Should the internet be sensored Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should the internet be sensored - Research Paper Example So, should the internet be censored? Yes, it has because of the reasons discussed below. Protection of social norms. There is a lot of misinformation that is corrupting the current society through censorship; some laws that are fighting against cultural erosion like exposure of pornographic materials to children can get a voice. Children need proper protection (McCarthy, Martha: pp. 83). They have to be safeguarded from this kind of violence that is so public on the internet. Parents may not be in a position to look after their children at all times due to commitment at work. While they may assume their kids are safe while accessing the internet, it may not always be the case. Pornography and other sexy images act like a magnetic pull especially to underage adolescents. All they want is to have a look at how the opposite sex looks like. This in the end corrodes their young minds. It is filled with filth and unnecessary stuff. For this reason, some may end up developing behaviors that arise due to loneliness. Some may end up being gay or lesbians since the materials on t he internet convince them to think so and find it normal to divert from the society norms. If the government censors the internet, it may be in a position to block such confusing contents for children and help parents who spend little time with their children. Security reasons. Terrorists are using the internet in making their moves. It has made it easy for them to identify and locate places to attack. While most of the journalists may think everything is news that has to be blogged, it may give deadly tips to people with an evil mind. Take this case, a few years ago, someone made claims of making assault rifles using materials of a printer. While it hit international news headlines, some bloggers got a chance to write about it. Yes, it was good to make people inform people about the

Investment Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Investment Report - Essay Example This will give the investors and interested buyers of shares the platform to take conclusive decisions about the company and its viability in investing. Jamie Demon is the current Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co and operates alongside the Board of Governors and managers of the various components of the business establishment. The company is a front global financial firm and a banking institution in both the United States and across the globe. JPMorgan Chase & Co has a global coverage with operations in various countries (J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. 2014). The main operations of the company engage in the activities of investment banking, money-making banking, and small businesses, financial services for consumers, asset management, and financial transaction processing and private equity. Thus, in view of its areas of coverage in offering services, it encompasses all the essential sectors involved in the financial industry business. The company has several principle subsidiaries, which enlist as most of the leading operational banks. The company subsidiaries include the JPMorgan Chase Bank, the National Association JPMorgan Chase Bank, Chase Bank USA and National Association Chase Bank USA. It also has a national bank, which the company uses for facilitating and giving its credit cards and other national bank branches in the United States with 23 branches. The company also has other operational units, which are non-bank subsidiaries. The non-subsidiary unit includes J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, which is operational within the United States and in foreign markets. The bank and non-bank ancillaries of JPMorgan Chase & Co operate both within the country that is the United States and traversing the globe, through all its oversee branches. In addition to having oversees branches, the company also employs the use of representative office, which help in marketing and facilitating the

Management finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Management finance - Essay Example Thus, to go deeper, cost drivers refers to activities, which cause costs to be incurred (Yahya-Zadeh, 2011). Some of these activities would include; the number of purchase orders, the number of machine set ups, the number of batches, the number of machine hours as demonstrated below among many others. For instance, Offenbacker (2004) argues that, â€Å"the product costs are much more accurate under ABC– although overhead costs will NEVER be accurate because they are INDIRECT costs since the overhead to be absorbed is exactly the same overhead but analysed differently.† Moreover, Sharman (2003) argue that, â€Å"the potential implication of applying ABC system in the company is that there will not be product cost distortion and will provide the more accurate and that resulted in better product pricing and more accurate evaluation of the relative profitability of the products† (Roztocki et al., 1999). Conversely, during the production process different product lines and products use overhead resources at substantially different rates, thus, a slight change in the mix of products can result to dramatic changes in costs, which cannot be accurately predicted using the absorption costing method, hence, leading to making of incorrect buy or make decisions. Therefore , this can demonstrated by the reports below for both ABC and absorption costing method. Therefore, based on the new method, the ABC system the cost per unit of the products produced by the company based on the budgeted number of products for the three products will be as determined above; X= £78.5; Y= £91.9; Z= £66.9. However, based on the old technique of absorption costing the cost per unit of the products will be as shown below. Therefore, based on the cost per unit figures determined from the above, the products have a unit costs of X= £78.5; Y= £91.9; Z= £66.9 under the ABC system while under the current absorption costing system the products have units of X= £79.3; Y= £93.1; Z= £65.4.

Community and Social Benefits Essay Example for Free

Community and Social Benefits Essay The investigation of the reasons by which volunteers involve themselves on specific organizations, and actually stay for a long period of time, or leave groups which they became a part of is the theme of this article. The researcher wanted to provide an explanation that will cover the queries on volunteerism including its effects on the lives of the volunteers, importance in our current society, and the overall impact of these activities in the modern American lives (Strigas, 2006). The general hypothesis of the study is depicted on the title which states that volunteers are offering their free time to specific associations because they believe that such activities will render community and social benefits. The testable and more specific hypothesis, on the other hand, states that volunteers for sport and recreation activities provide their services based on five major motivational factors which include the following: â€Å"social functions for leisure,† â€Å"material,† â€Å"egoistic,† â€Å"purposive factors,† and â€Å"external influences† (Strigas, 2006). In a more formal presentation, the null hypothesis of the study can be presented as ? 1 – ? 2 = 0 where ? 1 comprise the motivational factors of the volunteer that are based on personal needs and interests while ? 2 accounts for the factors that are influenced by social and personal development (Experiment Resources, 2010). In like manner, it can be said that the null hypothesis of the study represents the idea that no relationship exists between personal and societal-based reasons for volunteering. A thorough analysis of the article will reveal that the null hypothesis was actually rejected as shown by the enumeration of evidences that link personal interests of the volunteers and their desire to help the society as some of the factors on why they join various organizations. Furthermore, it was shown that volunteers join organizations because they want to gain self-fulfillment or because they want to win favors from others. The importance of rejecting the null hypothesis (Trochim, 2006) and believing in the original notion that volunteerism is influenced by both personal and societal reasons in order to allow the cohesion of community and society provides framework on the encouragement of volunteerism empowerment in our society today. Consequently, the study emphasizes the importance of testing the hypothesis in order to confirm or disprove the observations of the researcher. Reference Experiment Resources. (2010). The Null hypothesis. Retrieved 03 June 2010, from. http://www. experiment-resources. com Strigas, A. (2006). Research update: making the most of volunteers: a study shows volunteers are giving their time in exchange for community and social benefits. Parks and Recreation. Trochim, W. (2006). Hypotheses. Retrieved 03 June 2010, from http://www. socialresearchmethods. net

Material Wastage on Construction Sites Work

Material Wastage on Construction Sites Work Material waste is recognised as a major dilemma in the construction industry and has important implications. The construction industry has been reported to be generating intolerable levels of material waste. This report reviews the causes and preventions of wastage of materials in the construction industry. The report also assists clients, main contractors, subcontractors and others who work in the construction industry with advice on how each individual can make a change to help reduce waste. 1.2. Definition of construction waste Waste is a common term and occurrence in the construction industry worldwide. Wastes are materials that are not main products which the initial user has no further use for his/ her wants to dispose. Waste is measured by size or weight and is unwanted or useless materials. Construction waste can be divided into material, labour and machinery waste, however, material waste is more of a concern because most raw materials come from non- renewable resources. Construction waste is generated by construction activities. 2. CAUSES OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY Waste measurement plays a significant role in the management of systems due to its effective way to measure their performance. Building material waste is complex to recycle due to high levels of contamination and a large degree of different materials mixed together and usually there is inadequate space for its disposal in large cities. There are seven categories of waste identified: There is unnecessary movement of people. When there is waiting by employees for equipment to finish its work. Defects in products. The overproduction of goods that are not needed. Goods awaiting further consumption. Unnecessary processing of goods. Unnecessary transportation of goods. There are other causes of material wastage such as accidents, working under suboptimal conditions, design of products that do not meet the userà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s needs, theft and vandalism. Along with the causes of indirect waste, material waste may be incorporated into buildings since materials are often used in excess of designed quantities or for a different purpose than what is specified, replacing materials for interior quality. It has been noted that material wastage is due to lack of control of materials by contractors. One of the major sources of waste was left over scrap resulting from cutting materials, such as bricks, blocks and sheetrock panels. Most of the waste involved with wood is non- reusable consumables meaning that this material assists in the production process but do not end as part of the building. Packaging and improper handling are also identified as important causes of waste. 2.1 Materials and the waste they cause Different products and materials are experience waste in different ways based on sizes, use and specification, this information was discovered by Skoyles (1976), Bossink and Brouwers (1996) and Forsythe and Marsden (1999) Steel Reinforcement Controlling the use of steel reinforcement on building sites is difficult due to it being bulky to handle due to its weight and shape. Steel reinforcement is always sold by weight. There are three main reasons for steel reinforcement waste:- Short unusable pieces are produced when bars are cut, Some bars sometimes have an excessively large diameter due to fabrication problems and trespassing which leads to theft. Poor structural design in terms of standardization and detailing causing waste due o non- optimized cutting of bars. Cement In- situ production of mortar: Cement is usually manually loaded in the mixer with the use of incorrect equipment. The lack of information available to construction labour for producing different mixes of mortar. Handling and transportation of mortar: This waste is related to site layout problems, lack of maintained pathways and use of inadequate equipment. Brickwork joints: Due to excessive consumption of mortar in joints, this is caused due to insufficient information available about process standards, inadequate supervisions, variations in the size of blocks and the lack of process standardization. Plaster thickness: Due to deviations in the dimensions of structural elements, problems in the incorporation between different designs and the omissions in the designs relating to defining the exact sizes of components such as door frames and blocks. Floor Screed: Due to deviations in the concrete slab level in relation to design and the need to inlay pipes in the floor. Sand, lime and Premix Mortar Sand and mortar are usually delivered in trucks, this may cause additional losses related to the lack of control in the delivery operation and the necessary handling demands. Bricks and Blocks The delivery of material such as the lack of control in the amount of bricks/ blocks delivered and the damage of the bricks and blocks are causes of waste, however, poor handling and transportation are the main causes. Another factor of waste is the need to cut the blocks and bricks which is due to the modular coordination in design. Ceramic Tiles The main source of waste was the cutting of tiles due to the problems in integration between architectural and structural design. This caused the cutting and wastage of tiles. Pipes and Wires Short, unusable pieces are produced when pipes are cut. Poor planning in the distribution of materials does not encourage the replacement of elements by others. Contractors often underestimate the real cost of waste on a project as this is not a clear cost. 2.2. Checklist to assess the causes of waste The following checklist can be used to assess the causes of waste:- Is the tender document complete? Is the design a fixed and agreed design? Is the information provided clear? Is the storage available safe and adequate? Is the workforce trained in waste management and waste reduction? Does the programme allow for the work to be carried out without interference with other trades? 3. PREVENTIONS OF WASTAGE OF MATERIALS Waste can be avoided by implementing inexpensive preventative methods related to managerial improvements. Some building materials and components use large amounts of non renewable sources of energy and sources that are in danger of exhaustion, such as timber, sand and crushed stone. It has been suggested that human work should be the main focus of waste prevention. The values of materials depend to a vast extent on the work that has been spent on them. In order to improve the efficiency of value- adding and non- value adding work, the aim is to eradicate waste by removing non- value adding activities. The control of waste to an acceptable level can only be reduced through major improvement in production system conditions. Waste prevention can be successful in many forms, such as:- By purchasing durable, long- lasting materials, Setting out to remove raw materials that are not incorporated into the final product or service, The use of products that are free of toxic material, By reducing the amount of packaging materials, Conserving water, energy or both, Implementation of in- process recycling. Waste prevention is a known as business strategy from which, any company can benefit. Waste prevention can be a routine part of daily business. The following basic steps can be taken:- Determining What Wastes you generate All waste streams need to be examined, including process wastes, hazardous wastes, non- hazardous wastes, solid wastes and office waste. By looking into bins, one can determine what materials are being thrown away. Each waste stream must be characterized to help determine the source of the waste, what processes generate it and how much is being discarded. Identifying Waste Prevention Measures All wastes should be evaluated for probable reduction. Determine how you can reduce each waste, evaluate your purchasing policies and determine what you can re-use. Production changes that would potentially improve efficiency, equipment, piping and layout changes should be identified. Resources that may help conduct a waste reduction assessment at a business should be identified. Priorities and goals should be set Prioritize waste prevention opportunities by considering cost, payback and increased employee safety. Attainable goals should be set. Get Started Employees should be taught about how to reduce waste and waste prevention activities should be promoted. Encourage employees by offering incentives. 3.1. Recycling Recycling is a process whereby materials that would have become waste, are transformed into new materials and products. By using more recycled or reused materials on a construction project, overall costs can be reduced. In recycling, used materials or waste are transformed into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials to help reduce consumption of fresh raw materials, to help reduce energy usage, to help reduce air and water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling is an important part of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Reduce, Reuse, and Recycleà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ waste. Recyclable materials include many different types of glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles and electronics. The composting or reuse of biodegradable waste such as food or garden waste is not typically considered recycling. Materials that are to be recycled can be taken to a collection centre or picked up from the curb side and then sorted, cleaned and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing. Recycling of a material will produce a fresh, new supply of the same material. Recycling of goods or materials involves their reuse in producing different materials. Recycling has been a common practise for most of human history. Materials for recycling can be can be sorted into the various types on site, ready for pick up. Copper such as wire, old steel furnishings, or equipment and glass windows are some of the materials that can be recycled from a construction site. The type of waste materials accepted for recycling, varies from cities and countries depending on the types of materials that city or country can recycle. The difference in acceptance is reflected in the resale value of the material, one it is reprocessed. 3.2 Re-using Many materials from construction can be recovered from demolition and renovation sites and donated, sold, stored for later use or reused on current or other projects. Private companies sometimes recover materials from the site which can avoid the cost of removal by a contractor. Companies that have storage space available can store good material for future use or for another project. Space, time and equipment can restrict opportunities to reuse materials on smaller projects. Opportunities still exist to import materials from other sites, which may only be available in limited quantities and therefore better suited to small projects. Packaging waste cannot be eliminated or reduced. The most cost effective option with using packaging and the best option for the environment is to reuse the packaging as many times as possible. Repairing any damaged pallets on site is another way of reusing packaging. The pallets that are not in use can be sold to pallet suppliers. Old polypropylene bags can be used for storing demolition wastes. Large sheets of plastic sheeting can be used as wrapping for materials on site as weather protection. 3.3 Successes of prevention methods 3.3.1 Monitoring process and waste production changes- Track things such as the volume of waste products. 3.3.2 Calculating the savings- Look at savings in handlings, treating and disposals cost. 3.3.3 Look at indirect benefits- Try to gauge the value of less obvious benefits such as reaching new markets and improving public image. 3.3.4 Re-evaluate your efforts on a regular basis- As new raw materials and processes are introduced, waste streams change. Conduct regular assessments of your business to identify additional waste prevention opportunities. 4. REDUCTION OF MATERIAL WASTAGE 4.1. Advantages of reducing waste Reducing waste means that resources will be saved. Society benefits from reducing waste by allowing people to limit their usage of a certain privileged in order to conserve it for the future. This can be done effortlessly and doesnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t involve any extra equipment or dramatic life changes. Reducing waste will help communities, contractors and it improves the image of organisations and companies that reduce disposal. A lot of space will also be conserved in existing landfills. 4.2. Reasons for reducing waste The reduction of waste can be beneficial to many involved in the construction industry. Reducing waste can be a great financial benefit as waste has a cost. The cost of waste is included in a tender price and paid for by the client. Main contractors have the responsibilities for waste disposal but waste is also generated by sub- contractors. Based on an environmental and a cost perspective, clients, main contractors and sub- contractors have focused on the waste issue. The focus on waste is because of the tremendous escalating applied to landfill tax. Reducing the wastage of materials can also be a benefit to sub- contractors and can result in either a total saving to the project or an increase in project for sub- contractors. There would be a drop in tender prices and a competitive advantage achieved. Sub- contractors are to benefit from using their materials more efficiently. If sub- contractors show initiative to support and engage waste reduction measures, they can improve their chances of being known as preferred bidders as they can help main contractors meet their waste targets. In order for sub- contractors to reap the benefits from reduced material waste, they have to be pro- active. Reducing wastage material is also a benefit to clients and contractors. The cost of waste built into project tenders are paid for by clients. A reduced cost for the project can be achieved by reducing the volume of waste generated. The cost saving from projects can be shared amongst main contractors, sub- contractors and clients. Minimising environmental damage means less quantity of landfill space used and reduced environmental impacts associated with extracting, transporting and manufacturing the raw materials. At a corporate level, reducing waste can bring the following benefits to clients, main contractors and sub- contractors:- It demonstrates commitment to sustainability. It reduces the organisations carbon print Engenders a culture of material efficiency in all project activities. It provides evidence of environmental policies being put into place. Prevention of wastage of materials and recycling of waste reduces exhaustion of natural resources such as trees, oil and minerals. Sub- contractors should consider the following to reduce waste:- Use safe and secure storage Develop a strategy that minimises waste For moving materials, consider mechanical systems and machinery Off- site manufacture or construction should be considered Monitor construction activities Packaging must be used in an efficient way People must be trained and educated on how to reduce waste 4.3. People involved in taking action against reducing waste Waste is equal responsibility between all parties of the supply chain, starting from the client to the waste contractor. All involved cannot work in isolation to manage waste. 4.3.1 Clients Clients need to show initiative and leadership by setting rules and requirements for the proper use of materials and communicating these rules and requirements to the project team. The clients need to ensure that the issues with materials waste are discussed. It is also in the clientà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s best interest to ensure that all people involved are making an effort to reduce waste. 4.3.2 Main Contractors Main contractors have to pass on the information about material waste that the client has given him. The main contractor is to develop a site waste management plan that has estimates of wastes that will be generated. The plan needs to include a strategy to reduce waste. The contractor is to monitor waste data by gathering site waste data and comparing them against site waste data. 4.3.3 Sub- Contractors The sub- contractor must support the main contractors in order to ensure delivery of the clientà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s requirements. Sub- contractors must provide accurate waste estimates for their trade. Sub- contractors can develop actions to reduce waste and submit their ideas to the main contractors. The efficient and proper use of materials must be managed and controlled by sub- contractors to ensure that waste is minimised. On completion of a project, the sub- contractor must provide accurate data on the amount of waste, how was it generated and how it can be reduced. 4.4. Approach to waste reduction Sub- contractors can use four stages to reduce waste:-   Planning Implementation Review Improvement 4.4.1.1. Planning Figure 2 Source: www.org.uk/construction The site management plan is developed by the main contractor during this stage. The waste estimates are developed by sub- contractors. Reductions in waste can be realised by bringing in sub- contractors into the site waste management planning exercise. A waste management plan which is developed by the main contractor should have the following key features:- The waste targets that are set by the client, An estimate of the waste that could be generated on site, Solutions to reduce the waste and, Solutions for wastes going to landfills Main contractors need to ensure that sub- contractors are engaged and challenged on the waste they are likely to generate. Contractors and sub- contractors can manage a process of waste reduction that will allow them to meet the waste targets, if estimates of the quantities of materials and the waste likely to be generated are produced accurately. The following actions can assist the sub- contractors with reducing waste:- Accurate information to be used- when pricing projects, the information used must be up to date, in the correct format and must be accurate. The checklist can be used to check the quality of information. The check list will include:- Are the designs and specifications up to date? Is the latest issue of drawings? Is there any further information needed? Are the drawings in the correct format allowing scaling and printing? Use CAD drawings-Drawings must be available in digital format so that the information is accurate and to scale. This way contractors, sub- contractors and suppliers can have access to the same information and errors can be avoided. Carry out site measurements- if site measurements are carried out, more accurate estimates will be produced. Identifying the causes of waste- all causes must be identified at tender stage. 4.4.1.2. Implementation The implementation of the waste reduction strategy relates to the construction phase of the project. At the implementation stage, the practical measures to reduce waste on site, which is agreed at planning stage can now be implemented. During construction, waste management and waste reduction measures must be implemented. Contractors and sub- contractors must make sure that the waste management solutions that they proposed are put into action. They must also ensure that their effect is monitored regularly through project reviews. At each project review, reports on waste must be produced to assist the team to check performance and look for opportunities to reduce waste. While the project progresses, as each track is completed, reviews of individual performance should be carried out and feedback provided so that:- Sub- contractors can identify how efficient they were on the project. Main contractors can decide which trade contributes what quantity of materials to the waste stream and why. Main contractors and sub- contractors can learn lessons that will enable to improve on reducing waste. Main contractors and sub- contractors can learn lessons which will enable them to improve on reducing waste on projects. An important role in the way waste is generated on site is by construction activities. By main contractors and sub- contractors working together at this stage of the project, obstacles can be removed to increase material efficiency. This can be achieved by taking the following actions:- Implement a Waste Minimisation Strategy for the project as part of the Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) SWMPà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s will soon become a mandatory requirement for many projects. The SWMP must contain detailed measures complying with relevant waste legislation and must also include good practise guidance and objectives in order to maximise reduction, re- use and recovery of construction waste. Develop a logistics strategy that minimises waste- A major contributor to waste is poor logistics. Solutions like just in time delivery, helps reduce damage to materials and products by minimising the time they are stored on site. Use safe, suitable and secure storage- For tradeà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s f materials that cannot fall under just in time delivery, suitable, safe and secure storage should be provided to avoid damage during storage and moves. Consider mechanical systems and machinery to move materials- This is useful for trades where materials are delivered in large quantities. Mechanical handling of materials will minimise damage and loss of the materials. Off-site manufacture and construction- This will improve efficiency and quality. It minimises the amount of work on site. Monitor and programme construction activities- The activities should be regularly reviewed. Work must be planned to avoid the overlapping of incompatible trades working in the same area. Use packaging in an efficient way- Packaging is one of the largest waste streams in the construction industry. Situations occur were either too much packaging is provided or too less packaging. The ways of reducing or eliminating packaging, needs to be investigated by main and sub- contractors. Trade and educate people on how to reduce waste- Personal responsibility needs to be allocated on site for waste reduction. Incentives should be given to people in order for them to reduce waste. Training and tool box talks on waste minimisation must be done to inform workers. There needs to be more interaction between estimators, buyers, site managers and operators. The following best practise activities should also be incorporated in the process of monitoring performance during construction:- A site manager should be appointed by main contractors to reduce waste on site. The position does not have to be a full time task. The role and responsibilities must be clearly defined to the site waste manager. The site waste manager should co- ordinate with sub- contractors to ensure availability of storage conditions. The site waste manager should keep a record of all material entering the site in order to reconcile against what has been used. A trade waste manager should be appointed by sub- contractors. In cases where materials are not supplied directly by the main contractors, the sub- contractors must liaise with the Site Waste Manager to make sure that the materials are supplied in an appropriate manner and in the correct quantity. Site Waste managers should monitors costs and the volumes of disposals of materials. 4.4.1.3. Review Figure 4 Source: www.org.uk/construction As each work package is completed and at the end of a project, a review of waste performance must take place as part of the final account and post project review. A review of waste performance should be carried out when each sub- contractor completes their work. Reviewing the data and providing feedback can have benefits such as :- Determining whether waste minimisation and management strategy is effective. Find out what works and what doesnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t work in reducing waste. Determine how efficient main/ sub- contractors were on the project. Main contractors can look at the trades and the amount of waste it generates. Capture relevant data for future reference. Sub- contractors and main contractors can learn lessons which will assist them in improving the waste performance on projects. Actions that can be taken at the end of projects:- Post Completion Reconciliation- making a comparison of the net quantity of materials used with the quantity ordered. The quantity of materials un- used provides a measure of how efficient usages of materials have been. Any reasons should be investigated and recorded. Carry- out reviews of performance against targets- Workshops should be carried out at regular intervals as part of the project reviews to access performance. Record Data- Capturing waste data should be continuous across different project types. This will allow contractors, clients and sub- contractors to decide how efficient material usage is and the effect it had on profit and overall project waste. 4.4.1.4. Improvement Figure 5 Source: www.org.uk/construction Companies can demonstrate best practise and a company- wide commitment to waste minimisation and management for an improved reputation with clients by improving performance. In improving performance, the waste minimisation is the ability to deliver projects for a lower cost which is the main benefit. Actions such as the following can be taken:- Share the lessons that have been learnt- A good way to improve performance is to learn from experience. The issues relating to minimisation and managing waste are new and good and bad experiences need to be shared across the construction industry. Promoting Innovation- By finding and identifying new ideas in the field of waste management and minimisation, clients, contractors and sub- contractors can contribute to increasing requirements for reducing construction environmental impact. Raise Awareness- All participants to the construction process can improve their performance on reducing waste, increase profits and by promoting a more sustainable image of the industry by raising awareness. Demonstrate better financial and environmental results- Contractors and sub- contractors can demonstrate through examples for future tenders and this can provide competitive advantages. 5. WASTE MANAGEMENT Waste management is defined as the collection, transportation, processing or disposal, managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term waste management normally relates to materials produced by human activity. This process is generally done to reduce their effect on health and the environment. Waste management is a distinctive practice from resource recovery which forces on delaying the rate of consumption of natural resources. The management of wastes, treats all materials as individual class, whether solid, liquid or radioactive substances, and tried to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of each through different methods. Waste management practises differ for developed and developing countries, they also differ for urban and rural areas and for industrial and residential producers. Waste management for non- hazardous waste residential and institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local government authorities, whilst waste management for non- hazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator. 5.1 Waste handling and transportation Waste collection vehicles in South Africa, dustbins and waste sorting moulded plastic are some collection methods. Waste collection methods vay widely among different countries and regions. Areas in the less developed countries, do not have formal waste collection systems. 5.2. Waste Management Concepts There are a number of different concepts regarding waste management which vary in their usage between countries or regions. Some of the most widely used concepts are:- Waste Hierarchy The waste hierarchy refers to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Reduceà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Reuseà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Recycleà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ which are known as the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3 Rà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. These classify waste management strategies according to their appeal n terms of waste minimisation. The waste hierarchy remains the cornerstone of waste management strategies. The aim of the hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste. Polluter Pays Principal Polluter Pays Principal is a principal where the polluting party pays gor the impact caused to the environment. In regard to waste management, this refers to the requirement for a waste generator to pay for appropriate disposal of the waste. 6. HAZARDOUS WASTE A major concern too many countries in the world is hazardous waste. Hazardous wastes are discarded materials that make them potentially harmful to health and safety of humans and the environment. Chemicals, heavy metals or substances generated as by products during commercial manufacturing, discarded paint, thinners, cleaning fluids and batteries can all be included as hazardous waste. Hazardous waste can be in the form of liquids, solids or gases. Hazardous waste sites can pose as a public health threat if the sites are not properly designed or managed. A Hazardous Waste Worker Training Programme (HWWTP) was created to support the Health and Safety of workers who work with hazardous waste. In order to minimize uncontrolled hazardous wastes, all involved in the transportation must comply with the SANS 10406 on Transportation of Dangerous Goods. The objectives of the transportation of Hazardous wastes are:- To ensure the correct packaging, temporary storage and collection prior to transportation, to prevent accidental spillage into the environment and minimise the impact if spillage occurs. To ensure that the hazardous waste arrives safely at a permitted facility. To ensure that emergency facilities are in place before accidents occur and the hazardous wastes are correctly marked so as to aid the emergency team. 7. CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS Construction and demolition materials consist of the debris generated during the construction,

Immanuel Kant Essays -- essays research papers

Immanuel Kant 1724-1804 Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724 in Konigsberg, East Prussia. He was the son of a saddler. At age 8, he entered the Collegium Fredericianum, a Latin school, where he remained for 8 1/2 years and studied the classics. He then entered the University of Konigsberg in 1740 to study philosophy, mathematics, and physics. The death of his father halted his university career so he became a private tutor. In 1755, he returned to Konigsburg where he later resumed his studies. In 1756, he received a degree and was made a lecturer, and in 1770 he became a professor. Kant felt he had to adhere to a very strict schedule during his years as a professor. He would get up shortly before five in the morning and spent an hour drinking tea, smoking a pipe, and thinking over his day’s work. From six to seven he prepared his lecture, which would begin at seven or eight and lasted until nine or ten. After his lecture he would devote himself to writing until the midday meal. He always had company for his midday meal and it would always last several hours because he enjoyed conversation. After the meal he would take a walk for an hour or so and his evenings were devoted to reading and reflection. He would go to bed at ten o’clock. Besides his writings, he became famous for his schedule. Kant’s most striking character trait was probably his moral earnestness and his devotion to the idea of duty. He was a sociable man and was also kindly and benevolent. He was never rich but he was careful in money matters. He regularly assisted a number of poor people. He was a sincere and loyal friend and his conduct was marked by courtesy and respect for others. For 15 years after completing his doctorate he taught at the university where he lectured on science and math, but eventually he expanded his field to cover almost all branches of philosophy. Kant was an amazing orator and was internationally famous for his lectures. His main goal in philosophical courses was to stimulate his listeners to â€Å"stand on their own feet† as he put it. He was appointed to a regular chair of philosophy at the University at the age of 46 in 1770. He was made the professor of logics and metaphysics. He came into conflict with Prussia's government due to his unorthodox religious teachings. In 1792, the King of Prussia, Frede... ...mpiricist. Descartes, on the other hand, was a "realist" believing that objects exist separately from us. He also thought that we could only know their essences through "clear and distinct" innate ideas. This made him a "transcendental" realist. Kant's thoughts were mainly influenced by the rationalism of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, Christian Wolff, and the empiricism of David Hume. The reason I chose Immanuel Kant to research is because not only of his philosophical views but also because of his interests in scientific issues. He was interested in virtually every aspect of human experience. While researching him I became impressed with his views on war, especially that if we allowed the people who have to do the fighting to make the decision about war, we would have peace. I agree that sometimes the government makes the decisions that doesn’t represent what the people want. I was also impressed with his views on religion, how the churches become instruments in the hands of the government and the clergy become tools of politics. Since Kant's thought is truly the basis of modern philosophy, it is still a main point of departure for the 21st century.

Colombian Independence Movements :: essays research papers

Colombian Independence Movements   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A series of independence movements had marked most of South America, or â€Å"Nueva Granada† in particular during the vast time period of the early 16th century up until the late 18th century – early 19th century. An introduction of the time period which dates back to the late 15th century, illustrates how the Southern portion of the now Colombia had become a part of the Incan Empire whose central base had been located deep into Peru. Only the enlightened historians and those that have done thorough research of the time period have noted the existence concerning the various Indian tribes that roamed freely throughout portions of the land much before the emergence of the Spaniards into the territory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beginning in the early 16th century, we begin to see the arrival of a substantial number of Spaniards throughout several portions of New Granada (Nueva Granada in Spanish). One must also take into account that Colombia was not the only country in New Granada: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ecuador †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Panama  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In addition to Colombia, these three counties formed †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Venezuela  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  what had been referred to then as New Granada. The first permanent settlement on the European mainland, Darien, had been found and conquered by the Spaniards in 1510. This had marked the surfacing of the Spaniards across South American lines as many more were to follow. An additional notable conquering had occurred when Pascual de Andagoya had reached the San Juan River in 1522. The term New Granada itself had not been instituted until the actual foundation of the colony in 1538; it had remained as New Granada up until 1861 which was when it was called the United States of Granada as a result of the rewriting of the constitution. Moving ahead in time periods until the early 18th century, Bogotà ¡ (the present capital of Colombia), became the capital of the new Spanish Viceroyalty of Nueva (New) Granada, which also ruled over Ecuador and Venezuela. While studying the independence movements of Colombia, many historians have also noted that the Indians initially tolerated the influx of the Spaniards but rebelled when the colonists tried to enslave them and take possession of their lands. Almost immediately, a large part of what became Colombia had been conquered by the Spanish, and a number of towns, including Cartagena (founded in 1533), were prospering. In 1544, the country was incorporated into the viceroyalty of Peru, where it remained until 1739 when it became a part of New Granada (comprising the territories of what are today Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama, as previously stated).

For What Reasons Did the Coalition Government Abolish Police?

For what reasons did the Coalition Government abolish police authorities in 2012? What problems do you think are raised by the introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners? This essays objective is to take into consideration the rationale of the Coalition governments’ decision to replace police authorities with elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC). A critique and a background of the police authorities operations will be discussed and evaluated. A brief history of policing before police authorities were established will also be explored.Furthermore, the reasons why there was a radical reform to PCC’s will be debated and the problems that may arise. Policing has always been a challenging issue and it most likely will always be challenging. Sir Robert Peel’s first principle of policing stated: â€Å"The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder† (Cited in Theresa, M 2010). There has been an attempt to always c ling onto this. The only difference is how certain authorities or political groups approach it. In the nineteenth century, autonomy and power were located within boroughs, locally.After a few attempts to try to centralise the police force and a few police corruption scandals which occurred in the 1950s, it was finally the time for the government to produce a centralised, professionalised group of senior police officers. In 1964, under the Police Act, these smaller, more manageable forces were to be known as â€Å"police authorities†. Their role was to ‘‘secure the maintenance and of an adequate and efficient police force for their area’’. (Citied in Williams, C 2003). However, the police authorities are now being replaced by elected PCCs.The main purpose of this reform is to restore the drive for local policing priorities and the public by leading engagement with local policing partners. This will boost the empowerment of local communities in crimina l justice affairs. Beginning with a little history of how and why police authorities were introduced. Throughout the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth, police power was largely seen as a responsibility of local government, and police were controlled by the appropriate local institution.The policing were in the hands of the local government and the boroughs of England and Wales, by whom fiercely protected the police powers exercised by their elected watch committees. These powers were symbolic of the city's independence, and police forces were crucial exercisers of executive power locally, concerning poor relief, licensing laws, the regulation of the streets, and the imposition of morality on the community. The 1835 Municipal Corporations Act introduced democracy to the self-governing towns of England and Wales.The only compulsory statutory duty was to select a watch committee to run the police force. The self-governing towns can be described as self-confident, prosperou s and autonomous. . The committees had complete power over the activities and composition of their forces. (Citied in Brogden, M 1982). The government aimed at increasing centralisation within the police force but after a few attempts to intervene, they failed. The first attempt by the state to reduce the autonomy of the towns and cities came after the 1853 Select Committee on Police, which recommended extending compulsory police provision to all areas.The Home Office were under no doubt that, the most efficient way to run each force would be to put it ‘under the orders of Government. However, these recommendations from the Home Office had to be consulted with the opposition of the local government. In 1854 and 1856, the Home Office's attempts to pass police bills that limited the rights of boroughs to control their own police forces were defeated by the borough. The boroughs also had total autonomy and democratic control over operational decisions.The watch committees, meetin g weekly, had the power to hire and fire members of their forces and were prepared to exercise it. (Citied in Emsley, C 1996). Further action was done by the Labour representatives in the 1920s to gain centralisation. By 1939, Labour controlled 18 out of 83 county boroughs. The Home Office took increasing responsibility for producing a class of leaders for police forces, and thus intervened increasingly in matters of training, promotion and appointment. The Home Office also began to intervene more in the appointment of Chief Constables.The 1950s Whitehall introduced a policy of refusing to appoint any Chief Constable who had no experience in a different force: this was clearly designed to create a more nationally homogenous and professionalised group of senior police officers. Since the increased effort for involvement with the boroughs and watch committees, there was a growing demand of professionalism within the police. The boroughs had co-operated fully in modernising and homogen ising the police forces, through co-operative training and communication. Citied in Loveday, B 1994) Between 1919 and 1964, the state tried using ‘efficiency', ‘economy', and ‘national security' as reasons to centralise control, before successfully employing ‘corruption' to achieve this. The 1960 Royal Commission was actively steered by the Home Office along its own centralist agenda, resulting in the 1964 Police Act, subsuming city forces into counties. These were influenced by the nature of two policing scandals of the late 1950s, which gave the Home Office a convenient point of entry with which to attack the status quo. (Citied in (Ludtgarten, L 1986).Both scandals were cases of corruption within the boroughs, the Brighton Borough police force in 1957, where the chief constable and two officers were arrested and charged with a variety of corrupt practises, and in Labour- controlled Nottingham in 1958, where there was an investigation launched on Labour cou ncillors and succeeded to prove that two labour councillors and the Secretary of the District Labour Party had been bribed on a visit to East Germany. Events such as mentioned above involving corruption led to the boroughs finally losing their police powers completely.A royal commission on the police had been appointed in 1960 to review the constitutional position of the police throughout Great Britain, and in 1964, the Police Act was introduced. (Citied in Willams, C 2003). Returning to answering the question more directly now, the Police Act of 1946 mirrored the interests of greater efficiency and greater central control over policing. It allowed for the amalgamation of existing forces into more efficient units, merging them into a more manageable number of 43 forces in England and Wales.The watch committees were replaced with police authorities. This new system was characterized as â€Å"the tripartite structure† of police accountability. The tripartite system distributes responsibilities between the Home Office, the local police authority, and the chief constable of the force. (Citied in Williams, C 2003). This tripartite system provides accountability to Parliament through the Home Secretary (who has responsibility for policing policy including centrally setting key priorities that are formalised within a National Policing Plan).Police Authorities were composed of councillors (two-thirds) and magistrates (one-third) and their role was to ‘‘secure the maintenance and of an adequate and efficient police force for their area’’. (Citied in Williams, C 2003). To liberate this duty they were provided with a number of specific and statutory responsibilities which included appointing and dismissing its senior officers, making sure arrangements are in place to consult the local community about the policing of their area and heir priorities, publish an annual local policing plan and a best value performance plan, setting out the pol icing priorities, performance targets, and the allocation of resources, to publish a three-year strategy plan, which must be approved by the Home Secretary and monitor the performance of the force in delivering the policing plan. (Joyce, P 2011: 118, 127). Although there have been issues raised about police authorities and these concerns will be brought to the surface, it can also be argued that police authorities have constituently tried to provide â€Å"an efficient and effective† police force.This can be shown by all the legislation that has been introduced. The 1994 Police and Magistrates Act, Courts Act (PMCA) 1995, the Police Act 1996, and the Police Reform Act 2002, have all endorsed the tripartite arrangements and aimed to fundamentally ensure and provide an adequate, efficient and effective police force. ( Citied in Williams, C 2003). The introduction of the policing pledge in 2008 by the Labour party, although it has been scrapped by the Coalition government, aimed at restoring public faith and to ensure the services being provided locally were adequate.Promises such as providing monthly local crime rates, answering all non-emergency calls promptly, providing information to the community on their Neighbourhood Policing Team i. e. where they are based, how to contact them and how to work with them were stated on this document, to increase community engagement and involvement. (Citied in The Policing Pledge, 2008). There has been placed a great deal of importance on empowerment, localisation, decentralisation of power and community involvement. There has been many green and white papers published to support this.David Blunkett’s â€Å"Civil Renewal† Agenda (2003) and David Cameron’s â€Å"Big Society† Agenda (2010) has influenced trends towards â€Å"community engagement, confident and cooperation† within their respective policing reform programmes continues. The agendas extensively focus on the responsibility of the government and every citizen’s efforts to strengthen communities, to revitalise our democracy and to provide more power and opportunity into people’s hands and security for all. It is believed that the engagement of everyone is necessary to make that happen; the government alone cannot fix every problem.Furthermore, Sir Ronnie Flanagan conducted the report of â€Å"The Review of Policing† in 2008. Flanagan stated that involving local communities in political decision-making processes is crucial and delivering in partnerships, developing the workforce and improving performance at force levels. (Flanagan, 2008). As mentioned above, there were concerns regarding the police authorities. One of the main issues was that central control undermined local police affairs power and authority. In the early 1980’s, there were clashes between police authorities and chief constables relating to who would have the final say in particular activity.The reliance of t he Home Office by chief constables tended to increase the power of the central government over local police arrangements. In addition, the introduction of the 1994 Police and Magistrates Courts Act enabled the Home Secretary to determine and set national objectives or priorties. This task was previously done by chief constables. Furthermore, the police areas would be assessed on their attainment by comparing to a set of performance targets. Empowerment, localisation, and decentralisation are clearly not desired. ( Citied in Williams, C 2003).Additionally, the situation continued to be aggravating as further developments such as the targets imposed by central government were extended and became the key tool of performance management. Police forces had to deliver on activities, which were determined centrally. Public Service Agreements (PSAs) were introduced in 1998 to promote clarity in service delivery, again centrally. This target regime led to the bulk of police work focusing on a chieving the targets imposed on them, this made it impossible to concentrate on local concerns. This again suggests the central power undermining powers and authority locally.Also, it was suggested that centrally determined targets â€Å"tend to distort priorties, tempting officers into using their tine in unproductive ways into directly fiddling performance figures† (Loveday and Reid, 2003: 19). Similarly, they created a â€Å"counting culture† within the police service whereby â€Å"only what got measured got done† (Loveday and Reid, 2003: 22). Additional research was undertaken in 2003 investigating the role of police authorities in public engagement. Participants that were interviewed saw police authorities’ independence from the police force as very important.This was because of the risk of corruption or abuse of power. â€Å"If it was 100 per cent fully independent, then I think that would make a lot of difference to people, and I think they would feel a lot happier knowing that it was being†¦kept an eye on. † (Home Office 2003: 19). However, many participants thought that police authorities did not appear to be independent enough, and this could undermine the community’s confidence and trust in them. There was a feeling in many groups that the number of independent members should increase or even that authorities should be composed completely of independent members.There were worries that the independent members might not have a fair say, as councillors and magistrates have an overall majority on the authority. (Citied in Home Office, 2003). â€Å"â€Å"You’re paying†¦.. it’s your community, you live there, so you should have a say in how it’s policed. † (Home Office 2003: 17). The community does seem to desire to get involved in the decision making, however when asked who made decisions about spending and who was responsible for the monitoring of police performance, there was very little spontaneous mention of police authorities. (Citied in Home Office, 2003).These findings suggest that police authorities are not adequate or efficient enough, people living in the communities have very little knowledge of police authorities and the question is why? More should be done to advertise and involve the community in the decision making process of what happens in their communities. Their involvement would increase the confidence in the police and create a more coherent community. Conversely, as the Coalition government scrapped the policing pledge, they also disposed police authorities in 2o12 and replaced them with elected police and crime commissioners (PCC).The Coalition government strongly believed that it was vital to replace bureaucratic accountability from central government to democratic accountability to the public. PCCs will make forces truly accountable to the communities they serve, ensuring that resources are properly targeted to where they are n eeded and giving the public a greater say in measures to reduce crime and improve community safety. The main aim of PCC was to â€Å"put power directly in the hands of the public†. (Home Affairs Committee, 2o1o:10). The key powers of PCCs are to set the police force budget and to hire and fire chief constables. Citied in Home Affairs Committee, 2010). The Elected PCC’s have overcome issues that the police authorities did not: the community involvement, empowerment and local governance is greater. The community elects their own PCC’s locally and it represents the drive for local policing priorities and the public by leading engagement with local policing partners. This new approach to policing is boosting the empowerment of local communities in criminal justice affairs. They will hold the elected chief constable to account; making sure that policing is responsive to the communities’ needs.There is an increased democratic accountability. (Citied in Home Aff airs Committee, 2010). However, this new reform also faces a few critiques. Lord Blair referred to this proposal as â€Å"the most lamentable provision about policing I have ever encountered† (Blair, 2011). Firstly, the PCC will replace the 17 or 19 members who currently represent a police authority. It is impossible to imagine how one person can adequately represent the diverse demands of the vast range of communities found in the areas covered by police forces, whether they are heavily populated urban ones or cover geographically large rural areas. Joyce, P 2011). As the policing needs and concerns of neighbourhoods are usually vastly different and are often in direct competition for finite police resources, it is a concern that a PCC will seek to direct policing to address the localised, sectionalised or political interests of those who elected him or her into office thus serving to politicise policing and opening the door to the possibility of corruption. (Joyce, P 2011). Before the 1964 Police Act, there were claims and investigations into policing corruption scandals: the Borough police force in 1957 and in Nottingham in 1958. Citied in Willams, C 2003). Its due to these concerns about policing corruption, the police force became centralised. This is a major concern and strict safeguards and monitoring will have to be established to avoid it from happening again. Secondly, there is the question as to whether this reform was needed. It is fair to suggest that it is intensely politicized and a populist measure. Valid criticisms can be made concerning the operations of police authorities, however this did not mean they were performing a poor job and providing a poor police service.Party politics were not injected onto the agenda. In fact, there was a good working relationship between the police authorities and the chief constables in many areas and the communities and local policing benefited from this. (Joyce, P 2011). Ian Loader (2008) stated that the â€Å"government is urged to take another ride on the law and order merry-go-round, to issue a fresh batch of crowd-pleasing-measures that can appease its apparently angry and anxious consumers†. Many will harmonize with this.The government is in need of public support, confidence and trust and the best way to get the local communities or â€Å"customers† support is to respond to our demands. As was mentioned above, the community would like more opportunities to get involved in the way their communities are being policed and the new reform of elected PCC’s can be perceived as a crowd-pleasing-measure. (Citied in Loader, I 2008). Garland again has famously said that the policy-making has become profoundly politicized and populist.Policy measures are constructed in ways that value public opinion over the views of experts and the evidence of research. â€Å"The dominant voice of crime policy is no longer the expert or even the practitioner but that of the long -suffering, ill served people- especially the victim and the fearful, anxious members of the public†. (Stated in The Culture of Control, 2001). Furthermore, a range of views were put forward on the role of PCCs from the consultation feedback and it was not all positive.Concerns have been expressed that a PCC, as a single individual, may not be effective across a whole force area and find it difficult to engage with communities sufficiently. Moreover, there was concerns received about the checks and balances proposed in the consultation. Some members believed that the arrangements might prove overly bureaucratic or create confusing lines of accountability for chief constables and the public. Others felt that they were too weak, or sought more detail on how the Police and Crime Panels (PCPs) would provide a real challenge and scrutiny. Citied in Theresa, M 2010). Many also expressed concerns about the political nature of the role of the PCC and in particular the involvement of c andidates supported by the main political parties. They believe this would risk cutting across the operational decisions made by chief constables and other police officers, and this would most definitely inject party politics, whereby police authorities did not. Additionally, there needs to be appropriate and respectable safeguards to be put in place regarding to circumstances under which a PCC could dismiss or suspend a chief constable.These issues, if they were to ever occur, could create tension between PCCs and chief constables. The community will have a knock-on effect from this, as they would be the ones feeling the consequences. There would not be an adequate and efficient service provided to the community. That was the aim of PCCs and if it does not meet its own aims, it would fail dramatically. (Citied in Theresa, M 2010). It is fair to say police authorities and PCCs have issues to be concerned about but also have positive points.Police authorities and the 1964 Police Act did structure the police force and it did aim at providing â€Å"an efficient and effective† police force. This is consistently shown by the constant need to improve and advance the services being provided to the public . The 1994 Police and Magistrates Act, Courts Act (PMCA) 1995, the Police Act 1996, and the Police Reform Act 2002, the Policing Pledge 2008, have all endorsed the tripartite arrangements and aimed to fundamentally ensure and provide an adequate, efficient and effective police force.However, the demand for empowerment, localisation, decentralisation of power and community involvement perpetually grew stronger too and the police authorities did set priorities and standards nationally, and not locally. Research was undertaken in 2003 investigating the role of police authorities in public engagement. participants that were interviewed saw police authorities’ independence from the police force as very important. This was because of the risk of corruption or abuse of power. You’re paying†¦.. it’s your community, you live there, so you should have a say in how it’s policed. (Home Office 2003: 17). The community does desire to get involved in the decision making, however the lack of knowledge of police authorities and how you can get involved or the lack of liberation of empowerment and localisation should be questioned. (Citied in Home Office, 2003). The Coalition government 2012 decided to introduce PCCs. The ain of this reform was to to democratic accountability to the public and to â€Å"put power directly in the hands of the public†. (Home Affairs Committee, 2o1o:10). In this case, the input from the public is greater and have greater local empowerment.However, PCC faces its problems too. It does face greater likelihood of policing corruption, a PCC, as a single individual, may not be effective across a whole force area and find it difficult to engage with communities sufficiently. 17 to 19 members a re being replaced by one PCC. It is impossible imagine how one person can adequately represent the diverse demands of the vast range of communities and activities. In conclusion, the question still remains as to whether this reform was needed, the police authorities were not proving a poor service or doing a poor job.Garland (2001) would suggest that the policy-making has become profoundly politicized and populist. The introduction of PCC was just a populist measure. However, the local communities may benefit from the empowerment and local prioritisation and if they do, PCCs have succeeded their aims. References †¢Blair, L. (2011), ‘‘Speech in the House of Lords 27 April’’, HL Debs Session 2010-11, Vol 727, Col 137 †¢Blunkett, David (2003) ‘Civil Renewal: A New Agenda’ , London: Home Office †¢Brogden, M (1982), â€Å"The Police: Autonomy and Consent†, London: Academic Press. Emsley, C (1996), â€Å"The English Police: a P olitical and Social History†, Harlow: Longman. †¢Flanagan, Sir Ronnie (Feb 2008) The Review of Policing: Final Report. London: Home Office †¢Garland, D (2001), â€Å"The Culture of Control. † Oxford: Oxford University Press. †¢Home Affairs Committee, (2008). ‘‘Policing in the twenty-first century’’, Seventh Report, Session 2007/08, House of Commons Paper 364, TSO, London. †¢Joyce, P. (2011). Police reform: from police authorities to police and crime commissioners. Sage, London. †¢Loveday, B. (1994), â€Å"The Police and Magistrates Courts Act†.Policing 10(4), pp 221-233 †¢Lustgarten, L. (1986), â€Å"The Governance of the Police†, London: Sweet & Maxwell. †¢The Coalition Manifesto: â€Å"Our Programme for Government† (May 2010) †¢Theresa, M (2010). â€Å"Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting police and the people†. Home Office †¢Home Affairs Committee (2010), ‘à ¢â‚¬ËœPolicing: police and crime commissioners’’, Second Report, Sessions 2010/11, House of Commons Paper 511, TSO, London. Bibliography †¢David Cameron speech (19 July 2010) â€Å"Our Big Society Agenda†. London: Home Office Date accessed: 25 November 2012 http://www. conservatives. om/News/Speeches/2010/07/David_Cameron_Our_Big_Society_Agenda. aspx †¢Home Office (2003), â€Å"The role of police authorities in public engagement† Date Accessed: 3 December 2012 http://library. npia. police. uk/docs/hordsolr/rdsolr3703. pdf †¢Loader, I (2008). â€Å"The great victim of this get-tough hyperactivity is Labour†. The Guardian Date accessed: 28 November 2012 http://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/19/justice. ukcrime †¢The Policing Pledge (2008). London: Home Office Date Accessed: 1 December 2012 http://www. met. police. uk/pledge/our_pledge_leaflet. pdf

Questions on Modern Consumerism

I shop therefore I know that I am Decide if the following sentences are true or false according to the test ‘l shop therefore I know that I am†. 1- The two crucial defining features of modern consumerism are emotion and desire False.. The two are emotion and desire and individualism 2- It's quite clear that a distinctive channel of modern consumption is the extent to which good and services are bought by individuals for their own use. True.. 3- The two features support each other combining to define the nature of modern mesmerism.True.. 4- Astrology cannot serve as a useful guide to an understanding of the social and cultural word. False, it can serve as a guide to that. 5- What is needed is sociology of postmodernism, not a postmodern sociology True, as Mike Featheriness has said. 6- The author suggests that it is our interests or hobbies that define us. False, the author says that if you have some particular hobbies then you can meet people with similar interests. 7- Th e person we really consider' ‘ the real me† is to be found in our special mix of tastes.True 8- It is crucial for us to test ourselves for a wide range of variation in products. True 9- The marketplace is not indispensable to the process of discovering who we really are. False, it is 10- The real location of our identity is to be found in our reaction to products, and not in the products themselves. True 11- Our parent's and grandparent's used to consider themselves as we consider ourselves nowadays. False, for them identity was far more likely to be primarily a tater of their status and position in various institutions and associations. 12- Not all consumption is individualistic at nature.True This article is about the metaphysical basis of modern consumerism, which tries to explain the relationship between the metaphysic and the consumption showing several accepted answers to the crucial question Why do we consume? Such as the pursuit of pleasure and the imitation of o thers. It also emphasizes the crucial defining features of this consumerism which are the process of desiring† that lie at he heart of the phenomenon mentioned before and the critical but defining characteristic of it the individualism† which support each other combining to define the nature of modern consumerism.The author underlines that the individuals concerned appear to define their essential identity almost exclusively in terms of their tastes and viewed in that way the activity of consuming is considered as the vital and necessary path to self-discovery while the marketplace itself becomes indispensable to the process of discovering who we really are.

Engage in Personal Development in Health, Social Care Essay

1.2 Explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards. The expectations about my own work role as expressed in relevant standards are to; safeguard clients, to treat them with dignity and respect, to promote independence, to give them choice, and to make sure that they are in a clean and environment. 2.1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided. Working in care requires that in order to be an effective practitioner and to provide the best possible service for those you care for, you need to be able to reflect on what you do and the way you work and to also identify your strengths and weaknesses. It is important to examine the work that you have done and identify areas where you know you need to carry out additional development. 2.3 Describe how own values, beliefs systems and experiences may affect working practice. Everyone’s values and beliefs are affected to different degrees by the same range of factors. These may include: life stages, physical, social and emotional stages of development, employment, socio-economic circumstances, cultural background, religious beliefs and values, education, the effects of relationships, environment. You may believe that everyone should be treated in the same way, however there are differences in approach or attitude you may be unaware of. For example, you may not be aware that you are spending more time with someone who is asking your advice about a course of action which you think is sensible, than you are with someone who wanted to do something you thought inadvisable, there are many other ways in which your beliefs, interests and values can affect how you relate to people. It is important that you are aware of how you may behave differently towards people, because it could make a difference to the quality of your work. 3.1 Evaluate own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards. My job came with a job description, but while that tells me what I need to do, it did not tell me how I needed to do it. To find that out, I needed to look at the Standards that apply to my work. Standards, as with Codes of Practice, will vary depending on the UK country in which you work. Each UK country has National Minimum Standards that are used by inspectors to ensure that services are being delivered at an acceptable level. Finally, and most importantly in terms of how I carry out my work, there are the National Occupational Standards (NOS). These apply across the whole of the UK, and explain what I need to know and be able to do in order to work effectively in social care. The National Occupational Standards form the basis for all the qualifications in the social care sector, and are divided into units of competence. Some of these are mandatory, and I am able to demonstrate competence in these areas. Other units are optional and I am able to demonstrate competence in those units relevant to my job role. In performing my job role, competence means that I have been able to provide evidence that I can demonstrate the skills and the underpinning knowledge contained in the National Occupational Standards. It is important to understand that competence is not only about doing the job; it is also about understanding why I do what I do and the theoretical basis that underpins the work.

Analysis of ‘Diptych’ Essay

‘Diptych’, by Robert Gray is a free verse poem in which imagery is used to invoke feelings, but also specifically influence a reader’s first impression of character. Throughout the poem Robert Gray has swayed natural speech, used strong imagery and also included poetic tone to create a poem which allows insight to his childhood. Robert Gray has explored his parent’s struggles during their marriage, in the poem ‘Diptych’. He likens his childhood experiences to a diptych hinge, which is a painting, photograph or drawing hinged in two separate parts, the joint cannot function without both parts. The poem has two separated sections, one which addresses Gray’s feelings towards his mother and the other aimed at his memories of his father. The two parts of the poem are very different and the reader is influenced during the poem by the tone and language which Gray uses. He displays his mother as a warm and caring woman, she acts based on her emotions and this is shown through her marriage and her ability to take care of things that needed to be done. To communicate his emotions, the first part of the poem, which addresses his mother, has a sympathetic poetic tone. In the second section Gray’s father is displayed as quite opposite to his wife, he is portrayed to not be fuelled by emotions and rather by manners and the preservation of his reputation. Throughout the poem Grays parents are shown to be quite opposites of each other, yet they also have a mutuality in their relationship. The example of his parents allows Gray to communicate to the reader how people may be close to each other but entirely unalike. Gray has used poetic techniques such as punctuation, asides and a careful choice of words to convey meaning to the reader in his poem, ‘Diptych’. The portrait of his mother explores her strengths in the family, she is able to hold off a bull in her garden, ‘†¦she forced it, through the broken fence, it bellowing†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The use of words like ‘forced’ display her strength and show her duty of care. A sympathetic emotion is expressed with the words, ‘†¦stay awake in our old weatherboard house’, they communicate to the reader, his mother’s ability to show affection and place others above herself even when she is unhappy with the situation. An example of use of punctuation is shown in the part ‘†¦. This other night, my mother was reluctant to go out, and leave us kids asleep, and fell asleep herself†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ this punctuation gives insight to the anxiety and worry of the situation. In the opening lines Gray has portrayed his father as unfavourable in comparison to his mother. The asides, added to include more information, aid in the portrayal. For example the inclusion of the car crash story as well as mention of his father’s drinking, ‘†¦in his state†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ convey unpleasant feelings to the reader. The poem allows readers to feel the emotions which Robert Gray felt as a child. The struggles and differences between his parents have been highlighted by the specific use of punctuation and language. The form and structure of ‘Diptych’ greatly contribute to the meaning of the poem. Firstly the poem is visually placed in two parts, 1 and 2, which display an extreme change in the poem. Gray has used this to firstly talk of his mother, and then in part 2 discuss his father. The two sections of the poem are separated by the numbers, but are linked together; this is a representation of both a diptych hinge and the relationship between Gray’s parents. This structure adds to the influences Gray has over the reader of the poem, the gap between his parents is made clearer when their descriptions are not place together. The structure is another example of how Gray has been able to convey his emotions and a concept more clearly to a reader. The form throughout the poem follows no poetic structure. ‘Diptych’ is a free verse poem, and so the structure of it does not have a specific order, it is instead structure to become more dialectical. Gray has also placed words on detached lines as to be read in a way which follows natural and conversational speech. In some cases he has used this pause or separation of words to have a difference of placement allowing the reader to gain more information about what he has conveyed. The structure and form of the poem ‘Diptych’ has specifically been used to convey a stronger meaning to the reader. Robert Gray has effectively conveyed the emotions involved in his parents struggling marriage in the poem ‘Diptych’. He has also addressed the issues involved between people who are different to each other, and yet who are often in close proximity. ‘Diptych’ is a free verse poem in which Gray has correctly used imagery and poetic techniques to communicate his personal emotions to a reader.

Animal Research essays

Animal Research essays Proprietary gene targeting and nuclear transfer technology, or cloning, combined with xenotransplantation technology have proven to be one of the greatest and most practical and beneficial discovery produced by animal testing in medical laboratories. All throughout history some of the most influential discoveries in the field of psychology have been derived from experiments done on animals. There are some disadvantages to scientific research performed on animals but the advantages far more outweigh the harmful ones. There is a vast shortage of human organs available for transplantation. Waiting lists for organs can take years to budge. In America alone, there are 80,000 people waiting for organs to become available, and 15 of those waiting die every day, as stated by Robert Hager, NBC News correspondent. 5,475 Americans die every year waiting for donors to yield matching organs. Xenotransplants from another species to humans is a worthy alternative for someone who is on life support and lacks a compatible human donor organ. Xenotransplantation is a very promising and near at hand future solution to this problem. Making an alternative species donor through genetic engineering is most closely achievable by a leading biopharmaceutical company, PPL Therapeutics (PPL). PPL Therapeutics has successfully cloned a set of five piglets lacking a gene that once made full organ transplants between people and pigs not possible. What we have done is knocked out a gene which codes for an enzyme, illustrates David Ayares, Vice President of PPL Therapeutics. PPL has eliminated a gene that is responsible for making an enzyme that adds sugar to a pigs cells. When an organ that has this sugar added to its cells is transplanted into a human, it triggers a response by the patients immune system, which then causes a reaction called hyperacute rejection of the organ or a cel ...

Feasibilty study of a proposed new Thames river crossing The WritePass Journal

Feasibilty study of a proposed new Thames river crossing Introduction Feasibilty study of a proposed new Thames river crossing IntroductionENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:FINANCING AND EVALUATION OF A PROJECT:Economic evaluation:RISK ASSESSMENT:LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED BRIDGE:BUDGET COSTS FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKS:REFERENCES:Related Introduction Thames River is the longest river in England and second longest river in United Kingdom. The significance of the river is that it flows through the London. It starts from Thames head in Gloucestershire with an elevation of 110m and ends at Thames Estuary, Essex with an elevation of 0m. The length of river is 346km. It consists of 214 bridges and 17 tunnels which are very helpful in development. These bridges and tunnels are helpful in providing good transport facilities to the public and also for the supply of goods and cargo. By this the bridges and tunnels play vital role in development and also they are helpful in creating great opportunities for the development of industrial areas, education and also increase in the number of jobs. Thames gateway is a largest gateway in Europe. It is a largest regeneration programme. Thames gateway is of 40 miles starting from the estuary from canary wharf in London to south end in Essex and Sittingbourne in Kent. It is a very best place to invest, work and live. The world first under water tunnel was constructed in the Thames River. And the latest tunnel constructed on Thames River was Dartford tunnel. Our proposal is to connect the A130, Canvey Island in Essex with the M2/M20 in Kent. In order to reduce the traffic volumes on the existing bridges and tunnels and also for providing the better transportation facilities for the public a proposal of new river crossing across the river Thames is made. The United Kingdom government wants to construct a new river crossing. Some of the other organisations are also helping in constructing a new crossing they are Kent council, Essex council, department for London (DFT), Thames gateway south Essex partnership (TGSEP). The main aim of these organisations is to develop and help in getting more number of jobs and in the construction of new homes in the future. Although there are two existing routes which are Queen Elizabeth 2 bridge and the other is Dartford tunnel which are serving the same purpose. The new proposal is made to get more benefits to the people and also to meet the traffic volumes in future. Bridge is the best solution for the new river crossing. Cable stayed bridge with approximately 4.5 km length and a dual carriage way and also the new roads should be constructed in order to link the existing routes. The length of the new roads is approximately 3 km. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: Environment plays a major role in construction industry. Environmental issues are to be considered carefully before the construction process is going to start and also the environmental impact assessment is to be done to the particular area where the construction is going to take place. After the environmental impact assessment done then only the project is to be started it should not start before it. The environmental issues which are to be considered for the new project Geological considerations Ecology problems Land contamination Landscape Water pollution Noise pollution Air pollution Traffic and transport considerations. The construction process involves the emission of co2. The construction process is responsible for air pollution because construction works generates dust largely because of the materials which are useful for construction contains more number of dust particles. And also by the use of diesel, petrol, demolitions, burnings these all involves in air pollution. This air pollution causes damage to the public in their healths. The construction process is also responsible for noise pollution because of the machinery, vehicles and also the other useful equipment for the construction creates lots of noise that makes people to face lots of problem. By these health problems arises. Water pollution is also arises due to construction because the use of diesel, petrol, toxic materials, chemicals, solvents, cleaners, paints everything which are used in the construction process involves in water pollution. The polluted water cause great damage to the aquatic life and also to the other animals. The polluted drinking water may cause damage to human lives. Use of sustainable materials: We can reduce the wastages in the construction process by using sustainable materials. The following are some points considered. Shortage of raw materials is to be considered Consider the ecological damage caused by the extraction of raw materials Consider the amount of energy consumed at all stages Consider the amount of water consumption. FINANCING AND EVALUATION OF A PROJECT: Finance is the most important and the key factor in the construction process. In order to maintain or run a project finance is badly needed. The generation of finance can be made from different sectors such as public or private sectors. In this type of proposals the public sector involvement is more because in order to make public more comfortable with the services provided. And the private sectors also involve largely gaining more profits. Finance from government Funds from private sector By the contributions from different organisations. Economic evaluation: Better solution is to be adopted in order to provide good service and to balance economically. Cost benefit analysis is to be adopted. Generation of extra revenue from taxes. RISK ASSESSMENT: Risk assessment is the process of evaluating that a specific site poses risk to human environment or to human health. The purpose of all hazardous waste site remediation is ultimately to render a site safe for human or ecological populations. Consequently, risk assessment, as the process used to measure the effectiveness of the remediation process, is critical to all hazardous waste-site work. Risk assessment depends upon the following: Finance: It is the most important in the process, make sure of the finance. Site investigation: It is to be done properly before the project is to be started. Estimation of the project: Proper estimation should be done. Proper use of code: The code should be used properly if not it leads to great damage. Design criteria: we should follow the design criteria properly in order to avoid delays and loss in the projec Health and safety: It is the most important thing in the entire process. It deals directly with the public we should be more careful and follow the rules strictly to provide good safety measures. Environmental impact assessment: First we have to consider the environmental issues and the proper environmental impact assessment should be made properly in order to avoid delays. Natural hazards: If the natural hazards take place the project gets disturbed depending upon the severity of the hazard. If it is less small amount of loss occurs if it is more the project takes more time and money to reconstruct. Land acquisition: It is to be done properly in order to avoid delays and loss in the project. Quality of work: The quality of work is to be maintained properly in order to avoid damages to the structures and delays in the work. Transportation concerns: Proper transportation facilities are to be made before the project is going to start in order to make the work continue with out any risks or problems. Proper management: The proper management should be there in order to avoid risks and delays and also the proper running of project. FEASIBILITY PROGRAMS: Depending upon the volume of traffics, surveys are to be made. Time based traffic surveys are to be made to know the volume of traffic and proper design is to be prepared. Automatic data collection surveys are to be made. Parking surveys are to be done. Pedestrian traffic surveys are to be made. Proper investigations are to be made depending on the studies and the required information. Site investigation is to be done properly in order to avoid further delays. Proper maps of the site are to be gathered. Suitability of site is to be considered depending up on the investigations. Because to adopt the proper suitable methods which can be suitable for the project. Availability of materials is to be considered properly on the site. Consider the design parameters properly in order to maintain the standards of the project. Soil classifications are to be considered and type of soil is to be considered in order to safe guard the site from failures. Ground investigations are to be made in order to study the entire required information. Geological considerations should be followed properly. LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED BRIDGE: The proposal for a new river crossing across the Thames River. A bridge is going to be constructed which connects a link between A130, A13 near a round about in Canvey island and A228 passing through A226 and joins with M2 which builds a link to M20, Kent. The attachment shown below is the location of a proposed bridge on the Thames River. The proposed bridge length is approximately 4.5 km. BUDGET COSTS FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKS: Considering the cost of the proposed bridge. It can’t be estimated exactly as it is a proposal and it can be estimated approximately with the comparison of the other bridges which are already constructed and also with the help of some other books and the information available on the websites some data is collected and the approximate estimation of the bridge is made. The funds can be raised from different sectors like public and private sectors. The approximate cost of the proposed bridge is  £3.8 billions along with the connecting roads. REFERENCES: 1)` http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames#Summary 2)communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/157989.pdf 3) http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=enlr=id=O7klw-QUraECoi=fndpg=PA1996dq=sustainable+methods+of+constructionots=PH3J0dqGGUsig=z-YFjDsYfDNRQR-GEdff9YuzB-0#PPA2007,M1 4) http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=povFlfv82O8Cdq=risk+assessment 5)rta.tkk.fi/Kurssit/240/Risk%20Assessment%20in%20Construction%20Schedules.pdf 6) nltdc.co.uk/ 7) dur.ac.uk/~des0www4/cal/roads/si/si.html 8) http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=entab=wl 9) sustainablebuild.co.uk/ 10)ciria.org/service/Home/AM/ContentManagerNet/HomePages/CIRIA_1502_20080929T115140HomePage.aspx?Section=Home

Gustave Eiffel and the Eiffel Tower

Gustave Eiffel and the Eiffel Tower A master engineer who came to be known as â€Å"the magician of iron,† Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel’s reputation was ultimately crowned by the marvelous, latticed Parisian tower that bears his name. But the 300-meter–high sensation has dwarfed a catalog of sensational projects by the Dijon-born visionary. Early Life and Career Born in 1832 in Djion, France, Eiffel’s mother owned a prosperous coal business. Two uncles, Jean-Baptiste Mollerat and Michel Perret, were major influences on Eiffel, discussing a wide range of subjects with the boy. After finishing high school, Eiffel was admitted to a top school, Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris. Eiffel studied chemistry there, but after graduating in 1855, he took a job with a company that specialized in making ​railway bridges.   Eiffel was a fast learner. By 1858 he was directing bridge construction. In 1866 he went into business for himself and in 1868 formed a company, Eiffel Cie. That company installed a  major bridge, the Ponte Dona Maria, in Porto, Portugal with 525-foot steel arch, and the highest bridge in France, the Garabit Viaduct, before eventually dissolving. Eiffel’s list of constructions is daunting. He built the Nice Observatory, the Cathedral of San Pedro de Tacna in Peru, plus theaters, hotels, and fountains.   Ã‚      Eiffels Work on the Statue of Liberty Among his many great constructions, one project rivaled the Eiffel Tower in terms of fame and glory: designing the interior frame for the Statue of Liberty. Eiffel took the design- by sculptor Frà ©dà ©ric Auguste Bartholdi- and made it a reality, creating an internal framework around which the massive statue could be sculpted. It was Eiffel who conceived of the two spiral staircases inside the statue.   The Eiffel Tower The Statue of Liberty was finished and opened in 1886. The next year work began on Eiffel’s defining piece, a tower for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, France, built to honor the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Construction of the Eiffel Tower, an astounding feat of engineering, took more than two years, but it was worth the wait. Visitors flocked to the stunning 300 meter-high work- at the time the world’s tallest man-made structure- and made the exhibition one of the few worlds fairs to make a profit.   Eiffels Death and Legacy The Eiffel Tower was originally supposed to be taken down after the fair, but the decision was reconsidered. The architectural wonder remained, and is now as popular as ever, drawing immense crowds each day.    Eiffel died in 1923 at the age of 91.

The Changes in Health Care for Retired Workers essays

The Changes in Health Care for Retired Workers essays Health care for retired workers is always changing and its not for the better. The workforce had changed remarkably causing retirement plans to decline. Current workers are being pressured to pay more out of pocket. These retirees are rarely helped out and when they are, it isnt enough. It is difficult for employees to provide the best health care for their workers and remain competitive in todays economy. Employers are providing health care to stay competitive in the marketplace, but this trend is dissipating. These employers are finding it increasingly difficult to provide these benefits to retired workers. The employers are focusing on health care costs and are not able to absorb additional cost increases. Current law severely limits employers ability to pre-fund retires health care obligations. As a result of this law, employers have capped contributions, increased co pays, increased employee contributions, or even eliminated benefits all together. The Employee Retirement Income Act states that employers are not required to provide any health care coverage to their workers, either active or retired. Although, once they decide to offer benefits they must follow certain requirements. Currently, only thirty five percent of employers sponsor retiree health care, leaving many with out access. Employers who offer medical coverage for retirees went from forty percent in 1993 to twenty pe rcent in 2001. That leaves more than three quarters of the retired population with out health coverage. Health care costs are rising for both active and retired employees and new pension funding requirements have wiped out corporate benefits budgets. This leaves less money for the retiree to live healthy in a world that is to expensive. Retirees depend on health care from current or past employers, and its the only likely source of affordable reliable coverage. In 2003 cost for employer plans increased about fifteen perc...