Part Two Chapter X

X Andrew left Yarvil at half-past three, to be sure of getting back to Hilltop House before five. Fats accompanied him to the bus stop and then, apparently on a whim, told Andrew that he thought he would stay in town for a bit, after all. Fats had made a loose arrangement to meet Krystal in the shopping centre. He strolled back towards the shops, thinking about what Andrew had done in the internet cafe, and trying to disentangle his own reactions. He had to admit that he was impressed; in fact, he felt somewhat upstaged. Andrew had thought the business through, and kept it to himself, and executed it efficiently: all of this was admirable. Fats experienced a twinge of pique that Andrew had formulated the plan without saying a word to him, and this led Fats to wonder whether, perhaps, he ought not to deplore the undercover nature of Andrew's attack on his father. Was there not something slippery and over-sophisticated about it; would it not have been more authentic to threaten Simon to his face or to take a swing at him? Yes, Simon was a shit, but he was undoubtedly an authentic shit; he did what he wanted, when he wanted, without submitting to societal constraints or conventional morality. Fats asked himself whether his sympathies ought not to lie with Simon, whom he liked entertaining with crude, crass humour focused mainly on people making tits of themselves or suffering slapstick injuries. Fats often told himself that he would rather have Simon, with his volatility, his unpredictable picking of fights – a worthy opponent, an engaged adversary – than Cubby. On the other hand, Fats had not forgotten the falling tin of creosote, Simon's brutish face and fists, the terrifying noise he had made, the sensation of hot wet piss running down his own legs, and (perhaps most shameful of all) his whole-hearted, desperate yearning for Tessa to come and take him away to safety. Fats was not yet so invulnerable that he was unsympathetic to Andrew's desire for retribution. So Fats came full circle: Andrew had done something daring, ingenious and potentially explosive in its consequences. Again Fats experienced a small pang of chagrin that it had not been he who had thought of it. He was trying to rid himself of his own acquired middle-class reliance on words, but it was difficult to forgo a sport at which he excelled, and as he trod the polished tiles of the shopping centre forecourt, he found himself turning phrases that would blow Cubby's self-important pretensions apart and strip him naked before a jeering public †¦ He spotted Krystal among a small crowd of Fields kids, grouped around the benches in the middle of the thoroughfare between shops. Nikki, Leanne and Dane Tully were among them. Fats did not hesitate, nor appear to gather himself in the slightest, but continued to walk at the same speed, his hands in his pockets, into the battery of curious critical eyes, raking him from the top of his head to his trainers. ‘All righ', Fatboy?' called Leanne. ‘All right?' responded Fats. Leanne muttered something to Nikki, who cackled. Krystal was chewing gum energetically, colour high in her cheeks, throwing back her hair so that her earrings danced, tugging up her tracksuit bottoms. ‘All right?' Fats said to her, individually. ‘Yeah,' she said. ‘Duz yer mum know yer out, Fats?' asked Nikki. ‘Yeah, she brought me,' said Fats calmly, into the greedy silence. ‘She's waiting outside in the car; she says I can have a quick shag before we go home for tea.' They all burst out laughing except Krystal, who squealed, ‘Fuck off, you cheeky bastard!' but looked gratified. ‘You smokin' rollies?' grunted Dane Tully, his eyes on Fats' breast pocket. He had a large black scab on his lip. ‘Yeah,' said Fats. ‘Me uncle smokes them,' said Dane. ‘Knackered his fuckin' lungs.' He picked idly at the scab. ‘Where're you two goin'?' asked Leanne, squinting from Fats to Krystal. ‘Dunno,' said Krystal, chewing her gum, glancing sideways at Fats. He did not enlighten either of them, but indicated the exit of the shopping centre with a jerk of his thumb. ‘Laters,' Krystal said loudly to the rest. Fats gave them a careless half-raised hand in farewell and walked away, Krystal striding along beside him. He heard more laughter in their wake, but did not care. He knew that he had acquitted himself well. ‘Where're we goin'?' asked Krystal. ‘Dunno,' said Fats. ‘Where d'you usually go?' She shrugged, walking and chewing. They left the shopping centre and walked on down the high street. They were some distance from the recreation ground, where they had previously gone to find privacy. ‘Didjer mum really drop yeh?' Krystal asked. ‘Course she bloody didn't. I got the bus in, didn't I?' Krystal accepted the rebuke without rancour, glancing sideways into the shop windows at their paired reflections. Stringy and strange, Fats was a school celebrity. Even Dane thought he was funny. ‘He's on'y usin' yeh, yeh stupid bitch,' Ashlee Mellor had spat at her, three days ago, on the corner of Foley Road, ‘because yer a fuckin' whore, like yer mum.' Ashlee had been a member of Krystal's gang until the two of them had clashed over another boy. Ashlee was notoriously not quite right in the head; she was prone to outbursts of rage and tears, and divided most of her time between learning support and guidance when at Winterdown. If further proof were needed of her inability to think through consequences, she had challenged Krystal on her home turf, where Krystal had back-up and she had none. Nikki, Jemma and Leanne had helped corner and hold Ashlee, and Krystal had pummelled and slapped her everywhere she could reach, until her knuckles came away bloody from the other girl's mouth. Krystal was not worried about repercussions. ‘Soft as shite an' twice as runny,' she said of Ashlee and her family. But Ashlee's words had stung a tender, infected place in Krystal's psyche, so it had been balm to her when Fats had sought her out at school the next day and asked her, for the first time, to meet him over the weekend. She had told Nikki and Leanne immediately that she was going out with Fats Wall on Saturday, and had been gratified by their looks of surprise. And to cap it all, he had turned up when he had said he would (or within half an hour of it) right in front of all her mates, and walked away with her. It was like they were properly going out. ‘So what've you been up to?' Fats asked, after they had walked fifty yards in silence, back past the internet cafe. He knew a conventional need to keep some form of communication going, even while he wondered whether they would find a private place before the rec, a half-hour's walk away. He wanted to screw her while they were both stoned; he was curious to know what that was like. ‘I bin ter see my Nana in hospital this mornin', she's ‘ad a stroke,' said Krystal. Nana Cath had not tried to speak this time, but Krystal thought she had known that she was there. As Krystal had expected, Terri was refusing to visit, so Krystal had sat beside the bed on her own for an hour until it was time to leave for the precinct. Fats was curious about the minutiae of Krystal's life; but only in so far as she was an entry point to the real life of the Fields. Particulars such as hospital visits were of no interest to him. ‘An',' Krystal added, with an irrepressible spurt of pride, ‘I've gave an interview to the paper.' ‘What?' said Fats, startled. ‘Why?' ‘Jus' about the Fields,' said Krystal. ‘What it's like growin' up there.' (The journalist had found her at home at last, and when Terri had given her grudging permission, taken her to a cafe to talk. She had kept asking her whether being at St Thomas's had helped Krystal, whether it had changed her life in any way. She had seemed a little impatient and frustrated by Krystal's answers. ‘How are your marks at school?' she had said, and Krystal had been evasive and defensive. ‘Mr Fairbrother said that he thought it broadened your horizons.' Krystal did not know what to say about horizons. When she thought of St Thomas's, it was of her delight in the playing field with the big chestnut tree, which rained enormous glossy conkers on them every year; she had never seen conkers before she went to St Thomas's. She had liked the uniform at first, liked looking the same as everybody else. She had been excited to see her great-grandfather's name on the war memorial in the middle of the Square: Pte Samuel Weedon. Only one other boy had his surname on the war memorial, and that was a farmer's son, who had been able to drive a tractor at nine, and who had once brought a lamb into class for Show and Tell. Krystal had never forgotten the sensation of the lamb's fleece under her hand. When she told Nana Cath about it, Nana Cath had said that their family had been farm labourers once. Krystal had loved the river, green and lush, where they had gone for nature walks. Best of all had been rounders and athletics. She was always first to be picked for any kind of sporting team, and she had delighted in the groan that went up from the other team whenever she was chosen. And she thought sometimes of the special teachers she had been given, especially Miss Jameson, who had been young and trendy, with long blonde hair. Krystal had always imagined Anne-Marie to be a little bit like Miss Jameson. Then there were snippets of information that Krystal had retained in vivid, accurate detail. Volcanoes: they were made by plates shifting in the ground; they had made model ones and filled them with bicarbonate of soda and washing-up liquid, and they had erupted onto plastic trays. Krystal had loved that. She knew about Vikings too: they had longships and horned helmets, though she had forgotten when they arrived in Britain, or why. But other memories of St Thomas's included the muttered comments made about her by little girls in her class, one or two of whom she had slapped. When Social Services had allowed her to go back to her mother, her uniform became so tight, short and grubby that letters were sent from school, and Nana Cath and Terri had a big row. The other girls at school had not wanted her in their groups, except for their rounders teams. She could still remember Lexie Mollison handing everyone in the class a little pink envelope containing a party invitation, and walking past Krystal with – as Krystal remembered it – her nose in the air. Only a couple of people had asked her to parties. She wondered whether Fats or his mother remembered that she had once attended a birthday party at their house. The whole class had been invited, and Nana Cath had bought Krystal a party dress. So she knew that Fats' huge back garden had a pond and a swing and an apple tree. They had eaten jelly and had sack races. Tessa had told Krystal off because, trying desperately hard to win a plastic medal, she had pushed other children out of the way. One of them had had a nosebleed. ‘You enjoyed St Thomas's, though, did you?' the journalist had asked. ‘Yeah,' said Krystal, but she knew that she had not conveyed what Mr Fairbrother had wanted her to convey, and wished he could have been there with her to help. ‘Yeah, I enjoyed it.') ‘How come they wanted to talk to you about the Fields?' asked Fats. ‘It were Mr Fairbrother's idea,' said Krystal. After another few minutes, Fats asked, ‘D'you smoke?' ‘Wha', like spliffs? Yeah, I dunnit with Dane.' ‘I've got some on me,' said Fats. ‘Get it off Skye Kirby, didja?' asked Krystal. He wondered whether he imagined a trace of amusement in her voice; because Skye was the soft, safe option, the place the middle-class kids went. If so, Fats liked her authentic derision. ‘Where d'you get yours, then?' he asked, interested now. ‘I dunno, it were Dane's,' she said. ‘From Obbo?' suggested Fats. ‘Tha' fuckin' tosser.' ‘What's wrong with him?' But Krystal had no words for what was wrong with Obbo; and even if she had, she would not have wanted to talk about him. Obbo made her flesh crawl; sometimes he came round and shot up with Terri; at other times he fucked her, and Krystal would meet him on the stairs, tugging up his filthy fly, smiling at her through his bottle-bottom glasses. Often Obbo had little jobs to offer Terri, like hiding the computers, or giving strangers a place to stay for a night, or agreeing to perform services of which Krystal did not know the nature, but which took her mother out of the house for hours. Krystal had had a nightmare, not long ago, in which her mother had become stretched, spread and tied on a kind of frame; she was mostly a vast, gaping hole, like a giant, raw, plucked chicken; and in the dream, Obbo was walking in and out of this cavernous interior, and fiddling with things in there, while Terri's tiny head was frightened and grim. Krystal had woken up feeling sick and angry and disgusted. †E's a fucker,' said Krystal. ‘Is he a tall bloke with a shaved head and tattoos all up the back of his neck?' asked Fats, who had truanted for a second time that week, and sat on a wall for an hour in the Fields, watching. The bald man had interested him, fiddling around in the back of an old white van. ‘Nah, tha's Pikey Pritchard,' said Krystal, ‘if yeh saw him down Tarpen Road.' ‘What does he do?' ‘I dunno,' said Krystal. ‘Ask Dane, ‘e's mates with Pikey's brother.' But she liked his genuine interest; he had never shown this much inclination to talk to her before. ‘Pikey's on probation.' ‘What for?' ‘He glassed a bloke down the Cross Keys.' ‘Why?' †Ow the fuck do I know? I weren't there,' said Krystal. She was happy, which always made her cocky. Setting aside her worry about Nana Cath (who was, after all, still alive, so might yet recover), it had been a good couple of weeks. Terri was adhering to the Bellchapel regime again, and Krystal was making sure that Robbie went to nursery. His bottom had mostly healed over. The social worker seemed as pleased as her sort ever did. Krystal had been to school every day too, though she had not attended either her Monday or her Wednesday morning guidance sessions with Tessa. She did not know why. Sometimes you got out of the habit. She glanced sideways at Fats again. She had never once thought of fancying him; not until he had targeted her at the disco in the drama hall. Everyone knew Fats; some of his jokes were passed around like funny stuff that happened on the telly. (Krystal pretended to everyone that they had a television at home. She watched enough at friends' houses, and at Nana Cath's, to be able to bluff her way through. ‘Yeah, it were shit, weren't it?' ‘I know, I nearly pissed meself,' she would say, when the others talked about programmes they had seen.) Fats was imagining how it would feel to be glassed, how the jagged shard would slice through the tender flesh on his face; he could feel the searing nerves and the sting of the air against his ripped skin; the warm wetness as blood gushed. He felt a tickly over-sensitivity in the skin around his mouth, as if it was already scarred. ‘Is he still carrying a blade, Dane?' he asked. †Ow d'you know ‘e's gotta blade?' demanded Krystal. ‘He threatened Kevin Cooper with it.' ‘Oh, yeah,' Krystal conceded. ‘Cooper's a twat, innee?' ‘Yeah, he is,' said Fats. ‘Dane's on'y carryin' ‘cos o' the Riordon brothers,' said Krystal. Fats liked the matter-of-factness of Krystal's tone; her acceptance of the need for a knife, because there was a grudge and a likelihood of violence. This was the raw reality of life; these were things that actually mattered †¦ before Arf had arrived at the house that day, Cubby had been importuning Tessa to give him an opinion on whether his campaign leaflet should be printed on yellow or white paper †¦ ‘What about in there?' suggested Fats, after a while. To their right was a long stone wall, its gates open to reveal a glimpse of green and stone. ‘Yeah, all righ',' said Krystal. She had been in the cemetery once before, with Nikki and Leanne; they had sat on a grave and split a couple of cans, a little self-conscious about what they were doing, until a woman had shouted at them and called them names. Leanne had lobbed an empty can back at the woman as they left. But it was too exposed, Fats thought, as he and Krystal walked up the broad concreted walkway between the graves: green and flat, the headstones offering virtually no cover. Then he saw barberry hedges along the wall on the far side. He cut a path right across the cemetery, and Krystal followed, hands in her pockets, as they picked their way between rectangular gravel beds, headstones cracked and illegible. It was a large cemetery, wide and well tended. Gradually they reached the newer graves of highly polished black marble with gold lettering, places where fresh flowers had been laid for the recently dead. To Lyndsey Kyle, September 15 1960-March 26 2008, Sleep Tight Mum. ‘Yeah, we'll be all right in there,' said Fats, eyeing the dark gap between the prickly, yellow-flowered bushes and the cemetery wall. They crawled into the damp shadows, onto the earth, their backs against the cold wall. The headstones marched away from them between the bushes' trunks, but there were no human forms among them. Fats skinned up expertly, hoping that Krystal was watching, and was impressed. But she was gazing out under the canopy of glossy dark leaves, thinking about Anne-Marie, who (Aunt Cheryl had told her) had come to visit Nana Cath on Thursday. If only she had skipped school and gone at the same time, they could have met at last. She had fantasized, many times, about how she would meet Anne-Marie, and say to her, ‘I'm yer sister.' Anne-Marie, in these fantasies, was always delighted, and they saw each other all the time after that, and eventually Anne-Marie suggested that Krystal move in. The imaginary Anne-Marie had a house like Nana Cath's, neat and clean, except that it was much more modern. Lately, in her fantasies, Krystal had added a sweet little pink baby in a frilly crib. ‘There you go,' said Fats, handing Krystal the joint. She inhaled, held the smoke in her lungs for a few seconds, and her expression softened into dreaminess as the cannabis worked its magic. ‘You ain' got brothers an' sisters,' she asked, †ave yeh?' ‘No,' said Fats, checking his pocket for the condoms he had brought. Krystal handed back the joint, her head swimming pleasantly. Fats took an enormous drag and blew smoke rings. ‘I'm adopted,' he said, after a while. Krystal goggled at Fats. ‘Are yeh adopted, are yeh?' With the senses a little muffled and cushioned, confidences peeled easily away, everything became easy. ‘My sister wuz adopted,' said Krystal, marvelling at the coincidence, delighted to talk about Anne-Marie. ‘Yeah, I probably come from a family like yours,' said Fats. But Krystal was not listening; she wanted to talk. ‘I gottan older sister an' an older brother, Liam, but they wuz taken away before I wuz born.' ‘Why?' asked Fats. He was suddenly paying close attention. ‘Me mum was with Ritchie Adams then,' said Krystal. She took a deep drag on the joint and blew out the smoke in a long thin jet. ‘He's a proper psycho. He's doin' life. He killed a bloke. Proper violent to Mum an' the kids, an' then John an' Sue came an' took 'em, and the social got involved an' it ended up John an' Sue kept 'em.' She drew on the joint again, considering this period of her pre-life, which was doused in blood, fury and darkness. She had heard things about Ritchie Adams, mainly from her aunt Cheryl. He had stubbed out cigarettes on one-year-old Anne-Marie's arms, and kicked her until her ribs cracked. He had broken Terri's face; her left cheekbone was still receded, compared to the right. Terri's addiction had spiralled catastrophically. Aunt Cheryl was matter of fact about the decision to remove the two brutalized, neglected children from their parents. ‘It ‘ad to ‘appen,' said Cheryl. John and Sue were distant, childless relatives. Krystal had never known where or how they fitted in her complex family tree, or how they had effected what, to hear Terri tell it, sounded like kidnap. After much wrangling with the authorities, they had been allowed to adopt the children. Terri, who had remained with Ritchie until his arrest, never saw Anne-Marie or Liam, for reasons Krystal did not entirely understand; the whole story was clotted and festering with hatred and unforgivable things said and threatened, restraining orders, lots more social workers. ‘Who's your dad, then?' asked Fats. ‘Banger,' said Krystal. She struggled to recall his real name. ‘Barry,' she muttered, though she had a suspicion that was not right. ‘Barry Coates. O'ny I uses me mum's name, Weedon.' The memory of the dead young man who had overdosed in Terri's bathroom floated back to her through the sweet, heavy smoke. She passed the joint back to Fats and leaned her head against the stone wall, looking up at the sliver of sky, mottled with dark leaves. Fats was thinking about Ritchie Adams, who had killed a man, and considering the possibility that his own biological father was in prison somewhere too; tattooed, like Pikey, spare and muscled. He mentally compared Cubby with this strong, hard authentic man. Fats knew that he had been parted from his biological mother as a very small baby, because there were pictures of Tessa holding him, frail and bird-like, with a woolly white cap on his head. He had been premature. Tessa had told him a few things, though he had never asked. His real mother had been very young when she had him, he knew that. Perhaps she had been like Krystal; the school bike †¦ He was properly stoned now. He put his hand behind Krystal's neck and pulled her towards him, kissing her, sticking his tongue into her mouth. With his other hand, he groped for her breast. His brain was fuzzy and his limbs were heavy; even his sense of touch seemed affected. He fumbled a little to get his hand inside her T-shirt, to force it under her bra. Her mouth was hot and tasted of tobacco and dope; her lips were dry and chapped. His excitement was slightly blunted; he seemed to be receiving all sensory information through an invisible blanket. It took longer than the last time to prise her clothes loose from her body, and the condom was difficult, because his fingers had become stiff and slow; then he accidentally placed his elbow, with all his weight behind it, on her soft fleshy underarm and she shrieked in pain. She was drier than before; he forced his way inside her, determined to accomplish what he had come for. Time was glue-like and slow, but he could hear his own rapid breathing, and it made him edgy, because he imagined someone else, crouching in the dark space with them, watching, panting in his ear. Krystal moaned a little. With her head thrown back, her nose became broad and snout-like. He pushed up her T-shirt to look at the smooth white breasts, jiggling a little, beneath the loose constraint of the undone bra. He came without expecting it, and his own grunt of satisfaction seemed to belong to the crouching eavesdropper. He rolled off her, peeled off the condom and threw it aside, then zipped himself up, feeling jittery, looking around to check that they were definitely alone. Krystal was dragging her pants up with one hand, pulling down her T-shirt with the other, reaching behind herself to do up her bra. It had become cloudy and darker while they had sat behind the bushes. There was a distant buzzing in Fats' ears; he was very hungry; his brain was working slowly, while his ears were hypersensitive. The fear that they had been watched, perhaps over the top of the wall behind them, would not leave him. He wanted to go. ‘Let's †¦' he muttered, and without waiting for her, he crawled out between the bushes and got to his feet, brushing himself down. There was an elderly couple a hundred yards away, crouching at a graveside. He wanted to get right away from phantom eyes that might, or might not, have watched him screw Krystal Weedon; but at the same time, the process of finding the right bus stop and getting on the bus to Pagford seemed almost unbearably onerous. He wished he could simply be transported, this instant, to his attic bedroom. Krystal had staggered out behind him. She was pulling down the bottom of her T-shirt and staring down at the grassy ground at her feet. ‘Fuck,' she mumbled. ‘What?' said Fats. ‘C'mon, let's go.' †S Mr Fairbrother,' she said, without moving. ‘What?' She pointed at the mound in front of them. There was no headstone yet; but fresh flowers lay all along it. ‘See?' she said, crouching over and indicating cards stapled to the cellophane. ‘Tha' sez Fairbrother.' She recognized the name easily from all those letters that had gone home from school, asking her mother to give permission for her to go away on the minibus. ‘†Ter Barry†,' she read carefully, ‘an' this sez, â€Å"Ter Dad†,' she sounded out the words slowly, ‘†from †¦ â€Å"‘ But Niamh and Siobhan's names defeated her. ‘So?' demanded Fats; but in truth, the news gave him the creeps. That wickerwork coffin lay feet below them, and inside it the short body and cheery face of Cubby's dearest friend, so often seen in their house, rotting away in the earth. The Ghost of Barry Fairbrother †¦ he was unnerved. It seemed like some kind of retribution. ‘C'mon,' he said, but Krystal did not move. ‘What's the matter?' ‘I rowed for ‘im, di'n I?' snapped Krystal. ‘Oh, yeah.' Fats was fidgeting like a restive horse, edging backwards. Krystal stared down at the mound, hugging herself. She felt empty, sad and dirty. She wished they had not done it there, so close to Mr Fairbrother. She was cold. Unlike Fats, she had no jacket. ‘C'mon,' said Fats again. She followed him out of the cemetery, and they did not speak to each other once. Krystal was thinking about Mr Fairbrother. He had always called her ‘Krys', which nobody else had ever done. She had liked being Krys. He had been a good laugh. She wanted to cry. Fats was thinking about how he would be able to work this into a funny story for Andrew, about being stoned and fucking Krystal and getting paranoid and thinking they were being watched and crawling out almost onto old Barry Fairbrother's grave. But it did not feel funny yet; not yet.

Misguided Ink

Tattoos today are becoming very popular within the younger generation. Despite this creative trend of self expression, society still places judgment upon inked individuals. What ever happened to, don't Judge a book by its cover? Unfortunately, people fail to the person who really Lies behind the Ink. Having tattoo's can lead to a lot of misjudgment. Especially In the workplace.An employer might misjudge a potential employee with tattoos for a criminal, without a second thought. Even though it may be true that most prisoners have tattoos, it's not right to put everyone with a tattoo in that category. Even a prisoner with a tattoo could be falsely accused. Also, an employer might consider tattoos as a sign of less Intelligence. Since when does art become a sign of a weak mind? Being creative helps open closed minds. What's on a person's skin should not determine there abilities to work.Eventually, with the growing trend of tattoos, employers are going to have to reconsider there tattoo policies. One day this younger generation will be doing the hiring, it will become rare to not have tattoos. Regardless, there Is still a human being behind the Ink. Toffees make a statement groups, religion, and even memories. Tattoos are transforming into an art form rather than a lowly form according to some perspectives. As humans we have the gift of free will, who has the right to tell us what we can and cannot put on our bodies?Whether we use the gift of free will for good or bad we should not be Judged, since we all have a story to tell whether we express it through a tattoo or on a piece of paper. Tattoo's are a creative way of expressing inner feelings to the world, and can help with self esteem issues ND give someone a boost of confidence. To look down upon someone with tattoo's without knowing the full story behind the ink is like throwing away a flower. It takes a brave individual to express themselves to the world with a permanent line of ink.To be careless about what others may think of there bodied art is rather spontaneous. Judging a person with a tattoo is similar to Judging a child for coloring outside the lines. Coloring outside the lines can give someone the sense of freedom and self. What is even more misjudged is the creator behind the ink. Tattoo artist can be misjudged as well. The effort, thought, and talent that goes into the creating process of the tattoo can be challenging and time consuming.The creative process needs necessary machinery, a body with an idea, an experienced hobby rather than a real profession. Some would fail to realize tattoo artist have earned art degrees, while spending years building a portfolio of beautiful masterpieces of Art is everywhere, without it life would be a blank boring canvas. Some people may themselves as a canvas to splash color on. A tattoo is a way of expressing a feeling or image. Everyone has feelings, there is no need to place Judgment on someone who is tot afraid to express there inner bein g.A piece of art is a unique form of identity, we all want to be noticed, and have different ways of showing it. Its not right to Judge another as one is perfect. Color your own walls and leave no room for Judgment. There is more than what meets the eye, not everything that is seen is as bad as it seems. A open mind can set a soul free. It's not good to let the world define an individual based on there appearance. Don't let the world define beauty. True beauty and strength comes from within the soul, and Ink is only skin deep. Tattoos bleed out character.

Are Human Rights a Western Imposition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Are Human Rights a Western Imposition - Essay Example It is true that the idea of human rights originated from the west. According to Mohr and Tsedroen human rights were a result of European enlightenment thinking. However, the question that we need to ask ourselves is does the origin matter? There are many other advancements that emanated from the west such as technology and industry but have not experienced rejection since they are viewed as essential for development. Just as these developments are essential so are human rights and we cannot deny that all human beings deserve better living standards in form of food, shelter, health and education and that individuals also require to associate with others in the society for development to be realised. Some would argue that by the time the UN declaration on human rights was affirmed, many nations were not members of the UN especially those from Africa. In fact according to Morsink when the UN charter was founded in 1945 and the process began of formulating the international bill of right s, only 58 nations constituted the UN. As such, most nations did not participate in the process and in this regard, human rights may be seen as a western imposition especially so because most of the members were western nations. To be members of the UN nations had to be sovereign and in most cases African nations were still under colonial rule and could not participate. The bill of rights which was later accepted as human rights was aimed at protecting human rights as part of conditions for peace and end of the war (World War II) and to promote social progress and better standards of life (p. 1). On the other hand, though most nations did not participate in formulating the bill of rights by their accepting and affirming the UN declaration of human rights and implementing them in their own countries, this proves that human rights are universal. Everyone needs freedom to associate, equal treatment in the eyes of the law, protection from torture and slavery. Another argument in

Marketing module 1 Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing module 1 Case Study - Essay Example This paper will be directed towards describing the target markets and market positioning strategies of two companies having products and services that are similar and belong to the same industry classification. In this respect I have chosen to compare and contrast Wal-Mart and K-Mart, two of America’s most well-known discount stores and indeed Fortune 500 companies worthy of global recognition. Interestingly both of these companies have been in operation for more than 40 years and have seen a lot of ups and downs in the corporate landscape. The Wal-Mart chain is the brainchild of Sam Walton who worked at J.C Penney’s before opening up his own store in Arkansas in 1962. Due to his outstanding success, the company quickly expanded to 24 stores across the state before going public in 1969. Today it owns and operates over 8500 stores in 15 countries under the Wal-Mart logo as well as other names (Frank, 2006). On the other hand, K-Mart was formed back in 1899 by Sebastian S . Kresge, who as a travelling salesman met and was inspired by Frank Woolworth, owner of the original discount store concept business that bears his name. K-Mart has also been reconstituted and changed its logo after coming out of bankruptcy proceedings in 2002. The company is slowly reconsolidating its position in the USA and worldwide. Big Kmart, K-wash, K-Cafe and Kmart Supercenter stores are concepts similar to Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club, Walmart market, Marketside, Express and other initiatives. Comparison of Target Markets and Positioning Strategies Coming to the concept of target markets and market positioning strategies, we see that Wal-Mart had previously adopted a one-size fits all approach and sought to attract all groups of customers by offering slightly lower prices and volume discounts. This is also reflected by its slogan for 19 years which ran as: ‘Always lower prices, always’. But lately the company has evolved a new business strategy that acti vely practices market segmentation. Its segmented groups may be stated as African-Americans, Hispanics, affluent empty nesters, rural residents and suburbanites (Walmart website, 2011). Based upon current research, the company’s biggest three customer group segments are Brand Aspirationals, value-price shoppers and price-sensitive affluents. Meanwhile the company has also reconstituted its logo and slogan which reads: ’Saving people money so that they can live better lives.’ As compared to this, K-Mart’s has not yet done the customer segmentation approach. It is still busy reconsolidating and experimenting with changes after the 2005 purchase of Sears. Its businesses in Australia and New Zealand operate under entirely separate management. While the names of some stores have been retained, others have been sold to the Wesfarmers group (K-Mart website, 2011). Creating a New Target Market and Consumer Perceptions Creating a new target market may be easy or d ifficult, depending on the nature of the product or service, the ease of introducing a new product line that does something a little different or is offered to complement something that the existing products are already offering. I would imagine that K-Mart and Wal-Mart would do well to offer a line of exclusive and specialty products as cars or business suits that are made by the world’

The effect of price elasticity in the decision of consumers in Saudi Dissertation

The effect of price elasticity in the decision of consumers in Saudi Arabia to acquire Toyota SUVs - Dissertation Example The paper tells that price elasticity is an important element when introducing products in a competitive market. As quoted from the book Principles of Economics by Alfred Marshall, â€Å"the elasticity (or receptiveness) of demand in a market is significant according as the amount demanded increases much or little for a given fall in price, and diminishes much or little for a given rise in price". Parkin, Powell, and Matthews noted that the following affect the elasticity of price for a certain commodity: availability of substitute goods; percentage of income; necessity; duration; brand loyalty; and who pays. Farris, P., et al. postulated that company decision makers have to understand price elasticity to boost pricing strategies. Own, cross, and residual elasticity appear to exhibit subtle differences but further examination shows significant pragmatic implications. A study conducted by Engage Research explored on the relationship between elasticity and pricing strategy. Results ba sed on the sales data showed significant difference between categories when equated with elasticity. The study indicated that the following product categories exhibited high elasticity: products with several brands; competitive market share among brands; insignificant trace of brand differentiation; and high price visibility. Studies that focus on consumer reaction to price elasticity are rarely made available to the public. Most marketing firms, which conduct such studies, are barred from disclosing relevant results without the permission of their client. Hence several literatures have founded their assumptions based on prevailing theories that explain consumer behavior when price spikes occur. Some companies also consider aspects other than price. Brand loyalty and product reliability are important elements that push manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to move prices despite the potential consumer backlash. In the automotive industry, for instance, car dealers offer improve payment schemes to compensate for the price movement. Objective The main objective of the study is to show the effect of price elasticity in the

Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Contract Law - Essay Example In a contract law, there are two types of terms that are the express terms and the implied terms. Express terms generally mean the terms that in specific have been mentioned orally or in writing and agreed upon by both parties involved in the contract during the time when the contract is being made. On the other hand, implied terms are different from expressed terms. Both parties may have not mentioned these implied terms in the contract. However, sometimes they are included because the contract would not make any sense commercially without them. The verbal agreement When buying the van, you stated that you wanted a van that could carry around four to five large items of furniture. You also stated that the previous van that you used to carry could handle loads of ton up to one tone and a cubic capacity of 200 feet. However, the seller did not meet the conditions that you stated. He stated that he had a van like this but it is clear evident that he did not meet your expectations. Acco rding to section 14(3) of the sales act of goods, it clearly states that if the buyer expresses his purpose of the goods understood to the seller, then it is the duty of the seller to make sure that the goods, which will be given, fit the purpose that is intended. It should be noted that if it is reasonable for the buyer to rely on the expertise of the seller then would the terms apply (Sales of Acts goods 1979). Therefore, the seller, who is Alan Daly, needs to compensate you for that. Additionally, in the verbal agreement, when you telephoned Mr. Alan Daly, he ascertained that he would look at the complications of the vehicle if it were delivered to him before the end of the week. This means that you had to deliver the vehicle before the week ended. However, you failed to do so. Instead, you did not telephone Mr. Alan Daly to notify him that you could not take the van to his garage and that you should both fix a suitable day for the vehicle to be examined. The written terms In the contract, it is evident that the seller, which in this case was Mr. Alan Daly, wanted to evade himself from problems, which he knew were to emerge eventually in the contract. In addition, he gave you the wrong capacity of the car. In clause 4(b), he stated, â€Å"any warranty or condition as to the condition, description, quality or fitness for particular purpose is hereby excluded from this contract for sale†. This is clearly evident that both parties, that is you, Mr. Winston and Mr. Alan agreed that there were no warranties of the car to be returned regardless of any major issue occurring. However, the verbal agreement that you had with Mr. Alan clearly out do the written terms (Atiyah et al. 2010). The oil leak It is obvious that Mr. Alan sold you a car that did not meet the requirements of the vehicle that you wanted. Concerning the oil leakage, upon you, Mr. Winston inspecting the vehicle, you noticed a small patch of oil on the forecourt where the van was standing. Ho wever, when Alan was asked, he said that the oil spill had occurred probably when they had topped up the oil and water levels when servicing the car. According to the report of the mechanic, it was reported that the oil leak might have caused this entire problem. However, a problem might occur here because Mr. Alan advised you to take the van to his garage to be serviced but you did not. However, this can be out ruled since when buying the vehicle, you explained to Mr. Alan that the vehicle would be used for delivering and collecting furniture’s and this was very crucial in the smooth running of your business. Mr. Alan should be in a position to repair for your vehicle that was all because of the oil spill since according to part v, it is clearly stated that the seller should be able to repair or replace the good in a reasonable time. Defective Clutch and brakes Mr. Alan sold the van knowing that it had these problems. Mr. Alan can be charged of murder because he sold you

Essay I 3610 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

I 3610 - Essay Example As much as they are not physically with us, their memories are still fresh in our minds. This can be traced back in the sixteenth century. The oral story telling had main objectives of connecting to the roots of our ancestors and has moral teachings. Gradually the evolution of having stories and poetry work edited for future use came into place. The secret behind story telling was to pass this wisdom from one generation to another. The story telling also revolved the core business of the society that include skills like leather works, blacksmith and the farming activities just to mention a few, (Faroqhi, p 204). Many of the stories that were passed to the next generation had a common pattern of religion, empires and their migration history and having been confined by geographical zones. The death of the rich travelers that resisted the rule of the Ottoman was told to emphasize on loyalty of the Turks, stressing the importance of loyal citizenship. The worrier’s at that time can be compared with the current army of today and their key roles to defend the boundaries against the enemy, (Faroqhi, p 206). The many gifts and rewards that the worriers got when they returned back from war. In today’s world they are rewarded in terms of monetary value. At the Ottoman era, the story telling was done also on occasions that had great value at that particular time. Another great moment was the breaking news of the birth of a new prince within the empire, circumcision season, the court marriages and not forgetting the ascension day of the new ruler. This was the high time the story teller would portray skills on words chanted. The entertainment was highly valued and the deliberate effort to preserve that culture is evident on our valued historical museums, (Faroqhi, p 220). This paper acknowledges the great efforts that our great grandfathers did during their time. The great teachings from our history and this help us refresh our roots. Governments and other stake

People's lives continue to be shaped in the main by social Essay

People's lives continue to be shaped in the main by social structures'. Discuss this view, drawing on material from at the least three blocks of DD100 in your answer - Essay Example tity of a man is not only vital representation of his self but it is also medium that significantly contributes to a knowledge base that others can instantly access to have a general idea of their orientation towards conflicts and other relevant issues. The social construction of human identity thus becomes the most important element which significantly impacts people’s lives. Construction of social structures and social identities are often influenced by hordes of issues, which are defined by individual ideology, group representation, professional competencies, intercultural compulsions etc. which facilitate better understanding and access to networking with organizations and groups in order to avail the emerging opportunities for their personal and professional growth. Thus giving rise to behavioural pattern of the people that directly correlates with the values and value system of the person and his environment. There are various means through which persons imbibe the values that they carry all through their life. Some of them may be through the socio-religious culture that they follow while others might be acquired through changing paradigms of the work environment that is in perpetual influx. A person identified as student, as American or as an artisan etc. can proclaim certain privileges that are associated with that particular identity. ‘Identities are produced in a social context, but through individuals thinking about what links them to the social world†¦ Symbols and representations are important in the production of identities. This is how we signal our identities to others and how we know which people we identify with.’ (Woodward, 2004, p.12). Social construction is a distributed network of human relationship with respect to its environment. The role of religion in the life of a man is one of the most important facet that has long lasting effect not only on an individual’s life but its influence can be observed as a kaleidoscope of mixed

The Holocaust Essay Example for Free

The Holocaust Essay Question: Explain how the experience of the Holocaust might affect the faith of a Jew. (7 marks) The Holocaust also known by Jews as Shoah was a tragic time in Jewish history whereby 6 million Jews were killed. The event poses deep questions about the nature of God, evil and reasons for suffering. Many Jews ask how and why God let this happen. The Shoah really tested many Jews believe in God. Judaism teaches God created everything. So therefore did God created evil? Surely God is all loving and therefore created evil for a purpose but what is it? The covenant relationship made between God and Abraham states that if Jews obey the mitzvoth and the 10 commandments and serve God, God will in return protect them and provide them with the Promised Land. Why did he not protect them here? Was the promise broken is what some Jews might say. Jews may question the existence of God as a result of the Holocaust. Where was God and why didnt he stop it? In this discussion the problem of evil arises. This states, How can an all loving and omnipotent God let suffering into the world? If God is omni benevolent (all good) why did he allow evil to happen? If God is omnipotent (all powerful) why didnt he stop it? Unfortunately there is no one right or wrong answer on this but individual Jews will carry their own opinions. Some Jews might as a result have lost all faith in God all together. Why wasnt he there at the time? Why did he not intervene in the matter, is what some Jews would say? They might now believe there is no God and use the Shoah as proof of their views. Therefore their faith in God may have been greatly weakened and broken by the event. On example of a Jew greatly affected by the Holocaust in a negative way is Elie Wiesel. He was deported to Auschwitz as a teenager and therefore suffered the traumatic time but came out as a survivor. In his book entitled Night he says boldly, For the survivors death is not the problem. We learned to live with the death. The problem is to adjust to life. His accounts of anger with God are among the most powerful to emerge from the Shoah. An extremely powerful line of his book is, Never shall I forget those moments which murdered by God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Elie Wiesel has lost all hope and positive thoughts about God which can be evidently seen through his writing. Despite the fact he is a survivor he does not feel lucky for this but questions why? On the other hand for some Jews their faith has been strengthened by the event of the Holocaust. They see now that God could not intervene in the matter and feel they have gained answers as a result of the Holocaust. God gave everyone free will and bad overpowered good. One example of a Jew who was affected in a positive way as a result of the Holocaust is Emil Fackenheim. He was a rabbi in Germany in the 1930s and spent a short time in a concentration camp. He wrote, As Jews we must continue to practise our faith. If we stop practising Judaism Hitler will have a victory from the grave.We have a service to the worldGods chosen people will survive and this will be a testimony of life over death, on behalf of all mankind. He approaches the event of the Holocaust in a very different way to Wiesel. He feels lucky for surviving the tragic event and sees it as a blessing from God that he was chosen to survive. He describes survivors as chosen people by God. Lastly the question of why God allowed evil and suffering is explored in the Bible in the book of Job where God took away everything from Job yet his faith remained strong. Why did God do this; either as a test of his faith or as punishment. Job kept his faith strong no matter what the reason. Jews may follow this as an example of how to behave. So therefore to conclude the faith of individual Jews has been affected in different ways by the Holocaust. Some have experience positively from the event and have increased faith in God whereas for others their faith has weakened as they question the presence of God at the time. Does the Holocaust go against what Judaism teaches about the role of God?

Monetary Policy vs. Fiscal Policy Essay Example for Free

Monetary Policy vs. Fiscal Policy Essay People always struggled with an idea of prosperity and success, whether it was a personal goal or whether it was something major like wealth of a country. Nowadays, we are studying a science, which is really significant and valuable Economics. Economics is a tool for achieving those goals, knowledge that people can use and imply in real life, and at the present time probably undividable part of governments performances around the world. For us, students, there are two different matters we study Macroeconomics, the study of the performance of national economies and Microeconomics, which focuses on the behavior of individual households, firms, and markets. During the fall quarter of 2001, I was exposed to the basic ideas and uses of the Macroeconomics. Macroeconomics policies government actions to improve the performance of the economy are of particular concern to macroeconomists, as the quality of macroeconomic policymaking as a major determinant of a nations economic health. Monetary and Fiscal policies are two policies that we were concentrated on, and were the most significant part of the course for me. There is too much involved in these policies and they interact with each other consistently. I decided to write this paper, summarizing the basic functions of two policies, tried to explain what it is that makes them work, how effective these two policies can be, and how one relates to another. In looking at the effectiveness of Monetary and Fiscal policies, it must be understood how the two relate to each other within the government structure. The Federal Open Market Committee FOMC is the most important monetary policy-making body of the Federal Reserve System. It is responsible for the formulation of a policy designed to promote economic growth, full employment, stable prices, and a sustainable pattern of international trade and payments. The seven Board members constitute a majority of the 12-member Federal Open Market Committee, the group that makes the key decisions affecting the cost and availability of money and credit in the economy. The other five members of the FOMC are Reserve Bank presidents, one of who is  the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Board sets reserve requirements and shares the responsibility with the Reserve Banks for discount rate policy. The FOMC is the policy arm of the Fed and the tasks of the Federal Reserve are to sup ervise banks, fixing maximum rates of interests. The U.S Treasury, though it aids in much of the monetary management, represents the fiscal sector, which is the U.S Congress. Fiscal policy covers, such areas as taxation and other revenue gathering and spending measures. Fiscal policies are those actions that are enacted by the Legislative Branch of the U.S government, the Congress. Their fiscal policies are enacted through the U.S Treasury. Therefore, the Treasury is the arm of fiscal policy and the Federal Reserve is the arm of monetary policy. For example, even if Congress has allocated some amount of money to take over failing banks and savings and loans, and it is not enough, than the Fed can pump capital into the system by buying bank stocks. So, this is example of how the Fed interacts and influences the ups and downs of the economy. In looking at the relationship between the Fed and The Treasury, essentially, the Fed was set up to provide the U.S Treasury with a more satisfactory fiscal agent. In acting as the fiscal agent for the U.S Treasury, or more specifically, as the primary banker for the federal government, the Fed acts as Financial advisor, depository and receiving agent, agent for issuing and retiring treasury securities, agent for other transactions involving purchases and sales of securities for Treasury account, agent for the government in purchasing and gold and foreign exchange, and lender to the Treasury. The Treasury influences monetary and credit conditions as well, through its revenue and expenditure policies, its debt management policies relative to the size and location of its money balance, and so on. As an instrument of monetary management, the Treasury keeps its money balance in cash in the vaults as Treasury deposits at the Federal Reserve, and Treasury deposits at commercial banks. Owing to the degree of Treasury operations, these policies have marked effect on monetary and credit conditions, especially over periods. Ordinarily, the Treasury does not use these powers for intentional and continuous monetary management; this is primarily the function of the Federal Reserve. However, it does try to use its powers in such a way as to avoid creating serious problems for the Federal Reserve, and on occasion, it uses them intentionally to supplement Federal Reserve policies. The following is an example of how this occurs. The Treasury can implement restrictive actions. For example, the Treasury increases it money balance $1 billion by taxing the public or selling securities to the public. When the Treasury cashes the checks, the public loses $1 billion of its deposits. If the Treasury holds these deposits at commercial banks, this is the extent of the effect; the reserve positions of the banks are unaffected. But if the Treasury uses the $1 billion to build up its cash in vault or its deposits at the Federal Reserve, member banks reserves will be reduced by $1 billion. Basically, if we find an increase in the Treasurys money balance, this tends to be restrictive unless the Treasury acquires the extra money by borrowing from the Federal Reserve. If it acquires the money balance by taxing the public or selling securities to it, the publics money supply is directly decreased. If it acquires money by selling securities to commercial banks, the publics money supply is not directly decrease, but the ability of the banks to create deposits for the public is reduced because they must use some their reserves to support the Treasury deposit. However, given the size of any increase in the Treasurys balance, the degree of restrictiveness depends on the form in which it is held. On the other hand, the Treasury can affect monetary policy, by easing restrictions as well. Sometimes the Treasury utilizes liberalizing actions in a positive way to ease credit to supplement Federal Reserve actions. More often, however, it uses them to avoid creating conditions that wo uld make the job of the Federal Reserve more difficult. Given, this information, we can see what the relationship is between the  Federal Reserve and the U.S Treasury. They often complement each other and balance each other out. However, the prime job of the Federal Reserve is to act as the federal government bank, as well as regulating monetary policy, credit regulations, and supervising function of member banks. The U.S Treasury is the element of the government, which collects money from the public, either through the sale of securities or through taxation. The U.S Treasury is that arm of the government, which provides the government with money it needs to operate, which of course is part of fiscal policy operations. The Fed is the bank that the Treasury uses for its banking needs, to be it in the most simplistic terms. *** We were all shocked by tragedy that happened on September 11, 2001. There was a tremendous impact on the entire world by that event. People were heavily affected emotionally same as financially. Many lives were taken by the coward act of those who responsible for such disaster. The US faced a number of consequences followed by many bumps on its way to the future. Unbelievable economic downturn made all sectors of the economy to suffer this impact and force them to make decisions, which they probably didnt thought of. Because Fiscal and Monetary Policy have a straight connection to the several actions taken by the government to stimulate weakened economy, I decided to cover what is going on right now within government structure and briefly explain what people should expect from policymakers, who are doing their best to respond to these obstacles, which we are facing right now, as quick as possible. Considering that todays U.S. economy is already in mild recession and many indicators show it might face the most severe economic downturn since 1970s of the last century, President Bush and his administration called for additional stimulus package for fiscal 2002. Policymakers in Washington are considering a number of actions that could stimulate the economy. Among them the options being considering are tax cuts that could spur consumption or investment, and additional federal spending that could directly increase economic activity. Republicans are the majorities in the House of  Representatives and Democrats, who control the Senate, have very different and opposite visions about ways to stimulate the U.S. economy. Republicans consider that economic growth is generated through investments by businesses, which encouraged by cuts in taxes and tax rates. Democrats support the proposal that stimulates consumer spending such as through tax rebates for low-income, extensions of unemployment insurance, and government spending to promote construction and other infrastructure. A several weeks ago, the House Ways and Means Committee have passed a $100 billion economic stimulus package main part of which 85% for permanent tax cuts, mostly for corporate tax cuts. The major components of this plan are: Elimination of the corporate alternative minimum taxes and refunds AMT credits. This is a most controversial point of the House Republicans proposal. The minimum tax was designed to make profitable companies to pay a basic amount even if they owe no corporate income tax because of some deductions. Democrats support the fairness of this tax cut but disagree with its retroactive method because although these refunds would effectively reduce the tax rate on corporate income but those compensations for the previous investment, not new investment. Permit 30% immediate expensing write-off for purchase of capital assets over the next three years. Reduce the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain from 20% to 18%. Deductions of net losses from taxes paid up to five years earlier. Republicans argue that all these corporate tax cuts are necessary to encourage businesses to invest more into new capital because businesses would have more income or retained earnings. And as a result it would spur the economy. Democrats disagree. They tell that businesses would not  necessary to invest; some of any tax cuts will be saved or businesses can simply to pay down their debts or to spend them for dividends to their stockholders and maybe only small part would go into new investment. Permanent cut in the former 28% tax cut rate to 25% would be accelerated to 2002. Democrats argue that this tax cut would be more effective if it will be temporary rather than permanent tax cut because this acceleration significantly shorten government revenue in later years and in the long run the government cant afford these rates cuts. Moreover, most of the tax relief would benefit only the top one-quarter of all income tax filers, who are likely to save more and spend less from tax cuts than those who have lower incomes and tend to spend whatever extra income they have. That is why Democrats support the proposal to send additional tax rebates for low-income workers, because the more rebate is spend the more effective it is as a stimulus. Democrats want to freeze marginal tax reduction in previous 39.6 bracket to 38.6% rather to decline it. It would save roughly $100 billion between 2002 and 2011. Democrats have proposed a smaller package with far fewer and temporary tax cuts and significantly more new spending 75% of the stimulus plan. They support the ways that spur consumer spending that has kept the economy afloat such as through tax rebates for lower income workers, expansions of unemployment insurance and government spending for construction and other infrastructure. For instance, temporary changes in the unemployment insurance program or any additional benefits provided would likely be spent and go directly to output. Public capital investments involve direct government purchases of goods and services and therefore directly add demand into economy.

Importance Of Needs Assessment In Nursing Practice Nursing Essay

Importance Of Needs Assessment In Nursing Practice Nursing Essay Confidentiality and anonymity must be maintained at all times to protect the identity of the service user, carers, families, healthcare settings and other professionals involved. Any breach of confidentiality will result in an automatic fail. This essay will discuss the importance of needs assessment in nursing practice. In relation to case study 2 about a 68 years old Afro Caribbean retired bus driver male called Carl, who has being married for 45 years with 5 grown up children and 8 grand children. He smokes 20 a day and enjoys nightcap before sleep. His latest vital signs observation are respiratory 20 rpm, blood pressure 168/105, pulse 92bpm, Spo2 95% and BMI 32kg/m2 and he is on statin, betablocker, aspirin, frusemide medication. Currently his wife has notice Carl seems to have forgetfulness, he couldnt remember his way home from the super market and keep losing items. He is getting frustrated and taking it on his wife and grand children, especially when he cannot read them a story. This essay will discuss the importance of needs assessment in nursing practice. It will identify a service users needs base on a scenario and the appropriate assessment tools required for his care. And from the tools identified, one will be prioritised and apply on his condition. Finally the essay will summarise the experience of using the assessment tool and how it will help in future learning. Patients assessment is the collection of data about an individuals health state that identifies and defines patient problems in order for solutions to be planned and implemented in line with their preferences (Roper el at 2000 p 124). Therefore, a clear idea about health is important because this determines which assessment data should be collected. The world Health Organisation (WHO) (2001) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Whiles this is a broad definition, it implies that the nursing approach to health care is holistic in nature and therefore health assessments should reflect that philosophy with it focus on the whole person and their context. Nurses are obliged to take in to consideration patients physical, emotional, spiritual, social and intellectual needs when making an assessment (Department of Health 2004). ` Therefore, when nurses are conducting health assessment on a person it may requires acknowledgement of techniques of collecting and analysing subjective data which is what the person says about them selfs during history taking. And objectives data which is what nurses observe by inspecting, percussion, palpating, and auscultation during physical examination (Department of Health 2003). Potter and Berry (2005) argue that if inaccurate, incomplete or inappropriate data is recorded then the overall care of the patient may be affected, including wrong diagnosis and even wrong treatment. NMC (2002), code of professional conduct, urged all nurses to work in a professional manner and abide by the policies set out by the trust they work in. it suggest that the recording or documentation of information is essential and any deviation could lead to potential consequences for the individual if their standards are not met. The purpose of health assessment is to make judgement or diagnosis because all health treatments and decisions are based on the data gathered during assessment; it is paramount that the assessment is factual and complete, providing the foundation for clinical decision making (RCN, 2007). This gathered information provides a comprehensive description of the patient. It focuses on the patients needs at that moment in time and possible needs that may need to be addressed in the future (NMC, 2007). Its a fair and accurate account of the individual and their life. Overall assessment is a way of delving deeper into a patients illness and preventing more problems from arising. In relation to case study 2 about a 68 years old Afro Caribbean retired bus driver male called Carl, who has being married for 45 years with 5 grown up children and 8 grand children. He smokes 20 a day and enjoys nightcap before sleep. His latest vital signs observation are respiratory 20 rpm, blood pressure 168/105, pulse 92bpm, Spo2 95% and BMI 32kg/m2 and he is on statin, betablocker, aspirin, frusemide medication. Currently his wife has notice Carl seems to have forgetfulness, he couldnt remember his way home from the super market and keep losing items. He is getting frustrated and taking it on his wife and grand children, especially when he cannot read them a story. Newson (2001) suggests that, for a process to commence a model of assessment is utilised and this model needs to be holistic in all aspects of patients needs. Therefore proper attention needs to be paid to the biological, psychological and social situations of the patient. It is important that the health assessment includes a thorough examination of the patients activities of daily living (Department of Health, 2002) .The twelve activities of daily living (ADL) are communication, safe environment, breathing, eating and drinking, elimination, washing and dressing, temperature, death and dying, mobility, working and playing, sexuality and sleep (Roper, Logan and Tierney model 1985). Although, the Roper Logan Tierney model has being criticized for the use of activities of living as a simple checklist and emphasis only on the physical aspect of patient care( Reed and Robins 1991). This contrasts with Newton (1991) who suggests that the description of the Roper Logan Tierney model (1985) have been varied over the years and describe the model as a system model. Also Pearson (1983) describes it as a systems/development-based model incorporating certain concepts of Dorothy Orems model and the conceptual framework of Hendersons model (Henderson, 1969). It is important to remember that all ADLs about our individual life activities are interlink and when one or more activities is affected due to illness then most of the activities can become compromised. (REF) After a thorough nursing assessment, the ADLs that are appropriate to meet Carls needs are communication breathing, eating and drinking, elimination, safe environment, mobility, working and playing. Communication is essential for building nurse patient relationship (Robinson, 2002). For Carl due to his state of forgetfulness, memory loos, out of character behaviour and frustration especially when he cannot read for his grand children, he may need referral to see opticians for eye check, and the MMSE tool can be use to assess his state of dementia. Breathing is the first sign every health professional look for during patient assessment. Being able to breathe normally ensures that we can attempt other activities without any difficulties for example running. For Carl his breathing can be affected by smoking for 20 pack years as well as his higher BMI can cause shortness of breath. Referral to the NHS stop smoking service or radiographs for chest x-ray to check for infection will be essential. Also regular vital signs check up and the use of the peak flow meter for checking oxygen level in the lungs or nebuliser will help. Ensuring adequate hydration and nutrition is essential if health is to be maintained and in Carls case he has a higher BMI and he is in a state of confusion. There is a difference between dying from nutrition and dying with nutrition. And in Carls case he is dying with nutrition as being over nourished with higher cholesterol level. Fanning H, (2003) suggests that Dehydration as well as UTI can contribute to his state of confusion. Both the (MUST) tool and the (MMSE) tool for assessment of possible dementia can be used (NICE 2012). Referrals can be made by nurses for Carl to see the dietician and also physiotherapist for physical exercise regime and dipstick for UTI. Elimination is very important, and in Carls situation review of his medications will be important since some may cause constipation or frequent urination e.g. furosemide. Higher BMI as a result of being Obese as well as chronic chest problems and constipation can cause urinary incontinent (Kamm, MA1998). Also In male, disease of the prostate may lead to the obstruction of the flow of urine (Abrams el at 2002). The Bristol stool chart can be use to assess constipation, the dipstick tool can also be used to check for infection or UTIs and the fluid balance chart can be use to assess for dehydration by checking input over output. Mobility can be a problem since Carl has a history of forgetfulness and the need to urinate frequently. Fear of not being able to find his way home, been incontinence in public and even fear of falling in a new environment may but him off from mobilising. Human assistance will be needed as well as the assessment of risk of fall. Carl may need assessment on Working and playing since he is retired, have memory impairment and get upset when he cannot read for his grand children. Socialisation seems impossible for him now due to his condition. Referral to psychologists for self worth exercise and also going to day centres to meet other people will help. According to the RCN (2004), nurses will always need an assessment tool to guide their daily nursing practice in terms of their professional accountability and responsibility. For any tool to be effective it must be integrated into daily activity as a standalone initiative it is unlikely to have a significant impact. In Carls condition the as human beings the capacity to sustain life is dependent on our ability to address biological needs including breathing, maintaining blood flow to all our major organs, eating and drinking, elimination waste, protecting ourselfes from injury or disease, exerciseing and resting. All these activities can be monitored through nursing observations of patient in our care, enabling us to decide whether any intervention is necessary to help them maintain their vital functions. In order to make accurate observations we need to learn the correct techniques and how to use relevant equipment. To appreciate the significance of the observations, we need a good understanding of relevant anatomy and physiology, and how to distinguish normal from abnormal functioning. We then have to decide whether our observation require further action, which might include double checking results, increasing the frequency of observations, reporting changes to the clinical managers, Universal Screening Tool (MUST) will be appropriate for his health. The reason being that, been over weight or having a higher BMIcontribute to a whole range of health problems such as heart conditions, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, sleep apnoea, cancer, gallstone, weak pelvic muscles and osteoarthritis (Department of Health, 2004). Heart disease for instance, is one of the most widespread main health risks of being overweight. Being overweight increases the probability of heart malfunction and blood circulation problems and may result in congestive heart failure (Miller el at 2006). He continued that, losing weight in this situation may not only avoid the above-mentioned ailments but as well assist normalize blood pressure, cholesterol levels and triglyceride and diminish inflammation in the body. According to Elia, (2003) MUST is a screening tool that has been devised for application to all adult patients across all health care settings. Malnutrition adversely affects physical and psychological function (Elisa, 2000; Stratton et al. 2003b) and impairs patients recovery from disease and injury, thereby increasing morbidity and mortality. BMI (body mass index) is an easy, inexpensive method of predicting the percentage of your body weight that is due to fat mass. BMI is found by dividing your weight (in lbs.) by your height squared (in inches) and then multiplying by 703. In adults, a BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight, 18.6 to 24.9 is considered healthy, 25.0 to 29.9 is considered overweight and above 30.0 is considered obese. Respiratory function has been studied extensively in relation to BMI. For those with lung diseases, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and interstitial and vascular lung diseases, respiratory function is moderately to severely compromised. This compromise can be exacerbated by being overweight or having a BMI over 25.0. However, even in those with normal airway function, high BMI can impair respiratory function. Obesity and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases include emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma. COPD causes a decrease in elastic recoil of the lungs so that excess air becomes trapped in the chest. This stretches the muscles involved in respiration and compromises their function. The respiratory muscles must then work harder even at rest, increasing oxygen demand on an already taxed respiratory system. At a certain point during physical activity, COPD patients reach a level when increased effort does not further increase the amount of air that they can expire. Having a high BMI means having more weight for your muscles to support during mobility. Thus, if you have COPD, the level at which increased effort no longer provides an increase in expiration comes much faster since you are working harder to support your own weight. In addition, having a high BMI means having more weight on the chest for the respiratory muscles to work against. Sponsored Links Lose 2 Stone in 4 Weeks?Mom reveals the shocking truth  About the UKs hottest dietwww.constant-fitness.com/diet Underweight and COPD Although a high BMI can further impair respiration in those with COPD, once COPD progresses to a severe level, weight loss becomes problematic. Because of lower oxygen levels in the blood, blood becomes shunted from the abdomen into the heart and lungs. This causes malnutrition because the gut is not getting enough blood flow to properly digest foods. Additionally, severe impairment of the lungs causes the respiratory muscles to work so much harder that metabolism greatly increases, even at rest. Typically, severe COPD patients who are underweight have a worse prognosis than those who are overweight because they are essentially starving. High BMI in Healthy Individuals According to a 2005 study by Jones et. al., high BMI can severely impact respiratory function even in non-diseased individuals. The study found that both Functional Residual Capacitythe volume of air in your lungs after passive exhalationand Expiratory Reserve Volumethe volume of air you can expire after passively exhalingdecreased exponentially as BMI increased. Subjects who were morbidly obese were actually breathing close to their Residual Volumesthe amount of air in your lungs after forced exhalation. Another 2005 study by Medarov et. al. Supports Jones findings and also found that Total Lung Capacitythe maximum amount of air you can inhaledecreased with increasing BMI. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, being overweight has mechanical effects on respiration, due to increased weight on the chest wall and diaphragm. Being overweight also causes an increase in energy use at the same workload compared to a leaner person, so the respiratory muscles fatigue at lower intensities in heavier people. These effects may contribute to the decreases in Functional Residual Capacity, Expiratory Reserve Volume and Total Lung Capacity. Lung Diseases Caused by Obesity There are two types of lung disease for which obesity is a primary cause. The first is Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome, also known as Pickwickian Syndrome. Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome involves chronic hypoxemiatoo little oxygen in the bloodand hypercapniatoo much carbon dioxide in the blood. The second lung disease obesity can cause is Obstructive Sleep Apnea. This disease involves periodic airway collapse and increased airway resistance during sleep. As both of these diseases progress, pulmonary hypertension may occur and eventually cause cor pulmonalefailure of the right side of the heart. Domino Effect Because high BMI decreases lung function in both diseased and healthy individuals, an unfortunate domino effect often occurs. Since being overweight makes it harder to breathe, those with respiratory problems may become less physically active. Decreased physical activity causes your muscles, including your respiratory muscles, to weaken and break down, which in turn makes breathing even more difficult. A downward spiral begins, in which inactivity begets further respiratory problems and respiratory problems beget more inactivity Read more:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/84685-bmi-respiratory-function/#ixzz2I54s1yvb The Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity Dr Jeremy Sims  MB BS MSc MRCGP FRIPH FRSH PGDipHI DipNH MRNT Obesity isnt just a cosmetic problem; its very much a health problem as well. You may be reading this today because you are, or have been, very unhappy about your physical appearance. However, losing weight isnt just about looking good, it is about feeling good; its about being healthy and living a productive and comfortable life. Above all, it is about avoiding the terrible health consequences of carrying around excessive weight. The growing evidence shows that if you are overweight you are more likely to develop health problems, such as heart disease, stroke,  diabetes, certain types ofcancer, gout (joint pain caused by excess uric acid), and gallbladder disease. Being overweight can also cause problems such as sleep apnoea (interrupted breathing during sleep) and osteoarthritis (wearing away of the joints); and the more overweight you are, the more likely you are to have these health problems. In comparison, healthy and steady Weight Loss can help improve the harmful effects of being overweight. The latest studies show that by losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds you can dramatically improve your overall health status, whilst significantly diminishing your risk of disease. The Risks To Your Health Heart Disease and Stroke Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death and disability for both men and women in the Western World. Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, than people who are not overweight. Very high blood levels of  cholesterol  and triglycerides (blood fats) can also lead to heart disease and often are linked to obesity. Being overweight also contributes to angina (chest pain caused by decreased oxygen to the heart) and sudden death from heart disease or stroke without any signs or symptoms. The good news is that losing a small amount of weight can reduce your chances of developing heart disease or a stroke. See dietitian, Juliette Kellows  Healthy Heart Diet  feature. Reducing your weight by 10 percent can decrease your risk of developing heart disease by improving how your heart works, reducing your blood pressure, and reducing the levels of blood cholesterol and triglycerides. Diabetes Noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes) is the most common type of diabetes in the Western World. Type 2 diabetes reduces your bodys ability to control blood sugar. It is a major cause of early death, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and blindness. Statistically, overweight people are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as people who are not overweight. You can reduce your risk of developing this type of diabetes by both losing weight and by increasing your physical activity. Furthermore, if you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help control your blood sugar levels. If you use medicine to control your blood sugar, Weight Loss and physical activity may make it possible for your family doctor to decrease the amount of medication you need Mohammed, MA (2009) Improving accuracy and efficiency of early warning scores in acute care. British Journal of Nursing. 18(1) 18-24 This article is a report on an experimental study to compare the effectiveness of hand held early warning computer system with the traditional pen and paper method Article 2. Johnstone C, Rattray J and Myers L (2007) Physiological risk factors, early warning systems. British Association of Critical Care Nursing. 12(5) 220-231 This article is a general article that provides background information on the topic of why early warning systems can improve patient care Article 3. Hughes LL (2009) Implementing a patient assessment framework in acute care Nursing Standard 24(3) 35-39 This article describes a service improvement initiative to improve patient assessment using an early warning score system over a4 month period at a Hospital in Birmingham Artcicle 6 Wheatley I (2006) The nurses practice of taking level 1 patient observations. Intensive Critical Care Nurse 22(2) 115-21 This was a survey conducted to discover the nurses practices of taking clinical observations in acute settings. It uses an observation data collecting tool (words 470) Read more:  http://www.ukessays.com/essays/nursing/examining-use-of-early-warning-scores-in-assessment-nursing-essay.php#ixzz2I5R87ePn Read more:  http://www.ukessays.com/essays/nursing/examining-use-of-early-warning-scores-in-assessment-nursing-essay.php#ixzz2I5QcaLAr Weight-control Information Network.  Do You Know The Health Risks Of Being Overweight?. Nov. 2004. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. 23 Oct 2006 Diabetes Statistics.  Total Prevalence of Diabetes Pre-diabetes. 2005. American Diabetes Association. 23 Oct 2006 The Nutrition Source.  Healthy Weight. 2006. Harvard School of Public Health. 25 Oct 2006 Obesity causes many of the most common diseases in the world. Being overweight can cause insulin resistance, which leads to Type II Diabetes. A diet high in fat and lack of exercise causes cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure. Excess weight can cause sleep apnea and respiratory illnesses. Many top scientists believe the increase of average weight directly corresponds to the increase of cancer cases, including kidney, breast, colon and prostate cancers. Read more:  Effects of Being Overweight | eHow.com  http://www.ehow.com/about_4596213_effects-being-overweight.html#ixzz2I57jKX6t Advances in the recording of vital signs make it possible for nurses to monitor patients continuously, be it their heart function, arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure or oxygen saturations. The recordings generated by this equipment must be interpreted according to the patient and in conjunction with other observations. The concern is that nurses may become too reliant on using technology to carry out assessment. Burman et al (2002) describe how staff who are used to equipment can feel insecure assessing patients without this equipment to validate their findings. Within the competencies are skills such as venepuncture, cannulation, arterial blood gases (obtaining and analysing), and recording and obtaining ECGs. Docherty (2003) identifies the recording and interpretation of the 12-lead ECG as being pivotal in the assessment and management of patients who are experiencing chest pain. This is further supported by Harvey (2004) who discusses the assessment and management of patients suffering from angina. However, it is further complemented by accurate physical assessment of the patient. Basic is a term that is frequently used to describe blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate and temperature. However, I would argue that this undervalues these observations. Breakell (2004) identifies respiratory rate as one of the most important signs and yet one of the most frequently omitted clinical observations. Carberry (2002) also found this to be a problem in clinical practice. The objective of observation is to monitor patients progress, thus ensuring the prompt detection of adverse events or delays in recovery (Stevenson, 2004). Respiratory rate is pivotal to assessment. Many scoring systems incorporate respiratory rate, such as: APACHE Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Score; SIRS Systemic Inflammatory Response Score; Assessment tools Neiderhauser and Arnold (2004) identify the importance of assessing the health risk status of patients, and the indications for intervention. A wide variety of assessment tools are in use to facilitate assessment and ensure the reliability of the process. For example the EWAS/MEWS tool can be use to check vital signs and avoid patients deterioration. EWAS is use for the assessment of unwell hospital patients, using 5 simple physiological parameters, mental response, pulse rate, systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature. It scoring system can be calculated at the patients bedside, using a simple and inexpensive equipment to measure any parameters. Of all the parameters respiratory rate is said to be the most sensitive indicatory of a patients physiological well being. Breakell (2004) identifies respiratory rate as one of the most important signs and yet one of the most frequently omitted clinical observations. Carberry (2002) also found this to be a problem in clinical practice. This is logical because respiratory rate reflects not only respiratory function as in hypoxia or hypercapnia, but cardiovascular statusas in pulmonary oedema, and metabolic imbalance such as that seen in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)( REF). Department of Health (1999b) Making a Difference: Strengthening the Contribution of Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors. DH, London the health problems that stem from being overweight go way beyond the ones we usually hear about, like diabetes and heart disease. Being overweight can also affect a persons joints, breathing, sleep, mood, and energy levels. So being overweight can impact a persons entire quality of life. Dangers of being Overweight Some of the dangers of being overweight include developing: High Blood Pressure:  When you have excess body fat, your body retains sodium. When your body retains sodium, blood volume increases and blood pressure rises. High blood pressure causes your heart to work harder, which is dangerous for the heart. Diabetes:  Obesity is the leading cause of type 2 diabetes. Excess fat makes your body resistant to insulin. When your body is resistant to insulin, your cells cant get the energy they need. Stroke Abnormal blood fats:  A diet high in saturated fats increases the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Osteoarthritis:  Excess weight adds pressure to joints and wears away at the cartilage that protects them. Sleep apnea:  The more overweight a person is, the greater more severe the sleep apnea will be. Cancer:  Men and women who are overweight have a higher risk of developing many different kinds of cancer. Gallstones:  Gallstones are more common in people who are overweight. The connection between gallstones and weight is unclear. Weak Pelvic Muscles Physical Discomfort: As fat accumulates, it crowds the space occupied by yourorgans. People who are overweight may have difficulty breathing, walking or sitting. Heart disease is 1 of the most widespread main health risks of being overweight. Being overweight to a great extent increases the probability of heart malfunction and blood circulation problems and may result in congestive heart failure, heart attack, angina (chest pains), abrupt cardiac arrest or unequal heartbeat. Weight loss in this situation may not only avoid the above-mentioned ailments but as well assist normalize blood pressure, cholesterol levels and triglyceride and diminish inflammation in the body. Cancer is one of the foremost causes of death in the United States, and is frequently a result from fat cells that affect cell growth and multiply beyond capacity. Colon, esophagus, and the kidney are the most affected regions of the body. Being obese has also contributed to uterine as well as postmenopausal breast cancer in females. Sleep apnea, Osteoarthritis plus other Health Difficulties In sleep apnea the sufferer experiences short lapses of breaths during nighttime. This in turn makes the person tired right through the day, making it hard for him to concentrate on work. In some cases, heart failure has also been noted in patients suffering from this ailment. The lapse of breath happens due to the increased size of the cells of the neck, obstructing the windpipe at certain intervals. Dropping weight may decrease the size of the neck and diminish the pressure on the windpipe and make breathing easy. Osteoarthritis is another health risk of being overweight. In this particular ailment, the joint bone and the tissue that protects joints (cartilage), wear away. The joint bone of numerous parts of the body like the hip, knees, plus lower back are the main targets of Osteoarthritis. Being overweight places a lot of heaviness on the joints, which might lead to this condition in the long run. Dropping  weight  will let down the  body fat  and lessen the aches and pains. Excess fat accumulates in the liver cells and causes the organ to inflate, leading to injuries. This results in Fatty Liver diseases. This disease can lead to severe liver injury, built-up of scar tissue that blocks the proper blood flow to the liver (cirrhosis), and complete liver breakdown. It is relatively similar to alcoholic liver damage but does not inevitably mean that it cannot affect those who do not consume alcohol. Taking communication for instance, it is essential for building nurse patient relationship (Robinson 2002). It is important, for example for nurses to know during assessment whether a patient can hear, understands the language in which a question is being asked or can answer by speaking or sing language. And if they cannot hear, do they wear hearing aids, if so in which ear. Language barrier can be a major problem during assessment, but interpreters, family and friends can contribute and help. However, very often accurate information will not be given, preventing full assessment of patients needs. The use of braill and flashy lights is also important during assessment for patients who are blind or deaf. Newton (1991) suggests that descriptions of the Roper, Logan and Tierney model (1985) have been varied over the years. The model has been described as a system model (Aggleton Chalmers, 1987), as a model that incorporates multiple theories (Thibodeau, 1983) and as an activities of living model based on human needs (McFarlane, 1980). Farmer (1986) has described it as having a functional approach. Pearson (1983) describes it as a systems/development-based model incorporating certain concepts of Dorothy Orems model and the conceptual framework of Hendersons model (Henderson, 1969). It seems fair to suggest that the Roper, Logan and Tierney model has had criticism over time. Indeed, the model has been criticized for the use of the activities of living as a simple checklist (Reed Robbins 1991), the emphasis on solely the physical aspects of patient care (Minshull et al 1986, Walsh 1989), and the simplicity of the model (Walsh 1991). Bellman (1996) suggests that the first two problems indicate an inappropriate introduction and implementation of the model in practice. We have done nursing assessment and for Carl the ADLs that are a

Mister Monday and Keys to the Kingdom Essay -- Garth Nix

Mister Monday and the keys to the Kingdom Mister Monday the first book in the series Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, is a story about an asthmatic boy named Arthur Penhaligon, who is forced into an adventure of mystery, turmoil, and understanding. This all begins on a Monday, his first day at a new school. This is the day Arthur is visited by a strange man who goes by the name Mister Monday, and is handed a key that resembles the minute hand to an old fashioned clock and a strange book leaving him with the knowledge that he is supposed to die that day. When something happens between Monday and his butler Sneezer, Monday grabs Sneezer and they disappear leaving Arthur to think it was a hallucination from the asthma attack. Only to Arthurs dismay as when he awakes in the hospital the key and the book are with him. The book contains many examples of religious symbolism and references, particularly in Judeo-Christian traditions. The prime example is the affliction of each Morrow Day with one of the seven deadly sins that resu lts from their choice not to obey the Will. †¢ Mister Monday: Sloth †¢ Grim Tuesday: Greed †¢ Drowned Wednesday: Gluttony †¢ Sir Thursday: Wrath †¢ Lady Friday: Lust †¢ Superior Saturday: Envy †¢ Lord Sunday: Pride Also, each part of The Will embodied appears to hold a virtue. Each piece of the Will holds one of the four Cardinal Virtues (Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice) or the Three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity). Each part of the will also seems to act in a way of the seven deadly sins, differently from that which their forms imply. The bear for instance seems to act slothful, and the carp seems to embody pride, whilst the snake seems wrathful. This may simply be a side-effec... ...corporates a main religious symbol and other symbolic terms into the book as a whole idea and base for his story. There was a lot to like about the book and very little to dislike for me, as the main character reminded me of myself, and I enjoyed how everything ties together in the book. I enjoyed the plot and setting of the book and liked how there were clues through out the book on how things would happen, some more evident then others. The only thing I didn’t like about the book were thee items used in that fashion within the house. Although the author described everything very well in the book there were some things he left out or assumed the reader already knew. To me I didn’t get some of the items use but for a more educated people it could have been easy. Overall I had a great time reading the book and think others should read it to, in my opinion of course.

Essay --

Literature review 1) Authors: Dietmar , Rabussay & Denise ,M, Korniewicz Title: The Risks and Challenges of Surgical Glove Failure Source: Aoran Journal, 1997, 66(5): 871-876 Research Question or Hypothesis : What is the relationship between using of same gloves for removal of more than one dirty dressing and the subsequent increasing infection rate in Women’s Surgical Ward? Rabussay, D., & Korniewicz, D. M. (1997).Surgical Glove Failure- Part 2, Nurses as Inventers and Professional Collaboration, Aoran Journal , 66(5), 867-880.Print. Gloving is one of the occupational health and safety standards which exhibit a strong relationship between infection control standards and gloving practices. The risk of a particular transmission depends on level of pathogen resistance to environmental influence and its evading abilities, mode of transmission and barrier effectiveness also plays a major role. Gloves are highly effective barriers against pathogens. Infection is sometimes spread from staff to patients, this result in rise of nosocomial infections. Transmission is the only factor that can be controlled by the staff. The use of gloves as a barrier of protection is unclear. Moreover, failure of gloving protocols leads to infection to occur. A use of glove in infection control is to prevent the spread of infections from patient to patient, is only considered effective when the provided gloves are changed and hands often cleaned. Gloving practices is viewed as an important part of infection control measures and can be an au tomatic habit as a result of constant practice. The authors as stated above identified that when a conscious thought is given to standardized gloving practices and choices and improvements available when deciding o... ...e changed when indicated, that is, gloves are removed after caring for a patient an also when moving from a contaminated body site to a clean body site. Gloves need to be removed properly so that the hands are not contaminated in the process. Also WHO guidelines stated that nurses should wear gloves to protect themselves from acquiring infections from patients as well as to protect patients from acquiring microorganisms that may be on the hands of nurses. WHO also states that a health care worker should remove gloves after caring for a patient and not wear the same pair of gloves when caring for more than one patient. However, wearing gloves does not provide complete protection and also stated that wearing gloves does not take the place of hand hygiene. In addition to monitoring of glove usage should be incorporated in the routine hand hygiene skills and competency.