Our House free essay sample

Every day, when I clamber off the school bus and walk the five minutes to my newly painted yellow house, I have approximately one hour of quiet to begin my homework. An hour later, while I am wrestling with a math equation, I hear the familiar sound of voices and country music rising from downstairs. Each song plays for just a few seconds before it is skipped. As I enter our kitchen I hear Ben attempting to open the front door, pushing extra hard due to a stray shoe wedged in the gap between door and floor. â€Å"Ezra, come put your shoe away,† I call in the direction of the room where fiddle music is blaring unashamedly. Once the shoe has been taken care of, Ben proudly tells me how much milk each cow produced today: â€Å"Stella 15 pounds, Talia 10, and Artemis just five.† He milks them himself by hand on our small farm. We will write a custom essay sample on Our House or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He runs off, remembering something. I start setting the table when, in a flash, Ben returns, clutching a letter addressed to me. â€Å"Alya, you have mail. Who’s it from? Do you think they will send me a postcard too?† My four siblings, my parents, and I share our home with seven others. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between them and my family. I was born in Germany. When I was two my parents moved to England to join a community of people who live and work with young adults with disabilities. Three years ago we moved to a similar place called Triform Camphill Community near Hudson, New York. Ben and Ezra are in their early twenties and have learning disabilities. Slowly, the house begins to fill. Alex, Peter, and Laurie join us, and when our two volunteers from Chile and Germany come, it gets quite rowdy. I grew up alongside people perceived as different, but to me they are totally normal. No one can make me laugh as hard as Ezra, no one can describe as eloquently and precisely what is bothering him as Alex, no one gives me comforting advice like Laurie, and no one can rock a costume at Halloween like Peter. On average I am asked more than a hundred questions every day by my extended family, many of which I do not know the answers to. I am peppered from morning to night, but mostly I enjoy the time with my extended siblings. Before every college visit Ezra asks me, â€Å"Alya, do you think I should come along college visiting with you? I know the dean, and I swear he’ll accept you!† The questions can get repetitive, the constant noise and activity exhausting, but there is no place I’d rather be. Every year Triform’s bell choir drives down to New York City to perform at a fundraising event. This past year I went to help. The ride was just like driving in my school bus, with the same arguments and occasional yelps. We arrived and set up, nervous but patiently waiting in concert dress, the bell ringers wearing white gloves. Soon it was our turn and all became quiet in the hall. The curtain rose. Bells ringing and singing voices filled the room. I looked at the faces in the audience and almost everyone was dabbing at their eyes or smiling from ear to ear. We were all overcoming our limitations, creating something beautiful together in that moment. I felt so lucky. The feeling that I saw on the audience’s faces – I get to experience that feeling in our house every day.

Understanding the Darkness of Writer Edgar Allan Poe

Understanding the Darkness of Writer Edgar Allan Poe When trying to get into the mind and works of 19th century American writer Edgar Allan Poe, it is important to first consider his biographical implications – his life experiences – which the influence the work of all artists. His darker works, like the short stories â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† as well as his famous poem â€Å"Annabel Lee,† all deal with death, sickness, the grotesque, the macabre, even insanity. He is a subject studied by many literary scholars, mostly due to his deeply impressionable and penetrating works that are still read and discussed at length today. One can examine Poe’s life experiences, as well as his obsessions and fears, to better understand the meaning behind his most famous works. He experienced death and loss throughout his life, starting from a young age with the untimely death of his mother just a short time after Poe’s father abandoned the family. Also, years later, his young wife, Virginia Poe, died at the age of 24 due to Tuberculosis. Quite naturally, these horrific events had a definite impact on his life and how he related to people, got close to them, and how he saw the life experience, and this naturally seeped into his creative life: his famous writings. Very little of Poe’s life was pleasant, it seems. After achieving literary success with his famous poem â€Å"The Raven† in 1845, Poe – then 36 years of age – seemed to head downhill. He became a literary celebrity quite young, only to die a few years later a broken, ill, lonely and pathetic man on a rainy, empty street one night in Baltimore, Maryland. He was just 40 years of age. Poe was thought to be a drunk, a womanizer, drug addict and a madman. His life was, unfortunately, one of pain, heartache, and suffering – mostly due to the loss of many of his dearest loved ones. Take a look at his most popular works. They are filled with death and horror, tales and stories that even today demonstrate the work of an insane man – maybe even a brilliant one, both of which are often hard to distinguish in Poe’s works. His poem â€Å"Annabel Lee,† tells of a young couple so deeply in love that even the angels in Heaven were envious. They marry but she ultimately falls ill and is taken away from him, she dies too young, and the narrator is left with the cruel memory of the powerful love they shared. This tragic, though famous, poem is evidently the result of losing his young bride, Virginia. It follows the exact same storyline of Poe’s life, and the famous poem was published just a few years after the untimely death of his young bride. This theme of loss, death, and pain runs in other Poe works, as well. In examining â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† his famous, horrific short story, the reader sees the other side of Poe’s dark tendencies. This time, instead of a person losing a loved one, the narrator becomes â€Å"mad† and plays God himself: he kills another person in cold blood because the narrator is obsessed with the man’s frightening â€Å"vulture† eye. Nothing in Poe’s life provides any insight as to this particular tale and this particular indication of mental illness, but one can point to his assumed madness and depression in order to further understand exactly why Poe wrote it. Perhaps he enjoyed the thought of taking the life of another perhaps because God took the life of his closest loved ones. It may have been a revenge fantasy or a defense mechanism. To conclude, writer Edgar Allan Poe was a dark soul who wrote even darker works of English literature. More than 150 years after his death, Poe is still talked about and highly read in classrooms all across the world. In just a short life, he accomplished so much. And it should be acknowledged that he was at least able to turn such a painful experiences into beautiful works of art. His legacy will endure as long as people experience pain and suffering.

Week Six Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week Six Question - Essay Example (Watkins, 2004) One of the key reasons as to why founding fathers of America refused to consider paper money as a legal tender was the unrestrained use and possession of this money thus causing damage to the society. Since paper money was not backed by the real physical assets therefore its issuance and circulation was considered as morally damaging for the society as a whole. Apart from this, the issuance of paper money by some States has created widespread inflationary pressures on the economy. The case of Rhodes Island is considered as an ideal case wherein Rhodes Island not only issued the currency but also passed legislation that if anyone refuses to accept this as a legal tender, he or she may be fined for $100. The uncontrolled use of paper money also became detrimental for the trade in Rhodes Island. This experiment created a widespread dissent among those responsible for development of a unanimously agreed constitution of the country. (Newcomer, 1986) It is important to note that the US Constitution only prohibits States from issuing paper money but it is relatively silent on the powers of the federal government to issue fiat money. It is however, critical to note that US has started to issue paper money much before even the constitution was adapted in the country. The necessary and proper clause in the constitution also gave powers to the federal government to actually pass any law which may be considered as necessary. (Feeley & Rubin, 2008). The constitutional convention also gave silent powers to the federal government to actually issue paper money but it suggested restraining from inserting an explicit clause in the constitution to allow the issuance of paper money in the country. The current system of issuing currency notes in the country therefore also points out to this constitutional issue as US Mint is responsible for issuance of coins in limited numbers where Fed has been

Not a paper 4 questions in statistics Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Not a 4 questions in statistics - Research Paper Example According to the sample data. It will not be correct to say featured crimes are likely to be cleared by arrests. One might confuse that many featured crimes are cleared by simple arrests if he or she literary looks at the ps ratios. However, it is pertinent that one looks at the denominator through which the ratios get obtained. According to those statistics, as much as the featured crimes may portray a great figure, the denominator through which they get obtained is not the same as that of non-crime line crimes. Therefore it is not likely that featured crimes will get cleared through arrests. According the five step model, the level of interactivity between the liberal arts students and that of the other students is inverse, although the average figures may suggest otherwise. The liberal Arts major students interact more with the information in the books given that they are just bus a fraction of the students, yet able to achieve an average close to that of other

Discuss the problems created by high stakes testing, and give testing Essay

Discuss the problems created by high stakes testing, and give testing alternatives - Essay Example These controversies bring about the concept that people, students in particular, are not being tested with the knowledge that they actually know, therefore being graded unfairly. One of the biggest controversies over high-stakes testing is that the creators of the exams seem to be under the mindset that every student sitting the exam has had the same educational experience. For example, the test may make mention of a specific book, yet is done so without the thought that perhaps not every student has read that book. The majority of high-stakes testing are formed with the assumption that everybody should have the same knowledge when, in reality, not every school, or every teacher, follows the same curriculum as the rest of them. Furthermore, students may not have the knowledge through no fault of their own. Not every student is given an equal opportunity to learn the material that will be present on the test. Another issue that can go hand-in-hand with the previously mentioned problem is that high-stakes testing does not correctly measure the knowledge or skills of the individual. The tests tend to focus on specific subjects such as, as aforementioned, a specific book while claiming to see how well a student has been able to grasp English. Instead of focusing on a broader subject that many students may have learned, the creators of these tests seem to want to focus more on narrower subjects that there is a good chance that few students have learned. While the student may understand the concepts, they are unable to use this unread book to help them solve the answers. These tests seem to be measuring more what someone does not know rather than what they do. A third contention in regard to high-stakes testing is that these tests are attached to questionable rewards, such as high school diplomas. As previously mentioned, it is not always the case in which the students are at

Service brokerage: Learning disability services

Service brokerage: Learning disability services Service Brokerage Explore the role of models of commissioning such as service brokerage and direct payments in the provision of services for people with a learning difficulty/disability This essay will discuss how service brokerage helps in the provision of services for people with a learning disability, by starting with commissioning in relation to services. Followed by an explain on how personalisation is about giving people the power and responsibility to choose what services they want and control over how they are delivered. Subsequently describing service brokerage and how it would help people with learning disabilities. The term Commissioning is described as a process of assessing how a persons need is to be met, through priorities and choices, and allocation of resources. Once this stage has been achieved decisions are made on how services will be delivered, planned and developed by monitoring and evaluating the delivery and effectiveness of services. All the stages in the commissioning process are interlinked and dependent on each other to ensure the best outcome for people. In recent years, the Government has publicised a number of initiatives that would change the way that services for learning disabled people are planned, commissioned and provided, to ensure that learning disabled people have greater choice and control over their lives through personalisation. Personalisation is a moderately new term and has generated different thoughts on what it will mean and how it will work in practice. The idea of personalisation has become central to the Governments policy on social care reform in helping people to become empowered by shaping their own lives and the services they receive (Cabinet Office, 2007, Building on Progress: Public Services).The Government White Paper Our health, our care, our say (2006) gives details of the Governments vision to create real changes, by allowing people more choice and greater access to both health and social care services. This transformation of social care and the personalisation agenda is reinforced in the Governments strategy Putting People First (Department of Health White Paper, 2007). Personalisation reinforces the idea the individual knows best what they need and how those needs can be best met. This allows people to be responsible for themselves and can make their own decisions about what they require, but that they should also have information and support to enable them to do so. In this way services should respond to the individual instead of the person having to fit with the service. Brokerage is a way in which people with learning disabilities can be helped to navigate the social care system. Support planning and brokerage is likely to be of benefit to anyone who receives social care funding, those people who privately pay for their own care, people who are looking for unpaid informal support as well as people who use other sources of funding to assist with leading their lives the way they want to Brokers provide information, advice and technical assistance to develop, cost, negotiate, implement and mediate PLANS as required by individuals. Salisbury B. and Webb P. (2003) Service brokerage was developed in 1978 in British Columbia, by The Woodlands Parents Group, a body of parents who were concerned about the lack of quality of life their children were experiencing in an institutionalized setting. They established a voluntary, community-based brokerage agency called the Community Living Society (CLS). The society was authorised to act as a planning and linkage medium, enabling individuals with learning disabilities (and their families) to navigate what seemed to be a difficult system; to empower decision-making control in identifying and acquiring services that would enable them to live more dignified and self-determining lives in their own communities. It has since been developed and refined and adopted by projects in the United States and a few in the UK, as service brokerage in Britain has until now been the interest of a select few policy makers and academics. However, some schemes do not entirely follow the Canadian model; and, equally, some schemes which are not called service brokerage may integrate the main features. Whilst the language of brokerage may appear new, the functions of brokerage are not and many people will have been receiving this sort of support as part of their existing support arrangements. Therefore this can make Service brokerage a term that can be used to mean many different things to many different people. The role of the broker is: an intermediary who arranges a contract between a purchaser and provider of services. However, in the term of provision of services to people with learning disabilities, the role of the broker has developed to have a wider scope. While the role has been accepted in principle by the government, the details remain undecided in policy, and the cause of much debate and confusion. In that various functions of brokerage could be carried out by a variety of different personal supporters to the individual, as support staff employed by service providers, local authorities can perform brokerage tasks. Because of the roles that support brokers play, the decisions that they make on behalf of the individuals they support can lead to conflicts of interest. Therefore, ideally an independent professional should be the best option to provide support brokerage to people with learning disabilities, i.e. free from accountability or loyalties to the council authorities or service providers, so that they are able to focus on the requirements of the person they are assisting. The independent broker would be directed by the customer and accountable to him/her and working only for their best interests. The broker may also have to work with the family or personal circle of supporters, whilst recognising that the family especially may have conflicting interests to those of the individual. As a broker s/he should remain focused on the aims of the individual and work to their direction; at the same time, it will be important to maintain respectful contact with others concerned and to mediate and negotiate resolution of any conflict. Freedom from conflict of interest and accountability to the individual establishes a good basis for trust. The brokers ethical standards must ensure that they operate within the limits agreed by the individual and within appropriate boundaries of the role and that the relationship is free of any exploitation or abuse. Although working independently, the broker will be able to be more effective if seen by all as competent and trustworthy. People who become brokers (or offer brokerage support) will need to become expert information gatherers and interpreters (CSIP. 2007:11) A support broker is trained to co-ordinate the process of organizing and maintaining a support package for an individual, By supporting individuals make informed choices about their care needs and choosing what services support that best fits those needs, including arranging complex care packages, service finding, service arranging, short term enabling community support and signposting Brokerage can be provided by people who are specifically trained and employed as brokers or by members of the individuals family or friends who may not be paid to undertake the role. The National Brokerage Network promotes a training package, which includes reflective practice and an ongoing commitment from the broker that continual self development is expected. In addition to this a mentoring and supervision programme is also promoted. The National Brokerage Network an authoritative voice for the development of brokerage in the UK, will take a lead role in lobbying politicians and policy makers with the views of the support broker movement and hopes to provide strong leadership and guidance in the development of the growing network. However service brokerage does have its limitations, in that service users have never heard of it. This is mainly due to organisations that represented service users, not being made aware of brokerage or being provided inadequate information about how it worked. Meaning most organisations did not see it as a priority. Service brokerage was meant to increase empowerment for service users, however the lack of promotion in the United Kingdom has left service users excluded and not empowered. Yet other organisations that represent people with learning disabilities are opposed to service brokerage, viewing it as foreign import that has no place in the United Kingdom or in the plans for helping people with disabilities lead an independent life. There is a danger that professionals will take over the role of broker in brokerage, employed by service providers or local authorities, this can lead to a conflict of interests when planning for people with learning disabilities. Brokerage does have good points when it comes to helping in the provision of services for people with learning disabilities, in that a broker is directed by the person with learning disabilities to carry out the tasks necessary for greater control and choice in their lives. In situations where a person may have no informal network of support, a broker can provide the support to carry out the brokerage tasks. An independent broker who is not employed by a service provider or by local authority is outside of the perceived conflict of interests i.e. connection to resources and or the provision of services, and therefore in a better position to give advice, support and implement plans. Brokers are in a good to position to navigate the provider market and see what is available, how the services can be provided and developed and respond to the individuals requirements. The development of brokers can lead to a wealth of local expertise of both support services and/or community resources If brokerage is to achieve its aims, the following key points will require attention or further exploration: brokerage needs to be clearly defined and explained so that the function is understood by people who may need to use brokerage services. Brokerage needs to be advertised to the general public as well as to people with learning disabilities, as many people have never heard of service brokerage or know of its existence. Brokerage allows for personalisation of services for someone with a learning disability, as the person can choose what services they want and how they would like them, this helps the learning disabled person have control over their life and chose how they would like to live their life from day to day. This allows people to be responsible for themselves and can make their own decisions about what they require, the broker provides the information and support to enable them to do. Brokerage is a way in which people with learning disabilities can be helped to navigate the social care system.As Support Brokerage is a key element that enables Personal Budgets and Self Directed Support to work. 3 References Salisbury B. and Webb P. (2003) Service brokers parameters of best practice San Diego. commissioning http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/about/chamber/default.asp?Nav=ReportReportID=9195 http://www.thecbf.org.uk/planning-future/england/knowhelp.htm Self-Directed Support: The role of Support Brokerage within Individual Budgets. Jan 2007. CSIP. Accessed on 23 February 2010 from www.networks.csip.org.uk/personalisationbrokerageadviceandinformationsupport http://www.nationalbrokeragenetwork.org.uk/information.html http://moneycarer.org.uk/articles/articles/29/1/Support-Brokerage-For-Care-Services/Page1.html http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/socserv_adultcommld 3

Comparing Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market and William Wordsworth’s T

Comparing Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market and William Wordsworth’s The Thorn On the surface, the poems â€Å"Goblin Market† by Christina Rossetti and â€Å"The Thorn† by William Wordsworth appear to be very different literary works. â€Å"Goblin Market† was written by a young woman in the Victorian period about two sisters who develop a special bond through the rescue of one sister by the other. â€Å"The Thorn† was written by the Romantic poet William Wordsworth about a middle-aged man and his experience overlooking a woman’s emotional breakdown. Material to understanding the works â€Å"Goblin Market† and â€Å"The Thorn† is recognizing the common underlying themes of sex and gender and how these themes affect perspective in both poems. In Christina Rossetti’s â€Å"Goblin Market,† the main foci are on feminism and the oppression of women by men. The first part of Rossetti’s message is given through her thoughts on feminism, which is surely a major theme in this poem. For instance, the two main characters, Laura and Lizzie, reside free of any positive male interaction. Considering Rossetti’s background as part of Victorian society, the conclusion can be made that Rossetti longed for a place where she could be free of masculine overbearance. Even so, she understood the impossibility of any such personally ideal world. The poem illustrates this realization by including the Goblin men, who seem to haunt the female characters. The Goblin men’s low-pitched cries follow the girls. Laura and Lizzie constantly hear the goblins in the forest: â€Å"†¦Morning and evening / Maids heard the goblins cry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rossetti, 1713.) Even while the characters were a lone or in the exclusive presence of women, the presence of the Goblin men exist... ...seful miscommunication between men and women. Lastly, when looking through the imagined perspective of the thoughtless male tricksters, the reader is shown the heartlessness of men. After this reader’s final consideration, the main theme in each of the presented poems is that both authors saw women as victims of a male dominated society. Works Cited: Jackson, Geoffrey. â€Å"Moral Dimensions of ‘The Thorn.’† Wordsworth Circle. 10 (1979): 91-96. Mermin, Dorothy. â€Å"Heroic Sisterhood in ‘Goblin Market.’† Victorian Poetry. 21 (1983): 107-118. Rossetti, Christina. â€Å"Goblin Market.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. 2B. Ed. David Damrosch, et al. New York: Longman, 1999. 1712-1724. Wordsworth, William. â€Å"The Thorn.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. 2B. Ed. David Damrosch, et al. New York: Longman, 1999. 319-325.

How the Prologue in Romeo and Juliet Prepares the Audience for the Play Essay

The prologue to Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ prepares the audience by making a short summary of the play so it gets the audience thinking about what the story is about. The prologue is a sonnet which is a 14 line poem, it is also known as an english, elizabethan sonnet which contains 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet. A sonnet is usually a love poem and that is exactly what ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is about. The first quatrain of the sonnet is about the feud and conflict between the two families. Both of the families have the same status ‘ both alike in dignity’ but they seem to be holding a ‘grudge’ against each other, we aren’t told what causes the hate within the two houses but it is there and drags the households into fights this is particulaly shown in line 4 ‘where civil blood make civil hands unclean’ the word ‘blood’ is meaning that death and injuries occur due to the feud the families have. ‘Civil’ is meant to mean poliet or fair which is a bit ironic since there isn’t any politeness. The second quatrain is about the lovers, Romeo and Juliet, and their deaths. ‘From forth the fatal loins of these two foes’ this line is saying that the two household enemies have produced a pair of lovers, this is mainly emphasised in the phrase ‘ fatal loins’ this implies that these being in love is deadly and they are also involved with the feud of their parents. It also means that their fate has been decided and that death will be their destiny. The second line ‘A pair of star cross’d lovers take their life† this is implying that the stars which is meaning their destinies, since they believed that stars told their destiny like horoscopes, so being star cross’d lovers means that their destinies are entwined but they are also against each other due to the feud. The last line of the second quatrain ‘doth with their death bury their parents’ strife’ this shows that in order to end the feud the deaths of Romeo and Juliet seem to take affect on their parents. The next quatrain is about both love and hate. The first line ‘The fearful passage of their death-marked love’ this means that all the events that they go through will lead them them to their destinies of death. The second line says that their parents anger is something that isn’t easy to take away but in the next line ‘which but their children’s end, nought could remove’ this means that the only thing they can’t stop is their children’s death and it was caused by their hatred to one another. The last line ‘is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage’ this implies that the events that they have mentioned will now take place on the stage by the actors. The rhyming couplet is the last to lines of the sonnet. ‘The which, if you with patient ears attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.’ These two lines are now directed to the audience and that now they are going to show them the play if they are willing to stay. The phrase ‘patient ears attend’ show that because they are on a stage they don’t usually use scenery so you have to listen and use their imagination to help what is happening. In conclusion the prologue to Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ prepare the audience for the play by mentioning the key facts to the play so they know what to expect when that particular event is being performed also it helps to explain the parts of the play which seem to be a mystery like the parents hatred, the audience would not know that the two families are meant to be sharing the same status just that there are two groups who don’t like each other. It also prepares the audience like a warning saying that death will occur in the play as well as love and hatred.

Chemical Control vs Biological Control Essays

Chemical Control vs Biological Control Essays Chemical Control vs Biological Control Essay Chemical Control vs Biological Control Essay Chemical Control Chemical pesticides are substances that are manufactured in laboratories that, when applied to crops, reduce the vitality of pest populations while leaving crops unharmed. There are many chemicals available to help eradicate common pests in a number of ways. Chemical controls can kill pests that come in contact with the chemical (toxicants), eliminate the reproductive potential of pests (sterilants), disrupt their developmental potential (growth regulators) or influence their behaviour (semiochemicals). Most of these chemical controls are fast acting and effective. Biological Control Biological control methods employ the use of living organisms such as predators, parasites and pathogens to control the populations of pests on agricultural crops. Biological control agents can be bred and reared in large numbers and then released into infected crops to reduce the populations of pests (augmentation) or simple land conservation measures can be implemented on agricultural lands that maintain healthy populations of native predators (conservation). Many pests that cause damages to crops thrive because they are invasive and have no natural predators. Finding and importing predators of these invasive pests is essential for effective biological pest control. Benefits Chemical controls are cheap and readily available. Chemical controls, especially toxicants, have been in use since the 1940s and have remained in popular use due to their fast acting and effective results in controlling pest populations. Many new chemicals have been developed in recent years that are even more efficient in controlling pests, maintaining the popularity of chemical control in agricultural practices. However, biological control has seen an increase in use in recent years due to its perennial and organic nature. Many biological control methods remain in effect year after year, limiting pests without any additional costs or synthetic additives to the natural environment. Considerations While chemical controls are often effective they are usually seasonal and require reapplication with each growing season. Biological controls may take a longer period of time to see the desired results, but they only require the initial investment and ntroduction to control pests. Chemical controls also have additional environmental costs. Many chemical pesticides are persistent in the environment, damage organisms other than the pests they are meant to control (including humans) and are not permanently effective, as pest populations can build up a resistance to chemicals over time. Thus, while chemical controls may be more economical and effective in the short term, their use requires caution and consideration for future costs, both environmental and economic. Integration While some landowners look only at seasonal profits and depend on chemical methods, others contemplate only the environmental sustainability of their practices and opt for biological methods. However, many landowners blend chemical and well as reduce the environmental impact on their land. The use of multiple pest control methods is referred to as integrated pest management (IPM). Dense infestations often require the potency of chemical pest control but limited application, coupled with preventative biological control, is the most effective agricultural management practice.

Choosing the Best Anti-Fouling Paint

Choosing the Best Anti-Fouling Paint The earliest anti-fouling systems consisted of two elements. The first was a metal scraper and the second was the lowest ranking sailor on the vessel. But seriously, the buildup of biological matter on the submerged hull is a huge problem for the material and for the efficiency of the vessel. The task of manually scraping bottoms was made much easier when sheet copper was fastened to the bottom of wooden hulled ships. Eventually the technology advanced to produce paint that held copper compounds and slowly released them into the environment. The next major breakthrough was tributyltin which worked very well but it was so toxic to the environment that it was banned three decades later. Improved copper based paints and non-copper alternatives are now available. In fact there are so many specialized paints it’s difficult to leave the copper behind to try something else. Why change? Well in some areas we are already seeing the signs that point to widespread bans. Northern Europe and the West Coast of the U.S. are phasing in bans in some areas and more will follow. Types of Anti-Fouling Paints Ablative Anti-Fouling Anti-fouling paints take different strategies to meet the goal of eliminating plant, animal, and algae growth on the wet parts of the hull. There are three common types of anti-foul available. The most common is ablative paint which wears away like a bar of soap. This soap analogy is very old but really works well for this type of paint. If you use your vessel regularly there should be no problem wearing away the growth. Seasonal boats that have long periods of disuse will not benefit as much of the cleaning takes place while underway. This paint works well since animals like the zebra mussel have difficulty finding a firm hold. They are generally pulled off as the vessel moves through the water. A moderate amount of maintenance is required for this coating since it must be applied to last until the next haul out. Large vessels that cannot be hauled should use a more durable paint. Copolymer Anti-Fouling Copolymers are much tougher than ablatives and don’t have some of the disadvantages of hard paints. They can be exposed to air during maintenance and not lose potency. There is also little chance of paint build up since copolymers are designed to ablate at a much slower rate than a true ablative paint. Unless you have a specific need for an ablative or hard paint this is often the best choice. It is also the safe option if a location has unknown conditions. Some people refer to these as slow polishing paints. Hard Anti-Fouling When a vessel gets to a certain size you no longer want the expense of dry dock or haul out. This is where hard coatings shine. The most common base for these paints is epoxy or some other tough polymer. It releases biocide constantly by allowing the poison to migrate to the surface of the paint and leaches fewer toxins away in the process. This is durable stuff and it does not come off in harsh conditions. In fact it must be removed mechanically by blasting or sanding. Because of the pollution potential of the runoff or dust from these processes produce toxic wastes that have significant costs of disposal. The cost of these paints is generally higher due to specialized application processes. For a smooth finish these paints should be sprayed while the others can be applied by roller and brush. Since this is a low maintenance solution most large commercial vessels use this type of paint. The Biocides Biocides are the toxic element in the paint which deters life from attaching to the hull. There are several types and sometimes combinations in the same product. Cuprous Oxide – This is the most common biocide by far. It is also the target of environmental regulators because it is building up in harbors. This is not necessarily because the bottom paint is leaching too much copper. The problem is thought to be caused by the power washing, scrubbing and sanding done on thousands of recreational vessels.Almost all of this runoff has a short trip from the bottom of the boat to the water it was almost never collected in the past. New regulations are now requiring marinas to collect this waste and dispose of it properly. This will increase the overall cost of maintenance and some services may no longer be available. Cuprous Thiocyanate – Similar in behavior to cuprous oxide but stronger biocides make it useful for high foul areas or low use vessels. Composite Copper – This is still copper but in a better package. The copper is encapsulated in another material that makes it less likely to leach beyond the needed rate. Silica is currently being used as a matrix but this is a rapidly advancing technology. Pyrithione Zinc – One of the best copper alternatives. Alternatives to copper are increasing as bans become inevitable. This biocide is not generally recommended for high fouling areas like the tropics. Non-Metalic Biocides – These are fairly new to the market and are composed of organic molecules most likely modeled from compounds found on a living creature. Anti-Foulings of the Future The future is super slippery and we have been promised something that is more of a thin film than paint. The first of these products have come to market and are best for low-fouling areas. They hold a lot of promise since they have no biocide and may last for the life of the vessel when fully developed. Imagine the days when a coating goes on at the shipyard and never needs replacement and at the same time improves efficiency. Until then somebody go get the scraper. Nanoparticles also hold some promise for the future of low friction coatings of all types.

Public International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Public International Law - Essay Example Jus cogens symbolizes principles of international law that are considered to be so fundamental that no nation can ignore them. In particular, where international crimes are alleged to have been committed by a former head of State, it is even more important that justice is not executed by local authorities but by the application of the principles of international law, which can ensure that justice is done through the application of impartial principles that are universally valid. In the context of the trail against Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity, the Iraqi ruler was guilty of crimes against humanity, which by application of the principle of jus cogens would involve the fundamental application of international criminal law. According to Michael Sharf, the Saddam Hussein trial can be classed as one of the most important cases in international law because (a) the scale of atrocities was high (b) Hussein was a top ranking leader (c) interest of the international community due to the coalition led against Iraq (d) sets a legal precedent for international crimes and (e) effect of the trial and whether it was perceived as fair.

Employee motivation and Incentives Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee motivation and Incentives - Coursework Example Positive recognition is another very important factor, if an employee comes up with a great solution to a problem, he should be rewarded and appreciated for his creativity, this will also make the organization competition and the other employees will also put their thinking caps on. The fourth and the last method is by providing stock options to the employees, they will not only work for the same organization but they will start going that extra mile to ensure their growth, these are some of the best ways to hold on to employees who perform well in an organization. The most lucrative of all is the employee stock option, employees start working very hard after buying the shares of an organization and that organization grows by leaps and bounds. Part 2: The most common type of compensation is salary, almost every organization compensates its employees by paying them their salaries, organizations who think out of the box give their employees regular performance related bonuses which is the second type of compensation.