Analysis Of The Mare Chicose Landfill Environmental Sciences Essay

Analysis Of The Mare Chicose Landfill Environmental Sciences Essay The purpose of this research was to have an overview of how a landfill is being managed. To be more knowledgeable of the techniques that is being put in practice for a good management. In addition, to identify the negative effects of landfill to workers, the population and environments. A site visit at Mare Chicose Landfill was conducted for that purpose. With the help of an Engineer the details were being explained and thus help in the refi nining of our checklist From the results, two important points were found: Landfill Gas and leachate pond which are major factors which need more attention to avoid negative effects. A Landfill which is not properly managed causes a lot of problems to the health, contamination of ground water, odours, and many health effects. 1.1 Objective of the research A site visit was conducted at Mare Chicose Landfill, in order to have an overview of how a landfill is managed. The purpose of the visit consists of identifying the hazards of the landfill present with evaluation and calculation of the risks. Furthermore, the control measures that are being adopted and to determine if the measures are adequate. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Definition of waste According to Taylor and Allen (1) any material which is of no further use can be regarded as waste. Human activities produced wastes materials. Waste management philosophies outlined that most wastes can be reused or recycled. Waste can be classified into solid, liquid, gaseous. Sources of solid wastes include residential, commercial, institutional, construction and demolition, municipal wastes, treatment plant sites, industrial, agricultural (Tchobanoglous 1993). With the increase in population rate during the last decades, the generation of waste has accelerated, due to industrialization and urbanization and furthermore, with the developments of technology and science also (Cardinali Richard, 2001). Increase in standard of living has given rise to waste generation and efficient and effective control measures need to be implemented so as not to deteriorate the health of people and the environment (Khalil Nadeem, Khan Mubashra, 2009). It has been a great concern and much attention ha s been given internationally on this issue. Each country has different waste hierarchy and options due to different geography, cultures, environment among others. (Pitt Michael, 2005). According to a recent study carried out in UK (reported in Recycling World, October 2000) Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany growth in recovery and recycling exceeds the growth in waste. Followed by Denmark and Switzerland but in the slow lane are France, UK, and Norway where there use of landfill has increased. (Cardinali Richard, 2001). 2.2 Integrated Solid Waste Management and Waste Hierarchy Therefore in the light of these growing concerns many professionals have proposed theories and solutions as to how the pollution can be minimized (Halawani et al.1993).Also, in an attempt to reduce the final volumes of wastes and to have sufficient funds for waste management the recycling process and recovery material can be used to get funds for waste management; whereby, the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) comes into the picture. Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) is a framework that helps us to understand waste management and most importantly how to reduce wastes. (1):http://www.Taylor and Allen Therefore, it proposes a Waste Management Hierarchy for the best solution that put waste management options in order of sustainability, from the most favoured option to the least desired one. (Shown in figure 1).The Waste Management Hierarchy is a list of approaches to managing waste, arranged in order of preferability. The Environmental Protection Acts of most Australian States treats the Waste Hierarchy as a core principle and the UK Environment Agency supports the Waste Hierarchy as a general guide to selecting the best option for dealing with waste.   However, despite the fact that it is widely used throughout the developed world, some critics have questioned the effectiveness of the model is actually implemented.   For instance, in Australia implementation of the hierarchy has been patchy, with most effort to date focused on recycling and composting (Gertsakis and Lewis, 2003).   Figure 1: Sustainability and The Waste Management Hierarchy (adapted from J.Gertsakis and H Lewis, 2003) Also in an attempt to reduce waste, the chairman of the US Senate Environment and Public Works committee, suggest that manufacturers must take full responsibility of their products from the whole life cycle of the products and when it becomes waste also thus reducing the burdens on the municipalities (Cardinali, 2001). Both the developed and developing countries have experienced accidents due to releases of hazardous wastes(UNEP,1994,FEPA,1991:Shaw,1992)At the international level, the awareness regarding waste began in 1992 with the Rio Conference, where efficient handling of waste was priority of the Agenda 21.The Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 focused on initiatives to accelerate the shift to sustainable consumption and production and the reduction of resource degradation, pollution and waste by giving priority to waste reduction recycling, reuse followed by the safe disposal of waste .Therefore, as a measure of precaution it is in the best interest for most countries to make landfill as the last resort and option. 2.3 Overview of Landfills Landfill is the cheapest method for disposal of waste: it is immensely used by many countries. Solid wastes, is any unwanted or discarded solid item. Municipal Solid Waste comes from homes, businesses and other urban areas. But the heavy dependency on the landfill has led to filling up of most landfill sites. Example in America before 1988, 80% of MSW were disposed of in landfills. By 2009 four or five landfills in operation will be full and the cost of a new one cost approximately $90 million (Anonymous, 1992). According to Dr. W.L. Rathje, a garbologist at the University of Arizona, he gave this shocking testimony to the scale of modern landfills at a governmental hearing, quoting that: I was told that the largest monument ever built by a New World civilization was the Temple of the Sun, built in Mexico about 2000 years ago. It occupied thirty million cubic feet. I can still remember my shock when my students told me that A San Francisco landfill, made up of two mounds compiled since 1977 solely out of cover dirt and the MSW from three cities, held seventy million cubic feet, a total of nearly five Sun Temples. Landfills are clearly the largest refuse heaps in the world. Since land is a scarce resource, therefore the European union has sensitized many countries on the need to use sustainable methods .In this context therefore, the waste hierarchy (consisting of waste minimization, reuse, recovery; recovery such as energy recovery from incineration and finally disposal to landfill) and the BPEO (Best Practicable Environmental Option) are widely encourage to be used. Even though the amount of waste has diminished still the amounts of waste disposed of to landfill have increased (Pitt Michael, 2005). 2.31 Zero landfill Zero waste is a philosophy that promotes the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. Any wastes sent to landfills are minimal. Zero waste is not only about recycling but also avoiding landfills and preventing from waste production itself. The paradox is that the proportion of waste going into landfill may decrease but the volumes of Municipal solid waste are increasing ant that too in excess of 3 percent yearly for many developed nations (Douglas, 1992). The concept of zero landfill can never be achieved fully because there will be still a minimum of waste generated therefore landfill will always continue to exist. 2.32 Landfill Management: After being landfilled the waste decomposes into chemical and biological processes normally taking more than 50 years. But during the degradation process the solid waste generates 0.2 m3 of contaminated wastewater known as leachate, which in turn depending on the climate (amount of rainfall) and types of waste its colour varies from black to brown .Rainfall plays a very important role in creating leachates. Factors affecting leachates are: age, precipitation, seasonal weather variation, waste types and composition. Leachate include several parameters such as COD,BOD5, organic carbon, ammonia nitrogen , chlorides, iron manganese, phenols and AOX but little or no phosphorus.(2).Therefore pretreatment of leachate is vital. Treatment of leachate constitutes of: Leachate chanelling: Combined treatment with domestic sewage, Recycling, Biological treatment: aerobic or anaerobic, chemical precipitation: to remove high strength of ammonium nitrogen. CW (constructed wetland) is, however, a rel atively new approach to eliminating environmental pollution, based on purification of waste waters with halophytes planted in an artificial wetland and employing the self-cleaning ability of ecosystems for its biological treatment process. Presently, some hundred CWs are in operation in Europe (Bulc et al., 1998) Capping: Once cell is filled to maximum of waste, it is covered to prevent the entry of precipitation (rainfall) and the escape of gas, odour and introduction of further leachate. Moreover, can place soil over the capping or covering for a better protection. Two types of sealing liner: polymeric geomembranes and geosynthetic clay liners. Caps should include a drainage layer above and a gas collection layer between the caps lining system. Leachate pond affect groundwater if leakage. More polluted groundwater will be discharged into streams wetlands and lakes. 2.33 Landfill Gas and Flaring It is formed from the biodegradation of wastes. It normally occurs at elevated temperatures and eventually it will be saturated with water vapour. The major components of LFG are methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is an odourless gas and travelling away from sites can cause landfills fires when combines with air in certain proportions. Three processes by which landfill gas occurs; Bacterial decomposition, volatilization, and chemical reactions. The volume of landfill gas produced at a site depends on these factors: waste composition, age of refuse, presence of oxygen in the landfill, moisture content, and temperature. Source (2): http:www.scitopics.com Figure 2: Typical Gas Composition at an engineered Landfill Site. (Adapted from Environment Agency November 2002) The purpose of landfill gas flaring is to dispose of the flammable constituents safely and furthermore to avoid negative effects caused by odours, Care must be taken in the management of LFG so as to; Reduce impact on air quality; Gas does not spread beyond the perimeter of the site, to avoid landfill fires, to permit energy recovery and also to avoid odour and health risks. 2.34 Important points to be considered in the design of a landfill and facilities required inside the landfill are: Nature and quantities of waste, water control, operational and restoration requirements, construction effects must be considered ,risk assessment, protection of soil and water, leachate management, gas control and Environmental nuisances. Moreover, the access of the landfill, the opening hours, types of wastes accepted should be marked and displayed at the entrance. In addition to that provision of an office plus the first aid area, bathing and toilet facilities, lockers, mess rooms, waste reception area ,store, parking area and a wheel clearer is essential for preventing mud from being carried out on the public road lastly the provision of adequate water supply in case of fire. 2.35 Health effects on Landfilling Landfills should be the last resorts due to the scarcity of lands and many health problems encountered through it. There is a large body of literature on the potential adverse health effects of different waste management options. Example in a research done by (Saffron Lisa, 2003) it has been found that 220 papers have been published about the health effects from landfill sites. Many studies have been made on human populations about the hazards to health from landfill sites (Pitt Michael, 2005) but 101 are based on health impacts of landfill sites and 23 about health impacts of contaminated drinking water. Six papers discovered the evidence linking health effects with landfill sites. (Vrijheid M, 2000), revealed that health problems associated include respiratory symptoms, irritation of the skin, nose and eyes, gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, headaches. Environmental (Vrijheid M, 2000).These studies was conducted in order to look for a link between landfill sites and the following health outcomes: Reproductive outcomes(31studies),Cancer(29), psychosocial impacts(19), health problem not specified in abstract(14),mortality(5), injuries poisoning(2).Also EPA, revealed that many problems which occurred are because of the poor management of landfills. Most often theses problems are long term and include possible contamination of the groundwater and surface water regimes, among others. According to recent research, it was found that women who live near landfill sites has an elevated risk of having a baby with congenital malformations and also suffers from stress, fatigues, headaches, eye infections or irritations, coughs, stuffy noise, dry throat, and nausea and spontaneous abortions.(www://bmj.com).Also the other health impacts associated according to another research done by an international journal (Saffron lisa et al. ,2003) revealed that there is an increased risk of contracting cancer and also it contribute to global warming and loss of biodiversity as well and the depletion of non-renewable resources. In addition, mentioned was made in this journal that people living near and far off the sites contracts nearly same types of health problems. Each people immune systems are different; one can be more resistant while the others can be less. Research on Landfill site in Nant-y-Gwyddon revealed that an increase rate in congenital abnormalities in residents near the site, but it has been challenged by (Roberts et al: 2000).They were also suffering from stress, fatigues, headaches, eye infections or irritation, coughs, stuffy nose, dry throat and nausea and spontaneous abortions. Also the birth prevalence of gastoschisis seems to be increasing internally and nationally. The main weakness of the studies about landfill health effects is the complete lack of exposure data. Where the hazards from landfill sites have been identified, as is the case in the National Priorities List sites in the USA, it is possible to estimate exposure using the EPA Human Exposure Model (Wolfinger, 1989). The results of this type of analysis are uncertain and are based on risky assumptions. These remain estimates, not data. Most often theses problems are long term and include possible contamination of the groundwater and surface water regimes, odour, noise and visual nuisances (EPA). In an international journal (Saffron lisa,2003) revealed that there is an increased risk of contracting cancer and also it contribute to global warming and loss of biodiversity as well and the depletion of non-renewable resources, mentioned was made in this journal that people living near and far off the sites contracts nearly same types of health problems. Each people immune systems are different; one can be more resistant while the others can be less. Figure3: Components of landfill (adapted from Department of Environmental Conservation New York) The above figure shows the components and how the landfill has been design considering the different layers from the top to the bottom. In order to promote rainfall run-off away from the landfill a 24-inch thick barrier protection layer composition of soil and overlying 6 inches of vegetation topsoil serve to prevent the underlying geomembrane. To avoid again infiltration of rainfall a 60 mm geomenbrane along with the underlying low permeability clay layer are placed, thus this is done to avoid generation of additional leachate. Sand or gravel together with pipe lines are being placed so as to collect landfill gasses generated by decomposition waste. It is then followed by the waste mass, where all the waste is stock till decomposition. It is obvious that waste which contains water generate leachate therefore a primary leachate collection with pipe in place, so as to prevent the contamination of deep water sources a 60mm thick geomembrane underlines the leachate collection system and on the bottom of landfill syrong textile component to make a composite liner. However, another secondary leachate collection pipe is present after structural fill to avoid completely the leachate underground contamination. The final is a plastic geomembrane is to protect again the soil and the deep water sources. This design serves to protect the environment from contaminants which may be present in the municipal solid waste. The landfill siting plan, which prevents the siting of landfills in environmentally sensitive areas, as well as on-site environmental monitoring systems, which monitor for any sign of groundwater contamination and for landfill gas, provide additional safeguard. 2.36 Specifically Engineered Landfill (Basel Convention UNEP) At the start of the project, proper planning shall be carried out considering that the landfill would not cause harm either to people or environment. Therefore high standard of controlling measures shall be put in place and establish control procedures which would monitor and even anticipate what to do after all cells have been filled. Hazardous waste must be disposed off before reaching the landfill and it can be done by either incineration or physio chemical processors. 2.37 Health and safety aspects associated with solid waste management All activities in solid waste management involve risk. From the place of collection to the final stage in landfill risk is directly associated. However, we need to quantify the risk and identify the main hazard which may cause harm to people thus having a direct impact on the business. Risk which exists and is liable to cause damage to our health safety and even welfare and can be categorized in the following context: Disease, injuries and accident Disease -Illnesses which comprise of infectious disease, allergies, respiratory damage and even cancer. Some disease is derived from direct injections of infectious micro-organisms, others involve infection through contamination of the food chain, whereby animals or other vectors have ingested infectious micro-organisms Injuries joint and spinal damage, fractures, puncture wounds, damage to eyes and ears and other part of the body Accidents- slides from unstable disposal piles, cave-ins of disposal site surfaces, fires, explosions, being caught in processing equipment, and being run over by mobile equipment The workers are greatly exposed to the various risk at the landfill are specially, those who get involves in the segagation process. This practice is good for the recycling processes but its health consequence is beard up by workers. Those workers are exposed to fecal matters, saturated toxic materials, bottle with chemical residues, metals containers with residues pesticides and solvents, needle and bandages from hospital, battery containing heavy metals, not to forget the pollution caused by the mechanical vehicles which is inhale by the workers. Moving into more details the occupational illnesses and health consequences which cause tremendous nuisance to the workers exposed in a landfill are:- The risk of vibration from heavy vehicles cause damage to the back and joint also the lifting of waste fill containers can damage our spine in the long run and if over- exposed very detrimental in the short run From our respiratory ingestion of particulates bio-aerosol, and volatile organic are penetrated in our system through our routes of entry Infection are being caused from direct contact with contamination material, dog and rodent bites, or eating of waste fed animals Wounds punctured or bruised can contribute or cause health problems like tetanus, hepatitis, and HIV infections. Frequent head and nausea are caused from anoxic condition where disposal sites have high methane, CO2 and carbon monoxide. The consequences of burning metals arise the risk of lead poisoning.(Sandra Cointreau,2006) 2.38 The need for risk assessment in a landfill Risk assessment is important in a landfill as it contributes in the planning process. Strategic goals are being evaluated based on the risk assessment carried out. The identification of hazards is essential so as to mitigate the various risks present in the landfill. Engineering and administrative control would be based on the risk assessment done and this show the gravity or severity of the hazard present in the landfill. This is done in order to mitigate the negative impact on environment. Risk assessment in a landfill would comprise of undergoing to find ways how to control or even reduce the deterioration of ecological system, As the analysis of two major areas: Adverse health and environmental effects of exposure to hazardous chemical and failure of complex technological system. The risk assessment of a landfill should take place well in advance before it is in operation and this analysis would identify the various problem which may crop up and predict or design ways how to mitigate risk and find appropriate control measure. Nevertheless, the ecological risk assessment and the engineering risk assessment must be combining under one main component which is the environmental risk assessment. Developing the risk assessment we should know:- What are types of waste we are dealing are they harmful? We must know who are exposed to those hazards(people, animals, aquatic life etc) (3)To what extent it is affecting environment (magnitude, frequency)? (4)Is there the need to provide corrective measures? Risk assessment involvement in the landfill would be a continuous process and it shall be carried out even after its closure. So, this evaluation exercise predicts and illustrates preventive measures for the environment. (TE Butt, 2008) 3 METHODOLOGY: HEALTH AND SAFETY TOUR AT MARE CHICOSE SANITARY LANDFILL 3.1 OBJECTIVE A site visit was organized on 29/09/10 at Mare Chicose sanitary landfill. The purpose of the visit was to see the geographical location of the landfill, understand the management operations, vehicular movement control, and plant installations requirements and identify the hazards with evaluation of the risks present in the landfill. A checklist was formerly prepared prior to the visit on the hazards. Most of the work was adopted from Hobart City Council/Environmental aspects register (3) 3.2 OBSERVATIONS The Mare Chicose sanitary landfill is the only engineered landfill of Mauritius and it covers an area of about 32 hectares of land. It is operational since November 2007 and is managed by sotravic ltee. The sanitary landfill has been constructed with a designed capacity of about 20,000 tons of solid waste. It was scheduled during design stage to receive about 300 tons of waste daily but actually receive 1200 ton per day. The five cells of the landfill as at to date are full. The construction of a 6th cell is under construction to respond to the increasing demand of waste disposal which include municipal waste, textile waste, tyres and papers. At the construction phase, precautionary measures have been taken not to contaminate underground water table. The bed is protected by a layer of high density polyethylene impermeable membrane followed by 400g/m2 three layers of non woven geotextile. Above it follows a thick layer of aggregates of size 32mm which is finally covered by another layer of 1.5mm geotextile. In between are located leachate pipes whose functions are to collect the liquid leachate to a leachate pond. In the design of the main pipes for leachate, the annual rainfall factor has been considered so that the accumulated rainfall on the bed is properly disposed off. Management of leachate is very important to ensure that there is no run out in drains and neighboring fields and cause environmental concern. Leachate also produce odour which is reduced with use of synthetic cover made of biodegradable plastic on top of the solid waste. (3): source http://www.risk assessement landfill The depth of the landfill is usually 4m. However the solid wastes are piled up to a height of 25 to 50m above ground level and are protected again on top with another layers of geotextile membranes, aggregates, sub soil and top soil which prevents infiltration of rain water in the disposed waste. Most of the disposed wastes in the landfill are organic and the settlement of the waste in the present cells will be about 6 metre over 15 years. It should be noted that methane gas is produced in dangerous concentration at bottom as a byproduct during decomposition of the waste in anaerobic condition. This gas has a green house effect and is managed through a flaring system: the gas is captured by aspiration from bottom of the landfill through a 460mm diameter slotted pipe to prevent its direct migration into the air. Methane is collected in a gas flare plant which has a capacity of 1500 m3 of gas per hour. It receives the gas through gas well chambers which are located on top of the capping. One gas well chambers cover a radius of 40m of the capped landfill. The captured methane gas is either used to produce electricity or is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide after the flaring process. The following analysis is done on monthly basis to prevent environmental problem: ,Leachate, Surface water for storm water monitoring, Underground water table and boreholes, air monitoring through gas analyser for CH4, CO2, and O2 (every three month), noise ,dust. The following health and safety measures have been taken at the landfill: The 50 workers posted are vaccinated against Tetanus and Hepatitis at intervals of six months. Regular health surveillance/medical checkup by a medical practitioner. Protective equipment provided: Earmuff, rubber boot, respiratory mask and eye goggle. All loaders/compacters in use are air conditioned and the machines are designed such that there is no risk of overturning. The landfill is a restricted area and access is authorized only with permission from Ministry of Local Government. All staff are trained in fire safety and first aid No work normally done inside waste- breathing apparatus is used if required. No radioactive waste, acids and medical waste are accepted. All liquid waste are directed to St Martin. All electronic waste are disposed off in separate concrete basin known as encapsulation. All asbestos are received only in sealed bags and disposed off deep in trenches and properly backfilled. A risk assessment was carried out during the health and safety tour at the sanitary landfill. The hazards identified have been evaluated in terms of its likelihood that a problem may occur and the damage it might cause. The consequences or potential severity of injury or damage, measured on a scale has also been assessed and a risk score given by multiplying the likelihood scale with the severity scale. The risk assessment carried out is quantitative and has been adapted from the five steps to risk assessment from the Health and Safety Executive. The steps are as follows: STEP ONE- Identifying the hazards STEP TWO Determine the risk or decide who might be harmed. STEP THREE Evaluate if the risk is tolerable. STEP FOUR Record the findings and prepare risk control plan. STEP FIVE Review the assessment if there is change in any work procedure/equipment. 3.3 RISK ASSESSMENT AT MARE CHICOSE For the purpose of this project, the following definition has been considered: HAZARD Hazard is defined as a source of inherent potential to cause harm or damage or injury. RISK Risk is defined as the likelihood/probability of the harm or damage or injury occurring. The risk assessment was carried out to evaluate the environmental and occupational hazards present on the landfill to determine the level of action required to reduce the risks to an acceptable level. When evaluating the risks imposed by the hazard, we have considered both the likelihood and severity of the event happening. LIKELIHOOD This is defined as the chance of an event actually occurring. When making an assessment of likelihood, we established which of the following categories most closely describes the likelihood of the hazardous event occurring: Very Likely Could happen frequently Likely Could happen occasionally Unlikely Could happen, but only rarely Very Unlikely Could happen but probably never will SEVERITY Severity is defined as a measure of the expected consequence should an accident occur. When assessing the consequences of an accident, the most severe category one could reasonably expect to result from that accident has been selected. The severity is categorized as follows: Major injuries irreversible injury and Death Moderate injuries a serious injury or damage to health requiring extended time off work to effect best recovery. Minor injuries a reversible injury or damage to health needing several days away from work to recover. Recovery would be full and permanent. Insignificant Injuries-require first aid only and may need the remainder of the work period or shift off before being able to return to work. Requires no action to control.When making the risk assessment, all aspects of likelihood and severity has been taken into consideration. The interrelated parameters of likelihood and severity has been defined as risk score and any score of 9 and above is rated as unacceptable or of significant risk requiring immediate action with implementation of important control measures. CONTROL MEASURES Control measures are defined as corrective measures already in place to reduce the risk at an acceptable level. Consideration shall also be taken that these control measures are either engineering or administrative. However, some other control measures do exists but it all depends on the financial position of the organization and also to what extent are the control measures appropriate for the hazard present. These control measure are adopted in order to either eliminate completely the hazard or to mitigate the hazards. Implemented by whom and when The health and safety officer shall propose to management the measure to be taken and who responsible to implement the control measure. Also, depending on the urgency and the degree of risk that the environment is exposed to, a time frame shall be established. Thus, in any work which has been delegated by the management to the department concern, the latter shall be responsible and also accountable in time limit proposed. VISIT TO MARE CHICOSE SANITARY LANDFILL SITE (Risk Assessment carried out on 29/09/10) LIKELIHOOD: 1=Very unlikely 2=unlikely 3=likely 4=very likely. SEVERITY: 1=Insigni

Kerouac :: essays research papers

Born on March 12, 1922, the youngest of three children in a French-Canadian family that had established itself in Lowell, Massachusetts, Jack Kerouac was by the age of ten already aiming to become a writer. His father ran a print shop and published a local newsletter called the Spotlight. Before long he began writing and producing his own sport sheet, which he sold to friends and acquaintances in Lowell. He attended both Catholic and public schools, and won athletic scholarships to the Horace Mann prep school (in New York) and then to Columbia University. In New York he fell in with fellow literary-icons-to-be Allen Ginsberg, the poet, and William S. Burroughs, the novelist. A broken leg hobbled his college football career, and Kerouac quit Columbia in his sophomore year, eventually joining the merchant marine and then Navy (from which he was discharged). Thus began the restless wandering that would characterize both his legacy and his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To Kerouac, â€Å"Beat† – a shorthand term for â€Å"beatitude† and the idea that the downtrodden are saintly – was not about politics but about spirituality and art. The thirty published and unpublished books he wrote from 1941 to 1969 include Kerouac’s thirteen-volume, more or less autobiographical â€Å"Legend of Duluoz† – a study of a particular lifetime, his own, in the manner of Honore’ de Balzac’s Human Comedy or Marcel Poust’s Remembrance of Things Past.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kerouac set out to become the quintessential literary mythmaker of postwar America, creating his â€Å"Legend of Duluoz† by spinning poetic tales about his adventures. â€Å"I promise I shall never give up, and that I’ll die yelling and laughing,† Kerouac wrote in his diary in 1949. â€Å"And that until then I’ll rush around this world I insist in holy and pull at everyone’s lapel and make them confess to me and to all.† At the time when Norman Mailer was playing sociologist by studying â€Å"whit Negro† hipsters, Kerouac sought to depict his fascinatingly inchoate friend Neal Cassady as the modern-day equivalent of the Wild West legends Jim Bridger, Pecos Bill, and Jesse James. Like the Lowell boy he never quite ceased to be, Kerouac saw football players and range-worn cowboys as the paragons of true America; his diaries teem with references to â€Å"folk heroes† and praise for Zane Grey’s honest drif ters, Herman Melville’s confidence men, and Babe Ruth’s feats on the diamond and in the barroom. Kerouac brought Cassady into the American mythical pantheon as â€Å"the mad Ahab at the wheel,† compelling others to join his roaring drive across Walt Whitman’s patchwork Promise Land.

Foreign Policy in the Nixon Presidency Essay

Richard Nixon is one of the most controversial figures in American history. His presidency is remembered most for the Watergate scandal and his subsequent resignation but some of his foreign policies forever altered American foreign diplomacy. One of the major policies that President Nixon was responsible for was changing the nature of the United States relationship with China. He did this by setting into motion covert diplomatic actions and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Nixon’s reasons for improving relationships with the Communist regime was to force the Soviet Union to be more accommodating to American demands and to also help end the war in Vietnam. Another reason for improving relations was very personal for Richard Nixon. He wanted to show his power as an international statesman to the world and American public. American/Chinese relations for many years were friendly and involved the trade of goods and ideas. American missionaries had gone to China to bui ld churches and hospitals. The two countries were allies against the Japanese during World War II. After the war ended the United States was not an ally of China as a whole but one political group, the Kuomintang. The Kuomintang, led by Chang Kai Shek, were in battled in a civil war with the Chinese communists who would eventually win out. Chang Kai Shek would take his government to the island of Taiwan. After the civil war, the United States only recognized Chang’s Republic of China and kept the People’s Republic of China, led by Mao Ze-Dong, out of the United Nations and other international bodies. This led to an isolation of China by a majority of the international community. The only diplomatic relations the United States had with China were through intermediary countries. While relations with the United States were sour, the Chinese relationship with the Soviet Union had quickly deteriorated. Both China and the Soviet Union were communist countries but their ideologies were very different. Their relationship slowly became strained and both countries started to build up troops along their common border through the 1960s. After the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia and released the Brezhnev Doctrine, which stated that the Kremlin â€Å"had the right to correct deviationism in other communist countries by military intervention,† the Chinese no longer considered the Soviet Union as an ally. This led to violent border clashes between the two countries in March 1969. By the end of 1969 the Soviet Union had over a million troops stationed along the Soviet/Chinese border and missiles aimed at major Chinese cities. The year before, a former republican vice-president from California, Richard Nixon, was elected president. He had made a name for him self in Congress as a leading anti-communist and he went on to serve as vice-president under Dwight D Eisenhower. Even before he was elected president, Nixon had expressed interest in opening up relations with China despite his previous negative views of communism. In 1967 he wrote an article for Foreign Affairs magazine where he stated â€Å"We simply cannot afford to leave China forever outside the family of nations, there to nurture its fantasies, cherish its hates and threaten its neighbors. There is no place on this small planet for a billion of its potentially most able people to live in angry isolation.† After his election as President Richard Nixon decided to make China one of the primary focuses of his foreign policy. One of his primary reasons for doing this was to gain an upper hand in the now 20-year-old Cold War with the Soviet Union. The Soviets had taken over several Eastern European countries and turned them into communist states in an attempt to show the world the successes of Communism. Also by the late 1960s the United States was no longer confident that it could win a war with the Soviet Union since they had had the two decades since the Second World War to regain it military strength. This required the United States to have to change strategies in dealing with the Soviet Union. They now had to shift their focus to gaining China as an ally. The State Department in the summer of 1969 began to announce various unilateral gestures of reconciliation. Many restrictions on travel and trade were lifted. This would become know as â€Å"Ping Pong† diplomacy. It was so named after the United States ping-pong team was invited to the Chinese capital in April of 1971. During their visit the group was treated as though they were dignitaries or royalty. They played matches against the Chinese team but also visited important landmarks through out China. The American delegation was accompanied by members of the press and was closely watched by the American public. At a banquet for the visiting Americans, Chou En-Lai, the Chinese Premier told the group, â€Å"Exchanges between our two countries have been cut off for a long time but now, with your acceptance of our invitation, you have opened a new page in the relations of the Chinese and American people.† While the American ping-pong players were the talk of the media, behi nd the scenes Nixon was putting into action his plan to improve relations with China. He did this by employing his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, to make covert communications with the Chinese government. Before the Ping-Pong players had ever set foot in China and at the beginning of his presidency Nixon had Kissinger prepare a study on the feasibility of improving American/Chinese relations. Originally Kissinger was hesitant about the idea of talks with China even being quoted as saying â€Å"this crazy guy really does want to normalize relations with China.† But even Kissinger knew that an alliance between the United States and China could shift the global political powers more in favor of the United States and away from communism and the Soviet Union. One of the biggest roadblocks to improving relations with China was the issue of Taiwan. Since the Chinese civil war ended the United States had only recognized the government of the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan. So even as Nixon is trying to improve relations with communist China there is still the issue that the United States does not officially recognize the People’s Republic of China as a legitimate government. To ease some of China’s concerns, Nixon instructs his administration to terminate navel patrols in the Straight of Taiwan. Also in a radio address that Nixon gave on February 25, 1971 regarding his congressional foreign policy report he reiterated both his intention to protect Taiwan but open up talks with China. â€Å"We will search for consecutive discussions with Communist China while maintaining our defense commitment to Taiwan. When the Government of the People’s Republic of China is ready to engage in talks, it will find us receptive to agreements that further the legitimate national interests of China and its neighbors.† A visit to China was next on Nixon’s foreign policy agenda. He announced his intentions in 1970, taking much of the world by surprise especially the Soviet Union. He negotiated this visit first by secretly sending Henry Kissinger to Beijing in July of 1971. Kissinger made this covert trip by faking illness on a diplomatic visit to Pakistan and flying to China to convey Nixon’s intention to Premier Zhou En-Lai. It was decided that President Nixon would visit the following year. On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first United States President to visit China. The following week would become known as the â€Å"week that changed the world. † President Nixon would only meet with an ailing Mao Ze-dong one time during his visit but it would set in motion events that would lead to United States recognition of Mao’s government and an end to the Cold War. The visit ended with both countries issuing the Shanghai Communiquà ©. In this document both countries pledged to work towards normalization of relations. The United States also agreed to remove military forces from Taiwan. Shortly after the delegations return from their visit to China, Richard Nixon tasked Henry Kissinger with negotiating arms treaties with the Soviet Union. With the well-publicized visit closely watched by the Soviets the United States now had more bargaining power. In 1972, Kissinger negotiated the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks. The two Cold-War super powers agreed that they would begin limiting missiles, nuclear arms, and delivery systems. With his relative success in negotiating deals with both China and the Soviet Union, Richard Nixon was hopeful that he would have the same success in negotiating a deal with North Vietnam to end the Vietnam War. Going into his re-election campaign in 1972 the United States had been at war in Vietnam for 12 years, over 50,000 had been killed, and billions of dollars had been spent. His first major policy regarding Vietnam that Nixon put into place was the Nixon Doctrine. The Doctrine had three major tenants. First, the United States would honor all of its treaty agreements. Secondly, the United States would provide a shield if a nuclear power threatened an ally or a country the United States deemed to be vital to its national security. And, lastly, the United States would provide military and economic aid to countries under treaty agreements, but the requesting nation would be expected to bear primary responsibility to provide the manpower for its own defense. The Nixon Doctrine led to the withdrawal of ground troops from Vietnam and training the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) in defense of their own country. Nixon had also hoped that his new treaties with China would help to isolate the North Vietnamese and convince them to sign a peace treaty. In 1973, a cease-fire was negotiated at the Paris Peace Accords and ended United States involvement in Vietnam. However this did not stop the spread of communism to south Vietnam. Nixon’s improved relations with China were largely unsuccessful in there being a positive resolution of the Vietnam War. While the entire episode of the Vietnam War was seen as a blemish on Richard Nixon’s Presidency he was still very concerned about his image not only among the American public but on the world stage as well. He wanted to use his visit to China to draw attention to his expertise as a global statesman. Among the people that accompanied Nixon on his trip to China was White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman. While Nixon was meeting mostly with Chinese Premier Zhou and negotiating agreements, Haldeman and Nixon’s wife Pat toured factories and schools throughout China. Mrs. Nixon was followed by a large group of press. Bob Haldeman was in charge of making their visit look very positive to the American public. Margaret MacMillan writes in her book Nixon in China, â€Å"The images flowed back to the United States, targeted for prime-time evening television. It was a presidential election year at home and Haldeman wanted to make sure that Nixon shone out as the great leader and statesman.† From the very beginning of his Presidency Richard Nixon always wanted to be seen in a positive light especially his portrayal in the media. He tasked members of his staff with combating any negative comments said about him and manage any news about him. He bordered on obsessive when it came to public image. His first week in office he formed a task called the â€Å"Five O’clock† group that was responsible for monitoring television programs for any negative comments about the President or his administration and defending them. With the Vietnam War and the protests to the end the war at the top of most news stories, Nixon needed to do something to get his name back in the limelight. Many believe that this a major factor for his motivation to reach out to China and his subsequent visit. During his time in China he made sure the entire trip was highly publicized. He did numerous photo opportunities at such places like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. The reception his visit received by the American public was very positive. This was their first view into the isolated nation in over 20 years. This view, however, was a carefully scripted play put on by the Chinese government. This was their attempt to show a â€Å"New† China, not one that was still suffering from th e isolationist policies of the Cultural Revolution. The Chinese officials responsible for showing China in a positive way had people picnicking outside of factories in the bitter cold listening to revolutionary music and then collected the radios they were listening to after the delegation left. These inconsistencies were noticed by a Canadian member of the press to which Premier Zhou had to quietly admit that this was wrong of them to do. But the idea of a â€Å"New† China would only help President Nixon portray to the world that America and China, even with such opposite political views, could come to an understanding. His visit took the entire worlds view off of Vietnam and on to him personally while he visited China. Kissinger had pled with President Nixon to not make his trip to China a media circus because of the impact it would have internationally with America’s allies and enemies. International reaction to the visit was mixed. The United States allies were mostly disappointed that they had been kept in the dark about the new relations. The British felt particularly offended that they were not informed before hand about the dealings going on between the Americans and the Chinese. Even with the somewhat cool reception in the international community about Richard Nixon’s visit to China it was still one of the most significant moments in United States foreign policy during the Cold War. Henry Kissinger wrote in his memoir On China, â€Å" The reward for Sino-American rapprochement would not be a state of perpetual friendship or a harmony of values, but a rebalancing of the global equilibrium.† Richard Nixon helped to accomplish this by improving relations with China in an effort to change the American relationship with the Soviet Union and end the Vietnam War. While his intentions were for both personal and professional gain, either way his foreign policies remain at the top of his successes as President. Nixon’s presidency is mostly remembered of one wrought with corruption and following the Watergate scandal, he is still the only United States President to resign from office. He became known as politician that would use any means necessary to accomplish his goals but this also led to his downfall. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bundy, William. A Tangled Web: The making of Foreign Policy in the Nixon Presidency. New York, 1989. Chang, Gordon H.. Friends and enemies: the United States, China, and the Soviet Union, 1948-1972. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1990. Devoss, David A. â€Å"Ping-Pong Diplomacy.† Smithsonian . 33. no. 1 2002 Keilers, John G. U.S. Army Military History Institute, â€Å"Nixon Doctrine and Vietnamization.† Last modified 2007. Accessed November 14, 2012. http://www.army.mil/article/3867/Nixon_Doctrine_and_Vietnamization/. Kissinger, Henry On China. New York: Penguin Press, 2011. Print. MacMillan, Margaret. Nixon in China: the week that changed the world. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2006. Nixon, Richard. Miller Center, â€Å"Radio Address About Second Annual Foreign Policy Report to the Congress .† Last modified 1971. Accessed November 14, 2012. http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/detail/3875. Nixon, Richard M. â€Å"Asia After Viet Nam.† Foreign Affairs, October 1967. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/23927/richard-m-nixon/asia-after-viet-nam (accessed October 18, 2012) Small, Melvin. The presidency of Richard Nixon. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1999. Walker, Anne Collins, John Eastman, and Elizabeth C Eastman. China calls: paving the way for Nixon’s historic journey to China. Lanham, Md.: Madison Books :, 1992.

Free Essays on A Comparison Of Selected British Charter Companies In India And North America

Great Britain’s first attempts at colonization around the globe started with Queen Elizabeth I, who granted charters to three major companies for the exclusive rights to extract the wealth from other regions of the world to stock the coffers of Britain. These three companies were the Plymouth, London (also known as Virginia) and East India Companies. In this paper we will look at the charter companies that started the colonization of North America. We will also focus on how each company ruled their territory and gained or lost power respectively. On April 10, 1606, George Popham and Sir Ferdinando Gorges were granted a charter from Queen Elizabeth I to start the Virginia Company of Plymouth. The Plymouth Company was one of two joint-stock companies who had charters in England to colonize in North America. The other company was the Virginia Company of London , which will be mentioned in more depth in the next section. The Plymouth Company was allotted the northern region of North America and was not to start a settlement less than a hundred miles away from any London Company settlement. The first band of colonists set out from England and was captured by the Spanish, undiscouraged the second ship with colonists aboard left England in 1607 and settled on the west bank of the Kennebec River in Maine.# That winter Popham died and a harsh winter set in that forced the would be colonists to return to England in 1608. Thus the company founded no permanent settlements until 1620. That year the Company was reorganized into what would be called the Council for New England, with a major shareholder being Sir Edwin Sandys.# The Plymouth Company had been having a hard time finding people to move to the forsaken New England colonies, then in 1620 a group of separatists who had illegally left Britain and moved to Holland, but were having troubles with the culture there as well, expressed an interest in the New England colony. Sandys... Free Essays on A Comparison Of Selected British Charter Companies In India And North America Free Essays on A Comparison Of Selected British Charter Companies In India And North America Great Britain’s first attempts at colonization around the globe started with Queen Elizabeth I, who granted charters to three major companies for the exclusive rights to extract the wealth from other regions of the world to stock the coffers of Britain. These three companies were the Plymouth, London (also known as Virginia) and East India Companies. In this paper we will look at the charter companies that started the colonization of North America. We will also focus on how each company ruled their territory and gained or lost power respectively. On April 10, 1606, George Popham and Sir Ferdinando Gorges were granted a charter from Queen Elizabeth I to start the Virginia Company of Plymouth. The Plymouth Company was one of two joint-stock companies who had charters in England to colonize in North America. The other company was the Virginia Company of London , which will be mentioned in more depth in the next section. The Plymouth Company was allotted the northern region of North America and was not to start a settlement less than a hundred miles away from any London Company settlement. The first band of colonists set out from England and was captured by the Spanish, undiscouraged the second ship with colonists aboard left England in 1607 and settled on the west bank of the Kennebec River in Maine.# That winter Popham died and a harsh winter set in that forced the would be colonists to return to England in 1608. Thus the company founded no permanent settlements until 1620. That year the Company was reorganized into what would be called the Council for New England, with a major shareholder being Sir Edwin Sandys.# The Plymouth Company had been having a hard time finding people to move to the forsaken New England colonies, then in 1620 a group of separatists who had illegally left Britain and moved to Holland, but were having troubles with the culture there as well, expressed an interest in the New England colony. Sandys...

Aggregates and Social Aggregates in Sociology

Aggregates and Social Aggregates in Sociology Within sociology, there are two kinds of aggregates that are commonly used: the social aggregate and aggregate data. The first is simply a collection of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time, and the second refers to when we use summary statistics like averages to show something about a population or a social trend. The Social Aggregate A social aggregate is a collection of people who are in the same place at the same time, but who otherwise do not necessarily have anything in common, and who may not interact with each other. A social aggregate is different from a social group, which refers to two or more people who interact regularly and who have things in common, like a romantic couple, a family, friends, classmates, or coworkers, among others. A social aggregate is also different from a social category, which refers to a group of people defined by a shared social characteristic, like gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, class, etc. Every day we become part of social aggregates, like when we walk down a crowded sidewalk, eat in a restaurant, ride public transit with other passengers, and shop in stores. The only thing that binds them together is physical proximity. Social aggregates sometimes figure into sociology when researchers use a convenience sample to carry out a research project. They are also present in the work of sociologists who conduct participant observation or ethnographic research. For example, a researcher studying what happens in a particular retail setting might take note of the customers present, and document their demographic makeup by age, race, class, gender, etc., in order to provide a description of the social aggregate that shops at that store. Using Aggregate Data The more common form of an aggregate in sociology is aggregate data. This refers to when social scientists use summary statistics to describe a group or a social trend. The most common type of aggregate data is an average (mean, median, and mode), which allows us to understand something about a group, rather than considering data that represents specific individuals. Median household income is among the most commonly used forms of aggregate data within the social sciences. This figure represents the household income that sits exactly in the middle of the household income spectrum. Social scientists often look at changes in median household income over time in order to see long-term economic trends at the household level. We also use aggregate data to examine differences among groups, like the change over time in median household income, depending on ones  level of education. Looking at an aggregate data trend like this, we see that the economic value of a college degree relative to a high school degree is much greater today than it was in the 1960s. Another common use of aggregate data in social sciences is tracking income by gender and race. Most readers are probably familiar with the concept of the wage gap, which refers to the historical fact that women on average earn less than men and that people of color in the U.S. earn less than white people. This type of research is produced using aggregate data that shows averages of hourly, weekly, and annual earnings by race and gender, and it proves that despite legalized equality, interpersonal discrimination on the basis of gender and race still works to create an unequal society. Updated  by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Teaching and Classroom Management in Religious Education Essay

Teaching and Classroom Management in Religious Education - Essay Example The RE is the establishment of the faith and responsiveness to the presence of God, to practice his orders and to lead a life with the patterns, which are given by God to his creatures through his messengers. Religion is the faith, faith in God. The RE first begins with the lap of the mother. Parents are the first educators of a child in the development of their faith in God. The values and thoughts, once developed in God are everlasting and parents are responsible to develop believes through in-formal way of teaching in pre-school days of child. However, the comprehensive and systematic study of the religion needs a person who knows well about faith, religion and has firm belief in God. A teacher is a person who builds a base of pupil with the relationship between faith and life in a manner that makes the pupils curious to learn more about religion. According to Religious Education Curriculum Directory for Catholic Schools (1996: p. 10) the outcome of RE may be "religiously literate young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills, appropriate to their age and capacity, to think spiritually, ethically and theologically and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in every day life". Discipline is the pre-requisite for proper learning and teaching process in the school and classroom. As for as RE is concerned, the discipline is more important because it needs more attention and concentration of pupils to learn. The pupils need limits and the teacher should manage properly when he is in the classroom. So, classroom management is essential both for a teacher and a student, to develop and promote faith in God. Good classroom management means, to provide the pupils enough freedom and courage to discuss among themselves about the context of the subject within discipline and limits. Pupils should know the limits and teacher should not make them cross the limits. Teaching of Religious Education (RE) The success of the teaching of RE lies in the quality and dedication of the teachers. So, recruitment of able and devoted teachers is a pre-requisite of a good teaching in the subject of RE. I think, the proper way to teach the subject of religion is to involve pupils in the process of teaching. There should be exercises, writing activities, and group discussions and brainstorming through questions/answers. In the classroom, the teacher should judge the feelings, motivations and opinions of their pupils in order to manage classrooms more effectively. Encourage the pupils to express their ideas, opinions and thoughts and know the religious trends of their pupils. Teach them the objectives of the subject within the limits of the time. Religious Education: from Classroom to Society Classroom of the RE plays an important role in the life of a pupil. It is the place, which either makes his mind social or fundamentalist. Understanding an issue, by uncovering the network of interrelationships, not only leads to a new awareness but also usually offers a wealth of ideas (Altrichter et al 1993: p. 160). So, try to develop positive ideas in mind of your pupils regarding religion and society. ICT in Religious Education (RE) ICT stands for "Information Communication Technology". ICT in RE means the use of modern techniques and approaches to understand religious affairs. It is a powerful tool that can improve the teaching

Business Operation And System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Operation And System - Essay Example Through technology power, the company has come up with new ideas and brand new experiences. The company is recognized due to its variety of products such as online businesses, game, music and picture. It is ranked among the leading company in the globe due to its customer brands. Sony-Ericson mobile phone segment serves a global communications market with original mobile phones, PC-cards and accessories (Worthington and Britton, 2006, p. 37). The company was established following a merger of Sony and Ericson in 2001. Its corporate functions are based in London although the company has a multinational workforce and has research and development centres in Japan, China, Europe and America (Lewis and Slack, 2011, p. 85). Mobile phone products produced by Sony-Ericson have to compete with other products from other major mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Samsung and Alcatel among other manufacturers. Firms vary in many ways, but the common feature is that they are all involved in transformation of raw materials into output by combing various resources such as labour and technology (Worthington and Britton, 2006, p. 30). The transformation process occurs within a setting being influenced by external factors which affects the operation of a company. The exter nal environment is usually volatile, complex, and interactive which cannot be ignored in the analysis of business activity. In the external business environment, PESTLE analysis is critical for it indicates the various external influences the company is facing. PESTLE is an acronym of political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors in the firm’s macro-environment (Worthington and Britton, 2006, p. 38). Following a PESTLE analysis, Sony has been able to respond accordingly to technological advancement to come up with Sony Ericsson Smart Phone. This demonstrates the influence of technological advancement on the operations of a company. Previously, Nokia and Sony had the most superior phones in the market. However, iPhone and Android introduced the smart phones in the market. In addition, there is increased demand for phones in the market and the lifestyle and level of education of the mobile phone users is changing with more users demanding smart pho nes. This influenced Sony Ericsson to turn to manufacturing smart phones in order to meet the customer’s demands. Legislative and prevalence of stability within the market it operates in allows Sony Ericsson to market its products in different countries and to decentralize its research and development offices to Asia, America and Europe (Georgiou, 2006, p. 450). Sony Ericsson never led the way in the manufacture of smart phones but only responded in a similar way to the way its competitors were moving as based on the CATWOE model. CATWOE is based on a principle where a company involved in systems development waits to be given a transformation and information on others involved in the transformation and they way they are involved (Georgiou, 2006, p. 450). Moreover, CATWOE seeks to know why transformation is important and the restrictions when planning to implement change. Sony Ericsson should carry out a CATWOE analysis where using a knowledge database it can analyze the propo sal to transform its operations to manufacture smart phones. CATWOE analysis takes into consideration the external environment of the company and demonstrated that production of smart phone would benefit its customers whose demand for phones able to access the internet faster and run various applications could be met. In addition, Sony would be able to increase its sales. The company in developing its smart phone outsourced the