Environmental Degration

One of the major threat the planet faces today, environmental degradation is bound to make life difficult for all the lifeforms, including us humans, sooner or later. Studies reveal that the deterioration of environment is occurring at an alarming rate. In fact, the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations has enlisted it as one of the ten threats for humans. This issue shares space with problems like poverty, terrorism and civil war in the list, and this itself highlights the fact that we are heading for a certain disaster. What is Environmental Degradation?It is a process wherein the natural environment of the planet is degenerated to such an extent that the biodiversity and the general health of the planet is subjected to drastic reduction. In other words, this phenomenon can be defined as deterioration of the Earth's natural surroundings as a result of excessive exploitation of the available resources – these include water, air, flora, fauna, soil etc. The life on the planet is interwoven to such an extent that a decrease in a particular attribute triggers a domino effect on all the other attributes dependent on it.How is it Caused? ’; Environmental degradation can be attributed to various human activities and some natural processes, with the later having an insignificant share in the same. Most of the resources on the planet are vulnerable to depletion, and the rate at which we are exploiting them have already brought some of them to the brink of exhaustion. Exploitation of the fossil fuels is the best example of this phenomenon. Large-scale exploitation has depleted the fossil fuel reserves across the world, thus leaving us with no option but to find an alternate source of energy.Other human activities which have been contributing to this environmental issue include urbanization, overpopulation, deforestation, pollution, hunting, etc. What Does it Affect Us? Its effects are becoming more and more obvious in form of all those environment al issues affecting the planet. The hazardous waste let out by the industries tends to contaminate the water bodies in the vicinity, thus leaving the water unfit for drinking.Similarly, greenhouse gases, such as CFCs and carbon dioxide, let out in the atmosphere have a devastating effect on the environment, thus making the planet vulnerable to a range of problems, including global warming and climate change. On one hand, incessant agricultural activities have resulted in degradation of soil, while excessive deforestation to accumulate the growing population has resulted in degradation of air and water on the other hand. Humans have seldom sacrificed their necessities, but lately exploitation of resources to fulfill these necessities itself is taking a toll on the environment.How Can we Deal With it? At one point of time, the damage reaches a stage wherein the environment can't attain the required balance on its own. In such a situation, we humans need to step in, and ensure that the damage is curbed and balance is attained. Simple measures, such as conservation of electricity, use of alternative energy sources, avoiding the use of things that pollute the environment, soil conservation, etc. , can help in saving the environment from the threat of degradation. Environmentalists, the world over, are trying their best to save our environment, and we need to do our bit to make sure that they succeed.The need of the hour is to identify the causes of environmental degradation, and eliminate them one by one. We need to understand the fact that we are a part of the interwoven life system on the planet, and any problems, like environmental degradation and environmental pollution, are bound to affect us directly or indirectly. Though the disaster is not expected to happen tomorrow or a hundred years from now, that doesn't mean it will never happen at all. That being said, the onus is on us – the most intelligent species on the planet, to make sure that such proble ms are kept at bay.The main causes of environmental degradation are as follow; 1 Industrialization 2 Agricultural development 3 population growth 4 poverty 5 urbanization 6 Deforestation 7 transport development 8 market failure Causes of Environmental Degradation There is no doubt that man has caused environmental degradation. The causes of environmental degeneration are complex and should be addressed to, before it causes complete breakdown of the environment.Ads by Google BSc Psychology Online Study In Nigeria – UK Universities. Apply Online Now For Home Study www. rdi. co. k/psychology These are the days we keep hearing about global warming, melting of the glaciers, rising of the sea levels, etc. , all of which have been linked to environmental degradation. When the natural state of the environment is compromised upon it leads to breakdown of the biological diversity and harms the health of the environment. The process of environmental degradation can either be caused by n ature itself or it is man-made (which is a fact). If one has to compare the face of earth as it was hundreds of years ago to what it is today, we will see that environment has severely been compromised upon.When people look at environmental degradation, the intensity of the problem is not actually understood, but it could cause destruction of the human race itself. The causes of this problem vary a lot and it means depletion of the natural resources and disturbances in the natural cycle of things on the face of earth. Root Causes of Environmental Degradation The best case of environmental degradation can be seen in land degradation. There are climatic conditions responsible along with the human activities, which have brought about the degradation.The effects can be seen in the arid, semi arid and dry sub humid lands. One of the cause is over grazing of land. Along with that the green cover has depleted severely in almost all parts of the world. The forest cover has made way for huma n settlement. This has resulted in the temperatures increasing with each passing day. Since the forest covers have depleted, it has resulted in large-scale erosion, which in turn, is responsible for loss of nutrients from the soil. This has led the soil to becoming barren and in some cases also sterile.Since the forest cover has been lost, the winds now blow the top soil from the land, which also leads to degradation of the environment. Pollution is eating away into the environment. Here we are talking about air pollution, where toxic substances have made their way into the air, which has caused the air to become unhealthy. Air pollution is caused by a number of reasons. One of the most prominent cause is vehicle emissions. With each passing day, the number of vehicles are on the rise, which means increase in air pollution. The next cause is release of chemical waste from various factories.The waste often forms a layer in the atmosphere of the earth, which further affects the enviro nment. In environmental degradation we cannot forget the exploitation of fossil fuels. Since the time fossil fuels were discovered, they have been exploited. This has resulted in the fossil fuel reserves depleting all around the world, hence it has become important to find alternate sources of energy. When the fossil fuels are burnt, they release toxins into the air, which further aggravate environmental degradation. The underlying causes of environment going down way is overpopulation.The land reserve that is available on earth is finite. However, the demands are ever-increasing due to increasing population. There is only so much, that one can actually extract from the earth. This has led to widespread use of chemicals and other toxins to produce more food to feed the ever-increasing number of people. This has further caused depletion of the earth. With the use of chemicals the biological balance of earth has also been destroyed as the microorganisms have been killed. If one has to see the environmental degradation causes and effects, one will see that entire ecosystems have been destroyed.The ecosystem is made up of all the living and non living elements. However, when any one of them is destroyed, it leads to the destruction of the entire ecosystem as the balance is lost. No doubt plants and animals form an important feature of the ecosystem, but the microorganisms along with water sources and soil cannot be forgotten either. Industrial waste is known to be hazardous to the environment. The waste can be in the form of liquid waste, which pollute the rivers and cause harm to the ecosystem present in the rivers.It can also be solid waste, which is not biodegradable and pollutes the environment and leads to its degradation. We have already spoken about the industrial waste emitted into the air. After reading about the causes of environmental decadence, we can say that if the human race has to survive on the face of this earth, it is important that stringent me asures be taken up to arrest further deterioration of the environment. One will have to work towards conserving air, water and soil and try to restore balance in the ecosystem, which has been destroyed or is on the verge of destruction.In other words, one will have to work towards restoring natural habitats and make sure no further harm is done to the environment. By Bhakti Satalkar Published: 3/25/2011 * Environmental Degradation * How do Humans Affect the Environment * Current Environmental Issues * List of Environmental Problems * Simple Ways to Save the Environment * How does Mining Affect the Environment * How to Save the Environment * Globalization and Its Impact on the Environment * What are Environmental Ethics?* Environmental Issues List * How to Save Our Environment * Sustainable Living Ideas Causes of Overpopulation * Why are Birds and Fish Dying Read more at Buzzle: http://www. buzzle. com/articles/causes-of-environmental-degradation. html Environmental degradation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Eighty-plus years after the abandonment of Wallaroo Mines (Kadina, South Australia), mosses remain the only vegetation at some spots of the site's grounds Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. [1] Environmental degradation is one of the Ten Threats officially cautioned by the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines environmental degradation as â€Å"The reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs†. [2] Environmental degradation is of many types.When natural habitats are destroyed or natural resources are depleted, environment is degrad ed. | This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. Please help us clarify the article; suggestions may be found on the talk page. (May 2012) | Environmental Change and Human Health, a special section of World Resources 1998-99 in this report describes how preventable illnesses and premature deaths are still occurring in very large numbers. If vast improvements are made in human health, millions of people will be living longer, healthier lives than ever before.In these poorest regions of the world an estimated 11 million children, or about one in five, will not live to see their fifth birthday, primarily because of environment-related diseases. Child mortality is larger than the combined populations of Norway and Switzerland, and mostly due to malaria, acute respiratory infections or diarrhea — illnesses that are largely preventable. Contents [hide] * 1 Water deterioration * 1. 1 Climate change and temperature * 1. 2 Climate change and precipitation * 1. 3 Population g rowth* 1. 4 Agriculture * 1. Water management * 2 See also * 3 References * 4 External links| [edit] Water deterioration One major component of environmental degradation is the depletion of the resource of fresh water on Earth. Approximately only 2. 5% of all of the water on Earth is fresh water, with the rest being salt water. 69% of the fresh water is frozen in ice caps located on Antarctica and Greenland, so only 30% of the 2. 5% of fresh water is available for consumption. [3] Fresh water is an exceptionally important resource, since life on Earth is ultimately dependent on it.Water transports nutrients and chemicals within the biosphere to all forms of life, sustains both plants and animals, and molds the surface of the Earth with transportation and deposition of materials. [4] The current top three uses of fresh water account for 95% of its consumption; approximately 85% is used for irrigation of farmland, golf courses, and parks, 6% is used for domestic purposes such as indoo r bathing uses and outdoor garden and lawn use, and 4% is used for industrial purposes such as processing, washing, and cooling in manufacturing centers. 5] It is estimated that one in three people over the entire globe are already facing water shortages, almost one-fifth of the world’s population live in areas of physical water scarcity, and almost one quarter of the world’s population live in a developing country that lacks the necessary infrastructure to use water from available rivers and aquifers.Water scarcity is an increasing problem due to many foreseen issues in the future, including population growth, increased urbanization, higher standards of living, and climate change. 3] [edit] Climate change and temperature Climate change affects the Earth’s water supply in a large number of ways. It is predicted that the mean global temperature will rise in the coming years due to a number of forces affecting the climate, the amount of atmospheric CO2 will rise, and both of these will influence water resources; evaporation depends strongly on temperature and moisture availability, which can ultimately affect the amount of water available to replenish groundwater supplies.Transpiration from plants can be affected by a rise in atmospheric CO2, which can decrease their use of water, but can also raise their use of water from possible increases of leaf area. Temperature increase can decrease the length of the snow season in the winter and increase the intensity of snowmelt in warmer seasons, leading to peak runoff of snowmelt earlier in the season, affecting soil moisture, flood and drought risks, and storage capacities depending on the area. [6] Warmer winter temperatures cause a decrease in snowpack, which can result in diminished water resources during the summer.This is especially important at mid-latitudes and in mountain regions that depend on glacial runoff to replenish their river systems and groundwater supplies, making these areas inc reasingly vulnerable to water shortages over time; an increase in temperature will initially result in a rapid rise in water melting from glaciers in the summer, followed by a retreat in glaciers and a decrease in the melt and consequently the water supply every year as the size of these glaciers get smaller and smaller. 3]Thermal expansion of water and increased melting of oceanic glaciers from an increase in temperature gives way to a rise in sea level, which can affect the fresh water supply of coastal areas as well; as river mouths and deltas with higher salinity get pushed further inland, an intrusion of saltwater results in an increase of salinity in reservoirs and aquifers. 5] Sea-level rise may also consequently be caused by a depletion of groundwater,[7] as climate change can affect the hydrologic cycle in a number of ways. Uneven distributions of increased temperatures and increased precipitation around the globe results in water surpluses and deficits,[6] but a global dec rease in groundwater suggests a rise in sea level, even after meltwater and thermal expansion were accounted for,[7] which can provide a positive feedback to the problems sea-level rise causes to fresh-water supply.A rise in air temperature results in a rise in water temperature, which is also very significant in water degradation, as the water would become more susceptible to bacterial growth. An increase in water temperature can also affect ecosystems greatly because of a species’ sensitivity to temperature, and also by inducing changes in a body of water’s self-purification system from decreased amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water due to rises in temperature. [3] [edit] Climate change and precipitationA rise in global temperatures is also predicted to correlate with an increase in global precipitation, but because of increased runoff, floods, increased rates of soil erosion, and mass movement of land, a decline in water quality is probable, while water will car ry more nutrients, it will also carry more contaminants. [3] While most of the attention about climate change is directed towards global warming and greenhouse effect, some of the most severe effects of climate change are likely to be from changes in precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, and soil moisture.It is generally expected that, on average, global precipitation will increase, with some areas receiving increases and some decreases. Climate models show that while some regions should expect an increase in precipitation,[6] such as in the tropics and higher latitudes, other areas are expected to see a decrease, such as in the subtropics; this will ultimately cause a latitudinal variation in water distribution. 3] The areas receiving more precipitation are also expected to receive this increase during their winter and actually become drier during their summer,[6] creating even more of a variation of precipitation distribution. Naturally, the distribution of precipitation acro ss the planet is very uneven, causing constant variations in water availability in respective locations. Changes in precipitation affect the timing and magnitude of floods and droughts, shift runoff processes, and alter groundwater recharge rates.Vegetation patterns and growth rates will be directly affected by shifts in precipitation amount and distribution, which will in turn affect agriculture as well as natural ecosystems. Decreased precipitation will deprive areas of water, causing water tables to fall and reservoirs and wetlands, rivers, and lakes to empty,[6] and possibly an increase in evaporation and evapotranspiration, depending on the accompanied rise in temperature. [5] Groundwater reserves will be depleted, and the remaining water has a greater chance of being of poor quality from saline or contaminants on the land surface. 3] [edit] Population growth The available fresh water being affected by climate is also being stretched across an ever-increasing global population. It is estimated that almost a quarter of the global population is living in an area that is using more than 20% of their renewable water supply; water use will rise with population while the water is also being aggravated by decreases in streamflow and groundwater caused by climate change.Even though some areas may see an increase in freshwater supply from an uneven distribution of precipitation increase, an increased use of water supply is expected. [8] An increased population means increased withdrawals from the water supply for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses, the largest of these being agriculture,[9] believed to be the major non-climate driver of environmental change and water deterioration.The next 50 years will likely be the last period of rapid agricultural expansion, but the larger and wealthier population over this time will demand more agriculture. [10] Population increase over the last two decades, at least in the United States, has also been accompanied by a shift to an increase in urban areas from rural areas,[11] which concentrates the demand for water into certain areas, and puts stress on the fresh water supply from industrial and human contaminants. 3] Urbanization causes overcrowding and increasingly unsanitary living conditions, especially in developing countries, which in turn exposes an increasingly number of people to disease. About 79% of the world’s population is in developing countries, which lack access to sanitary water and sewer systems, giving rises to disease and deaths from contaminated water and increased numbers of disease-carrying insects. [12] [edit] AgricultureAgriculture is dependent on available soil moisture, which is directly affected by climate dynamics, with precipitation being the input in this system and various processes being the output, such as evapotranspiration, surface runoff, drainage, and percolation into groundwater. Changes in climate, especially the changes in precipitation and evapotr anspiration predicted by climate models, will directly affect soil moisture, surface runoff, and groundwater recharge. In areas with decreasing precipitation as predicted by the climate models, soil moisture may be substantially educed. [6] With this in mind, agriculture in most areas needs irrigation already, which depletes fresh water supplies both by the physical use of the water and the degradation agriculture causes to the water. Irrigation increases salt and nutrient content in areas that wouldn’t normally be affected, and damages streams and rivers from damming and removal of water. Fertilizer enters both human and livestock waste streams that eventually enter groundwater, while nitrogen, phosphorus, and other chemicals from fertilizer can acidify both soils and water.Certain agricultural demands may increase more than others with an increasingly wealthier global population, and meat is one commodity expected to double global food demand by 2050,[10] which directly aff ects the global supply of fresh water. Cows need water to drink, more if the temperature is high and humidity is low, and more if the production system the cow is in is extensive, since finding food takes more effort. Water is needed in processing of the meat, and also in the production of feed for the livestock.Manure can contaminate bodies of freshwater, and slaughterhouses, depending on how well they are managed, contribute waste such as blood, fat, hair, and other bodily contents to supplies of fresh water. [13] The transfer of water from agricultural to urban and suburban use raises concerns about agricultural sustainability, rural socioeconomic decline, food security, an increased carbon footprint from imported food, and decreased foreign trade balance. 9] The depletion of fresh water, as applied to more specific and populated areas, increases fresh water scarcity among the population and also makes populations susceptible to economic, social, and political conflict in a numbe r of ways; rising sea levels forces migration from coastal areas to other areas farther inland, pushing populations closer together breaching borders and other geographical patterns, and agricultural surpluses and deficits from the availability of water induce trade problems and economies of certain areas. 8]CLimate change is an important cause of involuntary migration and forced displacement[14] [edit] Water management The issue of the depletion of fresh water can be met by increased efforts in water management. [4] While water management systems are often flexible, adaptation to new hydrologic conditions may be very costly. [6] Preventative approaches are necessary to avoid high costs of inefficiency and the need for rehabilitation of water supplies,[4] and innovations to decrease overall demand may be important in planning water sustainability. 9] Water supply systems, as they exist now, were based on the assumptions of the current climate, and built to accommodate existing river flows and flood frequencies. Reservoirs are operated based on past hydrologic records, and irrigation systems on historical temperature, water availability, and crop water requirements; these may not be a reliable guide to the future. Re-examining engineering designs, operations, optimizations, and planning, as well as re-evaluating legal, technical, and economic approaches to manage water resources are very important for the future of water management in response to water degradation.Another approach is water privatization; despite its economic and cultural effects, service quality and overall quality of the water can be more easily controlled and distributed. Rationality and sustainability is appropriate, and requires limits to overexploitation and pollution, and efforts in conservation.Natural hazards are excluded as a cause, however human activities can indirectly affect phenomena such as floods and bush fires. 8. This is considered to be an important topic of the 21st century due to the implications land degradation has upon agronomic productivity, the environment, and its effects on food security. 3] It is estimated that up to 40% of the world's agricultural land is seriously degrad Measuring Land degradation is a broad term that can be applied differently across a wide range of scenarios. There are four main ways of looking at land degradation and its impact on the environment around it: * A temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity of the land.This can be seen through a loss of biomass, a loss of actual productivity or in potential productivity, or a loss or change in vegetative cover and soil nutrients. A decline in the lands â€Å"usefulness†: A loss or reduction in the lands capacity to provide resources for human livelihoods. This can be measured from a base line of past land use. * Loss of biodiversity: A loss of range of species or ecosystem complexity as a decline in the environmental quality. * Shifting ecological risk: increased vulnerability of the environment or people to destruction or crisis. This is measured through a base line in the form of pre-existing risk of crisis or destruction. A problem with measuring land degradation is that what one group of people call degradation, others might view as a benefit or opportunity.For example, heavy rainfall could make a scientific group be worried about high erosion of the soil while farmers could view it as a good opportunity to plant crops. [5] [edit] Causes Overgrazing by livestock can lead to land degradation Land degradation is a global problem, largely related to agricultural use. The major causes include:[citation needed] * Land clearance, such as clearcutting and deforestation * Agricultural depletion of soil nutrients through poor farming practices * Livestock including overgrazing and overdrafting * Inappropriate irrigation[6] and overdrafting * Urban sprawl and commercial development Soil contamination including * Vehicle off-roading * Qua rrying of stone, sand, ore and minerals * Increase in field size due to economies of scale, reducing shelter for wildlife, as hedgerows and copses disappear * Exposure of naked soil after harvesting by heavy equipment * Monoculture, destabilizing the local ecosystem * Dumping of non-biodegradable trash, such as plastics [edit] Effects Soil erosion in a wheat field near Pullman, USA. The main outcome of land degradation is a substantial reduction in the productivity of the land.[7] The major stresses on vulnerable land include: * Accelerated soil erosion by wind and water Soil acidification and the formation of acid sulfate soil resulting in barren soil * Soil alkalinisation owing to irrigation with water containing sodium bicarbonate leading to poor soil structure and reduced crop yields * Soil salination in irrigated land requiring soil salinity control to reclaim the land [8] * Soil waterlogging in irrigated land which calls for some form of subsurface land drainage to remediate t he negative effects [8] * Destruction of soil structure including loss of organic matter Overcutting of vegetation occurs when people cut forests, woodlands and shrublands—to obtain timber, fuelwood and other products—at a pace exceeding the rate of natural regrowth. This is frequent in semi-arid environments, where fuelwood shortages are often severe. Overgrazing is the grazing of natural pastures at stocking intensities above the livestock carrying capacity; the resulting decrease in the vegetation cover is a leading cause of wind and water erosion. It is a significant factor in Afghanistan.Agricultural activities that can cause land degradation include shifting cultivation without adequate fallow periods, absence of soil conservation measures, fertilizer use, and a host of possible problems arising from faulty planning or management of irrigation. They are a major factor in Sri Lanka and the dominant one in Bangladesh. The role of population factors in land degradat ion processes obviously occurs in the context of the underlying causes. In the region, in fact, it is indeed one of the two along with land shortage, and land shortage itself ultimately is a consequence of continued population growth in the face of the finiteness of land resources. In the context of land shortage the growing population pressure, during 1980-1990, has led to decreases in the already small areas of agricultural land per person in six out of eight countries (14% for India and 22% for Pakistan).Population pressure also operates through other mechanisms. Improper agricultural practices, for instance, occur only under constraints such as the saturation of good lands under population pressure which leads settlers to cultivate too shallow or too steep soils, plough fallow land before it has recovered its fertility, or attempt to obtain multiple crops by irrigating unsuitable soils. High population density is not always related to land degradation. Rather, it is the practice s of the human population that can cause a landscape to become degraded. Populations can be a benefit to the land and make it more productive than it is in its natural state.Land degradation is important factor of internal displacement in many African and Asian countries[9] Severe land degradation affects a significant portion of the Earth's arable lands, decreasing the wealth and economic development of nations. As the land resource base becomes less productive, food security is compromised and competition for dwindling resources increases, the seeds of famine and potential conflict are sewn. [edit] Sensitivity and resilience Sensitivity and resilience are measures of the vulnerability of a landscape to degradation. These two factors combine to explain the degree of vulnerability. [5] Sensitivity is the degree to which a land system undergoes change due to natural forces, human intervention or a combination of both.Resilience is the ability of a landscape to absorb change, without significantly altering the relationship between the relative importance and numbers of individuals and species that compose the community. [10] It also refers to the ability of the region to return to its original state after being changed in some way. The resilience of a landscape can be increased or decreased through human interaction based upon different methods of land-use management. Land that is degraded becomes less resilient than undegraded land, which can lead to even further degration through shocks to the landscape. [edit] Climate change Significant land degradation from seawater inundation, particularly in river deltas and on low-lying islands, is a potential hazard that was identified in a 2007 IPCC report. citation needed] As a result of sea-level rise from climate change, salinity levels can reach levels where agriculture becomes impossible in very low lying areas.Journal ofLand Degradation & DevelopmentVol 24 (6 Issues in 2013)Edited by: Professor Artemi Cerdà  Prin t ISSN: 1085-3278 Online ISSN: 1099-145X| * Description Land Degradation & Development is an international journal which seeks to promote rational study of the recognition, monitoring, control and rehabilitation of degradation in terrestrial environments. The journal focuses on: * what land degradation is; * what causes land degradation; * the impacts of land degradation * the scale of land degradation; * the history, current status or future trends of land degradation; * avoidance, mitigation and control of land degradation; * remedial actions to rehabilitate or restore degraded land; * sustainable land management.Land degradation may be defined as the loss of utility or potential utility through the reduction of or damage to physical, social, cultural or economic features, and/or reduction of ecosystem diversity. There may be a single cause or a complex mix of causes, some may be biogeophysical ('natural'), some socioeconomic ('human') and it is quite possible that cause(s) will be indirect, perhaps cumulative and difficult to identify. A major challenge is to learn how interactions between development and environment can be better managed to increase prospects for ecologically and socially sustainable improvements to human well-being.Development means attempts to improve human well-being or environmental quality in rich and poor nations on a sustained basis (sustainable development). Papers are invited on scientific, social, economic, political and historical aspects of terrestrial environmental degradation. Also welcome are analyses presenting forecasts of trends, case studies and discussion on management, planning and policy-making relating to the promotion of ecological sustainability and the counteraction of land degradation. In addition to original research papers, regional and thematic reviews, both invited and submitted, will be included, as will short communications, book reviews and applications of remote sensing and computer te chniques.The members of the Editorial Board are drawn from a comprehensive range of disciplines and nationalities. Together with a strict refereeing procedure this will ensure Land Degradation & Development maintains a high standard and presents material from a wide range of disciplines, from interdisciplinary study and with an international coverage. The subject matter will include the following topics: ENVIRONMENTS Degradation of: deserts, savannas, rangelands; forests, woodlands, tundra; mountain environments; wetlands, floodlands; farmland, irrigated land; sand-dunes; coastal zones, islands, urban, peri-urban environments. In polar, temperate, subtropical and tropical regions.PROCESSES #39;Desertification', rangeland degradation; soil degradation (compaction, loss of fertility, reduced organic matter, pollution, waterlogging, acidification, salinization, alkalinization, 'laterite' and hard-pan formation); erosion; degradation of vegetation cover, 'deforestati on'; impoverishment of wildlife habitats, loss of species. CAUSES Climatic change; sea-level variation; drought; storms; earth processes (geomorphological, volcanicity, natural leaching of soils); bushfires; degradation as a consequence of: industry, urban growth, agrochemicals, agricultural modernization, energy production/consumption, mining, warfare, refugees or migrants, breakdown of traditional landuse strategies, altered communications, legislative changes, demographic changes, administrative causes, institutional causes, social or economic causes. PERCEPTIONSPerception/recognition of degradation, attitudes toward degradation; ethics and land degradation; indicators; monitoring, surveillance; assessment of significance; establishing past, present and future trends. IMPACTS Physical, biological, social, cultural and economic impacts (direct, indirect, cumulative); long-term and short-term impacts; assessment of significance; aesthetic impact of degradation. Water pollution From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Raw sewage and industrial waste in the New River as it passes from Mexicali to Calexico, California. Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e. g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater).Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds. Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities. * 1 Introduction * 2 Categories * 2. 1 Point sources * 2. 2 Nonpoint sources * 3 Groundwater pollution * 4 Causes * 4. 1 Pathogens * 4. 2 Chemical and other contaminants * 4. 3 Thermal pollution * 5 Transport and chemical reactions of water pollutants * 6 Measurement * 6. 1 Sampling * 6. 2 Physical testing * 6. Chemical testing * 6. 4 Biological test ing * 7 Control of pollution * 7. 1 Domestic sewage * 7. 2 Industrial wastewater * 7. 3 Agricultural wastewater * 7. 4 Construction site stormwater * 7. 5 Urban runoff (stormwater) * 8 See also * 9 References * 10 External links| Introduction Millions depend on the polluted Ganges river Water pollution is a major global problem which requires ongoing evaluation and revision of water resource policy at all levels (international down to individual aquifers and wells).It has been suggested that it is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases,[1][2] and that it accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily. 2] An estimated 700 million Indians have no access to a proper toilet, and 1,000 Indian children die of diarrheal sickness every day. [3] Some 90% of China's cities suffer from some degree of water pollution,[4] and nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water. [5] In addition to the acute problems of water pollution in developing countries, develo ped countries continue to struggle with pollution problems as well. In the most recent national report on water quality in the United States, 45 percent of assessed stream miles, 47 percent of assessed lake acres, and 32 percent of assessed bays and estuarine square miles were classified as polluted. 6]Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants and either does not support a human use, such as drinking water, and/or undergoes a marked shift in its ability to support its constituent biotic communities, such as fish. Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, and earthquakes also cause major changes in water quality and the ecological status of water. Categories Surface water and groundwater have often been studied and managed as separate resources, although they are interrelated. [7] Surface water seeps through the soil and becomes groundwater. Conversely, groundwater can also feed surface water sources. Sources of surf ace water pollution are generally grouped into two categories based on their origin. Point sourcesPoint source pollution – Shipyard – Rio de Janeiro. Point source water pollution refers to contaminants that enter a waterway from a single, identifiable source, such as a pipe or ditch. Examples of sources in this category include discharges from a sewage treatment plant, a factory, or a city storm drain. The U. S. Clean Water Act (CWA) defines point source for regulatory enforcement purposes. [8] The CWA definition of point source was amended in 1987 to include municipal storm sewer systems, as well as industrial stormwater, such as from construction sites. [9] Nonpoint sources Nonpoint source pollution refers to diffuse contamination that does not originate from a single discrete source.NPS pollution is often the cumulative effect of small amounts of contaminants gathered from a large area. A common example is the leaching out of nitrogen compounds from fertilized agric ultural lands. Nutrient runoff in stormwater from â€Å"sheet flow† over an agricultural field or a forest are also cited as examples of NPS pollution. Contaminated storm water washed off of parking lots, roads and highways, called urban runoff, is sometimes included under the category of NPS pollution. However, this runoff is typically channeled into storm drain systems and discharged through pipes to local surface waters, and is a point source. Groundwater pollution See also: Hydrogeology Interactions between groundwater and surface water are complex.Consequently, groundwater pollution, sometimes referred to as groundwater contamination, is not as easily classified as surface water pollution. [7] By its very nature, groundwater aquifers are susceptible to contamination from sources that may not directly affect surface water bodies, and the distinction of point vs. non-point source may be irrelevant. A spill or ongoing releases of chemical or radionuclide contaminants into s oil (located away from a surface water body) may not create point source or non-point source pollution, but can contaminate the aquifer below, defined as a toxin plume. The movement of the plume, called a plume front, may be analyzed through a hydrological transport model or groundwater model.Analysis of groundwater contamination may focus on the soil characteristics and site geology, hydrogeology, hydrology, and the nature of the contaminants. Causes The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide spectrum of chemicals, pathogens, and physical or sensory changes such as elevated temperature and discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may be naturally occurring (calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, etc. ) the concentration is often the key in determining what is a natural component of water, and what is a contaminant. High concentrations of naturally occurring substances can have negative impacts on aquatic flora and fauna.Oxy gen-depleting substances may be natural materials, such as plant matter (e. g. leaves and grass) as well as man-made chemicals. Other natural and anthropogenic substances may cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light and disrupts plant growth, and clogs the gills of some fish species. [10] Many of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne diseases in either human or animal hosts. [11] Alteration of water's physical chemistry includes acidity (change in pH), electrical conductivity, temperature, and eutrophication. Eutrophication is an increase in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases in the primary productivity of the ecosystem.Depending on the degree of eutrophication, subsequent negative environmental effects such as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and severe reductions in water quality may occur, affecting fish and other animal populations. Pathogens A manhole cover unable to contain a sanitary sewer overflow . Coliform bacteria are a commonly used bacterial indicator of water pollution, although not an actual cause of disease. Other microorganisms sometimes found in surface waters which have caused human health problems include: * Burkholderia pseudomallei * Cryptosporidium parvum * Giardia lamblia * Salmonella * Novovirus and other viruses * Parasitic worms (helminths). [12][13] High levels of pathogens may result from inadequately treated sewage discharges. 14]This can be caused by a sewage plant designed with less than secondary treatment (more typical in less-developed countries). In developed countries, older cities with aging infrastructure may have leaky sewage collection systems (pipes, pumps, valves), which can cause sanitary sewer overflows. Some cities also have combined sewers, which may discharge untreated sewage during rain storms. [15] Pathogen discharges may also be caused by poorly managed livestock operations. Chemical and other contaminants Muddy river polluted by sed iment. Photo courtesy of United States Geological Survey. Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances. Organic water pollutants include:* Detergents Disinfection by-products found in chemically disinfected drinking water, such as chloroform * Food processing waste, which can include oxygen-demanding substances, fats and grease * Insecticides and herbicides, a huge range of organohalides and other chemical compounds * Petroleum hydrocarbons, including fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuels, and fuel oil) and lubricants (motor oil), and fuel combustion byproducts, from stormwater runoff[16] * Tree and bush debris from logging operations * Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as industrial solvents, from improper storage. * Chlorinated solvents, which are dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), may fall to the bottom of reservoirs, since they don't mix well with water and are denser. * Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) * Trichloroethylene * Perchlorate * Various chemi cal compounds found in personal hygiene and cosmetic products.A garbage collection boom in an urban-area stream in Auckland, New Zealand. Inorganic water pollutants include: * Acidity caused by industrial discharges (especially sulfur dioxide from power plants) * Ammonia from food processing waste * Chemical waste as industrial by-products * Fertilizers containing nutrients–nitrates and phosphates—which are found in stormwater runoff from agriculture, as well as commercial and residential use[16] * Heavy metals from motor vehicles (via urban stormwater runoff)[16][17] and acid mine drainage * Silt (sediment) in runoff from construction sites, logging, slash and burn practices or land clearing sites. Macroscopic Pollution in Parks Milwaukee, WIMacroscopic pollution—large visible items polluting the water—may be termed â€Å"floatables† in an urban stormwater context, or marine debris when found on the open seas, and can include such items as: * Tras h or garbage (e. g. paper, plastic, or food waste) discarded by people on the ground, along with accidental or intentional dumping of rubbish, that are washed by rainfall into storm drains and eventually discharged into surface waters * Nurdles, small ubiquitous waterborne plastic pellets * Shipwrecks, large derelict ships. Thermal pollution Main article: Thermal pollution Thermal pollution is the rise or fall in the temperature of a natural body of water caused by human influence.Thermal pollution, unlike chemical pollution, results in a change in the physical properties of water. A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. Elevated water temperatures decreases oxygen levels (which can kill fish) and affects ecosystem composition, such as invasion by new thermophilic species. Urban runoff may also elevate temperature in surface waters. Thermal pollution can also be caused by the release of very cold water from t he base of reservoirs into warmer rivers. Transport and chemical reactions of water pollutants See also: Marine pollution Most water pollutants are eventually carried by rivers into the oceans.In some areas of the world the influence can be traced hundred miles from the mouth by studies using hydrology transport models. Advanced computer models such as SWMM or the DSSAM Model have been used in many locations worldwide to examine the fate of pollutants in aquatic systems. Indicator filter feeding species such as copepods have also been used to study pollutant fates in the New York Bight, for example. The highest toxin loads are not directly at the mouth of the Hudson River, but 100 kilometers south, since several days are required for incorporation into planktonic tissue. The Hudson discharge flows south along the coast due to coriolis force.Further south then are areas of oxygen depletion, caused by chemicals using up oxygen and by algae blooms, caused by excess nutrients from algal cell death and decomposition. Fish and shellfish kills have been reported, because toxins climb the food chain after small fish consume copepods, then large fish eat smaller fish, etc. Each successive step up the food chain causes a stepwise concentration of pollutants such as heavy metals (e. g. mercury) and persistent organic pollutants such as DDT. This is known as biomagnification, which is occasionally used interchangeably with bioaccumulation. A polluted river draining an abandoned copper mine on Anglesey Large gyres (vortexes) in the oceans trap floating plastic debris.The North Pacific Gyre for example has collected the so-called â€Å"Great Pacific Garbage Patch† that is now estimated at 100 times the size of Texas. Many of these long-lasting pieces wind up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals. This results in obstruction of digestive pathways which leads to reduced appetite or even starvation. Many chemicals undergo reactive decay or chemically change especi ally over long periods of time in groundwater reservoirs. A noteworthy class of such chemicals is the chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene (used in industrial metal degreasing and electronics manufacturing) and tetrachloroethylene used in the dry cleaning industry (note latest advances in liquid carbon dioxide in dry cleaning that avoids all use of chemicals).Both of these chemicals, which are carcinogens themselves, undergo partial decomposition reactions, leading to new hazardous chemicals (including dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride). Groundwater pollution is much more difficult to abate than surface pollution because groundwater can move great distances through unseen aquifers. Non-porous aquifers such as clays partially purify water of bacteria by simple filtration (adsorption and absorption), dilution, and, in some cases, chemical reactions and biological activity: however, in some cases, the pollutants merely transform to soil contaminants. Groundwater that mo ves through cracks and caverns is not filtered and can be transported as easily as surface water.In fact, this can be aggravated by the human tendency to use natural sinkholes as dumps in areas of Karst topography. There are a variety of secondary effects stemming not from the original pollutant, but a derivative condition. An example is silt-bearing surface runoff, which can inhibit the penetration of sunlight through the water column, hampering photosynthesis in aquatic plants. Water pollution may be analyzed through several broad categories of methods: physical, chemical and biological. Most involve collection of samples, followed by specialized analytical tests. Some methods may be conducted in situ, without sampling, such as temperature.Government agencies and research organizations have published standardized, validated analytical test methods to facilitate the comparability of results from disparate testing events. [18] Sampling Sampling of water for physical or chemical test ing can be done by several methods, depending on the accuracy needed and the characteristics of the contaminant. Many contamination events are sharply restricted in time, most commonly in association with rain events. For this reason â€Å"grab† samples are often inadequate for fully quantifying contaminant levels. Scientists gathering this type of data often employ auto-sampler devices that pump increments of water at either time or discharge intervals.Sampling for biological testing involves collection of plants and/or animals from the surface water body. Depending on the type of assessment, the organisms may be identified for biosurveys (population counts) and returned to the water body, or they may be dissected for bioassays to determine toxicity. Further information: Water quality#Sampling and Measurement Physical testing Common physical tests of water include temperature, solids concentrations (e. g. , total suspended solids (TSS)) and turbidity. Chemical testing See al so: water chemistry analysis and environmental chemistry Water samples may be examined using the principles of analytical chemistry. Many published test methods are available for both organic and inorganic compounds.Frequently used methods include pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD),[19]:102 chemical oxygen demand (COD),[19]:104 nutrients (nitrate and phosphorus compounds), metals (including copper, zinc, cadmium, lead and mercury), oil and grease, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), and pesticides. Biological testing Main article: Bioindicator Biological testing involves the use of plant, animal, and/or microbial indicators to monitor the health of an aquatic ecosystem. Control of pollution Domestic sewage Main article: Sewage treatment Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant serving Boston, Massachusetts and vicinity. Domestic sewage is 99. 9 percent pure water, while the other 0. 1 percent are pollutants.Although found in low concentrations, these pollutants pose risk on a large scale. [20] In urban areas, domestic sewage is typically treated by centralized sewage treatment plants. In the U. S. , most of these plants are operated by local government agencies, frequently referred to as publicly owned treatment works (POTW). Municipal treatment plants are designed to control conventional pollutants: BOD and suspended solids. Well-designed and operated systems (i. e. , secondary treatment or better) can remove 90 percent or more of these pollutants. Some plants have additional sub-systems to treat nutrients and pathogens. Most municipal plants are not designed to treat toxic pollutants found in industrial wastewater. 21]Cities with sanitary sewer overflows or combined sewer overflows employ one or more engineering approaches to reduce discharges of untreated sewage, including: * utilizing a green infrastructure approach to improve stormwater management capacity throughout the system, and reduce the hydraulic overloading of the treatment plant[22] * repair and replacement of leaking and malfunctioning equipment[15] * increasing overall hydraulic capacity of the sewage collection system (often a very expensive option). A household or business not served by a municipal treatment plant may have an individual septic tank, which treats the wastewater on site and discharges into the soil.Alternatively, domestic wastewater may be sent to a nearby privately owned treatment system (e. g. in a rural community). Some industrial facilities generate ordinary domestic sewage that can be treated by municipal facilities. Industries that generate wastewater with high concentrations of conventional pollutants (e. g. oil and grease), toxic pollutants (e. g. heavy metals, volatile organic compounds) or other nonconventional pollutants such as ammonia, need specialized treatment systems. Some of these facilities can install a pre-treatment system to remove the toxic components, and then send the partially treated wastewater to the municipal system.Industries generating large volumes of wastewater typically operate their own complete on-site treatment systems. Some industries have been successful at redesigning their manufacturing processes to reduce or eliminate pollutants, through a process called pollution prevention. Heated water generated by power plants or manufacturing plants may be controlled with: * cooling ponds, man-made bodies of water designed for cooling by evaporation, convection, and radiation * cooling towers, which transfer waste heat to the atmosphere through evaporation and/or heat transfer * cogeneration, a process where waste heat is recycled for domestic and/or industrial heating purposes. [23] Agricultural wastewaterMain article: Agricultural wastewater treatment Riparian buffer lining a creek in Iowa Nonpoint source controls Sediment (loose soil) washed off fields is the largest source of agricultural pollution in the United States. [10] Farmers may utilize erosion controls to reduce runoff flows and retain soil on their fields. Common techniques include contour plowing, crop mulching, crop rotation, planting perennial crops and installing riparian buffers. [24][25]:pp. 4-95–4-96 Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are typically applied to farmland as commercial fertilizer; animal manure; or spraying of municipal or industrial wastewater (effluent) or sludge.Nutrients may also enter runoff from crop residues, irrigation water, wildlife, and atmospheric deposition. [25]:p. 2-9 Farmers can develop and implement nutrient management plans to reduce excess application of nutrients. [24][25]:pp. 4-37–4-38 To minimize pesticide impacts, farmers may use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques (which can include biological pest control) to maintain control over pests, reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, and protect water quality. [26] Feedlot in the United States Point source wastewater treatment Farms with large livestock and poultry operations, such as factory farms, are call ed concentrated animal feeding operations or feedlots in the US and are being subject to increasing government regulation. 27][28] Animal slurries are usually treated by containment in anaerobic lagoons before disposal by spray or trickle application to grassland.Constructed wetlands are sometimes used to facilitate treatment of animal wastes. Some animal slurries are treated by mixing with straw and composted at high temperature to produce a bacteriologically sterile and friable manure for soil improvement. Construction site stormwater Silt fence installed on a construction site. Sediment from construction sites is managed by installation of: * erosion controls, such as mulching and hydroseeding, and * sediment controls, such as sediment basins and silt fences. [29] Discharge of toxic chemicals such as motor fuels and concrete washout is prevented by use of: * spill prevention and control plans, and specially designed containers (e. g. for concrete washout) and structures such as o verflow controls and diversion berms. [30] Urban runoff (stormwater) Main article: Urban runoff See also: Green infrastructure Retention basin for controlling urban runoff Effective control of urban runoff involves reducing the velocity and flow of stormwater, as well as reducing pollutant discharges. Local governments use a variety of stormwater management techniques to reduce the effects of urban runoff.These techniques, called best management practices (BMPs) in the U. S. , may focus on water quantity control, while others focus on improving water quality, and some perform both functions. 31] Pollution prevention practices include low-impact development techniques, installation of green roofs and improved chemical handling (e. g. management of motor fuels & oil, fertilizers and pesticides). [32] Runoff mitigation systems include infiltration basins, bioretention systems, constructed wetlands, retention basins and similar devices. [33][34] Thermal pollution from runoff can be cont rolled by stormwater management facilities that absorb the runoff or direct it into groundwater, such as bioretention systems and infiltration basins. Retention basins tend to be less effective at reducing temperature, as the water may be heated by the sun before being discharged to a receiving stream. [31]:p. 5-58 *

Death on Pine street Essay

In this essay I will be comparing two detective stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story ‘The Speckled Band’ was written in the 1890’s and set in England. It follows Sherlock Holmes as he investigates the unusual death of a young woman. Through clever logic he manages to solve the case entirely by simply investigating the scene of the crime. ‘Death on Pine Street’ was written in the 1930’s and set in America. The detective in this is a more â€Å"street-wise† roughed up detective, investigating the murder of a woman’s husband. His sly and even dishonest methods of investigation solve the case, however there are a few complexities. Both stories are first person narratives. In ‘The Speckled Band’ Dr. Watson is the narrator but in ‘Death on Pine Street’, the Op himself tells us the story. This means that in the Holmes story the reader is kept in the dark about what is happening because we only know what Watson knows and, therefore, have to wait to the end of the story for Holmes to explain how he solved the crime to Watson. In the other story, because the Op is the narrator we know what he is thinking and what is happening to him. This different style works well, because although we know what he is thinking, we still have to wait to the end for the Op to explain how he solved the crime to the police; this way it doesn’t ruin the element of interest that keeps the reader going on. The detectives in the two stories, Sherlock Holmes and the Continental Op, have some things in common, but are also very different characters. This is due to the very different places and times in which the stories are set. Both are private detectives solving crimes for money. They are both loners with no wives, families or girlfriends. They are both quick thinking, clever and observant – they see clues and evidence that nobody else can see. They are both brave and strong, and can use weapons and know how to defend themselves. These are important factors in a good detective, which I think is why they share these traits whilst being from such different places and times. Sherlock Holmes was the first fictional detective ever, so it is probable that some of the inspiration for the Continental Op came from him. However they differ in many ways. Holmes is a more upper-class, well spoken and well-educated man. The Continental Op is more of a slang-talking, lower-class working man. He works for a company, and has to travel to meet clients. Holmes works from home; Miss Stoner comes to see him. He seems to do detective work simply for enjoyment, he tells Miss Stoner she need not pay him. Holmes seems more calm and collected, he doesn’t carry a firearm or get into fisticuffs – the Continental Op does both of these. Since Watson is narrating ‘The Speckled Band’, we get a good description of Holmes; the Continental Op does not describe himself at all – infact the only description of him is given by the Tenant, referring to him as â€Å"our little fat friend†. The Continental Op is always skulking around bad areas and apartments, Holmes usually takes a safe journey to the scene of the crime (in this case a mansion). It is the difference in location and time that plays an integral part in shaping these completely different characters that share similar and almost universal traits. ‘Death on Pine Street’ is set in America in the 1930’s; this was during the Great Depression when times were very hard on people. Unemployment was high, many people could barely afford to live and so naturally people were more highstrung or ill-tempered, and crime rose. It was this kind of tough way of life that forms the environment and the character in ‘Death on Pine Street’. ‘The Speckled Band’ is set in England, in the 1890’s, a fine period for upper-class people. Holmes would have been raised comfortably, and it would not have been a necessity for him to be â€Å"tough† like the Continental Op. He does not deal in the same way as the Continental Op; he quietly investigates a single place, and works without any interrogations or interviews. This greatly seperates the feel of the story from ‘Death on Pine Street’, as the Continental Op interracts far more, with many more characters.

Current Trends in Education

Current Trends In Education Current Trends in Education The trends in human resource management and its implications for education are altering. Several trends are innovative and are a result of the economy, while others are escalating as a result of new regulations, new types of degrees and education, and the type of people employed. The purpose of this paper Is to Inform the reader of several of these current trends.The trends that seems the most critical to human resource management in education are the reduction of teachers, enhancing of job application questions, integration of technology, employee benefits, and providing staff recognition to encourage retention. These trends mark substantial challenges to schools with reference to workforce development, retention, and recruitment. New human resource management trends in education can be directly linked to the downturn In our economy. (Shield, November 2009) Simply because more schools are downsizing the amount of teachers retai ned, and increasing classroom sizes due to budget cuts.Superintendents need to work with their human resource managers to determine what types of individuals will work well tit their teams. Beyond the basic educational skills, human resource managers need to know if new hires and possible candidates can produce, can be trained, and can embrace a team environment, as well as generate the ultimate goal of enhancing the academic performance of students. More human resources managers are expanding upon Job application questions as far as education, Internships, and experience in fields of expertise.This allow for changes in interview techniques. Two types of interview may be used by the human resource manager. One Is the screening and the other is the behavior. The screening is to cull candidates that do to meet specific requirements. The behavioral interview is to make an educated selection based on fair and legitimate criteria and not a â€Å"gut feeling. † (Mayer, 2008) Questi ons for applicants that are directly related to the school environment will be important in determining who gets the job and who is passed over.While the old standards still apply to race, creed, religion, and disability as well as others, human resources managers now have to deal with the state certification of individuals and make a dedicated effort to giving these people every opportunity afforded to them by the certification they received. In the district in which I am employed, prospective teachers must have passed at least one of the three test needed for certification In order to be considered for employment. There are six goals of the strategic plan for my school.The first is improving academic performance for ALL students while closing the achievement gap. Next is establishing and maintaining the school climates and facilities that are safe, orderly and supportive of effective teaching and learning. Third is developing and implement procedures and programs that will infuse technology to assist in improving the physical and fiscal management, inclemency, effectiveness, Ana accountability AT ten cocoons Loving. I en recycling ten over-representation of minority and other at-risk students in Special Education.Fifth is developing programs to promote the recruitment and retention of quality staff. Finally is promoting and encouraging positive home, school, business, and community relations that encourage student achievement. Technology is a significant trend and a fundamental part of our strategic plan. This trend is that technology advances are quickening in pace since the sass (Citron and Davies, May 2008). This trend may accelerate more significantly as more schools integrate genealogy into there academic programs.These trends will necessitate more flexible and technologically as'. N. Y schools. The two technology objectives in our strategic plan are to ensure effective use of technology through ongoing training of our office staff and having teachers t o utilize technology for lesson planning, attendance, and grading practices. Office staff will update information on the school's website, use Manatee for budgetary matters, access available tools in SASS program, and use the television scroll to display information.Teachers will utilize technology in daily classroom lessons. The action steps to be used are incorporating technology components each day in lesson planning, allowing teachers to check-out laptops from carts for projection, acquiring screens for each classroom, utilizing Interactive Achievement throughout grading period, providing professional development by individual teacher needs, performing required division testing on the computers (4th and 5th grade benchmarks) and using Study Island and SOL Pass.Employee benefits is a trend that is vital. These programs will need to make radical changes to attract and retain employees. Since the majority of the current workforce is aging, hey will be looking for better prescriptio n coverage and long-term care benefits. Employees want a good retirement plan. A great employee benefit plan help organizations to compete in today's world. Employees not only work for money but also for intangible benefits such as enjoyment and a sense of purpose. Workforce Management 2003) One objective of the strategic plan is to show improvements by subgroups by at least 10% on each Virginia Standards of Learning test in all four core subjects. One strategy to be used in reading is exposure to different genres and understanding their components. The action steps to take place to ensure this are sing genre studies, utilizing read aloud, using Reading Mastery Program textbooks, and participation in the Accelerated Reading Program. One strategy to be used in mathematics is to enhance the quality of instruction for students.The action steps to ensure the success of this strategy is moving experienced teachers in grade level math positions, seek professional development opportunities for math teachers, incorporate learning stations to break down activities, and participation in SOL math night. One strategy to be used in history is student involvement in surrounding to include local, state, national, and live theaters. The actions steps to be taken to be successful in this area are field trips, local speakers, Jamestown outreach, Theatre Four, and Art Bank (living history).One strategy to be used in science is grade level mastery of standards for each student. The action steps taken administer an end of year test that contains all tested standards, communication between third, fourth, and fifth grades about expectations of students, and working with students in small learning stations to gauge individual needs. Staff recognition is a very effective part AT our strategic plan Ana another current trend. One goal In our cocoons improvement plan is to establish and maintain school climate.The school improvement committee meets and decides up staff recognition activi ties that will improve the school climate. The objective is to recognize staff that support effective teaching and learning. Recognizing staff has been one of the least expensive and most effective ways in helping to boost morale and productivity and well as enhancing retention. The staff where I work have been extremely responsive to being recognized, which is shown by the low turnover rate at the end of each school year.Staff recognition is shown weekly by spotlighting teachers and other staff members. I believe that staff recognition could be improved where I work by offering small monetary incentives. This could be funded by the fund raising committee. Gala events, best-of-the-best awards, on-the-spot recognition, gift certificates, performance reward points, sending e-cards and Just plain saying thanks – most organizations today have some form or all of these recognition programs in place with the intent to make a positive difference. HRS Management 2010) The author has discovered that a revision of this plan is needed to meet the needs of the 95% majority population of African American students. Teachers will use multicultural activities and games to stimulate instruction. In math classes, The Math Party will be used. This is a program that is used for intervention for at risk students and as a re- teaching/review tool for all students. In science and history classes, teachers will use songs and raps to incorporate in their instruction.These integrated musical experiences can provide excitement for learning and improving students' skills. Music is able to expand the instructional process and accommodate differences in learning styles. Most of all, music adds an unique element of fun to the classroom. When children learn with music it makes learning more exciting. With music, students tend to work harder. In the concluding examination, it is irrefutable that rhyme, rhythm, and music can make immense differences in teaching and learning. They are th e intangible educational instruments that can touch students in extremely unforgettable ways.

Rubrics and Student Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rubrics and Student Learning - Essay Example Tables 1, 2 and 3 present quantitative data on the results of a paired sample t-test applied three pairs of art projects. Two-tailed paired samples t-tests were carried out using a significance level (ï  ¡) of 0.05. In a two tailed test, it is hypothesized that two variables being considered have equal means. This hypothesis is rejected when the computed p-value, also known as the observed significance level is less than the hypothesized level of significance, which in this study is 0.05, signifying that the means are not equal and the difference between the two means are significant. The variable with the higher mean is said to have a significantly higher mean than the other variable. Table 1 presents the results of the scores of Line Project 1 and Line Project 2. Line Project 1 was undertaken with no rubrics presented to the class prior to the project, while Line Project 2 was assigned to the students after clear and explicit expectations were clarified by a scoring rubrics. In this part of the analysis, even if a statistical software was used, the scores of Student No. 17 and Student No. 23 were manually excluded from the computations, since their scores on both projects were 0. 1Simple mean was computed without the scores of Student No. 17 and Student No. 23, since both students were not able to submit both projects. When the 0 scores of both students were included, the means were lower at 75.92 and 85.69 for Line Projects 1 and 2, respectively. 2Standard deviation was also computed without the scores of Student No. 17 and Student No. 23.When the 0 scores of both students were included, the standard deviations were higher at 27.405 and 25.901 for Line Projects 1 and 2, respectively. As shown in Table 1, statistical analysis of the students’ score in Line Projects 1 and 2 revealed that the mean of the scores in Line Project 2 (92.83) is significantly higher than the mean of the

Musculoskeletal and neurological diseases and healing in Veterinary Essay

Musculoskeletal and neurological diseases and healing in Veterinary Physiotherapy - Essay Example In addition, they include diseases such as encephalopathy, myelopathy and neuropathy. The techniques used to diagnose neurological diseases include laboratory test screening, radiography and electromyography, which research indicates can be used to confirm the location of a spinal pathology produced by tumours. The canine Wobbler syndrome is a neurological syndrome, which has different names depending on the variance in the neurological dysfunction. The syndrome is caused by abnormalities in the caudal cervical vertebrae and affects dogs. Even after a long period of research about the syndrome, there has been no medical or surgical regime, which was deemed appropriate for all the dogs affected with the syndrome. This neurological dysfunction is due to spinal cord compression from various malformations and this result to the deformity of the vertebral canal. This syndrome is caused by over nutrition because one of its symptoms is rapid growth. In the treatment of this disease, rationa l, medical, surgical and medical therapies have evolved from the recent studies of this syndrome. Musculoskeletal disease is a degenerative disease that brings inflammatory conditions causing pain and impairment of normal activities. Musculoskeletal disease affects different parts of the body, including the neck, shoulders, arms, feet, legs and the upper and lower back. The disease is caused by awkward sitting postures and doing repetitive straining activities. Musculoskeletal diseases involve soft tissues and therefore there are no visible signs of injury to the animals who have these conditions. The prevention of this condition is controlled from the places where the animals do high rates of strains activities and it’s in the same place where the animals are exposed to unsafe conditions. The animals subject to those risks are identified and the correct physical and psychosocial control measures taken. The control measures include

Canadian History post confederation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Canadian History post confederation - Essay Example The threat of 'race suicide' loomed large in the outlook of housing reformers as it did in all the social improvement campaigns of the era. It was widely believed that the deplorable health of the working class, most visibly demonstrated in the high failure rates in military medical inspections, and the large-scale 'infiltration' of non-British immigrants would jeopardize the future of the Anglo-Saxon 'race.' One worrying development noted by reformers was the hesitancy of landlords to rent dwellings to families with children. This reluctance was commonly noted by observers of the urban scene and became particularly serious after the war with the housing shortage. It represented a concrete manifestation of the potential conflict of interest between different sections of capital -- industrialists and landlords -- over questions such as the reproduction of the workforce. As one conservative union bureaucrat in Toronto, J.T. Gunn, put it blatantly in 1920, 'Landlords object to children, with the result that we are drifting into race suicide.' 'Race' was a loosely defined term used extensively by social commentators to designate the peculiar social attributes that allegedly derived from the biology or culture of a particular people. In the English-Canadian case, this attitude was largely rooted in a sense of the inherent superiority of British 'stock' and constituted a fundamental element of the social hierarchy. It reflected the ideological legacy of the conquest of French Canada and the Native peoples, the Anglo-chauvinism associated with the international hegemony of the British Empire, and the Eurocentric racism linked to colonialism and slavery. Whether one was an environmentalist who believed that active intervention could uplift the social and moral conditions of the indigent and socially 'misfit' or a hereditarian who envisioned that social problems originated in immutable biological traits, there was a common opinion that the Canadian 'race' could be bettered. Neither was there disagreement that the physical, mental, and moral state of the race faced grave danger unless prompt action was taken. Early reformers isolated infectious diseases as the main peril because they threatened to overtake the city as a whole. A 1906 editorial in the Toronto Daily News outlined this threat to the 'respectable' classes: 'The Ward constitutes a constant menace to the physical and moral health of the city. It is an open sore from which flow fetid currents which cannot but be corrupting to the whole community.' The metaphor of disease was widely used to depict the slum housing conditions of immigrants and the poor. Dr Charles Hodgetts, head of the Public Health and Housing section of the COC, argued that temporary shack towns on the outskirts of cities were quickly becoming the 'overcrowded permanent homes of a foreign population -- hot beds of parasitic and communicable diseases and breeders of vice and inequity.' Such bigotry was extended to working-class British and American immigrants as

My Occupational Reseach on Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My Occupational Reseach on Engineering - Essay Example The expected growth of manufacturing in the United States will positively impact the occupation. The demand for engineers will grow as new technology comes out into the marketplace. To become an engineer one must complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited university. The three engineering specialties with the highest demand are civil, electronics, and mechanical engineering. The growth in civil engineering jobs is directly correlated to the growth in construction in the United States. In 2008 there were 1.6 million engineers working in the United States. The specialty with the most jobs was civil engineers with 278,400 jobs. Nearly 36% of the engineers working in the U.S. were employed in manufacturing settings, while 30% were employed in professional, scientific, and technical service industries (Bls). The job outlook for the profession in the near future is positive. Engineering jobs are growing at about the same rate as other professions. The state of the U.S. economy will determine the job growth opportunities for engineers in the near future. The median salary for engineers varies by specialty, but the lowest median salary in 200 8 was agriculture engineering at $68,730

Changing Role of the Product Designer from 18th Century to Now Essay

Changing Role of the Product Designer from 18th Century to Now - Essay Example Further more, as industrial firms flourished with their large production lines, there was always a search for new products and more productive processes to produce them. With the end of the craftsmen era and the beginning of the industrial era brought on by the new inventions there was a higher demand created for new products as living conditions improved. In the late 18th to the beginning of the 19th century new products was mostly developed by inventors. Inventors such as Frenchmen, B. Thimonnier (sewing machine), Francis Pettit Smith (propeller), Charles Babbage (mechanical calculator), Alexander Bain (facsimile), Hamilton Smith (washing machine) and Alfred Nobel (dynamite) to name but a few . Many of these inventions can still be found in our homes today. These inventers where mostly engineers, doctors or scientist, educated and trained in only one field. But as the industries expanded and several prominent firms was established in the 19th and early 20th century, these firms created their own design departments to create new and innovative products in order to stay competitive. Examples are Coca-Cola , Nestle , Ford and the Carrier Corporation to name but a few. Through their efforts the world saw the first six-pack, the chocolate bar, rolling production lines and air conditioning to name a few. Many organizations created design departments with dedicated designers to evaluate customer needs and then design products that will satisfy these needs. Due to the increased competition in the commercial world these departments will work on a range of products at any one time, to ensure profitability from those successfully introduced into the market. Designed products include diet soda, transistor radio (Texas Instruments), non stick pan, oral contraceptives, Barbie doll, etc Today product designs have an even more profound effect on bottom line of major companies. Although its impact may be difficult to quantify a UK trade association, the design council lodged a project to try and measure the payoff companies make from design products. The tracked the performance of 63 British companies who incorporated product design into their production processes. They measured the share price performance of these companies against the designer awards they received from 1994 to 2004. Their research indicated that these design companies outperformed the FTSE 100 and FTSE All Share indices by 200% over a ten year period. The results from their research strongly indicated that companies who invest more in product design are more likely to succeed in a competitive market. Image 2: Chris Bangle's Design for the new BMW 3 Series New Style Designers This new trend in product design created the need for new specialist in the field, and as organizations and education institutions aligned themselves to educate and train these new entries to the industry a new type of inventor was born. Product designers are trained in concept development, testing and manufacturing, and implementation. As these specialists entered the market, some went at it on their own. Designers such as Bill Moggridge a

Strategic supply chain & logistics management Essay - 1

Strategic supply chain & logistics management - Essay Example The company website is a 24/7 interactive method wherein customers can make suggestions and also air their complaints. Zara is also affected by the growing tide of globalization. It is a knowledge-based organization and its workforce is composed of a pool of talented and expert individuals. Zara has invested on its employees. The company also aims for customer satisfaction and loyalty; that is why, its products and services are quality-oriented. Inditex, Zara’s mother company, sees to it that the company adheres to quality management and best practice. The company’s financial standing is as healthy as ever. Zara’s supply chain is effective. They ensure product quality and deliver it with speed and accuracy, making the customer asks for more. It’s what Zara has been doing all through the years. The main body Zara is owned by Inditex and is into the international apparel market and fashion, which are customer-driven markets. It is continuously growing and is a leading competitor in this kind of industry. Its closest rival is Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) which outsources most of its products to lower cost. On the other hand, Zara is a company that is quality-oriented. It produces 60% of its products and is into quality management. Unlike H&M, Zara ensures that its customers are satisfied and hopes to come back to buy more of its products. With the application of computers, the Internet and Information Technology, Zara provides speed of information to its customers. The Internet provides customer interaction; thus Zara’s website provides 24/7 service to update customers of its latest products and services. In the age of globalization, knowledge is both a product and resource. Organizations are now focused on knowledge-based economies, and are more concerned with the knowledge people possess; this is termed ‘people-embodied knowhow’. Firms take care of their workforce because of the knowledge they possess. They have invest ed much on their workforce. Zara aims for talents and customer’s focus and loyalty. This is the job of the marketing manager. It also sees the importance of focusing on their employees because they see the relation between contented employees and contented customers. Satisfied employees result in satisfied customers. Meeting the customer’s needs and wants is a business trend in the age of globalization. Zara aims for customer loyalty while keeping cost of production low. This is shooting two birds in one shot but difficult to achieve; difficult because meeting the customer’s needs and wants at the same time minimizing cost of production do not ensure quality product or service. But Zara focuses on quality in its many products. With respect to its closest competitor H&M, the two rivals have closely similar characteristics, for example their financial status, their operating revenues, etc. What is remarkable however is that Zara is a bit more liquid than H&M; Zara has a manufacturing plant that manufactures most of its products, while H&M only stores its products in a warehouse. These products come from outsourcing companies, mostly Chinese companies that manufacture products for a very low price. Inditex, Zara’s mother company, is an effective company which adheres to best practice and quality management. It has an operating profit much higher than H&M, and also adheres for expansion by building more stores according to company surveys and studies using scientific projects and anticipated

ZAPPOS the largest online shoe retailer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ZAPPOS the largest online shoe retailer - Essay Example It achieves a competitive advantage over its rivals through the loyalty business strategy and the liaison marketing that is embraces. The key source that contributes to the growth and development of Zappos.com is the recurring customers and the oral recommendations from consumers that receive quality services. Over its course of operation, this company has over 75% of recurring consumers. The customer service has a better reputation that is augmented by the online trust drivers that the company utilizes in increasing its loyalty, credibility, and trust among others towards the buyers. Internet marketing has tremendous influenced the welfare of this organization. I used to navigate through the website aimlessly and after I was assigned the task of searching its validity, I had to evaluate its website in order to ensure that, it is a reliable website and one could place an order with ease. In my evaluation, I consulted various scholars, researchers, peer-reviewed sources, and so forth in order to determine the forces behind Zappos.com being the largest online shoe retailer. Online trust was the key aspect that enhanced the wellbeing of Zappos.com (Cheskin/Sapient Report, 1999). It is essential to adopt an acceptable definition of trust before commencing on this topic. According to† (Rousseau, Sitkin, Burt and Camerer, 1998, p. 395), â€Å"Trust is an emotional state that comprises the aim to accept the liability established on the positive anticipations of behaviors of another†. Trust entails the enthusiasm to agree to the susceptibility, but with hope that a person can depend on the other party (Lewicki et. al. 1998; Moorman, Zaltman & Deshpande, 1992; Morgan and Hunt, 1994). In internet marketing, trust is perceived in lieu of relationship marketing (Doney and Cannon 1997; Dwyer, Schurr and Oh 1987; Ganesan 1994; Ganesan and Hess 1997; Morgan and Hunt 1994). In addition, in studying the Buyer –seller interactions, trust between the two perso ns takes time and depends on the observations that the buyer makes on the seller’s, consistency, constancy and credibility (Anderson and Narus, 1990; Doney and Cannon, 1997; Gane san, 1994). This view is unswerving with the behavioral reliance proposed by Schlosser, White, and Lloyd, 2003). Online trust, or rather the trust on the internet, greatly differs from offline trust in significant ways. As opposed to the offline trust, the key thing in online trust in the website, application of internet in transactions and the technology used. The website used by a firm can make a good foundation in building the customers trust, and thus enhancing the reputation of the seller (Jarvenpaa et al. 2000). The manner in which a customer would relate to an offline seller is similar to his/her dealing with a website and customers develop views of trust in a website depending on their relationship with the website. To the degree that a customer develops some positive impact about a website a nd accept liability, he/she must develop some trust with the website. The customers view pertaining to the competence of a website to carry out its purpose, and its perception in offering quality services behind the online business is contributive to his/her insight of trust in the website. In this context, online trust comprises customer perceptions of the way the site would deliver based on the expectations of the customer, and the authenticity of the information and self-assurance of the site. There are various perceptions driven by numerous precursors. Effects of Drivers of Online Trust Even though, online trusts have numerous potential antecedents and impacts, as detailed by Shankar et al. (2002), based on

The Simplex Solution Method Essay Example for Free

The Simplex Solution Method Essay The simplex method is a general mathematical solution technique for solving linear programming problems. In the simplex method, the model is put into the form of a table, and then a number of mathematical steps are performed on the table. These mathematical steps in effect replicate the process in graphical analysis of moving from one extreme point on the solution boundary to another. However, unlike the graphical method, in which we could simply search through all the solution points to find the best one, the simplex method moves from one better solution to another until the best one is found, and then it stops. The manual solution of a linear programming model using the simplex method can be a lengthy and tedious process.Years ago, manual application of the simplex method was the only means for solving a linear programming problem. Now computer solution is certainly preferred. However, knowledge of the simplex method can greatly enhance one’s understanding of linear programming. Computer software programs like QM for Windows or Excel spreadsheets provide solutions to linear programming problems, but they do not convey an in-depth understanding of how those solutions are derived. To a certain extent, graphical analysis provides an understanding of the solution process, and knowledge of the simplex method further expands on that understanding. In fact, computer solutions are usually derived using the simplex method. As a result, much of the terminology and notation used in computer software comes from the simplex method. Thus, for those students of management science who desire a more in-depth knowledge of linear programming, it is beneficial to study the simplex solution method as provided here.

The Loneliest Character Essay Example for Free

The Loneliest Character Essay The loneliest character in Of Mice and Men is Crooks. Crooks is the loneliest character because he lives all alone and has no one to give him company. He is not allowed in the bunk house because he is black. In the depression era, blacks were segregated, keeping Crooks isolated and friendless. Crooks is lonely because of his race. He gets treated differently than others for example: Spose you didnt have nobody. Spose you couldnt go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you was black. Howd you like that? Spose you had to sit out here an read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books†¦ (Steinbeck 80). Crooks is treated differently in the smallest of ways. Many ways seem too small to affect some people, but they affect Crooks because of his isolation. â€Å"Maybe you guys better go. I aint sure I want you in here no more. A colored man got to have some rights even if he dont like em (Steinbeck 90). Crooks has few rights as a colored person and he desperately wants more rights. During the depression colored people were often isolated because of their race. Crooks never gets any company creating a feeling of loneliness. He even feels that he should not receive any company, for example, â€Å"You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got no right in here but me† (Steinbeck 66). Crooks pushes people away creating even more loneliness. Because of this he gets bored and finally lets Lenny in. â€Å"Come on in and sit awhile† (Steinbeck 68). When Crooks lets Lenny in he feels relieved that he has someone to talk to. It is a short lived feeling. As soon as Lenny leaves he is lonely again. The seclusion created by Crooks fuels his feelings of loneliness. Crooks has inadequate social relationships, some of which is caused by his race. He is also lonely because he has no family or friends on the ranch like George and Lennie do. Crooks is defiant ly the loneliest character in Of Mice and Men.

Sound Technique In Amadeus

Sound Technique In Amadeus The film was mainly about how Salieri was jealous of Mozarts musical talent and achievements and how he always wanted to be like him. Mozart was a child who played the piano and violin from the age of five and was considered the most talented child as a musician. During his life time, he composed over 600 pieces of his music and work. After the death of Salieris father, Salieri moved to Vienna and produced a lot of musical peaces until he was promoted to be in the position of court composer. The emperor then learns about Mozart and chooses to assign an opera especially for him. When Mozart moved to Vienna and performed his opera, it was a great success and thats when Salieris envying started to grow up more and more. Salieri started his battle with God, after comparing Mozarts wonderful pieces of music to the sound of God. And by that his misery and madness continued to grow. Moreover, after too many music and hard work, Mozart was exhausted and Salieri decided to take this chance an d take his revenge by making Mozart work to death. Salieri sends a spy costumed as a home maid to work in Mozarts house. She then goes back to Salieri and tells him about all whats going on in Mozarts house and how he works all day long, with his health condition getting worse by each day. Finally, Mozart dies before finishing the piece of requiem he was writing. Also, Salieri believed that God would rather destroy his great beloved Mozart rather than letting Salieri share a small part of the glory of killing Mozart. He also believed that God kept him alive for thirty two years to torture him. Sound Technique: Sound is one of the most essential tools of expressing messages in a movie. The art of film is Sound; it adds meaning into the film. Some films had full orchestras and others had piano playing as a background of the film. Music in films was played for both artistic and practical reasons. Sound is divided into two types: synchronizing and nonsynchronous sound. Also, sound made acting seems more natural. As the Frenchman Rene Clair thought, sound shouldnt be used indiscriminately but rather it should be used selectively. He also thought that just like images, sound can be edited in films as well. Moreover, he thinks that just as the eye, the ear is discerning too (Giannetti, 2010). Sound effects in films create certain atmosphere, but also can be a great source to add meaning into the film. The cinematic sound is mixed in a studio after the shot of a scene has been taken. The sound editor then collects all different sounds in a film. The sound mixer then selects the pitch, volume, and tempo of each sound in the film. Sound in films can be either diegetic or nondiegetic, which means sounds that can be heard or sounds that couldnt be heard. Moreover, high pitched sounds generate tension and are frequently used in suspense sequence, during or before the films climax. Beside, low pitched sounds can too generate mystery and anxiety. Some suspense sequences starts with similar sounds. Furthermore, low frequency sounds are less tense. Moreover, the sound volume could be either loud or quiet. Loud sounds are likely intense and threatening. And quiet sounds are likely to be more delicate and hesitant. Additionally, the faster the tempo of the sound the more tension it g enerates and vice versa. Also, off screen sounds build up the image ahead of the frame. Film directors use those off screen sounds to create anxiety. Usually, film directors clean up the soundtracks of the movies from all the irrelevant noises. Also, internal emotions in films can be showed by using sound effects. Complete silence in films also could bring up meaning and create a certain mood. Complete silence is likely to generate some form of tension in films and brings up the feeling that something impending is nearly going to happen. An example of silence in movies could be using freeze frame, silence in a sound film can be used to symbolize death, because we tend to associate sound with the presence of ongoing life (Giannetti, 2010 p.212). Music can create a more convincing atmosphere of time and place. (Prendergast, 2005). Any filmmaker or director should use music effectively, after knowing what exactly they want from music. Music can create a specific mood or feeling to the film. Some types of music can imply locales, classes, and ethnic groups to the film. Usually, songs are been recorded in a studio beforehand and afterwards actors perform the songs in movies with lip-synch to those recorded songs. Also, music can be used as a foreshadowing, to make the audience ready for a dramatic scene. One type of music in films is called anxious music, which is a warning to get the audience ready for the next scene. That anxious music sometimes might just be false alarm. Lyrics can be attached to music and thats when characterization can be more accurate (Giannetti, 2010). The deeper reality of film music, the necessity which found body in its lucky accident, involves the way the film tries to evoke a sort of temporary and illusive film-subjectivity, which closely mimics our everyday subjectivity. (Spande, 2005). Musical, is one of the most common genres in films, like opera and ballet. There are two types of musicals: realistic and formalistic. Realistic Musicals are mainly offstage stories and the production numbers are introduced as dramatically reasonable. Formalistic Musicals make no believe at realism. Right in the middle of a scene, actors just come out in a song and dance without losing out into the number with a reasonable pretext (Giannetti, 2010). Words in movies are spoken not written. Actors can stress and emphasize on some words over others in order to reach the right effects needed. By pausing and/or hesitating, an actor can completely change the meaning of the whole sentence. Harold Pinter, the dramatist and screen writer, believes that language is more of a cross-talk; which is a method of covering up fears and doubts. This method is more efficient in films than on stage, due to having camera close ups that are capable of expressing the intended meanings behind the words. Moreover, music and sound effects may change the meaning of words. For example, a sentence spoken in an echo hall will be totally different than a sentence being whispered. Spoken language in films can have so many different meanings based on the vocal and visual emphasis and the soundtracks. Furthermore, spoken language in films has two types: monologue and dialogue. Monologues are usually combined with documentaries; which means that a narrator off sc reen tells the audience some information along with some visuals. Usually monologues are used in fiction movies. Besides, showing what an actor is thinking about is called interior monologue, this method is often used in plays and novels. Moreover, Dialogues are break down into stage dialogue and screen dialogue. Stage dialogues are not realistic even in realistic plays, because in real life people dont express their thoughts or feelings with such accuracy. On the other hand, film dialogues tend to be more realistic, because in films camera close ups make it much easier to show details. Furthermore, in dubbed movies it is hard to match up sound with image, especially when the movement of an actors lips isnt synchronized with the sound (Giannetti, 2010). Applying the Sound Technique in the movie Amadeus: Amadeus is considered a musical drama biography film. The use of music in Amadeus doesnt simply add to the background sound; however it plays more essential role; it becomes a character and a part of the narrative. Moreover, throughout the whole film, we can hear pieces of Mozart and Salieris music. Music in Amadeus was very important, because the whole film circles around music. The writer of Amadeus, Shaffer, uses Salieri to translate Mozarts music to the audience by explaining the core of Mozarts music piece. The director of the movie, Forman, tried to pay a lot of attention to the details of music in Amadeus and ways to record it. In Amadeus, the movie was shot around the music and not the other way around. Mozarts operas that were included in the film, showed the excellence of the musical and visual quality of the movie. At the start of the movie, there was a dramatic opening scene with the music of Don Giovanni, which represented fright and despair. That scene was dark and Salieri was shouting out Mozarts name asking for his forgiveness. The operas that were shown in the movie were related to the plot. They object as instruments of both Mozart and Salieri. In the movie, Mozarts operas show his position and how he is a great composer. And Salieris operas show how his work turns against him and how his battle is hurting him. Some of the melodies in those operas were symbolic in the movie. Almost in the middle of the movie, in the scene where Salieri was browsing through Mozarts handwritten composition, music appeared while Salieri was reading through the transcript. Music appeared in this scene to demonstrate to the audience the various emotions that Salieri was feeling. He was admiring what he was reading, however envying Mozart and also feeling despair of himself. Moreover, the music in this specific scene was presented also to show the audience how Mozarts work was creative and different than the usual. Besides, the scene shows that when Salieri reads the notes, he and the audience both hears the music. But in fact Salieri is not really hearing the music; instead he is imagining it in his head. The audience, on the other hand, is the ones who are really listening to the music. Salieri is experiencing the same piece of music as the audience, but not listening or hearing it for real. He is having very strong feelings of the value of the music and admiring the excelle nt quality of it while getting it through his mind instead of hearing it through his ears. Furthermore, a scene that is alike is when Mozart was dying. Mozart was dictating Salieri in a very high speed that no one can follow except of Salieri. Within a short time after the dictation, we hear the Requiem, the opera that Mozart was working on. We first hear it single instruments, then the whole final form all together. Then, we hear the whole Requiem when Mozarts wife comes back home. Also, in Amadeus some of the music was there to present what is going on in Mozarts head. Throughout the whole film, we can see how he continually hears music in his head and then he writes the notes down. This great skill of Mozart to produce his music is used in so many scenes in the film. In the scene right before the entrance of Lorl, Mozarts Father, we see that Mozart was composing his music and we also hear the music that he is hearing in his head. Then Mozarts wife, Constance, enters and had to shout his name out in order for him to hear her over the music that was played in his head. Suddenly, the music stops and Constance begins to argue with Leopold. After that, Mozart goes back to his work and the sound of music comes again, when the voices of his wife and his father fades away slowly. Another example of the sound, one of the cinematic techniques, in Amadeus is how difficult the thoughts were being expressed throughout some of the scenes with no words, but with music instead. For instance, in the scene where Mozart left his house, work, and his wife to go to party, he entertains people by singing The Magic Flute and playing the piano. The scene shows us how even though he was trying to sing louder and louder, he was feeling guilty for leaving his wife asleep at home and leaving his work behind, but that wasnt shown by any words, rather it was being expressed by the sound of music. Last but not least, one of the most extraordinary sounds in Amadeus was the giggle of Mozart. Its a high pitched giggle and a memorable sound, which was repeated several times throughout the entire movie. The first time we heard that giggle was in the scene where Mozart meets up with the Emperor. And at the end of the film, we hear Mozarts giggle ones again while it echoes throughout his music to end the movie. How this (Sound technique) was closely connected to another technique: At the start of the movie, Salieri was visited by a young priest for confession. Salieri started to talk about the relation between him and Mozart. During the entire movie, the scenes were cut back to this first scene of the movie, the dialogue between Salieri and the priest, which is called a frame story. The scenes that were cut back to the start of the movie were all flashbacks to Salieri and Mozarts lives. Conclusion: In Amadeus, Berger notes, The music becomes another character-theres Mozart and Salieri and the music. Its so perfectly and intimately integrated with the story and the transitions and the underlining, its one of the few movies that is able to coalesce all the functions of music-as source, as score, as underscore, as background-and it adds the idea of it as a voice in itself. (Jackson, 2002).