Issues in Nuclear Power

Issues in Nuclear Power Dear Sir, I have read your article, The Truth About Nuclear Power. Your ideas and opinions hold much significance and are compelling. You describe Nuclear energy as dirty, dangerous, expensive, un-sustainable, prone-to-terrorism and impractical. However, I would like to present my personal concepts and sentiments on the topic which might negate your proposals. To start, life is motion; and everything that tends to move has an inherent property to emit energy in some way. Mankind has been trying to utilize, conserve and generate this very energy for years. And while many sources of energy are being used, the concept of self-sustaining energy source is still very much theoretical. The dire need of a superior source of energy rose and Nuclear Energy was discovered in the quest. The first concern you mention is that of Nuclear Power being dirty. To my knowledge, Nuclear Power is perhaps the most refined method to generate power. No doubt nuclear power has the disadvantage of giving off radioactive waste to some extent but that is really all that is harmful about it. Over 94% of this waste is low-level waste, possessing no harmful effects of any kind. Only 6% of the total waste is considered high-level waste as it still holds a significant amount of energy. This is either re-used for further power production or is kept in a concealed environment until it loses all its energy and converts into an inert element. As far as emissions are concerned, power produced through Nuclear Energy emits 15 grams of Carbon Dioxide per Kilo-Watt-Hour (kWhr) of electricity. Coal in contrast, produces an immense 900 grams of Carbon Dioxide per kWhr, highest in the category. Furthermore, the estimated mortality rate globally through coal is 100,000 deaths per Trillion kWhr. Oil being second in list, claiming 36,000 lives. Biofuel and Hydroelectric power being third and fourth with 24,000 and 14,000 deaths per Trillion kWhr, respectively. Meanwhile, nuclear power claims fewer than 23 lives per trillion kWhr globally. This is self-explanatory. Besides, virtually every fossil fuel involves a combustion process. This produces gases that are far more brutal than the radiations produced through nuclear power. The second concern of yours is mining. The mining process for oil requires excavating at least 6,000 feet. Uranium, the most common element used in nuclear power, requires about 1,900 feet on average. Natural gas can be as deep as 15,000 feet in some areas. As more Radon gas is given-off as you go deeper down the Earth; this makes Uranium safest to mine. Another reason for fossil fuels being more precarious to mine is the sheer quantity in which they are required. For comparison, it takes 17,000 kg of coal to produce the same amount of energy as 1kg of Uranium-235. This results in much less mining needed which ultimately, results in less radiation exposure. Next is the concern of safety. No doubt that there have been three major nuclear disasters in the past but none of them were as catastrophic as they were portrayed. The worse of them was the Chernobyl incident. Despite the reactors meltdown caused substantial amount of radiation leakage, only two deaths occurred due to radiations. Furthermore, Chernobyl was the result of inadequate experience and a human flaw. It dates back to 1986, when nuclear power was new to the world and there were not much expertise in the field. A like calamity is almost outlandish to happen now. The Three Mile Island reactor meltdown in 1979, was also a human error. It caused no harm to the residents or the workers and no deaths occurred. Additionally, the Fukushima incident was merely a natural disaster as it was struck by an atrocious earthquake followed by a cataclysmic tsunami; although, no deaths occurred due to the radiation leakage. This elucidates that natural disasters can cause catastrophes but the effect would not only be on nuclear facilities. An example is the Sayano-Shushenskaya accident in Russia which caused 75 immediate deaths. A larger incident occurred in 1975 when The Banqiao Reservoir Dam was hit by typhoon, Nina. This caused a stupendous death toll of nearly 171,000 people and displaced another 11 million. Your fourth concern is the security of nuclear facilities. To begin, nuclear plants now are robustly designed and are resilient against even the strongest blows. Furthermore, state-of-art security measures and technology is used to protect the facilities and top-notch counter-terrorism forces and weaponry is provided. All of this is commanded by the federal government itself. Moreover, in an unlikely occasion of an attack, the facilities can shut-down themselves. And even if the Uranium is stolen by any means, it cannot be used to make nukes so simply as it involves extensive enrichment and use of expensive technology. Lastly, you have commented on the expense of nuclear energy. Energy from coal costs 9 cents per kWh and 16 cents per kWh from solar. Nuclear energy meanwhile, costs just 4 cents per kWh. Moreover, solar power hinges-on weather conditions, far more than nuclear energy. In a few hundred words, this is my personal reasoning, of why I believe that a nation should hold onto its nuclear programs and continue developing them. While many people deem it dangerous and unnecessary, I for one, think that it is a need for todays world and living. Yes, I agree that it needs strict, well defined protocols to function and it must stay out of wrong hands, but if done correctly, it is one of the greatest achievements for a nation. Yours sincerely, Abdul Rafay.

The degradation of women

The degradation of women In society, females are degraded and denied the dignity and respect that men receive. For generations (and especially in under-developed countries) women have been denied access to equal opportunities, in cases of reading, writing, voting, family decision-making and career development. This inequality has been facilitated by cultural, religious and political barriers, and historically, women have been considered as the weaker sex, incapable of making rational and abstract decisions. Barriers to opportunities and sexist assumptions have caused women to become slaves within the male-dominated society. The equality of women vary across countries and cultures, as an example: in Arab countries, with high levels of Islam, women are denied access to leadership, management, and political positions, and, in turn, misrepresenting and denying them from decision-making processes. In China, the top political positions are choked with males. These traditions endanger females to male manipulation and control, limiting their opportunities. This affects women on an individual basis, and on the macro, societal environment, as they are unable to contribute to their families or wider circumstances. It is contended that the status of women must change, to be granted equal opportunities. This assessment will analyze The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Attwood, discussing the socio-political sphere of female inequality, and its relation to contemporary society. Overview of Topic In The Handmaids Tale, Attwood presents a dystopian world in which women are subjected to a variety of horrific treatments. Women are denied access to reading and writing and allowed only certain hobbies, such as gardening.   They are attached to men, and considered objects for child production, and expected to be loyal and submissive to their male counterparts, or masters, being rebellious is considered a serious crime with serious repercussions. Women have designated roles, dependent on their age, social status and ability to have children, placed into roles such as Wives, Handmaids, Jezebels and Marthas. The book takes place in the Republic of Gilead, which promotes male chauvinism and female degradation. The society in religious based, where values placed on the women are on the basis of their ability to reproduce. In this novel, the ideas of feminism have been warped. The new, religious political order dislikes the freedom of females, especially in areas of sex and contraception. The order believes that sex for pleasure, rather than reproduction, has led to infertility, and believes women are no longer treated with respect.   In contemporary society, feminism and female activism have increased, to afford the rights and privileges of women and remove the degradation of men. This has given women access to equal opportunities in a variety of aspects, including employment, healthcare, and education. The removal of the patriarchal society will benefit the community.   Discussion In Attwoods book, the decreased birth rates has presumably come from social and environmental degradation, the after-effect of dangerous gases. In a time of fear, and no children, a military coup and presidential killing led to a new state, that took control on womens bodies. Divorces were considered null, and females were unable to have bank accounts, hold jobs, vote, or read. They were denied their independence, and their social status was changed to be based on their husband’s monetary value, or their own reproductive value. This tale represents the importance of female independence, and the value that objects and activities hold to their independence. Including education, rights, property ownership, contraceptive decision making and child custody. The right to be educated is one of the most important aspects of female equality. Education allows them to contribute to society, and gain independence. According to Wollstonecraft, the degradation of women stems from the assumption that they are weak, irrational, and incapable of abstract thought. Education will empower women to make rational and abstract decisions, changing society to consider women as equal. Education will enable women to play a critical and dignified role in society, eliminating the male-dominated stereotype that women are incapable of making important decisions. Another way that women will avoid being degraded in the society is by being well prepared role models who give a dignified and respectful education to their children and this is attributed to the fact that women are the main educators and up bringers of most children in the society as cop0atredto the male counterparts. Women from the primary educators of young children thus by women having a relevant level of education on the family matters and the roles they play in the society modeling skills will give them the best opportunity to offer dignified and respectful service to the society countering the traditional thinking that women are not good role models. Biased thought which was based on the fact that women were less educated and would give falsified information while educating the youngsters. Based on the past experience women have been neglected when it comes to education opportunities and that has made men to stereotype women as toys and objects to be used by men to satisfy the needs of male ego resulting in the degradation of the value of women in the society for generations. Therefore by women getting the expected level of education on family matters especially on upbringing and making correct choices will dignify their inevitable and necessary contribution to the growth and development of the society as a whole. In the traditional setting women had been taught from infancy that beauty is a womans sceptre and this has made their minds to shape themselves to the body imprisoning women from achieving the best of themselves in the society. They have been made to be rational companions to their husbands who solely focus on the outward accomplishments limiting their complete participation and contribution to the society and this ideology has made women to be degraded based on the stereotypic male performance in the society, thus educating women to certain levels of understating will boost their dignity and respect as they will be able to have enough resources that will yield more contribution of women into societal realms. Women should get the most perfect education that boosts their understanding strengthening both the body and their hearts; this will render them independent both ideally and philosophically hence able to earn respect and dignity from the society as they have the necessary elements of knowledge that promotes the cementing of the society. In the Handmaids tale women are seen to have a deeper sense of attachment beyond what men is able to see. For instance Offred when interacting with Moira and the wife of the commander, talking about her daughter and her mother she constantly shows the implication that women connect more deeply rather than just a casual interaction. This illustration brings in the concept of sensibility in women which I think if well considered will increase the dignity and respect that is accorded to women in the modern society. This is simply because women as a whole unit should be able to come together and inform each other on the best way forward in the society instead of depending so much on their feelings in making irrational decisions that leads them to being degraded. In the novel Handmaids tale the wife of the commander reports the handmaid to the eyes or the police to be punished possibly by death because she became jealous after finding out the dress that her husband had given to the handmaid while they visited the secret lounge where jezebels entertained the state officials. Her decision was made based on her feelings instead of thinking and such kind of habit results to women being degraded their dignity especially in the eyes of the society and men. Therefore in order for women to gain dignity and respect they must corporate as one unit in tackling the issues that affect them for example in the handmaids tale the wife of the commander secretly cooperates with the handmaid in making her sleep with the commanders chauffeur so that both women dont get expelled to the colonies and sure enough it worked quiet swell. Hence in the modern society when women act and consult each other with respect and sense instead of letting their feeling to control them will be able to be dignified and respected more in the society (Wollstonecraft, 89). In addition to that for women to be dignified they should consider themselves as equal entities when it comes to representation especially in the political circles where they will be able to contribute to decisions made by the politicians regarding the society at large. Thus by women ensuring they attain certain representation in the leadership realms they will be able to be involved in the decision-making process e.g. on gender rights. Such involvement will ensure that women get their deserved dignity in the society rather than being degraded simply because they dont have a say in everything that greatly affect them. This is seen in the handmaids tale in the Gilead era where women have no rights to voting and leadership except serving as reproductive objects. In the modern world women especially in the totalitarian regimes like in Arab countries degrades women through their leadership and political tactics as they restrict women in participating in political and leadership making them less of human beings and more of objects. Therefore by women increasing their involvement in leadership and political participation they will be able to be dignified and respected as equal human beings. Another level in which I think when women attain they will not be degraded is the issues that regard career and professionalism. Most women in the past generations have been believed to do best as housewives and servants of their families. In the handmaids tale women are categorized based on the services the do in the society e.g. the hand maids, house wives, jezebels and aunts. Such categorizing of women and stereotyping imply that they can only perform as subordinates; for example in the novel women are seen as people to be led by men. The element of women being left behind in career choice and performance for instance by taking the traditionally so called manly courses like sciences has made them victims of degradation (Wollstonecraft, 89). Therefore by women taking charge of their profession by choosing classy careers like medicine and law they will be able to earn themselves dignity and respect just as men do because their misrepresentation in the manly careers has made them to be viewed as a weaker sex incapable of being accorded dignity and respect. In the handmaids tale women are seen to be used as objects for the fulfillment of mens needs like sexual and reproductive benefits. The handmaids are basically used to give birth to children for the commanders and the elites in the Gilead society. In the modern society women have been degraded because they are not economically and financially independent thus often get married to depend on men for provision of basic needs and this habit has made them to be degraded as dependable. Thus by women using education and their careers to attain financial freedom will reduce their dependency on men in the society which will in turn earn them dignity and respect as they dont depend men to sustain their lives hence they can make personal decisions regarding the best choices for their lives. In Gilead era women were the subjects of men and had no right to any profession for instance the televangelist whose career in the pre-Gilead era made her a dignified woman the society was striped off making her to be handmaid who was regularly controlled by the males as she was made dependent. Without a respectable career and independence women become less dignified and render them as a weaker sex in the society (Atwood, 123). For women to be dignified and respected in the society they should be able to be involved in the making of family decisions. This include issues of child birth, property ownership, rights to divorce, child care, access to contraceptives and family panning methods, abortion issues and the issues of polygamy. In handmaids tale women were owned by men making them their property e.g. Offred was owned by Fred and she was responsible for keeping birth to children for Fred and they didnt contribute to such decision, also the monthly sex ritual was purely mans decision and Offred distasted it as it violated her natural rights and degraded both her and the wife of Fred. In the modern society women especially those unaware of their natural regarding family decisions have been forced to polygamy, having many children and even denied justice regarding decision making on family rights and equality. Such has made them to be degraded in the society and therefore by women attaining certain level of understanding of their rights on family decisions they will be able to be accorded more dignity and respect by the society especially the men because they can use the legal means to get justice anytime their dignity has been suppressed unfairly. The more women get involved in the making of family decision the more dignity they will be able to acquire.Overview of Topic Contrary to the modern world, In Handmaid tale by Margaret Attwood its clear that in her dystopian world women are subjected to horrific treatments at all level of the society in that women are not allowed to read any of writing like magazines and tabloids, think, play mind games like scrabble, create things of their own abilities like gardening. Instead they are denied opportunities that would otherwise liberate them from the mens enslavery hence becoming vulnerable to be used as property and objects my men. In addition to that women are not supposed to be talking or even act in a rebellious way towards men instead they are expected by the society to be loyal and submissive to the men domino in the state. In the novel women have the chief role of concentrating in ensuring that they achieve their designated roles based on their levels of castes eh as wives, hand maids, Jezebels and Marthas. All the happenings experienced in the republic of Gilead are attributed to a pervasive, physic al as well as social degradation in the pre-Gilead era that made men to change the societal and political policies to degrade women dignity and promote male chauvinism in the state. All the treatment accorded to women in the Gilead era are supposedly intended to show the value of women and increase their dignity in the society after it was heavily degraded in the pre-Gilead era. In the Gilead era women have their values charged based on their abilities to use sex for reproduction purpose rather than for leisure. In the modern world there has been an increased attention towards feminism and other female activism that had seen women accorded much rights and privileges which made them to be degraded in the society my men. This is mainly attributed to the increased levels of radical feminism that has depicted men as the cause of most of womens problems and suffering yet in reality women have increasing degraded as a result of the after math of the intensifying feminism in the pre-Gilead society. Out of the attention given to women affairs they have been enable to easily access contraceptives, abortion services and use of sex for pleasure leading to reduced population in the state. According to the Gilead generation such feminism had led to women being used by women as sex objects and property and therefore the new state was targeting at offering women with their lost dignity and respect. In the modern society women activism and feminism has increased and spread its effects to the more conservative and traditional societies empowering women to know their natural rights making them to carry out a revolution against the past injustices against them in the society. This has seen women access equal opportunities in alls aspects of life and more informed generation of women who sufficiently contribute to the growth and development of the society initially dominated by degrading men. Discussion In handmaids tale the result of decreased birth rates was presumably because of social and environmental degradation during the pre-Gilead era which led to coup that formed new state that took control of women bodies and used them chiefly for reproduction purposes. In attaining their goals the state denied women privileges of voting, reading, holding property and anything else that would make them independent and empowered thus promoting the mens ability to undermine their dignity. Therefore in the modern society its clear that women have to attain some level of various things in order to be dignified in the society. Some of these thing that women need to attain I order not to be degraded include being, educated, aware of their rights, regarding both state and family issues like birth, abortion, property ownership, child custody and decision making processes in issues that affects them. For a woman to be respected and dignified in the modern society one of the things that women should attain is their rights to be educated rationally thus giving them an opportunity of making a full contribution to societies they come from. According to Wollstonecraft women have been degraded by their societies simply because they have been assumed that they are weak beings who are not able to make rational or even abstract thought about the society. Therefore for them to be seen as equal beings who can contribute to the development of the society just as the way men do, they should attain certain level of education that will serve to empower them to make rational and abstract decisions that will steer their societies ahead thus making them to be respected and dignified as human beings. Therefore by women getting the appropriate education and training they will be able to play a critical and dignified role in the society which helps in eliminating the male stereotypic thinking that wo men are incapable of making societal decisions. When women get educated they are capable of thinking and acting as men contrary to the traditional assumption and hence success in the society resulting from educated women will help to reverse the biased thinking thus giving them a deserved dignity and respect from all quarters of the society. Another way that women will avoid being degraded in the society is by being well prepared role models who give a dignified and respectful education to their children and this is attributed to the fact that women are the main educators and up bringers of most children in the society as cop0atredto the male counterparts. Women from the primary educators of young children thus by women having a relevant level of education on the family matters and the roles they play in the society modeling skills will give them the best opportunity to offer dignified and respectful service to the society countering the traditional thinking that women are not good role models. Biased thought which was based on the fact that women were less educated and would give falsified information while educating the youngsters. Based on the past experience women have been neglected when it comes to education opportunities and that has made men to stereotype women as toys and objects to be used by men to satisfy the needs of male ego resulting in the degradation of the value of women in the society for generations. Therefore by women getting the expected level of education on family matters especially on upbringing and making correct choices will dignify their inevitable and necessary contribution to the growth and development of the society as a whole. In the traditional setting women had been taught from infancy that beauty is a womans sceptre and this has made their minds to shape themselves to the body imprisoning women from achieving the best of themselves in the society. They have been made to be rational companions to their husbands who solely focus on the outward accomplishments limiting their complete participation and contribution to the society and this ideology has made women to be degraded based on the stereotypic male performance in the society, thus educating women to certain levels of understating will boost their dignity and respect as they will be able to have enough resources that will yield more contribution of women into societal realms. Women should get the most perfect education that boosts their understanding strengthening both the body and their hearts; this will render them independent both ideally and philosophically hence able to earn respect and dignity from the society as they have the necessary element s of knowledge that promotes the cementing of the society. In the Handmaids tale women are seen to have a deeper sense of attachment beyond what men is able to see. For instance Offred when interacting with Moira and the wife of the commander, talking about her daughter and her mother she constantly shows the implication that women connect more deeply rather than just a casual interaction. This illustration brings in the concept of sensibility in women which I think if well considered will increase the dignity and respect that is accorded to women in the modern society. This is simply because women as a whole unit should be able to come together and inform each other on the best way forward in the society instead of depending so much on their feelings in making irrational decisions that leads them to being degraded. In the novel Handmaids tale the wife of the commander reports the handmaid to the eyes or the police to be punished possibly by death because she became jealous after finding out the dress that her husband had given to the handmaid while they visited the secret lounge where jezebels entertained the state officials. Her decision was made based on her feelings instead of thinking and such kind of habit results to women being degraded their dignity especially in the eyes of the society and men. Therefore in order for women to gain dignity and respect they must corporate as one unit in tackling the issues that affect them for example in the handmaids tale the wife of the commander secretly cooperates with the handmaid in making her sleep with the commanders chauffeur so that both women dont get expelled to the colonies and sure enough it worked quiet swell. Hence in the modern society when women act and consult each other with respect and sense instead of letting their feeling to control them will be able to be dignified and respected more in the society (Wollstonecraft, 89). In addition to that for women to be dignified they should consider themselves as equal entities when it comes to representation especially in the political circles where they will be able to contribute to decisions made by the politicians regarding the society at large. Thus by women ensuring they attain certain representation in the leadership realms they will be able to be involved in the decision-making process e.g. on gender rights. Such involvement will ensure that women get their deserved dignity in the society rather than being degraded simply because they dont have a say in everything that greatly affect them. This is seen in the handmaids tale in the Gilead era where women have no rights to voting and leadership except serving as reproductive objects. In the modern world women especially in the totalitarian regimes like in Arab countries degrades women through their leadership and political tactics as they restrict women in participating in political and leadership making th em less of human beings and more of objects. Therefore by women increasing their involvement in leadership and political participation they will be able to be dignified and respected as equal human beings. Another level in which I think when women attain they will not be degraded is the issues that regard career and professionalism. Most women in the past generations have been believed to do best as housewives and servants of their families. In the handmaids tale women are categorized based on the services the do in the society e.g. the hand maids, house wives, jezebels and aunts. Such categorizing of women and stereotyping imply that they can only perform as subordinates; for example in the novel women are seen as people to be led by men. The element of women being left behind in career choice and performance for instance by taking the traditionally so called manly courses like sciences has made them victims of degradation (Wollstonecraft, 89). Therefore by women taking charge of their profession by choosing classy careers like medicine and law they will be able to earn themselves dignity and respect just as men do because their misrepresentation in the manly careers has made them to be viewed as a weaker sex incapable of being accorded dignity and respect. In the handmaids tale women are seen to be used as objects for the fulfillment of mens needs like sexual and reproductive benefits. The handmaids are basically used to give birth to children for the commanders and the elites in the Gilead society. In the modern society women have been degraded because they are not economically and financially independent thus often get married to depend on men for provision of basic needs and this habit has made them to be degraded as dependable. Thus by women using education and their careers to attain financial freedom will reduce their dependency on men in the society which will in turn earn them dignity and respect as they dont depen d men to sustain their lives hence they can make personal decisions regarding the best choices for their lives. In Gilead era women were the subjects of men and had no right to any profession for instance the televangelist whose career in the pre-Gilead era made her a dignified woman the society was striped off making her to be handmaid who was regularly controlled by the males as she was made dependent. Without a respectable career and independence women become less dignified and render them as a weaker sex in the society (Atwood, 123). For women to be dignified and respected in the society they should be able to be involved in the making of family decisions. This include issues of child birth, property ownership, rights to divorce, child care, access to contraceptives and family panning methods, abortion issues and the issues of polygamy. In handmaids tale women were owned by men making them their property e.g. Offred was owned by Fred and she was responsible for keeping birth to children for Fred and they didnt contribute to such decision, also the monthly sex ritual was purely mans decision and Offred distasted it as it violated her natural rights and degraded both her and the wife of Fred. In the modern society women especially those unaware of their natural regarding family decisions have been forced to polygamy, having many children and even denied justice regarding decision making on family rights and equality. Such has made them to be degraded in the society and therefore by women attaining certain level of understanding of their rights on family decisions they will be able to be accorded more dignity and respect by the society especially the men because they can use the legal means to get justice anytime their dignity has been suppressed unfairly. The more women get involved in the making of family decision the more dignity they will be able to acquire.

Gossip Girl Review :: essays research papers

Book Review ‘Gossip Girl’ by Cecily von Ziegesar Gossip Girl is a book for people who crave glamour, style and riches. The novel is written by Cecily von Ziegesar, a 25 year old self proclaimed gossip girl herself. She loosely bases the story on her own experiences growing up in the Upper East side of Manhattan. Gossip Girl, the novel, is set in contemporary Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York. It tells the story of a group of high school seniors whose parents happen to be some of the most glamorous people in New York and tells what their day to day lives are like. The book’s main character is Blair Waldorf. Blair is the bitchiest and coolest girl in the Upper East Side crowd. She lives her life thinking that she is in some kind of old time movie where she is the leading actress and her boyfriend, Nate, is her leading man. Blair and her close knit group of friends are the main focus of the book. Gossip Girl also talks of Serena van de Woodsen who is described as the girl all boys want and the girl all girls want to be. Serena used to be Blair’s best friend until she spent a year at boarding school. Serena discovers that Blair no longer wants to spend time with her and that Blair believes Serena is some kind of threat to her social status. Blair ignores Serena and goes out of her way to make Serena feel unwelcome on her return. An example of this is how Blair treats Serena in the cafeteria at lunchtime one day. When Serena walks in she waves at Blair (who is already seated). Blair sees her but chooses not to acknowledge her. When Serena has her food and sits down, Blair and her new friends make up excuses as to why they have to go and leave Serena sitting at the table all by herself.

The Coral Reefs Essay -- Sea Ocean Nature Wildlife Environmental Essay

The Coral Reefs Can we save â€Å"Tropical Rain Forests of the Ocean†? Anyone who’s ever scuba dived at a coral reef and seen the perfect handprint of dead coral can appreciate how fragile and delicate this ecosystem is. Coral reefs are not just rock, like some people believe, but are an animal. Corals are a type of animal called a polyp, the simplest of predators that eat meat in the form of drifting zooplankton†¦all corals have boarders, zillions of microscopic, one-celled plants called zooxanthellae that live inside the polyps and transform sunlight into oxygen, keeping the corals alive. As you will see, the corals need these algae in order to live, but too much is deadly. Coral reefs are limited to where they live. Most live in the narrow band of the equator, as they need light, the shallow near shore areas is where most coral reefs can be found. Their biological riches, though, hold value far beyond their beauty. After tropical rain forests, coral reefs may be the most biologically diverse ecosystem, holding a substantial portion of the basics of life on the planet. They form what is thought to be the most species rich ecosystem in the oceans, the crucible of life some 3,000,000,000 years ago. Covering just 0.17% of the ocean floor, an area the size of Texas, coral reefs are home to perhaps one –quarter of all marine species, earning them the title â€Å"the tropical rain forests of the Oceans.† Unfortunately, these beautiful and diverse ecosystems are in trouble from a large variety of sources. These sources being everything from natural water temperature fluctuations to being mined for building materials. One source of abuses to the coral reefs ... ...eefs helps, but does nothing to prevent runoff from pesticides and fertilizer. Many resorts educate divers about not touching the coral, but it is unrealistic to expect that the coral could not get accidentally bumped. One country could ban pollution, but if the next country doesn’t, what good does that do? It needs to be a global effort if we are to save these â€Å"tropical rain forests of the ocean.† Works Cited Butler,James N., et al. â€Å"The Bermuda Fisheries: a tragedy of the commons averted?† Environment Jan-Feb/1993/pg6+ Matsen,Bradford. â€Å"Travel to Exotic Foreign Lands! See Beautiful Coral Reefs! And Kill Them!† Mother Jones May-June/1998/:pg60+ Raloff,Janet. â€Å"Sea Sickness.† Science News Jan/1999/:pg72+ U.S. Coral Reef Task Force.www.coralreef.gov 4/23/00 Weber,Peter. â€Å"Coral Reefs face the Threat of Extinction.† USA Today May/1993/:pg62+

The Devastating Effects of Alzheimer’s Disease :: Alzheimers Disease Essays

The Devastating Effects of Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s Disease is a disorder that causes the gradual loss of brain cells that impairs memory, thinking, and behavior and leads to death. Alzheimer’s Disease is not a normal part in aging. At present there is not a cure to stop the progression of AD. There are several medications on the market now for this disease. The medications theoretically help to improve or stabilize cognitive skills for people suffering from the disease. The medications may help to delay some of the more severe symptoms associated with AD. This delay of symptoms will help the patient to remain in better mental and physical health and delay the end stages of AD. If a patient with AD can delay the end stage symptoms, the quality of their life would be greatly improved. An estimated 4.5 million Americans have AD, according to the 2000 U.S. census bureau. 1 in 10 Americans said they have a family member with the disease and 1 in 3 knows someone with the disease. The lifespan is 8 years average, but someone may survive anywhere from 3 to 20 years, states the Alzheimer’s Association. There are seven stages to Alzheimer’s disease according to the Global Classification System. The first state is no cognitive impairment. There are no memory problems evident to a health care provider. The second stage is very mild cognitive decline. There are some memory lapses, but are evident to a health care provider or friends and associates. The third stage is early-stage Alzheimer’s. Word finding problems are noticeable to family and associates, performance at work or social settings impaired, reading and not retaining the information, losing valuable objects, decline in ability to plan or organize are symptoms in this stage. The fourth stage is mild Alzheimer’s with a decreased knowledge of events, inability to count backwards from 100 by 7’s and a reduced memory of personal history. The individual with AD will be subdued and withdrawn. The fifth stage is moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The patient does not know their address, phone number, name of school they went to. They will become confused about the day, date, or season. They usually do not require assistance with eating or using the toilet. The sixth stage is moderately severe AD. The person will lose awareness of surroundings and recent experiences and will forget the names of spouse or caregiver.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Sixty-eight

Daenerys Wings shadowed her fever dreams. â€Å"You don't want to wake the dragon, do you?† She was walking down a long hall beneath high stone arches. She could not look behind her, must not look behind her. There was a door ahead of her, tiny with distance, but even from afar, she saw that it was painted red. She walked faster, and her bare feet left bloody footprints on the stone. â€Å"You don't want to wake the dragon, do you?† She saw sunlight on the Dothraki sea, the living plain, rich with the smells of earth and death. Wind stirred the grasses, and they rippled like water. Drogo held her in strong arms, and his hand stroked her sex and opened her and woke that sweet wetness that was his alone, and the stars smiled down on them, stars in a daylight sky. â€Å"Home,† she whispered as he entered her and filled her with his seed, but suddenly the stars were gone, and across the blue sky swept the great wings, and the world took flame. † . . . don't want to wake the dragon, do you?† Ser Jorah's face was drawn and sorrowful. â€Å"Rhaegar was the last dragon,† he told her. He warmed translucent hands over a glowing brazier where stone eggs smouldered red as coals. One moment he was there and the next he was fading, his flesh colorless, less substantial than the wind. â€Å"The last dragon,† he whispered, thin as a wisp, and was gone. She felt the dark behind her, and the red door seemed farther away than ever. † . . . don't want to wake the dragon, do you?† Viserys stood before her, screaming. â€Å"The dragon does not beg, slut. You do not command the dragon. I am the dragon, and I will be crowned.† The molten gold trickled down his face like wax, burning deep channels in his flesh. â€Å"I am the dragon and I will be crowned!† he shrieked, and his fingers snapped like snakes, biting at her nipples, pinching, twisting, even as his eyes burst and ran like jelly down seared and blackened cheeks. † . . . don't want to wake the dragon . . . â€Å" The red door was so far ahead of her, and she could feel the icy breath behind, sweeping up on her. If it caught her she would die a death that was more than death, howling forever alone in the darkness. She began to run. † . . . don't want to wake the dragon . . . â€Å" She could feel the heat inside her, a terrible burning in her womb. Her son was tall and proud, with Drogo's copper skin and her own silver-gold hair, violet eyes shaped like almonds. And he smiled for her and began to lift his hand toward hers, but when he opened his mouth the fire poured out. She saw his heart burning through his chest, and in an instant he was gone, consumed like a moth by a candle, turned to ash. She wept for her child, the promise of a sweet mouth on her breast, but her tears turned to steam as they touched her skin. † . . . want to wake the dragon . . . â€Å" Ghosts lined the hallway, dressed in the faded raiment of kings. In their hands were swords of pale fire. They had hair of silver and hair of gold and hair of platinum white, and their eyes were opal and amethyst, tourmaline and jade. â€Å"Faster,† they cried, â€Å"faster, faster.† She raced, her feet melting the stone wherever they touched. â€Å"Faster!† the ghosts cried as one, and she screamed and threw herself forward. A great knife of pain ripped down her back, and she felt her skin tear open and smelled the stench of burning blood and saw the shadow of wings. And Daenerys Targaryen flew. † . . . wake the dragon . . . â€Å" The door loomed before her, the red door, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around her, the cold receding behind. And now the stone was gone and she flew across the Dothraki sea, high and higher, the green rippling beneath, and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of her wings. She could smell home, she could see it, there, just beyond that door, green fields and great stone houses and arms to keep her warm, there. She threw open the door. † . . . the dragon . . . â€Å" And saw her brother Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. â€Å"The last dragon,† Ser Jorah's voice whispered faintly. â€Å"The last, the last.† Dany lifted his polished black visor. The face within was her own. After that, for a long time, there was only the pain, the fire within her, and the whisperings of stars. She woke to the taste of ashes. â€Å"No,† she moaned, â€Å"no, please.† â€Å"Khaleesi?† Jhiqui hovered over her, a frightened doe. The tent was drenched in shadow, still and close. Flakes of ash drifted upward from a brazier, and Dany followed them with her eyes through the smoke hole above. Flying, she thought. I had wings, I was flying. But it was only a dream. â€Å"Help me,† she whispered, struggling to rise. â€Å"Bring me . . . † Her voice was raw as a wound, and she could not think what she wanted. Why did she hurt so much? It was as if her body had been torn to pieces and remade from the scraps. â€Å"I want . . . â€Å" â€Å"Yes, Khaleesi.† Quick as that Jhiqui was gone, bolting from the tent, shouting. Dany needed . . . something . . . someone . . . what? It was important, she knew. It was the only thing in the world that mattered. She rolled onto her side and got an elbow under her, fighting the blanket tangled about her legs. It was so hard to move. The world swam dizzily. I have to . . . They found her on the carpet, crawling toward her dragon eggs. Ser Jorah Mormont lifted her in his arms and carried her back to her sleeping silks, while she struggled feebly against him. Over his shoulder she saw her three handmaids, Jhogo with his little wisp of mustache, and the flat broad face of Mirri Maz Duur. â€Å"I must,† she tried to tell them, â€Å"I have to . . . â€Å" † . . . sleep, Princess,† Ser Jorah said. â€Å"No,† Dany said. â€Å"Please. Please.† â€Å"Yes.† He covered her with silk, though she was burning. â€Å"Sleep and grow strong again, Khaleesi. Come back to us.† And then Mirri Maz Duur was there, the maegi, tipping a cup against her lips. She tasted sour milk, and something else, something thick and bitter. Warm liquid ran down her chin. Somehow she swallowed. The tent grew dimmer, and sleep took her again. This time she did not dream. She floated, serene and at peace, on a black sea that knew no shore. After a time—a night, a day, a year, she could not say—she woke again. The tent was dark, its silken walls flapping like wings when the wind gusted outside. This time Dany did not attempt to rise. â€Å"Irri,† she called, â€Å"Jhiqui. Doreah.† They were there at once. â€Å"My throat is dry,† she said, â€Å"so dry,† and they brought her water. It was warm and flat, yet Dany drank it eagerly, and sent Jhiqui for more. Irri dampened a soft cloth and stroked her brow. â€Å"I have been sick,† Dany said. The Dothraki girl nodded. â€Å"How long?† The cloth was soothing, but Irri seemed so sad, it frightened her. â€Å"Long,† she whispered. When Jhiqui returned with more water, Mirri Maz Duur came with her, eyes heavy from sleep. â€Å"Drink,† she said, lifting Dany's head to the cup once more, but this time it was only wine. Sweet, sweet wine. Dany drank, and lay back, listening to the soft sound of her own breathing . She could feel the heaviness in her limbs, as sleep crept in to fill her up once more. â€Å"Bring me . . . † she murmured, her voice slurred and drowsy. â€Å"Bring . . . I want to hold . . . â€Å" â€Å"Yes?† the maegi asked. â€Å"What is it you wish, Khaleesi?† â€Å"Bring me . . . egg . . . dragon's egg . . . please . . . † Her lashes turned to lead, and she was too weary to hold them up. When she woke the third time, a shaft of golden sunlight was pouring through the smoke hole of the tent, and her arms were wrapped around a dragon's egg. It was the pale one, its scales the color of butter cream, veined with whorls of gold and bronze, and Dany could feel the heat of it. Beneath her bedsilks, a fine sheen of perspiration covered her bare skin. Dragondew, she thought. Her fingers trailed lightly across the surface of the shell, tracing the wisps of gold, and deep in the stone she felt something twist and stretch in response. It did not frighten her. All her fear was gone, burned away. Dany touched her brow. Under the film of sweat, her skin was cool to the touch, her fever gone. She made herself sit. There was a moment of dizziness, and the deep ache between her thighs. Yet she felt strong. Her maids came running at the sound of her voice. â€Å"Water,† she told them, â€Å"a flagon of water, cold as you can find it. And fruit, I think. Dates.† â€Å"As you say, Khaleesi.† â€Å"I want Ser Jorah,† she said, standing. Jhiqui brought a sandsilk robe and draped it over her shoulders. â€Å"And a warm bath, and Mirri Maz Duur, and . . . † Memory came back to her all at once, and she faltered. â€Å"Khal Drogo,† she forced herself to say, watching their faces with dread. â€Å"Is he&mdash?† â€Å"The khal lives,† Irri answered quietly . . . yet Dany saw a darkness in her eyes when she said the words, and no sooner had she spoken than she rushed away to fetch water. She turned to Doreah. â€Å"Tell me.† â€Å"I . . . I shall bring Ser Jorah,† the Lysene girl said, bowing her head and fleeing the tent. Jhiqui would have run as well, but Dany caught her by the wrist and held her captive. â€Å"What is it? I must know. Drogo . . . and my child.† Why had she not remembered the child until now? â€Å"My son . . . Rhaego . . . where is he? I want him.† Her handmaid lowered her eyes. â€Å"The boy . . . he did not live, Khaleesi.† Her voice was a frightened whisper. Dany released her wrist. My son is dead, she thought as Jhiqui left the tent. She had known somehow. She had known since she woke the first time to Jhiqui's tears. No, she had known before she woke. Her dream came back to her, sudden and vivid, and she remembered the tall man with the copper skin and long silver-gold braid, bursting into flame. She should weep, she knew, yet her eyes were dry as ash. She had wept in her dream, and the tears had turned to steam on her cheeks. All the grief has been burned out of me, she told herself. She felt sad, and yet . . . she could feel Rhaego receding from her, as if he had never been. Ser Jorah and Mirri Maz Duur entered a few moments later, and found Dany standing over the other dragon's eggs, the two still in their chest. It seemed to her that they felt as hot as the one she had slept with, which was passing strange. â€Å"Ser Jorah, come here,† she said. She took his hand and placed it on the black egg with the scarlet swirls. â€Å"What do you feel?† â€Å"Shell, hard as rock.† The knight was wary. â€Å"Scales.† â€Å"Heat?† â€Å"No. Cold stone.† He took his hand away. â€Å"Princess, are you well? Should you be up, weak as you are?† â€Å"Weak? I am strong, Jorah.† To please him, she reclined on a pile of cushions. â€Å"Tell me how my child died.† â€Å"He never lived, my princess. The women say . . . † He faltered, and Dany saw how the flesh hung loose on him, and the way he limped when he moved. â€Å"Tell me. Tell me what the women say.† He turned his face away. His eyes were haunted. â€Å"They say the child was . . . â€Å" She waited, but Ser Jorah could not say it. His face grew dark with shame. He looked half a corpse himself. â€Å"Monstrous,† Mirri Maz Duur finished for him. The knight was a powerful man, yet Dany understood in that moment that the maegi was stronger, and crueler, and infinitely more dangerous. â€Å"Twisted. I drew him forth myself. He was scaled like a lizard, blind, with the stub of a tail and small leather wings like the wings of a bat. When I touched him, the flesh sloughed off the bone, and inside he was full of graveworms and the stink of corruption. He had been dead for years.† Darkness, Dany thought. The terrible darkness sweeping up behind to devour her. If she looked back she was lost. â€Å"My son was alive and strong when Ser Jorah carried me into this tent,† she said. â€Å"I could feel him kicking, fighting to be born.† â€Å"That may be as it may be,† answered Mirri Maz Duur, â€Å"yet the creature that came forth from your womb was as I said. Death was in that tent, Khaleesi.† â€Å"Only shadows,† Ser Jorah husked, but Dany could hear the doubt in his voice. â€Å"I saw, maegi. I saw you, alone, dancing with the shadows. â€Å" â€Å"The grave casts long shadows, Iron Lord,† Mirri said. â€Å"Long and dark, and in the end no light can hold them back.† Ser Jorah had killed her son, Dany knew. He had done what he did for love and loyalty, yet he had carried her into a place no living man should go and fed her baby to the darkness. He knew it too; the grey face, the hollow eyes, the limp. â€Å"The shadows have touched you too, Ser Jorah,† she told him. The knight made no reply. Dany turned to the godswife. â€Å"You warned me that only death could pay for life. I thought you meant the horse.† â€Å"No,† Mirri Maz Duur said. â€Å"That was a lie you told yourself. You knew the price.† Had she? Had she? If I look back I am lost. â€Å"The price was paid,† Dany said. â€Å"The horse, my child, Quaro and Qotho, Haggo and Cohollo. The price was paid and paid and paid.† She rose from her cushions. â€Å"Where is Khal Drogo? Show him to me, godswife, maegi, bloodmage, whatever you are. Show me Khal Drogo. Show me what I bought with my son's life.† â€Å"As you command, Khaleesi,† the old woman said. â€Å"Come, I will take you to him.† Dany was weaker than she knew. Ser Jorah slipped an arm around her and helped her stand. â€Å"Time enough for this later, my princess,† he said quietly. â€Å"I would see him now, Ser Jorah.† After the dimness of the tent, the world outside was blinding bright. The sun burned like molten gold, and the land was seared and empty. Her handmaids waited with fruit and wine and water, and Jhogo moved close to help Ser Jorah support her. Aggo and Rakharo stood behind. The glare of sun on sand made it hard to see more, until Dany raised her hand to shade her eyes. She saw the ashes of a fire, a few score horses milling listlessly and searching for a bite of grass, a scattering of tents and bedrolls. A small crowd of children had gathered to watch her, and beyond she glimpsed women going about their work, and withered old men staring at the flat blue sky with tired eyes, swatting feebly at bloodflies. A count might show a hundred people, no more. Where the other forty thousand had made their camp, only the wind and dust lived now. â€Å"Drogo's khalasar is gone,† she said. â€Å"A khal who cannot ride is no khal,† said Jhogo. â€Å"The Dothraki follow only the strong,† Ser Jorah said. â€Å"I am sorry, my princess. There was no way to hold them. Ko Pono left first, naming himself Khal Pono, and many followed him. Jhaqo was not long to do the same. The rest slipped away night by night, in large bands and small. There are a dozen new khalasars on the Dothraki sea, where once there was only Drogo's.† â€Å"The old remain,† said Aggo. â€Å"The frightened, the weak, and the sick. And we who swore. We remain.† â€Å"They took Khal Drogo's herds, Khaleesi,† Rakharo said. â€Å"We were too few to stop them. It is the right of the strong to take from the weak. They took many slaves as well, the khal's and yours, yet they left some few.† â€Å"Eroeh?† asked Dany, remembering the frightened child she had saved outside the city of the Lamb Men. â€Å"Mago seized her, who is Khal Jhaqo's bloodrider now,† said Jhogo. â€Å"He mounted her high and low and gave her to his khal, and Jhaqo gave her to his other bloodriders. They were six. When they were done with her, they cut her throat.† â€Å"It was her fate, Khaleesi,† said Aggo. If I look back I am lost. â€Å"It was a cruel fate,† Dany said, â€Å"yet not so cruel as Mago's will be. I promise you that, by the old gods and the new, by the lamb god and the horse god and every god that lives. I swear it by the Mother of Mountains and the Womb of the World. Before I am done with them, Mago and Ko Jhaqo will plead for the mercy they showed Eroeh.† The Dothraki exchanged uncertain glances. â€Å"Khaleesi, † the handmaid Irri explained, as if to a child, â€Å"Jhaqo is a khal now, with twenty thousand riders at his back.† She lifted her head. â€Å"And I am Daenerys Stormhorn, Daenerys of House Targaryen, of the blood of Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel and old Valyria before them. I am the dragon's daughter, and I swear to you, these men will die screaming. Now bring me to Khal Drogo.† He was lying on the bare red earth, staring up at the sun. A dozen bloodflies had settled on his body, though he did not seem to feel them. Dany brushed them away and knelt beside him. His eyes were wide open but did not see, and she knew at once that he was blind. When she whispered his name, he did not seem to hear. The wound on his breast was as healed as it would ever be, the scar that covered it grey and red and hideous. â€Å"Why is he out here alone, in the sun?† she asked them. â€Å"He seems to like the warmth, Princess,† Ser Jorah said. â€Å"His eyes follow the sun, though he does not see it. He can walk after a fashion. He will go where you lead him, but no farther. He will eat if you put food in his mouth, drink if you dribble water on his lips.† Dany kissed her sun-and-stars gently on the brow, and stood to face Mirri Maz Duur. â€Å"Your spells are costly, maegi.† â€Å"He lives,† said Mirri Maz Duur. â€Å"You asked for life. You paid for life.† â€Å"This is not life, for one who was as Drogo was. His life was laughter, and meat roasting over a firepit, and a horse between his legs. His life was an arakh in his hand and his bells ringing in his hair as he rode to meet an enemy. His life was his bloodriders, and me, and the son I was to give him.† Mirri Maz Duur made no reply. â€Å"When will he be as he was?† Dany demanded. â€Å"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east,† said Mirri Maz Duur. â€Å"When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before.† Dany gestured at Ser Jorah and the others. â€Å"Leave us. I would speak with this maegi alone.† Mormont and the Dothraki withdrew. â€Å"You knew,† Dany said when they were gone. She ached, inside and out, but her fury gave her strength. â€Å"You knew what I was buying, and you knew the price, and yet you let me pay it.† â€Å"It was wrong of them to burn my temple,† the heavy, flat-nosed woman said placidly. â€Å"That angered the Great Shepherd.† â€Å"This was no god's work,† Dany said coldly. If I look back I am lost. â€Å"You cheated me. You murdered my child within me.† â€Å"The stallion who mounts the world will burn no cities now. His khalasar shall trample no nations into dust.† â€Å"I spoke for you,† she said, anguished. â€Å"I saved you.† â€Å"Saved me?† The Lhazareen woman spat. â€Å"Three riders had taken me, not as a man takes a woman but from behind, as a dog takes a bitch. The fourth was in me when you rode past. How then did you save me? I saw my god's house burn, where I had healed good men beyond counting. My home they burned as well, and in the street I saw piles of heads. I saw the head of a baker who made my bread. I saw the head of a boy I had saved from deadeye fever, only three moons past. I heard children crying as the riders drove them off with their whips. Tell me again what you saved.† â€Å"Your life.† Mirri Maz Duur laughed cruelly. â€Å"Look to your khal and see what life is worth, when all the rest is gone.† Dany called out for the men of her khas and bid them take Mirri Maz Duur and bind her hand and foot, but the maegi smiled at her as they carried her off, as if they shared a secret. A word, and Dany could have her head off . . . yet then what would she have? A head? If life was worthless, what was death? They led Khal Drogo back to her tent, and Dany commanded them to fill a tub, and this time there was no blood in the water. She bathed him herself, washing the dirt and the dust from his arms and chest, cleaning his face with a soft cloth, soaping his long black hair and combing the knots and tangles from it till it shone again as she remembered. It was well past dark before she was done, and Dany was exhausted. She stopped for drink and food, but it was all she could do to nibble at a fig and keep down a mouthful of water. Sleep would have been a release, but she had slept enough . . . too long, in truth. She owed this night to Drogo, for all the nights that had been, and yet might be. The memory of their first ride was with her when she led him out into the darkness, for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man's life must be done beneath the open sky. She told herself that there were powers stronger than hatred, and spells older and truer than any the maegi had learned in Asshai. The night was black and moonless, but overhead a million stars burned bright. She took that for an omen. No soft blanket of grass welcomed them here, only the hard dusty ground, bare and strewn with stones. No trees stirred in the wind, and there was no stream to soothe her fears with the gentle music of water. Dany told herself that the stars would be enough. â€Å"Remember, Drogo,† she whispered. â€Å"Remember our first ride together, the day we wed. Remember the night we made Rhaego, with the khalasar all around us and your eyes on my face. Remember how cool and clean the water was in the Womb of the World. Remember, my sun-and-stars. Remember, and come back to me.† The birth had left her too raw and torn to take him inside of her, as she would have wanted, but Doreah had taught her other ways. Dany used her hands, her mouth, her breasts. She raked him with her nails and covered him with kisses and whispered and prayed and told him stories, and by the end she had bathed him with her tears. Yet Drogo did not feel, or speak, or rise. And when the bleak dawn broke over an empty horizon, Dany knew that he was truly lost to her. â€Å"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east,† she said sadly. â€Å"When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When my womb quickens again, and I bear a living child. Then you will return, my sun-and-stars, and not before.† Never, the darkness cried, never never never. Inside the tent Dany found a cushion, soft silk stuffed with feathers. She clutched it to her breasts as she walked back out to Drogo, to her sun-and-stars. If I look back I am lost. It hurt even to walk, and she wanted to sleep, to sleep and not to dream. She knelt, kissed Drogo on the lips, and pressed the cushion down across his face.

Jewish Federation Apartments Essay

The Jewish Federation Apartments is a ‘humanitarian’ housing public service organization for the elderly, those who are 62 years and above, and those who may be impaired in terms of mobility, those who are 18 years or older. The Jewish Federation Apartments is a public service offering founded and run by the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo. Preservation of the elderly people’s dignity, safety and decency of the occupants of the apartments is the main aim for maintaining the Jewish Federation Apartments. Through the years of activity, the Jewish Federation Apartments offer not only housing but also integrated social activities that encourage the apartments’ occupants to integrate not only with their family members, if any, and the community. Jewish Federation Apartments 1) Describe the agency’s mission statement. Identify the client base of the agency including the cultural groups The Jewish Federation Apartments was started by the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo to offer housing and humanitarian care to the elderly as well as those who may be mobility-impaired. The main mission of the Jewish Federation Apartments organization is to offer public service to those aged 62 years and those who are 18 years and older and are mobility-impaired. The main mission is to safeguard the dignity, decency and safety of occupants while offering social services. In any given community or society the elderly and mobility-impaired may feel the need for loving care that would give them the feeling of being a ‘normal’ part of the community. As it may be noted, both the elderly and mobility-impaired may have a sense of need to move around like any other member of the community. The mission of the Jewish Federation Apartments is to ensure that those who qualify to be tenants in the apartments get affordable housing in a safe environment and that their dignity and decency is sustained. Only those who are successful in qualifying for tenancy based on the Jewish tradition would attain residence in the Jewish Federation Apartments. The Board of Directors’, all offering their services voluntarily, goal is to ensure that the personal dignity, physical, emotional and spiritual life is of enhanced quality. These are all in the fulfillment of the Jewish Federation Apartments’ mission. According to the president of the Jewish Federation Apartments, that I interviewed, the place is predominantly occupied by Jews but this may only be so due to the fact that the apartments are a public service offered by the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo. Another reason this may be so is due to the fact that qualification for occupancy/tenancy is guide by the Jewish tradition. This, and many factors, has seen the apartment’s occupancy be mainly of Jewish oriented persons, though there are other cultures and other religious occupants such as the Polish, Italians and Persians. The Jewish Federation Apartments has always advertised or sought to attract applicants from all cultures religions, ethnicities and communities and this has seen it achieve its current diversity of occupancy cultures. The Jewish Russian community seems to be one that has the highest occupancy numbers; however, other communities are also increasing in number. In the past approximately half of the Jewish Federation Apartments was from the Jewish Russian community that moved to America a long time back. However, in recent years, this has changed and the Jewish Russian community seems to be reducing to about 35-40% of the whole community says the Jewish Federation Apartments president. Despite having an open invitation to all ethnics and religions and communities, the Jewish Federation Apartments seems to have low attraction of the African American community. The main reason why there seems to be no African Americans is that, the community seems slow to accepting change from their communities and neighborhoods. The African Americans seem not too keen on moving from their neighborhoods. This then explains why Jewish Federation Apartments’ occupancy has no African Americans despite there being a waiting list of the community, reveals the Jewish Federation Apartments president during the interview. Current occupation in the apartments is mainly of whites as African American communities are slow in taking up the challenge of change that may come from moving from their communities. In the past the African American were tenants in the apartments, however, they seem to have moved out since currently there are only a white population of tenants remaining. All these were revelations from the interview that I carried out with the president of the Jewish Federation Apartments. Despite there being a waiting list from the African Americans at the Jewish Federation Apartments, they do not want to move there yet. 2) Describe the agency’s cultural and linguistic competency plan Culturally, the Jewish Federation Apartments agency has been diversified, however with a reduced attention and interest from the African American community. The agency’s efforts to attract all communities to consider occupancy at the apartments have been generally attractive and open to all. Advertisement for apartments is open to everyone who is over 62 years and those who are above 18 and are mobility-impaired. The culture of the agency is to care safeguard and ensure that every tenant’s decency and dignity is enhanced. The current situation seems to lean more on the Jewish setting. Since the agency is in a predominantly white community, the cultural orientation may be leaning to the whites’ culture. The African American community on the other hand seem to be holding on to their cultures since they seem adamant about moving to the Jewish Federation Apartments despite a past occupancy and application for consideration for tenancy. Jewish Federation Apartments agency culture is that of a friendly and social environment that allows the tenants to interact though there are policies that govern occupancy of the premises by ‘outsiders’. One may therefore be right to say that the agency is well out to protect the qualified tenants and the community of Jewish Federation Apartments. One culture that the Jewish Federation Apartments community seems to have adapted is that of organized friendly activities that ensure all tenants have some sought of meeting point to engage in friendly socializing activities. In this way, many who may be old and rather disoriented would be uplifted emotionally and spiritually. By using a clear and concise tenant handbook, the agency’s aim is to give clear tenancy regulations that must be followed. By doing this, the agency is able to enhance the culture of organization and responsibility. This means that tenants are able to correlate and live peacefully with one another. The cultural plan of the agency is to maintain an open community culture that would ensure that all tenant correlate and live with harmony under the rules and regulations. Adequate, clear and precise communication has been one main challenge for the agency. Clear communication among all thee different language speakers, understanding each other and having clear and understandable communication with the agency are among the language challenges the agency faced. The legal tenancy documents print language, as well as all kinds of communication have to be clear and understandable. Linguistically, there has to be clear communication in order for all to understand each other. In order to make this possible, the agency would have to produce/print communication materials in understandable tenants’ languages. In the past, the agency printed documents in two main languages; English and Russian. This may be a sign that other language speaker, though of minority groups, may also desire to be able to get materials written in their language so they can understand. Legal documents are important and crucial and must be well understood to avoid any legal or regulatory conflicts. The agency may make plans to ensure that all tenants get these legal tenancy documents in languages that they can understand, however, since people who speak other languages seem to be quite few to justify the cost of translating these documents to specific individual languages. Past translations made to Russian have proven challenging since Russian tenant challenge the agency for not giving accurate translations. This may be a challenge of language translation that may affect may other language translations unless there be a specialized organization making standard and accurate translations. Lack of an official translation made the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), want to translate English to other languages such as Russian, Spanish, French, Polish, Chinese and other languages. Though this has not been done by HUD yet, it would give positive response if done, says the agency president. If the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) translated, the tenants may feel that the translation was done accurately and of higher standard. In the past, the agency had tried to make Russian translations as this would seem cost effective considering the Russian population that justified the translation efforts. The main translators that the agency has used in the past for the Russian language were the language institute as well as Russian translators. This has however not proven to be fully accepted by the Russian community. The community claims that the translations are not accurate hence posing a translation challenge to the agency. The main plans made by the agency to bridge cultural and language barriers are: †¢ From the interview with the Jewish Federal Apartments’ president, it seemed apparent that language would be most tasking and most challenging to the agency to deal with. During meetings tenants have had to come with translator who would translate to them so they would understand the meeting proceedings. †¢ The agency has made efforts to have its notices written in Russian as well and placed on the bulletin board. This would be a sign that the agency is making an effort towards fulfilling the laid out cultural and linguistic competence outlined by the National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CALS). †¢ In an effort to make communication between the agency and the tenants clear, when a tenant goes to the agency offices, he/she has to go with a translator who may be a relative, friend or fellow tenant. This, as easy as it my seem, is one of the many culturally and linguistically challenging issue that the agency may have to address urgently as availability of a good and accurate translator may require one who is neutral well versed with both languages i. e. the agency’s and tenant’s languages. †¢ English training is offered by the agency twice a week at the agency premises. This seems to be one of the agency plans to make communication with the tenant s easier and cost effective instead of having to translate all communication materials and finding a translator for each tenant speaking other languages. The main challenge with this kind of plan may be the ability, willingness and availability of the tenants to attend the classes. Great efforts were made in housing and urban development programs to facilitate affordable housing. Culturally competent services did not have a successful impact. To prove this, one may say that even with bilingual services and culturally appropriate information, caregivers do not consider that many minorities did not read or write in their native tongue, so that traditional mainstream communication methods were not reaching them. More importantly there were still not enough minority providers and caregivers (cited in Lecca et al, 1998). All plans by the agency to ensure that it conforms to the standards of CALS may seem rather wanting. However in order to ensure standard culturally and linguistically appropriate services, the agency would have to put more effort into ensuring that all tenants cultural and language needs are considered and integrated into the agency’s policies and culture. It may be recommended to the agency to work with HUD and CALS and other human service organizations to ensure a level of conformity to the standardized operational policies. Cultural competence is based on an organization’s policies, principles and structures working effectively across all cultures. Organizations have to contain the capacity to value diversity in cultures and linguistics, carry out self assessment to ensure they can manage the dynamics of visible diversity, have cultural knowledge and adapt to the diversity and cultural differences of the people and communities they serve/work with. In this way all individuals will have a sense of care and respect, decency and dignity as well as pride in their culture and language. This is the agency’s main objective and one that may help it conduct a self assessment to ensure conformity to these basin cultural competence guidelines . Organizational processes of policy making, management and administration as well as service delivery should be based on the foundation of cultural competence by considering and integrating the community or those they serve in all processes. The agency’s capacity to offer effective communication and convey information that is easily comprehended by all persons including those with low English proficiency, seemingly low literacy, and/or any form of disability would only be reviewed by the agency itself. The current situation at the agency implies a need for this to be accomplished to ensure all tenants’ cultural, linguistic and communication needs are well catered for. 3) Examine how the policies are implemented The Jewish Federation Apartments agency follows policies developed by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HUD leases are the ones that have to be implemented and used by every house and its rules have to be followed. Individual human and support services offered by the agency have to be in the preferred language and communication medium of the tenants and community served. For this to be accomplished, the human service organizations such as the agency have to ensure that the policies conform to the government and/or local mandates that may be governing language access. Besides the lease document developed by HUD, the agency has house rules it has developed and documented. This two guiding documents have used at the agency by all tenants and observed by the staff, all communicated in English and Russian. All documents pertaining to the lease and house rules are communicate and provided to all tenants so as to ensure smooth operations at the agency apartments. According to Lecca et al, the health social and human service practitioners of today are no longer faced with patients/consumers of only one culture, but also with those who are of different cultural backgrounds and with different needs. With the changing and current demographic settings, agencies and human service providers have then to be culturally competent so as to meet the rapidly growing minority population. 4) Design a cultural and linguistic competency policy for the agency and suggestions of implementation strategies to improve the cultural and linguistic competency of the agency. Most social scientists and human service experts agree that if our community is more educated, better trained and healthier, productivity is an inevitable result. Housing projects and alternative community training employment and educational services have also incorporated culturally based competence service and methodologies with some success. In order for the agency to be competent in cultural and linguistic policies, there has to be a level of commitment that is not dependent on the availability of resources but rather on the aim of equitable, respectful, understandable and effective human service delivery. In order for this to be effective, a change in policy and policy implementation processes has to be implemented. Linguistically and culturally all ethnic and religious communities must be equally considered and served. All services offered by the agency have to be equally and clearly communicated to all culturally and linguistically diverse tenants. This kind of communication must also be clear, concise and understandable in the tenants preferred language and mode. In a bid to make this quest for equal, clear and understandable communication, the agency must collect all relevant data and information on all the tenants’ ethnicity, religious, cultural and family background before the lease of tenancy is offered and tenancy in commenced. Culturally and linguistically competent policies and communication frameworks have then to be implemented to ensure that the agency is culturally and linguistically competent. A policy or policies that may be implemented would be: †¢ Board of Directors and staff must exhibit behavior that can help build trust and understanding in the diverse agency. †¢ The agency has to strive to promote a feeling of acceptance for all tenants and staff to ensure both do work together to make the agency culturally and linguistically competent. †¢ The agency must be culturally and linguistically sensitive to the values of its management and operational processes and techniques. †¢ When the Jewish Federation Apartments’ tenants express doubts, concerns and feelings of need for some help or action to be taken on any given issues, whether it concerns their tenancy, environment or service, the agency must demonstrate acceptance and understanding of the problems by identifying clearly, the employees concerns and discussing them thoroughly. †¢ The agency must show consideration, respect and understanding to all tenants at the apartments. †¢ Since minorities may not be prompt and willing to reveal that they may not understand the language of communication, all modes of communication such as diagrams should be used to ensure that agency-tenants communication is clear and understandable. †¢ All communication whether verbal or written should be in the tenant’s preferred language, respectable, concise and understandable. †¢ The agency should implement strategies to recruit, retain and promote at all levels of the organization, diverse staff and leadership that represents the demographic qualities of the Jewish Federal Apartments’ tenants. In the past the agency seemed to have been challenged by the notion or reality of having to conform to standard culturally and linguistically competence. Currently this may be achieved if only the agency would: †¢ Work with the existing standard and well known translators to make translation of all communication materials that all can understand. †¢ If translators are needed the agency should try and have staff be the ones translating other that tenants bringing their own translators. This would help them avoid situations where a tenant’s own translator, being a relative or friend, being unable to translate some word that may be embarrassing. †¢ The agency should offer language assistance at no cost and inform the tenants that this service is available by posting a notice on the notice board. This would ensure that all tenants are informed of the ‘right’ to language assistance. †¢ Knowledge and general understanding of the Jewish Federal Apartments tenants’ cultures should be encouraged for all staff. This would help them communicate effectively especially in case of an emergency. In conclusion, in order for the agency to attain effective and efficient culturally and linguistically competence, it will have to embrace the fact that diversity of cultures, languages, ethnics e. t. c. in inevitable. This will then help the agency ensure that its prepared for competent service delivery. References Jewish Federation Apartments (2007), Tenant Selection. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from http://www. jewishfederationhousing. org/selection. html Lecca, Pedro J. , Quervalu, I. , Nunes, J. V. , & Gonzales, H. F. (1998). Cultural Competency in Health, Social and Human Services: Directions for the Twenty-first Century. NY: Garland Publisher. Fong, Rowena (Ed). (2004). Culturally Competent Practice with Immigrant and Refugee Children and Families (Social Work Practice with Children and Families). NY: The Guilford Press. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (2001), National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care. Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. omhrc. gov/templates/browse. Aspx? lvl= 2&lvlID=15 U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research (2009), About HUD. Retrieved April 16, 2009, from http://www. hud. gov/ about /index. cfm Personal communication, April, 2009