Good Writing Essay

You know it when you see it. It is not that hard to tell whether a piece of writing is good or bad, you just have to read it. And it is pretty important to be able to discern the difference, if you ask me. But things get more challenging if you have to explain why it is good. You might be called upon to write a report at school or you may fancy communicating your ideas online via a blog. And, of course, a well written CV with no spelling or grammatical mistakes is essential if you want a new job. Writing skills are an important part of communication and they have to be developed, since it is used in many areas of our daily life. Good writing allows you to communicate your message with clarity and ease to a far larger audience than through face-to-face or telephone conversations. â€Å"If you want to write well†¦ read, read, and then read some more. Read good writing. Read bad writing. Learn to know the difference. Note for simplicity of style: noun, verb, object; noun, verb, object. It worked for Hemingway, who often said that his ultimate goal was to create the perfect sentence. Read some Hemingway, and not just his novels, but some of his early newspaper writing. There’s never been better news and feature writing, ever. When you read the works of these and other fine writers, notice the simplicity of their language and how they vary their sentence structure and length. Some sentences number two or three words; others run an entire paragraph. There are countless tips on writing well, but I leave you with this one: read first, then write. † –Bill Reed Therefore, you need to take into account the next steps to produce good writing (in no particular order): 1. Clarity and focus: in good writing, everything makes sense and readers don’t get lost or have to reread passages to figure out what’s going on. Focused writing sticks with the plot or core idea without running off on too many tangents. 2. Organization: a well-organized piece of writing is not only clear, it’s presented in a way that is logical and aesthetically pleasing. You can tell non-linear stories or place your thesis at the end of an essay and get away with it as long as your scenes or ideas are well ordered. 3. Ideas and themes: is the topic of your paper relevant? Does your story come complete with themes? Can the reader visualize your poem? For a piece of writing to be considered well crafted, it has to contain clearly identifiable ideas and themes. 4. Voice: this is what sets you apart from all other writers. It’s your unique way of stringing words together, formulating ideas, and relating scenes or images to the reader. 5. Language (word choice): we writers can never underestimate or fail to appreciate our most valuable tools — words. Good writing includes smart word choices and well-crafted sentences. 6. Grammar and style: many writers would wish this one away, but for a piece of writing to be considered good (let alone great), it has to follow the rules of grammar (and break those rules only when there’s a good reason). Style is also important in ensuring that a piece of writing is clear and consistent. Make sure you keep a grammar book and style guide handy. 7. Credibility or believability: nothing says bad writing like getting the facts wrong or misrepresenting oneself. In fiction, the story must be believable (even if it’s impossible), and in nonfiction, accurate research can make or break a writer. 8. Thought-provoking or emotionally inspiring: perhaps the most important quality of good writing is how the reader responds to it. Does she come away with a fresh perspective and new ideas? Does he close the cover with tears in his eyes or a sense of victory? How readers react to your work will fully determine your success as a writer. 9. Sentence Fluency that is smooth and expressive: Fluent sentences are easy to understand and fun to read with expression. 10. Use transitional expressions to help readers understand where your message is going. Common transitional expressions include therefore, consequently, however, then, first, next, and although. To have a good writing not only is necessary to not make mistakes, but to follow some steps to enrich the work. And to achieve that, you need to have qualities in terms of patience and organization. In other words, a good writing is a complicated process that takes time. But if you follow the guidelines that are set out it will be easy and successful. For that reason, is very important to practice writing. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Peha, Steve. Looking for Quality in Student Writing. Teaching That Makes Sense. 2003 . [ 2 ]. Writing Skills. SkillsYouNeed. 2012 . [ 3 ]. Reed, Bill. Developing Good Writing Skills. Academic Tips. 2008 . [ 4 ]. Donovan, Melissa. Eight Characteristics of Good Writing. Writing Forward. 2012 .

To what extent is this true and how important is this conflict to the novel as a whole?

Throughout Iris Murdoch's novel, ‘The Bell' we are constantly being presented with conflicts, many of which relate to the discord between sex and religion which have been opposed to each other since the dawn of creation when Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation in the Garden of Eden. This conflict has particularly dark tendencies and acts as a destructive force for several characters, namely Catherine, Michael and Nick. Despite this being the primary theme of the novel we are also presented with a number of conflicts of a different nature. The main conflict of the novel is that existing between sex and religion, as embodied by Catherine and Michael. Michael is constantly confronted by the issue of his sexuality and how it affects his religion. He is always striving to live a good life and he believes that entering into the priesthood would allow him to achieve this. However he is prevented from fulfilling this wish by his homosexuality which goes completely against the Church's teaching. Michael believes that to live a good life, â€Å"One should have a conception of one's capacities †¦ study carefully how best to use such strength as one has†. In initiating relationships with firstly Nick and then subsequently with Toby, Michael is clearly failing to do this. He is aware of his sexual tendencies and knows that they are viewed as improper but fails to take measures to prevent them from overpowering him. Michael admits to this failing in Chapter 16, â€Å"Michael was aware now †¦ that it had been a great mistake to see Toby †¦ the clasp of hands, had had an intensity, and indeed delightfulness, which he had not foreseen – or had not cared to foresee. † Michael seems to take pleasure in the feeling of guilt which these forbidden relationships cause in him. When he is confronted by James Tayper Pace, following Toby's confession of what had taken place between them, he is quite willing to take all the blame for the whole situation, â€Å"The real blame belongs to me. By sending Toby away you've made him feel like a criminal. † It is as though Michael wants James to blame him. He feeds off guilt; the constant cycle of guilt, redemption and then further guilt. Nick's arrival at Imber Court acts as a further reminder of his sins and at the conclusion of the novel when Nick has killed himself, Michael is left with a permanent reminder of his actions as he becomes responsible for Catherine. Despite all the guilt, Michael feels that his love of God and his love of Nick â€Å"come from the same source†. The moments in which he claims to feel closest to God are ironically found with Nick and Toby. Of Michael's feelings over his initial contact with Toby the narrator comments that, â€Å"He had felt his heart heel over in tenderness for the boy, and had been sure that such a spring of feeling could not be wholly evil. † However, Michael is unable to reconcile his homosexuality with his religion and is tormented by it constantly. Nick's death destroys his faith in God and causes him to question whether he had ever really believed at all. He is ridden with guilt over his failure to give Nick the redemption he was looking for. He made desperate cries for help but Michael was too concerned with trying to lead a ‘good life' to notice. The one good thing he could have done was to be true to Nick, however he fails to realise this until it is too late. Although he does eventually return to the Mass he simply â€Å"existed beside it†. There is no longer any future for him in religion; he must concentrate on looking after Catherine. As the Abbess said, â€Å"the way is always forward, never back†. Michael is facing in the right direction but it is up to him to start walking. Catherine, like Michael, cannot reconcile her sexuality with her religion. As a postulant nun she is preparing to sacrifice her whole life to serve God. Iris Murdoch believed that one of life's great tasks was to engage in a process called unselfing. By joining the convent Catherine is attempting this process. Therefore, her feelings for Michael are totally improper for someone in her position; consequently she is ridden with guilt, which leads to her attempt to take her own life. The entire community is oblivious to her feelings for Michael. She is viewed as being something the other members should aspire to, â€Å"our little saint† as Mrs Mark observes. Dora is particularly in awe of her, both for her beauty and apparent sexual purity. She also feels slightly threatened by her as she represents what she can never have or be. It is as a result of Dora's interest in Catherine that we first get a suggestion that she is not as holy as everyone believes. Dora questions her motives for wishing to enter the abbey and Catherine's reply is, â€Å"There are things one doesn't choose †¦ I don't mean they are forced on one. But one doesn't choose them. These are often the best things†. This hints that she is not whole-hearted in her wish for a religious life: it appears that it is what was always expected of her, rather than being of her own design. Dora is the only character who notices this; the rest are all deceived until the dramatic incidents at the end. However nobody suspects that she may have feelings towards Michael. The only incident where we are given an inkling of any attraction is when Nick is working on the van and Catherine is sitting beside him with her skirt up around her waist; Michael arrives and she doesn't readjust it. Michael feels uncomfortable in this situation but gets the impression that she must â€Å"positively dislike him† as she looks up at him without smiling. Catherine ultimately fails to suppress her love for Michael and when the new bell falls into the lake she views this as a sign that God has condemned her, driving her to attempt to take her own life. Like Michael she cannot be truly good as she cannot reconcile her faith with her sexuality. There are also religious conflicts within the community as a whole. Firstly there is the conflict between the abbey and the lay community. The abbey is cut off both physically and in terms of the role it plays in everyday life. The abbey is separated from Imber Court by a large lake. The only way to reach the abbey is by a rowing boat which can be pulled across from either end. Then there is a high wall which goes all the way around the abbey. The only way in is through a door in the wall, which surprisingly is always kept unlocked. Toby discovers this when he climbs over the wall into the abbey as part of his sexual awakening. This incident follows the embrace with Michael and is Toby's attempt to convince himself that he is not homosexual. There is very little contact made between the abbey and the court. We only see rare glimpses of the nuns and Michael is the only person who is allowed to visit the Abbess. Most communications are made through Mother Clare, her intermediary. These boundaries are all representative of the widening gap between lay and spiritual life, and the fading role of religion in everyday existence during the 1950's when Murdoch was writing. People were abandoning the church in favour of other beliefs more relevant to the world they were living in. The community as a whole is separated from the rest of the world as there is a boundary wall enclosing both the abbey and the court. As Michael comes to realise, the community was an impossible dream; it is an attempt to isolate themselves from the realities of life. We also see religious and sexual conflicts between individual characters. Take for instance the contrasting speeches given by Michael and James Tayper Pace, in chapters 9 and 16 respectively, on how to live a ‘good life'. James teaches that the good life is, â€Å"to live without any image of oneself†. He has absolute faith in God and believes that he will guide him through life. James is a very sure person, confident in his own beliefs and very dismissive of anyone who disagrees with him. â€Å"I have little time for the man who finds his life too complicated for the ordinary rules to fit†. This viewpoint is very much the orthodox view of religion that had held prominence unchallenged for centuries until the time period in which Murdoch wrote the novel, when people started challenging this blinkered outlook. Michael by contrast takes a much more open stance. He believes this it is important to, â€Å"have some conception of one's capacities† so as to know â€Å"how best to use such strengths as one has†. Rather than having blind faith in God alone he suggests that you should explore yourself, test the boundaries of your capabilities. Ironically Michael fails to be aware of his own shortcomings in his dealings with Nick and Toby. To most modern audiences this attitude would seem much the better of the two. Nevertheless, in presenting these two different viewpoints Murdoch acts as a moral philosopher but allows us to contemplate and draw our own conclusions. She does not appear to be endorsing one in particular, possibly suggesting that the way forward is a compromise between the two. There is also a conflict of character between Mrs Mark and Dora. Mrs Mark strictly enforces the religious ideals of the community. For example when Dora asks her what she and her husband did before entering the community she is told, â€Å"We never discuss our past lives here †¦ when people ask each other questions about their lives, their motives are rarely pure†. In fact Dora is asking purely out of interest, she does not attempt to judge others. By conversing with Mrs Mark she was simply trying to show human warmth but this is killed by Mrs Mark's restrictive nature, which is reflected in the community as a whole. Murdoch uses symbolism to show conflicts with this novel and the most obvious use of it is the two bells. The old bell depicts scenes from the life of Christ, illustrated by rural, peasant images. It is inscribed with the words, â€Å"Vox ego amoris sum† (I am the voice of love). The bell is symbolic of a traditional way of life that had existed for centuries, with religious and secular life co-existing in harmony. In contrast the new bell is covered with â€Å"arabesque swirls†: these are meaningless, therefore reflecting the declining importance of religion in peoples' lives. Spiritual fulfilment was becoming more abstract during the 1950's, an example being Dora's revelation in the National Gallery when she is standing in front of Gainsborough's painting of his two daughters and experiences something â€Å"real† but at the same time â€Å"perfect†. In the past people would have turned to religion to provide such feelings and called them revelations. The story of the bell flying into the lake and the nun who drowned herself because she was having a relationship with a man are representative of the ongoing conflict between sex and religion. When the old bell is rung again it heralds the revealing of the long know truth that this conflict will never die, as Catherine declares her love for Michael and Toby confesses to James Tayper Pace over his encounters with Michael. The tarnishing and growths encrusted on the bell from years of being underwater illustrate the loss of purity in contemporary religion, also the tarnishing of Michael and, through his actions, Nick. The lake is another important symbol which contains different meanings. As well as providing a physical gap between the court and the abbey it is symbolic of the divide between spiritual and temporal life. When at the end of the novel Dora cuts the painter on the rowing boat it shows that there is no future for these two lifestyles to exist side by side. The lake is particularly significant when analysing the character of Toby. When he is contemplating his relationships with Dora and Michael he walks â€Å"carefully† around the lake. He is young and inexperienced in the ways of the world, not yet ready to make important decisions such as his sexuality. The murky waters of the lake represent the mysteries of life; Toby has tested the water out but is not going to throw himself in until he is certain. His ability to swim is also symbolic of the fact that he can cope with situations that face him; likewise, the aquatic nun who comes to the rescue of Catherine and Dora. She has learnt to live a purely religious life. Dora cannot swim at the beginning of the novel, she is drowning in Paul's restrictive power, however by the end she has learnt to live without him and take control of her own life. By contrast, Catherine is never able to come to terms with her feelings for Michael, resulting in her near death experience by drowning. There are other significant examples of symbolism. When Michael is in the chapel and describes the singing of the nuns as â€Å"hideous purity† this symbolises the struggle between sex and religion which is taking place inside him. It is because of this conflict that he finds their singing repulsive, as they have what he wants but knows he will never get; a truly religious life. Catherine is in a similar position, therefore it is perhaps significant that they both have the same dream about the drowning nun. There is ironic symbolism in the name of Dora's lover, Noel Spens. Noel is a very Christian name but he speaks out strongly against religion. He believes that it misguides people and places unfair restrictions on their lives. Dora's changing musical tastes are also significant. At the beginning when they hold an evening of Bach's music, Dora dislikes this as she finds it too structured and formal. She much prefers listening to Noel's jazz music, with its jungle rhythms and exuberant style. However by the end of the novel we are told that she has taken an interest in listening to Mozart. This is representative of the change from chaos to order in her life in general. She learns to take control of her life and not let Paul repress her. Initially she describes marriage as being â€Å"enclosed in the aims of another†. She is scared of Paul's physical power and will follow his orders to the letter. She is like the butterfly trapped on the train. Toby saves her from his restrictiveness by allowing her to rediscover her youth. He releases her. At the same time Dora saves Toby from being trapped in a relationship with Michael by allowing him to realise that he is not homosexual. There are many conflicts within this novel, the majority of which relate in some way to that existing between sex and religion. It is its destructive nature which makes this conflict so dark and I would argue that it is a conflict that can never truly be resolved. We do see different kinds of conflict as I have discussed but these do not play such a central role in the novel.

What happened to Neandertals Why did they extinct Essay

What happened to Neandertals Why did they extinct - Essay Example Neandertals are the most well-studied representatives of the ancient Homo sapiens.The transition from archaic to modern humans is documented in Europe, however, what has caused the disappearance of these people is still not known to the science. One of hypothesis suggests that Homo sapiens migrated into Neandertal lands and caused their extinction. Homo sapiens had bigger brain and more advanced in technology. Another theory suggests that populations of that time merged and mixed, which resulted in the evolution of the new human species. Archeologists are still not sure which theory is right, even though more Neandertal skeletons have been found compared to other human species. It is well known that Neandertals lived in Europe and Asia more than 150,000 years ago. Neandertals managed to adopt physically and cultural to the ice age conditions, however, their disappearance still cannot be explained.These ancient people are not considered Homo sapiens, and even if they were the represen tatives of human species, they were of the different race. Neandertals disappeared 30,000 years ago and have left only traces of their living. Scientists from advanced countries are analyzing DNA samples from bones trying to find the cause of Neandertal extinction. It is not an easy task because genetic material is much degraded and mixed with other types of DNA. New technologies in this field gives scientists the hope to collect new valuable information from Neandertal's DNA. The first bones of Neandertal were discovered in 1820s in Europe (Green 2006). Later the skulls of a child and a female were found and stored in the museums. The discovery which recognized the existence of human-like species was made in Germany. After examination by paleontologists and medical pathologists, the agreement was reached that those fossils were not of animal origin as well as not of human as of modern Europe. After publication of Darwin's works, the society was convinced that Neandertals were very ancient humans and disappeared in the result of the natural selection process. Neandertals were not humans as the investigation of two skeletons found in Belgium cave demonstrated. It was found out that these two Neandertals were associated with food bones from animals and stone tools which were more advanced. In general, more than 400 skeletons were found and majority of which were excavated in France. At first, Neandertals were described as dull-witted and ape-like creatures. However, the further analysis showed that this depiction was wrong and Neandertals were much like humans (Shreeve 1996). However, the question whether Neandertals were of human origin or whether they were the representatives of other species. The evidence is still searched in the genes and bones. In 2004, the researchers conducted several tests and reached the conclusion that modern humans are much different genetically from Neandertals. Nevertheless, based on the current research, as much as 25 percent of Neandertal DNA is the same as of modern humans. Thus, it is possible that Neandertals did not disappear but rather evolved into the modern human species. Last year, the team of professors at Max Planck Institution have sequenced approximately 1/3 of the DNA from Neandertal bones and hope that within the next two years it will be possible to draft the entire genome and compared it with human. The Neandertal disappearance is critically analyzed by scientists all over the world. Additional information was gathered in 1999 when the skeleton of the four year old boy dating 25,000 years ago was found. This child has the mixture of Neandertal and modern human features (Tattersall 1999). Therefore, he was the hybrid of two species. Scientists note that such hybrid was possible only if the genetic differences between modern humans and Neandertals was not very great. In other words, it means that Neandertals were not the representativ

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Team Work - Research Paper Example Most of the businesses prefer teamwork skills among an individual while evaluating him/her for the employment purpose. All companies realize that teamwork is highly essential as either the products to be manufactured are very complex and require teamwork efforts for the production purpose or a good product will be manufactured when a teamwork approach would be adapted for the entire manufacturing process. Thus, it becomes important to perform as a team while working in an organization. In teamwork, the members perform their function to meet the personal as well as the group objectives and goals. The members working in a group feel a sense of authorization and ownership while performing their functions within a group, as these members are committed towards the common goals and objectives that have been set by the group. The team members collaborate with each other and use their experiences and talents in an effective manner to improve the overall performance of the entire group. These members have the foundation of their success built on the trust towards the other members in the team where all the members in the team are encouraged to express their views, opinions, queries freely. The most advantageous part in a team work is that all the members have equal opportunity to participate in the decision making process within the organization, Moreover, there remains a level of understanding among all the members where they realize that the ultimate decision should be taken by the leader if the team as a whole cannot reach to any consensus agreement. Characteristics or features of an effective team 1. The team should have transparent goal The team goals must possess a specific performance objective, which would be expressed in a concise manner, so that it is clear to every member when the objective have been met. 2. The team should have result driven structure The team must operate and perform its functions in such manner that it produces results for the organization . If a team is allowed to develop the structure, then it provides best results. 3. The team should possess competent team members The team members chosen for participating in the group must have the potentiality of being competent enough. The members must have the ability to tackle with the level of knowledge. 4. The team should always have unified commitment All the team members must direct their efforts and to a common goal, where the individual efforts would have the ability to meet the unified commitment. The prime advantage of teamwork is the ability to combine the talents and skills. A team gets advantageous from a broad array of talent and skills, which is not possible to be possessed by an individual employee. Collaboration and leadership play important role in increasing the efficiency of the team work. It is the responsibility of a good leader to handle the team with such efficacy that it increases the performance of the entire team. At the same time, collaboration between the team members is necessary in order to improve the overall team work. The next part of the project would discuss about the importance of collaboration and leadership in teamwork. Team work and Collaboration Collaboration is one of the most important components of any team. It does not matter whether the team is big or small but collaboration is necessary in every

The Effects of War on Afghan Women, Children and Refugees Public Health Essay Example for Free

The Effects of War on Afghan Women, Children and Refugees Public Health Essay INTRODUCTION Armed conflicts have been major causes of disease, suffering and death for much of human history. The fatalities, injuries and disabilities suffered on the battlefield are obviously direct effects of conflict. But there are also health consequences from the breakdown of services and from population movements. The diverting of human and financial resources away from public health and other social goods contributes to the spread of disease. These indirect consequences of war may remain for many years after a conflict ends. Both the experience of conflict itself and the impact of conflict on access to health care determine the physical health and the psychological well-being of women and girls in very particular ways. Women are not only victims of the general violence and lack of health care they also face issues specific to their biology and to their social status. To add to the complexity of the picture, women also carry the burden of caring for others, including those who are sick, injured, elderly or traumatized. This in itself is stressful and often contributes to illness. Defining Terms Gender: The term gender includes both masculinity and femininity, not just one or the other. Across continents and cultures, established gender norms and values mean that women typically control less power and fewer resources than men. Not surprisingly, this often gives men an advantage in the economic, political, and educational arenas, but also with regard to health and health care. Certainly, there are instances where gender differences hurt mens health as, for example, when greater risk-taking among young men leads to higher accident rates, or higher levels of violence between men leads to greater death and disability . But, by and large, many health professionals believe that gender inequalities have led to a systematic devaluing and neglect of womens health. Children: are those who are still under the care of their parents. Who is below the legal age. After more than two decades of war, the health of Afghanistans people is ranked among the worst in the world. More than 800 children die every day, largely from preventable diseases. Nearly 1 in 4 Afghan children will not reach his or her fifth birthday, and their mothers do not fare much better. An Afghan woman is 100 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related problems than her American counterpart. These deaths are preventable. Since the fall of the Taliban, the Afghanistan Ministry of Health has been working steadily to improve access to basic health services specifically focusing on reaching women and children. Since early 2002, with funding support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Management Sciences for Health has been working with the Ministry of Health to establish a foundation upon which a national health care system can be built and health services can be delivered within Afghanistan. The Effects of War on Afghan Children and Women Public Health War is one of the most destructive human activity. It destroys not only the physical side of a person but it degrades the human dignity. These happens to Afghanistan. Today it has one of the world’s poorest human development. Among the population of 24 million roughly 10.7 million are children under the age of 18 and half of the remaining population is women. The crisis of more than 23 years has left devastating effects on the health and well being of millions of women and children. It has killed over 1.5 million people, including more than 300,000 children. An extensive review of   social, physical, and mental health of Afghan children with an aim to depict the severity and complexity of the situation induced by war of more than a decade. Child Vulnerability Indicators in Afghanistan Series of wars and drought for more than three years have threatened the survival and existence of tens and thousands of women and children. According to a survey 60 % of Afghan children have lost their family member, and 39 percent have lost their home. The burden of poverty falls heaviest on the children, who frequently abandon education in order to contribute to family income. They work on farms, collect water and firewood and scavenge the garbage cans for food scraps. In Kabul alone, more than 50,000 children work as shoe polisher, selling fruits or newspaper or begging on the streets. More than five million people with a huge proportion of children are internally displaced. More than 6 million displaced Afghans represent the largest single group of refugees world-wide. Alone in Pakistan approximately three million Afghans have taken refuge in the last few years. Children comprise 20 % of the total number. Poverty prevails, with 80% of people living below the poverty level. Adult life expectancy is 45 years for men and 47 for women. According to the UNICEFs estimations more than 5 million people-70 percent of them women and children rely on humanitarian aid to survive. 75% of the population living in rural areas have no access to any kind of health facilities. According to the UNICEF, 2001 the total number of under five population in Afghanistan is 728049. War induced displacement and famine have forced large populations to move towards big cities in search of food and shelter. Among the internally displaced populations majority is under five, approximately 429567 in Kabul, 80930 in Logar, 126000 in Wardak, 49700 in South Parwan and 41852 are in Kapisa. Displaced populations are exposed to an unprecedented scale of disease, deaths and disabilities. Reports show that one in every four children dies before his or her fifth birthday and one in five children is born in a refugee camp. Infant mortality is 165 (per 1000 live births), under five child mortality 257 (per 1000 live births) and prospects for improving child health are still dimmer. Maternal morality is one of the highest in the world, i.e., 1700 per 100,000. Poor obstetric care and illiteracy have been proved to have a direct relation to the infant mortality. The deteriorating child health has been out of focus for decades. Repeated wars, political turmoil and disasters have left grave effects on the physical and mental health of children. Post traumatic disorders, widespread infectious diseases, malnutrition have increased the sufferings of Afghan children to an unacceptably higher level. The situation of internally as well as externally displaced Afghan children is grim. The trend of childhood mortality in Afghanistan from 1955 to 1990 has remained almost static and has shown very little improvement change so far. Neighboring countries like China and Iran, both have achieved considerable decline in the under five mortality ranging from 225 to 38 and 239 to 45 respectively while infant mortality in Afghanistan is still 165 (per 1000 live births) and childhood mortality 257 (under five per 1000 births)11. Nutritional Crisis and War injuries among children According to UN agency around 120,000 Afghan children currently face famine. Iodine and vitamin A deficiency is largely noticed. Report from Terre Des Hommes determined that chronic malnutrition remained high, with 53.7% of children between 6–59 months stunted, including 27.3% severely stunted making children more vulnerable to disease. An estimated 7.5 million children and adults are currently at risk of hunger and malnutrition. Rights of children were seriously and widely violated. Girls’ right to education and sports is still overtly denied. Socio-cultural norms put additional restrictions on women and girls. Because of the current crisis it is predicted that about 20–40 000 children could die and around 10 million people will be forced to live on US$1 a day. It certainly impacts access to health services, health allocations by the governments, access to drugs against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, and child health. There are currently estimated 5.3 million vulnerable people inside Afghanistan. Country’s health system performance is paralyzed and extensively damaged during the war on terrorism. None of the children growing up today in Afghanistan has ever known peace. It is estimated that over 2 million Afghans suffered from mental health problems. UNICEF-supported study in 1997 found that the majority of children under 16 years in Kabul suffer from psychosocial war trauma. Ninety-seven per cent had witnessed violence and 65 per cent had experienced the death of a close family relative. Experts say that approximately 30%–50% of a population undergoing violent conflict develops some level of mental distress. There are estimated 10 million land mines, the equivalent of roughly one for every child. Reported by Save the Children survey, 85% of all unexploded ordnance (UXO) victims were children in Kabul, during the years 1990-94. Alone 3,000 injuries from landmines and UXO in 1999 have been reported. More than 130,000 Afghans under the age of 18 have been killed by land mines so far. Disease Profile Measles, cholera, tuberculosis, malaria, meningitis, hepatitis, typhoid, childhood respiratory infections, and diarrhea are the major killer diseases. Diarrhea alone causes the death of 85,000 under five children per year. Two to three million malaria cases with 6% P. falciparum were notified to the health authorities in the last few years. Similarly leis mania affects seriously women and children in Afghanistan. Immunization coverage is profoundly low. Lastly noticed overall mortality due to measles and related complications was 10.8% in Kabul. In South Asia, over 40 percent of the total confirmed cases of polio occurred in Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2000. The mass migration of Afghans to Pakistan and to other neighboring countries has posed serious threat to the global polio eradication program. Moreover a tuberculin survey in Pakistan revealed that the prevalence of tuberculosis infection was 13.8% (May 1985) in a sample of 4108 Afghan children (average age of 8 years). Thirty-three percent had not received their BCG vaccination. A survey during the 1990–94 on cancer reported 22 % prevalence of 1655 children. 69% were males, 31% females Afghan refugees referred to the cancer hospital in Northern Pakistan. The Afghan Women In recent years more and more societies all over the world have begun to recognize the vital contributions of women to commerce, their communities, and civic life. Whether it be Afghan women voting in a presidential election or women starting micro-businesses in Ethiopia, the worldwide trend toward greater equality is clear. Yet the denial of womens basic human rights is persistent and widespread, as a 2005 United Nations Population Fund statement put it. ON DECEMBER 13, 2003, 502 members of Afghanistans constitutional Grand Council, or loya jirga, met in the capital, Kabul, to begin writing the document that would henceforth shape governance of an Islamic, representative democracy. Three weeks later, after at least two rocket attacks near the councils meeting place and even more explosive politicking among the councils members, the council emerged with a new constitution. Among those who watched the process with attention were Afghan women and their activist partisans in other parts of the world, who wanted the new constitution explicitly to reflect the rights and needs of women. They had particular reason to worry that the assembly gathered in Kabul would be hijacked by conservative extremists who would interpret womens rights narrowly using religion as an excuse, or who might eliminate mentions of womens human rights altogether. The Grand Council met just two years after the United States toppled the Taliban, the extremist party that had been in control of Afghanistans capital since 1996. The American objective was to destabilize a regime that had given refuge to Osama bin Laden and the leaders of Al Qaeda, whose bases were in Afghanistan. At that time, the United States linked its military agenda in Afghanistan with the need to liberate Afghan women from oppression. As First Lady Laura Bush put the matter in a national radio address in November 2001, The brutal oppression of women is a central goal of the terrorists. Long before the current war began; the Taliban and its terrorist allies were making the lives of children and women in Afghanistan miserable. The first lady went on to assert that the removal of the Taliban from power would mean the liberation of Afghan women. For the next year, Afghan women were big news: There were books and reports, and pictures on the front pages of newspapers showing formerly illiterate women learning to read. Women began the work of reconstructing their lives by returning to the streets, to school, to work. Then the war in Iraq began, and Afghan women, and Afghanistans reconstruction, became old news. By the beginning of 2003, warlords in provinces who had been allies of the United States when it went to war against the Taliban were instituting measures themselves that were reminiscent of the Taliban era. Human Rights Watch reported in January 2003 that in the Western province of Herat, girls and boys would no longer be permitted to go to school together. Because most teachers are men, the ruling effectively shut girls and women out of an education. Other restrictions against interactions between the sexes were imposed; girls or women seen in public with a male might be taken against their will to a hospital to check for their chastity. These alarming trends coincided with a sharp drop in international scrutiny, although Afghan women themselves continued to seek access to good health, higher education, and equal pay for their work. Their experience in the last two years has made it clear that simply removing a dictatorial regime and installing a democracy does not automatically guarantee womens rights. Indeed, the challenges facing womens effort to make sure their rights are legally enforceable in the future highlight broad conflicts in Afghanistan between conservative and liberalizing factions of the future government and between forces competing to control interpretations of Islam in the public sphere. Islam is the prism through which human rights are articulated in Afghanistan, and it is it is therefore crucial for women that their rights to education, work, and freely chosen marriages be articulated in its terms. The importance of the relationship between Islam and rights is one supported by women. Indeed, Ninety-nine percent of Afghan women are Muslims, and their faith is extremely important to them. Most feel their rights are available to them through Islam, says Masuda Sultan, the spokesperson for Women for Afghan Women (WAW), a New York City-based grassroots organization of Afghan women and their supporters. Sultan explains that the number of women who frame their rights in secular terms is much smaller. Womens rights doctrine that would take Islam into account was in evidence in the making of the Womens Bill of Rights, authored in September 2003 by a representative group of 45 women who found ways to interpret relevant Islamic edicts in ways that amplified their human rights. The bill of rights was the achievement of a unique conference on women and the constitution sponsored by WAW. Organized with the help of the Afghan Womens Network and Afghans for Civil Society, the Kandahar conference brought women together to deliberate over how their rights could best be reflected in the constitution. Kandahar, unlike the more liberal capital, is one of Afghanistans most conservative provinces, and it was unclear until the day of the conference whether it would be secure enough for the gathering to take place. It was, but only under heavily armed guard. The conference participants comprised elite female decision-makers as well as largely illiterate everyday women from all over the country. For some, simply completing the trip, whether alone or in the company of a male relative, was itself a triumph. Over the course of three days, these women reviewed the 1964 constitution on which the 2003 draft was based and began composing the 16-point bill of rights, framed by the demand that the rights be not simply secured in the constitution but implemented. Some of the demands are basics on the menu of modern human rights: women require mandatory education, equal pay for equal work, freedom of speech, and the freedom to vote and run for office and to be represented equally in Parliament and the judiciary. But other points are specific to the situation of Afghan Muslim women and responsive to the recent forms of deprivation imposed by the Taliban and long-standing excesses based on tribal convention. There is, for example, the demand that women and children be protected against sexual abuse, domestic violence, and bad-blood price when one family compensates a second for a crime by giving them one of the familys women. There is a request for the provision of up-to-date heath services for women with special attention to reproductive rights. Under the Taliban women were denied healthcare by male doctors, who were not allowed to touch the bodies of women to whom they were not related, and severe restrictions on womens movements made it difficult for female doctors to supply healthcare. Women made it clear they wanted the right to marry and divorce according to Islamic law. At the end of the conference, the document was presented publicly to President Hamed Karzai, and women were promised that their rights would be incorporated explicitly into the new constitution. However, when the draft constitution was released in November 2003, there was no explicit mention of womens rights. Instead, the constitution granted rights to all Afghan citizens. As Ritu Sharma, the co-founder and executive director of the Womens Edge Coalition and Afifa Azim, the director of the Afghan Womens Network, argued in a joint editorial on the eve of the councils meeting, lumping together men and women in the text of the constitution, rather than clearly designating rights for women as well as men is an important distinction because Afghan women are not issued the identification cards given to men. Therefore, some men argue, women are not citizens and entitled to equality. A crucial question at the Grand Council was whether women would be identified separately from men in the final constitution. It was a triumph when the constitution that was released contained an article stating that The citizens of Afghanistanwhether man or womanhave equal rights and duties before the law. At the same time, other challenges remain. The introduction of womens rights to the national political agenda cannot itself be taken for granted while control of the country is still in question. Although it is true that on paper, the government of Afghanistan is headed by President Karzai and moving toward democracy along well established lines such as the creation of a constitution, the actual situation in many parts of the country do not reflect this shift in power. The Taliban have reasserted power in Southern and Eastern parts of the country. Indeed, in the few days leading up to the meeting of the constitutional Grand Council, coalition forces waged their largest attacks to date on Taliban members who threatened violence against the proceedings. As a recent Amnesty International report also noted, Northern Alliance commanders who committed human rights abuses under the Taliban government now hold government positions themselves (the October 2003 report, Afghanistan: No one listens to us and no one treats us as human beings. Where these commanders govern, womens movements remain as restricted, or nearly as restricted, as they did before they were liberated. So, one of the threats to womens rights is related to the ongoing danger to the entire nations stability as well as to the ability of the most conservative or militant actors in Afghanistan to influence the political process. Extremists exploit claims to Islam to intimidate women. This means that although women themselves frame their rights in terms of Islam, they can also be intimidated into making claims for interpretations that dont serve their needs at all. Sultan explains: Security is still a huge issue, and regional warlords and extremists are around. A woman who doesnt speak in terms that acknowledge Islam will face trouble. The affirmation of being Muslim is important because otherwise theyll be called infidels or be threatened or seen as secular or non-Muslim. in the view of Sultan and others who work closely with Afghan women, is to promote the education of women in Islamic law and history so that they can express their own rights as well as refute interpretations that do not serve them. As the legal system begins to hammer out laws that confirm the bases of the constitution, such knowledge will be increasingly important. Jurists are qualified in Afghanistan through higher education or training in Islamic law. As Sultan notes, these qualifications leave open the door for those trained informally by radical Islamist clerics to shape law. Womens education in the language, tradition, and law through which they understand their rights and themselves is a practical and necessary step in this context. This may appear counterintuitive to onlookers in the United States and Europe, whose recent revolutions in rights have often taken place in social and political contexts that opposed democracy to religion. Enhancing the rights of women by encouraging their access to religious education may also seem counterintuitive in the present media environment, which is saturated by the idea that Islam is inherently undemocratic. But women working for their rights in Afghanistan make it clear that both Islam and democracy are evolving practices that permit competing interpretations. It is their right to shape both in ways that confirm their identities as women, Afghan citizens, and Muslims. The needs of women and children; Refugees in Iran Since at least the 1970s Afghans have been coming to Iran, some in search of work, others to seek protection. The political dominance by the Taliban since 1995 has been a significant factor in the acceleration in the flow of refugees. Refugees who came in the 1980s were given green cards’ which entitle them to live and work in Iran, and to benefit from schooling and health care. In the early 1990s the government’s policy towards refugees changed in the face of the worsening domestic economic situation. After 1992 the authorities stopped issuing refugee cards. The vast majority of Afghans who arrived in Iran since 1992 are considered illegal and have no right to asylum. Furthermore, between 1992 and 1994 many thousands of refugees lost their legal status in a systematic campaign of confiscations of green cards from Afghans living in Khorassan province (bordering Herat). It is not uncommon to find families who repatriated under the UN-sponsored programmed in 1996 and 1997, who have returned to Iran because of hardship or fear of persecution. These families had to give up their refugee cards when they repatriated and now live as illegal’ refugees who risk being arrested if found. In such a situation it is extremely difficult to keep accurate figures on the number of refugees in Iran. According to recent official figures, there are about 1.4m Afghans in Iran at present, of which only 22,000 (1.7 per cent) are living in camps. The vast majority of Afghans live integrated into Iranian society scattered around the country, mostly in cities where they can get jobs but also in villages and settlements in rural areas. The refugees areas are Kerman, Shiraz, Sistan- Baluchistan, Mashad, Teheran and Shahriyar (Teheran province). The area in which refugees face the most difficulties (in the south- eastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan), and highlighted the neglected issue of child labor. The most common types of work done by women and children and the income they earn. Work done at home includes shelling pistachios, cleaning wool, making brooms, cleaning saffron, making chains and carpet weaving. Children usually start work at an early age (sometimes as young as five years old). Once they reach school age, those who can get into school study about four hours a day at school and work between four and ten hours every day. Many Afghan children attend schools not formally recognized by the Ministry of Education and run by the Afghans themselves. There are at least 10 informal Afghan schools in Mashad and about 24 in Teheran, serving from 50 to 500 children each. NGOs such as Ockenden Venture and Global Partners have been supporting such schools for over a year now with their own funds and some funding from UNICEF. They have provided books and teaching materials, and have conducted eye tests for children and provided spectacles. Ockenden Venture has also organised some teacher training. MSF France has been carrying out a school health project in Mashad, and a local Afghan NGO (Relief Committee for Destitute Afghan Refugee Families) is helping to identify Afghan schools in Teheran and distribute books. Many questions remain unanswered as to why some children attend these schools and others do not. Aspirations versus reality The aspirations of Afghan women and children contrast heavily with the reality of the back-breaking, repetitive and poorly-paid jobs. The reasons for taking poorly paid and low-skilled work are illiteracy, being undocumented, having children to look after, and opposition from the husband or his family. The work has to be part-time, home-based and not requiring a green card’. One obstacle which the women identified also suggested its own solution. They said that their lack of familiarity with Iran, and particularly with job opportunities, means that they tend to take on the same jobs that other Afghan women are already doing. It was suggested that a job-search service would enable them to access information on other job opportunities. Education: the top priority Having seen the poverty of many refugee families at first hand, Afghan women needs to put income-earning opportunities as their top priority. In fact the top priority identified by almost all the groups was education: for the Hazaras it was education in general, but especially literacy; for the Pashtun women it was skills- training. They all believed that they could improve their own lives if they had some education. Solutions The impact of previous conflicts and recent war on children’s social, physical and mental health is enormous and needs a great deal of attention and commitment from the Government. While the debate of reconstructing Afghanistan is currently in progress, saving the future of nation and child health development must be a top priority. Joining these efforts, international assistance is direly needed to handle the deteriorating child health situation. Improving child health in Afghanistan is certainly a daunting task and will require committed and holistic efforts over period of years. Every aspect of child health needs to be dealt with an appropriate strategy. As evident from the facts that infectious diseases and war induced injuries contribute heavily to the current burden of disease, deaths and disabilities in Afghanistan. Therefore WHO’s strategies need to be universally adopted in the country. The strategy of integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) addresses five major killer diseases with a simple and cost effective manner. War has left tens and thousands of orphans. Fewer than five children currently make a large proportion of Afghan’s population and immediate attention. In the prolonged period of war tuberculosis control program was severely disrupted. Tuberculosis control network need to be immediately restored, drugs provided with the Directly Observed treatment; short course (DOTS) strategy among internally displaced and non-adhered patients. All interventions need to focus equally on providing rehabilitation and treatment for mental illnesses, robustly expand and include program for massive immunization in their essential package of services. All legal measures need to be taken to protect children’s rights and specially that of girls to education, health and social choices at all fronts. For Refugees Using focus group discussions in the context of understanding the problems and aspirations of urban Afghan refugees has given us a great deal of information to which we did not previously have access. In particular, the fact that the refugees were able to participate in drawing up recommendations regarding the future work of NGOs was a very positive experience. It encourages the beneficiaries themselves to think about their situation and to come up with solutions. It also gives the organisations working with refugees a much clearer picture of the hopes and fears of a refugee community. Past experience at ICRI has shown us that involving the refugees themselves in decision making improves the implementation process, bringing about better results. This does not mean that one method should replace the other, but rather that the methods should be regarded as complementary. We know that the single most important factor which determines the living conditions of refugees in Iran is their legal status. In Afghanistan Samar   bring to the forefront the health and human rights challenges that face Afghan women and children. A leading authority on these issues in her country, Samar founded the Shuhada Organization in 1989 to implement innovative programs in health, education, construction, and income generation that improve the lives of women and children in Afghanistan and those living as refugees in Pakistan. The Shuhada Organization has grown to become the largest female-led non-government organization in Afghanistan and operates an extensive network of hospitals, clinics, schools and shelters as well as numerous other programs and services for women and children. â€Å"Boston University is honored to host Dr. Samar as a visiting scholar,† said Gerald T. Keusch, M.D., associate dean of Global Health, BU School of Public Health, and director of the Global Health Initiative. â€Å"Her work to improve the lives and healthcare for Afghan women and children under extraordinarily difficult conditions has made her an icon in global health and her efforts will ideally lead to new policies that will advance the country’s medical and education infrastructure.† The recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the 2004 Jonathan Mann Award for Health and Human Rights, Samar is an international symbol of the steadfast courage required to demand basic human rights for women and children in Afghanistan. In addition to directing the Shuhada Organization, Samar served as the country’s first Minister of Womens Affairs during the interim government, leading the effort to restore economic, political, legal and social rights to women. In her current role as Chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, she oversees the conduct of human rights education programs across the country, implementation of a nationwide women’s rights education program, and monitoring and investigation of human rights abuses. The Global Health Initiative at Boston University was established to promote multi-disciplinary research, education, outreach and policy studies across and beyond the Boston University community, and to contribute to reducing disparities in health through the generation of new knowledge, the education of students as â€Å"global citizens,† and the development of partnerships with global health leaders, scholars, and practitioners around the world. In Afghanistans villages, provincial centers, and Ministry of Public Health; in clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies; in classrooms, workshops, and training centers—REACH is empowering the Afghan people to rebuild a health system damaged and neglected during more than two decades of war. A community health worker teaches a mother in a rural Afghan village how to care for her sick child. A young woman improves her literacy level to qualify her for midwifery training. An Afghan midwife attends refresher training about safe motherhood. A provincial health team develops an immunization campaign to protect children against common diseases. The Afghan Ministry of Public Health develops management systems and standards to improve service delivery. Over seven million men, women, and children have access to primary healthcare services. Increasing access to Afghan health services thru (REACH) Through a performance-based grants program and technical support for training and education, REACH has enabled expansion of Afghanistans child health, maternal health, basic obstetric care, and family planning services now accessible to 7.1 million people. REACH grantees have trained over 5,000 community health workers who are working in 14 of Afghanistans 34 provinces. Providing health education in Afghanistan REACH promotes health education and behavioral change that is improving the ability of individuals, families and communities to protect their health. REACH also provides health-based accelerated literacy training to qualify young women to enter nursing and midwifery schools. Strengthening health systems Working with the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to develop and implement national health policies, standards, and management and information systems, REACH is helping Afghanistan shape its healthcare system for the future. Through close collaboration with counterparts in Afghanistan and with the international donor and nongovernmental community, REACH is addressing immediate needs while ensuring that current activities are consistent with long-term development objectives. References: Armstrong, J., Ager, A. (2005, March). Perspectives on disability in Afghanistan and their implications for rehabilitation services. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 28, 87-92. Cultural Orientation Project. (2002). Afghanstheir history and culture. Retrieved October 20, 2004, from http://www.culturalorientation.net/afghan/atoc.html Cummins, C. (2002). The front linenursing refugees. Journal for Community Nurses, 7(1), 7. Daly, C. M. (1999). The paarda expression of hejaab among Afghan women in a non-Muslim comunity. In L. Arthur (ed.). Religion, Dress and the body, Oxford: Berg. Disability World. (n.d.) Epilepsy in the Afghan Village. Retrieved October 11, 2006, from http://www.disabilityworld.org/01-03_02/arts/afghan.shtml. Farella, C. (2002). Far and away: RNs give safety, solace to Afghan refugees. Nursing Spectrum, 6(9), 36-7. Gerritsen, A. A. M., et al. (2006). Physical and mental health of Afghan, Iranian, and Somali asylum seekers and refugees living in the Netherlands. Social Psychiatry and Physchiatric Epidemiology, 41(1), 18-26. Ghatrifi, D., Ghatrifi, R., Eivazkhani, S., Ghatrifi, M. (2006). Research on sexual and reproductive health and rights beliefs and traditions among Afghan refugees. Journal of Sex Research, 43(1), 18. Giger, N. J., Davidhizar, R. (2002). Culturally competent care: Emphasis on understanding the people of Afghanistani Americans, and Islamic culture and religion. International Nursing Review, 49(2), 79-86. Grima, B. (n.d.) Women, culture, and health in rural Afghanistan. Expedition, 44(3), 34-39. Halimi, K. M. (2002, February). Afghan refugees: The ugly truth. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 39(2), 200-2. Kemp, C., Rasbridge, L. (2004). Afghanistan. In C. Kemp and L. Rasbridge (Eds.), Refugee and immigrant health: A handbook for health professionals (pp.83-90). New York: Cambridge. Lindgren, T., Lipson, J. G. (2004, April). Finding a way: Afghan womens experience in community participation. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 15(2), 122-130. Lipson, J. G. (1993). Afghan refugees in California: Mental health issues. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 14(4), 411. Lipson, J. G., Hosseni, T., et al. (1995). Health issues among Afghan women in California. Health Care for Women International, 16(4), 279-286. Lipson, J. G., Miller, S. (1994). Changing roles of Afghan refugee women in the United States. Health Care for Women International, 15(3), 171-180. Lipson, J. G., Omidan, P. A. (1996). Ethnic coalitions and public health: Delights and dilemmas with the Afghan Health Education Project in northern California. Human Organization, 55(3), 355-361. Lipson, J. G., Omidian, P. (1992). Health issues of Afghan refugees in California. The Western Journal of Medicine, 157(3), 271-286. Lindgren, T., Lipson, J. G. (2004). Finding a way: Afghan womens experience in community participation. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 15, 122-130. McCaw, B. R., DeLay, P. (1985, August). Demographics and disease prevalence of two new refugee groups in San Francisco: The Ethiopian and Afghan refugees. Western Journal of Medicine, 143(2), 271-275.

Siren Song Essay Example for Free

Siren Song Essay The progressing theme of Yeats poem Easter 1916 is one which moves from the perspective of a pacifist lamenting the horrors and cost of violence, to an activist who has been so deeply impacted by the deaths of those around him who rose to action, that he is ready to act, violently if necessary, himself. In the poems opening, the speaker admits that he has very little familiarity with those who are considered revolutionaries. He remarks that I have passed with a nod of the head/Or polite meaningless words,/Or have lingered awhile and said/Polite meaningless words, (Yeats) which indicates not only that the speaker is disengaged from the revolutionaries at a political level, but also that the speaker has taken refuge in societal manners and mores. The implication of the repeated word polite is that the speaker of the poem is a good citizen, a law-abiding man with manners and social sensibilities. The ensuing stanzas of the poem trace the realization on behalf of the poems speaker that each of the revolutionaries who were killed were, themselves, good citizens, with manners and polite etiquette. In other words, the speaker of the poem begins to realize the revolutionaries are just like him: That womans days were spent/ In ignorant good-will, (Yeats) or This man had kept a school/And rode our winged horse; (Yeats) so that the speaker begins to see that his own lot is tied up with those he had previously tried to ignore. The strategy of presenting the poem in this fashion is to allow the reader of the poem, also, to make the same emotional journey as the poems speaker, moving from detached ambivalence to involved emotionality. One of the most powerful devices is its modulated refrain which reveals variations of the sudden emotional shift in the poems speaker: All changed, changed utterly:/A terrible beauty is born. (Yeats). The refrain indicates that violence or the will to do violence is terrible; but the communal reality of a shared community, race, and nation represents beauty and is, as such, an irresistible Siren Song and it is this observation in the poem that hits at the poems true anit-war theme: demonstrating that a nation, a race, a people cannot be broken or occupied without consequence.

Impact Of Environmental Pollution On Health Environmental Sciences Essay

Impact Of Environmental Pollution On Health Environmental Sciences Essay The paper highlights impact of environmental pollution on Health. The present study has been taken up in Tuticorin industrial town area. Major industries numbering 12 established in the district. They are engaged in the production of cotton, staple yarn, caustic soda, PVC Resin, fertilizers, soda ash, carbon-di-oxide gas in liquid etc., The important major industries are sterlite, SPIC, Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals, Dharangadhra chemicals work, Madura coats, Kilburn chemicals industries. The public sector undertakings are the Thermal power unit (620mm), Heavy water plant, and port trust. The district contributes 70% of the total salt production of Tamil Nadu and meets 30% of salt requirement of our country. Aside from deficiencies in the life support system, men is subjected to a variety of environmental Hazards. Some of these are natural, but increasingly environmental hazards result from mans activities and numbers. Some times manmade hazards are direct in their impact on other man. But they may be indirect in their influence, acting through other biological systems or overburdening the capacity of natural systems for renewal, dispersion, or assimilation. The following factors can be used in categorizing environmental hazards. (1) Biological (2) chemical (3) Physical (4) Psychological and (5) Sociological. Hence more than 12 major industries have established in and around Tuticorin. This becomes one of the source of air pollution, water pollution, Noice pollution, in this area. Air pollution may be broadly defined as the presence of one or more contaminants like dust, smoke, must and odour. The atmosphere which are injurious to human beings, plants and animals which unreasonably interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property. Air pollution seriously damages human beings. Environmental sociology in the study of the reciprocal interaction between the physical environment, social organization, and social behaviour. Within this approach, environment encomposses all physical and material bases of life in a scale ranging from the most micro level to the biosphere. An important development of this sub discipline was the shift from a sociology of environment to an Environmental sociology While the farmer refers to the study of environmental issue through the lands of traditional sociology, the later encomposses the societal environmental relations. A major challenge for the 21st Century is not the creation of wealth, but the management of health. Concern over the rapid depletion and degradation of the Worlds biological resources and the implications of this loss on the global biosphere and human welfare have been mounting in recent years. Loss and modification of ecosystems and habitats are occurring at an alarming rate, although it is much difficult to quantity or estimate on a global scale. The continuing loss of the biological wealth may leave us with a smaller and less varied stock of global biological resources. The result may leave the human livelihood and the future of the biosphere at risk. Development efforts along with modern warfare have created an uneasy and irreparable environmental consequences, the world over. Human life and health are at great jeopardy and the burden of diseases and ill health raise questions on the development efforts in the pursuit of global prosperity and wealth. The environmental pollution and degradation may rise in step with such a rise in output, the result leading to an appalling environmental pollution and damage. Tens of millions more people may become sick or die each year from environmental causes. Water shortages may become intolerable and tropical forests and other natural habitats may decline to a fraction of their current size. The earths sources are limited and so is the absorptive capacity of its sinks. Whether these limitations will hinder the growth of human activity will depend on the scope for substitution, technical progress and structural change. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Environmental health can be defined as the aspect of public health that is with all external conditions such as all forms o life, substances, forces, problems and challenges and any other condition in the surroundings of man that that may extent an influence on mans health and well-being. Disease in this sense represents maladjustment of the human being to his environment. This rapid industrial growth has made water pollution, air pollution, and hazardous wastes pressing environmental problems in many areas of the developing world. Industrial emissions combine with vehicle exhausts to cause air pollution, while concentrations of heavy metals and ammonia loads are often high enough to cause major fish kills down- River from industrial areas. The lack of hazardous waste facilities compounds the problem with industrial wastes. The physical environment has a major influence on human health not only through temperature, precipitation and composition of air and water but also through its interaction with the type and distribution of the flora and fauna (the biological environment). The biological environment is a major influence on the food supply and on the reservoirs and transmission mechanisms of, many diseases. The following gives the simplified illustration of these relationships. The scale and nature of human activities including agricultural, industrial, and energy production, the use and management of water and wastes, urbanization, the distribution of income and assets within and between countries, the quality of health and other public services and the extent of protection of the living, working, and natural environment. Environmental hazards to health fall into two broad categories. On the one side is the lack of accessibility to basic environmental resources like sanitation, water, fresh air, shelter and the like. On the other side is the exposure to hazardous environment. These hazards include biological agents viz., micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses and parasites which contribute to the global burden of infectious disease, chemical pollutants, ultra violet radiation and the like which cause birth defects and damage the body immunity system and which render people susceptible to a variety of health risks. Environmental Problem Effect on Health Water pollution and water scarcity More than 2 million deaths and billions of illnesses a year attributable to pollution, poor household hygiene and added health risks caused by water scarcity. Air pollution Many acute and chronic health impacts excessive matter levels arc responsible for 300,00 70,0,000 premature deaths annually and for half of childhood chronic diseases; women and children in poor rural areas affected by smoky indoor air. Atmospheric disasters Possible shifts in vector-borne diseases; risks climatic natural: diseases attributable to ozone changes depletion (perhaps 300,000 additional cases of skin cancer a year worldwide; 1.7 (million cases of cataracts). Among the environmentally-based diseases water, food and oil borne diseases affect a majority of the world population. Diarrohea, Cholera and Hepahtis A and E have the clearest link to the environment and spread by both bacteria and virus. According to a WHO study, Diarrohea deaths were around 2.5 million in 1996. Around 4 billion cases of diarrohea cause widespread debilitations each year. The nuclear development and use, the world over is a major threat to human health today. The radiation hazard arising from Extra Low Frequency (ELF) magnetic fields of between one and one hundred hertz (HZ) as well as the very High frequency fields of 147 MHZ, which can alter the outflow of calcium ions from the brain tissue of children, in particular with steadily weakening resistance causes tumour formation in the human body. Health is a fundamental resource to individual and community and is a pre-requisite for their social, spiritual and physicalwell-being, the protection and preservation of which is dependent on the ecological status i of the environment and sustainable development. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Any systematic scientific inquiry has its foundation built up studies conducted in the Past. The main objective of this chapter is to review the theoretical and empirical information available from similar or atleast related studies, such recapitulation could some as a basis for delineating an ideal conceptual framework for the present study and it enables one to identify the past trends in any particular branch of science. Also it helps the researcher to get more clarity on the subject to be studied. STUDIES ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Mitch William (1993) describing the emerging field of ecological engineering, define it as the design of human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both. The concept pertains more to managing the natural environment rather than the typical engineering domain of the built environment. Gives examples such as the Biosphere project, constructed wetlands sewage treatment systems, water hyacinth river pollution control, and fish production and wetlands systems are examples of ecological engineering. R.R. Barthwal (2002) reports that environmental degradation depends on the nature of the industrial development projects and the technology involved its size location and the time taken to implement them. All industrial projects need not be taken as producers of equal beneficial or negative results. Some industries produce only beneficial results only with limited adverse impact. In contrast some produce adverse living conditions but beneficial economically also. Holmes Hannah (1991) describes the environmental effects, including resource use and pollution, and of meat consumption. He, also mentions human health effects and notes that vegetarianism is more environmentally beneficial, promotes better health, and is less expensive than meat eating. This paper gives general recommendations to preventing pollution by eating less meat and more plant products. It includes charts and sources for more information. Hawken Paul (1993) claims that the socially responsible corporation is a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too myth. The authors agenda for reform includes: adjusting the price of goods to reflect true environmental and other social costs; incrementally replacing the present U.S. tax system with revenue-neutral green fees; rearranging the linear industrial economy into a nature-mimicking cyclical system [industrial ecology]; designing for decomposition, closed-loop reuse/recycling, and toxic materials stewardship; restoring the balance between commerce (business sector) and the guardian (government); and shifting from electronic literacy to biologic literacy. STUDIES ON HEALTH Andersson and Marks (1989) looks at ways in which state, class and health may be related in Southern Africa. The region provides useful comparisons because of the starkness of the relationships between class, race, disease patterns and health care in much of the sub-continent; the different types of state and class structure and the changes in ideology and to some extent health practice came with the political independence of some of its component parts. Balasubramanian (1995) analyses the data on the health of the people and the economic conditions in several developing countries. This paper calls attention to the urgent need internationally for a new approach to mobilize the interests, commitments and resources of a broader constituency of support for the poor. Schindler, Kunzli, Bongard, Leuenberger, Karrer, Rapp, Monn, Ackermannliebrich, (2001) made a study on 3,900 nonsmoking adults from eight areas of Switzerland that represent a range of urbanization, air pollution, altitude, and weather conditions. In this study, researchers obtained three different measures of lung function and compared the results with prior days measurements of ozone, total suspended particulates, and nitrogen dioxide. Daily average concentrations of ozone were significantly associated with mean respiratory function measures during the summer months. RESEARCH DESIGN The objectives of the study from the wider socio-economic perspective focusing on environmental hygiene practices among the selected in Tuticorin town. Based on the framed objectives some appropriate hypotheses are formulated. It is also discussed the methodology and frame work of study in terms of the nature of study variables used, sampling method, data collection process, data analysis procedure operational definition of key concepts and limitations. OBJECTIVES The following objectives are framed for the purpose of the present study: To study the socio-economic life of the respondents in Tuticorin town To analyse the problems of environment in the study area; To study the respondents behaviour on household sanitation and environmental hygiene practices in the study area. To study the respondents behaviour on environmental and common property resource management practices in the study area To find out the defects and problems in the existing environment hygiene and discomfort at their life; To put forth suitable suggestions to improve the respondents environment protection for healthy life. METHODOLOGY This study attempts to examine the respondents behaviour on environmental hygiene and sanitation practices by making an experiment in Tuticorin town, Tamil Nadu. This study deals with environmental hygiene issues relating to environmental pollution and its impact on land, water, health etc., This study analyses the extent to which urban people have knowledge of environment and awareness. It analyses their behaviour on environmental conservation and preservation. It outlines the respondentsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ awareness of various environmental hygiene and sanitation issues and measures. It is generally an exploratory framework of identifying the awareness of among urban people about environmental issues along with their action-oriented activities to preserve and conserve rural environment in particular. Thus, this study is partly exploratory in nature. Thus it constitutes the analytical aspect of the study. Hence, this study is partly exploratory in nature and partly analytical in nature. Pilot study The researchers have conducted a pilot study in Tuticorin town. The pilot study was conducted by employing an interview schedule in the month of October 2005. Also, the result of the pilot study has enabled the researcher reframe the tools for data collection. Sampling The area was selected on a clustered basis, but the data was collected by using of simple random sampling method. The sample size of this study is 400 respondents. Among the several area of Tuticorin town the researcher selected six areas such as Spic Nagar, Thermal Nagar, Mattakkadai, Threshipuram, New Bus stand, Old Bus stand and Harbour in Tuticorin town. The selection areas were quite relevant from the point of view of the studying environmental hygiene practice among the households. These areas were located in and around river belts and also has the concentration of a large number of highly dangerous and polluting industries. Further, people of this area have traditional customs and practices. Data collection The data collection was carried out December, 2009. The researcher has revisited the study areas in the month of March 2010 with view to collect supplementary data as required by foreign examiner. Besides, secondary data relating to the district profile and other data in Panchayat Raj are collected during field study visits. CONCEPTS The following concepts are operationally defined for the purposes of the present study. ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION It refers to the occurrence of various forms of land degradation, various forms of water pollution, occurrence of noise pollution and occurrence of air pollution and their consequence on the well being of the local people. SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS It refers to caste status, occupational status, educational status and income status of the respondents and they are taken as independent variables for the purpose of the present study. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS It refers to knowledge of the rural households on pollution and pollutants and their effects on life support system. It includes knowledge of hygienic practices, sanitation practices, environmental health care measures and so on. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES It refers to ways and means of undertaking environmental preservation and conservation measures like sanitation, health care activities, solid waste management, maintenance of environmental resources. LIMITATIONS The findings of this study are applicable only to selected areas only mid it is not applicable to the entire areas of Tuticorin. This study covers only environment related aspects and studying of all aspects of hygiene and sanitation is not possible at the level of an individual researcher due to constraints imposed by money, time, energy and efforts. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The actual process of research findings, data analysis, data interpretation and logical arguments are discussed. This chapter starts with the socio-economic background of the households followed by information seeking behaviour, information use pattern, information sharing behaviour, data search behaviour and so on for statistical analysis. All tabular data and statistical analysis are presented in this chapter. Table 1 Sex wise distribution of the respondents S. No. Sex No. of Respondents Per cent 1. Male 301 72.25 2. Female 99 24.75 Total 400 100 The above table shows that the majority 301 (72.25 %) of the respondents were male, the remaining 99 (24.55%) of them were female. It inference that the majority of the male were ready to replay for the problem of environmental pollution. Table 2 IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION S. No. Name of the Disease No. of Respondents Per cent 1. Skin diseases 371 93.00 2. Eye irritation 380 95.00 3. Asthuma 153 38.00 4. Deftness 298 75.00 5. Allergy 312 78.00 6. Unhygienic conditions 390 98.00 7. Respiratory problems 393 98.00 8. Cancer 9 2.00 9. Hypertension 91 23.00 The above table prove the impact of environmental pollution an account of establishment of hazard industry such as Kilburn chemical industries, Sterlite Copper Plant, Thermal power plant, Spic Industries, Heavy Water Plant and Madura Coats, in this regard they replayed that an account of the establishment of the above hazardous industries, the majority 371 of the respondents faced the problems of skin diseases, 380 of them were facing the problem of eye irritation, 153, of the faced the problem of Asthuma 298 of them were facing the problem of deftness 312 of them facing the problem of allergy, 390 of the facing the problems of unhygienic conditions, 393 of the facing problem of respiratory problem, 7 of the were facing the problem of cancer and 91 of them were facing the problem of hypertension. The inference drawn from above discussion is that the majority of the respondents facing the problem likes in diseases, eye irritation, deftness, allergy, unhygienic condition respiratory problems and diarriah. CONCLUSION Industrial disposals and other chemical contaminates that enter waterways through agricultural runoff, storm water drains, and industrial discharges may persist in the environment for long periods and be transported by water or air over long distances. They disturbed the function of the endocrine system, resulting in reproductive, developmental, and behavioral problems. The endocrine disrupters reduced the fertility and increased the occurrence of still births, birth defects, and hormonally dependent Cancers such as breast, testicular, and prostate cancers. The effects on the developing nervous system can include impaired mental and psychomotor development, as well as cognitive impairment and behavior abnormalities and pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics and synthetic sex hormones from contraceptives. The GOs and NGOs should take effective steps to clean and green the streets, schools, public safety, etc. Even though its obvious that society stands to benefit from such things, people have always struggled to find some sensible, acceptable way to pay for them. This perennial wrangle. Far on the right, they tell us that self-interested private ownership is the fairest and most efficient way to assign resources. The developing countries like India should be instrumental in raising societal concerns about environmental problems. The scientists should contribute in ways to increasing scientific input in public policy. The governmental agencies, as members of organized scientific bodies such as the National Academy of Sciences, and as researchers in universities and environmental nongovernmental organizations or, conversely, in industries. There are some debates about whether too much or too little science is reflected in actual policy making; few will deny that significant human and institutional resources are expended in an effort to make scientific analyses responsive to policy needs. Therefore, an appropriate forum like scientists, academicians, policy makers and panchayat raj institutions should take effective step to protect environment in all aspects.