Book Analysis of Ideas and Weapons by Irving Brington Holley Essay

Book Analysis of Ideas and Weapons by Irving Brington Holley - Essay Example This paper extensively examines the perspectives of war according to different scholars and the development of weapons. It also deals with the development of warfare from ancient societies up to the current, sophisticated forms of attacks. Ideas and Concepts There are several ideas and questions according to Keegan warfare. He strongly believes that war has a historical factor. For instance, he is a proponent of Clausewitzian framework, which he describes as being great in providing the foundation of examining warfare but fails to answer some pertinent questions. He tries to answer the question, what is war? In addition, how did war start? Specifically he notes that war has a cultural phenomenon (Keegan 56). War culturally came from militaristic way of life in Europe as compared to other historians who define it as the political struggle. Keegan proves extensively that culture is the focal point to describe warfare. Irving Brington Holley, on the other hand, brings the idea that deve lopment of weapons happened in steps (Holley 34). It is from his fact that those who used the modern weapons had victorious win over their rivals. The allies to the modern US with modern weapons could access the tools and protect themselves better. He provides a well thought idea that the need to get better protection of the US created the need to develop new and advance models of weapons to use in the war. The weapons made in this case were to be used by the American Air force. Themes and Propositions According to Keegan, many people lived unpretentious and pastoralist lifestyles until their cultural attitudes changed towards violence. He proves this by examining four groups of people who lived pastoralist lifestyle (Keegan 66). First, the Zulu originally from Sothern part of Africa lived a gentle life. The Shaka invaded and interrupted Zulu’s lifestyle through attacks, which sparked a war between the two communities. He categorically states that the war intended to protect the cultural systems that existed (Holley 56). More so, through Samurai of Japan, Keegan identifies war as culture protection being one of the aspects that cause it. Irving in his views divided his thoughts about ideas and weapons in three classes. Mainly the three classes are involved with supporting aerial weapons development that could be utilized in the world wars. First and far most, he identifies pursuit as a technique to hunt for the enemy. The US tacked down the skies of Europe to get areas of interest to attack (Holley 67). The second-class was the observation of key areas from the sky to be sure of attacking the correct areas. The last class included final stage, which was to bomb the targeted areas in Europe. He further notes that the minds of those who were responsible for innovating field operational aircrafts were to protect the US interests. The field aircrafts helped US to strike directly at the European ground forces and get away without any injuries. The Europeans were greatly defeated because of lack of sophisticated weapons against their opponent. It made all the US allies admire the innovation that was in place both in the First World War and the Second World War. Similarities and Differences Keegan divides warfare history in four main eras. They include iron, flesh, fire and stone. Each era marks a transition in the innovation of warfare right away from the strengthening and gradual development of the armies. Keegan creatively brings out different kinds of warfare in

The Supernatural in Macbeth Essay Example for Free

The Supernatural in Macbeth Essay The supernatural is always a vehicle for evil Using language and literary techniques, discuss to what extent you agree with this statement in Macbeth with reference to The Weir. Shakespeares play Macbeth, written in the Jacobean era, and Conor McPhersons play The Weir, set in rural Ireland, both include supernatural elements which help the plays progression. However, both plays are about entirely different things; Macbeth is a play in which the main character plots to kill the King, whereas The Weir focuses a lot more on companionship and the importance of a community as well as the effects of loneliness. In Act 1 Scene 1 of Macbeth, the setting, A desolate place helps to create an ambiguous and misty atmosphere right from the beginning whilst the weather choice of Thunder and lightning forewarns the audience of negative events and adds to the sense of equivocation, which is achieved through paradox like when the battles lost, and won. James I himself believed in witches and so did most of society in general therefore by including the supernatural, Shakespeare was clearly making the play relevant to his audience, as they would have believed in such matters. The opening interrogative, When shall we three meet again? suggests that the witches are up to something which could be interpreted as the supernatural being meddlesome, if not evil. The minor declarative Upon the heath shows the witches making a prediction, alluding to the fact that a Jacobean audience would have believed in them having certain powers. Iambic tetrameter such as And thrice again, to make up nine makes their speech sound chant-like, indicating something unusual about them as their speech contrasts with the blank verse of the other characters. The supernatural first occurs in The Weir when Jack begins his story about Maura Nealons house being built on what youd call that road where the fairies would come. The suspension marks highlights Jacks uneasiness when talking about the supernatural, and though he goes on to say that it isnt a true story, it is clear that he is moved by it. Shakespeares use of blank verse in Macbeth links to the dramatic tradition of the time and contrasts with the highly naturalistic style of speech used by McPherson, such as the interrogative Why not, says you, ha? (Finbar) which helps to portray the Irish vernacular of the characters in the bar, whilst the tag question ha? helps the characters to interact. Banquos interrogative why do you start and seem to fear? in Act 1 Scene 3 suggests that the witches predictions may be ones that Macbeth has already thought about, or desired, before. Here, the supernatural could be considered a vehicle for evil as the scene begins with the witches talking about how they will torture the farmer for his wifes actions. However, their prophecies are somewhat neutral and so it seems that Macbeth acts of his own will, rather than committing the murder because of the supernatural. The debate of Fate vs. Free Will was common in the Jacobean era and people believed in witches and such folklore therefore their presence could be merely to fulfil audience expectations rather than as a vehicle for evil. The witches simply spot the weakness in Macbeth and let him believe it is his fate, suggesting that they may be evil themselves but dont create evil in others. Banquos question to Macbeth shows how the witches are tempting Macbeth to proceed with an evil course of action that he has already thought about. Similarly, The Weir uses interrogatives but in the form of tag questions such as here, wouldnt it be?. Finbar seems to be seeking reassurance from the other characters which is similar to Macbeth in that Macbeth often seeks reassurance from Lady Macbeth, highlighting her as the dominant figure in their relationship. Similar to Macbeth, where the setting is upon a heath, the bar in The Weir is situated in an isolated place, which could be viewed as something typical of a ghost story, allowing a sense of mystery to build up. Declaratives such as which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem/ To have thee crowned withal in Act 1 Scene 5 highlight how Lady Macbeth believes that both fate and the witches want Macbeth to be King and the imperative look like thinnocent flower/ But be the serpent undert reflects how Lady Macbeth herself is portrayed she appears to be innocent and friendly but, as indicated by the contrastive conjunction but, she is instead planning treacherous acts, reflecting the plays theme of appearance versus reality. Saying that she will pour her spirits in thine ear suggests that the witches, who are arguably the main supernatural element of the play, only have a limited amount of power which they use to their advantage, and that evil actually resides in humans themselves. Shakespeare seems to be suggesting that everyone is responsible for the actions they take, which could reflect the growing belief in Humanism during the Renaissance. Such references reflect the time in which Shakespeare was writing, as do archaisms such as the second person archaic pronoun thy, which could be expressing Lady Macbeths belief that Macbeth is inferior to her. Shakespeare is also touching on the theme of appearance versus reality which is clear throughout the play. The serpent could be a reference to Satan in the Garden of Eden, highlighting how sinister and dark Lady Macbeths character really is. Contrastingly, the characters in The Weir do not make any implications of one being more inferior to the other. McPherson use of humour shows irreverence for characters, usually Finbar, such as the interrogative you were making it all up, werent you?. This helps to create a chain of adjacency pairs, allowing the characters to interact, which is central to the plays theme of companionship and to an extent presents the supernatural as something that shouldnt be taken too seriously. Humour is also used in Macbeth, by the Porter (2.3), which presents itself in a satirical way. Such humour would not be as familiar to a modern day audience as it was to the Jacobean audience, therefore many modern directors choose not to include it. Macbeths fatal vision in Act 2 Scene 1 symbolises the bloody course upon which he is about to embark and is part of his fatal flaw which leads to his downfall, as well as presenting the theme of appearance versus reality again. His interrogative, questioning whether it is a dagger of the mind caused by his heat-oppressed brain highlights his stress and tension, and the use of the premodifying adjective heat-oppressed signifies just how extreme this stress that he is feeling is, as committing regicide is a sin that cant be forgiven. An audience in the Jacobean era would know that Macbeth is about to break the Great Chain of Being and at the same time Shakespeare was maintaining the idea of the Divine Right of Kings a doctrine hugely believed in by the Christians of the time. By maintaining this, Shakespeare could be showing King James place in society and suggesting that no one should challenge Kingship. The tragedy therefore has a didactic purpose as it shows the audience what the consequences of such actions would be. The parallel analogy of Tarquin violating an innocent emphasizes the extremity of what Macbeth is about to do and the use of opposites, mentioning to heaven or to hell, builds up an antithesis between good and evil and shows his acknowledgement that both exist. The audience is left to wonder whether the dagger is simply a figment of Macbeths guilty mind, or whether it is being caused by a supernatural force. This could be considered similar to Jims story of Declan Donnelly where he says And wed been having the few little drinks showing how he searches for a loophole in the possibility that the supernatural exists. The fronted coordinating conjunction And conveys how he is building up reasons to show that the ghost might not have been real and the stage direction of A little laugh highlights his uneasiness. McPherson seems to be suggesting that the supernatural does exist and that humans need to have beliefs and that it is this need to believe which makes us humans. The slight doubt here would be crucial to a ghost story and to a play being watched by an audience as it would add an air of mystery. In Act 3 Scene 4 dramatic irony such as play the humble host makes Macbeths previous actions seem even worse as it reminds the audience that Macbeths behaviour is a pretence. Lady Macbeths asides to Macbeth (Are you a man?) along with his responses (Ay, and a bold one) draw attention to her being more partner in their relationship as she questions his masculinity, and portrays her in a negative light by showing she is more concerned with getting caught than feeling guilty. Aristotles idea of Peripeteia could be surfacing in this part of the play as Macbeths fortune is slowly being reversed. Here, the supernatural is perhaps presented in a good way and, from a Freudian point of view, Macbeths repressed feelings seem to be manifesting before his eyes, which is possibly the power of good over evil. Macbeths imperative, telling the ghost to Avaunt and quit [his] sight! highlights the extremity of his current guilt. This is furthered through it also being an exclamatory, and the use of the pronoun my could reflect how solely he feels the guilt, rather than Lady Macbeth also feeling it. The supernatural in this scene could suggest that justice is being served, and Macbeths reaction to the ghost could be his punishment for his previous action. Likewise, in The Weir, the supernatural is portrayed in a positive way as it is used as a source to unite the characters in the pub. This is shown in Finbars comment Valerie, love, nobodys going to. McPhersons use of the contraction nobodys along with the term of endearment love helps to mimic natural speech and also shows how close the characters have become after having spoken for the night, touching the plays theme of companionship. Hecates use of adjectives such as spiteful and wrathful in Act 3 Scene 5 highlight how she believes Macbeth wasnt worth the trouble, whilst the coordinating conjunction and furthers this notion. The use of rhyming couplets such as illusion/confusion enforces Hecates power when she shows her displeasure and the pairing of the two abstract nouns suggests that the witches themselves cause confusion which is achieved through an illusion. Shakespeare may have been suggesting that witchcraft isnt capable of evil but can trigger things that have already been thought about (1.3). It is arguable that the witches have overreached, which forms a parallel with Macbeths situation and conforms to Aristotles ideas. This scene is often omitted from productions as it may draw too much focus on the witches, making them seem a central part to Macbeths action, and in turn making free will seem less important. The imperative Get you gone highlights authority over the other two witches and diminishes their power as they are being told off. This implies that the supernatural is not a vehicle for evil, as the witches do not have much power to start with. Unlike Macbeth, McPherson shows normal human-beings meddling with the supernatural rather than vice versa. Finbars self mockery, like the low laugh helps the audience watching to see the tale as genuine by showing his stifled fear. To balance the sinister atmosphere created by his story about a woman at the bottom of the stairs, humour is used such as Luigi board! followed by taboo lexis, Ah fuck off, to highlight familiarity between the characters and articulate a lack of refinement as well as a distinct honesty in them. Equivocation in Act 4 Scene 1 such as for none of woman born leads Macbeth to believe he cant be killed, and presents the witches as yet again interfering. The stage directions, which would be important considering it is a play, show the witches dance, and vanish highlighting some level of power, but doesnt portray them as evil. The apparition of an armed head could symbolize how Macbeth himself will be killed at the end of the play, however, the witches present fate to him in an equivocal and esoteric way. Many references to time are made, such as Time, thou anticipatst my where Macbeth uses the vocative Time to personify it and emphasise how he is in battle with it. The many references to time, also including from this moment and even now indicate how time is of the essence for Macbeth and that he will be killed soon. As well as this, it helps to create irony as Macbeth is actually making decisions, even though they are the wrong ones, which shows that the evil is emanating from a human being. Shakespeare, within the realms of the Jacobean era, was again highlighting the dominance of free will over fate and could have been showing that overreaching can lead to social deformation. In this scene, the supernatural is shown to have some level of power, but at the same time the audience is aware that Macbeth is making his own decisions when deciding to have Macduff killed (thou shalt not live). Unlike Macbeth, The Weir does not pay much attention to the matter of man being a responsible agent for his own evil actions. Instead, it presents more positive feelings about humans, such as the barmans gesture of a sandwich is just such a small thing, highlighting how the smallest of actions can have a big impact, and also helps to restore Jacks faith in others. In spite of the many differences between Macbeth and The Weir, it is clear that the supernatural has a pivotal role in both. Overall, I believe that the supernatural is not a vehicle for evil in Macbeth, and that the inclusion of supernatural elements is merely to emphasise how evil resides within each human being themselves, which is emphasised through Shakespeares use of equivocation and also the theme of free will vs. fate. The final effect of the supernatural in Macbeth is that it causes destruction, whereas McPherson uses it to bring the characters together, therefore portraying it as a bonding agent as it gives them a shared experience. The supernatural, such as the witches, in Macbeth, in my opinion are only there to cause mischief and aid the plays progression. In both, the supernatural is far from a vehicle for evil, but could maybe be considered as a vehicle for catharsis as it helps to express the characters inner thoughts and feelings.

Energy Efficient Housing Essay -- essays research papers

Energy Efficient Building   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Windows   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Energy efficient windows have multiple layers of glass. The reason for this is because the more layers of glass you have the better it insulates the house. Three or four layers of glass are one of the best because you have more airspace in between layers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A smaller airspace doesn't insulate the building as well as a thicker airspace would. The thickest an airspace should be is 1 inch because any thicker than that will cause the glass of the window to no longer insulate the building.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The air in between the layers of glass should be thick and dense, so that it can save energy. One of the most common airs used in-between glass is argon. When argon is used heat loss is reduced. You could also use carbon dioxide or sulfur hexa-fluoride between glass.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another type of window that is used commonly to keep the home cool is tinted glass. Tinted glass and tinted window films are used on buildings to reduce heat gain through windows. Advancements in tinted glass have now allowed us to make the glass appear just as a regular window that you can see through. The tinted glass solution is also used in many vehicles and private rooms for privacy and to keep them cool in the summer to save on energy costs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When choosing a proper type of window frame, fiber glass is the number one choice. Fiberglass is the strongest material to use for the job and it also involves a smaller amount of maintenance compared to vinyl or wood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Glazes on windows are one of the newest methods for energy efficient windows. Glazing is a way of changed the glass so that the light reflects off the window or absorbs the light and brings it into the building. Photo-chromic is the best product for glazing, as it can be switched so that it both reflects the light and absorbs it. Photo-chromic is a product called a switchable glazing. All switchable glazing products are useful for reducing cooling loads and for minimizing the shine off the sun from coming in the house. It would be most useful is Saskatchewan because it brings heat into the house for the winter, ... ...also save energy by using motion censoring for doors and sinks. The dining rooms and foyers should have dim-able light switches. Another way to save a lot of energy is to make a master switch at the front door that turns off all lights. That way you never leave a light on when you aren't at home. You should use natural gas cook tops and ovens to cut down on electricity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wind Turbines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wind turbines can be very useful in bringing energy into your home. They are especially useful when solar panels aren't working. They take the wind speed from oceans, lakes, dugouts, or rivers and turn it into energy. To use the wind turbines most efficiently you should set up a wind power system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Energy Efficient Motors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Energy efficient motors use more copper and iron than regular motors. They also consume less energy than regular motors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Private cars should be banned in Hong Kong Essay

In this modern world, the majority of people in rich cities own cars. Cars are cool, comfortable, and convenient. But have people ever thought about and realized the damage private cars are doing to our community? I think not. People buy cars for their own benefit, with no regard for the fact that the emissions from vehicles are contributing to global warming. Moreover, especially in overpopulated Hong Kong, the high density of private cars causes massive traffic jams and accidents. Therefore, the environment would be better off if private cars were banned in Hong Kong. It would not only reduce the effect of global warming, but also decrease the risk of disastrous accidents. Therefore, I strongly believe that all private cars should be banned in Hong Kong for the benefit of our polluted society. Hospital deaths due to respiratory and circulatory diseases, and nitrogen dioxide and respiratory moralities, reflect the impact of air pollution in Hong Kong caused by car emissions. A lot of people are suffering from asthma attack due to the polluted air in Hong Kong. And there is too much oxide going into the atmosphere and producing the greenhouse effect. In Hong Kong, nearly 10 % of the population own cars. And the density of traffic is really high, meaning if everyone drives their car at the same time, there is not enough road space to accommodate all cars. So there will be more traffic jams and a much higher risk of accidents. In one week, there is at least a few car crashes, and on a yearly basis, there is bound to be at least a few hundreds. Also, getting caught in a traffic jam wastes a lot of fuel with undue emissions causing even more air pollution. Fuels are expensive in Hong Kong and fossil fuels are running out rapidly. If people do not take private cars and use public transport instead, then less fuel is used. Every morning when we go to school, there is always traffic jam, and at least half the road space is taken up by private cars. In Hong Kong, rarely a 7 seat car is full. It is almost impossible to find one that is full. So that wastes a lot of space. If people take public transport instead, the seats will be fully utilized. Despite all those disadvantages, I must say that cars are more comfortable than public buses, and that we have more space and freedom inside our own vehicle. Also most people consider taking private cars saves more time than waiting for buses. But have people ever pondered that taking public buses is just as fast without the private cars blocking the road, and having private cars actually obstructs and slows down the travelling speed and therefore wastes even more time. And owning a private car is only for our own selfish enjoyment. People may argue that with more people using private cars, car manufacturers enjoy more business, but that would also mean lower requirement for public vehicles and hence fewer jobs for bus drivers. If everyone believes that every family should own a car, public transport will no longer be in demand and many jobs will be lost to the local community. With all these disadvantages, I believe that establishing a law to ban private cars is the right thing to do. It not only helps save money, decreases the risk of car accidents, eases traffic flows, but also contributes to a better environment. I forcefully urge that we should ban private cars in Hong Kong.

Analyze the main character’s positive and negative qualities in “To build a fire” Essay

Based on real experiences, Jack London’s stories of high adventures have been appealing to millions of readers worldwide. With naturalism mode of fiction and a common topic – vigorous nature – in his works, the great author always took great care to depict his characters and the struggles with nature to expose man’s qualities in formidable situations. â€Å"To build a fire† is a good example. By creating a context of severe weather with white frost dominating throughout the story, Jack London was successful in portraying his protagonist Tom Vincent with all positive and negative qualities. The character’s positive qualities were revealed from the beginning of the story. In the first page, readers can easily perceive that Tom Vincent was a strong man. The protagonist was described as â€Å"a strapping young fellow, big-boned and big-muscled, with faith in himself and in strength of his head and hands.† With good descriptive words, the writer created a vivid picture of a young man who was strong both physically and mentally. He was brave and always ready to cope with difficulties with a firm belief in himself. He did not hide from the severe elements; instead, â€Å"he was out in it, facing it, fighting it†. Furthermore, Tom Vincent was a smart and clear-headed person. He knew how to protect himself in the freezing weather. Realizing the biting cold, â€Å"he leaped to his feet and ran briskly up the trail†; also, he rubbed his nose and cheeks till they burned with the returning blood, which made him warmer. When he felt the cold water strike his feet and ankles, he knew â€Å"the thing to do, and the only thing to do, was to build a fire†. Though failing to set a fire many times and almost hopeless with his numb hands, Tom Vincent could keep his mind sound enough to come up with the idea of burning his hands to regain their feeling and continued to build another fire. Obviously, Tom was a man who could react to difficult situations quite flexibly and smartly. The most remarkable quality of Tom Vincent is his strong survival instinct with great patience and perseverance, which was vividly described through the character’s continuous attempts to build a fire in freezing weather. When Tom was aware of his dangerous situation, he didn’t think so much but  concentrated on building a fire – the only thing that could save his life at that moment. In the first attempt, he kneeled down to kindle his fire. Despite his unmittened stiff fingers, he told himself not to hurry things and cherished his fire with the utmost care. However, the frost forced him to suffer more. His young flame, his little light of hope, was soon buried under the snow that fell down from the pine boughs. In spite of the fear and panic growing larger and larger inside him, he kept his presence of mind. He did not allow himself to be overwhelmed by the adversity and started at once to rebuild the fire. Unfortunately, he failed at the very beginning when h e dropped the match in the snow and could not pick it up again with his numb fingers. Desperate, but he, though painfully, stood up, stepped to one side to avoid being disturbed by the falling snow from the pine boughs, â€Å"beat his hands violently against a tree-trunk†, and made another attempt. Still, the aggressive elements kept troubling the miserable man. Tom’s tiny flame was quenched one more time in his shaking hand due to the severe cold. After consecutive failures, Tom virtually collapsed with despair, but quickly, he ran up the trail to look for help. He still believed there was another solution available somewhere. Even when he had recognized that there was no help, no sign of help but the emotionless white frost and the brazen silence, his hope of being rescued promptly ignited again when his eyes chanced upon another high-water lodgment of twigs and branches. He started over to build a fire! He tried to overcome the condition of numb hands with all fingers straight out by â€Å"pressing the wrist of the other hand against them† and finally managed to ignite the match. Regrettably, the flame burned into the flesh of his hand, which made him involuntarily relax his hold and helplessly watch the match fall into the snow. The fire went out. Again, he ra n, in his most terrible panic, but the only thing he could find was an empty shelter of moose-hunters. This time, he felt so badly frightened that he sank down and sobbed, nearly accepting that everything was over. When all the doors seemed to be closed, his love of life burned strongly than ever. He â€Å"sprang again to his feet†, thinking quickly, and found out a way to save his life – burning his hands to regain their sense. He set his teeth to bear the pain caused by the fire licking his flesh. Apparently, that he writhed around with the torment, yet held on the fire, was the greatest evidence of his tough survival instinct. The heroic measure and the amazing bravery to  act over the extremity saved him from death. Through Tom Vincent’s continuous attempts to build a fire, readers can see clearly the character’s durability and iron will. Despite the severe hardship, he made great efforts; despite the great efforts, he made continuous failures; desp ite the continuous failures, he always gave himself another opportunity to survive. Beside the positive qualities, readers could see the presence of negative traits in the character’s personality, which brought him very close to death. Tom Vincent was exposed as an overconfident, subjective and arrogant young man. Ignoring the precept of the north, â€Å"Never travel alone†, Tom, by himself, started his journey in a severe weather condition with just a light pack on his back, a pair of moccasins on his feet, and an over-optimistic attitude on a new, strange and lonely route. At the beginning of the journey, he was swinging along the trail and enjoyed it with all his great excitement. He was fearless with the thought that â€Å"there was no possibility of getting lost† and considered a nose-strap â€Å"feminine contraption†. Although the nature did warn him of its killing freezing cold, Tom enjoyed the exultation with a complacent attitude. He assumed that he was stronger than the elements and considered himself as master of the elements. â€Å"He laughed aloud in sheer strength of life, and with his clenched fist defied the frost†. It was his overconfidence that made him take all miseries afterwards. Tom was a strong and smart young man; nonetheless, it was not enough for him in the fight against the cruel nature. In the dual with Mother Nature, he was just a child. He failed to estimate all dangerous accidents that did happen to him during his journey. First of all, he hadn’t known how harsh the weather was and afterwards felt the need of a nose-strap that he had scorned before. Moreover, he built a fire under a pine tree with snowy boughs that blotted out his flame. Also, he couldn’t imagine that his hands and his body would become such numb and worthless ones that prevented him from building a fire. Ultimately, he regretted ignoring the precept of the north and wished to have a comrade whose feet were not freezing to start a fire that could save him. After experiencing continuous bitter failures, Tom, a strapping man, sank down and sobbed like a child. Jack London was successful using contrast to paint his character: one arrogant at the beginning and one miserabl e at the end. Through that, the author showed us  the consequences of his character’s shortcomings. Though thinking that Tom Vincent deserved to pay for his arrogance, readers feel sorry for him. If he had been a good listener – traveling with a companion or starting the journey in a better weather condition, he wouldn’t have fallen into such a life-threatening situation that nearly took his life away. The story ended with a Tom Vincent surviving but totally different from the Tom at the beginning. He became â€Å"sensitive to frost† and â€Å"lays down the precept of the North†. He finally took a bitter lesson from Mother Nature. After analyzing the character’s positive and negative qualities, we can learn valuable lessons: a will of iron is a weapon that helps us overcome difficulties in life, even in the worst situation; however, never underestimate potential risks around us, and be a good listener. A man with all good qualities like Tom Vincent could be a very successful person in the modern world today; nevertheless, it is the arrogance that will destroy all his success. Hence, a man can succeed only when he understands the rules of nature and the rules of life to take appropriate actions in all adventures during his life.

Sunica Music Essays

Sunica Music Essays Sunica Music Essay Sunica Music Essay Axia College Material Appendix C Introduction Student Name: Robert Joseph Mendoza Axia College IT/244 Intro to IT Security Instructor’s Name: Bryan Berg Date: January 9, 2011 Introduction Due in Week One: Give an overview of the company and the security goals to be achieved. 1 Company overview As relates to your selected scenario, give a brief 100- to 200-word overview of the company. Sunica Music and Movies is a small but growing multimedia chain with currently four locations. These locations currently act independently from each other and have little to no communication between each other and each other’s stock. There is no web site which limits the business to local and word of mouth. There is also an accounting issue due to no centralization of funds. Because of these issues the company has lost customers and revenue. With the implementation of a Wide Area Network (WAN), and proper security steps, Sunica Music and Movies will have the ability to access, implement and use a centralized inventory database from any store. The creation of a webpage will also be necessary to be the company global as well as create an intranet between stores for secure location to location data transfer. There will need to be site set ups, one for the primary location of the web servers and data centralization and a backup location for disaster recovery. 2 Security policy overview Of the different types of security policies- program-level, program-framework, Issue-specific, and system-specific- briefly cover which type is appropriate to your selected business scenario and why. A programme-level policy would be the security policy used. This policy is the best for Sunica Music and Movies due to the fact that not every user will need access to all data be handled. This policy will provide Sunica Music and Movies the with a written an established purpose as well as well as a resources scope, responsibilities of key personnel and compliance guidance, to include but not limited to, on employee training. 3 Security policy goals As applies to your selected scenario, explain how the confidentiality, integrity, and availability principles of information security will be addressed by the information security policy. Confidentiality Briefly explain how the policy will protect information. All date will be automatically encrypted and will only be accessible from the appropriate user. There will be site to site encryption. There will also be stand alone system and network antivirus and internet protection software. There will also be physical firewalls at each location and a physical firewall between the web site and intranet s ite to prevent data leakage. Data saved on individual machines will be encrypted with user specific certificates. 2 Integrity Give a brief overview of how the policy will provide rules for authentication and verification. Include a description of formal methods and system transactions. Authentication and verification for machines will be executed via a two step authentication process. This process contains a physical and digital key. The physical key will be Common Access Cards (CAC) with individual specific certificates and keys, and the digital will be a done by password. Access to data will also be through access list and permissions set on databases and files. Availability Briefly describe how the policy will address system back-up and recovery, access control, and quality of service. System backup and recovery will be done between the two web server locations. These locations will also have network attached storage (NAS) to save data new data and archive older data. One location will be identified as primary and in the event of a disaster the other will become the primary. These locations will update w ith each other daily. Only specific machines will have access to the intranet, and of these machines only authorized users will be allowed on them. Because of the system security and the network makeup Sunica Music and Movies will be able to make informed accurate an secure business transactions and decisions. References Cite all your references by adding the pertinent information to this section by following this example. American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed. ). Washington, DC: Author.

Comprehensive Sex Education

Comprehensive Sex Education Speech 1. Intro a. Today, 13,000 teenagers lives will change. 10,000 of them will be infected with an STD, 2,400 will become pregnant, and 55 will contract HIV. Those are some pretty scary statistics. And yet the government is still spending $100 million a year on abstinence only sex ed programs instead of teaching kids about the emotional aspects of sex and how to do it safely if they choose to do so. "Just say no" didn't work for drugs, and it won't work for sex either.2. Body a. Some schools have started giving free condoms out to students to make it more likely that teens will use them. Buying condoms from a store could be a potentially embarrassing situation, especially if the student would have to show ID or if the condoms were kept in a glass case in the store. Either of these situations could discourage students from buying them, and they would have no other way to obtain one if their school didn't hand them out, so they probably wouldn't use one at all.Condom coutureHaving c ondoms at school eliminates this problem.b. Also, if kids are buying condoms with money out of their own pocket, they would probably get the least expensive brand, which are probably cheaply made and would break easily. The condoms that the school would give out would be free and of a higher quality.c. Some people think giving out condoms will tell teens it's okay to be sexually active and give them an excuse to have sex. That's a ridiculous argument. The nurse provides band-aids, and kids aren't just going to go cut themselves.d. But to get a condom at most schools that hand them out, you need a parent to sign a permission slip, and many parents refuse...

Boar, Boor, and Bore - Commonly Confused Words

Boar, Boor, and Bore - Commonly Confused Words The noun boar refers to an uncastrated pig. The noun boor refers to a rude or ill-mannered person. As a verb, bore means to make a hole or passage or to become tiresome or dull. In addition, bore is the past tense of the irregular verb bear.​ As a noun, bore refers to a hole made by boring, the hollow part of a tube, or someone or something that is dull and tiresome. See also: Board and Bored Examples My grandmother once stepped out onto the front porch and shot a boar that was attacking her dogs.To avoid having to attend dinner parties, Jon played the part of a hopeless boor- an uncouth country bumpkin.An engineer conceived a plan to bore a tunnel through the mountain ridge to speed upriver freight traffic.The graduation speaker was a complete bore, and half the audience went to sleep. Practice (a) These creatures _____ into the limestone by dissolving it with an acidic chemical they excrete.(b) It was a Norse tradition to eat wild _____ at Yuletide.(c) If an Englishman settles in Australia, he is regarded as a _____ if he criticizes all things Australian and constantly harps on how much better the English are.(d) Phils friends say that he has become a total _____, talking about nothing but his children and his golf game. Answers to Practice Exercises:Boar, Boor, and Bore (a) These creatures  bore  into the limestone by dissolving it with an acidic chemical they excrete.(b) It was a Norse tradition to eat wild  boar  at Yuletide.(c) If an Englishman settles in Australia, he is regarded as a  boor  if he criticizes all things Australian and constantly harps on how much better the English are.(d) Phils friends say that he has become a total  bore, talking about nothing but his children and his golf game.

Letter from the Birmingham Jail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Letter from the Birmingham Jail - Essay Example "Letter from Birmingham Jail" takes a very important place in the history of the movement for human rights and is perfect expression of reasoning for non-violent resistance. The author of this letter, Martin Luther King, believed that once injustice occurs, it becomes a threat to justice everywhere."This letter this famous preacher wrote in response to the appeal, in which the clergy characterized the activities of black activists as "unreasonable" and the late, criticized activists for organizing demonstrations, spoke approvingly about the city authorities and the police. King’s letter is a direct response to criticism of his ideas by church representatives, but in fact, he refers to everyone who does not approve racism, but considers methods of nonviolent struggle to be too radical.His letter is full of arguments of a true Christian;he uses many Old and New Testament associations and images, quotations, references to Christ's example. King's main claim is that the main obsta cle on the way of human being to freedom is not politicians, but citizens themselves, as often they are more devoted to "order" than to justice and believe in the myth about time and constantly advise to those who are oppressed to wait for a better moment.

Consumer Purchasing and the Rehabilitation Industry Coursework

Consumer Purchasing and the Rehabilitation Industry - Coursework Example Studies show that consumers have provided the impetus for economic recovery in many countries, including the US. In the wake of the US economic recession following 9/11, for example, the employment rate declined, wages stagnated, personal incomes struggled, but consumers were spending 10 percent more than the levels before the crunch. What happened was the consumers deferred their household mortgage and non-mortgage payments (housing and car loans, mostly) to pay for their daily consumption (Lilly, S. (2005). This means that come hell or high water, the consumer market is always there to lap up any brands that fulfill their needs. But precisely because the economy is in a strait jacket, producers of consumer goods and services need to navigate a minefield of challenges presented by a market made up of consumers who would only part with their hard-earned money if the brands offered to them have enough pulling power to influence their purchasing decisions. Logically, competition has ti ghtened up not only for the consumer market for goods but also for professional services, such that even the latter sector now calls for a branding strategy. The same thing goes for recruitment activities, which now use the branding approach to bag the most capable talents and personnel. Brand i Brand is the sum total of all that is known, thought, felt and perceived about a company, its product or service. It is the process of making products and companies into brands. The consumers' response to brand revolves around its image, and a strong and positive brand image influences consumers into making the decision to purchase. The marketer's principal goal is to build a relationship with buyers, not only for a single sale but also for the long term. The essence of this relationship consists of a strong bond that may be established between brand and buyer. Marketing concepts traditionally associated with the goods industry has been adopted in the service industry due to pressures exerted by rising prices and increased competition. Like all other industries, the rehabilitation industry has been buffeted by changes in technology and local economies. As in marketing for products, promotional efforts for the service sector now also put quality and customer satisfaction at the front burner. This discursive essay puts forward selected facts and theories about branding, the new challenges in marketing brands to a stingier and pickier consumer market, how bonds are established and maintained between brand and buyer, and how brands dictate the pace and scope of consumer purchasing. The essay also tracks down the journey of branding into the service industry, paying particular attention to the rehabilitation sector, which by necessity has evolved from its purely voluntary configuration into an industry as highly competitive as the market for consumer goods. II. Literature Review Haynes, A., et al. (1999) enthuse at the comprehensive brand presentation (CBP) technique, a formalized approach that aligns the manufacturing and

Consumer behaviour of Latvian outbound tourists Essay

Consumer behaviour of Latvian outbound tourists - Essay Example 34 The relation between the number of trips organized by the agency on an online platform 36 The study of the reasons of using a traditional travel agency 37 APPENDIX 44 Data Requirements Table for Travelers Questionnaires 44 Data Requirements Table for Managers Questionnaires 45 The relationship between the Objectives and the Research Questions 45 Introduction The tourism sector is one of the dynamic aspects of the economy of a given country. The rapid growth of the tourism industry however, is associated with the development of the Internet and its availability. This leads to low budget of airlines tickets to potential clients, irrespective of their geographical location around the globe (Mayr & Zins, 2009). In response to the development, the tourism industry has created various major reservation systems that are available for the clients in their accommodation and plans in regards to their trips (Kracht & Wang, 2012). Through online databases, clients are able to book their ticke ts, hotel rooms, tour cars and other facilities offered within the tourism industry (Grandos, Kauffman, & King, 2008). This however, has a direct impact towards the efficiency of tourism activities, since tourism is dependent on various factors of the consumer’s behavior (Kaze, Skapars, & Sceulovs, 2011). Creation of new information resources, significantly affect the usual form of the old organizational system deployed in the back days (Mayr & Zins, 2009). Not only internal factors that influence the decision-making process, but also the accessibility of existing distribution channels and other external factors.(Cox, Burgess, Sellitto, & Buultjens, 2009). In the tourism sector, customer satisfaction is an important facet, and when there is absence of even a single online distribution database, an impeccable disadvantage within the country prevails. This however, adversely affects the tourism industry at large. In addition, providing affordable services in booking accommodati on and transport affairs (online agencies) would attract high numbers of tourists as far as efficiency facet is concerned (Kracht & Wang, 2012). Competition has led many companies within tourism sectors venture their business in line to online system management. Moreover, there are more than 15 tourism companies in Latvian that have been offering services to outbound and inbound tourist (Vasilyeva, 2013). However, these companies decided to avail online systems that could see them reduce the running costs hence; providing efficiency as far as the issue of time in considered. These companies have developed their own websites with up-to-date reliable information, which plays a vital role in retaining their customers as well as meeting their needs in time (Kanchanawong, Charungkon, & Poonoi, 2012). Rationale for the study The main aim to this study is to establish the Consumer Behavior of Latvian outbound tourists towards the online and offline travel booking method, which has triggere d the influence of efficiency in terms of time management. In the old system of

Limited Liability Corporations and Partnerships Essay

Limited Liability Corporations and Partnerships - Essay Example It integrates properties of general partnerships with properties of corporations. This form of business ownership is common among professionals in ‘service-oriented’ industries such as law and accountancy. The partnership restricts liability to partners who either directly or indirectly, through negligence or malpractice, initiate such liabilities. Other aspects of the form of business are however similar to those of the general partnership (Miller, 2012). The scope of a limited liability partnership, as a business enterprise, therefore identifies a number of roles. One of such roles is to undertake production process. Whether the partnership deals in goods or services, it converts resources such as labor and raw materials into more refined and consumable products. As a result, limited liability partnerships play the role of ensuring consumer’s utility through provision of either goods or services or both. Another role of a limited liability partnership involves m arketing of its products. Based on competition among players in a market, each enterprise develops strategies towards attracting and retaining customers. The organizations also face the role of financial management. Being profit oriented enterprises, limited liability partnerships focuses on managing their finances to meet their production costs and needs. Financial management is also important in ensuring minimized production costs for higher profit margins. Another role of the organization involves recruitment and management of human resource. Being an employer together with the need to develop an efficient labor force initiates the responsibility of managing personnel. Like any other form of business organization, limited liability partnerships have a role in social responsibility. The organizations must ensure that their activities are friendly to their environments and that they make efforts to benefit their immediate societies (Miller, 2012; Sde, n.d.). Advantages of limited l iability partnerships The main advantage of a limited liability partnership is the limitation of partner’s liabilities. This protects partners from negligence, mistakes, and fraud by other partners. In addition, limitation of partners’ liability to responsibility over losses promotes diligence and improved efficiency in operations. This is because partners know that they are solely responsible for their faults. Another advantage of a limited liability partnership is its wider base for raising capital from many partners (Miller, 2012). Disadvantages of limited liability partnerships One of the major disadvantages of limited liability partnerships is the freedom of partners to operate independently within the partnership. This means that decisions are individually made and may conflict with the organization’s objectives. Limiting liability to responsibility of partners is also a threat to innovation due to fear of bearing associated losses (Miller, 2012). Limited liability corporations and their roles Limited liability corporations are business organizations with separate legal entities. The owners of the business are different from the management team that is normally composed of board of directors and senior employees. Like in limited liability

Dating and Mating Relationship from Christian Standpoint Essay

Dating and Mating Relationship from Christian Standpoint - Essay Example The procedures taken by the current generation have left them with bewilderment, pain, and sexual sin that they have had to encounter in spite of their best objectives. Reasons for such occurrences are pointed out in the subsequent body text. The amalgamation of sex organs for two persons that are sexually active for insemination purpose is referred to as copulation. The process consequently results in an internal fertilization process. In the contemporary world, men and women engage in a process of looking out for spouses with the aim of getting into marriage (Burton, 2010). However, the process raises numerous questions. The Christian religion professes that selection of a companion according to the Bible teachings should assist in securing an individual a perfect match for his or her values. Even though the terms dating and mating are not found in the Bible, Christians are presented with some guiding principles that they should adhere to prior to getting married. Whenever an individual is strongly committed in a relationship, be it mating and dating relationship, he or she should endeavor to acknowledge the Lord. In addition, individuals should adore and respect each other just in a similar manner they do to themselves. The condition is certainly spot on for a dating or mating relationship. Biblical principles present a perfect way of having a secure basis for a dating or mating relationship

How people with such different background can make friends with each Essay - 1

How people with such different background can make friends with each other - Essay Example Understandably, when one visits a new place, they are more likely to make a direct connection with those they share culture or background with since many friendships sprout on common grounds. Take my case for instance; when I first arrived in America, I was nervous and apprehensive about just about everything. I kept constantly reminding myself that I was a foreigner, and somehow this must have influenced my perception of how my fellow students, especially the Americans, saw me. As a result, it was easier to make friends with Chinese people – either the Chinese Americans or the Chinese people living in America. This was because around them, I did not feel very self-conscious, and I blended in much more easily; however, as I came to learn that with the benefit of research and personal experiences it can also be easy to make friends and interact with people from different cultures. Such interactions can be very rewarding and enlightening since one can learn a lot about different cultures; besides, with all our differences, every human being can find some similarly between themselves and anybody else as long as each of them shows interest in knowing the other. Interacting with new people in a new country by itself is a common experience; this is because each of you is in one way new to your present environment. After I moved into my house, I rarely spent much of my free time there, and every other weekend or when I had free time, I would go out visiting my Chinese friends or their families. In fact, in my first few days, I hardly spoke more than a few words to any of my flat mates, who were not Chinese, and there were a precious few of these. In a way, in my mind, I was still in China since I was actively avoiding any non-Chinese culture in what my American friend Chris later told me was a search for stability. However, one Sunday afternoon I was in my room browsing, and my computer crashed; I wondered what the

Dating and Mating Relationship from Christian Standpoint Essay

Dating and Mating Relationship from Christian Standpoint - Essay Example The procedures taken by the current generation have left them with bewilderment, pain, and sexual sin that they have had to encounter in spite of their best objectives. Reasons for such occurrences are pointed out in the subsequent body text. The amalgamation of sex organs for two persons that are sexually active for insemination purpose is referred to as copulation. The process consequently results in an internal fertilization process. In the contemporary world, men and women engage in a process of looking out for spouses with the aim of getting into marriage (Burton, 2010). However, the process raises numerous questions. The Christian religion professes that selection of a companion according to the Bible teachings should assist in securing an individual a perfect match for his or her values. Even though the terms dating and mating are not found in the Bible, Christians are presented with some guiding principles that they should adhere to prior to getting married. Whenever an individual is strongly committed in a relationship, be it mating and dating relationship, he or she should endeavor to acknowledge the Lord. In addition, individuals should adore and respect each other just in a similar manner they do to themselves. The condition is certainly spot on for a dating or mating relationship. Biblical principles present a perfect way of having a secure basis for a dating or mating relationship

Controversy Analysis, fracking, air pollution, gasland Essay

Controversy Analysis, fracking, air pollution, gasland - Essay Example Because of its potential to harm the environment, especially through the pollution of air, making it difficult for both humans and wildlife to survive, is an issues which has been widely discussed (McKenzie et al 80). The potential effects of fracking on the quality of air has led to the decision by the United States government to set up rules whose aim is to ensure that there is a reduction of the pollution of air by those companies which are involved in fracking. Among the first activities which led to the development of public awareness concerning the detrimental effects of fracking was the creation of the documentary film, Gasland. This documentary was an attempt to create awareness, within the American public, of the effects of that attempts made by gas companies to extract natural gas in rural America have on the environment. Fracking means of gas mining done through the injection of chemicals and massive quantities of water at high pressures with the intention of cracking open the rocks deep beneath the surface and as a result releasing the natural gas (Byrne). As is evidenced in the film, while fracking has led to the emergence of the natural gas boom across the United States, there is also proof that this method of gas extraction has led to the contamination of the environment, especially air, which is an essential want for all Americans (Porter). The fact that this film came into prominence is one of the reasons why the American government chose to take steps to ensure that the natural environment is protected against destruction through companies which use fracking in the extraction of natural gas. Gasland has created a new awareness in the public concerning the devastating environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing, which is the main means through which natural gas is extracted in the mainland United States. The film works towards the establishment of means through which these issues concerning the conservation of the American environment can be discussed and viable solutions for the environmental problems caused by these activities by oil and gas companies can be found (â€Å"Gasland†). It can further be said that Gasland deals with the preservation, the development, and the return of the American natural environment to the state in which it was previously. Because of the influence of Gasland, the EPA was pressured to issue final air pollution standards whose main purpose is to ensure that all fracking operations conducted in the country use emission capture technology (â€Å"The Future of Fracking†). While this was the case, however, the EPA gave the gas companies required to implement these new rules what was termed a phase-in period before having to comply. The new regulations that were put in place, were the first of their kind that were aimed at limiting air pollution due to the fracking process (â€Å"Clean Air and Natural Gas†). These regulations have created the requirement that all the operato rs who use this method have to capture natural gas and volatile organic compounds that are produced while the wells are being prepared for the production of gas (â€Å"Senate committee examines EPA rule on air pollution from fracking†). The fracking method, while creating vast potential for natural

Bottled Water Essay Example for Free

Bottled Water Essay A couple of decades ago, people turn to the tap for drinking water. Now, most people, both young and old, drink water from bottles. In fact, the demand for bottled water is so great that it has become a multimillion-peso business in the country today. Why is there a substantial growth in the demand for bottled water? The main reason is the increasing health consciousness of the people. Many people prefer bottled water because they question the cleanliness of tap water. The quality of tap water has been decreasing. To be safe, people choose bottled water to avoid drinking water that may be contaminated with harmful microorganisms. Contaminated water can cause diarrhea and other stomach disorders that kill, like dysentery, gastroenteritis, amoebiasis, cholera, and hepatitis. Mostly, the bottled water that you buy is either mineral water or purified water. Water plants use surface water or ground water as the main raw material. These plants are located in places far from cities and industrial centers to avoid contamination. MINERAL WATER Mineral water comes from mineral springs. It normally contains a high content of mineral salts or gases, and which consequently may have an action on the human body different from that of ordinary water. Mineral waters are usually classified as alkaline, saline, chalybeate (iron-containing), sulfurous, acidulous, and arsenical. Mineral springs are generated deep underground, where, under intense heat and pressure, calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, and other minerals are leached from the surrounding rocks. Mineral water is also called aerated water. (The term aerated means charged with gas.) The most common gases that are in mineral water are carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. GUIDELINES FOR BOTTLED MINERAL WATERS There are strict rules for water to be labeled as mineral water. Genuine mineral water should contain the right percentage of such minerals as manganese, chromium, selenium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and other minerals. In California, United States, to be labeled mineral water, the water must contain 550 parts per million (ppm) of total dissolved solids (TDS). In Europe, mineral water must meet several criteria. One is that the water must flow freely from its source, meaning it may not be pumped or forced from the ground, and the water must be bottled directly at its source. Furthermore, the waters properties, such as its temperature, mineral balance, and pressure have not varied in ten years. Some better known brands of mineral water in Europe include Evian and Ferrier of France, Ferarrele of Italy, and Apollinaris of Germany. All these conatin 330, 560, 1,400, and 2,250 ppm of TDS, respectively. MEDICINAL EFFECTS OF MINERAL WATER It has long been believed that mineral springs possess great curative powers. In fact, people have used mineral water since ancient times to cure such ailments as rheumatism, skin infections, and poor digestion. Also, many effervescing waters (impregnated with carbon dioxide gas) are used as table beverages and to dilute spirits or wines. Because of the springs medicinal effects, medicinal spas have been built around mineral springs. These spas are frequented by people who are hoping that the springs waters will relieve them of their ailments, such as gout, liver trouble, indigestion, and rheumatism. DISTILLED WATER Water that is treated by the process of distillation forms distilled water. This substance is purer than the original water because salt and other impurities do not evaporate with the water. Distillation is the principal method for purifying water. In this process, the water is vaporized into steam, the steam is condensed back into liquid water, and the water is collected in a separate container, leaving behind the impurities. Other methods of water purification include chlorine treatment, ozone treatment, ultraviolet decontamination, and oxidation-reduction media. Also, one method of water purification is with the use of iodinated resin. Iodinated resin can destroy even the smallest viruses through electrostatic attraction. Negatively charged contaminants are drawn to the positively charged resin. This ensures contact, no matter how small the microorganisms that might otherwise escape if filters are used. Upon contact, the resin releases sufficient iodine to penetrate and kill the microorganisms. PRODUCING SAFE, PURE WATER One of the most effective methods of producing safe, pure water consists of a three-step process. The first step is the use of sediment filters to remove large particles. The sediment filter acts to screen out suspended matter and can also remove many harmful bacteria and protozoa that may be present in the water. The second step is to purify the water through the use of iodinated resin. This devitalizes even the smallest harmful microorganisms within the water. Biological contaminants could also be removed by exposure to ultraviolet light, killing the microorganisms that may still be in the water. The third step is the use of carbon filters to remove taste- and odor-causing contaminants. The filters activated carbon and its ion exchange resin remove unwanted ions and molecules from water, leaving those that make water  pleasant to drink. The activated carbon also initiates a chemical reaction that converts free chlorine, which water utilities put in water to kill germs, into chloride and hydrogen ions, which are safe and taste all right. Other systems in bottling water consist of several steps that utilize both purification and filtration processes. In some systems, water is passed through as many as 16 stages in the whole process. Water is an all-important substance that sustains life here on earth. However, safe, pure water is becoming a rare commodity everywhere. Bottled water, whether mineral or distilled, offers safe drinking water for all of us.

Effect of Video Games on Brain Functions

Effect of Video Games on Brain Functions The Immersion of the Human Mind  In Video Games Stefan Nikolov Contents (Jump to) Abstract Literature Review Current Perceptions Abstract This research paper was created with the intention of taking the reader on a guided journey towards understanding how the human mind functions within the virtual world of video games. It explores the interaction between the senses of the nervous system and the game’s artificial reality and attempts to establish a connection between an individual’s brain capabilities and the demanding requirements of a game’s level environment and attempt to find a balanced relationship between the two. The paper is based around a research, conducted in order to come up with approximate statistics about how the game’s world triggers brain sensors and how and how much the human consciousness responds according to the information input it receives. A racing track, named the â€Å"Blackstone International Circuit† was created as a supporting piece of level design work. With the help of an external controller, a steering wheel with resistance and force feedback, fellow students, who took part in the research, were required to compete three laps around the circuit. The track was also released on several online websites and that made possible the involvement of other anonymous individuals. After they had their turn, they were asked to complete a track questionnaire with questions related to their experience. The data of the questionnaire was later collected and analysed in order to establish a statistics database of how the separate senses take part when the human mind is engaged. The results revealed that the brain’s involvement was maximised and participants felt fully immersed within the game environment. That allowed the collection of subconscious activity that was categorised to determine the type of game presence they had – tactical, strategic or narrative. Findings also helped support the claim that a person with a strong co-ordination and reflex abilities, which are the main part of having a tactical game presence, would be called a â€Å"good gamer†. The majority of participants in the survey belonged to the group of players that have tactical presence and had a very similar approach. Throughout this paper, objective analysis and criticism, as well as self-assessment and reliable sources were the foundation for building a valid and evident piece of academic writing. The paper concludes with suggested criteria for analysing the mind’s activity when playing a video game and getting clearly distinguished results about the type of people that play video games in today’s world. Literature Review At the beginning of each life experience, there is the perception of it. It is the initial start of the human mind’s interaction with the surrounding environment and ultimately serves as the foundation, on which events occur and build up. In the Oxford dictionary, the definition for the word â€Å"perception† is â€Å"the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.† The environment of reality is consisted of an infinite number of information flows, which inevitably and constantly interact with the mind. If the â€Å"filter† of perception did not exist, there would be an extreme mental overload, as the amount of streaming actions would be too big to comprehend. Blake and Sekuler (2006) state that â€Å"what is crucial is that perception provide us with a useful view of the world†, rather than detailed and accurate one; â€Å"where useful means being able to interact safely and effectively within our environment.† Perception acts like an information distributer to the mind, allowing only relevant data to reach the brain, while the unnecessary parts of the occurring event may even not make their way through. The two authors also explain that â€Å"stimulation comes in various forms of physical energy: thermal, mechanical, chemical, acoustic and electromagnetic.† As a consequence, the human brain’s ability to accept and process information is applied through the five senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Working together, they create a complete image of the surrounding environment, enabling us to co-ordinate and interact with at a level of full immersion. The word â€Å"immersion† originally meant â€Å"to submerge someone or something in a liquid.†, however, since the invention of video games and entertainment media in general, the meaning has evolved significantly, as far as it affects the human mind. According to Wikipedia, â€Å"immersion†, in relation to a video game, can also mean â€Å"a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world.† The immersion in the video game world can be split into three different types – tactical, strategic and narrative (Adams, 2005). The first two are easy to achieve, as they require problem solving; tactical is the type that requires skill and repetition of actions on the way to success; Strategic immersion involves calculation and prediction to overcome obstacles. However, narrative immersion is hard to accomplish, as a lot of elements must work together – story, characters, setting, acting, presentation, to compile everything together in a successful emotional state. Rigby and Ryan (2010, p.84) explain how Authenticity is a key factor to the believability of an experience. It is what provides ground for the extra step towards immersion, as people usually choose to keep their distance from things that they consider fake. Authenticity makes a product trustworthy and reliable, and helps the individual achieve the desired blending of the real (factual) and the imaginary (mental) world. According to the authors, each person has an individual set of requirements, called â€Å"schema†, which is applied to every experience in order to compare it to previous ones and determine if it can be classified as â€Å"authentic†. According to Madigan (2010), it is spatial presence that comes closest to what game players perceive as immersion. It is considered to exist when the elements of a game world are accepted as â€Å"real†, allowing one to submerge fully into a product of the imagination and feel like they are as much present in the scene, as they would be in reality. The process takes place over two defined stages. At the First stage, a player is accepting the surrounding world, composed of a variety of objects, sounds and events, which help create a saturated mental model of the game’s virtual universe. The Second stage is engaging the mind on a subconscious level, where it feels part of a flawless reality and is fully immersed within the experience. It has the imagination filling in the imperfections of a certain part of a game level, for example, which were imposed by the limitations of the machine or the level of object detail. Daphne Bavelier, a cognitive research scientist, in a keynote presentation (2012) about the relationship between the human brain and playing fast-paced computer games, suggested that doing so actually improved the brain’s capabilities. According to her team’s research, people who often play action games tend to solve problems faster, perform better in multitasking and recognise and react to the surrounding environment more accurately and with greater precision than people who do not. That is due to the fact, that, when fully immersed inside the game world, the brain would have to process often times a lot more information than in a lot of real-life situations, which would essentially serve as training process and help the individual improve on problem solving. The results of that research were valid even months after it was conducted. A very important, if not crucial factor for achieving a full immersive experience, when playing a game, is Realism. McMahan (2003) splits Realism of video games into two sub-divisional types – Social and Perpetual. The first type suggests the comparison between social interactions within a game’s environment compared to the real world, but the Perpetual Realism is the level of visual resemblance of the objects in that environment to the ones in reality. Most fast-paced games in today’s world offer the possibility of complete interaction of the mind and game world, due to the fact that computer graphics and processing of game data is becoming rapidly faster with each year that passes. Game genres like any modern First-Person Shooter (FPS) game, such as Call of Duty or Battlefield, require almost the same skill set for a proper playing experience. According to Gamer Institute (2014), the top skills of a professional player are Love of the Game, Unwavering dedication, Manual dexterity, Twitch reflexes, Strong multi-tasking, Analytical ability and Emotional Control. One of the most realistic genres of games in today’s world is the Simulator. It considers factors, such as physics, lighting, shadows, shapes or events to create a world, which resembles reality as close as possible. Depending on the type of simulator, reality’s properties can be used for a variety of purposes. Some games, such as Moon Tycoon (2001) tend to focus on events that cannot occur in the current state of the world we live in. Others, such as SimCity (2013), use reality to propose a virtual representation of events in a real-time game universe. A Racing Simulator is the type of game that would make a significant difference in how the mind can deal with reality. According to SAE (2014), the delay between events in the racing simulator can even cause motion sickness in drivers; that is why it is unacceptable, as â€Å"it can reduce effectiveness of driver-in-the-loop (DIL) systems used for studying vehicle dynamics†. A game called rFactor Pro (2008) was developed to ensure the maximum of the virtual reality is extracted and a life-like experience is delivered to the drivers in order to get them fully engaged and prepared for a race. SAE also writes that, as of 22 Jan 2014, the game is currently the dominant software in the simulator market, used in F1 and NASCAR teams to mentally prepare drivers. RFactor Pro is an upgraded version of rFactor, a racing simulator game, developed by Image Space Incorporated (ISI) and released in 2005. RFactor has a very large community and a rich and diverse database of game extensions, called otherwise â€Å"Mods† – tracks, cars, menu interface images, sounds and miscellaneous add-ons, developed almost entirely by third-party source, such as myself. The game itself has a very realistic physics engine that enables accurate simulation of life-like racing experiences – tire and engine wear, fuel consumption, wind resistance, tire grip, etc. It engages the players in a believable environment (roads and racing tracks) to get them concentrated on the objective of racing against other cars or beating a time record. According to Angel Ever (2014), safety is the biggest benefit of racing simulation. In virtual reality, there is no possibility for the risk of real-life damage and danger. This removes the â€Å"hazard† factor, while preserving all other fun factors that driving a fast car can provide. A player is not required to wear safety equipment, or have their car inspected at all times, in contrast to a racing driver. Moreover, real racing is a lot more expensive, compared to virtual one, as the cars’ integrity is reset at the beginning of each playing session. There is also the freedom to drive, regardless of the rules of the real world and experience pure fun when doing so. On the other side, a research, conducted by Continental Tyre UK (2011), suggested that people who often play driving games tend to be poorer drivers in real life. According to results, gamers are likely to take more risks, speed and be susceptible to reckless driving more often than non-gamers. Around 16% of all the participants agreed that driving games would make someone perform better in real conditions, while 40% said that virtual experiences contribute to dangerous behavior on the real roads. Current Perceptions The process of investigation is iterative and information is collected in a database for later evaluation. Since the method used in it does not change over time, that means that as the quantity of participants grows, the results’ accuracy grows as well. At the beginning of the project I already had a personal understanding of how a player interacts within the game world, based on my gaming experiences in the past. I wanted to examine the brain’s activity and how important it was for a player to have a complete image of the surrounding environment in order to extract the maximum of their performance. Several categories of interest were defined in order to achieve a guideline

History of Percussion Instruments Essay -- Music

History of Percussion Instruments There are few certainties about the percussion family. No one can say how many instruments it contains; few have agreed on playing techniques; and few could name one orchestral piece specifically written with percussion in mind. However, one thing is certain, percussion has been shown over time that it is not merely a matter of beating out rhythm (â€Å" History of Percussion† 1). The family of percussion instruments is the first musical instrumentation introduced to the world. To this date there are countless percussion instruments. Each group of instruments has a different ethnic origin and history in different societies. From the shallow drums of fourth century B. C. to the giant cot rattles of the fifteenth century, percussion instruments have had a unique history. Percussion instruments have had an extensive background on many factors of their sound, and playing style. All percussion instruments fall into two main categories, idiophones and membranophones. Idiophones produce their sound from vibrations without the use of a stretched membrane. This could include castanets, rattles, and mallet instruments. Membranophones are those that produce a sound from the vibrations of a stretched membrane. These include any type of drum hit with a stick. Both of these instruments are tunable in many different ways and forms; therefore, these instruments can be used as melodic instruments (â€Å" Percussion† 653). Basic idiophones (also refereed to as concussion instruments) are struck together. This includes clappers, cymbals, stones, and castanets. Percussive idiophones are hit by nonsonorous strikers. These types of instruments include gongs, triangles, and xylophones. Shaken idiophones were usually cups or shells that contained rattles or pellets, the shaking of the shells and cups produced a sound. There are many other idiophones including scraped, split, and plucked kinds. (â€Å"Percussion† 653). These certain instruments are very important in the percussive arts field. Membranophones are commonly referred to as just drums. They fall into many categories such as kettledrums, bowl shaped drums, tubular drums, friction drums, and mirlitons. Kettledrums and tubular drums are sometimes tunable drums that can be played with hands or beaters. Friction drums are rubbed togethe... ...drum became a major advantage. It was believed that the Muslims invented the kettledrums (â€Å"Percussion† 659). Around the dawn of the seventh century, the use of drumsticks became a vital role in playing drums in Asia (â€Å"Percussion† 658). China and Japan invented a thunder drum, which is a drum that resembles the sounds of rolling thunder. These drums were used during large ceremonies and were played by many men at once. Drums played a vital role in Chinese and Korean orchestras. Some orchestras were just percussion orchestras. Around the twelfth century the first friction drums were used in Spain and Western Europe. The history of percussion is very unique and impressive. The origins of different percussion instruments are interesting to the mind. Many other musical instruments have a long history but the history of percussion is very unparagoned and compelling. Today, percussion instruments are widely used in orchestras and symphonies around the world, these instruments of the past have taken many different forms. The future of percussion instruments holds new innovative musical ideas, and an increase for the music appreciation endeavor.

Discuss the issues related to the widespread adoption of e-books

Since the modern information age arrived, businesses, educational institutions and governments have increasingly used the internet to disseminate information to their targeted groups. In the process, e-books have been increasingly adopted as an important medium for delivering educational information. The widespread adoption of e-books has however raised a number of issues, ranging from copyright issues to issues of acceptance.In this essay, the author aims to discuss the various issues that have risen as a result of adoption of e-books. First of all, e-books threaten the traditional book publishing industry (Carey, 2006). E-books are particularly cheap to reproduce and distribute since they do not involve any paper printing, cover printing, warehousing and shipment. All a user has to do is point at a URL and click on the title he or she wants, and the e-book can be downloaded either for free or for a comparatively small fee.Publishing companies like Macmillan and Wiley have had a lon g standing dispute with major e-book distributor Amazon over this issue since the sales of traditional hardcover books have plummeted after the introduction of e-books (Carey, 2006). Secondly, there has been an issue of copyright infringement (Kelly, 2006). The World Wide Web has many websites that have been built primarily for file sharing. An e-book can be purchased only once and subsequently posted in many sites where users from all over the world can download it free.The author or the publisher of the book therefore does not profit from the efforts put in towards delivering the work (Kelly, 2006). This trend has even been reported with books which have not been released in e-book format: a buyer will digitize it maybe by scanning the pages and then publish it to the internet where everyone can have free access to the full content. No matter how law enforcers try, this has been one tendency which is virtually impossible to stop.Copyright issues aside, the proliferation of e-books has raised issues surrounding the unavailability of efficient devices for reading or extracting the content (Rothman, 2006). Most readers access the content in e-books by using a laptop or a desktop computer, but there have been numerous complains that too much exposure to the radiation from computer monitors causes eye and brain fatigue. The smaller devices available like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephones are too small and a user cannot read the content comfortably from such.In addition to this, all devices used in reading e-books are technology-based, and users have to be conversant with these technologies so as to be able to exploit the benefits of the e-book revolution. Finally, there have been acceptance issues in the adoption of e-books in the contemporary reading culture (Nelson, 2008). Generations of readers have grown up reading paper books (printed books) and have gotten so used to this that making the transition to e-books is not a very comfortable venture.Many students have continued to prefer printed paper and only use e-books for referencing purposes. The reading society is not as biased towards modern technologies as everyone would like to assume. According to statistics, many college students and faculties have continued to exhibit preference for paper books (p-books) over e-books for research, textbooks and for leisure reading (Nelson, 2008). All in all, technology is continually becoming popular, and despite the issues related to widespread adoption of e-books, digital libraries are becoming a force to reckon with in the literary scene.

American Ethnic Literature Essay

American Literature has been an important part of American people for centuries. What makes this type of literature great is that the authors vision is objective and not one sided. Several of the American authors are still considered to be great writers. The books that were written by these authors are still read by people of all ages around the United States. These books are now considered classic literature. American literature is considered American because it was written by American people. Overall, â€Å"editors appear to use an inconsistent combination of citizenship, geographical location, language, and subject matter (that is, the subject of America and the United States) (Hames- Garcia, p. 1, 2003). Most of the American literature was written by white men. In order to be considered American literature it has to be about the United States. There have been many great authors that write about science fiction, but because it is unreal their literature is not considered American literature. Politics also played an important role in literature. It was of great importance to portray the American character as an â€Å"exceptional entity† (Hames-Garcia, p. 1, 2003). In the early twentieth century, writers who were not American white men were not allowed to publish their works. Women writers as well as Black, Latino, American Indian, and immigrant writers were left out altogether. This happened because other ethnic groups were considered to be inferior. It was until the 1970s that feminist began to speak out and rebel against the oppression they were faced with. It is thanks to this reform that the American literature holds diversity. It allows for men and women to have the same opportunity to express their feelings without having to worry about their race or sex. Another type of literature is ethnic literature. This type of literature is often read as an autobiography, even when making no such claims. This is written on a first person point of view. The author’s point of view is specific to their personal beliefs and life stories. It is difficult for this type of author to provide an objectionable story. They are blinded by anger because of what they had to live. The topics these authors write about covers racism and suppression. The definitions and topics will vary depending on the life experiences that each author or their families experienced. The storyline will also vary because each author lived different time periods, and of course things change over time. Ethnic Literature is great because it now holds different point of views. Every person has a different perspective on what happens around them. What allows for this to be great is that each person is entitled not only to have their own belief, but they are able to express their feelings with freedom. No person is afraid of what repercussion might come because they decided to write from their heart. The truth allows readers to realize that life has been harder for some people more than others. It is easy to forget what our ancestors had to experience in order for each individual to encounter freedom. It is now easy for men and women of all races to walk freely around their city. This however came at a price, and this type of literature allows human beings to read and experience in some small way what it was like to live in a world were the color of your skin as well as your sex had a lot to do with the quality of life you lived. American Literature will continue to play an important role in American people. The only way to enjoy this type of literature is to introduce our younger generations to it. This is the perfect material needed to give to young readers so that they can value the lifestyle they are allowed to live today. It is up to us to keep this tradition alive so that our future generation can enjoy it as well. Reference Michael Hames-Garcia. (2003). Which America is ours? Marti’s â€Å"Truth† and the foundations of â€Å"American literature†. Modern Fiction Studies, 49(1), 19-53. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 328665241). Yonjae Jung. (2004). The New Americanist Intervention into the Canon. American Studies International, 42(2/3), 213-225. Retrieved October 26, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 676208971).

Somthing That Annoys You

Everyone in life has something that annoys them, I have a thousand things that bother me. One thing that annoys me the most is when people litter their cigarette butts. Cigarette butts are the most commonly discarded piece of waste worldwide. The sight of disposed cigarettes is not only an unpleasant sight but disposing butts into the environment does a lot more damage than people realize. Most people are aware of the health risks involved in smoking, few seem to realize that cigarettes are also bad for the environment.Cigarette butt littering has an environmental, economic and social impact on the community. The most noticeable is the impact that butts have on our environment. There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding cigarette butt litter. People who smoke think that because butts are so small, they are relatively harmless. Cigarette filters are specifically designed to gather together particulate smoke components, including toxic chemicals such as cadmium, lead, arsenic and zinc. The biggest myth is that cigarette filters are biodegradable. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable.It's estimated that trillions of filters, filled with toxic chemicals from tobacco smoke, make their way into our environment as discarded waste yearly. The plastic filters can take many years to decompose. Smokers may not realize that their actions have such a lasting, negative impact on the environment. Absolutely everything about cigarettes can threaten life on our beloved planet. They pollute the ground we walk on and the air we breathe. And if we smoke, cigarettes poison us slowly, stealing our quality of life long before they kill us.Cigarette butts may seem small, but with several trillion butts littered every year, the toxic chemicals add up! Three side effects of littering cigarette buts that annoy me the most are, our polluted water, endangered wildlife and the fires caused due to cigarette littering. Cigarette smoke contains up to 4,000 chemicals so each second t he butt is left alight, dangerous toxins are released into the environment. Many people don’t realize that when it rains, water flowing through our streets, down our drains and through our storm water pipes ends up in our harbors, beaches and rivers.Storm water is not treated so all litter and cigarette butts carried by storm water are dumped directly into these waterways. When cigarette butts are discarded on the ground, many of the toxic chemicals will leach out of the cigarette and will run in to the lakes and oceans. Cigarette butts can leach chemicals such as cadmium, lead and arsenic into our marine environment within an hour of contact with water. Cigarette butts can take up to 12 months to break down in fresh water and up to 5 years to break down in seawater. According to the Audubon Society, smoke-free beach laws help reduce butts on beaches by 45%.Cigarette waste accounts for almost a third of the total amount of litter found on US shorelines alone. Cigarette butts are not just ugly, they also present a threat to wildlife. Plastic pieces have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures that mistake them for food. Cigarette butts have been found in the stomachs of fish, whales, birds and other marine animals which leads to ingestion of hazardous chemicals and digestive blockages. The pieces can get lodged in an animal's intestinal tract or build up in its stomach, which can often lead to the animal's death.This litter reduces water quality and potentially harms our precious marine life. Ingestion of plastic cigarette filters is a continuing threat to wildlife. Chemicals in cigarette butts easily leach out of the butts, and are deadly to small but important animals that live in most freshwater lakes and streams as well as the ocean. Discarded cigarette butts pose a significant threat to our environment in terms of fire. Every year, forest fires bring heavy destruction to areas, killing off wildlife and vegetation that take years to return.Some of those fires are started by natural causes; drought, and lightening. But according to the National Fire Protection Agency, upwards of 90,000 fires every year in the United States alone are caused by cigarettes. Cigarette-induced fires claim hundreds of lives in the United States each year, and injure thousands more, not to mention the millions of dollars that go up in smoke in property damage. Flicked butts can cause fires. When thrown from a motor vehicle into dried grass butts can start a grassfire or even a bushfire. Fires destroy habitats for animals, and homes.According to the American Burn Association, about 900 people in the United States die each year in fires started by cigarettes, and about 2,500 are injured. About 100 of the fire deaths each year are children and nonsmokers. Nationally, annual human and property costs of fires caused by careless smoking total about $6 billion. In 1997, there were more than 130,000 cigarette related fires. A cigarette-caused fire is currently responsible for one of the largest forest fires in Canadian history. The smoker has been identified, but Canadian authorities are trying to determine whether he should be charged with a crime.People who throw cigarette butts out of cars while driving are completely clueless to the deathly accidents they can cause. It has been suggested that cigarette butts represent the biggest litter problem facing the world today. There are many reasons why cigarette butts are such a huge environmental issue. First of all, most people don't think of them as litter. Cigarette butts contain all the carcinogenic chemicals, pesticides, and nicotine that make tobacco use the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, yet they are commonly, unconsciously dumped by the trillions (5. trillions and counting) into the global environment each year. A recent study showed that cigarette waste easily meets standardized tests for city and state agencies to label a substan ce as toxic waste. Smokers are now spending most of their time smoking outdoors and tossing their butts away on the concrete rather than putting them in to a receptacle. It is very common for highly littered items such as soda cans, snack wrappers, and fast food containers to have a simple â€Å"Please Don't Litter† message. You won't find such a message on cigarette packs.Tobacco companies used filters as a marketing tool in an effort to allay fears about the harm caused by cigarettes, even after the companies knew that filters did not reduce risk. Plastic bags have been banned in a number of communities, and plastic tampon inserters have been considered for regulation by several states as environmental hazards and beach blight. The plastic cigarette filter could also be banned to reduce a huge source of unsightly, non-biodegradable plastic waste. Prohibitions on smoking in enclosed spaces have reduced indoor air pollution and related health risks for millions.Certainly, pro hibitions on smoking in outdoor public places, including parks, beaches and even outdoor urban areas will prevent some butt waste flowing into our aquatic environments. Cigarette butt waste is the last socially acceptable form of littering in what has become an increasingly health and environmentally conscious world. The best way to educate the public about this serious environmental problem is to start with people you know. If someone you know litters their cigarettes it is important you educate them on the deadly harm they are causing to themselves and to the environment. Somthing That Annoys You Everyone in life has something that annoys them, I have a thousand things that bother me. One thing that annoys me the most is when people litter their cigarette butts. Cigarette butts are the most commonly discarded piece of waste worldwide. The sight of disposed cigarettes is not only an unpleasant sight but disposing butts into the environment does a lot more damage than people realize. Most people are aware of the health risks involved in smoking, few seem to realize that cigarettes are also bad for the environment.Cigarette butt littering has an environmental, economic and social impact on the community. The most noticeable is the impact that butts have on our environment. There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding cigarette butt litter. People who smoke think that because butts are so small, they are relatively harmless. Cigarette filters are specifically designed to gather together particulate smoke components, including toxic chemicals such as cadmium, lead, arsenic and zinc. The biggest myth is that cigarette filters are biodegradable. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable.It's estimated that trillions of filters, filled with toxic chemicals from tobacco smoke, make their way into our environment as discarded waste yearly. The plastic filters can take many years to decompose. Smokers may not realize that their actions have such a lasting, negative impact on the environment. Absolutely everything about cigarettes can threaten life on our beloved planet. They pollute the ground we walk on and the air we breathe. And if we smoke, cigarettes poison us slowly, stealing our quality of life long before they kill us.Cigarette butts may seem small, but with several trillion butts littered every year, the toxic chemicals add up! Three side effects of littering cigarette buts that annoy me the most are, our polluted water, endangered wildlife and the fires caused due to cigarette littering. Cigarette smoke contains up to 4,000 chemicals so each second t he butt is left alight, dangerous toxins are released into the environment. Many people don’t realize that when it rains, water flowing through our streets, down our drains and through our storm water pipes ends up in our harbors, beaches and rivers.Storm water is not treated so all litter and cigarette butts carried by storm water are dumped directly into these waterways. When cigarette butts are discarded on the ground, many of the toxic chemicals will leach out of the cigarette and will run in to the lakes and oceans. Cigarette butts can leach chemicals such as cadmium, lead and arsenic into our marine environment within an hour of contact with water. Cigarette butts can take up to 12 months to break down in fresh water and up to 5 years to break down in seawater. According to the Audubon Society, smoke-free beach laws help reduce butts on beaches by 45%.Cigarette waste accounts for almost a third of the total amount of litter found on US shorelines alone. Cigarette butts are not just ugly, they also present a threat to wildlife. Plastic pieces have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures that mistake them for food. Cigarette butts have been found in the stomachs of fish, whales, birds and other marine animals which leads to ingestion of hazardous chemicals and digestive blockages. The pieces can get lodged in an animal's intestinal tract or build up in its stomach, which can often lead to the animal's death.This litter reduces water quality and potentially harms our precious marine life. Ingestion of plastic cigarette filters is a continuing threat to wildlife. Chemicals in cigarette butts easily leach out of the butts, and are deadly to small but important animals that live in most freshwater lakes and streams as well as the ocean. Discarded cigarette butts pose a significant threat to our environment in terms of fire. Every year, forest fires bring heavy destruction to areas, killing off wildlife and vegetation that take years to return.Some of those fires are started by natural causes; drought, and lightening. But according to the National Fire Protection Agency, upwards of 90,000 fires every year in the United States alone are caused by cigarettes. Cigarette-induced fires claim hundreds of lives in the United States each year, and injure thousands more, not to mention the millions of dollars that go up in smoke in property damage. Flicked butts can cause fires. When thrown from a motor vehicle into dried grass butts can start a grassfire or even a bushfire. Fires destroy habitats for animals, and homes.According to the American Burn Association, about 900 people in the United States die each year in fires started by cigarettes, and about 2,500 are injured. About 100 of the fire deaths each year are children and nonsmokers. Nationally, annual human and property costs of fires caused by careless smoking total about $6 billion. In 1997, there were more than 130,000 cigarette related fires. A cigarette-caused fire is currently responsible for one of the largest forest fires in Canadian history. The smoker has been identified, but Canadian authorities are trying to determine whether he should be charged with a crime.People who throw cigarette butts out of cars while driving are completely clueless to the deathly accidents they can cause. It has been suggested that cigarette butts represent the biggest litter problem facing the world today. There are many reasons why cigarette butts are such a huge environmental issue. First of all, most people don't think of them as litter. Cigarette butts contain all the carcinogenic chemicals, pesticides, and nicotine that make tobacco use the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, yet they are commonly, unconsciously dumped by the trillions (5. trillions and counting) into the global environment each year. A recent study showed that cigarette waste easily meets standardized tests for city and state agencies to label a substan ce as toxic waste. Smokers are now spending most of their time smoking outdoors and tossing their butts away on the concrete rather than putting them in to a receptacle. It is very common for highly littered items such as soda cans, snack wrappers, and fast food containers to have a simple â€Å"Please Don't Litter† message. You won't find such a message on cigarette packs.Tobacco companies used filters as a marketing tool in an effort to allay fears about the harm caused by cigarettes, even after the companies knew that filters did not reduce risk. Plastic bags have been banned in a number of communities, and plastic tampon inserters have been considered for regulation by several states as environmental hazards and beach blight. The plastic cigarette filter could also be banned to reduce a huge source of unsightly, non-biodegradable plastic waste. Prohibitions on smoking in enclosed spaces have reduced indoor air pollution and related health risks for millions.Certainly, pro hibitions on smoking in outdoor public places, including parks, beaches and even outdoor urban areas will prevent some butt waste flowing into our aquatic environments. Cigarette butt waste is the last socially acceptable form of littering in what has become an increasingly health and environmentally conscious world. The best way to educate the public about this serious environmental problem is to start with people you know. If someone you know litters their cigarettes it is important you educate them on the deadly harm they are causing to themselves and to the environment.