The Role of Music Videos in the Negative Portrayal of Women in Society

Presentation Barbara Ehrenreich, in her exposition, â€Å"In safeguard of Talk Shows†, condemns a part of syndicated programs that pioneers, pundits, and reporters overlook.Advertising We will compose a custom paper test on The Role of Music Videos in the Negative Portrayal of Women in Society explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More While pundits discover the issues examined in these television shows ethically terrible in this way, their restriction to them, Ehrenreich goes a stage forward and handles, not the ethical substance of these shows, which as indicated by her have an extreme restorative reason, however their propensity to exploit poor people and less instructed citizenry. As indicated by Ehrenreich, the various syndicated programs that are available in the program timetables of different broadcasting companies satisfy an ethical capacity; nonetheless, these shows are likewise intrinsically exploitative of the helpless masses (21). Ehrenreich contends t hat, by empowering couples, families, and companions to uncover their privileged insights openly, and in this way offering moral direction and restorative activity to the liable gatherings in the different scenes, the syndicated programs apportion a public good direction that plays a fundamental capacity in giving the liable visitors and the watchers a wellspring of moralistic reference. Despite this, Ehrenreich feels that these shows misuse just the helpless masses of society, in light of the fact that scarcely do experts or well off individuals in the public arena make it to the tough situations of these shows. Subsequently, as per Ehrenreich, the offensive part of television shows isn't really in issues talked about in that, however in their inclination to misuse the neediness of their visitors by promising them financial compensations for sharing humiliating subtleties of their lives and ways of life, subtleties that are then common with crowds across and past the nation. The Ex ploitation of Women in Music Videos Indeed, the contention that Ehrenreich makes that many syndicated programs are a type of class abuse is appropriate to different types of amusement present in TV, for example, music recordings. The expansion of TV slots that, generally, show music recordings, for example, MTV and BET, has seen music recordings rise as an incredible and complimentary piece of all melodies created by musicians.Advertising Looking for paper on sexual orientation examines? How about we check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The ascent in noticeable quality of music recordings has, be that as it may, seen a rising pattern wherein ladies are depicted in a negative light and given debasing jobs in these recordings. Undoubtedly, it is the standard in about all music recordings to have skimpily dressed ladies shaking their bodies out of sight as a completely dressed male artist sings or raps. Thus, numerous female artists are creatin g music recordings that have them wearing uncovering clothing. The Consequences of the Negative Portrayal of Women in Music Videos The depiction of ladies as simple diversion nonentities, and in explicitly intriguing auxiliary jobs, in music recordings, corrupts the picture of ladies and denies little youngsters of positive good examples. At the point when ladies are given these minor jobs, the message imparted to the remainder of society, and particularly to the receptive personalities of the adolescent and youngsters is that ladies are unimportant articles for sexual satisfaction. Besides, when acclaimed and decent female performers resort to showcasing their self-perceptions more than the substance in the verses of their melodies through music recordings, the portrayal of ladies as insignificant sexual performers is additionally improved. Taking everything into account, like the way that Barbara Ehrenreich’s contention that, daytime syndicated programs are abusing the poor in the public eye, music recordings are misusing ladies and depict them in a negative light. Ladies in most music recordings are portrayed in jobs that appear to complement their sexuality just and that's it. This in turns sends an inappropriate message to the review open, particularly the young and adolescents, who are persuaded that ladies can be utilized for the excitement and ensuing satisfaction of sexual wants. Such a pattern is along these lines ethically off-base, yet will have genuine results in the public eye whenever permitted to endure. Work Cited Ehrenreich, Barbara. â€Å"In Defense of Talk Shows†. In Edward Dornan and Michael Finnegan, The Longwood Reader (20-25), 2002. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson training. This article on The Role of Music Videos in the Negative Portrayal of Women in Society was composed and put together by client Jamar R. to help you with your own examinations. You are allowed to utilize it for exploration and reference purposes so as to compose your own paper; be that as it may, you should refer to it as needs be. You can give your paper here.

Training Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Preparing Plan - Assignment Example We will utilize online expertise tests, shadowing/pretend, and individual figuring out how to appropriately prepare a fresh recruit for this position. The full degree, remembering for going preparing can take as long as a half year. The job of client care at Sport Chek is answerable for going about as a connection among clients and the organization. The fundamental jobs incorporate helping with orders, grumblings, mistakes, charging, account questions, and cancelations. There are an assortment of assets expected to appropriately prepare new workers including space, PCs, printer/paper, internet preparing modules and obviously, time. All things considered, the fresh recruit will cost roughly $1000, which shows how significant worker maintenance is. The preparation goals are utilized to prepare the recently gained staff with the information, aptitudes, and capacities that guarantee they will be a beneficial piece of the client care power at Sport Chek. The new learner ought to be able to discuss successfully with associates and clients, to begin discussions with clients, to dissect and take care of issues, and have the essential PC aptitudes to work a register (POS framework). The information on general games, sports design/clothing, and outside exercises are fundamental. The learner should likewise be able to learn through perceptions and hands on understanding. All together for sports industry to meet the changing needs of segment, it is fundamental that new learners become progressively unique, adaptable and imaginative with information on general games, sports style/clothing, and open air exercises. New representatives of Sport Check must comprehend that the firm is the main retailer of outdoor supplies in Canada. Accordingly, having the benefit to work in the product store opens the worker to the best item marks that exist over the globe. Every single new worker of Sport Check stock store ought to have a

By Chris Pobst Essays - Discrimination, Social Inequality

By: Chris Pobst Boston Latin is one of America's chief government funded schools. On February 14, 1998, Sarah Wessmann applied to this school and was dismissed alongside ten other white up-and-comers. Sarah could deal with the way that she was not acknowledged yet she was unable to acknowledge the way that ten dark, and Latin understudies were acknowledged over her when they scored lower on the selection test. Her mom sued the school for turn around segregation and won. Her girl was acknowledged and the school needed to scrap a strategy that put aside 35% of all school places for dark and Latino candidates (the Economist 2/14/98). Should race be a factor in conceding understudies to a school? This is an inquiry brought by numerous individuals up in the nineties and is a very discussed issue. This issue is called turn around segregation. Turn around segregation is found wherever in the present society. Practically all organizations and all administration employments require a specific level of their workforce to be minorities paying little mind to their capabilities. This is unreasonable from numerous points of view. One way is on the grounds that when an individual isn't appropriately equipped for a vocation, he doesn't play out the activity just as a certified individual does. Everybody from the executives to clients is influenced because of absence of value work they perform. This can cause loss of cash and low profitability. Another genuine case of opposite separation is in the military. At the point when my dad went into the Air Force, he needed to take an ASVAB test. This tried his insight in specific fields of work and the Air Force utilized it as a methods for permission. Minorities just need to score about 75% of what my father needed to score on the test and this isn't just off-base, yet additionally uncalled for. Why bring down the gauges for minorities? I realize I don't need someone to run my nation that isn't qualified and landed the position since he was a minority. Norms for a vocation ought not be brought down in light of the fact that a specific gathering of individuals is less qualified. I'm not saying that all minorities are underqualified, yet it seems that most of them are. I accept that regardless of what race or religion you are, when applying to a school or a position of work everybody ought to have a similar chance. Numerous minorities guarantee that they haven't got the opportunity to succeed due to their race. This is false in light of the fact that there are numerous minorities who have succeeded and carried on an awesome and prosperous life. On the off chance that that were the situation, pretty much anyone could accuse their absence of capability for something when the genuine explanation is they simply haven't invested sufficient effort. Something else I don't trust in the way that in the event that I claimed a business that I must have a specific number of minorities working there. I feel that in the event that I own the business and I am not associated with the administration, I ought to have the option to recruit whoever I need. Regardless of whether I enlist my father or my little multi year-old sister, it is my decision and if my business comes up short in light of my representatives, that is my concern and not anybody else's. Furthermore, if individuals choose not to disparage my business that is additionally my concern along these lines I ought to have the option to legitimately recruit and utilize whoever I need. Once more, for what reason would it be advisable for me to enlist somebody who isn't equipped for the activity since government says I need to? I figure the government ought to reexamine the separation approach they have upheld and let businesses enlist whoever they need as well. In the present society, white individuals are victimized simply like the minorities. The tale of Benjamin Kook is a prime model. He and his significant other live in South Africa. Ben claimed his own pipes business until his truck and every one of his provisions got taken. Because of the way that he is viewed as a minority in Africa, he was unable to get a new line of work that could pay even near what he was making previously. He went from bringing home a $1000 every month to $80 per month. He and his better half can scarcely stand to pay lease substantially less has the extravagances they did previously (Spectator

History of Enron - Free Essay Example

Background on the history of Enron: Enron was an American Gas Company that was originally called Natural Gas Company in the early 1930s. InterNorth was a holding company that was located in Nebraska and in 1979 purchased Natural Gas Company. In 1985, Enron was born following the merger of InterNorth and Houston Natural Gas. Following the merger, in 1987 Enron discovered that oil traders in New York have overextended the companies account by $1 billion dollars, which they were able to work it down to $142 million. This put Enron in massive debt. For the new company to survive, Enron needed new, innovative, and strategic business plans to generate profits and improve cash flows. In 1988 Enron opened its first overseas office in England. Come to Jesus was a gathering by the top heads at Enron to come up with a new strategy to get the company out of debt and make money. The plan was to pursue unregulated markets along with the continuation to pursue its current pipeline business. Kenneth Lay, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Enron hired McKinsey and Company to help in the development in strategic business planning. Jeffrey Skilling was the young consultant who was assigned to this project. Skilling had a profound banking and management background which helped him create a solution to Enrons problems. Skilling stated cash and profit woes in the gas pipeline business creates a gas bank in which Enron could buy gas from a network of suppliers and sell it to a network of consumers. Deregulation of the energy markets allowed companies, like Enron, to buy and sell gas and place bets on future prices. The Gas Bank program could allow buyers of natural gas to lock in long term supplies at fixed prices. Lay was intrigued by all the innovative and strategic plans Skilling proposed. In 1990, Lay created a new division at Enron called Enron Finance Corporation. Lay proceeded to appoint Skilling to the head of this division. Enron Finance Corporation, under Skilling, began offering financing for oil and gas producers. Kenneth Lay in 1996 promoted Skilling making him Enrons new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Skilling convinced Lay that the gas bank model can be used for gas as well as electric energy. Using the gas bank model for electric energy was a new idea and strategy to bring more revenue and profits to the company. Both Lay and Skilling traveled the country and tried to sell this concept to the heads of power companies along with top energy regulators. Enron was making news across the country for their fight to deregulate electric utilities. In 1997, Enron acquired Portland General Corporation for approximately $2.1 billion. By the end of 1 997, Enron was the largest and most powerful buyer and seller of electricity and natural gas. Since starting in 1985, revenue grew $5 billion in the twelve years Enron has been around. Jobs number also increased dramatically from 200 to over 2,500 in the twelve years. Since Enron was so powerful and emerging, they were ready to expand their business into anything that people are willing to trade. Gas and Electric energy was not enough, they wanted to expand into water, steel, coal, paper, and the weather; whatever they can use to make money they wanted to use. Andrew Fastow, a former student of Kellogg School of Management graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree, was one of Skillings most prominent hires in 1990. Prior to being hired at Enron, Fastow worked at Continental Illinois Bank in Chicago dealing with leveraged buyouts. Fastow was quickly promoted to Enrons Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 1998. Fastow helped create a new financial structure within the company. Through off-book practices, by selling off portions of risk, the company would gain access to new capital. All of Enrons plans were falling into place due to its broadband services (EBS) unit, a subsidiary under Enron. In 1999, the most exciting development in the financial world was due to Enrons creation of its new online trading website called Enron Online (EOL). Approximately 90% of its income resulted from trades through their online website Every transaction through this web site, Enron was a counterparty. Whether they were the buy or sell, they were a part of every single transaction. Enron tried lure people into trading by giving away valuable information and expertise in the energy sector. This gave the community of traders and partners the confidence that Enron Online provided a safe transaction Environment. Enron Online was a complete success, it handled over 335 billion dollars in trades in 2000 alone. Overview of Enrons Operations: Enron grew its business into three different markets: Wholesale Services, Global Services, and Energy Services. Enron offered its services to thousands of customers throughout the world. Enrons Wholesale Services (EWS) was Enrons largest business unit and responsible for all the wholesale trading and marketing operations. It was intended to market a number of wholesale products and deliver physical commodities and financial risk management services. Enron delivered more than two times the natural gas and electricity than any other competitor. The Wholesale Services also allowed customers to have the ability to sell or buy a commodity in the terms that fit their needs. This unit of operation provided flexible networks and unique capabilities that delivered the widest and best range of solutions at predictable prices. Enrons online services offer real time pricing for over 1,200 products giving the customer an easier way to seize and evaluate a market opportunity. Enrons Global Services (EGS) combined all the asset-based businesses of Enron into one unit. This portfolio included several companies included in North Americas pipelines business of Enrons transportation services such as: Norther Natural gas, Florida Gas Transmission, Portland General Electric, Transwestern Pipeline, and Northern Border Partners. International companies such as: Enron Wind, Azurix and Wessex water, and EOITT Energy Corporation. This was all found through Enrons web based trading website, Enron Online. Which showed all the global commodity transaction and provided real time transaction tools and expertise information for trading. Enron Energy Services (EES) was the retail aspect of Enron. It offered companies a more efficient way to execute their own developed energy strategies. This was the largest provider of energy services to industrial and commercial companies. In 2000 alone, Enron Energy services signed contracts valued at $16 billion. Timeline of Enron: In the early 1980s, Enron argued that completion would benefit the consumers and the companies. Following this, the United States government began to lift regulations on who can produce energy and how it was sold. Enron say this as a wakeup call to make money. It offered stable prices and was the middleman company. Did not want to offer to low or too high, Enron wanted to stay in the middle. Due to the deregulation of the energy sector, Enron turned to electricity, water, and London weather as well. In the late 1980s, Enron started to trade futures and natural gas commodities. Future Markets are used by a consumer to get a better deal on commodity prices then they would through the open market. Enron found a way to profit from trading futures in gas contracts. Following this, Enron soon began to dominate the market for natural gas contracts. Enron, with more contracts, had more access to supplies and more customers than any of its competitors in the Energy Market. With its increasing market power, Enron could predict future prices, therefore guaranteeing future profits or losses by betting against future movements in the price of gas energy. In the 1990s, Enron created an energy commodity business by trading commodities in unregulated markets. By doing this, they became a massive competitor in the United States energy market. Enron controlled over a quarter of the gas business market. Enron gave smaller companies the opportunity to hedge against the risk of price movements in a series of commodities. Enron also got the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to approve Mark to Market Accounting. Mark to Market is an accounting method which measures the fair value of an account such as the assets and liabilities. This method is not based on the actual cost but the fair cost. Thus, Enron started using estimated profits as their actual ones. In the Early 2000, The Dot Com Boom struck. As the Dot.Com boom prospered, it inspired Enron to create a high speed broadband telecom network. Enron wanted to create a video on demand service to customers across the world along with opening up a new network market for trading. Enrons new innovative idea for video on demand long with the soaring economy appealed to investors. Due to this, the share prices and stock of Enron shot up. It was at an all-time high, slightly over $90 a share. Income had risen over 40% in a few years and were estimated around $100 billion. Enron was considered one of the most admired and innovative companies in the world according to several business publications. California Energy Crisis: The dilemma for Enron started in 2000 when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ordered an investigation to drive up electricity and energy prices in California. This was caused due to the poor deregulation of the electricity sector that Enron argued for. Enron knew it could take over Californias power grid and raise the price of energy. They were able to increase the price of electricity by 800% due to all the blackouts and power outages the state witnessed on a regular basis. Enron recorded over $400 million in earnings in 2001, which was an increase of 40% from the previous year. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to drive up energy prices affected Enron. The FERC implemented an electricity price cap in California which helped eased the crisis. Enron could not charge unaffordable rates for electricity and scam the state of California. Therefore, it caused Enrons stock to take a big hit and started the collapse of the company. The Falling and Crash of Enron: August 14th, 2001 the Chief Executive Officer of Enron, Jeff Skilling, has resigned. Kenneth Lay, the former CEO stepped down in December of 2000 but has retook the CEO position. Skilling stepped down shortly after the company began raising red flags and questions marks due to the fraudulent accounting numbers and bad management of the company. Following this, Sherron Watkins, who was the executive for Enrons Corporate Development wrote a letter to Lay warning him of the companys irregularities that are threatening the company. This caused many investors to worry, causing them to sell off their shares of the company. Investors sold over several millions of shares which effected the stock more by another $4 decrease. Less than eight months ago at the end of 2000, the stock was as high as $90, but after recent news and obstacles the company is facing the stock is slightly lower than $40 a share. Despite a majority of the investors selling off their shares and the stock dropping dramati cally; Lay and Enron insist that the company will be fine and bounce back. The worst was yet to come for Enron. In November of 2001, Enron filed documents with the SEC revising its financial statements over the past four years. The company was in debt. Dynegy, a smaller electric company and rival, announced an agreement to buy Enron for $8 billion. Dynegy later announced that it has terminated talks with Enron on a potential merger due to the lack of Enron releasing its off balance sheet debt. In December of 2001, Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and filed a law suit with Dynegy for terminating the agreement. Enrons stock has now collapsed to less than $1 a share. Kenneth Lay resigned from chairman of the company and tried to get out before it came crashing down. In January of 2002, Enron was approached by the United States Department of Justice. Andrew Fastow and Kenneth Lay pleaded for the 5th Amendment, which protects the individual from being forced to incriminate or expose themselves, and refused to testify. Following their actions, the United States Department of Justice on January 9th launched a full fledge criminal investigation. Enron went from one of the largest companies in the world to becoming bankrupt. As things started to ravel, employees and investors were infuriated with the senior executives for letting this go on for so long. Auditors, banks, rating agencies, analysts, and regulators all turned the other way and let this happen. The final pieces to the puzzle that brought the company crashing down were the internal polices, investment banks and advisors, the criminal activity, and poor rating and auditing. Everything here played a major role to the collapse of this, once famous and highly praised, energy company. Enron grew into one of the largest companies in the United States, however, all of its success was based on inflated profits, money laundering, fraud, and illegal accounting practices. Several of Enrons operations and companies were losing money as well and hid these losses from the investors and shareholders through structured finance vehicles. Enrons illegal accounting techniques kept the share price high, it raised investments, and maintained the successfulness of the company. All of these practices were to accomplish favorable financial statement results. This was not to transfer risk or achieve an economic goal. Such as Enrons deal with Blockbuster, despite the project to create Video on Demand for customers throughout the world, failed to work. Enron posted a $110 million profit off this project. Enron used independent partnerships where it could legally remove a loss from its balance sheet if it passed as an asset. Subsequently, the investment money flowing into these new independent companies are exhibited as profits for Enron. Therefore, Enron decreased its losses, increased its profits, and kept the debt away from its financial statements. This was to enhance the credit rating and protect the companies name within the markets they are in. Enron would set up a partnership using stocks as a funding source. The Partnership would then set up a Special Purpose Entity (SPE), ironically, Andrew Fastow a senior executive of Enron also served as the SPEs principal. Fastow received massive amounts of returns and compensation in order to help Enron in favor of the SPEs. The SPE would then agree to a contract that would pay Enron if its investment declines in value. Payments would just so happen to be made from the SPE because the investment declined. Therefore, Enron used this incom ing money from the SPE and posted it as a profit on their balance sheets. Despite nobody knowing these practices were going on, besides the senior executives of Enron, the disclosures were inadequate. The Enron senior executives were making themselves richer due to these illegal and misleading actions, which is considered fraud and a conflict of interest. Work Cited Enron Timeline PBS. N.d. Enron: the Smartest Guys in the Room. Dir. Alex Gibney. Perf. John Beard. 2005. Watch Documentaries. Web. 25 November 2018. Kutz, Howard. The Enron Story That Waited To Be Told. The Washington Post. January 18, 2002. McCormick, Brad. Enron: Endless Possibilities and the 2000-01 California Energy Crisis. Users Cloud. March 23, 2006. OLeary, Christopher. Enron-What Happened? Britannica. December 31, 2002 Segal, Troy. Enron Scandal: The Fall of a Wall Street Darling. Investopedia. September 20, 2018. Thomas, William. The Rise and Fall of Enron. Journal of Accountancy. April 1, 2002.

Get Copies of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

Vital records—birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, and divorce decrees—are one of the best resources to help build a family tree.  Once you determine the state where the birth, death, marriage or divorce occurred, select the state from the list below to learn how to get a certified copy of the vital record or where to find free vital records online.   Where to Find U.S. Vital Records A AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansas C CaliforniaCanal ZoneColoradoConnecticut D DelawareDistrict of Columbia F Florida G Georgia H Hawaii I IdahoIllinoisIndianaIowa K KansasKentucky L Louisianna M MaineMarylandMassachusettesMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontana N NebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNew York CityNorth CarolinaNorth Dakota O OhioOklahomaOregon P PennsylvaniaPuerto Rico R Rhode Island S South CarolinaSouth Dakota T TennesseTexas U Utah V VermontVirginiaVirgin Islands W WashingtonWest VirginaWisconsinWyoming Vital records  are one of the best resources for helping you to build your family tree due to their: Completeness—Vital records usually cover a large percentage of the population and include a wide variety of information for linking families.Reliability—Because they are usually created close to the time of the event by someone with personal knowledge of the facts and because most governments have measures in place to try and ensure their accuracy, vital records are a fairly reliable form of genealogical information.Availability—Since they are official documents,  governments have made an effort to preserve vital records with newer records being found in local government offices and older records residing in a variety of record repositories and archives. Why Vital Records May Not Be  Available In the United States, the responsibility for registering vital events is left to the individual states.  Many states, however, did not require birth, death or marriage records to be registered until late into the 1800s, and in some cases not until the early to mid-1900s. While some New England states kept town and county records as early as the 1600s, other states such as Pennsylvania and South Carolina didnt require birth registration until 1906 and 1913, respectively.  Even after registration was required by law, not all  births, marriages and deaths were reported—the  compliance rate may have been as low as 50-60% in earlier years, depending upon the time and place. People living in rural areas often found it an inconvenience to take a day from work to travel many miles to the local registrar. Some people were suspicious of the governments reasons for wanting such information and simply refused to register. Others may have registered the birth of one child, but not others. Registration of births, marriages,  and deaths is much more accepted today, however, with current rates of registration closer to 90-95%. Marriage records, unlike birth and death records, can also usually be found at the county level, and are often available from the date the county was organized (going back into the 1700s in some instances). In some areas, marriage records may also be found at the town level (e.g. New England), the city level (e.g. NYC) or the parish level (e.g. Louisiana).

The Crucible By Arthur Mills Essay - 1690 Words

â€Å"Proctor, with a cry of his whole soul: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (Miller, 133) As The Crucible commences, Arthur Mills transports the reader to 17th century Salem, Massachusetts, to reenact the affliction of the Salem Witch Trials, ultimately leading to regret and fatality. Miller utilizes his troubled experience with McCarthyism to advance his writing of this controversial play. During 1692, Salem, Massachusetts, had been inhabited by Puritans, who primarily idolized wealth and status. The strictness of the Puritan society led to the calamitous destruction of the people and ,ultimately, to death. Though the play is not set in modern times, Miller provides the reader with relatable themes: ideology and avarice. Miller applies his knowledge of the Puritan society t o portray the product of strict ideology, and characters such as Thomas Putnam and Abigail Williams demonstrate the prevalent avarice in the community. To further entice the reader, allusions, figurative language, and symbolism are utilized. Arthur Miller was born in Manhattan, New York in the fall of 1915 to immigrant parents of Polish and Jewish origin. Miller’s mother, Augusta, was an educator and was known to avidly read novels, presumably where Miller inherited his love for writing. During theShow MoreRelatedMass Hysteria In Arthur Millers The Crucible833 Words   |  4 Pages Fear is a powerful emotion in The Crucible. It defines the human race. In old ignorant societies such as puritan Salem in 1692, fear runs rampant when dozens of innocent people are accused of witchcraft and some hanged. In Arthur Miller’s famous play The Crucible, dozens of innocent citizens were hung for the wrongful accusation of witchcraft in Salem. It also happened in 1962 when 62 texti le workers came down with a disease that was blamed on the bite of a Junebug. When fear becomes widespreadRead MoreHow Does Arthur Miller s The Crucible Explore The Place Of The Individual930 Words   |  4 PagesHow does Arthur Miller’s The Crucible explore the place of the individual in society? Similar to Tocqueville before him, John Stuart Mill was critical about the American democracy and its resulting social pressures on the individual. The consequences of the tyranny of conformity sat at the forefront of his mind. Frank Prochaska in his review of Mill described the term as ‘a society in which scarcely any person had the courage to dissent.’ Arthur Miller draws on this idea in The Crucible by exploringRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1405 Words   |  6 Pagesof ladies, fiend and sin all in all. 4. SALEM WITCHCRAFT TRIALS IN ARTHUR MILLER S THE CRUCIBLE Since the center of this paper is to consider Salem occasions from the point of view of the part and position of ladies, already specified hypotheses will be utilized to view a few representations of Salem occasions in American writing. Maybe the best known work enlivened by Salem witchcraft trials is Arthur Miller s The Crucible. Mill operator utilized the Puritan connection as a parallel to and a stud yRead MoreArthur Millers Life Influences on His Works600 Words   |  2 Pagesfrom the prominent American playwright Arthur Miller. This quote summed up Millers approach towards life and how others should live. Arthur Miller, by mirroring the issues of their time in a new light through his plays, sought to better America as he tackled political issues of his time in a way that his vast audiences would understand. Arthur Miller could be considered one of the most radical thinkers of the twentieth century through his bold messages. Arthur Miller exposed the flaws in the pursuitRead MoreAmerican Character - Then and Now2118 Words   |  9 Pagesexperiences. Unlike Crevecour, Turner believed that American character was not simply a product of English character transported to America, but rather another idea altogether (Faragher 63). He expressed this opinion the best when he said, In the crucible of the frontier the immigrants were Americanized, liberated, and fused into a mixed race , English in neither nationality nor characteristics (Faragher 64). How exactly did American character form and what defines it? Turner answered this questionRead More american character - then and now Essay2086 Words   |  9 Pagesexperiences. Unlike Crevecour, Turner believed that American character was not simply a product of English character transported to America, but rather another idea altogether (Faragher 63). He expressed this opinion the best when he said, â€Å"In the crucible of the frontier the immigrants were Americanized, liberated, and fused into a mixed race, English in neither nationality nor characteristics† (Faragher 64). How exactly did American character form and what defines it? Turner answered this questionRead More William Faulkners Use of Shakespeare Essay5388 Words   |  22 Pagesposition as pastor of a church, and finally even his right to the title of ordained minister. When we meet him early in the novel, he is living out his barren existen ce largely behind the closed doors of his house, entertaining no visitors except one, a mill worker and church layman named Byron Bunch. As Faulkner’s novel unfolds, looping backward as well as forward, we are led to understand the reasons for Hightower’s tragic failure. Like many of Faulkner’s modern white male Southerners, the youthfulRead MoreBelonging Essay4112 Words   |  17 Pagesnot choose from the below list. Tan, Amy, The Joy Luck Club Lahiri, Jhumpa, The Namesake Dickens, Charles, Great Expectations Jhabvala, Ruth Prawer, Heat and Dust Winch, Tara June, Swallow the Air Gaita, Raimond, Romulus, My Father Miller, Arthur, The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts Harrison, Jane, Rainbow’s End Luhrmann, Baz, Strictly Ballroom - film De Heer, Rolf, Ten Canoes - film Shakespeare, William, As You Like It Skrzynecki, Peter, Immigrant Chronicle Dickinson, Emily, Selected Poems of EmilyRead MoreCaribbean Crucible: History, Culture, and Globalization4302 Words   |  18 PagesCaribbean Crucible: History, Culture, and Globalization Kevin A. Yelvington In the present age of globalization, it is often forgotten that these world-encompassing processes were initiated with European expansion into the Caribbean beginning more than five hundred years ago. We now see the proliferation of overseas factories enabling owners, producers, and consumers of products to be in widely distant locales. It seems to us that in the search for profits, commercial activity has recently spreadRead MoreLangston Hughes Research Paper25309 Words   |  102 Pagesof Congress) In 1869, Grandmother Mary had married Charles Langston, the son of a white plantation owner and a slave. In 1888, Mary and Charles Langston moved to Lawrence with their children, Carrie and Nathaniel. (Nathaniel was later killed in a mill accident.) They bought a house near Kansas University and opened a grocery store. Everyone in Lawrence respected Charles Langston, but he was not a good business man. When he died in 1892, he left Mary Langston nothing but a pair of gold earrings and

Port of Rotterdam free essay sample

Particularly, our intention is to focus in the way the Port Authority manages all the issues that come up and how they could improve the functionality of the port. We are greatly aware that the world of freight transport is growing rapidly and to grow with it, a port needs to be in continuous development. The Port of Rotterdam is one of the most important ports all over the world. It is situated on the Dutch coast and its main channel extends along 40 km offshore. Its a huge infrastructure that handles more than 400 million tons per year. Thus, every year more than 4 million containers go through this port, this means 400 per hour and more than 3000 daily. 1 The economic importance of the Port of Rotterdam becomes apparent from quantitative indicators such as the direct and indirect value added and employment. Its industrial character is reflected by the number and range of industries located in the Port of Rotterdam related to logistics (transport, storage and distribution), production (such as maritime and transport equipment, petroleum, chemicals and food) and (commercial) services. All these activities are taking place in a relatively limited area2: Despite of this figures, currently the PoR is losing a big market share, especially in the container market, on behalf mainly of the ports of Antwerp and Hamburg. Hamburg’s port has very good rail connections and also it is really well located to distribute Eastern Europe. Besides, the port of Antwerp enjoys a strategic central position with immediate access to Europes road, rail, and water transportation networks and direct connections to Europes major consumption and production centers. Therefore, our aim is to implement solutions to the problems that currently exist in the PoR. We want to make this port the most competitive, innovative and sustainable in the world and to do that we will focus in three main goals: 1CM55 – Port of Rotterdam Authority Handle the lack of capacity until Maasvlakte 2 is finished. If we want this port to grow, we should manage this issue correctly. Manage the congestion of the highway infrastructure. Solve the problem of the loss of market share due to the growth of ports like Hamburg or Antwerp. 3 First of all, we would like to analyze the current situation of the port. We think that the most important way to do so is with a SWOT analysis, so we are able to identify both the internal and the external factors which are favorable or unfavorable to achieve our goals. 2. SWOT Analysis Strengths ? Geographical Location ? Vast Knowledge of the market ? Great Experience ? Large Influence ? Intermodal Network ? Competitive pricing ? Width and large draft ? Cheap Transport possibilities Opportunities ? Growth expected with Maasvlakte 2 ? Automation of several processes ? Possibility of implement biofuels flow Weaknesses ? Capacity Shortage ? Saturation of the port ? Both rail and roadways connections are not enough ? Environmental problems ? Delays due to failures in the distribution management ? Susceptible to storm surges Threats ? Constant growth of the containers ? Administrative regulations due to pollution ? Competition in the Le Havre-Hamburg range Strengths: We could subdivide the strengths into two groups: Characteristics of the Port: Its privileged situation allows the best distribution through the hinterland. Reaching the major industrial and economic centre’s of Western Europe within 24 hours is feasible due to this fact. Besides, its great width and large draft allows the biggest ships to load and unload in it. 1CM55 – Port of Rotterdam Authority Experience: The Port Authority has a wide knowledge in ports management: handling of shipping in the port of Rotterdam and the offshore approaches to the port. Opportunities: The future expansion of the PoR is extremely needed in the future. It is known that the container market is growing exponentially and the current terminals of the port (Maasvlakte and Eem/Waalhaven) are about to saturate. With Maasvlakte 2 they will be able to handle a bigger amount of ships and therefore obtain a bigger profit. Weaknesses: The problem of being one of the most important ports worldwide is that you need to have the best distribution channels in order to be able to make the shipping as efficient as possible. The PoR needs new ways of shipping because railways and highways are already congested. Threats: To overcome the recent growth of its neighbors’ market share, the PoR should try to fortify its strengths and to take advantage of its opportunities. Otherwise they will keep losing benefits because of them. The port should also be aware of the regulations, because nowadays the â€Å"green mind† is getting more and more important. 3. Alternatives 3. 1 Rail Transport Rail transport consists of long merchandise train with a lot of wagons circulating on dedicated way or on common way with the civil transport trains. This mean of transport is the cheapest one for a relatively fast, reliable and frequent transport of huge quantity on long distance. That is why it is used to transport bulky product, container and raw materials on distances higher than 200km. The typical capacity of a train is actually about 120 TEU, equivalent to 60 trucks. The network of railroad is already well installed but this mode of transport meet some limits. Indeed, the passenger trains are priority on the railroad and when a section of the way is not reserved for the freight, the train has to make way for passenger trains. This problem is growing up 1CM55 – Port of Rotterdam Authority with the passenger traffic figures. The best solution is to create special railroad only for the freight transport in order to avoid sharing the passenger railroad. This solution has already started to be implemented in the Netherlands with the creation of the Betuweroute. This railway is design to allow freight train to go straight to Germany through the country. We think this route should be used more than it is nowadays. We are greatly aware of its importance due to the fact that it makes possible the just in time delivery between the PoR and any point connected with it. Results of using this route could be seen: One of the most important problems of the port, the capacity shortage, is reduced thanks to the reduction of freight stock due to this route. . 2 Intermodal Transport This way of transport aims to avoid the transfer of the merchandise from on transport mode to another. For example, if a container needs to be first charged on a truck, then continue on a train to finish on again on a truck, the intermodal transport gives solution to avoid the lost of time during the transfers. Thus, the container is lay once on a truck and then the truck itself goes on the train till the destination. At the end, still the same truck finishes the transport by road. This technique is called piggyback and reduces a lot the roblem of congestion due to the charging time. This also permits to reduce the road congestion by moving the trucks on the railroads when it’s possible. This method reduces cargo handling; therefore security is improved by reducing both damages and losses. Besides, with this way of transport the time of delivering is significantly decreased. A reduced cost versus over road trucking is the key benefit for intra-continental use. Actually, we are not going to focus that much on this part, because we think the other ones are more interesting than t his one and more benefit could be obtained. 3. 3 Barge Transport Barge transport was traditionally used for bulk cargo (this means ore, coal or oil products). Nowadays, however, barges carry a wide range of finished products including chemicals, palletised goods and bigbags. Barge transport is suitable for carrying all types of freight, in dry or liquid form. 1CM55 – Port of Rotterdam Authority Even containers are highly suitable for transport by inland waterway. The barge transport sector is well equipped to meet the trend for more and more goods to be sent by container: container barges have a capacity of 20 to 500 TEU, while pusher convoys can take even more. The importance of large, modern container barges cannot be over-emphasised. 5 Although it is a really cheap transport, the main problem it has is that it is slow and therefore the delivery times are higher than with other ways of transport. Currently, the concentration in barge operations is low due to this issue. However it is increasing not only because highways are getting congested, but also because people are looking forward to cleaner ways of transport and everybody knows that trucks and trains are note efficient ways of transport at all. Thus, we have come up with an idea that we think could be very profitable if implemented. Nowadays, the existing way in which the freight is delivered using barge transport is with small vessels. It would be better if instead of small vessels the PoR, through the barge companies, uses larger barges so they can carry more containers. Furthermore, this larger barges could be used to replace some trucks so the number of them is reduced and with it the congestion of the highways. Hence, using this enhancement, we reduce both the barge and road traffic. 4. Conclusion It is known that hinterland transport could improve its productivity if the number if terminal visits in the port is reduced. To do this that it could be useful to re-organize small containers which come from different terminals with some kind of specific distribution services. Cost improvement could be obtained depending always on the distances and other significant factors. The most promising solution for such a reduction can be found in the transhipment costs of containers. If transhipment between the trunk line section and the collection distribution section can be achieved by one move (i. . board-to-board transhipment) this would substantially improve the competitiveness of these split services. 6 From our point of view it would be very interesting if larger vessels are used, as we explained above, in order to make every single trip more efficient and therefore save some costs.

Safety at the Construction Sites

Introduction Construction industry is amongst the largest industries in the world. It involves rebuilding of devastated areas either by natural or man-made catastrophes (E-facts 1). The industry incorporates man power, services and communications to meet the needs and expectations of people in the world.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Safety at the Construction Sites specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Even with the recent technological advancement, construction industry still remains number one hirers of human labor. Statistics shows that it covers about 9% to 12% of the worlds’ working nation. It is expected to rise to 20% by 2015. According to study done by construction Industry (NACE sector F), the construction contributed approximately EUR 470 billion to the eu-15 economy. This represents about 5.2% of the GDP of the EU-15. Additionally, survey by Labor Force Survey in 2002 showed that construction sector employed about 12.7 Million workers which represented about 7.9% of the EU-15. The construction industry has grown continuously at a steady pace of 9% (European Agency for Safety and Health Work 3). However, this continuous growth and activity in the industry comes with a price to pay. There so many accidents recorded in the industry. It is difficult to give a statistical number of accidents in the industry as quite large number of the accidents goes undetected and unreported. Nevertheless, it is confirmed that most countries, fatal accidents in the construction accidents exceed those in other manufacturing industries. Factors that contribute to the accidents include the nature of the working environment such as exposure to weather and are often of over short life constructions. Additionally, there are high proportion of uninsured firms and self-employed workers. Actually, the industry has a large number of seasonal and migrants workers. Often these workers are unfamiliar wi th the construction principles and processes (ILO 1). Falls at the construction Falls from constructions are very dangerous. Depending on the height through which a person is likely to fall and the kind of surface on which the falling person is likely to fall. This calls for a tough requirement for the construction companies to implement so as to ensure that employees are well protected. Visiting most construction site one would notice one common factor- negligence on protective measures by the workers. Interview them and you would realize that they hardly know anything regarding fall protection.Advertising Looking for case study on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, on a certain Friday of the year, an estimator visited construction site A to look at a cedar shake roof to estimate the cost of the construction. Speaking to a supervisor of the site, he climbed to the roof through open skylight by climbing a metal extension ladder. He was unaware that the contractor actually had used a sheet of thin insulating roof material to cover three 2 by 6 foot skylight openings in the roof. He stepped onto the insulating material and pooof! He landed on his back 15 feet below. As the supervisor and the employees heard the estimator fall, they hurried to the scene of accident. The estimator was rushed to the hospital five minutes later with serious spinal injuries. In this scenario, who should be held responsible of the incident? What should be learnt from this scenario to ensure safety at the construction site? (Geigle 7). From this case study and many others not mentioned here, it is clear that falls constitute the major injuries at the construction sites. These accidents are generally facilitated by a large number of factors. This calls for the establishment of standard for fall protection. Safety standards have been established and been revised to prevent employees from falling off at the con struction sites: â€Å"The rule covers most construction workers except those inspecting, investigating, or assessing workplace conditions prior to the actual start of work or after all work has been completed† (OSHA 1). These standards are used to find out the areas where workers require reinforcement against falls. These could include but not limited to excavations, walkways. Runways unprotected sides and edges, roofing work, wall openings amongst others (OSHA 1). Importance of establishing safety in the construction site According to the European Survey of Working Conditions in 2000, the average rate of absenteeism in the construction industry is said to be 30 million days annually. This implies that an average of 7.3 days of illness absence from place of work is reported. Out of this, 32% of the absentees are due to accidents related illnesses, 28% are non accident but work related complications and a 40% non work, no-accident related health issues. European Statistics on Accidents at work (ESAW) in 2000 revealed that there are about 822 thousands accidents cases of which 1200 of them are fatal accidents in the EU-15.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Safety at the Construction Sites specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This implies that about 18% of nonfatal accidents and 24% fatal accidents at work place are reported annually. This figure is not exhaustive as most of sectors do not report the accidents such as public sector and self employed sectors. Generally, it can be concluded that there are many other accidents in the construction sites and that the incidence rate of non fatal accidents at work is a twofold compared to the fatal. Of these accidents described above in the construction industry, about 200 workers die from falls at the construction sites. About 100 000 suffer from severe injuries. These fatal accidents and injuries have led to the establishment of standards t o manage the safety such as OSHA standard for fall protection (European Agency for Safety and Health Work 3). The protection is required because the employees at the construction sites can lose grip and slip or can trip and misstep at anytime. Thinking that the workers reflexes should guide and protect him is unrealistic as people fall inadvertently and may suffer serious damage or even die. Most of falls reported at the construction sites results from ladders, roofs and scaffolds. They are often caused by loss of balance due to tripping, miscalculated steps and slipping. The most common types of falls the construction sites includes falls from ladders, roofs, stationery vehicles, falls down stairs, from scaffolds and from girders and structural steels amongst others. This calls for a fall protection standards to be emphasized at the construction sites to alleviate the emotional, physical and economical suffering experienced by the affected individual, his relations the contractor a nd the government at large (Geigle 18). Improvement of safety and healthy working conditions is very essential to all stake holders in the industry and the government. Safety measures are all efforts planned and implemented with the intention of preventing accidents and ill- health. Time and again, the construction managers have been dealing with factors to minimize injuries to the workers. They forget that improving the working conditions of the employee enhances to a greater extent the safety of the employee. This is because in any construction industry there are more dangerous incidents than injuries themselves. Therefore, safety management refers to all activities carried out with the objectives of ensuring the environment is safe, the job itself is and in ensuring the workers themselves are safety conscious. Efficient safety management system should focus at a) training the employees at all levels on the key operations such as crane operations, scaffolders amongst others b) est ablish a safe procedure to follow in case of hazardous operations c) identify the duties and responsibilities of the supervisors and key workers d) establish the methods that will be used to campaign for safety and health (ILO 3).Advertising Looking for case study on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For that reason, it is everybody’s role to prevent falls at the construction industry. For instance, the employers should familiarize themselves with all potential hazards at the site and eliminate them immediately to ensure there are no incidences of falls; and in case they occur, it will leave no one injured. Employers should also emphasize the importance of safe practices such as proper equipment usage and provide refresher trainings on the safety management techniques. Employees on the other hand should follow work safe practices; use the machines and equipments appropriately. They should actively participate in the safety management training and adopt what learnt into their daily operations. The employees should also be in a position to know what safe and unsafe practice is and identify the activities that increase fall risks in order to control exposure to fall hazards. Other professionals associating with the individuals at the work place should also educate on safety management trainings. These include architects, engineers, inspectors, assessors and others. Architects and engineers should train the other workers on the hazards that expose them to falls during every phase of the project. Additionally, as they design the constructions, they should consider fall protection amongst other safety requirements required during the entire project (Excavation 1). The owners and the managers should ensure that the inspectors of the project are acquainted adequately on measures and falls protection skills. They should insist on installation of anchorage. The manufacturers of the equipment should ensure that the equipments meets all the measures and standards set by the OSHA and ANSI safety requirements to protect the workers adequately. The machines should be accompanied by manuals with detailed operational procedures and troubleshooting techniques. Any potential danger of the equipment should be explained elaborately especially those which involves improp er use of the equipment. The last parties to be discussed are the lawyers. It is their role and responsibility to ensure that the clients’ construction binds and comply with all OSHA requirements. Before signing of the documents, the client should be explained in an elaborative manner and clearly on his responsibilities in workers protection from falls and other forms injuries to ensure that client understands the repercussions that come with the negligence of such matters. If everyone takes his responsibility seriously, then the incidences of falls and other hazardous injuries will decline significantly (OSHA 1). OSHA Principles and concepts on falling issues The US department of labor has established an occupational safety health administration (OSHA) has set up standards with the aim of reducing the number of deaths and injuries arising from the construction sites. According to OSHA, falls is the leading fatalities in the construction industry. There are approximated 200 deaths reported cases annually with more than 100, 000 an injury arising from falls at the construction sites. The measures against falling is observed to ensure that workers as well as tools do not fall as this will be risky those who pass by and fellow workers. The standards emphasizes on the establishment of protection systems in every situation. Safety systems have to be put in place by experts to ensure that safety levels are boosted. The employees should be supervised properly and be trained on the proper selection, use and maintenance of the equipments. OSHA carried out a revision on its measures: According to OSHA, the work area should be clearly marked and designated (controlled access zones). This is to ensure that the workers and intruders are kept out and that only the authorized persons are allowed to access. These zones should be strongly so that they a reliable support. The working zones should be of some good stability: the surface must be rigid and tough to support heavy loads and thus avoid unnecessary collapsing. The strength of the zones should be tough. For employees dealing with excavations, the employee at the edge that is more than 6 feet deep must be protected from falling using a guardrail systems, barricades or covers. For employees moving vertically or horizontally using a rebar requires no fall protection as OSHA considers that the rebar provides similar protection. Additionally, no protection is required by an employee moving to heights below 24 feet. However, fall protection must be offered to those climbing or moving to heights more than 24 feet. Employees in a hoist area must be protected from falling 6feet or more according to OSHA fall protection standards. If the protection is to be removed for any reason, the worker must remain leaning on the access opening in order to be protected. In addition, the employee must be protected by a personal arrest system. When dealing with holes deeper than 6 feet, the employee must be prote cted by erected personal systems around the holes such as guardrail. When working near edges of a construction higher and or lower than 6 feet, the employee must be protected using fall protection system. This also applies when working on overhand bricklaying and related work and precast concrete erection and other residential constructions that have heights higher or lower than that 6 feet (OSHA 1). The fall protection systems and criteria approved by OSHA include the guardrail systems. If the employer chooses the guardrail to protect the workers than the top rails and midrails must be at least one quarter inch nominal diameter to prevent incidences of cuts and lacerations. Where are â€Å"wire and ropes are used for top rails, it should be flagged at about 6 feet intervals with high visibility material† (Geigle 23). Some the materials that must not be used as top rails and midrails include manila plastic or synthetic rope. The top sedge height toprails guardrails must be 42 inches with an allowance of 8 centimeters. Additionally, the guardrail should withstand a force of at least 200 pounds. It has been noted that â€Å"at holes the guardrail systems should be set up on all unprotected sides or edges† (Geigle 23). The next protection system advocated by OSHA is the personal fall arrest systems. The fall protection system consists of connectors, belts, an anchorage or body harness. The following criterion has been established a limit maximum arresting force on an employee to 900pounds should be used with a body belt. For employee weighing about 1800 or more a body harness should be used. The personal arrest systems must be rigged to ensure that the worker cannot fall. It is also important to bring the worker to a complete maximum deceleration distance in order to have sufficient strength that can with stand the potential of an employee falling. OSHA also emphasizes on the importance of monitoring safety systems. This ensures that the all fall ha zards are recognized. This way the workers can be trained on the dangers of the detected unsafe work practices. Regarding warning line systems, they should not be flagged at intervals more than 6 feet. The flagging should be done with highly visible material (Excavation 12). Lastly, OSHA emphasizes on the importance of training. The training teacher should be well acquainted in ways to identify hazards and how to minimize them. The trainer should offer training in the following areas recommended by OSHA a) the nature of common hazards at the sites of the construction area b) the appropriate procedure to erect, maintain, inspect and dissemble fall protection systems c) the proper use of controlled access zones and guardrail, personal fall arrest, warning line and the safety monitoring d) the role of each party in ensuring that safety is maintained when the all protection systems are in use e) the limitation on the improper use of machines and equipments f) the appropriate way to hand le the equipment and materials handling and their storage and the importance of erection of overhead protection and lastly g) the role and benefits of employees fall protection plans. OSHA demands that all the workers have to be trained on handling emergence. The document must be signed by employer, the trainer and the trainees (Geiglen 45). Conclusion In summation, the safety managers should ensure that the working environment is favorable. This includes enough working space to allow employees work safely. The roofs, floors and other surfaces should be constructed and maintained to minimize the possibility of falls and to ensure movement at the work place is not hindered. Additionally, the lighting at the place should be adequate to allow easier flow of activities at the work place. There should be no excessive glare of reflection but the lighting should be enough for safe operations. Another crucial thing is that the working environment should be well ventilated with adequate air movement to avoid too hot or too cold circulation of air in the place of work. There should also be adequate personal protective equipment to the employees. Giving the employees enough rest regimes helps in maintaining the physical fitness of their general health. Noise should be minimized if possible or alternatively the individuals should be disallowed to be at place with excessive noise exceeding eight hours. Lastly, other regulations should be maintained such as fire prevention, well fitted electricity cables to minimize electrocution, working heights and appropriate manual handling of machines and proper ventilations. The OSHA principles and concepts should be followed to the latter to significantly minimize the number of falls and other injuries in the construction industry. Works Cited E-facts. â€Å"Hazards and risks associated with manual handling in the work place.† European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2012. Web. European Agency for Safety and Health Work. â€Å"Actions to improve safety and health in construction.† Magazine of the European Agency for safety and Health at work, 2004. Web. Excavation. â€Å"Excavation, Trenching and shoring safety and OSHA’s Excavation Standard.† AFSCE Training and Education Institute Manual. Web. Geigle, Steven. â€Å"OSHAcademy Course 714study guide: Fall protection.† Geigle Safety Group Inc., 2012. Web. ILO. â€Å"Safety, health and welfare on construction sites. A training manual.† International Labor Organization, 2000. Web. OSHA. â€Å"US Department of Labor website.† OSHA, 2012. Web. This case study on Safety at the Construction Sites was written and submitted by user Averie Garcia to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Impact of the recent soaring of food prices on food security and the risk of malnutrition in the horn of africa Essay Example

Impact of the recent soaring of food prices on food security and the risk of malnutrition in the horn of africa Essay Example Impact of the recent soaring of food prices on food security and the risk of malnutrition in the horn of africa Essay Impact of the recent soaring of food prices on food security and the risk of malnutrition in the horn of africa Essay ( Riely et al. , 1999, FAO, 2006 ) . There are 4 cardinal elements incorporated into this definition including nutrient handiness, nutrient entree, use and stableness ( FAO, 2006 ) . These imply that nutrient must be available in sufficient measure and quality either imported or produced, that there must be equal tools or pecuniary resources for its acquisition, that nutrient must be prepared and consumed in a alimentary and hygienic mode and eventually that the hazard of losing any of these elements should be continuously low. Thus lacks in any of these elements can take to nutrient insecurity. The GHA is a part that has suffered from long term nutrient insecurity. This part includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Dijibouti, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda every bit good as parts of the Central African Republic ( CAR ) and the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ) . From the period 1988-2005 these states have faced critical nutrient insecurities that have required external nutrient aid for at least 10 or more old ages with Somaila, DRC, Ethiopia and Sudan confronting nutrient insecurities for the full continuance of that period i.e. 15 old ages or more ( FAO, 2006 ) . The causes of nutrient insecurity The GHA part continues to be nutrient insecure due to multiple factors. First drought and fickle rainfalls combined with deforestation have ruined dirt quality ensuing in reduced harvest outputs and grazing land for croping animate beings ( Riely et al. , 1999 ) . From February to September 2008 there was good below mean rainfall in many parts of the GHA bespeaking moderate to badly dry conditions in south-eastern Ethiopia, Somalia, Dijibouti and parts of Kenya ( FEWS_Net, 2008a, FEWS_Net, 2008b, FEWS_Net, 2008c ) . The below normal dirt wet degrees have led to the failure of the corn harvest in some parts of the GHA. In add-on, political instability and armed struggles make it progressively hard to set up and keep the appropriate market substructure to organize entree and distribution of nutrient to the population ( Riely et al. , 1999 ) . For illustration Somalia has merely late established a transitional national authorities after about a decennary embroiled in internal struggle ( 1991-2000 ) without a functioning authorities ( Bureau_of_African_Affairs, 2010 ) . This drawn-out struggle has led to around 980,000 internally displaced people who are unable to prosecute in economic activity and entirely dependent on external nutrient assistance. In add-on, the 2008 post-election force in Kenya resulted in nutrient insecurity for about 257,000 people due to internal supplanting ( FEWS_Net, 2008d ) . Thus the combination of these factors reduces the ability of the local population to obtain sufficient nutrient from local economic activity and increases dependance on international markets and assistance. The cost of nutrient is a major determiner of nutrient handiness and entree. The GHA part is a net importer of nutrient, particularly of cereals from international markets due to lacks in production capacity ( IFRC, 2008 ) . The period from 2006-2008 proverb record degrees of nutrient monetary value additions globally, particularly of cereals including rice and corn. The Food and Agricultural Organization ( FAO ) monetary value index for cereals increased by about 90 % from March 2007 to March 2008 and a more than 200 % addition since 2000 ( FAO, 2008 ) . Furthermore, despite overall additions in universe cereal production, the stock-to-utilization ratio of cereals remained comparatively low at 18.8 % ( FAO, 2008 ) . This has been attributed to hapless crops and high internal demand in major exporting parts such as Australia and the EU, every bit good as increased usage of harvests for bio-fuels ( ~100,000,000 metric tons globally in 2007/08 ) , therefore doing less cereal available for export ( FAO, 2008 ) . Furthermore, in the GHA part there were modest additions in domestic cereal production from 2006-2009, excepting a brief dip in 2007, from 33.9 million metric tons to 34.7 million metric tons. However, this was deficient to run into demands, partially due to the high population growing. Furthermore the import demands really increased for the part from 6,203,000 metric tons in 2007/08 to 6,577,000 metric tons in 2008/09 ( FAO, 2009 ) . In add-on, lifting fuel monetary values contributed to increased cargo costs for importing harvests and fertiliser. The monetary value of rough oil peaked at $ 147/barrel in July 2008 before worsening below $ 50 by the terminal of 2008 ( Human_Development_NetworkandPoverty_Reduction_and_Economic_Management_Network, 2008 ) . Therefore, a combination of deficient domestic production, reduced handiness on the international market every bit good the comparatively higher transit costs for importing have all contributed to driving the monetary value of nutrient high taking to nutrient insecurity. For illustration in Somalia the monetary value of imported rice and cereals went up by 200-400 % in 2007/08 ( Sheeran and Diouf, 2009 ) . In most of the GHA states where the bulk of household income is spent on nutrient, this has resulted in get bying schemes that could increase the hazard of hapless wellness and malnutrition. The increased hazard of malnutrition due to nutrient insecurity There is grounds that many people within the GHA are at hazard of malnutrition due to nutrient insecurity. Two parts most extremely at hazard are Somalia and Ethiopia ( Human_Development_Network and Poverty_Reduction_and_Economic_Management_Network, 2008 ) . The Food Security Analysis Unit Somalia ( FSAU-S ) reported in July 2007 that 6/18 parts were critical for their nutrition position with the bulk being either qui vive or serious, nevertheless by August 2008 all parts were either critical or badly critical ( FSAU-Somalia, 2008 ) . Very critical nutrition state of affairss are indicated by Global Acute Malnutrition ( GAM ) rates of above 15 % . Southern territories of Somalia were most badly affected including Bakool with a GAM rate of 24.1 % and 25.5 % in the agro-pastoral and pastoral populations severally every bit good as a GAM rate of 23.3 % and 25.5 % for the Gedo pastoral and riverine support zones, severally ( FSAU-Somalia, 2008 ) . In add-on, within many southern territo ries in Ethiopia surrounding Somalia, UNICEF estimated that 120,000 kids had less than 1 month to populate and that 6 million kids were at hazard of terrible acute malnutrition due to nutrient insecurity ( USAID, 2008 ) . Thus the hazard of malnutrition has increased during the period of the planetary nutrient crisis. It is of import to appreciate that high nutrient monetary values in themselves would non do malnutrition but they have exacerbated the hazard in a part already enduring from nutrient insecurity due to deficient production, civil agitation and hapless conditions. Malnutrition and the menace of famishment have forced people to follow get bying schemes which are farther detrimental to their nutritionary position and do it more hard for them to retrieve in the long term. Rising nutrient costs erode the people s buying power cut downing entree to sufficient measures of nutrient. Many people hence have to cut down their nutrient intake doing them to go ill-fed and less able to contend disease. There are cutbacks in the usage of dearly-won wellness and instruction services, which means that less healthy and economically productive populations will emerge in the long term, farther intensifying the growing chances of the part. ( Human_Development_Network and Poverty_Reduction_and_Economic_Management_Network, 2008 ) . Therefore early intercessions are critical to forestall malnutrition and irreparable harm to populations. Such populations are as a consequence less likely to be self-sufficing and more dependent on international nutrient assistance in t he hereafter. Decision The surging cost of nutrient due to monetary value additions during 2006-2008 has resulted in decreased entree to nutrient in the GHA part. This by and large nutrient insecure part has been unable to set to market conditions which have caused a rise in nutrient import measures ensuing in higher nutrient monetary values for domestic consumers. Furthermore at the single degree the decreased entree to nutrient has resulted in most domestic consumers non possessing the resources to keep a pre-crisis nutrient consumption. This has led to a undernourishment in parts of the GHA and get bying schemes that make long term recovery hard. It is hence critical for International assistance bureaus to organize a fast alleviation response in order to cut down the figure of people going malnourished and to forestall hard long term effects of undernourishment particularly for kids. This will intend that non merely more nutrient assistance be delivered but besides conflict declaration and agricultural investing so these states are better able to get by with dazes in the hereafter. Mentions BUREAU_OF_AFRICAN_AFFAIRS ( 2010 ) Background Note: Somalia. US Department of State. FAO ( 2006 ) Food Security. Food and Agricultural Organization Policy Brief. FAO ( 2008 ) Crop Prospects and Food Situation 2. Economic and Social Development Department, Food and Agricultural Organization. FAO ( 2009 ) Crop Prospects and Food Situation 3. Economic and Social Development Department, Food and Agricultural Organization. FEWS_NET ( 2008a ) Ethiopia Food Security Outlook. WFP ; USAID. FEWS_NET ( 2008b ) Hazards Impacts Assessment for Africa June 19 25, 2008. The USAID FEWS NET Weather. FEWS_Net ; USAID. FEWS_NET ( 2008c ) Hazards Impacts Assessment for Africa September 18 24, 2008. The USAID FEWS NET Weather. FEWS_Net ; USAID. FEWS_NET ( 2008d ) Post-election struggle causes utmost nutrient insecurity in rural countries, urban centres. Kenya Food Security Emergency. USAID. FSAU-SOMALIA ( 2008 ) Nutrition Update: Particular Focus on Gu 08. Food and Agricultural Organization. HUMAN_DEVELOPMENT_NETWORK A ; POVERTY_REDUCTION_AND_ECONOMIC_MANAGEMENT_NETWORK ( 2008 ) Rising Food and Fuel Monetary values: Addressing the hazards to future coevalss. The World Bank. IFRC ( 2008 ) Horn of Africa: Exceeding nutrient security crisis. Operationss Update. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies. RIELY, F. , NANCY MOCK, COGILL, B. , BAILEY, L. A ; KENEFICK, E. ( 1999 ) Food Security Indicators and Framework for Use in the Monitoring and Evaluation of Food Aid Programs. Food and Nutrition Technical aid. Office of Health and Nutrition, USAID. SHEERAN, J. A ; DIOUF, J. ( 2009 ) Food Aid for Emergency Relief and Protection of Livelihoods. Somalia Emergency Operation 10812.0. World Food Programme. USAID ( 2008 ) Global Food Insecurity and Price Increase update # 3. USAID.

Arizona Statehood and Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arizona Statehood and Constitution - Essay Example According to Lockwood (2008), the first country that had dominance over Arizona was Spain in the 1500’s. In this period, it established a colony on the ruins of Aztec empire which was named New Spain. In the year 1539, father Marcos de Niza explored Arizona, claiming it for Spain. In the year 1752, Spanish made its first settlement in Tubac after facing a lot of revolts from Papango and Pima tribes. The future colonization of Arizona was anticipated to come from the south making it to part of Mexico. In the year 1756-1763, there was French and Indian war which lasted for seven years due to land disputes was won by Britain. The Spanish gave up west and east Florida to the English for it to get Cuba in return. In the year 1776, a Spanish fort was built at Tucson. United States declared independence in the same year while French declared war against Britain in the year 1778 and made alliance with American revolutionary forces. The year 1783 saw the signing of the treaty of Paris by the Great Britain and the United states. In the year 1812, there was a war between Great Britain and America which ended in stalemate but gave America its independence. In the year 1821 Mexico gained military control of Arizona. The Mexican war was won by the United States in the year 1848 and got gain of all Arizona and north of the Gila River by a treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In the year 1853, the United States purchased the rest of Arizona through the Gadsden Purchase to gain its full control. Copper was discovered in Arizona in the year 1854. The year 1861-1865 saw the emergence of the American Civil War. John Brown invaded Hepers ferry in the year 1859 which brought in motion series of events that led to the outbreak of the civil war. Abraham Lincoln was then elected president and the south succeeded in the year 1861. In the year 1862, the Apaches attacked soldiers at the pass of Apache which began a ten year war with the settlers. The

Outline and discuss the evolution of CSR, including its history, role Essay - 1

Outline and discuss the evolution of CSR, including its history, role in the financial crisis and prospects for the future. Supp - Essay Example The topic of social responsibility is a highly debated one, as several theorists think that â€Å"business is obligated only to make profits.†2 On the other hand, many believe that all business entities have a social obligation it is bound to fulfill. However, there is no denial of the fact that while operating to make profits, a business organization has to ensure that they keep the interest of the society and environment in mind because basically the revenues they make have to primarily derive from the same society and environment. Definition: Corporate Social Responsibility can be defined as the â€Å"relationship between global corporations, governments of countries and individuals citizens.†3 CSR is also encompasses the relationship between corporations and their stakeholders. The EU Commission further defines CSR as a concept where â€Å"companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations†4 as well as during their interactions with stakeholders on a â€Å"voluntary basis.†5 Thus, in simple terms it is the responsibility corporate organizations have towards the society they work and operate in. Furthermore, this responsibility is not limited to the present generation in a particular society, but also extends to coming generations, that is the â€Å"future members of the society.†6 CSR is greatly related with â€Å"corporate citizenship, business responsibility, business reputation, ethical corporation, sustainable business†7 etc but is different from them. The CSR approach believes that stakeholders such as â€Å"consumers, employees, the community at large, government, and the natural environment†8 are supposed to be given a stronger focus. Social responsibility of the firms basically stems from the fact that they are using the natural resources available in the area where they function. Thus, they are bound to give something back to the society. In the present day, the wellbe ing of society has become increasingly important, and community is given the main priority in all spheres. In such a community centered world system, the question of who is responsible to safeguard the interests of the people cannot simply be answered by government. While government has a key role, the growing private sector companies including corporate entities need to focus not only on making profits, but also consider the impact of their operations within the society. History and Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility: The basic idea of CSR has its roots in the era before the birth of Jesus Christ and is first seen when in â€Å"1700 BC†9 the ancient Mesopotamian ruler brought into practice a code that imposes punishment on â€Å"builders, innkeepers or farmers†10 by death if as a result of â€Å"their negligence†11 any inconvenience is caused to local citizens. The people engaged in any trade related activities have to abide by this code, not merely b ecause they feared â€Å"legal consequences†12 but because of their strong sense of â€Å"moral conviction.†13 On the other hand, ancient Roman senators were upset with the fact that businesses were unable to provide adequate taxes in order to â€Å"fund military campaigns,†14 therefore unsuccessful to â€Å"contribute to the war programme.†

World History College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World History College - Essay Example The condition of women within a particular society was dramatically impacted by the amount of socialization the central culture had developed. For example, India had a heavy caste system wherein women were viewed as weak, frivolous, unimportant, etc. (AUTHOR # 1 132). The fact that the social system perceived women in such a negative light, and was then too inflexible to accommodate change, resulted in women remaining in oppressive or inferior positions with no recourse. In fact, it was the very development of these types of systems that relegated women to a lower class structure. As AUTHOR # 2 states, "women enjoyed broader occupational options and a stronger voice within the family and in society as a whole before the emergence of centralized politics and highly stratified social systems (AUTHOR # 2 268). Not unpredictably, the more money a woman's family possessed, the better daily life she lived. A poor woman would be expected to work in the field or perform other menial tasks while a rich woman would be less likely to experience hardship.

Analysis of Hamlet by William Shakespeare :: William Shakespeare Plays Hamlet Essays

Analysis of Hamlet by William Shakespeare The play begins on the outer ramparts of Elsinore castle. It is late and Francisco, a guard, is on duty waiting for Bernardo to relieve him from his watch. Francisco is nervous because the previous two nights he and Bernardo have seen a figure who appears to be the ghost of the recently deceased king wandering around. Bernardo approaches, accompanied by Horatio (Hamlet's only friend and confident). Even though Horatio dismisses the idea of a ghost, the guards start to retell the previous nights' encounters. As the guards begin, the ghost appears before them- much to Horatio's surprise. The guards urge Horatio to speak with the ghost. Because Horatio is a student, they feel he should be able to communicate with the ghost, and their previous attempts to talk with it have failed. Horatio's attempts also fail. The scene ends with Horatio stating that he will go and inform his friend Hamlet of these incredible events.Text: Act I, Scene i Act I, Scene ii: This scene opens in contrast to the first scene. The first scene takes place on the dark, cold isolated ramparts; this scene begins in a brightly lit court, with the new king, Claudius, celebrating his recent wedding to his new wife, Gertrude. Everyone in the court appears happy and joyful, except one character who is sitting off to the side. He is dressed in black, the colour of mourning, and does not like what he sees. The lone figure is Hamlet, the main character of the play. He is wearing black because it has been only two months since his father, Hamlet senior the ghost on the battlements, died and he still is mourning his father's death. To further upset Hamlet, Claudius' new bride is Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hamlet is upset because his mother married Claudius so soon after becoming a widow. To add to all the injustices Hamlet is feeling at this time, Claudius is also related to Hamlet. Hamlet's uncle is now his step-father and Gertrude's brother-in-law is now her husband. Claudius conducts several pieces of business during the beginning of this scene. He first tries to take measures to prevent a war with Norway, then discusses Laertes' request to leave court and go back to school. Claudius agrees with Polonius, Laertes' father, that Laertes' plan of going back to school is a good one. He gives Laertes permission to go. This familial scene brings Claudius' mind to Hamlet.

Part Two Chapter V

V Alison Jenkins, the journalist from the Yarvil and District Gazette, had at last established which of the many Weedon households in Yarvil housed Krystal. It had been difficult: nobody was registered to vote at the address and no landline number was listed for the property. Alison visited Foley Road in person on Sunday, but Krystal was out, and Terri, suspicious and antagonistic, refused to say when she would be back or confirm that she lived there. Krystal arrived home a mere twenty minutes after the journalist had departed in her car, and she and her mother had another row. ‘Why din't ya tell her to wait? She was gonna interview me abou' the Fields an' stuff!' ‘Interview you? Fuck off. Wha' the fuck for?' The argument escalated and Krystal walked out again, off to Nikki's, with Terri's mobile in her tracksuit bottoms. She frequently made off with this phone; many rows were triggered by her mother demanding it back and Krystal pretending that she didn't know where it was. Dimly, Krystal hoped that the journalist might know the number somehow and call her directly. She was in a crowded, jangling cafe in the shopping centre, telling Nikki and Leanne all about the journalist, when the mobile rang. †Oo? Are you the journalist, like?' ‘†¦ o's ‘at †¦ ‘erri?' ‘It's Krystal. ‘Oo's this?' ‘†¦ ‘m your †¦ ‘nt †¦ other †¦ ‘ister.' †Oo?' shouted Krystal. One finger in the ear not pressed against the phone, she wove her way between the densely packed tables to reach a quieter place. ‘Danielle,' said the woman, loud and clear on the other end of the telephone. ‘I'm yer mum's sister.' ‘Oh, yeah,' said Krystal, disappointed. Fuckin' snobby bitch, Terri always said when Danielle's name came up. Krystal was not sure that she had ever met Danielle. ‘It's abou' your Great Gran.' †Oo?' ‘Nana Cath,' said Danielle impatiently. Krystal reached the balcony overlooking the shopping centre forecourt; reception was strong here; she stopped. ‘Wha's wrong with ‘er?' said Krystal. It felt as though her stomach was flipping over, the way it had done as a little girl, turning somersaults on a railing like the one in front of her. Thirty feet below, the crowds surged, carrying plastic bags, pushing buggies and dragging toddlers. ‘She's in South West General. She's been there a week. She's had a stroke.' ‘She's bin there a week?' said Krystal, her stomach still swooping. ‘Nobody told us.' ‘Yeah, well, she can't speak prop'ly, but she's said your name twice.' ‘Mine?' asked Krystal, clutching the mobile tightly. ‘Yeah. I think she'd like to see yeh. It's serious. They're sayin' she migh' not recover.' ‘Wha' ward is it?' asked Krystal, her mind buzzing. ‘Twelve. High-dependency. Visiting hours are twelve till four, six till eight. All righ'?' ‘Is it – ?' ‘I gotta go. I only wanted to let you know, in case you want to see her. ‘Bye.' The line went dead. Krystal lowered the mobile from her ear, staring at the screen. She pressed a button repeatedly with her thumb, until she saw the word ‘blocked'. Her aunt had withheld her number. Krystal walked back to Nikki and Leanne. They knew at once that something was wrong. ‘Go an' see ‘er,' said Nikki, checking the time on her own mobile. ‘Yeh'll ge' there fer two. Ge' the bus.' ‘Yeah,' said Krystal blankly. She thought of fetching her mother, of taking her and Robbie to go and see Nana Cath too, but there had been a huge row a year before, and her mother and Nana Cath had had no contact since. Krystal was sure that Terri would take an immense amount of persuading to go to the hospital, and was not sure that Nana Cath would be happy to see her. It's serious. They're saying she might not recover. †Ave yeh gor enough cash?' said Leanne, rummaging in her pockets as the three of them walked up the road towards the bus stop. ‘Yeah,' said Krystal, checking. ‘It's on'y a quid up the hospital, innit?' They had time to share a cigarette before the number twenty-seven arrived. Nikki and Leanne waved her off as though she were going somewhere nice. At the very last moment, Krystal felt scared and wanted to shout ‘Come with me!' But then the bus pulled away from the kerb, and Nikki and Leanne were already turning away, gossiping. The seat was prickly, covered in some old smelly fabric. The bus trundled onto the road that ran by the precinct and turned right into one of the main thoroughfares that led through all the big-name shops. Fear fluttered inside Krystal's belly like a foetus. She had known that Nana Cath was getting older and frailer, but somehow, vaguely, she had expected her to regenerate, to return to the heyday that had seemed to last so long; for her hair to turn black again, her spine to straighten and her memory to sharpen like her caustic tongue. She had never thought about Nana Cath dying, always associating her with toughness and invulnerability. If she had considered them at all, Krystal would have thought of the deformity to Nana Cath's chest, and the innumerable wrinkles criss-crossing her face, as honourable scars sustained during her successful battle to survive. Nobody close to Krystal had ever died of old age. (Death came to the young in her mother's circle, sometimes even before their faces and bodies had become emaciated and ravaged. The body that Krystal had found in the bathroom when she was six had been of a handsome young man, as white and lovely as a statue, or that was how she remembered him. But sometimes she found that memory confusing and doubted it. It was hard to know what to believe. She had often heard things as a child that adults later contradicted and denied. She could have sworn that Terri had said, ‘It was yer dad.' But then, much later, she had said, ‘Don' be so silly. Yer dad's not dead, ‘e's in Bristol, innee?' So Krystal had had to try and reattach herself to the idea of Banger, which was what everybody called the man they said was her father. But always, in the background, there had been Nana Cath. She had escaped foster care because of Nana Cath, ready and waiting in Pagford, a strong if uncomfortable safety net. Swearing and furious, she had swooped, equally aggressive to Terri and to the social workers, and taken her equally angry great-granddaughter home. Krystal did not know whether she had loved or hated that little house in Hope Street. It was dingy and it smelt of bleach; it gave you a hemmed-in feeling. At the same time, it was safe, entirely safe. Nana Cath would only let approved individuals in through the door. There were old-fashioned bath cubes in a glass jar on the end of the bath.) What if there were other people at Nana Cath's bedside, when she got there? She would not recognize half her own family, and the idea that she might come across strangers tied to her by blood scared her. Terri had several half-sisters, products of her father's multiple liaisons, whom even Terri had never met; but Nana Cath tried to keep up with them all, doggedly maintaining contact with the large disconnected family her sons had produced. Occasionally, over the years, relatives Krystal did not recognize had turned up at Nana Cath's while she was there. Krystal thought that they eyed her askance and said things about her under their voices to Nana Cath; she pretended not to notice and waited for them to leave, so that she could have Nana Cath to herself again. She especially disliked the idea that there were any other children in Nana Cath's life. (†Oo are they?' Krystal had asked Nana Cath when she was nine, pointing jealously at a framed photograph of two boys in Paxton High uniforms on Nana Cath's sideboard. ‘Them's two o' my great-grandsons,' said Nana Cath. ‘Tha's Dan and tha's Ricky. They're your cousins.' Krystal did not want them as cousins, and she did not want them on Nana Cath's sideboard. ‘An' who's tha'?' she demanded, pointing at a little girl with curly golden hair. ‘Tha's my Michael's little girl, Rhiannon, when she were five. Beau'iful, weren't she? Bu' she wen' an' married some wog,' said Nana Cath. There had never been a photograph of Robbie on Nana Cath's sideboard. Yeh don't even know who the father is, do yeh, yer whore? I'm washin' my ‘ands of yeh. I've ‘ad enough, Terri, I've ‘ad it: you can look after it yourself.) The bus trundled on through town, past all the Sunday afternoon shoppers. When Krystal had been small, Terri had taken her into the centre of Yarvil nearly every weekend, forcing her into a pushchair long past the age when Krystal needed it, because it was so much easier to hide nicked stuff with a pushchair, push it down under the kid's legs, hide it under the bags in the basket under the seat. Sometimes Terri would go on tandem shoplifting trips with the sister she spoke to, Cheryl, who was married to Shane Tully. Cheryl and Terri lived four streets away from each other in the Fields, and petrified the air with their language when they argued, which was frequently. Krystal never knew whether she and her Tully cousins were supposed to be on speaking terms or not, and no longer bothered keeping track, but she spoke to Dane whenever she ran across him. They had shagged, once, after splitting a bottle of cider out on the rec when they were fourteen. Neither of them had ever mentioned i t afterwards. Krystal was hazy on whether or not it was legal, doing your cousin. Something Nikki had said had made her think that maybe it wasn't. The bus rolled up the road that led to the main entrance of South West General, and stopped twenty yards from an enormous long rectangular grey and glass building. There were patches of neat grass, a few small trees and a forest of signposts. Krystal followed two old ladies out of the bus and stood with her hands in her tracksuit pockets, looking around. She had already forgotten what kind of ward Danielle had told her Nana Cath was on; she recalled only the number twelve. She approached the nearest signpost with a casual air, squinting at it almost incidentally: it bore line upon line of impenetrable print, with words as long as Krystal's arm and arrows pointing left, right, diagonally. Krystal did not read well; being confronted with large quantities of words made her feel intimidated and aggressive. After several surreptitious glances at the arrows, she decided that there were no numbers there at all, so she followed the two old ladies towards the double glass doors at the front of the main building. The foyer was crowded and more confusing than the signposts. There was a bustling shop, which was separated from the main hall by floor to ceiling windows; there were rows of plastic chairs, which seemed to be full of people eating sandwiches; there was a packed cafe in the corner; and a kind of hexagonal counter in the middle of the floor, where women were answering enquiries as they checked their computers. Krystal headed there, her hands still in her pockets. ‘Where's ward twelve?' Krystal asked one of the women in a surly voice. ‘Third floor,' said the woman, matching her tone. Krystal did not want to ask anything else out of pride, so she turned and walked away, until she spotted lifts at the far end of the foyer and entered one going up. It took her nearly fifteen minutes to find the ward. Why didn't they put up numbers and arrows, not these stupid long words? But then, walking along a pale green corridor with her trainers squeaking on the linoleum floor, someone called her name. ‘Krystal?' It was her aunt Cheryl, big and broad in a denim skirt and tight white vest, with banana-yellow black-rooted hair. She was tattooed from her knuckles to the tops of her thick arms, and wore multiple gold hoops like curtain rings in each ear. There was a can of Coke in her hand. ‘She ain' bothered, then?' said Cheryl. Her bare legs were planted firmly apart, like a sentry guard. †Oo?' ‘Terri. She din' wanna come?' ‘She don' know ye'. I on'y jus' ‘eard. Danielle called an' tole me.' Cheryl ripped off the ring-pull and slurped Coke, her tiny eyes sunken in a wide, flat face that was mottled like corned beef, scrutinizing Krystal over the top of the can. ‘I tole Danielle ter call yeh when it ‘appened. Three days she were lyin' in the ‘ouse, and no one fuckin' found ‘er. The state of ‘er. Fuckin' ‘ell.' Krystal did not ask Cheryl why she herself had not walked the short distance to Foley Road to tell Terri the news. Evidently the sisters had fallen out again. It was impossible to keep up. ‘Where is she?' asked Krystal. Cheryl led the way, her flip-flops making a slapping noise on the floor. ‘Hey,' she said, as they walked. ‘I ‘ad a call fr'm a journalist about you.' ‘Didja?' ‘She give me a number.' Krystal would have asked more questions, but they had entered a very quiet ward, and she was suddenly frightened. She did not like the smell. Nana Cath was almost unrecognizable. One side of her face was terribly twisted, as though the muscles had been pulled with a wire. Her mouth dragged to one side; even her eye seemed to droop. There were tubes taped to her, a needle in her arm. Lying down, the deformity in her chest was much more obvious. The sheet rose and fell in odd places, as if the grotesque head on its scrawny neck protruded from a barrel. When Krystal sat down beside her, Nana Cath made no movement. She simply gazed. One little hand trembled slightly. ‘She ain' talkin', bu' she said yer name, twice, las' nigh',' Cheryl told her, staring gloomily over the rim of her can. There was a tightness in Krystal's chest. She did not know whether it would hurt Nana Cath to hold her hand. She edged her own fingers to within a few inches of Nana Cath's, but let them rest on the bedspread. ‘Rhiannon's bin in,' said Cheryl. ‘An' John an' Sue. Sue's tryin' ter get hold of Anne-Marie.' Krystal's spirits leapt. ‘Where is she?' she asked Cheryl. ‘Somewhere out Frenchay way. Y'know she's got a baby now?' ‘Yeah, I ‘eard,' said Krystal. ‘Wha' was it?' ‘Dunno,' said Cheryl, swigging Coke. Someone at school had told her: Hey, Krystal, your sister's up the duff! She had been excited by the news. She was going to be an auntie, even if she never saw the baby. All her life, she had been in love with the idea of Anne-Marie, who had been taken away before Krystal was born; spirited into another dimension, like a fairy-tale character, as beautiful and mysterious as the dead man in Terri's bathroom. Nana Cath's lips moved. ‘Wha'?' said Krystal, bending low, half scared, half elated. ‘D'yeh wan' somethin', Nana Cath?' asked Cheryl, so loudly that whispering guests at other beds stared over. Krystal could hear a wheezing, rattling noise, but Nana Cath seemed to be making a definite attempt to form a word. Cheryl was leaning over the other side, one hand gripping the metal bars at the head of the bed. ‘†¦ Oh †¦ mm,' said Nana Cath. ‘Wha'?' said Krystal and Cheryl together. The eyes had moved millimetres: rheumy, filmy eyes, looking at Krystal's smooth young face, her open mouth, as she leaned over her great-grandmother, puzzled, eager and fearful. ‘†¦ owin †¦' said the cracked old voice. ‘She dunno wha' she's sayin',' Cheryl shouted over her shoulder at the timid couple visiting at the next bed. ‘Three days lef' on the fuckin' floor, ‘s'not surprisin', is it?' But tears had blurred Krystal's eyes. The ward with its high windows dissolved into white light and shadow; she seemed to see a flash of bright sunlight on dark green water, fragmented into brilliant shards by the splashing rise and fall of oars. ‘Yeah,' she whispered to Nana Cath. ‘Yeah, I goes rowin', Nana.' But it was no longer true, because Mr Fairbrother was dead.