Atmospheric Conditions Compared to Indoor Air Pollution Essay Example for Free

Atmospheric Conditions Compared to Indoor Air Pollution Essay There are many different air pollution problems that exist today. Ozone depletion, climate change conditions, volcanic eruptions, acid rains, and motor vehicle exhaust to name a few. One particular problem that is wide spread is â€Å"acid rain†. Acid rain is an effect caused by natural as well as man-made pollution, with a mixture of wet and dry deposited materials in our atmosphere containing nitric and sulfuric acids higher than normal amounts. Increase of these chemical compounds is caused from exhaust from burning of fossil fuels such as automobiles, electric power generation as well as volcanic eruptions and activity and natural plant decay. www. epa. gov). Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides are emitted from power generation and other sources where acid rain is created when these gases react with other components of the atmosphere, water, oxygen, and other acid compounds resulting in creation of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Prevailing winds cause these particulates to spread out over long distances over wide spread regions. These acid rains are of environmental and quality of living concerns. Water vapors from acid rain can enter into the homes through open windows, poor insulation around doors and windows, ventilation systems and vent pipes that can affect air quality of the home as well as outside environments. Some of the environmental effects of acid rain can cause paint to peel, steal corrosion of bridges and structures, erosion of stone buildings and statues affecting the quality of air and life in residential and commercial areas. (http://en. wikipedia. org). Ground water supply sources can become contaminated and affects everything the water is used for. Acid rain can have harmful effects on animals, aquatic life, plants and their ecosystems. The effects are greater lakes, streams, wetlands and aquatic environments. Acid rain causes waters to become acidic and absorb aluminum deposits from runoff from the soils around them. The combination of this and the results of the chemical reaction make the water toxic to shell fish, crayfish and other aquatic species. Even though some species tolerate acidic waters, interconnected ecosystems that impact certain species will eventually impact others along the food chain. The damaging effects of acid rain on plant life are quite dramatic. Damage to forests in higher elevations is more apparent than lower lying regions. The acid content is at a higher level and leaches the soil nutrients and releasing aluminum making it harder for trees and plant life to absorb water. In lower lying areas the effects of acid rain, environmental stressors, and poor soil quality on plant life and trees cause them to become weaker where they cannot tolerate temperatures too cold or too hot, resist infestation of insects and susceptible to disease, and inhibit the ability to reproduce. Some areas the soil is better equipped to neutralize the acids in a â€Å"buffering capacity† that varies from region to region. (www. environment. nationalgeographic). By curbing the use of fossil fuel burning will decrease the forming of acid rains and conservation efforts of individuals. Not only is acid rain damaging to the outside environment, but also on inside air quality of the home. Physical contact of acid rain from rain droplets or swimming in acidic recreational waterways has little effect on human health. However, the pollutants that cause acid rain are associated with increasing the risks of health problems including respiratory and other illnesses. These pollutants infiltrate into indoor living spaces and cause many respiratory illnesses, breathing disorders including asthma and can even cause death. By improving ventilation systems and air purification techniques of the home, using better insulation and installing energy efficient windows and doors will greatly improve air quality of the home and diminish the risk factors from outside air pollution. http://greenliving. nationlageographic. com). Laws, such as the Clean Air Act has improved greatly the air quality. The EPA, through monitoring, and imposing strict guidelines on release of toxins in fossil fuel burning industries. The EPA has reported that from 1980 and 2009, the national average of sulfur dioxide content in the air has decreased by 76 percent, and the amount of nitrogen dioxide decreased by 48 percent. Congress has also created the Acid Rain Program Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment. Some of the EPA’s initiatives are the SO2 Reductions and Allowances Trading under the Acid Rain Program involves Phase 1, which imposed tightened annual emission limits of higher emitting plants by installing pollution control devices. Allowance trading systems contributes the low-cost rules of exchange minimizing government intrusions and allowance trading to prepare for a viable compliance tool in reduction of SO2. (www. epa. gov). Another asset implemented by the EPA and Congress in the Clean Air Act Amendment is the reduction of NOx beginning in 1995 through 2000 as a two phase program concerning coal-fired electric electricity utility boilers. Phase 1 covered Group 1 Boilers and Phase 2 covered Group 1 and 2 boilers. Group 1 boilers are tangentially dry bottom fired boilers which has a tendency to give off higher NOx concentrations than Group 2 wet bottom wall fired boilers. Although the NOx reduction program incorporates many of the same characteristics as the SO2 program, it does not include allowance trading or caps the NOx emissions. www. epa. gov). The EPA also requires participants of programs to install, monitor and report data so tracking of the progress can be compiled on quarterly, semi-annually, and yearly bases. Monitoring devices known as CEMS (Continuous Emissions Monitoring System) are required to be installed and maintained by the participants. In the event that data is not compiled or not reported during a reporting period, the applicants will be considered non-compliant and the units deemed out of control for that period and fines incurred to the applicants. (www. epa. gov). The EPA requires any new or upgraded boilers or generating plants to install pollution control devices to capture, or remove sulfur before burning the fuel, and stack collectors for NOx particulates. There are several types of pollution control devices in use, and, depending on the fuels burned, amount of fuel burned, boiler types, amount of electricity produced and type of â€Å"stacks† used for venting on which device will meet the appropriate application. With the aide of the EPA and other government and private pollution control departments involved our air quality has improved greatly in the past few decades. With contributions of these departments and each individual persons working together to improve air quality of our open spaces and within businesses and homes will bring us that much closer to improving our world air quality for the new generation growing now, and even better for future generations. Keeping due diligence in our efforts ensures the planets recovery not only in air pollution, not only, but also our environment as a whole improving quality of life for all organisms large and small.

The House of Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Essay Example for Free

The House of Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Essay The House of Mango Street is a story written in vignettes, which shows how a girl grows up and how she is maturing. In this story there are some vignettes that specify when she is growing up and that show some of steps that take part as people grow up. The House of Mango Street is a coming of age story where Esperanza, the protagonist, is growing up as the story progresses. Esperanza is a girl that has is sort of poor but not completely. They have moved from place to place until they settled at a house in Mango Street when she was eight years old. There she starts to grow up and becoming more mature. In a vignette called hips she discovers she starts growing hips. Then she with her sister and friend start telling each other why women grow hips. This shows that Esperanza is starting to become a woman. This is because she is starting to grow hips and that is an important change and sign that a girl is indeed growing up. In addition, she is now aware that she is becoming a woman and is starting to develop. This shows that because she starts telling his two sisters and her friend about her growing hips. This is because she is interested and exited about the fact that she now starts to have hips. Furthermore, they start to discuss and argue about why women have hips. This shows that they as girls are growing up, but the things they argue about still show that they are not so mature but start maturing. This is because they still have childish beliefs about why they grow hips. Hips tells us how Esperanza is growing up and they start the maturing process. Esperanza as we know is a sort of poor person and she has no money to buy too many things. There is a vignette called chanclas were she starts to feel ashamed of her shoes that were old and ruined. This shows that she is starting to be aware of how she looks and if she looks fine or bad. This is because as she starts to mature and grow up she starts to develop more vanity. In addition, she starts to notice that boys are looking at her and that makes her try to be as beautiful as she can possibly be. This shows that as she matures, and as she starts to notice boys and vice versa she feels the urge of being attractive to them and to grab their attention. This is because she knows that to get married or to attract boys she has to be  beautiful enough for the boys. Furthermore, as the vignette develops it says that she in the urge of trying to look good, and starts to hide her shoes under her dress. This shows that she is aware that people are looking at her and makes her feel uneasy about her shoes. This is because she sees a boy looking at her from the other side and it sets her shame wild trying to hide the shoes. This vignette shows us how she starts to feel ashamed of her things and how much she cares about her appearance. The House of Mango Street is a story written in vignettes, which shows how a girl grows up and how she is maturing. The story shows us how Esperanza, the protagonist, changes from a girl to a woman. For me the story was a little confusing because of me being a boy and the story about a girl. For the conclusion the story was a coming of age story that tells us the side that we dont know about people like Esperanza and how they grow up.

How does early childhood attachment affect child development

How does early childhood attachment affect child development 2- Describe three important contributions Freud made to the field of human development. How does early childhood attachment affect child development? Describe the relationship between temperament and best fit parenting. Freud suggested that the development occurs through a series of psychosexual stages: Oral stage (first 18 months of life): Infants main source of interaction occurs through the mouth. Infant receives pleasure from oral stimulation through sucking. The infant also builds a sense of trust and comfort through this oral stimulation. Anal stage (ages 1.5 to 3.5): Childs pleasure centers around anus and elimination. Phallic stage (ages 3 to 6): Child discovers the differences between males and females. Childs pleasure centers on genitals. Child begins to identify the same-sex parent. Latency stage (ages 6 to puberty): Child enters the school and has other interests like hobbies and friends. Sexual energy is directed into other areas such as social and academic areas. Genital stage (from puberty onward): Individual has sexual interest in the opposite sex. Freud believed in the importance of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences. He divided the mind into two parts: Conscious mind: includes all the things we are aware of. Unconscious mind: includes feelings, ideas, and memories that we are not aware of. Most of the unconscious contents are undesirable, such as feelings of pain and fear. Freud suggested that the unconscious mind continues to influence our behavior, even though we are unaware of these influences. According to Freud, the human personality is composed of the following three elements: Id: the only element of personality that is present from birth. This component of personality is totally unconscious. The id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality. Ego: is the component of personality that deals with reality. The ego develops from early childhood experiences. The ego operates in both the conscious and unconscious mind. The ego functions to fulfill the Ids desires in the appropriate time and place. Superego: is the component of personality that senses the right and wrong. The superego offer rules for making judgments and functions to improve our behavior, it inhibits all unacceptable desires of the id and exert effort to make the ego act idealistically rather than realistically. Attachment is an emotional bond between infant and caregiver. Attachment is to seek contact to another person, to feel safe when that person is there and to feel uneasy when that person is missing. The important aspects of attachment are trust and comfort, in contrast feeding is not an important aspect. Children develop different styles of attachment based on interactions with their caregivers. Four attachment styles have been recognized in children: Secure child: walks around freely when the mother is present, engages with strangers, will be disturbed when the mother leaves, and happy to see the mother return. The caregiver of a secure child is sensitive to the childs needs. Insecure-resistant child: resists closeness, dont explore or engage with strangers even when the mother is there. When the mother leaves, the child is extremely upset. When the mother returns, the child will push away if the mother offers comfort. The caregiver of an insecure-resistant child is not always available to the child. Insecure-avoidant child: pay no attention to the mother, showing little emotion when the mother leaves or returns. The child will not explore much. Strangers are treated in the same way as the mother. The caregiver of an insecure-avoidant child is rejecting. Insecure- disorganized child: shows insecurity by being disorganized and frightened. With new experiences the child may be afraid and confused. The caregiver of an insecure- disorganized child usually abuses the child. As a conclusion for improving the childs development, caregivers should be sensitive and always available to meet the childs needs. Temperament is an individuals behavioral manner and the way he reacts to emotions. Temperament influences the babys initial response to his environment. The ways in which the family responds to a baby are inclined by that babys temperament. The three basic styles of temperament according to Thomas and Chess (1977; 1991) are: Easy babies (40 %). Positive temper, happy, launches regular routines in infancy, adaptable to new experiences, and curious, Slow-to-warm-up babies (15 %). Inactive to the environment, has low adaptation and withdraw from new situations. Difficult babies (10%). negative temper, fearful of strangers, slow to accept new situations, easily displeased and launches irregular routines in infancy. It is the mix between parent and child that concern. This mix is known as Goodness of fit which refers to the balance between a childs temperament and the environmental stress the child must deal with. The interaction between parents and the child will certainly affect the childs development. The following table shows the different parenting styles: Parent style description Authoritarian (very strict) Extremely controllable, stress obedience, refuses discussions. Authoritative (moderate) Allow children to learn from their own mistakes, firm, kind, allow discussion, and give confidence to their children. Permissive (kind) Exert little control, dont set rules and dont demand high levels of behavior. Uninvolved Demand very little and react minimally. Parents have to consider the childs temperament and respond correctly to it, in order to improve the childs behavior. Parents should imply the following to achieve the best fit parenting: Be sensitive to the childs characteristics. Be flexible in responding to the childs characteristics. Avoid labeling the child negatively. Allow discussions, and listen to the childs point of view. Encourage the child to find solutions to problems. Respect the childs opinion but also be firm in your decisions. Set your expectations and limits to help the child develop self control. There are differences among children, dont compare children and respect the strong points of each child.

Live Flesh by Pedro Almodovar: Scene Analysis :: essays research papers

Pedro Almodovar’s 1997 film Live Flesh (Carne Tremula), is rich in both visual and story elements, making in the perfect candidate for a scene analysis. Upon writing this paper, however, this was almost to my disadvantage. I watched it through and whittled it down to about five scenes I considered analyzing. This self-challenge is a testament to not only this film, but Almodovar’s whole body of work; he has created so many thoughtful, intricate, and all together entertaining films in his career, I had to somehow forgive myself for just choosing one short scene out of only one of his movies for analysis. So, without further ado, here is an analysis of a scene from Live Flesh. The scene I chose to analyze is the one in which David (Javier Bardem) returns home from a basketball game, only to find out his wife, Elena (Francesca Neri) has slept with another man. It occurs at roughly an hour and 17 minutes into the film, and is relatively short, but extremely powerful. The opening shot to the scene of Elena returning home from her tryst early in the morning. She enters the shower and begins to smell her naked body, seemingly bringing back memories from the previous night. Every time she inhales, she lets out an orgasmic sigh, which makes it clear to the audience exactly what she is recalling. With each sigh it seems that she not only had an amazing sexual experience, but that she also doesn’t regret it at all. This is until her last deep breathe. After this, she pauses for a beat, and in this moment, a look of full realization about the events of the past night washes over her face. This moment is fleeting, however, because right when she turns the shower on, she closes her eyes, as if she is recalling not only the scents of the night before, but even the sights and sounds. As soon as she stops moving and cracks a smile, the shot quickly changes to David’s cab pulling up. The cab symbolizes David’s dependence, in that all he can do is sit in the back and tell the driver where to go, showing that his disability has forced him to become dependent on so many different people. The fact that David’s cab was shown right as Elena began to smile shows that David’s dependence is preventing Elena from truly being happy, which I’m sure is a struggle in any relationship involving a handicapped person.

Lack of Male Intimacy :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

The Lack of Male Intimacy As I sit in the auditorium of the school I attend, I listen to the speaker of the day make his fatal mistake. He has done well up until now, relating to us only facts and ideas. Now, he has suffered from a lapse in judgment, and seems to have forgotten his surroundings - an all male audience. He has the audacity to display genuine, vulnerable emotion. I wait for the response I know he will get. The sound fills my ears. The all male audience brings forth a sarcastic and mocking chorus of "awwwwwww." One could not imagine the same event transpiring in an all female group. It is pretty much commonly accepted that men do not show emotion. It is pretty much commonly accepted among men that men should not show emotion. The group in the auditorium had bought into this stereotype. Most of them were probably not accustomed to seeing men display their emotions, and it made them nervous and uncomfortable. So, they reacted with the two most common defenses used when one is uncomfortable in the face of something one does not understand: criticism and humor. In "Locker Room Talk," Stephen Dunn notes that the danger of a man having sex is the possibility of "admitting he felt something...". So, Dunn believes that many males see the display of emotions as something along the same lines as an admission of guilt. Something they would try to avoid in most situations. I agree. I think it is pretty clear that men, as a rule, have trouble sharing their emotions. So, the real questions are, "why do m en have this problem," and "can things change, and how?" While there are probably a few reasons for this condition, and the answer cannot be given with absolute certainty, I think the answer can be found by looking back through time. This abstinence from intimacy is probably as old as the family structure. When humans began to settle down as families, responsibilities were assigned in the way that the family could survive the most efficiently. The children would have to be taken care of, and food would have to be provided. It made sense for one person to handle one of the two major tasks. It was logical for the mother to attend to the children, because she had carried each of them for nine months, and was required to breastfeed them.

The Nyphs Reply Poetry Interpretation Essay -- essays research papers

Poetry Analyzation Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What Is Love Worth?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A typical situation, in these modern times is the picture of a man and woman living together without marriage. Even more common than this is a man claiming his love and life for a woman then moving on after he becomes bored with her. This idea between man and woman hasn’t changed over the years. In â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love†, by Christopher Marlowe and â€Å"The Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd† by Sir Walter Raleigh, shows this battles. The question is if the love is real or superficial, and also if it’s everlasting true love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea that love or infatuation is so strong that it can take man’s emotion and lust to blind him and tool him into believing it’s love is a terrifying thought. Marlowe begins a plea with the Lady, by promising to â€Å"all pleasures prove†. His first proposal only offers experiences that can be shown or felt by either lust, or lies. Figuring he can use his honey-sweet talk, to win her over, then never be held accountable for his promises. The shepherd next moves to complimenting her beauty and by speaking of â€Å"coral clasps and amber studs†, which of course can’t compare to her. Speaking only of gifts that are beautiful alludes to his fascination with her own beauty. Material gifts that can only be used and remembered in the p...

How does Miller present ideas about settling for half in the play? Essay

One of the strongest messages that Miller presents about ‘settling for half’ is that there is a need to settle for half between Sicilian morals and the US Law system. At the beginning of the play, the chorus figure, Alfieri, states how ‘we settle for half and we like it’, and this ‘settling for half’ is again repeated at the end of the play. It is likely that Alfieri is a figure of authorial intrusion, and so these views about ‘settling for half’ are likely to be Miller’s own. Because Alfieri is a ‘lawyer’, he is naturally a symbol of the US Law system. He is described to be ‘in his fifties, turning gray’. This is possibly used by Miller to suggest that the US Law system is 50 years out of date, and the fact that he is ‘turning gray’ could be symbolic of how the US Law System is becoming increasingly out of date. Furthermore, the illustration of ‘gray’ hair could be a blend between the ‘black and white’ US Law system, and so, through this, it is likely that Miller is trying to convey his own thoughts of the workings of the US Law System. However, Miller also criticises the Sicilian moral code, by portraying Marco’s downfall. Initially, the audience are told that Marco arrives to earn money to provide for his family. However, his belief in Italian Morals, and the belief that ‘all the law is not in a book’ results in him killing Eddie, and therefore, having no choice but to be deported back to Italy. He even states that ‘in my country he would be dead now’, and this is used to highlight the severity and ruthlessness that the Italian Morals can operate with. Through the fact that neither men get what they want through the US Law system, and Alfieri states that ‘there is nothing you can do’ and that ‘the hearing is just a formality, but also that the reliance on Italian morals leads to the downfall of both men, it is possible that Miller is trying to showcase the need to settle for half between the US Law system and the Italian moral code. Furthermore, Miller portrays messages about settling for half through the portrayal of Beatrice, and especially suggests ideas about the need to settle for half between the roles of a loyal housewife and a strong female personality. From the outset of the play, Beatrice is portrayed as a loyal, somewhat stereotypical 1950s housewife. She is seen to ‘start into the kitchen’, and state that ‘I was gonna wash the walls’, showing how she is responsible for housekeeping, but she is also portrayed as independent in the way that she is seen to do these things without any prompting or command. However, she is also portrayed as someone who is not afraid to challenge Eddie. Throughout the poem, she is seen to say phrases such as ‘She’s no baby no more’ and ‘When am I gonna be a wife again’. The fact that she questions somewhat masculine responsibilities such as Eddie’s sexuality and the future of the children is somewhat unstereotypical of a 1950s housewife, and so, this would be somewhat shocking or surprising to the audience. In fact, at the end of the play, Beatrice’s ‘final thrust is to turn toward him instead of running away’, which shows that she is the only one in the play to challenge Eddie’s questionable behaviour, in a play full of ‘turning away’ and ‘covering the eyes’, and this leads to Beatrice assuming a sort of ‘heroine’ role in the play, and in fact, Beatrice’s actions are those which bring about Eddie’s catharsis – characteristic of a Greek Tragedy-style play. This causes Eddie to realise his love for Beatrice, and while he dies, he calls ‘Oh, B, My B’, which is indicative of the rebirth of Eddie’s affection for Beatrice. However, this unstereotypical yet powerful behaviour leads to Beatrice becoming quite a tragic character in the play, with Eddie dying in her arms, and so, Miller is possibly trying to suggest that there is a need to settle for half between the roles of an independent powerful figure and a loyal housewife. In addition, Miller presents the need to settle for half through the presentation of Eddie. Initially, we can see that Eddie’s love for Catherine may not be purely platonic, as he greatly enjoys the event of Catherine showing off her new dress to him, and states that he thinks it’s ‘beautiful’. It is down to the actor whether this phrase is mutter subconsciously or not, but it is evident that Eddie’s emotions and feelings for Catherine are possibly overflowing and he cannot keep them in. However, when Rodolpho enters the scene and essentially takes Catherine away from him, Eddie is unable to ‘settle for half’, and his fatal flaw, which is his desire for total control, causes him to inform on the immigrants, which eventually leads to his own demise. The fact that he is unable to settle for half in a familial loving relationship with Catherine, and still allow Catherine herself to be in a loving relationship with Rodolpho is essentially the deciding factor in Eddie’s death, and the actions of Rodolpho, as well as this inability to ‘settle for half’ is what essentially accelerates Eddie’s tragic demise and his catharsis. Perhaps, through this, Miller is trying to suggest that an inability to settle for half will only in our demise.