Educational System Essay

The educational system has always been a topic to discuss. Whether for or against the argument, the educational system seems to be at the bottom of the nations priorities. Mainly the questions asked is where funding can come from, the participation needed, and the choices between educational systems. Since education is how a society must strive and expand in its knowledge and economy, the educational system for such should be at its forefront. Nevertheless, the educational system argument is one that seems to be overlooked and unnoticed. That is of course until now. In the opposition, some would argue that the education system does not pose a problem, suggesting that funding does not need to come from government and that we should spend more funds into law enforcement and military protection. They would argue that education for these individuals, such as military and police academies, does not come from our education fund. The opposition would discard the idea of participation needed from parents and loved ones and the emotional need for one to grow in an educational institute. This includes all camps and safety patrol that ensures children’s education beyond the classroom and the safety of children who do commute on foot. The opposing side would argue that there is no difference between educational systems and that all standards are the same. There is no difference between graduating from prestigious schools like Whitney or Woodcreek high, and graduating from a continuation school like Adelante high. Of course this would have no affect that persons ability to find jobs and employment opportunities, or the fact that year after year our country finds employees from other countries to do our jobs since we are not educated enough to perform ourselves. Not at all. Based off a study done by PBS, the total expenditures for education were about 7.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1994-95. That means less than ten percent our our GDP was spent on educating our future members of society and ensuring economic strength. Expenditures for schooling is not the same from state to state. Each state spends a separate amount of money on education, all while being below ten percent of the GDP. There are more fundraisers and expenditures spent on law enforcement and entertainment than education across the states all together. The government should impose a mandatory minimum requirement of ten percent of the GDP earned by states to go to education. Schools would serve food for children that is not mediocre, while possibly providing students with school supplies instead of mandating students to bring class sets of tissues, spare sets of binder paper, and pens and pencils (a requirement of many classes i attended while in grade school). This would also mean new textbooks for students and education beyond the classroom such as camps or field trips. Participation is necessary for education. An educational statistic study was researched by Education.com, stating that mothers who did not finish high school struggle with reading and comprehension today. Only forty-one percent of parents read to their children everyday. While participation is not mandatory, it does help in a child’s growth. Students are unable to attend camps without volunteers like parents and volunteer instructors and staff. Field trips cannot happen without proper volunteering as well. Who remembers safety patrol? This program was composed of students and parent volunteers alike. Without them, students who commute on foot would not be safe from oncoming traffic that is unaware of their presence. Not just parent, but family participation is crucial to a child’s growth. The educational system has its own funding problems as well. There are multiple schooling systems to choose from and some have more funding than others. Private schools have a fee that is needed for tuition, so overall funding is fed by the students. Charter schools work the same way. Public schooling is completely dependent upon the state and federal government. There should be mandatory educational laws that should only differentiate based on location (like learning how to swim if next to an ocean). Each state has its own standards and the government has its own standard that needs to be met in the curriculum taught. The standard differences make some schools more prestigious while others are left behind. Would you rather have your child graduate from a community college or from a state university? Requirements for education should be the same throughout the country, not split up upon state or even county. With all these things depending on factors that some are unable to control, the battle for education is never won. While some may wonder where funding can come from, participation, and the choices between educational systems, there are some who look at the bigger picture. The education system today can be saved through societies efforts. We should use the education we have received to teach our offspring more than we were able to know. Striving as a country will not only benefit us, but will benefit the nation as a whole. The children of today are the future of today.

Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa and Ghana: a Comparison of Successes, Failures and Futures in a “Developed” and an “Undeveloped” African Country

Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa and Ghana: a comparison of successes, failures and futures in a â€Å"developed† and an â€Å"undeveloped† African country Few industries affect the social, economic and environmental sectors to the extent that the mining industry does. As minerals development expanded, so the international awareness of its impacts grew. Mining-related legislation, both internationally and nationally, has evolved significantly in the past two decades, actively aimed at ensuring Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), where companies are held accountable for their actions. In developing countries like South Africa and Ghana that are heavily dependent on gold trade and the associated international investment, the challenge is to ensure that environmental and social impacts of mining are mitigated, that non-renewable resources are converted into national wealth and that mining-generated revenue is claimed and disbursed. In this paper the evolution of CSR in South Africa, a more developed African Nation, and Ghana, a less developed African nation, are compared. Recommendations are made as to potential avenues for CSR progression. The objectives of international mining policy reform have changed dramatically in the past few decades. During the 1970s the aim of mining policy was to increase government control. During the 1980s the aims of reform became to increase investment and to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of mining. This was attempted through the Growth Employment and Reconstruction plan in SA (Fig, 2005), and the Economic Recovery Plan in Ghana (Hilson, 2002). Both plans advocated more privatization, trade liberalization and deregulation. Although the general international trend was to redefine the role of the state, particularly in industrial areas, the adoption of this ambition by African countries has proven detrimental. Biersteker (1990) argues that the reduction of the state greatly reduced its function to govern, particularly undercutting its regulatory ability, its function as a mediator in civil disputes and its ability to regulate and collaborate with the private sector. Campbell (2005) poses that this is because the legislative and regulatory reform adopted by many developing mining-dependent African countries during the past few decades has undermined the role of the state and has proved incompatible with the challenges of the countries concerned. This has impaired the ability of these governments to exert CSR pressure on mining companies. CSR in Africa has grown parallel to these changes in the role of the state, and international mining legislation has had varying impacts on SA and Ghanaian regulations. Despite being based on a non-renewable resource, the main theme in changing international legislation is that of sustainable development, particularly in developing countries in which a large percentage of mining is done by foreign companies. It is, however, the sovereign right of a state to exploit its natural resources. This sovereignty was vehemently upheld by post-colonial developing nations that rely on mineral resources, two prominent examples of which being SA and Ghana. It has become apparent, however, that mining has far-reaching impacts that often have transboundary degrading effects, resulting in international attempts at regulation. CSR in South Africa The formal terms of CSR in SA were originally raised in 1972 and the view taken by many businesses was that they should not have to take responsibility for Apartheid, but should rather improve social standards within their respective businesses. These concepts were formalized in the Sullivan Principles, which were aimed at entrenching non-discrimination in the workplace into the core business activities, particularly in SA-based US companies (Visser, 2005). Although other CSR groups formed, like the Consultative Business Movement, the move away from philanthropy only really became evident after the first democratic elections in 1994, and when the Black Economic Empowerment Programme (BEE) was introduced. The aim of BEE is to promote equal racial ownership, education, training and local economic development. In 2002 the goal for black ownership in the mining sector was set at 26% within 10 years (Fig, 2005). BEE was particularly important in the mining sector, as in order to obtain mining rights, businesses had to meet the requirements of a BEE ‘scorecard’. A number of principles have been introduced to target human rights, a major CSR concern in SA. These include Voluntary Principles on Human Rights and Security and the OECD Risk Awareness Tool for Multinational Enterprises in Weak Governance Zones (Hamann, 2009). Another important milestone was the Kings Report, released in 2002, which outlined the CSR requirements for companies, including â€Å"recogniz[ing] that stakeholders such as the community in which the company operates, its customers, its employees and its suppliers amongst others need to be considered when developing the strategy of a company† (Visser, 2005). It also requires that businesses report annually on their social, transformation (including BEE), ethical, safety, health and environmental management policies. A positive and innovative spinoff of the King’s Report was the introduction of a Kings Index on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Companies are required to meet the criteria of the King’s Report in order to list with the JSE, providing a fiscally competitive incentive to adopt CSR principles (Dale, 2005). This progressive legislation forms the beginnings of a seemingly sound CSR framework. But the SA government struggles to maintain the pressure needed to enforce all of its requirements. As in Ghana, SA’s dependence on the mining industry makes the government loathe to confront deviant companies for fear of disinvestment and job losses. Firms often run philanthropic programmes merely as an attempt to maintain â€Å"business as usual†, satisfying the bare minimum for CSR. The lack of government capacity is most prominent in environmental requirements. Many mining companies have introduced more stringent environmental management regulations and have increased CSR spending, but Fig (2005) shows that due to lack of governmental pressure and effective sustainable reporting, many of the claims of these companies do not match their actions. In recognition of its weaknesses, however, the SA government has adopted provision for voluntary conflict resolution within its environmental legislation (Fig, 2005). As an example of a developing country embracing CSR, SA has proven itself relatively forward-thinking and successful. SA is at the forefront of CSR legislation in Africa. It is in the inability to enforce these laws that the clearest CSR similarities, and failures, with Ghana, a less developed African nation, can be seen. CSR in Ghana For the past 1000 years Ghana has enjoyed a thriving gold trade. However, due to political turmoil and changing mining and economic policy, by the beginning of the 1980s the gold-mining industry was virtually stagnant, and became the focal point in the country’s Economic Recovery Programme in 1983 (Campbell, 2005). Ghana also received assistance from the World Bank, the conditions of which resulted in the elimination of most barriers to entry for foreign investors, including reducing corporate taxes, royalty payments, foreign exchange taxes and import duties. The company retention amounts negotiated by foreign investors were far above average and signify the extentto which the Ghanaian government was prepared to go to stimulate the industry (Campbell, 2005). This also indicates the extent to which the government was and is prepared to turn a blind eye to companies’ exploitation of the country. Liberalized legislation resulted in an approximate 800-fold growth of the predominantly foreign-controlled gold mining industry in the past 20 years. But this growth has been accompanied by very little change in the quality of life of the Ghanaian people. In 2006 the International Council on Mining and Metals claimed that gold mining has not only ‘kick-started† Ghana’s economy, but that many of the large-scale mining companies are â€Å"committed to [CSR]†. In contrast, Hilson (2007) argues locals’ lives have been worsened by the increased use of land, relocations and environmental dilapidation. Because of the lax policies adopted by the government, the nation’s share of the mineral development profits has been minimal. Despite the 40% contribution of total merchandise export earnings that gold-mining in Ghana represents, the contribution to GDP is only 2-3% (Hilson, 2002). Thus the government lacks fiscal control, and as such cannot redirect funds efficiently towards development projects. The most formal adoption of international policy in Ghana was that of the Global Mining Initiative (GMI) in 1998. Ghanaian mining companies claimed that â€Å"a series of dynamic and innovative community development projects†¦ empowering rural communities and improving quality of life† were to be initiated (Garvin, 2009). But others report that the mines are encroaching on indigenous land, resulting in cultural dislocation, poverty, displacement and environmental damage. Promises of jobs and adequate compensation have been broken. This is evident in the relatively small number of Ghanaians employed by mining companies, a mere 20 000, despite the immensesize of the industry (Garvin, 2009). An interesting response to growing unemployment is the intensification of small-scale, artisanal mining, nicknamed the galamsey. The galamseyhave become an important means for support for many subsistence farmers who have been displaced, but their illegal status has led to them being labelled â€Å"hazardous and environmentally damaging† by the Chamber of Mines (Bush, 2008). There is potential for both large and small scale miners to collaborate, as they have different methods and it is uneconomical for one to do what the other does. This has been proven by Goldfields, who have leased small portions of land to groups of galamsey. Most large-scale gold ines refuse to license their unused land for work, so the galamseyare forced to mine illegally in order to eke out a living. Hilson (2007) accuses the large mining companies of supporting a massive military sweep aimed at eradicating the galamsey, which resulted in human rights violations and many forced removals. Instead of taking advantage of collaborative opportunities major mine operators in Ghana have resorted to the most common CSR endeavours amongst extractive mine companies: the building of schools, clinics and libraries. These CSR projects are still predominantly philanthropic and unsustainable. Garvin (2009) determined, through a series of surveys, that although many locals perceived an increase in social welfare, they reported a decline in security, increased crime, cyanide-poisoned water, and other environmental hazards resulting in a lack of useful agricultural land. Notwithstanding the urgings from the World Bank Industries Review, Departments for International Development, the UN, and limited pressure from the Chamber of Mines, most CSR programmes that go beyond philanthropy emphasize the expansion of existing practices such as pig-rearing, livestock and activities. These give little opportunity for advancement, provide little more than subsistence wages and definitely do not contribute to sustainable economic growth (Hilson, 2007). One of the largest problems with CSR in Ghana, and similarly in SA, is the lack of communication between government, companies and public. Mining companies enter into agreements with the national government, paying royalties of 9%, of which 3% go towards community development (Hilson, 2007). These monies pass through many layers of government and administration, and often very little reach the locals they are meant to compensate. Inhabited land is often designated for mining with little or no consent from the inhabitants. Under the Minerals and Mining Act (2006) mining companies are required to compensate displaced people for their crops and use of land, but these payments are still woefully undervalued (Hilson, 2007). Locals value their land quite differently from the value placed on it by mine employees and the lack of communication only worsens these discrepancies. The regulatory and reporting systems in Ghana are very poor, effectively making the situation for many locals worse than that seen in SA. There have been few legal efforts made to legislate mining activities, thus the improvement of CSR practices is dependent on international legislation, NGOs and pressure groups. Changing the CSR Pyramid There are certain drivers of CSR that are significantly different in developing countries than in developed countries like Europe and the US. Existing models must be adapted to fit the individual needs of developing countries. One such model is Carroll's pyramid, consisting of 4 tiers; economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities. draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Figure 1: Pyramid models for CSR drivers (adapted from Visser, 2006) Visser advocates thatto adapt Carroll's pyramid to developing countries, economic responsibilities are given the highest priority, followed by philanthropic, legal and ethical. The economic tier represents the need for businesses to not only ensure that direct foreign investment increases, alleviating poverty and unemployment, but that fu rther investment is generated, goods and services produced and stable infrastructure built. Visser argues that the emphasis on philanthropy is necessary because of the dire situation and poor quality of life in many developing countries thathave become reliant on donor assistance. Philanthropy has become ingrained in developing country CSR. The legal responsibilities are of lower priority because the pressure to adhere to legislation in developing countries is less than in developed countries. In order to elicit response, both nationally and internationally, sustainable indicators must be developed allowing more accurate reporting of CSR successes and failures. Efficient and diverse indicators allow for better sustainable reporting and transparency. These indicators serve two main functions: providing guidelines for company policy and government policy (Danegard, 2005). Increasing the number of indicators increases the scope for surveys or investigations. Data collected from these is usually validated by companies and government, and is, as yet, not mandatory. Although these inquiries may provide useful data, Danegard (2005) suggests that the use of third party verification may be necessary where governments lack the capacity for collection and evaluation. References Biersteker, T. J. , 1990. Reducing the Role of the State in the Economy: A Conceptual Exploration of IMF and World Bank Prescriptions. International Studies Quarterly, 34(4), 477-492. Bush, R. , 2009. ‘Soon there will be no-one left to take the corpses to the morgue’: Accumulation and abjection in Ghana’s mining communities. Resources Policy, 34, 57-63. Campbell, B. , 2005. The Challenges of Development, Mining Codes in Africa and Corporate Responsibility. In International and Comparative Mineral Law and Policy . International Energy and Resources Law & Policy. The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, pp. 801-822. Dale, M. , 2005. Comparative International and African Mineral Law as Applied in the Formation of the New South African Mineral Development Legislation. In International and Comparative Mineral Law and Policy . International Energy and Resources Law & Policy. The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, pp. 823-852. Dalupan, M. , 2005. Mining and Sustainable Development: Insights from International Law. In International and Comparative Mineral Law and Policy . International Energy and Resources Law & Policy. The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, pp. 149-168. Danegard, A. , 2005. Sustainable development indicators for the minerals industry: Who needs them? What stakes justify producing them? In International and Comparative Mineral Law and Policy . The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, pp. 621-626. Fig, D. , 2005. Manufacturing amnesia: Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa. International Affairs, 81(3), 599-617. Garvin, T. et al. , 2009. Community-company relations in gold mining in Ghana. Journa of Environmental Management, 90, 571-586. Hamann, R. 2004. Corporate social responsibility, partnerships, and institutional change: The case of mining companies in South Africa. Natural Resources Forum, 28, 278-290. Hamann, R. , 2003. Mining companies’ role in sustainable development: the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of corporate social responsibility from a business perspective. Development Southern Africa, 20(2), 237-254. Hamann, R. , 2009. South Africa: The Role of History, Government, and Local Context. In Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility. Berlin: Springer, pp. 435-462. Hamann, R. & Kapelus, P. , 2004. Corporate Social Responsibility in Mining in Southern Africa: Fair accountability or just greenwash? Development, 47(3), 85-92. Hilson, G. , 2007. Championing the Rhetoric? ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ in Ghana’s Mining Sector. GMI, 53. Hilson, G. , 2002. Harvesting mineral riches: 1000 years of gold mining in Ghana. Resources Policy, 28, 13-26. Littlewood, G. , 2000. The Global Mining Initiative – Address to Mining 2000. Visser, W. , 2005. Corporate Citizenship in South Africa – A Review of Progress since Democracy. JCC, 18, 28-38. Visser, W. , 2006. Corporate Social Responsibility in Developing Countries. pp. 473-499.

Disaster Planning: Public Health Role

After working through the project â€Å"Disaster in Franklin County,† I will admit that I have a new appreciation for the role of the public health nurse in the event of an emergency. The simulation helped me to understand the important role that the public health team. The plays in assisting the community during a disaster. Role of the Major Public Health Personnel Each of the major public health personnel, including the public health nurse, play a key role in keeping a disaster organized flowing smoothly.The key roles are the medical health director, agency incident commander, public information officer, liaison officer, operations chief, planning chief, logistics chief, finance and administration chief, and public health nurse. With the exception of the public health nurse, the positions are often filled by people who may not be specifically trained for the roles, however, have a general overview of what the specific role requires.Agency Incident Commander – The agen cy incident commander is responsible for making the assignments of each of the other roles. She/he will have a familiarity with the specific skill sets of each person who is eligible for a role and be able to use these skill sets appropriately with in each role to obtain the highest amount of effectiveness. The incident commander will have a broad overview of what the different areas are working on, and know how each role will work to benefit other roles within the big picture.The AIC oversees the development of the incident mission and key goals, and from this comes the development of an Incident Action Plan (IAP). The AIC is responsible for ensuring that the public health agency incident mission and goals are synchronous with those of the other responding agencies and jurisdictions. The person in this position will have natural leadership qualities such as reliable critical thinking and problem solving skills, ability to make a quick decision, flexibility, adaptability, and a broa d understanding of the area affected.Public Information Officer – The public information officer is the communication coordinator or spokesperson. This individual is responsible for assuring that appropriate information is provided to the public, governmental officials and collaborating agencies. The Public Information Officer also assures that the required information is provided to the public health agency staff, so that the message of the agency is consistent, and in synchrony with other agencies.This person needs to be proficient in gathering the correct data for the situation, organizing facts, preparing appropriate releases for the press and the public, should have good communication skills, the ability to think quickly before responding, and have a good working knowledge of correct policy and procedure, standards, and laws in the public health realm. Liaison Officer – The liaison officer interfaces with and coordinates all activities with external agencies.The L iaison Officer assures that external agencies that are working with the department of health are provided with the resources that are required, as well as assure that agency policies, procedures and sovereignty are respected. She will be a point of contact for other agency representatives, and will coordinate assistance from other agencies such as hospitals, counties, EMS and federal emergency management.She will be responsible for creating and maintaining a list of cooperating agencies, their representatives, and point of contacts, and keeping other agencies aware of the public health status within the given situation. The liaison officer will have a functional working relationship with other agencies and have good communication and organizational skills. Operations Chief – The Operations Chief carries out the specific tasks and objectives that the public health agency needs to do in order to accomplish the goals of the incident.In this section, the Incident Action Plan is a ctually executed. This person will have a working knowledge of what needs to be done, how to get it done, and who to send to complete the task. He will also identify additional issues and resources needed and make those requests to the appropriate people. Examples of Operations activities include distribution of vaccines, water or soil sampling, delivery of risk communication messages to the public and case investigation, to name a few.The skill set appropriate for this person is someone with leadership qualities such as critical thinking, direct communication, and the ability to multitask. Planning Chief – The planning chief position is used to organize data, make projections and forecasts about the event and report the information to the AIC. Where required, this person may engage in intelligence activities – which for public health may be gathering, analyzing and sharing incident information (some of which may be sensitive) with other agencies.Examples of intelligen ce activities may include analysis and projections regarding  epidemiological data about a bioterrorist event, risk assessments based on information reported by law enforcement or determination of toxic contamination levels in an environmental incident is responsible for knowing the status of all resources available during a disaster both personnel and equipment. They will know how to obtain these resources, be able to determine current situation and status of the event, making a plan to provide the community with the things that are needed during a disaster, and have contingency plans in case the initial plans are unable to be carried out.This person will have strong contacts throughout the community, a working knowledge of resources available and strong planning skills. Logistics Chief – The Logistics Chief provides the support to all other sections that have been activated in the public health agency so that the work can be accomplished. Logistics acquires and sets up th e things that are needed for Operations to get the job done. A logistics chief will have excellent organizational skills and good ties with the community.Finance and Administration Chief – The finance and administration chief has an essential role including assuring that a contractual and financial process is in place for emergency procurement of supplies, equipment, space and personnel; interpretation of human resource policies; tracking of fiscal resources that are expended during the response (so that costs can be recovered by the agency during the recovery phase of the event) and in some cases, assurance of availability of resources to address the physiological and psychological needs of the paid and volunteer agency personnel who are engaged in the response.Diligent work done by the Finance / Administration Chief during an emergency can serve to prevent a financial or human resource disaster after the event. This person will have a skill set and background in finance or bookkeeping. Public Health Nurse – The public health nurse’s role in a disaster is to assess medical health and safety needs of the community and implement interventions as soon as safely possible after the event.This may include assessing individual needs of community members for things such as appropriate shelter, medications, basic provisions, such as food and water, and assessing for overall coping and stress management skills within a household. As these needs are assessed the public health nurse may refer to other agencies for resources in assisting these community members. The public health nurse will also be involved in vaccine delivery as appropriate and treating basic emergencies as needed. Chain of Command for the Community Health NurseIn the simulation â€Å"Disaster in Franklin County,† the chain of command for the community health nurse began with reporting to the agency incident commander who reported to the public health director, who reported to the medical health director, who then reported to the operations chief for the county incident command system, who reported to the emergency operation center commander. This clear-cut chain of command makes it easy to get information up the chain to the appropriate people without the public health nurse having to relay information to multiple people. Available ResourcesResources available to the community health nurse to deal with situations outside her scope of practice included environmental health specialists to assist with inspections of restaurants available to reopen and inspections of housing before people returned home and help educate the public regarding the use of generators; law enforcement to assist with volatile situations, security and safety needs; hazmat and fire crews to assure safety of homes and businesses, and assist with cleanup efforts; public works to assure water safety, electrical safety, and assess for gas leaks are just a few of the resources available t o the public health nurse to assure that the community is safe throughout the event and healthy upon returning to their homes.Actions Taken During the Door-to-Door Interviews During the door-to-door interviews in the simulation, the community health nurse encountered Mr. Fugate, who did not have his blood pressure medications. This had the potential to be an emergency, had Mr. Fugate’s blood pressure been high, or had he been symptomatic. The simulation stated that Mr. Fugate could have stayed at home or gone to the shelter, according to the community health nurse.In this situation, even though his blood pressure came back at a reasonable reading at the moment, I believe Mr. Fugate would be best served at the shelter where his blood pressure and his general safety could be monitored until events after the storm could be better stabilized. Should Mr. Fugate, choose to stay at home, there is a risk that his blood pressure would spike to a much higher level at a time when he is alone, and unable to receive appropriate medical treatment in a timely fashion. This also increases his risk for issues such as stroke and falls. While we must respect the wishes of the patient, as nurses, we also can make strong recommendations to our patients using basic health facts and logic that will sometimes change their decisions.In the case of Mrs. Alvarez, who spoke Spanish only, the enclosed generator had the potential to be lethal to Mrs. Alvarez and her son. The immediate education regarding the ventilation of the generator was necessary to prevent a buildup of deadly gases. Had there not been anyone at the Alvarez his residence who spoke English, not having access to a translator could have been detrimental to their health as they would not have been a way to discuss the risks with Mrs. Alvarez. Having a plan in place for access to a translator in a time of the disaster is very important as education, such as this, may be necessary on the spot, as opposed to at a later time.In the case of Susan Fuhr, my main concern would have been a lack of coping skills and an immediate danger to herself and her child. In a disaster, many things can happen to cause an increase in stress levels. In a person who is already stressed, any one of the stressors may cause an already overloaded person to be pushed beyond their breaking point. This puts at risk everyone in their path for physical and verbal abuse. Susan Fuhr had the stressors of a young child, as well as caring for her mother-in-law to deal with before the storm. While a recommendation to go to the shelter would have provided her with food, shelter and water, sometimes the stress of being away from your home, especially when caring for others is more difficult to deal with.Assuring that the family had the essentials that they needed and that follow-up was arranged was imperative in this situation. In a disaster, many people are afraid that they will be a burden to others if they ask for help. In the cas e of Mr. Westlund, the chemical spill and cleanup without being educated about the proper ways to do this could be detrimental to Mr. Westlund’s health. Putting him in touch with the appropriate resources, such as the hazmat team, was imperative to assuring that the chemical spill was cleaned up properly, both for Mr. Westlund and the community. Assisting the Community in Coping The community health nurse provided education to each of these families appropriate to their situations.She acted as a coordinator and advocate to put them in touch with the appropriate resources as well as a collaborator, by listening and respecting their needs and wishes. Using these techniques helps to calm the fears of the residents of the community by helping them feel more prepared through education, know that there needs and wishes are important and will be respected by those providing help to them, and by acting as an advocate, they are reassured that someone cares about their situation and wa nts to help them in this time of need. Disaster Nursing-How Can I Help As a nurse in the community, whether working in the public health realm or another sector, it is our instinct to go where they need is.One of the first things that you can do to help in the situation of the disaster is to be preregistered with an organization that is known to provide first responder assistance such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, or local disaster teams. Even though the areas we are needed are rarely the areas of our expertise, extra bodies and extra hands are always welcome in a disaster. For those that work in areas such as hospitals, emergency rooms, and urgent care centers, checking in with your employer to see where help is needed is always appropriate. As a nurse, I worked through Hurricane Ike in September 2008 as it hit the Texas coastline and wreaked havoc on the city of Houston and surrounding communities. Even though I was in management at the time, I worked 58 hours straight through the hurricane coordinating nursing staff, caring for patients, and doing whatever needed done.This meant that, along with normal nursing duties, I made sandwiches, I cleaned beds, I removed red bags with patient waste inside, I assisted in putting out small fires, and I coordinated a move of the nursery when water started leaking through the ceiling. None of these was my regular duty, however, they were things that needed done at that moment. I believe the biggest service in any disaster for nursing personnel is to first be prepared for the disasters that can happen in your area; have a plan for your own family that can include being separated from them; know how you will get to the area you could be working in should a disaster occur in; and once you’re  there, be willing to do what needs to be done, even if it’s outside your comfort zone.Being a nurse during a disaster can be stressful and exciting all at the same time. It will make you think outside the box to so lve situations in new and different ways. Critical thinking and problem solving are taken to a whole new level during a disaster. Nursing of this type will boost confidence and test endurance as the nurse often works with little sleep, little food, and stress surrounding her. I will also say that nursing during a disaster is some of the most rewarding nursing I have ever done, and as crazy as it will sound to the rest of the world, nurses will always run in as everyone else runs out. It’s just who we are Disaster Planning: Public Health Role After working through the project â€Å"Disaster in Franklin County,† I will admit that I have a new appreciation for the role of the public health nurse in the event of an emergency. The simulation helped me to understand the important role that the public health team. The plays in assisting the community during a disaster. Role of the Major Public Health Personnel Each of the major public health personnel, including the public health nurse, play a key role in keeping a disaster organized flowing smoothly.The key roles are the medical health director, agency incident commander, public information officer, liaison officer, operations chief, planning chief, logistics chief, finance and administration chief, and public health nurse. With the exception of the public health nurse, the positions are often filled by people who may not be specifically trained for the roles, however, have a general overview of what the specific role requires.Agency Incident Commander – The agen cy incident commander is responsible for making the assignments of each of the other roles. She/he will have a familiarity with the specific skill sets of each person who is eligible for a role and be able to use these skill sets appropriately with in each role to obtain the highest amount of effectiveness. The incident commander will have a broad overview of what the different areas are working on, and know how each role will work to benefit other roles within the big picture.The AIC oversees the development of the incident mission and key goals, and from this comes the development of an Incident Action Plan (IAP). The AIC is responsible for ensuring that the public health agency incident mission and goals are synchronous with those of the other responding agencies and jurisdictions. The person in this position will have natural leadership qualities such as reliable critical thinking and problem solving skills, ability to make a quick decision, flexibility, adaptability, and a broa d understanding of the area affected.Public Information Officer – The public information officer is the communication coordinator or spokesperson. This individual is responsible for assuring that appropriate information is provided to the public, governmental officials and collaborating agencies. The Public Information Officer also assures that the required information is provided to the public health agency staff, so that the message of the agency is consistent, and in synchrony with other agencies.This person needs to be proficient in gathering the correct data for the situation, organizing facts, preparing appropriate releases for the press and the public, should have good communication skills, the ability to think quickly before responding, and have a good working knowledge of correct policy and procedure, standards, and laws in the public health realm. Liaison Officer – The liaison officer interfaces with and coordinates all activities with external agencies.The L iaison Officer assures that external agencies that are working with the department of health are provided with the resources that are required, as well as assure that agency policies, procedures and sovereignty are respected. She will be a point of contact for other agency representatives, and will coordinate assistance from other agencies such as hospitals, counties, EMS and federal emergency management.She will be responsible for creating and maintaining a list of cooperating agencies, their representatives, and point of contacts, and keeping other agencies aware of the public health status within the given situation. The liaison officer will have a functional working relationship with other agencies and have good communication and organizational skills. Operations Chief – The Operations Chief carries out the specific tasks and objectives that the public health agency needs to do in order to accomplish the goals of the incident.In this section, the Incident Action Plan is a ctually executed. This person will have a working knowledge of what needs to be done, how to get it done, and who to send to complete the task. He will also identify additional issues and resources needed and make those requests to the appropriate people. Examples of Operations activities include distribution of vaccines, water or soil sampling, delivery of risk communication messages to the public and case investigation, to name a few.The skill set appropriate for this person is someone with leadership qualities such as critical thinking, direct communication, and the ability to multitask. Planning Chief – The planning chief position is used to organize data, make projections and forecasts about the event and report the information to the AIC. Where required, this person may engage in intelligence activities – which for public health may be gathering, analyzing and sharing incident information (some of which may be sensitive) with other agencies.Examples of intelligen ce activities may include analysis and projections regarding  epidemiological data about a bioterrorist event, risk assessments based on information reported by law enforcement or determination of toxic contamination levels in an environmental incident is responsible for knowing the status of all resources available during a disaster both personnel and equipment. They will know how to obtain these resources, be able to determine current situation and status of the event, making a plan to provide the community with the things that are needed during a disaster, and have contingency plans in case the initial plans are unable to be carried out.This person will have strong contacts throughout the community, a working knowledge of resources available and strong planning skills. Logistics Chief – The Logistics Chief provides the support to all other sections that have been activated in the public health agency so that the work can be accomplished. Logistics acquires and sets up th e things that are needed for Operations to get the job done. A logistics chief will have excellent organizational skills and good ties with the community.Finance and Administration Chief – The finance and administration chief has an essential role including assuring that a contractual and financial process is in place for emergency procurement of supplies, equipment, space and personnel; interpretation of human resource policies; tracking of fiscal resources that are expended during the response (so that costs can be recovered by the agency during the recovery phase of the event) and in some cases, assurance of availability of resources to address the physiological and psychological needs of the paid and volunteer agency personnel who are engaged in the response.Diligent work done by the Finance / Administration Chief during an emergency can serve to prevent a financial or human resource disaster after the event. This person will have a skill set and background in finance or bookkeeping. Public Health Nurse – The public health nurse’s role in a disaster is to assess medical health and safety needs of the community and implement interventions as soon as safely possible after the event.This may include assessing individual needs of community members for things such as appropriate shelter, medications, basic provisions, such as food and water, and assessing for overall coping and stress management skills within a household. As these needs are assessed the public health nurse may refer to other agencies for resources in assisting these community members. The public health nurse will also be involved in vaccine delivery as appropriate and treating basic emergencies as needed.Chain of Command for the Community Health NurseIn the simulation â€Å"Disaster in Franklin County,† the chain of command for the community health nurse began with reporting to the agency incident commander who reported to the public health director, who reported to the medical health director, who then reported to the operations chief for the county incident command system, who reported to the emergency operation center commander. This clear-cut chain of command makes it easy to get information up the chain to the appropriate people without the public health nurse having to relay information to multiple people.Available ResourcesResources available to the community health nurse to deal with situations outside her scope of practice included environmental health specialists to assist with inspections of restaurants available to reopen and inspections of housing before people returned home and help educate the public regarding the use of generators; law enforcement to assist with volatile situations, security and safety needs; hazmat and fire crews to assure safety of homes and businesses, and assist with cleanup efforts; public works to assure water safety, electrical safety, and assess for gas leaks are just a few of the resources available to the public health nurse to assure that the community is safe throughout the event and healthy upon returning to their homes.Actions Taken During the Door-to-Door Interviews During the door-to-door interviews in the simulation, the community health nurse encountered Mr. Fugate, who did not have his blood pressure medications. This had the potential to be an emergency, had Mr. Fugate’s blood pressure been high, or had he been symptomatic. The simulation stated that Mr. Fugate could have stayed at home or gone to the shelter, according to the community health nurse.In this situation, even though his blood pressure came back at a reasonable reading at the moment, I believe Mr. Fugate would be best served at the shelter where his blood pressure and his general safety could be monitored until events after the storm could be better stabilized. Should Mr. Fugate, choose to stay at home, there is a risk that his blood pressure would spike to a much higher level at a time when he is al one, and unable to receive appropriate medical treatment in a timely fashion. This also increases his risk for issues such as stroke and falls. While we must respect the wishes of the patient, as nurses, we also can make strong recommendations to our patients using basic health facts and logic that will sometimes change their decisions.In the case of Mrs. Alvarez, who spoke Spanish only, the enclosed generator had the potential to be lethal to Mrs. Alvarez and her son. The immediate education regarding the ventilation of the generator was necessary to prevent a buildup of deadly gases. Had there not been anyone at the Alvarez his residence who spoke English, not having access to a translator could have been detrimental to their health as they would not have been a way to discuss the risks with Mrs. Alvarez. Having a plan in place for access to a translator in a time of the disaster is very important as education, such as this, may be necessary on the spot, as opposed to at a later t ime.In the case of Susan Fuhr, my main concern would have been a lack of coping skills and an immediate danger to herself and her child. In a disaster, many things can happen to cause an increase in stress levels. In a person who is already stressed, any one of the stressors may cause an already overloaded person to be pushed beyond their breaking point. This puts at risk everyone in their path for physical and verbal abuse. Susan Fuhr had the stressors of a young child, as well as caring for her mother-in-law to deal with before the storm. While a recommendation to go to the shelter would have provided her with food, shelter and water, sometimes the stress of being away from your home, especially when caring for others is more difficult to deal with.Assuring that the family had the essentials that they needed and that follow-up was arranged was imperative in this situation. In a disaster, many people are afraid that they will be a burden to others if they ask for help. In the case of Mr. Westlund, the chemical spill and cleanup without being educated about the proper ways to do this could be detrimental to Mr. Westlund’s health. Putting him in touch with the appropriate resources, such as the hazmat team, was imperative to assuring that the chemical spill was cleaned up properly, both for Mr. Westlund and the community. Assisting the Community in Coping The community health nurse provided education to each of these families appropriate to their situations.She acted as a coordinator and advocate to put them in touch with the appropriate resources as well as a collaborator, by listening and respecting their needs and wishes. Using these techniques helps to calm the fears of the residents of the community by helping them feel more prepared through education, know that there needs and wishes are important and will be respected by those providing help to them, and by acting as an advocate, they are reassured that someone cares about their situation and want s to help them in this time of need. Disaster Nursing-How Can I Help As a nurse in the community, whether working in the public health realm or another sector, it is our instinct to go where they need is.One of the first things that you can do to help in the situation of the disaster is to be preregistered with an organization that is known to provide first responder assistance such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, or local disaster teams. Even though the areas we are needed are rarely the areas of our expertise, extra bodies and extra hands are always welcome in a disaster. For those that work in areas such as hospitals, emergency rooms, and urgent care centers, checking in with your employer to see where help is needed is always appropriate. As a nurse, I worked through Hurricane Ike in September 2008 as it hit the Texas coastline and wreaked havoc on the city of Houston and surrounding communities. Even though I was in management at the time, I worked 58 hours straight through t he hurricane coordinating nursing staff, caring for patients, and doing whatever needed done.This meant that, along with normal nursing duties, I made sandwiches, I cleaned beds, I removed red bags with patient waste inside, I assisted in putting out small fires, and I coordinated a move of the nursery when water started leaking through the ceiling. None of these was my regular duty, however, they were things that needed done at that moment. I believe the biggest service in any disaster for nursing personnel is to first be prepared for the disasters that can happen in your area; have a plan for your own family that can include being separated from them; know how you will get to the area you could be working in should a disaster occur in; and once you’rethere, be willing to do what needs to be done, even if it’s outside your comfort zone. Being a nurse during a disaster can be stressful and exciting all at the same time. It will make you think outside the box to solve s ituations in new and different ways. Critical thinking and problem solving are taken to a whole new level during a disaster. Nursing of this type will boost confidence and test endurance as the nurse often works with little sleep, little food, and stress surrounding her. I will also say that nursing during a disaster is some of the most rewarding nursing I have ever done, and as crazy as it will sound to the rest of the world, nurses will always run in as everyone else runs out. It’s just who we are.

Reflection essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Reflection - Essay Example In this paper I will discuss that campus learning is very important for college students as compared to online learning, while keeping in view my own experience of college campus. When I joined my college, I met many other students; and thus, started socializing with my peers, which is an integral part of personality development. My personality has groomed a lot after I have joined my college. I know this when I compare myself to when I was in school. I believe that in campus learning, college students come to know how to behave in classrooms; how to show respect to teachers; how to deal with peers; and, how to show discipline while learning. This socializing is beneficial for them in both short and long terms because they learn how to deal with life and its problems and how to cope with relationships. I learned how to communicate with my teachers and friends, which benefitted me in my personal life as well. Hence, campus learning teaches effective relationship management which cannot be learned through online learning. Campus learning makes students follow the deadlines in a better way, and they learn how to follow a set routine pattern for their studies. When I joined college, one of my friends, who is an online student, convinced me that college campus environment is very strict and makes the student follow the schedules forcibly. However, my experience has been different. I have been able to set my routine in a very effective manner. Online learning does not provide the students with these opportunities, because they tend to be relaxed since they do not have to confront teacher’s remarks and class fellows’ comments’ if they do not meet a deadline or are not dressed up neatly, and etcetera. Hence, campus learning teaches discipline in a much better way. I have learnt how to dress up neatly, how to convey my ideas face-to-face, and how to behave in groups and teams. I could never have learnt

Physician assisted suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Physician assisted suicide - Essay Example PAS is a practice characterized by the physician only providing, but not personally administering, the means of death (Braddock et al.). It is not the same as other similar practices such as Euthanasia (defined as â€Å"the intentional termination of life by another at the explicit request of the person who dies,† it involves causing death through a direct action of a physician – for example, the 1998 case where Dr. Jack Kevorkian {a Michigan physician} injected controlled substances into a patient suffering from ALS {Lou Gehrig’s Disease} that caused his death); Terminal Sedation (where the physician administers sufficient sedatives to cause a terminally ill, competent patient to become unconscious, then permitting the patient to die of starvation, dehydration and the disease which has been contracted{Braddock et al.}); and Withholding/Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatments (where a competent patient refuses to continue taking on-going life-sustaining treatment (Braddock et al.) such as the use of ventilators, dialysis, intravenous fluids and feeding tubes (Quill et al.). Individual liberty vs. State interest: There is no doubt that the State has a strong interest in preserving the life of its citizens; an interest that stems from the responsibility entrusted to the State. However, the intensity of its interest does not match the interest of a terminally ill individual to use assisted death to end life. This lopsided (against the State) level of interest, if strengthened by prohibition by the State, is seen as an infringement on the personal liberty of the individual (Braddock et al.). Respect for Autonomy: Taking decisions about the time and method of one’s death is considered very personal and confidential (Braddock et al.). Terminally ill patients know they will soon die, and simply want to exercise control over the process (Religioustolerance.org). An important

Analysis of Globel Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Globel Warming - Essay Example It forms an invisible umbrella that reflects back radiation onto the earth instead of radiating it out into space. This causes gradual warming of the planet, as the consequence of‘greenhouse warming’ or ‘global warming’ indicates. Starting in the late 19th century, this journey towards increasing climatic crises and ecological imbalances started. The average temperature of the planet has increased. Sea levels have increased due to arctic glacier melting. Every year the sea level rises by millimeters and the trend seems exponential, posing a threat to all coastal cities. The chief cause of behind the menace of greenhouse gasses is the compound ‘chlorofluorocarbon’. This is the compound used for cooling purposes in domestic and industrial refrigerators and massive coolers. It is used in most of the cooling solutions like cold storages, ACs etc. These gasses break up the ozone layer. Similarly, other agents like vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide contribute to the greenhouse effect. The causes of rising in greenhouse gases are due to industrialization, agriculture, deforestation, incineration of several materials including waste and natural decomposition. Since the industrial revolution in the early 1900s, the rate of industrialization increased 40 fold and with it multiplied the emission of greenhouse gasses. ...the temperature of the earth, rise in sea level due to glacial melting and ozone hole What effect is predicted if greenhouse gas levels continue to increase at the present rate? If greenhouse gas levels are allowed to increase at their present rate it might initiate several natural catastrophes. The most fatal consequences for the earth and all forms of life on it would be an increase of sea levels, flooding of islands and coastal destinations. A dramatic effect could be submersion of entire coastal cities. The argument that Al Gore makes in the documentary ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ is not s ubstantial and I completely disagree with i. He says that the increase in greenhouses gas levels in the atmosphere due to an increase in carbon dioxide level is behind rising in the surface temperature of the earth. This is causing abnormal glacier melting every year, resulting in the disintegration of polar habitats of animals like polar bear, arctic seal, penguins, sea-lions, walruses etc. The truth, however, is that this is a natural cycle of warming up and cooling down of the earth’s temperature. The earth’s temperature, in truth, is ever-changing, always dynamic and either going up or down in a span of weeks, months or years. The very base of Al Gore’s argument that the earth’s surface temperature changing is detrimental to the environment and ecology is faulty. The world has witnessed an Ice Age when the temperature was below freezing point. Greenhouse gasses have nothing to do or a very small role to play in what we perceive as global warming. The earth is going through a warming up phase. For instance, Green Land was in its prime green phase in pre-history and its name sounds quite inappropriate in the present day.

It has been observed that, in comparison to audiences elsewhere in the Essay - 1

It has been observed that, in comparison to audiences elsewhere in the world, audiences in Britain and America have very little access to texts created beyond their own cultures (Squires, 2007, p. 408) - Essay Example He postulates further that, the number of English speakers outnumbers the native speakers by the ratio of 3:1. All the above figures show that English is a language that cannot be ignored on the world stage. The following are the number of English language speakers in the top five countries, the figures are in millions: United States of America-215 which represents 95.81 percent, United Kingdom-61, which represents 97.74 percent, Canada, 18.2, Australia, 15 and Nigeria 4. All these, indicate that English has a global image (English dominance in The World, 2014). It is a fact that cannot be contested that the English language, dominates the world in almost all spheres. It is spoken and written in almost every part of the world where business and education are taking place. A number of factors have attributed this. Firstly, Great Britain, which has 97 percent of its population speaking English, colonized most of the countries in the world, especially in Africa and Asia when compared to other colonial powers. This means that, it exported its people and culture to different parts of the world. As the master, the subjects had to learn English in order to get education that it offered. English was also one of the qualifications for one to get employment; therefore, people went to school, learned English purposely to get employment and also to be able to communicate. The missionaries also taught people how to write and speak English. This successfully made English the language of communication and education (English Dominance in The World, 2014). Secondly, America being a superpower and Britain doing economically well means that people will tend to migrate from other parts of the world either to get employment or to get an education. One of the conditions before one is allowed to immigrate to America or Britain, is being proficient in English. Therefore, one has to make sure that he/she has learned English before going to these countries or learn

Quantitative and Qualitative research into the voyeuristic appeal of Paper

Quantitative and Qualitative into the voyeuristic appeal of watching observational reality TV - Research Paper Example Mostly, it is assumed that the audience may not tell the difference between information and entertainment, or reality and fiction in popular factual television. Therefore, in regards of the audience and reality TV it is significant to examine this genre’s development and audience relationships with the popular factual output. Audiences have a different response to the reality shows and teenagers and young youth seem to develop more interest in the observational reality shows. There has been a great amount of open criticism of the observational reality show genre popularity and few articles explain the consumer’s appeal. There are reports that propose that viewers watch this kind of reality entertainment due to aspirational or voyeuristic needs. The reports of the external audience suggest that the television audiences perceive observational reality themselves as being voyeuristic. Hence, it is this voyeurism part that is attractive. Additionally, the Week online magazine (2015) suggest that it is intrinsically fascinating in observing how some individuals behave and speak in pressured situations. As a result, many intellectual people find themselves fixed by The Only Way is Essex and other observational reality shows. Thus, teaching them the aspects of human nature and widening their experience. Charlie King, The Only Way is Essex star was bombarded by scholars with gayism accusation on the reality show and accused of inspiring young people on revealing their sexuality. He openly revealed his true sexuality on the ITV program (2014). IMDB (2015) says that The Only Way is Essex got first aired on 1oth October 2015 and were currently the top rating show on ITVB channel. Adam Croizer (2010), the chief executive of ITV states that the target audience was for 16-34 years old. He added that the objective was to reinforce plans to increase revenue and audience in the Telegraph interview (2015). The informal and content motives of â€Å"The Only

Analysis of The Prologue to WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE AND YOUNG Article

Analysis of The Prologue to WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE AND YOUNG - Article Example Indeed, they were given medals and recognized for their sacrifices however, to a man who has shown such dedication and fervor in serving his country, those are not enough. It is true that war changes people. War destroys lives, families and the mind. There are many untold stories of soldiers whose lives and their loved ones’ lives were drastically changed because of the effects of their active participation in war. This story speaks for most of them although it is possible that there are soldiers who experienced even worse situations. The story is an eye opener to us who just hear and read stories of war. It is not just an expression of the author’s thoughts and emotions but it is also an appeal to the readers for them to remember the fallen soldiers and the others who survived the war; as they continue to enjoy the freedom that they have fought for. It asks for remembrance and the heart to value the lost lives, whether on the American side or on the enemies’ sid e because after all, we are all humans unworthy of animalistic

William Todhunter- Wartime letters Essay Example for Free

William Todhunter- Wartime letters Essay The whimpers of horses continued long after the firing had stopped. Those poor creatures- sent by fat old men to do their bidding. This great war. This perfect waste. Wipers November 8th Dearest Mamma, Your letter arrived on Thursday, but already that seems an age ago. Day and night seem to fall into one and at the moment we are under almost constant bombardment. The shells tend to fall behind us but you are never sure whether one might not have your number on it. It is difficult to get used to, but we are so tired that we fall into our dugouts as soon as we come off duty, snatch a mug of tea, and sleep in our damp clothes. I have been over the top several times now, but every time we have only got so far as the wire, and had to fall back under heavy German fire. It is simply ghastly out there in no-mans land, and the gung-ho patriotism we once felt has dissipated among the smoke and the stench of corpses. I feel particularly sorry for the poor horses, it is not their war. Still keeping hopeful for Tommys return. I am sure he will be back with us soon, as they have only been missing for a few days now, and scouting parties often go missing for several days. Still raining, and dark, heavy clouds are rolling in from the west. However we are bearing up and at least the falling rain and the heavy grey mud seems to constrain enemy activity, although we still have to watch out for sniper fire. It is terribly cold at the moment, in spite of our best efforts at putting small fires, even candles, in every nook and cranny to keep warm. And we have a hard time sleeping between the look out duties witch are two hours in every six. I am sorry this letter is a bit depressing, my mood matches the weather. Your Loving Son, William November 25th Gas. Cruel green hands of twisted nature. Grasping at the lives of innocent men. What can I do though? All I am able to do is stand. Wiped of emotion. Watching contorted faces of those whose masks had failed, I cannot even breathe on these occasions. Not out of being scared, but from utter helplessness. All is numb. How can I tell mother about this? How can I even write to her? Our letters are being censored anyway, so even if my hand could write, it would be snatched up, and I would be on duties. During the battle at Wipers we suffered many losses- far greater than those of the Germans. But more men are sent. Why do they come? Do they truly believe in the old lies? They remind me of how I was once- nai ve, patriotic and simply, blissfully ignorant. The mud is always up to our knees. Corpses often find their way into the dugout entrances. Supplies are shortening, and home is far away. Oh mamma, what if I am to die here? I cannot, could not, tell you of the possibility. God has left this place. Left it to rot in Hell on Earth. December 26th Dearest Mamma The strangest things have been happening over the past few days. I do not think there had been a single shot fired since the early hours of the morning of Christmas Eve, when the first carols were heard. After a while, the sound of German singing floated back over no-mans land and met our ears. In the afternoon, after we had had Holy Communion, a few foolhardy Germans appeared and exchanged some of their songs with us. It was the strangest thing. We had been blowing each other up for weeks, and then I suddenly found myself shaking hands with a sniper, who spoke a bit of English, and seemed nice enough. He must have been the same age as me, if not younger, but they may have different regulations for signing up there, and I forgot to ask him his real age. A few fellows followed them back, but returned safe and sound, missing only buttons and cigarettes, which they had traded for similar souvenirs. On Christmas Day, I had just finished morning service, and was heading down to our dugout, when I realised that a game of football was being played out in no-mans land against the Germans! I couldnt believe it, but climbed out and joined in. We lost, but it was good fun, and well played by the Huns! It was the queerest thing! Our dinner party was well enjoyed. It started with fried bacon and dip-bread; followed by Christmas pudding. But you can guess that we all were thinking of home. I think that it has been the most memorable Christmas I have ever spent, or likely to spend. I never expected to be shaking hands with Germans in enemy trenches on Christmas day, and I do not suppose you thought of us doing so either. So after a fashion I have enjoyed my Christmas. But who knows what the New Year will bring. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind regards to all. Your loving son, William P. S. Dont forget to feed the rabbits! December 29th Dear Mrs. Todhunter, I regret to inform you of the death in action of your son, William. He was killed yesterday by sniper fire. The mood in the camp last night was solemn. I cannot stress how well the men regarded William. Always cheerful, always ready to lend a hand, always ready to share his rations. He will be much missed. His personal effects will be returned through the usual channels. Yours sincerely, Hugh Lonsdale (Lieut. ) Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Describe The Strategy Of Inflation Targeting Economics Essay

Describe The Strategy Of Inflation Targeting Economics Essay In recent years, policymakers realized the weight of the inflation cost on the economy and started to pay more attention to the price stability goal. The latter is increasingly considered as the most important goal of monetary policy. Inflation has detrimental effects that could lead to a low economic growth, making the future hard to anticipate (Mishkin, 2007). The need to adopt monetary policies that can subsequently overcome the inflation issue had emerged in many countries. Central Banks had different options of strategies to implement in order to achieve long-term price stability including the inflation targeting and the monetary targeting also known as money growth targeting. In the first case, Central Banks target an explicit value of inflation while in the second case, they aim to reach a certain level of growth of a monetary aggregate. An increasing number of countries have chosen the inflation targeting to achieve price stability (Genberg, 2002). Some of them have moved away from monetary targeting to inflation targeting. A question arises: why are the Central Banks using inflation targeting over money-growth targeting? To address this question, this paper will confront these two monetary policies and try to understand the reasons of the decline of monetary targeting in favour of inflation targeting. MONEY-GROWTH TARGETING Definition The money-growth targeting refers to one of the monetary policy strategies where central banks targets an objective of an annual growth rate of a monetary aggregate (M1, M2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) in order to maintain price stability. A set of variables called intermediate targets such as money supply are used in order to have an impact on the level of inflation. These variables have to satisfy three conditions that are: measurability, controllability and ability to predictably affect the goal that is price stability. For instance, the Central Bank can announce that it will attain 5% growth rate of M2. This is an indirect way to control the final target of inflation (Mishkin, 2007). Money-growth policy was adopted in 1975 by the US Federal reserve to answer the request of Congress about setting monetary targets. Germany, United Kingdom, France and many other countries also implemented the money-growth policy in late 1970s. Examples of countries that adopted money-growth targeting In the 1970s, many countries chose this monetary targeting policy; some of them such as Germany succeed in its implementation whereas others such as the United States failed to reach their growth target range. The German success relied on two main elements: first, the flexibility of their policy rule that targeted a money aggregate but allowed it to fluctuate within a tight interval; and second, the good communication by the Bundesbank to the public. Conversely, the United States failed in implementing this monetary policy mainly because of a poor monetary control and a priority given to interest-rate movements to control inflation (Mishkin, 2007). Many cases of failure of money-growth targeting led Central Banks to change their monetary policy in favour of inflation targeting. INFLATION TARGETING STRATEGY Definition of inflation-targeting Inflation targeting was firstly adopted by New Zealand in 1990, then many countries followed such as the United Kingdom in 1992 (Mishkin, 2007). It is a monetary policy strategy that aims to sustain an explicit target level of inflation to achieve long run price stability. It is based on five key elements: publication of the numerical targets for inflation institutional commitment to sustain price stability as a principal goal information-inclusive strategy with many variables that are used for deciding the setting of monetary policy instruments communication to guarantee the transparency accountability of the Central Bank for hitting its inflation target (Mishkin, 2000). Although these five key elements are common to many countries, the way they are interpreted and applied should be country-specific. Indeed, even if countries have similar goals, they are different in their level of sensitivity to shocks and in the way they transmit mechanisms. Thus, they may imply different reactions to the same event (Genberg, 2002). The successful case of Chile The Chilean example illustrates a case where implementing the inflation-targeting was successful. In 1990, the inflation rate of that country was almost 30%. The Central Bank decided to adopt this new strategy by targeting a certain level of inflation (more than 20%) for the following 12 months. Year after year, the Chilean Central Bank reduced the inflation objectives until reaching 3.5% at the end of the decade. The Consumer Price Index inflation followed the tendency of the inflation target as it decreased from almost 30% in 1990 to 3% in the end of 1999 as we can see in the graph below. Thus, targeted inflation rates were remarkably achieved (Valdà ©s, 2007). Consumer Price Index Headline Inflation and Inflation Targets, 1985-1999 (%) The success of this gradual disinflation is due to the actions and the independence of the Chilean Central Bank but also thanks to two main supportive policies: the good fiscal policy avoiding large deficits and the healthy financial system encouraging regulations (Mishkin, 2000). Why many countries shifted away from money-growth targeting to inflation targeting? The decline of money-growth targeting One of the major disadvantages of money-growth targeting is that the achievement of the inflation objective depends on one essential condition which is the strength of the relationship between the targeted monetary aggregate and inflation; otherwise the desired result will not be reached. If this connection is weak, it would be difficult to use money-growth targeting to communicate, and this will alter the transparency of Central banks policy. Indeed, this unpredictable and instable relationship between targeted monetary aggregate and the goal variables led several countries in the 1990s to shift from money-growth policy to the inflation targeting strategy. In the 1980s, the financial innovations combined to the deregulation of the financial markets harmed the reliance on monetary targets by reducing moneys controllability (Granville, 2010). Furthermore, in the same period, the gold standard system was abandoned because of the ascent of immaterial economy. The monetarism was degraded which promoted the rise of inflation targeting. Moreover, exchange rates were also used as a target from mid-80s to mid-90s but their efficient as means of stabilizing economy were suspected especially after the currency crisis of the 1990s. Thence, inflation targeting became the most reliable substitute to these declining instruments. Advantages and disadvantages of inflation targeting The inflation targeting policy counts several advantages and disadvantages; this paper will focus on the main ones. Unlike money growth targeting, the inflation targeting success is not based on the relation between inflation and money. Indeed, a Central Bank can use other variables to conduct properly this monetary policy. Central Banks frequent interaction with governments, which are in charge of making public announcements, drives the inflation targeting strategy to be more transparent. These settings allow the public to get a better understanding of the policy (Bernanke et al., 1999). By stating an explicit numerical target of inflation, its evolution is clearer and easily understood and followed. For example, the Chilean Central Bank maintained its credibility by announcing on each September an annual targeted inflation rate for the next year on its Report to Congress (Valdà ©s, 2007). Thanks to this transparency, Central Banks accountability increases which reduces the occurrence of time incompatibility when the Central Bank applies an expansionary monetary policy in order to increase employment in the short run (Mishkin, 2007). However, inflation targeting has major disadvantages. The first one is the delayed signalling due to the inability of inflation target to send instantaneous signals. However, this issue cannot be overcome by the money-growth targeting as the signal of the monetary aggregates is not strong. The second disadvantage concerns the rigidity of inflation targeting because of the inflexible rules of the policy and the restricted capability of the policymakers to react to unpredictable events (Mishkin, 2007). Nevertheless, in practice, inflation targeting is flexible, as it does not impose mechanical directives. Indeed, this monetary policy enables Central Banks to adapt its implementation to different situations. For instance, during its first adoption of the inflation targeting strategy in 1991, the Chilean Central Bank decided to rely on inflation projections rather than formal inflation targets as suggested by this monetary policy. Few years later, after achieving and reducing its inflation projections, the Central Bank started considering hard inflation targets and started being accountable for hitting them (Mishkin, 2000). According to Valdà ©s (2007), the Chilean case shows that inflation targeting raises the possibility of self discovery, improvements and learning. Also, the fact that inflation depends on several variables makes it hard to control. Indeed, inflation integrates the impacts of these variables that are not disclosed in the short run. Finally, inflation targeting may not guarantee fiscal order. In fact, when fiscal deficits occur, they can be financed by either devaluating or printing money. In the two cases, inflation increases. CONCLUSION Adopting the appropriate monetary policy is vital for the progress and the prosperity of an economy. Many cases of money-growth targeting failure led Central Banks to change their monetary policy in favour of inflation targeting. The Chilean case represents a successful implementation of inflation targeting. Indeed, the inflation targets were remarkably reached. However, the example of Chile does not allow us to deduce that inflation targeting may succeed for all countries. Although countries have similar goals, they may have different reactions to the same event.

Comparing More’s Utopia and Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy Essay

Comparing More’s Utopia and Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy  Ã‚   Throughout history many visionaries had glimpsed a world of new human culture, yet no way to create such a world had been achieved. Communism had become a tragedy. Sir Thomas More, author of Utopia, and James Redfield, author of The Celestine Prophecy, share many of the same ideas describing a new way of life. Written in 1516, More’s Utopia speaks about visions of a humanistic way of life. Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy, written almost five centuries later in 1993, reinforces the ideas of the Renaissance. Can this spiritual common sense become the model of the next century? Utopia achieves great universality by evincing great understanding and sympathy with all men (Surtz, vii). It presents the hope for far better things, sustained by the view that man may shape and mold himself in any chosen form, (viii) thus creating the best earthly state possible. Redfield’s text focuses on nine insights to a spiritual transformation. When all nine insights are understood, an exciting new image of human life, and a positive vision of how we can save this planet, it’s creatures and it’s beauty will be attained (Redfield). According to Redfield, upon reaching the new millennium, human culture will shift as we move toward a completely spiritual culture on earth. In order to understand where we are today, we must take ourselves back to the year 1000 and move through the millennium as we lived through it. Imagine yourself being alive in the year 1000, the Middle Ages. The first thing you must understand is that the reality of this time is being defin ed by the powerful churchmen of the Christian church (22). Because of their position, these men hold great influence over t... ...it sound as though humans are in control. It is up to us to decide whether or not this is true. The process through which accepting teachings and winning salvation is shown throughout both texts. They show the exact process of becoming more spiritual and connected. We have always characterized this connection as something abstract- something an individual must do to avoid something bad happening. Whenever we doubt our own path, or lose sight of the process, we must remember that we are evolving toward, what the process of living is all about (Redfield 243). Reaching Heaven on Earth is why we are here. Now we know how it can be done. Works Cited More, Sir Thomas. Utopia: A New Translation, Backgrounds, Criticism. Ed. and trans. Robert M. Adams. Toronto: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1988. Redfield, James. The Celestine Prophecy. NY: Warner Books Inc., 1993.

A Comparison of King Arthur and Beowulf :: comparison compare contrast essays

A Comparison of King Arthur and Beowulf Sir Thomas Malory brings forth a courageous character , "King Arthur", utilizing weaponry and leadership, to enlighten the reader of the unique characteristics of a true hero, on the other hand, the unknown author of "Beowulf", depicts the Anglo-Saxan era to tell a story of one who fights to better society. The noble King moves as a unit with his men and pride to protect and serve the kinsmen of his realm. Beowulf wards off evil, unaccompanied, with nothing but his hands. As a distinct hero of the Medieval Period, King Arthur relied greatly upon his arms and retainers. "Take thou here Excalibur..." The King had a extraordinary sword which he brought forth and kept at his side at all times. He fought many battles and bore great trust into his prominent sword. "`Now give me my spear.' Then the King got his spear in his hands and ran towards Mordred." The mighty Arthur depended largely upon weapons as an alternative to hand-to-hand combat. "He behold that noble sword - That the pommel and the haft was all preious stones." The distinguished Excalibur was carried and shown with dignity. Immense care and respect was imposed into the weapons of the king. The noble King Arthur utilized the arms of his time, opposed to Beowulf's unarmed way of battle. Described as the strongest man in the world, Beowulf voyages across seas slaying evil demons with nothing but his bare hands. "...Knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands where harder." In the confrontation of Grendel and Beowulf, our hero brings forth a force greater than the unmerciful dragon. Weaponless, Beowulf slays the dragon with his divine tools of god. "And was instantly seized himself, claws bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm." Beowulf was seen as a hero who conquered the evils with his sheer strength. "Strongest of the Geats - Greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in the world." Beowulf was a hero for who he was, a physically superior being. Additionally, he was adored by the Geats for his personality and mentality, along with his accomplishments of bettering society.

Why is Diotima a woman? Essay -- essays research papers

Diotima, Socrates' great teacher from the Symposium, a work by Plato was one of the most influential women thinkers of all time, whether she was a real person or a literary fictional character. She related to Socrates the theory of love that he described to the partygoers at Agathon's banquet, a celebration of Agathon's victory at the competition of Dionysis in Athens and of Eros.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before we search for the idea of why Diotima is a woman, we should first discuss a little about her. We know that, if she were an actual person, she would have been born around 470 BCE and died around 410 BCE. She might have been a priestess from Mantinea. Now if she was a real priestess or poet is uncertain. There is archaeological evidence, plus the fact that no historians for hundreds of years ever challenged her existence, suggests Diotima was an historical person. Her authenticity was not disputed until the 15th century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We should also discuss about how women were generally treated in the days of the Symposium. We read in the beginning of the Symposium that Eryximachus wants to get rid of the women so that the men may â€Å"stick to conversation†. (Symposium 176.e3-177.a2) This invokes the idea that women are unable to have a meaningful conversation. This could be justified because ancient Greeks thought our (women) emotions get in the way. The ancient Greeks (men) had wives for the purpose of producing babies. They had boyfriends for the ...

Rising Immigration Rate of Canada

Immigrants make up a considerable proportion of the Canadian population. At the time of the 1991 Census, there were 4. 3 million immigrants living in Canada, which is 16% of the total Canadian population. (See Graph 1, Immigrants as a Percentage of Canada's Population, 1901-1996) Over the past decades the level of immigration in Canada has increased from an average of 137 000 immigrants arriving in Canada in the 1960s to an average of about 200 000 in 1998. See Table1, Annual Immigration Plan 1998) The largest share of immigrants admitted into Canada are in the economic class, in 1994, close to half of the new immigrants coming to Canada were economic class immigrants. Immigration is needed to maintain the Canadian population; â€Å"Canada will be an aging society with such a low birth rate that it will soon be unable to sustain its population without sustained immigration. † Immigrants are a source of labour to the Canadian economy; immigrants are as likely as people born in Canada to be employed, and many are skilled workers that the Canadian economy is in need of. Business class, investor and entrepreneur immigrant help to provide job opportunities in the economy, and also generate more economic activities and income for the Canadian economy. â€Å"Analysis of data from the household/family file of the 1981 Canadian Census of Population reveals that, regardless of origin, immigrants benefit the Canadian-born population through the public treasury. † Immigrants are an aid to the Canadian economy as a result of its ability to sustain the aging population, to provide labour, and job opportunities. Firstly, Canada, like other rich countries of the world, will become an aging society with such a low birth rate; Canada will soon be unable to maintain its population without taking in immigrants. The low birth rate will soon lead to a shortage of future workers for the labour force. As we enter into the twenty-first century, there will be more older people requiring pensions, and in need of extra health care, but there will not be enough young workers entering the job market to support these needs. The fertility rate in Canada is roughly 1. 66, which is below the replacement rate of 2. and less than half the fertility rate of 3. 63 during the baby boom. Despite the number of children is currently growing because the large number of baby boomers are having children, â€Å"this so-called echo effect will have run its course by the early part of the next century so that, in the absence of much higher immigration, Canada's population will begin to decline. † According to Statistics Canada, the Canadian population will stabilize at 31 million in 2026 if the fertility rate of 1. 66 is maintained and 140 000 immigrants are accepted per year, and it will then begin to decline. If the rate of immigration is raised to 200 000 per year, the population will stabilize in 2035, at 34 million, before it begins to decline. The immigrant population is older, on average, than the Canadian-born population because immigrants tend to arrive in their prime working years. Also, it must be noted that children born to immigrants are included in the Canadian-born population rather than the immigrant population. Secondly, of all immigrants accepted into Canada, close to 50% are in the economic class consisting of business immigrants and skilled workers. See Table 2, Immigration Levels, 1998 Canada, Quebec* and Other Provinces) Most immigrants tend to arrive in their prime working years. Immigrants living in Canada are more likely than people born in Canada to have a university degree, in 1991, 14% of immigrants aged 15 and over had a university degree, while only 11% of people born in Canada had a university degree. Immigrants with post-secondary qualifications are more likely than those born in Canada with post-secondary qualifications to be graduates of professional programs in engineering, mathematics, and applied science. See Graph 2, Economic Category Persons Admitted, 1994-1996) For example, in 1991, 17% of immigrant men were graduates of these programs, where there were only 9% of Canadian-born men were graduates of these programs. Immigrants are also more likely than people born in Canada to have full-time, full-year jobs. In 1991, 63% of employed immigrant men and 50% of employed immigrant women worked at full-time, full-year jobs, compared to 59% of Canadian-born men, and 45% of Canadian-born women. According to Employment and Immigration Canada, in 1989-95 the fastest growing occupations include computer programmers and system analysts, data processing equipment operators, and technical salespersons, as well as occupations in health care. But fact is that Canada does not have enough skilled workers to work in these fields, therefore Canada must import workers skilled in these fields, and immigration is the best way to import these workers. There is a higher percentage of immigrant men working in professional or management occupations then Canadian-born men. In 1991, 32% of immigrant men worked in these fields, while only 27% of Canadian-born men worked in these fields. (See Table 4, Comparison of Employment between Immigrant and Canadian-Born Workers) Canada, like other industrial countries will be facing a shortage in skilled workers; Canada will have to open its borders to increased immigration by foreign workers, especially workers with education and skills. â€Å"In fact, industrial countries could find themselves competing for certain types of foreign workers. â€Å"

The Impacts of Dams on the Hydrologic Regime

The earliest remains of dams that archaeologists have unearthed date back to around 5000 A.D.They were constructed as part of a domestic water supply system for the ancient town of Jawa in Jordan. Over the next few millennia, the building of dams for water retention spread throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Southern Asia, China, and Central America. Later, as technologies increased and industrialization took hold in Europe, dam mechanisms advanced to incorporate watermills. With the advent of the water turbine in 1832 and developments in electrical engineering, the first hydropower plant began running in Wisconsin in 1882 (IRN n. pag.). Over the next few decades, while structural engineering techniques improved, dams multiplied in size, strength, and numbers worldwide. Today, although the construction of new dams is halting ( albeit with less vigor in underdeveloped countries) (de Villiers 146; Pielou 206), they are still being built around the globe for a multitude of social and economical reasons: flood control, hydroelectric power production, river navigation, irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, emergency water reservation, tourism, and flat-water recreation (e.g., NPDP n. pag.; Trout Unlimited 11). For all the benefits that dams provide, however, there are adverse effects and concerns that arise from manipulating the environment in such an unnatural manner. Impacts of Dams on the Hydrologic Regime Dams are ultimately created as a water reservoir. This impounding of water impedes the circulation of a river and subsequently changes the hydrology and ecology of the river system and its contiguous environments. Behind a dam, the rise in water level submerges the landscape; often displacing people and engorging culturally valuable ruins. Furthermore, biodiversity of the region is constrained by the destruction of vegetation and loss or extinction of wildlife (Power et al. 887-895). In essence, both the aquatic and land-based ecosystems are damaged by the advent of a dam (Pielou 209). Upstream of the barricade, the once flowing water that housed the riverine habitat becomes still, oxygen depleted, deepens into darkness, temperature stratified, and susceptible to enhanced evaporation which adjusts the entire hydrologic cycle (e.g., Pielou 207, 210; Ocean Planet n. pag.; Leopold 157). Moreover, drowned vegetation in the stagnant water is subject to rotting and may thereby pollute the atmosphere and reservoir with methane and carbon dioxide (Leopold 158; Pielou 208). Another change in the water chemistry that alters many river-based systems is the inclusion of heavy metals (and minerals) such as methyl mercury due to reactions between the reservoir bed and the standing water (Pielou 114, 207). If undetected, these toxins may bioaccumulate by moving through the trophic levels of the food web, eventually reaching humans. Aside from the changes in the chemical constituencies of the water, a dam will also physically augment the river by modifying the shape of the channel. This is primarily due to the retention of sediments behind the dam wall. Water that was once entrained with silts has the increased erosive power to degrade the riverbanks downstream while upstream, the deposition process is shallowing and narrowing the river reaches (e.g., Moffat 1116; Pielou 210). These alterations in channel shape can also shift the elevation of the groundwater table and can amplify the severity of the floods that the dams may have been built to prevent (de Villiers 155-56; PCFFA n. pag.). The silting process, though, can have other effects on riverine environments. With the deprivation of sediments, valuable nutrients are withheld from the floodplains and the delta of the river. Ultimately, agricultural land suffers from fertility loss and coastlines recede (e.g., DRIIA n. pag.; Pielou 212). In addition to the above noted deterioration of wetland environs, major fish spawning and nursing grounds are harmed by the lack of continual silt and gravel replenishment (e.g., Chambers n. pag.). Fish species, nevertheless, are not simply affected by the decreased deposition that occurs below a dam. These, and other aquatic based biota adapted to the natural pulsations of seasonal flooding, can be strained by the regulation of stream flow afforded by a dam (Pielou 145; Leopold 156). Furthermore, moderating the flow may actually retard the entire regime of the river by delaying spring break-up (Pielou 212). Apart from the precipitous effects on the hydrologic cycle and river-based ecosystems thus far noted, there are an extensive number of further reasons to remove a dam. Briefly, a few of these are (Ocean Planet n. pag.; Pielou 208-09; Trout Unlimited 17; Leopold 156): Æ’x the restoration of anadromous fish migration and subsequent reliant fisheries Æ’x ameliorate conditions associated with damming which promote epidemics such as bilharzia and milaria Æ’x damming has accelerated the rate of earth ¡s rotation, displaced the axis of the earth, changed the shape of earth ¡s magnetic field, increased the occurrence of seismic events, and influenced sea level changes Æ’x dam removal has been shown to improve recreation, tourism, and aesthetics to the associated riverside communities Æ’x amend the river and groundwater quality Yet for all of the reasons that a dam may be removed, it is often economic and, in part, safety purposes that prompts the decommissioning of a dam. Whether the reservoir has filled with silt, wear-and-tear has taken its toll, or the dam has become obsolete, the benefit of removal may outweigh the cost of maintaining dam operation (PCFFA n. pag.). Consequences Associated with Dam Removal: A Case Study of the Elwha River Early in the 20th century, two hydroelectric dams were built on the Elwha River within the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The Elwha Dam, the first to be constructed (1910), created the Lake Aldwell reservoir 4.9 miles from the mouth of the Elwha river [fig. 1]. Respectively, 8.5 miles upstream, Lake Mills is contained by the Glines Canyon Dam (1926). Despite their continued success as a viable resource for Bonneville Power Administration (Meyer n. pag.), the existence and utilization of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams causes detrimental besetment for the ecosystem and native anadromous fish populations of the Elwha River basin (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1995, n. pag.). Thus, per restitution stipulations, the 1992 Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act (the Elwha Act) authorized the Secretary of the Interior to appropriate the two dams (e.g., Winter n. pag.). Measures to remove the dams will be undertaken as sanctioned from the Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIS) that followed in 1995. Fig. 1. Map of the Elwha River, Clallam County, Olympic Peninsula, Washington. (Olympic National Park n. pag.) In an effort to remove the dams in a  ¡Ã‚ §safe, environmentally sound and cost effective manner ¡ (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Apr. 1996, n. pag.), various procedural alternatives are being considered prior to the implementation of the scheduled 2004 deconstruction. Under the River Erosion alternative, which is the proposed action, the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams would be incrementally removed in succession over a two year period with the controlled regulation of natural sediment erosion (e.g., U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Aug. 1996, n. pag.). A dredge and slurry system, a further method of sediment disposal, is an action alternative that has also been analyzed by the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Team (e.g., U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Apr. 1996, n. pag.). Between the inauguration of the Elwha River dams and 1994, it is estimated that 17.7 million cubic yards of sediments has become trapped in the Lake Aldwell and Lake Mills reservoirs (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Aug. 1996, n. pag.). Of that total deposition, some 4.8 to 5.6 million cubic yards of fine-grained alluvium (silts and clays less than 0.075 m in diameter) and 1.2 to 2.6 million cubic yards of coarse grained sediments (sands, gravels, and cobbles greater than 0.075 mm in diameter) will be reintroduced into the Elwha River system through the proposed action (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Apr. 1996, n. pag.; U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Aug. 1996, n. pag.). In comparison, approximately 6.9 million cubic yards of the fine-grained sediments stand to be directly pumped via a pipeline into the Strait of Juan de Fuca if the dredge and Slurry alternative is undertaken (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Aug. 1996, n. pag.). Incremental removal of the dams will be the primary regulation on the rate of sediment withdrawal and will partially effect the resulting term of biological and physical impacts felt on downstream reaches of the Elwha River (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Aug. 1996, n. pag.). An increase of alluvium transport will renew the natural sediment distribution and hydrological flow patterns to their pre-dam character while new channels and wetland habitats will be created in the freshly drained areas (Foster Wheeler 17). Aggradation of stream load materials will be most prominent in the low-lying and less circulating shoals, including a revitalization of the Ediz Hook [fig. 1] and estuarine beaches (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Aug. 1996, n. pag.). In response to these raised river beds, water elevations are expected to rise, thereby threatening the resources that fall within the 100-year floodplain (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Apr. 1996, n. pag.). Surface water quality is likely to be hampered for two to six years after dam abstraction as turbidity, suspended sediments and dissolved solids flow through the system. Furthermore, water temperatures, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and pH levels will be affected for the interim of dam removal (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Apr. 1996, n. pag.). Turbidity, in turn, will be the chief cause of groundwater contamination by infiltration into underlying foundations or well and septic systems (removal (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Apr. 1996, n. pag.). The implementation of either the Proposed Action or Dredge and Slurry alternatives will also impact the native anadromous (indigenious?) and resident populations on the Elwha River. The high sediment regimes, especially those of the River Erosion Alternative (the proposed action), will encumber the migrating fish over the deconstruction process. However in the long term, runs will improve with the staged delayed of dam destruction, fisheries management (including the supplementation fish stocks through hatchery intervention), unrestricted passage up the full stretch of the Elwha River, and the formation of quality spawning grounds and rearing habitats from the released sediments (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Aug. 1996, n. pag.). (steph, this last paragraph seems akward) Moreover, apart from the obvious economic profits of salmon run restoration, the heightened decomposition of dead fish after spawning will significantly enrich nutrients cycling through the riparian area (Munn et al. n. pag.). Magnified numbers of anadromous fish will, too, eventually increase the biotic diversity down the length of the Elwha Basin. In the future wildlife will be drawn to the decaying remains of dead fish and their young even though the immediate disturbances during the removal period may ward off certain animals (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Apr. 1996, n. pag.). Vegetation and marine organisms will benefit from the circulation of organic remains; those primarily adapted to sandy substrates will flourish after the initial strain of post-dam sediment conditions (Winter, 2000, n. pag.; U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Aug. 1996, n. pag.). Prospective temporary consequences to the environment will also include air, traffic, and noise pollution in conjunction with dam destruction and debris conveyance (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Apr. 1996, n. pag.). This Elwha River case study exemplifies the foremost probable impacts on the hydrologic cycle and the environmental ecosystems which it encompasses. Successful removal of a dam can, in the end, rehabilitate a region to its natural state. Recovery, however, is not without adverse consequences to the existing regimes and full restoration may take many years.