Report and Letter Concerning Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Report and Letter Concerning Law - Case Study Example First of all, Mr. Ford is liable for having been negligent to Ms. Smith.   In the case of negligence, one must establish a duty of care.   To define negligence is to realize that it is the following.   It is:   â€Å"[c]onduct that falls below the standards of behavior established by law for the protection of others against the unreasonable risk of harm.   A person has acted negligently if he or she has departed from the conduct expected of a reasonably prudent person acting under similar circumstances.†      Obviously, Mr. Ford’s conduct was well below standards established by law to protect others against risk of harm according to the rules of the road.   Mr. Ford put Ms. Smith at unreasonable risk of harm.   Mr. Ford, subsequentially, by diverting his vehicle from the proper direction on the road in front of him, did not act as a reasonably prudent person in making the choice to pass the cars that were ahead of him—solely for the purpose of o vertaking the cars in front of him.To maintain negligence was a â€Å"cause of action,† there are four criteria which must be met:1. â€Å" [T]he defendant had a duty [or a promise to exercisecare] to the plaintiff..[;] [2.]   [T]he defendant breached that duty by failing to conform to the required standard of conduct..[;] [3.]   [T]he defendant’s negligent conduct was the cause of   harm to the plaintiff..[;] and [4.]   [T]he plaintiff was, in fact, harmed or damaged.†Ã‚  ... 1. " [T]he defendant had a duty [or a promise to exercise care] to the plaintiff..[;] [2.] [T]he defendant breached that duty by failing to conform to the required standard of conduct..[;] [3.] [T]he defendant's negligent conduct was the cause of harm to the plaintiff..[;] and [4.] [T]he plaintiff was, in fact, harmed or damaged."3 As it concerns Mr. Ford, he first had an obligation to Ms. Smith that that he had the duty to her to be a responsible driver. He then breached such obligation to be a responsible driver by going into her lane just because he wanted to overtake the line of cars ahead of him. Mr. Ford's third cause of action, that his conduct was harmful to Ms. Smith-as Ms. Smith consequentially broke her left fibula and was left with three cracked ribs-is an obvious factor, seeing as how the facts of the case prove this. Lastly, it is apparent that Ms. Smith was harmed in the accident. All of these aspects help prove further that Mr. Ford was negligent towards Ms. Smith. From having suffered this negligence, Ms. Smith has some recourse in presenting her case as a personal injury case in court. Ms. Smith could sue for pain and suffering incurred, which would include the "mental and emotional trauma which are recoverable as elements of damage in torts."4 Mr. Ford would not be able to receive any monetary awards due to damages on his car. He would have no case, as he would be the defendant. Further, the fact that Ms. Smith was convicted of not having vehicle insurance two days prior to the accident does not have a bearing on her receiving benefits from this torts case. However, Mr. Ford is liable to Ms. Smith for having been the cause of Ms. Smith's health problems and subsequent future

Has Composites in Aircraft Design made Aircraft Safer Essay - 1

Has Composites in Aircraft Design made Aircraft Safer - Essay Example This essay describes technological presentations that have been more influential in the airline industries have been those that accord easier navigation and increase the performance in speed. The inclusion of composite materials in the construction of aircraft has transformed the airline industry into a leading transporter, with competition heightened in the technologies applied. The performance of the airline industry has been boosted by the implication within the structural composition that has ensured elevated results in the functionality of the mechanism. Composite elements have been a vital entity and provision in presenting the needed results and performance within the aircraft. These materials have elevated the composition within the aircraft with exemplary physical composition and resistance to pressure exerted in the attitudes. The inclusion of composite elements in the transportation airline industry had been realized in the developments within the Boeing 787 in 2011. Despi te the immaturity of the implementation of the aspect within the commercialized transport industry, the composite materials have realized increased benefits rather than setbacks. The composite materials that had been first applied in the tail of the Boeing 777 noticed application within the transportation industry. The materials applied had included the combination of glass fibers and epoxy. These materials reduced the weight of the aircraft presenting the provision that accords more resistance when the corrosion aspect involved.

HVDC Light Technology Essay Example for Free

HVDC Light Technology Essay AbstractThis document reveals theHVDC Light DC transmission technology.It is used in underground transmission and moreover provides point to point transmission.HVDC Light requires only two elements namely a converter station and a pair of ground cables. The new HVDC Light cable is an extruded, single-pole cable. It is ideally suited for feeding power into growing metropolitan areas from a suburban substation. HVDC Light is inherent environmentally friendly cables instead of OH transmission lines. Virtually no magnetic field. The environmental gains would be substantial, since the power supplied via the DC cables will be transmitted from efficient power plants in the main AC grid. 1. INTRODUCTION A hundred years ago, the transformer and a new transmission and distributionbe controlled precisely and independentlycan replace overhead lines at no costcontrol capabilities that are not present oreconomically feasible to connect smallscale,Equally important, HVDC Light hasfor inefficient, polluting local generationfrequency, active and reactive power canislands, mining districts and drillingloads from a main AC-gridof each other. This technology also relieson a new type of underground cable which penalty platforms can be supplied with power frompossible even in the most sophisticated ACrenewable power generation. Renewable power generation plantssuch as diesel units. The voltage, . Connect small scale Feeding remote isolated Flexible transmission System technology, HVDC Light, makes it the main grid,thereby eliminating the needto the main AC grid. Vice versa,using thevery same technology, remote locations asthe three phase system made it possible totransmit AC power efficiently and economically over vast distances and todistributethe power toamultitude ofusers.Since then all aspects of transmission anddistribution have developed by means oftechnical improvement and evolution. This AC transmission and distributiontechnology has made it possible to locategeneratingplants in optimum locations, andtoutilize them efficiently. This has alsoresulted in great environmental gains.Thermal plants have been located wherethey can be supplied with fuel through anefficient transportation system, therebyreducing waste and pollution. Hydro plantshave been located where the hydroresources can be used at the greatestadvantage. And large generating plantshave meant fewer overhead lines than amultitude of smaller generating plantswould have required.However, today’s AC transmission anddistribution systems are, at least inprinciple, based on ideas that haven’tchanged much since a hundred years ago. To transmit power, step up the voltage withtransformers, transmit power, step downthe voltage and distribute power. Despitetheir proven advantages, it is difficult andexpensive to adapt AC transmission anddistribution systems to the numerous smallscalegenerating plants that are being built,or to the increasingly complex and variableproduction and load demands.Environmental concerns and regulationsalso put heavy restrictions on building right-of-ways and on small-scale, fossilfuelledgenerating plants, such as dieselgenerating plants.These new trends require networks that areflexible. The networks must be able to copewith large variations in load and frequentchanges in productions patterns with tougher environmental regulations.Also, in such flexible networks, the powerflow and the voltages require precisecontrol in order to make the grids stable and economic. 2. TECHNOLOGY As its name implies, HVDC Light is a DCtransmission technology. However, it isdifferent from the classic HVDCtechnology used in a large number oftransmission schemes. Classic HVDCtechnology is mostly used for large point-to-point transmissions, often over vastdistances across land or under water. It requires fast communications channelsbetween the two stations, and there mustbe large rotating units generators orsynchronous condensers present in theAC networks at both ends of thetransmission. HVDC Light consists of only two elements: a converter station and a pair ofground cables. The converters are voltagesource converters, VSC’s. The output from the VSCare determined by the controlsystem, which does not require anycommunications links between the differentconverter stations. Also, they don’t need torely on the AC network’s ability to keepthe voltage and frequency stable. Thesefeatures make it possible to connect theconverters to the points bests suited for theAC system as a whole. Power range up to 100 MW Independent control of active and reactive power Can feed power to AC network without ownGeneration DC The converter station is designed for apower range of 1-100 MW and for a DCvoltage in the 10-100 kV range. One suchstation occupies an area of less than 250sq. m. (2 700 sq. ft.), and consists ofjust a few elements: two containers for theconverters and the control system, threesmall AC air-core reactors, a simpleharmonics filter and some cooling fans. 20MW:18x12m The converters are using a set of six valves,two for each phase, equipped with highpowertransistors, IGBT (Insulated GateBipolar Transistor). The valves arecontrolled by a computerized controlsystem by pulse width modulation, PWM.Since the IGBTs can be switched on or off, the output voltages and currents onthe AC side can be controlled precisely.The control system automatically adjuststhe voltage, frequency and flow of activeand reactive power according to the needsof the AC system.The PWM technology has been tried andtested for two decades in switched powersupplies for electronic equipment ascomputers. Due to the new, high powerIGBTs, the PWM technology can now beused for high power applications as electricpower transmission.HVDC Light can be used with regularoverhead transmission lines, but it reachesits full potential when used with a new kindof DC cable. The new HVDC Light cable isan extruded, single-pole cable. As anexample a pair of cables with a conductorof 95 sq mm aluminum can carry a load of30 MW at a DC voltage of +/-100KV.Handling the cable is easy. Despite its large power-carrying capacityit has a specific weight of just over 1 kg/m.Contrary to the case with AC transmission;distance is not the factor that determinesthe line voltage. The only limit is the costof the line losses, which may be lowered bychoosing a cable with a conductor with alarger cross section. Thus, the cost of apair of DC cables is linear with distance. Insulation: 5.5 mm triple extruded Screen: Copper wire Sheath: HDPE Weight: 1.05 kg/m Voltage: 100 kV DC Current: 300 A Power: 30 MW Conductor: 95 mm^2Aluminum A DC cable connection could be more costefficientthan even a medium distance ACoverhead line, or local generating unitssuch as diesel generators.The converter stations can be used indifferent grid configurations. A singlestation can connect a DC load or generatingunit, such as a photo-voltaic power plant,with an AC grid. Two converter stationsand a pair of cables make a point-to pointDC transmission with AC connections ateach end. Three or more converter stationsmake up a DC grid that can be connected toone or more points in the AC grid or todifferent AC grids. An HVDCLight network can be configured radial or meshed,like any network. The DC grids can be radial with multi-dropconverters, meshed or a combination ofboth. In other words, they can beconfigured, changed and expanded in muchthe same way AC grids are. 3. APPLICATIONS 3.1 OVERHEAD LINES In general, it is getting increasingly difficultto build overhead lines. Overhead lineschange the landscape, and the constructionof new lines is often met by public resentment and political resistance. Peopleare often concerned about the possiblehealth hazards of living close to overheadlines. In addition, a right-of-way for a high voltage line occupant valuable land. Theprocess of obtaining permissions forbuilding new overhead lines is alsobecoming time-consuming and expensive.Laying an underground cable is a mucheasier process than building an overheadline. A cable doesn’t change the landscapeand it doesn’t need a wide right-of-way.Cables are rarely met with any publicopposition, and the electromagnetic fieldfrom a DC cable pair is very low, and also astatic field. Usually, the process ofobtaining the rights for laying anunderground cable is much easier, quickerand cheaper than for an overhead line.A pair of HVDC Light cables can beplowed into the ground. Despite their largepower capacity, they can be put in placewith the same equipment as ordinary, AChigh voltage distribution cables. Thus,HVDC Light is ideally suited for feedingpower into growing metropolitan areasfrom a suburban substation. 3.2 REPLACING LOCAL GENERATION Remote locations often need localgeneration if they are situated far awayfrom an AC grid. The distance to the gridmakes it technically or economicallyunfeasible to connect the area to the maingrid. Such remote locations may be islands,mining areas, gas and oil fields or drillingplatforms. Sometimes the local generators use gas turbines, but diesel generators aremuch more common.An HVDC Light cable connection could bea better choice than building a local powerplant based on fossil fuels. Theenvironmental gains would be substantial,since the power supplied via the DC cableswill be transmitted from efficient powerplants in the main AC grid. Also, thepollution and noise produced when thediesel fuel is transported will be completelyeliminated by an HVDC line, as the needfor frequent maintenance of the diesels.Since the cost of building an HVDC Lightline is a linear function of the distance, abreak-even might be reached for as shortdistances as 50- 60 km. HVDC Light lowest cost AC + Overhead line HVDC Light + cable Cost inside AC grid Distance from the AC grid eliminate local diesel Cost/kWh 3.3 CONNECTING POWER GRIDS Renewable power sources are often builtfrom scratch, beginning on a small scaleand gradually expanded. Wind turbine farms is the typical case, but this is alsotrue for photovoltaic power generation.These power sources are usually locatedwhere the conditions are particularlyfavorable, often far away from the mainAC network. At the beginning, such aslowly expanding energy resource cannotsupply a remote community with enoughpower. An HVDC Light link could be anideal solution in such cases.First, the link could supply the communitywith power from the main AC grid,eliminating the need for local generation.The HVDC Light link could also supply thewind turbine farm with reactive power for the generators, and keeping the powerfrequency stable.When the power output from the windgenerators grows as more units are added,they may supply the community with asubstantial share of its power needs. Whenthe output exceeds the needs of theCommunity, the power flow on the HVDCLight link is reversed automatically, and thesurplus power is transmitted to the mainAC grid. Wind power Small scale hydropower HVDC Light Extruded cable Distant ac- grid Waste gas is usually burned at offshoredrillingplatforms, since it is too expensive,or technically difficult, to use the gas for power generation and transmit it by an ACcable to the main grid on the shore. Thus,the energy content of the gas is wasted, andthe primitive burning process is source ofpollution. With an HVDC Lightunderwater cable transmission, the gas canbe used as gas turbine fuel, supplying boththe platform and the main AC grid withpower. The process of burning the gas ingas turbines would also produce much acleaner exhaust than simple burning woulddo.The DC underwater cable network could easily be extended to other offshoreplatforms. 3.4 ASYNCRONOUS LINKS Two AC grids, adjacent to each other butrunning asynchronously with respect toeach other, cannot exchange any powerbetween each other. If there is a surplus ofgenerating capacity in one of the grids itcannot be utilized in the other grid. Each ofthe networks must have its own capacity of peak power generation, usually in the formof older, inefficient fuel fossil plants, ordiesel or gas turbine units. Thus, peakpower generation is often a source ofsubstantial pollution, and their fueleconomy is frequently bad.A DC link, connecting two such networks,can be used for combining the generationcapacities of both networks. Cheap surpluspower from one network can replace peakpower generation in the other. This willresult in both reduced pollution levels andincreased fuel economy. The powerexchange between the networks is alsovery easy to measure accurately. 4. ADVANTAGES * Transmission by HVDC Light saves the environment by replacing local fossil-fueled generation withtransmission from main AC-grid. * Connecting small scale renewable power to main AC –grid. * HVDC Light is inherent environmentally friendlycables instead of OH transmission lines. * Virtually no magnetic field. * No ground currents because of bipolar transmission. 5. CONCLUSION HVDC Light technology saves theenvironment by replacing remote fossilfuelledgenerators with cost-efficienttransmission of power from efficient andclean, large-scale generation productionunits. The efficiency of a modern, largescale, thermal generating plant is usually 25percent higher than that for a modernsmall or moderate scale diesel generatorplant,Vice versa, HVDC Light provides aconvenient and cost-effective way forconnecting renewable and non-pollutingenergy sources as wind power farms andphotovoltaic power plants to a main grid.The HVDC Light technology in itself hasstrong environmental benefits. Since poweris transmitted via a pair of underground cables, the electromagnetic fields from thecables cancel each other. Any residual fieldis a static field, as opposed to the powerfrequencyfields radiated from AC cables.Since HVDC Light transmissions arebipolar, they do not inject any currents intothe ground. Ground currents can disturbcommunications systems or causecorrosion on gas or oil pipelines.A pair of light-weight DC cables can beeasily plodded into the ground at a costthat is comparable to or less than for acorresponding AC overhead line. Asopposed to an overhead line, anunderground cable pair has no visualimpact at all on the landscape. Usually it’salso much easier to obtain permissions andpublic approval for a cable transmissionthan for an overhead line, especially inresidential areas. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Our sincere thanks to HOD and FACULTIES for encouraging us to prepare the above document. A special thanks to IEEE.org REFERNCES [1] K. Eriksson, â€Å"HVDC Lightâ„ ¢ and development of Voltage SourceConverters†, IEEE TD 2002 Latin America, Sà £o Paulo, Brazil, March. [2] L. Carlsson, G. Asplund, H. Bjà ¶rklund, M. Ã…berg, Present trends inHVDC converter station design IV SEPOPE Conference, Foz doIguacu, Brazil. [3]IEEE explorer.org

Literature Review on Mobile Banking

Literature Review on Mobile Banking Mobile banking is defined as a provision and availment of mobile and bank services by using telecommunication device, the services may include keep in contact with bank to administer account and access customized information (Tiwari and Bus, 2007) Mobile banking is a channel through which a customer can interact with bank through device such as mobile and PDA ( Tommi Laukkanen, Suvi Sinkkonen, Marke Kivijà ¤rvi, Pekka Laukkanen, 2007). Mobile banking is seen as an extension to the payment system of bank which enables mobile network to extend its services in reach of customer (Gavin Troy Krugel, 2007) Mobile banking help customer to access their banks anytime. Through mobile banking application customer can check their account details, transfer money transitions, and can pay their bills while sitting at home and offices. (Infogile Technologies, August 2007) The continuous development and usage of mobile make people to become in habit for it and this force companies to come up with new mobile services. Some studies shows that the transaction through mobile is more secure than a connection through internet on pc. But some studies go against it and showed the security a major challenge for mobile banking (Tommi Laukkanen, Suvi Sinkkonen, Marke Kivijà ¤rvi Pekka Laukkanen, 2007). Some factors which nourished the mobile banking and due to which the need of mobile banking is felt are the economic development (globalization is leading to mobility), high density of mobile devices, powerful devices, high data transfer, attitude of new generation towards the use of mobile banking the need and wish for mobility is increased. Features of mobile banking includes its available anywhere, anytime, instant connectivity, pro active functionality (push and pull technology), easy access (simple authentication) ( Tiwari and Bus, 2008). Mobile banking can provide location based services as compared to banks. Mobile banking is more secure than internet, it not only provide traditional bank services but also 3A services (anywhere, anytime and anyhow).As mobile banking is more convenient, effective and efficient which help to attract more customer (Jin, Nie, Xianling, Hu, 2008) Banking services, delivered by means of mobile phone Informational services: report on any type of transactions to mobile phone Payment services, based on mobile phone Mobile banking can be based on different technologies SMS, WAP, GPRS/Edge/3G(Eddy Cormon,2009) The difference between internet banking (e-banking) and mobile banking (m-banking) is that through internet bank account information is access by pc or off the mobile and through mobile banking account information is accessed by its two channels either via SMS or browser and by using mobile banking in advance era a customer get SMS alert of changes in account (Bankable Frontier Associates, 2008). Mobile banking is area in which the development can flourish and can lead to replace credit/debit card. In past 2 to 3 years mobile banking advance itself to the extent that it increase three times if we go on comparison with debit/credit cards banking (Mahesh .K. harma , Ritvik Dubey, 2009) Mobile Banking: Use of mobile device to connect to a financial institution to conduct customer self-service (CCS) includes viewing account balance, transferring funds between the accounts, paying bills or receiving accounting alerts. Mobile Payments: Use of a mobile device to make a purchase or other pay ment-related transaction. Payments initiated in physical or virtual worlds, and can be conducted via SMS, MMS, mobile Internet, downloadable application, and NFC chips.(Breffni McGuire and Marianne Crowe, 2008 ) From the last ten years technology has been evolving itself by inclusion or replacement of other technologies coming through as the day pass. This technology development has a great impact on banking industry. On the other hand the services of banking is also go through many changes starting from early eighties when telephone banking and computer banking took a lead and moved towards ATM and internet banking applications. As the electronic banking was on its peak along with it change bring in mobile technologies as well including SMS, WAP, 3G and 4G technologies (Tommi Laukkanen, Suvi Sinkkonen, Marke Kivijà ¤rvi Pekka Laukkanen, 2007). The population of Pakistan is exceed to 170 million but unfortunately there are approximately 16 million bank accounts and left behind 110 million people are without access to banks. The main focus of mobile banking is rural area, where people have 2500 branches of banks for 105 million people and 42000 subscribers per branch, Whereas mobile phone users are reached to 97 million. So that Pakistan was a good market for Mobile Banking begning. (CGAP, February 2010) In Pakistan mobile banking is emerged and famous by the name of branchless banking. After the struggle of five years from 2005 to 2010 now Pakistan is able to make their people dreams come true and mobile banking is now on its success way. Back to march 2007 first time the policy and regulatory paper was issued by SBP on a base of branchless banking (which can provide the financial services to the people who are underserved or unbanked). (CGAP, February 2010) Financial institutions were reluctant to make such huge and risky initial investment. SBP insist on implementation of mobile banking and advice Financial Institution and Banks to process the work flow of mobile banking otherwise the that would be permitted to the MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) to start their own. SBP take step with Ministry of information technology (MOIT) and Tameer bank. In 2009, Telenor has launched easypaisa( First Mobile banking Platform) with the help of Tameer Bank (A microfinance bank mostly owned by Telenor). In 2010 MCB, UBL and Allied Bank has implemented the mobile banking and making it more profitable for banks and customers as well. (CGAP, February 2010) Benefits to Customer: Customer can access his/her account by sitting at home. he/she dont need to at the counter of bank and answer the various questions of officers. Mobile banking is time saving. Mobile banking keep informing customers about his/her bank account all the time anywhere. Utility payments can be done through M-payment customers donot need to get in line and wait for his/her turn ( Uppal, 6 jan 2010). Benefits to Bank: By reduction of transaction cost, banks can save big money as Government gain is Rs.12 or Rs.13out of every 100 rupees, through mobile banking this cost reduce to Rs. 2 Time saved by the bank through mobile banking can be utilize in expansion of business, marketing and sale activities etc Banks can be benefited in a way by getting commission from cellular companies for providing services through ATM i-e prepaid talk time Those banks that are providing these services have a competitive advantage over those who are not providing it (Uppal, 6 jan 2010). MODELS: According to the policy paper issued on regulatory frame work of mobile banking by SBP there is only bank led model allowed. Non-bank model will only be allowed afterwards when players included in system get that much mature to have a limited control on a system. Bank- led model can be implemented by joint venture of Bank and cellular companies (SBP, 2007). Mobile banking can be implemented by using One- to-One Model, One-to-many and many-to-many model (SBP, 2007). One-to-one Model: In this model only one bank gets in agreement with a telecom company to provide mobile banking services to the customer. The scope is limited because the services is specific to one telco customers but good service standard, greater customization and opportunity of Co-branding and Co-marketing (SBP, 2007). One-to-many model: In this model a bank is in agreement with many telecom companies and provides service of mobile banking to their customers and everybody who has mobile phone can reach to the mobile banking service. There are several drawbacks of this model one is the telco cannot prioritize the mobile banking SMS services in order to provide quick transactions, secondly financial institution has to bear all expense related to advert/marketing, lastly bank is responsible for the arrangement of product distribution and cash inflows and outflows (SBP, 2007). Many-to-many Model; In this model many banks interact with many telecom companies in order to provide services to all those customers who have bank accounts. System leads under this model require a central transaction processing system which is handled by a financial institution or a third party who had an agreement with bank. Transaction processing system must be responsible for provision of real time service, having all proves of transactions and provide daily basis reconciliation to the account holder. This model has minimum limitation and gives maximum connectivity to its customer like an ATM which can be use by the consumer for initiating another bank transaction (SBP, 2007). In 1997 Nokia, Motorola, Ericson and phone.com came together to have a one platform for WAP application because they believed that it is critical to have a uniform standard for implementation of wireless internet universally. From that time 350 more companies join them for WAP (o.o.obe and V.F balogun, 2007). Mobile banking can be implemented through companies other than telco such as fuel distribution companies, Pakistan post, chain stores etc by using technologies of mobiles and pc (SBP, 2007). According to the research, number of those people who doesnt have bank account are 4 billion in this world which is more than two third of world population consist of low and middle income countries. In Pakistan the ratio of financial outflow is even higher than inflow, the increase of inflows is become the critical component which lead to country economic development. Mostly developing countries had implemented mobile banking such as Kenya, south Africa, Philippines, Cambodia. (Syed Salim Raza, 2010) In Kenya mobile banking is implemented by largest mobile service provider, Safaricom and launched M-PESA in 2007. With the increase of 10000 subscriptions per day, Kenya has now 7 million clients out of 38 million people. Kenya provides services of depositing and transfer of money, in order to operate M-PESA 10000 agent was hired. M-PESA is usful for those area where there is hard to reach to banks. According to study the income of Kenyan is increase to 30% since they had started mobile banking. (Syed Salim Raza, 2010) Philippines were the first user of mobile banking is ASIA. The central bank of Philippines (BSP) has taken step towards opening of mobile banking. Further than mobile banking is supported by two biggest mobile network operators in Philippines, Global and Smart. The services provided by the smart is smart money having 2.5 million out of 39 million subscriber and 1.2 million subscriber of Gcash services out of 23 million by Global. According to BPS, through traditional way customer was charge 2.5 or 5 % of remittances but in mobile banking this cost only less than 2% and Philippians are now charge US$ 50. (Syed Salim Raza, 2010). Mobile banking working based on its four constituent MNO, Banks, user applications, customers. These participant help to translate the transaction initiated from customer to the format which can be understood by banking system. For the implementation of mobile banking bank use its core infrastructure with some advancement in which a user is authenticated (usually a pin) through a platform usually a phone and a server, information is extracted from a user and pass it on to the bank then bank have set of processes for a transaction once the application is done with financial transaction it is switch back to the user by an acknowledgement usually in a form of bank account reconciliation (Gavin Troy Krugel, 2007). The technology use in mobile banking can be categories in two environments, technologies at server side and technologies at customer side. SMS, IVR, USSD2 and WAP are server side technologies, on the other hand consumer side technologies includes applications, solution and offer which is set in SIM or in user mobile such as [emailprotected] and J2ME (Java) (Gavin Troy Krugel, 2007). According to the study there are different challenges faced by the mobile banking discussed by different author which relate to mobile banking through different prospects. Uniform standard is one of the most important challenge as there are many devices of different service providers and vendors are indulge. There are no uniform regulation had made for those electronic devices to work on one platform. Network security (unauthorized access), customer privacy, and clearance of liability on customer side as they go for loan because through mobile banking the subscriber has virtual account and there is financial risk involve in it. A challenge of wireless carriers and financial institution dispute, both have different responsibility with respect to mobile transaction. (VENABLE, LLP, November, 2008). The lack of interoperability among mobile operators has limited the access of mobile payment (Kopicki and Miller, 2008). Some of the challenges which include profitability, can be generated b y the initial payment paid by the customer for initiating a transaction. Which would be paid by the customer if the offer of mobile banking seems attractive to him, if its not does so then the initial cost of banks would be a sunk cost. Interoperability, regulatory issues and security are major constraints. (Ref: Upkar Varshney, December 2002). Financial loss seems more fearful for a customer because something passing in air is not that much secure than physical transaction. Privacy risk which relate to the theft of private information. There are many uncertainties related to customer for example they think that they may not make mistake while doing financial transaction through mobile. The loss of connection which left the transaction incomplete make customer hesitated for usage of mobile for its financial transaction. Ref: (Tommi Laukkanen, Suvi Sinkkonen, Marke Kivijà ¤rvi, Pekka Laukkanen, 2007). The introduction of GSM technology helped to boost the idea and implementation of mobile banking in Nigeria. Some of the challenges faced by the Nigeria are sustainability of of growth and progress, requisition of funds for marketing of mobile banking, development of promotion of IT, Security and privacy issues, Middleware issues devices, network and protocol limitation, different standards (o.o.obe and V.F balogun, 2007) As mobile banking is a new concept that will bring some challenges and issues as well, if these issues are solved adequately it will proved to be more benefited than other technologies. Some issues including awareness about mobile banking which cover rural and urban areas, the extent of resolving the issue of security and privacy these issues can be handled very carefully and effectively but the need to take an eye of interest (uppal, 2010) According to the survey more than 60% of users are worried about security of personal data and password protection while using mobile banking as mobile phone encryption ability is limited as compare to personal computer because of which the mobile cannot meet the demand of financial security. Various threats such as cloning and use of magic cards in advance era make mobile unprotected. The applications of new technologies make the bank to keep on changing the competition rule in banking industry. The most competitive challenge is how to provide the banking services to the customer which is more convenient to them, awareness among people would be a catalyst but also upgrade the business innovation and based on these services the mobile banking is the future (Zhong Wan, Weifeng Yin and Ronggao Sun, 2009). Issues in mobile banking are demonstrated as there are large numbers of people who do not have bank accounts especially in rural areas, due to unawareness and distant factor the people dont know about banking. There are policies, regulatory and legal, financial, security from malicious viruses, spam and malware attacks, information transfer (privacy of individual) and consumer protection, information disclosure on tariffs and services, data security, technical issues which need to be tackle. While introducing various applications for mobiles such as WAP based solutions create difficulty in uniform standards. Standards need to be address security and privacy concerns of customer as well as to promote the interoperability between different implementations. Revenue sharing agreement is another major issue between service provider, banks, content providers, other service provider such as utilities, retailer (Sanjeev Banzal, 2008). Challenges faced by the bank during implementation of mobile banking in Bangladesh are, Difficulty in selection of right software, Huge Investment in purchasing the Software, License, inability to do interbank transaction as the national payment switch is not in place. Handling huge agent network to deliver and receive cash over the counter. Challenges for mobile operator includes, sharing network with multiple Banks and Operator, technical limitation to access other banks, breaches in data privacy, accounting errors, or fraudulent transactions could expose an operator to large liabilities and serious reputation damage, The complex delivery of financial services could distract management from its core communications business, perhaps stretching the abilities of smaller mobile operators, Additional Investment in Solutions. Challenges faced by solution providers are, most of the solution are telco led so bank do not feel safe, Huge Investment from their part as most of the Bank wants t o share revenue, Some of the Banks are also not ready in terms of core banking or infrastructure for mobile baking solution. Challenges faced by government are prepare a proper guideline for the Mobile Banking system, maintaining track of all the financial transaction, setà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ up a list of services and there charges for all the mobile Banking service, Ensuring the compatibility of the software in Bank Led Model, Allow Interà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Bank transaction( Muntasir B. Shahariar, 2010). In order to provide mobile banking services the service provider has faced a challenge of security and privacy of customer, service provider has to promise users a level of security, a solution for this challenge has been made by mobile service provider is PIN and pass code to authorize valid customers and encrypted data for transfer along with the threat of password or PIN stolen if a mobile phone or wireless device is lost. Cope with low price charged to the customer is a also a hidden challenge for financial institutions because mobile banking is based on the revenue sharing model but in order to attract and retain customer low price than e-banking and previous banking service must be target(Caroline Boyd, 2007). Though mobile banking has a potential to improve saving rate and provide access to financial product but its still facing challenges which need to overcome includes high barrier to entry, low rate of loan repayment because of less contact with customer and regulatory issues (John Erickson, 2010). Attackers are gaining experience in tricks and those techniques which are unknown in 1990 are become mainstreams in 2000s such as phishing, malware, pharming such as DNS poisoning, increasing advancement in phones now threats is increased more on mobile than pcs(Bankable Frontier Associates, 2008) Challenge regarding m-banking to policy-makers and regulators is two-fold: Firstly, to encourage banks and mobile operators to develop solutions that are not proprietary, and secondly, to allow access to potential new entrants that can disrupt the lucrative business models of the banks and mobile operators. The key challenge is to do this while at the same time ensuring high levels of security and trust. Just like convergence forced the integration of broadcasting and telecommunications, so mobile banking is forcing the convergence of the financial and telecommunications sectors. Unfortunately, the convergence of two such heavily regulated industries means that this potential is unlikely to be met unless policy-makers lay the ground rules for innovation. (Comninos, Esselaar, Ndiwalana Stork, 2008) The bigger barriers in way of mobile banking is interoperability, fraud and security ,lack of awareness and understanding of benefits can achieve from mobile banking (Mahesh .K. harma , Ritvik Dubey, 2009). The common challenge policy makers and regulators have to address is: how to formulate regulatory policy that balances the need to provide space for innovation whilst ensuring services are scaled up safely (GSMA, 2008) There are also other manifest security challenges in delivering banking and payment services through wireless channels. Banks and other providers must implement security measures that adequately address these risks and threats regardless of the underlying network and carrier infrastructure used in delivering their services( Tony Chew, 2002) PUBLIC KEY INFRASTRUCTURE (PKI) FOR MOBILE BANKING To understand the challenges of deploying PKI in mobile banking, it is assumed that two keys are important. One for encryption and another for decryption. Only the decryption key must be kept secret: it is called the private key. The corresponding encryption key call the public key can be published. A Public key infrastructure works as follow. Each mobile bank user is listed in a public directory, with his/her public key. If mobile banking user wants to send a message to the bank server, he/she obtains banks public key from the directory and uses it to encrypt the message. The encrypted message is sent to bank application server. Only bank server is able to decrypt this message, because only bank knows the corresponding decryption key. Further, mobile user can use his/her private key to digitally sign his/her message by encrypting the message (or its hash) with his/her private key. Although everybody can read public-key directories, they must be protected from falsification and abuse. Therefore,there is need arise for an appropriate infrastructure called a public key infrastructure (PKI). (Narendiran, Rabara, Rajendran, 2010) In Jan 2010, for the security protection public key certificate was introduce by which the transactions made more secure than ever by using public key certificate, a special phone i-e smart phone used in which electronic signature is validate the transaction and authenticate to access the banks website. For this purpose application based Microsofts ActiveX internet explorer was necessary in order to download PKC. As mobile phone is a non- Microsoft browser and its do not support ActiveX for example iPhone , blackberry, Android, these phone do not support the designed procedure, therefore the mobile phones cant be used for mobile banking. In July 2010, Financial services commission extended its regulation to allow other verification methods by which a lay man can having its simple mobile phone set can use mobile banking services by introducing non-Microsoft browsers (CAU, 2010). The major regulatory issues which set around the branchless banking some of them are; 1- the risk of failure after introduction, a high profile failure lead to failure of all branchless schemes in which a high risk involved, 2- Non-bank institution must be introduce why only trust bank and presently using model of bank led is not always successful there must be bank led model at bank because mobile operator is a trustable authority and mobile operator can provide facilities such as a transaction can be traced geographically that a bank can never provide and mobile operator can know location exactly well than banks where a money is going to transfer and where its going to be received.3- appropriation of KYC regulation is necessary the suitability of application of customer should be under consideration. For example, if a customer transfer $30 and other is transferring $1000, will both undergo same KYC checks? If the most basic KYC checks applied to the poorest customer and full KYC ch ecks would be applied to the customer who reached to the Max-limit this relaxation may lead to the risk of terrorist attacks (Paul Makin and McEvoy, 2009). Those regulation that have been used for traditional banking cant be used for mobile banking because the risks of traditional bank and risks of mobile banking cant be equal so there is a need to develop more regulation for mobile banking, there are some areas in which the regulator attention is more require for example, making legal anti money transaction, agency rule, fullfilment cost of regulation, Foreign exchange controls, Payment regulation for non-banks, i.e. mobile operators (GSMA,2008) The regulation against risk of fraud, loss of privacy of customer and even for loss of service for the establishment of trust among the customer and its the most necessary element for the development of mobile banking. A legal framework needed which give authority to receive or send payments in electronic form. The Regulations also require for the Banks to take corrective actions and result proof measures to provide protection against violation terms and conditions of licensing including power to suspend or withdraw the license and if is there any violation done enforce financial penalty or regulate compensation. In order to formulate regulation the bank is eligible for issuance of rules, regulation and guidelines and directions for paper based payment items and the instruments used to complete the transactions and for presentation of electronic check. Moreover, the regulation is set by the bank to recognize new payment tools for the protection of interest of customer by ensuring sec urity, integration, reliability of the payment system. In bank of India, the guidelines are only formulate by the reserve bank of India and it specifies that only those bank who have physical presence in India will be licensed and supervised and will be allowed to offer mobile banking in India. Services shall be restricted only to customers of banks and holders of debit/credit cards issued as per Reserve Bank of India guidelines. SBP issued a policy paper on Mobile ( Rasheda Sultana, 2009) The development of mobile banking require some rules and regulation to be implemented for the protection of consumer, promote secure transactions, encourage economic stability. In regulation, clearly define those activities and institutional arrangements for mobile banking that directly focus on licensing, regulation and management by financial authority. It is require by those who are offering mobile banking to clearly expose prices and services offered by them along with it ensure fair dealing and data protection for all consumer. It is also require that mobile banking facilitator supervise risks of fraud and illegal activities under the rules of Know Your customer (KYC) (CAU, 2010) Banking which elaborately discusses models of mobile banking and associated risks. SBP recommends bank-based model with the scope of introducing non-bank-based model at later stage ( Rasheda Sultana, 2009) Financial crisis highlights need to make customer protection, financial access and financial stability mutually reinforcing Technological advances in mobile banking necessitate regulations that are flexible enough to accommodate innovation and customer demand yet stringent enough to protect customer privacy. The clarification of issues help banks and telecom companies to assess the risk involved in providing mobile banking in better way (CAU, 2010) A major issue that come arise while using mobile banking is to know your customer, new customer identity evertime verified whenever he have to use the service. In Kenya, identification is proved through national id card and M-PESA service which rely on id card authentication and it goes perfect. Some development in regulation allowed that only a bank can offer mobile banking services because of the reason that mobile operator due to its lack of perception and recognition power, do not know how to apply same regulatory environment to the non- bank to some extent. As the security, protection (end to end encryption) can be done only by the mobile operators since the SIM in under control of mobile operator. There are two ways to resolve this issue one is to relax the SIM control, there will be a time reach in near future that the SIM will be public utility and some control rights would be taken away from mobile operator and given to the third parties, second is relaxation of security As the implementation of mobile banking solely on mobile operator is not possible, it can be operated with comprehensive security and suitable control on appropriate reporting of maximum number of customers, transaction size and enhanced server based control. The regulator will have access to the necessary levels (Paul Makin and McEvoy, 2009) In order to achieve success in fulfillment of regulation and implementation of regulation, the regulator have to keep in mind that regulation must be apply in a proportionate manner to ensure safe and sound mobile money transfer. The regulation must benefit customers by rise in competition which reduce the price and improve the quality of service. The regulation must allow to be with the new mobile coming up for money transfer services. Financial regulation has to be developed through a consultative approach with the mobile industry to ensure it closely tracks market development without becoming a regulatory barrier (GSMA, 2008) With respect to completing a mobile banking transaction, a mobile carriers legal obligation also differs in fundamental ways from a financial institutions. The mobile carriers obligation to verify the origination and termination of a telecommunications transmission is mainly to ensure that a call is completed, and, that customers are accurately billed for the service. To the extent that a transmission is not completed, regardless of the content of that transmission, the liability of a telecommunications carrier is extremely limited as a matter of law. Under longstanding common law precedents and statutory law, for the most part a customer is entitled to no more than a refund for the cost of a failed communications, even if that communication happens to involve digital transfers of very large sums of money( Frederick M. Joyce, 2010) Mobile banking has two security segments; one is called handset zone users zone and other is mobile operator zone. Data security issues in mobile banking for example hackers, malware, viruses attacks etc some of the security issues that occur in mobile banking is as follow; Information leakage, loss and alteration can be happen in mobile banking as the technology is based on wireless devices, the information is transferred from one end to another end by using radio waves modulation and demodulation. When the rays passes from the air there are many other rays with which the interference of respective wave can be happen by which information may be leaked, loss and distort or it can be intercepted hackers can extract the information by installing devices on electromagnetic devices or may delete, modify or add in information which can damage the purpose of legitimate user which is initiated by him. Instability of communication channels and mobile devices lead to incomplete transaction. T

Bullying in our Schools Essay -- Violence Education Bullies Essays

Bullying in our Schools Bullies are an inextricable element of classroom culture, and they have been since long before it occurred to an educational expert to author a study about them. For a long time, the attitude toward bullying was that it is simply a natural part of the school experience – with so many children together, some would say it is unavoidable – but that it was mostly harmless and that the children would grow out of it. The events of April 20th, 1999 demonstrated just how dangerous that way of thinking was. Every American remembers the shooting that occurred that day at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO; Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire on their classmates, thirteen of whom died of their injuries. Although the mass media jumped to blame the tragedy on violent video games and music, most local sources mentioned that Harris and Klebold had constantly been the victims of bullies, some of whom were among the deceased. The media quickly picked up the trail and led with their new story: victims of bullying had brutally fought back against their tormentors. Appropriately, there was a national outcry; parents demanded to know what could be done to prevent â€Å"another Columbine† from happening in their children’s schools. Experts testified on national television, discussing what needed to be done to rectify the situation. The dialogue eventually closed, and, as it often goes, schools maintained the status quo. When the outrage died down, the pressure was lifted from schools’ shoulders, and their impetus to affect change was removed. Pressure must be reapplied to accomplish this necessary goal of reducing (if not eliminating) bullying in our school system. ... ...he elimination of bullying in our schools should be a prominent nationwide goal. Not only does it generally inhibit the performance of victims, but it also can have much more explosive, pernicious effects, such as the Columbine massacre of 1999. It should be the priority of educators everywhere to do whatever they can to ensure the safety and academic success of our students, and one of the first necessary steps in that uphill battle is to educate them in how to protect themselves from bullies. Until we as a society have done this, our main duty to our students, our children, will remain unfulfilled. WORKS CITED â€Å"Columbine High School massacre." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre Ingram, Scott. â€Å"Why Bullies Behave Badly.† Current Health Nov 2000. 20-1. Nudo, Lori. â€Å"Fighting the Real Bullies.† Prevention Nov 2004. 123-4.

Computers Affecting Our Lives :: essays research papers

Computers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning of human life, we as a people have always strived to obtain machines or tools to make our lives easier. Before the computer was invented in 1822, people were performing boring, repetitive tasks that we now take for granted. The computer, a modern complex machine, now accomplishes things we never thought possible. Computers, in general, have many benefits for they provide entertainment, help modern cities function, above all, make the most aggravating and mundane tasks incredibly simple.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the least important aspects of computers is that it provides entertainment and yet this is the sole reason why many people buy computers. The gaming and entertainment industry has become extremely large in the world, the products they sell range from shareware games to adult blood and gore. For instance, the 3D-shooter series, Quake, has sold millions of copies and essentially everyone in the world has seen it or played it. The entertainment industry not only provides gaming amusement but it also contributes learning programs, for children and adults, to help individuals excel in a certain trouble areas. Furthermore, computers also are also capable of training military personal in a virtual reality environment. An example of this is the U.S. and Canadian military, they both train soldiers and pilots in the ways of war using high tech computers and virtual reality equipment. To sum up, entertainment on the computer may not be important but is does satisfy mi llion of people worldwide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cities as we know them today would not exist if it were not for the help of the computer. In a modern city hundreds of items are under control by computers and most of them we take for granted. For example, the traffic lights at all intersections are controlled by computers and sometimes even with the support of underground sensors. Without computers the entire electrical grid would fail and all of the world’s neoteric population would be without precious electricity. Another instance in which computers aid the modern city is the sewage and water system. Without computers, entire series of pumps and water stations would seize and stop working, which translates to a city without running water. On the whole, computers are a necessary innovation to help modern cities function to their fullest potential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most important uses of the computer is that it provides a person with a tool that can make the most difficult tasks incredibly insignificant. Computers Affecting Our Lives :: essays research papers Computers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning of human life, we as a people have always strived to obtain machines or tools to make our lives easier. Before the computer was invented in 1822, people were performing boring, repetitive tasks that we now take for granted. The computer, a modern complex machine, now accomplishes things we never thought possible. Computers, in general, have many benefits for they provide entertainment, help modern cities function, above all, make the most aggravating and mundane tasks incredibly simple.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the least important aspects of computers is that it provides entertainment and yet this is the sole reason why many people buy computers. The gaming and entertainment industry has become extremely large in the world, the products they sell range from shareware games to adult blood and gore. For instance, the 3D-shooter series, Quake, has sold millions of copies and essentially everyone in the world has seen it or played it. The entertainment industry not only provides gaming amusement but it also contributes learning programs, for children and adults, to help individuals excel in a certain trouble areas. Furthermore, computers also are also capable of training military personal in a virtual reality environment. An example of this is the U.S. and Canadian military, they both train soldiers and pilots in the ways of war using high tech computers and virtual reality equipment. To sum up, entertainment on the computer may not be important but is does satisfy mi llion of people worldwide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cities as we know them today would not exist if it were not for the help of the computer. In a modern city hundreds of items are under control by computers and most of them we take for granted. For example, the traffic lights at all intersections are controlled by computers and sometimes even with the support of underground sensors. Without computers the entire electrical grid would fail and all of the world’s neoteric population would be without precious electricity. Another instance in which computers aid the modern city is the sewage and water system. Without computers, entire series of pumps and water stations would seize and stop working, which translates to a city without running water. On the whole, computers are a necessary innovation to help modern cities function to their fullest potential.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most important uses of the computer is that it provides a person with a tool that can make the most difficult tasks incredibly insignificant.

A Healthy Lifestyle with a Busy Schedule Speech

Eating Healthy With A Busy Schedule So we’re all busy right? Running to and from places. To Starbucks, to the  office, to visit an elderly grandparent, to the gym, to an extra-curricular activity, a meeting. Running ! running ! running. And yet, I always roll my eyes at those skinny girls who say, â€Å"I just don’t have time to eat! † Yah, WHATEVER! Rome could be burning, and there I am, chomping’ away. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of meals I’ve missed in my  ENTIRE  lifetime. If you ask my husband, he’ll attest to it! No joke. I NEVER miss a meal. So, how do you do it?With all the running and juggling, how do you make time for good healthy meals, and avoid skipping? Believe me, I’m just as busy as the next person, but I always  make time to eat. I’m not saying I haven’t eaten a salad in my car on my way to a meeting, but I  make food a priority, as funny as it sounds. For women juggling it all, food is in fact paramount to your success. And good food, may I add. Eating healthy with a busy lifestyle. You on the fence with how to incorporate  this into your hectic  life? A few tips that help me stay nutritious and energetic: * I ALWAYS keep snacks on me.I have a nice mixed bag of nuts, and organic yogurt covered raisins in my glove compartment and/or purse at all times. It always comes in handy. This way, I don’t binge on my next meal. Healthy snacking helps cut  the binging for sure, because  eating a  little food every few hours stablilizes  your blood sugar levels so your brain is much calmer when it sees your next meal! * I have my Erica’s To Do List notepad in the kitchen, and it’s visible at  all times. It’s my running list of whatever  we’re low on. The minute I’m almost done a ketchup, for example, (which is like every week), it goes on that list.Keep your healthy stuff on this list the minute you’re lo w. You’re much more likely to always buy the good stuff if it’s staring at you on a piece of paper at the grocery store. * I try and stop eating before I’m stuffed and gorged. My friends know, I never leave any food on my plate, EVER. It’s been ingrained in my brain since I’m little. My father grew up lacking many resources, so he always cleans his plate, as do it. But the right way to go, is to really stop before that full-feeling sets in. Portion control baby! * The same rule for my kids, applies to me. I aim for a protein, a carb, a vegetable and a fruit with every lunch and dinner.This has worked well for me. * If you anticipate a busy day, and foresee a McDonald’s drive-through day (okay, it’s yummy), PLAN AHEAD. Make your lunch the night before. I was truly in the best shape of my life when I was working. Now that  I’m at home,  I snack all day, or eat whatever, whenever. When I packed myself a lunch for the office, i t was a nice turkey sandwich, with hummus and carrots, celery and fennel (yes I LOVE fennel, and am the  only one in my family), a V8, and some pineapple. Nuts or cheese and crackers for snacks. There was portion control, and it was all energizing food.I felt and looked great. * When I look to buy new foods that I have never purchased before, I always read the ingredients. Remember, THE LONGER THE LIST, THE WORSE IT IS FOR YOU. The healthiest foods have simply one; strawberries, broccoli, oranges†¦ catch my drift? The long lists contain MSG, sugar, salt, and more crap. * My advice, take it or leave it: if you can go organic on one or two things in your life, go for organic dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), and meats and/or poultries. I do believe in buying  organic for these two, even though some  studies say  there is no difference.I am  a sucker  however,  for pretty much  all  organic lines of kids snacks (even though here, I highly doubt any real  difference exists). But for the other two I mentioned, I take them very seriously. I truly believe all the hormonal injections in our dairy and meats is what’s giving us cancer, and our kids early puberty onset. There are also pesticides in fruits and vegetables, so if budget allows, I would suggest buying the organic stuff where you eat the skin (ex; apples, strawberries, broccoli), and not necessarily the  fruits and veggies like bananas and oranges, where you peel off the skin. * And finally, WATER.My water bottle comes with me many places. I fill it up along the way. Water is important. We know this already. Unfortunately, I was born with my dad’s skin, and not my mom’s, (which is creamy, milky and always blemish free), so I do my best to hydrate as much as possible to help with my skin. I really notice a difference in how I  look and feel  when I drink a ton of water. Yo, busy women! Can any of you share some of your tips that keep you lean, healthy and energiz ed? And thank you ladies for all your emails of concern. The grandfather is stable, and alive. So, it’s wedding weekend as usual for now. Until next time†¦ *