What is an Eating Disorder?

There are different types of eating disorders and while they are all different, in many ways they also have a lot in common. An eating disorder may develop out of a simple diet. Some people, to relieve tension or depression will go on a binge. A binge is eating a lot of food in a very short time until uncomfortably full. Although the binges relieve some tension, they also cause disgust, guilt, and concern about weight gain which will lead a person to purge after their binges. A purge is a way to compensate for all the extra calories by vomiting, excessive exercise, fasting, or using laxatives. It causes rapid gain and loss of weight, feelings of inadequacy, and an obsession with food. Binge Eating Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa are the most common forms of eating disorders. Binge-Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa are considered mental disorders because people with these disorders do not feel like they are in control of their eating behaviour. If a person binges more than twice a week, it is considered Binge-Eating Disorder. The combination of bingeing and purging is called Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia, although still considered a mental disorder is more controlled, with the person either taking very small amounts of food or starving themselves to remain thin. It is estimated that 0.5 to 1% of women in late adolescence develop anorexia. It is most common between the ages of 10 and 30 and 90% of the cases are women. However, cases are increasing for men, minorities, older women and pre-teens. There are children as young as 8 showing concerns and behaviours around food, and up to 50% of these youngsters are boys. Anorexia is associated with feelings and behaviours related to the fear of â€Å"fatness†. These feelings include poor body image, a phobia about food and its ability to create fatness, and an intense fear of being a normal body weight. People with anorexia have not lost their appetite. They are very hungry indeed. They think about food all the time, want to be close to it – give it to others. What they don't do is allow themselves to succumb to their desire for food. Like all compulsive disorders, the roots of anorexia lie in deep anxiety, the sense that not only is life out of control, running away too fast, but that their ability to cope with life and all its demands is poor. Given these fears, it is all too easy for an individual to turn to the control of food and weight to gain some kind of control over their existence. Typically anorexia starts when a young person feels overweight. This may be because they have gained a little more weight than average at puberty, or have slim friends with whom they compare themselves. A decision to go on a diet may be triggered by a specific event such as a comment or remark from a peer. The diet is most usually the first ever tried and it is initially quite successful, giving the young person a real sense of achievement at an otherwise insecure time of life. There may initially be approval from friends or members of the family which is a positive form of attention. The anorexic never starts off intending to starve themself into emaciation. They just feels that life will be better if they lost a few pounds – which it is for a while. At some point in the diet there is a subtle psychological change – which is not experienced by normal dieters – and dieting actually becomes more intense as the diet progresses and the target weight is near. The dieting behaviour goes underground so that it can become a private secret rather than a public activity and strategies are developed to convince â€Å"others† that eating is taking place when in fact it is not. This requires a great deal of craftiness such as throwing food away, finding ways to get rid of it off a plate at mealtimes, or pretending to already have eaten. Hence by the time that weight loss is noticeable to the family, the anorexia is already well under way. In their own private eating world, the person developing anorexia will become very â€Å"ritualised† around food. This may take the form of eating fractions of portions of food at specific times of the day, – like one third of an apple – or eating the crusts around a sandwich but not the middle. They will toy with their food, cut it up into tiny pieces and eat them very slowly. Even non-fattening foods will be feared. Many anorexics weigh themselves several times each day. An anorexic can panic if they show a small change in weight after eating one lettuce. The physical effects of anorexia are mostly connected with the effects of starvation on the body: * menstruation stops(in women) * breathing, pulse and blood pressure rates plummet * mild anaemia occurs * osteoporosis * impaired kidney function * infertility * immune system fails to fight infection * physical weakness * sensitivity to heat and cold. * erosion of the teeth from acid in the stomach due to vomiting * as body weight falls to low levels the anorexic may be covered with a fine downy hair * ulcers and rough skin on legs and feet due to poor circulation * digestive problems as a result of starvation * constipation which makes the abdomen feel dense and large. * Bone loss as a result of under nourishment * shrinkage of the reproductive organs in both men and women * destruction of areas of the brain which are responsible for endocrine production. The most significant feature of anorexia is denial of the disease and anorexics are typically very intelligent people with a great deal of academic ability. Although there are several theories as to the causes of anorexia, it is increasing partly due to cultural changes and social pressure and development in food and nutrition, leading to an early maturation of young girls compared to that of the early 20th Century. (Phillip W. Long, M.D.1999 NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health)) Social &Cultural Theory It is understandable that anorexia hardly exists in third world countries where there is barely enough food for survival and where fatness is regarded as a sign of affluence. It is also rare in countries which have sufficient food but which do not see slimness as a sign of sexual attractiveness. However, in the developed countries where there is a tendency to associate fatness with negative attributes such as lower social or economic status and personal inadequacy, anorexia is on the increase. In countries where it's perfectly normal to be big, everyone is the same so it doesn't matter. As different cultures start to integrate and live in Western societies, the pressures to look like their counterparts leads them to have a low self-esteem of themselves. Young white women and girls faced with thin and beautiful white celebrities long to be like them — it would make sense to think that young Black and Hispanic women and girls, when faced with beautiful and thin celebrities, such as popstars and models sharing the same culture might also wish to achieve the same physical goals.( Furnham & Alibhai 1983) In addition, race discrimination in the professional job market may contribute to their low self-worth and desire to be loved and accepted. Those pursuing professions or activities that emphasise thinness, like modelling, gymnastics, dancing, singing, athletes, filmstars and wrestling are more susceptible to anorexia. Even today's men in the entertainment business are of a more muscular, slender build compared to the extremely skinny or bulkier type of years ago. While girls wish to attain a specific size, men who become anorexic are likely to have had a specific role model in mind – usually a sportsman or a rock star, when they begin to diet. Too much emphasis is being made on fashion being thin and the numerous diet pages in magazines and teenage literature. (About Face Organisation's Website) Environmental Theory Another social theory to the cause of anorexia could be family surroundings. The typical anorexic comes from a â€Å"perfect on the outside† family. The parents are often older and are reported by the child as demanding, placing emphasis on their educational or athletic achievements instead of them as a person. This is the parent's attempt of showing love. They feel that if they were to gain 99% in a test, they would be held accountable for not having got it all right. Their own body becomes their greatest achievement. Getting anorexia could be an unconscious choice, but by showing rigid control of their body and not eating with their family, the anorexic demonstrates independence in the only way they can. As a result, looking back on their early life, many anorexics remember growing up trying to please others and meet their expectations. They usually succeed, since many are high achievers and good students, anxious to please their parents or teachers and earn their approval. These are the children who are described by teachers as well behaved and conscientious, never causing trouble or disruption at school, and never giving their parents any of the usual forms of adolescent rebellion, such as rudeness or defiance. Evaluation These ideas show that it is perfectly reasonable to assume that the social pressures of being a young person in today's society can be associated with the onset of anorexia so if today's culture is a risk factor for anorexia, and wanting to be thinner precipitates the illness, why is it that out of all the women and girls who diet at some time in their lives, only some go on to become anorexic? A youngster growing up in a strict family with high expectations feels that she has no control over herself as her parents are taking away her independence and are basically mapping her life out for her. The only thing left is her body, so she uses this to control what she eats as an achievement of her independence. This can backfire on the anorexic, making the parents more overbearing than before. Biomedical theory Genetic factors Eating disorders appear to run in families–with female relatives most often affected. This finding suggests that genetic factors may make some people prone to eating disorders. Female family members of women suffering from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa develop eating disorders at rates up to 12.3 times higher than those of women who have never suffered from an eating disorder. Also, women who have sons or brothers that have had anorexia are also more likely to get this eating disorder themselves. Recent research looks at newborns of mothers with a history of eating disorders, and presents evidence that these babies also have characteristics that appear to put them at risk of having similar problems.( Dr. Michael Strober, lead author of the study and director of the Eating Disorders Program at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute). Twins too showed a genetic tendency to develop the same disorder, with identical twins being 55% more prone to the disease than non – id entical twins at 7%. Biochemistry In an attempt to understand eating disorders, scientists have studied the biochemical functions of people with the illnesses. The hypothalamus is a part of the brain which controls the body's neuroendocrine system — the part which regulates the multiple functions of the mind and body, such as sexual behaviour and emotional arousal, physical growth and development, appetite and digestion, kidney function, heart, sleep, thinking and memory. An experiment on rats in the 1940's identified the hypothalamus as playing a crucial part in eating behaviour. It was discovered that abnormalities in the lower- central region of the hypothalamus, the VMH (Ventro-Medial Hypothalamus) caused the stop-eating signals to cease working so that the rats became extremely obese (Teitelbaum 1967). In the same way that the VMH inhibits eating, there is a part that stimulates eating, the LH (Lateral Hypothalamus). If this is damaged, it would cause the rat to starve. Opioid Addiction Opioids are substances that are produced naturally in the brain when under stress. Their job is to relieve pain and give pleasure. As self-starvation leads to stress for the body and the release of opioids, this gives the person a feeling of being high. Anorexics tend to exercise excessively as both starving and vigorous exercise produce high levels of endorphins in the brain. It could therefore be argued that anorexics become addicted to that â€Å"high† thus becoming addicted to their own opioids. Evaluation Firstly, it is very rare for the sons to get an eating disorder before the mothers, as it is generally young women with no children who are at risk. Secondly, if there is just as high a risk of anorexia if a brother has had an eating disorder as there is with a son, the answer must lie in a defective chromosome of the male which should be easy enough to rectify, given modern medicine today. Could it be possible that there was a stress factor that ran through the family that increased the risk anyway and a combination of the two factors led to an increased risk? Surely, as well, a baby born to a woman with these sort of disorders is going to be at risk of a number of things when he is growing up. Apart from being nutritionally deprived whilst in the womb(which might cause a number of neurological problems) there must be some sort of emotional problems living in that kind of environment. The bio-medical theory sounds the most understandable. As with all mental health problems the change in brain chemistry can cause the different parts of the brain to malfunction leading to all manner of psychoses. The only query is: does starving oneself cause physical changes in the brain, or are the chemical changes in the brain responsible for the eating disorder? Alternative Theories to the Causes for Anorexia Psychoanalytic Theory Puberty for women is seen by psychologists to be a time of change and the hormones of puberty create body fat in women and the girl is reminded by her bodily changes that she is becoming a woman. There is also a big change in the age of puberty, which used to be at 18 years and is now occurring at 10, 11 and 12. Girls are experiencing their sexuality at an age where they appear to lack the emotional equipment to handle it so early puberty is linked with self- destructive behaviour in girls. Some researchers believe that anorexia is an attempt to stop the clock – to avoid growing up and becoming a woman and to avoid the problems that maturity brings. Evaluation This is arguable as – are all young girls aware that their periods will stop when they starve themselves, and how long is it before they realise that the bust is less affected by weight loss than other parts of the body. This theory does not take male anorexics into account. Learning Theory When a young person feels they need to lose a bit of weight, sometimes due to remarks from peers or the opposite sex, they go on a diet. As the weight starts to drop off, appraisal replaces the remarks. This leads to the desire to lose more weight which in turn leads to more attention. The diet soon escalates out of proportion and before long the positive attention turns to a more concerned attention. The anorexic enjoys this attention, whatever the kind and sees their behaviour as a way of being liked and being popular. This behaviour is carried on sometimes until the need for intervention by the medical authorities, which then sees the anorexic receiving attention and concerns from everyone around them, including their families. Evaluation This explanation is quite arguable as it is usually an unconscious decision to start starving yourself – the intention was to lose just a few pounds. Anyway, lack of attention, which is the issue, from people or family when young could quite easily lead to over-eating or other forms of self-abuse. Treatments and Outcomes Early treatments for anorexia were based on behavioural and psychotherapeutic techniques. These treatments were largely unsuccessful in the long term. Anyhow weight gain alone is not the only goal of treatment. The â€Å"best outcomes† are with therapies that treat the whole individual, and provide a variety of approaches, nutritional, psychological, personal growth and relaxation therapies. Part of this process would include building self-esteem. For those anorexics who are too far gone for these therapies to benefit them, a stay in hospital will apply where they can be force-fed under the powers of the Mental Health Act, since severe emaciation destroys the ability to think rationally, thus making any form of therapy very hard to do. Anyway, many therapists believe that it is impossible to carry out psychotherapy with an anorexic person unless weight has first been restored. ( The National Centre For Eating Disorders August 1999). Medical Treatment Scientists have found that the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, (chemical messengers which control hormones in the brain) function abnormally in people affected by depression. Researchers funded by NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) have recently learned that these neurotransmitters are also decreased in extremely ill anorexia and bulimia patients and long-term recovered anorexia patients. Because many people with eating disorders also appear to suffer from depression, some scientists believe that there may be a link between these two disorders. In fact, new research has suggested that some patients with anorexia may respond well to the antidepressant medication fluoxetine which affects serotonin function in the body. Cognitive Treatment Treatment of anorexia is often a long, drawn – out duration, requiring a combination of cognitive and analytic interpretative techniques to explore the past, identifying the underlying cause of the maladaptive behaviour. For older women personal therapy works best whereas family therapy is especially helpful for adolescent patients as every member of the family can understand what the patient is going through (Murray et al., 1997). Anorexia can be fatal if left untreated. About one fifth of people with anorexia recover,   a further two fifths gain weight but develop other problems with eating such as bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder. About one third of sufferers remain anorexic, with only one aim in life – to stay thin.   Death rates in long term anorexics are as high as ten percent, usually due to heart failure in the case of bulimic anorexia, suicide or lack of resistance to illness.

Keats and Shelley

The works of Keats and Shelley have attracted the attention of many scholars of English literature. In this essay, an attempt is made to compare the literary works of John Keats and Percy Shelley. This comparison is relevant due to the fact that both the poets were the contemporaries.John Keats can be considered as belonging to the Romantic school in English literature because he wrote many poems regarding the importance of love which he considered as the basis of living as without love there is no goal for human existence. This indicates the spirit for life possessed by Keats. In some of his poems Keats expressed his love for the lady who becomes the central character of his poems.   However, there are also poems which reflected the sadness, melancholy and utter despair and hopelessness regarding the human existence. This can be experienced by the study of his poem â€Å"Ode on Melancholy†.This poem demonstrates the fact the human pleasure is temporary and it is susceptible to miseries and pain. In this poem, Keats seems to suggest the temporary nature of happiness and that life is illusion as always it is not possible to achieve what one desires. On the other hand in his â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† there is a different feeling expressed by the poet. In this poem Keats is full of happiness and positive feelings as he believes that life is full of happiness and it is beautiful. In this poem, several times there is the use of the word ‘happy’ which indicates the mood of the poet while writing this poem.In fact his â€Å"Ode on Melancholy† and â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† shows the two different views. Nevertheless, they also reflect the reality of life. Thus, Keats expressed both positive and negative feelings in his poems. These two different poems seem to indicate the contradictory nature of his poems. Nevertheless, melancholy is required to realize the value of happiness. Hence, in order to fully appreciate happiness or joy one should be aware of melancholy as well.One can even find the fact that melancholy is in fact necessary to enjoy the experience of happiness. Hence two different poems have been composed by Keats to fully appreciate joys and problems in life. The poems of Keats remind us that after all we are humans and that humans are mortals. Keats also speaks about the inevitability of death and he romanticizes the pleasure of painless death.(Victoria, 2000)Keats’s â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† and Shelley’s â€Å"Ode to the West Wind† were composed during the same year. Being Romantic poets the critics might expect both of them to express the same feelings. However, both the poems give different messages. Shelly seems to believe in change and hence always there is hope as misery should be followed by happiness just like there are different seasons.Thus, Shelly is more positive and hopeful of the present world although he accepts that there is both melancholy an d happiness in one’s life. Keats seems to believe in static life and life without much of activities while Shelly believed in life full of motion, change and dramatic developments. The changes in nature are represented in his poem. Here for Shelly wind becomes symbolic expression of motion and change.The poet is also optimistic of death because when there is death, there is birth also. Shelly seems to believe that change is life and life is change. Shelly speaks of god of change although this god of change may mean of god of destruction. This implies that he respects even the negative developments in the human life. This is proved by the fact that the poet even welcomes death because it is followed by birth and thus there is hope even in death. Thus, when compared with Keats, Shelley is more optimistic of life with motion and he enjoys both good and bad experiences in life. He claims to be a product of autumn.He knows the happiness and melancholy of an autumn creature. For Ke ats beauty is seen in the stillness of the urn. He enjoys the motionless life of the urn. In the work of Keats there is reference to the melancholy life. In spite of these differences, in their different poems, both Keats and Shelley discuss regarding the hidden meaning of silence which is described by the use of different expressions. (Victoria, 2000)Although both Keats and Shelly belonged to the school of Romanticism in English literature and although they wrote the poems during the same year, there are significant differences between their poems â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† and â€Å"Ode to the West Wind†. While Keats expressed his love for stillness, Shelly considered life as full of motion and action.Bibliography(2000). â€Å"Discussion Questions about the Poetry of Keats and Shelley†, The Victorian Web Before Victoria: Selected Authors from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Retrieved online on 30-08-2005 from http://www.victorianweb.org

Business Ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Business Ethics - Research Paper Example The auditors would come, and most probably, would not be able to learn about Woods’s adjustments in the bills. There are two main options in front of Alex; either to tell what Wood has been doing to the auditors and get him fired, or remain silent and see what happens. There is no guarantee that Alex would be able to convince the auditors to let go of Woods if they come to know what he has been doing, and if Alex does try to convince them to do so, they might find it offensive and report the case to the authorities accusing Alex of cheating. On the other hand, this fact cannot be overlooked that whatever Woods has done has benefited the company in general and the department in particular one way or the other. In addition to that, the overall effect of Woods’s adjustments is negligible as the funds affected amount to perhaps five percent of the plants annual earnings. These points impart the need to overlook Woods’s mistake and consider the benefits drawn as a result of it. Utilitarianism is one of the most widely employed theories of ethics. Utilitarianism, as the name indicates, places emphasis upon the utility of an action. â€Å"Utilitarianism states that the moral standard should be promotion of the best longterm interests of everyone concerned† (â€Å"Nine theories of ethics†). In other words, if the end result of a certain action is good, this justifies the action irrespective of whether or not it is against the rules or principles. Analysis of the case under consideration suggests that whatever Woods has done has generated favorable results for the company. Absolutism is another theory of ethics which believes in a universally applicable system of values and norms. This system is applicable upon everyone at all times. Absolutism places a lot of emphasis upon rules, and does not make any exceptions. Analyzing the case under consideration in light of the theory of absolutism,

Case Study 1, Priority Plastics Inc Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1, Priority Plastics Inc - Case Study Example As a result, there was disagreement between the employees and the managers. In the previous trading years, the Company produced higher than industry average turnover which resulted in been granted an enormous contract from automobile manufacturers to provide several molded components that are supposed to be used in the interior of new cars. This three years contract requires several employees to replace outgoing ones and fill vacancies in several departments. Apparently, the HR manager is expected to come up with job descriptions that are accompanied by qualification to avoid the reoccurrence of employees leave as a result of being compelled to work on projects that they are outside their assumed job description and produce effectively on the contract. Of importance to note is that the HR department has the responsibility of ensuring that every employee has a job description since it is a professional duty and it further ensures that work is done effectively. The following should be practiced: Since Priority Plastics, Inc is a small company, it will be expected that only the major positions will be considered for advertisement on the Monster.com. Nevertheless, it is worth noting since this is Product Company there might be a requirement for minor positions as such casual workers who might be require to work occasionally on the emerging tasks in the Company’s plants. In most cases, these minor positions do not require any advertisement (Priority Plastics Inc, 2014). In this profession, the individual is expected to be at the company’s plant /plants and not at the main office. As such every activity in the plantation should be under his /her

2013 consuming fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

2013 consuming fashion - Essay Example The period around the late 70s and the early 80 witnessed a number of technological innovations key among which were in the sector of communication including the advent of the use of the internet. The technological developments therefore influenced the lifestyles of these people affecting their childhood thus their adulthood later in old age (Espinoza, 2012). The generation Y population is synonymously referred to as the millennium generation owing to the timing of the inception of the term around the millennium. Culture plays a big role in the formulation of a person’s lifestyle and that of the society. Culture refers to a society’s way of life, this includes the manner in which the people in the society dress, eat and worship. A society on the other hand refers to a group of people habiting a single geographical region. The use of the internet and other advanced commination gadgets succeeded in making the world a global village. This implies that every part of the wor ld became readily accessible by overcoming the geographical barriers. By redefining the society, the internet and the associated communication development influenced people’s understanding of cultures thus resulting in most people adopting new trends while abandon unfavorable behavior. Culture is never static and the more people interact with one another the more they adopt new likes and preferences thus changing their entire cultural understanding (Espinoza & Mick, 2010). Demographics & psychographics of the generation Y Based on their overreliance on technology and with the formation of a global village, the generation Y has no geographical barriers and exist all through the world. They are disintegrated into smaller groups with each group having its specific preferences. The members of this generation have no defining factor but are all unique from one another yet they share the media content. Their solitary lifestyles thus influences their consumption of the media content making the develop unique personalities and shopping patterns. Furthermore, the have abundant media content which provides them with a variety to choose from. The main defining characteristic of the generation Y population arises from the interactive nature of the new communication developments. This population is dynamic and very specific with their preferences a feature that influences their purchasing patterns. The internet brings the whole world together thereby expanding the market, this makes the population have an array of choices to make. It thus becomes difficult to have a presumption on the preference of this population especially in relation to their purchasing pattern. Kotler et al, (2010) asserts that this population is commonly referred to as toy children. This implies that in their childhood, members of this generation played a lot with toys a feature that influenced their development. The population consists of highly enlightened population owing to the fact that th eir parents most of who belonged to the generation X had a bit of enlightenment and therefore sought academic enlightenment for their children (Iacobucci, 2012). The less physically active childhood and the enlightened adulthood contribute to the lifestyle and therefore the purchasing pattern of the generation. peer pressure contributes the personalities that people acquire later in life, this generation experiences little f peer pressure owing to the independent lifestyles of their parents and the subsequent freedom deposited to them by education and exposure. Members of this generation therefore made selection of their friendships depending on their likes and preferences natured from their childhood. Twenge, (2006) explains that members of this g

Secondary data exercise Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Secondary data exercise - Case Study Example In recent corporate history, if there is one company which had demonstrated exemplary leadership and admirable resilience, to pull back itself from an imminent collapse, it could be none other than Marks & Spencer, the Retail Stores legend of the UK. The main plank on which it staked its entire hope was its compelling and convincing advertisement strategy. When the decline was confirmed and could not be ignored any more, the company under the guidance of Sir Stuart Rose as its new chairman decided to take the bull by the horn. How it girdled up its loin and strained every nerve to successfully tide over crisis after crisis, is an interesting corporate story. 2. Analysis for the causes, and drafting the remedial measures: An objective analysis brought out the following serious anomalies staring at the face of M&S, (the later shorter logo version of Marks &Spencer): sales were steadily dwindling (the worst was during 2004-2006), customers were slowly moving away since their preferences and what M&S offered didn't match very often, customer service offered by M&S was below par and competitor pressure was mounting. Now the company had very little option. They had to undertake damage-control measures quickly to restore the sagging confidence of even their most loyal customers. Strategic planning and supportive ad campaign came to their rescue, and once they stabilised their standing, then there was no looking back at all. They concentrated more on Communication Strategy to woo the customers back to their showrooms. The advertisement campaigns occupied the prime spot in the marketing communication activities. 3. What is advertising and its significance: What it can do and what it cannot do : Advertising is the core element of any marketing communication which aims to connect the business with its customers. "Advertising can be defined as any paid form of non-personal presentation and communication through mass media. The main aim of advertising is to sell to a wide mix of consumers and also to induce repeat purchases". Again " the main objectives of advertising are creating awareness about a product or store, create a desire to want a product, to communicate the store's policy on various issues, to help in repositioning of the store in the mind of the consumer and to increase the sales of specific categories or to generate short term cash flow by way of a sale, bargain offers or clearance sales. Advertisement can also help in reinforcing the retailer's corporate identity."1 (Swapna Pradhan, 2007) This aspect of recreating the retailer's corporate identity and repositioning the store in th e minds of the consumers weighed heavily with M&S management who decided to launch a dynamic drive into the consumers private preferences in an effective manner. But they were also aware of the limitations of a mere advertisement campaign alone . Primarily communication is used to inform the customers about the retailer, the merchandise and the services. Beyond that it could achieve pretty little of any worth. "It is believed that every brand contact delivers an impression that can strengthen or weaken the consumer's view of the company."2 ( Philip Kotler). So they decided to adequately back it up with a lot of image booster as well as

Global Warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Warming - Research Paper Example Global Warming There are three main ways in which human activities lead to an escalation in the total amount of the greenhouse gases; burning of fossil fuel, deforestation, and agricultural as well as industrial activities. During the combustion of fossil fuels, large amounts of carbon dioxide are produced. Fossils get burnt in order to aid in production of energy that can help in transportation, cooling, heating, and electricity generation. 80% of the total carbon dioxide added in the atmosphere comes from burnt fossil fuels (Spellman & Whiting, 2006). In addition, land use change for example; clearing lands for ranching, agriculture or logging contributes positively in the increased levels of carbon dioxide. Plants contain carbon which gets emitted as carbon dioxide when plants decay or burn. In addition, ozone gas and chlorofluorocarbons results to an increase in the levels of green house gases in the atmosphere. Ozone gas is present in the troposphere, and it emerges from industries. Most of untreated industrial wastes contain methane. Chlorofluorocarbons found in refrigerators and air conditioners also deplete stratospheric ozone layer. However, there are some scientists who dismiss the fact that, global warming is as a result of human activities. Abdussamatov for instance, has come up with a theory that dismisses the idea of greenhouse gases as the leading cause of global warming. He argues that greenhouse gases have minimal influence on earth’s temperature (Pasachoff & Filippenko, 2007). ... During the  combustion  of fossil fuels, large amounts of carbon dioxide  are produced. Fossils get burnt in order to  aid  in production of energy that can help in transportation, cooling, heating, and electricity generation. 80% of the total carbon dioxide added in the atmosphere comes from burnt fossil fuels (Spellman & Whiting, 2006). In addition, land use change  for example; clearing lands for ranching, agriculture or logging contributes positively in the increased levels of carbon dioxide. Plants contain carbon which gets emitted as carbon dioxide when plants decay or burn. In addition, ozone gas and chlorofluorocarbons results to an increase in the levels of green house gases in the atmosphere. Ozone gas is present in the troposphere, and it emerges from industries. Most of untreated industrial wastes contain methane. Chlorofluorocarbons found in refrigerators and air conditioners also deplete stratospheric ozone layer. However, there are some scientists who dismi ss the fact that, global warming is as a result of human activities. Abdussamatov for instance, has come up with a theory that dismisses the idea of greenhouse gases as the leading cause of global warming. He argues that greenhouse gases have minimal influence on earth’s temperature (Pasachoff & Filippenko, 2007). Variation of temperature takes place mostly on Earth and Mars. He, therefore, believes that Carbon dioxide has no influence in Mars. Furthermore, he believes that, if greenhouse gases were to be absent, there would be no life on Earth. Instead, the whole planet would just be a ball of ice. He, however, says that the global warming is due to wobbles in Earth’s

IT Governance in the School of Professional and Continuing Education Dissertation

IT Governance in the School of Professional and Continuing Education Of ABC University - Dissertation Example The world of business is becoming more and more digital, computer-based, and interconnected by a network and accessible to the national and global communities. It is imperative for an organization like the ABC University to see the value of Information Technology (IT) as a strategic resource so that all investments related to IT will have maximum returns in terms of increasing the value of the school in the minds of society. Nicholas Carr (2003, p.1), Harvard Business Review Editor, believes that as a result of ready availability of IT resources, the key purpose of IT has ceased to be for purposes of discovering opportunities and gaining competitive advantages. Instead, he says it should â€Å"focus on reducing risk† (p.1). This means having good governance of security for the data and minimizing costs of maintaining and utilizing IT for strategy development. Rajiv Kohli and Sarv Devaraj (2004, p. 53) recommended 4 phases that will give value to IT, and called it the AIAC Fram ework. This stood for the processes of Alignment, Involvement, Analysis, and Communication. Details of the each process are shown in the appended AIAC Framework Model. See Figure 1. In the course of research, analysis, and planning, the ABC University IT Governance will be reviewed in terms of the processes in this framework. Although there are many other frameworks that are available, the AIAC will be utilized primarily because it aims to quantify the value of IT governance. However, there will be modifications to include those recommended by other frameworks and are not found in the ALAC framework. Information technology serves the role of a strategic partner instead of only a technology provider. The IT Governance Institute (ITGI, 2003) believes that effective IT Governance helps to ensure that IT supports business goals and optimizes business

Evaluate the general differences between quantitative and qualitative Essay

Evaluate the general differences between quantitative and qualitative methodologies. What are the advantages when employing them in combination - Essay Example Therefore, it can be seen that the methodologies of social research have a profound effect on the theories and inferences later formulated. This paper evaluates the differences in the two broad categories of data collection approaches, quantitative and qualitative, and discusses how using them together might benefit social research. Quantitative Method: the method of data collection that is more popular and deemed more reliable as compared to other methods in scientific circles is that of quantitative collection and evaluation of social data (Social Research Methods 2006). As the name suggests, it is concerned with quantifying (Wikipedia 2008) the information that has to be collected. In this method, the pertinent social issue is regarded as distinct from the society and the premises in which it is originally carried out (Wikipedia 2008), the positivist technique, (Wikipedia 2008) and viewed as a problem complete unto itself that is unaffected by its environment. Consequently, the variables (Weinreich Communications 2006)_ that is, the factors that exist outside of the problem-system that might have a role to play in the issue_ to be considered are lessened quite significantly (Wikipedia 2008), and the issue is dealt with more like a closed system. For the same purpose, the researcher is required to be objectiv e (Weinreich Communications 2006), meaning that his or her own experiences, thoughts or affiliations should not interfere with the way the problem is viewed and handled. As the purpose is to quantify the information, a large amount of data is required to be collected, meaning that the number of cases are quite large whereas the variables considered are less (Wikipedia 2008). This, combined with the fact that the researcher is supposed to be objective makes this method of data collection very reliable (Lecture Notes 2007), as the same results can be produced over and over again regardless of the place of study or the person conducting the research (Weinreich Communications 2006). A large amount of data and theories worked out, henceforth, means that the approach is deductive (Lecture Notes 2007), as a general concept is worked out from specific nature of data. In fact, quantitative method is extremely apt at and useful for generalisations, and it is for this reason that it is widely used as a tool in policy and decision making practices (Social Research Methods 2006). Another reason for this is that the ontology for this method is realist; it concentr ates on developing universal laws and principles (Lecture Notes 2007) based heavily on numeric (Lecture Notes 2007) and scientific data that is collected systematically and is processed in a way that it becomes scientifically reliable and viable for realist approach. The different methods of data

Managing a health and social cae orgainsation Essay

Managing a health and social cae orgainsation - Essay Example In this context, identifying appropriate management practices for the particular sector can be a challenging task. This paper presents a series of management theories that could be effectively used in the health and care industry. Reference is also made to the ethical and legal issues that tend to appear in the particular sector, at the level that these issues set limits to the freedom of the industry’s employees to take initiatives. It is proved that, like in all sectors, in the health and social care industry the use of appropriate management practices is quite necessary so that the industry’s organizations are able to face market challenges. In any case, before applying any management theory in one of the industry’s organizations it is necessary to take into consideration the ethical implications of the particular initiative. 2. Management and health and social care organizations 2.1 Models and theories of management relevant to a health and social care enviro nment Different views seem to exist in the literature in regard to the involvement of management theories in the health and social care industry. In general, the necessity of these theories for the industry’s organizations is not doubted. Still, oppositions have been developed as to which of existing management theories are most appropriate for the health and social care sector. ... asis is given on hierarchy, as it results to ‘different levels of responsibilities and rights among the members of the organization’ (Harris 2005, p.63). The bureaucratic theory is based on a series of rules, that need to be followed in all organizations that adopt the particular style of management: a) the hiring of an individual to a specific position is depended on his skills; the power of each employee as ‘a member of the organization is related to his position in the organizational hierarchy’ (Harris 2005, p.63); b) following the procedures is of critical importance; no employee has the right to take initiatives, unless they are within the context of the power given to the employee as member of the organization; (Harris 2005, p.63) the activities of individuals, as members of the organization, ‘are predictable’ (Harris 2005, p.63), meaning that there is a routine in regard to the tasks assigned to each individual; this routine cannot be cha nged unless it is ordered by the employer (Harris 2005, p.63). Another management theory that it is widely used in organizations operating in the healthcare sector is the institutional theory. The particular theory is based on the idea that organizations operate in environments that are characterized by ‘a series of myths, such as rules of professional conduct or ethical standards, to which organizations have to conform’ (Shortell and Kaluzny 1997, p.21). At this point, a key difference seems to exist between the common organizational environments, also characterized as ‘technical environments, and the institutional environments’ (Shortell and Kaluzny 1997, p.21). The former tend to press the organizations for continuously increasing their profits (Shortell and Kaluzny 1997, p.21). The latter require that the

Project Estimating Techniques Essay Example for Free

Project Estimating Techniques Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Project estimating techniques are important to project managers, because they provide them with accurate predictions on which good planning and risk assessment are more soundly based. An estimate is used as an assessment tool to determine the quantitative outcome of a project. Project estimation is important because it justifier’s the project, usually at the initial stage of the project. This is because it enables the project managers to compare the costs with the anticipated benefits, thus determining the profitability of the project. Project estimation is important because it assists in enforcing the various disciplines required to make the project succeed as well as enabling everyone understand the impact of the project. Project estimation is usually based on three components, which include experience, expert judgment and task decomposition. In experience, the project is compared with projects that have been previously completed. In task decomposition, the project is decomposed into various components known as work breakdown structures and estimating the outcome of each work package. (Rad, 2002). Cost estimation technique   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cost estimation and budgeting involves estimation of the cost allocated to various duties in the project and the budget for each duty. The initial cost estimation of a project determines the fate of that particular project. It is very important to make accurate cost estimation, because if the cost is over estimation, there is a high likelihood of losing the project. Cost estimation involves identifying various elements, which include resources that are required for the project profits to be made from the project, overheads involves into the technology and the total expenses of the project. The total costs of the project should be analyzed in relation to the work packages of the project. In cost estimation, the total budget cost of each work packages in the projects identified and the process distributed over the time spent on each work package. The cost of each work package is then determined based on the activities and time spent on the package. The cumulative budget cost is used to determine the cost spent over a period of time and it analyzes the cost performance of the project.  Ã‚   The cumulative budget cost is used as a baseline against the actual cost and performance of the project. While preparing the cost estimation budget of a project it is important to consider decision-making processes, investment opportunities and performance reviews. During the project, project managers are advised to keep tract of the committed cost as well as the actual cost by collecting data and maintaining it in an information system. The committed cost should be set aside because it is money that has to be paid out in future. Another important element in cost estimation is determining the earned value for a project. This is determined by the value of work that has been performed and requires collection of data on the complete percentage of each work package. ( Lock,2007). Base and contingency estimation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In base and contingency technique, the estimation involves two components the base and the contingency. The base is referred to as the minimum expected time that is required to complete the project if everything goes as planned. The contingency is the level of trust that is usually placed on the base when all risks taken are put into account. Contingency costs are set aside only for unexpected events and omissions that may arise during the project. Separating the base and contingency cost is determined by considering everything that fail or go wrong during the project. The contingency cost is determined by using the risk analysis technique. Importance of project estimation techniques in an organization base and contingency estimation in an organization, the project manager is required to take into account all the wide risks that the project may encounter. The manager is also required to undertake a risk analysis and determine the appropriate amount of contingency to be set aside. The project contingency can be estimated by determining the money and resources to be used in the project. In order to produce an estimation of the project, the project manager is required to decompose the project into various tasks, otherwise known as a work breakdown structure. The project manager will then estimate each task as appropriate, add the estimates together and finally add the project contingency. Contingency estimation is usually based on expert judgment dependent on various cost engineering. Cost estimation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The cost estimation technique in an organization is required in order to support good-decision making processes as well as making a schedule of the work. Project managers use the cost estimation technique to determine whether the project is worth the effort being put into it. The development of cash flow needs and time-phased budgets requires a proper cost and time estimation technique. Project estimation is important in an organization because it enables them decide whether investing in a certain project is good for the company. (Verzuh, 2005). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚   Project estimation is the foundation of planning a project because it establishes appropriate targets for the cost and the work packages. Project that are planned based on unrealistic estimations turn out poorly and with very high budgets and schedules. In order to achieve reliable estimates, the project scope should be well identified and defined. If the product scope is defined as unrealistic, then the estimation may be inaccurate therefore leading to very unrealistic targets; initially the project estimation is based on decomposition of the project into work packages. Project estimation is thus, essential for project planning and target setting. Reference Rad, P. F. (2002). Project estimation and cost management. Management concepts. Lock, D. (2007). Project management. Gower publishing Verzuh, E. (2005). The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley and sons.

Indian dance Essay Example for Free

Indian dance Essay Kathak is the one of eight forms of Indian classical dances perform by men and women, originated from northern indian, known as kathakars or storytellers. The styles of dance have its unique character from the rhythmic footwork with rhythms that he or she stomps out barefoot on the floor, accented with many bells worn around the ankles ( and from seeing the guest artist I can say there were more than 100 bells around her ankles making lots of noise to go with the beats of the drum), spectacular spins, and also every dance piece has a story behind it. A traditional kathak performance features a solo dancer on a stage, surrounded on all sides by the audience. The repertoire includes amad ,the dramatic entrance of the dancer on stage. Male dancers perform in Persian costume of wide skirts and round caps, while female dancers wear a traditional Indian garment called a sari. Back in the day women are the one who preserved this traditional dance more than the men. Kathak are typically performs by one dancer surrounded by a group of musicians. The solo dancer performs the parts of all the characters in the story. For example the guest artist were going back and forth rapidly from one of her dance piece between two characters. She did it without changing her positions on stage, changes in gestures and facial expressions signal instantly which character they take on at that moment. Before the guest artist started her dance so did a pronom giving thanks to all five elements or also known as the god, space, wind, fire, water and earth. Dance is on the earth, the eyes wherever the eyes are the mind, where the mind there are feelings. The way Antara gave thank to the god were a little different from what we normally did in class, with more steps and she also added some singing and harmony into the rituals. Based on what Antara told us, kathak is a very intimate dance where it is a three ways conversation, between dancers with musicians and dancers with the audience. The tempo for kathak consist of 16 beats. Dancers sometime precise the beats while dancing. With kathak you can play with the rhythms, there is no set rhythms. Kathak consisted of a lot of feet movement and with that the bells around Antara added a more prominent movements. Even though the focused on her foot because of all the bells, we can still see that shes using her upper body. The arms movement were very smooth and elegant, her eyes moved according to her hands gestures. Antara played the Theka which looked and sound like the accordion, along with singing and dancing. The Theka did not stop Antara from doing her incredible spins and keeping the tempo while doing all these things at once. Stomping her foot very fast and loud on the floor seems to be away for her to keep her tempo. Even when she was stomping her foot her hands and head was still doing a lot of movement to help tell the story. During her performance she uses a lot of phrases in Indian and it was hard for me to understand or catch what she was saying. But she later on explained that it is just like how we counts beats in america instead of using numbers, in Indian dance they used the language of the drums. Her right foot always ended in the front to help her keep up with the beat and also so that her body can face the audience and interacted with them. Her dance move was not all fast but it was very precise and very professional. Antara dances very elegant and somehow I can see her personality throw the way she moved the way she carry herself on all the dance pieces. She is a great dancer and a great guest artist for the style, she makes me want to learn more about the style and actually go see her performance in San Francisco.

Incineration Or Recycling Of Waste In Stockholm Environmental Sciences Essay

Incineration Or Recycling Of Waste In Stockholm Environmental Sciences Essay The amount of waste has increased every year in line with economic growth in the society and so progressively becoming a bigger concern. The issue of increasing waste in the society needs to be considered carefully and strategies for building sustainable solutions must be incorporated into the daily agenda for companies as well as for households. Decisions regarding large investments in our society, like different ways of handling waste, are complex and require a systematic approach supported with appropriate decision methods and models. The overall aim for this study is to investigate how incineration and recycling in Stockholm municipality is organized and also to evaluate both the costs and the benefits using CBA model. Which method is the best when both considering financial and environmental aspects? The results from the Cost Benefit Analysis shows clearly that incineration has a large advantage relative recycling in matter of financial benefits. This benefit comes mainly from the fact that it is possible in Sweden and at the Hà ¶gdalenverken to produce district heating and electricity from the incineration of MSW. This energy recovery is not just good from an environmental point of view but also from a financial. Another important result is that the flue gas treatment in Sweden and Hà ¶gdalenverken is very effective due to use of modern technologies. The cleaning process with use of filters, scrubbers and catalysts are very effective and has a large impact on the emissions released to the environment. When analyzing the full picture with incineration compared to recycling it is clear that in Stockholm is the benefits larger for incineration as a large scale profitable treatment method for the municipal solid waste (MSW). Introduction In the early 1800s the main occupation in Sweden was agriculture and the most important processes linked to farming was sowing, harvesting and managing animals. During this period it was quite clear for the farmers what the input and output of their processes were and it was probably not that hard to control these processes and the local environmental impact. The main issue was the weather and the main resource was manpower. The dawn of industrial technology brought the industrial revolution. It became clear that new companies and households were not only impacting the local environment but also much larger areas via waterways and air streams. The amount of waste has, in general, increased every year in line with economic growth and so progressively becoming a bigger issue for our society. The issue of increasing waste in the society needs to be considered carefully and strategies for building sustainable solutions must be incorporated into the daily agenda for companies as well as f or households. Decisions regarding large investments in our society, like different ways of handling waste, are complex and require a systematic approach supported with appropriate decision methods and models. Aims and Objectives The overall aim for this study is to investigate how incineration and recycling in Stockholm municipality is organized and also to evaluate both the costs and the benefits using CBA model. Which method is the best when both considering financial and environmental aspects? To be able to fulfill the overall aim a number of objectives has been established; Describe the concept of Ecological Economics and its context. Describe and explain how Cost Benefit Analysis can be used to evaluate waste handling. Describe what kind of waste that is incinerated and recycled in Stockholm municipality. Describe and analyze how incineration of waste is managed in Stockholm municipality. Describe and analyze how recycling of waste is managed in Stockholm municipality. Calculate and evaluate costs and benefits for both waste incineration and recycling. System Boundary One geographical boundary is that this study will take place in Stockholm municipality but when suitable information is missing in Stockholm there is a need to broaden this boundary. It is also stated that there is two options of waste handling that will be studied in this report, incineration and recycling. Still these methods need to be put into its context. Methodology The information used in this report comes mainly from course literature used in the course Ecological Economics (MJ2694) at KTH. Other sources of information are internet and databases with articles for the specific research area. Theoretical Framework This chapter will introduce the research area as well as build the basis for good understanding of how waste management is handled in Stockholm municipality. This study is focused on using Cost Benefit Analysis as method for analyzing the two options incineration and recycling. Ecological Economics Perspective Ecological Economics (EE) was founded at the end of 1980s and this field is often categorized in multi-discipline or trans-discipline research depending on the views of different scholars (Constanza, Daly and Bartholomew, 1991; Daly, 2004). This section will briefly address the concept and the terms of EE that will be used in this study. Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of EE, it seems important to define the basic idea of Ecological Economics before addressing the waste management methods from an ecological economics perspective. The basic idea of Ecological Economics In a broader sense this field of study investigates the relationship between ecosystems and economic systems (Constanza, Daly and Bartholomew, 1991). However, as Bergh (2001) discusses in relation with the core of EE, the combination of the two different fields of study was enabled based on the view that the economy is a subsystem of a larger local and global ecosystem, and this relationship provides the reason to set limits to the physical growth of the economy. At this point it is differed from mainstream economy which has the focus on market mechanism without consideration of actual human and ecosystem behavior. Ecological Economics responds to failure of mainstream economics to build a bridge between the gap of natural science and economics (Gowdy, 2000). Economic scientist aspires to find simple and general laws that cover all possible economic situations. The focus on markets in economy, with ignorance of the constraints imposed by environment and the human behavior, has conclu ded in a variety of environmental degradation (Gowdy, 2000). An important distinction of sustainability in EE is concerned with the differences between development and growth. Development refers to an increase in the quality of output without an increase in mass and energy usage, whereas growth refers to quantitative increase in economic output (Gowdy, 2000). Development with an increase of quality of output also considers equal allocating resources significant and efficiency of distributing resources (Daly and Farley, 2004). Cost Benefit Analysis One of the methods used for decision-making is Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and with this method it is possible to evaluate the expected costs of an investment against the expected benefits to determine the most profitable alternative. In terms of goal setting or making a decision, CBA is a support for the decision makers. It is a rather simple method that is widely used for many years. (Entrepreneur, 2010) To illustrate how simple the CBA could be is to put a piece of paper where a line divides it into two parts. In the left side costs are stated and in the right side the potential benefits are described. Both the costs and benefits should be stated to reach a specific goal. After writing the different costs and benefits they need to be added up to be able to compare the both sides and to see which the largest part is. As this is a very simple method for decision-making it could be used for a first screening the situation but probably a more sophisticated method will be needed for deeper analysis. (Entrepreneur, 2010) One example when a CBA is used could be when a Sales Director of a company needs to take a decision if the company should invest in a new efficient contract and sales processing computer based system. At present time has the sales department just a few computers and this kind of investment would require quite much employee training. There is a risk that there will be a decrease in sales during the implementation period of this new computer based system. The total costs are estimated to about $55,800 (computers, installation and training). The potential benefits are linked to the estimated increase in sales capacity and better customer service performance which is approximately $90,000 annually. With this costs and benefit figures is it possible to calculate the profit of the investment as well as the return of investment of about eight months. (Entrepreneur, 2010) Incineration in Stockholm Municipality There are many ways of taking care of waste and incineration if one of the most important treatment methods. According to the waste hierarchy is incineration in the middle of the waste hierarchy. The order is from the top of the waste hierarchy; waste reduction/prevention, re-use, recycling composting, incineration and landfill (Williams, 2005). In Stockholm is incineration is one of the main ways of waste treatment. For Stockholm is Hà ¶gdalenverket the main facility for incineration of waste. At this plant is heat and electricity produced from mainly combustion of municipal solid waste (MSW) as well as industrial waste. This facility consists of six different burners to produce the heat and electricity. One important change in the district heating net of Stockholm was made in 2008 when the southern and central district heating net was merged into one net. Hà ¶gdalenverket is the major producing unit of district heating in Stockholm. In Hà ¶gdalenverket is the different shares of waste; MSW from Stockholm 235,432 ton, MSW from surrounding municipalities 158,001 ton and industrial waste 90,917 ton. The part of the MSW that comes from Stockholm is 235,432/484,450 = 0.49, that is 49% of the total treated waste in Hà ¶gdalenverket. There are also needed different fuels to be able to run the plant, for example burning oils a nd bio oils (Fortum, 2010). In Table 9 in Appendix B, it is obvious that waste from food is totally dominating the MSW with about 38.9% of the total amount. The second biggest part is board and corrugated cardboard with 9.3% and the third biggest is newspapers with 7.2%. These three parts makes about 55% of the total MSW in Stockholm and needs to be treated accordingly. The figures shown in Table 9 come from an analysis called plockanalys (eng. pick analysis). This means that MSW in Stockholm has been analyzed by looking into garbage bags from citizens in the municipality. A typical modern waste incinerator plant is divided into five different process steps according to Williams (2005). The first step is the waste delivery and the final district heating or electricity generation. The steps are described below also see Figure 1 for an illustration: I) Waste delivery, bunker and feeding system this stage comprises the arrival of waste to the incineration plant, its storage in the bunker for further utilization and the continuous feeding to the furnace. II) Furnace it is here where the incineration of the waste occurs. It can be divided in three phases; drying and devolatilisation, combustion of volatiles and soot and combustion of the solid carbonaceous residues. III) Heat recovery due to the high temperature of the flue gases, around 750 1000  °C, it is necessary to cool down the gases before passing through the cleaning system. During this process, by the utilization of a boiler, the heat of the flue gases is transferred to water therefore producing steam. IV) Emissions control this stage comprises all the measures and techniques utilized to treat the flue gases in order to comply with the European Commission Waste Incineration Directive (2000), which regulates all the emissions resultant from incineration plants. V) Energy recovery via district heating or electricity generation through the utilization of turbines or heat exchangers it is possible to use the steam produced in the heat recovery phase to generate electricity or district heating. Figure 1 Typical layout of a MSW incineration plant (EC, 2006) Recycling in Stockholm Municipality Waste recycling can be considered as a favored way for material and energy recovery. Reasonable sorting system is the most kernel part in material recycling. The main aims of waste recycling is to separately store recyclable material for reuse and ensure that waste which can be processed for recovery of material and energy. It is also to separately store hazardous material for disposal in landfills or through appropriate processing and also to minimize the waste and ensure reduction in landfill space for final disposal. (Barker and Zabinsky, 2010) The general idea of waste recycling in western countries, is based on first household sorting and recycling and secondly process in recycling center. Household Sorting and Recycling The idea of household recycling adopts the method of waste sorting in households. There are different kinds of waste that is recycled for example packaging, food, paper, metal and glass waste. These are collected via waste bins located at households, business facilities, at hotel and other public areas. The collected waste will be transported for recycling or for downgraded recovery. The household waste sorting starts normally in the kitchen where food waste and other mixed waste are sorted into their own separate waste collection bins. The waste contains recyclable materials such as glass, metal and paper that are sorted in their separate bins. The waste also contains hazardous material which can be dangerous or harmful to human health or the surrounding environment and should not be mixed with other waste. The hazardous waste must be kept separately and taken to specific recycle stations. In 1994 was the legislation passed, that requiring households to sort waste into separate streams to facilitate collection under the EPR legislation. Since the Swedish system relied on bring systems it is not really compulsory. Sorting waste by the households is regulated but not enforced. In almost all municipalities in Sweden, there are different kinds of waste bins used to collect different kinds of household waste separately. The method of classifying different household waste follow these different groups; paper board, plastic, glass, metals, food and other (e.g. batteries, lamps). For the different kind of waste mentioned, there are the corresponding bins to collect them. (Paxà ©us, 1999) Swedish cleaning company jointly is formed by non-governmental organizations. Companies in some cities in Sweden provides each household with free garbage bags which is used to keep waste paper, scrap metal, waste glass bottle and waste fiber separately. The special truck always collects recyclable periodically, while the other garbage collection once a week. In addition, in apartments, hotels and other public residential area also has the special collection devices used to keep various types of waste for recycling. (Green Alliance, 2009) The reusable bottles in Sweden, such as plastic bottles and metal cans, could be collected at supermarkets which have self-service recycle machines. People can get money back once by applying the used bottles into the self-service machine which is designed as a deposit refund system. About 9,000 tons of recycled in Sweden for cans and about 2 million tons of glass bottles are collected every year. 75 million tons of paper are recovered per year of which 240,000 tons is collected from households. (Docstoc, 2009) Process in Recycling Center Recycling Centers manage the collected waste from all scattered areas. The recycling begins with material collection and separation, followed by sorting at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), which is also known as recycling centers and after that further reprocessing or reuse. The recycling center can be defined as a demarcated system where people bring and sort their large-sized, hazardous and electrical waste. This is including refrigerators, furniture, electronics, garden waste, solvents and paints. The waste is sorted and placed in large containers, cages and boxes. However, kitchen waste is not accepted at these recycling centers. (Krook and Eklund, 2010) In contrast to waste separation in source site, waste materials and recyclables sorted in recycling centre can be thought of solution at the end of the waste stream. A typical materials recovery centre comprises of several buildings including receiving and processing waste from the producers or storing a short period inventory of conditioned waste as a warehouse. All the buildings are necessarily equipped with appropriate facilities for treating and conditioning the waste. The standardization of the recycling centre strictly follows reference design certified by relevant agencies in order to achieve cost effective performance. Figure 2 below shows the recycling centre which can handle with a mixture of containers composed of crystal or colored glass, ferrous metals, aluminum tins and paper cartons. The procedure is similar to un-segregated MSW recycling facility. Pre-segregation occurs before waste is transmitted to the facility which indicates a higher recovery rate involved (Williams, 2005). Figure 2. Materials Recycling Facility. (Warmer Bulletin 59, 1998. Reproduced by permission of R.C. Strange) Materials recycling facilities handles the segregated material streams with a range from 3 to 8 waste components, of particular materials which may be separated or mixed. By doing in this way, it will lower the contamination degree while increase the recycling rates. The separation processes are generally classified into mechanical and manual separated operations. Many types of materials like corrugated cardboard which is already through the pre-segregating procedure will be delivered into the baler directly at the initial input stage. The stages of separation include trommel screening, magnetic separation, and manual sorting. Although mechanical separation processes are in wider applications, yet manual sorting procedure is still considered as a favored way to detach different waste especially like colored glasses or plastics. (Williams, 2005) Results In this section will the result from data and literature research be presented. To be able to illustrate the result in an easy and logical way, will first the cost and benefits for incineration be shown and after that the cost and benefits for recycling in Stockholm. The final result from the full cost benefit calculation will be illustrated in a table. Costs for Incineration in Stockholm Municipality The costs for incineration are assumed to be the costs for collection and transport of the household waste and the full cost for the incineration plant. Costs for Collection and Transportation About 35 employees are working in the waste management office in Stockholm municipality. Total population in Stockholm for 2009 is 829,417 according to the annual report of Stockholm municipality (Stockholms Stad, 2010). Weighed household waste at Hà ¶gdalenverken is 130 kr * 829,417 = 107,824,210 kr per year. The cost for collection, transport and removal of household waste is about 520 kr per person and year in Stockholm municipality according to annual report. Total costs for collection, transport and removal of household waste is equal to 520 kr * 829,417 = 431,296,840 kr/year Costs for Incineration Plant Hà ¶gdalenverket has an annual capacity of treating about 700,000 ton waste and the share of MSW from Stockholm Municipality is 235,432 ton per year. In the study made by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL, 1999) is the total cost for an incineration plant about 400 kr per ton. This information is to be found in table A6 in the IVL report from 1999. Cost Assumptions for Incineration Plants (IVL, 1999): Investment, Capacity0.68 * 145,000 Depreciation time = 20 years Power (MW), Capacity * 0.38 * 10-3 Employees, 10+(14.3*Power+200)0.5 Maintenance and operational costs, 2.5% of the investment Chemicals and lime, 20 kr/ton waste Capacity = plant capacity (ton/year) Interest rate = 5% With a total amount of waste that is 235,432 ton/year and a cost of about 400 kr/ton waste treated will the total cost per year be 400 kr/ton * 235,432 ton/year = 94,172,800 kr/year. The total cost for incineration according to the above calculations is a combination of costs for collection and transportation as well as costs for the incineration plant. Probably is it also some minor cost for handling the residues from the incineration but this cost was not possible to find. Total cost for incineration is 431,296,840 kr/year + 94,172,800 kr/year = 525,469,640 kr/year. Benefits for Incineration in Stockholm Municipality In Stockholm are approximately 130,000 households using the district heating from Hà ¶gdalenverken and this district heating is generated from incineration of MSW (Fortum, 2009). The annual cost for every household is estimated to be about 18,960 kr/year. This is based on an annual energy usage of 21,000 kWh (Fortum, 2010a). The total cost for households (equals to benefits from district heating) will be 130,000 * 18,960 kr/year = 2,464,800,000 kr/year and this is the major part of the benefits from incineration. The other part is the electricity produced. According to Fortum homepage (Fortum, 2010) is the power output from the plant 71 MW. There are two steam turbines with a power output of 27 MW and 44MW which gives a total of 71 MW. The calculation to convert it into kW is 71 MW * 1000 = 71,000 kW. The calculation of the produced electricity per year for Hà ¶gdalenverken is 71,000 kW * 24 hours/days * 365 days/year = 621,960,000 kWh/year. The assumed price for electricity is collected at Fortum homepage (Fortum, 2010b) and the page Historiska elpriser. To calculate the total income from electricity we have used the average monthly electricity price from January 2009 to December 2009 and this is 44.815 à ¶re/kWh = 0.44815 kr/kWh. This average price is then multiplied with the total electricity produced for 2009 which gives 621,960,000 kWh/year * 0.44815 kr/kWh = 278,731,374 kr/year. The benefits from incineration is a combination of district heating and electricity produced in Hà ¶gdalenverket. Still is the part of waste coming from Stockholm municipality about 49% of the total production in Hà ¶gdalenverket which gives; 0.49 * (2,464,800,000 kr/year + 278,731,374 kr/year) = 1,344,330,373 kr/year. Costs for Recycling in Stockholm Municipality The part of material recycling which includes packaging, electronic waste, as well as bulky waste collected as metal fraction in municipal recycling centers in Sweden was 1,586,600 ton for 2009, 169.9 kg per person and corresponds to 35.4 % of all treated household waste. Therefore the total amount of recycling in Stockholm is 169.9 kg/person * 829,417 persons = 140,918 ton/year. This was calculated based on population size, see Table 1below. Table 1 The Amount of Recycling per Year in Stockholm (Avfall Sverige, 2010) Sweden Stockholm Material recycling 1,586,600 ton 140,918 ton Material recycling per person 169.9 kg Population 9,354,462 829,417 The cost for waste management is in average 690 kr/person per year. It is possible to assume that the cost for recycling is 244 kr/person per year based on the charge of recycling 35.4% of total waste. The cost of recycling is 244 kr/person * 829,417 = 202,377,748 kr/year, see Table 2. Table 2 The Cost of Recycling per Year in Stockholm (Avfall Sverige, 2010) 1 person/year Per year Cost for waste management 690 kr Cost for recycling 244 kr 202,377,748 kr Rate of recycling of total waste 35.4% Benefits for Recycling in Stockholm Municipality The vast majority of recycling materials in Stockholm is generally categorized into 5 groups; plastic, metal, paper, e-waste and glass. In the Swedish Waste Management report for 2010 (Avfall Sverige, 2010) is the explicit recycling data display as a Table 3 below. Table 3. Recycling Material Detail in Sweden 2009 (Avfall Sverige, 2010) Waste Type [ton] [kg/person] Recovery degree [%] Parliament recycling target [%] Newspaper Paper Package 899,000 96.4 85 70 Office Paper 118,000 12.6 72 Plastic 44,430 4.8 27 70 Glass 177,300 19.0 90 70 Metal Metal Package 203.320 21.8 72 70 E-waste 143.850 15.4 According to municipal demographic statistic in 2009, the municipality of Stockholm holds a population of 829,417. Therefore, the waste statistic in Stockholm is as demonstrated in Table 4. One example of calculation is for Newspaper Paper Package where the kg/person is 96.4 and this times 829,417 equals 79,955,799 kg for a year. Table 4. Recycling Material Amount in Municipality of Stockholm 2009 Waste Type Waste Amount [kg] Waste Amount [ton] Newspaper Paper Package 79,955,799 79,956 Office Paper 10,450,654 10,451 Plastic 22,394,259 22,394 Glass 74,647,530 74,648 Metal Metal Package 18,081,291 18,081 E-waste 12,773,022 12,773 On basis of reports regarding cost benefit of waste recycling as well as statistics and some assumptions, economical market value for these recycling materials are calculated, see Table 5. Table 5 Value of Recovered Materials Waste Type $ per ton Newspaper Paper Pack 90  [1]   Office Paper 2571 Plastic 6501 Glass 751 Metal Metal Package 1,200  [2]   E-waste 1,890  [3]   The calculation of total benefits is a combination of waste amount value from Table 4 and $ per ton value from Table 5. This gives 79,956*90 + 10,451*257 + 22,394*650 + 74,648*75 + 18,081*1,200 + 12,773*1,890 = 7,196,040 + 2,685,907 + 14,566,100 + 5,598,600 + 21,697,200 + 24,140,970 = 75,884,817 USD. The average USD rate vs. SEK is 7.63  [4]  for 2009 and this gives a total benefits for recycling of 75,884,817 USD * 7.63 = 579,001,154 kr/year. Cost Benefit Analysis of Incineration vs. Recycling The total cost and benefits from calculations in the results chapter is illustrated in Table 6 below. It is clear that the financial profit from incineration is best compared to recycling in Stockholm municipality. The table also shows that the driver behind this result is the benefits generated by district heating from incineration. One important point to mention is that the total amount of waste for incineration is 235,432 ton/year and for recycling 140,918 ton/year. Table 6 Calculation of Cost and Benefits for Incineration and Recycling [kr/year] Incineration Recycling Benefits 1,344,330,373 579,001,154 Costs 525,469,640 202,377,748 Profit 818,860,733 [kr/year] 376,623,406 [kr/year] Extended Cost Benefit Analysis Environmental Impact from Incineration In spite of being an attractive technological option for waste management, incineration of MSW is the subject of debate around the world. Though incineration of MSW contribute to energy recovery through district heating and electricity, but in absence of efficient controls, pollutants may be discharged into air, land and water which may influence human health and environment. There are different ways of treating flue gases during the incineration process. Cyclones may be seen as an improved version of settling chamber. Their specific geometry increases particles speed as well as the probability they hit the cyclone walls. They can then fall down and being collected. Often used in parallel and it is then called multi-cyclones. Cyclones present several advantages as pre-treatment methods. Another alternative which can be combined with cyclone as pre-treatment is the use of electrostatic precipitator. These expensive pieces of equipment are able to handle high temperature and may be a good ally of cyclones because of their high cleaning efficiency including very small particles. The removal of gaseous compounds such as acidic gases or nitrites requires the use of additional reagent such as activated carbon or limestone. Their prominence is mainly due to their low investment cost and implementation flexibility. They can indeed deal with various flow character istics, including very wet and hot gases. Wet scrubbers are not without drawbacks (Persson, 2006). Environmental Impact from Recycling In general recycling is widely assumed to have a lower impact than producing new product from raw materials for all the waste items, see Table 7. Table 7. Impact of Recycling (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2005) Material % of Household Waste Energy Emissions Raw Material Saved per Ton Recycled Paper 18 28-70% 95% less (air pollutants) Glass 7 18% less 30% less 1.2 Plastic 7 up to 66% less - 1.8 Cans (Fe) 3 70% less 86% less 2.0 Can (Al) 3 95% less 95% less 4.0 Based on Rebel recycling program between 2003 and 2008, it is possible to calculate the following positive impact on the global environment from recycling in Stockholm, see Table 8. Table 8. Positive Impact of Recycling in Stockholm (University of Nevada, 2008) 1 ton 140,918 ton/year Tree Saved 17 forty foot Douglas fir trees 2,395,606 forty foot Douglas fir trees Water Saved 7,000 gallons of water 9,86426 gallons of water Air Pollution Prevented 60 pounds of air pollutants 8,455,08 pounds of air pollutants Landfil

Ghost Light :: essays research papers

Ghost light refers to the superstition that one small bulb should always be left on so that no theater is ever totally dark--and thus vulnerable to "ghosts." A reader of Frank Rich's memoir Ghost Light is likely to conclude, however, that the title refers to the author's attempt to exorcise his miserable childhood. The son of Frank Rich Sr., whose family had been in the shoe business in Washington since the Civil War, and Helene Rich, a teacher, was born in 1949. Members of the family led seemingly ordinary lives in Somerset, Md. There, according to Rich, all the houses looked alike, dads went to work, moms stayed home and television perpetuated the myth that all families were happy. While he was in grade school, Rich's parents split up, making him the first kid on the block to bear the stigma of coming from "a broken home." Both parents subsequently remarried, and, in a telling detail, neither Rich nor his younger sister, Polly, was invited to either parent's second wedding. Rich is venomous on the subject of his stepfather--a crude and violent man with a vicious temper--but acknowledges that thanks to his affluence the family went to the theater often. The protagonist in Rich's life is his mother (described as a Judy Holliday, not physically but emotionally); her death was tragic. The driver of the car in which she was killed was Rich's much-loathed stepfather. Rich, writes freely of having been a lousy athlete, an insomniac and a loner. What pleasures he had in childhood came from theater--listening to recordings of musicals ("South Pacific," "The Most Happy Fella" and, while in bed with measles, "Peter Pan") and reenacting shows in the miniature theaters he created out of shoe boxes from his father's shop. For lighting, a desk lamp was put into service; pillowcases became curtains. He saved playbills (even ones found in trash cans for shows he had not seen), analyzed album covers and memorized lyrics. For his third-grade talent show, Rich sang "You Gotta Have Heart." Educated in public schools, where he claims classes were undemanding, Rich was blessed with teachers, librarians and friends who abetted his passion for theater, for reading and for writing. At the age of 8, he published a neighborhood bulletin that announced the arrival of babies, puppies and new cars. He also wrote a "book" titled "A World All My Own," about a boy who lived in a big box.

Essay: Analysis of Sonnet 33 -- Sonnet essays

Analysis of Sonnet 33 Full many a glorious morning I have seen Flatter the mountaintops with sovereign eye, Kissing with golden face the meadows green, Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy, Anon permit the basest clouds to ride With ugly rock on his celestial face And from the forlorn world his visage hide, Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace. Even so my sun one early morn did shine With all-triumphant splendor on my brow. But out, alack! he was but one hour mine, The region cloud hath masked him from me now Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth, Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun staineth. This sonnet houses nature imagery, personifying certain elements of nature. 1-2: 'Ý have seen a large amount of glorious mornings' "flatter the mountaintops with (a) soverign eye." The sun here is the eye of the morning, making the latter in semblance of a person. Using "sovreign" to describe the "eye" gives the reader the impression of the sun as, perhaps, the ruler of natur...

Music and the Brain :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Music and the Brain: Processing and Responding (A General Overview) For any individual who either avidly listens to or performs music, it is understood that many melodies have amazing effects on both our emotions and our perception. To address the effects of music on the brain, it seems most logical to initially map the auditory and neural pathways of sound. In the case of humans, the mechanism responsible for receiving and transmitting sound to the brain are the ears. Briefly stated, the outer ear (or pinna) 'catches' and amplifies sound by funneling it into the ear canal. Interestingly, the outer ear serves only to boost high frequency sound components (1). The resonance provided by the outer ear also serves in amplifying a higher range of frequencies corresponding to the top octave of the piano key board. The air pressure wave travels through the ear canal to ultimately reach and vibrate the timpanic membrane (i.e.-- the eardrum). At this particular juncture, the pressure wave energy of sound is translated into mechanical energy via the middle ear . Here, three small bones, the ossicles, vibrate in succession to produce a unique pattern of movements that embodies the frequencies contained in every sound we are capable of hearing. The middle ear is also an important component in what music we actually keep out of our 'head'. The muscles grasping the ossicles can contract to prevent as much as two thirds of the sound from entering the inner ear. (1, 2) The mechanical motions of the ossicles directly vibrate a small membrane that connects to the fluid filled inner ear. From this point, vibration of the connective membrane (oval window) transforms mechanical motion into a pressure wave in fluid. This pressure wave enters and hence passes vibrations into the fluid filled structure called the cochlea. The cochlea contains two membranes and between these two membranes, are specialized neurons or receptors called Hair cells. Once vibrations enter the cochlea, they cause the lower membrane (basilar membrane) to move in respect to the upper membrane (i.e. --the tectorial membrane in which the hair cells are embedded). This movement bends the hair cells to cause receptor potentials in these cells which in turn cause the release of transmitter onto the neurons of the auditory nerve. In this case, the hair cell receptors are very pressure sensitive. The greater the force of the vibrations on the membrane, the more the hair cells bend and henc e the greater the receptor potential generated by these hair cells.

Emission Testing Essay

With this paper I hope to gain a better understanding of emission pollution and the emission testing process. With my research and my visit to the local Clean Air Car Check site, I have compiled information that will prove valuable. I will define emission pollution and the major contributors. I will answer the why we have to emission test. I will also take you through the testing process. My overall goal of this paper is to ascertain whether or not emission testing is an effective way to reduce or prevent emission pollution when one owns a vehicle. Emission Pollution Emissions describe the gases and particles that are released into the air by many different sources, including vehicles. According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) web site, the sources of emissions are put into four categories: point, mobile, biogenic, and area. Point sources include factories, mobile sources include vehicles, biogenic sources include gas seeps, and area sources include dry cleaners (EPA, 2006). For this paper, we will focus on mobile sources. Driving is the most polluting thing that we can do. The National Safety Council (NSC) states that motor vehicles release millions of tons of pollutants, classified as toxics, into the air each year. These toxics cause around 1,500 cases of cancer every year. Car emissions also contribute to acid rain and global warming (NSC, 2006). Vehicles emanate three major pollutants: hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. The Coalition for Clean Air (CCA) web site states that hydrocarbons are defined as compounds containing various combinations of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Nitrogen Oxides pertain to compounds of nitric acid, nitrogen dioxide, and other oxides of nitrogen. They are typically created during combustion processes, and are major contributors to smog and acid deposition (CCA, 2007). The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) website displays the text book, Chemicals, the Environment and You. They define carbon monoxide as a colorless, odorless poison gas produced by incomplete combustion of organic matter (NIEHS, 2000). The Clean Air Car Check (CACC) web site says, â€Å"Cars and light duty trucks contribute 30-50 % of the pollution that cause harmful ozone and also contribute significantly to the amount of air toxics and particulate matter in the environment† (CACC, n. d. ). They also state that if our vehicles are properly maintained, there will be less contamination released in the air and ground water (CACC, n. d. ). What effect does emission pollution have on our environment? The Clean Air Car Check answers this by stating, Hydrocarbons are unburned gasoline particles that contribute to the formation of ground level ozone, often referred to as smog. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas formed from partially burned fuel that can adversely affect mental function, visual focus, alertness, and can even cause death. Nitrogen oxides, when mixed with other compounds, can contribute to ground level ozone, acid rain, water quality deterioration and global warming. Ozone is an irritant produced from emissions from gasoline powered vehicles. It can cause eye and throat irritations, respiratory distress, and damage breathing passages, making it difficult for the lungs to work. Ozone is formed near the ground in a photochemical process: 1) Gasoline, paints and solvents evaporate, thereby releasing hydrocarbons. 2) Cars and factories burn fossil fuels, releasing nitrogen oxide and reactive hydrocarbons. 3) Heat and sunlight trigger a photochemical reaction between these emissions, transforming them into ozone (CACC, n. d. ). Emission Testing The time is here again; time to take the car in to be emission tested. What a pain in the neck! You might think that emission testing is a waste of time, and an inconvenience. What some people may not realize is that motor vehicle manufacturers are required to meet more and more severe pollution emission standards, and it is our responsibility to maintain our vehicles (CACC, n. d. ). Recognizing faulty emission control systems and having them repaired has reduced ozone emissions by more than 4,000 pounds each summer day. Testing is just part of the 1990 federal Clean Air Act. The goal of the act is to improve our quality of air by reducing hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides (CACC, n. . ). The testing procedure may differ slightly depending on the age of the vehicle being tested. All vehicles, however, will get a gas cap pressure check. This test is used to see if the vehicles gas cap is keeping fuel vapors from escaping (CACC, n. d. ). Vehicles made from 1996 or newer will receive the on-board diagnostics test (OBD). This tests the vehicles on-board computer to make sure there ar e no malfunctions. The next test is the inspection and maintenance test (I/M 93). Vehicles made from 1981-1995 will be put on a treadmill, called a dynamometer. The exhaust is captured to evaluate the effectiveness of the emission control equipment (CACC, n. d. ). The last test is for vehicles from 1976-1980. A metal probe is inserted into the tailpipe while it is idle and a sensor is put on the hood to measure the engine speed (CACC, n. d. ). Vehicles that were made in 1975 or older are not required to be emission tested. I recently took a trip to my local Clean Air Car Check site to watch the testing procedure. A man told me that having people stand outside the waiting area is not usually allowed, but since I was doing research for school he allowed it. He also did not want his name to be used in my final paper. He did not want me to be in the way so he asked me to stay as far away as possible and he offered me a face mask. The first vehicle to be inspected was a 1990 Ford Ranger. The inspector walked around the vehicle with a long mirror, making frequent stops. I asked him what this step was for and he replied that it was to check for fluid leaks, holes in the exhaust system, or any modifications that may cause a safety hazard. Once the Ranger was inspected, the driver was asked to leave the vehicle and sit in the waiting area. The inspector checked the Ranger for a catalytic converter and then attached a device to the gas cap. This was the gas cap pressure check that makes sure that no fuel vapors are escaping. After that, the inspector drove the Ranger onto a treadmill device and had attached a large hose to the tailpipe. As he watched a screen he drove the Ranger as if he were driving it on the road. Accelerating and braking when necessary. The large hose collects the exhaust to check for emissions. The inspector let the driver return to the Ranger while he gathered the results. With a smile he politely said, â€Å"Congratulations, you passed†. The next few vehicles went through the same process. There was a different test, however, performed on a 2000 Chevrolet Blazer. After the inspector performed the gas cap pressure check, he plugged something into the bottom of the dashboard. I asked him what this process was and he said it was a scan tool and it is plugged into the OBD connector on the Blazer. He said it will read the Blazer’s computer and analyze whether or not the OBD system is working properly. I was at the Clean Air Car Check site for a little over an hour. Unfortunately, I did not see any vehicles that were from 1976-1980 so the probe test was not performed. Before I left, I asked the inspector why diesel engine trucks do not have to be tested. He said, â€Å"Unlike regular gas exhaust, the exhaust from a diesel engine has really low levels of the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. They just aren’t as polluting as regular cars†. Not necessarily agreeing with his last statement, I asked him how long he had worked there. He said with a smile, â€Å"10 long years. I have learned a lot, almost too much†. Effectiveness How effective is emission testing? It is effective enough to reduce emission pollution by 4,000 pounds every summer day. I asked the emission test inspector his opinion on the effectiveness of emission testing. â€Å"If our cars were not tested, the air would be much worse. † He said, â€Å"I think that having your car tested and repaired is keeping that much more crap out of our air†. My friend, who we will call Jan, said, â€Å"Emission testing is a big pain in the butt, and only three counties in Indiana do it, and I think THAT alone is bull. Doesn’t make sense. I think that if they are going to do it, it should be in all fifty states, and all counties. † She continued, â€Å"But, â€Å"if it is helping reduce the pollution in the air we breathe, I guess I will have to put up with it†. I think that testing is effective because if a vehicle does not pass, it has a time period to be repaired or it will not be able to get registered. This car will not be allowed to drive on the road, and that is less emission toxics flowing into our air. Conclusion Emission pollution is a major issue in not only Indiana, but the rest of the country. If these toxics are released from our vehicles, and emission testing can help reduce the flow, then I strongly believe it is a step in the right direction.