Activity-Based Costing (ABC) in Service Industries Case Study

Activity-Based Costing (ABC) in Service Industries - Case Study Example Most of the companies always have the door to door service after purchasing a product from their organization. This is always a relief of the transportation issue as some commodities are always bulky and difficult to transport. The online shopping is always time convenient and a customer can get a good or service at any time he or she orders as the organizations always operate in 24 hours (Anderson & Young, 2001). Another important factor that consumers always like in the e-commerce organizations or rather the online shopping is due to the fact that there are always a variety of commodities and services at different prices thus every customer will always get an opportunity of selecting what he or she desires at a price affordable to the consumer. The BlueFly incorporation is one of the top online businesses in the United States of America. It is known for its great sales of designer shoes and accessories for both men and women within the United State and internationally (Innes & Mitchell, 2010). It is widely known for its best services thus it always sells greatly across all nations. The Company experiences high sales since it offers its customers with a perfect and superior shopping experience by providing value and a high level of customer service that creates loyalty in the customers. The BlueFly incorporation is always using one of the modern technologies available thus it has developed electronic commerce innovations such as personalization of shopping services and the browse and search features are easy to use making even the illiterate customers able to use. Doing shopping at the BlueFly incorporation is always absolutely fast and safe as there are systems of simple procedures, the credit transactions are very secure plus a convenient communication of customers through their e-mail addresses and the shipping of bulky goods is also done directly without any inconveniences

Major fire or explosion at an industrial production, transportation, Research Paper

Major fire or explosion at an industrial production, transportation, or storage facility. I have picked the phillips disaster of 1989 - Research Paper Example The explosive force is said to be 2.4 tons of TNT triggered by unidentified source of ignition. The ignition sources could be catalyst activator, forklift, welding or cutting-torch equipments or the electrical gear in the control rooms or in the finishing building. The debris spewed to a distance as far as six miles and seismographic data revealed the explosion at 3 to 4 on the Richter scale. The main explosion was followed by another explosion within 15 minutes when two huge isobutene storage tanks exploded. In all, there were six more explosions at the site (Bethea, Robert). The initial explosion caused the death of 23 persons which included 21 employees from the Phillips and two were from contractors maintenance team. All fatalities occurred within 250 ft of the initial gas point of release (Bethea, Robert). 2. Phillipss operating procedure mentioned that the pipes that supply air to the valve actuator should not be connected during the time of maintenance; however, that was not the case as it could be connected during maintenance. 3. The air supply valves were in the open position to allow the air flow making the actuator to rotate the Demco valve as soon as the hoses were connected. The valve lockout system was not such that it could prevent someone from opening the Demco valve during maintenance of the plant. (Bethea, Robert) b) The lockout device was taken out from the Demco with the air supply reconnected and the block valve was in open state with the leg closed which was subsequently opened to the atmosphere without Demco valve relocked (Bethea, Robert). The site had no fixed gas detection system though it held huge quantity of inflammable material under high pressure. This prevented early warning signals of gas leak or release (Health and Safety Executive). In an attempt to douse the fire, firewater was taken from the

Mary Kay Ashs Essay Example for Free

Mary Kay Ashs Essay Story By phoebe Mary Kay Ash was a famous American businesswoman and the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics. She started her business with a small investment of $5000 in 1963, and soon became one of the most successful business women of her time. Mary Kay Ash was born on 12th May, 1918 in Hot Wells, Harris County, Texas. Her childhood experiences shaped the future of this visionary woman, and with a significant impact to the American history. Due to the illness of her father, her mother worked for 14 hours a day at a local food restaurant to take care of the family, while Mary Kay looked after her father along since she was young. Her mother always put the â€Å"you can do it† spirit in the young Mary’s mind. One time, Mary Kay’s mother went to work and she needed to take care of the illness father at home alone, she had to decoct medicine herbs for her father but she didn’t how to do it. So she called her mother to teach her step by step on the phone, but little Mary Kay was afraid, but her mother said to her gently †you can do it † . Finally, she did it. Since then, this sentence has inspired her when she encountered difficulties. When she was only seventeen years old, she married Ben Rogers then soon had three children, while her husband went to serve in World War II; she took the job of direct selling of books. Due to her amazing marketing skills, she earned an amazing $25,000 in just six months. While Mary Kay was enjoying her professional success, things at the personal front weren’t that smooth. Her husband was killed on the battlefield, and left her with three children. After her divorce, Mary Kay took up a job with Stanley Home Products, a direct sales firm. She became very successful in selling home care products but didn’t get enough recognition for her work. Her supervisors not only didn’t appreciate her work but also never raise her salaries. However, if a man did what she has done, somehow he can get an award. The inequality between men and women are very obvious in her workplace. So finally she resigned after worked very hard for 25 years in the firm, at the same time she learned a very important lesson of her life that men could not believe that a woman can be successful in business. Mary Kay turned her attention to writing a book, which eventually changed the course of her life and became a plan for her dream company that had innovative marketing plan for women. But her accountant said that she will close down if you start to open it. It’s impossible, She has seen many of these cases that many people went bankrupt within six month. But Mary Kay never heard of it, she believed that she can do it well. In 1963, with an investment of $5000, only a 500 sq. feet store in Dallas, Texas, Mary Kay and her nine zealous beauty consultant started the Mary Kay Cosmetics Company; it was a direct cosmetic products selling company. In the first year of operation, they made a staggering profit of $200,000. In the two years time, Mary Kay Company was selling products worth one million dollars. By this time, the company she created had become a worldwide enterprise with representatives in more than 30 markets. She applied the strategy of giving incentives over good work and started by giving pink Cadillac to the top salespersons of the year. The other incentives included diamond jewelry, bumblebee pins, and 5-star vacations. This strategy really worked and became one of the reasons for company’s success over the years. If you want, do it, you can, this is her famous wisdom and realized the dream for women and a better life of abundance with heart. She also published three best-selling books during her lifetime. Her book, â€Å"Mary Kay on People Management†, another best seller was included in the business courses at Harvard Business School. Mary Kay received many honors and awards during and after her lifetime. In 1976, she received the Hall of fame Award from Direct Selling Association. Two years after that, in 1978, she got the Cosmetic Career Woman of the Year Award from the Cosmetics Career Women, Inc. The same year she received the Horatio Alger Distinguished American Citizen Award from Horatio Alger Association and so on. Mary Kay Ash passed away on 22nd Nov, 2001. She was buried in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas. She is the greatest women I paid my full respect to her. She gives women the courage to fulfill our dream not only in Mary Kay Company but also another business sectors and proved that not only men can be successful in business but also women can be. Yes, she did it. It’s a very good piece of work, the detail information are very clear. But it will be a good idea to give one or two more examples on how she relate idea of â€Å"you can do it† in her later successful business life.

The Freedom Of Media Media Essay

The Freedom Of Media Media Essay This study seeks to explore the state of Freedom of Media during the Musharraf regime, the developments , achievements and then the restrictions imposed by the President are also intended to be analyzed. During the nine years of Musharraf regime media have gone through various critical and crucial phases. The progress of mass media, the freedom, the laws to curb the media, technological developments are some big phases the Musharraf government is associated with. This study is descriptive in nature and looks at certain political developments as predictors of media freedom. Political decisions that made people of Pakistan prosper or suffer and to what extent. The relationship between different institutions of the society and their effects on each other is studied, the structural-functional theory that suggests society works as whole on the basis of different institutions that are its structures performing their specific functions shows that media is one of these institutions .Mass media are the focus of this research it is hoped that it will be a little contribution towards the media development process, strains, achievements adding to the media history of Pakistan. Introduction Mass media are mirror of the society depicting the political environment and making discourses on the issues of significance. mass media can be defined as: The methods and organisations used by specialist social groups to convey messages to large, socially mixed and widely dispersed audiences (Haralambos et al., 2000, p935) In The German Ideology (1846), Marx asserts that the ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class. Applying this to Marxism, the media are the means by which the ideas of the ruling class maintain their dominance as the ruling ideas (Haralambos Holborn, 2000, p937). The Marxist view was dominant in Britain and Europe from the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s, and is still used in modern research. Although less dominant now, Marxism still affects much media research. In studying the relationship between media and government, the most important role of the media is its ability to perform a watchdog role, monitoring and criticizing government behavior because when the media performs this function it is able to act as a forum for political debate regardless of other limitationson its freedom. In his press freedom index, Van Belle (2000) focuses on the ability of the news media to criticize the government and thereby serve as an arena for political competition. This more narrow definition of media independence is aimed more at the function and practices of the media. While the political, legal, economic, and professional environments each play a role in the capability of the media to serve as a watchdog and an arena for political competition. Mass media are a structural and functional unit of the society .Every society constitutes several institutions that work together to make the system functional and stable . These social institutions are known as social structures and the work performed by them are called social functions in the structural functional theory . This theory was developed from 1930 to 1960 in the United States by Comte, Herbert Spencer and Durkheim . According to Marxist media analysis, media institutions are regarded as being locked into the power structure, and consequently as acting largely in tandem with the dominant institutions in society. The media thus reproduced the viewpoints of dominant institutions not as one among a number of alternative perspectives, but as the central and obvious or natural perspective (Curran et al. 1982: 21). According to adherents of Marxist political economy, in the mass media there is a tendency to avoid the unpopular and unconventional and to draw on values and assumptions which are most valuable and most widely legitimated (Murdock Golding 1977: 37, cited in Curran et al. 1982: 26). Similarly, some Marxist commentators have contended that media portrayals of elections constitute dramatized rituals that legitimate the power structure in liberal democracies; voting is seen as an ideological practice that helps to sustain the myth of representative democracy, political equality and collective self-determination. The impact of election coverage is thus conceived in terms of reinforcing political values that are widely shared in Western democracies and are actively endorsed by the education system, the principal political organizations and the apparatus of the state (Curran et al. 1982: 15). Alex de Tocqueville(1988,p517) once said only a newspaper can put the same thought at the same time before a thousand readers. In this century the same can be said about television, radio and internet which can provide information to million people simultaneously across the globe .Due to this power of mass media governments try to control media and influence media content in their own interest and sometimes in national interest. Media freedom around the world is different ,developed countries have a better state of media freedom than developing and under developed countries.Research shows that media freedom has relationship with other factors too. Media freedom is directly related to economy , technological advancement ensures media freedom similarly polity is a major reason behind curbing media freedom In the Marxist fundamentalist tradition, political economists see ideology as subordinate to the economic base (Curran et al. 1982: 26). Work by Graham Murdock (Murdock Golding, 1977; Murdock, 1982) represents the critical political economy approach, locating the power of media in the economic processes and structures of media production. Ownership and economic control of the media is seen as the key factor in determining control of media messages. .Education and religion are also factors that influence freedom of mass media. The effects of media freedom on economy and polity is evident from the the scenario in the African country Swaziland . It is a developing country where the system of government includes a king and a prime minister along with the cabinet . The government of Swaziland like many others in Africa has declared many times that the Swazi press is free with no attempt to gag or intimidate journalists. However, there has never been a specific free press clause in the Swazi constitution. In the article The politics of press freedom and the national economy Matt Mogekwu mentions the fact that the Swazi Government and the media-especially the independent media do not appear to be working in concert towards development. The patron-client relationship that seems to exist between them has elicited some degree of resentment on the part of the press that has manifested itself in the kind of confrontational stance taken by the press over the past couple of years. The journalists write as if to dare the government. This is unhealthy for the country in its dysfunctional consequences. There are progressive groups who oppose the system that is against the basic principles of modern democracy and fosters authoritarianism. They argue that the system discourages freedom of expression and limits the peoples contribution to policy decision making. The world outside picks up all of these pieces of information about continued discontent in Swaziland. There is an obvious effect of media government relation in Swaziland on its econmy the writer says in his article that The King, as Head of State, makes a number of overseas trips each year to woo investors. But the dividends from these trips are hardly ever significant. The picture that the King presents to the outside world hardly coincides with the picture created by the press. The differential interpretations of political philosophies and activities among groups in the country or between the government and the governed leads to a climate of fear that is felt outside. The Kings many trips overseas in search of investors w ill come to nothing if there is any dissonance in the minds of the potential investors regarding the investment climate in the country. The media play a crucial role in establishing this climate. Attempts at controlling parameters of (political) debate have serious consequences here. Form and substance and comparative freedom of public communication will be influenced by political news. The writer concludes Press freedom has become a very important political issue in Swaziland.In general, the government appears reluctant to hasten the process of democratization both in the area of communication and the general area of governance, thus creating problems for itself. The media need information to function and when they are denied this, they can react in several ways, one of which is being critical of government and its policies and help paint an unfavourable picture of the country to the outside world. The country thus has to suffer in many aspects . The issue of technological development with respect to media freedom is discussed by an author,In her article on New media and freedom of expression in Asia Ariel Heryanto of The university of Melbourne says about new media technologies that the global technological change that the west has helped propel forward has given more favorable effects to less modernized parts of Asia the reason for this relate to both technology and social factors. She adds In a sense world history can be seen as history of changes in media technology. The spread of radically new medium of communication always threatens existing power structures and hierarchies, and helps create new ones. Lawson (2002, 139) found that in Mexico, media openness led to increased coverage, first by the niche media and then by more mainstream media, of government corruption and state-sponsored repression: The discovery that Mexican audiences devoured scandalous information only encouraged greater reporting of incendiary and shocking events. For media owners, scandals sold newspapers and boosted ratings; for reporters, they helped make careers and satisfied personal desires to participate in a new kind of journalistic enterprise that would expose the failings of authoritarian rule. Market forces and journalistic norms thus encouraged Mexicos media to expose spectacular instances of government abuse. Political scientist Karl Deutsch has called that the system of communication proves a nerve of polityand any breakdown of the nerve may cause dysfunctional impact in the performance of the plity causing governance decay. In America the publics right to know is one of the central principles of American society. They determined long ago that the power of knowledge should be in the hands of people .The constitution of the United States became law in 1971 . The first amendment says that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech , or of the press The government leaves it to people to settle issues with the mass media .Laws made in America at later stages have been all to give more freedom to media unlike Pakistan , where laws meant direct curb on media freedom. Few press laws are in force in the U.S. because of this broad constitutional protection of press freedom and analogous provisions in the constitutions of the 50 states. Existing laws tend to provide additional protections in categories not covered by the Constitution. The Privacy Act of 1974, for example, regulates the collection and dissemination of personal information contained in the files of federal agencies; the Privacy Protection Act of 1980 establishes protection from police searches of newsrooms. Additional examples include federal and state Freedom of Information and sunshine laws (such as the 1966 federal Freedom of Information Act) which opens up executive-branch records to public and press scrutiny. Similarly Britain is also very friendly to the media and respect the fact that democratic states have free media . There are no laws to stop the publication of accurate information as far as they are accurate and comments are free for anyone who wants to comment on any issue they want. Britain has also developed a strongly liberal democratic concept of freedom of expression, which emphasis the special role of the media and the particular importance of freedom of the press. The media therefore have a powerful weapon to use in challenging legal restrictions on the investigation and publication of matters of public interest but the right to freedom of the press in Britain must always be balanced against other rights and interests. The need to protect national security and public order and the rights of individuals to privacy and reputation will often outweigh the publics interest in knowing certain information. The balancing of rights and interests is common to all legal systems. However, a liberal democratic concept of freedom of expression demands that the government shows that its restrictions on the media are both necessary and as limited as possible. Pakistan is a developing state and the mass media have not been very free until the Musharraf regime, it was the time when technological boom took birth in Pakistan giving a new life to mass media. Pakistan has struggled through an entangled and unstable political system. Pakistan has had three periods of military rule that alternated with democracy rule, interval between them being approximately ten years. Military regimes were from 1958-71, Ayub regime was the first military regime then it was Zia-ul-huaq from 1977-1988 and last was the Musharraff regime from 1999-2008. Democratic regimes did not last for long therefore democracy had no time to get its roots strong. The various military regimes were very much interested in controlling the media, the most effective tool the media that was used to curb media freedom by them were media laws to reign it. Ayub khan was the first one to promulgate media laws in the country. He promulgates the press and publication ordinance (PPO) in 1962. This law empowered the authorities to confiscate newspaper, arrest and torture journalists and close down news agencies. Using these laws Ayub khan took over one of the two largest news agencies and nationalized the press. By these actions other agencies were pushed into severe crisis and they were forced to get help financially from the government as they had no other choice. TV and radio were also under the control of government due to their financial weakness. In the Zia regime (PPO) Press and Publication Ordinance was again made additions to in the 1980s. According to the amendments, the prosecuted if a story was not liked or approved by the authorities it was not published even it would have been true. In the past our media was dependent on the government because , revenue came from government advertisements and subsidies. The state owned channels was therefore was totally controlled by the government, freedom to speak or broadcast anything against the ruling party was a taboo. It was not even thinkable to produce programs in which analysts and critics could discuss various moves and decisions of the government. Media earned very little from the private sector because it had a small volume. But with changing media environment many national and international organizations have become source of big revenues giving economic strength to media, enabling it to be independent this financial independence have given the media independence in thought and action nowadays this freedom of thought is visible in editorial and content independence. 1999 was not a good year for the press of Pakistan. even for democracy it was not a good time, as on october 12 the Pakistani Army took the government from the Prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif. This happened because Nawaz sharif attempted to dismiss Chief of Army staff Gneral Pervez Musharraf. In the begining of year 1999, The Nawaz sharif government tried to sub-due one of the largest media groups Jang. Journalists were punished who had cooperated in the BBCs production, a documentary investigating the corruption about the family and its business. these acts totally showed the acts of government to intimidate , harass and punish the press. but they were out to public within Pakistan and abroad as well. PPF Report by Owais Aslam(reference) Even the media was apparently enjoying freedom the inner story was quite different, the freedom given to media, allowing humorous criticism and open talk shows , critics speaking of their views , the military dictator carefully created perception of free media this helped him market himself and made it possible to sustain his regime as long as nine years. This study includes the strategies and events that were against the constitution and public wish, which were main reasons to tarnish the concept of democracy . Musharraf was swept in office with 98 percent of the official tally in April 2002 referendum but that referendum presented voters with no opponents and the following ballot question : Do u want to elect President Musharraf for the next five years for the survival of local government system , restoration of democracy, continuity and stability of reforms , eradication of extremism and sectarianism and for the accomplishment of Quaid e Azam ( i.e Pakistans founder Mouhammad Ali Jinnahs ) concept. The decisions made by Musharraf were not much appraised by the people from small decisions like day time saving scheme to the change in the constitution. DOMESTIC PROBLEMS OF MUSHARRAF: ELECTIONS 2002 Many judges resigned in protest when Musharrad assumed power . He cleverly got the Oath of judges order 2000 issued so that the judges take fresh oath and give their written word on not taking any action against the military. On May 12 , 2000 , Supreme court gave the order of holding national elections , which took place in 2001. Musharraf wanted to legitimize his Presidency and to keep it under the pressure of democracy he held referendum on April 30, 2002 to extend his term to five years since he was enjoying the office very much. He was aware of irregularities in the referendum , thus apologized from the nation on television. LFO Legal framework order was passed by Musharraf in August 2002 it provided for the general elections of 2002 and the revival of constitution of 1973 but with many ammendments. A part of this order of was rejected by supreme court. SUSPENSION OF CHIEF JUSTICE Pervez Musharraf suspended the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on th 9th of March 2007. There was corruption charges against him and a reference was filed against him. Then Justice Javed Iqbal became the acting chief justice. The suspension of the chief Justice became one of the major harvoc for Musharraf that pushed him in becoming unpopular and resulted in ending of his regime. In the nine years regime Musharraf and Pakistan have gone through various phases , the phase of Musharraf regime that faced the Judicial crisis is worth noticing as it led to his downfall. JUDICIAL ACTIVISM Musharrafs move to suspend the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry sparked protests among Pakistan lawyers. On March 12 , 2007 lawyers started Judicial activism across Pakistan . They bycotted all court procedures in protest against the suspension. slowly the expression of support for the chief justice gained momentum and by May the huge rallies against Musharraf and his regime as Army chief was challen DECLERATION OF EMERGENCY Nov, 3, 2007, Black Saturday will go down as another day in our history. Emergency was imposed only to forget two institutions 1 .Judiciary 2. Media Chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, who took the seat after Justice Ifthikar Choudhry was dismissed, was pro Musharraf, so on 24 Nov, 2007, a seven larger bench of the supreme court under him directed the election commissioner and the government to declare Pervez Musharraf president for a second term by December 1, and said that he shall relinquish the office of chief of army staff (COAS) before taking oath, as president the supreme court also accepted the provisional constitutional order and validated the declared emergency. He was justified by the court to qualify for the election, constitutionally. Thus the target of general Musharraf was achieved safely to get re-elected with both the offices in his hand. Curbs on media were imposed by amendments in two ordinances. These ordinances bar them from printing or broadcasting anything which defames or brings into ridicule the head of state or executive legislative or judicial organ of the state Restraints have also been put on the media for printing or broadcasting material that is likely jeopardize or be prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or any material that is likely to incite violence or hatred or create inter- faith disorder or be prejudicial to maintenance of law and order. Curbs for the electronic media were more than the print. Musharraf attempted to gag cyber space but was futile, minute by minute information about raids, arrests, of journalists, activists, and lawyers. ppf report 1999 by Owais Aslam Mass media around the world were already progressing and flourishing on healthy pace but it was Pakistan among those countries where media was the property of the Government. it was the mouthpiece of the ruling party and in case of providing entertainment, no policies or efforts were made by the state owned channel to compete with the outer world. entertainment was possible for those only who had Dish antennae, recievers, decoders etc. Although Zia was a dictator, a millitary person but he was an Islamist .Zia ruled Pakistan from 1977 to 1988 but that was a period when Pakistan underwent Islamisation. it became a secular nation-state, which was the original vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. now the state religion of Pakistan is Islam but its people are divided due to cultural clash between liberal and religious forces. witht the passage of time and changing governments it has become Presidential Federal democratic republic. Unlike Zia General Pervez Musharraf had a philosophy of enlightment in every area of life. in case of religion he had the view of enlightened Islam even wanted the Pakistani nation to follow the path of modernization under the label of his philosophy of enlightment. Similarly media was benefitted by this enlightment, it broadened the media scene in Pakistan. Pervez Musharraf had a liberal policy for media development that led to explosion of channels and private investors to jump in the show. It was quite a favour by Gneral Pervez Musharraf that his government gave and implemented the Deregulation policy and privately owned commercial media flourished and nourished the nation, mentally. Now the 24 hrs news and entertainment channels are the buddy and need of many people. The availability of information, news and entertainment channels have proved to play a catalytic role for social change and national development. Musharraf practiced the idea of Media democracy and tolerate the biased sections of media successfully for quite a time period but later when his regime was in danger and he could not justify his deeds he started curbing the freedom of media, that already was given by him. Editors were gaged, newschannels were banned. Most analysts and journalists (including Mir Khalil ur Rehman, founder of Pakistans largest media conglomerate) attribute this freedom to President General Pervez Musharrafs regime. He, for the first time, removed almost all curbs from the then strangled media groups. Most people count this as the now-deposed dictators biggest gift to Pakistan during his tenure. It is ironic, of course, that the same media he worked so hard to free was the one that was finally instrumental in having him exiled from the country. Objective of the study: This study aims to find the extent and reality about freedom that media enjoyed in the Musharraf regime. This study will also analyze the relationship between government (polity) economy, technological advancement and media freedom As stated in the earlier chapters, many studies have been conducted around the world regarding media freedom. Mostly media freedom was studied in advanced developed countries but in developing countries the studies are few. In case of Pakistan, Pakistan media is in its infancy specially the electronic media but developing very fast. In the past all media were under strict control of the government, instead of being watchdog it was called the mouthpiece of the ruling party. In all military regimes the media was under strict check by the government but in Musharraf regime the media scene started to change and he introduced a free environment to all the media. This freedom from the start till the end is covered in this study. Hopefully this will be a useful study to see the changes that media went through in Musharraf regime. These changes, and advancements will be important to evaluate and study for future researchers of the field as it is important to record the development stages of Pakistan media into a proper mature institution

Water Pollution Must Be Stopped :: Environmental Pollution Essays

Water pollution must be stopped. Pollution of lakes rivers, streams, and oceans has been killing land and water animals for years. Polluting water is a horrible act and will be stopped. Water pollution kills all kinds of animals every year. Just the EXXON VALDEZ oil spill near anchorage Alaska caused over 3,000 otters to die 36,000 different kinds of seabirds were killed and over 100 eagles. Oil spills are one of--if not the worst types of pollution. They happen most often in the ocean and then get spread around by tides and currents where they enter streams and rivers and cover everything. They kill life and pollute more in a short amount of time than pesticides and human waste combined in about 1 year. (See graph on page 2 for more inf.) Radioactive Waste is a very serious problem polluting the lakes and oceans. Submarines release some radioactivity into the water. If a submarine ever crashed enough radioactivity would be released to destroy a region of about 300 sq. miles (this happens because of the nuclear engines) Human waste is when people dump their.... deification in the water and have sewer lines leading to water which also pollutes a lot (little streams lead to big lakes). Human waste is also when we dump garbage in the ocean because we cannot find places on land to dump it. Some more types of pollution are.. Infectious Gases, Plant nutrients that can simulate growth of aquatic plants which then interfere with water uses and, when decaying, deplete the dissolved oxygen and produce nasty odors. Exotic organic chemicals including: pesticides, various industrial products, detergents. petroleum, inorganic materials, nuclear power plants, industrial sites, medical and scientific use of radioactive materials. Water pollution was originally caused by need of space (to dump trash). I can say that the major sources (in general) that cause water pollution are: Municipal, Agricultural, and Industrial. The dumping of garbage was caused by the lack of space in landfills. Instead of recycling some people started dumping the trash in the water, that slowed in 1956 when the Federal Water Pollution Control Act was created. It slowed almost to a halt in 1977 when the Clean Water Act was created. But, it still happens. Company's still dump waste in the ocean, streams, and rivers even though it is against the law. Eventually water pollution will cause there to be no life in the ocean, lakes, and rivers.

national Guard Essay -- essays research papers

What is The Pennsylvania Army National Guard? The Pennsylvania Army National Guard is a branch of the United States Army that is mostly used today for homeland security. Although the National Guard is not active like the Reserves or Active Duty Army, they still have the same requirements and same responsibility. More than 22,000 men and women make up the Pennsylvania National Guard and Air National Guard today. They reach from state quarters at Fort Indian Town Gap in Lebanon County to about 100 comunities in the commonwealth. Like all National Guard members they share the same responsibilities. For their federal mission, they are trained and equipped to join the active forces in the time of war or a national emergency. For their state mission, they respond to the orders of the governor, protecting the lives and property of people during man made and natural disasters. Their role extends further than floods, blizzards, and riots, everyday they work to clean up the enviorment, fighting to get rid of drugs and other illegal t hings on the streets, and they serve as role models to generations to come. With the National Guard today you can earn extra money for college, learn job skills that you can use out of the service, and feel better about yourself by serving your hometown and country. History of the National Guard The history of the Army National Guard began on December 13, 1636 when the Massachusetts Bay Colony organized three militia regiments to defend against the growing threat of the Pequot Indians. Patterned after the English Militia systems, all males between 16 and 60 Kessler 2 were obligated to own arms and take part in the defense of the community. The National Guard continues its historic mission of providing defense of the nation. The National Guard also fought many battles in the 20th century. The first war they were in during the 20th century was World War 1. From the streets of Harlem and other New York City neighborhoods came the African-American National... ...the advance into Iraq. Armed with the Multiple-Launch Rocket System, the Field Artillery men of this battalion provided accurate and devastating fire throughout the entire campaign. The rockets were so deadly; the Iraqi soldiers called them "steel rain." Today the Guard continues its vital peacekeeping effort in Southwest Asia. What it takes to be in the National Guard There are many requirements to be in the Army National Guard. The National Guard has physical, academic, and legal requirements that you must pass to join. You must first be in good physical shape and not have any major handicaps. The minimum age to join the National Guard is 17 years of age and a high school junior. If you are under the age of 18 you must have your parents consent. If you are not in high school you must have a high school diploma or GED. You must also score a high enough score on the ASVAB test. When you get your score you will be contacted by a recruiter to see what kind of job you want and can get by your score. You must also be a citizen of the United States and if you are an alien then you cannot get a job in the Army that requires a security clearance.

Character Sketch †Cephalus from Plato’ S Republic Essay

Choose one of the three main characters from Book One of Plato’s Republic (Cephalus, Polemarchus or Thrasymachus). Write a character sketch that shows how the personality, social status, life situation and position affect the views the character holds about life and about the virtue of justice. Include the definition of justice for the character you are describing. In book one, we are introduced to four main characters: Socrates, Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus. Republic takes place in the home of Cephalus and Polemarchus, in the Piraeus. Cephalus is a elderly and financially secure merchant and businessman. He lives his life in moderation, he doesn’t over-reach and try to become too wealthy, and was also not a fan of excessive spending. He certainly wouldn’t approve of the credit card debts that many Americans have. But thanks to his financial security, Cephalus has a comfortable life in old age. By living his life in moderation, the transition to an elderly lifestyle has not been shocking or depressing. Cephalus will admit that these are not his Golden Years, per say – it’s certainly not the greatest period in his life, but thanks to that moderation, he finds the old age to not be as much of a burden as his friends do. His friends are depressed and woeful of their age. They miss the lifestyle that they had in their youth. Because of their age, they can no longer partake in the things they thought made them happy – sex, drugs, rock and roll, essentially. Cephalus has a simple idea of justice. Though he never goes to describe it himself, we can pull some context from his discussion with Socrates to fill in the details. Cephalus is an honest man, and as we said, he lives his life in moderation in all aspects. He doesn’t strive for unlimited wealth, but still values that wealth he has, and likely behaves ethically and morally for that reason. Cephalus keeps his desires at bay – he works hard, and he enjoys himself, but always manages to hold onto most of his money. The problem is, it seems to Socrates to be easier to live a ‘just’ and moderate life, because of the wealth that Cephalus possesses. Because Cephalus values wealth, he seems to put a heavy emphasis on the repayment of debts (and avoidance of debt in the first place as well) in his ideal of justice. He feels that if he can go to his next life not owing anyone a penny, it will lift a burden on his soul, in a metaphysical sense. A peace of mind comes with not lying or engaging in deception – which is easier to maintain when wealthy and not faced with problems (like, for example, feeding and clothing your family – some people will do anything when they are seemingly backed into a corner). Thanks to wealth, Cephalus is (at least in his own point of view) able to live a life without lies, without deception, and without debts.