High School vs. College Essay

Stepping stones are like the baby steps into something greater, like high school and college. In high school, everyone says to focus yourself more into, because high school is the place to gain the knowledge that is nearly identical to the â€Å"actual world†. College, on the other hand, is when both the teachers and students can both relate to how the real world would function. So high school is the part of the baby steps that reach into college and as well as the real world. Although high school and college reading and writing become different, they also have some similarities, but in the end they’re both really important to everything that happens in people’s everyday lives. In my four years of being in high school English, I can say that it’s already really different from college. The reading in high school was always given and there were times that it included self-reading, but it was because we were given questions to answer. Other times, it was because we had to do journals on each chapter of the book; main idea, summaries, character changes, etc. Overall, it was really easy, because the teachers would do at least half of the work for you and then you would be given the rest as homework, as long as you don’t procrastinate. Being a freshman is college, it’s scary, because you hear stories from people saying how easy or hard it is being in college. There’s more self-reading that has to be done and during that time, you also have the process of taking notes and writing small responses when needed to on your own. It’s all about the independency and responsibility that any adult would have when entering through college. As much as I love the subject English, I was never a huge fan of writing, whether I’m in high school or college. The writing processes that happened in high school were usually the same. We would read something that the teacher had given to us, take notes, and from those notes, we would have had to write some form of paper or short response. All the information about the book and paper were given to us, made it that much easier to know what to write about and what the paper was required to have by the teacher. College is a whole new environment for those who are entering and sometimes it can take a while to get acquainted with everything. College is one of those things. The writing in college is very different, because the professors want something to be originally different form each student, rather than having to read all the class articles and they all end up sounding the same. Everything is different, because the formats that we have always stuck to throughout elementary and improved during high school is almost not needed in college. All those five paragraph essays won’t even be considered as an essay anymore, but if there are more paragraphs and as long as the topic is straight through, then that’s an essay. Reading and writing are really important things to be learned, because that’s basically what the whole world consists of; letters and words and paragraphs. You can’t learn how to write if you don’t how to read or else you wouldn’t know the meaning of those words and the sentence itself. The same concept goes for reading. Be glad that you know how to do both of these things, because some people aren’t as fortunate as we are. Where they come from, education is given differently, which doesn’t allow â€Å"everyone† to be able to have the same education as others. This is also another reason why some families travel to a country so that their children can have a better future than the parents or their families have had before them. This allows the not only the children new expectations, but also gives the families some new experiences as they travel through this journey. Writing and reading are two very important skills that are called Communication. For example, my major is Philosophy – Pre law. In pre-law it’s all about the debates and knowing how to communicate. Without these two main factors, then you wouldn’t be able to converse with others and be able to exchange ideas, because then how would you be able to learn and increase your knowledge to be able to win the debates? This is the main reason of why reading and writing are very important to all of us. Everyone has heard other people tell them that you must always prepare yourself when entering into the â€Å"real world†. Where we are at right now, whether it be high school or college, are considered as baby steps into reaching new experiences. First, there is high school, where we go to school and we gain more knowledge that is nearly identical to what we would be experiencing soon in the future. Then onto the next stepping stone, college, where it is the place that we can actually apply all those abilities that we learned before and into a place that the world would function similarly. So all in the end, it’s really important and maybe even critical that we all learn and know how to read and write since the entire world in made of mainly these two main factors.

Economic Development in Urban Areas Essay

Many villagers and small town dwellers want a living in big cities. With some expectations, they make a movement from villages to big cities. This migration from rural areas to big cities is called urbanization. There are two kinds of factors why rural people seek for urban life. The first one is urban pull factor. They dream for higher wages, better housing and utilities, better school and hospital, more jobs opportunity, and more experience that they can get it all from a living in big cities as they think. The second one is urban push factor. We know that most of rural areas people are farmers. There’s not much else to do anymore in the village but wait for harvest time and without higher level of education, availability of media, or facilities that they need, they might be stimulated to move to urban areas. But after they reached what they called their dreamland, most of them must face more problems than what they had when they lived in villages. They will face some problems because of their insufficient abilities, experience, education, and skills those are needed for a good living in big cities. For instance, they can’t provide housing or maybe they can’t find any job. And then they just stranded with the option of staying in cities or coming back home. As the result of urbanization, cities have more problems to overcome such as pollution, overpopulation, drug abuse, congestion, crime, poverty, traffic jam, slum areas, and many more. There must be something to solve these problems. Government and citizens should be involved because taking care of city problems can’t be done entirely by government. The community can be even more successful because it deals directly with problem areas. As the solution to solve those problems government can provide housing, create a new regulation transmigration program, provide skills training program, or start to develop in rural areas. Beside that, citizens can help to succeed government’s programs with giving charity, offering some good job to jobless people, becoming foster parents who subsidize the education fee for underprivileged children, or offering a low cost housing for homeless people. Last of all, urbanization not only impacts a better future than living in a village, but also worse. Villagers must consider about their ability to deal with a living in problem-ridden city before they intend to move to big cities. Economic change has helped lead America into urban crisis for the following reasons. First of all, because urban problems are no longer confined to the inner city, but are regional in nature. The federal government has, also, largely drawn from the urban policy arena, thereby having cities and sates to develop their own solutions to local problems. Furthermore, the economy of cities is no longer organized around a central business district, but is dispersed throughout a metropolitan region. Next, the national economy has experienced a fundamental reorganization and many cities have experienced the direct effects of deindustrialization and disinvestments. Additionally, the fiscal crisis within the public sector is unprecedented and has seriously negative effects for the provision of services at all levels of government. Finally, the nature of work itself has changed within cities as more women enter the labor market; the changing nature of work has affected the urban family in many ways, many of which have direct ramifications for social welfare and family policies. There is a great amount of inequality of income in some cities. Most of those who fall bellow the poverty line is African Americans and Hispanics. This is because they are placed in low paying jobs. As more and more people immigrate into the country, there are less and less jobs to go around. This creates a larger poverty gap. People just coming here to America are placed in very low-income jobs. This is all they can get if they don’t speak any English. For example, here at Rider the cleaning people are all Spanish. They don’t speak any English, and their job is to be the cleaning crew. These are the only types of jobs that these people can get most of the time, and this makes our percentage of people who are in poverty go up. Another problem that is contributing to the urban crisis is the rise of single-parent families and ‘present-orientated’ values. The problem here is that the divorce rate in America is getting higher and higher, and also the amount of children being had out of marriage is greatly increasing also. This creates one parent raising a child. The problem here is that there is no proper care for children in this situation. The parent has too much responsibility. They are to provide for the family, as well as adequately care for their children. When the single parent has to go to work, to get money to pay for a place to live, food, and clothing, there leaves no time to watch and take care of the children, meaning children are left to take care of themselves after school is over and this result in a lot of problems for the communities. These children cause trouble. They are the ones who commit most crimes in an urban environment. This is why in an urban city there is a lot more crime. There are a lot of children left unsupervised for most of the day and night. Another problem is the ethnic tensions that there are in America. There are many things that are wrong with this. The first problem is that because of racism, people are secluded. They are pushed to all live together, because people don’t want to live next to them. This is how a ghetto is started, and slums. All the people of low incomes live in the same neighborhood together. They also contain the high crime rates because these are the people who are also of single parent families and their children are left unsupervised. Another problem with racism is that people are given lower paying jobs because of their race, and also, they aren’t able to have to same amount of experience as other people. They don’t go to as good of schools, and they then might not be able to go to college, so they are stuck. They can only get a low paying job. This creates families to be stuck in poverty for generations, they can never get out, unless with government assistance of some sort. Then this makes the inner cities all full of low-income families, and creates a poverty stricken area that cannot be fixed in any way. If there were more integration within neighborhoods, then we wouldn’t have these areas. Another reason why urban America is in crisis is because of the underground urban economy. This also causes a lot of crime in urban cities. The people in these cities who are poor, and are trying to find a way out, usually try by doing something illegal. A big example of this is drug sale. People start selling drugs to get money. This creates a lot of problems. The selling of illegal materials results in murders, and robberies, to either get the drugs, pay for the drugs, or avoid getting caught selling them. Another example of this is people stealing things, like car parts, and selling it on the black market. All of these illegal acts always result in something that makes the cities look worse and worse to live in. I know that when I go into Little Rock I am really afraid, because I know that there is a really high amount of crime there, and I am always thinking that someone is going to try to shoot me for my car, rob a store that I am in, or something else. Stereotypes of cities are easily created, and this doesn’t help the situation. Also, the advancement in technology has lead many people to be left without jobs. This technology had created more unskilled labor, and putted skilled labor to a minimum. People, who had been specialists at doing certain skilled work, are constantly being replaced by machines that can do the same work faster and cheaper. This creates a huge economy gap. It makes the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, by giving all the money from the profit of sales to the company owners, rather than to employees. So, the people who were already well off, have even more money, and those people who were middle class citizens are now jobless, and can not afford to take care of their families. The problem here is obvious, the more jobs that are lost because people are replaced by machines, the greater the amount of people who become in poverty. The numbers keep increasing. The UNFPA report we are launching today is of great importance and very timely: â€Å"unleashing the potential of urban growth†, as the report’s subtitle indicates, represents the greatest challenge of this century. The diagnosis made in the report is beyond dispute: urbanization is inevitable, but it can also be positive. Furthermore, the report focuses on poverty since it is poor people who will make up a large part of future growth. The report also focuses on the situation of women and young people. Projections suggest that in 2030, 60% of the population will be less than 18 years old. This is a very explosive situation if prevailing development models continue to exclude young people. My own research in various African capitals indicates a clear deterioration in the situation of young people, particularly with respect to access to paid employment. Younger people are taking more time than previous generations to find work and more often find themselves in precarious jobs in the informal sector. A society that does not provide challenging opportunities to its youth is a failed society. The situation is already catastrophic in the cities of the poor regions of the world and it is obvious that young people will not accept being excluded or marginalized. They will resort to alternative means, including violence, to challenge a world that leaves them so little space. I would suggest that this is urbanization’s greatest challenge is giving young people access to decent jobs that match their aspirations. In short, we must recognize the great merit of this report, which identifies the real problems and makes an extremely valid diagnosis.

Aristotle And Politics

Aristotle And Politics Essay annonAristotle (b. 384 d. 322 BC), was a Greek philosopher, logician,and scientist. Along with his teacher Plato, Aristotle is generallyregarded as one of the most influential ancient thinkers in a numberof philosophical fields, including political theory. Aristotle wasborn in Stagira in northern Greece, and his father was a courtphysician to the king of Macedon. As a young man he studied inPlatos Academy in Athens. After Platos death he left Athens toconduct philosophical and biological research in Asia Minor andLesbos, and he was then invited by King Philip II of Macedon to tutorhis young son, Alexander the Great. Soon after Alexander succeededhis father, consolidated the conquest of the Greek city-states, andlaunched the invasion of the Persian Empire. It was in thisenvironment that Aristotles views and ideas of politics developed. As Alexanders teacher, Aristotle had a close tie to the politicalpowers of Athens. Because of this tie Aristotle wrote Politics as aguide to rulers as to how to govern a country. In Politics Aristotlelays out his ideal form of Government. It contains thought provokingdiscussions on the role of human nature in politics, the relation ofthe individual to the state, the place of morality in politics, thetheory of political justice, the rule of law, the analysis andevaluation of constitutions, the relevance of ideals to practicalpolitics, the causes and cures of political change and revolution,and the importance of a morally educated citizenry. He stressed thatthe ideal citizen and ruler must possess certain virtues, such aswisdom, temperance and courage. And the work as a whole echoesAristotles dominant theme of moderation. Politics is an excellenthistorical source because of the close tie Aristotle had to theeveryday business of government in Athens. It reflects the idealizedvalues of t he people and the influence of Aristotles teacher Plato. The importance of wisdom and justice also directly parallel theclassical Greek ideology. Aristotle believed that nature formedpolitics and the need for city-states (government) formed out ofnature. Aristotle lays the foundations for his political theory inPolitics by arguing that the city-state and political rule arenatural. The argument begins with a historical account of thedevelopment of the city-state out of simpler communities. First,individual human beings combined in pairs because they could notexist apart. The male and female joined in order to reproduce, andthe master and slave came together for self-preservation. The masteruses his intellect to rule, and the natural slave uses his body tolabor. Second, the household arose naturally from these primitivecommunities in order to serve everyday needs. Third, when severalhouseholds combined for other needs a village emerged also accordingto nature. Finally, the complete community, formed from severalvillages, is a city-state, whi ch can attain the limit ofself-sufficiency. It comes to be for the sake of life, and exists forthe sake of the good life. (I.2.1252b27-30). Aristotle backs upfour claims about the city-state: First, the city-state exists bynature, because it comes to be out of the more primitive naturalassociations and it serves as their end, because only it attainsself-sufficiency (1252b30-1253a1). Second, human beings are by naturepolitical animals, because nature, which does nothing in vain, hasequipped them with speech, which enables them to communicate moralconcepts such as justice, which are formative of the household andcity-state (1253a1-18). Third, the city-state is naturally prior tothe individuals, because individuals cannot perform their naturalfunctions apart from the city-state, since they are notself-sufficient (1253a18-29). However, these three claims areimmediately followed by a fourth: the city-state is a creation ofhuman intelligence. Therefore, everyone naturally has the impulsef or such a community, but the person who firstestablished is the cause of very great benefits. This greatbenefit may be the laws of the city-state. Aristotle points out thatthe legal system alone saves them from their own savagery. READ: Rules of Court: Parts of a Pleading EssayIts interesting to see that Aristotles view of nature transcends inhis view of the human character and what the humans should be. InAristotles Ethics he points out the popular view of what happinesswas (and maybe still is). Honor, pleasure and wealth are the thingshe believed the Greek people wanted to be happy. He stated that honoris a superficial aim because at any moment it can be taken away fromus. Pleasure is enjoyable but is more an animal quality than human,and wealth is merely a means towards a greater good. Aristotle taughtmoderation; the pursuit of the above three vices is okay, but dontmake it an all encompassing goal. In contrast to the three things hewarned against spending your life on, there were about four thingsthat he felt should be heartily sought after. Aristotle felt thateveryone should possess these qualities,and they were crucial for agood ruler. Wisdom, courage, temperance and justice were the fourvirtues that Ar istotle held so high. He felt that only through thesefour qualities could lead a person, or a country to true happiness. Aristotles virtues parallel the thinking of other classical Greeks. One of the obvious reasons for this is that the teacher-student bondtied many philosophers. The great Socrates taught Plato, and ofcourse Plato was Aristotles teacher. Although, the influence of theteacher is very strong, the students also have show that they canthink independently and their works have a distinctly different tasteto them. Plato said the just person is wise, temperate and courageousand the just state is ruled by wisdom. Platos just state displayedcourage over force and temperance over intemperance. Socrates, another of the famous classical Greeks, died for his viewsof wisdom and justice. Socrates used logic to tell himself and hiscolleagues that he must die for the sake of avoiding hypocrisy. Socrates whole life he preached that the states laws must be heldsupreme for justice to prevail. The state sentenced him to death,and to avoid death would be to contradict the states laws. In theprocess he would be contradicting what he had lived for. Many peoplelikened Socrates to a gadfly, always buzzing in the states face tomake sure they were doing the just thing. Aristotle also knew theimportance of justice but he approached it slightly differently. Justice, Aristotles third moral virtue, consisted of two mainaspects. The first was that the laws made citizens just; the statehad to strive to make the people act morally and good (1129a 13-24). Aristotles second aspect of justice was that people should beawarded justly, or in proportion to what they have done oraccomplished. The higher the merit the higher the honor or thehigher the crime the worse the punishment (1130b 30-32). In Politics Aristotle lays down his ideal structure of the family. His structure greatly reflected the values of the people in thepater-dominated tradition. The belief of the time was that thefather was basically the king of his house; Aristotle didnt varymuch from this. The father had supreme authority and had controlover his wife. He does concede that there is reciprocity betweenthe two but he feels that there is a permanent basic inequality. The wife should remain the ruled one and show her courage (a moralvirtue) through her obedience and her glory through silence (1260a24,30). The father also rules over his children with supremeauthority. Only through his death is his authority removed. Aristotle also included the slave as part of the family, but hedifferentiates from the practices of the time as what he considers tobe an acceptable slave. The status quo was the removal of strongbodies from conquered nations for the purpose of manual labor. Hefelt that slavery through conquest was unacceptable. Slavery hebelieved to be acceptable were those that needed the slave/masterrelationship to survive. Those that were too unintelligent to governthemselves needed this bond to get through life. In exchange fortheir daily care, the natural slaves are to do light householdduties such as cooking (1255b 26-27). It is interesting to notethat in his will Aristotle called for the emancipation of some of hisown acquired slaves. An example of the slave/master relationshipthat Aristotle discussed can be seen in todays world. Sometimes anelderly or sick person requires constant care. They need to haveeverything done for them and therefore cant govern themselves. READ: Belonging: Girl Interrupted. Lisa and Susanna EssayAnother person is required to make the persons important decisionsand is responsible for their care. In this example the distinctioncan be seen between Aristotles idea of a slave and Greekstraditional view, which was similar to the United States in the1800s. Aristotle was a brilliant person who taught moderation in governmentand in life. He stressed the importance of moral virtues as the keyto happiness and a successful government. Aristotle thought that theneed for government and authority developed on its own from nature. He taught in the Lyceum, a school he founded in Athens, how a justperson should live and how a just state should rule. His messages ofvirtue and moderation transcend time and still are a great influenceon modern western thought. SourcesThe Greco-Roman Legacy: AristotlePolitics by AristotleThe Republic by PlatoEthics by AristotleThe Greco-Roman legacy: Plato

Advocacy Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advocacy Letter - Assignment Example , also known as the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Act of 2014, or the Sweet Act, which was introduced Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro from Third District of Connecticut. The Sweet Act makes an amendment to the Internal Revenue Code in the form of an imposition of an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages applicable to the beverage producer, importer or manufacturer, at the rate of one cent for every 4.2 grams of sweetener in a beverage. The act places revenues from the excise tax exclusively into research as well as programs to mitigate the economic an human toll tied to such diseases as obesity, teeth caries, diabetes, and other diseases and conditions tied to sugar consumption. Various studies have established direct correlations and causal relationships between the consumption of sugary beverages on the one hand and obesity and the onset of metabolic diseases such as diabetes on the other hand. The negative health effects of sugary beverages extend to heart disease, to such an extent that the American Heart Association itself has stepped forward to recommend restricting sugar consumption to help prevent heart disease. The Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health has also stepped forward to point to the large and growing public costs of obesity and its health consequences, and has singled out sugary beverages as responsible in large part to the escalation of the epidemic of obesity. National spending on care related to obesity and related conditions has been pegged at $190 billion per annum, highlighting the gravity and the urgency of the problem. Sugary drinks negatively impacts American society in profound ways, and therefore there is a need to intervene. Through your strong support for the Sweet Act, you will be helping reverse the rising tide of obesity and its attendant diseases and helping cut health care costs for the government and the general population. It is my fervent hope that you will join us in championing this bill and in securing better nutrition and

4 MAT Review on The Life You've Always Wanted by Ortberg Essay

4 MAT Review on The Life You've Always Wanted by Ortberg - Essay Example I will be with you.† God will not stop at repairing our brokenness but go on to make us new again. True transformation means loving God and people more and more. If we are to achieve that, we must not be content with trying hard at it, but commit to a life of training for it. That entails real discipline. Spiritual discipline is any activity that can help us gain power to live life as Jesus taught and modeled it. It may be through prayer, solitude, work, worship, suffering or even play and celebration. Those training hard to be spiritually transformed must not focus on boundaries – judging others as being less than they are. That is pseudo-transformation. They must always remember to be like Jesus, as he does not focus on boundaries, but instead, focuses on the center of spirituality which is love for God and people. The reward of training to achieve a transformed spiritual life is a well-ordered heart which increasingly desires to avoid sin to be totally close to God and to never be outside His circle of blessings. Indeed, such is the heart of a person living the life we’ve always wanted. Back when I was a lot younger, a friend of mine decided to join a Christian Singles Group. She had the time of her life, always fired up for their weekly meetings and bible discussions. She looked forward to all the fellowship activities. She kept inviting me to join her and share the joy she experienced being part of the group. Somehow, I managed to avoid saying â€Å"yes†, as I reasoned I had too much to do. Exasperated at my dodging, she said something that really hit home. â€Å"It’s hard for me to be in this position where I am advancing in my spirituality while you are being left behind.† I didn’t know exactly how I felt about what she said. It seemed like a multi-edged sword of sympathy, compassion, concern, pity, criticism, insult that was driven deep in my

Report on court visit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Report on court visit - Essay Example It was alleged that Andrew and David had agreed the previous day; David had agreed to lend Andrew 5000 on the following day. However, they did not agree how did not agree how the said money was to be collected. The court heard that Martin arrived at David's house in the afternoon and since it was unusual visit at David home, David was convinced that he had been sent to collect the money they had agreed. Without asking Martin whether he had been sent by his father, David handled a 5000 bill to Martin to take to his father. On the side of Andrew, he said that he had about the debt from David one month from the date they had discussed about it, yet he had not received the money. He said that he was waiting for a confirmation from David on when to collect the money and since he never heard from him, he thought may be he was not willing to lend him the money. It was held that even though, a father is not liable for the torts committed by his children unless he authorised the tort or if the tort was accessioned by his negligence. For this case, there was no evidence that Martin had been sent by his father to collect the money from David.

Breast cancer Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Breast cancer - Term Paper Example luding family history, genetics, age of menstruation, and other  factors that have not yet been identified.  Though much less common, breast cancer also occurs in men.   Breast cancer patients usually experience a lot of stress and frustration due to reasons like the unpredictability of the disease, uncertainty of the future and financial difficulties (Lynn & Charles, 25). It is even more difficult for patients who have to go out of remission and face the medical complications over and over again. I know this because my mom had had cancer about 12 years ago and when she recently heard the news about her cancer’s return, she was hurt, tensed and devastated about it. Other effects of breast cancer include troubled sleep, body aches, headaches, pain, fatigue and anxiety. Moreover, many cancer patients including my mom worry about their physical appearance after extensive treatment procedures like chemotherapy, mastectomy and skin changes from radiation therapy and find it extremely difficult to make public experiences (Lynn & Charles, 25). But that certainly does not mean that patients cannot deal with it. By taking one step at a time and by the support of her friends and family, my mother is trying to deal with her situation. She prefers to keep herself still busy in work so that her mind remains occupied and tension – free. Almost 200,000 women suffer from the disease each year. Although there are many external factors contributing towards the spread of breast cancer, current investigations have revealed that genetic inheritance has a major part to play in almost five to ten percent of these cases (Lynch, 91-98). This knowledge, an ingenious finding by Mary-Claire King in 1990, linked breast cancer to the long-arm of chromosome 17 (Biesecker, 22-27). Since the discovery of possible genetic linkage, doctors have been able to delineate those individuals who are most prone to the disorder, and immediately, these women begin to act in accordance with doctor’s

Community base activity integration and reflection Essay

Community base activity integration and reflection - Essay Example Some were even teachers and engineers before unfortunate circumstances forced them into the streets. I saw them sitting together having good conversations as they enjoyed their meals. They shared what they received from the kitchen only eating enough to sustain them ensuring that the kitchen could feed many. They were poor but shared the little they had. After the meals, they respectfully cleaned their spaces before walking out. This experience of volunteering enabled me to revise my preconceived notions about the homeless community. I was able to experience firsthand and practice what I learned in the classroom. Marginalization before my experience at Martha’s Kitchen was simply a topic discussed in social sciences. While working with the homeless, I witnessed social exclusion in action. The homeless are denied basic human rights to food and shelter. Justice should be impartial, protecting the rights of all citizen. Unfortunately, such is never the case, especially for marginalized people. However, organizations such as Martha’s Kitchen and homeless shelters provide much-needed help for the poor and homeless. Our society should put up more systems to assist these marginalized individuals and to integrate them back into the society. While growing up in China, I developed biased opinions about the poor and the homeless as influenced by the society. These marginalized people were presented as violent criminals and con artists who took advantage of others. While working at Martha’s Kitchen, I interacted with them as I served the meals. I found that they were polite people always with a smile on their faces despite their unfortunate circumstances. They appreciated the workers in the kitchen and respected the space they were provided. I met individuals who worked hard whenever they secured temporary employment and shared their little income with others. The volunteering position enabled me to appreciate the experiences of the people who are marginalized.

The first day at a new school or college Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The first day at a new school or college - Essay Example Looking back at my life, from since I was a child, I always thought of myself as an easy-to-approach and friendly person. This made me confident about being in new environments, as I imagined people could easily befriend me. Even when I watched movies that showed how people are bullied when they join a new school, I was sure it would never happen to me. In my view, I am easy-going, cool and fun to be around, as evidenced by the fact that I have many friends with whom I play football with over the weekend or after school, if time allows. However, this all changed when my father informed my siblings and I that we would be moving to a different town since he had been offered a better job there. This meant changing schools and worse, leaving the friends that I had grown close to and shared memorable things with. My siblings- two younger sisters- were excited and sad about leaving their friends too, they were scared about joining a new school too, as they felt it would be hard to find peo ple that they could get along with easily. On the other hand, I felt that this would not be a challenge and that I would keep in touch with my old friends via phone and facebook. The fateful day of our moving came and goodbyes were said. Being on a Saturday, I made sure that I had bid farewell to my friends from school the day before and exchanged contacts, including postal address, to ensure we remain in touch. I was particularly keen on keeping in touch with my swimming instructor; he had been such an inspiration and a mentor as I hone and perfect my swimming skills. I discovered my passion for the sport through him and found someone to guide me through my studies, so he was a person I was sure I would miss. Getting to the new town and settling into a new neighborhood worked out fine; this was a larger town, much nearer to the city. I found it exciting and eagerly awaited that day which I would start at the new school and make friends. Sunday was dedicated to unpacking and being a cquainted with the new environs. I realized that there were no kids of my age but consoled myself that I would make some at school the following day and we would visit each other. My sisters were lucky enough to find their age mates in the neighborhood. I was further consoled by the fact that there was a youth hostel nearby, thus I could comfortably continue swimming. I mapped out my route to school and prepared my bag and clothes in anticipation of the first day. I had no problem getting up, as I was energized and slightly nervous; hurriedly, I showered, had my breakfast and left for the new school which was a ten-minute walk. I got to school early enough and checked in at the admissions office to get a copy of the timetable, combination for my locker and a brief orientation. Walking into my first class marked the end of all my hopes of making friends easily and simply fitting into the new environment. The class teacher felt the need to make me stand up at the front and talk a litt le about myself. As I did this, I heard other students giggle and some sneered; it was generally an uncomfortable and disheartening moment. Being an optimist, I told myself this would pass before lunchtime; however, this was not to be, as I painfully discovered through the rest of the day. My next class was Chemistry and everyone had a lab partner except for me. The teacher then paired me up with a student that seemed ‘out casted’ by the rest for some reason. I joined her and quickly introduced myself only to get a cold shoulder from her. Through the class, I realized that she was much smarter than everyone else and this made her arrogant, thus no one liked her. I suffered through trying to keep up and challenged myself to make her a friendly person. My day got worse at lunch time when I walked into the cafeteria and realized that everyone sat in a group which each had certain tables ‘reserved’ for them. I got my food and mustered the courage to sit at a ta ble that had two occupants

Leader that Influence Me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leader that Influence Me - Essay Example In short, without the presence of these role models, the lives of many people would totally be different. Â   My social studies teacher, Mrs. Catalina Mors, had a massive impact on my life. In my opinion, she is one of the friendliest people I have met in my entire life. I met her in my first year in high school, a time when my life was almost split into microscopic pieces. Having come from a broken family, I felt that being in high school was a way that my mother had invented to do away with me. I felt that no one cared if I existed or not and thought that I had no role to play in the world rang in my mind every second of my existence. Mrs. Catalina, I have learnt to call her Mrs. Memento, for her reminding me of good things in life, has been of great assistance to me. From her comforting words that gave me hope in life, I managed to come out of my depression and learn to accept sever situations in life. I relate my high self esteem from her counseling sessions that I went unconsciously every afternoon. At times, I would find my self in her company for over two hours with no complaints that her working day was over. Apart from being polite and well refined, Mrs. Catalina acted as a role model to many. Her code of conduct had no traces of ‘stains’ that some her age mate colleagues had. Being 23 years old and a teacher of boys, it is thought that younger teachers- beautiful like her- face numerous challenges in their careers. Some are even forced to jeopardize their careers, for failure to handle challenging situations in their job. Mrs. Catalina gained first-rate praise from all students, majority of whom, wanted to have a mature and reasonable life like hers. In my case, Mrs. Catalina has assisted me in making tangible decisions in life and focus on the future regardless of the situation at hand. I am able to deal with parents’ divorce with the

Road Design Essay Example for Free

Road Design Essay Due to the fast development of many countries like Japan, there is a significant increase in number of manufactured vehicles and these vehicles may come from different prices that can be purchased by any people. But this increase had been responsible on the formation of the word traffic which means congested vehicles in the road. Traffic is the term used by many of us when experiencing jam packed vehicles where there is no or little movement of this mobile medium. Traffic happens in every street in the world even those industrialized countries. It is often observed on crunch time like seven o’clock in the mourning or five in the afternoon because these are the time of the day when people are mostly in the street to go to office, school or go to their houses (Ewing, 2001). It is not only the motorists sector that can be blame because of traffic jam because there are many factors to be considered why traffic jam occurs in the road. One factor to be tae into consideration is the road. It is self explanatory because this is where vehicles go by. For this paper, we will try to look on the road factor that can be a solution on traffic jam. Moreover, the design of road will be taken into consideration which has the main objective of lessening traffic situations. METHODOLOGY Road design will cover all the necessary procedures that will lead not only to comfortable and safe driving but also giving a solution on traffic calming (Ewing, 2001). First to tackle in this paper is the engineering factor. To construct a road, the foundation or soil must be firm enough to stand the compression stress brought by the weight of vehicles. Survey must be conducted first prior to the construction of the road to ensure strength of the foundation. If the ground is not stiff enough to stand the compact force, the road maybe damaged compromising the quality of the constructed road. If this happens, then traffic may arise because vehicles may not pass the road in a better and nicer route (TAC, 1999). The next factor that is part of the design is the materials to be used in the construction. It is very important to consider that the materials must comply with the national standards. This is to ensure the quality and safety factor of the newly constructed road. The road must be wide enough to facilitate the volume of vehicles passing a particular road. After the road has been constructed, the next part to be discussed is the road signals. These signs ease the flow of traffic because these are steps to follow for a harmonious flow of vehicles in the road. It is very important to remind the motorists that these road signs are not useful if motorist will not obey these road signs (The Korea Transport Institute, 2006). Put a board sign that specify the name of the roads and streets so that drivers can follow the directions thus minimizing confusion among the drivers. The information that are very important in a sign boards are, the name of the street, the distance from a place to another place, directions of intersections and other sign like no parking, no jaywalking and many others. The sign board are located in such a way that every driver whether the driver has big or small vehicles, see to it that it can be seen by the driver’s naked eye. It can be situated on top of a post and being hanged. Signs are also present in the road itself. These sign, that are mostly painted, guides the motorists or in somehow communicate to have a fast flow of traffic and improving the safety factor. These pavement markings must comply with the set of standards to minimize confusion on drivers (The Korea Transport Institute, 2006). Stoplights must be present in any road especially on intersections. This is to signal the vehicles from a given route to stop, go or get ready. But most traffic incidences can be observed on intersections because there are four opposing routes that goes in just one passage. One solution for this problem is the construction of a flyover that will facilitate a one pair of route. We know that there are four routes that want to pass an intersection, but in flyover, the four will be grouped into two making the four groups into two only. In this way, traffic will be minimized. And the last factor is the design of allocating different kinds of vehicles to behave in the street. There are public utility vehicle that transport public people from place to place. When loading or unloading their passengers, there must be a specific place where the driver can do these and not anywhere in the road (The Korea Transport Institute, 2006). The design of road just not only covers the physical or engineering aspect but more importantly are the laws that will favor the good flow of traffic and safety. These laws include, not allowing motorists to park their vehicles in the street. This will create a narrow road for the passage of other vehicles. There must be a strict enforcement so that motorists will obey traffic rules (TAC, 1999). ANALYSIS OF DATA After constructing the road and has the characteristics presented from the previous paragraphs, the next thing to do is to analyze the traffic condition. This is to determine whether the road achieved the main objective of this study which is to lessen traffic. For the data gathering, one must observed the road in terms of number of vehicles that was able to pass by on the road. The time of observation must include crunch time which is seven in the morning and five in the afternoon. The observation must be done everyday for one month. The data gathered must be compared to standard which determine whether traffic occur. FORMAT For the format of the result and discussion, the raw data must be presented first. In this part, some statistical analysis may be included to increase the reliability of the result of the study. The result and discussion part will include the data from the start of the study until the last day. There must be also a comparison between a road that was not constructed in accordance to the characteristics above and a road the followed all the factors above.

IBM Employees Welfare

IBM Employees Welfare Changes that have taken place in the organization IBM has been one of the companies that have been making good progress in the business world. This has been enabled by the strategies that the company has been taking in an effort to create a niche in the market. Operating in one of the emerging sectors in the world of ICT the company has been faced with competition in the market and therefore in the five years it has been carrying out critical evaluation of its operation procedure in order to come up with a more acceptable mode of operation that will help it to cut a niche in the market. (Clegg, 1999) As a result the company has engaged on changes in the workforce relations in order to create an effective working atmosphere for the employees. In this regard the company has realized that the most efficient way to create a competitive workforce only through massive investment in the employee. Employee can help an organization to create a competitive advantage in the market which may become difficult for other organization to replicate. Therefore one of the most important areas that the company has been investing on is in its employee. External influence in the organization In the last 10 years, there have been a lot of changes that have taken place in the organization which has been influenced by external factors. There have been several factors that have been influencing the changes in the organization that have been beyond the control of the organization. These changes have been emanating from the changes in the operation environment. One of the changes that have had a great impact on the industry has been the changes in the external environment. The landscape of technology has been changing and the company has not been left behind. The company has come up with several innovation that are likely to position it in the market in line with other competitors as we entered the new millennium the company came up with a new generation of servers which are all aimed at meeting the changing technology. This was also due to the changes in the demand for the underlying infrastructure that has been supporting e-business which has become the business model of the day. (IBM, 2008f) In the future the change in technology is likely to influence the operation of the company. Since it is operating in a field led by technology, the company is likely to make several changes in its operation in the future in a move that will position it in the market. Change in technology is the most probable external factor that will impact the operation of the organization. The changing concept of corporate social responsibility also had an impact on the company as it become more responsive to the needs of its consumers. As a result the company came up with various CSR activities which were aimed at improving the relationship with its employees. It put in place programs that would help it to respect it employees. The political environment was also changing and the company has to change with it. In this regard there were several rules and laws that were coming in place that were not there before. As a result the company had to adjust its operation and its workforce relations. There have been polices that have been put in place in order to give employees more rights and therefore the company has been forced to rhyme with the changes. Political a and legal changes in the further are likely to impact on the operations of the company in the future as the world moves to more converged world. There have also been environmental factors that have forced the company to enforce several changes in its operation in this regard there has been increasing attention that has been paid on the environment and therefore the company has been adjusting its operation in order to come up with policies that are expected to give respect to the environment. The company has been implementing several eco programs that are aimed at going with the demands on the changes in the environment. Internal influences There have also been several changes that have been implemented in the company in the last 10 years which have all been influenced by internal factors. Changes in the management have been one of the most important factors that have influenced several changes that have taken place in the company. The year 2000 marked a transition in the leadership of the company and it saw the coming of Samuel J Palmisano as the president and the chief operating offices and after two years, he was named the CEO of the company. This saw the exit of Lousi V. Gerstener who was the chairman of the company s up to 2002. The coming of the new CEO saw increase response to the environment factors and also a rise in the Corporate Social responsibility activities by the company. In 2003, the company also undertook an exercise to transfer more the 1,200 employee to IBM I a deal valued $1.1 billion from ABB. Human resources management factors has been another internal influences that has been causing a changing the in the organization. In this regard there have been several changes in the human resource management of the company that have resulted to other changes in its operation. Human resource issues have been given a priority in the organization in line with the changing human resources landscape in most organizations. In the future the human resources are expected to influence several other changes in the organization as well. The direction of the organization is the other factor that has been influencing changes in the organization. The company has come up with new growth strategies that are likely to position it in the changing global business environment and therefore it has carried out several other changes in its management and employee relationship. In next 10 years, the overall strategy of the organization is likely to lead to other several changes in the operation of the company. Employee relationship in IBM The company has come up with a human resource policy which has been integrated in it strategic growth strategy which has given the affairs of the employees a central place in the operation of the organization. As a result the company has been carrying out several strategies which are aimed at enhancing a good working relationship. The company has put in place several initiatives which are all aimed at ensuring that the employees are given their rights. The employee relationship has also been carried out as a part of the CSR activity of the organization. Therefore the company has set up human resource department that is concerned with the welfare of the employee. It has respected the rights of the employee to organization and all the managers have been given a notice on this issue as the most important factor in the human resource management strategy of the company. Therefore the company has been promoting an enabling environment for work in the company and has been encouraging direct communication with the employees. It has held a policy of promoting the welfare of the employees and maintaining a positive working relationship with the employees. There have also been effort that are aimed at fostering the development of the employees as one of the most important factor that can help the organization to come up with a competitive work force. (IBM, 2008d) The changing legal environment has had effects on the workforce relationship the organization. As the legal landscape changes, the company has been moving in line with these changes and therefore it has been putting in place measures that are aimed at ensuring that there is respect of the rights of the employees. It has been complying with the changes that have been taking place in the legal requirements worldwide in regard to the employee and involvement of a third party. (IBM, 2008e) Therefore the company has been putting in place measure that are aimed at ensuing that there is respect of the legal change and the environmental changes that have been taking place in regard to treatment of its employees. At the end of the 1990s the company put in place a policy that scrutinized all it employees even those on the supply chain with an aim of ensuring that there is respect of labor laws in the world. With his change there were several other changes that were made in the human resource department in order to make sure that the company was in line with the demand of the world labor laws. For example the company stopped its supply chain where there was suspicious of use of child labor and unfair treatment of employees. The evolution in technology has not left IBM employees in the cold. There have been several initiative that have been aimed at ensuring that employee share this revolution. Therefore the company has come up with portable computers like lap tops and other which are part of the ergonomics program which is aimed at ensuring the employees finds comfort in their work. Therefore the company has provided its employees with such advanced laptops in order to ensure that there is comfort and productivity for the employees. The company has been providing guidance which is aimed at helping the employees to assess their work environment and it has also been teaching them how to use these devices. It has been giving advanced training on its workforce on the use of these devices and giving them professional support to make it easier for them. These efforts have been directed towards making sure that employees have a good working environment. The ergonomics program was initiated at the turn of the millennium and was continued in 2004 with more focus on communication between employees. Through the use of remote and mobile gadgets, employees can even perform their normal office duties at the comfort of their homes. The company has continued investing in technology in order to enhance its relationship with its employees and in order to come up with a competent workforce. (IBM, 2008a) In line with the changing environment in political health care, the company has come up with incentives to health program which is aimed at ensuring the employee of the company have access to health facility. This was in line with the changing legal requirement of the company to take a more positive role partnership with the government on the health of their employees. Therefore the company has come up with programs that are aimed at ensuring that there is maximum observance of the health of the employees. In the United States the company has been offering Health Living Rebate program. It has also been carrying out several smoking cessation program that award employees who do not smoke with a $ 150 cash rebate. This program has helped to improve the health of its workforce. However the company has been criticized on it police to reduce pensions for the retirees. It has been shown the contribution of the company to the health of its retirees has been decreasing in the recent past. This follows the 2001 initiative which was aimed at cutting the pensions contribution of the company. (IBM, 2008b) The company has given the employee their freedom of association therefore they are allowed to join any union which they want like [emailprotected] This has been in sense of upholding the right of the individuals. This has been one of the most important steps that have helped to improve the relationship between the company and the employees. Currently the company enjoys a warm relationship with the employees. There has been no incidence of employee unrest in the organization. However there have been issues that have been expressed by the human resources department on the cutting of pension contribution by the company. But in general the relationship between the company and the employees is cordial. (IBM, 2008c) Recommendations There are several recommendations that the can be made to the organization in regard to its practice of human resource management. These recommendations are meant to improve the relationship between the organization and its employees. This is in realization that disgruntled employees is one of the worst arsenal that can attach the organization from within and which is likely to lead to underperformance of the word force. Therefore there is need for the organizations to come push for he implementation of the above recommendations. The most important the organist should look at now is the thorniest issue of the pension that has been a cause of dissatisfaction in the employees. Most employees and most workers union have expressed there concern about the way in which the company has been treating the employees especially on matters concerning the workforce and their pensions. Therefore the company should realize that one of the most important factors that it should currently look at is the way in which it will take care of its employee’s pension. The company has to carry out a review of it policy on the pension and come to an agreement with the demands of the employees. The issue of pension has been one of the thorniest issues in the world due to the response that way in which the government has been calling for partnership with the companies in meeting the medical cost of the retirees. It is shameful for any multinational company to have disgruntled retirese as this is likely to have an impact on the culture of the company. Once the retirees express their concerns on the way they have been treated by the company, there is likelihood of having other employee in the company who will also express their concerns which may affect the whole workforce. (Taggart, 2001) In its all branches in the world, the company has also been faced by a thorny issue of lying off its employees. In 2007, the company laid off 1315 workers in United States. There has been a concern with the way in which the company has been rewarding these employees for loss of their livelihood. As such there have been calls from the workers union for the company to make sure that it compensates all those who lose the jobs. There were many complains from the employees who argued that they were given a short notice before their dismissal from their jobs. Therefore it is recommended that the company gives it employees enough time in order to prepare them for any impending lay off. This would give the company credibility on human resource management issue and it will also help to have satisfied employees even if they are laid off. There has also been an issue in the way the company has been carrying out its recruitment. Though it has been working on the point of equity in recruitment there are concerns that have been realized that there are usually disparity in the workforce especially when it comes to the issue of gender balance in the workplace. It has been shown that the recruitment process in the company has also not given the youths enough chance to participate in the workforce and therefore there is a large proportion of the elderly workforce in the company that the young people. This is likely to have a negative impact not only on the society but also on the future of the company since there will always be a succession gap in the leadership and other sections of the company. Therefore it is recommended that the company should come up with a graduate recruitment process that will give young people more chance of participating in the development of the company. This would help the company to come up with a successive generation of workforces. (Hersh, 2000) There has also been an issue of motivation the workforce. Having motivated workforce is one of the most important factors that help an organization to increase its productivity and at the same time increase the productivity of the workforce. In this regard the company needs to come up with a clear program with will give ways in which it will motivate its workforce. The organization should come up with a more defined procedure which will be use to motivate the employee and reward them according to their performance. (Rupert, 2000) Conclusion Employee relation is an important aspect that helps an organization to create a competitive edge in the market. Most of the companies in the world have embarked on programs that are aimed at empowering their employees in order to have a competent workforce. IBM has also come up with several programs that are aimed at ensuring that the company cerates a competitive work force. In this regard it has taken several steps that have been aimed at addressing the welfare of the employees. In the last 10 years that have been many changes that have taken place in the organization that have been influenced by external and internal factors. External factors like the changes that have been taking place in technology have prompted the company to also integrate some technological aspect in the working process of its employees. Therefore it has come up with ergonomics to enhance the productivity the employees. The changes that have been taking place in the legal and political factors have also helped the company to make changes in the management of its workforce. In respect of human rights, the company has streamlined its operation to eliminate labor oppression like use of child labor, unfair working conditions and others not only in its plants but also in its supply chain. However there are some areas of concern that the company still needs to address as far as its relationship with employees is concerned. One of the most critical areas that it need to address is the area of pensions which as been one of the thorny issues in the company. There have been complaints on the way the company has reduced its level of contribution n to the welfare of the retirees. The company also needs to address the area of recruitment and rewarding of employees. References [emailprotected], (2008). IBM: Stop Pay Cuts. Retrieved from http://www.allianceibm.org/ on 9th May 2008 Clegg, S. (1999). Global human resource management issues. London: Sage Hersh, J. (2000). Globalization and social change in workforce. London: Rutledge IBM, (2008a): Employee well-being: Ergonomics. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/ergonomics.shtml on 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008b): Employee well-being: work/life balance. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/work-life-balance.shtmlon 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008c): Employee well-being: Incentives to health. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/incentives-to-health.shtmlon 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008d): Employee well-being: Promoting health and well-being. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/promoting-health.shtmlon 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008e): Employee well-being: Workforce Relations. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/people/wellbeing/workforce-relations.shtmlon 9th May 2008 IBM, (2008f): About IMB. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/ibm/us/en on 9th May 2008 Rupert, A. (2000). Globalization and employee relations; Routledge Taggart, J. (2001). Multinationals in a new era: international human resource strategy. London: Palgrave

Mercury Problems In Oil And Gas Industries Environmental Sciences Essay

Mercury Problems In Oil And Gas Industries Environmental Sciences Essay Mercury is a natural occurring element and could be present in various stages of oil and natural gas exploration, production and processing. Mercury is not only hazardous to human health and the environment but could also attack process equipment components that have mercury reactive materials, leading to potential catastrophic failure to the plant. The mercury associated with petroleum and natural gas production and processing enters the environment primarily via wastewater, solid waste streams, and air emissions. Wastewater originates in production and oil refining operations in the form of produced water and wastewater respectively. The solid wastes are also generated in production (e.g. drilling muds), transportation (e.g. sludge), and refining operations (e.g. spent mercury adsorbent. The primary opportunities for mercury emission to atmosphere include fuel combustion for process utilities and fugitive emissions from process equipment. Several approaches have been used to reduce mercury emissions from oil and gas production and processing which include mercury waste treatment, recycling and disposal. Mercury is considered as a serious toxic heavy metal to both humans and the ecosystem because of its high toxicity to the central nervous system and the tendency to bio-accumulate in a human body [1]. Mercury is a natural occurring element and could be presenting varying concentrations and of various species in oil and gas fields [2]. It is freely distributed throughout production, processing, transportation and consumption systems. Table 1 shows the range of variations of the mercury content in oil and gas [3]. Wilhelm and Bloom [4] reported that the concentration of mercury in crude oil and natural gas varies between 0.01 ppb and 10 ppm depending on the geologic location, which may exist in three different forms, namely elemental (Hgo), inorganic (HgCl2), organic ((CH3)2Hg), and organo-ionic (ClHgCH3) mercury compounds. Several mercury species shown in Table 2 were detected in natural gas, gas condensate and crude oil. The properties of mercury species are difference in terms of mobility, reactivity, toxicity and bioavaibility [5]. Table 1 Range of Mercury Content in Oil and Gas Fields in the World [3]. Component Mercury Concentration Oil 0.003 21 mg/kg Condensate Gas 0.01 . 10-6 14 000 . 10-6 g/m3 The existing mercury in oil and gas can cause problems during oil and gas exploration, processing and transportation. This mercury needs to be removed from oil and gas streams especially from natural gas, in order to get pure product as well as to protect the process equipment and catalyst used in the downstream processes. For instance, it may cause mechanical failure and gas leakage of cryogenic aluminium heat exchangers. The mercury in the natural gas can degrade the aluminium coldbox materials by three basic mechanisms [Wilhelm, 1994]: amalgamation with various metals (primarily Al, Au, Ag and Zn), amalgam corrosion, and also liquid metal embrittlement (LME) [Coade and Coldham, 2006; Wilhem, 1994]. Besides, reported by Phannenstiel [7], mercury is pointed as a caused of corrosion in gas-gathering system at Groningen field in Holland [8]. Table 2. Approximate Natural Abundance Mercury Compound in Natural Gas and Gas Condensate [2]. Mercury Element Natural Gas Gas Condensate Crude Oil Hg0 >50 of total mercury >50 of total mercury >50 of total mercury (CH3)2Hg HgCl2 Rarely detected (10-50) % (10-50) % HgS Rarely detected suspended suspended HgO Rarely detected Rarely detected Rarely detected CH3HgCl Rarely detected Mining activities such as exploration and processing could also generate mercury waste generate mercury waste in the form of produced water, refinery wastewater, drilling waste, and associated wastes. The mercury wastes need to be treated and disposed due to the environmental and safety considerations. The failure to monitor and control the existing mercury in oil and gas can caused contamination on process facilities and mercury emission to water, soil and atmosphere [U.S. EPA, 2001] Mercury Removal Process From Natural Gas Mercury removal systems are most often located at gas processing facilities that produce the feedstock materials for downstream chemical manufacturing plants. It is properly designed and operated, to make sure the removal systems can scavenge mercury from the feed gas and reduce the impact of mercury on downstream processes [2]. Table 3 summarizes several methods used for mercury removal in natural gas processing. All these methods have limitations that detract from their applicability to natural gas processing [El Ela et al., 2006; El Ela et al., 2008]. Table 3 Mercury Removal Systems for Natural Gas [Bingham, 1990; El Ela et al., 2008 ]. Method Comments Chemisorption on sulfur impregnated activated carbon Most used, cheap; disposal problems Adsorption on activated carbon Low saturation loading Chemisorption on iodine impregnated activated carbon Good for high mercury concentrations Adsorption by amalgamation with a metal: Silver impregnated alumina, silver zeolites, metal sulfides and metal oxides High investment costs, high removal capacity Acid absorption of mercury chromic acid and acidic permanganate Increased corrosivity, through system contamination, low saturations Oxidizing solutions permanganate, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium vanadates Regeneration problems, system contamination Chemical reaction with H2S Increased corrosivity, limited H2S access Condensation and separation Poor removal efficiency, liquid contamination Stripping through liquid hydrocarbons Poor removal efficiency, liquid contamination The basic requirements for successful mercury removal are economics of the process and the removal medium needs to be capable to reducing mercury concentrations to extremely low and acceptable levels. The medium must have a high capacity for an active bonding to mercury so that they can retain the mercury in a form that can be disposed. The examples of commercial mercury removal systems are shown in Figure 1 (c,d), where the Salam mercury removal system is the most efficient removal method ever reported [9]. It is loaded with 19 tons of catalysts PURASPEC Absorbent 1156 (pre-activated sulfide) [El Ela et al., 2008]. Figure 1 (a,b) shows the mercury removal unit located in Malaysia which is the successful systems used to remove mercury from raw condensate [Sainal et al., 2007]. Figure 1. Joint Delivery System (JDS) mercury removal system situated in Kerteh, Terengganu, Malaysia (a), Resak Delivery System (RDS) mercury removal system situated in Kerteh, Terengganu, Malaysia (b), Mercury removal unit at Salam gas processing plant (c), Vessel loading diagram of Salam mercury removal unit (d) [El Ela et al., 2008; Sainal et al., 2007 ] Mercury Waste Generation A wide variety of waste streams contains of mercury generates from oil and gas processing. The mercury in produced hydrocarbons may escape to the environment by several avenues which are generally categorized as wastewater, solid waste streams and air emissions. During exploration and processing, wastewater originates from the produced water, refinery wastewater, drilling waste, and associated wastes (Ahmadun et al., 2009; Frankiewicz et al., 2000; U.S. EPA 2001). Solid wastes are also generated in production (e.g. drilling muds), transportation, refining operations (Juvkam-Wold, 1976; U.S. EPA 2001). Air emissions originate from fuel combustion for process utilities and fugitive emissions in the process equipment (Wilhelm, 1999; U.S. EPA 2001. These are the possible avenues of mercury to be transferred from produced hydrocarbons to the environment (Mussig and Rothmann, 1997; US EPA, 2001). Table 4 shows a wide variety of waste streams that contain mercury generated in conjunction wi th petroleum production and processing (Wilhelm, 1999). Table 4 Petroleum Processing Mercury Waste Streams [Wilhelm, 1999]. Type Matrix Mercury Sludge Hg++ Hydrocarbon Hgo, XHgX, HgS Sludge Water HgS, Hg++ Cleaning Solutions Water Hg++ inorganic compounds Cleaning Solvents Hydrocarbon Solvent Hgo, XHgX Hg Sorbent Carbon, Sulfur HgS, S, Organic compounds. Hg Sorbent Metal Sulfide, Alumina Hgo, XHgX, HgS, Cu, Al2O3 Hg Sorbent Zeolite, Ag AgHg Hg Sorbent Carbon, KI HgI2 Dehydration Fluid Triethylene glycol Hgo, XHgX, Hg++ CO2 Removal Water Hgo, XHgX, Hg++ KCO3 Sour Gas Treatment DEA, TEA Hgo, XHgX, Hg++ amines Catalysts Metal Hg amalgam Filtration Material Clays, Fibers Hgo, XHgX, Hg++ Debris Hgo, XHgX Produced Water Generally, in oil and gas production operation one of the upstream activities involves a primary separation of water, gas and oil followed by treatment of the produced water for discharge or re-use. Produced water is the largest waste stream generated in association with oil and gas production operations which contains various organic and inorganic components. It originates from water that is trapped in permeable sedimentary rocks within the wellbore. The separated water is either disharged (to an ocean, lake or stream) or re-injecting back into rock formations from whence it originated [Hayward Gordon Ltd.; Gallup and Strong]. However, some of the produced water is fairly fresh and is readily re-used for specific purposes such as agricultural, industrial, or treated water use [Sullivan et al., 2004]. There are some major components containing in produced water such as hydrocarbons and organic compounds (e.g. oil, grease, benzene, dissolved organic compounds such as napthalene, toluene, phenanthrene, and pentacholorophenol), salts (e.g. chlorides and sulfides of Ca, Mg, and Na), metals (e.g. lead, chromium, nickel, barium, manganese, iron, strontium, zinc, silver, cadmium, lithium, copper, mercury, arsenic, selenium, and boron), radionuclides and production chemicals [Frankiewicz and Gerlach, 2000; Sumi, 2005]. Moreover, produced waters are typically more saline and have total solid dissolved concentrations from less 100 mg/l to over 300 000 mg/l compared to sea water [Stewart, 2008; U.S. EPA, 2001]. Research by United States Geological survey reported that conventional oil and gas wells produce produced water that increases over time [Sumi, 2005]. In some states in United States, surface discharges of produced water is allowed and is used for stock and watering an agriculture. However, it can be problematic to the environment due to its highly saline nature and contaminated with mercury. Neff [18] reported that, about 8 pounds per year of total mercury are discharged with produced water. The dominant forms of mercury available in produced water are suspended mercury sulfide (HgS) and elemental mercury (Hgo) [2,13]. Similar forms of mercury are also found in produced water associated with gas production in the Gulf of Thailand [Frankiewicz and Tussaneyakul, 1997]. A treatment process to remove mercury from produced water prior to overboard discharge has been developed consisting of a three-phase separator to remove the gas and also condensate [Gallup and Strong, ; Sullivan et al., 2004]. Refinery Wastewater Refinery wastewaters streams typically contain vary widely chemical compositions having a large volume of water (per barrel of oil processed). Moreover, it also contains many regulated organic and inorganic contaminants (soluble or insoluble form) that can restrict its use and disposal thereof. In refineries, wastewater that entering the water treatment system is a composite of water discharge from processing units with different types and functions. The water streams from process units, cooling water and leakage in the system may contain some contaminated hydrocarbons [Veenstra et al., 2008]. The amount of mercury in refinery wastewater cannot be stated in certainty because of very little information is availably reported. The refinery biological water treatment generates several mercury compounds with a wide range of concentrations. The amount less than 5 percent of the total mercury concentration exists as a monomethylmercury, less than 0.01 percent as a dialkylmercury, and less than 0.1 percent as elemental mercury. Moreover, in a range of 10 to 30 percent exits as suspended particulate mercury with less than 10 percent as a labile Hg2+ and between 60 and 90 as an organochelated Hg2+. Reported by Bloom and Falke [21] that the concentration of total mercury in effluents from sewage treatment facilities is in the range of 5 to 20 ng/L. Drilling Wastes The exploration for oil and gas produces the drilling wastes which primarily consist of extracted cuttings and drilling muds. During drilling process, the drilling muds (also termed fluids) which inject into the well bore are identified as the sources of toxic materials that may discharges into aquatic environment surrounding offshore drilling operations [2,22,23]. Drilling muds is generally a viscous, heavy fluid designed to perform a variety of functions such as to transport rock chips (cuttings) from the bottom of the well up and out of the well bore, where the cuttings are screened and removed, and the separated mud is re-used. In addition, the drilling muds act to cool the drill bit, to stabilize the wells walls during drilling process and to control formation fluids that may flow into the well [23]. Besides, it also functions to minimize reservoir damage and limits corrosion. Most drilling muds are engineered slurries made up from drilling fluids, liquid-based mud (such as water-based muds, oil-based muds and synthetic-based muds), barite (optional additives), low gravity solids and treatment chemicals (bentonite clay) [23,24]. The drilled formation cuttings and barite contribute to the existing mercury as a trace mineral in drilling discharges. The concentrations of mercury in barite ores can vary widely from as little as 0.05 ppm to as much as 31 ppm. Moreover, mercury in drilling discharges is completely made of inorganic mercury which is extremely insoluble in water and not readily converted into organic methylmercury. The methylation process, which bioconverted mercury to methylmercury is dependent on several variables including an anoxic environment, low pH, presence of organic materials, low salinity, and warm temperatures. Associated Wastes The process of producing, treating, storing and transporting of oil and gas generates low volumes of a variety of wastes such as sludges, cleaning fluids, process treatment fluids, spent catalysts, spent removal system sorbents, debris and soils [12]. These wastes commonly known as associated wastes which are produced less than 1% of total volume of waste generated by oil and gas exploration and production [2]. Sludge is a semi-solid material tends to aggregate with mixture of one and more liquids and suspended solids. In hydrocarbon processing facilities, sludges are removed from tanks and vessels during maintenance and inspection. Mercury in hydrocarbon sludge is usually higher than the process fluid in the process stream. Since mercury has higher solubility in higher molecular weight organic compounds, it tends to accumulate in the sludges and turn out to be contaminant [12]. Solid wastes such as spent materials (i.e. spent catalyst and spent adsorbents) contain a significant quantity of mercury. The catalysts used in oil refining and chemical manufacturing accumulate mercury during their operations. The spent adsorbent obtained from the separation system, which is designed to remove mercury from gas, liquid and condensate has very high mercury content. Mercury also exists and contaminates the solvent used to liquefy sludge deposit in the process equipment and in process treatment of fluids for dehydration and sweetening processes [12]. Mercury Emissions to Atmosphere Air pollution has been linked to a number of significant problems such as ozone depletion, global climate change, acid rain, environmental degradation, and health effects in humans, plants, and animals. It is created by a number of different of sources and exits in a number of different forms. The point sources in industrial activities include chemical plants, oil refineries, power plants, hazardous waste incinerators and, oil and gas processing. It was estimated that the annual mercury emissions from oil and gas industry to atmophere in US is about 6,300 kg/year [2]. In natural gas industry, the emissions of mercury to the atmosphere could be through a glycol-overhead-gas. In the dehydration process, absorption liquids like glycols are used to absorb water and also mercury. On the elevated temperature, the glycol is regenerated and mercury is evaporated together with water. Therefore, the glycol-overheads containing mercury are released directly to the atmosphere [11]. In oil refinery, volatile and particulate mercury emissions to the atmosphere are claimed to generate mostly from the fuel combustion that are used to fire refinery process heaters and some amount from fugitive emissions. The fuels also include mostly gas and coke [25]. In refinery processing, catalyst is regenerated by using gas and some of the catalyst collect mercury and released it when regenerated. The gas from regeneration process which may contain higher amount of mercury than other typical gas flares is sent to flare [2]. Mercury Contaminated Facilities Mercury enters into gas gathering and processing facilities through the feed gas, from instruments used to measure gas properties and in used-catalyst. Several problems occur due to the existing mercury during the restoration. Mercury contaminated on steel surfaces and creeps by adsorbs into the micro-crevices and pore, although the temperature and pressure are at below condensation and without forming amalgams [11]. The pigging operations of mercury contaminated pipelines can generate sludge and debris that have high in mercury content [11,12]. Furthermore, during maintenance and cleaning activities, spillage of mercury from instruments contaminates buildings and soil [11,12]. Mercury Waste Treatment, Recycling, And Disposal Due to the extreme threat of mercury pollution, several remediation technologies have been developed, aim to remove mercury from wastewaters, although some works have targeted for mercury removal in gas phase. Mercury removal systems that are now prevalent for many processes which employ to protect equipment and catalysts for such systems depend on their chemical properties and process location [10]. Moreover, mercury waste can be treated and disposed by recovery; physical and chemical treatments, incineration and thermal process. Physical, Chemical and Thermal Treatments Physical separation methods depend on elemental mercurys high density and surface tension. This could be achieved by allowing segregation process to taking place. In contrast, mercury compounds differ from elemental since it cannot be physically separated. One of the examples of physical treatment is by using filtration equipment which employs to remove solid mercury from the waste streams. Removal and segregate waste mercury through equipment decontamination, soil remediation, fluid decontamination or disposal sludge processing are accomplished by using chemical treatments, precipitation treatment for filtration and aqueous extraction treatment. In addition, the thermal process (refer to distillation process) is used to remove mercury from the most mercury-contaminated area of oil and gas industry [11,12,26]. Several treatment processes have been developed to remove contaminants (i.e. mercury) from produced water prior to overboard discharge. The treatment processes involved re-injecting produced water back into rock formations from whence it originated. Figure 2 shows the original water treatment process based upon a sequence of stages according to the influent oil and solid content [27]. The first stage is characterized by a de-oiling unit, where water leaves the bottom of the separator and passes through desanding and de-oiling hydrocyclones. The water then enters the chemical treatment process followed by addition of an oxidant (NaOCl), ferric ions and a flocculant sequentially to form a floatable sludge consisting of ferric hydroxide, chemisorbed mercury, ferri-arsenate, and hydrocarbons (known as flotation units). The oxidation-reduction potential of the water is controlled by oxidant addition to allow Hg in elemental form [15,16]. There are several commercial processes available to prevent the mercury contamination at processing facilities. Table 5 summarizes the mercury removal systems for hydrocarbons and water which involve adsorption, chemical precipitation, ion exchange, iron cementation, membranes separation, and activated carbon adsorption [12]. Figure 2 Typical Produced Water Treatment [27] Recycling and Restoration The recovery process known as recycling or reuse method which involve a common process such as gravity separation, filtration, distillation, solvent, and chemical regeneration [28]. Physical methods could be neutralization, precipitation or separation and detoxification (chemical). Equipment decontamination is accomplished using chemical cleaning solutions that selectively oxidize complex elemental mercury deposits. These cleaning solutions consist of aqueous base solution having iodine as a complexing agent and organic solution (alcohol). In the case of incineration, the mercury contaminated waste is burnt at medium or high temperatures. For soil, sludge and debris must be thermally processed to remove mercury. The thermal process uses a vacuum, inert gas, or air as a carrier medium. However, if air is used, sulfur existed in matrix is converted to SO2 and hydrocarbons are oxidized to CO2 and H2O. Anaerobic thermal systems employ selective condensation and/or adsorption to separate sulfur and hydrocarbons from mercury. Spent adsorbent materials are also thermally processed using strictly anaerobic conditions to avoid exothermal reaction involving carbon [12,28]. As described above, mercury contamination can be preventing by using appropriate treatment processes. However, at the end of life cycle of gas installations, it may remain abandoned and need to be restored. For steel factories, scrap materials (i.e. tubings, flowlines, and facilities contaminated mercury) were cleaned before scrapping and added to steel production. Therefore, in European steel factories, the steel has to be cleaned or re-melting if the mercury contamination exceeds 2 to 10 mg per kg steel. In other cases, there are some processes available to clean mercury contaminated in pipelines and equipment such as sand blasting, high pressure water jetting, chemical process, milling techniques and also thermal treatment. Besides, the restoration or intermediate remediation of soil contaminated area is available with several soil cleaning methods [11]. Table 5 Mercury Removal Systems for Hydrocarbons and Water [12]. Method Process Comments Adsorption (Activated carbon, Sulfur, iodine impregnated carbon ) Mercury (Hgo) physically adsorbs and reacts to form non-volatile mercuric sulfide. Low saturation loading. Most used cheap, disposal problems. Prevalent wet collection To bubble gas (contain Hg) through permanganate solution. All Hg species convert to mercuric ion. Accurate, reasonably sensitive, increased corrosivity. Sulfide precipitation Sulfide reacts with ionic forms of Hg to form the insoluble mercuric sulfide and separated by filtration Increased corrosivity Ion exchange To remove ionic Hg from some waste streams. Regeneration problems, system contamination. Reverse osmosis treatment (semi-permeable membranes) Produce a clear permeate and a concentrate containing mercury Effective in treating specialized water streams Iron cementation (metal replacement process) Dissolved mercury cemented in a active metal (Zn or iron) Carried out in acid solution Disposal and Storage Waste materials that contain mercury need to be identified and characterized. They must be treated prior to disposal to avoid the long-term liabilities of burial or storage. Practically, all the mercury and contaminated materials should be accounted and collected because of the potential impacts of mercury into the environments. Removal of mercury from complex mixtures can be accomplished by combination of physical, chemical, immobilization, thermal, electrolytic and in-situ vitrification treatment methods. Sludge is one of the more difficult waste materials to process for treatment and disposal due to the existing of hydrocarbon in the matrix of sludge [12,28]. In the case of drilling fluid, it is often disposed of when a well is completed, and fresh fluid is used for any adjacent wells. Filtration processes have allowed drilling fluid to be reconditioned, so that it can be used for multiple wells before being discarded. Other possible uses for used drilling fluids are to plug-in the productive wells or to spud in new wells. Reuse of oil-based and synthetic-based drilling fluids to drill additional wells is common because of the high cost of the base fluids [29]. Mercury Emission Regulations Mercury is released through emissions from manufacturing, use or disposal activities. Environmental laws and regulations have been introduced by various regulatory bodies in order to protect the environment. Several specific laws such as Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008 and Mercury-Containing and Rechargable Battery Management Act of 1996 have been subjected related to mercury. In the case of environmental statutes such as Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA has the responsibility to develop regulations to control some mercury emissions to air, water, or from wastes and products. The stringent regulations were recommended to set an upper-bound limit on the amount of mercury for any facilities. Besides, it is require for every power plant in the country to adopt the maximum available control technologies (MACT). The possible approaches of these MACT are to achieve the reduction in mercury emissions by setting the uniform emissions limits for existing facilities and more restrictive limits for new ones; and the mandatory emissions reductions with an emissions credit trading system. Concluding Remarks Mercury is often present in oil and gas with various concentration and species. Mercury is toxic to both human health and the environment. It also leads to the potential of plant failure. Mercury emissions from oil and gas exploration, production, and processing into the environment could be via wastewater (produced water, refinery wastewater), solid waste (drilling waste, refinery waste) and contaminated facilities. The mercury emissions to atmosphere originate from gas processing plant, flared gas refineries, and fuel burning for process utilities. To minimize the amount of mercury emissions, several techniques for monitoring and removal of mercury have been developed. These include segregation, treatment, recovery, and disposal of mercury waste in the process. In treatment process, it involves physical, thermal, and chemical processes to remove the contaminated mercury. The waste materials that contain mercury are usually treated to remove mercury prior to the disposal and storage . Concluding Remarks The financial support from the MOSTI under the e-Science Research Program (Project No. 03-01-06-SF0464) is gratefully acknowledged. Amin-Nejad S., Smith J.S., and Lucas.J (2003). A Visual Servoing System for Edge Trimming of Fabric Embroideries by Laser. Journal of Mechatronics, Pergamon Press, New York. ISSN 0957-4158. 13(6): pp533-551.

Performers in Eighteenth Century British Theatre :: European Europe History

Performers in Eighteenth Century British Theatre Eighteenth century British theatre was perhaps the starting point that would evolve into modern theatre. Women started to be allowed on stage and acting techniques were beginning to change. Leading performers were like celebrities with a number of fans. Theatre was an intricate part of the social ladder. In the overall scheme of things the actors and actresses played an important part in making the theatre what it was. Without the performers there wouldn’t really be theatre, so in order to understand the eighteenth century British theatre the performers of that era need to be understood. The social standing of actors and actresses in the late eighteenth century was mostly understood to be of the lower class but they were not always treated so. "Many performers, furthermore, were received everywhere with cordiality and respect. Several of them made marriages with persons of distinction;" (Hogan, cxx). A problem that would often occur to dampen a performer's social standing would be the result of a character they played. People of the audience would often hold the performer accountable for the faults of their character. "For an actress to portray an adulteress was not only immodest, but it would almost certainly induce her to become one in reality; of an actor profligacy and immorality were his chief characteristics;" (Hogan, cxx). In a season that could involve 200 nights of performances over 100 plays may be produced (Hogan, ciii). With this in mind many actors and actresses would need to be available to play a great number of parts. For example, "in 1794-95 Quick's first appearance was on 24 September, his last on 25 May. This is a period of 177 nights, out of which he acted on 149, in 47 different parts" (Hogan, cii). With such an abundance of parts to be learned and understood performers had to develop a system to remember everything. There is no exact detailed system to how performers did this than just completely taking time to focus on the part. Hogan provides an example from Michael Kelly‘s Reminiscences that is perfect in showing the focus and discipline performers had to have. â€Å"Previous to the opening of the newly constructed Drury lane in the spring of 1794 its acting manager. John Philip Kemble, must clearly have had his mind occupied with countless details: the superintendence of a large crew of house servants and workmen, of finances, of advertising, of preparing a spectacular revival of Macbeth.

Bats :: essays research papers

Bats Contents 1. Title Page Page... 1 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Contents  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Page... 2 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bat Facts Page... 3-4 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Congress Ave. Bridge Page... 5-6 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How To Get A Bat Out Of Your House Page... 6 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About Bat Houses  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Page... 7 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Page... 8+   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My report is on bats. I will start my story off by telling you some facts about bats. Bat Facts 1. Did you know that the worlds smallest mammal is a Bumblebee bat that lives in Thailand. It weighs less than a penny! 2. Vampire bats adopt orphan pups (the name for a baby bat) and have been known to risk their lives to share food with the less fortunate. 3. The African Heart-Nosed bat can hear the footsteps of a beetle walking on sand from a distance of over six feet! 4. The giant Flying Fox bat from Indonesia has a wing span of six feet! 5. Disk-winged bats of Latin America have adhesive disks on both feet that enable them to live in unfurling banana leaves (or even walk up a window pane). 6. Nearly 1,000 kinds of bats account for almost a quarter of all mammal species, and most are highly beneficial. 7. Worldwide, bats are the most important natural enemies of night- flying insects! 8. A single brown bat can catch over 600 mosquitoes in just one hour! 9. Tropical bats are key elements in rain forest ecosystems which rely on them to pollinate flowers and disperse seeds for countless trees and shrubs. 10. Bat droppings in caves support whole ecosystems of unique organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents, and producing gasohol and antibiotics. 11. More than 50% of American bat species are in severe decline or already listed as endangered. Losses are occurring at alarming rates worldwide. 12. All mammals can contract rabies; however, even the less than half of one percent of bats that do, normally bite only in self- defense and pose little threat to people who do not handle them. 13. An anticoagulant from Vampire bat saliva may soon be used to treat human heart patients. 14. Contrary to popular misconception, bats are not blind, do not become entangled in human hair, and seldom transmit disease to other animals or humans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well, enough with the facts. I think that should get you ready for the rest of my essay.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Austin, Texas Congress Ave. Bridge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Bit Of History.......   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Engineers reconstructed downtown Austin's Congress Bridge in 1980, they had no idea that the new crevices beneath the bridge would make an ideal bat roost. Although bats had lived in Austin for years, it was headline news when they suddenly began moving by the thousands under the bridge.

Graduation Speech: Go Where There is No Path -- Graduation Speech, Com

My fellow classmates, the magic word today is commencement. This is the big finale to a hectic, overwhelming yet no doubt unforgettable four years at County High School. Robert Frost once said: "The best way out is always through," and similarly we have also learned in our math classes that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. There will always be an infinite number of paths we can take to arrive at a desired destination. Yet, the decision we make to continue looking ahead, instead of behind or around, is ultimately what determines how quickly we will get there. As seniors, we have successfully traveled "through," and though our paths have not all been identical, they have indeed taken us to the same place, our graduation. In retrospect, high school will fondly be looked upon as a time of memories or a time of discovery. Yet, when it's a gorgeous day in June and one happens to be a student plagued with a severe case of senioritis, "Show me to the nearest exit" "Get me outta here!" is a little more accurate. Whatever you may be feeling right now, I'm sure...