Capstone Project -2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Capstone Project -2 - Essay Example The theory or concept of self-management of Type 1 Diabetes or Juvenile Onset Diabetes that are found in both children and adolescents states that process, activities and goals are its three essential attributes (Schilling et al., 2002). In another way, Hughes (2010) describes these attributes as knowledge/education, relationship/partnership, self-monitoring/self-care and one umbrella attribute, the action-directed skills. This equates to an active and proactive process being conducted on a daily basis, on a lifelong duration and involvement of shifting and shared responsibility of diabetes care tasks, and decision-making between the child and parent (Schilling et al., 2002). This self-management theory incorporates all survival strategies for a patient with Type 1 Diabetes so that he is able to manage the disease and yet look forward to years of growth and productivity in his later life. This is exactly my proposed solution to the disease, recognizing its no-cure properties and its presence in the body system of the child until his entire lifetime. The theory will be incorporated in this Capstone project by forming a Type 1 Diabetes Clinic in which all information about the disease itself will be made available in the clinic and translated into a simple language that can be easily shared and taught by professional nurses to the patients, their families and relatives, and other concerned individuals. Self-management will be thoroughly covered in terms of all available media resources in the aim that training the â€Å"caregivers† of Type 1 diabetic patients will contribute significantly to the positive growth and progress of the patients and will be gladly anticipated by family members thereby reducing the incidence of any form of stress, burn-out and losing of hope when dealing with the disease. Thus the strategies of the Type 1 Diabetes Clinic project is directed towards, thorough education, personalized caring of patients, positive and proactive deliv ery of Diabetes-management methods and, consistent positive anticipation practices of the future for diabetic patients in order to promote mental wellness as well. This project is expected to support the implementation of a quality life for Type 1 Diabetes’ patients, family and relatives, and consequently resulting to a healthy metabolic control and, development of the patients (Faulkner and Chang, 2007). References: Hughes, L. (2010). Self-Management: an evolutionary concept analysis [Online]. University of Victoria, 72 pp. Available at: http://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8080/bitstream/handle/1828/4057/Hughes_Lori_MN_2010.pdf?sequence=1 [15 Jan 2013]. Faulkner, M.S. and Chang, L. (2007), Family Influence on Self-Care, Quality of Life, and Metabolic Control in School-Age Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 22(1):59-68. Schilling, L. S. , Grey, M. and Knafl, K. A. (2002), The concept of self-management of type 1 diabetes in children and ado lescents: an evolutionary concept analysis [Abstract]. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37:  87–99. DOI:  10.1046/j.1365-2648.2002.02061.x Instructions: Assignment 2 Write a paper (1,500 words) in which you analyze and appraise each of the

'Explain and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Full Range Essay

'Explain and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Full Range Model' - Essay Example In transactional leadership, management-by-exception and contingent rewards are followed, where work and performance objectives are set and deviations are also allowed depending on the needs of the businesses. Contingent rewards are also provided as a measure of feedback over the performance of the organizational members. In transformational leadership, the dependency of the leaders is on consideration of the individuals, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, idealized influence (Gill 2006). The full range model considers all these models together in order to provide a business organization with the comprehensive model for effective leadership within organizations. However, the strengths and weaknesses of the full range model arise from the internal and external factors that influence the transactional and transformational leadership frameworks. The strengths of the full range model include the positive performances being reflected by organizational members oriented towards achieving success for the organization. The learning organizations concept has been improved more in the present times, thus transformational leadership can be significantly accepted by members. However, the weakness arises since the correlation of the transformational leadership with the transactional leadership that involved management by exception (Coad and Berry 1998). Another major strength associated with transformational leadership is that in the present times, interpersonal trust within organizations has gained significance and leaders are expected to play the major role in developing such trust for sustenance and effectiveness of the businesses. However the challenges of the leaders arise with the highly individualistic nature of the members where the trust needs to be earned (Gillespie and Mann 2004). Personality has been strongly associated with transformational leaders. It has been

Impacts of Drug Related Crime

Impacts of Drug Related Crime Within this module the author is going to explore the impact of drug related crime, anti- social behaviour and drug abuse within society. The author is also going to investigate theories that increase the risk of an individual misusing an illegal substance. (Weisheit, 1990)   Moreover how nature vs nurture biological and environmental factors can contribute to drug abuse. This will include areas such parenting skills and the community in which a person lives can play a major role in enhancing the risk factors. (Ungar, 2004)  The gateway model focuses on how an individual will start using an illegal substance and move on to harder illegal substances. Furthermore, by implementing methods this will reduce the risk factors within substance misuse. The author is going to investigate methods and theories for reducing the impact of drug abuse. This will include the governments implementation of the 1998 10 year drug strategy. Moreover, how the drug strategy has progressed over the ten y ear period. (Drugscope.org, 2012) Drug abuse is a major problem within the UK from the individuals personal circumstances to war against organised crime. There are many factors why people initially take illegal drugs. Such as peer pressure, to escape or to experiment but can initially to addiction which can have a massive effect within society. An addict will have to maintain their addiction which will be done through committing petty and serious crimes. (Rasmussen. 200) Such as; shoplifting lifting, burglary and theft as most addicts, cannot maintain full time employment due to not being able to function properly within society. Although, some addicts will start to supply their drug of choice so they now they have a constant supply. Many drug dealers already live within the community to where they sell illegal drugs. This is another major impact within an area in need of urban regeneration as individuals are selling illegal drug on street corners. That is now having a snow ball effect and causing gang culture and ga ng related crimes. As inner city gangs become larger and try attaining additional territory Knife and gun crime is at all time high. (Bean, 2002)   A clear indication of the severity of drug related crime within the UK as it drains  £13.3 billion pounds out of public resources. (Gov.uk 2013) Furthermore, with a rise in anti- social behaviour local residents are feeling alienated and have nowhere to turn within their own communities. Due to being in fear of becoming targeted by local gangs and being attacked in the street our having their home targeted. (Hallsworth, 2005) As the individual drug addiction spirals out of control, family members are going to notice significant changes within their son our daughter. Such as mood swings, electrical items are missing such as ipods and mobile phones. Moreover, an untidy appearance and new friends, because an addict will associate themselves with other users to be able to access drug more frequently. (Harrell and Peterson, 1992) Banduras Social learning theory reinforces this notion and referrers to observational learning and this is done by observing the behaviour of others. The client has been encoding the behaviour of their peers, which have been influential to the individual. The client has encoded this information and later on imitates this behaviour to bond with their peers associated with their drug use. The individual does this without any regard for the own health or safety as suggested by Eysenck and Keane. (2010) Furthermore, the strain on the individuals family would also be a significant impact a s there being labelled within their local community. These actions could inevitably lead to arguments physical abuse and divorce within their home life. As their son our daughter may have been cut off from their own family due to being deceitful and dishonest. A person will initially use cannabis and is the most widely drug available within the UK. As indicated by H.M Government (2010) cannabis is used by more than 22,152,000 in 2009/10 and is classed as the gateway drug. This model was developed to explain how three factors associated with cannabis can lead on to harder substances. Firstly, a cannabis smoker is at a higher risk of using harder drugs than non -users. Second factor relates to how the national framework of drugs works as an individual will normally work their way up from softer drug to harder drugs. However, there are less than 1% of users who started using harder drugs first. The third factor indicates individuals who smoke cannabis more than 50 times a year are significantly at higher risk to progress onto harder illegal substances and is called dose-response effect. (Jrf.org, 2008) There are many factors that have to be taken in to consideration that contribute to an individual self harming with illegal drugs which will include: the biological and environmental factors of the individual. These factors play a significant role in an individuals personal development and are called Nature vs Nurture. Nature relates to the genetic factors in an individuals behaviour. However, genetics only play a small role as there is no actual gene that will make an individual an addict. But if a gene is missing others factors such as genetic and biological aspects that will make an individual more susceptible to drug use. (Fitzduff, and Stout, 2006)  This is because if a gene is not present the protein that controls the function of a physiological structure may not be formed. This is clearly evident within certain diseases however; others are less obvious such as the impact of genes on behaviour can influence and individuals disorders or traits including drug addiction. (Chasno ff, 2001)   Nurture relates to the environment in which the individual has been raised up in. There are many factors which need to be considered that could contribute to drug addiction. Such as the family environment the individual may have not been raised within a stable environment. There may been an indication of domestic abuse, history of substance misuse or criminal activity. If the individual has been brought up in a chaotic environment all increase the risk of substance misuse. (Chasnoff, 2001)   Furthermore, the community in which the individual lives is going to be a major factor. If they live in area with high drug rates, drugs are going to be easily acceptable and peer pressure will be a significant problem to resist. Individuals who lived in areas with no safe place to play or activities for people to engage in. All these factors contribute in a higher risk of substance misuse. (Fitzduff, and Stout, 2006) However, these high risk factors can all be reduced by the individual by having positive peer relationships. By having positive relationships the individual will build their social skills and confidence within society and is done by social learning. Also having self control, being able to assess a situation and realise when to say no. Furthermore by taking part in activities within your local community and continuing their academic studies can contribute to having a positive mind. (Buchroth and Parkin, 2010)   Moreover, by having a stable family environment, the protective factors of the parents all contribute to lowering the risk factors. Such as good parenting skills, communicating effectively and offering their child encouragement and support will also help develop their confidence and social skills. By reducing all of the high risk factors the child will be able to make a positive contribution to society. (Inciardi, and Horowitz, et al.1993)   Substance misuse costs the British government  £373 million pounds every year as they try to eradicate illegal drugs from our UK borders. Furthermore, fighting street suppliers and funding multidisciplinary teams to support service users receive treatment and abstain from their addiction altogether. (Goodman. 2009) The National treatment Agency created the models of care; this is the national frame work for adults in the treatment of drug addiction in England. The model or care was created to help a number of diverse communities all around the country. The services for treatment of addiction first came available in 1998 within the NHS. (H.M Government, 2010)  Furthermore, was part of the ten year drug strategy which is divided into four main categories and include: educating and prevention, support, treatment and counselling for people with substance misuse, using the law to combat the war against drug and fight the supply of illegal substance arriving in the UK. (Drugscope.org.u k 2012)   By 2008 the National Treatment Agency predicted a 100% increase in service users into treatment. In the treatment of substance misuse the services were delivered by Drug Action Teams within local areas. These services are arranged in to four different tiers depending on the service users level of need and mental health issues. Tier one service includes the initial assessment of the client to move onto specialist tiers within the service. Tier one also includes giving advice and information on a range of services such as housing, benefits and vocational qualifications. (Addictiontoday.org 2008)   Tier two services include harm reduction services such as needle exchanges by supplying clean equipment to inject with. Furthermore, advice and guidance and genera support without the need for a care plan. Tier three and four are specialist services for individuals who have a structured care plan. (Goodman. 2009) This can be community based treatment and residential rehabilitation. The bio-psychosocial model is very effective within the treatment of addiction. It focuses on a multiple pathways on how a person became an addict; this model acknowledges treating the person as a whole. It relates to biological, psychological and sociocultural theories within this model. The assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and interventions all relate to this model. The practitioner will have to take into consideration the biological, psychological and sociocultural factors when assessing the client. (Rasmussen, 2000) In 2008 a review was taken within the drug strategy to target the most deprived areas and those who are significantly at a higher risk and need. By 2005 the government will spend a staggering 1.5 billion pounds on the war against drugs. Since 1998 there has been a major change in the prevention and education in substance misuse as 80% of primary and 96% of secondary schools have it within their curriculum. (Addictiontoday.org, 2008)  Furthermore, within the 2002 drug strategy reducing the supply of drug within local communities is another major priority. There has been a significant increase within the seizures including cocaine and heroin by 53% and 30% since the strategy began in 1998. The 2008 drug strategy aim to reducing drug related crime and how they affect local communities by making available  £100 million pounds. This has been made ready available to strengthen communities by disrupting local drug suppliers and reducing drug related crime. (Strong, and Gossop, eds. 2005) Furthermore, for every  £1 spent on tackling substance misuse a further  £3 pound is saved within the criminal justice system. This shows how effective war against illegal drugs is progressing. (Weisheit, 1990) With a range of interventions to help and support an individual who is in need. The interventions will include; rehabilitation, advice for the client, prescribing and harm reduction. As the drug strategy has developed over the years, the government assesses and reviews the strategy to improve the efficiency of it services within the UK. In 2008 Drug Strategy recorded the lowest level of drug use in over ten years. Gov.uk (2013)   Conclusion As indicated within the 2008 drug strategy for the campaign against drugs to be successful education and prevention are the key strategies. By educating the younger generations of the dangerous effects and the serious harm illegal drugs can do. Play a major factor in reducing the devastating effects drugs have on society. By getting adolescents to say no to drugs, the supply will reduce within communities. This will inevitably reduce drug related crime and anti-social behaviour and will also reduce the substantial costs within the criminal justice system. The police will be able to effectively save thousands of man hours and use their time more efficiently. (H.M Government, 2010)   The nature vs nurture is an excellent theory in examining the biological and significant number of environmental factors that need to be taking into consideration if a person is at risk of substance misuse. However, the bio-psychosocial model is an excellent tool to combat these factors. As indicated earlier this model concentrates on the biological psychological and sociocultural aspects within the model. Furthermore, is widely used within the treatment in substance misuse in tier 3 and tier 4 community based and residential rehabilitation across the country. (Chasnoff, 2001)   However, the fight on illegal drugs is going to be an extensive campaign, as there will always be a supply if there is a need for illegal drugs within deprived areas. On the other hand, the drug strategy is making significant progress in cutting the supply by within communities across the UK with 186,028 drug seizures. Criminal Assets have also been seized worth a staggering  £135.7 million pounds which has gone back into the war in fighting drugs. (Gov.uk 2013)   As within the gateway model suggests that cannabis is the normally the first illegal substance a person will try. Due to cannabis being readily available and regarded as being a less harmful substance. The drug strategy have seized within the UK over a half million plants worth an astonishing  £60 million pounds. This indicates that the drug strategy is effective but at a staggering cost to the tax payer  £20 billion pounds.  £13, 3 billion pounds is on drug related crimes and  £7.3 billion pounds and health iss ues. These are staggering amounts of money which could go into education and the NHS. (Jrf.org, 2008)  

Martial Arts Essay -- essays research papers

Martial Arts When you think of martial arts, what comes to mind? The slow, calm movements of Tai-Chi Chuan or maybe the faster, hard movements of Karate or Tae Kwon Do. No matter what you think of it always contains practiced movements of the body and a lot of concentration. These two elements combined with spirit and patience is basically what martial arts consists of. Martial arts is so great because it strengthens each of these aspects of body and mind to make a beautiful display of movement. This has attracted many people to all kinds of martial arts and with the help of the movies made it very popular among Americans. Today, many Americans prefer martial arts as an exercise to help them stay in shape. Tai-Chi, as an example, is a great martial art because of its use of both the body and mind. Tai-Chi can’t be done correctly if the person is not relaxed and doesn’t know the movements being done very well. The basis of Tai-Chi Chuan derives from the idea of being constantly round when performing it. If you are attacked on a straight line and you resist on a straight line, the stronger force will win, but if the incoming force is neutralized by circularity, then it becomes easier to defeat your opponent, no matter how strong they might be. That’s what Tai-Chi is based on, but It takes years of practice to get any good at it and decades to master. Another example of martial arts is Korea’s Tae Kwon Do. The main differences between Tai-Chi and Tae Kwon Do is the uni...

Storm Born Chapter One

I'd seen weirder things than a haunted shoe, but not many. The Nike Pegasus sat on the office's desk, inoffensive, colored in shades of gray, white, and orange. Some of the laces were loosened, and a bit of dirt clung around the soles. It was the left shoe. As for me, well†¦underneath my knee-length coat, I had a Glock .22 loaded with bullets carrying a higher-than-legal steel content. A cartridge of silver ones rested in the coat's pocket. Two athames lay sheathed on my other hip, one silver-bladed and one iron. Stuck into my belt near them was a wand, hand-carved oak and loaded with enough charmed gems to probably blow up the desk in the corner if I wanted to. To say I felt overdressed was something of an understatement. â€Å"So,† I said, keeping my voice as neutral as possible, â€Å"what makes you think your shoe is†¦uh, possessed?† Brian Montgomery, late thirties with a receding hairline in serious denial, eyed the shoe nervously and moistened his lips. â€Å"It always trips me up when I'm out running. Every time. And it's always moving around. I mean, I never actually see it, but†¦like, I'll take them off near the door, then I come back and find this one under the bed or something. And sometimes†¦sometimes I touch it, and it feels cold†¦really cold†¦like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He groped for similes and finally picked the tritest one. â€Å"Like ice.† I nodded and glanced back at the shoe, not saying anything. â€Å"Look, Miss†¦Odile†¦or whatever. I'm not crazy. That shoe is haunted. It's evil. You've gotta do something, okay? I've got a marathon coming up, and until this started happening, these were my lucky shoes. And they're not cheap, you know. They're an investment.† It sounded crazy to me – which was saying something – but there was no harm in checking, seeing as I was already out here. I reached into my coat pocket, the one without ammunition, and pulled out my pendulum. It was a simple one, a thin silver chain with a small quartz crystal hanging from it. I laced the chain's end through my fingers and held my flattened hand over the shoe, clearing my mind and letting the crystal hang freely. A moment later, it began to slowly rotate of its own accord. â€Å"Well, I'll be damned,† I muttered, stuffing the pendulum back in my pocket. There was something there. I turned to Montgomery, attempting some sort of badass face, because that was what customers always expected. â€Å"It might be best if you stepped out of the room, sir. For your own safety.† That was only half-true. Mostly I just found lingering clients annoying. They asked stupid questions and could do stupider things, which actually put me at more risk than them. He had no qualms about getting out of there. As soon as the door closed, I found a jar of salt in my satchel and poured a large ring on the office's floor. I tossed the shoe into the middle of it and invoked the four cardinal directions with the silver athame. Ostensibly the circle didn't change, but I felt a slight flaring of power, indicating it had sealed us in. Trying not to yawn, I pulled out my wand and kept holding the silver athame. It had taken four hours to drive to Las Cruces, and doing that on so little sleep had made the distance seem twice as long. Sending some of my will into the wand, I tapped it against the shoe and spoke in a sing-song voice. â€Å"Come out, come out, whoever you are.† There was a moment's silence, then a high-pitched male voice snapped, â€Å"Go away, bitch.† Great. A shoe with attitude. â€Å"Why? You got something better to do?† â€Å"Better things to do than waste my time with a mortal.† I smiled. â€Å"Better things to do in a shoe? Come on. I mean, I've heard of slumming it, but don't you think you're kind of pushing the envelope here? This shoe isn't even new. You could have done so much better.† The voice kept its annoyed tone, not threatening but simply irritated at the interruption. â€Å"I'm slumming it? Do you think I don't know who you are, Eugenie Markham? Dark-Swan-Called-Odile. A blood traitor. A mongrel. An assassin. A murderer.† He practically spit out the last word. â€Å"You are alone among your kind and mine. A bloodthirsty shadow. You do anything for anyone who can pay you enough for it. That makes you more than a mercenary. That makes you a whore.† I affected a bored stance. I'd been called most of those names before. Well, except for my own name. That was new – and a little disconcerting. Not that I'd let him know that. â€Å"Are you done whining? Because I don't have time to listen while you stall.† â€Å"Aren't you being paid by the hour?† he asked nastily. â€Å"I charge a flat fee.† â€Å"Oh.† I rolled my eyes and touched the wand to the shoe again. This time, I thrust the full force of my will into it, drawing upon my own body's physical stamina as well as some of the power of the world around me. â€Å"No more games. If you leave on your own, I won't have to hurt you. Come out.† He couldn't stand against that command and the power within it. The shoe trembled, and smoke poured out of it. Oh, Jesus. I hoped the shoe didn't get incinerated during this. Montgomery wouldn't be able to handle that. The smoke bellowed out, coalescing into a large, dark form about two feet taller than me. With all his wisecracks, I'd sort of expected a saucy version of one of Santa's elves. Instead, the being before me had the upper body of a well-muscled man, while his lower portion resembled a small cyclone. The smoke solidified into leathery gray-black skin, and I had only a moment to act as I assessed this new development. I swapped the wand for the gun, ejecting the clip as I pulled it out. By then, he was lunging for me, and I had to roll out of his way, confined by the circle's boundaries. A keres. A male keres – most unusual. I'd anticipated something fey, which required silver bullets; or a spectre, which required no bullets. Keres were ancient death spirits originally confined to canopic jars. When the jars wore down over time, keres tended to seek out new homes. There weren't too many of them left in this world, and soon there'd be one less. He bore down on me, and I took a nice chunk out of him with the silver blade. I used my right hand, the one I wore an onyx and obsidian bracelet on. Those stones alone would take a toll on a death spirit like him without the blade's help. Sure enough, he hissed in pain and hesitated a moment. I used that delay, scrambling to load the silver cartridge. I didn't quite make it, because soon he was on me again. He hit me with one of those massive arms, slamming me against the walls of the circle. They might be transparent, but they felt as solid as bricks. One of the downsides of trapping a spirit in a circle was that I got trapped too. My head and left shoulder took the brunt of that impact, and pain shot through me in small starbursts. He seemed pretty pleased with himself over this, as overconfident villains so often are. â€Å"You're as strong as they say, but you were a fool to try to cast me out. You should have left me in peace.† His voice was deeper now, almost gravelly. I shook my head, both to disagree and to get rid of the dizziness. â€Å"It isn't your shoe.† I still couldn't swap that goddamned cartridge. Not with him ready to attack again, not with both hands full. Yet I couldn't risk dropping either weapon. He reached for me, and I cut him again. The wounds were small, but the athame was like poison. It would wear him down over time – if I could stay alive that long. I moved to strike at him once more, but he anticipated me and seized hold of my wrist. He squeezed it, bending it in an unnatural position and forcing me to drop the athame and cry out. I hoped he hadn't broken any bones. Smug, he grabbed me by the shoulders with both hands and lifted me up so that I hung face to face with him. His eyes were yellow with slits for pupils, much like some sort of snake's. His breath was hot and reeked of decay as he spoke. â€Å"You are small, Eugenie Markham, but you are lovely and your flesh is warm. Perhaps I should beat the rush and take you myself. I'd enjoy hearing you scream beneath me.† Ew. Had that thing just propositioned me? And there was my name again. How in the world did he know that? None of them knew that. I was only Odile to them, named after the dark swan in Swan Lake, a name coined by my stepfather because of the form my spirit preferred to travel in while visiting the Otherworld. The name – though not particularly terrifying – had stuck, though I doubted any of the creatures I fought knew the reference. They didn't really get out to the ballet much. The keres had my upper arms pinned – I would have bruises tomorrow – but my hands and forearms were free. He was so sure of himself, so overly arrogant and confident, that he paid no attention to my struggling hands. He probably just perceived the motion as a futile effort to free myself. In seconds, I had the clip out and in the gun. I managed one clumsy shot and he dropped me – not gently. I stumbled to regain my balance again. Bullets probably couldn't kill him, but a silver one in the center of his chest would certainly hurt. He stumbled back, half-surprised, and I wondered if he'd ever even encountered a gun before. It fired again, then again and again and again. The reports were loud; hopefully Montgomery wouldn't do something foolish and come running in. The keres roared in outrage and pain, each shot making him stagger backward until he was all the way against the circle's boundary. I advanced on him, retrieved athame flashing in my hand. In a few quick motions, I carved the death symbol on the part of his chest that wasn't bloodied from bullets. An electric charge immediately ran through the air of the circle. Hairs stood up on the back of my neck, and I could smell ozone, like just before a storm. He screamed and leapt forward, renewed by rage or adrenaline or whatever else these creatures ran on. But it was too late for him. He was marked and wounded. I was ready. In another mood, I might have simply banished him to the Otherworld; I tried not to kill if I didn't have to. But that sexual suggestion had just been out of line. I was pissed off now. He'd go to the world of death, straight to Persephone's gate. I fired again to slow him, my aim a bit off with the left hand but still good enough to hit him. I had already traded the athame for the wand. This time, I didn't draw on the power from this plane. With well-practiced ease, I let part of my consciousness slip this world. In moments, I reached the crossroads to the Otherworld. That was an easy transition; I did it all the time. The next crossover was a little harder, especially with me being weakened from the fight, but still nothing I couldn't do automatically. I kept my own spirit well outside of the land of death, but I touched it and sent that connection through the wand. It sucked him in, and his face twisted with fear. â€Å"This is not your world,† I said in a low voice, feeling the power burn through me and around me. â€Å"This is not your world, and I cast you out. I send you to the black gate, to the lands of death where you can either be reborn or fade to oblivion or burn in the flames of hell. I really don't give a shit. Go.† He screamed, but the magic caught him. There was a trembling in the air, a buildup of pressure, and then it ended abruptly, like a deflated balloon. The keres was gone too, leaving only a shower of gray sparkles that soon faded to nothing. Silence. I sank to my knees, exhaling deeply. My eyes closed a moment, as my body relaxed and my consciousness returned to this world. I was exhausted but exultant too. Killing him had felt good. Heady, even. He'd gotten what he deserved, and I had been the one to deal it out. Minutes later, some of my strength returned. I stood and opened the circle, suddenly feeling stifled by it. I put my tools and weapons away and went to find Montgomery. â€Å"Your shoe's been exorcised,† I told him flatly. â€Å"I killed the ghost.† No point in explaining the difference between a keres and a true ghost; he wouldn't understand. He entered the room with slow steps, picking up the shoe gingerly. â€Å"I heard gunshots. How do you use bullets on a ghost?† I shrugged. It hurt from where the keres had slammed my shoulder to the wall. â€Å"It was a strong ghost.† He cradled the shoe like one might a child and then glanced down with disapproval. â€Å"There's blood on the carpet.† â€Å"Read the paperwork you signed. I assume no responsibility for damage incurred to personal property.† With a few grumbles, he paid up – in cash – and I left. Really, though, he was so stoked about the shoe, I probably could have decimated the office. In my car, I dug out a Milky Way from the stash in my glove box. Battles like that required immediate sugar and calories. As I practically shoved the candy bar into my mouth, I turned on my cell phone. I had a missed call from Lara. Once I'd consumed a second bar and was on I-10 back to Tucson, I dialed her. â€Å"Yo,† I said. â€Å"Hey. Did you finish the Montgomery job?† â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"Was the shoe really possessed?† â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"Huh. Who knew? That's kind of funny too. Like, you know, lost souls and soles in shoes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Bad, very bad,† I chastised. Lara might be a good secretary, but there was only so much I could be expected to put up with. â€Å"So what's up? Or were you just checking in?† â€Å"No. I just got a weird job offer. Some guy – well, honestly, I thought he sounded kind of schizo. But he claims his sister was abducted by fairies, er, gentry. He wants you to go get her.† I fell silent at that, staring at the highway and clear blue sky ahead without consciously seeing either one. Some objective part of me attempted to process what she had just said. I didn't get that kind of request very often. Okay, never. A retrieval like that required me to cross over physically into the Otherworld. â€Å"I don't really do that.† â€Å"That's what I told him.† But there was uncertainty in Lara's voice. â€Å"Okay. What aren't you telling me?† â€Å"Nothing, I guess. I don't know. It's just†¦he said she's been gone almost a year and a half now. She was fourteen when she disappeared.† My stomach sank a little at that. God. What an awful fate for someone so young. It made the keres' lewd comments to me downright trivial. â€Å"He sounded pretty frantic.† â€Å"Does he have proof she was actually taken?† â€Å"I don't know. He wouldn't get into it. He was kind of paranoid. Seemed to think his phone was being tapped.† I laughed at that. â€Å"By who? The gentry?† â€Å"Gentry† was what I called the beings that most of Western culture referred to as fairies or sidhe. They looked just like humans but embraced magic instead of technology. They found â€Å"fairy† a derogatory term, so I respected that – sort of – by using the term old English peasants used to use. Gentry. Good folk. Good neighbors. A questionable designation, at best. The gentry actually preferred the term â€Å"shining ones,† but that was just silly. I wouldn't give them that much credit. â€Å"I don't know,† Lara told me. â€Å"Like I said, he seemed a little schizo.† Silence fell as I held on to the phone and passed a car driving 45 in the left lane. â€Å"Eugenie! You aren't really thinking of doing this.† â€Å"Fourteen, huh?† â€Å"You always said that was dangerous.† â€Å"Adolescence?† â€Å"Stop it. You know what I mean. Crossing over.† â€Å"Yeah. I know what you mean.† It was dangerous – super dangerous. Traveling in spirit form could still get you killed, but your odds of fleeing back to your earthbound body were better. Take your own body over, and all the rules changed. â€Å"This is crazy.† â€Å"Set it up,† I told her. â€Å"It can't hurt to talk to him.† I could practically see her biting her lip to hold back protests. But at the end of the day, I was the one who signed her paychecks, and she respected that. After a few moments, she filled the silence with info about a few other jobs and then drifted on to more casual topics: some sale at the mall, a mysterious scratch on her car†¦ Something about Lara's cheery gossip always made me smile, but it also disturbed me that most of my social contact came via someone I never actually saw. Lately the majority of my face-to-face interactions came from spirits and gentry. It was after dinnertime when I arrived home, and my housemate, Tim, appeared to be out for the night, probably at a poetry reading. Despite a Polish background, genes had inexplicably given him a strong Native American appearance. In fact, he looked more Indian than some of the locals. Deciding this was his claim to fame, Tim had grown his hair out and taken on the name Timothy Red Horse. He made his living by reading faux-Native poetry at local dives and wooing naive tourist women by using expressions like â€Å"my people† and â€Å"the Great Spirit† a lot. It was despicable, to say the least, but it got him laid pretty often. What it did not do was bring in a lot of money, so I'd let him live with me in exchange for housework and cleaning. It was a pretty good deal as far as I was concerned. After battling the undead all day, scrubbing the bathtub just seemed like asking too much. Scrubbing my athames, unfortunately, was a task I had to do myself. Keres blood could stain. I ate dinner afterward, then stripped and sat in my sauna for a long time. I liked a lot of things about my little house out in the foothills, but the sauna was one of my favorites. It might seem kind of pointless in the desert, but Arizona had mostly dry heat, and I liked the feel of humidity and moisture on my skin. I leaned back against the wooden wall, enjoying the sensation of sweating out the stress. My body ached – some parts more fiercely than others – and the heat let some of the muscles loosen up. The solitude also soothed me. Pathetic as it was, I probably had no one to blame for my lack of sociability except myself. I spent a lot of time alone and didn't mind. When my stepfather, Roland, had first trained me as a shaman, he'd told me that in a lot of cultures, shamans essentially lived outside of normal society. The idea had seemed crazy to me at the time, being in junior high, but it made more sense now that I was older. I wasn't a complete socialphobe, but I found I often had a hard time interacting with other people. Talking in front of groups was murder. Even talking one-on-one had its issues. I had no pets or children to ramble on about, and I couldn't exactly talk about things like the incident in Las Cruces. Yeah, I had kind of a long day. Drove four hours, fought an ancient minion of evil. After a few bullets and knife wounds, I obliterated him and sent him on to the world of death. God, I swear I'm not getting paid enough for this crap, you know? Cue polite laughter. When I left the sauna, I had another message from Lara telling me the appointment with the distraught brother had been arranged for tomorrow. I made a note in my day planner, took a shower, and retired to my room, where I threw on black silk pajamas. For whatever reason, nice pajamas were the one indulgence I allowed myself in an otherwise dirty and bloody lifestyle. Tonight's selection had a cami top that showed serious cleavage, had anyone been there to see it. I always wore a ratty robe around Tim. Sitting at my desk, I emptied out a new jigsaw puzzle I'd just bought. It depicted a kitten on its back clutching a ball of yarn. My love of puzzles ranked up there with the pajama thing for weirdness, but they eased my mind. Maybe it was the fact that they were so tangible. You could hold the pieces in your hand and make them fit together, as opposed to the insubstantial stuff I usually worked with. While my hands moved the pieces around, I kept trying to shake the knowledge that the keres had known my name. What did that mean? I'd made a lot of enemies in the Otherworld. I didn't like the thought of them being able to track me personally. I preferred to stay Odile. Anonymous. Safe. Probably not much point worrying about it, I supposed. The keres was dead. He wouldn't be telling any tales. Two hours later, I finished the puzzle and admired it. The kitten had brown tabby fur, its eyes an almost azure blue. The yarn was red. I took out my digital camera, snapped a picture, and then broke up the puzzle, dumping it back into its box. Easy come, easy go. Yawning, I slipped into bed. Tim had done laundry today; the sheets felt crisp and clean. Nothing like that fresh-sheets smell. Despite my exhaustion, however, I couldn't fall asleep. It was one of life's ironies. While awake, I could slide into a trance with the snap of a finger. My spirit could leave my body and travel to other worlds. Yet, for whatever reason, sleep was more elusive. Doctors had recommended a number of sedatives, but I hated to use them. Drugs and alcohol bound the spirit to this world, and while I did indulge occasionally, I generally liked being ready to slip over at a moment's notice. Tonight I suspected my insomnia had something to do with a teenage girl†¦. But no. I couldn't think about that, not yet. Not until I spoke with the brother. Sighing, needing something else to ponder, I rolled over and stared at my ceiling, at the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars. I started counting them, as I had so many other restless nights. There were exactly thirty-three of them, just like last time. Still, it never hurt to check.

International Marketing Essay

UK is one of the major centers for commerce and international business in the world. It is one country that has had to raise its economy through free trade and other business related portfolios. It later developed to principles of liberalization of international trade and investments in order for it to expand and grow especially in the 20th century. It has been able to attract large investments from multinational countries in order to meet the demand for the larger British population thereby minimizing unemployment rates. This paper will therefore examine the investment opportunities and challenges in UK (Office for National Statistics, UK 2006). Foreign investments Opportunities The UK has very many opportunities in terms of foreign investments. It is one of the fifth largest economies in the world and second in the European Union. The country’s capital, which is London, is considered a haven of investments especially in the financial sector. The country has a GDP of $ 2. 1 trillion and a GDP growth rate of 2 %. (2007 estimates). Most of the opportunities lie in the service sector (Office for National Statistics, UK 2006) Industries UK has very many industries that can be invested in by any foreign country and the major ones are; agriculture, telecommunications, manufacture, fishing and tourism. The UK is one of the leading countries in agricultural exports and this is the main driving force for its economy. (Bailey, 1999) International trade statistics Major exports The dollar value for most of the export trading has been improving due to increase in demand for exports going by recent statistics on total exports from the UK. The trend however has been found to be fluctuating and that it depends on other factors such as; political stability, foreign policies etc. (Office for National Statistics, UK 2006) The major exports the country has been undertaking are the agricultural produce; wheat, rice, maize and tea. In the manufacturing the sector, the country exports agricultural machinery such the tractors and its implements, food, tobacco, paper, printing, textiles, paper and publishing. In the service sector, the country has developed high-tech networks in the telecommunications industry. The leading company in this sector is Vodafone and it has also gone global in its service provision. Major imports The major imports that are imported to the country include automobiles, horticultural produce, tea, coffee, and oil. The dollar value for most of the imports is low as the demand for the products reduces in the country. The dollar value increases when oil products become scarce due to international demand. (Bailey, 1999) Balance of payments situation According to the Office of National statistics, the manufacturing industry accounted for approximately 19% of all the national output in UK last year and also made up to 16% of all the employment in the country. The British economy does not however depend entirely on this and it may decline in the next two to three decades. Other industries are coming up especially the service sectors with a view to balance payments situation in regard to treasury bills. (Office for National Statistics, UK 2006) Exchange rates Exchange rates in the UK have been changing since the year 1999 and today, the exchange rates are way below the 0. 54 mark. This can be attributed to the changing events of the decade and globalization (Bailey, 1999). The following table shows the changing exchange rates-over the counter- for the Sterling pound, Euros and the dollars. Year ? /USD USD/? ?/EUR EUR/? 2005 ? 0. 5500 $1. 821 ? 0. 6842 â‚ ¬1. 463 2006 ? 0. 5426 $1. 859 ? 0. 6815 â‚ ¬1. 467 Source: Office for National Statistics, UK 2006 Trade restrictions 1. Embargoes Embargoes are political trade tools that are put by trading bodies or governments in order to support a justified peace process. Trade embargoes in the UK has been used to support either the EU or the UN in order to deny individuals the opportunity to use money from international trade in buying weapons of mass destruction. This will be used for the purpose of containing retrogressive countries the financial capability to use trading activities for insecurity purposes. Such countries which have been blacklisted by the UK include; Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe etc. (Neid, 1988) 2. Quotas Tradable quotas are policy instruments aimed at restraining trade of certain commodities in the UK. Limiting the production or importation of non-environmentally friendly automobiles can reduce taking for example greenhouse gases. The UK has been able to meet its environmental objective through the implementation of quotas systems. (Neid, 1988) 3. Import taxes Import taxes are designed to protect local industries from international competitors who may be financially stronger than them. This strategy has been utilized by the UK in order to protect vulnerable sectors of its economy. Although it allows importation of textiles, the country charges high import taxes on all unprocessed hides and skins to protect its local industries. (Lawrence, 2002) 4. Tariffs Trade tariffs are the main hindrance to trading between two countries. These trade tariffs depend with policies formulated by individual countries concerning how the countries wish to conduct its trading. The United Kingdom has however developed a smooth and business free environment for most countries in Africa, Asia and the U. S. this has made investment more conducive for many multinational firms. (Neid, 1988) 5. Licensing Licensing is one of the techniques used to promote international trading. The UK has been able to utilize licensing agreements with other international firms to boost its trading. The country has also been able to license many international firms to operate in the country as a means of encouraging investments. (Lawrence, 2002) 6. Custom duties Custom duties are one of the main sources misunderstandings between countries due to the fact that they favor the home-based industries. Custom duties are usually employed by the government top curb influx of external products into the country. The UK has been able to utilize this remedy effectively especially in sectors which the government feels threatened such as energy, education, transport and manufacturing. (Bailey, 1999) Extend of economic activity not included in cash income transactions The extent, to which other economic activities which does not include cash income transactions, is not wide and especially that the economy is entirely dependent on two core industries. I. e. service and manufacturing. The rest which may not involve cash transactions. (Neid, 1988) Counter trades The UK has used counter trade strategies to improve their international presence in almost all its sectors. Counter trades function effectively when the trading countries agree on issues such as import duties, taxes and tariffs (Bailey, 1999). Labour force The UK labor force currently stands at 31 million going by 2007 statistics. Majority of this labor force are concentrated in the private sector and some of them in the public sector. Most of the employees in sectors such as the health sector may have been imported to the country to serve as nurse this has been caused by the worldwide shortage of the same. The unemployment rates in UK currently stand at 5. 4 %( 2007 estimates) most of whom are fresh graduates and the poorly educated young men and women in the country. (Office for National Statistics, UK 2006) Inflation rates The inflation rate for the UK as at 31st December, 2006, was 2. 3% and a poverty rate of 17 % by then. The inflation however, fluctuates depending on the economic situation of the country (Office for National Statistics, UK 2006) Developments in science and technology UK is one of the European counties which have invested heavily on innovation and technology. Almost all sectors of its economy are coping up with changes in technology. The country is using technology as means of out-competing its competitors in the manufacturing and service sectors. That is why most firms in the country are investing in research and development. The government has been able to utilize 5. 4 % of the GNP on R&D in the last fiscal year ending March 31, 2007. The technological skills of the current labor force in the UK can be rated good depending on which sector one is referring to. With reasonable levels of literacy (79% at the moment), the country’s population can improve. (Office for National Statistics, UK 2006) Conclusion There is a team of science and technology promoters under the department of UK Trade and Investment whose role is to help firms realize their international potential through partnership support and knowledge transfer. It mainly enhances competitiveness of companies trading in the UK and also those involved in international trade. The UK has been able to attract high quality foreign direct investments through this department which offers guidance and direction including available opportunities and marketing. References Bailey, M.(1999): Exchange rate trends and trade performance; Waldwick Archive, Vol 12 Ferguson, N (2004): Empire, The rise and demise of the British world order and the lessons for global investments. Basic Books, Oxford, p 90 Lawrence H. (2002): Exchange rate between the United States dollar and forty other countries and its effects on investment, Macmillan, Washington. P 34-40 Neid H. (1988): Multinational investment strategies in British Isles, Routlegde, UK. P 122-131 Office for National Statistics (UK 2006): The Official Yearbook of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. P 45-57