Impact of nitrogen and phosphorous inputs on water quality Essay

Both Nitrogen and Phosphorous are necessary in agriculture for a farmer to achieve optimum yields in most crops, they have to use fertilizer which often contains either nitrogen or phosphorous. Despite their importance, these elements in excess can affect the environment adversely. Eutrophication is enhanced when nitrogen and phosphorous are in excess in surface waters and where nitrogen is in excess in ground water. (www. soil. ncsu. edu/) Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the gases in the atmosphere. A major constituent of proteins it is abundant in most living things. Nitrogen gas (N2), nitrate (NO3), nitrite (NO2) and ammonia NH3 are the common forms in which in organic nitrogen exists. Organic nitrogen exists in proteins. (http://kywater. org/). Compounds that contain nitrogen are found in water bodies such as reservoirs, streams and rivers. There are various routes by which nitrogen enters water bodies. These include wastewater (municipal and industrial), animal wastes such as bird wastes and wastes of fish, septic tanks and runoff from fields and lawns that have been fertilized. In certain parts of the United States, especially the northeast, some forms of nitrogen are deposited through acid rain (Baird, 1990). Nitrites are then converted to nitrates by bacteria, a process that uses up oxygen. (http://kywater. org). Surface and subsurface drainage are some of the ways through which nitrogen from fertilizers enter streams. When there is heavy rainfall following surface application of nitrogen fertilizers, most of the nitrogen is lost and even more is lost if the area is sloppy. When the fertilizer is mixed with soil the runoff is decreased. However, the loss of nitrogen becomes substantial when heavy rainfall causes soil erosion and movement of debris. The highly soluble nature of nitrogen makes it be absorbed easily into the soil when it rains heavily. Findings from research studies show that leaching does contribute to the presence of nitrates in groundwater. This however does not cause much contamination since the concentrations of nitrogen do not reach high enough levels. The crop uses up to 50 percent of the applied nitrogen leaving about 30 percent to 50 percent available for leaching. This, from a study done on North Carolina soils leads to leaching to a level of only two feet where there was 3 inches of percolated water (Baird, 1990). Eutrophication is a slow process whereby streams and lakes are enriched with natural nutrients. This process leads to the accelerated ‘aging’ of lakes and reservoirs. Eutrophication generally means excess growth of algae. The growth and decomposition of algae causes depletion of oxygen available in water. Nitrogen has a fertilizing effect in algae and other plankton which are food to other organisms in water such as fish and invertebrates. Overproduction and decomposition of these plankton uses up oxygen, meaning that other oxygen-dependent animals have inadequate oxygen which leads to their death. (http://kywater. org/). In addition to using up oxygen excessively, the overgrowth of algae and other plankton can lead to clogging up of water systems such that water flow is inhibited. This is especially common at points of water intakes. A lot of sea plants also block light from reaching the deeper waters (http://ga. water. usgs. gov/). This has the effect of compromising respiration for aquatic invertebrates and fish, making the death of animals and plant inevitable. High concentrations of nitrites produce a condition called brown blood disease which is fatal to fish. (http://kywater. org/). Eventually diversity of animal and plant life is lost. The death of fish results in offensive odours, and affects the water such that it cannot be used for recreative purposes like swimming, boating and fishing. Mueller and Helsel conducted a study of 12,000 ground water samples and approximately 22,000 samples of surface water at over 300 sites. The samples were collected within NAWQA study units. They report that the concentrations of nutrients in water have a close relationship to how land is used upstream or in the area that overlies a ground water aquifer. According to the analysis there were higher concentrations of nitrates in groundwater than surface water bodies. The regions with the highest concentration were the Northeast, the Great Plains and areas along the West Coast (Mueller and Helsel, 1996). Agricultural areas have a higher likelihood of having water with increased concentrations of nitrates. Research shows that public-supply wells and domestic supply wells outside areas where land is used for agriculture generally have lower concentrations of nitrates compared to wells in agricultural areas. On the other hand, urban areas have higher concentrations of Ammonia and phosphorous in surface water (Mueller and Helsel, 196). For water to be considered safe for domestic water supply, nitrates or nitrite level should be below 10mg/L. (United States Public Health Service). Nitrites undergo a direct reaction with haemoglobin in humans and warm-blooded animals leading to the formation of methemoglobin. This compound leads to decreased ability of red cells to transport oxygen. The most affected by this inability are infants less than three months because the babies develop methemoglobinaemia (blue baby disease. (http://kywater. org/ww/ramp/rmnox. htm). Due to this reason, when nitrates levels exceed 1. 0mg/L, the water should not be used to feed babies. In older people high nitrate levels cause disturbances in the digestion system. (http://kywater. org/). Phosphorous is a naturally occurring element that can be found in rocks and mineral deposits. Phosphate ions are soluble in water and are released when rock undergoes the weathering process. Phosphates have three forms of existence, metaphosphate, orthophosphate and organic phosphate. Orthophosphate is mainly produced by natural processed but there are man-made sources that produce orthophosphate. These include untreated sewage and partially treated sewage, use of certain fertilizers and runoff from sites where the main land use is agriculture. Metaphosphate or polyphosphate are used in treatment of detergents and boiler waters. When in water metaphosphate changes to orthophosphate and it can be used up by plants in this form. Organic phosphate occurs tied to organic material like plant tissue or waste solids. When decomposition occurs organic phosphate is converted to orthophosphate (www. water-research. net/phosphate. htm). Phosphorous is necessary for animal and plant growth and acts as a growth limiting nutrient in lake ecosystems. Well-oxygenated waters have low amounts of phosphates. Phosphate undergoes a complex process of uptake and mineralization to be retained in the soil, unlike the nitrogen cycle which is simpler. Soluble phosphate is incorporated by plants and animals in their biological systems to form compounds like ATP, DNA and RNA. ATP is necessary for energy production via the Kreb’s cycle while DNA and RNA have genetic importance. Phosphorous is therefore necessary for photosynthesis to occur (www. water-research. net/) Phosphates enhance growth of aquatic plants which are the food source for other organisms. Increased production of plankton result in an initial increase in population of fish and the entire biological system of the water body. This however has an adverse effect because as the phosphate levels build-up the process by which the water ecosystem is aging is speeded up leading to an imbalance of nutrients where production begins to exceed consumption. Phosphates like nitrates also cause eutrophication resulting in more plants than can be consumed by the system. The result is anoxic waters, presence of algal blooms that are toxic and a reduction in biodiversity as well as destruction of food supply and habitat. (www. water-research. net) Eutrophication is an issue that compromises water quality and has received much attention since 1980 when there was extensive occurrence of blue-green algae in fresh water systems. These blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) sometimes produce toxins that cause harm to human beings and farm animals. Poor conditions resulting from eutrophication have been noted in eastern North Carolina in the Chowan, Neuse and Pamlico River systems (Baird, 1990). Water that has very high levels of phosphates causes digestive problems to people. The negative effect of high levels of phosphate then is more indirect to humans but has a bigger impact because by altering the environment and destroying habitats the destruction caused is much harder to reverse. A compound like nitrates dissolves in water and moves in water in surface streams and ground water. Most forms of phosphorous, however, are transported together with soil that has undergone erosion especially when runoff is high flowing precipitation and irrigation. This is because instead of dissolving they attach themselves to soil particles. As such phosphorous is more likely to contaminate surface water rather than ground water (USGS, Circular1225, 2007). Findings from a USGS report indicate that phosphorous has a greater effect in causing eutrophication with 0.1mg/L of phosphorous being sufficient to cause excessive growth of aquatic plants (USGS, Circular 1225, 2007). In urban areas, the most significant point sources are urban streams which have discharged from wastewater treatment plants. A report of the US Geological service indicates that the streams in the semiarid western and south-western cities coupled with those in urban areas on the East had high levels of phosphorous (USGS, Circular1225). Recent research shows that phosphorous can travel with ground-water flows. The study was conducted in Cape Cod, Massachusetts where there has been contamination of the groundwater with phosphorous, an unlikely thing since most scientists generally believe that phosphorous is not transferable via groundwater (McCob et al, 2003; Stollenwerk, 1996). The main factors influencing vulnerability to contamination are the type of soils and slope of land. These two factors determine how fast and how much runoff there will be. Areas with steep slopes, poorly drained clay soils and little vegetation have higher likelihood of contamination of their surface waters. In urban centres, pavements and drains made of tile cause acceleration of flow of streams. Ground water on the other hand has a high chance of contamination if the soils drain well and the subsurface material is highly permeable. Some practices of crop-management designed to decrease sediment flow may increase infiltration leading to greater contamination of groundwater (USGS, Circular, 1225). To reduce the impact of phosphorous and nitrogen in water quality, strategies need to be employed that reduce the use of chemicals and alter transportation of the hydrologic system (USGS). In planning these strategies consideration of watersheds, patterns of land use and the differences in vulnerability to contamination in various areas should be foremost to ensure that whatever interventions are put in place are effective. References Baird J (1990) Nitrogen management and water quality retrieved from www. soil. ncsu. edu/publications/soilfacts/AG-439-02 Harvard, Olson and Cooke, 1999, Impact of soil phosphorous loading on Water Quality in Alberta, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. McCob T D, Leblanc DR, Watter DA, Hess KN Kent DB and Smith RL 2003, Phosphorous in a Ground-water contaminant Plume Discharging to Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1999: US Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4306, 70p Mueller D K and Helser D R, Nutrients in the Nation’s water-Too much of a Good Thing? National Water-Quality Assessment Program USGS, retrieved from http://water. usgs. gov/nawqa/CIRC-1136. html National findings and their implications for water policies and strategies, USGS, Circular 1225, retrieved from http://pubs.usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/nawqafind. htm/. Nitrogen and water quality retrieved from http://kywater. org/ww/ramp/rmnox-htm Stollenwerk K-G 1996, Simulation of phosphate transport in sewage-contaminated groundwater, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Applied Geochemistry, V. 11. no 1-2 pp 317-324 The effects of urbanization and agriculture on water quality: Nitrogen retrieved from http://ga. water. usgs. gov/edu/urbannitrogen. html Total phosphorous and Phosphate impact in surface waters Wilkes University, Environmental. Engineering and Earth Science retrieved from www.water. research. net/phosphate. htm Water-quality patterns in agricultural areas, USGS, Circular 1225 retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-agri. htm/ Water-quality patterns in urban areas, United States Geological Society, retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-urban. htm/ Water-quality patterns in areas with mixed hand use and a range of hydrologic and environmental settings, USGS, Circular 1225 retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-hydro. htm/.

My aim in life Essay

â€Å"A year from now you may wish you had started today.† This is a translated quote from my loving grandmother. Life should be tied into aims to achieve happiness. I believe we must have an aim in life, or our life might become full of regrets and disappointment. Like all other successful people in the world I have goals, too; and they are well written in my journal. My long term goal is to become a professional petroleum engineer, and win the Nobel Peace prize. I am a very dedicated member of this universe. This world is my home, and ‘you’ll’ are my family. My passion is helping, and I will incorporate my passion with my profession of engineering to bring peace in my ‘home.’ I want to work on fossil fuel, the world’s largest energy source, and make the best use of this source for my ‘family.’ One day I want to proudly state that, â€Å"my investment of time in education brought peace in this world.† Generally speaking, I have always wanted to become an engineer. I have also wanted to become an international person. I was born in Bangladesh, and came to the United States of America for higher education. I visited several other countries, and want to visit more. I want to learn the mutual understanding of people from every corner of the world, and want to understand their need. I am a leader, a volunteer, and also a follower. Through working with several international organizations, I have come to know that our world needs more helping hands. I have a dream of running a project, where I will inspire people from everywhere to dream big and to believe in their aspirations. Because I believe our wish can become true only if we can believe that we ‘can.’ As my blueprint of life reads, I want to be the best petroleum engineer this world has ever seen. Petroleum engineers design and develop methods for extracting oil and gas from deposits below the earth’s surface. Petroleum engineers also find new ways to extract oil and gas from older wells. Oil and gas has both positive and negative impact in the world economy. These energy sources are something that we rely on everyday of our lives. My goal is to bring this source of energy to a level where it will be more accessible. Inspiration is a must. Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner from Bangladesh, has inspired me to work for the peace of this world. He proved how possible it is to catch the dream of life; which is not winning the Nobel Prize but to win the heart of every person in the world. What else can we expect from our life? Isn’t the happiness lying beneath it? I will dedicate my education, my earnings, and my life for this lovely family. Each ‘thank you’ I earn from people will be my Nobel Peace Prize. My life’s agenda’s ending says, â€Å"Believe in yourself buddy. I know you do not have any regret in life.† I believe nothing is impossible if I have the power of will. As my plan is to fuse together my passion and goal, I know I will create my own happiness, and also impact the world that I consider my family. My goals will provide my ‘family’ a better place to live. My goals will provide my ‘family’ to find peace, and my goals will inspire everyone to become their best selves.

Relevance of Management Accounting in Today's Society Research Paper

Relevance of Management Accounting in Today's Society - Research Paper Example Other departments such as production, quality, technical, marketing, engineering, purchasing etc had little information about the accounting procedures and information. However, the development of scientific management techniques in the corporate world stressed the importance of spreading accounting information to the entire departments of an organization to improve the efficiency of the organization. Earlier financial accounting, cost accounting etc were some of the renowned terms in the corporate world; however, at present apart from these accounting systems, management accounting is also gaining prominence. What is Management accounting? Management accounting combines accounting, finance and management with the leading edge techniques needed to drive successful businesses. It advises managers about the financial implications of projects, explains the financial consequences of business decisions, formulates business strategy, monitor spending and financial control, conduct internal business audits and explain the impact of the competitive landscape (What is Management accounting?) Man, material, machine and money are the major resources of an organization which should be managed properly to raise the productivity and efficiency of an organization. All these resources were earlier managed by concerned employees and department managers alone. For example, production workers and managers were responsible only for the production management whereas purchasing manager and employees were responsible only for the materials management. In other words, all the managers and employees were bothered about their assigned duties alone earlier. They never thought about the consequences of their activities. For example, earlier production people often stopped their production activities even for silly problems of the machineries since they were unaware of the impacts of such stoppage of production to the organization. Even an hour long production loss may cause substantial damages to the organization. After the development of scientific management principles in the 1990â€℠¢s and the subsequent development of management accounting, production workers also started to get the exact information about the losses incurred by the organization even for an hour long delay in production. In other words, the production workers started to realize the depth of problems caused to the company due to their deliberate production delaying activities. The above awareness force production employees to avoid such unnecessary delay or stoppage in production thus the company would be benefitted immensely from that. Not only the production department, all the other departments can also improve their efficiency and productivity if they get accounting information. â€Å"Management accounting systems were made in conjunction with scientific management movement† (Johnson, 1991, p.10) and moreover, it succeeded in revealing the importance of sharing accounting information to other departments in order to make the employees aware of the consequences of their activities and to improve the productivity of the organization. According to Johnson (1991), â€Å"management accounting system serves as a two way communication link between the senior and subordinate managers†(Johnson, 1991, p.4). It is impossible for the top managers to take decisions based on the data available to them alone. Data may not guide the manager always in the right direction. Feedbacks from the top and bottom are necessary for the managers to take sound decisions. Employees often twist the information before passing it to the top management,

Universalism and Particularism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Universalism and Particularism - Essay Example Universalism tends to focus more on the community rather than individuals and thus neutral as it is evident in McCain’s argument on security of the U.S. In a universalistic state, one cannot just go astray or out of normal order just because no one is watching them since one is compelled by law to act in order always. Universalist individuals honor their words no matter the circumstances, and know a deal or a contract cannot be violated. As it is evident in the article, cold war historian, John Lewis Gaddis, presents how in a universalistic nation, every individual is treated equally and fairly. Clearly, this promotes peaceful co-existence among the people and promotes a sense of belonging and security. In the article, particularism is quite evident. The main emphasis is on individuals and their interests. Individuals can modify a situation due to circumstances to suit their friends or relatives. Scoblete’s article shows how a particularistic believes that relationships are developed and created by events. If one is able to change his or her view, point of argument, agreement and so forth, just for the sake of those he or she has an interest in or those who have interest in him, then that is a real particularistic.

Contract law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contract law - Assignment Example The language of the contract is suffice to identify the mutual intent of the parties in a case where the language used is definite and clear. Courts always consider the course of the parties’ dealings if the language of the contract is unclear. The course of dealings refers to the initial contract and transactions the parties might have had in the past to interpret their conduct and expressions. When determining the clarity and definiteness of the language of a contract, the court views the terms in their common and ordinary construct of meaning unless it is apparent that the parties constructed the language in some technical or special sense (Gillies 71). If the words are used in a technical sense, the courts will apply a concept known as trade usage, which is the court’s consideration of constructing the meaning as per how it is used by a person in the same profession or business and formulate interpretation from that context unless the parties had not intended to use them as such. Generally, courts one of the two problematic rules governing admissions of evidence that is extrinsic to interpret a contract. One of the rules is the Plain Meaning Rule, which connects contract terms interpretation to the subjective notions of a Judge of the meaning of the words and deter parties from issuing evidence to change the meanings that are publically used are unanimously acknowledge. The Context Rule on the other side looks at the parties’ evidence subjective intention exclusive of the public meaning of the terms, which also, undermines the function of contract predictability (Gillies 63). The third rule, which is The Public Meaning Rule, only admits the extrinsic evidence produced by the public and constructs the meaning of the language as interpreted by the public. It considers the public domain while making assumptions on the extrinsic evidence of the subjective intent of the parties. This rule has epistemological element that relies on the fact

What is Economics Issues Affecting The Economy As A Whole Essay

What is Economics Issues Affecting The Economy As A Whole - Essay Example The second part of economics deals with the problems rising in the global arena. Humans have unlimited wants but there are limited resources to produce it and when we say resources this is basically referred as the four factors of productions that are used in producing wants. Human race is like an ever hungry beast whose wants are unlimited but there are limited resources to produce it. This issue is referred as scarcity because these resources like oil, mineral, gases take millions of years to form and human beings consume it with a century. (McConnell, 2011) We all know that every human possess some basic needs and beyond these needs there are wants that is only demanded to gain pleasure or to derive satisfaction. Humans have no end to their wants but due to limited income we are forced to make choices as we cannot have whatever we want so we have to select the things we can afford and make sure that the thing we have selected gives us most benefit. When a choice is made one thing is given up in order to obtain what we have selected. The next best alternative that we gave up in order to obtain what we have selected is called opportunity cost. For example between a bike and an I-Phone 5 an individual chooses a bike in this case the I-Phone 5 is the opportunity cost. The concepts in economics can be factual or value based. Objective and fact based information is referred as Positive Economics while value based and subjective information is related to the Normative Economics. Positive economics could be tested and proved or disapproved while the Normative Economics are opinion based. (McConnell, 2011) Macroeconomics and Microeconomics Before we go into further analysis it is very important to dis cuss about the two major branches of economics and that is differentiating between Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. These two branches have many basic common ideas and methods in common, the difference lies in the level to which they are studied and the way they are perceived. Microeconomics focuses on individual consumers, workers and firms each of which is too small to have an impact on the national economy. Macroeconomics avoids this distinction among many different kinds of goods, firms and markets that exist in the economy and instead focus on aggregate. For example, in their analysis macroeconomists do not care whether consumers are buying VCRs or DVD players, beef or chicken, Pepsi or Coke. It focuses on summing up individual variables to obtain economic wide totals called aggregation. (McConnell, 2011) Issues affecting the economy as a whole Studying about the structure of the economy is a part of Macroeconomics that studies the performance of the national economy and help s in designing policies that government use to influence the economy. (McConnell, 2011) There are certain issues that affect the economy and the main ones are: Business Cycle Growth in an economy is never smooth, it

Evangelism and Colonialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evangelism and Colonialization - Essay Example Pedro Cabral is one of the most renowned explorers of the world for his discovery of Brazil in 1500. In 1549, the first governor general of Brazil was Tome de Sousa. During his period as governor general, there was an increase in evangelism in Brazil. Pedro Cabral explores the coast of Brazil under the orders from the King of Portugal (Beidelman, 73). The Portuguese signed the Treaty of Tordesillas that meant there was a division between Christians and non-Christians outside of Europe. The Jesuit missionaries spread Christianity to Brazil Indians. The missionaries clash with adventurers in Brazil with the main aim of capturing Indian and looking for minerals. The Jesuit missionaries play an important role in the spread of evangelism in Brazil and its surrounding areas (Rivera, PagaÃŒ n & Justo, 54). The Portuguese individuals turned to slavery to solve their labor problems. The presence of slaves led to the development of sugar industries in North East of the country. Brazil became the largest producer of sugar because the conditions in the country were favorable. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Spain and Portugal became the new states that promoted colonization in the world. The developed of skills to travel in the ocean meant that they could travel around the world in search of colonies. The discovery of ocean skills the world the Portuguese China trade between the 1514 and 1550 (Rivera, PagaÃŒ n & Justo, 54). Jorge Alvares was the first European Explorer to reach Asia. His arrival in China boosted trade within the region.

Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Research Methods - Essay Example According to Bryman (2008, p. 25), a sample has advantages than a complete count in that; Different sampling techniques exist and they are divided into two categories namely formal and informal (non probability sampling). The formal sampling techniques operate on a known probability of choosing and they include; simple random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, systematic sampling and multistage sampling. Simple random sampling is a technique where all the elements are said to have the same chance of being selected. The probability of selecting any elements in the population is equal (Green and Salkind 2008, p. 57). This technique is applied in cases where all the elements in that certain population have same traits (characteristics). Such populations are said to be homogenous. Another formal sampling technique is stratified sampling and is applied in cases where the population is made up of elements of different traits. In this technique, the population is sub-divided into non-overlapping sub-groups called strata (each is a stratum) each made up of elements with the same traits. Once this has been done, a simple random sample is selected from each stratum and then combined for final analysis. This technique is advantageous in that it eliminates biasness which is present if simple random sampling is used and also leads to higher precision. Cluster sampling on the other hand is a probability sampling technique in which the population is divided into clusters and then the researcher selects randomly the clusters to be included in the final analysis. It is mostly used in cases where getting the entire population for the research study is impossible or where the study population is concentrated in regions e.g. schools, churches, counties etc. The only disadvan tage of this technique is less precision than even simple random sampling and stratified sampling. Systematic sampling is the selecting of sample

African Americans in the Civil War Essay Example for Free

African Americans in the Civil War Essay The role African Americans played in the outcome, and the road to the outcome of the Civil War was immense. The fact that the south had slaves and the north did not played an enormous role in the issues. The north wanted to abolish slavery, and the south did not and after the war started this became one of the main reasons for the Civil War. Since most African Americans could not read or write, this made them an easy target, for slavery, against the dominant white man. Once the slaves got to America they started to realize how much trouble they were actually in. The north and the south had a problem brewing, and that was due to the slave uprisings and the run a ways. African Americans played an enormous role in the outcome of the Civil War because of the part they took in it. The civil war, which took place from 1861 to the 1920s, the African American community made tremendous strides toward them becoming apart of America and equals in America. Since they had been controlled by the power of the whites for so long, their independence was extremely unfamiliar to them, with their new emancipation. Since they were so uncertain, they debated about the most effect way to go about actually receiving the rights they deserved. They did not just want to be inferior Negros. Some African Americans thought the actual approach would be to go along with the submissive status the whites held them to, so they could earn their respect until fairness pervaded. Others were more wishful with their thinking and thought the military would make whites surrender and give blacks their basic rights. Those who were still they are thought that no progress would ever come. These blacks decided that it was essential to escape the shackles and cruel attitudes toward blacks. The civil war initially began to save the Union. At the start of the war slave masters were terribly scared that the slaves would run to join the Union and help the war efforts. To subsidize the problem, most owner enforced harsh restrictions on their slaves. Some owners even moved their whole plantations inland to avoid any contact with the outside northerners. This did not stop the slaves one bit though, this just caused more slave to flee to the north. The slaves that did decide to stay just demanded more freedom from their masters. Some would say the ones that stayed even gained more power; this forced their masters to give them offerings in exchange for work. The issues of emancipation and military service were intertwined from almost the beginning of the war. News from Fort Sumter made African Americans rush to enlist in military units. They were all turned away since there was a law dating from 1792 that kept African Americans from joining the U. S. army. In Boston disappointed African Americans met and passed a resolution that requested the Government to modify its laws to permit them to enlist. Then Lincoln’s Second Confiscation Act was passed. The act stated that, Confederates who did not surrender with in sixty days of the acts passage were to be punished by having their slaves freed. The Militia Act was also passed. This act stated African Americans were allowed to fight in the war. These two acts together thoroughly punished rebel slaveholders. The African Americans that enlisted both fought in the front lines and worked behind the scenes labor jobs. All these rights that the African Americans were receiving inspired them to return home and free their families and friends. Some of them even started living in the plantations that they used to be slaves of. They took them over and began their own cropping. Some of the other plantations had been left to older disabled white woman, when the men had left for the Confederate army. All of this led to the separation of slave labor in the south After trying terribly hard to keep the issue of slavery out of the war, the North decided to start enlisting African Americans to help them fight in the war. The Fifty-Fourth regiment was created by the Union Army, and was the only all black unit. This Union in particular contributed to the war efforts of the North and showed a new found power among blacks. The regiment started when John Andrew sent a request to the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, to create a volunteer regiment of African Americans (3). African Americans from all over the country joined. To help recruit even further they called for help from African American leaders like, Frederick Douglas and William Wells Brown. In just two months over one thousand African Americans, one from at least every state, had enlisted in the regiment. The leader of the regiment would not be black though, they wanted the superior officer to have some certain credentials. The job description posted read: â€Å"Young Man of Military Experience Of firm antislavery principles, ambitious, Superior to the vulgar contempt of color Having Faith in the capacity of colored men for military purpose† (2) The man picked for the job was Robert Shaw. The African American regiment and their captain set off for Beaufort, South Carolina on May 28, 1863 (1). They were to attack Fort Wagner, which was a vital key to Charleston. They only way to storm the fort was to go through loads and loads of Confederates. The sheer size of the Confederates to the Fifty- Fourth regiment was an obstacle in itself. The regiment knew the amount of obstacles they would have to overcome to achieve a victory and yet they kept marching. Shaw and a few men marched to the top of the parapet, and there Shaw was shot and killed. Though this was almost a complete disaster for the regiment they had set a path for future African American soldiers. Frederick Douglas said, Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U. S. , let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship. One thousand seventy-nine African Americans had served in the Civil War. They served in both the U. S. Army and about two thousand served in the Navy. By the time the war was over, forty thousand had died in battle and thirty thousand had died of disease and infection. African American soldiers performed all the jobs needed to run an army. They also served as carpenters, chaplains, cooks, guards, laborers, nurses, scouts, spies, steamboat pilots, surgeons, and teamsters (4). There were nearly 80 black commissioned officers (4). Harriet Tubman was the most famous spy; she served for the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers. Tubman decided to help the Union Army because she wanted freedom for all of the people who were forced into slavery, not just the few she could help by herself. And she convinced many other brave African Americans to join her as spies, even at the risk of being hanged if they were caught (4). Among Harriet Tubman were many other African American women who served as nurses, spies and scouts. Although, no women were allowed to formally join the army. When black troops were captured by the confederate soldiers, they faced harsher punishments than the white troops. In 1863 the Confederate Congress threatened to punish officers of African American troops and enslave the African Americans, if they were captured. As a result of this, President Lincoln issued General Order 233, which threatened payback on Confederate prisoners of war, if they mistreated African American troops. This order did scare the Confederates a little, but African American soldiers were still treated harsher than whites. In one of the worst examples of this abuse, Confederate soldiers shot to death black Union soldiers, captures at Fort Pillow, TN, in 1864(). Confederate General Nathan B. Forrest witnessed it all and did nothing to stop it. The President, Abraham Lincoln, issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. This proclamation eventually led to the freedom of all slaves. The document officially made free all bondsmen in the areas of the Confederacy that were still in rebellion. Slavery although was not abolished in the Border States, Tennessee, or the Union occupied areas of Louisiana and Virginia. The proclamation only affected the states in rebellion, so after the efforts it didn’t actually free any slaves. On the other hand, it did strengthen the Northern war efforts, because they knew they were fighting for a cause. Over five hundred thousand slaves had escaped to the North by the end of the civil war. Many of the escapees joined the Union Army, which tremendously increased its power. As a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, the thirteenth Amendment was created. The Amendment created on December 18, 1865, legally freed all slaves still in bondage. The final step the Emancipation Proclamation was to depress England and France from arriving to the war on the side of the South. England and France wanted to enter the war on the South side, because the South had supplied them both with cotton and tobacco. England and Frances stance changed when they heard that the war had changed to a fight over slavery. Both nations were opposed to slavery, so ended up giving their support to the Union. That led to the winning of the fight for freedom. Juneteenth was the day created to celebrate the emancipation, when the slaves heard about it that midsummer. The holiday is still celebrated today. Abraham Lincoln said, A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved. I do not expect the house to fall, but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. (3) African Americans along with the rest of the Union were fighting for this freedom and equality that Abraham Lincoln, was talking about. African American contributions were not limited to the role of working the fields in the south or supplying labor for industry in the north. Many African Americans in both south and north participated in either direct or supporting roles in the military. The War Between the States proved to be a war fought for democracy. The liberation that the slaves had been waiting for, recovered the ideas that founded the United States of America. All men were equal under the law. Since, the African Americans made such a persistent effort the changes were made more quickly. Africans pushed for their own emancipation by resisting their masters and other labor tasks. Although a formal Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment freed blacks in America, it would be a long time before they received all the rights they deserved. The minds of Americans had been so engrained with racism only decades of hard work would lessen this. Works Cited 1) Freeman, Elsie, Wynell Burroughs Schamel, and Jean West. The Fight for Equal Rights: A Recruiting Poster for Black Soldiers in the Civil War. Social Education 56, 2 (February 1992): 118-120. 2) Blacks in the Civil War. †. Colorado College. Web. 3 Mar 2013. http://www2. coloradocollege. edu/Dept/HY/Hy243Ruiz/Research/civilwar. html.

Friars dress Essay Example for Free

Friars dress Essay Chaucer pays close attention to the richness of the Friars dress with: lyk a maister or pope, of double worstede was his semycope.. Even so, the Frairs appearance is innocent and pure his nekke whit was as the flour-de-lys. And althoughthis is all that is given of his physical appearance it implies that he is even more dangerous as he is a wolf in sheeps clothing and hence almost devil-like. This imagery is echoed in the monks description: He is intimating, a manly man who is ful fat and in good point, which suggests of his luxury lifestyle. The narrator is obviously intimidated by him saying And I seyed his opinion was good implying that he was afraid to oppose him and therefore indicating that the monk appears to be a man capable of standing up for himself to quite an extent, hence silencing others, who dont want to test this capability! The image of an aggressive and imposing figure does not go hand in hand with that of a monk. Indeed, the narrator states ; his eyen stepe, and rollinge in his head, that stemed as a forney of a leed. This imagery also suggests a devil-like connotation that is clearly hyperbole, but must have had a great effect on the narrator for him to use it. The sense of the varied Medevil society in trios vocation is only suble, i.e. the first stays in a convent, anther preaches about God and the last one can take confession. But where the sense of variet is more evident is in the fact that the extent to which they mix up, or rather become confused between their duty to god and their love of the more material world and its pleasures. Here the main contrast between the characters is the strength of criticism. I.e. The prioress only receives slight criticisms of minor faults but on the whole it is delivered with affection and used to poke fun at her. But the portrait of the Friar presents us with a cynically ironic view on the way that the smarmy, sly and selfish villain works. Also, the trios priorites for God become less pronounced as we move down the list of portraits. The prioress seems to think of herself as a courtly romantic saviour, but it is presented as a cute little nuance, and the monk who would rather be having fun than doing boring jobs that will turn him wood. But the reader feels that it is understandable and rather a humane reaction. But the Friar is positively working against God and defeating society.

The Daily Problems Of Foreign Language Learners English Language Essay

The Daily Problems Of Foreign Language Learners English Language Essay Language learning is a very complex process and foreign language learners face great number of problems daily, while they try different strategies and educational tools to master the foreign language in the best possible way. One of the areas which seems have made trouble for language learners is the pragmatic competence which has also drawn attention of those who are interested in language teaching to itself. [P]ragmatic competence . . . is understood as the knowledge of the linguistic resources available in a given language for realising particular illocutions, knowledge of the sequential aspects of speech acts, and finally, knowledge of the appropriate contextual use of the particular languages linguistic resources (Anne Barron, 2003 : 10). Pragmatic rules are essential for a successful interaction with other people for language learners and they should learn them the right way, otherwise it will lead to misunderstanding or total failure of conveying and receiving the message and the speaker will unintentionally be considered as rude or insensitive person. The research that here wants to be reviewed wants to find what are differences between kind of refusal strategies of EFL learners in situations that deals with pragmatic competence (Allami Naeimi, 2009). The Researchers found that cultural factors play great role in learners conceptualization and verbalization of the speech acts, even though the learners may have access to wide range of speech acts and realization strategies as native speakers do as well. Research Questions Three questions which were posed in the research are as follow (Allami Naeimi, 2009): 1. What are the most common semantic formulas used by Iranian learners at different pro ¬Ã‚ ciency levels with regard to the contextual variables of the status of interlocutors (higher, equal, or lower) and the eliciting acts (requests, invitations, offers, and suggestions)? 2. What are the areas of difference between Iranian EFL learners and American speakers with regard to the strategies employed to make refusals? 3. If Iranian EFL learners refusals are different from those of the American native speakers, does the L2 pro ¬Ã‚ ciency of the Iranian learners affect their possible pragmatic transfer or not? Theoretical framework Different studies have tried to show that if learners want to give appropriate speech act to a given speech event pragmatic competence has a major role in it. Fraser de ¬Ã‚ ned pragmatic competence as the knowledge of how an addressee determines what a speaker is saying and recognizes intended illocutionary force conveyed through subtle attitudes in the speakers utterance (Allami Naeimi, 2009: 2). Rintell is one of scholar who has worked deeper than the other scholars in field of speech acts and he believes that L2 learners utterances for some specific communications purposes are because of their pragmatic ability (2009: 2). In addition, L2 learners should have enough knowledge of L2 sociocultural limitations so that they would have acceptable pragmatic level. According to Wolfson choosing appropriate pragmatic strategies is crucial for speech act ability (2009: 2). Moreover, social class and culture have effect on choosing those strategies. The main theory which Allami and Naeim i have tried to focused on is that the different cultures and languages make different pragmatic competence in the minds of people and there is a good chance that learners L1 interfere with learners L2 pragmatic competence, even though their command of L2 can be very good. Methodology of Research There are three questions which were posed by researchers and they were mentioned earlier (Allami Naeimi, 2009: 2). Researchers used experimental research method in which independent variables were learners language proficiency (lower-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate) status of interlocutors (lower, equal and higher) and types of eliciting acts (requests, invitations, offer and suggestions) and the dependent measures were the realization of the strategies. The researchers chose 30 participants which their native language is Persian and all of them were undergraduate males, within the age range of 16 and 29. The data used in the research was collected through a written Discourse Completion Test (DCT) which was in the form of a questionnaire presented some natural situations to which the respondents were expected to respond when making refusals. The reason why 30 participants were chose was that it has been claimed that in using the DCT for interlanguage speech act st udies, questionnaires with 30 subjects will serve as an appropriate guide (2009: 5). The participants were divided into three different groups of 10 upper-intermediate, 10 intermediate and 10 lower-intermediate students at a Language Institute in Yazd. In order to have a pertinent cross-linguistic examination of the speech act of refusal responses to the same DCT conducted by another American researcher were also analyzed. There were 37 Americans responses to the same DCT which was conducted by Kwon (2009: 5). The American participants in the research were between 18 and 22 years of age and they were all students from Boston. The DCT consisted of three requests, three invitations and three asks a favor of the other person. In each situation type were supposed to refuse a person of higher status, one to a person of equal status, and one to a person of lower status. There were a second group of participants who were asked to answer DCT which was translated into Persian and the purpose of designing this DCT was to compare semantic formulas used by Persian native speakers with those of the EFL learners. DCT was given to learners and they were asked not to think about the given situations thoroughly and they are just supposed to respond quickly. All of the respondents returned their papers within 20-30 minutes and the researcher were there all the time while the subjects were writing the answers. The Reponses were compared in terms of language forms with the 31 native speakers responses in Persian, and with 37 native speakers responses in English. Researchers in order to be analytically honest analyzed components of each speech act present in the responses; the produced refusals were parsed into strategies (2009: 6). Data Analysis Taxonomy of refusal developed by Beebe was the basis of coding all data in the research. Units used in analysis were semantic formulas. According to Cohen definition of semantic formula is a word, phrase, or sentence that meets a particular semantic criterion or strategy; any one or more of these can be used to perform the act in questions (Allami Naeimi, 2009: 6). Through this study new categories of semantic formulas were identified. Number of strategies in each refusal indicated complexity of speech act of refusal. The average number of semantic formulas used by the American respondents, Iranian Persian speakers and EFL learners were 4.00, 3.10 and 3.30 respectively. Regarding numbers which were gained it was shown that Americans use more semantic formulas, but variety of Iranians strategies were significantly more. Analyzing each of the semantic formulas in detail is a big task so researchers focused on similarities and differences among three groups of American native speakers, Iranian EFL learners and Persian native speakers answering the translated DCT. Another factor which was taken into consideration was the shift of frequencies of semantic formulas regarding the status of interlocutors. For higher status a boss, lower status an employee, a salesman, a student and a cleaning lady and for equal status a classmate and a friend were used. Arguments One of the things that researchers of this article are looking for is whether L1 might influence the L2 or not (Allami Naeimi, 2009: 15). Majority of EFL learners cannot have interaction with native speakers therefore they do not have good knowledge of semantic formulas or the way they should be used in different situations. Linguistic and cultural differences affect the way language is used by the language learners because the way people provide a speech act regarding a speech event is culture bound. Iranian learners are more sensitive about the status level of interlocutor and used different strategies, whereas Americans used a same pattern regardless of the status level. In other words, Iranians are more concerned with the face saving act rather than Americans. Americans are more specific and clear in their responses rather than Iranians. The researchers work result was along with positive correlation hypothesis which was suggested by Takahashi and Beebe, in which language profic iency has effect on pragmatic transfer (2009: 16). Article Results Some of interesting findings in the research were as follow: Iranian English learners were depending on their native culture-specific refusal strategies was the direct refusal Americans subjects were more concrete and specific when it came to refusing a high status person in comparison with Iranian participants in the study. The main goal of doing this research among Iranian EFL learners was because of lack attention to sociocultural and sociolinguistic factors. If EFL learners are not aware these factors it will lead to their misunderstanding of the concept in real-life situations when they are communicating with native speakers. The outcomes of this research supported that there is great difference between using speech acts in different cultures and languages. Teachers of second language should increase students knowledge level of target language pragmatic competence and how they should deal with different speech events in proper way. Conclusion The researchers have tried to go deep and find why EFL learners do not interact in the same way as native speakers do especially when it comes to speech acts which in this research refusal was the case. One of good points about this research is that in the procedure of it researchers tried to be as honest as possible by considering all the aspects in their data analysis. Another good point about this research was previous studies which were done in the same field by different researchers, therefore the researchers made a laid a good background and comparison in their task. However, there are some downsides in this research as well. One of the shortcomings in the research is lack elaboration for status of a person in the cultures of Iran and America. According to Foley à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ understanding of what kind of person they are vis-à  -vis the other interlocutor is embodied in their habitus. To the extent they rate of higher rank, the habitus will enact that proper demeanor in bodi ly and linguistic practices à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Foley, 1997: 260). If someone does not know exact definition of person within a culture and society then certainly he or she will not interact properly in that culture or society the person is a social concept made up of local notions of the ones rights and obligations, and hence varies crossculturally (Foley, 1997 : 263). Another problem was choosing only males as participant in this research. Woods believed that gender has a great role in conversations especially at work place the gender was the most significant factor determining speech behavior, more important than status. With respect to patterns of interruption, higher status people were more likely to interrupt successfully than lower status conversational partners, but men of lower status were still usually successful in interrupting a higher status female speaker (Foley, 1997 : 294).

Leslie Marmon Silkos Lullaby, Storyteller, and Yellow Woman Essay exam

Leslie Marmon Silko's Lullaby, Storyteller, and Yellow Woman Leslie Marmon Silko?s work is set apart due to her Native American Heritage. She writes through ?Indian eyes? which makes her stories very different from others. Silko is a Pueblo Indian and was educated in one of the governments? BIA schools. She knows the culture of the white man, which is not uncommon for modern American Indians. Her work is powerful and educating at the same time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this paper, I will discuss three different works by Silko (Lullaby, Storyteller, and Yellow Woman). Each of the stories will be discussed according to plot, style, and social significance. After that, I will relate Silko?s work to other literary genies and analyze her work as a whole. ?Lullaby';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character in this story is a woman named Ayah. Ayah is a Native American who lives in a shack with her husband and two children. She is not very close to her husband, (Chato), but she is very loyal to him. This is the way of a Navajo Woman, being loyal to your husband and family. Chato was a well-spoken man who spoke both English and Spanish in addition to his native language. The worst thing that happened to Ayah was the loss of her two children to the welfare board. They were either sick or she wasn?t providing for them. She wasn?t taking care of them in a way that pleased the whites; however, she raised her children beautifully in the Native American tradition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Lullaby'; is full of Native Ame...

Civilian Conservation Corps and the Great Depression Essay -- American

Civilian Conservation Corps and the Great Depression â€Å" Our greatest task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the government itself, treating the task as we would threat the emergency of war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and recognize the use of our national resources.† Franklin D. Roosevelt March 4, 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt indeed turned the lives of many young male Americans around. During a time when our economy was in the greatest depression in U.S. history, he gave them hope and a light at the end of the tunnel by providing them with a more stable lifestyle than was available anywhere else. Many people lost their jobs as factories and businesses closed, and the job opportunities for male youths were nonexistent. At first, people believed it was a disgrace to accept public assistance, but the Great Depression changed that attitude. Both public and private programs tried to help those who had no money. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) may be one of the greatest contributions to American citizens during this time of need. The Civilian Conservation Corps was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to create jobs after the depression. In 1932, as governor of New York, he introduced the idea of using 10,000 men who were on public relief to plant trees. During his 1932 Democratic Party presidential nomination acceptance speech, he proposed giving employment to a million men in forestry across the nation. The proposed CCC would take two-hundred and fifty thousand unemployed young men to work on federal and state owned lan... ... still surviving. CCC alumni have donated many of the photographs and artifacts depicting their day-to-day life and accomplishments to the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum in Grayling, MI. Roosevelt’s project truly made an impact on many American lives and helped to turn the economy around during one of our country’s lowest points. Works Cited â€Å"Civilian Conservation Corps Museum.† www.sos.state.mi.us/history/museum/museccc/index.html. Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Department of State. 26 April 2000 Moyryla, Uno B. Personal Interview. 20 April 2000. Pictorial Review: Fort Brady District, Company 3613. 1940 ed. Wetmore, MI. Rosentreter, Roger L. â€Å"Roosevelt’s Tree Army: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Michigan.† Michigan History Magazine May/June 1986: 14-23. Smith, Clyde. â€Å"Youth Needed Corps Jobs Badly.† The Daily Mining Gazette.