Ib History Mao’s Cultural Revolution Notes

The great Proletarian cultural revolution * All over China was the campaign to destroy the old and build the new * Abolishing the four olds * The people crowding Beijing in 1966 carried the little red book and the Mao badge * forcefully taken away anything old or has traditional values. * The children were taken into actions as well * Giving social advantages to the Red guards, thousand took advantage * The youth were educated of the revolutionary stories * Women had equal status in the revolution as men did Political figures such as Liu Shaoqi and Wang Guangmei were persecuted and eventually dead * 1968 the red guards started to fight each other, the PLA joined different groups causing increase in violence * Same year Sino-Soviet battle in XinJiang threatening China’s national security, Mao ordered to terminate the revolution in the XinJiang Province * Later on that year he decided that the revolution has reached its primary goals, therefore declared the success of the revolu tion * Students were sent home, but when some university students continued to fight, PLA was sent in * Mao restructured the government by forming the Revolutionary Committee which runs the country. Power struggle pursued * 1966-1969 the dark time of the cultural revolution, half a million people died from torture * Youths were raised without supervision caused social instability * A whole generation, the realization that their loyalties earned them only manual labor jobs in rural China and that their supposed counter revolutionary targets were exonerated contributed to changing attitudes towards the Party and its ageing leadership. Economy fell as most of the urban workers were afflicted in politics, as did agriculture and production * 1971, Lin Biao tried to assassinate Mao, the 571 incident. After failure he tried to escape on a plane which was shot down * 1972, Nixon came to China due to international pressure in the UN as well as US political needs * Border tension with USSR, I ndia, DPRK, North Vietnam, therefore needed the improved relations with US * Jan 1976, Zhou Enlai died; Later on that year Zhu De died. September 9th, Mao died * Mao’s widow Jiang Qing with three other men were arrested for crime against state, and Hua Guofeng would succeed Mao. Mao’s Impact Though his failure in the great leap forward and the cultural revolution, he remained an icon in China, but was portrayed as a tyrant in overseas. * Heightened sense of nationalism was when the CCP defeated the Japanese, which laid foundation for the overall success in 1949 * He made China to stand up, which is why he remained an icon for most Chinese people * Economically, despite the setbacks from the great leap forward and the cultural revolution, China did develop hugely in economic sector during his rule. * Life expectancy reached 65 by the time of Mao’s death. * Women gained the same social status as men did * Literacy rate increased

Evidence of the June Rebellion and Les Miserables in Modern-Day Paris Essay

The causes for this uprising include: A recent outbreak of cholera in the lower class Parisian areas, thought to be due to the government poisoning inner-city wells. The deaths of two famous politicians: General Jean Lamarque and Prime Minister Casimir Perier. Anger at monarch Louis-Philippe for taking the throne after the July Uprising of 1830. Cloitre Saint-Merri: Just outside of this church was the last standing barricade of the June Rebellion. This particular barricade, which was the center of the revolution itself contained the most famous revolutionary of the Rebellion as well as the likely inspiration for Victor Hugo’s book: Charles Jeanne, the head of the insurgents. Le Cafe Musain: Les Amis De L’ABC were said to meet in the back of this cafà ©, positioned on The Place Saint-Michel, which is now called Place Edmond Rostand. Unfortunately, the place where the cafà © is said to have stood is now occupied by†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦a Quality Burgers. Napoleon’s Elephant: In the former site of the Bastille fortress, Napoleon ordered a statue of an elephant to be built in honor of his new empire. Due to the fall of Napoleon, the elephant remained half finished for years, until Louis-Philippe chose to replace it with the July Column in remembrance of the revolution that gave him the throne. In both the book and 2012 movie of Les Miserables, Gavroche is seen living inside of this elephant. Eglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Victor Hugo chose this church to be the one in which two of his main characters, Marius and Cosette, got married. It’s no coincidence that only 19 years before his book was published, Hugo’s own daughter was married in the same church.

Review emerging standards of culturally competent care Research Paper

Review emerging standards of culturally competent care - Research Paper Example This is possible only if health professionals are sensitive enough to demonstrate respect toward the different values, beliefs, and practices of one’s counterparts (Cherry & Jacob, 2005, p.246). The writers also insist on the need of taking responsibility ‘to inquire, learn about, and integrate beliefs and values of others in professional encounters’ so that it would change one’s negative prejudicial behavior. This paper will evaluate the significance of developing cultural competence in nursing care especially in critical care settings like Intensive care units (ICU) where proficient care is highly crucial. What is Culturally Competent Care? Health care is a very sensitive area of service where people often confront with long standing disparities on the basis of culture, tradition, nationality, ethnicity, language, and socio-economic status. ‘Culturally Competent Care’ is the modern perception that has been developed to address health and huma n service issues in a multicultural social environment. In other words, the modern world requires collective responses of doctors, nurses, and other care givers to patient’s varying attitudes, values, verbal indications, and many more; which is possible only by initiating cultural sensitivity as a new dimension of clinical specialization like age and gender. In order to be culturally competent, nurse needs to obtain cultural information with intent to apply that knowledge into practice while they encounter various sorts of ethnic and cultural differences. The major objective of this knowledge acquisition is to avoid stereotyping patients on the basis of their race, culture, or any external appearance. The logic behind this approach is that high-quality outcome can be derived from culturally competent care. When doctors and nurses familiarize themselves with the cultural perceptions and practices of patient, normally it would make a positive impact on treatment results and pat ient satisfaction. Why cultural competence in nursing? As mentioned in the introduction, cultural diversity has become the major facet of almost every developed nation. Therefore, in order to meet the specific needs of people with different cultural background, the nursing care given should be culturally competent. Health care industry reform has been a hot button issue for several decades in the United Sates. Although several attempts have been made to equalize care delivery across the nation, as critics comment, all were defeated by unethical medical-political coalition. Culture influences people’s perception of illness and their causes, the way they seek health care, their approaches to medical treatments, and how they respond to health care providers. Therefore, health providers especially nurses need to obtain skills to act according to the health behaviors of the clients. Infant death and pregnancy loss is an ongoing problem in the United States of America. Studies show the noticeable racial and community based disparities in infant death rates. This situation points to the need of equal delivery of health care services to everyone regardless the race, culture, or community. According to the AAN Expert Panel Report (1992) culturally competent nursing care should follow mainly four principles; 1) care is designed for the specific client 2) based on the uniqueness of the

Sociocultural theory in collaborative learning Essay

Sociocultural theory in collaborative learning - Essay Example Sociocultural theory in collaborative learning It is a pedagogy that has at its centre the assumption that people make meaning together and that the process enriches and enlarges them†. The debate about the definition of term ‘collaborative’ as well as ongoing attempts to identify relevant criteria to determine whether learning is collaborative or not does not seem to have any major implications for the basics of collaborative learning. Almost every research study exploring collaborative learning environment comes to positive conclusions. Natasi and Clements (1991) summarize these conclusions in the following way: â€Å"Cognitive-academic and social-emotional benefits have been reported for students from early elementary through college level, from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and having a wide range of ability levels†¦ Furthermore, cooperative learning has been used effectively across a wide range of content areas, including mathematics, reading, language arts, social studies and science†. Initially, research in the realm of collaborative learning focused on functioning of an individual learner in a group: the theories which dominated cognitive psychology over the 1970s tended to emphasise the role of individual information processors in the process of cognition. The social context of this process was viewed as secondary to individual activity. The last decades of the 20th century were marked by increased attention to the social context, and, consequently, improved understanding of the process of cognition.

Economy of U.K Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economy of U.K - Research Paper Example Employment situation The global financial crisis that hit the U.K. did impact of all sectors of the economy resulting in high employment rates. However, as the economy continues to solidify, additional jobs continue being created thereby resulting in a slight drop in unemployment rates. The latest employment figure shows that the unemployment rate in the U.K. stood at 7.6% in September 2013. This accounts for a drop of 0.1% compared to the previous quarter where the rate stood at 7.7%. CIA (par. 1). is worth noting that even though the unemployment rate continues to fall, it is unlikely that it will fall sharply due to the job losses experienced in the public sector. The welfare and pension reform introduced by the government is also likely to affect the rate of unemployment since it is likely to attract citizens to join the labor force (Osborne 5). Inflation Inflation is another major problem that U.K. citizens have been grappling with for the past six years. Reports show that the p rices of commodities in the country have been increasing at an alarming rate. For instance, the inflation rate in the country was only 1.30% in 2004 and 2.30% in 2007 when the global economic crisis began (BBC News 2). However, the rate increased to 3.60% in 2008 due to rising prices of goods and services marked by hard economic times. Nevertheless, the U.K. government has managed to contain the situation as the country continues to experience a decline in inflation rates every quarter. The U.K. inflation rate fell to 2.20% in October, down from 2.7% the previous month (BBC News 2). In fact, this marks the lowest rate since 2012. The major decline was registered in the transport sector where transport price declined by... This paper stresses that the U.K. economy has been one of the worst hit by the global financial crisis in Europe. This resulted in a fall in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to an all time low. However, GDP figures released recently indicate that the U.K. economy is on the path to recovery. The country’s GDP as of 2012 by purchasing power parity stood at $2.375 trillion according to the CIA. This stresses that the global financial crisis that hit the U.K. did impact of all sectors of the economy resulting in high employment rates. However, as the economy continues to solidify, additional jobs continue being created thereby resulting in a slight drop in unemployment rates. Inflation is another major problem that U.K. citizens have been grappling with for the past six years. Reports show that the prices of commodities in the country have been increasing at an alarming rate. The trade balance between the U.K. and other countries has not been good since 2007. This is attributable to trade deficit marked by an increase in the value of imports and lower value of exports. Research indicates that the U.K. has been importing goods more than it exports to other countries resulting in a wide trade deficit. The author talks that regarding imports and exports, the biggest U.K. exports for the past few years comprise of nuclear reactors, mechanical appliances, boilers, and nuclear rea ctors. The second biggest export items in the U.K. include mineral fuels and oils, and their derivatives including mineral waxes and bituminous substances.

Analyse the role of peer and self-assessment in the assessment process Essay

Analyse the role of peer and self-assessment in the assessment process - Essay Example In case of weakness, they learn from their mistakes and study how to tame or counter them. This learning method helps to remove the notion that learning is just a passive process where students listen to someone and get what he says. Here one listens to themselves and their peers. This process makes students more involved in the learning process. The more involved they are, the more effective the learning process is. David klob defines self-assessment learning as a process a spiral learning way, which takes into consideration all the fundamentals of learning. These are thinking, reflecting, experiencing, and acting. This makes it very effective (Lippincott, J. 1999, 67). This learning method also helps one to know the requirements that they need in order to achieve a certain goal. Having known their strengths and weakness, this is easier since they know the target they have to set for certain disciplines. They tend to know their expectations, and how to achieve them. Self-assessment can be used in two ways. It can be used in a summative or formative way. In most cases, it is used formatively. In formative ones, peer sets their standards for them; whereas, summative mostly includes the use of group work to set ones target (Catherine. 2011, 25). Lippincott, J. K., 1999. Collaboration Between Librarians And Information Technologists A Case Study Employing Kolbs Experiential Learning Theory, Thesis (Ph. D.)--University Of Maryland at College

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Research Paper Example These technological advancements led to the introduction of the internet, which most sectors have been put in use in their operations. The essay that follows is a research on the potential of the internet for building and establishing communities with reference to specific online groups. The internet is a communication medium that people use in their daily life activities due to its viability. The idea of its use has a long history line where people in the past years used to communicate to others, but discoveries and advancements in communication technology by visionary people brought changes in its current usage in the present society. These discoveries aimed at creating a new communication where people would effectively communicate with others, putting in mind how proper use of the internet can impact the community (Riel, 2013). Most of online programs rely on the internet for their operation, a quality which has made its use rampant in the various activities. The internet and Soci al Networks The internet contributes in a large percentage the way social media operate, since operation of online groups like blogs, online chats, YouTube, multiplayer online games, Facebook, twitter, video conferencing, among others relies on the internet (Bertho, Crawford & Fogarty, 2008). The high rate of globalization in the world is as a result of the rise of internet usage. This is because the internet breaks the limit made on human interactions since there are no political borders among the users. There are a number of websites that people different countries use to enhance communication among their citizens. For example, an individual with Chinese origin or descent can visit China.com and communicate with other citizens who share the same characteristics (Bertho, Crawford & Fogarty, 2008). Citizens from Filipino can communicate with other Filipino citizens across the world by visiting Tinig.com and share issues concerning their country. Tsinoy.com connects Filipinos who hav e a Chinese accent, while Scottish accent people meet at ElectricScotland.com. These among other sites make people share various issues affecting their communities as they contribute to their development. Yahoo has a large number of sites that bring together different cultures. Participants in these sites engage in chats with each other, which provide a medium for discussions and organization of events geared towards community development (Bertho, Crawford & Fogarty, 2008). Through these sites people too can access newspapers and also listen to their local radio stations daily, and this maintains ties between people in the diaspora with their families and homeland. However, the ability of the internet to impact on people depends on the ‘end-to-end design (Bertho, Crawford & Fogarty, 2008). It is designed in a way that its impact relies on the end users. The web effectively utilizes this design in that every user participates in providing the content of the web even with little knowledge or capital equipment (Bertho, Crawford & Fogarty, 2008). This enables the users not only to use a website, but also have the ability to create it, giving it a democratic feature. The internet creates a wide accessibility of information on a website as opposed to a newspaper or magazine, and this gives those who lack enough access on resources to communicate with other people in a different community. Through the potential the

Is Volunteering Valuable for Youth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is Volunteering Valuable for Youth - Essay Example A billionaire may give millions for construction of home for flood victims, but might not be present on the ground. On the other hand, a youthful volunteer may not be giving money, but may offer his/her efforts to help in the reconstruction. Consequently, volunteers will be able to see the problems on the ground level and appreciate the gravity of the situation better than anyone else. One of the reasons why youths should volunteer is because most of them do not have money or stuff to give to the disadvantaged. â€Å"Low income kids love to volunteer just as much as the others and given a chance they can take place actively, since they may have been recipients of giving they appreciate and understand the importance of doing the same to others† (Clemmitt 88). A student, in as much as he would like to help homeless people he may not afford to give them money since he may also be badly in need of it. Herein, it shall be undertaken to prove volunteering is very valuable to the you th. According to Molly in a study on volunteering carried out for the Nevada University, the youths who take part in volunteer work are 50 % less likely to use/abuse drugs, abuse alcohol, or get unplanned pregnancies (Latham pg. 2 Para 4). As mentioned earlier, volunteers donate time which they spend performing different duties such as helping in the kitchen or working in an old people’s home or hospice. Youths who are engaged in such activities will find themselves fully occupied in body and mind; thus, they will have no motivation or cause to involve themselves in drug abuse and other vices. Most people use drugs to fill a space in their lives and others because of boredom because of being unoccupied for long periods. However, this will not happen to youths who dedicate their time and effort to helping the less fortunate, or participating in worthy causes through volunteering. They will have a safe avenue to put into work their extra energy to use. Furthermore, the experien ces they encounter in the course of their volunteering may bring out their emotions through sadness and empathy, hence, helping them to express themselves and purge their negative emotions without resorting to self-destructive behavior often characteristic of many youths. The pressures placed upon youths today by their demanding work and education schedules have led to increase in cases of mental problems like depression and other mental illness. These pressures can lead to a variety of mental illnesses like depression that in turn leads to youths feeling oppressed and alienated. However, if youths volunteer to assist disadvantaged kids and homeless people, they are able to see their problems in a better perspective. Through volunteer work, youths often interact with people who have had to live in hardships and near intolerable lives. Similarly, some of the students in Tulane are quite privileged working with the poor and less fortunate makes them experience the challenges other hav e to go through in person (Clemmitt 85). This enables the youths to appreciate themselves and realize they are other people with bigger problems than theirs. Moreover, â€Å"People who volunteer feel optimistic about life especially when they get to observe the terrible straits of others; this makes them consider themselves to be blessed and lucky (Leones 5). This is analogous to the adage about the man who leant to appreciate life when he was complaining that he had no

Gender Stratification and Women in Developing Nations Essay

Gender Stratification and Women in Developing Nations - Essay Example The most intense riots broke out in the aftermath of president Habyalimana’s assassination, a mad Hutus tried to wipe off a complete Tutsi tribe. Not only women and young females were killed, raped and mutilated, the moderate males also faced mass killings establishing these killings as genocidal and gendercidal. Rwanda’s demographic disparity today is due to the killing of approximately 70% Tutsi males by the hands of radical Hutus, about which the socialist say that, it will continue to exist. An intense impact is a tilt in power towards females in all walks of life. This paper researches this very fact and will also investigate the effects of demographic disparity in the wake of the genocide Rwanda. Additionally, it will throw light on the role of women in Rwanda at present in its economical, social and political development, especially after the 1994 genocide in this African country. To realize the positive effect on empowered women in the present Rwandan setup; fac tors that played an important role in the 1994 massacre have to be understood. The Rwandan population composes of 85 % Hutu, 14 % Tutsi and 1% Twa tribe. The Twa are native of Rwanda and are different from the influential Hutu and Tutsi. three tribes are racially the same; Twa finding economics from forestry; although, deforestation and indifferent behavior from other tribes have isolated them. They were placed in the lowest cast in the Rwandan culture after the involvement of Hutu/Tutsi tribe and the German/Belgium colonization. By tradition, the main fields of Hutu and Tutsi were agriculture and cattle herding respectively. Both tribes have different features and share the same race. People of the Hutu tribe are bulky, short and with round faces whereas, people from Tutsi tribe are taller, with a lighter skin-tone and elliptical faces. The physical features of Tutsis match the old Ethiopians (History, 2010). Men have, historically, been powerful positions than women in Rwanda. Even though, the work has been shared by both in the agriculture sector; sharing the field clearing and daily work load between men and women respectively. The care of livestock was done by men, along with younger men in the society. Although women seek business in the market, males oversee the outside-home activities, leaving the women to handle house chores and the children upbringing. Marriage is the basic building block of society and the raising of children in Rwanda is considered to be a sign of affluence and influence. Therefo re, these women are under increasing pressure to marry and bear children. Women enjoy a fair share of socio-political power, which is an astonishing fact, keeping in mind the status of men and women in the Rwandan society. Saying all this, men still have the major share of power and public offices. The role of women in politics was minimized by the colonies (History, 2010) The Twa tribe was suppressed by both the Hutu and the Tutsis. Both these tribes did not permit intermarriages with the Twa people; even when allowing them among themselves. Because of these intermarriages the divide, that there was, between the Hutu and the Tutsis was eliminated to a minimum extent. Post colonization, social status was of more essence than that of the race itself (History, 2010). Even still, the Belgium and Germans under the colonial time-period functioned on the principle of ruling

Daycare Centers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Daycare Centers - Essay Example They have their own Curriculum Department â€Å"with over 150 years of experience† (Kids R Kids). The curriculum is divided into developmental levels. â€Å"The heart of our curriculum is love. Love, along with a deep understanding of the individual educational and emotional needs of each child, sets the Kids ‘R’ Kids Curriculum apart† (Kids R Kids). â€Å"Kindercares innovative and comprehensive Excel Education program is designed to ensure that children are responded to and supported in developing their full potential† (KinderCare). They boast an innovative mandarin emersion program. As with Kids R Kids the programming aims to be developmentally appropriate. They provide greater structure in their centres and tend to present an emphasis on educational achievement. Lil Texans Learning Centre has numerous centres. For diversity a Christian Centre with a curriculum reflective of those beliefs was selected. Differenceswith this centre and the other two is that Christian education is given as top priority and that play and music and dance are listed as part of the mini Texans program. All three centers boast of trained staff and encourage upskilling, but give no commitment of financially support in this. The methods and full extent of teacher training is not made public. Teacher forums note that ‘chains’ are businesses and that privately owned daycare Centres are generally more committed to children’s needs. Both centres come in at a 3/5 rating. Teacher, child ratios are advertised at Kids R Kids as 1:4 in the infant age group, 1:6in the 18months-2.3 age group and 1:8 in the 3-4year age group. They mention provision of specialist teachers for children with additional needs. KinderCare do not advertise their ratios. The Lil Texans Centre selected does not present staff qualifications or teacher child ratios. The highest rating 4/5 is given to Kids R Kids due to their commitment to special education supported children with† early

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Essay Example for Free

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Essay This website is one of the esiest websites I could check about the daily weather through it. I can feel comfotable while Im using the services which provided in the website. This website provide many things and they are very important for me as a pilot.You can be beneficial and awarnce about the weather any where in the United states of America by entring your city and the Zip code of your city then you will get all the information and forcasts about the daily weather in your city. When you open the website you will finde the current tempreture in (C/F ) of the current hour that you opened the website in. As we said it provides a lot of services and we will talk about the most usful and helpful one. Current hazerd service provides you about the warnings around United States map, like the red color for the tornado warnings and blue one for thunderstormes warinings. Also it gives you the freezed areas in blue color. Current condetions service provides the condtion of the weather in many maps like radar and satalite maps.Also you could find the snow condtion around the area and how is it converd and talks about the snow analyzis. Hydrology talks about the weather condition on the rivers and lakes which is very helpful for these people who are going to camping around lakes or rivers, so they be knowledgable about what is going on around that area to know exactley what they should brind to wear ‘ winter or summer clothes ‘. News link provides fresh stories about what happening around the area, if tornado or hurrcain estapleshed in some area you find the information about this news in this link. Useres also can add their reports and I see that its really good service to keep comuncation with people which may make it more accuret informations. You can as user creat your own account and start adding reports about weather and claimet. At the end I could say its really usfull website especially for me as a pilot and for people who are caring about the weather. You can be safe and aware about whats going on in the claimet to avoid thunderstorms and tornedo by seeing the warnings and alarms. Also goo for reguler people they can get information about the current weather and forcast for the whole day which make them aware about whats is going to wear in this whole day and avoiid the very cold weather at the morning in example.

Factors Impacting on Nursing Care Quality

Factors Impacting on Nursing Care Quality Introduction Nurses play an indispensable front-line role in patient care within the NHS. However, issues such as role ambiguity, management concerns, training deficiencies, and a limited evidence-base raise serious questions about the quality of health care nurses dispense. This essay considers some of these issues. Role Ambiguity Although nurses offer a wide variety of patient care services, there is considerable ambiguity about specific work responsibilities in some areas of nursing (Goll-McGee, 1999; Rask Hallberg, 2000; Hinsby et al, 2004; Dickens et al, 2005; Needham et al, 05; Sekula, 2005). Forensic psychiatric care is a good example. In a comprehensive survey of nurse’s views about their job responsibilities, Rask and Hallberg (2000) found significant differences between licensed mental health nurses and registered nurses in the emphasis attached to key nursing roles, such as assessment, medical tasks (e.g. giving medication), and actions relating to patients ‘daily living activities’. Nurses often feel uncertain about whether they can undertake certain tasks autonomously without incurring the wrath of doctors. For example, much has been written about nurse-initiated thrombolysis for cardiac patients (Rawles, 1994; Smallwood, 2000; Smallwood et al, 2004; Kelly, 2004). Patients pres enting at an A E unit with cardiac symptoms may benefit from nurse-administered thrombolysis prior to formal medical screening. This would include performing an electrocardiogram and administering a thrombolytic agent via a standard protocol. Although nurse-induced thrombolysis may significantly reduce door-to-needle times, until recently there was no precise definition of this role in nursing literature. Nurses are often unsure precisely what roles they are expected to perform to deal with problems like teenage pregnancy and STD transmission (Campbell, 2004). This situation is confounded by the fact that sexual health needs vary considerably across specific patient groups (e.g. HIV incidence is significantly high and access to health access seemingly more limited amongst African/immigrant communities) (DOH, 2001, 2002; 2005a, 2005b; also see Erwin et al, 2002). The net effect of this haziness is that nurses may not always be entire certain of their role at critical moments, or may feel too stressed out, in situations where immediate patient care is paramount. Workload, Time Management Training Issues The issue of work-related stress (Ewers et al, 2002) is directly implicated in workload time management. It is no secret that nursing staff in the UK can be overworked at times (Kilfedder et al, 2001; Hinsby Baker, 2004; Hughes Umeh, 2005). A major reason for this is the severe time constraints created by the multiplicity of tasks nurses are required to perform. The Nursing Stress Scale (Plant et al, 1992; Tyler Cushway, 1995), a standard measure of work stress experienced by nurses incorporates workload as one of several separate and distinct sources of stress, highlighting the importance of this factor in nursing care. The workload problem was emphasised in a recent article about school nursing (Martell, 2005). School nurses are heavily under resourced but yet face an arduous workload, more so for those working in the pubic sector. Staff shortages and a multiplicity of responsibilities means that not enough time is spent on health promotion and in the classroom. More than half o f school nurses report feeling ‘emotionally drained’, and work excess hours on a daily basis, several times a week. The level of stress seems to vary considerable across different nursing fields. A recent study found that registered nurses report higher levels of stress compared with psychiatric nurses especially in the absence of social support (Hughes Umeh, 2005). Then there is the issue of training. Nurses in the UK receive extensive training before being employed to work on the ‘frontline’ (Campbell, 2004). However, questions have been raised about the adequacy of existing nursing education in various aspects of patient care. For example, although it has been suggested that nurses can play a crucial role in evaluating and caring for victims of sexual assault, nurses in the UK currently receive no formal training in this area (Dinsdale, 2005). Another area of training deficiency is in HIV prevention. Although the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) appr oves specific training courses for nurses in this area, universities and colleges are not compelled to offer them, â€Å"Pre-registration training for nurses does not include mandatory education relating to sexual health services. Nurses working in sexual health gain post-basic education in an ad-hoc manner through working in the specialty, and by undertaking specialist post-registration courses (Campbell, 2004, p.169). Nurses often receive limited (if any) training in the care of specific patient groups. For example, few nurses have special knowledge of the health care needs of ethnic minorities communities (DOH, 2000b; Andalo, 2004). Those who by chance spend some time working in such communities may gain some of the necessary expertise, but otherwise most nurses may be uninformed in this area. School nursing is another area in which training needs are not being met (Harrison, 2004; Martell, 2005). Martell (2005) reports that school nurses often have limited access to essential training for their role. Research Evidence-based practice As with other branches of health care there is increasing emphasis in nursing care on evidence-based practice (Lewis Latney, 2003; Thompson et al, 2004; Ring et al, 2005). Feasible evidence-based practice requires an adequate evidence base (Lewis Latney, 2003). However scientific literature in certain areas of nursing care is often patchy, delaying the development of appropriate ‘best practice’ statements that will ensure consistency in the quality of care nurses dispense across all sectors of the NHS and private sector (Hoskins, 2000; Serrant-Green, 2004). The importance of evidence-based ‘best practice’ guidelines cannot be overstated. The Nursing and Midwifery Practice Development Unit (NMPDU) emphasises their importance in achieving consistent care delivery across nursing sectors. Unfortunately, even where best-practice guidelines have been widely developed for nursing care, as is the case with NHS Scotland, implementation is often slow and inconsisten t (Ring et al, 2005). Nurses rarely refer to an evidence base when making decisions about patient care (Thompson et al, 2004). For example, midwifes often fail to offer antenatal HIV testing to women for ethnic minority backgrounds, to avoid appearing discriminatory (Gibb et al, 1998), even though such testing is a standard recommendation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), DOH, and Nurse Agencies National Minimum Standards (DOH, 1994, 2000a). Guideline execution can be hampered by many factors including resource deficiencies, lack of training, resistance to change, lack of emphasis or prioritisation, absence of local nurse ‘leaders’ who can champion best-practice ideology, and resistance to change. Fulbrook (2003) notes that nursing knowledge and care often derives from more experiential and in-depth one-to-one interactions with patients, rather than formal scientific doctrine. Thus, it is questionable whether existing best practice statements, wh ich are rooted in positivist literature, are indeed appropriate for nursing care. Conclusion The quality of nursing care patients receive may often be compromised by workload issues, training deficiencies, a paucity of an adequate research evidence base, inconsistent implementation of clinical guidelines, and poorly defined job responsibilities. It appears these problems are rather more pressing in the public compared with private sector. A recent study of the work-related perceptions of nurses working in non-NHS facilities found that nurses in this sector reported greater levels of support, cohesion, job clarity and physical comfort (Dickens et al, 2005). However, they also indicated greater work pressure. There appears to be significant variation across various nursing specialties in the importance attached to key aspects of nursing care, such as patient assessment. Furthermore, certain nursing domains, for example school nursing, suffer from severe staff shortages, a multiplicity of responsibilities, and significant training issues. Overall, nursing care in the UK appears to lack the support it needs to meet expectations. References Andalo, D. (2004) How to sell. Nursing Standard, 18, pp.14-17. Campbell, P. (2004) The role of nurses in sexual and reproductive health. Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, 30, pp.169-170. Department of Health (1994) Guidelines for Offering Voluntary named HIV Anti- Body Testing to Women receiving Antenatal Care. London, Department of Health. Department of Health (2000a) Nurse Agencies National Minimum Standards: Nurse Agencies Regulations.London, Department of Health. Department of Health (2000b) Black and ethnic nurses midwives and health visitors leading change a report of the Mary Seacole leadership award the first five years. London, Department of Health. Department of Health (2001) The National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV. London, Department of Health. Department of Health (2002) The National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV: Implementation Action Plan. London, Department of Health. Department of Health (2005a) Integrating the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV with Primary Medical Care Contracting. London, Department of Health. Department of Health (2005b) HIV and AIDS in African Communities: A Framework for Better Prevention and Care. London, Department of Health. Dickens, G., Sugarman, P. Rogers, G. (2005) Nurses’ perceptions of the working environment: a UK independent sector study. Journal of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. 12, pp.297-302. Dinsdale, P. (2005) Pioneering nurse-led assault service. Nursing Standard, 19, p.9. Erwin, J., Morgan, M., Britten, N., Gray, K. Peters, B. (2002) Pathways to HIV testing and care by black African and white patients in London, Sexually TransmittedInfections, 78, 37-39. Ewers, P., Bradshaw, T., McGovern, J. Ewers, B. (2002) Does training in psychosocial interventions reduce burnout rates in forensic nurses? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37, pp.470-476. Fulbrook, P. (2003) Developing best practice in critical acre nursing: knowledge, evidence and practice. Nursing Critical Care, 8, pp.96-102.Gibb, D.M., MacDonagh, S.E., Gupta, R., Tookey, P.A., Peckham, C.S. Ades, A.E.(1998) Factors affecting uptake of antenatal HIV testing in London: results of a multicentre study. British Medical Journal, 316, pp.259-261. Goll-McGee, B. (1999) The role of the clinical forensic nurse in critical acre. Critical Care in Nursing Quarterly. 22, pp.8-18. Gray-Toft, P. Anderson, J.G. (1981) The nursing stress scale: development ofan instrument. Journal of Behavioural Assessment. 3, pp.11-23. Hinsby, K. Baker, M. (2004) Patient and nurse accounts of violent incidents in a medium secure unit. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. 11, pp.341-347. Hughes, H. Umeh, K. (2005) Work stress differentials between psychiatric and general nurses. British Journal of Nursing. 14, pp.802-808. Kilfedder, C.J., Power, K.G. Wells, T.J. (2001) Burnout in psychiatric nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 34, pp.383-396. Harrison, S. (2004) School nurses pivotal to achieving health targets. Nursing Standard, 19, p.7.

Modern Methods of Construction

Modern Methods of Construction This dissertation will discuss the effect of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and particularly the Off-Site Construction (OSC), on the building sector today, and how these methods will contribute to help and resolve social, financial, and environmental difficulties that facing the UK. 1.2 DEFINITION Off-site construction is an application of modern methods of construction MMC where building sector meets the industrial sector, or by other word, a fusion between building and manufacturing. Off-site construction is where any of building components, or even a whole building, manufactured in factories away from the actual site where the building will be sited, or simply is where the construction site is different from the building site. 1.3 TERMINOLOGY Off-site construction has different terms, terms like (prefabrication, off-site assembly, factory assembly, pre-assembly, off-site manufacture, etc.). The term off-site construction is generally used nowadays to any part of the construction process that takes place in factories. 1.3 HISTORY Off-site construction is not new, in the 20th century specifically in the post wartime, off-site construction (that time the term used probably was factory assembly or prefabrication construction) were needed to replace rapidly buildings which were destroyed or damaged during the war, But due to the lack of technology and modern production techniques, development in lightweights, high-strength materials, and new modern methods of construction that today is available, it gained unfortunately negative significance. The time of the wheelbarrow is finished, announced Jean Prouv in 1947, echoing Le Corbusier.We need usines maisons, homes produced in the factories Since then, a further sixty years have passed: the manufacturing industry has come with story of success of the mechanization, has enhanced electronics and grafting. Today industrial automation and manufactures from shoes to personal computers, and from planes to crackers, all now machine-made, in Seattle as a small village in China. The building construction is still the same. With very few exceptions, the building remains largely an object made by hand with traditional techniques. And the only construction industry still relies to logical and largely pre-industrial processes. With known effects: low productivity, forecast time and cost much more random, exposed to all levels of quality and possibilities and approximations of production conditions are vary widely, backward technologies and unskilled work. 1.4 OVERVIEW Why choose off-site construction now? What is so different from the traditional way of construction? Why is sustainability constantly being brought up? Before I examine these points, I have to mention some important facts that have already occurred. Since the beginning of the century, it is increasingly being talked about and discussed, the world and its climate changing. United Nations ask for action on it. The world met in a summit in Copenhagen to discuss how they can resolve the raising temperature that might cause damages and risks to the global, and how to reduce energy and CO2 emission. Why I mentioned climate change and we are talking about off-site construction? The answer is surprisingly, buildings are responsible for about one third of global energy consumption and if we add the energy used for construction the amount can easily be increased to the half. All of this means that we need to build very efficient houses and in an efficient way, and thats can be achievable only by off-site construction. There is a severe accommodation shortage in the UK. The Government has announced plans for the construction of 200,000 new houses per year, but that target has never achieved yet. Off-site construction can help the accommodation industry to achieve that target where fast delivery is needed. Speedier delivery in construction is one of the potential advantages of off-site construction and research showed that it can reduce the time of construction process to the half because it takes place in a desirable condition away from the unpredictable weather that can affect and delay the process on-site. And research showed that it can reduce the time of construction process to the half because it takes place in a desirable condition away from the unpredictable weather, factory built accommodation. Offsite construction already features in the production of social accommodation. Skill shortages in the UK construction industry are a severe problem. In 2001 the UK construction industry estimated it needed to train an extra 74,000 skilled workers every year for five years just to make up for the shortages of bricklayers, plumbers and electricians (Verbus System, 2006). In 2009, the chartered institute of building (CIOB) concluded a third research on skill shortages, and the result again showed that the construction industry is still suffering a skills shortage, which is likely to continue to be a challenge for the building sector. Off-site construction can play an important role to resolve this issue. The research showed, compared to more traditional techniques, off-site construction can reduce on-site labour requirements to less than a quarter. This result achieved from some work took place off-site. Off-site work involves different labour that is not under pressure as the on-site workforce. Off-site construction and modern methods of construction (MMC) can therefore make better use of scarce labour. 1.5 DISSERTATION STRUCTURE The dissertation consists of an introduction chapter, three main chapters and conclusion chapter; Chapter two discuss the advantages of off-site construction for the building sector, society, and the environment. The chapter also will discuss the conditions in order to gain the full advantages of off-site construction. Chapter three explain the types and forms of off-site construction, and where off-site construction takes place in the building and in the construction process. Off-site construction takes place in different areas of the building, so how off-site construction will incorporate with the mainstream construction process. Chapter four show and examine some of off-site construction case studies and in which type of building it takes place. CHAPTER TWO: ADVANTAGES OF OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION 2.1 INTRODUCTION Off-site construction, as I mentioned, is part of modern methods of construction (MMC) and is referred to as any of the components of the building built in a high quality controlled factories where they use advanced techniques to manufacture highly specialised doors, windows, stairs, wall panels, frame structure, and complete volumetric pods and then transport them to the location where it will be used and to be assembled on-site. Off-site construction has many advantages that are why nowadays there are more companies and contractors using this method rather than the traditional way of construction, even governments make more pressure to use this method to speed up housing delivery. Modern methods of construction can provide good quality homes with less on-site labour, in a shorter time, with at least the same building performance and at similar cost when compared to more established techniques. Off-site manufacturing and partnering processes increasingly play a part in solving todays problem of moving towards a sustainable housing industry. The advantages of off-site construction can be classified into two types; Business advantages, social environmental advantages Modern construction methods can produce important benefits for housing authorities and developers, not the least of which is the reduced emphasis on on-site activity. This is particularly important in a time of increasing demands on an already stretched labour force. As with any new way of doing things there are risks, but these can be mitigated through good project planning and management (Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, 2005). 2.2 ADVANTAGES Less time in construction process, cost predictability, higher quality, helping the society and the environment, resolving skilled labour shortage, reduce health safety risks, and helping the business the economy. These are key advantages of off-site construction. 2.2.1 Reduced construction time Business advantages give a huge encouragement to the contractors and designers to use more off-site construction components with their design and building processes. The greater speed of manufacturing and on-site assembling is an important factor for business gain. Earlier the delivery of the building means earlier the return of the investment. Modular construction for example, that is an off-site construction, is up to 40-60% quicker than traditional building methods. The predictability of the delivery also is very important for the financial calculation of the business in terms of cost and revenue. The manufacturing process of the components in quality controlled factories is nearly accurately estimated as well as the delivery to the site and the assembly operation. 2.2.2 Cost Predictability Cost-effectiveness is an important factor to show the difference between the off-site construction method and the conventional one. Approximately, around 80% of the construction costs are fixed within the first 20% of the design process. The graph below highlights the potential for cost reduction and alternatively the resistance to the cost of change during the project life. As the project progresses, the opportunities for implementing variation or change reduce and the consequent costs associated with these variations rise substantially, Where off-site production techniques are to be used, these should be introduced early in the process. While off-site construction has tended in the past to be more expensive than brick block, now is being reduced to the same level due to the innovation of more techniques and to the variety of the components, and these bringing even greater economies. 2.2.3 Superior Quality Off-site manufacture for building components significantly improves the quality and the efficiency of the building due to high standard of quality control and test. Buildings exceed requirements on sound and thermal insulation levels, so this means that are more sustainable. 2.2.4 Help the society and the environment Off-site construction has also can help the society and the environment. Millions of affordable homes are required to meet growing demand, and there is increasing pressure to further improve efficiency and sustainability performance during construction and throughout the lifetime of the buildings. Off-site construction is environmentally friendly if it is planned well from the early stages of design and by integrating all the supply chain together. Less energy is generally required to develop the modules or off-site manufactured components. With improved process control ,buildings are pre-engineered each exactly the same and so can be adapted for ease of tiling and this should lead to reduced levels of waste on site of up to 70% and subsequent costs. In addition, with improved control of materials flow, raw materials can be recycled rather than skipped as often happens on site. The advantage of using OSC methods related to the reduction of waste to landfill are that the material usage in the factory is reduced up to 90% by the careful design and procurement of materials, reducing the amount of waste generated both on-site and off-site. Offsite manufacturing was identified as a key potential method for promoting sustainability within the construction industry. Sustainability is increased as sound and thermal insulation is improved. Reduced time on site means less disruption to neighbouring residents or businesses. 2.2.5 Reducing reliance on skilled labour While there is a significant shortage of housing in the UK, and the government plans to build more accommodation houses, there is another problem facing to achieve these plans as well the building industry a whole which is the skills shortages bricklayers, plumbers and electricians. Off-site construction helps to build more houses by reducing reliance on increasingly scarce skilled labour by reducing the number of labour where semi-skilled factory labour can be used during the construction of modules. 2.2.6 Improve Health and safety Health and safety issue also give off-site construction an advantage, it has been proven to be a safer method of construction because there are fewer components involved than traditional methods and there is no need for high quantity of labour on-site for the assembly process. 2.2.7 Business integration and economy development Off-site construction helps to integrate the supply chain. When executed effectively, the off-site construction process involves key manufacturers and suppliers early in the feasibility and design stages of the project. This ensures that the specialist skills and knowledge of these key suppliers are embedded within the project and can influence the design and construction phases of the project. Where appropriate these key suppliers should be given ownership of the design and involved fully in the execution of delivery, storage and movements of materials and components. CHAPTER THREE: OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION! WHERE IT TAKES PLACE? 3.1 Forms of off-site construction Off-site construction can take a number of forms. The form and extent of acceptance within the projects will depend on the type of project: Is there a large proportion of duplication or replication? for example; in hotels and hostels, the type of client: Is the client a one-off or repeat client?, and the relationships and the arrangements between the project members. Off-site buildings and components systems range from small bolt-together sections to virtually complete buildings. Systems can be categorised as: Sub-assemblies Frames Panels (open or closed) Volumetric system Hybrids system 3.1.1 Sub-assemblies Sub-assemblies are the most traditional and widely used system in off-site manufacturing which is being used for many generations. This type of off-site construction can include elements using different type of materials such as concrete beams, block floors, and foundations. Prefabricated foundation systems can consist of precast, post-tensioned, concrete beams. An additional examples for sub- assemblies systems are the glass reinforced plastic for chimneys, steel for curtain walling, and timber stairs. 3.1.2 Frames Framed structures, which are pre-assembled in factories, supply the structural support to buildings and are not something new feature in construction. Lightweight pre-assembled frames which can be delivered promptly to the site, speeding up the construction times for the main structural elements. The benefit of pre-assembled framed structures can help of reducing site cutting and the inaccuracies that can arise from it. An example of framed structure is the steel frame module. Steel works in off-site construction are taking the most important part of the factory controlled construction due to the characteristics of the steel itself that can be shaped and moulded in any form; the result is light strong steel modules structures. The UK construction market is one of the most steel intensive in the world, with steel proving to be the material of choice for UK architects and structural engineers in the multi-storey building market. The 2007 Market Shares Survey figures show steel construction consistently takes in excess of 70 per cent over double the market share compared to when the survey was first carried out in the early 1980s.(Housebuilder Developer. 2008). The Steel Construction Institute has carried out a study of different construction projects using various levels of off-site steel construction technologies in busy urban sites. The goal of the study was to recognize the benefits of off-site construction relating to the reduction of the disruption caused to local residents by the construction operations. The study also aimed to quantify these benefits in terms of the reduction in dust, noise, vehicle circulation and the impact of site-generated waste on the environment. 3.1.3 Panels Panels are two dimensional frames that contain both the structural and the infill element, are sealed together on site. Example of panels is pre-assembled floor, wall, and roof panels. Using the right sealants are very important to gain the benefit of off-site manufactured panels in order to stand up the frames rapidly. The simplest form of off-site manufactured panel system is lightweight infill panels that are fixed to the structural frame, where the most complex form are the prefabricated sandwich panels which consist of both, the structural element, internal and external finishes. 3.1.4 Volumetric System Volumetric system is the frame and panel systems, and when the building is assembled and built from a series of volumetric steel or timber modules, connected together to form a room or groups of rooms to form complete structure. Modular construction is also a term used to refer the volumetric assemblies. While the foundations are being prepared under factory conditions, the modules are manufactured and finished (or partially finished) off-site, under factory conditions, then transported to the building site and assembled and connected to the foundations, then added the exterior cladding and the roof. Modular construction is more sustainable than traditional techniques because of the minimum foundations that required and because it is built under factory conditions, the modules are in better quality and defects are minimized. Modular construction uses the same techniques from the industrial sector but the result does not look like mass production product. Sophisticated modules and panels can be produced and can be easily customised by the clients requirements, and with new advanced techniques finishes: cladding and roofing, give the building its natural skin that suites the surrounding. An example of volumetric module structure is bathroom pods. Bathroom pods are a very economically solution when it integrate with the whole construction process in large quantities such as; student accommodations, hotels, hostels, hospitals, and prisons. Bathroom construction process can use Off-site construction technology, which in compare to the traditional way, would normally be carried out on-site. If we remove the construction process of the bathrooms to a controlled factory environment, bathrooms will become more ecological, functional, and with lower building costs. Bathrooms that we call them smart will also become more common with highly environmentally toilets and showers systems and with more advanced technology like tapes with sensors. The quality of bathrooms pods is far superior to the traditional on-site construction, more stylish, with high quality materials, and better for the environment in terms of a lower carbon footprint, lower levels of waste and reduced transportation of components. 3.1.5 Hybrids System Hybrid systems (often referred to as semi-volumetric) are a combination of all the other type, and this type where the flexibility of production and the varieties of consumer choice by combining the best features in a single system play the important role of it. Plant rooms is an example of a hybrid volumetric module manufacturing Plant room is a room or space in a building dedicated to the mechanical and electrical equipments and then they need an intensive labour. If plant rooms built off-site where there is cheaper labour, this can be more economically. Other advantage of plant rooms built in factory is if a project in time difficulties, always the installation of the services is squeezed, so using modular plant rooms certainly will help to avoid this problem. CHAPTER FOUR: CASE STUDIES 4.1 Case Study: British Land Ropemaker site, London Ropemaker is a commercial building for British Land, one of the UKs largest Real Estate Investment Trust. It is built in an eminent site in London. The 21 storey and three basement levels has 55,000 square metres net lettable space. The high profile building has impressive green certifications achievement including a BREEAM excellent rating. The development has been realised using off-site construction technologies in a large number of parts in the building. This study aimed to evaluate two products manufactured off-site; a modular walling system Podwall from Swift Horsman, and Technik flooring system supplied by Grants LTD. The research aimed to compare in deep analysis off-site construction techniques products to the traditional way of construction in terms of; waste on-site and off-site, resources needed on site, efficiency and productivity, cost, environmental impact analysis and end of life assessment, health and safety, and installation time. PODWALL research results Podwall saved approximately 40% to programme. Each floor at Ropemaker had an 11 week programme to install the Podwall (3 blocks per floor one ladies, one gentlemen and one disabled toilet), which would be equivalent to 15 weeks for traditional fit out. The waste on site is reduced because the Podwall is manufactured off-site. The result showed that the largest amount of waste generated is from the packaging, which is very important to protect the product on the delivery from between factory and site. Total waste produced is approximately 213m3 from Podwall washrooms. If we give the low levels of waste monitored during the process of the Podwall erection, traditional waste would considerably exceed that figure. In terms of waste recycling the percentage of materials recycled from Ropemaker exceeds 85%. The Podwall washroom package (54 toilet blocks), which is delivered over 1969m2, has a value of approximately 6m. The main differences in cost, that the services are integrated off site into the walls and cubicles for the Podwall, while in the traditional system the services installation and cubicles must be installed on-site and the cost of the installation of these services on site is higher. The indirect costs in the traditional way do not count as the increased cost of waste and removal, and the increased programme time to install. TECHNIK research results In terms of performance and time, Technik flooring system took168hrs per 100m2 for the pedestal and the floor, while in screeded floor take 250hrs per 100m2 for the insulation, screed, and tiling. Tiling is the most labour intensive element of traditional flooring, and drying time for screed increases programme and risk of damage when wet. The result showed that 32% of time spent laying a traditional floor was non value added time compared with 17% for Technik floor. Techniks 83% added value time demonstrates the efficiency of off-site flooring as well as the reduction in remedial work (WRAP. 2009) At the factory 0.49m3 of waste is generated raising the total waste to 2.81m3 per 100m2. The total waste of Technik flooring of Ropemaker is 24.56m3. While a total 41m3 of waste if screeded floor with tiling had been used on site instead. The screeded floor generates a significantly greater amount of waste compared to the Technik floor. In terms of costs, Technik flooring labour costs was 84/m2, while the screed floor was 114/ m2. Material costs were 140/ m2 for Technik floor, and 147/ m2 for the traditional one. These figures are near, but it is still considerable that Technik is cheaper if we put in consideration that drying time for screed increases programme and risk of damage when wet and the materials associated with the traditional screed design take up a greater area within a warehouse and as such the cost is considerably higher to that of Technik floor. A programme/time saving of 25.7% is made by using Technik flooring, which clearly has a cost saving implication as well. (WRAP. 2009) 4.3 Case Study-Emergency Assessment Unit, University Hospital of North Tees. In this case study we are looking at the new revolutionary building which was designed to fulfil the needs of Interserve Project Services/North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. The building will be located at the University Hospital of North Tees. The purpose-designed and built Emergency Assessment Unit has been required in order to reduce waiting times for much demanded emergency treatment. This is something the Government has planned as to drive down waiting times for patients. The amount of beds are needed to be increased at the Stockton site as well as the site needing to be able to provide a service to those needing emergency surgical care, based centrally on location rather than some distance away. The unit has promised to feature up-to-date emergency care and include specialist staff who can deal quickly and efficiently with a high number of patients thus increasing patient turnover. The solution to these needs was met through a 2.8m Procure 21 project which was awarded to Yorkon manufacturers, based in York, by Interserve Project Services. Off-site construction and the installing of a 42-bed Emergency Assessment Unit was the aim for the new building as its production. The building included 42 steel-framed modules manufactured off-site at York and installed on-site in as little as a few days. Disruption was therefore limited and patients could rest unaware of any commotion. The 1,710m square single storey extension to the pre-existing department was astonishingly and impressively erected in just over six months from beginning to end. The building also can boast a full range of modern well-equipped facilities for any acute medical emergencies. Features are listed as including four-bed wards, single en-suite bedrooms, an isolation ward, high-dependency beds, consulting rooms, ward managers office, waiting area, Quiet room, staff changing facilities and rest room and also an interview room. Incorporated into the design were roof lights to increase any natural light in the centre of the unit and furthermore holds latest technology equipment. The installations of workstations are readily available and can be used at a patients bedside. This building proudly boasts to be one of the first units in the country to offer an electronic information board too. Looking to the comments of professionals working within the construction of this new high-tech building, we can see the positive influence of off-site technology in providing rapid, quality solutions to much needy clients. The accuracy as well as speed of construction has impressed many working on the project. The patients are the first top benefit thus impacting greatly on society. A faster completion has resulted in an earlier date for increasing the hospitals capacity and implementing the hospitals new care programme. The building has proudly been created free of any defect and furthermore feels and appears like a building created in the traditional on-site method. The impact on the people within the building can be felt as they feel secure and at ease with their impressive new surroundings. After significant planning, the result proves to be pleasing and satisfying to all those involved. Impressive design features are said to include isolation rooms, en-suite bathrooms, no touch taps as well as bespoke window blinds, all that was promised. All in all, a roomy and calm working environment which is properly equipped to looking after those that need it has been established. 4.4 The Steel Construction Institute (SCI) Case Study The Steel Construction Institute (SCI) Study, which was funded by The Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) with support from Corus Strip Products (UK), is started by visits to six construction sites where oft-site construction technologies were being used for data-gathering. A comparative study had been made and followed by the visits to compare the traditional way of construction to off-site construction methods for a 2-storey school where light steel infill panels were used in off-site method against the traditional method, and a 4-storey light steel residential building where off-site modular construction were used against traditional masonry way. The study results showed that off-site construction is by far reducing the disruption to the local residents The growing demand for residential housing in cities, towns, and villages of the UK and the scarcity of so-called green field sites, is forcing developers to build on small plots of land within existing residential developments. As housing is built, so the demand for schools, shops, hospitals and leisure also increases. Construction on confined urban sites presents developers with various challenges including: The construction of urban sites contained presents developers with a number of challenges, such as; the lack of working and storage space, the absolute necessary to minimize the impact of all aspects of construction on local residents, and the scarcity of skilled labour working in construction sites. Last Recent experience with modern construction methods showed that these challenges can be met by changing some of the activities of site-intensive products with components manufactured off-site. For example, panels of three two-dimensional and three dimensional modules are supplied in very short time to local conditions and require no storage space on site. Regarding urban disruption, there is some non official evidence to suggest that the disruption to the local residents and inconvenience caused by construction can be greatly reduced by the use of prefabricated lightweight steel and modular solutions. Such methods do not only transfer much of the construction processes off site, but They also significantly reduces the construction time, thereby limiting the inconvenience Caused by site traffic, deliveries, waste clearance and general construction activities. One of the greatest opportunities and challenges for the steel sector is the residential market due to the increase awareness of the physical benefits of steel. As often, home builders and developers are looking at things more closely as the project predictability and speed of construction, and areas that can generate financial returns earlier. Construction in steel, which has always been a technique of off-site construction, is the solution. With its speed of construction, cost-effectiveness, outstanding performance, and unparalleled sustainable qualities, steels off-site construction techniques provides a genuine opportunity for the construction industry to meet growing, and sometimes conflicting demands, in providing affordable housing in todays difficult housing market By its very nature, steel based off-site construction gives rise to more predictable construction programmes, along with predictable cost, construction quality, programme timing and project handover with faster lead in and onsite project commencement, allowing earlier use and business income return. Ultimately, this can result in the overall construction programme being reduced by up to 60 per cent compared with conventionally constructed buildings. CHAPTER FIVE :CONCLUSION To conclude, a survey undertaken by Contract Journal revealed interesting findings. Although the survey results indicated that off-site construction is on the rise and gaining popularity, the rise is still lower than the desired figures the industry would have liked to have seen. The survey Modern Methods of Construction Modern Methods of Construction DEFINITION: It can be defined as the the process to produce or construct good quality buildings rapidly with less consumption of resources Explanation: 3D PRINTING INTRODUCTION 3D printing (sometimes referred to as Additive Manufacturing (AM)) is the computer-controlled layering of materials to form 3 dimensional shapes. It is particularly useful for prototyping and for the manufacturing of geometrically complex components. Depending on the technique adopted, printing can produce multiple components simultaneously, can use multiple materials and can use multiple colours. Accuracy can be increased by a high-resolution subtractive process that removes material from an over-sized printed item. Some methods include the use of dissolvable materials that support oscillating features during fabrication. Materials such as metal can be expensive to print, and in this case, it may be more cost-effective to print a mould, and then to use that to create the item.[G1] CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY In the construction industry, Construction 3D printing is used to create construction components or to print entire buildings. Construction is well-suited to 3D printing as much of the information necessary to create an item will exist as a result of the design process, and the industry is already experienced in computer aided manufacturing. With the help of building information modelling (BIM), we can facilitate greater use of 3D printing. Also, [G2]construction 3D printing allows, faster and more accurate construction of complex or modified items as well as it will minimise labour costs and waste. It[G3] also enables us to carry out construction process in harsh or dangerous environments not suitable for a human workforce e.g. cold areas like Alaska and Siberia.[G4] China has adopted the technique and with the mass movement of population from rural areas to the cities they consider this technique suitable for making cheap houses costing the country (Â £9700) respectively. Materials used: The most common types of materials used by the printers are: Recycled plastic Bioplastics Concrete Synthetic stone-like material made of sand and chemicals Hua Shang Tengda: Hua Shang Tengda is a Chinese company which has manufactured or printed a two story villa that measures about 4,305 square feet. When put to test the structure was able to retain itself at an earthquake of 8 scales. Moreover, the[G5][MH2(6] house was completely finalised within 45 days. The company carried out the process in one go rather than making pieces and then assembling them. The process included three printers operated by a software, which is responsible for formulating the ingredients, mixing the concrete, transmission, and to 3D-print the structure. The team first erected the frame of the house, completed with rebar support and plumbing pipes and then the printed started The printer has a sort of bifurcated extruder that simultaneously lays concrete on both sides of the structural material, allowing it up and encasing it securely within the walls. The concrete used was C30 which weighted approximately 20 tonnes, it[G7] had the desired strength and inexpensive as waste was[G8] also utilised as well as wastes resulted from the process were very [G9]low. The walls of the structure are approx. 8cm thick and is resting firmly on the ground.[G10][G11] ADVANTAGES: The advantages of the system are mentioned as under TIME EFFICIENT: 3d printers used in construction are very time efficient and a house with the desired strength can be constructed in small time frame.[G12][G13] CLIENT SATISFACTION: With this process, it is assumed that the client satisfaction is more as they will be given [G14]a catalogue from which they will be able to choose the structure of their own choice. ACCESSIBILITY:[G15][G16] The 3d printers are accessible everywhere even on the moon.[G17] COST EFFECTIVE: This process of construction is very cheap as the printers consume the minimal amount of raw materials and waste production is very less.[G18] NEW SHAPES AND DESIGNS: The 3d printers can construct different types of structures ranging from curvilinear to rectilinear and from circular to boxed structures. PRECISION: With 3d printers, we can achieve more precision as it is a controlled process and is not affected by the environmental conditions.[G19] ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT: It is also assumed environmental friendly as the wastes resulting from the process are less. DISADVANTAGES: Some disadvantages are mentioned as: INITIAL COST AND MAINTENACE COST:[G20][G21] The printers initial cost is very high and requires a cleaning process after 12 hours of operation. LIMITED MATERIALS: The types of materials used in these printers are limited. Some are limited to a single type of material. Also, the printers are unable to deal with reinforcements. [G22] TRANSPORTATION: The transportation may sometimes cause problems because of their sizes RELIABILITY:[G23] Machines cannot be trusted and a major problem may occur resulting in the delays. FUTURE: Currently, there is a research going on at the [G24][G25]University of Southern California which I lead byÂÂ   Berok Khoshnevis.They are testing a fabrication process called contour crafting. The aim of this research is that all the processes involved in construction are self-automated. Khoshnevis hopes to print a residential building(house) in a single print. It will include conduits for electrical, plumbing, drywall, and insulation. His aims are to achieve the possible results by 2020 for residential buildings and by 2025 for high rise.[G26] [G1]Inserted: , [G2]Inserted: , [G3]Inserted: s [G4]Deleted:z [G5]Inserted: s [MH2(6] [G7]Inserted: ne [G8]Inserted: the [G9]Inserted: s [G10]Deleted:a [G11]Deleted:z [G12]Inserted: the [G13]Deleted:a [G14]Inserted: , [G15]Inserted: C [G16]Deleted:S [G17]Inserted: the [G18]Deleted:s [G19]Inserted: , [G20]Inserted: E [G21]Deleted:A [G22]Inserted: , [G23]Inserted: I [G24]Inserted: at the [G25]Inserted: , [G26]Deleted:in

Paul Hindemith :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul was born in the German town of Hanau in 1895, on December Sixteen. We might assume that Hindemith felt a pull in the musical direction from a very early age; Paul’s father was a painter and did not want his son becoming a musician, so our little composer-to-be ran away at the age of 11, and started his own life. Paul taught himself the violin and viola, and began earning his living by playing at Cafes and other such establishments. Eventually, Hindemith learned the rudiments of all the instruments that mattered, so he could play them at least passably-- but he was surely a virtuoso at his viola and viola d’amore.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eventually, Hindemith ended up at the Frankfurt Conservatory, where he studied his music performance under the tutelage of people like Arnold Mendelssohn. While there, Hindemith showed increasing interest in the field of composition-- he began writing in earnest around the time he completed his courses at the Conservatory, and began establishing himself in the music culture through chamber music and expressionistic opera.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul landed a pretty major job in the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra... he was first concertmaster, and then conductor over the years 1915-1923. After this, he founded his Amar String Quartet, for which he was violist-- the group became pretty celebrated and performed successfully throughout Europe. It’s agreed that 1921 was when Hindemith began to come into his own, and emerge as well-known into the world as a composer and performer. Hindemith appeared regularly at the Donaueschingen Festival starting that year, and in 1922-24 his Chamber Works were performed at the Salzburg Festival (which I assume was a fairly big deal at the time).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Up until about 1925, Hindemith was pretty conventional, going along more or less complacently with the musical norms of his time. But in 1925, he came out with â€Å"Kammermusik†, his first openly atonal composition. The piece was representative of new ideas, and roused lots of talk when it was performed at the Venice Festival of the International Society of Contemporary Music. Before he knew it, Paul was a sort of pioneer, a figurehead of the advancing frontier in â€Å"Modern Music†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ah-- during these years of his life, Hindemith was working as a professor of Composition at the Berlin Hochschule.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was around 1934 that Hindemith started having some trouble with the Nazis. For one, they didn’t like his music. In fact, Alfred Rosenberg, who was Chief of Nazi Foreign Affairs, said his musics were the â€Å"foulest perversions of German music.† Obviously, the Nazis gave his career

Innocence in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne :: John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" explores the beauty of a child's innocence in a time of war: Bruno, an eight year old boy at the time of the war, is completely oblivious to the atrocities of the war around him - even with a father who is a Nazi commandant. The title of the book is evidence to this - Bruno perceives the concentration camp uniforms as "striped pajamas." Further evidence is the misnomers "the Fury," (the Furher) and "Out-With" (Auschwitz). Bruno and Shmuel, the boy he meets from Auschwitz, share a great deal in common but perhaps what is most striking is the childhood innocence which characterizes both boys. Bruno is unaware that his father is a Nazi commandant and that his home is on ther periphery of Auschwitz. Shmuel, imprisoned in the camp, seems not to understand the severity of his situation. When his father goes missing, Shmuel does not understand that he has gone to the gas chamber. However, there is another facet to this beauty: "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise" - so says Thomas Gray. In reference to this novel, it means that the people that lived in the vicinity of the concentration camp claimed to not know what was going on in the camp, so they could be "blissfully ignorant" of the Holocaust happening around them. This means that they did not have to live with the guilt of knowing what was going on and not doing anything. That is why they would be called "blissful". The quote means that if we are ignorant of something, we don't have to deal with it and are therefore happy. Remote African tribes, for example, are ignorant of the terrible wars going on elsewhere on their continent. So, they are happy. They are ignorant, and they are blissful. In the modern world, there are few places where this situation exists anymore, however. So, too, in World War II. We didn't have the Internet then, but there were other ways to find out what was going on in Nazi Germany. Do you think it is feasible that the Germans did not know what was going on? Do you think they were "blissful" because they were ignorant of the situation? A lot of them tried to claim this after the war was over. "We didn't know!" Most people do not buy this. How could they not know? Come on! The stench of burning bodies was everywhere.

Joseph Stalin :: essays research papers

Joseph Stalin became leader of the USSR after Lenin’s death in 1924. Lenin had a government of abstemious communist government. When Stalin came into government he moved to a radical communist society. He moved away from the somewhat capitalist/communist economy of Lenin time to â€Å"modernize† the USSR. He wanted to industrialize and modernize USSR. He had overworked his workers, his people were dying, and most of them in slave labor camps. In fact by doing this Stalin had hindered the USSR and put them even farther back in time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a dictator Stalin was very strict about his policies, especially working. For instance. Stalin had set quotas very high , as they were very unrealistic. The workers had very long days, and under the rule of Stalin most people worked many hours in overtime, and resulting in no pay. Stalin treated workers very, very harshly. Those who did not work were exiled to Siberia or killed. Some may say you got what you deserved in Stalin’s time. Those who worked very hard for Stalin sometimes got bonuses such as trips, or goods likes televisions and refrigerators. The workers had to conform to Stalin’s policies . Stalin’s harsh treatment of workers received a very unwelcoming response, but in fact the liberal amount of goods that the workers had made, had in fact boosted the USSR’s economy. Therefore Stalin had created a country which seemed corrupt at the time, but later on it improved by the hard work Stalin had forced upon them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Stalin became leader of the USSR the quality of life and standard of living dropped considerably. For instance the people had no personal freedom. Meaning that they had to worship Stalin as all other religions had been abolished and most churches had been demolished. The people who went into those churches that were left standing were arrested or punished otherwise. Soon there were food shortages. Somewhere between 1932 and 1933 over 6 million people died of starvation. This was the greatest man made famine in history. The famine came as a result of Stalin’s unrealistic goals . Also, people had poor family lives. Abortions came a dime a dozen as did divorces. Wedding rings were banned. There was insufficient housing, as some people had to live in tents. This may be because of workers not working hard enough. Maybe if the workers worked harder they could have received better housing.

A Speech of Health Essay

Hello students, faculty, members of the school board, Superintendent, and parents. When I was first told that I was going to be the speaker for graduation, I was overcome. I was overcome with pride and excitement, as I’m sure we all are today as we close this chapter on our lives, but most of all, I was overcome with a feeling. A feeling that I have fooled you all into electing a Canadian to speak on this very important occasion. (Canadian Accent) I bet about now, you are all finally realizing just what it is you’ve done, eh? But it’s too late, eh? I can’t be stopped†¦. (Drape Canadian flag over top of podium) The rich history of Canada is a very long and interesting one. One that begins in the early years of. †¦ (Trail off and give a moment of thought)† **remove flag† or better yet have someone do it for you. ) Seriously though, after I got over my initial reaction, I realized that this was going to be a very difficult undertaking. So I did what any teen-age boy would do in a similar situation. I turn to my friends! see more:welcome speech for sports day I received two pieces of advice that not only helped me with the situation at hand, but I feel will be the predominant source of motivation for the next big step in my life and everything that follows thereafter. These two pieces of advice were. (Hold up palms with numbers inked on them) No. 1: Don’t Screw up! No. 2: Be Funny! Obviously after these two gems of advice, I was prepared to write a stunning and powerful speech that will remain with every one of us till the day we die. Or at least until one of the real speakers come up here and says something meaningful. It’s hard to believe that we’ll all be leaving this place finally. It is even harder to believe that from now on, we’re going to pretty much have to fend for ourselves. I think that whether we know it or not, we’ve gained a lot of the tools that we’ll need to make it out there, right here at Welch. Personally, I’ve learned some of the most important messages of my life within these hallowed halls. I’ve learned that it’s important to walk the road less traveled, because after a while, running down freshman in the packed hallways just loses some of its appeal. I’ve learned that no matter how good an idea may seem at the time, sometimes a giant metal dollar sundial that never sees the sun, could possibly be a bad idea! I’ve learned the importance of sticking strong to your ideals and not giving in to peer pressure, because we have to be ourselves, we have to think with our own mind! (look over at Mr.  Quinn) Is that good Quinn? Is, is that all right? Oh, ok. And no matter who’s doing it! Dammit! We will NOT CHEER! Finally, and probably most importantly, from the ever vigilant and all knowing administration, I’ve learned that a girl’s belly button is a dangerous and powerful thing that should be covered, feared, contained, kept from the world, for the good of all people everywhere. If you are able to decipher any sort of message out of what I’m saying today at all, it should be that life shouldn’t be taken so seriously. When we’re all off in college, or working at our jobs, or still living off of our parents, and we look back on our lives here at E-W, we’re not going to remember the tests we aced, or the classes we took, or the endless nights in front of a computer screen. But instead we’re going to remember the good times we had, the parties, the laughs we shared, but most of all, we’ll remember the people we knew. I was once told that you’re only as good as the people that you surround yourself with. Well, there is not a higher caliber of people that I would rather surround myself with then you all sitting in front of me today. I am proud to say that I was a part of the Welch Class of 2006. Don’t ever forget where you came from, and always remember all of the great and unique people that you shared your four years with, and when we all come back and see each other again for our 20-year reunion, there are going to be all sorts of surprises. By that time Charlie Guo will probably be ruling the world with an iron fist, Katherine Piercy will be the new reigning arm wrestling champion of the world. Jon Goodwin will have his very own morning talk show called â€Å"Wake up with a cup of Jon†, Kamiya Woodard will be the new host of â€Å"The Weakest Link† and rename it â€Å"Man! You don’t know what you talking about! † Eunice Song will be†¦ well, let’s be honest, there really isn’t much hope for Eunice, (turn to Eunice) Eunice I guess you should have just tried a little harder. The entire cheerleading squad will find a permanent role on the â€Å"Young and The Restless†, when the director is surprised to find that intense daytime drama comes surprisingly easy to them. Finally, as I’ve been saying for four years now, we’ll all be shaking the hand of our President of the United States†¦. Steve Brown. If you don’t remember a single word of what I’ve said up here today, just remember this: Jobs, houses, money, and success will all come and go, but the one thing that nobody can ever take away from you are the good times and good friends you have had here at E-W. So in closing, I only have one more thing to say, on request from Blair Hanberg, I leave you all with â€Å"MEOW! â€Å"

Federal programs Essay

Throughout the twentieth century, Congress has established a great number of federal programs administered by agencies within the Executive Branch. Through this process of a wide-ranging allocation of authority to the executive Branch, Congress has assisted in creating a massive Federal Bureaucracy. The relationship of Congress to the Executive Branch today must therefore be seen in terms of its relation to this Bureaucracy, as well as its relation to the Presidency. In order to gain some control over the operations of the various agencies which had been established within the Executive Branch, in 1946 congress began to develop a sequence of configurations and procedures designed to manage the Administration. This process was also known as congressional oversight. There are several methods through which congressional misunderstanding operations take place: the committee process, congressional administrative offices, casework, as well as a number of administrative practices. Where the congressional oversight functions take place, there are three types of committees: authorizations committees, appropriations committees, and governmental operations committees. The first type of committee is the functional committee which initially establishes or authorizes the program or agency. In the case of a military program, this would be the Armed Services Committees in both chambers. ‘In the case of an urban program, this would be the Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee in the House and the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in the Senate. Similarly, each program area within the Federal Bureaucracy is related to at least one specific substantive standing committee in each chamber of Congress. ’ (Issa, 2011) In attempting to follow the oversight activities through these authorization committees, a number of complications are often encountered. One of these is the result from the fact that a particular governmental agency may fall within the authority of several different practical committees or subcommittees. As a result, the agency may play ‘one committee or subcommittee against the other in order to achieve those results in Congress which tend to benefit the agency the most. (Office of The Law Revision Counsel, 2012) Another problem is that a committee which establishes a program is often too involved with the outcome of its own efforts to be willing to investigate adequately the operations of the program it has initiated. One of the most substantial places where an amount of oversight activity takes place is in the appropriations process. The budget for an agency must be approved anew each year. ’ One might assume that this yearly appropriations process would lead to a careful annual inspection of the budgets of all the various governmental agencies. (Issa, 2011) This is not the case. The federal budget is so great and compound that it is impossible to consider carefully the budget of each agency and program on a year-to-year basis. What happens instead is that budgets are often routinely approved from year to year with general reviews only occurring sporadically. In addition, many agencies develop quite close relationships with the subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees which spe cifically deal with their agency. These agencies are therefore often able to abstract some special favors from these particular appropriations subcommittees. The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Governmental Reform were initially established to manage congressional concern over governmental processes. Thus, many see these committees as an ideal place for maintaining congressional observation over the activities of the vast Bureaucracy located within the Executive Branch. However, because of jurisdictional differences and because of the hesitancy of most representatives and senators to provide for satisfactory independent oversight activities, the efforts of these governmental operations committees have been quite restricted. The three administrative offices within Congress are used to some extent in the congressional oversight process. The General Accounting Office, The GAO has the accountability, not simply for performing accounting audits, but also for judging how various programs are being managed. In other words, the GAO often performs the task of program assessment. The GAO plays a significant role in congressional oversight. The Congressional Research Service, while preparing reports and studies to assist members of Congress, the CRS sometimes includes some information on the activities and routines of various governmental agencies. This is another important source of oversight information for members of Congress. The Congressional Budget Office gathers information on the budgets of the various governmental agencies and to report on new budgetary requirements and propositions that are made through the Executive Branch’s Office of Management and Budget. Budgetary information is an extremely important source of data upon which the various congressional committees can judge the effectiveness of specific governmental programs. Granting, the information gathered by the CBO may seem to permit for substantial congressional oversight, the fact is that it is the agencies that often use this informational link for their own purposes in pursuing their requests for additional funding directly to the congressional committee, instead of directing all their communications through the OMB. This short circuits the use of the OMB as one of the President’s management tools. Efficiency, from an overall standpoint, we can see that these three congressional offices. The General Accounting Office, the Congressional Research Services, and the Congressional Budget Office combined with the staffs of individual congresspersons and senators and the staffs of congressional committees are able to supply our national legislators with vast amounts of information and evaluations of governmental activities. ‘In fact, the United States Congress has available to it one of the most extensive research staffs of any national legislature in the world. ’ (Issa, 2011) Nevertheless, the availability of information and study alone is not sufficient for effective congressional oversight. The desire to follow through on this available information is another necessary ingredient and it is this ingredient which is often lacking. Many times congressional oversight is limited by the worries of various congressional committees and subcommittees over their particular jurisdictions and in a substantial number of instances, the burdens of organized special interests also interfere with the ability or wishes of members of Congress to significantly oversee governmental operations. Aside from these problems, there are also the boundaries of time. Congresspersons are loaded with extremely dense schedules. They have a large number of often conflicting responsibilities to perform. Representatives and senators must therefore place priorities on the use of their time. Often oversight activities lose in this shamble of priorities to legislative activities, to the creation of new programs to deal with current problems, and to casework concerns. Representatives and senators, themselves, do not usually become directly involved in much casework or fundamental services. It is their staff that deals with these matters. However, representatives and senators are usually informed by their staffs of many of these problems, and it is through these specific interactions that these legislators often get the most intense impression as to the effectiveness of many governmental programs. Casework thus provides an important source of direct, specific information which proves very useful in congressional oversight activities. Congress has also passed some major reforms and reconnoitered a number of major legislative techniques, many of which have had the effect of enlightening congressional oversight. Sunshine Laws. During the 1970s, Congress attempted to open up many facets of governmental operations to the general public. This was done through the Freedom of Information Act and the â€Å"Government in Sunshine† Act. By making information more broadly available to the public, these acts also increase the amount of information available to Congress. The Congressional Veto. Very often Congress passes rather broad pieces of legislation. It is then up to specific agencies to fill in the details of these laws, both with regard to the building of governmental agencies and the processes which they follow. One might note for example that while Congress passes general tax laws, the details of the regulations regarding the payment of federal taxes is to be found not in the tax law itself but rather in the Internal Revenue Code which is developed by the Internal Revenue Service, which is an executive agency. The problem that were presented by the executive agencies developing a great many regulations or codes is that the only way Congress is able to affect these details is through the passage of new legislative acts. As we have seen, this is often a burdensome and prolonged process. In order to avoid this, Congress now writes into some authorization bills requirements for a congressional veto. According to this procedure, when an agency disseminates rules filling in the details of congressional legislation, Congress automatically has the power within a specific time period to veto some of these rules and to demand that the agency fill in the details in a different way. The important thing is that Congress can do this without having to go through the process of passing a new law. Although this procedure is rarely used, it does offer the prospective for a far greater legislative control over the procedures by which the Bureaucracy operates. Sunset Legislation. In starting governmental programs or agencies, Congress usually sets no time limit on the functioning of the program or agency. Since the 1970s, a practice developed by which Congress authorizes the existence of a program or agency for only a inadequate amount of time. In other words, Congress specifies a date by which the agency or program will conclude to function. In order for the agency to continue its operations after that time, a new bill must be passed allowing its continued existence for another specified period of time. This practice is obviously intended to avert the continued existence of agencies or programs which no longer meet a legitimate need or which fail to meet a legitimate need effectively. A dissimilarity on sunset legislation is the procedure of annual authorization. According to this procedure, the continued existence of governmental agency must be approved on a year-to-year basis. While this practice obviously creates tremendous difficulties in the ability of such an agency to engage in long-term planning, it does suggestively increase the potential effectiveness of congressional control. ‘Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB). Zero Based Budgeting is a technique through which administrators must carefully justify their entire agencies’ budgets. Zero based budgeting requires a continual top-to-bottom assessment of all agencies’ programs designed to insure their cost effectiveness. ’ (Issa, 2011) We can see that many structures and techniques have been developed to allow Congress to be more effective in its oversight activities. However, jurisdictional disputes and pressures from various well organized special interests continue to prevent these new techniques and sources of information from being used effectively. In many occurrences, the actual nature and effect of government policy depends less on the actions of our elected officials than it does on the activities of non-elected bureaucrats who often remain totally immune from the pressures of the general public–although not necessarily from those of well-organized special interests. One of the major political issues determining our national future is the question of how well our government is able to represent effectively the needs and desires of the American people. As we have noted, the role of Congress as a representative of the people was one of the most important functions of this â€Å"first branch† of government envisioned by the Founders when they drafted the Constitution. However, the many new needs which our national government has had to meet in this century have placed this role of representation under great stress.