The Second Chance

The Second Chance When she came to, there was only the cold. She was on her side, against something hard, and it was draining the heat out of her, from the very marrow of her bones. She tried to raise her head, but had not yet come far enough into consciousness. She relaxed, and only then came to understand that she was lying on concrete. Thoughts flashed randomly, scattered and incomplete. She realized she could not remember her name, and that sudden insight sent her into panic. How did I get here? She fought to gain control over her fatigue and the fog in her mind.She lifted a hand and found she could wiggle her fingers. She tried an eyelid only to let it slam shut again in response to the sharp, blinding light of an overhead fixture. She slowly turned her head on the unforgiving concrete, away from the light, and tried again. One eye opened, then the next, and as her eyes slowly focused she saw a shiny black pair of boots standing next to her. Her eyes drifted up from the boots to the man’s face and realized that it was a police officer shining a flashlight in her face. He calmly said, â€Å"Don’t worry ma’am. The ambulance is on its way. You’re gonna be just fine. †As she began to hear sirens growing closer and closer, her eyes began to close again as she slowly drifted back into unconsciousness. She awoke again to find herself in a hospital bed, still panicked and unsure of whom she was. She looked over to see a nurse staring back at her. When the nurse noticed that the patient’s eyes had opened and was conscious again, she scrambled out of the room yelling for a doctor. The frantic nurse returned seconds later with a tall, middle-aged man dressed in all white who introduced himself as Dr. Wilson. He began by asking the woman if she knew her name, to which she replied with a small shake of the head.He then asked her if she could remember anything that happened prior to the fall, to which he received the same respon se. â€Å"It is common for patients with head trauma like yours to have some memory loss, but your memory will usually return in time,† the doctor reassured her. â€Å"I will say though, from a fall like that, you are very lucky to be alive. † In response to hearing this remark, the woman rolled her eyes and turned over to go back to sleep. After a week in the hospital, the woman still has no knowledge of who she is and no one has filed a missing persons report looking for a woman that matches her.Since she has recovered from most of her injuries, the hospital decides to release her to a women’s shelter in hopes that they can help her further. But after a few days of being in the shelter and with no progress, the woman decides to go for a walk. She begins walking the streets with no intended direction or place in mind. But the more she walks the clearer things become. And she eventually realizes that she has walked this path before. She soon comes to an all too familiar overpass. As she stands there looking down at the highway below her, she smiles and says aloud, â€Å"This time wait on a semi-truck before you jump, Jenny. †

Good vs Evil †English Essay Essay

There is neither a definite good nor evil, but only the grey area in-between. The Japanese proverb of Yin and Yang states that in all good there is some evil and in all evil there is dome good thus without good there can be no evil and without evil there can be no good. Evil was once described to me as ‘The inability to feel sympathy’ and at first I agreed with this analogy but upon further thought and deliberation I decided that it was not entirely true, for if evil is the inability to feel sympathy then that makes all acts of sympathy good. However, that analogy would make an act, one that almost the entire world agrees is purely evil, an act of good. The act in question is the destruction of the twin towers of 9/11, because the perpetrators were sympathetic. They were sympathetic towards their country and their people who, contrary to popular knowledge, had already been invaded and were being oppressed by the USA who were trying to secure their oil reserves. There is no way to moderate universally what is considered good and evil. Every man believes in some way that their own actions are just and righteous whilst also believing that their enemy’s actions are acts of evil purely because they oppose his own wishes thus making all man good in his own eyes yet evil in the eyes of those he opposes. Each and every one of us must decide for ourselves what is good and what is evil, and yet we must still conform to the â€Å"norms† of society. The definition of what is right and what is wrong may come from many different places. Some blindly accept what society tells then to where others question society and still others actively oppose society’s views. Some get their definition from the relative religious scripture and follow that without question whereas others merely see it as a general guideline whereupon to base their actions. I believe that the concepts of good and bad, righteousness and evil, just and unjust exist purely to justify man’s actions and that they have and will continue to change to fit the person whose action requires justifying. Alas, these unflinching opposing forces are bound to perpetually clash as they strive for a balance. For without either life as we know it could never exist, perhaps life at all could not exist.

Comparison of Modern Women and of Ancient Greece

Greece were a little more than virtual slaves, themselves. From the day of their birth, up to their deaths, females were constantly controlled by a master, normally the father than overtaken by her husband. Girls approximately the age of 1 5 were chosen an appropriate suitor by their fathers, usually a man already more than twice her age (p. 75). Most men spent little time at home; therefore, the wives dominated home life through her skills of sewing, cooking, spinning, weaving, and preserving the slaves of the family household.On average there were plenty of slaves to help with the dally chores, only the most destitute homes was the lady responsible for these duties alone. Therefore, wives In some aspect were more privileged than women in our present society, where the domestic labor Is generally completed single-handedly. Women had specific boundaries in society and the events that took place there. Women didn't have the privilege of voting, and were allowed no entitlement into pub lic office. Although women were forbidden in political positions, they were Greek citizens and could not be violated or sold into slavery (p. 4). They were prohibited from watching the Olympic Games as they contained fragments of nudity, and were only permitted to participate in chariot racing. (Graham) Public roles that women were encouraged to take role in were funerals, weddings, and religious celebrations where they could socialize outside of the home. â€Å"A wife's main duty, apart from managing the household, was to provide a male heir n order to maintain the family's hold over its property,† The Western Experience.Since men dictated all property in classical Greece, it was a necessity to produce boys in addition to girls. It is difficult to depict the ancient feminine lives of the Greeks exactly, as we have no recorded verification documented directly by them. A number of Greek gods and written Greek epics portray women as leaders, and are sharply admired by men. Sour ces.

Evidence based practice critique and application Dissertation

Evidence based practice critique and application - Dissertation Example The aforementioned article reports the findings of a randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled monotherapy trial which was conducted with the aim of elucidating the efficacy and the safety profile of the pharmacological agent Pregabalin in patients who were suffering from Fibromyalgia (Arnold, et al., 2008). Moreover, as a co-primary objective, this study also aimed at determining the impact of Pregabalin on other parameters and symptoms of fibromyalgia, in addition to pain, in patients in which a significant improvement in pain was found (Arnold, et al., 2008). The study assessed the outcomes of a group of 750 patients suffering from fibromyalgia (as diagnosed using the American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia) who were randomly assigned to two different groups, viz. those who received placebo and those who received Pregabalin in three different doses (i.e. 300 mg/dL, 400 mg/dL and 600 mg/dL) twice a day for a cumulative period of 14 weeks (Arnold, et al., 200 8). ... pain score and the PGIC and FIQ scores, amongst patients who received Pregabalin as compared to those who received the placebo (Arnold, et al., 2008). Moreover, all the three tested doses of Pregabalin were found to be efficacious in improving sleep and were not found to be associated with any major adverse affects. Thus, the study concluded that the use of Pregabalin as a monotherapy for the alleviation of the symptoms of fibromyalgia was both safe and efficacious over a dose range of 300-600mg/dL, over a treatment period of upto 14 weeks (Arnold, et al., 2008). Evaluation of study: In the article â€Å"A 14-week, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Monotherapy Trial of Pregabalin in Patients with Fibromyalgia,† the authors have provided sufficient background information regarding the disorder, its prevalence, common manifestations and possible etiological factors, in the introduction section. Moreover, they have also shed light on the mechanism of action of the pr oposed drug to be used in this study, i.e. Pregabalin. However, with regard to the literature review, in my opinion, the authors have conducted an inadequate literature review and have not reported the findings of the relevant studies. They have just cited a single study and have not explored the topic adequately. Moreover, since the study focuses on monotherapy for fibromyalgia, the authors should have shed some light on the available treatment options for this disorder and whether any treatment regimes which propose the use of a combination of multiple drugs exist. They should have also justified their choice of monotherapy and the pharmacologic agent being used and should have discussed whether this option is the drug of choice for

Film review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Film - Movie Review Example The success of communication and portrayal of the community in a film relies on the directors employment of such elements as light, characterization, visual contents and camera movements among others as the below review of the Punishment park reveals. As stated earlier, pseudo-documentaries are dramatized realities. The director recruits the actors to play specific roles in the film, the plot of such dramatization are always actual events that the producers would wish to communicate to their audience but cannot use the actual victims. While the directors may manipulate the plot to enhance the films relevance among the audience group, they maintain the essence of the film to the actual events they wish to portray. The same is the case in the Punishment Park as the director portrays actual events that transpired during the Vietnam War. The films capture the most traumatizing and inhumane of treatment of people within America, the leading democracy. Additionally, the film portrays abjec t neglect of human rights during the time as President Nixon orders the detainment of people perceived to be enemies of the state. Such a blanket definition of the enemy leave the population vulnerable as anybody without effective identification documents qualifies as an enemy. To enhance the communication of the graphic nature of the film, the director employs visual content strategically thus achieving relevance and effectiveness of communication. Among the elements that the director employ include characterization, the film stars Patrick Boland acting alongside other established actors at the time. The selection of the talents contributes to the success of the film, which relies on the effectiveness of each cast. The cast in the movie fit their roles perfectly thus portrays the essential features the director hoped for in the idea. The relevant cast influences the cast as they depict the inhumane nature of the government’s policy during the Vietnam War. Through the cast, t he film depict both intriguing and disturbing features in President Nixon’s secret operation in Cambodia in a bid to counter the growing antiwar movements. Among the most intriguing features of the film is its portrayal of the desert. The director employs numerous features of film production to ensure that he develops realistic scenery representing the desert. The expansive sand and the enduring setting thus come naturally. Setting is an important aspect of a film that the director achieves by shooting the film in El Mirage Dry Lake in California. An effective setting is important in film that is a pseudo-documentary. In such films, the audience demands an actual or near actual representation of the historical events. The setting thus becomes important since the audience would demand some similarity of the setting to the exact location of the historical occurrences. The most disturbing feature of the film is the maltreatment of the minority group by the government officers. T he setting is harsh as the heat becomes unbearable, they lack basic needs such as food and water but must run for their lives in the expansive sand and soaring heat of the desert. It becomes ironical that the government of the United States a country considered the most civilized and with vibrant civil right groups would permit such inhumane treatments of people without

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assignment - Essay Example Today they give much emphasis on infrastructural changes which can reduce the impacts of those unforeseen contingencies. Many of the ultra modern inventions add to the ongoing environmental issues this way or that. This paper will critically analyse the problems associated with developmental activities and possible remedies that civil engineers can adopt in order for meeting those challenges. Challenges for civil engineers The supersonic growth of modern world necessitates various types of productive activities which would ultimately cause environmental issues. It is not possible to stop constructional activities in order to safeguard the environment. Hence, the civil engineers face extreme challenges with regard to developing protective infrastructure models. In contrast, the rampant growth of construction industry weakens the effectiveness of infrastructural developments. The following parts would introduce some of the recent environmental issues and possible solutions to address t hem. A. Global warming Global warming refers to the phenomenon of increase in the average temperature of earth’s atmosphere, which will result in the increase in volume of water and a consequent rise in the sea-level. The earth absorbs most of the thermal radiations like infrared radiation from the sun and reflects back the remaining part to the atmosphere. These reflected heats are trapped by the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane and ozone; and this process causes the rise in atmospheric temperature. This green house effect due to the existence of green houses gases is the main cause of global warming. Majority scientists are of the opinion that human activities amplify the emission of greenhouse gases and hence global warming. For instance, when refrigerator functions, it releases a harmful compound called chlorofluorocarbon which causes the depletion of ozone layer and contributes to global warming. Similarly, most of the production and constructio n processes emit toxic gases that also deepen the problem. Although there are number of green house gases in the atmosphere, among them carbon dioxide, which is mainly produced as a result of increase in fossil fuel burning vehicles plays major role. The warmer air boosts the water evaporation which produces excessive water vapour in the atmosphere and subsequently the same cycle process repeats. The climate change is the most disastrous outcome of global warming and related environmental difficulties including diminution in agricultural yields. It is too practicable to cut the use of refrigerator or vehicles in order to minimise the CO2 emission; the only way is to develop improved technology which would impede the problem in future. The invention of non fossil fuels such as solar energy and nuclear energy may help to answer the issue of global warming because they normally do not cause carbon emission. Civil engineers can do a lot in addressing the impacts of global warming which in turn will minimise the climate changes. As suggested in Minority report on global warming and the role of civil engineering, engineers should try to develop infrastructural frame works with the minimum usage of ‘concrete foundations, kiln-fired brick and concrete walling blocks, steel or concrete frames, ground-bearing floor slabs, glass, aluminium and steel profile sheeting’

How nutrition relates to bone health Research Paper

How nutrition relates to bone health - Research Paper Example The following analysis will help the reader to understand the key building blocks that are required by the body in order to perform and maintain a healthy skeletal system. Firstly, and most obviously, calcium as well as vitamin K and vitamin D are the most basic and important building blocks of proper bone strength and nutrition. Although calcium is what is primarily focused upon with regards to maintaining proper bone density and health, both vitamin K and vitamin D help to regulate the levels of calcium in the blood stream as well as to encourage and discourage the way that this calcium is synthesized within the bone marrow itself (Marian 440). Although this vitamin and nutrient are often mentioned in the same breath with bone health and nutrition, few individuals understand the processes that each of these play in proper bone health. Firstly, vitamin D is converted to what is known as calcidiol in the liver. Once this conversion has taken place, the calcidiol is then pumped through the blood stream with the sole intent of seeking to regulate the levels of calcium and phosphate that exist in the blood stream. Calcidiol acts in this way as a hormone to regulate levels of compounds that exist throughout the body (Price 143). By acting in this regulatory fashion, the body is able to make appropriate use of the calcium and phosphate levels that are in the blood stream in order to properly build strong bones. In the same way, vitamin K helps to control the level of calcium binding that takes place within the bone structure. Likewise, in addition to calcium and vitamin K, D, the body needs to maintain adequate levels of magnesium; the second most plentiful mineral, after calcium, in the skeleton. Magnesium has a host of applications with respect to bone health; however, for the purposes of this brief analysis it can understood to have a direct and profoundly important effect on the boney matrix that helps to give bones their density and

The Truth outside Society in Penns Into the Wild Essay

The Truth outside Society in Penns Into the Wild - Essay Example Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch) is a modern version of Thoreau and Into the Wild is his Walden. Director Sean Penn uses Jon Krakauer’s book that has the same title to depict the inspiring life of McCandles. McCandless leaves everything behind- his family, savings, and material belongings- so that he can experience what it means to truly live. Some people might think that McCandless is a reckless nut and a narcissist, but he can also be seen in a more complex way. McCandless is reckless in a way that he is not fully knowledgeable enough to survive his â€Å"great Alaska adventure,† but he is not a wacko and a narcissist; instead, he should be admired for his naturalist idealism on human existence, wherein he reconnects to his soul through nature, while at the same time stimulating others to search inward for their happiness too. McCandless is reckless in a way because he fails to understand the range of skills and knowledge required to survive his lifelong dream. His lif elong dream is more than escaping the bitterness of his family’s reality because since he was a young child, he found happiness in his wanderings. He tells Ron Franz (Hal Holbrook) that he does not live alone and in the wild because he is â€Å"destitute,† but because it is his choice. He believes that travelling is the best way to live. Being a â€Å"tramp,† which refers to people like him who are nomads by choice, however, is not easy, especially in the wild. McCandless buys a book on local flora and fauna, but because of his lack of knowledge and skills in understanding the difference among plants, he eats a poisonous plant that looks like a wild potato root. This plant has the side effect of starvation and death if left untreated. His death is a product of his lack of full understanding of the forces that he must be able to handle in the wild. The scene where he dies alone is one of the reasons why some people criticize McCandless as a narcissist because he thinks he is good enough to survive alone. Instead of seeing him as a narcissist, he is more of a reckless inexperienced young man who has not attained critical knowledge and skills for long-run survival in Alaska. Perhaps if he studied Alaska for a few years, it could have increased his chances for survival. But he is impatient and he wants to live his dream immediately and because of this, he faces higher risks. McCandless’ recklessness is in his reluctance to wait and to be the best supertramp for his Alaska adventure. Despite some degree of recklessness, McCandless is not a wacko because he is prepared for his journey physically and mentally. Physically, he is an athlete, so he has the stamina to live off the land. He has the physical framework that gives him the strength and endurance for long-run walking and running. Moreover, McCandless has mentally prepared himself for the physical demands of trekking, hunting, and cooking and keeping himself warm during winter season . McCandless knows the risks of his tramp lifestyle and makes necessary preparations to ensure his self-reliance. For instance, he learned how to survive in Alaska from a friend. His friend told him what to do with his food once he kills it. McCandless also worked on a calisthenics program through exercise and walking steep mountains every day, so that his body can withstand the physical rigors of continuous mountain hiking. Also, in the beginning of the film, McCandless sends a note that he has bought a book on local flora and fauna, which means that he wants to know about the land, so that he can survive it alone. He adds that he has â€Å"stocked all necessary comforts to live off the land for a few months.† He used his money from the last job he held at Burger King to buy essential supplies. These preparations indicate that he used his

The role of perceived value in the relationship of switching cost and Essay

The role of perceived value in the relationship of switching cost and customer loyalty in e-commerce 04242 - Essay Example In the contemporary world of consumer marketing, customer loyalty has received immense importance as the success of an organisation is dependent on it (Reichheld and Schefter, 2000). There are many studies related to customer loyalty; however, there are few which highlight the role of perceived value in relation with switching cost and customer loyalty. In this project, eCommerce industry is selected and the relation is examined with the help of primary and secondary research. There are many studies pertaining to customer loyalty and switching cost; however, there are few regarding the affect of perceived value on both the factors. This prompted the researchers to do extensive research on the topic and examine the relation in the eCommerce industry. The researchers have defined customer loyalty as the behavioural and attitudinal measures for assessing the success of an organisation. With regard to attitudinal perspective, it is viewed as particular desire for continuing the relationship with the service providers (Anderson and Cunningham, 2008; Yang and Peterson, 2004). However, the behavioural view explains that customer loyalty can be defined as the repeat patronage of the individuals towards a particular brand. It is dependent on the number of times a purchaser has chosen the product or service from a definite category. This frequency is compared with the total number of purchases that is made earlier in order to examine the level of customer loyalty (Anderson and Cunningham, 2008). Customer perceived value is significant for examining the purchase behaviour of an individual (Yen, 2009). The customers get a number of opportunities during any online shopping; hence, the brands have to maintain a good relationship with the customers so that the switching cost is not high. Nevertheless, perceived value contributes loyalty towards the consumers by providing a number of alternatives (Anderson and

EMPLOYMENT LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

EMPLOYMENT LAW - Essay Example If the employee is under a contractual agreement with his employers, he/she is bound by the terms and conditions of the contract, and barring unforeseen circumstances which renders the performance of any terms, untenable or unenforceable; he/she has to strictly abide by such covenants. However in the case of agency workers, the contract would be one that is entered between the agency and the employee and this would form the locus of the employment. It is first of necessary to define what an employment agency business is about. It could be said to be a business of â€Å"providing services (whether by the provisions of information or otherwise) for the purpose of finding workers employment with employers or if supplying employers with workers for employment by them† (Employment agencies. 2006). of existing law but there are some agencies that indulge in malpractices that may bring the entire agency business into disrepute. Thus it is specifically to deal with issues that bring about a bad reputation to the business of employment agency that it has become necessary to enforce legal strictures. Prohibited  from charging fees from potential work seekers. This is because the law does not wish to make a commercial transaction of just employment seeking, and not work performed for gainful employment. The nine aspects under the Equal Status Laws in which discrimination is termed as illegal are: On the grounds of gender , marital status- whether married or unmarried, family status, sexual preferences, religion professed, age, race, color, nationality, ethnic or national origins, presence of disability, membership of traveler community (What is the Employment Equality Act? 1998). In a leading case law of James v. Greenwich London Borough Council, the claimant was employed in the Council’s services until 1997. She ceases work and subsequently began work again in September 2001 after moving

Psychology (A Field Guide to the Workaholic) Essay

Psychology (A Field Guide to the Workaholic) - Essay Example They are akin to function like this even at the cost of their family, health and a good night's sleep! Any place other than their place of work does not augur well with them. Such wild workers are labeled as 'workaholics' and 'workophiles'. They live in their own wilderness of their work castles. Work becomes their only source of fortitude, security and identity. Their place of solace is work and work alone. Work also helps them escape from the world. Work emerges as a shield for them. There is only one track of life for them. To paraphrase Bible, "Live thy life by the sweat of thy work" - evolves as the most fundamental principle for them. "Workaholics are out of balance" for, as hard worker, they "will be at [their] desk, thinking about the ski slopes.workaholic[s] will be on the ski slopes thinking about [their] desk" (Goodman, 2006). This 'workaholic' pattern is coming up as a potential disease in United States where some institutions tend to work nearly 24 hours a day for seven days a week! Here, primary concerns are efficiency, customer satisfaction, and the wide spread principle and belief that stresses for "time is money". This trend is eating on the nerves of almost every modern United States (US) citizen. About four types of workaholics are there in US today. First, there are those who do their work quite near to perfection. Secondly, those who just remain at work place without doing much of their work. Thirdly, there are those who keep on making careless mistakes for they have not learnt to say "no". They will not stop even for a while. They will just go on doing their work relentlessly. The fourth types are those who are always busy with finding deepest details of their work even if such details are not required. The result is endless surging ahead of diversified individual and social stresses, tensions and uncalled for socially harmful tendencies like recurring personality complexes and likely suicidal possibilities leading to personality imbalances and social disharmony. For Gayle Porter, workaholics quite incapable of institutional team work and leadership. They try to concentrate all work in their hands only. They start considering work as their source of power apparently. They thus become highly emotional and possessive and obsessive about their work. As such, varied crises emerge. The workaholic tries to utilize this situation to his own advantage without much of an achievement and accomplishment levels. Workaholics suffer a lot due to their idiosyncrasies and esoteric whims. Instead of workaholics' obsession, those workers are able to do much better work in terms of quality and quantity who go for normal off days and permissible holidays for relaxation and enjoyment. Any type of obsession does not serve a positive purpose. Normal performance and steady progress of work leads to productive results. Opinion about the Article This article is an analytical piece of work. It serves its purpose of highlighting pejorative effects of obsessive patterns of behavior and working trends. Its emphasis on the need to function in a balanced way is also appropriate. The overall style and tenor of this piece is highly edifying for it warns against work and administrative excesses. This article also points to human questions of

Breakfast at Tiffanys Essay Example for Free

Breakfast at Tiffanys Essay The movie begins appropriately with the lead Holly Goligthly having breakfast outside of Tiffany’s in New York and already that sets the tone of the whole movie. She’s dressed in a black Givenchy dress and her hair resembles something of a pineapple. She is looking in to the store and we see her perfectly polished reflection in the well-polished windows. Appropriately I say, since the title says just that, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Even though is seems unimportant, just a title, Tiffany’s plays a central role throughout the movie but not just as a location for several of the scenes. It represents everything Holly wants and doesn’t seem able to get or allow herself to want. Holly as a character is a very intriguing creature. Her quirkiness and seemingly free-spirit leaves me wanting to emulate her, doing my hair and make-up in the same way and act like she does. It’s not until the middle of the movie when I realize that under that perfect exterior lays a very broken and confused spirit. The ideas of the perfect and glamorous feel of Tiffany’s are nouns Holly tries to apply to herself. The presumed shallowness of the sales people and the expensive merchandise makes me understand that for her, money and the played identity of Holly Golightly, controls her life. It leaves me with a sense of longing to understand this complex personality and question was lies beneath the surface. It becomes clearer throughout the film that even though it seems very shallow there is a compassion and depth to Holly and so also to Tiffany’s. One of my favorite scenes that clearly represent this is when Holly and Paul Varjak spend a day doing things they have never done before and end up at Tiffany’s. Due to the censorship of the time, the movie was released in 1961, it is never outspoken, but definitely clear what lengths both Holly and Paul, will go for money. In this scene money is not the focus, and the ring from the Kracker Jacks becomes a representation of the humanity in not only Holly but Tiffany’s and even the city of New York. Every decision the director has made in this film is very carefully selected, and even though the details are very subtle at first glance, they all support the idea I believe the film is trying to portray. New York as the big, glamorous city where wealth and beauty seem like a commodity. The belief that anybody can pretend to be what they want, or in Holly’s case, hide what they are. Every detail becomes important. Holly dressing almost exclusively in black but when she thinks she has finally gotten what she want, knits a red dress. Her empty apartment that in that same moment gets decorated and the only reason we know it’s not real is because the cat still has no name. There are so many different layers to this film and I guess that is why it has become a classic. Every time you see it you discover new details or change your mind about the mysterious and ever changing Holly.

Comparison Of Building Vulnerability Assessment Methods Engineering Essay

Comparison Of Building Vulnerability Assessment Methods Engineering Essay A review of vulnerability assessment methods for buildings is conducted out with a view to evaluate their appropriateness for use in seismic risk assessment. A ranking scheme has been developed to score each vulnerability assessment method. The ranking considers general description of vulnerability, building response factors, variance in output, applicability and ease of use, which are the major characteristics for vulnerability assessment tools used in seismic risk assessment. A case study in the older portion of Dhaka city, Bangladesh has been conducted to investigate the efficiency of some state-of-the- art vulnerability assessment methods. The hybrid vulnerability scale, which uses a FEMA 310 and IITK GSDMA approaches score high in the ranking, whilst the other scales based on the Rapid Visual Screening FEMA 154, Euro Code 8, New Zealand Guidelines, Modified Turkish Method and NRCC perform differently in various weighting scenarios. However, it is found that none but the hybrid ( which includes the local site specific issues as well as the results from non destructive testing and experimental data) method effectively suits all the criteria essential for their use in seismic risk assessment, especially emphasis on physical vulnerability factors, applicability and variances in output. Keywords vulnerability assessments, physical vulnerable parameters, seismic risk assessment 1. Introduction Seismic risk assessment is a vital tool to manage the growing risk in the face of the ever-increasing exposure in highly seismic regions. Due to the changes in the built environment and continuously evolving seismic sciences, it is essential to refine the risk assessment modeling continuously. In particular, vulnerability of buildings to ground shaking is recognized as a key element in any seismic risk model (Spence et al. 2008). Therefore, seismic vulnerability assessment is an essential tool for governments and individuals to mitigate the consequences of earthquakes. Existing vulnerability assessment methodologies vary with various postulations proposed for the characterization and prediction of earthquake hazard and the methodology used to evaluate building regarding the hazard (FEMA 1999; Bertogg et al. 2002). The development of a region-wide seismic vulnerability assessment framework, such as FEMA 310 for the US (FEMA 1999), requires a unique vulnerability assessment tool to acc ommodate all the above mentioned issues. Within this paper, a comparison and critical review of existing vulnerability assessment methodologies for buildings is conducted out, with a view to their utilization in a region-wide seismic risk assessment. A hybrid method consisting of FEMA 310 (FEMA 1999) and IITK GSDMA (Durgesh 2005) has been set up to evaluate vulnerability, combining an analysis of building typologies with expert judgment. Background information on the most significant vulnerability assessment methods are provided in the paper together with their advantages and disadvantages for use in seismic risk assessment. Moreover, the seismic vulnerability for contemporary and historical 93 buildings in old Dhaka City, Bangladesh has been assessed as a case study to show the spatially distributed qualitative risk within the area with the help of different vulnerability assessment tools. Finally, a scoring method is proposed to qualitatively represent the relative rankings of the selected vulnerability assessment tools t o find out a suitable uniform approach to be used for seismic risk assessment. 2. Selection of suitable building classification system Vulnerability can be defined as the susceptibility of buildings to damage in presence of seismic ground motion (Hill and Rossetto 2008). The evaluation of building vulnerability is a basic part of any risk assessment methodology. An accurate, transparent and conceptually sound algorithm for assessing the seismic vulnerability of the building stock is one of the main ingredients in a seismic risk model and indeed over the past 30 years many tools and methodologies have been proposed for this purpose. This study takes an overview on some of the most noteworthy contributions in the field of vulnerability assessment and the key advantages and disadvantages of these procedures have been identified in order to distinguish the main characteristics of an ideal methodology (Calvi et al. 2006). In vulnerability studies, it is essential to differentiate various building types, since, different types of buildings tend to respond in a different way under similar ground motions (Tesfamariam and Sa atcioglu 2008). Hence, the buildings should be classified according to their similar dynamic properties, before the conducting a vulnerability assessment of an urban area. The parameters that influence the dynamic response of a structure to ground motion are well recognized, for example, in Euro code 8 (BSSC 2003; CEN 2004), and embrace the structures geometrical and material properties. A building classification system that considers a high-degree of segregation in vulnerability studies and an enhanced estimate of the financial losses, has been expressed elsewhere (Carvalho et al. 2002). This study focuses on the dominant building types of the Indian region (Alam et el. 2010), which comprises mainly of reinforced concrete buildings and masonry buildings. 3. Existing seismic vulnerability assessment methodologies: an overview Table 1 in Appendix A briefly describes each vulnerability assessment tool selected and the rationale for their selection. It is obvious that the review is not extensive; however, the tools have been selected for the predominant building classes as well as to the contemporary practices in seismic vulnerability assessment of buildings. From the literature, it is evident that, there is a lack of unified vulnerability assessment technique, which covers the entire local as well as the global parameters. To cover the location-specific physical components present in both the developed and the developing countries, a hybrid method has been formulated for the vulnerability assessment of existing structures incorporating FEMA 310 (FEMA 1998, 2003, ASCE 1998) and IITK GSDMA (Durgesh 2005) methods. Other vulnerability assessment tools are chosen from a wide range of published and peer reviewed papers in seismology, structural vulnerability, and earthquake engineering fields. Since, most of the tools have been developed for some particular circumstances, such as vulnerability assessment in the field, for structural analysis etc. they may not contain some of the uniqueness specified in the scoring structure. However, they are included in this study, as either elements of these guidelines or tools have been used in past seismic vulnerability assessment of buildings or they illustrate a distinctive characteristic, which is essential in a tool for the seismic vulnerability assessment. 4. Investigation of the suitability of different vulnerability assessment tools: a case study A case study of 93 buildings of older portion of Dhaka city-the capital of Bangladesh (Alam et al. 2010) has been selected to evaluate the suitability of various vulnerability assessment tools for seismic risk assessment. The predominant structural types, specially associated with medium to high seismicity, present in South Asian countries have been presented in the building classification system. After considering building inventories of different countries of South Asian region, it was found that South Asian building inventory is primarily composed of reinforced concrete buildings and masonry buildings. The study includes Bangladesh (CDMP 2009), Nepal (AUDMP 2007), and India (Durgesh 2005) for classifying major building classes for the area. There exist some other types, such as adobe (mud house), tin-shed housing, timber and steel structures etc, which contribute a very small proportion of the existing inventory with moderate to high seismicity. The premier resolutions of relevant building type sub-categories for the vulnerability assessment are the reinforced concrete frames with and without masonry infill as well as the unreinforced masonry buildings for the study area. The seismic vulnerability of buildings in the stock varies widely with different vulnerable factors (Hugo 2002). The principal vulnerability factors used in the categorization of buildings in the study area are structure type (the main lateral force resisting system of buildings), number of story, and code level (seismic design standard applied in the design of buildings). Moreover, architectural features which are the parameters for defining geometry of buildings such as story height, span length, presence of open first-storey etc. act as factors for the vulnerability assessment. Several structural features may be considered as the factor affecting vulnerability of buildings. These factors include soft story, heavy overhang, short column, pounding possibility between adjacent buildings, and visible ground settlement. During this study a number of vulnerable factors were identified that are comprehensively discussed here. According to Turkish method (Bommer et al. 2002, Tesfamariam a nd Saatcioglu 2010), the level of building damage during earthquakes depends on the apparent building quality which is, in turn, related to the quality of construction materials, workmanships and building maintenance. Well-trained observers can classify a buildings quality roughly as good, moderate, or poor. Many building collapses during seismic events may be ascribed to the absence of the bracing elements (e.g. available walls in the upper floors) in the ground floor, and hence develop a ground floor soft in the horizontal direction. The plastic deformations at the plastic hinge points of the columns can develop an undesirable sway mechanism with a large concentration of the plastic deformations at the column ends (Hugo 2002). Hence, the soft story buildings exhibit a less safe behavior than the similar regular structures during moderate and severe earthquake. Normally, this situation can be resulted from the building that locates along the side of the main street as the first sto ry is being used for a commercial space that has opening between the frame members for customer circulation. Figure 1 shows some of the examples of soft story (ground floors being used as shop) in Shakhari Bazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In addition to soft stories, another vulnerable factor, termed as heavy overhanging floors in multistory buildings lead to irregularity in stiffness and mass distributions (Hugo 2002). From the earthquake engineering view point, these irregular plan shapes are undesirable as they cause inappropriate dynamic behaviors when subjected to horizontal earthquake ground motion. Typical heavy overhangs found in the old part of Dhaka City are shown in figure 2. Moreover, the shear failure of short columns is another major cause of building collapse during a seismic event (Hugo 2002). It is also termed as squat columns, i.e. columns having relatively high thickness compared to their height, and most of the cases are fixed in strong beams or slabs. By unintentional addition of parapet infill in frame structures, slender columns can also be converted into short columns. In case of short columns with significant bending capacity, enormous moment gradient can develop a large shear force under horizontal actions of a seismic event, which generally leads to a shear failure before the plastic moment capacity is being reached (Hugo 2002). It was observed after the August 17th, 1999 earthquake in Turkey (Mw=7.4) that a large number of buildings were damaged due to the presence of short columns (Saatcioglu et al. 2001). Damage due to pounding can also be observed after almost every earthquake events. Different vibration periods and non-synchronized vibration amplitudes cause the close buildings to knock together. Buildings subjected to pounding receive heavier damage on higher stories (NZSEE 2000, 2003). Topographic amplification may also increase ground motion intensity on hilltops during earthquake; hence, this factor should be taken into account in the seismic risk assessment. In the last not the least, building shape and elevation are major factors affecting buildings during an earthquake. It was evident from the experience of different seismic events, that the buildings with irregular shape are more damaging than the buildings of regular shape (Hugo 2002). Similarly elevation of building is also another important factor responsible for structural/building damage during an earthquake. Narrow tall buildings are more vulnerable during an earthquake (Hugo 2002). Figure 3 shows vertical irregularity of an existing building in the study area. There exists a numerous numbers of vulnerability assessment techniques, that utilize various types of vulnerability factors. Table 2 summarizes different vulnerability factors, which are frequently, used in different seismic vulnerability assessment techniques utilized in the study. From this study, it can easily be identified that some of the seismic vulnerability assessment techniques are very robust, e.g. FEMA 310, FEMA 154 etc, whereas in case of some other methods, (e.g. Euro Code 8) some of the major vulnerability parameters are not clearly defined. The results from the assessment of 93 buildings in the study area are depicted in the figure 4. For risk evaluation, it is required to collect, analyze and properly match a huge quantity of data. Geographic information system (GIS) can effectively be utilized to manage and overlay the information levels and graphical output of the results (Codermatz 2003). Therefore, a geographical information system (GIS) database has been developed to represent the spatial distribution of the vulnerable buildings for different assessment techniques within the study area. Figure 5 shows the distribution of vulnerable buildings in GIS environment, resulted with the use of FEMA 154 method, which shows that most of the buildings fall under very high risk group. Whereas, the distribution of risk classes within the buildings are in a wide range in case of hybrid method, depicted in figure 6. The distribution of vulnerable buildings assessed by Euro Code 8 and NRCC are also presented in figure 7 and figur e 8 respectively, which show comparatively lower risk variances. 5. Vulnerability assessment methodology scoring system The general description of vulnerability assessment methods which include the input variables, are very useful for the people involved in the field directly, where as the information about physical measurable parameters are necessary for the detailed analysis of a structure and the decision makers utilize the description of output for generating an effective decision (Hill and Tizina 2008). A reliability or performance scoring system has been developed to rank the vulnerability assessment methodologies according to the criteria mentioned above. The proposed scoring system consisting of 3 main sections with 17 sub-categories is depicted in Table 2 of Appendix A. The score obtained in each of the 3 sections is given equal weighting in the computation of the total reliability score for vulnerability assessment. The system tries to reduce most of the subjectivity implicated in the ranking of different vulnerability assessment methods. Since, some subjectivity has been utilized to assign the categories, the resultant scores can be utilized only as a qualitative representation of performance or reliability. To provide a clear indication of each methodologys performance or reliability, an affirmative score is given as 3 points, a moderate score is given as 2, a negative score 0 point, whereas the method partially fulfills the requirement is given 1 point. Since, experimental value provides data based on real-life experiences, it is more preferred in the scoring system. Analytical and judgment-based values are considered as second and third best respectively. For the sub-categories, the scoring is based on the Table 3 of Appendix A. This scoring for reliability or performance has been applied to the vulnerability assessment methods applicable for mainly reinforced concrete buildings as well as unreinforced masonry building types. Category A of the scoring system in Table 2 deals with the basic input description of vulnerability assessment tools, i.e. ease of measurement (Saatcioglu, et al. 2001), range of buildings types covered (FEMA 2002, ASCE 2003, UNDRO 1980), site specific factors, including local and global aspects regard (ASCE 2003, ASCE 1988, NRCC 1993, Durgesh 2005) .This is important for the people working in the field measurement. In category B mostly physical measurable vulnerability factors have been considered, which is very useful for analyzing the structural behavior. It deals with the scope of vulnerable parameters (ASCE 2003), quantity of database (ATC 2004), applicability of tools as non-structural components of the structures (NRCC 1993). Finally category C of the proposed scoring system utilizes the involvement of the output factors, which encompasses the well defined vulnerability scales (FEMA 2002) (ASCE 2003), risk variances (ASCE 2003, Durgesh 2005), impact of non-structural components as well as the adoptability (NRCC 1993). This category mainly focuses on the preferences for the decision makers. For different specific needs, risk assessment specialists may prefer different weightings on the scoring categories. The categories are weighted according to four different scenarios (I-IV) as depicted in Table 4 of Appendix A. These weightings give a maximum score of 51 points in each case which are only for illustrative indication. An example of use of the proposed scoring method is given in Table 5 of Appendix A. The final ranking for the vulnerability assessment tools considered is shown in Table 6 of Appendix A. The individual scores are given in Table 7 of Appendix A 6. Discussion on vulnerability assessment method scoring This section discusses about the performance of different vulnerability assessment tools in different scoring categories in wider aspect for all the weighting scenarios proposed. At this point it is essential to re-state that the vulnerability assessment ranking reflects how appropriate the method is for use in seismic risk assessment. To rank the techniques, several weighting scenarios have been utilized with the calculated scores. For weighting scenario I, equal weighting for each category was adopted which provides an overall view of the vulnerability assessment methods performances. The authors believe that each of the identified features is equally important and it is suggested that proposed scoring system utilizes this weighting scenario. Hybrid method, NRCC (NRCC 1993) guidelines and FEMA 154 (FEMA 2002, ATC 1998) rank the top three positions for the weighting scenario I. The Hybrid method contains detailed descriptions for different classes of buildings and has a well defined methodology for calculating physical vulnerability factors. The ASCE 31 standard (FEMA 310) is not a building code.  Ã‚  It is a method of evaluating existing buildings to determine if they meet seismic performance objectives such as Life Safety or Immediate Occupancy.   NRCC guideline follows the similar principles as the hybrid one; however, the calibration for building typology for NRC guidelines considers the Canadian construction practice. Fundamentally, the score ( seismic priority index) in NRCC is related to the seismic risk for a particular building, given the occurrence of an earthquake equivalent to that specified in the National Building Code of Canada (NRCC 1993). It is to be used as an initial assessment for deciding which building should have more detailed evaluation in order of priority. Moreover, the effect of torsional irregularities has not been taken in to account. In FEMA 154, the score was affected by the lack of sufficiently detailed analysis; rather it e ncompasses a rapid visual screening method (FEMA 2002). The use of seismicity regions, rather than site-specific seismic hazard data, for the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) procedure substantially reduces the accuracy of results because the calculations use levels of ground motion which differ from the levels of ground motion at all sites except those where ground motions are at the median value for a seismicity region. Thus, RVS final scores are systematically shifted and overestimate the level of risk for locations with below-median ground motions and underestimate risk for locations with above median ground motions. In case of weighting scenario II, more weighting is given to general description of vulnerability to highlight the methods suited for in-field measurements. For weighting scenario II, again the same results happened, i.e. Hybrid one out ranked all other approaches. For weighting scenario III, more weighting values have been given to the physical vulnerable parameters. And in case of scenario IV, weighting has been given to the variance in output. For this purpose, a case study of 93 buildings of old Dhaka city of Bangladesh has been conducted. In this case study, different types of buildings have been assessed with various methodologies. Here, Hybrid and NRCC Guidelines ranked the 1st where as FEMA 154 (FEMA 2002, ATC 1998) and NZ Code ranked 2nd and 3rd. The variation and the results of the assessment have been depicted in Figure 5 through Figure 8. In weighting scenario V, more conscious was given to Canadian present construction practices (Cook 1999, Onur et al. 2004). Here, the Hybrid as well as the NRCC method outranked the other methods. 7. Scoring Summary with Different Multi Criteria Decision Making Tools The proposed scoring system is a wide-ranging tool to compare different vulnerability assessment methods in the context of ease of use and applicability. It cannot catch all the parameters, but qualitatively gives a better indication of the suitable seismic vulnerability assessment method for buildings. First of all, it can be remarked that, the positions of the methods in the ranking change markedly between the different weighting scenarios. Of the considered seismic vulnerability assessment methods, it is seen that the Hybrid method composed of FEMA 310 (FEMA 1998, 2003, ASCE 1998) and IITK-GSDMA outperforms other vulnerability assessment in all respects. However, NRCC (NRCC 1993) method also performs adequately, where the guideline was developed specifically with Canadian buildings in mind, though certain features are lacking within the description of detailed analysis. Nonetheless, for all the weighting scenarios, the proposed hybrid method performs well and should be considered as the preferred alternative. Moreover, the presence of FEMA 154, Euro Code 8(Milutinovic and Trendafiloski 2003, CEN 2004) and New Zealand Guidelines (NZSEE 2000, 2003) in the ranking system are notable. However, it is clear that the methods do not capture a sufficient quantity of characteristics that are required of such a guideline for the particular weighting scenarios. In this study different multi criteria decision making tools (e.g. AHP. Elctre I Is, and TOPSIS) have been utilized to find out the suitable most alternative. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a decision-aiding method developed by Saaty (Saaty 1980). The main goal of AHP is to quantify the relative priorities for a given set of alternatives on a ratio scale, based on the judgment of the decision-maker, and stresses the significance of the perceptive judgments of a decision- maker as well as the consistency of the comparison of alternatives in the decision-making process (Saaty 1990). Whereas ELECTRE I (Benayoun et al, 1966; Roy 1971) is an overall method of ranking alternative systems in the presence of qualitative criteria. The idea in this algorithm is to choose those nodes (i.e. alternative systems) which are preferred for most of the criteria and yet do not cause an unacceptable level of discontent for any one criterion. Moreover in case of TOPSIS (Technique for Order pre ference by Similarity to Ideal Situation) method, the selected alternative should be as close to the ideal solution as possible and as far from the negative-ideal solution as possible. The ideal solution is formed as a combination of the best performance values revealed in the decision matrix by any option for each attribute. The negative-ideal solution is the combination of the worst performance values. Propinquity to each of these performance poles is measured in the Euclidean sense (e.g., square root of the sum of the squared distances along each axis in the attribute space), with elective weighting of each attribute (Olson 2004). By utilizing Electre I Is (Hwang and Yoon 1981) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (Yang and Lee 1997); it was found that the proposed hybrid method outranks all the methods in all cases (Figure 10 and Figure 11). Finally TOPSIS method (Chu 2002) has validated the same decision about the proposed hybrid method to be the preferred one. In the context of decision making and field measurement, hybrid method consisting of FEMA 310 (FEMA 1998, 2003, ASCE 1998) and IITK-GSDMA is recommended. Whereas, if the rapid assessment of buildings is the major concern, vulnerability assessment through FEMA 154 (FEMA 2002, ATC 1998) and NRCC (NRCC 1993) guidelines should also be considered as the preferred options. 8. Conclusion This study has identified significant characteristics that should be included for an appropriate seismic vulnerability assessment method of buildings. A scoring system has been proposed for the qualitative review of various vulnerability assessment techniques and a particular attention was given to potential use in Canada. It is found that a vulnerability assessment technique termed as hybrid method i.e. combination of FEMA 310 (FEMA 1998, 2003, ASCE 1998) IITK GSDMA (Durgesh 2005) captures characteristics to a wider degree that a suitable vulnerability assessment method should posses. However, the proposed hybrid method is calibrated with the data from US and Bangladesh, which can be applied to other regions with slight modifications. In seismic risk assessment, the building vulnerability assessment depends on data from many sources, amongst which, the past earthquake damage survey data are of major concern. Existence of various vulnerability assessment approaches, raises concern over worldwide to have a simplistic effective vulnerability assessment tool, to be useful world-wide. The authors believe that the proposed hybrid method provides a robust basis for vulnerability interpretation and recommended future studies of vulnerability assessment method to combine more consistent and wider descriptions of the parameters for use in seismic risk assessment. Reference: Alam M.J., M. Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan, and M.Roqibul Islam(2006) Seismic Structural Assessment of Damaged Chittagong Public Library Building During 27 July 2003 Earthquake 4th International Conference on Earthquake Engineering Taipei, Taiwan Alam M. N., K. Mashfiq, A. Rahman, and S. M. Haque , (2010)Seismic vulnerability assessment of buildings in heritage and non-heritage areas in the older part of Dhaka city, 3rd International Earthquake Symposium, Bangladesh Dhaka, March 5-6, 2010, ISBN: 978-984-8725-01-6 ATC (1987), Evaluating the seismic resistance of existing buildings, ATC 14. Applied Technology Council, Redwood City, California. ASCE (2003), Sismic evaluation of buildings, ASCE/SEI 31-03. Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Virginia. ASCE (1988a). Rapid visual screening of buildings for potential seismic hazards: a handbook, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA-154, Washington, D.C. ATC 21 (2004), Rapid visual screening of buildings for potential seismic hazards training manual, ATC-21-T, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY Washington, DC ASCE (1998), Handbook for the seismic evaluation of buildings a pre-standard, American Society of Civil Engineers for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA 310 Report, Washington D.C. ASCE (2003), Seismic evaluation of buildings, ASCE/SEI 31-03, Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Virginia. ATC-21 (1998), Rapid visual screening of buildings for potential seismic hazards: a handbook, Applied Technology Council, Redwood city, CA, USA. AUDMP (2007), www.adpc.net/audmp/audmp.html Benayoun, R., Roy, B. Sussmann, B. (1966) ELECTRE: une mà ©thode pour quiderle choix en presence de points de vue multiples. Sema (Metra International), Dir. Sci., Note de Travail No. 49, Paris, France. Bertogg M, Hitz L, Schmid E (2002), Vulnerability functions derived from loss data for insurance risk modelling: findings from recent earthquakes. In: Proceedings of the twelfth European conference on earthquake engineering (paper 281), London, September 2002 BIS (2002), IS 1893 (Part I)- Indian standard criteria for earthquake resistant design of structures part I general provisions and buildings, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi. Bommer J, Spence R, Erdik M, Tabuchi S, Aydinoglu N, Booth E, Del Re D, Peterken O, (2002), Development of an earthquake loss model for Turkish catastrophe insurance, J Seismol 6:431- 36 Building Seismic Safety Council National Institute of Building Sciences (BSSC) (2003) NEHRP recommended provisions and commentary for seismic regulations for new buildings and other structures, 2003 Edition (FEMA 450). Washington New Zealand Government (2004), Building Act, Wellington, New Zealand Calvi, G. M., Pinho, R., Magenes, G., Bommer, J. J., Restrepo-Velez, L., Crowley, H. (2006). Development of seismic vulnerability assessment methodologies over the past 30 years. ISET Journal of Earthquake Technology, 43(3), 75-104. Carvalho E, Coelho E, Campos-Costa A, Sousa M, Candeias P (2002), Vulnerability evaluation of residential buildings in Portugal. In: Proceedings of the twelfth European conference on earthquake engineering (paper 696), London, September 2002 Codermatz, R., Nicolich, R., Slejko, D. (2003). Seismic risk assessments and GIS technology: Applications to infrastructures in the friuli-venezia giulia region (NE italy). Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 32(11), 1677-1690. CDMP (2009), http://www.cdmp.org.bd/ C.L. Hwang, K. Yoon (1981), Multiple attribute decision making, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Comità © Europà ©en de Normalization, CEN (2004), Eurocode 8: Design of structures for earthquake resistance- Part 1. General rules, seismic actions and rules for buildings (EN 1998-1). Brussels Cook S. (1999), Evaluation of non-structural earthquake damage to buildings in southwestern British Columbia. M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1999. D. DAyala and A. W. Charleson,(2002), Review of seismic strengthening guidelines for R. C. buildings in developing countries, 12th European Conference on Earthquake Engineering Paper Reference 820 Department of General Services (2002), Seismic safety inventory of California public schools, a Report to the Governor of California and the California State Legislature D. L. Olson (2004), Comparison of weights in TOPSIS models, Mathematical and Computer Modeling, 40, (7) 21-727, 2004. FEMA (1985) An action plan for reducing earthquake hazards for existing buildings, FEMA 90. Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, D.C. FEMA( 1992), NEHRP handbook for the seismic evaluation of existing buildings, FEMA-178. Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, D.C. FEMA 310 (1998), Handbook for the seismic evaluation

The Process Model in Policy Changes

The Process Model in Policy Changes This paper advances the theoretical framework of the stagist heuristic framework or sometimes known as the process model in attempting to explain and analyze the policy activities which led to the enactment of Quebecs Tobacco Act  [1]  of 1998. The main premise of this paper is to evaluate the usefulness of the process model in understanding the policy making process through a comparative study between this model and the Advocacy Coalition framework (ACF). I employ, and borrow, the case study of Bretton et al., (2008) that offers an alternative outlook to the developments of the Tobacco Act using the Advocacy Coalition Framework. This paper concludes with a discussion of the models which satisfactorily reflect the reality of how policies are formulated and enforced. 1. Introduction This paper is organized into 4 parts. Part one sketches the theoretical perspectives of the stagist heuristic model and examines the factors and processes leading to the adoption of the Tobacco Act. Crucially, this part will highlight the critical role of policy actors in affecting policy processes and outcomes. Part Two provides a critical analysis to the effectiveness of the model by elaborating the advantages of the model. Part Three will go on to provide criticisms of the model by comparing it with the advocacy coalition framework used in analyzing the Tobacco Act of 1998. This part will present the many criticisms of the stagist model, using mainly contributions offered by Lindblom Woodhouse (1993) and Sabatier (1999). Finally, Part Four concludes with a brief overall assessment of the framework, considering in particular, its status as an analytical tool for understanding policy making in the real world. In the context of this paper, policy analysis is defined as a set of interrelated decisions taken by a group of political actor or group of actors concerning the selection of goals and the means of achieving them within a specified situation where those decisions should, in principle, be within the power of those actors to achieve (Jenkins, 1978: 35). From Jenkinss (1978) definition above, which acknowledges public policy as a set of interrelated decisions taken by numerous individuals and organizations in government, I will form the basis of this paper. I will focus solely in understanding the processes or what Jenkins (1978) referred to as interrelated decisions leading to the adoption of the Tobacco Act. His definition also correlates to Lasswells conceptualization of knowledge of rather than knowledge in policy making, in which the latter (i.e. knowledge in), is more substantive and prescriptive (Dunn, 1981; Hogwood Gunn, 1984, Hill, 1993). The policy domain is inherently complex, and so analysts have made use of various models of simplification to comprehend the overwhelming situation and to understand it more thoroughly. Through the lens of the stagist heuristic model, policy analysts have been able to synthesize the complexity of such process into a series of functional phases, which frame this overtly political process as a continuous process of policy making. 1.1. The Stagist Heuristic Framework As pioneered by Lasswell (1956), and modified by Jones (1970), Mack (1971), Rose (1973), Anderson (1975), Jenkins (1978), Brewer De Leon (1983) and Hogwood Gunn (1984), this ideal-type framework adopts a technocratic approach to public policymaking, embracing linear and logical progression from agenda setting and concluding with policy evaluation and termination. The chronological orders of the policy life cycle are commonly categorized as problem definition, agenda-setting, policy formulation, implementation and finally evaluation (Dunn, 1981; Hogwood Gunn, 1984; Sabatier, 1999; Dye, 2002; Colebatch, 2002). 1.1.2. Problem recognition and definition. Hitherto, the greatest impetus to the developments of policy science crystallizes on a response to a myriad of social problems within, what Lasswell terms as policy orientation (cited in Dunn, 1981; Hogwood Gunn, 1984; Howlett Ramesh, 2003). Similarly, the process model presupposes the recognition of problem triggered by a felt existence of problems or opportunities (Dunn, 1981). A problem is defined as an unrealized value, need, or opportunity which, however identified, may be attained through public attention (Dunn, 1981: 44) which needs to do something about as pointed out by Wildavsky (1979) a difficulty is a problem only if something can be done about it (Wildavsky, 1979:26). However, problem recognition and definition are not straight forward activities. According to Birkland (2007) because a problem is a process of social construction, as mirrored by Dunn (1981) who states how the problem is in the eye of the beholder (Dunn, 1981: 27), it depends on subjectivity of interpretations held by various stakeholders. And so, the majority ruling may be ill-defined and, at times, may even be misframed  [2]  (Baker, 1977). In addition, as Steiss Deneke (1980) suggests, problems are seldom mutually exclusive because they often exist in a hierarchical relationship to one another, and the solution of one may depend on the solution of another, either higher or lower in the hierarchy (Hogwood Gunn, 1984: 124); therefore may often lead to a further redefinition and modification of the problematical situations (Wohlestetter, 1976; Wildavsky, 1979; McRae Wilde, 1985), which, in turn, lead to the creation and realization of more problems (Wildavsky, 1979), which I go on to address in the following paragraph. Quebecs Tobacco Act was primarily enacted as a response to the growing concerns of the public towards the issue of passive smokers or secondary smokers. As reported by Breton et al. (2008), the Tobacco Act was enacted to protect the fundamental right of non smokers to enjoy a smoke free environment than by the harms to health (Breton, et al., 2008: 1682). However, the definition of the issue leads to the discovery of more social problems. On one hand, problems such as addictiveness of smoking, prevalence of youth smokers (which have significantly lead to raising educational awareness of the hazards of smoking), how the majority of the population are non smokers and, finally, the financial burden to the public health care system are brought to attention. On the other hand, protesters of the bill have contested the lethality to passive smokers, arguing that such intervention might impede the competitiveness of the tobacco industry (through the implementation of tax) and, thus, affect t he economy of the province. In liberal democracies, such as Quebec, problem identification and definition are conceptualized as highly pluralistic, involving diverse policy stakeholders such as the public (population, retailers), individuals (Minister of Health), organizations (e.g. Quebec Division of Cancer society, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health, Hospital industry), interest groups (e.g. Tobacco manufacturers, Non Smokers Right Association, Tobacco workers union, Events Rallying for the Freedom of Sponsorship group), the media, policy communities (Regional Public Health Directorates [RPHD], columnists and journalists, Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control [CQCT] and also mentioned U.S administration) (Dunn, 1981; Sabatier, 1991; Kingdon, 1995; Dye, 2002; Howlett Ramesh, 2003); the actual agenda setting is characterized by different patterns in terms of actor composition and the role of public. There are outside initiation as well as inside initiation  [3]  (May, 1991 cited in Fisher, Miller Sidney, 2007); mobilization and consolidation  [4]  (Howlett Ramesh, 2003). In this case, the tobacco control adheres to Howlett Ramesh (2003) concept of consolidation; whereby due to the impending agitation of the issue amongst the public and subsequent contraband crisis of cigarettes smuggling in the US, policy elites (prominently the new Minister of Health and the National Assembly [NMA]) have seized the opportunity for government legitimacy in tobacco control by, effectively, propagandizing the issue to the public via regularly intervening in the media on different aspects of tobacco control and visiting MNAs cabinets (Breton et al., 2008: 1685). 1.1.3. Agenda setting Next, I explore the agenda setting phase which Birkland (2007) defined as the process by which problems and alternative solutions gain or lose public and elite attention (cited in Fisher, Miller Sidney, 2007: 63). The elevation from systemic agenda into institutional agenda  [5]  is usually dominated by power struggles between groups competing to elevate or block issues from reaching the institutional agenda (Cobb Ross, 1997); acting singly or, more often, by building strategic coalition with others (Sabatier, 1991; Lindblom Woodhouse, 1993). From the case study, this process is signaled by the agenda of the new Minister of Health and the tabling of the bill by the Council of Ministers at the legislative meeting. As part of his strategy in building a winning coalition, the Minister successfully gathers allies and supporters for the bill by establishing the CQCT; embracing Sabatiers ACF model. In addition, Breton et al. (2008) mentioned that the Minister of Health has also announced plans to include in the bill provisions that prohibit active involvement of tobacco companies in sponsoring arts and sports events. Spearheaded by the centralized coordination of the CQCT, the winning coalitions which compose of Non Smokers Association and various municipalities through representatives from the RPHD, effectively debated the bill and gathered political support from the Council of Ministers at the parliamentary commission meetings, which resulted in the official adoption of the bill on February, 1998. 1.1.4. Policy formulation and decision-making. In the traditional stage model of the public policy process, policy formulation is part of the pre-decision phase of policy making in which the political interchange described by Lindblom (1993) as competition of ideas emanates. It involves identifying and/or crafting a set of policy alternatives to address a problem, and narrowing that set of solutions in preparation for the final policy decision. This approach to policy formulation, embedded in a stages model of the policy process, assumes that participants in the policy process recognize and define a policy problem, consequently moving it onto the policy agenda. During this stage of the policy cycle, expressed problems, proposals and demands are transformed into government programs. At the same time, studies of policy formulation have been strongly dominated by the effort to improve practices within governments by introducing the techniques and tools of rational decision making. In all political systems people gather facts, interpret them and debate issues. This stage is when the Minister establishes centralized command through CQCT to formulate the policy to tackle the issue of public smoking. In addition, the continuous dialogue and consultation involved in an agreement of the bill with NGOs, municipalities, health institution, local and regional organizations as well as oppositions falls into this stage. Crucially, the bill was also amended to streamline the phasing out of tobacco industry sponsorship but offered no alternative solution to youth smoking and did not contest the actual harms on health of tobacco use (Breton, et al., 2008: 1 686). Brewer DeLeon (1983) usefully define decision making as the choice among policy alternatives that have been generated and their likely effects on the problem estimatedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is the most overtly political stage in so far as the many potential solutions are winnowed down and but one or a select few picked and readied for use. (Howlett Ramesh, 2003:162). The models on decision making are classified as rationalism which asserts utility maximization to complex policy problems in which policy relevant information was gathered and then focused in a scientific fashion on the assessment of policy options (Howlett Ramesh, 2003:166); and incrementalism which describes policy making as a political activity of maintaining the status quo through gradual and continuation of past policies. 1.1.5. Implementation. Dye (2002) defined implementation as the implementation of policies through organized bureaucracies, public expenditures, and the activities of executive agencies (Dye, 2002: 15). Intra- and inter- organizational coordinating problem and interaction of field of agencies with the target group ranked as the most prominent variables accounting for implementation failures (MacRae Wilde, 1985; Howlett Ramesh, 2003). Another explanation focuses on the policy itself, acknowledging that unsuccessful policy implementation can be, though by no means the only, result of bad implementation, but also bad policy design, based on wrong assumptions about the cause-effect relationship (Hogwood Gunn, 1984; Fisher et al., 2007: 52). The study of implementation is dominated by the concept of top-down centralized implementation and bottom-up implementation. The top-down school or the vertical dimension represented, for instance, by scholars like Van Meter Van Horn (1975), Hood (1976), Gunn (1978), Nakamura Smallwood (1980) and Mazmanian Sabatier (1983), conceive of implementation as the hierarchical execution of centrally defined policy intentions (Fisher et al., 2007:89). Proponents of the bottom-up or horizontal approach include Lipsky (1971, 1980), Ingram (1977), Elmore (1980), and Hjern Hull (1983) who have emphasized the fact that implementation consists of everyday problem strategies of street-level bureaucrats (Pressman Wildavsky, 1973; Colebatch, 2002; Fisher et al., 2007). In this case, the policy implementation correlates closely with the top-down approach because the implementation is based on the commitments and directives from the top echelon of the government i.e. Minister of Health and Ministry of Health. 1.1.5. Evaluation. Finally, evaluation is the post hoc analysis of policies and programmes carried out by government agencies themselves, outside consultants, the press, and the public (Dye, 2002:15) through collecting, testing, and interpreting information about the implementation and effectiveness of existing policies and public programmes (Majone, 1989: 167). The plausible normative rationale is that policy making should be appraised against intended objectives and impacts form the starting point of policy evaluation, which forms the basis for justifying government actions for continuation or termination of public programmes and enables accountability of government offices especially in democratic setting (Majone, 1989). However, from the case study, it is unclear whether any form of evaluation was carried out or not. 2. Advantages. Despite depicting the developments of the Tobacco Act in a series of stages, as mentioned by Hogwood Gunn (1984) in the dividing lines between the various activities are artificial and policy makers are unlikely to perform them consciously or in the implied logical order (Hogwood Gunn, 58), Lasswell, as Hudson Lowe (2004) note, did not conceptualized these stages as real, in the sense that they encompass clear beginnings and ends. Rather, their function being merely analytic-to help us explore different dimensions of the policy process. He [Lasswell] is more concerned with the value systems, institutions and wider social processes that shaped policy in the real world (Hudson Lowe, 2004: 5). Therefore the process model does provide valuable descriptive analysis of the policy process. As explained above, the process model helps to disaggregate an otherwise seamless web of public policy transactions, as each segment and transition are distinguished by differentiated actions and purposes. Furthermore, the cumulative analyses of the various stages, arguably, contribute to the disentangling of the intricate political and social interdependencies, manifested in the policy arena, to bring about an ordered and manageable system  [6]  (DeLeon, 1983). Furthermore, this process framework has significant strategic implications. Firstly, by analyzing the policy actors and processes in discrete stages, it assists in identifying how stakeholders may support or resist health policies (ODI, 2007); and therefore develop strategies in building winning coalitions as mentioned by Easton (1979) which states how the process model lend themselves to the identification and study of interactions, not only among the various stages in the process but also among various participating organizations and between organizations and the lager social and economic environment (cited in Hogwood Gunn, 1989: 25). Although this might be more applicable to the ACF, such advantage also applies to the process model especially during the agenda setting phase. As described above, in the agenda setting phase, the process model highlighted and identified various policy stakeholders and analyzed the relationship of policy advocacies which resisted (Tobacco Manufacture rs and Tobacco Workers Union) against those whom supported the bill (Minister of Health and Non Smokers Association); thereby enabling the assessment of the cumulative effects of various actors  [7]  , forces, and institutions that interacts in the policy process and therefore shape its outcome(s) (Jann Wegrich [2007] cited in Fisher, Miller, Sidney, 2007: 44). Secondly, it also helps in identifying and addressing various obstacles that undermine successful implementation of policies (ODI, 2007). The process model follows the assumption of how public policy making is a goal oriented process aimed to reach a goal or realize an objective or a purpose (Anderson, 1984 cited in Colebatch, 2002:85), henceforth policy makers are able to identify constraints, which in this case, a negotiation with oppositions and gathering public support for the bill ensured the successful adoption of the bill. Finally as pointed out by Hogwood Gunn (1984), the process framework is rather flexible in the sense that it enables us to systematize existing knowledge without precluding the integrating of future insights (about stages, influences, interactions, etc) to the framework (Hogwood Gunn, 1984: 25). In other words, it improves the prospects of technical evidence considered during policy formulation leading to evidence based policy making. The most common method in the British government in gathering technical information for systematic analysis of policies is through trial and error achieved by carrying out a pilot test before actual implementation of policies. 3. Criticisms: A better understanding in policy making. On the contrary, Parkinson (2008) in his lecture, quite rightly so, argue that the process model resembles a mechanistic tool that describes checklists of parts present in the policy making arena; parallel to Nakamuras (1987) notion of a textbook approach (Sabatier, 1999). Henceforth, the top down legalistic framework is an artificial portrayal of the policy process (Dunn, 1981; Sabatier, 1999) as stated by Lindblom (1993) that deliberate, orderly steps are therefore not an accurate portrayal of how the policy process actually works. Policy making is, instead, a complexly inter-active process without beginning or end (Lindblom Woodhouse, 1993: 11). In other words, these processes do not evolve in a pattern of clear cut sequences; instead the stages are constantly meshed and entangled in an ongoing process which is more accurately resembles a primeval soup (Kingdon, 1995; Howlett Ramesh; 1995). Therefore, the process model leads to the imposition of hypothetical explanation of future events which may be inappropriate or misleading with actions occurring fitfully as problems become matched with policy ideas considered to be in the political interests of a working majority of the partisans with influence over the policy domain (Lindblom Woodhouse, 1993 : 10). 3.1. Rationalization of processes. Hogwood Gunn (1984) question the coherence and rationality of the process model as a blueprint for action by giving rational explanation or justification of past acts, even when the acts in question do not lend themselves to such treatment (Hogwood Gunn, 1984: 26). Furthermore, Lindblom (1993) also argue that the stages are not hierarchical which proceeds from agenda setting and concluding with evaluation; rather they often overlap loop with each other as analysis proceeds. This is further elaborated below. Firstly, Lindblom (1993) argue that there may not even be a stage when problem definition occurs, since participants often vary widely in their ideas about the problem (Lindblom Woodhouse, 1993:10). He explains that this is because policy sometimes is formed from a compromise among political participants, moreover, none of whom had in mind quite the problem to which the agreed policy responds (Lindblom Woodhouse, 1993:10). Secondly, Lindblom Woodhouse (1993) also point out the inaccuracy to suggest that the decision-making phase exist. As suggested by Heclo (1972) a policy can consist of what is not being done (Hogwood Gunn, 1984: 21) and, thus, equally important, are the decisions to keep issues, that would be inconvenient, firmly off the agenda for political success in winning the disputes that arise. In other words, policy may emerge without any explicit decision, by failure to act as or the power of nondecision making (Bachrach Baratz, 1962; Heclo, 1972). Bachrach Baratz (1962) which exhibits the existence of institutional bias so that key groups are excluded in what is termed as the three dimensional view of power, in which power is used to exercise to control over the agenda of politics and of the ways in which potential issues are kept out of the political process (Lukes, 2005: 25). Furthermore, stating decisions are taken exclusively in the decision-making phase is rather inaccurate, becaus e in reality, decisions are constantly being made regardless of the stages you are in. For example, during the policy formulation, policy makers makes decisions on which alternatives to adopt for consideration and hence to implement; and during the implementation stages, policy makers make decisions on the choices of policy instruments to be utilized (Hill, 1993; Howlett Ramesh, 2003). Thirdly, Lindblom Woodhouse (1993) also argued that implementation and evaluation cannot be separated from the other steps. As mentioned by Lindblom Woodhouse (1993) an attempt to implement one policy almost always brings new problems onto the agenda, meaning the implementation and the step called agenda building collapse into each other (Lindblom Woodhouse, 1993: 10). An example from the case study is that during the implementation of the Quebec Tobacco Act, to include taxation on tobacco and a ban on tobacco sponsored arts and sports event, subsequently led to the discovery that such measure might impinge the competitiveness of tobacco industries and affect the economy of the province. Finally, policy evaluation often regarded as the end of the line, does not actually constitute a step in policy making unless it throws light on possible next moves in policy, in which case evaluation becomes intertwined with all other attempts to appraise and formulate options for reshaping government activity (Lindblom Woodhouse, 1993: 10). Moreover, I think that the evaluation phase overlaps with the agenda setting phase and the policy formulation phase. During the agenda setting and policy formulation phase, policies are also evaluated needed to persuade and influence people in adopting and supporting the bill. 3.2. Multiplicity of interactions. On the other hand, Sabatier (1999) note the framework oriented scholars towards looking at just one stage at a time, thus neglecting the entirety of the process by stating that they portrayed a disjointed, episodic process rather than a more ongoing, continuous one (Sabatier, 1999: 23). In addition, Sabatier Jenkins Smith (1999) set out 5 major deficiency of the heuristic approach; it provides little description of how policy moves from one stage to another; it cannot be tested empirically; it is essentially a top down which fails to take account of street-level and other actors; and it disregards multiple levels of governmental interactions. Finally, it does not provide an integrated view on the gathering of policy related information, apart from the evaluation phase (Parsons, 1995; Sabatier, 1999) as pointed out by (Majone, 1989) the effectiveness in solving social problems centres in bringing more information and systematic analysis into the policy making process. From the case study, it is clear that the process model is limited in its capacity to provide institutional analysis of government interactions because it is primarily conceived to provide systematic analysis of the overall policy making process, unlike institutionalism perspective which focuses on the role and relationship of government institutions which regards public policy as an institutional output of the mechanisms of the government where it is authoritatively determined, implemented and enforced by these institutions (Dye, 2002:12). Furthermore, the process model adheres to the view that policy making is a hierarchical top down process which initiates from agenda setting and finally ends with evaluation stage and therefore only takes account of authorized decision makers. Finally it is also rather limited in empirical research on each stage and only makes an attempt to describe systematic gathering of information in the evaluation phase only. However, on the other hand, I wou ld have to disagree with Sabatier (1999) in that the process model does not provide clear distinction between the stages and the progression from one phase to another. I think the primary distinction of the stagist model lies in the context of policy environment and policy stakeholders involved  [8]  . Henceforth taking the definitions which I presented above of each stage and the ones offered by Dye (2002: 14-15), the demarcations between the stages are summarized in the table below: Phase Policy Stakeholder (i.e. who are involved) Policy Environment (i.e. where does it take place) 1. Problem identification Individuals, public and private organizations, interest groups, think tanks, mass media and policy communities. Public debates, consultation with public, and sometimes top level government officials identify it themselves. 2. Agenda setting Public officials acting as gatekeepers as well as involvement of policy entrepreneurs. Mostly done by the Executive branch of the government and in government offices. 3. Policy formulation Primarily done by government officials in Executive agencies, but may also involve interest groups, congressional committees, and think tanks. Again done in Executive government offices but may also involve the Legislative branch of the government i.e. Parliament or Senate. 4. Implementation Primarily street-level bureaucrats and occasionally involving public participation. Carried out in formal government institutions. 5. Evaluation Done by government agencies but may also involve the public through medias, consultants and think tank organizations. Also very important is the use of citizen juries to evaluate public programmes. Evaluation is carried out in government offices, but also may be carried out in NGO organizations (such as EU, UN etc) and non-governmental institutions. In addition, Breton et al., (2008) successfully utilize the ACF to explain how the interactions of multiple policy advocacies have impacted policy change, which is another major deficiency of the stagist heuristic model. As mentioned by Majone (1989), both continuity and change are inherent in the conception of policy (Majone, 1989: 35) and therefore should be accounted for in the models in its capacity to comprehensively capture the policy making process. For example, the ACF manage to show how the changes in the external events directly impact the core beliefs of tobacco subsystems and hence resulted in the adoption of Tobacco Act (Refer to Fig.2 in Breton et al., 2002: 1683). However unlike the ACF, process model does not provide description on how policies are impacted by change. Moreover the process model assumes that every policies starts from scratch i.e. always starts by identification of problems. Conversely, policies may be enacted not from new problems or opportunities that emerge, rather continuation of past policies in which case, the problem identification phase may be invalid. 4. Conclusion In conclusion, the process model provides valuable insights in directing analysts attention to critical features in the policymaking process, and on elucidating the policy process paradigm. Furthermore, although the ACF model is conceived to account for the entire policy process, it is limited in its capacity to explain only the policy formation (i.e. agenda setting and decision making). In other words, both models differ in their level of analysis, which I hope have been successfully demonstrated above. On the other hand, the idea of breaking down the making of public policy into phases, may well impose stages on reality that is infinitely more complex, fluid and interactive; but to adopt a cyclical metaphor, it is not necessarily an unreasonable or unrealistic way of looking at what happens when public policy is made. Nonetheless, the process model does still provide some useful insights in public policy making. In my opinion, the most important thing is not to look at one best model to explain a particular policy rather a combination of models is needed as pointed out by Dye (2002: 12): These models are not competitive in the sense that any one of them could be judged best. Each one provides a separate focus on political life, and each can help us to understand different things about public policy. Although some policies appear at first glance to lend themselves to explanation by one particular model, most policies are a combination of rational planning, incrementalism, interest group activity, elite preferences, game playing, public choice, political processes, and institutional influences.

A Comparison of Camaraderie in Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men Essa

Camaraderie in The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, two novels published concurrently by John Steinbeck, both depict camaraderie between dust bowl migrants. The main characters in Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie, form a bond, while struggling to reach their goal, a small farm. Similarly, Jim Casy of The Grapes of Wrath befriends Tom Joad, a friendship eventually uplifting the whole migrant community. Outwardly, the two relationships may seem to parallel each other. In reality, these alliances differ greatly. Consequently, in Of Mice and Men, friendship leads to destruction, in The Grapes of Wrath, salvation. Starkly contrasting George and Lennie's relationship in Of Mice and Men to Tom and Jim Casy's in The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck unquestionably shows that camaraderie decides an individual's fate.    To begin, George and Lennie interact quite differently from Tom and Casy; the former share a master-slave relationship, while the latter, a more equal relationship. For instance, George orders Lennie to â€Å"say nothing†(6), upon reaching the ranch where they will work, fearing that if â€Å"[the boss] finds out what a crazy bastard [Lennie is], [they] won't get no job†(6). Lennie obeys. Later on, when Lennie innocently calls Curley's wife, the flirtatious daughter-in-law of the ranch owner, â€Å"purty†(32), George fiercely admonishes Lennie to not â€Å"even look at that bitch†(32), once again demonstrating a master-slave relationship. In contrast, Tom and Casy, engage in an equal relationship; in fact, Tom candidly tells Casy, a one-time preacher, now philosopher, his opinion of Casy's philosophy, throughout The Grapes of Wrath. For example, when Casy explains to Tom his idea that ... ...es in Tom and Lennie, respectively. However, Tom changes from a hedonistic individual to a martyr for the â€Å"Okie†(280) peoples; contrastingly, George affects a negative change is Lennie. Lennie, who has some degree of free will initially, becomes completely dependent upon George. In both cases, the old adage, â€Å"Beware of the company you keep† holds true, for the company the characters keep eventually transforms them for the better or for the worse.    Works Cited Owens, Louis. "Of Mice and Men: The Dream of Commitment." Modern Critical Views on John Steinbeck. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 145 - 149. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Group, 1993. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. DeMott, Robert. "Introduction". The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992: vii-xliv.    A Comparison of Camaraderie in Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men Essa Camaraderie in The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, two novels published concurrently by John Steinbeck, both depict camaraderie between dust bowl migrants. The main characters in Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie, form a bond, while struggling to reach their goal, a small farm. Similarly, Jim Casy of The Grapes of Wrath befriends Tom Joad, a friendship eventually uplifting the whole migrant community. Outwardly, the two relationships may seem to parallel each other. In reality, these alliances differ greatly. Consequently, in Of Mice and Men, friendship leads to destruction, in The Grapes of Wrath, salvation. Starkly contrasting George and Lennie's relationship in Of Mice and Men to Tom and Jim Casy's in The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck unquestionably shows that camaraderie decides an individual's fate.    To begin, George and Lennie interact quite differently from Tom and Casy; the former share a master-slave relationship, while the latter, a more equal relationship. For instance, George orders Lennie to â€Å"say nothing†(6), upon reaching the ranch where they will work, fearing that if â€Å"[the boss] finds out what a crazy bastard [Lennie is], [they] won't get no job†(6). Lennie obeys. Later on, when Lennie innocently calls Curley's wife, the flirtatious daughter-in-law of the ranch owner, â€Å"purty†(32), George fiercely admonishes Lennie to not â€Å"even look at that bitch†(32), once again demonstrating a master-slave relationship. In contrast, Tom and Casy, engage in an equal relationship; in fact, Tom candidly tells Casy, a one-time preacher, now philosopher, his opinion of Casy's philosophy, throughout The Grapes of Wrath. For example, when Casy explains to Tom his idea that ... ...es in Tom and Lennie, respectively. However, Tom changes from a hedonistic individual to a martyr for the â€Å"Okie†(280) peoples; contrastingly, George affects a negative change is Lennie. Lennie, who has some degree of free will initially, becomes completely dependent upon George. In both cases, the old adage, â€Å"Beware of the company you keep† holds true, for the company the characters keep eventually transforms them for the better or for the worse.    Works Cited Owens, Louis. "Of Mice and Men: The Dream of Commitment." Modern Critical Views on John Steinbeck. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 145 - 149. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Group, 1993. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. DeMott, Robert. "Introduction". The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992: vii-xliv.