Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 4~5

Chapter 4 Blooms and the City of Burned Clutches C. Thomas Flood (Tommy to his friends) was just reaching red-line in a wet dream, when he was awakened by the scurry and chatter of the five Wongs. Geishas in garters scampered off to dreamland, unsatisfied, leaving him staring at the slats of the bunk above. The room was little bigger than a walk-in closet. Bunks were stacked three high on either side of a narrow aisle where the five Wongs were competing for enough space to pull on their pants. Wong Two bent over Tommy's bunk, grinned apologetically, and said something in Cantonese. â€Å"No problem,† Tommy said. He rolled over on his side, careful not to scuff his morning erection on the wall, and pulled the blankets over his head. He thought, Privacy is a wonderful thing. Like love, privacy is most manifest in its absence. I should write a story about that – and work in lots of geisha girls in garters and red pumps. The Crowded Tea House of Almond-Eyed Tramps, by C. Thomas Flood. I'll write that today, after I rent a post-office box and look for a job. Or maybe I should just stay here today and see who's leaving the flowers†¦ Tommy had found fresh flowers on his bed for four days running and they were beginning to bother him. It wasn't the flowers themselves that bothered him: gladiolas, red roses, and two mixed bouquets with big pink ribbons. He sort of liked flowers, in a masculine and totally non-sissy way, of course. And it didn't bother him that he didn't own a vase, or a table to set it on. He'd just trotted down the hall to the communal bathroom, removed the lid of the toilet tank, and plopped the flowers in. The added color provided a pleasant counterpoint to the bathroom's filth – until rats ate the blossoms. But that didn't bother him either. What bothered him was that he had been in the City for less than a week and didn't know anyone. So who had sent the flowers? The five Wongs let loose with a barrage of bye-byes as they left the room. Wong Five pulled the door shut behind him. Tommy thought, I've got to speak to Wong One about the accommodations. Wong One wasn't one of the five Wongs with whom Tommy shared the room. Wong One was the landlord: older, wiser, and more sophisticated than Wongs Two through Six. Wong One spoke English, wore a threadbare suit thirty years out of style, and carried a cane with a brass dragon head. Tommy had met him on Columbus Avenue just after midnight, over the burning corpse of Rosinante, Tommy's 74 Volvo sedan. â€Å"I killed her,† Tommy said, watching black smoke roll out from under the hood. â€Å"Too bad,† Wong One said sympathetically, before continuing on his way. â€Å"Excuse me,† Tommy called after Wong. Tommy had just arrived from Indiana and had never been to a large city, so he did not recognize that Wong One had already stepped over the accepted metropolitan limit of involvement with a stranger. Wong turned and leaned on his dragon-headed cane. â€Å"Excuse me,† Tommy repeated, â€Å"but I'm new in town – would you know where I can find a place to stay around here?† Wong raised an eyebrow. â€Å"You have money?† â€Å"A little.† Wong looked at Tommy, standing there next to his burning car with a suitcase and a typewriter case. He looked at Tommy's open, hopeful smile, his thin face and mop of dark hair, and the English word  «victim » rose in his mind in twenty-point type – part of an item on page 3 of The Chronicle: â€Å"Victim Found in Tenderloin, Beaten to Death With Typewriter.† Wong sighed heavily. He liked reading The Chronicle each day, and he didn't want to skip page 3 until the tragedy had passed. â€Å"You come with me,† he said. Wong walked up Columbus into Chinatown. Tommy stumbled along behind, looking over his shoulder from time to time at the burning Volvo. â€Å"I really liked that car. I got five speeding tickets in that car. They're still in it.† â€Å"Too bad.† Wong stopped at a battered metal door between a grocery store and a fish market. â€Å"You have fifty bucks?† Tommy nodded and dug into the pocket of his jeans. â€Å"Fifty bucks, one week,† Wong said. â€Å"Two hundred fifty, one month.† â€Å"One week will be fine,† Tommy said, peeling two twenties and a ten off a thinning roll of bills. Wong opened the door and started up a narrow unlit staircase. Tommy bumped up the stairs behind him, nearly falling a couple of times. â€Å"My name is C. Thomas Flood. Well, actually that's the name I write under. People call me Tommy.† â€Å"Good,† Wong said. â€Å"And you are?† Tommy stopped at the top of the stairs and offered his hand to shake. Wong looked at Tommy's hand. â€Å"Wong,† he said. Tommy bowed. Wong watched him, wondering what in the hell he was doing. Fifty bucks is fifty bucks, he thought. â€Å"Bathroom down hall,† Wong said, throwing open a door and throwing a light switch. Five sleepy Chinese men looked up from their bunks. â€Å"Tommy,† Wong said, pointing to Tommy. â€Å"Tommy,† the Chinese men repeated in unison. â€Å"This Wong,† Wong said, pointing to the man on the bottom left bunk. Tommy nodded. â€Å"Wong.† â€Å"This Wong. That Wong. Wong. Wong. Wong,† Wong said, ticking off each man as if he were flipping beads on an abacus, which, mentally, he was: fifty bucks, fifty bucks, fifty bucks. He pointed to the empty bunk on the bottom right. â€Å"You sleep there. Bye-bye.† â€Å"Bye-bye,† said the five Wongs. Tommy said, â€Å"Excuse me, Mr. Wong†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Wong turned. â€Å"When is rent due? I'm going job hunting tomorrow, but I don't have a lot of cash.† â€Å"Tuesday and Sunday,† Wong said. â€Å"Fifty bucks.† â€Å"But you said it was fifty dollars a week.† â€Å"Two fifty a month or fifty a week, due Tuesday and Sunday.† Wong walked away. Tommy stashed his duffel bag and typewriter under the bunk and crawled in. Before he could work up a good worry about his burning car, he was asleep. He had pushed the Volvo straight through from Incontinence, Indiana, to San Francisco, stopping only for fuel and bathroom breaks. He had watched the sun rise and set three times from behind the wheel – exhaustion finally caught him at the coast. Tommy was descended from two generations of line workers at the Incontinence Forklift Company. When he announced at fourteen that he was going to be a writer, his father, Thomas Flood, Sr., accepted the news with the tolerant incredulity a parent usually reserved for monsters under the bed and imaginary friends. When Tommy took a job in a grocery store instead of the factory, his father breathed a small sigh of relief – at least it was a union shop, the boy would have benefits and retirement. It was only when Tommy bought the old Volvo, and rumors that he was a budding Communist began circulating through town, that Tom senior began to worry. Father Flood's paternal angst continued to grow with each night that he spent listening to his only son tapping the nights away on the Olivetti portable, until one Wednesday night he tied one on at the Starlight Lanes and spilled his guts to his bowling buddies. â€Å"I found a copy of The New Yorker under the boy's mattress,† he slurred through a five-pitcher Budweiser haze. â€Å"I've got to face it; my son's a pansy.† The rest of the Bill's Radiator Bowling Team members bowed their heads in sympathy, all secretly thanking God that the bullet had hit the next soldier in line and that their sons were all safely obsessed with small block Chevys and big tits. Harley Businsky, who had recently been promoted to minor godhood by bowling a three hundred, threw a bearlike arm around Tom's shoulders. â€Å"Maybe he's just a little mixed up,† Harley offered. â€Å"Let's go talk to the boy.† When two triple-extra-large, electric-blue, embroidered bowling shirts burst into his room, full of two triple-extra-large, beer-oiled bowlers, Tommy went over backward in his chair. â€Å"Hi, Dad,† Tommy said from the floor. â€Å"Son, we need to talk.† Over the next half hour the two men ran Tommy through the fatherly version of good-cop-bad-cop, or perhaps Joe McCarthy versus Santa Claus. Their interrogation determined that: Yes, Tommy did like girls and cars. No, he was not, nor had he ever been, a member of the Communist party. And yes, he was going to pursue a career as a writer, regardless of the lack of AFL?CCIO affiliation. Tommy tried to plead the case for a life in letters, but found his arguments ineffective (due in no small part to the fact that both his inquisitors thought that Hamlet was a small pork portion served with eggs). He was breaking a sweat and beginning to accept defeat when he fired a desperation shot. â€Å"You know, somebody wrote Rambo?† Thomas Flood, Sr., and Harley Businsky exchanged a look of horrified realization. They were rocked, shaken, crumbling. Tommy pushed on. â€Å"And Patton – someone wrote Patton.† Tommy waited. The two men sat next to each other on his single bed, coughing and fidgeting and trying not to make eye contact with the boy. Everywhere they looked there were quotes carefully written in magic marker tacked on the walls; there were books, pens, and typing paper; there were poster-sized photos of authors. Ernest Hemingway stared down at them with a gleaming gaze that seemed to say, â€Å"You fuckers should have gone fishing.† Finally Harley said, â€Å"Well, if you're going to be a writer, you can't stay here.† â€Å"Pardon?† Tommy said. â€Å"You got to go to a city and starve. I don't know a Kafka from a nuance, but I know that if you're going to be a writer, you got to starve. You won't be any damn good if you don't starve.† â€Å"I don't know, Harley,† Tom Senior said, not sure that he liked the idea of his skinny son starving. â€Å"Who bowled a three hundred last Wednesday, Tom?† â€Å"You did.† â€Å"And I say the boy's got to go to the city and starve.† Tom Flood looked at Tommy as if the boy were standing on the trapdoor of the gallows. â€Å"You sure about this writer thing, son?† Tommy nodded. â€Å"Can I make you a sandwich?† If not for a particularly seedy television docudrama about the bombing of the World Trade Center, Tommy might, indeed, have starved in New York, but Tom senior was not going to allow his son to be â€Å"blowed up by a bunch of towel-headed terrorists.† And Tommy might have starved in Paris, if a cursory inspection of the Volvo had not revealed that it would not survive the dampness of the drive. So he ended up in San Francisco, and although he could use some breakfast, he was more worried about flowers than about food. He thought, I should just stick around and see who's leaving the flowers. Catch them in the act. But he had been unemployed for more than a week, and his midwestern work ethic forced him out of his bunk. He wore his sneakers in the shower so his feet wouldn't have to come in contact with the floor, then dressed in his best shirt and job-hunting jeans, grabbed a notebook, and sloshed down the steps into Chinatown. The sidewalk was awash with Asians – men and women moving doggedly past open markets selling live fish, barbecued meat, and thousands of vegetables that Tommy could put no name to. He passed one market where live snapping turtles, two feet across, were struggling to get out of plastic milk crates. In the next window, trays of duck feet and bills were arranged around smoked pig heads, while whole naked pheasants hung ripening above. The air was heavy with the smells of pressed humanity, soy sauce, sesame oil, licorice, and car exhaust – always car exhaust. Tommy walked up Grant and crossed Broadway into North Beach, where the crush of people thinned out and the smells changed to a miasma of baking bread, garlic, oregano, and more exhaust. No matter where he went in the City, there was an odoriferous mix of food and vehicles, like the alchemic concoctions of some mad gourmet mechanic: Kung Pao Saab Turbo, Buick Skylark Carbonara, Sweet-and-Sour Metro Bus, Honda Bolognese with Burning Clutch Sauce. Tommy was startled out of his olfactory reverie by a screeching war whoop. He looked up to see a Rollerblader in fluorescent pads and helmet closing on him at breakneck speed. An old man, who was sitting on the sidewalk ahead feeding croissants to his two dogs, looked up momentarily and threw a croissant across the sidewalk. The dogs shot after the treat, pulling their cotton-rope leashes tight. Tommy cringed. The Rollerblader hit the rope and went airborne, describing a ten-foot arc in the air before crashing in a violent tangle of padded limbs and wheels at Tommy's feet. â€Å"Are you okay?† Tommy offered a hand to the skater, who waved it away. â€Å"I'm fine.† Blood was dripping from a scrape on his chin, his Day-Glo wraparound sunglasses were twisted on his face. â€Å"Perhaps you should slow down on the sidewalks,† the old man called. The skater sat up and turned to the old man. â€Å"Oh, Your Majesty, I didn't know. I'm sorry.† â€Å"Safety first, son,† the old man said with a smile. â€Å"Yes, sir,† the skater said. â€Å"I'll be more careful.† He climbed to his feet and nodded to Tommy. â€Å"Sorry.† He straightened his shades and skated slowly away. Tommy stood staring at the old man, who had resumed feeding his dogs. â€Å"Your Majesty?† â€Å"Or Your Imperial Highness,† the Emperor said. â€Å"You're new to the City.† â€Å"Yes, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A young woman in fishnet stockings and red satin hot pants, who was swinging by, paused by the Emperor and bowed slightly. â€Å"Morning, Highness,† she said. â€Å"Safety first, my child,† the Emperor said. She smiled and walked on. Tommy watched her until she turned the corner, then turned back to the old man. â€Å"Welcome to my city,† the Emperor said. â€Å"How are you doing so far?† â€Å"I'm†¦ I'm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tommy was confused. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"Emperor of San Francisco, Protector of Mexico, at your service. Croissant?† The Emperor held open a white paper bag to Tommy, who shook his head. â€Å"This impetuous fellow,† the Emperor said, pointing to his Boston terrier, â€Å"is Bummer. A bit of a rascal, he, but the best bug-eyed rat dog in the City.† The little dog growled. â€Å"And this,† the Emperor continued, â€Å"is Lazarus, found dead on Geary Street after an unfortunate encounter with a French tour bus and snatched back from the brink by the mystical curative scent of a slightly used beef jerky.† The golden retriever offered his paw. Feeling stupid, Tommy took it and shook. â€Å"Pleased to meet you.† â€Å"And you are?† the Emperor asked. â€Å"C. Thomas Flood.† â€Å"And the ‘C' stands for?† â€Å"Well, it doesn't really stand for anything. I'm a writer. I just added the ‘C' to my pen name.† â€Å"And a fine affectation it is.† The Emperor paused to gnaw the end of a croissant. â€Å"So, C, how is the City treating you so far?† Tommy thought that he might have just been insulted, but he found he was enjoying talking to the old man. He hadn't had a conversation of more than a few words since he arrived in the City. â€Å"I like the City, but I'm having some problems.† He told the Emperor about the destruction of his car, about his subsequent meeting of Wong One, of his cramped, filthy quarters, and ended his story with the mystery of the flowers on his bed. The Emperor sighed sympathetically and scratched his scruffy graying beard. â€Å"I'm afraid that I am unable to assist you with your accommodation problem; the men and I are fortunate enough to count the entire City as our home. But I may have a lead on a job for you, and perhaps a clue to the conundrum of the flowers.† The Emperor paused and motioned for Tommy to move closer. Tommy crouched down and cocked an ear to the Emperor. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"I've seen him,† the Emperor whispered. â€Å"It's a vampire.† Tommy recoiled as if he'd been spit on. â€Å"A vampire florist?† â€Å"Well, once you accept the vampire part, the florist part is a pretty easy leap, don't you think?† Chapter 5 Undead and Somewhat Slightly Dazed French people were fucking in the room next door; Jody could hear every groan, giggle, and bed spring squeak. In the room above, a television spewed game-show prattle: â€Å"I'll take Bestiality for five hundred, Alex.† Jody pulled a pillow over her head. It wasn't exactly like waking up. There was no slow skate from dreamland to reality, no pleasant dawning of consciousness in the cozy twilight of sleepiness. No, it was as if someone had just switched on the world, full volume, like a clock radio playing reality's top forty irritating hits. â€Å"Criminal Presidents for a hundred, Alex.† Jody flipped onto her back and stared at the ceiling. I always thought that sex and game shows ended at death, she thought. They always say â€Å"Rest in peace,† don't they? â€Å"Vas – y plus fort, mon petit cochon d'amour!†* * â€Å"Do it harder, my little love pig!† She wanted to complain to someone, anyone. She hated waking up alone – and going to sleep alone, for that matter. She had lived with ten different men in five years. Serial monogamy. It was a problem she had been getting around to working on before she died. She crawled out of bed and opened the rubber-lined motel draperies. Light from streetlights and neon signs filled the room. Now what? Normally she would go to the bathroom. But she didn't feel the need to. I haven't peed in two days. I may never pee again. She went into the bathroom and sat on the stool to test her theory. Nothing. She unwrapped one of the plastic glasses, filled it with water and gulped it down. Her stomach lurched and she vomited the water in a stream against the mirror. Okay, no water. A shower? Change clothes and go out on the town? To do what? Hunt? She recoiled at the thought. Am I going to have to kill people? Oh my God, Kurt. What if he changes? What if he already has? She dressed quickly in her clothes from the night before, grabbed her flight bag and the room key and left the room. She waved to the night clerk as she passed the motel office and he winked and waved back. A hundred bucks had made them friends. She walked around the corner and up Chestnut, resisting the urge to break into a run. Outside her building she paused and focused on the apartment window. The lights were on, and with concentration she could hear Kurt talking on the phone. â€Å"Yeah, the crazy bitch knocked me out with a potted plant. No, threw it at me. I was two hours late for work. I don't know, she said something about being attacked. She hasn't been to work for a couple of days. No, she doesn't have a key; I had to buzz her in†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So I didn't kill him. He didn't change or he wouldn't have been able to go to work at all in the daylight. He sounds fine. Pissed, but fine. I wonder if I just apologize and explain what happened†¦ â€Å"No,† Kurt said into the phone. â€Å"I took her name off the mailbox. I don't really care, she didn't fit the image I'm trying to build anyway. I was thinking about asking out Susan Badistone: Stanford, family money, Republican. I know, but that's why God made implants†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jody turned and walked back to the motel. She stopped in the office and paid the clerk for two more days, then went to her room, sat down on the bed and tried to cry. No tears would come. In another time she would have called a girlfriend and spent the evening on the phone being comforted. She would have eaten a half gallon of ice cream and stayed up all night thinking about what she was going to do with her life. In the morning she would have called in sick to work, then called her mother in Carmel to borrow enough money for a deposit on a new apartment. But that was another time, when she had still been a person. The little confidence that she had felt the night before was gone. Now she was just confused and afraid. She tried to remember everything she had ever seen or heard about vampires. It wasn't much. She didn't like scary books or movies. Much of what she could remember didn't seem true. She didn't have to sleep in a coffin, that was obvious. But it was also obvious that she couldn't go out in the daylight. She didn't have to kill every night, and if she did bite someone, he or she didn't necessarily have to turn into a vampire – an asshole, maybe, but not a vampire. But then again, Kurt had been an asshole before, so how could you tell? Why had she turned? She was going to have to get to a library. She thought, I've got to get my car back. And I need a new apartment. It's just a matter of time before a maid comes in during the day and burns me to a crisp. I need someone who can move around during the day. I need a friend. She had lost her address book with her purse, but it didn't really matter. All of her friends were currently in relationships, and although any of them would offer sympathy about her breakup with Kurt, they were too self-involved to be of any real help. She and her friends were only close when they were single. I need a man. The thought depressed her. Why does it always come to that? I'm a modern woman. I can open jars and kill spiders on my own. I can balance a checkbook and check the oil in my car. I can support myself. Then again, maybe not. How am I going to support myself? She threw her flight bag on the bed and pulled out the white bakery bag full of money and emptied it on the bed. She counted the bills in one stack, then counted the stacks. There were thirty-five stacks of twenty one-hundred dollar bills. Minus the five hundred she had spent on the hotel: almost seventy thousand dollars. She felt a sudden and deep-seated urge to go shopping. Whoever had attacked her had known she would need money. It hadn't been an accident that she had turned. And it probably hadn't been an accident that he had left her hand in the sunlight to burn. How else would she have known to go to ground before sunup? But if he wanted to help her, wanted her to survive, why didn't he just tell her what she was supposed to do? She gathered up the money and was stuffing it back in the flight bag when the phone rang. She looked at it, watched the orange light strobing in rhythm to the bell. No one knew where she was. It must be the front desk. After four rings she picked up. Before she could say hello, a gravelly calm male voice said, â€Å"By the way, you're not immortal. You can still be killed.† There was a click and Jody hung up the phone. He said, be killed, not you can still die. Be killed. She grabbed her bag and ran out into the night.

Understanding Job Analysis

Web Exercise: Understanding Job Analysis Week 3 Human Resources Management Professor Lawrence R. A. Prosper March 23, 2013 1. How easy was it to find the specific occupation you were looking for, and how comprehensive was the information provided about that occupation? I was immediately impressed by the O*NET Resource Center after opening the site. The design was smart and the site was easy to navigate despite the many choices available to explore. This is a great example of what a Government agency working with the business community and the actual workers from each occupation can accomplish.A wealth of useful information is presented to the public at no cost in an easy to use format. I was quickly able to locate information that was specific to my chosen occupation. My current job title is Special Projects Manager which is a hybrid description. My primary duties are to initiate the acquisition of production machinery and when needed, additional building space to install the equipme nt; that is the Project Manager role. I also ideate and participate in projects related to safety, facilities management and production flows which justifies the Special Projects designation.I selected Project Manager in my search and was directed to the page for Architectural & Engineering Managers which gave a brief description of similar titles (Project Engineer, Project Engineering Manager), what these managers do, and what they would be expected to do on the job. The last item listed some on the job duties as to direct, review, or approve project design changes and to confer with management, production, or marketing staff to discuss project specifications or procedures: basically , my assigned duties.Following the link to Advanced Manufacturing, I was able to see examples of descriptive information about specific jobs. This page had a graphic of a sample career Ladder/Lattice for Advanced Manufacturing which was very similar to my actual career path. The job titles were a bit d ifferent but did show a familiar progression from helper, to operator, to production supervisor, to engineering/production manager. This was my path to my current position but I made it here without a college degree, a feat that would be impossible in this company today.I maneuvered to the Engineering Manager page and found more job specific information. A good amount of detail was devoted to the Job Description and some mention of the required education, workforce preparation, work experience, licensure/certifications, salary and the employment outlook for the next 10 years. The information for this occupation was easy to read and comprehensive. As someone who is presently in this field I can say the duties and expectations presented are realistic. For a person considering pursuing a career in this area a path can be established to achieve that goal by using this resource as a guide.What did you think of the occupations O*NET suggested as matching your skills? Was the occupation yo u are in or preparing for among those listed? This exercise has confirmed that I have ended up in an occupation that suits my skill sets, abilities and personality. The non-scientific results earned on the Interest Profiler test were also quite representative of me as a person and the specific area scores did indicate an affinity for my chosen field. My chosen occupation is Project Manager and this was among the professions listed.I continue to prepare for this occupation by attending college to complete my degree despite having worked at my company for 29 years. A Project Manager works alone while being involved with coordinating the work of many unconnected groups simultaneously. It can be a demanding profession and may not provide satisfaction to certain personalities. The skills detailed on the O*Net are well defined and can be interpreted as needing one to be technically knowledgeable, have good people skills, and to be adaptable to changes in the scope of a project.Math skills are important in the product design and for producing the cost analyses and project justifications. I recently completed algebra and statistics which the job description notes as necessary. Character skills are described as needing attention to detail, integrity, adaptability, analytical thinking, dependability and stress tolerance. I match up well in those areas and at times tend to overdo the attention to detail. Problem solving skills are used to notice a problem and figure out the best way to solve it. This is a difficult skill to master and sometimes the logical solution is not the best choice as a solution.Finally, there are project management software tools available and learning to use them benefits the project and the teams involved in the work progression. You can also contact them to tell them your computer has died and you want to use the program on your new computer. They are the ones to reset the activation counts. Just explain what has happened. NP124865399 2. As an HR professional, how could O*NET be useful in conducting a job analysis? Explain specifically how you would use the data from this site to assist your organization. 3. As a director of human resources, would you have your staff use this site? Why or why not?

Business Law in Canada for Vicarious Liability †Free Samples

In order to ensure that clients are protected by businesses, their is the need to ensure that there is a clear structure that has been put in place to guarantee the same. Vicarious liability is one of the doctrines that has been put in place in order to ensure that mistakes that are made by employees while in the course of their duty are placed on the businesses. This ensures that employers are able to manage their employee effectively in order to ensure that no mistakes are realized as a result of the same. As it has been noted above, vicarious liability does not place too much liability to businesses. It is essential for employers to ensure that their employees effectively handle their clients in order to minimize any risk that may be imminent. It must also be understood that   bouncers do not have equal power to police officers. Therefore, they should not be allowed to harass people while on duty to a point whereby damage is realized. This should be blamed on the employer who should be able to train their employees on how to behave and handle clients. Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., McHugh, S. M., Cossa, R., & Sproule, B. (2010). Understanding Canadian Business.  McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Toronto, ON. Yates, R. A. (2012).  Legal Fundamentals for Canadian Business. Pearson Education Canada. Fudge, J., Tucker, E., & Vosko, L. F. (2003). Employee or Independent Contractor-Charting the Legal Significance of the Distinction in Canada.  Canadian Lab. & Emp. LJ,  10, 193. Yates, R., Bereznicki-Korol, T., & Clarke, T. (2002).  Business   law in Canada. Scarborough, Ont.: Prentice Hall. Tardif v.  Wiebe 1996 Carswell B.C. 2438  (B.C.S.C.) Bowal, P., & Bontorin, L. (2014). Vicarious Liability: The Legal Responsibility of Employers.

Reflective Critical Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflective Critical Report - Essay Example At the onset, (instructor) proactively set the classroom policies that everyone should follow. (Instructor) outlines the aims of the course and communicated these effectively to the students. (Instructor) also allowed the students to raise their concerns and own goals to ensure that they are reasonably in-line with the course objectives. Introduction Throughout the class discussions and lectures, I learned that teachers need to be flexible and able to balance between keeping up with the schedule and ensuring that students fully understand what is being taught inside the classroom. Some classes may have students who have previous knowledge in the subject, some may have students who are able to catch-up easily and deal with fast-paced learning. However, this is not always the case. What I learned during the observation is the way (instructor) responded to these circumstances. This is why teachers need to be flexible and quick in solving concerns such as things or schedules not happenin g as planned. (Instructor) also maximized the opportunity for learning by making effective use of the limited time for lectures. I learned that it is important to make the most of classroom time while students are fully involved in the learning activities (Eggen & Kauchak 2007, p. 372). ... Overall, the feeling it gave the students most probably was eagerness to learn. Questions were always encouraged, and every question was treated like it was the most important question ever asked. This encouraged the students to probe more, thus improving the interactive learning process. However, it must be hard to balance paying attention to every question and staying within the schedule of activities and topics. I never saw any waning of attention from the students because the class was very lively since (instructor) encouraged class participation. Methods/Approaches/Techniques (Instructor) gave a small test at the start to gauge the knowledge of the students. I observed it was a good strategy and it gave me valuable insight on the importance of an almost particularized approach in teaching. Also, in every lesson, (instructor) provided the logic behind the importance of learning what is about to be taught. My favourite part of the classroom activity was when (instructor) played a taped and allowed the students to discuss in pairs what they just listened to. It encouraged the students to encourage their partners to analyze more. It also provided an opportunity for the partners to develop teamwork and constructive evaluation of each other’s ideas. In this listening and comprehension activity, (instructor) gave statements or phrases which students needed to arrange in proper order to make the overall thought in line with what they just listened to. Some students merely guessed, showing that active listening should be improved. I found these group activities very interesting and valuable because they help make students learn through immersion and application of classroom theories.

Behavioural finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Behavioural finance - Essay Example Incurring of additional risk helps attain high rates of return. There has been a proposal relating to the utility maxim and the general solution for the portfolio selection problem (Von Neumann and Morgenstern, 2007). The process of making an investment choice includes; choosing a unique optimum combination of risky assets and separate choice regarding to the allocation of funds. To obtain a maximum resulting satisfaction, there is combination and application of certain wants and commodities. The weakness of this model is it’s cumbersome to separate the purely technical from the ones in the conceptual nature. According to Mr. Jack Treynor, the total utility function can be given by U = f (E, a) illustrating the meters of distribution and the expected value and the standard deviation, where E indicates the future wealth and a shows the standard deviation under prediction (Markowitz, Miller & Sharpe, 1991). There is the preference of a high expected future wealth to a value which is low; this is known as ceteris paribus illustrated as (dU/dEw > 0). This leads to an upward slope as seen in the earlier graph of risk against the expected rate of return. For a simpler analysis, there is an assumption that an investor decides to commit an amount (W) of their wealth to investment. By letting R be the rate of return and W as the terminal wealth, then; R= (Wt- Wi)/Wi. The mean-variance under certain conditions leads to unsatisfactory predictions of behaviour. A model based on semi-variance is preferable basing on standard deviation and variance (Markowitz, Miller & Sharpe, 1991). There is an assumption that the curves can diminish marginal rates of substitution between E and ÃŽ ±, from the earlier equations. There is a derivation of indifference curves from the assumption that the investor wishes to maximise the expected utility and thus,

Teacher collaboration and student achievemant Research Paper

Teacher collaboration and student achievemant - Research Paper Example The respondents were asked to rate their response using Likert Scale as follows: strongly agree (1), agree (2), disagree (3), and strongly disagree (4). The following variables were used to identify the responses of teachers, to the questions posed above: (1) Informal Conversation; (2) One-on-One Assistance; (3) Routine Sharing of Materials, Methods, Ideas; (4) Routine Team Analyzing Data; and (5) Joint work. Analysis of Data and Interpretation Table 1 The Total Number of Respondents (Teachers) Per Grade Level and Department (Subjects) Grade Level Math Science Social studies Language Arts Total Number of Teachers 6 4 2 2 4 12 7 3 2 2 4 11 8 3 2 2 4 11 From the table, it is deduced that there are more teachers in the Grade 6 level with 35% or 12 out of 34 respondents in that grade level. Overall, there are a total of 34 teachers who responded on the survey aiming to investigate the impacts of teacher collaboration vis-a-vis non-collaboration on student academic achievement. Table 2 Re sults indicating Respondents View on the Variables of Informal Conversation, One-on-One Assistance, Routine Sharing, Routine Team and Joint Work Per Subject Math Science Social Studies Lg. ... 6 disagree Joint Work 10 agree 6 agree 3 agree 3 strongly disagree 6 agree 6 disagree The respondents’ view of the five variables indicated in the table would determine their perceived importance to thereby manifest the extent of teacher collaboration, by favoring its relevance or not. Those who strongly agreed perceived these variables as of utmost importance, in contrast to those who disagreed. From the table above, the results are summarized below: Informal Conversation: Out of 34 respondents, 6 or 18% strongly agreed; 65% agreed, while also 18% disagreed. It can be deduced that majority are in favor of informal conversation increasing teacher collaboration. One-on-One Assistance: From the total respondents, majority or 53% disagreed versus 47% who agreed that one-on-one assistance is a variable that increased teacher collaboration. Routine Sharing of Materials, Methods, Ideas: A total of 88%, or 30 teachers agreed that routine sharing of materials, methods and ideas are ef fective means to increase teacher collaboration. Only 4 respondents or 12% disagreed. Routine Team Analyzing Data: From among those who responded, 74% or 25 teachers acknowledged that routine team analyzing data is contributory to teacher collaboration. Joint work: Finally, a parallel percentage of respondents viewed joint effort as crucial to teacher collaboration where 74% agreed (6 of whom strongly agreed) and the rest of the 26% disagreed. On a per subject basis, the following results are hereby presented: Math: The total number of respondents who agreed that all the variables are crucial to manifest teacher collaboration for the subject of Math is 46 out of 48 (where only 2 disagreed). The results indicate the acknowledgement of Math teachers requiring collaborative efforts manifested

Satisfying Corporate Shareholders or the Stakeholder as Business Essay

Satisfying Corporate Shareholders or the Stakeholder as Business Priority - Essay Example Adam Smith, an 18th Century theorist, proposed his theory of the invisible hand, which essentially states that business’ thirst for profitability will automatically create positive environmental outcomes for society, hence satisfying corporate responsibility toward the betterment of society (Nickels, McHugh & McHugh, 2005). These outcomes include better economic stability for the region in which the firm operates, as well as providing new jobs and better quality products for citizens. When a firm moves its operations from domestic to the foreign, the outcomes, as measured by the invisible hand theory, would indeed be positive for the foreign nation in which the business thrives. However, moving operations out of the domestic environment, especially in times of national economic crisis, only serves to eliminate career positions for already-struggling citizens in the United States, thus corporate expectations for profitability tend to blind businesses from the needs of its poten tial local workforce. This topic is hotly debated today which is quite obvious in the media and with recent activities of striking workers who fight to ensure that jobs stay local by preventing foreign expansion efforts. Today, Adam Smith might attempt to quiet the barrage of social outcry regarding business shifting its operations overseas by stating that the business had, in some fashion, restored health to the local region while it was domestically in place. Thus, corporate proponents of Smith’s theory might suggest that business had performed ethically...

Web applications development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Web applications development - Research Paper Example A web based application is a program which is used simply through an active web link and that uses HTTP as a medium of communication.Therefore we can say that web based applications are software products that allow website users to send and receive data or information to and from a database using a web browser. Additionally, the web based applications have been utilized as the web technology and achieved typical recognition. In addition, a web based application allows us to access our corporate data and information from anyplace across the globe at anytime. Thus, this feature of web application gives us the opportunity to spend less time, save finance and enhance communication with our business associates and clients (Acunetix), (Nations) and (Tarawneh, Elsheikh and Lahawiah). Moreover, a typical web based application works like three layer fashion. In this scenario, the initial layer is usually a user interface or some sort of web browser. The 2nd layer comprises the useful informat ion development technology based tool for instance Active Server Pages (ASP) or JSP. The 3rd layer holds the database part which is responsible for the information and customer data including credentials and credit card information (Acunetix), (Nations) and (Tarawneh, Elsheikh and Lahawiah). This report presents a detailed analysis of web based applications, their working frameworks, client-server architecture, advantages and disadvantages of client-server architecture. This report will also discuss web based application architecture and its importance in businesses.... It is a network arrangement wherein every computer on the network is either a server or a client. In this scenario, client systems offer an interface to permit a user to demand vital services residing on the server as well as show the results given back by the server. Additionally, servers offer different services to the clients like file services, printing services, and storage services. In addition, servers generally expect requests to come from clients and afterward answer them accordingly. Preferably, a server offers a consistent visible interface to their clients in order that clients don’t need to know about the information of the system (specifically, program and hardware) that is offering the required service. However, these days’ clients are frequently placed at PCs or workstations, whereas servers are positioned in a different place on the networking environment, typically on more dominant and reliable machines (Encyclop?dia Britannica), (Urgaonkar, Pacifici a nd Shenoy) and (Kioskea). 2-Tier Architecture 2-tier architecture is implemented to explain client/server arrangement. In this architecture a client sends requests for services and the server replies openly to the arrived request, by means of its personal resources and services. It implies that a server provides services on its own and will not ask an additional request in an attempt to offer the fraction of resources (Encyclop?dia Britannica), (Urgaonkar, Pacifici and Shenoy) and (Kioskea). Figure1. 2-Tier Architecture, Image Source: http://static.commentcamarche.net/en.kioskea.net/pictures/cs-images-2-tier.gif 3-Tier Architecture In 3-tier architecture, a middle level is distinguished. It implies that the architecture is usually divided

Safety management on a construction jobsite Research Paper

Safety management on a construction jobsite - Research Paper Example â€Å"Safety management system is a documented set of policies, procedures and work instructions that describe how a business manages and minimises the risk of injury to its workforce† (Gardener). This paper tends to explore the potential ways in which the construction jobsite safety can be managed. Essentials of safety management: Safety culture: Safety culture is defined as â€Å"the enduring value and priority placed on worker and public safety by everyone in every group at every level of an organization† (Wiegmann et al. cited in Wiegmann, Thaden, and Gibbons 3). â€Å"Norms and rules for dealing with risk, safety attitudes, and reflexivity on safety practice† are three components of a healthy safety culture (Pidgeon). Thus, by establishing a rich safety culture, management essentially involves each and every individual into the process of safety management, and the results thus derived are effective and long lasting. The safety culture can be best implemente d by preparing and strictly working upon a safety plan. The safety plan: The construction jobsite safety plan lays pattern to secure the health and safety of each and every individual on the site. The plan necessarily deals with the following areas: Assessment of health and safety threats originating both in the jobsite as well as in the areas surrounding it. Selection of appropriate methods, ways and means to reduce the risk and change it into opportunity Conduction of regular safety checks on the site Establishment of a well developed system to monitor and ensure that the safety plan is being complied with by every member in the hierarchical structure of the management as well as the workers. Factors that need to be included into a construction jobsite safety plan are as follows: Assessment of the abilities of organizational members and assignment of specific responsibilities related to safety management according to the individuals’ abilities. Evaluation of methods to iden tify hazard like task analysis Development of methods to investigate and report the accidents that may occur on the jobsite Establishment of procedures to be followed in cases of emergency caused by earthquake, fire breakout, and chemical spill etc Identification of strategies that would ensure quick and effective communication among individuals and the members concerned Assessment of the need and frequency of safety meetings Establishment of a comprehensive audit programme for the site safety Once the jobsite safety plan has been made, there are several factors that need to be taken care of throughout the four phases of project including project planning, designing, procurement and construction. Stage 1 & 2 – Project planning and designing: In these phases, parties that are fundamentally carrying out the work are that of client and the designers or/and architects. In these phases, it should be made sure that the health and safety is given due consideration in the design deve lopment and project planning. Design of a project plays a decisive role in determining what safety measures need to be taken. The measures may vary from project to project depending upon the nature of work. Vertical construction has its own safety requirements that differ from those of the horizontal construction. In the planning phase, pre-tender requirements of the health and safety are established which the applying contractors are expected to comply with during construction. Stage 3 – Procurement: Teams involved in the procurement stage are client and contractors. In this stage, the tender document is

Overview of Conflicts of Interest Essay Example for Free

Overview of Conflicts of Interest Essay Confidentiality is also something that some volunteers of the Remedios AIDS Foundation should also learn. Although many officers of this NGO advocate confidentiality, many of its volunteers could still breach this ethical code, thus further isolating prospective clients. It is a well-known fact that the life of the first Filipino AIDS victim was made into a commercial movie, and had attracted thousands of audience – making it seem like a carnival show. This is precisely the kind of stigma that HIV/AIDS victims is afraid of, and something that the Remedios AIDS Foundation – and many other NGOs dealing with this disease is trying to work out. The Remedios AIDS Foundation is also faced with the dilemma on how to conduct research without exposing the patients to various risks (CIOMS 1993). As an NGO that do social and medical research, it has to ensure that HIV/AIDS patients must also benefit from its studies. It is unethical to expose subjects to the risks of participating in a research study unless the design is sufficiently rigorous that the results will be valid and generalizable (U. S. National Commission for the Protection of the Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research). Another critical ethical consideration that must be dealt with accordingly by the Remedios AIDS Foundation is how to maintain objectivity in front of emotional patients. Culturally speaking, the Filipino people tend to be emphatic of each other’s plights, thus it is not an isolated case to find volunteers who are emotionally affected by the conditions of HIV/AIDS patients. This eventually leads them to quit from their volunteer work and/or to be personally involved in their patients’ cases, which often clouds their critical judgment. Applications The best thing to do here is to implement an intensive and extensive information campaign on AIDS and the advantages of belonging to a core group that can emotionally and physically assist the AIDS victims. Moreover, volunteers of the Remedios AIDS Foundation should also undergo intensive training and education on how to properly deal with HIV/AIDS patients. It must be noted that these patients are already wrapped in insecurity and treating them with slight uncertainty will only decrease their self-confidence. To meet the ethical obligations for research, on the other hand, this NGO must conduct studies whose sample sizes must be adequate. Suitable study endpoints must also be selected. It must also ensure that clinical trials must undergo preliminary laboratory and animal research. It must always take into consideration that research with human participants raises ethical concerns because people accept risks and inconvenience to advance scientific knowledge and to benefit others (Lo 2000). Social researchers of this NGO must also learn how to use language that is not offensive to study participants. Conclusion As one of the NGOs at the forefront of combating HIV/AIDS in the Philippines, the Remedios AIDS Foundation is faced with many ethical dilemmas that it is trying to overcome one by one. Although it is difficult to do in this largely Catholic country where promiscuity is being strongly detested and HIV/AIDS is being associated with promiscuity, it continues to embark on a rigorous warfare against HIV/AIDS in the country. Everything is an uphill battle because social norms and religiosity keep HIV/AIDS patients from coming forward in the open to seek for help. The NGO is looking for ways and means to solve this problem without losing its focus. As the officers and volunteers of the Remedios AIDS Foundation are also mostly Catholics, they also have to be able to move around their religious beliefs in order to stop being discriminatory to HIV/AIDS patients. They also have to ensure that their researchers are well-trained to avoid offending study participants and this can only be done by conducting intensive trainings. Lastly, objectivity should also be encouraged to avoid personal involvement in patients’ predicament. This last ethical issue should be encouraged to avoid conflict of interest on the part of the NGO. In the end, the officers and volunteers of this NGO are cognizant of the fact that unless these ethical concerns are addressed, their fight against HIV/AIDS will never be successful. References: Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS). (1993) International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects. Geneva. de Bruyn, T. (1998) HIV/AIDS and Discrimination: A Discussion Paper. Montreal: Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Canadian AIDS Society. Lo B. (2000) Overview of Conflicts of Interest. In Resolving Ethical Dilemmas: A Guide for Clinicians. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Reproductive Health Outlook. (1997) HIV/AIDS Key Issues. Retrieved May 30, 2006 from http://www. rho. org/html/hiv_aids_keyissues. html U. S. National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. (1978) The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research. Washington, D. C. : Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare. The Offical Website of the Remedios AIDS Foundation. (1991) http://www.remedios.com.ph/

UK Economy and Disposable Spending

UK Economy and Disposable Spending 1. Definitions in the United Kingdom economy: a) Real disposable income: Real disposable income is an economic indicator which is the personal income that households remained with after government charges and income taxes were paid, also after it was adjusted for changes in prices or for inflation. This available income can either be spent or saved by households. According to the Keynesian theory of consumption, there is a link between real disposable income and consumption level as well as savings. In the UK economy, real disposable income witnessed ups and downs since the financial crisis of 2008, in 2010 it decreased by 0.8% while in 2011 it decreased by 2.0%. One of the main reasons for this declining real disposable income is due to inflation and the rising prices of commodity goods as well as the VAT increase. b) Unsecured debt: Unsecured debt refers to a loan that is not backed by an asset, in this case if someone is not able to repay the money owned from a financial institution they won’t take any of his property since they do have the right to. Some of the unsecured debts include credit cards, student loans and medical bills. It is considered of high risk for lenders, when the borrower fails to make the full repayment they might have to go through the process of suing them in order to get their money back. Unsecured debt is the opposite of secured debt for instance, a house mortgage is backed and secured by the house and when someone fails to pay the lenders they can close it and take it. In the UK economy, in 2013 the UK witnessed its first increase in unsecured debt since the financial crisis of 2008 by 8.5 billion pounds as a result of the increasing student loans. In the other hand unsecured consumer debt stayed flat at 5,900 pounds per household. c) Real interest rate: The real interest rate is the rate that is expected to be received by investors after removing inflation effects Real interest rate is linked with nominal rate and inflation rate as it is calculated as the following: Real interest rate = Nominal interest rate – Inflation rate In the UK economy, the real interest rate remained low since the financial crisis, after 2008 it decreased from 1.4% to -1.6% in 2009, it continued in decreasing to -2.5% in 2010, while it increased from 2010 to 2012 up to -1.2% as the following graph shows: d) Durable goods: Durable goods are goods that last for a long period of time and have a useful life of at least three years. Goods that are purchased and consumed in short period of time are called non-durable goods such as medicine or food. Durable goods are goods that they don’t need to be bought frequently. Examples of durable goods are: furniture, cars, jewelry, appliances, and also on heavy assets such as airplanes or ships. In the UK economy, according to Chart C UK consumers spending on durable goods increased dramatically from 2004 to 2010. According to the Bank of England consumer spending on durable goods increased by 2.1% from 2012 to the first quarter of 2013 these spending were mostly on motor cars, appliances and clothes. The following chart displays the components of UK consumer spending on durable goods: e) Animal spirits: Animal spirit is a concept developed by John Maynard Keynesthat refers to the level of consumer confidence and its effect on the economy. It is future expectations that drive the consumers to either spend or save and the willingness of businesses to invest in a certain market. In the UK economy, consumer confidence and optimism about the future of the UK economy has been increasing dramatically over the 4 last years, from 2011 at -30% to 0% in 2014 as the following graph shows: This increase was generally due to improvements in purchasing power and increased job security. In the UK, consumer confidence is related to consumption and it is used to predict future consumption. 2. What is the relationship in normal times between real disposable income and the level of household consumption? In normal times when there is economic stability and a higher consumer confidence the relationship expected between real disposable income and the level of household consumption is that when the real disposable income increases the level of household consumption increases, also when consumer’s income gets higher they tend to save less and consume more of goods they want. When the real disposable income decreases the level of household consumption decreases since consumers tend to save more and consume only priority goods. 3. Identify and explain two non-income determinants of the level of consumer spending in the UK economy: One of the non-income determinants of the level of consumption in the UK context is consumer confidence. According to chart B when consumer confidence decreases due to reasons such as that consumers are feeling unsecure about their jobs, the attempts to make major purchases decreases as well the thing that results in high savings since consumers are not optimistic about their current economy. There is a clear impact of consumer confidence on consumption levels in the UK economy, when confidence increases consumers will make more major purchases and will save less. Another non-income determinant of the level of consumption in the UK economy is interest rate, when interest rate decreases people tend to borrow more money from banks to spend which results in higher consumption, when interest rate increases it becomes expensive to borrow money the thing that increases saving, people will leave their money in banks to take advantage of the high interest rate the thing that reduces consumption. 4. Identify and explain two macro-economic consequences of a sharp fall in consumer spending in the UK economy: A sharp fall in consumer spending can have a negative impact over the UK economy since it increases unemployment and decreases output levels. When consumer spending fall, the consumption of goods produced by firms will also fall, this can lower companies benefits and increases their costs, in order to lower costs they companies will reduce the number of their employees the thing that increases unemployment. Another issue caused by a decrease in consumer spending is a decrease in the quantity and quality of output. A decrease in consumer spending decreases demand the thing that lowers the willingness of firms to invest in capital and labor to produce efficiently and effectively. When demand decreases the output decreases resulting in less goods and services produced the thing that harms the economy of the UK by slowing it down. Deflation can also be a consequence of a sharp fall in consumer spending. Less consumer spending means less demand of firms’ products and services, firms will have to sell products to generate money in order to pay their fixed costs, as a result prices go  down and demand also go down even more since consumers are expecting prices to decrease more in the future. A sharp fall in consumer demand creates a vicious circle and less money circulation in the economy which is considered very damaging the economy. 5. Components of aggregate demand in Morocco: Consumer spending on durable goods in Morocco: 6. Extract one: The Moroccan families spending power increased over the last years according to statistics in 2011 there was an increase in spending per capita by 4.1% to $1,760, this increase is due a stable inflation rate and government subsidies on commodity goods. This increase in spending will increase consumption of goods and services and businesses will make more investments which will contribute positively in increasing the GDP which result in an increased economic growth. Extract Two: Moroccan secured debt is low and limited only for trustworthy clients with that are employed and with an income who are able to make the repayment. The number of Moroccan facing negative equity is considered very low. 6. In the Moroccan economy: a) Real disposable income: The real disposable income in morocco witnessed a continuous increase over the last 4 years from 62,096 million dollars in 2010 up to 075,937.1 million dollars in 2014. This increase in real disposable income is due to human development projects and investments on infrastructure. This increase also allowed Moroccan consumers to purchase products that were some years earlier categorized as luxurious. b) Unsecured Debt: According to the World Bank, the rate of unsecured debt in morocco is low; the majority of financial institutions are providing secured loans with a few exceptions of unsecured loans that are only given to trustworthy clients while the secured loans are given employed people with income also to businesses with strong investments. c) Real Interest Rate: According to the available data from year 2000 to 2005 the real interest rate is considered high in Morocco. The real interest rate witnessed a continuous decrease from a value of 14% in 2000 to 9.89% in 2005. In the recent years the real interest rate is increasing as the household income increases to encourage savings in banks. d) Durable Goods: Moroccan consumption of durable goods has increased over the last years due to access to loans such as for cars and houses, also to the increase in disposable income, as well as the increased consumer confidence. The next graph shows the consumer spending in morocco on goods and services including durable goods which shows that the Moroccan consumer spending increased from 472938 million dirham in 2001 up to 494499 million dirham in 2012. d) Animal Spirits: Consumer confidence is considered high in Morocco despite the decrease from 84.5 in 2011 to 74.10 in 2014. Consumer confidence is high since Moroccan consumers are showing optimism about regular income, stock market, employment and the overall state of the economy.However the recent decrease in consumer confidence is due to increased prices in commodity goods by the government such as fuel. Extract one: The Moroccan families spending power increased over the last years according to statistics in 2011 there was an increase in spending per capita by 4.1% to $1,760, this increase is due a stable inflation rate and government subsiding commodity goods This increase in spending will increase consumption of goods and services and businesses will make more investments which will contribute positively in increasing the GDP and the economic growth. Extract Two: Moroccan secured debt is low and limited only for trustworthy clients with that are employed and with an income who are able to make the repayment. The number of Moroccan facing negative equity is considered very low. What is the relationship in normal times between real disposable income and the level of household consumption? In normal times in Morocco, the expected relationship between real disposable income and the level of household consumptions is that when real disposable goes up the level of household consumption goes up as well meaning that when the disposable income increases Moroccan consumers save less and spending more. When real disposable income goes down the level of household consumption goes down as well increasing savings and lowering consumption. Identify and explain two non-income determinants of the level of consumer spending in the Moroccan economy In the Moroccan economy, people’s expectation is a non-income determinant of the level of consumption. People’s expectations about the future have an impact over consumption, when consumers except products prices to increase in the future they consume more in the present. Avoiding a rise in prices or inflation in the future increases the level of consumption in Morocco. Another non-income determinant of the level of consumption is changes in consumer’s preferences and taste which also manipulates the consumption level in the Moroccan economy The level of consumption in morocco can also be affected by demographic reasons. A young population increases the consumption, for example, young families increase consumption by buying durable goods such as furniture, appliances or cars, also the larger the family members the higher the consumption. Interest rate and consumer confidence also have an impact on the Moroccan economy similarly to the UK economy. Identify and explain two macro-economic consequences of a sharp fall in consumer spending in the UK economy Similarly to the UK, morocco can also suffer from high unemployment as a result of a sharp fall in consumer spending; firms will seek to cut down their costs by reducing the number of their employees which increase the unemployment rate in the Moroccan economy. Firms will also produce less goods and services as demand is low, investments will also decrease resulting in a lower GDP and lower economic development. 7. Comparison between the Moroccan and UK economies: From the previous analysis we conclude that, the Moroccan real disposable income increased over the years while the UK disposable income decreased due inflation. The unsecured debt in the UK is higher that unsecured debt in morocco. The real interest rate in morocco is higher than in UK. The consumption of durable goods increased in both countries. Consumer confidence is high in morocco but decreasing over time while in the UK is low but recovering. In both countries, an increase in real disposable income increases consumption level and a decrease in real disposable income decreases consumption level. Interest rate, consumer confidence, expectations, changes in preferences and taste are non-income determinants of consumer spending in both countries. Unemployment, deflation, decrease in level of output are common consequences of a sharp fall in consumer spending in both countries.

The Wife of Bath and the Battle of the Sexes Essay -- The Canterbury T

How far do you agree that in the battle of the sexes it is the wife of Bath who has the most effictive weapons and armour? The Wife sees the relationship between men and women as a battle in which it is crucial to gain the upper hand, 'Oon of us two must bowen, douteless' Her armour was indeed necessary, as in Medieval England, women definitley were second class citizens who were viewed as goods and chattels, with no financial independence. They were often beaten, and it is clearly in the Wife's nature to protect herself. She uses weapons like her sexuality and her youth to make her husbands suffer, so much so that they feel impotent. 'How pitously a-night I made hem swinke!' This weapon was highly effective with first three husbands who she managed to dominate, 'I hadde hem hoolly in myn hond' and they handed over 'lond and hir tresoor' as she with held sex in order to get her own way with them. The Wife also used a weapon of deceit and she clearly comments that women have this weapon from birth, 'Swere and lyen as a womman kan' She tells her audience tha... ...nce is that she is once again in control as 'he yaf me al the bridel in myn hond To han the governance of ous and lond' Although her marriage with her 5th husband is never resolved and there is no winner because he dies whilst she is on a pilgrimmage, she has a good battle, and probably the most difficult of all her husbands. The overall picture is of a Wife who has certainly fought the good fight. Not surprising as her astrological sign is Mars, implying strength in war. She is still confident and looking to welcome husband number 6.

Mt.Vesuvius and its 79 AD Eruption Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Volcano: A hill or mountain formed around and above a vent by accumulations of erupted materials, such as ash, pumice, cinders or lava-flow. The term refers both to the vent itself and to the often cone-shaped accumulation above it. (Scarth, 1994.) This definition can do Mt. Vesuvius no justice. Instead, I would describe it as one of the most hellish and population decimating volcanoes. Vesuvius lives†¦or lived! In its prime, Vesuvius covered and demolished two of Italy’s biggest cultural and artistic cities of its time. In this paper, I will be discussing volcanoes in general. In addition, Mt. Vesuvius, in particular, will be thoroughly looked at, as well as its 79 AD eruption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Volcanoes have long been depicted as nature’s killer. In movies, Volcanoes are seen as mountains of fire and spitting lava; their only purpose seems to be to kill and destroy everything in their path. Never is the background of volcanoes discussed. How are volcanoes formed? Are there different types of volcanoes? What happens during an eruption? The basic questions to aid understanding of volcanoes might change the public’s opinion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I will begin with the creation of volcanoes. Volcanoes are formed in different ways. In a short version: the earth’s plates shift and move. After the plates collide into each other, one plate is pushed down into the mantel below the crust and melts. Hot magma from the mantle breaks through a weak spot in the crust. As the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ziehm 2 magma shoots out of the crust, the cooling magma called lava becomes hard. After significant time, the hard lava forms a volcanic mountain. Volcanoes can form in many different sizes and shapes. They can look like a cone, have steep looking flanks, or look as if they were long cracks in the earth’s crust. (Plummer et al., 2000). If the mountain is very tall, then there is a greater chance that it was formed from past eruptions. When the lava cools, it makes the mountain bigger and higher. Depending on the type of volcano, layers can differ in lava/ash content. (Plu... ...p;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ziehm 6 Mt.Vesuvius is just one of several active volcanoes throughout the world. They have wiped out populations in the past and have the potential to decimate more in the future. Geologists are predicting that a volcanic eruption will occur that will dwarf eruptions such as Vesuvius and Mt. St. Helen’s. (http://www.ph_heidelburg.de/stud/EGGERTT/vesuvio.html) The only thing we can do is sit and wait†¦nature will take its course.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   List of Refrences Morris,C. 1902: The Volcano’s Deadly Work: From the Fall of Pompeii to the Destruction of St. Pierre. The Dan Waugh Collection of Nature Books. Washington, D.C. 236-254. Plummer, C.C., McGeary, D. & Carlson, D.H., 2000: Physical Geoloy. Updated eigth ed..Mcgraw-Hill Companies, Inc., NY. 81-82,88-89. Rittman, A & L. 1976: Volcanoes. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, NY. 20-22 Scarth, A.1994: Volcanoes: An Introduction. Texas A&M University Press College Station. 56-57, 74, 259. [ http://www.volcano.und.nodak.edu] [ http://www.harcourtschool.com] [http://www.ph_heidelburg.de/stud/EGGERTT/vesuvio.html] Mt.Vesuvius and its 79 AD Eruption Essay -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Volcano: A hill or mountain formed around and above a vent by accumulations of erupted materials, such as ash, pumice, cinders or lava-flow. The term refers both to the vent itself and to the often cone-shaped accumulation above it. (Scarth, 1994.) This definition can do Mt. Vesuvius no justice. Instead, I would describe it as one of the most hellish and population decimating volcanoes. Vesuvius lives†¦or lived! In its prime, Vesuvius covered and demolished two of Italy’s biggest cultural and artistic cities of its time. In this paper, I will be discussing volcanoes in general. In addition, Mt. Vesuvius, in particular, will be thoroughly looked at, as well as its 79 AD eruption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Volcanoes have long been depicted as nature’s killer. In movies, Volcanoes are seen as mountains of fire and spitting lava; their only purpose seems to be to kill and destroy everything in their path. Never is the background of volcanoes discussed. How are volcanoes formed? Are there different types of volcanoes? What happens during an eruption? The basic questions to aid understanding of volcanoes might change the public’s opinion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I will begin with the creation of volcanoes. Volcanoes are formed in different ways. In a short version: the earth’s plates shift and move. After the plates collide into each other, one plate is pushed down into the mantel below the crust and melts. Hot magma from the mantle breaks through a weak spot in the crust. As the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ziehm 2 magma shoots out of the crust, the cooling magma called lava becomes hard. After significant time, the hard lava forms a volcanic mountain. Volcanoes can form in many different sizes and shapes. They can look like a cone, have steep looking flanks, or look as if they were long cracks in the earth’s crust. (Plummer et al., 2000). If the mountain is very tall, then there is a greater chance that it was formed from past eruptions. When the lava cools, it makes the mountain bigger and higher. Depending on the type of volcano, layers can differ in lava/ash content. (Plu... ...p;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ziehm 6 Mt.Vesuvius is just one of several active volcanoes throughout the world. They have wiped out populations in the past and have the potential to decimate more in the future. Geologists are predicting that a volcanic eruption will occur that will dwarf eruptions such as Vesuvius and Mt. St. Helen’s. (http://www.ph_heidelburg.de/stud/EGGERTT/vesuvio.html) The only thing we can do is sit and wait†¦nature will take its course.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   List of Refrences Morris,C. 1902: The Volcano’s Deadly Work: From the Fall of Pompeii to the Destruction of St. Pierre. The Dan Waugh Collection of Nature Books. Washington, D.C. 236-254. Plummer, C.C., McGeary, D. & Carlson, D.H., 2000: Physical Geoloy. Updated eigth ed..Mcgraw-Hill Companies, Inc., NY. 81-82,88-89. Rittman, A & L. 1976: Volcanoes. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, NY. 20-22 Scarth, A.1994: Volcanoes: An Introduction. Texas A&M University Press College Station. 56-57, 74, 259. [ http://www.volcano.und.nodak.edu] [ http://www.harcourtschool.com] [http://www.ph_heidelburg.de/stud/EGGERTT/vesuvio.html]

Vanguard Case Analysis Essay -- Business and Management Studies

Vanguard Case Analysis After reading through the Vanguard case, there were a few difficult forks in the road that Vanguard seems to be facing. The company’s future can be greatly affected by some of these difficult choices. Vanguard has to decide whether to change their investment offerings, further develop Internationally, or to simply advertise to increase their client base. Top managers at Vanguard have to step up to the plate and rollout detailed plans as to what path the company should take regarding some of these issues. Through our in-class discussions, the majority of the students argued on one major problem that Vanguard was facing. The problem entailed Vanguards ability to increase future customers without increasing costs. Markets are ever-changing, and the ability of companies to adapt to these changes is the key to survival. One company mentioned specifically in the case was Citigroup. Their ability to adapt to market changes and become a giant in the investments segment as a â€Å"one-stop financial supermarket† is a prime example. Should Vanguard take on this type of adaptation or stick to their current business objectives? One interesting quote Brennan in the case stated â€Å"In the future, nothing about Vanguard’s values will change,† but â€Å"everything about the way we do business must change.† With this in mind, the question is what must change for Vanguard to succeed and continue to earn revenue and gain customers without increasing costs? ...

Health industry’s research Essay

Chou et al publication on health coverage and the health industry’s research and data analysis from current population survey has it that; about fifty four percent of United state citizen population had employer’s sponsors health insurance in 2006 with five percent (5%) having non-group insurance and almost sixteen percent (16%) of the total population are currently uninsured, several report shows that these set of people i. . the uninsured people receive less protective care, most of which are diagnosed at more complicated disease stages and tends to be given less beneficial care thus having higher mortality rates (Chou, 2009). The lack of insurance has unpleasant effect on the uninsured populace, regardless, the uninsured faces high out of pocket spending than their insured counterparts. eferencing the report of Bureau of Labor Statics that generally employment will increase about 10% between 2006 and 2016 therefore employment opportunity for homecare aids personnel will raise about 51%, automatically opportunities for physical therapist subordinates are expected to increase, more so, job opportunities for registered nurses will increase by approximately 24% though this statement look promising but what is not clear is, to what degree are these employment in health care associated to insurance coverage (p. 282). Result of research analysis carried out these experts indicates that differences in uninsurance rate exist in the health care labor force the disparities diverges extensively with relevance to the health care industry along with other industries and employees category, for instance employee working in ambulatory unit and residential care are liable to be uncovered hence health care personnel in nursing home and residential situate earn less, this factor can be associated to higher rate in uninsurance. However, most low salary earner cannot meet the expenses of first-class health insurance even when coverage is presented their employer (p. 2285). Chou et al in their final analysis statement affirm differences in uninsurance exist in the United States health care labor force and about 1 out 8 in the healthcare workforce require insurance coverage. Implementing policies distinctively meant to ensure adequate insurance for health care worker will not only aid the workforce but will promote of the health entire citizen (p. 287). Conversely, Das and Das made it clear in their publication â€Å"Health Care in the United States: Why is Price So Sensitive? † that the soaring health care rate has an unpleasant effect on productivity causing a negative impact in production in all industries at large. They added that the inability of consumer to be able to afford better health care was due to declining wages. As a result of this the United States comparative advantage becomes a nonissue (p. 462). Relatively wages increases situation forces the consumer and health care workforce with low income to exhausting a greater portion of their income on health care, obtainable literature could not explain why the rate of health care in the United Sates is increasing and why majority of the populace are not in the insurance network. It is not possible to explain the survey of price insensitivity to health care supply by examining the health care sector only consequently it must look into the interrelationship between health care and non- health care sector on the United States economy. The authors’ uses partial equilibrium model in their studies to explain the lethargic development of health care amid price inelasticity but the model cannot explain why health care supply is in elastic initially. Further disturbing issue relating to increasing health care cost is the high cost of comparative advantage of United States industries through labour productivity of the U. S. research conducts by other professional mentioned in Das and Das publication indicated that health related issue result in lost of economic productivity (p. 463). Further econometric study by the authors show that states with higher per capital health care cost have lower labour productivity in all U. S production industries either health or non health (p. 466). In order to put an end to this effect the authors indicated that partial equilibrium models will not enough rather the use of general equilibrium model should be employed. Conclusively, they derive evidence that health care rate is raising sharply in the U. S making the United States a major spender on health care, it was derived that increasing health care cost provides a negative externality by reducing labour productivity. The investigation provides clarification of the general equilibrium model of the health care and non-health care sector where higher health care rate reduce labour productivity. On the other hand, (Thompson and Cutler 2010), in the Benefits Quarterly, published a report on the health care consumerism movement. The publication was centered on the birth of health care consumerism movement which started as a result of the need to take care of the factors that contributed to the increase in health care costs and the backlash to managed care. According to the authors, the factors include â€Å"lack of consumer awareness of the cost of health care service, the effect of health care on profits and wages, and the need to engage consumers more actively in health care decisions† (p. 24). Additionally, the gaps which they identified included the fact that consumers do not have the required knowledge and education and therefore are disparate participants in the â€Å"provider-patient partnership† (p. 26). They also stated that the regular need of customers to seek expert guidance from professionals when in need of health care information make the customers feel under qualified when trying to determine the value of the required health services. Furthermore, they opined that most consumers would prefer feeling more in charge of the choices that are offered to them after which they identified the need for incentives in order to get the attention of both consumers and providers as one of the gaps in health care consumerism today. The researchers then moved forward to highlight some keys that are vital in sustaining the health care consumerism strategy after which they highlighted the role of the community in ensuring that good health is collectively achieved. In doing this, they emphasized on the importance of the employers incentives, wellness programs and other activities that could boost their employees’ health. The article was concluded by the researchers stating that there should be a communal approach by all the stakeholders in the health care system to better shape and simplifies the consumerism movement. In the same publication as the previously mentioned researchers (Benefits Quarterly), Domaszewicz, Havlin, and Connolly presented an article on health care consumerism as well, but this time, considered incentives, behavior change, and uncertainties. This article was directed at providing some lessons that will serve as a guide for employers who are presently thinking of implementing â€Å"a consumerist approach to improve employee health and control the cost trend† (p. 29), on the necessary courses of action. The researchers asserted to the fact that most organizations would strive to contain costs in all ramifications especially in health care benefits so as to curb the after effects of last year’s global economic meltdown. In order to curtail the effects of this on the employee, Domaszewicz et al. suggested that the employees should employ lower-cost options such as consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) which are high-deductible plans that contain employee-controlled spending account. The employee-controlled account consists of a health savings account (HSA) or health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). The researchers however claimed that CDHPs are just the beginning and should therefore be followed with a â€Å"robust incentive- and value-based designs for health management† (p. 30). The researchers further highlighted the issues involved in the debate between â€Å"changing behaviors† versus â€Å"changing outcomes† after which they stated the several ways through which the employee can achieve the target of both taking action and achieving positive results. In addition, the researchers averred that incentives could take many forms and therefore recommended the right incentive mix after which they cited a case example. The researchers did not fail to mention the uncertainty that is evident in health care reforms and the measures that employers are taking against it. In summary, the researchers posited that the new strategies carry their own element of risk and as a result, they pointed out a few general lessons that can guide the cause of action. Comparison and Contrast of the Findings Chou et al in their publication investigated the rates of uninsurance amidst employees in the United States health care workforce via the health care industry, its sub category, and workforce. They used the 2004 to 2006 National Health data survey in assessing the rate of health insurance coverage by employing the use of multivariate logistic regression analysis to estimate the probability of uninsured workers in the health industry subtype (p. 2282). On the other hand, Monica Das and Sandwip K.  Das examined the insensitivity of price with regards to health care in the United States as a means of increase health care rate, it’s unpleasant effect and negative impact productivity in all production industries, they formulated a two sector model of the United States economy i. e. the non-health sector and the health sector employed the use of general equilibrium model and econometric model based on interstate production function for the estimation in providing explanation with a two sector general equilibrium model where higher health cost reduces labor productivities in both health as well as non-health sector (p. 72). Both publications were centered on the cost effects of Health Care in the United States. The difference in their manner of approach however, lays in the fact that while Das and Das concentrated on the insensitivity of the price of the supply of Health Care services, Chou et al. focused on the rates of uninsurance. However, Michael Thompson and Charles M. Cutler in their analysis examined the health care consumerism movement taking step forward, considering the rise in health care cost and lack of consumer awareness of the cost of health care services. The publication reviews the movement in health care consumerism and further identifies the gaps within recent health care consumerism; more so, the authors scrutinized the lack of consumer awareness of health care service cost, the effect of health care on wages, the need to engage consumers more actively in health care decisions, what sustainable health care consumerism framework should entail and what role on the community play in the movement of consumerism. From a similar perspective, Domaszewicz, Havlin and Connolly, examined Health Care Consumerism in a different context in their publication, the article focused on incentives, behavior change, and uncertainties. Presented in the article, are the methods of approach for employers thinking of implementing â€Å"a consumerist approach to improve employee health and control the cost trend† (p. 9), the authors however recommended that employees should utilize lower-cost options for instance the â€Å"CDHPs† that control employee-controlled spending account, the account which consists of Health Savings Account or the Health Reimbursement Arrangement and not failing to point out the uncertainty that is evident in health care reforms and the measures that employers are taking against it. The main difference between their manners of approaching the topic is that Thompson and Cutler discussed the birth of the consumerism movement, the gaps present and some effective keys that will enable the development of a sustainable health care consumerism network, Domaszewicz et al. based their publication on the provision of guidelines for helping employers on implementing a consumerist approach that will be of benefit to their employees’ work health. Synthesis  Juxtaposing the findings from the contributions of these articles, it will be observed that the ideas behind what the authors of the four publications centered on the need for the improvement of the health care system as a whole. From the insurance aspect of the health care system, to the general pricing system of health care services, and the health care consumerism movements. The four publications all raised various concerns on the need for better health care for the teeming populace which includes the health care professionals who make the services available and the consumers to whom the health care services are rendered. It should be agreed that increase in health care costs and the effect of health care costs on profits and wages, have an adverse effect in the supply of health care in the United States and unfavorable impact on labor force productivity creating a negative production externality in all industries. The results of the findings presented by the authors have shown that there are evident lapses in some aspects of the present Health Care system and there is a pressing need therefore, to right the wrongs found and presented by these authors.

Personal Leadership Development Plan (PLDP) Essay

The Personal Leadership Development Plan is a resource tool to be used by associates of the PFR/ATTC Network Advanced Leadership Institute to organize and articulate their goals for what they want to learn and develop as a part of the institute experience. Similar to the Individual Leadership Development Plan that was completed as part of the basic PFR/ATTC Network Leadership Institute, this planning process is designed to help each associate personalize and focus their participation in the program. Each associate will use it to identify, plan, articulate, and document their development as they progress through the experience of the Institute. This plan should be developed, implemented, and revised by the associate, working in consultation with their supervisor, their coach, and the ALI program facilitators. The initial plan document is to be completed and submitted to the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership within 30 days following the Immersion Week experience. Instructions for Completion: Please complete all of the sections of the plan form. Use the insights and perspectives that you have gained through the assessments, activities, and reflections of the Immersion Week to inform your choice of goals and strategies that you will seek to develop through the Advanced Leadership Institute. It is especially useful to have the help and support of your supervisor, so the Plan is to be developed in consultation with them and you are asked to secure your supervisor’s signature. This is a way to gain their commitment and support for your plans. The specific elements of the plan and the contents of each are as follows. Career Aspirations and Goals Leadership development goals and plans are useful and relevant when they are grounded in the leader’s aspirations for their career. Thus we ask you to explain your career direction, aspirations, and goals. For what purpose will you continue to build your leadership capacity? What aspirations for impact do you have, whether in your organization or in the larger field? Competencies to Develop Drawing on the insights you gain from the various elements of the ALI, especially the 360-degree feedback and the various elements of the Immersion Week assessments and discussions, please identify the key competencies (or sets of competencies) that you wish to develop to enhance your leadership capacity. These then will become the basis for your development goals and strategies. Long-Term Leadership Development Goals What specific goals will you work to accomplish, during the coming three to four years, to build your leadership capacity and enhance the potential for achieving your career goals? Be specific in stating three to five goals and indicate the competencies that will be developed through their accomplishment. ALI Developmental Activities (with Target Dates) After you have identified the competencies and long-term goals, then it is important to identify the activities that you will engage in during the coming year to begin to accomplish these goals. What specific activities will you implement, during the ALI events, the intersession period, and during the rest of the year, to continue to build your leadership capacity? In particular, please consider how you could leverage assignments at work and follow up on the ALI experiences and assessments (including organizing your work in the ALI team project) to gain maximal experience and benefit from each element as you continue to develop your leadership capacity.

Diet analysis Essay

At a young age, I had always had an aggressive appetite, never caring about what I put into my body because I was young, and it was of no concern to me. Over the last 5 years, I have been more aware of my eating habits, but still not making a conscious effort to change what my body intakes. Throughout, My Diet Analysis research, I was able to identify eating habits that I was unaware of specifically during the weekdays. I decided to record two of my busiest days during the week, Monday and Tuesday and one lacks day, being Sunday. My findings were somewhat surprising, showing me on paper just exactly how unhealthy my eating habits are. My diet analysis gave me just the motivation I needed to fully make a change within my everyday diet. Overall, it is very clear that I need to make some changes within my diet on a daily basis in order become fit and healthy. My results from my 3 day recall shocked me slightly, because I didn’t realize how little I ate, but how unhealthy many of my food choices were. I wasn’t in range with my calorie intake for the 3 days. My calorie intake was over 1500, and my recommended calorie intake was a little over 1200. The foods I ate that consisted of the most calories were foods from fast food restaurants, mainly being McDonalds, and foods that were full of carbs. I generally eat a lot of fast food during the week because my schedule is so hectic and nonstop, I don’t have time to indulge in anything else. My calorie intake was higher on Sunday and Tuesday than it was on Monday. My overall calorie intake on Monday was 100.1, Tuesday it was 2312.7 and on Sunday 1258.7. I was a little surprised to see that my calorie intake on Monday was lower than on Sunday, but after reviewing the foods I consumed, it made sense. Out of the 3 days, Monday was the day I consumed the most vegetables, green tea, and water. I typically drink a lot of water and green tea every day, so that wasn’t a surprise, but according to my di et analysis my vegetable intake for Monday was excellent. My vegetable intake is usually higher on Sundays because my mother usually cooks, and makes at least two green vegetables for that particular meal. As I continued to review my diet analysis I noticed I barely ate any fruits, which was very clear to see considering over the 3 days I had only eaten chunked pineapples, and the fruit that was in a smoothie. According to the USDA dietary guidelines my fruit intake should be at least 33% a day. It’s obvious that I need to substitute snacks, such as cookies, and chips for an apple or a fruit cup every day to meet my fruit  requirement. I wasn’t too surprised to find that my fruit intake was low because I don’t tend to eat fruit on a daily basis. I would defiantly say I indulge more vegetables than I do fruits, and that probably won’t change too much when it comes to my diet. Even though I’m aware that I have a slight addiction to salt and salty foods I was still disgusted at my sodium intake. My average sodium intake came out to be 12263.4 over the 3days. I am now more than ever motivated to stop adding salt to everything I eat because not only is it a bad habit, but it can do much damage to my body in the long run . Along with having a high sodium intake, my Trans and saturated fat intake was high. Trans fat is something I never want in my system, but consuming fast food doesn’t necessarily help me met this goal. My average intake of saturated fat over the 3 days was 13.7 and my overall trans-fat intake was 1.5. Although my trans-fat intake wasn’t exceeding, it’s not something I want to ingest/digest even in small amounts. I typically drink a lot of water, but according to my diet analysis, I need to be drinking twice as much as I consume. I don’t drink sodas or juice at all, so my beverage intake only consists of wate r and green tea; so seeing that I still need to consume more water was shocking. My average intake over the 3 days was 1,607.19 and I need my recommended number is 2,700.00. This will probably be one of the easier changes to make because I don’t mind drinking water, and prefer to drink water over any other beverage. I believe if I become more active this will help me consume more water throughout the day. Drinking the recommended amount of water every day is important to me because water helps your body work to its greatest potential, and helps with skin, hair and nails. I usually find myself exhausted and extremely tired throughout the day, and never really knowing why or exactly how to change that aspect of my life. When reviewing my Vitamin intake, it all began to make sense. My Vitamin levels are very low, especially my Vitamin D level, which goes hand in hand with my energy; explaining why I’m always tired. My Vitamin D intake was 1.13 which is extremely low compared to my recommended amount, which was 15.00. In order to help increase my vitamin D level, I have to first research which foods have a high level of vitamin D. I do recall when I was 18 my doctor explaining to me that my Vitamin D level was low, but seeing it makes it much more real. The weather has an effect on my Vitamin D level being low as well. The sun is a great source of Vitamin D, but because it’s  winter my exposure to sun is limited. Milk also has a great amount of Vitamin D, but unfortunately I am lactose and tolerant, which probably has a great effect on my Vitamin D level. It would be in my best interest to consume Vitamin D supplements to help increase my Vitamin D levels efficiently. I currently do no t exercise as often as I should considering the foods that I eat on a daily basis. I do however; have a job that consists of being active with children three time out of the week, which is a nice benefit. Once the spring is here it would be in my best interest to go running every day for at least 30 minutes. This will help with my physical activity and sun exposure, helping with my Vitamin D levels. I would like to continue to monitor my eating habits using my diet analysis because I do believe it is hard to determine my eating habits with only analyzing 3 days. But it is still very evident that I need to make some changes. The Diet Analysis project has taught me a lot about my own eating habits and has inspired me to modify them for a healthier lifestyle. Probably the biggest change I will make after having done this project is to increase my intake of vegetables, fruits and Vitamin D. Fruits and vegetables will provide more fiber in my diet (something I am lacking) as well as cert ain other vitamins and minerals that I am deficient in. I will also try to limit my fat intake, especially saturated fats, trans-fats, and fats from animal sources. I may even start packing my own lunches since most of the flaws in my diet are from of convenient and fast foods.