Megaraptor - Facts and Figures

Megaraptor - Facts and Figures Name: Megaraptor (Greek for giant thief); pronounced MEG-ah-rap-tore Habitat: Plains and woodlands of South America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (90-85 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 25 feet long and 1-2 tons Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; bipedal posture; long, single claws on front hands About Megaraptor Like another impressively named beast, Gigantoraptor, Megaraptor has been a bit oversold, in that this large, carnivorous dinosaur wasnt technically a true raptor. When the scattered fossils of Megaraptor were discovered in Argentina in the late 1990s, paleontologists were impressed by a single, foot-long claw, which they assumed was located on this dinosaurs hind feethence its classification as a raptor (and one that would have been even bigger than the biggest raptor yet identified, Utahraptor). On closer analysis, though, it turned out that Megaraptor was actually a large theropod closely related to Allosaurus and Neovenator, and that those single, oversized claws were located on its hands rather than its feet. Sealing the deal, Megaraptor has proved to be similar in appearance to another large theropod from Australia, Australovenator, a hint that Australia may have been connected to South America later into the Cretaceous period than was previously thought. Its place in the dinosaur bestiary aside, what was Megaraptor actually like? Well, it wouldnt be surprising if this South American dinosaur was covered with feathers (at least during some stage of its life cycle), and it almost certainly subsisted on the small, skittery ornithopods of its late Cretaceous ecosystem, or perhaps even on newborn titanosaurs. Megaraptor may also have encountered, or even preyed on, one of the few true raptors of South America, the appropriately named Austroraptor (which only weighed about 500 pounds, or a quarter of Megaraptors size).

Compare and Contrast between Socialism and Capitalism

Compare and Contrast between Socialism and Capitalism Introduction Socialism has been regarded as kind of economy which relocates its means of production from individual ownership to state ownership and communal ownership.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast between Socialism and Capitalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A state that operates under socialism possesses all the means of production and also supervises them. This system has been believed to construct a different egalitarian system which is founded on the values of cooperation and solidarity. However, this further relies on another feature where human beings are viewed as capable of interacting and cooperating with one another (Newman 3). Capitalism on the other hand could be reffered as a system where means of production are employed and owned by individuals. This kind of economy develops under the right of an individual who decides freely where and how they want to produce (Hunt and Laut zenheiser 5). Therefore these are two diverse systems; the following essay illustrates the differences and similarities between these two systems. Economy and Trade Marxist economists described various ideas concerning socialism and capitalism using various illustrations. According to his famous accounts, capitalist was depicted as destructive, a kind of system that is prone to crisis and administered by logic of capital. It was mostly expressed on the basis of economic laws of motion also the desire to accumulate on the capital. However, socialism denoted elimination or suppression of such logic and its fundamental drives and laws, hence created the likelihood of a rational, organized way of managing social and economic life. Marxist economists condemned capitalism because of instability and irrational outcomes of a system based on private markets and properties. Marxist noted the devastating social and economic outcomes of capitalist organizations, economic anarchy; for instance, sales seldom matched actual or expected levels of production, and the overall amount of savings planned for investments, hence affecting business cycles. Other associated crises were ineffective outcomes and uneconomical expenditures which led to starvation, unemployment, and ecological deterioration. There was social disintegration and fragmentation because of unequal distribution of power and wealth and promotion of privacy, social interests, and personal interests over public. It encouraged alienation for instance through commodity fetishism because conception of false needs was encouraged rather than satisfaction of true needs. This led to denial of genuine individual knowledge concerning themselves and also the society surrounding them (Ruccio and Amariglio 216-17).Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In contrast, socialism because of eliminating the scope of priva te markets and properties and its institution of planning, it has been represented as a system that demonstrates basic rationality and stability. Therefore, the results were fairly different; economic coordination and balance which was supervised by a central planning board and analyzed by enterprises and ministries. Furthermore, the system portrayed effective and socially beneficial expenditures which were based on coherent calculations and no profit making motive. The system created unification and social harmony because of establishment of relative equality and social and private interests which were then allowed to converge. More importantly, it promoted self realization and true needs could be articulated and the nature of social interactions was transparent and immediate. Marxist economists has also noted the degree at which capitalism has been based on individual exploitation which involves extraction of surplus value while in socialism almost all surplus was appropriated com munally or socially (Ruccio and Amariglio 216-17). Property Rights Socialism could be defined as transfer of titles of a particular property from those individuals who have invested scarcely to those who have contractually acquired them or for some different use. It could be regarded as a social system where the scarce resources or means of production which are utilized to produce consumption products are socialized or nationalized. The concept of socialization of means of production has been practiced in a number of countries such as Soviet Union and afterwards by Soviet dominated nations of Eastern Europe and various countries all over the world. If private property becomes the means of production, then one encourages differences. By eradicating private ownership everybody’s ownership means of production is equated. Every person becomes the co- owner of all the properties and this reflects every individual’s identical standing as a human being. The economic rationale of a scheme like that one is suggested to be more effective. In contrast, capitalism which concentrates on private ownership as the means of production seems to be very chaotic. It appears more of a wasteful system which is characterized by ruinous competition, duplicating efforts and lacks concerted, coordinated action. Unless the communal ownership is substituted with private then it’s possible to eradicate that waste by executing a single, coordinated comprehensive production plan. The property regulations which are assumed under the socialization policy and those which comprise the general legal principles of nations such as Russia are distinguished by two complementary attributes. First, no one possesses socialized means of production but they are owned socially.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast between Socialism and Capitalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More That means nobody or no group of people, or all of them together have the right to either obtain them or trade them and retain the receipts got from their sale confidentially. Their use is however determined by people not as the owners but as the caretakers of the things (Herman 19-22). Secondly, no individual or groups of people or all of them together has the right to engage in personal investment and form new personal means of production. They could neither invest through changing the existing, nonproductively already used resources into productive ones, by pooling resources with the rest of the people, by original saving, nor by a combination of those techniques. Investment could be done only by caretakers, not for private profit but for the benefit of the community. In an economy such as capitalism which is founded on private ownership, owners resolve what to do with the means of production. However in socialized economy such owners never exist hence it cannot happen and the major problem is what to do with the means of production. The difference between socialized property economy and private one is the concept of whose will prevails if there are conflicts. In capitalism somebody must be there to control and others who do not control and therefore real difference exists among people. In this case, the problem on whose opinion prevails is determined by original contract and appropriation. Similarly, in socialism real difference exists between noncontrollers and controllers under some occasions, the issue on whose opinion prevails is not resolved through previous contract or usership but through political means (Herman 19-22). Therefore, capitalist differs from socialism by replacing public ownership with private ownership. Public ownership caused excessive depersonalization of the property. Neither losses nor gains had exclusive and direct effects on a particular individual, responsibility normally was enormously low. To some extent private property still existed in socialism ( Kornai 87). Nevertheless, it seems to be scarce hence it does not cover the means of production.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More If the property could not be transferred to the state, communal properties like agricultural cooperatives or small businesses such as handicraft were introduced. This shows theoretically the membership is voluntary and such ownership was not affected legally. Hence collective ownership was regarded as an intermediary stage which would be replaced by the state ownership finally. On the other hand, in capitalism under property right it is evident there was division of labor, making of profit and uneven distribution of wealth and massive involvement in economic exchanges. That was portrayed as the only means of maintaining an individual existence which signify a great need for steady rules and enforcement system. That is mainly essential for property rights, and their transfer and their protection. Coordination Another disparity between socialism and capitalism is depicted on how coordination is accomplished. Rather than letting people do what they desire, capitalism organizes the acti ons by restraining people to respect the earlier user ownership. Capitalist is distinguished by decentralist and unstructured coordination instead of centralized management and steering. This is clearly observed in disincentives and incentives which are not set politically. In such society, distribution of resources occurs through the market. On the other hand, in socialism rather than allowing people do what they wish, it manages individual plans through superimposing on an individual’s plan or the plan of a group and that of varying individual or group in spite of prior ownership and other mutual exchange contracts (Herman 23). This depicts central planning where the state owns almost all production facilities. The required inputs for production and preliminary products are determined then organized, political priorities are always considered. The consumer and producer demand are anticipated while correct exchange relations are resolved by the setting of the price. However, this is costly and huge task to be carried by the administration which tends to be more complicated and develops technologically according to the nation economy. Security Capitalists system argues that the major role of the government is to safe guard its citizens from deception or various forms of corruption. They argue that force is the security of individual’s rights. To achieve that, the government employs police force that is in charge of security at their homes and military group which guards any exterior attack while the court ensures that local disputes between the residents are cleared. In addition, they believe that stirring force could only lead to violation of rights; hence the government simply uses force in case one initiates it. In this society, anyone could begin any type of business one desires. This is because the security of monopolies does not operate. The main law which is plainly decreed and everybody is supposed to observe is that members of the societ y should not violate an individual’s human rights (De Soto 68). Thus they give credibility to observing individual’s rights which is supreme and freedoms are also regarded as supreme. On the other hand, socialism is a reverse; the government is centrally involved while the society manages communal properties such as cooperatives and industries. Even though, they own those properties through the government. In addition, the workers are in charge of means of production owned by the society and are invested for the well being of the whole economy but not just the wealthy individuals. In this system, the government manages the overall means of production but the members have the duty of choosing the best setting for the production, the amount to produce and which product should be produced. Those produces should also be allocated fairly to ensure everybody is satisfied. Some philosophers like Karl Marx claimed that there is possibility of capitalism being overshadowed beca use already there are some evident changes in capitalist societies which resemble socialism. They further suggested that they must look for a means to conquer capitalists’ resistance and their proposers to achieve socialism. In socialism economy, there is equal allocation of resources within its members and focuses on providing basic needs to the members to ensure equality. To make sure every member in the society benefits, the government ensures it caters for those who are needy and cannot support themselves, this is achieved through community based programs and related organizations. In addition, socialist societies are usually known because of their charitable social security systems. These include: free education, full employment, total coverage through pension system, subsidized housing, welfare for the sick, orphans and elderly and good public security depicted by low crime rates (Rudiger 14). Social Welfare For several decades the Soviet Union lived as an enormous nati onal socialist government. The Kibbutzim and Mennonites abandoned the Soviet Union and settled in capitalist nations like Israel and United States. The Amish live peacefully under capitalism since the community reaps together and sows together. Because they are not buying food and paying wages, there is fairly little taxable business taking place. Furthermore, the community could also work jointly to produce goods which could be sold to neighbors surrounding the community. That enables the community to pay for things like property taxes (Gilpin 220). That indicates that the socialist society should own the means of production, but not the individuals within their society. Since socialism depends on production which belongs to the collective, then it’s very hard for a single socialist unit to exist in another socialist unit. Also in a case of a joint ownership, one of the parties must have more power over the property than the other. It is impossible for two units to have sove reignty over similar property. As a result, socialist groups like Kibbutzim and Mennonites abandoned areas such as Eastern Europe and Russia in favor of Israel and United States. Socialist society depends on willing contribution of every member of that society. In case of the less productive members within the society, that is not regarded as a problem. Nevertheless, if the most productive members in that society were able of being independent, that could be a problem. This is because if those members who are most productive depart from the collective, then the overall resources allocated to every member decreases. In case this repeatedly happens then socialism would collapse, since the only people who would remain are the less productive (Duck 2). There must be something to maintain the most productive members in the socialist country; this ensures they do not leave. For instance, majority of productive Mennonites are kept within their society by the religion or the Jews in their K ibbutzim. Patriotism might also maintain majority of productive members in a socialist country. Nonetheless, the tie of religion is stronger than that of patriotism. Because socialism cannot permit most of its members who are productive to depart from the collective, then it is very hard for capitalist to exist within socialism. This is evident because socialist government always takes production from those people who are most productive and then reallocate it to the less productive people. If that was done against the desires of the people, subsequently they will harbor bitterness against socialist government. As a result, the tie of patriotism will grow weaker (Duck 2). Government Role on Social Life Critics argue that a government which is capable of providing everything is also powerful enough to take away everything. This happened to German National Socialists and Communist Russia. Nevertheless, government with socialist system does not withhold social welfare but the power it has over the economy of that nation leaves the citizens vulnerable to the dictators (Newman 39). They argue that in a nation where Congress are not permitted to pass law which focuses on establishment of religion, then government social programs seems to be corrupt and mostly tend to be agnostic. As a result, such social programs seem to prohibit religion which is a free exercise or others encourage atheism. There are many well documented government education programs which prohibit prayer and encourage atheism. Socialist governments appear to atheism. The morality of Atheist is only a manifestation of the light reflected by biblical morality. Without the guiding light from the bible, atheist morality is likely to go off course. Finally, it degrades to level where immoral behaviors such as genocide turn to be acceptable. Critics further argue that socialism should not be allowed to exist in a government and socialist groups ought to support capitalism in their government since in ca pitalism they can freely exist. They believe that the framework of capitalism leads to efficient socialism, this is because it allows people to embrace socialism (Duck 2-3). Prices Formation In capitalist system, prices are not determined by the state but set by interplay between demand and supply in the free markets. Nevertheless, the state could affect the prices indirectly through subsidization, taxation, restrictions of imports and in case it manages the Central Bank, through monetary policy like money supply and interest rates. Therefore, in this system coordination of transactions through prices is a distinctive feature of capitalist system (Friedman 8-13). On the other hand, in case of socialist economy channeling so much power on the prices it would require sufficient market structure; it would also challenge the structure and the state that formed such system while trying to allocate resources in the economy. In socialist economy price mechanisms were not fully eliminated, mostly it was incorporated in economic planning. This led to unofficial or multiple official price systems. This altered price system which never reflects true scarcity levels and makes consumers and companies to be price inelastic, thus they do not react adequately to increase and decrease of prices because these are meaningless. Conversely, households in classical socialist economy work under constrain due to the hard budget because their funds are limited. Thus they never respond to prices because the state controls the prices which become political relevance. As a result, the prices of services and basic goods like medical services, staple food, housing, childcare, are normally subsidized whilst the demand for luxury goods is controlled through setting high prices. As proposed by classical economic theory the consumers respond promptly, they buy extra of the subsidized goods compared to what they would purchase in market equilibrium. Market Structure In capitalist system, privat e enterprises of different sizes coexist and usually compete with those enterprises owned by the state and other forms like the cooperatives. The main feature of capitalist system appears to be free market exit and entry. Thus it’s not a static system however it operates under dynamic renewal. On the other hand, in socialist economy the seller incurs total transaction cost, seeks information on how and where to find the product, adapts to the seller’s supply through forced substitution. Therefore, the buyer bears the outcomes of uncertainty. This is opposite of capitalist economy which can be regarded as buyer’s market. In the case of seller’s market as in socialism, it’s usually a stable condition where demand constantly exceeds supply (Rudiger 11). Conclusion According to the discussion above it is evident that these two systems are quite different with a few similarities. Majorly, the socialist economy is depicted by its communal ownership as th e name suggests. The society properties are owned by everybody and there is no one entitled as the sole manager. The property rights are generally communal and the members act as caretakers of the properties. On the other hand, capitalism is distinguished by the private ownership of property. Analyzing on the prices the two systems are really diverse, under socialism the consumers are in control of the market and they bear the overall cost of market uncertainties. Moreover, they are supposed to seek where and how to use the means of production hence the name seller market. On the other hand, under capitalism it’s the reverse it’s called the buyer market since the government is in control of the means of production. One similarity is that both governments control the amount of money workers contributes thus the pension is under government management. De Soto, Hernando. The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. New York: Rand om House, 2000. Duck, Samuel. â€Å"Comparing national socialism to capitalism, liberty, charity, and local socialism†, 2009. Web. Friedman, Milton. Capitalism and Freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002. Gilpin, Robert. Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001. Hans-Hermann, Hoppe. Theory of Socialism and Capitalism. Alabama: Ludwing von Mises Institute, 2007. Hunt, E. and Lautzenheiser, Mark. History of Economic Thought: A Critical Perspective. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2011. Kornai, Janos. The Socialist System: The Political Economy of Communism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992. Newman, Michael. Socialism: a very short introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Ruccio, David and Amariglio, Jack. Postmodern moments in modern economics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003. Rudiger, Frank. â€Å"North Korea: East Asian Socialism, Capitalism, or What?† U niversity of Vienna, 2008. Web.

Scenario Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scenario - Case Study Example These are the underlying assumptions on which my response is formulated. A consideration of the more obvious problems leads me to suggest that the trash and garbage problem can be quite easily remedied. We will immediately clean up the trash and garbage in the water and land around the docks and restaurant areas, and will install new, durable, brightly colored trash and garbage containers, well-marked and of adequate size. Attractive signs, using a humorous approach (choking boats with emotional expression), will be placed at each trash and garbage can, to invite usage. Discarded items around the repair and maintenance facility will be disposed of properly, off-site, in accordance with the law. The spare parts stored in 55 gallon oil drums will be covered. The greasy muck outside the warehouse doors will be cleaned, and kept clean, and the source evaluated and curtailed. Safety trenches will be installed around areas with liquid storage tanks of paints, solvents, resins and other mat erials, and these areas will be protected from rain by roofing and, if necessary, enclosure. The safety trenches will be cleaned out regularly to prevent overflow. All toxins and pollutants will be disposed of in compliance with the law. As a boatyard and marina, we need to obtain a generic NPDES permit, which involves the design and implementation of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for Best Management Practices to protect the waterways from toxins contained in the oil, paints and solvents used and inadvertently deposited on our site. A management committee will be appointed to create our plan and apply for the NPDES permit. The application, permit assistance and a sample plan are available online (State of Florida, 2011). The committee will be advised to carefully consult these resources, and also to obtain other technical assistance and mentoring, in support of this project. To obtain proper information, mentoring and technical assistance, both on-site and distance advising, our marina will apply to join The Florida Clean Marina Program (Fish-Tale Marina, 2008) and receive official designation. This will provide structure, consistency and goal orientation to management. In addition, all Area Managers will be directed to carefully familiarize themselves with relevant sections of a supremely useful Marina Environmental Best Management Practices Web Site (New York Sea Grant, 2008), as a model for recommending and implementing new area procedures. Procedures which minimize pollution risk will be evaluated and adopted, including, for example, dustless sanders, tarp enclosures, non-toxic paints, regular fuel tank inspections, thorough draining of fuel tanks prior to waste disposal, using cleaning solvents that are not chlorinated, ammoniated or petroleum-based, proper cleaning and disposal of spills, appropriate management of floor drains, and covered protection from rainfall. Area Management meetings will be held to formally endorse recommended pro cedures for each area. A Clean Area Award system will be implemented to encourage friendly competition among employees. The monthly award(s) for Cleanest Area(s) will involve a prize of donuts and sugar-free,

Answer the Economic Qustions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Answer the Economic Qustions - Essay Example Organisation of Oil Producing and Exporting Countries which has twelve members in total namely Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Ecuador, Libya, Nigeria, Angola and Algeria. It should be pointed out that OPEC countries are among the major oil producing and supplying nations, which enjoy almost over 65 per cent of world’s proven oil reserves, nearly of 40% total production and around 55 per cent in world’s oil exports (Breitenfellner et al, 2009). OPEC, having secretariat in Vienna, is referred to a cartel because of this members mutually decide about changes in their oil production and supply to nations worldwide. In addition, they opt to constrict supply to escalate international oil prices and thus reap additional profits on exports of crude oil. On the other hand, OPEC members, especially Saudi Arabia, have also increased supply in past (1992 Gulf war) to control shortages. Oil demand has very low price elasticity or in other words, the inelastic demand because oil is used for energy generation, industries, transportation and cooking. Indeed, the oil supply also has very low price elasticity because it is difficult to extract, produce and refine as heavy plant machinery and investment is needed to accomplish these objectives. There were, indeed, many factors that led to first peak oil (crises in 2008) and finally in steep reduction in world oil prices. The first major reason was the fact that demand increased heavily due to growth in International trade after elimination of trade barriers and decrease in custom tariffs and duties. This not only led to growth and expansion in advance economies but also in developing nation of Asia, Middle East, Eastern and Central Europe, especially China, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Thailand, Hungary and others etc. The world oil demand skyrocketed and touched 85 million barrel mark in 2 007 – 2008. Oil then became expensive because buyers were ready

History of District Nursing in Australia Essay Example for Free

History of District Nursing in Australia Essay District nurses are those senior nurses who are involved in managing care in a community by leading teams of both support workers and community nurses. This particular paper talks about the history of district nursing since its emergence in England over one hundred and fifty years ago. It then discusses the progress of district nursing in other countries, in this case, Australia. Nursing can be defined as a science and an art with an exceptional body of knowledge drawing from behavioral, physical, and social sciences (Funnel et al, 2005, p. ). It is a profession that is unique in its own way because it addresses families and individuals responses to health problems, health maintenance, as well as health promotion. Over one hundred years ago, nursing was defined by Florence Nightingale as the act of making use of a patient’s environment in a bid to helping that particular patient recover. To facilitate for quick recovery, she considered a clean, quiet, and well ventilated environment as very essential. Nursing helps in facilitation of prescribed therapy, assists patients to be independent of assistance, and also help the patients to function to their maximum potential as soon as possible. Various themes have been associated with the definition of nursing. Some describe nursing as an art, as a science, that nursing is about caring, it is holistic, that it is client oriented, adaptive, and that nursing is generally a helping profession. The historical accounts of the profession clearly bring out the revolving nature of nursing. The word nurse was derived from a Latin word which means to cherish or nourish. In a human being’s life, birth, death, sickness, and injury are all very common. There has therefore always been that need to take care of others, especially those in need. Funnel et al state that some of the earliest and most organized nursing carried out by men who worked in hospitals which were established by military religious orders at the period the crusades. Some examples included the knights of St. Lazarus, and the Knights of St.  John of Jerusalem. Henry VIII, during the sixteenth century, commanded the closure of English monasteries and the confiscation of their wealth as well. What this meant was that all the sick and destitute people had no where to stay and were hence left to die. This then saw the construction of work houses which were used to house the poor and especially the sick. Here they lived in very bad conditions and were at the same time required to work in order to earn th eir continued stay there. Conditions in London got to a very desperate state, and after many petitions from the citizens, Henry VIII had no option but to allow for the re-founding of some hospitals like St Mary’s, St Thomas’s, as well as St Bartholomew’s. These hospitals despite their reopening were very poorly staffed and were characterized by untrained workers whose characters were very poor. Patients who were admitted in these hospitals lived under appalling conditions in overcrowded wards Funnel et al add that the early 18th and mid 19th century came to be termed as nursing â€Å"Dark Ages† of nursing. It was an age where caring of the sick and nurses’ status reached to the lowest levels ever imaginable (5). A clergyman named Theodor Fliedner in 1836 founded the institution Kaiserwerth where they trained specially chosen women as deaconesses. The institution was then to be famous for its high standards and levels of training as well as the care given to the sick. The institution then grew very famous and finally became the centre for training nurses and as a result received very many trainees, and from all parts of the world. Some of these trainees later opened up centers in their respective countries. Modern nursing has hence evolved as a result of the influence Kaiserwerth had on individuals like Florence Nightingle. She had spent two weeks at Kaiserwerth in 1850 and later visited the institution again in 1851 and was named Superintendent for Establishment for Gentlewomen during Illness. She became famous when she took with her a team of thirty nurses to Scutari where they were met with a lot of resistance from medics who refused them to take care of the sick and injured soldiers. She however did not give up and devoted her time and energy to improving bad conditions in the camps through the introduction of communal as well as personal hygiene, organization of excellent food supply, getting hold of medical supplies, and basic sanitary conditions like washing of hands and also the importance of fresh air. In a span of two to three weeks, the opposition she had earlier faced was no more and the nurses were then called back to come and take care of the sick. Florence Nightingle was viewed as an idol by the soldiers because she brought hope and comfort to the sick just by the light of the lamp she used t carry at night, hence she was later came to be known as the Lady of the Lamp. In the case of Australia, very little interest was paid for the care of the sick when the original English colony was established at Sydney Cove. In 1811, Sydney hospital was opened and the staff included of female convicts with some male convicts also carrying out nursing duties. They were however received no wages for the labor they offered although they received their keep. The nurses’ behavior here was wanting and they were known to be of poor character with them being drunk in most cases while on duty. In 1811, Australia opened its first lunatic asylum and it was characterized by untrained mental attendants. As a way of control, huge numbers of disturbed individuals were literally restrained because most of the staff were custodians and there was no emphasis whatsoever on treatment (Funnel et al, 2005, p. 5). In 1838, the first group of trained nurses arrived in Sydney. They were five in number. The influence of Nightingale was experienced in 1868. The principles of Nightingale were gradually adapted and the physically ill could now be cared for. Nurses were not left behind either. Practical skills were taught to them such as those of leeching, dressing, as well as administering enemas. Emphasis was however put on their punctuality, sexual purity, cleanliness, and most importantly obedience. A huge percentage of nursing comprised of housekeeping, and was dominated by house hold work. It was however acknowledged that compassion and also dignity were characteristics that were desirable for all those who took care of the sick. The necessity for nurses training in Australia grew as scientific advances continued to be made. By the year 1900, most of the Australian hospitals had a three year training program for student nurses where lectures were delivered by the medical staff. The students could not however maintain their concentration in class as a result of long hours of work. IN the wake of the twentieth century, conflict would arise whether nursing should be viewed as a vocation, subordinate to medicine, or as a profession which is different but of equal status with medicine. (Funnel et al, 2005, p. 6) add that in the year 1867, an Act of Parliament was passed which stated that all individuals displaying signs of mental impairments should be sent to mental asylums and not prisons. As a result, the developmentally disabled were then able to be separated from the mentally ill. Nursing in these mental asylums was delivered mostly by male attendants, and even though care remained and continued to be custodial, the medical staff was able to offer some lectures to these attendants. This is the period in which female attendants begun receiving serious considerations. As the increase in training of nurses continued to increase, so was the agitation for nurses’ registration. In 1920, South Australia was the first of the states to pass the relevant legislation followed by Western Australia in 1922 and Victoria and New South Wales in 1924. Industrial issues emerged as the sense of professionalism emerged among nurses. In 1924, the Australian Nursing Federation was able to hold its first meeting and the meting addressed several issues including the improved working conditions, improved wages, and the need for greater professional acknowledgment. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (1986), home nursing in Australia started in 1885 when a group of concerned nationals came together in Victoria and founded the Melbourne District Nursing Service. The main objective of the group was to look after the underprivileged sick people at home. Since then, nursing services have been seen to spread to every territory and state. Today, there are more than two hundred institutions using modern technology to take care of the sick and at the same time offer both general and specialized nursing services to the citizens of Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics states that the link with district nurses from England is apparent in the growth of nursing institutes in Australia. In England, nurses begun to be trained for work districts in 1848. One, Mr. William Rathborne, in 1859, saw the need to provide a nurse who was meant to work amongst the poor in Liverpool. He later founded a training school for district nurses using his own personal finances. These nurses were not only seen as caring but also as social reformers due to their knowledge and also direct contact they established with those they cared for. During Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Year in 1887, some of the funds collected for her gift were given by the queen for the setting up of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Institute of Nurses. Throughout England for many years, the establishment facilitated both the employment and training of district nurses. A considerable number of district nurses also came to undertake this particular training program. The relevant information regarding district nursing services was brought to Australia by Dr. Caffyn and Rev. C. Strong who were from England. They were both very instrumental when it came to setting up the first home nursing in Australia which was known as the Melbourne District Nursing Society (204). According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the first State to introduce a district nursing service in Australia was that of Victoria in 1885. It was then followed by South Australia in the year 1894, then came Tasmania in 1896, New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia in 1900, 1904, and 1905 respectively. One notable nursing service was the Blue Nursing Service. According to the history of Blue care, Blue care started off being known as the Blue Nursing Services. The service came to be through the vision and urgings of Rev. Arthur Preston, who was the founder. There was a great shortage of hospital beds in Australia and the nursing bodies that were in existence then were not able to cope with the demands of an ever growing population. This was the reason the founders saw the need to establish a new home nursing service to cater for this rising need. In 1977, together with the Methodist and Presbyterian churches, Blue Nursing was seen as a uniting factor in Australia. It is evident from the history of district nursing that the establishment of all nursing organizations was triggered by identified health care needs present in the society. At fist, focus was mainly at the poor, disadvantaged, and the sick. Services were however later made accessible to everyone in society. This was attributed to the government started issuing subsidies to most of these organizations. Nursing institutions today operate in very different structures and also under different support like voluntary bodies, local government, and hospitals. At the same time, nurses working in these organizations share one common goal and commitment: that of providing quality care in the society. There has been new demand on those nurses working in the society caused by the increased development of both technological and medical services. This has its results as people are now being discharged from hospitals earlier and also at a more accurate stage of sickness. Nurses have been forced to further and upgrade their current education so that they can keep up with helping and providing quality care to the community. For Australia, district nursing is a record of success. Realizing their extended roles as nurses which are based on their expertise, experience, as well as knowledge is crucial if at all effectiveness is to be maintained in delivery of their services.

History and Story Telling in Graham Swifts Waterland Essay -- Waterla

History and Story Telling in Graham Swift's Waterland Waterland uses history, theory, and fictional biography to address the question of history. The blurring of boundaries between history, story, and theory questions the construction of those boundaries as well as the closure and linear nature of traditional narrative. If Waterland has a beginning, it is far in the geologic past, at a time when the continents began their slow journey to the positions they now occupy; however, the novel itself does not begin at this beginning. Waterland moves forward and backward through geologic, historic, and biographic time. By denying the linearity and absolute authority of historical narrative, Swift leaves room for rupture and revision, for stories and nostalgia. The historical and biographical accounts provide a context for the philosophy and theory that the narrator interjects throughout the novel; the philosophy and theory facilitate the leaps in time between geologic, historic, and biographic past. Swift's mingling of (what appears to be) a "r eal" geologic history of the fens and the fictional accounts of the Crick and Atkinson families blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, turning history into fiction and placing fiction within a "real" historical account. (footnote 1) Waterland, as a novel, makes the same proposal that Tom Crick makes to his class: to discover and reveal the purpose of history by telling a story. The study of semiotics shows that language is the primary mediator in the construction of reality. All systems of signification are dependent on language, and the development of subject position is determined through the act of speaking. (footnote 2) In a discussion of language functions, Fredric Jameson d... ... Tom Crick are purely fictional; however, the possibility remains that they may be fictionalized biographical incidents based on events that occurred to or are known by the author, Graham Swift. This further complicates the blurring of boundaries between fiction and "reality." footnote 2 See the work of Jacques Lacan and Emile Benveniste. footnote 3 I am not limiting Tom Crick's subject position to only three possibilities; I only offer these as three possibilities from a multiplicity. footnote 4 I am fascinated by the idea of Sarah Atkinson's stories and have been telling myself her possible stories. Were her mysterious "appearances" Sarah's stories come to life because she could not "tell" them? Did she find another way to articulate her stories? Did she hear the stories others told and (re)tell them, inserting herself into the narrative?

Collaborative Working †Case Study Essay

The aim of this essay is to examine the significance of collaborative working to achieve positive outcomes for service users. â€Å"Collaboration is a dynamic inter-professional process which two or more professionals make a commitment to solve problems and to learn from each other in order to accomplish identified goals, purposes or outcomes† (Hamric, Spross and Hanson, 2000, p.318). Since the publication of Every Child Matters (2004), social care, health, voluntary sectors and other children’s services have been joining forces to work more collaboratively around an early intervention and preventative agenda (Department for Education and Skills, 2004). This essay will focus on the National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) and by drawing on the author’s experiences as a Nursery Nurse in the School Nursing team it will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required for successful implementation of this service and how to promote seamless working. The NCMP was established in 2005 and involves weighing and measuring all eligible children aged 4-5 years and 10-11 years. Research shows that it is difficult to visually tell if a child is overweight, which is why an objective measure if essential (Department of Health, 2012). The data gathered provides a picture about how children are growing nationally, therefore this information is used by the NHS to plan and provide better health services for children (NHS Choices, 2012). According to the NHS Information Centre (2010) one in four, 4-5 year olds, are overweight or obese; furthermore, these rates are higher among some black and minority ethnic communities and lower socio-econo mic groups. Although the Primary Care Trust (PCT) oversee the delivery of the programme effective partnership working is essential, therefore this essay will explore what partnerships are required and the factors that facilitate or hinder collaborative working in this area of work. Finally, this report will provide evidence from literature and published papers to support the identified barriers and benefits of collaborative working throughout this process. Setting The School Nursing team comprises of a range of skill mix which consists of a Head of Service, one team leader, seven School Nurses, five of which have obtained the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse qualification (Degree or Masters Degree) and three Nursery Nurses evenly spread in three different localities around the City. The team covers fifty two Primary Schools and ten Secondary Schools, mainly in the inner City but also in the rural surrounding areas, therefore an extremely diverse region with varying socio-economic backgrounds. This City has a very large Asian population, however recently there has been an increase in Eastern European, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese and travellers all presenting a multitude of cultures, values and beliefs. Measuring the children takes place in the school setting. Each individual school will be contacted to arrange a suitable date and time as well as organising a private area with adequate space for the ease of measuring and comfort for the children. Every school in this district has its individuality, not only do they vary in size but numerous schools have a large proportion of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). There three special needs schools, furthermore schools with varying socio-economic backgrounds such as families experiencing poverty within the inner city and in contrast more affluent areas where the school attainment is generally higher. Knowledge and Skills of the Health Professional in the Setting The Knowledge and skills discussed in this section relate to the author’s role as a Nursery Nurse within the School Nursing Team and the planning, implementation and follow-up work required for the growth measurements of all eligible Reception and Yr 6 children as required by the Governments National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP). The skills required for successful delivery of this program not only depend on accurate weighing and measuring children but several other elements such as engaging with various professionals, inputting data, maximising the effective delivery of the program which is dependent on excellent communication skills, administration management, IT skills and clinical knowledge. These skills are required from the very beginning at the planning stage; high-quality organisational skills are essential when planning and booking in the measurement sessions with the schools. The Nursery Nurse requires good organisational skills as it is her responsibility to organise the logistics of these sessions; by liaising with the School Nurses a timetable is generated to complete the programme over the year, ensuring there is sufficient staff available for each school. Following this, the Nursery Nurse will contact all the Primary Schools to book in the sessions, good communication skills are necessary to request a suitable room to maintain the privacy and dignity of the children and ensure the session creates as little disruption as possible to the educatio n of the children. Generally, the booking is made with either the School Secretary or the Head Teacher who then cascades this information to the relevant teachers and staff. It is crucial to acquire the knowledge and understanding of the NCMP protocol regarding consent and confidentiality. Parents and children are issued with information prior to the session, subsequently the NCMP operate an opt-out basis, and therefore the parents are given the opportunity to withdraw (Department of Health, 2011). The refusal notification is sent to the Child Health Department who then records this on the specific child’s medical record; therefore communication and information sharing skills are essential for this to be implemented successfully. It is paramount to respect the parent’s choice to refuse and ensure that no pressure is placed on the family to participate (Schwab and Gelfman, 2001), by possessing the knowledge of the ethical considerations of children will assist situations where a child decides they would not like to be measured. According to Lord Scarman, children have the right to make their own decisions when they reach sufficient understan ding and intelligence to be capable of making up their own mind (Children’s Legal Centre, 1985). Annual training is mandatory which ensures competency in the accurate measurement of children to obtain reliable results. It is the Nursery Nurses responsibility to supply the relevant equipment to the sessions ensuring that the height measure is complete, clean and in good working order, furthermore the scales are required to be calibrated as required by the trusts policy therefore good time management and organisational skills are beneficial. Upon arrival, the school will direct the team to a suitable area to perform the growth checks and notify the relevant staff members of our arrival. The team normally consists of a School Nurse and two Nursery Nurses, however if the School Nurse has been requested to attend a Safeguarding issue then the Nursery Nurses will complete the task, so having the ability to adapt to different situations is fundamental. Being able to work as part of a team as well as work independently is a major requirement not only to this particular task but working within the School Nursing team in general. Normally the School Nurse will discuss the process with the class teacher and then talk to the children, explaining what will happen and that the measurements will be confidential and not shared with teachers or other children, furthermore any concerns they have will be addressed. However, if the School Nurse is not in attendance the Nursery Nurse will complete this task, therefore excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills (Philippot, Feldman and Coats, 2003), empathy and an understanding on how to reduce anxiety is imperative to ease any worries or concerns. Knowledge of the health implications from being overweight or obese would be beneficial, furthermore a general knowledge of how to achieve a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet and regular exercise would be necessary to provide advice if requested. Accurate recording of the measurements is paramount and knowledge of the correct procedure for information sharing is imperative. The trust adheres to the Data Protection Act (1998) furthermore to keep up to date with this information and gain the relevant knowledge, Information Governance training is completed annually. Normally the School Nurse will input the information onto each child’s medical record and send the records off to the Child Health Department via secure internal mail, however according to the trusts policy it is compulsory for the information to be inputted within 24 hours after the measurements have been taken. As School Nurses have more medical responsibilities they might ask the Nursery Nurse to complete this task therefore good IT skills to input accurate and concise information is essential as well as the ability to prioritise workload according to the needs of the project are essential. The final component of this process is responding to calls from parents after they have received the results letters from the NCMP department. Excellent communication skills and being able to calm a conversation if the parent gets upset, angry or has taken offense to the information in the letter is vital (Whitaker and Fiore, 2001). Additionally, it is important to understand the implications of different cultures and the impact they may have on diet and size of children. Knowledge of the programs of support available will enable the Nursery Nurse to advise the parents so they can seek the relevant help and support not only for their child but for the whole family. Obtaining this extensive knowledge is fundamental to ensuring that parent’s receives the correct information, help and support to contribute to understanding the necessity of healthy lifestyles for the long-term well-being of their child. Finally, it is important for the Nursery Nurse to refer any concerns or compla ints to the named School Nurse who will then either contact the parent or report the situation to the specific organisation (Lynn, 2010). There is a plethora of professional’s whom the Nursery Nurse may collaborate with throughout the NCMP process, several of which will be liaised with on a regular basis, such as the one’s named above. HHHnnjjjnjnjnslfjfljjjfieiedddeeergggggeeee333e3e3owever, further interagency working may be required to meet the needs of the children and families, these may include Dietician, Paediatrician, Social Workers, Leisure Centre Staff and MoreLife Weight Management staff. Legislation Legislation has the impetus for collaborative working, transformation in the structure and delivery of services for children and young people initiated new alliances between statutory, public and voluntary agencies (Children Act, 2004). There are numerous Government and Local policies stating the importance of implementing interagency, partnership or collaborative working and that practitioners are required to work more closely together and form integrated teams around children and families (Department for Children, School and Families, 2007). The Governments green paper, Every Child Matters (2004) emphasised that for each child to fulfil their potential there must be a greater deal of co-operation, not only between government agencies but schools, GP’s, sports organisations and voluntary sectors. To help meet the Government strategy of multi-agency collaboration, the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge (HM Government, 2006) was introduced to work alongside the Every Child Mat ters agenda. This emphasised six areas of expertise that are expected to be put into practice by all practitioners who work with children and families. Factors that facilitate or hinder collaborative working Collaborative working is a complex and multi-faceted concept, the Latin translation â€Å"together in Labour† signifies that to meet the individual needs of children and families, successful joint working between services in a more streamlined way is required. However, although collaborative working is regarded as desirable, nevertheless, it is difficult to attain. When the NCMP was established in 2005 the PCT set up a NCMP agency to oversee the programme with joint working with the School Nursing service, therefore clarity of the aims and objectives were to be recognised and understood by all parties for this programme to be successful (Denman, 2002). Lack of formal structure and agreed outcomes may cause confusion and can result in blaming others for inaction and lack of progress (Cameron et al, 2009), therefore clarity of roles and expectation were defined by producing a clear and comprehensive policy based upon the shared vision of all organisations (Rushmer and Pallis, 2002). The Children Act (2004) gives all statutory partners wide powers to pool their budgets in pursuit of improved outcomes for children, furthermore sharing resources reduces cost and prevents unnecessary duplication of work (Atwal and Caldwell, 2005). However, time constraints due to other work commitments by the School Nursing team make it difficult to achieve the 85% participation rate (NMCP, 2012) particularly when children are absent and parents or children refuse. This may cause conflict due to NCMP’s ignorance of the School Nursing complex role and other significant priorities such a safeguarding (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010). Working in partnership with Schools is essential for the successful delivery of the programme, maintaining high participation rates by pupils and robustness of data (NCMP, 2012). A good system of communication and information sharing is required to book a convenient date and time to complete the measurements which will enable smooth running of the program with little interruption to the teachers or pupils (Integrated Care Network, 2003). Howeve r, when office staff fails to relay this information to the relevant teachers disruption to class activities, failure to provide suitable facilities and time constraints may occur which impact on the quality of service provided to the children. Factors that aid multi-agency working between schools and health services are willingness to work together, acknowledgement of professional differences, mutual respect and sharing a common purpose. Overall, the collaboration between the schools and School Nursing team is extremely good. However, occasionally conflict of interest may occur when teachers see the measurement programme as an interruption to education rather than acknowledging that children’s health status is related to their ability to learn and that children with unmet health needs have difficulties in engaging in the education process (Board et al, 2011). Therefore, creating a common purpose and employing a whole system approach (Miles and Trott, 2011) will facilitate ea rly intervention for childhood obesity will reduce health implications such as diabetes and heart disease, improve self-esteem and enhance well-being which contributes to better educational achievement. Therefore, mutual respect for each profession is paramount for successful collaboration and better outcomes for children. The Child Health Department works closely with the NCMP, School Nursing team, schools, parents and other professional bodies. Their main responsibility during the NCMP process is distribution of information to parents to explain the purpose of the programme and give parents the opportunity to withdraw. This information is recorded onto each child’s medical record and then highlighted on the lists issued to the School Nurses prior to the sessions. If the withdrawal of consent is not forwarded to the School Nurse in time for the session, then errors may occur, leading to legal and ethical issues, therefore to facilitate collaborative working improved communication and improved information sharing is vital for co-ordinating safe provision of care (Samuel, 2011). It is also the responsibility of Child Health to input the data onto each of the children’s medical record, however due to the NCMP agency possessing a different IT systems this task is duplicated therefore integrated services are hindered (Atwal and Caldwell, 2005). Within the School Nursing team roles and responsibilities are established, the School Nurse takes the lead role in the programme, however the Nursery Nurse will ensure that all the necessary equipment and paper work is present, both will perform the accurate weighing and measuring and recording of the data. According to Rushmer and Pallis (2002) positive joint working relies upon the merging of skills, knowledge and expertise from different professional hierarchies and reliance on team members can contribute to positive attitudes to other professionals. Dilemmas arise when there is a shortage of staff due to staff turnover, lack of trained staff to perform the task or competing priorities which may result in poor staff morale and impact on the accuracy of the task (Maguire and Trustcott, 2006). Furthermore, challenges may occur when there are status issues and blurring of professional boundaries, according to Wall (1998) when staff operates outside their area of expertise there will be loss of efficiency. The author recognises her role in the NCMP process; therefore any queries will be referred to the named School Nurse to respond to. Health and Clinical Excellence, NICE (2006) and Cochrane Collaboration (Summerbell et al, 2005) state there is an urgent need for evidence of effective strategies for reducing childhood obesity, therefore annual weighing and measuring data collected can be shared at National and Local levels to analyse the efficacy of the regional weight management programmes to receive continued funding to sustain the initiative to provide better health services for children (NHS Choices, 2012). Parents will be provided with feedback of their child’s weight status from the NCMP, effective information sharing raise awareness of potential associated health risks and provides parents with the opportunity to seek advice and support if they choose to (NCMP, 2012). However, complications arise when policies and guidelines differ; the School Nursing team employ a different guideline to the NCMP resulting in complex telephone conversations regarding the letter sent by the NCMP stating their child is overweight. Subsequently, for competent collaboration to exist, clarity of referral criteria’s is needed to be standardised across boundaries (NICE, 2013). The Laming Report (2009) stated a need for significant shifts in working relationships between schools, health services and parents and engaging with parents to enabling them to feel valued and encourage decision making will engage parent participation which is essential for positive outcomes to be achieved (Every Child Matters, 2004). Parents are important influences on children’s eating and physical activity behaviour (Golan, 2006) therefore collaboration with parents is vital (Whitaker et al, 1997). School based interventions such as MoreLife are effective when the whole family participate, furthermore NICE Clinical guideline 43 (2006) states that school based interventions engage families regardless of socio-economic status, cultural background and ethnicity, this is evident with the number of participants for this weight management programme in this diverse region. In contrast, barriers may occur with the lack of partnership working, power struggles, lack of commitment an d lack of equal representation, these will decrease opportunities for working together, therefore creating a shared responsibility to reduce obesity will increase the health outcomes for children. Multi disciplinary team work will identify children at risk from obesity and promote quicker and easy access to services (ECM, 2004). Additionally, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) can be shared between practitioners to refer children to appropriate services, promote information sharing and reduce duplication of and streamline assessments (CAF, 2012). However, collaboration with other professionals can be hampered when there are variations in working conditions, such as the School Nursing team and Schools working on term time only contracts. Furthermore many GP’s and Paediatricians have a professional hierarchy and delegate work to other agencies which in turn may have an effect on job satisfaction. Conversely, working with other professionals can be rewarding, stimulating, improve working relationships and increase knowledge and understanding of specialist practitioners.

Defence Mechanisms in Guajiro Personality and Culture Essay

Defence is all efforts of the ego to render inoperative and instinctual wish or impulse. The instinctual object choice produces neurotic anxiety because it clashes with the superego, which arises from the internalisation of the parent’s moral values. Defences protect the individual from experiencing anxiety either by detaching the forbidden wish from conscious awareness or by distorting or falsifying its true meaning. Several methods were used in collecting data for this study. Structured methods of observation and interviewing were used to gather information relevant to behavioural systems having transtructural significance, such as sex, aggression, and responsibility. Rorschach and TAT tests were administered to supplement these data and to aid in uncovering elements and relationships in the personality that were not readily observable, especially in the areas of affective behaviour, cognitive organization and defensive functioning. This study called â€Å"Defence Mechanisms in Guajiro Personality and Culture† by Lawrence C. Watson conducted with Guajiro Indian subjects came up with exceptional results. Some general characteristics of defence mechanisms in the Guajiro society were found: * All of the basic defence mechanisms are present but some are more important than others. * All defence mechanisms assume a well-defined culturally defined form. * Defence mechanisms cluster around a few systems of behaviour that are most conflict-ridden culture. * Variations in the deployment of psychic defences are, to a degree, a function of a person’s age, sex, occupation and class position. * There is a basic continuity in defence functioning from one stage to another in the life cycle of the individual. This study shows that defence mechanisms formulated by Freud have widespread, if not universal occurrence in human personality processes, irrespective of variations in cultural context. It also shows that in every unique social setting, cultural factors determine the form in which defensive behaviour comes to be expressed. This study also gave the result which says that defence functioning must be studied in relationship to other prevailing modal personality factors (e.g., superego strength, level of emotional control, etc.), since it is quite  likely that certain defensive properties will be found only if they are compatible with these other elements.

The Role of Ipcc in Climate Change Essay Example

The Role of Ipcc in Climate Change Essay Example The Role of Ipcc in Climate Change Essay The Role of Ipcc in Climate Change Essay The Project The Role of IPCC in Setting Climate Change Policy This essay will critically evaluate the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in setting climate change policy. In order to do this, its latest assessment report (IPCC 2007) will be highlighted. The physical science basis of climate change that IPCC relies on in influencing policy on climate change will be reviewed. IPCCs view of climate change will be shown to be the main stream view of climate change. The essay will also review alternative argument on climate change by other scientists such as Svenmark and Calder (2006). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an organization that was established in 1988 by two organizations namely the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) UPI)(IPCC 2008). Its mandate included the assessment of scientific information related to climate change, evaluation of the environmental and socio-economic consequences of climate change and the formulation of realistic response strategies (IPCC, 2007). Based on its mandate, it can be seen that IPCC was to act as the scientific powerhouse to generate evidence based information on climate change that United Nations and other countries and regional bodies will rely on to formulate their climate change policies. Since its formation, IPCC has produced assessment reports (AR) of the scientific evidence related to climate change and formulated response strategies on actions the international community need to take in order to minimize the impact of climate change. It produced the first assessment report (AR 1) in 1990, AR 2 in 1995, AR 3 in 2001 and the latest one AR 4 in 2007. The 2007 report (AR 4) was the most comprehensive of its reports. It was produced in four different volumes and each volume was launched separately at different times throughout 2007 at different locations under the banner ‘Climate Change 2007. AR 4 confirms most of the conclusions in its earlier documents including : climate change is due mainly to greenhouse gases notable carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere by human activities and responsible for global warming; addressed issues of concern to policy makers in national , regional and multinational agencies; the impact of global warming is real and will continue into the foreseeable future; there is the need for societies to adapt to reduce vulnerability and an analysis of the costs, policies and technology required to minimize the impact of climate change. It claimed that its AR 4 report was produced by 500 lead authors and reviewed by 2000 expert reviewers. There is no doubt that IPCC in its publications since 1990 has profoundly affected climate change policies at all the different levels of government. Smith and Stern (2010) have argued that IPCC provide the science of climate change and the causes and in the process highlights the risks of the phenomenon. It is the information about the risks that enables national governments to formulate policies to manage the risks either unilaterally or multilaterally. There is an international consensus that the challenges posed by climate change is best handled through multilateral agreement because climate change will affect all the countries of the world irrespective of whether or not they contributed to the problem. Hence the United Nation has played a pivotal role in bringing the nations of the world together for discussions on appropriate strategies based on reports by the IPCC. The Kyoto Protocol and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC can all be traced to the version of the science of climate change by IPCC. In fact the contributions of IPCC have been recognised as highly significant by the Nobel Prize Committee which named it as joint recipient of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. It was a seal of approval for its vital role in influencing the world climate change agenda. One of main highlights of The Kyoto protocol is the requirement for industrialised nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emission as way to mitigate the impact of climate change. This requirement can be traced to IPCC because mitigation strategy is a major strategy advocated by its Working Group 111 (mitigation of climate change). Although many of the nations of the world have signed the protocol, some industrialised nations notably the United States under President George Bush Jnr refused to sign the protocol on the grounds that the protocol did not commit significant polluters such as China and India to compulsory emission limits (Singer 2007). Both China and India have rejected any attempt to limit their emission of greenhouse gases. Singer (2007) has suggested three reasons why both countries are adamant to any mandatory limits. First, these emissions of greenhouse gases were caused by the industrialised nations in the first place during the industrial revolution and hence it is their responsibility to sort it out. Secondly even if the pas t history is discounted, at the present rate of greenhouse gas emissions, the industrialised nations still produce these gases per citizen than the rest of the world. For example, the average US resident produces six times more greenhouse gas than the average Chinese resident and about 18 times than the average India resident. Thirdly, the industrialised nations are much richer and hence better placed to bear the cost of adjusting their lifestyle to climate change without serious impact on their citizens. Perhaps in addition to these reasons there is the underlying perceptions in developing countries that limiting their CO2 emissions will slow down their rate of economic development which can impact on their other social and political policies especially with respect to poverty reduction and employment. The industrialised countries are equally apprehensive of the impact of mitigation policy of climate change on their economic growth. The three main areas of human activities identified by IPCC as responsible for greenhouse gas emissions are energy use in industrial production and transportation where fossils fuels are burnt, agriculture and deforestation. As Stern (2006) argued any mitigation policy will require some forms of action on all these three areas. For example, energy reduction programmes will require the design of a package of mixed economic activities geared towards energy efficiency. He argued that better technology will be required such as energy saving technology and fossil fuel alternatives for cars and vehicles to reduce their carbon input. Innovations will be imperative from the governments and private sectors in the development and deployment of relevant technologies to move economic activities towards low carbon economies. For developing countries to be involved in mitigation policies, they will need external financial assistance for the development of new technologies (Stern 2006). Closely aligned with IPCC strategy on mitigation of climate change is the strategy of adaptation to climate change. This is within the remit of IPCC Working Group 11 (climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability). IPCC is of the view that although the bulk of greenhouse gases are produced in the industrialised countries, the impact of climate change is and will in the future be felt more in the developing countries (IPCC 2007). Due to their greater vulnerability, developing countries will need to adapt their technology and production processes towards better and cleaner environment. Adaptation policies will also involve diversification of opportunities especially in the areas of agriculture and deforestation. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at its meeting in Cancun (UNFCCC 2010) agreed to provide developing countries financial assistance to enable them address the problems of adapting their technology and increasing capacities and opportunities so that they can cope with the impact of climate change. The Convention agreed to strengthen the Kyoto’s protocol on clean Development mechanisms to drive major investments and technology into environmentally sound and sustainable emissions reduction projects in developing countries. Towards this end, the Convention agreed to provide $30 billion from industrialised countries developing countries to support climate change actions up to 2012 and the objective to increase this to $100 billion by 2020 (UNFCCC 2010). IPCC has continued to be at the forefront in defining the scientific basis of climate change that informs climate change policies all over the world. In AR 4, IPCC stated that ‘warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level (IPCC –SPM 2007 : 2). It went further to declare that ‘ most of the observed increase in global average temperature since the mid – 20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic GHG concentrations’(IPCC SPM 2007 : 5). This would suggest that it has resolved the dilemma over the cause of global warming because its earlier assessment report in 1990 had expressed that the cause could be anthropogenic (human activity) or due to natural variability of the earth’s temperature. This shift from human activity as the cause of global warming rather than natural variability has dominated the discourse on climate change in the last decade. It seems to be the mainstream view and the scientific basis of much of the strategies it has proposed to tackle the impact of climate change. Stern (2006) has alluded to this mainstream view when he stated that ‘ there is now an overwhelming body of scientific evidence that human activity is causing global warming, with the main sources of greenhouse gases, in order of importance being electricity generation, land use changes (particularly deforestation), agriculture and transportation; the fastest growing sources are transport and electricity’ Stern 2006:1). Another influential source that has supported this mainstream view is the UK based Royal Society. The society has more than 1400 outstanding members from all areas of science, mathematics, engineering and medicine organised in a global scientific network of the highest calibre (The Royal Society 2010). The society’s position seems to endorse the IPCC’s position when it stated that ‘there is strong evidence that changes in greenhouse gas concentrations due to human activity are the dominant cause of the global warming that has taken place over the last half century’( RS 2010 :13). Despite these endorsements of IPCC views on global warming and climate change, there are some criticisms about the organization. The latest assessment report, AR 4 in 2007 was alleged to contain some errors. One of such errors was highlighted by Foley (2010) writing in The Independent newspaper where it was reported that IPCC latest report stated that the Himalayan glaciers would be melted by global warming by 2035 instead of the correct figure 2350. That is a large difference of about 300 years. The IPCC relies on the reports it gets from affiliated research centres such as the Climate Research Unit (CRU) based in East Anglia. The anonymous hacking into the dataset and email of CRU in 2009 in what has been described in the mass media as ‘climategate’ has highlighted some form of manipulation of data by the unit in order to support a particular viewpoint. For example, the raw data used by the CRU in projecting Russian temperature was found to have omitted some data sent to it by some Russian Meteorological stations. Page ( 2009) pointed out that there is an argument by some Russian climate sceptics that if those missing data were included it would have significantly reduce the estimate of Russian temperature. This is a serious error especially when Russia accounts for 12. 5 % of the world’s total landmass and against the backdrop that CRU has always resisted demand for the raw data it uses for its climate change computer modelling (Page 2009). It is doubtful if they had not done the same to other countries in order to strengthen their arguments and position on climate change. There were some other damaging revelations that surfaced in the hacked email released. These have been summarised by Watts ((2009). Firstly, there was the revelation that scientists at the CRU consistently colluded to thwart any Freedom of information requests that would have obliged them to release their raw data and hiding source codes from requests. Secondly, they admitted privately not to use journals that published opposing views and refused to publish such articles in journals that they controlled. Thirdly, it was apparent from their email exchanges that they were privately concerned that there had been no increase in global average temperatures in the last decade and yet they could not explain it because it is contrary to their projections. Data that suggested decrease in temperature were manipulated to hide the decline. Ways were devised to discount warming trends that did not occur in the past when greenhouse gases were increasing. What these revelations suggest is that some of the collaborative institutions that IPCC relies on for scientific evidence for its decisions may actually be feeding it with selective and manipulated data in order to pursue a pre-determined agenda without any regard for opposing views no matter how compelling the arguments. As observed by Calder (2007), there is a tendency for events such as heat waves that supported global warming to make headlines while opposing events like prolonged snow and frost during winter not given the same coverage because it is contrary to the mindset of mainstream views on climate change. Calder (2007) also noted that global air temperatures from America satellites suggest a wobbling or fluctuations between hot and cold with no overall change in temperature since 1999. This levelling pattern he argued is the exact pattern that the rival hypothesis – natural variation of atmospheric temperature by the sun would predict. This antithesis to the greenhouse thesis suggests that the sun is a major driver of climate change than greenhouse gases and that when active it can drive atmospheric temperature up and when lazy down. Hence the earth passes through cycles of hot and cold periods. It would appear that proponents of the climate change due to greenhouse gases produced by human activity are not very enthusiastic about this because the mechanism of how the sun changes the earth’s temperature is not well understood and have categorised sceptics as climate change deniers. Svensmark and Calder (2007) both sceptics have demonstrated experimentally how this can happen. The main postulate of natural variation of weather by the sun is that the degree of cloudiness in the air depends on the number of atomic particles arriving at the solar system from exploding stars. The more they are, the more cloudiness. If the sun’s magnetic field is able to deflect much of the cosmic rays, there will be less cloud in the atmosphere and this will result in global warming. The converse holds. Many journals refused to publish his findings presumably because they were not politically orrect. The Royal Society (2010) while agreeing in broad terms with the position of IPCC, however argued that there are not enough data to understand the mechanisms of cloud formation and its impact on climate change. To complicate this, projections of climate change are sensitive to the way the impact of clouds is represented in computer models of climate change. The society noted that currently ‘individual clouds are represented by more approximate methods. Since there are various ways to make these approximations, the representations can vary in climate models developed at different institutes. The use of these different approximations leads to a range of estimates of climate sensitivity, especially because of differences between models in the response of clouds to climate change’ (Royal Society 2010:14). This would suggest the need for more extensive research on the contributions of natural variations to climate change than is hitherto the case (Coren 2006). Blackman (2009) has noted that in his interview with Hulme, an eminent climatologist and a sceptic of IPCC, did question the almost infallible status given to IPCC in the face of other compelling evidence in favour of alternative theories of the causes of global warming. In the interview, Hulme advocated for a more robust debate on all the possible causes of climate change. It is difficult to understand why a scientific body like IPCC could have made itself so vulnerable to criticisms. Perhaps the clue to the controversies surrounding IPCC may be due to the structural problems within the organization. For a start, IPCC has only a core staff of 10 people. It has thousands of volunteer scientists who contribute to the work of IPCC. They are not paid by IPCC (IPCC 2011). Authors, contributors, reviewers and other experts are selected by IPCC from a list of nominations received from governments and participating organizations. The three Working Groups of IPCC are hosted and financially supported by the Government of the developed country co – chair of the working Group. The plenary session that approves reports and budgets is made up of government representatives from all member countries, agencies and research institutions that probably have some links with governments. This sort of structure makes IPCC to be heavily politicised at the expense of good science. Governments’ vested interest in climate change debate can be interpreted as self serving because IPCC findings give them the perfect excuse to tax individuals for their carbon footprint. Motorists may find themselves targeted by all manner of taxes on the excuse of climate change. So it is in the best interest of the politicians to exert pressure on IPCC even when such pressure has the potential to lead to bad science. There are indications that some of the scientific evidence they rely on are published in carefully selected journals and commissioned reports by some pressure groups without any form of peer review. It is not surprising therefore that they have been criticised for being economical with the truth by making vague and imprecise statements they know will be difficult to refute but nonetheless accord them with ‘high confidence’ status That was the allegation made by the Inter-Academy Council that was set up to investigate errors in the IPCC assessment report 4 (Foley 2010). IPCC as a scientific organization has no laboratory of its own but has to rely on specially designated centres such as the CRU involved in ‘climategate’. In conclusion, the role of IPCC in setting policy on climate change is commendable. It has advocated policies of mitigation and adaptation as strategies to avert the anticipated effects of global warming. It was highlighted that it structure is too tied to national governments and agencies and this is politicising its scientific evidence base. There is the need to have on board sceptics and promote robust debate instead of labelling them as deniers. References Blackman S (2009) Top British Boffin : Time to ditch the climate consensus. Online : www. theregister. co. uk. Accessed on 5/4/2011. Calder N (2007) An experiment that hints we were wrong on climate change. Online : www. timesonline. co. uk. Accessed on 5/4/2011. Foley S (2010) IPCC feels the heat as it is told to get its facts right. Online : www. independent. co. uk/environment/climatechange. Accessed on 3/3/2011. Coren M (2006) The science debate behind climate change. Online: www. articles. cnn. com. Accessed on 10/4/2011. Watts A (2009) Climate ‘Men behaving badly – a short summary for laymen. Online: www. wattsup. com. Accessed on 10/4/2011. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC (2007) Climate Change 2007. Synthesis for Policymakers. Summary for policymakers. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC (2008) Climate Change 2007. Synthesis Report. Geneva : IPCC. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC (2011) structure: how does the IPCC works? Geneva : iPCC. Page L (2009) CRU cherry picked Russian climate data. Online: www. theregister. co. uk. Accessed on 9/4/2011. Singer P (2007) A fair deal on climate change. Online: www. policyinnovations. org/ideas. Accessed on 10/4/2011. Smith L and Stern L (2010). Uncertainty, ambiguity and the risk in forming climate policy. In : Discussion Meeting on Handling uncertainty in science. London: The Royal Society. Stern N (2006) What is the economics of climate change? World Economics. 7 (2): 1-10. Svensmark H and Calder N (2007) The chilling Stars. A new theory of climate change. Cambrdge: Icons Books Ltd. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2010) United Nations climate change conference in Cancun. Bonn: UNFCCC. The Royal Society (2010) Climate Change: A Summary of the Science. London: TRS. Watts A (2009) Climategate ‘Mem behaving badly’ – a short summary for laymen. Online: www. wattsup. com Accessed on 11/4/2011.

Mandarin Chinese Names of North American Cities

Mandarin Chinese Names of North American Cities Mandarin Chinese has a relatively limited stock of phonetics compared with other languages. When it comes to translating Western geographical names into Chinese characters, a close phonetic match is attempted. Consideration must also be given to the meaning of the chosen Chinese characters. Most geographical names are chosen as phonetic approximations of the Western names, but a few place names are descriptive. San Francisco, for example, is Jià ¹ JÄ «n ShÄ n, which translates as â€Å"Old Gold Mountain,† reminding us of the California gold rush. Most Mandarin Chinese geographical names sound strange to Western ears. This is because there is usually not an exact phonetic equivalent to the sounds of the English names. North American Cities Click on the links to hear the audio. English Name Chinese Characters Pinyin New York ç ´ Ã§ ´â€ž niÇ” yuÄ“ Boston æ ³ ¢Ã¥ £ «Ã©  â€œ bÃ…  shà ¬ dà ¹n Montreal è’™ç‰ ¹Ã¥ ©  mà ©ng tà ¨ là ³u Vancouver æ º «Ã¥â€œ ¥Ã¨  ¯ wÄ“n gÄ“ hu Toronto Ã¥ ¤Å¡Ã¥â‚¬ «Ã¥ ¤Å¡ duÃ…  là ºn duÃ…  Los Angeles æ ´â€ºÃ¦ â€°Ã§ £ ¯ luà ² shÄ n jÄ « San Francisco 舊金å ± ± jià ¹ jÄ «n shÄ n Chicago èŠ Ã¥Å   Ã¥â€œ ¥ zhÄ « jiÄ  gÄ“ Seattle è ¥ ¿Ã©â€ºâ€¦Ã¥Å"â€" xÄ « yÇŽ tà º Miami é‚ Ã©Ëœ ¿Ã¥ ¯â€  mi Ä  mà ¬ Houston ä ¼â€˜Ã¦â€" ¯Ã©  â€œ xiÃ… « sÄ « dà ¹n Portland æ ³ ¢Ã§â€° ¹Ã¨Ëœ ­ bÃ…  tà ¨ ln Washington è  ¯Ã§â€ºâ€ºÃ©  â€œ hu shà ¨ng dà ¹n New Orleans ç ´ Ã¥ ¥ §Ã¨â€° ¯ niÇ” o ling Philadelphia è ² »Ã¥Å¸Å½ fà ¨i chà ©ng Detroit Ã¥ ºâ€¢Ã§â€° ¹Ã¥ ¾â€¹ dÇ  tà ¨ lÇÅ" Dallas é â€Ã¦â€¹â€°Ã¦â€" ¯ d lÄ  sÄ « Atlanta ä ºÅ¾Ã§â€° ¹Ã¨Ëœ ­Ã¥ ¤ § y tà ¨ ln d San Diego è â€"Ã¥Å" °Ã§â€°â„¢Ã¥â€œ ¥ shà ¨ng dià © y gÄ“ Las Vegas 拉æâ€" ¯Ã§ ¶ ­Ã¥Å   Ã¦â€" ¯ lÄ  sÄ « wà ©i jiÄ  sÄ «

Central Engineering and Research Group (CERG) Essay

Central Engineering and Research Group (CERG) - Essay Example This approach means a move from a traditional 'control' type approach which accepts, implicitly, that defects will occur. Joseph M. Juran proposes the tools of control including the Bell system of sampling, the Shewhart control charts and inspection plans. These models could be successfully applied to CERG, but they will be replaced by modern theories of quality and cost control. The human dimension (training, education, cultural diversity management) proposed by Juran helps to motivate and inspire employees. For CERG, Juran's human approach help to create continuous motivation to achieve quality improvements, supported by appropriate education and training. Place emphasis on education will affect attitudes and motivation to achieving quality improvements. Also, Juran identified such threats as resistance to change and cultural resistance as important areas of concern. If staff are informed of changes, are encouraged to adopt a positive attitude and have personal involvement in the implementation of the change, there is a greater likelihood of their acceptance of the change (Beckford, 2002). Juran applied the Japanese philosophy on quality into Western management practices emphasizing the role of human resources and control. New quality programs should comprise a quality plan which offers a structured, disciplined approach to quality and incorporates a numbe r of tools and techniques. Particular emphasis is given to the collection and analysis of information and to employee training. It is culturally based with involvement as a core philosophy. W. Edwards Deming identifies '14 Points' which have a great impact on productivity and profitability of the company. His theory is based on process orientation which means a product quality throughout production. "It is not enough to just do your best or work hard. You must know what to work on" (Beckford, 2002). Deming creates a four step approach to quality and productivity which can be applied to CERG: plan-do-check-act. Also, he introduced Statistical Quality Control. This theory cannot be applied to CERG, bit it can be used by other departments in order to support CERG activity and increase output. Customer orientation is important for CERG, so the quality program should apply quality control principles to design/specification activities to formalize the mechanism for ensuring that customer requirements are incorporated (Arogyaswamy, Simmons, 1993). Philip Crosby marked a new era in quality management and control. His concept, "doing it right the first time" (DIRTFT), is successfully used by different industries and companies. The main principles of quality include: (1) quality is conformance to requirements; (2) the management system is prevention; (3) the performance standard is zero defects; (4) the measurement system is the cost of quality. CERG can use these principles as a core of quality philosophy. Following Crosby, quality is based on goals, measurements, and cash incentives for employees and management. It also has some aspects of quality circles. In order to make the program work, CERG should introduce: a motivational package, a prevention package (reducing management controlled defects), procedures to provide for feedback. Within CERG, low motivation results in high level of mistakes and 'defects'. For this reason, these elements of zero defects and the cost of qualit

Should the U.S. intervene in the Syria conflict Essay

Should the U.S. intervene in the Syria conflict - Essay Example Also, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon remarked, â€Å"After nearly two years, we no longer count days in hours, but in bodies. Another day, another 100, 200, 300 dead,† (p.4). The rapid death rate has also been abundantly documented by Human Rights Watch, the U.N. Independent International Commission on Inquiry on Syria and Amnesty International. All have charged the regime of Assad with a state sanctioned policy ‘crimes against humanity’ and ‘war crimes. Besides, the UNHCHR and Navi Pillay have appealed to the U.N. Security Council several times to refer the country to the International Criminal Court (ICC) (Hashemi and Postel, p.4). Syria’s ghost of conflict has been on the limelight of the world for about two years but there seems to be no consensus on how to address the disaster completely. The U.S., the E.U., the U.N. and the Middle East nation-states are mystified on how to cease Syrian conflict (Hashemi and Postel, p.5). Several politics and moral arguments have emerged lately concerning the intervention of the U.S. in addressing conflict of Syria. This paper will justify the involvement of the U.S. in Syrian conflict and refute some of the opposing arguments against the intervention. First, through sending of its forces to Syria, the U.S. could alleviate massive slaughtering of Syrian civilians. The U.S. has to intervene for humanitarian purposes and to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Morgan-Russell (p.1) argues that in 1994, the international community watched as Rwandan Hutu group armed with machetes massacred the Tutsi community across the country. Despite the fact that the U.S. and human rights observers provided evidence on the heinous acts, the U.S. came to a decision that it had no permanent interests in the African Great Lakes Region and that deploying few soldiers would be extremely risky. After three months, about 900,000 Rwandans were massacred. The international community blamed the U.S.