A Problem in the American Education System Essay

This problem will have dire effects on those dropouts as well as other aspects such as financial and health problems. Many factors ultimately push the students off their path to a bachelor’s degree and end their dreams of ever becoming a doctor or maybe even a businessman. Along with those causes, there are serious consequences for those college dropouts. One effect that happens when a college student drops out of school would be that a huge debt must be paid back and since they dropped out it turn to be a wasted investment. Students looking to go to college, hen dropout have no answer to pay the money back which they were hoping to find a career with a college degree they wanted. Students often put a lot of money into college, thus putting them into debt. When the payments are finally too high for them they cannot afford to stay in school and all the money they put in is for naught. The students are under so much debt after dropping out and have nothing to show for it. That college degree they were hoping to receive at their graduation in non-existent which they were hoping to use as a tool in order to become successful. Who knows hat career a degree could have got them into, maybe a well-paying Job that would keep them from going broke from paying all the loans they used to go to school. All the money that could have been used in order to gain knowledge will be down the drain and the student now would have a harder time paying back those loans and supporting themselves. This also affects the schools and the taxpayers. All the money they are putting into paying and helping students with their schooling has nothing to showing for it. The millions of dollars that are being put into paving the way for the tudents financially do not pay off and instead money is lost. This slows down the whole country as there are less available new young workers to fill the positions of new work. Without a college degree, students earning potential are much lower than those of graduates. In order to pay off debts from loans to go to school and bills, students have to find a source of income and without a degree, finding a Job is much harder. Dropouts have a harder time finding a Job than those already with a degree. With a bachelor’s degree, it is easier to find Jobs as many opportunities are now open. A cause of college students dropping out is the amount they have to pay for just one semester. As many students do not even have a Job it is difficult for them to support themselves after paying for tuition and also pay for supplies they would later need for classes such as textbooks. A report from the Public Agenda for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shows the students from the ages of 22 to 30 years old shows state that their main reason for leaving school is their problems with financial stability. From my experience as of today even now I have a problem having to pay for school at CSULB. Luckily I have financial aid because without it I would it I don’t think that I could have survived the first semester of college. Family problems such as having kids during school, or taking care of a sick family member could cause someone to leave college. Having to spend a large amount of time away from thing such as studying for an upcoming test really hurts the students in the long run. This hurts them because it keeps them preoccupied with things that they need to accomplish which is their dream of finding a career in their major and pursue it. Stress develops which may be from the numerous personal problems. Rising uition make students actually have to think about what they buy next. Most students already have to Juggle work and school at the same time Oohnson). I know for a fact that going to college is a hard task even now as a freshman, there is more homework and students have to pay for everything themselves. I understand why most students drop out because they cannot handle the pressure. Another cause for college dropouts is their scores on exams. Of course doing bad on a test will make students fail your class as this is already obvious. Lots of factors also cause students to do poorly on their exams such as stress and financial roblems One final cause for students leaving college early is their lack of motivation and preparation. As most students say their high schools did a poor Job in preparing them for their next step in life stated from a survey by Public Agenda (Crosseley). In college students have to manage their time socially and their time for school. Prioritizing this time is now critical of the all the times spent in school. Being bored really will not help you succeed in receiving a bachelor’s degree in your hand. For the many college students that attend today that go to college it may be a hard task. Still, college dropouts remain a problem in the American education system.

Cases Research

* Masters v Cameron (1954) * Estate agent retained by Cameron drew up a sale note for the sale of Cameron’s property to Masters. * Cameron’s insistence included in the sale note a clause. * Agreement made subject to the preparation of a formal contract of sale, which shall be acceptable to solicitors on the above terms and conditions. * Both parties signed the sale note. * Masters paid a deposit. * Masters did not signed the contract prepared by Cameron’s solicitors as Master experienced difficulties arranging necessary finance and wished to withdraw the purchase. Cameron wished to proceed the sale. * The court have to decide whether the parties were contractually bound by the sale note(which has been signed by both of them) or whether they would only have formed a binding contract by Cameron’s solicitors(which could not apply, since Masters did not signed. * Souter v Shyamba Pty Ltd (2003) * Shyamba owned land at Merimbula, NSW on which it operated a hote l and motel. * 8 October 2001, Souter wrote to Shyamba enquiring whether the property was for sale and one Bennett, a director of Shyamba, telephoned Souter and told him that the price was $3 million. Negotiations at lower figures failed. * Fresh negotiations in March and April 2002 resulted a signed document by Souter and by Bennett and one Mirabito on behalf of Shyamba. * The document provided that â€Å"This sale will become unconditional upon the purchaser paying the amount of $1,000 into the vendor’s bank account. The purchaser agrees to pay a further $299,000 to the vendor’s solicitor upon exchange of contracts, not later than 16 June 2002 and the balance ($2,700,00) at settlement 1 July 2002. On 1 May 2002, Souter paid $1,000 unto the vendor’s bank account and Shyamba instructed its solicitors to prepare formal agreements. * On 31 May 2002, Bennett wrote to Souter, stating that the sale had â€Å"hit a hurdle in the form of a huge Gazzumpt†. * Ben nett Stated that he had been informed that the agreement of 1 May did not bind the purchaser and could not therefore bind Shyamba as vendor. * Souter sued for specific performance of the agreement dated 1 May 2002. The court held that the document dated 1 May 2002 did not constitute the binding contract and made an order for specific performance. * The judge held that the decisive issue is always the intention of the parties, which must be objectively ascertained from the terms of the document when read in the light of the surrounding circumstances. * If the terms of the document indicate that the parties intended to be bound immediately, effect must be given to that intention irrespective of the subject matter, magnitude or complexity of the transaction. * The judge itemised the reasons for his finding that the document had the effect of a contract. * Instrument 7020202154 v Ormlie Trading Pty Ltd * The court held that the parties had no intention of entering into a binding contrac t of sale despite reaching agreement on the essential terms. * In both the letter of offer and in the letter of acceptance of the offer the words â€Å"in principle† were used. * The word â€Å"in principle† used was indicated and unqualified acceptance by the offeree of the offer. Teviot Downs Estate Pty Ltd & Anor v MTAA Superannuation Fund (Flagstone Creek and Spring Mountain Park) Property Pty Ltd * Alleged agreement made on 29 August 2003 for the sale of land of Spring Mountain Estate, Beaudesert in Queensland for $11m. * Teviot sent a letter of offer to the defendant on 22 August 2003 and a response accepting the offer was sent on 29 August. * Deposit of $1. 1 million was paid. * 3 October 2003, the firstnamed plantiff wrote to the defendant saying that its due diligence enquiries had been satisfactorily completed and that the contract was unconditional. On the same day, defendant wrote to Tevoit saying that its Trustee did not approve of the sale. * The Supreme Court of Queensland has to decide whether the exchange of correspondence (the letter of offer of 22 August and the letter of acceptance of 29 August) constituted a legally enforceable agreement (as the defendant contended). * The court observed that the case suggest that there is no binding contract unless and until formal contact documents are signed and exchanged. * Tinn v Hoffman and CO (1873) Two offers, identical in terms, cross in the post, there will be no contract as neither can be construed as an acceptance of the other, even though there is a meeting of the minds. * Patterson v Dolman (1908) * The offer may be construed by the court as being accepted by a number of persons and the offeror will be bound to each and every person who accept. * The contract is only able to be performed with one party, the offeror may be liable in damages for breach of contract to the others who accepted the offer. Felthouse v Bindley (1862) * An uncle and his nephew had conversation about the possible sale of the nephew’s horse to the uncle, but there had been some confusion about the price. * The uncle subsequently wrote to nephew, offering to pay $30 and 15 shillings and saying, ‘If I hear no more about him, I consider the horse mine at that price. * The nephew was on the point of selling off some of his property in an auction. He did not reply the uncle’s letter, but did tell the auctioneer to keep the horse out of the sale. The auctioneer forgot to do this and the horse was sold. * The court felt that the nephew’s conduct in trying to keep the horse out of the sale did not necessarily imply that he intended to accept his uncle offer. * The nephew actually wrote afterwards to apologise for the mistake and so it was not clear that his silence in response to the offer was intend to sell but there are many situations in which it would be undesirable and confusing for silence to amount to acceptance.

A report on dry bulk shipping

A report on dry bulk shipping Shipping is indubitably one of the fascinating industries in the world. It requires vast knowledge and skill to cop up with the day to day operations because of the complexity of the industry and its dependence on world economics. Dry Bulk ships carry dry cargoes in bulk from one port to another and can be categorised into handysize,  handymax,  panamax,  capesize, and very large bulk and ore carriers according to their sizes. The performance of the bulk shipping market depends on the demand for and supply of bulk shipping services, as well as the characteristics of the market structure. The importance of shipping cycle in case of dry bulk carrier is that they plays a vital part in the economics of shipping industry by managing the investment risk in an industry ,where there is large uncertainty about the future (Stopford,2009) Section 1 Literature Review One of the major aspects affecting the future of dry bulk shipping is the quality and the safety perspective. Nominal freig ht differentiation between ‘quality’ and ‘other’ tonnage has been observed occasionally and much services has been paid to promoting the need for younger and safer ships (Tamvakis  and Thanopoulou,2000) Another factor that can influence maritime flows of dry bulk commodity is seasonality patterns .Spot rates for bigger vessels shows higher seasonal variations compared to smaller vessels, although differences in seasonal fluctuations between sectors are removed as the contract duration increases.   (Kavussanos and Alizadeh,2001) Investing in shipping industry has an entirely new aspect by the introduction of private equity and the development of a hedging strategy, now this can be treated as a portfolio optimization problem. The freight futures provide a comparatively novel medium for hedging risk in  dry bulk  shipping markets. New uprising financial strategies in dry bulk shipping in future can revolutionize the entire market.( Cullinane,1995) Dura tion analysis done by Bijwaard G.E and Knapp.S provides an insight to the effectiveness of prolonging ship lives and the empirical data solidifies the idea about the life span of dry bulk carrier. Life span is an important aspect in predicting the ship cycle(Bijwaard and Knapp,2009)Scrapping of ship is done at a particular time and this is done when the ship is retired from the current use or when shipping cycle demands it. Gain and losses after the scrapping of a ship . entirely depends on the market condition. Demand of Dry bulk shipping is always related to the scrapping industry.(Knapp,2008) The Government is proposing that the UK’s CO2 emissions should fall by at least 80% by 2050 . Release of exhaust gases and particles from oceangoing  ships is an important and growing provider to the total emissions from the transportation sector. New strategies like slow steam, alternate fuel and new logistic approach like jumbo ore carriers etc will be used in future to make the s hipping sector more eco friendly(Eyring et al,2010) Research Hypothesis Marine flow of dry bulk goods in 2050 will be largely influenced on numerous factors and the background study done above concretes this statement. From the background study done above following hypothesis are made.

Alienation from others and process Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Alienation from others and process - Term Paper Example As a result, alienation results in the isolation and seclusion of the individual. This often deprives the individual the necessary social support system and making him more vulnerable to the vagaries of life and loneliness. Typical example would be a foreigner migrating to a new country with a different cultural and belief system. The foreigner, being different, is typically alienated or separated from the bigger group due to the difference of origin, belief system or sheer non-familiarity. Such, the foreigner is often left isolated and alone, and not included in whatever process that the bigger group may undertake. It is usual that in any conversation or social interaction, that particular foreigner is often left out. And even when he will have the chance to interact, his opinion or presence is often ignored being relegated to coming from a different person. If the person is part of an organization, he will have no control over decisions as to what the group would like to undertake. But is rather forced to abide due to his alienation from the process.

Islamic banking in the GCC in the Next ten Years Essay

Islamic banking in the GCC in the Next ten Years - Essay Example These Islamic banks neither charged any interest nor paid it. The functioning of these banks was limited to the industries and trade in which they made investments either as the depositors’ partners, or using their own capital. Considering the functionality of these banks, they were more of financial institutions than the commercial banks we see today. The first commercial bank was opened in 1971 in Egypt with the name Nazir Social Banks. The charter of this bank did not refer to Shariah. The first bank that was entirely and overtly based on the principles of Shariah was made in the year 1974 by the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC). The name of this bank was Islamic Development Bank (IDB). The function of this bank was to engage in the intergovernmental activities to provide funds to the member countries for developmental projects. The business model of IDB included fees for the financial services as well as financial assistance for the developmental projects through pr ofit sharing. During the 1970s, numerous Islamic banks were established across the world which included but were not limited to the Dubai Islamic Bank established in 1975, the Faisal Islamic bank of Sudan established in the year 1977, followed by the Bahrain Islamic bank established in the year 1979. Several Islamic banks were also successively opened in the Asia Pacific region. The basic foundation of Islamic banking and how it differs from other banking conventions. â€Å"The basic principles of Islamic banking originate in the axioms of justice and harmony with reality and the human nature† (Kahf, Ahmad, and Homud 7). The simplest and the most fundamental definition of financing is the provision of goods, services, or any kind of production factors without the demand of an immediate counterpart on the part of the receiver. For example, employees in an organization deliver their services throughout the month and get paid at the end of the month. Islamic banking in its direc t sense is very much based on the same principle. Islamic financing means provision of production factors for which payment is rescheduled. â€Å"Real-life exchange and production processes have, as part of their components or forms, the provision of goods to consumers as well as equipment, materials and other means of production to producers† (Kahf, Ahmad, and Homud 8). This lays the foundations of the practices of Islamic banking. Islamic baking provides funds in terms of goods, machinery, or equipment for payments that are deferred. Islamic banking also provides the option of profit sharing. Such financing is based on justice as both parties share the profit made from a productive project according to their investment ratio along with sharing the risks involved. Comparison between Islamic Banking and Other Banking Conventions It is odd to draw comparison between the Islamic banking practices and the conventional banking practices because of the immensity of difference betw een the two. The most fundamental difference between Islamic banking and other banking conventions is that the former is based on the Shariah foundation whereas the latter are not. Islamic baking is characterized by non-existence of transactions that are interest-based. Islamic baking is devoid of any economic activity that involves oppression or speculation. There is imposition of Islamic tax called as â€Å"zakat† in Islamic banking. Islamic banking does not allow production of such goods and services that are considered Haram in

Economics assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economics - Assignment Example Both oligopolies and monopolies are affected by the increased production in the sense that higher production decreases the prices of products and services. The two market structures, unlike other market structures, are able to attain a monopoly on production in the specific goods or services under their copyright (Albano & Lizzeri 1997). Monopolistic markets are solely controlled by a single seller only. The seller has absolute power to influence market decisions and prices. Consumers attain limited choices, and they have to make a choice from what is being supplied at the market. Conversely, oligopoly is characterized by few sellers in the market. The market situation is friendly to consumers since it encourages competition among the sellers (Spanjers 1994). A monopolistic market gets its power from three sources: these include, legal, economic and deliberate. A monopolistic market will make into use the position it has to its advantage and completely drive out competitors. It can achieve this either through reducing prices to such levels that existence for another firm may become nearly impossible or through virtue of economic situations like large capital requirements when starting companies. Though an oligopolistic market situation does not have sources of power, it, however comes into existence merely due to the accommodating character of other sellers already in the market (Spanjers 1994). A monopolistic market might quote very high prices because of nonexistence of other competitors. The monopolistic sellers will make use of their status of dominance in the market and maximize their profits. Oligopolistic markets, on the other hand, ensure competition in the market hence fairer prices for the consumers (Spanjers 1994). These are regulations that are put into place to prevent entrance of firms into the market. Barriers to entry into

The Expectations of the Dollar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Expectations of the Dollar - Essay Example Interest-rate futures demonstrate that the traders are certain the Fed will increase its benchmark to 4.75 percent on March 28, and predict about a 65 percent chance of another increase to 5 percent at the May meeting. However the outlook was not the same say in October 2005 when Fed was expected to go in for graduated dosages of increase in interest rate in keeping with the trend began since June 2004. The dollar had then risen 2.3 percent against the yen since the end of June 2005. The dollar ran its third straight quarterly gain, reported in October 2005, against the yen, the longest winning streak since 2001, as the Federal Reserve stuck to its policy of ''measured" increases in interest rates. The markets had then expected the dollar to rally to about 115 yens. The yield advantage of 10-year US Treasury notes with Japan had averaged 2.87 percentage points in 2005 year and reached as much as 3.27 percentage points on March 28 2005. As a result of these Japanese investors were buy ing the dollar to purchase overseas assets, such as Treasuries strengthening interest in dollar. As compared to this The Bank of Japan had kept rates near zero since 2001.US Rate increases had helped notch an 11 percent gain in the dollar vs. the yen. However for the first time ,in this scenario Bank of Japan indicated that the yen may be supported by indicating a timetable for ending its policy of holding interest rates near zero.BOJ had also decided to stop pumping money into the economy and to recommence forecasting of inflation after a seven-year absence. The risks to the US dollar in 2006 are being widely debated. Last year too Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and George Soros had predicted a crash of the US dollar which, however, did not materialize. However sufficient arguments exist today on why the US dollarwill stopdefying gravity and fall this year. As stated abovein the last few weeks the dollar has kept on falling relative to the Euro and Yen, as expectations of relative short term interest rate differentials and growth rates are turning against the U.S. US slow down, which may or may not trigger global slow down, is quite a probability with risks of a disorderly adjustment triggered by the bursting of the US housing bubble and the stagflationary effect of another oil shock driven by supply tightness and a confrontation with Iran. Moreover a large trade deficit of 7% of GDP has led to an unsustainable accumulation of net foreign liabilities (Roubini, 2006). These combined with domestic slowdown leave out weak signals for dollar wi th slight corrections in or around the two expected step-ups. This outlook would run concurrently to the period required to smoothen out these imbalances. This is expected to last the entire of the remainder portion of 2006 at the least. Theoretical Setting Post Bretton Woods period was a period of fixed exchange rates and primary forex market analytics concerned the effects of discrete policy induced changes in the level of exchange rates-be it a devaluation or appreciation. National economies and the global economy as result

Climate change Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Climate change - Dissertation Example There is some disagreement in the literature about the percentage of emissions caused by each sector. Whitaker (2007, p.62), for example, produces a very conservative estimate for transportation fuels, of just 14% of total emissions. Nevertheless, even Whitaker’s figures make clear that urban communities are producing unsustainable levels in other areas – for example, power stations to supply their energy are held responsible for 21.3% of greenhouse gas output, 10.4% are caused by residential and commercial sectors, and a further 3.4% is caused by waste disposal and treatment. The provision of the latter on a large-scale in only necessitated by the large-scale existence of urban settlement patterns. International trade, travel and a growing dependence on motor vehicles has made transportation one of the major sources of greenhouse gases. The growing numbers of people living in urban communities make a major contribution to this. As well as travelling between cities and within cities, they do not, of course, produce their own food and drink. Therefore, all of the necessities of every day life, and much else besides, has to be imported to the urban environment, at great cost to gas emissions. As was pointed out by several sources, the Kyoto Protocol – the landmark international agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, did not apply to emissions from international trade and transport by air and sea. Furthermore, as urban settlements grow and sprawl into the previously rural hinterlands, the distances which need to be traversed within cities become greater, which leads to increased ownership of cars and motorbikes. In the United States, for example, 92% of households own at least one car, and transport is the second largest contributor to US gas emissions, and, perhaps more worrying, an astonishing 35% of the world’s total (Dow & Downing, 2007, p.46). The United Kingdom has seen similar patterns, with car journeys increasing by 9% between 1997 and 2004, and expected to grow by a further 26% between 2000 and 2010 (Department for Transport, 2005, p.10). Some sources took a more literary approach to the problems of climate change and urban sustainability, such as the use of a quote from Ehrenburg, penned in 1929, presaging the destruction wrought by the motor vehicle: ‘the automobile†¦can’t be blamed for anything†¦It only fulfils its destiny: it is destined to wipe out the world’ (1999, p.175). Compared to the alternatives, such as using bicycles, trains and buses, which are relatively energy-efficient, using personal motor cars, especially if they are carrying only one or two people at a time, is damaging. However, the most sustainable type of transport – walking, has become less popular. In the past decade, as Monbiot points out, the number of walking trips in the UK has fallen 20% (2006, p.145). At the same time, air travel is becoming ever more affordable, with passenger miles only expected to increase in the course of the next few decades. Dow and Downing provide a useful digest of figures for transport emissions, and their global distribution, and estimate that from 3.9 billion journey by air in 2004, by 2020 there were will some 7.4 billion (2007, p.46). Each of these journeys is responsible for huge amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, with a round trip between Europe and the US by two people producing the equivalent of at least 40 tonnes of carbon

Preparation and Assessment in a Large Urban Primary School Essay

Preparation and Assessment in a Large Urban Primary School - Essay Example The evidence would suggest that the difficulties that have arisen are significant, but not serious - and that they can be addressed. (cf Rollinson, 2002, pp254-5). However, given that the difficulties pertaining to the ‘softer’ human relations aspect of people management, which authors such as McGarvey (1997) and Lamp (1998) argue can fester if left unresolved, it is considered important that action to address the difficulties is taken. Recommendations for action are put forward below. In particular, schools are an essential feature of the public service infrastructure and as such have had to respond continuously to diverse consumer needs and a highly politicised agenda of government reform. This report describes one school’s response to a recent DfES initiative and the difficulties encountered as a result of that response. It analyses those difficulties from the perspectives of the structural organization, culture and leadership style. As part of its Raising Stan dards/Reducing Workload Agenda (DfES,2002) the government has placed schools under a legal obligation to provide all teachers with 10% non-contact time for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) duties. However, no accompanying directive has been issued as to how this may be achieved. The government has however provided advisory guidelines suggesting that teacher release might be secured through the use of additional teaching staff, Higher Level Teaching Assistants (a newly created tier of teaching assistants who have attained recognized accreditation), Cover Assistants or specialist tutors and sports coaches.

Air Pollution Essay Example for Free

Air Pollution Essay BEIJING — Outdoor air pollution contributed to 1.2 million premature deaths in China in 2010, nearly 40 percent of the global total, according to a new summary of data from a scientific study on leading causes of death worldwide. Figured another way, the researchers said, China’s toll from pollution was the loss of 25 million healthy years of life from the population. The data on which the analysis is based was first presented in the ambitious 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study, which was published in December in The Lancet, a British medical journal. The authors decided to break out numbers for specific countries and present the findings at international conferences. The China statistics were offered at a forum in Beijing on Sunday. â€Å"We have been rolling out the India- and China-specific numbers, as they speak more directly to national leaders than regional numbers,† said Robert O’Keefe, the vice president of the Health Effects Institute, a research organization that is helping to present the study. The organization is partly financed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the global motor vehicle industry. What the researchers called â€Å"ambient particulate matter pollution† was the fourth-leading risk factor for deaths in China in 2010, behind dietary risks, high blood pressure and smoking. Air pollution ranked seventh on the worldwide list of risk factors, contributing to 3.2 million deaths in 2010. By comparison with China, India, which also has densely populated cities grappling with similar levels of pollution, had 620,000 premature deaths in 2010 because of outdoor air pollution, the study found. That was deemed to be the sixth most common killer in South Asia. The study was led by an institute at the University of Washington and several partner universities and institutions, including the World Health Organization. Calculations of premature deaths because of outdoor air pollution are politically threatening in the eyes of some Chinese officials . According to news reports, Chinese officials cut out sections of a 2007 report called â€Å"Cost of Pollution in China† that discussed premature deaths. The report’s authors had concluded that 350,000 to 400,000 people die prematurely in China each  year because of outdoor air pollution. The study was done by the World Bank in cooperation with the Chinese State Environmental Protection Administration, the precursor to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. There have been other estimates of premature deaths because of air pollution. In 2011, the World Health Organization estimated that there were 1.3 million premature deaths in cities worldwide because of outdoor air pollution. Last month, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, based in Paris, warned that â€Å"urban air pollution is set to become the top environmental cause of mortality worldwide by 2050, ahead of dirty water and lack of sanitation.† It estimated that up to 3.6 million people could end up dying prematurely from air pollution each year, mostly in China and India. There has been growing outrage in Chinese cities over what many say are untenable levels of air pollution. Cities across the north hit record levels in January, and official Chinese newspapers ran front-page articles on the surge — what some foreigners call the â€Å"airpocalypse† — despite earlier limits on such discussion by propaganda officials. In February, the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced a timeline for introducing new fuel standards, but state-owned oil and power companies are known to block or ignore environmental policies to save on costs. A study released on Thursday said the growth rate of disclosure of pollution information in 113 Chinese cities had slowed. The groups doing the study, the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, based in Beijing, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, based in Washington, said that â€Å"faced with the current situation of severe air, water and soil pollution, we must make changes to pollution source information disclosure so that information is no longer patchy, out of date and difficult to o btain.† Chinese officials have made some progress in disclosing crucial air pollution statistics. Official news reports have said 74 cities are now required to release data on levels of particulate matter 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller, which penetrate the body’s tissues most deeply. For years, Chinese officials had been collecting the data but refusing to release it, until they came under pressure from Chinese who saw that the United States Embassy in Beijing was measuring the levels hourly and posting the data in a Twitter feed, @BeijingAir. Last week, an official Chinese news report said the cost of environmental degradation in China was about $230 billion in 2010, or 3.5  percent of the gross domestic product. The estimate, said to be partial, came from a research institute under the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and was three times the amount in 2004, in local currency terms. It was unclear to what extent those numbers took into account the costs of health care and premature deaths because of pollution. National Park Service Air Pollution Its Nature, Sources, and Effects http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/airpollution.htm Last Updated: 04/09/2014 Summer View, mountains in the distance from Skyline Drive. John F. Mitchell NPS Volunteer Introduction Air pollution occurs in many forms but can generally be thought of as gaseous and particulate contaminants that are present in the earths atmosphere. Gaseous pollutants include sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), hydrogen fluoride (HF), and various gaseous forms of metals. These pollutants are emitted from large stationary sources such as fossil fuel fired power plants, smelters, industrial boilers, petroleum refineries, and manufacturing facilities as well as from area and mobile sources. They are corrosive to various materials which causes damage to cultural resources, can cause injury to ecosystems and organisms, aggravate respiratory diseases, and reduce visibility. Particulates come in both large and small or fine solid forms. Large particulates include substances such as dust, asbestos fibers, and lead. Fine particulates include sulfates (SO4) and nitrates (NO3). Important sourc es of particulates are power plants, smelters, mining operations, and automobiles. Asbestos and lead affect organisms, while sulfates and nitrates not only cause health problems, but also contribute to acid rain or acid deposition and a reduction in visibility. Particulate matter, a term sometimes used instead of particulates, refers to the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Toxic air pollutants are a class of chemicals which may  potentially cause health problems in a significant way. The sources of toxic air pollutants include power plants, industries, pesticide application, and contaminated windblown dust. Persistent toxic pollutants, such as mercury, are of particular concern because of their global mobility and ability to accumulate in the food chain. More research is needed to fully understand the fate and effects of mercury and the many other toxic pollutants. Primary pollutants are those that are emitted directly into the air from pollution sources. Secondary pollutants are formed when primary pollutants undergo chemical changes in the atmosphere. Ozone is an example of a secondary pollutant. It is formed when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are mixed and warmed by sunlight. Ozone (O3) is a major component of what is often referred to as smog. The ozone which is present in the troposphere, or the atmosphere that is close to the ground, should not be confused with beneficial ozone that is located in the stratosphere or upper atmosphere. This beneficial ozone in the stratosphere helps protect the earth from harmful ultraviolet light from the sun. Sources of Air Pollution Stationary and Area Sources A stationary source of air pollution refers to an emission source that does not move, also known as a point source. Stationary sources include factories, power plants, dry cleaners and degreasing operations. The term area source is used to describe many small sources of air pollution located together whose individual emissions may be below thresholds of concern, but whose collective emissions can be significant. Residential wood burners are a good example of a small source, but when combined with many other small sources, they can contribute to local and regional air pollution levels. Area sources can also be thought of as non-point sources, such as construction of housing developments, dry lake beds, and landfills. Mobile Sources A mobile source of air pollution refers to a source that is capable of moving under its own power. In general, mobile sources imply on-road transportation, which includes vehicles such as cars, sport utility vehicles, and buses. In addition, there is also a non-road or off-road  category that includes gas-powered lawn tools and mowers, farm and construction equipment, recreational vehicles, boats, planes, and trains. Agricultural Sources Agricultural operations, those that raise animals and grow crops, can generate emissions of gases and particulate matter. For example, animals confined to a barn or restricted area (rather than field grazing), produce large amounts of manure. Manure emits various gases, particularly ammonia into the air. This ammonia can be emitted from the animal houses, manure storage areas, or from the land after the manure is applied. In crop production, the misapplication of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides can potentially result in aerial drift of these materials and harm may be caused. Natural Sources Although industrialization and the use of motor vehicles are overwhelmingly the most significant contributors to air pollution, there are important natural sources of pollution as well. Wildland fires, dust storms, and volcanic activity also contribute gases and particulates to our atmosphere. Unlike the above mentioned sources of air pollution, natural air pollution is not caused by people or their activities. An erupting volcano emits particulate matter and gases; forest and prairie fires can emit large quantities of pollutants; plants and trees naturally emit VOCs which are oxidized and form aerosols that can cause a natural blue haze; and dust storms can create large amounts of particulate matter. Wild animals in their natural habitat are also considered natural sources of pollution. The National Park Service recognizes that each of these sources emits gases and particulate matter into the atmosphere but we regard these as constituents resulting from natural processes. Air Pollution at Shenandoah Sources of air pollution that affect Shenandoah National Park are largely outside of the park. These include industrial facilities located throughout the mid-Atlantic region and the Ohio River Valley as well as urban centers in this same region. Because most areas adjacent to the park are rural and agricultural, it is clear that transport of pollutants from distant  locations is an important element upon which park air quality hinges. Even some agricultural activities, such as ammonia from the poultry industry and pesticides that are applied to adjacent fields, may contribute to air pollution in the park. In-park emission sources are relatively small, but do include motor vehicles, maintenance equipment, small boilers and generators. The relative contribution from the in-park sources is very small compared to other sources. In a July 2002 report describing an emissions inventory for Shenandoah National Park, it was determined that less than 1% of emissions were produced from in-par k sources. How does air pollution move? Air transport is the term used to describe the mechanism by which air pollution moves from an emissions source to a receptor. A source is a location (i.e., smokestack, chimney, exhaust pipe) from which the pollutant emanates and a receptor is the place (i.e., soil, vegetation, waterbodies, human lungs) where the pollutant is deposited. The atmosphere itself is the transporter of pollutants from sources to receptors. If the wind carries the plume of pollution high enough in the air, it may travel for hundreds of miles before being brought to earth. This is known as long-range or long-distance transport. Air Pollution Effects The air is an important component of the natural system of a park in its own right. The presence of pollution in the atmosphere results directly in air quality degradation. Air pollution is also a critical factor affecting the quality of other environmental resources as well as the human-made structures and facilities in the area. Polluted air can and has harmed park resources in a variety of ways depending upon the chemistry of the pollutant, weather and environmental conditions, and the nature or sensitivity of park resources. Examples of this harm include vegetative discoloration and growth disruption from ozone, loss of aquatic species from stream acidification, shifts in nutrient availability from acid deposition, and erosion of building surfaces and rock formations. Air pollution impairs visibility and contributes to climate change. Air pollution can also be detrimental to human health. Shchooltoday Your Cool Facts and Tips on Air Pollution What causes air pollution? Air pollution can result from both human and natural actions. Natural events that pollute the air include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation of organic compounds and natural radioactivity. Pollution from natural occurrences are not very often. Human activities that result in air pollution include: 1. Emissions from industries and manufacturing activities Have you seen a manufacturing company before? You will notice that there are long tubes (called chimneys) erected high into the air, with lots of smoke and fumes coming out of it. Waste incinerators, manufacturing industries and power plants emit high levels of carbon monoxide, organic compounds, and chemicals into the air. This happens almost everywhere that people live. Petroleum refineries also release lots of hydrocarbons into the air. 2. Burning Fossil Fuels After the industrial age, transportation has become a key part of our lives. Cars and heavy duty trucks, trains, shipping vessels and airplanes all burn lots of fossil fuels to work. Emissions from automobile engines contain both primary and secondary pollutants. This is a major cause of pollution, and one that is very difficult to manage. This is because humans rely heavily on vehicles and engines for transporting people, good and services. Fumes from car exhauts contain dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons and particulates. On their own, they cause great harm to people who breath them. Additionally, they react with environmental gases to create further toxic gases. Click here to see the effects 3. Household and Farming Chemicals Crop dusting, fumigating homes, household cleaning products or painting supplies, over the counter insect/pest killers, fertilizer dust emit harmful chemicals into the air and cause pollution. In many case, when we use these chemicals at home or offices with no or little ventilation, we may fall ill if we breathe them. What are the common air pollutants around? Carbon Monoxide (CO) Fuel combustion from vehicles and engines. Reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the body’s organs and tissues; aggravates heart disease, resulting in chest pain and other symptoms. Ground-level Ozone (O3)  Secondary pollutant formed by chemical reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and NOx in the presence of sunlight. Decreases lung function and causes respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath, and also makes asthma and other lung diseases get worse. More on Ground Level Ozone Here Lead (Pb) Smelters (metal refineries) and other metal industries; combustion of leaded gasoline in piston engine aircraft; waste incinerators (waste burners), and battery manufacturing. Damages the developing nervous system, resulting in IQ loss and impacts on learning, memory, and behavior in children. Cardiovascular and renal effects in adults and early effects related to anaemia. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Fuel combustion (electric utilities, big industrial boilers, vehicles) and wood burning. Worsens lung diseases leading to respiratory symptoms, increased susceptibility to respiratory infection. Particulate Matter (PM) This is formed through chemical reactions, fuel combustion (e.g., burning coal, wood, diesel), industrial processes, farming (plowing, field burning), and unpaved roads or during road constructions. Short-term exposures can worsen heart or lung diseases and cause respiratory problems. Long-term exposures can cause heart or lung disease and sometimes premature deaths. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) SO2 come from fuel combustion (especially high-sulfur coal); electric utilities and industrial processes as well as and natural occurances like volcanoes. Aggravates asthma and makes breathing difficult.It also contributes to particle formation with associated health effects. What are the effects of air pollution? Acidification: Chemical reactions involving air pollutants can create acidic compounds which can cause harm to vegetation and buildings. Sometimes, when an air pollutant, such as sulfuric acid combines with the water droplets that make up clouds, the water droplets become acidic, forming acid rain. When acid rain falls over an area, it can kill trees and harm animals, fish, and other wildlife. Acid rain destroys the leaves of plants. When acid rain infiltrates into soils, it changes the chemistry of the soil making it unfit for many living things that rely on soil as a habitat or for nutrition. Acid rain also changes the chemistry of the lakes and streams that the rainwater flows into, harming fish and other aquatic life. Eutrophication: Rain can carry and deposit the Nitrogen in some pollutants on rivers and soils. This will adversely affect the nutrients in the soil and water bodies. This can result in algae growth in lakes and water bodies, and make conditions for other living organism harmful. Ground-level ozone: Chemical reactions involving air pollutants create a poisonous gas ozone (O3). Gas Ozone can affect people’s health and can damage vegetation types and some animal life too. Particulate matter:  Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter which can be very harmful to our health. The level of effect usually depends on the length of time of exposure, as well the kind and concentration of chemicals and particles exposed to. Short-term effects include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and  pneumonia. Others include headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema. Long-term health effects can include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys. Continual exposure to air pollution affects the lungs of growing children and may aggravate or compli cate medical conditions in the elderly. Air pollution prevention, monitoring and solution. Solution efforts on pollution is always a big problem. This is why prevention interventions are always a better way of controlling air pollution. These prevention methods can either come from government (laws) or by individual actions. In many big cities, monitoring equipment have been installed at many points in the city. Authorities read them regularly to check the quality of air. Lets see more below: Government (or community) level prevention Governments throughout the world have already taken action against air pollution by introducing green energy. Some governments are investing in wind energy and solar energy, as well as other renewable energy, to minimize burning of fossil fuels, which cause heavy air pollution. Governments are also forcing companies to be more responsible with their manufacturing activities, so that even though they still cause pollution, they are a lot controlled. Companies are also building more energy efficient cars, which pollute less than before. Individual Level Prevention Encourage your family to use the bus, train or bike when commuting. If we all do this, there will be less cars on road and less fumes. Use energy (light, water, boiler, kettle and fire woods) wisely. This is because lots of fossil fuels are burned to generate electricity, and so if we can cut down the use, we will also cut down the amount of pollution we create. Recycle and re-use things. This will minimize the dependence of producing new things. Remember manufacturing industries create a lot of pollution, so if we can re-use things like shopping plastic bags, clothing, paper and bottles, it can help. Basic Air Pollution Facts Below are some random facts and info on environmental pollution. Air pollutants (dangerous things that make the air unclean)come in the form of gases or particles. In March 2011, a very powerful earthquake in the sea (tsunami) hit the Japan coast. The sea level rose and water came into the land, damaging 4 of the 6 reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. World Health Organisation (WHO) experts confirm that there is slight increased risk of some cancer types for some people who were exposed to the radiation. These included people living in that area and some workers at the plant. Below is a peice of the information given on BBC website: The biggest lifetime risks were seen in those exposed as infants, compared with children or adults. For girls exposed to radiation from the accident as infants, the report found a 4% increase above the lifetime expected risk of solid tumours and a 6% increase above that expected for breast cancer. Boys exposed as infants are expected to have a 7% increased risk of leukaemia above that expected in the normal population. The biggest risk was seen in thyroid cancer, which for infant girls could be up to 70% higher than expected over their lifetime. BBC Website: /news/health-21614722 It is estimated that you breathe 20,000 liters of air each day. This means the more polluted the air is, the more we breathe into our lungs dangerous chemicals. Air can be polluted both indoors and outdoors. Tobacco and other kinds of smoking are examples of indoor air pollution. Sick Building Syndrome is a health condition related to pesticides, insecticides and chemicals we use at home and offices. In the great Smog Disaster in London in 1952, four thousand people died in a few days due to the high concentrations of pollution. Air pollution affects kids more than adults  because, for their body size, kids breathe more air and spend more time playing outside. More hazardous pollutants are discharged into the air each year than are released to surface water, ground water, and land, combined. Motor vehicles produce more air pollution than any other single human activity. One full commuter bus can mean 40 less cars going through your neighborhood. In America, vehicle exhaust contributes roughly 60% of all carbon monoxide emissions nationwide, and up to 95% in cities. Indoor air pollution and health Around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and leaky stoves burning biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal. Nearly 2 million people die prematurely from illness attributable to indoor air pollution from household solid fuel use. Nearly 50% of pneumonia deaths among children under five are due to particulate matter inhaled from indoor air pollution. More than 1 million people a year die from chronic obstructive respiratory disease (COPD) that develop due to exposure to such indoor air pollution. Both women and men exposed to heavy indoor smoke are 2-3 times more likely to develop COPD Source: WHO Ozone Depletion: Losing Earth’s Protective Layer National Geographic The ozone layer is a belt of naturally occurring ozone gas that sits 9.3 to 18.6 miles (15 to 30 kilometers) above Earth and serves as a shield from the harmful ultraviolet B radiation emitted by the sun. Ozone is a highly reactive molecule that contains three oxygen atoms. It is constantly being formed and broken down in the high atmosphere, 6.2 to 31 miles (10 to 50 kilometers) above Earth, in the region called the stratosphere. Today, there is widespread concern that the ozone layer is deteriorating due to the release of pollution containing the chemicals chlorine and bromine. Such deterioration allows large amounts of ultraviolet B rays to reach Earth, which can cause skin cancer and cataracts in humans and harm animals as  well. Extra ultraviolet B radiation reaching Earth also inhibits the reproductive cycle of phytoplankton, single-celled organisms such as algae that make up the bottom rung of the food chain. Biologists fear that reductions in phytoplankton populations will in turn lower the populations of other animals. Researchers also have documented changes in the reproductive rates of young fish, shrimp, and crabs as well as frogs and salamanders exposed to excess ultraviolet B. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals found mainly in spray aerosols heavily used by industrialized nations for much of the past 50 years, are the primary culprits in ozone layer breakdown. When CFCs reach the upper atmosphere, they are exposed to ultraviolet rays, which causes them to break down into substances that include chlorine. The chlorine reacts with the oxygen atoms in ozone and rips apart the ozone molecule. One atom of chlorine can destroy more than a hundred thousand ozone molecules, according to the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The ozone layer above the Antarctic has been particularly impacted by pollution since the mid-1980s. This region’s low temperatures speed up the conversion of CFCs to chlorine. In the southern spring and summer, when the sun shines for long periods of the day, chlorine reacts with ultraviolet rays, destroying ozone on a massive scale, up to 65 percent. This is what some people erroneously refer to as the ozone hole. In other regions, the ozone layer has deteriorated by about 20 percent. About 90 percent of CFCs currently in the atmosphere were emitted by industrialized countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including the United States and Europe. These countries banned CFCs by 1996, and the amount of chlorine in the atmosphere is falling now. But scientists estimate it will take another 50 years for chlorine levels to return to their natural levels. Clean Air Kids The Earth is wrapped in a blanket of air called the atmosphere, which is made up of several layers. About 19-30 kilometres above the Earth is a layer of gas called ozone, which is a form of oxygen. Ozone is produced naturally in the atmosphere. WHY DO WE HAVE AN OZONE LAYER? The ozone layer is very important because it stops too many of the suns ultra-violet rays (UV rays) getting through to the Earth these are the rays that cause our skin to tan. Too much UV can cause skin cancer and will also harm all plants and animals. Life on Earth could not exist without the protective shield of the ozone layer. WHAT IS THE OZONE HOLE? Every spring, a hole as big as the USA develops in the ozone layer over Antarctica, in the South Pole. A smaller hole develops each year over the Arctic, at the North Pole. And there are signs that the ozone layer is getting thinner all over the planet. Scientists have discovered that the ozone hole over Antarctica started in 1979, and that the ozone layer generally started to get thin in the early 1980s. The loss of the ozone layer occurs when more ozone is being destroyed than nature is creating. WHAT CAUSES THE OZONE HOLE? One group of gases is particularly likely to damage the ozone layer. These gases are called CFCs, Chloro-Fluoro-Carbons. CFCs are used in some spray cans to force the contents out of the can. They are also used in refrigerators, air conditioning systems and some fire extinguishers. They are used because they are not poisonous and do not catch fire. Most countries have now stopped using new CFCs that can be released into the atmosphere, but many scientists believe we must stop using old ones as well. THE OZONE HOLE AND OUR HEALTH The ozone layer is like a sunscreen, and a thinning of it would mean that more ultra-violet rays would be reaching us. Too many UV rays would cause more sunburn, and because sunburn causes skin cancer, this too would increase deaths. These UV rays are also dangerous for our eyes and could cause an increase in people becoming blind. That is why sun cream and sunglasses are very important. THE OZONE HOLE ON ANIMALS AND PLANTS UV rays can go through water and end up killing small water animals or  plants, called plankton which form the base of the food chain in oceans and seas. Whales and other fishes have plankton as their main food, and if plankton die because of these UV rays, whales will start dying too, because they will not have anything to eat. Large amounts of UV rays could damage all green plants. If the ozone layer keeps getting thinner, there could be fewer and fewer plants on Earth, then there would be less food in the whole world. THE TWO-FACED OZONE GAS Ozone found between 19 and 30 kilometres high in the atmosphere is one of the reasons why we are alive on Earth. But when the gas ozone is found lower down where we can breathe it in, it becomes very dangerous for our health. This ozone is caused by a reaction between air pollution and sunlight and can cause modern-day smog. This is different to the smog that formed in the early 20th century from smoke and fog. What can you do: There are many things we can do to help reduce air pollution and global warming. Use buses and trains instead of cars, as they can carry a lot more people in one journey. This cuts down the amount of pollution produced. Walking or cycling whenever you can will be even better, as it does not create any pollution. It will also be good for your body, as regular exercise will keep you fit and healthy. If your parents must use the car, ask them to avoid using it for very short journeys if possible, as this creates unnecessary pollution. Try to encourage them to share their journeys with other people, for example when they go to work or go shopping. Also encourage them to drive more slowly as this produces less pollution and less carbon dioxide. Energy is produced to generate electricity and to keep us warm. Most energy is produced by the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and gas, which release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Fuel burnt in our cars also releases carbon dioxide. As an individual, you do not have a lot of control on how your energy is produced. However, you can control the way in which you use that energy. Using less energy means less of it needs to be produced. So less carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. We can also help prevent pollution from our own homes which may contribute to acid rain and poor air quality, and increases emissions of carbon dioxide in the  atmosphere. Turning off lights when they are not needed and not wasting electricity will reduce the demand for energy. Less electricity will need to be produced and so less coal, oil and gas will have to be burnt in power stations, which means less air pollution and less carbon dioxide! Pollution formed indoors can be reduced by ensuring that all gas appliances are working correctly. Good ventilation will improve indoor air quality by dispersing biological pollutants like dust mite, and other pollutants such as cigarette smoke. Most of the rubbish we throw away can be recycled, such as glass bottles and jars, steel and aluminium cans, plastic bottles and waste paper. Recycling used materials uses less energy than making new ones. Composting fruit and vegetable waste reduces the amount of rubbish buried at rubbish dumps. What are the Governments doing? Governments throughout the world have already taken action for these different environmental problems (i.e. Acid Rain, Air Quality, Ozone Hole, Global Warming). In their plans they hope to reduce the amount of emissions of greenhouse gases produced by man. About half of the greenhouse effect is caused by our use of energy, especially from fossil fuels. Other sources of energy could be used which do not emit carbon dioxide, e.g. wind power, solar (sun power) and wave power. In the home and at school, we must learn to use energy efficiently and not waste it. Rain is very important for life. All living things need water to live, even people. Rain brings us the water we need. But in many places in the world even where you live, rain has become a menace. Because of pollution in the air, acid gases from factories, cars and homes, the rain is becoming dangerous for the life of every living creature. This rain is known as acid rain. WHAT IS ACID RAIN? Acid gases are produced when fossil fuels like coal and oil are burned in power stations, factories and in our own homes. Most of these acid gases are blown into the sky, and when they mix with the clouds it can cause rain or snow, sleet, fog, mist or hail to become more acidic. The opposites of  acid are alkalis; for example, toothpaste and baking powder are both alkalis. Strong alkalis can also be dangerous, such as ammonia and bleach. Lemon juice, vinegar and cola are all acidic. Rain is naturally acidic, but acid gases make it even more acidic, sometimes as acid as lemon! Nature can also produce acid gases, such as volcanoes. When they erupt, the smoke that comes out of the crater is also full of acid gases. HOW DO WE MEASURE ACIDITY? There is a special scale called the pH scale that measures the strength of acids and alkalis. A low pH number means something is acid. A high number means something is alkali. And something in the middle is called neutral. Acidity can be tested using litmus paper. Usually rain is a little acidic, and has pH of about 5.5, if the pH of rainfall is less than 5.5, then the rain is probably polluted by acid gases. Acids turn litmus paper red, and alkalis turn it blue. With a special paper called universal indicator, you can test levels of acidity. WHAT ARE THE MAIN GASES THAT CAUSE ACID RAIN? When we burn fuels, chemicals called sulphur and nitrogen are released into the air. Once in the air, they mix with water in the air rain, snow, etc and are transformed into different chemicals called sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which can be very dangerous for plants, animals and people. Most of the sulphur comes from power stations, which make electricity, and also from volcanoes. Most of the nitrogen oxides come from car and truck exhausts. We call air pollution the bad gases that we produce and release in the air. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are the most important causes of acid rain. A PROBLEM ALL OVER THE WORLD Air pollution can be carried over long distances. When acid gases are released, they go high up in the sky, and then they are pushed by strong winds towards other countries. The acid rain in Sweden is caused by air pollution in Britain and other countries of Europe. The pollution produced in Britain ends up mostly in Scandinavia countries in northern Europe  including Sweden, Norway and Denmark. In the USA, the winds blow the air pollution to certain areas in Canada. HOW BAD IS ACID RAIN? When rain is acidic, it affects what it falls on: trees, lakes, buildings and farmland. Sometimes rain is not very acidic and does not cause a lot of problems, but when it is acidic, it can be very harmful to the environment. TREES AND PLANTS Acid rain can have terrible effects on a forest. The acid takes away important minerals from the leaves and the soil. Minerals are like vitamins for trees and plants. Without them, trees and plants cannot grow properly. They lose their leaves and become very weak. They are no longer strong enough to fight against illnesses and frost. They become very ill and can even die. Some soils are alkaline, when acid rain falls on them the acid becomes neutral. Plants and trees living on these soils are not in any big danger.. LAKES AND WATER LIFE Acid rain has a terrible effect on water life. Even if the acid rain does not fall straight into the lake, for example, it may enter from rivers and streams. Some of the life in the lake such as fish and plants may end up dying, because they cannot survive in acidic lakes. Thousands of lakes in Scandinavia have no more life in them. They have received so much acid rain for so many years, because of the winds pushing the acid gases, that nothing can survive. You can recognise a lake dead from acid rain by its clean and crystal clear water. But they look clean because there is very little living in them anymore. Tiny plants and animals are mostly unable to survive.. OUR HEALTH Particulates very small particles of debris found in some of the air pollution are one of the main causes of health problems. In towns and cities, these are released mainly by diesel engines from cars and trucks. When we breathe in air pollution, these very fine particulates can easily enter our body, where they can cause breathing problems, and over time even  cause cancer. Water we drink from taps can be contaminated by acid rain, which can damage the brain.. BUILDINGS Acid rain can also ruin buildings because the acid eats into metal and stone. It also damages stained glass and plastics. Some types of building materials are softer than others, and it is the softer ones which are most affected by acid rain. Sandstone and limestone are examples of stone which are fairly soft and are damaged easily. Granite is an example of a harder stone that can resist the effects of acid rain. In many places in the world, ancient and famous buildings and monuments are affected by acid rain. For example, the Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, has had to be restored because of acid rain damage. Buildings are naturally eroded by rain, wind, frost and the sun, but when acidic gases are present, it speeds up the erosion.

Super Leadership Is A New Form Of Leadership Education Essay

Super Leadership Is A New Form Of Leadership Education Essay INTRODUCTION Super Leadership is a new form of leadership for the era of knowledge-based enterprises distinguished by flat organizational structures and employee empowerment. A super-leader is one who leads others to lead themselves through designing and implementing the system that allows and teaches employees to be self-leaders. Super-leaders help each of their followers to develop into an effective self-leader by providing them with the behavioral and cognitive skills necessary to exercise self-leadership. Super-leaders establish values, model, encourage, reward, and in many other ways foster self-leadership in individuals, teams, and wider organizational cultures. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model of super leadership and creativity. This paper will practically contribute to the literature on super leadership and creativity by examining the relationships between them. This study is in continuation to the study conducted by DiLiello and Houghton (2006) in which a model was suggested that the employees having strong super leadership qualities will have more creative and innovative potential. Moreover, they will also practice a high level of innovation and creativity, when they feel a strong support from their supporting workplace. In a broader perspective, super-leadership is an effective mean of developing a shared and pervasive environment that support idea generation and creative problem solving. Succinctly, it is believed that an organization that encourages super leadership is likely to experience higher levels of creative and innovative processes among its employees which can flourish useful ideas and ultimately enhance organizational effectiveness. Significance and Rationale of the Study The question arises that why super leadership phenomenon is important? The answer is that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. Employee self-leadership is the key to success in the new economy. So, having super-leadership, followers are treated in a proper way and thus turn into super leaders. If super leaders are successful in providing strategic alignment and coaching people, they develop followers who are productive, work independently, and need only minimal attention from the super leader. The rationale of this paper is to test and present results based upon a hypothesized model about the relationships between Super-leadership and idea generation/creative potential. In short, our model will test the hypothesis as if strong Super-leaders are more likely to have higher levels of idea generation/creativity potential than weak Super-leaders are. Such a model may be of great benefit to organizations that are looking forward to change due to market dynamism through the creativity and innovation of human resources of Super-leaders. As argued by Neck and Manz (1996), pragmatic Super-leadership research studies advocates that employees having Super-leadership line of action, enhances their individual performance and, at large, organizational performance, than an employee who does not practice Super-leadership approaches. In current era of rapid globalization, Super-leadership strategies enhance organizational capacity to flourish in the face of the challenges of the twenty-first century. Research Objectives The bulk of the literature on management and leadership tends to focus primarily on the dynamics of the common organization. This study will be a welcome addition to the abundant literature on Leadership Studies in organizational settings. At some level, one of the minor intentions of this study is to trigger an impetus that will prompt other academics and scholars to take on the topic of leadership and management at a wider range and with more comprehensive objectives. The main focus would be to explore the link between super leadership behavior and creative potential through idea generation for a innovative and creative culture within organization. Research Questions The research questions in this case are presented as follows: What is the relationship between super leadership and creativity potential? How super leadership provoke an employee to perform at its best level? REVIEW OF LITERATURE Why to shift from traditional leadership to Super-Leadership? Super-leadership, sometimes also called as Self-Leadership, may be defined as the way to lead others is by leading oneself (Manz and Sims, 2001). The main difference between traditional leadership management concept and Super-Leadership is the main focus on followers rather than leader itself, and especially the belief of improving followers capacity to lead who are effective self-leaders. Therefore, concisely, super-leadership is the way of leading others to lead themselves. As argued by Sims Manz (1996), for super leadership behavior to be implemented, a leader has to adopt 10 most significant shifts from traditional approach of leadership in order to move towards super leadership approach. First thing first, the leader helps out the team members/group to switch from external observation to self-observation. Secondly, the focus is on moving from designated goals to goals that are self developed. Thirdly, organic control is exercised by team/group members i.e. external reinforcement for task performance changes in to internal reinforcement with an addition of external reinforcement for self-leadership behaviors. Fourthly, leadership prefer to motivation techniques not only based on external compensation but also based on the natural rewards associated with work. Another step is that the leader shifts the group to focus on self criticism rather than external criticism from the organization, which often creates bad impact upon team/group members. Sixthly, there is a move from external problem solving towards self-problem solving techniques. Seventhly, there is a shift from external job assignments to self-job assignments. Also, leadership moves from external planning to self planning and from external task design to self-design of tasks at step eight. Ninth step focuses that any problem or issue arises should be treated as an opportunity instead of threat by the group/team members. Finally, commitment to organizations vision rather than its compliance only is more important that leadership needs to help the employee to create. Having focused to improve employees effectiveness, self-leadership phenomenon attempts to concentrate on various issues that an organization might come across in this era of rapid globalization. Supervisors and work conditions can have some sort of control mechanism in a work place (Manz and Sims, 1980) but the inner drive that initiate organic control, or intrinsic motivation to work, take place from within the person (Herzberg et al., 2003; Manz and Sims, 1980; Sergiovanni, 1992). It is always stressed that true leadership comes from within and at the end, achievement streams from follower self-leadership (Sims Manz, 1996). It is asserted that one can lead in a better way if able to develop and use individuals skills and capabilities at workplace (Manz and Sims, 1980). As advocated by Manz (1986) and Manz and Neck (2004) as organizational members are trained and permitted to utilize self-leadership strategies, a candid control mechanism is put in action. Finally, the Super-Leader must develop an environment where employees are free to fail and improve after taking risky decisions and can learn in a true sense. However, risk must be calculated enough and apposite autonomy to fail is of vital importance. We can say that the Super-Leader should promote learning, if the mistake took place in team/group members. Yet again, the Super-Leader must exercise a balance approach in terms of risk taking behaviors i.e. to become aware when one can let mistakes occur or otherwise (Sims Manz, 1996). Intrinsic Motivation The key to stimulate creativity in organization is to foster individuals creativity, for which the easiest human element is to alter an individuals motivation. Majority of empirical research findings in line with this statement are reported from the field of social psychology of creativity and are referred to in the literature as the intrinsic motivation principle. According to Amabile (1988), an intrinsic motivation of individuals towards a task/job has two sides. First, the persons natural preference towards such type of activities. Secondly, the way individual perceive and know the reasons to undertake that task, which is dependent upon external social as well as environmental factors. This second element is the simplest way to affect creativity of an individual and by using motivation i.e. intrinsic one, is one of the easiest approaches to do so as motivation needs less amount of time/money to boost up a creative individual. Moreover, the task or assignments that more complex and challenging with a freedom to decide on how to carry out assigned tasks are expected to foster intrinsic motivation that, sequentially, increases creativity (Amabile, 1988). Amabile (1996, 1997) comments that intrinsic motivation is one of the perspiration phases of the creative process that individuals may seek to bypass, moving too quickly to the more intrinsically motivating idea generation phase. On the other hand, rigid adherence to rules and regulation has a tendency to negatively affect creativity. For case in point, Amabile (1998) pointed out that rigid rules and centralized decision making reduces creativity as intrinsic motivation to do task reduces creativity. Due to centralized decision-making and rigid control, information flow within organization reduces as well. As creativity needs free access to information, this will, in turn, reduce the generation of new ideas. Similarly, in another study by Amabile (1997), intrinsic motivation arises when the task itself is a source of interest, enjoyment, self-expression, and personal challenge. Likewise, Ryan Deci (2000) pointed out that intrinsic motivation is a result of internal reinforcement to perform a task rather than in response to external reinforcement. A prior research foundation shows that formal organizational controls restrict individual freedom and thereby dampen intrinsic motivation required for creativity (Amabile, 1996; Shalley, Gilson, Blum, 2000). George and Zhou (2001) established in empirical terms that those individuals who demonstrate meticulous behavior at workplace and are particularly unremitting attitude towards workplace compulsions display low levels of creativity. In addition, intrinsic motivation is more indomitable on interesting tasks and less importunate on uninteresting tasks that require discipline and concerted effort (Gagne and Deci, 2005). Besides, creativity is improved by positive affect (Davis, 2009; Grawitch Munz, 2005) as a positive affect promote a forward move rather than evasion (Carver, 2001; Erez Isen, 2002), which ultimately improve individuals perception to perceive a task as an opportunity rather than a threat (Higgins, 1997) and to deal with issues rather than retreat (Amabile et al., 2005; Frederickson, 2001; Seo, Barrett, Bartunek, 2004). Much of the literature cited above created a foundation that intrinsic motivation is a basic ingredient for creativity, and that intrinsic motivation is hampered if the formal and rigid control in organization is simultaneously implemented. Self Efficacy According to Bandura (1998), perceived self-efficacy is defined as a firm belief about ones capability to give desired performance that ultimately affects their lives. Self-efficacy beliefs reveal that what people feel, think and how they can be motivated. A super leadership strategy augments to improve self-efficacy perceptions and refine regulation processes, having significant impact on individual task performance (Houghton Neck, 2006). According to Konradt, Andreßen and Ellwart (2009), self-leadership impact on individual performance was partially mediated by self-efficacy perception, while autonomy characteristics showed no significant effects. Neubert and Wu (2006) showed a strong positive effect on creativity and work role performance. Carmela, MÃ ©tier, and Weisberg, (2006) and DiLiello and Houghton (2006) have found that self-leadership is a strong predictor of innovation as perceived by coworkers and managers. DeRue and Morgeson (2007) posited that individuals with general self-efficacy attribute success to ability and failure to insufficient effort. Chen, Gully, and Eden (2004) indicated that general self-efficacy is a motivational belief or judgment about personal capabilities that influences personal action in a wide variety of situations. Self-efficacy beliefs develop over time and through experiences (Maddux, 2002). Self-efficacy refers to beliefs about personal capability to produce a desired effect by individual action (Bandura, 1997). Self-efficacy helps explain the behaviors people will engage, how long they will persist, and how much effort they will expend to reach their goals (Satterfield Davidson, 2000). People with high self-efficacy may be more likely to overcome difficulties through self-initiated change, more likely to be goal-directed and more persistent in the achievement of that goal (Maddux, 2002). Self Determination Individuals will be intrinsically motivated if the task increases their feelings of competency and self-determination (Deci 1975). Self-determination means having the freedom to be in charge of your own life, choosing where you live, who you spend time with, and what you do. It means having the resources you need to create a good life and to make responsible decisions. It also means choosing where, when, and how you get help for any problems you might have (Cook, Petersen, Jonikas, 2004). As far as self determination of employee is concerned, behavior focused strategies are about enhancing ones self perception of personal performance during task resolution, in order to adjust self behavior towards task achievement. Through self observation, self setting of goals and objectives; self reward administration; self punishment and self cueing; it maximizes behavior effectiveness and helps reducing negative issues related with the task (Houghton Neck, 2002; Manz Neck, 2004; Neck Houghton, 2006). Self Regulation Self-regulation refers to thoughts, feelings and actions that are planned and adapted to the attainment of personal goals (Zimmerman, 2000). As described by Schunk and Ertmer (2000), Self-regulated learning includes: Setting goals for learning Concentrating on instruction Using effective strategies to organize ideas Using resources effectively Monitoring performance Managing time effectively Holding positive beliefs about ones capabilities. Self-regulation can be improved through appropriate guidance, modeling of effective strategies and creating supportive and challenging contexts (Boekaerts and Corno, 2005; Perry and Vandekamp, 2000). Many of these strategies develop from early childhood well into adolescence (Boekaerts, 2006). Self regulation is a complex notion. It allows us to consider the interrelationships between key concepts such as self-efficacy and motivation within a single framework, rather than exploring these areas in isolation. Even though several theories suggest that employees draw from a broad repertoire of behavioral strategies to enhance their creative performance (e.g., Ford, 1996; Frese, 2000; Rank et al., 2004), there are only a handful of studies that have empirically investigated how employees behavioral strategies facilitate creative performance. In a study, Binnewies, Ohly, Sonnentag (2007) found that employees, who engage in effective communication, perform more creatively. Similarly, there is cumulating evidence that employees use proactive strategies such as feedback-seeking behavior and voice behavior to enhance their creative performance and/or make suggestions for change (e.g., De Stobbeleir, Ashford, Buyens, 2008; Van Dyne Le Pine, 1998). Such findings highlight the self-regulatory potential of employees in the creative process. We expect different proactive strategies to be crucial in the different phases of the creative process. For example, it may be that factors such as communication and feedback-seeking behavior are critical for idea generation, as feedback from other people with relevant knowledge and experience might help to improve and refine the initial idea the creative person came up with. Similarly, one could expect that proactively targeting people in the organization will be related to successful idea promotion. Existing contacts with people from top management might be used to speed up the process of acquiring resources and spreading the word in the organization might help to acquire the political power needed. Idea Generation and Creative Potential Idea generation to be one coherent phase of the creative process (Kanter, 1988; West Farr, 1989). Zhou (2008) substantiated the interpersonal character of idea generation as highlighted in recent literature on creativity. Furthermore, the creation of ideas instigates the interaction between the individual and its social environment. For idea generation, the broader (organizational) context needs to stimulate interpersonal contacts as much as possible. An open, helpful, somewhat informal culture, in which people can easily call on others, facilitates formal and informal social connections and idea generation. Creative Culture Everybody has a role to play as citizens and consumers, culture and creativity, at the same time, help deliver new, more sustainable ways of living and working. Creative people can assist in exploring and presenting a different world, if and only if, their skills and expertises are properly exploited and recognized as one of the major means of transformation. In todays era of rapid globalization characterized by enormous economic, social and environmental challenges, the development of a genuinely creative culture should play a part to deal with such type of challenges. So, it can rightly be said that the culture that we create, will determine our fate. As matter of fact, organizational culture has been acknowledged as an important precursor of creativity. A creative organizational culture necessitates to focus on quality, communication, work groups, cross-departmental collaboration and visible support for change and innovation (Kanter, 1988; Pillinger West, 1995). It pertinent to mention that the impact of organizational culture on the different phases of the creative process has not yet been empirically investigated. It can be assumed, however, that organizational culture with its strapping influence upon all processes in the organization (Cameron Quinn, 2005; Ekvall, 1996; Sharman Johnson, 1997) is crucial and vital during the entire creative process. THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK A hypothesized model of the relationships between super leadership and idea generation and creative potential is shown in Figure 1. Research hypotheses for each of the relationships will be developed. The new hypothesized model suggests that a strong basis to build work environments that support of idea generation and creativity at the individual, group and organizational levels by practicing super leadership among the members of organizations. Theorists like (Manz and Sims, 2001) have suggested a relationship between super leadership and creativity. Based on the prior research done, a hypothesized relationship that can clearly be plotted between creativity and self-leadership is given as below: Figure 1 Research Questions/Hypotheses The research questions in this case are presented as follows: What is the relationship between super leadership and creativity potential? How super leadership provoke an employee to perform at its best level? Because a strong super leader is predicted to be a self-motivated, self-determined, self-regulated, having a broad sense of self-efficacy, the hypothetical theoretical model proposes the following relationship in terms of hypotheses as presented below: H1: High level of Intrinsic Motivation leads to super leadership behavior among employees. H2: High level of Self-Determination leads super leadership behavior among employees. H3: High level of Self-Efficacy leads to super leadership behavior among employees. H4: High level of Self-Regulation leads to super leadership behavior among employees. H5: Demographics Characteristics of employees serves as moderating variables that augments super leadership behavior among employees. H6: Super leadership behavior greatly gives rise to idea generation and creative potential of employees. H7: Idea generation and creative potential among employees stimulate and invigorate creative culture within organizational settings. METHODOLOGY The research will be approached based on an interpretivism view. Interpretivism is the necessary research philosophy for this study because it allows the search, of the details of the situation, to understand the reality or perhaps a reality working behind them. The study will be exploratory in nature because it aims to determine the present facts as well as facts that are not yet explored about the phenomenon. Exploratory research will enable the study to look at the problem in both descriptive and exploratory manner. It will look into the problem by exploring the views of different sets of respondents, as well as by exploring different literatures related with the study. This paper analyzes potential factors of super-leadership and creative culture were analyzed using LISREL 8.8 and SPSS 14.0 softwares. The study is comprised of testing certain hypotheses and overall proposed model analysis using Structure equation modeling technique. Data and Sample As the Electronic Media especially TV Channels are directly related and linked to idea generation and creativity, which leads to creativity in such organizations/firms, a representative sample from Electronic Media especially TV Channels in Pakistan, has been selected based on random sampling basis from a list of TV Channels available on web. A total of 200 respondents have been targeted as a sample for this study from different TV Channels functioning within and outside Pakistan. Measure/Instrument Development Questionnaire has been developed by the researcher for this study to be used as the survey instrument. The questionnaire developed was divided into two main parts, the first part being demographic profile of an employee such as Age, Gender, Experience, Job Position, Organizational size etc and the second part was based on super-leadership and creative culture dimensions/characteristics. The various items on Super-leadership dimensions include certain factors such as intrinsic motivation, self-determination, self-efficacy and self-regulation. The items are adapted from various creativity studies. Moreover, items for idea generation and creative potential and creative culture were developed from few creativity-based studies such as Eisenberger and Aselage (2008), Eisenberger Rhoades (2001) and McNeely Meglino (1994). Moreover, all the measure have been developed and pre-tested for its reliability and validity through face and content validity by the group field experts and professionals. Also, standard statistical test used for questionnaire reliability testing. The responses for 49 items scale, after pilot testing, were calculated on five points Likert-type scale, which ranges from 1-5 i.e. Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. By using different scales developed by the researcher for demographic profile of an employee, which has different ranges between two-points (e.g. gender) to five points (Likert Scale), the data from respondents was collected in five weeks. Reliability and Validity of Instrument The reliability and validity analysis for the scale measures used in empirical research is of prime importance due to several reasons. This ensures the results and finding and its predictive power which means a clear prediction about the proposed hypotheses (Flynn et al., 1994). Similarly, Nunnally and Bernstein (1994) suggested that for testing unidimensionality of data, to check internal consistency and reliability of items used in the measures, Cronbachs alpha statistics is basic tool to calculate and generally, its value should be above the acceptable threshold of 0.70. Moreover, George et al. (2000) explained that Cronbachs alpha is the basic criterion for reliability issue of scales being utilized. Foregoing in view, the items of scale in each construct as mentioned below were tested using coefficient alpha value for each construct as exhibited in Table 1. Table 01: Reliability Statistics Constructs Cronbachs Alpha 1 Intrinsic Motivation Items .81 2 Self-Determination Items .76 3 Self-Regulation Items .83 4 Self-Esteem Items .88 5 Idea Generation and Creativity Items .84 6 Creativity Culture Items .82 As a mater of fact, the Cronbachs Alpha values for measure items used in this study are ranging from 0.76 to 0.88 as shown in Table 01, which exhibits reliability of measures developed. This totally in line with argument of Bagozzi and Yi (1988) that combined reliabilities measures of constructs used in particular study must exceed the 0.70 only then results can be relied. Besides, in order to check potential multicollinearity issue in the data to confirm discriminant validity of construct used, the correlations of possible related constructs were also computed. This recommended by Hair et al. (1998) by arguing that no single pair of measures should have correlations among them more than the criterion i.e. 0.9 and above. So, the computed values exhibited below portray that multicollinearity in the data construct is not reported among the study constructs that we used. The correlations values are shown in Table 02 given as follows:- Table 02: Correlations LC RATP TR EV MOS Interest Gender Education LC 1 RA TP -0.1473 1 TR EV 0.0508 0.1421 1 MOS 0.1212 0.1749 0.6144 1 Interest 0.0338 -0.0329 0.0650 0.1890 1 Gender 0.2258 0.0596 -0.0507 -0.0859 -0.0105 1 Education 0.1245 -0.0503 0.1232 0.0408 -0.0183 0.0285 1 Idea generation -0.0661 0.2992 0.5910 0.6554 0.0561 -0.0334 0.0102 As a result of the various tests performed to check the unidimensionality of data, its reliability and discriminant validity confirm internal as well as external validity of the instrument used for data collection. Procedure Survey questionnaire, interview and observation will be used in order to gather primary data from the respondents. Surveys are the most common form of research method for collection of primary data (Commonwealth of Learning, 2000). A questionnaire was used for collecting data from employees of Leading TV channels. An attempt was made to increase the likelihood of obtaining the true score on need for autonomy, general self-efficacy, and self-leadership strategies rather than scores with systematic error by reducing evaluation apprehension (Donaldson Grant-Vallone, 2002; Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Lee, Podsakoff, 2003). Respondents were assured of anonymity, and they were informed that there was no right or wrong answers (Podsakoff et al.). The questionnaires were administered in a group setting at the start of class sessions and respondents took approximately 15 minutes to complete the survey. By following sampling technique of random sample, a questionnaire with closed-ended statements was administered initially to HR Manager of the TV channels via email and a web link, where questionnaire was online available, was forwarded to them for giving responses from potential respondents. Initially, the response rate was very low i.e. 10 % of potential 200 respondents. So, in order to expedite the data collection process, the HR, marketing and creative department were contacted via phone so that to get an appointment for self administered survey. Self-report information was also gathered from respondents regarding gender, age, and tenure. In order to address issues of self-report bias, Podsakoff and Organ (1986) suggested that researchers may reorder the items on the questionnaire so the criterion variable follows the independent variables. This scale reordering procedure was intentional as an attempt to reduce self-report bias, because all the variables in the study were obtained from the same respondents using a single survey.

Gringo by Sophie Treadwell :: Essays Papers

Gringo by Sophie Treadwell As a journalist in 1920 for the New York Herald Tribune, Sophie Treadwell was assigned to go to Mexico to follow the situation after the Mexican Revolution. (Mexican Revolution 1910-1917) She covered many important aspects of the Mexican Revolution during this time, including relations between the U.S. and Mexico. She was even permitted an interview with Pancho Villa in August 1921 at his headquarters. This interview and other events that she experienced in Mexico are presumably what led her to write the play Gringo. In Gringo Treadwell tries to depict the stereotypical and prejudicial attitudes that Mexicans and Americans have about each other. There is a demonstration of how Mexican women are looked at in the Mexican culture and how they see themselves. The play also corresponds to similar events that occurred during the Mexican Revolution. Sophie Treadwell was born on October 3, 1885 in Stockton, California. She is known mostly as a playwright, but wrote in various other genres also. Her written works not only include plays, but also books and novels, fiction and non-fiction. Her journalism career was quite successful. Her commentaries and articles were always captivating to the public eye. Sophie frequently followed sensational stories in the news, some of which gained much acclaim, one being her interview with Pancho Villa. Gringo was written in 1922 and premiered on December 12, 1922. Gringo became a sensation on Broadway soon after it was written. This play has three acts that all take place in Mexico between the lives of Mexicans and Americans. The first act of Gringo takes place at a mine that is owned by an American named Don Juan Chivers. The mine is located in Mexico where Mr. Chivers discovers what he assumes is a new ore deposit. Mr. Chivers has a daughter named Besita (meaning "The Little Kiss") who is half-Mexican by a Mexican mother. Besita's mother is not around. There are several ironies found in the character of Mr. Chivers throughout this play. Mr. Chivers constantly talks down to the Mexican workers at the mine, on the other hand, he also show kindness to them by taking care of a wounded mine worker. He demonstrates a sort of superiority about himself and the fact that he is an American.

Masculine Identity in Hardys Novels :: Biography Biographies Essays

Masculine Identity in Hardy's Novels In Hardy's novels, masculine identity is explored, evolving from the solid, monolithic, patriarchal role of the mid-1800s, to less typical, nearly feminine styles of manhood. With the increasing power of women during the Victorian Era, Hardy creates men who are in a state of ambivalence about their sexuality; they either reach for the well-worn stereotype of the "manly" man, or they attempt to explore their own complicated emotions, sensitive to the needs of the emerging New Woman. Though action in Hardy's novels centers predominately around the female, life is often seen through the eyes of the males in his works. The "typical" male is often associated with money, power, and prestige, while the realists and chaste men are almost "unmasculine" in thoughts and action, and frequently fall victim to the New Woman. By depicting a man like Henchard, who goes from being an obsessive power seeker to one who is, in a sense, "unmanned," Hardy shows readers the male identity which he tends to favor. The state of the economy and the political events of the 1880s and 1890s were unstable, and in their public roles, men began to feel gradually overwhelmed. Their personal lives were even more chaotic, as women began to challenge "old ideas" with their new, feminist ones. The "Woman Question" was ubiquitous, and women were gradually given rights that they never before had; the Married Women's Property Act, two Matrimonial Causes Acts, and the Maintenance of Wives Act, were three laws which allowed for more equality in marriage. The introduction of birth control literature also significantly changed women's attitudes toward their sexuality and matrimonial duties. Federico maintains that as a result of these changes, ferment existed during the era. "Men meditated upon their patriarchal inheritance, and by the end of the century, contradictory middle-class attitudes still existed, contributing to the sketchy construct of Victorian masculinity" (Federico 18-19). Southerington has placed some of Hardy's male characters into one of four categories (although it is important to note that these groupings are permeable, and characters are not confined to any one category): the virile; romantic; realist; and chaste. Though virility in such men as Fitzpiers, Troy, Wildeve, and Alec d'Urberville was believed to be the "keynote to all that is best and most forcible in the masculine character" (according to Grant Allen in the Fortnightly Review, October, 1889), inwardly their egoist self-assurance was steadily eroded by perceived threats to their masculinity.