Extradition within the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Extradition within the United Kingdom - Essay Example To extradite means to return a criminal suspect into his country of origin or in a country in which he is to face trial. Suspects have the right to waive extradition in that they may choose to wilfully go back to the country in which the charges are pending. In certain circumstances the country in which the suspect has fled to may opt not to extradite the individual if they feel that the warranty for prosecution is not valid enough. (UK Parliament, 2000) Since extradition is governed by international laws, then most countries have entered into treaties to determine how suspects may be treated. Some countries may opt not to extradite persons that have been charged with serious crimes. In other circumstances, some countries may be specific about the extradition of persons who have committed serious crimes. In other scenarios, certain countries may have very complicated procedures for extradition and this may eventually lead to legal hurdles for the country conducting the trial. Certain countries such as Canada may not allow extradition if it is found that the suspect is likely to face the death penalty. Usually between the United Kingdom and other states contain information about extraditable offenses, conditions to waive extradition, conditions of entry into the country and what could lead to termination of extradition. In the United Kingdom (or a... In other words, it also called the outgoing extradition. However, since the United Kingdom is a member of the European Community, then it must comply with rules and regulations that have been written down by this body. One such instrument is the European Arrest Warrant or the EAW. The latter scheme is a common extradition law that is supposed to apply to all member states of the EC. However, the latter is not an exclusive document that is supposed to be treated independently. Instead, countries are expected to enact national legislations through the use of the EAW. In fact, very few countries within the EU have enacted the EAW. (UK Parliament, 2003) There are varying ways in which countries have implemented the EAW; however, most of the common features include decisions on who is to carry out the extradition and what duration of time is necessary for the entire process. Usually, most countries in the EU expect that extradition should be conducted by a court of law rather than a particular individual such as a government minister. Additionally, countries require that extradition be done in a period that is less than sixty days. Summary of the Conditions for extradition in the UK The details of this act shall be examined below but before getting into the intricacies, it is imperative to look into some of the overall themes involved. In other words there are some minimum requirements that govern the process of extradition in the region. First of all, for extradition to the United Kingdom, the country under consideration must have entered into a treaty or a convention with the country involved. Besides this, the crime under consideration must be one that is covered by

Religious beliefs Essay Example for Free

Religious beliefs Essay Humans have been, for ages, found themselves being challenged to do what is just and right. However, this idealism is often created out of confirming with one’s society. Each society has its own culture, principles, traditions, politics and religious beliefs. One’s act of good deed may be considered the opposite in the eyes of a person foreign to his culture. Confirming with the society’s norm had been considered a conflict to a person’s decision-making. One person may want to speak out his mind on such controversial issue but kept mum to avoid being antagonized by his peers. The public media and press became the gladiator’s arena between freedom of expression versus tact according to society. Raising one’s voice that opposed the society’s mentality is often discouraged due to gaining nothing but people’s ire. But not saying anything at all is also considered as moral cowardice- it produced same negative results as those of irresponsible communication. This essay would like to persuade its readers or listeners that voicing unpopular ideas can make a difference in the world. To quote as famous statement from the past, ‘The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when is unpopular is a true test of moral character’’( One historical example of positive results from expressing one’s voice is found in Japan. Japanese politics had been exclusive only to men for centuries until around 1920’s. The 1920’s had been the era of revolutionary reforms that greatly overshadowed the older conservative laws under the Japanese government. With reforms being entertained to be made on the Japanese constitution, two of the most highlighted changes are the women’s suffrage and political inclusion. One notable woman who campaigned for the women’s rights is Kato Shidzue. She is the first woman to be elected in the Diet and famously assisted Margaret Sanger, a fellow feminist, in promoting birth control to Japan. It was a period where in a transition is still undergoing, from conservative upbringing to a much more liberal lifestyle. Being a feminist brought Shidzue anger from most men specifically the Japanese military. This resulted of her being arrested on 1937 for opposing to the ruling of producing as many children as possible. Yet, her perseverance of expressing her principles and fighting for equality served as one of the founding blocks of just treatment of both genders (Hopper, 2004). Another example would be Martin Luther King Jr. , the famous civil rights activist who campaign to end the racial segregation and discrimination. Despite the strong dominance of the white supremacists around that time, King took action through organized and peaceful means. He was a firm believer that violence was not the answer to the problem and knew that with this tactic it would garner the public’s attention more compared to the former. On that fateful day on the year 1963, his speech entitled I Have a Dream was the most pivotal moment during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. With genius use of rhetoric along with fiery passion, King called for his country to acknowledge racial equality and to end discrimination of color. His life was threatened several times due to his message of bringing equality for the ‘black people’. To this day, no single American had forgotten the I Have A Dream speech of this brave believer of what is right and just for all people (Kirk et al, 2007). History repeats itself as someone quoted from the past. To this day, this saying still rings true. Moral cowardice does have repercussions if people remain passive in a long period of time. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for one’s belief so it is reasonable if not all would be eager to clash with society’s norms. The consequences of this inaction would usually end up regrettable and horrifying. The Holocaust is one fine example. At first, the Jews were ridiculed and discriminated in Germany. No one tried to question this action for fear of receiving the Germans’ wrath. The Aryan race factor also fueled the fire which led to antagonism to both races. It was already too late as the war finally occurred; Nazis ordered a systematic genocide of all European Jews that now famously called the Holocaust. Over 17 million casualties resulted from the state-ordered annihilation (Niewyk; Nicosia, 2000). Another example would be the Martial Law in the Philippines during the 1970’s. President Ferdinand Marcos held the presidential seat for almost twenty years, ruling the country with an iron fist. For several years, only few dared to stand up against the Marcos’ regime and question their intentions on proclaiming Martial Law. The Filipinos suffered the continuous wreckage of its economy and the severe corruption of the said government. If it wasn’t for Benigno Aquino Sr. ’s assassination, the people would never be motivated to fight for their rights and wish for a democratic government (Ackerman; Duvall, 2001). A pen is mightier than a sword is not message to be taken lightly. Speaking out one’s mind has the power to motivate people to either take action or change their opinions. No matter how unpopular an idea is to the society, what mattered is the courage to stand up for one’s principles. Martin Luther King Jr. and Kato Shidzue proved that even with several obstacles barricaded in front of anyone, one should always defend what is just. As long as someone listened, there will always be people who will be supporting the idea. Moral cowardice maybe a norm for the most people around, but historical events such as the Holocaust and the Philippines’ Martial Law proved that staying tight-lipped would not guarantee’s a person’s safety. References: Helen M. Hopper, Kato Shidzue : a Japanese feminist (New York: Pearson Longman, 2004). Kirk, John A. , ed. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement: Controversies and Debates (2007). 224 pp. Niewyk, Donald L. and Nicosia, Francis R. The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust, Columbia University Press, 2000, pp. 45-52. Peter Ackerman; Jack DuVall (2001), A force more powerful: a century of nonviolent conflict, Macmillan, p. 384

Bessie Smith Essay -- Biography Biographies

Bessie Smith Known as the â€Å"Empress Of Blues†, Bessie Smith was said to have revolutionized the vocal end of Blues Music. She showed a lot of pride as an independent African-American woman. Her style in performance and lyrics often reflected her lifestyle. Bessie Smith was one of the first female jazz artists, and she paved the way for many musicians who followed. Bessie was born April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a part time Baptist preacher, William Smith, and his wife Laura. The family was large and poor. Soon after she was born her father died. Laura lived until Bessie was only nine years old. The remaining children had to learn to take care of themselves. Her sister Viola then raised her. But it was her oldest brother, Clarence, who had the most impact on her. Clarence always encouraged Bessie to learn to sing and dance. After Clarence had joined the Moses Stokes Minstrel Show, Bessie got auditions. Bessie's career began when she was 'discovered' by none other than Ma Rainey when Ma's revue, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, was passing through Chattanooga around 1912 and she had the occasion to hear young Bessie sing. Ma took Bessie on the road with the show and communicated, consciously or not, the subtleties and intricacies of an ancient and still emerging art form. (Snow). Bessie started by working small-time traveling tent shows. With the help of Clarence she began her professional career in 1912, and soon became a featured singer. Smith was an established star with the black audiences throughout the south by the time she moved to Philadelphia in 1921. However, two more years would pass before she would begin her recording career. Soon after moving to Philadelphia, Smith supposedly auditioned for Okeh and other... ... Pennsylvania. For many African-Americans, Smith was more than just a blues singer, thanks to an aggressive personality and often-excessive lifestyle. It seemed as if she was describing black culture in the 1920s through her songs. Smith recorded at least 160 songs for Columbia Records from 1923 to 1933. Many of these songs are blues classics. Bessie Smith was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Bessie Smith had a huge voice capable of strength and softness, which she left behind on all her recordings. Bibliography: Davis, Angela Y. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. New York: Pantheon Books, 1999 Friedwald, Will. Jazz Singing. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996 Sanders, Madelyn. Bessie Smith. â€Å"Smith, Bessie†. Encarta Encyclopedia. 2001 Ed. Snow, Joel. Bessie Smith. September 17, 1995

Labour party Essay

‘To what extent is the Labour party still committed to its original principles?’ The Labour party has often been referred to as a ‘socialist’ party. However, this is misleading. For most of its life – dating back to the eighteenth century, the Labour party has always had less ‘radical’ ideologies than socialism and British ‘socialism’ has always been more moderate than elsewhere in Europe. However, the Labour party abandoned a number of its previous principles in favour of new ones, in order to move to the centre ground and enable the party to compete with the Conservatives. It seems that this was ultimately, a successful strategy as it resulted in Labour winning three general elections and beating the Conservatives. Some people are now of the opinion that the Conservatives have, in fact, moved closer to the centre-ground in order to compete with the New Labour party. Within true socialism, there is the idea that the economy should be based upon ‘production for use’; everything produced is just enough to satisfy human need and demand. Socialism also works to reduce or remove hierarchy. The most radical form of Socialism has been ‘Marxism’. Marxists hold the desire to completely destroy capitalism and its political system. It has been said that Marxism is more like communism than socialism. Although Labour has never been revolutionary, it has always argued that its version of socialism can be achieved in a peaceful way, through parliamentary means. All but the more moderate socialists have viewed social class as a crucial aspect of society. Some socialists assume that the majority of people define their position in society in terms of their social class. This was referred to as ‘class consciousness’ by Karl Marx and the idea is that people tend to develop common interests and purpose with fellow members of their class. For example, a number of people within the middle classes feel they need to protect private property interests, as well as feeling the need to promote and protect business and to keep tax as low as reasonably as possible. The working classes, however, are more concerned with issues such as the welfare state, industrial relations, fair wages, good working conditions and policies that promote equality. In most cases, business classes oppose higher wages, mainly due to the fact this conflicts with the need to make profits and generate funds for further investment. Until about the 1930’s, the British Labour party adopted this ‘class position’ as the Labour has always been forced to consider interests of all the classes in British society, in all of its policies, not just those of the working class. To some extent, the reason for this is the need of electoral support the party has always needed. For a large part of the twentieth century, approximately one third of the British public voted conservative and this meant that, electoral reckoning determined, the Labour party could not win by gaining votes of the other two thirds of the working class alone. Collectivism refers to two main ideas – the first being that people tend to prefer to achieve goals collectively as opposed to independently and secondly, action is more likely to be taken by people in organised groups than a sum of many different individual actions. Collectivism is the political principle of centralized social and economic control. One main example of collectivism practised by the British Labour party in the 1940’s was the nationalisation of several large British industries. These industries included the railways, coal, steel, electricity and gas, as well as telecommunications. Nationalisation was a collectivist enterprise and its purpose was to, firstly, prevent the industrial muscle of private industries exploiting its workers, and secondly, ensuring the industries were run in the interests of the community rather than just the owner. After 1997, for the majority of the time, Labour followed the principles of the ‘Third Way’. Yet, today, many argue that it has gradually shifted towards a ‘New Right position’ – that is, even further away from its original socialist values. The term ‘new’ Labour tends to be used to describe the change in Labour party policies, ideas and goals that occurred as a result of the modernisation process. This was started in the late 1980’s and was accelerated under Tony Blair, in opposition and in government. The differences between ‘new’ Labour and ‘old’ Labour tend to be defined by vital policy movements. This includes the abandonment of nationalisation and the recognition of the ‘rolled back’ state, which was inherited from the conservatives. An emphasis on low inflation, for example, demonstrated the wider role. Since 1997, the Bank of England has started setting interest rates; cuts in income tax and have started to refuse to return to the more ‘sharply progressive’ income tax rates of the 1970’s; cuts in some benefits and eagerness to push forward with market reforms of the welfare state. ‘New’ Labour can also be distinguished from ‘old’ Labour in terms of a weaker association with the trade union movement and a reduced reliability on working class votes. During its early years, New Labour was a party very much dedicated to reforming and modernising, but it was not a fundamental one. It did not make any significant changes to the policies put forward but the Conservatives, however, it did seek to improve the way in which policy was executed and it has also attempted to make government action more susceptible to the needs of the disadvantaged and minorities in society. Its principle reforms, therefore, have been to the public services and to the welfare state. Over time, the party seems to have turned rapidly to consolidation rather than reform. New Labour tends to focus now on improving the delivery of the policies it has already implemented.

Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte Comparison

Hitler and Napoleon had numerous differences; however I believe there were more similarities.   Both leaders immigrated in the country they ended up ruling; both conquered most of European countries; both had radical views about wars, and both were surprisingly fast in their fighting.Nevertheless, the most significant similarities between Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte is how they were accepted as monarchs in a society that was democratic before; and what they did for the countries after becoming monarchs.A hundred years before Hitler became Chancellor, Hegel, in a famous course of lectures at the University of Berlin, had pointed to the role of ‘World-historical individuals' as the agents by which ‘the Will of the World Spirit', the plan of Providence, is carried out.They may all be called Heroes, in as much as they have derived their purposes and their vocation, not from the calm regular course of things, sanctioned by the existing order; but from a concealed fou nt, from that inner Spirit, still hidden beneath the surface, which impinges on the outer world as on a shell and bursts it into pieces. (Such were Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon.)They were practical, political men. But at the same time they were thinking men, who had an insight into the requirements of the time–what was ripe for development. This was the very Truth for their age, for their world. . . .It was theirs to know this nascent principle, the necessary, directly sequent step in progress, which their world was to take; to make this their aim, and to expend their energy in promoting it. World-historical men — the Heroes of an epoch — must therefore be recognized as its clear-sighted ones: their deeds, their words are the best of their time. (Hegel, 1902, pp. 31-32)Hitler probably held some such belief about himself from an early period. It was clear enough in the speech he made at his trial in 1924, (Hegel , 1902, p.117) and after he came out of prison those near him noticed that he began to hold aloof, to set a barrier between himself and his followers. After he came to power it became more noticeable.It was in March 1936, that he made the famous assertion already quoted: ‘I go the way that Providence dictates with the assurance of a sleep-walker.' (Domarus, 2004)As soon as Hitler began to think and talk about the organization of the State it is clear that the metaphor which dominated his mind was that of an army. He saw the State as an instrument of power in which the qualities to be valued were discipline, unity and sacrifice.It was from the Army that he took the Fà ¼hrerprinzip, the leadership principle, upon which first the Nazi Party, and later the National Socialist State, were built. ‘Our Constitution,' wrote Nazi Germany's leading lawyer, Dr Hans Frank, ‘is the will of the Fà ¼hrer.' (Volkischer Beobachter, 1936). This was in fact literally true.The Weimar Constitution was never replaced, it was simply susp ended by the Enabling Law, which was renewed periodically and placed all power in Hitler's hands. Hitler thus enjoyed a more complete measure of power than Napoleon, since he had been careful not to allow the growth of any institution which might in an emergency be used as a check on him.Hitler's originality lay not in his ideas, but in the terrifying literal way in which he set to work to translate these ideas into reality, and his unequalled grasp of the means by which to do this. To read Hitler's speeches and table talk is to be struck again and again by the lack of magnanimity or of any trace of moral greatness.His comments on everything except politics display a cocksure ignorance and an ineradicable vulgarity. Yet this vulgarity of mind, like the insignificance of his appearance, the badly fitting raincoat and the lock of hair plastered over his forehead of the early Hitler, was perfectly compatible with brilliant political gifts.Accustomed to associate such gifts with the qua lities of intellect which Napoleon possessed, we are astonished and offended by this combination. Yet to underestimate Hitler as a politician, to dismiss him as an ignorant demagogue, is to make precisely the mistake that so many Germans made in the early 1930s.The conception of the Nazi Party, the propaganda with which it must appeal to the German people, and the tactics by which it would come to power–these were unquestionably Hitler's.After 1934 there were no rivals left and by 1938 he had removed the last checks on his freedom of action. Thereafter, he exercised an arbitrary rule in Germany to a degree rarely, if ever, equalled in a modern industrialized state.At the same time, from the re-militarization of the Rhineland to the invasion of Russia, he won a series of successes in diplomacy and war which established an hegemony over the continent of Europe comparable with that of Napoleon at the height of his fame.While these could not have been won without a people and an Army willing to serve him, it was Hitler who provided the indispensable leadership, the flair for grasping opportunities, the boldness in using them.In retrospect his mistakes appear obvious, and it is easy to be complacent about the inevitability of his defeat; but it took the combined efforts of the three most powerful nations in the world to break his hold on Europe.Luck and the disunity of his opponents will account for much of Hitler's success–as it will of Napoleon's–but not for all. He began with few advantages, a man without a name and without support other than that which he acquired for himself, not even a citizen of the country he aspired to rule.To achieve what he did Hitler needed–and possessed–talents out of the ordinary which in sum amounted to political genius, however evil its fruits (Taylor, 1950).The obvious weakness of Hitler's policy, the fault which destroyed him as surely as it had destroyed Napoleon, was his inability to stop. By t he end of 1938 Hitler had transformed Germany's position in international affairs.He had everything to gain by waiting for a year or two before taking another step, sitting back to profit from the divisions and hesitations of the other European Powers, instead of driving them, by the fears he aroused, into reluctant combination. Moreover, a temporary relaxation of the rearmament drive would have had considerable economic benefits for Germany.According to General Jodl, at the height of the fighting in the West Hitler expressed his determination to deal with Russia as soon as the military situation made it at all possible. Hitherto he had always made it a condition of any attack on Russia that Germany must first be secure against intervention from the west.In his speech to the generals on 23 November 1939 he had repeated this condition, first laid down in Mein Kampf: ‘We can oppose Russia only when we are free in the west.'   (Domarus , 2004). But, with Britain expelled from t he Continent and left without an ally, was this not already as good as settled?Hitler was prepared to wait until the autumn to see if the British could be brought to admit defeat openly, but not longer. In the meantime, before July was out, even before the Luftwaffe had begun its all-out offensive against the British, he gave orders to start preliminary planning for an attack on Russia.There is an obvious parallel with Napoleon in 1805 the French Emperor started planning the march eastwards which was to lead to Austerlitz while still maintaining his preparations for the invasion of Britain from the camp at Boulogne.In comparison, in the east, after throwing back the Russians in March 1943, in July the Germans launched a new offensive against their lines round Kursk. Half a million men, the finest troops left in the German Army, including seventeen panzer divisions equipped with the new heavy Tiger tanks, were used to carry it out.After heavy and costly fighting the Russians not only succeeded in bringing the German attack to a halt, but on 12 July themselves opened an offensive (for the first time in the summer) farther north. Gradually their attacks spread along the whole front.On 4 August they retook Orel, and on 23 August Kharkov. On 23 September they recaptured Poltava, and on the 25th Smolensk, from which both Napoleon and Hitler had directed their invasions of Russia.From the re-militarization of the Rhineland to the invasion of Russia, he won a series of successes in diplomacy and war which established an hegemony over the continent of Europe comparable with that of Napoleon at the height of his fame. Luck and the disunity of his opponents will account for much of Hitler's success–as it will of Napoleon's–but not for all.After the war, Adolf Hitler distanced himself from his family. Christa Schroeder summed it up: â€Å"He has no feelings for the family.† (Schroeder, 1949, p. 115)It was more than that–Hitler had little in com mon with his cousins in the country or with his siblings. He had outgrown them. He was rightly wary of Alois Jr. and his son Patrick, although they actually never harmed him.Perhaps they knew too much, but what they revealed in French and American papers was innocuous. Hitler was opposed to nepotism and criticized Napoleon for it. His feelings about his relatives were truly mixed. Though he remembered them in his will, he also gave orders to make the countryside around Dà ¶llersheim, one of the villages in his ancestral region (Ahnengau), into an artillery range (Wake, 1977).Undoubtedly, Hitler and Napoleon had numerous differences; however I believe there were more similarities.   Both leaders immigrated in the country they ended up ruling; both conquered most of European countries; both had radical views about wars, and both were surprisingly fast in their fighting.Nevertheless, the most significant similarities between Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte is how they were accep ted as monarchs in a society that was democratic before; and what they did for the countries after becoming monarchs (Taylor, 1950).Evidently, France and Germany needed someone because they were both in economic chaos.   Both men were intent in building a new type of state with a new social order.   Both leaders took the advantage of more or less unlimited power, assuming, however, this power very carefully and legally.

How to Define Atmosphere

How to Define Atmosphere The term atmosphere has multiple meanings in science: Atmosphere Definition Atmosphere refers to the gases surrounding a star or planetary body held in place by gravity. A body is more likely to retain an atmosphere over time if gravity is high and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. The composition of the Earths atmosphere is about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, with water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases. The atmospheres of other planets have a different composition. The composition of the Suns atmosphere consists of about 71.1 percent hydrogen, 27.4 percent helium, and 1.5 percent other elements. Atmosphere Unit An atmosphere is also a unit of pressure. One atmosphere (1 atm) is defined to be equal to 101,325 Pascals. A reference or standard pressure is commonly 1 atm. In other cases, Standard Temperature and Pressure or STP is used.

Essay Competency Goal I

Essay Competency Goal I Essay Competency Goal I Competency Goal I To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment 2. Functional Area : Healthy Candidate promotes good health and nutrition and provides an environment that contributes to the prevention of illness. One of my goals to promote hygiene is to prevent the spread of germs This is an important goal for the age group in my care because older youth tend to think that had sanitizer is a replacement for proper and frequent hand washing. I try to demonstrate good hygiene habits since germs can be easily spread when children are in close proximity with each other. I do this is by washing my hands after coming in from outside, after using the restroom, after doing craft projects, before meals and any other time my hands are dirty. I also prompt youth to wash their hands at similar times. Another way I promote hygiene is by washing and sanitizing tables daily and other items that may need sanitizing. I also make sure each child has his/her own locker and that there items are not all mixed up. I wash and sanitize blankets/ bean bags/ pillows weekly. I promote nutrition by introducing the children to foods they have never tried. I try to expose youth to cooking new foods by different methods so that they also learn the natural tastes of the foods they are preparing. These foods are often nutritious and fun for the children to help prepare. This participation encourages them to try something new in their diet. I am a firm believer that children should be

The Negative Legacy of Belgium Colonialism in Africa

The Negative Legacy of Belgium Colonialism in Africa Belgium is a small country in northwest Europe that joined Europes race for colonies in the late 19th century. Many European countries wanted to colonize distant parts of the world in order to exploit the resources and civilize the inhabitants of these less-developed countries. Belgium gained independence in 1830. Then, King Leopold II came to power in 1865 and believed that colonies would greatly enhance Belgiums wealth and prestige. Leopolds cruel, greedy activities in the current Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi continue to affect the welfare of these countries today. Exploration of and Claims to the Congo River Basin European adventurers experienced great difficulty in exploring and colonizing the Congo River Basin, due to the regions tropical climate, disease, and the resistance of the natives. In the 1870s, Leopold II created an organization called the International African Association. This sham was supposedly a scientific and philanthropic organization which would greatly improve the lives of native Africans by converting them to Christianity, ending the slave trade, and introducing European health and educational systems. King Leopold sent the explorer Henry Morton Stanley to the region. Stanley successfully made treaties with native tribes, set up military posts, and forced most Muslim slave traders out of the region. He acquired millions of square kilometers of central African land for Belgium. However, most of Belgiums government leaders and citizens did not want to spend the exorbitant amount of money that would be needed to maintain distant colonies. At the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, other European countries did not want the Congo River region. King Leopold II insisted that he would maintain this region as a free-trade zone, and he was given personal control of the region, which was nearly eighty times larger than Belgium. He named the region the Congo Free State. The Congo Free State, 1885-1908 Leopold promised that he would develop his private property to improve the lives of the native Africans. He quickly disregarded all of his Berlin Conference guidelines and began to economically exploit the regions land and inhabitants. Due to industrialization, objects such as tires were now required in mass in Europe; thus, the African natives were forced to produce ivory and rubber. Leopolds army mutilated or killed any African who didnt produce enough of these coveted, profitable resources. The Europeans burned African villages, farmland, and rainforest, and kept women as hostages until rubber and mineral quotas were met. Due to this brutality and European diseases, the native population dwindled by approximately ten million people. Leopold II took the enormous profits and built lavish buildings in Belgium. Belgian Congo, 1908-1960 Leopold II tried mightily to conceal this abuse from the international public. However, many countries and individuals had learned of these atrocities by the early 20th century. Joseph Conrad set his popular novel Heart of Darkness in the Congo Free State and described European abuses. The Belgian government forced Leopold to surrender his personal country in 1908. The Belgian government renamed the region the Belgian Congo. The Belgian government and Catholic missions tried to aid the inhabitants by improving health and education and building an infrastructure, but the Belgians still exploited the regions gold, copper, and diamonds. Independence for the Democratic Republic of the Congo By the 1950s, many African countries embraced anti-colonialism, nationalism, equality, and opportunity under the Pan-Africanism movement. The Congolese, who by then had some rights such as owning property and voting in elections, began to demand independence. Belgium wanted to grant independence over a thirty-year span, but under pressure from the United Nations, and in order to avoid a long, deadly war, Belgium decided to grant independence to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on June 30, 1960. Since then, DRC has experienced corruption, inflation, and several regime changes. The mineral-rich province of Katanga was voluntarily separated from DRC from 1960-1963. DRC was known as Zaire from 1971-1997. Two civil wars in DRC have turned into the worlds deadliest conflict since World War II. Millions have died from war, famine, or disease. Millions are now refugees. Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the third largest country by area in Africa and has approximately 70 million citizens. Its capital is Kinshasa, formerly named Leopoldville. Ruanda-Urundi The current countries of Rwanda and Burundi were once colonized by the Germans, who named the region Ruanda-Urundi. After Germanys defeat in World War I, however, Ruanda-Urundi was made a protectorate of Belgium. Belgium also exploited the land and people of Ruanda-Urundi, the Belgian Congos neighbor to the east. Inhabitants were forced to pay taxes and grow cash crops such as coffee. They were given very little education. However, by the 1960s, Ruanda-Urundi also began to demand independence, and Belgium ended its colonial empire when Rwanda and Burundi were granted independence in 1962. Legacy of Colonialism in Rwanda-Burundi The most important legacy of colonialism in Rwanda and Burundi involved the Belgians obsession with racial, ethnic classification. The Belgians believed that the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda was racially superior to the Hutu ethnic group because the Tutsis had more European features. After many years of segregation, the tension erupted into the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 850,000 people died. Past and Future of Belgian Colonialism The economies, political systems, and social welfare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi have been enormously affected by the greedy ambitions of King Leopold II of Belgium. All three countries have experienced exploitation, violence, and poverty, but their rich sources of minerals may one day bring permanent peaceful prosperity to the interior of Africa.

International Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

International Management - Assignment Example The paper herein thus gives a full-scale discussion of the business meeting and communication culture in the United Arab Emirates and the larger Middle East region. Business meeting and communication culture in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) operates under the laws of the Islam religion since the Middle East is an Islamic zone. Islam religion is the primary culture since it permeates all the societal segments of the United Arab Emirates. The religion is a guidance vessel that provides the rules for individuals lives, ways of executing business transactions and community relations. Thus, doing business in the UAE requires a person to have at least a modicum of the religions practices (Igarashi 2). The most fundamental practice that a person willing to do business in the region must understand is that Islamic prayers occur five times in a day. The prayer sessions are normally announced by different mosques using "azan". "Azan" is a call that is made in the form of an announcement for Muslims to go to the mosque and pray. Thus, business meetings or the execution of business dealings must be fitted within the times of the day that are not in the Muslims prayer schedules. Moreover, Fridays are the days that Muslims congregate to carry out their prayers as an obligatory practice for all men. Doing business on Fridays in the UAE is thus not a good idea since the day is considered a prayer day for the Muslim brothers. The Arab culture treats the female gender with outright sensitivity to an extent where women are mostly disallowed to engage in any business transactions. The interaction between Arab women and an outsider is thus an out-and-out prohibition unless special permission is given to an outsider. Finding women in business dealings is hence an uncommon scenario since the business field is male-dominated and restricted such that women do not engage in it fully. For an outsider, this might be

Watergate scam. Usa Vs Nixon Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Watergate scam. Usa Vs Nixon - Term Paper Example The mentioned scandal came to surface during the year 1972 when the electioneering campaign between Mr. George McGovern and Mr. Richard Nixon was on the boom. Well before winning the Presidential election, five people inclusive of white house staff and political workers made their unauthorized entry into the Democratic Headquarters located at Watergate complex in Washington D.C (Kutler 510). In order to investigate the matter of doors broken opened of Democratic Headquarters by the staff and political workers of Nixon’s Party who run the electioneering campaign aims at to steal material information and important files that relates to election strategy. Upon disclosure of the committed crime, initially Mr. Nixon assigned the task to Mr. Cox to investigate the matter. Later on he dismissed him for non-co-operation. The forced departure of Mr. Cox, Mr. Richardson and Mr. Ruckelshaus considered in the American history as â€Å"Saturday Night Massacre† (Trachtman 131). With the dismissal of said gentleman, mounting public pressures compelled Mr. Nixon to appoint another investigator. Hence, Mr. Jaworski appointed to probe the matter. To accomplish the task he got subpoena order that enables him to have an access to relevant tapes and documents which were in the possession of Mr. Nixon. The conversations that contains in the tapes led to the involvement of indicted persons in the scam (Trachtman 131). On the disclosure of his involvement in the Watergate scam, Nixon’s counsel requested the competent court of law to quash president from accountability since he is as powerful as Louis XIV for a term of four years; therefore he is not answerable to any court of law except the impeachment court. The competent court of law turned down the plea and ordered the president to hand over the investigative material to the investigator (Kutler 510). On the order of the subordinate court, the attorney of Mr. Nixon referred the matter to the Supreme Court and t he court hardly taken three weeks time to decide the case. In that case the apex court focused on two issues a) indictment of president b) president prerogative of immunity. Firstly the court found involvement of Mr. President in conversation with the staff of white house concerning Watergate scam. Secondly the court rejected the plea of absolute power of the president. The president was of the view that being a president he has the absolute right and privilege of immunity. Further, the court held that only the attorney general void the prosecution commission which he refused to do so, therefore, the executive branch and other two branches are bound to implement it. The president had no choice but to enforce the decision in its true spirit (Kutler 511). The fear of impeachment and prosecution in the Senate which led to the removal of President forced him to resign from his office in August 1974. So far he was the only president in the history of United States of America who resigned from his office. This has further established the authority of Supreme Court as judicial branch to monitor the activities of executive branch if any of its action is ultra virus to the constitution and the law of the land in vogue (Trachtman 133). Chief Justice Warren Burger of the Supreme Court of America in his land mark decision held that "However, neither the doctrine of separation of powers nor the need for confidentiality of high level communication without more can sustain an absolute, unqualified Presidential privilege of immunity from judicial process under all circumstances† (Lively and Weaver 3). The apex court while acknowledging the right of

Ethical Dilemmas in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Dilemmas in Education - Essay Example Ethics is an important facet when it comes to education. The dissemination of information to others requires a great deal of responsibility and accountability and it can often become a subject to ethical misconducts. This paper would focus on the ethical dilemmas that are present when it comes to education and how these challenges can be dealt with and overcome. Discussion As the world progresses education is becoming increasingly important and crucial. Education is the basis for every developed society and is the key to bring economic and social transformation. Education is a factor that leads to the growth of economies and flourishes the state of the nations. This recognition of education has made it even more important and it is now considered indispensable to invest in education. Teachers are the mediators that are responsible for the dispersion of education in societies. Hence, in order to improve the efficiency and quality of education it is fundamental to improve the quality o f teachers not only in terms of qualifications and knowledge but more importantly towards their ethical behavior which has a wider insinuation towards the efficiency and quality of education. ... Education serves the purpose of producing good citizens that are respectful towards the laws, human rights and fairness. The ethical commitments of the teachers and staff are included in the transparent system of disseminating information and knowledge and it is very crucial in order to deliver quality education. (Fenner, 1999) As the world is progressing and the expanding into the advent of globalization, so is education. Education is not only a factor of production of future cognitive capital for societies but it is also an important tool to instigate and maintain cultural and social values within individuals. Due to the interaction of different parts of the world into what we know as a global village, there is more awareness and an increasing need for multi-cultural education. As most parts of the world are becoming multi-cultural, the concept of mono-acculturation has come into being. It is important to teach people about the sex/gender system and the ethnic stereotypes. It is es sential to teach from the prospects of women also and from a postcolonial viewpoint since women around the world are becoming more and more aware of their rights for equality and self-actualization. It is vital to provide correct and unbiased information about other cultures and traditions. This may be aided with the presence of bicultural people who could be involved in discussions about cultures and hence provide the students with education of different cultures and breaks mono-culturalism. (Sunnari & Rasanen, 2000) There are a number of generalized codes of ethics that need to be followed by the educators that are often neglected and leads to the violation of ethics and proves to be challenging. The

Design and Construction of Motorway Project Essay

Design and Construction of Motorway Project - Essay Example Through utilization of these regulations, project managers could ensure that safety and health applications remain present throughout engineering project implementation period. While engineering projects remain essential for development of the country, the impacts of the implementation process for these projects could be catastrophic. The reduction of imminent risks within the projects remains essential towards safe implementation of the entire project (Bailey, 2002). The aim of this report remains identifying the imminent hazards within the project that could present a danger to people working on the project. This report seeks to establish an informed analysis concerning the health and safety regulation required in engineering projects. Through identification of the imminent risks, the contractors could essentially implement safety operation processes, significantly reducing safety concerns during construction. This report seeks to identify the imminent hazards for contractors durin g construction and workers after project completion. The project engineers could utilize the proposals contained in this report in ensuring safety for individuals involved in the project. Description of works This project involves construction of a motorway seeking to replace the existing M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The project shall involve numerous and continuous excavation processes within the lifetime of construction. The excavation process involves the production of massive amounts of dust, which becomes a potential health hazard for individuals living within the vicinity, and the people working on the project. The process of excavating materials within the construction site comes at the centre of the project. Through excavation, the engineers could achieve a significant level of project implementation. Designing the site into the required form shall involve a continuous bulk excavation process. The proposed route for the motorway passes through Greenfield and Brownfield land, which continue to be associated with mining of different minerals. These areas have numerous deposits of coal and steels minerals. During the construction process, the materials excavated from the site should be carefully handled to reduce the prevalent risks produced by the mining processes of these minerals. While different activities might be affected by construction, the imminent hazards following excavation through coal mines remain a surmountable safety concern. Upon removal of the topsoil, an analysis of the contents of the soil should e performed to determine the presence of harmful elements within the soil. Through this analysis, proper disposal methods could be implemented to ensure reduction of the imminent hazards produced by the material. The project could potentially generate a significant amount of waste materials and remnants of the construction materials utilized. Following the completion of the project, disposal of these materials is likely to become fundamen tal in ensuring safe working environment for people maintaining the project. Disposal of the waste materials generated remains a fundamental post-construction safety and health concern. The waste disposal operation seeks to ensure the environment remains safe for the people after completion of the project (Lagrega et al, 2010). The maintenance employees would be working in safe environments when all generated wastes become

The Financial Perspective bus 499 case 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Financial Perspective bus 499 case 3 - Essay Example As an initial step to solve the issue, new personnel were appointed at the top level of the organization. The newly appointed chairman, Bob Sleelert put forth the new strategy to be followed whereas the new Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Roberts played the crucial role of implementing the new strategy. The balanced scorecard was set up which was led by the CompaSS director, Paul Melter. The goals were set up by the new management team with a finance perspective. The main objective was to grow the revenue base better than the market. Target was also set to convert 30 percent of that increase as the operating profit and to increase the earnings per share. A detailed strategy was set up by the management in order to achieve the goals and objectives. Though the company was working efficiently, the different business units were not adding value to the company from the finance perspective. Hence a vision for the new strategy was set up that the company has to be creatively brilliant and financially secure. But the management also knew that the company has to give careful consideration to the needs of its client base, both new and existing, as it was impossible to achieve the targets without the continued support from the customers. A ‘lead’, ‘drive’ and ‘prosper’ strategy was applied to segregate the business units based on the value of the units to the company on the whole. The ‘lead’ group was the leading revenue and value generators for the company, followed by drive and prosper in that order. This was mainly in the finance perspective, as identifying the lead business units will enable the company to focus on these units. The management can then aggressively look for investment opportunities in these business units. As these were the main revenue generating units and had high potential for growth, the management believed that focusing and investing in these territories will help attain the company’s financial

Design and Construction of Motorway Project Essay

Design and Construction of Motorway Project - Essay Example Through utilization of these regulations, project managers could ensure that safety and health applications remain present throughout engineering project implementation period. While engineering projects remain essential for development of the country, the impacts of the implementation process for these projects could be catastrophic. The reduction of imminent risks within the projects remains essential towards safe implementation of the entire project (Bailey, 2002). The aim of this report remains identifying the imminent hazards within the project that could present a danger to people working on the project. This report seeks to establish an informed analysis concerning the health and safety regulation required in engineering projects. Through identification of the imminent risks, the contractors could essentially implement safety operation processes, significantly reducing safety concerns during construction. This report seeks to identify the imminent hazards for contractors durin g construction and workers after project completion. The project engineers could utilize the proposals contained in this report in ensuring safety for individuals involved in the project. Description of works This project involves construction of a motorway seeking to replace the existing M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The project shall involve numerous and continuous excavation processes within the lifetime of construction. The excavation process involves the production of massive amounts of dust, which becomes a potential health hazard for individuals living within the vicinity, and the people working on the project. The process of excavating materials within the construction site comes at the centre of the project. Through excavation, the engineers could achieve a significant level of project implementation. Designing the site into the required form shall involve a continuous bulk excavation process. The proposed route for the motorway passes through Greenfield and Brownfield land, which continue to be associated with mining of different minerals. These areas have numerous deposits of coal and steels minerals. During the construction process, the materials excavated from the site should be carefully handled to reduce the prevalent risks produced by the mining processes of these minerals. While different activities might be affected by construction, the imminent hazards following excavation through coal mines remain a surmountable safety concern. Upon removal of the topsoil, an analysis of the contents of the soil should e performed to determine the presence of harmful elements within the soil. Through this analysis, proper disposal methods could be implemented to ensure reduction of the imminent hazards produced by the material. The project could potentially generate a significant amount of waste materials and remnants of the construction materials utilized. Following the completion of the project, disposal of these materials is likely to become fundamen tal in ensuring safe working environment for people maintaining the project. Disposal of the waste materials generated remains a fundamental post-construction safety and health concern. The waste disposal operation seeks to ensure the environment remains safe for the people after completion of the project (Lagrega et al, 2010). The maintenance employees would be working in safe environments when all generated wastes become

Art Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Art Research paper - Essay Example revolutionized the Western art scene, while Middle-Eastern cultures denounced it as blasphemy. With the advent of Christianity, the nude form was suppressed and it was not until the Renaissance, when artists looked to antiquity for inspiration, that the nude form came in vogue once again. The period between the 15th -17th century saw some of the most renowned works of nudes come into being. Kenneth Clark2 (1956) whose seminal work on the female nude gave way to much animated discussion on this forgotten topic, credits the Renaissance with giving an impetus to this form, saying â€Å"In the greatest age of painting, the nude inspired the greatest work†. The nude female form continues to inspire artists and art lovers to this day and many ground breaking studies reveal the various nuances of female depiction, its metamorphosis over the ages and the reaction it evokes, ranging from awe to a total denial of its worth as a subject. The words nude and naked are often interchanged for each other, but the difference in their meaning is so wide that the word nude invariably evokes the image of a person without clothes but it has an aesthetic ring to it. Naked on the other hand can mean intolerance and a subsequent discarding of clothes or even to a cult of nudists who exhort people to give up clothing. To put forth the idea more clearly, we can use Kenneth Clark’s definition of the terms, where he says â€Å"To be naked is to be deprived of our clothes, and†¦. the embarrassment†¦in that condition. The word nude carries †¦no uncomfortable overtone†¦it projects†¦a balanced, prosperous, and confident body: the body re-formed.† The author has delineated the female nude in conformity with religious, cultural and philosophic tenets of classical and modern Western society. Clark’s theories are the benchmark for any argument for or against the female nude, while John Bergerâ⠂¬â„¢s study of the relation between the work of art and the person

Eating Disorder Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Eating Disorder Research Paper Essay Media and society are often looked at as a source of daily entertainment, gossip and news. Every day, people are constantly exposed to thousands of images of glamour, beauty, celebrities, and much more. The media is so compelling that it has the power to change what people believe in. The images that are shown repeatedly make a way into teenagers mind and they want to be a part of what the media shows. Teens feel the need to change their body to look a certain way and be like someone else. But a fact unknown to teenagers is that even celebrities’ body are not perfect. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. People with anorexia have a huge fear of gaining weight and a change in their body shape and size (â€Å"Eating Disorders†). Anorexia has been characterized as a â€Å"rich white girl† disorder because most anorectics are white and about three-quarters of them come from households at the middle income level or above (Davidson and Fundukian). Bulimia on the other hand is when a person eats large amount of food over a short period of time then later performs activities to try to burn the calories off. Binging is the most common symptom of bulimia and it is often done when trying to get rid of the food eaten. Bulimia is thought to affect around 1% to 5% of teenage American girls and up to 3% will be bulimic at some point in their life (Arnold and Walsh 30). Studies show that â€Å"media exposure has a direct impact on disorder symptoms and indirect effects through gender role endorsement, ideal-body stereotype internalization and body satisfaction. † The covers of magazines display pictures of both men and women whose images are offered as near perfection in society. â€Å"Research has shown that even brief exposure to ads showing highly attractive models results in decreased satisfaction with ones own appearance† (McMurray). Teenagers should know that celebrities are not magically beautiful and thin, they are made to look that way. â€Å"Today’s culture is unique in that the media is a far more powerful presence than ever before† (Derenne and Bersin). The media has been named as a causative factor for body dissatisfaction, which promotes unrealistic standards of female beauty and show images that create and reinforce cultural definitions of attractiveness. (Qtd. in Wexler). The media opens the door of eating disorders to teenagers and brainwashes them into thinking that being thin is important and necessary. The media needs to be very careful in the messages that they give to teenagers regarding body image. Dr. Bond says how â€Å"the media should be more responsible in not publishing pictures of very thin models and celebrities because young people wish to emulate them. Eating disorders are not going away, if anything they are becoming more common (Thinspiration? ). Advertisements everywhere continually expose the notion that losing weight will make people happier. Advertisements that show thin celebrities reach out to individuals telling them what they can be or become if they were thin. By looking at these advertisements, women start to feel insecure about the way they look. The NEDA reports that â€Å"women’s magazines contained 10. 5 times more advertisements and articles promoting diet and weight loss then were found in men’s magazines. It also reports that a study of 4,294 network television commercials revealed that one out of every 3. 8 commercials conveyed some sort of attractiveness message of what is or is not attractive† (Qtd. In Wexler). Many women frequently compare their bodies to those around them and the body images on advertisements lowers their self-esteem. The advertisements of celebrities affects the stereotypical idea of an ideal body which leads to eating disorders (Stice et al 5). Online, there are websites that promote anorexia. Teens with anorexia can then put up pictures of their skinny bodies for other anorectics to see and feel encouraged by. They feature pictures of celebrities such Keira Knightley and Victoria Beckham that promote 400-500 calories a day diet. In a year alone more than 500,000 people visited the sites and a 2011 EU survey found more than one in five six-to 11-year olds had been exposed to one or more sites with these â€Å"harmful content† (Thinspiration? . Teens who are anorexic feel that having an eating disorder is not a bad thing. They look upon each other for support, telling each other secrets of losing weight. The quote â€Å"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels† by Kate Moss is popular among these pro-anorexia websites (Wardrop). TV shows also send the message to be thin to whoever watches them. Disney Channel, which attracts millions of viewers, especially the young, made fun of eating disorder and actually promoted the idea of being thin. In the show Shake It Up, someone stated â€Å"I could just eat you guys up, you know, if I ate† (â€Å"Party It Up†). In another Disney show, So Random, a conversation goes on where one character tells another â€Å"Angus only eats one full meal a day† to which Angus replies â€Å"My agent’s always on me about looking my best (Colbie Caillat). Disney thinks about eating disorders as a joke which is not dangerous. For many kids, the people on Disney are their role models, and if kids see their role models not eating, they are going to think that it is okay to not eat. Also if Disney encourages the idea of not eating that kids will do the same thing. Demi Lovato who battled an eating disorder attacked Disney about these risky messages that they send to kids. Experts say that Lovato opened the Pandora’s Box about the dangerous effects television shows can have on the negative body image of young women (â€Å"Disney Pop Star†). Even in other TV shows, the overweight characters are most likely portrayed as lazy and the one with no friends, while thin characters are successful and popular. This also sends a message that in order to be successful in life a person has to be thin. Teenagers feel pressured into looking the way society wants them to look like. Everywhere they go, they see posters of celebrities enhanced to look â€Å"perfect. Society thinks that if someone does not look a certain way then it is not acceptable and that they should change how their body looks. From a young age, women are given the message that in order to be happy, they must be thin. Thousands of teenage girl starve themselves to attain what the fashion industry considers to be the â€Å"ideal† figure (Thompson). Society has become obsessive and prejudiced when it comes to body image. Society and media work together to get that one message across to teens today; to be thin. New diets come out every month and media spends money trying to advertise them and get celebrity endorsements. In stores, the front pages of magazines show that one celebrity that everyone looks up too. How they talk about that one diet that â€Å"changed their life† and made them â€Å"happy† again. Teens think that if these celebrities can be skinny, then why can’t they? Teens spend their times looking at websites and magazines that tell them how to be skinny. By constantly portraying â€Å"perfect† bodies in the media, it promotes unhealthy eating that can sometimes lead to death (â€Å"Disney Pop Star†). Even today, dolls like Barbie send that message to young girl to be thin. The Barbie doll is a stereotype of a woman with no flaws and a perfect body who gets to be whatever she wants. Girls who play with Barbie feel the need to look and act like her. The traditional Barbie is known for her 40-18-32 measurements (Young) which would be unproportional on human bodies (Grey). If Barbie were real, she would be 59 tall and weigh 110 pounds, about 35 pounds below the minimum healthy weight for a woman of that size (McMurray). Barbie helps to perpetuate an ideal of materialism, beauty, and being thin is happiness and since a young age, the desire to be thin is recognized by girls everywhere. But eating disorders doesn’t just affect women, it affects men also. In a study by Harvard researchers, 25% of 3,000 adults had anorexia or bulimia and 40% of binge eaters were men (Boodman). Just like women, men also feel pressured into looking a certain way. In school, boys are told to be healthy if they want to keep playing a sport. But that habit can become something more dangerous. â€Å"Studies show that gay males particularly place a higher calculation on thinness than heterosexual males, with a level of concern for thinness almost equal to that of the typical heterosexual female† (Anderson, Cohn, and Holbrook 41). Because of this many men might be afraid about coming out to the world about their eating disorder. Some people think of an eating disorder as more of a woman thing and â€Å"psychological tests for eating disorders are biased towards diagnosing women† (Anderson, Cohn, and Holbrook 41). Eating disorders are also common in the entertainment business. Celebrities and models are also under pressure to look their best. The average model weighs 23% less than the average woman and fit the category of being anorexic (Thompson). Models go through plastic surgery and photos are air-brushed before going to print. The body type and images are unobtainable to the average individual and the constant force of these images on society makes teens believe that they should be. Many celebrities and models who feel that an eating disorder is something more dangerous than what everyone else seems have come out and talked about that issues. Even celebrities who once had an eating disorder spend time educating others and telling them that it is okay to get help. In 1992 after the news about Princess Diana being bulimic was released, there was a significant increase in the number of bulimia diagnoses. This effect then came known as the â€Å"Diana Effect† (Celebrities Who Battled Eating Disorders). Just like how Lucy Grealy states in her memoir Autobiography of a Face, Beauty, as defined by society at large, seemed to be only about who was best at looking like everyone else (187) it looks like that concept has not changed since that time. In today’s society everything is about being thin and trying to look like a model or a celebrity. Teenagers try to do everything to make themselves how society wants it but in the end they just destroy themselves. Society and media think of an eating disorder as a joke but it is a disease; a disease that has the power to take the lives of both women and men. For anybody out there who thinks that an eating disorder is not a big deal then they are wrong. People, especially the media, should know that the message they send out to teens is wrong; everything is not just about being thin. Simply by the media bringing out the concept that being beautiful and thin is necessary for a successful life is wrong. Having to look like a model to be accepted in society is wrong. All these messages have a huge negative effect on teenagers and they think down of themselves just because they do not think they are â€Å"right† for society. The fake advertisements that are shown is just another step for teens to developing a dangerous and deadly addiction that is called an eating disorder. â€Å"I think we look at society and we look at every ad that out there and everything that tells us how we’re supposed to look, and how we’re supposed to live, and how we’re supposed to be instead of saying ‘Is that how really I feel? ’, ‘Is that really what I want to do? ’, and ‘Is that really how I want to live? ’† (Ellen DeGeneres).

Environmental Impact Assessment Programs and Regulations

Environmental Impact Assessment Programs and Regulations Introduction This chapter will provide a review of the development process of Environmental Impact Assessment Programs (EIAP) for buildings for different countries and different regions of the world as a reflection on the continuing evolution of building environmental assessment tools. This chapter includes two sections: the first section will present the initial structure and types for EIAP and will also compare some programs on their categories and weighting systems to anticipate the directions of future developments for building environmental assessment programs. Understanding how EIAP for buildings developed over the past 20 years is the main outcome of this chapter as it will provide evidence for the research hypothesis and justifications for the methodologies undertaken in this research. Objectives The main aim of this chapter is to review the development process of EIAP for buildings; its categories, weighting systems and methodologies used in developing these programs. It will serve as a starting point in developing an evaluation tool especially designed for the Egyptian environment. To achieve this aim some objectives have been adopted: Review and compare different types of EIAP for buildings from variety of regions, emphasizing on their categories of assessment, weighting systems and their latest developments. Investigate the future development direction for EIAP for buildings. The development of EIAP for buildings Building sector contribute significantly to energy consumption all over the world. It is responsible for 38% of the world primary energy consumption and the CO2 emission resulting from these huge levels of consumption, as shown in Figure 2-1 (BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 2008, International Energy Agency (IEA) Statistics Division, 2008). A lot of experts believe that the building sector in the world could help reducing 1.8 billion tones of CO2 before Kyoto target in 2012 (World Business Council for Sustainable Development 2009 report). According to the UNEP 2007: significant gains can be made in efforts to combat global warming by reducing energy use and improving energy efficiency in buildings. There are number of ways that a building could affect its surrounding environment on its life time. During different stages; row materials, construction, operation and demolition, also, through different components, buildings could have a huge impact on the environment (UNEP 2007). For example: soil pollution, emissions into the air, water spills, waste generation, resource consumption, local impacts, impacts associated with transportation and effects on biodiversity (Gangolells M, et al., 2009). In addition to the previous environmental impacts, buildings affect peoples health directly. As (Theodore 1996 ) reported, there are a lot of health problems that could be linked to buildings directly especially to poor indoor quality i.e. the sick building syndrome. According to (UNEP 2007) it has long been established that to achieve an energy-efficient world, governments, businesses and individuals must transform the building sector. One of the approaches that have been adopted to address the building sector effects on the environment were developing programs to assess buildings performance. Environmental impact assessment programs (EIAP) for buildings were originally conceived as guidance to recognize best practice, promote green buildings and to provide a unified and coherent base for buildings to be compared on. Recent studies showed that EIAP have been a key factor in improving buildings design as well (pennenvironment pdf). This movement towards sustainable and green buildings has been growing rabidly since the second half of the 80s leading to the development of various methods for evaluating the environmental performance of buildings (Cole, Yudelson and Fedrizzi, 2008). The number of EIAP for buildings has increased significantly in the past two decades, as shown in Figure 2-2. From 4 programs in the 80s to more than 25 program now actively used worldwide. This increase in the number of EIAP for buildings or the revolution as Yudelson describe it, will likely continue over the next few years (Cole, , Yudelson). In countries all over the world -especially the developed countries- there is a growing interest in understanding how to reduce the building sector impacts on the environment. This is partially manifested in continues development of EIAP for buildings, either by introducing new assessment tools, or by developing and refining the existing ones. In recent years, the market for evaluating building performance was increasing, with clients demanding buildings that meet the highest efficiency standards and have minimum effects on the environment (U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), 2005). The time line progress for the environmental programs Environmental buildings or green buildings from the market point of view could potentially save money on energy bills, cut global warming pollution and help to secure future energy. Therefore there are growing demands for building classified as green or environmentally friendly. Another aspect that confirm the current success of EIAP for building is that a lot of conferences have been and still are held for the environmental impacts of buildings and the best way to develop and assess it (Cole, -, Yudelson). EIAP are now considered a driving force to develop buildings industry. EIAP were first conceived as a mean to quantify the success of a building in achieving reduced impacts on the environment during its life time. They were also developed to comply with standards from organizations like ANSI, ISO, ASHARE, ASTM and CEN. The structure and components of EIAP are always changing to cope with the latest editions in building standards. These changes include; categories of assessment, credits weighting, impacts calculation, cost efficiency and simulation techniques. EIAP assess buildings either on performance bases on prescriptive bases. They were initially developed as voluntary (cole,) but with the higher demands from the market some programs are mandatory in some parts of the world now for example-. Some organizations and local authorities now demand a certain qualification to be attained by the building in order to be authorized. For example EIAP were first designed to assess certain aspects of buildings mostly energy, water and material use. They were also firstly designed for certain types of buildings. New developments to EIAP for buildings included expanding the assessment categories to include every stage and component of a building during its life time. The new generations of programs are moving towards a more comprehensive view of assessment rather than it being for only one type of buildings or one aspect of building elements. New additions to BREAM 2008 and LEED 2009 included the introduction of new versions to assess new types of building (ref for Leed and bream websites). EIAP also assess buildings in different stages; designing, construction, operation and demolish. With number of these programs being in use for several years spotting the developments directions for EIAP for buildings could be recognized and analyzed. In the first generation of EIAP like and , assessments were usually made by a qualified third party. In recent years web based assessment have been introduced, for example in - and LEED V3 2009 (ref for Leed and bream websites). This came as a reaction to the market demand for an easy to use initial assessment. EIAP outcomes are a certificate grade (,), a report () or a to acknowledge the grade of a building in achieving its environmental targets. Recent additions to EIAP for building included the introduction of an outstanding rate for outstanding innovations in green building as in in LEED and -in BREAM (ref for Leed and bream websites). This comes as a result of the current need on the market for green buildings to achieve the highest the huge competition. The success of EIAP in reshaping the building industry is undeniable. In recent years, EIAP have been playing a big role in moving the building industry into a more environment conscious directions, as presented in (Cole, 2003): ..There is little doubt that building environmental assessment methods have contributed enormously to furthering the promotion of higher environmental expectations, and are directly and indirectly influencing the performance of buildings. This current success of EIAP for buildings is considered one of the -in the world (usgreen building council). This success derives from the ability of these programs to offers a common ground for designers, governments and buildings owners, to assess building performance and be recognized for good practice. This chapter will focus on certification programs that deal with evaluation and assessment of buildings to serve as a starting point in developing a specific program aimed at the Egyptian environment needs. From the author view Types of Building Assessment Methods EIAP for buildings could be divided to two types according to what they assess in a building. The first type assesses one or more of the building aspects to find out how it will affect the environment and how well the buildings elements will score against environmental standards, for example on energy efficiency or materials choice. Programs like R-2000 and ENERGY STAR assess mainly building energy efficiency (R-2000, 2007, ENERGY STAR, 2009). These types of assessment methods sometimes are specifically designed for a certain type of buildings like P-mark for prefabricated houses and GreenCalc for Dutch office buildings (Technical Research Institute of Sweden, 2009, GreenCalc, 2009). Also for some programs the assessment is done to only one stage of a building, for example ATHENA for design stage only and NovoClimat for after operation stage only (ATHENA, 2009, Natural Resources Canada, 2009). The assessed buildings either pass the assessment and given a certificate or a qualificatio n grade, or fail to qualify and be given guidance on how to improve the assessed element of their building. The second type of EIAP assesses building as a whole against a set of categories to find out the building total impacts on the environment. These types of programs always include a wide range of categories of assessment ranging from site design and energy efficiency to water usage and recycling management. They also cover different building types with specific consideration for each type, for example in BREEAM, LEEDS and HK-BEAM there are specific versions to assess homes, schools, retail and healthcare. These programs assess a building on different stages; design, construction, operation, maintenance and demolition stage in some programs. Usually a certificate or a qualification grade is awarded to the assessed building to define its standard. Table 2-1 presents EIAP that will be reviewed in this study. Developed in Canada in 1982 the R-2000 is a voluntary program encouraging builders to build energy-efficient houses that are environmentally friendly and healthy. It includes an energy efficiency standard for new houses that is continuously updated. It also includes comprehensive training and education courses for builders. The R-2000 standard assesses energy consumption performance for a house through a series of technical requirements: (minimum envelope requirements, ventilation system requirements, combustion system requirements, energy performance target, lights and appliances, indoor air quality and environmental features/eco-management) (Natural resources Canada, 2009, R-2000, 2007). During the first few years of application the R-2000 program didnt attract the anticipated Canadian building practice (Horvat et al., 2005, Adair, 1996), this was due to: Copying R-2000 homes by uncertified builders that lead to a failure of real application of the program standards. Being more expensive (6-10%) to build R-2000 home in comparison to regular building. Being flexible is what helped the R-2000 (2005 edition) program stay in the current market and being able to be applied to any type of homes. Another advantage is producing homes with 30%-40% energy savings (R-2000, 2007, Horvat et al., 2005). P-mark system (Sweden, 1989) P-mark came as a reaction to the manufacturers of prefabricated houses in Sweden need for an assessment program that assures the market of the quality of their houses. P-mark is a voluntary program. It was developed for design and after construction stages. P-mark authorities use the method of unannounced inspections to assure quality control procedures after operation. 5% of the finished houses is inspected and measured annually. The inspections are on performance bases for the finished homes on air-tightness of the building envelope, air exchange rates, air-tightness of ducts, sound pressure levels and heat requirement, to verify compliance with P-mark requirements P-mark certificate is considered a form of quality assurance in Sweden (Technical Research Institute of Sweden, 2009, Horvat et al., 2005, Swedish Institute for Technical Approval in Construction SITAC, 2007, website) One advantage to the application P-mark was that it has helped the Sweden market in reducing complaints from people about the failure of prefabricated homes (Anneling, 1998). The upgrades that have been made to the P-mark in recent years involved improving the assessment categories to include: 1) Testing for ventilation, air-tightness of houses and ventilation ducts, 2) Inspection for HVAC performance, water-tightness of the kitchen or toilet (Technical Research Institute of Sweden, 2009). The Building Environmental Performance Assessment Criteria (BEPAC) is a voluntary EIAP specifically for commercial buildings. It assesses the building on five categories: energy use, indoor environment, ozone protection, resource conservation, and transportation. BEPAC was Canadas first non-residential environmental assessment tool and has influenced a lot of the programs that followed for example: BREEAM Canada, GBTool, C-2000 and GreenGlobes. On its first version it used an experienced third party to undertake the assessment. As a reaction to concerns regarding the costs of using an expensive third party to carry out the assessment in BEPAC; the self-assessment version of BEPAC was developed. It allows facility staff to evaluate their own buildings. It contains a program for user training. This new addition has been criticized as the facility staff might be not experienced enough to carry out an assessment. BEBAC label consistency has been questioned and this led to the assessment not being used much in the Canadian market (SDIC, 2009, Marshall, 2008, DEH, 2000, Bond, 1999). Eco-profile (Norway, 1995) Eco-Profile is a simple environmental assessment method which was developed to be easy to use to encourage the uptake of the scheme. It assesses life cycle effects of a building on external environment, resources and indoor climate (Boonstra and Pettersen, 2003, Strand and Fossdal, 2003). The program uses 82 parameters to assess the building performance and then given a grade. The grading scale is: 1 for Low environmental impact, 2 for Medium impacts and 3 for Greater impact (Strand and Fossdal, 2003). Eco-Profile is not currently used in the Norwegian market. It has not been marketed since 2002 due to funding limitations with the Norwegian Building Research Institute. Even though more than 60 commercial buildings have been assessed by this program in 2000-2001 it is not considered a successful one as it didnt continue, as presented in (Boonstra and Pettersen, 2003): so far Eco-profile cannot be said to have been a success Some of the suggested improvement for the program included simplifying the program by presenting one index instead of three and reducing the number of the assessed parameters. Another direction for improvement will have to include updating the weighting of parameters. (Boonstra and Pettersen, 2003, Strand and Fossdal, 2003) (Andresen, 2005, Krishnan Gowri, 2004., Hasegawa, 2003, G. Assefa et al., 2007). GreenCalc (The Netherlands, 1997) GreenCalc is an assessment program for Dutch buildings especially commercial and industrial. It uses computer tool to calculate the buildings environmental load in terms of cost. It is divided into four modules: 1) material module: choice of materials, quantities and insulating values. 2) Energy module: energy consumption in operation phase (use of building, air-conditioning, ventilation and lighting. 3) Water usage: water consumption in the operation phase (facilities, sanitary facilities and rainwater). 4) Mobility: accessibility from home to work place; location, public transport and own transport. Assessment is performed in comparison to a benchmark building designed to 1990s standards. The benchmark for environmental index for 1990s building is 100 and current building is 150-300. The program predicts that buildings in 2050 will achieve environmental index of 2000 (Seo et al., 2005, GreenCalc, 2009). The latest version of the program GreenCalc+ has tried to cope with the highly developed market of green buildings. It included expanded simulation modeling with the designer being able to evaluate the effects of better insulation, glazing, efficient lighting systems, and solar energy systems as design options. It updated its energy consumption prediction method to be able to calculate the Energy Performance Norm option (GreenCalc, 2009). ENERGY STAR (US, 2000) ENERGY STAR is a program to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. It is operated by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. It assesses products as well as buildings, for example; lighting fixtures, home electronics, office equipment, heating and cooling equipment. The building certificate is for residential (single/multi-family and renovated houses) and commercial buildings (ENERGY STAR, 2009, Horvat et al, 2005). Criticisms to ENERGY STAR buildings came from it being more expensive than other conventional buildings especially on design and material aspects. Studies proved that these costs are accepted because the building save on running costs (i.e., the HVAC system) (Tanmay Tathagat 2007, Horvat et al, 2005). In recent development to the program and as a reaction to meet the escalating demands for energy savings, modifications have been applied to its minimum energy saving requirements. Initially in 2000 the ENERGY STAR label required a building to be at least 30% more energy efficient (heating, cooling and water heating) than a comparable one built to the 1993 Model Energy Code. Also the building should be 15% more efficient than the state energy code. New modification in 2007 demanded that a building must be at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code IRC (ENERGY STAR, 2009). (Roosa, 2007, Greg K and Capital E, 2003). (Yudelson and Fedrizzi, 2008b, Greg K and Capital E, 2003, ENERGY STAR, 2009). 2.5.1.7 NovoClimat (Canada, Quà ©bec, 2000) NovoClimat was initially conceived to allow Quebec builders to increase the energy efficiency of their homes. It was developed by the Quebec Agency for Energy Efficiency (Natural Resources Canada, 2009, Horvat et al., 2005). The assessment is done to the building in construction stage and after completion. A typical Novoclimat home will score EnerGuide rating of between 78 and 80 (http://www.ottawasnewesthomes.com/novoclimat-for-gatineau-new-homes.php, http://www.aee.gouv.qc.ca/en/my-home/novoclimat/). It is a voluntary program inspired by Canadas National Model Energy Code. What makes this program different is the fact that it connects energy efficiency and air-tightness to the durability of the building envelope. The new Novoclimat 2007 aimed directly to quantify the effects it makes to a building, by setting a goal to improve a buildings energy performance by a minimum of 25% (Efficient Energy Agency, 2008, Natural Resources Canada, 2009). http://www.ottawasnewesthomes.com/novoclimat-for-gatineau-new-homes.php http://www.aee.gouv.qc.ca/en/my-home/novoclimat/ (Salomon and Nigel, 2006, Robert C, 2003, Natural Resources Canada, 2009, Horvat et al., 2005). 2.5.1.8 ATHENA (Canada, 2000) Athena is North American software for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for buildings. It assesses industrial, institutional, office, multi-unit/single family residential homes and also assesses both new buildings and renovations to existing buildings. It is for design stage only to help in deciding which materials to use as it recognizes more than 90 materials and simulates over 1,200 different assembly combinations (structural and envelope). According to ATHENA institute 2009, this software takes into account the environmental effects of: material manufacturing, (including resource extraction and recycled content), related transportation, on-site construction, regional variation in energy use and other factors, building type and assumed lifespan, maintenance, repair and replacement effects, demolition and disposal, operating energy emissions and pre-combustion effects, embodied primary energy use, global warming potential, solid waste emissions, pollutants to air, pollutants to water and natural resource use. ATHENA (4) Impact Estimator, is the newest version of the program and was released in 2009. As most of the new generation of EIAP, ATHENA (4) newest edition included improving simulation modeling. The software will help designers choose a design from up to five design scenarios. It is also more flexible in handling data flows with more impact measures. Another new feature is the ability to choose new regions to assess (ATHENA, 2009). Eco-Quantum (The Netherlands, 1998) Eco-Quantum is a LCA based computer tool. It starts by entering building data, then the calculation section and finally the output results. It has two versions; one for offices and the other for domestic buildings. It calculates the environmental effects during the entire life span of a building. This includes the impact of energy, the maintenance during the use phase and the differences in the durability of parts of the construction related to the life span of the building. The program has an advantage of being easy to use. As a reaction to the evolving market for environmental assessment, Eco-Quantum V3 latest additives included improving assessment categories. Not only it assess materials and energy flow, it now also takes into account the possibility for selective demolition, recycling, ozone depletion, human toxicity and product reuse ((Kortman, 1999, Breedveld, 2007 Forsberga Malmborgc , 2004, ISPRA, 2009). MAK refernce BEAT (Denmark, 2001) The Building Environmental Assessment Tool (BEAT) is a LCA based tool. BEAT is a relation database designed using Microsoft Access. The user must supply: type of building, estimated lifetime of the building, geometry of the building, number of floors above/below ground, roof pitch, number of windows in the building, % of facade area covered by windows and natural or mechanical ventilation. BEAT assessment is for design stage only. It can be used both for supporting the general design choices early in the design phase, and later for supporting the more detailed design choices. The total environmental effects are the sum of multiplying the environmental effect by a weighting factor. Motivated by both the increased requirements to the energy performance of buildings and the recent developments for simulation tools for building assessment, the Danish Building Research Institute (SBi) is studying a project to develop BEAT. It is studying how to facilitate the use of BEAT by integrating it into new simulation software called BSim. This will allows both energy and environmental assessments to be performed in one operation. The new program is expected to be flexible in respect to the anticipated Canadian Environment Network (CEN) requirements. Early signs of the anticipated merge suggest that it is useful to support decision during design phase (Pedersen, F., Hansen, K., Wittchen, K. B., Grau, K., Johnsen, K. (2008). Combining building thermal simulation methods and LCA methods. In C. Rode, Proceedings of the 8th Symposium on Building Physics in the Nordic Countries: Nordic Symposium on Building Physics 2008, NSB2008, Copenhagen, June 16-18, 2008, Vol. 2 (pp. 605-611 ). Lyngby: DTU.(The Danish Building Research Institute, 2007). LCAid (Australia, 2001) LCAid is the Environmental Life Cycle Assessment Design Aid software package developed by department of public works and services categories. It is to identify the largest impacts over the building life cycle. It is user friendly decision making tool used to evaluate the environmental performance of design options over its life span. The program inputs are: raw materials, building product manufacture, energy, and water. Outputs include: resource extraction, emissions to air, water, land and waste, demolition reuse, recycling and disposal. The software outputs identify the areas that have the greatest impact on the environment so it could be reduced by other solutions. LCAid improvements included to separates the environmental impacts within each indicator into four stages; construction, operation, maintenance and demolition (Eldridge, 2002, Graham, P. 2000). Green Globes (Canada, 2000) Green Globes is a system to manage the assessment of environmental designs. It is an online assessment for green buildings. The system requires the client (i.e. property manager, owners of commercial and multi-residential buildings) to complete an online confidential questionnaire at design stage. Another stage of the assessment is an online report from a third-party at the construction stage. The categories of assessment for green Globes are: site, energy, water, emissions and indoor environment. It was developed based on BREEAM/Green Leaf as their upgrade or as their web-based tool. It was much anticipated and there was an immediate uptake to it with more than 100 users registered for existing building assessments only in 2002. One of the reasons for the huge uptake could have been that the program was filling the gap for an online assessment method that is related to BREEAM. To be certified a building will have to achieve at least 35% of the total number of 1,000 points. New editi on of Green Globes are in the line of developing the program to consider the building surrounding environment and not only the building itself. The new tool for Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings (CIEB) will look at aspects such as resident transportation opportunities (ECD, 2009, Boonstra Pettersen, 2003, Green Globes (2009). BEES (US, 2002) Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) is a program to help making an environmental but cost effective building. BEES measures the life time effects of the building and its components. The categories of assessment are in terms of: Global warming, Acidification, Eutrophication, Resource Depletion, Indoor Air Quality, Solid Waste, First Cost and Future Cost. The software strength comes from the extensive assessment for economic performance of a building using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard. It produces results for environmental performance and economic performance and an overall performance as shown in Figure 2-9. All stages of buildings construction are analyzed from the row material manufacture and transportation to the waste management. The program is constantly developing by adding assessment categories and new materials to the software database in order to keep up to date with the latest editions in the green designs. BEES 4.0 function to the newest data from U.S. EPA and have more than 200 building products in its database (BEES, 2007, Lippiatt, et.al., 2002). Programs that assess the whole building. BREEAM (UK, 1990) The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), initiated as a tool for assessing the environmental performance of a building. BREEAM assessment is divided into 9 categories: Management, Health Comfort, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials, Land Use, Ecology and Pollution. It was initially started as a questionnaire based tool. These questionnaires were designed for each stage of a building from design to post-operation. The actual credits were given to a building only on two stages: concept design stage and the preparation of construction stage. One criticism for BREEAM was that finished buildings sometimes differ from the design. This has been addressed in the latest version of BREEAM (2008) by introducing a post construction assessment. This assessment will ensure that all the specifications stated in the design are carried out in the actual building (BREEAM, 2009, BERR, 2008, Howe, 2008). Another criticism for BREEAM was that design teams used to cop y whole paragraphs of the checklists provided by BREEAM and put it in the design specification to get the credits from the assessor. Also a lot of credits could have been obtained from number of very small additives to the design (for example parking sheds). These credits will help buildings in getting a high rating without necessarily being green as a whole. In BREEAM 2008 mandatory credits was introduced to address this problem. These credits will ensure a minimum application of a holistic view of green concept in the rated buildings. Also by making the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM or equivalent mandatory in April 2008, this will secure sustainable measures in larger developments (BREEAM, 2009, BERR, 2008, Howe, 2008, Glasson et al., 2005). BREEAM initially didnt include benchmarks for number of criteria; it used to make reference to them. This was designed to help BREEAM being flexible. In BREEAM 2008 a lot of credits have been expanded especially setting benchmarks for CO2 emissions to align with the new Environmental Performance Certificate (EPC). BREEAM assess new and existing building for deferent types of buildings: Courts, homes, Industrial buildings, Multi-Residential, Prisons, Offices, Retail and Education. Latest developments in BREEAM 2008 included expanding the assessed building types to include BREEAM Healthcare and BREEAM Further Education. As a reaction to the evolving market of green buildings and the urge to use the highest environmental developments in buildings industry; a new rating level (BREEAM outstanding) has been introduced in 2008. This will enable innovative designs to be recognized for being leaders in their domain (BREEAM, 2009). HK-BEAM ( Hong Kong, 1996) The Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method (HK-BEAM) is a voluntary environmental assessment program for buildings. It was originally developed by Real Estate Development Agency but it is owned now by BEAM Society. The program main assessment categories are: site, materials, energy, water, indoor environment and innovative aspects and its award classifications are Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. It was the first program to finalize its assessment only when the building is completed. HK-BEAM is updating periodically to keep up with the industry standards and regulations. New versions were released on 1999, 2003 and 2005. The latest version HK-BEAM 4/04 has a lot of modifications to respond to the developing market of green buildings. BEAM 2004 highlighted the increasing importance of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ); by making it necessary to obtain minimum credit for it in order to be eligible for a grade. The grade awarded is based on percentage of applicable credi ts gained both for IEQ and overall assessment. BEAM is considered a very successful assessment tool. Though being voluntary program, in 2003, over