Health and Social Care Essay Example for Free

Health and Social Care Essay Introduction The aim of this essay is to review and learn about the perspectives of health and well-being, perspective measures and job roles, factors affecting health and well being, and to do a health promotion campaign. To do this we will look in books and on the internet to research each of these then once we have a good knowledge of them we will produce a campaign to teach to people on a health promotion topic. Defining Health I am doing first part of the essay on health and how people define it. To do this I will be handing out questionnaires and looking through my class notes and reviewing them. There are many definitions of health, but the way you define it depends on the person e.g. â€Å"Being without illness.† this means to have no illnesses or diseases, â€Å"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.† this statement is trying to say you don’t just have to have an illness to be unwell it also depends on your social and mental state, and how you feel about yourself (W.H.O. 1948), â€Å"Just being happy.† this statement is just saying your healthy if your happy with yourself and your life, â€Å"Health is the extent to which an individual I wear skirts or group is able, on the one hand to realise aspiration and needs; and on the other hand, to change or cope with the environment. Health is therefore seen as a resource for everyday life, not the object of living. It is positive concept emphasing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.† (W. H.O. 1986) etc. (All of these are from class notes) However these views have a negative and positive point side to them such as â€Å"Being without illness† which is negative, because it’s just saying, if you not injured or you don’t have and illness your in good health, but it also depends on a persons state of mind, and how the truly feel about themselves also this is a bit to straight forward, and in considerate of all the other aspects of health (PI.E.S.) because it just says it in a more scientific way (bio-medical – see the body as a machine). Another view on health is â€Å"Being fit. Being the correct weight and height for your age. Feeling well in your self† (Appendix 2) these is a positive and negative view on health because it sees the fact that you can be unhealthy but still be happy and feel good. Bio-medial Model of Health This model of health dominates all other models of health. The Bio-medical or scientific model of health is when you see the body as a machine, so if it’s broken it can be fixed by repairing the damaged part e.g. Car Person Car wont start Person feels ill Call garage Go to G.P. Service Examination Diagnosis Diagnosis Mended Treatment offered Car runs Feeling better (Health and social care ocr: a. fisher etc.: p 78) This form of health doesn’t focus on the mind or the social circumstance; it focuses on understanding how a disease works or how the person can be cured. An example of some one using this form of health care is when a doctor and other qualified people decide on a treatment or diagnosis for a patient, e.g. looking at medical tests and notes to reach a diagnosis. Also there can be a few disadvantages to this model of health e.g. it’s not as suitable for people with long term illnesses or people with disabilities because they can not always be cured, and this form of treatment can be quite intrusive because of tests etc., so some people may not like it and it may make them feel uncomfortable. Another disadvantage is that because it doesn’t look at the social aspects of the patient’s life they may not find the origin of the problem, so the person could become ill again. Social Model of Health This form of health is more about the origins of health in a social situation such as housing, social groups etc., and understanding where the problem started and finding a better way to test the situation for example cleaning the house for dust so it doesn’t aggravate a person’s asthma. Also due to this health model the mortality has dramatically decreased during the 20th century, because people have found the original source of the problem and done something about it and they did it so you can increase a person’s quality of life and decrease illness. However there are disadvantages to this medical model because finding and solving the problems can be hard and it ignores the biomedical model of health. Government Initiative Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation For my health promotion campaign I’m doing smoking so this government initiative links into it. The aim of this government initiative is to improve everyone’s health, and the people who are severally affected in particular. By 2010 they want to †¢ Reduce the death rate from cancer in people under the age of 75 by at least 1/5 †¢ Reduce the death rate from coronary heart disease, stroke and other related illnesses in people under the age of 75 by at least 2/5 †¢ Reduce the death rate from accidents by at least 1/5 and to reduce the rate of serious injury from accidents by at least 1/10 †¢ Reduce the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 1/5 (Class notes) Due to these things the government brought in some measures to help deal with these problems which are tackling smoking which is one of the biggest causes of ill health along with alcohol, also to tackle sexual health, drugs, food safety, water fluoridation, and communicable diseases, to put more money in the NHS, local authorities and the government focusing on improving health. (Appendix 1) Illness impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism. (http://uk.ask.com/reference/dictionary/wordnetuk/81070/illness) The Illness Wellness Continuum According to The Illness Wellness Continuum the less well you are the closer you are to premature death (as shown by the diagram above left = death right = high level of wellness). This also relates to the government initiative because the government wants to reduce mortality by reducing illness. Reviewing Questionnaires This is a graph to show the amount of people who took the questionnaire and are either service users or service providers. This graph shows the number of men and women who took the questionnaire, and as you can see the main amount of people who took the questionnaire were women. Stop Smoking Advisor The Stop Smoking Advisor works with patients in the community, to provide stop smoking support, treatment and advice set by local and national standards. A Smoking Advisor works with the Stop Smoking Specialists to give one-to-one and group support so their work means they have to travel all around the country to many different places such as health centres, hospitals, community buildings, working men’s clubs, Sure Start buildings etc. To give support and inform people about the dangers of smoking they may do a presentation or bring in videos for people to watch such as the NHS (National Health Service) smoking adverts on T.V., also the advisor may bring in graphic pictures to shock people and make them understand what they’re doing to their bodies’ e.g. The responsibilities and skills needed to be a smoking advisor are as follows: (http://www.jobs.nhs.uk/cgi-bin/vacdetails.cgi?search_db_no=2selection=911717227vn=2) Health Visitor Health visitors are registered nurses or midwives who work to promote good health, and prevent illness in the community. But spend most of their day visiting people in their homes and helping with tasks. Health visitors work with many different people in the community such as the elderly, disabled, and the long-term sick, and offers them support and advice to help people overcome their disabilities. Health visitors have many duties they need to do: †¢ Advising the elderly on health issues – telling people about proper care needed to maintain equipment e.g. catheter care. †¢ Advising new mothers on issues such as hygiene, safety, feeding and sleeping this is because a new mother may not no about all the responsibilities that come with a child so the will need to be informed. †¢ Counselling people on issues such as post-natal depression, bereavement, or being diagnosed HIV positive. †¢ Co-ordinating child immunisation programmes. †¢ Organising special clinics or drop-in centres. (http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile429/) To be a health visitor, you should be able to do all these things: †¢ Be able to get on well with all sorts of people – this is because they work with a wind range of people in all different circumstances. †¢ Be interested in and aware of health and social issues –this is so they can communicate with all different sorts of people and be aware of any issues that need addressing. †¢ Have very good communication and listening skills – this is so the patient can trust the health visitor and in turn give better care. †¢ Be patient and persuasive – this is because it may be hard for people to do certain things or they may have learning difficulties which may hinder their care. †¢ Be able to understand body language and other non-verbal communication – this is so you can make the best of a situation by interpreting it. Also it may improve communication. †¢ Be responsible and be good time management – this is also to improve the relation ship between patients and the health visitor because if there late the patient may feel they are not wanted of no one has time for them. †¢ Be able to work on your own – this is because a health visitor mainly works on their own in homes so you need to be independent. †¢ Be mature and be able to deal with distressing issues. Training As a qualified nurse or midwife it is necessary to take a degree or postgraduate course in public health nursing/health visiting if you wish to become a health visitor. Courses last one year full-time or two years part-time and are available at colleges and universities throughout the UK. Courses use both the theoretical (studying subjects such as community practice and public health, counselling and social policy), and practical placements supervised by an experienced health visitor. Qualified health visitors are expected to keep their skills up to date through continuous development. A health visitor also runs immunisation programmes set by the local government initiative i.e. in certain areas different illnesses may be more prominent so they will have different vaccines to immunise them. Factors That Affect Health Factors that affect health can be this such as eating habits, exercise, life style, attitudes and prejudices’, income, physical factors, environment etc. but there are many different views that go along with them, so to see if these descriptions meet with what normal civilians think are right (compared to professionals) I am going to do two interviews with two different people and see if there social factors and financial factors go along with these professional descriptions. Financial Factors Income factors are probably one of the main problems with trying to get good health care, this is when you do not earn enough money to get the things you need to survive and be well. If you do not have enough money to get adequate health care you may become unwell, also if you are unable to afford things such as health food, housing, etc. it could increase your chances of getting ill. Also this may lead to the life changes or factors that affect your health, because you are unable to get what you want and need. Social Factors Social factors or social class are tied in with income because what group you’re in depends on how much you earn. Social circumstances contribute a lot to a person’s health because usually if you’re higher up the socio-economic ladder you will have more money and be able to afford better health care. These social factors also relate to family and culture. †¢ Family – how many people in your family, how they affect your life etc. †¢ Culture – how people live their lives such as following religions (for example Jehovah’s witnesses don’t allow blood transfusions) etc. Poor social and economic circumstances affect health and well being all the way through life. People further down the social ladder are usually twice as likely to be at risk of serious illness and premature death. (Appendix 15) Also in certain classes things such as smoking or binge drinking can be more usual than in other classes. For example: †¢ Children in a lower group are five times more likely to die from an accident, than those in a higher group. †¢ People in class five are three times more likely to have a stroke than someone in class one. †¢ Infant mortality is higher in the lower groups. And all this is mainly because they cannot afford better health care and housing, healthier food etc. (N, Moonie: p138) Life Style People see Life style a choice you make such as drinking sensibly or the practice of safe sex. However, it can be more complicated than that e.g. if you have a low income it may be harder for you to eat healthier than those people who can afford a healthier life style. This is because trying to live a healthy life style is expensive, especially health food because it takes longer to prepare, also if you don’t have a local store that sales heath food i.e. organic things with no preservatives it can be hard. Also due to many other factors such as up bringing, social factors etc. it may be hard to lead a healthy life according to the government views, because doing all the things you may need to do to keep healthy can be expensive so some people may not be able to afford it, also it can be hard to change you ways and if your set in a unhealthy routine you will only get more unwell. A recent survey says 46% of people agreed that there are too many factors out side a single person’s health. (N, Moonie: p123) Attitudes and Prejudices This relates to the preconceived ideal people have about each other and how they act around different people. Environment Factors Your environment is all the things around you that affect your health such as housing e.g. if your child has asthma and you have a dusty house it may aggravate the condition and make the child unwell. Physical Factors This factor is al about you physical state i.e. healthy according to the government guidelines and whether you have any physical disabilities. If you have a disability it may restrict you from accessing all the services you need. Regular strenuous physical activity has a protective effect for heart disease and stroke, builds bone mass, improves posture and helps control body weight. Physical activity can also improve mental health and well-being. (All of these factors are from N, Moonie: p131-145) Interviews First of all I chose two factors that affect health, which were financial factors and social factors, next I came up with eight questions (five on finance and three on social factors see Appendix 12). After creating the interview I arranged a time with two people and asked them my questions. I started both interviews by saying â€Å"all the information I get will remain confidential and it will only be used in my course work†. Financial factors: 1. Does income affect how you want to live your life? Both the people I interviewed believed they don’t always have enough money to live the life they want but for two separate reasons the first person said â€Å"my wages are not rising with rate of inflation† so this person doesn’t believe they earn enough with the cost of things in this country i.e. things cost more because of inflation. The second person said â€Å"some times I don’t have enough money to do the things I want e.g. go away on holiday with my friends. But I am unemployed at the moment so that doesn’t help† so the reason this person cannot afford the life style they want is because they are unemployed and are currently out of money. 2. Or how does your life affect your income? Both the people say their social lives and bills are too expensive so they don’t always have the amount of money they want. 3. What things do you feel you are unable to access due to your income? Person 1 – this person doesn’t believe they can access holidays etc. so in other words time to relax and get away. Person 2 – this person believes that they are unable to socialise some times because of their income and this is a major part of their life. 4. What things do you feel you are able to access due to your income? Both people feel they are able to access all the important and necessary things and the stuff they want to do for themselves. 5. Do you think your income affects your health in any way? Both believe that there income doesn’t affect their life in any major way. Social Factors: 6. Do you follow your friend’s example i.e. peer pressure? Person 1 – this person does the things they want to do when they want to do them and doesn’t follow their friend’s example. Person 2 – this person says â€Å"Yes, but not peer pressure† so they follow what their friends do but they don’t believe there being forced or persuaded to do something they don’t want to do. 7. Is your family a positive or negative affect on your life and health? Person 1 – this person thinks that their family are a positive affect on their life. Person 2 – person 2 thinks â€Å"Yes and no because my family are just annoying and stress me out, but the support me when I need it†. Like in most families some things get on each others nerves but when you really need them they are there for you. 8. Does your social class affect your life style or health? Person 1 – they think there social class doesn’t affect their life in any way. Person 2 – they think that it does because if they were higher up the ladder they would have more money and be able to do more of the things they want and need. In conclusion my primary research (the interviews) show that the definitions of the two factors I chose are correct and they say the same as the interviewees but in more detail. My definition gathered from research in books etc. â€Å"this is when you do not earn enough money to get the things you need to survive and be well. If you do not have enough money to get adequate health care you may become unwell† this is basically the same as what the interviewees said i.e. â€Å"Both the people say their social lives and bills are too expensive so they don’t always have the amount of money they want† so in other words both the definition and people say they don’t all ways have enough money do the things they like or access all the things they need. Plan (Appendix 19) Aims and Objectives In a group of three, me and the other people in my group did a presentation to a thirty-seven different people aged 15 18 in ten different groups about the dangers of smoking. At the beginning and end of each group we gave them a questionnaire to test their knowledge before and after and we took 12 samples of each from different groups to test if they had learnt anything. We found out that before they only had a basic knowledge about smoking and after they had a more extensive knowledge and knew about smoking and its dangers in better detail. We knew this because we looked at the sample of questionnaires and saw how in much more detail they answered the questions. So we must have had an impact on their knowledge and views. However, we didn’t change some people views on smoking because they were slightly arrogant and just believed their life was their life. Aims: To produce a presentation to inform people about the dangers of smoking and inform people on ways they can quit e.g. NHS help line. Objectives: †¢ To know what’s offered by the NHS to help quit. †¢ By the end they should be able to identify the 3 main diseases caused by smoking and some substances in a cigarette. †¢ Raise awareness that smoking kills. Key Tasks/Activities: To produce: †¢ Make and collect in before and after questionnaires about smoking. †¢ Take part in talking to the people at the presentation. †¢ Posters and leaflets. †¢ Handouts with second hand smoke, dangers etc †¢ Power point presentation with the main major facts about smoking such as second hand smoke, the dangers of smoking, withdrawal symptoms etc. also videos showing the dangers of smoking e.g. NHS adverts from T.V. and shocking things about smoking Results: What do you hope will change as a result of your activities? To help people understand the dangers of smoking and hope they change their behaviour as a result of the presentation. Measures: How will you measure if the described change is occurring? Has occurred? To measure my presentation and see if the desired results have happened I will look at the before and after questionnaires and see if there knowledge has improved. Evaluation Skills: Communication skills I think my communication skills were quite good as I took it in turns with the people in my group to talk to people however one of the other people in the group spoke a lot more than the rest. Also because I was working the power point presentation there was a barrier between us all, so people may not have opened up as much and spoken as much as they might have if it wasn’t there. Team Work and Work Load Yes I believe the work load and team fork was shared fairly. Also I think it was appropriate for the people in the group. Resources used We used quite a lot of resources such as books like Moonie and the NHS booklets also I’ve been on the NHS web site and looked at the stop smoking advice they give. Activities used The activities we used to show people about the dangers of smoking are handouts a PowerPoint presentation with videos and a large poster with lots of information on. Also during the presentation we had small discussions about the material and answered any question the people had. The Environment We did the presentation in a classroom with the others in our class but there was three different groups doing different things. One of the other groups had a loud video, which sometimes overpowered what we were doing and was a distraction. Also we had 2 change rooms at the start because the room was needed for a test by another class, so we had to move all the equipment and reorganise the set out. Health and Safety The only health and social issues I think there were was the electricity we had to use to power every thing however there were floor plugs with caps on and we weren’t messing about with anything. Also all the cables were hidden out the way so no one could trip over them. Were the Aims and Objectivities Achieved? Yes all the aims and objectives were achieved because we saw from the questionnaires that their knowledge improved and they knew the main diseases and more substances in a cigarette. Also we produced an interesting presentation. For example of questionnaires and to see if the people’s knowledge improved see (Appendix 17 and 18) Would You Do Anything Differently Next Time? If I were doing the presentation again I would use a separate room so there were no interruptions, and I would try and be more involved and speak more. Conclusion In conclusion there are many things that contribute to people health such as life style, attitudes and prejudices etc. and they affect different people in different ways. This is why we looked at them in detail first because if we didn’t fully understand all the things that affect health, we wouldn’t have been able to do an affective campaign.

Thomas Hobbs Theory On Human Nature And Ethics Philosophy Essay

Thomas Hobbs Theory On Human Nature And Ethics Philosophy Essay Many people are content with the way things are. I believe that the majority of todays civilization is in a neutral state of understanding and dont really care to know how this state of contentment became. One word can sum up the many reasons that things are the way they are today that word is fear. Throughout history, there are examples of how certain events can happen that will cause people to become overwhelmed with fear. Part of the reason for this, is these events have shaken the confidence that many will have in their various leaders and political systems. Once this takes place, it means that the social fabric holding society together, will completely deteriorate. When this happens a majority of people will begin to fend for themselves, versus attempting to work within the social frame work. In some cases, a new society will quickly emerge to fill this void because the masses are desperate for some kind of law and order. To achieve this objective, many will often give up their personal freedoms for the benefit of the group. A good example of this form previous times can be seen in Germany after the end of World War I. Where, the majority of the people would lose confidence in their leaders, because of the economic and social upheavals that were occurring. (Holocaust Encycl opedia )This is significant, because it shows how the loss of confidence in a political / social system can have devastating consequences down the road. To understand this aspect of human nature and how ethics affects thinking one can examine the ideas of Thomas Hobbes. I will illustrate Thomas Hobbes theory on human nature and ethics by using William Goldings Lord of the Flies. I will also attempt to use firsthand knowledge of the state of nature that still exists in some societies in todays modern times. Together, these two elements will provide insights as to how Hobbes theories can explain human nature and ethics. Thomas Hobbes discusses his different ideas on human nature and the role of ethics in a multi-volume work that he wrote called Leviathan. Wherein all he would write a total of four volumes underscoring his views. Volume one (Of Man), volume two (Of Common-wealth), volume three (Of Christian Common-wealth), and volume four (Of the Kingdom of Darkness), of these volumes, volume one is where Hobbes establishes the basic foundation for his theories, as he would use the other volumes to elaborate on specific aspects of his theory. (Hobbes Moral and Political Philosophy) At the heart of Hobbes political and social philosophy is his social contract theory. This merely means that the people will have an agreement with the government for certain protections, economic well being, and freedom. This balance between the people and the government is what Hobbes refers to as civilization. This state of civilization is made possible by human laws or as Hobbes states Lex naturalis. With Hobbes social contract theory people are willing give up a certain amount of their freedoms, to receive the above benefits from the government or Leviathan. According to Hobbes, this is the basic social foundation that exists in all societies around the globe, (with some kind of balance taking place in one form or another). (Hobbes Moral and Political Philosophy) Yet, when you look further, it is clear that there will be times that these kinds of social contracts will become no longer valid. Once this is occurs, is when a state of nature exists or as Hobbes states Jus natural. This is where everyone would have the right, to do any actions or activities of their choosing. The reason why, is because there are no rules or regulation to guide the actions of everyone. At which point, more people would begin to use these activities as a way to achieve their own objectives and survival. When this takes place, it means that there will be a constant state of war between everyone in society. A survival of the fittest mentality quickly sets in and takes shape. At which point, the overall quality of life will decline, while the rates of what civilization refers to as immortality, increases. To escape this atmosphere of lawlessness, the people will form some kind of social contract with each other. This is when they will create a society and government th at will have the authority over everyone. Where, they will establish various rules and regulations, by having the people surrender a certain amount of their natural rights, to achieve order. The overall abuses that could occur at the hands of the government are a small price that is being paid to be a part of civil society. As a result, Hobbes believes that a strong central government can be able to achieve this objective, by effectively controlling and providing the services that the people require. This is significant, because it shows how within all societies there is some form of social contract that will exist on a certain level. The problem occurs when there is break down in society. People will revert to a more animalistic type of survival, creating increased amounts of instability. It is at this point, that new societies could emerge, to address these changing realities that are taking place. (Hobbes Moral and Political Philosophy). In order to determine the relevance of Hobbes theories, we will examine them by comparing his ideas with William Goldings book Lord of the Flies. Where, this piece of literature discusses the basic foundation of human nature in comparison with law and order. This will provide the insights, as to how the social contract theory is the basic foundation for societies around the world. In Lord of the Flies, the story begins in the midst of war with a plane evacuating a group of schoolboys. The plane is shot down over a deserted tropical island. Two of the boys, Ralph and Piggy, discover a conch shell on the beach and Piggy realizes it could be used as a horn to summon the other boys. Once assembled, the boys elect a leader and begin devising a way to be rescued. Ultimately Ralph is chosen as their leader, and Ralph appoints another boy, Jack, to be in charge of the boys who will hunt food for the entire group. Ralph, Jack, and another boy, Simon, set off on an expedition to explore the island. When they return, Ralph decides that they must light a signal fire to attract the attention of passing ships. The boys succeed in igniting some dead wood by focusing sunlight through the lenses of Piggys eyeglasses. However, the boys pay more attention to playing than to monitoring the fire, and the flames quickly engulf the forest. A large swath of dead wood burns out of con trol, and one of the youngest boys in the group disappears, presumably having burned to death. At first, the boys enjoy their life without grown-ups and spend much of their time splashing in the water and playing games. Ralph, however, complains that they should be maintaining the signal fire and building huts for shelter. The hunters fail in their attempt to catch a wild pig, but their leader, Jack, becomes increasingly preoccupied with the act of hunting. When a ship passes by on the horizon one day, Ralph and Piggy notice that the signal fire which had been the hunters responsibility to maintain had burned out. Furious, Ralph confronts Jack, but the Jack has just returned with his first kill, and all the hunters seemed to be enchanted while reenacting the chase in a kind of wild dance. Piggy criticizes Jack, and then hits Piggy. Ralph blows the conch shell and reprimands the boys in a speech intended to restore order. At the meeting, it quickly becomes clear that some of the boys have started to become afraid. The littlest boys, known as littluns, have been troubled by nightmares from the beginning, and now the boys believe that there is some sort of beast or monster lurking on the island. The older boys try to convince the others at the meeting to think rationally, asking where such a monster could possibly hide during the daytime. One of the littluns suggests that it hides in the sea, a proposition that strikes fear in the entire group. Not long after the meeting, some military planes engage in a battle high above the island. The boys, asleep below, do not notice the flashing lights and explosions in the clouds. A parachutist drifts to earth on the signal-fire mountain, dead. Sam and Eric, the twins responsible for watching the fire at night, are asleep and do not see the parachutist land. When the twins wake up, they see the enormous silhouette of his parachute and hear the strange flapping noises it makes. Thinking the noises that they here are that of the beast, they rush back to the camp in terror and report that the beast has attacked them. The boys organize a hunting expedition to search for the beastie. Jack and Ralph, who are increasingly at odds, travel up the mountain. They see the silhouette of the parachute from a distance and think that it looks like a huge, deformed ape. The group holds a meeting at which Jack and Ralph tell the others of the sighting. Jack says that Ralph is a coward and that he should be removed from office, but the other boys refuse to vote Ralph out of power. Jack angrily runs away down the beach, calling all the hunters to join him. Ralph rallies the remaining boys to build a new signal fire, this time on the beach rather than on the mountain. They obey, but before they have finished the task, most of them have slipped away to join Jack. Jack declares himself the leader of the new tribe of hunters and organizes a hunt and a violent, ritual slaughter of a sow to solemnize the occasion. The hunters then decapitate the sow and place its head on a sharpened stake in the jungle as an offering to the beast. Later, encountering the bloody, fly-covered head, Simon has a terrible vision, during which it seems to him that the head is speaking. The voice, which he imagines as belonging to the Lord of the Flies, says that Simon will never escape him, for he exists within all men. Simon faints. When he wakes up, he goes to the mountain, where he sees the dead parachutist. Understanding then that the beast does not exist externally but rather within each individual boy, Simon travels to the beach to tell the others what he has seen. But the others are in the midst of an elaborate feast even Ralph and Piggy have joined Jacks feast and when they see Simons emerge from the jungle, they fall upon him and kill him with their bare hands. The following morning, Ralph and Piggy discuss what they have done. Jacks hunters attack them and their few followers and steal Piggys glasses in the process. Ralphs group travels to Jacks stronghold in an attempt to make Jack see reason, but Jack orders Sam and Eric tied up and fights with Ralph. In the ensuing battle, one boy, Roger, rolls a boulder down the mountain, killing Piggy and shattering the conch shell. Ralph barely manages to escape the ensuing onslaught. Ralph hides for the rest of the night and the following day, while the others hunt him like an animal. Jack has the other boys ignite the forest in order to smoke Ralph out of his hiding place. Ralph stays in the forest, where he discovers and destroys the sows head, but eventually, he is forced out onto the beach, where he knows the other boys will soon arrive to kill him. Ralph collapses in exhaustion, but when he looks up, he sees a British naval officer standing over him. The officers ship noticed the fire raging in the jungle. The other boys reach the beach and stop in their tracks at the sight of the officer. Amazed at the spectacle of this group of bloodthirsty, savag e children, the officer asks Ralph to explain. Ralph is overwhelmed by the knowledge that he is safe but, thinking about what has happened on the island, he begins to weep. The other boys begin to sob as well. The officer turns his back so that the boys may regain their composure. The plot and the story of in Lord of the Flies, underscores the different views that Hobbes would have on how societies were structured. In Lord of the Flies, the boys were somewhat traumatized from the plane crash and the backdrop of the war. This would create the basic foundation, for the overall amounts of fear that they would have, when they first arrived on the island. This fear was hidden, as the social contract that existed in the military school would remain in place in the beginning. Over the course of time, the lack of rules and these fears would begin to take on a life of their own. As it would work similar to a cancer, that would eat away at the old social contract theory. Once this began to occur, it meant that no one would take responsibility for maintaining this basic foundation. At which point, the social structure began to unravel, with the lack of rules (state of nature) and fear manifesting the changes that were occurring. Where, the majority would begin to become victims of their own fear, by believing the fact that monster was on the island. It is at this point, that the state of nature would take over and two different sub societies would emerge (one loyal to Ralph and the other loyal to Jack). This rivalry would cause the boys to engage in actions that were prohibited, in the society they came from. As their fears about the monster attacking them, would force them to kill one of their own. When confronted with this reality, the state of nature would continue to evolve in a perverse way, by denying what happened. As the majority of the boys, would seek out Ralph, in an effort to kill him. It is as this point that a total state of nature exists, as the old social contract has been destroyed and a new sub society has been created in its place. This confirms the ideas of Hobbes, by highlighting how a social contract exists on some level within all societies. This is because the various rivalries as well as individual competition; have caused many people to seek out: safety, comfort and protection. When this take place, it means that the actions of individual will begin to change, based upon these new social norms that exist. In Lord of the Flies, this is best illustrated at the end of the book, with Ralph becoming the hunted. As the former social contract that existed at the military school was: no long relevant. Instead, a state of nature took place, with a new social contract theory emerging. Where, Jacks group will dominate and determine what is best for everyone. This is significant, because it highlights how shifts can occur in all societies. Where, when the people will become fearful and lose faith in the leadership is when, changes will take place. It is at this point, that they will seek out new social contract, as the underlying confusion from the state of nature, will force everyone in this direction. At the same time, it can cause the ethical views that someone would have about various issues to change, based upon the underlying state of nature. Using the book Lord of the Flies, the changes in ethics occurred with the indiscriminate killings of the other boys. As this state of nature and the lack of rules, would allow this kind of behavior to be acceptable. At which point, the underlying social contract and the ability to enforce the different rules will change. This is important, because it underscores how the ethics of someone, will be influenced based upon the overall state of nature. Clearly, the book Lord of the Flies highlights how Hobbes theories on human nature and ethics are correct. Where, a social contract, that exists in all societies; will form a basic foundation for how various individuals will behave. This will affect the ethics of everyone, as the different rules and regulations will determine the most acceptable behavior. When the people lose confidence in the social contract that exists, a state of nature (lawlessness) will begin to take shape. Over the course of time, this will cause the individual to act differently, as they do not have the social contract restricting their actions. However, a constant state of battle exists within society, as the lack of ethics will cause everyone to constantly clash with each other. To provide some sort of stability, a social contract is created between: the people in society and the government they have. Where, the people are agreeing to lose a certain amount of their natural freedoms, in order to have some kin d of stability in their lives. The trade off, is not engaging in various activities allowed in a state of nature. In doing so, the social contract will have an impact upon the ethics and behavior of everyone within society.

What Are Aforestation And Deforestation Environmental Sciences Essay

What Are Aforestation And Deforestation Environmental Sciences Essay 2.causes of the deforestation in the world:- (1)Forests are threatened by both biotic and a-biotic factors such as climatic hazards, diseases prompted by insects or pathogens, threats of a purely anthropogenic nature, fires, atmospheric pollution, deforastation, and the increase in social pressures.   But this classic division is a bit artificial, since man is partly responsible for all these threats.  Indeed the mark of human actions is always present : it is however relatively moderate concerning climatic disorder despite the emissions of greenhouse gases, responsible for important destructions ; it is average in the sensitive growth of certain artificial forestry stands prone to parasitic attacks ; it is preponderant in the phenomena of atmospheic pollution or of deforestation. These aggressions will therefore be classed by groups but keeping an effort to maintain classification by growing order of mans implications, and therefore the possibility of theoretical intervention will also increase.(1) (3)Agricultural purposes Grazing cattle or planting crops. Poor farmers in developing countries chop down a small area of trees and burn them, which provide nutrients for the soil (know as the Slash-and-Burn technique). This supply is quickly exhausted so the farmers move on to a fresh area, and the cycle starts again. This occurs on a much larger scale for intensive or modern agriculture e.g. large cattle pastures often replace rain forest to grow beef . Commercial logging the cutting down of trees for sale as timber or pulp. In the developed world, there are increasing demands for hardwoods such as mahogany and ebony. The rate at which trees are felled is increasing to meet these demands. People in third world countries need the timber for firewood, as its practically the only source of fuel available to people living there. The heavy machinery used (e.g. bulldozers) is just as damaging to a forest overall as the chainsaws are to individual trees.(3) Climatic hazards and natural catastrophes (4)Climatic hazards or natural catastrophes are pratically independent from the actions of the man. However, the worries concerning eventual future climatic changes, due to the consequences of green house gases from industrial pollution are going to grow. It is sufficient to study here not the ways of fighting these aggressions, but those measures to take before forestry stands are subjected to these events.   Forests are submitted more than any other terrestrial ecosystem to climatic hazards, due to the duration of their maturity, wich can take up to 200 years. In such a period the number of climatic hazards can be great. Storms and win-blow Storms have had an important destructive effect throughout this century, especially throughout the last twenty five years in Europe, destroying millions of m3 of wood, the following 1990, almost 110 million m3 destroyed throughout Europe.   1999, 140 million m3 in France.   These anarchic destructions greatly perturb cutting cycles and general forestry work. Delaying The development of the forest and disrupting the wood market. Against such freak winds forestry management has very little power. However, although foresters are unable to prevent such catastrophes, they have the power to limit the destruction of violent winds by favouring the development of stands that are more wind resistant, and by adopting a prudent and diverse outlook towards management. Periods of drought Water stress renders forestry stands very fragile. They can arise either by a change in the distribution of water throughout the seasons, for the same quantity of annual precipitation (the supply therefore being brought forward in relation to the demand of forest stands), or by a fall in the annual volume of precipitation. It has now been established that the numerous cases of dieback observed in forests stands throughout the world in the last ten years (which at the time were entirely blamed on atmospheric pollution) are due in part, to periodic water stress. In fact, those observations realised concern those forests in regions subjected to strong pollution fall out, but also forests of less affected regions.    Biotic Threats Diseases and the attack of insects : brief overview of the situation   Insects and fungi play an important part towards the causes of dieback in many forests of the world.   These biotic agents intervene, either as primary agressors, or most often as secondary agressors, often attacking already weakened stands. The examples of diseases and illnesses caused by pathogens are unfortunately numerous and only a few will be outlined. These illnesses develop, either as a result of native pathogenic activity, or by the invasion of the non-native agents in non-resistant stands. Robredo and Cadahia drew up a very complete table of the world situation concerning this problem during the tenth world forestry congress, from wich the following text is largely inspired (in COLLECTIF. The forest, inheritance of the future Acts of the tenth forestry congress . French forestry revue. Nancy, 1991.). In North Africa, natural cedar stands are attacked by xylophitic insects , during periods of climatic stress. In Spain,  Abies pinsapo  is subjected to combined attacks of theFungi  Fomes annosus, and xylophitic and cortical perforating insects. In Europe, dieback can be observed amongst various oak species, most notably, the cork oak and evergreen oak (attacks of  Diplodia  andHypoxilon). In Quebec, the pine shoot moth periodically attacks the annual shoots of (Abies balsamea and Picea glauca) as in the whole of the North East of North America. This indigenous insect reaches epidemic proportions roughly every thirty years. The last infestation (1938-1958) provoked the death of 60 % of Firs and 20 % of Spruces. At the end of 1975, an epidemic breakout covered 35 million ha of Quebec. Fires:-Fire has always been an element present in many forestry ecosystems. Natural causes of fire exist such as lightening and volcanic eruptions. The area subjected to natural fires has been very important and can cover millions of hectares. However the lapse of time is generally long between successive fires, permitting the ecosystem to recover and reconstitute itself.   Large fires have always ravaged the surface of the earth. In the North of China, 1.33 million ha went up in flames in 1987 ; more than 3.5 million ha were burnt in Kalimantan (Borneo) between 1982 and 1983 ; in 1988, 400.000 ha were destroyed by fire in the United States in yellow stone national park. Recently in 1993, considerable damage was done by an enormous fire in Australia. The importance of human factor The main causes of contemporary fires and anthropogenic : This is the case with the recurrent fires in the European Mediterranean zone, or those fires provoked in tropical humid zones, which have their goal the clearing of land for agriculture. In dry tropical zones with mixed broadleaved forests and rich undergrowth, human populations have always used fire to make way for grazing and agriculture. In Europe, figures gathered by the FAO permit one to establish the area of forest burnt annually between 1980 and 1988, i.e. some 585.000 ha. During the same period North America lost some 3.5 million hectares of forest to fires. That percentage attribued to human causes being around 97% in Europe, 91% in the United States and 66% in Canada. Very little is known concerning the equivalent information for the entire world. The total wooded surface touched by fire annually is around 10 million hectares, which represents some 0.3% of the total world forested area. However the impact of these fires is more important than this small percentage suggests. In fact, in the zones where the frequence of fires is high, the destructive character of such fires is worsened by the fact that forest stands do not have the time to reconstitute themselves between the passage of two consecutive fires.   An Integrated policy for the prevention and fighting of fires The methods of fighting fires must be adapted to the socio-cultural environment in which they are put into place. Developed countries Developed countries possess the necessary materials to permit them to carry out a No-fire policy in order to satisfy public opinion, which is generally very sensitive to this form of threat to the natural environment. In this case, a perfect coordination between terrestrial and aerial fire fighting means must be provided, in addition to the active participation of the public and private forestry sectors, for example, in the participation of preventive operations and detective procedures.   Developing countries In developing countries or in natural regions wich are less densely populated, one must accept that a part of the wooded surface will be burnt. This practice is due to an agro-silvo-pastoral culture wich includes positive elements and is therefore difficult to condemn. Solutions can not be looked for without taking into account the subsistence requirements of those populations concerned.(4) 3. BENEFITS OF AFORESTATION (5)Afforestation refers to the conversion of wasteland into a woodland or forest. It is essentially the transformation of land which has not been forested for a period of more than 40 year to woodland through seeding and planting. Afforestation is the best technique used to minimize the greenhouse effect. Therefore, there is constant necessity to develop afforestation programs in order to preserve and protect the forestry including the wasteland. A massive afforestation program is required to meet the increasing demand of fuel wood, timber and fodder. Here are the main benefits of afforestation. 1. Preserves wildlife Afforestation is useful especially when it comes to protecting the wildlife. According to recent scientific studies, upland forest vegetation tends to affect the population of birds on neighboring unplanted moorlands. Planting of trees simply restores and maintains ecological balance of all systems in the environment. 2. Tourist attraction Trees provide oxygen and also help to preserve ecological splendor of the landscape which in turn attracts tourists from all parts of the world. 3. Minimizes soil erosion Soil erosion is significantly reduced as tree plantations prevent run off after heavy rains. In addition, trees bring soils together which prevents soil erosion. 4. Provides forest products With an increase in demand for forest and timber products, afforestation is very valuable due to the explosion of livestock and human population. For that reason, construction of infrastructure has led to the demand of forest products. 5. Stabilizes the climate Planting of trees in semi-arid areas attracts rainfall. This way, agricultural practices such as irrigation are carried out efficiently. In addition, afforestation acts as a catchment for water and soil conservation.(5) 4 .EFFECT OF DEFORESTATION (8)When forests are killed, nature basically requires people to renew the forest. Reforestation is one concept that is in the opposite direction as deforestation, but is proven to be a much harder effort than deforestation. So the rate of deforestation has not been offset by the rate of reforestation. Thus, the world is now in a troubled state when it comes to issues concerning the environment. Climate Change When an area of rainforest is either cut down or destroyed, there are various climate changes that happen as a result. The following is a list of the various climate changes with a brief description of why they come about. Desication of previously moist forest soil What happens is because of the exposure to the sun, the soil gets baked and the lack of canopy leaves nothing to prevent the moisture from quickly evaporating into the atmosphere. Thus, previously moist soil becomes dry and cracked. Dramatic Increase in Temperature Extremes Trees provide shade and the shaded area has a moderated temperature. With shade, the temperature may be 98 degrees Farenheit during the day and 60 degrees at night. With out the shade, temperatures would be much colder during the night and around 130 degrees during the day. Moist Humid Region Changes to Desert This is related to the desicaiton of previously moist forest soil. Primarily because of the lack of moisture and the inability to keep moisture, soil that is exposed to the sun will dry and turn into desert sand. Even before that happens, when the soil becomes dry, dust storms become more frequent. At that point, the soil becomes usesless. No Recycling of Water Moisture from the oceans fall as rain on adjacent coastal regions. The moisture is soon sent up to the atmosphere through the transpiration of foliage to fall again on inland forest areas. This cycle repeats several times to rain on all forest regions. Less Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen Exchange The rainforests are important in the carbon dioxide exchange process. They are second only to oceans as the most important sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. The most recent survey on deforestaiton and greenhouse gas emisions reports that deforestation may account for as much as 10% of current greenhouse gas emmisions. Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere that literally trap heat. There is a theory that as more greenhouse gasses are released into the atmosphere, more heat gets trapped. Thus, there is a global warming trend in which the average temperature becomes progressivily higher. The ozone layer is a mass of oxygen or O3 atoms that serves as shield in the atmosphere against the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. Because ozone is made up of oxygen atoms, oxygen react with carbon monoxide. Such reaction would use up oxygen It follows that when there are more carbon monoxide atoms going to the atmosphere, the volume of oxygen would decline. Such is the case of ozone depletion. More Desertification According to the United Nations Enviromental Programme (UNEP) in 1977, deforestation is an important factor contributing to desertificaiton. What is unclear is how fast deserts are expanding is controversial. According to UNEP, between 1958 and 1975, the Saharen Desert expanded southward by about 100km. In 1980 UNEP estimated that desertification threatened 35 per cent of the worlds land surface and 20 per cent of the worlds population. Recently, groups challenged those conclusions. Some scientists claim that the conclusion were based on insufficient data. Nevertheless, desertification still threatens more and more drylands.(8) 7.(3)(Soil Erosion Soil Erosion   The trees and shrubs in a forest cover the ground and protect the soil from the rain. Tree leaves intercept the rain fall, and shrubs and leaf litter protects the soil from water dripping off the leaves. With this protection removed, the rain falls directly onto the bare soil and erodes it. The rain also leaches the soil of important nutrients, making it less fertile. 8. The Greenhouse Effect   During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is taken in and oxygen is given out. Deforestation removes the carbon sinks, and coupled with the carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of fossil, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increase. The carbon dioxide forms a blanket around the earth and traps heat from solar radiation. This is called the greenhouse effect, and causes the average temperature of the earth to rise. If this continues, the polar ice caps could melt and cause flooding. 9. Disruption of the Hydrological Cycle   Deforestation can effect the local climate of an area by reducing the evaporative cooling that takes place from the soil and plants. Because the amount of evapotranspiration has been reduced, the formation of clouds and therefore precipitation is also reduced. This threatens the existence of the remaining plants in the forest. Deforestation can also cause flooding. In forested areas, flood water is absorbed into the soil and taken up by the tree roots. The water is then transpired through aerial parts of the plant and into the atmosphere, where it forms clouds. In deforested areas, the flood water runs across the area and is not stopped by vegetation. The top layer of soil is eroded in this process and gets transported into rivers where it causes the level of silt to rise. This rise in the river level causes floods to occur more frequently. Less evaporation also means that more of the suns energy is used to warm the surface and consequently the air above, leading to a rise in temperatures. 10. Spreading of Disease   the mosquito, anopheles darlingi, which spreads malaria parasites, breeds in pools of water that are created in deforested land and on eroded land. Deforestation therefore favours a population explosion of this species.(3) (6)11. Flooding. Deforestation can result to watersheds that are no longer able to sustain and regulate water flows from rivers and streams. Trees are highly effective in absorbing water quantities, keeping the amount of water in watersheds to a manageable level. The forest also serves as a cover against erosion. Once they are gone, too much water can result to downstream flooding, many of which have caused disasters in many parts of the world. As fertile topsoil is eroded and flooded into the lower regions, many coastal fisheries and coral reefs suffer from the sedimentation brought by the flooding. This results to negative effects in the economic viability of many businesses and fatalities in wildlife population.(6) 12. Other Effects (7)(a) Demand for land for cultivation. This has been seen both in Kenya and other parts of the world especially countries that have Agriculture as the backbone of their economy. Trees have been cut down to obtain land for cultivation of both subsistence and cash crops, both by governments and individuals. b) Need for firewood People, especially those who live in rural areas where electricity and gas are unavailable, resort to use of firewood as a source of heat. Here, wood is cut down and burnt. c) Need for land to build industries Industries require a lot of land and while industrialization is important for every country, it is the bane of large tracts of forest. People need jobs in order to provide for their daily needs. d) Need for land to build houses With the worldwide increase in population, land to build houses for people to live in is very much required. e) Need for wood for furniture, pencils, paper etc)(7) (8)There many rewards such as clean air and clean water, perhaps the two most important, that forests provide. Rainforests also provide many aesthetic, recreational and cultural rewards. If the rainforests are destroyed, then these rewards dissappear. This has major social repercusions for the entire world.(8) Effect to biodiversity (7)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Destruction of animal habitats: Apart from domesticated animals and marine and fresh water animals, all other animals need forests as their habitats. These forests do not only provide a place for the animals to roam day but also provide their food and act as a source of protection from predators through camouflage. Destruction of the animals habitats literally kills the animals. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Medicinal Plants: Some trees are used as herbs. Trees such as the Cinchona have been used as treatment against Malaria since time immemorial. Destruction of these forests leads to destruction of medicinal plants that could be used as treatment for various ailments.(7) (9)Forests are natural habitats to many types of animals and organisms. That is why, when there is deforestation, many animals are left without shelters. Those that manage to go through the flat lands and residential sites are then killed by people. Through the years, it is estimated that there are millions of plant and extinct animal species that have been wiped out because they have been deprived of home. Thus, biodiversity is significantly lowered because of the savage deforestation practices of some people. Wildlife advocates have been constantly reminding that several wild animals left in the world could still be saved if deforested forests would only be reforested and the practice of slash and burn of forests would be totally abandoned. Social effects of deforestation Deforestation is hardly hitting the living conditions of indigenous people who consider forests as their primary habitats. Imagine how they are rendered homeless when forests are depleted. These natives would be forced to live elsewhere, and are usually left to becoming mendicants in rural and urban areas. water sinks in deeper to the ground, and eventually replenishing the supply of water in the water table. Now, imagine what happens when there is not enough forests anymore. Water from rain would simply flow through the soil surface and not be retained by the soil. Overall, effects of deforestation cannot be offset by the contribution of the practice to development. While it is logical that progress is very much needed by mankind, it must also be noted that nature knows no defeat. Destruct it and it would certainly retaliate, one way or another. Pollution is rapidly growing along with population. Forests are greatly helping reduce the amount of pollutants in the air. So, the depletion of these groups of trees is greatly increasing the risk that carbon monoxide would reach the atmosphere and result in the depletion of the ozone layer, which in turn results to global warming.(9) 5. SOLUTION OF DEFORESTATION (3)Reforesting   this is especially popular in Vietnam, where most of their forests were destroyed during the war. Now, every pupil has to plant a tree and look after it. Bans   generally, people want a ban on the logging of ancient-growth forests and possibly compensating companies for not logging certain areas. Sustainable Forests   using forest and the animals and plants that live in them in ways that do not permanently damage them. This could mean taking only as much timber or other products as the forests can support so that they will continue to be productive in future years. Recycling   an option for the wealthier countries in the world to cut down on their consumption of forest products in general. Protected Areas   environmental organisations like WWF and Friend of the Earth can offer legal protection for certain areas by campaigning and informing governments over the necessity to protect a proportion of the world forests from destruction. Produce   an increase in demand for products which have their origin in tropical rainforests e.g. body creams, bath oils, sweets, fruits and nuts, would make the forests more secure, as a large number of trees are needed to produce a large yield.(3) (10)False Solutions:  1. Sustainable Commercial Logging On a governmental level, attempted solutions to deforestation caused by the timber industry have emphasised the necessity of supporting sustainable timber extraction. Such approaches assume, without supporting evidence, that rainforests can be used as an industrial resource base for timber on a sustainable basis. This has resulted in more rather than less deforestation. The International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) has had to acknowledge that serious attempts at sustainable management of tropical rainforests for timber production are on a world scale, negligible. As well as the technical obstacles to sustainability, the industry has shown itself to be unable to operate free from corruption. The only systematic attempt to disclose such corruption has been in Papua New Guinea, where a recent inquire concluded that there can be no doubt that the timber industry, by its very nature, is conducive to acts of a criminal nature and acts contrary to law and proper government administration.   2. The Tropical Forestry Action Plan (TFAP), the first major international initiative to tackle tropical deforestation, was launched in 1985 by the UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), The World Resources Institute, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme. It claimed to offer a cure for tropical deforestation and its supposed causes, but its flaws were apparent from the outset. It was based on the assumption that poverty and overpopulation are the main underlying causes of tropical deforestation and failed to recognise the role of the developed countries. It paid lip service to the role of landlessness and destructive development, but made no real attempt to deal with them. The TFAP regarded deforestation as a result of too little government control and called for all rainforests to eventually come under government jurisdiction. Rather than calling for reforms to inequitable land ownership, the TFAP often requires annexation of traditional lands for govern ment forestry estates.   Donor countries are becoming unwilling to fund TFAP projects. Peru, Colombia, Panama and Argentina have received less than 10% of the funding required for their national TFAP projects. The US Senate is now refusing to fund the TFAP at all, and Britain has said it will withdraw from the Plan entirely unless coordination of the TFAP is moved out of the FAO. 3. The Limits of Reserve Strategies A significant proportion of tropical biodiversity would already be lost if nature reserves, often initiated by private conservation organisations, had not been established. However, all too often indigenous peoples, living harmoniously with their environment, have been expelled from protected areas or subjected to controls that have led to the disintegration of their cultures.  Ã‚  It is a misconception to believe that nature reserves can conserve the greater proportion of the genetic diversity of tropical rainforests, where the number of individuals of each species per unit area tends to be low, but the total number of species can be enormous. On average, ten hectares of lowland tropical rainforest in South East Asia will contain more tree species than the whole of North America.  Ã‚  It is therefore inevitable that any large-scale projects which destroy rainforests will lead to the extinction of hundreds of species. Only by providing the widest possible protection for the remaining primary rainforests will it be possible to save the greater part of the Earths biological diversity from extinction. Strictly protected nature reserves can only be a supportive measure in an overall programme for the protection of rainforest ecosystems. The creation of nature reserves must not be used as justification for the destructive exploitation of unprotected rainforest areas.   4. The International Biodiversity Programme The World Bank is pursuing the goal of a global Biodiversity Action Programme. Like the TEAP, this plan fails to confront underlying causes of biodiversity loss, and is likely to worsen the problem it is supposed to solve. Loss of biodiversity in tropical regions is due to the trend towards replacement of traditional species-rich agriculture and forestry with monocultures. Yet under the Biodiversity Programme, monocultures would be encouraged. The Programme sees the setting aside of reserves as the solution to the problem, but the minimum size required for viable areas of tropical forest is unknown. Worse, the setting aside of reserves is likely to be used as an excuse for the unrestricted exploitation of unprotected areas. The Programme would also increase the control of biodiversity by the North at the expense of the South. TOWARDS REALISTIC SOLUTIONS: Alternatives to destructive exploitation of tropical forests are to be found in small-scale initiatives coming from the grass roots in tropical countries, not from ill-conceived large-scale prestige projects such as the TFAP 1. Recognising the Rights of Traditional Owners. The Australian Rainforest Memorandum, produced by the Rainforest Information Centre and endorsed by over 40 non-governmental organisations, asserts that: The right to cultural survival for all tribal peoples is inviolable. All possible efforts should be made to support and safeguard their rights and those of other forest dwellers, in particular the right to security of land tenure.  About one thousand rainforest cultures still exist. Nearly all of them are in conflict with the development strategies of the dominant social classes and international development agencies that have taken control of their lands and who consistently ignore their basic rights and often even their very existence. It is significant that the most successful projects to save rainforests are those which have been carried out in cooperation with the traditional owners of the forests. In Papua New Guinea and Ecuador, the Rainforest Information Centre and other organisations have been involved in schemes which support the legitimate development aspirations of traditional landowners with small-scale autonomous projects. In 1990, the Colombian Government gave back half its Amazonian territory to its rightful Indian owners, acknowledging that they were the best guardians of the forest. In Malaysia, Indonesia and the many other countries where the rights of traditional owners have been ignored, attempts to save rainforests have been uniformly unsuccessful. 2. Non-Timber Values The economic value of keeping rainforests is often overlooked. Rainforests provide essential and renewable sources of fruits, starches, oils, medicines, firewood, animal products, building materials and other projects when extraction is well-managed. However, the value of rainforest goods and services to local human populations is usually ignored in the economic analyses upon which development decisions are based because these societies often operate with little involvement in the cash economy. In many tropical countries, major sections of the population depend directly on intact rainforests for their daily needs. The people of Papua New Guinea, for instance, obtain 58% of their animal protein from rainforest areas.   In large regions of West Africa, people until recently met 65% of their animal protein needs from rainforests. This situation changed as the forests were destroyed by the establishment of export plantations and the timber industry.   Although the careful management of non-timber forest products has considerable national and international; potential, these resources are being lost through the destruction of the tropical forests. In the Amazon, over two million people depend on rubber, Brazil nuts and other minor forest products without damaging the biological integrity of the rainforest. Recent studies have shown that the value of non-timber forest products often far exceeds the value of timber in tropical forests. A study in the rainforests of Peru showed that the economic value of the minor forest products, including fruits, resins and medicines which were actually being marketed, exceeded the value of use the forest for timber by nine to one.   However, assessment of the potential of non-timber forest projects to provide for the market beyond a regional level must include careful ecological auditing. Available suggests that the specific ecological characteristics and the soil and microclimate conditions of tropical rainforests limit the possibilities for sustainable exploitation to a much greater degree than in temperate ecosystems. In fact primary rainforest

Essay on Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Their Eyes Were Watc

The Charater of Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie Crawford is the heroine. She helps women to deal with their own problems by dealing with hers. She deals with personal relationships as well as searches for self-awareness. Janie Crawford is more than a heroine, however, she is a woman who has overcome the restrictions placed on her by the oppressive forces and people in her life.    As a young woman, Janie had no complaints about her role in society and fit in as most young people do. Eventually, Janie made it her purpose to outgrow this mold, defying her societal role and fulfilling her dream of becoming the assertive woman she always wanted to be. To personalize the novel, the female perspective is introduced very early in the story. "Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly" (Page 1). This phrase not only explains female dreams in Janie's world, but it also foreshadows the restrictions placed upon women in that world. "They act and do things accordingly." Women are expected to comply and not fight when they are told they are not allowed to... ... Connection: Feminist Strategies in American Fiction. " Women's Studies 28.2 (1999): 185-201. Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Perennial Classics, 1990. Interpretations: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Kayano, Yoshiko. "Burden, Escape, and Nature's Role: A Study of Janie's Development in Their Eyes Were Watching God." Publications of the Mississippi Philological Association (1998): 36-44. Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. " 'Tuh de Horizon and Back': The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God." Modern Critical

intelligence Essays -- essays research papers

Intelligence is the level of competence, ability to learn or to some people it is how well an individual performs on an IQ test. The structure of intelligence is best subdivided into two significant categories. They are environmental and hereditary influences. Environmental differences can be divided into different factors. The deprivation model of social class and intelligence consists of three variables. These variables explain, in terms of environmental factors, development and performance which are correlated with social status. The first of these variables consists of the combination of birth order, nutrition, and prenatal care. Children who are first born, on average score better on mental tests. There is a definite higher number of first born children among higher socioeconomic groups as opposed to lower socioeconomic groups. According to Bruce Eckland, children of higher economic class tend to be brighter, on average, than children of lower economic groups (65). Both prenatal stress and malnutrition, impair development and are found much more frequently among lower socioeconomic classes. According to Philip E. Vernon, the fetus can have lack blood supply and growth of the fetus can be disturbed if the mother takes certain drugs or suffers from certain diseases. Severe stress on the mother can also be hazardous to the fetus (84). These conditions expressed are both genetic and or resulting from environmental conditions and are known to as constitutional factors. The second variable of the deprivation model which helps exhibit differences in performance is the cultural variable. It seems that lower socioeconomic classes experience a unique pattern of behavioral and psychological traits which impair development in children raised in these conditions. The last environmental variable that accounts for differences in the cognitive development is the social cultural variable. This variable includes deprivation which involves socially structured inequalities in education and other social opportunities for improving performance. Sidney W. Bijou states that in order to help development, an ample supply of physical stimuli for cognitive development is favorable along with the people who have to manage these stimuli in contingent relationships after the birth of the child (230). Another environmental contribution to intelligence, which Bijou points out is th... ...ort the conclusion that both genetic and environmental components have a significant effect upon the intelligence of the child. There has also been some research done on identical twins who live in different environments. They have been compared with siblings who are not twins but live in the same environment. The correlation results for twins who live apart is .75 and .24 for no-twin siblings who do live together. It seems that together, these two correlations almost add up to 1.00 which is the total phenotypic variance. Vernon points out that the effect of genes is much more powerful than that of the environment. Even though the precise values of the correlations are of dispute, analyses of kinship data, concludes Vernon, provides the most convincing demonstration of genetic influence on intelligence. Undoubtedly ,the subject of intelligence can be defined in many ways. To better understand intelligence psychologist have rendered two main influences as cause for variable intelligence levels. These two main influences as discussed previously cannot be explained as one being the main determinant of intelligence. This two influences are environmental and hereditary influences.

Employer Rights and Responsibilites Essay

Their are certain laws in place which cover employment. Employment law is likely to have a profound impact on employees throughout their working lives. It governs the employment of every employee and working in the UK. Any worker or employee working in the UK is entitled to certain employment rights, and protected by employment law. Employment law does not always work in the favour of the employed as it also protects the rights of employers too. There are numerous employment rights. It is important for these laws to be fully understood, otherwise it is possible to end up going down the route of unfair dismissal and discrimination claims. It is vital an employee stays on top of the law with regard to the following: Breach of contract, Workplace Bullying, Compromise Agreements, Constructive Dismissal , Data Protection, Disciplinary procedures and suspension, Discrimination, Flexible Working, Health and Safety, Holidays, Maternity and Paternity rights, Redundancy, Sexual Harrassment and Sickness Absence. Many pieces of lawful legislation have been grouped together into more recent Acts which cover existing Acts known as regulations and identified as statutory fundaments of the more recent act implemented. Please see below laws and legislations which cover employment: Employment Rights Act 1996 – This act is the main act which covers majority of the areas in employent. These areas will be covered in the worklace as company policies and procedures, which will outline the laws and legislations in place. It includes the protection of wages, Guarantee payments, protection from suffering detriment in employment, time off work, dependants, study and training, suspension from work, Maternity-Adoption-Paternity-Parrental leave, flexible working, termination of employment, unfair dismissal and redundancy. National Minimum Wage Act 1988 – Creates a minimum wage across the United Kingdom, currently ? 6. 19 per hour for workers aged 21 years and older, ? 4. 98 per hour for workers aged 18-20 years old. This act too effect on 1st April 1999. There was no national minimum wage before 1988 and often workers were most vulnerable to low pay. The national minimum wage act is universally applicable to anyone who has a contract to do work, except for a consumer or a client. The Working Time Regulations 1998 – a United Kingdom statutory instrument which regulate the time that people in the UK may work. The regulations apply to all workers and not just employees. The regulations stipulate minimum rest breaks, daily rest, weekly rest and the maximum average working week. It sets a default rule which, although one may opt out of it, that workers may work no more than 48 hours per week. It also grants a mandatory right to paid annual leave of at least a minimum of 28 days (including bank holidays and public holidays). It creates the right to a minimum period of rest of 20 minutes in any shift lasting over 6 hours. Disability Discrimination Act 2005 – This act ensures that people with a disability are treated fairly. This act enables disabled people to have equal rights with accessing their local community, using public transport, working and applying for jobs and joining clubs. Renting out a property, study and education. Equality Act 2010 – This act requires equal treatment in access to employment as well as private and public services, regardless of the protected characteristics of age disability, gender, reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. In the case of gender there are special protections for pregnant women. In the case of disability, employers and service providers are under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to their workplaces to overcome barriers experienced by disabled people. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 – This is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which protects men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marriage. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – This act defines the fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare within the United Kingdom. The act defines general duties employers, employees and contactors, suppliers of goods and substances for use at work, persons in control of work premises, and those who manage and maintain them, and persons in general. The act lays down certain principles for the management of health and safety at work, enabling the creation of specific requirements through regulations enacted at statutory instruments or through codes of practices. The following are some of the statutory instruments that lay down detailed requirements: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations 1992 Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 There was also the intention with this Act to simplify the existing complex and confused system of legislation. This act sets out the objectives for securing the health, safety and welfare of persons at work; protecting persons other than those at work against risks to healtha nd safety arising out of or in connection of activities of persons at work; controlling the keeping and use of explosive or highly flammable or otherwise dangerous substances, and generally preventing the unlawful acquisition, possession and use of such substances. Having used various resources to research for this question on employment law, I have taken the time to go through my own company policies and procedures folders. There are three large folders for policies and procedures all of which cover all the government laws, legislatons and regulations expected to be followed. I have chosen to continue this question by referring to a number of my company policies and procedures, their key features and identifying which government law, legislation and regulation they support. RIDDOR – Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 – Outlines the requirements and arrangements for incidents which are legally required to be reported to the Health and Safety authorities. Some types of incidents may be reported to the health and safety authorities and also be reported as a clinical incident to the care quality commission. Fire Safety – This supports the regulatory reform Fire Safety Order 2005. Outlines the arrangements which are implemented to enable fire safety risks at the company premises to be assessed and to identify adequate physical and procedural controls including key elements such as staff training essential to be implemented. It outlines the responsibilities and fire safety risk assessment. There are details for what is essential to be put into a fire safety risk assessment such as fired doors, fire exits and alarms. First Aid – This outlines the necessary procedures to be carried out for service users, staff or visitors to be treated for injury or sudden illness promptly and safety until placed in the care of a professional or moved to hospital. It supports the government laws of Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Stated within is how records of first aid treatment should be made along with first aid training to be completed and refreshed at the correct times, usually necessary for renewal every 12 months. COSHH – Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002 – In place to ensure all health and safety risks of hazardous substances are assesed and controlled in accordances with the legal requirements. It supports the following lawful legislation in place; The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999 and Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. The company undertakes a wide rang of activities which can have a potential to expose employees and others to substances hazardous to their healt and safety. The purpose of the policy is to lay down a consistant approach to undertaking risk assessments of such work and to implement controls, so as to achieve effective protection of employees and ensure consistency. Manual Handling – Intended to ensure the provision of equipment to minimise the moving and handling of patients manually by staff. It supports Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. It explains how manual handling is one of the most common causes of injuy at work and can lead to serious injuries. It expects appropriate practical training to be given before manual handling takes place. There must be a risk assessment in place. Explained within is the correct equipment required for manual handling to be carried out correctly. Any injuries at work sustained are required for the person to complete an accident form. Before a person who has injured themselves can resume with manual handling activities they must have an occupational health assessment. PPE – Personal Protective Equipment – Aims for protective clothing suitable for work to be provided. It supports Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Ionising Radiatiosn Regulations 2002, Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 and Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2002. I It expects protective items to be provided. Equipment such as hearing protection, eye protection, protective footwear, a protective mask or respirator, high visibility clothing, a welding visor or a hard hat, aprons, latex gloves etc. There is a high degree of user choice as to when and whether the protection is worn. Often the procedure to ensure people are using the protective equipment provided is a result of a disciplinary action. Employees do not pay for PPE, the company is to provide this.

Indian Railway

Marketing Project On INDIAN RAILWAYS Submitted by: Dhruti Badami 11BSPHH010XXX Nikhil Goyal 11BSPHH01XXX ContentsPage Introduction Marketing Mix SWOT Analysis Market Segmentation Market Targeting Market Positioning The Way Forward INTRODUCTION Indian Railways is the nationalized railway company of India which owns and operates most of the country's rail transport. It is the world’s second largest  employer behind Chinese army; has one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, an extensive network, which is spread over 60000 Route Kilometre, of which approximately 30 per cent is electrified. The Indian Railways have played an integrating role in the social and economic development of the country  , transporting over 18 million passengers and more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily, it is the world's largest commercial or utility employer, with more than 1. 4 million employees. Besides its stated function of transporting men and goods across the length and breadth of the country, it also enhances the country’s economy. As the country is emerging as one of the rapidly growing economies in the world, the need for a well- organized transport infrastructure would become more vital. Although there have been other modes of transport available in the country, INDIAN RAILWAYS is still able to maintain its competitive position due to many advantages like geographical diversity, world’s largest networks, and above all its economical fares in delivering the services. Marketing Mix Product Railways offer three major types of services: 1) Freight Service 2) Passenger Service 3) Parcel Service Freight Service IR carries a huge variety of goods ranging from mineral ores, fertilizers and petrochemicals, agricultural produce, iron & steel, multimodal traffic and others. Ports and major urban areas have their own dedicated freight lines and yards. Many important freight stops have dedicated platforms and independent lines. Indian Railways makes 70% of its revenues and most of its profits from the freight sector, and uses these profits to cross-subsidise the loss-making passenger sector. . Within the freight segment, bulk traffic accounts for nearly 95 per cent, of which more than 44 per cent is contributed by coal. Indian Railways also transports vehicles over long distances. Trucks that carry goods to a particular location are hauled back by trains saving the trucking company on unnecessary fuel expenses. Refrigerated vans are also available in many areas. The â€Å"Green Van† is a special type used to transport fresh food and vegetables. Recently Indian Railways introduced the special ‘Container Rajdhani' or CONRAJ, for high priority freight. The highest speed notched up for a freight train is 120 kilometres per hour (75  mph) for a 5,500  metric tonne load. Under the Eleventh  Five Year Plan  of India (2007–2012), Ministry of Railways is constructing a new Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) covering about 2762 route km long. Passenger Service * Duronto Express These are the non-stop point to point rail services (except for operational stops) introduced for the first time in 2009. These trains connect the metros and major state capitals of India and are faster than Rajdhani Express. The Duronto services consists of classes of accommodation namely first AC, two-tier AC, three-tier AC, AC 3 Tier Economy, Sleeper Class, General Class. * Rajdhani Express These are all air-conditioned trains linking major cities to New Delhi. The Rajdhanis have high priority and are one of the fastest trains in India, travelling at about 140 km/h (87 mph). There are only a few stops on a Rajdhani route. * Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi Express The Shatabdi trains are AC intercity seater-type trains for travel during day. Jan-Shatabdi trains consists of both AC and non-AC classes. * Garib Rath Fully air conditioned trains, designed for those who cannot afford to travel in the expensive Shatabti and Rajdhani Express. Garib Rath means â€Å"Chariot of the Poor†. The maximum speed is 130 km/h. * Superfast Mail/Express These are trains that have an average speed greater than 55 km/h (34 mph). Tickets for these trains have an additional super-fast surcharge. Mail/Express These are the most common kind of trains in India. They have more stops than their super-fast counterparts, but they stop only at relatively important intermediate stations. * Rajya Rani Express These are a series of express trains operated by Indian Railways to connect state capitals with other cities important for tourism, pilgrimage or business. * Passenger and Fast Pas senger These are slow trains that stop at most stations along the route and are the cheapest trains. The trains generally have unreserved seating accommodation but some night trains have sleeper and 3A compartments. Suburban trains These trains operate in urban areas, usually stop at all stations and have unreserved seating accommodation. * Special Tourist Trains Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Heritage On Wheels, Golden Chariot, Darjeeling Toy Train Price Freight Traffic A number of steps have been taken in the recent years to augment the railway loading as well as the earning of the Railways. As a result of those steps, the Freight earning of the Railways increased from Rs. 36,287 crore in 2005-06 to Rs. 41,717 crore in 2006-07 (increase of 16 per cent) and the loading increased from 667. 0 MT in 2005-06 to 728. 41 MT in 2006-07 (increase of 9. 2 per cent). Continuing the process further, the Railways have taken many initiatives to increase the railways freight earnings such as discount up to 30 per cent has been permitted on traffic loaded in the notified Traditional Empty Flow Directions during both busy and lean seasons, along with special long term; lump sum rates and other concessions. Passenger Traffic Pricing process is very complex due to the presence of various types of trains, quotas, classes, and concessions. The Pricing strategy is based on keeping in mind the need the entire population of the country and is mainly based on the type of class as described below: * 1AThe First class AC: This is the most expensive class, where the fares are on par with airlines. Bedding is included with the fare in IR. This air conditioned coach is present only on popular routes between metropolitan cities and can carry 18 passengers. The coaches are carpeted, have sleeping accommodation and have privacy features like personal coupes. * 2AAC-Two tier: Air conditioned coaches with sleeping berths, ample leg room, curtains and individual reading lamps. Berths are usually arranged in two tiers in bays of six, four across the width of the coach then the gangway then two berths long ways, with curtains provided to give some privacy from those walking up and down. Bedding is included with the fare. A broad gauge coach can carry 48 passengers. * FCFirst class: Same as 1AC, without the air conditioning. This class is not very common. * 3AAC three tier: Air conditioned coaches with sleeping berths. Berths are usually arranged as in 2AC but with three tiers across the width and two long ways as before giving eight bays of eight. They are slightly less well appointed, usually no reading lights or curtained off gangways. Bedding is included with fare. It carries 64 passengers in broad gauge. * 3EAC three tier (Economy): Air conditioned coaches with sleeping berths, present in Garib Rath Trains. Berths are usually arranged as in 3AC but with three tiers across the width and three long ways. They are slightly less well appointed, usually no reading lights or curtained off gangways. Bedding is not included with fare. * CCAC chair car: An air-conditioned seater coach with a total of five seats in a row used for day travel between cities. ECExecutive class chair car: An air-conditioned seater coach with a total of four seats in a row used for day travel between cities. * SLSleeper class: The sleeper class is the most common coach, and usually ten or more coaches could be attached. These are regular sleeping coaches with three berths vertically stacked. In broad gauge, it carries 72 passengers per coach. Railways ha ve modified certain Sleeper Coaches on popular trains to accommodate 81 passengers in place of regular 72 passengers. This was done in order to facilitate benefits like clear the Passenger rush and simultaneously earn more revenue. But this has got lukewarm response with criticism from the travellers and railways have decided to remove them. * 2SSeater class: Same as AC Chair car, but with bench style seats and without the air-conditioning. * URUnreserved: The cheapest accommodation, the seats usually made up of pressed wood, but the cushioned seats have been rapidly replaced. Although entry into the compartment is guaranteed, a sitting seat is not guaranteed. Tickets issued are valid on any train on the same route if boarded within 24 hours of buying the ticket. These coaches are usually very crowded. Also higher prices are charged for Tatkal scheme and lower for senior citizens and children below 12 years of age. As a part of ongoing marketing strategy, a number of steps have been taken by Indian Railways such as reduction in fares, proliferation of ticketing facility, introduction of Passengers Incentive Schemes like Upgradation, Scheme for Frequent Travellers (SOFT), etc. Place Tickets can be booked through a variety of ways: * Book in Person at Stations * Computerized Reservation Centre * Online booking * SMS Travel Agents Promotion Since the Indian Railways is a monopoly, they do not spend much on promotional activities. Their major promotions include advertising in print media, usually newspapers and hoardings. They sponsor certain national events such as the recently held Commonwealth Games in Delhi and beam TV commercials during that period. Bibliography http://www. sustainable-sourcing. com/2009/06/29/nhs-procurements-10-carbon-chal lenge/ www. wikipedia. org http://indiabudg et. nic. in/es2001-02/chapt2002/chap98. pdf http ://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Indian Railways