Women as Instigators of Tragedy in the Works of William Shakespeare Ess

Women as Instigators of Tragedy in the Works of Shakespeare    It is the very error of the moon; She comes more nearer earth than she was wont, And makes men mad. (Othello 5.2.112-14)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The moon is often seen in literature as an allegory for love, virtue, and chastity. In Shakespeare's comedies, especially, the moon is personified as Diana, the Roman goddess of chastity. In these comedies, the foolish antics of lovers (literally, "lunatics") usually occur under the auspices of the chaste goddess, the lovers behaving like hounds about her feet that snap at each other in competition for her bounty. The moon as allegory for the lunacy of romance helps us understand Shakespeare's view of romance. In the tragedies, however, the moon can represent many things at once: Diana, the goddess of Chastity; the cyclical nature of Fortune; and Hecuba, the witch of insanity. These figures, as their names suggest, are feminine. The tragic heroes often refer to their wives as the moon. The wives are often seen as possessing, at different times, elements of the various associations with the moon. I assert that, by examining the several alle gories of the moon to the principal women of the tragedies, we can see the multiplicity of Shakespeare's attitude toward women. Often in the tragedies, the moon serves as the allegory for the changeability of fortune, the fickleness of women, and--as a result--the cause of madness. For this paper, I will systematically show the various allegories of the moon present in several tragedies. Then I will show how the multiplicity of these allegories is similar to the multiplicity of the principal women of the tragedies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Several principal women of the tragedies are ... ...ators of the downfall of the heroes. Would the heroes have come to such a tragic end without the women? By noting the references to the women as formerly chaste, now inconstant, and always fickle, I argue that they are the cause of the madness of the heroes. Othello kills his wife because he believes her to have cuckolded him, resulting not only her death, but the death of his comrades and himself. Lady MacBeth urges her husband to kill Duncan. Because of his love for Cleopatra, Anthony meets a tragic end. Similar to the moon's ability to make men mad, the wives make the tragic heroes mad. Othello, as this paper's epigraph suggests, would certainly agree. Works Cited Hankins, John Erskine. Backgrounds of Shakespeare's Thought. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Book, 1978. Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Alvin Kernan. New York: Signet, 1963.   

Investigating the Solubility of 5 Salts

1. PurposeThe experiments were carried out for measurement of solubility of 4 chosen salts in water to arrange these salts in the ascending order of solubility.2. IntroductionDifferent salts dissolve in water to different extent. This fact is of great importance in our daily life as well as in industrial domain like extraction of useful mineral/metal, purification of salts, corrosion etc. Solubility of salts is quantitatively expressed in different units. The most common being maximum mass of a salt which can be completely dissolved in a unit mass of a solvent say 14 gm of KNO3 per 100 gm of water i.e. of gm solute/gm solvent type. Other units are Molarity (M), Molality (m), Normality (N), Mole fraction (X) etc. These different units are useful in different situations. It is easiest to experimentally determine the solubility of a salt in gm (of salt)/100 gm (of solvent) unit and this value can easily be converted into other units by using suitable formulae. The formula to convert gm solute/gm solvent solubility value into molarity (M) is following:M =   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (1)Where,   is density of solution in g/liter and formula mass is in g/mol.Materials are classified as insoluble, slightly soluble or soluble. Materials with solubility less than 0.01M are classified as insoluble.Experiments were carried out to measure solubility of four salts Calcium Sulfate CaSO4, Copper (II) Nitrate Cu(NO3)2, Potassium Nitrate KNO3 and Sodium Chloride NaCl.3. Materials:Approximately five grams of each of salts Ammonium Nitrate NH4NO3, Calcium Sulfate CaSO4, Copper (II) Nitrate Cu(NO3)2, Potassium Nitrate KNO3 and Sodium Chloride NaCl, 250 ml beaker, 100 ml beaker, 50 ml burette and Parr DMA 35 density meter.4. Procedure:4.1. Ammonium Nitrate NH4NO3 salt was ground into fine powders using a mortar and pestle.4.2. Approximately 5 gm of the salts was weighed using a balance and the exact mass was recorded for each of the salt s.4.3. The salt powder was placed in a clean 250 ml beaker.4.4. Water was added slowly using 50 ml burette and the solution was continuously stirred while water was being added. Water addition was done until either all the salt powder was dissolved or 50 ml was reached, whichever occurred first.4.5. Volume of water required for complete dissolution of the salt powder was recorded.4.6. Density and temperature of the saturated salt solution was measured by using Parr Density meter and the same was recorded.4.7. Steps 4.1 through 4.6. were repeated for the remaining four salts and the values were recorded in a table.5. Data:The data from this experiment is presented in table 1 below:Table 1: Experimental data on solubility of the saltsSalt Mass of Salt (gm) Volume of H2O (ml) Temperature (oC) Density of Solution (gm/ml) CaSO4 5.088 50 none None Cu(NO3)2 5.020 23 30.4 1.125 KNO3 4.956 48 16.9 1.065 NaCl 4.993 49 20.2 1.0656. Results and Analysis:From data it is very clear that CaSO4 is insoluble in water.Solubility of remaining three salts was calculated using formula 1.For Cu(NO3)2:M = 1.07 at 30.4 oC; Hence solubleFor KNO3:M = 1.00 at 16.9 oC; Hence solubleFor NaCl:M = 1.20 at 20.2 oC; Hence solubleThe results are presented in table 2 in the ascending order of solubility.Table 2: Solubility of given salts:Salt Solubility of Salt (g/100 g of water) Solubility of Salt (M) Temperature (oC) CaSO4 0 Insoluble Not recorded KNO3 10.35 1.00 16.9 Cu(NO3)2 21.83 1.07 30.4 NaCl 10.20 1.20 20.2 The order of solubility of salts is followingCaSO4< KNO3< Cu(NO3)2< NaClThis order may get slightly modified if we compare solubility of salts at same temperature. It should be noted that solubility value depends on temperature and this is the reason, why solubility value is reported along with temperature.Glassware has been used in these experiments at visibility of solution was required to determine that salts were completely dissolved. Besides, these glass wares provide reasonable accuracy and are fairly less costly.The salts were ground into fine powder because fine powders accelerate rate of dissolution of salts, hence the experiment can be finished in short span of time.

Week 2 Quiz

. (TCO 2) Bubba’s Crawfish Processing Company uses a traditional overhead allocation based on direct labor hours. For the current year overhead is estimated at $2,250,000 and direct labor hours are budgeted at 415,000 hours. Actual overhead was $2,200,000 and actual direct labor hours worked were 422,000. (a) Calculate the predetermined overhead rate. Rate, based on budgeted factory overhead cost and budgeted activity, that is established before a period begins. 2,250,000/415,000Budgeted activity units used in the denominator of the formula, more often called the denominator level, are measured in direct labor-hours, machine-hours, direct labor costs, or production units. Read more: http://www. answers. com/topic/predetermined-overhead-rate#ixzz2NxCv9pKK (b) Calculate the overhead applied. Applied overhead = predetermined overhead rate x actual direct labor (c) Determin Prorate the overhead variance to the appropriate accounts 765 – 750 = variance of 15K Rate This Answe r e the amount of overhead that is over/under applied. 2. TCO 2) Thibodeaux Limousine Corporation is trying to determine a predetermined manufacturing overhead. Estimated overhead for the upcoming year is $776,000. Budgeted machine hours are 105,000 hours, and budgeted labor hours are 17,500 hours at a rate of $10. 00 per hour. Compute the predetermined overhead rate based on: (a) Direct labor dollars Labor rate variance = (Actual hours worked ? Actual rate) ? (Actual hours worked ? Standard rate) Read more at http://accounting4management. com/direct_labor_rate_variance. htm#pqUTOT7ClOOtMr4F. 99 (b) Direct labor hours (c) Machine hours 3. TCO 1) List and briefly describe four of the five differences between managerial accounting and financial accounting 4. (TCO 2)The following information is available for Sappy’s Surgical Shears for the fiscal year ending December 31, 20XX. Beginning balance in Finished Goods $ 17,000 Ending balance in Finished Goods 15,200 Beginning balance in Work in Process 2,500Ending balance in Work in Process 1,836 Selling expenses 123,000 General and administrative expenses 89,000Direct material cost 54,500 Direct labor cost 66,000 Manufacturing overhead 21,400 Sales 385,000 Prepare a schedule of cost of goods manufactured. . (TCO 2) Match each of the following six terms with the phrase that most closely describes it. Each answer below may be used only once. Read also Quiz Week 42. ______ 1. activity-based costing ______ 2. cost of goods available for sale ______ 3. period costs ______ 4. process costing system ______ 5. just-in-time system ______ 6. work in process A) Costs assigned to the goods produced; also known as manufacturing costs (B) Materials costs that are not traced directly to products produced (C) System that seeks to minimize Raw Materials Inventory and Work in Process Inventory (D) Cost of items that are completed and transferred from Work in Process Inventory to Finished Goods Inventory (E) Costs that are identified with accounting periods rather than with goods produced (F) Actual overhead is greater than overhead that has been applied to products (G) Method of assigning overhead costs that uses multiple allocation bases (H) System that uses job-order sheets to collect costs for each individual job (I) Cost of all materials and parts that are directly traced to the items produced (J) Beginning balance in the Finished G oods Inventory plus cost of goods manufactured (K) Overhead applied to products is greater than the actual overhead costs incurred (L) Used by companies that produce large quantities of identical items (M) Cost of all manufacturing activities other than direct material and direct labor (N) Inventory account that contains the cost of goods that are only partially completed 6. (TCO 2) Far Out Ceramics akes custom macaroni tile and applies job-order costing. The following information relates to the fiscal year ending December 31,20XX. Beginning balance in Raw Materials Inventory $ 12,500 Purchases of raw material 189,000 Ending balance in Raw Materials Inventory 14,300Beginning balance in Work in Process 24,500 Ending balance in Work in Process 23,100Direct labor cost 89,700 Manufacturing overhead applied 66,200 Actual manufacturing overhead 64,100Beginning balance in Finished Goods 28,900 Ending balance in Finished Goods 24,300Sales 432,000Selling expenses 120,000 General and administ rative expenses 86,000 How much is cost of goods sold? 7. TCO 2) Match each of the six following terms with the phrase that most closely describes it. Each answer may be used only once. _____ 1. Direct costs _____ 2. Fixed costs _____ 3. Incremental costs _____ 4. Economic Resource Planning system _____ 5. Noncontrollable costs _____ 6. Opportunity costs (A) Costs that increase or decrease in total in response to increases or decreases in the level of business activity (B) Costs that are directly traceable to a product, activity, or department (C) Costs that a manager can influence (D) The difference in costs between decision alternatives (E) Costs incurred in the past that are not relevant to present decisions (F) Costs that cannot be influenced by a manager G) Financial plans prepared by management accountants (H) Value of the benefits foregone when one decision alternative is selected over another (I) Costs that cannot be directly traced to a product, activity, or department or a re not worth tracing (J) Costs that do not change in total with changes in the level of business activity (K) These systems prepare a master production systems and all the support across the company. (L) Allows companies and suppliers to share information to improve efficiency in getting inputs. (M) Allows customer data analysis and support, often in online format for customers. 8. (TCO 3) The Marinade Department began the period with 150,000 units.During the period the department received another 180,000 units from the prior department and at the end of the period 112,000 units remained which were 17%complete. How much are equivalent units in The Marinade Department’s work in process inventory at the end of the period? (TCO 3) The Franc Zeppo Venture manufactures a product that goes through two processing departments. Information relating to the activity in the first department during April is given below: Work in process, April 1: 50,000 units (80% completed for materials a nd 60%completed for conversion. Work in process, April 30: 45,000 units (70% completed for materials and 60%completed for conversion. 4. The department started 380,000 units into production during the month and transferred 385,000 completed units to the next department.Compute and calculate the equivalent units of production for the first department for April, assuming the company uses the weighted-average method of accounting for units and costs. 1. Question : (TCO D) A company that has a profit can increase its return on investment by Student Answer: increasing sales revenue and operating expenses by the same dollar amount. increasing average operating assets and operating expenses by the same dollar amount. increasing sales revenue and operating expenses by the same percentage. decreasing average operating assets and sales by the same percentage. Instructor Explanation: Chapter 12 2. Question : (TCO D) Given the following data, what would ROI be?Sales $50,000 Net operating income $5,000 Contribution margin $20,000 Average operating assets $25,000 Stockholder's equity $15,000 Student Answer: 10% 20% 16. 7% 80% Instructor Explanation: See Chapter 12. ROI = Net operating income / Average operating assets = $5,000 / $25,000 = 20. 0% 3. Question : (TCO D) Given the following data: What is the return on the investment (ROI)? Sales $50. 000 Net operating income $5,000 Contribution margin $20,000 Average operating assets $25,000 Stockholder's equity $15,000 Student Answer: 10% 20% 16. 7% 80% Instructor Explanation: ROI = Net operating income / Average operating assets = $5,000 / $25,000 = 20. 0%

Engineering Ethics Essay

The responsibility of an engineer is to counter to a need through creating or building something according to the stipulated set of guidelines which performs a particular a given purpose. the creation ,plan or device should perform its stipulated functions without fail. However everything must eventually fail in some way to do its given functions in terms f the level of performance. Therefore engineers must always struggle to design their works in such a way that they avoid failure and more so a catastrophic failure which can lead to loss of property, loss of life or possible injury and damage towards the environmental user of that technology through the study and analysis of engineering disasters modern designers in engineering can how to create with little or no chances of failure and what no to do or what is referred to as engineering ethics. This essay is going to focus on the application of engineering ethics and the differences between a good engineer and a poor engineer. It is not a good argument to say that engineers should emulate the public in taking risks because the engineering failure is considered to be an engineering disaster through the public perception of risks. For example almost the same number of people die from airplanes, bicycles and trains but the public perception of the risks associated with air travel is always relatively higher than that of for bicycles and also trains. This is facilitated by the fact that there is much news reporting on airplane accidents and mishaps compared to the rail and road accidents also think it is not a good argument because most of the engineering disasters are considered to be human factors which include ethical failure. Design flaw is also another cause because they mainly result from unethical practices. I don’t think the argument is good because the deficiency in engineering ethics is perceived to be one of the derivation causes of engineering failure. This is because n engineer as a professional bears a responsibility to both the client, the employer, to the general public and to their profession. This means that they should perform their responsibilities in a very conscientious manner. This will not include only acting in the bound of the law but as a n ethical engineer he will try to always avoid conflicts of interest. To avoid this conflicts of interest the ethical engineer will avoid misrepresenting his knowledge by not accepting those jobs which are outside his area of expertise, by acting in the best ever interest of the environment and society, by fulfilling the terms of his contract or agreements explicitly and also by promoting the education of the young engineers in the his field. Many failures reported in engineering ethics usually have many legal consequences (Matscieng. sunysb. edu, 2003). There is a relationship between risk and safety in terms of management and assessment. For example risk management is perceived to be a process that is used to evaluate the probability of harm occurring and also the severity of that harm the results of this risk assessment can then be used to determine how work can be performed safely. If the risk is not acceptable decisions must be made on how supplementary protective measures that will assist in keeping the porkers safe. Safety audit on the other hand is a process that is used to determine whether or not the risk reduction strategy is reliable with the results of the results made during the risk reduction portion of the risk assessment process. Each risk reduction measure should be validated to ensure that is being in accordance with the decisions which are made during the risk assessment. Risk management includes the systematic use of the results of risk decisions when making decisions regarding the best practicable strategy that will be used inn protecting the workers form harm. On the other hand safety management is the system used in ensuring that the risk levels acquired during the risk management are maintained (Industrialsafetyintegration. com, 2008). When accidents occur investigations should be thoroughly done to ensure that the cause is detected. If the cause of the accidents found to have emanated from the designing or creation of the thing then the engineer who designed the thing will be responsible for the accident. One of the dues of diligence to be undertaken in this case include physical assessment test (PCA). PCAs assess the possible costs which will be acquired during the life of a loan. Major electrical, structural, site improvements, HVAC components, and plumbing of each structure are cautiously and totally examined for condition, completion status, general code conformance, sufficiency for their intended use, life cycle costs and extent of depreciation and defection. The other due diligence to be applied is the Probable Maximum Loss (PML). It evaluates the financial loss of a construction on firm soil owing to the vibratory shift from the maximum probable earthquake. PML can be customized to integrate effects of the site state and the value or quality of the building construction. The maximum feasible earthquake used to analyze this loss is defined as the event that has a 10% chance of exceedance in a 50-year disclosure or exposure period, commonly identified as the â€Å"475-year event. † The PML is calculated as a damage proportion that equals the estimated repair charge divided by the substitution cost of the building. The final standard of due diligence to be applied is The Physical Needs Assessment Report (PNA) refers to the actual structural and mechanical requirements necessary for proper building maintenance. The PNA can be a crucial tool in influencing the subject site value and estimated cost in possible repairs or investment in the property. PNA reports can be customized according to a client’s specific inquiry. Upon conclusion of the physical evaluation of the property, AEI provides a synopsis report outlining the costs to correct the deficiencies which have been noted. AEI also devises and presents commendations together with a budget to increase the physical and artistic condition of the property to make best use of its position in the market place. There are various qualities of a good and a bad engineer. For example a good engineer possess a strong analytical attitude for he possesses excellent analytical skill and continuously examines thing he continually thinks of the ways of making work better through his inquisitive attitude. This is unlike poor engineers for they always continue on dwelling on the early knowledge and are lazy because they do not always take time to analyze things. They always lack perception and that is why many up them give out shoddy performances. A good engineer pay attention to all details for he or she knows the consequences of omitting any details. A bad engineer is most likely to be less attentive to all the details and that is why some of the work may have some errors. A good engineer has excellent communication skills for they can translate complex technical lingo into English and also communicates well verbally with clients. A bad engineer has no fluent communication skills and he might also cause miscommunication with his client. a good engineer takes part in continuing education . this is because he always wishes to stay on top of the developments in the engineering industry.. changes in technology happens so rapidly and a good engineer will tend to keep abreast of the new ideas and research a bad engineer rarely notices the changes happening in his job industry and he is also lazy in taking part in the developments taking place is always innovative by developing new systems and also finding new ways of making the existing thing work more efficiently. A bad engineer rarely brings any new ideas at work and he may also lack the motivation when it comes to the actualization of new ideas. A competent engineer shows the ability of thinking logically because he always possesses top- notch logical skills. he has the ability to make sense out of complex systems and always understands how things work and also how problems come about. Incompetent engineers usually have hard time in foreseeing problems and do not apply his ideas logically to ensure that thing flow smoothly in the organization. a good engineer is mathematically inclined. This is because he possesses excellent skills in mathematics for we all know that engineering is an intricate science that usually involves complex calculations of varying difficult. Incompetent engineers are not very sharp mathematically and therefore they are brought down by complex calculations thus giving miscalculated estimates at work. A good engineer possesses very excellent problem solving skills. This is because he detects any causes of the arising issues and solves them immediately to ensure that all things go smoothly. A poor or incompetent engineer rarely solves the problems accordingly. There might be a discontent in his problem solution ideas which may make work operations inefficient. A good engineer is a team player. This is because he understands they are part of a larger together to ensure the success of the project. A bad engineer rarely cooperates in team work for he believes he is the only one excellently qualified or capable. A great engineer has excellent technical knowledge for they tend understand a variety of computer programs and other systems that are commonly used during an engneeriong project (Engineeringschools. com, 2006). There is a very strong relationship between a good engineer and a good person. A good person has a lot of integrity because he is trustworthy and honest. A good engineer also has a strong integrity for he ensures that he is trusted by the people he comes into contact with. A good person is compassionate for he cares about all people in general. A good engineer is also compassionate for he does his work excellently to ensure that no one is hurt through poorly designed structures. A good person happens to be very reasonable and courage because he stands up for what is fair and also points at the right direction always. A good engineer is also courageous for he doesn’t follow the perception of risks according to the public and acts on his ethical standards. A good engineer is also very reasonable because he plans for his actions so that he may not take a wrong step which might be accompanied by a lot of negative consequences. A moral competent person possesses the ability to promote and even desire to secure well being and to diminish human suffering. This is because he or she responds with the appropriate sensitivity and moral feelings when he comes across human suffering. A moral competence person also distinguishes moral and natural harm, right and wrong a moral competent person also shows the willingness to take initiative for appropriate action. He also has moral imagination for he has the ability to come up with alternative courses of action (Cua, 2010). A morally competent person also bears moral persuasion for he has the ability to persuade and also to be rationally persuaded by others. It is very hard for people to make evaluations of moral competence because we know that human beings are always characterized by pretence especially when they want to achieve something. Again moral competence in people is mainly driven by intrinsic and extrinsic motivations which may be personal that the public can not identify. Moral competence evaluations are necessary because if dealing with people who lack moral values can really be frustrating because a person who lacks moral competence rarely acts accordingly (Wilson, 2003). References Matscieng. sunysb. edu. (2003) Engineering Disasters and Learning from Failure. Retrieved on May 18th from http://www. matscieng. sunysb. edu/disaster/ Wilson, A. (2003). Democracy and moral Skills, Retrieved on May 13 from http://webcache. googleusercontent. com/search? q=cache:85JzO3p-0GkJ:www. wcp2003. org/arnold%2520wilson. doc+moral+competent+person&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ke&client=firefox-a Engineeringschools. com. (2006). Top 10 Qualities of a Great Engineer. Retrieved on May 15th from http://www. engineeringschools. com/engineering-top-10. html. Industrialsafetyintegration. com. (2008). Industrial safety regulation. http://www. industrialsafetyintegration. com/risk-assessment-faq. htm Aeiconsultants. Com. (n. d). Engineering due diligence. Retrieved on May 18th from http://www. aeiconsultants. com/www/services_eng_due. html Cua, A. (2010). Competence, concern, and the role of paradigmatic individuals (chun-tzu) in moral education. Retrieved on May 18 from http://www. questia. com/googleScholar. qst;jsessionid=LyNG4rJ0bvDxQshkQ8QxrKd0d7WF2x0Wxm0Qp69L5qJt6NfQ0Hy5! 497373752! -1807481064? docId=95691114

Alberta Tar Sands

â€Å"Only when the last tree had died and the last river has been poisoned†¦will we realize that we cannot eat money†. This is an old Cree saying that is very applicable today. Is the mining of the Alberta tar sands worthwhile, knowing its devastating effects on the environment? There are very valid points for both arguments, being them economical, political, environmental, or moral. The mining of bitumen is not something that is sustainable for the environment, or the companies involved. Although these open-pit mines produce much of the world’s oil, people should consider paying more at the pumps rather than destroying the only world we have to live in. The tar sands in Alberta essentially benefit every country but Canada, and everyone will have to pay the price of the damage caused to the environment. Pollution is caused in the production of bitumen, as well as in its consumption. The first documented European discovery of the tar sands in the Athabasca region of Northern Alberta was made by Alexander Mackenzie in 1773. Over one hundred years later in 1899, Charles Mair and a party of Dene natives explored the Athabasca area by request of the Canadian government. 1 Mair and his party stayed at the northern fur trading post of Fort Chipewan. 1 Following his visit to the region, Mair made a very prophetic statement: â€Å"That this region is stored with a substance of great economic value is beyond all doubt, and, when the hour of development comes, it will, I believe, prove to be one of the wonders of Northern Canada†. 1 Commercial development of the Alberta tar sands first began in 1967 by Suncor . The oil crisis in 1973 sparked investor’s interest in mining development in Alberta, and Herman Kahn proposed that the Canadian government begin mining the tar sands. 1 However, the Trudeau government believed that it would overheat the economy, create steel shortages, unsettle the labor market, and drive up the Canadian dollar. 1 Now, instead of Canada mining the tar sands, global companies from the United States, China, Japan, Korea, France, and Norway have invested a total of 200 billion dollars in the Alberta tar sands. These investments account for sixty percent of global oil investments. Bitumen is defined as a naturally occurring semisolid mixture of hydrocarbons. The fields of bitumen are naturally occurring all around the Athabasca water basin. Most of the Alberta tar sands lie so deep underground that it must be removed by first separating the bitumen from the sand using steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). 1 SAGD works by using water from the Athabasca River and heating it into steam. 1 The steam is then pumped into the ground using hoses. Steam melts areas of bitumen from top to bottom, and the liquid bitumen drains from to the bottom of the pit where it can be collected. This method was created by University of Alberta chemist, Dr. Karl Clark. It was first used by Suncor in 1965. Bitumen is considered one of the world’s dirtiest oils, because of its many impurities. 1 These impurities make a complex mining system necessary. Clearly, the harsh reality of having mined all of the clean oil is that we must now mine the dirtiest. Fort McMurray in Northern Alberta has changed dramatically due to the growth of the mining industry’s presence in the tar sands. 1 The growth in the area is said to be exponential, with no chance of slowing down anytime soon. This growth has completely changed the identity of the city. Housing in Fort McMurray is scarce and expensive. 1 It is nearly impossible to live in Fort McMurray unless you work in the mines. This has destroyed small business owners in the city, because they cannot get anyone to work for them at a reasonable wage. Also, the high average family income has caused high inflation rates. The mine employees who live in the city temporarily have caused the city shortfalls in roads, schools, and health care. Although shocking, these are typical problems that face cities that experience such a large econo mical boom in such a short period of time. The Canadian government has no regulations for the reclamation in the Athabasca region. 1 There is also little known as to how the diverse ecosystem of the region can ever be returned to its natural state. The wetlands that once covered the area cannot be replaced. Also, the large oil companies have not found any way to destroy the toxic waste byproducts in the tailings ponds. 1 In an effort of reclamation, 7. 5 million tree seedlings were planted in the area, but many did not survive because of the state of the soil. Syncrude spent 0. 20% of its total budget on reclamation efforts in 2005. There is estimated to be no bitumen left in forty years. The Alberta government fears that the cost of the reclamation will fall on taxpayers when the global companies leave. This is why it is essential for hold these companies accountable for reclamation while there is still money to be made in the tar sands. Bitumen requires much more energy in production than standard crude oil. 1 Producing one barrel of bitumen takes three times as much energy as producing a barrel of crude oil, and it creates three times as many pollutants. However, bitumen only sells for half the price of crude oil. Every day, the amount of natural gas needed to heat four million homes is used to boil water into the steam needed in SAGD. 1 The mines also use as much water per year as a city of two million people. To produce one barrel of bitumen requires the excavation of two tons of earth, and three barrels of fresh water from the Athabasca River. 1 1. 3 million barrels are exported every day. 1 Because of the oil production, the region has some of the most polluted air on the planet. The three hundred tons of sulphur that is released into the air per day has caused Alberta’ s eastern neighbor, Saskatchewan, to have recurring acid rain. This is just another example of how the destruction caused by oil production will ripple throughout the country. The forests in the area of the Athabasca oil sands have experienced extensive clear-cutting to make room for open-pit mines. 1 It is estimated that the mining developments in the region will eventually destroy a forest approximately the size of Florida. 1 Because of the destruction of the soil, the spruce and pine trees that once covered the region will never be able to grow in the now salt-rich soil. 1 This will obviously have a detrimental effect on the wildlife in the region. Already, the moose, deer, beaver, waterfowl, and other animals that once lived in the region are now scarce. 1 The delicate ecosystem of the area has been destroyed. The tailings ponds along the Athabasca River are used to hold the toxic waste that is produced in the production of bitumen. 1 These ponds now cover twenty-three square miles, and 400 million gallons of this toxic waste is produced daily. 1 It contains salt, phenols, benzene, cyanide, arsenic, as well as other carcinogens. 1 The tailings ponds pose a threat to wildlife that unknowingly enters the ponds believing them to be fresh water. This reality made headlines when 500 ducks were killed in the ponds on April 28, 2008. 1 The ponds are also not properly contained. Not only to the toxins leak into the groundwater, but many of the ponds leak directly into the Athabasca River. 1 There seems to be no real solution to this problem, as not even the experts know how to properly discard the waste in the tailings ponds. Canada has no official water policy, as well as the worst record of pollution enforcement among industrialized nations. 1 The tailings ponds contaminate the water, and Suncor and Syncrude are legally allowed by the Alberta government to ump 150 pounds of arsenic into the Athabasca River per year. 1 One hundred years ago, all of the water in Alberta was potable; it must all now be chemically treated. 1 Also, twenty-three percent of Canada’s freshwater can no longer support aquatic life because of watercontamination. Already, deformed fish are being found in Lake Athabasca. 1 Fort Chipewan is downstrea m from Fort McMurray and the mining operations. As an aboriginal people, they eat fish and wild game from the area. 1 They also drink the water from the Athabasca River. Five cases of cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile duct, have been recorded in Fort Chipewan in the last five years. 1 Cholangiocarcinoma typically occurs in one in 100, 000 people. 1 In 2006, Fort Chipewan’s population was 915. 1 These statistics speak for themselves; however, the province has denied the community a thorough health study. 1 The current state of Fort McMurray is due to the exponential growth that has taken place in the city. 1 However, the city’s seemingly thriving state makes it at risk for drugs, prostitution. Nearly half of mine workers test positive in drug screening. Therefore, most companies don’t do drug testing, because they would have nobody to work if they did. 2 The city and surrounding area have high rates of people driving while impaired, and road fatalities on Highway 63. 1 As well, the province of Alberta has the lowest voter turn-out in the country. 1 Fort McMurray has a high divorce rate, and a suicide rate thirty-one percent above the provincial average. 1 The city also has a high drop-out rate for high school students. The entire city is caught up in the money, not seeming to realize that their income is based on an unpredictable and unreliable market. The people living in Fort McMurray expect the money to keep on coming, and the people from outside of the city are only there for the money; when they’ve made the money that they went there to make, they will eventually leave. Alberta women also experience the highest level of abuse in the country. The province’s premier says that this is â€Å"the price to pay f or prosperity. Unfortunately, to some degree, he’s right. ElDean Kohrs is quoted as saying that â€Å"a history of power production synonymous with boom development usually leaves behind spiritual depression, divorce, drunkenness, dissension, and death†. The people of Fort McMurray can only hope that once the bitumen is gone, the city will not end up like the Klondike City of the gold rush. Although there are many devastating environmental effects of mining bitumen in the Alberta tar sands, the mining gives way to many opportunities for economic gain. The global demand for oil is a huge factor in why it is beneficial to mine the area. The Alberta tar sands are the world’s last remaining oil field, and have attracted sixty percent of global oil investments. 1 Although bitumen is referred to as ‘dirty oil’ it cannot be argued that all forms of oil cause some kind of environmental damage. Canada is now the second largest exporter of oil in the world. It is without doubt that the tar sands would eventually need to be mined, knowing our growing rate of oil consumption; but the rate of the growth is what has frightened people away from the idea of mining the area. Many of the large oil companies are making large strides in making better environmental choices. Suncor has reduced its water consumption by thirty percent in the last two years, and Syncrude has reclaimed twenty-two percent of its disturbed land. The Canadian government has also spent six billion dollars on climate change projects in the last fifteen years. 1 These are positive signs showing that the ways of mining land are changing for the better. The tar sands have also prompted growth all over Alberta. All major cities in Alberta have seen substantial growth in population over the past five years, and this growth as made Alberta one of the wealthiest provinces in Canada. Bitumen mining has also had a large effect on the Canadian dollar. 1 Between 2003 and 2006, the Canadian dollar went from sixty-four cents to eighty-seven cents on the U. S. dollar. This value is nearly parallel with the price of crude oil. Canada’s main exportation priority has become providing the United States with oil. 1 Canada is now the single larger exporter of oil to the U. S. 1 The U. S. has a high demand for oil, as U. S. citizens currently consume twenty-five percent of the world’s oil. 1 However, because of our high exportation, the Free Trade agreement is under intense scrutiny. It would seem that the agreement is no longer benefitting both countries. In summarizing the arguments, you could come to several conclusions. You may believe that the devastating effects on the environment are not worth mining bitumen. You may believe that to stay economically strong, Canada must mine the Alberta tar sands and have high exportation to the Unites States. Morally, it is clear what is right; however, economic decisions are never easy to make. The mining has devastated the region, and it is easy for a person to say that is wrong. However, these same people would not be ok with walking to work, or with paying high prices at the pumps. It is an ethical dilemma that faces the people today, between what we know is right, and what we are willing to go without. It is undeniable that the argument for the thesis is much stronger, but it may not have much validity to people concerned with the economy. The mining of bitumen is not sustainable, and will eventually recreate the identity of northern Alberta. 1 We can conclude that mining the Alberta tar sands has a detrimental effect on the environment that will eventually affect the entire world. â€Å"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world†-John Muir.

Analysis Of Kill A Mockingbird Essay -- To Kill a Mockingbird, White

The book notably opens with an immediate instance of self-delusion: tricking the reader into believing that Maycomb is just an old, ordinary, and quiet town through description of the town’s history, when in reality, it was teeming with prejudice and racism. The reader immediately leans about this sleepy southern town where â€Å"a day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County† (Lee 6), however the reader slowly begins to realize that there’s more to the town than what meets the eye, as â€Å" it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself† (Lee 6). Up until this point, any first-time reader was probably thinking of a dreary, yet pleasant town where nothing really happened. However, this allusion to Roosevelt’ s fireside chats places this narrative in the 1930’s, and this is the detail that causes the reader to put the two ideas together. Any time before the late 60’s in a southern town does not bode well on the topic of acceptance, especially the issue of racism. This skepticism is later confirmed through Mr. Radley using a racial slur to accuse a black man for trespassing on his territory. Overall, the beginning of the book is a great example of self-delusion in order t... ... middle of paper ... ...tside the courthouse after the trial, and Jem was instantly reminded of the verdict: Jem was suddenly furious. He leaped off the bed, grabbed me by the collar and shook me. â€Å"I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don’t you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!† (Lee 331). In the face of bigotry, Jem initially refused to accept reality. He refused to admit that, even though Maycomb was the town he grew up in, even though it was where he called home, he was completely surrounded by injustice. Jem deluded himself rather than accepting the fact that the world is a lot harsher, crueler and just more unfair than he thought. It’s a common theme across the book that people can’t accept the truth and choose to ignore it. And although the book takes place in the 1930’s, this self-deception is still present.

Quality Management Assignment on the ISO9001 Essay

Quality Management Assignment on the ISO9001 - Essay Example In a nutshell, it can be described as a system that facilitates the setting of rules to maximize opportunity while at the same time minimizing the risks for organizations or businesses. The standards are universally relevant and can potentially be applied to any business irrespective of size, scope or the field in which it operates. Background/Origins Contrary to popular assumption, ISO is not an acronym for international standards organization but a Greek word for equality signifying that all the standardized services and products are equal. ISO was initially formed in 1926 as the, International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations and by then it’s purpose was to provide, regulate and maintain standards in mechanical engineering. It disintegrated because of the World War 2, but regrouped in 1946 and assumed the name ISO, the origin of the ISO 9000 series is presumed to have been the US Navy Polaris Admiral, Hymen Rickover. He came up with the idea of investig ating and analyzing the operations of perspective subcontractors and tabulating the data to get a list of the most suitable candidates as well as collectively considering their weakness. Initially the standards were used exclusively for military supplies, however they later came to be used by NASA as well as the first NATO AQAP (1968) and the DEF British standards of the early 1970’s. However it became apparent that a similar civil standard were needed and the BS5750 was developed, this was replaced by the ISO 9000 series which has been continually upgrades to ensure it remains dynamic and relevant. Requirements When a firm decides to get an ISO certification, it needs to fulfill certain requirements in order to satisfy the standards body of their eligibility; on average, ISO certification for most firms takes anything between 3 to six months depending on size and complexity. For successful application and auditing it is important for the organization to have an insider who i s aware of what it takes to achieve the accreditation so they may work closely with management and lias with internal and external auditors to help carry out the groundwork (9001 Counsil, nd). The ISO 9001 manual provides a set of clauses that companies need to follow if they are desirous of attaining the certification by the accreditation body; the following are some of the major requirements: The organizations management system must be robust and effective such that the managers, employees and auditors can easily tell what parts of the overall system relate to specific clauses in the ISO- 9001 manual. This in not however to say that it should use the exact wording or structures as the manual, the firm is free to employ any format it choses as long as it can be clearly be understood in reference to ISO manuals. The firm needs to have a quality policy, which should be clearly documented, and detailing a commitment by the firm to comply with ISO through the operations of its manageme nt systems and a further commitment to quality service provision for its clients (Valeria and Waldomiro 2006, p.524). The ISO auditors will expect that key areas such as quality service provision, personnel training and methods of dealing with non-conformity should explicitly translate into measurable goals and objectives and be closely monitored. The ISO 9001 standards requires that organizations comply with 6 mandatory procedures, to this end,