‘Mrs Penniman’s character is to some extent a mere caricature’ in Henry James’ ‘Washington Square’

Henry James uses, Lavinia Penniman predominantly for the comic relief derived from her unrealistic romantic scheme, her extensive hyperbole, and deceitfulness. Mrs Penniman is seen as a caricature, a caricature is a humorous illustration that exaggerates or distorts the features of a person to form a visual likeness. Mrs Penniman can be seen as a caricature through her clothing, gestures, language and her manipulation as seen in many chapters throughout the novel. Lavinia Penniman is a sad figure, she is widowed and â€Å"left without children, without fortune† and lives in Dr Sloper's household and is in control of Dr Sloper's daughter, Catherine's education. Many women in the 19th century who like Mrs Penniman weren't married, tended to struggle with life; they struggled to get an income so remained poor and weak and really tended not to have a life. Henry James shows Mrs Penniman to tag along to the Dr's household, possibly for this reason, she originally joined the household temporarily whilst she searched for â€Å"unfurnished lodgings† but she chose to settle † herself with her brother and never went away†. She is in fact described as the † fifth wheel†, she is always there, most often when not needed, always meddling with the outcome of events, she should really be a minor character but she continuously interferes. Mrs Penniman really is seen as a caricature when she is being a meddler, as she so often is. She really interferes with Catherine's relationship between Morris, she arranges dates, â€Å"he is coming a courting† (said to Catherine). In chapter 15 and 16 Mrs Penniman interferes tremendously with Catherine's relationship with Morris, she organises a â€Å"tryst† which is held between her and Morris at an â€Å"oyster salon†. This location is unexpected and very secretive, this all increases the drama of the occasion, making it seem as though what they were doing wasn't allowed and making it all seem rather suspicious, as Mrs Penniman is very unlikely to meet anyone of acquaintance there. At this secret meeting, Mrs Penniman goes against her brother's wishes and attempts to encourage a secret wedding between Catherine and Morris, Morris realises the difficulty of this but Mrs Penniman thinking she is in one of her â€Å"romantic† novels, comes up with ridiculous solutions that would just add to the drama, such as using the â€Å"cemetery† as a location for the wedding. She also makes sure that she is a key figure in it all, as she possibly wants to be the heroine, she does this by inventing roles for herself, and this is done in other occasions as well. Mrs Penniman's character does have comic factors that are crucial for her to be a caricature. This can be seen through her costumes, gestures and through the author's ironic metaphors. Her costumes are flamboyant and in chapter IV she is described as wearing â€Å"more buckles and bangles than ever† showing that she often wears outrages outfits. Like her costumes her language and gestures seem to be hyperbolic and unnecessary, although this could be a ploy to create a larger part in the plot that she would otherwise have. Her continuous use of hyperbolic and melodramatic language makes the character seem to be humorously overdramatic and over the top, this defiantly creates a feeling of her being a caricature. To top this of Henry James uses witty and unusual metaphors that have a hint of irony in them. She chooses these ironic metaphors to make the situation between Morris and Catherine more dramatic than it really is, she reads these ideas in her â€Å"light literature†, and would like the relationship between Catherine and Morris to be like them. This can be seen several time from page 82 to 84, where she uses â€Å"banished†, â€Å"the guilty couple†, â€Å"neutral ground† and â€Å"exciting suspicion†. All these seem to be similar to some of Shakespeare's romantic relationships, such as Romeo and Juliet, where Romeo one of the lovers is â€Å"banished†, the couple is guilty, as they are sworn enemies and they often met on neutral ground, this is an exciting play, due to this which is effectively what Mrs Penniman is attempting to do. To conclude, Mrs Penniman's character is a caricature, her clothes, language and gestures are all hyperbolic and she always attempts to be at the centre of all occasions. She is a sad figure who attempts to manipulate the authors plot to make it more dramatic and like her light literature, her ideas are full of irony and her character in general does seem to posses some humour that would make her a caricature.

Philosophical problems for people with religious beliefs Essay

* In what ways might evil and suffering create philosophical problems for people with religious beliefs? Outline two solutions to these problems( 21 ) * To what extent are these solutions successful?( 9 ) 1. Suffering can cause all sorts of problems that can shake people’s religious beliefs. Evil and suffering create problems in people’s faith because they have lost someone or they have suffered particular hardship in their life and they wish to blame someone or something for their personal suffering and this is normally God. If someone close to a person dies and that person is religious or has been brought up in a faith even if they have lapsed it will make them doubt their faith even though we know that everyone has to die someday but it is never the right time to loose someone you love. And because of this people blame God or if they have a faith it may make them feel that god is not there. This is the issue of the inconsistent triad. The triad says that god is all loving all powerful and all knowing. If this is true would an all loving God let innocent people suffer at the hands of illness and natural disasters. And if he is all loving and he wouldn’t want us to suffer like this he might not know it was happening and so the second angle of the triangle is disproved and finally if he is both all loving and all-knowing he would not want people to get hurt and he knew it was happening so maybe it is the fact that he simply wants to help but he cannot as he is not all powerful. The inconsistent triad is a very big philosophical problem as it is a very logical series of suggestions and seems perfectly logical that if you love someone you wouldn’t want them to be hurt if you knew it was happening and more importantly you had the power to stop it why wouldn’t you especially if you loved that person. This is then used to say that if God is not all of these things then he is not God. This sums up nicely the flaw in all religion. If you say your God loves you and they are all powerful then why do they allow people, innocent people to suffer. Also the second problem with the morality of evil and suffering that can hurt religious beliefs is the issue of unanswered prayers. If someone is praying that their friend or relative won’t die of an illness or something along those lines if they do people often turn away from god because they feel he is not listening because what they asked for had not been granted. And again this relates back to the inconsistent triad as if he can hear the prayers and if he loves the people who ask him and plead him for help and he ignores them and lets people die maybe he isn’t all powerful or isn’t all loving. Some theists respond that a perfect being may still allow some evil, asserting that it will enable certain greater goods, such as free will, which can not be achieved without allowing some evils. A theodicy, on the other hand, is an attempt to provide such justifications for the existence of evil. Richard Swinburne maintains that it does not make sense to assume there are such greater goods, unless we know what they are, i.e., we have a successful theodicy. Many contemporary philosophers disagree. Skeptical theism, which is based on the theological position that humans can never expect to understand the divine, is perhaps the most popular response to the problem of evil among contemporary philosophers of religion. But how do we truly explain the problem of evil and suffering especially in relation to the existence and power of god. Swinburne also once said â€Å"in a cool moment we must provide a satisfactory answer for atheists.† I believe that this concept could also be applied to the theists who are suffering or are questioning god as a result of evil and suffering. To deal with the issue of theist faith suffering as the result of suffering we must address the objections to the problem. These are many and varied; for example Christian scientists often say that God cannot exist due to the logical problem of the inconsistent triad whereby the two claims negatives the third and therefore the existence of a perfect god. The existence of evil is of course the strongest objection and causes the most problems for faith. But there are many types of evil there is natural evil, god created a flawed and imperfect world. There is also moral evil why did god create people capable of doing such terrible things but this comes down to the issue of free will in mankind. But overall evil is the min reason for philosophical problems in beliefs. This is often countered by some theists saying that maybe god is making us suffer out of love. In irenaean theodicy it is considered and based upon the fact that our god is a personal god unlike in the Augustinian theodicy where god seems more disinterested and distant. It is implied that god loved his creation. † god looked upon what he had done and he saw it was very good†( the book of genesis).and because he loved us so much he wanted us to have the chance to create our perfect soul through an imperfect world with challenges to receive the ultimate reward of a perfect soul. So we suffer for a positive purpose or outcome. Professor John Hick developed the soul making theodicy. John Hick believes that in order for moral growth to take place it is important that human beings are created at a knowledge distance from God. This knowledge means that human beings do not know whether God exists and so this knowledge gap means that human beings are genuinely free and have space to grow and mature through making their own moral choices. Irenaeus, a Church Father. Believed that human beings have a two stage process of moral development, having been created in â€Å"the image and likeness of God.† (Genesis 1:26). Created in the image of God, human beings have potential, which they may achieve in this world as they attempt to grow into the likeness of God, thus fulfilling their potential. This two stage process of moral development is compared to growing from a child into an adult through our moral choices. St irenaues also suggested that evil could be tracked back to human free will.he differed from Augustine by saying that god did not make a perfect world and that evil has a valuable part to play in god’s plans for humanity. Irenaeus said that god was partially responsible for evil. In the sense that god created humans imperfectly in order that they could develop into perfection. His own image but with the intention of letting them develop into his likeness or perfection of character later. Being in gods image means that you have intelligence, morality, personality, but perfection would only be accomplished as humanity was changed into god’s likeness developing over time. God couldn’t have created humans in perfection because attaining the likeness of god needed the willing cooperation of human individuals. Moreover freedom requires the possibility of choosing well instead of evil and therefore god had to permit evil and suffering to occur. St Augustine lived in the fifth century and it was his concept that god was perfect the world was perfect and it was mans evil that caused this to break. God brought the world into existence from nothing (ex nihilo) the fall itself is chapter three of genesis. Augustine taught that following the fall the devil tempted Adam and eve to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge the fruit from the knowledge tree. The fruit which god had forbidden Adam and eve to eat. Sin is the definition of the will of a rational being away from god which is motivated by pride hubris. Augustine believed that original sin was passed down through the act of sexual intercourse so that every human being, as descendants of Adam and eve suffer from original sin. Humanity has a tendency towards sin. Man wants to sin. â€Å"The good that I would I cannot.† Evil is a privation of goodness. Evil doesn’t exist as a substance of his own right. Augustine described sin as a falling short or missing the mark of that which god intends. Augustine believed that the â€Å"ugliness of sin is never without the beauty of punishment In the scientific age of the twenty-first century people no longer believe in angels. The whole idea of the fall is nonsensical and is only fit for a pre-scientific view of the world. Similarly people no longer believe in the devil. Augustine’s theodicy depends on his assumption that the world was made perfect. This is contradicted by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection. The story of Adam and Eve is not historically true, it is a myth. The teaching of Original Sin is not Biblical, but comes from St Augustine. The idea that the human race is fallen, as we inherit Original Sin from Adam and Eve is both Scientifically nonsensical and Even if it were true it is highly unfair to punish the offspring (the human race) for a sin committed by their parents, i.e. Adam and Eve. 2. As we see pain and suffering around us in the so called â€Å"perfect world that God created and we feel a need to justify why this is happening and more importantly who fault it is. This is where god comes into the equation, the designer of the earth and an all knowing being who loves us all no mater who we are. The mere idea of pain in this world with this being calls into question the very existence of what our existence is and how it came to be. The definition of a theology is to prove the divine attributes of god and when one sees death in ones family; could one ever possibly see a vindication of evils existence? In analysis both theodicy’s one must take into consideration the historical context in which both were conceived and written. With modern scientific knowledge we have com to believe that the universe came into existence through the big bang. Consequently many have discredited the possibility of the genesis version of creation. The Augustine theodicy is therefore open to much modern day speculation and criticism, as it is based on the belief that man established evil due to a conscious decision made by Adam and eve under temptation from Lucifer. This is the fall and when human existence supposedly turned away from the grace of God. In today’s more logical and pragmatic society the idea of man’s creation through such events is considered to be nothing more than mythological farce. Where the text should not simply be discredited but is more of a symbol in this case to Christianity. In discrediting the source of the theodicy therefore one considers what remains of Augustine theodicy ineffective due to our lack of belief in the first premise. The point to consider is if one is a traditional catholic and believes that this is the word of God or weather one takes a more modern stance on the issue and learns from scientific growth of the modern era. However scientist still struggle to provide a true explanation for the cause of the big bang, had Augustine been able to see these modern times he may have argued the point that when the fall happened (the expulsion of Adam and eve from the garden.) the big bang would have occurred. This is very open to interpretation as it is now a certainty that the story of Adam and eve is a metaphorical device to explain the beginning of the world to people who were simpler than today’s standards. What is clear is that the Augustine theodicy is a very traditionalist approach to the idea of evil. Whereas the irenaean theodicy was written before the Augustine theodicy it is actually a more modern in its approach to the problem of evil and suffering. In these modern times under newer scientific evidence such as the theory of evolution and the big bang theory St Iranian’s theodicy was cast into new philosophical light. It was shown to be a document before its time as it draws from an original state of imperfection in the universe. Which then has to work towards perfection? Her is so much evil in today’s society we can see many natural evil. In contrast to natural evil one cannot but help agree that the world is not perfect. In contrast to natural evil occurring due to a delicate balance being lost in the world the idea of an imperfect world working towards perfection appears far more feasible. To conclude one must draw to the evident change in sociological and intellectual factors from the time of Irenaeus and Augustine. Although both when written may have proved strong vindification for moral and natural evil in the case of the existence of god mans growth appears to change the significance of each thing in the universe.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Advertisements

Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 1 An Allegory of Advertisements How does Plato’s allegory influence the way we consume art today? Every minute of every day, millions of people are exposed to advertisements. They plague televisions, streets, radio waves, and all means of communication. These advertisements employ many methods of persuasion and their influence is irresistible. Just like prisoners in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, we are told every day to invest our time and interest into the subject of these advertisements, and to accept the forms of reality they serve us.Whether it be a commercial for a must-have new car, to a spot featuring desirable fast food, or to magazines with photoshopped models; we are seduced to accept these false forms of reality. In actuality, the car is hardly distinguishable from models in the years past, the food is not near as glossy and fresh as the commercial depicts, and the bodies of models have unfeasible proportions. Like the prisoners in the cave, we still accept these forms to be reality, even though they are imitations and falsities of their actual subjects.Puppeteers, like prisoners, are still within the boundaries of the cave, and some believe in their imitations whilst others know the falsehood they are presenting; just like advertisers of today. Even philosopher-kings must be part of the cave in certain ways, as they contribute their own forms of imitation to the prisoners, akin to puppeteers. The Allegory of the Cave has an abundance of meaning to our generation and future generations to come, as the themes and elements it contains relate directly to our society’s consumption and production of promotional media.In Plato’s allegory, several metaphors are summoned to illustrate the effect of education on the soul. The allegory starts with the description of a cave; a place containing prisoners, shadows, puppeteers and fire. The prisoners are bound to look at the shadows, cast upon the wall by the fire and the objects utilized by the puppeteers. There is an exit to the cave, which is illuminated by the light from the sun outside. The outside represents true knowledge whereas the inside of the cave represents ignorance; a reality other than the truth.Plato considers the puppeteers to essentially be artists; using their creations to depict a false reality for the Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 2 prisoners. However, those who free themselves from the cave are the only ones who can realize true form. Those who do this are labeled as the philosophers. For the purposes of this essay, only the aspects of art and art interpretation in the allegory are important. What makes the allegory decisive in comparing it to our consumer-producer society is that the metaphors Plato uses directly correlate to the mantras of advertising.Notwithstanding, for any of this argument to be relatable to Plato’s allegory, which primarily focuses on artists and their creations, one must first know wha t makes promotional media a form of artistic expression. Let us assume Plato’s definition; that art is a poor imitation of reality. He views the creators of art, or as he sees them, imitators â€Å"by nature third from the king and the truth† (Republic, 597e). Artists in publicity take this notion and exaggerate it to the furthest degree. For instance, what makes us want a Burger King burger over any other local burger joint product?The answer to that is clear; advertising. Without its advertising in mass, one wouldn’t be able to distinguish a Burger King product over any other competitor’s. On the contrary, we are drawn towards their burgers because of their glorious depictions in media. From passing the giant billboards of lucious burgers, to seeing a family enjoy them on a television commercial; we are told to believe that these titillating combinations of veggies and protein are absolutely marvelous. These advertisements are nothing but mere deception s of reality.The billboards show us enlarged, crisp patties and fresh vegetables, when in reality, there is no guarantee of such a thing. Therefore they are what Plato defines as art; imitations of reality. Another example would be political commercials, which skew the truth in a variety of ways. From showing an out of context quote from their opponents, to showing themselves speak to a crowd with uplifting music in the background, politicians use the art of media to manipulate the public from seeing the truth. Advertising is a very sharp form of communication from puppeteer to prisoner; and it directly relates to Plato’s allegory.Most of us accept these false forms of reality regardless. Millions of people watch misleading commercials for a product, but they still purchase it in the end. Millions of people knowingly vote for politicians who offer false promises and deceptions, but they still return to vote for the same people in future elections. Like the repetitious cycle o f puppeteers feeding prisoners art in the allegory, Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 3 consumers of today lust for producers to fill their fair supply as well. So how do we exit this cycle? Through education and enlightenment.Plato believes that any ruler of men must pursue in â€Å"calculation, geometry, and all the preliminary education required for dialectic† (536d). He also believes that â€Å"no free person should learn anything like a slave. † (536e). Therefore, one must exercise in their own free will to truly become educated. Plato believes that to be truly educated, one must question and study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. By doing this, along with decades of physical training, mathematical science, dialectic training, and political discovery, one then becomes a philosopher-king; the third human element in the allegory of the Cave.However, unlike the puppeteers and the prisoners, the philosopher-kings reside outside the cave, and they harness the ability to see true forms, not mere shadows. So if we live in a society of art production and art consumption, who are the modern day philosopher-kings? There is no simple answer to that question, and this is where Plato’s allegory begins to cave in on itself (pun intended). Plato is a philosopher himself, and by channelling his ideas through Socrates in The Republic, he creates a forum. Socrates starts the allegory of the Cave with the word â€Å"imagine† (514a).The definition of the term â€Å"imagine† is to believe something unreal or untrue to exist. Therefore, Socrates is envisioning an imitation of reality with his allegory, making him an artist. Based on his definitions, Socrates (and therefore Plato) dips his feet back into the cave. If all philosophers followed the same methods of Plato, in terms of creating art forms of philosophy, doesn’t that mean that we are all either puppeteers and/or prisoners? If, in conclusion, philosophers subject their knowledge in an understandable format to puppeteers and prisoners, they are essentially creating art; which means nobody is truly free from the cave.Yet, to generalize philosophers exactly as puppeteers would also be incorrect, contrary to the Allegory. As discussed previously, philosophers only dabble in the art of imitation. This does not make them true puppeteers. Whereas philosophers are able to educate without false forms of reality, true puppeteers are only showing imitation. So what forms do puppeteers accept to be true? Imitation or reality? Relating back to the â€Å"Burger King Theory†, do the Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 4 puppeteers knowingly accept their imitations?Most likely not, as they are aware of the flaws in their advertisement. If a Burger King representative accepted their imitations as reality, they would probably be tempted to eat burgers everyday and eventually die from malnutrition or diabetes. Rather, these representatives are still tru e puppeteers and are therefore still in the dark among the prisoners. So what reality is accepted from the puppeteers? If we look at the representatives of, say Ford, for example’s sake, we find that they reject their own imitations of reality, or art, but that they still consume in similar ways to prisoners.A representative of Ford may make the commercials for the newest model of truck, but does that dictate that they necessarily drive one? Not at all. At the same time, it is not an impossibility either, and their experience as an advertiser, or artist, may even lead them into believing that it is necessary to buy the newest model every year. After all, they are surrounded with their advertisements constantly, influencing them even more so than a consumer, so couldn’t they eventually accept them to be correct?Unless one becomes a monk and sanctions themselves completely away from society, which Plato would most likely condemn, one will always be a target of advertisem ents. Therefore puppeteers must be partially prisoners in that regard, as they will fall target to other puppeteer’s or even their own shadow imagery. This concept works symbiotically with the notion that philosophers are partially puppeteers; as Plato concedes to enjoying the influence of children’s tales on youth, stating that mothers â€Å"will shape their children’s souls with stories much more than they shape their bodies by handling them. † (377c).He openly admits to enjoying some forms of art, and accepting them even if they â€Å"are false, on the whole, though they have some truth to them. † (377a). Hence, he is also as prisoner in that regard, akin to a puppeteer. This draws yet another parallel to art consumption in our modern day society; even a philosopher in our day and age must appreciate certain things to survive, and may be drawn towards imitation of reality through advertisement; car commercials, food spots, or anything. With the acceptance of this concept, the consequence is that everyone in our modern society still resides at least somewhat within the boundaries of the Cave.Is this not true? Can anyone truly claim in this era that they are free from advertisements? Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 5 Can we go one day without seeing a commercial and not remotely showing interest, even in our subconscious? In some countries around the world, it is not even an option to reject an imitation of reality. For example, citizens of Australia are forced by law to vote, and in that sense, it is impossible not to be persuaded by inevitably deceptive political advertisements. The relation of things such as politics, billboards for burgers, and car commercials to the allegory of the Cave is certainly an odd concept to comprehend.Nevertheless, it proves that many of forms of misleading advertising can harken back to the shadows created by the backlit fire and sculptures in Book VII of Plato’s Republic. Society has alwa ys revolved around art producers and art consumers, just like the puppeteers and prisoners in the cave. Advertising and its respective forms encompass many lessons that we have learned from Plato’s allegory, and perhaps one day humanity will recognize the seemingly inescapable cycle of art production and consumption we are all enveloped in.Only then can we fathom escaping the cave and becoming true philosophers, by having the ability to distinguish imitation from actuality. In conclusion, it is safe to say that there are major implications of the allegory of the Cave on advertisements in our modern society, and thus Plato’s piece will continue to be purposeful for such media centuries to come. Texts: Plato. Republic. Trans. G. M. A Grube. Indianapolis, USA: Hackett Publishing, 1992. Print.

Pumping Up The ECONOMIC GROWTH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pumping Up The ECONOMIC GROWTH - Essay Example This means that enhancing human capital will increase the quality of labor, which will in turn increase economic growth. The third factor that has to be considered is capital, an increase of which will increase economic growth. Capital is best increased by focusing on investment that improves the technology used. This will ensure that capital used in production produces more output with less usage of resources. However, the factors mentioned above have some detrimental effects, for example, using more resources to enhance economic growth results in the depletion of available resources. This means that future generations will have fewer resources with which to benefit themselves. The second detrimental factor is pollution, which usually occurs as resources are used to produce. The third factor is job displacement, which occurs because of an increase in technology that replaces human capital. The last detrimental factor in economic growth is cultural change, where existing cultures are continually replaced as economic growth is

Community Work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community Work - Research Paper Example Although our community strives to provide diversity for all individuals in many ways Cascade Maryland lacks opportunities for ethnically diverse individuals. At my profession I often assisting in providing treatment to individuals composed of different races. Like many other individuals in our community I was born in America. My ancestors immigrated to America from Germany in 1785. According to Washington County Maryland (n.d.), our town was "a city founded by German immigrants in 1762" (pp. 2). Our community does not have a large foreign born population. Encountering individuals with accents is a rarity. From 1995-2000 the foreign born population was 0 (City-Data, n.d.). Community work manuals and texts are relevant to me as an individual. I believe these readings are meant to address people like me. I would imagine the minorities living in this community may struggle with understanding these work manuals; as they are not designed for them based upon their cultural make-up. Approximately 95% of individuals living in this community speak only English and no other languages at home (City Data, n.d.). The remaining five percent that utilize different langue at home are compiled by languages such as Spanish (.3%), European (1.9%), or Asian (2.8%). Perhaps the lack of cultural diversity can be attributed partially to the history of our state. Our state is home to many historical battle sites and monuments. Maryland being one of the thirteen original colonies formed was effected by west bound expansion during the 1800's leading many immigrants to settle in other states. Due to the geographical location of our state finding immigrants is not a common occur rence. In the past I have encountered skeptism from minorities I have treated in my profession. I remember during the O.J. Simpson murder trial talking to an African American woman about the trial. With the evidence present by the media we both agreed that we felt that he was guilty of the crime. Some time passed before the verdict in the trial was read and I thought very little about the conservation as I did not see the woman for treatment regularly. After the verdict was read the woman called my human resources department claiming that I was a racist. I do not believe my actions constituted racism as I was merely stating an opinion in the discussion we were having. The human resources department for the facility I work for did not believe this constituted racism either. However, I have learned not to discuss trials, politics, or other controversial views and/or opinions with the clients I treat out of fear for the potential negative ramifications that could occur for stating my opinion ; even when the client initially agrees with my opinion. Our community is composed equally of half women and half men. My age is slightly older than the rest of the community. Our community consists of people mainly child bearing age. My children are grown and on their own. I am the proud grandparent of seven grandchildren and a prouder great grandmother to two young children. . According toThe United States Census(2000),18.6% of the population is over the age of 55. Unlike few others in my community I am a widow. My husband died suddenly in 2007. Of the people in my community the widows 9% are widowed. Of this 9% the majority (7%) are women. I believe that the community is well represented politically

Why Age Restrictions Should Be Enforced in Pageants Term Paper

Why Age Restrictions Should Be Enforced in Pageants - Term Paper Example The Boulder Police fell under intense criticism for their failure to solve the case and Jon Benet’s wealthy parents were scrutinized and questioned extensively, with the media and many members of the public suggesting that one of the family had committed the crime. One of the aspects of the Ramseys’ previously quiet life was the strange and relatively unknown spectacle of beauty pageants aimed at very young girls. Jon Benet’s mother Patsy not only enrolled her daughter in pageants across the country, she also used her own wealth to fund some of them. The media and public alike were horrified to learn little girls (and boys), sometimes as young as babies, were paraded like their teenaged and adult counterparts. This included makeup and skimpy outfits, including swimsuits. CBS Anchor Dan Rather called the very airing of historical footage showing the little girl â€Å"kiddie porn† (Rich) and it was suggested by more than one person that a pedophile had broke n into the house and killed her, as some sexual trauma was evidenced. Investigators are now pretty much convinced that neither pedophilia nor the pageants themselves had anything to do with the homicide. Yet the damage was done and what was once a subject that only a small percentage of the American public knew anything about suddenly became front page news. The parents of the contestants were the ones who were criticized the most, as well as it should be, for they were the ones who enrolled their tiny divas and pushed them hard to succeed. Again quoting John Rich, at the time of the sensational killing, the kids’ pageant production was a billion dollar industry with 3,000 contests and 100,000 contestants annually. Critics were harsh and very little if any positive publicity was generated about the pageants in the months following the girl’s death. With that much negative exposure, one would expect the child beauty pageants would have withered and died shortly thereaft er. Flash forward more than fifteen years since Jon Benet’s death. She would now be twenty-one years old, the optimum age for either a Miss USA/Miss Universe pageant or a New York runway model. But have child beauty pageants been pushed to the annals of history? No, by no means. One of the most popular shows on Cable’s The Learning Channel (TLC) is Toddlers and Tiaras and episodes are broadcast several times a week. The television show has been on since September 2008 and has been renewed for at least another season. Another show along the same lines was the (presumably) now defunct Little Miss Perfect that aired on another cable channel WE-TV. So why did one show triumph while another failed? It could be said that Discovery Networks (the parent company of TLC) had enough finances and experience to put behind their show and fledgling WE didn’t. Watching various episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras, it is very much evident that TLC puts glitz along with glamour and vo iceovers and expert evaluations, whereas Little Miss Perfect evidently just showed the contestants two at a time. As cable networks often do, on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, TLC had a marathon showing of its fifth season of Toddlers and Tiaras. A rerun airing of the show â€Å"Darling Divas - New York†, showed exactly how far over the top these kids and their parents go just to win a measly prize (The top prize in Brooklyn was $300). Little girls and their mothers were having meltdowns on camera. For instance, one mother, so upset that her dear little one got stage-fright and froze in front of the judges, literally pushed the cameras away and said she was very much angry with this child, who couldn’t have been more than four. The girls were all between

High Fashion Styling Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

High Fashion Styling - Research Paper Example The essay "High Fashion Styling" discusses How to Become an A class Stylist. Aspiring stylists should be ready to face obstacles in firmly establishing careers. Specifically, this paper delves on the aspects of becoming an excellent stylist in high fashion. High Fashion is otherwise known as haute couture which is French for high sewing. It is also synonymous with high style which encompasses the most current when it comes to design. This kind of style is most often purported for exclusive clienteles. It also normally refers to rare and exclusive apparels. More importantly, the design is inimitable because of its price. Haute couture products are distinctive since they are financially difficult to access. Hence, the stylist should utilize high-quality fabrics. He must also design apparels with utmost taste, substantial amount of time, and meticulous expertise. Stylists were not so popular years ago. There was a time when they were quite ignored in the society. They were only known in the confines of the small fashion industries. The avenues of their recognition were only behind magazines and photo shoots. Charles Frederick Worth is known as the father of haute couture. He revolutionized the conventional styles and earned a mark in France’s fashion market. The term high fashion has been known to be first used in 1804. At this era, women’s dresses shifted to high-waisted designs which did not require the customary corset. Essentially, high fashion stemmed from Paris. This movement spawned other stylists. across time and cultures. As a Career â€Å"There are no hard and fast rules to beginning your styling career† (McAssey, & Buckley, p.17). The truth is, some of the most famous stylists did not actually have any formal training. On the other hand, there are also those who have spent many years in different colleges, internships, and academies. The point is one should look into all of the aspects that can help in advancing his status in the fa shion world. Though what you know is usually important in doing well, who you know matters greatly. Since the bigger part of the profession thrives on freelance, it is quite vital to have connections. Concerning compensation, the average alters depending on the kind of market. For example, in large scale promotions, stylists get paid from $400 up to $800 in one day (Lawson, 2012). Certainly, this kind of reward is an inspiration to many hopefuls. Experts’ salaries may get higher with appropriate certifications. The Association of Image Consultants Seminar is one of the organizations that guarantee a stylist’s proficiency. During shoots and productions, stylists function at their highest. They need to supervise every aspect concerning accessories, collection of garbs, and executing last-minute changes. They also need to take into deliberation the effect of lighting, cosmetics, and the model’s features. One of the stylist’s reputable jobs is to be in charge of dealing with sudden mishaps such as ripped clothes and unmatched sizes. Hence, this profession requires ingenuity and resourcefulness among many others. As compared to other fields, this kind of occupation entails keenness to details. Though it largely sounds glitzy, a wide array of events can make you get harried and crazily occupied. For example, it has to be made sure that the schedules of the clothes being bought or tailored are in exact order. It has also to be made certain that the apparels borrowed are in meticulously good shape before returning. In this career, a

The Blue Spider Program and the reasons for its failure Essay

The Blue Spider Program and the reasons for its failure - Essay Example Could adaptive control system theory be the basis of the 'theory of agile systems'" (Alleman, "Herding Cats"). For the successful management of complex interactions, agility is most certainly needed. The case study presented clearly shows a plethora of complex interactions emerging from the mere fact of the behind-the-scenes deception and lack of communications alone. "In most feedback systems, small deviations in a parameter's value from its design value will not cause a problem in the normal operations of the system, provided these parameters are inside the control loop. If the process parameters vary widely because of environmental changes, then the control system will exhibit unsatisfactory behaviors...To be called adaptive, self-organizing features must exist" (Alleman, "Herding Cats"). We might ask ourselves what are these features that must exist We can name them in a list of three. "Identification of the dynamic characteristics of the process. Decision making based on the identification of the process." And "modification or actuation based on the decisions made" (Alleman, "Herding Cat s"). In our notes on the project, we clearly see that Anderson is never able to get a handle on making leadership decisions based upon his obvious need to modify what he is doing. Does he understand the dynamics of management of the Blue Spider Program development Clearly not. He tries to take on too much on his own most of the times (researching instead of managing), while at other times there is lack of given information, administrative mistakes. For a PM to really know how to manage what he is doing would require a solid foundation in theory that is barely available in our present... The Blue Spider Program and the reasons for its failure The theory of management comprises viewing PM as having "a strong causal connection between the actions of management and outcomes of the organization"; assuming "that planned tasks can be executed by a notification of the start of the task to the executor"; and maintaining that there is "a standard of performance; performance is measured at the output; the possible variance between the standard and the measured value is used for correcting the process so that the standard can be reached" (Koskela & Howell). Anderson did not understand the connection between himself and the project’s success or failure. Performance standards were notoriously lacking. These and the aforementioned matters would have to be corrected to ensure future success. The theory of management comprises viewing PM as having "a strong causal connection between the actions of management and outcomes of the organization"; assuming "that planned tasks can be executed by a notification of the start of the task to the executor"; and maintaining that there is "a standard of performance; performance is measured at the output; the possible variance between the standard and the measured value is used for correcting the process so that the standard can be reached" (Koskela & Howell). Anderson did not understand the connection between himself and the project’s success or failure. Performance standards were notoriously lacking. These and the aforementioned matters would have to be corrected to ensure future success.

Genes and Environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Genes and Environment - Research Paper Example DNA is present on the chromosomes in a coiled helical manner and controls the cellular metabolism as it has nitrogen base that contains four different nitrogen bases- Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C), Thymine (T). A pairs with T with a double Hydrogen bond while G pairs with C with a triple nitrogen bond. On the other hand, RNA also contains A, G, and C but instead of T, it has U, the Uracil. The exact sequence of the base pair is required for the formation of a particular protein any change in the sequence of the base pairs changes the structure and function of the protein molecule and hence the cellular metabolism is affected (Alberts, 2002; Snustad, 2002). DNA controls the cellular environment as well as the metabolic processes, synthesizes mRNA molecule by the process of transcription, RNA, in turn, synthesize polypeptide chain by the process of translation. Polypeptides are the basic structure of the protein molecules. These proteins are responsible for the formation of en zymes which control the cellular mechanism and hence influence the survival of the organism (Alberts, 2002; Snustad, 2002). Genes possess information to maintain the cellular environment and trigger the formation or stoppage of the formation of the polypeptide. Depending on the cellular requirement the genes are switched on and off. Genes are the heritable units i.e. they pass the genetic traits to the offspring. The genetic makeup of the organism is called the genotype while genes also govern the external appearance of the organism, the phenotype. It is because of genes an offspring resemble parents in appearance and behavior to a certain extent. Thus, genes are the most vital components of life and carry out all the biological processes (Alberts, 2002; Snustad, 2002). The number of genes varies from organisms to organisms. For instance, micro-organisms possess single chromosomes and therefore they have limited genes. Viruses, which are considered to be the connecting link between the living and non-living entities carry either DNA or RNA. For their replication and multiplication, they pass only the genetic material to the host cell and this genetic material takes control over the host cell machinery to make multiple copies of the viral particles. Thereby highlighting the fact that genes retain all the information required for the formation of the complete organism, from the single cell to multicellular organisms (Alberts, 2002; Snustad, 2002). Multicellular organisms possess a greater number of chromosomes, for instance, human beings have 23 pairs of chromosomes carrying different genes located on different chromosomes to carry out different physiological and biological processes (Alberts, 2002; Snustad, 2002). Interaction of genes As genes are chemical entities, they are liable to interact with various physical and chemical molecules. These chemicals interact with the genetic molecules and potentially alters their characteristics. Alteration of genes is cal led mutation (Alberts, 2002; Snustad, 2002). Alteration of genes occurs in many ways either in terms of addition, deletion, duplication of base pairs. These alterations are responsible for various genetic anomalies.

Within the Context of the Boundaryless Career Critically Analyse the Coursework - 1

Within the Context of the Boundaryless Career Critically Analyse the Challanges Faced by Graduate in a Volatile Global Economy - Coursework Example The theoretical underpinnings of the concept are explored along with criticisms meted out since its conception. Additionally, it looks at how globalisation has impacted the traditional organisation in such a way that organisations are now operating not only outside of their physical location but are moving aspects of their operations to other locations. Furthermore, it points to the increasing need of graduates to be well rounded and be given the skills and knowledge required for them to be able to think outside of the box as well as for them to be able to apply themselves in any given situation. Theoretical Perspective The notion of the boundaryless career was introduced by Arthur (1994) and has become a very popular concept (Pringle and Mallon 2006, p. 839). According to Arthur et al (qtd. in Arthur and Rousseau 1996, p. 4) the term career refers to â€Å"the unfolding sequence of a person’s work experiences over time.† This definition indicates the importance of time . It impacts â€Å"employment stability; skills and experience gained; relationships nurtured; and opportunities encountered† Arthur and Rousseau (1996). According to Sullivan (1999, p. 457) the way we view career has changed significantly. It is tradition that the careers of most individuals will evolve within the context of one or two organisations. ... This is in stark contrast to the boundaryless career where skills are transferable (see Appendix). Arthur (1994, p. 296) points out that boundaryless career is the opposite of organisational or bounded careers. Pringle and Mallon (2006, p. 841) indicates that this concept was developed to distinguish itself from the ‘bounded’ – organisational career and therefore ‘to avoid the subordination of the meaning of careers’ to that which is represented in larger and more stable firms. DeFillippi and Arthur (1996, p. 116) defines boundaryless career as â€Å"sequences of job opportunities that goes beyond the boundaries of a single employment settings.† This thinking relates to and is in response to the changing economic context at the time and appears to be in keeping with some of the tenets of globalisation which is a critical factor in the challenges affecting the traditional organisational career. However, globalisation is about interdependence whi ch would invalidate the independence assumption of the boundaryless career. Therefore, Tam and Arthur (2010) indicates that the relevance of this concept â€Å"will depend on its openness to the challenges of careers within the inherently dynamic, uncertain, and complex arena of an interdependent global economy†. Sullivan (1999) points to some important characteristics of boundaryless career when compared with traditional careers - see Appendix. As organisations make changes careers are affected. The quest for increasing profitability and in some cases, mere survival, has led firms to move certain aspects of their business to other countries and this means that jobs are also moving with them. This therefore supports the changes that will inevitably lead to boundaryless careers. According to Brown et al (2006, p.5)

Zongshen Group Essay Example for Free

Zongshen Group Essay Chongqing, a city in central southwestern China, had a heritage in heavy manufacturing, as it was one of the centers of the Chinese defense industry, especially for vehicles. In 1980s, when the Cold War slowed, the central government wanted to reduce defense expenditure and asked some of the state owned enterprises (SOEs) to begin manufacturing civilian products. At the beginning only SOEs could get license for the business but government permitted people to go into business for themselves but they could only work as individual business operators and could not set up companies. Many of the SOEs turned to parts production. Zuo Zongshen, being a former motorcycle repairer, decided to open a motorcycle repair business in 1982 with the present condition in China. Almost all of the motorcycle industry was producing imitations of Japan motorcycles at first as they could not afford any investments for research and development. By 1992, the regulations had changed and individuals were permitted to set up private companies, so Zuo quickly set up a company to assemble motorcycle engines from purchased parts which was capitalized at CNY500,000. The parts that were manufactured by SOEs were the copies of Japanese engines. There were several hundred of these suppliers and assemblers had to figure out how to select the right ones. Being a former motorcycle repairman, Zuo knew which factories made the good ones and what were the good brands. After 3 years of assembling, Zuo was dissatisfied with the approach as it was not easy to get parts from manufacturers as they were mainly responsive to large scale SOEs. He used to use his network and sometimes â€Å"red envelopes† to get the parts. With the experience he had, he has started to make core components in house and increased the number of the components in house production as his capabilities improved. He classifies the necessity to do this in three drivers; to make a differentitation, to guarantee the supply and also to upgrade the parts as a good start for innovation. In order to improve quality and reliability of parts that it produced as well as to reduce production costs, Zongshen started applying advanced technology tools such as computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing to its product development. Besides, Zongshen also sought manufacturing consultant from former Honda employees and visited its competitors and prospective partners like Harley- Davidson in the United State. As a result, Zongshen was stood out in the common manufacturers throughout the country. In 2000, Zuo decided to build up the company group structure. They splitted the responsibilities between the departments. Then they decided that they should tap into capital markets. Becoming a world class competitor would require a lot of capital, if the company could float its stock, it would have a source of equity capital. The technique that Zongshen used to raise its financial capital is very artful. Instead of following the tradition method which is through an initial public offering (IPO), Zongshen used another technique called â€Å"Reverse Merger† or â€Å"Backdoor Merger†. The technique can be described in detail that Zongshen had a target list of companies which had an existing list but lack of assets or liabilities. Once Zongshen could attain one from the list, it would merge its assets into. This technique is very critical for the success of Zongshen. In fact, when it became the largest shareholder of a Chengdu company, it divested the assets of the origina l company and inserted its own assets from the engine company. As the result, it turned into the largest engine manufacturer in the Chinese motorcycle industry. In 2004, Zongshen added its 3rd business, another listed company in Canada. Buying PEM Technologies through Norstar Venture in Canada led Zongshen to be able to control the technology manufacturing proton exchange membranes, a key element in producing hydrogen fuel cell. Having this technology, Zongshen became very successful in manufacturing and selling e-bikes. In fact, its two subsidiaries could produce 350,000 units of e-bike a year. Its sale volume increased dramatically from 50,000 units in 2007 to 220,000 units in 2008. Moreover, Zongshen enhanced its effectiveness by collaborating with other established firms. Piaggio, for instance, became its partner in exploring rural markets. The corporation set up a new company and planned to manufacture 100,000 scooters a year. As a part of the new joint venture agreement, Zongshen would supply the company with a significant amount of parts. In fact, by 2005, Zongshen provided 35% of accessories and components of the scooter. It was expectedly increased by 50% in 2006. In 2005 the Chinese motorcycle industry still had too many manufacturers, and they were introducing undifferentiated products to the same customers. As a result the margins were too low. Zuo studied W.Chan Kim and Renee Maugorgne’s book about â€Å"Blue Ocean Strategy† which argued that firms should go after uncontested â€Å"blue ocean† market, and look for some new demand instead of chasing existind demand in hyper competitive â€Å"red ocean† markets. Zuo decided not to produce imitations; instead Zongshen launched the cyclone project to develop products with technology in order to introduce differentiated products. The original production facility was converted to a RD center and Zongshen contracted with Nova design to assist with new product designs. After spending CNY300 million, they launched first Cyclone products in 2007 and 2008. But in the markets that change was not succesfull. Consumers and retailers had doubt that Zongshen could make such good products and the blue ocean products failed. So they decided to launch â€Å"Purple Ocean† products with a higher quality than red ocean products and of course with higher prices, but still lower than blue ocean products. The â€Å"Purple Ocean† products coincided sharp rebound in profitability. Improved quality and styling helped products such as ZS250 to gain popularity. One key change for the company was implementing a new performance evaluation and incentive scheme that linked all employees’ base salary to the breakeven point of the company. For the e-bike market, traditionally lead acid batteries were used. While inexpensive and mature technology, lead acid batteries were heavy and had alimited lifetime to deep discharge cycles. Zongshen PEM was using either lead acid or lithium ion batteries. The latter gave the e-bike longer range and stronger climbing capability. As there were many entrants to the market it is easily seen that the base skills for e-bike were not hard to develop but Zonghsen was determined not to compete in high volume, so the question was differentiation. The key differentiators in e-bike industry were in several categories, and the challenge was to have required skills. The company launched a tool called â€Å"Master Apprentice agreement† with about 40 key personnel and managerial positions. Zuo was personally ta king care of those personnel and helping them to build skills and giving gifts. Also there was a career development plan for those employees. While talent had always been a challenge for Zhongsen, it is now very critical as they want to transform to e-bikes.   How did Zongshen acquire the capabilities to produce motorcycles? As noted above, Zou was a motorcycle repairer in the past. As many of the SOEs turned into manufacturing of civilian products, with the change of the laws and permissions he first became an individual business operator. After 1992, the regulations has changed and indivuduals were permitted to set up companies so Zuo set up the company. As he had experience and and was not coming from the trenches, he knew to select the best parts and Zongshen became a good assembler. After some years of assembling he decided to produce some critical parts in house and gradually he has started to manufacture more parts. He classifies the necessity to do this in three drivers; to make a differentitation, to guarantee the supply and also to upgrade the parts as a good start for innovation. Zongshen also adopted the comp uter aided design relatively earlier than the others.

Carl Rogers Essay Example for Free

Carl Rogers Essay Experience is, for me, the highest authority. The touchstone of validity is my own experience. No other persons ideas, and none of my own ideas, are as authoritative as my experience. It is to experience that I must return again and again, to discover a closer approximation to truth as it is in the process of becoming in me. -Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person Best Known For: †¢Carl Rogers is best-known for his nondirective approach to treatment known as client-centered therapy. †¢His concept of the actualizing tendency. †¢Developing the concept of the fully-functioning person. Birth and Death †¢Born January 8, 1902 †¢Died February 4, 1987 Timeline of Events: †¢1902 Carl Rogers was born in Oak Park, Illinois. †¢1919 Enrolled at University of Wisconsin. †¢1924 Graduated from University of Wisconsin and enrolled at Union Theological Seminary. †¢1926 Transferred to Columbia. †¢1931- Earned Ph.D. from Columbia. †¢1940 Began teaching at University of Ohio. †¢1946 Elected president of American Psychological Association (APA). †¢1951 Published Client-centered Therapy. †¢1961 Published On Becoming A Person. †¢1980 Published A Way of Being. †¢1987 Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. Early Life: Carl Rogers enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in 1919 as an agriculture major, but later changed to religion. After attending a 1922 Christian conference in China, Rogers began to question his career choice. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1924 with a bachelors degree in History and enrolled at the Union Theological Seminary before transferring to Teachers College of Columbia University to complete his masters degree. He completed his doctorate at Columbia in 1931. Career: After receiving his Ph.D., Rogers spent a number of years working in academia, holding positions at Ohio State University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin. It was during this time that Rogers developed his approach to therapy, which he initially termed nondirective therapy. This approach, which involves the therapist acting as a facilitator rather than a director of the therapy session, eventually came to be known as client-centered therapy. After a number of conflicts within the psychology department at the University of Wisconsin, Rogers accepted a position at the Western Behavioral Studies Institute (WBSI) in La Jolla, California. Eventually, he and several colleagues left WBSI to form Center for Studies of the Person (CSP). Carl Rogers continued his work with client-centered therapy until his death in 1987. Contributions to Psychology: With his emphasis on human potential, Carl Rogers had an enormous influence on both psychology and education. Beyond that, he is considered by many to be one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. More therapists cite Rogers as their primary influence than any other psychologist. As described by his daughter Natalie Rogers, he was a model for compassion and democratic ideals in his own life, and in his work as an educator, writer, and therapist. Selected Works By Carl Rogers: Rogers, C. (1951) Client-centered Therapy: Its current practice, implications and theory. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Rogers, C. (1961) On Becoming A Person: A Therapists View of Psychotheraphy Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Rogers, C. (1980) A Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Biographies of Carl Rogers: Cohen, D. (1997) Carl Rogers. A critical biography. London: Constable. Thorne, B. (1992) Carl Rogers. London: Sage. Sources: Rogers, N. Carl Rogers Biography. http://www.nrogers.com/carlrogersbio.html

Design Factors in a Modern Living or Working Space

Design Factors in a Modern Living or Working Space Executive summary The aim of this report is to outline the factors which should be taken into account in the design of a modern living or working space. The report discusses three factors related to design of an ideal office, Specifically Environmental, Affective and Practical factors. The report gives a number of recommendations, the main ones being: Allow natural airflow by using a cross ventilation system to create a fresh atmosphere. Decorate the office with Blue and Green colour to create a pleasant and productive atmosphere. Use fluorescent lights to create natural, warm or daylight colours of light to reduce eye tiredness and headache problems. Introduction The purpose of this report is to outline the factors which should be taken into account in the design of a modern living or working space, and to give recommendations regarding the ideal design of an office. It is written for Mr James Scott as part of the Academic English course requirements. The information was acquired through internet research and group discussion. Firstly, the report outlines the general factors related to design of a modern living or working space. Next, these factors are applied to the ideal design of an office. Subsequent to this, a conclusion is given followed by clear recommendations. 2.0 Design factors There are three factors to take into account when designing a modern living or work space, Specifically Environmental, Affective and Practical considerations. 2.0.1 Environmental factors Environmental factors relate to use of natural resource and the reduction of cost through the use of renewable energy sources. The ways to do this involve, Firstly, by using a cross ventilation design to keep living area cool, fresh and healthy. Secondly, by installing windows and doors on the east and west side, maximum natural light can be utilised. Third, by installing solar panel and photo-voltaic system, electricity can be generated for different purposes and its carbon free energy (Seminara, 2014). Hence, the use of natural resource in modern living or working space reduces pollution and energy consumption. 2.0.2 Affective factors Affective factors are to do with interior design and decoration of living or working space that affect people’s mood and attitudes. According to Sanders (2014), arrangement of accessories and furniture affect the human moods. For instance, by keeping a small table with cheerful and colourful flowers and decorative container next to drink coaster can uplift mood and create pleasant and friendly environment. Moreover, decorating space with bright colours and LED rope light gives energy and relaxation (Taylor, 2013). To conclude, interior design and decoration of living and working can create a more comfortable space. 2.0.3 Practical factors Practical factors in design are concerned with the health of humans. It includes aspects such as organic materials and comfortable chairs and desks. In order to reduce toxic gases in living or working space, organic materials should be used such as wood, wool, slate, cotton and gorgeous textiles (Gibson, 2013). Moreover, ergonomic chairs and desks should be used which gives relaxation and comfortable feeling. According to Aulenback (2013), proper adjustment of chair, desk dimensions and height of monitor can reduce back injuries and health risk of employees. In short, use ergonomic equipment and organic materials in modern design of living or working space is an important. 2.1 Designing an ideal office Having outlined the above factors relating to general design, it is now necessary to apply them to the design of an office. 2.1.1 Environmental factors in an office design Environmental factors in an office include energy reduction and natural ventilation. Regarding energy reduction, energy consumption can be reduced by using sunlight in the office environment, this affecting positive productivity and the moral of employees (Rayfield, 1997). As far as natural ventilation is concerned, a cross ventilation system would allow natural airflow throughout the office and corridors creating a fresh atmosphere in the office (Goodell, 2010). In short, low energy usage and natural ventilation would result in an eco-friendly office leading to increase productivity. 2.1.2 Affective factors in an office design Affective factors in an office design would involve the use of appropriate colours and an interior furniture design that positively affects the mood, stress levels and behaviour of workers. Regarding colours, the office could include blue and green, the Blue and Green colour stimulate the minds of employees (Akkan Design, 2014). Concerning interior furniture design, work can be performed in an efficient and creative manner when round shaped furniture is used. This is confirmed by a 2013 study showing that when employees were seated at a curved shape desk they were more likely to engage in meeting. (Australian government Comcare, 2002). In conclusion, appropriate colours and interior furniture design of an office creates a pleasant and productive atmosphere. 2.1.3 Practical factors in an office design Practical factors in an office design would include lighting and equipment, such as chairs and desks which affect the health of workers. Concerning lighting, use of fluorescent tubes in the office would provide different qualities of light, such as natural, warm or daylight colour. By using these, eyes tiredness and headache problems can be reduced (Hawary, 2011). Regarding desk design, a desk should have a smooth and flat surface, rounded corners and good access for the user’s legs. In addition, chairs should have different functions such as adjustment of height, rolling wheels and back tilt to reduce back pain problem (National Occupational Commission, 2011). Hence, proper lighting and comfortable chairs and desks are required to reduce health problems. Conclusion This report has outlined the factors relating to the design of a working or living space, Specifically Environmental, Affective and Practical aspects. It has also discussed the application of these factors in the ideal design of an office. 4.0 Recommendation Having discussed the factors involved in designing a living or working space, Specifically Environmental, Affective and Practical factors. The following recommendations are given for the design of an ideal office. Environmental factors Install windows on the west and east side to allow sunlight into the office. Allow natural airflow by using a cross ventilation system to create a fresh atmosphere. Affective factors Decorate the office with Blue and Green colour to create a pleasant and productive atmosphere. Create a pleasant and friendly environment by keeping decorative container on desk. Practical factors Use fluorescent lights to create natural, warm or daylight colours of light to reduce eye tiredness and headache problems. Fit comfortable desks which have smooth and flat surfaces and good access for user’s legs. Provide chairs with different functions, such as back tilt, rolling wheels and adjustment of height to reduce back pain problem. Reference List Akkan Design. (2014). How Colour Affects Mood in Office and Interior Design. Retrieved from http://www.akkan.com.au/index.php/Blogs/How-Colour-Affects-Mood-in-Office-and-Interior-Design Aulenback, S. (2013). 6 Ways to fight fatigue while using your standing desk. Retrieved from http://deskhacks.com/reduce-standing-desk-fatigue/ Australian Government Comcare. (2002). Officewise. ISBN 1 921160 17 9 Retrieved from http://www.comcare.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/39570/Officewise_OHS1_Apr_10.pdf Gibson, R. (2013). 10 Contemporary Elements that Every Home needs. Retrieved from http://freshome.com/2013/09/30/10-contemporary-elements-that-every-home-interior-needs/ Goodell, l. (2010). How to Create a Productive Office Environment. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/create-productive-office-environment.html Hawary, S. (2011). Lighting principles in interior design of management spaces. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/1746322/lighting_principles_in_interior_design_of_managment_spaces National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. (2011). Ergonomic Principles and Checklists for the Selection of Office Furniture and Equipment. ISBN 0 644 24516 6 Rayfield, J. K. (1997). The office Interior Design Guide. Retrieved from http://www.books.google.com.au Sanders, A. (2014). How Does Room Decoration Affect Mood? Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4744309_room-decoration-affect-mood.html Seminara, D. (2014). Eco Housing Design. Retrieved from http://www.dsarchitecture.com.au/eco-housing-principles.html Taylor, J. (n.d). 8 Ways to Get Ambient Lighting. Retrieved from http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/6794787/list/8-ways-to-get-ambient-lighting-just-right

Racism Essay -- essays research papers

Attack The Source There really is no way of getting around it. There is a great deal of racial tension in the United States today. Nine out of ten people in society today believe that racism does exist and is something that affects millions of people everyday. There is not much arguing that can done with a statistic like that. What is it that causes so many problems between each other? Is it that we are afraid of the unknown? Whatever the cause is, we have been trying to fix the problem for many years now. Since racism is learned and not genetic, it is something that needs to be taken care of in school starting from the young children. In Brown v. Board of Education, the whole issue was that schools could be segregated only if they were â€Å"equal†. This was decided by the case of Plessy v Ferguson. Schools in the South were not equal so Brown v. Board of Education was filed. Supreme Court Judge Earl Warren decide with the rest of the Supreme Court that segregated schools were in fact unlawful. Schools went through drastic changes but some schools didn’t like the idea. Schools in Prince Edward County had closed due to the ruling and children in the county lost out on their education. This had caused some racism to occur in Prince Edward County. The most effective solution for solving the racial tension problem is to change the curriculum, text books, and to keep up, if not increase, diversity training in the work force today. First of all, there needs to be an agreement that a problem does exist. It is after all evident through racist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, and Skinheads. These are hate groups that threaten and dislike people, not for the content of their character, but the color of their skin or what country they are from. although these are extremes when it comes to racism, it is something that affects so many people everyday in the United States. What is racism really? Racism is not knowing anything about someone when you look at them, but disliking them anyway, not because of who they are, but what they are. Racism is cowardly. More importantly, racism is a weakness and an obvious sign of ignorance. So what is it that makes us racist? More than likely, it is the fear of the unknown. In other words, it is a lack of education. The only way to battle this ignorance is to educate oneself. That is why the key to so... ...nor, what would he do? He replied, "I would probably die!" This was the straw that broke the camel's back because a friendship of sixteen years ended at that moment. Parents are the biggest influence in a child's life. Children look to their parents for support and guidance. Without the proper support and guidance, children are headed on a road to nowhere. Racism is not something that will just disappear. But it is possible to minimize it if we keep it under control. Yes we can still teach about unity and equality in our schools, but if we don't attack racism where it begins, then those school programs won't be of any value. Not all children will fall into the category that my former friend fell into. Many children grow up in racist households. My friend was a prime example of someone who couldn't climb the wall of racism but there are many children out there who climb the wall of bigamy every day. The problem of racism isn't a permanent problem. Racism is like a cancer, if it is caught early enough it could be treated but if it is caught too late it could be deadly. Therefore we must attack racism from its source, the household, before it is too late.

Date Rape :: essays research papers

How many of you know someone who has had something stolen from them? How many of you know someone who has been held at gunpoint? How many of you know someone who has been date raped? You might and not even know about it. In 1985, Mary Koss, a professor at Kent State University, surveyed approximately 7,000 students on thirty-two campuses on behalf of Ms. magazine and found that one in eight women were the victims of rape. Experts estimate that as many as 90 percent of all rapes are never reported. But When you hear the word "rape," what do you think of? If you imagine a stranger jumping out of the bushes on a dark night and attacking someone, you are only partly right--because most rapes are not committed by strangers but by men who know their victims, who often have gone out with them previously and are supposedly their friends. Acquaintance rape is forced, unwanted intercourse with a person you know. It can be that cute neighbor, the blind date your friend set you up with, even your husband of boyfriend. The fact is, if you said no, it’s rape. Date rapes typically occur when a woman is alone with a man. If you go to a man's room or apartment or even get into his car alone, you are vulnerable. Date rapes can occur when others are relatively close by; for example, they can take place in an upstairs bedroom while fifty people are attending a party on the first floor. Alcohol and drugs are sometimes a significant factor in date rape. Many victims say later that they drank too much or took too many drugs to realize what was going on; by the time they realized their predicament, it was too late. Sometimes a woman passes out and awakens to find a man having sex with her. On the other hand, some date rapes occur when alcohol is not involved or when the victim has had little or nothing to drink but the man has been drinking and becomes sexually aggressive. Mixed signals are another element in date rape. The woman acts in a friendly manner; the man interprets this friendliness as an invitation to have sex. "No" is heard as "maybe" and even a strong protest can be ignored under the delusion that women say "no" when they mean "yes." Some men find it sexually exciting to have a woman struggle. If the woman protests only mildly, the man may think he is merely "persuading" her, not forcing her to have sex (He may think the

Smoking Trends Among Teenagers Essay -- essays research papers

Cigarette smoking is a habit that kills approximately million of people per year. It is surprisingly being picked up by myriad amount of children every day. Smoking becomes a growing trend in the youth community. The number of young smokers have been increased in most American middle schools and high schools. Both girls and boys are smoking because they think it is cool. The four reasons that cause many teenagers to start smoking are peer-pressure, image projection, rebellion, and adult aspirations. Approximately 3,000 teenagers pick up the smoking habit each day in America. That is roughly one million new teenage smokers per year. About 60% of all high school students try smoking by the time they are seniors because they think it is a cool thing to do (Johnston.) In 1996, smoking rates are 21 percent among eighth-graders (13-14 years old), 30 percent among 10th-graders (15-16 years old), and 34 percent among 12th-graders (17-18 years old). These rates are impressively high, especially when compared to the fact that about 25 percent of all adults are classified as current smokers according to the National Health Interview Survey. Cigarette smoking peaked in 1996 among eighth, and tenth graders nationwide, and in 1997 among 12th-graders. Since those peak years, there has been a gradual decline in smoking rates, which continued in 1999. (Johnston). Rates of daily smoking are also down from their peak levels (in 1996 for eighth- and 10th-graders and in 1997 for 12th-graders) but did not show much improvement in 1999 specifically, according to Johnston. "Because young people tend to carry the smoking habits they develop in adolescence into adulthood, the substantial and continuing increases in teen smoking bode ill for the eventual longevity and health of this generation of American young people," concludes Johnston. "Hundreds of thousands of children from each graduating class are likely to suffer appalling diseases, and to die prematurely, as a result of the smoking habits they are developing in childhood and adolescence." Young people continue to report cigarettes as being easily available to them: 77 percent of the eighth-graders, who are 13 or 14 years old, report that cigarettes would be "very easy" or "fairly easy" for them to get, and 91 percent of th... ...e you smoke. However, in some cases, the young kids are getting addicted after their first try. Finally, they want to be an adult. Adult aspiration is also one of the reasons that lead some teenagers to smoking. Some teenagers believe that by smoking they are acting like an adult. If the teenager is raised in a community where most of the adults smoke, then this is perhaps a logical conclusion. They have the tendency to imitate what the adults around them did. For some teenagers, they are smoking because they think with a cigarette in their mouth makes them look and feel like an adult. According to my friend John, he said that he was smoking since he was 16, he thought that cigarette made him look cool and feel like an adult. Thus, there has been a trend increasing over the past few years and a little decline in 1999 among young smokers; however, it did not show much improvement. America is a freedom country, but how can we free the number of young smokers from those cigarettes or seduced advertisers? Therefore, we should find a solution to help the young smokers to quit before the cigarettes put their lives in danger.

Martin Eden Summary

Martin Eden is a 21-year-old sailor, as a result of an accidental opportunity, he meets Ruth, falls in love with her, and with her family, her life. In order to match Ruth he works hard. He reads a plethora of books. Ruth helps him to study writing. Martin writes 40 drafts circling unceasingly throughout in various magazine company. He doesn't understand why his own works aren't accepted, but these have a liking for the spiritless thing always. He looks for Ruth, reads his work to her, asks her to judge. Ruth does not appreciate his work either. After is repeatedly defeated but he still persists to write. Gradually Ruth is losing the confidence to him, but Martin still attacks her and the people of the upper level of society. Martin sees Ruth and her family clearly. Once, they participates in the time which the socialist party person assembles by a tabloid reporter confusedly is interpolated in the report, becomes the anarchism leader, encounters the isolation and besieges. Ruth leaves Martin then. The only real friend of Martin, Brissenden, is dead now. At this time, a huge change happens in his life that the publication magazine starts to use his work actually. The publishing house in order to his reputation has also accepted he all sorts of harsh requests, he became the famous writer. He can’t understand that these works all are already finish, they haven't been changed as well as Martin himself. Why does everybody flatter him today? Finally, Ruth comes back. But Martin is completely discouraged. He is so disappointed that he tells her he doesn't want to see her any more. He no longer writes a character. He leaves all his money to his sister and his laundry room partner Egypt. Then he goes on a ship and jumps into the sea.

Tsunami and Love Canal

A  tsunami  (‘harbor wave') or  tidal wave  is a series of water waves (called a  tsunami wave train) caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, but can occur in  large lakes. Tsunamis are a frequent occurrence in Japan; approximately 195 events have been recorded. Due to the immense volumes of water and energy involved, tsunamis can devastate coastal regions.Earthquakes,  volcanic eruptions  and other  underwater explosions  (including detonations of underwater  nuclear devices), landslides  and other  mass movements,  meteorite ocean impacts or similar impact events, and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. The  Greek  historian  Thucydides  was the first to relate tsunami to  submarine earthquakes,  but understanding of tsunami's nature remained slim until the 20th century and is the subject of ongoing research. Many early  geological,  geograp hical, and oceanographic  texts refer to tsunamis as â€Å"seismic sea waves. CHARACTERISTICS: While everyday  wind waves  have a  wavelength  (from crest to crest) of about 100  meters (330 ft) and a height of roughly 2  meters (6. 6 ft), a tsunami in the deep ocean has a wavelength of about 200  kilometers (120 mi). Such a wave travels at well over 800  kilometers per hour (500 mph), but due to the enormous wavelength the wave oscillation at any given point takes 20 or 30 minutes to complete a cycle and has amplitude of only about 1  meter (3. 3 ft). This makes tsunamis difficult to detect over deep water. Ships rarely notice their passage.As the tsunami approaches the coast and the waters become shallow,  wave shoaling  compresses the wave and its velocity slows below 80  kilometers per hour (50 mph). Its wavelength diminishes to less than 20  kilometers (12 mi) and its amplitude grows enormously, producing a distinctly visible wave. Since the wave st ill has such a long wavelength, the tsunami may take minutes to reach full height. Except for the very largest tsunamis, the approaching wave does not break (like a  surf break), but rather appears like a fast moving  tidal bore.Open bays and coastlines adjacent to very deep water may shape the tsunami further into a step-like wave with a steep-breaking front. When the tsunami's wave peak reaches the shore, the resulting temporary rise in sea level is termed ‘run up'. Run up is measured in meters above a reference sea level. A large tsunami may feature multiple waves arriving over a period of hours, with significant time between the wave crests. The first wave to reach the shore may not have the highest run up. About 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean, but are possible wherever there are large bodies of water, including lakes.They are caused by earthquakes, landslides, volcanic explosions, and  bolides. GENERATION MECHANISMS: The principal generation mechanism (o r cause) of a tsunami is the displacement of a substantial volume of water or perturbation of the sea. This displacement of water is usually attributed to earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, or more rarely by meteorites and nuclear tests. The waves formed in this way are then sustained by gravity. It is important to note that  tides  do not play any part in the generation of tsunamis; hence referring to tsunamis as ‘tidal waves' is inaccurate.Seismicity generated tsunamis Tsunamis can be generated when the sea floor abruptly deforms and vertically displaces the overlying water. Tectonic earthquakes are a particular kind of earthquake that are associated with the earth's crustal deformation; when these earthquakes occur beneath the sea, the water above the deformed area is displaced from its equilibrium position. More specifically, a tsunami can be generated when  thrust faults  associated with  convergent  or destructive  plate boundaries  move abruptl y, resulting in water displacement, due to the vertical component of movement involved.Movement on normal faults will also cause displacement of the seabed, but the size of the largest of such events is normally too small to give rise to a significant tsunami. |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Drawing of  tectonic plate |Overriding plate bulges under |Plate slips, causing |The energy released produces | |boundary  before earthquake. |strain, causing tectonic uplift. |subsidence  and releasing energy |tsunami waves. | | | |into water. | Tsunamis have a small  amplitude  (wave height) offshore, and a very long  wavelength  (often hundreds of kilometers long), which is why they generally pass unnoticed at sea, forming only a slight swell usually about 300  millimeters (12 in) above the normal sea surface. They grow in height when they reach shallower water, in a  wave shoaling  process described below. A tsunami can occur in any tidal state and even at low tide can sti ll inundate coastal areas. On April 1, 1946, a magnitude-7. 8 (Richter scale)  earthquake  occurred near the  Aleutian Islands,  Alaska.It generated a tsunami which inundated  Hilo  on the island of Hawaii’s with a 14  meters (46 ft) high surge. The area where the  earthquake  occurred is where the  Pacific Ocean  floor is  subducting  (or being pushed downwards) under  Alaska. Examples of tsunami at locations away from  convergent boundaries  include  Storegga  about 8,000 years ago,  Grand Banks  1929,  Papua New Guinea  1998 (Tappin, 2001). The Grand Banks and Papua New Guinea tsunamis came from earthquakes which destabilized sediments, causing them to flow into the ocean and generate a tsunami. They dissipated before traveling transoceanic distances.The cause of the Storegga sediment failure is unknown. Possibilities include an overloading of the sediments, an earthquake or a release of gas hydrates (methane etc. ) The  1960 V aldivia earthquake  (Mw  9. 5) (19:11 hrs UTC),  1964 Alaska earthquake  (Mw  9. 2), and  2004 Indian Ocean earthquake  (Mw  9. 2) (00:58:53 UTC) are recent examples of powerful mega thrust  earthquakes that generated tsunamis (known as  teletsunamis) that can cross entire oceans. Smaller (Mw  4. 2) earthquakes in Japan can trigger tsunamis (called  local  and regional tsunamis) that can only devastate nearby coasts, but can do so in only a few minutes.In the 1950s, it was discovered that larger tsunamis than had previously been believed possible could be caused by giant  landslides. These phenomena rapidly displace large water volumes, as energy from falling debris or expansion transfers to the water at a rate faster than the water can absorb. Their existence was confirmed in 1958, when a giant landslide in Lituya Bay,  Alaska, caused the highest wave ever recorded, which had a height of 524 meters (over 1700 feet). The wave didn't travel far, as it st ruck land almost immediately. Two people fishing in the bay were killed, but another boat amazingly managed to ride the wave.Scientists named these waves  mega tsunami. Scientists discovered that extremely large landslides from volcanic island collapses can generate  mega tsunami that can travel trans-oceanic distances. SCALES OF INTENSITY AND MAGNITUDE: As with earthquakes, several attempts have been made to set up scales of tsunami intensity or magnitude to allow comparison between different events. Intensity scales The first scales used routinely to measure the intensity of tsunami were the  Sieberg-Ambraseys scale, used in the  Mediterranean Sea  and the  Imamura-Iida intensity scale, used in the Pacific Ocean.The latter scale was modified by Soloviev, who calculated the Tsunami intensity  I  according to the formula [pic] Where  Hav  is the average wave height along the nearest coast. This scale, known as the  Soloviev-Imamura tsunami intensity scale, is u sed in the global tsunami catalogues compiled by the  NGDC/NOAA  and the Novosibirsk Tsunami Laboratory as the main parameter for the size of the tsunami. Magnitude scales The first scale that genuinely calculated a magnitude for a tsunami, rather than an intensity at a particular location was the ML scale proposed by Murty & Loomis based on the potential energy.Difficulties in calculating the potential energy of the tsunami mean that this scale is rarely used. Abe introduced the  tsunami magnitude scale  Mt, calculated from, [pic] where  h  is the maximum tsunami-wave amplitude (in m) measured by a tide gauge at a distance  R  from the epicenter,  a,  b  &  D  are constants used to make the Mt  scale match as closely as possible with the moment magnitude scale. WARNINGS AND PREDICTIONS: Drawbacks can serve as a brief warning. People who observe drawback (many survivors report an accompanying sucking sound), can survive only if they immediately run for hi gh ground or seek the upper floors of nearby buildings.In 2004, ten-year old  Tilly Smith  of  Surrey,  England, was on  Maikhao beach  in  Phuket,  Thailand  with her parents and sister, and having learned about tsunamis recently in school, told her family that a tsunami might be imminent. Her parents warned others minutes before the wave arrived, saving dozens of lives. She credited her geography teacher, Andrew Kearney. In the  2004 Indian Ocean tsunami  drawback was not reported on the African coast or any other eastern coasts it reached. This was because the wave moved downwards on the eastern side of the fault line and upwards on the western side.The western pulse hit coastal Africa and other western areas. A tsunami cannot be precisely predicted, even if the magnitude and location of an earthquake is known. Geologists,  oceanographers, and seismologists  analyze each earthquake and based on many factors may or may not issue a tsunami warning. However , there are some warning signs of an impending tsunami, and automated systems can provide warnings immediately after an earthquake in time to save lives. One of the most successful systems uses bottom pressure sensors that are attached to buoys. The sensors constantly monitor the pressure of the overlying water column.This is deduced through the calculation: [pic] Where, P  = the overlying  pressure  in Newton per meter square, ? = the  density  of the  seawater = 1. 1 x 103  kg/m3, g  = the  acceleration due to gravity = 9. 8 m/s2  and h  = the height of the water column in meters. Hence for a water column of 5,000 m depth the overlying pressure is equal to [pic] Or about 5500  tonnes-force  per square meter. Regions with a high tsunami risk typically use  tsunami warning systems  to warn the population before the wave reaches land. On the west coast of the United States, which is prone to Pacific Ocean tsunami, warning signs indicate evacuation routes .In Japan, the community is well-educated about earthquakes and tsunamis, and along the Japanese shorelines the tsunami warning signs are reminders of the natural hazards together with a network of warning sirens, typically at the top of the cliff of surroundings hills. The  Pacific Tsunami Warning System  is based in  Honolulu,  Hawaii. It monitors Pacific Ocean seismic activity. A sufficiently large earthquake magnitude and other information trigger a tsunami warning. While the seduction zones around the Pacific are seismically active, not all earthquakes generate tsunami.Computers assist in analyzing the tsunami risk of every earthquake that occurs in the Pacific Ocean and the adjoining land masses. |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Tsunami hazard sign |A tsunami warning sign on |The monument to the victims of |Tsunami memorial | |atBamfield,  British Columbia |a  seawall  in  Kamakura, Japan, |tsunami at Laupahoehoe,  Hawaii |inKanyakumari  beach | | |2004. | | |As a direct result of the Indian Ocean tsunami, a re-appraisal of the tsunami threat for all coastal areas is being undertaken by national governments and the United Nations Disaster Mitigation Committee. A tsunami warning system is being installed in the Indian Ocean. Computer models can predict tsunami arrival, usually within minutes of the arrival time. Bottom pressure sensors relay information in real time. Based on these pressure readings and other seismic information and the seafloor's shape and coastal  topography, the models estimate the amplitude and surge height of the approaching tsunami.All Pacific Rim countries collaborate in the Tsunami Warning System and most regularly practice evacuation and other procedures. In Japan, such preparation is mandatory for government, local authorities, emergency services and the population. Some zoologists hypothesize that some animal species have an ability to sense subsonic  Rayleigh waves  from an earthquake or a tsunami. If c orrect, monitoring their behavior could provide advance warning of earthquakes, tsunami etc. However, the evidence is controversial and is not widely accepted.There are unsubstantiated claims about the Lisbon quake that some animals escaped to higher ground, while many other animals in the same areas drowned. The phenomenon was also noted by media sources in  Sri Lanka  in the  2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. [21][22]  It is possible that certain animals (e. g. ,  elephants) may have heard the sounds of the tsunami as it approached the coast. The elephants' reaction was to move away from the approaching noise. By contrast, some humans went to the shore to investigate and many drowned as a result. It is not possible to prevent a tsunami.However, in some tsunami-prone countries some  earthquake engineering  measures have been taken to reduce the damage caused on shore. Japan  built many tsunami walls of up to 4. 5  metres (15 ft) to protect populated coastal areas. Oth er localities have built  floodgates  and channels to redirect the water from incoming tsunami. However, their effectiveness has been questioned, as tsunami often overtop the barriers. For instance, the  Okushiri, Hokkaido tsunami  which struck  Okushiri Island  of  Hokkaido  within two to five minutes of the  earthquake on July 12, 1993  created waves as much as 30  metres (100 ft) tall—as high as a 10-story building.The port town of Aonae was completely surrounded by a tsunami wall, but the waves washed right over the wall and destroyed all the wood-framed structures in the area. The wall may have succeeded in slowing down and moderating the height of the tsunami, but it did not prevent major destruction and loss of life. [23] Natural factors such as shoreline tree cover can mitigate tsunami effects. Some locations in the path of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami escaped almost unscathed because trees such as  coconut palms  and  mangroves  absorbe d the tsunami's energy.In one striking example, the village of  Naluvedapathy  in India's  Tamil Nadu  region suffered only minimal damage and few deaths because the wave broke against a forest of 80,244 trees planted along the shoreline in 2002 in a bid to enter the  Guinness Book of Records. [24]  Environmentalists have suggested tree planting along tsunami-prone seacoasts. Trees require years to grow to a useful size, but such plantations could offer a much cheaper and longer-lasting means of tsunami mitigation than artificial barriers. The Love Canal chemical waste dumpIn 1920 Hooker Chemical had turned an area in Niagara Falls into a municipal and chemical disposal site. In 1953 the site was filled and relatively modern methods were applied to cover it. A thick layer of impermeable red clay sealed the dump, preventing chemicals from leaking out of the landfill. A city near the dumpsite wanted to buy it for urban expansion. Despite the warnings of Hooker the city eve ntually bought the site for the meager amount of 1 dollar. Hooker could not sell for more, because they did not want to earn money off a project so clearly unwise.The city began to dig to develop a sewer, damaging the red clay cap that covered the dumpsite below. Blocks of homes and a school were built and the neighborhood was named Love Canal. Love Canal seemed like a regular neighborhood. The only thing that distinguished this neighborhood from other was the strange odors that often hung in the air and an unusual seepage noticed by inhabitants in their basements and yards. Children in the neighborhood often fell ill. Love Canal families regularly experienced miscarriages and birth defects.Lois Gibbs, an activist, noticed the high occurrence of illness and birth defects in the area and started documenting it. In 1978 newspapers revealed the existence of the chemical waste dump in the Love Canal area and Lois Gibbs started petitioning for closing the school. In August 1978, the clai m succeeded and the NYS Health Department ordered closing of the school when a child suffered from chemical poisoning. When Love Canal was researched over 130 pounds of the highly toxic carcinogenic TCDD, a form of dioxin, was discovered. The total of 20. 00 tons of waste present in the landfill appeared to contain more than 248 different species of chemicals. The waste mainly consisted of pesticide residues and chemical weapons research refuse. The chemicals had entered homes, sewers, yards and creeks and Gibbs decided it was time for the more than 900 families to be moved away from the location. Eventually President Carter provided funds to move all the families to a safer area. Hooker’s parent company was sued and settled for 20 million dollars. Despite protests by Gibbs’s organization some of the houses in Love Canal went up for sale some 20 years later.The majority of the houses are on the market now and the neighborhood may become inhabited again after 20 years o f abandonment. The houses in Love Canal are hard to sell, despite a renaming of the neighborhood. It suffered such a bad reputation after the incident that banks refused mortgages on the houses. None of the chemicals have been removed from the dumpsite. It has been resealed and the surrounding area was cleaned and declared safe. Hooker’s mother company paid an additional 230 million dollars to finance this cleanup. They are now responsible for the management of the dumpsite.Today, the Love Canal dumpsite is known as one of the major environmental disasters of the century. **** Love Canal is an abandoned canal in Niagara County, New York, where a huge amount of toxic waste was buried. The waste was composed of at least 300 different chemicals, totaling an estimated 20,000 metric tons. The existence of the waste was discovered in the 1970s when families living in homes subsequently built next to the site found chemical wastes seeping up through the ground into their basements, forcing them to eventually abandon their homes.Love Canal was used from the 1940s through the 1950s by the Hooker Chemical Company and the city of Niagara Falls, among others, to dispose of their hazardous and municipal wastes and other refuse. The canal was surrounded by clay and was thought at the time to be a safe place for disposal—and, in fact, burying chemicals in the canal was probably safer than many other methods and sites used for chemical disposal at the time. In 1953, the Niagara Falls Board of Education bought the land-fill for $1 and constructed an elementary school with playing fields on the site.Roads and sewer lines were added and, in the early 1970s, single-family homes were built adjacent to the site. Following a couple of heavy rains in the mid-1970s, the canal flooded and chemicals were observed on the surface of the site and in the basements of houses abutting the site. Newspaper coverage, investigations by the State of New York and by the U. S. Environm ental Protection Agency, combined with pressure from the district's U. S. congressional representative and outrage on the part of local residents, led to the declaration of a health emergency involving â€Å"great and imminent peril to the health of the general public. Ultimately, in August, 1978, a decision was made by Governor Hugh Carey, supported by the White House, to evacuate the residents and purchase 240 homes surrounding the site. Shortly thereafter, the residents of nearby homes that did not immediately abut the site also became concerned about their health and conducted a health survey that purported to show an increase in the occurrence of various diseases and problems such as birth defects and miscarriages, which were attributed to chemical exposures.A great controversy ensued over whether the observations were real or reflected normal rates of such problems, and whether chemical exposures had, in fact, occurred. Eventually, political pressure resulted in families bein g given an opportunity to leave and have their homes purchased by the State. About 70 homes remained occupied in 1989 by families who chose not to move. The controversy at Love Canal followed on the heels of the heightened awareness that occurred in the 1960s about environmental contamination, and it contributed to public and regulatory concern about hazardous wastes, waste disposal, and disclosure of such practices.Such concerns led Congress to pass the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 1976, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund bill, in 1980. When CERCLA was passed, few were aware of the extent of the problem potentially created by years of inappropriate or inadequate hazardous waste disposal practices. Since implementing CERCLA, the U. S.Environmental Protection Agency has identified more than 40,000 potentially contaminated â€Å"Superfundâ⠂¬  sites. The Gulf War In August 1990 Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, starting the Gulf War in which an allegiance of 34 nations worldwide was involved. In January  1991  of the Gulf War, Iraqi forces committed two environmental disasters. The first was a major oil spill 16 kilometers off the shore of Kuwait by dumping oil from several tankers and opening the valves of an offshore terminal. The second was the setting fire to 650 oil wells in Kuwait.The apparent strategic goal of the action was to prevent a potential landing by US Marines. American air strikes on January 26 destroyed pipelines to prevent further spillage into the Gulf. This however seemed to make little difference. Approximately one million tons of crude oil was already lost to the environment, making this the largest oil spill of human history. In the spring of 1991, as many as 500 oil wells were still burning and the last oil well was not extinguished until a few months later, in November.The oil spills did cons iderable damage to life in the Persian Gulf (see picture). Several months after the spill, the poisoned waters killed 20. 000 seabirds and had caused severe damage to local marine flora and fauna. The fires in the oil wells caused immense amounts of soot and toxic fumes to enter the atmosphere. This had great effects on the health of the local population and biota for several years. The pollution also had a possible impact on local weather patterns. Tsunami and Love Canal A  tsunami  (‘harbor wave') or  tidal wave  is a series of water waves (called a  tsunami wave train) caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, but can occur in  large lakes. Tsunamis are a frequent occurrence in Japan; approximately 195 events have been recorded. Due to the immense volumes of water and energy involved, tsunamis can devastate coastal regions.Earthquakes,  volcanic eruptions  and other  underwater explosions  (including detonations of underwater  nuclear devices), landslides  and other  mass movements,  meteorite ocean impacts or similar impact events, and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. The  Greek  historian  Thucydides  was the first to relate tsunami to  submarine earthquakes,  but understanding of tsunami's nature remained slim until the 20th century and is the subject of ongoing research. Many early  geological,  geograp hical, and oceanographic  texts refer to tsunamis as â€Å"seismic sea waves. CHARACTERISTICS: While everyday  wind waves  have a  wavelength  (from crest to crest) of about 100  meters (330 ft) and a height of roughly 2  meters (6. 6 ft), a tsunami in the deep ocean has a wavelength of about 200  kilometers (120 mi). Such a wave travels at well over 800  kilometers per hour (500 mph), but due to the enormous wavelength the wave oscillation at any given point takes 20 or 30 minutes to complete a cycle and has amplitude of only about 1  meter (3. 3 ft). This makes tsunamis difficult to detect over deep water. Ships rarely notice their passage.As the tsunami approaches the coast and the waters become shallow,  wave shoaling  compresses the wave and its velocity slows below 80  kilometers per hour (50 mph). Its wavelength diminishes to less than 20  kilometers (12 mi) and its amplitude grows enormously, producing a distinctly visible wave. Since the wave st ill has such a long wavelength, the tsunami may take minutes to reach full height. Except for the very largest tsunamis, the approaching wave does not break (like a  surf break), but rather appears like a fast moving  tidal bore.Open bays and coastlines adjacent to very deep water may shape the tsunami further into a step-like wave with a steep-breaking front. When the tsunami's wave peak reaches the shore, the resulting temporary rise in sea level is termed ‘run up'. Run up is measured in meters above a reference sea level. A large tsunami may feature multiple waves arriving over a period of hours, with significant time between the wave crests. The first wave to reach the shore may not have the highest run up. About 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean, but are possible wherever there are large bodies of water, including lakes.They are caused by earthquakes, landslides, volcanic explosions, and  bolides. GENERATION MECHANISMS: The principal generation mechanism (o r cause) of a tsunami is the displacement of a substantial volume of water or perturbation of the sea. This displacement of water is usually attributed to earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, or more rarely by meteorites and nuclear tests. The waves formed in this way are then sustained by gravity. It is important to note that  tides  do not play any part in the generation of tsunamis; hence referring to tsunamis as ‘tidal waves' is inaccurate.Seismicity generated tsunamis Tsunamis can be generated when the sea floor abruptly deforms and vertically displaces the overlying water. Tectonic earthquakes are a particular kind of earthquake that are associated with the earth's crustal deformation; when these earthquakes occur beneath the sea, the water above the deformed area is displaced from its equilibrium position. More specifically, a tsunami can be generated when  thrust faults  associated with  convergent  or destructive  plate boundaries  move abruptl y, resulting in water displacement, due to the vertical component of movement involved.Movement on normal faults will also cause displacement of the seabed, but the size of the largest of such events is normally too small to give rise to a significant tsunami. |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Drawing of  tectonic plate |Overriding plate bulges under |Plate slips, causing |The energy released produces | |boundary  before earthquake. |strain, causing tectonic uplift. |subsidence  and releasing energy |tsunami waves. | | | |into water. | Tsunamis have a small  amplitude  (wave height) offshore, and a very long  wavelength  (often hundreds of kilometers long), which is why they generally pass unnoticed at sea, forming only a slight swell usually about 300  millimeters (12 in) above the normal sea surface. They grow in height when they reach shallower water, in a  wave shoaling  process described below. A tsunami can occur in any tidal state and even at low tide can sti ll inundate coastal areas. On April 1, 1946, a magnitude-7. 8 (Richter scale)  earthquake  occurred near the  Aleutian Islands,  Alaska.It generated a tsunami which inundated  Hilo  on the island of Hawaii’s with a 14  meters (46 ft) high surge. The area where the  earthquake  occurred is where the  Pacific Ocean  floor is  subducting  (or being pushed downwards) under  Alaska. Examples of tsunami at locations away from  convergent boundaries  include  Storegga  about 8,000 years ago,  Grand Banks  1929,  Papua New Guinea  1998 (Tappin, 2001). The Grand Banks and Papua New Guinea tsunamis came from earthquakes which destabilized sediments, causing them to flow into the ocean and generate a tsunami. They dissipated before traveling transoceanic distances.The cause of the Storegga sediment failure is unknown. Possibilities include an overloading of the sediments, an earthquake or a release of gas hydrates (methane etc. ) The  1960 V aldivia earthquake  (Mw  9. 5) (19:11 hrs UTC),  1964 Alaska earthquake  (Mw  9. 2), and  2004 Indian Ocean earthquake  (Mw  9. 2) (00:58:53 UTC) are recent examples of powerful mega thrust  earthquakes that generated tsunamis (known as  teletsunamis) that can cross entire oceans. Smaller (Mw  4. 2) earthquakes in Japan can trigger tsunamis (called  local  and regional tsunamis) that can only devastate nearby coasts, but can do so in only a few minutes.In the 1950s, it was discovered that larger tsunamis than had previously been believed possible could be caused by giant  landslides. These phenomena rapidly displace large water volumes, as energy from falling debris or expansion transfers to the water at a rate faster than the water can absorb. Their existence was confirmed in 1958, when a giant landslide in Lituya Bay,  Alaska, caused the highest wave ever recorded, which had a height of 524 meters (over 1700 feet). The wave didn't travel far, as it st ruck land almost immediately. Two people fishing in the bay were killed, but another boat amazingly managed to ride the wave.Scientists named these waves  mega tsunami. Scientists discovered that extremely large landslides from volcanic island collapses can generate  mega tsunami that can travel trans-oceanic distances. SCALES OF INTENSITY AND MAGNITUDE: As with earthquakes, several attempts have been made to set up scales of tsunami intensity or magnitude to allow comparison between different events. Intensity scales The first scales used routinely to measure the intensity of tsunami were the  Sieberg-Ambraseys scale, used in the  Mediterranean Sea  and the  Imamura-Iida intensity scale, used in the Pacific Ocean.The latter scale was modified by Soloviev, who calculated the Tsunami intensity  I  according to the formula [pic] Where  Hav  is the average wave height along the nearest coast. This scale, known as the  Soloviev-Imamura tsunami intensity scale, is u sed in the global tsunami catalogues compiled by the  NGDC/NOAA  and the Novosibirsk Tsunami Laboratory as the main parameter for the size of the tsunami. Magnitude scales The first scale that genuinely calculated a magnitude for a tsunami, rather than an intensity at a particular location was the ML scale proposed by Murty & Loomis based on the potential energy.Difficulties in calculating the potential energy of the tsunami mean that this scale is rarely used. Abe introduced the  tsunami magnitude scale  Mt, calculated from, [pic] where  h  is the maximum tsunami-wave amplitude (in m) measured by a tide gauge at a distance  R  from the epicenter,  a,  b  &  D  are constants used to make the Mt  scale match as closely as possible with the moment magnitude scale. WARNINGS AND PREDICTIONS: Drawbacks can serve as a brief warning. People who observe drawback (many survivors report an accompanying sucking sound), can survive only if they immediately run for hi gh ground or seek the upper floors of nearby buildings.In 2004, ten-year old  Tilly Smith  of  Surrey,  England, was on  Maikhao beach  in  Phuket,  Thailand  with her parents and sister, and having learned about tsunamis recently in school, told her family that a tsunami might be imminent. Her parents warned others minutes before the wave arrived, saving dozens of lives. She credited her geography teacher, Andrew Kearney. In the  2004 Indian Ocean tsunami  drawback was not reported on the African coast or any other eastern coasts it reached. This was because the wave moved downwards on the eastern side of the fault line and upwards on the western side.The western pulse hit coastal Africa and other western areas. A tsunami cannot be precisely predicted, even if the magnitude and location of an earthquake is known. Geologists,  oceanographers, and seismologists  analyze each earthquake and based on many factors may or may not issue a tsunami warning. However , there are some warning signs of an impending tsunami, and automated systems can provide warnings immediately after an earthquake in time to save lives. One of the most successful systems uses bottom pressure sensors that are attached to buoys. The sensors constantly monitor the pressure of the overlying water column.This is deduced through the calculation: [pic] Where, P  = the overlying  pressure  in Newton per meter square, ? = the  density  of the  seawater = 1. 1 x 103  kg/m3, g  = the  acceleration due to gravity = 9. 8 m/s2  and h  = the height of the water column in meters. Hence for a water column of 5,000 m depth the overlying pressure is equal to [pic] Or about 5500  tonnes-force  per square meter. Regions with a high tsunami risk typically use  tsunami warning systems  to warn the population before the wave reaches land. On the west coast of the United States, which is prone to Pacific Ocean tsunami, warning signs indicate evacuation routes .In Japan, the community is well-educated about earthquakes and tsunamis, and along the Japanese shorelines the tsunami warning signs are reminders of the natural hazards together with a network of warning sirens, typically at the top of the cliff of surroundings hills. The  Pacific Tsunami Warning System  is based in  Honolulu,  Hawaii. It monitors Pacific Ocean seismic activity. A sufficiently large earthquake magnitude and other information trigger a tsunami warning. While the seduction zones around the Pacific are seismically active, not all earthquakes generate tsunami.Computers assist in analyzing the tsunami risk of every earthquake that occurs in the Pacific Ocean and the adjoining land masses. |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Tsunami hazard sign |A tsunami warning sign on |The monument to the victims of |Tsunami memorial | |atBamfield,  British Columbia |a  seawall  in  Kamakura, Japan, |tsunami at Laupahoehoe,  Hawaii |inKanyakumari  beach | | |2004. | | |As a direct result of the Indian Ocean tsunami, a re-appraisal of the tsunami threat for all coastal areas is being undertaken by national governments and the United Nations Disaster Mitigation Committee. A tsunami warning system is being installed in the Indian Ocean. Computer models can predict tsunami arrival, usually within minutes of the arrival time. Bottom pressure sensors relay information in real time. Based on these pressure readings and other seismic information and the seafloor's shape and coastal  topography, the models estimate the amplitude and surge height of the approaching tsunami.All Pacific Rim countries collaborate in the Tsunami Warning System and most regularly practice evacuation and other procedures. In Japan, such preparation is mandatory for government, local authorities, emergency services and the population. Some zoologists hypothesize that some animal species have an ability to sense subsonic  Rayleigh waves  from an earthquake or a tsunami. If c orrect, monitoring their behavior could provide advance warning of earthquakes, tsunami etc. However, the evidence is controversial and is not widely accepted.There are unsubstantiated claims about the Lisbon quake that some animals escaped to higher ground, while many other animals in the same areas drowned. The phenomenon was also noted by media sources in  Sri Lanka  in the  2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. [21][22]  It is possible that certain animals (e. g. ,  elephants) may have heard the sounds of the tsunami as it approached the coast. The elephants' reaction was to move away from the approaching noise. By contrast, some humans went to the shore to investigate and many drowned as a result. It is not possible to prevent a tsunami.However, in some tsunami-prone countries some  earthquake engineering  measures have been taken to reduce the damage caused on shore. Japan  built many tsunami walls of up to 4. 5  metres (15 ft) to protect populated coastal areas. Oth er localities have built  floodgates  and channels to redirect the water from incoming tsunami. However, their effectiveness has been questioned, as tsunami often overtop the barriers. For instance, the  Okushiri, Hokkaido tsunami  which struck  Okushiri Island  of  Hokkaido  within two to five minutes of the  earthquake on July 12, 1993  created waves as much as 30  metres (100 ft) tall—as high as a 10-story building.The port town of Aonae was completely surrounded by a tsunami wall, but the waves washed right over the wall and destroyed all the wood-framed structures in the area. The wall may have succeeded in slowing down and moderating the height of the tsunami, but it did not prevent major destruction and loss of life. [23] Natural factors such as shoreline tree cover can mitigate tsunami effects. Some locations in the path of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami escaped almost unscathed because trees such as  coconut palms  and  mangroves  absorbe d the tsunami's energy.In one striking example, the village of  Naluvedapathy  in India's  Tamil Nadu  region suffered only minimal damage and few deaths because the wave broke against a forest of 80,244 trees planted along the shoreline in 2002 in a bid to enter the  Guinness Book of Records. [24]  Environmentalists have suggested tree planting along tsunami-prone seacoasts. Trees require years to grow to a useful size, but such plantations could offer a much cheaper and longer-lasting means of tsunami mitigation than artificial barriers. The Love Canal chemical waste dumpIn 1920 Hooker Chemical had turned an area in Niagara Falls into a municipal and chemical disposal site. In 1953 the site was filled and relatively modern methods were applied to cover it. A thick layer of impermeable red clay sealed the dump, preventing chemicals from leaking out of the landfill. A city near the dumpsite wanted to buy it for urban expansion. Despite the warnings of Hooker the city eve ntually bought the site for the meager amount of 1 dollar. Hooker could not sell for more, because they did not want to earn money off a project so clearly unwise.The city began to dig to develop a sewer, damaging the red clay cap that covered the dumpsite below. Blocks of homes and a school were built and the neighborhood was named Love Canal. Love Canal seemed like a regular neighborhood. The only thing that distinguished this neighborhood from other was the strange odors that often hung in the air and an unusual seepage noticed by inhabitants in their basements and yards. Children in the neighborhood often fell ill. Love Canal families regularly experienced miscarriages and birth defects.Lois Gibbs, an activist, noticed the high occurrence of illness and birth defects in the area and started documenting it. In 1978 newspapers revealed the existence of the chemical waste dump in the Love Canal area and Lois Gibbs started petitioning for closing the school. In August 1978, the clai m succeeded and the NYS Health Department ordered closing of the school when a child suffered from chemical poisoning. When Love Canal was researched over 130 pounds of the highly toxic carcinogenic TCDD, a form of dioxin, was discovered. The total of 20. 00 tons of waste present in the landfill appeared to contain more than 248 different species of chemicals. The waste mainly consisted of pesticide residues and chemical weapons research refuse. The chemicals had entered homes, sewers, yards and creeks and Gibbs decided it was time for the more than 900 families to be moved away from the location. Eventually President Carter provided funds to move all the families to a safer area. Hooker’s parent company was sued and settled for 20 million dollars. Despite protests by Gibbs’s organization some of the houses in Love Canal went up for sale some 20 years later.The majority of the houses are on the market now and the neighborhood may become inhabited again after 20 years o f abandonment. The houses in Love Canal are hard to sell, despite a renaming of the neighborhood. It suffered such a bad reputation after the incident that banks refused mortgages on the houses. None of the chemicals have been removed from the dumpsite. It has been resealed and the surrounding area was cleaned and declared safe. Hooker’s mother company paid an additional 230 million dollars to finance this cleanup. They are now responsible for the management of the dumpsite.Today, the Love Canal dumpsite is known as one of the major environmental disasters of the century. **** Love Canal is an abandoned canal in Niagara County, New York, where a huge amount of toxic waste was buried. The waste was composed of at least 300 different chemicals, totaling an estimated 20,000 metric tons. The existence of the waste was discovered in the 1970s when families living in homes subsequently built next to the site found chemical wastes seeping up through the ground into their basements, forcing them to eventually abandon their homes.Love Canal was used from the 1940s through the 1950s by the Hooker Chemical Company and the city of Niagara Falls, among others, to dispose of their hazardous and municipal wastes and other refuse. The canal was surrounded by clay and was thought at the time to be a safe place for disposal—and, in fact, burying chemicals in the canal was probably safer than many other methods and sites used for chemical disposal at the time. In 1953, the Niagara Falls Board of Education bought the land-fill for $1 and constructed an elementary school with playing fields on the site.Roads and sewer lines were added and, in the early 1970s, single-family homes were built adjacent to the site. Following a couple of heavy rains in the mid-1970s, the canal flooded and chemicals were observed on the surface of the site and in the basements of houses abutting the site. Newspaper coverage, investigations by the State of New York and by the U. S. Environm ental Protection Agency, combined with pressure from the district's U. S. congressional representative and outrage on the part of local residents, led to the declaration of a health emergency involving â€Å"great and imminent peril to the health of the general public. Ultimately, in August, 1978, a decision was made by Governor Hugh Carey, supported by the White House, to evacuate the residents and purchase 240 homes surrounding the site. Shortly thereafter, the residents of nearby homes that did not immediately abut the site also became concerned about their health and conducted a health survey that purported to show an increase in the occurrence of various diseases and problems such as birth defects and miscarriages, which were attributed to chemical exposures.A great controversy ensued over whether the observations were real or reflected normal rates of such problems, and whether chemical exposures had, in fact, occurred. Eventually, political pressure resulted in families bein g given an opportunity to leave and have their homes purchased by the State. About 70 homes remained occupied in 1989 by families who chose not to move. The controversy at Love Canal followed on the heels of the heightened awareness that occurred in the 1960s about environmental contamination, and it contributed to public and regulatory concern about hazardous wastes, waste disposal, and disclosure of such practices.Such concerns led Congress to pass the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 1976, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund bill, in 1980. When CERCLA was passed, few were aware of the extent of the problem potentially created by years of inappropriate or inadequate hazardous waste disposal practices. Since implementing CERCLA, the U. S.Environmental Protection Agency has identified more than 40,000 potentially contaminated â€Å"Superfundâ⠂¬  sites. The Gulf War In August 1990 Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, starting the Gulf War in which an allegiance of 34 nations worldwide was involved. In January  1991  of the Gulf War, Iraqi forces committed two environmental disasters. The first was a major oil spill 16 kilometers off the shore of Kuwait by dumping oil from several tankers and opening the valves of an offshore terminal. The second was the setting fire to 650 oil wells in Kuwait.The apparent strategic goal of the action was to prevent a potential landing by US Marines. American air strikes on January 26 destroyed pipelines to prevent further spillage into the Gulf. This however seemed to make little difference. Approximately one million tons of crude oil was already lost to the environment, making this the largest oil spill of human history. In the spring of 1991, as many as 500 oil wells were still burning and the last oil well was not extinguished until a few months later, in November.The oil spills did cons iderable damage to life in the Persian Gulf (see picture). Several months after the spill, the poisoned waters killed 20. 000 seabirds and had caused severe damage to local marine flora and fauna. The fires in the oil wells caused immense amounts of soot and toxic fumes to enter the atmosphere. This had great effects on the health of the local population and biota for several years. The pollution also had a possible impact on local weather patterns.