The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 17

Tiffany's Head Floating over the Waves When Ronnie picks me up in his minivan – which has three rows of seats – Tiffany is already buckled in next to Emily's car seat, so I climb into the very back, carrying the football and the bag my mother packed me, which contains a towel, a change of clothes, and a bagged lunch, even though I told Mom that Ronnie was bringing hoagies from the local deli. Of course my mother feels the need to stand on the front porch and wave, as if I were five years old. Veronica, who is riding in the front passenger's seat, leans over Ronnie and yells to my mother. â€Å"Thanks for the wine and flowers!† My mother takes this as an invitation to walk to the minivan and have a conversation. â€Å"How do you like the outfit I bought for Pat?† my mom says when she reaches Ronnie's window. She ducks down and takes a long look at Tiffany, but Tiffany has already turned her head away from my mother and is looking out the window at the house across the street. The outfit I am wearing is ridiculous: a bright orange polo shirt, bright green swimming shorts, and flip-flops. I did not want to wear any of this, but I knew Veronica was likely to make a fuss if I wore one of my cutoff T-shirts and a pair of workout shorts. Since Veronica and my mother have pretty much the same taste, I allowed my mother to dress me – plus, it makes Mom really happy. â€Å"He looks great, Mrs. Peoples,† Veronica says, and Ronnie nods in agreement. â€Å"Hello, Tiffany,† my mother says, sticking her head into the car a little more, but Tiffany ignores her. â€Å"Tiffany?† Veronica says, but Tiffany continues to stare out the window. â€Å"Have you met Emily yet?† Ronnie asks, and then he is out of the car and Emily is unbuckled from her car seat and placed in my mother's arms. Mom's voice gets all funny as she talks to Emily, and standing next to Mom, Veronica and Ronnie are all smiles. This goes on for a few minutes, until Tiffany turns her head and says, â€Å"I thought we were going to the beach today.† â€Å"Sorry, Mrs. Peoples,† Veronica says. â€Å"My sister can be a little blunt sometimes, but we probably should get going so we can have lunch on the beach.† My mother quickly nods and says, â€Å"Have a good time, Pat,† as Ronnie buckles Emily back into her car seat. Again I feel like I am five. On the way to the shore, Ronnie and Veronica talk to Tiffany and me the same way they talk to Emily – as if they are not really expecting a response, saying things that really don't need to be said at all. â€Å"Can't wait to get on the beach.† â€Å"We're going to have such a good time.† â€Å"What should we do first – swim, walk the beach, or throw the football?† â€Å"Such a nice day.† â€Å"Are you guys having fun?† â€Å"Can't wait to eat those hoagies!† After twenty minutes of non-talk, Tiffany says, â€Å"Can we please have some quiet time?† and we ride the rest of the way listening to the yelling noises Emily makes – what her parents claim is singing. We drive through Ocean City and over a bridge to a beach I do not know. â€Å"Little less crowded down here,† Ronnie explains. When we park, Emily is put into what looks like a cross between a stroller and a 4Ãâ€"4 vehicle, which Veronica pushes. Tiffany carries the umbrella. Ronnie and I carry the cooler, each of us grabbing a handle. We take a wooden walkway over a sand dune covered with sea oats and find that we have the beach all to ourselves. Not another person anywhere to be seen. After a brief discussion about whether the tide is coming in or out, Veronica picks a dry patch and tries to spread out the blanket while Ronnie begins digging the umbrella spike into the sand. But there is a breeze, and Veronica has some trouble, as the wind keeps folding the blanket over. If it were anyone but Veronica, I would grab a corner and help, but I do not want to get yelled at, so I wait for instructions before I do anything. Tiffany does the same, but Veronica fails to ask for help. Maybe some sand gets kicked up or something, because Emily starts screaming and rubbing her eyes. â€Å"Nice,† Tiffany says. Veronica immediately attends to Emily, telling her to blink, demonstrating what to do, but Emily only screams even louder. â€Å"I can't take a crying baby right now,† Tiffany adds. â€Å"Make her stop crying. Veronica, would you please make her – â€Å" â€Å"Remember what Dr. Lily said? What did we talk about this morning?† Veronica says over her shoulder, shooting Tiffany a serious look before turning her attention back to Emily. â€Å"So now we're talking about my therapist in front of Pat? You fucking bitch,† Tiffany says, shaking her head, and then she is walking away from us quickly. â€Å"Christ,† Veronica says. â€Å"Ronnie, can you handle Emily?† Ronnie nods solemnly, and then Veronica is running after Tiffany, saying, â€Å"Tiff? Come back. Come on. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.† Ronnie flushes Emily's eyes with bottled water, and after ten minutes or so, she stops crying. We get the blanket spread out under the shade of the umbrella, weighting the corners down with the cooler, our flip-flops and sandals, and Emily's super stroller – but Veronica and Tiffany do not come back. After every inch of Emily's skin is coated with sunscreen, Ronnie and I play with her down at the water's edge. She likes running after the waves as they recede. She likes digging in the sand, and we have to watch to make sure she does not eat the sand, which seems weird to me, because why would anyone want to eat sand? Ronnie carries Emily out into the ocean, and we all float over the waves for a time. I ask if we should be worried about Veronica and Tiffany, and Ronnie says, â€Å"No. They're just having a therapy session somewhere on the beach. They'll be back soon.† I don't like the way he emphasizes the word â€Å"therapy,† as if therapy were some sort of ridiculous idea, but I don't say anything. After we dry off, we all lie down on the blanket – Ronnie and Emily in the shade, and me in the sun. I doze off pretty quickly. When I open my eyes, Ronnie's face is next to mine; he's sleeping. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and when I roll over, I see that Emily has walked around the blanket. She smiles at me and says, â€Å"Pap.† â€Å"Let Daddy sleep,† I whisper, and then pick her up and carry her down to the water. For a while we sit and dig a small hole in the wet sand with our hands, but then Emily stands and chases the foam of a receding wave, laughing and pointing. â€Å"Want to go swimming?† I ask her, and she nods once, so I scoop her up into my arms and begin to wade out into the water. The surf has picked up some and the waves have a lot more height, so I quickly walk past the breakers to where the water is up to my chest. Emily and I begin to float over the swells. As the waves grow in size, I have to jump and kick really hard to keep both of our heads above water, but Emily loves it and begins squealing and laughing and clapping her hands every time we float up. This goes on for a good ten minutes, and I am so happy; I kiss her chubby cheeks over and over. Something about Emily makes me want to float over waves with her for the rest of my life, and I decide that when apart time is done, I will make a daughter with Nikki ASAP, because nothing has made me even close to this happy since apart time began. The swells get even bigger. I lift Emily up and put her on my shoulders so she will not have her face splashed by the waves, and her squeals seem to suggest that she likes being so high in the air. We float up. We float down. We are so happy. We are so, so happy. But then I hear someone screaming. â€Å"Pat! Pat! Paaaaaaat!† I turn and see that Veronica is running very quickly down the beach, with Tiffany trailing far behind. I worry that maybe something is wrong, so I start to make my way in. The waves are pretty big now, and I have to take Emily down from my shoulders and hold her against my chest to ensure her safety, but soon we are able to negotiate our way back to Veronica, who is now running into the surf. When I get closer, Veronica seems to be very upset. Emily starts to scream and reach for her mother. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† Veronica says to me when I hand Emily over to her. â€Å"I'm just swimming with Emily,† I say. Veronica's screaming must have woken up Ronnie, because he has run down to meet us. â€Å"What happened?† â€Å"You let Pat take Emily out into the ocean?† Veronica says, and by the way she says my name, it's obvious she does not want Emily to be left alone with me, because she thinks I am going to hurt Emily somehow, which is unfair – especially since Emily only started crying when she heard Veronica screaming, so really Veronica was the one who upset her own daughter. â€Å"What did you do to her?† Ronnie says to me. â€Å"Nothing,† I say. â€Å"We were only swimming.† â€Å"What were you doing?† Veronica says to Ronnie. â€Å"I must of fallen asleep, and – â€Å" â€Å"Jesus Christ, Ronnie. You left Emily alone with him?† The way Veronica says â€Å"him,† Emily crying, Ronnie accusing me of doing something awful to his daughter, the sun burning my bare chest and back, Tiffany watching now – suddenly I feel as though I might explode. I definitely feel an episode coming on, so before I blow up, I do the only thing I can think of: I start running down the beach away from Veronica and Ronnie and Emily and the crying and the accusations. I run as fast as I can, and suddenly I realize that now I am crying, probably because I was only swimming with Emily and it felt so right and I was trying to be good and thought I was being good and I let my best friend down and Veronica screamed at me and it's not fair because I have been trying so hard and how long can this fucking movie last and how much more do I need to improve myself and – Tiffany passes me. She runs by me like a blur. Suddenly, only one thing matters: I need to pass her. I start running faster and catch up to her, but she picks up her speed and we run side by side for a time until I find that gear women do not have, and I blow by her and maintain my man speed for a minute or so before I slow down and allow her to catch up with me. We jog side by side on the beach for a long time, neither of us saying a word. What feels like an hour passes before we turn around, and what feels like another hour passes before we see Ronnie and Veronica's umbrella, but before we reach them, Tiffany veers into the ocean. I follow her – running directly into the waves – and the salt water feels so cool on my skin after a long run. Soon we are in too deep to stand, and Tiffany's head is floating over the waves, which have calmed down considerably. Her face is a little tan and her hair hangs dark and wet and natural and I see freckles on her nose that were not there earlier that morning – so I swim over to her. A wave lifts me up, and when I come down over the other side, I am surprised that our faces are very close. For a second Tiffany reminds me so much of Nikki, I worry we might accidentally kiss, but Tiffany swims a few feet away from me before this happens, and I am thankful. Her toes come up out of the water, and she begins to float, facing the horizon. I lean back, stare at the line where sky meets water, allow my toes to rise, and float next to Tiffany for a long time, neither of us saying anything. When we walk back to the blanket, Emily is sleeping with a fist in her mouth, and Veronica and Ronnie are lying down, holding hands in the shade. When we stand over them, they squint and smile at us like nothing bad had happened earlier. â€Å"How was your run?† Ronnie asks. â€Å"We want to go home now,† Tiffany says. â€Å"Why?† Ronnie says, sitting up. â€Å"We haven't even eaten our lunch. Pat, you really want to go home?† Veronica says nothing. I look up at the sky. No clouds at all. Nothing but blue. â€Å"Yeah, I do,† I tell him, and then we are in the minivan driving back to Collingswood.

Cement Lifecycle Review

Life Cycle Review of Cement and Concrete Manufacturing Table of Contents Introduction3 Concrete Overview3 Life Cycle Stages4 Portland Cement4 Raw Material Extraction5 Crushing Process5 Kiln Processing6 Clinker Cooling and Storage7 Clinker Grinding7 Packaging and Shipping7 Concrete Processing8 Recycling and Landfill8 Environmental Considerations Throughout Life Stages9 Inputs: Consumption9 Outputs: Waste10 Air Quality and Pollution11 Land Quality and Biodiversity12 Alternative Suggestions in Minimizing Environmental Impact13Solutions for Minimising Ecological Footprint13 Solutions for Improving Air Quality13 Solutions for Minimising Land Degradation14 References15 Introduction A life-cycle assessment (LCA), as described by the US Environmental Protection Agency, is â€Å"a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a products life from cradle-to-grave†(USPA 2010). Therefore, an assessment of a product’s life cycle endeavors to analyze its existence from raw material extraction, to manufacturing, through to disposal.This report will not provide adequate data for the purpose of undertaking an LCA, however, it is aimed at â€Å"thinking† about the life cycle, and collecting information from past LCA studies to undertake a report on concrete production, particularly focusing on the life-cycle of cement, a critical component of concrete. Therefore, the following â€Å"life cycle thinking† review will endeavor to utilize previous LCA studies in order gain an insight about the major environmental impacts throughout each lifestage, chiefly centering on cement manufacturing.Correspondingly, it will also discuss alternative strategies of delivering cement and concrete as a building material with fewer environmental impacts. Concrete Overview Concrete is a multifaceted construction material, which is assembled mainly from cement, water and aggregate (Reding et al 1977). Concrete is one of the most durable buildin g materials, which allows it to exhibit many functions, including; precast elements, underwater construction, infrastructure formation and residential housing.In view of the fact that the life cycle stages and environmental impacts differ between manufacturing for each function concrete withholds, this report will focus on concretes function as a building material for residential housing and apartments (Anonymous 2012). Concrete is labeled one of the most durable building materials; therefore concrete structures withhold an elongated service life (Reding et al 1977. As a result of this, concrete is the most extensively used construction material in the world and has contributed momentously to the built environment throughout history. Life Cycle StagesIn a straightforward description, as mentioned above, concrete consists of three basic components, including cement, aggregates and water. Although there are various cement blends used for different purposes, this lifecycle review will focus particularly on Portland cement manufacturing, which is frequently utilized for industrial purposes (Anonymous 2012). In observing a life cycle of concrete manufacturing, the production of cement generally takes place separately, which is then transported to the selected building location, where water and aggregates are added to bind all components into one homogenous material – concrete (Anonymous 2012).Although there are obviously procedures in obtaining the water and aggregate for concrete production, the life-cycle discussed in this report will focus primarily on Portland Cement production (Reding et al 1977). Portland Cement The major raw materials extracted for cement production include limestone, sand, shale and clay. These feedstock ingredients provide calcium carbonate, alumina, silica and ferric oxide, which are critical elements of cement (Anonymous 2012). Figure 1: Proportion of cement components (CCAA 2010) Raw Material ExtractionThe initial stage of Portla nd cement production is the extraction of the raw materials by either quarrying or mining (Anonymous 2012). This withholds an adverse risk to land quality, potentially effecting fauna and flora within close proximity. Quarrying and mining are undertaken by operations such as drilling, blasting, excavating, handling, loading, hauling, and crushing (Reding et al 1977). The fragmented material, which can reach meters in length, is then transported via dump trucks to the cement plant, which is generally located nearby (Anonymous 2012). Crushing ProcessWhen transferred to the plant, the rock material is fed through a primary crusher, which breaks it down into smaller pieces up to six inches in size (Anonymous 2012). Subsequently, the rock is then transported via a conveyor to the secondary crushing stage, which accordingly, crushes the rock down to sizes of three inches or less. Following these essential crushing processes, all raw material undergoes a mixing and grinding process, where additional silica and iron may be added (Anonymous 2012). Within this stage, particulate emissions are profoundly emitted into the atmosphere.The mixing process can either be wet or dry, depending on the plant, however, the Cement Industry Federation states in their most recent Environmental Report that wet process plants in Australia now only account for less then 15% of total production, as wet processes have momentous water consumption (CIF 2010). In the instance of a wet mixing and grinding process, large impact dryers completely dry out the materials whilst grinding is undertaken, however if a wet process is embarked on, water is added during the grinding process which turns the mix into the form of a â€Å"slurry† (Anonymous 2012).Kiln Processing This process involves the slurry or the finely ground dry material to be fed into a high-temperature, cylindrical rotary kiln, heated to about 2700 degrees F (Anonymous 2012). Kilns are mounted with the axis slightly inclined f rom the horizontal and can reach up to 180m long, with a six meter diameter, thus it can take up to two hours for the material to travel through. The upper end of the kiln provides the entrance for the material, whereas the lower end comprises a roaring blast of flame, fueled by either coal or natural gas.During this process, any water contained in a â€Å"slurry† mix is lost through evaporation (Reding et al 1977). Ultimately, as the mixture travels through the kiln, it transforms both physically and chemically into grey pebble-like substances called clinker (Anonymous 2012). During kiln processing, particulate and GHG emissions are released. This stage also consumes the most energy, as fossil fuels are incinerated to provide extreme heat. Clinker Cooling and StorageThe clinker is expelled from the lower end of the kiln and is then transported onto a conveyer through a cooling system where large fans and water are utilized to cool the temperature (Anonymous 2012). The United Kingdom Environmental Agency state in their Environmental Performance Evaluation, that the vast majority of cement plants around the world now transfer the heated air from the coolers back towards the kiln as a means of saving fuel (UKEA 2010).Once the clinker is cooled, it is deposited into a storage area where it awaits until it is required for it’s final stage of grinding. Clinker Grinding The clinker is finally transported via a conveyor to its final crushing stage and is ground into a fine powder. This is carried out by steering the product through rotating tube mills with rolling crushers, which grind the cement into a fine powder. During this stage, other materials conveying analogous characteristics are added.Gypsum is also combined with the mix, as it assists in regulating the setting time of the final concrete product (Anonymous 2012). The continuous rolling assists in distributing the materials and gypsum throughout the cement evenly, and also separates the cement particles according to size (Reding et al 1977) . The material that has not been ground to the adequate size is deflected through the system again, however the final product is guided to the final storage silo (Anonymous 2012). Packaging and ShippingThe final product is either mechanically or hydraulically hauled out from its storage silo and is either packaged in paper sacks or supplied in bulk where it is then transported via truck, rail car or ship to the location of utilization (Anonymous 2012). Transportation must still be taken into consideration in contributing to the manufacturing air emissions. Concrete Processing Once transported to the building location, the addition of water to the cementitious material forms a thick cement paste, through the method of hydration (Anonymous 2012).Both fine and course aggregates; consisting of natural gravel, sand and soft stone are also commonly added to the cement paste, to create bulk and a strong, high resistant concrete (CCAA 2010). Aggregates are granular materials such as sand, gravel or crushed stone, which are usually dredged from a river, lake, pit or seabed (CCAA 2010). Prior to combining the aggregate in the cement, it undergoes a washing process to remove any unwanted silt, dust, clay or organic matter that could potentially interfere with the bonding reaction with the cement (Cement Industry Australia 2003).Similarly to the cement manufacture process, the aggregate is also sorted into different granular sizes (Anonymous 2012). This is undertaken by passing the material through a screen containing different size openings. Once arranged into adequate sizing, the aggregate is transported to the building site where it congregates with the cement (CCAA 2010). Thorough combining of cement, water and aggregate is crucial for the invention of high quality, uniform concrete, therefore equipment and methods such as cement trucks and on site mixers are utilized (CCAA 2010).Once all the constituents are thoroughly combined, it is molded or positioned as anticipated and then left to harden. Recycling and Landfill When a concrete building structure reaches the end of it’s life, either recycling or landfill is an option (CCAA 2010). The process of demolition of a concrete structure involves pulling it down either mechanically or manually through the utilization of excavators or bulldozers (Chen et al 2010). Larger buildings however, may require more powerful equipment.Following, the shattered concrete fragments are either transported by trucks to landfills for disposal or collected from the annihilation site and transported to a crushing facility, where it is fed through a crushing machine to be broken down and used for aggregate of new concrete (Cement Australia 2003). In conjunction with quarries, landfills also hold significant environmental consequences, as it can destroy or alter species habitat. Environmental Considerations Throughout Life Stages Inputs: ConsumptionThe Cement Indus try Federation (CIF) states in their 2003 environmental report, that the cement manufacturing process is extremely energy and resource intensive, therefore, it withholds a significant environmental footprint (CIF 2003). As displayed in the life-cycle diagram (figure 2), raw materials, energy and in some instances water, are the chief inputs associated with the manufacturing process, therefore, their consumption levels are predominantly to blame for the industries heightened environmental footprint (Anonymous 2012).Cement Australia (2010) states that on average, water utilization of a modern dry cement plant is between one hundred to two hundred litres per tonne of clinker produced (Cement Australia 2010). This water consumption is primarily used for cooling heavy equipment and exhaust gas. Although this appears quite high, Chen et al (2010) mentions that it is a dramatic improvement from earlier, yet still subsisting wet process cement plants (Chen et al 2010). The addition of water in cement to create the final product of concrete also consumes a large quantity of water.Similarly, the cement industry is highly energy intensive, especially during the kiln life stage (CIF 2003). Generally, cement plants today use natural gas, heavy oil and coal for fuel (Chen et al 2010). However, as coal accounts for almost 40 per cent of manufacturing costs, the utilization of fossil fuels in cement production has decreased since 1990 and has been partly substituted by alternative fuels (CIF 2003). The impact the high consumption of fossil fuels possesses on the environment is accelerated greenhouse releasement into the atmosphere, thus contributing to global warming (Chen et al 2010).Therefore, environmental consideration of adequate selection of alternative fuels is crucial in minimizing the environmental footprint. Outputs: Waste Furthermore, the outputs within each life stage also exhibit environmental issues throughout the entire cycle, from resource extraction through t o landfill (Chen et al 2010). The outputs fluctuate and vary between atmospheric emissions, waterbourne wastes, solid wastes and other co-product releases (CIF 2003).These outputs, in conjunction with the reasonably high input consumption, are the causes of the evident impacts the industry posses on the environment. Lemay & Leed (2011), mention in a broad perspective that air emissions leading to climate change, resource depletion, water consumption, ecotoxicity, eutrophocation, human health criteria, habitat alteration, smog formation and acidification are the main documented impacts that occur throughout the cement manufacturing process, whether it be instant or over time (Lemay & Leed 2011).Although there is clearly a vast array of impacts associated with cement manufacturing and concrete assembly, the impact on air quality and land quality appear to be considered by numerous LCAs to be a vital issue associated with manufacture, therefore they will be analyzed in more thorough de tail. Air Quality and Pollution Air pollution is highly likely to occur throughout each life stage of cement production, whether it is a result of fuel combustion or particulates from raw and finished materials (CIF 2003).Eco Tech (2011) mentions in its Cement Industry Report, that the uttermost crucial impacts associated with air pollution include; hydrocarbons and particulates which posses a threat to human health and environmental quality, and greenhouse gas emissions accelerating climate change (EcoTech 2011). In relation to Greenhouse gas emissions, Chen et al (2010) scrutinized in his Cement Plant Evaluation, that different Portland cement plants around the world is under close inspection these days because of the large volumes of CO2 emitted (Chen et al 2010).The report also continues to address that almost one tonne of CO2 is released for every one tonne of cement produced in the industry, which appears to be momentous considering in the year 2010, the world produced approxi mately 3. 6 billion tonnes of cement (Rosenwald 2011). Contrary to greenhouse gas emissions, dust emissions are at their highest peak at the initial quarrying stage and the final building demolition stage, as a result of forceful blasting and obliterating (Chen et al 2010).Other sources of dust emissions, however, are raw mills, kilns/ clinker coolers and cement mills. The Cement Industry Federation (2003) states that transportation of raw materials from the quarry to the site and stockpiles of raw materials contribute significantly to dust emissions (CIF 2003). Overall, the dust emissions released throughout the different life stages impact momentously on air quality, thus it threatens human health and overall environmental quality. Dust is the most common and extensive air pollutant from a quarry (CIF 2010).It has different origins in a quarry site such as mechanical handling operations that include crushing and grading process; haulage with which is related to the vehicle, and th e nature and condition of the way; blasting; additional manufacturing operations and wind blow from paved areas, stockpiles (Chen et al 2010) . Land Quality and Biodiversity The central issue of cement production upon land quality comes from quarrying, atmospheric deposition, disposal of wastes and storage of raw material (CIF 2003).These issues, predominantly atmospheric deposition, arise from merely every life stage of cement manufacturing; therefore it is an issue that must be taken into great consideration (Chen et al 2010). Quarrying and landfill have both direct and indirect environmental impacts on land and its surrounding biodiversity (Chen et al 2010). The direct impacts include habitat destruction thus biodiversity loss, dust inhalation and noise from rock drilling and blasting (CIF 2010). Subsequently, the effects of cement works on habitats are difficult to quantify, however the potential harm is much greater in vulnerable areas.The US Environmental Protection Agency (20 02), states in their report that two large operating cement plants in England are located on the edge of National Parks, therefore site selection must be considered in depth prior to implementation (USEA 2002). On the other hand, indirect impacts can potentially cause different catastrophes such as landslides and flashfloods in and around quarry sites (Chen et al 2010) . Furthermore, dust particulate has physical effects on plants, such as damage and blockage to the leaf surface, which may lead to death if photosynthesis is unable to occur (Chen et al 2010).Chemical effects on the other hand, can potentially produce changes in soil chemistry, which ultimately leads to changes in the long term associated with plant chemistry alterations, species competition and community structure (CIF 2010). Dust particulates from quarrying and wastes also affect waterways, as supplementary sedimentation may cause nearby reservoirs to dry out or flood (Chen et al 2010) . Alternative Suggestions in M inimizing Environmental Impact Solutions for Minimising Ecological FootprintDue to the significant amount of energy consumed in cement manufacturing, the cement industry has considerably focused over a long period on escalating plant efficiency and decreasing energy consumption. Cement Australia (2010) affirms that the Australia Cement Industry has seen a 23% decrease in CO2 emissions in the period between 1990-2009 (Cement Australia 2010). Although this is a significant decrease, further methods could potentially be utilized to further cutback consumption. Firstly, energy could be more efficiently recycled and transferred within the plant system.For example, excess heat from the clinker cooler being transferred back to the kiln stage to prevent energy waste should be implemented in all modern cement plants (Lemay & Leed 2011). Secondly, alternative fuels should be enhanced, especially in clinker manufacture. Alternative fuels may include items such as tyres, oils and tarrow. Soluti ons for Improving Air Quality As mentioned earlier, air emissions for GHG release has improved over the last decade as a result of utilization of alternative fuels.This however, has the potential to be further improved, therefore complete replacement of fossil fuels to alternative fuels could potentially take place to completely eradicate GHG releasement (Lemay & Leed 2011). In addition, the Cement Industry Federation (2010) asserts that improvement techniques for dust collection such as baghouse dust collectors has also been implemented over the past century (CIF 2010). Although there have been improvements, likewise, the potential for further development still remains. Perhaps aspects of the layout design could be improved, as a means of stockpile design and transportation throughout the system.Containment of conveyors could be implemented and perhaps pipelines, which substitute transport to and from the quarry to the plant, could be considered to prevent particulate emissions bei ng released (Lemay & Leed 2011). In addition, the moistening of the raw material throughout the crushing stages via sprays could also potentially to instigated to minimize dust release (CIF 2010). Filters and collectors could also be applied within each stage so the dust gathered can be sent through to the kiln for clinker production Solutions for Minimising Land DegradationUnfortunately quarrying and landfill in any form will impact on land quality, however methods such as buffer zones between workings and alternative habitats for defined species could be considered in an attempt to conserve biodiversity within or around the sites (Lemay & Leed 2011). Rehabilitation programs to restore once existing biodiversity on site could also be considered when the quarry material is completely exploited. Additionally, as displayed in the life cycle review, recycling of the final concrete material is an option as opposed to landfill.Perhaps the promotion of further cement and concrete recyclin g could be considered to avoid the amount of quarrying required. This would also minimize the amount of product discarded into landfill, thus retaining natural habitat. References Abdul-Wahab S. 2006. â€Å"Impact of fugitive dust emissions from cement plants on nearby communities†. Ecological Modelling. Vol: 195. Issue: 3-4. Page 338-348. Anonymous. 2012. â€Å"How Portland Cement is Made†. Portland Cement Association. Available: www. cement. org/basics/howmade. asp. (Last Accessed 7/10/12) Cement Australia. 2010. Environmental Performance†. Cement Australia. Available: www. cementaustralia. com. au/wps/wcm/connect/website/cement/home/sustainable-development/environmental-performance (Last Accessed 10/10/12) Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia (CCAA). 2010. â€Å"Sustainable Concrete Materials†. CCAA. Available: www. concrete. net. au/sustainability/documents/documents2. pdf. (Last Accessed 7/10/12) Chen C, Habert G, Bouzidi Y, Jullie A. 2010.  "Environmental impact of cement production: detail of the different processes nd cement plant variability evaluation†. Journal of Cleaner Production.Vol: 18. Issue: 5. Page 478-485 Lemay L, Leed A. 2011. â€Å" Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Buildings†. Concrete Sustainability Report. Available: www. nrmca. org/sustainability/CSRO4%20-%Life%20Cycle%20Assessment%20Concrete. pdf (Last Accessed 10/10/12 Nisbet M. 1996. â€Å"The Reduction of Resource Input and Emissions Achieved by Addition of Limestone to Portland Cement† Research and Development Information. Portland Cement Association. Canada Obajana Cement Project. 2005. â€Å"Social and Environmental Impact Assessment† Obajana Cement Project. Available: www. jaspers. uropa. eu/attachments/pipeline/1191_social_eia_en. pdf (Last Accessed 10/10/12) Park L, Tae S, Kim T. 2012. â€Å"Life Cycle CO2 Assessment of Concrete by Compressive Strength on Construction Site in Korea† Renewable and Sustainabl e Energy Reviews. Vol: 16. Issue: 5. Pages 2940 – 2946. Reding J, Muehlberg P, Shepherd B. 1977. â€Å"Industrial Process Profiles for Environmental Use† The Cement Industry. Chapter 21. Available: http://www. inece. org/mmcourse/chapt6. pdf. (Last Accessed 7/10/12) Rosenwald M. 2011. â€Å"Building a Better World with Green Cement†. Science and Nature.Available: http://www. smithsonianmag. com/science-nature/Building-a-Better-World-With-Green-Cement. html (Last Accessed 10/10/12) The Energy Conservation Center (ECC). 1994. â€Å"Output of a Seminar on Energy Conservation in Cement Industry†. United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). Available: www. unido. org/fileadmin/import/userfiles/puffk/cement. pdf. (Last Accessed 10/10/12) US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2010. â€Å"Defining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). US Environmental Protection Agency. Available: www. gdrc. org/uem/lca/ (Last Accessed 11/10/12)

My Journey through Essay

Interviewing my son’s preschool teacher, Ms. Contreras, was a wonderful experience. I learned so much about the field and I was able to connect understand her as not only an educator but as a person; as the type of person who does well in this career field. Ms. Contreras is a California state preschool teacher and has been for 20 years. She holds an AA and a BS in Early Childhood Development and loves her job very much, and has decided to stay at the preschool level until she retires. Like any educator, she believes that it is important for parents to be involved with their children’s education. She encourages parents to come and volunteer whenever they are able, and has monthly parent meeting so that the parents are up to date with what is going on in the class room. To Ms. Contreras, the most important thing about being an early childhood educator is that you are an advocate; and advocate for children and their education. That you have and need to understand that chil dren are all different and unique and they all deserve to be in a preschool program no matter what their income or background. Her favorite thing about being a teacher is the innocence of the children at this age; she loves how pure the minds are of her students are. She wishes she can change the fact that preschool is only three hours long, but with state funding so low, that is all she is able to do, and less assessing. She feels that is keeps her from understanding her students and attending to what they need help in. Family is very important to Ms. Contreras so when she had her children, she knew that she needed a career that will work around her children, thus leading her to pick the field in education. She loved the idea of being a break as her children were on break, home when their home at school when they’re at school is how she put it. While conducting the interview, I sensed a vibe that she truly loves what she does and care very much about her students. And as one of the parent volunteers in her class, I can see it when a student randomly give her hugs, or in their eyes as they walk in the door on a Monday morning from what seems like a long weekend without her. One thing that I learned about the professional field of early childhood education from this interview is that you really have to love and understand children to be in the profession. Patience is a big part of this job when you have 24 to 30 preschool all needing your undivided attention. I learned that you need to understand your individual students in order to help them succeed and do your job to the best you can. Having a job in this profession may be hard at times, especially when you have so many students but at the end of the day, if it is truly made for you, the job can be very rewarding. Technology is a big trend now, in not only in the early childhood education field, but in education period. There are many pros and cons about applying technology to the early childhood classroom. Technology today, consists of TV, computers, video games, and now smart phones and wireless tablets. â€Å"Technology’s long-term history includes everything from primitive hewn-rock weapons to wood pencils to drone aircraft and smart phones.† (Estes, 2012) It is no secret that almost every house now has a computer and probably access to the internet, so many young children might be exposed to one or more of these even before preschool starts. The question is whether impacts the education of young children, and I believe that it does. Technology impacts the education of young children in many ways and I believe that technology should be applied to the early childhood classroom. In the preschool and kindergarten ages, technology needs to be developmentally appropriate. Once these technological activities are developmentally appropriate â€Å" technology-supported activities can be justified by a constructivist philosophy because engagement, active learning, creativity, and social interaction are all part of what goes on in the classroom† (Estes, 2012) Activities such as using the computer and its accessories such as the keyboard and mouse can improve fine motor skills by pushing keys and moving the mouse around. â€Å"These fine-motor movements also hone eye-hand coordination, and that’ll pay off for years to come as your little one learns to catch a ball, use scissors, or put together a tricky puzzle.† (Folds, 1999) This type of technology will be used in the future of each child and will be beneficial to the early childhood classroom, not only for the future but for their development. There are many concerns about the effects of technology for the little ones and to be honest I at one point I thought the same. In our text, many parents agree that it is insane to believe that a tablet app or an iPhone app can better teach a child to read or teach them math. (Estes, 2012) An when it come to video games, many believe that it isolates and can be one of the causes of another trend, childhood obesity. In my personal opinion, technology has come a long way and there will always be an opposing side. Video games, although may never be used in the classroom, do have some benefits to young children. Some video games can teach kids strategy and with video game consoles such as the new Nintendo Wii, force you to get up and move your body in order to play the game. By getting up and moving your body you are exercising. For different grade levels I think different teaching approaches are more appropriate. For the younger grades such as preschool and kindergarten I think the creative curriculum approach is more appropriate. This is the grade that I wish to teach. Having several interest areas or stations throughout the classroom will stimulate the minds of the students into wanting to learn, through play. This is the set up at my son’s preschool and it does seem to work very well with this age group. His classroom is small but he has a block section, library, home living area, an area for puzzle solving, computer play, and tables where the students can make art and a table to play with clay and play dough and eat lunch and snacks. Children age four or younger lack the capacity to sit still for long periods of time so having many options for them to self learn is always great. Children at this age learn through play and I think that the creative curriculum approach is perfect for this age group. I do believe that preschool aged students will benefit from direct instruction, but a limited amount. Maybe a little lecture time before class to discuss small topics such as counting to ten, or practicing letters but all through song, or to lay out the schedule for the day. Songs tend to catch the attention on the younger kids, plus song is easier for kids to remember, especially those who learn more through music. There are many different beliefs about how to properly teach a young child. These beliefs go way back to before we were even a country. In my opinion, Children need hands-on experiences that are linked to more than one sense to learn. They need to feel, do, see, (Piaget’s sensorimotor stage) etc. They should be taught concepts in more than one way (multiple intelligences), and it should be fun. Children should not be made to participate in direct instruction lessons. They should have a choice on whether or not they want to participate and be rewarded for positive behavior. Learning should be play based and overall fun. Early childhood education starts before the young child enters the classroom, it starts from the time the child is born, and many believe that it starts even in the womb. It is then that a young child begins to learn and see the world. Jean Piaget believes and I agree that cognitive development occurs in stages. The first stage is known as the sensorimotor stage and is a blend between a child’s motor skills and improvements to the understanding of their senses. (Estes, 2012) This stage takes place from birth to about age two. The second stage of Piaget’s cognitive development is the preoperational stage. During this stage, usually 18 months to two years, children begin to use symbolic gestures or movements to link to words. (Estes, 2012) In the classroom, I will encourage my students to use their five senses and motor skills to learn about the world around them. In the early childhood classroom, play takes up a big part of the day. According to many early childhood philosophers and educators, children learn through play. Not only is play beneficial to the classroom but to the child’s overall health. Erick Erikson believed that play helped individuals cope with a traumatic or emotional past. In my classroom, there will be centers and they will all be play based. Different type of playing will take place at each center, by doing this I hope to encourage children to play freely and be themselves but also helping them as individuals. Because each child is different, I think that concepts should be taught in many different ways. According to Howard Gardiner, there are seven different intelligences; linguistic, logical-mathematic, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. One child’s strength will be in logical-mathematical, for example, and another child’s strength in musical. As an early childhood educator I will teach concepts in many different ways to ensure my students are grasping the information provided and having fun with it. Lastly, I think that children need to be rewarded and praised often. I feel like it encourages them to continue to do well. American psychologist, B.F. Skinner, called this operant conditioning. The idea behind this theory is basically that if one changes their behavior they are indeed learning. (Estes, 2012)The theory is simple, if you are doing something good, you will be rewarded. For example, in my classroom I will do this by rewarding with stickers or treats after lunch time. I see myself in the near future substituting at my son’s school district. Although I cannot teach yet I will be able to sub once I finish a couple more core classes. After I do obtain my degree in Early Childhood Education, I plan on becoming a preschool teacher. I have wanted a job working with kids for as long as I can remember and being a mom I feel like being a teacher will work great around my family life, as I am able to be available to my son as much as possible. I currently live in California, where school funding is low and has been low for a while especially for education. Because of this I think that I will need to start off my career working in or for another preschool program for better financial stability. It has been a dream for me to also become a special education teacher, so I am hoping to go back to school once I have been a preschool teacher for a couple of years and start my journey toward that field. I hear that early childhood special education is a wonderful and rewarding field as well. I think at the end of the day, I want to do something that I love and something that I am confident in. Something that I will be happy to wake up to and look forward to every day and working with kids is just that. References Estes, L. K. (2012). Pathways to teaching young children: An introduction to early childhood education. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Folds, D. V. (1999, Feb 22). Technology for Toddlers. PR Newswire , 1.

Progressive Education and Progressive Educators Essay

Progressive Education and Progressive Educators - Essay Example These 'themes' were created in order to confront the problems of the postwar society. Progressives looked optimistically for signs of political and economic democracy during the postwar "reconstruction." Progressivism was at its heart an effort to remoralize society. At all political levels, politicians advocated laws to facilitate moral economic and political systems. They advocated city improvements, like pure water and sanitary sewage. They wanted honesty in public officials. They wanted the right for the people to initiate important legislation. They wanted the right to have referenda on laws that politicians enacted. They wanted the right to recall public officials who did not do what they had been elected to do. The first phase of progressivism, "The Genesis phase", took place between 1890-1910. The aim of this stage was to test innovative ideas and theories, and develop a new approach to education. John Dewey supported the idea that students should be active learners. The second phase, "Child Centered Education", took place between 1919-1930. Dewey promulgated and tested a child-centered approach in education. The phase of "social reconstruction" took place between 1930-1945.

God, the Great Chasm, and the Building of Bridges Assignment

God, the Great Chasm, and the Building of Bridges - Assignment Example Mentioning that the Muslims are serving a violent God because of their vicious approach towards other religions which is said to be a result of the violent nature of their God, the open letter counters that their God is also known as the Merciful, Just, Seeing, Loving and Gentle. This statement implies that the Pope should look at the Muslim God in the entirety of His character and not concentrate on just one aspect. Volf thinks that the open letter expressed a revolutionary idea when it mentioned loving God and loving your neighbors because Muslims were commonly viewed as hostile. In trying to identify with the Christian doctrine of loving God and loving one’s neighbor, the authors of the open letter who are Muslims, are saying that instead of finding the differences between the two religions, they should strengthen their similarities to bond themselves instead. In Pope Benedict’s subsequent comment about Islam, he backpedaled a bit from the position he took at Resensburg when he claimed that Christiand and Muslims alike are serving the same God. However, he also made clear his statements by reiterating the importance of loving God and loving one’s neighbor instead of resorting to

Reponse to Phase 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reponse to Phase 1 - Essay Example Select sellers; in this phase we will select vendor that will supply the product or service. The project team may make the final an ultimate choice, though normally inside an overall procedure that is owned by the purchasing department. Project procurement activities and contracting activities through out the project management lifecycle will facilitate us in a number of ways like we will have some standardized and single tool for the whole organization. And implementation of some web-based solution seems likely to be the most successful tool. This unites all the departments and also provides the signal platform for the overall working. If we implement web based system then we can take the advantage of overall connectivity means systems are attached to a single online system, so that some immediate change or development can easily be shared and resolved. The main advantage we can visualize is the facility to share experience, data, information and also the secluding planes among all departments and PMs. There are lots of negative factors those can be happen by continuing as usual. The main negative factor is the lack of the standardization. Each PM has its own scheduling software that makes the oval united working difficult and become irritating. There is also lack of communication between PMs is also negative a negative point. The intended developed product will ensure the overall online communication among all project managers. Here also the main negative point against this existing system is the lack of sharing of information among PMs and project teams, so this intended system will also facilitate this feature also. Plan contracting process involves the stages2 of request seller responses, select sellers, contract administration and contract finality. These phases will facilitate us by offering more enhanced and standardized process for the gathering the best and most diverse supplier information, this information will outline to deal

Korean War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Korean War - Essay Example hina to intervene in the war because of the fear that USA would help the South conquer the North and acquire its territory.1 Chinese also wanted to safeguard the Chinese-Korean border, as well as support for the North to win a glorious battle and to reclaim its status as the Central Kingdom. By helping the North resist the South, China considered it as repaying the North for the soldiers they provided during the civil war in China. Above all, China had a long standing towards the USA and they saw this as the perfect opportunity to inflict pain and suffering to the USA.2 Evidently, Chinese were not prepared to enter the Korean War, but entry of the US prompted them to rethink their decision and join the war. They entered the war to protect their border and to repay debt they owed North Korea, and most importantly to disapprove the US as the war provided a chance to maintain its status and pride as the world power. Civil Operation and Revolutionary Development Support was an organization formed in May 1967. The program aimed at coordinating the U.S public and pacification programs by pulling together all U.S military and civilian agencies engaged in the pacification efforts. The U.S aimed at promoting pacification of the countryside through development of rural areas coordinated with the army operation. CORDS efforts worked well to integrate military and civil efforts as exemplified by the United States Military experience in Vietnam. According to White, Komer, the head of CORD’s operation in Vietnam, successfully integrated the civilian and military personnel into a single efficient unit.3 Furthermore, Komer successfully placed soldiers under the command of civilians. This merger helped eliminate much of the home loyalty that had led to ineffective working of civilians under the previous Office of Civil system. Komer also consolidated the civilian and pacification into distinct and useful CORD programs.4 It was for the purpose of creating a powerful and

Presentation diagnostic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Presentation diagnostic - Essay Example In this presentation, there was no room for the audience to have doubts regarding essentiality of the product. In terms of benefits, there existed a strategic explanation of the product’s advantages o to the purchasing managers. There was a demonstration of various benefits, which departments would accrue by taking the product as one of their lines of operation. I also demonstrated cost benefits to the managers in relation to the prices that they will charge to their respective final consumers. There was also a demonstration regarding the maintenance simplicity of the product, which will be a benefit to the firm. In practice, an organization results to adopting products that will provide maximum benefits in terms of costs. My benefits captured all the necessary cost issues that would allure purchasing managers to adopt the product. There was also efficient way of dealing with the objections of the clients in different ways with the intention of the distributing department main tain the firm’s reputation. This is via availing probable visual presentation of some of their questions and trying to offer answers though the audience had the chance to inquire for more expounding. This is especially applications of the specific product in real life situation whereby the audience intended to know. The use quotes of some of the management practitioners also provided a ground to win the attention of the purchasing managers. Additionally, efficient application of research work to challenge any objection of the audience also made a fundamental part towards my success though not much compared to what I had expected. The other way that was applicable in my presentation encompassed adopting a convincing tone with the intention of convincing the audience to accept my point of argument. 2.3 Past experience in presentation in relation to performance and communication orientation I have had the experience of presenting in one of the famous contests. This was my first experience where I presented about Beatles and rolling stones, which took a long period while trying to prepare myself appropriately. Before the real presentation, I experienced bouts of fear and nervousness due to the fact public presentation has not been my favorite until I tried it with Beatles and rolling stones. This enabled me to gain essential skills in presenting, which encompassed knowledge on how to win audience’s trust while on the stage. The real task while on stage taught me varied aspects on how to handle each presentation so that in future they will turn out to be successful. This is especially through comments, which I received in the first presentation that helped me in evaluating my weaknesses while addressing the audience. One of the evaluators who attended the presentation commented on my dressing in the earlier presentation. 2.4 Motley’s presentation strategies Motley who is communication practitioner identified some elements that might not be nece ssary when performing visual presentation. Among these factors encompassed memorization of a representation known as an inevitable aspect for any presenter in shunning common mistakes when selling his or her idea to respective audience. Motley cited the mastery of content is necessary but memorization will be like proving of facts in communication. Therefore, presentation ought to flow naturally in order to heighten

Mitosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mitosis - Essay Example Animals for instance are known to undergo a form of mitosis called open mitosis. This is where the nuclear envelop disintegrates before the chromosomes separate. Fungi on the other hand are known to undergo a closed mitosis where the chromosomes divide within an unbroken cell nucleus (Golitsin and Krylov, 100-150). The process is divided into several stages and these are as a result of the different sequence of events that take place upon the completion of one activity to pave way for another. There are six stages in mitosis and these include interphase, prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase and lastly the telophase. During the process the pairs of chromatids shorten and attach to fibers which then pull the sister chromatids to the opposite ends of the cell. Cytokinesis then occurs to create two identical daughter cells (McAinsh, 100-330). Interphase: here the cell prepares for cell division by manufacturing proteins and cytoplasmic organelles. This phase is divided into three stages, first gap (G1), synthesis(S) and second gap (G2). The last second phase is where chromosomes replicate (McAinsh, 100-330).. Prophase: the chromatin shortens into a chromosome. Since at the S phase the genetic material duplicated, the replicated chromosomes have two sister chromatids that are bound together at the center. At this stage the centrosomes (coordinating center for a cell microtubules) are pushed to the opposite sides of the cell (McAinsh, 100-330). Prometaphase: the nuclei envelop disassembles and microtubules come in the nuclei space. Each chromosome then forms two kinetochores at the centromere and each one is attached at each chromatid (Snedden, 1-48). Metaphase: the two centrosomes begin pulling the chromosomes along their attached centromeres towards the end of the cells. The chromosomes become tensed from the longitudinal pull. The centromeres of the chromosomes align along the metaphase

Directional Driller Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Directional Driller - Research Paper Example A directional driller performs a series of tasks that relatively depend on the employer’s objectives. One of the main responsibilities of a directional driller is giving technical assistance to clients and workgroup members at the extraction site (Gow and Gow 201). The directional driller also stays current of all directional drilling methodologies and surveying techniques. A directional driller also builds professionalism on cutting-edge proper planning methods (Horizontal Directional Drilling Design Guideline Task Committee 3). A directional driller also arranges for and offers end-of-site releases and clients’ conclusive product provision releases (Gow and Gow 201). A directional driller is in charge of overseeing inventory and provisions while remaining in contact with client site agents, gear crew, and field assistance workers. The directional driller further makes sure all reporting qualifications are reached by acting on service value events and making sure event reports are wrapped up with clients. Lastly, experienced directional drillers teach, train, and guide recruit and new directional drillers (Gow and Gow 201). The requirements for getting a directional drilling job are based on academic achievements, experience, familiarity, and communication skills. First, the applicant has to have a minimum of a two to three-year secondary program degree from a tutoring and training college. Engineering or applied science degrees in bachelor and master’s levels are more acceptable. The applicant also has to have at least five years of oil-extraction experience in directional drilling (Horizontal Directional Drilling Design Guideline Task Committee 2). The applicant has to have comprehensive knowledge in advanced drilling and charting technologies and activities. Lastly, the applicant has to be able to communicate proficiently with superiors, peers, and clients in verbal and textual

Women's study lesson9 discussion board comment Article

Women's study lesson9 discussion board comment - Article Example Women not only get scared by it (they change their patterns and routines so as to avoid the harasser), but they also get traumatized by the harassment (AAUW 3). As per statistics published by the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (http://www.slc.edu/offices-services/security/assault/statistics.html), at least 1 in every 4 women will be sexually assaulted during her time at college. I find this number to be too high. What is more, I think that this is another way in which women may end up getting discouraged from moving ahead with their education. As, according to the AAUW report, women who are harassed find their college experience disappointing (3), it is perhaps only logical to assume that they will associate negatively with their educational experience as well. Do you not agree that such misogynistic views about women’s capabilities in science and technology are a reflection on just how little society has changed when it comes to viewing women? Also, do you think that when women have to face sexual harassment on top of such attitudes, it makes it harder still to make headway in education for them? Will it have a negative impact in their outlook on life? And would it discourage them from pursuing further

ICRC and onternational law Essay Example for Free

ICRC and onternational law Essay The ICRC started when Swiss businessman Henri Dunant traveled to Italy to meet with Emperor Napoleon III of France . Before he reached Napoleon he first passed through the town of Solferino where a battle was fought. On that day over 40,000 soliders on both sides fell; many were left to die on the battlefield without adequate care. Henry Dunant was shocked by the terrible aftermath of the battle. Instead of proceeding with his planned trip he spent the next few days tending to the wounded. Through his example, the local population began to administer aid without discrimination. When he returned home, he wrote a book called A Memory of Solferino. He sent copies of the book to political and military leaders throughout Europe . He advocated the formation of a national voluntary relief organization to help nurse the wounded and for the development of international treaties to safeguard the neutrality and protect those wounded on the battlefield. By February 9, 1863, Henry Dunant founded the Committee of the Five as an investigatory commission of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare. Their aim was to examine the feasibility of Dunant’s ideas and to organize an international conference about their possible implementation. In October 26, 1863, the international conference organized by the Committee was held in Geneva to develop possible measures to improve medical services on the battlefield. A conference attended by many European states resolved the following: The foundation of national relief societies for wounded soldiers. Neutrality and protection for those wounded. Utilizing volunteer forces for relief assistance on the battlefield. The organization of additional conferences to enact these concepts in legally binding international treaties. The introduction of a common distinctive protective symbol for medical personnel in the field, specifically a white armlet bearing the red cross. Within a year, specific grounds were developed for the recognition of a national relief society by the International Committee; namely: The national society must be recognized by its own national government as a relief society according to the convention, and the national government of the respective country must be a state party to the Geneva Convention. The Commission’s first great achievement occurred on 22 August 1864 when the conference adopted the first Geneva Convention â€Å"for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in the Armies in the field. † A total of four Geneva Conventions have been passed since then. With successive conventions aimed an improving or updating previous conventions to ensure that they are up to date with current technology and norms. Today there are 185 national Red Cross societies and over 1,330 employees directly under the ICRC assigned to field operations. All thanks to the initiative of one man. III. ICRC as a Driving Force in IHL The ICRC draws its authority to act principally from the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols. The Geneva Conventions from the First to the Fourth are the primary international treaties that limit the cruelty of war. They are meant to protect people who do not take part in the fighting, such as civilians, medics and aid workers. They also protect hors de combat or those who no longer have the means to continue fighting such as the wounded, sick, shipwrecked or those who have surrendered. The Geneva Conventions have been acceded to by 194 States and enjoy universal acceptance as a form of custom. The Geneva Conventions then are the primary documents governing International Humanitarian Law and the main overseer of International Humanitarian Law is the ICRC. However, the provisions of the present Convention constitute no obstacle to the humanitarian activities which the International Committee of the Red Cross or any other impartial humanitarian organization may, subject to the consent of the Parties to the conflict concerned, undertake for the protection of civilian persons and for their relief[2]. Article 10 is of considerable value in the field of international law because faced with the barbaric reality of war, the law continues to be realistic and humane. It keeps in mind the object of the Convention, namely the protection of human life and peace between man and man, conscious that it is only a means. (a ridiculously weak means compared to the forces of war) of attaining this goal. When everything has been settled by legal means –ordinary and extraordinary—by assigning rights and duties, by obligations laid upon the belligerents and by the mission of the protecting powers, a corner was still found for something which no legal text can prescribe. However this niche was the most effective means of combating war. That niche is charity or the spirit of peace. This is where Article 10’s symbolic value can be seen. Through it, Henry Dunant’s action on the field of battle in Solferino. Article 10 is more than a tribute to Henry Dunant. It is an invitation to all men of good will to continue his work[3]. In order for the ICRC and subordinate National Commissions to effectively perform their role, members are granted considerable rights and privileges. For example, all Red Cross members have the right to wear the Red Cross, (or crescent in Muslim States). Wearing this mark affords immunity, for all practical purposes from violence by the combatants because, as outlined in Additional Protocol No. 1 of the Geneva Conventions[4] the Red Cross is the mark associating a vehicle, person or building with the ICRC and is sacrosanct and protected[5]. However, any use not expressly authorized by International Humanitarian Law constitutes misuse of the emblem and releases combatants from the obligation to respect the symbol. The types of misuse are Imitation, Usurpation and Perfidy. In fact, Improper use of distinctive emblems in a war crime committed when, in an international armed conflict, an intent to use them for combatant purposes prohibited under international law[6]. Owing to the ICRC’s unique position as the actual commission that proposes and puts forth the Geneva Conventions and other major IHL documents, it can be said that ICRC is the Organization that created IHL. The latter will of course continue to develop as time goes by. Other documents of international law respecting human rights and with respect to international crimes have evolved since then. But International Humanitarian Law began with Henry Dunant and his desire to help the wounded in Solferino.

Importance of ISO 9000

Importance of ISO 9000 Importance of ISO 9000. INTRODUCTION In this term paper we discussed about ISO 9000 and its importance. `ISO 9000 is usually used to refer to a set of intimately related standards. One standard is a roadmap for the others. These standards cover quality design, quality management, and quality assurance for different kinds of companies depending on the extent to which they design as well as manufacture products. ISO 9000 is important in the first instance because it gives organizations some guidance on how to manage for quality. Secondly, mechanisms exist by which an organization can be certified for conforming to ISO 9000 specifications. With this certification in hand, an organization can better sell its product or service to its customer. It can say that the product or service is the result of a process that continually tested for quality. The government of the European Union has mandated that some products will not be imported into Europe unless the exporting organization can demonstrate compliance to ISO 9000. What Is ISO 9000? ISO 9000 began in 1979 when the British Standards Institute Technical Committee 176 began the creation of a standard for generic quality principles for manufacturing. This led to the ISO 9000 standard that was finally issued in 1987. ISO 9000 is the most widely known, most widely adopted, and best selling standard of any that ISO has published. The language and apparent assumptions of ISO 9000 are targeted to the manufacturer. Nevertheless, ISO 9000 is being applied to quality systems of many organizations, whether they be manufacturing or not (Voehl et al, 1994). One theme of this column is that further ISO standards ought to be developed to support quality management. The term `ISO 9000 is usually used to refer to a set of intimately related standards. One standard is a roadmap for the others. These standards cover quality design, quality management, and quality assurance for different kinds of companies depending on the extent to which they design as well as manufacture products. Another one of the standards covers risks, costs and benefits, management responsibility, quality system principles, and other building blocks that help users customize quality standards to conform to real-life situations. In the rest of this column the term ISO 9000 will be used to refer to this set of quality-related standards. One way to model the coverage of ISO 9000 is to think of the organizations operating process, its quality records, and its quality control. The operating process creates the final product or service (see Figure 1). The quality records are maintained relative to this process, and the control system corrects for divergences from quality. Quality control is supported by a procedure manual that provides guidance for the implementation of the quality system on a day-to-day basis. The control system must include a means for identifying, collecting, indexing, storing, retrieving, and maintaining quality records. The quality system must help people work to quality. This requires both that the documentation is relevant to the standard and that the behavior of people is relevant to the standard (Huyink and Westover, 1994). The rectangle in the middle shows the basic process of the company. The quality records that are indicated in the right must reflect each step of the basic process. The quality control is indicated on the left and applies to the quality records relative to the ongoing company process. What are the ISO 9000 Principles? 1. A Customer Focus As stated before, the customer is the primary focus of a business. By understanding and responding to the needs of customers, an organization can correctly targeting key demographics and therefore increase revenue by delivering the products and services that the customer is looking for. With knowledge of customer needs, resources can be allocated appropriately and efficiently. Most importantly, a businesss dedication will be recognized by the customer, creating customer loyalty. And customer loyalty is return business. 2. Good Leadership A team of good leaders will establish unity and direction quickly in a business environment. Their goal is to motivate everyone working on the project, and successful leaders will minimize miscommunication within and between departments. Their role is intimately intertwined with the next ISO 9000 principle. 3. Involvement of people The inclusion of everyone on a business team is critical to its success. Involvement of substance will lead to a personal investment in a project and in turn create motivated, committed workers. These people will tend towards innovation and creativity, and utilize their full abilities to complete a project. If people have a vested interest in performance, they will be eager to participate in the continual improvement that ISO 900 facilitates. 4. Process approach to quality management The best results are achieved when activities and resources are managed together. This process approach to quality management can lower costs through the effective use of resources, personnel, and time. If a process is controlled as a whole, management can focus on goals that are important to the big picture, and prioritize objectives to maximize effectiveness. 5. Management system approach Combining management groups may seem like a dangerous clash of titans, but if done correctly can result in an efficient and effective management system. If leaders are dedicated to the goals of an organization, they will aid each other to achieve improved productivity. Some results include integration and alignment of key processes. Additionally, interested parties will recognize the consistency, effectiveness, and efficiency that come with a management system. Both suppliers and customers will gain confidence in a businesss abilities. 6. Continual Improvement The importance of this principle is paramount, and should a permanent objective of every organization. Through increased performance, a company can increase profits and gain an advantage over competitors. If a whole business is dedicated to continual improvement, improvement activities will be aligned, leading to faster and more efficient development.Ready for improvement and change, businesses will have the flexibility to react quickly to new opportunities. 7. Factual approach to decision making Effective decisions are based on the analysis and interpretation of information and data. By making informed decisions, an organization will be more likely to make the right decision. As companies make this a habit, they will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of past decisions. This will put confidence in current and future decisions. 8. Supplier relationships It is important to establish a mutually beneficial supplier relationship; such a relationship creates value for both parties. A supplier that recognizes a mutually beneficial relationship will be quick to react when a business needs to respond to customer needs or market changes. Through close contact and interaction with a supplier, both organizations will be able to optimize resources and costs. Why is ISO 9000 Important? ISO 9000 is important in the first instance because it gives organizations some guidance on how to manage for quality. Secondly, mechanisms exist by which an organization can be certified for conforming to ISO 9000 specifications. With this certification in hand, an organization can better sell its product or service to its customer. It can say that the product or service is the result of a process that continually tested for quality. The government of the European Union has mandated that some products will not be imported into Europe unless the exporting organization can demonstrate compliance to ISO 9000. Organizations, such as the military, which have traditionally implemented costly reviews of quality in their suppliers can instead require that their suppliers demonstrate conformance to ISO 9000. The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) does not itself test for conformance to ISO 9000. Conformance to ISO 9000 may, in general, be checked by * the organization which claims to follow the standard and wants certification (1st party certification), * the organization which is buying product or service from the company that claims ISO 9000 compliance (2nd party certification), or * an organization which specializes in such certification and is neither the 1st or 2nd party (3rd party certification). Rules exist for how such certification should be done, and organizations exist which certify other organizations as performing reliable ISO 9000 certifications. In the United Kingdom and Australia 3rd party audits of ISO 9000 compliance involves a system audit every three years and five mini-audits within each three year span. To receive certification a company must show that its documentation follows the quality standard and that its people follow the documentation. How does ISO 9000 work? ISO 9000 is set up as a collection of guidelines that help a company establish, maintain, and improve a quality management system. It is important to stress that ISO 9000 is not a rigid set of requirements, and that organizations have flexibility in how they implement their quality management system. This freedom allows the ISO 9000 standard to be used in a wide range of organizations, and in businesses large and small. One important aspect of ISO 9000 is its process-oriented approach. Instead of looking at a companys departments and individual processes, ISO 9000 requires that a company look at the big picture. How do processes interact? Can they be integrated with one another? What are the important aspects of products and services? Once this process-oriented approach is implemented, various audits can be done as a check of the effectiveness of your quality management system. There are three main types of audits 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party audits. An internal audit is a 1st party audit. ISO 9000 encourages (and requires) this type of audit so that an organization can get feedback quickly from those who know the company best. However, this audit process cannot be viewed as impartial. Therefore, 2nd party audits allow for a consumer to evaluate the performance on an organization. As an alternative to a 2nd party audit, many companies choose to become certified with ISO 9000 through a 3rd party audit. In this case, an independent certification body comes into an organization and evaluates it in terms of the ISO 9000 guidelines. If an organization meets the requirements of the standard, it becomes certified in ISO 9000 and carries a seal of quality recognized throughout the world. Developing Standards:-A standard is a specification that is recognized within an organization. A product or process can be measured against a specification to establish whether it meets the standard. The organization could be a group of 10 people, a small company of 100 people, an industry of 1 million, a country of millions, or a world of billions. The most important standards for any organization are those which it develops to coordinate itself.ISO 9000 provides a meta-standard. Each organization that wants to be recognized for the quality of its processes and products creates and maintains that standard internally. The way in which the international meta-standard was developed is similar in principle to the way that instances of it are developed within an organization. Universities typically work to the quality of standards created by groups of professors and certified by groups of professors. Universities have not been striving to be explicitly ISO 9000 compliant. However, their intent is at times comparable to that of organizations that demonstrate ISO 9000 compliance. How does the university develop internal standards? The university may create a task force with extensive representation of influential people. This task force proposes standards. After the task force completes its work, the normal apparatus of the university is invoked to ratify or amend the recommendations of the task force. Subsequent implementation of the ratified recommendations requires the support of existing and perhaps new groups within the organization. The development of the quality standard within the university parallels the development of ISO 9000 itself. A group of business and government people in England were concerned about quality management. They organized a group within the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop a specification. Other groups within BSI then discussed and ultimately ratified the proposed specification. The BSI result already reflected the direction for a large country. The successful effort to persuade the world through ISO of the importance of this standard represented another level of the same kind of process that had already occurred through BSI. The implementation of the standard has been supported by numerous other organizations, such as the earlier described American Society for Quality Control. The trend in higher education can be used to illustrate ramifications of ISO 9000. New private organizations are entering into the higher education marketplace. These private organizations feel that they can compete where state-funded universities have typically held control because these new private organizations exploit to the maximum the information superhighway and quality management. One barrier to the success of these new universities is the traditional certification processes that are biased in favor of the existing universities. A university degree is certified by associations of professors from like-universities. If a new, private company wants to offer a radically new kind of curriculum, then will it get certification from its traditional competitors? Might these new universities instead seek ISO 9000 certification? In the health care industry standards have become increasingly important. The explosive growth of health care costs is being contained by setting standards for quality care that are monitored across extensive information networks. One part of this approach has been to define categories of illness and to fix reimbursements for managing patients in certain illness categories. The Committee for European Normalization has a very active health care information technology standardization groups within it. They are developing many standards for health care information including some which provide models for the quality management of the entire health care industry information infrastructure. Environmental protection has been a major political theme of the current quarter-century. The Rio Conference on the Environment held in 1992 helped stimulate the development of new standards that extend ISO 9000 into a particular concern for the environment. These new developments are leading towards the ISO 14000 standards which are expected to be issued in 1996 and which will prescribe requirements for environmental quality management. The ISO 14000 standards will include specifications for the implementation of environmental quality management systems, environmental audits, and environmental performance evaluations. ISO 14000 principles will be in many ways similar to ISO 9000 principles but with a different application. While ISO 9000 itself is being updated, new standards are also appearing that are closely related to ISO 9000. This column has argued that such standards are important and that we should lend support to the further development of such standards in important application areas. Importance of ISO 9000 There has been so much written about the benefits of having ISO-9000 registration, there isnt enough space on this website to repeat it all. We will attempt to list some of the basic benefits here. 1. ISO-9000 forces an organization to focus on how they do business. Each procedure and work instruction must be documented and thus, becomes the springboard for Continuous Improvement. 2. Documented processes are the basis for repetition and help eliminate variation within the process. As variation is eliminated, efficiency improves. As efficiency improves, the cost of quality is reduced. 3. With the development of solid Corrective and Preventative measures, permanent, company-wide solutions to quality problems are found. 4. Employee morale is increased as they are asked to take control of their processes and document their work processes. 5. Customer satisfaction, and more importantly customer loyalty, grows. As a company transforms from a reactive organization to a pro-active, preventative organization, it becomes a company people want to do business with. 6. Reduced problems resulting from increased employee participation, involvement, awareness and systematic employee training. 7. Better products and services result from Continuous Improvement processes. 8. Fosters the understanding that quality, in and of itself, is not limited to a quality department but is everyones responsibility. 9. Improved profit levels result as productivity improves and rework costs are reduced. 10. Improved communications both internally and externally which improves quality, efficiency, on time delivery and customer/supplier relations. Gauging the importance of ISO 9000 The International Standards Organizations (ISO) quality management standard, ISO 9000, is rapidly becoming the standard of choice for businesses throughout the world, and worldwide registration totals almost 100,000 companies. In the US, NASA and the Dept of Defense, as well as the three major automakers, have adopted it and in the UK, registration of companies using the standard has been quickly increasing. Meanwhile, US computer industry leaders are trying to implement a system of self-certification, arguing that many business benefits are to be obtained from so doing. Why is root cause analysis and systemic corrective action so important in management system standards, such as ISO 9001? When problem solving, it is important to find the cause of problem in order to develop a solution. Sometimes, the most obvious cause is not the right one. This is why ISO 9000 stresses the importance of finding the root cause(s) of a problem. There may be multiple, subtle reasons why a process isnt working correctly, and finding the actual causes will lead a company one step closer to a solution and implementation of corrective actions. The goal of finding root causes is to improve the way problems are managed. Becoming adept in recognizing the root causes of a problem will lead to a reduced impact, a containment of error, and the prevention of recurrence. Identifying and correcting root causes will also lead to the reduction of unnecessary efforts which in turn will lower the cost of maintaining quality. As more and more corrective actions are taken, processes will become more stable, and continual improvement will face less interruptions. How does ISO 9000 interact with other standards? ISO 9000 is the standard for a quality management system that closely resembles many other management systems. These other systems, based on health, safety, the environment, and business continuity, can be integrated into an overarching business management system. Benefits of this system include aligned interests, reduced costs, and improved efficiency. With one of these systems in place, it is easier to implement any of the others; many documents required for a different standard are already prepared, and personnel are already accustomed to the audit process. Using multiple standards will not only increase the efficiency of an organization, but increase the integrity of its operations. What does ISO 9000 mean to me and my company? ISO 9000 is a standard created to make the attainment of quality, consistent products easier by providing specific steps for development of an organizations quality management system. This quality management system is meant to monitor the progress of a product or service as it goes through each stage of production, from development to testing to assembly to customer feedback. One cornerstone of ISO 9000 is continual improvement. No company should ever be satisfied with the conditions of a process at the given moment; they should always be looking for ways to make these processes more efficient and effective. ISO 9000 was written with the business worlds insatiable desire for excellence in mind. This is why continual improvement is a requirement of the standard to inspire progress and the pursuit of perfection. ISO 9000 is an internationally recognized standard, and that may seem daunting for some smaller businesses. How are they going to implement the same standard adopted by multi-national corporations? Quite easily, actually. ISO 9000 is a flexible standard that lays down requirements for an organization to follow, but allows the organization to fulfill these requirements any way they choose. This increases ISO 9000s scope of effectiveness, allowing a wide range of companies to create quality management systems that match their needs. ISO 9000 is seen in every sector of the business world, and its success is a testament to its worth. With a focus on customer satisfaction, products and services improve and flourish under ISO 9000s quality management system. With a combination of continual improvement and corrective actions tenets of ISO 9000 a business will create processes that run smoothly and efficiently. CONCLUSION Finally the conclusion is that, ISO 9000 are not confined to the business sector alone, but benefit society as a whole, including customers, governments, trade officials, developing countries, consumers, and the environment. Standardization allows businesses the opportunity to compete in markets around the world. This enables more competition, which results in more choices for customers. Standards also help developing countries compete in international markets without investing scarce resources on research and development. Consumers benefit from products or services consistently manufactured to agreed-upon levels of safety and quality.

Patriarchy in Shyam Selvadurai’s Pigs Can’t Fly Essay -- Shyam Selvadu

Patriarchy in Shyam Selvadurai’s Pigs Can’t Fly Woman is not born: she is made. She becomes the symbol of this and that: mother of the earth, slut of the universe and in the making, her humanity is destroyed. ~Andrea Dworkin Patriarchy is a universal system in which women are dominated. Women, in continents as diverse as Iran and China, have been subjugated through social measures such as female circumcision and bound feet. Yet as Andrea Dworkin so neatly stated, subjugation often takes more devious forms, through the stereotyping of gender roles, attempts to â€Å"fix† women by stereotyping them as spineless â€Å"natural homemakers† or monstrous hideous figures and thereby justifying patriarchy as through stereotyping men as having more initiative and intelligence. This devious method of subjugating women is similarly reproduced in Shyam Selvandurai’s â€Å"Pigs Can’t Fly†. Although it is ostensibly about a boy’s childhood, I believe that it reinforces patriarchy through the skilful use of characterization, filters, narrators and setting. Before explicating my argument, I would like to clarify a few key terms I have borrowed mostly from Seymour Chatman in analyzing the story. The only exception, characterization, is E.M. Forster’s concept of round and flat characters where flat characters are predictable because they are dominated by a single trait unlike round characters with multiple, sometimes conflicting traits dominating their personality. Filter, here, is used to denote what is commonly known as a character’s point of view. Narrator-characters are characters that function as characters and narrators or otherwise known as first person narrators. It is fascinating to note that the narrator and filter through whom the story u... ...chal constructions of â€Å"correct† female and male behaviour by appealing to natural laws (â€Å"Because the sky is so high and pigs can’t fly†). Arjie’s unhappiness, however, shows implicit criticism of patriarchy as it cannot satisfy him. It is therefore evident that â€Å"Pigs Can’t Fly† is not a simple story about a child’s growing up process. Its adept use of various elements of discourse pushes it beyond a simple narrative into the realm of a mature narrative whose ambiguous meanings (over its support for patriarchy) mirrors a world of uncertainty with no absolutes governing. The story’s refusal to pigeonhole itself is for me, a source of beauty and complexity. Works Cited Selvadurai, Shyam. "Pigs Can't Fly." Funny Boy. New York: Vintage, 1995: 1-40. Chatman, Seymour. Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell UP, 1978. Patriarchy in Shyam Selvadurai’s Pigs Can’t Fly Essay -- Shyam Selvadu Patriarchy in Shyam Selvadurai’s Pigs Can’t Fly Woman is not born: she is made. She becomes the symbol of this and that: mother of the earth, slut of the universe and in the making, her humanity is destroyed. ~Andrea Dworkin Patriarchy is a universal system in which women are dominated. Women, in continents as diverse as Iran and China, have been subjugated through social measures such as female circumcision and bound feet. Yet as Andrea Dworkin so neatly stated, subjugation often takes more devious forms, through the stereotyping of gender roles, attempts to â€Å"fix† women by stereotyping them as spineless â€Å"natural homemakers† or monstrous hideous figures and thereby justifying patriarchy as through stereotyping men as having more initiative and intelligence. This devious method of subjugating women is similarly reproduced in Shyam Selvandurai’s â€Å"Pigs Can’t Fly†. Although it is ostensibly about a boy’s childhood, I believe that it reinforces patriarchy through the skilful use of characterization, filters, narrators and setting. Before explicating my argument, I would like to clarify a few key terms I have borrowed mostly from Seymour Chatman in analyzing the story. The only exception, characterization, is E.M. Forster’s concept of round and flat characters where flat characters are predictable because they are dominated by a single trait unlike round characters with multiple, sometimes conflicting traits dominating their personality. Filter, here, is used to denote what is commonly known as a character’s point of view. Narrator-characters are characters that function as characters and narrators or otherwise known as first person narrators. It is fascinating to note that the narrator and filter through whom the story u... ...chal constructions of â€Å"correct† female and male behaviour by appealing to natural laws (â€Å"Because the sky is so high and pigs can’t fly†). Arjie’s unhappiness, however, shows implicit criticism of patriarchy as it cannot satisfy him. It is therefore evident that â€Å"Pigs Can’t Fly† is not a simple story about a child’s growing up process. Its adept use of various elements of discourse pushes it beyond a simple narrative into the realm of a mature narrative whose ambiguous meanings (over its support for patriarchy) mirrors a world of uncertainty with no absolutes governing. The story’s refusal to pigeonhole itself is for me, a source of beauty and complexity. Works Cited Selvadurai, Shyam. "Pigs Can't Fly." Funny Boy. New York: Vintage, 1995: 1-40. Chatman, Seymour. Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell UP, 1978.

Mans Eternal Search for Affection Explored in The Hunchback of Notre D

Victor Hugo penned a fantastic, picturesque story of passion and the human spirit in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The dramatic emotions of the characters play out on the stage of fifteenth century Paris, France. Quasimodo, a repugnant physical defect of nature, lived severed from human contact, excepting that of the solemnly aloof priest, Claude Frollo. For his part, Frollo strove for knowledge until he encountered the captivatingly gorgeous gypsy dancer, Esmeralda. She existed solely to adore an arrogant captain of the King's Archers, named Phoebus de Chateaupers, for saving her from being kidnapped. Enticed by Esmeralda's dancing to the depths of his being, Frollo outwardly denounced her as a sacrilegious sorceress, but his body raged for her out of lust, accounting for his repeated attempts at having her prohibited from dancing near the cathedral, or stolen away. Esmeralda, furiously in love with Phoebus, nearly sacrificed her virtue to gain his heart, before Frollo gravely wounde d him. Tortured into confessing witchcraft and condemned to die by a court with church officials, the gypsy enchantress obtained sanctuary in Notre Dame cathedral, rescued from the hangman's noose by Quasimodo. At this point, Frollo attempted to claim Esmeralda's merciful and virtuous heartfelt forgiveness for his passion, failing miserably because his efforts appeared feeble and lascivious. Frollo and Esmeralda perished, however, after a storming of the cathedral and gruesome battle, dying sacrifices on the altar of human emotion. How emotion may exist in a studious and solemn man, having only acquired knowledge of books for a score of years, seems impossible. But desire for Esmeralda arrived after Frollo had â€Å"discovered that a man needs affection ... ...her temptation had accomplished this; therefore her cruel effect must have been fate. As she awaited death, one character noticed the incidence of destiny when she remarked that â€Å"‘God has it all written down in His book'† (182). One aspect of Victor Hugo's work, his revelations of themes, philosophies, and morals through humorous characters, seems reminiscent of Sir Walter Scott's usage of a comparable pretext. Through the philosopher/poet, Gringoire, Hugo presents a moral that â€Å"‘the temptations of the flesh are pernicious and malignant'† (276). Certainly there exists some truth to this supposition on a central idea of the novel, the animosity stirred by mortal sensitivity, that during man's eternal search for affection--even when he possesses it, he still craves more. WORKS CITED Hugo, Victor. Notre Dame de Paris. Paris, France. (publisher unknown). 1831.