Managing Earth's Natural Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managing Earth's Natural Resources - Essay Example Being a farmer, and hardworking one at that, I strongly oppose any arrangements that would subject Callicoon to hydraulic fracturing. Jack, I know that leasing land over to extraction companies seems logical. The money is satisfactory, and one gets to retain ownership of the land. Lots of promises got made by these companies concerning how they intend to harness this resource that is the natural gas. However, the very process of fracking in itself is harmful to the natural ecosystem regardless of whatever means gets used in harvesting (Zelman 2012). Hydraulic fracturing refers to a process that creates fractures in the rocks due to the action of pressurized fluid. The process of fracking gets done after a well gets drilled and fitted with steel pipes targeting the areas that hold gas or oil. When the fracturing fluid gets injected in the well, it flows along the perforations into the target zones. The pressure created through injection of the liquid fractures the formation. Upon frac turing, fluid injection stops and the fracturing fluid flow back to the surface. Materials like ceramic beads and sand which got injected together with the fracture fluid mixture remains in the fracture space to keep the fracture open (Zelman 2012). Hydraulic fracturing uses enormous volumes of water. ... The harvesting of large volumes of water for hydraulic fracturing has negative ecological impacts in the water ecosystem. Fracking in Marcellus Shale used up 650 million gallons each year. Apart from drying up of water aquifers, water harvesting affects aquatic flora and fauna and leads to loss of biodiversity. The transportation of this water gets done by trucks that cause localized air quality and destroys the roads (Zelman 2012). A wide array of chemicals gets used together with water in hydraulic fracturing. The amount of chemicals used when millions of gallons of water gets used is enormous. In other words, the amount of chemicals per hydraulic fracturing is substantial. For instance, fracking that uses up four million gallons requires up to 330 tons of chemicals. The department of Environmental Conservation put up a list of additives and chemicals used for fracturing in Marcellus Shale. These chemicals are toxic to both wildlife and people, some of which cause cancer. These sub stances include petroleum distillates such as toluene, naphthalene and ethylbenzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ethylene glycol, sodium hydroxide, formaldehyde, glycol ether and hydrochloric acid. The Environmental Working Group has stated that petroleum distillates like kerosene contain benzene, a well known carcinogen which gets toxic in water in quantities that exceed five parts per billion. Volatile organic compounds such as 1, 2- Dichloroethane that are found in fracturing fluid flow back exceed drinking water standards. Flow back samples obtained from Pennsylvania had 10 times the maximum amount of 1, 2- Dichloroethane that should be in drinking water (Zelman 2012). Jack, leasing land to these exploration companies will lead to the reduction of water and air quality.

CRITIQUE OF PROFESSIONAL READING JOURNAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CRITIQUE OF PROFESSIONAL READING JOURNAL - Essay Example Her recent work has focused largely on similar issues such as the fundamental processes in learning to read English by Chinese students: both - children as well as adults, and learning to read Chinese by skilled English readers (online, 20101). Dr. Keiko Koda works as Professor of Japanese and Second Language Acquisition at the Univeristy of Illinois, and has extensive experience in the field of second langauge reading competence. Her recent works include a series of studies aimed at investigating the conjoint impacts of first language literacy and second language print exposure on the formation of reading sub-skills in typologically diverse second languages (Chinese, English, Korean, and Japanese). (online, 20102). Second language acquisition and development is a widely researched subject and has been used by various researchers to explore the nuances of language learning among second language learners. The topic discussed in the present article deals with diverse issues related to language acquisition, such as the word identification skills among different sets of college students having diverse linguistic backgrounds (Chinese and Korean) and enrolled in learning English as a second language. The main objective of the authors was to understand the language acquisition process employed by students belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds through exploring the similarities and differences between their methods of learning a common language. Such a study would pave way for further research and bring about major changes and improvements in the manner in which second language training is imparted and courses designed. For this purpose, a study was conducted on two distinct groups of college students all of whom were ESL students. They were tested by way of a naming experiment and an auditory category judgment task.

Science, enlightenment and politics, which was most important to your Essay

Science, enlightenment and politics, which was most important to your world - Essay Example Similar undercurrents of progressive thought were seen in the New World as well, most notably from such intellectuals such as Tom Paine and other proponents of American independence (Porter & Teich, 1981). The Enlightenment has had a profound impact on the cultural evolution of Western Europe in particular and the whole of the continent in general. A landmark piece of scholarship that turned the tables in favor of scientific reasoning is Newton’s analysis and description of natural physical phenomena. The immediate impact was discernible in written literature of the day, due to the scope of this medium of art (Brians, Paul, 1998). On the other hand, it took longer for ideas of the Enlightenment to penetrate into art forms such as music and painting due to the emphasis on traditionally acquired technique in these art forms. The Age of Enlightenment also gave birth to the neoclassical school of art, which found its highest expression in the Literature of the day. All forms of literature, ranging from prose, narrative verse, poetry, plays, etc were infused with newly discovered scientific truths and newly evolving systems of natural philosophy. Such luminaries as Alexander Pope, Phyllis Wheatley, Voltaire and Jonathan Swift among others were at the forefront of this paradigm change in socio-cultural expression. A special mention has to be made on the role of the Novel in this epoch making age. The broad scope of intellectual discourse offered by the Novel was utilized very cleverly and ingenuously by such writers as Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richarrdson, Henry Fielding, Aphra Behn, Fanny Burney, etc (Paul Brians, 1998). Given the revolutionary change in the cultural landscape that the Enlightenment affected, it is easy to see its relevance to the world of today. The field of enquiry where the ideas of the Enlightenment made radical changes was in the realm of political thought and systems of civil

Business Strategy Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Strategy Case Study - Essay Example As a result, the market share of GM has been slipping over the years. Like all North American and European car manufacturers, GM has also been outsourcing production facilities to low cost destinations in Latin America and Asia since the 1990s. This has enabled it to capture new markets as well as reduce costs to some extent. But, in North America, it remains straddled with high costs because of its legacy of high employee costs and strong trade unions that prevent shut down of loss-making plants. Besides, GM has invested little in research and product development. Hence, its numerous brands are ageing and less competitive in comparison to the sleek models manufactured by Japanese and Korean manufacturers. The automobile industry is one of the largest industries in the United States and contributes 5 percent of the private Gross Domestic Product (BERA, 2004). The country is also the largest manufacturer of automobiles in the world, having produced 12.2 million units in 2002. The "Big Three" US automobile manufacturers - General Motors (GM), Ford and Daimler-Chrysler - producers 76 percent of the vehicles sold in the US while 18 percent is contributed by Japanese manufacturers - Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Isuzu - and 2 percent by European manufacturers - BMW and Mercedes (division of Daimler-Chrysler). While the Asian and European manufacturers rely on exports, the US is the principal global market of automobiles hence the demand for US manufacturers is generated mostly domestically and to a small extent from Canada. II.A.1. Industry trends, conditions and key strategic factors Historically, North American manufacturers have been major players in the global automobile industry and GM, since its formation by William C Durant in 1908, has been a name to reckon with (Jones, 2005). However, over the period of a hundred years, much has changed in the structure and pattern of the industry, forcing GM to diversify from high-end passenger cars alone to catering to different segments of customer demand as well as engage in strategic partnerships with global players and extend production facilities in foreign lands (BERA, 2004). Particularly since the last half of the 1990s, globalization of automobile manufacturing, primarily aimed to cut product costs, have resulted in multiple production facilities down the value chain in a number of countries across continents. All the major players have invested heavily in outsourced destinations in Latin America, China, Malaysia and other countries in south east Asia. The "big Three" of North American automobile manufacturers, GM, Ford and Chrysler have also engaged in strategic partnerships with European counterparts. The industry has seen consolidation along the three tiers, with the first tier being composed of GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen while the lower two tiers initiating mergers among themselves in order to remain competitive. II. A.2. Analysis of competitors In the early years of the 20th

My Familys experience with cities over the past three generations Essay

My Familys experience with cities over the past three generations - Essay Example Who could have blamed them Over the past sixty years, Santiago has seen numerous political rebellions and battles which finally lead to a nearly twenty year dictatorship. If my mother finally decided to move to the United States, it is, to my opinion only because of me and the opportunity she had for all of us. Wouldn't we have been there, she would have remained in Santiago. In this essay, I will present the ties my family and I have to our cities and explain on what they rely and their differences. I will try to show that even though we were all born and raised in the same place, our point of view at the same age - 20 - were totally different and the way that we have lived our lives there reflects it. We will see that the city is a My Grandmother, Liliana Domingo, was born in Santiago, Chile in 1942 and since than has been living all her life there. In 1962, at the age of 20, she was working at a local hospital as a nurse. That year marked the fourth anniversary of the president's Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez election. He was promoting foreign investments and free enterprise. The political developments were easily seen in Santiago and often noticed by my grandmother. She started nursing more and more foreigners who were visiting the country for business. It was this people who participated to the modernization of the city. She soon began to think that maybe one day Santiago will become an international city just like London, Paris or New York. These believes helped her in her everyday life which was not so easy. As both a working woman and mother she was busy 24 hours a day, barely finding some time to rest. She woke up very early in order to prepare the entire family, went to work, on her way back did the groceries and finally took care of dinner for all. In the meantime her Santiago was changing. The tramway nearly disappeared, leaving the empty space for buses and trolleybuses. She found it amazing as she never could take the tramway to go to work and spent an hour walking to the hospital. When the buses arrived, it took her only twenty minutes to go to work as the bus was passing just in front of her house leaving her just two blocks away from the hospital. Buses and Trolleys were principally of European origin. As she recalled treating European patients, she was proud in believing that she helped, in a certain way, create this new system of transportation. This is what Santiago was for her, a sort of haven. Though she spent most of her time working at the hospital or at home, she found it much more easier now because of all the new transportations available in the city. Her opinion was that this is the kind of means that a city has to put up in order to make people's life easier and more pleasant. Electricity, water and gas were now available to everybody. Schools, universities were spreading. It was alike a new city was being built just on top of the new one and an extraordinary quantity of opportunities at the same time. Santiago, in 1962, according to my grandmother was an example of modernity combined with a respect of a good and decent way of living; I believe even before my mother reached 20, that my

Research Paper and Power Point on Artist Claude Monet

And Power Point on Artist Claude Monet - Research Paper Example Monet got born in 1840 in Paris but got raised in the Normandy region. He was the second born to his father Claude Adolphe Monet and mother Louise Justine Aubree Monet. His parents were second generation Parisians (Whiting 8). His father worked in the family’s shipping business while his mother was a housewife who took care of the family. His mother was also a trained singer who liked poetry and was also a very popular hostess. His family relocated to the Normandy region when he was aged 5 years. Monet developed his love for drawing at an early age through his interest for being outside than confined in a classroom. His mother greatly supported his artistic pursuit while his father wanted him to join the family business. Upon his mother’s death in 1857, Monet suffered greatly (Katilina & Brodskaya 50). Monet became well known in the community for drawing many of his town’s resident as well as for his caricatures. Monet started to develop a liking for the natural world in his works when he met a local landscape artist in Eugene Boudin. Boudin was influential in introducing Monet to outdoor painting also known as plein air painting, which eventually formed the basis of his works. Monet moved to Paris in 1859 to pursue his artistic dream where he enrolled at the Academic Suisse as a student(Katilina & Brodskaya 22) . His enrollment was also fuelled by the works of the Barbizon painters earlier in the century who showed close observation and great naturalistic representation in their works. His time as a student at the institution led him to meet Camille Pissarro, a fellow artist who became his close friend for years. The years 1861-1862 saw him serve in the military in Algiers, Algeria where he got discharged for poor health. His return to studies in Paris saw him meet other a rtists in Alfred Sisley, Frederic Bazille, and Auguste Renoir. The four developed an artistic friendship. Monet also worked

EFFICACY OF WILDLIFE REHABILITATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION A DETAILED Thesis

EFFICACY OF WILDLIFE REHABILITATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION A DETAILED REVIEW OF LEES-MCRAE COLLEGE WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CONCENTRATION - Thesis Example collected from students, faculty and staff in the spring and fall of 2010 to explore the background factors of individuals enrolling in the program, the use of experiential learning in the classroom, and program outcomes, particularly in the area of critical thinking and problem solving. Recognizing that the planet and its life forms have an inherent worth, and that we have a responsibility to treat the earth and its processes with respect, the Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute (BRWI) is dedicated to the stewardship of the Earth through environmental education, and rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned native North American wildlife. (BRWI, 1996) Wildlife rehabilitation and the use of wildlife in educational programming in a college setting is a relatively new concept and can be a life-changing experience for learners who work with injured and orphaned animals. Although there is extensive research involving the human and animal relationship (Nimmo, 2012) there are no other studies, on the educational outcomes of wildlife rehabilitation programs in higher education. The Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute (BRWI) at Lees-McRae College, in Banner Elk, North Carolina provides medical and rehabilitative services for sick, injured, and orphaned native wildlife and admits between 900-1000 patients annually. In addition, BRWI serves as an educational entity, providing outreach wildlife programs throughout the western North Carolina region.   It is the setting for biology students to acquire knowledge and experience in wildlife rehabilitation and the use of trained, non-releasable wildlife to partner with in education.   While there are wildlife rehabilitation centers attached to veterinary schools at, for example, Tufts University, University of Minnesota, and University of California Davis, there are no undergraduate colleges that house an on-campus wildlife rehabilitation center and offer a major in wildlife rehabilitation. As such, the Lees-McRae College program can