Child abuse and neglect Essay Example for Free

Child abuse and neglect Essay INTRODUCTION Child abuse and neglect can produce serious and long-lasting damage. The range of actions classified as child abuse or neglect is constantly changing as a result of social and economic conditions, political ideology, advances in medicine, improvements in communication and melding of cultures. Today, child abuse and neglect is widely recognized as a major social problem and policy issue throughout much of the world. During the last 50 years, the United States and many of the world’s nations have responded to child abuse and neglect with legislative efforts, a variety of programs and interventions, and organizational efforts to identify, respond to and prevent the abuse and neglect of dependent children. Today, there are innumerable local, national and international organizations, professional societies and advocacy groups devoted to preventing and treating child abuse and neglect. Significance of the Study One case related to child abuse and neglect is pedophilia. Pedophilia affects children of a certain sex and within a certain age, usually under the age of 15 or 16 years. Most pedophiles are not violent toward children, instead leading and enticing children to willingly perform sexual acts, although some are violent to the point of rape and murder. In 1974, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment act was passed which provides federal funding at the state level for prevention and response to child abuse. With this act, many states strengthened their response to child abuse and established child statutes in which parents may be prosecuted for abusing their children. Regardless of the legal response on pedophilia, it is clear that much cases never comes to the attention of the criminal justice system and is, unfortunately, never dealt with. This serious and alerting case should be fully characterized and understood for the good of the concerned children, especially the adolescents. What is Phedophilia? As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is typically defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children (generally age 13 years or younger). In contemporary Western societies, the subject is highly contentious and fraught with strong feelings. The strength of the feelings is readily explained by concern for the welfare of the children and for their healthy, unimpeded development. The child must be at least five years younger in the case of adolescent pedophiles. However, the term pedophile is often used to refer to any adult who is sexually attracted to males or females below the legal age of consent. While there is considerable psychological and sociological literature about pedophilia, philosophers working on the philosophy of sex have given relatively little attention to the subject. As pedophilia is seen as a paradigmatic case of sexual perversion and is generally viewed with strong moral revulsion, it might have been expected to generate more philosophical interest. Experts believe that most pedophiles are males. Some female adults are sexually attracted to boys or girls, but these children are usually at or beyond the age of puberty. Sometimes, however, females sexually abuse children in concert with males, or they will knowingly allow males to abuse their own children or other children. This is more likely to occur if the women are abusing drugs and/or alcohol. Pedophiles may believe that their behavior is normal and that it helps teach children how to become loving and affectionate. Such individuals avoid such words as pedophilia, preferring to use such terms as adult-child sex. They believe that others who do not understand their behavior are unreasonably rigid. Some organizations of pedophiles claim large memberships and actively support the practice of pedophilia. Pedophiles may fail to consider the short- or long-term consequences of their actions; for example, in one case, a pedophile was told by a child whom he had met on the Internet that her mother was a police officer, yet he molested the girl anyway. Most studies of pedophilia are performed on people in jail or prison, and it is also true that many acts of this are never reported. Ephebophilia: Its Opposite Ephebophilia is a variety of male homosexuality. Ephebophiles are attracted to post-pubertal, sexually mature youths. They are sexually attracted to the fully developed, vigorous maleness of adolescence. In the narrow sense, â€Å"pedophilia† refers only to sexual attraction of adults to pre-pubescent and sex with them. When the term is used in this sense, ephebophilia is not included as one of pedophilia’s varieties, but rather distinguished from it, the end of puberty providing the line of demarcation. Characteristics of Pedophiles Pedophiles are age and sex specific. They will normally prefer children of a certain sex and within a certain age. Child molesters fall into several categories. One is the fixated pedophile who never moves beyond the attraction he or she felt for children when he or she was a child. The regressed pedophile often turns to children in response to stressful life events. Although most pedophiles do not physically harm children, the mysoped makes the ritual connection between fatal sexual violence and personal gratification. The sadistic pedophile abducts children for the purpose of torturing and eventually killing them to achieve sexual gratification. Pedophiles come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are well educated, while others are illiterate. Many were not close to their fathers, and many came from homes where alcohol was a problem for at least one parent (usually the father). Pedophiles often have weak verbal skills, and almost 9 out of 10 felt particularly close to their mothers . The short size of the child provides the pedophile with an opportunity to exert power and authority. At the same time, the sex of the child has little to do with the adult sexual orientation of the molester. For example, a male pedophile may be very interested in sex with boys ages 9 or 10 years old, but at the same time be married and consider himself homosexual. Around 80% have been documented as having a history of childhood sexual abuse. The pedophile is known to the child in 90% of cases, 15% or more are relatives of the victim. Homosexual pedophilia does not differ from heterosexual pedophilia. Research on the victim points out that most are female and the molester is usually known. However; when a male is the victim, the molester may be a stranger. The degree of the pedophilia sexual act can vary ranging from simply observing the child, to touching, undressing, exposing of own genitalia, fondling, and sexual intercourse. II. CAUSES OF PEDOPHILIA The causes of pedophilia that have been researched remain unclear. It has been suggested that the pedophilia represents a regression or fixation at an earlier level of sexual development which resulted in an adult repetitive pattern of inappropriate sexual behavior. Therefore, it is suggested that the pedophile returns to a sexual habit that was developed early in life. It is also theorized that the pedophile is expressing revenge regarding a childhood trauma. It is also said that pedophilia is caused by a pleasurable sexual arousal to conditioned objects. The following are identified as possible causes of pedophilia: 1. Parental punishment of a small boy for sustaining an erection 2. Sexual abuse of a young male 3. Fear of sexual performance or intimacy 4. Psychosexual trauma 5. Socio-cultural and/or psychological factors 6. Excessive alcohol intake Previous studies have shown that same-sex child molester is higher than opposite-sex offenders, with offenders against boys being at a higher risk for delinquency, compared to offenders against boys. The number of prior offenses and the intensity of the fixation on children as sexual objects are factors that predict abuse. Another study was done over 111 child molesters. Child molesters included same-sex, opposite-sex, and mixed groups; all responded to stimuli of specific ages and sexes. Findings showed that the degree of sexual reoccupation with children, paraphilia, and number of prior sexual offences were predictors of sexual delinquency. The causes of pedophilia are unknown, but most scientists believe that conditioning in one form or another is involved. The motivation/ learning model can account for the development of pedophilia and can explain its distribution over the life span. A Person to be Declared as Pedophile The diagnosed criteria for a pedophile are as follows: 1. Over a period of at least 6 months, recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors including sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children (generally age 13 years or younger) 2. The person has acted on these sexual urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty 3. The person is at least 16 years of age and at least 5 years older than the child or children molested III. EFFECTS OF PEDOPHILIA The effects of pedophilia to an individual, especially to those who are at a young age, include initial fear, anxiety, depression, anger, aggression and sexually inappropriate behavior. Boys have the same patterns of distress as girls, with symptoms such as fears, sleep disturbances, and distractedness; however, boys tend to be less symptomatic than girls. Additional long-term consequences include self-destructive behavior, isolation, low self-esteem, trust issues, substance abuse, and sexual problems. People who have a history of childhood sexual abuse have increased rates of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and alcohol and drug abuse. There is often an increase in psychopathology among victims of childhood sexual abuse and this psychopathology is manifested at times in the form of pedophilia or other inappropriate behaviors with young children. Victims of childhood sexual abuse are more likely than nonvictims of that abuse to manifest sexual hyper-arousal and sexually aggre ssive behavior with a tendency to repeat and reenact sexual victimizations as adults. Physical Damage Injury Depending on the age and size of the child, and the degree of force used, pedophilia may cause internal lacerations and bleeding. In severe cases, damage to internal organs may occur, which, in some cases, may cause death. Herman-Giddens found six certain and six probable cases of death due to child sexual abuse in North Carolina between 1985 and 1994. The victims ranged in age from 2 months to 10 years. Causes of death included trauma to the genitalia or rectum and sexual mutilation. Infections Pedophile acts may cause infections and sexually transmitted diseases. Depending on the age of the child, due to a lack of sufficient vaginal fluid, chances of infections are higher. Vaginitis has also been reported. Neurological Damage Research has shown that traumatic stress, including stress caused by sexual abuse, causes notable changes in brain functioning and development. A study was done on women who took SAT and it was found that the self-reported math Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of the sample of women with a history of repeated sexual abuse were significantly lower than the self-reported math SAT scores of the non-abused sample. Because the abused subjects verbal SAT scores were high, it was hypothesized that the low math SAT scores could stem from a defect in hemispheric integration. A strong association between short term memory impairments for all categories tested (verbal, visual, and global) and the duration of the abuse was also found. Psychological Damage Pedophilia can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including psychopathology in later life. Psychological, emotional, physical, and social effects include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, dissociative and anxiety disorders; general psychological distress and disorders such as somatization, neurosis, chronic pain, sexualized behavior, school/learning problems; and behavior problems including substance abuse, self-destructive behavior, animal cruelty, crime in adulthood and the worst, suicide. Long term negative effects on development leading to repeated or additional victimization in adulthood are also associated with child sexual abuse. There are two contrasting adaptive styles in sexual abuse victims. One adaption strategy seeks mastery through active repetition of the trauma, while the other adaption copes by avoiding sexual stimuli. Victims of childhood sexual abuse may exhibit mood disorders including chronic anxiety, depression, delayed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety attacks, and hysterical symptoms. Victims of sexual abuse may also experience difficulties in intimate relationships and express a sense of alienation, isolation, stigmatization, and a negative self-image. There is a wide variety of psychological conditions that have been documented in sexually abused children, with a higher-than-average tendency toward repetition of either being victimized at the hands of an adult or victimization of children. Arguments that Aroused about Pedophilia In our type of society, pedophile sex is considered both a moral offense and a crime that deserves a truly, serious punishment. There are two further arguments against pedophilia behind both its moral disapprobation and legal prohibition. First, sex with minors is wrong because it is non-consensual; second, it is harmful to those who are concerned. Both of these arguments have been questioned throughout time. Now, let’s look on the way a pedophile is conceived by the public. The pedophile is often visualized as â€Å"a dirty old man†, a stranger to his victims, who forces himself on children and has a matured sexual intercourse, thus putting them through a frightening and painful experience and inflicting serious and long-term damages on them. The drastic effects of the cases explain why pedophiles are usually called child molesters, and why pedophilia seems to be â€Å"the most hated of all the sexual variations†. What is true is that most pedophiles are men but the majority is young or middle-aged. More often than not, they are not strangers; they are likely to be a family, neighbor, or other adults that are known to the victim. The harmful effects of pedophilia on a child’s sexual, emotional and personality development are still a matter of researches and debates; rather than an authorized fact. IV. EXAMPLES OF CASES CONCERNING PEDOPHILIA * A 65-year-old youth minister of the First Baptist Church from Sinton, Texas who admitted to molesting a 6-year-old girl shocked a congregation of followers. The story saw this pedophilic Baptist minister through his 37-year jail sentence. I then hooked my thumbs in her waist, the minister said, and put my hands over her groin area, on the outside of her clothing. The first couple of times, she did not say anything, the minister continued. She was more interested in driving. But the second time, when I told her we needed to go home, and she slid over to the passenger seat, the look on her face killed my soul. I felt great remorse for having taken advantage of this child. * A glam-rocker Gary Glitter was convicted of possessing child pornography, but actual child abuse allegations against him were dismissed because his accuser had sold her story in a newspaper. Glitter seems to be a prime example of the predatory pedophile, continually unrepentant, even after going 27 months of imprisonment in Vietnam for offences against two girls he claimed he was teaching English, after already being permanently barred from Cambodia in 2002 for sex allegations. This case had led for actions to remove passports from sex offenders. * February 11, 2011 Laval police handled one of the biggest cyber pedophile cases. Sandro Tasillo, 26, is linked to internet sex crimes involving 30 young girls. Police say Tasillo would roam for underage victims on Facebook. He would offer girls money to take off their clothes in front of a webcam. But the money was never delivered, and the photos of the girls were often sold to other pedophiles. Tasillo was formally charged at the Laval courthouse. He faces a total of 40 sex charges. Police believe the 30 victims who have come forward are just the tip of the iceberg. Police are asking other potential victims to contact them as soon as possible. The investigation is still ongoing. V. TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF PEDOPHILIA Treatment for pedophilia emerged as a means to prevent child molestation or as a way to reduce sexual deterioration. That is, pedophilia is treated either when a person wants to remedy his pedophile tendencies, or when a person has committed a sexual offense against a child and his pedophilic interests addressed to reduce sexual deterioration. This combines preference-based treatment with programs designed to manage other criminogenic needs. Treatment would change factors known to be related to sex offending. Improvement of these factors would correlate highly and negatively with recidivism. Progress in treatment technology would be reflected in greater reductions in sexual deterioration over time. Treatment outcome studies using random assignment would show greater effect, and better-implemented programs would be more successful. In the earliest stages of behavior modification therapy, pedophiles may be narrowly viewed as being attracted to inappropriate persons. Such aversive stimuli as electric shocks have been administered to persons undergoing therapy for pedophilia. This approach has not been very successful. Another common form of treatment for pedophilia is psychotherapy, often of many years duration. It does not have a high rate of success in inducing pedophiles to change their behavior. Pedophilia may also be treated with medications. The three classes of medications most often used to treat pedophilia are: female hormones, particularly medroxyprogesterone acetate, or MPA; luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists, which include such drugs as triptorelin, leuprolide acetate, and goserelin acetate; and anti-androgens, which block the uptake and metabolism of testosterone as well as reducing blood levels of this hormone. Most clinical studies of these drugs have been done in Germany, where the legal system has allowed their use in treating repeat sexual offenders since the 1970s. The anti-androgens in particular have been shown to be effective in reducing the rate of recidivism. Making the molester impotent is sometimes offered as a treatment to pedophiles who are repeat offenders or who have pleaded guilty to violent rape. Increasingly, pedophiles are being prosecuted under criminal statutes and being sentenced to prison terms. Imprisonment removes them from society for a period of time but does not usually remove their pedophilic tendencies. Many countries have begun to publish the names of persons being released from prison after serving time for pedophilia. Legal challenges to this practice are pending in various authorities. Some recommendations for the treatment of pedophilia are the following: 1. Risk assessment using a well-supported measure 2. Education of the client, his spouse or partner, family members and close friends 3. Behavioral treatments targeting pedophilic sexual arousal 4. Monitoring of pedophilic clients in terms of access to child pornography, unsupervised contacts with children, and potential disinhibitors such as alcohol or drug use 5. Drug treatments targeting sex drive for higher-risk individuals 6. Cognitive-behavioral and behavioral treatments targeting general risk factors for criminal behavior such as antisocial attitudes and beliefs, association with antisocial peers, and substance abuse Prevention The main method for preventing pedophilia is avoiding situations that may promote pedophilic acts. Children should never be allowed to engage in one-on-one situations with any adult other than their parents or trustworthy family members. Having another youth or adult as an observer provides some security for those who are concerned. Conferences and other activities can be conducted to provide privacy while still within sight of others. Children should be taught to yell or run if they are faced with an uncomfortable situation. They should also be taught that it is acceptable to scream or call for help in such situations. Another basis of preventing pedophilia is education. Children must be taught to avoid situations that make them defenseless to pedophiles. Adults who work with youth must be taught to avoid situations that may promote pedophilia. Many states have adopted legislation that requires background investigations of any adult who works with children. These persons may be paid, such as teachers, or they may be volunteers in a youth-serving organization. VI. CONCLUSION It is very evident that pedophilia is a serious problem of many countries. The alarming rate of pedophile cases must serve as an eye opener to our government, for them to take a serious look and enforce laws that give legal punishment to those who are proven guilty of this crime. Our justice system must be on its track to convict the culprit. Everyone should be responsible in handling this horrible crime. Laws against child abuse and neglect should be strengthened and each one of us should be informed about the terrible effects that this crime would cause. But, let us not only put the pressure to the government in solving this problem. We, in our own families, should be the first to take extra care to our own selves. Our family should be strong and open communication should be observed for the better. Help each other to protect our youth, because; as the saying goes, â€Å"The youth is the hope of our Fatherland.† B I B L I O G R A P H Y American Psychiatric Association. â€Å"Profile of a Pedophile†. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Arlington, USA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2006. Clark, Robin. et al. The Encyclopedia of Child Abuse. New York: Infobase Publishing, 1998. Flisk, Dr. Reverend Louden-Hans. â€Å"Sexual Abuse†. Father, Deliver Us from Evil. USA: By the Author, 2004. Gabbard, Glen. â€Å"Summary and Recommendations on Psychological Treatments†. Gabbard’s Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. USA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2007. Greenberg, Jerrold. et al. â€Å"The Pedophiliac†. Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality. Canada: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2011. Laws, D. Richard and O’Donohue, William. â€Å"Pedophilia: Treatment†. Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. USA: The Guilford Press, 2008. Murray, David. â€Å"The Homosexualization of Pedophilia†. Homophobias: Lust and Loathing across Time and Space. USA: Duke University Press, 2009. Primoratz, Igor. â€Å"What’s wrong with Pedophilia?†. Ethics and Sex. London: Routledge, 1999. Soble, Alan. â€Å"Pedophilia†. Sex from Plato to Paglia: A Philosophical Encyclopedia. USA: Greenwood Press, 2006. Vito, Gennaro. et al. â€Å"The Criminal Justice Response†. Criminology: Theory, Research and Policy. Canada: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc., 2007. Internet Sources en.wikipedia.org www.medicinenet.com www.minddisorders.com

Modern and Postmodern Traditions in Power and Law

Modern and Postmodern Traditions in Power and Law The Law and Power Relations in Society:  A Brief Review of Modern and Postmodern Traditions To achieve an understanding of how, at the beginning of the 21st century, law has come to be understood as a manifestation of social power, it is necessary to place the question within the framework of the dominant intellectual paradigms of the past one hundred years. Such a consideration is relevant because the two major paradigms namely, modernism and postmodernism have operated according to contrary assumptions about reality in general and social reality in particular. Modernism, which dominated Western society throughout the 20th century until the 1960s, assumed that all human enterprises should be conducted according to the principles of universal rationality, with a strongly centralizing tendency emphasized in all social institutions. Postmodernism, on the other hand, assumes that human beings are mainly motivated, not by rationality, but by a virtually endless diversity of individual and cultural values. Thus, any overarching theory about how people do, or should, live in so ciety is bound to be inadequate, and social institutions must allow for the full range of human diversity. In the discipline of sociology Functionalist Theory dominated the modern period, but during the past few decades Critical Theory has come to dominate the postmodern period. To put it simply, Functionalism assumes that society works, because of its inherent harmony, while Critical Theory assumes that society does not work, because of its inherent conflicts. As far as law is concerned, during the modern period a rationally independent and fair distribution of justice was supposed to characterize the legal system. But during the postmodern period the legal system has come to be regarded by many of its critics as the source of often inequitable i.e. distributions of power, specifically motivated by, and ultimately working for, the interests of the state in general and the cultural elite in particular. The writings of Max Weber (1864-1920), one of the founding spirits of sociology, illustrate the modern conception of law perfectly. According to Mathieu Deflem (2009: 45-46), Weber argues that the law, like all modern social institutions, including politics and the economy, is dominated by purposive rationalization, posited as the standard for both jurisprudence (legal theorizing or lawmaking) and adjudication (law-finding) in the courts. Rationalization leads to the establishment of the principle of the rule of law. This means that all social conflicts are to be settled in the courts according to established laws that are written down and codified. The rule of law is intended to be impersonal and objective, giving rise to a adage Justice is blind, a central value of Western democracies, sometimes phrased as the sayings All are equal before the law and No one is above the law. According to Joyce Sterling and Wilbert Moore (1987: 68-69), Weber accepts law as creating its own sphere of autonomous social reality, but its influence is relative, not absolute. The more a legal system looks to itself rather than to external social, political, and ethical systems in making and applying law, the greater the degree of relative autonomy. In the United States legal system The Exclusionary Rule and The Miranda Rule are examples of the law defining itself and acting independently of other social concerns. A second characteristic of legal autonomy is the principle of equal competencies whereby counsel is provided for those who cannot afford it. Weber distinguishes between subjective rationality, in which values influence individual decisions, and objective rationality, in which principles determine social decisions. He also distinguishes between formal or purely legal law, and substantive or extra-legal law. Similarly, Weber distinguishes between rational law, determined by general principles, and irrational law, determined by individual and contextual considerations. Formal rational law is called positive law, while formal irrational law is called charismatic or revealed law. Substantive rational law is called natural law, while substantive irrational law is called traditional law. In the words of Sterling and Moore (1987: 75), Although Weber denied that he was posing a unilineal process of rationalization, he did tend to view legal systems as moving from irrational to rational, and from substantive to formal rationality. Moreover, Weber links his typology of law to his typology of politics. He identified three types of po litical legitimization: traditional, charismatic, and legal. Once again, according to Sterling and Moore (1987: 76), As law becomes rationalized, it becomes its own legitimizing principle in other words, the rule of law, what Weber calls formal legal rationality. This is aided by bureaucracy and professionalization, ensuring calculability or predictability in legal matters and making the system self-contained and seamless, almost totally isolated from moral, economic, political, and cultural interests. Webers modern rationalistic conception of law has suffered a severe critical attack on various fronts since the 1960s. Austin Turk (1976: 276) sums up the critical legal position perfectly: Contrary to the rational model, law is actually a set of resources whose control and mobilization can in many ways . . . generate and exacerbate conflicts rather than resolving or softening them. In short, power is the control of resources and law is power (280). The mere mention of power in relat ion to law is bound to evoke the spirit of Karl Marx (1818-1883). According to Alan Hunt (1985: 12, 20-22), the content, principles, and forms of law are all matters of ideology that is the reflective distortion of reality in any human claim to knowledge, making Webers political legitimation by rule of law nothing more than one opinion among many (sometimes irrational) competing opinions about the proper relation of law and power. Moreover, as Elizabeth Armstrong and Mary Bernstein (2008: 75-76) point out, the modified Marxist argument whereby governments are the only rule makers and social reformers define themselves solely in relation to the state has now become obsolete. According to these authors, culture itself is constitutive of power. If this is true, then law has already lost much of its supposed power merely by definition. Kim Lane Scheppele (1994: 390-400) provides an excellent overview of critical jurisprudence theory, all of it based on the foundational belief that rational jurisprudence theory masks the fact that political interests or power relationships are what really drives the legal systems of Western democracies. An attack on liberal legalism argues that rights, neutrality, and procedural justice are all fictions designed to maintain social inequalities. The indeterminacy thesis argues that contradictions and inconsistencies within the law make purely rational adjudication impossible. There are many particular manifestations of critical jurisprudence theory. Feminist jurisprudence, for example, contends that the way gender is defined socially often makes the law patriarchal and oppressive to women, especially in regard to such issues as abortion, rape, domestic violence, pregnancy, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, child custody, and pornography. Feminists are divided on how to ri ght the wrongs of rational jurisprudence. Some advocate treating women exactly the same as men, while others argue that women should be treated differently. In either case, the objective is to achieve equality with men through the law. Similarly, critical race theory argues that people of color have been oppressed by the law by being silenced or having others speak for them, and they have pleaded vigorously for the opportunity to tell their stories, so their culture and their lives can be treated fairly by the law. In fact, the theme of the relationship of power to the law has been most compelling addressed in terms of the indeterminacy of language itself an argument expressed by Jacques Derrida in his theory of deconstruction. If the rational rule of law is enshrined as a written code, but language itself is open to a diversity of interpretation, how can the rule of law be trusted not to be abused by the judges and lawyers representing a powerful political à ©lite? Critics would argue that such an abuse is inevitable. References Armstrong, E. A., Bernstein, M. (2008). Culture, power, nad institution: A approach to social movements. Sociological Theory, 26 (1), 74-99. Deflem, M. (2008). Sociology of Law: Visions of a Scholarly Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hunt, A. (1985). The ideology of law: Advances and problems in recent applications of the concept of ideology to the analysis of law. Law Society Review, 19 (1), 11-38. Scheppele, K. L. (1994). Legal theory and social theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 20, 383-406. Sterling, J. S., Moore, W. E. (1987). Webers analysis of legal rationalization: A critique and constructive modification. Sociological Forum, 2 (1), 67-89. Turk, A. T. (1976). Law as a weapon in social conflict. Social Problems, 23 (3), 276-291.

Processes of Water Treatment

Processes of Water Treatment Question Limit of detection Stating the water supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001, limit of detection is calculated as three times the relative within batch standard deviation of a natural sample containing a low concentration of the parameter. Also, its means five times the relative within batch standard deviation of a blank sample. DA Armbruster et al (1994) stated that the limit of detection may be determined statistically based on measuring replicate blank negative samples or empirically by measuring progressively more dilute concentrations of analyte. Limit of detection (In analysis) Limit of detection is expressed as the concentration, cl, or the quantity, ql, is derived from the smallest measure, xl, that can be detected with reasonable certainty for a given analytical procedure. The value of xl, is then given by the equation: xL = xbi + ksbi Where xbi = Mean of the blank measures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sbi = Standard deviation of the blank measures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  K = The numerical factor chosen according to the confidence level desired. (IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology 2 (2007)). Trueness Stating the water supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001, trueness also referred to as the systematic error is the calculated difference between the true value and the main value of the large number of repeated measurements. Andrzej Bobrowski et al (2004) stated that trueness indicates the closeness between an accepted reference value and the average value of the considered laboratory test. Practically, it is defined as the closeness of agreement between the mean of the result of a measurements of a measurand obtained specifically between day precision conditions and the true or conventional true value of the measurement Dr. Xavier Fuentes-Arderiu (2009). Precision By stating the water supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001, precision also referred to as the random error is being calculated as twice the standard deviation (within a batch and between batches) of the spread of result about the mean. According to Andrzej Bobrowski et al (2004), precision indicates the closeness of agreement between independent test results obtained under stipulated conditions and thus, should be obtained by using the standard fortified samples (blanks) at different circumstances across working range. The most common way to express precision is in form of standard deviation. However, it is also expressed as a variance or a coefficient of variation. Question 2 Part 1 Directive requirements Chemical Parameter According to the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001, Benzene is indentified as a chemical parameter under part 1 directive requirements with maximum concentration value of 1.0 and it is measured in  µg/1. Its point of compliance is in the consumers taps. Microbiological Parameter Under the part 1 directive requirements of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001, Escherichia coli is a microbiological parameter with maximum concentration value of 0, unit of measurement in Number/100ml and point of compliance in the consumers taps. Part II National Requirements Chemical Parameter According to the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001, Manganese is a part II national chemical parameter with maximum concentration value of 50, unit of measurement as  µg/Mn/1 and its point of compliance is in the consumers taps. Microbiological Parameter Coliform bacteria is a part II national microbiological parameter Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001 with maximum concentration at 0, unit of measurement as Number/100ml and its point of compliance is at the service reservoir and water treatment works. Question 3 Part I Directive requirements Exposure to benzene causes depression of the central nervous system (CNS), drowsiness, and nausea, loss of co-coordination, confusion and unconsciousness. At 25 ppm, it has no effects, but between 50 to 150 ppm, it produces headaches and tiredness (Canadian centre for occupational health and safety (2007)). Long term exposure or inhalation of benzene causes blood disorders in the human. Specifically, benzene affects the bone marrow and causes damages to the immune system. Also, chronic exposure to benzene in women leads to reproductive effects such as decrease in the size of the ovaries, menstrual disorders etc. It causes severe bloody diarrhoea and abdominal cramps. In children below age 5 and the elderly, it causes an infection called haemolytic uremic syndrome, which destroys the red blood cells and leads to kidney failure (US Environmental protection Agency (2006)). Part II National requirements In the book by Levy J.S and Nasetta W.J (2003) Chronic inhalation of manganese into the human body may cause damage to the nervous system and the respiratory tract. Excessive exposure to manganese causes an irreversible brain disease with a prominent psychological and neurological disturbance which looks like Parkinson diseases also known as Manganism (Bureau of Environmental health (2009)). Basically, coliform bacteria do not cause sickness in human but their presence in a water gives rise to public health concerns due to the potential of other pathogenic or disease causing organism like bacteria, protozoa and viruses also being present in the water. The waterborne diseases from these organisms involves flu-like systems such as fever, diarrhoea vomiting and nausea (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (1998)). Question 4 Rational for the use of the indicator Parameter: The rational for the use of conductivity as an indicator is detecting water pollution. Water has a comparatively invariable range of conductivity and once the conductivity is established, it is being used as the bases for assessment with regular conductivity measurements. Conductivity determines a number of applications relating to the water quality. These applications are stated below; Quick notification of difference or variance in wastewaters and natural water. Conductivity is used in the determination of the amount of treatment chemicals to be added in a water sample. It is used in determining mineralization: this is referred to as total dissolved solids and the total dissolved solids results is used to determining the overall ionic effect in water source Lastly, it is used in the estimation of the size of samples to be for other chemical analyses. Question 5 Quality of the abstracted water The Abstracted water in Peidiwch Yfed y Dwr is comprised of chemical parameters with values that does not correspond with the value stated by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2001. According to the regulations, the limit for iron in water is 200 µg/l which is below 2mg/l, the concentration level of iron in the abstracted water. Binnie et al (2002) stated that iron may be derived from raw water or from corrosion of iron water mains and they are common in ground waters (p9). High concentration of iron makes water corrosive with reddish or brownish yellow stains. (See figure 1 below). It will also have operational effects on the plumbing equipments due to corrosion which might result in blocking up the water distribution system Binnie et al, (2002). The water regulation allows maximum concentration value of 50 µg/l for manganese which is below the concentration of manganese in the abstracted water. Manganese is derived from raw water Binnie et al, (2002) and since the level of manganese in the water is 1mg/l, the water will be toxic which causes Toxicity to the nervous system something similar to Parkinsons disease (Connecticut department of public health(2010)). The abstracted water having a pH of 6.3 makes it acidic. The required pH for water under the regulations is 6.5. Due to its acidic nature, it would contain metal ions which causes a blue green staining of the sinks and damage to metal piping due to corrosion and health risk associated with the toxic metals. Hard water relates to the level of calcium and magnesium compounds present in water. Hard water does not pose a health risk but it causes scale in water. Water hardness ranging between 60 120 mg/l is moderately hard (American ground water trust (2003)). Since the hardness is 70mg/l, the content is not acceptable. The concentration of total pesticides in the water poses a great risk to human health (See figure 2 below). The maximum value allowed for total pesticides in the water is 0.50 µg/l which is below the concentration in the abstracted water. Thus, the water is not of good quality. Buzzi, (1992) states that effects of pesticides can range from premature birth to birth defects involving the CNS and internal organs (p100). The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons allowed under the regulations is 0.10 µg/l which is above the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in the abstracted water. According to N.F. Gray (1994) World health organization has set a level for 3,4-benzopyrene of 10ng/l which is equivalent to 0.00001mg/l. Water containing more than these amounts would cause gastrointestinal and oesophageal tumours (p 147). Cryptosporidium outbreak in the town may occur due to faecal-contamination of the water resources directly or indirectly by sewage or animal waste. According to Gray (1994), they are parasitic protozoa that forms oocyst which allows them to survive longer in water while waiting to be ingested by a host(p160) (See figure below).Low level exposure to the oocyst is capable of initiating an infection Rose (1990) and in a study by Blewett et al (1993) it was indicated that a single oocyst may be enough to cause infection. N.F. Gray (2004) stated that the main symptoms of cryptosporidiosis are stomach cramps, nausea, dehydration and headaches(p160). Technology/Operation to make the abstracted water wholesome To make the abstracted water wholesome, it will undergo some treatment process. Firstly, the concentration of iron and manganese in the water are at 2mg/l and 1mg/l respectively compared to 200 µg/l and 50 µg/l which is the value for the water to be wholesome. Therefore, it would be treated by coagulation or flocculation which is the addition of chemical such as ferric sulphate that forms floc and entraps the impurities in the water. The floc will then be separated from the water through sedimentation. To remove the taste and odour, the water will undergo aeration, ozonation and adsorption on actuated carbon. The pH level will be adjusted to 6.5 by adding alkaline substances such as calcium carbonate i.e. free lime or by aeration. The water will then undergo boiling at a very high temperature so that the bicarbonate will decompose to produce calcium/magnesium carbonate which is not soluble in water. Thus, it precipitates out thereby reducing the hardness of the water. Carbon filtration will be done in other to reduce the total pesticides present to 0.50 µg/l which is the level required by the regulation. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon present in the water differs from the stipulated concentration according to the regulations which is 0.9 µg/l, therefore microfiltration will be done to adjust the level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the water. The water will undergo ultraviolet filtration to treat the effect of cryptosporidium which involves ultra filtration, microfiltration and nano filtration. This process will remove organic compounds from the water thereby reducing the effect of cryptosporidium in the water. Finally, the water will be disinfected with the addition of chlorine to deactivate all pathogenic microorganisms present in the water before consumption. Advantages The advantage of coagulant water treatment is that it is very effective in removing particles that are otherwise very difficult to remove in water. Also, using water softeners in reducing the water hardness and adjusting the pH value prevents limescale and increases heating efficiency in water. The advantage of using activated carbon filters in water is that it effectively removes organic contaminants from the water. The advantage of using ultra violet water filters in treating the effect of cryptosporidium is due to the fact that it generally kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses in water. The advantage of chlorine disinfection is that it is cheap and readily available in gas, liquid or powder. Disadvantages The disadvantage of coagulants is the cost and the need for accurate dosing and frequent monitoring. In using water softeners, the disadvantage involved is that the output water may not be suitable for drinking. The disadvantage in the use of carbon filters is that it does not remove microbes, nitrates, sodium and hardness. The disadvantages of using ultraviolet water filters in treating the effect of cryptosporidium is that it only kills the bacteria, it wont remove the dead cell and other contaminants in the water. The disadvantage of chlorine disinfection is taste and odour problems. Treatment Train Water is usually given an appropriate treatment to ensure the water supply is of high and consistent quality. A potential treatment train flow chart to produce water meeting the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulation 2001 is shown below: References N.F. Gray. (1994) Drinking water quality: problems and solutions. John Wiley Sons. Buzzi. (1992) Chemical Hazards at Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants. Lewis. D.A Armbruster, M. D Tillman et al. (1994) Limit of detection (LQD)/limit of quantitation (LOQ): comparison of the empirical and the statistical methods exemplified with GC-MS assays of abused drugs. Clinical Chemistry, Vol 40, 1233-123. Andrzej Bobrowski, Jan Mocak et al. (2004) Metrological Characteristics and Comparison of Analytical Methods for Determination of Chromium Traces in Water Samples. Acta Chim. Slov. 2004, 51, 77-93. Dr. Xavier Fuentes-Arderiu. (2009) Trueness and Uncertainty Westgard QC, Universitat de Barcelona, CATALONIA (SPAIN). Canadian centre for occupational health and safety (2007) [online]. Available from: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/chem_profiles/benzene/health_ben.html#_1_1 [Accessed 3rd January 2010] US Environmental protection Agency (2006) [online]. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/ecoli.html#four [Accessed 2nd January 2010] Levy, J.S and Nasetta, W.J. (2003) Neurologic effects of manganese in humans: a review. International J Occup Environmental Health. 2003 Apr-Jun;9(2):153-63. Bureau of Environmental health, health assessment section (2009) Manganese in water. Columbus, Ohio. IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology 2nd edition (2007) [online]. Available from: http://www.iupac.org/goldbook/L03540.pdf [Accessed 4th January 2010]. Chris Binnie, Martin Kimber et al. (2002) Basic water treatment. 3rd edition. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge. Connecticut department of public health(2010) [online]. Available from : www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/drinking_water/pdf/manganese.pdf [Accessed 5th January 2010]. Rose, J.B. (1990) Emerging issues from the microbiology of drinking water. Water Engineering and Management, July, 23. Blewett, D.A., Wright, S.E. et al. (1993) Infective dose size studies on Cryptosporidium parvum using gnotobiotic lambs. Water Science and Technology, 27 (3-4), 61. Health Hazard Information-From the EPA Health Effects Notebook for Hazardous Air Pollutants-Draft (2010) [online]. Available from: http://www.acute-myelogenous-leukemia.com/html/hazard.html [Accessed 5th January 2010]. U.S Environmental protection agency (2006) Drinking water contaminants [online]. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/ecoli.html[[Accessed 4th January 2010]. Health Maxx Plus Inc (2007) What is pH? [online]. Available from: http://www.healthmaxxplus.net/#/what-is-ph/4529153688 [Accessed 5th January 2010]. Wisconsin Department of Health Services (2008) Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) [online]. Available from: http://dhs.wi.gov/eh/ChemFS/fs/PAH.htm [Accessed 7th January 2010]. Iron in drinking water (2003) [online]. Available from: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/dwg/iron.htm [Accessed 5th January 2010]. Lenntech water treatment solution (2009) Iron (Fe) and water [online] Available from: http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/water/iron/iron-and-water.htm [Accessed 3rd January 2010]. APEC (2009) pH values of water explained [online]. Available from: http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-education/quality-water-ph.htm [Accessed 4th January 2010]. The Manganese Health Research Program (2010) Brief Background on the Health Effects of Manganese [online]. Available from: http://www.manganese-health.org/about_us/healtheffects [Accessed 7th January 2010]. Pesticides (2002) Fact Sheet Series: Pesticides in Drinking Water [online]. Available from: http://www.waterbornediseases.org/FactSheets/pesticide.htm [Accessed 6th January 2010]. Conductivity and Water Quality (2010) Environmental Impact [online]. Available from: http://www.kywater.org/ww/ramp/rmcond.htm [Accessed 8th January 2010]. Chelsea and Westminister Hospital (NHS) (2008) Water Safety Cryptosporidium [online]. Available from: http://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/documents/hiv_factsheets/general/Water%20Safety%20%20Cryptosporidium.pdf [Accessed 4th January 2010].

Sassoons Use of Irony in Glory of Women Essay -- American America His

Sassoon's Use of Irony in Glory of Women The role of women during the Great War has been portrayed in many different ways in literature. They are seen as factory workers, nurses who saved soldierà ­s lives, sweethearts and relatives to label just a few. In "Glory of Women, Siegfried Sassoon makes ample use of irony within the structure and the content in order to portray his view of the role of the young, working, British woman during this time period. Sassoon's use of irony can first be seen in the structure of the poem itself. A superficial glance at the poem shows that it is written in fourteen lines, making it appear as a sonnet. A closer look at the structure, however, shows that "Glory of Women" is in the form of both the English and the Italian sonnet, creating a completely unique sonnet altogether. There is an octet, which a closer look shows is really two quatrains, and a sestet which are distinguished by a subtle change in mood and characterize the Italian sonnet. The two quatrains, a characteristic of the English sonnet that can be identifi...

The Death of My Cat :: Personal Narrative essay about myself

The Death of My Cat This fall, in the bleak and rainy days just after Thanksgiving, two members of my family died. The first, a great aunt, passed on after lingering for years in a nursing home. Her funeral was sad in that the only mourners, other than her sister and the immediate family, were an elderly couple who once lived next door. The other death was my cat, Lady Macbeth, who died alone in a kitty hospital while my parents were away. Lady Macbeth was a remarkable cat. All cat owners think their cats are remarkable, but Lady Macbeth made a lasting impression on everyone she met, perhaps because she was never much of a cat. Lady Macbeth saw herself as a person who for some reason was treated like a cat day after day until it drove her mad. To her dying day she never stopped insisting (quite loudly) that she was NOT a cat and to please stop picking her up and making silly meowing noises and locking her in the basement with an actual cat (her sister Grimalkin). She and Grimalkin were famous largely for the adventures they had while her masters were away. There was the time she stayed the weekend at a friend's apartment and uprooted all of his potted plants. There was the toilet paper incident and the deep fat fryer incident. There was the time she managed to knock over a lazyboy recliner (I never did figure out how she did that one). Her sister usually performed the stunts, but a bewildered Lady Macbeth usually got the blame. She had, as I said, an effect on people. Those who did not like cats to begin with often used Lady Macbeth as Exhibit A. But those with a place in their heart for cats would become more and more fascinated upon each new encounter. She was always frantic, was terrified of the outdoors by day but drawn there by night, would speak directly with humans in a most un-cat-like way, and would make a beeline for any available lap, especially mine. I was very fond of Grimalkin, but still regard Lady Macbeth as my most eccentric friend. It bothered me at first that I wasn't able to make it back to Idaho before she died. What I wouldn't give for one more hour of lap time with Lady Macbeth! But then it occurred to me that I was placing undue emphasis on her final days.

Religion, Morality, and the Good Life

Religion, Morality, and the Good Life Does morality depend on religion? Many believe the fundamental aspects of morality and religion join to form the basis on how one chooses to live their life. Some would define morality as a system we humans use to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. Morality could derive from a number of different factors including, religion, culture, and upbringing. Those that believe that morality derives from religion or God’s commands trust in the Divine Command Theory.The Divine Command Theory is the idea that morality is dependent on God; that one’s moral obligation be determined by their obedience to God’s commands. This theory has been and probably will continue to be controversial to many. Morality must have a purely secular foundation. Although religion might not be the concrete basis for morality, it is certain that religion is needed sometime when dealing with specific aspects of morality. There are 2 types of mor ality, justified and unjustified. Justified morality is common sense and does not require intense interpretation.For example, â€Å"Do not steal† is a justified moral command because when one steals they are bringing evil to someone and that is immoral. Unjustified morals are much harder to find reason for than justified morals which can be easily justified by common knowledge. â€Å"Do not have sex before marriage,† is an example of an unjustified morality. It is difficult to explain why doing the act is immoral. This moral standard is irrational in that there is no reasonable answer why one should not do this act in order to remain moral.Religion comes in handy when dealing with grey areas of morality. Those grey areas are known as the unjustified moral commands or unjustified morality. Given the example for an unjustified moral command, one could answer the question â€Å"Why should I not do this in order to remain moral,† by saying it is immoral to have sex before marriage because God commanded us not to because he will punish one who does not follow his commandments. There is no central harm because if this action but one’s self-interest or fear of God’s wrath will keep one from committing this immoral act.The use of God and religion to justify these issues is only useful when dealing with a God-fearing and moral person. Although using religion with morality, in this case, may cause one to agree that morality needs religion and that the Divine Command Theory explains why, it does not justify that religion is the basis for morality. Are right and wrong actions commanded by God? The Divine Command Theory states that good and bad are created by God, not by humans. It has been illustrated that the Divine Command Theory cannot be logically true.The Divine Command Theory states that if God commands â€Å"A,† his commands by itself are sufficient to make â€Å"A† good. â€Å"A is good† just means â€Å"A i s commanded by God. † God’s commands are good simply because God commands it. If there were no God, or if God did not issue any commands, then there would be no such thing as moral right or wrong. However, if actions are good on their own without influence from God, then the Divine Command Theory is false because it is naturally commanded that we do things which are good and avoid those in which we know to be wrong.One’s belief in the existence of a god or gods may cause one to believe that morality assumes God’s existence. Their beliefs seem to give their lives purpose and clear understanding. In Genesis 1:27 it says, â€Å"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. † (NIV) According to Christianity, God created us in his likeness as to fulfill the plan or purpose that he had intended for us. With this idea, the Catholic Church developed the concept of natural law.This natural law concept stated that by working out what one’s purpose is, we will be able to see how we should act and/or behave; it would be apparent in the way in which we have been designed. Within the Catholic Church, the Pope’s condemnation of homosexuality is an example of the natural law theory at work. The natural result to sex is conception, and any other sexual act that is not available to this possibility would be an immoral rejection to the plan God had intended for them. It is obvious that this natural law approach to ethics can cause controversy.It might be perceived as a poor imitation of morality in that it fails to provide justification for many basic moral principles. The supposed link between God and morality provides the idea because God is omnipotent and our creator; we have an obligation to obey his commands. With him being our creator, we owe him our existence. Many ask the obvious question, â€Å"Why do we have this obligation? † Although this view has n ot stood up to reflection, people once believed that children owed the act of obedience to their parents only because children depended on their parents. This view is remarkably similar to the reasoning given for feudalism.In feudalism, in exchange for the protection of the lord, the vassal would give some sort of service to the lord. The obligation between the lord and the vassal regarding the fief or land forms the basis of the feudal relationship. The weakness in this political system was that the vassals never agreed to this plan. By answering the above question in saying that our obligation to obey God’s command is because obedience is morally right, the assumption has been made that morality exists independently of God. Why things are right in the first place is justified and explained by the Divine Command Theory.The Divine Command Theory shows an apparent resemblance to the natural law approach as discussed just before. Rather than focusing on features of his assumed creation as with the natural law theory, the Divine Command Theory implicates a focus on God’s orders. An obvious example of God’s orders would be the Ten Commandments. The most common objection to this approach is that it makes morality seem somewhat subjective. It implies the theoretical likelihood of rape being right simply because God commands this. Some may say that God would never command such an act as rape. God has not, in fact, commanded that rape is good.Assuming that the Divine Command Theory is, in fact, true, it would see God’s goodness in that he will not do anything wrong. But it does not follow that he won’t be unjust or cruel. As long as he is not violating any of his commands, no matter what God does, he will not be doing anything wrong. God is omniscient and morally perfect. Surely this gives us exact reason to why we ought to obey his commands. God’s moral perfection, after all, guarantees that he will issue only those commands that he thinks are right. His overall insight and expertise assures that he will never be wrong in what he believes is right to command of us.It sees God as the highest possible moral guide, giving us reason to always obey his commands. Although this is correct, it does not support the Divine Command Theory. To argue this point is to assume that the greater moral quality is dependent of God’s will, in which the basis for what he commands is. Some thinkers like Immanuel Kant and John Newman, just to name a few, have argued that a sense of conscience is evidence of God. With morality and religion being independent of one another, the independence is considered to be compatible with the existence of God.If we accept that the existence of conscience assumes a being to whom we owe responsibility, God would seem like the only candidate. He is the only person with omnipotent power to see and judge our every action. Newman furthered this thought by asking why people would feel guilty if they did not think they were being watched. In conclusion, there is something wrong with every way of linking morality to religion. I am not claiming that religion cannot have things to say about morality or that it is incapable of helping people do what is morally right.Instead, my claim is that ethics is enhanced with a religiously neutral foundation. Religion can be defined a set of practices independent of a belief system. Religion is the way in which you worship. Some people have participated in religious worship for a while without giving a great deal of thought to a belief system. Morality can be based on religion, but it also can be independent of one’s religion or faith. Although it is possible to hold a religion and not hold to any strong moral principles and vice versa for holding just moral principles, many people hold religious and moral principles.As with Christianity, religion is doing what you are told to do regardless of what is right, and morality is doi ng what is right regardless of what you are told to do. Although morality and religion are used at times to justify one another, they are not dependent of one another. . Works Cited â€Å"Genesis 1 NIV – The Beginning – In the beginning God – Bible †¦ † Bible Gateway. Web. 15 Apr. 2013 . â€Å"The Internet Classics Archive | Euthyphro by Plato. † The Euthyphro. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013

Maps of Geology

There are different phenomena happening in the earth’s crust and some of those are the occurrence of folds and faults. Both phenomena are caused by forces like tension and compression. Folds are bends in the rock surfaces while Faults are fractures in the earth’s crust which allows blocks of rocks to move relative to one another. When this movement becomes rapid, it results to earthquakes (â€Å"What is a fault? ,† 2008). Since there are two blocks of rocks involved in a fault, the block which is above the fault plane is the Hanging-wall while the block below the fault plane is called the Footwall (Laske, 2006).There are three general types of faults: the Dip-slip, Strike-slip and the Oblique faults. A Dip-slip fault is a type of fault wherein the movement is vertical. Here, one block of rock moves up and the other moves down. In the Dip-slip fault, the fracture may be classified as either a Normal or a Reverse fault. For the Normal type, the Hanging-wall moves d own while the Footwall moves up. This type of fault is caused by tensional stress. Unlike the Normal type, the Reverse fault has a Hanging-wall that moves up and a Footwall that moves down.The force responsible for this fault is the compressional stress. A Strike-slip fault is a type of fault where the movement of the blocks is horizontal. Strike-slip faults can be classified according to the displacement of the block farther when viewed facing the fault line. If the displacement is to the left, then it is a left-lateral fault otherwise it is a right-lateral fault (Gore, 1996). As for faults exhibiting the vertical as well as the horizontal movement, those are classified as the Oblique type of fault (â€Å"What is a fault? ,† 2008).A famous right-lateral fault is the San Andreas Fault which involves the North American and Pacific plates. If this would continue its activity, there will be more earthquakes in the area and it is also possible that the two plates involved will be really far from each other as time Faults, Folds, Maps 3 comes (Fialko, 2006). With this, one should be really prepared because reported earthquakes in this area are dangerous. People there should be taught on how to deal with this type of situation. Mapping has already been an important part of society.Maps can show a lot of information about a place depending on what kind of map that is. One kind of map used is the Topographic map wherein contour lines are used to show the surface of the earth. These lines are imaginary lines with equal elevations that can be used for detailed features of an area like streets, vegetation and buildings (â€Å"Topographic Map Symbols,† 2005). Another kind of map used is the Geologic map. Unlike the Topographic map, this map’s concern is to show the geologic details of the area like locations of folds and faults and types of rock present.Also, geologic maps have distinctive colors which represent different geological units (â€Å"Geol ogic Maps,† 2000). Figure 1 is an illustration of a mountain and to be able to identify the slope of the land surface, one can use a Topographic map. If the contour lines that will be seen after mapping the area lie close to each other, the slope is steep otherwise; the land surface has a gradual slope (Rosenberg, 2007). Building a house in a location like that of the illustration may be hard but it may be possible if the location that will be chosen has rocks and soil that are stable and far from folds and fault lines.This is because one would not want a house built in a place with frequent earthquakes and can be easily ruined by landslides and the like. This may be done by mapping the area through a geologic map. Faults, Folds, Maps 4 Figure 1. An illustration of a cone of a former mountain. As said earlier, different phenomena are caused by different stresses. The compressional, shear and tensional stresses can help form structural features in rocks such as faults, dikes, s ills, and bedding planes. Locations for establishing a place also depends on these factors.Canmore community for example may have been established in its location because of that. Faults, Folds, Maps 5 References Fialko, Y. (2006). Interseismic strain accumulation and the earthquake potential on the southern San Andreas fault system. Nature, 441(June 22 2006), 968-971. Geologic Maps. (2000, September 25, 2000). Retrieved June 30, 2008, from http://www. nature. nps. gov/geology/usgsnps/gmap/gmap1. html#color Gore, P. J. W. (1996). Faults. Retrieved June 30, 2008, from http://facstaff. gpc. edu/~pgore/geology/geo101/faults. htm Laske, G. (2006). Earthquakes and Seismology.Retrieved June 30, 2008, from http://quakeinfo. ucsd. edu/~gabi/erth15-06/Lecture06. html National Mapping Discipline, U. S. Geological Survey. Topographic Map Symbols. (2005). from http://erg. usgs. gov/isb/pubs/booklets/symbols/ Rosenberg, M. (2007). Topographic Maps: An Overview of Topographic Maps [Electronic Ver sion]. Retrieved June 30, 2008, from http://geography. about. com/od/topographicmaps/a/topographicmaps. htm UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. What is a fault? (2008). Retrieved June 30, 2008, from http://seismo. berkeley. edu/faq/fault_0. html