Big Data and the Airline Industry-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Examine about the Big information and the aircraft Industry. Answer: Presentation: Enormous information is the term that manages the scope of information that is on huge volume. The customary information preparing programming and administrations can't deal with such voluminous information and consequently it is required to structure the new innovation that can deal with such enormous measure of information (McAfee, Brynjolfsson and Davenport, 2012). There are three components of large information that are speed, volume and assortment. The enormous information requires the various arrangements of information examination device that can be utilized to remove from esteems out of the large information and procedure that equivalent. Enormous information and changing carrier industry: Utilizing enormous information innovations help the aircraft business from various perspectives. It has been dissected that huge information is helping the organizations to oversee numerous exercises at a solitary time (Russom, 2011). Indeed, even today, the majority of the organizations in the carrier business are confronting the issues of dealing with the information and consequently it is required by those organizations to actualize a portion of the information examination procedures so as to deal with the huge information. A portion of the structures where the utilization of enormous information advances is changing the manner in which the carrier ventures are working have been talked about underneath: Different offers: it isn't unexpected and bizarre nowadays that the majority of the aircraft business organizations and other industry organizations are giving numerous proposals to the clients. each industry is giving a few or the other sort of offers yet when any of the aircraft organization needs to deal with so any assignments one after another, for example, handling of the gear, flight information and time, rental of vehicles, lodging administrations, and so on a solitary ticket that it turns out to be minimal lumbering. Joined aircrafts is one of the instances of the carrier organization which has exchanged their procedures of assortment and examining by execute enormous information innovations and now ready to oversee 150 factors in a client profile (com., 2017). Clever client information: it has been broke down that think about the clients and their encounters alongside their issues is significant hence following the calls and breaking down their issues inside and out is a major prerequisite nowadays. Southwest carriers is utilizing apparatuses, for example, discourse examination instruments so as to break down the calls. More astute and more secure flights: the motors of the planes produce more than 20 terabytes of the information. The carrier organization southwest has worked together with NASA which has structured a product for the organization to mine the information and make the excursion sage for the clients. Things status: Delta carriers have presented another application that is for following the baggage of the clients. The clients can utilize that application and can follow that where is their baggage around then (Drummond, 2017). Difficulties of large information for the carrier organizations: Large information taking care of is itself an extremely enormous test for the enterprises or the organizations in the aircraft business. Taking care of the enormous information requires the organizations to alter their conventional acts of information taking care of and this alteration must be finished by investing extraordinary amounts of energy (Airlines.iata.org., 2017) The complexities in the client information, for example, speed, assortment, volume and veracity go about as the large test for the organizations to break down. Incorporating information from the different sources go about as the greatest test for the carrier organizations. Proposals: Execution of the different scientific instruments can help the carrier organizations to face such difficulties as it is required to be serious in this industry. A portion of the suggestions for the organizations are: Coordinated effort with a major information mining firm: It is required for the organizations to team up with the large firm that encourages the organization to pick up the product that can help the organization is dissecting and sourcing information. Execution of client information the executives framework: It is required for the organizations to actualize the information the board framework in the organization forms with the goal that any of the switch can be raised effectively (Fortune, 2017) Making the client fulfilled: It is significant for the organizations or the aircraft firms to plan the enormous information application so that permits the clients to utilize it with the goal that the power of consumer loyalty can be expanded. Enormous information for carrier future: Enormous information has changed the manner in which aircraft organizations are working nowadays. Realizing the clients is need of hour for all the organizations that are working in various ventures alongside aircraft industry. This is on the grounds that they are the most significant wellspring of income for the organizations (Forbes Welcome., 2017). Realizing the clients has gotten the significant target for the carrier organizations and subsequently actualizing the information investigative apparatus is the main choice in the ear of enormous information. Huge information devices causes the organizations to think about the constant data of the clients and furthermore permit the clients get the data about their tickets, baggage and so forth grasping examination in the arrangement of the aircraft has created numerous open doors for the organizations to win increasingly more income alongside more clients fulfillment. It has backed out the conduction of procedures at the air terminals and collaboration of the carrier and the clients. Still there is far to go for the aircraft organizations. The organizations despite everything need to search for future open doors, for example, dealing with the guide by information examination and so forth. Synopsis: Enormous information is the term that can be characterized as the huge volume information that should be taken care of by the organizations. This report proposes that aircraft industry is the business that is confronting numerous information the board issues as a result of unmanaged information. Large information diagnostic apparatuses have helped the aircraft firm in various manners to deal with the information and to fulfill the clients by executing the different information explanatory framework in the organization References: Carrier client information difficulties and complexities Saber. (2017).Sabre.com. Recovered 18 December 2017, from https://www.sabre.com/bits of knowledge/carrier client information difficulties and-complexities/ Drummond, M. (2017).4 Ways Airlines Can Use Big Data To Make Customers Love Them.W3.accelya.com. Recovered 18 December 2017, from https://w3.accelya.com/blog/4-ways-aircrafts can-utilize huge information to-make-clients love-them For the aircraft business, huge information is approved for departure. (2017).Fortune. Recovered 18 December 2017, from https://fortune.com/2014/06/19/major information aircraft industry/ Forbes Welcome. (2017).Forbes.com. Recovered 18 December 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/locales/oliverwyman/2017/06/16/the-information science-transformation changing flight/#784a51df7f6c McAfee, A., Brynjolfsson, E. what's more, Davenport, T.H., 2012. Enormous information: the administration revolution.Harvard business review,90(10), pp.60-68. Russom, P., 2011. Large information analytics.TDWI best practices report, fourth quarter,19, p.40. The eventual fate of the aircraft business | Airlines International. (2017).Airlines.iata.org. Recovered 18 December 2017, from https://airlines.iata.org/examination/the-fate of-the-carrier business

Corruption in Law Enforcement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Debasement in Law Enforcement - Research Paper Example Or maybe, a synchronized approach system is required most. The current paper is planned for concentrating on the different parts of defilement in the circle of law authorization and policing. The paper has three sections: Introduction, Discussion, and Conclusion. Conversation Corruption in law implementation is an intense issue since it is a sort of wickedness that can render the entire open organization arrangement of a nation dead. At the point when law requirement authorities started to enjoy taking hush-money as whores, cash, extravagance things, and so on and help the crooks to get away from the scope of law, a procedure of inescapable social and regulatory decay sets in. Neighborhood famous components like the bootleggers, mafia, sex mobsters, and so on may turn out to be ground-breaking to such an extent that they start to challenge the standard of law, defy the authority of the state, and start their own arrangement of composed wrongdoing. â€Å"Police offices are continuall y endeavoring to improve enrollment, application, and preparing techniques and to distinguish those people most appropriate to satisfy the jobs of the cop. It is thusly basic to comprehend the subtleties of officers’ impression of defilement to scatter the most complete data as possible.† (Jenks et al, 2012, p. ... Law authorization is a territory that is ordinarily cared for by the administration. Government gets the important assets to fund the law requirement divisions from open area and different wellsprings of incomes. Once in a while, this cash falls shorter than the desires for the workers in the law authorization division. The issue may emerge because of poor monetary conditions, money related blunder, or carelessness at the service level. The combined impact of these variables is that the open portion process that is planned for financing the different divisions gets debilitated and different government bodies, including the law implementing specialists may encounter support crunch. Therefore, the wages of the law requirement authorities are not balanced according to the expanded expenses of living and looking after status. This prompts degenerate exercises including pay off and undercover work. (Benson, 1988) One type of debasement is maltreatment of power. â€Å"Abuse of power was c haracterized as having three sorts; physical maltreatment (for example unnecessary power and severity), mental maltreatment (for example badgering), and lawful maltreatment (for example disregarding citizens’ rights). Debasement may likewise be theoretically isolated by whether it serves egotistical or philanthropic interests.† (Jenks et al, 2012, p. 7) Hence, when law implementation authorities begin acting affected by some political motivation or revolutionary demeanor, the circumstance turns out to be considerably progressively entangled in light of the fact that then the prompt explanation for the degenerate exercises isn't straightforward and basic ravenousness. In such a situation, an emergency circumstance gets unavoidable and as per the specialists like Barker (2011, p. 1), â€Å"police ethics† can control the officials in such circumstances. Police morals advocate an efficient commitment to

HIS 135 Entire Course Essay

In this file record of HIS 135 Entire Course you will locate the following documents:HIS-135-Assignment-Cold-War-Ideology-and-Policies. docHIS-135-Assignment-The-Vietnam-War. docHIS-135-Capstone-CheckPoint-End-of-the-Cold-War. docHIS-135-CheckPoint-Comparing-KennedyG History †General History ASHFORD HIS 204 American History Since 1865 If hauling yourself up at 6:00 am is inconceivable, don’t torment yourself with 7:00 am classes. Most schools offer classes in a wide scope of schedule openings. Exploit the classes later in the day and at night on the off chance that you aren’t a morning individual. You will be bound to proceed to will get increasingly out of the course. In this file record of HIS 135 Entire Course you will locate the following documents:HIS-135-Assignment-Cold-War-Ideology-and-Policies. docHIS-135-Assignment-The-Vietnam-War. docHIS-135-Capstone-CheckPoint-End-of-the-Cold-War. docHIS-135-CheckPoint-Comparing-KennedyG History †General History ASHFORD HIS 204 American History Since 1865 If hauling yourself up at 6:00 am is incomprehensible, don’t torment yourself with 7:00 am classes. Most schools offer classes in a wide scope of vacancies. Exploit the classes later in the day and at night on the off chance that you aren’t a morning individual. You will be bound to proceed to will get increasingly out of the course. In this file record of HIS 135 Entire Course you will locate the following documents:HIS-135-Assignment-Cold-War-Ideology-and-Policies. docHIS-135-Assignment-The-Vietnam-War. docHIS-135-Capstone-CheckPoint-End-of-the-Cold-War. docHIS-135-CheckPoint-Comparing-KennedyG History †General History ASHFORD HIS 204 American History Since 1865 If hauling yourself up at 6:00 am is inconceivable, don’t torment yourself with 7:00 am classes. Most schools offer classes in a wide scope of schedule openings. Exploit the classes later in the day a†¦ Follow the connection Now for full guide †https://bitly. com/1wySlYb If hauling yourself up at 6:00 am is inconceivable, don’t torment yourself with 7:00 am classes. Most schools offer classes in a wide scope of schedule openings. Exploit the classes later in the day and at night in the event that you aren’t a morning individual. You will be bound to proceed to will get progressively out of the course. History †General History ASHFORD HIS 204 American History Since 1865.

Depiction Of Slavery In Beloved - Free Essay Example

The novel Beloved by Toni Morrison is full of ambiguity. This ambiguity can lead readers to believe that Beloved could represent various things, such as Sethes deceased daughter, or slavery as a whole. Either way, the bigger picture is that Beloved represents the past returning to the present. The characters engagement with Beloved and as a result, their pasts, is strange and individualized for each character whom Beloved is bestowed upon. Much of the story revolves around Sethe and her exclusive relationship with Beloved. The longer Sethe is around Beloved, the more parasitic and possessive their relationship becomes. When Sethe is with Beloved, she is suddenly brought back and stuck in the past as she recalls it. Though the nature of their relationship seems destructive on the surface, it paradoxically inspires Sethe to tell the stories that she has never told before, and subsequently face her harsh past so she can begin to hone her ability to live in the present. For Denver and Paul D, Beloveds strange and unconventional presence also leads them to overcome their own personal battles with the past as well. In the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison, Beloved serves as an allegory of the slave trade and the unavoidable past of slavery, and this device utilized by Morrison show s that to overcome past traumas and begin the process of reconciliation, it is necessary to face the past. Beloved is an allegorical character that represents the slave trade and the unavoidable past of slavery. Because of this, Beloved is able to help characters such as Sethe, Denver, and Paul D reclaim and face their past traumas. The first instance within the novel that clues to the reader that Beloved might represent something larger such as the slave trade, comes when Denver asks Beloved how she received her name. Beloved then utters and strange and cryptic responses, first claiming that In the dark my name is Beloved. (Morrison 32). As Beloved describes where she came from, Denver gets the impression that Beloved is speaking of some sort of afterlife, asking if she has seen Jesus or Baby Suggs. It can be claimed that Beloveds recollection of her origins in the dark place could be associated with that of the baby who was killed at the hands of Sethe. However, Beloveds description of where she came from is very reminiscent of a slave ship on the Middle Passage. She describes her condi tions as Dark, said Beloved. Im small in that place. Im like this here. She raised her head off the bed, lay down on her side curled up Were you cold? Hot. Nothing to breath down their and no room to move in. You see anybody? Heaps. A lot of people is down there. Some is dead. (Morrison 44). Historically, the conditions aboard a slave ship are uncannily similar to the description that Beloved provided; dark, and lots of people crowded together with dead among them. Conditions on the ship during the Middle Passage were oppressive. The slaves were packed so tightly together that there was barely any room, if any, to move. With extreme heat and lack of sanitation, diseases were able to flourish and contributed to the death toll of the passengers. Further, from this passage, it can be deduced that Beloved represents something larger at the very least. The way Beloved is depicted in the novel presents her as more of a symbolic device rather than a solid character. Her actions and words h ave meaning that go beyond the surface and add to the broader context of the story. Beloved is able to evoke Sethes past memories by always asking her to tell stories about her past and pressing Sethe to tell her more and more. It is made apparent from the beginning of the novel that Sethe does not want to think about the past because To Sethe, the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay. (Morrison 25). In one instance, however, Beloved asks Sethe about her diamonds. The diamonds Beloved is referring to are the crystal earrings Sethe once had. Sethe resolves to telling Beloved the origins of her earrings. Sethes stories of her past became a way to feed her Sethe learned the profound satisfaction Beloved got from storytelling. It amazed Sethe (as much as it pleased Beloved) because every mention of her past life hurt. Everything in it was painful or lost. (Morrison 34). As said, the past was hard to mention for Sethe, and whenever Denver inquired about it, her questions were met with short replies or incomplete ramblings. On the other hand, as Sethe begins to tell the stories associated with the earrings, she found herself wanting to, liking it. Perhaps it was Beloveds distance from the events itself, or her thirst for hearing itin any case it was an unexpected pleasure. (Morrison 34). With Beloved, Sethe is able to take a different stance on past events that previously caused her great emotional pain. Beloveds symbolism of the he slave trade and the unavoidable past of slavery goes to show that it is necessary to face your past to overcome it, no matter how devastating the memories are. By being able to recollect and tell her stories, she is able to face the past and come to terms with it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In another instance, Sethe begins telling a story about her mother at Beloveds request. As Sethe is remembering the events that transpired, she remembers something that had been locked away in her mind about the horrific hanging of her mother, to which she exclaims   Oh, my Jesus, she said and stood up so suddenly the comb she had parked in Denvers hair fell to the floor Sethe walked over to a chair, lifted a sheet and stretched it as wide as her arms would go. Then she folded, refolded and double folded it   She had to do something with her hands because she was remembering something she had forgotten she knew. Something privately shameful that had seeped into a slit in her mind (Morrison 36).   Sethes response to this newly recovered memory was not peculiar. Those who experience traumatic events can sometimes unconsciously repress these memories. These memories, however, can emerge later on down the line just as did for Sethe. Additionally, Denver had never heard these stories about Sethes mother. In fact, it was the first time ever that Denver had heard anything about her mothers mother.   This is partly because Sethe has never brought up the subject of her mother, but also because Denver hated the stories her mother told that did not concern herself, which is why Amy was all she ever asked about. The rest was a gleaming, powerful world made more so by Denvers absence from it. Not being in it, she hated it and wanted Beloved to hate it too, although there was no chance of that at all. (Morrison 37) Early on, it becomes apparent that Denver seeks out and longs for the attention of Sethe and Beloved. She rarely leaves the house and had lived in near isolation because of the incident of Sethe killing her daughter. She loves to hear about the remarkable story of her birth, and hopes that Beloved will join her in this hate for a past that does not involve her. On the other hand, Beloved is so entranced and inquisitive about Sethes past. Because of Beloveds deep interest of Sethe and her past, Sethe revisits the painful memories that she has tried to repress. Sethe, up until the arrival of Beloved, has lived a life in fear of a past that she believes can never truly be eliminated or dealt with. However, the relationship between Sethe and Beloved quickly becomes parasitic as Sethe concludes that Beloved is her daughter reincarnate. For Beloved, Anything she wanted she got, and when Sethe ran out of things to give her, Beloved invented desire. (Morrison 135). As Sethe grew frail and thin from giving her portion of food to Beloved, Beloved slept wherever she happened to be, and whined for sweets although she was getting bigger, plumper by the day. (Morrison 134). Sethe remains a slave to her past as she continues to let Beloved take over her life. Beloved disappears only when Sethe has stood her ground and attempted to attack Mr. Bodwin, whom she mistakes for the schoolteacher who had previously tried to return Sethe and her children to a life of slavery. Soon everyone forgets about Beloved, and they realized they couldnt remember or repeat a single thing she said, and began to believe that, other than what they themselves were thinking, she hadnt said anything at all. So, in the end, they forgot her too (Morrison 155). Sethe had been a slave to the past, and continued to be a slave to the past under the presence of Beloved. Beloved as a representation of the past horrors of slavery shines through in how Sethe withered away and succumbed to Beloveds demands. Sethes time with Beloved displayed the importance of facing your past in order to be at peace with the present. In the novel Beloved, Toni Morrison utilizes Beloved as an allegorical device to represent the past traumas of slavery to show that it is necessary to face the past in order to   Bits and pieces of Sethes traumatic past are joined together as Sethe willingly takes a look back into her own personal history with slavery. The guilt that Sethe feels for killing her daughter in attempt to spare her a life of slavery is made apparent in her effort to appease Beloved, the alleged reincarnate of Sethes dead daughter. Through this mysterious and allusive novel, Toni Morrison illustrates the devastating effects of slavery and how it can destroy ones ability to live in peacefully in the present. Looking at this idea in a broader context, the bigger takeaway is that it is important to keep moving forward in light of traumatic and horrific historical events. Acknowledging the brutality of slavery and the vicious treatment the slaves received aids in making sure that society does not revert back to a mindset where treating others as subhuman is acceptable.

Information Security Research Paper

Introduction Security management is a wide subject of management associated to assets control, human resources, as well as physical securities safety operations. It comprises the marking of a company’s data assets and the documentation, growth, and execution of regulations, steps, standards, and outlines. In network control, it refers to the set of operations, which protects systems and telecommunications links from illegal access by individuals, organizations, acts, or effects and they entail a number of sub functions like developing, controlling, and deleting security services and approaches. This also involves allocating security-significant data, presenting essential incidents, managing the allocation of main items and authorizing users’ access, privileges, and rights. A virus scanner is a form of antivirus program with the ability of searching a system to detect virus signatures. These detected virus signatures normally attach themselves to executable applications and programs like e-mail clients. Consequently, a virus scanner has the ability of either searching all the executable programs during the period when the system has been booted or scanning a file. File scanning is important in the sense that viruses can also change the data or the information in the file (Burns, 2007). Discussion Control tools like the data categorization, risk evaluation, and risk examination are applied to classify threats, weigh assets and rate system susceptibility in order to successfully management may be executed. With the emergence of e-commerce and public Internet, personal computers alongside computer networks, when not sufficiently supervised, are rousingly susceptible to harmful attacks. Viruses, hackers, malicious workers or even human error entirely demonstrate open and severer dangers to networks. All computer applicants right from highest casual Internet users to big organizations, may be influenced by network security breaks. Nevertheless, security breaks may usually be avoided by use of the readily available virus scanners. Risk or viruses being protected by the scanners refer to any action or occurrence with the ability to cause damage to a company by the exposure, alternation, or harming of data, or through the denial of crucial services (Dennis, et al.,1992). It is clear, therefore, that while the Internet has changed a highly developed the manner in which we conduct business transactions, this enormous network together with its related technologies have opened the door to a rising amount of security dangers that need to be prevented to allow upward business transaction (Brynjolfsson Hitt, 2000). In spite of the expensive danger of prospective security breaks, the Internet may be one of the satisfying approach through which individuals can carry out their businesses. People, usually have fears and suspicions while carrying out online transactions, and from that emerges the mistrust of the Internet. This mistrust may restrain the business chances of organizations, mainly those that are entirely Web depended. Therefore, organizations should endorse security regulations and establish precautions, which not just are essential but are also considered as effective. Firms should be in a position to communicate sufficiently the way they have arranged to safeguard their clients (Swanson Guttmann, 2006). The capacity of security to assist the vision of a company can be restricted by a number of aspects, like the social matters. For instance, security and workplace privacy may interfere. Usually, security is executed on an IT structure through pointing applicants and trailing their operations. Nevertheless, anticipation of privacy differs and may be broken by a number of security approaches. Despite privacy being a highly essential societal matter, it is not just one. The trend of information, mainly between the citizens and the government is the other condition where security can require adjustments to aid a community objective. Furthermore, a number of validation approaches can be taken intrusive in certain cultures or environments. Security approaches must be chosen and executed with an identification of the appropriate and valid concerns of others. This can entail weighing the security conditions of data applicants and owners with societal objectives. Nevertheless, policies and an ticipations adjust in relation to the suitable application of security management. These adjustments can either raise or reduce security (Burns, 2007). During the company operations, different people always use computers; hence, incident response should be created at network implementation. This denotes the travels in reaction to a network spasm or equivalent incident, which influences networks, and organization information. An incident response plan is focused at framing the reaction processes, which must occur when a network is being confronted or there is compromised security. The incident response plan must help a company while addressing the occurrence in systematic fashion. When the computer are not in use it is advisable to always put them off and disconnect any network cables since they can be used by hackers to get access to company details. Everyone should also be cautious while sending or receiving emails, or other information that look suspicious (Henderson Venkatraman, 1993). Use of information technology in business With the presence of information security like the one of virus scanners in any business, it implies that there must be also information technology that can help in reinforcing business strategy. Therefore, the next session of our discussion is going to focus on the idea of information technology and its application in the business. Consequently, there are several forms of information technologies in any business. However, in this case, we are going to focus on Tracking systems and EDI. Use of the Technology Order Processing Order processing involves diverse measures of carrying out work in an organization such as packaging, picking up, and delivery of both products and services to the required destination.   A business organization should develop software which is effective in taking orders from customers. The company benefits from this system because it helps in unifying all the departments handling the orders, furthermore it enables efficiency in handling of orders. Lastly, Order Processing enables a company to reduce the manual entry of information associated to sales order and does not call for making changes to the existing business practices (Powner, 2009). Electronic data interchange Electronic Data Interchange can be defined as a means of exchanging information between organizations through the use of electronic means. For example a company can transfer electronic documents from one company to another through the use of internet software such as E-mail (Ray Acharya, 2004). Tracking System To ensure more efficiency in a business organization, the company should launch an electronic tracking system that would supervise the movement of documents and files across different departments. Due to this, the company’s managers and workers should be able to maintain a constant watch over the exchanged of important documents and receipts at different departments in the progression of making decision (Schwalbe, 2010). Competitive Advantage Tracking systems and EDI to   Company Tracking systems and EDI can support business strategy. The goals of the any given company can be achieved through the use of effective systems, the application of technology so that the transaction process can be carried out in the shortest time possible. This Tracking systems and EDI will benefit the company in various ways such as saving the company’s money. This is achieved by using this system instead of using the normal process of passing information which entails an enormous deal of human interactions and facilities such as paper documents, holding meetings, using faxes, and others (Powner, 2009). Secondly, the company will benefit a lot in this new system because it will reduce the handling costs such as sorting, organizing and disbursing paper document. Besides, it will reduce the problems of retrieving the lost paper documents. Tracking systems and EDI such as Electronic data interchange will helps the company in reducing the storing space which the paper documents could have occupied. Furthermore, the use of this system will assist the company to reduce the unnecessary expenses such as the cost of manual entry because of the possibility in the system of storing and manipulating data electronically (Henderson Venkatraman, 1993). Thirdly, the use of Electronic Data Interchange will reduce errors, for example recording and billing errors. This is possible because the use of the system will reduce the need to rekey documents in the place of destination. Besides, the system is so faster whereby the information send is received immediately. This is very essential for business companies because they can use this information in serving their customers and making decisions which might be used by the subsidiary companies (Rittenberg, 2009). The human resource managers need to organize their employees so as to select the team to be trained so that they can handle the new system in the company. These employees should be selected basing on their competitive nature, their educational background, and the leadership skills which they posses. It is economical to train few employees because the company will later adopt the in house training whereby the employees who are already trained will train their colleagues. This is necessary for the succession purposes in the organization (Henderson Venkatraman, 1993). Network security In any organization, traffic may increase in the company’s website. At this point, there is need to ensure that there is sufficient security in the networks. Intruders also need to be detected and documented. In this case, such network security items as intrusion detection items, firewalls and security zones have to be used to make the network extremely secure (Brynjolfsson Hitt, 2000). First and foremost, it is of subtle importance to have security zone facts that will guide every activity. These are portions of network with specific security details and requirements. This zone will have to be introduced in order to assist in filtering and separate the incoming and outbound traffic. This will enable one design a zone to host all networks protected from the internet. Moreover, this zone enables one defines a zone within a specific network to control access to certain servers that hold sensitive details. Some common zones include LAN, FTP and extranet (Venkatesh, et L., 2003). Switch security facts should be introduced in order to increase the security of the network. Some of these are the virtual LAN, MAC filtering security, and the port authentication. Others are the use of the telephony security facts the transmission media security facts and the wireless authentication encryption facts. All these will server to improve the security of the internet in any connection (Venkatesh, et L., 2003). Another item that has to be introduced is IDS facts. These are intruder detection systems that are fixed in a special device of networks that has the ability any suspicious activities and attacks via the internet. They made use of the administration of the IDS, in multiple ways to monitor events, alerts and control any sensor device available to the computer. After sensing the traffic, it categorizes them into various levels as positive, false positive and even negative. For effective maintenance of security, it is therefore important to introduce or make use of IDS facts. With the mobile security facts, one should be aware of the various security considerations as the infra red, Bluetooth, PDA smart phone, wireless application among others. These are the applications that pose danger to the security of the network if maximum care is not taken (Venkatesh, et L., 2003). Implementations and Recommendations Offering an efficient computer security needs an elaborate mechanism, which involves a range of areas both internally and externally of the computer security area. This elaborate mechanism spreads across the whole data life cycle. To function successfully, security management usually relies on the appropriate functioning of some other measures. The process of scanning computers is a continuous process and need regular updates because they are used in a dynamic environment. The constant security checks are because users and system technologies, information in the systems, related threats, and security conditions change frequently. A number of modifications influence system security: linkage to outside networks, technological growth, an alteration in use or value of data, or the introduction of fresh threats all prompt the need for constant checks. Furthermore, security has never been 100% sufficient when a system is executed. System applicants and controllers initiate fresh approaches to bypass security deliberately or inadvertently. Alterations within the environment or the system may develop fresh susceptibilities. Tough observance to process is seldom and processes become obsolete through time. These matters, therefore, make it appropriate to reevaluate from time to time the security of IT forms (Stephen Daniel, 2000). Conclusion In order to safeguard their clients, organizations should protect their workers and associates from security breaks. This is, therefore, the other reason why security scanners must be readily available to users at all the time. The Intranets, Extranets, and Internet allow quick and successful interaction among workers and other associates. Nevertheless, such interaction and efficiency may of course be limited by the influence of a network spasm. Legislation is the other factor, which pushes for the desire to have security scanners. Government identifies both the significance of the Internet as well as the idea that sizeable amounts of world economic output are based on it. Virus scanners are therefore very vital in providing security to information. References Bloomfield, B. (1997).Information technology and organizations: strategies, networks, and integration. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Brynjolfsson, E. Hitt, L. (2000). Beyond Computation: Information Technology, Organizational Transformation and Business Performance.The Journal of Economic Perspectives.Vol. 14, No. 4 (Autumn, 2000), pp. 23-48 Burns, B. (2007). Security power tools. New York, NY: OReilly Media, Inc. Dennis A. Adams, R. Ryan N. Peter A. (1992). Perceived Usefulness, Ease of Use, and Usage of Information Technology: A Replication.MIS Quarterly.Vol. 16, No. 2 (Jun., 1992), pp.    227-247 Henderson J. C. Venkatraman, N. (1993). Strategic alignment: leveraging information technology for transforming organizations.IBM Systems Journal archive.Vol.32(1), January 1993 Kurtz, D. and Boon, E. L. (2009) Contemporary Business 2009 Update. New York, NY: Cengage Learning New York, NY: Cengage Learning. Powner, D. (2009). Information Technology: Federal Laws, Regulations, and Mandatory Standards for Securing Private Sector IT Systems and Data in Critical Infrastructure Sectors. New York, NY: DIANE Publishing. Stephen D.    Daniel E. (2000).The Resurgence of Growth in the Late 1990s: Is Information Technology the Story? The Journal of Economic Perspectives.Vol. 14, No. 4 (Autumn,   2000), pp. 3-22 Swanson, M. and Guttmann, B. (2006). Generally Accepted Principles and Practices for Securing Information Technology Systems. Retrieved on December 5, 2011, from http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-14/800-14.pdf Venkatesh, V., Michael G. Morris, G., Fred D. (2003). User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified ViewMIS Quarterly.Vol. 27, No. 3 (Sep., 2003), pp.   Ã‚  Ã‚   425-478.

Creating Quality Workplace For Canadian Nurses - 1920 Words

Our Health Our Future: Creating Quality Workplace for Canadian Nurses (Maslove and Fooks, 2004). Safe working environment plays a vital role in the ability for providing quality nursing care. So, workplace safety is a main issue for discussion in every occupation particularly in nursing profession in health care setting since nurses are an integral part of public health. Violence against nurses causes hamper in achieving personal, professional as well as organizational goal. According to Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) â€Å"workplace violence is any act in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted in his or her employment†. Similarly, Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) defines ‘Workplace†¦show more content†¦Sustained exposure to violence in the workplace including aggression, abuse, and bullying can have serious physical and psychological consequences, causing some nurses to consider leaving the profession . Workplace violence, including disruptive physician behaviour, also results in decreased patient safety. Clearly, violence against nurses is an important issue among nurses, their patients and the nursing profession at large ( RNAO, iaBPGR, 2009 p.30). Likewise, the ICN report revealed that 75 per cent of nurses do not feel safe from assault in their workplace and up to 95 per cent reported having been bullied at work ( ICN,2001.p. 3). Similarly, nurses are more likely to be violated in the emergency department. â€Å"Patients are the most frequent perpetrators of verbal abuse in the past year for emergency department nurses (nearly 86 percent) (May Grubbs, 2002, p.13). As per a survey in 2012 by Campaign Psychological Questionnaire of ONA health and safety activities revealed that 80 percent of participants reported recent exposure to offensive workplace behavior ranging from bullying to actual physical violence. Survey results show that the evidence of workplace violence with in members of the ONA is also similar. â€Å"54 percent of ONA members say they have experienced physical violence or abuse in the workplace; 85 percent of members say they have experienced verbal abuse in the

George Orwells Shooting a Elephant free essay sample

He shows the similarities between the smaller act of killing the elephant versus the larger act of the empire occupying Burma by describing the internal conflict he wrestled with while trying to decide what course of action to take. On one hand I agree that he needed to shoot the elephant to preserve the respect and admiration bestowed upon him by the waiting crowd. On the other hand, I feel that he compromised his moral and ethical standards just to avoid looking like a fool. In Moulmein, Burma, George Orwell is a police officer during a period of intense anti-European sentiment. As such, he is subjected to constant baiting and jeering by the local people. After receiving a call regarding a normally tame elephants rampage, Orwell, armed with a . 44 caliber Winchester rifle, goes to the town where the elephant has been seen. Entering one of the poorest quarters, he receives conflicting reports and almost decides it has just been a bunch of lies when he hears screams nearby. We will write a custom essay sample on George Orwells Shooting a Elephant or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He then sees a village woman chasing away children who are looking at the corpse of an Indian whom the elephant has trampled and killed. He sends an orderly to bring an elephant rifle and, followed by a group of at least two thousand people, heads toward the paddy field where the elephant has decided to rest. Although he does not want to kill the elephant, Orwell feels pressured by the demand of the crowd for the act to be carried out. I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind. After inquiring as to the elephants behavior and delaying for some time, he shoots the elephant multiple times, first with the elephant rifle and then with his Winchester, but is unable to kill it. He then leaves the elephant, unable to be in its presence as it continues to suffer. He later learns that it was stripped, nearly to the bone, within hours. While the elderly Europeans agree that killing the elephant was the best thing to do, the younger ones believe that it was worth more than the Indian it killed. Orwell thinks to himself that he only did so to prevent himself from looking like a fool. Orwell’s argument is about the nature of imperialism. Although his sympathies lie with the Burmese, his official role makes him a symbol of the oppressive imperial power. He states his displeasure in paragraph two â€Å"For at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better. † He promotes the idea that through imperialism, both the oppressed and the oppressor are ruined. He states at one point â€Å"I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys†. This is where I believe he began to get a better glimpse into the true nature of imperialism- meaning that even though he knew shooting the elephant was the wrong choice, he had already made the decision to do so when he sent for the elephant rifle. At that point it was much too late to admit he was wrong, in front of all these people who hated him for what he represented. Orwell’s story is very captivating due to the sequence of events and the emotions he expresses at various parts. At the beginning of the story he states how he feels â€Å"perplexed and upset† by the way he is treated by the natives. At another part he explains that although he hates his job â€Å"bitterly†, he feels stuck â€Å"between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible. † As the elephant rampages on, his description of his surroundings become more detailed. When he enters the quarter where the elephant was last seen, he talks of how it is a very poor quarter, â€Å"a labyrinth of squalid bamboo huts, thatched with palm leaf†. He even recalls the weather that morning as being â€Å"a cloudy, stuffy morning at the beginning of the rains†. I believe this is a story that everyone should read because I think Orwell wrote it to educate his readers against the dangers of imperialism and â€Å"the real motives for which despotic governments act. † After shooting the elephant, he realized the main motivation for imperialism is to follow through with certain actions in order to avoid admitting being in the wrong. I feel that he thought imperialism created more problems than solutions and if we blindly partake in such movements, we could surely find ourselves marching into unwarranted wars. In conclusion, due to situational ethics, I do believe he made the correct choice in shooting the elephant. If he had not killed the elephant, I believe the villagers would have attacked him. Most of them were interested simply for the elephant meat they would be able to obtain from the carcass. I think that had it been a different situation, he may not have made the decision he did. I also think that if he had the chance to go back and re-do it, with knowledge of how the previous attempt went, the only thing he would have done differently would have been to shoot the elephant in a more effective, humane way.

Limit Television, Limit the Effects free essay sample

In order to doom a child, just involve the television. While television can be good in small, educational doses, the amount of time a child spends in front of the TV directly affects the performance in many important fields of a childs life. Academics, health, physical performance, character, and safety: they are all negatively affected by television. Through the learning process, children do what they see. Should they really be seeing what television offers? Americans have an obsession with television, and it has taken on a large role in the lives of children. Statistics show that 68% of 8 to 18 year olds have a TV, 54% have a DVD player, 37% have cable or satellite TV, and 20% have premium channels in their bedroom (Boyse). The question arises: is this healthy? How much time should children spend each day in front of the TV? The average American child watches 4 hours of television per day. Added up, thats 28 hours per week, 120 hours per month, and a whopping 1,460 hours per year. We will write a custom essay sample on Limit Television, Limit the Effects or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Thats nearly 400 more hours than the average public school student spends in classes in one year (Facts). Studies have shown that this excessive intake of television is detrimental to childrens health, academics, and behavior (Boyse). These effects can continue on into adulthood and become lifelong problems. The amount of time spent watching TV needs to be cut down to no more than 1 hour per day so that these effects can be greatly minimized. Television affects children in two ways: through the content viewed on the screen and through the activity of watching the shows. What is seen on the screen can become a role model for children. In the process of learning, children copy what they see, and if they spend much of their time watching television, they may begin to emulate what is shown to them. This has been known to increase aggressive behaviors in children (Facts). Since children spend so much time in front of the screen, it replaces time spent with doing healthy, positive activit ies. Children who spend more time watching television are less likely to develop interest in hobbies such as music and art, and they spend less quality time with their families. These negative effects are things that nobody should allow to have influencing their childs life. Instead, parents should take action and limit the time their children spend in front of the television to 1 hour per day. Family life is affected by television. All the time spent in front of a screen is time not quality family time. In the past it had been much more common for families to spend their dinnertimes sitting around the table talking about what is going on in their lives. Studies now show that in 63% of American households, the TV is usually on during dinner (Boyse). Parents have to work to snatch a moment of time with their teen children, but now the together time during a meal is given over to a colorful moving screen. This shows the growing rift that children and their parents are developing becau se of the role of television in their lives. TV has begun to replace the irreplaceably important concept of family time. While the average child spends about 4 hours each day watching television, he or she only spends 38.5 minutes per week in quality conversation with his or her parents. This reflects the changing priorities in todays families. Relationships have been replaced with time spent alone watching television. When asked, 54% of 4 to 6 year-olds actually said that they would rather watch TV than spend time with their fathers. There is an obvious problem when children do not value their parents or want to be with them. The replacement of parent-child relationships with television changes a childs development. Kids copy what they see, so some emulate their parents. However, when children watch how people act on TV more than how their parents behave, they will begin to copy what they see. In some childrens lives, television has taken on a role as a model for behavior. The beh avior children observe on so many shows, even on channels such as the Disney Channel, shows children talking back and disobeying their parents, as well as children trying to get away with mischief behind their parents backs. The children viewing the programs then often copy these behaviors seen on TV. By cutting back the time children spend watching TV and increasing the time they spend with their family, parents could better influence the values, habits, and actions of their children. One major influence of television upon kids is in their diet. Of the 20,000 commercials that the average child views during a year, food products and fast-food restaurants are the number one advertisement (Herr). These advertisements encourage bad eating habits, which can lead to obesity, a growing American epidemic. The number of cases of obesity among children 6 to 10 years old has more than doubled in the past 20 years. In 1980, only 6.5% of the children were severely overweight, compared to the 17 % seen in 2006 (Herr). Food advertisements often portray their food as healthy, and they sometimes give information regarding healthy eating. However, ads can be deceiving and dont always give completely true or balanced information about food choices. Children, though, tend to believe what they are told, even by advertisers, leading to an unrealistic view on a healthy diet (Boyse). Along with food advertisements, the activity of watching television raises the chance of children becoming overweight. Studies show that ones metabolism slows down even more when watching TV than when sitting still, doing nothing. The more television children watch, the fewer calories their bodies will burn. Even while reading a book or talking on the phone, a child will burn more calories (Boyse). Also, watching television ensures that a child is not exercising. With less time being spent outdoors running around and playing sports, children will be less physically fit and more likely to develop weight p roblems that can carry on into their adulthood (Boyse). Even though a child may watch a few hours of something educational like the Discovery or History channel, it is still television, meaning the time is spent inactively. The easiest way to reduce this inactivity, says Tufts University School of Medicines pediatrician and obesity expert William H. Deitz, [I]s to turn off the TV set. Almost anything else uses more energy than watching TV.'(Herr) Television can also take a large toll on childrens academics. Most children view around 20 hours of TV per week, and studies have shown that anything over 10 hours can negatively affect achievements in school (Facts). Though children may watch educational television programs, the fact remains that those programs are still TV, which can be detrimental to academics. As the presence of television has grown in childrens lives, the knowledge it provides has also made its presence known. While 75% of teens ages 13-17 know that the zip code 90210 can be found in Beverly Hills, only 25% can tell you that the US Constitution was written in Philadelphia (Facts). This shows the status television has taken on in teens lives in comparison to that of academic knowledge. Since so much time is spent in front of the television, other activities are put on the backburner. Less time is put aside for activities that are known to boost academics, such as reading, doing homework, working on hobbies, and sleeping (Boyse). Therefore, with less time spent in books, a toll is taken on reading comprehension, a skill that is crucial all throughout life. Several studies have even proven that by watching more television, a childs chances of dropping out of school are increased and chances of getting a college degree are decreased (Boyse). Television is filled with violence not only in adult shows, but also in cartoons, comedies, movies, and the news. It is estimated that by the time an average child finishes elementary school he or she will have seen 8,000 murders on TV, and by the time they reach the age of 18, they will have witnessed 200,000 acts of violence, 16,000 of which are murders (Facts). The bad guys arent the only ones solving problems with violence these days. The end justifies the means seems to be a rather popular slogan for superhero movies. Not too many people die and not too much blood is shed, but BAM! POW! fists sure do seem to solve a lot. When children see their favorite heroes saving the world through violence, these actins seem right, and violence stops being bad. (Scheibe) It is viewed as an acceptable way to solve problems and handle tough situations. Studies show that children who watch more TV are more likely to exhibit signs of aggression (Boyse). 73% of Americans even contend that television is responsible for juvenile crime (Facts). Acts of violence on TV have the greatest effect on children ages 8 and younger, because they have not yet developed a complete sense of what is fake versus what is reality (Boyse). To them, the monster from a movie might really be hiding under their bed. Scary scenes from movies are viewed as something that could easily happen to the child in real life. This can lead young children to believe that the world is a very cruel and scary place, causing sleep problems and a fear of leaving the house (Boyse). Even by watching the news, kids can be frightened that they could become a victim of violence or a natural disaster. In some cases, this has been known to lead to trauma or paranoia (Boyse). With television having so many harmful effects on childrens lives, parents need to take action. This everyday activity that Americans spend so much time doing hinders childrens learning and growing experiences. Shouldnt children get the full experience of the best years of their life instead of staying inside glued to a screen? Instead of allowing your children to spend 4 hours in front of the television, limit their viewing time to 1 hour per day and encou rage them to take up other hobbies such as sports, music, and reading. As the people with your childrens best interests in mind, you have the responsibility to raise them healthily, removing harmful activities, such as watching excessive television, from their way. Bibliography Boyse, Kyla. Television. University of Michigan Health System. May 2008. Association of Academic Health Centers. 8 Nov. 2008. . Facts and Figures about our TV Habit. Elgin College. 2000. 8 Nov. 2008. . Fox, Lauren. Carrigan, Laura. Poirier, Bernadette. Lynch, Danielle. Rowe, Jan. Vogrle, Laura. Effects of Television Viewing on Childrens Daily Activities. The Department of Occupational Therapy. 2004. The University of Alabama at Birmingham. 8 Nov. 2008. . Herr, Norman. Television Health. Internet Resources to Accompany The Resourcebook for Teaching Science. 2007. 8 Nov. 2008. . Scheibe, Cyndy. Television in the Lives of Children. CRETv. 8 Nov. 2008. .

Free Essays on Witch Craft

What is Witchcraft? Who are these Witches anyway? It is a nature-based belief system or religion. Not all Witches follow the same belief system. Some practice what is called the "old religion" which has its roots in pagan pre-monotheistic folk ways and beliefs and usually follows the seasonal cycles. These belief systems or "traditions" of Witches are often based upon the particular culture from whence they originated. Many Witches believe in a polytheistic deity structure (usually based upon the local gods and goddesses of the area of origin), but some simply practice magic. Witches may practice alone as 'solitaries" or in covens. There are also family groups or traditions which trace their practices and beliefs within the same close group throughout several generations. Traditional Wicca: A modern form of Witchcraft is called "Wicca." Traditional Wicca is based on the teachings of Gerald Gardner, is coven based and each coven can trace its line of teaching passed on by initiated Traditional priests and priestesses back to Gardner himself. There are offshoots of Gardnerian Traditional Wicca such as Alexandrian Wicca, Georgian Wicca and many others. Traditional Wiccans are considered a 'mystery' religion, require initiation by the coven and have a "degree system" or different levels of rank based upon coven training and the readiness of the initiate to accept the duties and responsibilities of that degree. They have a core of inner knowledge-often called the "Book of Shadows"-which is known only to initiated Wiccans. Most Traditional Wiccans believe in the balance of male-female divinity. Traditional Wiccans are seldom solitary except for those 'Elders'-usually former priests and priestesses-who may have retired from active coven involvement. Satan is a part of the Christian and Muslim religions. Since pagans are neither Christian nor Muslim, Satan is not part of our deity structure at all. They believe that each and every h... Free Essays on Witch Craft Free Essays on Witch Craft What is Witchcraft? Who are these Witches anyway? It is a nature-based belief system or religion. Not all Witches follow the same belief system. Some practice what is called the "old religion" which has its roots in pagan pre-monotheistic folk ways and beliefs and usually follows the seasonal cycles. These belief systems or "traditions" of Witches are often based upon the particular culture from whence they originated. Many Witches believe in a polytheistic deity structure (usually based upon the local gods and goddesses of the area of origin), but some simply practice magic. Witches may practice alone as 'solitaries" or in covens. There are also family groups or traditions which trace their practices and beliefs within the same close group throughout several generations. Traditional Wicca: A modern form of Witchcraft is called "Wicca." Traditional Wicca is based on the teachings of Gerald Gardner, is coven based and each coven can trace its line of teaching passed on by initiated Traditional priests and priestesses back to Gardner himself. There are offshoots of Gardnerian Traditional Wicca such as Alexandrian Wicca, Georgian Wicca and many others. Traditional Wiccans are considered a 'mystery' religion, require initiation by the coven and have a "degree system" or different levels of rank based upon coven training and the readiness of the initiate to accept the duties and responsibilities of that degree. They have a core of inner knowledge-often called the "Book of Shadows"-which is known only to initiated Wiccans. Most Traditional Wiccans believe in the balance of male-female divinity. Traditional Wiccans are seldom solitary except for those 'Elders'-usually former priests and priestesses-who may have retired from active coven involvement. Satan is a part of the Christian and Muslim religions. Since pagans are neither Christian nor Muslim, Satan is not part of our deity structure at all. They believe that each and every h...

Financial Markets and Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Markets and Institutions - Essay Example A number of investors had seen these signs as warnings for the development of the crisis situation. Based on these signs, some of the investors had predicted that the tremendous growth of the US economy was a temporary phenomenon and the US economy was ultimately going to collapse (Connolly and Wall, 2011). Several researches have been conducted since then, and are being continued still now, regarding the causes and the warnings of the crisis. Several leaders belonging to different countries have predicted the inevitable collapse of the economy of United States. However, some of the leaders made legitimate and confident forewords about the critical elements within the economy’s financial structure and the extent of dire consequences that the economy was going to face in the near future (McDonnell and Burgess, 2013). Several logical analyses were made on the facts and data that were collected from the-then economic and financial condition of the economy. A considerably large fr action of investors, including buyers of private homes, received credible warnings about the occurrence of a housing bubble. According to some researchers and market observers, the root to this crisis lied in the policies and regulations developed by the Federal Reserve. Additionally, many of the investors ignored these messages received and did not make any changes in their course of action. Banks were also bound by the need to meet the credit needs of local investors. This policy forced the â€Å"banks to make subprime loans† (Gramm and Solon, 2013). Bank authorities transferred this pressure to the banking personnel and regulators to make more loans of the subprime category. The banks performance was measured on the basis of the loans that they were able to extend to the investors (Wang, Ali, and Al-Akra, 2013). In this process, the issue of credibility of the investors was ignored. The quota to provide affordable housing loans was fixed at 30 percent in the year 1993 (Gra mm and Solon, 2013). This was made during the era of President Bill Clinton of the USA. Within three years this quota was increased to 40 percent. The quota further increased within a few years and reached the target of 50 percent by 2000. At that point of time, the administration of President George W. Bush took control of the American economy. Under his control the affordable housing loan goals were increased further. Documents from that period of time reveal that â€Å"these quotas were promoting irresponsible policy† (Gramm and Solon, 2013). The risks involved in these subprime loans were severely high as due to lack of credibility check a large proportion of the borrowers would be found to be defaulters. According to some sources, researchers claim that as high as 28 million high risk loans were provided to borrowers. Although the safety enforcement laws advised the banks to reduce high loans, there existed conflicting regulations regarding the promotion of affordable ho using loans. Thus, the safety and soundness measures were ineffective in restraining the pattern of loan giving, conflicting laws regarding providing housing credit

A reflective of The Pain Scale by Eula Biss Essay

A reflective of The Pain Scale by Eula Biss - Essay Example ea of establishing a measurement scale or a pain scale because she realize that there is really no such thing as absolute especially when it comes to pain. Bliss article was a wonderful literary excursion to articulate the nature of pain but she did not have to go such length had she just been keen with how people deal with pain and distress than study Dante’s Inferno in her quest to understand pain. Her synthesis also that it is virtually impossible to measure pain could not have been lengthy had she observed that pain is relative to people and its triggers are virtually countless. Being such, the examples that would show how relative is pain is abundant. We need not go further to cite examples. We can cite our study. There are students who would be devastated to get a failing or a lower grade while there are students who would just shrug it off and just try to study harder next time. There are people who are daunted by failure and are immensely distressed by it while there are people who take pain in stride and instead measure their true success from their ability to recover from failure. Biss associated pain to religion and to be specific, to Christian perspective of religion which for me is a limited attempt to establish a reference to understand pain. It is limited because pain is universal albeit how we feel it varies in degree and what causes it is relative and the yardstick she attempted to use are prejudiced. For example, Dante’s Inferno is a brilliant literary masterpiece as referenced in the article The Pain Scale but it cannot be inferred to in measuring pain as something universal that could cover every human being. For all we know, Dante’s Inferno is Christian in orientation because in it Prophet Muhammad was referred to as false prophet and therefore to be placed in the vortex of hell and to use to quantify the pain of Mohammedans or Muslims is quite offensive. God is also associated to the number zero and this must be the

The Oak and the Elm Tree Essay Example for Free

The Oak and the Elm Tree Essay Narrowing this vast amount of species down to the most widespread of the broadleaved trees would be the mighty oak and will be compared with the American elm for their beauty. In nature, the oaks hold their own well in competition with the other trees. The oak is a large tree growing to heights of thirty-five to one hundred feet tall. Their leaves are of the most dramatic in shape, which are described as being pinnately veined and pinnately lobed. Meaning the main vein runs through the leaf to its tip and smaller veins branch out, also having deep wavy outline indentations which extend half way or more to the midrib, giving it a hand-like feature. In contrast, the American elm is also a large tree that grows to a height of forty to ninety feet tall and has a simple, short oval shaped leaf that is saw-toothed and lopsided at the base. The trunk of both trees is described as being similar in most ways, thick and covered with furrowed gray bark. The trunks grow lateral with broad branches opening up into a beautiful crown. In time, these dome-headed trees will spread its branches needing a lot of growing space for the canopy. The beauty of the oak tree gives way as it sways in a gentle breeze and flutters its leaves as if waving a happy welcome to anyone who may pass. The elm tree swaying in the same breeze illustrates a simple flat wave. A tree isn’t just for a season; it is for life. The quality of life for these trees depends on the care they might receive. To grow, a tree needs a period of more than two months each year without frost; some need certain soil conditions, and plenty of water and light. The normal age span of trees is different for each species. An average oak tree may take as many as on hundred years to mature and may live for as long as four hundred fifty years, whereas, some elms live more that on hundred fifty years. Both the oak and elm trees are deciduous, meaning they shed their leaves. All deciduous trees are broad-leaved. One of the most appealing aspects of deciduous trees is their signaling of fall by the changing color of their leaves. The oak has rich leaf color that change during the fall from the many shades of green to red, orange, yellow, purple, and every imaginable tint. The simple on-step change of the elm leaves turn from a glossy green to yellow in the fall. Both trees loose their leaves completely and go dormant during the winter months. Diseases endanger each species of trees. The gypsy moth favors the oak leaves, the caterpillars dine on the foliage. â€Å"But scientists have counterattacked with a variety of weapons†¦pesticides, insect-eating birds, and even processed scents called pheromones, which lure insects into traps† (Page 117). One of importance is a wasp that preys on the gypsy moth caterpillar. The wasp lay their eggs on the skin of the caterpillar and when the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on their host, and kill them in the process. Elm bark beetles spread Dutch elm disease from tree to tree. â€Å"It is a potentially very dangerous and fatal disease to which all of our native elms are highly susceptible† (Grimm 191). The beetles attack the living tree and form tunnels under the bark and the adult carries the spores of the disease from tree to tree. Affected trees show sever wilting and yellowing of the leaves on one or several branches, especially during periods of dry weather. There is no effective chemical treatment. Pruning and burning out affected branches are most effective. In many cases it is disease that shortens a tree’s life. Trees are the source of materials we need for many everyday purposes. The strong wood of the oak has a beautiful grain. An important use of oak is for lumber, but also has other uses such as furniture, flooring, paneling, barrels, railroad ties, and ship keels. Some of the oak species contain tannin, found in the wood and the bark, and is used for preparing leather. Some oaks are grown for landscaping in personal gardens to provide shade and to show off their natural beauty. The oaks acorns are an important source of food for wildlife. The elm also has been used for many sources of everyday uses. The wood of the elm is tough, hard, and does not split easily. It is used for making barrels, farm tools, fence post, hockey sticks, furniture, and boats. Elms are used in landscaping too. They are planted along streets and in parks. Trees provide us with oxygen, lumber, and among other things, fuel, to heat our homes. Trees have also provided young children with hours of fun while climbing and exploring the world above ground. Trees provide a place to build clubhouses, tree houses, or a comfortable branch to read a book. In Oregon, a family vacation might include a few nights stay â€Å"in one of twenty tree houses created by Michael Garnier at Out’n’About Treesort† (Nolan6). If trees could talk, our American history might have to or could be rewritten. Under these trees, agreements and treaties have been made. A historic tree in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, shades union soldiers graves. â€Å"The mighty limbs of the Treaty Oak in Jacksonville, Florida, are said to have sheltered natives and settlers during peace treaty talks† (Brown 6). Various species of trees have played an important public role as the center for meetings. â€Å"The Washington Elm, under which George Washington assumed command of the Continental Army in 1775, remained standing for many years in Cambridge, Massachusetts† (Jonas 186). Much of the nation’s history lives in thousands of trees, and we might be touching history and not even realize it. Again, trees enter into the lives of us all. It could be the piece of furniture we sit on, a tree planted in a yard for shade, or the oxygen we breath, but most of all, the beauty a tree provides in our outdoor surroundings.

The Strengths and Limitations of Electrical Muscle Stimulation :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Strengths and Limitations of Electrical Muscle Stimulation "Buy EMS, it'll burn calories and fat away." "One hour of EMS is equal to 300 to 400 sit-ups." "You can develop 19-22 inch arms!" They're new! They're hot! But do they work? You've seen them in the backs of magazines and on TV commercials- those advertisements form electronic fitness machines that tighten abdominals and give users huge biceps while watching TV or sleeping. These devices are based on electronic muscle stimulation. What exactly is EMS, what does it do, and, other than those muscle building, fat reducing claims, what are the current uses of electronic muscle stimulation. Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is a muscle exercise concept for use in one's own home. It is an established rehabilitative concept used for treating a variety of clinical problem involving the muscle skeletal, neuromuscular (relating to both nerve and muscle tissue) , genitourinary (relating to the genital and urinary organs) , and integumentary (administered by contact with the skin) systems(Leonard). The first recorded use of EMS for medical stimulation was recorded in 1783 (Creasey). This was used to restore respiration for people who had paralyzed/collapsed chest/lung muscles. After that, many Soviet and Eastern Olympic competitors used muscle stimulators to build and produce the same bulk in muscles that only steroids had promised. Now the system has finally reached the West. Once only available to doctors and therapists, EMS is now suggested for use by anyone participating in bodybuilding, power lifting, martial arts, boxing, or anyone simply wishing to achieve their optimal athletic ability. EMS is also recommended to athletes for warming up the muscles and increasing circulation prior to a workout routine (Schmidt). The Medical Advisory Committee has allowed the use of EMS systems by athletes since the 1972 Olympics (Muscle stimulators...). Many athletes use EMS to supplement their regular workout routines, while many doctors use it to aid in the rehabilitation of muscles f ollowing injury and to ease patients chronic muscle spasms and pain (Muscle stimulators...). The concept of electrical muscle stimulation is to use technologically advanced science that uses very mild electrical current to exercise your muscles. When one performs any exercise, their brain sends a message down the spinal cord through the nerves innervating all the muscles causing them to contract. An outside electrical source stimulates the nerves to send these signals to your muscle to contract. This is achieved by passing electrical currents through electrode pads placed over a muscle.

Causes and Solutions to Pronunciation Problems

Causes and solutions to pronunciation problems12008815x , So Hee Kim Hong kong is one of the most preferred locations for international business in Asia Pacific, and is becoming more so. Naturally business English skills is becoming increasingly important. Business English skills can be categorized into three different parts. These parts are writing, presentation and communication. All are equally important, but this essay will focus more on commuicaition. To be be more specific, it will focus on pronunciation.For, when I first came to hongkong, I realized that people’s grammer and vocabulary is quiet good, but it is sometimes hard to understand them because of their pronunciation. Because relatively other aspects are quite good, I think that hong kong can increase their competitiveness in business English by focusing on this aspect. So, the following will cover the objective of the essay, the causes for the inaccurate pronunciation and the solutions. The objective is to look into how hong kong people can achieve an ‘acceptable’ pronunciation.An acceptable pronunciation is ‘ a pronunciation when other people can understand what he/she says and the speaker’s English is pleasant to listen to; in other words, the speaker is comfortably intelligible. ’ (James,2010) To be short, the pronunciation doesn’t have to be like a native speaker but just have to be understood comfortably. There are few factors that leads to the problem of pronunciation in hong kong, despite the early age the children start to learn English. One is the influence of their mother tongue. And the other is the way how pronunciation is taught in schools. Candice, 2006) There are lots of studies that proves that the first language have a profound affect on learning the second language (Carter,2001). In hong kong, their first language is Cantonese. And there are differences in phonology between Cantonese and English. First, unlike English, Cantonese is logographic. Because they learn their mother tongue in a logographic method, they might apply the same way when learning English. That is, they may learn apply visual recognition method when learning English words rather than applying the phonetic analysis method.And this can decrease the ability to link letters and phonemes, which can affect their pronunciation. Also there are differences in the languages syllable structure, sound inventory and prosodic patterns. (Catherine,2002) But the more pressing problem is the insignificant emphasis placed on pronunciation teaching. For these kinds of problems can be overcome with a good system. First, teachers should clarify the differences between English and Cantonese phonological systems.In a study, a research(Candice,2006) was conducted to students of hong kong to find out where the most frequent pronunciation errors occur and the reason behind this. The research showed that most of these problems occurred, because the students did not h ave a clear idea of the differences between the two sound systems. For example, the /l/ sound in Cantonese cannot be found in a word-final position. So most of the students in the research had a tendency to not spell out the /l/ when pronouncing ‘will’. Learning phonics in an appropriate method is also important.Phonics is teaching reading by training beginners to associate letters with their sound values. By learning phonics students will be able to read and pronounce properly. Recently in primary schools in hong kong, phonics has become a major component of the English language curriculum. But there still seems to be a lot of limitation concerning this. The most pressing problem regarding this issue, is that the knowledge base for teaching phonics is not established. So the teachers will have to work on finding a clear methodology for teaching phonics in secondary language contexts.For example, in a study the researcher suggested adopting awareness raising activities for phonics learning. (paul,2008) This means increasing student’s awareness to the general sensitivity to sound-spelling correspondence. This will increase their ability to notice and deduce the specific relationships themselves. This will lead to better performance of students in sounding out a new word from it’s spelling or spelling a word from it’s pronunciation. Also, teachers should make use of today’s technology.For example, there are so many good computer program for learning English pronunciation these days. The strong point of using computer software is that it allows student to repeatedly listen to what they want, and help them to learn at anytime, anywhere. And by motivating them to use these systems in their daily lives, they can help students develop independency in learning pronunciation. Pronunciations in English is important, in people’s daily lives and also in business society. Poor pronunciation can have a negative impression and also create prejudice against the person. saylor) So, in order to have a good communication skills in the business world, having an ‘acceptable’ pronunciation is a necessity. The main cause for pronunciation problems in hongkong can be found in the huge difference between their mother tounge and English. But by applying an effective English education system it is not a problem that could not be overcome.. As international business in increasing in hong kong, overcoming this weak point will have great effect on the nation’s competitiveness as the center for global businesses.References. 1. http://www. ehow. com/about_6636066_importance-english-pronunciation. html 2. An analysis of Hong Kong native Cantonese Form Three students’ problems in English Pronunciation. ( Chiu Kik Ling Candice,2006) 3. Teaching Phonics through Awareness-Raising Activities (Paul Sze, 2008) 4. Learning to read English among Chinese Children (Rebecca Treiman) 5. The Significance of Pr onunciation in Engilsh Language Teaching (Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani, 2012)

Allen Lane - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1026 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/09/15 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Opportunity Evaluation Allen Lane’s decision to acquire Plas-Tek Industries (PTI) is intriguing since the business appears to be a good match with Lane’s work experience and interest. As a manufacturer, PTI has been able to create large margins and high cash flow under Harry Elson’s leadership. However, significant risks are prevalent in acquiring PTI. First, more one-third of PTI’s sales originated from five companies and it is uncertain that without Harry Elson’s personal efforts if their patronage will continue. Secondly, the bank valuation of PTI ($600K) appears inflated as the bank’s valuation is notably more than PTI’s book value ($292K), calculated with an inflated price/earnings multiple for a company with no proprietary assets and does not discount any contingent liabilities. Finally, it will be difficult for PTI to achieve long-term growth since PTI has no proprietary assets and that the company is in a mature industry in a slowing economy. Business Venture Status and Characteristics Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Allen Lane" essay for you Create order As an established manufacturing company in a mature industry, Lane will have difficulty creating new growth through manufacturing a nonproprietary product, particularly in a slowing economy. However, the management vacuum created by Elson’s death provides opportunity to create new proprietary products that can grow the company. PTI has high cash flow and annual sales with relatively low labor costs as a nonunion company with both full and part time employees. PTI created its competitive advantage in customer service, so it is important to keep key employees on to ensure that continues after Lane purchases PTI. However, Lane should make sure that he and the current part-time employees learn the job tasks and business knowledge that Bernie, Sarah and Eleanor have to ensure against a loss of intellectual capacity if one of them leaves. Additionally, PTI has demonstrated the ability to create significant cash flow under Elson’s leadership, but it is uncertain that will continue due to the customer relationship and management vacuum created by his death. Finally, PTI does have $92K of land/buildings that they can collateralize for debt financing. Management PTI had been entirely dependent on Harry Elson to manage all strategic, financial, operational and marketing decisions. However, Lane’s Lane experience in managing finances, managing operations, leading teams and making strategic decisions in the manufacturing industry are the necessary hands-on skills to lead PTI after Elson’s death. However, it is questionable if Lane has either the necessary motivation or support team to operate PTI. Having Dan Ray as a partner may be helpful due to Ray’s operations experience, but it is unclear how motivated Ray is in operating PTI. Lane will also need to rebuild existing customer relationships lost due to Elson’s death as well as build new relationships with new customers, which will take significant time and resources to accomplish. However, since this a nonunion company, Lane has the flexibility to make the necessary adjustments in personnel to fulfill the necessary strategic business needs as they occur. Risks Two main risks need to be considered with this acquisition. The first risk is the contingent liabilities arising from Elson’s compensation and accumulated earnings from PTI’s interest-earning assets. Lane should provide the bank information on the accountant’s opinion on these contingent liabilities as rationale the bank’s valuation needs to discount them from their asking price. The second risk is the structure of PTI’s current customer base as a proportion of its sales. PTI’s high concentration of sales to five customers is a cause for concern for PTI’s financial stability after an ownership transition. Lane can reduce this risk through building relationships with those customers as soon as possible and keeping key personnel like Eleanor to help maintain those relationships. At the same time, Lane should implement strategies to decrease the concentration of sales from PTI’s customer base. Financial Need According the bank, Lane needs $600K to submit a bid to acquire the PTI through a stock purchase. However, the bank’s valuation is calculated using an inflated price/earnings multiple and does not account for the contingent liabilities. The P/E multiple that the bank used in its valuation is notably higher than expected for a company that does not have a proprietary product. Applying a market-based P/E multiple of 4X, the 20% cash sale discount and a $90K discount accounting for potential tax liability regarding Elson’s compensation (alternative 1), PTI should be worth $450K. While this price is notably higher than PTI’s book value, it is more realistic than the bank’s valuation. Since Lane and partner Dan Ray personally will finance $200K of this transaction, they need $250K to complete the stock purchase. Therefore, the financial need is $275K. Debt? Considering that PTI currently has low liabilities and significant cash flow, Lane and Ray should seek debt financing. However, PTI is limited by having $92K in land/buildings and $150K in accounts receivable that it could be used as collateral. Using accounts receivables as collateral is more expensive than term loans as well as directly affects customer service, PTI’s current competitive advantage. Therefore, PTI should seek to secure $92K needed to finance this acquisition through a fixed term loan using building/land as collateral. PTI’s cash flow should be able to pay off this loan, despite its 17% to 19% interest rate, over a short time period. Additionally, PTI’s cash flow should allow the remaining $183K to be financed through a mezzanine fund despite such financing requiring a 20%-30% interest rate. Equity? Besides the $200K that Lane and Ray will use to buy PTI stock directly from the bank, the equity financing options for them are limited. PTI is in a mature industry that offers limited growth potential. Therefore, venture capital and angel investors are unlikely to see it creating the necessary high returns to merit investment. Since Lane had no close friends or family that would interested in financing that is not a viable option. However, if the bank insists that $600K be paid to acquire all PTI stock, Lane and Ray should negotiate a 3-year earnout to bridge the remaining $150K gap.

Agency And Social Context The Agency s Mission

Agency/Social Context: The proposed group fits with the agency’s mission: To empower children, youth and families with opportunities for success and independency while emphasizing their sense of cultural and self-identity. It purpose fits with the agency focus on empowering families so they can maintain together. The agency withholds a foster care and adoption department. They are very supportive towards providing the necessary services for the children under their care. Client Need(s): Some examples of issues, problems and or areas of concern that members might share in common in group intervention are: behavioral issues at home or in school, disciplining foster children, child temperament, parents coping with stress, children’s mental health, parents and children reactions to sensory information. Group Purpose: To help members identify potential sources of social support within the community while learning coping mechanisms to better manage stress and the well being of foster parents. To help members find support between other foster parents in the same situation while exchanging skills from one another. Group Composition: The group would be composed of two workers leader and co-leader to guarantee continuity of the group. The group would be composed of a maximum of 18-20 parents. The group would be closed and official by the fourth week after initial week. The group would be open to male and females active foster parents, no specific age or ethnicity. The group wouldShow MoreRelatedTime Frame1002 Words   |  5 PagesACTIVITIES | TIMEFRAME | RESOURCES NEEDED | PERSON/S RESPONSIBLE | EXPECTED OUTCOME | REMARS | * Agency orientation * Building a relationship with them through short conversation and self introduce. * Prepare a comprehensive write up of agency profile and some informative document | 1 week | Manual of the department | AFI, Agency staff Interns. | To know the history of agency.To Familiarized the client staff. | Achieved | * Conduct intake interview with the clients.Read MoreStrategic Plan With Assistance From Managance Consulting1560 Words   |  7 PagesThe Board of Directors and Staff of The ABC Service Agency developed this strategic plan with assistance from Managance Consulting. It provides The ABC Service Agency with a five-year roadmap for supports, services and organization development. The Board of Directors and staff will review progress quarterly and will review and update the plan annually as needed. 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Food Stamps can only beRead MoreCriminal Justice System Of The United States1722 Words   |  7 Pagesjustice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts. Those accused of crime have protections against abuse of investigatory and prosecution powers. Goals In the United States, criminal justice policy has been guided by the 1967 President s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, which issued a ground-breaking

Paul Tillich, a Guide for Christianity within a...

Paul Tillich, a Guide for Christianity within a Pluralistic Society Introduction In this paper I will discuss the significance of Paul Tillich’s theology within our current pluralistic society. I hope to accomplish this by specifically addressing how certain concepts within his Theology, when embraced or applied, can begin to relieve western Christianity’s concern for remaining â€Å"relevant†. I will also present some of Tillich’s theological ideas concerning his Christology, characteristics of a symbol, and concept of God as a symbol. I. The Christology of Tillich: Jesus as the Christ Tillich suggests in the article â€Å"A Reinterpretation of the Doctrine of the Incarnation† that Christians do not have a purely historiographical interest in the man known as Jesus, but a thriving interest in the Christ. He elaborates by saying the reports about Jesus of Nazareth found in the gospels are the reports of Jesus as the Christ, not just a man. Tillich finds that mere historical research cannot tear down the foundation of Christianity because there is immense power in the symbol of â€Å"Christ† (a topic later discussed in the essay). Tillich, despite what many assume, consistently presented Jesus as the Christ. It is true that Tillich wrote articles with titles such as â€Å"A Reinterpretation of the Doctrine of the Incarnation† (which shocked many Protestant leaders in the late 1940’s). However, Tillich reinterpreted Doctrine in an attempt to reveal the truths that he believed were at

Exxon Mobil and Environment Free Essays

string(136) " 70 mph in Prince William Sound, weathered much of the oil, changing it into mousse and tarballs, and distributed it over a large area\." Author Login Encyclopedia of Earth Search Top of Form [pic][pic] Bottom of Form †¢ Earthportal †¢ Earthnews †¢ Encyclopedia of Earth †¢ Forum EoE Pages o Home o About the EoE o Editorial Board o International Advisory Board o FAQs o EoE for Educators o Contribute to the EoE o Support the EoE o Contact the EoE o Find Us Here o RSS o Reviews o Awards and Honors †¢ [pic] Solutions Journal [pic] Browse the EoE o Titles (A-Z) o Author o Topics o Topic Editor o Content Partners o Content Sources o eBooks o Environmental Classics o Collections †¢ [pic] †¢ [pic] †¢ [pic] Exxon Valdez oil spill Table of Contents | |1 Introduction | |2 Events leading up to the spill | |3 The behavior of the oil | |4 Countermeasures and Mitigation | |4. 1 Control of the oil spill at sea | |4. 2 Shoreline treatment | |5 Economic impacts | |6 How much oil remains? |7 Ecosystem response to the spill | |7. We will write a custom essay sample on Exxon Mobil and Environment or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1 Acute Mortality | |7. 2 Long-term impacts | |7. 3 State of recovery | |8 Legal responsibility of ExxonMobil | |8. 1 Criminal Settlement | |8. 1. 1 Plea Agreement | |8. 1. Criminal Restitution | |8. 2 Civil Settlement | |9 The response of ExxonMobil | |10 Lessons learned from the spill | |11 Further Reading | | | |[pic] | [pic] Contributing Author: Cutler J. Cleveland (other articles) Content Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (other articles) Article Topics: Pollution and Energy This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Peter Saundry (other articles) Last Updated: August 26, 2008 [pic] Introduction On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez, en route from Valdez, Alaska to Los Angeles, California, ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The vessel was traveling outside normal shipping lanes in an attempt to avoid ice. Within six hours of the grounding, the Exxon Valdez spilled approximately 10. 9 million gallons of its 53 million gallon cargo of Prudhoe Bay crude oil. Eight of the eleven tanks on board were damaged. The oil would eventually impact over 1,100 miles of non-continuous coastline in Alaska, making the Exxon Valdez the largest oil spill to date in U. S. waters. The response to the Exxon Valdez involved more personnel and equipment over a longer period of time than did any other spill in U. S. history. Logistical problems in providing fuel, meals, berthing, response equipment, waste management and other resources were one of the largest challenges to response management. At the height of the response, more than 11,000 personnel, 1,400 vessels and 85 aircraft were involved in the cleanup. [pic] [pic] The Exxon Valdez aground on Bligh Reef. (Source: NOAA) Shoreline cleanup began in April of 1989 and continued until September of 1989 for the first year of the response. The response effort continued in 990 and 1991 with cleanup in the summer months, and limited shoreline monitoring in the winter months. Fate and effects monitoring by state and Federal agencies are ongoing. The images that the world saw on television and descriptions they heard on the radio that spring were of heavily oiled shorelines, dead and dying wildlife, and thousands of workers mobilized to clean beaches. These images reflected what many people felt was a severe environmental insult to a relatively pristine, ecol ogically important area that was home to many species of wildlife endangered elsewhere. In the weeks and months that followed, the oil spread over a wide area in Prince William Sound and beyond, resulting in an unprecedented response and cleanup—in fact, the largest oil spill cleanup ever mobilized. Many local, state, federal, and private agencies and groups took part in the effort. Even today, scientists continue to study the affected shorelines to understand how an ecosystem like Prince William Sound responds to, and recovers from, an incident like the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Events leading up to the spill The Exxon Valdez departed from the Trans Alaska Pipeline terminal at 9:12 pm, March 23, 1989. William Murphy, an expert ship’s pilot hired to maneuver the 986-foot vessel through the Valdez Narrows, was in control of the wheelhouse. At his side was the captain of the vessel, Joe Hazelwood. Helmsman Harry Claar was steering. After passing through Valdez Narrows, pilot Murphy left the vessel and Captain Hazelwood took over the wheelhouse. The Exxon Valdez encountered icebergs in the shipping lanes and Captain Hazelwood ordered Claar to take the Exxon Valdez out of the shipping lanes to go around the ice. He then handed over control of the wheelhouse to Third Mate Gregory Cousins with precise instructions to turn back into the shipping lanes when the tanker reached a certain point. At that time, Claar was replaced by Helmsman Robert Kagan. For reasons that remain unclear, Cousins and Kagan failed to make the turn back into the shipping lanes and the ship ran aground on Bligh Reef at 12:04 a. m. , March 24, 1989. Captain Hazelwood was in his quarters at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident and determined five probable causes of the grounding: (1) The third mate failed to properly maneuver the vessel, possibly due to fatigue and excessive workload; (2) the master failed to provide a proper navigation watch, possibly due to impairment from alcohol; (3) Exxon Shipping Company failed to supervise the master and provide a rested and sufficient crew for the Exxon Valdez; (4) the U. S. Coast Guard failed to provide an effective vessel traffic system; and (5) effective pilot and escort services were lacking. The behavior of the oil [pic] [pic] The oil slick (blue areas) eventually extended 470 miles southwest from Bligh Reef. The spill area eventually totaled 11,000 square miles. (Source: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council) Prudhoe Bay crude oil has an API gravity of 27. 0, and a pour point of 0 degrees Celcius. The bulk of the oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez was released within 6 hours of the ship’s grounding. The general trend of the oil was south and west from the point of origin. For the first few days after the spill, most of the oil was in a large concentrated patch near Bligh Island. On March 26, a storm, which generated winds of over 70 mph in Prince William Sound, weathered much of the oil, changing it into mousse and tarballs, and distributed it over a large area. You read "Exxon Mobil and Environment" in category "Essay examples" By March 30, the oil extended 90 miles from the spill site. Ultimately, from Bligh Reef, the spill stretched 470 miles southwest to the village of Chignik on the Alaska Peninsula. Approximately 1,300 miles of shoreline were oiled. 200 miles were heavily or moderately oiled (obvious impact); 1,100 miles were lightly or very lightly oiled (light sheen or occasional tarballs). The spill region contains more than 9,000 miles of shoreline. In addition to the storm of March 26, the spill occurred at a time of year when the spring tidal fluctuations were nearly 18 feet. This tended to deposit the oil onto shorelines above the normal zone of wave action. The diversity in shoreline types in the affected areas led to varied oiling conditions. In some cases, oil was present on sheer rock faces making access and cleanup difficult, or rocky beaches with grain size anywhere from coarse sand to boulders, where the oil could percolate to a sub-surface level. The spill affected both sheltered and exposed (to high wave/weather action) shorelines. Once oil landed on a shoreline it could be floated off at the next high tide, carried to and deposited in a different location, making the tracking of oil migration and shoreline impact very difficult. This migration ended by mid-summer 1989, and the remaining cleanup dealt with oiled shorelines, rather than oil in the water. Cleanup operations continued during the summer months of 1990 and 1991. By 1990, surface oil, where it existed, had become significantly weathered. Sub-surface oil, on the other hand, was in many cases much less weathered and still in a liquid state. The liquid sub-surface oil could give off a sheen when disturbed. Cleanup in 1991 concentrated on the remaining reduced quantities of surface and sub-surface oil. Countermeasures and Mitigation Control of the oil spill at sea The Alyeska Pipeline Service Company was immediately notified of the incident and sent a tug to the site to assist in stabilizing the vessel. At the time of the incident, the Alyeska spill response barge was out of service being re-outfitted. It arrived on scene by 1500 on 24 March. Alyeska was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the incident; by March 25, Exxon had assumed full responsibility for the spill and cleanup effort. [pic] [pic] The Exxon Valdez surrounded by a containment boom. Source: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council) Deployment of boom around the vessel was complete within 35 hours of the grounding. Exxon conducted successful dispersant test applications on March 25 and 26 and was granted permission on March 26 to apply dispersants to the oil slick. Due to the large storm that began the evening of March 26, much of the oil turned into mousse. As dispersants aren’t generally able to dissipate oil in the form of mousse, it was no longer practical to use dispersants on floating oil during this response. On the evening of March 25, a test in-situ burn of oil on water was conducted. Approximately 15,000 to 30,000 gallons of oil were collected using 3M Fire Boom towed behind two fishing vessels in a U-shaped configuration, and ignited. The oil burned for a total of 75 minutes and was reduced to approximately 300 gallons of residue that could be collected easily. It was estimated that the efficiency of this test burn was 98 percent or better. Again, continued in-situ burning was not possible because of the change in the oil’s state after the storm of March 26. Five dispersant trials took place between March 25 and March 28, but by March 29 the Regional Response Team (RRT) decided that dispersants were no longer feasible. Because there was not enough equipment to protect all the shorelines that could be impacted, Federal, state and local agencies collaborated to establish shoreline protection priorities. The agencies decided that fish hatcheries and salmon streams had the highest priority; accordingly, containment booms were deployed to protect these areas. Five fish hatcheries in Prince William Sound and two in the Gulf of Alaska were boomed, with the largest amount of boom deployed at the Sawmill Bay hatchery in Prince William Sound. At the height of containment efforts, it is estimated that a total of 100 miles of boom was deployed. Almost all the types of boom available on the market were used and tested during the spill response. Due to the size of the spill, it was necessary to employ inexperienced workers to deploy and tend booms, and this led to some boom being incorrectly used or handled, and sometimes damaged. Some boom sank because of improper deployment, infrequent tending, or leakage and/or inadequacy in the buoyancy system. Other problems included fabric tears in boom due to debris, and tearing at anchorage points from wave action. In some cases, ballast chains were ripped off during boom recovery if the boom was lifted by the chain. One estimate suggests that 50 percent of the damage to larger boom came during boom recovery. For self-inflating booms, it was important to keep the inflation valves above the water during deployment so that the boom did not become filled with water and have to be replaced. Aerial surveillance was used to direct the deployment of booms and skimmers for open water oil recovery. Visual overflight observations as well as ultraviolet/infrared (UV/IR) surveys were used by the USCG and Exxon to track the floating oil. Satellite imagery was also tested as a method to track oil but was not very useful because of the infrequency of satellite passes over Prince William Sound (every 7 to 8 days), cloud cover, and lengthy turn around time for results. The primary means of open water oil recovery was with skimmers. In general, most skimmers became less effective once the oil had spread, emulsified and mixed with debris. To save time, it was most practical to keep skimmer offloading equipment and oil storage barges near the skimmers. The most used skimmers during the response were the Marco sorbent lifting-belt skimmers that were supplied by the U. S. Navy. Once oil became viscous, the sorbent part of the skimmer was removed and the conveyor belt alone was sufficient to pull the oil up the ramp. The pump that came with the skimmer had difficulty offloading viscous oil, so that other vacuum equipment was used to unload the collected oil. The Marco skimmers were generally not used close to shore because they draw between three and four feet. In general, the paddle belt and rope mop skimmers were the most useful for recovery of oil from the shoreline. The skimmers were placed on self-propelled barges with a shallow draft. Sorbents were used to recover oil in cases where mechanical means were less practical. The drawback to sorbents was that they were labor intensive and generated additional solid waste. Sorbent boom was used to collect sheen between primary and secondary layers of offshore boom, and to collect sheen released from the beach during tidal flooding. Pompoms were useful for picking up small amounts of weathered oil. Towing of sorbent boom in a zigzag or circular fashion behind a boat was used to collect oil and was more efficient than towing the boom in a straight line. Sorbent booms made of rolled pads were more effective than booms made of individual particles because these absorbed less water and were stronger, and did not break into many small particles if they came apart. Early on in the response, storage space for recovered oil was in short supply. To combat the storage space problem, water was decanted from skimmers or tanks into a boomed area before offloading. As a result, the remaining viscous oil mixture was difficult to offload, the process sometimes taking up to 6 to 8 hours. High-capacity skimmer offloading pumps, in particular grain pumps, were the most useful in transferring viscous oil. The oil remaining on the Exxon Valdez, was completely offloaded by the end of the first week in April 1989. After offloading operations were completed, the tanker was towed to a location 25 miles from Naked Island in Prince William Sound for temporary repairs. Later in the summer of 1989, the vessel was brought to California for further repairs. Shoreline treatment Shoreline assessment was a prerequisite for the implementation of any beach cleanup. Assessment provided geomorphological, biological, archaeological and oiling information that was used for the development of site specific treatment strategies. Cleanup operations were scheduled around specific activities such as seal haulout activity, seal pupping, eagle nesting, fish spawning, fishing seasons, and other significant events as much as possible. [pic] [pic] Shoreline treatment from the Exxon Valdez spill. (Source: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council) In 1989, hoses spraying seawater were used to flush oil from shorelines. The released oil was then trapped with offshore boom, and removed using skimmers, vacuum trucks (useful for thick layers of oil) and boom (sorbent, snare, pompoms). For hard to reach areas, or locations with weathered oil, heated seawater was used to flush oil from the shoreline. Converted vessels and barges were used for beach washing operations. It would take several days to outfit a conventional barge with the equipment needed to heat and pump the water. Smaller vessels that were used for beach washing early in the spill were re-outfitted for bioremediation later in the response. Along with the large-scale beach washing, manual cleanup, raking and tilling the beaches, oily debris pickup, enhanced bioremediation and spot washing were used to cleanup the oil. In some locations, oil was thick enough to be picked up with shovels and buckets. In addition, mechanical methods were used on a few sites, including the use of bulldozers to relocate or remove the contaminated beach surfaces. Mechanical rock washing machines, which were manufactured for the spill, were not used to clean contaminated rocks and return them to the beach. Oiled storm berm was mechanically relocated in some cases so that these areas, which normally would not receive much wave action, would be more exposed and cleaned by natural processes. If the oiling in the berm was significant or persistent it was tilled to free the oil or washed to optimize the cleaning. Recommendations were made to restrict the movement of berm to the upper third of the beach to ensure its return to the original location. [pic] [pic] Beach washing. (Source: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council) Beach applications of dispersants were tried in several locations. Corexit 7664 was applied on Ingot Island, followed by a warm water wash. No significant change in oil cover or the physical state of the oil was observed as a result of the treatment. Some ecological impacts were observed in the treated areas. It appeared that the effects were largely due to the intensive washing more than to the use of Corexit 7664, and were evident in intertidal epibenthic macrobiota. In addition, the dispersant BP1100X was applied to a test area on Knight Island. Toxicology studies indicated that the upper and lower intertidal biota were different from pre-application communities the day after dispersant application, and returned to pre-treatment levels after seven days. In May of 1989, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Exxon conducted bioremediation trials at two test sites on Knight Island in Prince William Sound. On the basis of these tests and other trials later in the summer, Exxon recommended the use of the bioremediation enhancement agents, Inipol (Inipol EAP22—manufactured by Elf Aquitaine of France) and Customblen (Customblen 28-8-0 —manufactured by Sierra Chemicals of California), and subsequently treated over 70 miles of shoreline in Prince William Sound with these agents. Winter monitoring of the effects of bioremediation consisted of surveys of more than 20 beaches in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. These studies determined that oil degradation had been enhanced on the shorelines monitored, but some debate existed over whether bioremediation was solely, or even largely, responsible. Cleanup operations in 1989 ceased by the end of September. All parties involved in the response agreed that continuation of cleanup into the Alaskan winter would jeopardize the safety of cleanup crews. In addition, it was speculated that the winter storms in Alaska could significantly remove oil from shorelines, including sub-surface oil. By the end of the 1989 cleanup, more than 25,000 tons of oiled waste and several hundred thousand barrels of oil/liquid waste were collected and disposed of in landfills. Cleanup in 1990 began in April and ended in September. Surveys in the spring of 1990 showed that oiling conditions had been reduced or changed over the winter. Surface oil in 1990 was significantly weathered but sub-surface oil was relatively fresh in some locations. Cleanup techniques in 1990 focused more on manual methods of treatment such as hand wiping and spot washing as well as bioremediation. Mechanical equipment was used on a few sites. Bioremediation was more extensive in 1990, with 378 of the 587 shoreline segments treated that year receiving bioremediation application. In general, Inipol was applied in cases where surface oiling existed and Customblen slow release pellets were preferred for treating beaches with sub-surface oiling. Generally, beaches were given one to three treatments over several months. Concern over the possible toxicity of Inipol led to recommendations for application of only Customblen on some sites. By the spring of 1991, the scope of the cleanup effort was greatly reduced. Manual cleanup, bioremediation, and very limited use of mechanical equipment were employed. Cleanup took place from May of 1991 through July of 1991. An important observation that resulted from the Exxon Valdez oil spill was that natural cleaning processes, on both sheltered and exposed beaches, were in many cases very effective at degrading oil. It took longer for some sections of shoreline to recover from some of the invasive cleaning methods (hot water flushing in particular) than from the oiling itself. Economic impacts The State of Alaska funded a several studies of the short term economic impact of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. [pic] [pic] Recreational fishing in Alaska. (Source: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council) 1. Recreational Sport Fishing Losses. This loss was estimated based on the impacts of the spill on sport fishing activity. One must consider the impact on the number of anglers, the number of sport fishing trips, the areas fished, the species fished for, and the length of these trips. For 1989 the loss was estimated to be between $0 and $580 million dollars; for 1990 the range was $3. 6 million $50. 5 million dollars. 2. Tourism Losses. The spill caused both negative and positive effects. The major negative effects were: 1. Decreased resident and non-resident vacation/pleasure visitor traffic in the spill-affected areas due to lack of available visitor services (accommodations, charter boats, air taxis). 2. Severe labor shortage in the visitor industry throughout the state due to traditional service industry workers seeking high-paying spill clean-up jobs. 3. Fifty-nine percent of businesses in the most affected areas reported spill-related cancellations and 16% reported business was less than expected due to the spill. The principle positive impact was strong spill-related business in some areas and in certain businesses such as hotels, taxis, car/RV rentals and boat charters. 1. Existence value. Economists tried to estimate the damage to so-called non-use or existence value of the Prince William Sound region in the wake of the spill. This is an attempt top measure what cannot be observed in the market: the value to the public of a pristine Prince William Sound. They estimated existence value using contingent valuation, a survey approach designed to create the missing market for public goods by determining what people would be willing to pay (WTP) for specified changes in the quantity or quality of such goods or, more rarely, what they would be willing to accept (WTA) in compensation for well-specified degradations in the provision of these goods. The results suggest an aggrragete loss of $4. 9 to $7. 2 billion dollars. In effect, these amounts reflect the public’s willingness to pay to prevent another Exxon Valdez type oil spill given the scenario posed. . Replacement costs of birds and mammals. These costs include the relocation, replacement and rehabilitation for some of the shorebirds, seabirds and the marine and terrestrial mammals that may have suffered injury or were destroyed in the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The values range from $20,000 to $300,000 dollars per marine mammal (sea otters, whales, seal lions, seals), $125 to $500 dollars per terrestrial animal (bears, river otters, mink, deer), and $170 to $6,000 dollars for seabirds and eagles. How much oil remains? Based on the areas that were studied in the aftermath of the spill, scientists made estimates of the ultimate fate of the oil. A 2001 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) study surveyed 96 sites along 8,000 miles of coastline. [pic] [pic] A pit dug on a Prince William Sound beach in 2001 revealing oil in the sediments. (Source: NOAA) The survey distinguished between surface and buried oil. Buried or subsurface oil is of greater concern than surface oil. Subsurface oil can remain dormant for many years before being dispersed and is more liquid, still toxic, and may become biologically available. A disturbance event such as burrowing animals or a severe storm reworks the beach and can reintroduce unweathered oil into the water. Results of the summer shoreline survey showed that the oil remaining on the surface of beaches in Prince William Sound is weathered and mostly hardened into an asphalt-like layer. The toxic components of this type of surface oil are not as readily available to biota, although some softer forms do cause sheens in tide pools. The survey indicates a total area of approximately 20 acres of shoreline in Prince William Sound are still contaminated with oil. Oil was found at 58 percent of the 91 sites assessed and is estimated to have the linear equivalent of 5. 8 km of contaminated shoreline. In addition to the estimated area of remaining oiled beach, several other important points were evident: 1. Surface oil was determined to be not a good indicator of subsurface oil. 2. Twenty subsurface pits were classified as heavily oiled. Oil saturated all of the interstitial spaces and was extremely repugnant. These â€Å"worst case† pits exhibited an oil mixture that resembled oil encountered in 1989 a few weeks after the spill—highly odiferous, lightly weathered, and very fluid. 3. Subsurface oil was also found at a lower tide height than expected (between 0 and 6 feet), in contrast to the surface oil, which was found mostly at the highest levels of the beach. This is significant, because the pits with the most oil were found low in the intertidal zone, closest to the zone of biological production, and indicate that the survey estimates are conservative at best. Ecosystem response to the spill Recovery is a very difficult term to define and measure for a complex ecosystem such as Prince William Sound. If you ask a fisherman from Kodiak Island, a villager from the town of Valdez, an Exxon engineer, or a NOAA iologist, you are likely to receive such different answers that you may wonder if they heard the same question. In particular, disagreements exist between Exxon and government-funded scientists, and unknowns persist, especially in understanding how multiple processes combine to drive observed dynamics. Despite this, there are some things known with a high de gree of certainty: oil persisted beyond a decade in surprising amounts and in toxic forms, was sufficiently bioavailable to induce chronic biological exposures, and had long-term impacts at the population level. Three major pathways of long-term impacts emerge: (1) chronic persistence of oil, biological exposures, and population impacts to species closely associated with shallow sediments; (2) delayed population impacts of sublethal doses compromising health, growth, and reproduction; and (3) indirect effects of trophic and interaction cascades, all of which transmit impacts well beyond the acute-phase mortality. Acute Mortality [pic] [pic] Sea birds killed by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. (Source: NOAA) Marine mammals and seabirds are at great risk from floating oil because they have routine contact with the sea surface. Oiling of fur or feathers causes loss of insulating capacity and can lead to death from hypothermia, smothering, drowning, and ingestion of toxic hydrocabons. Scientists estimate mass mortalities of 1000 to 2800 sea otters, 302 harbor seals, and unprecedented numbers of seabird deaths estimated at 250,000 in the days immediately after the oil spill. Mass mortality also occurred among macroalgae and benthic invertebrates on oiled shores from a combination of chemical toxicity, smothering, and physical displacement from the habitat by pressurized wash-water applied after the spill. Long-term impacts The persistent nature of oil in sediments produce chronic, long-term exposure risks from some species. For example, chronic exposures for years after the spill to oil persisting in sedimentary refuges were evident from biomarkers in fish, sea otters, and seaducks intimately associated with sediments for egg laying or foraging. These chronic exposures enhanced mortality for years. Indirect effects can be as important as direct exposure. Cascading indirect effects are delayed in operation because they are mediated through changes in an intermediary. Perhaps the two generally most influential types of indirect interactions are: (1) trophic cascades in which predators reduce abundance of their prey, which in turn releases the prey’s food species from control; and (2) provision of biogenic habitat by organisms that serve as or create important physical structure in the environment. [pic] [pic] A healthy stand of rockweed (Fucus gardneri) growing on a boulder in Prince William Sound. Source: NOAA) Scientists have found that indirect interactions lengthened the recovery process on rocky shorelines for a decade or more. Dramatic initial loss of cover by the most important biogenic habitat provider, the rockweed Fucus gardneri, triggered a cascade of indirect impacts. Freeing of space on the rocks and the losses of important grazing (limpets and periwinkles) and predatory (whelks) gastropods combined to promote initi al blooms of ephemeral green algae in 1989 and 1990 and an opportunistic barnacle, Chthamalus dalli, in 1991. Absence of structural algal canopy led to declines in associated invertebrates and inhibited recovery of Fucus itself, whose recruits avoid desiccation under the protective cover of the adult plants. Those Fucus plants that subsequently settled on tests of Chthamalus dalli became dislodged during storms because of the structural instability of the attachment of this opportunistic barnacle. After apparent recovery of Fucus, previously oiled shores exhibited another mass rockweed mortality in 1994, a cyclic instability probably caused by simultaneous senility of a single-aged stand. The importance of indirect interactions in rocky shore communities is well established, and the general sequence of succession on rocky intertidal shores extending over a decade after the Exxon Valdez oil spill closely resembles the dynamics after the Torrey Canyon oil spill in the UK. State of recovery The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council published a study in 2004 to assess the state of the resources injured by the spill. Fifteen years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, it is clear that some fish and wildlife species injured by the spill have not fully recovered. It is less clear, however, what role oil plays in the inability of some populations to bounce back. An ecosystem is dynamic — ever changing — and continues its natural cycles and fluctuations at the same time that it struggles with the impacts of spilled oil. As time passes, separating natural change from oil-spill impacts becomes more and more difficult. The Trustee Council recognizes 30 resources or species as injured by the spill. Depending on their status as of 2002, these have been placed in one of five categories: Not Recovering These resources are showing little or no clear improvement since spill injuries occurred: Common loon Cormorants (3 species), Harbor seal, Harlequin duck, Pacific herring, Pigeon guillemot Recovery unknown Limited data on life history or extent of injury is available. Current research is either inconclusive or not complete: Cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden, Kittlitz’s murrelet, Rockfish Subtidal communities [pic] [pic] Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). (Source: NOAA) Recovered Recovery objectives have been met: Archaeological resources, Bald eagle, Black oystercatcher, Common murre, Pink salmon, River otter, Sockeye salmon Recovering Clams, Wilderness Areas, Intertidal communities, Killer whale (AB pod), Marbled murrelet, Mussels, Sea otter, Sediments Human uses Human services that depend on natural resources were also injured by the spill. These services are each categorized as â€Å"recovering† until the resources they depend on are fully recovered: Commercial fishing, Passive use, Recreation and tourism, Subsistence Prior to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, there was no baseline date available for the abundant number of species existing in Prince William Sound. Because of this lack of data, numbers of oil spill-related casualties and recovery rates have been difficult to determine. Legal responsibility of ExxonMobil The settlement among the State of Alaska, the U. S. government and Exxon was approved by the U. S. District Court on Oct. 9, 1991. It resolved various criminal charges against Exxon as well as civil claims brought by the federal and state governments for recovery of natural resource damages resulting from the oil spill. The settlement was comprised of criminal and civil settlements with Exxon, as well as a civil settlement with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. Criminal Settlement Plea Agreement Exxon was fined $150 million, the largest fine ever imposed for an environmental crime. The court forgave $125 million of that fine in recognition of Exxon’s cooperation in cleaning up the spill and paying certain private claims. Of the remaining $25 million, $12 million went to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund and $13 million went to the national Victims of Crime Fund. Criminal Restitution As restitution for the injuries caused to the fish, wildlife, and lands of the spill region, Exxon agreed to pay $100 million. This money was divided evenly between the federal and state governments. Civil Settlement Exxon agreed to pay $900 million in ten annual installments. The final payment was received in Sept. 2001. The settlement contains a â€Å"reopener window† between Sept. 1, 2002 and Sept. 1, 2006, during which the state and federal governments may make a claim for up to an additional $100 million. The funds must be used to restore resources that suffered a substantial loss or decline as a result of the oil spill, the injuries to which could not have been known or anticipated by the six trustees from any information in their possession or reasonably available to any of them at the time of the settlement (Sept. 25, 1991). The response of ExxonMobil [pic] [pic] Exxon logo. ExxonMobil acknowledged that the Exxon Valdez oil spill was a tragic accident that the company deeply regrets. Exxon notes that company took immediate responsibility for the spill, cleaned it up, and voluntarily compensated those who claimed direct damages. ExxonMobil paid $300 million immediately and voluntarily to more than 11,000 Alaskans and businesses affected by the Valdez spill. In addition, the company paid $2. 2 billion on the cleanup of Prince William Sound, staying with the cleanup from 1989 to 1992, when the State of Alaska and the U. S. Coast Guard declared the cleanup complete. And, as noted above, ExxonMobil also has paid $1 billion in settlements with the state and federal governments. That money is being used for environmental studies and conservation programs for Prince William Sound. ExxonMobil hired its own scientists to study the impacts of the spill, and they come to different conclusions than many of the results published by government agencies and peer-reviewed academic journals. Exxon’s scientists acknowledge the lingering pockets of oil in the sediments, but they argue that they do not pose a serious risk. It is their position that that there are now no species in Prince William Sound in trouble due to the impact of the 1989 oil spill, and that the data strongly support the position of a fully recovered Prince William Sound ecosystem. Lessons learned from the spill The scientists who monitored the oiled parts of Prince William Sound wanted to study the shoreline’s ecological recovery after an environmental disaster like the Exxon Valdez spill, and then use those lessons to better respond to future oil spills. Right now, their task is still incomplete. However, some of their findings have changed the way they think about cleaning up oil spills, and about how ecosystems respond to such disturbances. Following are some examples of what they have learned: 1. Clean-up attempts can be more damaging than the oil itself, with impacts recurring as long as clean-up (including both chemical and physical methods) continues. Because of the pervasiveness of strong biological interactions in rocky intertidal and kelp forest communities, cascades of delayed, indirect impacts (especially of trophic cascades and biogenic habitat loss) expand the scope of injury well beyond the initial direct losses and thereby also delay recoveries. 2. Oil that penetrates deeply into beaches can remain relatively fresh for years and can later come back to the surface and affect nearby animals. In addition, oil degrades at varying rates depending on environment, with subsurface sediments physically protected from disturbance, oxygenation, and photolysis retaining contamination by only partially weathered oil for years. 3. Rocky rubble shores should be of high priority for protection and cleanup because oil tends to penetrate deep and weather very slowly in these habitats, prolonging the harmful effects of the oil when it leaches out. . Oil effects to sea birds and mammals also are substantial (independent of means of insulation) over the long-term through interactions between natural environmental stressors and compromised health of exposed animals, through chronic toxic exposure from ingesting contaminated prey or during foraging around persistent sedimentary pools of oil, and through disruption of vital social functions (caregivin g or reproduction) in socially organized species. 5. Long-term exposure of fish embryos to weathered oil at parts per billion (ppb) concentrations has population consequences through indirect effects on growth, deformities, and behavior with long-term consequences on mortality and reproduction. The Exxon Valdez also triggered major improvements in oil spill prevention and response planning. 1. The U. S. Coast Guard now monitors fully-laden tankers via satellite as they pass through Valdez Narrows, cruise by Bligh Island, and exit Prince William Sound at Hinchinbrook Entrance. In 1989, the Coast Guard watched the tankers only through Valdez Narrows and Valdez Arm. . Two escort vessels accompany each tanker while passing through the entire Sound. They not only watch over the tankers, but are capable of assisting them in the event of an emergency, such as a loss of power or loss of rudder control. Fifteen years ago, there was only one escort vessel through Valdez Narrows. 3. Specially trained marine pilots, with considerable experience in Prince William Sound, board tankers from their new pilot station at Bligh Reef and are aboard the ship for 25 miles out of the 70-mile transit through the Sound. Weather criteria for safe navigation are firmly established. 4. Congress enacted legislation requiring that all tankers in Prince William Sound be double-hulled by the year 2015. It is estimated that if the Exxon Valdez had had a double-hull structure, the amount of the spill would have been reduced by more than half. There are presently three double-hulled and twelve double-bottomed tankers moving oil through Prince William Sound. Two more Endeavor class tankers are under construction by ConocoPhillips, their expected induction into service is 2004 and 2005. . Contingency planning for oil spills in Prince William Sound must now include a scenario for a spill of 12. 6 million gallons. Drills are held in the Sound each year. 6. The combined ability of skimming systems to remove oil from the water is now 10 times greater than it was in 1989, with equipment in place capable of recovering over 300,000 barrels of oil in 72 hours. 7. Even if oil could have been skimmed up in 1989, there wa s no place to put the oil-water mix. Today, seven barges are available with a capacity to hold 818,000 barrels of recovered oil. . There are now 40 miles of containment boom in Prince William Sound, seven times the amount available at the time of the Exxon Valdez spill. 9. Dispersants are now stockpiled for use and systems are in place to apply them from helicopters, airplanes, and boats. Further Reading †¢ Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: How Much Oil Remains? †¢ Alaska Oil Spill Commission. 1990. Spill, the wreck of the Exxon Valdez: implications for safe transportation of oil (Final report). Juneau, AK. †¢ National Transportation Safety Board. 1990. Marine Accident Report: Grounding of the U. S. Tankship Exxon Valdez: on Bligh Reef, Prince William Sound, near Valdez, Alaska, March 24, 1989. Washington, D. C. : NTSB. NTSB/MAR-90/04. 255 p. †¢ Peterson, Charles H. , Stanley D. Rice, Jeffrey W. Short, Daniel Esler, James L. Bodkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, David B. Irons. 2003. Long-Term Ecosystem Response to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Science 302: 2082-2086. |Disclaimer: This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, the | |National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of Earth may have | |edited its content or added new information. The use of information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric | |Administration should not be construed as support for or endorsement by that organization for any new information | |added by EoE personnel, or for any editing of the original content. | Citation Cleveland, Cutler (Contributing Author); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Content source); Peter Saundry (Topic Editor). 2008. Exxon Valdez oil spill. † In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D. C. : Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 17, 2006; Last revised August 26, 2008; Retrieved March 28, 2010]. 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