...English 101 Linda Martin Research Paper Jordan Hartt November 29, 2010 Slash/Burn and Chips An argument for Biomass Co-Generation Biomass co-generation is the historically proved approach to energy production. For thousands of years, the Plains Indians (then early settlers) used buffalo chips to build fires to heat their tepees (and sod huts). This was probably the first use of biomass energy in America. Early settlers learned from the Indians to heat their sod huts. After the buffalo became extinct, cow chips were used. On the plains there weren’t many trees and coal had not been discovered there, so this was a matter of survival (Whyte n.d.). Once the chips were dried in the sun they were almost odorless, and placed outside the tepees and sod huts. Western pioneers would modify their stoves to burn cow chips as they were plentiful along the cattle drive trails where the cattle were brought to the railroad cars for sale, and transporting to other areas. They compacted hay and then twisted it into twig-like bundles called cats. When the settlers started farming on the plains, they used corn stalks, corn cobs, and sunflower stalks as a source of fuel. In the United States, the first facility identified as a biomass power plant went on line in 1982. Using corn residues, rice husks, soy beans and sorghum residues, willows, switch grass, and organic waste from land fills as fuel, we could provide enough energy for all the homes in New England (Whyte n.d.). I...
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...The Impact of the Internet on Children Introduction & Background With the advanced development computer technology, currently, the internet is prevalently spreading nearly everywhere in our life, work and study. In fact, the internet is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the internet can help us to handle lots of complicated matters and make people broaden their horizons through the internet. However, according to the research, most of the people, especially lots of children, are influenced by the internet negatively in terms of time management, addiction to the online games, free pornographies and adult films, physical health and family relationships. Therefore, we must come up with some solutions which based on parental control and parental support to figure out these problems of the internet on children. Specific negative impacts of the internet on children One of the negative impacts of the internet on children is disrupting the time management in their normal life. As mentioned in the article “Internet parenting styles and the impact on Internet use of primary school children,” the authors Valcke, Bonte and Rots (2010) indicate that children cannot schedule time properly because of the internet disturbance. According to a sociological survey based on a group of questions given to some of Romanian parents (Muresan, Catalano & Bocos, 2010), 16.73% of the parents think their children spent lots of time on the internet, and less time on other outdoor activities...
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...Using named examples assess the severity of global and local threats to biodiversity Biodiversity refers to the variety of species within an ecosystem and is something which is under increasing threats on both a local and global scale. An example of a global threat to biodiversity is desertification. Desertification is the process by which fertile, arable, land loses nutrients and life becoming barren. The Sahel region is an area which has been massively affected by desertification, especially since the 1950’s when farmers and other locals began to move into the areas which were habitable and used them as farmland. The farmers allowed their cattle to graze freely which resulted in overgrazing and thus having a severe impact on the biodiversity of the land as many plant species were grazed out of an area by the livestock. This loss of plant life due to over grazing has not only resulted in the immediate short term damage to biodiversity but also long term damage as the top soil loses all anchorage from the plant roots causing it to blow away or be washed away leaving bare rock which plants can’t grow on naturally in the future. Due to both the short and long term effects of desertification I believe it is one of the most severe threats to biodiversity on a global scale. Another global threat to biodiversity is climate change. Climate change is the changing of global temperatures over a long term scale, primarily caused by the greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse...
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...Running head: LEUKEMIA 1 Leukemia Maryam Kamber Eastern Illinois University LEUKEMIA 2 Leukemia is a cancer of blood cells, specifically white blood cells that are responsible for fighting infection. However, the abnormal cells in leukemia do not function in the same way as normal white blood cells. Leukemia cells continue to grow and divide, eventually crowding out normal blood cells. The end result is that it becomes difficult for the body to fight infections, control bleeding and transport oxygen (Medicine Net, 2015). It is estimated that each year, approximately 30,800 individuals will be diagnosed with leukemia in the United States (National Library Medicine, 2016). With these statistics it is clear to see just how common it is and why its so important for us to continue studying it in hopes of finding new scientific advances for controlling or maybe even curing it. Though the direct cause of leukemia isn’t understood, scientists can say that it seems to develop from a combination of genetic and environmental factors (Mayo Clinic, 2016). Leukemia is thought to occur when some blood cells acquire mutations in their DNA. Certain abnormalities cause the cell to grow and divide more rapidly and to continue living when normal cells would die (Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 2015). Over time, these abnormal cells can crowd out healthy blood cells in...
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...COMPANY SYNOPSIS NIKE, Inc. NIKE is a multinational recognized company that is coined as one of the largest sellers of athletics footwear and apparel with revenues grossing $30,601 million. (Marketline, 2016) Its management team consists of an executive board of directors, corporate governance team and a board of directors. Its Board of Directors Philip H. Knight, is one of its co-founders. Knight and his partner Bill Bowerman founded at that time Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 and changed its name officially to NIKE, Inc. in 1971. NIKE is known for its strong brands like NIKE, Jordan, Converse, and Hurley and has partnered with many high profile athletes such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James to test and market its strong portfolio of brands. NIKE also incorporates a team of coaches, athletes, trainers, equipment managers, orthopedists, podiatrists, and a slewful of other experts to ensure they’re focused primarily on R&D activities that propel their brand to the forefront. (MarketLine, 2016) This focus and their alignment with external forces is vital due the intense competition and a growing number of counterfeit products. Another approach of NIKE that has deemed lucrative in their market is their Multi-Channel Approach. NIKE sells its products through various channels such as retailing online and in-store. At the end of 2015 NIKE’s portfolio consisted of 592 retail stores, which includes 512 factory stores and 73 online stores internationally. In addition...
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...of a nationally representative, including an oversample of nearly 200 African American and Latino youth ninety percent of young people between the ages of 15 to 24 years have been online. Four percent of the rest have never used a computer, and six percent have used a computer but never gone online. Among teens aged 15-17 years, ninety five percent have gone online, and only one percent have never used a computer. Most of them spend a majority of their time to surf the net. They may use the internet to entertain e.g. playing online games. Besides, their education or might jobs require surfing the net. Some people blame it as a dangerous and tremendous waste of time. The others see the internet as an efficient teaching and learning tool for youths .From my point of view, everything has it’s benefits and drawbacks. The paragraphs below provide the positive and negative effects of teenagers and young adults surfing the net based on the causes mentioned above. One of the positive effects is that surfing the net can cause teens and young people to improve their knowledge. Internet is an effective teaching and learning tool. For instance, students could find materials to support an assignment which requires research. They can use the popular searching engine tools like Yahoo and Google or online libraries .Besides, there are some educational websites, such as Wikipedia which provides information on almost all topics. Hence, those who are...
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...generated annually, it is no wonder that many experts are calling for widespread adoption of zero-waste packaging. But what does zero-waste packaging look like? How important is it for Americans to move away from harmful plastics and chemicals and towards more eco-friendly consumer packaging? This article will address these important questions and many others through an inside look at the world of consumer packaging. What Does “Zero-Waste” Mean? Although the concept of “zero-waste” has been around since the 1970s, it hasn’t made the shift from theory to practice until recently. In essence, it refers to designing and producing materials so that harmful waste is eliminated from the production model and outputs can be reused for other productive processes. Ideally, the archetypical zero-waste production cycle would mimic natural cycles – where every part of the end product can be reused and nothing goes to waste. For instance, when a leaf falls from a tree in the forest and eventually dies, it does not become waste. It decomposes and eventually turns into nutrients to help other plants grow. The result is an endless cycle of growth, degeneration, decomposition, and regrowth once more. Implementing zero-waste to its fullest would mean ensuring a product poses a net-benefit to the environment throughout its entire life-cycle – especially towards the end of its lifespan. Zero-waste has become a cornerstone to many business models and environmental ideas. It is also the central...
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...1a) Explain the classification of the selected energy resources shown. This resource shows the environmental impacts, social acceptability and economic costs of a select few energy sources. They are classified in this way for a number of reasons. Nuclear power is shown to have high economic costs, this is because it is very expensive to build and decommission nuclear power stations, it also an expensive process to mine, process and enrich uranium and plutonium required as nuclear fuel. Nuclear waste must also be stored for a very long period adding to the cost. Nuclear has medium environmental impacts due to the energy required to mine transport and process nuclear fuels creating CO2 emissions, and nuclear waste can be hazardous and harmful to the environment if not properly stored, as it can be hazardous and prone to disasters it also has very low social acceptability. Coal is the most abundant, easily mined fossil fuel, it is also very cheap to set up coal fired power stations, this means it has very low economic costs. It produces large volumes of CO2 and other dirtier greenhouse gases and a pollutant meaning it has very high environmental impacts. It also has high social acceptability as it is cheap, not dangerous and not power plants are in industrial areas away from homes so it has limited NIMBY issues and noise, light and visual pollution. Wind power has medium social acceptability due to its noisiness and ugliness and positioning near residential areas causing...
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...Change2011-2012 | %Change2010-2012 | | | | | | | | Turn Over | 4,949,561 | 5,789,033 | 5,839,922 | 17% | 0.9% | 17.9% | Net Profit after Tax | 1,215,422 | 1,400,826 | 1,670,640 | 15.3% | 19.3% | 34.6% | The extract above from the annual report shows it’s a profitable company as sales turn over reflects an increase of 17.9% over a period of two years and profit increase of 34.6% over the same period. The depreciation of the Rupee made significant contributions to profit. Other factors are expansion to other countries, unmatched collection of teas, marked by genuine innovation and a passion for quality, its business relation with coles (Australian supermarket chain) and sustainability initiative PLANET The company has a commitment to minimizing her impact on the planet, foster respect for the environment and ensure its protection by encouraging a harmonious coexistence of man and nature (Dilmah sustainability report, 2013) . The company pledges fully carbon neutral by 2017 even though its green house emission data was not published. The plan to neutralise carbon emission resulted in 100kw of solar unit installed in the factory in February 2013 (business times, 2014), re-forestation projects and establishment of Dilmah conservation in 2007 to support environmental conservation efforts in Sri lanka. I believe the company is partially harmful to the planet even though they are performing well in the matter. PEOPLE Company employs 500-1000 employees ( Dilmah, 2014)...
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...Situation Analysis AWC Inc. is a small-scale Southern Ontario aluminum fabrication plant. AWC employs 100 people (Exhibit 1). It is employee friendly and also works for community welfare. Thus, AWC has a highly motivated and loyal workforce. Also, many of the present employees are the second-generation employees for AWC. Since there are more than 37 competitors operating in southwestern Ontario, slowdown in construction industry over 1989-1991 period has further added to the cut-throat competition and reduced the profit from earlier five to seven percent to only three percent. To survive the competition, Alex, President and owner of AWC, has reduced the workforce through attrition with much heartache, drastically cut prices, margins and profits, and increased efficiency. The implementation of Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in the near future will further add to the competition in the aluminum fabrication industry because of the lower priced products offered by U.S. To counter the competition, AWC has recently developed a superior door design. Because of its lower price and higher quality with respect to comparable products, AWC had a significant increase in its sales. This new design has led to full-time usage of the welding line, requiring second-shift frequently although the production is done in one-shift most often. AWC now has to either move to second-shift on welding line or install a second one. Following are the issues with the implementation of second-shift: ...
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...Introduction Environmental pollution is a multi-disciplinary science involving chemistry, physics, life science, agriculture, medical science, public health, sanitary engineering etc. In broader sense, it is the study of the sources, reactions, transport, effect and fate of chemical species in the air, water and soil and the effect of human activity upon these. Pollutant: A substance present in nature, in greater than natural abundance due to human activity, which ultimately has a detrimental effect on the environment and therefrom on living organisms and mankind. Examples are- lead, mercury, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc. Contaminant: A material which does not occur in nature, but is introduced by human activity into the environment, affecting its composition. A contaminant is classified as a pollutant when it exerts a detrimental effect. Example- chlorine gas Types of Pollution Air Causes of air pollution: * motor vehicle exhaust * power stations * car manufacturing * fertilizer factories * demolishing buildings * solvent evaporation * volcanic eruption * building roads * forest fires Effect of air pollution: Global warming, acid rain, smog, ozone depletion are some effects of air pollution Water Causes of water pollution: * man-made chemicals used in farming * heavy metals * waste from factories * sediment from the river bed * air pollution * thermal (heat) pollution * soil pollution from rubbish...
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...substances Electrical energy: results from the motion of electrons 4: Kilowatt hour (kWh) = 1,000 watt hours, unit of energy. Ex: Using a 60 watt light bulb for 1,000 hours consumes 60 kilowatt hours of electricity. 5: The major resources used for energy globally are oil. In the US they are petroleum, coal, and natural gas. 6: 3 fossil fuels -Coal: Produced by decomposition of ancient organic matter under high temperature and pressure (non-renewable) -Oil: Produced by decomposition of deeply buried organic material under high pressures and temperatures for millions of years (non-renewable) -Natural Gas: Produced by decomposition of deeply buried organic material under high pressures and temperatures for millions of years (non-renewable) 7: Net energy= the usable amount of high-quality energy available from a given quantity of energy resource. Ex: coal, oil, natural gas 8: Second law of thermodynamics- when energy is converted from one form to another, a less useful form 9: oil- used to manufacture paints, medicines, plastics and is used in cars. 10: Petroleum is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbon compounds and is used widely as fuel. 11: Oil resources are limited and declining, prices are rising 12: Crude oil is processed and refined into more useful products such as petroleum apathy, gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, and heating oil. 13: Organization of petroleum exporting countries 14: Costs of food rises, high oil prices...
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...surplus of imports brought into the U.S. and its impact is has on the U.S. businesses and consumers involved. How government choices regarding tariffs and quotas affect international relations and trade. Foreign exchange rates, and how are they determined. Finally, import policy and procedure. When there is a surplus of imports brought into the United States the local economy suffers because the price of imports are lower and compete with the local brand. For example, the Chinese auto part industry has received heavy subsidies for doing business in the United States; as a result have increased their imports to our country. The heavy surplus has caused a major offset in the price of imports in comparison to domestic parts. As a result, American dollars are still going overseas instead of remaining on domestic soil. The automobile business is on an upswing but still cannot recoup the 400,000 jobs lost as a result of this recession. Instead it only has recouped approximately 60,000 out of the 29.1 percent sales increase. The local economy suffers and takes longer to stabilize because of the amount of money leaving the country (Economic Policy Institute, 2012.) The GDP is the formula for gross domestic product is the total market value of all final goods and services produced in an economy in a one-year period. It is composed of four expenditure categories consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports. If net exports are positive, the nation's GDP increases....
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...In discussing the advances in information technology, that resulted in new ethical issues necessitating in the creation preventive measures, we will look into; The Children’s Online Privacy Act, 2000 as well as the No Electronic Theft (NET) Act, 1997. Both of these acts were created due to unethical actions by a group of people or a person. The Children’s Online Privacy Act or CIPA, was created in 2000 because there was a concern about the material children were being exposed to online. The advancement in information technology made it even easier for children to have access to anything online. In order to combat this, CIPA would offer incentives to participate in a program that would aid in the protection of children by providing discounts to those who agree to participate. In order to participate in this program, a school or library would have to agree to have a town hall meeting to address the proposal of implementing the Internet monitoring and safety program. Once the public is informed, then they must agree to monitor the activities while children are online as well as, but also educate the children on what behavior is inappropriate. Once the school or library agrees to use and implement the safety policies by created CIPA, certain guidelines must be laid out and followed. CIPA will then address potential issues and how they are to be dealt with. They must have procedures to not only monitor inappropriate behavior by minors but also to inform them of what behavior...
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...the influx of Afghan refugees escaping the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The major consequences of this have been a significant increase in domestic consumption of heroin in Pakistan. Heroin was once upon a time a drug which was virtually unknown in the country until the late 1970s. Today Pakistan is not only one of the main exporters of heroin; it has also become a net importer of drugs. It is estimated that about 50 tons of opium are smuggled into Pakistan for processing heroin for domestic use. Almost 80 percent of the opium processed in Pakistan comes from neighboring countries. Drug situation is witnessing changing trends, as in fashion. Chars, opium and heroin used to be the primary choice of drugs. But now a synthetic drug such as Ecstasy and finding their place in parties which are held in posh localities; almost the educated, the upper middle and the rich class and this development concern us greatly. Drug production for Pakistan’s domestic market is estimated at close to $1.5 billion. Drug addiction is a condition characterized by compulsive drug intake, dependency, and causes harmful effects....
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