I phone5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

I phone5 - Research Paper Example Featuring of an architectural website, Dezeen, in the launch video of i phone5 focuses on the variance and depth of new promotional partnerships between different category products such as Apple Inc. and Dezeen, an architecture, interiors and design company website. Apple Inc. has given huge promotional leverage to Dezeen in the videos, thus, marking a new chapter of relational linking by entering into collaboration with the architecture magazine. It highlights how LTE technology offers â€Å"really fast downloads over your cellular network†. Marketing of Apple has always been a hush-hush matter. Apple contacted Dezene a year back for a customised version of its website with no advertisements and social media links without disclosing its strategy to the management of Dezeen (Golson, September 2012). The tie-up between Apple i phone5 and Dezeen magazine on architecture, interiors and design by showing the home page of the company website on the promotional videos, on the occasi on of the launch of its latest i phone5 version has huge management and functional implications for the architectural company. It offers a trade-off to the viewer of purchasing a superior quality product although it won’t be a decision taken at once, as the ad viewer would analyse the future cost and quality trajectory of the magazine in the category it belongs to. If the consumer wants to replace the product, as in this case, the decision will be taken by comparing it with the currently owned and subscribed magazine and other available magazines on architecture and design in the market. If after visiting the Dezeen company website through the Apple i phone5 link given on the email of the user, it reveals that the difference in quality is tangibly and intangibly significant relative to the cost of the architectural magazine, the possibility of replacing the current magazine with Dezeen increases. It means increase in the sale of Dezeen product. Thus, purchase decision depends , as per general modelling related to replacement. In the case of i phone5 and Dezeen, both the products are not complimentary as they are un-related. Therefore, the purchase decision in one category, i.e., the Dezeen, would not be impressed by the purchase decision in another category, i.e., the Apple company’s newly launched i phone5 (Sriram et al., 2010). Nevertheless, if the products in both the categories have been purchased, the incentive to replace them with the latest versions, as in the case of Apple i phone5, the consumer decision is going to be taken on the quality parameter only; the higher the quality, the more inspired the decision for replacement. Consumer leverage would be more if both the products are replaced relatively to a single category product replacement (Sriram et al., 2010). Anyways, the great thing for an architecture website is that a technology giant like Apple has contacted it for sharing business leverage mutually through an email link to the we bsite address for the visitor to surf the pages of the magazine compelling the viewer to take a better decision after analysing the trade-off. As per the general model for replacement, if two

Effectiveness of Fracking Regulations

Effectiveness of Fracking Regulations Overview of Report This report has been prepared by The MSSD for the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Governments. This report will be looking at the effectiveness of the regulatory framework of the fracking industry, it will assess the current framework, evaluating whether the framework is fit for purpose, and if not, propose alternatives considering that a lighter touch to regulation is the approach wanting to be taken. Because we are only at the exploratory phase of drilling in the UK, the main focus will be on pre-drilling regulations. What is Fracking? We will briefly look at what Fracking is and how it works, and looking at this will also allow us to be able to assess the most pressing environmental concerns and the controversies surrounding fracking. Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.  Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.  The process can be carried out vertically or, more commonly, by drilling horizontally to the rock layer and can create new pathways to release gas or can be used to extend existing channels. The term fracking refers to how the rock is fractured apart by the high-pressure mixture.[1] In the UK, drilling is only at an exploratory phase, however, there are plans for this to intensify as shale gas reserves have been identified across the UK. Impacts and Concerns Having looked at what Fracking is, we will identify it’s impacts on the environment and its most pressing concerns. The extraction of shale gas is a topic that is highly controversial in the United Kingdom, this is mainly because of the environmental concerns it raises. One of the major concerns is the water usage in the extraction, the volume of water that is needed. Vast amounts of water are required for the process and this must be transported to the fracking sites[2]. The water tends to be transported to the sites, which has its own environmental impacts, though some sites could use the local water resources and the volume of water that is required could place a strain on local water resources. In addition to the amounts of water, the water is mixed with chemicals, this mixture could escape and could spill or contaminate groundwater in the surrounding areas. Another concern is that fracking could lead to small earthquakes. This was the case in the town of Blackpool, where two tremors struck, one registered a magnitude 2.3 and the other 1.3. Both tremors occurred near the local drilling site. This caused the operation to suspended, the site operators, Cuadrilla, commissioned a report, which found that â€Å"Most likely, the repeated seismicity was induced by direct injection of fluid into the fault zone†[3] The report goes on to question whether further earthquakes are to be expected from fracking, it says â€Å"the earthquakes occurred because of a rare combination of circumstances: the fault was already under stress, was brittle enough to fracture and had space for large amounts of water that could lubricate it†. The report says â€Å"this is unlikely to happen again at the Preese Hall site.†[4] To reduce the risk of earthquakes, it has been proposed that seismic activity monitoring is introduced around fracking sites. Advantages and Disadvantages of Fracking The main advantages of fracking include, an increase in the production of natural gas, some could argue that this would ease the burden on finite resources such as fossil fuels, fracking would thus diversify our energy supplies. A further advantage is that this is a relatively clean energy source, providing environmental benefit. The gas produced emits less carbon per calorie of energy produced than other fossil fuels. It is easy to inject and it can be transported directly, shale gas requires very little infrastructure investment before it can be injected into the national gas grid, thus proving to be an economical benefit. Fracking is also the most natural way to pump gas from the ground. An abundant supply of natural gas makes prices relatively cheap to producers and consumers. The disadvantages of fracking include, Risk of groundwater pollution, Risk of localised earthquakes (probably not a huge risk when well-regulated in the UK), Localised noise and traffic congestion, Loss of amenities, when fracking wells are sited in areas of natural beauty and national parks, A high water demand for the â€Å"process water† needed by the fracking technology used, potentially entailing additional stress on water supplies, Planning blight on local properties, and suffering by those unfortunate enough to live near a proposed site for a fracking well. [5] Environmental Policy Context Fracking also poses wider questions about current thinking on sustainability and the environment. [6] John Allen writes, â€Å"the shale revolution has the potential to provide the UK with local, low cost, clean sources of energy and potential for local energy independence† [7] from a sustainable development viewpoint, this makes for positive reading. If fracking is low cost and a cleaner source of energy, it enables sustainable development. However, looking at the intricacies of fracking, this may not seem the case. For the process to take place, a vast number of resources are needed, and here you look at whether fracking, as an industry, is sustainable. The shale gas industry consumes materials such as water, sand, chemical treatments, drilling fluids, all of which require transport by road and rail. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is the use of water, the volume required is vast, and to sustain that, there must be an infrastructure in place and policies in place to ensure that whilst providing the water to sites, there is no inconvenience to the water flow in the local area and if being transported via tank to the site, this must be done in a way where the environment is put first. If we are looking at this from the standpoint â€Å"what is best for the environment†, surely the question would be, why does the policy not encourage the use of no oil and gas in the UK, because this would be the best policy for the environment. The answer to this would be several factors, mainly economical and convenience, the ecosystems we live with and in are so adept to using those resources, that to prohibiting use would mean that our systems would fail to exist. A middle ground has been established, whereby the environment is somewhat protected and that human needs are met, and this needs to be the case with fracking, whilst there are signs that there are benefits, economically the policy must promote sustainable development. â€Å"History shows us that whenever we can extract fossil fuels, short term gain, usually trumps long- term consequence. Much has been made, on both sides of the argument, of the US experience, but fracking has not found universal welcome. France, for instance, is in the process of banning it, and Poland is currently deciding whether to develop the industry, or concentrate on other forms of energy.† [8] John Allen If there is regulation and procedures in place to negate the downsides, surely a cleaner alternative is beneficial long term.      Regulation of Fracking Now we will be looking at the regulatory framework that is in place for the industry. This section will be split into three parts: 1) An overview of the regulatory framework, 2) Assess and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the frameworks, 3) Consider whether any improvements can be made to the framework, looking at different types of regulation.    Overview of Regulation The Environment Agency (EA) in England and Wales, and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are the environmental regulators who monitor the environmental aspects of shale gas fracking. The key regulation that governs how shale gas fracking operators comply with environmental laws is the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.[9] Figure 2: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation The framework that surrounds fracking is one that is quite complex. Companies wanting to explore must have permission from a number of regulatory bodies before they can proceed. In order to explore and produce shale gas, operators must pass rigorous health and safety, environmental and planning permission processes.[10] The first stage is obtaining a Petroleum Exploration and Development License, (PEDL), these are issued by the Oil and Gas Authority. The Oil and Gas Authority work closely with other regulatory partners to ensure that the exploration and development is safe and sustainable. [11] A PEDL obligates companies to follow its terms. Key PEDL terms include: conferral of the right to get petroleum, payment of fees in return, parameters of the field licensed to the operator, obligation to obtain written consent prior to drilling, operator’s obligation to work the licensed area in accordance with ‘good oilfield practice’ and termination and surrender provisions. PEDLS are licenses which grant exclusivity to operators in the license area, they do not give immediate consent for drilling an exploration well or any other operation. Briefing paper After a PEDL has been granted, the operator of the proposed site must then obtain local planning permission from the Minerals Planning Authority, as shale gas operations involve the extraction of minerals. The MPA involves local authorities including representatives from districts and county councils.[12]   Planning applications require the submission of a standard application form, supported by plans and drawings, certificates of ownership relating to the application site and design and access statements. An operator must also negotiate access with landowners. A PEDL and planning permission alone do not give operators consent to conduct their operations, access must be secured by the operator, this tends to be through a license or a lease to be taken that are conditional on the grant of satisfactory planning consent. When a decision is made on a planning application, only planning matters called â€Å"material considerations† can be taken into account. There is no exhaustive list of what constitutes a material planning consideration, although there are some â€Å"principal issues† for consideration, shown in Figure 3 [13] MPA’s are screened to determine whether any proposals require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Environment Protection Agency an EIA describe this as â€Å"the process by which the anticipated effects on the environment of a proposed development or project are measured.  If the likely effects are unacceptable, design measures or other relevant mitigation measures can be taken to reduce or avoid those effects.†[14] This, however, is a contentious issue, as it’s not clear whether operators are obliged to conduct and EIA and submit an environmental statement under the EU’s EIA Directive[15] to accompany their application. Under the EU law, all projects require an environmental statement, though those under Annex 2 require a case-by-case examination, and considering certain criteria, it is determined that such a project is likely to have significant effects on the environment. Even if an EIA is not required, environmental and health impacts can be addresses through the conditions of planning permission. Mineral Planning Authorities are responsible for ensuring operators comply with these conditions. The MPA, in determining an application, will consider the advice of a variety of statutory consultees with regards to the protection of the environment and the public. Local planning conditions can address the aesthetic impacts, as well as contributions to local noise, traffic and air pollution. The density of local population may be considered in the local planning permission process. There will also be conditions for when operations finish, the operator would be responsible for safe abandonment of the well and for restoring the well-site to its previous state or a suitable condition for re-use. The authority which granted permission would require suitable restoration as a condition of the planning permission. [16] The next part of the regulatory process is that operators will probably require a number of environmental permits issued by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations to conduct onshore activities.   The environment agency takes a risk-based approach to regulating, thus the regulation of each site is bespoke to that site, as the they take into account local site characteristics and site specific environmental risks.   The Environment Agency  ensures that any shale gas operations are conducted in a way that protects people and the environment. The Environment Agency’s environmental permitting regulations cover: protecting water resources, including groundwater (aquifers) as well as assessing and approving the use of chemicals which form part of the hydraulic fracturing fluid, appropriate treatment and disposal of mining waste produced during the borehole drilling and hydraulic fracturing process, suitable treatment and management of any naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and disposal of waste gases through flaring.[17]   With regards to water, if operators are wishing to abstract more than 20 cubic meters per day for operational purposes, they will need to obtain a water abstraction license under section 24/24A of the Water Resources Act 1991[18] The licenses are issues by the Environment Agency. A factor to bear in mind here is the Environment Agency make it clear that water availability at site is not â€Å"guaranteed†, this links back to the planning permission stage, as if the operators are unable to have a pipeline, they will have to transport the water to the site, which is expensive, but also, with regards to the environment, transporting tanks of water would be something they would have to consider. Another element to be considered is the element of â€Å"induced seismicity†. The MPAs should consult the British Geological Survey (BGS) to advise on induced seismicity and help to identify suitable locations for well, drawing on a national and site-specific understanding of geology. [19] Under s.23 of the Mining Industry Act 1926[20] â€Å"firm sinking boreholes greater than 100ft (30m) deep must give written notification to the Natural Environmental Research Council. Operators are under several other continuing obligations, such as keeping records of their operations and retain specimen cores. Once the above has been completed, the operator must notify the Health and Safety Executive at least of 21 days in advance of any drilling operations, The Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995[21] require this. A coordinated regulatory effort is required to ensure that shale gas wells are designed, constructed and operated to standards that protect both people and the environment, it must be noted that it only protects those in proximity of sites. HSE monitors shale gas operations from a well integrity and site safety perspective. We oversee that safe working practices are adopted by onshore operators as required under the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974, and regulations made under the Act. These specifically are: The Borehole Site and Operations Regulations 1995 (BSOR) applies to shale gas operations.   (These regulations are primarily concerned with the health and safety management of the site). The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Construction, etc.) Regulations 1996 (DCR)[22] apply to all wells drilled with a view to the extraction of petroleum regardless of whether they are onshore or offshore. (These regulations are primarily concerned with well integrity). HSE works closely with the Environment Agency (EA) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to share relevant information on such activities and to ensure that there are no material gaps between the safety, environmental protection and planning authorisation considerations, and that all material concerns are addressed. [23] Drilling operations must not be commenced unless a health and safety policy is prepared which demonstrates that adequate measure will be taken to safeguard the health and safety of the persons on the site. Once the HSE step is completed, we arrive at one of the final steps in the regulatory process. This is the Oil and Gas Authorities consent to drill. Operators are obliged to seek the OGAs written consent prior to the start of drilling operations. OGA consent is one of the final, and coordinating consents in the shale gas process. In considering whether to issue consent to drill, the OGA will have regard to the suite of regulatory controls discussed above, including ensuring that planning permission is in place, environmental permits and consents have been obtained, and that the HSE has received notice of intention to drill. Planning permission is one of the approvals required before any activity may start on a site. The planning authority decides whether the activity is acceptable at that particular location, after local communities and other interested people have had the opportunity to set out their view on the benefits and impacts of the proposal. On receipt of OGA’s consent to drill, and subject to the finalisation of a hydraulic fracturing plan and agreed method for monitoring induced seismicity (where fracking is going to be conducted), an operator has in place the requisite consents and may continue its operations. This concludes the pre-drilling regulatory framework, there is a duty in place whilst drilling takes place, and as mentioned, conditions are set out for after the drilling process has been completed. Strengths and Weaknesses One of the main strengths with the framework presented above, in my opinion, is that the process to start drilling is so rigorous. There are many steps an operator must take in order to start drilling, this has a lot of cost and time investment necessary, so these rigorous checks and procedures ensure that the operator is competent and ensuring the environmental protection necessary to offset any negative impacts of fracking in the main. Another strength with the framework is the fact that a condition of granting permission to drill, there must be plans in place on how the site will be restored to ensure that it becomes usable land again, showing that the regulation is offering a protection measure. However, it could be argued that there are more weaknesses with the regulation. One of the major ones that comes across with the regulation framework provided above, is one concerning Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). An operator may have to carry out an EIA, if the MPA deem necessary when screening the proposal presented, however, there is no obligation to do so, it only has to happen should the MPA feel it is a necessity in this case.   There isn’t a â€Å"one size all fits† approach here, it’s bespoke. Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) has become best practice in non-shale gas industries[24], however like the EIA, an ERA is not mandatory, an ERA, unlike an EIA would assess not only the impacts of hazards, but also their likelihood. In their report, the Royal Society recommended[25], that to manage environmental risks, an Environmental Risk Assessment should be mandatory for all shale gas operations, involving the participation of local communities at the earliest possible opportunity. I would agree with this statement, an EIA and ERA should be a mandatory step, for all potential operators and cases of fracking, not just some, it should be a universal requirement when applying to drill for shale gas. In her Article, Emily Gosden writes that the Fracking Regulations may inadequate, with regards to climate change[26]. From the regulation mentioned above, it does not tackle issues such as climate change in much depth, whilst it looks at environmental factors, it seems that this isn’t the most pressing matter on the agenda. The article reports that Britain’s fracking regulations may be inadequate to prevent environmentally damaging methane leaks, and that the current regulatory regime fell short of the minimum necessary standards. [27] Prof Jim Skea, one of the report’s authors, said that the law instead gave â€Å"quite a lot of discretion† to the Environment Agency (EA) over what monitoring it would require of future shale gas production. Here, I would agree, the EA can often be quite vague when it comes to these matters, an example mentioned above would be the water abstraction licenses requirement, the EA are very vague when it comes to a definitive answer. This could be something that could be further considered. Another weakness in my opinion is that the current framework at present, isn’t very environment focused, and even if it is, a lot of the environmental factors aren’t factors that are mandatory for operators or regulators to take into account, as already mentioned, the EIA not being mandatory is one part. The regulation does not look at in enough detail issues such as climate change, air pollution, water pollution, and other means of contamination, these factors should be of more importance when coming to regulate the shale gas industry, yes, they may be considered, but even that at best is brief. Alternate Proposals The current framework that has been looked at in this report can be seen to be rigorous in the main, there are a number of steps an operator must take before being able to start the process. The current framework could be seen as being on the â€Å"heavier side† of regulation, and in the brief, a theory was posited that there be a lighter touch on regulation, in this section, we will look at whether this can be the case, and if so, how can it be the case.    With regards to regulation, there are two approaches that can be taken. There is Direct Regulation, which can often be referred to as â€Å"the command and control† regime, this is where standards are set, as are penalties for failing to meet them, there are often several ways of drafting direct regulation. [28] The other approach is Indirect Regulation. Whereas direct regulations focus on the polluting activity itself, indirect regulation tends to centre on economic instruments, the effect of which will be to impose higher burdens on higher polluters, there is also self-regulating, whereby you can apply methods such as voluntary environmental agreements and codes of conducts to regulate. These systems tend to have vague standards and are flexible and non-interventionist in their nature. We will look at whether we stay with a command and control approach adopted, or would a self-regulating approach be more effective in this situation. Before we start that, we will briefly look at whether the current framework we have looked at is effective in its purpose, however looking at the effectiveness of the framework is an area where one struggles as in the UK, we are not at the stages where there is mass production of shale gas, we are merely at the early exploratory stages of the process. The only real working example is the Cuadrilla site as mentioned at the start of this report. Though some regulation, such as the induced seismicity was introduced because of that site. Self-regulating such an industry seems impractical considering the disadvantages mentioned earlier in the report. Simon Sneddon writes that this method of regulation is more flexible than the traditional command and control methods, and this method is non-interventionist in nature and that these methods are criticised for having vague standards and for being unaccountable, and there is no realistic enforcement system. This, as a regulation method would not work with an industry such as fracking. An industry where there are many impacts both environmental and economic and as such a framework of command and control would be better suited, there is a set of rules, or steps put in place and there are penalties and fines for operators should they fail to abide. This is very similar to the current framework in place. The risks that fracking entails, it would be a uncertain approach to have a light touch to regulation. However, when there is more data to analyse once further fracking takes place, it may be the case that we could adopt a self-regulating framework or one that is lighter than the one in place, but until then, the current â€Å"command and control† framework is one that is effective and sufficient for use. Conclusion The regulation in place at present is several steps that an operator must take before they are able to drill for shale gas. The procedure is one that is described as rigorous and upon evaluation this seems to be the case, though as mentioned when looking at alternatives, there is no way of knowing how effective the regulation is in the UK, until there are more working examples of fracking. [i] [1] Bbccouk,  What is fracking and why is it controversial?   (BBC News,  16 December 2015)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [2] Bgs,  Potential environmental considerations associated with shale gas  (Bgsacuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [3] Michael Marshall,  How fracking caused earthquakes in the UK  (New Scientist,  2 November 2011)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [4] Ibid 3 [5] Steve Last,  The pros and cons of fracking in the UK and why you need to know about them  (Lowimpactorg,  14 October 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [6] DrGareth Evans,  Fracking: Truly Sustainable?  (Sustainablebuildcouk,  16 Dec 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [7] Allen John,  Fracking: believe the hype for a sustainable UK energy market  (The Guardian,  22 January 2014 )  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [8] Ibid 6 [9] Hsegovuk,  The regulation of onshore unconventional oil and gas exploration (shale gas)  (Hsegovuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [10] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [11] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [12] Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. [13] Briefing Paper Number 6073 on Shale Gas and Fracking – House of Commons Library [14] Wwwepaie,  Environmental Impact Assessment   (Wwwepaie,  0)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [15] Directive 2011/92/EU [16] Department of Energy and Climate Change – Fracking UK Shale: Regulation and Monitoring – February 2014 [17] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [18] Water Resources Act 1991 [19] Ibid 7 [20] Mining Industry Act 1926 [21] Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995 [22] The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Constructions, etc.) Regulations 1996 [23] Hsegovuk,  The regulation of onshore unconventional oil and gas exploration (shale gas)  (Hsegovuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [24] Contribution from Professor Simon Pollard, Head of Department, Environmental Science and Technology, Cranfield University [25] Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. [26] E Gosden, ‘Fracking regulations inadequate’ The Telegraph (7 July 2016) accessed 10 May 2017 [27] ibid 20 [28] Simon Sneddon,  Environmental Law  (2ND edn,  Pearson  2015)  54-61 [i] Bibliography Websites http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14432401 http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/shaleGas/environmentalImpacts.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21120-how-fracking-caused-earthquakes-in-the-uk/ http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/unconventional-gas.htm https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation http://www.epa.ie/monitoringassessment/assessment/eia/ http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/unconventional-gas.htm Steve Last,  The pros and cons of fracking in the UK and why you need to know about them  (Lowimpactorg,  14 October 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 DrGareth Evans,  Fracking: Truly Sustainable?  (Sustainablebuildcouk,  16 Dec 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 Allen John,  Fracking: believe the hype for a sustainable UK energy market  (The Guardian,  22 January 2014 )  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 Directives Directive 2011/92/EU Reports Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. Contribution from Professor Simon Pollard, Head of Department, Environmental Science and Technology, Cranfield University E Gosden, ‘Fracking regulations inadequate’ The Telegraph (7 July 2016) accessed 10 May 2017 Department of Energy and Climate Change – Fracking UK Shale: Regulation and Monitoring – February 2014 Briefing Paper Number 6073 on Shale Gas and Fracking – House of Commons Library Acts Water Resources Act 1991 Mining Industry Act 1926 Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995 The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Constructions, etc.) Regulations 1996 Books Simon Sneddon,  Environmental Law  (2ND edn,  Pearson  2015)  54-61 Misc. PowerPoints and Notes from Lectures.

Justice On Trial in Kafkas The Trial Essay -- Kafka Trial Essays

Justice On Trial in Kafka's The Trial There is no such thing as justice - in or out of court.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clarence Darrow i Most often critically interpreted as a search for Divine justice, Kafka's The Trial, a fragmented and unfinished novel, appears to leave us with the same impression as the words above of Clarence Darrow.   In other words, there is no justice.   This assessment of Divine justice by Kafka works on two levels.   On one level, he is illustrating the helpless nature of the individual when in conflict against an established bureaucracy.   On another level, he is illustrating the existential dilemma of man in the face of a godless, indifferent, and often hostile universe.   A search for justice by Josef K. finds no justice in either realm.   Josef K. awakes one morning to find himself accused by a mysterious legal authority "Someone must have been spreading lies about Josef K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning."ii   His crime is unnamed, one of which he knows nothing.   The novel follows his many attempts to obtain justice from authorities with which he cannot communicate well.   Josef K.'s attempt to find justice end in his utter frustration, his complete loss of human dignity, and his cruel death by stabbing. The Trial is also meant to symbolize original sin and guilt.   On the level of the individual versus the bureaucracy, Josef K. is consumed by guilt and condemned for a crime he does not understand by a court with which he cannot communicate.   We see this same dilemma on the level of the individual versus an existential existence, i.e., man in the modern world trying to find meaning and justice, consumed by guilt and condemned for original sin by a god with which he ca... ... Solzhenitsyn, A. I. The Gulag Archipelago, (I-II).   Translated by Thomas P. Whitney.   New York:   Harper & Row Publishers, 1973. Notes: i Fitzhenry, R. I. (ed.).   Barnes & Noble Book of Quotations, New York, Barnes & Noble Books, 1986, 197. ii Kafka, F.   The Trial.   Translated by Willa and Edwin Muir.   Introduction by George Steiner.   New York, Schocken Books, 1992, 1. iii Id. 180. iv Id. 46. v   Id. 46. vi   Id. 97. vii   Id. 150. viii   Id. 121. ix Beit v. Probate and Family Court Department, 434 N.E.2d 642 (1982), at 643, citing The Trial at 290. x Kafka, 42. xi Id. 222. xii   Id. 43. xiii   Id. 108. xiv   Id. 228. xv Id. 229. xvi Solzhenitsyn, A. I. The Gulag Archipelago, (I-II).   Translated by Thomas P. Whitney.   New York:   Harper & Row Publishers, 1973, 436. xvii Id. 437. xviii   Id. 295.

Mary Schapiro and Leadership Essay

In her role at the SEC, Mary Schapiro was known as one of the world’s most powerful female regulators. She was named chair in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. As chairman, she helped strengthen and revitalize the agency by overseeing a more rigorous enforcement program and shaping new rules for Wall Street. During her tenure, the agency’s work force brought about a record number of enforcement actions and achieved significant regulatory reform to protect investors. Schapiro leaves behind an agency that has regained its footing, stature, and morale following desultory leadership under its previous two chairmen and its embarrassing lack of action preceding the financial crisis. Under Schapiro, the SEC, which is usually thought to be the most prominent and important financial regulatory body in the country, brought a huge number of enforcement actions against financial institutions. Her job was to assess what went wrong and to ensure it d idn’t happen again. During four years as SEC chairman, Schapiro presided over one of the busiest rule-making agendas in the SEC’s history, during which the agency also brought a record number of enforcement actions, and executed a comprehensive restructuring program to improve protections for investors. Upon her departure, President Obama praised her leadership, saying the SEC became stronger and the financial system â€Å"safer and better able to serve the American people-thanks in large part to Schapiro’s hard work.† Change Management Change management is designed to ensure the effective transition of an organisation and its people from the current to future states, and in so doing support the realisation of business benefits. In the context of strategy, it is the realisation of the strategic plan. Change management is about effectively leading and managing individuals, teams, and the organisation to successfully adopt the changes needed to achieve required or desired business results. Success in Organisational Change Follows Recognisable Patterns – Kotter’s 8 Steps Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter is well known for identifying a pattern for leading successful organizational change. Yet, we cannot be sure that the President, members of Congress, and key Federal Reserve, Department  of the Treasury, and SEC personnel (including Chairman Schapiro) are familiar with this work and with other similar guidance from change leadership literature. And even if some or all of the change agents impacting a restructuring of the SEC are familiar with this work, it is unclear whether any of those change agents are consciously using this learning and incorporating useful elements from Kotter’s books into the SEC reorganization process. Studies of organizational change have shed significant light on the elements of a successful reform effort. Leaders effectuating reform at the SEC do not have to â€Å"reinvent the wheel† as they initiate, manage, and institutionalize organizational change. Kotter’s model is organized into eigh t stages designed to address eight observed mistakes made in efforts for organizational change: â€Å"establishing a sense of urgency†; â€Å"creating the guiding coalition†; â€Å"developing a vision and strategy†; â€Å"communicating the change vision†; â€Å"empowering broad-based action†; generating short-term wins†; â€Å"consolidating gains and producing more change†; and â€Å"anchoring new approaches in the culture.† Each stage has identifiable characteristics. 1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency â€Å"Visible crises can be enormously helpful in catching people’s attention and pushing up urgency levels.† To be sure, the SEC has experienced visible crises over the past few years. Admissions of significant failures at the SEC extend back over more than two years’ time and cover multiple areas of SEC operations. â€Å"The natural superiority of the U.S. model for securities regulation is no longer an article of faith, and the credibility of the SEC as a financial regulator has never been lower.† although the SEC has long been â€Å"the crown jewel of the financial regulatory infrastructure,† recent developments have called that characterization into question. The SEC has been the target of relentless criticism ranging from claims that it mishandled derivatives regulation, oversight of securities firms, and market risk, to assertions of delays and blunders and possible industry capture at the Division of Enforcement. These criticisms followed th e Treasury Department’s Blueprint of Financial Regulation-released in March 2008-that criticized the SEC’s approach to regulation as obsolete and proposed a plan of regulatory consolidation that would effectively lead to the agency’s demise. Most recently, the revelation that the SEC failed to discover a $50 billion Ponzi scheme at Madoff Investment Securities, despite having received allegations of wrongdoing for over a decade, suggests fundamental weaknesses in its core enforcement operations. To be successful at organizational change, however, a change leader must use the crisis to shake up the organization. This requires that the change leader â€Å"remove sources of complacency or minimize their impact† and take actions that are â€Å"bold or even risky.† Kotter uses the concept of fire in a building as a proxy for crisis in an organization, writing that â€Å"conducting business as usual is very difficult if the building seems to be on fire.†Interestingly, Chairman Schapiro invoked fire imagery in comments to reporters as she made changes to SEC operations shortly after taking office. Moreover, in a recent speech, Chairman Schapiro noted the rapid pace of change at the SEC over the preceding year: I know that change is hard because within our agency we have been engaged in some of the most significant change in decades. When I arrived at the agency last January, we began a process of assessing our operations and determined we could do better. We de termined that we needed to change. And that is the path we have chosen. The personnel changes instituted at the SEC may be seen as examples of sweeping change. The discomfort and discontent of the SEC staff in response to the personnel changes may be evidence of the brash nature of these personnel changes. Kotter’s work predicts this kind of reaction. He notes that â€Å"bold moves that reduce complacency tend to increase conflict and to create anxiety, at least at first.† 2. Creating the Guiding Coalition Leading change is not a solitary task. Because major change is so difficult to accomplish, a powerful force is required to sustain the process. No one individual, not even a monarch-like CEO, is ever able to develop the right vision, communicate it to large numbers of people, eliminate all the key obstacles, generate short-term wins, lead and manage dozens of change projects, and anchor new approaches deep in the organization’s culture. Instead, what is required is a strong leadership team-a team â€Å"with the right composition and sufficient trust among members.† In terms of composition,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"four key characteristics† are important: â€Å"position power†- the entire group who will be charged with making progress in areas of needed change, â€Å"expertise,† â€Å"credibility,† and â€Å"leadership.† Trust is borne of activities that â€Å"create . . . mutual understanding, respect, and caring.† Trust is important because it can lead to the effective creation of a â€Å"common goal† or â€Å"shared objective.† Chairman Schapiro has changed the leadership team at the SEC. We must question, however, whether the team has the right characteristics and the requisite trust. Certainly, the credentials of the SEC Commissioners are quite impressive in terms of expertise, credibility, and leadership skills. Chairman Schapiro has put a premium on attracting to the SEC people with an expansive set of experiences and skills. Moreover, the published remarks of new leaders in the Division of Enforcement-people with position power-are impressive in their indication of a collective change momentum. New leaders continue to emerge, making the membership of the guiding coalition unsettled and unclear. The executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, they first got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it. In general, public information sources are not detailed enough to enable a comprehensive assessment of the suitability of the composition of Chairman Schapiro’s guiding coalition. For example, according to Kotter, â€Å"you need both management and leadership skills on the guiding coalition, and they must work in tandem, teamwork style.†He offers matrices that illustrate optimal compositions. Publicly available information does not enable us to determine whether or not the SEC guiding coalition has the optimal balance of management and leadership skills. Only as the exact identity of the leadership te am emerges and the team takes concerted and coordinated action will we be able to evaluate its composition. As difficult as it is for us to appraise the team’s composition, it is more difficult for us to assess whether the guiding coalition has the required trust. Although I have not found evidence that ostensible members of the SEC guiding coalition have engaged in team-building exercises or attended a retreat at which intra-group trust may have been engendered, the SEC’s recent self-assessment’ may be a sign that mutual trust is being promoted throughout the agency. As new people are identified for inclusion on the change leadership team, they will need to be effectively brought into the â€Å"circle of trust.† 3. Developing a Vision and Strategy To achieve successful organizational change, a leader needs to have both vision and a strategy to implement that vision. â€Å"Vision refers to a picture of the future with some implicit or explicit commentary on why people should strive to create that future.† Vision serves to channel change in a particular direction and incentivizes and coordinates change in that direction. Chairman Schapiro seems to understand this aspect of change leadership, and she also seems to be incorporating it into the SEC’s operations. Her vision for a reformed SEC refocuses the SEC’s activities on one of the key policy underpinnings of the federal securities laws: investor protection Another lesson I have learned is to have a vision about where you want to take your organization and stick to your principles in getting there. Principles are not ideologies. They are different. Maybe it’s a question of degree. Maybe to some it’s semantics. But as I see it, unlike ideologie s, principles don’t seem to demand a particular answer to every problem that emerges. We’ve seen how strict adherence to ideology played out over the last decade in the financial arena. â€Å"Free market ideology† together with rapidly changing technology, globalization and many other accidental causes led too many of us to forget hard-learned lessons from past crises and abandon basic common sense. Principles, on the other hand, help frame a question, an issue or a problem. Having a principle might highlight tensions and trade-offs of particular choices, but rarely do they force you to choose between a good solution and a worldview. For me at the SEC, my main principle is putting investors first. And, I try to stay focused on that every day. And the goal is to build an SEC that is deeply expert, nimble, and aggressive-that gives investors confidence. In fact, as Bob Glauber can attest, I have a sign posted on my door that says â€Å"How does it help investors?† It’s a simple question, but it guides all that I do at the SEC. And, all those who enter my office understand that is the prism through which we will consider all issues. It doesn’t necessarily dictate the outcome of every issue that lands  on my desk-because there are many solutions to any problem that could aid investors. But, the principle helps to shape our thinking and steers us in the right path. Vision is implemented through strategy. â€Å"Without vision, strategy making can be a much more contentious activity†¦. Even more so, without good vision, a clever strategy or a logical plan can rarely inspire the kind of action needed to produce major change.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Chairman Schapiro’s vision has guided structural and operational change at the SEC as well as substantive rulemaking. Some credit her clearly conceived vision and the related rapidly employed strategy for saving the SEC from more significant structural or operational change. 4. Communicating the Change Vision According to Kotter, the larger the audience for the change vision, the more powerful it may be. A great vision can serve a useful purpose even if it is understood by just a few key people. But the real power of a vision is unleashed only when most of those involved in an enterprise or activity have a common understanding of its goals and direction. That shared sense of a desirable future can help motivate and coordinate the kinds of actions that create transformations.’ A leader must be careful to communicate the change vision broadly, frequently (repeatedly), and consistently. The message conveying the vision must be direct, clear, simple, and geared to its targeted audiences. Metaphors, analogies, examples, and florid prose may be helpful in this regard. The means of conveying the message should be varied: oral and written, large forum and small group, and through words and actions. Finally, to ensure understanding, the communication of the vision should be a two-way street , involving both give and take as well as conveying and listening.† Chairman Schapiro has engaged in significant public speaking in which she has regularly and repeatedly informed and reminded the SEC staff and various elements of the public about the SEC’s recommitment to investor protection and the linkage of that vision to structural and operational changes at the SEC. Chairman Schapiro regularly appeared before congressional committees and subcommittees, and she has communicated her vision in these arenas as well. She used memorable analogies, examples, and words to convey the SEC’s organizational change message.’ Evidencing an appreciation for two-way communication, soon after  her appointment, Chairman Schapiro took action in response to staff suggestions that enforcement efforts against corporate violators of the securities laws were too difficult. Moreover, the self-assessment process and related ongoing staff communications are evidence of two-w ay communication about the structural and operational changes that have been taking place at the SEC. And Chairman Schapiro has continued to express belief in capturing a variety of viewpoints in decision-making. 5. Empowering Employees for Broad-Based Action To implement the leader’s vision, employees need to be able to take action. This may mean clearing away structural barriers, skill deficiencies, systemic obstacles, and supervisory impediments that may forestall effective employee participation in change efforts. Many of the structural and operational reforms implemented by Chairman Schapiro appear to be designed to empower SEC staff members for action that carries forward the change vision of the SEC. The efforts of Chairman Schapiro to listen and respond to staff concerns about unnecessary enforcement hurdles are examples of initiatives to streamline structure. In addition, the restructuring of the Division of Enforcement is geared to clear structural barricades to effective enforcement efforts.’ The decision to retain staff with â€Å"non-traditional skills† and the implementation of new staff training are examples of efforts to remedy skill deficits. Human resources and information systems have been or are be ing improved in response to deficiencies identified in the SEC’s self-assessment and the OIG’s investigation, report, and recommendations. In the Division of Enforcement, supervisory positions are being eliminated, supervisory personnel are being replaced, supervisory responsibilities are being realigned, and supervisory attitudes that may have impeded investigations are being corrected.’ 6. Generating Short-Term Wins Because the organizational change process is slow and constituents can be impatient, it is important for a change leader to accomplish certain limited objectives in the short term. Major change takes time, sometimes lots of time. Zealous believers will often stay the course no matter what happens. Most of the rest of us expect to see convincing evidence that all the effort  is paying off. Nonbelievers have even higher standards of proof. They want to see clear data indicating that the changes are working and that the change process isn’t absorbing so many resources in the short term as to endanger the organization. To be effective in sustaining organizational change efforts, short-term wins must be â€Å"both visible and unambiguous.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ They also must be â€Å"clearly related to the change effort.† And in an effective change effort, they are planned, not accidental.’ SEC Chairman Schapiro accomplished some highly publicized early wins after her appo intment was confirmed. In particular, she swiftly moved to remove perceived barriers to enforcement of the securities laws against public companies. She publicly promoted these changes, and they were picked up by the news media.’ These efforts generated support in and outside the SEC. The achievement of these short-term wins on a staggered but consistent basis has kept the SEC’s structural and operational reforms in front of the SEC’s staff and the public, building consensus around and momentum for the SEC’s self-initiated reform efforts and distracting attention from more substantial externally generated suggestions for change. 7. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change The long-term time horizon for organizational change not only makes short-term wins advisable, but also may make early declarations of victory problematic. It is important that the sense of urgency created by the change leaders is sustained for the long haul. Short-term wins are essential to keep momentum going, but the celebration of the wins can be lethal if urgency is lost. With complacency up, the forces of tradition can sweep back in with remarkable force and speed. Although a rapid, consistent pace of change at the SEC was sustained over the first fifteen months of reform, Chairman Schapiro as well as other SEC change leaders, needed to maintain the change momentum by continuing to introduce reforms on a regular basis. Having gone so far, the SEC could have lost all of the gains it had made in organizational change merely by relaxing into complacency. â€Å"Until changed practices attain a new equilibrium and have been driven into the culture, they can be very fragile.†Ã ¢â‚¬Ëœ To reach that equilibrium, in addition to engaging in more and continuous change, the SEC should bring in additional change agents, continue to foster leadership from its senior managers, recruit and nurture project management and leadership from lower ranks in the hierarchy, and identify and decrease or eliminate unnecessary internal structural and operational interconnections that often make change efforts more complex.’ These types of efforts in change management are difficult and pervasive. 8. Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture Finally, to prevent regression, change leaders must address and resolve any incompatibilities between the changes that have been made and the organization’s culture-friction in the group’s system of behavioural norms and shared values. This is not as easy as it may sound. These norms and values may apply to the organization as a whole or only to certain parts of the organization, and it is important to achieve compatibility on both levels. Moreover, culture is change-resistant and nearly invisible. Yet, the failure to address inconsistencies between a change effort and the prevailing culture can undo years of reform.’ Accordingly, it was important that Chairman Schapiro understood the applicable behavioural norms and shared values of the SEC and the Enforcement Division and their respective relevant cultural sub-groups as they continue to reform the SEC and the Enforcement Division. Because the core vision of investor protection should not be entirely inconsisten t with the SEC’s culture (in whole or in pertinent part), these and other change leaders at the SEC should be able to â€Å"graft the new practices onto the old roots while killing off the inconsistent pieces.† The important thing will be for the SEC’s change leaders to continue to remember the organization’s heritage and link it to the organization’s new and ongoing operations and objectives.

Essay About The Rights Of Men

1. Copy and paste the introduction to your essay in the space below. what is the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen2. Using techniques learned in this lesson, write the conclusion to your essay in the space below. In August 1789 a fundamental document of the French Revolution and in the history of human rights It defined the individual and the collective rights of all the estates of the realms universal. Influenced by the doctrine of â€Å"natural right†, the rights of man are held to be universal: valid at all times and in every place, pertaining to human nature itself. It became the basis for a nation of free individuals protected equally by law.It is included in the preamble of the constitutions of both the Fourth French Republic (1946) and Fifth Republic (1958) and is still current. Inspired in part by the American Revolution, the Declaration was a core statement of the values of the French revolution and had a major impact on the development of liberty an d democracy in Europe and worldwide.Now, let's break your conclusion apart to show the different techniques you used. 3. How did you connect your introduction and your conclusion? (Did you use a similar technique, repetition of a significant word or phrase, etc.?) Explain. I did use some of the techniques but i'm not really sure if they're right but i am sure that i used the signals closure4. Copy and paste the words or sentence that signals closure of your essay  that the Declaration was a core statement of the values of the French revolution and had a major impact on the development of liberty and democracy in Europe and worldwide.5. Copy and paste the sentences that synthesize your ideas. Remember,  synthesis combines the main ideas of your essay AND comments on the significance of those ideas.It is included in the preamble of the constitutions of both the Fourth French Republic (1946) and Fifth Republic (1958) and is still current. 6. Copy and paste the sentences that answer the question from the prompt: What conclusion or implications can you draw? (It is okay if you have these sentences as a part of your synthesis or challenge to your audience. Include them here as well. It is also okay if these sentences are separate from those two elements.)It is included in the preamble of the constitutions of both the Fourth French Republic (1946) and Fifth Republic (1958) and is still current.7. Copy and paste the sentences from your conclusion that challenge your audience to think, feel, or do something. The rights of man are held to be universal: valid at all times and in every place, pertaining to human nature itself. It became the basis for a nation of free individuals protected equally by law

How to Make Friends in College

How to Make Friends in College Lets be honest: making friends in college can be scary. If youre heading to college for the first time, chances are you only know a few people, if that. If youre at a school where you feel like you dont have any friends, it might seem like its too late to focus on making new ones. Fortunately, your time in college is like no other. It is forgiving and built for you to learn and explore, especially when it comes to making friends. Challenge Yourself Making friends in college is a challenge. Know that making friends at school is going to require a little effort on your part. While friendships can blossom naturally, it takes some energy to go out and meet your soon-to-be-friends for the first time. So challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone. Do some of the social activities during orientation week sound lame? Yup. But should you go to them anyway? Most definitely. After all, do you want to experience a little awkwardness (the event) for long-term benefits (meeting people), or do you want to experience a little comfort (staying in your room) in exchange for long-term disadvantages (meeting people who might turn into friends)? A little effort now can pay off quite a bit later when it comes to making friends in college. So challenge yourself to try something new, even if it sounds unusual for you or a bit scary at first. Know That Everyone in College is New If youre a first-year student, nearly everyone in your class is brand new. Which means that everyone is trying to meet people and make friends. Consequently, theres no reason to feel awkward or shy about chatting up strangers, joining a group in the quad, or outreaching to as many people as possible. It helps everyone! Additionally, even if youre in your third year in college, there are still new experiences for you. That statistics class you have to take for grad  school? Everyone in it is new to you, and vice versa. The people in your residence hall, apartment building, and the club are all-new, too. So reach out and talk to folks whenever you find yourself in a new situation; you never know where your new best friend is hiding. Know That Its Never Too Late to Start Over in College   One of the best things about college is that its designed to help you grow. Just because you were focused on figuring out what you wanted to major in during your first two years doesnt mean that you cant, for example, join a fraternity or sorority your junior year. If you didnt realize your love of reading and writing poetry until you took that rockin course last semester, know that its not too late to join the poetry club. People come in and out of social spheres and cliques all the time in college; its part of what makes college great. Seize those kinds of opportunities to meet new people whenever and wherever you can. Keep Trying Alright, so this year you wanted to make more friends. You joined a club or two, looked at joining a sorority/fraternity, but its now two months later and nothings clicking. Dont give up! Just because the things you tried didnt work out doesnt mean the next thing you try wont work, either. If nothing else, you figured out what you dont like at your school or in certain groups of people. All that means is that you owe it to yourself to keep trying. Get Out of Your Room If you feel like you dont have any friends, it can be tempting to just go to class, maybe go to work, and then head home. But being alone in your room is the worst possible way to make friends. You have 0% chance of interacting with new people. Challenge yourself a little bit to be around other people. Do your work in the campus coffee shop, library, or even out on the quad. Hang out in the student center. Write your paper in the computer lab instead of your room. Ask some students in your classes if they want to make a study group together. You dont have to be best friends right away, but you will end up helping each other with your homework while also getting some time to get to know each other. There are tons of ways to put yourself in situations where meeting people and making friends can happen organically- but being in your room all the time isnt one of them. Get Involved in Something You Care About Instead of making friends being your motivating factor, let your heart lead the way. Find a campus organization or club, or even one in your neighboring community, and see how you can get involved. Chances are, along with the good work youll be doing, youll find some people with similar values as you. And chances are at least one or two of those connections will turn into a friendship. Be Patient With Yourself Think back to when you were in high school and the friendships youve maintained from there. Your friendships probably changed and morphed from your first day of high school to your last. College is no different. Friendships come and go, people grow and change, and everyone adjusts along the way. If its taking you a little time to make friends in college, be patient with yourself. It doesnt mean you cant make friends; it just means you havent yet. The only way you will end up definitely not making friends in college is to stop trying. So as frustrating  as it may feel and as discouraged as you may be, be patient with yourself and keep trying. Your new friends are out there!

the punk experience essays

the punk experience essays In 1994, director Oliver Stone and storywriter Quentin Tarantino created the epitome of the American masterpiece: Natural Born Killers. This incredible movie was made to portray the 1990s as a whole, and to tell the story of a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Today, it is a classic and should be a standard for all movie making, as well as film critiquing. Natural Born Killers is about two people, Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliet Lewis) Knox, who meet, fall madly in love, and travel the west while on a three week killing spree until they are apprehended by the police and imprisoned. The movie continues one year later, when Wayne Gayle (a media icon who hosts a TV series documenting serial killers and mass murderers) conducts an interview with Mickey live on network-TV inside the prison. During this interview, Mickey makes a statement setting off the entire inmate population, which then causes a horrifically violent riot. When Mickey realizes he has an opportunity to reunite with his love, he seizes it, and the formerly separated couple resumes their previous habits inside the prison during the riot. This movie vividly portrays the 1990s with its incredibly chaotic setting. The brilliant makers of this film use techniques such as including two different perspectives (visually) in one scene. For example, in the beginning scene, Mickey and Mallory are in a redneck diner. While in the diner, Mallory is dancing by herself to the music on the jukebox, when two men come into the establishment, and each immediately begin to sexually refer to Mallory in a very derogatory manner. This heavily ticks Mallory, so she beats one of the men to a bloody pulp, and Mickey slashes up the other. When Mallory is sitting on top of the man jumping on his back and pounding his head on the floor, there are two perspectives. The first is that of the man, which shows Mallory completely st...

Listado países que piden visas a ciudadanos americanos

Listado paà ­ses que piden visas a ciudadanos americanos Los ciudadanos americanos se encuentran entre las personas del mundo que pueden viajar como turistas o por asuntos de negocios  a ms paà ­ses sin necesidad de visa. En la actualidad sà ³lo los superan en este privilegio los nacionales de Bà ©lgica, Dinamarca y Holanda. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre quà © paà ­ses piden visa a los ciudadanos americanos y cules requieren que se cumplan otro tipo de requisitos. Adems, se trata previamente de 4 asuntos muy importantes: dà ³nde obtener la  visa, casos de doble nacionalidad, sellos de entrada o salida de Israel y plazos. 3 posibles lugares donde obtener la visa En el listado que aparece ms abajo estn los paà ­ses que piden visa a los ciudadanos americanos que quieren viajar como turistas o para hacer negocios. Obviamente para otro tipo de actividades se requiere siempre visa, como por ejemplo trabajar o estudiar. Adems tener en cuenta que sà ³lo un pequeà ±o nà ºmero de paà ­ses pide que se solicite la visa en una embajada o consulado. La mayorà ­a permite que se obtenga a la llegada al paà ­s que se desea visitar o que se obtenga por internet.   Doble nacionalidad Estados Unidos permite la doble nacionalidad pero para ingresar y salir del paà ­s sà ³lo se puede utilizar el pasaporte americano, nunca el del otro paà ­s. Y esto es asà ­ en ms paà ­ses. Asà ­ que si se viaja entre Estados Unidos y el otro paà ­s del que se tiene la otra nacionalidad se va a tener que viajar con los dos pasaportes y en cada frontera utilizar el que corresponda. Se puede prohibir el ingreso y/o la salida si no se cumple con este requisito. Sellos de Israel Es muy problemtico o imposible ingresar a un paà ­s rabe si se tiene en el pasaporte el sello de ingreso o salida de Israel. Por esta razà ³n este es uno de los casos en los que Estados Unidos permite   que se solicite un segundo pasaporte vlido simultneamente. Plazos Cada paà ­s permite un nà ºmero de dà ­as o meses para los ingresos tanto con visa como sin visa. Es muy comà ºn 90 dà ­as o 6 meses, pero los hay quienes las aprueban por menos tiempo y eso hay que respetarlo. Adems, tener en cuenta matices como los espacios aduaneros como los paà ­ses Schengen. Los estadounidenses pueden ingresar por 90 dà ­as sin visa pero en el plazo de un aà ±o y se computan todos los paà ­ses Schengen. Es decir, en plazo de 12 meses no se puede estar sin visa 3 meses en Francia, 3 en Espaà ±a, 3 en Italia, etc. Los 26 miembros de Schengen son: Alemania, Austria, Bà ©lgica, Dinamarca, Eslovenia, Eslovaquia, Espaà ±a, Estonia, Finlandia, Francia, Grecia, Holanda, Hungrà ­a, Islandia, Italia, Letonia, Liechtenstein, Lituania, Luxemburgo, Malta, Noruega, Polonia, Portugal,  Repà ºblica Checa, Suecia y Suiza. Listado de paà ­ses que piden visas u otros requisitos a los ciudadanos americanos que viajan como turistas Estos son los paà ­ses que piden visa. Se incluyen naciones que en vez de visa demandan obtener antes de volar una autorizacià ³n electrà ³nica del viaje y tambià ©n caracterà ­sticas de las aduanas de determinados paà ­ses que deben ser tenidas en cuenta antes de viajar. Afganistn.  Llegar sin visa  puede llevar a la confiscacià ³n del pasaporte, a imposicià ³n de multas y a la deportacià ³n. Las à ºnicas excepciones son los estadounidenses nacidos en afganistn o los militares que llegan y salen del paà ­s en transporte militar.AngolaArabia Saudà ­. No hay visa de turista asà ­ que se tiene que obtener otra.ArgeliaAustralia.  No se precisa visado pero antes de viajar hay que aplicar por una Autorizacià ³n Electrà ³nica para viajar (ETA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Es similar a la ESTA que aplica Estados Unidos para ciertos paà ­ses en el Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas. El plazo de estancia que se otorga es de 90 dà ­as pero no se puede repetir dentro del tà ©rmino de 12 meses.AzerbaynBahraà ­n.Se puede solicitar una visa electrà ³nicamente en la pgina oficial del gobierno de Bahraà ­n o tramitar una al llegar a la aduana.BangladeshBielorusiaBenin.  Adems de visa es recomendable  la tarjeta WHO para probar que se ha recibi do la vacuna contra la fiebre amarilla.Birmania. eVisa por un mximo de 28 dà ­as. Butn. Sà ³lo se aprueba la visa de turista a aquellas personas que reservan un tour con una compaà ±Ãƒ ­a local.Bolivia.  Se puede solicitar en las embajadas y consulados del paà ­s andino o en sus fronteras o aeropuertos internacionales. En este à ºltimo caso hay que pagar una cuota de $160.Brasil.  La visa debe obtenerse en la embajada o en el consulado ms cercano. Al llegar a Brasil los viajeros deben completar una pequeà ±a planilla que es sellada y se le entrega al turista. Es muy importante no extraviarla ya que debe entregarse para poder salir del paà ­s. En caso de no poder entregarla ser necesario conseguir un OK de la Policà ­a Federal para poder abandonar Brasil y puede que haya que abonar una multa.Burkina Faso.  Llevar tambià ©n la tarjeta de la Organizacià ³n Mundial de la Salud (WHO, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) para probar que se tiene la vacuna para la fiebre amarilla.Burundi.Se precisa probar vacunacià ³n para la fiebre amarilla. Respecto a la necesi dad de visa, consultar antes de viajar ya que la normativa es cambiante. Cabo VerdeCamboya. Se puede obtener al llegar a una frontera o a travà ©s de la aerolà ­nea.Camerà ºn.  Visa y prueba de vacunas.ChadChina. Puede no ser necesaria la visa para viajes en trnsito por menos de 72 horas y a travà ©s de ciudades previamente designadas.Comoros. La visa se puede obtener a la llegada.Congo.  Adems del visado, llevar prueba de vacunacià ³n contra la fiebre amarilla. Tambià ©n es necesaria una carta de invitacià ³n y/o prueba escrita de reservacià ³n hotelera.Corea del NorteCosta de Marfil. Existe la posibilidad de obtener una eVisa.Cuba. Se necesita visa. Adems, antes de viajar enterarse en detalle de la limitaciones que existen para todos los ciudadanos y residentes permanentes de los Estados Unidos.  Djibouti.  Visa que se puede obtener a la llegada y prueba de vacunacià ³n frente a la fiebre amarilla.Egipto. Se puede obtener a la llegada. Adems los turistas que permanecen hasta un mximo de 15 dà ­as en los resorts la penà ­nsula de Sinaà ƒ ­ y llegan a travà ©s de ciertos aeropuertos pueden no necesitar el visado. Emiratos Arabes Unidos. A la llegada.  EritreaEtiopà ­a.   Se puede obtener a la llegada.Fiji. Se necesita sacar un permiso de visitante a la llegadaGabà ³n. eVisa y prueba de vacunacià ³n contra la fiebre amarilla.Gambia.Visado y vacunacià ³n para la fiebre amarilla.Ghana. Visa y cartilla de vacunacià ³n.Guinea. Visa y cartilla internacional de vacunacià ³n.Guinea Bissau. Se obtiene a la llegada.Guinea Ecuatorial.  Requiere que se presenten en la aduana o punto de entrada carta de invitacià ³n, vacunacià ³n, fotografà ­as, etc. Pero en la prctica no se suelen pedir.India. eVisaIndonesiaIrn. Aquà ­ ha habido un cambio en respuesta a la polà ­tica migratoria de Donald Trump e Irn en estos momentos permite viajar a los estadounidenses que tienen visa, pero no emite nuevas.IraqJordania. Se obtiene a la llegada.Kenia. eVisaKwait. eVisaLaos. A la llegadaLà ­bano. A la llegada, vlida por 1 mes.LiberiaLibia. Pasaportes con sello de entrada o salida de Israel no son permiti dos.Mali. Visa y certificado internacional de vacunas. Madagascar. A la llegada.Malawi. A la llegada.Maldivas. A la llegadaMauritania. A la llegadaMà ©xico.  Aunque no se necesita visa hay que tener presente que si se entra al paà ­s vecino por tierra y uno se adentra ms de 20 kilà ³metros o por ms de 72 horas debe tener documentos inmigratorios vlidos (Forma  Migratoria Mà ºltiple). Si se llega por mar o aire, adems del pasaporte se puede utilizar la tarjeta de pasaporte o una licencia de manejar segura (enhanced).MozambiqueNauruNepal. A la llegadaNà ­ger. Adems de la visa se requiere el certificado internacional de vacunacionesNigeria. Se puede obtener onlineOmn. A la llegadaPapà ºa Nueva Guinea. A la llegadaPakistnParaguay. Si se llega por aire al aeropuerto Silvio Pettirossi se puede pedir allà ­. En caso contrario hay que solicitarla en persona en un consulado o embajada paraguayo.Qatar. A la llegadaRepà ºblica CentroafricanaRusia.  A tener en cuenta es que ninguna persona podr salir de este paà ­s con una visa expira da. Tendr que solicitar una nueva, lo cual puede demorarse hasta tres semanas. No se necesita visado si se forma parte de un tour en un crucero y la estancia no es superior a 72 horas. Ruanda.  A la llegadaSamoa. Permiso de entrada que se obtiene a la llegada.Santo Tomà © y Prà ­ncipeSeychelles. Permiso de visitante que se obtiene a la llegada.Sierra LeonaSiriaSomalia. Se obtiene a la llegadaSri Lanka.  Se requiere o bien visa o bien una Autorizacià ³n Electrà ³nica de Viaje.SudnSudn del SurSurinam.  Se puede adquirir una Tarjeta de Turista en cualquier punto de entrada al paà ­s.Tajikistn. Se obtiene a la llegada.Tanzania. Se obtiene a la llegadaTimor. Se obtiene a la llegadaTogo. Se obtiene a la llegadaTurquà ­a. eVisaTurkmenistn.  Tuvalu.Uganda.En estos momentos se puede obtener a la llegada.  Consultar con la Embajada ugandesa ya que su polà ­tica cambia frecuentemente.Uzbekquistn.Venezuela. Estos son los requisitos para solicitar la visa.Vietnam.YemenZambia. A la llegadaZimbabwe. A la llegada A tener en cuenta Para regresar a los Estados Unidos, estos son los documentos que pueden utilizar los ciudadanos americanos.   A la hora de salir con nià ±os es muy importante evitar situaciones que pueden dar lugar a que se cataloguen como secuestro internacional, que puede pasar en casos de divorcios o separaciones nada amistosas. En todo caso, se necesita autorizacià ³n de ambos padres para sacar pasaporte para menores. A la hora de viajar puede resultar conveniente registrarse en el programa STEP, para que la embajada del paà ­s de destino envà ­e informacià ³n sobre la situacià ³n y pueda establecer comunicacià ³n en casos de emergencia. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Inmate Custody and Control in Correctional Facilities Essay

Inmate Custody and Control in Correctional Facilities - Essay Example The inmates and prison staff often confront with many challenges as well as threats to their safety. It is important to consider the essential aspects which can make inmate custody and control more effective. One of the main issues often observed in prisons is the paucity of healthy relationship between inmates and officers. To begin with, effective administrative measures offer better services to inmates and a peaceful ambiance in prison that would enhance the relationship between the inmates and officials to certain extent. Inmates usually belong to different cultural backgrounds with varying criminal intensity. This diversity itself may give rise to further disputes or violence within prison. Violence and indecent behavior within the institution could be reduced by initiating various disciplinary actions under strict supervision of responsible individuals. On the other hand, correctional officers and other concerned officials have to be given proper training to address the unexpected issues effectively through emergent strategies. As Barnhart (2006) reminds, training includes providing information regarding the planned strategies of the organization and various techniques to execute them successfully while maintaining of security and control in the prison. The physical layout of the facilities provided to inmates is an important matter of concern.

Disaster Recovery Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Disaster Recovery Planning - Essay Example The changing situation of the world and the realities which we live in a post 9/11 world has made sure that essential services such as police and hospitals continue to function in situations where the disaster is created rather than imposed. While the organization has plans on how to deal with storms, weather disasters and other calamities, the focus of the body is more on providing assistance to others rather than understanding how it can continue to function even if the building becomes inaccessible. However, it seems that the people at the organization understand that a continuity plan is simply essential for handling situations when our greatest fears are turned into reality. For these situations we have a continuity plan which comes into play when internal or external factors make it necessary for us to resort to emergency actions in order to continue providing services. In our case, the level of the threat and the level of the disaster will engage our continuity plan to the level required. For example, if our database integrity is damaged or information security is compromised we can use backups which are stored on location or restore from an earlier point in the week from our offsite data backup location. This process is in line with the suggestions made by Britt (2005) who recommends a modular stepwise plan for disaster recovery as being the most effective. That is how our continuity plan functions once an assessment about the disaster has been made.

Finding a Solution to the Israeli Palestinian Conflict Research Paper

Finding a Solution to the Israeli Palestinian Conflict - Research Paper Example Finding a Solution to the Israeli Palestinian Conflict The Two State Solution (TSS) focuses on the creation of two states, giving rise to a new Palestinian recognized state alongside a Jewish state, while a one state solution is aimed at calling for the reunification of Palestine into a single state, creating a common nationality for both Jews and Palestinians in what could end the current Jewish state. The continued growth of Israel settlements in West Bank, confiscation of the Palestine land in Gaza, building of security barriers, development of Jewish housing estates in East Jerusalem, and proliferation of checkpoints in Gaza and West Bank have currently led a number of Palestinians to conclude that a two state solution may no longer be possible. This has led many Palestinians particularly from the diaspora (not from the West Bank) to advocate for a one state solution, considering the difficulties of Jews leaving the expanding settlements in Gaza. There are growing concerns among the Jews particularly in Gaza and West Bank on the possibility of a two state solution that would force them to live their settlements and return to Israel to pave way for a Palestinian state. However, the opposition to a one-state solution that would place the Jews together with the Palestinians would involve the probability of abolishing a Jewish state and merging both entities to create single state for both the Jews and Palestinians. This would mean abandoning the dream of the Zionism project that aims at establishing a Jewish majority state, implying that a one state solution would have a unanimous opposition from both the Palestinians and the Jews. ... The continued growth of Israel settlements in West Bank, confiscation of the Palestine land in Gaza, building of security barriers, development of Jewish housing estates in East Jerusalem, and proliferation of checkpoints in Gaza and West Bank have currently led a number of Palestinians to conclude that a two state solution may no longer be possible (Kelman, 2011). This has led many Palestinians particularly from the diaspora (not from the West Bank) to advocate for a one state solution, considering the difficulties of Jews leaving the expanding settlements in Gaza. There are growing concerns among the Jews particularly in Gaza and West Bank on the possibility of a two state solution that would force them to live their settlements and return to Israel to pave way for a Palestinian state (Kelman, 2011). However, the opposition to a one-state solution that would place the Jews together with the Palestinians would involve the probability of abolishing a Jewish state and merging both ent ities to create single state for both the Jews and Palestinians. This would mean abandoning the dream of the Zionism project that aims at establishing a Jewish majority state, implying that a one state solution would have a unanimous opposition from both the Palestinians and the Jews. Therefore, the possibility of having a one state solution becomes slim; the likelihood of a two state solution becomes more viable. In fact, the Israel Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly declared the necessity of a two state solution in his Bar-Ilan speech made on 14th June, 2009 (Kelman, 2011). Therefore, the only viable and possible solution to the Israel-

Performance Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Performance Engineering - Essay Example As the user continues to value the performance of a given project so is the time that the user also needs to concentrate on the risks that might lead to the failure of the set project. In addition, there are quality requirements that the user will have to put into consideration. For instance, scalability and performance are two qualities of service requirements. In addition, manageability as well as security are among other quality of the service requirements. The user needs to put into consideration in order to reduce risks as well boost performance of the system at he same time. Furthermore, the user can employ the mechanism of reactive against reactive mechanism in order to ensure that there is improved performance of any given project at a given time(Rangaswami et al.). In most organizations performance level is not in developers consideration until the point where the customer lounges a complaint against the performance standards of that particularly given project. Meaning, for the production, to meet the client’s expectation. Then it has to be frequently evaluated. On the other hand, there are many problems to consider when it comes to the reactive approach (Woodward M). Performance downfalls enter from time to time just from an early stage of the designs and at the same time the design problems can be hard to fix through more efficient coding. In addition, installing architectural problems thereafter in a given cycle is sometimes hard to make. Furthermore, making it at a later stage is not only difficult and complicated but also very costly to t he user. Performance is a persistent quality of hardware systems; everything has an impact on it, ranging from software itself to the rest of the underlying layers, such as hardware, system, communications network and middleware. The process involves a performance engineering, which incorporates efforts

Teaching Relative Clauses to ESL Learners Research Paper

Teaching Relative Clauses to ESL Learners - Research Paper Example Learning of English as a foreign language is influenced by a number of factors including the structure as well the similarity of the language with diverse forms of the learners’ mother language. In addition to this, the language learning process is complicated and therefore is subject to mistakes with respect to the learners. The teaching of relative clause to the English language learners has been an important consideration for the learners to be competent in the language, as it is used globally. On the other hand, the issue involved in learning the relative clause is due to its complex nature, which is one of the causes for selecting the topic. The problems faced by the English language learner as well as the educator have increased the importance of the topic (Abdolmanafi, 2012). The paper aims at examining the problems faced by the language learners. The underlying reason for the selection of the topic is to examine the factors that are responsible for errors. Moreover, pr oper identification of the error is also essential for the teachers to recognize the measures to solve the issue in the context of learning relative clause. The identification of the learners’ problem in the teaching process facilitates the development of a better language system. In the context of the English language, the use of relative clause results to the addition of more information in the sentence. The importance of the relative clause in the English language is another cause for the selection of concerned topic.

Archaic age in Greek Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Archaic age in Greek Society - Essay Example The literacy has been spread slowly, which has been lost in dark ages. As a result, the democracy blossomed by the end of archaic age, though there is instability in the society. The most important fact that needs attention regarding the activities of archaic age is regarding the change in the way Greeks constructed their world. The reconstruction includes laws and customs as well as themselves. The above mentioned reconstruction in archaic age has made Greeks unique and different from the people of other parts of Europe. Though there is frustration in the society during this period, it has witnessed gradual changes in all walks of life of Greek society (Carol Dougherty, Leslie Kurke, 2007).1 In the period between Hesiod and Persian, which is known as archaic age, women did develop themselves literally and challenged men in poetry and writing. N.S. Gill (2009) quotes about Sappho who defeated the great Pindar in verse competition five times and these marks the era of advance of women when compared to that of dark ages, when there is no such situation. Artemisia of Halicarnassus was taken as threat by Greeks and they offered a bounty on her head and this gives the instance of prominence, the women got in archaic age, which is in contrast with that of women in dark ages. The contrast is that the women in dark ages do not have that much prominence and used to be treated as things of physical beauty like Helen of Troy. However, Gill claims the evidence regarding women is from Athens and states that in case of middle class and lower classes of society, the women is treated as a liability. The same thing though may be true in case of dark ages, only the evidence regarding wome n as pleasure thing were popular. Though the women are treated as liability, there existed some sort of opportunities and to own property in Sparta and to participate in trade activities. Another important aspect that's a reason to treat a woman as liability in family is the burden of paying dowry and this context is not well observed previously. As it is a convention in archaic age for women to marry a man of older age than her, the lower status when compared to men is clear. However, Priestesses and Prostitutes used to wield power in some contexts (N.S.Gill, (2009).2 Comparison of Situation in Dark Age to Archaic Age Hence, it is clear that the political situation in the society is reason for any development. In contrast to above mentioned activities of women in archaic age, the Dark Age witnessed local conflicts, economic disruptions and movements of peoples between 1200 BC to 1000 BC. As a result Mycenaean civilisation in Greece has been destroyed and thus cities were weakened as well as the kingdoms based on them. The situation is not that much worse in archaic age as it witnessed the rise of women and it is possible with reasonable tranquillity and peace for an extended period of time. Another important contrast between Dark Age and archaic age is that, not many records are available regarding the situation of dark ages, but in case of archaic age,

Teaching Relative Clauses to ESL Learners Research Paper

Teaching Relative Clauses to ESL Learners - Research Paper Example Learning of English as a foreign language is influenced by a number of factors including the structure as well the similarity of the language with diverse forms of the learners’ mother language. In addition to this, the language learning process is complicated and therefore is subject to mistakes with respect to the learners. The teaching of relative clause to the English language learners has been an important consideration for the learners to be competent in the language, as it is used globally. On the other hand, the issue involved in learning the relative clause is due to its complex nature, which is one of the causes for selecting the topic. The problems faced by the English language learner as well as the educator have increased the importance of the topic (Abdolmanafi, 2012). The paper aims at examining the problems faced by the language learners. The underlying reason for the selection of the topic is to examine the factors that are responsible for errors. Moreover, pr oper identification of the error is also essential for the teachers to recognize the measures to solve the issue in the context of learning relative clause. The identification of the learners’ problem in the teaching process facilitates the development of a better language system. In the context of the English language, the use of relative clause results to the addition of more information in the sentence. The importance of the relative clause in the English language is another cause for the selection of concerned topic.

Literature of the Japanese Golden Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literature of the Japanese Golden Age - Essay Example Japanese literature is not as prominent and popular as the Western literature; but it is nevertheless rich in literary traditions and folk stories. Drawing upon almost one and a half millennium of writings, the categorization of Japanese literature into time-bound periods has been the centre of debates and conflicts (Japanese Lifestyle, 2010). Towards late 8th century, the emperor of Japan had an entire city planned and built on a new site, encompassed my verdant mountains, this city which is today referred to as ‘Kyoto’ was then popularly known as Heian-kyà ´, which in literal terminology meant ‘the city of tranquility’, Heian period named after this city and spanning from 794 to 1185 is regarded as the Golden Age of Japan, marked by peace and harmony, as the country and its nationals devoted time to the development of classical culture of Japan that lives to date, these are even read and venerated by the Japanese people in contemporary times. It is this period wherein the Japanese began to transfer from a Chinese influenced literature to a pure Japanese literature, referred to as the Classical Literature period (William and McCullough, 1980). The culture that thrived in this period gave boost to aesthetic writings, stories of everyday lives of the Japanese individuals were written and made inh erent in the history, with their belief that love and compassion is the foremost emotion an individual can have, since the Heian period focused on peace, harmony and solidarity rather than war and bravery as cherished by their later militant counterparts, stories of love and epics of romance became readily acceptable and regarded, the mark of which can be seen in Japanese art and literature even today due to the fact that the patricians of this era associated human accomplishment with the development and progress in art, music and poetry. Women also gained

Marginalization of Transgender Women

Marginalization of Transgender Women As a family nurse practitioner (FNP) student, it is important to provide unbiased and culturally-competent healthcare services regardless of age, race, religion, socio-economic status, or gender orientation.   Transgender is an umbrella term for individuals who identify with a gender different than what was assigned at birth  (World Health Organization, 2018).   As with any other subpopulation, transgender women come from all walks of life and are mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers in their families.   Despite their prevalence and presence all throughout history, they are classified as a marginalized population that struggle to receive inequitable healthcare due to their gender orientation  (Bradford, Reisner, Honnold, & Xavier, 2013).   The focus of this paper is to evaluate the marginalization of transgender women.   It will include the current prevalence, socioeconomic aspects, social justice and its relationship to health disparities, ethical issues, plans for action to address the health issue, and conclude with a summary of key points.   Background An individual’s gender identity is based on their personal judgement of whether they identify as male, female, or neither sex.   Some transgender people identify themselves with their transitioned gender: female to male, male to female, or members of a third sex  (World Health Organization, 2018).   Legal identification documents that contradict a person’s birth gender may subject transgender individuals to punitive laws and discriminatory policies.   According to the World Health Organization (2018), marginalized populations such as transgender women are often stigmatized and criminalized for their contradictory gender identity from their birth gender; affecting their ability to access health care services, social protection, and equal opportunity for employment.   Transgender women are considered one of the five subpopulations that are disproportionately affected by HIV because their increased risk exposure  (Divan, Cortez, Smelyanskaya, & Keatley, 2016).à ‚   The other subpopulations that World Health Organization identifies are: intravenous drug abusers, men who have sex with men, sex workers, and prisoners.   In some countries, transgender women are 49-80 times more likely to have HIV compared to non-transgender adults of reproductive age, an estimated 19% prevalence worldwide  (World Health Organization, 2018).   In addition to the HIV epidemic amongst transgender population, mental health issues including depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and suicidal ideations were the most commonly identified health issues in researched publications.   Another essential component for gaining wider recognition for transgender health issues is required revision of the International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems (ICD), the standard diagnostic reference for epidemiology, health management, and clinical practice.   The current version, ICD-10, â€Å"gender identity disorders† were categorized under â€Å"mental and behavioral disorders†.   The next edition, ICD-11, which is due to be published in 2018 will classify transgender health issues in a new category of â€Å"gender incongruence†Ã‚  (Robles, et al., 2016).   On June 29, 2015, Nevada became the 10th state that banned transgender discrimination in healthcare and insurance.   Nevada State’s insurance commissioner determined that the state and administrative code would â€Å"prohibit the denial, exclusion or limitation of benefits relating to coverage of medically necessary health care services on the basis of sex as it relates to gender identity or expression†Ã‚  (National Center for Transgender Equality, 2015).   This inclusion for transition-related healthcare has since made it more accessible for transgender individuals to move forward with gender assignment surgeries which were formerly not covered by health insurance carriers.   Socioeconomics The ways in which marginalization impacts a transgender person’s life are interconnected to socioeconomics derivatives.   Stigma and transphobia in the community hearten a society of isolation, poverty, violence, lack of socioeconomic support systems, and compromised health outcomes since each circumstance cohabits and exacerbates the other  (Divan, Cortez, Smelyanskaya, & Keatley, 2016).   This is pertains especially to those individuals who express their gender identity from youth, they are often rejected or outcast by their own nuclear families.   This behavioral trend typically results in the lack of opportunities for education and further disregard to their need for mental and physical health needs.   The hostile environment that envelopes the young transgender community fail to understand their needs and threaten their safety by being discordant to provide sensitivity to health and social requirements.   Such discrimination and exclusion criteria fuel a sense of vulnerability, resulting in fewer opportunities to advance education, increased odds of unemployment, higher risk for homelessness and poverty  (Lenning & Buist, 2013).   Transgender workers are the most marginalized in the workplace, often excluded from gainful employment and undergo severe discrimination during all phases of the employment process (including recruitment, training, benefits, and advancement opportunities)  (Divan, Cortez, Smelyanskaya, & Keatley, 2016).   These workplace adversaries incubate pessimism and internalized transphobia in transgender people and ultimately discourage attempts to applying to many professional careers.   Extreme limitations in employment often lead transgender people to uphold positions that have limited opportunities for career growth and development such as beauticians, entertainers or sex workers.   The high prevalence of unemployment and low-income, high-risk unstable jobs promote the cycle of homelessness and poverty.   In 2016, a socioeconomic study reported the estimated annual incomes of two groups: A – socioeconomic and racial privileged (n=239; transgender, with associate’s degrees and were non-Latino, White), B – educational privileged (n=191; transgender, with bachelor’s degrees and people of color).   Group A reported annual household incomes of $60,000 or more and Group B reported total household incomes of $10,000 or less per year  (Budge, Thai, Tebbe, & Howard, 2016).   Social Justice The transgender society continue to endure adversarial challenges despite the increased social awareness of gender orientation and gender identity portrayed in media, news, politics, and even early education in recent years.   The ever growing prevalence of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) community’s presence in society continue to surpass the rate of open-mindedness and acceptance amongst coexisting citizens and is demonstrated by unequal societal structures  (Budge, Thai, Tebbe, & Howard, 2016).   The antagonistic perceptions they endure from the public are linked to ambiguity in gender – the binary classification of identification and differentiation in western society  (Neufeld, 2014).   The severity of marginalization deepens when transgender individuals reside in smaller remote communities where resources are limited and the prominent impact of colonization isolate transgender individuals.   The collective consequence of family, social, and institutional transphobia contributes to the increased risk of mental health issues, frequency of substance abuse, and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections within the transgender population  (Lenning & Buist, 2013).   Social justice for transgender patients in healthcare should translate to the equally entitled fair distribution of healthcare resources with unbiased regard to their gender identity, preferred name in the electronic medical record (EMR).   Furthermore, billing for medical procedures should be exceedingly scrutinized to ensure that the billing name and pronoun match the patient’s insurance identity  (Hann, Ivester, & Denton, 2017).   Ethical Issues The principal ethical issue that concerns the transgender community is the inequality of healthcare access.   Transgender individuals that contribute to the society should be provided equal access to healthcare as a non-transgender individual who mirrors the same type of existence in society.   Transgender care should have equal focus in medical education, research and funding.   Extending to healthcare access for transgender inmates in prison, Amendment VIII of the United States Constitution should be enforced.   â€Å"Excessive bail should not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, no cruel and unusual punishments inflicted†Ã‚  (United States Constitution, Amendment VIII). Plan for Practice Considering that Nevada is one of ten states that passed a law which bans discrimination of transgender persons in healthcare and insurance, it is imperative to have a plan for practice that echoes the same intent.   Forecasting the future as an FNP in the clinic setting, the three actions for practice that I plan to implement are: 1) Encouraging of cultural competency training amongst staff in regards to LGBTQ population.   This includes incorporating written nondiscrimination statements specifically to protect transgender rights  (Hayhurst, 2016).   This can be measured implementing an annual competency written test, to assess retained knowledge and also provide opportunity to refresh their practice.   Another method of outcome measurement can be the report card from a transgender (secret-shopper) patient’s care experience.   2) Establishing transgender-friendly environment from arrival.   Offering small clues such as a rainbow sticker or flag at the check-in counter or adding LGBTQ community literature in the waiting room  (Hayhurst, 2016).   The outcome of this intervention can be measured by asking a transgender patient if they were able to identify LGBTQ clues in the clinic and if it made them feel more welcomed to the practice.   3) Gender neutral restrooms can be simply implemented by eliminating any gender specific signs (women or men)  (London, 2014).   Measuring the outcome of this change can be determined by implementing random audits – monitoring if patients and visitors do not hesitate to use the restroom because of a gender exclusive sign. Stigma and lack of legal recognition remain the backbone to structural barriers (laws, policies, and regulations), impeding adequate healthcare provisions to transgender women in 40 different United States  (Bradford, Reisner, Honnold, & Xavier, 2013).   Transgender individuals who exercise human fundamental rights – to life, liberty, equality, health, privacy, speech, and expression are often dismissed by their own families.   These experiences of severe stigma and marginalization continue to negatively impact their lives by discriminating against career opportunities, increasing the risk for homelessness, and further projecting them to high risk behavior such as engaging in sex work – which heighten their risk for HIV infection  (Divan, Cortez, Smelyanskaya, & Keatley, 2016).   Health disparities continue due to adversarial issues that encompass their lives and they are less likely to seek healthcare treatment in a timely or preventative manner.  Ã‚   I hope that research focused on the transgender population continues in the future, as there seems to be a lack of new knowledge and slow implementation to changing the approach to healthcare practice to better address transgender concerns.   As mentioned in my plan for practice, I am quite confident that I will succeed in implementing those actions for change.   They are all fairly simple interventions that are of minimal cost and can benefit both the practice generate income (with new patients) and transgender individuals to seek healthcare in a transgender-friendly environment. References Bradford, J., Reisner, S. L., Honnold, J. A., & Xavier, J. (2013). Experiences of transgender-related discrimination and implications for health: Results from the Virginia transgender health initiative study. American Journal of Public Health, 103(10), 1820-1829. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300796 Budge, S. L., Thai, J. L., Tebbe, E. A., & Howard, K. A. (2016). The intersection of race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, trans identity, and mental health outcomes. The Counseling Psychologist, 44(7), 1025-1049. doi:10.1177/0011000015609046 Divan, V., Cortez, C., Smelyanskaya, M., & Keatley, J. (2016). Transgender social inclusion and equality: A pivotal path to development. Journal of the International Aids Society, 19(3). doi:10.7448/IAS.19.3.20803 Hann, M., Ivester, R., & Denton, G. D. (2017). Bioethics in practice: Ethical issues in the care of transgender patients. The Ochsner Journal, 17(2), 144-145. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5472072/ Lenning, E., & Buist, C. L. (2013). Social, psychological and economic challenges faced by transgender individuals and their significant others: Gaining insight through personal narratives. Cultures, Health & Sexuality, 15(1), 44-57. doi:10.1080/13691058.2012.738431 London, J. (2014). Lets talk about bathrooms. Diversity Best Practices. Retrieved from https://www.diversitybestpractices.com National Center for Transgender Equality. (2015). Nevada becomes tenth state to ban transgender health exclusions. Retrieved from National Center for Transgender Equality: https://transequality.org/nevada-becomes-tenth-state-to-ban-transgender-health-exclusio Neufeld, A. C. (2014). Transgender therapy, social justice, and the northern context: Challenges and opportunities. Canadian Journal of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 48(3), 218-230. 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