Abstract This paper addresses the Dundas-Spadina Neighbourhood Community's response to the 2004 hydro blackout, in an EPPlan geared to helping Canadian Chinese and other elders. It looks at how in 2004, this sector proved the most endangered and also the most independent and indifferent to significant health risks. An interventionist, volunteer effort is described in relation to official commentary on the crisis, and media coverage, plus notes on cultural inclusions.
From the Paper "To Whom It May Concern: This submission refers to the Dundas-Spadina Neighbourhood Committee's intended Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP), for situations of power Blackout as experienced in the Greater Toronto Area during the summer of 2003. The area to which the DSNC refers is known to most Torontonians, and remains small enough that an informal, largely local, response can be effective. Please note that the EPP is evolving with the greatest onus on workers within the Neighbourhood Committee. Its central focus is the area's elderly Canadian Chinese population."
Abstract This paper looks at the events of the summer of 1977 when New York City was struck by a massive blackout. It questions who was responsible and explains that combinations of factors range from an act of God and tightly coupled events. In the end, the fault lay with a simple system operator.
From the Paper "In the hot July summer of 1977, the lights went out in New York City. With the city completely black, thousands of people took to the streets, looting and setting hundreds of fires. Only after twenty-five grueling hours was the power finally restored. By then, New York had endured over a billion dollars in damages. It is important to learn from this accident so that the mistakes from the past are not repeated. While a combination of ?an act of God,? (Casey 196), tightly coupled events, and operator error all contributed to the failure, most of the fault can be placed in the hands of the operator."
Abstract This paper will discuss the idea of consumption and investment in the current problems with the California Energy Crisis hearings that are being studied by the media. In Jessica Brice's article "Calif.: Blackouts Weren't Necessary", we can find how consumption can be used to force prices up in the energy market. The basic trouble that is at hand in the way that energy companies were responsible for limiting their investment in energy, and forcing the State of California to foot the bill when the companies shut down power.
Abstract This paper examines how during 2003, Toronto's tourism and hospitality industry was significantly hampered by four major crises: An outbreak of SARS, West Nile Virus, Mad Cow disease and an electrical blackout. It discusses how although every individual within the Greater Toronto area (GTA) was affected in some manner, the tourism industry was the most radically influenced and how the cumulative onslaught of the aforementioned events drastically reduced the number of visitors to the once thriving metropolis and threatened the livelihood of the city. It details the issues encountered by Toronto's tourism industry during 2003 and the recovery methods that were instituted in order to endorse the city as an attractive tourism destination.
From the Paper "In order to regain the trust of travellers, positive advertising campaigns were initiated through mass mediums to the general public to highlight the positive elements that Toronto had to offer. The majority of the campaigns launched throughout the city were aimed at promoting Toronto through two key marketing concepts. These included (1) product bundling - offering a complete package to consumers at a reduced rate, and (2) reduced pricing - discounts placed upon specific offerings of the tourism sector. These concepts were based upon a loss-leader marketing strategy, whereby a very low price is charged for a product or service to entice customers into subsequently purchasing higher cost items. Mirvish Productions initiated one of the first examples of product bundling."
Abstract On the home front, Britain was affected in a multitude of ways by the Second World War. First, the paper discusses how the war permeated people's daily lives through rationing, blackouts, air raids, the destruction of homes, limited transportation, and the interruption of education, and how all this failed to lower morale. Secondly, the paper examines the rise of war work and the entry of women into traditionally male jobs. Finally, the paper discusses the social effects of the war: the effects of women's re-entry into the workforce, the evacuation of children, the wartime attitude of egalitarianism, the many ways in which civilians came into contact with people whom they would otherwise never meet, and the effect of war on the arts. The paper concludes that the war affected every aspect of civilian life. Many of these effects positively expanded a citizen's experience, while others were hardships surprisingly well-endured. Some of these effects of the war would have lasting consequences into peace time.
From the Paper "Many children, especially those of the working class, were sent away to less vulnerable locations for the duration of the war. Angus Calder claims "Evacuation failed," but this is an exaggeration. Beginning on 1 September 1939, "1,473,500 people left the cities for rural billets under the official aegis" in the "phoney" war. Bombs did not fall for another eleven months, but this was an excellent test run. The Second Evacuation began August 1940 and the third in 1944. Mothers and children evacuated, along with "homeless persons, expectant mothers, children in nurseries, camps and hostels, old people, the crippled, the blind, civil defence personnel and emergency medical staff." Churchill thought this was defeatism, but it was not viewed as unpatriotic by the populace. The evacuation scheme became primarily "a receiver of social casualties" by 1941, and not a means of taking children to safety."
Abstract The paper discusses how the twenty-first century brought with it some challenging disasters; man made, technological, and natural. The paper notes that the worst of these in the minds of the public starts with Hurricane Katrina, and its devastating effects on the Gulf region and the City of New Orleans. There was, too, the technological "blackout" of much of the eastern seaboard in 2003, when circuits overloaded and crashed, leaving millions of people without electricity during one of the worst heat waves of the summer. The paper continues and looks at what has become the most visible and lasting disasters, a man made one, when the events of September 11, 2001, unfolded in New York City, Washington, D.C., and in Pennsylvania. The paper looks at how each of these events tested and tried the existing infrastructures of the places where the events took place. This paper examines whether or not American infrastructures have improved and are better prepared to deal with these kinds of events today.
Outline:
September 11, 2001
Hurricane Katrina
2003 Blackout
From the Paper "Looking at the events of September 11, 2001, beginning in New York City; two commercial jetliners bound for destinations outside of New York were commandeered by terrorists, who then turned those passenger jets into flying weapons of mass destruction. Two planes hit the north and south towers of the World Trade Center, igniting jet fueled fires that completely destroyed both towers "
Compares relationship in U.S. & United Kingdom. Provides examples and discusses news blackouts, drugs, police brutality & coercion and sensational reporting.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 12 sources, 1999, $ 55.95
From the Paper "RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POLICE & THE PRESS: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE US & THE UK
Introduction
This research examines the police and the press, with a focus on comparing the differences in this relationship in the United States (US) from that in the United Kingdom (UK). For purposes of this research, the term "press" is expanded to include mass media generally.
Examination of the Issue
The relation between the police and the press in both the US and the UK is complex and exists on many different levels of interaction. At one basic level, a sort of contest exists between the police and the press, as the press, in doing their job, attempts to find out from the police what the circumstances of.."
Abstract This paper looks at the causes of the California energy crisis that occurred in 2000-2001 following the deregulation of the state's electrical utilities. The paper discusses the arguments cited in favor of deregulation, what the deregulation entailed for the electrical utilities, and what this meant in terms of the major heat wave that hit in the summer of 2000. Also discussed is the flawed reasoning behind the arguments for deregulation, which ultimately caused the bankruptcy of the California electrical utilities.
From the Paper "The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) which used to set the consumer electricity rates in the state, itself declared the system of energy regulation in California as "fragmented, outdated, arcane and unjustifiably complex," and opened the state's electricity industry to competition in December 1995. After the unanimous passing of the deregulation legislation by both houses of the state, it was signed into law by the Governor in September 1996. California thus became the first state in the U.S. to deregulate its electricity industry. The three major Californian utilities, Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric are said to have spent $4.3 million on lobbyists and $1 million on political campaigns in their efforts to encourage deregulation."
Abstract The paper examines the water and sewage treatment system in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It includes a discussion of sewage and water treatment in Houston, Texas and in other countries, the issue of privatization, the effect on the environment, financing of the sewage project, and the Cleveland blackout in August 2003.
From the Paper "Jeddah the second largest city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the Kingdom is located on the eastern coast of the Red Sea approximately half-way between the Suez Canal and ..."
Tags: water treatment, sewage, wastewater, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract Alcoholism is one of the largest public health problems in the United States, yet the percentage is extremely low compared to France, Israel or the Soviet Union. However, what would constitute specific effects from long-term drinking? Researchers have battled the integrity to localize the culprit through long-term studies as well as short-term comprehension. Specifically, long-term alcoholism may cause physical pains, mental depression, lower metabolism and possible mental impairments. In this research paper, specific factors are analyzed to show evidence that long-term effect of alcoholism contributes to memory loss through evidence of blackouts, withdrawals and retrievals.
From the Paper "According to a research studied by Aaron White, "Alcohol primarily interferes with the ability to form new long-term memories, leaving intact previously established long-term memories and the ability to keep new information active in memory for brief periods" (White, 2003, p. 185). In other words, long-term alcohol drinking may impede the knack of memory impairments or the modal model such as sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory however it depends upon how active the specific memory proceeds within a storage capacity. Alcohol consumed in excessive amounts will decrease metabolism and/or activities due to disruptions within the brain, which contributes to memory impairments."
Abstract This paper discusses alcohol consumption in universities and colleges, describing it as being the drug of choice for university and college students. The author includes various studies carried out on this sample population and examples of strict rules and regulations that have been introduced as a result of the findings.
Outline:
Introduction
Reasons for Standards Regarding Excessive Consumption of Alcohol in University Settings
Impact of Such Behaviors on University Community
What Can Be Learned from this Experience?
How this Experience May Influence Future Behavior of the University Community
Conclusion
From the Paper "Data has indicated that university students engage in behaviors that may potentially be hazardous to themselves and/or others around them when experiencing an alcohol-induced blackout (Kraus, Signer, Swartzwelder, & White 208). Therefore, universities across the country have begun to implement procedures to combat this new trend and to protect both students and the university community from harm."
Abstract This paper discusses the power shortage in South Africa and the competition between Chinese companies and AES to enter the market there. An overview is given of AES's business strategies and its agreement with Eskom, the South African power company. The author analyzes the challenges facing AES in South Africa, where the government favors domestic over foreign companies, and provides suggestions on how to overcome them.
Outline
Part I: Case Study
AES Business Approach
South African Expansion
Key Problems
Part 2: Recommendations and Analysis
From the Paper "The key advantage that AES has over potential Chinese companies that might try to establish themselves in the power industry is their experience in supplying power to emerging markets. Emerging markets represent one of the highest risk categories for investment. This is particularly true for countries that have not yet built a sufficient infrastructure. Projects are more capital intensive than those in areas that have a sufficient infrastructure to support expansion."
Tags:blackout opportunity generation, power plant, grid conglomeration
Abstract This paper explores "Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence," by Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith S. Wiley, which applies modern brain research to the role that early developmental processes play in later social and emotional development and actions. The author of the paper discusses how the disconnect between lower and upper brain functioning that Karr-Morse and Wiley's work outlines as the basis for impulsive disorders, explains tendencies such as rage expression, blackout, and self-harm in some impulsive individuals. The paper concludes that an education system that better responds to the pre-nursery school stages of development would seem logical, in order to better understand and correct juvenile delinquency.
From the Paper "Additionally the overview offered by this article leads the reader to conclude that the major emphasis in psychological treatment of behavior disorders focusing on cognitive treatment may be a futile experiment and that the lower levels of brain function need to be the focus. (p. 45) The emphasis of this work is that lower brain levels are at work when imbalances in brain chemicals, under or over stimulation of the brain result in impulsive disabilities and without treatment of these areas, likely chemically and a greater understanding of the defects, these people will grow to become future impulsive individuals, with an inability to connect the upper thoughts with base responses to stressors."
Abstract This paper discusses the impact that disasters have on infrastructure in a networked world. It analyzes disasters that are technological such as the 2003 Blackout, intentional such as the September 11th terrorist attacks and natural such as Hurricane Katrina. The paper shows, through these disasters, how the networked nature of our critical infrastructure systems has made disaster planning and preparation that much more difficult.
From the Paper "The critical infrastructures in the world, and in the U.S. in particular, have become increasingly dependent on one another. Disasters that singly affect one critical infrastructure will have cascading negative effects for all of the other interdependent infrastructures. In those cases in which energy infrastruc-tures are damaged from the outset, the impacts on the rest of the network of in-terdependent systems and infrastructures are especially dramatic. Without ac-cess to energy, recovery after any disaster is difficult and since all infrastruc-tures depend on energy inputs in one form or another, the collapse of an energy infrastructure can be especially devastating. Nonetheless, the important lesson to retain from these disasters discussed above is that all of our existing critical infrastructures are increasingly dependent on each other to operate and, as a re-sult, increasingly susceptible to collapse and damage as a result of seemingly unrelated disasters."
