Emendation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emendation - Essay Example As of today, researcher cannot establish the actual figures of deaths resulting from HAIs, although all indications point to the fact that the numbers have risen high. However, existing literature points to the fact that hand hygiene plays a vital role in preventing HAIs. This project adopts a quasi-experimental research design, which will utilize quantitative research to gather and analyze relevant data. The data will be collected through a pretest posttest design for further analysis to assess the effectiveness of hand hygiene programs in reducing HAIs. Hospital Acquired infections (HAIs) present a serious challenge in provision of healthcare services to patients in hospital settings. Studies indicate that about 80 percent of patients who contract HAIs often succumb to the diseases and die while receiving treatment in the hospital (Ivers, et al. 2012). The numbers have since risen up and it has become increasingly difficult for researchers to point to the exact numbers of patients suffering from HAIs. Nevertheless, existing literature has produced a lot of evidence pointing to the role of hand hygiene practices in reducing the rates of HAIs. However, compliance rates to hand hygiene practices such as hand washing and gelling remain low, which makes it difficult to prevent HAIs. There is also a gap in available literature concerning the impact of specific hand hygiene programs in reducing the rates of HAIs. This project assesses how reeducation can enhance compliance to hand hygiene in hospital settings thereby reducing the rates of HAIs. Hand hygiene encompasses various technics and practices for cleansing hands before and after treating patients. Several agents such as antiseptic agents, anti-microbial soaps, alcohol based rubs, plain soaps, and antiseptic agents play a critical role in hand hygiene practices. The main underlying factor is that compliance with

Marketing concepts And Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing concepts And Strategies - Essay Example The best way of advertising is through print and broadcast media. 2. In a passage of time we have become the conspirators of reproduction generation by generation. The consumers were attracted by the item and bonded with memories of commercial culture. At present, the marketing strategy for selling product is to lure them for branded products; play in branded spaces and exposing them to TV channel. The marketers and advertising agencies work and trade on psychology of consumers for marketing their product. As the VP of a large retailer of men's suits I would introduce branded products so that all classes of people can visit and shop. 3. Marketers spend and invest lots of money in developing strategies of different methods to attract consumers towards their product and capitalize the opportunities to make or amass money. The marketers conduct research to defend, develop counter measures to meet the market competition. The ability of the youth to remove and neutralize the technique of advertising is snubbed by the other agency so as to increase the sale of their product. In the market, the Internets are counteracted by the appearance of e-commerce web sites. In the present marketing world aggressive marketing is the new mantra. Due to the changing trends and tastes of customers the best possible strategies are to explore new ways of marketing. Advertising, considerably slashing the prices of the commodities, increasing the discount rates, aggressive marketing, etc., are the methods that should be used by Apple to stay in the extremely competitive market. 4. Childhood is a creative, innovative and generative. In the society the child consumers are more than adult consumers. The marketing strategy is to attract children by making publicity of the gaming product through media. The producers and marketers display the products in supermarkets and departmental stores for sale. The best strategy is to have a good impression on parents because they are the persons who decide what to purchase for their children. Business to Consumer (B2C): In B2C e-commerce, business uses the Net for offering their products or services to consumers 24 hours a day from any part of the world. B2C portals are the most visible face of e-commerce. 5. Efficiency of management: The purpose of financial statement analysis is to know that the financial policies adopted by the management are efficient or not. Analysis also helps the management in preparing annuity products. It also helps the management to find out the shortcomings so that remedial measures can be taken to remove these shortcomings. Analysis also helps in taking decisions: a) Whether funds required for the retirement services are provided from internal resources of the business or not. b) How much funds have been raised from external sources. Reference Louis E. Boone & David L. Kurtz. Contemporary Marketing. New York: South-WesternCollege Pub. 2004.

Depth first-aid and the branches of it Essay Example for Free

Depth first-aid and the branches of it Essay First Aid, emergency care for a victim of sudden illness or injury until more skillful medical treatment is available. First aid may save a life or improve certain vital signs including pulse, temperature, a patent (unobstructed) airway, and breathing. In minor emergencies, first aid may prevent a victims condition from worsening and provide relief from pain. First aid must be administered as quickly as possible. In the case of the critically injured, a few minutes can make the difference between complete recovery and loss of life. The First aid measures depend upon a victims needs and the providers level of knowledge and skill. Knowing what not to do in an emergency is as important as knowing what to do. Improperly moving a person with a neck injury, for example, can lead to permanent spinal injury and paralysis. Despite the variety of injuries possible, several principles of first aid apply to all emergencies. The first step is to call for professional medical help. Determine that the scene of the accident is safe before attempting to provide first aid. The victim, if conscious should be reassured that medical aid has been requested, and asked for permission to provide any first aid. Next, assess the scene, asking bystanders or the injured persons family or friends about details of the injury or illness, any care that may have already been given, and preexisting conditions such as diabetes or heart trouble. The victim should be checked for a medical bracelet or card that describes special medical conditions. Unless the accident scene becomes unsafe or the victim may suffer further injury, do not move the victim. First aid requires rapid assessment of victims to determine whether life-threatening conditions exist. One method for evaluating a victims condition is known by the acronym ABCs, which stands for: A Airwayis it open and unobstructed? B Breathingis the person breathing? Look, listen, and feel for breathing. C Circulationis there a pulse? Is the person bleeding externally? Check skin color and temperature for additional indications of circulation problems. Once obvious injuries have been evaluated, the injured persons head should be kept in a neutral position in line with the body. If no evidence exists to suggest potential skull or spinal injury, place the injured person in a comfortable position. Positioned on one side, a victim can vomit without choking or obstructing the airway. Before treating specific injuries, protect the victim from shocka depression of the bodys vital functions that, left untreated, can result in death. Shock occurs when blood pressure (pressure exerted against blood vessel walls) drops and the organs do not receive enough blood, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients. The symptoms of shock are anxiety or restlessness; pale, cool, clammy skin; a weak but rapid pulse; shallow breathing; bluish lips; and nausea. These symptoms may not be apparent immediately, as shock can develop several hours after an accident. To prevent shock, the victim should be covered with blankets or warm clothes to maintain a normal body temperature. The victims feet should be elevated. Because of the danger of abdominal injuries, nothing should be administered by mouth. Asphyxiation occurs when air cannot reach the lungs, cutting off the supply of oxygen to circulating blood. This can cause irreparable damage to the brain. Among the causes of asphyxiation are drowning, gas poisoning, overdose of narcotics, electrocution, choking, and strangulation. Victims may collapse, be unable to speak or breathe, and have bluish skin. Most people will suffer brain death within four to six minutes after breathing ceases unless first aid is administered. In the case of choking, a procedure known as the Heimlich maneuver can be used to clear the windpipe of food or other objects. In this procedure quick upward thrusts are applied to the victims abdomen to eject the object blocking the windpipe. For victims of other types of asphyxiation, the most practical method of artificial respiration is the mouth-to-mouth technique in which the first-aid provider forcefully exhales air into the victims lungs after first clearing the airway of any obstruction. The provider tilts the victims head backward by placing one hand under the victims chin and lifting while the other hand presses down on the victims forehead. At this point, the mouth and airway can be checked for foreign objects, which can be removed with the fingers. In cases of drowning, artificial respiration should be attempted even if the victim appears dead. People submerged in cold water for more than 30 minutes who appeared blue have responded to first-aid efforts and recovered with no brain damage. The presence of blood over a considerable area of a persons body does not always indicate severe bleeding. The blood may ooze from multiple small wounds or be smeared, giving the appearance of more blood than is actually present. The rate at which blood is lost from a wound depends on the size and kind of blood vessel ruptured. Bright red, spurting blood indicates injury to an artery while welling or steadily flowing, dark red blood indicates injury to a vein. Welling or spurting blood is an unmistakable sign of severe bleeding. If a major artery ruptures, a person may bleed to death within a minute. Injuries to veins and minor arteries bleed more slowly but may also be fatal if left unattended. Shock usually results from loss of fluids, such as blood, and must be prevented as soon as the loss of blood has been stopped. A poisonous substance introduced into the body through the mouth or nose causes symptoms such as nausea, cramps, and vomiting. Poisons include toxic medications, herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, household disinfectants, and noxious gases. In a case of poisoning, the first-aid provider should remove the victim from a toxic environment, then contact the poison control center listed in most  United States phone books. If the number is unavailable, the provider should call a physician or hospital emergency department. If possible, the provider should try to identify the poison, either by questioning the victim or searching for suspicious containers. Containers of many poisonous substances list the antidote, or remedy, on the label. Burns or stains on the skin or a characteristic odor on the breath may also help the first-aid provider recognize the poison. Unless instructed to do so by the poison control center, the first-aid provider should never give a poisoning victim anything to eat or drink. Vomiting should not be induced unless the poison control center recommends it. If the victim vomits, the first-aid provider should turn the individual on the side and clear the airway. Before clearing the victims mouth of any obstructions, however, the provider should first put on clean first-aid gloves or wrap a cloth around his or her fingers. If the person who ingested the poison is unconscious, the airway, breathing, and circulation should be checked and CPR started if necessary.

Accounting Information Systems

Accounting Information Systems 3-1. The text provides seven reasons why documenting AISs is important: (1) depicting how the system works, (2) training users, (3) designing new systems, (4) controlling systems development costs, (5) standardizing communication with others, (6) auditing, and (7) controlling end-user support costs. Additional reasons include: (1) to help evaluate the performance of system personnel, (2) to help evaluate the adequacy or efficiency of an existing system, and (3) to provide design specifications to outside vendors who might be proposing new systems. Accountants are interested in system documentation for all these reasons. For example, inadequate documentation makes it difficult to use an integrated accounting package effectively, design one for others to use, or audit a system intelligently. Flowcharts and similar systems documentation are also important to auditors. These charts can help auditors spot internal control weaknesses that are not apparent from prototypes or not obvious when observing a system in use. 3-2. Document flowcharts are a type of system flowchart. Whereas system flowcharts are process-oriented, document flowcharts focus on the flow of physical documents through the processing system. Document and system flowcharts are similar in that they use similar symbols in their construction. A few additional symbols, such as envelopes and hand trucks to depict movement of goods, are more likely to appear in document flowcharts than system flowcharts. But system flowcharts contain more detail about processing logic. Accountants can use data flow diagrams (DFDs) to depict the physical flows of data through an AIS (like document flowcharts), or the logical flow of data through an AIS (like system flowcharts). Like document or system flowcharts, their main objective is to document data flows in an orderly, graphic, and easily-understood format. But DFDs use fewer symbols than either document or system flowcharts, and do not require columns (like document flowcharts). Program flowcharts are really the lowest level of system flowcharts because they outline the logic sequence for a particular application program. Thus, they are more used by programmers and system analysts than by accountants and auditors. Still, auditors will need to understand these program flowcharts when looking at program logic and program controls. Program flowcharts use many of the same symbols found in system flowcharts, but also use some special ones such as the decision symbol. 3-3. A document flowchart is a pictorial representation of the physical data flow through the various departments of a business. A document flowchart is used in designing or evaluating an accounting information system. 1. A systems analyst uses it when evaluating a system to see if each department is receiving the necessary data and that unnecessary data are not transferred. 2. A system designer uses it when there is interest in improving or replacing an existing system. 3. A computer programmer can use a document flowchart when preparing system flowcharts. 4. An auditor uses it to help define, follow, and evaluate an audit trail. 5. An internal data security expert uses it to indicate weaknesses in internal control and data control. 3-4. Guidelines for creating document flowcharts, system flowcharts, and data flow diagrams are listed in the text. See relevant chapter sections for document flowcharts, system flowcharts, and data flow diagrams. 3-5. Data flow diagrams use a square symbol to show the source or destination of data. A circle symbol indicates a process. An open rectangle symbol indicates a store of data. Finally, arrows depict a data flow or data stream. 3-6. Data flow diagrams are created in a hierarchy called the top-down approach to systems development. In this approach, developers create these diagrams in levels, beginning with the broadest, least-detailed level, and exploding (working towards increasing refinements of) each piece of the preceding level until the system is completely specified. The rationale behind this approach is to keep major system objectives in view at first, and to worry about details later after major system components are specified. However, the process is reiterative, revisions are common, and little is considered final until the lowest diagram levels have been specified and approved. The broadest DFD is called a context diagram. The next level (a level-0 diagram) is also called a physical data flow diagram. Lower levels are numbered level-1, level-2, and so forth, and are commonly termed logical data flow diagrams. 3-7. It is usually easier to follow logic with a chart or figure than with a written narrative. For example, when reading a long narrative description of a process, it is often difficult to visualize relationships between system elements and a readers attention can wander. In contrast, graphical depictions of the same logic are usually easier to understand because most people grasp the use of arrows to show connections or data flows. 3-8. Decision tables outline the set of conditions that a given processing task might encounter and indicate the appropriate action to take for each condition. Decision tables can therefore help system designers plan data processing functions and create written records of the processing logic for later reference. The major advantage of decision tables is that they can summarize a potentially large number of conditions and actions in a compact format. Decision tables are also useful as planning tools to system analysts and related individuals who are charged with the task of helping create new AISs. Finally, the accountants who audit AISs rely heavily upon internal documentation, and decision tables can help them verify the processing logic and control procedures that were built into these AISs. 3-9. Just as word processors enable users to create, store, modify, and print word documents, CASE tools enable information technology and accounting personnel to create, store, modify, and print system documentation. The term CASE is an acronym for computer assisted software engineering. CASE tools automate the development of program and system documentation. Thus, developers use them to create data flow diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, record layouts, data entry screens, report formats, screen menus, system flowcharts, and program flowcharts. Most also include generators for developing data dictionaries. CASE tools are computer programs that typically run on microcomputers. The user selects a particular type of document to develop or modify, and then works on it in much the same way that a secretary uses a word processor to work on a word document. It is not necessary to use CASE programs to develop AIS documentation, but it is difficult to imagine why anyone would not use such capable and time-saving tools. 3-10. End user computing refers to the computer activities of non-computer employees, especially the development of large spreadsheets and databases. Although such activities are commonplace today, they also create problems. For example, when non-IT personnel develop important computer applications, a company becomes increasingly dependent upon such individuals to answer questions, or to explain how to use the software. Documentation is also important in end-user computing environments because it provides the training aids, user descriptions, tutorial manuals, and reference materials that other users need in order to run the applications effectively. Problems 3-11. Process Alternate Process Decision Data Predefined Process Internal Storage Document Multidocument Terminator Preparation Manual Input Manual Operation Connector Off-page Connector Card Punched Tape Summing Junction Or Collate Sort Extract Merge Stored Data Delay Sequential Access Magnetic Disk Direct Access Display Storage Storage 3-12. Mark Goodwin Convenience Stores Garcia-Lanoue Company 3-15. Ron Mitchell Manufacturing Company 3-16. Amanda M Company 3-17. Winston Beauchamp Company 3-18. LeVitre and Sweezy Credit Union 3-19. Jeffrey Getelman Publishing Company 3-20. The Bridget Joyce Company The decision table is shown below. Note that alternate decision rules would also be reasonable here since the case does not specify exactly what action is to be taken for each set of conditions. DECISION TABLE RULES Account Status: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Not past due X Less than 30 days past due X 31-60 days past due X X X 61-90 days past due X X X More than 90 days past due X X X Account Activity: No activity X X X X X Written communications X X X Partial payment X X X Action: Do nothing X X X X X X X Send first letter of inquiry X Send second letter of inquiry X X Collection agency referral X This exercise requires some creativity on the part of the student. One possibility is to give each customer a rating on the following: a) no prior delinquency history b) only one prior delinquency c) only two prior delinquencies d) more than two prior delinquencies Mr. Smith can now make a decision based upon this categorization of customer account history. It might also be pointed out that many companies handle delinquencies on an individual basis. Most small companies, for example, will try to work with their customers whenever possible instead of writing to them impersonally because written confrontations rarely produce desired results. 3-21. This problem requires students to draw the flowcharts in Figure 3-20. In a later part of the problem, students are also asked to recreate the flowcharts in Figures 3-3, 3-6, 3-8, 3-11, 3-12, 3-13, 3-14, and 3-15. Because these flowchart are already shown in the text, the outputs are already known. Teaching notes: Students should follow the directions provided in this case to create the two (program) flowcharts shown as well as the link that connects the two flowcharts together. Students can document their links by printing a copy of their formulas. Finally, although using Excels drawing tools is straightforward, it still takes time to create even small diagrams with them. Thus, we recommend that instructors do not assign all parts of this case (a through h), but only assign a selection of these diagrams. Case Analyses 3-22. The Berridge Company (Drawing Document Flowcharts) 1. A document flowchart for the Berridge Companys inventory control system may be found after #3 (below). 2. The company can eliminate one or more copies of the retail store requisition (RSR) form. The document flowchart (and case description) indicate that a retail store prepares three copies of the RSR form. One copy is retained in a file at the retail store, and two copies are forwarded to the warehouse. When warehouse personnel fill the order, they file one copy of the RSR form in their own files, and forward the last copy of this form to the inventory control department for use in updating its records. The end result of this effort is a lot of paperwork. One way to reduce it would be to allow the warehouse personnel to create the computer record that indicates a disbursement to an individual store, thus eliminating the need for the third copy of the RSR form currently sent to inventory control. The company could eliminate all copies of the RSR form by computerizing its warehousing operations completely. In this new system, a retail store would create a computer record for each requisition, which the system could then display onscreen or print on a report of similar requisitions for the warehouse each day. When a requisition order is filled, personnel in the warehouse could indicate this by entering the required data into the computer system. This entry would trigger an inventory update in the inventory file and eliminate the pending requisition record from the file of active requisitions. 3. The company currently creates five copies of each purchase order. These copies are sent to: (1) the vendor, (2) accounts payable, (3) inventory control, and (4) the warehouse. The purchasing department retains the fifth copy. This seems excessive. It is obvious that the company must send one copy of the purchase order to the vendor. In addition, it makes sense for control purposes to send one copy of the purchase order to the receiving department (for use in comparing against the subsequent bill of lading), and to retain one copy of the PO to document the purchase itself. It is less obvious that the company needs to create the other two copies of the purchase order. In fact, the document flowchart indicates that both the inventory control department and warehouse personnel perform the comparison function when goods arrive a duplication of effort. Similarly, the company can probably eliminate the copy it currently prepares for accounts payable. Instead, warehouse personnel can attach its copy to the receiving report, and the accounts payable department can use the warehouse copy to prepare a check to the vendor. A document flowchart for the Berridge Companys inventory control system. FreezeTime, Inc. (Drawing System Flowcharts) The systems flowchart is valuable because it shows the flow of activities and documents within the sales/collection process. The flowchart is particularly useful for identifying redundant, unnecessary, and risky activities. 3-24. The Dinteman Company (Document Analysis) 1. a) Data items which should be included on a repair/maintenance work order document are as follows: 1) Job identification à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ department (or plant) for which work is to be done, machine or work station, and general description of job. 2) Starting and completion dates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ both estimated and actual. 3) Materials and supplies data estimated and actual quantities and costs. 4) Labor data à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ estimated hours, actual hours cost, and employee number for each job or person completing the work. 5) Applied overhead. b) At least four copies of the work order would be required with a possible fifth copy needed if a work order summary is not prepared. The work order would be prepared in the R M Department and given to the supervisor for review and scheduling. The work order would then be used by the person responsible for the work by recording the actual hours spent on the job and the actual materials and supplies required to complete the job. After the job is completed, the work order would be forwarded to accounting for costing and charging. The distribution of each copy of the work order would be as follows: Original (Copy 1) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Once the job is completed and all data has been recorded on the work order, this copy is forwarded to the Accounting Department for costing and then filed in the Accounting Department. Copy 2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ This copy is also fully completed and is filed in the R M Department in a completed work order file. Copy 3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ This copy would be kept by the R M Department in a file of scheduled jobs until the work is completed. A reference file is needed for all work orders while the job is in process. Once this job is completed, Copy 3 would be attached to Copy 2 and filed with Copy 2. Copy 4 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ This copy would be sent to the Production Department where the work is being done to acknowledge the actual scheduling of the job. An evaluation of the performance of the R M Department would probably be done in three departments as explained below: The department which requests the work should compare the estimated charges indicated on the Work Order Request with the actual charges and the timeliness of the work, (e.g., the estimated and actual starting and completion times on the Work Order). If the work is not timely or if the actual charges vary considerably from the estimate, the management of the Production Department would contact the supervisor of the R M Department for an explanation. The supervisor of the R M Department would conduct a selfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœevaluation by comparing the Work Order Request and the completed Work Order. The supervisor would want to be sure the actual times and charges were close to the original estimates. Such a comparison would be important for evaluating the staff in the department and also for preparing future estimates. The Accounting Department (or some other appropriate department) would probably conduct a review of the R M Departments work. The estimates and actual results shown on the Work Order would be compared. Types of repair and maintenance jobs which have standard times for completion would be compared with actual times required for the work in order to evaluate the departments performance. 2. See document flowchart on following page. 3-25. Lois Hale and Associates (Drawing Data Flow Diagrams)

Immigrants and Immigration - Roy Becks The Case Against Immigration :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Roy Beck's The Case Against Immigration One of the more remarkable aspects of the continuing debate over American immigration policy is that the nation's liberal elites seem, ever so gradually, to be finally catching up with the people. For years opinion polls have shown that a large majority of the American people, of all political persuasions and all ethnic backgrounds, want less immigration. Yet year after year immigrants continue to flood across our borders as "opinion molders," elected officials, business executives, and professional eggheads insist that mass immigration is really beneficial and its dangers are much exaggerated by "nativists" and "racists." Only in the last couple of years have a few books been published that dissent from that view, and the appearance of these books, published by major New York houses, suggests that the elites are finally beginning to grasp what uncontrolled immigration means for the people and the country they rule. What began as a popular protest against elite policies and preferences has now started influencing the elites themselves, even if the elites still like to imagine that they thought of it first. Roy Beck's *The Case Against Immigration* is the most recent example of a book published by a major publisher that challenges the conventional wisdom about immigration (Peter Brimelow's *Alien Nation,* published last year, was the first), and although Beck has been actively engaged in the movement to restrict immigration for some years, he has done so as a card-carrying liberal. A former newspaperman in Washington, DC who has been deeply involved in the social activism of the Methodist Church, Beck has seen firsthand what immigration means for ordinary Americans, not only underclass blacks but also middle and working class whites. His book is an exhaustive documentation of the evil consequences that immigration is causing for these groups as well as for the nation as a whole. Beck's liberalism, however, is by no means of the polemical or partisan variety, and the impression that his book gives is that he is a man deeply and genuinely concerned about the injustices endured by the real victims of immigration. He avoids most of the cultural arguments against immigration that conservatives tend to use, his main concern focusing instead on the economic effects of immigration on workers and on the social consequences for those Americans whose jobs

Maturing In The Faith :: essays research papers

In the course of reading Chapter 1 of our book, I came across something that I have known all along but taken for granted, as though it was not more important than my upcoming doctor’s appointment. It is the simple yet breaking fact that I do not know what I believe in, or rather, I know what I believe, but I don’t exactly know why I believe. And I am not alone in my plight. Most Filipinos, unfortunately, are guilty of this folly. We all have faith in God, not because we know the Sacred Scriptures to the letter, not because we know and live the Word. We believe because, quite simply put, we were brought up in Catholic households, and educated in Catholic schools, and what sticks to our minds is that to be a good Christian, we must have faith in God. We get too extreme about it at times and take things too literally that we miss too many points. To be fair, our faith is “genuine';, as the book also said. We truly believe in God and we all try to live as good Catholics: mass every Sunday, rosary with the family every night, we go to confession and retreats, and we pray when we wake in the morning and before going to bed. But sadly, other than those “routine'; elements of being Christian, most of us do not really understand what the Bible says, or what the priests are preaching, or what really is the will of God. Neither do we involve ourselves with other people who are part of the Church. Not to mention, how we seem to think less of non-Catholics, instead of trying to share what we are all supposed to know, the Word of God. A friend told me about a conversation he had, the other person saying that non-Christians will never enter the kingdom of God. He was dead serious when he said this, which made me wonder if we, in fact, are better than the non-believers, or if we are any different at all. I can say with a clear conscience, because I believe it to be true, that I have faith in God. What I cannot reconcile myself with, is the undeniable fact that I lack insight into what I believe in. I will not be able to go out and tell another person about how the Spirit liberates me, because even as I know this, I do not completely understand it.

Discuss the various ways which Robert Swindells presents life in ‘The streets of London’ Essay

â€Å"I’m invisible see? One of the invisible people.† Link, a young 16 year old boy from Bradford who is homeless, desperate to escape his Brutish stepfather feels that he has become an invisible outcast. Another quotation to support this is when Link says, â€Å"They don’t like reminding I exist.† Link says this to show the reader that he is worthless uses this type of language to make the reader more aware of how difficult it is to live on the streets of London. Link’s character in the book also emphasises a feeling of coldness. An example of this is shown when link says, â€Å"Also I kept seeing people I knew Neighbours. Guys I’d even been at school with. I even saw one of my teachers once. And if you have ever been caught begging by someone who you knew before, you can’t possibly know how low it makes you feel† This also makes the reader think that Link has a very lo self esteem and is very depressed. Another quotation to support this is when Link says, â€Å"I was one of them now – poised at the top of that downward spiral†. Kink says this making the reader understand how hard it is to be living on the streets. Shelter, the less predominant character in the novel, who is trying to rid the streets of homeless people uses subject specific Lexis to show the reader that he has a background in the army or has worked for the army. This is shown to the reader as Shelter always starts his chapters with, â€Å"Daily routine orders†. Link uses sarcasm to emphasise a point, for example, â€Å"Good old Vince†. After Describing Vince as a Brutish, evil stepfather who is a boozer and a bastard, Link says, â€Å"Good old Vince†. The author, Robert Swindells uses this to create an irony. At the beginning of page three Link mentions, â€Å"Born March 20th 1977†¦ to Mr & Mrs X†. Link says this to show the reader that he has forgotten the past and wants to get on with life. The main quotation to support and emphasise this is, â€Å"Mr & Mrs X†. Another statement to support this is when Link says, â€Å"I strode out of the station with my backpack and bedroll, and it felt like a new beginning†. This also shows the reader that link was positive life would improve from what it was with Vince. Another quotation to support this is â€Å"Nobody knows you. Where you’re from and what’s gone before. That’s you’re business†. One other quotation to support this is when Link chooses the name to give to Ginger he says, â€Å"‘Link’ I said. I’d seen it on this signpost earlier. Thames – Link. It’s a railway.† Robert Swindells also uses various techniques to make living on the streets look very hard and scary. The reader is informed of this when Link says, â€Å"Sad is what it is, Sad and scary. You’re leaving a place you know and heading into the unknown with nothing to protect you. This also informs the reader that this novel appears to be tragedy in many respects. Link feels very depressed after applying for many jobs in London and not getting any because he was homeless and was looking rough and scruffy, also looking like a tramp because of sleeping in the same clothes on the solid concrete floor. When Link started living on the streets of London he thought he was a hard boy who everyone would be terrified of after hitting an old bloke but his hopes were soon dashed after he was kicked out of his ‘bedroom’ by the streetwise, tough person he wanted to be. An example of this is shown to us when Link mentions, â€Å"this guy was what I was kidding myself I’d become†. Robert Swindells uses Shelters storyline as a very good way in which to present living on the streets of London. As Shelter goes around London looking for young and old people, whenever Shelter says, â€Å"Hostel† he always manages to get them to his house so that he can kill them. This shows the reader that homeless people are desperate for somewhere comfortable to sleep at. An example of this is when Shelter gets his first client, â€Å"That got him ‘hostel’†¦he fell for it hook line and sinker†. On page twenty-one Shelter also says, â€Å"I am not a murderer at all – I’m a Soldier out of uniform, killing for his country.† After killing a homeless person shelter mentions to the reader that he is not a murderer but a soldier killing for his country. This statement is not true as Shelter has murdered people who have done nothing to him and his country. Shelter thinks he is doing a good thing and is particularly careful about every step he takes. The author, Robert Swindells uses this to create an irony. As the reader gets deeper and deeper into the book, they start to grasp knowledge of Shelters storyline and start to know the feeling of how it is to be homeless and the different setbacks and failures it may have. The reader also learns not to stereotype homeless people.