Barriers to Evidence Based Nursing Practice Assignment

Barriers to Evidence Based Nursing Practice - Assignment Example (1998). Interviews were used to conduct this research on a nurse leader and a bedside nurse with a major view of inquiring their perspective on the barriers to the application of evidence-based nursing practices within their clinical settings. Based on quantitative study analysis and design, the barriers identified were inadequate resources, minimal time allocation for the study, inconsistencies, restricted authorities in some situations, limited support in conducting the research, a future two tier nursing practice, lack of work motivation, adaptation culture, institutional resistance to change, and poor responsibility in adopting the evidence-based nursing. These findings were found to be consistent when compared to other related research works (Hannes K. et al, (2007). With a critical look on these barriers, it stood out that one major action of developing clear objective and targeted strategies needed to be taken to solve them all. At our clinical level, we would recommend the development of a problem tree based on the purposeful sampling of nurses in different sections of the clinic to explore the identified barriers, and to orientate possible changes in the management processes of the clinic. This would ensure that both managerial and individual limitations/ barriers are eliminated (Gerrish K., 2007). Hannes K., Vandersmissen J., De Blaeser L., Peeters G., Goedhuys J., Aertgeerts B. (2007). Barriers to evidence-based nursing: a focus group study. J Adv Nurse. 2007 Oct; 60(2):162-71. Pub Med PMID: 17877563. Gerrish K., Ashworth P., Lacey A., Bailey J., Cooke J., Kendall S., McNeilly E. (2007). Factors influencing the development of evidence-based practice: a research tool. J Adv Nurse. 2007 Feb; 57(3):328-38. Pub Med PMID:

Educational programs Essay Example for Free

Educational programs Essay There are of course limits to the parallel between the regulation of firms and the regulation of churches. A basic difference is that a church draws its support on the basis of religious commitmentpresumably a quite different source of commitment than consumer preference for many people. In the fundamental relationship between the church and its members, there is no clear unit of exchange that lends itself to quantification. Perhaps much more so than firms, however, churches have the capacity to mobilize their memberships on behalf of their objectives in negotiating with the state. Another difference is that states seeking to regulate churches often lack doctrinal competence. They may be ill-equipped to understand the churchs mission and lack information as to church resources and the best uses of those resources. Finally, another principal difference is that the relationship between a nation and the religious commitments of its citizens is the consequence of many forces acting over long periods of time. These forces may have created in a population religious commitments of singular intensity or, on the other hand, apparent disinterest that has little to do with the direction of contemporary state regulation of religion. Despite these differences, however, the case can still be made that regulatory theory is relevant to the understanding of church-state relationships. This essay argues that the direction of contemporary state regulation may help shape the direction of a churchs priorities and activities independently of the condition of the populations religious commitment. Churches as organizations will respond to regulatory incentives and costs, just as they respond to the political environment. Why do states seek to regulate churches? Historically, as will be shown below, rulers may have sought to impose on their subjects their own respective judgments about the correct institutional expression of their faith. States have seen regulation as a means to weed out corruption or to redress the distribution of resources in their society. Quite often, states have appeared to fear churches as challenges to the political order that need to be contained. Historically, regulation of churches by the US and European states has embraced some or all of a number of areas. States have played significant roles in regulating or ultimately selecting senior church readerships within the country. States have assumed the power to determine the numbers and types of clergy allowed to practice their religious responsibilities within the nation. The states approval has been sought in determining the boundaries of church administrative territories. The states acquiescence has played a role in church reform of doctrine or liturgy. States have from time to time set limits on the nature of church participation in education, public communication, social welfare, and health care. Finally, states have limited- or enhanced- churches ability to own property or businesses. At this time, virtually every church, at least in Western Europe, has achieved a remarkable measure of autonomy in the determination of its leadership, its size, and the direction of its clergy. By contrast, historically in Roman Catholic countries, the state or the aristocracy controlled higher-level clerical appointments or shared in appointment decisions with the Vatican. In many Protestant states, the state exercised the power of appointment with relatively little formal consultation with church hierarchies. At the same time, the capacity of the church to establish a central role in a societys institutions has diminished and a review of church attendance in Western Europe suggests remarkable declines in membership. Churches may find that regulation benefits their own positions in society. In many cases these churches confront receding memberships. Catholic churches in nearly all Western European states enjoy sustained and significant declines in the conflicts with state authorities that were recurring crises during the nineteenth and a good deal of the twentieth century. This decline in conflict undoubtedly is related to the effective dechurching of many of the US and European populations. Regulation in these cases appears to be actively sought by churches as a means of sustaining resource flows. This relationship of negotiating support in exchange for some measure of regulation appears to be the emerging norm of convergence in state-church policy throughout Europe. But it raises the perplexing question of how new churches will respond to a structure of church-state relations that does not reflect the neutral tradition of liberalism but rather expresses clear although measured support for some churches over others in practice and often in theory as well. A church may seek several objectives in regulation. These objectives may undergo change as the regulatory context shifts. A church may conclude that regulation provides a competitive advantage in dealing with competition with other churches. Established, long-existing churches that now enjoy some measure of recognition from the state may wish to stabilize the situation by delimiting the boundaries of state recognition from newer or missionary churches that threaten the membership base of the established churches. The established churches may simply be concerned with maintaining their existing obligations to staffs, buildings, and educational programs. The longer established the church, presumably the greater the obligations it has to sustain existing organizations. The theory of regulatory capture would predict these observations. There is always the risk, however, that the capture model of regulation is not predictive of future state-church relationships, given the possibilities for new directions coming from within the state or from groups found neither in established church(es) nor in the state. New churches are the most likely sources of pressure for changes in the direction of regulation.

Wilderness: History and Value Essay -- Nature Philosophy Papers

Wilderness: History and Value History From the very beginning of this nation's history, wilderness has been a fundamental ingredient. The first European settlers found and battled against it upon their arrival. The western explorers and wagon trains sought to wrestle farmland from the wilderness's grip to build cities, farms and homes. It was not until the reality of its finite availability, that it was viewed as anything other than an opponent and menace. These changing attitudes began a new battle for preservation and protection of the wilderness that remained. The nation's attitude transformation was testimony to a new focus and value for wilderness. This new disposition declared that the preservation and maintenance of wilderness is instrumental to our own emotional, spiritual and biological survival. The first European settlers began an extensive nation wide war on wilderness upon their arrival on the eastern shore. The war continued for many years and set the tone for America's relationship with its wilderness lands. Many of the nation's first European arrivals brought with them very Puritanical views regarding the appropriateness of order and disorder as well as fundamental Christian views (Kropf, 1997). In their minds, the unsettled and unestablished lands of the New World symbolized lack of order and therefore the absence of God. Along with disorderly lands there existed native inhabitants who, because they had not subdued the land-putting it to strict agricultural use-were innately inferior. All these attributes assigned to the Indians and the wilderness led the early settlers to firmly believe that the wilderness was the dwelling place of Satan. As God fearing Christians, their greatest calling was the elim... ...nd humanity will suffer. Furthermore, the contents of this continent which have shaped and influenced this nation will be forever lost. Bibliography Brower, David. (1996). Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run. San Fransisco: Harper Collins Publishers. Drabelle, Dennis. (1984, Summer). Feral Explorations. Wilderness, pp.24-26. Hendee, John C., Stankey, George H., & Lucas, Robert C. (1990). Wilderness Management. Golden: North American Press. Kropf, Jesse A., "Images of the Overland Trail and Manifest Destiny: A Distortion of Reality". History 369: Dan Flores, University of Montana. Spring 1997. Nash, Roderick. (1967). Wilderness and the American Mind. New Haven: Yale UP. Nash, Roderick. (1984, Summer). Path to Preservation. Wilderness, 5-11. Oelschlager, Max. (1991). The Idea of Wilderness. New Haven: Yale University Press.

5.05 Works Cited

I do think that the lawsuit against Brianna LaHara was fair; she technically stole over a thousand songs. I do feel that it is a bit unfair that there was a law suit against a 12 year old, but also she needed it to be done now before she got herself into some real trouble when she was older. If it was me in this situation, I would just give myself over to them and confess what I did. I do not think it is a reasonable program at all.I am not one for having that fear constantly eating at the back of my brain, so I would rather just face the consequences. If I knew I was at such risk for arrest and lawsuits, I would turn myself in voluntarily. There are too many risks, and cases already made against this subject. According to CBS News, a woman in 2009 illegally downloaded TOO much music! She shared copyrighted music online and levied $222,000 in damages against her.She even had to pay the six record companies that sued her $9,250 for each of 24 songs they focused on in the case. WORKS C ITED: â€Å"Woman Faces The Music, Loses Download Case. † CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n. d. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"12-year-old Settles Music Swap Lawsuit. † CNN. N. p. , 18 Feb. 2004. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. .

My Last Duchess and Othello, IV, iii

In the dramatic form, be it monologue, dialogue or full theatrical scene, the author cannot step into the action to comment or interpret for us, as he can in a novel.   We must draw our own conclusions from what we see and hear, and this makes for powerful effects, as a character reveals him- or herself to us by what he or she says or does.   In the monologue My Last Duchess Browning misleads us with great skill before we realize that we are listening to a criminal lunatic. The dramatic force lies in the surprise we feel as the truth finally emerges.   In Act IV, scene iii of Othello there is again an agonizing irony for the viewer, who knows more than Desdemona and is of course impotent to help her.   Shakespeare works like a dentist without an anaesthetic, and the pain for the audience derives from the unbearable innocence of the doomed Desdemona, who is surely something like the Duchess in Browning’s poem, helpless and bewildered in the face of a murderous insanity in her husband. Browning’s Duke sounds so sane!   He is wonderfully gracious and articulate – â€Å"Will’t please you sit and look at her?† (5).   As he tells his story he seems to weigh his words with great caution, as if he is quite free of the distorting power of anger or any other passion, and is keen to avoid any unfairness in his judgment: â€Å"She had / A heart – how shall I say? – too soon made glad† (21-2), â€Å"†¦but thanked / Somehow – I know not how – as if she ranked†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (31-2). He never raises his voice, and speaks with a measured confidence that quite takes us in. At first we might be tempted to believe that his attitudes are reasonable: â€Å"Sir, ‘twas not / her husband’s presence only, called that spot / Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek† (13-15).   His manner is restrained even as he hints at her infidelity.   The painter flattered her about her appearance, as of course he would, being a Renaissance artist totally dependent on patronage, but she was charmed by it – foolishly, the Duke suggests. â€Å"She liked whate’er / She looked on† (23-24).   She was delighted by the beauty of the sunset, and the little tribute from the man who gave her the cherries, just as much as â€Å"My favour at her breast† (25).   What he seems to be objecting to is her failure to be properly selective and aristocratic in her tastes.   This is a rather extreme sort of snobbery, but perhaps not unprecedented; we may not find it attractive, but we may accept it as a feature of a proud man with a â€Å"nine-hundred-years-old name† (33). All the time, Browning is luring us up the garden path.   We begin to detect the problem.   The Duke is immensely proud, a man of great heritage, while she is free of snobbery, charmed by the delights of the world and human kindness, and genuinely innocent. (Infidelity does not now seem to be the Duke’s concern.)   Then we begin to see how his pride is really pathological arrogance. â€Å"Even had you skill / In speech – (which I have not)† (35-36), (he lies, of course) to explain your objection to her behavior – which is clearly quite â€Å"normal† – it would involve â€Å"stooping, and I choose / Never to stoop† (42-3).   So, rather than speak to her about his dissatisfaction, which would involve impossible condescension by him, he chose to solve the problem rather more radically: â€Å"This grew; I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together† (45-6). It takes a moment for us to register what he did, so unbelievable is it and so evasively phrased.   Then, having confessed to murder, or, rather, boasted of it, he continues his negotiations for his next Duchess, celebrating, incidentally, one of his favorite art works, â€Å"Neptune†¦ Taming a sea-horse† (54-5), the very image of the brutal control that he has himself exerted over his innocent last Duchess. The willow scene from Othello works differently, of course, because it is a dialogue, though it is the inner workings of Desdemona’s mind that the dramatic form reveals here, just as much as is the case in Browning’s poem There is an almost intolerable pathos about this scene because Desdemona is so helpless.   She has a good idea of what is going to happen – â€Å"If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me /   In one of those same sheets† (24-5) and is impotent in the face of her fate. There seems to be no defence against the ruthless execution of Othello’s enraged will. She is in a sort of trance, a hypnosis of shock.   All she can do is wait for the end, and the pathetic simplicity of her reflections here is the sign of a wounded spirit in retreat from reality.   The tragic atmosphere is given additional poignancy by the occasional interruption of the everyday details of â€Å"undressing for bed†, the habitual continuing because there is nothing else to do in the face of the worst – â€Å"Prithee unpin me† (21). She continues at moments to pretend that this is just an ordinary night: â€Å"This Lodovico is a proper man† (35), not a comparison of Othello with her country forms, but a pathetic attempt at gossip. But her real thoughts emerge in the obsession with the willow song, which she cannot resist. It is the perfect mirror of her own fortune: â€Å"And she died singing it; that song tonight / Will not go from my mind† (30-1). Like a detail from a psychoanalyst’s casebook comes the unprompted line in the song that gives away the deepest thoughts of the willing victim. –Let nobody blame him, his scorn I approve, — Nay, that’s not next.   Hark!   Who’s that knocks? –It is the wind.† (51-3) She corrects herself, but the absolute terror of realisation goes through her. The heroic innocence of Desdemona is highlighted by her conversation with Emilia. While Desdemona genuinely believes that no woman could in fact commit adultery â€Å"for all the world† (63), and swears that she herself would not do it â€Å"by this heavenly light† (64), Emilia responds, â€Å"Nor I neither, by this heavenly light, / I might do it as well in the dark† (65-6), and goes on to consider just what â€Å"all the world† might mean as a reward for the sin. Emilia is not immoral. It is just that Desdemona is on a superhuman and heroic level of behavior, and Emilia is on the normal level.   Compared with Desdemona’s helplessness in the face of the corruption of Othello, Emilia’s jokes have an immensely remedial health.   It is not a criticism of Desdemona, but it is a firm placing of trust in the human by Shakespeare. We can imagine that what Desdemona feels and says is very close to the response of Browning’s Duchess.   Both of them are innocent and benevolent women faced by deranged men.   The creation of character and the realization of human dilemma in the dramatic form are forceful and, in these two cases, immensely painful for the audience or reader.   The form makes the reader peculiarly impotent in the face of disaster. We would like to stand up in the theatre and shout at the stage, like the lady in the famous story, â€Å"You great black fool, can’t you see she’s innocent?†      

Impact of digital technology essays

Impact of digital technology essays Digital technology has a lot of impact on our national security. Such technology innovations as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, US-VISIT program, and Automated Biometric Identification System use biometrics as a key element in protecting our country from terrorists. Other innovations of digital technology, such as inventions of software to help conduct counterterrorism training drills, will help us to prepare for disasters and will lead to intelligent cities that can better protect ports of entry and its citizens. Each year the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services receives approximately seven million applications for immigration benefits. BCIS has now developed the technology to accept electronic filing of certain applications for immigration benefits. This technology improves both customer service and BCIS ability to verify the identity of individuals in the future. E-filing, combined with the collection and storage of an applicants digital photograph, signature, and fingerprint, allow the BCIS to produce a high quality immigration document with special security features. One great innovation in digital technology that will allow the United States to improve the nations security and the integrity is US-VISIT system. US-VISIT represents the greatest single advance in border technology in three decades. The Homeland Security Department has established US-VISIT to: Enhance the safety of our citizens and visitors; Facilitate legitimate travel and trade; Ensure the integrity of our immigration system; and Protect the privacy of travelers to the United States. US-VISIT uses biometrics, such as digital, inkless finger scans and digital photographs, which enable the Homeland Security Department to determine whether the person applying for entry to the United States is the same person who was issued the visa by State .With the help of the US-VISIT system...

How to Ask For a Letter of Recommendation Complete Guide

How to Ask For a Letter of Recommendation Complete Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips No groveling necessary. Asking someone to write you a letter of recommendation can feel almost as daunting as asking that special someone out to a movie. You're putting yourself out there, just hoping they like you back enough to say yes! Luckily, most of your teachers are well accustomed to writing letters of recommendation for students and are glad to support you in your academic goals. Plus, who wouldn't want to recommend you for college? You're great. To ensure your request goes as smoothly as possible, you should be thoughtful about who and how you ask. This guide will go over the steps on how to request a recommendation letter for your college applications successfully (though this guide works equally well for applications for graduate school and jobs). First, let's briefly go over what you need to know before making your request. What You Should Know Before Requesting a Recommendation Letter Before you pop the question, make sure you thoroughly understand the purpose of recommendation letters in your college applications. Along with your college essay, they should help personalize your application and tell a story about who you are as a student and person. While other parts of your application display your grades, activities, and other accomplishments, letters of recommendation can go beyond the resume and help you come to life in the eyes of admissions officers. Recommendation letters can speak to your academic potential, character traits, and personality, as well as about how you've connected with others in the school community over the past few years. Because reference letters have this important function of revealing aspects of your personality and giving insight into your character, you should choose someone who knows you well and can give specific anecdotes about you. You might also have learned through word of mouth which teachers write the strongest letters. Sometimes seasoned faculty members have written a lot of letters over the years, and may have established solid reputations with admissions officers at certain colleges. Some colleges require one teacher recommendation, while others ask for two. Most schools also require a letter of rec from your counselor.This guide will discuss how you can request strong recommendations from both your teachers and your school counselor. First and foremost, make sure to ask well in advance of your deadlines. Want to build the best possible college application, with the strongest recommendations? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Don't make your teacher feel like a hamster racing on the wheel of time. When Should You Ask for a Letter of Recommendation? The first step in requesting a letter of recommendation involves timing. Even for seasoned teachers and counselors, each individual letter takes time and thought to do well. I recommend asking your recommenders at least a month before your application deadlines. In some cases, even earlier is better. Some teachers put a cap on how many requests they take. If they have a first come, first served policy, then you should ask even earlier than a month before your deadlines so you don't miss out. A lot of teachers get inundated by the end of the semester, when they might be already busy getting exams scored and grades completed, not to mention spending time with friends and family over winter vacation. Because of this, it's a good idea to ask your recommenders early in the semester, like in September. Junior year teachers are often a good choice, because they had you recently and for a full year (whereas your senior year teachers might not know you that well yet). It can also be a good idea to ask your junior year teachers at the end of junior year, when you're fresh in their mind from being a student in their class all year (also a good idea if you have early decision deadlines). It gives them an entire summer to work on your letter. Just make sure to politely remind them a few weeks before your deadlines, if they haven't submitted your rec letter by then. Once you've figured out who you're asking and when, how can you frame your request in a positive way? First, I'll talk about how to ask a teacher and then how to ask your counselor, as the process and your relationships with these people is probably a little different. Make your request in person, so you don't end up with a letter like this. How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation from a Teacher How are you going to approach your request? What should you say? What information do you need to give your teacher? As long as you've prepared yourself in these three aspects, you're all set to make your request. Let's break each down one at a time. How to Make Your Request In person. I highly recommend asking for your recommendation face to face. Depending on your teacher's schedule and school culture, it may be appropriate to email your teacher to set up an appointment or meeting. Asking for a letter of recommendation solely over email could be interpreted as impersonal, distant, and less mature, an impression you don't want to make in the mind of a recommender. I also wouldn't recommend asking during class time, but instead find time during a free period, after school, or whenever the teacher has free time to meet. The request may be short, but you still want to create space in case your teacher wants to further discuss your plans. What to Say While it can feel scary and vulnerable to ask a teacher for this favor, remember that teachers, especially ones that have juniors and seniors, expect this. In fact, it's part of their job description. Likely all of these teachers write letters of recommendation for students every year and want to help you succeed and continue on in your education. It may also help you to remember that a lot of teachers know what it's like to be on the other side of this process, as they usually undergo observations and evaluations every year. The best way to calm your nerves and ensure the conversation goes smoothly is to prepare what you'll say. I recommend phrasing your request simply and directly, without a lot of "ums," "likes," or "I forgot what I was about to say, so let's take a raincheck- how about next Thursday?" Something like this could work: "I really enjoyed your class. I've learned a lot from you and feel like you've gotten to know me well. I'm apply to College X for next year and would be really flattered if you could write me a strong letter of recommendation for my application(s)." Note the phrasing of astrongrecommendation. You want to make sure your teacher can write you a strong and compelling letter, not a generic one. If, worst case scenario, your teacher declines or seems hesitant, simply thank them and ask somebody else. You wouldn't want a weak letter that wouldn't help, or could even hurt, your application. You want to find a recommender who will agree to write a letter for you without reservation. If you've asked someone who knows you well and agrees to provide you with a letter of rec, then it's a good idea to share some further information with him/her. In a lot of schools, they call this a "brag sheet." The "brag sheet" isn't really about bragging, not even backdoor brags. Information to Give Your Teacher(s) First off, your teachers need to know the logistics. When are your college deadlines? How do they submit the letter of rec? In most cases, your early decision deadlines will be in October and your regular decision deadlines will be in early January. Typically, writersupload their recommendations through the Common Application or, if your school uses it, through Naviance. Beyond the requirements, I strongly advise providing your teacher with your brag sheet, or your reflections on who you are and what you value. Usually the guidance office distributes these to juniors and seniors, inviting students and parents to comment on it. The more detailed and thoughtful you are about your values, goals, and accomplishments, the more useful your brag sheet will be to the writer. While you might not be used to or all that comfortable writing about yourself, you should take the time to reflect deeply about what you care about and what experiences have been especially meaningful in your life. This will help your teacher add further dimension to your recommendation, as well as help differentiate you from other students they're writing about. In a perfect world your recommenders are bursting with fun and poignant anecdotes to share about you in their class, but in reality most teachers could use your help to complement what they plan to say. I would recommend going into your request ready with your completed brag sheet. If the teacher agrees, then you can pass it over. Be ready to have a discussion on it if the teacher wants to hear your thoughts. In addition to giving revealing insights about your character and interaction with other students, your teachers are the best authorities on your academic performance and potential. Your counselor, on the other hand, can speak more to your role in the school community and growth over your years in high school. Because your relationship with your counselor is different from that with your teachers, you may approach your recommendation request differently. How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation from your School Counselor Almost all colleges that require recommendations want one from your school counselor. This recommendation is usually called the "secondary school report." While you can choose which teachers to ask for reference letters, you probably don't have a decision to make when it comes to the counselor letter of rec. Lots of students have the same counselor throughout their four years of high school. You also probably don't have to ask the same way you do with your teachers, as your counselor expects to write recommendation letters for all students on his or her caseload who are applying to college. With this recommendation, it's less about the request and more about how you can help your counselor write the strongest reference letter possible. In some high schools, especially big ones, students don't always get to know their counselors very well. If that's the case for you, then your brag sheet, as well as face to face meetings, is especially important for sharing who you are and what your goals are. If you have a passion for environmental biology, tell your counselor all about it. If you can't wait to join your college's newspaper and report on important events around the community, share that. The more your counselor knows about you and what sparks your interest, the more life they can breathe into your recommendation letter. Most counselors will schedule at least two college meetings with the students on their caseload, one in the spring of junior year to discuss college planning and one in the fall to talk about how your applications are going. If you're applying early action or early decision, you should let your counselor know in the spring of junior year, or at least at the very beginning of senior year. The best recommendation letters don't just use vague descriptions that could apply to anyone. They prove their assertions by relating specific stories. If you haven't had a ton of interactions with your counselor, it's especially important to include significant experiences and challenges on your brag sheet, as well as to get to know your counselor in meetings. For most schools, you can schedule a meeting with your counselor, so don't feel like you have to wait for him or her to call you down to the office. Reference letters for college are a big part of a counselor's job, and they can get especially busy with them around deadlines. Ask your counselor early and meet with him or her so you can make a strong impression, show how important your applications are to you, and jumpstart their letter writing. The more specific you are and the more you share with your counselor, the stronger and more colorful his/her recommendation letter will be. Just like with your teachers, it's up to you to tell your counselor when your deadlines are and any special requirements they need to complete. After you've spoken to your recommendations and obtained their support, what are the next steps? Next Steps After Your Recommendation Request It's always a good idea to follow up with your recommenders a week or two before your deadlines with a polite reminder. In this reminder, you could thank them again for providing you with a letter of rec, express your excitement about your future plans, and invite them to contact you if they need any more information from you. If you word it this way, then it won't feel like you're asking why they haven't uploaded their letter yet (unless they have, in which case, thank them again!). Some teachers will let you see your letter before submitting it and invite your revisions or feedback. This is totally up to the recommender, and not actually common in admissions procedures (usually letters are expected to be confidential). If your teacher doesn't offer to show it to you, I wouldn't advise pressuring her to. This could indicate that you don't trust her to write a strong letter- and if that's the case, you should ask someone else, anyway! Most letters will be submitted online, but in the rare case that your teacher wants to mail it, you should provide her with a pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelope. After all's written and submitted, write your teachers and counselor a thank you note. Once the decisions start rolling in, let them know where you got in! If you take just a few points from this article, these are the most important ones to remember. Want to build the best possible college application, with the strongest recommendations? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Key Takeaways for Recommendation Requests Ask a teacher (or two) who knows you well and in whose class you excelled. The better relationship you have with your recommender, the more insightful your recommendation letter will be. It helps if the teacher is known to be a strong writer, too! Request your reference letters in person. This adds a personal touch and shows respect. In addition to telling your recommenders your deadlines and important logistics, give them thoughtful reflections on your values, goals, and accomplishments on your brag sheet. Take time with this, as it could be a huge aid as your recommenders write your letter. Thank them for helping you apply to college, and let them know where you end up! Perhaps the most important takeaway is that letters of recommendation are important, as are the connections you have with your teachers and counselor in high school. Approach this part of your application with a plan, and express your appreciation of your recommenders' role in helping you get into college. All this commitment and goal-setting is definitely the kind of thing you could put on a brag sheet. What's Next? In order to add recommenders to the Common Application, first you have to respond to the FERPA waiver. Read all about what it means and how it affects your right to access your letters of recommendation. College admissions get more and more competitive every year, so you want to present yourself with the best application you can. Read about how to build a versatile college application here. Did you know that a couple schools ask for recommendations from peers, and some students send them along as supplements? Read the complete guide to peer recommendations here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

2018â€2019 SAT Score Release Dates

2018–2019 SAT Score Release Dates Because SAT scores can play an important role in the college admissions process, most applicants are eager to learn how they performed on the exam. Scores are typically available online about two to three weeks after the test date. The table below presents the exact dates.   2018–2019  SAT Score Release Dates SAT Test Date Multiple-Choice Scores Available Online Essay Scores Available May 5, 2018 May 18-24 by May 29 June 2, 2018 July 11 by July 11 August 25, 2018 September 7 by September 9 October 6, 2018 October 19 by October 21 October 10, 2018 November 2 by November 4 November 3, 2018 November 16 by November 16 December 1, 2018 December 14 by December 16 March 6, 2019 March 29 by March 31 March 9, 2019 March 22 by March 24 March 27, 2019 April 19 by April 21 April 9, 2019 May 2 by May 5 April 23, 2019 May 16 by May 19 May 4, 2019 May 17 by May 19 June 1, 2019 July 10 by July 14 The SAT is offered worldwide on Saturdays  seven times a year. This table presents more than seven test dates because of special school-day administrations of the exam. These weekday options- October 10, March 6, March 27, April 9, and April 23- wont be available or convenient for many high school students.   How Do I Check My SAT Scores? When you register for the SAT, you create  an online account to do so. Be sure to keep track of your login information, for you will use that same online account to retrieve your SAT scores. In the My SAT section of your College Board account, youll find the scores for every SAT and SAT Subject Test youve taken. Youll also find breakdowns of your scores and percentile rankings that show how you measure up compared to other students. Another benefit of the College Boards online score reports is that youll get a customized study plan should you choose to retake the SAT, and youll get access to free SAT practice materials through Khan Academy. What Time Do My SAT Scores Appear? In the past, scores would appear online at 8:00 a.m. EST. In recent administrations of the exam, the scores have rolled out throughout the day. If you live on the east coast, dont bother setting your alarm for the wee hours to get your scores early. They will not be posted before 8:00 a.m. Also, dont panic if the morning of the score availability date comes and goes and your scores have not yet appeared online. It could be the afternoon or even the evening before your scores appear. There have also been cases in which the College Board has missed the score date for logistical reasons, and locally scores may be delayed if there were testing abnormalities at your particular testing center. In short, be patient. The only reason you should worry about your scores is if your classmates who took the exam on the same date have received their scores, and a day later your scores still have not appeared. At that point, it may be worth contacting the College Board to see what the issue may be. Why Do  My SAT Essay Scores Appear Later Than the Multiple Choice Score? Youll notice that the College Board provides a later score availability date for the SAT essay than for the multiple-choice section of the exam. The reason for this is rather simple: the multiple-choice answers are scored by a computer whereas the essay section needs to be scored by experienced readers. In fact, your essay will be read by two different people and then the scores from those two readers will be added together to arrive at your final SAT essay score. The logistics of getting the essay scores are much more complicated than for the multiple-choice section. The essay readers need to be trained for consistency in the scoring process, the essays need to be distributed to those readers, and then the scores from those readers need to be reported back to the College Board. Even though the essays are scored holistically (the readers do not mark up the essays or spend much time focusing on an essays minutiae), reading and scoring the essays is still a time-consuming process. It makes sense that the College Board can post the multiple-choice scores before the essay scores. That said, you may very well find that your essay scores  are available when your multiple-choice scores are posted. Paper SAT Scores and College Score Reports Once the College Board has your SAT scores, posting those scores online is quick and easy. Paper score reports, however, take more time, as do the reports you requested that will be sent to colleges. In general, you can expect paper score reports and college reporting within ten days of receiving all of your scores (multiple-choice and  the essay scores) online. Be sure to take this slight delay into account when you calculate when you should take the SAT. Youll want to make sure your score reports will arrive at colleges by the application deadline.   Can I Get My Scores Earlier Than The Posted Dates? In a word, no. Scoring and processing hundreds of thousands of answer sheets takes time, and the College Board isnt in a position to flag individual exams for expedited service. If youre applying Early Action or Early Decision, youll want to plan ahead so that you are taking exams that will get scores to colleges on time. The new August test date makes this easier, and the August and October exams should work fine  for early admission programs.   That said, for a fee, you can order rush service to get a score report mailed to a college more quickly (see SAT Costs, Fees, and Waivers). This doesnt change the date that scores become available, but it helps get a score report to a specific college a little faster if you didnt order the scores at the time of the exam. I Got My Scores. What Now? Once you have received your scores, youll need to figure out what the scores mean in relation to your college aspirations. Are your SAT scores good enough? Are you on target for admission to the college you hope to attend?  If time allows, should you take the exam again?  What are your options if your scores arent what you had hoped for?   To get a sense of how you measure up at some of the nations most selective colleges and universities, these articles can help guide you. They present SAT data for the middle 50% of admitted students at different types of colleges: SAT Scores for the Ivy LeagueSAT Scores for Top Liberal Arts CollegesSAT Scores for Top Public Universities Can I Challenge My SAT Scores? If your SAT scores seem far off from what you expected, you have some options for figuring out what went wrong. It is possible, for example, that your answer sheet did not scan properly. For a fee, you can request that your multiple-choice answer sheet be scored by hand. This needs to be done within five months of the test date. If it turns out that an error did occur in the processing of your score, the College Board will refund the verification fee. Note that the College Board will  not  rescore your exam if you failed to follow directions. For example, if you did not fill in the ovals properly or you used a pen instead of a #2 pencil, you will not be eligible to have your scores changed. With the SAT essay, the situation is similar. You can request that your essay score be verified in case of a score reporting error or a scanning problem. Your essay will  not  be reread. The College Boards essay scoring process has built-in safety measures to ensure accurate scores. Two readers will score your essay, and if the scores by those two readers differ by more than one point (on a 4-point scale), the essay will be sent to a scoring director who will score the essay. A Final Word on SAT Scores Theres no getting around the fact that SAT (and ACT) scores often play an important role in the college admissions process. That said, try to put the exam in perspective. Your academic record will matter more than the SAT, so be sure to work hard and do well in challenging college-preparatory classes. Also, realize that the most selective colleges have holistic admissions, so a winning application essay and meaningful extracurricular involvement can help compensate for less-than-ideal SAT scores. Finally, keep in mind that hundreds of colleges have test-optional admissions and dont consider SAT scores at all.

Situational planning stradegy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Situational planning stradegy - Essay Example Despite these strengths the recent internal audit has unveiled some challenges and threats faced by the center. Under these circumstances, the first dilemma required to be answered is it worth revisiting the Community South Medical Center strategic plan or it will be prudent to follow the plan devised three years ago along with a yearly assessment. The recent shifts in patient care mix and shifting of good paying business from the locality to the other urban areas are two major factors that can affect the present positive trends in near future. Moreover, the overall aging trend of the population is a major concern which should be addressed rationally, especially in case of a for-profit organization of the center. Medicare and managed care have already shown a downward trend in previous three years and the shift of major businesses from the locality may even worsen the situation in the upcoming years and the center may witness a fall of employer sponsored health insurance. A change in strategic direction is therefore, deemed imperative to address the threats and capture the new opportunities. The strategic direction of Community South Medical Center is required to incorporate the changes that can ensure a sustainable profit graph in the coming years. The community analyst and future trend analyst are two major leadership positions in my strategic management team. These two can provided a better insight in to the state of affairs that the Community South Medical Center is facing and can provide useful input for setting the future direction of the center. The community analyst will specifically look for the shifts in healthcare mix and other communal trends like dominant aging trend of population and will provided a consolidated reported on the future impact of communal changes and a relative policy change that is required to be react these changes in a befitting manner. Future

Profession of arms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Profession of arms - Essay Example This profession requires years of study and practice. Military Officers need to constantly upgrade their knowledge and use of weaponry in view of advancement of technology. They are responsible for the security to the society, as society has no means to provide for itself, from external aggressions and serious internal threats. From the ethical perspective, a military officer has to win the confidence from many ends. They are the American people, civilian (political) leaders and the junior professionals under their command. Army values are taught but they are also cultivated. It is an important personal as well as the professional issue. Profession of arms is a revered profession. Salary, perquisites and promotions are taken care of well. This is a service of honor and privileges. The ambience in the army cantonments is good and atmosphere of camaraderie prevails which is the hallmark of army life. This profession is hailed as the calling, not a routine job. Keith E. Bonn writers, â€Å"Life in army is colorful, interesting, and rich with friends and experiences. The customs and courtesies help to establish these patterns. The glory of the Army is its fine people and the rewarding associations that may flow in abundance from its work and its life.†(10) Without doubt, the army professionals are prepared to kill; but it is not the killing comparable to the heinous act of a criminal. It is the call of the nation and protection for the society. An army officer remains always ready for the ultimate commitment—one’s life itself! They have a cause for such sacrifices and the hearts for such sacrifices! Therefore, this profession is

The History of Pharmacy and its effects on Western Civilization Essay

The History of Pharmacy and its effects on Western Civilization - Essay Example It is the pharmacist’s role to ensure the purity and effectiveness of drugs. At the same time, pharmacists collaborate with other health professionals in order to provide the best healthcare to afflicted patients. Right at the dawn of civilization, human began attempting to use natural substances to fight against diseases. Early medicine consisted of readily available plants and minerals. The first pharmacists were selected individuals in society known in some cultures as ‘medicine men’ or ‘healers.’ The basis of this early practice was a combination of superstitious belief and natural science. Early practitioners were sometimes referred to as ‘sorcerers’ or ‘magicians’. The English word pharmacy itself traces its etymology to the Greek word pharmakeia, which means sorcery or witchcraft. Te empirical shift in perspective came with the advent of Greek medicine. The study of the history of pharmacy is to understand the practice in its wider concept of modern society, understand its functions and its trend in the future. Mesopotamian civilizations were among the earliest producers of medicinal drugs between 3000Bc and 539BC. Medicine is this era was intertwined with religion. Sickness was considered punishment for sin. Healing, on the other hand, was considered cleansing or purification (Kremers, 1986). Medicine mainly was made from plants. An examination of clay tablets revealed the use of plant drugs and minerals. Milk, wax, honey and various fats and oils were also used for medicinal purposes. A document dated 2000BC shows a record of powdered seeds to be dissolved in beer and offered to the patient. Mythology played a huge role in this early practice. Dispensation of drugs included drug formulas and incantations involving the mention of mythical gods like ‘Ea’ and ‘Gula.’ Ninazu was considered god of the healers, and his son messenger of the gods. They were symbolized by a rod and a serpent. Kremers (1986)notes the

CAPM and Fama French Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

CAPM and Fama French - Coursework Example The report uses the Eviews for the data analysis and hypothesis testing for CAPM & FAMA French Model (Dougherty, 2011) The paper is bifurcated into two parts. Part 1 is based on the test of Capital Asset Pricing Model and Fama French Model using the factors for US stocks for the period of 1963 to 2013. Part 2 of the report is based on the audit fees to evaluate whether the firm characteristics explain the cost of audit or not. The capital asset pricing model is referred to as the model that describes the relationship between the risk and return, which determines the appropriate required rate of return on assets. (Sharifzadeh, 2010) The formula for capital asset pricing model is as follows Βi = Beta , which refers to as the sensitivity of the risk premium to the expected return. The risk premium is referred to as the excess ret urn of the market over the risk free return .i.e. (E (Rm) – Rf) Fama & French model is referred to as the extension of capital asset pricing model. The model adds the size and value factors in addition to the market risk factor in capital asset pricing model. The model considers the fact that whether the small cap stocks and value stocks outperform markets on regular basis. This is the reason; Fama French model is referred to as the three factor model. (Bodie, et al., 2009) The section of the report identifies the fact that why should we test CAPM and Fama French Model? The answer is that the CAPM is used to assess the impact on expected return on asset exclusively by the movement in market risk premium. The CAPM gives an ideal situation of how to price securities that are traded in financial markets to determine the expected return on asset. The major reason to use the CAPM model is that the model gives the objective nature of cost of equity, which the model can yield. (Besley & Brigham, 2007) The Fama French model supplements the CAPM model to further evaluate the cost of equity in terms of return on

Rights of self petitioning applicants Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

Rights of self petitioning applicants - Thesis Example ...............................23 5.4.3 Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act....................................................................24 5.4.4 Illegal Reformation & Immigration Responsibility Act...........24 5.4.5 Women Immigrants Safe Harbor Act.......................................24-25 5.5 Battered Women Immigrants Not Covered by VAWA........................25-29 CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.........................................30-31 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Legal status of foreign-born population, 2002 ABSTRACT Violence against women has been a problem plaguing society since time immemorial. In the American society, this issue came to the fore in the advent of the civil movements in the 1980s when women had the opportunity to gather together and confer with each other. Thus, were born legislations protecting women from violence, including violence which occurs within the confines of their own homes. The most remarkable of these laws was the 1994 Violent Against Women Act (VAWA hereafter) which was subsequently reauthorized first in 2000 and then in 2005. This law was remarkable not only for the financial assistance it gave to women victims but also the circumvention of prior laws which require women immigrants married to US nationals or permanent residents to wait for a period of two years before jointly applying with their spouses for permanent residence. Statistics show that violence against women is more prevalent in the case of women immigrants than in US born women. The US is multiracial country - a melting pot of various ethnic origins and people coming from various cultures. There are, to date, about 34 million people, more or less, in the country who are foreign-born and many of...This law was remarkable not only for the financial assistance it gave to women victims but also the circumvention of prior laws which require women immigrants married to US nationals or permanent residents to wait for a period of two years before jointly applying with their spouses for permanent residence. Statistics show that violence against women is more prevalent in the case of women immigrants than in US born women. The US is multiracial country - a melting pot of various ethnic origins and people coming from various cultures. There are, to date, about 34 million people, more or less, in the country who are foreign-born and many of these are women immigrants who suffer at the hands of people who exploit and abuse them because of their immigration status and their social isolation brought about by their foreign surroundings, language deficiency, economic dependency, cultural ethnicity. Many of them are undocumented immigrants who came into the country without proper documentation. Since the VAWA provisions on battered immigrant women are specific only to a particular type of women immigrants, the implication is that many of these battered women are left out in the cold with no hope of aid from the government. Violence against women is a societal ill long been present but has only been recently acknowledged.

Felix Longorias Wake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Felix Longorias Wake - Essay Example In fact, it states that the wake could not be held because whites would not like it. This event catapulted the fight against discrimination of the Mexican- American overnight. The controversy helped build careers of some politicians while also bringing to an end the life of others. The resultant effect of the action was the fight for recognition. The purpose of the book is to create the picture of the events that occurred in the struggle against racism which includes events surrounding the life of Felix Longoria. The book is organized in a structural way including the development of the plot. The book can be read with ease, but has several repetitions that make it boring for readers especially when rereading the book. The book is essential when addressing the social issues affecting the American society including the current status of the country. It elaborates the issue of racism and the steps undertaken to combat racism. The focus of the book is on the Mexican Americans and their struggle for identity and rights. The book is excellent especially for students studying the American society and the impact of various rights’

Rights of self petitioning applicants Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

Rights of self petitioning applicants - Thesis Example ...............................23 5.4.3 Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act....................................................................24 5.4.4 Illegal Reformation & Immigration Responsibility Act...........24 5.4.5 Women Immigrants Safe Harbor Act.......................................24-25 5.5 Battered Women Immigrants Not Covered by VAWA........................25-29 CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.........................................30-31 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Legal status of foreign-born population, 2002 ABSTRACT Violence against women has been a problem plaguing society since time immemorial. In the American society, this issue came to the fore in the advent of the civil movements in the 1980s when women had the opportunity to gather together and confer with each other. Thus, were born legislations protecting women from violence, including violence which occurs within the confines of their own homes. The most remarkable of these laws was the 1994 Violent Against Women Act (VAWA hereafter) which was subsequently reauthorized first in 2000 and then in 2005. This law was remarkable not only for the financial assistance it gave to women victims but also the circumvention of prior laws which require women immigrants married to US nationals or permanent residents to wait for a period of two years before jointly applying with their spouses for permanent residence. Statistics show that violence against women is more prevalent in the case of women immigrants than in US born women. The US is multiracial country - a melting pot of various ethnic origins and people coming from various cultures. There are, to date, about 34 million people, more or less, in the country who are foreign-born and many of...This law was remarkable not only for the financial assistance it gave to women victims but also the circumvention of prior laws which require women immigrants married to US nationals or permanent residents to wait for a period of two years before jointly applying with their spouses for permanent residence. Statistics show that violence against women is more prevalent in the case of women immigrants than in US born women. The US is multiracial country - a melting pot of various ethnic origins and people coming from various cultures. There are, to date, about 34 million people, more or less, in the country who are foreign-born and many of these are women immigrants who suffer at the hands of people who exploit and abuse them because of their immigration status and their social isolation brought about by their foreign surroundings, language deficiency, economic dependency, cultural ethnicity. Many of them are undocumented immigrants who came into the country without proper documentation. Since the VAWA provisions on battered immigrant women are specific only to a particular type of women immigrants, the implication is that many of these battered women are left out in the cold with no hope of aid from the government. Violence against women is a societal ill long been present but has only been recently acknowledged.

Job Analysis, Descriptions and Specifications Case Study

Job Analysis, Descriptions and Specifications - Case Study Example Job analysis can be conducted using qualitative tools such as interviews with existing clients or quantitative tools such as surveys or comparison to similar job roles in the competitive job market at other companies. Once parameters of the skills and knowledge needed to perform a job have been identified, it becomes easier for HR professionals to determine new pay categories that are competitive or directly in-line with job role function. New performance appraisals can also be developed to help human resources track performance of the employee in this job to determine whether goals are being met based on research findings. The entire process can be research intensive, however it helps leadership understand each job role and have a form of documentation available that helps the business identify with strengths or weaknesses of the job or how to better allocate resources if redundancies between job roles are identified. Job Analysis Driving Job Descriptions After conducting research, the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to successfully perform the job are documented. This could include educational credentials or the mental and physical needs of the job, depending on the environment and the complexity of the role. For example, research might indicate that typing speed of at least 60 words per minute is required to manage multi-tasking activities in the job, therefore the new job description will indicate that interviewers should be looking for people with high manual dexterity and speed. Either through observation, interviews or other measurement tools, the description is designed to best fit what has been discovered about the skills needed to accomplish the job tasks successfully. Pay grades are then determined based on what has been identified related to skills and the job role. Job analysis would also determine whether performance goals are being met properly based on research findings about job role. Tasks that have been identified are then listed on th e description with essential functions and duties related directly to the research results. Job Analysis and the VA Case There was a great deal of redundancy in the VA case, involving nurses and doctors that were performing the same tasks, as was identified through the research study and the interviews. This showed there was a need for restructuring at the organization. From the study: â€Å"Based on the high levels of overlap†¦there appears to be a tremendous opportunity to reallocate work more efficiently† (Best, Hysong, Pugh & Suvro, 2006, p.304). If the organization had used more detailed job analysis, these redundant activities could be identified and streamlined in a single job function. For example, if the nurses and the physicians were routinely documenting patient medications, then implementation of a new electronic system for one-time entry could be implemented. Job analysis would show what specific roles were overlapping and then restructure each job title, ba sed on description, in a way that was more efficient. Only through internal research, either observational or through interviews, could job titles be more narrowly defined to avoid overlapping duties. The complexity of t

Milk and Dairy Products Essay Example for Free

Milk and Dairy Products Essay 1-Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are the best basis of energy for the body. They made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The main group of carbohydrate in foods are sugar, starches and cellulose. We can find Carbohydrate in rice, potatoes, bread, pasta and cereals. The Carbohydrate make people fat, and they are the most source of energy for body. 2-Fats: Fats are complex of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. We need fat for hormone metabolism, to have healthy skin and hair, it also helps to, repair the tissue . it helps to shape to your body. Sometimes it helps to protect the organs which are inside the body like kidneys. The main two types of fats are saturated and unsaturated. You can find saturated fat in animal products like, milk, cheese, meat with fat, cream.fat is the important source of calories and energy for body also it could be so dangerous for your health if you use it too much.fat provide healthier skin and helps the body to use vitamins like A, D E and K because these are fat soluble. 3-Proteins: Proteins are built up longs chain of amino acids. We have got two types of amino acids essential and non-essential amino acids and both of them are necessary for body. We have got two types of protein, animal protein and plant protein. You can find the best source of protein in fish, meat and dairy produce, cereals, rice and eggs Some of your hormones, organs and muscles are made up with protein, and the most responsibility for protein is delivering the oxygen to blood cells. Also protein is needed for growing and repairing tissue and replacement. 4-Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamins and minerals are nutrients which your body require to grow and develop normally.Vitamins are very important for body they help enzyme to work properly, we have two different type of vitamins: water soluble (B vitamins and vitamin C) and fat soluble (A, D, E and K).body can’t make the vitamins so we need to get this from the food because it is necessary for body. We need vitamin A to have healthy eyes; this vitamin is necessary for body growth and repair. They are important to have healthy life, too little amount of vitamins cause health problems also too much of vitamins cause of some disease. Minerals: you can find minerals in earth and sea. they can be found in water, root plants and animals. Some of them are needed for body like iron, magnesium, zinc, aluminium, calcium, For example we need iron to make homeoglobine, and calcium is required for healthy teeth and skin and bones. Amounts needed for most of minerals are very small and too much amounts can be toxic to your body. 5-Water: The most important nutrient in your body is water, your body is mostly made up from water, more than half of your body weight is water, you can live for many days without food but you can’t be alive without water more than a few days.It transmits oxygen and nutrients into all your cells. Also helps control your body temperature. It also helps to your metabolism work properly. We need to drink six or eight glasses of water a day. If the urine is dark in colour, this means that you need to increase your fluid levels. Illness and fever also increase your water necessity, and water replacement is necessary part of much medical treatment P2: Identify different dietary needs at each life stage Infancy (0-3years) The babies only need milk to get the nutrients and breast milk is the best food for them because it contains all nutrients the baby needs. Some mothers are not able to breastfeed so they can feed by cow’s milk but this must be sterilized to prevent infection. Before six months we just suggest rice, other cereal grains like oats, wheat, and barely can be given after six months. For the first few months of their life they get all of the nutrients he needed from their mothers milk. However, babies are growing very quickly, and at about 6 months of age breast milk could no longer meet all they needs, they have to give them solid foods. We should be careful not to give them too many foods high in salt and sugar. Solid foods provide extra energy and nutrients which are needed at this time like Iron and Zinc. You can give them one new food at a time and wait two or three days to see the reaction and find out if they have any allergy or also you can see how well the new food is digested. By about 12-18 months the toddler can eat the same food as the rest of the family, with less salt or sugar. Try to give those different fruit and vegetable as they all have different nutrients and also include some at each meal and offer them as snacks. Make sure your toddler get enough calories. For children between 1 – 3 years old energy requirements increases because children are more active and growing rapidly. Protein requirements do not increase much. Vitamins need to be increased. They need slightly lower amount of calcium and iron. They need more mineral at this stage. Childhood (4-10 years) In this stage the children are very active. Many children, especially those who are not physically active, tend to eat too many calories. Children aged 2 to 3 years, 4 to 6 years, and 7 to 10 years require approximately 1300, 1800, and 2000 calories, respectively. In these ages they need to eat healthy food like fish, meat, pasta, eggs, and potato, they should not eat too many crisp fizzy drinks sweets and biscuits because these cause tooth problems and obesity. Protein is necessary for body growth, so protein requirements for children are higher than for adults. They should take full fat milk and skimmed milk should not be given to children under 5 years of age. After the age of 4 children need more energy and protein, most vitamins and all the minerals except iron. Vitamin C remains the same as they were younger. By the age of 7 – 10 years old their energy and protein intake still increases the requirement for most vitamins and minerals increased except vitamin A and C. dairy products should be mixed up in diet to boost calcium intake for strong bones. We have to give them vitamin D because it helps them to build strong bones and teeth. Adolescence (11-18years): When the children get to ages between 11 – 14 years they need more energy and their protein requirement increases by %50. At the age of 11 vitamin and mineral requirement differs for boys and girls. Boys need more vitamin and mineral but there is no change for some of the vitamins. Girls have to take minerals and iron when the menstruation starts. Between the age of 15 – 18 boys need more energy and protein. They need more B vitamins, C, A and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, zinc and iodine. They need high amounts of calcium because of their skeletal development. Requirement for some B vitamins like B1, B3, B6, C and some minerals like magnesium, potassium and iodine. Boys and girls have the same requirement for B12 and vitamin C, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Girls need more iron but lower requirement for zinc and calcium. Teenagers should be pushed to choose a mixture of foods from the other basic food groups: A lot of starchy carbohydrates bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, and potatoes. Plenty of fruit and vegetables, Two to three portions of dairy products, like milk, yoghurt and pasteurised cheeses, Two servings of protein, such as meat, fish, eggs, beans and pulses. Many teenagers, mainly girls, dont get enough iron in their diet, so we should make sure they get plenty of meat, fish and leafy green vegetables. Protein is important, especially during a teenagers growth spurt, as is calcium and vitamins C and D. Because they are so active, they need lots of energy in their diet. Foods like pasta and bread are good foods as they are high in carbohydrate. Adulthood (19- 65years): In adulthood age 19 – 50 years the energy requirement is less for both women and men, because they are not as physically active as they were and their metabolic rates slow down. Their requirement for calcium is lower Women start losing calcium from bones during and after the beginning of menopause for about five years, after which the rate of calcium loss is reduced until about age seventy-five or eighty. So, it is important for women to eat foods high in calcium up to the age of thirty-five, also women need less magnesium and men need lower amount of iron. Their requirement for protein and most of vitamins and minerals remain the same in comparison to adolescents. Best recommend for food could be: Whole, enriched, and fortified grains and cereals like brown rice and 100% whole wheat bread, vegetables such as carrots and broccoli, low- and non-fat dairy products like yogurt and low-lactose milk, dry beans and nuts, fish, lean meat and eggs, fluid intake (water is best).women have to increase iron to their diet. They should not eat too many high fat foods. Old age (+ 65years): After the age of 65 we need less energy because people get less active after this age. Men need less protein than women and their requirements for vitamins and minerals stay the same for both men and women as it was in their adulthood. After the menopause, women need less iron. The reduction in energy needs, coupled with unchanged requirement for vitamins and minerals means that the nutrient density of the diet becomes more important. Nutrient density means the quantity of vitamins and minerals in relation to the amount of energy supplied by the foods and drinks consumed. With the advancement of age, the capacity to digest and eating large meals often decreases. So, the amount of food given at a time needs to be decreased. If required number of meals can be increased as per the individuals tolerance. They should avoid food rich in fat, cholesrtol and animal fats, especially saturated fats, because they cause some cardio-vascular disease. They can use sunflower oil or soya bean oil to prevent heart disease. It’s better to add vitamin D to their diet.also they have to eat foods which are easy to digest, and eats plenty of fibre P3: explain two medical conditions related to unbalanced diets: You are a key worker at Happy Day Nursery in Sutton. You are looking after two children who recently joined the nursery. Aisha is 4 years of age and she is severely overweight and you are discussing Aisha’s dietary needs with her parents.Shareef is 3 years of age and suffers from anemia.Explain the two medical condition related to unbalanced diets: Obesity: Obesity is when a person is carrying too much body fat for their height and sex. Aisha is a person considered obese because she has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more. The problems can cause by obesity is like difficulty breating, difficulty walking or running, increase sweating, high cholesterol She has to reduce fat intake and sugary food stuff .It helps in reducing a lot of calories and, in turn her weight. She has to select foods with low, light or reduced calories or fat, including milk products. Also she needs to take foods that include starches and dairy products She has to take plenty of vegetables, fruits, grain products and whole grains each day. Dairy products should not be missed out. Low-fat, no-fat and reduced-fat milk, yogurts, cheese, ice creams and many other such products available in the market provide a good taste of things to the dieters. With proper nutrition, exercises and support Aisha can lose weight and develop healthy habits for her life. Over nutrition results from eating too much, eating too many of wrong things, not exercising enough, or taking too many vitamins or other dietary replacement. Tooth decay is a symptom of malnutrition. The enamel of the teeth can be dotted with white patches. The bone and teeth become easily breakable. Tooth decay is one of the most common of disorders. It usually occurs in children and young adults, but can affect any person. It is the most important causes of teeth loss in younger people. Anaemia: Anaemia is a lack of red blood cells. Anaemia can be described as the loss of red blood cells or haemoglobin in blood. Haemoglobin is the carrier of oxygen to the various part of our body. Decrease in red blood cells means decrease in the carrying capacity of the blood. Anaemia is primarily the result of nutritional deficiency in our body. The most common symptoms of anaemia are weakness, breathlessness, lack of energy, depression, numbness, tingling sensation, irritability and memory loss. A person with anaemia will feel tired and week because the body’s tissues are being starved oxygen. In fact weakness is the main symptoms of most types of anaemia. Mild anaemia can occur without symptoms and may detect only during a medical exam that includes a blood test. Weakness, fainting, breathlessness, heart palpitations (rapid or irregular beating), dizziness, headache, ringing in the ears, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating, abnormal menstruation are symptoms of anaemia. A proper, well balanced diet is very beneficial for anaemic people. They have to include cereals, rice, pasta, dairy products (milk, yogurt and cheese), dry beans, eggs, vegetables and fruits, meat, poultry, fish and nuts. Beet root is one of the best home solutions for anaemia you can eat them as a cooked vegetable or in salad or even beet root juice for the purpose. Also the good sources of iron are: Liver, green leafy vegetables, beets, dried fruits, brown flakes, brown rice, raisins and prunes. While anaemic people are recommended to have food reach in iron content, vitamin C is required for the absorption of iron. Include citrus fruits like orange and lemon to your diet. Anaemia affects all population groups. However the most susceptible groups are pregnant women and young children. In pregnant women the baby needs extra iron so that the baby has a sufficient blood supply and receives all of the necessary oxygen and nutrients. Low birth weight in infants, young children and women of child bearing age are particularly at risk of anaemia. Women of child bearing age need to absorb 2-3 times the amount of iron required by men or older women. Lack of folic acid, vitamin A or B12 is the case of anaemia in people who are living in developing country. M1: Discuss how to components of a balanced diet contribute to an individual’s health at different life stage: In infancy a baby’s kidneys are not as yet developed strongly enough to hold the high protein and mineral content fully until that age, the same applies to solid foods. After 6 months we can add some solid food to their diet because they are ready to digest the food. During childhood, children’s food needs change usually, depending on their growth and their stage of physical activity and energy needs, a child’s full protein, vitamin and mineral requirements boost with age. Perfectly, children should be building up stores of nutrients in preparation for the quick growth experienced during adolescence. In adulthood they need to eat more fruits and vegetables the good source to take vitamins, minerals and fibre which also help prevent heart diseases, cancers and many health conditions that come up with age, it is encouraged that eat 5 portions of fruit or vegetables each day. Elderly adults should eat a well-balanced diet and exercise frequently; spend some time outside to make better the vitamin D for healthy skin and bones; limit fat and sugar eating such as cakes biscuits and so on; eat foods high in fibre to help bowel health; reduce on salt; eat from a wide range of food and to share mealtimes with friends and family, The amount of food may cut because of the advancing of age effects the capacity to digest food and tolerate large meals. Task2 P4: Identify two service users with specific dietary needs: You are working as a nurse in St.Helier Hospital. You are looking after several patients. One of your patients, Mr.Abdi Hailu suffers from a coronary heart disease. Another patient, Miss Talia Kaunu is lactose intolerant. Identify two service users with specific dietary needs. Mr.Abdi Hailu: Mr Abdi has got Coronary heart disease. It is a narrowing of the blood vessels that provide oxygen and blood to the heart. Coronary heart disease is a major cause of illness and death. Coronary heart disease is generally make happen by atherosclerosis when plaque gather on the artery walls, make them to narrow, resulting in less blood run to the heart. Sometimes a clot may form which can stop the flow of blood to heart muscle. Coronary heart disease normally causes chest pain, shortness of breath, heart attack and other symptoms. So he should change his diet to prevent other damage to the heart. He has to eat lots of fruits and vegetables during the day. Decrease the amount of salt in his food and add some nuts and seeds to their diet and decrease the amount of fat in their diet. Therefor he has to change his life style like stop smoking, have some exercise during the day, have healthy diet and don’t be in stress and reduce emotional. Miss Talia Kaunu: Miss Talia is not able to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk and milk products. It is caused by lack of lactose in her body. So she is not supposed to eat milk and she has to find some alternative like yoghurt and cheese. she might feel uncomfortable after having milk and milk products. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, gas, diarrhoea, and nausea. The best management for this situation is: she has to slowly put in small amounts of food and drinks which include lactose to determine the tolerance level or she can drink milk with a meal or with other food. Also there is some lactose enzyme in tablet form; she can take them before eating. When she doesn’t drink milk it can lead her to lack of calcium, vitamin D and protein, so she should find new way to get these, she can take calcium supplements and drink orange juice and have some food which have more calcium, dark green vegetables like spinach and fish with soft bones such as salmon and sardines are high in calcium.

Life Cycle of a Compact Disc (DC)

Life Cycle of a Compact Disc (DC) LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS OF A COMPACT DISC CDs have become an essential item in everybodys life. Despite its simple structure, it allows you to listen hours of music, to watch films on a player as well as to store a huge amount of information. For all these reasons, CDs consumption has increased in the last few years. Thats way a compact disc is an important matter of analysis in terms of life cycle and environmental footprint. In this essay Ill discuss the main points on the life cycle of this product from its creation to the final stage of its life. MATERIALS ACQUISITION CDs are made of many different materials. The main of them are: aluminum, polycarbonate, lacquer, gold, dyes and some other materials such as water, glass, silver and nickel. Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earths crust but the common aluminum is not economic sources of the metal. Thats why almost all metallic aluminum is produced from ore bauxite. Smelting of the ore occurs in different countries than the mining activity, so it involves its transportation. Polycarbonate is a type of plastic which is made from crude oil and natural gas extracted from the Earth. Lacquer is made of acrylic, another type of plastic. Gold is straight mined from the Earth. Dyes are chemicals made in laboratory, partially from petroleum products that come from the Earth. Mining is a key process at this point of the life cycle as it supposes the obtaining of the necessary raw materials that will make up the CD. All mining process involves the use of machinery such as trucks and excavator. Those vehicles consume energy and release CO2 emission to the atmosphere. In this stage, proposing any improvement is difficult as nowadays there is no other way of getting raw materials from Earths crust but by means of excavators. MATERIALS PROCESSING Materials acquisition is not the previous step to the manufacturing process. Most mined materials must be processed before manufacturers can use them to make CDs. As I mentioned before, bauxite ore is processed into a substance called â€Å"alumina† by washing, crushing, dissolving, filtering, and harvesting the materials. Alumina is then turned into aluminum through a process called â€Å"smelting.† Then the metal is shaped, rolled, or made into a cast. Regarding this material process, it has to be taken into account the fact that larger deposits of bauxite occur in certain countries and its processing takes place in different points of the world. This implies transportation from one place to the other and its consequent CO2 emissions. To make plastics, crude oil is extracted from the ground and combined with natural gas and chemicals in a manufacturing or processing plant. In some cases, burning plastics as part of a process can release toxic fumes. Moreover, the manufacturing of plastic often creates large quantities of chemical pollutants. In order to determine the carbon footprint due to all those material processes, we have to take into account the energy consumed in manufacturing and processing plant. Energy consumption is kept at a high level as smelting and some chemical processes require a huge amount of energy to be accomplished. MANUFACTURING PROCESS The manufacturing process of a CD is complex. An injection molding machine creates the core of the disc, a 1-millimeter thick piece of polycarbonate (plastic). Polycarbonate is melted and poured in a mold. Then, with the aid off high pressure, a stamper embeds tiny indentations, or pits, with digital information into the plastic mold. Those indentations or pits will be read by a laser when playing a CD. Therefore, it is an accurate process and it involves some specialized tools and machines. Then, the so-called process â€Å"sputtering† takes places. Through it, the â€Å"metallizer† machine coats the CDs with a thin metal reflective layer (usually aluminum). The playback laser reads the information off of the reflective aluminum surface. In order to protect the CD against scratching and corrosion, it receives a layer of lacquer as a protecting coating. Most CDs are screen printed with one to five different colors for a decorative label. Screen printing involves the use of many materials, including stencils, queegees, and inks. In the manufacturing process, a considerable amount of environmental aggressive products are used such as lacquer and inks. PACKAGING CDs are packaged in clear or colored plastic cases or cardboard boxes that are then covered with plastic shrink wrap. This packaging can be made from recycled or raw materials. For example, the plastic used can be from recycled bottles or from crude oil and natural gas extracted from the Earth and combined with chemicals. Manufacturing cardboard require cutting trees down. This is an important and aggressive action against the environment and therefore, it has to be taken into account when evaluating the environmental cost of packaging CDs. TRANSPORTATION/DISTRIBUTION The transportation supposes a considerable contribution to carbon footprint. Once discs are packaged, they are sent to all parts in the world where they are distributed. Transportation by plane, truck, or rail requires the use of fossil fuels for energy, which contribute to climate change. Moreover, manufacturing plants usually are located in underdeveloped countries due to economic reasons whereas the main consumption of this product is registered in developed countries. This involves long transport distances and then important CO2 emissions. USEFUL LIFE CDs are created with materials that are extremely stable. If properly stored and handled, most discs will last for decades. Certain conditions, such as high humidity, or extended periods of high temperatures, rapid temperature changes, and exposure to certain types of light, can damage discs and shorten their useful life. Keeping discs out of direct sunlight and away from heat and water will help them last longer. Following those easy instructions not only will save money, but it will also reduce the discs environmental impacts by preventing waste. From my point of view, this stage has an important meaning in terms of waste minimization. Our CDs consumption rate would decrease significantly if handling them properly. Making the useful life longer involves reducing all the process previous to the use, and so reducing the carbon footprint generated by the processing, manufacturing, transport process, etc. REUSE, RECYCLE OR DISPOSAL In order to reduce the discs environmental impacts, the disposal must be seen as the last option. Depending on their condition, discs can be reused or recycled instead of thrown away. Reuse A good way to keep discs out of the garbage is to reuse them. In this sense, one of the reasons why we get rid of discs is scratches. Minor scratches can be repaired by rubbing a mild abrasive (such as toothpaste) on the non-label side of a disc in a circular motion from the center out. Also, some commercial refinishers can inexpensively repair your CDs. Another main reason is that the disc is not longer wanted. Unwanted CDs or can be sold to some stores, traded with friends, or donated to schools, libraries, or other organizations. Buying used CDs borrowing them from the library can also help reduce the environmental impact associated with manufacturing new products. In my opinion this is the better alternative to disposal because unlike recycling, reusing doesnt involve any manufacturing or smelting process. Therefore less energy will be consumed resulting in a lower carbon footprint. Recycle CDs can be recycled for use in new products. Specialized electronic recycling companies clean, grind, blend, and compound the discs into a high-quality plastic for a variety of uses, including automotive industry parts, raw materials to make plastics, office equipment, alarm boxes and panels, street lights, and electrical cable insulation, jewel cases. Most CD recycling companies only accept large stockpiles of old, damaged, or unused from businesses. A few companies will accept smaller quantities of discs mailed by individuals. Once the recyclers receive the CDs, they separate the packaging materials, manuals, and CDs for individual recycling processes. You might consider contacting a CD recycling company on behalf of your school or school district-collecting CDs for reuse could be a good school or community fundraising project. Check your local phone book or search the Internet for a list of recyclers, and be sure to have one in place before you begin collecting CDs for recycling. As with most stages of product life cycles, even recycling has environmental tradeoffs. CD recycling is now an emerging technology, which means that many companies are not yet capable of recycling these discs. So, while recycling CDs saves natural resources, the trade-off comes from the amount of fuel and energy thats consumed to transport discs long-distances to an appropriate recycling facility. Disposal Only dispose of your discs when you have no other choice. Always try to share, donate, or trade your discs or drop them off at an appropriate recycling center. CDs and that are thrown away waste energy and result in lost valuable resources.

Fractal Geometry :: essays papers

Fractal Geometry The world of mathematics usually tends to be thought of as abstract. Complex and imaginary numbers, real numbers, logarithms, functions, some tangible and others imperceivable. But these abstract numbers, simply symbols that conjure an image, a quantity, in our mind, and complex equations, take on a new meaning with fractals - a concrete one. Fractals go from being very simple equations on a piece of paper to colorful, extraordinary images, and most of all, offer an explanation to things. The importance of fractal geometry is that it provides an answer, a comprehension, to nature, the world, and the universe. Fractals occur in swirls of scum on the surface of moving water, the jagged edges of mountains, ferns, tree trunks, and canyons. They can be used to model the growth of cities, detail medical procedures and parts of the human body, create amazing computer graphics, and compress digital images. Fractals are about us, and our existence, and they are present in every mathematical law that governs the universe. Thus, fractal geometry can be applied to a diverse palette of subjects in life, and science - the physical, the abstract, and the natural. We were all astounded by the sudden revelation that the output of a very simple, two-line generating formula does not have to be a dry and cold abstraction. When the output was what is now called a fractal, no one called it artificial... Fractals suddenly broadened the realm in which understanding can be based on a plain physical basis. (McGuire, Foreword by Benoit Mandelbrot) A fractal is a geometric shape that is complex and detailed at every level of magnification, as well as self-similar. Self-similarity is something looking the same over all ranges of scale, meaning a small portion of a fractal can be viewed as a microcosm of the larger fractal. One of the simplest examples of a fractal is the snowflake. It is constructed by taking an equilateral triangle, and after many iterations of adding smaller triangles to increasingly smaller sizes, resulting in a "snowflake" pattern, sometimes called the von Koch snowflake. The theoretical result of multiple iterations is the creation of a finite area with an infinite perimeter, meaning the dimension is incomprehensible. Fractals, before that word was coined, were simply considered above mathematical understanding, until experiments were done in the 1970's by Benoit Mandelbrot, the "father of fractal geometry". Mandelbrot developed a method that treated fractals as a part of standard Euclidean geometry, with the dimension of a fractal being an exponent. Fractals pack an infinity into "a grain of sand". This infinity appears when one tries to measure them.

One Step to Freedom?

â€Å"100% of the shots you never take, never get in†. In the middle of the arid desert, Colorado. A group of Cypriots and myself among them, crossed through the desert to reach the camping site where we would spend the night. Continuously attacking us, the blazing sun followed our every footstep, as our bodies were melting down like defenceless ice cubes. After a couple of hundreds of metres of walk, my feet started to numb. I was exhausted. My bottle, constantly in my hand, was running out of water. â€Å"Can my day get worse?†, I wondered. What I didn't know was, that these obstacles were nothing compared to the inner conflict I would be going through soon. â€Å"Does anyone want to have a break? Does anyone want to have a swim?†, Michael, our leader asked. Suddenly the feelings of joy and excitement replaced the tiredness and everyone was now smiling; I noticed I was smiling too. Impatiently we all followed Michael. That is when I first came face to face with my own Via Dolorosa. The worst of all is that I was not aware of how difficult it would be for me, that small step I was asked to take, for which I had to grapple hard with my own thoughts and deepest fears which I was not even aware of. How can you fight something you cannot see? Following the flow of my friends and climbing on a small hill, I reached the beginning of my slow and painful torture. I was standing at the edge of a rocky knoll, about three metres above the ground and beneath me, a tiny lake with crystal clear water. I could already picture myself, in the lake, with the cool water fighting off the heat, while my body was enjoying the luxuries of nature. As I lowered my head to face my reflection on the calm surface of the lake, the truth hit me in the face. I will never forget how shocked I was when I realised I was not ready; I couldn't jump; I didn't want to. â€Å"Nicola, are you going to jump or not?†, Shane asked me. The question brought me to my senses like . . . . . . . â€Å"No. Go on. I will go later.†, I replied. While watching them jumping with such comfort, as if it was fun, as if they were enjoying themselves, I felt angry with myself. Why had I stopped? It couldn't be that difficult, after all nobody else seemed to find it challenging, on the contrary they all thought of it as amusing. If they could do it, so could I. All of a sudden I changed my mind. I felt this urge, this push, the desire to jump as well. â€Å"I can do this†, I told myself. Once again I found myself standing at the edge of the hill determined to jump and once again I changed my mind, as my fears came to life; my body froze instantly. It was as if my legs were glued into place, I couldn't move. Out of the blue, the battle started; the battle over which I had no control, the battle which was going on in my head and whose winner would determine my decision. On one side my limiting beliefs and fears joined forces, to stop me from jumping while on the other side my desire to jump was defensively trying to repulse the attack. The damage to the defence lines was unavoidable and since my fears took control over my body, I stepped back instead of going forward. Time was going by so quickly, as I tended to oscillate between the determination of jumping and the fear of falling. Over twenty minutes had passed since my last attempt and I was not looking forward to another one. â€Å"Nicola we will be leaving soon, if you are going to jump, do it now, or else come down so that we can continue.† No! , a voice inside my head screamed. I am not giving up. I am not leaving unless I jump. As these wild thoughts were passing through my head, the sun sank lower. Trying to convince myself that I could do it, I once more stepped at the doorstep of fear. â€Å"You have thirty seconds to jump.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"Come on Nicolas!†, a friend of mine shouted. â€Å"It's only one step!† â€Å"Twenty-nine, twenty-eight . . .† Puzzled as I were, I looked around as if searching for an answer. Suddenly I realised that everyone was staring at me. Was it really only one step? Then what? Freedom? â€Å"Sixteen, fifteen . . .† The countdown continued. â€Å"Hey Nicola, listen to me! Stop thinking so hard. Just jump! It's only one step.† It was of no use. I didn't hear a thing. â€Å"Nine, eight, seven . . .† I looked down at the lake. How could falling equate to freedom? There were fluctuations in my feelings. I couldn't decide. I couldn't even take a small step. â€Å"Three, two, one. Come on Nicolas we are leaving! Come down!† I took a glance at the azure sky as if it was my last one. I took a last deep breath. â€Å"I am coming†, the words burst like bullets out of my mouth. I closed my eyes. I could hear the blood booming in my ears. The cold breeze made me shiver. I found myself trembling like an undersized flower in a furious storm of hesitant feelings and fears. I slowly bent my knees and jumped. Time stopped. My life was passing through my mind like an old black and white movie. I panicked. I didn't want to fall. I regretted jumping. I waved my hands desperately, trying to hold onto something. A rock, a stone anything. Nothing; there was nothing. I wanted to throw up. It was as if air was pushing my stomach up in my chest and out of my mouth. Even today, when I recall the situation and when I picture the whole scene in my mind, the same feelings come up; fear, anxiety, fluctuation, regret. The same feelings which filled me up then, which still do, as if I am there. As if I never left. As if I never jumped. As if it was all for nothing. Although I am not free from my fears, I know it was not for nothing. I took the risk, I took the shot and I ‘m proud of myself. The cheers and the congratulations I received as I came out of the lake, almost made up for the torture I went through. I was still feeling a bit dizzy from the fall so I sat to rest. That is when Michael came and told me: â€Å"100% of the shots you never take, never get in†. Now this quote is one of my favourites. It was actually a quote of Michael Jordan's referring to basketball. When I first heard it, I didn't really understand what it meant, but after thinking about it, I became aware of its true meaning. It means that if someone does not dare to shoot the ball, because it may not go in the basket, he will never score. â€Å"It's risky not taking risks† a wise man said. In the middle of the arid desert, Colorado, I took the risk. I jumped. I may have not been freed from my fears but I learned my lesson. This experience shaped me into who I am today. A man who is not afraid of taking risks, and making steps beyond the limits of fears and limiting beliefs.