Health And Safety In The Workplace Essay

INTRODUCTION It is vital that organisations abides by specific health and safety laws to ensure that not employee is harmed within the workplace. Firstly most organisations would consider the hazards of the workplace; these are the factors that could potentially harm, damage or injure someone or something during processes used by the organisation. Then most organisations would consider the risk of each hazard, this means the probability of the hazard actually causing harm or injury [1]. Identifying the hazards and risks, allows the organisation to work out specific precautions that would help to minimise the risk by creating rules or regulations within the work place. Most organisations would show this evaluation of health and safety in their workplace as a risk assessment, which is very important because it allows both employers and employees to know how to be safe and what precautions they need to take in order to reduce the possibility of someone or something being damaged [2]. HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK ACT 1974 The Health and Safety at Work Act also known as the ‘HSAWA’ or ‘HSW’ was introduced in 1974. The Act was created to ensure that the workplaces of all organisations protect ‘the health, safety and welfare of persons at work’ [3]. It involves identifying the hazards in each department of the organisation to reduce the risks in the process or method that the employees used to make the product or develop the service provided. Furthermore the Act prohibits the use of extremely hazardous, dangerous and flammable products unless the risk assessment specifically shows how the hazards will be prevented, for example the use of protective clothing like lab coats, gloves and goggles but also the high supervision that there would need to be in order for the process which uses the substance to be allowed to continue. The substances might not just be hazardous to employees but to the environment, the Health and Safety at Work Act attempts to reduce the amount  of harmful emissions that are given out into the atmosphere. In addition it can include the stability of the workplace by analysing the buildings condition to ensure that the building isn’t likely to collapse when employees are at work, also it ensures that the work place has special safety features like fires doors so that the risk of employees being burn in a fire is reduced [3]. The employer of the organisation is responsible for committing to the regulations of the Health and Safety at Work Act and maintaining the use of the risk assessment throughout the work place, mainly by creating a specific written safety policy that can easily be understood by employees which shows suitable precautions on the risk assessment. It is the duty of the employer to provide the correct training for all members of staff to ensure everyone has a strong understanding of the health and safety regulations. The appropriate training can be given from attending health and safety courses; also the employer has to give the staff the equipment that they need to be safe in the workplace including protective equipment as precautions to reduce the risk of the hazard. The workplace must be considered as a safe environment by the government; this means that the organisation must provide emergency procedures (like fire drills) and specific first aid facilities if a hazard did harm an employee. Most organisations ensure that his happens by using safety signs indicating things like fire exits and reminders of precautions to take when using certain equipment or substances [4]. Furthermore the employer has to make sure that materials and resources are stored properly in safe environments to stop anything getting contaminated or broken. Substances need to be controlled to make sure that the risk of explosive or high flammable substances from causing a fire is reduced as much as possible. The transportation of the materials is also important to ensure nothing is damaged during transfer and that there is a place to safely unload to materials at the workplace. The final roles of the employer is to ensure that if any new materials or processes are introduced in the workplace that they are added to the risk assessment to keep it updated to that health and safety regulations can always be kept to. The employees also have many roles in the workplace to help keep to the Health and Safety at Work Act. They must have a sensible relationship with their employer so that they can report any issues with the risk assessment or report the behaviour of other employees when using the equipment or material. Ensure that other employees are being safe and help make sure that everyone understands what they need to do in certain situations like fire drills. However the employees are not allowed to interfere with anything that relates to the providing of health and safety equipment or clothing protection as this up to the employer [4]. MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK REGULATIONS 1999 The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations also known as the ‘MHSWR’ was introduced in 1999 was developed as part of the Health and Safety at Work Act to show the specific separated of roles between the employers and employees [4][5]. The regulations involves looking into the different aspects of the workplace and evaluating how everything hazard and risk can affect each member of staff by looking capability in health and safety situations – for example an older employee could struggle to get down stairs quickly if there was a fire; instead the employer could move the employee to an office or laboratory on a lower floor. Overall this management of the issues and the precautions that can be used to avoid hazards, the following list shows the 30 sections to the Management of Health and safety at Work Regulations: 1. Citation, commencement and interpretation 2. Disapplication of these Regulations 3. Risk assessment 4. Principles of prevention to be applied 5. Health and safety arrangements 6. Health surveillance 7. Health and safety assistance 8. Procedures for serious and imminent danger and for danger areas 9. Contacts with external services 10. Information for employees 11. Co-operation and co-ordination 12. Persons working in host employers’ or self-employed persons’ undertakings 13. Capabilities and training 14. Employees’ duties 15. Temporary workers 16. Risk assessment in respect of new or expectant mothers 17. Certificate from registered medical practitioner in respect of new or expectant mothers 18. Notification by new or expectant mothers 19. Protection of young persons 20. Exemption certificates 21. Provisions as to liability 22. Exclusion of civil liability 23. Extension outside Great Britain 24. Amendment of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 25. Amendment of the Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works (First-Aid) Regulations 1989 26. Amendment of the Mines Miscellaneous Health and Safety Provisions Regulations 1995 27. Amendment of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 28. Regulations to have effect as health and safety regulations 29. Revocations and consequential amendments 30. Transitional provision [6] The person responsible for the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations is the employer, who must assess any possible risks and manage them in a professional method so that the employees are safe from injury, when undertaking specific tasks. They must ensure that employees have the correct training and knowledge for emergency situations. Furthermore the employees must comply with the regulations created and attend any training or instruction sessions. Also the employees must feel that the person in charge of health and safety is approachable so that they can communicate any concerns they have about the health and safety of other employees and report anything they sense could be potentially dangerous or harmful [7]. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations is no longer seen as a requirement for an organization to abide by [8]. PROVISION AND USE OF WORK EQUIPMENT REGULATIONS 1998 The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations also known as ‘PUWER’ was made on the 15th of September 1998, laid before Parliament on the 25th of September 1998 and was enforced and formally introduced on the 5th of December 1998 [9]. The regulations were created so that organisations would address dangerous situations to control the risk of the hazard and prevent the employees getting seriously injured or killed due to a piece of equipment in their method of work. After this was introduced there was the creation of the ‘Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (1998)’ which also helped reduce the probability of employees getting injured. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations applies to any employer even if they are self-employed and complies to anyone in the organisation who uses the equipment at work; these regulations do not cover the use of equipment by the public as this comes under the Health and Safety at Work Act. The PUWER covers every aspect of equipment used in an organisation from machinery to office furniture; any equipment could be a possible hazard to an employee’s health. This means that all equipment should be regularly test so that it complies to the safety regulations of the CE mark [10]. It is up to the employers and employees to stick to the regulations and ensure that the equipment is: Suitable for its intended use This means that the equipment should provide a specific purpose/function in the organisation so that no useless equipment is forgotten about. Safe for use and suitably maintained The equipment used should be safety checked to see if it is totally safe to use in the process so that it is not likely that the equipment with cause a  hazard. For example machinery should be regularly checked so that it could not cause a fire. Also the maintenance of the equipment means that things are regularly cleaned so that in, for example, a biological lab there is no spread of bacteria or organisms between samples. Used by people who have received training This literally means that employees need to be qualified and educated in the used of the equipment so this could involve going on training courses or reading instruction manuals so they have good knowledge of what to do it the equipment breaks or how the equipment could cause injury to an employee which would reduce the risk of the hazard occurring. Accompanied by suitable protective devices, warning and instructions This is mainly the role of the employer to provide safety signs or instructions near the equipment to reminder employees of how to reduce the risks. Also when using chemicals it is vital that the correct clothing is provided like lab coats, safety goggles and protective goggles so that the chemical cannot harm the employees. Protective devices can be used to indicate when a piece of equipment is dangerous or broken so that the employees do not injure themselves on it [4]. HAZARD AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS AS APART OF THE FOOD SAFETY ACT 1990 The Food Safety Act of 1990 was developed in the Food Safety Regulations of 1995 and the following concept was create to help food industries to produce high quality products that’s consumers would recognise for their safety and hygiene when creating the product [4]. The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points also known as ‘HACCP’ is an internationally used process that ensures that only food sold is safe to consume. The food products are analysed and evaluated using biological, chemical and physical techniques in order to assess any possible hazards throughout the process or handling, manufacturing, distribution and eventually eating the food product. The points provide a simple systemic approach to discovering hazards and risks and the creation of the risk assessment with suitable precautions [11][12]. Many organisation abide by the legislations of the HACCP and EU food hygiene to guarantee customers that their food is hygienically prepared without any issues of health and safety – for example some products may have no possibility of a spread of bacteria disease. There are 7 main aspects that the HACCP looks into: 1. identify any hazards that must be prevented eliminated or reduced This means that the employer, employees and health and safety experts must find every possible hazard that could potentially harm the food or the person who eats the food and form this information into a list or table. 2. identify the critical control points (CCPs) at the steps at which control is essential This involves evaluating all the points made in the first list to pick out the most vital hazards that need to be definitely controlled to not happen. 3. establish critical limits at CCPs This is identifying the risks and probability of the hazard and knowing the worst outcome if the hazard wasn’t controlled at all. 4. establish procedures to monitor the CCPs This is the way in which the organisation plans to keep the hazard under control and reduce the risk; these are the precautions planned to be used/taken. 5. establish corrective actions to be taken if a CCP is not under control This is like a back-up plan if the precaution does not work and this can change depending on the situation or environment. For example if one of the machines that is used to cook the meat sets on fire then sprinklers shoot water from the ceiling and the building is evacuated to avoid any employees being injured. 6. establish procedures to verify whether the above procedures are working effectively This involves evaluating the precautions used to reduce the probability of a hazard being uncontrollable to decide which methods are  best to control it. 7. establish documents and records to demonstrate the effective application of the above measures The creation of risk assessments and written documents so that the organisation can keep a record of their hazards and risks to make their product as safe as possible. Most employers create detailed documents that contain 4 sections; firstly a plan is created to identity how food product can be safe and how their food product needs to be safe and hygienically prepared. This section is important because it reduces the probability of infection from either dangerous bacteria or chemical or physical contamination of any meat or plant products. Furthermore it allows the organisation to see how food poisoning can be reduced in their food product, possibly from cooked and uncooked foods having contact. The following section is completing the actions planned in the first section to ‘try out’ the precautions for a set period of time. Meanwhile the next section should be taking place; this is supervising and monitoring the effect that the precautions being taken is having an effect on the actual product by making sure it is more safe to eat. The final section is acting to correct the precautions like if the food product still contains unnecessary bacteria then it needs to be cleaned and disinfected more [13]. CONTROL OF SUBSTANCES HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH 2002 The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations also known as ‘COSHH’ was introduced in 2002 and ensure that all employers were controlling the use of any potentially hazardous substances that their employees use. The regulations were created as extreme amendments to the ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Work Regulations 1999’ [14]. The regulations forced employers to find a less hazardous substance to use, however if this is not possible then practical solutions need to be made so that the risk of any type of injury relating to the use of substances in the workplace is either totally eliminated or strongly reduced to protect the health of the staff working for the organisation [15]. To make sure the regulations are met most organisations stick to 4 specific factors to pass external inspections of the workplace: The use of detailed but understandable risk assessment specific to the different substances used The control of exposures in which the risk can be reduced The study of health surveillance among the employees Plan of action if an accident was to occur in the workplace (first aid facilities) [14] The following list shows the processes used to control the hazards in organisations in order to comply with the COSHH regulations: finding out what the health hazards are; deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment); providing control measures to reduce harm to health; making sure they are used; keeping all control measures in good working order; providing information, instruction and training for employees and others; providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases; planning for emergencies. [16] These regulations are taken extremely seriously by both the employer and their employees as the inappropriate use of harmful substances is a crime and can be punished with fines of up to  £400 on a summary conviction [14]. CODES OF PRACTICES AND RECOMMENDATIONS USED IN EDUCATION (CLEAPSS) The Codes of Practices and Recommendations used in Education involves ‘The Consortium of Local Authorities for Provision of Science Services’ also known as ‘CLEAPSS’. This covers local organisations like schools and other types of educational establishments to make sure they are safe within the service they are providing. CLEAPSS is based on 6 aspects of the organisation: Risk assessments This introduction of these into an establishment immediately improves its health and safety because it identifies any hazards and evaluates the risk and probability of it occurring and then suggests suitable methods or precautions to take to reduce the possibility of the hazard happening. Chemicals, living organisms and equipment This relates to the rules of the ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health’ regulations which covers any use of chemicals for example in science lessons at a secondary school the teacher and pupils would have to take precautions like wearing protective clothing or diluting the chemical. Also the ‘Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations’ is used in this area to ensure that the equipment is safe to use, especially electrically equipment in schools and colleges need to have regular safety checks to reduce the hazard of fires or electrocution. Sources of resources This can relate in an environmental way to study where the materials needed for these establishments comes from. For example the paper needed for schools comes from trees so it is vital that more trees are planted when some are cut down for the paper to help create a more sustainable environment. Laboratory design, facilities and fittings This ensures that places like school science laboratories are safe to use. Not only should the electrically equipment work properly but the cabinets and workbenches should be fitted securely and in suitable places and the floor should not cause any kind of tripping hazard. Technician and their jobs This means that fully trained and qualified technical staff need to be employed in order for the establishment to have people in case there is any  kind of emergency or injury. Some D&T facilities and fittings This is similar to the design of science laboratories however in design and technology situations there is more important equipment like machines that need to be safety checked and well trained staff need to supervise the use of it. Also safety instructions and signs can be used around the room to ensure that everyone knows how to use machinery or who to ask for help [4].

Goal Setting and Time Management Essay

Learning to manage one’s time effectively and to set appropriate and reachable goals is important for becoming a successful student. Setting goals will help you to become more effective in your academic life and career, and balancing your goals every day will help ease stress. Each of us is motivated by something, whether it is the desire to excel academically, find a better paying job, or simply learn. This motivation is what helps gear us every day to do the sometimes difficult tasks we face on the road to success. By understanding our motivations, we can stay motivated to reach our goals even when we feel stressed or rushed. But how do we go about this? First, evaluate your motivation. What do you want to achieve by attending school? Why is achieving this important? Think on a larger scale and get more specific. For example, if your motivation is to start a new career, begin examining why this change is important to you. Do you want to make more money? Maybe it’s to provide a better lifestyle for your family. Do you want to work in a particular field? Why? Begin making a list of goals and personal motivations. Secondly, once you’ve evaluated why you want to achieve your goals, think about what the needs are to achieve them. Think in terms of a large, medium, and small scale. In addition, these goals might be set for the short-, mid-, or long-term. You must prioritize your goals by importance; larger goals can be divided into smaller goals. This will help keep your goals in focus and manage them so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Using the acronym SMART is a great way to keep your goals in focus. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. The goals you set for yourself, no matter how big or small, should be specific. Avoid making vague statements like â€Å"I’d like to do well in school.† Instead, define what well means and specify what that would look like. A specific goal would be â€Å"I’d like to maintain a 3.8 grade point average.† In addition, your goals must be measurable. As mentioned above, your goal must be specific so you know exactly what the manifestation of your goal will look like. You must also consider how you will measure if you’ve reached your goal. Using specific numbers or deadlines can help you measure your goals. Remember that your goals must be attainable. Setting goals that are impossible to achieve or have an unreasonable deadline will only be discouraging. Creating small, manageable tasks that lead up to a larger goal is the best way to stay motivated and achieve your goals. Setting goals that are not relevant to your larger goals or do not provide any sense of accomplishment is also counterproductive. If you have many small goals that relate to your home life, when all your larger goals pertain to your career, you may end up feeling discouraged and may not accomplish all you’d like to. Try to tie your goals to a timeline. If you do not accomplish a task in full by the end of your timeline, you can always continue with a new timeline, but providing a deadline for yourself will help keep you motivated and accountable. Once the goal is reached, use small motivators that are important to you to keep spirits high and moving toward your major goals. The small motivators can be something as simple as an ice cream sundae after a major project, or a nice dinner after completing a course. Whatever the motivator, make sure that it motivates you to keep at the task at hand. Remind yourself often of the goals you have set for yourself and the rewards you have set up along the way to keep it at the forefront of your thought process. Once you have your SMART goals, there are many ways you can note and keep track of your goals. Staying organized will help you reduce stress and track more easily. If you are organized and prioritize important tasks first, you can avoid the stress of having to constantly address issues and last-minute problems. Being organized can also help you avoid missing details or important information in a task, which could result in having to repeat the task or spend more time fixing an error. Use all tools available, including technology where appropriate, to help organize these goals. Today’s smartphones are a great way to organize your goals and keep track of the timelines set to accomplish them. They are with you all the time and allow you to make changes and updates quickly. More traditional day planners are another way you can stay organized with your goals. Whatever method works for you, stay diligent and you will find it beneficial to the success of your SMART goals. Spend quality time on a task and you will be less likely to have to fix it later on. Don’t spend your time making lists of daily tasks like brushing your teeth; instead, focus on tasks or goals you’d like to achieve. This can be daily, short-, mid-, and long-term goals. Break down your time into intervals, with time set aside for specific tasks. Leave time at the end of your day to address tasks that may have come up that are not in your schedule or to address tasks that had to be moved to accommodate an urgent matter. When determining what time to spend on what task or goal, it is important that you understand when you do your best work. If you are a morning person, consider scheduling more difficult tasks and goals around this time, rather than in the evening when you are tired. Maybe you do great work in the afternoons. Try to arrange your schedule so you can complete tasks around this time. Not only will your work quality be better, you will be more efficient in completing it. Some people choose to do a daily journal, noting their progress on each of their goals. Others might make to-do lists, which they can check off with each completed goal. In addition, you might find a calendar system helpful. Try out a variety of methods to see which works best for you. Sometimes a combination of methods might end up being best. There is no right way to track and manage your goals, but finding a method that works for you is important for success.

Organization Culture Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organization Culture - Case Study Example According to the report findings the CCO is tasked with the responsibility of protecting the culture of the organization as it undergoes growth and development. The growth of a company reduces the number of activities that can be controlled directly by the management. Therefore, it is reasonable to appoint someone who can make sure the organizational culture does not deviate from the foundational values and beliefs that facilitated success and growth of the organization.As the study stresses a Chief Cultural Officer in this organization would be responsible for setting the tone for communication. The organization has a diverse workforce with people from different backgrounds. The COO would be expected to monitor communication and liaise with the Head of Human Resource on how to improve effectiveness.   The COO would also be tasked with the responsibility of defining the goals of the organization and aligning all the departments. This is a very crucial responsibility because the org anization was started to achieve specific goals.   Success and greed can make organization members to deviate from the principles and values of the organization. Ensuring the goals of the organization are remembered is necessary. It is also an opportunity to make new employees understand the importance of being motivated by the mission and vision of the organization. The COO should explain these goals to gain their support.

Corporate Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate Strategy - Assignment Example While Alitalia, a two-third state-owned enterprise was beset with labour union problems and was almost teetering near bankruptcy with net losses of 519 mn in the close of 2003 (its auditors refusing to certify its results!) (Source:ICFAI), BA was also consistently making loss in the 1980's until an ambitious privatisation programe slowly changed its fortunes by the onset of the Gulf War. BA also suffered extreme negative publicity due to some failed campaigns against competitor Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, facing lawsuits worth 3 million (Soure:Wikipedia), not to mention trade union problems, strikes etc. which continue until this day. The scenario is far more encouraging today. British Airways despite some steady hurdles like high oil prices, and a strong pound, have maintained profits since privatisation and quite consistently, since 2002. Its net profit for March 2006 stands at 529 mn (Source:Hemscott). With the relentless pursuit on upgrade of fleet and service management, the loss-making Giant has transformed into a lean, mean machine. As for Alitalia, losses are down at 200 mn in 2006 amid continued shutdown fears. (Airwise) Turnaround roadmap Organisationally, both airlines have changed for the better. While the British Airways is a newly-revived private major, Alitalia also has reduced government stake from two-thirds to about 49% (Airwise). Over 23,000 jobs were slashed in the 1980's during BA's get lean mission (Wikipedia). As for Alitalia, its decision in Sept 2004 to cut down over 5000 jobs brought it to a standstill due to a more hostile labour union, although the management announced March 2006 that its cost-cutting measures were 80% over. Alitalia, in 2001 became member of Europe's conglomerate Sky Team Alliance, as is eventually bracing for a merger with Air France and KLM (wikipedia). BA has reinvented itself around localising itself in the Asian market, by launching in 1995 a subsidiary called British Asia Airways in Taiwan replacing its traditional Union tailfin for a Chinese character emblem. BA also launched a low-cost airline called Go in 1998, and is thus better prepared, organisationally, to lead itself into the future (wikipedia). Most corporate strategies swiftly achieve results after what is known as situation and SWOT analysis, and brainstorming for a solution. BA started conducting "scenario workshops" in Feb 1994 (Moyer, K). The task at hand was to capture current scenario so that future strategy could be planned. Over 40 interviews were conducted with senior managers, and then with academics, engineers and aircraft manufacturers on a host of topics from IT and air transport regulations. All this culminated into developing teams writing the "official future" of the airline. Simultaneously, data on passenger traffic, economic growth and aircraft

Unit V AAssessment#3 Oxidative Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit V AAssessment#3 Oxidative Stress - Essay Example In order to eavaluate thr ability of particulate air pollution to promote oxidative stress, six adult pathogen free Sprague-Dawley rats were obtained from Taconic Farms in New York,USA, and fed with conventional laboratory diet and water ad libium.Three of the rats were exposed to filtered air (control group) and the other three were exposed to concentrated ambient particles (CAPs). Throughout the study, all rats were awake and unrestricted. At 1, 3 and 5 hours, two rats: 1 from filtered air and 1 from CAPs , were removed and analysed. The rats that were exposed to CAPs aerosols for 5 hours showed significant oxidative stress. The rats showed significant increase in lung and heart water content (about 5% , p According to Gurgueira, et al., (2002 p.260), the generation of ROS can induce cellular oxidative stress and biological effects,including DNA damage.In most aerobic cells, electron –transport chains are located in mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum . The electron –transport chains are the major source of ROS produced in vivo (Gurjar, et al., 2010: p.190). Gurgueira, S. A., Lawrence, J., Coull, B., Murthy, K. G. G., & Gonzà ¡lez-Flecha, B. ( 2002). Rapid increases in the steady-state concentration of reactive oxygen species in the lungs and heart after particulate air pollution inhalation. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110(8),

Consent for medical treatment of a minor in the state of Nevada Case Study

Consent for medical treatment of a minor in the state of Nevada - Case Study Example NRS 432B.220 Persons required to make report. Any person who â€Å"knows or has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected† must make a report â€Å"to an agency which provides child welfare services or to a law enforcement agency† within 24 hours. Persons who are qualified to make reports include â€Å"a physician, †¦ resident, intern, professional or practical nurse† or any other of the several medical professions named. NRS 432B.260 Action upon receipt of report. â€Å"An agency which provides child welfare services or a law enforcement agency shall promptly notify the appropriate licensing authority; †¦ a law enforcement agency shall promptly notify an agency which provides child welfare services of any report it receives.† NRS 432B.270 Interview of child and sibling of child concerning possible abuse or neglect; photographs, X rays and medical tests. â€Å"A designee of an agency investigating a report of abuse or neglect of a child may, without the consent of the person responsible for a child’s welfare: (a) Take or cause to be taken photographs of the child’s body, including the areas of trauma; and (b) if indicated after consultation with a physician, cause X rays or medical tests to be performed on a child.† The rule further states that the person responsible for the child must be notified unless the agency designee deems such notification would endanger the child or the child’s siblings. In addition, NRS 432B.290 Authorized release of data or information states that â€Å"data or information concerning reports or investigations† of abuse or neglect may be made available to â€Å"a physician, if the physician has before him a child who he has reasonable cause to believe has been abused or

Comparison between xbox one and playstation 4 Research Paper

Comparison between xbox one and playstation 4 - Research Paper Example Facing tough competitions from the rapid industrial challenges, it was vital that industry develop a new way of providing entertainment and also to maintain the tradition of playing video games. It has been viewed that today large companies like Microsoft and Sony are developing updated video games adapting new technological aspects and are also competing with one another to become the leader in the video game market. THESIS STATEMENT The paper aims to provide a detailed descriptive analysis, highlighting the major features of two video games consoles i.e. Xbox One and PS4 that would be launched soon for the public. DISCUSSION Xbox One. Xbox One is a forthcoming video game console that has been developed and manufactured by well-known multinational software company Microsoft. It is believed that the product would be released on November 22, 2013 across North America, some European countries, Australia and New Zealand and on 2014 in the rest of the world. Many critics regards this dev ice as an all-in-one entertainment system and is predicted to provide tough competitions to Sony’s well known PlayStation series (Cunningham, â€Å"Xbox One launches in 13 countries on November 22†). PlayStation 4. ... to launch on November 29 in some of the major countries in the European region (O'Brien, â€Å"PlayStation 4 hitting shelves on November 15th in the US for $399, November 29th in Europe and Latin America†). COMPARISION With the rapid globalization and technological development, it is not only automobile and service sectors that are facing tough challenges from competitors but video game manufacturer like Sony and Microsoft are also facing tough challenges with the increase in competitors in the global market. In this aspect, it has also become tough for consumers to decide which product to choose from a range of available products in the market. Below is a comparison of the two most controversial video game console that would be launched very shortly. The two consoles Xbox and PS4 are considered similar in their hardware specification, especially when it comes to the control processing unit (CPU) and Graphics processing unit (GPU). Both the company uses Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. chip for their consoles, using system on chip (SoC) as a combination component for the CPU and GPU. The processor used in these consoles is an x86 64-bit chip with 8 'Jaguar' cores which provides an estimated clock speed of 1.65GHz. Although, PS4 and Xbox One has the same AMD Radeon GPU, however, the PS4 is much powerful with an 1152 cores compared to Xbox One. Additionally, it has been identified PS4 has a higher peak shader which is 1.84 TFLOPS in comparison to that of Xbox One which is 1.23 TFLOPS (Shimpi, â€Å"The Xbox One: Hardware Analysis & Comparison to PlayStation 4†). Again, it has been viewed that both the console has 8GB of RAM. However, in this aspect Xbox One has 32MB of eSRAM that can be used as a cache memory. It is worth mentioning that when it comes to storage both the

Binge Drinking in College Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Binge Drinking in College - Research Paper Example Dasgupta (80) reports that binge drinking is very common among the youth in modern societies. Studies have shown that large numbers of students in colleges and universities consume alcohol heavily. For example, Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol conducted a research in which they studied the rate of drinking among students in colleges and universities within a period of four years in 1993, 1997 and 1999 in America. The researchers selected full-time students randomly and issued them with questionnaires to fill. During each of the three periods of study, 15,000 students responded to the questionnaire. After the results were compiled, they found that out of five students in a college, two of them were binge drinkers. Also, they established that one student out of five in a college is a frequent binge drinker who engages in binge drinking three or more times within a period of fourteen days. According to the study, the rate of alcohol consumption kept on increasing year aft er year. Binge drinking among students in college and universities is a matter of national concern because its effects are detrimental to the development of a country. The government should try to minimize the problem because it not only affects an individual, but also the welfare of the society as a whole. Although, all age groups consume alcohol, studies have shown that youths aged between 18 and 24 years show the highest rate and are, therefore, at a high risk of facing problems associated with heavy drinking.

The meaning of life Essay Example for Free

The meaning of life Essay All praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds,and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad,and on all his Family and Companions. [Brother! You wanted a few words of advice from me, so listen to a few truths included in eight short stories, which since you are a soldier, are in the form of comparisons of a military nature. I consider my own soul to need advice more than anyone, and at one time I addressed my soul at some length with Eight Words inspired by eight verses of the Qur’an from which I had benefited. Now I shall address my soul with these same Words, but briefly and in the language of ordinary people. Whoever wishes may listen together with me. ] The First Word Bismillah, â€Å"In the Name of God,† is the start of all things good. We too shall start with it. Know, O my soul! Just as this blessed phrase is a mark of Islam, so too it is constantly recited by all beings through their tongues of disposition. If you want to know what an inexhaustible strength, what an unending source of bounty is Bismillah, listen to the following story which is in the form of a comparison. It goes like this: Someone who makes a journey through the deserts of Arabia has to travel in the name of a tribal chief and enter under his protection, for in this way he may be saved from the assaults of bandits and secure his needs. On his own he will perish in the face of innumerable enemies and needs. And so, two men went on such a journey and entered the desert. One of them was modest and humble, the other proud and conceited. The humble man assumed the name of a tribal chief, while the proud man did not. The first travelled safely wherever he went. If he encountered bandits, he said: â€Å"I am travelling in the name of such-and-such tribal leader,† and they did not molest him. If he came to some tents, he was treated respectfully due to the name. But the proud man suffered indescribable calamities throughout his journey. He both trembled before everything and begged from everything. He was abased and became an object of scorn. My proud soul! You are the traveller, and this world is a desert. Your impotence and poverty have no limit, and your enemies and needs are endless. Since it is thus, take the name of the Pre-Eternal Ruler and Post-Eternal Lord of the desert and be saved from begging before the whole universe and trembling before every event. Yes, this phrase is a treasury so blessed that your infinite impotence and poverty bind you to an infinite power and mercy; it makes your impotence and poverty a most acceptable intercessor at the Court of One All-Powerful and Compassionate. The person who acts saying, â€Å"In the Name of God,† resembles someone who enrolls in the army. He acts in the name of the government; he has fear of no one; he speaks, performs every matter, and withstands everything in the name of the law and the name of the government. At the beginning we said that all beings say â€Å"In the Name of God† through the tongue of disposition. Is that so? Indeed, it is so. If you were to see that a single person had come and had driven all the inhabitants of a town to a place by force and compelled them to work, you would be certain that he had not acted in his own name and through his own power, but was a soldier, acting in the name of the government and relying on the power of the king. In the same way, all things act in the name of Almighty God, for minute things like seeds and grains bear huge trees on their heads; they raise loads like mountains. That means all trees say: â€Å"In the Name of God,† fill their hands from the treasury of mercy, and offer them to us. All gardens say: â€Å"In the Name of God,† and become cauldrons from the kitchens of Divine power in which are cooked numerous varieties of different foods. All blessed animals like cows, camels, sheep, and goats, say: â€Å"In the Name of God,† and produce springs of milk from the abundance of mercy, offering us a most delicate and pure food like the water of life in the name of the Provider. The roots and rootlets, soft as silk, of plants, trees, and grasses say: â€Å"In the Name of God,† and pierce and pass through hard rock and earth. Mentioning the name of God, the name of the Most Merciful, everything becomes subjected to them. The roots spreading through hard rock and earth and producing fruits as easily as the branches spread through the air and produce fruits, and the delicate green leaves retaining their moisture for months in the face of extreme heat, deal a slap in the mouths of Naturalists and jab a finger in their blind eyes, saying: â€Å"Even heat and hardness, in which you most trust, are under a command. For like the Staff of Moses, each of those silken rootlets conform to the command of, And We said, O Moses, strike the rock with your staff,1 and split the rock. And the delicate leaves fine as cigarette paper recite the verse, O fire be coolness and peace2 against the heat of the fire, each like the members of Abraham (UWP). Since all things say: â€Å"In the Name of God,† and bearing God’s bounties in God’s name, give them to us, we too should say: â€Å"In the Name of God. † We should give in the name of God, and take in the name of God. And we should not take from heedless people who neglect to give in God’s name. Question: We give a price to people, who are like tray-bearers. So what price does God want, Who is the true owner? The Answer: Yes, the price the True Bestower of Bounties wants in return for those valuable bounties and goods is three things: one is remembrance, another is thanks, and the other is reflection. Saying, â€Å"In the Name of God† at the start is remembrance , and, â€Å"All praise be to God† at the end is thanks. And perceiving and thinking of those bounties, which are priceless wonders of art, being miracles of power of the Unique and Eternally Besought One and gifts of His mercy, is reflection . However foolish it is to kiss the foot of a lowly man who conveys to you the precious gift of a king and not to recognize the gift’s owner, it is a thousand times more foolish to praise and love the apparent source of bounties and forget the True Bestower of Bounties. O my soul! If you do not wish to be foolish in that way, give in God’s name, take in God’s name, begin in God’s name, and act in God’s name.

Civil Disobedience Essay Example for Free

Civil Disobedience Essay Historically, in your opinion, has civil disobedience been effective in changing the law? Explain why or why not. What laws do you disagree with or would you consider violating to change? Explain The act of knowingly breaking a law that one feels is morally or ethically unjust is termed Civil Disobedience. While we all have a perception of right and wrong, the guideline for this thinking is our moral compass. While many individuals may see inequalities or injustices in our society, only a few make a physical stand for what they perceive to be right. Some discourage the use of civil disobedience as a tool that should be used for change, the logic being that it directly contradicts our nation’s democratic system. Others support the peaceful act of protesting or challenging laws that are unjust. It is my opinion that while technically breaking the law, it is necessary as it brings immediate attention to an unjust law. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated and I quote â€Å"An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.† Perfect examples of civil disobedience used to change laws are the Ms. Rosa Parks incident, as well as the prolonged civil rights movement initiated by Dr. King. While the above mentioned incidents of civil disobedience assisted in bringing attention to and ultimately changing unjust laws, this change was slow and not complete. One of the laws that I do not agree with is pertaining to parental rights. I feel that in the courts of law in regards to custody and parenting responsibilities, the father always gets the short end of the stick. Never have I seen things being fair and just, unless in the uncommon circumstance where the mother is clearly not fit to be a parent. In many cases the mother has custodial rights, but the child or children are neglected physically, mentally and financially. The mother just used the child for a means to gain financial support.

Diabetes A Major Public Health Issue Health Essay

Diabetes A Major Public Health Issue Health Essay According to current estimates about 366 million people have diabetes in 2011 all over world. It has been projected that by 2030 this will have risen to 552 million. The number of people with type 2 diabetes is increasing throughout the globe. Among them about 80% of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries. The majority of people with diabetes lie in the age group of 40 to 59 years of age. Almost half of this population, 183 million people (50%) is undiagnosed. Diabetes caused 4.6 million deaths in 2011. 78,000 children develop type 1 diabetes every year. India has become the global capital for both the kinds of disease- Communicable as well as NCD or life-style diseases. There is this double burden of disease. The major diseases in the NCDs are Diabetes, CHD and Hypertension. These three diseases alone cause more than 400 deaths per million population in a year. Among them Diabetes demands the major concern because it is intricately related to the development of the two other factors (increases the risk of) CHD and Hypertension. There is also an increasing trend of obesity world-wide which also adds to the development of Diabetes as a risk factor. It is the fourth or fifth leading cause of death in the most high-income countries and it is taking the form of an epidemic in many developing as well. Diabetes has become one of the most challenging health problems of this century. There have been many studies since the last two decades which confirm that the low and middle income countries are going to face the greatest burden of this disease. The governments and public health planners of many developing countries including India still remain ignorant of this upcoming health evil. The magnitude of this disease has serious implications in terms of its economic burden in its treatment and loss in terms of wage and deteriorated quality of work by people affected by Diabetes. This can drastically influence the growth of a country especially developing countries like India. Global Prevalence of Diabetes and projection till 2030global-diabetes.png Numbers of people with diabetes (in millions) for 2000 and 2010 (top and middle values, respectively), and the percentage increase wed.png Source- Nature | Vol. 414 | 13 December 2001 | www.nature.com There have been reports of increasing cases of Myocardial Infarction even in very young patients among the Juvenile diabetes cases. It is a far more disabling than generally considered, it drastically decreases ones stamina and working capacity. As it is a multisystem disorder it influences other sensory functions as well such as Diabetic retinopathy (hampering vision), Diabetic nephropathy (causing renal disease and failure), Diabetic neuropathy (including diabetic foot) and many other complications. The presentation of classical symptoms of polydypsia, polyphagia, polyuria is not always the picture of diabetes. It is only seen in few classical cases. So, it is often diagnosed during routine test or examination done when patient had presented for some other disease or illness. The lack of awareness among people about this disease is of major concern. Due to this many cases go undetected. India has imitated the Western ways of lifestyle and hence illnesses such as obesity and diabetes are increasing day by day. In 2011, India had 62.4 million people with type 2 diabetes, compared with 50.8 million cases in 2010, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation. The nationwide prevalence of diabetes in India now tops 9%, and is as high as 20% in the relatively prosperous southern cities. By 2030, the IDF predicts, India will have 100 million people with diabetes. Another matter of great concern is the fact that the onset of type 2 diabetes tends to affect people in the West in their 40s and 50s, whereas the disease strikes Indians at a much younger age. Even young people of 25 years of age are being diagnosed with the disease, a trend that threatens to seriously hamper the countrys economic development. The rise of type 2 diabetes in India was in fact foreseen by some scientists and health experts. Till1980s, the urban prevalence of diabetes was at least double the rural prevalence. But this picture of diabetes has changed significantly over time and has spread out of urban cities into the countryside and majority of rural areas. Type 2 Diabetes constitutes more than 90 % of the whole diabetes cases in any country including India. It has a wide variety of determinants and risk factors associated with it, which need to be known and focused during policy formulation to address Diabetes. Aetiological determinants and risk factors of type 2 diabetes Genetic factors Genetic markers, family history, thrifty gene(s) Demographic characteristics Sex, age, ethnicity Behavioural- and lifestyle-related risk factors Obesity (including distribution of obesity and duration) Physical inactivity Diet Stress Westernization, urbanization, modernization Metabolic determinants and intermediate risk categories of type 2 diabetes Impaired glucose tolerance Insulin resistance Pregnancy-related determinants (parity, gestational diabetes, diabetes in offspring of women with diabetes during pregnancy, intra-uterine mal or over nutrition) Source- Nature | Vol. 414 | 13 December 2001 | Www.Nature.Com Villages in wealthier southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala are seeing prevalence hit double digits, which is enormous. If it was confined to affluent India, you could still put a lid on it, but now its rising quickly all over the country. as per Nikhil Tandon, an endocrinologist at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. There is also a considerable genetic propensity towards Diabetes in the Asian population particularly in India. india diabtes.png AIMS OBJECTIVES Diabetes has yet not been recognized in our country as a major public health issue, although the morbidity and mortality and hence economic burden and loss due to it is much higher than that caused by many other communicable or other diseases such as AIDS or STDs, for which there are well formulated programs. But there are no such programs or targeted approach to tackle this very prominent deterrent of health in our country, Diabetes. There is almost no health care accessibility and availability dedicated in this regard in public scale. They are primarily excluded from government policies and decision making process. Not much work or studies have been conducted on the prevalence of Diabetes in India, especially rural India. There is a need to assess the real magnitude of this urgent problem which demands special concern in form of targeted policies and programs and screening. The aim of my study is to highlight the immediate need of recognition of Diabetes as a major public-health co ncern and formulation of strategies, Policies and programs concerning Diabetes in India. RECOMMENDATIONS (1) Studies need to be conducted to determine the level of awareness and knowledge about diabetes at the community level in different parts of India. As we know IEC is very important for any community or mass scale program to be successful. It is also important in view of the Sickness behavior and the sick role played by the individuals. Creating awareness among the people will make them come up for the screening and a better turn up for treatment in early stage which will significantly reduce the loss due to the disease to the person and state as a whole. (2) More studies and research required to identify the risk factors for diabetes, the relationship between anthropometric measures and diabetes risk and estimate the burden of diabetes in this rural Indian population with an objective to identify target areas for future healthcare planning. (3) Screening programs need to be formulated in the mass scale and many rounds of such screening will be required to assess the real magnitude of the problem in Indian population, so that, resources are used accordingly for planning of policies and programs. These data will be extremely important for planning the public health policies especially the envisaged National Diabetic Control Program. (4) Tracing the exact pattern of the disease in the population and its demographic pattern is essential. Some of the recent studies have identified increasing cases of juvenile diabetes and there is detection of more and more cases in the lower marginalized and poorer section of population (Diabetes was once believed to be disease of elites, those of the rich sections of population associated with over eating, obesity etc). Now the picture of disease is changing which needs to be traced and addressed in the following policies for diabetes control and prevention. Research should also be directed in the direction to identify the most appropriate test for screening purpose, as the results depend on the test employed to a significant degree, especially when employed for mass screening. (5) Clear cut policy outlines to tackle with the complications of Diabetes- The complications due to Diabetes can be even more disabling and in some cases even fatal. So it is very important to make clear cut policy outlines to tackle with the complications of Diabetes and its prevention. Measures should aim at intensive control of blood glucose to prevent the retinal, renal and neuropathic complications of diabetes. There is a concealed burden of Impaired Glucose Tolerance. The possibility of preventing type 2 diabetes by interventions that affect the lifestyles of subjects at high risk for the disease have focused on people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). It affects at least 200 million people worldwide. Approximately 40% of subjects progress to diabetes over 5-10 years, but some revert to normal or remain IGT. So, it is very essential to take this group of individuals into consideration. (6) Formation of a separate body under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as Diabetes Control Organization or so to tackle with Diabetes in an integrated and comprehensive way throughout the country. Formulation of Control and Prevention Programs to be implemented in each state. Prior to this there should be formation of an Expert group to assess the actual prevalence and exact demographic characteristics of Diabetes in different regions of India. (7) Reinforcing legislative changes such as increased taxation of certain unhealthy foods to promote healthy diet. Although it is difficult but such steps may help to a great extent. CONCLUSION A much more integrated approach is needed to have a significant impact on the diabetes epidemic in India. Type 2 diabetes is not merely a disease but reflection of a much bigger problem, that is, the effect of environmental and lifestyle changes on human health. We need well integrated policies for education of the mass through IEC. The major proportion of Diabetes cases in India is Type-2 which is preventable. It is a huge threat to public health and in absence of interventions there would be great loss. Thus prevention of diabetes and its micro- and macro-vascular complications should be an essential component of future public health strategies for all nations. An essential and immediate need is the formation of multidisciplinary national encompassing all parties that can help address and control the underlying socioeconomic causes that have led to the diabetes epidemic. ANNEXURE Recent studies have highlighted the potential for intervention in IGT subjects to reduce progression to type 2 diabetes. One such study is the recently completed Diabetes Prevention Program in the United States. Diabetes education is necessary to control Diabetes. It includes diabetes self-management education (DSME) and diabetes self-management training (DSMT). It helps people to modify their behavior and hence mange the disease. Healthy People 2010 objective regarding diabetes education- At least 60 percent of persons with diabetes should receive formal diabetes education in order to attain considerable level of awareness in the community as per the American Association of Diabetes Educators. List of Stake holders- Govt. of India, Ministry of health and Family Welfare. State Governments. NGOs and other organizations Media for awareness. Family of Diabetic patients.

Friends of Scouting :: essays research papers

Friends of Scouting, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Eagle Scouts... I would like to start by saying: there are no more important people in this room than the two young men we honor here. If there were a Congressman, a United States senator, a governor, or even a chief executive officer of a FORTUNE 500 company here today, there would be no one in the room more important than our new Eagle Scouts. They are among the most important people in America. These two new Eagle Scouts are the worthiest members of the greatest youth organization on earth, â€Å"The Boy Scouts of America†. While not alone in serving the needs of children and youth, the BSA is almost the oldest and certainly the most successful. Tonight, you young men join the two percent of all Scouts who have achieved this highest and most noble goal. It is true. Of the millions of boys who have joined the Boy Scouts of America since 1910 (over the past 94 years) only TWO out of every 100 has became an Eagle Scout. By achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, each of you has proven to yourself, to your community, to your state, to your country and even to the World that you are Can Do, Will Try person. I’d like to quote, the words of Marian Wright Edelman - from her book The Measure of Our Success: A letter to My Children and Yours. "We need to teach our children--by example--not to be lazy, to do their homework, to pay attention to detail, to take care and pride in work, to be reliable, and not to wobble and jerk through life. Each of us must take the initiative to create our opportunities, not waiting around for favors. We must not assume a door is closed but must push on it. We must not assume if it was closed yesterday that it's closed today." "Set goals and work quietly and systematically toward them. We must all resist quick-fix, simplistic answers and easy gains, which often disappear just as quickly as they come." "Assign yourself. Don't wait around for your boss, your friends or your parents to direct you to do what you are able to figure out and do for yourself. Don't do just as little as you can to get by." "Be a can do, will try" person. As our newest Eagle Scouts, you need to understand that the happiness in a person’s life is directly proportionate to that person’s commitment to Excellence, regardless of the person’s position in life.

A Reading of Blakes A Cradle Song Essay -- William Blake S. Foster Da

"A Cradle Song" S. Foster Damon's 1947 reading of "A Cradle Song" indicates that most early critics accepted Isaac Watts' Hush! my dear, lie still and slumber as the model for Blake's poem. However, Damon claims that "There is no more resemblance [between the two works]than there must be between any two cradle-songs. He also claims that the designs of the second plate have a "Raphaelesque hardness, which is in this day not pleasant." Vivian de Sola Pinto acknowledges the connections between "A Cradle Song" and Watts' work made by Damon and others but notes that no critic has yet explored the relationship between Blake's and Watts' work in detail, a task she takes on in her 1957 study. Placing Watts' "A Cradle Hymn" side-by-side with Blake's "A Cradle Song," de Sola Pinto analyzes their thematic and prosodic similarities and differences, ultimately reading Blake's song as the "delogicalization" of Watts' hymn. In his 1959 reading of "A Cradle Song," Robert F. Gleckner asserts that it is an expression of Blake's concept of moving into the realm of higher innocence citing as evidence that after 1815, Blake always followed "A Cradle Song" with "The Divine Image" in the sequence of Songs of Innocence. Gleckner discusses the movement from "pleasant dreams" and "sweet smiles" to "moans" and "weeping" as the movement from innocence into experience and ultimate innocence, "the hope of mankind" which is "the ultimate negation of self." Gleckner claims that this "song" is actually a "prayer," the same prayer mentioned in "The Divine Image." Hazard Adams' 1963 reading asserts that the poem is both a song and a "prayer for the continued innocence of the child." Adams classifies the poem as one of Blake's lullabies which Adams claims ... ...iam Blake. Cambridge: UP, 1973. Gleckner, Robert F. The Piper and the Bard: A Study of William Blake. Detroit: Wayne State UP, 1959. Glen, Heather. Vision and Disenchantment: Blake's Songs and Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads. Cambridge: UP, 1983. Hirsch, E.D. Innocence and Experience: An Introduction to William Blake. Chicago: UP, 1964. Holloway, John. Blake: The Lyric Poet. London: Edward Arnold, Ltd., 1968. Keynes, Geoffrey. Commentary. Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. By William Blake. 1789,1794. New York: Orion, 1967. Leader, Zachary. Reading Blake's Songs. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1981. Lindsay, David W. Blake: Songs of Innocence and Experience. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, Int., 1989. Ostriker, Alicia. Vision and Verse in William Blake. Madison: U Wisconsin P, 1965.

Dogs as Best Pet Essay

Dogs as best pets have been contentious argument among scholars with center of debate consistently shifting from basic roles of dogs in homes to scientific roles they play in research. It is not fallacious to argue for instance, that in recent decades, there has been social, economic and cultural changes that have brought fundamental shift in the attitude and values of people to an extent that dogs are not only reared as best pets but fulfill a given vacuum left due to a sense of isolation. Scholars such as Tapper (2007) have provided evidence-based researches showing that dogs as pets provide unconditional companionship which equates effective therapeutic options that improve quality of life. However, what Tapper presents in his study should not be considered as the pinnacle in this argument. That is, debate on dogs as the best pet is so rich that argument as made by Tapper is admittedly an introductory one and only represents a research that is clearly in progress. Looking at recen t studies such as Serpell and Paul (2010), it is clear that there are still a number of avenues which beg this assessment to explore regarding benefits of gods as pets and such cannot be explored in the confines of what Tapper argues about. In support of studies that have looked at dogs in a wider perspective, this argument begins, as all proper researches should, that dogs are not only the best pets but work animal. As pets, they are not just fawning but seem to live with people and take their work outside seriously —they are to be found at table and at the gate watching steadily for any intruder. This is not to forget the fact that families use dog as ‘guide dogs for the blind’ or ‘hearing dogs for the blind.’ Though some arguments such as Vivian (2001) have postulated that as pets, dogs can sometime tear their best friends asunder, it is possible to counter this claim in the sense that these pets could only attack their master in situations psychologist term as ‘fight or flight.’ That is, dogs as pets are have feelings and when cornered or threatened, they either fight back or run away from the danger. In fact, close study of these animals as pets brings a number of such contradictions (that dogs can aimlessly attack their masters) (Lloyd-Jones, 2003). Arguments on whether dogs are the best pet stretches back to the early times of Greek civilization where it was, at the very best, liminal, human’s best friend compared to other animals that were domesticated (Tapper, 2007). Contrariwise, this statement remains uncertain owing to the fact that the animal is just a few steps from the wolf. In addition to this, in a confined argument, the theory continues, that dogs as pets are not as important as other animals reared as pets. The thesis statement of this school of thought lies on the premise that the animal contributes nothing to the common good compared to other pets. In as much as there may be truth in this theoretical framework, comparative studies as cited above have succinctly indicated that such a view is fraught with inherent dangers especially if they are pursued overly simplistically. The reason as to why this argument refutes opposing arguments that is strongly is due to the fact that the obvious relationship existing between people and dogs as pets is rarely that simple, regardless of the level of society the dog is reared as a pet. To argue that dogs as pets are economically worthless is fallacious in the sense that young people in the house and dogs as pets are categorized as creatures put near or in the house, fed but with return or meaningless economic services the owner. References Lloyd-Jones, H. (2003), ‘Females of the species and dogs rearing in the upper families.’ ParkRidge, NJ 2003. Serpell, T. & Paul, E. (2010), ‘Pets and the development of positive attitudes towards dogs’, inAnimals and society. Changing perspectives, eds. A. Manning & James Serpell,Routledge, NY 2010, 127-156.Tapper, R. (2007), ‘Animality, humanity, morality, society’, in What is an animal? Ed. T. Ingold,Routledge, NY 2010, 42-72. Vivian, K. (2001), ‘In the company of animal. A study of human-animals relationship.’Routledge, NY 2001, 390-412. Source document

Help in This Please *Urgent

3RTO Multiple Choice Test Section 1 3RTO: Resourcing Talent Question 1 Talent management looks at how an organisation uses the skills of its workforce in order to maintain competitive advantage. Which of the areas listed below would not be part of a talent management programme? Leadership development Recruitment and selection Succession planning Payroll processing Question 2 Talent management programmes can help motivate staff and make them more productive, which in turn benefits the organisation. One of the following benefits is imaginary, which is it?Able to develop skills with a career path in mind Organisations receive favourable tax incentives for implementing talent management programmes More motivation as the employer is supporting employee development The organisation is able to identify skills gaps in the workforce Question 3 Internal labour markets can often be the main source of future labour requirements from within an organisation. Which of the following IS NOT an exampl e of the use of an internal labour market? Promotion in an organisation In-house succession planning Company talent management schemes HeadhuntingQuestion 4 External labour markets provide labour solutions/appointments which are found from outside the organisation. From the list below select the example of the internal labour market solution. Selection from a national pool of candidates Redeployment Headhunting Relocation from another country Question 5 One of the aspects of recruitment listed below is an example of an external labour market. Which is it? Management succession In-house promotion Hiring via a local recruitment agency Job rotation Question 6 HR planning is affected by a variety of factors, including those listed below.However one of them is not a factor in HR planning – select which one this is. Employee Turnover Recruitment and selection Natural Wastage Payroll systems Question 7 Demand forecasting examines what events might occur within an organisation in the future, but amongst the four areas listed below which is not an example of demand forecasting? Downsizing Auditing Expansion Restructuring Question 8 Labour supply is affected by a variety of factors but one of the examples listed below is not a factor. Which is it? Natural wastage Skills mix of labour supply Employment Levels InflationQuestion 9 Calculating employee turnover can be a useful measure of employee engagement and staff retention. One of the examples listed below does not form part of the calculation mentioned in your workbook – which is it? Dismissals Redundancy Retirement Redeployment Question 10 Which of the following IS NOT a cost from recruitment and selection? Induction training Advertising Interviewing time Annual Leave Question 11 Referring back to your workbook, one of the following pieces of legislation has no direct relevance to recruitment. Which is it? Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and 1986The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Race Relations Act 1976 Question 12 Getting staff to take on extra responsibilities can be difficult without incentives for them, whether they be financial or otherwise. From the following list select which is not a positive incentive for an employee to accept extra responsibilities. Further professional development opportunities Some form of remuneration or salary award You are worried about what your manager will think of you if you do not accept It is part of your CPD/appraisal goalsQuestion 13 Incentive schemes are normally made up of financial and non-financial rewards. Which of the following is an example of a non-financial reward? Performance related pay Commission schemes Flexible working hours End of month/quarter/year bonuses Question 14 You would only be expected to clarify one of the following areas during an interview – which is it? Age Academic qualifications Religious beliefs Marital Status Question 15 Which of the following IS NOT a stage one wou ld expect within the recruitment process? Short list/Short listing Long list/Long listing Telephone interviewOutplacement Question 16 Recruiters and employers use a variety of selection methods to assess candidates. Which of the following would be an inappropriate means to assess a candidate’s skills and abilities? Work presentations Interviewing Psychometric testing Religious beliefs Question 17 The WASP interview structure has four stages but which of the following is not one of them? Welcome Assimilate Supply Part Question 18 Psychometric testing is a popular assessment method for employers when recruiting to a new role. Below are measures that are part of it but one is incorrect – which is it?Objective Standardised Valid Bias Question 19 Which of the following would not form part of an assessment centre? A contingency based interview Written or oral tests In-tray exercises Presentation exercises Question 20 An employee’s job content can be assessed in a vari ety of ways but one of the examples listed below is not one of them. Which is it? On the job observation Work diaries Terms of the contract of employment Job/Work questionnaires Question 21 Listed below are four reasons for employers producing a job description, but one is not correct. Select the INCORRECT statement.To have clear guidance about what is expected of the individual in their role It is a legal requirement To use as a means with which to performance manage staff To help support PDP/development plans Question 22 Which of the following IS NOT information that you would expect to be included in a personal specification? Salary Academic requirements Skills and experience Which elements of the role are essential or desirable Question 23 Effective questioning during an interview can help make an informed judgement about a candidate’s skills and experience.Which of the examples given below is an imaginary questioning technique? Open questioning Probing questioning Coerci ve questioning Reflective questioning Question 24 From the list below can you select which is not an appropriate means with which to assess an applicant’s suitability for a position? Contingency Based questions Contact family members for a reference Assessment centres Obtaining references Question 25 Which of the following IS NOT one of the primary elements of active listening? Comprehending Retaining Disregarding RespondingQuestion 26 Listening is said to have three different levels involved in it, but one of the following options is not one of them. Select the false level. Active listening Peripheral listening Staged listening Attentive listening Question 27 Non verbal communication can take a variety of forms. Referring back to your workbook, which of the following is a means of non-verbal communication? Body language Telephone calls Face to face discussions Public speeches Question 28 Employment references provide information to organisations to assess a candidates suitab ility for a role.Below are listed example of information you would expect to be included in a reference, with one exception – which is it? Length of service Job title List of duties Personal Interests Question 29 Which of the following IS NOT a way in which induction processes can save on costs? Less time other staff members have to spend on training inductees Less money spent on having to constantly re-recruit staff members It can help the new staff member understand the organisation’s culture and work practices more quickly Developing HR Information Systems

Development from Birth †19 Years Essay

All children and young people develop at different rates, but the order which they advance in differs very little. Children’s development tends to progress from head to toe, inner to outer, from simple to complex and from general to specific. Each child’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual and language development will be looked at through age stages. All of these categories are as important as each other and can each have a substantial impact on the child’s full adult potential. Physical development is the growth of movement skills in both fine and gross motor skills and development in hand to eye co-ordination. Each of these is inter-connected and therefore can all be of impact to one another. Social and emotional development is the process of forming relationships, learning social and cultural skills, caring for others, independency, decision making, building confidence and learning to handle emotions in a healthy way. Intellectual development refers to the understanding of information, lengthening attention span, the reasoning in daily experiences, developing memory, logical thinking and questioning. Language development is the understanding and gaining of language, developing vocabulary and b ody language. 0-6 Months: Physical development : At this stage a baby should be able to turn their head towards sound and movement, watch an adult’s face when feeding and smile at the faces and voices they find familiar. They should be able to hold their feet when lying on their back, look and reach for objects, hold and shake a rattle and put items in their mouths. Social and emotional development: At this age a baby will respond to adult’s voices and faces, prominently their mothers, possibly by smiling. They will concentrate on adults face during feeding and be extremely dependent in adults for reassurance and comfort, quieting when held and cuddled. Language development: At this age a child should make a variety of â€Å"happy† sounds, respond to music and sounds (this can be very calming) abd watch their carers face and try to copy their movements. 6-12 Months: Physical Development: During this period a child should be able to move from sitting with support to sitting alone, roll from their tummy to their back and begin to crawl or shuffle on their bottom. Pulling or pushing against an adults hand to reach a standing position, raise arms to be lifted, turn to look when their name has been called and to try and reach for food to put in their mouth. Social and Emotional Development: A child will enjoy the company of others and games such as peek-a-boo, shows affection to main carer but be shy towards strangers. Language Development: The babbling sound begins! A young child will make 4 or 5 different sounds at this step, show feelings by squealing or crying and laugh or chuckle to show their enjoyment. 1-2 Years Physical Development: A young toddler will begin to walk (with or with-out a push along toy), sit alone confidently, wave goodbye, feed themselves, point to what they want and to shake their head for â€Å"no†. Their thumb and first two fingers will be used to grip, crawl upstairs, stoop when picking an object from floor level, begin to show preference for one hand, build tower of few bricks and to begin to hold crayon in palm and to scribble on paper. Social and Emotional Development: Like to please adults and to perform in front of an audience, may become anxious or distressed when separated from known adults, may grow attached to a comfort object (such as blanket), can mostly be cooperative and be easily distracted from unwanted behaviour and can play alongside other children. Language Development: Move from using single words to putting them together as a phrase, they will understand key words used in sentences, in the second year children start to understand the use of conversation and begin to copy carers. Children’s understand outstrips their ability to express themselves however by two years they could be using from 30 up to 150 words. 2-3 Years Physical Development: Kneels to play, throw and kick a ball, builds larger brick towers, pour liquids and uses pencils to make marks and circular scribbles. Social and Emotional Development: Developing sense of own identity and wanting to do things for their selves, demanding of adults attention and being jealous of adults attention being shred, reluctant to share play things, acts impulsively, requiring needs to be met instantly, prone to burst of emotion tantrums, enjoys playing with adults or older child who will give attention, beginning to play with others of own age for short periods of time. Intellectual Development (0-3 Years) Beginning to realise others are separate beings from themselves, imitates others and tries out ways of behaving in play, becoming more confident but still needs adult reassurance Language Development: Put words together in a sentence and beginning to ask questions (What? Why? How? Who? Where?) can join in well known songs or verses and put actions to words (Row-Row-Row the boat) Could possibly be using several hundred words by 3rd birthday, can scribble and make marks on paper with a crayon. 3-4 Years Physical Development: Large Motor Skills; Jump with feet together, walk on tip toes Throw a ball with aim and walk up and down the stairs. Fine Motor Skills; painting, threading beads on a lace, gain control over food utensils, use scissors and hold pencil to draw house and or people. Social and Emotional Development: becoming more independent and self-motivated, feels more secure and able to cope with unfamiliar surroundings and adults for periods of time, becoming more cooperative with adults and likes to help. Sociable and friendly with others, plays with children and more able to share, beginning to consider the needs of others and to show concern for others. Intellectual Development: Understand two or three simple things to do at once (eg Get a glass of water, bring it to your brother and then take the glass back to the kitchen) Can sort objects by size and type (by colours, animals or shapes) Language Development: (3-4 years)Pitch and tone can begin to be used alongside present and past tense. Vocabulary will be extended to 1000-1500 words and marks made by crayons will become more controlled. (4-5 years) Grammar can become more accurate and questions more complex, understand that books are a source of pleasure and use pictures to help them follow the story. Language will be used to communicate a child’s ideas and they may begin to recognise their own name and a few frequently seen written words, a pencil will be able to be help more confidently and shapes can be copied to form some lettering. 5-7 Years Physical Develpoment: Large Motor Skills; Hops, kicks with aim, catch a ball, skips, rides bicycle, climb confidently. Fine Motor Skills; Haandels pencil with control, copy shapes and write some letters, sews stitches, threads needle, can do buttons and shoe laces. Social and Emotional Development: Makes friends but may need help in resolving disputes, developing understanding of rules but still finds turn-taking difficult. Enjoys helping others and taking responsibility, learns lots about the world and how it workd, ad about people and relationships, makes friends (often short term) and plays group games, needs structure and routing to feel safe, when behaviour is over the top they need limits to be set. Intellectual Development: Begin to understand about sameness and difference in various aspects of life, can begin to understand that differences can exist side by side. Can begin to see different perspectives on the same subject, for example the same amount of water can look different in different containers. Language Development: During this period the chid can speak fluently and be able to make up stories, handle books well, understand that text carries meaning and recognise and increasing number of letters linking them to sounds. 7-12 Years Physical Development: Large motor skills are met such as running, jumping, skipping, climbing, kicking and hitting balls however teams games are usually enjoyed by age 8. Social and Emotional Development: Become less dependent on close adults for support and therefore can cope with the wider environment along with enjoying being in groups of other children of similar age, usually influenced easily by peers. Developing understanding of what behaviour is expected in certain situations and what is unacceptable, a sense of fairness and justice. Gender identity is becoming more apparent and preferring to play with same sex friends. Wanting to fit in with peer group and wanting to form closer relationships from age of 8. Intellectual Development: Able to read to themselves and will take a active interest in certain subjects by age 9. Language Development: Will need help learning how to spell complex words, with help from adults and teacher’s vocabulary will grow when new words are introduced, speech becomes fluent and can describe complicated happenings. Reading out loud and knowing the difference tenses and grammar will also become noticeable. 12-19 Years (Adolescence) Physical Development: Adolescence is said to be the period between childhood and adulthood, this can start from as early as 11 years and up to 19 or 20 years. The rate of development during these times can differ significantly and are different for both genders. This can be a very difficult time for teenagers as being similar to your peers can be a huge pressure; developing early or late can single teenagers out from others and bring up many emotional factors. Boys: Adolescence for boys usually starts at 14 years which is later compared to girls, however at the end of puberty boys are usually bigger than girls. Sex characteristics at this age are developing; these include body hair, deepening of the voice, broadness and muscle growth. Testicular and scrotum growth begins in early – mid puberty, the penis growth starts a bit later but continues for a longer time period. Girls: Puberty for girls can be as early as 8 years although the average age is 13. Breast budding is traditionally the beginning of puberty around the age of 10, pubic hair will then begin to grow and become curlier. Depending on when puberty first begins for each young lady they may be physically mature by the age of 15 and close to her full adult height however her hips and breasts may still become fuller. Social and Emotional Development: The first emotional factors to come with puberty are usually self-consciousness of the teenager’s body changes and whether they are â€Å"normal† compared to their peers. Emotional maturity can feel a drastic change to the teenagers, feeling their childish needs with adult desires, desiring independence but needing guidance; this can be a very confusing time for the young adults. Feeling less importance on their parents approval and instead turning to their friends for group-acceptance and behaviour codes. Along with this new found independence comes new questioning of the world, community values, personal values, beliefs and views; these will then individually sculpt the identity of the young adult. During this time many teens form close friendships with their peers of their own gender and most also develop an intense interest in the opposite gender, away from the emotional security their family provides the teenagers are open to many different emotional situations including potential rejection. Intellectual Development: With physical and emotional maturity comes maturity of the mind and the individual’s words and actions. As the teenager’s freedon and independence grows the need for maturity grows with it. During adolescence young people increasingly take responsibility in their lives in areas such as finances, employment, relationships and accommodation. The process of acquiring full responsibility should be complete by adulthood however; the rate of development is dependent on the amount of guidance given, to helping the brain to make the connections between knowledge and practical application to daily life. Education will be another main factor, next to parents, to shaping these young adults; the education system with its teachers will assist in helping the young adults to understanding moral, social, economic and cultural codes that will form the foundation of their identity. Language Development: As confidence and knowledge of language grows teenagers tend to develop different forms of communication such as sarcasm, â€Å"slang† language, shortened â€Å"text† language and the skill of formal or informal debate. Being able to express themselves with more words and forms of communications is a result of their maturity.

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 14

Keller put her hands to her face. At first, she didn't recognize what was happening to her. Then she realized that she was crying. She was shaking, Raksha Keller who wasn't afraid of anyone and who never let her heart be touched. She was making those ridiculous little noises that sounded like a six-week-old kitten. She was dripping tears through her fingers. The worst thing was that she couldn't seem to make herself stop. Then she felt Galen's arms around her, and she realized that he was crying, too. He was better at it than she was. He seemed more used to it and didn't fight it as hard, which made him stronger. He was able to stroke her hair and even to get some words out. â€Å"Keller, I'm sorry. Keller†¦ can I call you Raksha?† Keller shook her head furiously, spraying teardrops. â€Å"I always think of you as Keller, anyway. It's just-you, somehow. I'm sorry about all of this. I didn't mean to make you cry. It would be better if you'd never met me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Keller found herself shaking her head again. And then, just as she had the last time, she felt her arms moving to hold him back. She pressed her face against the softness of his sweatshirt, trying to get enough control of herself to speak. This was the problem with having walls so hard and high and unscalable, she supposed. When they came down, they crumbled completely, shattering into nothingness. She felt utterly defenseless right now. Unguarded†¦ vulnerable†¦ but not alone. She could feel more than Galen's physical presence. She could feel his spirit, and she was being pulled toward it. They were falling together, falling into each other, as they had in the library. Closer and closer†¦ Contact. She felt the touch of his mind, and once again her heart almost exploded. You're the one. You're my soulmate, his mental voice said, as if this were an entirely new idea, and he was just discovering it and rejoicing in it. Keller reached for denial, but it simply wasn't around. And she couldn't pretend to someone who shared her thoughts. When I first saw you, he said, I was so fascinated by you. I already told you this, didn't I? It made me proud to be a shapeshifter for the first time. Aren't you proud? Keller was disconcerted. She still wasn't finished crying-but, yes, she was. With his warmth and passion shining into her, his arms locked around her, his mind open to her†¦ it was hard not to get swept up in it. I guess I'm proud, she thought to him slowly. But only of some parts of it. Other things†¦ What things? he demanded, almost fiercely protective. Our history? The dragons? No. Stuff you wouldn't understand Things about-animal nature. Even now, Keller was afraid of letting him see some parts of her. Leave it alone, Galen. All he said was, Tell me. No. It happened a long time ago, when I was three. Just be glad you get to pick what kind of animal you'll become. Keller, he said. Please. You don't like animal nature, she told him. Remember how you pulled your hand away when you touched my shoulder in the music room? In the†¦ ? His mental voice trailed off, and Keller waited grimly to feel the memory of disgust in him. But what came wasn't revulsion. Instead, it was a strong sense of longing that he was somehow trying to smother. And choked, wry laughter. Keller, I didn't pull away because I didn't like your fur. I did it because . . He hesitated, then burst out, sounding embarrassed, I wanted to pet you! Pet†¦ ? Your fur was so soft, and it felt so good when I moved my palm the wrong way against it-just like velvet. And-I wanted to-to do this. He ran a hand up and down her back. I couldn't help it. But I knew it wasn't exactly appropriate, and you would probably break my jaw if I tried it. So I took my hand away. He finished, still embarrassed, but half laughing. Now, you tell me what you're not proud of. Keller felt very warm, and she was sure her face was flushed. It was just as well that it was hidden. It was too bad-there was probably never going to be a time to tell him that she wouldn't mind being petted like that†¦ I'm a cat, after all, she thought, and was distantly surprised to hear him chuckle. There were no secrets in this kind of soul-link, she realized, slightly flustered. To cover her embarrassment, she spoke out loud. â€Å"The thing I'm not proud of-it happened when I was living with my first Circle Daybreak family. I used to spend a lot of time in my half-and-half form. It was easy for me to get stuck that way, and they didn't mind.† I wouldn't, either, Galen said. You're beautiful like that. â€Å"Anyway, I was sitting on my foster mother's lap while she was combing my hair, and I don't know what happened, but something startled me. Some loud noise outside, maybe a car backfiring. I jumped straight up and tried to race for my hiding place under the desk.† Keller paused, made herself take an even breath. She felt Galen's arms tighten around her. â€Å"And then-well, my foster mother tried to hold on to me, to keep me from being frightened. But all I could think of was danger, danger. So I lashed out at her. I used my claws-I have retractable claws in that form. I would have done anything to get away.† She paused again. It was so hard to tell this. â€Å"She had to go to the hospital. I forget how many stitches she needed in her face. But I remember everything else-being taken to another foster family because that one couldn't handle me. I didn't blame them for sending me away, but I always wished I could have told her how sorry I was.† There was a silence. Keller could feel Galen breathing, and that gave her an odd sense of comfort. Then he said quietly, out loud, â€Å"That's all?† Keller started, then lifted her head a little and made herself answer the same way. â€Å"Isn't it enough?† â€Å"Keller†¦ you were just a baby. You didn't mean to do any harm; it was an accident. You can't blame yourself.† â€Å"I do blame myself. If I hadn't been taken over by my instinct-â€Å" â€Å"That's ridiculous. Human babies do stupid things all the time. What if a human three-year-old falls into a swimming pool and somebody drowns trying to rescue her? Would you blame the baby?† Keller hesitated, then rested her head on his shoulder again. â€Å"Don't be silly.† â€Å"Then how can you blame yourself for something you couldn't help?† Keller didn't answer, but she felt as if a crushing load was sliding slowly off her. He didn't blame her. Maybe she wasn't to blame. She would always be sorry, but maybe she didn't need to be so ashamed. She tightened her own arms around him. Thank you, she thought. Oh, Keller. You're so wonderful, and you're so set against admitting it. Everything you do†¦ shines. Keller couldn't form any words for a moment. Then she said, Galen? When you do choose a form, choose something gentle. I thought you thought everybody has to be a fitter, he said, and his mental voice was very quiet. Some people shouldn't have to be. Then she just let him hold her. Another endless time, while they both seemed to be floating in soft, gold fire. It flared around them and through them, joining them. Sometimes she could hardly tell which thoughts were his and which were hers. He said, I used to write poetry, you know. Or try. My parents hated it; they were so embarrassed. Instead of learning to be a good hunter, their son was writing gibberish. She said, There's this terrible dream I have, where I look out at the ocean and see a wall of water hundreds of feet high, and I know it's coming and I can never get away in time. Cats and water, you know. I guess that's why. He said, I used to daydream about what kind of animal it would be most fun to be. But it always came down to the same thing, some kind of bird. You just can't beat flying. She said, One thing I always had to hide from my foster mothers was how much I liked to shred things. I thought I was being so clever when I would hide their panty hose after I used my claws on them. But when I did it on the sheer curtains one day, everybody knew. They talked and talked. And Keller gave herself up to it, to the simple pleasure of his closeness and the feeling that for once she didn't have to hide or pretend or defend herself. It was such a blessed relief not to have to pretend at all. Galen knew her, and he accepted her. All of her. He loved herself, not her black swirling hair or her long legs or the curve of her lips. He might admire those things, but he loved her, what she was inside. And he loved her with a sweetness and a power that shook Keller to her soul. She wanted to stay like this forever. There was something else waiting for them, though. Something she didn't want to think about but that loomed just outside the brightness and warmth that surrounded them. The world†¦ there's still a world out there. And it's in trouble. And we can't ignore that. Galen. I know. Very slowly, very reluctantly, Galen straightened, putting her away from him. He couldn't seem to let go of her shoulders, though. They sat that way, their eyes locked. And the strange thing was that the mental connection wasn't broken. They could still hear each other as they held each other's gaze. We can never be like this again, Keller said. I know. He had faced it as clearly as she had, she realized. We can't talk about it; we can't even be alone together. It isn't fair to Uiana. And we have to try to forget each other and just go on. I know, he said for the third time. And just when Keller was marveling at his quiet acceptance, she saw tears in his gem-colored eyes. Keller, it's my fault. If I weren't the son of the First House†¦ We'd never have met. And that would have been worse. â€Å"Would it?† he said out loud, as if he needed reassurance. Yes. She gave the answer mentally, so that he could feel the truth of it. Oh, Galen, I'm so glad we met. I'm so glad to have known you. And if we live through this, I'll be glad all my life. He took her into his arms again. â€Å"We have it, Boss,† Winnie said. Her eyes were sparkling. Beside her, Nissa looked calmly enthusiastic. â€Å"What?† Keller asked. She herself felt calmly alert, in spite of almost no sleep the night before. She and Galen had stayed up late, reading over the scrolls, making sure that there was nothing they had missed. They had already explained what they'd found to the others. Now Winnie was grinning at her. â€Å"How to protect Iliana at the party on Saturday. We've got it, and it's foolproof!† Nothing is foolproof, Keller thought. She said, â€Å"Go on.† It's like this. We put wards all around the Ashton-Hughes house, just like the wards Grandma Harman made for this house. The strongest possible from Circle Daybreak. But we put them around the house now, as soon as we can. We key them so that only humans can get in.† â€Å"And we add another layer of protection,† Nissa said. â€Å"Circle Daybreak agents posted around the house, starting now. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out that they don't know about. That way, when we go to the party on Saturday, we know it's safe.† â€Å"We just whisk her from one safe place to another,† Winnie said. â€Å"As long as we can keep her in here until Saturday night, there's-no chance of any danger.† Keller considered. â€Å"We have to make sure the limo is safe, too. Absolutely safe.† â€Å"Of course,† Winnie said. ‘Ill take care of it.† â€Å"And I'd want agents to check the people who go hi somehow. Not just monitor. Would there be any way to do that?† â€Å"Without the family knowing?† Nissa chewed her lip gently. â€Å"What if we set up some sort of road crew near the front gate? There's bound to be a gate; this is a mansion, right?† â€Å"Check it out. And we'd better get plans of the house, too. I want us all to know the place by heart before we get there.† â€Å"City planner's office,† Nissa said. â€Å"No, more likely the local historical society. The house is probably a historic monument. I'm on it.† Keller nodded. â€Å"Hmm.† She tried to think if there was anything else to worry about. â€Å"Hmm, it sounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They watched her, breath held. â€Å"It sounds good,† Keller said. â€Å"I think there's just the tiniest, slightest possibility that it might actually work. But I'm probably being overoptimistic.† Winnie grinned and socked her on the shoulder. â€Å"You, Boss? Perish the thought.† ‘It's so difficult,† Iliana said. â€Å"I mean, what can you wear to both a birthday party and a promise ceremony?† â€Å"And a Solstice Ceremony,† Winnie said. â€Å"Don't forget that† â€Å"You're trying to make things worse, aren't you?† Iliana held up one dress, then another. â€Å"What's right for a Solstice Ceremony?† â€Å"Something white,† Winnie suggested. â€Å"That would be good for a promise ceremony, too,† Keller said. She was doing her very best to be patient, and finding it easier than she had expected. The last three days had been very quiet Iliana had agreed to stay home from school even when her cold got better. Galen and Keller had scarcely spoken in that time, and they had never been alone. And that was†¦ all right. There was a quietness inside her to match the quiet air outside. They both had jobs to do. And they would do them as well as possible. Keller just prayed that what they did would be enough. â€Å"White? I don't know if I've got anything white. It has to be fancy because everything at Jaime's is fancy. I hope she's really okay.† â€Å"She's fine,† Keller said. â€Å"You talked to her an hour ago.† To her own relief, Jaime had stayed quietly at home for the past three days, too. The last thing she wanted was for that girl to be attacked again. But the Ashton-Hughes house, at least, was safe. For three days, it had been buttoned up tight, with Circle Daybreak agents watching every person who went through the gates. And checking them, using the same wards that protected the house. No Night Person could cross the invisible line that encircled the grounds, and no person who tried to cross and was turned back by the wards would be allowed to leave without being tracked. All we have to do is keep her safe during the drive, Keller thought. First to the mansion, then to the meeting place in Charlotte. We can do that. I know we can do that. She checked her watch. â€Å"Come on, kid, it's after eight,† she said. â€Å"We should be moving soon.† Iliana and Winnie were both ransacking the closet â€Å"Pale blue,† Winnie said, â€Å"pale lavender, pale pink†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It has to be white,† Iliana said. â€Å"I'm sorry I mentioned it.† A knock sounded on the door, and Nissa looked in. â€Å"We're back. You guys ready?† â€Å"In a minute,† Keller said. â€Å"How're things at the mansion?† â€Å"Perfect. The witches say the wards are strong.† â€Å"Who's come in?† â€Å"Caterers and a college band. That's all so far. All one hundred percent human according to the wards-and to Galen, who kept running up to the cars at the gate and trying to sell them Christmas Benefit teddy bears.† Keller almost grinned. Galen would be good at that. â€Å"The family must have thought he was crazy.† â€Å"They never came out and complained. Nobody's come out, in fact, which makes things easy on die surveillance team.† She sobered. â€Å"Boss, why do you think the dragon hasn't tried something yet? He's cutting it awfully close.† â€Å"I don't know. I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† â€Å"I think he must be betting it all on one throw of the dice. One all-out attack, fast and decisive.† â€Å"At the party.† â€Å"At the parry,† Keller said. â€Å"So we'd better be on our toes.† â€Å"We've got him locked out, though. Those wards are secure.† â€Å"I hope so.† From the closet, Iliana squealed, â€Å"I found it!† She was holding a dress almost the color of her own hair, white with some sort of sparkling thread woven in. It draped in soft folds across her hip as she held it up for Winnie's inspection. â€Å"Perfect,† Winnie said. â€Å"You can get engaged in that dress; you can go to a birthday parry; you can celebrate the Solstice-you can probably get married in it if you want† â€Å"You can do whatever you want, but you have to do it now,† Keller said, checking her watch again. â€Å"But do you like it? I think I bought it last year.† â€Å"It's beautiful,† Keller said, and then, as she saw the hurt in Hiana's violet eyes: â€Å"Really. It's beautiful. You'll look wonderful in it, and Galen will be-very impressed.† Where had that sudden hitch in her breath come from? She had gotten over it quickly, but she noticed that Diana gave her an odd look. â€Å"Now, come on, everybody,*' Keller said briskly, looking at Winnie and Nissa. â€Å"Are you two ready?† They both looked down at their ordinary outfits, then looked back up and shrugged in chorus. â€Å"Yeah.† ‘I guess they can think we're the help,† Keller said. â€Å"Everybody check your transmitters. I want to be in constant contact once we get there.† â€Å"Right, Boss.† â€Å"Got it, Boss.† Iliana had put on the dress and was looking in the mirror. â€Å"My hair,† she began, and then she glanced at Keller. â€Å"Ill just leave it down,† she said. â€Å"Okay?† â€Å"Down is fine, down is great.† Keller glanced at her watch and tightened her belt. â€Å"Down is just right for a Solstice Ceremony,† Winnie said. She added in an undertone as Iliana started for the door, â€Å"Don't mind her. She's always like this before a big operation.† ‘It's a good thing I didn't ask her about my shoes†¦.† Keller looked around to make sure there was nothing they were forgetting. Then she looked at the other three girls. They smiled back at her, eyes alert and ready for anything. Even the smallest one, who looked like a Christmas tree angel somebody had taken down and brought to life. â€Å"Okay, people,† Keller said. â€Å"This is it. It's show time.† Galen was wearing a dark sweater and pants that set off his blondness. It was casual but still appropriate for the promise ceremony later on. His eyes met Keller's briefly as Iliana said good-bye to her parents, and they both smiled. Not fake smiles, either. Simply the quiet, undemanding smiles of comrades with a job to do. â€Å"Kee-kee!† Alex said from the door as they went to the car in the garage. That kid is up way too late, Keller thought She turned and waved. â€Å"Blow him a kiss,† Diana prompted helpfully. â€Å"He likes that.† Keller gave her a narrow sideways look and blew him a kiss. â€Å"Kee-kee!† Suddenly, his round little face crumpled. â€Å"Bye-bye,† he proclaimed sadly. â€Å"Oh, that's sweet,† Diana's mother said. â€Å"He's going to miss you. He probably thinks you're going for good.† â€Å"Bye-bye,† Alex said, and huge tears rolled down his cheeks. â€Å"Bye-bye! Kee-kee! Bye-bye!† He began to sob. There was a little silence among the group standing by the car. Winnie stared at Alex, then glanced at Iliana. â€Å"He doesn't-he's never had any precognitions, has he?† she muttered. â€Å"He's a baby,† Iliana whispered back. ‘1 mean, how could you tell?† â€Å"He's just tired,† Keller said briefly. â€Å"Come on, let's go.†