Monday, December 30, 2019

The Affordable Care Act ( Aca ) And Made It A Law

On March 23, 2010 former president, Barack Obama, signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and made it a law. As many of us know, there are minimal issues with Obama Care, but the question to be posed would be, ‘are there enough systematic errors for it to be repealed?’ Obama did promise that if you agreed with the plan, you could keep it. Of course, there is always room for improvement, and Obama care is not an obstacle nor a negative force towards anything or anyone. There is no reason the ACA should not be diverted or limited in any way. There are pros and cons to everything, but regarding this situation, it is seen to have more pros. The ACA (Obama Care) has made many alterations since it has been in effect. Due to the inadequate reasoning†¦show more content†¦There are flaws within nearly every aspect of the government, although this is not a major issue that should be addressed to the extent that it is. This has to be a realization that the reason the ACA (Oba ma Care) was created was to eliminate the long term effects of budget issues that can and will arise in the near future. It was a real hassle getting it passed because no republicans were for the proposal of Obamacare in the beginning. The general family has children and those children are placed under their parents’ insurance. â€Å"Statistics show how the affordable act affects young adults between the ages of 19-26. By the year of 2012, Millions of uninsured young children were added† (Jonathan Oberlander, 2008). Some young adults seem as if they have less job stability compared to the older workers. These individuals were among the surplus of those who would not want to repeal the ACA (Obama Care). In the creation of the ACA is has increased the profit for insurance companies. Members could get more premiums from other health sources, such as department of health services, but some are not beneficial in the long run. Most will end up having to pay the debt off othe r tax payers which are making it affordable for others to have the current insurance that is available to them now, considering that this is indefinite reasoning. Having children under parents’ insurance could very wellShow MoreRelatedThe Affordable Care Act ( Aca ) Essay1428 Words   |  6 PagesThe Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as ObamaCare, is a United States law that was signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court on June 28, 2012. This Act was set to reform both healthcare and health insurance industries in the United States. It aims to lower cost on coverage, add new benefits, and a few new taxes. Increasing the quality, availability, and affordability of private and public health insurance are very important roles of the ACA. While tryingRead MoreThe Health Care System Of The United States857 Words   |  4 Pagesintroduction of the Affordable Care Act â€Å"Obama Care† made the Health Care System in the United St ates better or worse? Please provide evidence, statistics, information, argument to support your answer. In your answer, please address the following issues in the Health Care System of the United States: 1. The Quality of health care 2. The Access to health care 3. The affordability of health care Affordable Health Care Act Affordable Health care has been an ongoingRead MoreAffordable Health Care : Provide And Protect1026 Words   |  5 PagesAffordable Health Care: Provide and Protect! As Americans, do we not have the right to provide and protect our families? The Declaration of Independence guarantees us the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In order to secure these American rights, our families need to be healthy, but unfortunately many Americans had not had the ability to obtain or pay the costs of health care insurance. Finally, in 2010, the largest overhaul of the health care system since Medicare began withRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act ( Aca )956 Words   |  4 PagesAbsract++++++++++++++++++++++++++= The Affordable Care Act (ACA) (also known as â€Å"Obamacare†) is an historic piece of legislation that has had massive effect on healthcare in the United States. Its systemic effects on healthcare in this country are numberous, from insurance to ambulatory care, from healthcare related taxes to healthcare resources, and beyond. That said, the following research paper attempts to summarize how this massive piece of legislation has effected healthcare in the UnitedRead MoreStrengths And Weaknesses Of The Affordable Care Act1629 Words   |  7 PagesStrengths and Weaknesses of the Affordable Care Act What is the Affordable Care Act? The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010 by President Barack Obama. This radical health care law was a much-needed step in comprehensive health insurance reform. Three important features of the Affordable Care Act are 1. Improving quality and lowering health care costs 2. New consumer protections and 3. Increased access to healthcare. (Key Features. 2014). Under the umbrella of theseRead MoreFurthermore, Reproductive Rights Cannot Be Discussed Without1698 Words   |  7 PagesAmendment, as previously stated). Moving forward to 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama, also referred to as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and nicknamed Obamacare. Under the ACA, there was an increase of people who had health insurance from about twenty to twenty-four million more insured people, health insurance became more affordable, and of higher quality, despite any pre-existing conditions one might have and despiteRead MoreWhite House Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Essay1487 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction to White House Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Issues On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), known to everyone as the new and improved Health Care Reform. The new law was designed to make sure that consumers and their doctors, were in charge of their health care rather than insurance companies. The changes made in Health Care Reform laws by subsequent legislation implemented significant changes thatRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act ( Aca ) Or Obamacare?1655 Words   |  7 Pages The Pros and Cons of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare? Who Benefits and Who gets Hurt? Chanokporn Srisuwan, Student MBAA 605 Business, Government, and Society Mercy College School of Business- MBA Program August 04, 2016 Abstract The propose of this article is to present the advantages and disadvantages of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare which make all Americans insurable, by requiring insurers to accept all applicants at rates based onRead MoreTopics For Health Care Essay849 Words   |  4 Pageshealth care administration, or health informatics). I elected to focus my paper on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and whether the implementation of this bill has helped combat the rising price of pharmaceutical drugs. This paper will also investigate the history of the ACA, the result that this law has made within the health care industry, as well as its recommended solutions. History of the ACA The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is generally known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and evenRead MoreHealthcare Crisis And Affordable Care Act1317 Words   |  6 PagesHealthcare Crisis Affordable Care Act During the 2008 presidential election, the issue of health care reform became a pressing issue, mainly among the Democrats. Supporters quoted that nearly 46 million Americans were uninsured while 25 million did not have sufficient health coverage. The costly monthly insurance premiums led countless individuals to fully rely on government entitled programs for their health care needs. Upon his election, President Obama made health care reform the focus of

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Laws Of Physics Make You Choose This Question

This essay will attempt to explain whether a person chooses this question using either free will or determinism or possibly even both. It will try to demonstrate this by referring to key arguments from various philosophers and identifying both the weaknesses and strengths of the arguments used. It is no doubt that those who agree with the statement, â€Å"the laws of physics make you choose this question†, are supporters of determinism. The theory of determinism, is a philosophical concept which aims to prove that every event including every human action and decision are inevitable to bring about a determined outcome. In order for determinism to work, it must involve the following two factors: how things were at the previous moment along†¦show more content†¦This is because all of his desires, beliefs and even his character is determined and thus, Taylor concludes, determinism is â€Å"inconsistent† with â€Å"some conceptions of morals† (Richard Taylor, 1992 pg 38). This claim can be challenged as many argue that although every action is determined ,as humans, we should still be responsible for the character we posses. In addition, if everything physical is subject to the laws of physics, then there are no choices thus free will cannot exist and those that believe in free will, believe in the illusion that is choice. The idea that free will is an illusion, is popular amongst many philosophers including Sam Harris who expressed in his book the Moral Landscape :â€Å" we do not feel as free as we think we feel,our sense of our own freedom results from our not paying attention to what it is actually like to be what we are†. ( Sam Harris,The illusion of free will 2011).In some ways, it seems that Harris is suggesting that those who believe in free will are doing so in ignorance, as they have no interest in looking for what he deems to be the truth, which is determinism. An alternative view for why we may choose this question, can be found in the philosophical idea of fatalism. It is often the case that fatalism and determinism are seen as the same concept and ,in some ways, they are similar as they both agree that humans

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Collapse of Ronan Point Free Essays

string(119) " level 18 failed and this placed excessive pressure on the lower floors, until it ultimately collapse to ground level\." Introduction The purpose of this paper is to consider the perceived failures associated with the famous collapse of Ronan Point on 16 May, 1968. Following a gas explosion, an entire corner of the 22 storey tower block in East London collapsed, killing 4 people and injuring 17. In order to analyse the failures that occurred, the paper will firstly look at the history of the building, its design and construction, before looking at the collapse itself and the perceived failures that were identified after the event. We will write a custom essay sample on The Collapse of Ronan Point or any similar topic only for you Order Now The building was named after the chairman of the housing committee of the relevant London Borough, Newham, and was one of many tower blocks built during the 1960s in a budget-driven and affordable way to deal with the growing demand for affordable housing in the region (Levy and Salvadori 1992). The very ethos of this affordable housing and the use of cheaper materials and cheaper construction approaches is arguably one of the first and fundamental contributory factors to the disaster (Griffiths et al 1968). Design and Construction The actual design and construction of the building was mooted as far back as the end of World War II, when much of the housing available in the London region was destroyed as a result of the war and there was a rapid demand for a large amount of housing. Other factors such as a lack of skilled labourers, as well as the changing housing policy which enabled multi-stories to be established, created a demand for the design and construction of buildings such as the one in question here. A prefabricated construction technique was used which involved the creation of much of the high-rise building which was then transported to the area for final construction (Cagley, 2003). The actual construction approach that was used here was that of the Larsen-Nielsen system which was composed of factory-built, precast concrete components designed to minimise on-site construction work. Walls, floors and stairways are all precast. â€Å"All units, installed one-story high are load bearing† (ENR, 1968 at p.54). Although this system was tried and tested, the approach was not designed to be used in a building of more than 6 storeys high. However, the building of this tower block was 22 storeys high and there was no recognition, at the construction phase, that this could potentially jeopardise the validity of the construction technique. The basic construction approach involved a precast concrete structure frame, with each floor of the multi-storey building being supported by the load-bearing walls directly beneath each other, floor upon floor (Bignell et al 1977). Collapse The collapse itself happened at 5:45 am in the morning when the tenant of one of the apartments on the 18th floor lit a match, unbeknownst that there had been a gas leak overnight. By lighting the match, an explosion took place and this ended up damaging the load-bearing wall which was present on the 18th floor and was acting as the only support for the corner of the 19th floor. When the corner of the 19th floor collapsed, this had the effect of the 20th floor collapsing. Once the floors above had already collapsed the pressure on the floors became unbearable and the domino effect continued downward, destroying the entire corner of the building (Delatte, 2009). The way in which the collapse took place meant that, essentially, it destroyed a portion of the living room all the way down the building, but left the bedrooms intact in most cases, with the exception of floors 17 to 22 the room which were in the immediate vicinity of the explosion. It was on these floors that all of the fata lities happened and due to the fact that the explosion had taken place early in the morning, the majority of the individuals who were in their bedrooms were unaffected (Delatte, 2009). Perceived Failures When looking at the perceived failures and causes of failure, it can be seen that the analysis is largely split into two distinct areas: first, considering the immediate cause of failure; the second looking at the fundamental flaws in the design and construction of the building that allowed such a dramatic reaction to the immediate event (Griffiths et al 1968). The actual investigation into the event which took place involved a government panel which was formed in order to look at the causes of failure and to consider whether or not there were other buildings which potentially could suffer from a similar eventuality, in the future. As stated previously, the construction approach taken for Ronan Point was replicated in many other buildings, with eight other exact replicas in occupation. Therefore, establishing the reason for the collapse is crucially important (Pearson and Delatte, 2003) One of the key factors that took contributed in the immediate event itself was found to be a substandard connection used in order to connect the gas stove in the relevant apartment. Whilst this meant that the gas leak had presented itself in a way that would not have been likely, had they used a different connection, as well as having the incorrect connection, it was found that over tightening had occurred during installation. This probably weakened the connection and allowed gas to leak out. Despite this, the evidence gathered suggested that the explosion itself was not substantial, as there was no permanent damage to the hearing of the individual in the apartment. This suggests that relatively little pressure was involved, although there was sufficient pressure to move the external walls of the building and to create a progressive collapse within the building (Levy and Salvadori, 1992). Broadly speaking, the progressive collapse is thought to have occurred due to the fact that there was a lack of alternate load paths available and there was no support for the structural frame available on the higher floors (Wearne, 2000). This meant that when there was an explosion on level 18, this took out the only support so that the floors above level 18 failed and this placed excessive pressure on the lower floors, until it ultimately collapse to ground level. You read "The Collapse of Ronan Point" in category "Essay examples" Perceived failures, can be split into two distinct categories, the first being the cause of the explosion itself; the second looking at the repercussions of the explosion, which were extensive, given the magnitude of the explosion, which was relatively low. Procedure and Project Management Unsurprisingly, as a result of the collapse here, building codes, guidelines and regulations were advised not only in the United Kingdom, but across the globe. The building regulations, changed in 1970, state that any building with more than four storeys needs to have a design structure in place that would resist a progressive collapse of this nature (Pearson and Delatte, 2005, pp. 175). Apart from the construction mechanisms themselves, there were also concerns that failures had occurred in the project management, as well as failures to check procedures. The gaps between the floors and in the walls meant that the building had not been established in a way that was part of the original design and planning. In addition to the actual failure in the design of the property, concerns were also raised in the report in relation to the need for quality control of the construction processes taking place. For example, it was proven that during the construction, certain design factors had been ignored, with unfilled gaps between the floors and walls, throughout the premises, which meant that the building had little in the way of separation between the flats. Furthermore, in high rise buildings of this type, a relatively narrow staircase is acceptable, as there is thought to be enough fire protection between the floors. In the absence of this fire protection, narrow staircases w ould be unacceptable, in the event of a fire or explosion of this nature. Key Failures The analysis above indicates that there are several failures which together created the dramatic collapse at Ronan Point. These are: social pressures on the construction company to establish a large amount of housing accommodation, rapidly and cheaply; the use of constructions not aimed at high storey buildings of this nature; failures to put in place methods whereby there was no secondary support structure in place, in the event of a failure with any of the load-bearing walls; failures with the processes being followed, which resulted in the wrong processes being followed in the connection of the gas pipes, as well as other omissions during the construction process, with the failure to follow the design provided. It can be seen, that the project management would have, at least in part, dealt with many of these failures and would have either prevented the explosion, in the first place, or would have seriously reduced the impact of the explosion, once it did take place. The crucial factor in this analysis is that the explosion itself was relatively minor, yet the repercussions were large and it is this chain of events that requires attention when it comes to better project management, in the future. Recommendations for Better Project Management Certain failures took place at the design phase, when the design construction of the premises was selected, yet was not entirely suitable for a 22 storey building. This was arguably the first and crucial failure which could have been avoided with further research into the limitations of this design. However, the main focus of the recommendations presented here is in relation to the project management process, from the point at which the design was presented for the construction, to the point at which the building was completed (Pearson and Delatte, 2005). At the outset, when the project team came together, there was an opportunity to run scenarios and to check the validity of the chosen construction, given the design that were being presented and the need to establish a 22 storey building. By running these types of scenarios, it is likely that it would become apparent that the chosen construction design was simply inappropriate. Even without this element of the project management being undertaken and risk assessments being carried out, the next stage of the project management should have involved a strong quality control check for every aspect of the work. The fundamental design of the building was proven to be flawed; however, there were also errors during the actual construction phase, for example the use of the wrong connections when it came to the gas pipes installed. Although this, in itself, did not lead to the catastrophic collapse of part of the building, it did create a minor gas explosion which started the chain of events. Quality control processes at every phase of construction and fitting would have potentially prevented the chain of events from emerging, in the first place (Shepherd and Frost, 1995). Next Steps and Conclusions Bearing this in mind, there are several proposed changes and next steps which could be taken to prevent a similar failure happening in the future. Firstly, although the design used was accepted during this era, it was known that it would simply not be appropriate for the type of building which was being planned. This should have been noted, at the outset, with additional safety structures then planed so as to prevent this type of progressive collapse from taking place. Secondly, worst-case scenarios should be run, at the outset, to enable the project managers to ascertain whether any weaknesses existed. Moreover, although the rest of collapse in this case resulted in the building being destroyed, it was also not able to withstand strong winds and this also, ultimately, could have resulted in the building becoming uninhabitable. By running scenarios, such as high winds or explosion, these issues would have been highlighted and changes in the design could have been incorporated, from the outset (Pearson and Delatte 2003). Finally, quality control during the construction process was also not suitable. This should have been done with much greater consistency, to ensure that the smaller processes, such as the fitting of connections, was carried out to an appropriate standard, thus preventing the minor incident that ultimately led to the overall disaster. By following these clear project management approaches and ensuring that an individual was put in place, in order to manage quality and control, as well as any variables in this area, the collapse of the building could have been avoided, or at least the cause of the collapse mitigated against, so as not to cause loss of life and injury. References Bignell, V., Peters, J., and Pym, C. (1977). Catastrophic failures. Open University Press, Milton Keynes, New York. Cagley, J. R. (2003, April). The design professional’s concerns regarding progressive collapse design. Building Sciences, 27, 4-6. Delatte, N. J. (2009). Beyond failure: Forensic case studies for civil engineers. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Reston, Virginia, 97-106. Engineering News Record (ENR). (1968). â€Å"Systems built apartment collapse.† ENR, May 23, 1968, 54. Griffiths, H., Pugsley, A. G., and Saunders, O. (1968). Report of the inquiry into the collapse of flats at Ronan Point, Canning Town. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London. Levy, M., and Salvadori, M. (1992). Why buildings fall down: How structures fail. W.W. Norton, New York, 76-83. Pearson, C., and Delatte, N. (2003). Lessons from the Progressive Collapse of the Ronan Point Apartment Tower. In Forensic Engineering, Proceedings of the Third Congress, edited by Paul A. Bosela, Norbert J. Dellate, and Kevin L. Rens, ASCE, Reston, VA., pp. 190-200. Pearson, C.,and Delatte, N. J. (2005) Ronan Point Apartment Tower Collapse and Its Effect on Building Codes. J. Perf. of Constr. Fac., 19(2), 172-177. Shepherd, R., and Frost, J. D. (1995). Failures in Civil Engineering: Structural, Foundation, and Geoenvironmental Case Studies, ASCE, New York. Wearne, P. (2000). Collapse: When Buildings Fall Down, TV Books, L.L.C., New York, 137-156. How to cite The Collapse of Ronan Point, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Memorandum Civil Legal Aid System Ireland

Question: Discuss about the Memorandumfor Civil Legal Aid System Ireland. Answer: Memorandum To: Mr. Dan (Client) From: Lawyer Date: January 12, 2017 File no: 200045-3 Re: Civil legal Aid System in Ireland for playing of loud music by the neighbors causing annoyance to Mr.Dan. Facts : An individual is seeking advice while taking action in a civil litigation matter against his neighbors who played loud music and cause nuisance all night causing disturbance to others. Our client is Mr. Dan who is seeking legal aid against his neighbors who created nuisance playing loud music all night. Mr. Dan, our client is the originator of the lawsuit, plaintiff. Issue: Mr. Dan wants to file a civil litigation matter as against his neighbours for playing loud music all night and creating a nuisance. What are the legal aid services available to him? Discussion: Lawsuit is taken in action in case where there is a nuisance. Action is taken under law of nuisance. Lawsuits, which invoke law of nuisance, involve neighbors suing their neighbors for creating a nuisance, which causes harm or disturbance to the neighbors. When the plaintiff brings a n action against his neighbor he clearly clarifies that the neighbor should stop interfering with his enjoyment and thus the action must be stopped. Nuisance is categorized under two heads: private nuisance and public nuisance.[1] In our case, it is a public nuisance, which caused disturbance to Mr. Dan. Public nuisance is anything that causes damage to the health, welfare, safety and comfort of the public.[2] The main regulation that deals with noise pollution comes under the Environmental Protection Ac t, 1992(EPA).[3] There are vast variances of noise pollution in Ireland and which the EPA regulates. Under the law, noise pollution means various things, like noise: which is regarded to be a nuisance, that causes a damage to the property, causes harm to human health, affects the comfort of the public in general, which harms the environment. The Department of the Environmental, Community and Local Government in 1994 looked into the matter of noise pollution and made regulations under the EPA, 1992( Noise) Regulations 1994.[4] Under these regulations, a person can make a complaint to a District Court seeking Order to deal with noise, which causes disturbance or annoyance to him. Under the second stage debate in Dail, a Private Members Bill was passed on November 2006, which clearly states the noise, which causes disturbance, or annoyance to neighbors is regarded to be anti-social kind of noise pollution.[5] Section 108 of the EPA, 1992 states that noise that is so loud as to create disturbance or continuing annoyance to the neighbors is classified as nuisance and an action can be brought against it. Ireland does not set out the maximum level of noise in its legislation. The complaints looked into by the District Court. The District Court hears both the sides and then gives his decision telling the person creating the nuis ance to lower the sound to certain level.[6] As mentioned under the law when a a complaint brought against the neighbor is unsuccessful then the case is brought to the District Court. The Clerk in the District Court advices how to make a complaint in relation to noise. The clerk provides an application form called a Notice of Intention to make a complaint. The applicable charge is 22, which is served to the neighbor.[7] In the case of Kennaway v Thompson[1981] QB 88Court of Appeal , the defendant in this case is a member of the Cotswold Motor Boat Racing Club who carried out motor boat racing. Since 1960s the boat racing took place.[8] The claimant moved into house built on a land, which is 390 yards from the motor racing clubs starting line. The clubs water was often used for national and international races, which increased over the period. The claimant bought an action against the club against nuisance of noise and disturbance caused by the club. The claimant was successful in her claims and awarded damages by the Court from the Motor Racing club. However, the judge refused to give injunction.[9] Christie v Davey(1893) 1 Ch 316, the claimant in this case was a music teacher who gave private lessons of music at her home. She also taught music to her family members and loved playing loud music. She stayed in a semi-attached house with the defendant. The defendant raised a complaint against the claimant for noise on many occasions and banged the walls of the claimant. The defendants action regarded as malice by the Court and did not amount to nuisance. The Court gave injunction to stop the acts of the defendant.[10] In Murdoch Murdoch v Glacier Metal Company Limited [1998] Env.L.R.732 it was held by the Court of Appeal that noise which is set up by the World Health Organization does not amount to actionable nuisance per se. It was not really the case that there was a customary law annoyance if rest in a house in a zone of blended uses was exasperates by clamor. In spite of the fact that the topic of rest unsettling influence was a critical matter to consider, it was important to consider the general circumstance.[11] In considering the measures of the normal individual and the character of the area when choosing whether the clamor was adequately genuine to add up to an aggravation, the trial judge had connected the correct test. The absence of objections by other nearby occupants, the nearness of a by-go in closeness to Murdoch home and proof from the neighborhood natural wellbeing officer that there was no statutory annoyance were applicable contemplations, and the judges choice would in this way be maintained.[12] Application: Public nuisance under the Act is defined as a nuisance, which cause unreasonable discomfort to the public in general. An act, which affects the well-being of the neighbors, regarded to be as nuisance. Under Section 108 of the EPA, 1992 defines the term public nuisance. The main elements has to public nuisance are; unreasonableness harm caused by the defendant, continuing the act of the nuisance over a period. Under Section 108 of the EPA, 1992 a noise that is loud enough to cause continuous and repeated harm or disturbance, or annoyance to a person who is residing in the nearby locality or to a person who uses the public place, such person or Agency can make a complaint against the person creating the nuisance.[13] The complaint is made to the District Court and the Court then can pass an order as against the person causing the nuisance to take measures to reduce the noise to a certain level. Such person must comply with such order. In order to overcome the damages the d efendant has to prove good defense that the noise he made wasnt unreasonable and he took enough care to cause any harm to the neighborhood. Remedies include damages and injunction to continue with such act and comply with the order of the Court. Public nuisance is termed as anything that causes harm to the safety, health and welfare of the public in general. When the rules laid down under the law is applied in the case of Mr. Dan, the client we see that he has faced reasonable harm by his neighbors while they played loud music in their premises.[14]The loud music played by his neighbors caused annoyance and nuisance, which affected the well-being and comfort of Mr.Dan. Again in the case of Kennaway v Thompson[1981] QB 88Court of Appeal the court held that the motor racing club is liable to pay damages for the noise caused by them in the nearby neighborhood. The noise caused by the motor racing club caused reasonable annoyance to the claimant. The claimant was liable to damages but i njunction was not put on the motor racing club. When we apply the scenario of this case in the case of Mr.Dan we can say that Mr.Dan is liable to get damages for the nuisance caused to him by the neighbors.[15] In the Christie v Daveythe claimant was not liable to get damages because the defendants act was regarded as malice and thus injunction was issued on the defendant. The noise caused did not cause annoyance to the neighbor.[16] Summary and Conclusion When read altogether and analyzed the effect of the rules laid down under the EPA and the case laws referred are as follows. Any person who does not abide by the rulings of the Court is guilty of an offence. The playing of loud music by the neighbors all night so the neighbors were liable to pay damages disturbed the client Mr. Dan. A compensatory damage is applied to the damage caused by the defendants nuisance. Punitive damages are charged when the damages caused is intentional. Research Trial Looked at The EPA at 40: An Historical Perspective By Andrews, Richard N. L Duke Environmental Law Policy Forum, Vol. 21, No. 2, Spring 2011 Found information laid down in Section 108 of the Environmental Protection Act, 1992. Westlaw Manupatra Hard copy readings Out of Bounds, out of Control: Regulatory Enforcement at the EPABy James V. DelongCato Institute, 2002 The EPA at 40: An Historical PerspectiveBy Andrews, Richard N. LDuke Environmental Law Policy Forum, Vol. 21, No. 2, Spring 2011 Public Policies for Environmental ProtectionBy Paul R. Portney; Robert N. StavinsResources for the Future, 2000 (2nd edition) Environmental Justice and the New Pluralism: The Challenge of Difference for EnvironmentalismBy David SchlosbergOxford University Press, 1999 Environmental Noise Pollution in the United States: Developing an Effective Public Health Response by-Monica S. Hammer, Tracy K. Swinburn, and Richard L. Neitzel Journals Noise pollution: non-auditory effects on healthby Stephen A Stansfeld ,Mark P Matheson Br Med Bull (2003) 68 (1): 243-257. Published01 December 2003 Civil legal Assistance- Social Issue Report.pdf Legal Databases Legal periodicals through IRLI legalperiodicals.org Court Services courts.ie Houses of the Oireachtas oireachtas.ie Europa europa.ie The Law Reform Commission www.lawreform.ie Irish current law statutes- Section 108 of the Environmental Protection Act 1992. Irish Reports Bishop, Charlotte. "Rule that proof of domestic violence for legal aid purposes must be less than 24 months old declared invalid."Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law38.3 (2016): 330-332. King, E. A., et al. "A combined assessment of air and noise pollution on the High Line, New York City."Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment42 (2016): 91-103. Books Angelo, Tony, Geoff McLay, and Bevan Marten. "Bill Atkin: Colleague, mentor, teacher, friend."Victoria University of Wellington Law Review46.3 (2015): 575. Austin, Graeme W. "Guts of a Torts Class, The."Victoria U. Wellington L. Rev.46 (2015): 769. Bugliarello, George, Ariel Alexandre, and John Barnes.The Impact of Noise Pollution: A Socio-Technological Introduction. Elsevier, 2014. Can, Arnaud, Gwenal Guillaume, and Benot Gauvreau. "Noise indicators to diagnose urban sound environments at multiple spatial scales."Acta Acustica united with Acustica101.5 (2015): 964-974. Charles Palmer, Robert. "Common law environmental protection: the future of private nuisance, Part II."International Journal of Law in the Built Environment6.1/2 (2014): 106-128. Cornford, Tom.Towards a public law of tort. Routledge, 2016 Stech, Radoslaw. "Carrot and Stick Approach: An Analysis of the UK Government's Proposals on Environmental Judicial Review, A."Envtl. L. Rev.15 (2013): 139. Vago, Steven.Law and society. Routledge, 2015. Votsi, Nefta-Eleftheria P., Athanasios S. Kallimanis, and Ioannis D. Pantis. "An environmental index of noise and light pollution at EU by spatial correlation of quiet and unlit areas."Environmental Pollution(2016). References Angelo, Tony, Geoff McLay, and Bevan Marten. "Bill Atkin: Colleague, mentor, teacher, friend."Victoria University of Wellington Law Review46.3 (2015): 575. Austin, Graeme W. "Guts of a Torts Class, The."Victoria U. Wellington L. Rev.46 (2015): 769. Bugliarello, George, Ariel Alexandre, and John Barnes.The Impact of Noise Pollution: A Socio-Technological Introduction. Elsevier, 2014. Can, Arnaud, Gwenal Guillaume, and Benot Gauvreau. "Noise indicators to diagnose urban sound environments at multiple spatial scales."Acta Acustica united with Acustica101.5 (2015): 964-974. Charles Palmer, Robert. "Common law environmental protection: the future of private nuisance, Part II."International Journal of Law in the Built Environment6.1/2 (2014): 106-128. Cornford, Tom.Towards a public law of tort. Routledge, 2016. Davis, Rickie. "Long-term noise exposures: A brief review."Hearing Research(2016). Gillespie, Alisdair.The English legal system. Oxford University Press, 2013. Lee, Maria. "The Intersection between Environmental Law and Tort Law."Glicksman and Paddock, Environmental Decision Making (Edward Elgar), Forthcoming(2015). Morrow, Karen. "II. 3 The courts, nuisance and environmental pollutiona matter of will?."Decision Making in Environmental Law(2016): 52. Murphy, Enda, and Eoin King.Environmental Noise Pollution: Noise Mapping, Public Health, and Policy. Newnes, 2014. Palmer, Robert Charles. "Common law environmental protection: the future of private nuisance, Part II."International Journal of Law in the Built Environment6.1/2 (2014): 106. Portney, Paul R., ed.Public policies for environmental protection. Routledge, 2016. Stech, Radoslaw. "Carrot and Stick Approach: An Analysis of the UK Government's Proposals on Environmental Judicial Review, A."Envtl. L. Rev.15 (2013): 139. Vago, Steven.Law and society. Routledge, 2015. Votsi, Nefta-Eleftheria P., Athanasios S. Kallimanis, and Ioannis D. Pantis. "An environmental index of noise and light pollution at EU by spatial correlation of quiet and unlit areas."Environmental Pollution(2016).

Friday, November 29, 2019

Today, In All Schools Alike, There Is An Emphasis Placed On Student Le

Today, in all schools alike, there is an emphasis placed on student leadership, success, and achievement. Children are repeatedly told from elementary school through college, that with hard work and dedication anything is possible and they have the potential for greatness. This notion, in and of itself is not potentially harmful to a child, however, when greatness is defined in terms of power and money, a warped view of the important factors in life is created. Not every person desires to be a leader just as not every person should be a leader. The concept of success and achievement poses a similar predicament. Not every child is destined to be a doctor or lawyer when they grow up nor should every child become one simply for the prestige that it offers. Every position in society, from the custodian to the research scientist, plays an equally important function in society. Besides placing emphasis on high achievement, many schools have adopted the practice of increasing children's sel f esteem. While it is important to help children embody a positive self-image, esteem is something that ought to be developed through achievement rather than praise. Recently, schools have done away with choosing first place winners and replaced it with an emphasis on the value of participation. In school sponsored sports, to ensure that every student has the opportunity to participate freshmen teams have been created and most schools have regulations to monitor the playing time of each athlete. Some may argue that this will help to increase student's self-confidence under the premise that every student should be made to feel like number one. However, this will lower the standards of expectation and eliminate the competitive drive to be the best. Why would one athlete work hard when other members on the team are not and still given playing time? When this situation is present, the motivating factor of being the best is eliminated and student athletes will work for the same level of guaranteed recognition where every person is number one because they tried. A similar situation is present with academics and the concept of homework or "busy work". A number of teachers at the middle school and high school level will assign work simply for the sake of having something for students to turn in. Most homework is intended to serve as reinforcement for what it taught in class. However, if the assignment is graded on the basis of whether or not the student completed the assignment rather than answering the problems correctly, the reinforcement is useless. If a student is given credit despite their incorrect answers, then the only thing being reinforced are the incorrect assumptions that student has made. An example of this is any assignment that is collected and graded not on the content or correctness of the student's answers, rather on whether it appears as though the student put for an effort to attempt the homework and complete the assignment. Under this premise, there is no sufficient reason for a student to put forth the time and effort nee ded to complete the assignment properly. Why would one student invest the extra time to work through a challenging math problem when they will receive the same amount of credit as another student who spent little time and answered the problem incorrectly? The truth of the matter is that most students will not. Some people may displace the blame arguing that it is the problem of the times or that it is one of the many examples of the laziness of the generation. All people entered this world in the same manner regardless of what generation, it is the way people have been conditioned and the way in which they learn that teaches them values and what is the highest good. If children are conditioned to believe that the highest good is success and achievement then it comes as no surprise that people will take the simplest and most leisurely path to achieve that. This attitude is very prevalent in schools that offer advanced placement courses. A number of students at the high school level will take these courses simply because they are advanced and offer more prestige. As a result of this attitude, many advanced

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Washington DC Auto Show

The Washington DC Auto Show Overview of the Event The Washington DC Auto Show is always a huge event because it symbolizes the country’s boldest and brightest dreams of the automotive industry. The show is also an avenue to celebrate the industry’s growth and transformation.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Washington DC Auto Show specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since 1921, the show has helped many companies come up with modern technologies and ideas thus making the industry successful. The purpose of the 2014 Auto Show was to promote public policy and tackle most of the issues affecting the automotive industry. The annual event also promotes â€Å"relevance of automotives† and embraces new innovative technologies in the industry. The event also stimulates interest and goodwill. The event takes place annually as a way of celebrating new technologies and â€Å"strengths† in the automotive industry. The show t argets consumers, educationists, and manufacturers because they all have a role to play towards the success of the industry. On top of that, the DC Auto Show has always been a pivotal and prominent event because it presents the newest technologies in the industry. The show also features interactive displays, exhibitions, entertainment, contests, and family activities. These help every visitor appreciate the latest automotive technologies. Attendee’s Perspective I had the opportunity to experience the world of â€Å"automobiles† from a new dimension. Although the show takes place every single year, the 2014 Event was a breakthrough because it helped the targeted audience see and experience some of the latest technologies and engineering skills in the market. The event gave me the chance to sample the latest car prototypes and â€Å"innovative† designs. The organizers adjudicated the event perfectly thus informing every visitor about the mission and vision. This e xplains why the issue of â€Å"Public Policy† was critical towards the success of the automobile industry.Advertising Looking for assessment on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More I also interacted with different directors and engineers in order to get new insights about car engineering and design. The event was one of the best experiences for me. That being the case, I engaged all my senses in order to get the best information and ideas about the show. I had to â€Å"look† at the displays carefully. I also had to â€Å"listen† to the speakers and hosts of the event. The planners of the show had to put in place the best amenities and avenues to enhance the â€Å"perspective†. There were different information booths where visitors could get the needed guidelines and information. These booths made the event successful. There were also various â€Å"stands† and â€Å"conve nient points† to ensure every visitor felt at home. I also encountered different â€Å"flyers† informing the visitors about the mission and purpose of the 2014 DC Show. Different â€Å"contests† and â€Å"interactive displays† made the show a memorable experience. There were also lots of exhibitions, advertisements, and entertainment thus making the event successful. Planner’s Perspective The idea to host the DC 2014 Auto Show must have been a major challenge for the planners. For instance, the planners had to secure the best avenues and invite different celebrities in order to make the event successful. The planners had to coordinate with various car manufacturers, engineers, experts, and legal advisers. The planners had to consider the best security measures in order to make the event successful. It was also mandatory to communicate the event’s vision and mission to the targeted visitors.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Washington DC Auto Show specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The planners coordinated the stakeholders, prepared the best timetables, and accommodated every idea or advice from the experts. The planners must have also worked closely with different experts in various industries in order to make the show successful. It is necessary for the planners to make the best decisions and budgetary allocations. It requires a lot of money to host this show. This explains why the planners must have spent much money. For instance, the planners had to invite various companies and car manufacturers. The planners must have hired designers to create the best â€Å"stands† for exhibition and display. Security must have been a major concern for the planners. Personally, I believe the planners must have spent much money in order to make this event a success. SWOT Analysis of the Event The Washington DC 2014 Auto Show was a successful and memorab le event. The show was a new opportunity for car manufacturers to display their â€Å"futuristic† technologies and engineering concepts. The show managed to communicate to different lawmakers about the burning issues affecting the automotive industry. This SWOT Analysis examines the event from all four dimensions. Strengths The event enjoyed the expertise of experienced planners and coordinators. The organizers displayed over 700 car models thus making the show successful. The planners have staged this show since 1921. This makes it a celebrated event in Washington DC. The recurring theme of â€Å"automotive technology† makes every show a success. The planning and coordination at the event was a major strength. The event has always benefited from the â€Å"skills† and â€Å"ideas† of experts. The presence of policymakers, celebrities, comedians, and politicians made the event appreciable to many people. The use of modern ideas and strategies explains why the DC Auto Show is always a pivotal and prominent event. The organizers always allow visitors to take photographs of any memorable scenes or cars. Weaknesses The show targets visitors and policymakers from Washington DC. This explains why the event might not deliver its message to the other policymakers and engineers across the country. Some confusion occurred when the exhibitions began. Some car manufacturers raised concerns that other companies will copy their technological ideas. Some tensions and feelings of insecurity were evident because most of the visitors believed that the security measures were inadequate. Some of the coordinators and planners were unable to inform and educate the visitors about this show and the targeted goals or objectives. The planners did not allocate or coordinate most of the activities properly. For instance, many people encountered a problem at the parking lots. The show only invites a few car manufacturers thus affecting the visitors’ mo rale. Opportunities Washington DC is a major city in the United States thus making the show successful. This is the case because many people will always attend the DC Auto Show. The event has taken place every single year thus making it a major show in the country. The planners encourage new carmakers and designers to attend the show. This explains why it will be successful in the coming years. Some of the modern technologies encourage more people to attend the event. The current economic stability and political climate favor similar events. Threats The uncertainty of the economy might affect future shows. Insecurity and terrorism can disrupt such events. Most of the current public policies might affect the success of the industry. Most of the car manufacturers are unable to come up with new technologies due to lack of finances.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Course Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Course Work - Essay Example While the differences are that while hormones are produced by the endocrine system in our body neurotransmitters are created at nerve terminals and they need to be triggered by an electrical impulse sent by the brain. Hormones have to be secreted directly into the bloodstream since they can only travel short distances where the neurotransmitters are secreted at the nerve synapse. The hormones can be synthesized artificially outside the body and neurotransmitters have to make inside the body. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure centers which also helps to regulate emotions and movement. It functions to help us see pleasurable things and also attracts us towards them. Drugs like cocaine affect the dopamine in the brain and make it work better and faster so people get addicted to the sensation of being drugged. The association cortex is the cerebral cortex located outside the primary areas of the brain and it is needed to perform essential mental tasks that are more complicated than the detection of dimensions of sensory stimulation. In the animal kingdom, the cerebral cortex is more developed in the humans than any other species since it is absolutely necessary for perceptual activities like recognizing and understanding the differences in objects rather than edges or color. Repeated drug abuse causes damage in the association cortex which tends to signal the brain to produce a ‘happy sensation’ with drug abuse. Most of the time, the people may not be technically addicted to the drug itself however the emotional response that it produces brings pleasure to the body and mind. Since the cortex is damaged by substance abuse, the ‘happy’ sensation is not produced until the drug is taken so it makes the user vulnerable. These responses can be produced by narcotics, he roin and cocaine and alcohol. "We now know that many

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Characteristics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Characteristics - Essay Example A number of nurses and doctors find patients’ culture as an obstacle to treatment. They believe that they, health practitioners, have been trained to know what is best for the patient and tradional beliefs amongst patients should not be encouraged. Science should be the basis on which medicine is supposed to be practiced. Practitioners also argue that the health of the patient should be given top priority, and not their cultural backgrounds or beliefs. (Toni Tripp-Reimer, Lisa Skemp Kelley) Another problem with cultural competency is that it degrades the cultural teachings to a mere technical subject, which the medical practitioners have to learn. Furthermore, the lack of diversity in the hospitals and the medical profession as a whole, leads to a lack of cultural competency care. Nurses or doctors might appear a little indifferent or unknowingly rude to a patient of a different ethnicity. The patients might notice this as a lack of sensitivity on the practitioner’s part and from there on, the communication bridge starts to break down. Also, the systems in the health care service are not up to the mark and do not meet the needs of people of different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities (Joseph R. Betancourt, Alexander R. Green and J. Emilio Carrillo. 2002). Consoling a family in grief and leading them through an adaptive process can be a challenging task for the medical practitioners, especially the nurses. This requires substantial knowledge of different cultural backgrounds, so that there is no breakdown of communication. A lack of respect for someone else’s cultural beliefs comes off as a great hindrance, and does not help the whole consoling process. If a nurse or doctor is familiar with the cultural beliefs or shows respect for people of different ethnicities, he/she can aid a family through the grieving process. But if there is a fine line drawn between two

Monday, November 18, 2019

Network Management - Quiz 9 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Network Management - Quiz 9 - Assignment Example This is supportive when devices are of distant locations possessing varied IP addresses. Furthermore, VPN server provides cost benefits to the organisations operating in the technology sector (Senft, Gallegos & Davis, 2012; Ray & Acharya, 2004). It is to be affirmed that when the message leaves program X in the form of a packet, the Destination IP field of the packet’s header contained 14 IP fields. In this regard, 13 fields are required to be considered and the 14th field is optional (Senft et al., 2012; Ray & Acharya, 2004). When the message leaves program X in the form of a packet, it is worth mentioning that the Destination Port field of the packet’s header comprises destination IP address. It must be mentioned that the packet’s header does not contain any destination name (Senft et. al., 2012; Ray & Acharya, 2004). Based on the provided scenario, it can be affirmed that when the message leaves program X in the form of a packet, the payload of the packet is not encrypted. This might be owing to the reason that the server program of Y executed on the application server is deemed to be a readable one (Senft et. al., 2012; Ray & Acharya, 2004). With regards to the provided scenario, the program Z could be reckoned as Message Transfer Agent. Message Transfer Agent is a type of software, which transfers electronic messages from one particular device to others (Senft et. al., 2012; Ray & Acharya, 2004). After the Message Transfer Agent i.e. Z gets the packet, it will work upon the message transfer process for ensuring that the messages are transmitted from one specific user to others (Senft et. al., 2012; Ray & Acharya, 2004). In the process of message transfer from X to Y, the Message Transfer Agent i.e. Z needs to let the VPN server TO authenticate Alice. In this regard, it is essential that Z must require sending information to Administrative Management Domain (ADMD). ADMD is denoted as Z in the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Link Between Obesity and Social Class

Link Between Obesity and Social Class Critically evaluate and demonstrate the link between rising obesity levels in women from low- income households in the UK with reference to the influence income has on food choice Numerous studies and reports over the past 40 years (Marmot, 2010; Acheson, 1998; DEFRA) have identified social patterning in levels of obesity. Results in the UK have shown a growing trend amongst women from low-income households and obesity. Income along with other social factors influences food choice. There is widespread public and government knowledge that low-income households are most likely to have an unbalanced diet which contributes to poor health outcomes (Marmot, 2010; LINDS, 2007; Acheson 1998). Low-income impacts on obesity by limiting access to resources, the more income a household has the more accessibility to food choices they will have (Sobal Stunkard, 1989). Low-income can be defined as lower than half of the average income (Acheson; 1998). This essay will attempt to explore the causes and consequences of the prevalence of obesity for women from low-income backgrounds whilst taking into account environmental social aspects. Research on dietary behaviours indicate that accessibility and knowledge of healthy practices are significant factors that must be also be considered (American Psychological Association, 2005). In 1997, following the election of New Labour, the government commissioned an inquiry into health inequalities. The Acheson Report followed the inquiry making many recommendations to address health inequalities amongst women, families and children. The report advised the benefits of improving the diet of women and girls to make improvements not only to their own health, but also the health of their children and future families (Acheson, 1998). Likewise, the Health Survey for England (2003) found women from the lower social classes are more susceptible to obesity, no correlation was found for men (Sproston Primatesta, 2004). Elsewhere the global pattern appears to be the same, the World Health Organization carried out a study across 26 countries and found the social gradient of obesity levels consistently higher amongst women than men (Wilkinson Pickett, 2010 pg98). More recent studies such as the Marmot Review (2010) showed income along with other prevalent social factors; social d eprivation and ethnicity increased the risk of obesity for women. The UK has one of the fastest growing rates of obesity in the developed world. This steady increase has led to a society where overweight is the norm (Weight Management Centre, 2010). Despite the increase over the last 50 years there has been a shift in values in modern, developed societies towards slimness as a preferred body shape (Sobal Stunkard, 1989). Conversely, it is interesting to note historical observations of female body weight, for example, in 19th Century Britain, voluptuous women of the middles classes where regarded as objects of beauty, a large curvy figure was a symbol of wealth and high status (Williams Germov, 2009). In developing societies plumpness is portrayed as positive, whereas in developed societies it is seen as negative. An extreme example of this can still be observed in some African cultures where they send young women to fattening huts to gain excessive weight to increase their beauty, status and marriage potential (Brink, 1989). The way we choose and eat food can be deep rooted in complicated cultural reasons. We may choose foods based on what we had as a child, foods that mean something to us, provide feelings of comfort or to aspire to a lifestyle. Food has always been linked to social meanings but never before as it been so widely available and affordable to consume such cheap energy rich foods (Wilkinson Pickett, 2010). In a similar way foods we eat can be habitual and mood enhancing, women more frequently report food cravings than men (Dye Blundell, 1997). New research suggests some high fat high sugar diets can cause changes in the brain comparable to drug addiction, moreover the studies found these brain changes can be passed on to offspring (Society for Neuroscience, 2012) although this research is intriguing the evidence is very limited but future expansion into this area could prove very insightful. Cultural habits and norms develop and change throughout the life course, past events and experiences shape food choice, equally future expectations and social determinants influence food selection. Early in life we develop food roots that in time lead to established diet patterns. The social environment can play a role in food choices we make and may influence patterns of obesity in some groups. Of interest to note is a study that looked at the spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 years, finding a link suggesting siblings and friends of the same sex shared an obesity spreading pattern. The study found the link to be strongest with female siblings although it was also present in same sex friends and spouses. This implies obesity as infectious, showing that people are influenced by the appearance and behaviours of social contacts. That said, other imitation behaviours that may occur under the same influence such as exercise and smoking can also have an effect on obesity (Christakis Fowler, 2007). Studies reveal that women from ethnic minority groups living in the UK have a higher obesity rates than men from the same groups (Health Survey for England, 2004). The figures for obesity in women from these groups in particular, Black African and Bangladeshi females, is higher than the rest of the general population. However, the results may be limited due to the small numbers representing some of the ethnic minority groups. According to the Department of Health, Equality Analysis: A call to action on obesity in England (2011), there is not enough evidence available to attribute causative factors to ethnic obesity prevalence in the UK. The correlation between obesity and ethnicity is complex. Some evidence points at underlying genetic susceptibility to obesity related illness such as diabetes made worse by changes in dietary habits , lack of exercise and environmental circumstances (Holmboe-Ottesen Wandel, 2012). The same study looked at the dietary changes of immigrants from low-i ncome countries to Europe, revealing two factors which could alter lifestyle and health outcomes of immigrants. Firstly, acculturation a process whereby the immigrants are influenced by the food culture of the host country, secondly, nutrition transition which has a global trend, for instance, if processed foods are only available to the high income groups in the country of origin, then after migration these foods are more available and cheap, making them appear an ideal choice. The pattern between income inequality and obesity appears to be stronger for women than men (National Obesity Observatory, 2011). In an attempt to understand this pattern it is important to consider many factors. There is a belief that obesity has a genetic predisposition ‘thrifty phenotype’ (Hales Barker, 2001). Whilst genetics can have a role, Wilkinson and Pickett (2010) argue the correlation is not strong enough to explain rapidly increasing obesity over the last 30 years. They suggest the rise in obesity more likely related to changes in society in the way we live such as, increasing food prices, accessibility, the growth in fast food outlets, microwave cooking, poor culinary skills and changes in physical activity levels. It is unclear as to why the obesity pattern for women from low-income groups is stronger than for men, research in this area is limited. What is of concern is the health implications that these women face, startling figures from Healthy Lives, Healthy People (2011) report obese woman are thirteen times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, four times more likely to develop high blood pressure and three times more likely to have a heart attack than a woman of healthy weight. Similar results were reported from Health England (2009) stating women in overweight and obese BMI categories are more likely to be diagnosed with a long standing illness than men, a similar correlation is shown between depression and obesity from the same paper. Pregnancy poses further problems, women from socioeconomic deprivation are more likely to retain weight gained during pregnancy and after birth, age and number of births were also found to be contributing factors (National Obesity Observatory, 2011). The Low-Income Diet and Nutrition Survey (LIDNS) reported price, value, income for food expenditure and quality/freshness of the food as the main influences affecting food choice. With 44% of women surveyed indicating they would like to change their diets. Several studies (DEFRA, LIDNS, Acheson), have shown low-income groups are more likely to consume unbalanced diets and have a lower fruit and vegetable intake, they also have reduced levels of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre with higher intakes of white bread, processed meats and sugar (Dowler, 2007). It can be argued that the obesity pattern in women from low-income groups is a consequence of globalisation and the resulting problems it leads to with job security leading to pressure on low-income individuals and families which creates an environment that encourages over consumption of high energy foods, in an area where working hours are longer with less time to prepare food thereby opting for cheap, convenience fast-foods which inevitably have a higher fat content, this shift in working patterns means people are more likely to consume convenience foods but be less likely to burn off the extra calories (Qvortrup, 2003). Increased demand in convenience foods associated with changi ng lifestyles over the past 20 years, has given rise to a food evolution (Buckley, Cowan, McCarthy, 2007). For some accessibility to healthy food on a low-income is a problem (Dowler, 2008). Living in low-income urban areas often means limited opportunities for daily exercise and reduced access to stores that sell healthy foods (Black, 2008). It could be said that income is the biggest indicator in food choice as it often determines the quality and accessibility of food, but income can also be a contributing factor in education, housing, safety and transport, for example income often determines where you can live. It can be argued, if lack of income was the main cause in rising obesity levels, the greatest increase would be seen in the highest-income groups since they would be able to afford to buy more food. This is not the case, obesity has a new social distribution. In the UK and other developed countries it is the lower income groups who have the highest growth in obesity rates, no longer is it the case where the rich are fat and the poor are thin (Wilkinson and Pickett 2010). Quality of food eaten may be an important indicator for low-income women. The cost of food has risen dramatically, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (2011) reported food prices to have increased by 12% between 2007 and 2011. The report showed the poorest are most affected by price increases with  £1 in every  £6 being spent on food for the poorest 20%, compared with  £1 in every  £9 for all UK households. LIDNS (2007) reported 39% of low-income households sometimes worried about having no money to buy food, 36% said they could not afford balanced meals, with 22% reported skipping meals. Education is a component of socio-economic status that may be associated with obesity. People with higher education levels are more likely to make healthier food choices A study using diet data from the UK Womens Cohort Study (Morris, Hulme, Clarke, Edwards, Cade, 2014) used a food cost database to estimate cost of dietary patterns using diet records, the results they found show a significant association between diet and cost, with a healthy diet costing twice as much as an unhealthy one. The results also demonstrated those subjects who consumed the healthiest diet have a higher SES indicated by education and occupation. Allowances should be made for overestimations and bias to the results of this study which used a food frequency questionnaire, it should also be noted, the data collected was from the diet survey 1995-1998 therefore not allowing for the inflated prices of todays food which would also influence food choice. The Acheson Report (1998) advised government to have a greater responsibility in reducing nutrition related inequalities. The report emphasised the need to address not only changes at individual and family behavioural levels but also multi-sectoral action at national and local levels. Criticisms of the report say the recommendations were too similar to the Black Report of 1980. The main difference, noted by Exworthy (2002), is that the Acheson report was well received by the government. In conclusion, globalisation of the UK economy has led to a shift from a traditional industrial nation to a society with altered work and lifestyle patterns. This shift in patterns has led to changes in food consumption and opportunities for exercise. Those who are in low-income households are most affected. Low-income is a factor in particular for women, who may take several actions to ensure that their families are fed, including skipping meals and eating cheaper, less nutritious foods. Education and accessibility can play a key role in improvements. Many government interventions at national and local level have already been initiated, however, too many are individual focused and more needs to be done at a social level. References: Acheson, D. (1998). Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health Report. From Department of Health. Published by The Stationary Office. ISBN 0 11 322173 8 American Psychological Association APA, (2005). Retrieved from website: https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-women.aspx Big Fat Globalisation: Towards a Sociology of Obesity: Matt Qvortrup, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, 2003 Buckley, M., Cowan, C., McCarthy, M. (2007). The convenience food market in Great Britain: convenience food lifestyle (CFL) segments. Appetite, 49(3), 600-617. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2007.03.226 Christakis, N. A., Fowler, J. H. (2007). The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years. New England Journal of Medicine, 357(4), 370-379. doi: doi:10.1056/NEJMsa066082 DEFRA (2011) Department for Environment, Food Rural Affairs. Family Food Statistics (2011). https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-food-2011 Department of Health (2011). Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England. Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England. Dowler, E. and N. Spencer. (2007). Challenging health inequalities: from Acheson to choosing health. Bristol: Policy Press. Dowler, E. (2008). Symposium on Intervention policies for deprived households Policy initiatives to address low-income households nutritional needs in the UK. University of Warwick, Coventry Dye L, Blundell JE (1997) Menstrual cycle and appetite control: implications for weight regulation. Human Reproduction 12(6):1142-51 Exworthy, M. (2002). The Second Black Report? The Acheson Report as Another Opportunity to Tackle Health Inequalities. Contemporary British History, 175-197. doi: citeulike-article-id:3388437 Germov, John, and Lauren Williams. 2009. A sociology of food and nutrition: the social appetite. South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press. Hales, C. N., Barker, D. J. (2001). The thrifty phenotype hypothesis. Br Med Bull, 60, 5-20. Health Survey for England. (2004). The Health of Minority Ethnic Groups. NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre, Public Health Statistics Holmboe-Ottesen, G., Wandel, M. (2012). Changes in dietary habits after migration and consequences for health: a focus on South Asians in Europe. 2012. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v56i0.18891 Jennifer L Black, James Macinko (2008). Neighborhoods and obesity. Nutrition Reviews 66 (1), 2–20. D11oi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2007.00001.x Low Income Diet and Nutrition Survey, (2007). Summary of Key Findings. Food Standards Agency. The Stationary Office Marmot, M. G. (2004). Tackling health inequalities since the Acheson Inquiry. J Epidemiol Community Health, 58(4), 262-263. doi: 10.1136/jech.2003.010264 Morris, M. A., Hulme, C., Clarke, G. P., Edwards, K. L., Cade, J. E. (2014). What is the cost of a healthy diet? Using diet data from the UK Womens Cohort Study. J Epidemiol Community Health, 68(11), 1043-1049. doi: 10.1136/jech-2014-204039 National Obesity Observatory. (2011) Obesity and Ethnicity. NHS. www.noo.org.uk/uploads/doc/vid_9444_Obesity_and_ethnicity_270111.pdf Sobal, J., Stunkard, A. J. (1989). Socioeconomic status and obesity: a review of the literature. Psychol Bull, 105(2), 260-275. Society for Neuroscience, (2012) Food for Thought: Obesity and Addiction. Retrieved from: http://www.brainfacts.org/Across-the-Lifespan/Diet-and-Exercise/Articles/2012/Food-for-Thought-Obesity-and-Addiction Weight Management Centre, (2010). Obesity a public health crisis. Retrieved from:www.wmc.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/UK-Obesity-Epidemic.pdf Wilkinson, R. G., Pickett, K. (2010). The spirit level: Why greater equality makes societies stronger. New York: Bloomsbury Press. (Published 2009)

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Theme Of Death In Poems Essays -- essays research papers

The Theme of Death in Poems Death is a common theme in many poems. It is viewed so differently to everyone. In the poems, "Because I could not stop for Death," "First Death in Nova Scotia," and "War is kind" death is presented by each narrator as something different. To one it is a kind gentle stranger while to another it is a cold cruel being. A kind gentleman stranger personifies death in, "Because I could not stop for Death." The narrator of the poem is a busy person, with little time, and definitely no time to die. Her carriage driver, which is death, arrives to take her into immortality. Death isn't hasty, he doesn't take her quickly. He drives her past things that the narrator had not taken the time to notice in a while. The narrator watched as he drives her past a school, where children are playing, and then on they go past fields. She sees the sun go down, and the carriage driver past the sun, but she realizes they weren't passing the sun, it was passing them; time was passing by, past her life. Her life has now past her by, and she is arriving at her final destination, which was her grave, yet she describes it as her house. In the end she is looking back, and sees how centuries have passed, yet she isn't passing by anymore, and to her this hundred years seems as no time at all. Finally she accepts her death, and is able to pass into eternity. To her death wasn't har...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages Ap History

Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages The Neolithic Age changed the way people live now a days for many reasons. First of all, in this era agriculture was very important. People could farm instead of hunting and gathering and also they could settle down in one place. People also began to live in small communities. Settling down in one place meant more food and free time. This started trade because there were food surpluses and began the first forms of government. There were many things to be done so they divided work up among everyone in the small community.This was the very beginning of the way we live today. The Paleolithic Age is the Old Stone Age ending in 1200 B. C. E. were stone tools were used for hunting and gathering. People used tools such as clubs and choppers to crack open bones. Tools in this era were mainly made to use for shelter, defense, and keepings of food and clothing. These people believed in an afterlife which was similar to actual life on Earth because they were provi ded with all the tools, weapons and necessities needed to survive which was stated in document 1.In this age scholars believed that their ancestors lived in a world of spirits and shown in document 2 these people were hunters. The Neolithic Age is the New Stone Age between 8000 and 5000 B. C. E. were the adaptation of sedentary agriculture occurred and were domestication of plants and animals occurred. This is the era where people began to develop social groups and create civilizations and stop moving from place to place. Stated in the document 4 people began to depend more on animals and less on plants.They followed herds of animals instead of just one to get more food and eventually create a surplus. The animals that they herded gave them the fertilizer for agriculture. In document 5 it says that there were settled farming communities and they began to create a council to make decisions on what to harvest. Settled people had more personal property. These differences were so import ant because of the technology and ways of life that these people started to create.If the people from the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages didn’t discover the things that they did our world today would be totally different. There are many possibilities on what our life would be like today if these people didn’t start a foundation for us. In conclusion, as you can see the Neolithic age changed how we live greatly. They started the first forms of agriculture and created small communities of people. People settled in one place and began to trade for work. What do you think life would be like if people from these two eras didn’t start the things they did for us?

Friday, November 8, 2019

Easy Instructions for Holding a Class Debate

Easy Instructions for Holding a Class Debate Teachers look to debates as a fun way to study relevant topics and dig deeper into a subject than with a lecture. Participating in a classroom debate teaches students skills they cant get from a textbook, such as critical thinking, organizational, research, presentation and  teamwork skills. You can debate any topic in your classroom using this debate framework. They make an obvious fit in history and social studies classes, but nearly any curriculum can incorporate a classroom debate. Educational Debate: Class Preparation Introduce the debates to your students by explaining the rubric  you will use to grade them. You can check out a sample rubric  or design your own. A few weeks before you plan to hold debates in class, distribute a list of possible topics worded as statements in favor of specific ideas. For example, you might posit that peaceful political demonstrations  such as marches influence lawmakers. You would then assign one team to represent the affirmative argument for this statement and one team to present the opposing point of view. Ask each student to write down the topics they like in order of preference. From these lists, partner students in debate groups with two for each side of the topic: pro and con. Before you hand out the debate assignments, warn students that some might end up  debating  in favor of positions they dont actually agree with, but explain that doing this effectively reinforces the learning objectives of the project. Ask them to research their topics and with their partners, establish factually supported arguments in favor of or against the debate statement, depending on their assignment. Educational Debate: Class Presentation On the day of debate, give students in the audience a blank rubric. Ask them to judge the debate objectively. Appoint one student to moderate the debate if you dont want to fill this role yourself. Make sure all of the students but especially the moderator understand the protocol for the debate. Begin the debate with the pro side speaking first. Allow them five to seven minutes of uninterrupted time to explain their position. Both members of the team must participate equally. Repeat the process for the con side. Give both sides about three minutes to confer and prepare for their rebuttal. Begin the rebuttals with the con side and give them three minutes to speak. Both members must participate equally. Repeat this for the pro side. You can expand this basic framework to include time for cross-examination between the presentation of positions or add a second round of speeches to each segment of the debate. Ask your student audience to fill out the grading rubric, then use the feedback to award a winning team. Tips Consider giving  extra credit to audience members for well-thought-out questions following the debate.Prepare a list of simple rules for the debate and distribute it to all students prior to the debate. Include a reminder that students participating in the debate and in the audience should not interrupt the speakers.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Economic Aspects of Required Textbooks

The Economic Aspects of Required Textbooks Hashtag: #BudgetBooks The process of determining which books are to be used in a school classroom is historically controversial. The study shows that textbooks in elementary and high school are often acquired based on economic and political reasons rather than educational considerations. Moreover, major textbook publishers often influence school decision about required or supplementary text. If the school adopted the new book as required text then students have to buy it. This, in reality, is helping publisher make money out of school adoption. However, not all students can buy required books and many actually result to borrowing books from libraries, friends, photocopying text, or buying used second-hand books. In some developing countries, for instance, the teacher has the only textbook in the class. In particular, most public school systems  are underfunded and cannot provide new books. The lack of reading materials is further complicated by the fact that these students are relying on outdated materials. For instance, findings of study conducted in developing Asian countries suggests that lack of textbooks and adequate teaching and learning materials result in low student achievement. In contrast, students’ achievement was higher in schools with more textbooks. Teachers are â€Å"gatekeepers† of academic books or the people who have the knowledge and power to recommend the most appropriate textbook for their class. Teachers are powerful actors shaping the content that students are likely to use in their studies. They influence students’ decisions on the kind of books to read and prevent them from wasting time and money on buying books that are not essential to specific classroom tasks. Benefits of Second Hand and Used Books Books required in higher education are often expensive but bookstores nowadays are selling new and used books. Some student government operated bookstores are also selling used books at a much cheaper price than those offered in regular bookstores. Most of these books were collected from â€Å"book drives†, a campaign where discarded books are deposited in a donation bin at school. College students’ organizations are also selling and buying used books. Book exchange provides opportunities for people to sell back their used books at a reasonable price. Students can also buy from online bookstores and wait for shipping. Books, regardless of age are reliable and accurate sources of information. Most teachers depend on books for factual, scholarly, and in-depth inquiry. Old but gently used books are a good source of reading materials and facilitate extensive reading at home. Inequities in students’ access to books outside the classroom can be resolved by soliciting used books. In fact, many persevering and diligent teachers built their classroom libraries from used books purchased by parent-teacher organizations from garage sales. This library of used books contains easily accessible multicultural literature that can help students see themselves, appreciate their own and others culture and language. Book Fairs are not only great way to collect, sell, and raise funds but influential in motivating people to read. Book Swap, on the other hand, enhances social networks of literary enthusiast. Similarly, book hunting through garage sales encouraged students to read some or all the books they find during school break.

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Phlight of Armenians History Research Paper

The Phlight of Armenians History - Research Paper Example In the midst of this, however, dandyism, epitomized by George â€Å"Beau† Brummell, flourished as a kind of revolt against the aristocracy and the landed classes of the day. According to Rhonda K. Garelick (1998), dandyism during this period influenced modern concepts of celebrity, well into the late twentieth century. She views dandies as â€Å"sexually ambiguous† (3) and as â€Å"double-sex beings† (5), implying that dandyism of the eighteenth century had very little to do with gender roles and sexuality. It has been traditionally understood that dandyism was an idealization of women performed by men, but if Garelick is correct in her estimation of dandies and of dandyism, then that may not be the case. S.R. Cole (2006), however, would disagree with Garelick and takes dandyism in a different direction. He sees dandyism as a class-related phenomenon intertwined with homo-eroticism between men. For Cole, dandyism is â€Å"driven by†¦the desire for aristocra tic status†Ã¢â‚¬â€one that involves an admiring â€Å"male gaze† (138). This perspective does not perceive dandyism as inevitably hostile to women. To the modern person, dandyism appears â€Å"unmasculine† and even â€Å"effeminate,† but its connection to gender and sexual practices is not as strong as its connection to status and the aristocracy. A discussion about dandyism requires discussing the dandies themselves, especially George â€Å"Beau† Brummell, who although he was unattached, was definitely not gay in the modern sense. He was, however, the arbiter of fashion of the time. One of the most famous quotes regarding Brummell was stated by another dandy, Brummell’s friend Lord Byron: â€Å"There are three great men of our age, myself, Napoleon and Brummell, but of we three, the greatest of all is Brummell† (Moers, 24). Not only was Brummell one of the earliest dandies; he was the model for the entire movement. One of the earlies t books written about dandies, The Wits and Beaux of Society, by Grace Wharton and Philip Wharton in 1860, labels dandies as â€Å"beaux,† after Brummell, which the book describes as â€Å"never likely to be quite forgotten† (xvi). For the Whartons, beaux (or dandies) are all men, even though they previously published a book that focused on well-known women of the time. They describe a dandy as â€Å"a cheat†¦who imposes on his public by his clothes or appearance† (80). Indeed, Brummell’s most recent biographer, Ian Kelly (2006), describes Brummell as â€Å"the first celebrity† (1)—the first person to be famous for being famous. Like many celebrities today, Brummell did not have any particular talent other than a penchant for attaching himself to royalty and to the royal court. Nonetheless, he had a profound influence on British society, and established the modern view of celebrity in the West, even what has become the stereotyped †Å"celebrity pattern of a fall from grace† (Kelly, 1). Brummell was certainly the right man for his time, in the years following the French Revolution, when the British aristocracy felt compelled to justify its existence. The dandy, as expressed through Brummell, was a study in contradictions, and to understand those contradictions, Brummell should be considered in any discussion of the dandy. As Moers (1960) points out, Camus defined the dandy as â€Å"an archetype of the human being in revolt against society† (17), one that had little to do with gender roles and

Saturday, November 2, 2019

ORIENTALISM, PREJUDICE AND DESCRIMINATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ORIENTALISM, PREJUDICE AND DESCRIMINATION - Essay Example USA policy makers have, declared various Islamic countries as promoters of terrorism and a part of ‘axis of evil’. Indeed, citizens from many Islamic citizens are heavily scrutinized at US airports because of such developments. Consequently, Muslims are ignited from such changes and protest against this maltreatment because they don’t want to be suspected as endorsers of terrorist elements worldwide. The first main characteristic of Orientalism is the ‘categorizations or generalizations’ about a specific religious and / or ethnic group over self-drawn assuptions that later lead to negative interpretations and misconceptions about Muslims and Arabs. The second characteristic is that Orientalism discuss about cultural diversity and differences in values such as those between Eastern and Western society. (Hosking, 2009) All individuals should be provided sufficient knowledge through lectures about followers of some major religions such as Christainity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddihism and Jewism so that they could understand religious differences among people. Indeed, there is dire need to foster mingling among people through joint annual gatherings and corner meetings in towns and residential areas. Next, individuals should also be taught that never support media’s propaganda against any particular ethnic or religious group. Rather, if people have ambiguities, they should better read authentic literature and interact with people of a particular religion to eradicate their

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Sustainability and Renewable Technologies Essay

Sustainability and Renewable Technologies - Essay Example Trees use energy tapped from the sun to fix carbon in the wood in a natural way and therefore are sustainable so long as harvesting can be done without depleting the woodland resources. Due to its nature wood fuel is virtually carbon neutral as the carbon dioxide emitted from burning is balanced by the carbon absorbed by growing trees. Wood is also a clean and safe compared to other fossil fuels like oil which are harmful to the environment in case of spills. The wood fuel gas is almost smoke free and its ash content is less than 1% which can be reused for other purposes. It will also benefit the social welfare of the entire community in that use of wood would ensure proper management of woodlands and promote local trade. By creating a ready market for wood fuel many jobs would be created to manage and ensure sustainable practice in managing woodland. The main disadvantage of this technology is that it has higher initial capital cost than conventional heating systems but in the build ing’s life-cycle costs. 2.0 Solar Powered Lighting System Use of photovoltaic cells in the building is one of the ways the company could use renewable energy sources for its operation without leaving a carbon foot print. This is because solar power does not consume natural resources, are readily available and are naturally replenished. 2.1 How it works The building is laced with light sensitive cells called the photovoltaic cells that convert light from the sun into electricity. This electricity is then stored in a battery system that is used to power the lighting system and other appliances within the building. A sketch of the system is attached. 2.2 Advantages Using a solar powered lighting system in which solar power is used to generate the electricity for the building’s lighting ensures energy security by reducing dependency on fossil fuel or the national grid. As a result the company will enjoy price stability as photovoltaic cells are installed only once and have lifespan ranging from 20-30 years. With solar power there are no transmission costs as all the energy produced is consumed unlike other sources where the fuels have to be transported. It is therefore ideal even for places that cannot have access to the grid. Cost wise the solar panels are becoming cheaper and more efficient thus ensuring more value for money. It is also a very quite source of energy which is a great advantage of a service oriented company in which communication is key in its operation and a quiet working environment has a great impact. 2.3 Disadvantages Major disadvantage is the high cost of installation; it also requires a large area for installation. This can however be mitigated by incorporating a building design in which photovoltaic cells are positioned for optimal harvesting. The other disadvantage is that efficiency is dependant on the full exposure of the sun and may affect cloudy days. 3.0 Green Roof The company could consider using a green roof for the bu ilding. This is simply having a design that will ensure the entire roof of the proposed building would be covered in vegetation to form a sort of living roof. 3.1 How it works The roof is covered with vegetation that is grown over a waterproofing membrane. The membrane helps to prevent percolation of water and also root

Monday, October 28, 2019

Super Kikay and Her Flying Pagong Essay Example for Free

Super Kikay and Her Flying Pagong Essay The turtle is a magical and gave Kikay the power to save humankind and the sea creatures. It is her duty to protect the ocean deep from the giant small Octopus and its master disciple from getting the magical pearl that gives life to the ocean deep. As a training, Super Kikay fly around their town and try to solve the problems and difficulties of other people. Some of the problems she solve was to help a stuck jeepney get off the mud. She also rescued a girl that almost fall from the ferries wheel and stop the illegal fishers from destroying the ocean by using dynamites to catch fish. After her training, Dong pagong instructed her to get the magical pearl and bring it to their land to prevent the giant octopus from finding it in the ocean. Kikay transforms into Super K and dive into the ocean to get the magical pearl. She easily found the magical pearl but she was also seen by the giant octopus and followed her into the land. When Super K noticed that the giant octopus followed her, she immediately dug a hole to hide the magical pearl but she forgot to bury it. Super K and the giant octopus fight each other. Super K almost defeated the giant octopus but she was easily beaten because the giant octopus fired a black ink on her face and temporarily blinded her giving the octopus time to escape w/ the magical pearl. Super Ks brother was also kidnapped by the giant octopus while she was temporarily blinded. The next morning, Dong pagong told Kikay that she must get the magical pearl from the giant octopus to prevent the fishes from dying. Kikay transformed into Super K again to find the giant octopus and get the magical pearl and also to rescue her younger brother. Horje (the scientist who created the giant octopus) eliminated the giant octopus because he thinks that the giant octopus may be a barricade on his plans (he plans to sell the magical pearl to foreigners for 100,000 million pesos) Super K heard the gun shot that was fired from Horjes gun. She thought that shot her younger brother but later on found out that Horje killed the giant octopus and not her younger brother. After letting her younger brother escaped, she chased Horje until she cornered him. They fought fiercely until she have beaten Horje and get the magical pearl. Super K go back on their town and returned the magical pearl into the ocean. After the returning the magical pearl, the ocean became clean again and all the fishes were happy and thanking Super K for saving them. Dong pagong did not take back the power that she has given to Kikay because he knows that Kikay will use her powers to help humans.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Concepts of Information Security: Politics and Technology

Concepts of Information Security: Politics and Technology The nothing to hide argument has become a very important debate recently. Now, nearly everything we do leaves an electronic trace which along with data mining, can be used to see what we are doing, and even predict our behaviour. With the recently passed Investigatory Powers Act 2016 in the UK (HM Government, 2016), 48 different agencies will have access to communication data, bulk personal data and other information with the purpose of increasing our national security. The acts main aim is to increase security against acts of terrorism, but this comes at the cost of peoples privacy. The most common argument in favour of mass surveillance is that if you have nothing to hide you should have nothing to fear, and if you are acting in an illegal manner than you deserve to be punished, and having this surveillance is there to protect us and our country. Whereas conventional armys movement can be tracked using radar, satellites and drones, terrorists dont have a navy or air force, making this means of gathering information about an attacker irrelevant. Another potential means of gathering information would be inside information, whether it be an informant or someone managing to infiltrate the organisation. However, unlike organised crime, a terrorist attack has the potential to take many lives, and it only takes one successful attack to do so, meaning one successful attack is one too many. Government surveillance can therefore be argued as the best way of protecting a nation as it means conversations can be followed and behaviours can be predicted. (Doyle, 2011). Daniel Solove has said that between the advances in technology and the government surveillance, that there are similarities with George Orwells 1984, and although not as extreme as in the book, it is still possible to track people even if they are just walking around the corner. Along with data mining of information which could be thought of as trivial, the government are predicting whether a person is a terrorist based off purchase histories along with other personal information. Whilst this sounds like it could be useful, what happens when someone is misidentified as a terrorist and added to a no-fly list or arrested? (Doyle, 2011). The European Union has also stated the surveillance on this scale is illegal, and that only targeted information gathering I justified, but with the UK leaving the EU, this will not be a problem for them soon, and will join China and Russia in being a mass surveillance state (Agerholm, 2016). Overall I feel that mass surveillance is not necessary, with targeted surveillance being adequate, and with the lack of a response from the public when this law was first announced, it has shown the government that they can get away with it, and sets a precedent going forward, making me ask the question, When does it stop? When will they have enough information? As much as George Orwells 1984 was a work of fiction, I feel like we are slowly moving in that direction, and if we get there, will there be a way back? Assira CAPTCHA The Asirra CAPTCHA was proposed at ACM CCS 2007 and works by showing the user 12 pictures of cats and dogs, with the user having to select the cat images and none of the dog images. A human can do this within 30 seconds 99.6% of the time, whereas algorithms find it much harder to differentiate between cats and dogs. Basing image classification off colour features gives a 56.9% accuracy, giving an overall probability of 0.2% to solve an Assira CAPTCHA. Assira has a database of over 3,000,000 images of cats and dogs which continues to grow. 13,000 images were collected by having a script which was left to run overnight, that would refresh and download the 12 images from the Assira research page. The images were manually classified into 3 classes of cat, dog and other. A support vector machine(SVM) classifier was used due to having the ability to extract linear combination of features, its predictive power and its scalability. 5-fold cross-validation was used to measure the accuracy of the SVM classifier, with 4 partitions used for training and the last one used to validate the results. The SVM classifier was trained on a combination of colour and texture features. Both the colour and the texture features estimate whether the picture is a cat or dog. An average of the colour and texture features is taken, with a weighting of 1/3 to colour and 2/3 to texture. Images of cats were mapped to the value of 1.0 and dogs to -1.0, meaning if the average returned a positive value, the SVM classifier would predict the image to be of a cat, whilst a negative number would result in a dog. This system resulted in a classifier with 82.7% accuracy, giving a 10.3% probability of breaking the Assira CAPTCHA, which despite being a lot lower than a human, was more than 50 times more successful than the predicted 0.2% for machine vision attacks. Using a token bucket system will greatly help to improve the robustness of the Assira CAPTCHA. Given that a human has a 99.6% success rate, giving a total of 3 attempts before having to complete 2 successful Assira CAPTCHAs greatly reduces the chance of it being broken via machine vision, without reducing the usability for a human too significantly. (Golle, 2008) Impact of Artificial Gummy Fingers on Fingerprint Systems Biometrics is a form of single factor authentication used to identify someone. Fingerprints are one of the most common forms of biometric authentication, with them being used for PCs, smart cards and portable devices. Silicone fingers as well as inked fingerprints on paper where tested before the experiment, finding that all capacitive sensors and some optical sensors rejected the silicone finger, and the inked paper was accepted on one of the systems. A fingerprint system captures data from the finger via a sensing device, extracts features from the data and encrypts it, then stores this information as a template with some personal information. When someone then uses the system, the scan is compared to the database of stored finger data and outputs an acceptance results if there is a matching template. The sensor detects the difference between ridges and valleys of the fingerprint, with optical sensors detecting the difference in reflection, whilst a capacitive sensor detects the difference in capacitance. There are several different attacks that can be performed against a fingerprint system including a criminal forcing the live finger to be used on the scanner, an attack against the authentication system with an unregistered finger, the use of a severed fingertip, a genetic clone of the registered finger or an artificial clone of the finger. To make an artificial finger an impression must first be made of the live finger. The impression of the fingerprint is a mirror reflection of the live finger, meaning the impression can be used as a mould to make the artificial finger. It can also be done by capturing the image of a residual fingerprint with a digital microscope and then making a mould to make the artificial finger which is made from gelatine. Both types of gummy fingers were accepted by the 11 different fingerprint systems used in the experiment, with varying probabilities between 67% and 100%. The number of samples was too small in this experiment to compare the different types of fingerprint systems, but there is enough evidence to show that gummy fingers can bypass this type of biometric security. (Matsumoto, T., Matsumoto, H., Yamada, K. and Hoshino, S, 2002) The best way to improve security would be multi-factor authentication. A finger print falls under the something I am category, so taking something from the something I own category, such as a key fob or card, along with the something I know category, such as a password means that if one of these protective measures is compromised, there are still two other factors an attacker must take into consideration before being able to access the information they are trying to acquire. FREAK SSL/TLS Vulnerability The Factoring RSA Export Keys (FREAK) vulnerability in Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and its successor Transport Layer Security (TLS) was discovered in March 2015 by Karthikeyan Bhargavan and his research team. TLS and SSL are protocols which were designed for secure data transfer between a client and a server through authentication, encryption and integrity. (Muscat, I. 2016), (Caballero, J., Bodden, E. and Athanasopoulos, E. 2016). The vulnerability allows for a man-in-the-middle attack through an implementation error. The vulnerability was due to a US law which restricted RSA public key sizes to 512 bytes. SSL and TLS used ciphersuites with weak keys which were marked eligible for export. If a client is tryhing to connect to a trusted server, the man-in-the-middle attacker can replace the ciphersuite with an RSA_EXPORT ciphersuite of the message sent from the client to the server. The server then responds, and again, the attacker replaces the ciphersuite with an RSA ciphersuite which gets forwarded to the client. The server then sends a strong, 2048 bits, RSA public key which the client receives. The server then sends a ServerKeyExchange message with a weak, 512-bit RSA public key. The client responds with its ClientKeyExchange, ClientCSS and ClientFinished message, which the attacker can use to find the private key. The attacker can then decrypt the pre-master secret from the Client-KeyExchange. The attacker then sends a ServerFinished message to complete the handshake. This works because of a bug in a state machine composition, the message is not rejected and is silently accepted, and the servers strong public key is replaced with the weak public key in the ServerKeyExchange. (Beurdouche, B., Bhargavan, K., et al. 2015). In order to protect against this attack, server administrators would have to remove all RSA export cipher suites from their accepted cipher suite collection. Installing a browser that doesnt support RSA export cipher suites is the best way for clients to protect themselves against FREAK attacks. (Caballero, J., Bodden, E. and Athanasopoulos, E. 2016). DDoS Attacks Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are relatively simple, but can be extremely powerful. They are the most advanced form of DoS attacks. They work via packet streams from different sources. The attacks make use of large numbers of coordinated hosts to overrun a critical resource of the target. Depending on the scale of the attack, or the measures put in place to prevent such an attack, the victim could suffer damages from system shutdown, to total loss of service. They are so strong due to not trying to break the system hey are attacking, meaning traditional security mechanisms arent effective, instead causing damage through lethal traffic. When performing an attack, the attacker must select agents to perform the attack. The machines need to have a vulnerability that allows the attacker to gain access with enough resources for the attack. Then the attack must find vulnerabilities in the security of the agents machines to put in the malicious code. The attacker then communicates with handlers to see what agents are running and when to upgrade them. After all of this is done, the attack can commence. There are several different types of DDoS attacks, some of which include: Flood attacks send large amounts of IP traffic to a victim, congesting the bandwidth of the system. Depending on the volume of packets sent, the target can experience reduced system speeds, to crashing the system. Amplification attacks exploit the broadcast IP address found on most routers to amplify and reflect the attack, sending messages to a broadcast IP address. The router sends the packets to all the IP addresses within the broadcast address range. A reflector attack requires a set of predetermined reflectors. These can simply be scattered on the internet. The reflected packets are normal with a legitimate source and cannot be filtered. Protocol exploit attacks use a specific feature or implementation bug of some protocol on the victims system to consume excess resources. Malformed packet attacks use incorrectly formed IP packets and are sent to the victim to crash the system. There are two classifications for DDoS defence. The first one is based on activity deployed. Intrusion prevention aims to stop the attack from being launched in the first place. Intrusion detection means a host computer and network can guard themselves against being a source of an attack as well as being a victim. Intrusion tolerance and mitigation accepts that it is not possible to fully prevent or stop DDoS attacks, so aims to minimise the damage caused by them. Intrusion response identifies the attack sources and blocks its traffic. The second classification splits the DDoS defence into three categories. Most systems designed to fight DDoS attacks have been designed for the victim network as they suffer the greatest impact of an attack. Intermediate network defence is more effective, as they can handle the attack traffic easily and trace back to the attackers. Source network mechanisms aim to stop attacks before they enter the internet. (Douligeris, C. and Mitrokotsa, A. 2004) Wireless networks are easier to attack than wired networks, with DoS attacks by scrambling the bands of frequency that are used. The best way of defending both bandwidth depletion attacks and resource depletion attacks is to design a defence mechanism that detects and responds to the attack. A proposed technique to defending the attacks is the use of a flow monitoring table at each node. By monitoring the previous sending rates with the current rate, they can detect an attack if both rates become the same, in which case the packets from those nodes are discarded. (Arunmozhi, S.A. and Venkataramani, Y. 2011) Bibliography Agerholm, H. (2016) Snoopers charter dealt blow after EUs highest court rules indiscriminate government retention of emails is illegal. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/snoopers-charter-eu-court-ruling-illegal-investigatory-powers-act-emails-david-davis-a7488041.html (Accessed: 22 December 2016). Arunmozhi, S.A. and Venkataramani, Y. (2011) DDoS attack and defense scheme in wireless ad hoc networks, International Journal of Network Security Its Applications, 3(3), pp. 182-187. doi: 10.5121/ijnsa.2011.3312. Beurdouche, B., Bhargavan, K., Delignat-Lavaud, A., Fournet, C., Kohlweiss, M., Pironti, A., Strub, P.-Y. and Zinzindohoue, J.K. (2015) A messy state of the union: Taming the composite state machines of TLS, 2015 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, . doi: 10.1109/sp.2015.39. Caballero, J., Bodden, E. and Athanasopoulos, E. (2016) Engineering secure software and systems: 8th international symposium, ESSoS .. 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