Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Theory Practice & Law Residence and source and Ordinary Income

Question: Examine about the Taxation Theory Practice Law. Answer: Living arrangement and source Realities of present contextual analysis In the current case structure the private status of individual is talks about Assesse is Kit perpetual occupant of Australia Accomplish citizenship of Chile Due to birth factor Working in Indonesia With the U.S. based organization Wards A spouse and two youngsters (living in Australia) All speculations are made in Chile nation Do have a private property possessed in Australia Law intractable for this situation The idea of duty residency is very unique in relation to the typical residency as portrayed by Australian tax collection law. The outskirt migration rules don't matter while alluding to the tax assessment residency. There are sure circumstanced which should be looked before deciding the tax collection residency of Kit- There may be a likelihood that an assesse can be charge occupant without being a resident of Australia or do have a lasting residency. Then again, individual do have changeless private status yet probably won't be a duty occupant. Assurance of expense residency may be reliant on specific laws and consistence. The individual needs to experience certain test and check to know its duty private status. This test is likewise alluded as lives test. The assesse will be viewed as occupant on the off chance that he fulfilled any of the beneath referenced conditions- Habitation test This test care for the way that where is evaluates lasting home or residence. Until and except if the assesse Kit can fulfill the division that he has perpetual home in nation other than Australia the duty officials will take occupant home in which Kits family is dwelling in Australia into represent home test (ATO, 2016). 183 days test If the Assesse unit is remaining for the greater part of the year in Australia than he would be viewed as occupant for tax collection purposes. Unit doesn't fall in multi day test as his visit or remain in Australian country is under 183 days in the earlier year for the reasons for the expense figuring (ATO, 2016). Superannuation test This test states for the people taking a shot at the sake of Australian Government or Commonwealth of Australia, in the nations outside the country. Assesse pack doesn't fall under this test as he is working for a U.S. based organization (ATO, 2016). Separated for the above test people are open to certain conclusion accessible under the area 26 AG which gives exclusion to the Australian occupants achieving certain pay from compensations and ventures from outside Australia. This exception is accessible on the way that the nation has DTAA concurrence with the country in which assesse is acquiring sure salary from various source and paying tax collection in separate nation. Perceptions from the above contextual analysis On the off chance that the assesse unit is inhabitant for the tax collection purposes in Australia than he will be at risk to pay burdens on the pay achieved by him around the world. He will be at risk to pay burdens on both pay and venture salary. However, in the event that the assesse isn't esteemed to be charge occupant of Australia than nil salary will be chargeable to burden as in the current contextual analysis. Standard salary No. Case laws Separate results or translation gave by the official courtroom 1. Californian Copper Syndicate Ltd v Harris (Surveyor of Taxes) (1904) 5 TC 159 Realities of the case The specific case law organsiation relates with the affiliation framed in the year 1901. The companys MOA expresses a reality that its goals are to buy a land in the California locale. Later on with the timeframe organization offered the land to another organization and achieved generous measure of income. Division dispute The dispute of the division is that the pay earned by the assesse will be chargeable to burden according to area 25(1) of the personal duty act. High court dispute The high court is of feeling that the organization was planning to procure the benefit to win the benefits from the offer of land beginning from starting period. As demonstrated by the companys financials it has been accounted for that the authoritative assets were never enough to do the mining work. Extreme point of the organization is go into exchanging exchange identified with land and gain the significant benefit. Accordingly the dispute of the division was held right (Manyam, 2011). 2. Scottish Australian Mining Co Ltd v FC of T (1950) 81 CLR 188 Issue identified with case law Citizen in the current case was holding a real estate parcel with point and goal to play out the mining industry. Region of the land was 1771 sections of land. By the mid 1920s the mining business has been winded up and organization turned out to be selling the land. To carry the land to most profitable circumstance streets and open government assistance foundations were created (Jade, n.d.). Office conflict The chief of annual duty is of feeling that the benefit achieved by the improvement of land will be assessed available salary High court conflict The official courtroom is of view that all the advancement exercises are done to get the land a circumstance that it surely can be auctions off. There is no benefit on improvement exercises (Jade, n.d.). 3. FC of T v Whitfords Beach Pty Ltd (1982) 150 CLR Issue of current case law Assesse in the current case law procured certain land with the point and goal to start angling business. Later on the endeavor was sold by advertisers of the gathering. It was offered to some framework organizations with the expectation of land advancement and accomplishes certain measure of benefit. In the wake of making certain improvement the came about land was sold at a high benefit (Jade, n.d.). Division conflict Personal duty office conflict is to charge on such income. High court dispute The seat of high court headed by three appointed authorities Gibbs CJ, Mason Wilson is of view that minor acknowledgment of capital resource while framing an organsiation doesn't switch the general reason considerably subsequent to making land improvement (Jade, n.d.). 4. Statham Anor v FC of T 89 ATC 4070 Realities of the case In the significant case law the assesse were the trustees of bequest recently possessed by an individual which is currently perished. The primary maxim of the proprietor was to play out a cultivating movement on the previously mentioned land. Later on half of the bit of the land was sold by the expired individual to the firm completely controlled and oversaw by its relatives. The action performed by the firm on the previously mentioned half land parcel was identified with raising cows and dairy cultivating. However, because of hardship, this movement endured misfortune and the particular part sold the segment of land (ATO, 2005). Office dispute Here office is of view that income produces out of continues of offer of land is a salary created in the customary course of business. Accordingly such salary will be chargeable to tax assessment Court conflict The courtroom is of dispute that benefits produced in the current situation are the income created isn't a salary of normal nature. This offer of land is after effect impact of consistent misfortunes caused by the homestead business (ATO, 2005). 5. Casimaty v FC of T 97 ATC 5135 Realities of the case In referenced case law the contention among the office and assesse is ashore Action see. Assesse was skilled a land from his dad and over the timeframe because of expanding obligation he made certain land improvement exercises and sold a segment of land (ATO, n.d.). Personal duty office conflict Branch of annual expense recognition is that the assesse ought to be charged to tax assessment under segment 25 (1) of IT act 1936. Official of annual duty that assesse business identifies with action of land sub-division. Choice given by official courtroom Head judge Ryan J. gave the choice that pay earned by the citizen will not be at risk to tax assessment obligation under segment 25(1) of IT act 1936. As the specific income is earned because of selling of part property of assesse (ATO, 2005). 6. Moana Sand Pty Ltd v FC of T 88 ATC 4897 Current issue for the situation law The citizen in the current case bought the land parcel. His intention behind that land bargain is to go into a portion of sand exchange. Later on government changed over the land into country locale and paid the suitable pay of $ 500,000 in the two sections. Beforehand when the assesse guaranteed that the land was to be used with the end goal of development when legislature of the locale wanted to mine the specific real estate parcel. Division dispute The chief of the Income charge is of the assessment that the specific action relates with the region and benefit age activity. In this way the sum earned by the organization added up to $ 500,000 will be chargeable to tax assessment. Court dispute In the current case law official courtroom supported the conflict of the office expressing that the sum earned by the assesse is in the normal course of business and in this manner alluded as conventional salary. It features the general expectation of assesse with the future intention to change over the land into a development procedure and learn the benefit (ATO, 2005). 7. Crow v FC of T 88 ATC 4620 Realities of the case Assesse normally buys property on the persistent stretches and further go into action of sub-division on a dull premise. Division conflict Division is of view that because of consistency in the idea of the business it features the idea of region business of assesse. Government court conflict The court upheld the view purposes of division and gave a choice that exchanges were made with the rationale to achieve certain business benefits. A movement performed by the assesse over the timeframe speaks to business salary earned by him. Along these lines it will be alluded as

Saturday, August 22, 2020

The Tiber River of Rome

The Tiber River of Rome The Tiber is one of longest waterways in ​Italy. It is around 250 miles in length and fluctuates somewhere in the range of 7 and 20 feet down. It is the second longest stream in Italy, after the Po. The Tiber streams from the Apennines at Mount Fumaiolo through Rome and into the Tyrrhenian Sea at Ostia. The greater part of the city of Rome is toward the east of the Tiber River. The region toward the west, remembering the island for the Tiber, Insula Tiberina, was in Augustus XIVth district of Rome. Root of the Name Tiber The Tiber was initially called Albulula on the grounds that it was so white, however it was renamed Tiberis after Tiberinus, who was a ruler of Alba Longa who suffocated in the waterway. Theodor Mommsen says the Tiber was the normal interstate for traffic in Latium and gave an early guard against neighbors on the opposite side of the stream, which in the territory of Rome runs around southwards. History of the Tiber In times long past, ten extensions were worked over the Tiber. Eight spread over the Tiber, while two allowed entry to the island. Houses lined the riverside, and nurseries prompting the waterway furnished Rome with new foods grown from the ground. The Tiber was additionally a significant interstate for Mediterranean exchange of oil, wine, and wheat. The Tiber was a significant military concentration for a long time. During the third century B.C.E., Ostia (a town on the Tiber) turned into a maritime base for the Punic Wars. The Second Veientine War (437-434 or 428-425 B.C.E.) was battled about control of an intersection of the Tiber. The contested intersection was at Fidenae, five miles upstream from Rome. Endeavors to tame the Tibers floods were ineffective. While today it streams between high dividers, during Roman occasions it routinely flooded its shores. The Tiber as a Sewer The Tiber was associated with the Cloaca Maxima, the sewer arrangement of Rome, ascribed to lord Tarquinius Priscus. The Cloaca Maxima was worked during the 6th century B.C.E. as a trench, or channel, through the city. In light of a current stream, it was extended and fixed with stone. By the third century B.C.E. the open channel had been fixed with stone and secured with a vaulted stone rooftop. Simultaneously, Augustus Caesar had significant fixes made to the framework. The first reason for the Cloaca Maxima was not to steal away waste, but instead to oversee stormwater to dodge floods. Water from the Forum area streamed downhill to the Tiber through the Cloaca. It wasnt until the hour of the Roman Empire that open showers and restrooms were associated with the framework. Today, the Cloaca is as yet obvious and still deals with a modest quantity of Romes water. A significant part of the first stonework has been supplanted by concrete.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

How Teen Self-Esteem Influences Risky Sexual Behavior

How Teen Self-Esteem Influences Risky Sexual Behavior Depression Childhood Depression Print How Self-Esteem Influences Risky Sexual Behavior in Teens By Nancy Schimelpfening Nancy Schimelpfening, MS is the administrator for the non-profit depression support group Depression Sanctuary. Nancy has a lifetime of experience with depression, experiencing firsthand how devastating this illness can be. Learn about our editorial policy Nancy Schimelpfening Updated on February 04, 2020 Hero Images / Getty Images More in Depression Childhood Depression Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Types Suicide According to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics, more than half of all teenagers in the U.S. have had sex by the time they reach age 18.?? Unfortunately, teens may lack the maturity and emotional resources to properly manage sexual relationships. It is not uncommon for teens to engage in risky sexual behaviors such as lack of protection or multiple sexual partners. The CDC reports that half of all newly reported STDs occur in young people between the ages of 15 and 24 and that nearly half of all sexually active high schoolers did not use condoms the last time they had sex.?? Unprotected sex significantly increases the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or experiencing an unintended pregnancy. Research suggests that self-esteem is an important factor in determining whether teens are sexually active, but the effect is different between girls and boys. Teen Sex and Self-Esteem A number of studies have found a connection between self-esteem and teen sexual activity. For example, one early study found that girls who reported being sexually active had lower scores on measures of self-esteem.?? What the results did not indicate, however, is whether self-esteem was the cause or a consequence of sex. One study found that self-esteem had differing effects on sexual behaviors in teen boys and girls:   Younger girls with lower self-esteem are more likely to engage in sexual activity.Teen boys with low self-esteem and less likely to be sexually active.Boys who have high self-esteem are nearly 2.5 times more likely to initiate sex.Girls with high self-esteem are three times less likely to have sex. Half of the boys who had high self-esteem in seventh grade had sex by ninth grade. Of the girls with low self-esteem in seventh grade, 40% had sex by the time they were in ninth grade. Another study looking at risky sexual behaviors in Nigerian teens found that adolescents with low self-esteem were 1.7 times more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors such as having sex without a condom, having multiple sexual partners, and having sex in exchange for drugs.?? Research also suggests that low self-esteem can be a predictor for having sex at an earlier age.?? Who Is at Risk It is important to remember that not all teens with low self-esteem will become sexually active. Conversely, high self-esteem is not necessarily a guarantee that your teen will not become sexually active. In fact, research suggests that high self-esteem may actually make boys more likely to begin having sex. Kids who have a strong sense of themselves and self-respect will not be immune from sexual urges, but having good self-esteem may help them to handle relationships in more mature ways. Teens who are struggling with their own sense of self-worth may be the most prone to unwise decisions about sex. Issues Tweens and Teens Face Warning Signs for Parents to Look For Unless you have a very open relationship with your child, you may not know they are sexually active unless a problem arises such as unintended pregnancy, illness, or an STI. If your child is dating, you should assume there is a possibility they will become sexually active. If you are fortunate to have a very trusting relationship with your child, they may actually come and ask you for advice. If not, you may find signs of contraceptives or evidence that your child is seeking out moments to be alone with a boyfriend or girlfriend for private moments. The best advice, however, is to be proactive rather than waiting for signs. Talk frankly with your child about sex. Work actively to ensure they place a high value on themselves and their futures. Prevention As a parent or caregiver, you can help foster healthy self-esteem in your teen as well as a supportive and caring relationship with you, which can encourage your teen to make healthy choices in all aspects of their life, including their relationships and sexuality. Talk to Your Childs Pediatrician If you suspect that your teen has low self-esteem or is depressed, talk to your childs doctor. Your childs pediatrician can screen for potential problems and also provide information about safe sex and birth control options. Sexually active teens will also need non-judgmental education about the risks and responsibilities of sex, including proper medical care where appropriate. Activities that raise self-esteem may help teens feel more empowered and in control of their lives and bodies. Address Signs of Depression If your child is depressed or struggling with low esteem, there are things that you can do to help. Your teens pediatrician may recommend treatments such as medication or psychotherapy to address underlying symptoms of depression or anxiety. How to Help Your Depressed Teenager Offer Quality Sex Education Recent findings from the CDCs National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys indicate that fewer teens are engaging in risky sexual behavior than in the past.?? While the research could not point to any specific intervention as the cause of this trend, access to medically accurate sex education programs and online educational information may play an important role. Such trends suggest that parents may be able to reduce the risk by talking about making healthy choices and providing frank, factual information about sex, including safe sex practices and the consequences of risky behaviors. How to Build Your Teens Self-Esteem

Sunday, May 24, 2020

The Education Of The Human Society - 990 Words

Horace Mann has ever said â€Å"education, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, - the balance-wheel of the social machinery.† The education of the human society is a wheel directs and turns the civilization to higher stage. As for Millennial Generation, they are growing up after terrific world wars and a series of global issues. Therefore, the quality education for these young could be the priority. Namely, all the mankind, especially for youth, should have 100 percent equality of education. In fact, however, not everyone is trusted equally based on my research. First of all, some educational policies still have a series limitations, which cause the inequality. Beautiful though policies like K-12 do earn students their proper opportunities getting into schools or, in the other word, education; however, the majority of the focuses are on relatively lower education comparing to college level. In despite the hefty chunk of change of public education policy, there are over 10 percent private school, which owns higher quality than most public school, but costing average 15,000 more, in most cases. So the paradox emerges: the more people pay, the better education students could get; in other the word, various level of tuitions become a balance of the quality for the education, which prevent students with lower incoming from getting the high quality of education. This violates the idea of equality of quality of education.Show MoreRelatedSociological Foundation of Education1734 Words   |  7 PagesSociological Foundation of Education -By Gopi Chandra Upreti M. Phil. Development Studies, KUSOED Kathmandu, Nepal. Introduction Education is a process of learning. It is a kind of method to get knowledge in human life. As John Dewey said education ‘brings out all capabilities’ of human beings. It helps us to live our life independently. Accordingly, Socrates said that education has taken out our ideas from ‘innate capabilities’ so that we can know everything of the world. Education has certain functionsRead MoreThe Ideas Of A University922 Words   |  4 Pagesworth in the market of the article called ‘a Liberal Education.’† While this question was asked in the 1800s, many in today’s society still ask it today. One issue Newman argues for is the purpose of a university education, specifically the â€Å"utility† of the Liberal Arts. Although around one hundred and fifty years later, in many ways Newman’s claims and arguments on the issue of education in his time can be related to the issue of education in society today. Newman argues that universities should teachRead MoreEducation As A Social Function991 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to John Dewey education plays a large role in the development of an individual and it is an element that separates humans from other animals. 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Partially as a solution to this, I describe the purpose of education to focus on the preparationRead MoreIndian Children Discriminated Against And Denied A Basic Education1266 Words   |  6 PagesDenied a Basic Education Every year in India, millions of children are being discriminated and even denied an education, occurring in four of their major states (HRW). Although, four years ago, India established a law preventing this from occurring, allowing a person in India from ages 6 to 14 a basic education; but at the same time schools are not upholding these laws (India Needs). This could be due to the fact that India is a third world, developing country, who do not have education on the topRead More Philosophy of Education Essays689 Words   |  3 PagesPhilosophy of Education No society has ever survived without some system of education. Education is, perhaps, the most important of all social systems because it enables all the others by training individuals for their social roles. Still, it is a system which is far too complicated to perfect or even define. What is the â€Å"best† way to teach? What knowledge is it necessary for an â€Å"educated† person to attain? Should an education for one be the same as for another? In such an individual-centeredRead MoreIntroduction. Nowadays, There Are More And More People1638 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent degrees and different ways. It seems that education has become a common word in daily life and it seems to be easy to understand. In fact, education, as a social activity, with a long history of development, a complex and diverse internal structure, interacts with other social activities in multilevel and multifaceted way. Through the long history,educators,thinkers,politicians and scholars have answered the question of what education is in different ways: some see it from the perspectiveRead MoreThe Liberal Arts: Creating a Citizen for a Community Near You1497 Words   |  6 Pagesindividual and the society he or she lives. College has traditionally been viewed as the place young adults go to find themselves, find their career, and start their adult lives. Some have argued that education has veered too far away from tradition, while others argue that the whole idea of Liberal Education needs to keep evolving to meet the demands of the modern world. Those in favor of change argue for more diversity within the curriculum, such as more non-western world education and feminist thoughtRead MoreEssay on Rousseaus View of Humanity1118 Words   |  5 PagesJean Jacques Rousseau in On Education writes about how to properly raise and educate a child. Rousseaus opinion is based on his own upbringing and lack o f formal education at a young age. Rousseau depicts humanity as naturally good and becomes evil because humans tamper with nature, their greatest deficiency, but also possess the ability to transform into self-reliant individuals. Because of the context of the time, it can be seen that Rousseau was influenced by the idea of self-preservation, individualRead MoreEducation Plays An Important Role In Sh1412 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Education plays an important role in shaping an individual’s career. The level of education helps people to earn recognition and respect in the society. Undoubtedly education is both socially personally an indispensible part of human life. However the inequalities in the standards of education are still a major issue that needs to be solved as early as it could be. The importance of education is our life cannot be ignored at any cost. Education is the only way to get knowledge. For instance, you

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Value Of An Intermediate Data - 1115 Words

The value to be used for updating the estimated value has been chosen as 181 (the value of range of each subgroup) for the first iteration of the algorithm. The value of an intermediate data has been taken as the range of each subgroup/ number of subgroup (181/6 = 30.16). That intermediate value 30.16 has been chosen as a change in temperature for the second iteration of algorithm. For third iteration, the value (30.16/6) 5.02 has been considered as a change in temperature. Similarly for the next iteration the value has been chosen as (5.02/6) 0.83 and so on. The value encoding is considered as the data encoding and the (1/estimated error) of the data with the actual data is considered as a fitness function Step 2 The least square technique based on linear, exponential, asymptotic, curvilinear and logarithmic equations has been applied on the available data to produce the estimated data. The error analysis has been made to produce estimated error. It has been observed that average error based on least square technique based on linear equation has shown the minimum error (2.25%) as compared to the other models according to table 2. Therefore least square technique based linear equation has been chosen as the best known solution. Step 3 The updating of estimated data has been made based on the process of simulating annealing algorithm. Initially, in the simulating annealing algorithm, high temperature values have to be considered for the material and decrease in theShow MoreRelatedIntroduction Of Mapreduce Programming Model911 Words   |  4 PagesModel â€Å"MapReduce is a programming model and an associated implementation for processing and generating large data sets with a parallel, distributed algorithm on a cluster† [1]. Before the introduction of MapReduce, biggest challenge in front of Google was processing large input data and distributed computations. There was no solution for parallelizing the computations, distributing the data, and handling failures. In order to solve these problems, Google introduced the concept of MapReduce for parallelRead MoreThe Basic Idea Of Hadoop1287 Words   |  6 Pagespartition problem. The Problem : Algorithms that are usually used to process data are relatively simple , compared to the amount of time it takes to finish execution. In order for the data processing task to finish in a reasonable amount of time, the task needs to be split into potentially thousands of machines in a cluster. To this account, Hadoop compute framework provides techniques to split data, forwarding these data and code to participating nodes in the cluster, checking node state to reactRead MoreAn Introduction To Big Data870 Words   |  4 PagesIV. OPPORTUNITY RELATED TO BIG DATA There are lots of opportunity associated to big data that help any organization to handle their large amount of data, like in financial sector it store data related to finance, healthcare sector it store health related patient records, doctors detail and medicine ,medical equipment related details . In retail sector it is also used [5]. Web/social media/mobile companies also use it for storing their user detail and data like their likes, search pattern, callingRead MoreCase Study : Mapreduce Programming Model1699 Words   |  7 Pageslarge amounts of raw data, such as crawled documents, PageRank, Web request logs, etc. Even though computations were conceptually straightforward, the input data was very large. Also computations had to be distributed across many machines to reduce the computation time. So there was a need to find a better solution. 2. PROGRAMMING MODEL Jeffrey Dean and Sanjay Ghemawat came up with the concept of MapReduce at Google in 2004. The main idea behind MapReduce is to map your data set into a collectionRead MoreEssay on Quality Associates864 Words   |  4 Pagesused to control manufacturing processes. In one case, a client provided Quality Associates with a sample of 800 observations that were taken during a time when the clients process was operating satisfactorily. The sample standard deviation for these data was .21, hence, the population standard deviation was assumed to be .21. Quality Associates then suggested that random samples of size 30 be taken periodically to monitor the process on an ongoing basis. By analyzing the new samples, the client couldRead MoreFischer Esterification652 Words   |  3 Pagescatalyst was used to make the reaction more favorable. Sulfuric acid easily donates a hydrogen ion to protonate the carbonyl oxygen in acetic acid, forming a stable intermediate with contributing resonance struc tures. The nucleophilic alcohol compound then simply attacks the electrophilic carbon in the intermediate. After, the intermediate undergoes tautomerism where a proton is shifted from the newly formed oxonium ion to the hydroxyl group, forming an activated complex. Overall, the reaction resultsRead More4. Probability Of Recurrence:. In The Present Study, Three1613 Words   |  7 Pagesrecurrence: In the present study, three stochastic models (Weibull, Gamma and Lognormal) have been used for the estimation of probability of earthquake recurrence in Gujarat region of India which was rocked by the great earthquake in 2001. The earthquake data of the region has only five recurrence intervals of earthquakes magnitude ≠¥ 6 for the period of study, from 1819 to 2001, and is listed in Table 1. The estimated mean, standard deviation and aperiodicity (equivalent to the coefficient of variation)Read MoreSpeeding Up N Means Algorithm By Gpus1662 Words   |  7 PagesUniversity of Florida Abstract-This paper gives a brief description of the above titled paper. Data clustering is one of the most widely used method for various applications. And parallelizing these time-consuming applications is of quite importance. This paper brings out an additional feature of handling input data of various dimensions and thus accordingly handle it. I. INTRODUCTION In the world of data clustering, K-means is one of the most extensively used algorithms. And the application areaRead MoreWhat Is Hadoop Data Analysis Technologies867 Words   |  4 Pageshuge demand to store, process and carefully study this large amount of data to make it usable. Hadoop is definitely the preferred framework to analyze the data of this magnitude. 4.1 Hadoop Data Analysis Technologies While Hadoop provides the ability to collect data on HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System), there are many applications available in the market (like MapReduce, Pig and Hive) that can be used to analyze the data. Let us first take a closer look at all three applications and then analyzeRead MoreIntervention Plans Can Impact Health Care In Many Ways,1321 Words   |  6 Pageseither patients, facilities, or both. Evaluation of an intervention plan is necessary to determine its effectiveness and the value of the intervention’s impact in healthcare. In congestive heart failure (CHF) patients engaged through a telehealth program, the effectiveness of the plan revolves around the intervention components. Identifying outcomes and tools to measure the data obtained through the intervention will assist advanced practice nurses (APN) in identifying which aspects of the intervention

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Modern Nco Maintaining a Marine’s Heritage Free Essays

Since the Marine Corps’ beginnings, non-commissioned officers (NCOs) have played an important role in the many successes in the Corps and in the United States. Obviously, the modern NCO today might be a bit different than when the Marine Corps was first established on November 10, 1775, but they uphold and are the complete embodiment of the Corp’s history and traditions in values of honor, courage, and the commitment to the NCO creed. Honor guides the Marines to exemplify the ultimate in ethical and moral behavior, and to respect others as well as themselves. We will write a custom essay sample on Modern Nco: Maintaining a Marine’s Heritage or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the Marine Corps, practically every custom, both written and unwritten, has stemmed from the conduct of past Marines. It is only appropriate that our Marines today recognize this and dutifully portray this in their everyday as well as in combat. On every battlefield that our country has been on since the founding of the Corps, Marines have been there to defeat all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Within these battlefields, there have been NCOs that have fought, led, and died in combat—to complete their mission and to protect their fellow Marines fighting alongside them. An NCO must always keep in mind mission accomplishment and the welfare of their men and woman. This needs to be displayed in the workplace as well. It is the responsibility of NCOs to make sure that their junior marines know what it is to honorably be â€Å"a Marine†. This means that their conduct as a Marine is to be carried on to an NCOs civilian side as well. Having courage doesn’t mean that you can’t be scared; it means you push forward in the midst of fear. Along with carrying the honor of being a Marine, modern NCOs carry the courage one needs to be successful in both combat and as a civilian. There have been many in the corps who have displayed courageous acts. It is the duty of an NCO, as well as all Marines, to have the courage, that inner strength to do what it right and adhere to a higher standard of conduct, and to make tough decisions under hard stress and pressure. It is said in the first line of the NCO creed that an NCO is â€Å"dedicated to training new Marines and influencing the old. † Dedicated. Dedication is what makes the Corps so unique. The modern Marine NCO is supposed to be dedicated. Dedicated to the work that he or she does on a daily basis. Dedicated to the life he leads for his or her junior marines. Dedicated to themselves, having personal integrity in all that they do. To close, The most outstanding custom in the Marine Corps is simply â€Å"being a Marine† and all that it implies. Call it morale, call it what you will—it is that pride which sets a United States Marine apart from the men of other armed services. It is not taught in manuals, yet it is the most impressive lesson a recruit learns in boot camp. It is not tangible, yet it has won fights against material odds. Senator Paul H. Douglas said it best: â€Å"Those of us who have had the privilege of serving in the Marine Corps value our experience as among the most precious of our lives. The fellowship of shared hardships and dangers in a worthy cause creates a close bond of comradeship. It is the basic reason for the cohesiveness of Marines and for the pride we have in our corps and our loyalty to each other. † An NCO is proud of his Corps and believes it to be second to none. He is carries the honor of the Corp’s heritage, courageous, and loyal to his comrades and to the Marine Corps, adhering always to the motto Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful). How to cite Modern Nco: Maintaining a Marine’s Heritage, Essay examples

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Business Model - Value Creation and Business Innovation Model

Question: Discuss about theBusiness Model, Value Creation and Business Innovation Model. Answer: Introduction Globalization and rise of competition amongst various industry players have given rise to formation of strategies for organization(Wensveen, 2009). Corporations hence form a an organizing framework known as the business model that helps them organize various business resources, frameworks and partners. Several researches prominent in the field of business model has been conducted to reflect on its applicability and extension such as to accommodate for key customer value generated through it. The scope of the current article discussion of Zott and Amit's (2010) and Itami and Nishino (2010) the concept of business model has been formed. Business innovative model provides a further extension of business model to depict the innovate value that can be derived into the existing structure of business model(Zott, 2011). The scope of the current essay evaluates and discusses the framework of business model and business innovative model using various literary sources. Analysis Key Involvement in a Business Model Conceptualization Christensen, Bartman Van Bever, (2016) has made significant impact and development in the field of business model to understand its applicability and usability(Kindstrm, 2010). A business can attain its goals and objectives by formation of a typical business model. In their research article they have included relevant and pertinent aspects that key partners and resources contribution into a business. Logistics and raw materials and other factors are part of the business model framework all are arranged in such a way that they can reach the business goals and customer satisfaction. The key driving force behind organization of resources is to arrange facilities and structures to divert them in a manner that can yield tremendous impact on business features(Doz, 2010). Business Models for Solving Static and Dynamic Problems Works done by Sauer et al. (2016) focuses on evaluation of internal along with external resources and capabilities of an organization. An organization can only establish functionality and emerge as a competitor in business. Proper and extensive knowledge regarding internal as well as external resources can yield valuable structure for formation of suitable business framework(Boons, 2013). Schloderer Mezias, (2016) on the other hand recognized two important factors that govern business model within businesses as business systems and profit model. The article by the scholars highlighted that the goal of every business organization is to create a unique value such that consumers purchases products from the organization and is satisfied. Upon consumer purchase profits and revenues for the business is generated thus creating a market share in the industry. The scope of every organization is to capture various functionalities and cater to its stakeholders by way of making profits. While s takeholders especially those internal ones aim to generate profits and revenues for the business the external are focused on deriving much greater value in terms of brand name, corporate social norms and so on(Abdelkafi, 2013). A business model depicts various strategies along with diagrams in a mathematical manner such that all factors with the model can easily be derived and summed to attain goals for the business. Zott and Amit's (2010) article is focused on creating and generating much greater values for the firm and it provides an unique concept where all concepts and models delineates themselves. Business Model as Systems for Firms Partner Business Innovative Model is a new concept and theory with an existing business model framework that can create value addition for the business(Frankenberger, 2013). While works of several researchers have criticized the business model as being static in nature and unable to generate new changes as well as features for the organization business innovate model(BIM) includes features that can address the issue. The scope of BIM concerns itself with development and manifestations into products or services such as to create new offerings and unique customer value. Bitschet al. (2017) proposes organization of the business model in several ways and format that can accommodate for profitability as well along with achievement of its goals(Yunus, 2010). Business model as an Innovation Process A business model or a business innovative model merely creates a framework whereby an organization can function. While strategizing various functions and attaining optimum resource allocation leaders needs to form proper plans and allocate them to several departments such that each one can follow and obtain their own course of action(McGrath, 2010). An innovative framework can be generated by way of following certain employee related procedures such that at every step in problem solving a new process or product can be created. Accommodating for innovation within organizations have acted as key impetus for growth amongst various organizations including leading global chains. The primary focus of organizations to create something new or deliver values to customer in order that brand name and value can be retained and increased. An organization faces several challenges while implementing business models which can be overcome by way of innovative framework and mindset. The literatures fo rm the articles provides a guidance and implementation methods of business model. The articles are immensely valuable as they generate values for the business by way of coordinating between various participants of the business. Thus, the framework provides an interconnection of several diversified and complex problems within one single frame. Kodamas (2009), Zott and Amits (2010) and Itami and Nishinos (2010) Arguments Zott and Amit's (2010) and Itami and Nishino (2010) articles provides a conceptualized and theoretical framework that can accommodate for business model as well as business innovative model(Gambardella, 2010). The models proposed by these scholars reflects of the efficacy as well as efficiency through which an organization can implement a business model framework. Strategizing on innovative capabilities of the firm by incorporating in employees and other resources has been seen to be the key driver for business model frameworks. Kodama (2009) identified various ways that an effective business model can be created and applied onto business framework. Various authors and scholars of business model identified business model as being the key component that drives business by accommodating for capabilities. Itami and Nishino (2010) had immense focus productivity and profitability of organizations. Conclusion Business model is designed for each business for enabling a layout for proper business functionality. Every business model of an organization poses key factors of resources, partners and customers which are the pillars for its framework. The layout for business structure is focused on generating value for the same in terms of customer value, profit or revenue to meet the goals for the business. There has been many pertinent research in the field of business model that provides a framework for designing of an appropriate model for business. Whereas business innovative model is an extension of a business model in order to further extend revenue earning capabilities for a business. A BIM is focused on diverting resources in such a way that a unique value proposition can be created for the business. Both the models have immense applicability in every day businesses and global corporations are designing in ways and means such that their business model and innovative framework can generate value for the overall business. Thus, the article analysis provides a conceptual and theoretical development of the intriguing factors for business model and innovative frameworks. Reference Lists Abdelkafi, N. M. (2013). Business model innovations for electric mobilitywhat can be learned from existing business model patterns?. International Journal of Innovation Management, 1340003. Boons, F. .-F. (2013). Business models for sustainable innovation: state-of-the-art and steps towards a research agenda. . Journal of Cleaner Production, 9-19. Doz, Y. L. (2010). Embedding strategic agility: A leadership agenda for accelerating business model renewal. Long range planning, 370-382. Frankenberger, K. W. (2013). The 4I-framework of business model innovation: A structured view on process phases and challenges. International Journal of Product Development, 249-273. Gambardella, A. . (2010). Business-model innovation: General purpose technologies and their implications for industry structure. . Long range planning, 262-271. Kindstrm, D. (2010). Towards a service-based business modelKey aspects for future competitive advantage. European Management Journal, 479-490. McGrath, R. G. (2010). Business models: A discovery driven approach. Long range planning, 247-261. Wensveen, J. G. (2009). The long-haul low-cost carrier: A unique business model. Journal of Air Transport Management, 127-133. Yunus, M. M.-O. (2010). Building social business models: lessons from the Grameen experience. Long range planning, 308-325. Zott, C. A. (2011). The business model: recent developments and future research. . Journal of management, 37(4), 1019-1042.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

History Of Algebra Essays - Ancient Greek Mathematicians

History of Algebra Algebra is defined by Websters New Collegiate Dictionary as a generalization of arithmetic in which letters representing numbers are combined according to the rules of arithmetic. This is not a good definition of algebra. It would take a thick book to really explain it. In fact, to this day it is still being added to. There are always new things to be discovered about it. It has been added to by many different people over the centuries. Algebra has a long interesting history. The first work describing algebra was called Arithmetica, a treatise by Diophantus of Alexandria. It was a collection of 130 problem and numerical solutions. Only 6 of the 13 books have been found, the others were believed to have been destroyed soon after their creation. Diophantus was known as the father of algebra. The way he solved problems algebraically was know as Diophantine analysis. He lived from about 200 AD to about 284 AD He was the first to use an algebraic symbolism, in which symbols and letters represented the unknown. He refused to believe that there was any such thing as a negative number. He reasoned this by saying it is impossible to have negative four objects. He did much work with quadratic equations and even equations with variables to the sixth power. Diophantus also seemed to know that any whole number could be written as the sum of four squares. Pierre de Fermat did some work with this but it was not proved until later when Joseph Louis Lagrange worked with it. Despite all of Diophantuss work algebra had a long way to go before general problems could be written down and solved. There were many other influential people in the history of mathematics. One such man was named Theon of Alexandria. He wrote commentaries on many other works of mathematics in his time. In many cases he added extra steps into others proofs. He never really did anything original but he added much to other mathematicians works. His daughter Hypatia grew up around mathematics. As she grew she picked up on it and eventually she even helped her father on several works. She became the head of a Plotinost school in Alexandria. There she lectured on subjects such as mathematics and philosophy. Platonusts believed that there was an ultimate reality in which humans could never fully understand. Hypatia only lived to be about forty five because she was brutally murdered by Christians who felt threatened by her scholarship. One of the works that she helped her father critique was that called Almagest by Ptolemy. This was a thirteen page treatise. This is the earliest of all of Ptolmeys works. It describes the mathematical theory of the motions of the Sun, Moon, and the planets. Ptolmey was an interesting man. He believed in the geocentric theory, that is the Sun and other planets revolve around the Earth. It was proposed by Aristotle. Another belief at the time was the heliocentric theory in which the Earth and all of the other planets revolve around the Sun. Along with this he also figured out the seasons. He discovered that every day was about 1/300 of a year. Later the exact number of days in a year, 365 1/4, was determined by Hipparchus. Ptolmey also started studying the motions of the moon. He discovered using an inscribed 360-gon that pie was 3 17/120 which is really close to pies true value. Also using this 360-gon he discovered that a 60 degree chord with the length of radical 3 is 1.73205. Another important figure in the history of Algebra is Pythagoras of Samos. He is often described as the first pure mathematician. Pythagorus founded a philosophical and religious school. Its many members had no personal belongings and they were vegetarians. He believes that at its deepest level, reality is mathematical in nature. He believes anything about nature relates to a mathematics law. Pythagorus had a rather odd belief that each number had its own individual personality and the number 10 was the best number because it was the sum of the first 4 numbers. Pythagorus was best known for his famous geometry theorem. It stated that the sum of the squares of the lengths of the two sides of a right triangle is equal to the square of the length of the hypotenuse. He also discovered that the angles of a triangle add up to 2 right angles. Pythagorus is also credited with the discovery of irrational numbers. Irrational numbers are numbers that are non-terminating non-repeating decimals. Pythagorus is a very important figure when it come to developing algebra and mathematics. One of Pythagoruss most prominent teachers was Thales of Miletus. Born

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Reaching Readers Through Wattpad and Blog Tours

Reaching Readers Through Wattpad and Blog Tours Reaching Readers through Wattpad and Blog Tours - An Interview with Indie Author Chele Cooke It’s no secret that the main challenge for all authors out there (except the bestselling ones) is visibility. â€Å"How can I reach readers?† is a question that comes up again and again†¦ Of course, there’s no one answer, but there are a lot of opportunities out there, a lot of different paths you can try out to reach different audiences.When interviewing speculative fiction indie author and ALLi member Chele Cooke, we decided to focus on two of them that she’s been using: Wattpad and blog tours. She might not yet be a bestselling author like some of our previous â€Å"guests†, but she has explored different paths that are worth mentioning, and has the right mindset when coming to marketing: it’s something to have fun with!For the lovers of the written word, we’ve provided a transcript below. But I recommend just plugging in your headphones and plunging into this joyful chat we had, as we didn’t transcribe quite everything! You can also join us directly on the Hangout here!

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Employment Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employment Relations - Essay Example This shortage can be short term or long term, although it depends on the lengthy of the deficit. Due to its current state of deficiency of skilled labour, many immigrants shift to New Zealand to seize the employment opportunities (Palffy, 2008). Adversely, the country may have many skilled labourers who are not willing to fill the available vacancies. This investigative paper will seek to discover the causes of inadequate skilled labour supply in New Zealand. It will also suggest possible control measures that can correct the situation in New Zealand’s labour market. Causes of skills shortage in New Zealand Skills shortages can vary from their nature to the cause. Genuine skills shortage occurs when an employer finds it difficult to get enough skilled job seekers to fill the vacancies available in the organization. For example, if there are tailors to fill vacancies in a textile company but only very few tailors with these skills are unemployed and looking for a job. Recruitme nt and retention difficulties also cause skill shortage. This is whereby a skilled job seeker is available, but chooses not to work due to the unfavorable working conditions and low wages. In New Zealand, there exist several causes for the shortages (OECD, 2008). However, the commonest include global labour market, which happens when people with the necessary skills move from New Zealand to other countries. They may migrate due to change of citizenship or carry on other personal interests. Low and inflexible wages is also a contributor to the shortage. This is because when wages are low, and employers are not willing to increase it, job seekers may decide not to look for a job since there is no motivating reward (Sunley, Martin, & Nativel, 2011). Cohem & Zaidi (2002) argue that technological changes and development also pose a threat to the labor market. When technology advance, initially a few people have the advanced skills. Additionally, it is natural that people resist change. T herefore, very few people will be willing to train with the new technology. Growth of the economy is another contributing factor to skills shortage. This is because when economy grows, new opportunities are evident and the country may suffer from short-term lack of skills. Ageing population cause shortage since when people with the necessary skills retire from their work, a gap is present. The employers will need to train other employees in order to feel the gap. Low skilled workforce is another challenge to labour market (Palffy, 2008). This is because if the employees posses only the basics of a job requirement, they may not be able to perform an advanced job requirement, therefore, making themselves obsolete from time to time. Labour market barriers also contribute to skills shortage. This may occur when a job vacancy specifies other requirements for the potential employee rather than the skill. The vacancy may state specific age, height, or even knowledge of a specific geographi cal region. Consequently, even if an individual has all the necessary skills but lacks any of the additional condition, does not meet job expectations. This is a challenge since there may be very few people with both the conditions and the skills (Bruk et al., 2012). Poor management and leadership in organizations in New Zealand have discouraged job seekers from working in some firms. Even if one has the necessary skills, may not be willing to work in an organization with

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

BUS DB4 opening of a presentation is crucial Essay

BUS DB4 opening of a presentation is crucial - Essay Example Objectives should be established from the start.Bring out your personality in the presentation. Make it your own, do not imitate others. When you believe in a topic or concept it is easier to present and also to live by. Maintaining a good balance and keep it interactive will get your opening message across effectively. AIDS presentation: opening was not effective and why Non effective way of opening and presentation: 1. The audience is seated and waiting as the speaker comes rushing in a total frenzy. 2. Does not apologies for being late. 3. Takes at least 10 minutes to get organized. 4. After introducing himself he says "Today you are going to learn all you need to know to protect yourself against HIV infection" a. For the first 15 minutes he waffled on and on, giving statistics and showing overheads about the distribution of the spread of HIV. 5. Then in a "goofy" voice said that condoms should be burned as it just promotes promiscuity. 6. Upon closing he opened the floor for questions, but only answered 4 questions and then said "OK that is it; I hope you all have an HIV free life. Remember true love waits!!" Reasons why Opening and Presentation was ineffective 1. Not prepared 2. Had not done research as to who his audience was going to be relevant to them. 3. Had no idea on how to address teenagers. 4. Had no interaction with the audience. 5. His Opening was only Statistics. 6. He gave information that was totally misleading. 7. There was minimal room for questions. 8. It was more a one-sided opinionated sermon Reference(s) Mary Munter, COPYRIGHT 1998 Meeting Technology: From Low-Tech to High-Tech. Contributors: - author....For example, an Aids presentation to a group of Teenagers, it is essential to touch on basic topics such as self-esteem, peer pressure, social myths, etc. Beginning immediately with statistics and charts you will immediately lose their attention. This can be observed in their body language, i.e. fidgeting, drawing, no eye contact, etc. If you open the presentation with an introduction, statement, story or an interactive game, you will retain the audience throughout the presentation. An interactive game can be used to demonstrate how the HIV virus is spreads instead of just verbally giving facts. High-Tech. Contributors: - author. Journal Title: Business Communication Quarterly. Volume: 61. Issue: 2. Publication Year: 1998. Page Number: 80+. COPYRIGHT 1998 Association for Business Communication; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group

Monday, January 27, 2020

A critical analysis of my clinical practice and reflection

A critical analysis of my clinical practice and reflection Introduction This assignment will discuss the development of my professional skills, learning opportunities, and activities that have developed and benefited my learning experiences. I will use reflection and referrer back to written work in my portfolio this will link the theory to practice and will show a continuous improvement in the knowledge and understanding that I have gained in previous placements, according to Beskine (2009) practice from clinical placements are fundamental in allowing students to put the theory learned at university into practice under the supervision of an experienced mentor. As registered nurse I must be able to justify any action or decision made, this can be seen throughout my portfolio as I have tried to justify any action or decision I have made through evidence based knowledge and research findings, according to Richards and Edward (2003) who have stated that public trust and confidence in the profession is dependant on its practitioners being seen to exercise their accountability to ensure that the interests of the patient is respected. The Quality Assurance Agency (1997) has defined a portfolio as a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and achievements when planning for their personal educational and career development. As a registered nurse my goals will be to further my life long learning and gain as many skills as possible to enable me to carry out my practice safely and with competence. The evidence of this shall be shown through the ongoing development of my portfolio, which will identify opportunities for growth in my personal and professional life. According to Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) 2004, It is necessary to show motivation and commitment through the development and planning of your own learning. There will also be discussion on the clinical skills laboratories (CLS). Main Body The Students rational for choosing the topic of; compression bandaging for leg ulcers; was the shock, when she realised that the estimated cost to the NHS in managing leg ulcers is  £300-600 million a year. (Simon et al 2004) In the UK alone, it has been estimated that between 80,000 and 100,000 people will have had a leg ulcer at one time or another, with some remaining unhealed for more than 10 years. (Walker Adderly 2007). Managing leg ulcers also places a considerable drain on health resources, with district nursing spending between 25-50% of their time treating patients with leg ulcers (Casey 1999), according to Briggs and Closs (2003), a large part of the nurses workload especially in the community is taken up with this task, as people get older they are at increased risk of developing arterial and venous incompetence, which is the underlying cause of leg ulceration, improved life expectancy means the number of people with ulcers is likely to rise (Franks and Moffatt, 2007). The student noticed this more on her final 14 week management placement with the community nurses; half of her time spent with the nurses was taken up with changing compression bandages. Reflecting back, the student looked at her logs from first year [Appendix 1] and noticed that the treatment of leg ulcers has not changed dramatically in these past three years, but the students perception knowledge and understanding of this condition has. Reflection provides a framework upon which individuals can modify both perception and behaviour based upon experience (Dewey, 1933; Schà ¶n, 1983). It is also considered to be a central part of developing expertise (Sternberg, 1999). When the student first went to a community placement in 2nd year, she along with her mentor attended a patient with leg ulcers, [Appendice2] she assisted the nurse when she washed the patients leg, using tap water, the leg was dried and a mixture of 50%50 w/w cream; (Ointment containing 50% w/w Liquid Paraffin BP and 50% w/w White Soft Paraffin), was applied below the knee of the leg, then watched as the district nurse, applied a modified form of compression bandaging. The student and her classmates had practiced this procedure in CLS labs, week three, Care of the patient with chronic wounds; the labs are designed to ensure flexibility of use in providing an environment where clinical skills learning can be facilitated to support a diversity of clinical learning experiences and environments. Every year the NHS pays out about  £400 million in settlement of clinical negligence claims.   It is increasingly recognised that up to as much as 70 -80% of medical error could be attributed to poor technical skills; those most at risk of committing errors are inexperienced practitioners. Creating simulated scenarios allows us to practice our skills and make mistakes in a safe environment (Engle 2008). The nurse explained that there where different causes for the ulcers and also different dressings and compression therapies. The student also looked up the pathophysiology, and the psychological effects of the condition, linking theory to practice, reading journals and articles the student got an overview of the disease, failing venous valves lead to blood pooling in the veins. This is confirmed by the use of a Doppler ultrasound, which tests the flow of blood in the leg. Cells and fluid, from the blood leak into the surrounding tissue, causing oedema. Red blood cells, leak into the tissue and break down, resulting in brown staining of the skin known as, haemosiderin. Further tissue damage occurs when white blood cells clump together to cause inflammatory reactions. Congestion in the veins results in reduced blood flow. Tissues do not receive adequate nutrition and the skin becomes dry, flaky and itchy. Lipodermatosclerosis can also occur, caused by fibrosis of the fatty tissue, maki ng the leg hard and woody to touch, this makes the skin fragile and scratching or trauma may lead to ulceration of the leg and a chronic wound that could take weeks or months sometimes years to heal (Stud 2009). According to (RCN 2006), (SIGN 26, 1998) compression bandage therapy is the gold standard treatment for venous leg ulcers. The bandage types are classified depending on the degree of sub bandage pressure they exert on the limb, the highest pressure is up to 40mmHg at the ankle (resting pressure), gradually reducing to about 17mmHg just below the knee Anderson (2008). Achieving this healing depends mostly on the patients willingness to accept clinically effective care; many of the patients feel that they cannot carry on with the treatment as the compression bandaging is uncomfortable. The graduated compression starts with the highest pressure at the ankle, this squeezes the lower leg as the calf muscle changes shape on movement, but the muscle movement is constrained by the compression bandage with the effect of increasing the squeeze on the veins in the legs, as the muscle movement is concentrated inward and if the vein is relatively intact it will more likely close with the extra pressure from the compression (Anderson 2008). This movement may prevent the backflow of blood as the calf muscle is strong and the speed of the venous blood is increased it could mean that the white blood cells are less likely to clump together thus reducing inflammation in the blood vessel (Oduncu et al 2004). Using compression this way, will increase flow, reduce venous reflux and ankle oedema, therefore improving the microcirculation and encourage the healing process (Board and Harlow 2002). As the flow improves nutrients reaching the skin again will improve the sensitivity and dryness of the skin. The compression therapy is not a cure it may be a lifelong process where the patient has to be properly supported. The patients psychological wellbeing is also monitored, (Jones et al 2008), studies carried out show that patients with chronic leg ulcers suffer from depression and feel socially isolated, they restrict their social lives because of the exudates and odour leaking through the bandages. In many cases the ulcer will heal with relative ease once the oedema is under control approximately 12 weeks (Moffat et al 1992). Larger ulcers may take months or years to heal, (Palfreyman et al 2007) effective treatment should help reduce the symptoms and quality of life for the patients, this is why a holistic approach is needed to ensure the patients psychological needs are also met; this in turn may encourage compliance on the patients part. The student is now in her final placement which is back in the community, she has her own case load of four patients. One of these patients has a leg ulcer, she wears compression stockings, while this is not a chronic ulcer great care still has to be taken, as the recurrence rate of venous ulcers is high, hosiery helps to reduce the risk and prolongs the time in a healed state (Bradley 2001). The student also went out with the district nurse who is mentoring her, she allowed her, under her direct supervision to wash and apply the dressings to one of her clients who has a chronic leg ulcer, it is recognised that students must be given opportunities to participate in various clinical skills, the NMC (2006) requires mentors to be able to support student nurses develop nursing competencies, while being professionally accountable for the student, and also provide support and assessment while on placement. Prior to undertaking the wound dressing, the student had to demonstrate an appreciation of the theoretical and practical aspects underpinning the procedure of compression bandaging to the mentor. This was done by the student reading journals on wound care, looking up articles on the internet, and then discussing them with her mentor. The clients consent was given, this allowed the student to carry out the procedure. The student read the last entry in the care plan to see what dressings where used previously. Then she gathered all the equipment that she would need, Towels, cream, water, a dressing depending on how bad the leg would depend on what dressing was used. The bandaging comes in kit form and is priced according to size from  £5.65 to  £10.58 (Scottish drug tariff 2007). Reading the care plan the student knew that this patient has had a chronic venous leg ulcer, for about 6 weeks, the measurements were taken at every dressing change to see if the ankle circumference has changed due to the reduction of oedema. The leg was stripped down, it was very wet and smelly, the dirty dressing then went into the bag provided and disposed of in the bin. The leg was washed with Epaderm Cream, this is very effective in moisturising the leg it counteracts the loss of essential oils from the skin. As the student knew that her mentor was going to ask her to perform the task, she looked up her reflective diaries in her portfolio and read back on them to see how she carried out the procedure then, and how she felt about carrying them out. According to Redfern and Hull (1997), portfolios offer an important contribution in the form of a step-by-step method that reflects practice. The student had written an account of her past experience in the first year log, as she had not used a model of reflection it was difficult to remember how she felt carrying out the procedure, she did describe the task well enough but the feeling and evaluation would have been useful, how did she feel about the task, was the wound really odorous, was the patient satisfied with the outcome, would she have carried out the procedure the same way, coming back to the present task the action plan would have been very handy. Gibbs model for reflection (1988), the student has applied this model to most of her work throughout the three years of placements, but at the beginning of her training she did not, she now realises that using models of reflection in essays and practice portfolios gives written evidence that shows critical thinking, and relates theory to practice. Using the six stages of Gibbs reflective model, description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, action plan, by using this model the student can analyse her learning experience, and present this as evidence against NMC standards. The student also looked out and read tissue viability journals and wound supplements and searched the internet for wound care information. Current governmental policies have called for all professional groups to work within a framework of evidence-based practice (EBP) which is underpinned by continuing professional development. The essence of all this is to ensure that all health care professionals operate within a framework of clinical governance that assures clinical competence and provision of quality health care. (Basford and Slevin, 2003). Once the leg was washed and dried a hydrocolloid dressing was applied, this helps absorb some of the exudates, the student then applied the wool padding using a simple spiral technique with a 50% overlap, this helps to protect bony prominences and pads the ankle out. The third step is a light conforming bandage, the foot is flexed to 90 degrees and the bandage is applied from the toes to the knees also using a simple spiral technique with a 50% overlap. The forth step is applying the cohesive bandage, the student made sure the mentor was happy with what was done so far before carrying on she also asked the patient if he was alright, then keeping the foot flexed to a 90 degree angle the bandage was applied with a 50% overlap and a 50% stretch, ensuring the heel was completely covered. The student felt cautious about carrying out the final stage of this procedure because of the implication, for instance if the dressing was too tight it may cause trauma to the leg, but the mentor supervised all the way through the procedure, when the bandaging was finished the student felt that she had carried the task to the best of her ability, there was a feeling of satisfaction the bandage looked neat and secure the patient offered no complaints. When the student had asked his consent he told her that he would say immediately if he felt uncomfortable, because of the exudates the bandage would only be on for two days not a week as is the usual time in between dressing. The patient will be holistically re-assessed each week and his progress recorded, the student filled in the patients care plan and her mentor countersigned, as a student nurse preparing to register with the NMC you have both a legal and professional duty of care. This should be demonstarted in your ability to keep a record and full account of any assessment and care that you have planned for or provided (NMC 2004). The student didnt think she could have done any better, she was pleased that he mentor allowed her to carry out this procedure, a little weary about the 50% overlap and stretching the bandage, but was confident in her practice, the task went smoothly. The student will continue to reflect and study leg ulcers and compression bandaging to further her knowledge. The mentor observed the student performing the task, under direct supervision, she assessed that the student was working to the correct and appropriate standard for her level of training, this will be recorded in the students assessment practice record and signed. While in practice mentors are assessing students against the NMC standards of proficiency, they are not only assessing their practical skills, but their knowledge levels and attitudes which underpin their practice (Richards and Edwards 2003). Conclusion In this assignment I have disscused the learning opportunities and the activities that have helped develope my professional development in the area of compression bandaging for the care of leg ulcers. I have shown that reflection and reference to previous work and teaching materials have developed my skills, confidence, knowledge and intuition in the care of managing leg ulcers and applying the appropriate dressings and therefore linking my theory to practice. I have shown the ability to justify reasoning for any actions or decisions which I make through evidence based practice, knowledge and research findings. For my professional development and future practice I will continue to futher my life-long learning and gain as many skillls as possible to enable me to carry out my practice safely and with competence. The evidence of this shall be shown through the ongoing development of my portfolio which will identify opportunities for growth in my personal and professional life.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Computer Maintenance Agency’s Organizational chart Essay

I have worked in a private organization called as Computer Maintenance Agency (CMA) as a junior customer engineer for a period of one year. CMA is linked with a government organization called as National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). NRSC is popularly known as wing of Indian space research organization. CMA mainly works with network maintenance and system administration by signing an annual contract with NRSC. The CMA organization consists of director, customer support manager, team leaders and engineers. For every two years, NRSC invites the tenders for annual contract maintenance services for their system administrations and network maintenances. My organization, CMA actively participates in the tenders and prepares a low quotation for getting the tender contract. The director is mainly responsible for taking the decisions on the tenders and organizes the company policies in a systematic manner. The customer support manager is the one who helps the director in estimating a suitable quotation for the tenders and informs the director about the tender handling process. The customer support manager responsibilities include customer satisfaction, recruiting and training the employees, implementing the organization strategic policies, resolving problems and monitoring the objectives of tenders. The team leaders under the customer support manager work with the clients of different zones, typically three zones (zone1, zone 2 and zone 3). The zone 1 is known as NRSC Data Center, the zone 2 is known as NRSC Data Processing and the zone 3 is known as NRSC Software Division. The team leader of a particular zone consists of a set of engineers who were divided as senior customer engineers and junior customer engineers. The team leader job duties include reporting the technical issues to the customer support manager, leading and motivating the engineers, tracking the daily work performance and providing the feedback to the customer support manager. The engineers under a team leader works on issues like system administration, network issues, troubleshooting  problems, and hardware and software issues. The engineers will have a direct contact with the clients through web application. The whole organization performance and progress depends upon the efficiency of the engineers. Failure in the performance of the engineers may lead to the organization loss. The main internal problems in CMA include the organization budget issues, system performance, lack of communication between the senior customer engineers and the junior customer engineers, and mostly time management issues.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 20

Dante was waiting for me when I got home. I normally liked having the company, but after being with Seth, Dante's presence now made me feel uncomfortable and confused. He didn't seem to notice right away, though, and instead was immediately caught up by Maddie's condo packet. â€Å"What's this?† he asked, leafing through some pages. â€Å"Maddie's been playing real estate agent for me.† â€Å"Wow. I didn't think you were serious about that.† I leaned back on the couch, weary from dancing, sex, and the emotional miasma I seemed to be swimming through lately. Bringing up Maddie didn't make me feel so great. â€Å"I didn't think I was either. I mentioned it offhand, and she kind of went crazy.† â€Å"Alki Beach, huh? Some of these are pretty nice.† He held up one print-out. â€Å"Brand-new condo, still being built. You can weigh in on the colors and trim.† I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. I don't have time to go shopping right now.† â€Å"One of the power spots on your list is near Alki. You could swing by.† I gave him a puzzled look. â€Å"Since when are you interested in me moving?† He sat down opposite me, still looking through the listings. â€Å"Well, if you buy locally, I can rest easy that you're sticking around. Besides, get a bigger place, and we could try some cohabitation.† That caught me off-guard. â€Å"Oh?† â€Å"You gave me a key. I might as well live here anyway.† â€Å"You're going to freeload off me for some more space, huh?† I teased. He sighed, looking pained. â€Å"Man, you really do think the worst. I'd pay you rent.† â€Å"With what?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"Business has been good. I think things are on the upswing.† â€Å"No offense, baby, but your business doesn't seem like the type that can maintain that kind of momentum. I think this has been a fluke.† I spoke too soon and felt bad when I realized I'd hurt him. â€Å"But we can play it by ear if you want to move in. Maybe your reputation's spreading, and business will keep booming.† He seemed a little mollified after that, yet as I spoke the words, I found I wasn't overly thrilled at the prospect of us living together. I still had Seth on the brain. Obsessing on him was foolish, I knew. This fling of ours could only last a few more days at most. I shouldn't be mooning over him when I'd just be going back to Dante anyway. Dante wanted to know how my beach investigation had gone, and I welcomed the change in subject. I gave him a brief rundown of my non-progress. â€Å"You want me to look with you?† he asked. â€Å"I've finally got some time tomorrow.† I hesitated. The truth was, just before we'd parted, Seth had said he'd look with me and that he'd bring Kayla. The afterglow could be very persuasive. Still, I'd had to do a lot of convincing that she'd be safe, and honestly, I hoped I was right. â€Å"I roped some other people into it,† I said. â€Å"We should be fine.† I feared he'd question me further, particularly about whether I had a psychic to go with me or not. Mercifully, he let it go. I honestly didn't think he wanted to wander beaches and was grateful for the reprieve. When we went to bed later, there was no way I could put his arduous advances off any longer, not without raising suspicion. I'd made a good recovery and no longer had my back excuse. Yet†¦something was nagging at me. Dante himself had been the one to first joke about whether I could get pregnant in my pseudo-human state. I still didn't know if that was possible, and even if it was, would it matter if I returned to my immortal state in a few days? I had no clue how any of this would work, but Seth and I hadn't used protection. And suddenly, I realized that if there were any chance in the world that I could get pregnant-if Nyx's vision might really come true-I didn't want to chance a paternity dispute. So, I turned on the charm for Dante and went down on him again, something he didn't really seem to mind. He tried to get me off in return, but it was to no avail. After being with Seth, I had zero desire of my own and found I couldn't come. And so, for the first time with Dante, I faked it. I was a pretty good faker. He never suspected. He slept late the next morning, so I slipped out early without waking him. Seth and I were meeting over at a restaurant in Bellevue, hopefully far enough away from anyone we knew to see us. While walking to my car, I felt someone fall into step beside me. â€Å"So, I hear you're spreading stories about me,† Cedric said amiably. Startled, I glanced over at him, unease spreading through me. Cedric was my suspect du jour, and I'd already seen one demon's reaction to my theories. Of course, he didn't look particularly destructive at the moment, and there was also the fact that I had yet to tell anyone my latest theories about him implicating Nanette. â€Å"What do you mean?† I asked. â€Å"Kristin said you said that I told Nanette how you thought she might have summoned Jerome.† He paused as though trying to make sense of that. â€Å"For the record, I didn't.† I nearly stopped walking. â€Å"Then who did?† â€Å"Hell if I know. Just figured you should know I wasn't responsible for what happened to you.† He offered no more, no condolences or queries to my health. I honestly couldn't expect that from a demon. The fact that he'd bothered to come talk to me was a rarity enough-and naturally, he could be lying. â€Å"Well, I don't know who else could have told her, then. Or why. I only told a handful of people.† The more I thought about it, the more I realized he had to be lying. I'd only told my friends. He maintained his perfectly bland face. â€Å"Like I said, I don't know.† We reached my car, and I paused, leaning against it. â€Å"You came all the way here to tell me this?† Not that it would have been an arduous journey for him. â€Å"Don't flatter yourself,† he said with a smile. â€Å"I'm here to chat with your demonesses. Hell's pretty much ruled out Jerome coming back. There'll be someone official here in days to settle the matter.† I tried to ignore the chill that sent down my spine and parse the rest of his words. Cedric was cozying up to Grace and Mei. Not a surprise. Whoever came here to assign a new archdemon would question those two the most. â€Å"Well, thank you,† I said. I didn't really know what else to say in that matter, so I switched to something else that had been on my mind. â€Å"Hey, I haven't heard much about your cult lately.† â€Å"Yeah, they've been pretty quiet. Maybe you helped after all.† â€Å"Well, I don't think I did much.† I was also starting to suspect the cult had nothing left to do. Now that their â€Å"Angel† had used them as an effective distraction during Jerome's summoning, they were no longer needed. I clicked my door open, and another curious thought struck me. â€Å"How's it going with Tawny?† Cedric grimaced. â€Å"Well†¦we went out a couple of times.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"My private life is no concern of yours.† â€Å"Fair enough.† I started to get in. â€Å"But if you must know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I paused and arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Her conversation is†¦lacking a little,† he admitted. I couldn't help it. I laughed. â€Å"Are you seriously surprised by that?† â€Å"Beauty's skin deep, I know†¦I guess I'd just hoped for a little more depth.† I chose not to comment on what he considered beautiful. â€Å"Don't take this the wrong way, but I figured you wouldn't really want more than cheap sex.† He cut me a look. â€Å"Because I'm a demon?† â€Å"Don't look at me like that. Being romantic isn't really in your job description.† â€Å"True, true. But at the very least, I'd like to have a little understanding with my cheap sex. Someone who had some vague inkling of what I endure on a daily basis.† He was still being gruff and demonlike, but there was a faint whisper of something surprisingly human under there. I started to tell him that I didn't think that was very likely. Then, I thought of Kristin, Kristin who watched him with doe eyes and fretted over his well-being. â€Å"Someone who sort of gets your job and has an appreciation for its absurdity? Someone who's interested in helping you when you're stressed, in connecting with you and understanding things to an extent where you don't even have to say them anymore? Is that what you're looking for?† He snorted. â€Å"Yeah, like that'll happen.† â€Å"I don't know. Maybe there's someone out there like that.† â€Å"You may not have been human for a long time, but you still cling to their delusions. That's fairy-tale stuff. You can't have that. I can't have that. See you later.† He vanished, uncaring of any mortals who might see him. I stared vacantly at where he'd been, wondering if what he said was true. Was he missing a good match right in front of him? Or was Kristin deluding herself with her crush on him? And was I deluding myself with my feelings for Seth? Was I really feeling connected to him or was it all just lust? There was no use fretting about any of it now. Cedric didn't seem to want to kill me at the moment, so that was the best I could get. I drove over to Bellevue, just in time for the morning commute out of the city to be winding down. Bellevue was a suburb, a city in its own right, and the restaurant we'd chosen was in Bellevue's old downtown, one that had eventually been supplanted when a mall rearranged the city's trendy areas. The place was a quiet little bistro, tucked between a jewelry store and a bakery. Seth and Kayla were already there. She sat in a booster seat beside him, examining a stuffed unicorn while he leafed through a menu. Seeing both of them sent ripples of warmth and happiness through me. â€Å"Hey guys,† I said, sliding in across from them. Kayla gave me a shy smile, and Seth positively lit up. His hair was as messy as usual, and his T-shirt today advertised Trix, a cereal I'd forgotten even existed. â€Å"Thanks for doing this,† I said. â€Å"I really appreciate it.† Seth's smile grew, though I saw the tiniest bit of apprehension in his eyes. â€Å"Just so long as you're sure it's†¦you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He glanced over at Kayla, who was groping for her glass. Seth hastily intervened to help her before she could knock it over. â€Å"It'll be easy,† I said. â€Å"Maybe even boring. We'll just walk around and look for something resembling white stone or rock.† â€Å"And Kayla can help?† I turned toward the little girl. She glanced between both of us, her blue eyes wide and eerily knowing. â€Å"I think so. Again, at this point, she just senses stuff without really understanding why. If we get anywhere near Jerome, I think she'll show some sort of reaction, even if she doesn't know what it is.† At least I hoped so. After that, we didn't mention our mission for the rest of the meal. We made small talk instead and fawned over Kayla, but it was almost something we did on autopilot, something we weren't even paying attention to. Really, Seth and I were consumed by each other. It was more than just lust too, though I certainly hoped he'd noticed my low-cut top today. I found myself just aglow from his presence. I loved being close to him, feeling the joy that spread within me. It was like falling in love again. It was that connection and understanding that Cedric had said was a fairy tale. And even when we finished up and went and scoped out our first beach, that electricity and warmth continued flowing between us. Kayla walked between us for a while, with each of us holding one of her hands. She struggled a little with the sand but seemed infinitely fascinated by the sights around her: the waves, the seagulls, other children. The rain had faded away today, and we had sunshine taunting us with the hope that spring had truly arrived. We found no white rocks, however, and Kayla had no out-of-the-ordinary reactions like she'd had with me in the past, or even with Dante. When we got to our second beach, she began slowing down, and I realized this wasn't going to be the aggressive day of hunting I'd hoped for. After a while, Seth picked her up and carried her. She managed to stay awake until we finished our search but promptly fell asleep in the car. I knew we'd have to call it a day, but we stopped off at a little caf? ¦ on the way home that served great desserts. We settled into a corner booth, Seth and me sitting side by side while I held Kayla on my lap. We decided to simply split a piece of cheesecake, and naturally, I required coffee. Kayla still leaned drowsily against me, but she'd valiantly woken up as though sensing the approach of sugar. I brushed her hair back from her face. â€Å"Hey,† I said gently. â€Å"Did you see anything magic today?† That was how she'd referred to me in the past. She shook her head and reached up to touch my cheek in a mirror of my own gesture. â€Å"When will you be magic again?† she asked. â€Å"I don't know,† I told her. â€Å"Soon.† Seth's leg against mine was starting to stir up some illicit feelings, something I felt a little ashamed of with Kayla there. I was further startled when I glanced up at him and saw not lust in his eyes, but rather, something soft and tender. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Why are you looking at me like that?† â€Å"Because of you,† he said. â€Å"Just the way you interact with her†¦it's remarkable.† â€Å"Because I can get her to talk?† He shook his head. â€Å"Nah. More than that. I've seen it with the other girls. You have a knack with kids. You'd make a great mother.† Maddie had made the same offhand comment. I don't think Seth had ever really and truly grasped how much I'd pined for children. His words filled me with both elation and sorrow. For an instant, I considered telling him about Nyx's dream and the bizarre pregnancy theory. Those things were too fragile and too precious to me, however, and the cheesecake's serendipitous arrival saved me from further deliberation. The cheesecake was lemon raspberry, a bit adventurous for Kayla, perhaps, but she ate it without hesitation. Seth gave up on his share before us, and she and I finished it down to the last bite. â€Å"Perfect,† he mused. â€Å"I'll return her to Terry and Andrea, just in time for her the sugar rush to kick in. They'll never let her go out again.† He frowned. â€Å"Will you need her again? I think she has some kind of play-date thing tomorrow.† I sighed, and reality dimmed my golden moment. â€Å"I don't know. I'm running out of close places. I'll have to head up north next, up around Edmonds, though Dante pointed out that Jerome could be farther out-out on the Olympic Peninsula or something. The summoners would want to keep him close, but ‘close' could mean ten miles or a hundred.† â€Å"You're not going to be able to go out to the coast in an easy day trip,† observed Seth. Under the table, his hand rested on mine out of sympathy. â€Å"I'm sorry.† I squeezed his hand in return. â€Å"It'll be as it'll be, I guess.† â€Å"I still want to help if I can.† I offered him a rueful smile. â€Å"You want to help me get back to being a succubus?† His return smile was equally bittersweet. â€Å"There's no way any of this can end well, Georgina. Sometimes†¦sometimes we have to choose the lesser of evils and simply enjoy our sweet moments while we can.† Like this one. And through some shared instinct, we both fell silent, savoring this brief interlude, this dream we'd gotten ourselves ensnared in. For now, it was enough to just sit together like this. His hand moved idly on my leg, offering comfort and love†¦at least for a little while. Before long, the sweet affection turned into something with a bit more desire. I met his eyes, and while it wasn't the same animal intensity that had thrown me against the wall last night, there was still a longing in his eyes that told me how much he wanted me, to be closer to me. My body responded to it, and then we both glanced over at Kayla, who had fallen asleep again. We laughed, realizing the absurdity of our current situation. â€Å"I should get her back,† said Seth. â€Å"Yeah,† I said, sad at the thought of parting but certainly not aroused enough to make out while his niece was around. He drove me back to my car in Bellevue. Our parting kiss was gentle and light, almost hesitant. It seemed typical of this entire affair, like it was hardly real and would blow away at any moment. â€Å"Anything you need, Thetis,† he breathed into my ear. â€Å"Anything you need, I'll do it. You know I will.† A flower of agony and euphoria burst open in my chest. He hadn't called me Thetis, his old pet name for me, since the day we broke up. â€Å"I know,† I murmured into his shirt. â€Å"I know.† I returned to Queen Anne not long after that, getting a nice spot right in front of my building. My head was swimming with Seth and Kayla and Jerome and a hundred other things. I was so distracted that when I stepped into my apartment, I nearly walked right past Grace sitting on my couch. Of course, considering she was the first demon all week who hadn't attacked me the instant I cleared the door, my reaction to her subtlety was understandable. â€Å"Grace?† I asked curiously, as though maybe it wasn't her. She was leafing through a copy of Seattle Metropolitan magazine, their issue on Seattle's best brunches. When she glanced up at me, there was a tiredness in her eyes that even demonic perfection couldn't hide. Seeing her alone was almost as strange as her being here at all. I'd grown so used to her and Mei being a unit that their forced separation lately seemed almost as tragic as Jerome's summoning. â€Å"There you are,† she said. â€Å"I almost left.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said. I meant it. I seemed to be on her and Mei's good side lately and wanted to keep it that way. Demons didn't like waiting, and without that innate connection of an archdemon, she couldn't instantly find me across time and space. Grace gave a half-hearted shrug. â€Å"I don't mind. It's rather pleasant having a few moments' respite from all the politics and bickering.† â€Å"I can imagine.† I frowned. â€Å"No, wait. I don't think I can.† I swear, I thought for a second she might laugh, but she kept that same stone face she excelled at. â€Å"It'll all be over soon, which is why I came to see you. Mei and I have been talking to all of the other lesser immortals today. The day after tomorrow, a corporate demon named Ephraim will be making his final decision on who will replace Jerome.† A cold lump settled into my stomach. â€Å"So soon?† â€Å"Hell doesn't like to waste time and resources.† â€Å"I guess not.† â€Å"Ephraim's already in the area and may come speak to you as he attempts to assess the situation. He'll want to know about your job, how things ran under Jerome, etc.† With each word, my spirits sank further and further. My window to find Jerome was shriveling up. We were going to get a new archdemon anytime now. â€Å"Don't be afraid to speak the truth,† she advised. â€Å"I know that's often a concern among lesser immortals, for fear of causing offense.† â€Å"Something like that,† I muttered, thinking of Nanette. â€Å"Clearly, you don't want to actively anger Ephraim, but he has no affiliations with anyone currently involved in the dispute here. He won't punish you for stating your opinion.† â€Å"I'm guessing he might not listen to it either.† There it was. A tiny quirky of her lips, gone so quickly that I wasn't even sure I saw it. She rose from the sofa and absentmindedly tugged on her blazer. It was deep, deep red, paired with sleek black trousers and patent leather heels. Underneath the collar of her coat, I caught a glimpse of that same chunky necklace she'd worn at the meeting. I recalled Mei's sleeker one and couldn't resist my next words. â€Å"This may sound weird†¦but I can't help but notice you and Mei are dressing differently lately.† As soon as I said that, I hoped she wouldn't get mad at me essentially calling her and Mei copycats. Fortunately, she remained as blas? ¦ as usual. â€Å"In these times, it's wise to distinguish yourself. None of our jobs are secure right now.† I did a double-take. In all of this madness, it had never occurred to me that Grace and Mei might have something to fear. But of course they did. When Hell did re-orgs, they tended to tweak the larger structure. They could very well decide to transfer Grace and Mei and institute a whole new set of demonic leaders here. I didn't like that idea any better than losing Jerome. I wanted things to stay the same. And studying that fatigue I'd seen on Grace's face, I realized I wasn't the only one with a lot to worry about. â€Å"Well†¦for what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job. You've had to do so much clean-up and damage control, and then with all these demons†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head. â€Å"I don't know. They'd be stupid not to recognize that.† The strangest look came over Grace's face. I would have almost called it surprise, but her careful, icy composure made it hard to say for sure. â€Å"Thank you, Georgina.† Her voice was stiff, like dealing with compliments made her uncomfortable. â€Å"I hope you'll share your feelings with Ephraim, should he speak with you.† â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"No problem.† After a quick glance at my kitchen clock, she turned back to me and gave a smart nod. â€Å"I have to meet with the others. I'll speak with you again soon.† She vanished, but I could offer no farewell in return. I had just seen something. Something that changed everything. I stood frozen. This whole time, for the last week, something had been percolating in my head. I'd noted Grace and Mei's dedication to their job, how they were always there to help when chaos broke out. I'd noted also how they'd been forced to split up a lot lately with the new workload, and as Grace had said, they would now probably be scrutinized individually. And why wouldn't they be? If someone was going to scout for a new demon to run Seattle, why not look at the ones who were already running it? â€Å"Oh my God,† I breathed. But there was more to it than that. It wasn't just that Grace or Mei had the perfect motive to get Jerome summoned. I had more than motive before me. I had proof. Sprinting to my bedroom, I searched frantically for the photo of Mary's medallion, certain it would be gone. Nope. It was still there, knocked off my nightstand to the floor. I picked it up. â€Å"Oh my God .† There it was. When Grace had turned her head, I'd caught a fuller glimpse of the chunky necklace and its network of brown and black stones. The answer had been right in front of me. At the Cellar meeting, I'd noticed a piece of the necklace's stonework shaped like a crescent moon. I hadn't recognized it as anything more than ornamentation, but now, comparing the photo to what I'd just seen on Grace, the truth was obvious. Grace had part of the seal. It was the left side of the medallion, separated in an irregular way to give it that fanciful crescent shape. But I'd seen the fine etchings of the symbols when she tilted her head. They were the same. It was the seal. The picture fell from my hands, and I ran back to the living room, grappling for my cell phone. My hands shook, and I could barely dial. Of course, for a second, I wasn't sure who I was dialing. Hugh, I decided. I had to tell him and the rest of my friends that- â€Å"Drop it.† A strong hand covered my mouth and jerked me backward. My back hit somebody, a tall man with a rock-solid chest. His other hand reached out and wrapped around my wrist, making the links of my watch dig in painfully. â€Å"Drop it,† he said. â€Å"I know what you saw. I saw it too. But you can't tell anyone. Not yet.† I could barely hear through the pounding of my heart in my ears, but it didn't matter. I knew this voice, knew it intimately. It had haunted my dreams-or rather, my nightmares-for the last six months. It was a sign of how truly out of it I'd been after Nanette attacked me that I hadn't recognized his voice that day. I dropped the phone. He released his grip on my wrist, and a moment later, the hand on my mouth moved away as well. Miraculously, I didn't start screaming. Slowly, slowly, I turned around, knowing exactly what I'd find. Blue-green eyes, just like the sea I'd grown up around. â€Å"Roman.†