Into The Gorge: A Spiral of Decline toward Loss

Into The Gorge: A Spiral of Decline toward Loss Into The Gorge: A Spiral of Decline toward Loss â€Å"Jesse stood on his porch and looked east toward Sampson Ridge, where bulldozers razed forests and grazing land for another gated community† ( Rash 18 ) . If one were to cut down Ron Rash’sInto the Gorgedown to one markedly important transition, this would be among the campaigners. It presents an image of commercialisation from the eyes of Jesse, a adult male who was raised to esteem the land. It besides marks a tangible passage for Jesse as he unwittingly conforms to his milieus.Into the Gorgenowadayss a narrative of loss. Get downing with the loss of Jesse’s great aunt and finally stoping with the loss of his ain life, or so the reader is to assume. This subject represents the spiral of diminution that ensues in a society that abuses and disrespects the land for intents of pecuniary addition. Into the Gorgeclears with a beautiful word picture of Jesse’s great aunt. The reader really rapidly becomes affiliated to her, about to the point of misidentifying her as the supporter in the narrative. She is aligned with a harmonious life with an about calm aura about her while being profoundly connected to the land and its seasonal rhythms ; she â€Å"could state you to the hebdomad when the first cornel flower would lighten up the ridge, the first blackberry darken and swell plenty to harvest† ( Rash 17 ) . But so she had lost her head and â€Å"with it all the people she knew, their names and connexions, whether they still lived or whether they’d died† ( Rash 17 ) . But despite this the reader is told in the really following paragraph that â€Å"The cognition of the land was the one memory that refused to dissolve† ( Rash 17 ) . Jesse’s grandaunt would go on to hoe her Fieldss every twenty-four hours until the twenty-four hours of her de cease, when she wandered off into the forests to vacate herself to the one invariable in her life, the one love that refused to fade out, a â€Å"final stepping down of everything she had one time been, † a surrendertothe land ( Rash 26 ) . The decease of Jesse’s grandaunt has in consequence begun the spiral of diminution toward an overall neglect for the necessity of the renewing of the land. The reader is told that â€Å"after her decease neighbours shortly found topographic points other than the gorge to run and angle, garner blackberries and galax†¦When the park service made an offer†¦Jesse’s male parent and aunts had sold†¦Now, five decennaries subsequently, Jesse stands on his porch and looked eastward†¦where bulldozers razed forests and grazing land for another gated community† ( Rash 18 ) . As antecedently mentioned, the loss of Jesse’s grandaunt seems to hold caused, at least for Jesse and his immediate milieus, a loss of a regard for the land. As the narrative takes the reader through Jesse’s foremost and successful effort at reaping the ginseng we are told, â€Å"Afterward, he’d carefully replanted the seeds, done it merely as his male parent had done, so walked out of the gorge, past the Fe gate that kept vehicles off the logging route. A xanthous Sn marker nailed to a nearby tree said US Park Service† ( Rash 18 ) . Here the reader gets a split image ; Jesse replants the seeds â€Å"just as his male parent had done† old ages ago ( Rash 18 ) . There is a sense of regard for the land and the cyclic nature of nature, which is besides represented in the generational lessons of planting and replanting passed down from male parent to boy. However, there is besides a really explicitly painted image of development. The workss that Jesse ha s harvested and so replanted are within the boundaries of the land which the authorities uses for logging. This land has been transformed into a commercialised operation in order to untangle any and all pecuniary value from it. Furthermore, there is a parallel image in this xanthous mark. A blazing neglect for nature is nailed to the tree by manner of a US Park Service mark, nevertheless in the predating paragraph it says â€Å"back so, the forests had been communal,No Trespassingmarks an affront†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( Rash 18 ) . The forests had been a topographic point of community and friendly relationship and invitation, any effort to interrupt apart this public into personally claimed belongings was seen as an abuse to the corporate. But now, non merely is the land sectioned off into countries of unpermitted districts, but these countries are being used explicitly to work the land for pecuniary addition. This loss of a regard for the cardinal significance that the land has is somethi ng that Jesse seems to be troubled by, yet it is something he himself can’t isolated off from. The lone ground he is out reaping the ginseng in the first topographic point is to acquire money. He doesn’t love the act of reaping and replanting, he hasn’t even had any exposure to the land in this regard since his grandaunt passed, five decennaries earlier. What’s more, he doesn’t needfully even need the excess money. The storyteller says â€Å"his house and 20 estates were paid for, as was his truck. The baccy allocation earned less each twelvemonth but still plenty for a widowman with adult kids. Enough every bit long as he didn’t have to travel to the infirmary or his truck throw a rod. He needed some excess money put away for that. Not a million, but some† ( Rash 18 ) . Albeit he isn’t a money hungry corporate executive who has wholly disregarded the verve of nature. But he is however reaping the land for one ground and one gr ound entirely: money. This disconnected image of working and fostering the land represents an even further diminution, as a society, toward the commercialised corruptness of the land. The narrative comes full circle at the terminal as Jesse â€Å"waited† in the forests merely as his grandaunt did before she died. In this minute he thought of his grandaunt and paralleled himself to her as his waiting was â€Å"a concluding stepping down of everything†heone time was. However, it’s non merely a pure and symmetrically sound stoping ; the usage of the word â€Å"abdication† has a dual entendre underlying it. In respects to Jesse’s grandaunt, it has a meter of a dignified release of her life and everything that she lived for. Not needfully the instance for Jesse, for him it seems to take on a different significance wholly. It is Jesse’s chance to fly from the forfeiture of artlessness that his life has culminated to. Jesse recognizes his loss of artlessness, his loss of self-respect, but it is merely when he attempts to travel back to being in melody with the land that he comes to this realisation ; â€Å"Jesse shifted his orga nic structure so his face turned downhill, one ear to the land as if listening for the faintest footstep. It seemed so incorrect to be 68 old ages old and running from person. Old age was supposed to give a individual self-respect and respect† ( Rash 22 ) . In this minute Jesse acknowledges his loss of regard, a regard which has been neither received from others nor given by himself. The consequence of this self-fulfillment is his â€Å"waiting† at the really terminal. A bi-laterally asymmetrical stoping to the gap. One can follow though this narrative the slow diminution toward a society which does non foster the land, but instead relies on it for the here and now. The reader is left gyrating down along with Jesse as the plot line moves from the loss of Jesse’s grandaunt, to the commercializing of his hometown, to Jesse’s ain selfish aims with the land, and eventually to Jesse’s realisation of his conformance which finally leads to his decease. This spiral is a representation or a possible warning to the effects of a commercialized society which exploits the land: there is a natural and unconditioned diminution when 1 refuses a fear to the land. This refusal leads to inside turned desires, which leads to capitalistic inclinations and the commercialisation of the land—extricating it for all that its worth—which will finally take to the decease of those who were one time respected, and who in bend irradiated it back.

My Time of the Year Essay

People have their favorite season whether it is winter, spring, summer, or autumn. Out of those four seasons my favorite season is summer. Even though the temperatures can be outrageously ridiculous hot, I still enjoy the hot sun. Going to the beach is one of my favorite thing to do during the summer. After looking for parking at Huntington Beach for about an hour, I try to find the perfect spot through the crowded beach to lay my towel down. â€Å"I found the spot. † The tan-gray sand is somewhat dry but also a little damp. I throw my blue-green towel on the sand. I bend down to sit on the towel, but before I lay down I put sun-tanning spray all over my body so I can sunbathe. As soon as I finish putting on the sun-tanning spray, I lie down and put on my sunglasses. But now I think to myself â€Å"Should I put on my earphones? Or should I listen to the crashing waves, the seagulls squawking and the people complaining that there is sand on their sandwiches. I think that I will listen to my iPod instead. Now that I have decided to listen to my iPod, I put the headphones in my ear and choose the music I want to listen to. I am in the mood to listen to Kutless, a Christian rock band. While I lay on the beach, I can feel the Vitamin E being soaked into my skin. I feel my body getting hotter than usual, similar to a turkey getting out of the oven on Thanksgiving Day. The heat is telling my body that one side is being done of tanning. Once my front side is done tanning I turn to my backside and I do the same thing I did with my front side. When I feel my backside is getting hot as well, I am done sunbathing. Before I leave the beach I dust off my towel, roll it up and pick up anything that got thrown on the sand. I pack up my suntan spray, my towel, my iPod, and my sunglasses. I try to remember where I parked. Once I found my car I put my things in the back seat, get in the driver’s side, put my seatbelt on, turn on the car, turn the radio up, and drive home. Summer may not be a lot of people’s favorite time of the year, but I know that it is my time of the year.

Places in the Heart Essay

The film entitled â€Å"Places in the Heart† released in 1984 is a wonderful film that deals with various conflicts in the society. Set during the Great Depression, the term â€Å"family† is defined in a unique manner in the film. The characters were able to depict more about the problems being faced in the stereotypical society full of prejudices and complexities. It was shown in a dramatic way that made viewers enticed until the end. Edna Spalding (Sally Field) was left by her late Husband Sheriff Royce Spalding (Ray Baker) who was murdered accidentally by a drunken man. She was left with two children Frank and Possum on their small farm with an almost penniless pocket. She tries to battle against poverty by acquiring the help of a blind man Mr Will (John Malkovich) whose sight was victimized by Worl War I. In addition to this she was also assisted by a Blackman named Mose (Danny Glover) who manages to help her plant cotton and keep her family intact. Life is never easy for the main characters in the film. They tried to battle against poverty which is really rampant during the great depression. The rich becomes richer and the poor, poorer. In the case of Mrs. Spalding, she is left with all the debts of her husband and the obligation of raising their two kids. During the said era, women are not accepted to work for their family since gender role is given prior importance. But then, Mrs. Spalding is determined to earn for her family and she was able to do this with the help of some people. The farm is a precious possession for her since it symbolizes her family and how they tried to unite and save each and every crop planted on it. On the other hand, Mose is a jobless African American man who kept on asking for alms in the racist society. He is always ridiculed by the people around him because of his skin color and race. He always longed for company and family love because he never experienced gaining respect from people in such prejudice society. He is too industrious and dreamt of planting on a farm of his own. He met Mrs. Spalding who accepted him as he is regardless of the fact that her husband was killed by a Blackman. It is the first time that Mose was accepted as he is and experienced love from a family. In the case of Mr. Will, he was left by his brother Mr. Danby who owns the Spalding’s farm mortgage. Upon Mr. Spaldings death, he offered Edna some charitable help granted that he will look over his brother. Edna accepted the blind man in order to give good impression to Mr. Danby and at the same time gain comfort because of her husband’s death. The Spaldings was able to battle against their mourning because of the support given by Mr. Will and Mose. Their solidarity made them stronger in facing each and every trial that they met as they plant cotton in the farm. Mrs. Spalding wanted to always keep her family bonded and their farm in good condition. Despite the fact that the Spaldings battle against the odds, Edna’s sister Margaret Lomax is also facing her own family problem. She is burdened by the fact that her husband is committing adultery with Viola Kelsey. Their house is set in a depressed area and they have one daughter who is still small. Their only source of income is a small parlor which cannot even sustain their living. An extramarital affair in the film is emphasized as it shows what will happen to a family’s economic condition once there is no fidelity in the household. In the case of the Lomaxs, they are trapped in a deep economical downfall because Mr. Lomax is too busy having affair with Viola Kelsey. Infidelity in marriage is always dishonored in the society and it can be compared to a criminal act. The film wanted to imply that faithfulness in marriage should always be maintained. The main plot about the essence of family and its importance in the lives of the Spaldings is magnificently emphasized in the film. On the other hand the subplot dealing with adultery made additional twist in the film. It made viewers tucked in their seats and wait for more surprising events throughout the film. The end of the film is very catchy since it is very idealistic and full of fantasy. The end of the film shows something that is impossible to happen because characters in the film is seen singing in harmony. Husbands and wives who were separated by fate, unfaithfulness and mistrust is seen together. There are also enemies, friends, colleagues and family. To sum it up the main point of the film ended in a way that everyone manages to find their own places in their hearts, the heart of a true family.

Obligations of Managers and Executives in I.T Essay

Obligations of Managers and Executives in I.T - Essay Example Considerably, cyber security has been an issue concerning the IT department. However, there has been a considerable growth of the information security to constitute a legal obligation and responsibility for the management. In this regard, all the shareholders need inclusion to address the matters of cyber security. For instance, according to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley security regulations, the Board of Directors has the mandate to ensure the safety of finances regarding their corporations. In addition, the evolving case laws suggest that corporate directors have a duty of care for the company’s information systems. They add that the obligation extends to safeguarding the integrity of the stored data from a mere responsibility of guarding corporate financials. Further, the Business Roundtable notes that the board of directors should consider information security as an element of corporate governance. Data confidentiality, integrity, and storage In this context, it is eminent for the organizations to observe the procedure incorporated to protect their company information from access by unauthorized persons. The data must be stored in forms that are not easy to interpret when opened as flat plain text files, accessed in inaccessible locations, and or protected by the firewall (Smedinghoff, 2005). Use of technical access controls in protecting the corporate information In this context, policies and procedures should remain implemented to ensure appropriate access to information by authorized persons (Kshetri, 2010).

Western Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Western Heritage - Essay Example , women such as Bianca and Emilia are more open in their interpretation of obedience and may even go against the wishes and desired of their husbands/lovers to get what they want. Of course, this is certainly not the real world image of what women do or what a person does but in Shakespeare’s times such behavior would have been perfectly acceptable given the shape of the characters. It is certainly easy to compare Desdemona to other gentle and kind ladies who were in love with their lords from other plays of Shakespeare as they are the paragons of virtue and not at all led to enter into fights with their lovers as opposed to women who were evil who vexed their lovers justly or unjustly. At the same time, it must be noted that misogyny has been a part of literature for centuries and was part of the dramas presented by Shakespeare so again, it is difficult to fault him for thinking in a particular manner about the women he represents. The common man is essentially the mouthpiece in A Man for All Seasons simply because he says what the audience needs to hear concerning the progress of the play itself. There are a variety of roles assigned to the common man ranging from More’s jailer to More’s servant and even the individual who executes him. In all these roles the common man interacts with More in meaningful ways of which one example is at the execution the executor asks for More’s forgiveness which I feel is the common’s man apology for not rising up to help More and do what is right simply because the singular common man is too weak against the power of the state. The story and the acts of the common man clarify the position as well as the nature and the strength of the common man who is often nothing more than a spectator to the events of history, the corruption of the strong and the piety of those who stand up against them. The character is neither positive nor negative but only an element in the story which does not interact in any significant way

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Business Law - Essay Example informs the seller the particular objective or need for which the goods are being requisitioned , so as to show that the buyer places trust and faith on seller’s skill or judgment, and the goods are of a description which it is in the course of the seller’s business to supply (whether he is the manufacturer or not), there is an implied condition that the supplied product will serve this purpose...† (Modification of Act for Certain Contract: Implied Terms About Quality of Terms. 1979). It could be said that the clients had relied on the skill and expertise of the vendor company, Ace Computer Ltd., but unfortunately fourteen of the twenty computers supplied turned out to be defective. In such a situation, it is possible that by applying the Warranty clause that is in force, Ace Computers would need to replace the defective computers with good ones. It needs to be argued that under such circumstances, the question of taking back the defective computers and repaying the amount does not arise, since the contractual obligation between Ace Computers Ltd. and the clients, Stevens, Wiley and Company, does not consider refund of the purchase price. The contract does not enjoin that costs of defective goods would be refunded, but it is possibly that replacements of four defective computers could be made, and also the models supplied to Damien, could be replaced. It could be argued in this case, that the contractual obligations under the agreement signed between the parties are binding, and there being no clause that specifically provides for refund of purchase price, it may be not be enforceable under law. However, when considering arguments from point of view of the clients, their main allegations would be in terms of the fact that they are not in the regular business of buying computers, but Ace Computers are in the business of providing computer business solutions for years. They have placed the order on the basis of assurances provided by Gerald, the director,

Internet crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Internet crimes - Essay Example Another is spamming, the odious practice of sending unrequited e-mails, or messages through mobile phones, etc. It is seen that there are a number of antifraud and Cyber crime laws in the United States, prominent among which are the Electronic Communication Copyright Act, Electronic Communication Privacy Act, etc., and finally, Computer Frauds and Abuse Act, which seek, through legislative armaments to reinforce cyber laws. However, it needs to be said that, to a very large extent the efficacy of the local laws and prevalent customs determine the course of complaint institution and its final results to a very large measure indeed. The system needs to be ever vigilant so that no hacker would even contemplate transgressing the rights of ownership and usage of established cyber boundaries, or indulge in any other kind of illegitimate practice. (250 words) All types of fraud scheme that is done by the Internet are called Internet fraud. For this purpose fraudsters use different facilities of the Internet e-mail, chat rooms, websites etc. There are different types of Internet frauds in the world. The common types of internet frauds are credit card related frauds, phishing, prize money, free travel offers, etc. Online purchasing and e-business is very popular in this time. Fraudsters use this opportunity very well. So the number of Internet crimes like Internet frauds is increasing year by year. To show different Internet fraud rating in the year 2007 is given below. This report is published by NLC’s Fraud Center. It indicates the top ten Internet frauds in 2007. (2007 top 10 internet scams, (n.d)) From this it is crystal clear that the loss due to Internet fraud is very much. Internet users who had awareness about the Internet fraud will try to take precautions against this. Everyone can avoid the internet fraud and

Trend of Food Truck in University city of Philadelphia Research Paper

Trend of Food Truck in University city of Philadelphia - Research Paper Example result, communities across the country from Philadelphia to Los Angeles have become a crucial part of the ongoing movement of finding out better ways of managing and regulating mobile vending (Spelman, 2010). Lifestyle and policies are found to be the key elements that have led to the tremendous increase in the number of food trucks in the city. Most of the people in the city prefer fast foods especially considering the fact that the city has a consistently growing population of students because of the two major universities (Stadd, 2011). This can be supported by the fact that most of the food trucks in the city have been on campus stalwarts for many years though their numbers has dramatically increased in the recent past. This means that majority of the people eating in food trucks are youths and a persons who are below 40s who are usually casually dressed. Lack of clear policies regulating the business is also believed to be another key attribute of the immense boom of this business (Edge, 2012). Food trucks in the University City are more popular than the ordinary restaurants because of the variety of foods they offer at relatively lower prices. Most of them use large vehicles that are installed with high-tech cooking gadgets as well as sanitation devices that provide sophisticated and safe cuisine commonly prepared to order rather than being precooked. This gives food truck an upper hand in the food and service industry compared to ordinary restaurants. Therefore, local governments should introduce favorable policies that would regulate food trucks and that will incorporate food trucks into the fabric of the city (Ercolani,  2013). The proposed research study will be conducted using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, meaning that the researcher will use qualitative and quantitative research concepts. The targeted respondents in this case include 50 customers of the food trucks and 10 food truck companies. Using a hybrid of these two

Internet Changing Journalisim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internet Changing Journalisim - Essay Example Journalism besides covering political and social issues it also covers cultural aspects related to the concerned society like arts and entertainment. In the old times there were only three ways through which news and other information could be published or broadcasted but now in this modern era anyone can produce media if he has an internet connection and a computer or a smartphone. In the olden times journalism was an extremely professional career but now journalism has de-professionalized due to other forms of media and most importantly the internet (Whitman, Bergman, Noverr & Recchia, 1998). With the introduction of internet, journalism has quite changed in all aspects. The internet is a very wide network which comprises of many wide networks. It has become a very interactive form of media. Data through the internet is sent by means of packet switching. No form of media can attract such a large audience at a single time but through internet this is possible. The greatest advantage of internet being the ease of availability, use and cost effectiveness have made it even more common among the people. Anyone having access to the internet can have contact with all of the people of the world. Internet has removed all bounds and limits that were included with the traditional journalism. Internet has now become the center of all mass communication (Pavlik, 2001). There are various kinds of journalism that people are adopting as a profession or being practiced by amateurs. Internet has affected all types of journalism. Examples can include the following. Fashion journalism is one of the kinds of journalism in which the person has to write articles related to fashion and life style. People interested in fashion writing can opt for this profession; such articles can be read in newspapers and magazines and nowadays certain TV channels are there which only cover fashion related issues and trends. The internet has revolutionized the fashion journalism. We can now easily g et access to the latest fashion trends and tips on the net in a jiffy anytime. If we were to watch a show on television we will have to wait until the show is aired on the television but through the internet we can access anything, any information without a time restriction. Tips to life style, health tips and other fashion related issues can easily be accessed through the web. Now almost all fashion magazines and fashion channels have correspondence with their own website. The journalist now has to work more hard and find more interesting and innovative ideas so that people are more attracted towards reading magazines and newspapers (Dreiser, & Nostwich, 1988). News journalism is another type of journalism in which news related to political, social issues, current issues, weather, entertainment news are covered. In the earlier times news could only be accessed by the people through the television and when there were no televisions then it was done through radio, and later on by new spapers as well. But all this required time and spending of large amounts of money. News through the newspapers could not be reached to the people instantly and the people had to wait a whole day long to read the news related to that day because it took time to gather, write and edit news and articles and then print them. For the news on television we had to wait for the time on which the news would be

Competitor Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Competitor Analysis - Research Paper Example The Toyota FJ Cruiser is its closest competitor with its similar off-road and SUV qualities, which are reminiscent of the FJ40 Land Cruisers. The car is built by Hino Motors, a Toyota subsidiary, in Japan and has shared numerous underpinnings of structure with the Toyota Prado (Consumers Union of United States 48). It debuted in its final form of production in 2006, following its introduction in 2003 as a concept car, and has been the Wrangler Jeep’s fiercest competitor in the SUV off-road category ever since. The automotive press with both acclaim and criticism has received the Toyota FJ Cruiser. One of its main strengths is that it is purpose driven and aggressively styled, especially considering that Toyota has been more focused on conservative designs (Schlee 1). Its off-road performance has also been praised, especially with regards to its functional interior and road manners. It has been highly praised by off road users because of its high performance. In addition, the Toyota FJ Cruiser has a large towing capacity compared to the Jeep Wrangler, which makes it better for pulling heavy loads, especially in an off-road environment. However, its body roll has been criticized, as has its lateral grip performance that is too low (Schlee 1), although it should also be noted that its suspension is designed for off road and long travel use. One of the major drawbacks for the FJ Cruiser is that exit and entry for the back seat is rather cumbersome (Best Cars 1). Another shortcoming is its blind spots, which make reverse parking difficult on the street due to restrictions placed on its rear visibility from its design. It also has smaller than average capacity, especially with the aforementioned cramped back seat area. With regards to limitation of visibility and blind spots, the FJ Cruiser’s low roofline and far away windshield limits ability to see ahead (Best Cars 1). The tire

Marketing Simulation Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Simulation Analysis Paper - Essay Example The organization is divided into four foundational structures each division having a leader. The finance division is chaired by the chief finance officer (CFO), who oversees the director of finance, human resource division and the staff accounts. The marketing division chaired by the chief marketing officer (CMO) and two other supporting stuff members. The operations division led by the chief operations officer and one supporting stuff member. Strategic/international growth chaired by the strategic growth (VP) and one supporting stuff member. As a result of the increased need of customer satisfaction, we developed our first brand computer called the hot coffee. The reason for developing the brand was to attain a modern, universal brand that would suit and be utilized by the younger generation (university students). This service was appealing to the consumers and unique compared to those offered by competing companies (Clancy & Krieg, 2007). Hot coffee was in some way a luxury which w as not cheap but affordable to the consumer’s mind in this case being the students. This brand was aimed at making customers in the organization the organization to feel the modern day technology. We devised a number of ways to advertise our products. The first advertising piece to be used was â€Å"launch ad†. ... The large amount of money used in the launching of the sales office and the advertisement development resulted into reduced profits. Due to the losses experienced in the third quarter, we focused on reducing engineering and advertising costs during the fourth quarter to lower the expenditure. Here we aimed at reducing the amount spent to cater for the losses incurred in the third quarter. The losses in the third quarter further led to low profitability of the coffee brand. Mercedes and Workhouse are the resources that demanded for the brand. Although there was high revenue during the first and the second quarters, the expenses were not enough to meet the demand requirements. Financial weakness experienced led to budgets and resources not aligning to profit growth. In this quarter, the profitability is low. To raise the profit, we designed a brand called hot tea, which is a model type of computer whose prices is low. This transformed the company to becoming simple and clear hence incr easing the number of customers which in turn increased the profit margin. We also opened a new sales office in Paris to facilitate the growth of the existing brand as we planned for future development of new brands. We also aimed at lowering the base model price. Focusing on performance to gain profit was the main aim in the fifth quarter since expansion had taken place during the fourth quarter. In case profit-gaining failed here, it would be achieved in the sixth quarter. Iced coffee, offered from quarter one to quarter four, and hot tea introduced in quarter four increased profit. Low prices led to reduction of lose. Basing on profitability, iced coffee is more profitable than hot tea. While in terms of competition,

Twins Genetics Essay Example for Free

Twins Genetics Essay Introduction Twin pregnancies still face greatest challenges in obstetric care and fetal medicine today. Much is known about the diseases by studying the development of infants who have shared the same foetuses. Pregnancies occurring with twins have a higher incidence of preterm labour, miscarriage and fetal death when compared to single pregnancies. Non-identical twins (dizygous, binovular, fraternal, or dizygotic) result from the fertilization of two independently released ova by two different sperm. Their genetic makeup is as dissimilar as one would expect between siblings. All these twins possess separate amnion sac. Whereas, identical twins (monozygous, uniovular, monozygotic) arise from the splitting of a single fertilized egg within the first 14 days after fertilization. Monozygous twins, depending on the timing of embryonic cleavage, may be dichorionic diamniotic (d1–3), monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) (d3–8), monochorionic monoamniotic (d9–12), or conjoined, when cleavage of the embryo occurs on day 12 or beyond (Farah Siddiqui, 2007). Monozygotic twins although, considered genetically identical, but there may exist a significant phenotypic discordance especially in the psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.   (Mario F. Fraga, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The history behind using Twins to investigate the role of heredity and environment in human life heads back to 19th century. Francis Galton. Charles Darwin cousin was the first researcher to think of this. Since, then twins are been considered as aspects of study in biology, medicine and psychology. Galton thought that since twin pairs (both identical and non-identical) share the same environment, there will be greater coordination of the genetic factors in the disease in genetically identical twins compared to non identical twins. But, by contrast, similar coordination rates for a disease in twins pairs (both identical and non-identical), or differences between the identical twins, suggest that the disease is probably due to non-genetical factors. Twin studies have been many times used to estimate the impact of genetic factors on the disease cause. It is believed that a genetic effect is suggested when the concordinance rate is identical twins exceeds that in nonidentical twins. The concordinance rate in the both identical and nonidentical twins in population based studies suggested that in case of multiple sclerosis there is 27% occurrence compared of the latter which is 3%. Similarly, Rheumatoid arthritis occurrence in former in 12.3% compared to the latter which is 3.5%. Whereas in systemic lupus erythematosus the concordance rate in nonidentical twin was nil compared to the identical twin, where the rate were 33% (Marco Salvetti, 2000). Twin studies also have the possiblity of assesing other applications in the assessment of aspects of potential relevance in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. There are possible precipitating factors of autoimmune conditions that await definition including epigenetic effects due to DNA aor protein modifications, the accumulation of somatic mitochondrial DNA mutations, X chromosme incativation and the transcriptionally active endogeneous retroviral sequences presence (Marco Salvetti, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This contribution discusses the difference in the monozygous twins in which factors like the timings of monozygous twinning, linguistic differences and the genetic mechanism are discussed. There are many differences observed among twin pairs like mirror twinning, hair eye, and finger prints etc. without any known reasons or in other word we have very limited understanding of   why these kind of differences arises?. In case of mirror twinning almost 25% of twins have differences and most common is handedness where both twin used different hand for particular purpose. The difference due to any unknown mechanism is also included.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   The biggest challenge faced by investigators for evaluating genetic basis of complex disease is to identify small number of genes responsible for disease among thousands of genes present in whole genome in addition to that environmental effect makes task more difficult. Thus development of ideal model system to investigate genetic basis of disease becomes primary requirements. In the following some of the case studies where twins were used as model system for explain genetic bases of diseases are discussed including factors like immunity, leukemia, infectious and autoimmune diseases.    A `corpus`    Mechanisms for differences in monozygous twins:   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‚   In general perception Monozygous (MZ) twins are physically and genetically identical. Similarly, clinical determination of zygosity relies on the assumption that any physical differences between a pair of twins imply they are dizygous. As per the other perception dizygous twins share approximately 50% of the same genes, whereas monozygous twins share 100%. But advancement in molecular techniques and understanding of genetics of twins puts several question marks on above mention perception as there are many exception regarding genetic composition and physical appearance of mono and dizygotic twins. There are many numbers of intrauterine effects and other mechanisms that may result in phenotypic, genotypic, and epigenetic differences between monozygous twins. Some of those mechanisms are as follows. Timing of monozygous twinning:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Monozygous (MZ) twinning occurs when single fertilized egg give rise to two separate embryos and timing of this separation decides the post zygotic differences in upcoming twins. As early the separation there will be less similarity and late the separation there will be more similarity. During development if the two embryos are separated at latter part most of the differentiation processes completed before they separate and hence both offspring have similar origin. The extreme example of late twining is twins having common somatic organ (Conjoined twins). While in case of early separation the process of differentiation occurs independently which leads to creation of differences among of springs. If twining occurs 8 days after the fertilization and before 12th day the twins are quite identical to each other and called as monozygotic twins comprises of almost 5% of total twins. Genetic mechanisms:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     It is widely believed that monozygotic twins are genetically identical and any differences among them are result of environmental influence. But there is an ever-growing body of evidence that monozygotic twins are not always genetically identical. A number of phenotypic variations in monozygotic twins have been demonstrated to be caused by genetic differences alone and not influence by ante-natal environmental factors. In addition epigenetic modifications in particular sets of gene within a monozygotic twin pair leads to altered expression and hence contribute towards differences. (Paul Gringrasa, 2001). Genetically monozygotic twins can be different at the level of chromosome (number or morphology of chromosome) or DNA (mutation, epigenetic modification). At chromosome level variation classical example is gender difference and certain diseases like Turner syndrome (XYY) this is mainly happened due to early post zygotic mitotic error, resulting in heterokaryotic twining that involves nondisjunction or anaphase lag of the Y chromosome. While at DNA level there are mainly three mechanisms by which differences arises for example differential methylation of CpG island leads to inactivation or activation of particular gene and which contribute in causing differences among monozygotic twins. Not only that, this process of methylation is key factor for inactivation of whole X chromosome and many X-linked diseases like fragile-X, colour blindness, are result of this inactivation. Similarly post zygotic mutation leads to emergence of differences among monozygotic twins. Differences due to some unknown mechanism:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many differences observed among twin pairs like mirror twinning, hair eye, and finger prints etc. without any known reasons or in other words we have very limited understanding of why these kinds of differences arises? In case of mirror twinning almost 25% of twins have differences and most common is handedness where both twin used different hand for particular purpose. The reason behind this was thought to be due to asymmetry of cerebral hemisphere dominance. Similarly, hair and eye colour were know to be the identification mark for dizygotic twins but now it was realized the there are many instances where the differences were observed in MZ too. The reason behind these differences are not well understood and thought to be due to complex genetic interaction and post zygotic mutation. Linguistic differences:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Twin based heritability estimates for language rarely exceeds 0.6 and for monozygotic twins in many instances they were found to be very different. In addition to that it was found that MZ are more likely to suffer linguistic delay and impairment than singletons. There are many factors which affect or create these differences like genetic, epigenetic and prenatal environmental factors. Meta-analyzed data from almost 100 twin studies indicate that depending on what aspect of language is assessed, heritable factors account for between 1/2 to 2/3’s of the variance in language- impaired twins’ linguistic abilities and 1/4 to 1/2 of the variance in normal twins’ linguistic abilities. These meta-analyses also reveal that for both languages impaired and normal twins (Stromswold, 2006). The major contributory factors among perinatal environmental conditions are low birth weight, premature birth, Placental and amniotic complications, Intrauterine infections, neonatal hyperbilirubinea, brain injuries to language area etc. similarly post natal factors includes language input, parental role etc. There are no well documented genetic factors influencing the language in isolation and always studied in light of environmental influence. Twins and genetics and diseases:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The biggest challenge faced by investigators for evaluating genetic basis of complex disease is to identify small number of genes responsible for disease among thousands of genes present in whole genome in addition to that environmental effect makes task more difficult. Thus development of ideal model system to investigate genetic basis of disease becomes primary requirements. The study of twins become central stage for this kind of investigation for example in case of non-identical twins   there are some   similarity like age, family environment and background environmental variation while they have different genetic makeup, Provides excellent tool to determined effect of genetic makeup on diseases. While in case of identical twins, similarity in genetic makeup provides researchers with ways to isolate the function of individual genes involved in disease together with approaches to understanding how genes and the environment interact. Followings are some of the case studies where twins were used as model system for explain genetic bases of diseases. (Alex J. MacGregor, 2000) Twins and immunity:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Immunological disorders are some of the widely observed phenomenon and almost 5% of total population is suffering from these disorders, including insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), multiple sclerosis (MS), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and coeliac disease. Strong correlation between genetic makeup and immunological disorder were established based on various twins’ studies. Here in this particular case the complexity of disease and involvement of genetic as well as environmental factors makes twin studies a right system for investigation where investigators can fix one parameter (genetic makeup in case of identical twins) and other variable to evaluate effect of other factor (i.e. environment). Initially genetic and environmental factors are both thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases. But after employment of twins based study strongly rejected the above argument and clearly demonstrated that environment is the major contributor towards immune disease. Twins study demonstrated that the majority of identical twins with an autoimmune disease have an unaffected twin (Table 1). Table 1. Concordance rates in identical and non-identical twin pairs in population-based  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Studies of immune-mediated diseases Disease Identical twin pairs (%) Non Identical twin pairs MS 26.7 3.5 RA 12.3 3.5 IDDM 13 2.5 SLE 33 0 (Marco Salvetti, 2000) In some cases initially unaffected twin may develop the clinical disease some years after the index twin, but that was not statistically significant. As the majority remain unaffected on prospective study. But one should remember that even identical twins can differ genetically for example X-chromosome inactivation in females. And differential methylation of CpG Island leads to expression of entirely different sets of genes. Similarly there are several somatic rearrangement occurred during T cell receptor development and antibody production and thus differential disease susceptibility in identical twins may be due to effect of non genetic (epigenetic) factor on genetic. Similarly, one should note the fact that observed frequency of particular disease (table1) found to be more in case of identical twins compared to non identical twins clearly indicates role of genetic factor. In conclusion for immune diseases environmental factors play major role in light of genetic background. Twins and Leukemia:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first report of concordant leukemia in twin children appeared in the German literature in 1882 and then after many reports came in similar lines, Most of these studies indicated that there is almost 5-15% concordance rate among monozygotic twins and there are significant differences observed in case of different type of leukemia and age. But surprisingly in case of adult twins the concordant was found to be less than 1% which clearly indicated prenatal origin of disease. The risk estimation of likelihoods of occurrence of disease in co twin is not quite accurate but they can be consider as reasonable guide and approaching 100% for infant while risk of the order of 1 in 10 for older children. This estimation is valid for monozygotic twins and those who have monochrorionic placenta. (Mel F. Greaves, 2003) Twins and infectious diseases:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several observations that clearly indicate infectious diseases have an inherited element, and individuals respond differently to particular infections. The behavior of infectious agents can vary so greatly between strains that the effects of individual Variation are best seen when the same strain of an organism simultaneously infects previously unexposed individuals. Twin studies have compared the disease status among identical and non-identical twins, with the expectation that disease concordance will be higher in identical twins for a disease with a genetically determined component. (Table 3). Even though there are numerous studies carried out to identify major gene responsible for diseases susceptibility there was no clear picture appears for the same.   The major contribution for diffrential suceptibility of infectious disease came for variation in HLA (major histocompatibility complex), T cell recptor and diffrential V-D-J recombination among twins. The environmental factor here   played very crucial role. Table: 3 Table depicting the concordance of disease percentage in both Monozygotic and Dizygotic   twins, accordance to the country. (Hill, 2001)    Disease Concordance* Country MZ (%) DZ (%) Tuberculosis    Germany USA UK 65 62 32 25 18 14 Leprosy India 52 22 Poliomyelitis USA 36    6 Hepatitis B Taiwan 35 4 Possibility of twins having twins:   Ã‚  Ã‚   Birth of Identical or monozygotic twins dose not run in to the family but non identical of dizygotic twins have some heridetory influence. The main reason behind this is monozygotic twins are developed from single fertilized egg while non identical twins develop from two egges shed by ovary. The process of egg shedding have genetic manifestation and observed in woman having family history of twins.In conclusion, a mother of fraternal twins is 3-4 times more likely to have another set of fraternal twins. A woman who is an identical twin is no more likely to have twins compared to someone else expecting. Conclusion:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Twins were consider to be an ideal model system to understand influence of genetic and environmental factors on various aspect of human life including diseases susceptibility, metabolism, social behavior, IQ, personality, linguistic proficiency, Behavior etc. But the biggest challenges were to understand influence of individual factors on overall development of twins. In ideal condition MZ twins considered to be genetically and physiologically identical but there are many exceptions and that is mainly Due to post zygotic mutation and epigenetic influence along with well studied environmental factors. Similarly Immunity and disease susceptibility is mainly influence by environment and partly by genetic factor. For certain diseases like cancer, preventive measures should be taken in case of one of the twin diagnosed with disease, as chances of emergence of same disease in co-twin are high.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If the potential of twin studies is to be realized there should be strong collaboration between clinician, scientist and data management agency. Till recent past the main emphasis were given to genetic and environmental factors for any differences among twins. But development of newer technology based on molecular biology changes our perceptions. The epigenetic factors emerge as key contributor towards onset of physiological changes among twins at old age. Careful investigation along with new technology makes twin studies more useful with conclusive answer of various problems. Bibliography Alex J. MacGregor, H. S. (2000). novel uses to study complex traits and genetic diseases. TRENDS IN GENETICS , 131-134. Farah Siddiqui, A. M. (2007). Twins. OBDTETRICS, GYNAECOLGY AND REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE, 289-295. Hill, G. S. (2001). GENETICS OF SUSCEPTIBILITY TO HUMAN INFECTIOUS DISEASE. NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS , 967-977. Marco Salvetti, G. R. (2000). Twins: mirrors of the immune system. IMMUNOLOGY TODAY . Mario F. Fraga*, E. B. (2004). Epigenetic differences arise during the lifetime. PROCEEDING OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES , 10604-10609. Mel F. Greaves, A. T. (2003). Leukemia in twins: lessons in natural history. BLOOD , 2321-2331. Paul Gringrasa, ,. W. (2001). Mechanisms for differences in monozygous twins. EARLY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, 105-117. Stromswold, K. (2006). Why aren’t identical twins linguistically identical? Genetic, prenatal and postnatal factors. COGNITION , 333-386.

Strategies for Support in Child Learning and Development

Strategies for Support in Child Learning and Development Effective support for children’s learning and development requires early practitioners to have an understanding that children develop quickly during their early years- physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. Children have an entitlement to be provided with provision that will support them and extend their knowledge, skills, understanding and confidence that will help them overcome any disadvantage. A child in their early year’s experiences should build upon what they already know and can do. The experience should encourage a positive attitude with learning and aims in order to prevent early failure. A child’s learning environment needs to be stimulating and well planned and provide a structure for teaching within which children are able to explore experiment, plan and be able to make decisions for them, therefore enabling them to learn, develop and progress. ‘Children actively seek stimulation and need first hand experiences with real objects and occurrences and responsive adults or children who both support and model’ Bruce, 2001 The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework identifies three prime areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development; communication and language; and physical development. Clear identification of the three prime areas of learning and development. The framework states that these three areas are â€Å"particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.† practitioners working in early years are expected to focus strongly on the three prime areas, which are the basis for successful learning in the other four specific areas.† The specific areas include: Literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. Good. Communication and language development this involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Practitioners must give children access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems and other written materials) to ignite their interest. It is providing children to gain skills and become an effective speaker and listener. A child’s learning and competence in communicating, speaking and listening, being read to and beginning to read and write must be supported. They must be provided with opportunity and encouragement to use their skills in a range of situations and for a range of purposes, and be supported in developing the confidence and disposition to do so. (Early Years Framework) Good use of reference. Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive in their play and learning; and to develop their co-ordination, control and movement. They will increase the control over their movements as they develop, involving both gross and fine motor skills. Fine motor skills such as tying shoes laces or drawing, gross are things such as performing actions like throwing and catching. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food. Good. Personal, social and emotional development helps children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviours in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities as well building up their sense of identity and independence. As a baby they will begin being total ly reliant on those that care for them, as they progress they will become more independent. The child will develop social and cultural perspectives and control of their emotions; together they begin to gain and understanding of acceptable way to express their opinions and feelings. The first of the specific areas to highlight is literacy development. Language is vital to a child’s development it is the key for learning, communicating and building positive relationships. A practitioner’s role of encouraging their language acquisition is very important and that it should also concern parents, carers and even policymakers. They need to have knowledge about how the children in early years acquire their language and be able to develop into competent thinkers and language users which reflects good practice. The EYFS has pointed out the vitality of early year’s practitioners providing opportunities where children can communicate thoughts, ideas and feelings with those around them. Children retain language through daily interaction in their immediate environment. They respond to sounds, sentences and experiences expressed by those around them. Listening and attention, understanding and speaking are the three aspects of communication and language development. Communication and language development, from birth children are tuning in to the world around them. Without verbal language by observing babies attentively we are able to see how they are able to communicate with those around them. They hear sounds and will try and establish where the sounds come from. As they get older they will learn to identify and know the difference between various voices and start to understand the meaning of words. Babies cry to attract attention –in this way they communicate with the adults around them to get what they need. They have different cries for different purposes and parents soon get to know which cry means ‘I’m hungry’, ‘I’m in pain’, ‘I’m damp’ or, ‘Come and play with me now!’ Adults respond by meeting these needs and by talking to their baby. Language is important because it forms the foundations for interacting with other people – for communicating our needs, our thoughts and our experiences. From the moment of birth, babies are ready to communicate: they listen to and look at people and things in their environment, and respond to what they hear and see. Babies need a stimulating environment in which those who care for them respond sensitively to the different meanings of their cries, coos and gestures. Having the early ability to communicate verbally and non-verbally is the basis on which language is developed. A child’s ability to develop language depends on being immersed in a rich environment of words, sounds, rhythm, and verbal and non-verbal expression from birth. Children will progress through all language stages as they age, but may have different rates and milestones of achievement according to their own personal development. Early years practitioners play an active role in both language and literacy development. They will help introduce children to words, sounds, letters, and books and will highlight the relationships among them. They can promote literacy in early years by simply reading stories aloud to children on a frequent basis in setting is one of the most effective ways to promote early literacy development among young children. However, young children will tend to focus on the pictures during shared reading. The practitioner should draw children’s attention to print by pointing to the words when they say them or by asking questions about the words in the book for example â€Å"Where is the title?† or â€Å"We know this letter – it’s a C . this can help improve word awareness and alphabet knowledge. By helping children focus on the words and letter this makes shared reading more successful. For young children it would be recommended to use ‘big story booksâ€℠¢ so that all children can see it with its larger print. Mathematics: Children’s earliest interactions are with mathematics as they are exploring patterns, shapes and spaces of the world around them. It will provide children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems. We are, all of us, at all ages, already highly skilled mathematicians. We just haven’t often learned it in our mathematics lessons. Lewis, 1996 Mathematics is an important part of everyday life. We use numbers for counting, ordering and measurements: Learning math in the early years involves more than practitioners providing children with manipulatives, such as pattern blocks or peg boards to explore, because mathematics is about thinking,. In order for children to mathematize what they are doing From ages 3 through 6 children move from an intuitive to a more organized/formal mathematical thinking. children need many experiences that call on them to relate their knowledge to the vocabulary and conceptual framework of mathematics — in other words to mathematize what they intuitively grasp (Joint position statement of NAEYC and NCTM, 2002).Practitioners need to provide the appropriate vocabulary and further their thinking â€Å"what will happen if you cut the smaller pieces in half? Which one comes first, second, third? Why Which one is the longest, shortest, and heaviest? How can you tell? by asking mathematical aimed questions, in turn encourages the child think mathematical. They need to help children have confidence in their calculations, estimations and develop a keen sense of curiosity. From birth babies will work hard at making sense of the world around them. They learn about quantity for example a baby eagerly wanting an object; they will want one for both hands. Then they will realise they can’t hold anymore Understanding the world will involve guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. They are developing the necessary knowledge; skills and understanding that help them make sense of the world around them. This will then provide a foundation for later educational learning of science, design and technology, history, I.C.T and geography. Finding out about the world around them is what babies and young children do very effectively when they investigate by touching, holding or pressing things and by climbing on and jumping off things. Older children love to explore and investigate how and why things work and to test out their ideas of what will happen if they do a particular thing like Practitioners need to provide activities based on first hand experiences, the children need to be in an environment where there is a wide range of activities indoors and outdoors that will stimulate the child’s interest and curiosity. â€Å"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.† Mead.M Expressive arts and design is enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, encompasses messy play, music, dance, design and technology and imaginative play such as role play and small world play. The children within an early years setting should have daily opportunities for creative play, both inside and outside. As well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities. There various developmental benefits of expressive arts in including motor skills, the motions involved in making art, such as holding a paintbrush or scribbling with a crayon, practitioners should encourage the use of these as they are essential to aid the growth of fine motor skills in young children â€Å"Art is a way to encourage the process and the experience of thinking and making things better!† Khol Visual Learning: sculpting with clay and threading beads on a string all develop visual-spatial skills, which are important. nowadays toddlers know how to operate a smart phone or tablet, which means that even before they can read, kids are taking in visual information. tools and materials practitioners can use to encourage more complex exploration can include: tea bag painting, chalk pictures, splatter painting, printing with different objects such as potatoes, veg or shaped sponges. Using recycled materials for junk modelling/ structuring. They can encourage music by using: Nursery rhymes, action songs, using Sounds to help tell stories Sound pictures and making instruments. These are a few of many other tools and techniques to encourage expressive arts and design in early years. It can benefit young children as hey can help develop intrinsic human qualities, such as creativity, expression, identity, culture and imagination it can impact positively on confidence, self-esteem, perso nal, social, emotional development and behavioral health, breaking down language barriers, cultural prejudices or societal differences, and leading to decreased social problems, reduced inequality and increased creativity. The ways in which a child engages with other people and the environment – playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically – underpin learning and development across all areas of learning and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner. Practitioners need to when planning they need to plan to cover all seven areas of learning and development. Each child will develop at their own rate through each developmental milestone. They need to keep a balance of child initiated and adult led play it their planned activities. Play has a big role of importance in early years, a great aid for learning. â€Å"The path of development is a journey of discovery that is clear only in retrospect, and it’s rarely a straight line.† Kennedy-Moore, E Bibliography http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/2100/1/achievement-for-all-characteristics-effective-inclusive-leadership.pdf ~(Accessed 20th April 2014) http://www.birthtofive.org.uk/features/effective-learning.html (Accessed 20th April) http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/foundation_stage/learning_through_play_ey.pdf (Accessed 5th May) http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/58917/factsheet_6_finaltemplate_ready_comm_lang_lit.pdf (Accessed 5th May) http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/a00212432/eldp (Accessed 5th May) http://osclinks.com/618 (Accessed 5th May) http://osclinks.com/623 (Accessed 5th May) http://osclinks.com/634(Accessed 5th May) Books Pound. L, (1999) Thinking and Learning About Mathematics in the Early Years (The Nursery World/Routledge Essential Guides for Early Years Practitioners) Woods. A, (2013)  Child-Initiated Play and Learning, Planning for possibilities in the early years, Routledge Thwaites. A,(2008) 100 Ideas for Teaching Knowledge and Understanding of the World (100 Ideas for the Early Years),  Routledge Sheridan. D. M,(1977, 1999) Play in early childhood-from birth to six years, Taylor and Francis Group, London, New York Brown. M and Warner. M, (2013)  Foundation blocks for the early years, Physical development with expressive art and design, Brilliant Publications, Edlesborough.

The Importance Of Dams To Water Quality Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Dams To Water Quality Environmental Sciences Essay Water plays an exceptional significant role in the economy and in the life of all countries. It is of vital importance for the existence of people, animals and vegetation. The settling of people in different regions of earth has always been closely dependant on the possibilities for water supply parallel to those providing with food, shelter and heat. The increase in the population, development and enrichment of mankind in number of places has reached a level at which the water supply needed for the population, industry, irrigation and production of electric power has been brought to a critical point. Only one-fifth of the fresh water which is available is suitable for human consumption. There is uneven distribution of water regarding space, time and quality. That is why artificial redistribution of water is needed by undertaking expensive engineering in order to obtain water for given place in a defined quantity and quality. Definition of Dam Dam is a manmade barrier constructed to contain flow of water built across a river, lake, sea forming a reservoir behind it. They are mostly constructed from earth, natural materials, concrete rocks. Types of dams:- Arch dams Arch dams are made from concrete. They are curved in the shape of an arch, with the top of the arch pointing back into the water. Arch dams are usually constructed in narrow, steep valleys. They like all dams need good rock for their foundations, to resist the force of water on the dam. An arch shape is used for resisting the pushing force of the flowing water behind the dam. Buttress dams These dams are made from concrete masonry or both. The watertight upstream side supported is by triangular shaped walls, called buttresses. The buttresses are spaced at regular intervals on the downstream side. They resist the force of the reservoir water trying to push the dam over. The buttress dam was developed from the idea of the gravity dam, except that buttress dam uses a lot less because there are a lot of empty spaces between the buttress dams. Like gravity dams, they are made to suit to both narrow and wide valleys and they must be constructed on stable rock. Since 1945, 14 buttress dams have been constructed in the UK, mainly for hydroelectric schemes in Scotland. Cross-section through gravity dam (http://www.britishdams.org/about_dams/gravity.htm) Gravity dams -A gravity dam is made from concrete or masonry, or sometimes both. It is called a gravity dam because gravity is the force that holds it down to the ground stopping the water in the reservoir pushing it over. Cross-section through gravity dam A cross-section (or slice) through a gravity looks roughly like a triangular shape. Gravity dams are mostly used at sites which have narrow valleys, but they do need to be built on a stable rock. They can be constructed fairly on any terrain. There are more than 260 gravity dams in Britain. Masonry was used in many early dams, as far back as the 17th Century. However, concrete became more common from about 1900. Embankment dams their main features- There are several types of embankment dams; the designs have varying degree of inbuilt conservation. For e.g. Relating to the degree of seepage within the dam which is controlled by provision of filters and drains The use of free draining rock fill in embankment , The control of foundation seepage by grouting, drainage and cut-off constructions. The shape of dam looks like a small hill or pile. The hill or the pile is made up of impermeable  [1]  material, so that the water cannot pipe through the dam. The core of the dam is made up of clay or asphalt concrete; these types of dams are mostly used on wide valleys. The wide base helps water to exert less pressure on the foundation of the dams this is the main reason these dams could be built on soft soil. There are two types of embankment dams earth filled dam rock filled dam For rock filled dams the rock pieces are cut precisely to form a dam. Earth filled dams rock filled dams can further be divided into different categories of dams:- Concrete earth fill- Concrete is used in the core of dam as impermeable material. Asphaltic core rock fill-This type of dam is build with asphalt core (i.e. rock gravel) as the main fill material in the dam. Bituminous concrete face earth and rock fill-Bituminous concrete membrane is used in the water barrier for a dam as it is easy to maintain and economical viable. Types of spillways Spillways are structures which are found on or near dams, these structures are used when reservoir is full to pass floodwater safely, and in a controlled way, across a dam. There are 3 types of spillways:- Overflow spillway- These types of spillways are mostly created on gravity dam or a buttress dam. The spillway section in these dams are lower than the other sections of the dam allowing water to flow over its top and down from the front face of the dam. Side channel spillway- These types of spillways are used mainly with embankment dams. They are just located upstream and towards the side of the embankment dam. The water flows over the spillway, into a side channel of the dam and flows out safely through a tunnel Shaft spillways- This type of spillways is also known as Morning Glory, this spillway resembles like inverted funnel over a tower which looks like a shaft in the reservoir as soon as the water level rises in the reservoir it falls into the shaft and it is removed through the bottom of shaft via a tunnel. Shaft Spillway (http://www.britishdams.org/about_dams/shaft.htm) How are dams built? To build a dam some sequence of events are required for building the foundations of the dam and creating a reservoir. Dam is usually constructed across a river to create a reservoir in the valley which helps in storing the water that flows into it naturally. Sometimes, they are built across dry valleys, or valleys with small streams, to create a storage area for water that is transported from elsewhere. (I)Diverting the river flow from the site Streams and rivers are diverted to create a dry land for the construction of the dam. Small rivers, streams or canals are usually diverted through a tunnel, or a channel that is constructed around the side of the dam. Soft soils and rocks are removed to make a route, while harder rocks have to be blasted with explosives, to loosen up the soil and form soft debris. If dams are built across wide rivers with large volumes of flowing water. It would be impracticable and too expensive to construct a separate channel or a tunnel to divert the flow of water. Instead, a dry construction pit is formed on one side of the river, leaving the other side open for the water to flow through. The first portion of the dam is constructed in the dry pit. When it is finished, another dry area is formed on the other side of the river, and the remaining part of the dam is built. Meanwhile, the river flows through openings in the completed portion of the dam, and the reservoir can start to fill behind it (http://www.britishdams.org/about_dams/divert.htm) (ii)Constructing a foundation for the dam-A dam is usually built on a soil or on a hard rock foundation, different foundations are used depending on the type of dam and type of topography  [2]  around it. The foundation needs to be strong enough to hold and maintain the weight, structure of the dam, and the force of water pressure acting on the walls of the dam. The dam foundation generally needs to be below the ground level of the dam. To construct foundation soft soil and rocks need to be removed by excavation, drilling or by blasting rocks with explosives. Rarely, areas of weaker soils or rocks are found below the planned foundation level of the dam and this need to be removed and replaced with stronger materials for a stronger foundation. Some rock foundations have crevices  [3]  and fissures  [4]  in them. These have to be filled with grout or sealing material to stop water seeping out from the reservoir through the cracks, once the dam is made. This is usually done by drilling holes down into the weak rock with cracks and by pumping grout in them, which spreads outwards to fill up the cracks and making the rock hard. (iii)Building a dam (structure) -There are two major types of dam constructions (i) Concrete dams (ii) Embankment dams Concrete dams-As limited amount of concrete is required in a concrete dam, the concrete is mixed together in a special building called a concrete batching plant, which is built near the dam site. Sometimes for very large dams, there can be a number of batching plants. The concrete in the dam is placed by two different methods. (a) Pouring concrete -The traditional method of constructing a dam is to pour a wet mixture of concrete into a mould made in the required shape of the dam. The mould is usually made from sheets of timber it is also known as formwork. The mould is not made to the full length and breadth of the dam, as the dam is built upwards in small stages of about 1 to 2 metres at a time. The concrete is left to dry and harden before they can work on the next section on the top. The concrete needs to be transferred from the batching plant to the dam this can be done by number of methods. Like a system of conveyor belts is used from the batching plant to the dam site or sometimes the concrete is taken by the trucks to the dam site from where it is poured into skips which are then lifted to the top of the dam by cranes and poured. (b) Compacting concrete with rollers- Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) dams are formed by spreading a dry layer of mix of concrete and compacting and mashing it down using a heavy steel rollers. The dam is raised slowly step by step to about 600 mm. The edges of the dams are formed first, by making low concrete walls on the upstream and downstream sides of the dam. Concrete is then moved to the area between the walls and spread in a thin layer using bulldozers. Rollers are then driven over the concrete to compact it down and harden it up. (iv)Filling up the reservoir with water (v)Testing that does the floodgates and valves work (vi) Monitoring and recording the behaviour of newly built dam USES OF DAMS Water supply -This water is used to supply water to homes and factories. Reservoirs are designed in such a way to store the rain that falls during the rainier parts of the year, so that there is a continuous supply of water for the drier period Hydroelectricity- Waters in the reservoirs could be used to store water to feed hydroelectric power stations. Hydroelectric power is produced by using the potential energy from falling water to drive water turbines that in turn, turn electric generators. The reservoir water is stored at a height higher than the turbines, which are in the power station. Sometimes, the power station is directly in front of a dam, and pipes through the dam feed water directly to the turbines. In some other cases, the power station is downhill from the reservoir, and the water is fed to it through long pipes or tunnels called penstocks. Flood control-A reservoir can be used to control the amount of water flowing in a river after heavy rain or snow fall. The water level in the reservoir is kept low during the wetter periods of the year. When heavy rain occurs, it is gated by the dam and held in the reservoir like a collecting tank. When the reservoir gets too full, the floodwater can be passed downstream over a spillway. Sometimes, floodgates are used on top of spillways, and they can be fully or partly opened to control the amount of water let out into the river downstream. If dam werent there the water level in rivers can rise dramatically. Sometimes, the water flows over riverbanks or walls causing flooding of farmland, property, and in the worst cases, loss of life. Irrigation-Plants grow naturally on fertile soil that is watered by rain. However, in different regions of the world where the climate is very dry for some parts of the year, the soil becomes so dry that it restricts the growth of vegetation. This problem can be overcome by irrigation, a man-made system for watering the land. As water is released through spillway into downstream and to the drier parts Navigation -The construction of a dam across a river forms a reservoir that holds water raises the water level upstream, , and it slows down its rate of flow. This improves the navigation conditions upstream of the dam for ships and boats. Dangerous areas of rocks and sandbanks, previously in shallow water, become well covered, and rapids in the river disappear. Also, water from the reservoir can be released into the river downstream during the drier seasons of the year to make sure that it is deep enough for navigation all the year round. How do dams affect people and environment around it? Reservoirs are generally created to act as a resource or to give benefit to people. Rarely , inundation, or flooding of land and the management of the water in the reservoir can have an adverse effects on people, the wildlife ,the environment and the habitats, not only inside and around the valley, but also downstream of the dam or the spillway. The advantages and disadvantages of creating a new reservoir and a dam should be considered during the planning stages. Suitable methods should be decided and worked upon to eliminate or to reduce the disadvantages, so that the reservoir provides an overall resourceful benefit to people. These are some of the issues that are considered:- People- Peoples livelihood and their quality of living are also affected when the land is inundated by the reservoirs, on which they used to live and earn living .For some large reservoirs, or dams, hundreds of thousands of people have had to leave their homes and well established businesses had to migrate elsewhere and set up everything from scratch. In the past, there have been cases that many of these people that were forced to migrate for the betterment of society had not been given adequate compensation for their losses, and some had not even been given new places to live let alone the compensation. During relocation some of the communities who had been living together for a long time were broken up and moved to different areas due to construction of the dam, which also led to emotional and mental traumas. Some people made their living from farming and used the water from river for irrigation and some used the river for fishing. Majority of them suffered when they were relocated , as they were not given new land to work, if land was given it was far more less than they actually used to have or the land was infertile and the land was too far from a river so river could not be used for irrigation. They needed different skills to get another job and adequate training was not always provided. These days, authorities responsible for the dams are becoming more aware of these issues. Resettlement plans have been worked on, developed and applied to minimise the disruption and suffering caused to people during relocation, which used to live in the reservoir areas. Good plans make sure that fair compensation and employment opportunities would be provided. In some cases, efforts have been made to resettle migrants in their own chosen communities. Plants and animals Dams are generally constructed across rivers or lakes to store water that would naturally find its path to the lower reaches of the river and finally into the sea. The building of a dam upsets the natural flow of water and the balance of the river which affects the animal and plant life in and around it. some of the reasons how it may change the natural balance are :- At the upstream of the dam, the dam is made, river is flooded and it becomes a reservoir. The nature of the flow of the water downstream is changed. The dams generally accumulate sediments that normally flow downstream in a natural flow When the river valley is flooded with water, animals are forced to leave there natural habitat and plants and trees are cut. In some cases rare species have been extinct due to the negligence of the authorities. Now for some large projects, plans for nature reserves have been made .In some natural reserves same species of plants and trees have been replanted in them and some of the native affected animals have been moved there. However, the natural reserves can only really work when authorities carefully give a thought that how the plants and animals depend on each other in an environment. A dam across a river generally forms a barrier to fish that migrate, such as salmon, pomfret, sailfish. Fish passes should be included in the design of a dam. This would allow adult fish to swim upstream to spawn, and then come back downstream later with their young ones. Fish passes usually take the form of a fish lock or fish ladder. These fish passes need to be designed very carefully and precisely to make sure that the conditions are just about right for the fish to use them. Sedimentation- Rivers always carry sediments. When river is flooding a reservoir, the speed of the flowing water comes to almost a halt and the sediments fall down and get deposited on the reservoir bed. Over a number of years, the sediment in the reservoir can pile up, and form a hard rock which may reduce the space available for storing water in the reservoir. Most of the sediments that are held back in the reservoir would normally be moved downstream by the flowing water. If too much sediment is accumulated in the reservoir, the natural balance of the sediments in the river downstream can be changed, affecting people, wildlife and plants as far away as the river estuary, meets the sea. Farming land, which uses water from reservoirs for growing crops, can be deprived of its nutrients and silt which are normally accumulated when the river floods the reservoir. Nutrients are essential for fertilising the soil for agriculture. When designing a reservoir, the quantity and the quality o f sediment that will flow into the reservoir have to be monitored and controlled. The reservoir needs to be designed to reduce the amount of sediments that are deposited upstream, and to maximise the sediment flow downstream. Positioning spillways and outlet pipes and tunnels can control and regulate the flow of sediments downstream. Sometimes sediment is knowingly accumulated in the reservoir. Then at regular intervals, it is removed. This can be achieved by letting water flow out of the reservoir through the outlet pipes at the bottom of the dam, so that the sediments easily get flushed out. Water quality The quality of water can slowly deteriorate when it is stored in a reservoir as the water is stagnant .Flowing river water maintains a constant supply of dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen is vitally needed to support aquatic flora and fauna, and to prevent some chemical reactions to pollute the water. There are many numbers of factors that can reduce oxygen levels in a reservoir, for e.g. organic material in the water can readily use up oxygen as it decomposes. The depth of the water in the reservoir, temperature difference between the water at the top of the reservoir and the bottom and its flow can also affect the oxygen levels. The type and the chemical nature of the land that is covered by a reservoir may affect the water quality. Pesticides and other chemicals from farms and toxic materials from industries can pollute the water. The streams and rivers flowing into the reservoir act as a major source of pollution as they may be carrying pollutants. The designers o f a reservoir and the dam have to consider all these factors and whether if any of these factors will have an adverse effect on the quality of the water. If the answer is yes, the designers need to include special safety measures to maintain good quality of water. Historical site- river valleys have high heritage values as throughout history people have settled in them. Many of the worlds archaeological sites, historical buildings and monuments can be found on the beds of these river valleys. Often these sites include sacred buildings such as churches, temples and their burial sites, which are areas of high sentimental values to the local inhabitants. Such heritage sites could be lost forever when a reservoir is made and the site is inundated with water. In the past, no such steps were taken in these dam projects to explore, preserve or save any of the local heritages. Recently, special measures have been taken in account for building of some projects. They have included following guidelines: Intensive archaeological investigations at the sites believed to have traces by ancient civilisations, before dam or a reservoir constructions proceeds. Relocation of burial sites with proper respect and dignity. Redesigning the structure of the dam, to minimise the loss of heritage site. The dismantling, relocation and re-erection of ancient monuments to preserve the interests of locals Safety and the maintenance of the dam In 1925, the two dams failed causing a flood that swamped a village in North Wales called Dolgarrog, this flood killed 16 people. The disaster was initially started when the Eigiau Dam, a small gravity dam failed. The released water from the reservoir of the broken dam flooded downstream and overtopped the reservoir of Coedty Dam which was an embankment dam; the high pressure of water inside the reservoir forced this dam to fail. Thus, releasing the huge volume of water that that swapped Dolgarrog and killed people. This disaster at Dolgarrog led the British government to pass the Reservoirs (Safety Provisions) Act in 1930 that introduced laws on the safety of the reservoirs. This act has been updated, and the current one is known as the Reservoirs Act, 1975. According to this acts all the dams in the United Kingdom that can hold at least 25,000 cubic metres of water would be maintained and looked after to ensure the safety of the general public. Under the Act, there is a usually Panel (or group) of civil engineers who are responsible for checking the safety and maintenance of these reservoirs and their dams. These are also known as Panel Engineers, and to qualify, these panel engineers need to be well qualified and vastly experienced in dam and reservoirs safety maintenance. After 10 years every existing reservoir is thoroughly checked that if they meet all their safety requirements. Panel Engineers are also required to actively participate with the new construction of dams and reservoirs, or i f the existing reservoirs needs to be repaired and changed entirely. According to this act reservoir owners are legally responsible for the safety and the maintenance of their reservoirs, dams. These dam owners are forced to employ suitably qualified civil engineers to make periodic checks on safety of the dam during the intervals between the Panel Engineers inspections. Safety check by Engineers Some of the safety checks are listed below Visual inspections An important part of a reservoir safety check is visual inspections. Unusual features like cracks on the surface of a dam may reveal important clues about the condition of the internal body of the dam which may not be visible to the naked eye of the inspector. On embankment dams, the civil engineers always look for hollows, bulges cracks and leaks on the outer face and on the upstream face of the dam, when the water is low. These features could possible indicate number of factors like the dam becoming more unstable, and that if there is a possibility that, with time, the portion of the slope could collapse, just like a landslide or the dam could crumble down on its own weight. Hollows on the dam can also indicate that floodwater has been overflowing the dam and slowly eroding the downstream slope. Engineers also look through or underneath the dam for any signs of water leaking. Water leaking through the dam can erode away the material inside the dam gradually creating a large cavity. This may lead to the collapse of the cavity itself which may reduce the stability of the dam. If the water is leaking under the dam or near the foot it can be a problem in its foundations in this case the entire dam needs to be reconstructed as the foundations get mushy and dam can collapse any second. Concrete dams have inspection galleries theses are tunnels running through the entire dams. These galleries just between 5-6 feet high just about big enough for a person to walk through. This helps engineers as the can inspect the conditions of the dam both inside and outside. The concrete surface is checked for signs of any erosion, deterioration, cracking or moulding. The engineers also look for the stability of the dam and look for any signs that could suggest that the dam or sections of it are moving. Checks are also made for any leaks on every part of the dam. Inspector checks the dam for all types of conditions, water pipes, valves and floodgates and even the quality of the water. The valves and gates are operated and greased regularly to check that they work and would work when required. Monitoring behaviour- Although dams look like a solid structure, they generally do move under the forces of nature, and which may cause water to seep through tiny pores in the structure. The height of an embankment dam actually reduced due to its weight over the years. Reduction of the height of dam is called settlement. A reservoir filled with water pushes a dam downstream a little and tries to make it slant and slide on its foundation. The structure of the dams is mostly made out of metal and concrete which may contract and expand the dam as the temperature changes throughout the year. Civil engineers have to often ensure the stability of dams by designing dams that can minimise water seepage and could withstand the effects of natural forces. Changes in the behaviour of a dam does not occur overnight, they occur slowly, and gradually so these changes cannot be detected by naked eye so the dam needs to be monitored regularly using scientific instruments that can measure changes at v ery small values . This way any unwanted behaviour can be detected in early stages before it causes a major structural problem. Some instruments are permanently fitted in dams, while others are generally taken to the site to make measurements. These are some the things that are monitored:- Seepage or leakage- A crack in a dam can indicate there would be increased leakage or seepage. In embankment dams, it could indicate that there is internal erosion of the fill material is taking place. Settlement- Optical instruments are used to measures levels on the crest of an embankment dam, to check if the height of the dam is reduced. If a crest appears to settle it can be a warning of problem a occurring within the body of the dam. The crest levels are generally designed to be of a certain height or above the normal full reservoir level. This ensures that the dam is not overtopped if in case it is flooded by excess floodwater or by waves on windy days. Tilting -Pendulums are installed in the vertically shafts of the dam to monitor any tilting in the dam Considering floods Dams are usually designed to hold back and collect water that flows into the valley behind it in the reservoirs; dams are also used to control the amount of water that passes out through it. Hydrologists are used to estimate the quantity and the quality of water that flows into a reservoir. Civil engineers use this information to find a location and plan the appropriate height of the dam. The dam needs to be of certain height, high enough to ensure that it will not be overflow excess flood water, unless it is designed to do so via tunnels or spillways. Accidental over toppling of water could damage the property downstream and in worse can be fatal or it could wash away part of the downstream side of an embankment dam which may affect the stability of the dam and it could collapse. These events can form catastrophic floods, as the water is released from the reservoir, could cause death and destruction to the people who live downstream. Floodwater is usually passed through a reservoir using a spillway, tunnels or safety canals safely. If people and property are at risk, spillways are opened safely so that they could pass the huge amounts of flood water controllably. Hydrologists often estimate the size and the danger of the flood by studying past rainfall records for the area and considering recent climate changes or the sudden change in the topography e.g. a large slope formed due to a landslide. They use this information to design new, better, efficient, spillways and also check the existing ones. Often, small-scale models are created to check the design. Checking for earthquakes- Every year there are more than 200 earthquakes are detected just alone in Britain. The majority of them are extremely small and have very small value on the Richter scale, but after regular intervals of every eight years at least a Magnitude 5 earthquake on Richter scale occurs. Luckily Magnitude 6 earthquake is about the largest and biggest that could ever occur in Britain, but the odds of that happening is very small or even negligible. A Magnitude 6 earthquake can easily damage structures that are poorly constructed, have weak foundations or that have not been designed to absorb earthquake shocks. If a dam fails during an earthquake it can be very serious, because the water released from the reservoir could cause havoc and severe flooding downstream. Due to this reason, new and existing dams in Britain are checked that if they could absorb the shocks of an earthquakes. There are a few handful dams in Britain which are believed to have been damaged or have been severely affected by earthquakes. The most important case was found in 1957 when the Black brook Dam, in Leicestershire, was severely affected by a Magnitude 5.3 earthquake. Tithe tremors of this earthquake caused heavy coping stones to shift and cracks and crevices appeared on the faces of this gravity dam which was constructed from concrete and masonry.

A Worn Path :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Tattered Trail   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty, is the tale of the unstoppable love and care of a grandmother for her grandchild. The main character in the story, Phoenix Jackson, is an old black woman who makes a long journey into town to get medicine for her ill grandson. Despite the many obstacles Phoenix encounters along her journey, determination helps her to continue. I will analyze â€Å" A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty in terms of symbolism and characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I will analyze â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty in terms of symbolism. One way symbolism was shown in the story was by the obstacles Phoenix encounters along her journey. The first obstacle Phoenix faces is when she gets herself tangled in a bush, and she does not want to tear her dress. Phoenix begins to take to the bush saying, â€Å"Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir† (Welty 389). Eventually, she frees herself from the bush. â€Å" Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush† (Welty 389). This shows that you should not judge from the outside and that things are not always, what they seem to be. Another obstacle she faces is when she meets the barbed wire fence. She begins to speak to herself, â€Å" she could not pay for having her arm or leg sawed off if she got caught fast where she was†(Welty 390). Again, determination helps her to continue. Phoenix’s name also shows symbolism. â€Å"As Wesley 2 most critics have noted, Phoenix Jackson’s first name links her to the Egyptian myth of the bird that renews itself periodically from its own ashes†(Bartel 45). In addition, like her name, Phoenix seems ageless. When she stops to drink water from the spring she says, â€Å"Nobody know who made this well, for it was here when I was born†(Welty 391). When she encounters the hunter and he asks her how old she is she says, â€Å"There is no telling, mister, â€Å"said, â€Å"no telling† (Welty 392). Again her age is emphasized when she goes to the doctor’s office and the nurse ask her why she never went to school. â€Å"I never did go to school, I was too old at the Surrender† (Welty 394).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondly, I will analyze â€Å"A Worn Path†, by Eudora Welty in terms of characters. The main character in the story is Phoenix Jackson.