Joseph Kony Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Joseph Kony - Term Paper Example This paper therefore presents a qualitative research using both primary and secondary data to examine the opinions of the public to the issue. The Primary data is gathered from 5 students using questionnaires. Secondary data is gathered from various internet websites and journals that analyze opinions on this issue. The opinions gathered in this research showed that has expressed mixed reactions to the issue, with some supporting it and others do not. Various arguments are advanced in support of the different perspectives of the public. Joseph Kony is the head of a Ugandan Guerilla group known as Lord Resistant Army (LRA). This group was formed in 1987 with an agenda of overthrowing the government of Uganda. According to Ksilvers (2012), this group enjoyed massive public support initially. However, this changed after the group turned against its own supporters in the process of trying to turn Uganda into a theocracy. Kony is a superstitious leader who claims that he is a spirit medium and a spokesman of God. He believes that if he succeeds in overthrowing Ugandan government, he can create a more suitable government based on theocracy and guided by the biblical Ten Commandments. His soldiers have crosses painted on their chests and believe that this will protect them from bullets. Unfortunately, the actions of this group directly contrast the requirements of biblical principles. However, though as the survey portrays most people did not know Kony before his indictment by the ICC, Kony remains as the biggest threat t o peace and stability in Norhtern Uganda, having carried out massive abductions and killings in his guerrilla tactics. As noted earlier, LRA, originally called United Holy Salvation Army (UHSA) was established in 1987. Its agenda was political and the ruling party, the National Resistant Army led by Ugandan President did not perceive it as a threat

Critically discuss the ethical arguments for and against the Essay

Critically discuss the ethical arguments for and against the legalisation of euthanasia - Essay Example Genetic views strongly believe that life starts at fertilization stage whereas embryological views argue that life begins at the point of gestation (Gilbert, 2011; Blazer & Zimmer, 2005, pp. 1 – 20). As compared to genetic and embryological views, some people argue that life begins at birth (ibid). Regardless of how life starts, health care professionals are trained to conserve human lives by alleviating their suffering whenever they are terminally ill. As much as possible, medical care professionals should prolong the lives of the patients unless there is an advance order stating that the patient instructed a â€Å"do not resuscitate† (DNR) decision together with the patient’s signature (Salmasy, Sood, & Ury, 2008). Death is the end part of the life cycle which nobody can avoid. Aside from a combination of pain, depression, and psychological disturbances, the fact that the economic cost of medical intervention for terminally ill patients is very expensive for mo st people with average income increases the number of cases wherein a terminally ill patient would seek for medical assistance to end their lives at the soonest possible time. Euthanasia is all about â€Å"intentional killing of a dependent human being, by act or omission, for the patient’s alleged legal benefits† (Ciabal, 2003, p. 129). ... euthanasia is considered as â€Å"good death† since this option allows a terminally ill patient to live the last few minutes of their lives more comfortable (ibid). Focusing on ethical cases whereby terminally ill patients are seeking for euthanasia, this report will discuss whether or not a terminally ill patient has the right to refuse medical treatment. In reference to the sanctity of life and quality of life perspective, this report will discuss why life should be prioritized more than death. As part of going through the main discussion, whether or not the patients have the right to request for an ineffective medical treatment will be answered together with the clinicians’ obligations to meet the patients’ request. After discussing the significance of advance directives in terminating the lives of terminally ill patients, some barriers that could prevent the patients from writing an advance directive will be identified and tackled in details. The Right of a T erminally Ill Patient to Refuse Medical Treatment Under the informed consent guidelines, the doctors and nurses should properly inform the patients about the main purpose, advantages, and disadvantages of each prescribed drug and other medical care intervention such as the use of life-sustaining treatment like tube feeding devices, mechanical breathing ventilation and dialysis machines, and/or diagnosing devices like x-ray and CT scan (Kaufmann & Ruhli, 2010; Ganzini et al., 2003). On top of this, each medical care professional is also required to respect and observe the patient’s autonomy by allowing them to make their personal decision when it comes to selecting the care and medical treatment they prefer (Walker, 2009; Stirrat & Gill, 2005). Given that each patient has the right to accept or not to

Mountain Top Coal Removal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mountain Top Coal Removal - Research Paper Example These kings receive many benefits from the mining yet most of them do not live in the region. This is because they know the effects of coal mining to the environment in the area. Current research has shown that mountain top removal has caused serious health impairments to many residents in the Appalachian region. In addition, this mining has made the environment ugly. This activity has caused a lot of destruction: it has degraded ecosystem, driven out communities, caused flooding, and brought about divisions among people. The worst effect of mountain removal is the toxic wastes that it exudes into air and water. These toxic wastes are very harmful to people. Most of the people who live in this region are Christians. They have experienced many health problems due to this coal mining. These Christians have teamed up together to eliminate this menace that have affected their lives for many decades. They are trying to fight this problem with all their strength. However, better ways of re ducing the effects of mountain removal on the environment have to be incorporated as quickly as possible, since it is going to destroy the whole environment at large. Residents in Appalachian Mountains have been worried about the effects of coal mining to their neighbors and friends. These effects have been there for several decades, and it seems not to be ending. Many cases of cancer, asthma, skin ailments, kidney diseases, and many other maladies have been related to the coal mining on the mountaintops. Cancer has buried many people in this region, and not all cases are reported. The current government statistics have shown that there are increased cases of illnesses and deaths in these regions that correlate with the mountain top removal. Many studies are going on to diagnose the cause of the calamity. There are increased rates of birth defects that are linked to the mountain top removals. The recent peer-reviewed study shows that the causes of these defects are directly related to the coal mining. This mining emits the highest amount of mercury into the air causing neurological damage to the newly born babies. The Christian community is encouraging every individual in the region to resist further coal mining in the region. (Veit, Heinz, & Thomas 225). Fight against mountain top removal started very long time ago. The first organization to fight this danger was Commission on Religion in Appalachia. This organization came into existence in 1965, and its main aims were to deal with issues of poverty and justice. CORA taught people about the God’s love to the people who reside in the Appalachian Mountains. It was used to train people concerning the community structure of activists and how to fight for the rights of the community members. CORA joined the debate about the effects of coal mining to the people and the environment. It joined hands together with the other West Virginia counties in fighting against the strip mining that was becoming a menace t o the people in that society. CORA expanded its role in the society. It stated to fight for many issues that were affecting many residents, i.e. civil rights as well as labor and environmental issues. This organization was inspired by the biblical quotes, one of them being the book of Amos 5:23-24 that says â€Å"

Health Promotion Study Guide Essay Example for Free

Health Promotion Study Guide Essay Illness is an event that manifests itself through observable/felt changes in the body. Illness is the state in which the physical, emotional, social, intellectual or spiritual functioning is diminished or impaired compared with previous experience. It is NOT synonymous with disease and may or may not be related to disease. Illness is highly subjective. Wellness is the state of being healthy in both body and mind as the result of deliberate effort. Wellness is the state of well-being. It is an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases. Anspaugh et al propose 7 components of wellness: 1) Physical 2) Social 3) Emotional 4) Intellectual 5) Spiritual 6) Occupational and 7) Environmental. Well-being/Wellness is a subjective perception of vitality and feeling well which can be described objectively, experienced, and measured and can be plotted on a continuum. Dunn’s concept of high level wellness theorizes that wellness is the degree of illness/health modified by the environment. It says that it is an integrated method of functioning that is oriented towards maximizing the potential of which the person is capable. It requires that the individual maintain a continuum of balance and purposeful direction within the environment where he is functioning. The patient’s perception of health, wellness and illness must be considered by the nurse in order to provide individualized, quality care. Lifestyle factors that influence health: (PP Health Promotion and Disease Prevention) Internal and external factors influence health status. Internal factors include Age, Genetics, Physiologic, Lifestyle, Health habits (smoking, drugs, alcohol, eating habits, exercise and stress). External factors include: Environment (radiation, air pollution, H20 and sun exposure), Safety (seatbelts, riding on motorcycle), and Standard of living (less educated the poorer the health). How to take a patient’s temperature using different routes: (Lab Kozier PP. 532-537) There are a number of body sites for measuring body temperature. The most common are oral, rectal, axillary, tympanic and temporal artery. Normal adult temperature is 37 degree C and 98. 6 degree F. In older adults ( gt; 70), temp is usually 36 degrees C or 96. 8 degrees F. Newborns- 1 yr old are usually 98. 2 degree F and 36. 8 degree C. Oral: Most common route. Place thermometer underneath the tongue on either side of the frenulum. Do NOT take in someone with mouth lesions or if patient has had oral surgery. Be sure to ask if patient has had anything cold/hot to drink in last 30 minutes. Rectal: Most accurate route. Place Pt. in lateral or Sim’s position. Apply gloves and instruct patient to take a slow deep breath during insertion. Insert 1. 5 inches in adults. Do NOT take in Pt that has had rectal surgery, has lower GI problems, is immuno-suppressed, has a clotting disorder or Pt that has hemorrhoids. In some agencies taking rectal temps is contraindicated in patients who have had an MI. It is believed that this can stimulate the Vagus nerve which can cause myocardial damage. Tympanic: Temps measured in this site are usually 1. 1-1. 5 degrees higher than oral. These are non invasive and quick. To measure temp, pull pinna slightly upward and back( adults) and point the probe slightly anteriorly, toward eardrum. Insert the probe slowly using a circular motion until snug. Axillary: The least accurate route but safest route. Dry arm pit if moist. Place thermometer bulb in center of axilla. In order to obtain a more accurate reading it must be left in place for a long time. Temporal Artery: Safe, noninvasive and very fast. Equipment slightly more expensive, as it is a scanning infrared thermometer. The probe is placed in the middle of the forehead then drawn laterally to the hairline. If Pt has perspiration on forehead the probe is also touched behind earlobe. Levels of preventive health care: Three levels of preventative care are: Primary focuses on health promotion and protection against specific health problems or health risks. Primary prevention precedes disease or dysfunction and is applied to generally healthy individuals or groups. Examples include: Immunizations; risk assessments for specific disease i. e. iabetes; health education about injury and poisoning prevention. Secondary- focuses on early identification of health problems and prompt intervention to alleviate health problems. Goal is to identify people in early stages of disease process and to limit future disability. It is curative in nature. It emphasizes health maintenance for people with health problems (i. e. someone with diabetes who has it under control). This level includes prevention of complications and disabilities. Examples include: Encouraging regular medical/ dental checkups; Teaching self exam of breast; screening surveys hypertension). Tertiary- focuses on restoration and rehabilitation with the goal of returning the person to optimal level of functioning, within the constraints of the disability. This level of prevention occurs after an illness, when a defect is stabilized or fixed and determined to be irreversible. Examples include: caring for someone with a chronic disease; referring patient with colostomy to support group; teaching patient with diabetes to identify and prevent complications ( heart disease); referring patient with spinal cord injury to a rehab to receive training to maximize his remaining abilities. Understand who the older adult is and physiological/psychological changes: Successful psychological aging is reflected in the older person’s ability to adapt to physical, social, and emotional losses and to achieve contentment, serenity, and life considerations. The older adult continues to learn and problems solve and intelligence and personality remain as they have always been. A person’s social ability does not change during the course of their life: if you were a young extrovert/introvert you will be an old extrovert/introvert. Wisdom increases as we age. As a person becomes older they go through physiological and psychosocial changes. Some physical changes are visible and some are not. In general lean body mass decreases, fat tissue increases, and bone mass decreases. Intracellular fluid decreases which can cause dehydration. Skin becomes drier and less elastic and they become more susceptible to skin tears. Bony prominences may become visible. There is a loss of overall stature and osteoporosis can occur in people who have insufficient intake of calcium and in women who have been through menopause. There is a steady decrease in muscle fibers. Reaction time slows. There is loss of visual acuity and progressive loss of hearing and reduced elasticity and increased rigidity of arteries and an increase in blood pressure. Orthostatic hypotension is common. GI changes include increase in indigestion and constipation. There is increase in frequency and urgency of urination and incontinence in many older adults. Decreased immune response and lowered resistance to infection is normal. Many older people have decreased thyroid function and increased insulin resistance. Respiratory efficiency is reduced with age. Older adults may experience many health problems including physical injuries and chronic disabling disease, and dementia. Psychologically people have much to adapt to as they become older. Some of these things are 1) Retirement – this is often a difficult time of adjustment for people. Many have a sense of self worth from working and lose a sense of identity when they stop working. Income decreases sometimes by 35% during this time. 2) Economic Change- Decrease in finances related to retirement and lack of pension plans/savings. Health care costs skyrocket because of increase in illnesses. This decrease in monetary resources can cause older people to become less independent. This causes them to lose self esteem and become depressed. 3) Grand-parenting: At this time in life older people become grandparents and are able to provide support to younger family members in a number of ways. 4) Relocating- many people move closer to their children for general support and supervision. This is a very big stressor. Older adults can either live with their children; live in assisted living, live at home with adult day care, live in a long term care facility or in private group homes. ) Maintaining Independence and Self Esteem- This is a big one. Elders thrive on independence and it is important for them to be able to maintain their self esteem. The more they can do for themselves the better. 5) Facing Death and Grieving as people age the chance of their spouse dying increases. Friends and family members die and this is a period of adjustment and grieving. The older person has feeli ngs of loss, emptiness and loneliness during this time. According to Erickson the developmental task at this time is ego vs. despair. People who attain ego integrity view life with a sense of wholeness and derive satisfaction from past accomplishments. This is the time of life where many older people start focusing on their faith and spirituality. Most people start an internal life review and seriously start thinking about their own imminent death. Caregiver Role Strain†¦what is it? What nursing interventions would the nurse provide? (P. 137) Caregiver role strain is when they have physical, emotional, social, and financial burdens that can seriously jeopardize their own health and well-being. Nursing intervention would be to encourage caregivers to express their feelings and at the same time convey understanding about the difficulties associated with caregiving and acknowledge the caregivers competence. Through conversation with the caregiver assess areas where assistance may be desired or need. Identify possible source of help. Like volunteer (family, neighbor, friends, church, caregiver support groups) or agency sources (home health aide, meals on wheels, day care, transportation, and counseling and social services. Remind the caregiver of the importance of caring for themselves. Know about these nursing diagnoses: Coping Ineffective, Fear, Anxiety (PP. 1069-1070) NANDA diagnostic labels related to stress, adaptation, and coping: Anxiety: Vague, uneasy feeling of discomfort or dread accompanied by an automatic response (the source often nonspecific or unknown to the individual); a feeling of apprehension caused by the anticipation of danger. It is an alerting signal that warns of impending danger and enables the individual to take measures to deal with a threat. Fear: response to perceived threat is consciously recognized as a danger. Ineffective Coping: Inability to from a valid appraisal of the stressors, inadequate choices of practiced responses, and/or inability to use resources. Terms associated with assessment of pulse (CHP 29, PP. 538-540) Assessment of pulse: Terms Locations: Temporal, carotid, apical, brachial, radial, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial, pedal (dorsalis pedis) Pulse: wave of blood created by contraction of the left ventricle of the heart. Cardiac output: volume of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart and equals Stroke Volume (SV) X Heart Rate (HR) per minute. Compliance: ability of the arteries to expand Peripheral pulse: pulse located away from the heart Apical Pulse: central pulse; apex of the heart (PMI) point of maximal impulse Palpation: feeling Auscultation: hearing DUS: Doppler ultrasound stethoscope Tachycardia: excessively fast heart rate ( over 100 BPM in an adult). Bradychardia: A heart rate less than 60 BPM in an adult. Pulse rhythm: pattern of the beats and the intervals between beats. Dysrhythmia/arrythmia: irregular rhythm. Pulse volume: pulse strength or amplitude, refers to the force of the blood with each beat. Elasticity of the arterial wall: reflects its expansibility or its deformities. Perfusion: blood flow to a particular area of the body Understand different tools for therapeutic communication: (P. 469-470 box 26-2) Broad opening statement General leads Reflecting/paraphrasing Sharing observations Acknowledging feelings Silence Giving information Clarifying Implied verbal communication Summarizing Focusing (from power point #18 in communication) further information can be found on pg. 469 and 470 box 26-2 Different domains of learning: cognitive, affective, psychomotor: (P. 89) Cognitive domain the â€Å"thinking† domain, includes six intellectual abilities and thinking processes beginning with knowing, comprehending, and applying to analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Affective domain the â€Å"feeling† domain is divided into categories that specify the degree of a â€Å"person’s depth of emotional response to tasks†. Psychomotor domain the â€Å"skil l† domain, includes motor skills such as giving an injection. Know normal vital signs for the adult and older adult. Average range for adults: (P. 529) 96. 8-100. 4. Older adults (gt;75) are at risk for hypothermia ( temperatures

Terminal Velocity in a Parachute

Terminal Velocity in a Parachute The aim of this experiment was to see how several factors like the length of the string, mass of the object hung to the parachute and height of drop affect the terminal velocity in a parachute. When we would throw the parachute from a certain height it will accelerate and will continue to increase until a drag force acts on it causing the acceleration to decrease. There will be a point of time when the parachute accelerates at a constant speed (drag force equal to weight of the object). So in order to find this constant acceleration the research was divided into three different experiments. The three factors I was investigating were the mass, length and height of drop of the parachute where in each experiment one variable was being changed. I hypothesized in the first experiment that a heavy object will be more prone to reaching terminal velocity because it will travel faster and achieve a greater speed and this hypothesis was correct. With the second experiment when the length of the string was changed I had bit of problems because it was hard to get the object hung to the parachute when the length was small as it constantly got loosened. In the third and final experiment I predicted that a smaller height will have a greater speed because of which it will experience a greater force and hence terminal velocity will be reached and this assumption was correct. The measured heights though were not very accurate because I dropped the parachute in an open area under various different heights. Wind played a huge role in affecting some of the trials and I had to perform the experiment many times in order for the air resistance force be equal to the gravitational force. CONTENTS COVER PAGE 1 ABSTRACT 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CONTENTS PAGE 3 BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE 4 HYPOTHESIS 5 EXPEIRMENTAL DESIGN 6 EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE 7 VARIABLES 8 DATA COLLECTION EXPERIMENT 1 9 EXPERIMENT 2 10 11 EXPERIMENT 12 13 FURTHER EVALUATION 14 ERRORS 15 IMPROVEMENTS AND CONCLUSION 16 BIBLIOGRAPHY 17 INTRODUCTION Background Knowledge I always have wondered how the military men used skydiving to intrude behind enemy lines and conduct various missions. After doing a bit of research I found out that Military skydivers are deployed from a large aircraft or at times from a helicopter in order to do their respective jobs which are mostly in the form of missions. They carry more gear then the normal skydivers, aside from the parachute they carry additional equipments like oxygen tank, weapons and other equipments which are needed for their missions so this becomes more challenging for these daredevils. So factors like mass of the skydiver, equipment they carry and the surface area  [1]  or height by which they fall from will affect the speed at which the travel. It would be hence interesting to design an experiment to see how these factors affect the terminal velocity of a parachute. Terminal Velocity occurs during free fall  [2]  when a falling body experiences zero acceleration that is when there is no acceleration in the parachute. It varies directly with the ratio of drag to weight. Terminal velocity reaches when the force of gravity  [3]  acting on the object is equal to the air resistance or viscous force of air on the body. Air resistance  [4]  is a major factor contributing in a falling object to reach terminal velocity as it can easily contribute to the speed at which the body falls. HYPOTHESIS A formula was derived by Sir Isaac Newton for one of the force considered in our experiment, air resistance: Fg = {Where, Fg = Force in Newtons G = 6.67 ÃÆ'- 10 -11 M1 = Mass 1 in Kilograms M2 = Mass 2 in kilograms r = Distance between m1 and m2 } When the parachute will be falling down there will be an acceleration of 9.8 ms-2 independent of the factors in the parachute. Terminal velocity wont always be the same; it will be different for different variables. My hypothesis is that a heavier object will have a greater terminal velocity than a light one. For an object to experience terminal velocity, air resistance must balance weight. When the force of gravity is equal to the air resistance the object will travel at a constant velocity (newtons first law) so in the case of a heavy object the force of air resistance in the atmosphere will cause the body to decelerate  [5]  . A light object wont be able to equal resistance the way a heavy object will Like the weight, surface area also has a great effect on a parachute reaching zero acceleration. The surface area is the height at which the parachute is falling down. If the object falls from a smaller height the time for it to touch the ground will be less and henceforth a greater terminal velocity is likely to be seen The third factor which I am taking in to consideration is the length of the string of the parachute. According to me the best string length will be the longest length since it allows the parachute to be more stable. As the parachute will be more stable the velocity will increase and hence there will be less time taken for the parachute to reach terminal velocity. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The main aim of the essay is to see how various factors affect the terminal velocity of a parachute. In general there are many factors affecting the terminal velocity of a parachute like the air pressure  [6]  , drop time, canopy area, size of the apex vent, number of length of strings and canopy shape. But according to me the most important factors that play a vital role in the speed at which the parachute descents  [7]  are the mass of the object in the parachute, surface area (Height of drop) and the length of the string. As discussed above these factors are the main ones when a parachute descents, be it a small object, military men or a parachutist. One factor may be prone to reach zero acceleration at a faster rate than the other so in my experiment I will be seeing how these factors affect the parachute reaching a terminal velocity. To see how various factors affect the parachute in reaching zero acceleration three different experiments will be performed. The amount of time taken for each of the parachute to hit the ground will be calculated and one variable in each of the experiment will be changed. The parachute will be made out of a garbage bag of 60 by 84 inch size. Then a big circle will be cut out of the bag of which four holes will be made and then the string will pass through each of the holes and will be stuck by glue. All the four strings will be made into one by attaching a small ribbon onto it and the length of each the strings will be about 80 cm. After the parachute is the three experiments will be performed and after it we will be able to determine when the parachute will travel at a constant speed in order to reach terminal velocity. In each of the experiments there will be two controlled and one independent variable and will see how these variables affect the others. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE For the first experiment the height from which the parachute is being dropped will be kept constant and the length of the string in the parachute will remain the same. The factor that is being changed here is the weight of the object. Two different masses one of 50 and the other of 100 grams will be used and they will be hanged to the parachute one after the other in order to see which one is more prone to reach constant acceleration and they will be dropped many a times till I achieve accurate results. Time will be calculated here to see the speed at which the parachute reaches the ground when the mass is 50 and 100 grams. The weights will be measured by putting each of the masses on to a balance on by one. In the second experiment the length of the string will be kept as constant but the other factor that is kept constant here is the mass of the object. The mass of the object will be a constant 50 grams and using this amount of weight will make it easier for the parachute to reach zero acceleration. The height at which the parachute is being dropped will be changed in this experiment. I will start from a height of say 280 cm and will go up to 350 and see the time at which the parachute hits the ground in each of the case. In the third and final experiment the height of drop will remain the same (540cm) and again the weight of the object will be kept constant, the mass will be 50g. With the same parachute with the constant variables mentioned in these experiment strings of different length 80cm, 70cm, 60cm, 50cm, 40cm and 30cm will be attached. The parachute will be then dropped by 540cm in all the cases so that the parachute reaches terminal velocity. By this the variations in time will be known and hence we will be able to come to a conclusion. We will have to try our level best to avoid external force like wind to affect the experiment. VARIABLES Experiment Number Independent Variable Dependent Variable Controlled Variable 1 Mass of the object Terminal Velocity and the time elapsed until terminal velocity is reached. Surface area and the length of the string. They are the other two factors taken into consideration for the object reaching terminal velocity. 2 Height of drop of the parachute Terminal Velocity and the time elapsed until terminal velocity is reached Mass and the length of the string in the parachute will be the same in this experiment and they are the two factors taken into consideration. 3 Length of the string Terminal Velocity and the time elapsed until terminal velocity is reached. Mass and Surface area are kept constant in experience three. This time the Mass and Surface area wont be altered. DATA COLLECTION Experiment 1 In the first experiment the independent variable is the mass of the object hung to the parachute. The controlled variables are the height of drop and length of the string Height of drop of the parachute = 540 cm Length of the string is 80cm Object 1 (50g) Trials Time( ±0.1s) 1 6.52 2 7.46 3 6.38 4 8.36 5 7.94 6 7.81 7 6.63 8 7.32 Object 2 (100g) Trials Time( ±0.1s) 1 4.32 2 3.21 3 3.97 4 3.73 5 4.18 6 4.35 7 3.36 8 4.57 Experiment 2 In the second experiment the independent variable is the height of drop, it is being changed and the factor that is kept constant is the length of the string and the mass of the object used. Length of the string 80cm Mass of the object 50g Height of Drop ( ±0.05cm) Time( ±0.1s) Average Trial 1 Trial 2 Time( ±0.1s) 280 0.89 0.74 0.82 290 0.98 1.17 1.01 300 1.39 1.27 1.33 310 1.34 1.56 1.45 320 1.71 1.82 1.77 330 2.03 2.11 2.07 340 2.34 2.49 2.42 350 2.72 2.77 2.75 After plotting the datas with appropriate error bars and the line of best fit I found out that as the height of drop increases the time for the parachute to fall down increases. When you drop the parachute from a height of above 325 m then the parachute will be more prone to reach terminal velocity. When the parachute was falling down the drag force increased with increase in terminal velocity. It reaches a maximum velocity when the drag force equals the driving force. From a height of 280 to 310 m the parachute fell at a very fast rate (0.5 1.0 s) because of which constant velocity wasnt reached. Also noticed in this graph was that there is constant acceleration at a height od 330 cm which shows us that terminal velocity has been reached. Experiment 3 For the third and final experiment the factor that is being changed is the length of the string. This time the mass of the object and height of drop is kept as the controlled variables. Mass of the object 50g Height of drop 540cm Trials Length of the string ( ±0.05cm) Time ( ±0.1s) 1 80 7.21 2 70 6.39 3 60 5.85 4 50 5.77 5 40 4.32 6 30 3.97 After plotting the graph for the third experiment where the length of string in the parachute was changed I found out that when there was a decrease in the length of the string then the time for the parachute to fall down also decreased. This means that a longer string will be more prone to terminal velocity. When the length of the string decreased then the air resistance increased due to the increase in length which resulted in the parachute to fall down at a constant velocity. For a string of length of more than 50 cm terminal velocity will be reached at a faster rate. In this experiment also constant acceleration is seen at higher lengths of around 65 to 80cm FURTHER EVALUATION In each of the experiments we can now successfully say that terminal velocity was there at some point or the other. The question posed how factors like the surface area, mass of the object and length of the string affects the parachute in reaching a terminal velocity and we can say that all of these factors have an effect in reaching zero acceleration. When the length of the string was greater than terminal velocity was seen very quick and when you would increase the height of drop of the parachute also terminal velocity will be successfully reached. The air resistance depends on the height of drop and the speed at which the parachute travels. But as the height of drop, length of the string and mass of the object was not big with greater values there was a lower terminal velocity seen. In the first experiment we noticed that speed changes as we change the mass of the object. So we can say that terminal velocity is affected when we change the weight. According to Newtons Second law, the force of gravity is proportional to mass under free fall. So, F = mg where g is the acceleration due to gravity directed downwards When terminal velocity is reached mg = drag force of the object If we assume this drag force to be the same, when the mass of the object increases then terminal velocity also increases to correspond to the increase in force. In the experiment when the mass of the object hanged to the parachute was more the terminal velocity was reached at a faster rate than object with a lighter mass because in this case the drag force of the object equaled mg more quickly. But one thing noticed in this experiment was that the parachute traveled at a faster rate not only because of the weight but also due to the surface area. The object with mass 50 grams had a greater surface area due to which the terminal velocity resulted to be low. When the weight of 100g was measured the surface area was comparatively low due to which the terminal velocity was higher. The greater weight increases the terminal velocity by acting as an extra force against gravity and air resistance. In the case of different heights we noticed that when we increase the height of drop then naturally the speed would increase and hence terminal velocity would be reached. For the experiment I performed, the last trial when the parachute was dropped at a height of 350 m the recorded time was 2.75 seconds. At a time of approx. 1.80 seconds terminal velocity was reached because as mentioned above this was the time when the drag force was equal to mg. However as the height gets lower the terminal velocity would decrease. Under gravity an object falls at a rate of 9.8 m/s2 which tells us that per second that the parachute falls its velocity increases by 9.8 m/s2. When the parachute is falling form a higher distance(350m) it will have more time to speed up which will result in a higher terminal velocity. It was clear that when the best length string was that of 80cm. The larger the size of the length of the string was the greater was drag force and hence faster it equaled the other forces. When the string had a greater length the parachute was more spread out. The open parachute lets the air resistance to increase. If the length of the strings are short then less air will enter the parachute which would lower the parachutes drag force or resistance ERRORS In each of the experiments there were difficulties faced and one of the main ones was the force of wind. For some of the readings taken the wind speed increased so much that it changed the direction of the parachute. Even though direction does not have any effect on a parachute reaching terminal velocity most of the times but at some cases this change of direction can increase or decrease the speed of the parachute. In one of the readings taken for the change in the length of the string the parachute at the beginning travelled at a decent treat but all of a sudden it changed directions and was falling down vertically. This case happened when the length of the string was short (30cm) also in one of the readings taken for the same experiment of length 40cm the parachute collapsed in no time. Another difficulty that was encountered in all of the experiments was that the region of drop of the parachutes (540cm) there was a lot of wind because of which the parachutes would get blown away at times resulting a significant error in some of the readings taken. There were a few human errors in the experiment for example the height of drop was not constant for the experiments. For each of the readings we took a rough value after first measuring what 540cm was. This could result in the time going a few seconds up or down. These changes dint allows the calculations to be accurate for the average velocity. Another error I encountered was the mass of the object hung to the parachute. I assumed the mass of 100 grams to be a good one for this experiment but instead it increases the acceleration of the parachute which dint allow the parachute to open well so to create and upward force and hence reach terminal velocity. When the parachutes length was 30 and 40 cm terminal velocity was not reached because the parachute reached the ground before so the air resistance was not there. IMPROVEMENTS We could improve on the results by performing the experiment when there was very less wind as that would not then affect the height of drop (540cm). Another thing we could do is that of adding nets to the parachute in order to see how much of air is blocked in the material which affects the velocity at which the parachute travels. This results in the experiment to be more precise as only the part when the parachute reaches terminal velocity will be measured. I could perform the experiment at various high lengths which would result in more readings where terminal velocity will be reached because when the length of the string was 30 and 40cm there was no constant acceleration sees as the parachute hit the ground as a fast rate. CONCLUSION The aim of the experiment was to see how various factors affect the terminal velocity of a parachute and my results were such that the heavier mass, larger length and greater height were more prone to reach terminal velocity. The graph had constant acceleration toward the higher region which proved our hypothesis. In each of the experiments when drag force equaled mg at a faster rate, there was constant acceleration seen quickly. But we should know that in reality terminal velocity is not very well defined because external factors such as air density, constant gravity and wind keep changing with time and will have an effect on the experiments we perform. For example in the experiment where the height of drop was changed the factors mentioned above will change with height due to which the terminal velocity also changes. More or less the results obtained were quite accurate and has a good scope for others to keep researching on this topic

Terrorism: Causes, Effects and Prevention Strategies

Terrorism: Causes, Effects and Prevention Strategies In the last quarter of the century, there is a dramatic change in most of the terrorist activities, as they are well-planned, with a purpose to accomplish a precise identifiable and seemingly attainable political goal. In the past, most of the terrorist activities involved incidents like high-jacking an aircraft or the taking of a hostage following which certain demands were made. Their aim was usually to release their friends, or group leaders from prisons. Terrorism in the last few decades has taken a more violent and destructive turn, and quite often the demands are not made. Terrorism today is an act which is sudden, unprovoked, sheer brutal attack on innocent civilians killing several people in a crowded market or a gathering. Most of there terrorist attacks have had a political objective, which have now become rather diffused since the 9/11 attack. It now seems that the idea is to create fear and panic, and primarily to get publicity through the television news and print media According to several orthodox cultures, the terrorists resorted to this particular type of extremism as the only way for accomplishing political change. Also it appears to be interconnected to globalization and the increased impact of the United States and other Western countries. This has added to the resentments of the people of that part of the world. Thus it is the larger developments, changes in the international political structure, and expansion of globalization throughout the world that explains this trend in terrorism. The sixty years of suffering of the Palestinians and their unsuccessful efforts to get an independent state is one of the major reasons for the unrest in the Muslim World. The recent siege (412 Palestinian children perished between the 27th of December 2008 and the 18th of January 2009 as a result of the bombings and atrocities carried out by the Israeli Occupying Forces The end year of 2009 inevitably This markeds the First Year Memorial of Operation Cast Lead, when almost 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians were killed during the course of a brutal military operation carried out by Israeli authorities. Thousands more were wounded or displaced. 412 Palestinian children perished between the 27th of December 2008 and the 18th of January 2009. These children were killed as a result of the bombings and atrocities carried out by the Israeli Occupying Forces) affected the Palestinian social fabric completely. As the trauma grows with every violent incursion into Palestinian communities; hatred and tendency of revenge also increases among them. During the Gulf War, and more recently in Afghanistan, the terrorist groups often resort to psychological warfare because its the only tactic they have available to them. They dont have M-16s, and we have M-16s. They dont have the mighty military power that we have, and they only have access to things like kidnapping, says Haroun, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. (cited in Warner, 2005).1 In reality these terrorist attacks does not harm the enemy physically very much, as few people could be killed in an attack. But the repercussions are tremendous from the psychological point of view. Ordinary people viewing the terrorist attack in person or watching it on television, gets anxious, terrified, and often develop a sense of foreboding fear, which in turn may lead to demoralization in the entire society. Psychological Terror Whatever is their modus operandi, terrorists share very similar aims. Alexander and Klein (2006)[1] concisely identified the aims of terrorism as follows: To create pervasive fear, anxiety and panic To generate a collective and individual sense of helplessness, vulnerability and hopelessness To demonstratereveal the incompetenceineffectiveness and/or inabilityincapability of the authorities to provide security and protectionsafety against such opponents And provoke the establishment into errors or over-reactions which will disaffect the general public or specific influential bodies. The last point is essentially vital as observed by the widespread concerns as for example the shooting of an innocent man by the Metropolitan Police in London sometime ago (as a result of consequent to the wrong information that he was a suicide bomber); the incarceration of terrorist suspects in high security prisons of Guantanamo Bay and Belmarsh; and the introduction of repressive legislation. Moreno (2003)[2] has persuasively proven how easy it is in a democratic society to subordinate hard-earned civil liberties to the need to introduce counter-terrorist legislation. The terrorist attacks provide harsh reminders that in todays world, one does not know what news may come next on television or other news media. Particularly disturbing television images of horrific incidents can trigger the innate startle response no matter how close or far away from home the event happened. Historically, every military clash has led to psychological warfare in some form in one way or another as th e enemy aims to break the morale of their opponent. Due to progress in technology; the popularity of the internet; and increase of news coverage, the rules of engagement in this type of psychological battle have changed. Whether it is a substantial attack or a single dreadful act, the effects of psychological warfare are not restricted to the physical damage it produces. Instead, the intent of these attacks is to instillinstil a sense of fear that is much greater than the actual threat itself. According to Professor Richard Bulliet of Columbia University: There are various ways to have your impact. You can have your impact by the magnitude of what you do, by the symbolic character of target, or the horrific quality of what you do to a single person. Interestingly the way media covers the event in fact determines the effect on the people. For instance, according to Bulliet, the Iranian hostage predicament, in 1979, which though lasted for 444 days, was infact actually one of the most harmless of (word harmless) criticalthings events that occurredhappened in the Middle East in the last 25 years. All the U.S. hostages were released ultimately unscathed., butHowever this hostage event remains a psychological scarblemish for manyseveral Americans who watched powerlessly, each evenings newscast, they counted days the hostages were being held in custody. The terrorists often take advantage of images of a group of masked individuals coercing and intimidating exerting total power over their captives to sendconvey the message that the act is a collective demonstrationdisplay of the groups power rather than an individual criminal act. You dont have the notion that a certain person has taken a hostage. Its an image of group power, and the force becomes generalized rather than personalized. The randomness and the ubiquity of the threat give the impression of vastly greater capacities. (cited in Warner, 2005).[3] Remote Repercussions of Terrorist Attacks When a horrific event occurs, it is natural to feel disturbed, even if the act occurred thousands of miles away. The human reaction is to put oneself in the situation because as normal human beings, people have the capacity to empathize. And consequently these people may develop similar psychological symptoms. Witnessing an act of psychological terror can also disrupt our belief system, says Charles Figley, PhD, director of the Florida State University Traumatology Institute. (cited in Warner, 2005).[4] We walk around, psychologically, in a bubble, and that bubble represents our belief system and values. Most often we assume incorrectly that other people have the same values and social niceties as we do. When that is violated or challenged, the first response is usually an effort to protect our beliefs and, in other words, to deny that it actually happened. When A s soon as confronted with proof of terror, such as pictures of atrocities, Figley says there are a few different waysdifferent ways in which people typically react: They perceive perpetrators to be inhumane. Become fearful as they perceive they are living in a callous and unsafe world because the graph bar of inhumanityhumanity has been lowered even further. Believe that its only a fleeting incident which could be easily explained away or deconstructed by precise things that have taken place, such as if we hadnt done this, then that would not have happened. Its uncomfortable believing that the world is less safe, so we have to imagine or construct a scenario that will allow us to feel more safe again and resist change, says Figley. There is an interesting and strange symbiotic relationship between terrorism and the media. Bruce Hoffman, the director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, in his book Inside Terrorism has written a clear summary of some of the major historical trends in international terrorism. He makes careful distinctions between the motivations that drive political (or ethno-nationalist) terrorism and religious terrorism, and he explains also shows why the rise of religious terrorism, coupled with the increased availability of weapons of mass destruction, may foretellpredict an eraepoch of even greater violence. In the past, Hoffman argues, the main goal of the terrorist was not to kill and destroy, but to attract media attention to his cause in the hope of initiating reform. For the religious terrorist, however, violence is first and foremost a sacred act or divine duty executed in direct response to some theological demand or imperative religious terrorists see themselves not as components of a system worth preserving but as outsiders, seeking fundamental changes in the existing order. (Hoffman, 2006).[5] In this context Hoffman does not choose sides, he refers to in this framework, pointing to the bombings of the World Trade Center ,and Oklahoma City and the Tokyo,to the Sarin nerve gas attacks, in Tokyo in order to demonstrate that radicalsfundamentalists of any religious denomination are capable of extreme acts of terrorism. Terrorism is an aggressive-hostile action which is mainly intended to harm and terrify civilians, in order to promote a particular aim, or with an the idea, which may be social political or other. The terrorist attacks, are now gaining major importance than wars in the news headlines worldwide Terrorism and its Effects on Mental Health Whether its a massive attack or a single dreadfulhorrific act, the effects of psychological warfare are not restrictedlimited to the physical damage inflicted. Infact the primary objectivestead, the goal of these attacks is to inculcate a sense of fear whichthat is much greater than the actual threat itself. Therefore, the impact of psychological terror depends largely on how the acts are revealedpublicized and interpreted. Typical reactions to major trauma on the individuals and communities are well-documented but the literature on the individual reactions to terrorist incidents is scarce. Most of the reactions at the initial phase following trauma are normal reactions and only few individuals display florid psychopathology. (Alexander and Klein, 2006).[6] Normal individual reactions to a terrorist attack are: Emotional Reactions : shock, numbness, denial , fear, anxiety , helplessness, hopelessness. Cognitive dysfunctions as disorientation, confusion ,intrusive thoughts, images, memories ,hypervigilance (i.e. increased sense of risk),impaired concentration and memory. Changes in social interaction, like withdrawal ,irritability ,loss of trust and faith , avoidant behaviour (i.e. of any reminders of the event). Physical reactions as autonomic hyperarousal , ,loss of energy. insomnia Autonomic hyper-arousal, insomnia, loss of energy. Emotional shock, numbness, denial, fear, anxiety helplessness, hopelessness. Cognitive disorientation, confusion, intrusive thoughts, images, memories.Hyper-vigilance, impaired concentration and memory. Social withdrawal, irritability, loss of trust and faith, avoidant behaviour (i.e. of any reminders of the event). These normal reactions comprise most of the core symptoms of PTSD, i.e. intrusive experiences, hyper-arousal and avoidant behaviour, as defined in the ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (ICD-10; WHO, 1992).[7] For a formal diagnosis of PTSD, such symptoms must be experienced for at least a few weeks. (The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-IV] also necessitatesrequires that such symptoms mustto be present for one month. (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).[8] In addition the impact on individuals, terrorism has mass psychogenic impacts. Mass psychogenic illness has been defined as: The rapid spread of illness signs and symptoms affecting members of a cohesive group, originating from a nervous system disturbance involving excitation, loss or alteration of function whereby physical complaints that are exhibited unconsciously have no corresponding organic aetiology. (Bartholomew Wessely, 2002). [9] As regards community reactions, they may present with distinct features. Tyhurst provides a three phase model of community response. (Tyhurst, 1951).[10] In Phase I, most individuals are liable to be stunned, numbed or even in denial. Denial was the commonly reported reaction among the office staff of Capital Hill, Washington DC following the anthrax scare in 2001. It took some time for the affectees to realize they might have been exposed to a toxic substance. North et al., 2005).[11] Widespread panic is not a typical reaction (though widely depicted in disaster films, etc.). Approximately 10 per cent of victims are likely to panic, and this reaction is most likely when victims believe they are trapped and feel helpless. Durodie Wessely, 2002).[12] In the 1987 Kings Cross underground fire most passengers did not panic; on the contrary, they sought out the usual methods of entry and exit. (Donald Canter, 1992).[13] Similar personal reactions were observedgiven after the London terrorist incidents of July 2005. Hence the civil contingency planning clearly should not be based on ill-informed assumptions about human behaviour. Even in extreme situations human behaviour can be rational, altruistic, and even heroic. In Phase II which is the Recoil Phase, individuals seek to make sense of what has happened. They seek reunion with their common sources of support, e.g. families, friends and colleagues. Even makeshift groups may develop as individuals seek understanding and mutual support. During this period, the community develops a sense of order and control, and the concerned relief authorities can do a lot much to facilitate this step towards recovery.. Phase III, the Recovery Phase is characterized by alternating episodes of adjustment and relapse and there may be some obvious examples of resilience and positive outcomes. Further comprehensive research studies must be A lot of research still needs to be done in order to understand how communities cope with chronic exposure to threat and adversity, but Jones and his colleagues have reassessed the social effects of air raids in Great Britain during the Second World War. They indicate a high level of civilian resilience developed during that period. (Jones et al., 2004).[14] Similarly, law enforcement authorities have commented on the apparently low level of violence-related psychopathology reported in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Clinical data is still not enough to identify It is unclear, as to what are the protective factors in these circumstances. Extensive denial, social cohesiveness, a united front against a common enemy or some other as yet undetermined influences could be termed as protective factors. Mental Health Studies Mental health research studies are conducted worldwide to explore the effects of terrorism both on the individuals and the community. Whereas some emphasize the psycho-pathological effects of terror (Galea, Ahern, Resnick et al., 2002),[15] others focus on the human suffering, which is not identical to psychiatric morbidity (Wessely 2003),[16] and on community and cultural factors that enable people to endure the stressful event (Hobfoll, 2003).[17] This conflict between two distinct approaches (Wessely, 2003) ishas yet to be bridged. Any horrific event can affect people directly or indirectly even if they are not the targets. Hence the target of the interventions is not the individual victim only, but all the people more indirectly affected by the incidence. An impartial approach may be suitable. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines for action during emergencies which seem to support such a stand (WHO, 2003).[18] Experiencing or witnessing a violent attack does not necessarily mean that the individual will inevitably develop psychiatric morbidity (Curran, and Miller, 2001).[19] After the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, it was observed that: In the aftermath of terrorist attacks, many Americans regarded their distress as a normal reaction rather than a disorder needing [psychiatric] care. (Drus and Marcus, 2004).[20] Presently available data suggest that it takes more than the agent (e.g., threat to life) to lead to psychopathology. Indeed, the role of the environment is of significance, as a part of the epidemiological triangle that has been discarded by a greater focus on host-related factors (e.g., gender or age of the victim). ) A study on adults have recognized a group of factors, including religious beliefs, ideological commitment and social capital, that have protected communities which were highly exposed to terrorist attacks (like the loss of dear ones, physical injuries and property damage etc). Ideology and religion may be used as a healing power, but also as a weapon. This is especially true in the [Middle East] region. (Solomon, and Laufer (2005);[21] Shalev et al.; Shalev,[22] Tuval-Mashiach Hadar, 2004; Kaplan et al.; Kaplan,[23] Matar, Kamin, et al., 2005; Billig, Kohn, and Levav, 2004).[24] All the research data today gives hope that, by advancing research on the mental health effects of war-related activities will be conducive to the development of new techniques to counter the psycho-social aftermath of wars and other such traumatic events., Ppsychiatrists worldwide are joining the call by WHO member states to devise means to restore the psycho-pathological damage sustained by victimized populations. The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) has been active in the recent Gaza Massacre,by giving an official statement. (See Mario Maj. statement in Chapter 1V -Wars in the Muslim World1).[25] Nonetheless On the other hand, psychiatrists could play other roles even at the risk of raising idealistic initiatives which cynics might like to dismiss. There are several possibilities open for psychiatrists who, by the nature of their profession can, besides promoting health, support peace rather than war. Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals from countries in conflict could engage in alliance in a number of activities (e.g., teaching, exchange of experiences in program development and services, communication), while they are actively, tenaciously and continuously supported by WPA. Most importantly, psychiatrists must endeavour to make their societies even more ardently aware that in armed confrontations no one is a winner but that everyone is a victim. The model of collaboration in the Balkans, where mental health is a bridge to reconciliation within the framework of the Stability Pact, is a concrete example of what could be achieved when a unifying language is spoken, and when such an effort is reinforced by dedicated support from sources that are not part of the conflict. Terrorism is a paradox—a topicalcontemporary, high-profile subject with clear relevance to the real-world today relevance, yetNevertheless with limited authentic and desperate shortage of research data available es in the area. Therefield there is an urgent need to encourage the younger researchers to take a keen n interest in continuing maintaining research activities .y in the area. Psycho-Social Effects of Terrorism on the Muslim World While nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is more difficult than to understand him. (Mikhailovich Dostovsky) The Muslim World has endured a succession of terrorist attacks in the last decade and faced the war against terrorism with endurance and resilience. The countries most affected were Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and particularly the FATA region in Pakistan which has been labelled as the centre of terrorist training. Pakistan also became the first line of defense in this War on Terror. The most distressing aspect of this war is the amount of destruction, damage and killing of innocent civilians of these regions. Ironically the damage done following the declaration of this war is to a large extent much greater than the loss which resulted due to the actual terrorist incident of 9/11 in New York. The Muslims worldwide have confronted the worst degree of terrorism from the powers who claim to bring peace and justice in the world. It is logical and justifiable to control and battle against those who are involved in such degrading and inhumane acts of terrorism, however, some contemplation is necessary to remodel unreasonable and illogical methods or strategies chosen to fight this terrorism. The international media has been a major partner in this war against terrorism and played a key role in portraying religious extremism in Islam as the major cause of present-day terrorism. But this is untrue since Islam is primarily a religion of peace, love and harmony. Unfortunately, clerics who have limited knowledge of the teachings and values of the Islam have misguided some people for their vested interests. The misinterpretation of the teachings of Islam by irresponsible clerics has led to fanaticism. Islam is the most practical religion of the world. As narrated by Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi:[26] The concept of human rights in Islam is based on two important principles: dignity of human beings and justice. Islam emphasizes that all human beings are honoured by Allah subhanahu wa taala. Allah wants all human beings to live in peace and harmony and for this reason He wants us to establish justice in this world. Without justice there is no dignity and without dignity and justice there cannot be any peace. There are several passages in the Holy Quran verifying the above narration: If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what God (Allah) hath revealed, they are (no better than) unbelievers. (Holy Quran 5:44). o ye who believe! Stand out firmly for God (Allah), as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear God (Allah). For God (Allah) is well-acquainted with all that ye do. (Holy Quran 5:8). Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. Violating this rule is equivalent to killing all of humanity: if anyone slew a person — unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land — it would be as if he slew the whole people. (Quran 5:32). Hence the Holy Quran advocates that death of a single human being is a death of humanity. At present it is vital to understand that words terrorism and war against terrorism apparently seems to be propaganda against Islam and Muslims. Such perceptions against Islam and the Muslims have taken a toll on the social, psychological and emotional well-being of Muslims in different parts of the world. (Zafar, 2007).[27] Psycho-Social Impacts of Gaza Conflict: On 31 January 2008, the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) organized a Conference on Effects of Siege on Life and Mental Health of Palestinians in Gaza Strip. Taysir Diab, Clinical Psychiatrist and Supervisor at GCMHP, talked about the mental impacts of the siege based on GCMHPs experience. He stated that there It is not one, but were a group of bio-psycho social factors that which caused mental illness. Diab of these factors under the siege on Gaza; and that the and its psychological, physical and social impacts of these factors were clinically identifiable. The siege, he said, had a direct effect on the appearance of new psychiatricmental cases and the relapse of old ones. There are personal differences on the physical and psychological levels; there are protective factors such as religion, patriotism, norms and values, as well as social support. All these factors along with others contributed in the protection of individuals. and the development of new mental illnesses in the Palestinian people. According to Diab, a vast majority of the Palestinian populations were suffering from symptoms of psychiatricmental disorders. He pointed out that the clients of GCMHPs Community Centers suffered from various psychological problems, including panic, insecurity feelings of insecurity, easily provoked aggressiveness, anger, easily provoked, psychosomatic disorders, depression, frustration, low morale, fear, poor concentration, lack of belonging or affiliation, lack of confidence in self and others, emotional numbness,numbness, and PTSD symptoms., various physical complaint, Oobsessiveon-Ccompulsive Disorders were common, and there was a definite rise in illness relapses.rise in illness relapses. Diab further mentioned that the siege affected the vulnerable groups, in particular children who suffer increasingly from fear, panic, and at times apathylack the feeling of risks, tendency of sadness and insecurity feelings of insecurity., as well as Bbed-wetting and stutteringstuttering, was also a common presentation. He also pointed that the siege affected the mental health professionals in term of increasing their mental stresspressures and state of frustration, avoidance, nervousness, and professional burn-out. Furthermore, Ahmad Abu Tawahina, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Director General of GCMHP, statedmentioned that the major aimplan behind the siege imposed by Israel wasis to implantinstil panic and fear among the Palestinians citizens. He said: We, as Palestinians, must never live a frustrating and despairing life and have to get rid of the negative impacts of siege since life goes on, and the professionals must exert all efforts in order to help people cope with the difficult situations. Twahina also stated that it was vital that Palestinians should not drown in terror and fear since most of the above mentioned symptoms are natural reactions to a madcrazy reality. He also addressed the concept of victimof victim psychology and commented on the importance of offering the mental services for people who suffer from frequent depressions, and increasing concerns. According to him the mental suffering affects everybody but at different levels, and that theere is depression, anxiety, tension, and despair is prevalent at the entirewhole community levels. In his work paper, . Samir Zaqout, a psychologist at GCMHP, discussedtalked about the social changes resulting from the siege. He statedadded that: the siege started in 1948 when Israeli Occupation practiced siege policy in an attempt to deny the Palestinians their identity: The siege is doubled as it is imposed by Israel and the international community since they didnt allow the Palestinians to practice their rights in a democratic way. Further, Zaqout pointed that the siege affected the Palestinian social fabric and domestic relations as hatred and tendency of revenge increased among the Palestinians. It also affected the moral values and accepting the other as well as increasing inter and intra familial disputes and conflicts. Summing up the proceedings of the Conference Eyad el Sarraj pointed to the significance of highlighting such statistics and showing the direct impacts of the siege on the citizens. He stressed on the importance of the accuracy and avoiding exaggeration in stating any statistics. Sarraj focused on the victim psychology. He said: Since we, as Palestinians, shouldnt adopt the role of victim, and exaggerate in blaming others and defaming ourselves. Our priority should be national reconciliation and unity and supporting the Palestinian resiliency so as to achieve our legitimate rights, endorsed by international conventions. Concluding the conference the mental health experts reiterated that it was crucial that the siege must end and professionals must undertake their roles in the field of education and mental health. This would be the first step in to bring some semblance of normality to the lives of the Gaza Community. This step was vital, in order to enable them to cope with negative consequences of the siege and minimize the resultant burdens. Moreover, it was agreed to work on the promotion of mental resilience programs for ending the siege and developing coping strategies to counter the negative mental health consequences. It was agreed that the Palestinian people are steadfast and live with dignity, and should not bend or despair and take matters positively and effectively in order to resist all schemes aiming at weakening Palestinian social fabric, and to achieve the Palestinian rights in freedom, independence and establishing the Palestinian state. Further, the attendants emphasized the importance of working, as specialists in various fields, on influencing the decision makers in the Palestinian society and acquaint them with the destructive impacts of the siege at all levels, especially the mental health of the future Palestinian generations. The physical and mental health needs of sufferers of Gaza are extremely challenging to address, particularly the psychological and emotional crises. During the last Israeli military strike in the period from December 2008 to January 2009, approximately 1380 Palestinians were killed, of whom 431 were children and 112 women. (United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (2009). At least 5380 people were injured, including 1872 children and 800 women. In these improvised settings within health facilities such as maternity wards and operating theatres were transformed into trauma units. The consequences must be drastic in terms of maternal and child morbidity and mortality because 3500 deliveries were expected to have taken place during the twenty-three days of military operations. Findings from a recent UNFPA assessment indicate that, during that period there was an increased number of miscarriages in pregnant women (Shifa, Al Aqsa, Naser, Rafah), and an increased neonatal mortality in Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. (UNFPA, (2009). According to World Health Organization (WHO), only the rough estimates show that during the last Gaza crisis 25000 to 50000 people underwent severe mental stress and need some form of psychological intervention to address long-term effects. Women, separated children, elderly people, and people with prior physical or mental disabilities are at high risk of severe emotional distress than others. The restoration of normal socioeconomic conditions, secure living

Camping Technology :: Camps Camping Technological Papers

Camping Technology Could something designed to make life easier end up ruining everything we have worked to preserve? Technology can sometimes be quite controversial. In my major, I have found that it can be almost more of a frustration than a blessing. In most industries, technological advancements are viewed as a positive step towards efficiency and economic growth. This is not always the case, however. In the camping industry, for example, the constant â€Å"improvements† are often a source of frustration to many die-hard campers. When people go on vacation they generally have a common goal, which includes relaxation, adventure, and escape from the stress of their everyday life. They often want to spend quality time with their family without distractions. Camping is an exciting and affordable way to get all of those things. For a relatively low price you can pitch a tent at a State Park and â€Å"get back to nature†-- at least that’s how it used to be. Unfortunately times are rapidly changing, and camping, as it was intended, seems to be a thing of the past. To illustrate my point, I would like to paint a picture of the typical State Park camping experience. Pretend you are a vacationing middle class businessman from down state wanting to take his family on a camping excursion â€Å"up north† over his two week summer vacation. In order to spend a night in one of Michigan’s beautiful State Parks, there is a simple procedure that everyone must go through. First, you must dial a toll-free number, 1-800-44-PARKS, (or use the internet to make a reservation at http://www.midnrreservations.com ) up to 6 months in advance to your pre-planned date of arrival. Spontaneity is overrated anyway. After you dial the number you have to type in the first four letters of the park that you wish to visit. At this point you will be connected with an operator in Maryland who will help you pick out a site number that will suit your needs from a park she’s never seen before in a state she has never been in. This is called privatization, whi ch is an issue for a different essay, which I will avoid complaining about in this paper. So, this operator takes your credit card information and charges you $20.00 per night, plus a $2.00 reservation fee. She will then spend 10 minutes reading you a list of rules and regulations for camping in a State Park.