Personality Development Case Essay Example for Free

Personality Development Case Essay Success in business and personal life is determined by one’s ability to communicate effectively with others. â€Å"Social intelligence,† or the ability to interact, converse, negotiate with, and persuade others, is the most highly paid and respected form of skill one can have, and this can be developed. Students participating in this program will experience a drastic transformation in terms of personality, communication skills, confidence level and the way of looking at life. The entire program is based on the concept of learning and acquiring skills most effectively when one is not under any pressure. The whole process of acquiring skills is like a game – entertaining and exciting. It is similar to the way a child learns to communicate and acquire skills, but with greater awareness. Basic Personality Development Workshop A wholistic workshop focused on the persons appearance, social graces, and personality. This workshop will help the participants to project themselves in a corporate setting thru social graces and etiquette. Presence, Polish, and Power Workshop This workshop aims to help participants project a confident, professional and polished image. The Art of Business Dining This is a comprehensive session on everything one needs to know about fine dining: from use of basic tools to engaging in table talk. The objective of this course is to help the individual create a positive impression with others and enhance the image of the company he or she represents. Wellness in the Workplace This workshop was designed for leaders and persons who will eventually manage teams. Stress affects productivity and teamwork. Its therefore important for a leader to address actual and potential stressors in the office and at home. Creating Lasting Connections This workshop serves as an introduction to the science of social intelligence it will help you gain insights on human relations; how to better read people, situations and react accordingly. Key Topics * Personality Development * Confidence Building * Business Etiquette * Corporate Grooming * International Etiquette * Social Etiquette * Dining Etiquette / Table Manners * Gentlemen Etiquette * Ladies Etiquette * English Voice / Accent * Dress Code * Presentation Skills * Personal Counseling

Review Of Intensive Farming Systems

Review Of Intensive Farming Systems The intensive farming systems of developed countries, such as United Kingdom seek to maximize yield through what is usually described by agricultural economists as Best Management Practice (BMP), which involves the most efficient use of all inputs, including fertilizers, herbicides, seed varieties, and precision agricultural techniques (Goulding et al, 2008). (BMP) Fertilizers have been central to this approach, which has resulted in a tremendous increase in productivity over that last 40 years. For example, the efficient use of improved fertilizers, combined with new varieties of wheat and the successful use of crop protection chemicals, has increased grain yields from 3 tons per hectare to approximately 10 to 11 tons per hectare today (Goulding et al, 2008). Moreover the current market economic incentives facing many farmers are likely to encourage excess fertilizer application (Scott, 2005). It is generally recognized that if eventually the adoption of market prices for most agric ultural goods without any subsidies became a reality, in order to be competitive with the lower production costs of developing countries in South America, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, the pressure to intensify even the most UNITED KINGDOM intensive production systems will as well become reality despite the negative consequences on the environment (Goulding et al, 2008). The purpose of this study is to examine the socio-economic determinants of intensity of fertiliser application in non-organic cropland farms in England using a panel data model (panel data). The quantitative and behavioural studies in agriculture are frequently based on the notion that the family business is managed by a single decision-maker the person who exerts the financial and managerial control over the farm unit (Morris and Evans, 2004). This perspective derives from neoclassical economies and implies that decisions for the business are taken by a single entrepreneur (War and Lowe, 1994). However this study differs from much previous research into the estimation and clarification of the technical drivers responsible for fertilizer application by including variables that relate to both farmer characteristics and farm economic aspects. It will be followed an argument commonly accept in the literature that farmers tend to over-apply fertilizer from an agronomic perspective (i.e. , more than warranted to attain a given yield target) essentially given the uncertainty about environmental growing conditions (Sheriff, 1995; Scott, 2005). (apply mainly N). Nonetheless the author will have in mind that the fertilizer inputs into agricultural systems in the UNITED KINGDOM occur mainly via Nitrogen (Velthof et al., 1998) with the general objective to reduce the probability of poor yields and moreover increase the variance in profit. However, given the emergent apprehension with the impact of agriculture on environment and society, there has been a growing need to develop a more comprehensive definition of agriculture productivity (Pretty, 1998; Defra, 2002). Although government policies will not be addressed or recommended specifically, the author hopes to open a new channel for discussion. As Annan (2005) argues it is imperative to aim at a reasonable balance between the level of technical detail and the availability of meaningful data describing future development of new and improved categories of abatement options. Consequently contributing to reach the 10per cent inorganic fertilizer reduction by 2020 with consequent reductions in N2O emissions (Entec, 2004), and moreover contribute to UNITED KINGDOM reach the overall national target of 80per cent GHG reduction by 2050(ADAS, 2009).(reduce emissions) Agriculture and fertilizer Agriculture is one of the most successful sectors in terms of productivity growth, has outpaced the rapid growth in demand for its output for the past decades (Shaink el al, 2002). (agri success). This trend has provided hefty social benefits, such as increased the accessibility of agricultural goods usually at a lower price, provision of jobs and therefore rural sustainability, energy and also positive environmental effects, such as aesthetic value, carbon sequestration by soils and trees, and other additional benefits that are linked with good husbandry such as maintenance of natural habitats and countryside landscape (Shaink et al,2002; Scott, 2005) (social benefits / positive extern). However, is largely referenced in literature that the increased use of chemicals either fertilisers or pesticides in agriculture intensive systems is associated with hidden costs due to environmental pollution in soil, water and atmosphere -, consequently has amplified the negative social effects o n the natural environment (eg. Shaink et al,2002; Scott,2005 ) (pollution1). This argument is supported by an analysis of the externalities from UNITED KINGDOM agriculture made by Hartridge and Pearce (2001), finding that negative externalities amount to at least  £1 billion, and positive externalities offset approximately half of these negative effects (negative/positive external). Farmers and fertilizer application The main question rises once more, what are the fertilizer application determinants? For a typical farm manager, output is what matters most to the business survival and prosperity. Consequently, farmers apply fertilisers since they represent personal benefits in the form of improved outputs and incomes, however plants absorb fertilisers just up to their needs only, therefore surplus fertiliser over and above the needs of plants can cause harmful side effects (Scott, 2005) either on the farm profit or in the environment. (more/less fert plant). A given agricultural input bundle might result in wide diverse output levels according to the level at which random factors operate (Gallacher, 2001) (input output). Rounsevell and Reay (2009) clarify the previous argument stating that land use and therefore fertilizer application changes are driven primarily by farmer decisions, which are affected by the economic environment (output and input prices), soil features, crop and livestock yields, timeliness of field operations, availability of investment capital, subsidies as well as the socio-cultural attributes of individual farmersThe first driver is clearly an agronomic argument, since agronomists agree that crop nutrient uptake is higher in years with good growing conditions (Babcock, 1992), therefore if a farmer applies the optimal amount of fertilizer for mean growing conditions, and in a particular year those conditions are better than expected, there will be too little fertilizer and decrease in production. On other hand if weather conditions are not conducive, there will be too much fertilizer (Sheriff, 2005), thus a risk-neutral farmer applies fertilizer at a higher rate as long as the expected gain in profit from the increased yield is higher than the expected loss in profit from wasted fertilizer. Another hypothesis is proposed by Rajsic and Weersink (2008). They argue that while there may be agreement on the functional form of crop response to fertilizer, there will be differences in the optimal rate between locations. Numerous studies have reported that the maximum economic nitrogen rate varies spatially and that the degree of variability can be substantial (Carr et al., 1991). As a consequence there is a need to analyze the spatial variations in order to state the yield potential of the field and/or region, the underlying assumption is that yield potential is directly linked to the productivity of nitrogen, so fields with higher estimated output receive higher rates of fertilizer (Rajsic and Weersink 2008). Dai et al (1993), however, found that nitrogen and soil quality are complements, and soil quality uncertainty and nitrogen availability are linked which will increase nitrogen demand and consequently nitrogen input. Additionally Rajsic (2008), Sheriff (2005) and also Dai el al (1993) argue that one of the main causes for over-fertilisation might be related to the uncertainty about weather and soil characteristics that can lead both risk-averse and risk-neutral farmers to over-apply nutrients, therefore the decision to apply a little extra just in case is particularly appropriate if the cost of over-application is low compared to the cost of under application (Rajsic, 2008) (a little extra risk averse). This idea is supported by Sherriff (2005), arguing that farmers will apply more fertilizer than a crop can use due to a perception that the general recommendations are not appropriate for their individual situations. Smill (1999) argues that the application of N is fairly inefficient in most farms, since farmers are applying nitrogen at levels that exceed those suggested by either government extension services or by the optimal nitrogen appliance (Rajsic and Weersink, 2008) (N inefficiency). Approximately half of Nitrogen applied during a growing sea son is typically recovered in the crop biomass throughout that season, therefore this inefficiency represents a noteworthy cost to farmers and an important consequences for ecosystem and human health as Nitrogen moves beyond the farm level in several aqueous or gaseous forms, such as N2O(Matson et al., 1997, 1998; Galloway, 1998). In practice evidence suggests that farmers systematically over-estimate the impact of additional nitrogen relative to agronomists models and therefore they maintain their beliefs after seeing results from experimental plots (SriRamaratnam et al., 1987). If farmers perceptions are incorrect, these beliefs will lead to over-application, conversely if their sensitivity is correct, analysts may infer excess nutrient applications where none exist. Thus if weather, the relation between fertiliser prices and output prices and soil features are not main and/or the only drivers behind fertiliser application, which characteristics does the farmer have to apply more or less fertiliser compared to those with the same features and constraints? The effect of fertilizers on the environment The relatively cheap price of Nitrogen in relation to its yield improvement benefits, and allowing farmers substantial management flexibility, has been a central contributory factor in determining its overuse and consequently the environmental impacts reported below. It is known that Agricultural emissions of nitrous oxide have fallen by 13 per cent over the 10 years up to 2005 and the trend is continuing (DEFRA, 2007).However despite this reduction in the UNITED KINGDOM and other major developed countries, the major direct emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are from agriculture methane (CH4) caused by enteric fermentation by ruminant livestock and manure management, and nitrous oxide (N2O) from soils (Gibbons, 2005). Additionally methane has a global warming potential 21 times greater than carbon dioxide while nitrous oxide global warming potential (GWP) is considered 296 times that of the same mass of carbon dioxide (Houghton et al., 2001), consequently fairly small concentrations of this gas are sufficient to induce drastic changes in the atmosphere. At current estimates N2O contributes about 7 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions in terms of the GWP (Winiwarter, 2005). As a result, among the gases considered by the Kyoto Protocol, N2O i s ranked third in importance behind carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) (Winiwarter, 2005). Seinfeld and Pandis (1998) add that N2O is a very stable compound in the atmosphere, with a mean lifetime of 120 years, so the emissions will have an effect on the global concentrations in the atmosphere for many decades. The same authors argue that N2O is able to strongly absorb infrared light, thus it also exerts a considerable effect on the earths radiation absorption. Therefore is obvious the magnitude of nitrogen fertilization emissions has a dramatic effect on the environment. Approximately 1per cent of the anthropogenic Nitrogen input into agricultural systems is emitted as nitrous oxide, with agriculture as a whole contributing to 66per cent of total UNITED KINGDOM nitrous oxide emissions in 2006, 95per cent of it via direct emissions from agricultural soils (IPCC, 2006). In addition, fertiliser manufacturing is energy-intensive (Rounsevell and Reay, 2009). Carbon dioxide emissions from ammonia production most of which is for fertiliser use made up 0.3per cent (1.6 million tonnes) of UNITED KINGDOM CO2 emissions in 2006 (DEFRA, 2006). Nitrogenous fertiliser consumption in the UNITED KINGDOM increased by nearly 300 per cent between 1961 and the late 1980s, regardless of the decline in agricultural land area (roughly 15per cent in the same time interval) indicating a large increase in application rates per unit area of land over this period (Rounsevell and Reay, 2009). As stated previously, fertiliser Nitrogen consumption gradually declined after 1990, reaching a rate of around 1.2 million tonnes per year in 2006 (DEFRA, 2008). As Smil (2000, 2001) argues, Nitrogen (N) is a key input in agriculture, therefore we cannot simply exclude or limit the application of it to meaningless values. We should instead open a new channel of discussion in order to improve or formulate new policies in an enhanced cost-efficient way that decreases damaging effects on the environment and improves farms profits. This can only be achieved if each of determinants of fertilizer application are well understood. Project scope UNITED KINGDOM agricultural features UNITED KINGDOM land use is still largely dominated by agriculture. In June 2008 about 77 per cent of the total land area of the UNITED KINGDOM, which represents approximately 18.8 million hectares, was used for agriculture proposes (DEFRA, 2008). This proportion is relatively large compared with the average of 50 per cent in the EU27, and 54per cent, 47per cent and 50per cent for France, Germany and Spain, respectively (Angus et al, 2009). Despite these figures, agricultures contribution to GDP and employment in the UNITED KINGDOM is low, at about 0.5per cent and 1.8per cent respectively (DEFRA, 2009). Of this area, about 28 per cent is allocated to arable cropping, including fallow land, and 67 per cent to grassland, mostly permanent pastures, and 58 per cent (10.2 million hectares) is considered lowland, defined as land less than 240m above sea level. (Angus et al, 2009). In England due to patterns of agricultural land constraints relative to soils and topography features, the majo r concentration of grassland and livestock farming is located in the North and West, and arable farming in the East and South (Angus et al, 2009). Consequently, the largest farms in the UNITED KINGDOM are concentrated in southern and eastern England (Ward, 2000). The agricultural sector in the UNITED KINGDOM is composed of over 300,000 holdings, varying widely in size and type, employing an assortment of different farming practices and use of inputs such as soil and water as well as fertilizers, land and waste management (DEFRA, 2009). One common aspect among the major countries in the EU is that the farming population is getting older. Eurostat show in 2000 that in UNITED KINGDOM only 5.2 per cent of farmers were under 35 years old, compared to 7.4 percent in 1990. The absolute number of under 35s had fallen over the last decade by 6,000 which represents more than one third. Over the same period, the proportion of holders with 65 years old and over had risen from 22.1per cent to 25 .3per cent (DEFRA, 2007). Regarding the educational level, between 1990 and 2005 there has been almost no change to the overall proportions, roughly three quarters of farmers have no formal agricultural training, with the remaining 25per cent equally divided between the higher education levels (DEFRA, 2007). Another important point relates to the fact that 38per cent of managers of the largest farms have proper agricultural education compared to just 7 per cent on the smallest farms (DEFRA, 2007). Personal Characteristics effects on farm efficiency In modern agriculture there is an increasing need to produce policy evaluation studies in order to be acquainted with the major drivers behind the decisions made by farmers within a socio-demographic context. Numerous studies that have identified a significant variation in the physical and financial performance achieved by farmers operating within the same economic and environmental constraints (Wilson et al, 2001;Rougoor et al, 1998). Therefore, it is pertinent to inquire the reason why this variation occurs. Kay and Edwards (1994) argue that in many occasions the variation in management is the cause of performance fluctuation (farm management). However, unlike physical factors of production (e.g. land, labour, and capital) management is not directly observable, consequently this causes difficulties to any analysis that attempts to explain the management influence on farm performance. Rougoor et al. (1998) defined management capacity into two components: personal feature (e.g., drives, motivations, social factors and education) and features of the decision-making process (e.g., procedures in planning, implementation and control of decisions). Moreover, it is argued that the decision-maki ng process is obviously influenced by the link of the factors stated above, and if any of them is excluded the cause of farm efficiency variation might be incorrectly measured (Wallace, 1974; Kay and Edwards, 1994; Poggi-Varaldo, 1998;Rougoor et al, 1998; Wilson et al, 2001) . Rougoor et al. (1998) highlights the argument that a manager may hold beneficial personal skills however fails to accomplish high performance due to a poor decision-making process. Previous research made by Huffman (1974) found a positive impact of human capital on allocative efficiency in agriculture. In particular, these authors argued that education diminishes the time needed to adjust to changes in production options and/or price ratios. An additional factor that might explain the farm efficiency variation is the farmers age. Burton (2009) emphasises the strength of age as an indicator since age reflects the level of experience which might be a complement or even a substitute of education. In order to demonstrate the significance of education in this subject, Lockhead et al (1981) presented a detailed survey of studies analysing the effect of farmer education on farm management efficiency using the results from 37 data sets, investigating the effect of institutional education and non-formal education. They concluded that in 31 of these data sets, institutional education was found to have a positive and significant effect, and 8 of which provided evidence th at non-formal education was also significantly positively related to productivity. An additional reason for more efficient input and output combinations being attained by more educated farmers is given by Welch (1978) and further by Gallacher (2001), both arguing that optimum firm size is correlated with education as it relates to optimum scale of production, usually the higher education level obtained, the larger the size of the farm being managed. In this study, it will be exploit formal education as one of the explanatory causes in the possible efficiency dissimilarity between two or more farms with the same constraints, due to the difficulty in accurately measuring non-formal education. However, the author is conscious that the final outcome might be ambiguous since these two forms of education are usually complements (Lockhead, 1981; Mook, 1981; Asfaw, 2004). Data Source Farm Business Survey The FBS is widely recognised as the most comprehensive and independent survey of farm incomes and provides an authoritative data source on the economic and physical performance of farm businesses in England and Wales. It is undertaken each year by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the National Assembly for Wales (NAW). In England, the survey is conducted by a consortium of seven FBS Research Centres Universities of Cambridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham and Reading, and Askham Bryan, Duchy and Imperial Colleges, led by the University of Nottingham. Its members work in partnership, using uniform standard practices in reporting their findings to ensure consistent data quality, accuracy and validity. The principal function of the Farm Business Survey (FBS) is to inform the UNITED KINGDOM Government and EU agricultural policy makers of the current financial state of the different sectors of UNITED KINGDOM farming. The FBS also provides full management accounting data on the agricultural activities of farm businesses, location, physical and environmental characteristics of the farm and several measures of non-agricultural activity, such as farm household characteristics. The survey uses a sample of farms that is representative of the national population of farms in terms of farm type, farm size and regional location. Since 2005/06 approximately 2400 individual farms took part in this survey of which roughly 2000 are English (the rest being from Wales). Results are compiled using accredited documents and personal interviews and written up into Farm Business Survey yyyy/yy. .

the best thing :: essays research papers

6:02 a.m., Saturday morning. It’s early but my eyes crack open slightly and I roll underneath my covers. I stretch my arms and legs, making loud groans as my body twists and turns. Half awake, my legs drag me to the window and I pull up the shades. Blinded by the morning light, my fingers feel for the window locks and unlock them. As I pull open the window the cold, winter air fills my room. I shiver, hugging myself to hold in the warmth. My eyes finally adjust and a smile creeps across my face. Winter’s first snow has arrived. I take one last whiff of the morning air and shut my window gently. Everyone is still sleeping, enjoying the comforting warmth of their beds. However, I am wide awake and excited. Slowly, I strip off my pajamas and pull on a first layer of clothing. Heading to the kitchen, I start my parents’ coffee and slide a tray of biscuits into the oven. It won’t be long before everyone is awake. Lightly tiptoeing to the closet and opening the door soundlessly, I rummage through the mess. At last I spot the bag. All the way in the back closet it sits and has been sitting since last winter. I notice my mother as usual, has clearly labeled the outside â€Å"Winter Stuff† and folded all the contents. With a bit of excitement, I tip the bag upside down letting the insides pile onto the floor. Sorting through the items one by one, I separate them into each family member’s belongings. The smell of biscuits has filled the kitchen and is slowly making its way to the bedrooms. It won’t be much longer now. A rustling sounds from my parents’ room and then a creak from the bed. A single grunt escapes my dad’s mouth and his footsteps begin. Scratching his head, he enters the kitchen. He notices the biscuits and the mess I’ve made on the floor. He chuckles softly and smiles at me. One by one they wake up and enter the kitchen looking slightly dazed and confused. They catch a glimpse of what I have started and they all smile immediately. This isn’t just my favorite family tradition. My little brother and sister run towards the window and stare out in awe. They giggle excitedly and high-five each other. After eating our breakfast, each of us grab our pile of â€Å"Winter Stuff† and head to our rooms to change. My dad hollers, â€Å"Are you guys ready yet?† and we all sprint as fast as we can

Insomnia Essay -- essays research papers

Insomnia is formally defined as the inability to get the standard amount of sleep. This disease affects 1 in 3 adults every year in the United States (Insomnia). Insomnia is a growing problem that we are learning more about everyday, insomnia makes life very hard for those who are inflicted by it. Prevention of insomnia is rather simple if you learn simple techniques. If you are afflicted by insomnia than cure is rather simple if you are in the care of a good health care provider   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Insomnia is most commonly found in women and older adults. Also people who are divorced or widowed have a greater chance than those who are married to be victims of insomnia (Sleep Disorders). These groups tend to have higher stress and that is why they are more likely to be affected. There is transient insomnia which is rather common and only lasts for a few days, the insomnia will be cured once the stressful problem is resolved. Chronic insomnia lasts for more than three weeks and should be treated by a trained health care provider (Sleep Disorders). Chronic insomnia is proven to lead to other diseases such as mood disorders and depression. Transient insomnia is usually caused by a temporary situation of high stress and will normally go away when the problem is resolved. Chronic depression can be caused by a number of things. Acute stress like an illness can cause chronic insomnia. Depression and high anxiety can also lead to insomnia. It may also be caused by s leep problems such as sleep apnea. Caffeine or other stimulants can lead to insomnia. The use of depressants and sedatives will relax you but may also cause you to have shallow, fragmented sleep. Pain due to illness may also be causes. Poor sleep habits are also proven to be causes of insomnia. Extreme changes in sleep patterns may cause insomnia. There are also rare conditions such as restless leg syndrome and nocturnal myoclonus that can lead to chronic insomnia (Sleep Disorders). There are several symptoms of insomnia and they are very obvious. Having trouble falling asleep is a good sign you may have insomnia. Waking up often at night or being restless is a tell tale sign of insomnia. Also if you wake up early and are unable to go back to sleep you may be affected my insomnia. If you wake up from a night of sleep and do not feel rested at all you are most likely afflicted by insomnia (Burt... ... bed can help you take your mind off your day’s troubles. Having background noise helps make falling asleep easier for some people. Try and not focus on falling asleep and try and let your mind drift, this will help you fall asleep quicker. Avoiding unneeded stress in your life will help you prevent insomnia also. Keep a journal and write down before you go to bed everything you need to do, this will help you to not worry about everything you have been worrying about ( Sleep Disorders). All these techniques are ways of reducing stress. Some techniques may not work for some and may work great for others; it all depends on the person. Once you find a technique that works you should stick with it. Whatever is comfortable for you is what you should use.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Insomnia has become a very popular disease in the United States. There are numerous treatments that can help ease the affects this disease has on people. Knowing how to prevent it and what the symptoms are is crucial to avoiding the disease. All the prevention techniques are free and very easy to learn, everyone should know these techniques so they can help prevent this disease that makes life so difficult

Distance Education Essay -- essays papers

Distance Education The American Education System over the years is developing a new way of schooling. Many colleges are resorting to this type of learning which is called Distance Education. Distance Education is possible through the new advancements and technologies of computers. This new ideal learning has beneficial and negatives attributes, raises the differences between teaching in a classroom verses distance education, key players that are involved and schools who are offering this online education. This can be a valuable aspect to our society. The computer is one of the most important technologies in this world. Due to the invention of the computer, our society as a whole has changed immensely. We can just get on the internet, which is a new technology and send a person a letter through e-mail, instead of going to the post office, where your letter might not be delivered for a few days. These technologies have made life easier for everyone; especially for the college students. If they need to get in touch with their professor, all they have to do is jump on the computer, go to their e-mail account and write up a message to their instructor. The computer has specified programs make particularly for a subject in a class. For example, in ISTC class, it provides a program called Blackboard. With this program, assignments can be given online, without meeting face to face. Because computers are so high-tech these days, you are able to take college classes online and receives legible credit for it. Since the computer is becoming more progressively advanced everyday, students are able to go into a virtual classroom to talk to their professor and fellow classmates. This virtual classroom is just like a real cla... ...E-Learning: Strategies for Media Online Teaching and Engaged Learning. International Journal of Distance Education Technologies, Vol 2, pg 17. Retrieved October 13, 2004, from Academic Search. 5. Meyer, K. (2002). Quality in Distance Education. New York: Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 6. Palloff, R. (2003). The Virtual Student. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 7. Saygin, C. (2004). A Web-based Programmable Logic Controller Laboratory for Manufacturing Engineering Education. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 24, 590. Retrieved October 11, 2004, Academic Search. 8. Twigg, Carol A. (1996, March). Is Technology a Silver Bullet?. Educom Review, Vol 31, pg 28. Retrieved October 16, 2004, from ERIC/EBSCO database. 9. Willis, Barry. (1993). Distance Education: A Practical Guide. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting in a Modern World

Professor Renville English I 14 September 2012 The Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting in a Modern World Picture yourself on a hot summer day†¦is water involved? Does your damp skin feel the cooling effect of a light breeze? Maybe you’re thirsty and sipping on a glass of lemonade, ice cubes bobbing at the surface. Perhaps you are at the beach, listening to the waves crash onto the shore, or you’re in your backyard hearing the sprinklers on the lawn. Yes, water is involved. Water, in all of its forms, is one of the most essential substances on Earth and provides the opportunity for life.We, as a society, take water for granted. Every day, if you want water, all you have to do is walk to the nearest sink and turn it on. There is no thought as to where that water comes from, or the fact that it may not be there forever. Our everyday consumption behaviors such as showering and clothes washing can have a significant impact on the environment. Imagine a future where water is scarce and restricted. How would you survive? All over the world regions with sustainable ground water balance are shrinking every day.This can be due to depletion because of overdraft, salinization from inadequate drainage or pollution from agricultural and industrial activity. In Yemen alone, ground water extraction is expected to exceed recharge by 400 percent. Aquifers in Mexico are declining at an average rate of 1. 79 to 3. 3 meters per year (Shah, Molden, Sakthivadivel and Seckler, 2000). At such an alarming rate of recession, it is important to find another alternative source of water to help recoup some of the ground water supply.For this reason I do believe that rainwater harvesting is a viable option to substitute ground water extraction in some regions and to help replenish ground water. About 70% of the Earth is covered with water, and 96. 5% of that is part of the oceans. Only a small portion of the Earth’s water is fresh water. 1. 7% is below ground and 1. 8% is above ground in ice caps, glaciers and permanent snow, with only . 06% usable above ground in lakes, rivers and swamps (Shah, Molden, Sakthivadivel and Seckler 2000). Rainwater harvesting can be used in many ways.Rainwater can be used as water for livestock, irrigation for crops, to water plants around your house, to replace water for showering, flushing your toilet, for your dishwasher or for laundry, and with the right treatment, it can be used for drinking water. There are many advantages to rainwater harvesting. After the initial cost for equipment, rainwater harvesting is essentially free. It eliminates the need for intricate and expensive dispensing systems. It can replace groundwater supplies where the groundwater is unacceptable or unavailable or it can increase finite ground water supplies.Rainwater has a nearly neutral pH and is not hard, so it eliminates the need for adding salts for softening the water and it is also sodium free. Plants thrive in rainwater (as seen when it rains). One of the most interesting aspects of rainwater harvesting is learning about the methods of capture, storage and use. The idea of rainwater harvesting is to intercept precipitation before it gets dirty. Contamination can still take place in the air, on the collection surface or in the storage facility itself. For that reason it may be more desirable to treat the water or restrict it to non-potable use (non-potable meaning not for consumption).Boiling is resource intensive and there is the danger of accidental scalding. Chemical disinfection requires some management, but it is well understood and compatible with water storage (Thomas 1998). However, possibly the best way to treat rainwater is via a filtration system. When assessing the health risks of drinking rainwater, consider the path taken by the raindrop through a watershed into a reservoir, through water treatment and distribution systems to you, the consumer. Water absorbs contaminants and minerals on its wa y to the reservoir.While in the reservoir, the water can come into contact with all kinds of materials: oil, animal wastes, chemical, pharmaceutical and industrial pollution and trash. It is the water treatment plant’s job to remove contaminants and kill pathogens, however when chlorine is used, it degrades into byproducts that may pose health risks. The raindrop harvested on site will travel down a roof by way of a gutter to a storage tank. Before it is used for drinking, it is treated by a simple process with filtration equipment that occupies about nine cubic feet of space (Krishna 2005).Rainwater harvesting can also reduce the volume of storm water lessening the impact on erosion and decreasing the load on storm sewers. This would help to keep pollutants, such as pesticides and fertilizers, out of rivers and ground water (Krishna 2005). The summer of 2012 was harsh. Several regions suffered. Almost 61% of the country was in drought according to Brian Fuchs in an interview with USA Today posted on their website July 17, 2012. Rain was few and far between, however a lot of rainwater was wasted. Having water shipped in can be very expensive, and so many farmers cannot afford the added cost.Harvesting rainwater for irrigation is already utilized in some regions of the world such as India where the bulk of their rainfall happens in about 100 hours of heavy downpour with little time to replenish the ground water supply (Keller, Sakthivadivel and Seckler 2000). If more farmers would utilize rainwater harvesting during the times that it does rain, and build up a back up supply, then when rain is scarce, more of their crops could be irrigated, helping to offset some of the devastation. Next year, in 2013, the prices of gas as well as groceries are expected to rise immensely because of the scarcity of crops in 2012.It is no surprise that rainwater harvesting is utilized more in poorer countries where it is generally more difficult to get clean water; however, in the long term clean water scarcity is expected to intensify globally, even in richer countries (Thomas 1998). Systems can be as simple as a rain barrel for garden irrigation at the end of a downspout or the can be as complex as a potable (for consumption) system. It makes sense, then, that for showers and flushing the toilet, rainwater could be used to offset using water from other sources that are shrinking annually.Only three key elements are needed for this: a collection surface, such as a roof, guttering and a storage tank large enough to moderate fluctuations in usage and rainfall (Thomas 1998). It is the third element that poses the greatest cost burden, however it may be worth it to try to help alleviate groundwater usage and eventual depletion. From a financial perspective, a system for potable use cannot compete with water supplied from a municipality; however, it is cost-competitive with the installation of a well in rural settings (Krishna 2005). An estimated 100,000 residential rainwater harvesting systems are in use in he United States (Krishna 2005). More are being installed by gardeners and homeowners seeking a sustainable, high-quality water source. Rainwater harvesting is recognized as an important water conserving measure. I am not proposing that anyone completely rely on rainwater for their household consumption. It would be very hard to rely solely on a rainwater supply. However to try to supplement some every day water usage such as shower water, toilet water or even water for laundry would greatly benefit the water supply and, in the end, the planet. Works Cited Krishna, Dr.Hari J. â€Å"Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting. † Texas Water Development Board (2005). Print. Pandey, Deep Narayan, Anil K. Gupta, and David M. Anderson â€Å"Rainwater Harvesting As an Adaptation to Climate Change. † Current Science, Vol 85 (2003). PDF file. Shah, Tushaar, David Molden, R. Sakthivadivel and David Seckler. â€Å"The Global Groun dwater Situation: Overview of Opportunities and Challenges. † International Water Management Institute (2000). Print. Thomas, Terry. â€Å"Domestic Water Supply Using Rainwater Harvesting. † Diss. University of Warwick (1998). Print.

Elsewhere: Life and Curtis Jest

The novel Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin is spectacular. Throughout the book there are many characters that diserve to be mentioned. Elizabeth Marie Hall, also know as Liz or Lizzie is the main character. Owen Welles is her boyfriend. Thandi is her best friend that she meets on the boat. Aldous Ghent is her mentor and friend. Betty is Liz's grandmother. Emily Welles is Owen's â€Å"wife†. Alvy is Liz's brother. Curtis Jest is the rock star she met on the boat. Lucy is Liz's pug, Jen is Owen's dog and Sadie is Liz's dog. Amadou Bonamy is the man who hit Liz, and Zooey, Liz's best friend on Earth. Liz is fifteen, looking forward to turning sixteen and getting her driver's license, when everything changes. She's riding her bike, only three months from driving a car instead of using her bike as her main mode of transportation, when she is hit by a car. She wakes up on a ship, sharing a room with a girl named Thandi who has what looks like a bullethole in the back of her head. Liz doesn't look like she normally does, either; she doesn't have any hair. In this â€Å"dream,† as she thinks it is, things are a little weird. There are no modern electronic devices on the ship, and everyone with the exceptions of herself, Thandi, and Liz's favorite singer, Curtis Jest, is over 80. After watching her own funeral (used by her high school principal as an opportunity to lecture on traffic safety), Liz realizes that this is no dream. Nor is it exactly her â€Å"life. † Liz is dead. She was killed in a car crash, and, in the world skillfully created by Gabrielle Zevin, this is where people go once they die. On a ship. Of course, boats have to go somewhere, and this one finally lands in Elsewhere. The afterlife, though not as anyone on earth imagined it. In Elsewhere, for one thing, people age backwards. Liz will never turn sixteen (but they'll still let her get a driver's license); instead, she'll be turning fourteen again, under the care of her dead grandmother, who is surprisingly young (about the same age as Liz's mother). Elsewhere, though the people grow younger rather than older, is a lot like earth. Some artists continue their work here (you can see new paintings by Picasso! ), just as they did on earth. Marilyn Monroe is a psychiatrist. Everything you can find on Earth–music, books, artwork–you can find Elsewhere. Elsewhere, Liz thinks, â€Å"could have been a walk to the next town or an hour's ride in the car or an overnight plane trip. † It shouldn't be too hard adjusting to this†¦ right? Betty helps her to resolve these feelings by convincing her to take a new job as a counsellor in the division of domestic animals, at which point Lizzie begins to slowly leave her routine of watching her family and instead is given a new motivation to her new life. However, Lizzie is still plagued by the anger she feels towards the driver responsible for her death, â€Å"he is a murderer, he is my murderer. Here Zevin uses repetition to emphasize this anger. Lizzie becomes strongly determined to make him pay for what he has done, and she manages to find a restricted portal known as â€Å"The Well,† to contact her family and tell them who it was that were responsible for her death. how far are you? it depends on what you mean by ending†¦ sorry if this is a spoiler to others! but yeah the book pretty much ends how you'd expect, liz and owen grow younger together, forget to read, lose teeth, and live a very happy childhood together. it ends with liz being shipped back across the ocean as a baby, and her rebirth. wen is cared for by his ex when he's a baby, and betty and curtis are happy together. the end. Well, it's been a while, but, basically, she decides that she can't adjust to life on Elsewhere so she wants to go back to Earth with that one year plan(I can't remember what they called the plan). Once they release her she decides at the last minute that she doesn't want to g o back to Earth, that she'll miss all of her friends from Elsewhere. She wiggles free of the wrappings and then gets lost for a couple of days at the bottom of the ocean. Owen refuses to give up on looking for her and he finds her eventually and they live happily ever after†¦ haha!! I think that's what happens, but I'm not for sure!! Like I said, it's been a while. In the beginning of the novel, a dog is telling us that her owner, Liz, has died. I think the dog explains that the girl was on her bike and was killed by a hit-and-run taxi driver, but we may get that information later. She goes down the river to be sent back to earth after she is done aging backwards. The guy that she was seeing was like 2. Anyway, the story shifts to the dead girl, Liz, who wakes up on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. She does not have hair and does not really know how she got there. She finds another girl, Thandi, who claims she was shot in the head before waking up on the ship. Liz also recognizes and befriends a man named Curtis, who was a famous musician. Most of the others on the ship are old people, and all of them are in pajamas all of the time. That's all Liz knows until later, when Thandi and Curtis tell her they're all dead. Liz refuses to accept this for a long time, even though she watches her own funeral through binoculars on the ship. Anyway, the ship docks in a place called Elsewhere. Liz finds that there is no God, but her grandmother, whom she'd never met, comes to meet her. Liz goes to live with her, and she learns that in Elsewhere, people age backwards until they become babies again, at which point they're reborn. For a long time, Liz spends all of her time watching her loved ones back on earth. She tries to contact them, at one point diving to the bottom of the ocean to use some sort of underwater well to speak with her brother. The officer in charge of catching people who do that saves her (not her life, as she can't die, but saves her all the same) and eventually helps her contact her brother. Through the brother, she is able to tell her father about the birthday gift she'd hidden under the floorboards. This is enough to give her peace, and she's able to adjust. She and the officer, Owen, basically fall in love. Liz also goes to work helping pets who have died learn to adjust (she can speak to them), while Thandi takes a job as an announcer. There are more snags: Owen's wife dies and creates a brief love triangle, though Owen eventually chooses Liz, as he died young and he no longer has much in common with his wife. Anyway, Curtis ends up marrying Liz's grandmother, Liz becomes happy. She becomes the director of her department, is happy to welcome her dog when she finally dies, and even forgives the man who'd killed her when he arrives in Elsewhere years later. She also spends a good decade or more with Owen before the both of them become too young and have to get ready to be reborn. The book ends on a sad note–Liz' grandmother (who was older when she died and thus has longer to spend in Elsewhere), has been caring for baby Liz and gets her ready for rebirth. The group goes to the shore (they put the babies in the ocean, and the current carries them to earth), Owen not really caring until the end, after Liz is gone and he has a brief flash of memory of what she meant to him. He starts crying but quickly forgets again (he's only two at this point and is being cared for by his wife). The novel ends with Liz being born to another mother and feeling eager to start another life. very one else on the boat was over 80 EXCEPT Curtis Jest, Thandi, and Liz! CONFLICT/PROBLEM The conflict or problem encountered would be that, first of all, she is dead. Second of all she can't get over the fact that she hates that she is in Elsewhere. The third problem is that she is aging backwards everyday. Back to the day she was born. SETTING: The setting or place this book took pl ace is first on a cruise ship. That's where she woke up. Then the cruise ship takes her to elsewhere and that is where the biggest part of the book takes place. THEMES: I think there are a couple themes of this book. The first one is that eventually you have to accept who you are or where you are. It gets harder and more miserable if you don't. Lizzie had trouble coming to terms with things. She hated elsewhere but she finally accepted the fact she was dead. Number two would be that things can be bad but in the end everything will be alright. Lizzie didn't like that she ended up in elsewhere but realized that being happy is the best thing that she could do for herself. The third theme for me would be forgiveness. Liz hates the cab driver for killing her but notices that her hate for him won't make things better for anyone. Forgiveness is very important in life. Elsewhere tells the story of a fifteen year old girl, Elizabeth ‘Liz' Hall, who dies in a bicycle accident and wakes up to find herself traveling on a boat called the SS Nile. There, she meets a girl who had been shot and a famous person who had died of a drug overdose. After watching her own funeral, Liz realizes that she is truly dead. Soon afterwards, she and the other passengers arrive in what is known as â€Å"Elsewhere†. She meets her grandmother, who had died before Liz was born, and Liz begins to live with her. In Elsewhere, Liz learns, everyone ages backwards from the day they died to the day they turn zero, and then they are sent back to Earth to be reincarnated as a baby. Liz misses her life on Earth, and becomes obsessed with watching her family and friends through Observation Decks, she tried to talk to her family a few times, which she gets caught and meets Owen. She is depressed, and sees no reason to do anything since she is dead, but in time she makes new friends in Elsewhere who help her come to terms with the fact that she has died. She can talk in canine, which she at first was unaware of. Gradually, she learns that a life lived backwards is not much different to a life lived forwards. Elsewhere is an original, interesting view of things that is somewhere between the heaven and hell spoken of by most religions; as has been said, this afterlife is a lot like an extension of life on earth, only backwards. It seems like a nice place, a happy place to be–except for what it takes for people to get there.