Health Care Industrys Environmental Footprint Health And Social Care Essay

In this article, the writers address the importance of nurses being a portion of the Electronic Health Records ( EHR ) procedure. Having nurses as the major portion in direct patient attention and their input on the design and execution of the EHR. The article besides talks about the Health Information Technology ( HIT ) and the authoritiess push to standardise records. The demand to diminish unneeded trial or extra trials from different suppliers is at the head of this end. The Federal authorities passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health ( HITECH ) Act as an inducement to Medicare and Medicaid suppliers to implement EHR in their patterns. The article besides discusses many facets of the nurses ‘ day-to-day occupation demands and how this EHR enhances or deters from direct patient attention.Turley, M. , Porter, C. , Garrido, T. , Gerwig, K. , Young, S. , Radler, L. , & A ; Shaber, R. ( 2011 ) . Use Of Electronic Health Records Can Improve The Health Care Industry ‘s Environmental Footprint. Health Affairs, 30 ( 5 ) , 938-46. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/868915481? accountid=40921In this article the writers province â€Å" We estimate that Kaiser Permanente ‘s electronic wellness record system, which covers 8.7 million donees, eliminated 1,000 dozenss of paper records and 68 dozenss of x-ray movie, and that it has lowered gasoline ingestion among patients who otherwise would hold made trips to the physician by at least three million gallons per twelvemonth † ( Turley et al. , 2011, p. 938 ) . Kaiser Permanente is a California leader in the Health Care Industry. The article states the Federal Government inducements to go electronic in all wellness records get downing in 2011, from the HITECH and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( ARRA ) . This article looks into the environmental effect s of EHR has on â€Å" resource ingestion and nursery gas coevals or preservation † ( Turley et al. , 2011, p. 938 ) . â€Å" THE ECO-HEALTH FOOTPRINT The Eco-Health Footprint has been developed by the Global Safety and Health Initiative, a partnership of nongovernmental organisations dedicated to bettering the wellness attention industry ‘s environmental impact and patients ‘ and workers ‘ wellness and safety.3 The Eco-Health Footprint identifies six major classs of environmental impact within wellness attention. The six are nursery gases, including anaesthetic and medical gases ; waste, including solid, regulated medical, risky, electronic, building and destruction, and reclaimable waste ; toxic chemicals ; H2O usage, including H2O used in medical procedures, imbibing H2O, and effluent ; air pollutants regulated by national air-quality criterions, such as ozone, particulate affair, C monoxide, N dioxide, S dioxide, and lead ; 8 and the usage of land for e difices † ( Turley et al. , 2011, p. 940 ) . The survey shows the effects the computing machines have on the nursery consequence on the Earth. It besides shows the still continued usage of paper during outpatient visits with printed patient drumhead sheets. They have noticed a lessening in transit usage and lessening in gas ingestion for less travel for unneeded visits to the office. The survey shows that by utilizing EHR, the state would profit from a greener environment. DesRoches, C. M. , Campbell, E. G. , Vogeli, C. , Aheng, J. , Rao, S. R. , Shields, A. E. , †¦ Jha, A. K. ( 2010, April ) . Electronic Health Records ‘ Limitedd Successes Suggest More Targeted Uses. Health Affairs, 29 ( 4 ) , 639-46. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/204623833? accounted-40921 In this article the writers examine the demand for EHR to increase the quality of patient attention and more policies to see this can be obtained. The article besides examines that in smaller establishments there is limited information sing the usage of EHR and meaningful usage. â€Å" Therefore, we used informations from our recent national study of electronic wellness record acceptance among acute attention infirmaries to look into the relationship between the acceptance of electronic wellness records and cardinal single maps, and available steps of wellness attention quality and efficiency. Specifically, we assessed whether electronic wellness record acceptance was associated with better public presentation on standard process-of-care steps, lower mortality and readmission rates, shorter lengths-of-stay, and lower inmate costs † ( DesRoches et al. , 2010, p. 639 ) . The survey consequences showed there was no existent difference in attention between infirmaries that have EH R and those who did non hold EHR.Fleming, N. S. , Culler, S. D. , McCorkle, R. , Becker, E. R. , & A ; Ballard, D. J. ( 2011, March ) . The Financial And Nonfinancial Costs Of Implementing Electronic Health Record In Primary Care Practices. Health Affairs, 30 ( 3 ) , 481-9. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/857836970? accountid=40921The writers researched barriers to physician offices to implementing EHR. The top barriers noted by doctors in different metropoliss were deficiency of support, the high startup costs and that the system they choose will be disused before they can implement the service. The biggest factor in researching this was to garner three groups, a physician advisory group, and an ambulatory electronic wellness record commission and the Healthtexas Best Care Committee to implement bundles needed to upgrade to the EHR. The writers besides took fiscal records to see how much clip was spent by each individual and the cost th at was accrued because of it. â€Å" The Department of Health and Human Services is making regional extension centres to help suppliers with the acceptance of electronic wellness record systems. † This coaction has the possible to turn to many of the challenges to electronic wellness record execution faced by single suppliers or little physician patterns † ( Fleming, Culler, McCorkle, Becker, & A ; Ballard, 2011, p. 488 ) . Lowery, M. , Dobbs, J. , & A ; Monkhouse, A. ( 2012, September ) . Implanting An Electronic Health Record Within A Health Visiting Service: The Journal of the Health Visitor ‘s Association. Community Practitioner, 85 ( 9 ) , 20-3. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/1039540619? accountid=40921 The writers attempt to implement an EHR in two counties in London to a visiting nurses association. As with concerns from the United States, London besides demanded rigorous privateness and protection of patient records throughout the procedure of implementing EHR. The biggest push for EHR was for child wellness, school nursing and wellness visiting nurses. They formed a undertaking board to oversee and give advice on what was needed in the EHR. During the first stage of the undertaking they found they did non hold specific adequate standard for what the Health Visitor ‘s Association needed. Part of the 2nd stage was to engage IT Facilitators to take the notes from stage 1 and incorporate what was needed to back up their demands. The writers found they are able to implant an EHR into sing nurses and comply with all regulations on safe guarding patient security and maintain accurate charting. Bruen, B. K. , Ku, L. , Burke, M. F. , & A ; Buntin, M. ( 2011, March ) . More Than Four In Five Office-Based Doctor Could Qualify for Federal Electronic Health Record Incentives. Health Affairs, 30 ( 3 ) , 472-80. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/857837337? accountid=40921The writer states that physician offices that care for Medicare and Medicaid patients can measure up for inducements to implement EHR into their offices from the authorities. Doctors have felt they lack information sing EHR in their private patterns related to whether systems will suit their demands, cost and the worth of the investing. These concerns were addressed by HITECH by holding federal criterions for EHR and inducements for cost of execution. The inducement for holding EHR is doctors who treat Medicare patients will have up to $ 18,000 by 2012 and worsening sums over the following four old ages after that. Besides if a doctor does non hold an EHR by 2015 will ha ve reduced Medicare benefits. There are besides inducements for doctors who treat 30 % Medicaid patients will have up to $ 21,250. Pediatricians who see 20-30 per centum of Medicaid patients besides qualify for an inducement but at a lower fee. The writer found that about 82 per centum of doctors were eligible for the authorities inducement program.Song, PhD, P. H. , McAlearney, ScD, A. , Robbins, J. , McCullough, PhD, J. S. , & A ; Smith, B. T. ( 2011, May/June ) . Researching The Business Case for Ambulatory Electronic Health Record System Adoption/Practioner Application. Journal of Healthcare Management, 56 ( 3 ) , 169-82.â€Å" The intent of this survey was to analyze the function of concern instance analysis in healthcare organisations ‘ determinations to put in ambulatory EHR systems, and to place what factors organisations considered when warranting an ambulatory EHR † ( Song, McAlearney, Robbins, McCullough, & A ; Smith, 2011, p. 169 ) . Research workers have sh own that doctors have shown a deficiency of positive return in their investing is a hindrance in implementing EHR. Because of the deficiency of information for a concern instance, the writer looks into how healthcare organisations can warrant puting in ambulatory EHR. Anticipated reimbursement alterations were one of the largest factors for a concern instance in implementing an ambulatory EHR system. Besides the estimated authorities stimulation bundle was another inducement in implementing and ambulatory EHR system. â€Å" all organisations we studied perceived that a positive concern instance for EHR system acceptance existed, and this positive concern instance was driven by considerations about indirect fiscal benefits † ( Song et al. , 2011, p. 182 ) .ReferencesBruen, B. K. , Ku, L. , Burke, M. F. , & A ; Buntin, M. ( 2011, March ) . More Than Four In Five Office-Based Doctor Could Qualify for Federal Electronic Health Record Incentives. Health Affairs, 30 ( 3 ) , 472-80. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/857837337? accountid=40921 DesRoches, C. M. , Campbell, E. G. , Vogeli, C. , Aheng, J. , Rao, S. R. , Shields, A. E. , †¦ Jha, A. K. ( 2010, April ) . Electronic Health Records ‘ Limitedd Successes Suggest More Targeted Uses. Health Affairs, 29 ( 4 ) , 639-46. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/204623833? accounted-40921 Fleming, N. S. , Culler, S. D. , McCorkle, R. , Becker, E. R. , & A ; Ballard, D. J. ( 2011, March ) . The Financial And Nonfinancial Costs Of Implementing Electronic Health Record In Primary Care Practices. Health Affairs, 30 ( 3 ) , 481-9. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/857836970? accountid=40921 Lowery, M. , Dobbs, J. , & A ; Monkhouse, A. ( 2012, September ) . Implanting An Electronic Health Record Within A Health Visiting Service: The Journal of the Health Visitor ‘s Association. Community Practitioner, 85 ( 9 ) , 20-3. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/1039540619? accountid=40921 McBride, PhD, RN, S. , Delaney, BSN, RN-BC, J. M. , & A ; Tietze, PhD, RN-BC, FHIMSS, M. ( 2012 ) . Health Information Technology and Nursing. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 112 ( 8 ) , 36-42. hypertext transfer protocol: //dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ0000418095.31317.1b Song, PhD, P. H. , McAlearney, ScD, A. , Robbins, J. , McCullough, PhD, J. S. , & A ; Smith, B. T. ( 2011, May/June ) . Researching The Business Case for Ambulatory Electronic Health Record System Adoption/Practioner Application. Journal of Healthcare Management, 56 ( 3 ) , 169-82. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/870480359? accountid=40921 Turley, M. , Porter, C. , Garrido, T. , Gerwig, K. , Young, S. , Radler, L. , & A ; Shaber, R. ( 2011 ) . Use Of Electronic Health Records Can Improve The Health Care Industry ‘s Environmental Footprint. Health Affairs, 30 ( 5 ) , 938-46. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //persimmon.tesc.edu:2059/docview/868915481? accountid=40921

The Avengers Review

The Avengers PG-13 Nick Mantegani 5/7/2012 EN121 The Avengers is a Sci-Fi/Action movie directed by Joss Whedon. It is rated PG-13. The movie stars a vast assortment of stars, including Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson and more. It was released in May 2012, and is available in a 3D format. The Avengers is the first movie in an ongoing series.The film acts as a sort of sequel to several films made by Marvel Comics, including Iron Man and Iron Man 2 (starring Downey, 2008 and 2010, respectively), The Incredible Hulk (Edward Norton, though the character has been replaced by Mark Ruffalo, 2008), Thor (Chris Hemsworth, 2011), and Captain America: The First Avenger (Evans, 2011). In The Avengers, ancient Norse god Loki (Tom Hiddleston), brother of Thor, gathers an army from an alternate universe to enslave the people of Earth. He acquires a powerful weapon called the Tesseract, capable of destroying nearly anything.Nick Fury (Jackson), director of S. H. I. E. L. D. , an ag ency protecting the world, enlists the help of a group of superheroes. Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) join the effort, and are later joined by Thor and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Though at first the big personalities of the heroes clash and they fight each other, Fury eventually teaches them the importance of working together as a team to defeat the enemy. Fighting alongside each other, the Avengers manage to thwart Loki’s evil plan and send him, along with Thor, and Loki’s army, back to where they came from.The Avengers is every comic book lovers dream come true. The individual hero movies leading up to the release of this movie were such a success that fans had been salivating to see these extraordinary beings come together and fight alongside each other. Whedon brought the characters together in a spectacular way. The banter between Iron Man and Bruce Banner (Hulk) shows a meeting of great minds. The relationship between the Black Widow and Hawkeye creates many questions that make these two lesser characters seem much more significant, which is important to the appeal of the movie.The clashing personalities of Iron Man, a self-described â€Å"Playboy billionaire† who questions everything and doesn’t play by the rules and Captain America, a man thrust forward in time from the 1940’s who still has his sense of values and morals from the his time, shows two men who have to work together who couldn’t be any different. All these relationships and more are what makes the fact that all these people coming together is truly a remarkable thing and could potentially have been disappointing if Whedon had downplayed any of the elements that makes each character who they are.Whedon managed to take each character and let them act as they are intended to, such as Stark’s cockiness and Thor’s nobility, and still be able to not glorify or discourage any of them to make the team more significant than the individual heroes. Roger Ebert compares the Avengers to the dogs in the Best in Show category at the Westminster Dog Club. â€Å"You have breeds that seem completely different from one another (Labradors, poodles, boxers, Dalmatians), and yet they're all champions,† says Ebert.He is right; though the characters differ in many ways, they are all the same in that they have spectacular powers that they use to fight evil. This makes the â€Å"team mentality† work perfectly in this film. Never did one character seem to mean more to the group than any of the others (except for when Hawkeye was brainwashed to fighting for Loki, but once he returned, he was just as much as part of the Avengers as anybody). The Avengers did not start acting like a team at first, but once they did, they managed to defeat Loki with relative ease.The message of the film is that it stresses the importance of teamwork. It shows that no matter how talented the individuals in a group may be, they can’t perform to their best abilities until they all start working together and use each other to bring out the best in themselves. The acting in The Avengers was fantastic all around. Those who were fans of the original Avengers comics (or the individual heroes’ comics) expect their idols to be portrayed accurately, and just about every single one is done so to a great degree.Ruffalo, Renner, and Johansson do great justice to their characters, and are very likeable and portrayed well. Ruffalo does a particularly good job in showing his struggle to keep his cool so as not to transform into the Hulk. Hemsworth shows that apart from his fantastic resemblance to the comic book character and his obvious good looks, he has the right idea as to what Thor is really like. He is a god and a mighty warrior, but he knows he is not above anyone and will protect the earth no matter what. Evans and Downey both fit their characters perfectly, and their attitudes are correct for who they play.Samuel L. Jackson does a great acting job in the movie. You cheer for him at times, and then despise him at others, which is always impressive when a character can get that sort of reaction out of an audience. However, as great as his acting was, it seems as if the creators of the recent Marvel Comics movies wanted to put him in The Avengers somehow, so they stuck him in the role as Nick Fury. To Avengers fans, this could be slightly irritating. Clearly he looks nothing like the original character, and the original character never acted like Samuel L.Jackson, but now Nick Fury will be remembered always by many, many people as a Jackson-like character, which is frowned upon by fans of the comic book. A more accurate portrayal of Fury could’ve been done by George Clooney, who is also a talented actor and, when one compares the two, looks exactly like the character in the comic book. The textbook says, â€Å"There is the ever-present danger that a ll the [special effects] in action, adventure, and science-fiction films will dazzle us but do little to increase our understanding of the world we live in or the drama of human life. (264). The Avengers relies heavily on the use of special effects and CGI to portray the heroes in action or the world itself, from the giant, levitating headquarters of S. H. I. E. L. D. to monsters only Ebert can describe as â€Å"Loki's ginormous slithering, undulating snake-lizard-dragon machine, which seems almost to have a mind of its own and is backed up by countless snakelings. † Indeed, it would be impossible to show the same movie without as much CGI as was used to make it. However, the heavy amount of CGI doesn’t take away from the acting and story of the ovie. If anything, it enhances the characters in not just a visual way, but it shows the viewer who the characters are and what they are truly capable of. In addition, the 3D format of The Avengers is a nice touch. For decades, comic book fans have enjoyed the adventures of the Avengers and have grown up in love with the heroes in the super group. A large scale movie featuring this group is what the fans have always desired. Each superhero received their own movie, building anticipation for the combining of these extraordinary people.Whedon made that combination happen, and the actors involved brought these heroes to life in grand style. Works Cited Barsam, Richard Meran. , and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print. Ebert, Roger. â€Å"The Avengers. † Roger Ebert. com. 2 May 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. . IMDb. â€Å"The Avengers. † Internet Movie Database. Web. 07 May 2012. .

Harm of Nuclear Weapon

It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon – the United States has a moral responsibility to act. Good morning respected judges teachers and my dear friends I here today to speak on the topic dangers of nuclear weapons We all know that the effect of the nuclear explosion in hiroshima and Nagasaki can be felt even today the survivors tell us that no one should ever undergo what they have been through a nuclear explosion creates a living hell where the living envy the dead. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter; a modern thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than a thousand kilograms can produce an explosion comparable to the detonation of more than a billion kilograms of conventional high explosive. [1] Thus, even single small nuclear devices no larger than traditional bombs can devastate an entire city by blast, fire and radiation. Nuclear weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction, and their use and control has been a major focus of international relations policy since their debut. In the history of warfare, only two nuclear weapons have been detonated offensively, both near the end of World War II. The first was detonated on the morning of 6 August 1945, when the United States dropped a uranium gun-type device code-named â€Å"Little Boy† on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The second was detonated three days later when the United States dropped a plutonium implosion-type device code-named â€Å"Fat Man† on the city of Nagasaki, Japan. These bombings resulted in the immediate deaths of an estimated 80,000 people (mostly civilians) from injuries sustained from the explosion. When factoring in deaths from long-term effects of ionizing radiation and acute radiation sickness, the total death toll is estimated at 120,000. The use of these weapons remains controversial. Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, nuclear weapons have been detonated on over two thousand occasions for testing purposes and demonstration purposes. A few states have possessed such weapons or are suspected of seeking them. The only countries known to have detonated nuclear weapons—and that acknowledge possessing such weapons—are (chronologically) the United States, the Soviet Union (succeeded as a nuclear power by Russia), the United Kingdom, France, the People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Israel is also widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though it does not acknowledge having them. [2]

IT Security Threats and Countermeasures Research Paper

IT Security Threats and Countermeasures - Research Paper Example Alongside all the advantages of IT, there exists an appalling consequence that compels the organizations to invest hefty amounts- IT security threats. This paper shall discuss the most commonly witnessed IT security threats, along with the counter measures that are used to safeguard data and systems. 2. Overview Computer technology has evolved with the passage of the years. These incremental improvements have been coupled with the increasing spiteful activities in the world of technology. Intruders and hackers have gotten more technology savvy with the evolution of newer systems and technologies. Cyber crimes are increasing drastically every year even in the presence of effective security systems. â€Å"Computer crime reports increase 22 percent in 2009: Crime News-Crime Prevention† included figures from FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2009 report; the year 2009 faced 22% increase in cyber crimes as compared to the year of 2008. National Institute of Standards and Technology Administration defined IT security as the protection of an automated information system to ensure that the key attributes of the computing resources (hardware, software, data and telecommunications) are preserved, namely confidentiality, integrity and availability. The report explained these three attributes in the following manner: Confidentiality can be defined as a requirement that compels the owner or bearer of the information or computing resource to protect it from exposure to any third parties. Integrity can be defined as the requirement that compels the owner or bearer of the information or programs to protect it from being changed by any unauthorized entity. Availability can be defined as the requirement that compels the owner of the information or computing resource to ensure that the service is available to all the legitimate users at all times. 3. Threats to IT Security 3.1 Denial of Service (DoS) Attack Denial of service attacks are aimed to bombard a certai n server with excess number of requests to affect the availability of the server. A server is capable of granting requests to a certain number of users; the bombardment of requests from an unreliable host or multiple hosts makes the server incapable of servicing the legitimate users. McDowell stated that malicious intent users perform such spiteful activities to hinder the provision of service and likely to crash the systems with the overload of requests. Distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) are initiated from multiple hosts, rather than the participation of a single host. 3.1.1 Repercussions of the Attack Roberts stated that the nation of Mynamar faced a massive denial of service attack in 2010 when their Ministry of Post and Telecommunication were attacked by denial of service. The investigation of the matter revealed that it was initiated from numerous sources thereby making it a distributed attack. It involved 10 to 15 Gbps of traffic to make the servers unavailable to l egitimate users. This type of attack threatens the availability of the systems and services. 3.1.2 Countermeasures CAPTCHAs technology was introduced in the world of computing numerous years back to avoid the menace of denial of service attacks. Ahn, Blum, Hopper and Langford stated that CAPTCHAs are defined as small graphical images which constitute of scrambled text. The text is scrambled in such a manner that a human can only identify the characters correctly, rather than automated

FORECASTING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

FORECASTING - Assignment Example 66). The mandate for goods of any customer is a Poisson process with passion. Time calculate of goods delivery from the wholesaler to the customer has a normal distribution with limitations. The policy in order forming for the customer can be presented as: A new order is positioned at the specific time, when the stock levels fall to a certain level the order quantity is constant. We suppose that the quantity is greater than the level arrived at. It is important to note that order reorder point of the level and quantity are control parameters of the first stage model. During this stage, it is supposed that the manufacturer supplies his production to wholesaler according to a fixed package. Therefore, the ordering process is considered to be within a constant period. The moments of placing adjacent wholesaler’s orders and order quantity is recognized as a difference between fixed stock level and the quantity of goods in the period of ordering. Therefore, the period and stock level will be control restrictions in the proposed model time in the second stage. The assumption is that every time a new order has to be placed in any condition in the event that the stock level is large then a new ordering should not occur. Commonly, the model would maintain the state of lead-time and quantity of goods at that time as soon as the order is established (Jain and Malehorn, 2005; pg. 241). This in turn is linked to the actual scenario where the wholesaler will use his own means of transport. In most cases, this part ways at the suitable time with fixed moments of time. However, this does not depend on the existence of the order and with the arbitrary lead-time. For example, there will be ferrying of goods using the previews that depart the 2nd and 16th day of every month. The Warnsley Ltd Company places an order after every two weeks. The quantity ordered at the beginning of the week usually

Design Patterns Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Design Patterns - Research Paper Example This notification can encompass particular information and facts regarding the topic of the notification. However, the subject can eliminate any of the observers from the list when there is no need for a specific observer to be informed regarding these events or changes with respect to the matter they are registered with the subject. They are used when there is need maintaining constancy and reliability between connected objects while not affecting coupling characteristics of classes. For instance, these patterns can be used when an object needs to be able to inform other objects without having suppositions on the subject of those objects. Moreover, the observer pattern consists of the following elements (Osmani, 2012): Subject: This component is responsible for managing the operation related to observers, such as facilitating, eliminating, or adding observers into the list (Osmani, 2012). Observer: This component is responsible for offering an up to date interface for observers that need to be informed regarding any change (Osmani, 2012). Concrete Subject: This component is responsible for managing transmission and notifications to objects regarding changes to state. It also maintains the state of ConcreteObservers (Osmani, 2012). ConcreteObserver: This component is responsible for establishing and maintaining a reference to the ConcreteSubject. In addition, it also implements a modern interface for the observer to make sure that state is compatible with the subject (Osmani, 2012). Advantages The observer patterns allow software development teams to think effectively about the associations among various elements of software application (Osmani, 2012; Toal, 2012). These patterns also allow software engineers to recognize what application layers have straight associations which could be alternatively replaced with a set of observers and subjects. In this scenario, these patterns can be effectively employed for splitting a software application into a number of sm aller, more freely joined components with the purpose of improving code maintenance as well as competency for re-use (Osmani, 2012; Sud, 2013). These patterns are useful for establishing and maintaining a one-to-many dependency between objects (Marakana Inc., 2013). These patterns provide an excellent communication mechanism for instance, when there is a change in the state all the related objects are notified automatically (Marakana Inc., 2013) Disadvantages As discussed above, these patterns support for decoupling however by decoupling various objects, it can frequently turn out to be hard to get assurance that specific components of a software application are working as they are expected to do (Osmani, 2012; Pierry, 2013). It is believed that in these patterns subscribers are relatively unaware of the subsistence of each other as well as are sightless to the price of switching publishers. Hence, because of this dynamic association between objects, it is difficult to track the upd ate dependence (Osmani, 2012; Sud, 2013). 2. The Factory Pattern The Factory pattern is also one of the most important creational patterns, which is concerned with the concept of developing objects. However, it differentiates with other patterns of the base of a property and that is it doesn't openly require software engineers to make use of use of a constructor. On the other hand, a Factory provides software engineers

Reduce Stress in Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reduce Stress in Life - Essay Example For each one of us, there are many things in our lives, which can cause stress on a daily basis. For example, not enough time in the day to deal with personal issues and work or needing to find another higher paying job to afford our endless bills ( www.helpguide.org, 2014). In my case, working full-time while attending school full-time, also being 9 months pregnant and not to mention the frustration of being the first time, mom. It is difficult to measure stress but some behaviors are associated with stress. These behaviors include lack or excessive sleep, eating disorders, substance abuse among others. The response to stress may vary from one person to the other. I deal with stressful situations by eating. This is combined with the fact that I am pregnant. This has resulted in gaining weight something I hope to deal with now that I have a child. Dealing with stress will involve taking some time off my school schedule and spend this time with family and friends. Hobbies are a way of reducing stress levels and I am working towards doing the things I love. This may include dance lessons or music lessons. This will also help me to reduce the weight I have gained. Everything is done in moderation and a little pressure often does better than harm. (Kaplowitz, 2012).However, I do not believe that a stress-free life is possible and realistic. Stress is a response to the challenges we face in life that occur around us and many of these challenges cannot be avoided.

Analysis governments involved in events and festival Essay - 1

Analysis governments involved in events and festival - Essay Example A few responsibilities however are common among all these levels of the government with the exception of others which are concerned with only a particular level of government. The basic function of every government is to provide protection and safety to the people. It is also the duty of the government to maintain order and peace in the country (Raj & Morpeth, 2007). It comes under the utmost responsibility of the government to make sure that no such events are taking place in the country that can result in disruption of the smooth running of the government and thereby affect stability of the country. It is also the responsibility of the concerned authorities to keep the economic conditions of the country up to a certain necessary mark and strive to make the country progress and increase economic stability. Providing the people and the citizens of the country with the basic necessities and provisions of life in order to help the people to live a satisfied and contended life is the ob ligation of the administration. Also governments have the primary responsibility to provide leisure activities for the people of their country so that they remain healthy and fit (Hall & Sharples, 2008). It is basically the duty of the local government to provide these leisure and entertainment facilities to the people. Entertainment facilities that government usually focus on include amusement parks, parks, walking tracks, gardens, theater, sports grounds, malls, museums, art galleries, exhibitions and different sites for tourist attractions. In order to make these entertainment facilities easily accessible it is necessary that the transport facilities like train, buses, etc. are easily available and these facilities are available at an affordable price so that they can be accessed by all the citizens of the country. Besides that roads and

Team assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Team assignment - Essay Example Nevertheless, the paper illustrates the proposals on how Berry may develop and improve a number of website factors to reach the focused audience, build visitors’ trust, as well as clients alongside seeking guidance to raise the web traffic. The deliberated rationale of the website is to give the visitors with details concerning pest control services provided by the Berry’s Bug Blaster. From the homepage website information, there are three (3) approaches stated of the services offered by the Berry in bullets. In addition, the website gives direction to the visitors on which pests the Berry deals with by stating the pest names at the website homepage. The website gives straight and precise message with the intention of getting the visitors attention for seeking a Berry’s service. The message is a special offer to attract the visitors to commence services by contacting through the contact number provided on the website. Moreover, the website is also available on the intranet of the organization and acts as some sort of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for internal users or employees of the organization. The salient features of the website on the intranet include: Finance and Accounting, Sales and Marketin g, Human Resources, Operations Legal and Information Technology. Within the paper, there are two types of expected audience of the website. The first type of audience who can access the website through the Internet include the companies or people who have problems with the pests or had pest control problems in the past. The second type of audience is the internal users or employees of the Berry’s organization who have to use the website on the intranet to perform day-to-day activities. This website has a number of strength that has help the organization significantly. Some of these strengths include: the website is simple, straightforward and easy-to-use; therefore, it can easily be remembered. On the other hand,

Consumerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Consumerism - Essay Example Because of increased intensive production of numerous, this heightened living standards of the English as well as other people belong from the same caste. People enjoyed the experience of acquiring material possessions, which where once prized for their durability over fashionability. This also led to the emergency of more sophisticated designers majoring in trendy products (Mackendrick, Brewer & Plumb 2). Based on my opinion, I think current US designers’ ideas are highly valued in production of new items in the market aimed at satisfying the consumer. For instance, the newly graduates from universities and colleges who have studied fashion designs courses (Mackendrick, Brewer & Plumb 5). Inventing more advanced manufacturing industries, to cater for increased customer’s demands world wide such as textile industries. In addition, a manufacturer notifies customers online, in the newspapers, magazines or social media about new products in the market through internet, local and international newspapers. Issuing of trade cards to individual clients, so buying and selling be more advanced by giving out special printed cards to customers like business cards (Mackendrick, Brewer & Plumb

What Are the Key Factors Which Lead to the Downfall of the Romanov Dynasty Essay Example for Free

What Are the Key Factors Which Lead to the Downfall of the Romanov Dynasty Essay 1917 saw the conclusion of the reign of the Romanov Dynasty, as well as the demise of Russia’s last monarch, Tsar Nicholas II. It is evident that the downfall of the Romanov Dynasty was directly linked to key factors such as the autocratic style of the Romanov dynasty and the nature of the social structure, as well as the evolving nation of Russia, as a result of industrialisation. The Romanov family was viewed by the people of Russia as leaders ‘sent from God’. However as the 20th century neared, this mystical admiration the public possessed for the royal family receded and was replaced by intellect. A growing sense of political and social awareness of the lower classes, as well as the introduction of democratic ideas from the West had sparked a change. The twentieth century saw the birth of new ideologies such as Leninism, Marxism, Liberalism and Socialism. These ideologies proposed new models of government techniques and questions the ruling of the Romanov Dynasty. Tsar Alexander II sensed the rising threat of terrorism threatening the Imperial family and more importantly the Dynasty’s autocratic rule. The responsibility of Russia was bestowed upon Nicholas II, son of Alexander II, based on the dynasty’s ritualistic practice of passing the throne to the Tsar’s eldest son or closest senior male relative. Nicholas II was reluctant to accept the responsibility of Russia, as well as its 126 subjects; however he acknowledged the burden of the crown as a spiritual experience destined by God. By the beginning of the 20th century, Russia had established itself as a vast empire, however in comparison to other countries; Russia was a ‘backward society’ with mostly undeveloped resources. At this time, Russia had established rigid class distinctions, with 88% of the population farming the countryside as serfs, whilst land and high government positions were owned by 5% of Russia’s population. In 1816, serfdom was abolished and peasants were free, however were required to pay compensation for land that they believed they already owned. Although agriculture remained the principle means of maintaining a livelihood for the lower class, peasants often struggled to live above starvation level, as they used inefficient farming techniques and had little land available to them. Those who struggled with agrarian lifestyles flocked to the cities, consequently causing a major increase in the urban population. As a result factory working conditions also suffered. Factory workers received low wages, at times only 25-30% of British workers, as well as long working hours, sometimes extending to 15 hour shifts. Workers were forced to endure these conditions, with little hope of assistance, as the Russian government had provided no means by which workers could express their grievances or dissatisfaction with their present conditions. The Tsar’s power was unlimited with no political party or constitution to inspect the Tsar’s ruling, as well as a secret police, known as the Ohkrana, which terrorised those threatening public order. ‘I shall uphold the principle of Autocracy as firmly and as undeviating as did my late father’ (Nicholas II, first proclamation, 29th January, 1895 source:Punch,9 February 1895 ) This proclamation illustrates Tsar Nicholas’s incentives to intimate his father Alexender II, by means of resisting modernisation and change, in the nation of Russia. Despite these obvious signs of corruption within the Tsar, the public, largely due to the coercive influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, continued to hold a mystical admiration for the Tsar and the royal family. However, while the myth of Tsar Nicholas or the public’s ‘little father’ retained some currency, the events of the years 1904 to 1905 disrupted this myth dramatically. In 1904, the government’s decision to go to war against Japan highlighted its weakness. The two countries had been competing for years over territory and influence in the Korean peninsula of Manchuria. Nicholas, along with most Russian’s believed that a brief encounter with Russia’s vast navy and army would be the solutions to their present conflicts with Japan. Nicholas was wrong. The war ended with the humiliation of Russian defeat, in August 1905. Confirmation of the Russian government and military weakness heightened discontent and fueled many reform movements. Meanwhile other incidences, such as the massacre or ‘Bloody Sunday’ on the 9th of January 1905, sparked political unrest in the capital of Russia. On this day a large crowd of people marched towards the Winter Palace, in St Petersburg, presenting a petition to the Tsar. The petition demanded a series of measures that would improve the position of those being exploited by their factory owners. â€Å"Don’t refuse to help your people, lead them out of the grave of disfranchisement, poverty and ignorance Tear down the wall between you and your people, and let them rule the country with you Look without anger at our requests, they are not intended for an evil but for a good cause, for both of us† (Petition of the Workers and Residents of St Petersburg for Submission to Nicholas II) This extract displays the continuing confidence in the Tsar and assurance that he will overcome his evil advisors and attend to the struggling lower classes. However this confidence in the Tsar was completely destroyed by the following event. Under command, troops, who were guarding the palace, opened fire on the crowd, killing 100 protestors and wounding almost 300. Although it is still unknown who directed the final orders, Nicholas’s absence from the protest, eroded the iconic image of the Tsar and the myth upon which the Tsarist system was sustained. Hostility towards the blood bath was generated from the lower proletarian classes and reverberated upwards throughout the empire. As a result nine months of strikes, peasant revolts and mutinies among the army and navy, followed. Workers began to form councils, known as soviets, where worker’s representatives would voice their grievances and political protest campaigns were fashioned. Under immense pressure from these disturbances, the Tsar was forced to make compromises to the demands of the people in order to preserve the support of the public. On the 17th of October, the Tsar introduced the October Manifesto. This granted the people of Russia the freedom of conscience, speech, meeting and association. The manifesto also promised the introduction of a Duma, or parliament, elected by universal suffrage. The design of the Duma was to provide the people of Russia with the power to create and approve laws. The intentional exclusion of the word ‘constitution’ ensured that the Tsar autocratic power remained unscathed. The Duma was the Tsar’s puppet; he could dismiss and announce the duma, personally choose and dismiss ministers and declare new laws unaided, at any time. The first two Duma’s lasted only a few months before they were later dissolved, by the Tsar. The third Duma survived as a result of an alteration in the electing process of representatives. Subsequently the Duma became dominated by land-owners and businessmen who were more conservative and ‘trustworthy’ elements to the Tsar. This alteration destroyed the sole purpose of Duma as it hindered all classes from expressing their opinions. Although evidence of reform in the government was present, the manifesto did not address current problems affecting the lower classes such as poverty, low wages and poor working and living conditions. The grievances of the lower classes remained unheard and the gap between the Tsar and his subjects widened. For these reasons recently legalised parties such as the Social Democrats and Socialists revolutionaries had a willing audience. By the end of July 1914, the revolutionary discontent echoed the events of 1905 revolution. When World War II commenced early August 1914, Russia was in no state for battle. Although intensified emotions of patriotism temporarily calmed civil disputes, the hardships of the war brutally hit the home front. Russia’s undeveloped economy struggled to sustain the war efforts and keep up with increased demands. By late 1914, dreams of a short successful battle were doubtful. In addition to previous hardships, concerns of high causality rates, inadequate medical care and shortages of resources, such as food, weaponry and ammunition were affecting the Russian front. In Mid 1915, Nicholas II, with the aim of improving Russia’s current stance in the war, accepted the position as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian forces. Nicholas II had few military skills and was surrounded by ministers who had been chosen by himself, therefore were also sufficiently inexperienced. Meanwhile, German-born Tsarina Alexandra was temporarily responsible for the home front whilst her husband was away. The Tsarina was greatly influenced by Grigori Rasputin, a Russian mystic who was praised by Alexandra for his fanatical abilities to help her haemophilic son, Alexi, the heir to the throne. Tsarina had little political ability and looked towards Rasputin for advice. Due to the nepotism within the royal family, Rasputin was able to quickly posses doctrinal powers and become a influential member of the Russian court. The influence Rasputin had on the royal family as well as the scandalous relationship assumed to be between Alexandra and Rasputin discredited the Tsarist government. These scandals affected the way the public viewed the royal family and supported the idea that the royal family was easily dominated by religious mystics. By late 1916, discontent within Russia had reached crisis point. The duma and the majority of Russia’s upper class no longer supported the Tsar. The Tsar had lost his authority in the eyes of the public. By 25th of January 1917, St Petersburg, the capital of Russia, was at a standstill. Numerous factories were shut, shops closed, public transport ceased to run and radical political leadership seemed to be using all possible means of protest. Unlike 1905, troops did not restrain the strikes; some even rebelled and joined the workers. Tsarist authority had vanished. On the 2nd of March 1917, Nicholas II abdicated and within a few hours, the Grand Duke, Nicholas II’s brother, refused the responsibility of the throne. This was the definitive end to the Romanov Dynasty. In conclusion, although the Tsar’s character had great effect on the downfall of the Romanov Dynasty, it was ultimately the fault of Romanov dynasty’s ineffective style of government. As Russia became more industrialised, larger, and far more complicated, the inadequacies of autocratic Tsarist rule became increasingly apparent. Ritualistic beliefs such as the nepotistic process by which successive monarchs were selected, was unsuitable in an ever evolving world desperate for change and development. The Romanov Dynasty’s Autocratic approach to leadership had been successful for the previous three centuries, however as the twentieth century approached, the need for social and political reform advanced with it. For this reason, Nicholas II, was a victim of a time warp, where despite his best efforts to maintain authority of the autocratic crown, was forced to abandon inherited methods of leadership. He was trapped in a modernising world with outdated beliefs and traditions. Nevertheless, to a minor extent Tsar Nicholas was responsible for his own demise as he was aware of the changes occurring within the nation, however he didn’t not administer the needs and wants of his subjects.

Information System Essay Example for Free

Information System Essay The introduction of information system has heave effect on arising of ethical, social and political issues. These issues should be dealt with at individual, social and political levels. The computer professional and users have the responsibility of maintaining relationship with each other given that critical decision made poses significant consequences to the involved parties. Ethical issues are those principles of what is right and wrong that can be used by individuals acting morally as they make choices that guide their view towards new information technology. They have to behave ethically by not stealing, being honest, keeping promises and doing ones job right for computer users. Consequently, computer professionals are to follow good professional standards and practices, educate non computer professionals on how the systems affect people (Alter, 1999). They are also to ensure the latest knowledge and technology is attained through high level of professional competence. Thus the five ethical, social and political issues in information system that call for moral steps to be taken in making decisions are; The information rights and obligations Individuals and organizations should have rights and obligation on information so that they are able to protect their information in the system. The ethical issue here are on what condition should privacy be raided or what justifiable self-effacing inspection. Socially, people have to be ascertained privacy when using the information system. But will the expectation of the society be extended to criminal conspirators. Politically, are securities teams monitor or maintain individuals’ data from sites? Property rights and obligations There should be a way of protecting the traditional intellectual property rights in a digital society. This will facilitate tracing and accounting for information ownership by eliminating difficulties associated with property rights. In respect to social issues, the society should be in a position of sharing information so as to eliminate law breakers and politically, the government should protect investment of creators by setting new protection measures needed. Accountability and control The issue of who is to be held accountable or liable for the harm done to individuals or for the collective information and property rights. The ethical issue is on who is responsible morally for the consequences of the use of hardware or software. Socially, the issue brought out is on what the expectation of the society should be in allowing service provision from information system or can people be in a position of trusting the quality of the software, data (Gupta, 2000). In addition, the political issues of on what extent should the government intervene so that it may protect service providers and users. System quality The standards of data and quality of system should be defined that society should demand in order to protect individuals’ rights and the safety in the society. Ethically, the point at which services are to be released for consumption has to be defined. On social issues, whether people are to be convinced that the information systems are infallible and politically whether laws of accountability and responsibility should be set (Alter, 2006). The government has to step in and develop standards on the quality of data, software and hardware. Quality of life Certain values have to be preserved in an information and knowledge-based society against violation. The information should be in a position of supporting the cultural values and practices. Information system has led to reengineering of work, health risks like computer vision syndrome and radiation from display screens. In addition, it weakens traditional boundaries; it is vulnerable to system failures, slow responses to change due to efficient market place and problems associated with centralized policy decisions (Curtis Cobham, 2008). Even though information system poses several issues to business, it must be incorporated in business operations for it is vital in coordination and communication within the business. Additionally, the benefits of information system are much more than the few shortcomings it carries. 2. An information system refers to the combination of information technology and people’s activities while using the technology in order to support operations, management and ease decision making. In essence, it’s the interaction between people, processes, data and technology (Beynon-Davies, 2009). It helps in controlling the performance of business processes. An information system works in a way that human and machines perform tasks to produce products and services for customers. Information system is made up of several components of management, organization and technology. These are; the people, hardware, software, data, network resources, types of information products and the way the components perform i.e. input, processing, output and storage through controlled activities. People resources are made up of end users and information system specialists while hardware consists of machines and media. The soft ware resources comprises of programs and procedures in storage of information and processing while data consists of data and knowledge sources (Mader, 1979). Network resources are made up of communications media and network which facilitate technology in innovation and communication. 3. In an organization, information system is vital given that it helps in decision making by employees and managers. Additionally, it wires an organization strategy for competitive advantage through innovation using information system and facilitating business processes and operations. In a business, information system provides managers with important information about sales, inventories and all other vital data that will help in managing an organization (Edwards, 2001). It facilitates effective communication between the different levels of management through collection, processing, storing and dissemination of data in the organization. I believe that information system is very important in the organization for it enhances communication within the organization. By incorporating modern information technology in management of the business, managers will be able to come up with decision with much ease. Furthermore, it provides essential data for analysis of performance of various levels in the business thus enabling motivation, training, recruitment and promotion. Lastly, it provides data and analysis which are useful in making good decision of how, when and where to employ human resources in order to achieve the goal of the organization. 4. Â   I agree that there is a sustainable competitive advantage in business. Sustainable competitive advantage can only be attained through the use of information system where it facilitates innovation and decision making that will enable a business to remain competitive in the market (O’Brien, 2008). The organization will therefore make use of information technology to reengineer internal processes of the business thus cutting on cost and ensuring quality products making them to remain competitive in the market. In short, a sustainable competitive advantage is possible with implementation of effective information system with proper and focused management.

Deforestation And Displacement Of Tribals Environmental Sciences Essay

Deforestation And Displacement Of Tribals Environmental Sciences Essay Today we are living in a globalized world where we measure everything in terms of profit and with a sole aim of development. We lead our lives even without looking back for once. This competition motive may take us to a developed, technologically advanced era, but we are losing our own lives by destroying the environment without thinking for the consequences. Environment before fifty years and the condition of today has a hell and heaven difference. In the name of development we are using all the natural resources that are available to us, and displacing indigenous people from their own land, to construct big dams, industries and urbanizing that area to get a better employment opportunity and to raise our standard of living, but we are forgetting that nature has also limitation, it is also losing its automatic cleansing capacity. People who are forced to flee from a disaster or conflict usually receive sympathetic attention and international aid from outside. The same cannot be said for the millions of people worldwide who have been displaced by development, because everyday this process is continuing in various parts of the world. The argument that has been put forth by so called developed and modern people that displacement is necessary for this traditional society to change them into a modern and developed society. Seen in this light, large-scale, capital-intensive development projects accelerated the pace toward a brighter and better future. If people were uprooted along the way, that was deemed a necessary evil or even an actual good, since it made them more susceptible to change.  In recent decades, however, a new development paradigm has been articulated, one that promotes poverty reduction, environmental protection, social justice, and human rights. In this paradigm, development is seen as both bringing benefits and imposing costs. Among its greatest costs has been the displacement of millions of vulnerable people. If people have to push out from thei r place for any natural disaster then media come out with various reports but when people are displaced everyday for any mega projects then nobody shows sympathy to them. Odisha is a State which is the best example of how developmental projects exploiting innocent people and in the light of human rights these developmental projects are showing the way towards destruction. A state gifted with rich mineral resources, yet so poor, Plenty of resources, plenty of poverty too, why Orissa is so poor with so much abundant natural resources? Orissas poverty unexplainable, these are among the most talked about statements on Orissa. A summary of the standard and typical statements and interpretations on the state and its situations would suggest that the State of Orissa is endowed with plenty of natural resources like forests, inland water, mineral deposits, raw materials, very beautiful long coastal belt full of natural beauty and amazing lake like chiliki, which the most essential elements required for pursuing the goal of modern development. Its long coastline combined with potentially viable ports inspires for developing Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and turning Orissa into one of the most industrially developed states. Planners, developers, and Government, all are tensed that even after all these mega projects and natural beauty, Odisha is still poor and peo ple are compelled to starve. Surveyors and researchers point out that the State has come one-step down from an All India rank of 14th in 1960-61 to that of 13th in 1997-98 in terms of Industrialization. The poverty ratio of the state is still one of the highest in the country. The state is generally taken as a poor, traditional, backward and non- industrial State and it is suggested that there is no way out to deal with the problems of poverty unless a process of rapid industrialization is initiated. However the Government is using big capitalist to make noticeable change in the State by investing multi-dollar projects in various areas where natural resources are easily available. The entire mineral, forest, water, and fertile agricultural land are handed over to national and multinational corporations to ruthlessly loot the state and pauperize local populations. Today Odisha is the symbol of starvation deaths, farmers suicides, large-scale labour migration, destitution and poverty. Its own rulers are throwing away the natural resources to the multinational sharks for their super profit. But Odisha also has become the beacon of hope for the struggling workers and peasants of this country in their heroic struggle against the predatory mining and industrialization of the state uprooting the toilers of the soil. Massive peoples resistance is going along the length and breadth of the state. Some prominent ones are Kalinga Nagar, Niyamgiri, anti-POSCO (Korean Steel Company), and anti- Vedanta University peoples struggles. CHAPTER-2 AN OVERVIEW Since Independence, different rulers in Odisha have sold the mineral resources cheap, and have given very low priority to agriculture, which has resulted in a phenomenal drain of mineral wealth and absolute impoverishment of broad masses of Oriya people. Even after more than sixty years of Independence the social indicators is leading the country in chronic poverty and starvation deaths, massive labour migration, displacement, under-nutrition, high maternal and infant mortality rate, etc. Though Odisha is very rich in natural resources like land forest, and minerals, its indices in human development are very low, in fact the lowest in India. (Source- www.HYPERLINK http://www.mapsofindia.com/mapsHYPERLINK http://www.mapsofindia.com/ofindia.com) There are thirty districts in Odisha and the districts are divided in to various mining zones by the State Pollution Board according to the mining sector and its impact on environment. These are, Zone-1 Keonjhar, Sundergarh Iron Manganese ore area Zone-2 Angul Talcher coalfield area. Zone-3 Sambalpur, Jharsuguda coalfield area. Zone-4, Jajpur,Dhenkanal Keonjhar Chromite area. Zone-5 Koraput Rayagada Kalahandi Bauxite area. Zone-6 Biramitrapur Limestone Dolomite belt Zone-7 Baula-Nuasahi chromite belt of Keonjhar and adjacent Balasore district. Zone-8 Gandhamardhan adjacent areas of iron ore in Keonjhar Zone-9 Mayurbhanj district, Iron ore China clay area. Zone-10 Beach sand mining area of Ganjam district and adjacent Puri district. Zone-11 Tumudibandh (Gangam, Gajapati and adjacent areas)- Graphite area Zone-12 Bolangir-Baragarh areas- Bauxite and Graphite Zone-13 Kalahandi district around Titlagarh- Graphite, Quartzite and Gemsstones Zone-14 Boudh, Sonepur Phulbani area- Small deposits of bauxite and graphite, but potential area for coal, diamond, gold, gemstones and dimensional stones Zone-15 Cuttack adjacent Dhenkanal areas Khurda district Zone-16 Western Orissa, Malkalgiri Nawarangapur, Nuapara district- Good potential for limestone dolomite, China clay, iron ore, tin ores, bauxite, besides gold, diamond, graphite, gemstones and dimensional stones While talking about mines and ores Odisha has 60% of bauxite reserve, 25% coal, 28% iron, 92% nickel, and 28% manganese reserve in India. It has rich forests, agricultural land and a long coastline with the most beautiful beaches in the world like Chandipur. The most important thing is that Odisha is a State where all type of natural resources are available, so the State can be used and developed for tourists and it can earn huge amount of money out of tourism, but regretfully the available mines and ores are being used for industrial establishment in the name of development and the tourism side has been neglected by the Government since a long. Perhaps this is the reason that the State is poor and its resources are neither used by good purposes and in a proper way, but are only exploited by the multi-dollar companies. It is one of the poorest states in India in a wide variety of socio-economic indicators. It has the lowest per capita income and very high below poverty level compared to all-India average. Odishas Human Development Index compared with other states is 27. Inspite of various mega projects that have been taken by the Government, the number people below poverty line and unemployment is increasing, the annual rate of growth in the year 1993 94 to 2003-04 was 1.75% compared to the all India grant of 6.19%. The National Infrastructure Index was 107, while for Odisha it was 75. The development policy pursued by successive government in Odisha after Independence produced massive poverty and displacement in Odisha. The National Advisory Council estimates 90 lakh people have been displaced from different development projects in Odisha. CHAPTER-3 MINING OPERATION AND MAGNITUDE OF DISPLACEMENT Mining and displacement caused by mega projects like big dams and senseless industrialization is one of the most important factors in the present predicament of Odisha. Mining is a very large factor in large-scale deforestation in Odisha. From 1980 to 2005 the Government of Odisha has given permission for mining in 15,386 hectares of forestland. Odishas contribution is second in India regarding the income from mining sector in India. According to the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) in the year 2004-2005 out of the total minerals extracted, 10% was from Odisha, the market price of which was Rs. 5,820 crores at that time. Metals comprise the main component in the mineral extraction in Odisha. There have been a lot of changes in the mining sector in Odisha. If one takes into account the data shows that the market price of 1997-98, it has increased three times. In 1997-98 the price of total minerals extracted in Odisha  was Rs. 2,237 crores. From 1997-98 to 2001-02 it grew by 6%, but from year 2002-03 it grew at a phenomenal rate by 27%. The reason being globalized modern market and the growing investment sector, which plays a vital role in this regard. According to income from minerals, Odishas main two mineral resources are coal and iron ore. In the year 2004-05 the income from coal was 46%, and 35% from iron or other main minerals one chromite 12%, and the other bauxite 2%. Due to stiff resistance in bauxite mining areas like Kashipur, Niyamgiri and Gandhmardhan, exploitation of bauxite is not high in Odisha until Nalco bauxite mining and alumina complex was established in early 1980s. In Panchpatmalli which is in Koraput district, the local Adivasis (tribals) are resisting bauxite mining by Hindalco Company and others. According to IBM, Odisha had also extracted minor minerals worth 45 crore US dollars in the year 2004-05. By the year 2004-05 mineral extraction was in done in 99,952 hectares. In the year 2005, 605 leases were granted in Odisha  for mining, out of which around 45% was not functional. Odisha  Mining Corporation controls around 20% of mines. Most of the districts, except Jajpur and Angul, are predominantly trib al; they have been evicted from their traditional habitats through predatory mining. Mining is one of the major reasons for the displacement of Adivasis but they are putting up stiff resistance to mining in Niyamgiri, Deomali, Khandadhar, Kashipur and Keonjhar as they donot want to be displaced from their soil where they are residing since time immemorial. Apart from that mining has caused widespread deforestation, soil erosion and degradation, and drying up of water sources. The mining trade is extremely exploitative and messy in Odisha, where successive rulers of Odisha have given mines to national and international big capital at a throw away price. After the economic reforms in 1991, the process has accelerated, and various policies and sector specific policies have been proving as catalyst for these big companies to start partnership and to inaugurate their projects. For bauxite and manganese minerals, the Government of Odisha  gets royalty from Rs. 20 to 25 a tonne, while the international price is about Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000 per tonne. Khandadhar iron ore mines, which will displace about 30 villages, are being given as   captive mines to POSCO who will make super profit only from mining, apart from its steel plant at Jagatsinghpur. POSCO is facing stiff resistance from both these places. Displacement A conservative estimate puts the number of displaced people from Independence to the end of the millennium at about   1 crore. It is one-fourth of the present population of Odisha.   Almost 80% of the people displaced are Adivasis and Dalits because where they live, the natural resources are also available in plenty of amount in those hilly areas. It is shocking but true that most of the displacement took place in the areas of Adivasi districts of west and south Odisha, including districts like Sundergarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj, which are predominantly Adivasi districts, where most of the large dams, mines and factories are located. The following Table shows the amount of land and village lost due to mega projects. Type of project No of villages displaced/ affected No of families displaced/ affected Total land acquired (in hectare) mines 79 3143 10,947.00 industries 177 10704 48,358.00 Thermal power 73 2426 3155.31 Irrigation/hydro power 1181 64903 595918.6 total 1446 81176 623463.94 (Source Kundan Kumar Dispossessed and displaced: A brief paper on tribal issues in Orissa. epgorissa.orgApril 2007.) The large dam at Hirakud on Mahanadi River was the first mega development project in post-independent Odisha,   which submerged more than 1.53 lakhs of fertile agricultural land and displaced around 350 villages in the then districts of Sambalpur. Nobody knows their fate now. The undivided district of Koraput is the tragic story of tribal displacement and destitution in India. The Adivasis like kandhas, bandas and kolhas of Koraput, who were once the lords of the forests, now work as casual and manual labourers in different industrial centres and their wives work as maid servants. First they were displaced in the Kolab and Machkund dams, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Sunabeda in the 1960s and again in Nalco Alumina Refinery and mines at Damanjodi and Indravati Dam in the 1980s and 1990s. Rourkela Steel Plant displaced hundreds of Adivasi villages in Sundergarh district in the early decades after independence; Rengali Dam displaced more than 250 villages in then undivided Sam balpur and Dhekanal districts. It was supposed to be a multipurpose dam, after spending thousands of crores and displacing lakhs of farmers it could irrigate only 10% of the proposed command area. After 1990s,   thousands of acres of Adivasi land were acquired for setting up the steel hub at Kalinga Nagar. Vedanta Aluminium Limited has displaced scores of villages in Lanjigarh Block to set up the alumina refinery polluting and poisoning the entire area which has an adverse impact on local agriculture. Thousands of acres of fertile land all over the state were acquired for thermal power stations and other projects. People of Baliapal fought against the national missile testing range in the 1980s and successfully stopped it, thus preventing the displacement of hundreds of prosperous villages. People of Gopalpur in Ganjam district under the banner of Gana Sangram Samity fought a heroic battle against TATAs in 1990 and successfully stalled it, though TATAs still have 3,500 acres in th eir possession. In the early 1990s the fishermen of Chilka fought against the privatization of Chilka Lake for industrial shrimp cultivation. After economic liberalization, the successive governments of Odisha  have signed hundreds of memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with national and international corporate houses. 43 MoUs have been signed for steel plants alone, which will require 4,013 million tons of iron ore for a total installed capacity to produce 58.04 million tons of steel. Decades of destructive development projects have totally pauperized and dispossessed the rural poor in Odisha, overwhelmingly the Adivasis and Dalits. It has deprived them of  land, water and forests. Without any sources of gainful employment in their own villages, they migrate to other states to work as contract and casual labourers. The loss of agricultural land and drying up of water sources has endangered the food security of the rural poor. The Donghria Kondhs are resisting bauxite mining by Vedanta in Niyamgiri hills. The farmers of Dhinkia, Gobindpur, Patna and Nuagaon are fighting against the TATAS proposed steel plant by POSCO in Jagatsinghpur district under the banner of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samity. In Kalinga Nagar, the Adivasis under the banner of Visthapan Virodhi Janmanch have put up a heroic resistance against the TATAs proposed steel plant. The adivasis under the banner of Vishthapan Viredhi Janmanch have put up a heroic against the TATAs proposed steel plant. The Adivasis of Kashipur are fighting against bauxite mining and alumina refinery for the past 15 years under the banner of Prakrutik Sampad Suraksha Samity. There is a struggle going on against bauxite mines in Deomali in Koraput district, and also against displacement caused by a big dam at lower Sukhtel in Bolangir district. The Adivasis in Narayan Patna Block in Koraput district are fighting against  bondage and alienation of their land. To keep the situation under control Odisha Government often using illegal detention as a weapon and in some instances are there where police has fired bullets in extreme conditions and killed Adivasis on the spot. For example the police fired on the peaceful crowd in Maikanch, in Kashipur Block of Rayagada district and killed 3 people who were protesting against Utkal Alumina in Kashipur. It has detained scores of activists of Kashipur struggle for months on false criminal charges. Since the past six months inhuman combing operations are going on in Narayan Patna where the cobra, central paramilitary forces and state armed police go on demolishing Adivasi homes, sexually assaulting Adivasi women, destroying their household belongings and brutally beating up the male members. What we are witnessing in Odisha and other places in India is a kind of revolutions generated by tribals demanding the protection of their rights and which ends in blood and dead-bodies. The Government of India has launched Operation Green Hunt to handover the rich mines, forests, water resources and agricultural land to national and international corporate houses. Operation Green Hunt seeks to open up mineral resources for appropriation and plunder. As per the Ministry of Mines, the states that fall under the proposed area of Operation Green Hunt, Andhra Pradesh Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Bengal, account for 59% of the countrys mineral production. In the period 2006-2009 environmental clearance was given to 120 projects to either expand existing or to open new mines in Jharkhand and Odisha. These mineral rich areas are home to the poorest of the poor and mostly Adivasis and Dalits. The state has launched a brutal repression to suppress all the democratic move ments which oppose handing over their land, water and forests to profit-hungry corporations. But the peasants, workers and Adivasis of Odisha have refused to buckle under state pressure; they have put up stiff resistance to corporate plunder and forcible eviction all over the state. Niyamgiri, Jagatsinghpur and Kalinga Nagar have become advanced outposts of anti-imperialist resistance. CHAPTER-4 IMPACT OF MINING AND SPECIAL FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES The exploitation of mineral resources through surface and underground  mining has in the past caused a wide range of environmental  problems such as health degradation, air, water and noise pollution,  decline in agricultural production, deforestation, displacement  and other socio-economic impacts. However, over the past number  of years, stakeholders in the industry have been striving to  avoid and mitigate the potential detrimental effects of mining  on fragile ecosystems and local communities. Governments are   increasingly formulating and adopting policies to ensure the  sustainable development of their countrys mining industry  and mining companies are striving to be better environmental  citizens. Environmental groups have become increasingly involved  in mining disputes. However, a lot has to be achieved to ensure  mining in carried out in a sustainable way.   There are various problems which arise due to mining sectors. Such as, Adverse impact on Land, Atmosphere, Water Regime, Ecology and Society. Increase in temperature in the area- due to industrial activity and decrease in vegetation. Drilling and blasting contribute to explosive fumes. Changes in surface and ground water regime. Pollution of surface water bodies Run off from mines Leaching from dumps Noise pollution due to blasting and subsequent vibration drives away wild animals. The present Government minomics is resulting in decreasing in breeding of various aquatic animals, such as crocodiles and the Olive Reedley tortoises. Mining operations cut off the corridors and results in elephants deaths and most of the time men-elephant conflicts. The mining companies must be asked to regulate blasting time which is ideally 9a.m. to 11 a.m. but very sadly these are not being implemented by the State Government. The ground water is polluted and all the rivers have lost their natural cleansing systems. Various operational methods like drilling, blasting, hauling, loading, transporting, crushing causes noise and air pollution by fugitive emissions of gases like methane, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide and it ultimately results in Green house gas effect and acid rain fall. The water is used for spraying haul roads; therefore it leads to excess exploitation of ground water resources. Run-off water causes water pollution leading to harm to the aquat ic animals and sea plants. To mitigate the problem, the Environmental action plan should be regulated which include Domestic Effluent Treatment Plant, Workshop effluent treatment plant, Mine Water Discharge Sedimentation plant, Dust Suppression majors, tree plantation, and spreading for Bio reclamation and environmental monitoring. It also leads to climate change and the bio diversity areas of Odisha is being adversely affected by the mining operations. Never before have had wild animals and habitat faced the kind of threat they face today and just as dangerous is the threat to the survival of species from habitat destruction. Ecological destruction due to lopsided development projects and organized poaching has threatened the very existence of the species. The current paradigm of development has resulted not only in the depletion of natural resources of the state, but also threatens to wipe out irreplaceable ecosystems. According to reports, more than 100 open cast iron ore mines c overing over 60,000 hectares of land area is in operation and maximum area is under illegal operation within Keonjhar forest division. Orissas Baitarani Elephant Reserves (ERs) in Keonjhar and Jharkhands Dalma wildlife sanctuary of Singhbhum ERs, both corridors have been virtually cut-off because of the mining activities. The Schedule-I Gharial crocodile is also under threat. The sensitive crocodiles are fast vanishing from the river systems of the country. The ground water experts and Odishas Pollution Control Board scientists have declared the alarming situation. According to the wildlife conservation strategy, 2002, lands falling within 10 kms of the boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries should be notified as ESAs under provisions of Environment Protection Act, 1986. Acting on the orders of the apex court, the ministry of Environment and Forests had written to all states in 2006 to identify such areas. Declaration of such areas surrounding protected areas is vital in order to safeguard the interests of wildlife by preventing disturbing activities like mining or industries being located close to their borders. CHPTER-5 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION OF DISPLACED PEOPLE Out of 414 principal tribes found in the country, as many as 62 ethnic groups are found in the old hilly districts of Oridha. Statistical figures say, till 2000, about 29 lakh people have been directly affected by development projects. Their problems are uncountable and some of them are as follows, Common property turns into State property or you can say, nature turns into property. No compensation could be adequate for them, who have lost their culture, monuments, art and natural habitats and togetherness and kinship. Impediments towards rights to development. It also leads to child labour and child prostitution in that area. People run out from their State and work as daily labour in other State and people exploit them very easily, because these people are very simple in nature and they do not know how to survive in this complicated outside world. It also leads to health problems. Right to healthy environment is or constitutional right.. but vety sadly I can say that due to poison gas emissions and the metals that mix with water it leads to dangerous diseases, sometimes causes serious impact on children and women. It also raises temperature in air. Since last 10 years Odisha is facing this problem. One of the area called titlagarh in Bolangir district where the temperature rises to 50 degree centigrade in hot summer. Human rights watchdog Amnesty International alleged that the government and Vedanta had failed to protect Orissas indigenous communities from health hazards of mining, but the mining major hit back saying the claims were based on an outdated document. It also alleged that the 8,000 strong community, mainly adivasis (tribals) in Orissas Lanjigarh suffered violations of human rights to water and health, due to pollution by Vedantas aluminium refinery. Vedanta Aluminium Ltds alumina refinery has led to water and air pollution, seriously undermining the quality of life and threatening the health of nearby communities, some of whom live only a few hundred yards from the refinerys boundary walls. The Amnesty report said that it also alleged that the Centre failed to obtain free, prior and informed consent of the Dongria Kondh people living in forests of Niyamgiri Hills before approving this project.The Centre, on its part, said it is yet to receive the Amnestys report and as such, a new Act (the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act) is on the anvil to take care of issues, including tribal rights and welfare.Reacting to the report, Vedanta said: The majority of the report is based on an outdated document which was subjected to intense scrutiny by the Supreme Court.The firm claimed that it offered for joint verification of allegations in eight villages, and dialogue on every aspect of the report but it was rejected. CHAPTER-6 CASE ANALYSIS AND NATIONAL AND SECTOR SPECIFIC POLICY Kalinga Nagar situation The situation is real shape of a beast. Kalinga nagar in Jajpur district, the activists from the Visthapan Virodhi Jana Manch clashed with the supporters of the upcoming Tata Steel Project. And the activists were attacked with traditional weapons and police have deployed platoons at the site to prevent any further incidents. The SP and DM acted there as pro-Tata people, they turned priest for Tats bhumi puja and officially resumes the construction work that had stopped after 2nd January,2006 massacre. The work has been done on the area where people were displaced and not accepted the rehabilitation and resettlement package. A crowd of women stood and protested but the media came up with the news very shamelessly that those tribal women welcomed and did bhumi puja for Tata. Since the past three months a reign of terror has been unleashed in Kalinga Nagar. The people there have been peacefully agitating against the construction of an approach road. Instead of negotiating with the peopl e, the state government has reacted with brutal force. There has been a virtual blockade in Kalinga Nagar for the past few months. 29 platoons of armed police, 2 platoons of NSG, 70 police officers and 7 magistrates were deployed in Kalinga Nagar a week before the police brutally fired on peacefully agitating men, women and children. On 28thMarch 2010 the District Collector of Jajpur told the people of Kalinga Nagar that the district administration is willing for a negotiated settlement of the issues raised by them. However, shockingly on 30th  morning the police forces entered the village of Baligotha and started to fire indiscriminately on unarmed men, women and children. More than 30 villagers were injured; 7 of them are still battling for life. This explains how brutal force is used in Odisha to evict people from their habitat and handover mineral rich areas including fertile agricultural land to national and international big businesses. For the past few years hundreds of peo ple have been arrested in Kalinga Nagar, Jagatsinghpur and Narayan Patna on false criminal charges. This anti-people white terror is perpetrated on the peasants, workers, Adivasis and Dalits of Odisha to handover thousands of acres of fertile land, water and forests to the profit-hungry corporations displacing millions from their homes and habitat. Vedanta and illegal expansion Niyamgiri Hill is located in the Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district. It is a scheduled V area, and is inhabited by Dongaria Kondhs, a primitive tribal group. Niyamgiri hills belong to the Eastern Ghats, and in-situ reserves of metallurgical grade bauxite have been reported from this area. More than 75% of  the Niyamgiri hills landmass is covered with dense forests and it is one of the biodiversity hotspots of Eastern Ghats. The northernmost hill of this hill country is proposed to be mined by Vedanta Alumina Ltd. who is also setting up an alumina refinery at the bottom of the hill by displacing local Kondh tribals.  The proposed mining and refinery has led to local and tribal people resistance as well as opposition by environmentalists. A case against the Vedanta Alumina Ltd. was filed  in the Supreme Court, where the petitioners have indicated that massive irregularities have taken place in the proposed project, especially on the environmental aspects along with human right s violations. The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court strongly recommended that the Niyamgiri shouldnt be allowed to be mined on environmental and biodiversity grounds. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court overruled the recommendations of its own Central Empowered Committee and decided to allow Vedanta to carry out mining on Niyamgiri. At present, Vedanta is awaiting the final clearance for mining the Niyamgiri from Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Meanwhile on ground the local tribals, including the Dongaria Kondhs have vowed to oppose the mining of Niyamgiri at all costs. The working process continues till March 2010, but Vedanta could not start mining on Niyamgiri due to strong oppositions by tribal peoples. Recently, a committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India has submitted detailed reports documenting violation of environmental and forest laws by Vedanta which says that Vedanta has violated Forest Rights Act, with out taking consideration of the tribal rights and environmental aspects in to account and started work on the p

Perceptions of Mental Illness Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Perceptions of Mental Illness Throughout this course, much of what we have discussed has depended strongly on an interpretation of scientific information. We have questioned, criticized, accepted, rejected, and formed our own ideas about topics in neural and behavioral science. A book which I have read recently seems to fit in with this type of discussion. Blaming the Brain, by Eliot Valenstein, describes the major biological theories of mental illness and the lack of evidence we have to fully support them. What Valenstein argues is that we have come to a point where we accept all mental illness as purely biological in origin, and have discarded older ideas about social and psychological effects, rather then attempting to see how these two different types of explanations fit together. While some may argue that this shift has helped to significantly de-stigmatize mental illness, it also has caused a neglect of important factors which must play a role in these disorders. In 1999, in a report by the Surgeon General, it was stated that research into the biology of the brain is "a potent antidote to stigma," but it was also emphasized that psychotherapy not be forgotten as it sometimes plays a large role in recovery. Finding middle ground: Although we do not know all there is to know about disorders of the nervous system, I believe that it is very plausible that mental illness is mostly the result of disturbances in the nervous system. Although in extreme situtions, some claim things like, "it reduces a complex human activity to a slice of damaged brain tissue" (4). I wouldn't go this far to assume that this is all there is to it, although I also don't believe that all mental illnesses can fit into the same box. While s... ... fallacies of no-fault addiction http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/brynmawr_main?http_rc=400&class=session&sev=temp&type=session&cause=http%3A%2F%2Fweb7.infotrac.galegroup.com%2Fitw%2Finfomark%2F672%2F823%2F36248906w3%2Fpurl%3Drc1_EAIM_0_A53551866%26dyn%3D3!xrn_5_0_A53551866%3Fsw_aep%3Dbrynmawr_main&cont=&msg=No+Session+cookies&sserv=no 5)Schizophrenia http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/brynmawr_main?http_rc=400&class=session&sev=temp&type=session&cause=http%3A%2F%2Fweb7.infotrac.galegroup.com%2Fitw%2Finfomark%2F672%2F823%2F36248906w3%2Fpurl%3Drc1_EAIM_0_A53551866%26dyn%3D3!xrn_5_0_A53551866%3Fsw_aep%3Dbrynmawr_main&cont=&msg=No+Session+cookies&sserv=no 6) Scientists Call for End to Neurology-Psychiatry `Divide' http://mentalhealth.about.com/?once=true&rnk=r7&terms=neuroscience Valenstein, Eliot. (1998). Blaming the Brain. New York: The Free Press

The Beast Within :: Creative Writing Essays

The Beast Within The spawn knelt in the shadows of the corner. His iridescent eyes searching the dark for his prey. A prey he knew very well, almost too well. From the end of the stone corridor the spawn's ear picked out a single disturbance. From behind the mask a man's mouth twisted in a smile and a thought of satisfaction crossed his mind. Rising to his feet the spawn walked defiantly down the corridor. His armoured boots making no sound on the cold floor. A heart that beat no blood, pounded within the unnatural armour of the spawn. At last his mission was drawing to a close and so too would this endless torture. The one being responsible for his spawning would now ultimately reach its death. The door was close now, and the spawn's soulless eyes peered into the room from the doors barred window. Standing over a bench stood a man. An old man, gnarled with age and working on an intricate machine. To a mortal man the sight would appear ludicrous. An old, befuddled man could hardly attract the attention of such a powerful warrior. But to the spawns eyes, he only saw the truth. He didn't see the lines of age which covered the man's face. Nor did he see the disfigured spine which pushed the man's back into a painful composure. But he did see the beast within. To the spawn, what stood in the other room had no dimensions, it glittered with a warrior's sweat and had an evil which protruded off its hide like poisonous spines. This creature had roamed the aeons sending multitudes of innocent 'children' to nothingness before their time. In ages past it was known as Ra, god of the sun, then it was known as Xeues. Only a thousand years ago they called him a Dragon, and now, he was known as a scientist. Figure heads for the world, able to control the elements to their wishes. But today, it was time for the creature to end its cultivation of evil on earth. One man who the beast had killed had refused to die. By sheer power of will he had re-spawned to become the 'Spawn', and now, after centuries of silent following had finally decided that enough was enough! Kicking open the barred door the Spawn raised his hell blade in a warriors salute and cried, "Your time is up beast! Never again will you commit crimes against humanity! With this sword I commit your body to the flames!" The spawn's

Margaret Laurences A Bird in the House Essay -- Laurence A Bird in th

Margaret Laurence's A Bird in the House Margaret Laurence's A Bird in the House differentiates itself from the four other novels that make up the 'Manawaka series' that has helped establish her as an icon of Canadian literature. It does not present a single story; instead, it is a compilation of eight well-crafted short stories (written between the years 1962 and 1970) that intertwine and combine into a single narrative, working as a whole without losing the essential independence of the parts. It tells - at least on a surface level - of the childhood of a young girl named Vanessa MacLeod , and of her trials and tribulations in the small Manitoban town of Manawaka. The narrative style of the stories is important, since it is through Vanessa's own eyes that we learn of her family and life - yet the eyes belong to an older, wiser Vanessa, remembering her own childhood from a future point years later. Laurence handles the narrative style quite cleverly; the experiences of the child-Vanessa are portrayed with all the innocence and naà ¯vety and shock that first accompanied them, yet are also tainted and clarified by the wisdom of the older-Vanessa. "... the narrator [becomes] Vanessa, the woman, who takes on the voice and attributes of the child she was and, at the same time, remains her present self, far older and wiser in compassion and understanding."1 It is the perspective of the older and wiser Vanessa that allows the reader to pick up on the important ideas, images, and themes that the author is trying to convey to us. A Bird in the House is far more than semi-autobiographical, is far more than the simple story of a young girl growing up in the prairies during the great Depression: it is a work of... ...e. The tightness of Laurence's weaving is remarkable: the symbols, the characters, and the characters are drawn together into a cohesive whole. "... the characters reflect the book's central metaphor and are thus symbolically interconnected [...] the stories chart how they are all caught up in parallel captivities and engaged in divergent flights." (Davidson 99) They are, indeed, all drawn together by the bird in the house. Works Cited 1. qtd. in Davidson, Arnold E. "Cages and Escapes in Margaret Laurence's A Bird in the House." University of Windsor Review 16 (1981): 95. 2.Margaret Laurence, A Bird in the House (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1970), 43. All further references are to this edition and are included in my text. 3. Jon Kertzer, "That House in Manawaka": Margaret Laurence's A Bird in the House (Toronto: ECW Press, 1992), 57.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 1

It's simple,† Jez said on the night of the last hunt of her life. â€Å"You run. We chase. If we catch you, you die. Well give you three minutes head start.† The skinhead gang leader in front of her didn't move. He had a pasty face and shark eyes. He was standing tensely, trying to look tough, but Jez could see the little quiver in his leg muscles. Jez flashed him a smile. â€Å"Pick a weapon,† she said. Her toe nudged the pile at her feet. There was a lot of stuff there- guns, knives, baseball bats, even a few spears. â€Å"Hey, take more than one. Take as many as you want. My treat.† There was a stifled giggle from behind her and Jez made a sharp gesture to stop it. Then there was silence. The two gangs stood facing each other, six skinhead thugs on one side and Jez's gang on the other. Except that Jez's people weren't exactly normal gang members. The skinhead leader's eyes shifted to the pile. Then he made a sudden lunge and came up with something in his hand. A gun, of course. They always picked guns. This particular gun was the kind it was illegal to buy inCalifornia these days, a large caliber semiautomatic assault weapon. The skinhead whipped it up and held it pointed straight at Jez. Jez threw back her head and laughed. Everyone was staring at her-and that was fine. She looked great and she knew it. Hands on her hips, red hair tumbling over her shoulders and down her back, fine-boned face tipped to the sky-yeah, she looked good. Tall and proud and fierce†¦ and very beautiful. She was Jez Redfern, the huntress. She lowered her chin and fixed the gang leader with eyes that were neither silver nor blue but some color in between. A color he never could have seen before, because no human had eyes like that. He didn't get the clue. He didn't seem like the brightest. â€Å"Chase this,† he said, and he fired the gun. Jez moved at the last instant. Not that metal through the chest would have seriously hurt her, but it might have knocked her backward and she didn't want that She'd just taken over the leadership of the gang from Morgead, and she didn't want to show any weakness. The bullet passed through her left arm. There was a little explosion of blood and a sharp flash of pain as it fractured the bone before passing on through. Jez narrowed her eyes, but held on to her smile. Then she glanced down at her arm and lost the smile, hissing. She hadn't considered the damage to her sleeve. Now there was a bloody hole in it. Why didn't she ever think about these things? â€Å"Do you know how much leather costs? Do you know how much aNorthBeach jacket costs?† She advanced on the skinhead leader. He was blinking and hyperventilating. Trying to figure out how she'd moved so fast and why she wasn't yelling in agony. He aimed the gun and fired again. And again, each time more wildly. Jez dodged. She didn't want any more holes. The flesh of her arm was already healing, closing up and smoothing over. Too bad her jacket couldn't do the same. She reached the skinhead without getting hit again and grabbed him by the front of his green and black Air Force flight jacket. She lifted him, one handed, until the steel toes of his Doc Marten boots just cleared the ground. â€Å"You better run, boy,† she said. Then she threw him. He sailed through the air a remarkable distance and bounced off a tree. He scrambled up, his eyes showing white with terror, his chest heaving. He looked at her, looked at his gang, then turned and started running through the redwoods. The other gang members stared after him for a moment before diving for the weapons pile. Jez watched them, frowning. They'd just seen how effective bullets were against people like her, but they still went for the guns, passing by perfectly good split-bamboo knives, yew arrows, and a gorgeous snakewood walking stick. And then things were noisy for a while as the skinheads came up from the pile and started firing. Jez's gang dodged easily, but an exasperated voice sounded in Jez's head. Can we go after them now? Or do you want to show off some more? She flicked a glance behind her. Morgead Blackthorn was seventeen, a year older than she, and her worst enemy. He was conceited, hotheaded, stubborn, and power-hungry-and it didn't help that he was always saying she was all those things, too. â€Å"I told them three minutes,† she said out loud. â€Å"You want me to break my word?† And for that instant, while she was snarling at him, she forgot to keep track of bullets. The next thing she knew Morgead was knocking her backward. He was lying on top of her. Something whizzed over both of them and hit a tree, spraying bark. Morgead's gem-green eyes glared down into hers. â€Å"But†¦ they're .. . not. . . running,† he said with exaggerated patience. â€Å"In case you hadn't noticed.† He was too close. His hands were on either side of her head. His weight was on her. Jez kicked him off, furious with him and appalled at herself. â€Å"This is my game. I thought of it. We play it my way!† she yelled. The skinheads were scattering anyway. They'd finally realized that shooting was pointless. They were running, crashing through the sword fern. â€Å"Okay, now!† Jez said. â€Å"But the leader's mine.† There was a chorus of shouts and hunting calls from her gang. Val, the biggest and always the most impatient, dashed off first, yelling something like â€Å"Yeeeeeehaw.† Then Thistle and Raven went, the slight blond and the tall dark girl sticking together as always. Pierce hung back, staring with his cold eyes at a tree, waiting to give his prey the illusion of escaping. Jez didn't look to see what Morgead was doing. Why should she care? She started off in the direction the skinhead leader had taken. But she didn't exactly take his path. She went through the trees, jumping from one redwood to another. The giant sequoias were the best; they had the thickest branches, although the wart like bulges called burls on the coastal redwoods were good landing places, too. Jez jumped and grabbed and jumped again, occasionally doing acrobatic flips when she caught a branch just for the fun of it. She loved Muir Woods. Even though all the wood around her was deadly-or maybe because it was. She liked taking risks. And the place was beautiful: the cathedral silence, the mossy greenness, the resinous smell. Last week they'd hunted seven gang members throughGolden GatePark . It had been enjoyable, but not really private, and they couldn't let the humans fight back much. Gunshots in the park would attract attention. Muir Woods had been Jez's idea- they could kidnap the gang members and bring them here where nobody would disturb them. They would give them weapons. It would be a real hunt, with real danger. Jez squatted on a branch to catch her breath. There just wasn't enough real danger in the world, she thought. Not like the old days, when there were still vampire hunters left in the Bay Area. Jez's parents had been killed by vampire hunters. But now that they'd all been eliminated, there wasn't anything really scary anymore†¦. She froze. There was an almost inaudible crunching in the pine needles ahead of her. Instantly she was on the move again, leaping fearlessly off the branch into space, landing on the spongy pine-needle carpet with her knees bent. She turned and stood face-to-face with the skinhead. â€Å"Hey there,† she said.