Oultline 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Oultline 2 - Essay Example transformers as coolants and lubricants, also used as hydraulic fluids, dyes and carbon-less copy paper ink. When PCBs are released into the atmosphere, they can be ingested through inhaling, eating contaminated food and also drinking contaminated water. This usually occurs because the substances (Polychlorinated biphenyls) stay suspended in the atmosphere and may take a lot time to be cleared off. A person can also be exposed to these chemicals through using or even being at close proximity to old equipments that makes use of PCBs e.g. transformers, fluorescent tubes capacitors and other appliances. Air containing above 42% of chlorine PCB or more than 1microgaram of air for a 10-hour workday, 40-hour workweek is not recommended to breath by NIOSH. Requirements by the EPA is that the companies producing this chemicals should store, transport and dispose of this chemicals following the rules and regulations of the Federal Hazardous Waste Management Program and also limits the amount PCBs used in waste water treatment. Chromium have different oxidation states, one of them is +6 and thus the name hexavalent chromium. It is manufactured industrially. Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI) is are many side effects which include: causes cancer, it also affects the kidney, skin, liver, respiratory system and even eyes. It is estimated that about 558000 workers from different occupations in the United States of America are exposed to hexavalent chromium. Employees are expose to Cr(VI) by inhaling dust, mist or fumes containing this chemical, ingestion or even eye contact with fluids that have this chemical. Exposure to hexa chrome can be very harmful to the skin and the eyes. Direct contact with the skin can lead to susceptible response known as dermatitis. When an anaphylaxis has developed, even concise skin contact can bring about manifestations. Direct skin contact can also bring about an infection referred to as chrome ulcers which small wounds on the skin

Commercial office blocks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Commercial office blocks - Essay Example On some occassions, high rise buiding may also comprise o f both the retail and educational facilities. High rise commercial office block is considered as the most recent from of high rise building which is considered as a mixed – use building. Being one of the highest and largest buidings, the cost for construction is relativey high. Together with that, both the commercial and office functions of such buidings require a high degree of maintenance. There is a wide variety of commercial buildings that subsists mostly within the USA. The buildings ranges from customary sandstone architecture to the contemporary ones, that is, the multi-story and the high- rise structures. The construction of some of the most important swimming pools purposed for global swimming competitions, are featured by high technological level. For them to retain their position as international pools, use of contemporary and accurate techniques is not an optional thing (American Institute of Steel Construct ion, 2003). There are different forms of high rise commercial office blocks. These may include: i. Shopping malls. There has been a growing trend since the 1970s of building large shopping malls at the suburbs of the business districts for large cities around the world. These malls contain everything from the supermarkets, banks, movie theatres and even restaurants. ii. Hotels and pubs. From an architecturally point of view, most of the large hotels are monumental in respect to modern blueprint and depicts the level of commercial tourism of the region. They are built ion the heart of the business districts of major cities with impeccable landscape gardens, spacious lobbies, restaurants and specialty shops. iii. Retail stores. Self relying retail outlets such as large electrical and furniture stores and fast- foods outlets are present all over the in semi-residential areas, along highways and near the large shopping malls. Big commercial links often than not establish a similar desig n creating an architectural icon that can be linked to such a company. iv. High-rise office skyscrapers. It all started in the 1960s with the building of multi-story officer blocks and at present it is so much evident especially in large cities and coastal regions. v. Industrial estates. These are constructed away from the central business districts and residential areas due to pollution and noise and the fact that they usually feature a one or two story offices and warehouses with individual parking and loading bays. The commercial leasing companies construct industrial estates and their residential areas flooded with factory waste and pollution. Storage warehouse Warehouse the most universal type of storeroom although other forms such as storage tanks and computer server farms still exist. It is a gigantic structure that supports the offloading of several trucks and railroad cars that hold supplier’s products while at the same time loading other smaller trucks for transport ation to customers. There are 5 types of warehouses namely: i. Private warehouse. This is owned and an ran by resellers and suppliers that use them for their personal supply endeavors. ii. Public warehouse. This is basically a space that can be leased to take care of short-term supply needs. Retailers running their own warehouses may seek to use them if their facilities have

Impact of the Discretionary Social Fund

Impact of the Discretionary Social Fund The Discretionary Social Fund: Discretion but Little Valour! The introduction of the Social Fund in 1988 was politically driven. Prior to its introduction, there were available a series of grants (â€Å"Single Payments†) which were available as of right. The imperative which drove the measure was the need to constrain the ever-burgeoning Social Security budget. Of course, certain of the stated aims were superficially laudable[1]: â€Å"To concentrate attention and help on those applicants facing greatest difficulties in managing on their income; To enable a more varied response to inescapable individual need than could be achieved under the previous rules; To break new ground in the field of community care† However, it might be argued that in pursuing the aims of containing the Social Security budget without adversely affecting the efficiency of the main Income Support scheme, the three objectives described above have become neglected or even prejudiced. So much so that the Select Committee on Social Security[2] has questioned whether the Fund has succeeded in its stated objective of helping the poorest and most vulnerable in society and has urged the Government radically to reassess (â€Å"urgent overhaul and an injection of funds†) the working of the fund, in particular â€Å"so that it may work to enhance the strategy to reduce child poverty, rather than work against it†. Particular concern has been expressed by charities working in the field of child poverty[3]. The Discretionary Social Fund operates within fiscal policies and weightings and is subject to cash limits for each administrative area. This gives rise to criticism that applications to the Fund are subject to both a â€Å"postcode† and a â€Å"calendar lottery†. The components of the Social Fund are: Community Care Grants (â€Å"CCGsâ€Å"); Budgeting Loans; and Crisis Loans. By contrast with the previous system, the availability of grants as opposed to loans has become severely restricted. The FWA[4] acknowledges that while CCGs are intended to help people remain or re-establish themselves within the community: â€Å"†¦decisions are discretionary and are subject to cash limits, what counts as exceptional pressure can vary and the Social Fund Inspectors regularly see cases that have been refused when qualifying conditions have been met and a payment should have been granted.† More pernicious still is the shift in emphasis to loans. This may be presented politically as an admirable social objective, discouraging continued reliance on â€Å"hand outs† and encouraging a sense of financial self-discipline and responsibility. In reality, the insistence upon repayment militates against the escape from poverty of those of the most limited means. The principle which underlies Budgeting Loans is again admirable: interest free lending to those who are in difficulty budgeting after a period on benefits and usually used for the purchase of essential household items such as beds and cookers. Admittedly they provide invaluable support to those who are unable to access other forms of credit and are directly repayable from benefit thus ensuring repayment discipline. However, they are also subject to the â€Å"postcode lottery† described above and the repayment rates are high and inflexible (78 weeks at between 5%-25% of benefit). Strict rules discourage repeat applications or â€Å"topping up†. The end result is a failure adequately to meet the needs of many poor families giving rise to particular concern for the welfare of the children within such households. This is as a result of what should have been predicted to be an unacceptable imkpact upon weekly income: benefit rates are by definition calculated to meet the su bsistence expenses of the family unit in question. Deductions from such a minimal level of income cannot fail to lead to hardship. However, a more positive evaluation of the Social Fund is supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions[5] which describes it as â€Å"an extremely important and highly valued source of financial support for recipients. It had a positive impact on recipients’ life situation, and made a considerable difference to the housing condition in which people lived.† However, in common with the FWA, the authors of this report acknowledge that â€Å"there was limited knowledge of rules and eligibility criteria among recipients† and â€Å"there may also be scope to providing more training to staff on some of the barriers that recipients face when applying† and to â€Å"offer financial advice to recipients when providing information on the Social Fund†. There are also glaring deficiencies in the procedure by which Social Fund decisions may be reviewed. Dissatisfied claimants may seek internal reviews of initial decisions and further review by the Social Fund Inspectors of the Independent Review Service of the Social Fund. Such decisions are themselves susceptible to judicial review. However, as Pick and Sunkin[6] question: â€Å"Created out of compromise, is the IRS review system to be regarded as an administrative device for deflecting criticism of an unsound system by means of symbolic due process..?† It is not possible in a submission of this length to do more than scratch the surface of the impact of the discretionary social fund. However, as has been demonstrated, the system is fundamentally flawed in principle and defective in operation. There is an appalling parallel with the operation of the much-maligned Child Support Agency. The latter was born of a political desire to reduce the burden imposed on the social security budget by feckless parents but has in many instances signally failed to deliver benefit to the intended recipients. The loan-dominated mechanism of the Social Fund similarly fails to meet the avowed social policy objectives of the government. Bibliography Buck, T. Smith, R., A Critical Literature Review of the Social Fund, (Summary Report) for The National Audit Office (7 April 2004) Department for Work and Pensions, The Discretionary Social Fund and Money Management, Research Report No 241 (2005) Family Welfare Association, ‘Like it or Lump It’, A Role for the Social Fund in Ending Child Poverty, April 2002 Pick, K. Sunkin, M., The Changing Impact of Judicial Review: The Independent Review Service of the Social Fund, (2001) PL 736 Select Committee on Social Security, Third Report, The Social Fund: A Lifeline for the Poor Or the Fund that Likes to Say No? (2001) HC 232 Footnotes [1] Select Committee on Social Security, Third Report, The Social Fund: A Lifeline for the Poor Or the Fund that Likes to Say No? (2001) HC 232, para.1 [2] Op. Cit., paras.117-118 [3] Family Welfare Association, ‘Like it or Lump It’, A Role for the Social Fund in Ending Child Poverty, April 2002 [4] Op. Cit., Chapter 2 [5] Department for Work and Pensions, The Discretionary Social Fund and Money Management, Research Report No 241 (2005), p.5 [6] Pick, K. Sunkin, M., The Changing Impact of Judicial Review: The Independent Review Service of the Social Fund, (2001) PL 736 at p.740

Essay on Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Greed in the Pardoner’s Tale

The Pardoner’s Greed    The pardoner, in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale, is a devious character.   He is a man with a great knowledge of the Catholic Church and a great love of God. However, despite the fact that he is someone whom is looked at with respect at the time, the pardoner is nothing more than an imposter who makes his living by fooling people into thinking he forgives their sins, and in exchange for pardons, he takes their money.   His sermon-like stories and false relics fool the people of the towns he visits and make him seem as a plausible man, which is exactly what the pardoner wants.   In fact, the pardoner is an avaricious and deceitful character whose driving force in life is his motto, â€Å"Radix malorum est cupiditas,† which is Latin for â€Å"greed is the root of evil.†Ã‚   The pardoner’s entire practice is based upon his motto and is motivated entirely by greed. The pardoner is supposed to forgive sins, however, he views his position as a scheme to make money and turns it into a fraud.   His excellent speaking skills allow him to turn this profession into a scam.   He attracts the people with his storytelling and his sermons, which are pleasing to them, â€Å"By God, I hope I shal yow telle a thyng / That shal by reson been at youre liking,† (457-58).   One example of a sermon about his motto is the tale of the three rioters.   This tale gives an ironic explanation related to the rioters deaths, due to greed and the pardoners practice of his profession, which is also driven by greed (Rossignol, 267).   He tells the people what they would like to hear, so that he may pull them into his trap and later cheat them out of their money.   His technique to fooling people is to preach on the subject of   â€Å"Radix malorum est c... ...iving.   The pardoner submits himself to his theme of â€Å"Radix malorum est cupiditas.† His theme becomes a reality and he   allows avarice to take control his life.   Just as Jesus lived life living into eternal life, the pardoner lives his life dying into eternal death by committing his avaricious acts and deceiving people in the name of God.   Works Cited Brewer, Derek.  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"The Canterbury Tales.† An Introduction to Chaucer.   New York:      Longman Inc., 1984 Hussey, S. S.  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"The Canterbury Tales II.† Chaucer: An Introduction.   New York: Methuen & Co., 1981 Pichaske, David R.  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Pardoner’s Tale.† The Movement of the Canterbury Tales: Chaucer’s Literary Pilgrimage.   New York:   Norwood Editions, 1977 Rossignol, Rosalyn.  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"The Pardoner’s Tale.†Ã‚   Chaucer A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Works.  Ã‚   New York:   Facts On File, Inc., 1999

Open-source mobile application development

Application Development for Emergency Data Collection This Master degree project identified disasters and emergencies as a global humanitarian and technological challenge. Emergency management organizations' need for access to accurate and up-to-date information about the emergency situation, to help respond to, recover from and mitigate the effects of disasters and emergencies, present a challenge to the field of Genomics.Today the use of remote sensing technologies presents an Increasing number of lotions. There are types of spatial data, however, e. G. Submerged, invasions or otherwise hidden features that still require emergency field personnel and volunteers to interpret and record. By utilizing the increasing ubiquity and computational power of modern smoothness, in order to reach a large number of potential users and volunteers, a mobile application for emergency field data collection was developed.It was developed as a component of a system that, In order to be as collaborati ve, adaptable and accessible as possible, also to resource-poor organizations, was, with a minor exception, completely open-source licensed. Field trials were held that, due to low participation, could not conclusively evaluate the application and its general applicability to emergency field data collection. They did, however, provide an adequate proof-of-concept and showed that it was possible to apply the application and the Implemented system to a specific emergency field data collection task.The system has great collaborative potential, achieved through openness, mobility, standards compliance, multi-source capability and adaptability. Its administrators re given a high degree of control that lets them adapt the system to suit the current users and situation and its flexibility make it widely applicable, not only for emergency management. From literature, the field trials and the experience gained while developing and using the application, some Ideas for Improving the applicati on and the system were discussed and some future research topics were suggested.Acknowledgements The author would like to express gratitude to: his supervisors – for helpful read-through, comments and suggestions and for their positive attitude which helped him believe In the project throughout its velveteen, his family and friends – for their interest and curiosity, Sandra Person, for her support, understanding and valuable comments, and to all the participants of the Field Trials: Thank You!Appendix 3 – Field Trials Instructions and 63 Appendix 4 – Application User Guide (non-final version)†¦ Dictionary and Abbreviations API Application Programming Interface; can be described as a group of pre- constructed software components that developers can combine and use for creating new software. A collection of algorithms, classes and/or data structures for e. G. Performing specific tasks or communicating with other software. Disreputableness request A typ e of request standard published by COG (2013) and used by WFM clients to retrieve information about a specific layer offered by the WEST.DECADE The Android application developed as a case study during this thesis project; â€Å"the Emergency Data Collector for Android†Ã¢â‚¬ . EEOC Emergency Operation Centre, a location where emergency management leadership can gather to receive and analyses information, including spatial data, and coordinate rescue and relief efforts (Cutter 2003). Excitability's A type of request standard published by COG (2013) and that is sent to WHAMS or WFM services to query the service for available layers, options and capabilities in general. Gadget request A type of request standard by COG (2013) that is used for requesting map images from a WHAMS.GIS Geographic Information System; a system capable of managing and using spatial data, aiding in activities such as data collection and storage, viewing, map creation, manipulation and analysis. GEM Geogra phy Markup Language, a spatial data standard published by COG (2013). For further description see Table 3. GAPS The Global Positioning System; a system of satellites that broadcast signals which allow devices with GAPS receivers to calculate their position on the Earth. Layer A layer is a digital representation of a collection of physical features, such as roads, buildings, lakes etc.Each layer consists off specific geometric type such as a Point, Line or Polygon and has common attributes, such as road length, building use category or lake area. A layer can be displayed on a map e. G. By querying a geopolitical server. COG Open Geopolitical Consortium; a consortium of government agencies, universities and companies that develop common open standards promoting geographic information accessibility and interoperability (COG 2013). Open-source Refers to computer software for which the license includes a number of access and use rights to its source code, defined by the Open Source Initi ative (OSI 2013).That is, users may for example look under-the-hood of the program, modify it or any purpose and forward it to other users directly. SO Operating System; a basic device software that manages platform for managing and interacting with all other applications on the device. Server Refers too geopolitical server, see Figure 3, whose address can be stored in DECADE. It is a computer software system which can be sent queries over the Internet, in this case for geographic information to display on top of Google Maps, and to which data can be uploaded.SF Simple Features Specification; a spatial data standard published by COG (2013). SLD Styled Layer Descriptor, an COG (2013) web map styling standard. For further description see Table 3. Smartened A hand-held device for mobile voice-, text- and data communication that has a fast Internet connection multiple sensors, including camera and GAPS receiver. Its hardware is powerful enough to browse web pages and run advanced comput er programs (mobile applications). Often uses large (for hand-held phones) touch-screens.Spatial data Data with a spatial component, I. E. Coordinates, that are defined by an SIRS and that bind the data to physical locations or geometric features. SIRS Spatial Reference System; a system defining how coordinates relate to locations on Earth. WFM Web Feature Service, an COG (2013) web mapping interface standard for serving geographic features. For further description see Table 3. WHAMS Web Map Service, an COG (2013) web mapping interface standard for serving map images. For further description see Table 3. 1. Introduction Since 1980, 2. Million people have lost their lives in the 21 000 events recorded in â€Å"the most comprehensive source of natural catastrophe data in the world† (Munich Re AAA, p. 49). Total global material value lost due to natural disasters during the period is estimated at 3800 thousand million IIS$, with a distinctly rising trend both n the annual rate o f loss (Maureen and Breathe 2011) and the annual frequency of reported natural disasters. In addition, technological disasters (e. G. Industrial or transport accidents) contributed with on average 9000 deaths per year during the last decade, 2002-2011 (FRI. 2012).One tool for improving emergency management is quick access to accurate and updated information about the emergency situation or disaster. Such information can be of vital importance for emergency management to enable distribution of the right resources to the right places at the right times and for proportioning the efforts which have the greatest benefit. Much of this essential information has a spatial component, such as extents and locations of damaged areas, the locations of spatial data, are useful in all phases of emergency management (Cutter 2003; Al- Shuddery 2010).There are, however, challenges to overcome in the utilization of spatial data and geographic information systems (GIS) in the context of emergency manag ement, as recognized by e. G. Geezer and Smith (2003) and Manicurist (2005). One such challenge is providing decision makers and field workers with access to data that are accurate and sufficiently up-to-date for their specific purpose. For data that cannot be captured with remote sensing techniques, such as satellite data and aerial photos, or stationary monitoring networks (see e. G. Liana et al. 005), emergency management organizations have to rely on field data collection by employees and/or volunteers. As pointed out by EL-Gamely et al. (2010), recent improvements in software and hardware technology have enabled real-time access to and collection of spatial data in the field. Many groups have utilized the increasing ubiquity and capabilities of modern smoothness for developing field data collection systems (e. G. Enhances et al. 009; Clark et al. 2010; xx et al. 2010; White et al. 2011; Chem. et al. 2012; Decant et al. 2012; Went et al. 2012).Several of these groups have develo ped such systems as open- source projects, which can potentially benefit society in terms of supporting collaboration between developers, allowing derivative work to build upon previous achievements and allowing less resource-strong communities access to these useful data collection tools. This project builds on these notions of open access and collaboration in creating a free and open mobile GIS and field data collection system. A system that is tailored award emergency management and has a high degree of scalability and adaptability to organization-specific needs.It makes use of existing open-source technologies for the server-side architecture and for the development of a mobile application, henceforth known as DECADE (the Emergency Data Collector for It only requires distribution of DECADE and the server address to those devices. 1. 1. Aim The main aim of this thesis project is to develop a mobile application as a component of a complete open-source system for emergency field da ta collection. A secondary aim is to evaluate the mobile application to discern whether it is applicable to emergency field data collection and how it can be improved for that purpose. 2.Background This chapter describes the context in which DECADE may operate* and why it is useful. By defining and describing disasters, emergencies and emergency management, and by outlining the role of spatial data in emergency management, the rationale behind its development is illustrated. Undertaken and examples of the technology, standards and open-source licenses available to it are presented. This will provide background for discussion about and aid in the development of the proposed system architecture and the implementation f DECADE that is presented in the System Design and Case Study chapters.The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISON) is developing a body of terminology for use by the emergency and disaster management communities. It is intended to improve the work to r educe disaster risk by making the use and understanding of common vocabulary consistent throughout the community (UNISON 2009). To help promote this common understanding this report will, where applicable, use the definitions proposed by the UNISON. 2. 1 . Disasters & Emergencies To understand the importance of emergency management and the environment in which DECADE and the proposed system (see section 3. . ) could be utilized, the nature and frequency of disasters needs some attention. The following definition of â€Å"disaster† is proposed by the UNISON: â€Å"A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources. † – UNISON 2009, p. 9 To study disasters, there are several database projects that record disasters and related information. Some of these databases are creat ed and managed by re- insurance companies (e. . Munich-Re and Swiss-Re). Since these companies provide insurances for other insurance providers, when disastrous events cause widespread damage, they are often paying a significant part of the recovery costs. Thus, in addition to e. G. Universities and governmental organizations, these re-insurance companies have a natural interest in studying disasters and emergency management. Table 1 : Catastrophe categorization developed Jointly by Munich Re, CREED, Swiss Re, the United Nations Development Programmer (UNDO), the Asian Disaster ReductionCentre (DARK) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISON) in 2007. Source: FRI. 2012, p. 251-252. Natural disasters Biological Insect infestations, epidemics and animal attacks. Geophysical Earthquakes and tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and dry mass movements (avalanches, landslides, recalls and Climatologically Droughts (with associated food insecurities), extreme temperatures a nd wildfires. Hydrological Floods (including waves and surges) and wet mass movements (avalanches, landslides, recalls and subsidence of hydrological origin).Meteorological Storms (divided into nine sub-categories). Technological Industrial accidents Chemical spills, collapse of industrial infrastructure, explosions, fires, gas leaks, poisoning and radiation. Transportation Transportation by air, rail, road or water. Miscellaneous Collapse of domestic or non-industrial structures, explosions and fires. Natural catastrophes are by far the most common and the most costly type of event, both in human and economic losses.According to the ME-DATA database, during 2002-2011 (not counting non-natural, non-accidental events), natural catastrophes caused almost 13 times as many deaths as technological causes and in excess of 37 times as much economic damage (FRI. 2012). Among the types of natural catastrophes, in all parts of the world meteorological and hydrological catastrophes are the mos t numerous (Munich Re AAA). When it comes to fatalities, however, most are caused by geophysical events or, as in Europe and Africa, climatologically events.Asia, being the largest and most populated region, suffers the largest number of catastrophes, the most fatalities and the highest amount of overall economic losses, while North America alone has 65 % of the world's insured losses (Munich Re AAA). In recent years, current and future changes in the global climate have been projected o cause meteorological, hydrological and climatologically extreme events to become more frequent or more intense in many areas (Parry et al. 2007) and an increase in the number of, as well as losses from, weather-related disasters have been identified (Bower et al. 007; Maureen and Breathe 2011). However, as the work by Maureen increase in losses. It may be, as argued by Bower et al. (2007), that it's mainly the increased susceptibility of human societies that is causing current increases in losses, d ue to expansion of settlements into sensitive areas and further arbitration leading to a concentration of population and wealth at risk. In any case, the need for better resilience to catastrophic events in human societies is increasing, and significant efforts to improve emergency management before, during and after an emergency event are being made. . 2. Emergency Management DECADE and the proposed system for which it is designed are intended to be used for emergency management, which incorporates all aspects of how communities handle emergency situations. It involves risk assessments as well as planning and education for improved preparedness. It involves policies, guidelines and routines for how to organize participants and resources available, to best respond to the events homeless and for recovering efficiently in the hours, days, months and perhaps years after an event.It also involves how communities learn from mistakes and take steps to reduce future susceptibility to simil ar events. More succinctly put emergency management is: â€Å"The organization and management of resources and responsibilities for addressing all aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and initial recovery steps. † – UNINSPIRED, p. 13 In what form emergency management is used depends on the type of emergency that is being considered, but different strategies may be more or less general in their applicability to different types of events (see Table 1).The different phases of emergency management are commonly described as forming a cycle (Figure 1; Cutter 2003; Manicurist 2005; EL-Gamely et al. 2010) with some form of categorization of the relevant emergency management activities. Figure 1 depicts one such interpretation using three phases based on the definitions below. Response: â€Å"The provision of emergency services and public assistance during or immediately after a disaster in order to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safet y and meet the basic subsistence needs of the people affected. † – UNISON 2009, p. Recovery â€Å"The restoration, and improvement where appropriate, of facilities, livelihoods and living conditions of disaster-affected communities, including efforts to reduce disaster risk factors. † – UNISON 2009, p. 23 Mitigation â€Å"The lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters. † Preparedness â€Å"The knowledge and capacities developed by governments, professional response and recovery organizations, communities and individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from, the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazard events or conditions. – UNISON 2009, p. 21 Preparedness can accordingly be thought of as part of the mitigation phase, although it's sometimes defined as a separate fourth management phase (e. G. Abdullah and Lie 2010). The duration of the phases shown in Figure 1 can, according to th e definitions above and those mentioned by Cutter (2003) be approximated to hours to weeks for the response phase and months to years for the recovery phase. The mitigation phase lasts indefinitely or until a new emergency event occurs.As explained by Manicurist (2005); each emergency management phase should ideally be conducted in a way that facilitates success in the next phase, but in the ease of rebuilding societies in the recovery phase this is often overlooked in favor of quickly restoring societies to their previous states. Emergency events can occur in many different ways, as shown in Figure 1 by the three arrows representing the emergency event. They can strike with full intensity immediately and then slowly subside, like an earthquake which is followed by smaller after-shakes.They can slowly increase in intensity until they abruptly end, like a drought becoming increasingly severe until rain comes and quickly rejuvenates vegetation and fills rivers and lakes with water aga in. They can strengthen and weaken gradually, eke a flooding disaster during which the water level slowly reaches its peak and then slowly retreats again. Events can also be singular surprise events, as the figure in Cutter (2003, p. 440) might indicate, which are over before any sort of response can be organized. Such events might be e. . Sudden landslides or singular earthquakes. In line with the above definitions, the overlapping of the phases depicted in Figure 1 illustrates, first, that the response phase can begin while the emergency event is still ongoing. Second, restoration of facilities in the recovery phase can start (and might even be necessary) revived. Thirdly, it illustrates that mitigation concerns should be addressed already in the recovery phase so that the recovering society will be more resilient to future emergency events.Regarding societies' resilience to catastrophes, it can be defined as: â€Å"The ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions. † Building resilience in a society includes many kinds of activities both aimed at reverting catastrophes from occurring or reducing their impact and at improving how the society can respond to and recover from them (Table 2).A notable prevention strategy used in many countries is using land-use planning to restrict development in hazardous areas, albeit with different approaches to assessing risks and what actions to take (e. G. Contain et al. 2006; Galvanic et al. 2010). Other mitigation strategies include e. G. Construction regulations, warning systems, protective structures such as flood barriers (Godchild 2003; De la Cruz-Arena and Tilling 2008; Galvanic et al. 2010) and evacuation plans (Chatterer's et al. 009).While many such strategies may be effective, there is also a need to ensure that plans and regulations are properly enforced. This is not always the case, especially in poorer countries, as discussed by Kenny (2012). Table 2: Examples of strategies for mitigating catastrophe effects and for improving response and recovery after catastrophes. The division indicates whether they aim to prevent or reduce damage or to improve handling of damage after the event. Mitigation Response and Recovery Land-use planning Insurance against losses Construction regulation Education and Awareness Warning system development Response plansProtective structures Improvement of tools for emergency management Plan and regulation enforcement SAID development for improved decision making With regard to coping with (responding to and recovering from) catastrophic events, building economic buffers to ensure the availability of resources, I. E. Insurances, is a common strategy. Munich Re (AAA) estimate that approximately a quarter of the financial losses that occu rred due to natural catastrophes 1980-2012 were insured. Of these insured losses, 81 % occurred in North America and Europe (Munich Re AAA). Kenny (2012) also notes that the victims themselves still pay most of the cost

Response Don’t Blame The Eater

David Zinczenko is arguing that fast-food restaurants aren’t to blame for people, especially children and teenagers, for their obesity- it is their fault. And I agree with him one hundred percent. Yes, the menus at fast-food companies aren’t the healthiest, but they shouldn’t be blamed for making kids obese. The parents are all fully aware that the â€Å"Big Mac† and â€Å"Baconater† aren’t the most nutritional foods, and they need to take the responsibility for their children’s obesity.Zinczenko argues that we as people should â€Å"†¦know better than to eat two meals a day in fast-food restaurants†, and the fact that it’s near impossible to find healthier alternatives to fast-food. How can people just sit around all day watching television, participate in a fast-food buffet, and then blame the restaurants for their health issues? That’s just absurd and very irresponsible. If people don’t like how thei r kids are fat, stop taking them to McDonald’s all the time!They don’t drive themselves there! And maybe those parents can make some responsible decisions for once in their lives and make their child exercise more and eat healthier. If people expect different results, they have to work for them. Also, Zinczenko mentions how teenagers can’t necessarily find healthier places to eat instead of fast-food places. It’s pretty hard to find a healthier alternative to fast-food when you’re an overweight teenager with a car and a hungry stomach.I mean, there’s only like twelve stores in the entire country that carry fresh produce, low-fat snacks, and 100-calorie chips. NOT. Come one people, you have the car, you have the option of eating healthy or not, why can’t you just suck it up and take the blame for your irresponsible actions? If toddlers can own up to coloring on the walls, why can’t teenagers and adults own up to their decisions to eat at unhealthy places? If you know it’s not a healthy restaurant, don’t eat there!It’s pretty simple. Fast-food industries may try to â€Å"target children in their ads†, but it ultimately comes down to the adults-the parents- choosing to dine at these places and pork up their kids on the high-sugar sodas, salty French fries, and greasy burgers. If they would just take the time to look out the window, they would see the healthy alternatives to fast-food, and how the alternatives are literally right in front of them.