Most Important Mnemonics for Step 2 Cs Free Essays

HISTORY PHYSICAL EXAMINATION HPI (history of present sickness) ALL CASES: OPD CSF AAA PAIN: OPD CSF LIQR AAA OPD CSF ABCDO FLUIDS: (Vomiting, Diarrhea, blockage, hack, vaginal release) O Onset of the side effect + encouraging variables P Progression D Duration C Constant/Intermittent S Settings F Frequency L Location of the side effect (temple, wrist†¦ ) I Intensity of the indication (scale 1-10, 6/10) Q Quality of side effect.. BCDSPP(burning,Cramping,dull,Sharp,pulsating,pressure like) R Radiation of the indication ( to left shoulder and arm) An Associated side effects ( palpitations, brevity of breath) An Alleviating factors (sitting with my chest on my knees) An Aggravating components (exertion, smoking, huge dinners) An Amount B Blood C Color C Consistency C Content D Duration O Odor UG Hx: OPD-CSF-AAA + FINISH PUBC F Frequency (How successive do u need to pass pee? ) I Incontinence (Do u experience difficulty holding Ux until u get to BR? ) N Nocturia ( do u have 2 wake up @ Night to go to BR? I Incomplete discharging (do u feel totality significantly after Ux) S Stream (How is ur stream of pee? is it cont. We will compose a custom article test on Most Important Mnemonics for Step 2 Cs or on the other hand any comparable point just for you Request Now or on the other hand is there any spilling after Ux? ) Strain (Do u need to strain during Ux) Stone (have u passed stones previously? ) H Hematuria (did u notice any blood), Hesitancy (do u have 2 hold up b4 beginning Ux) P Pyuria (was there any discharge in ur Ux? ) U Urgency (do u have 2 race to BR to Ux? ) B Burning (dysuria) (does it consume) C COLOR 1 drkhalilezekiel@yahoo. com PMH (past clinical history) PAM HUGS FOSS P Previous nearness of the manifestation (same CC), Past Medical issues (^BP, ^BS,U , idney prob. Rhinitis,Sinusitis, sthma,) An Allergies (drugs, nourishments, synthetic compounds, dust †¦ ) M Medicines (R U taking any professionally prescribed meds/any over-the-counter prescription. ), H Hospitalization for any disease previously (Trauma, medical procedure) U Urinary changes ( esp if diabetic, elderly†¦ ) G Gastrointestinal gripes (diet changes, gut movements†¦ ) S Sleep pattern(difficulties falling/keep up asleep,wake up,snoring,med. to help rest , how long, bad dreams) F Family history (comparable boss grumblings/genuine ailment)/Fevers, Chills/Fatigue O OB/GYN history (LMP, premature births, para†¦ LMP RTV CS PAP S Sexual propensities (dynamic/inclinations/STD/no. of accomplices/contraception/pregnancy/last pap smear) Q 1. â€Å"Mr. John, Are you Sexually Active? † Q 2. â€Å"How Many Partners would you say you are dynamic with? † Q 3. â€Å"Are your accomplices male or female or both? † [Unless the SP says spouse or husband in Q 2] Q 4. â€Å"Do you use insurance during intercourse? † Q 5. On the off chance that yes in Q. 4 â€Å"What sort of assurance do you use? † Q 6. Get some information about butt-centric intercourse in male gay people Q 7. h/o STD’s; Rx for STD’s S Social Hx (work/house/smoking/liquor/recreational medications/†¦.. ) WAD SAD TOES Social Hx WAD SAD TOES W Weight An Appetite D Diet S Smoke (cigarettes, maryjane, how much, how long) An Alcohol (what sort of liquor, how regularly, how much ,consider doing CAGE question. ) D recreational Drugs (what sedate, how would you use it, any IV tranquilize use? ) T Travel/Trauma O Occupation (what do you accomplish for living? ) E Exercise S Stress HEADACHE OPD CSF LIQRAA + DIAGRAM Head injury/Seizure/Weak,Numb Tears/visual changes Flu Vomit/Speech Neck firmness 2 drkhalilezekiel@yahoo. com Ped Hx (Child with fever) CUB FEVERS + PAM IF BIG DEALS-T C Colds-runny nose,cough,chest torment, quick respirations,SOB-CRYâ€Å"how is ‘cry of ‘baby? U Urination-expanded or diminished pee, # of diapers, any scent, shade of pee Ulcers in mouth B Bowel changes: Diarrhea-recurrence, beginning, bodily fluid/discharge/blood in stool, any crying during poo Discharge Q’s (ABCD-O: Amount, Blood, Content, Consistency, Color, Constant/Intermittent, Duration, Odor/Onset) F Fever chills E Ear pulli ng V Vomiting E Ear/eye release, Ear hearing, Eye vision R Rash S Seizure-any jerky developments, which part of body? Any spillage of pee or stool during fits, and postictal touchiness or loss of cognizance. Stress (wager wet, DM) P Past clinical/Past careful Hx/Previous Hospitalizations. An Allergies, impact on youngster/guardians (wager wet, DM), Activities M Medications, Menstruating (female kid 10yo) I Ill contacts F family ancestry B Birth Hx I Immunizations G Growth n advancement, ht, wt, achievements SSC-WTD: S(1), S(6),C(9),W(12),T(15), D(30) grin, sit, creep, walk, talk, dress wks: 1,6,9,12,15,30 D Day care/Difficult gulping E Eating propensities, taking care of infant An Appetite L Look of the child or appearance, Last registration S Sleep T Travel as of late Premenopause : H Hot flashes An Atrophy of vagina D Dryness of vagina O Osteoporosis (chamber) C Coronary course ailment HADOC drkhalilezekiel@yahoo. com ObGyn Hx : LMP RTV CS PAP L LMP (when was ur LMP? ) M Menarchae (how old were u when u had ur first period? P Period (how long ur period last? ) R Reglarity ( R ur periods ordinary? ) T Tampoons (what number of cushions do u use in a substantial day? ) V Vaginal DID: release, tingling , dryness (have u at any point had any vag release? ABCDO. do u have any vag. Tingling? ) C Cramps (Dysmenorrhea) do u have abd cramp with ur period? S Spotting ( intermenstrual/post coital ) have u at any point drained (. ) ur cycles? Did u ever see any seeping after intercourse? P Pregnency ( Hx difficulties) have u at any point been pregnant? How often? An Abortion/unnatural birth cycle (Any unsuccessful labors or premature births? In ? month of ur pregnancy? ) P PAP smear(have u been getting standard PAP sm ? when did u have the last PAP sm ) (any Female50 yo:ask about:1-R u taking vit D Ca,2-have u at any point attempted HRT? ) If suspect maltreatment SAFE GARDS S Safety request (Do you feel safe comfortable? ), Sex at any point constrained? An Alcohol misuse (does your hubby manhandles alchol? ), Attacked Children? F Friends/Family who know( Dos any1 f ur companion/Fam know about this) Fractures (Abuse at any point brought about breaks? ) E Emergency plan (u have crisis plan? ), Ever attempted to leave/separate? why not? G Guns at home (are there any weapons @ home? Assaulted with it? ) An Afraid of spouse R Relationships with husband (how is ur relationship with husband? do you feel Threatened when he is near? For to what extent? D Depression (lost wt/hunger/rest), Drugs (does spouse utilize recreational medications) S Suicidal (thought/plan/endeavor) (at any point wanted to end everything up? ) 4 rkhalilezekiel@yahoo. com Diabetic pt â€Å"FU/Med Refill† D Duration of malady I Insulin routine/oral hypoglyemics routine An A1c hg - Gluc. observing (quick, home, HgA1c) B Blurry vision (retinopathy) E Extremity (foot ulcer/contamination T Tingling/deadness (neuropathy) I Infections (resp/urinary) C Cardio Risk Factors (HTN, CHOL, Heart illness) Counseling DM HTN M Medications (normality) E Exercise ( for stout/inactive ways of life) D Diet Modification( Salt/Fatty nourishments) O Opthalmoscopic tests (yearly daily schedule) W Weight Management (/control) S Sugar Check ups DIABETIC MEDOWS Neuro cases â€Å"LOC† P Palpitations An Aura â€Å"b4 problem† S Shaking (length) S Spinning/dazed B Bladder incontinence/Bowel incontinence L Loss of awareness (term) T Tongue gnawing/tinnitus hearing misfortune S Speech challenges/Sleep unsettling influence An Ataxia â€Å"gait† N Numbness/sickness upchuck D Difficulty breathing W Weakness I (injury) fall C Confusion after the occasion/Visual aggravation H Headache PASS BLT SANDWICH - And to ensure you got it totally don’t overlook the MinMental Stat. Test 5 drkhalilezekiel@yahoo. com MINI MENTAL O Orientation X3 â€Å" time, place, persons† R Registration â€Å"I’m going to state 3 objects†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ then recurrent An Attention â€Å"spell world backwards† R Recall what were those 3 things once more? L Language â€Å"Repeat after me.. â€Å"No, uncertainties, ands, or buts† 2 Identify two articles â€Å"what is this.. pen.. also, this†¦ paper† 3 Obey 3 orders â€Å"take a bit of paper, overlay in ? , put on floor† R â€Å"Read 3 orders on this paper and do what it says† W Write a sentence D Draw, duplicate the picture ORARL23RWD Absent mindedness/Memory Loss/Dementia/Alzheimer’s FORGETS HIM + DEATH SHAFT F FAINTING/Flashes/FHx of Alzheimer 0 ORTHOSTATIC HYPOTENSION R RUNNING URINE â€Å"INCONTINENCE† G GAIT E EYE[VISION] T TRAUMA, TINGLING S STRENGTH,SEIZURES H HEADACHE I INFECTION [SYPHILIS, MENINGITIS] M MOOD ADL †Activities of day by day living D Dressing E Eating An Ambulation (would you be able to discover your direction through home) T Toiletry (do you deal with your toiletry unassisted) H Hygiene IADL †Instrumental exercises of every day living S Shopping H Housekeeping An Accounting F Food prep (do u do your cooking ) T Transportation (do you drive? How is your sight, hearing? 6 drkhalilezekiel@yahoo. com Foot/Heel/Knee/Back torment OPD-CSF-LIQORAAA +WET SURF-D - ‘CIS’ W Work/Weakness/Walking propensities/Wt misfortune E Eye contamination redness T Trauma to foot/Tingling Numbness/Tender S Stifness in different joints/leg Swelling/long Standing hours/morning Stiff /solid U Urethral release/ulcer R Rash/Redness of skin of joint F Fever chills night sweat D Deformity/Dysurea IN CASE OF BACK PAIN ADD: CIS; Cancer Hx/IV DRUGS/Steroids 4 long time Depression: (Psychiatric Hx Checklist) SIGME CAPS DHAT +2 (+MMSE: ORAL23RWD) S Sleep (troubles falling/keep up snoozing, wake up, wheezing, medications. o help rest, how long, bad dreams), Stress, Support I Interest, What do you do in your extra time? How are you getting along in your activity? do you appreciate what you do? G Guilty M Mood. ( on edge, tragic, miserable, desolate? Memory issues E Energy C Concentration An Appetite, changes in your Weight P Psychomotor tumult/hindrance (do you feel effectively unsettled or irate/do u feel not to isn't that right? ) S Suicide: musings, plan, attempts(do u have pills/weapons @ home? D Delu

How would you describe the protagonist of The Snows of Kilimanjaro Essay

How might you depict the hero of The Snows of Kilimanjaro Name three of his most significant qualities and supp - Essay Example While Henry hangs tight for the methodology of the inescapable hour, the plot of the story pushes forward through the memory of his musings of tremendous experience of poor people and â€Å"interesting lot†. The story is likewise enraptured with the regret and atonement of Henry during his last hours as he gauges the time he has squandered in his wanton life as opposed to recording his awesome encounters. A careful understanding and profound depiction of the story would dispatch the perusers into three most relevant attributes of Henry’s character. The first evident attribute in quite a while character is his anxious nature. Henry supposedly is anxious and doubter all through the story. He is in a constant journey and his point of view is likewise watched moving quicker. He is miserable and he is certain that no guide can be given to him aside from a serene demise which as indicated by him he is denied at the camp too, â€Å"Don't be senseless. I'm biting the dust now. Ask those mongrels. He glanced over to where the colossal, soiled winged creatures sat, their bare heads soaked in the slouched plumes. A fourth planed down to run snappy legged and afterward waddle gradually toward the others†. (Hemingway, 1998). Henry is seen censuring others for his disappointment which means that an extremely annoying conduct.

Capstone Workshop Women and Property Rights in Uganda COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Capstone Workshop Women and Property Rights in Uganda COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Workshops at SIPA apply the practical skills and analytical knowledge learned to a real-world issue.  Students are organized into small consulting teams and assigned a substantive, policy-oriented project with an external client.   Clients include public agencies (from the local to national level), international NGOs and multi-national organizations, and major firms in the private sector.   Student teams, working under the supervision of a faculty expert, answer a carefully defined problem posed by the client.   Each team produces an actionable report at the close of the workshop that is designed to translate into real change on the ground. Essentially, capstone workshops give students not only a chance to further refine their skills and knowledge, but to make a positive contribution to the world around them.   And capstone projects provide valuable experience and contacts for post-graduate employment. One example of   a workshop took some SIPA students to Uganda.   People and communities who understand their property rights are usually more empowered to defend them. In a SIPA Capstone Workshop, a student team traveled to Uganda to develop a system intended to track the progress of the Womens Land, Housing and Property Rights Project. The project is attempting to empower and educate women about their rights with respect to land, housing and property ownership. You can read the teams final report by clicking here.

Why Did Freud Use Oedipis As Basis - 1355 Words

SHAKESPEARES PLAY-FREUD WHY DID FREUD USE OEDIPIS AS BASIS!! HAMLET Freudian theories are most prominent in Hamlet out of all Shakespeare’s plays. The most common repressed desire is that of Oedipus. In the myth Oedipus killed his father, and went on to marry his mother, without knowing who each of them were. In this myth the feelings are brought to light however in Hamlet they stay repressed. We only learn of it through the effects it causes. Hamlet is all about incest. After his father’s death his mother plans to marry his uncle. This is Hamlets first association of sexuality with his mother. Hamlet sees this as ‘foul incest’ little does he know that he is repressing his own psychosexual feelings. With someone about to take his father’s place, it stirs a long repressed desire of Hamlets to take his father’s place. Gertrude is also a very sexual being, and it is her sexuality that turns Hamlet so violently against her. Claudius is Hamlets uncle, marrying his mother. Hamlet is disgusted by this seemingly incest arrangement and the ghost of Hamlets father seemingly appears calling Claudius, ‘that incestuous, that adulterate beast’. Many critics read the line adulterate beast as proof that Gerturde had been the lover of Claudius even before Hamlet s father had died. However, is Gertrude had been having an affair she would most likely be seen as part of the murder plot. Claudius does not confide in her however leading us to believe she was not in fact an acomplice. This

Growing Of Homelessness In California - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2988 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/03/26 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Homelessness Essay Did you like this example? Homelessness seem to be growing even more throughout the state of California everyday. As i ride the Metro buses with my son no matter where youre going or passing there will be a homeless person sleeping nearby in a tent, Asking for money, or just simply looking in the garbage. People treat the homeless like the plague no one wants to help out of fear that just being near them will make them dirty or sick, It just simply pisses me of to see how they are treated when they are human to that just struggle more than the average human being everyday.. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Growing Of Homelessness In California" essay for you Create order I was able to see first hand have differently a person asks the moment they find out your homeless. Im currently 21 but when i was 16 years old me and my best friend became homeless due to life threatening situations within the foster system, At first we lived with my mother until we were 17 because my mother is bipolar i was getting abused so we packed up our things and tried staying with his family which only worked out for a few months since because was young and had body in her eyes she believed her human would lose interest in her and focus on me instead. So we left the first place we went was near a freeway exit and an ally there was a couch there and we had blankets, So we slept there for a week some lady driving by saw us and went across the street to Carls jr and got us some burgers and gave us 10$ we were thankful but other people werent so kind so we were told to move from that area. So we slept in the park at the science center for 2 days, Then on the rock benches in fr ont of the museum wed charge our phones in the museum and shower at the beach or drop in centers where wed get newer cleaner clothes and every thursday at 12am after the food truck in hollywood we got to get our clothes washed for free and get served free food. We stay in an abandoned house for 4 months and went to the library nearby but smokers found out about our place and we didnt feel safe so my mother bought us a tent and camp stove and gas cans she told us about a place down a dead end street where people live in the tents and from there we lived there for 2 years we always showered and got different clothes so no one ever knew we were homeless until they see us get into our tent. But when friends find out your homeless they start to avoid you and treat you differently see i wasnt homeless because i did drugs or was sleeping around i was homeless because i ran away to live no one really understood that so i got my life together without caring about how i was treated or looked at. So when i pass that area to this day and see the same people that were homeless when i was 18 in there tents it just make me wonder what is the world coming to why arent they working on getting the homeless off the streets with cheaper rent, yet they have a whole apartment rent free for people with STDs i believe thats bullshit how they have their priorities based on the LA Times there are 58,000 homeless people within the Downtown Los angeles area. I mean thats just ridiculous. They have money to build trains and expanding staples center, and low income family housing but they cant build some build housing for the homeless or more shelters and its not like they cant they just dont care or even bother to think about it their are so many families and teenagers on the streets and no one is helping all the places that you can go to for help expect to much from us and theres always a stupid waiting list for everything then you end up waiting for 3 or 13 years because they dont intend to help you get off the streets. I know some homeless people are on the streets because they put themselves there for many reasons i dont understand but a lot of people are homeless because they dont get paid enough to pay rent and get evicted or the city evicted everyone from there home to demolish the building there are many reasons why people are on the streets. Los Angeles, California ranks in as the second largest city in the United States. It is home to 3.8 billion people, including many famous movie stars. Known for being one of the sunniest and most tourist-conscious cities, Los Angeles offers many attractions for visitors problem of homelessness. They hold many sports venues as well, including the Staples Center, which houses the L.A. Lakers and many award shows, like the Grammys. Over the years Los Angeles developed nicknames for its city, such as L.A. and The City of Angels. While some people might call it The City of Angels, others could not disagree more with the nickname. During the daytime Los Angeles is a place of business, upper-class citizens roam the streets and movie producers are filming there next big hit. On the other hand, at nighttime its nothing more than a nightmare you cannot wake up from, thousands of people are left roaming the streets searching for a place to sleep. What we do not typically hear about or see is Los Angeless Skid Row, which hides in the shadows of the downtown skyline. This fifty block section of downtown L.A. holds the largest concentrated area of homeless people in the entire United States los Angeles City of stars. The section of Fifth Street is also referred to as the nickel. It is said that Skid Row is Americas only third world city. Skid Row is nothing more than a result of the neighborhoods gentrification. These horrifying streets are home to the unwanted. Many police officers from other jurisdictions have been seen dumping homeless people in the area they cannot provide correct services to them, so they dump them there. Already overwhelmed with the abundance of homeless people, the county is facing a major problem with social service organizations being short staffed and are experiencing a shortage of funds. Any services that a homeless person might be offered, is located in the downtown area of Los Angeles. The Los angeles police department Chief thought he had found a solution to help local businesses and real estate developers weed out the site of homeless people. He would have anyone arrested for minor infractions, littering, sleeping on sidewalks, and public urination. Unfortunately, his strategies were only wishful thinking. Soon after his rules were put into effect, the city jails were overpopulated with homeless people and could not hold anymore. It was also costing the city more to keep them in jail, than it did to help house them for the night Recent plans for Skid Row have been to build condos and lofts that sell for $700,000. This would completely gentrify the area and push homeless people further away. Without anywhere else in the county offering assistance for the homeless, they have nowhere and no one to turn to for help. Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority could not afford the new rent. They were forced to move because the building was being renovated into condominiu ms. The downtown area is being renovated to attract new businesses, but the downfall of it all is that its causing rental prices to become unaffordable. New homes and condos are priced at an average of $2,000 to $3,000 per month. Los Angeles has the most expensive rental market in the entire state of California. With housing costs on the rise and the supply of affordable housing falling, many people are struggling to keep a roof over their head. Due to the renovations and demolitions, the 28,000 affordable homes L.A. produced from 2001 to 2006 meant nothing, because they lost 11,000 homes in the process research briefly. Los Angeles is demolishing perfectly good homes, during the middle of a housing crisis. Coalition for Economic Survival and Housing LA, have both been fighting to stop renovations and demolitions. Thankfully, the City Planning Department has recently started to deny some request for such demolition. They are also making it a requirement that some of the residences have to be affordable livable place. To restore Los Angeless middle class society, it must provide and create enough affordable housing units. Affordable housing is the ratio of housing costs to household income. Families should not pay more than 30% of their income, but in L.A. most moderate to low income families, pay 50%. For someone to live in a one-bedroom apartment in L.A., they must make a minimum of $48,000 a year livable places. An average family of four with two working parents must make $70,000 a year, just to skim. In 2007, only 3% of homes sold in Los Angeles were affordable for median income families Pricey properties. As the need for housing grows larger the number of homeless people, also increase. Not only are these developers building new condos, but they are evicting residents as well. These families that are being evicted or flat out cannot afford the new pricing are left without a home. Due to the shortage of affordable housing units, the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation formed a lottery for people to have a chance to secure a spot in a new fifty-eight unit subsidized apartment. Lines formed seven hundred people deep, waiting for an application. Even though they might have received an application, that did not mean they were accepted. The housing CEO said that subsidized projects similar to this one were becoming more and more difficult to finance hundreds of people have to wait. For families who do not win the lottery, they are left on the streets and shooed away. Because of the increase and wide spread of non-affordable housing, homelessness is at an all time high. What used to be a designated area for the homeless in Los Angeles, Skid Row, is now a widespread community epidemic. Homelessness is no longer designated to the poorer areas of Los Angeles; the entire county is now seeing, what was once an isolated phenomenon. All eight of the Service Planning Areas have been heavily affected. On an average night in Los Angeles, 73,000 homeless people roam the streets without a place to sleep. Around 40% of the homeless have been this way for less than a year. About half the residents living in L.A. are housing a family member or friend, to keep them off the streets. Los Angeles County supplies 17,000 emergency beds for the homeless. This low amount does not even come close to the demand for them. Shelter Partnership did a study that showed how L.A.s shelters and agencies only accommodate a quarter of homeless families the Los Angeles Unified School District has reported a 35% increase of homeless students. Recent data has revealed that the number of homeless families with children is rising. Between 2006 and 2007 HUD data reported that public schools were teaching an estimated 680,000 children that were either homeless or living in an unstable environment. Studies have shown that homelessness can lower a childs academic performance and reduce high school completion. Homel ess children are nearly three times more likely to suffer from emotional or behavior problems, thus in the long run affecting their education. An estimated amount of 10,000 people were found living in inhabitable areas not only has the lack of affordable housing causes homelessness, but the economy as well. The recession has impacted the job market greatly.This would cause nearly 10 million Americans to live in poverty. The United States is dealing with the highest amount of unemployment rates, it has ever seen. It is likely that the nation will face its highest increase in severe poverty, than it has in the last 30 years. The current recession is more likely to cause the risk of homelessness. Unlike previous recessions that provided safety nets to protect jobless families, the assistance for families now is weaker than ever. The non-profit organization, Chrysalis, provides employment opportunities to help family prevent the risk of becoming homeless. Chrysalis Enterprises is Los Angeles only non-profit organization. Each year, they help over 2,500 people avoid the risks of poverty and homelessness. They provide yearly assistance for transitional jobs to 600 men and women every year. Even though Congress is expected to try and restore several million jobs, an unbelievably high number of people will still be at the risk of becoming homeless. Local and state jurisdictions have arranged interagency plans to prevent homelessness. This has helped reduce the number of unsheltered people in the past, and if proper resources are used than it could lessen the increase of homelessness during the recession. Adequate funding must be provided in order for the interagency plans to function effectively. However, states and localities are dealing with budget shortfalls. The recession has caused them to cut programs and raise taxes to try and keep their budget balanced. Homelessness prevention will without a doubt struggle to maintain, let alone increase proper funding. Between 2007 and 2008 Los Angeles County has reported a 12% increase in welfare assistance for families who are homeless. More families will fall into deep poverty if the unemployment rate keeps rising. An estimated 900,000 to 1.1 million families with children will reach the level of severe poverty if this happens, leaving them with the risk of homelessness and housing instability. Despite falling incomes and rising unemployment, rents are still being driven through the roof. Home foreclosures constantly keep pushing home owners into the rental market. The severe problem with home foreclosures and housing sectors only help cater the increase of homeless families. The demand for rental units will continually grow even though the prices of homes are falling. Families, who would originally be buying homes right now, are renting; they are waiting for the economy and prices to stabilize before doing so. Homelessness will continue to rise during the recession, as long as the housing market maintains its ongoing troubles. One way Los Angeles can help try to prevent homelessness, is by offering housing vouchers. These vouchers can be used for families to pay past due utility bills or rent. Families dealing with foreclosure can be assisted with relocation funds, a one-time cost associated with moving into a new home. Unfortunately, the only way these short-term assistance programs will work, is if families are able to uphold their ongoing rental costs. A recent five year study has proven that housing vouchers are effective in preventing homelessness. The government needs to grant a substantial number of additional vouchers in the economic recovery package. In an economic crisis, such as now, voucher programs work the best. As a familys income changes the amount of subsidy they receive will also change. Costs will also decline as the participants gain employment and their earnings increase. In 2008, Congress provided 15,000 new housing vouchers. Only 2,840 of the new vouchers were given to families with children; the families also had to be connected to the foster system. The rest of the vouchers were set aside for disabled people and homeless veterans. If no special restrictions on eligibility for new vouchers are set by Congress, then state and local agencies that receive the funds will be responsible for disbursing them. It is likely that more than half of the vouchers will be given to poor families with children. Because of the recession, it is unlikely that families will leave the program, but there is still a chance that some families might leave the program for non-economic reasons. The possibility of less people leaving the program than anticipated could result in a need for additional funding, to sustain new vouchers that were not offset. The proposed funding of $2.1 billion is only meant to cover a sixteen month period. If Congress provided a twenty month program, than agencies could accept a higher number of vouchers and further help prevent homelessness in their community. With the new proposal, families would be able to spend more money on food, clothing, and health care. The benefits of trying to eliminate and reduce homelessness would be immediate and long-term. New vouchers would help pump funds back into local economies within a four to six month period. California is such a big state and makes so much money but they just want more and more they rather die out the homeless so they can house the people with money, they have a hand full of housing services for specific people like disabled, pregnant, teenagers, families etc.. but they are very limited and its not very easy you can only get services before your homeless to the fact that you cant buy any food. Thats why when you call or sign up they ask if your homeless or at risk for homelessness meaning or you homeless because rents to high or or you homeless because you dont even have a dollar to your name which is absolute bullshit but apparently thats how the world will be until we get a president that actually want to do something for everyone and not pick and chose Obama cared enough to give homeless people better services and give of free phones thats paid for so they can stay connected to family, friends, and feel normal again. Trump so far isnt on my like list and i have nothing good to say about him, So ill end it here my research shows that California has limited help and care for the homeless they rather push than pull. Which is why homeless people without families commit crimes so they get sent to prison because they get a bed, clothes, shower, and a meal everyday. And California need to start lower the homeless rate before other homeless people start catching on before the p rison and jails start filling up.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 24-29 Free Essays

string(62) " Leonardo Da Vinci claimed she was his finest accomplishment\." CHAPTER 24 Silas gazed upward at the Saint-Sulpice obelisk, taking in the length of the massive marble shaft. His sinews felt taut with exhilaration. He glanced around the church one more time to make sure he was alone. We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code Chapter 24-29 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Then he knelt at the base of the structure, not out of reverence, but out of necessity. The keystone is hidden beneath the Rose Line. At the base of the Sulpice obelisk. All the brothers had concurred. On his knees now, Silas ran his hands across the stone floor. He saw no cracks or markings to indicate a movable tile, so he began rapping softly with his knuckles on the floor. Following the brass line closer to the obelisk, he knocked on each tile adjacent to the brass line. Finally, one of them echoed strangely. There’s a hollow area beneath the floor! Silas smiled. His victims had spoken the truth. Standing, he searched the sanctuary for something with which to break the floor tile. High above Silas, in the balcony, Sister Sandrine stifled a gasp. Her darkest fears had just been confirmed. This visitor was not who he seemed. The mysterious Opus Dei monk had come to Saint- Sulpice for another purpose. A secret purpose. You are not the only one with secrets, she thought. Sister Sandrine Bieil was more than the keeper of this church. She was a sentry. And tonight, the ancient wheels had been set in motion. The arrival of this stranger at the base of the obelisk was a signal from the brotherhood. It was a silent call of distress. CHAPTER 25 The U. S. Embassy in Paris is a compact complex on Avenue Gabriel, just north of the Champs-Elysees. The three-acre compound is considered U. S. soil, meaning all those who stand on it are subject to the same laws and protections as they would encounter standing in the United States. The embassy’s night operator was reading Time magazine’s International Edition when the sound of her phone interrupted. â€Å"U. S. Embassy,† she answered. â€Å"Good evening.† The caller spoke English accented with French. â€Å"I need some assistance.† Despite the politeness of the man’s words, his tone sounded gruff and official. â€Å"I was told you had a phone message for me on your automated system. The name is Langdon. Unfortunately, I have forgotten my three-digit access code. If you could help me, I would be most grateful.† The operator paused, confused. â€Å"I’m sorry, sir. Your message must be quite old. That system was removed two years ago for security precautions. Moreover, all the access codes were five-digit. Who told you we had a message for you?† â€Å"You have no automated phone system?† â€Å"No, sir. Any message for you would be handwritten in our services department. What was your name again?† But the man had hung up. Bezu Fache felt dumbstruck as he paced the banks of the Seine. He was certain he had seen Langdon dial a local number, enter a three-digit code, and then listen to a recording. But if Langdon didn’t phone the embassy, then who the hell did he call? It was at that moment, eyeing his cellular phone, that Fache realized the answers were in the palm of his hand. Langdon used my phone to place that call. Keying into the cell phone’s menu, Fache pulled up the list of recently dialed numbers and found the call Langdon had placed. A Paris exchange, followed by the three-digit code 454. Redialing the phone number, Fache waited as the line began ringing. Finally a woman’s voice answered. â€Å"Bonjour, vous etes bien chez Sophie Neveu,† the recording announced. â€Å"Je suis absente pour le moment, mais†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fache’s blood was boiling as he typed the numbers 4†¦ 5†¦ 4. CHAPTER 26 Despite her monumental reputation, the Mona Lisa was a mere thirty-one inches by twenty-one inches – smaller even than the posters of her sold in the Louvre gift shop. She hung on the northwest wall of the Salle des Etats behind a two-inch-thick pane of protective Plexiglas. Painted on a poplar wood panel, her ethereal, mist-filled atmosphere was attributed to Da Vinci’s mastery of the sfumato style, in which forms appear to evaporate into one another. Since taking up residence in the Louvre, the Mona Lisa – or La Jaconde as they call her in France – had been stolen twice, most recently in 1911, when she disappeared from the Louvre’s† satte impenetrable† – Le Salon Carre. Parisians wept in the streets and wrote newspaper articles begging the thieves for the painting’s return. Two years later, the Mona Lisa was discovered hidden in the false bottom of a trunk in a Florence hotel room. Langdon, now having made it clear to Sophie that he had no intention of leaving, moved with her across the Salle des Etats. The Mona Lisa was still twenty yards ahead when Sophie turned on the black light, and the bluish crescent of penlight fanned out on the floor in front of them. She swung the beam back and forth across the floor like a minesweeper, searching for any hint of luminescent ink. Walking beside her, Langdon was already feeling the tingle of anticipation that accompanied his face-to-face reunions with great works of art. He strained to see beyond the cocoon of purplish light emanating from the black light in Sophie’s hand. To the left, the room’s octagonal viewing divan emerged, looking like a dark island on the empty sea of parquet. Langdon could now begin to see the panel of dark glass on the wall. Behind it, he knew, in the confines of her own private cell, hung the most celebrated painting in the world. The Mona Lisa’s status as the most famous piece of art in the world, Langdon knew, had nothing to do with her enigmatic smile. Nor was it due to the mysterious interpretations attributed her by many art historians and conspiracy buffs. Quite simply, the Mona Lisa was famous because Leonardo Da Vinci claimed she was his finest accomplishment. You read "The Da Vinci Code Chapter 24-29" in category "Essay examples" He carried the painting with him whenever he traveled and, if asked why, would reply that he found it hard to part with his most sublime expression of female beauty. Even so, many art historians suspected Da Vinci’s reverence for the Mona Lisa had nothing to do with its artistic mastery. In actuality, the painting was a surprisingly ordinary sfumato portrait. Da Vinci’s veneration for this work, many claimed, stemmed from something far deeper: a hidden message in the layers of paint. The Mona Lisa was, in fact, one of the world’s most documented inside jokes. The painting’s well-documented collage of double entendres and playful allusions had been revealed in most art history tomes, and yet, incredibly, the public at large still considered her smile a great mystery. No mystery at all, Langdon thought, moving forward and watching as the faint outline of the painting began to take shape. No mystery at all. Most recently Langdon had shared the Mona Lisa’s secret with a rather unlikely group – a dozen inmates at the Essex County Penitentiary. Langdon’s jail seminar was part of a Harvard outreach program attempting to bring education into the prison system – Culture for Convicts, as Langdon’s colleagues liked to call it. Standing at an overhead projector in a darkened penitentiary library, Langdon had shared the MonaLisa’s secret with the prisoners attending class, men whom he found surprisingly engaged – rough, but sharp. â€Å"You may notice,† Langdon told them, walking up to the projected image of the MonaLisa on the library wall,† that the background behind her face is uneven.† Langdon motioned to the glaring discrepancy. â€Å"Da Vinci painted the horizon line on the left significantly lower than the right.† â€Å"He screwed it up?† one of the inmates asked. Langdon chuckled. â€Å"No. Da Vinci didn’t do that too often. Actually, this is a little trick Da Vinci played. By lowering the countryside on the left, Da Vinci made Mona Lisa look much larger from the left side than from the right side. A little Da Vinci inside joke. Historically, the concepts of male and female have assigned sides – left is female, and right is male. Because Da Vinci was a big fan of feminine principles, he made Mona Lisa look more majestic from the left than the right.† â€Å"I heard he was a fag,† said a small man with a goatee. Langdon winced. â€Å"Historians don’t generally put it quite that way, but yes, Da Vinci was a homosexual.† â€Å"Is that why he was into that whole feminine thing?† â€Å"Actually, Da Vinci was in tune with the balance between male and female. He believed that a human soul could not be enlightened unless it had both male and female elements.† â€Å"You mean like chicks with dicks?† someone called. This elicited a hearty round of laughs. Langdon considered offering an etymological sidebar about the word hermaphrodite and its ties to Hermes and Aphrodite, but something told him it would be lost on this crowd. â€Å"Hey, Mr. Langford,† a muscle-bound man said. â€Å"Is it true that the Mona Lisa is a picture of Da Vinci in drag? I heard that was true.† â€Å"It’s quite possible,† Langdon said. â€Å"Da Vinci was a prankster, and computerized analysis of the Mona Lisa and Da Vinci’s self-portraits confirm some startling points of congruency in their faces. Whatever Da Vinci was up to,† Langdon said,† his Mona Lisa is neither male nor female. It carries a subtle message of androgyny. It is a fusing of both.† â€Å"You sure that’s not just some Harvard bullshit way of saying Mona Lisa is one ugly chick.† Now Langdon laughed. â€Å"You may be right. But actually Da Vinci left a big clue that the painting was supposed to be androgynous. Has anyone here ever heard of an Egyptian god named Amon?† â€Å"Hell yes!† the big guy said. â€Å"God of masculine fertility!† Langdon was stunned. â€Å"It says so on every box of Amon condoms.† The muscular man gave a wide grin. â€Å"It’s got a guy with a ram’s head on the front and says he’s the Egyptian god of fertility.† Langdon was not familiar with the brand name, but he was glad to hear the prophylactic manufacturers had gotten their hieroglyphs right. â€Å"Well done. Amon is indeed represented as a man with a ram’s head, and his promiscuity and curved horns are related to our modern sexual slang’ horny. â€Å"No shit!† â€Å"No shit,† Langdon said. â€Å"And do you know who Amon’s counterpart was? The Egyptian goddessof fertility?† The question met with several seconds of silence. â€Å"It was Isis,† Langdon told them, grabbing a grease pen. â€Å"So we have the male god, Amon.† He wrote it down. â€Å"And the female goddess, Isis, whose ancient pictogram was once called L’ISA.† Langdon finished writing and stepped back from the projector. AMON L’ISA â€Å"Ring any bells?† he asked. â€Å"Mona Lisa†¦ holy crap,† somebody gasped. Langdon nodded. â€Å"Gentlemen, not only does the face of Mona Lisa look androgynous, but her name is an anagram of the divine union of male and female. And that, my friends, is Da Vinci’s little secret, and the reason for Mona Lisa’s knowing smile.† â€Å"My grandfather was here,† Sophie said, dropping suddenly to her knees, now only ten feet from the Mona Lisa.She pointed the black light tentatively to a spot on the parquet floor. At first Langdon saw nothing. Then, as he knelt beside her, he saw a tiny droplet of dried liquid that was luminescing. Ink? Suddenly he recalled what black lights were actually used for. Blood. His senses tingled. Sophie was right. Jacques Sauniere had indeed paid a visit to the Mona Lisabefore he died. â€Å"He wouldn’t have come here without a reason,† Sophie whispered, standing up. â€Å"I know he left a message for me here.† Quickly striding the final few steps to the Mona Lisa, she illuminated the floor directly in front of the painting. She waved the light back and forth across the bare parquet. â€Å"There’s nothing here!† At that moment, Langdon saw a faint purple glimmer on the protective glass before the Mona Lisa. Reaching down, he took Sophie’s wrist and slowly moved the light up to the painting itself. They both froze. On the glass, six words glowed in purple, scrawled directly across the Mona Lisa’s face. CHAPTER 27 Seated at Sauniere’s desk, Lieutenant Collet pressed the phone to his ear in disbelief. Did I hearFache correctly?† A bar of soap? But how could Langdon have known about the GPS dot?† â€Å"Sophie Neveu,† Fache replied. â€Å"She told him.† â€Å"What! Why?† â€Å"Damned good question, but I just heard a recording that confirms she tipped him off.† Collet was speechless. What was Neveu thinking? Fache had proof that Sophie had interfered with a DCPJ sting operation? Sophie Neveu was not only going to be fired, she was also going to jail. â€Å"But, Captain†¦ then where is Langdon now?† â€Å"Have any fire alarms gone off there?† â€Å"No, sir.† â€Å"And no one has come out under the Grand Gallery gate?† â€Å"No. We’ve got a Louvre security officer on the gate. Just as you requested.† â€Å"Okay, Langdon must still be inside the Grand Gallery.† â€Å"Inside? But what is he doing?† â€Å"Is the Louvre security guard armed?† â€Å"Yes, sir. He’s a senior warden.† â€Å"Send him in,† Fache commanded. â€Å"I can’t get my men back to the perimeter for a few minutes, and I don’t want Langdon breaking for an exit.† Fache paused. â€Å"And you’d better tell the guard Agent Neveu is probably in there with him.† â€Å"Agent Neveu left, I thought.† â€Å"Did you actually see her leave?† â€Å"No, sir, but – â€Å"Well, nobody on the perimeter saw her leave either. They only saw her go in.† Collet was flabbergasted by Sophie Neveu’s bravado. She’s still inside the building? â€Å"Handle it,† Fache ordered. â€Å"I want Langdon and Neveu at gunpoint by the time I get back.† As the Trailor truck drove off, Captain Fache rounded up his men. Robert Langdon had proven an elusive quarry tonight, and with Agent Neveu now helping him, he might be far harder to corner than expected. Fache decided not to take any chances. Hedging his bets, he ordered half of his men back to the Louvre perimeter. The other half he sent to guard the only location in Paris where Robert Langdon could find safe harbor. CHAPTER 28 Inside the Salle des Etats, Langdon stared in astonishment at the six words glowing on the Plexiglas. The text seemed to hover in space, casting a jagged shadow across Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile. â€Å"The Priory,† Langdon whispered. â€Å"This proves your grandfather was a member!† Sophie looked at him in confusion. â€Å"You understand this?† â€Å"It’s flawless,† Langdon said, nodding as his thoughts churned. â€Å"It’s a proclamation of one of the Priory’s most fundamental philosophies!† Sophie looked baffled in the glow of the message scrawled across the Mona Lisa’s face. SO DARK THE CON OF MAN â€Å"Sophie,† Langdon said,† the Priory’s tradition of perpetuating goddess worship is based on a belief that powerful men in the early Christian church ‘conned’ the world by propagating lies that devalued the female and tipped the scales in favor of the masculine.† Sophie remained silent, staring at the words.† The Priory believes that Constantine and his male successors successfully converted the world from matriarchal paganism to patriarchal Christianity by waging a campaign of propaganda that demonized the sacred feminine, obliterating the goddess from modern religion forever.† Sophie’s expression remained uncertain. â€Å"My grandfather sent me to this spot to find this. He must be trying to tell me more than that.† Langdon understood her meaning. She thinks this is another code.Whether a hidden meaning existed here or not, Langdon could not immediately say. His mind was still grappling with the bold clarity of Sauniere’s outward message. So dark the con of man, he thought. So dark indeed. Nobody could deny the enormous good the modern Church did in today’s troubled world, and yet the Church had a deceitful and violent history. Their brutal crusade to† reeducate† the pagan and feminine-worshipping religions spanned three centuries, employing methods as inspired as they were horrific. The Catholic Inquisition published the book that arguably could be called the most blood-soaked publication in human history. Malleus Maleficarum – or The Witches’ Hammer – indoctrinated the world to† the dangers of freethinking women† and instructed the clergy how to locate, torture, and destroy them. Those deemed† witches† by the Church included all female scholars, priestesses, gypsies, mystics, nature lovers, herb gatherers, and any women† suspiciously attuned to the natural world.† Midwives also were killed for their heretical practice of using medical knowledge to ease the pain of childbirth – a suffering, the Church claimed, that was God’s rightful punishment for Eve’s partaking of the Apple of Knowledge, thus giving birth to the idea of Original Sin. During three hundred years of witch hunts, the Church burned at the stake an astounding five million women. The propaganda and bloodshed had worked. Today’s world was living proof. Women, once celebrated as an essential half of spiritual enlightenment, had been banished from the temples of the world. There were no female Orthodox rabbis, Catholic priests, nor Islamic clerics. The once hallowed act of Hieros Gamos – the natural sexual union between man and woman through which each became spiritually whole – had been recast as a shameful act. Holy men who had once required sexual union with their female counterparts to commune with God now feared their natural sexual urges as the work of the devil, collaborating with his favorite accomplice†¦ woman. Not even the feminine association with the left-hand side could escape the Church’s defamation. In France and Italy, the words for† left† – gauche and sinistra – came to have deeply negative overtones, while their right-hand counterparts rang of righteousness, dexterity, and correctness. To this day, radical thought was considered left wing, irrational thought was left brain, and anything evil, sinister. The days of the goddess were over. The pendulum had swung. Mother Earth had become a man’s world, and the gods of destruction and war were taking their toll. The male ego had spent two millennia running unchecked by its female counterpart. The Priory of Sion believed that it was this obliteration of the sacred feminine in modern life that had caused what the Hopi Native Americans called koyanisquatsi – â€Å"life out of balance† – an unstable situation marked by testosterone-fueled wars, a plethora of misogynistic societies, and a growing disrespect for Mother Earth. â€Å"Robert!† Sophie said, her whisper yanking him back. â€Å"Someone’s coming!† He heard the approaching footsteps out in the hallway.† Over here!† Sophie extinguished the black light and seemed to evaporate before Langdon’s eyes. For an instant he felt totally blind. Over where! As his vision cleared he saw Sophie’s silhouette racing toward the center of the room and ducking out of sight behind the octagonal viewing bench. He was about to dash after her when a booming voice stopped him cold. â€Å"Arretez!† a man commanded from the doorway. The Louvre security agent advanced through the entrance to the Salle des Etats, his pistol outstretched, taking deadly aim at Langdon’s chest. Langdon felt his arms raise instinctively for the ceiling. â€Å"Couchez-vous!† the guard commanded. â€Å"Lie down!† Langdon was face first on the floor in a matter of seconds. The guard hurried over and kicked his legs apart, spreading Langdon out. â€Å"Mauvaise idee, Monsieur Langdon,†he said, pressing the gun hard into Langdon’s back.† Mauvaise idee.† Face down on the parquet floor with his arms and legs spread wide, Langdon found little humor in the irony of his position. The Vitruvian Man, he thought. Face down. CHAPTER 29 Inside Saint-Sulpice, Silas carried the heavy iron votive candle holder from the altar back toward the obelisk. The shaft would do nicely as a battering ram. Eyeing the gray marble panel that covered the apparent hollow in the floor, he realized he could not possibly shatter the covering without making considerable noise. Iron on marble. It would echo off the vaulted ceilings. Would the nun hear him? She should be asleep by now. Even so, it was a chance Silas preferred not to take. Looking around for a cloth to wrap around the tip of the iron pole, he saw nothing except the altar’s linen mantle, which he refused to defile. My cloak, he thought. Knowing he was alone in the great church, Silas untied his cloak and slipped it off his body. As he removed it, he felt a sting as the wool fibers stuck to the fresh wounds on his back. Naked now, except for his loin swaddle, Silas wrapped his cloak over the end of the iron rod. Then, aiming at the center of the floor tile, he drove the tip into it. A muffled thud. The stone did not break. He drove the pole into it again. Again a dull thud, but this time accompanied by a crack. On the third swing, the covering finally shattered, and stone shards fell into a hollow area beneath the floor. A compartment! Quickly pulling the remaining pieces from the opening, Silas gazed into the void. His blood pounded as he knelt down before it. Raising his pale bare arm, he reached inside. At first he felt nothing. The floor of the compartment was bare, smooth stone. Then, feeling deeper, reaching his arm in under the Rose Line, he touched something! A thick stone tablet. Getting his fingers around the edge, he gripped it and gently lifted the tablet out. As he stood and examined his find, he realized he was holding a rough-hewn stone slab with engraved words. He felt for an instant like a modern-day Moses. As Silas read the words on the tablet, he felt surprise. He had expected the keystone to be a map, or a complex series of directions, perhaps even encoded. The keystone, however, bore the simplest of inscriptions. Job 38:11 A Bible verse? Silas was stunned with the devilish simplicity. The secret location of that which they sought was revealed in a Bible verse? The brotherhood stopped at nothing to mock the righteous! Job. Chapter thirty-eight. Verse eleven. Although Silas did not recall the exact contents of verse eleven by heart, he knew the Book of Job told the story of a man whose faith in God survived repeated tests. Appropriate, he thought, barely able to contain his excitement. Looking over his shoulder, he gazed down the shimmering Rose Line and couldn’t help but smile. There atop the main altar, propped open on a gilded book stand, sat an enormous leather-bound Bible. Up in the balcony, Sister Sandrine was shaking. Moments ago, she had been about to flee and carryout her orders, when the man below suddenly removed his cloak. When she saw his alabaster-white flesh, she was overcome with a horrified bewilderment. His broad, pale back was soaked with blood-red slashes. Even from here she could see the wounds were fresh. This man has been mercilessly whipped! She also saw the bloody cilice around his thigh, the wound beneath it dripping. What kind of God would want a body punished this way? The rituals of Opus Dei, Sister Sandrine knew, were not something she would ever understand. But that was hardly her concern at this instant. Opus Dei is searching for the keystone.How they knew of it, Sister Sandrine could not imagine, although she knew she did not have time to think. The bloody monk was now quietly donning his cloak again, clutching his prize as he moved toward the altar, toward the Bible. In breathless silence, Sister Sandrine left the balcony and raced down the hall to her quarters. Getting on her hands and knees, she reached beneath her wooden bed frame and retrieved the sealed envelope she had hidden there years ago. Tearing it open, she found four Paris phone numbers. Trembling, she began to dial. Downstairs, Silas laid the stone tablet on the altar and turned his eager hands to the leather Bible. His long white fingers were sweating now as he turned the pages. Flipping through the Old Testament, he found the Book of Job. He located chapter thirty-eight. As he ran his finger down the column of text, he anticipated the words he was about to read. They will lead the way! Finding verse number eleven, Silas read the text. It was only seven words. Confused, he read it again, sensing something had gone terribly wrong. The verse simply read: HITHERTO SHALT THOU COME, BUT NO FURTHER. How to cite The Da Vinci Code Chapter 24-29, Essay examples

Marketing Intercontinental Hotels Resorts â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Marketing Intercontinental Hotels Resorts? Answer: Introduction InterContinental hotels and resorts are well-established hotel group in United Kingdom. The group has more than 180 hotels, which are situated in over 60 nations worldwide. Since more than 70 years, this brand is one of the major luxurious hotel brands in the world. The hotel organization is very popular because of its excellent hospitality services and operations. The company is engaged in green activities and operations (InterContinental Hotels Resorts, 2017). In addition, it is engaged in responsible business by conducting various environment friendly activities, like; online sustainability systems, green engage system etc. This report includes different service aspects for InterContinental Hotels and Resorts. It presents the services of organization by creating a service blueprint for the organization. From the flow charts of previous assessment, it includes functions of front stage and back stage departments. In addition, it discusses the moments of truth of the service organiz ation and there are some determinants of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. At the end, the report describes the service-recovery strategy plan for InterContinental Hotels. Blue Print for Service Organization Service blueprint is a diagram for representing the services process of a services organization. A service blueprint includes various aspects of service process, like; process of service offering, customer contact points and evidence of the services for the customers perspective. Service blueprint works as a tool, which offers guidance to the organization, how a service will be offered and specifies human resource actions, physical evidence of services, infrastructure and support system that is required to deliver services (Amin Zahora Nasharuddin, 2013). Using service blueprint can be beneficial in the stage of service concept development, while planning for a new service. InterContinental Hotels and resorts are the well-known hotels in the United Kingdom hotel and hospitality industry. This hotel group ensures that all the booking and reservations will be made on the websites of hotel that provides the guests and tourists with the best prices and offers for rooms and suites according to date and choices of guests. This online reservation process assists the public to find out the affordable rate online and book the rooms confirmed in local currency of hotel organization (Baum, 2016). In creating a service blueprint, cross functional teams and customers will be engaged in demonstrating the entire hotel service. InterContinental Hotels is creating service blueprint that includes all the related aspects of the organization. The service blueprint of this hotel consists of all customer contact points, physical evidence, support processes and other related processes including customer experiences. Most of the processes at InterContinental Hotels are determined by service encounter between customers and employees (Bitner Wang, 2014). However, the hotel has successfully developed an organizational culture and structure, which assists service model of the company and has implemented effective marketing strategies to depend on this organizational culture and brand image. The below-given diagram presents the service blueprint of InterContinental Hotels. It includes various processes and components, which are stated below; Figure 1: Service Blueprint of InterContinental Hotels Actions of customers This aspect of service blueprint includes all the actions, which are taken by the customers and guests during delivery of service. In the case of InterContinental Hotels, guests actions begin from the time, when they enter into premises of hotel (Dhar, 2015). The guests are greeted at the door of hotel and taken to reception. Then after, customers interact with receptionist to check the booking in the case of online booking. The receptionist processes the check-in and registration procedure. This procedure includes the assigning the room, give the keys and sending the bags to room. In this context, the guests can visit the restaurant area of hotel and they can use other fun and entertainment activities at InterContinental (Gunarathne, 2014). Physical Evidence Physical evidence at InterContinental includes all the things, which a guest can utilize and see to affect his perception for delivery of service. At InterContinental, the guests will utilize the personality and body language of employees as physical evidence to perceive the services. In addition, physical evidence may include all the tangible elements at hotel, like; ambience, furniture and other physical evidences at hotel. Employee Actions Employee actions can be divided into two parts, like; Invisible contact employee actions and visible contact employee actions. Visible employee actions are the face to face interactions between employees and guests at hotel (Grnroos and Grnroos, 2016). At InterContinental, it includes the front office communications, like; interaction with housekeeping staff, dining facilities and entertainment and recreational activities interactions. Moreover, invisible employee actions are the indirect communication between customers and employees. At InterContinental, it includes emails and telephone calls, which are shared between employees and guests. Support processes Support processes are the processes, which are taken behind the service delivery and these processes do not include direct interaction with the guests. In the case of InterContinental Hotel, the support processes may include HR and finance processes. Supporting processes are necessary for the service to be offered (Jaakkola, Helkkula Aarikka-Stenroos, 2015). Front and back stage functions Service companies are primarily divided in two different divisions, i.e. front stage operations and back stage operations. Front stage includes all the processes, which are utilized to interact with the customers at organization. Moreover, back stage division deal with the processes and services, which are not interacted with the customers. The employees in this division have the abilities and skills of how the services are offered. Front stage and back stage operations at InterContinental Hotels are stated below; Front Stage Functions In a service organization, front stage functions make up most of the service delivery process. Front stage functions at InterContinental Hotels start with the employee actions and customer actions. It includes welcoming and greeting customers with a smiling face, checking the guests in, recording their personal information, baggage delivery, inquiring the guests etc. All these actions are front stage practices between employees and guests. In front desk operations, each and every process will deliver the physical evidence that a guest can use to make their attitude and perception regarding service (Kindstrm and Kowalkowski, 2014). InterContinental Hotel considers that front stage processes are more work-focused, because the staff needs to become multitasking and managing the guests. Figure 2: Front Stage Flow Chart Back Stage Functions Back Stage functions are the functions, which include the operations, processes by the supporting divisions in the organization. The people in back office department are the predecessor to the functions of front stage department in the process of service delivery. These activities are not seen by the guests (Lovelock Patterson, 2015). At InterContinental Hotels, the back stage operations include maintaining the information and records of customers, Finance, HR, housekeeping etc. Figure 3: Back Stage Flow Chart These functions are not experienced by the customers face to face or directly. These processes are significant for assisting the front stage operations. For instance, cleaning and better housekeeping is essential to aid the front stage operations. The organization needs to manage its front and back stage operations effectively to enhance its brand value and to attain profitability. Moments of Truth for Organization Moment of truth in service focused organizations refer to the phase of interaction between organization and customers. This type of interaction will result in creation of attitude and perception from the view of customer or leave an impression to the customers. A moment of truth determines the perception and views of customers about an organization. It develops a two way communication between organization and customers (Mattsson and Chadee, 2015). In the case of InterContinental Hotels, each and every invisible or face to face communication between employee and guest creates a moment of truth. It includes the employee actions, customer actions and invisible actions. The company is offering the facility that people can make their booking on hotels website. These online services also work as moment of truth for InterContinental Hotels. The reservation systems and website functions simultaneously form the moments of truth. At InterContinental, front stage functions form the service process of the organization, so these processes play a vital role in forming the moment of truth. At a hotel organization, moments of truth can be both good and bad as well. However, it is necessary for InterContinental Hotels and Resorts to enhance the positive and better moments of truth to become successful in the competitive hospitality industry. Identifying these positive moments of truth helps the organization in ensuring the satisfaction level o f guests and it will return to the service organization, i.e. InterContinental Hotels in the near future (Mattsson and Sderlund, 2017). Determinants of satisfaction/dissatisfaction In hospitality business, guest satisfaction is considered as a major factor for the any service organization. In this case, the service organization that is taken into consideration is InterContinental Hotels in United Kingdom. This organization operates its hotels and resorts at international level, so it is significant to maintain the higher standards of customer satisfaction through service providers. There are some key determinants, which can be used to analyze the satisfaction and dissatisfaction level of the service organization. InterContinental Hotel is also using these determinants of satisfaction or dissatisfaction (Mattsson and Chadee, 2015). Profitability Profitability of an organization indicates the success and growth level of an organization. Sales and revenues off an organization are direct factors, which determine the satisfaction of guests, who are staying at InterContinental hotels. Market Share Same as, market share is also a major factor in evaluating the customer satisfaction. InterContinental Hotels is a leading player in UK hotel industry and worldwide. The major determinant of satisfaction and success will be market share of the organization that it enjoys over its competitors in the industry, like; Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites etc. If the company has higher market share, then it will assist the organization in proving higher level of customer satisfaction about the services offered (Mok, Sparks and Kadampully, 2013). Repeat Intention of customers Higher repeat intention of guests is also a direct determinant of satisfaction of guests at InterContinental Hotels. If the guests choose to stay at InterContinental Hotels UK again and again, it indicates that they are happy and satisfied with their services. Whenever, they travel to the city, they book the hotels under InterContinental Group, it shows that guests are satisfied with the delivery of service and brand promise. Customer referrals In the process of customer referrals, the existing customers recommend hotels services to their relatives and family if they like it and satisfied with the services. In an organization, a higher extent of customer referral shows the higher satisfaction towards services (Srensen, Sundbo and Mattsson, 2013). Customer feedback Customer feedback also works as a direct determinant of the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of guests for the services, which are offered by this service organization. An increased level of customer complaints is a red flag for the hotel. So, the organization should deal with these issues immediately because they can influence the business and its brand image. RATER Model RATER model includes five different dimensions, like; reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. Along with this, RATER model can assist in identifying the measures of the services quality and gaps in quality of service. It assists the hotel to enhance service delivery model to get the success. By the use of RATER model, the organization can identify the gaps in service quality (Sun, Tong and Law, 2017). These gaps are like; gaps between abilities of management and knowledge and lack of confidence and trust between employees and customers, gaps between customer expectations and tangibles, possible gaps between communication between employees and guests at hotels etc. It is essential to decrease the gaps to enhance the quality of services being rendered. InterContinental Hotels makes investment in training and development program for employees. For this the company will place service recovery plan and strategies, which are stated below; Service-recovery strategy plan For a service organization, service encounters are significant moment of truth in which people generally develop everlasting impressions of organization. Good and positive service encounters are vital for the success of business operations. So, it is essential for the management to keep an insight on the service encounter and make sure that it offering high standards and quality of hospitality services to customers. Unsuccessful and unproductive service processes can lead to significant cost to the hotel by performing the service again, becoming mandatory to reimburse the guests for poor service (Sun, Tong and Law, 2017). The managers at InterContinental Hotels must make sure that service encounter at hotel is up to the mark and fulfill the needs and expectations of guests. Managers require being cautious about adverse conditions, which may generate in service delivery and make sure that they have a service recovery plan and strategies. In its service recovery plan of InterContinental hotel, the organization needs to make focus on three major areas; Interactions with Guests Services and processes Employee Management At InterContinental Hotels, if a condition arises, where a customer is dissatisfied with the services, so it is essential to take an action to recapture the trust of customers to enhance their positive attitudes and perceptions. In its service recovery plan of InterContinental Hotel, first step is for the employees to accept their faults and mistakes and apologize to the guests and management. It is significant to consider that dissatisfied guests want to be heard very closely and hopes the employees will be honestly sorry. The customers think that they are correct and generate specific expectations of staff to resolve the issues (Wong, 2013). Under service recovery strategy, another aspect is related to having a plan to resolve processes and service failure. It is essential to enhance the processes and activities, which caused adverse situations in service system. It is as significant as recovering the dissatisfied customer. The last strategy includes combination of two strategies, which is related to employee management. Training department and management should continuously educate and train the employees at hotel to become cautious about the potential adverse situations and manage their behavioral and personality traits. In brief, an effective service recovery plan needs complaint acknowledgement, apology, better steps to process suitable actions, analysis and interaction with employees and staff. Conclusion From the above report, it can be concluded that InterContinental Hotels and Resorts are adopting and implementing effective services strategies. In its services blueprint, the organization is focusing on various aspects, when the service is rendered to the guests. The report includes all the functions of front stage and back stage department of the organization. All the functions are divided into departments effectively. The service system is effective for sustainable service delivery and business. The service recovery plan will assist the organization in resolving the issues related to service failure. 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