality, capacity, efficiency and throughput. Concurrently, they should result in reduced cost, inventory, space and time, which are seen in the name given to the process. Other terms used to refer to the Lean process are Business Process Redesign and Operational Effectiveness. Lean practises incorporate various levels of execution th at focus on the client’s treatment progress, the tasks involved in the process and the implementation of tactical operations. Every operation of patient care from admission and diagnosis to discharge requires a good design of the processes, including the expected involvement of various departments. The Lean principles are effective in providing the guidance to accomplish these processes correctly. The first step in the initiation of Lean projects on medical laboratories is the observation of processes, with a view to identifying any wasteful processes (Long 2003, p 54). Wasteful processes in laboratories There is a lot of wastage in waiting for materials, equipment, information and people in laboratory processes, while in preparation. This kind of wastage can be attributed to equipment problems or the push system, where delays can be observed when waiting for the system to be back up, or waiting for samples in a batch to complete testing. There is also a lot of wastage in the transportation of material or relaying information that has no additional value. The main causes of this are large batches and inefficient workplace layout. Examples of wastage in transportation include moving patients for testing and transferring files and samples between different parties. Over processing of client data also occurs when visual controls are unavailable. This results in redundant approvals, excess paperwork, unnecessary tests and repetitive data entries. Inventories can also be wasteful when the information available is more than what is needed. This can be caused by re-stocks and re-orders that are not based on consumption. Examples of this kind of wastage include lab supplies, unused records in the database, paperwork in progress and specimens waiting analysis (Mitchell, 2006). Wastages in laboratories can also be observed in the movement of people that does not add value to the quality of service provided to a client. Wasteful movement can be a result of ill-pla nned work areas and non-ergonomic work cell design, leading to time wastage when gathering tools, handling paperwork and finding supplies. Defective work that contains errors or many mistakes due to poor maintenance of equipment or inaccuracies and omissions in the information provided leads to wastages. Examples of defective work include errors in data entry, wrongful matching of test results and patients and revision of results that compromises the integrity of the samples. Overproduction refers to the generation of excess information that is not necessary to administer the treatment. Re-prioritization also leads to wastages. This is observed when the tech is interrupted when performing one task, and shifts to another task before completing the previous one. This is common practise when troubleshooting, or in the occurrence of sudden equipment failure. A common type of wastage that can be blamed on the management is mis-utilization of skills. This can be a result of understaffing, which leads to lack of improvement in the various processes (Mitchell, 2006). The current system needs to be scrutinized after identifying the wastages in the laboratory process. This process involves following a patient or a sample through the whole treatment process, from examinations to discharge. The people in each work station are also examined, with a view to identifying where value for the patient is created. Through these studies, wastes can be exposed and documented, by analyzing the time spent in each of the processes. This is a tiring step that is necessary and effective. The third step requires the administration to imagine the future without the wastages. This is a key step in the application of Lean principles as it affects the implementation based on morale and vision (Young McClean 2008, p 384). Typical Lean projects The first step requires the formation of a laboratory team, comprising a supervisor, a lead tech, a skilled Lean leader and a few more people. Adminis trative support is necessary from the beginning of the project. There is a process matrix to guide the team members. It contains the major performance indicators and baseline measurements. The team members are trained in Lean thinking, and are progressively informed on the other Lean tools like the flow layout and change management. The process involves mapping the present stage, documenting an ideal state in the future and planning an implementation strategy. Execution of the strategy requires regular re-examining of the process (Young McClean 2008, p 386). Common Lean tools There are some Lean tools that are ever in use, in the laboratory environment. These include simulation, cellular organization, standard work and quality monitoring and work in progress management. Cellular organization refers to physical layout. Lean thinking reduces time wastage by ensuring that many processes are brought closer together to reduce on wastages associated with handing duties over, or work batc hing. This is made possible by reducing batching and hand-over points. Work in progress control is also referred to as value stream mapping. This involves following a process from the time it begins till the end, with a view to identifying any wastes. This strategy looks at value adding activities and non value adding activities, in order to reduce the turnaround time (Boaden 2006, p 466). Quality monitoring involves the investigation of processes to identify working strategies, and the need for change. In the event that changes are made, evaluations are made to ensure considerable similarity to the right way of operation. Changes should be implemented with the aid of training guides. Videos and photos are taken to ensure that variations in the quality of service are identifiable by every person. Improvements can be made once the work has been standardized. Process simulation involves the creation of a virtual model of a laboratory or process. This is beneficial in that it allows te sting without interfering with the ongoing activities. This Lean tool is very effective in understanding the system, as it helps in choosing the most suitable alternative, based on process and staffing alterations (Boaden 2006, p 469). Conclusion The application of Lean methodology in the current healthcare environment is necessary due to the increasing population, leading to the requirement for more space in the laboratories. At the same time, the methodology helps to solve the problem of inadequate skilled professionals, by attempting to meet the high expectations set by the clients. Lean projects have led to smaller batch sizes, better scheduling of samples to staffing schedules, standardization of work processes, better operational tracking management and mistake-proofing to minimize faults resulting from human error (Cooper Mohabeersingh 2008, p 8). References Ben-Tovim, D. I., Bassham, J. E., Bennett, D. M., Dougherty, M. L., Martin, M. A., O’Neill, S. J., et al. (2008 ). Redesigning care at the Flinders Medical Centre: clinical process redesign using ‘lean thinking’. Med J Aust , 188(6 Suppl), pp 27-31. Ben-Tovim, D. I., Bassham, J. E., Bolch, D., Martin, M. A., Dougherty, M., Szwarcbord, M. (2007,). Lean thinking across a hospital: redesigning care at the Flinders Medical Centre. Aust Health Rev , 31, pp 10-15. Boaden, R. (2006). Quality improvement in healthcare. In: Walshe K, Smith J (eds.). Healthcare Management, pp 454-478. Cooper, R. G., Mohabeersingh, C. (2008). Lean thinking for medical practices. JPCCR , 2(1), pp 1-10. Guarriello, M. L. (1997). Just-in-time in the infrastructure. Hosp Mater Manage Q , 19, pp 68-72. Kelly, A. M., Bryant, M., Cox, L., Jolley, D. (2007,). Improving emergency department effi ciency by patient streaming to outcomes-based teams. Aust Health Rev , 31, pp 16-21. King, D. L., Ben-Tovim, D. I., Bassham, J. (2006). Redesigning emergency department patient flows: application of Lean Thinking to heal th care. Emerg Med Australas , 18, pp 391-397. Long, J. C. (2003). Healthcare Lean. Mich Health Hosp , 39, pp 54-55. Mitchell, J. D. (2006). Lean thinking for the NHS. London: NHS Confederation. Young, T. P., McClean, S. I. (2008). A critical look at Lean Thinking in healthcare. Qual Safe Health Care , 17(5), pp 382-386. This research paper on Medical Laboratory Quality Systems and Accreditation was written and submitted by user Quinn I. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Great Escape of World War II

The Great Escape of World War II Located at Sagan, Germany (now Poland), Stalag Luft III opened in April 1942, though construction was not complete at the time. Designed to deter inmates from tunneling, the camp featured raised barracks and was situated in an area with yellow, sandy subsoil. The bright color of the dirt made it easily detected if dumped on the surface and guards were instructed to watch for it on inmates clothing. The sandy nature of subsoil also ensured that any tunnel would have weak structural integrity and be prone to collapse. Additional defensive measures included seismograph microphones placed around the camps perimeter, a 10-ft. double fence, and numerous guard towers. The initial inmates were largely composed of Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm flyers who had been downed by the Germans. In October 1943, they were joined by increasing numbers of US Army Air Force prisoners. With the population growing, German officials began work to expand the camp with two additional compounds, ultimately covering around 60 acres. At its peak, Stalag Luft III housed around 2,500 British, 7,500 American, and 900 additional Allied prisoners. The Wooden Horse Despite the German precautions, an Escape Committee, known as the X Organization, was quickly formed under the guidance of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell (Big X). As the camps barracks had been deliberately built 50 to 100 meters from the fence to deter tunneling, X initially was concerned about the length of any escape tunnel. While several tunneling attempts were made during the camps early days, all were detected. In mid-1943, Flight Lieutenant Eric Williams conceived an idea for starting a tunnel closer to the fence line. Utilizing a Trojan Horse concept, Williams oversaw the construction of a wooden vaulting horse that was designed to conceal men and containers of dirt. Each day the horse, with a digging team inside, was carried to the same spot in the compound. While the prisoners conducted gymnastics exercises, the men in the horse commenced digging an escape tunnel. At the end of each days exercises, a wooden board was placed over the tunnel entrance and covered with surface dirt. Using bowls for shovels, Williams, Lieutenant Michael Codner, and Flight Lieutenant Oliver Philpot dug for three months before finishing the 100-ft tunnel. On the evening of October 29, 1943, the three men made their escape. Traveling north, Williams and Codner reached Stettin where they stowed away on a ship to neutral Sweden. Philpot, posing as a Norwegian businessman, took the train to Danzig and stowed away on a ship to Stockholm. The three men were the only prisoners to successfully escape from the camps eastern compound. The Great Escape With the opening of the camps northern compound in April 1943, many of the British prisoners were moved to new quarters. Among those transferred were Bushell and the majority of the X Organization. Immediately upon arriving, Bushell began planning for a massive 200-man escape utilizing three tunnels designated Tom, Dick, and Harry. Carefully selecting concealed locations for the tunnel entrances, work quickly began and the entry shafts were completed in May. To avoid detection by the seismograph microphones, each tunnel was dug 30 ft. below the surface. Pushing outward, the prisoners constructed tunnels that were only 2 ft. by 2 ft. and supported with wood taken from beds and other camp furniture. Digging was largely done using Klim powdered milk cans. As the tunnels grew in length, scratch-built air pumps were built to supply the diggers with air and a system of trolley carts installed to speed the movement of dirt. For disposing of the yellow dirt, small pouches constructed from old socks were attached inside the prisoners pants allowing them to discreetly scatter it on the surface as they walked. In June 1943, X decided to suspend work on Dick and Harry and focus solely on completing Tom. Concerned that their dirt disposal methods were no longer working as the guards were increasingly catching men during distribution, X ordered that Dick be backfilled with the dirt from Tom. Just short of the fence line, all work came to a sudden halt on September 8, when the Germans discovered Tom. Pausing for several weeks, X ordered work to resume on Harry in January 1944. As digging continued, prisoners also worked on obtaining German and civilian clothing, as well as forging travel papers and identifications. During the tunneling process, X had been assisted by several American prisoners. Unfortunately, by the time the tunnel was completed in March, they had been transferred to another compound. Waiting a week for a moonless night, the escape commenced after dark on March 24, 1944. Breaking through the surface, the first escapee was stunned to find that the tunnel had come up short of the woods adjacent to the camp. Despite this, 76 men successfully transited the tunnel without detection, despite the fact that an air raid occurred during the escape which cut off power to the tunnels lights. Around 5:00 AM on March 25, the 77th man was spotted by the guards as he emerged from the tunnel. Conducting a roll call, the Germans quickly learned the scope of the escape. When news of the escape reached Hitler, the irate German leader initially ordered that all of the recaptured prisoners should be shot. Convinced by Gestapo Chief Heinrich Himmler that this would irreparably damage Germanys relations with neutral countries, Hitler rescinded his order and directed that only 50 be killed. As they fled through eastern Germany, all but three (Norwegians Per Bergsland and Jens MÃ ¼ller, and Dutchman Bram van der Stok) of the escapees were recaptured. Between March 29 and April 13, fifty were shot by the German authorities who claimed that the prisoners were trying to escape again. The remaining prisoners were returned to camps around Germany. In canvassing Stalag Luft III, the Germans found that the prisoners had used wood from 4,000 bed boards, 90 beds, 62 tables, 34 chairs, and 76 benches in building their tunnels. In the wake of the escape, the camp commandant, Fritz von Lindeiner, was removed and replaced with Oberst Braune. Angered by the killing of the escapees, Braune permitted the prisoners to build a memorial to their memory. Upon learning of the murders, the British government was incensed and the killing of the 50 was among the war crimes charged at ​​Nuremberg after the war.​​ Selected Sources PBS: The Great EscapeImperial War Museum: Great Escapes

Why the Pennsylvania Germans Are Often Called Dutch

Why the Pennsylvania Germans Are Often Called Dutch First of all, we can quickly dispose of the Pennsylvania Dutch misnomer. The term is more properly Pennsylvania German because the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch have nothing to do with Holland, the Netherlands, or the Dutch language. These settlers originally came from German-speaking areas of Europe and spoke a dialect of German they refer to as Deitsch (Deutsch). It is this word Deutsch (German) that has led to the second misconception about the origin of the term Pennsylvania Dutch. Did Deutsch Become Dutch? This popular explanation of why the Pennsylvania Germans are often incorrectly called Pennsylvania Dutch fits into the plausible category of myths. At first, it seems logical that English-speaking Pennsylvanians simply confused the word Deutsch for Dutch. But then you have to ask yourself, were they really that ignorant- and wouldnt the Pennsylvania Dutch themselves have bothered to correct people constantly calling them Dutchmen? But this Deutsch/Dutch explanation further falls apart when you realize that many of the Pennsylvania Dutch actually prefer that term over Pennsylvania German! They also use the term Dutch or Dutchmen to refer to themselves. There is another explanation. Some linguists have made the case that the term Pennsylvania Dutch goes back to the original English use of the word Dutch. Although there is no definitive evidence that links it to the term Pennsylvania Dutch, it is true that in the English of the 18th and 19th centuries, the word Dutch referred to anyone from a wide range of Germanic regions, places that we now distinguish as the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. At that time Dutch was a broader term that meant what we today call Flemish, Dutch or German. The terms High Dutch (German) and Low Dutch (Dutch, nether means low) were used to make a clearer distinction between what we now call German (from Latin) or Dutch (from Old High German). Not all Pennsylvania Germans are Amish. Although they are the best known group, the Amish make up only a small portion of the Pennsylvania Germans in the state. Other groups include the Mennonites, the Brethren, and sub-groups within each group, many of whom use cars and electricity. It is also easy to forget that Germany (Deutschland) did not exist as a single nation state until 1871. Prior to that time, Germany was more like a quilt-work of duchies, kingdoms, and states where various German dialects were spoken. The settlers of the Pennsylvania German region came from the Rhineland, Switzerland, Tyrol, and various other regions beginning in 1689. The Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites now located in the eastern counties of Pennsylvania and elsewhere in North America did not really come from Germany in the modern sense of the word, so it is not entirely accurate to refer to them as German either. However, they did bring their German dialects with them, and in modern English, it is best to refer to this ethnic group as Pennsylvania Germans. Calling them Pennsylvania Dutch is misleading to speakers of modern English. Despite the fact that Lancaster County and various tourism agencies keep using the quaint term Pennsylvania Dutch on their Web sites and promotional materials, and despite the fact that some Pennsylvania Germans prefer the Dutch term, why perpetuate something that contradicts the fact that the Pennsylvania Germans are linguistically German, not Dutch? Support for this opinion can be seen in the name of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University. This organization, dedicated to the preservation of the Pennsylvania German language and culture, uses the word German rather than Dutch in its name. Since Dutch no longer means what it did in the 1700s and is very misleading, its more appropriate to replace it with German. Deitsch Unfortunately,  Deitsch, the language of the Pennsylvania Germans, is dying out. Learn more about  Deitsch, the Amish, other settlement areas.

Corporate Annual Reports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate Annual Reports - Essay Example Some landmark events such as acquisitions or additional issue of stocks also find a place in these reports. The stock market crash of 1929 resulted in stringent standards applied to the preparation of Annual Reports. Hence the report has to be audited by a qualified accounting professional. The auditors role is to check for any intentional or accidental errors in the companys accounts and give his/her stamp of approval if they are found truthful. In some countries it is mandatory for all publicly held companies to distribute their annual report to all shareholders. In addition to the annual report, shareholders can find more information about the corporation in their "10k" and "10Q" reports. 10K report is a detailed document on the corporations services, products, market share, competition, industry, its customer base, etc. On the other hand the 10Q report gives an elaborate analysis of the companys quarterly earnings. These documents are made easily accessible through the Security and Exchange Commissions website. There are three important financial components to annual reports. They are the Income Statement, Balance Sheet and the Cash Flow Statement. Apart from these major financial components, other information of interest is also included. For example, the Chairmans Address to the Shareholders, Highlighting of major achievements over the year, Managements assessment of the year, an auditors note and a summary of all financial information. Having said this, there is no universally accepted format for annual reports. This gives opportunity for corporations to show an impressive set of numbers, the reality of which can be deciphered only by reading the fine print. For example, some companies see annual reports as a marketing tool that projects the company in a kinder light. So much so that many corporations allocate huge quantities of money in adding frills to their annual reports, making the information look more

Design Process - Satellite hinge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Design Process - Satellite hinge - Research Paper Example Its thickness and positioning are adjusted so as to tune the final design in terms of motorization torque, stability, stiffness. Therefore, the selected hinges have to meet certain constraints for the satellite to work since the movement of panels has to be controlled without any damage and should be brought to rest and locked when fully deployed. These constraints are also very important since if they fail, then the whole satellite becomes unusable. (Givois, 2001) The hinges must have a maximum panel acceleration and deceleration of 200 deg/sec/sec and a maximum angular velocity of 400 deg/sec. Individual panels should not exceed a weight of 200 grams while the cost of each hinge should be approximately  £400. Figure 1 below shows the relationship between angle versus time, velocity versus time, acceleration versus time and torque versus time for both hinges. (Donzier, 1997) This comprise of two components i.e. a powered drive hinge and a multiple degree-of-freedom floating hinge. Powered deployment is a result of High Output Paraffin (HOP) linear motor that is acting through a redundant metal band. Deployment is initiated by provision of power to the actuator. One the panel is deployed in position, a bar latch gets into position hence locking the panel in a fully deployed position. (Starsys, p.51) It comprises of two hinges i.e. a spring powered drive and a multiple degree-of-freedom floating hinge. This provides exceptional stiffness for vibration loads without need of for a high tolerance alignment. Deployment energy is provided by a double coil torsion spring on the drive hinge. (Starsys, p.53) The hinge mechanism consist of a passive and powered constant torque hinge. The powered hinge is deigned to take axial and radial loads while the passive hinge has axial play to allow panel thermal displacements. This system provides a near constant torque for any deployment up to an angle of 180o. Each hinge consists of an axle,

View Of Politicians Police And Criminal Nexus Criminology Essay

View Of Politicians Police And Criminal Nexus Criminology Essay The various crime syndicates/mafia organizations have developed significant muscle and money power and have established linkages The existing criminal justice system, which was essentially designed to deal with the individual crimes, is unable to deal with government functionaries, political leaders and others to be able to operate with impunity. The tragedy is not that the evils afflicting society and the emerging system are not known, but the indifference of the leaders across the spectrum to the damage they are doing to the political system is abysmal. Enjoyment of power is wrecking the system from within. There is a need to nip the budding criminal in early stages which will be helpful in ending nexus considerably. INTRODUCTION The rule of law is a hallmark of democracy. To put it simply, it means order and stability in the society.  [1]  Politicians need money and muscle power to maintain their positions of power and authority. Criminals thrive on wrongdoings and need some help to keep the police personnel out of their way. Police is dependent upon the politicians for promotions and smooth service in business. So there exists a mutual benefit relationship between police, politicians and criminals. Once the politician reaches a particular stature and develops a clout, he dictates terms to Police and Bureaucracy much to the delight of the criminal elements. The bonds become stronger and either finds it difficult to survive without the help of the other and the point of no return is reached.  [2]   POLITICAL POLICE AND CRIMINAL NEXUS The police are a foundation of rule of law and play an essential role in establishing it. They maintain the law and order in the society and protect the right and freedoms of the citizens. The rule of law presumes that police should serve the citizen and remain free from the influence of political establishment  [3]  . Police has varied duties from serving the people to protecting the state. The local in India, are corrupt by and large and the reality is often disputed. Most police officers associate themselves with criminals in their locality as the police are often involved in the same crimes and/or in many cases seek to claim a share of the money collected by the criminals.  [4]  The police provide assistance to the criminals by refusing to register a case against them. Police are considered to be criminals in uniform who work according to the wishes of the political parties in power at the expense of state funds. Most police officers associate themselves with criminals in their locality as the police are often involved in the same crimes and/or in many cases seek to claim a share of the money collected by the criminals. The police assist the criminals by ei ther refusing to take any action against them or, if under pressure, by registering cases but failing to properly investigate them. Some policemen have not got over their old colonial mentality and are persisting in barbaric acts in a free country which claims to be run by democratic constitution and rule of law. The nexus between criminal gangs, police, bureaucracy and politicians has come out clearly in various parts of the country.  [5]  The history of police and criminal nexus is very old. Report on the nexus between the Bombay City Police and the Bombay under-world was prepared by CBI in 1986 which shows that police and criminal nexus is not new. An organized crime syndicate or mafia generally commences its activities by indulging in petty crime at the local level, mostly relating to illicit distillation/gambling/organized satta and prostitution in the larger towns. In port towns, their activities involve smuggling and sale of imported goods and progressively graduate to narcotics and drug trafficking. In the bigger cities, the main source of income relates to real estate forcibly occupying lands/buildings, procuring such properties at cheap rates by forcing out the existing occupants/tenants etc. Even in the smaller towns and rural areas, muscle-men have become the order of the day . Hired assassins have become a part of these organizations. The various crime syndicates organizations have developed significant muscle and money power and have established linkages with government functionaries, political leaders and others to be able to operate with impunity. The existing criminal justice system, which was essentially designed to deal with the individual crimes, is unable to deal with the activities of the Mafia; the provisions of law in regard economic offences are weak; there are insurmountable legal difficulties in attaching/confiscation of the property acquired through Mafia activities. In certain States, like Bihar, Haryana and UP, these gangs enjoy the patronage of local level politicians, cutting across party lines and the protection of governmental functionaries. Some political leaders become the leaders of these gangs and, over the years, get themselves elected to local bodies, State Assemblies and the national Parliament. Consequently, such elements have acquired considerable political clout seriously jeopardizing the smooth functioning of the administration and the safety of life and property of the common man, causing a sense of despair and alienation among the people. The big smuggling Syndicates, having international linkage s, have spread into and infected the various economic and financial activities, including Havana transactions, circulation of black money and operations of a vicious parallel economy causing serious damage to the economic fibre of the country. These syndicates have acquired substantial financial and muscle power and social respectability and have successfully corrupted the government machinery at all levels and wield enough influence to make the task of Investigating and Prosecuting agencies extremely difficult; even the members of the Judicial system have not escaped the embrace of the Mafia. Certain elements of the Mafia have shifted to narcotics, drugs and weapon smuggling and established narco-terrorism networks, specially in the States of JK, Punjab, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Bombay bomb blast case and the communal, riots in Surat and Ahmedabad have demonstrated how the Indian underworld has been exploited by the Pak ISI and the latters network in UAE to cause sabotage, subv ersion and communal tension in various parts of the country. The investigations into the Bombay bomb blast cases have revealed extensive linkages of the underworld in the various governmental agencies, political circles, business sector and the film world. It is evident that the muscle power of the crime Syndicates is sustained by their enormous financial power which, in turn, is, secured by the Mafia elements by committing economic offences with impunity. the various economic intelligence/investigative/enforcement agencies under Secretary (Revenue) operates are Central Board of Excise Customs (CBEC) it is responsible for the prevention of smuggling, In this and other tasks, it is assisted by the by the Director General of Revenue Intelligence (DGRI) and the Directorate General of Anti-Evasion (DGAE). The DGRI deals with the evasion of customs duties; the DGAE with Excise duty evasion. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) The CEIB is res ponsible for coordinating and strengthening the intelligence gathering activities and the investigative and enforcement actions of the various agencies responsible for investigation into economic offences and the enforcement of economic laws. Its main tasks are Identification of major sources generating black money; directing and developing intelligence about such sources; planning and coordinating action and operations against such sources. Enforcement Directorate This Directorate is concerned with the enforcement of the investigation and penal provision of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act; collection of intelligence relating to foreign exchange offences; enquiries into suspected violations of the provisions of FERA, etc. Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) The NCB is responsible for the administration of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. It is responsible for coordination with different Central and State Government Departments/Ministries and the various Central and State law enforcement agencies for the implementation of the NDPS Act. These are the main agencies to tackle the crimes related to the tax and narcotic substances but the functioning of these agencies is hampered by the pressure which is result police political and criminal nexus The linkages developed by crime Syndicates get generally confirmed when pressure is mounted on the concerned agencies not to take action against the offenders or to go slow in the cases against them. Such pressures are mounted either immediately after a raid is conducted or at the time when prosecution is about to be initiated. Pressures are also exerted whenever corrupt and undesirable officers are shifted from sensitive assignments (Preventive Customs Divisions at the Airports, sensitive Collect orates in the Central Excise etc.) In the narcotics arena, which includes cultivation of opium, manufacture of alkaloids, prevention of narcotics, smuggling etc. the financial stakes are astronomically high. Consequently, the level of corruption is of a very high order in this area of functioning and enormous pressures are brought to bear even when subordinate officials are posted away especially when the shift of an officer adversely affects the interests of those who are making easy money. Narcotics trade has a world-wide network of smugglers who also have close links with terrorists. Terrorists indulge in narcotics trade to amass huge funds, in various foreign currencies, from which they source their procurement of weapons etc. the consequences of the this nexus between criminal and politicians is very harmful and to deal with the consequences we have to empower these agencies with the more effective power and machinery. The tragedy is not that the evils afflicting society and the emerging system are not known, but the indifference of the leaders across the spectrum to the damage they are doing to the political system is abysmal. Enjoyment of power is wrecking the system from within. It is matter for most serious concern that an increasing number of police officers are serving jail terms or facing trials for serious offences There is an emergence of the politico-bureaucratic-criminal nexus which has assumed command in several parts of the country. It is indeed a matter for utmost concern that many functionaries, who are elements of the criminal nexus, may also be occupying sensitive positions in the security management apparatus. According to a recent study the present Lok Sabha has the unique distinction of having as many as 125 members with criminal background.  [6]  There are serious charges of rape, murder, kidnapping and extortion pending against many of the honorable members. They have not been convicted yet and there is no chance for it in the near future. Cases against them have been pending since ages and can never be disposed off. Saner elements in civil society and concerned citizens are beginning to be worried at the spectre of full-fledged criminalisation of politics and politicisation of criminals to use the formulation of one of our Prime Ministers.  [7]  If the present trend of criminalization among the elected representatives continues, the doomsday of rule of law in India would soon arrive. The present day politicians have proved late Churchill right when he said that scoundrels would rule India. Rather the situation today is far worse. The language of politics has changed over the years. Celebrations over, the politicians will now be back at the games they play in the pursuit of power and all that goes with it.  [8]  Politicians are busy , they cannot spare time for the people and are engrossed in the chase for power. They do not have a moment to ponder over what they have done to the Constitution. In fact, politicians of all sorts have hijacked the democratic system to run it for their own convenience and not for serving the people. If any organ of the State chooses to block their way, they try to bend it to their will by means fair and foul.  [9]  In the past two decades and more there has been a growing increase in complaints of corruption, particularly at the levels which hurt the common man the most. Consequently, people have lost trust in the commitment and capacity of the governments, at the Centre and in the States, to promote their welfare.  [10]   Elections involving money and muscle power have failed to produce desirable results. The communalisation and criminalisation of politics, endemic corruption and ineffectiveness of the governmental machinery have tarnished the image of governance and severely eroded its effectiveness.  [11]  White collar criminality is fairly prevalent in Politics. The standards of conduct are high among politicians as they are in commercial life. White-collar crimes violate trust and create disgust, which lowers social morale and produces social disorganization on a large scale. Other crimes produce relatively little effect on social institutions or social organization.  [12]  Some people believe that there are still innocent and honest politicians in the country, but nothing is being done by these honest people to control the pervasive corruption in the country. The politicians are busy playing blame games. There is hesitation to call a spade a spade. The rule of law is a legal maxim that states no person is immune to law. it means that law is equal for every man and no one is above the law is supreme this is purely a concept of democracy where peoples will are supreme and laws are made to meet the expectations of the public. India is the democratic country and rule of law is the hallmark of it we have a vast machinery to protect the rule of the law in our country we have CBI, IB and other investigating agencies they are there to protect the rule of law but because of the police political and criminal nexus the functioning of these agencies are affected very much because agencies like CBI, CID and other investigating agencies start their investigation on the recommendation of state government or central government or SC or HC state governments which are dominated by the MLAS who have their glorious criminal records generally not preferred to give investigation charge to CBI and they preferred to give the matter to CID which is a p uppet at the hands of state government which has made them useless. The functioning of these agencies are dominated by the political masters who hamper it at every level for the primary information of the crime as well as information of the local activity. These agencies are dependent upon the police which corrupt in the present time. they are the criminals in uniform who provide every facility to criminals and help them at every level from the time of registration of the complaint inside the police stations, prisons and even the courts. Sometimes they are involved in escape of criminals from the lockup As the Supreme Court rightly observed that if the protector becomes the predator, the civilized society would cease to exist. This phrase can be to describe the current scenario of India. CONCLUSION At present, there is no mechanism which is specifically designated to collect and collate intelligence pertaining to the linkages developed by criminals with the governmental set up. Nonetheless, the  various intelligence agencies collect, in the  normal course of their functioning, information about the nexus between  the bureaucracy and politicians with the Mafia gangs, smugglers and the  underworld. These agencies use such available inputs only within the  narrow confines of their work charter and choose not to take undue  cognisance and follow-up action, leave alone sharing with any other  agencies. Thus, all these agencies function within their own cocoons,  with the result that a plethora of information fails to get specific and  purposeful attention needed for the exposure of the linkages. It is,  therefore, necessary to immediately have an institutionalized system  which while giving total freedom to the various agencies to pursue their  charter of wor k, would simultaneously cast on them the onus of sharing  such inputs to a nodal outfit whose job will be to process this information  for attention of a single designated authority. This will enable the  nodal Group to provide useful leads to the various agencies and, over  time, a progressive database will get generated to facilitate periodic  reviews and analysis which could then be passed to a designated body Fighting the nexus between the politicians and criminal elements should become a National agenda transcending party politics. Conscious efforts should be made by all parties to prevent infiltration of criminal elements in their ranks. They should lend their support to amend the Representation of Peoples Act to deny opportunities to people with criminal records of moral turpitude and violence, to contest the elections. They should also lend support to pass legislation to deal firmly with organized crime. . There is need for a special legislation like other countri es to deal with this menace. We need special courts and suitable modifications in the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Acts to make justice swifter. A stitch in time saves nine. The inability of the criminal justice system to deal firmly with infractions like gambling, prostitution, drugs lead to development of organized crime. Yesterdays petty criminals are todays dons. Hence, there is a need to nip the budding criminal in early stages which will be helpful in ending nexus considerably.

Blood Promise Chapter Six

I bolted upright, every part of me awake and alert. There were no city lights to shine through the window, and it took me several seconds to make out anything in the darkened room. Sydney was curled up in her own bed, her face unusually at peace as she slept. Where was the Strigoi? Definitely not in our room. Was it in the house? Everyone had said the road to Dimitri's town was dangerous. Still, I would have thought Strigoi would be going after Moroi and dhampirs-though humans were a big part of their diet too. Thinking of the nice couple who'd welcomed us into their home, I felt something tight clench in my chest. No way would I let anything happen to them. Slipping quietly out of the bed, I grabbed a hold of my stake and crept from the room without disturbing Sydney. No one else was awake, and as soon as I was in the living room, the nausea went away. Okay. The Strigoi wasn't inside, which was a good thing. It was outdoors, apparently on the side of the house near my room. Still moving silently, I went out the house's front door and walked around the corner, as quiet as the night around me. The nausea grew stronger as I approached the barn, and I couldn't help but feel smug. I was going to surprise this Strigoi who'd thought it could sneak into a tiny human village for dinner. There. Right near the barn's entrance, I could see a long shadow moving. Gotcha, I thought. I readied the stake and started to spring forward-And then something struck me on the shoulder. I stumbled, astonished, and looked into the face of a Strigoi. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the shadow by the barn materialize into another Strigoi striding forward. Panic shot through me. There were two, and my secret detection system hadn't been able to tell the difference. Worse, they'd gotten the drop on me. A thought immediately flashed into my mind: What if one's Dimitri? It wasn't. At least, this close one wasn't. It was a woman. I had yet to get a feel for the second one. That one was approaching from my other side, moving fast. I had to deal with this immediate threat, though, and swiped at the woman with my stake, hoping to wound her, but she dodged so quickly, I hardly saw her move. She struck out toward me in an almost casual way. I wasn't fast enough to react and went flying toward the other Strigoi-a guy who was not Dimitri. I responded quickly, leaping up and kicking him. I held the stake out, creating distance between us, but it did little good when the woman came up from behind and grabbed me, jerking my body against hers. I gave a muffled cry and felt her hands on my throat. She was probably going to break my neck, I realized. It was a fast, easy technique for Strigoi that then let them drag off a victim for feeding. I struggled, jostling her hands slightly, but as the other Strigoi leaned over us, I knew it was useless. They'd surprised me. There were two of them. They were strong. Panic surged in me again, an overwhelming sense of fear and desperation. I was afraid every time I fought Strigoi, but this fear was reaching a breaking point. It was unfocused and out of control, and I suspected it was touched by a bit of the madness and darkness I'd absorbed from Lissa. The feelings exploded within me, and I wondered if they'd destroy me before the Strigoi did. I was in very real danger of dying here-of letting Sydney and the others get killed. The rage and distress of that thought were smothering. Then, suddenly, it was like the earth burst open. Translucent forms, glowing softly in the darkness, sprang up everywhere. Some looked like normal people. Others were horrible, their faces gaunt and skull-like. Ghosts. Spirits. They surrounded us, their presence making my hair stand on end and sending a splitting headache through my skull. The ghosts turned toward me. I'd had this happen before, on a plane, when apparitions had swarmed and threatened to consume me. I braced myself, trying desperately to summon up the strength to build barriers that would shut me off from the spirit world. It was a skill I'd had to learn, one I usually kept in place without any effort. The desperation and panic of this situation had cracked my control. In that horrible, blood-curdling moment, I again selfishly wished Mason hadn't found peace and left this world. I would have felt better if his ghost were here. Then I realized I wasn't their target. The ghosts were mobbing the two Strigoi. The spirits didn't have solid forms, but every place they touched and passed through me felt like ice. The female Strigoi immediately began waving her arms to fend the apparitions off, snarling in rage and something almost like fear. The ghosts didn't appear to be able to hurt the Strigoi, but they were apparently pretty annoying-and distracting. I staked the male Strigoi before he ever saw me coming. Immediately, the ghosts around him moved to the woman. She was good, I'd give her that. Despite struggling to fend the spirits off, she was still able to dodge my attacks fairly well. A lucky punch from her made stars burst before my eyes and sent me into the barn wall. I still had that ghost-induced splitting headache, and my head slamming into the barn didn't help. Staggering up, dizzy, I made my way back to her and continued my efforts to get a shot in at her heart. She managed to keep her chest out of my range-at least until one particularly terrifying ghost caught her off guard. Her momentary distraction gave me my chance, and I staked her, too. She fell to the ground-leaving me alone with the spirits. With the Strigoi, the ghosts had clearly wanted to attack them. With me, it was a lot like on the plane. They seemed fascinated by me, desperate to get my attention. Only, with dozens of phantoms swarming, it might as well have been an attack. Desperately, I tried again to summon my walls, to block the ghosts off from me as I'd done long ago. The effort was excruciating. Somehow, my out-of-control emotions had brought the spirits, and while I was calmer now, that control was harder to bring about. My head continued throbbing. Gritting my teeth, I focused every ounce of my strength into blocking out the ghosts. â€Å"Go away,† I hissed. â€Å"I don't need you anymore.† For a moment, it looked like my efforts were going to be useless. Then, slowly, one by one, the spirits began to fade. I felt the control I'd learned before gradually slip into place. Soon, there was nothing there but me, the darkness, and the barn-and Sydney. I noticed her just as I collapsed to the ground. She was running out of the house in her pajamas, face pale. Kneeling at my side, she helped me sit up, legitimate fear all over her. â€Å"Rose! Are you okay?† I felt like every scrap of energy in my brain and body had been sucked out. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. â€Å"No,† I told her. And then I passed out. I dreamed of Dimitri again, his arms around me and beautiful face leaning over me to care for me as he'd done so often when I was sick. Memories of things past came to me, the two of us laughing over some joke. Sometimes, in these dreams, he'd carry me away. Sometimes, we'd be riding in a car. Occasionally, his face would start to take on that fearsome Strigoi image that always tormented me. Then I'd quickly order my mind to brush such thoughts away. Dimitri had taken care of me so many times and had always been there when I needed him. It had gone both ways, though. Admittedly, he had not seemed to end up in the infirmary as much as me. That was just my luck. Even when he was injured, he wouldn't acknowledge it. And as I dreamed and hallucinated, images came to me of one of the few times I'd been able to take care of him. Just before the school had been attacked, Dimitri had been involved in a number of tests with me and my fellow novices to see how well we reacted to surprise assaults. Dimitri was so tough that he was almost impossible to beat, though he still got bruised up a number of times. I'd run into him in the gym once during these tests, surprised to see a cut on his cheek. It was hardly fatal, but there was a fair amount of blood showing. â€Å"Do you realize you're bleeding to death?† I'd exclaimed. It was kind of an exaggeration, but still. He touched his cheek absentmindedly and seemed to notice the injury for the first time. â€Å"I wouldn't quite go that far. It's nothing.† â€Å"It's nothing until you get an infection!† â€Å"You know that's not likely,† he said obstinately. That was true. Moroi-aside from contracting the occasional rare disease, as Victor had-hardly ever got sick. We dhampirs had inherited that from them, just as Sydney's tattoo gave her some protection. Nonetheless, I wasn't about to let Dimitri bleed all over. â€Å"Come on,† I said, pointing to the small bathroom in the gym. My voice had been fierce, and to my surprise, he'd actually obeyed. After wetting a washcloth, I gently cleaned his face. He continued protesting at first but finally fell quiet. The bathroom was small, and we were just a few inches from each other. I could smell his clean, intoxicating scent and studied every detail of his face and strong body. My heart raced in my chest, but we were supposed to be on good behavior, so I tried to appear cool and collected. He was eerily calm too, but when I brushed his hair back behind his ears to clean the rest of his face, he flinched. My fingertips touching his skin had sent shock waves through me, and he'd felt them too. He caught hold of my hand and pulled it away. â€Å"Enough,† he said, voice husky. â€Å"I'm fine.† â€Å"Are you sure?† I asked. He hadn't released my hand. We were so, so close. The small bathroom seemed ready to burst with the electricity building between us. I knew this couldn't last but hated to let go of him. God, it was hard being responsible sometimes. â€Å"Yes,† he said. His voice was soft, and I knew he wasn't mad at me. He was afraid, afraid of how little it would take to ignite a fire between us. As it was, I was warm all over, just from the feel of his hand. Touching him made me feel complete, like the person I was always meant to be. â€Å"Thank you, Roza.† He released my hand, and we left, both off to do our own things that day. But the feel of his skin and hair stayed with me for hours afterward†¦ I don't know why I dreamed that memory after being attacked near the barn. It seemed weird that I'd dream of taking care of Dimitri when I was the one who needed care. I guess it didn't really matter what the memory was, so long as it involved him. Dimitri always made me feel better, even in my dreams, giving me strength and resolve. But as I lay in that delirium and moved in and out of consciousness, his comforting face would occasionally take on those terrible red eyes and fangs. I'd whimper, fighting hard to push that sight away. Other times, he didn't look like Dimitri at all. He'd turn into a man I didn't know, an older Moroi with dark hair and cunning eyes, gold jewelry glinting on his neck and ears. I'd cry out for Dimitri again, and eventually, his face would return, safe and wonderful. At one point, though, the image shifted again, this time into a woman's. Clearly, she wasn't Dimitri, but there was something about her brown eyes that reminded me of him. She was older, in her forties maybe, and a dhampir. She laid a cool cloth across my forehead, and I realized I wasn't dreaming anymore. My body ached, and I was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. No sign of the Strigoi. Had I dreamed them, too? â€Å"Don't try to move,† the woman said with the faintest trace of a Russian accent. â€Å"You took some bad hits.† My eyes widened as the events by the barn came back to me, the ghosts I'd summoned up. It hadn't been a dream. â€Å"Where's Sydney? Is she okay?† â€Å"She's fine. Don't worry.† Something in the woman's voice told me I could believe her. â€Å"Where am I?† â€Å"In Baia.† Baia, Baia. Somewhere, in the back of my head, that name was familiar. All of a sudden, it clicked. Long, long ago, Dimitri had said it. He'd only ever mentioned his town's name once and, even though I'd tried, I had never been able to remember it. Sydney would never tell me the name. But now we were here. Dimitri's home. â€Å"Who are you?† I asked. â€Å"Olena,† she said. â€Å"Olena Belikova.†