Monday, September 30, 2019

Fahrenheit Essay

But Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 staunchly contrasts these other writings; rather than presenting some omniscient tale admonishing its audience of the dangers of government hierarchy, Bradbury uses satire to criticize primarily emerging trends in society, providing an account that deems them equally as harrowing and dangerous as some authoritarian government, although he does include a limited number of strands involving an anti-government theme. This unique aspect of Fahrenheit 451 has earned the attention of critics and supporters alike. Unlike other novels produced during this time period, Bradbury protested a society growing increasingly centered around materialistic comforts and desires and less around the pursuit of intellect. Bradbury did not simply express his concerns about the degradation of intellect however; he encrypted his message in the layers of a complex tale. Written upon every page of the novel is a fragment of information that plays a larger role than superficially understood. Themes involving the value of imagination, the authority of peers, freedom of speech, and the struggle between individualism and conformity emerge once the novel is more than ostensibly examined. In a time period during which everyone felt that â€Å"Big Brother† existed only to suppress the freedoms of humanity, it became easy to forget that people possess that same power; it became easy to forget that when a society loses the ability to think independently, exploitation is inevitable. Rather than making thoughts and conclusions, you are simply told what to think. The â€Å"firemen† of Fahrenheit 451 metaphorically represent the closest thing to government control in the entire book. Bradbury uses firemen for this particular metaphor because as firemen, they are expected to protect and accommodate the needs of people in danger; they are literally the lifesavers of society. Yet in Fahrenheit 451, they set fire to what is good, knowledge and people alike. â€Å"On the front porch where she had come to weigh them quietly with her eyes, her quietness a condemnation, the woman stood motionless. Beatty flicked the switch to spark the kerosene. (Fahrenheit 451) The firemen burned her. This intense contrast between what is expected of firemen in the real world and how the firemen act in Bradbury’s fabricated world emphasizes the importance of their role in the book. The television installers still install televisions, and people still drive too fast, but the firemen no longer extinguish fires, they ignite them, and that is something notable. Equally as notable, the firemen do not set the fires because they are forced to do so; they set fires because they believe it is right. They are the enforcement of censorship. They are the hands of the government. They are the embodiment of evil. Yet the firemen are willing. As spectators to the atrocious society that Bradbury depicts, we cannot help but cringe as the old woman is burned to death, or as the city is finally destroyed. We cannot understand why the firemen are so eager to commit such heinous crimes until we understand what Bradbury’s futuristic society really depicts. It depicts a society composed of puppets that cannot think but only comprehend. The firemen believe it is right to destroy books because that is what Beatty, the fire chief, tells them. They do not ask why, they do not object, they monotonously carry out the task at hand. â€Å"Well, it’s a job just like any other. Good work with lots of variety. Monday, we burn Miller; Tuesday, Tolstoy; Wednesday, Walt Whitman; Friday, Faulkner; and Saturday and Sunday, Schopenhauer and Sartre. We burn them to ashes and then burn the ashes. That’s our official motto. † Guy Montag, the main character, only confirms the notion that the firemen believe it is their duty to burn books, when he provides the reader with a cheery description of his occupation. Also in this riveting effigy of his career, Bradbury has included irony by naming each street after revered authors, adding a sense of pathetic humor to Montag’s situation, while reinforcing a theme of intellectual degradation. Bradbury’s point in having the firemen burn books on their own accord and not on another’s behalf is to emphasize the conclusion that this is a book written about society and its people, not the government that runs it. This is especially important because this part of the book is often misinterpreted. Until the book is examined on a deeper level, Fahrenheit 451 appears to be a story about government censorship, and how the government can force people to stop reading by slowly outlawing certain books until no books are allowed at all. Bradbury explicitly stated in a LA Weekly News interview, â€Å"Fahrenheit 451 is not a story about government censorship.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Political View Essay

My first political view was formed through my family. Although politics weren’t really discussed with children, I eavesdropped in the conversations from time to time. I would hear how they liked one candidate over the other due to the issues they stood for. By overhearing my parents, I learned which issues were favored in my community. Those I grew up around were democrats. I heard a lot about needing officials in office that cared about the people instead of money. Learning about government in school growing up allowed those views learned from my parents to be challenged. Although the curriculum was generally unbiased, the teachers that taught my courses had the opportunity to add their own opinions on a mass amount of political issues. This changed my mind on the democratic views that I had. The media has also influenced me through the information I have gained through it. Television and social media often discusses a lot of politics. They continue to cover the daily activities of the government. The presidential election is covered on the news as high priority. I am able to learn about the candidates that are running and each of their views. Because I don’t try to associate myself with a particular political party, the televised debates help me decided who to vote for president. Although my family, teachers, and the media has been a big influence on my political views, my own experiences with politics have formed my views the most. A lot of my life’s experiences have been affected by politics. Issues such as education and employment are big ticket items in politics that I am directly affected by. Keeping up with the current issues allow me to know what’s going to change for me personally. Although I am not tied to any specific political party, I do have certain issues that are important to me.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Psa Evaluation of Aquino Administration

PSA’S EVALUATION OF THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION FROM THE RESEARCHERS’ PERSPECTIVE Table of Contents Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Methodology and Research Design†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 Findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦ 8 Authors’ Stand on the Assessment Presented†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 17 Conclusions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 29 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 31 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 36 Abstract The paper PSA’s Evaluation of the Aquino Administration from the Researchers’ Perspective was conducted to inform the readers how the Aquino administration handled the crises that had occurred since its start in June 2010. The group utilized the historical research technique and content analysis strategy in collecting relevant information for the study. The data collected from various sources like newspapers and websites were then written in note cards. There were various disasters that have occurred in the Philippines, and based on the group’s analysis, the researchers have found out that the Aquino administration, in its first few months, was not able to properly handle the different adversities that have plagued the Philippines. With these, the group has concluded that the country had been inflicted with much damage by the man-made and natural disasters that took place in the Philippines. PSA’s Evaluation of the Aquino Administration from the Researchers’ Perspective It has been six months since Benigno Simeon Aquino III has taken the position as the 15th president of the Philippines. Over the course of those months, numerous catastrophes and issues have since occurred. The Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA) is an organization that released an assessment of how the Aquino administration performed in its first few months, wherein they criticized the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† and that the president, along with his cabinet members and set of government officials, has not done any significant change to improve the situation of the Philippines. With its completion, this paper aims to express the group’s reaction on the said assessment and determine whether the PSA was righteous in its claims about the Aquino administration and of the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. For the first few months, the Aquino administration has been struggling to cope with the demands of the Filipino masses. In reality, the Philippines has been plagued by malicious controversies, threatening disasters, and various crises. Based on the evaluation of the PSA, the administration was not able to handle the said adversities proficiently. Based on this, the researchers believe that it is righteous for the PSA to dub the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. At the rise of a new administration under President Aquino, innumerable disasters and calamities have occurred. The Pacific Strategies and Assessments, with various bases, has concluded that the Philippines is one of Asia’s most unsafe destinations. Due to this assessment, concerned Filipinos desire to be further informed by the country’s setbacks and incorporate their views and opinions regarding these. In addition to the objectives presented, through extensive research and the critical analysis of the information gathered, the researchers wanted to provide their detailed criticism of the assessment of PSA on the Aquino administration. The group then aims to shed light on the following questions: 1) What is the Pacific Strategies and Assessments? What is its function? As a socio-economic organization, what are its objectives? 2) What are its bases in dubbing the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†? 3) According to PSA, has the Aquino administration performed proficiently during its first few months? 4) With these bases, is it right for PSA to label the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†? 5) Do the researchers agree with the assessment presented by PSA? This study will focus on four main parts: the Pacific Strategies and Assessments, five of the worst disasters and crimes—the Maguindanao massacre, the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking crisis, Typhoon Juan, the terrorist attack threats and the various kidnapping crises—that have plagued the country, the steps the Aquino administration has taken to solve these issues, and the researchers’ reaction on the PSA’s assessment that the Philippines is the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. On the other hand, this study does not discuss other catastrophes that have troubled the country during the Aquino administration. Although there are other disasters that have occurred during the governance of Pres. Noynoy Aquino, the researchers deem that this paper should only focus on the worst disasters that have troubled the country since these are the bases of PSA in its assessment. Moreover, from the title itself, this paper is limited to the researchers’ point of view alone because there were no interviews nor surveys conducted to determine the various reactions of the other Filipinos affected by the crises that have occurred in the country. The significance of this study is to inform the Filipino people and the people from all over the world as well, of how the other nations view the Philippines because of the disasters in the country. This study also exposes how the present administration handles the different disasters that have plagued the country. With these, this research paper will benefit the Filipino masses, for they will be informed of the adversities that are ruining their nation, and they will be educated on handling catastrophes to avoid having their country criticized as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. This paper is also timely because it tackles the worst disasters that have devastated, and some that still wreak havoc in the Philippines up to present. With the completion of this paper, the researchers have been able to provide the Filipinos a justification of the righteousness of the assessment of the PSA to their home country. Findings This part of the paper includes the related readings that have aided the group in their research. It is comprised of the background of the PSA, its functions and objectives, and its assessment of the Aquino Administration based on five of the worst disasters that have occurred in the Philippines. These serve as reference materials, from which various information were lifted to support the analysis and interpretation of the data. Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA), is a socio-economic organization based in Asia and the United States of America; it has offices in Manila, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok and Milwaukee. Its Manila office is the oldest and largest branch and is currently under the management of the Executive Director Graeme Campbell (â€Å"Pacific Strategies and Assessments†, n. d. ). PSA specializes in Asian risks. At the same time, it provides discreet and confidential security and crisis management services which help different associations protect their assets, prevent security violations, respond to emergencies and facilitate business flow in times of crisis. It also assists its clients in making reliable decisions in the field of business in Asia. PSA helps reduce risks associated with various crimes through its investigation services and provides background screening of its clients. Furthermore, it prepares intelligence briefs regarding political and economic situations to its clients, in this case, the Philippines. PSA aims to maximize the advantages and minimize the risks of facilitating business in places often jeopardized by political and economic instabilities, security threats, terrorism and lax rule of law (â€Å"What PSA does†, 2010). With these readings, the researchers were informed of the functions and objectives of PSA as a socio-economic organization. This knowledge has aided the group in deciphering the right of the said organization to dub the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia. Moreover, these have helped the researchers know whether the PSA has efficiently performed its functions to its member countries, particularly, the Philippines. In PSA's (2010) assessment on the Aquino administration, it criticized the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† because of the multiple risks like coups, rebel extortions, an d terrorist threats that regularly occur in the country, and the particular crimes that have haunted the Filipinos and the rest of the world during the Aquino administration. It has indicated that hese fiascos could throw some daunting challenges at the different businesses in the country, therefore, affecting the Philippine economy and the performance of the present government headed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, or more commonly known as PNoy to the Filipino people. The following are the disasters and crimes that have influenced PSA to assess the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. The Ampatuans have been in charge of Maguindanao since 2001. Their reign started after former Pres. Corazon Aquino replaced every locally-elected official because she came into power by means of a revolution. Andal Ampatuan Sr. was appointed by former President Aquino as the officer-in-charge in Shariff Aguak in 1986 after the successful People Power Revolution. Andal Ampatuan Sr. won the 1988 local elections and served for ten years; he was then elected as governor in 1998. He has been elected as provincial governor three times, unopposed, but with his inability to run for a third term, he prepares his son Andal Jr. to govern in his place (â€Å"Cory gave Ampatuan his break†, 2009). Authorities claimed that there were at least 161 suspects involved in the execution of the Maguindanao massacre. Director General Jesus Verzosa stated that the majority of the suspects were policemen, soldiers, and government officials under the control of the Ampatuan clan. Verzosa said that the mayor of Datu Unsay town, Andal Ampatuan Jr. , was tagged as the mastermind of these killings (â€Å"Police chief names suspects†, 2009). The Maguindanao massacre is one of the deadliest events that has happened in the Philippine history which led to the death of 58 people including journalists, lawyers, government officials, tourists, some relatives of Esmael Mangundadatu, and his wife Genalyn Tiamson-Mangudadatu (David, 2009). Alcuin Papa (2009) noted that in the morning of November 23, 2009 in the Maguindanao province, the victims were kidnapped and killed while they were on their way to file the certificate of candidacy of Esmael Mangudadatu. The victims were shot in their heads and chests at close range, and those who were still alive were finished off by Andal Ampatuan Jr. himself. The victims were buried under the mass grave which was prepared two days before the said slaying. Before the mass murder happened, Mangudadatu received a threat from the opposing clan saying that they would kill him if he pursues the filing of his COC. Mangudadatu decided to let the media cover his filing of COC to stop or hinder the said assault, but was still unable to prevent the hideous incident. These readings have helped the researchers by supporting the idea that the Ampatuans committed the horrendous crime as a means of instituting and preserving their power over Maguindanao. These readings have proven that the generations of Ampatuans have held offices in the area for a relatively long period, yet they refuse to let go of their vast influence in the region. Furthermore, these readings have also proven that the said massacre is one of the most devastating crimes that have occurred in the country’s history, and has become an essential part of PSA’s assessment, which, in turn, has greatly contributed to the group’s evaluation. On the other hand, on the 23rd of August 2010, a hostage taking took place at the Quirino Grandstand which resulted in nine deaths including Hong Kong nationals and the perpetrator Rolando Mendoza himself, a disgruntled former senior inspector. At the peak of his career, Mendoza was ranked one of the Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines and was famously known for leading a group of policemen tracking down a van filled with crates of money believed to be smuggled by former President Ferdinand Marcos out of the country. In 2008, he was dismissed from his position after misconduct and drug abuse charges. At around 7 in the evening of August 23, the SWAT team began to enclose on the bus and tried to enter it by breaking its windows using sledgehammers. However, they were forced back by gunfire coming from the bus. The police's endeavor to break into the bus lasted for an hour. Tear gas canisters were catapulted into the bus as the police tried to pry open the door by tying a rope attached to a police car, which unfortunately ended with the rope snapping. Later, police marksmen in positions gunned Mendoza in the head (â€Å"Manila Hostage Taking Crisis†, 2010). Pia Lee-Brago (2010) wrote that the August 23 crisis which resulted in 8 Hong Kong tourist deaths negatively affected the Philippines' relations with China. Hong Kong calls on Filipino witnesses to help determine the real cause of death of the eight tourists and proclaimed that its government is disappointed in Malacanan legal team's order to reduce investigations and reviews against those involved in the rescue. 19 injured Hong Kong nationals including children and elderly were among those injured in the hostage taking. In addition, the 8 deceased victims' bodies have already been sent back to their families in Hong Kong. President Aquino has ordered a rigorous investigation headed by Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima (Avendano, 2010). On August 31, preliminary results of the official investigation were released and showed that a high calibre weapon fired within the bus caused the hostages' wounds. 58 of the 65 M16 rifle cartridges recovered from the coach were from Mendoza's gun. The investigation team spokesperson stated that it was certain that Mendoza killed the eight hostages who died in the incident (Wong, 2010). On September 3, however, De Lima admitted that some of the hostages may have been shot by the police (â€Å"Philippines admits police†, 2010). These served as evidences that the Filipino policemen lack the know-how of handling crimes like the hostage taking, putting the lives of not only Filipinos but also other nationalities who are residing or visiting the country, in great danger. Moreover, these readings have further proven that the Aquino administration has not efficiently done its part on the investigation of the incident causing a large gap between the China-Hong Kong-Philippine relations. With the evidences presented, the group has remained firm on their stand that the government has not yet done any significant action to solve these problems. Typhoon â€Å"Juan†, with â€Å"Megi† as its international name, is the strongest typhoon to hit the country last 2010. It had a wind speed of 250 kph putting 20 provinces on storm alert. Residents of 35 towns in Cagayan were forced to evacuate due to the danger brought about by the typhoon, according to Flores (2010). Cagayan and Isabela were placed on the highest storm signal and experienced strong winds. Some residents living in low-lying areas of Cagayan valley voluntarily evacuated while equipment in preparation for the typhoon were positioned in Northern Luzon (De Leon, Reyes, Hachero, Bengco ; Naval, 2010). Juan dumped heavy rains over Manila after leaving at least 11 people dead and 32 million pesos worth of damage to road network and other infrastructures. Data from National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) (as cited in â€Å"‘Super Juan’ leaves 11 dead†, 2010) showed 10, 434 people from 57 barangays in 27 municipalities and one city in Northern and Central Luzon were drastically affected by the typhoon. After this unpleasant incident, relief operations were provided to residents of the affected regions. Vice President Binay offered the typhoon victims PAG-IBIG financial assistance. The PAG-IBIG fund was directed to allot 200 million pesos under its calamity loan program for the victims of typhoon â€Å"Juan† (Barcelo, 2010). Cauayan, Isabela, one of the worst-hit areas of the typhoon, (as cited in â€Å"DSWD secretary flies to Isabela†, 2010) was personally visited by the DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman and DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo to assess the damage caused by typhoon â€Å"Juan† and to provide the victims of 11. 96 million pesos worth of relief goods. These relief goods consist of 5,000 food packs, tents, noodles, and 1,000 boxes of high-energy protein biscuits. In Cagayan Region alone, 3. 2 million pesos worth of relief assistance was provided by the DSWD. These information from readings have greatly helped the group be informed of the devastating effects that Typhoon Juan has inflicted on the different areas of Luzon, the innumerable injuries and deaths the typhoon has caused, and the programs and operations that the government has implemented in order to aid the victims of the said typhoon. Moreover, these readings have proven that the Philippines lack preparedness with regards to handling the wrath of natural calamities. At the height of the terrorist attacks threatening the Philippines, the Filipinos themselves turned out to be ignorant of the terrifying assaults intended for the country. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta even said that â€Å"there is no imminent threat, there is no information which says that there is an impending attack† (as cited in â€Å"Terror Incognito†, 2010, p. A12). The nation also appeared to have no access to the information disseminated by the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and eventually France, when these countries advised their respective citizens to stop travelling to the Philippines because of a possible terrorist strike (â€Å"Terror Incognito†, 2010 ; Yap, Zamora, Papa, Bordadora ; Fernandez, 2010). The Australian Embassy even noted that â€Å"reliable reports indicate that the terrorist attacks might be imminent in Metro Manila, including places frequented by foreigners† (as cited by Brago, 2010, para 3). British and US authorities likewise declared that these menacing terrorist threats could happen anytime in Manila. Speaker Sonny Belmonte then explained via phone interview, â€Å"We are calling to our allies, especially their intelligence agencies, to share with us what they know, what this is all about† (as cited in Ubac, 2010, p. A8). Even though six countries have already warned their residents of the forthcoming attacks, Pazzibugan, Papa and Esplanada (2010) stated that â€Å"Filipino security officials downplayed the alerts. These related materials have proven that the Philippine government, along with the Filipino citizens, were ignorant of the threatening terrorist attacks, when other nations deem that the Philippines itself is the cause of chaos. Upon discovery of the root of this problem, the Philippine police and the other security groups in the country have not exercised their duties to protect and serve the Filipinos. With these, the group’s stand concerni ng the performance of the Aquino administration, particularly the police and military, has been further strengthened. Aside from these, due to the numerous incidents of kidnapping in the Philippines, the country has earned the title â€Å"Kidnap Capital of Asia. † The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism describes kidnapping in the country as â€Å"†¦ a virtual cottage industry in which little capital and apparently equally little risk can mean millions of pesos in profits† (as cited by Clayton, n. d. ). For years, this problem has been a major hindrance to the growth and development of the country. With this, many Filipino citizens requested that Republic Act 9372 or Human Security Act of 2007 should be fully supported and implemented because this is one way of preventing the surge of kidnaps in the country (Samonte, 2010). In remote places in the Philippines, there are rampant kidnapping incidents involving wealthy and powerful political families. In Cotabato, two people were killed when gunmen abducted the wife of the prominent local trader, Lucio Tan. At the age of 50, Conchita Tan was riding their car, and was about 30 meters away from their home when she was seized by about six car-riding suspects. It was said that Conchita’s bodyguard tried to prevent the kidnapping and even traded fire with the suspects, but Conchita ended up dead together with her driver (Fernandez, Senase ; Alipala, 2010). In Valenzuela City, on October 17, 2010, a criminal gang released eight kidnap victims of which seven are schoolchildren. At around 6:30 in the morning of October 14, the father of the three children and their four cousins were snatched in the said city. The victims were said to be Chinese-Filipinos or Tsinoys. According to Felipe (2010), it was the fifth kidnap-for-ransom case since President Aquino has assumed office last June 30. Meanwhile, the charred body of Venson Evangelista was discovered by a farmer in the remote barangay of Buliran, Cabanatuan City on January 14, 2010. The body has been burned with the use of kerosene and rubber tire. It was found out that a 9 mm pistol was used to kill Evangelista. The same situation also happened to another car dealer, Emerson Lozano and his driver, Ernane Sensil, whose bodies were found in Porac, Pampanga and La Paz, Tarlac, respectively. Central Luzon police director, Chief Supt. Alan Purisima said, â€Å"Probably, only one group did it. It’s positive that the body found in Cabanatuan was Venson Evangelista’s† (as cited by Galang ; Pazzibugan, 2011, p. A18). Using these information, the researchers have found out that the crime of kidnapping is one of the most devastating setbacks of the country’s security concerns. Through the years, it has remained as one of the most frequently committed crimes in the Philippines. Even though the government has plans to alleviate the various crimes in the country, it is evident that their efforts to stop kidnapping incidents in the country are futile. This part of the paper, in summary, tackles the various topics concerning the specific subjects of the study. It includes the presentation of the Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA) as a socio-economic organization, and the enumeration and investigation of some of the worst man-made and natural disasters that plagued the Philippines under the Aquino administration. In addition, it also discusses PSA’s appraisal that the Philippines is the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. Based on the timely data and information gathered through broad research, the group has formulated their analysis and interpretation of the most dangerous disasters that have occurred in the Philippines. In addition, the group’s views regarding the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† are discussed in this part of the paper. Authors’ Stand on the Assessment Presented The following are the worst disasters that have occurred in the Philippines that served as the bases of PSA in its assessment of the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. On November 23, 2009, an estimate of 100 gunmen associated to Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. allegedly abducted in broad daylight a convoy of aides and relatives of a rival politician, Esmael Mangudadatu, and a group of journalists, as they headed for the local Commission on Elections office to formally file Mangudadatu's certificate of candidacy (COC) for the position occupied by Ampatuan Sr. then. Hours later, news broke out that the convoy had been massacred, with 58 people dead because of senseless slaughter and mutilation. This incident has left many people speechless as words failed to convey the outrage felt by those who were horrified by the said tragedy. Families who lost their loved ones on the said mishap continuously grieve and fervently pray that justice be served to them accordingly. What happened to their kin, especially to the female victims, who were said to be sexually-abused before getting killed, was so barbaric that the group, as well as the Filipinos all over the country, could almost feel their pain and anguish. The Ampatuans, long before the incident, were already suspected of being involved in unsolved killings in particular areas and regions in Maguindanao. Many were also affected by their acquisitiveness and their desire for power. Unfortunately, the people in Maguindanao were afraid to testify or file cases to the Ampatuans as they believe that the Philippine government will not be able to protect them from reprisal. The government takes a part of the blame for the brutal killing of several people, all of which were innocent. The past administration headed by former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was still not able to dismantle the ruthlessness in Mindanao. The government has failed to solve the cruel cases that take place in Mindanao almost everyday. Their handling of the situation weakened the people’s already fragile trust in supposedly democratic institutions as the government gave a disorganized response to the circumstances. However, as Pres. Noynoy Aquino took oath as the President of the Philippines, the Philippine government was still not able to pursue more critical investigations of the said massacre. As a result, the families of those who were killed last November 23, 2009 still continue to grieve as no justice is given to them. Although Ampatuan Jr. , with the other people involved in the crime, remains in jail because of his inhumane act, the victims’ mourning families still firmly desire to punish him more severely for putting an end to 58 innocent lives. The group believes that the frightening incident should spark meticulous going reforms not only in the region, but in the whole Philippines as well, more than merely disarming the private armies the national government truly needs to foster authentic participation by the marginalized sectors in governance. Additionally, the government needs to initiate programs and policies to give power to the poor by establishing anti-poverty measures such as asset reforms so that the poor would no longer be dependent on politicians, local warlords or traditional political families or more commonly known as trapos. More importantly, the Aquino government needs to restore and strengthen rural democratic institutions because these are considered to be the weakest links of governance in the rural areas. These institutions include the people’s organizations which remain unprotected by the government. Also, the private sector and civil society also have roles to take part in the development of these regions especially because multi-sectoral development initiatives that involve the beneficiaries have proven to be successful. If the government pursues genuine development and peace initiatives in these regions, the indigenous peoples would finally be able to pursue economic and governance activities without fearing for their lives. These are among the steps that the group suggests the present administration is expected to carry out to develop the current investigations of this atrocious massacre. Aside from the massacre, the hostage-taking incident that has taken place at the Quirino Grandstand has greatly influenced PSA’s assessment. Twenty-seven Hong Kong nationals who were on their last day of vacation in the Philippines were taken as hostages by ex-SPO2 Rolando Mendoza last August 23, 2010. The police, soldiers, bystanders, and the Filipino people, through the live coverage of the media, altogether witnessed one of the most heinous crimes to be ever committed in the country last 2010. With this incident, nine people died; eight out of the 27 tourists were killed, and the hostage-taker himself was shot, and was later declared dead by the police. Who is to be blamed for this tragedy? Whose fault was it that what should have been a joyful trip for these foreigners resulted to the loss of some of their lives? Were sound judgment and careful planning exercised by the security groups of our country in dealing with the situation then? Certainly, the service provided by the Filipino policemen and soldiers that tragic night was not to the full extent by which they could have prevented the crime or even just lessened the tension brought about by the situation. It is not that they have not done their jobs of protecting the people, but their efforts were clearly not enough to impede the crisis. The media also had the responsibility to be sensible to the people involved in the tragedy, but with what had happened, they appeared to be on the wrong track—they even covered the whole event; even the most sensitive parts of the incident were shown to the public through various media like the internet, radio and television. This crime has created a wide gap between Hong Kong-China and the Philippines as the former believes that the latter does not deserve its trust again because of what has happened. Not only that, but news about the hostage-taking did not only distress the Filipinos; it was even aired in international news channels like the CNN and BBC. This alarmed even the other nations, and with this, they were disturbed and were eventually convinced that the Philippines is an ill-fated nation, that the country is not a good place to visit at all. Worse, various photos and videos of meddlers in the crime scene, some college students and police officers themselves, were posted online for the world to see. This even triggered an angrier crowd from all over the world. Due to this, other people from the different races deemed that all Filipinos are not hospitable nor peace-loving; nevertheless, they do not pay respect to the victims of the tragedy. The current investigations of the Philippines regarding the hostage-incident are slow-paced as the country is negotiating with the Hong Kong government. Both parties could still not agree with how they will investigate and with how they will push through with the operations regarding this crime. The group sees that the cause of this delay is the ruined relationships of the two parties involved. The Philippines, under the present administration of PNoy, has been trying to offer many benefits for the families of the eight Hong Kong nationals who were killed. However, the Hong Kong government demands more than what the Philippine administration could offer. Because of this, both the Philippines and Hong Kong conduct their own investigations without the help of each other, making the examination of the Quirino Grandstand hostage incident stagnant. As of now, the Philippines is facing the challenge of rebuilding its reputation which was destroyed in just a snap of a finger. It is truly difficult to regain the trust of other nations, especially Hong Kong and China, after what has occurred. Moreover, it is hard to revive the glorious days of the nation after this disgrace. Although the Filipino citizens are in the verge of being torn apart by malice and controversy, all of them can still contribute to uplift the Philippines’ image. Each Filipino, regardless of age, gender and social status can take part in the mission of changing the way the rest of the world sees the country. Even in the simplest ways, the researchers can help their motherland recover from this misery; they can make others realize that what one man did doesn’t necessarily reflect what a whole nation of Filipinos is. On the other hand, Typhoon â€Å"Juan† (international name Megi), being the strongest and most destructive typhoon to ever hit the Philippines in 2010, has caused devastating damages to several provinces in Luzon, especially to Cagayan and Isabela where the typhoon’s wrath was felt the strongest. The typhoon caused 11 deaths, millions of pesos worth of damages, and many people homeless just a few months before the Christmas season. Could these damages have been prevented or just even lessened? What would then happen to those people who lost their loved ones and their homes? What more could the government do to help these people get back on their feet? Indeed, the government has been there to offer donations to those victims of the natural disaster as it has always been the first one being seen or heard in news, yet does their work stop there? Quite disappointing as it is, their jobs do not stop there, unlike what they believe so. The government is divided into many departments and branches that are interrelated well enough, so devastation this massive is not expected. In the Philippines, it is widely known that the months of September to early November fall under the rainy season, so the government could have been more prepared for the expected typhoon that would hit the country. The government could have started programs that would educate and prepare people on what to do in situations like this because prevention of these catastrophes is always better than alleviating the problems it causes and entails. The government could also have built concrete roads and stable infrastructures in the calamity-prone areas of the country so that rescue and relief operations could reach disaster-struck areas quicker and these services could be provided more efficiently. After the massive destruction of the typhoon, the government could help the people live normally again by providing them livelihood projects and â€Å"payment† for the damages so that people can get by and grant scholarship and health benefits as well. Instead, what the government does is give short-term relief to the people greatly devastated. After a week, when the relief goods have been consumed, what will the people do? In the end, what they need more is a greater â€Å"push†Ã¢â‚¬â€a push that combined with their own efforts, will result in greater and long-term benefits that will get them their lives back on track. In contrast to this natural calamity, the Philippines has also been threatened by terrorist attacks which caused chaos not only among the citizens of the country but among the people of the world as well. Despite all the actions taken by six countries—Great Britain, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and France—the Philippine government continued to ignore the imminent terror attack on the Philippine territory. With this, how can the Philippine government protect its citizens from danger if they, themselves take no notice of the threat? In an interview, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III unfortunately uttered out loud two distinct possibilities behind the Philippine government’s unclenched reaction. The first probability is that, maybe, the information is unreliable and is therefore wrong. The Aquino administration is conveying an almost cavalier attitude toward it. It isn’t true—that is the government’s story, and they’re sticking to it despite the urgency with which the six countries are dealing with the information. The other was that those alarmed countries had the information, and did not share it with the Philippines. â€Å"There were several countries that discussed this among themselves, and we are the targets and lots of these people are our allies. I think we should have been informed† the President said (as cited in â€Å"Terror Incognito†, 2010, p. A12). It transpires that the Philippine allies failed to let the Philippines know about the danger, and the government took it personally. With the said possibilities, the nation cannot afford to let down its guard, but what did the Aquino administration do? Instead of providing security to the country, they chose to turn their back on the issue. For the Philippine government to put pride before the safety of its people, that scenario would be the most threatening of all. Whether this rumor turns out to be real or not, it is still essential to deal with this threat as the real thing. In a generation where small pieces of information can be as potent a destroyer as the explosives themselves, it is the government’s first duty to ensure that its citizens are safe, even if it looks like jumping the gun, even if it looks like they are erring on the side of caution. It is the correct response, no matter what. It is the welfare of the citizens that should be first taken care of by the government, and not the interest of the economy. Besides, the Philippines is not in such a precarious situation, that it cannot afford to protect the people before the businesses at stake. These terror threats may be real or ot, but it only in knowing the truth about this crucial issue can the security of the country and its people be truly served. Another basis of PSA in labeling the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† is the high rates of kidnappings in the country. The Philippines, being plagued by frequent kidnapping incidents, does not only mark a scar on the country’s face to the whole world. This even creates a barrier that prevents foreign trade, foreign investments, and tourism of the country with the rest of the world. Because of this, the growth and development of the country slows down and is feared to come to a complete halt someday. Any person, regardless of age or gender, may be a victim of this crime. Based on the data gathered, the kidnapping of various people including politicians, local traders, schoolchildren, Filipino-Chinese people, and car dealers defines that no one is exempted from being kidnapped. Kidnapping for ransom forces one to choose between his/her life and his/her money or properties, but in some unfortunate cases, both his/her life and his/her possessions were lost. A concrete example was Venson Evangelista and Emerson Lozano’s case: they were shot dead and burned, giving up not only their cars but also their precious lives. The government should strictly implement more laws regarding the crime of kidnapping so that it could be prevented. Also, intensive investigations should be prioritized to solve the alarming rates of kidnapping cases not only in the densely-populated areas of the country, but even in the rural places in the Philippines. The increasing number of kidnappings defines that the police are not executing their duties proficiently. The police evidently outnumber the kidnappers, but if they don’t act immediately, the situation will be turned and there would be more kidnappers than policemen. Scars cannot be healed hastily; they need time to be restored. Likewise, the Philippines needs a strong medication to repair all the scars gashed by the blades of kidnapping. With these catastrophes, issues and controversies, the PSA has dubbed the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† since the country has evidently remained incapable of handling the wrath both natural and man-made disasters bring. The Philippine government and the Filipinos themselves have been struggling to face the aftermath of the misfortunes faced by the country at present. With the various proofs that emerged from this research, the group has agreed with the Pacific Strategies and Assessment’s assertion of the Philippines as the most disaster-prone area in Asia, therefore labeling the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia†. Furthermore, the group deemed that the Aquino administration was not able to handle all the said adversities effectively since the effects brought about by most of the disasters are still not resolved even after months, and even after many years. The slow progress of trials and cases that are still not brought up to court and the temporary and insufficient relief that is offered to the victims of natural calamities have proven that the administration has failed to meet the expected standard of the performance of their duties and responsibilities to the people. The administration may have helped several victims who suffered the complications brought about by the natural calamities in some short-term ways, but it was clearly not enough to sustain the lives of the many people who mainly rely on the aid the government provides. Moreover, it has not been able to help the victims of the crimes and their families find justice for the prejudice they suffered. Aside from these, the Philippines continues to be a country unaware of the impending danger in their environment causing the Filipinos to risk their lives every single second they spend in the unsecured country. More importantly, the Philippine government has the obligation to serve the Filipino masses by protecting them by all means. Simply, the government should be prepared of every forthcoming disaster since the lives of many of the citizens are on their hands. Disappointing as it is, the government has their own strategies; they wait for the disaster, and after it has already destroyed properties and has claimed lives, they plan what to do. It seems like the Philippine government has never learned from the past administrations; the officials of the country continue to ignore the consequences of their obliviousness. The Philippines has actually gone through many ills: from the typhoons that struck and flooded the country to terrorist threats that alarmed other nations not to visit the Philippines. This leaves no excuse for the Philippine government to be unprepared for these disasters. The government should have at least prepared a certain plan of action in case more disasters loom in the Philippines. Based on these findings, the researchers came up with the following important points: 1. After more than a year since the Maguindanao massacre, the families of the victims still continue to grieve as no recent investigation has been pursued to solve the said case. 2. The Quirino-Grandstand hostage-taking incident clearly did not only ruin the relations between the Philippines and Hong Kong; it also embarrassed the Philippines all over the world. Because of this, investigations of the said crime have been interrupted and delayed. 3. Typhoon Juan has greatly devastated the country, and even after months since it pummelled the Philippines, the Filipinos greatly affected still cannot cope and recover. 4. The terrorist threats in the country were not handled accordingly since the Filipinos, particularly the government itself, were not aware of the situation. . Kidnapping in the Philippines has been rampant for the past few years, and still, the government has not given any concrete explanation with regards to this. 6. The Aquino administration has not been able to present any significant development in the investigations of the said crimes and in its operations during calamities. Conclusions After the thorough analysis and interpretation of the subjec ts of the research and supporting them with the various facts and data gathered, the group has arrived at the following conclusions: 1. The Pacific Strategies and Assessments is a socio-economic organization that specializes in Asian risks. At the same time, it also assists its clients in making reliable business decisions in Asia. Most importantly, it prepares intelligence briefs regarding political and economic situations to its clients like the Philippines. The PSA aims to maximize the advantages and minimize the risks of doing business in places that are often plagued by political, economic and socio-cultural ills. 2. Numerous disasters and catastrophes have indeed wreaked havoc in the Philippines. These include man-made disasters such as the Maguindanao massacre, the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident, the terrorist threats that made some countries exercise a high degree of caution in travelling to the Philippines, and the high and alarming rates of kidnapping cases in the different areas in the country. Natural disasters like the Typhoon â€Å"Juan† also inflicted vast damage in the country. These five disasters have been the bases of PSA in dubbing the Philippines as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia. † 3. At its rise, the present administration has not performed proficiently. The Aquino administration, in its first few months, has not presented any significant development on the current investigations of the Philippines’ most abhorrent crimes and improvement on its operations in times of disasters like natural catastrophes. Investigations of the Maguindanao massacre, the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident and the different kidnapping occurrences have remained stagnant, while the government’s plan of action regarding the terrorist threats in the country and Typhoon Juan has not been sustained at all. 4. Because the Aquino administration has failed to fulfill its duties and responsibilities to the Filipino citizens in times of disasters and other catastrophes, and the effects of the lack of political will in the Philippines were experienced by many Filipinos, it is therefore righteous for PSA to label the country as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia. † 5. The group has agreed with PSA’s assessment on the Philippines under the Aquino government as the â€Å"Disaster Capital of Asia† since the country has been troubled by spiteful disasters and the administration has not been capable of alleviating the subsequent situations of these problems. Recommendations After an in-depth analysis of the data gathered, the following recommendations are hereby made: 1. Provide a more compelling argument of the reasons behind the PSA’s evaluation of the Philippines. In line with this, the group also recommends further research on the different disasters that have created a devastating mess in the country. 2. Look beyond the Aquino administration’s shortcomings, but also point out the weaknesses of the other people and other organizations involved in the different catastrophes that wrecked the Philippines. References Avendano, C. (August 30, 2010). DOJ chief the only spokesperson on hostage crisis probe – Palace. Retrieved 20 January 2011, from http://newsinfo. inquirer. net/breakingnews/ nation/view/20100830-289571/DOJ-chief-the-only-spokesperson-on-hostage-crisis-probe—Palace Barcelo, J. M. (October 26, 2010). Typhoon victims can avail of PAG-IBIG financial assistance, says Binay. The Daily Tribune, 10, p. 3. Brago, P. (November 3, 2010). Australia, UK: high terror threat in Manila. The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 6, 2011, from http://www. philstar. com/ Article. aspx? articled=626624&publicationSubCategoryId=63 Clayton, T. A. (n. d. ). The Philippines: â€Å"Kidnap Capital of Asia†. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://www. claytonconsultants. com/download/PDF/ Security-Assessment-Philippines. pdf Cory gave Ampatuan his patriarch break. (November 26, 2009). Newsbreak Online, Retrieved January 20, 2011 fromhttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Maguindanao_massacre#cite_note-4 David, R. (November 24, 2009). Understanding the unbelievable. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Retrieved January 20, 2011 fromhttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/ Maguindanao_massacre#cite_note-4 De Leon, A. L. , Reyes, V. , Hachero, A. , Bengco, R. & Naval, G. (October 18, 2010). Cagayan Valley braces for ‘Juan’. Malaya, p. B1. DSWD secretary flies to Isabela to assist victims of typhoon â€Å"Juan†. (October 21, 2010). Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 20, 2010, fromhttp://dromic. dswd. gov. ph/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=76:dswdsecretary-flies-to-isabela-to-assist-victims-of-typhoon-jua n-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=55 Felipe, C. (October 19, 2010). Kidnappers free 7 Tsinoy schoolchildren. The Philippine Star, XXV, p. 2. Fernandez, E. , Senase C. , & Alipala, J. (October 9, 2010). Cotabato trader’s wife kidnapped; 2 bodyguards shot dead in shootout. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Retreived January 20, 2011, from http://newsinfo. inquirer. net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20101009-296770/ Cotabato-traders-wife-kidnapped-2-bodyguards-shot-dead-in-shootout Flores, H. (October 19, 2010). ‘Juan’ pummels Luzon. The Philippine Star, 25, p. 1. France-Presse. (August 24, 2010). Manila hostage taking crisis. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://newsinfo. inquirer. net/breakingnews/nation/view/ 20100824-288510/Manila-hostage-taking-crisis Galang, A. , & Pazzibugan, D. (January 19, 2011). Car traders’ murders: ‘even Satan will be horrified’  . Philippine Daily Inquirer, 26, p. A1& p. A18. Lee-Brago, P. (December 13, 2010). Hostage crisis hurt Hong Kong – Philippine relations. The Philippine Star, 25, p. 1. Manila Bulletin news team. (October 19, 2010). ‘Super Juan’ leaves 11 dead. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 25, 2010, from http://www. mb. com. ph/node/283048/ Navales, M. (n. d. ). Introduction to Research Paper, p. 3. Papa, A. (November 26, 2009). Maguindanao massacre worst-ever for journalists. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Retrieved January 20, 2011 from http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Maguindanao_massacre#cite_note-4 Pazzibugan D. , Papa, A. , & Esplanada, J. (November 4, 2010). Imminent danger: US warns of terror attack in Manila. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 25, p. A1. Philippines admits police may have shot some hostages in bus standoff. (September 9, 2010). Retrieved January 20, 2011,from http://edition. cnn. com/2 010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/09/ philippines. bus. hostage/index. html? hpt=T1#fbid=KI9W1Oknxyp Police chief names 161 suspects in Maguindanao massacre. (December 9, 2009). The Manila Times, Retrieved January 20, 2011 fromhttp://www. anilatimes. net/index. php/ top-stories/7516-police-chief-names-161-suspects-in-maguindanao-massacre Samonte, A. (October 17, 2010). Stop kidnappers and terrorists. The Philippine Star, 25, p. 18. The Pacific Strategies and Assessments. Retrieved November 24, 2010, from http://www. psagroup. com/contact/ContactPhilippines. php Terror Incognito. (November 7, 2010). Philippine Daily Inquirer, 25, p. A12. Ubac, M. (November 6, 2010). Solons urge sharing of info on terror threats. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 25, p. A8. What Pacific Strategies and Assessments does. (November 4, 2010). Philippine

Friday, September 27, 2019

Innovation in Nursing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Innovation in Nursing - Research Paper Example Moreover, some health care experts have alluded that innovation in nursing is a process that does not only take place in laboratories, but rather among the health care service providers hence requires the need to diffuse and use modern technology in order to facilitate quality healthcare service provision. Challenges facing Innovation in Nursing PracticeOne major challenge that has hindered proper and effective nursing is the fact that many stakeholders have not realized the importance of innovation within the healthcare systems. Leaders have failed to recognize that without nurses and other healthcare service providers, the process of healthcare service provision would come to a standstill.In addition, the profession of nurses and other health care service provision is complex and requires great understanding; this aspect has been recognized by many stakeholders (Edwards 2012). However, there has been increasing perception in the media and other channels of information dissemination that: The quality of nursing is increasingly diminishing and that healthcare service providers in many case do not have the passion and the commitment to undertake innovative activities geared towards improving healthcare service provision. This affected the support, emotional and physical, directed towards nurses hence hindering their capacities to participate in innovative activities.It is a fact that innovation facilitates doing things in different ways; such knowledge is usually generated among concerned individuals.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Formal Report RadioTelevision Health Risks Essay

Formal Report RadioTelevision Health Risks - Essay Example Consequently, this rate of technological evolutions has evolved with unquantified health hazards being addressed. In this paper we try to excavate the negligible yet lethal health anomalies that are caused by the use of the contemporary technology like the Radio, Mobile phone and Television. Stern, Alan H. (1999): Radio frequency (RF) is electromagnetic energy that makes up the electromagnetic spectrum. This includes energies like gamma rays, X-rays, and light. This energy comprises of waves of electric and magnetic energy that moves together (radiating) through space. The RF waves are developed due to the movement of electrical charges in the aerials and radiate away from the antenna. This electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light. With the ionization effect inherent in the electromagnetic waves, electrons are therefore stripped from atoms and molecules which create molecular changes that lead to damage in the genetic tissues like the DNA cells. IEEE (2006) The energy levels related with radio frequency energy includes both radio waves and microwaves are so weak to cause the ionization of atoms and molecules, hence it's a non-ionizing radiation in the same category with the infrared radiation (heat). Large amounts of RF energy can heat up tissues and create a temperature rise. Radiation for example, that are emitted by the TV and the computer monitors have adverse effect on the eyes and testes because of the little blood in them to carry heat away. IEEE (2006) Radio Frequency (RF) fields us the supreme at its source, and diminishes quickly with distance. However, due to their lower frequency, at comparable RF exposure levels, the body absorbs up to five more of the signal from FM radio and television than from stations. The reason behind this is because, frequency used in FM radio (around 100MHz) and in TV broadcasting (relatively 300 to 400 MHZ) are lower than those employed in mobile telephony (900 MHz and 1800MHz) and because a person's height makes the body an efficient stations have been in operation for the past 50 or more years without any adverse health consequence being established. Radio technologies employ analog signals, while modern wireless telecommunications use digital transmissions. With wide spread base stations all over, the probability that people are cancer infected is very high, and prevalently near the this base stations. Based on studies that are carried out in the last century, a keen relationship between RF transm itters and cancer have been published. On the one hand, this evidence has not given evidence that RF exposure from the transmitters increases the risk of cancer. On the other hand, long term animal studies have not established

Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Outpatient Prospective Assignment

Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Outpatient Prospective Payment System - Assignment Example The OPPS, on the other hand, involves yearly deductibles and copayments (CMS, 2010) by the patient to cover the overall cost. Both the systems, and especially the OPPS, are designed to have an overall profiting effect on the Medicare; they save Medicare the money expended on patients. This is because, for example, in the OPPS, the patient is expected to meet the costs in two ways; the yearly deductible, and the copayment that he has to pay as an outpatient (CMS, 2010). It is evident that this results in an overall money-saving for the Medicare as opposed to if Medicare had to meet the complete cost without any contribution from the patient. It is not feasible to have only one system for both the inpatient department and the outpatient department. This is because of the different needs of the two departments and the different factors that influence their payment scales. Inpatient usually requires complex procedures (CMS, 2011) and prolonged hospitalization, so the net cots incurred by the hospital are considerably greater than those incurred by the outpatient department because that mostly involves routine checkups, drug administration, and minor surgeries (CMS, 2010). The number of cases per department may also vary greatly.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The movie style of David Fincher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The movie style of David Fincher - Essay Example Quotations from the film have been cited independently in the bibliography. Fincher’s choice and portrayal of protagonists merit some attention. Frequently, his lead characters are men in a stressful or otherwise unfulfilling job, at odds with the world they inhabit, and with complex and unstable psychologies. Detective William Somerset in Seven is on the verge of retiring from a long career in the police. He repeatedly speaks about the oppressive nature of the city he lives in and how he would like to travel ‘far [a]way from here’. In Fight Club, the unnamed protagonist suffers from insomnia and has to join a slew of support groups to feel like a victim and find his emotional release. He is later revealed to be suffering from Split Personality Disorder as well. In Zodiac, the cartoonist-detective becomes obsessed with trying to solve the Zodiac’s codes and can think of nothing else, leading his second wife to leave him. The Game features millionaire Nicholas Van Orton, who, in his brother’s words, was ‘becoming such an asshole’ that he needed an extraordinarily complex and dangerous prank played on him for him to be able to feel again. The Social Network also fictionalises its real-life lead Mark Zuckerberg as someone not really ‘likeable’. Film critic James Lewis Hoberman, in his review of The Social Network, describes the character as ‘a sort of mildly autistic Sammy Glick with a grim 1,000-yard glare’. In the movie itself, the final lines are also directed at Zuckerberg’s character: ‘Youre not an asshole, Mark. Youre just trying so hard to be one’. The social and psychological alienation of his protagonists then, are a recurrent feature in Fincher’s films. Another thematic concern that pervades Fincher’s oeuvre is contemporary society as a locus of apathy and emotional numbness. In Seven, Somerset repeatedly expresses his dissatisfaction with the society he inhabits

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Auditing Exercise for Property Plant and Equipment Assignment

Auditing Exercise for Property Plant and Equipment - Assignment Example Management must implement the internal control activities to reduce the three inherent risk factors, management must implement the following internal controls procedures. The same audit objective includes reducing the risk factors by physically determining if management recorded all assets seen and affirmed by the auditor properly and completely in the proper accounting period. The inherent risk factors for item 1 and 3 are complex accounting issues (proper recording of property plant and equipment assets and allowance for depreciation), difficult to audit transactions (collusion between management and employees to fraudulently present Enron-style financial statements), and misstatements (unintentional errors) are detected (Whittington, 2005). ADJUSTING ENTRIES The auditor found the recommended adjusting entries for item 1 item 3 and after performing the audit procedure test of details of transactions or reconciliation. This is in compliance the auditor’s meeting the audit obj ectives. The auditor must obtain sufficient audit evidence to support all management assertions shown in the financial reports. Reconciliation entails the ensuring that detailed records have the same balances as the general ledger control accounts. The following adjusting entries are necessary in order to present the true balances of the land account, buildings account, machinery and equipment account, depression expense accounts, and allowance for depreciation account (buildings) and allowance for depreciation accounts (machinery and equipment), in compliance with no. 1 item instructions (D Kieso, J Weygandt, T Warfield, 2011). Item no. 1 Assertions: 1. Completeness assertion: Management ensures the recording of all existing property, plant, equipment, allowance for depreciation and other accounts in the same accounting period. The accountant did not record the donated assets were in the books of accounts received from Crux City. Thus, the effect on the audit procedure is to increa se the building account in item no. 1by $ 400,000. Management must make an adjustment. Otherwise, item no. 1 (building account) will be understated. Likewise, the allowance for depreciation account, item 1, will be understated. 2. Existence or Occurence assertion : All recorded property, plant, equipment, allowance for depreciation and other accounts exist or are owned by the company in the same accounting period. The effect on audit procedure is to inspect the official documents that include land titles, official receipts, and donation document will prove the existence or occurrence (ownership) of the reported assets. 3. Valuation or allocation assertion: all amounts recorded in the property, plant, machinery and equipment, allowance for depreciation accounts are accurate and proper classification of the business transactions are made. The audit procedure includes analytical procedures. The effect on audit procedure is to ensure accuracy, classification, cut-off, detail tie-in of t he property, plant, equipment, depreciation allowance, and depreciation expense balances during the year under audit. In terms of effect on audit procedure, the auditor must determine the existence or occurrence assertion audit assertion are valued accurately by personally inspecting if all recorded property, plant, and equipment accounts recorded in the books exist (Whittington, 2005). The building, machinery and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Care study for operating department practitoner(odp) Essay

Care study for operating department practitoner(odp) - Essay Example Silvestre, to theatre for a minor operation under local and is being checked into the department, she remained restless throughout the entire period of admission process. My mentor, Dr. Hughes, supervised me as I took Mary and Mrs. Silvestre through the theater admission procedures. After sometime, Mrs. Hughes decides to quickly nip to the toilet during the process in order to get back ready to transfer the patient into theatre. He leaves me behind to complete the remaining procedures and prepare the patient for admission. It is during this time that I observed that the consent form has been signed by Mary and a comment added to the notes that Mary thinks she may be pregnant. I proceed to confirm this comment setting Mary free for theater admission after completing all required procedures. After transferring Mary into theatre my mentor attempted to insert a cannula into the dorsum of Mary’s hand. To my utter amazement, Mary is startled by the sharp pain inflicted upon her by the inserted cannula. She immediately withdraws her hand resulting in the cannula becoming dislodged with some blood spillage. I privately ask Dr. Hughes, my mentor, why such a unique occurrence is taking place and she quickly confesses that she has not really attempted a cannulation procedure unsupervised before. I concluded that she must have forgotten to follow certain necessary procedures resulting into the pain experienced by the patient and consequently, the blood spillage upon withdrawal. Despite all these, however, Dr. Hughes decided to have another go on the patient in order to save time. Nursing practitioners have a huge role to play in seeing forth the liberation of patients from the anguish of various diseases. The situations to which nursing practitioners are often exposed as health care professionals are sometimes so complex and demanding including serious issues of health and well being of various patients. It is for this reason that nursing practitioners have to be well

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Promotional Strategies of Smart and Globe Essay Example for Free

The Promotional Strategies of Smart and Globe Essay Starting from telegraphic and telephonic systems in the19th Century, the field of telephonic communication has now Expanded to make use of advanced technologies like GSM, CDMA and WLL to the great 3G Technology in mobile phones. Day by day, both the Public Players and the Private Players are Putting in their resources and efforts to improve the Telecommunication technology so as to give the maximum to Their customers. In business, it is important to use various and innovative promotional strategies to expand the demand of your product and to earn more consumers. It is one of the main things a business or a company must do to keep on working. There are 3 different ways to promote a product: to show information to consumers as well as others; to increase the demand; and change the product. Any use of those three is called the promotional strategy. Considering that competition in the business field is continuously growing, implementing efficient strategies through promoting products are indeed significant for all operators in any industry. Background of the Study Over the years since cellphones were widely used, various networking companies have succeeded in promoting their products to their subscribers. But up to this moment, only two networking companies have truly taken the top-spot of the networks – Smart and Globe Telecom – two of the most widely used networks today. The two networking companies have been using different strategies to promote their products, such as SIM cards for cellphones and Wireless Internet connectors for computers or laptops. SMART Telecommunications, being the largest mobile operator in the Philippines, is also the Internet service subsidiary of the  Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company  (PLDT) for over 45 million cellular subscribers (Smart Comm. 2010). Smart Communications, Inc. is the Philippines’ leading wireless services provider with 34. 2 million subscribers on its GSM network (Smart Comm. , 2008). Of its total subscriber base, 20. 9 million subscribers are served under the brands Smart Buddy, Smart Gold and Smart Infinity and another 13. 3 million subscribers are served through its subsidiary, Pilipino Telephone Corp. , under the brand Talk ‘N Text. SMART has built a reputation for innovation, having introduced world-first wireless data services, including mobile commerce services such as Smart Money, Smart Load and Smart Padala. SMART also offers a 3G service, Smart 3G. These actually help SMART attain a very versatile service for its subscribers. (www. smart. com. ph) On the other hand, Globe Telecom provides mobile, fixed line, and broadband Internet services. It is the second largest mobile operator in the Philippines, with 27 million customers second only to SMART and PLDT. It also provides various services like SIM networks and Wireless Internet connectors. The most effective way to attract and retain the value- conscious Philippine mobile customer was to spur action through time-limited marketing promotions† (Globe Telecom, 2009) Globe Telecom will start to offer 3G mobile services during Q2 2006. The operator will provide its next-generation services free of charge as part of a promotional campaign in select cities . As mobile growth continues at a steady pace in the Philippines there were 36mn subscribers at the end of 2005, representing penetration of about 43% we expect 3G services to be a key source of growth in the industry. With BMI forecasting mobile penetration rates to exceed 70% in 2009, there will be little room for further subscriber growth. Globe Telecom also recognized that the most effective way to attract and retain the value-conscious Philippine mobile customer was to spur action through time-limited marketing promotions. (www. telecomsinsight. com) They attained more production through time valuing and speed production, because they believe that being quick brings in more services! In such an environment, success comes to the fast, nimble and intelligent—de? ed by the ability to target market opportunities with tactical campaigns, monitor their effectiveness and ? ne tune them in short order. That’s exactly how Globe Telecom—the number two provider in the Philippines, with 27 million customers—is approaching the competitive challenge. Globe speci? cally recognized that the most effective way to attract and retain the value-conscious Philippine mobile customer was to spur action through time-limited marketing promotions—for example, reload HSDPA service with PHP30 and also get 24 hours unlimited SMS product. Call it opportunistic marketing in the extreme. (http://www-05. ibm. om/innovations) The main objective of this research is to assess the different promotional strategies of SMART and Globe Telecom Networks in the Philippines. The reasons that pushed the researchers to write about this topic is because one of the most widely used technologies today involve the use of networking, and the main providers of such networking use different promotional strategies to beat the competition. The researchers will provide adequate information about the processes and procedures of the networking companies and also the different perceptions of the respondents the researchers are going to interview. Objectives of the Study The research entitled â€Å"The Promotional Strategies of Smart and Globe as Perceived by the Selected Mass Comm Students of New Era University† has the following objectives: 1. What are the promotional strategies of Smart and Globe? 2. What benefits do respondents enjoy out of these promotional strategies? 3. How does Smart and Globe execute these promotional strategies? 4. What problems are experienced by the respondents on these promotional strategies? 5. What solutions are rewarded to help respondents when it comes to the problems on promotional strategies? Scope and Limitations The research titled â€Å"The Promotional Strategies of Smart and Globe as Perceived by the Selected Mass Comm Students of New Era University† includes the information of the respondents’ perceptions according to the survey that will be given, and also the information from the references used. The research will only limit its survey to 50 selected First Year Mass Comm Students of New Era University. Also, The Researchers did not include any other network companies besides Smart Comm. and Globe Telecomm. Significance of the Study The research entitled â€Å"The Promotional Strategies of Smart and Globe As Perceived by the Selected Mass Comm Students of New Era University† will be beneficial to the following: The students, or the teenagers, who are usually the most extensive users or subscribers of the said networks. Based on how they are the one that is easy to convince on the promos of Text or Call promos of the network companies. The general readers, who will get to know the promotional techniques of Globe and Smart. Especially on the marketing management of the telecom company to find out how they can improve more their innovative strategy on promoting or making promos on telecommunication industry. The network company of Smart and Globe Telecom, who will understand and observe in this study the convenience of the text/call promos they promote to their subscribers and on their preparedness on how they approach to the competition. Definition of Terms The definition of these terms will help the readers to better understand this research paper. a. Promotion is one of the four elements of  marketing mix  (product, price, promotion, and place). . Cellphones   is a device that can make and receive  telephone calls  over a  radio link  whilst moving around a wide geographic area. c. Strategy a word of  military  origin that refers to a  plan  of action designed to achieve a particular  goal. d. Innovative is the creation of better or more effective  products,  processes,à ‚  services,  technologies, or  ideas  that are accepted by  markets,governments, and  society. e. Network A  directory  of people maintained for their advancement f. Consumers someone who trades  money  for  goods  as an individual. g. Subscriber a person who  subscribes  to a  publication  or a  service h. SIM card a small,  removable  card  smaller than a  credit card  which stores  mobile phone  data  such as  contact  names  and  numbers,  SMSs  and  security  information i. Company An  entity  that  manufactures  or  sells  products  (also known as  goods), or provides  services  as a  commercial  venture; a corporation j. Fixed Line A  fixed  telephone  communications  cable. k. Operator A  telecommunications  facilitator  whose job is to establish temporary network connections. l. Subsidiary A  company  owned by the  parent company  or  holding company.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Evaluating biological methods for treating wastewater

Evaluating biological methods for treating wastewater There are many biological methods for treating wastewater. Among them the most popular processes are suspended growth processes and the boifilm also known as attached growth . Both the above mentioned processes are used to treat wastewater by different mechanisms and variations in their principle of operation for removal of carbonaceous organic matter, nutrients (i.e. nitrogen and phosphorous) and production of biorenewable methane. Attached growth or fixed-film methods are biological treatment based. In these the microorganisms convert the organic substance in wastewater to air and cell tissues are attached to some inert medium. The inert media used in attached growth process is crushed trap rock, limestone granite, wood slats clinkers, , plastic tubes, hard coal materials and corrugated plastic section over which wastewater is distributed. Biological slime layer (i.e., zoogleal slime) develops on contact media as wastewater flows over it. Because of the concentration gradient, all the organic pollutants those are dissolved in wastewater are carried into the slime layer, results in organic oxidation. Removing organic pollutants is done by microorganisms which are present in biological slime film. Rotating biological contactors, Trickling filters, packed bed reactors are the examples for aerobic attached growth process. The examples of anaerobic attached growth are anaerobic packed and fluidized bed reactors. Suspended growth processes are the biological treatment processes in which the microorganisms convert the organic matter, nutrients in wastewater to gases and rotating devices in the liquid will keep the cell tissues in suspension cells tissues. Examples for aerobic suspended growth process treatment are municipal and industrial wastewater. Anaerobic suspended growth processes are used when there is a need to treat high organic concentration industrial wastewaters and organic sludges. Activated sludge process, aerated lagoons, aerobic digestion are the examples for aerobic suspended growth processes and anaerobic digestion and anaerobic contact are the examples for anaerobic suspended growth processes. The schematics of both the attached growth and suspended growth processes for biological treatment of wastewater are shown in Figure 1. The objective of this essay is to compare and contrast both the attached, suspended growth processes for biological treatment of wastewater in terms o f their microbial ecology and review their comparative advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the essay also elaborates and discusses how these processes can be adapted to (a) remove nutrients and (b) produce biorenewable methane from wastewater by emphasising the microbiological principles involved. 2. Comparison and Contrast of Microbial Ecology of Biological Wastewater Treatment The attached growth / Suspended Growth Processes The first basic difference between attached growth and fixed film systems is the relative motion of contact. In attached growth system media is at rest and the sewage flows over it where as in suspended system, sewage and contact media are in relative motion. In attached growth processes, a conservative microbial slime arrangement is considered. The waste water stream is applied on the air-renewable surface. This water stream has minerals and organic substrate. This substance is then metabolized by the Micro organisms in wastewater. This is done in order to increase their population by releasing some energy. In fact, it cannot be considered as an aerobic system, but a device to do aerobic treatment. facultative micro organisms are present in it so it can be considered facultative. They are Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Flavobacterium, and Micrococcus. This kind of Aerobic bacteria, like Bacillus, is mostly seen in the upper, aerobic slime surfaces (McKinney 1962). In case when an anaerob ic zone or anoxic is created in thick slime layer, force anaerobe Desulfovibrio and sulfur-reducing bacteria are being removed from slime-medium interface (Rogovskaya M. F. Lazareva 1962). At this case the microbial slime system is know how to grow odours and possibly sloughing takes places because of the production of gases in these interior slimes. Fungi are nothing but aerobic microorganisms existing in the aerobic zone of the slime. These too fester the untreated substrate in wastewater. The effectiveness of fungus is important under relatively low pH situation or with unusual industrial effluents because fungus is useless to bacteria for their food under usual environmental conditions. Algae increasing on the surface of attached microbial slime are usually an unimportant element of the microorganisms population, incomplete to illuminated exteriors and they are clearly liberal to organic substances and high levels of carbon dioxide. Although algae add oxygen to the wastewater, they have been stimulated with responsibility for bed blockage and are considered to be difficult from an operational position (Hawkes 1963). The protozoa are the principally small animals with all shape from the Phytomastigophora to Suctoria are the controlling agents of bacterails population and they cant stable the waste. The free-swimming ciliates present at the slime surface, while the followed ciliates attendance is main in the lower regions of slime. Advanced animals like worms, snails and insect larvae nourish on the lower forms of microorganisms in slime system. They also exist in the higher aerobic areas; can help to keep the bacterial population in a state of high growth or swift food use. Early learning on attached growth populations was intended at the control of the nuisance organisms (filter flies) in dribbling filters by flooding, chlorination and the use of various pesticides. A complete description of the organisms found in close growth system has been presented by Cooke (1959) and the list of a range of organisms can be found from Wang et al. (2009). Attached enlargement processes microbial slime are short term preservation plans that should not act as effective reduction devices for S. typhosa, S. paratyphi, and Mycobacteria tuberculosis and for pathogenic protozoa, such as Entamoeba histolytica (Pierce 1978). For low organic loading, attached growth system does some nitrification since of the presence of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. However, for high organic loading, nitrification in a trickling filter or similar system may be absent or nominal (Shammas Wang 2009). In contrast to the attached growth process, the suspended growth process maintains the microorganisms responsible for treatment within the suspension in flocs. In this process, there are several microorganisms involved to treat wastewater. The suspended growth flocs contain bacterial cells, other microorganisms, inorganic and organic particles. The floc size is 1-1000 mm. Figure 2 illustrates the main microorganisms in the suspended growth microbial community. For the ATP analysis and dehydrogenase activity, the viable cells would account for 5-20% of the total cells. Some authors said that active fraction of bacteria in suspended growth flocs is only 1-3% of total bacteria (Hanel 1988). Suspended growth floc contains prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, which can be observed with regular phase-contrast microscopy. The major genera in the flocs are Zooglea, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Alcaligenes, Achromobacter, Corynebacterium, Comomonas, Brevibacterium, Acinetobacter, Bacillus spp., as well as filamentous microorganisms. The population of bacteria decrease as the floc size increase results in less oxygen level in the flocs (Hanel, 1988). Anoxic zones can happen within flocs, depending on the accessibility of oxygen attention in the tank and these zones will vanish when the oxygen concentration exceeds 4 mg/L. The internal regions in large flocs favor the growth of anaerobic bacteria such as methanogens or sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Thus, pendant growth system could be a suitable and fitting seed material for starting anaerobic reactors. Gram negative bacteria are main in suspended growth flocs. Hundreds of bacterial damage flourish in suspended growth but only small portion can be spoted by culture-based techniques. Bacteria oxidize the organic substance and change nutrient alteration and produce polymeric materials which aid in the flocculation of microbial biomass. In aerobic pendant enlargement process, the total bacterial counts in order of 108 CFU/mg of sludge. Suspended growth flocs also shelter autotrophic bacteria such as nitrifiers (Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter), which convert ammonium to nitrate. Phototrophic bacteria such as the purple nonsulfur bacteria (Rhodospirillaceae), green sulfur bacteria are found at much lower levels and they play a minor role in carbonaceous organ ic matter removal in suspended growth processes. The suspended growth system does not usually favour the growth of fungi, although some fungal filaments are observed in suspended growth flocs. The predominant genera found in suspended growth system are Geotrichum, Penicillium, Cephalosporium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria, which grow under specific conditions of low pH, toxicity, and nitrogen-deficient wastes. Protozoa helps in reducing carbonaceous matter, suspended solids, and numbers of bacteria, including pathogens (Curds Hawkes 1983). There is an inverse relationship between the number of protozoa in mixed liquor and the carbonaceous matter and suspended solids concentration in suspended growth effluents. Changes in the protozoan community reflect the food-to-microorganisms (F/M) ratio, nitrification, sludge age, or dissolved oxygen level in the aeration tank. The protozoan species composition of activated sludge indicates the carbonaceous matter removal efficiency of the proce ss. For example, the presence of large numbers of stalked ciliates and rotifers indicate a low carbonaceous matter. The ecological succession of microorganisms in suspended growth treatment system is illustrated in Figure 3. The ciliates (free, creeping, and stalked ciliates) are used for locomotion and for pushing food particles into the mouth, which are most abundant protozoa in suspended growth systems. Stalked, Creeping ciliates ciliates are attached to the flocs. These protozoa move via one or several flagella and take up food via the mouth or via absorption through their cell wall. The role of rotifers in suspended growth system is : They help to remove suspended bacteria, other small particles and contribute to the clarification of wastewater. They are also capable of ingesting Cryptosporidium oocysts in wastewater and thus serve as vectors for the transmission of this parasite. They contribute to floc formation by producing fecal pellets surrounded by mucus. The presence of rotifers at later stages of suspended growth system is because of the fact that these animals display a strong ciliary action that helps in feeding on reduced numbers of suspended bacteria. 3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Attached Growth and Suspended Growth Processes of Biological Wastewater Treatment The advantages of attached growth processes are low maintenance, low energy requirements, and, overall, less technology involved. These assets making them fit for wastewater treatment for small communities, as well as individual homes. In comparison with suspended growth process the main advantages of attached growth processes is simpler operation, no bulking problems, and better recovery from shock loads (Metcalf Eddy 2003). An attached growth process is very effective for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal, nitrification, and denitrification. A disadvantage of attached growth processes are larger area, ineffective in cold weather, and create odor problems. An unprotected attached growth plant is vulnerable to below freezing weather and its recirculation restricted during cold weather. It is less effective in the treatment of higher organic waste. Raw wastewater must be provided to primary treatment to remove the larger solids and floating debris, because these solids can clog the treatment system. The comparative advantages and disadvantages of attached growth and suspended growth processes of wastewater treatment are illustrated in Table 1 and 2, respectively. 4. Nutrient Removal by Attached Growth and Suspended Growth Processes of Biological Wastewater Treatment Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) can be removed from incoming wastewater by biological means in both the attached growth and suspended growth processes. To remove the nitrogen from, we must have to do nitrification followed by de-nitrification. Phosphorous can be removed from wastewater through assimilation of phosphorous in microbial cell. Using nitrifying reactors nitrogen removal can be done in wastewater treatment using attached growth process based trickling. Experiments on nitrifying filters reveal that adsorption, desorption as well as de-nitrification can occur in attached growth bio-film to convert ammonium. At low organic loading the attached growth system does some nitrification because of the presence of bacteria like Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter but at higher organic loading nitrification in a trickling filter is absent or nominal. The three-stage attached growth process can be used for carbonaceous oxidation, nitrification, and de-nitrification. In case of suspended growth process, the flocs shelter autotrophic bacteria (Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter), which change ammonium to nitrate. These species occur in clusters and they are in close contact in pending growth flocs and in biofilms. Fungi are also able to do nitrification and denitrification in suspended growth process. Compensation of a fungi-based dealing system are their capability to carry out nitrification in a single step, and they show great confrontation to inhibitory compounds. Molecular methods like aggressive PCR method showed that Nitrosomonas is (an ammonia oxidizing bacterium or AOB) 0.0033% of the total bacterial population and Nitrospira is (a nitrite oxidizing bacterium or NOB) 0.39% for NOB are present in suspended growth system. Features like ammonia/nitrite concentration, oxygen concentration, pH, temperature, BOD5/TKN ratio, and the attendance of toxic chemicals control nitrification kinetics in suspended growth system (Metcalf and Eddy 2003). The growth of a nitrifying population in suspended growth system depends on the surplus rate of the sludge and, consequently, on the BOD load, MLSS, and mean cell preservation time. The growth rate of nitrifiers is inferior in sewage and consequently a long sludge age is essential for the change of ammonia to nitrate. If the age of sludge is more than 4 days, then we be expecting nitrification. There are two processes by which nitrification can be attained in suspended growth reactors: (i) Combined carbon oxidation-nitrification (single-stage nitrification system): this process wokrs at high BOD5/TKN ratio and has a low population of nitrifiers. The oxygen requirement is exerted by heterotrophs (Figure 4). Nitrification must be followed by denitrification to remove nitrogen from wastewater. The rate of denitrification is independent of nitrate concentration but depends on the concentration of biomass and electron donor (e.g., methanol) in wastewater. The schematic of single sludge denitrification system is shown in Figure 6. Some more efficient methods based on suspended growth system to remove nitrogen in wastewater are Bardenpho Process (Figure 7), Sharon-Anammox Process and Completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite process. Biological phosphorous removal can be done with the basic steps of an anaerobic zone followed by an aerobic zone. During the aerobic stage phosphorus uptake takes and in anaerobic stage it is released subsequently (Manning and Irvine 1985; Meganck and Faup 1988; USEPA 1987). The phosphorus removal processes can be divided into mainstream and side stream processes. The alternating exposure to anaerobic conditions can be accomplished in the main biological treatment process. The most popular phosphorous removal systems based on suspended growth process like A/O Process, Bardenpho Process, and UCT Process are shown in Figure 8-10, respectively. 5. Production of Biorenewable Methane by Attached Growth and Suspended Growth Processes of Biological Wastewater Treatment Several attached growth and suspended growth processes like anaerobic digestion and microbial fuel cell are generally employed to produce biorenewable methane (CH4). A series of microbiological processes will takes place in anaerobic digestion tank to convert organic compounds to methane, carbon dioxide, and reduce the volatile solids by 35 to 60%. Bacteria and methanogens are the responsible species in stabilization of wastewater sludges and for the treatment of industrial and urban wastewaters. Anaerobic digestion produces less amounts of sludge (3-20 times less than aerobic processes). Most of the energy derived from substrate breakdown is found in the final product, CH4. Only 5% is converted into biomass under anaerobic conditions and 50% of organic carbon is converted to biomass under aerobic conditions, whereas. This biogas (mainly CH4) produced from anaerobic digestion contains about 90% of the energy of calorific value of 9000 kcal/m3, and is burned on site to provide heat fo r digesters. Furthermore, synergistic interactions between the various groups of microorganisms are implicated in anaerobic digestion of wastes. The overall reaction can be written as Although some fungi and protozoa (anaerobic protozoa) found in anaerobic digesters, bacteria and methanogens are undoubtedly the dominant microorganisms. Large numbers of facultative anaerobic bacteria (e.g., Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus) are used in the hydrolysis and fermentation of organic compounds. Four types of microorganisms are involved in the transformation of complex materials into simple molecules such as methane and carbon dioxide. The process for methane production through anaerobic digestion is shown in Figure 11. 6. Conclusions The attached growth and suspended growth processes are most widely used for biological treatment of urban wastewater with respective and comparative advantages and disadvantages. The successful design and operation of attached growth and suspended growth processes for biological wastewater treatment require an understanding of microbial ecology of each process, types of microorganisms involved, the specific reactions that they perform, the environmental factors that affect their performance, their nutritional needs, and their reaction kinetics. In contrast to the microbial ecology of the suspended growth processes where the microorganisms responsible for treatment grow in suspension, the active bacteria in attached growth processes cling to some solid surface, natural or manmade, to perform the treatment. It can be inferred that the suspended growth processes are more preferable and advantageous for carbonaceous organic matter removal along with nutrient removal and production of bio renewable methane from urban wastewater in comparison to the attached growth processes.