Health Information Exchange Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Information Exchange - Assignment Example Recent legislation process undertaken at the Federal Government level has been initiated in order to ensure that significant resources are put into the development of healthcare. These legislations set the overall vision for the integration of information technology with the healthcare in order to improve the overall healthcare services delivery within the healthcare settings. The Federal IT Health Strategy is therefore focused upon delivering certain initiatives in order to accelerate the process of integrating information technology with that of the health care services. One of the central elements of the Medicaid and Medicare is the electronic health records which are now forming the critical part of the overall initiative by the government to improve healthcare IT. This paper will provide a review of the various initiatives undertaken by the Federal Government in terms of digitalization of health records and implementation of information technology besides making an evaluation in real time case study. The recent revolutionary changes in the health care industry and new demands from the industry has actually necessitated the use of technology which can help healthcare professionals to actually take benefit of the information technology. The new IT strategy for the health care industry has been hallmarked as one of the right steps in right direction to seamlessly integrate the technology with the healthcare. In order to achieve this vision, regional information networks were created in order to allow them autonomy and power to utilize all the resources necessary for using IT for healthcare. These regional networks have to work in defined governance roles in order to achieve their overall objectives and the set their own business targets. These centers were established in order to exchange information with each and have been gaining traction over the period of last few

Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example for Free

Fahrenheit 451 Essay Fahrenheit 451 is a book that was published by Ray Bradbury in 1953. This book tells the story in which intellectual thought and books are illegal. According to the book, the futuristic firemen have the responsibility of setting fire to the books and any place that they reside. Numerous significant symbols occur in this book. In my opinion, fire, the Hearth and the Salamander, and the Phoenix are three of the most important symbols. The title of the book is an important symbol in and of itself. Ray Bradbury titled the book Fahrenheit 451 because 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper burns. Fire is a symbol of destruction. It’s significant because the main character, Guy Montag, and the rest of the firemen burn books because they are illegal. When seventeen-year-old Clarisse McClellan asks if Montag ever reads any of the books he burns, he laughs and replies â€Å"That’s against the law!† When Clarisse and Montag begin to talk more, Montag is taken aback by the different knowledge that Clarisse expresses to him. She tells him that firemen used to be sent out to stop fires, not start them. Montag couldn’t fight the sudden burning curiosity that over took all of his past beliefs. He began to collect books from each book burning and read them. The Hearth and the Salamander is the title of the first section of the book. Hearths are fireplaces that are traditionally placed in the center of the home and are a source of warmth. They represent the constructive use of fire, which Clarisse unintentionally shows Montag. After walking and talking with Clarisse, he realizes that he is not happy. The book states, â€Å"He felt his smile slide away, melt, fold over and down on itself like a tallow skin, like the stuff of a fantastic candle burning too long and now collapsing and now blown out. Darkness. He was not happy.† The salamander on the other hand was once believed to be able to live in fire without being consumed by it. This represents the destructive side of fire. Salamanders are the names given to the fire trucks and are the official symbols of the firemen. When Clarisse meets Montag for the first time the book describes her as being, â€Å"hypnotized by the salamander on his arm.† The Phoenix is a huge symbol that is mentioned in the novel. Toward the end of the story, the city is completely destroyed. The Phoenix was a mystical bird that would burn itself up and then rise again. Granger explains the legend of the Phoenix to Montag when they are watching the fire. It’s used to symbolize the renewal of mankind. Like the Phoenix, they have the ability to rise from the ashes, and rebuild their society. These extremely significant symbols are what make the novel a fantastic story. Fire, the Hearth and the Salamander, and the Phoenix are three symbols that I chose to go into detail about. They each express a different meaning of the book. The thought of firemen starting fires is something that could possibly change when rebuilding the city. At the end of the book they have one thing in mind and that is to change people’s minds about books.

First World Consumerist Role in Third World Sweatshops

First World Consumerist Role in Third World Sweatshops First World consumerism plays a role in the persistence of Third World sweatshops, yet there are conflicting thoughts on how the issue of sweatshops should be addressed. This paper examines sweatshops and perspectives surrounding the potential rectification of the issue, on what end this correction should be addressed, the consumerism aspect or in the sweatshops themselves. The Clean Clothes Campaigns (CCC, a movement to improve sweatshop conditions) processes and outcomes, private monitoring, and the roles and structures within sweatshops will support my argument proving that for sweatshops to be improved or removed, action must be taken within the Third World countries themselves. My topic of Third World sweatshops and First World consumerism is relative to globalization and just in time production because they create a large demand for the inexpensive and fast labour that sweatshops offer. There has been a recent clean clothes movement in which consumers have begun to boycott stor es that sell apparel produced in sweatshops. This method of protesting sweatshops is not beneficial and the alleviation of sweatshops in Third World countries requires the cooperation of the workers and an intervening power. Jill Esbenshades Monitoring Sweatshops addresses the roles of both workers and consumers within the global apparel industry. Esbenshade covers a broad range of aspects which influence sweatshops such as private monitoring of sweat shops, and interests of manufacturers, contractors, and workers. Private monitoring as a system is not successful in its attempts to improve sweatshop conditions because it does not prioritize the needs of workers, instead it prioritizes the needs of the manufacturers (Esbenshade 2004:89). Cheap and fast labour benefits manufacturers because it is an inexpensive way of supplying the just in time production system, putting fair treatment of workers in the back of their minds. Within sweatshops the interests of manufacturers and workers conflict, and those of the manufacturers prevail. Monitors have little training and are not trustworthy investigators as they have a history of being swayed by manufacturers to postpone assessments as it becomes close to crunc h time. They clean up sweatshops but only to the extent that prices do not have to be raised. Monitors do not institute changes or upgrades that will cost high prices or that will set back the factory in production time. The cooperation of monitoring firms is beneficial to the manufacturers because they pay the monitors wages (Esbenshade 2004: 97-98). As explained in Esbenshades Monitoring Sweatshops, the monitoring system is one with many holes, Who is paying the [monitoring firms] wages? The manufacturer is, and they ask them to turn their head when it is crunch time and they need to get production out (Esbenshade 2004:98). There are global movements to end sweatshops existing currently such as trade unions and NGOs, informal economy, the CCCs method of urgent appeals, and consumers roles in fair trade products and clean clothes. The CCCs use of urgent appeals and its manner of intervention is only beneficial for a handful of the sweatshops it enters, more often than not it results in factory closures, leaving people unemployed (Sluiter 2009: 185). Urgent appeals do have benefits, they are a good way to start a dialogue with companies, because they are about specific cases; companies cannot hide behind general answers but they are seldom cost-effective and also often end in factory closures (Sluiter 2009: 185). Many Third World populations are reliant on sweatshops because they provide mass employment and keep the economy afloat. As hard as First World populations may fight for the removal of sweatshops in the Third World, they are greatly needed because the jobs that they provide prevent laborers from starving, working as prostitutes, and begging on the streets (Rothstein 2005: 41). The informal economy that has developed has made the intervention of an outside force necessary. Steady jobs have been replaced by informal means of employment, giving workers the short end of the stick and no leg to stand on if their employment is being terminated (Sluiter 2009: 187). In the globalized sweatshop industry the workers are at the mercy of the manufacturers which proves that the CCCs methods are not useful because whether the sweatshop exists or not, manufactures will develop a new industry that is inexpensive and still exploits workers. The laws relating to working conditions and employment security must be altered and more strongly enforced rather than removing factory employment in the Third World all together. When an apparel company requires production, it offers a price to the manufacturers and then prices are cut and conditions are altered until the product is able to be produced for the price offered. Seeing as the main cost being paid by the manufacturers is wages, the goal can be reached by cutting labour costs (Esbenshade 2008:456). Working in an informal economy is usually the only option for workers in sweatshops. No employment contracts are composed so workers can earn below the legal minimum wage, are not paid on time, are expected to work beyond regular hours, and do not receive benefits of any kind (Sluiter 2009: 188). If a contract is written, it often exploits the worker and do not make exception for pregnancy or illness, and if a worker were to get sick their employment would be threatened as it would be seen as a violation of the contract. Gender based discrimination often occurs because a female employee is seen as a risky hire for several reasons. Gender-based discrimination is a tool for labour-market flexibility Sluiter explains, the long hours and low pay make it difficult for women to keep their family fed (Sluiter 2009:191). If any action should be taken to correct the use of sweatshops and the treatment of workers it should be to remove sweatshops from Third World countries and instate new businesses and a new way of involvement in the global market. Merely improving sweatshop conditions could be extremely detrimental to the over all economy of the country, but removing the businesses entirely without instituting a solution, could be as equally destructive. First World activists fight for wage increases in sweatshops, through the CCC for example, but victories on the Western front may turn into defeats when wage raises have been won in factories that subsequently shut down (Sluiter 2009: 184). Rothstein argues that First World intervention in sweatshops is not as beneficial as it is though to be, by stating, If Western activists succeed in forcing firms to raise wages, limit hours, or reject children as laborers production would cease and be replaced in the global marketplace by those not bound by Weste rn standards (Rothstein 2005:41). Although I do not agree that these sweatshops are a necessity in Third World countries, implementing improvements is the wrong way to go about correcting the abuses. Through corrections production will be reduced, yet if sweatshops are removed and a new system is brought about, a less corrupt means of production could grow and there could be a possibility of self sustainability. While mass boycotting of corporate giants that supply sweatshop produced apparel may be a powerful means of motivating manufacturers to pull production out of Third World countries, the outcome would be harmful because little would be left for them to participate in the global economy. It is a known fact that if the price of a commodity rises, the demand for it will fall. Therefore, if wages in sweatshops were increased, product prices would rise, consumption would diminish, and manufacturers would move elsewhere in search of cheap labour. Thus leaving a population unemployed and unable to participate in the growing globalization of the economic market. A large problem to do with instituting improvements to sweatshop conditions is that every change in the industry could have ripple effects on important aspects of the global trade economy as well as the economy and well being that effects workers in the Third World. For example, if children were to be banned from working in sweatshops families would not have enough money would become impoverished (Rothestein 2005:41). The seemingly improved conditions would spark many contradictions. Richard Rothstein argues in his piece Defending Sweatshops: Too Much Logic, Too Little Evidence that First World activists are ignorant of the perspectives and needs of Third World habitants. Sweatshop employment ensures the highest wage earnings in many underdeveloped and developing countries. Rothstein recalls a story of an Indonesian woman, Tratiwoon, who sells items found in the garbage for a dollar a day with her three year old son (Rothstein 2005: 41). Tratiwoon dreams of the day that her son is older and can get a job at the nearest sweatshop, because to these people a sweatshop represents a leap in living standards (Rothstein 2005: 41). Rothstein also argues that Americans get on their high horses about child labour but do not understand the context in which it is used and needed in the Third World (Rothstein 2005: 41). Child Labour Hawks remove children from sweatshop employment without comprehending the repercussions. Saving a young person from child labour may result in i mpoverishing an entire family or subjecting them to homelessness or starvation. Perhaps First World activism aiming to end sweatshops its fueled by guilt, woman and children are working at slave wages for our benefit- and this makes us feel unclean' (Rothestein 2005: 42). In reality, while First World consumers do experience benefit from sweatshop production, Third World laborers are dependent on sweatshop employment to maintain their quality of life. Sweatshops in underdeveloped countries are not looked upon negatively, jobs in these factories are admired and desired. The Neoliberal theories of privatization and deregulation have enforced the proliferation of the sweatshop and garment industry in the Third World. This occurs through a combination of weakening enforcement of labour laws and creating a dependency on export oriented employment as privatization limits job availability (Esbenshade 2008: 457). Workers needs are being overlooked in order for countries to do business, countries are literally competing for apparel contracts based on who has the more docile and lower paid workforce (Esbenshade 2008: 457). Employers minimize workers needs because manufacturers locate with non-unionized businesses and unorganized plans. In the time of globalization labour has been divided among class, gender, race, and nations, the growing diversity makes it difficult for workers to feel comfortable and identify with their co-workers (Esbenshade 2008: 458). Keeping workers isolated increases production and attachment, Workers are not brought together in ever-larger worksites where their common experience unites them. Instead they are separated into thousands of small shops isolated from one another by distance and anonymity, and often by borders and language as well (Esbenshade 2008: 458). It is unclear to sweatshop labourers who their enemy is, there are many exploiters both large and small and workers cannot rely on their bosses to protect them from this exploitation, as their bosses are at the mercy of far away corporations (Esbenshade 2008: 458). Esbenshades Going Up Against the Global Economy: New Developments in the Anti-Sweatshops Movement discusses United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), a student run anti-sweatshop campaign that directs schools to do businesses with corporations that treat their employees with respect. USAS went through several phases of initiating their cause in universities, firstly forcing schools to begin only using businesses that disclose their name and location, secondly activists requested that universities adopt independent monitoring codes by joining the WRC (Workers Rights Consortium) (Esbenshade 2008: 459). The third phase is currently underway, students are pressuring universities to join the Designated Supplier Program which requires that manufacturers have special licenses to use factory facilities (Esbenshade 2008: 459). The aim of the USAS is to hold the manufacturers responsible for the conditions of their workers, and factories where workers rights are not being respected may be revealed (Esbenshade 2008: 459). The USAS is better than other anti-s weatshop organizations, rather than fighting for higher wages and better working conditions it selects only the better manufacturers to do business with. This may motivate manufactures of low standard factories to correct their ways in order to be hired by universities. Neoliberal policies have destabilized government protection of workers in developing countries, mainly introduced by the mandates put forward by the Inernational Monitary Fund and the World Bank (Esbenshade 2008:457). Governments that have become in debt have increased amounts of sweatshops and have weakened labour laws in order to expand their export commodities (Esbenshade 2008: 457). The work environment in sweatshops has become unstructured by means of enforcing labour laws, and while monitoring is taking place it is privatized, creating a relaxed relationship between the manufacturers (who pay the monitors wages) and the monitors. Monitoring is untrustworthy because working conditions are in the hands of the private sector who police themselves (Frank 2008: 35). T. A. Frank expresses his experiences as a private monitor in Confessions of a Sweatshop Inspector proving that inspections were not thorough or trustworthy the auditors who followed me found pregnant employees hiding on the roof and Burmese import workers earning criminally low wages. Whoops. (Frank 2008: 35). If a monitor can miss things such as these, it can be believed that the privatized monitoring sector is untrustworthy and not accomplishing what it claims to be its goal. Winston describes how the well-being of sweatshop employees is in the back of the manufacturers minds. After finding all sorts of violations in a Chinese sweatshop, the owner went on to explain that the exploitation of workers is necessary to fulfill consumer and economic demand. She stated, But really, its all about profit. If I paid my workers more money, Id have to raise the price to my buyers, the people who are sending you here to inspect my factory. Do you think they would accept that? (Winston 2005: 1124-1128). The current system of private monitoring is corrupted, and the CCCs use of urgent appeals are less than productive. It is clear that merely aiming to improve conditions have ripple effects on many other aspects of the globalized economy, and that raising wages or banning child labour in sweatshops would be detrimental to the country at stake. Currently, an organization that is moving in the right direction with its aim toward correcting sweatshops is the USAS, who only uses licensed manufacturers who recognize workers rights. The USASs methods may motivate manufacturers to clean up their factories to receive business deals from First World universities. Undoubtably the use of sweatshops needs to be corrected, and the method of going about this is to alleviate countries of sweatshops and introduce a new means of economic involvement and a new enforcement plan.

Why Was There Stalemate On The Western Front Between Germany And Franc

Due to the complexity of this question, it must be broken down before an attempt at answering it can be made. Following this, it will be easier to understand the exact context in which this article will consider this question. By asking ‘Why was there stalemate on the Western front’ two questions are actually being asked. Firstly, why did a stalemate start and secondly why did the stalemate continue between 1914 and 1918. The second issue within the question is the section that specifically refers to stalemate between ‘German and France’. It is debatable whether this refers to conflict between German and French armies or German and French territories. Since British and Belgian forces had a significant impact to conflict on the Western front and the inclusion of facts concerning these forces is necessary to answer in full the question ‘Why was there Stalemate on the Western front’. This article will take the opinion that the question asks for th e inclusion of all relevant events leading to and sustaining deadlock on the Western front. The structure of this article will look chronologically at the start of the deadlock followed by an analysis of the continuation and eventual end of the stalemate. When war began in the summer of 1914 both Germany and France had distinct ideas about how war should proceed. Germany, being the initiator of conflict, had the advantage of putting its ‘Schlieffen Plan’ into action first. The plan called for a large-scale invasion of France with a large proportion of the German army moving into France through Belgium. Paramount to the German plan was speed. In order for Germany to be able to invade Russia without worrying about France, Germany needed to defeat the French in a matter of weeks. Due to a number of unforeseen factors, the German plan failed and led directly to the deadlocked situation that would continue for over four years. As a result of alteration to the Schlieffen Plan, the complete failure of the French plan XVII and the intervention of British, Belgian and French forces, a situation that could only be described as stalemate was firmly established by November 1914. The events leading to this began on 4th August 1914 when around a million German troops poured into Belgium according to the Schlieffen plan. This when Germany met its first major setbacks as Britain, quite unexpectedly from Germany’s perspective, immed... ...anes of both sides went badly wrong, a large and unexpected confrontation resulted in all armies digging in to hold their ground. Despite numerous attempts to break through these positions, good defensive weapons and positions combined with equally adversaries resulted in a deadlock that could not be broken until the sides were no longer equal and better offensive methods had been developed. Deadlocked trench warfare seems the only logical method for which a prolonged war between powerful European countries could take place at the time. The weapons, technologies and tactics of the time were ideally suited to a defensive war and both sides exploited these when their ambitious plans for a quick war failed. In hindsight, these plans may seem silly, as it is obvious that the French and German plans could not both succeed and it is now known that the war lasted more than four years when the people who conceived these plans envisaged a war of only two or three months. But it must not b e forgotten how close Germany came to victory in the early stages. If just a few small things had happened differently then Germany may well have won and the world may well be a very different place today.

History of NATO and Policy Recommendations Towards NATO Essay -- War U

History of NATO and Policy Recommendations Towards NATO In this paper I will first explain the history of NATO and the United States policy towards it. I will then give three reasonable policy recommendations for the United States towards NATO. This is important because NATO is an organization with a very brief history but it has molded Europe and other countries and has made a safe-haven from war for the past five decades. NATO was spawn out of the Western countries of Europe fearing the expansion of the greedy, hungry Stalin of the Soviet Union which would directly lead to the expansion of communist governments. Also, â€Å"in 1949 most of the states of Europe were still enfeebled by wartime devastation, striving for economic recovery, attempting to reestablish shattered political institutions, resettle refugees and recover from the second major upheaval in 30 years.†1 After the second world war Stalin, of the Soviet Union, started to spread his communist government to many Eastern European countries fast. Just a couple years bef ore all of this an alliance was made between many nations called The United Nations. This is where the base idea of NATO came out of. There is a particular article in the United Nation’s charter, article 51, which paved the way. Article 51 read: Nothing in the present charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United Nations, until the security council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defense shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.2 So, armed with this article, ten European countries turned to the United States and Canada to draft a pledge o f mutual security and on April 4, 1949, they all met in Washington to sign the North Atlantic Treaty. The fear that created this alliance could not better be seen than in Winston Churchill’s, prime minister of Great Britain, telegram to President Truman saying: â€Å"An iron curtain is being drawn down upon their(Soviet Union) front. We do not know what is going on ... ...world. I hope the information I gave here has been interesting and something you might look at differently now. Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY NATO Information Service. 1989. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation: Facts and Figures. Brussels: NATO Kaplan, Lawrence S, ed. 1968. NATO And The Policy Of Containment. Boston: Raytheon Education Company. Richard D. Lawrence, and Jeffrey Record, eds. 1974. U.S. Force Structure in NATO. Washington, D.C: The Brookings Institution. Faringdon, Hugh. 1989. Strategic Geography: NATO, the Warsaw Pact, and the Superpowers. London and New York: Routledge. Knorr, Klaus. 1959. NATO And American Security. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. NATO Information Service. 1983. NATO Handbook. Brussels: NATO Coffey, Joseph I. 1997. The Future Role Of NATO. New York: Foreign Policy Association. NATO Information Service. 1984. NATO And The Warsaw Pact: Force Comparisons. Brussels: NATO Bolles, Blair, and Francis O. Wilcox. Bagby, Wesley M. 1999. America’s International Relations Since World War I. New York: Oxford University Press Rosati, Jerel A. 1999. The Politics Of United States Foreign Policy. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers

Literature as Encounter and Discovery, as exemplified by Hahn Moo-Sook’

Literature as Encounter and Discovery, as exemplified by Hahn Moo-Sook’s novel Encounter The Italian explorer Columbus (1451-1506) discovered the American Continent in 1492. Of course, the unknown continent had existed even before he discovered it. But through Columbus’ discovery the unknown entity has emerged above the surface of the historical waters as a "New World." Literature is like a voyage in search of a new continent, and the author is like Columbus. In the course of our lives, undiscovered subject matters abound like countless islands in the gigantic ocean of awareness. If perchance such a continent is not discovered through the eyes of a writer, it would sink to eternal oblivion. An author, therefore, is like an explorer who, through an endless literary voyage, discovers and reveals a fascinating New World. Accordingly, an author may be called a christener of a particular subject matter just as Columbus who, upon discovery of an unknown continent, finally helped it exist by naming it America. Just as a conductor’s baton directs a violinist in an orchestra or a drummer’s dance, when a writer names something, he or she confers upon it both its existence and meaning. In classical Korean literature, two great literary pieces, The Tale of Ch'unhyang and The Tale of Shimchong, represent two prototypes to which modern Korean literature can be related. In the classical tale of Ch’unhyang, the important motif is none other than "encounter." Love sprouts from an encounter at the Kwanghan Pavilion in Namwon in the Southwestern Province of Cholla, between Yi Mong-nyong, son of the county magistrate, and Ch’unhyang, daughter of a retired kisaeng (a woman entertainer, similar to Japanese geisha). For them, their class... ...: Just as the moon is somewhere in the sky, even if it is sunken into the eastern mountain, my faith is constant in my heart. Just as the water is still in the pond, even if it is evaporated from the surface, my faith is constant. Saint Francis said the following: Flower petals fall, but the flowers never wither forever. Indeed, the author Hahn Moo-Sook has died and left us. However, just as the moon is still in the sky and the flowers come back every year, although flowers fall, she is still meeting us and she is living next to us through her work Encounter. The greatness of literature is none other than that. 1Encounter: A Novel of Nineteenth-Century Korea by Moo-Sook Hahn, Translated by Ok Young Kim Chang. Foreword by Don Baker. University of California Press, 1992. ISBN(s): Cloth-- 0520073800 Paper-- 0520073819

Geography SBA Essay

To identify and explain the processes which led to the formation of limestone in the areas of Bog Walk, Lluidas Vale, Ty Dixon and Moneague. Methodology On May 20, a group of 4th form Geography students from Meadowbrook High visited the different limestone areas of Lluidas Vale and The Ty Dixon Caves in St.Catherine, and Moneague in St. Ann’s. I collected data by means of photography and jotting down important details. As well as use of the senses, visual being the most effective, as well as tactile perception which was also effective. We went along to the various stops; I took my notes and asked questions thus elaborating on what I didn’t grasp properly. As the tour guide, Mr. Daley, explained the different features, expounded on their formation as well as provided suggestions for the SBA composition. This information benefits as secondary information. I faced only one challenge which was traversing the landscape in unsuitable footwear and inclement weather. Nevertheless I managed to capture the essence of the areas and their features. I tried to capture the images on the camera as best as I  could, by experimenting at different angles, ranges and utilizing close ups to capture the general importance. Analysis & Discussion Stop 1: Bog Walk Gorge Our first stop was along the road within the Bog Walk Gorge, located 5 miles south of the Bog Walk Village one of the oldest historic towns in Jamaica. While at this location, it was evident that the limestone feature formed was composed of pure limestone, because the lighter the rock is in color, is the purer its composition of limestone is. It was also observed that chemical weathering, the change in the chemical structure and sometimes physical appearance of a rock, was acting upon the rock in the form of carbonation. This is the reaction of rainwater, carbon dioxide and limestone to form calcium bicarbonate, a weak carbonic acid which is soluble, making the rock easy to decompose when it comes into contact with water. Clints and Grykes were evident, as visible in figure 1.0, contributing to weathering. Clints and grykes are a result of carbonation in the weaker joints and cracks of a rock leaving ridges and groves. The ridges are Clints and the groves are grykes. Plate 1.0 (Chemical weathering acting on the rocks) The entire gorge is rich with lush and varied vegetation which makes for some impressive and dramatic scenery. Another feature formed at the gorge was a cavern, which is a large extensive cave with a deep chamber and interconnecting passages. When the roof of a cave collapses, large depressions called gorges result, hence the name â€Å"Bog Walk Gorge†. The gorge was originally an underground river system which collapsed. The cliffs on both sides of the gorge seemed to still possess potential to collapse. The main river has a tributary coming from the Above Rocks District located in St. Andrew. The major river processes in the area are Hydraulic Action, the sheer force of flowing water on the base of the river bed, and Attrition, when rocks, carried by the river, smash together and break into smaller,  smoother particles. Stop 2: The Bog Walk Bridge Our second stop was made at the entrance to the Pleasant Hill Community, The Bog Walk Bridge; 83.9 km away from Kingston. Here we examined a bridge which was oxidizing. This is a chemical reaction in which substances combine with oxygen to form an oxide: For example, the combination of iron with oxygen to form an iron oxide (rust). I saw ridges which descended from the mountains to the lower parts. These are called interlocking spurs. There was also a flood warning system present as well. It showed the heights of the river and the level of seriousness to be taken hence flooding must be a threat to this community. Gabion basins were also observed along the banks to help keep them in place. The width of the river was approximately 10-13m wide (at points). Plate 2.0 (example of oxidation) Stop 3: Lluidas Vale, St. Catherine Our third stop was at Lluidas Vale, worthy Park in St. Catherine. At this location we observed a sinkhole which was its main feature. A sinkhole is when a joint becomes enlarged to such an extent that a deep vertical hole is created, down which a surface may disappear. A sinkhole was created due to a tributary flowing onto the surface and came upon the land rising upward and eroded the foot of the slope. Overtime the tributary then began to flow underground. Not much water was observed on the surface. The land closer to the sinkhole appeared somewhat moist. A Polje was evident at this location; this is an elongated depression or basin, formed by the synchronization of caves. A polje is found in karstic geological regions of the world, with areas usually 5 to 400 km ². The polje occurs in Troy Formation. This limestone feature is displaced by NE-SW trending faults to produce large-scale fault blocks, which are important controls on the geomorphology of the area. Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them. A more recent alluvial and limestone debris cover occurs within the vale, whereas the steeply sloping rim of the polje to the west, north and east is within Troy Formation limestone group. To the  south and southwest of the vale, rocks of the Yellow Limestone Group crop out, while further south older cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary strata are exposed. In Luidas Vale processes are dominated by mass is a plateau area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp. The Yellow Limestone Group consists of limestones (Stettin and Chapelton Formations) and clastic rocks (E.g. Guys Hill Formation). The limestone of the Yellow Limestone Group give rise to doline karsts, with low residual hills, with the dolines locally amalgamated to form uvulas in the Stettin Formation movements and surface water erosion, forming a typically dissected terrain, this is the Lluidas Vale polje which is developed within a down faulted block of Tertiary white limestone and it has a strong structural control through NW-SE trending faults. The floor of the vale also appears to be structurally controlled in that a series of down-faulted limestone blocks are present and overlain by a s equence of limestone rubble, bauxitic soils and alluvium which extends to over 30 m thickness. Lluidas Vale is a Rand- or Border-Polje in that it is not surrounded on all sides by limestone but bordered to the south by volcanic and clastic sedimentary strata of the Central Inliers in the Juan de Bolas Mountains. The latter is the source of the Rio Cobre and Murmuring Brook which flow northwards towards the vale. The Rio Cobre flows north through the centre of the vale, but turns abruptly south eastwards and flows a short distance along the fault scarp before sinking. In the polje, the river and Murmuring Brook are both ephemeral streams flowing only after rainfall. The north and northwest border of the vale is marked by well developed cockpit karst. A number of small alluvial fans occur on this part of the vale in heavy clay soils representing the residue of limestone dissolution. Much lighter alluvial soils occur on the eastern and southern part of the vale due to more frequent flooding. The western margin of the vale is marked by a less steep slope containing dolines and small conical hills grading to tower karsts towards the polje. There were also caves in the area containing stalactites, stalagmites and pillars. A stalagmite is an icicle like deposit of calcium carbonate which rises from the floor of a cave. A stalactite is another icicle like deposit of calcium carbonate hanging from the caves roof or growing downward. A pillar is a slender vertical structure of stone used as a support or for ornament. These features can be seen a diagram 1.2. The  landforms occurred on a west-facing fault scarp above Lluidas Vale polje. The area was also covered with shrubs and natural vegetation mainly closer to the slope. Stop 4: Ty Dixon During our stop at Ty Dixon where tower karsts, the name given to all landforms in areas of limestone, and dolines were evident. A doline is a funnel shaped or conical shaped solution hollow which is formed when several shallow holes unite. There seemed to be an eroded highland that left a residual hill forming tower karsts and dolines. The tower karsts seemed approximately 40m tall. A tower karst is isolated steep sided residual hills. At the base at the end of the residual hills, there were shallow caves which were generally covered with shrubs and natural vegetation. The vegetation of the area was cultivated on the flat areas, where irrigation and accessibility is better, of mainly sugar cane while in other areas, like on the tower karsts there were natural vegetation. Stop 5: Moneague Moneague was once one of the largest and most important towns in St. Ann, due to its convenient location along the main North to South. The Moneague Ponds was once located on a flood plain. While at this location houses were visible within close proximity of the ponds. Debris such as trees, trunks and barks could be seen in the pond. The soil was heavily saturated with water (waterlogged) and appeared darkened in color. The water in the pond, however was light blue and fairly clear. There was natural vegetation surrounding the pond, this is evident in plates 5.0 and 5.1 Plate 5.0 (Moneague Ponds) Plate 5.1 (Lush natural vegetation surrounding the ponds) Effect of Limestone Limestone affects the environment as it induces highly alkaline dusts which are air pollutants. It also has effects on health, in particular for those with respiratory problems. The dust also has physical effects on the surrounding plants, like it blocks and damages their internal structures and abrasion of leaves and cuticles, as well as chemical effects which may affect long-term survival. Benefit of Limestone As it has its effects, limestone also has its benefits. Adding limestone to water in order to neutralize it is known as â€Å"liming.† When limestone is added to ponds and lakes, it has the effect of adding calcium and protecting the water from becoming too acidic. The benefit of limestone in this situation is that it restores and helps to maintain the ecology of the water and makes it supportive of aquatic life. It is also an inexpensive method of slowing down acidification. Conclusion In conclusion to my studies, I have identified the features of limestone in the areas of study. Our first stop was along the Bog Walk Gorge, where the rocks composure was mainly of pure limestone. Chemical weathering was acting upon the rocks resulting in faster decomposition and the formation of clints and grykes. At our second stop, the Bog Walk Bridge, located in the Pleasant Hill community, it was observed that the community bridge was under oxidation. A flood warning system was also visible, suggesting that flooding is a threat to this community. Our stop at Lluidas Vale, Worthy Park in St. Catherine, was the most informative one. Here we observed a sink hole formed by a tributary, As well as a polje in Troy formation. To the South and South West of the vale, rocks of the Yellow Limestone Group crop out, while further south older cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary strata are exposed. In Lluidas Vale processes are dominated by mass is a plateau area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp. The floor of the vale also appears to be structurally controlled. The North and North West border of the vale is marked by well developed cockpit karsts. Much lighter alluvial soils occur on the eastern and southern parts of the vale due to more frequent flooding. The western margin of the vale is marked by a less steep  slope containing dolines and small conical hills grading to tower karsts towards the polje. There were also caves in the area containing stalactites, stalagmites and pillars. During our stop at Ty Dixon where tower karsts and dolines were evident, there seemed to be an eroded highland that left a residual hill forming tower karsts and dolines. We also came across the Moneague Ponds, which was once a flood plain and is now heavily waterlogged. Debris could be seen in the light blue color pond; the soil was heavily waterlogged and appeared dark ened in color. Bibliography http://www.discoverjamaica.com/gleaner/discover/geography/features.htm Holmes, D. and Warn, S. (2003) Fieldwork Investigations- A Self Study Guide, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2000. (1991) The Longman Atlas for Caribbean Examinations, London: Longman Caribbean. Allen-Vassell, M., Fraser, L. (1993). A Guide to Field Studies in School-based Assessment for CXC Geography. Caribbean Publishers