Government spying on Citizens free essay sample

Even now – after all of the revelations by Edward Snowden and other whistle-blowers – spying apologists say that the reports are â€Å"exaggerated† or â€Å"overblown†, and that the government only spies on potential bad guys. In reality, the government is spying on everyone’s digital and old-fashioned communications. For example, the government is photographing the outside information on every piece of snail mail. The government is spying on you through your phone †¦ and may even remotely turn on your camera and microphone when your phone is off. As one example, the NSA has inserted its code into Android’s operating system †¦ bugging three-quarters of the world’s smartphones. Google – or the NSA – can remotely turn on your phone’s camera and recorder at any time. Moreover, Google knows just about every WiFi password in the world †¦ and so the NSA does as well, since it spies so widely on Google. But it’s not just the Android. We will write a custom essay sample on Government spying on Citizens or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In reality, the NSA can spy on just about everyone’s smart phone. Cell towers track where your phone is at any moment, and the major cell carriers, including Verizon and ATT, responded to at least 1. 3 million law enforcement requests for cell phone locations and other data in 2011. (And – given that your smartphone routinely sends your location information back to Apple or Google – it would be child’s play for the government to track your location that way. ) Your iPhone, or other brand of smartphone is spying on virtually everything you do (ProPublica notes: â€Å"That’s No Phone. That’s My Trackerâ€Å"). Remember, that might be happening even when your phone is turned off. The government might be spying on you through your computer’s webcam or microphone. The government might also be spying on you through the â€Å"smart meter† on your own home. NSA also sometimes uses â€Å"man-in-the-middle† tactics, to pretend that it is Google or other popular websites to grab your information. The FBI wants a backdoor to all software. But leading European computer publication Heise said in 1999 that the NSA had already built a backdoor into all Windows software. Microsoft has long worked hand-in-hand with the NSA and FBI so that encryption doesn’t block the government’s ability to spy on users of Skype, Outlook, Hotmail and other Microsoft services. And Microsoft informs intelligence agencies of with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, so that information can be used by the government to access computers. The most under-discussed aspect of the NSA story has long been its international scope. That all changed this week as both Germany and France exploded with anger over new revelations about pervasive NSAsurveillance on their population and democratically elected leaders. As was true for Brazil previously, reports about surveillance aimed at leaders are receiving most of the media attention, but what really originally drove the story there were revelations that the NSA is bulk-spying on millions and millions of innocent citizens in all of those nations. The favorite cry of US government apologists -–everyone spies! – falls impotent in the face of this sort of ubiquitous, suspicionless spying that is the sole province of the US and its four English-speaking surveillance allies (the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). There are three points worth making about these latest developments. †¢ First, note how leaders such as Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted with basic indifference when it was revealed months ago that the NSA was bulk-spying on all German citizens, but suddenly found her indignation only when it turned out that she personally was also targeted. That reaction gives potent insight into the true mindset of many western leaders. †¢ Second, all of these governments keep saying how newsworthy these revelations are, how profound are the violations they expose, how happy they are to learn of all this, how devoted they are to reform. If thats true, why are they allowing the person who enabled all these disclosures –Edward Snowden – to be targeted for persecution by the US government for the crime of blowing the whistle on all of this? If the German and French governments – and the German and French people – are so pleased to learn of how their privacy is being systematically assaulted by a foreign power over which they exert no influence, shouldnt they be offering asylum to the person who exposed it all, rather than ignoring or rejecting his pleas to have his basic political rights protected, and thus leaving him vulnerable to being imprisoned for decades by the US government? Aside from the treaty obligations these nations have to protect the basic political rights of human beings from persecution, how can they simultaneously express outrage over these exposed invasions while turning their back on the person who risked his liberty and even life to bring them to light? †¢ Third, is there any doubt at all that the US government repeatedly tried to mislead the world when insisting that this system of suspicionless surveillance was motivated by an attempt to protect Americans from The Terroristsâ„ ¢? Our reporting has revealed spying on conferences designed to negotiate economic agreements, the Organization of American States, oil companies, ministries that oversee mines and energy resources, the democratically elected leaders of allied states, and entire populations in those states. Can even President Obama and his most devoted loyalists continue to maintain, with a straight face, that this is all about Terrorism? That is what this superb new Foreign Affairs essay by Henry Farrell and Martha Finnemore means when it argues that the Manning and Snowden leaks are putting an end to the ability of the US to use hypocrisy as a key weapon in its soft power. Speaking of an inability to maintain claims with a straight face, how are American and British officials, in light of their conduct in all of this, going to maintain the pretense that they are defenders of press freedoms and are in a position to lecture and condemn others for violations? In what might be the most explicit hostility to such freedoms yet – as well as the most unmistakable evidence of rampant panic – the NSAs director, General Keith Alexander, actually demanded Thursday that the reporting being done by newspapers around the world on this secret surveillance system be halted (Techdirt has the full video here): The head of the embattled National Security Agency, Gen Keith Alexander, is accusing journalists of selling his agencys documents and is calling for an end to the steady stream of public disclosures of secrets snatched by former contractor Edward Snowden. I think its wrong that that newspaper reporters have all these documents, the 50,000 – whatever they have and are selling them and giving them out as if these – you know it just doesnt make sense, Alexander said in an interview with the Defense Departments Armed With Science blog. We ought to come up with a way of stopping it. I dont know how to do that. Thats more of the courts and the policy-makers but, from my perspective, its wrong to allow this to go on, the NSA director declared. [My italics] There are 25,000 employees of the NSA (and many tens of thousands more who work for private contracts assigned to the agency). Maybe one of them can tell The General about this thing called the first amendment. Id love to know what ways, specifically, General Alexander has in mind for empowering the US government to come up with a way of stopping the journalism on this story. Whatever ways those might be, they are deeply hostile to the US constitution – obviously. What kind of person wants the government to forcibly shut down reporting by the press? Whatever kind of person that is, he is not someone to be trusted in instituting and developing a massive bulk-spying system that operates in the dark. For that matter, nobody is. The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell. The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong, he said. Snowden will go down in history as one of Americas most consequential whistle-blowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the worlds most secretive organisations – the NSA. In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions, but I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant. Despite his determination to be publicly unveiled, he repeatedly insisted that he wants to avoid the media spotlight. I dont want public attention because I dont want the story to be about me. I want it to be about what the US government is doing. He does not fear the consequences of going public, he said, only that doing so will distract attention from the issues raised by his disclosures. I know the media likes to personalise political debates, and I know the government will demonise me. Despite these fears, he remained hopeful his outing will not divert attention from the substance of his disclosures. I really want the focus to be on these documents and the debate which I hope this will trigger among citizens around the globe about what kind of world we want to live in. He added: My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them. He has had a very comfortable life that included a salary of roughly $200,000, a girlfriend with whom he shared a home in Hawaii, a stable career, and a family he loves. Im willing to sacrifice all of that because I cant in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine theyre secretly building. Three weeks ago, Snowden made final preparations that resulted in last weeks series of blockbuster news stories. At the NSA office in Hawaii where he was working, he copied the last set of documents he intended to disclose. He then advised his NSA supervisor that he needed to be away from work for a couple of weeks in order to receive treatment for epilepsy, a condition he learned he suffers from after a series of seizures last year. As he packed his bags, he told his girlfriend that he had to be away for a few weeks, though he said he was vague about the reason. That is not an uncommon occurrence for someone who has spent the last decade working in the intelligence world. On May 20, he boarded a flight to Hong Kong, where he has remained ever since. He chose the city because they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent, and because he believed that it was one of the few places in the world that both could and would resist the dictates of the US government. In the three weeks since he arrived, he has been ensconced in a hotel room. Ive left the room maybe a total of three times during my entire stay, he said. It is a plush hotel and, what with eating meals in his room too, he has run up big bills. He is deeply worried about being spied on. He lines the door of his hotel room with pillows to prevent eavesdropping. He puts a large red hood over his head and laptop when entering his passwords to prevent any hidden cameras from detecting them. Though that may sound like paranoia to some, Snowden has good reason for such fears. He worked in the US intelligence world for almost a decade. He knows that the biggest and most secretive surveillance organisation in America, the NSA, along with the most powerful government on the planet, is looking for him. Since the disclosures began to emerge, he has watched television and monitored the internet, hearing all the threats and vows of prosecution emanating from Washington. And he knows only too well the sophisticated technology available to them and how easy it will be for them to find him. The NSA police and other law enforcement officers have twice visited his home in Hawaii and already contacted his girlfriend, though he believes that may have been prompted by his absence from work, and not because of suspicions of any connection to the leaks. All my options are bad, he said. The US could begin extradition proceedings against him, a potentially problematic, lengthy and unpredictable course for Washington. Or the Chinese government might whisk him away for questioning, viewing him as a useful source of information. Or he might end up being grabbed and bundled into a plane bound for US territory. Yes, I could be rendered by the CIA. I could have people come after me. Or any of the third-party partners. They work closely with a number of other nations. Or they could pay off the Triads. Any of their agents or assets, he said. We have got a CIA station just up the road – the consulate here in Hong Kong – and I am sure they are going to be busy for the next week. And that is a concern I will live with for the rest of my life, however long that happens to be. Having watched the Obama administration prosecute whistleblowers at a historically unprecedented rate, he fully expects the US government to attempt to use all its weight to punish him. I am not afraid, he said calmly, because this is the choice Ive made. He predicts the government will launch an investigation and say I have broken the Espionage Act and helped our enemies, but that can be used against anyone who points out how massive and invasive the system has become. The only time he became emotional during the many hours of interviews was when he pondered the impact his choices would have on his family, many of whom work for the US government. The only thing I fear is the harmful effects on my family, who I wont be able to help any more. Thats what keeps me up at night, he said, his eyes welling up with tears. Snowden did not always believe the US government posed a threat to his political values. He was brought up originally in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His family moved later to Maryland, near the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade. By his own admission, he was not a stellar student. In order to get the credits necessary to obtain a high school diploma, he attended a community college in Maryland, studying computing, but never completed the coursework. (He later obtained his GED. ) In 2003, he enlisted in the US army and began a training program to join the Special Forces. Invoking the same principles that he now cites to justify his leaks, he said: I wanted to fight in the Iraq war because I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression. He recounted how his beliefs about the wars purpose were quickly dispelled. Most of the people training us seemed pumped up about killing Arabs, not helping anyone, he said. After he broke both his legs in a training accident, he was discharged. After that, he got his first job in an NSA facility, working as a security guard for one of the agencys covert facilities at the University of Maryland. From there, he went to the CIA, where he worked on IT security. His understanding of the internet and his talent for computer programming enabled him to rise fairly quickly for someone who lacked even a high school diploma. By 2007, the CIA stationed him with diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland. His responsibility for maintaining computer network security meant he had clearance to access a wide array of classified documents. That access, along with the almost three years he spent around CIA officers, led him to begin seriously questioning the rightness of what he saw. He described as formative an incident in which he claimed CIA operatives were attempting to recruit a Swiss banker to obtain secret banking information. Snowden said they achieved this by purposely getting the banker drunk and encouraging him to drive home in his car. When the banker was arrested for drunk driving, the undercover agent seeking to befriend him offered to help, and a bond was formed that led to successful recruitment. Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world, he says. I realised that I was part of something that was doing far more harm than good. He said it was during his CIA stint in Geneva that he thought for the first time about exposing government secrets. But, at the time, he chose not to for two reasons. First, he said: Most of the secrets the CIA has are about people, not machines and systems, so I didnt feel comfortable with disclosures that I thought could endanger anyone. Secondly, the election of Barack Obama in 2008 gave him hope that there would be real reforms, rendering disclosures unnecessary. He left the CIA in 2009 in order to take his first job working for a private contractor that assigned him to a functioning NSA facility, stationed on a military base in Japan. It was then, he said, that he watched as Obama advanced the very policies that I thought would be reined in, and as a result, I got hardened. The primary lesson from this experience was that you cant wait around for someone else to act. I had been looking for leaders, but I realised that leadership is about being the first to act. Over the next three years, he learned just how all-consuming the NSAs surveillance activities were, claiming they are intent on making every conversation and every form of behaviour in the world known to them. He described how he once viewed the internet as the most important invention in all of human history. As an adolescent, he spent days at a time speaking to people with all sorts of views that I would never have encountered on my own. But he believed that the value of the internet, along with basic privacy, is being rapidly destroyed by ubiquitous surveillance. I dont see myself as a hero, he said, because what Im doing is self-interested: I dont want to live in a world where theres no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity. Once he reached the conclusion that the NSAs surveillance net would soon be irrevocable, he said it was just a matter of time before he chose to act. What theyre doing poses an existential threat to democracy, he said.

Philosphy Of Law Reflection Example

Philosphy Of Law Reflection Example Philosphy Of Law Reflection – Article Example Reflection Paper Reflection Paper St. Thomas Aquinas described the theory of natural law which has been the of discussion by many philosophers. As Susan Dimock highlights in her article the theory described different concepts of the natural law. The Dimock’s article is a compelling read which discusses the St. Thomas theory in details. From reading it, and applying the concepts in the conversation of Socrates Euthyphro, the reader can analyze how the theory is applied in different situations. Notably, St. Thomas highlighted that reason was the basis of natural law and that law focused on bringing common good to all the individuals. This is evident in the case of Euthyphro pressing charges against his father for murder. In his opinion, the law must ensure justice to all, irrespective of the person who has committed the crime. However, there are evident differences in the way the common good concept is viewed by different philosophers. An additional interesting aspect that emerg es from St. Thomas Aquinas theory is the fact that the individual who makes the law must be one owning the community. For example, God is the maker of the law as He is the creator of all human beings (Dimock, 1999). From the definition of law presented by St. Thomas, the person in authority ensures that the law is binding to the subordinates. This aspect has been evident in different societies. Worth noting is the fact that the law has measures which determine how those in authority impose it on their subordinates. St. Thomas was keen to describe the various kinds of law, namely, eternal law, natural law, human law, and divine law (p. 14). Both readings were critical in increasing my familiarity with the theory of natural law developed by St. Thomas of Aquinas. ReferenceDimock, S. (1999). The Natural Law Theory of St. Thomas Aquinas. Retrieved on 5th June 2014 from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2197761.

Toxicology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Toxicology - Essay Example He/she may have to identify and analyze evidence that are collected at the crime scene and symptoms that have been recorded by the crime scene investigation team. These evidences help in narrowing the investigation that is being conducted. Forensic toxicologists tend to ignore the legal outcome of an investigation and they give emphasis to the technological equipments and methods used for analyzing and acquiring of outcomes (McDavid 92). Forensic toxicology is conducted on several samples that are acquired from different individuals at the crime scene and the main task of the toxicologist is to determine the quantity of chemicals in the samples, kind of chemicals present and the impact of these chemicals. Sampling Forensic Toxicology is conducted on bodily fluids including urine, blood and other samples obtained from body, it is even conducted on body parts especially hair. Urine samples are mostly used in the case of testing individuals representing the field of sports and employees . It is one of the most commonly used sample in the case of criminal investigation and it is easy to extract from a subject who is alive. For example: employees as well as athletes’ urine samples may be tested for consumption of marijuana and this substance tends to remain active in human body for fourteen days from the day it was consumed. Tests results from urine samples can take approximately 8 hours of time before showing positive and negative results. Forensic Toxicology is even conducted on obtained blood samples. To conduct proper inspection of blood sample, a minimum of 10 cm3 of blood content is required (Biswas 47). A forensic toxicologist obtains important information from the blood sample, he may obtain a profile of the substance that has been consumed at and before the sample was obtained and blood samples are mostly used in order to identify the level of blood alcohol level. Blood alcohol levels are mostly checked in order to identify the amount of alcohol in th e sample provider’s blood at the time of incidences such as driving. A forensic toxicologist may use hair samples in order to identify the level of dosage of drugs consumed and the time period at which the drug was consumed. Consumed drugs tend to travel from blood streams to hair that is growing and the drugs may end up being stored in hair follicle which helps in determining and creating a timeline at which the drug was taken. An individual hair growth has been recorded at one to one and a half cm each month and the stored drugs in the follicle area may help in determining the date and time the drug was ingested. Organs of subjects as well as other bodily fluids are even used by forensic toxicologists especially while conducting autopsy. While conducting an autopsy, forensic toxicologists may use the contents of the gastric region and gastric fluids are mostly obtained from subjects that are no longer alive. This content can help in identifying liquid content or drug substa nces that may have been consumed by the deceased subject before dying. Ethical Issues in Forensic Toxicology Forensic toxicologists may face various ethical dilemmas; they may obtain different results from different set of samples. In the case of hair testing, hair testing cannot be recognized as a standard for detecting and analyzing drug content as a standard for the entire population as different set of hair can provide different results. The

Subprime Meltdown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Subprime Meltdown - Essay Example The article begins by discussing the case of New Century and revealing that it represented one of the biggest accounting failures at that time. At one end was the view that the accounting procedures used by the company were faulty and there were major red flags that the company did not watch out for. However, at the other end was the view that the failure of New Century was an inevitable outcome of the overall failure of the U. S Housing Industry and that the company was bound to come down in the midst of a failing market. However, the report does point out certain red flags that were not taken into account by the company and accounted for its failure. The major issue, as highlighted, was that the company did not undertake rigorous research effort into exploring the background of potential borrowers; that it had no benchmark for assessing the quality of its lending. One of the most obvious flaws was to rule out the income level of the borrower before lending him/her the loan; thus, l oans were lent despite insufficient collateral. Secondly, the company had been involved in unethical practices of advertising low rates that far deviated from the actual as a result of which the borrowers were awestruck when they had to pay the actual market rates. At the same time, the numbers were misleading. Although the dollar value of loans was said to have increased; the number of defaults increased by more than that creating a vicious cycle of debt for the lending companies. They were lending more and more for less and less backup; hence, in effect they were lending more than their ability to do so. What was more surprising was that the documentation to support these loans was often missing which simply meant that there was great room for fraud or misrepresentation. And that is exactly what happened. Individuals took loans even though they were not eligible for it which paved way for the crisis that followed. At this point one may raise the question that what was the company doing all this time? Was it being a silent watchdog, ignoring the entire activity or was it unaware of the situation? Does the responsibility of these malpractices lie with the management or not? The answer is unfortunately the former- the company’s top management did not encourage stringent check and balance; the internal controls were not in place making it very easy for individuals to commit fraud or misrepresent their backgrounds while acquiring the loans. No cross-checks were made. This is clearly evident in the findings of the article whereby it was revealed by the Court that fraudulent and unjustified alterations were made in the calculations of repurchases reserves and that, most importantly, these changes were made without any verification from higher authorities, documentation and approval. Another major inefficiency is highlighted by the case- that of fraudulent audit practices or the failure of audit department to ensure transparency by being bribed or influenced by the company they are auditing. This has been a common practice, especially where regulations are lax. However, even where regulations are stringent such practices exist and are difficult to trace before the revelation of the fraud. Hence, the

Exploitable Weakness Terrorist Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exploitable Weakness Terrorist - Assignment Example In a survey carried out between 1968 and 2006 by Jones & Libicki (2008) on terrorist groups that had become extinct, changing to political processes was most instrumental accounting for 43% of all endings. This was closely followed by policing strategies at 40% while those that ended due to achieving of goals and military intervention stood at 10% and 7% respectively. Exploiting the inherent weaknesses within terrorist groups is vital for putting in place strategies that are effective in bringing them down since different strategies work in different contexts (Cronin, 2006). With the emergency of many terrorist and insurgent groups globally, resources to combat them are being depleted and therefore the use of effective strategies to eliminate them is very important (Jones & Libicki, 2008). The biggest challenge presently is metamorphosis of these groups into virtual organizations that integrate into the society and operate globally. As much as metamorphosis of these groups is a challenge, their effective annihilation lies in understanding their nature and how they operate (Blomberg, Engel & Sawyer, 2010). Groups that do not convert to political activism but cling to other ideals like religious and radicalization can only be terminated through policing strategies and economic sanctions. Use of military force on such groups by governments only resu lts in exacerbation of their violence and turning civilians against governments. It is also important to demystify terrorism and avoid counter-terrorism strategies that are tantamount to creation of military warfare governments and these groups (Jones & Libicki,

A Study of Tainted Drinking Water

A Study of Tainted Drinking Water A study of tainted drinking water looked at several cases in Pennsylvania and Texas. The study examined watering wells found contaminated by methane and other hydrocarbon gases. Researchers detected methane gas in excess of 130 Pennsylvania and Texas water wells. At first it was believed that the contamination was caused by fracking in near areas. Shale-gas producing companies use the process of fracking to extract natural gas from deep shale rock layers. The process of fracking is simply drilling deep vertical wells that then extend horizontally into different directions. Once the wells are extended, at high pressures water and other chemicals are pumped through creating fissures and releasing the natural gas trapped in the sediments, which is then collected. After further examination, researchers found no evidence that fracking itself was the cause of water contamination. Instead, it was established that water contamination was due to faulty wells. The steel tubing and cement seal used to line the wells was responsible for methane leaks. To further expand on methane water well contamination we must looks at what is methane gas and how it is introduced to water wells. Methane gas is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and highly combustible at levels low as five percent. There are different occurrences of methane entering water wells, through natural conditions and through human activities. Human activities may include gas well drilling, pipeline leaks, and other forms of mining. Independently Methane gas alone is not toxic and does not cause health problems when ingested through food and drinking water, and that is due to methane quickly evaporating. At higher concentrations methane emissions from water can cause an explosion in poorly ventilated or enclosed areas. There have been reports in Pennsylvania where homes and wells have exploded due to methane accumulation. According to research conducted in Pennsylvania of 60 wells, it was discovered that methane concentrations in 85% of drinking water wells (51/60 wells) across the region. It was found that regardless of industrial gas operations, concentrations of methane were significantly higher closer to natural gas wells. Concentrations were found to be seventeen times higher on average in shallow wells from operational drilling and extraction areas than in wells from nonoperational areas. The recommended average methane concentrations for action to be taken is (10-28 mg/L) by the US Office of the interior. In shallow groundwater in operational drilling areas, methane concentrations were found to be extremely high at a level of (64 mg/L). Continual research has determined that methane contamination is due to methane migration. Figure 2 and Figure 3 show different sources of methane migration. Methane migration is movement of methane from bedrocks and areas of high pressure to areas of lower pressure. Wells provide that opportunity and through leaks methane passes into the aquifers allowing passage to drinking wells. Common means for migration into shallow drinking water aquifers that can provide a possible explanation for increased methane concentrations. Firstly means of contamination is through physical displacement of gas rich liquids through underground water passages, which can aid in methane migration. Secondly, leaky gas well casing. Methane leaks can occur at very deep levels underground, with methane passing horizontally and vertically through fracture systems, any cracks in the casing can lead to contamination of near by cites, such as aquifers leading to drinking water contamination. Another means of contam ination is due to process of hydraulic fracturing, which can produce new fractures or expand existing fractures above shale formation. The resulting reduced pressure can release methane in liquids, allowing methane gas to possibly migrate upward through the fracture system. Figure 1, shows Methane concentrations as a function of distance to the nearest gas well from active and non-active drilling cites. Methods of methane water well remediation include well vents and aeration. Methane enters below and above water levels. Methane is lighter than air, consequently rising and accumulating at the top of the borehole underneath the well cap. The addition of a vent tube to the well caps can help discharge methane from water wells and decrease the concentration of dissolved methane entering homes. Methane gas entering the wells from below the water level, can remain dissolved in the water, however the concentration of the methane in water is dependent on both temperature and pressure of the water. As groundwater is pumped, temperature increase and pressure is reduced, allowing methane gas to be released through ventilation. Miniscule amounts of methane can possibly remain in the water once the water reaches surface pressure and temperatures increase above 58 degrees. Aeration, also known as air stripping, can remove methane from well water. Some aeration devices can also remove other volatile organic chemicals and gases such as radon and hydrogen sulfide. Aeration devices come in a variety of units, such as simple units with spray aerators enclosed in a tank, to stacked tower aerators, that are designed to collect and release the accumulated gasses. Once the source of methane as been determined steps towards alleviating the problem can be taken. Leaking pipelines can be fixed and improved; gas wells can be properly maintained and properly sealed. Water wells can be ventilated or other methods of engineering can be used to reduce the amount of methane in the water. Since in this case it’s the leaky wells that are causing methane leaks into its surroundings, proper cementing and casing with imperative use of centralizers to center the casing should be the action taken. Figure 4 shows the importance of centralizers. Perhaps thicker and stronger reinforced steel casing surrounded by cement should further action taken to reinsure a reduced risk of methane leaks. Figure 5 and 6 show the result of migration of methane due to cracks in steel and cement casings. 2) The control volume for the contamination presented would be the seven cases in Pennsylvania and one in Texas. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 References Boyer, E., B.R. Swistock, J. Clark, D. Rizzo, M. Madden. 2012. Impact of Marcellus Gas Drilling on Rural Drinking Water Supplies, Final report to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, 26 pp. Fountain, H. (2014, September 15). Well Leaks, Not Fracking, Are Linked to Fouled Water. The New York Times, p. A17. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/16/science/study-points-to-well-leaks-not-fracking-for-water-contamination.html?_r=2 Oram, B. (2011, January 1). Methane and Other Gases in Drinking Water and Groundwater. Osborn SG, Vengosh A, Warner NR, Jackson RB (2011) Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:8172–8176. Penn State, College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension, School of Forest Resources, Water Facts #24, Methane Gas and Its Removal from Wells in Pennsylvania. University Park, PA. Prudhomme, A. (2013). Hydrofracking : What Everyone Needs to Know (p. 208). Oxford University Press. Thomas H. Darrah, Avner Vengosh, Robert B. Jackson, Nathaniel R. Warner, and Robert J. Poreda Noble gases identify the mechanisms of fugitive gas contamination in drinking-water wells overlying the Marcellus and Barnett Shales PNAS 2014 111 (39) 14076-14081; published ahead of print September 15, 2014, doi:10.1073/pnas.1322107111 Article http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/16/science/study-points-to-well-leaks-not-fracking-for-water-contamination.html?_r=1 Similar articles http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/tag/methane-migration/ http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26221-leaky-wells-not-fracking-polluted-us-drinking-water.html#.VC4iyuceWdx http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/drinking-water/water-testing/pollutants/methane-gas-and-its-removal-from-wells-in-pennsylvania http://www.pnas.org/content/108/43/E871.full http://www.pnas.org/content/108/20/8172.full

Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Nursing :: Nursing Reflective Practice

Nurses are the caregivers in hospitals that tend to stand out in comparison with other healthcare professionals. They are constantly on the front lines of the battle to maintain an optimal environment for the wellbeing of their patients. For instance, more than a year ago, I was visiting a friend and her young daughter, who had a heart transplant before the age of two, at the Stollery Children’s hospital. I clearly saw how a nurse and her nurturing characteristics, she had shown with her young patient, distinguished her from the other health care professionals. The nurse’s exemplifying and loving interactions with her client show clear links between emotional intelligent, the child’s environment and personal knowing, one of Carper’s four patterns of knowing in nursing. During a patient’s stay in the hospital the way they interact with their environment is an important factor in their health. Burger and Goddard (2009) acknowledged that a good environment for patients meets their physical needs, and keeps them emotionally comfortable and safe (p.249). Furthermore factors such as noise, distractions and lack of privacy or space cause confusion, tension and discomfort (p.249). Although, identifying that health is influenced by environment strays away from the medical model of health which conceptualized â€Å"the body†¦ being disconnected from the mind, soul, and social and environmental contexts or settings† (Young, & Wharf-Higgins, 2009, p. 51). Health involves more than just the body, but also the mind. It has been proven there is â€Å"a relationship between the experience of chronic stress and increased susceptibility to the common cold (Williams, & Iruita, 2004, p.807). These finding strengthen the fact that the mind and bod y are connected. Generally speaking, it is significant for healthcare professional, especially nurses to monitor the environment and be aware of issues that many affect the patient physically, emotionally and mentally. In particularly with my friend’s child who had the heart transplant providing the most favorable environment is important because along with the heart transplant the child is now immune depressant. Regardless of the child being immune depressant the link between her body and her mind is noteworthy. Williams, and Iruita (2005) noted the body is influenced by psychosocial influences and that the body can produce certain type of hormone that is cause elicited by emotional status (p. 807). Moreover they wrote that stress has been related to some autoimmune disorders, and positive emotions have been discovered to boost average immunoglobulin levels (p.