Adverse Effect of Smoking Habit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Adverse Effect of Smoking Habit - Essay Example This is the most lethal smoking-related effects, it does this by creating a build-up of poisonous particles thus resulting to irritation and poisoning of the lungs clearing system, as a result, it leads to difficulties in breathing. It is approximated that, 12to 13 victims are likely to succumb to the effects of smoking in relation to the respiratory aspect. This is due to the permanent damage that nicotine impacts on the tracheal system of an individual. Smoking can also lead to several types of cancer, this includes; cervix, liver, trachea, bronchus, larynx and lung cancer. Cancer is the world deadliest disease after HIV disease. Smoking triggers cell receptors to develop abnormal growths in such organs continued smoking habit leads to permanent development of this growth which then spread to other parts of the body. This affects the victim fully thus leading to death. In the USA, one of every three cancer deaths is caused by the effects of smoking. This is due to the continued and excessive practice of smoking habits. Lastly, smoking habits cause increased chances of miscarriages among pregnant women. A Time pregnant women can also experience premature birth or stillbirths. This calls for an alarm on the population of a future generation. In case of successful births, low birth weight is always associated with the newborns, this has a long-term effect on the development and welfare of the infant as growth takes place. According to the statistics from US health sector, 8 of every 10 cases of miscarriages or premature birth are associated with the smoking habit.

World War 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

World War 1 - Assignment Example The alliances enhanced the countries’ defenses since they would rely on the support of their allies in case another country out of the alliance aggrieved a member state. Furthermore, the zoning of the world into the east and the west besides the military alliances instigated the war by enhancing conflicts among the countries. With such a political structure, any simple conflict among countries would result in a global war and so was the case with the First World War. The zoning intensified speculation among countries. The west strived to spy on the east and vice versa. Additionally, different countries invested in enhancing their military might a feature that would turn the First World War into a stage for displaying military might among the countries, which had formed strong alliances with their friends. Coming from the backdrop of political and military allies, the largest western economies practiced imperialism. Such was a political arrangement in which the countries strive d to extend their territories.

Historia Electronica Preface, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Historia Electronica Preface, - Essay Example However, all this is missed out in electronica why so much of it is characterized by naà ¯ve melodies that resemble chimes of a music-box. In electronica, the pigment is more essential that the lines and therefore complicated melodies would definitely hinder the materiality of the original sound. Due to the recent technology which includes the use of computers to serve the purpose of the guitar and digital signal processing, allow an outstanding display of timbral colors. In electronic music dance, every element functions as both rhythm and texture. On the other hand, melody is presented as simple, little vamps that function as rhythmic cogs which interlock, resulting to a groove. Drums patterns are mostly experienced in electronica music dance and the rhythmic subdivisions become more complex overtime. Electronic music dance portrays the aspect of being lost in music. People are carried away by the rhythmic sound as they are meditatively engaged in the sonic events that infuse more. Drug imagery comes out as a central aspect in electronic imagination, and this enumerates the loss of ego that makes one to be overwhelmed. In the hierarchy of senses, sight which is mostly privileged is overthrown as hearing is considered the most superior sense. This notion provides a good reason as to why light is not preferred in warehouse raves. The impression created out of this is that when visual is diminished, sound becomes more vivid. The audio-tactile which is a vibrational continuum acts as the amplifier and literally obscures retinal perception. The culture of the dance is about participation while the video is about spectatorship. If the club is more underground, it is likely to experience less visual distractions as there is less to be seen and the scene is more hardcore in electronic mu sic dance. Electronic dance music is closely connected to the drug culture. Even when the music is not meant to enhance drugs, it relays drug-like

Education and Common Core Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education and Common Core - Research Paper Example They rank the countries based on their performance in mathematics, sciences and reading. Since 2000, the USA has been falling below average in the three subjects and this year it was ranked 17th among the 34 countries of the OECD. USA scores poorly in mathematics and in a recent research, they were ranked 26th out of the 34 countries. From the test given by the OECD ranking researchers, only 9% of the USA students proved to be top performers in mathematics as compared to 61% in other countries such as china (OECD Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/CN%20-%20United%20States.pdf). According to a report by PISA, USA spends the highest funds on education and are in the same rank with Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland. However, their spending does not translate into better education since USA lags behind the countries whoa similar amount in education. Social classes and economic differences in the USA have played a part in their low education performance. Other countries such as Finland, japan and Norway, who have high-income disparities, did not show a difference in education levels based on income. However, in the USA, income levels determine the quality of education that one student get. PISA confirmed that most resilient students in the USA proved to have low educational performance. The USA education is lower than expected due to poor systems and lack of consideration to low-income earners. When the common core standards were developed, there were intended to prepare students for college education. However, the system has terribly failed due to a number of reasons. Moreover, the system only focused on students who could make it to college and did not consider those who failed to go to college (Beck 59). The system is a shared set of standards for English, mathematics and art that identifies the learning outcomes needed in order help students prepare for careers

The increasing relevance of appearance in society Essay

The increasing relevance of appearance in society - Essay Example It was mainly injured soldiers who went under the knife for reconstruction surgery (American Society of Plastic Surgeons 2011). However, since the late 1980s, the number of patients who desired cosmetic surgery began to spike; today, cosmetic surgery patients make up most plastic surgery patients. Dr. David Hargraves stated that the majority of his work now centers on aesthetic or cosmetic surgery, whereas before the 1980s he mainly performed surgeries for burns victims (Elliott 16). So, why has there been an increase in the number of patients looking for aesthetic surgery? The answer is that society has become more appearance-oriented, and many factors have contributed to this shift of thought. We can clearly see that society has moved towards a focus appearances when we consider how beauty standards have affected our lives. These days, there is a certain beauty standard that people are likely to pursue. To start with, people try to meet this standard for social reasons. Henderson-K ing and Brooks (134) state that a motivation for enhancing one’s attractiveness through cosmetic surgery is to develop one’s social status. It is a basic human desire to want to look more attractive to others, including one’s partner; this results in feeling a need to undergo cosmetic surgery (Henderson-King and Brooks 134). ... This pressure drives a person to feel dissatisfied with their body. As a result, having a negative image about their body contributes to their thinking about reshaping their bodies through surgery (Park, DiRaddo, and Calogero 110). Also, Henderson-King and Brooks (135) argue that â€Å"one mechanism through which the internalization of standards of attractiveness is likely to happen is through the influence of close others, such as mothers, fathers, and friends.† A person’s concern about being attractive is formed by their close acquaintances, as their family and friends keep transmitting messages to them through appearance-focused behavior and attitudes (Henderson-King and Brooks 135). Basically, this behavior is likely to lead to someone to feeling insecure and less confident, and this intrapersonal reason, as well as the social reason, promotes someone to change their appearance through cosmetic surgery. Among several beauty standards, the most widespread one is know n as ‘white beauty’. Across the globe, many people believe that white equals beauty. In addition, many people have a perception that white skin will result in a better economic and social status (Hunter 153). Due to these beliefs, many immigrants to the United States, such as Asians, Europeans, and African-American women, are now turning to cosmetic surgery to meet this recognized standard of beauty. This has come to be known as ‘ethnic plastic surgery’. The fact that the number of cosmetic surgeries performed from 2000 to 2008 in the United States for African-Americans increased by 145 percent and for Asians by 290 percent proves that ethnic plastic surgery has become

Utopian Socialists Essay Example for Free

Utopian Socialists Essay Robert Owen was one of the founders of socialism ad cooperative movement, which in later years, Karl Marx had named as Utopian Socialist. Utopian ideals were derived from the three pillars his thought: (1) â€Å"no one was responsible for his will and his actions because his whole character is formed independently of himself†; this idea however, has earned him as a pioneer in the promotion of human capital; (2) he believed that â€Å"all religions were based on the same absurd imagination†; and though he did embrace spiritualism at the end of his life, still he was one amongst those who opposed religion; and (3) he supported the cottage system, and disliked the factory system. His first of his pillars of thought, the notion of environmentalism wherein he believed that all humans are product of the environment and that our human nature could not be changed, has become a cornerstone of all socialist theories. On his second idea, he rejected Christianity and its customs, and instead he relied on the guidance of Reason and Nature. And the third of his pillars, Owen revolutionized the factory system. As such he believed that factory system encouraged social responsibility, heartless individualism and destructive competition. Contrastingly, he recommended that a plain and simple plan will contain less danger to the society and individuals which will encourage the poor to become independent and self-supporting. Further, he instituted the establishment of villages and communities as a possible way of alleviating poverty. He also adopted the idea of private ownership and profit motivation despite of other humanistic measures that he had. And until his dying days, he proceeded on organizing the working classes in England (The History Guide). Saint-Simon Saint Simon was the founder of the French Socialism. His thoughts have greatly influenced the theories of industrialization and the realities of industrialism. In contrast to other socialist theorists, Saint Simon welcomed industrialization and capitalist growth. Further he found expertise and enterprise on the grounds of industrialism. One of his ideas â€Å"the Hand of Greed† described the basic avarice of the human beings. He believed that in the simplest form of society, man will always find a way to survive. Thus, he believes that all men strive to attain a higher place in the society’s innate hierarchy. Thus, his idea in achieving his utopian socialism, is for the society to eliminate this greed and way of thinking of human beings. The French Revolution became a starting point of his thoughts, when the opposition against destructive liberalism was strong, he advocated for a fresh social revolt and made appeals to the king to bring a new social order. Moreover, he found the dangers of uncontrolled individualism, thus he propagated the ideas towards an increase in productivity, organization, innovation, efficiency and technological discovery. Though, still he was not complacent enough to think that these ideas are to be achieved in a free market economy. Further, he was an elitist in nature. While he condemned kings, nobles and clergies as useless and parasitical, he placed the highest of glory, prestige and authority towards the technocrats. He believed that kings and nobles only should serve at a necessary and limited role, he distinguished technocrats with the role to lead and direct the development of the society (The History Guide). Charles Fourier was regarded as the â€Å"most utopian† amongst all the Utopian Socialists. He was aware of all that was happening in England after the Industrial Revolution. Further, he rejected the ideas of industrialization, laissez faire, and the factory system, due to what these can cause to the human society. And although he rejected the ideals behind industrialism, he made no actions to rectify the dangers incorporated in industrialism, his only action against it was to ignore it. But nonetheless, he had his own share of his philosophical writings. His ideas had told tremendous ideas for the future. His parable of the Four Apples, reflected a certain type of Enlightenment theme, wherein he used reason and nature as the main tenets of his writings. He also criticized bourgeoisie society for creating an â€Å"unnatural civilization†, and consequently added his paradigm for a â€Å"non-repressive society† wherein it shall provide an avenue for the expression and cultivation of human growth. For he believed, human nature was God-created, and that it must follow that the society should respect all avenues for human development rather than fighting it. Moreover, his idea of social success is attainable through concern and cooperation amongst humans – this also prompted him to organize â€Å"phalanxes† which he believed shall nurture cooperation among human. He also blamed poverty and inequality as the principal culprit for disorder in the society, thus bringing into the light the proposal to raise wages into sufficient level in order to eradicate poverty. His main concern was to liberate all individuals through education and the liberation of human passion (The History Guide). John Stuart Mill’s works were often perceived as works in contradiction. He was a proponent of classic liberalism, utilitarianism and held a utopian socialist aspect. He wrote â€Å"utility† as the greatest happiness principle, at which he regarded that actions are proportionately translated into happiness or its reverse accordingly. He also proposed for the hedonistic concept of happiness, as he equated it with the absence of pain. In his discourse of society growth, he consequentially failed to incorporate the process of human development, but rather extensively focused on his pleasure principle. Although he considered individual liberty as only secondary values, he admittedly related the problematic concepts of individual liberty in the course of economic entities. He regarded restrictions on trade and production as â€Å"evil† restraints, and consequently, he regarded the works of free trade as â€Å"one sided freedom†. He also believes that at any point in time wherein individual liberty clashes with liberty of economic entity, economics shall always prevail because it shall always provide for the greatest amount of happiness. And though he believes that given the chance, the best of human nature shall prevail, still he felt that individual liberty was only a secondary option and their needs are only second to be fulfilled. Further, he also developed an elitist mentality and formed his utopian concept rooted from his utilitarianism. He explicitly expressed contempt against the masses and expressed his doubt in the principles of democracy and instead suggested the rule of intellectual aristocrats (Galloway, 1996)

Planning for Demolition of Building

Planning for Demolition of Building Identify a derelict building and taking into account factors such as its previous use, condition, structural features and location, prepare a plan for the safe demolition of the building that identifies the preferred method of demolition and outlines suitable technical and procedural control measures. The objectives of this report are to identify a derelict building and plan its demolition. The planning has to take account of the specificities of the buildings structure, its previous use, the site, the neighbouring properties and other parameters. Control measures from a health and safety point of view have to be included. The building identified is a very old Victorian three-storey building that has not been used for many years. The methodology consists of analysing the existing structure and adjoining properties. A detailed description of the structure has been given and the demolition sequence has been chosen in accordance with the structure and in a way to cause minimal disruption to other properties and the general public. The actual demolition plan is given in the form of a list of tasks and a brief explanation for each task. The demolition process has been divided into critical phases. The control measures have been incorporated in the plan of the demolition but a health and safety risk assessment has been done that lists the possible hazards from such a work. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Derelict Building 1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Structures to be Demolished This three storey Victorian building is one of three buildings in the same compound that used to house an old hospital on the site.The other two are also not in use and there are plans to demolish them as well but at a later date. The Victorian building is a detached three storey building positioned centrally on the site with a shed used as boiler house on one side.Access is from the south side where the building is about 10 m from the road. The Boiler House is set to the north of the building but is detached from the main building. It consists of one tall stone building with attached oil and water tanks. There is a network of underground pipes between the boiler house and the Victorian buildings for the supply of hot water for domestic and heating purposes. As most Victorian buildings of that size, these buildings have certain characteristics that distinguish them from other buildings. The building construction is of masonry. The load bearing walls are made of two lines of brick with no gap in between. These external walls rise undisrupted to the roof. The roof consists of square timber rafters sitting on a timber ring beam on top of the walls. The rafters support a series if rectangular timber purlins that in turn support the slate tiles that form the roof. The edges are sealed by hammered lead foils. The internal floors are made up of timber joists supported by stone brackets off the brick walls. A grid of timber beams are supported off the joists and wooden planks are nailed to the top of the timber beams. The partition walls consist of plastered timber frames. The buildings also consist of basement that have been sealed several years ago but has not been filled. There is no insulation on the walls and roof and there is no air conditioning installed in the building. The only services are the hot and cold water pipes, drainage pipes and electric wiring. The water pipes date from the original construction and are of lead. The sanitary drainage pipes also date from original and consist of 5 cast iron pipes and fittings lined with bitumen. The electric wiring has been installed much later and has been fixed to the timber joists by means of nailed clips. The boiler house is a stone building with corrugated iron sheet roof. It contains a coal-fired boiler that is out of operation. The boiler is connected to the Victorian buildings via underground pipes to supply hot water. The Boiler House also contains a large number of pipe work and fittings as well as a coal pit. 1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adjacent Land Use The site is situated between two main roads on the South andEast sides and two B-class roads on the North and West sides. The site shares a boundary with a much newer construction used as NHS clinic which will remain in use during the demolition. The site is surrounded completely with 2.5 m tall masonry walls except on the south side. The south side is cordoned by wrought iron fencing. There is no wall between the parking lot of the clinic and the compound. 1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ground Conditions Ground investigations were carried out on samples of the south of the site during the construction of some of the newer buildings. The investigation results are available from the council. Since no new construction is being undertaken in this project, ground information is deemed to be unnecessary. 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Description of Works 2.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Methodology 2.1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Survey Since the building has not been in use for a significant period of time, its exact state is not known even to the client. So the first thing to be done is a full structural survey of the building to assess the danger from hazardous material and to decide on the best method of carrying out the work. This will need to be done as early as the tender stage as the information from this survey will be essential for the rest of the work. Before the start of the demolition, a full scale demolition survey will need to be done. This should take account of the following(Holroyd, 1999): Adjoining properties The type of structure and the key elements in it. The condition of the elements. Any requirement for temporary works or staging during demolition. Are there any confined spaces. Are there hazards from asbestos, lead, contaminated land, etc? Is access and egress adequate? 2.1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preferred Method The demolition can be carried in a number of ways but given the proximity of other properties such as the NHS block and main roads, the demolition should be carried out in a way as to minimise disruption to the neighbourhood and also to cause minimum noise level. The demolition should be planned to be carried out in a controlled manner from top to bottom, de-constructing the components in the reverse order of original construction. Demolition balls will be used only as the last resort and no explosive will be used. 2.1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Method Statement A method statement needs to be prepared before the job starts and should cover (Holroyd, 1999): The sequence and method of demolition noting access/egress details. Pre-weakening details of the structure Personnel safety, including the general public Service removal/make safe Services to be provided Flammable problems Hazardous substances The use of transport and waste removal Identity of people with control responsibilities. 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Particulars of Work 3.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 1: Planning Before the demolition starts, careful planning is required to ensure smooth operations. It also allows problems to be identified at an early stage. The cost of remedial action at the planning stage is significantly less than that at the demolition stage. So, allocation of time and effort to careful and thorough planning is very important. 3.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 2: Site Preparation Once on site, the demolition cannot start immediately. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to make the demolition work possible.Several preventive measures and control measures have to be established right at the start. It is cheaper and better than to apply remedial action when things go wrong. The planning stage must have identified the areas that need attention and the control measures that are required. The processes involved in the actual demolition are site specific and site preparations must be done accordingly. Good site preparation also allows minimal disruption to the neighbourhood. 3.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 3: Demolition of Boiler House From the risk assessment, it is clear that the boiler house, although much smaller in size that the main building, represents a greater health hazard to the site workers as it contains asbestos, oil tanks, water tanks and a lot of pipe work. To reduce the exposure of the personnel to such risks, it has been decided to demolish and make safe the boiler house first before starting with the main building. 3.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 4: Demolition of Main Building The main building will be demolished manually as far as possible. In order to contain the noise and air pollution as much as possible, the external walls and roof will be maintained until the entire interior has been demolished. The internal partitions do not contribute to the structural strength and stability of the building and it is therefore safe to demolish them. The floors do provide some lateral stability to the walls and will not be removed until an alternative temporary support is not provided to the walls. 3.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 5: Site Reinstatement After the demolition is complete, the site has to be cleared of remaining debris and decommissioning of site offices and other facilities installed for the purpose of the site. The site offices and welfare facilities will be removed. The state of residual contamination has to be assessed and if any remedial action needs to be taken, it should be done. The landscaping should be re-established. Finally, the fencing and screens will be removed and the site handed-over. 3.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other Elements The Principal Contractor should also be aware of the following: Traffic Management, an increased awareness is required for traffic control to and from the site from the South and East sides. The South side adjoins a particularly busy road with several shopping complexes further along the road. Unauthorised access to site from clinic block Unauthorised access from the main roads. 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Control Measures 4.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Health Hazards 4.1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Operational Hazards Electric shock/burns Striking existing services Working at height Disconnecting of existing services Operating machinery, equipment, hand tools and mobile plant Hot works Manual handling Slip, trip, fall type injuries Dust / fumes Crush type injuries Contact with harmful substances Working in contaminated ground Working in confined spaces 4.1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hazardous Construction Materials Materials within the project with the potential to cause a hazard to health and safety: Aggregates Fuel oils Sand Glass fibre insulation Sewage Glass Wood treatment products Used drainage pipes Dust Cement Mastics Sealants Paints Floor Mastics / glues Asphalt Fumes 4.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CDM The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations came in effect in UK 31st March 1995. The main duties of the five key parties (CIRIA, 2001) are: The Client shall appoint a competent planning supervisor and principal contractor for each project The Designer should design structures to avoid, wherever possible, foreseeable risks to health and safety during construction, maintenance and cleaning work. Information should be provided on unavoidable risks. Design includes the preparation of specifications and not limited to calculations and drawings. The Planning Supervisor the organisation or person with overall responsibility for ensuring co-ordination of the health and safety aspects of the design and planning phase, the early stages of the health and safety plan and health and safety file. The Principal Contractor develops the construction-phase health and safety plan and manages and co-ordinates the activities of all contractors to ensure they comply with health and safety legislation. They have duties relating to the provision of information and training on health and safety for everyone on site and the coordination of employees views working on site. Contractors and the Self-Employed must co-operate with the principal contractor and other contractors and provide relevant information on the risks created by their work and how they will be controlled. 5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References Bibliography Site Safety Handbook, 3rd Edition,CIRIA, 2001 Brown, D. The Construction (Design and Management regulations 1994: Advice for Designers in Steel, Steel Construction Institute, 1997. Holroyd, Trevor M, Site Management for Engineers, Thomas Telford, 1999 CIRIA, Environmental Handbook for Building and Civil Engineering Projects: Construction Phase, Thomas Telford, 1998 Managing Demolition and Construction Wastes, Department of the Environment, 1994 Demolition of Special Structures, The concrete Society, 1984 Safety in Demolition Work, Health and Safety Executive, 1979