Trends in Mining Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 98

Trends in Mining Industry - Case Study Example Aluminum cost is going even lower in China beyond much of other countries. This is due to the funding by the Chinese government which has now reduced competition for the aluminum product from China. Silver and copper are amongst those expected to drop as well, however, this may not be immediate but rather gradual. Diamond and gemstone are the minerals whose mining are expected to experience a boom realizing the largest industry growth in Australia. The mining industry in Australia has experienced a tremendous growth over time and is thus expected to affect a change in the mining industry. However, explorations or mines are in a downturn. There is slush in companies’ exploration budgets. Additionally, there is a plummet of about 30% in the exploration of non-ferrous metals. Thus the focus is shifting away from the exploration of minerals to production. The nursery sector of mining is shrinking due to a rise in troubled small miners. Small miners are experiencing problems due to lack of economies of scale. Costs are likely to careen beyond control due to the resultant pullback in the budgets for exploration threatening to widen the rift between supply and demand. The mining sector is in a decline falling with over 7.5% in 2014. The effects of these challenges have subsequently made companies mothball their projects as well as cap capacity. Therefore only an adoption of new ways of business will break this cycle. Nonetheless, CIBC world Market projects a likely rise in gold at about $US1383 per ounce as silver on the other end is to fall to about $US22.81 per ounce similarly, copper will experience a drop to $US3.17 per pound. A critical evaluation of Dicores customers and Dicores competitors shows the table below using strengths, weakness risks and opportunity (Amin, Razmi, & Zhang, 2011).

Courage in to Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example for Free

Courage in to Kill a Mockingbird Essay One likes to think of a hero, as strong, brave, and meeting all challenges head on. All the characters in this book have a different view as to what courage is, and they all show it in different ways through their everyday lives. Younger characters, like Jem and Scout, see the physical aspect of it, whereas Atticus believes this to be an extremely weak form of courage. He believes in the mental quality of courage. The ability to be in minority and not back down and to be able to change; he admires Mrs. Dubose for her acts of courage that are against all odds. For a younger character, like Scout, courage is often associated with a physical act that is usually dangerous. It is hard for young children to realize that courage can be shown in other aspects of life. Scout sees an example of courage in her father when he shoots the mad dog Tim Johnson (pg. 101). Although Atticus does not think of it as very courageous, Jem and Scout are proud of their father and the courage he showed in this dangerous situation. Atticus views courage on a more intellectual level, as a moral thing not something that can be proved with a weapon. Later on in the story, Jem and Scout encounter the vindictive, spiteful Mrs. Dubose who often shouts out racism directed at the passing children because of Atticus’ job. At one point she proclaimed, Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for! (pg. 111). When she blatantly made Atticus an object of ridicule like that, Jem decided that the best way to settle things was to ruin Mrs. Duboses camellias. Since he could not attack Mrs. Dubose directly, Jem decided to go for something close to her. He is committing a physical act of retaliation, which led to her suffering mental pain yet again. It was a cowardly act, for he dared not step up and confront her. After Atticus heard about this stunt, Jem was made to read to her every afternoon for a month. He now needed mental valour, and he did find it more difficult to source this than the physical bravery he was used to displaying. This is made apparent by him refusing to walk past her house alone, and because Jem was at first terrified of going to see her. Mrs. Dubose was a very sick woman, and had used morphine to ease her pain but was now addicted. It was her goal to leave the world beholden to nothing and nobody (pg. 120). She displayed what Atticus refers to as real courage. (pg. 121). She showed real courage because she does not have the luxury of standing there with a gun pointed at her addiction. One single attempt could not free her from the addiction. Rather, it had to be a many staged process over an extended period of time. It was shear determination and real courage that allowed her to accomplish her goal. It was not until after she died that Atticus explained to Jem and Scout how courageous the woman was because she knew she was dying but was still determined to die free of the morphine. She fought against great odds, even though she knew that she would surely die. Atticus tells his children that he wanted them to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. He also says that she was the bravest person he ever knew. (pg. 121) Real courage is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus Finch demonstrates real courage several times throughout the novel, in addition to the lessons that he teaches his children. The largest and most important example would be the trial of Tom Robinson. When Atticus took the case, he went up against Maycomb, a generally prejudiced town, in order to defend Tom. He understood that taking the case would make him an object of ridicule and that no one would forgive him for believing a black mans word over a white mans. Even his own sister expresses disapproval at his decision, practically telling him he was bringing disgrace to the family. Nevertheless, no matter how much his reputation suffered, he did not change his mind. Standing up for his morals and ethics was more important than what people thought about him. From the very start Atticus knows he will not win the case however he does his job and finishes what he set out to do. Atticuss strong sense of morality and justice motivates him to defend Tom Robinson with determination, giving it all he has. He shows this when he says, Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win. (pg. 82). He says this to Scout after she comes home from school angry at Cecil Jacobs for making fun of Atticus in the schoolyard. Atticus tells her to fight with her head instead of her fists. He wants the people of Maycomb to hear the truth about Tom, That boy may go to the chair, but hes not going till the truths told. (pg. 159). Atticus is putting everything a man holds dear, dignity, respect, honor and status, on the line to protect Tom. He later shows more bravery when he goes to the jailhouse to protect Tom from a mob. Without thinking twice, he rushed to Toms aid. He went willingly, knowing that if a mob did form he would be greatly outnumbered and would easily be beaten. Still, he put Toms well being ahead of his own welfare. While serving justice, Atticus also showed great courage. For example, he did not go along with Heck Tate when he told a lie about what really happened the night Bob Ewell was found stabbed to death. Atticus put his life and career on the line because he knew that, as an officer of the court, withholding information from an investigation could have gotten Mr. Tate thrown into jail. Nonetheless, like many times before, doing what was right and fair prevailed in Atticuss way of thinking. In addition, Atticus went against his moral code and principles he had always upheld before, when Atticus is faced with the decision of abiding by the law or breaking it in order to do the right thing. He knew that incarcerating a man like Arthur Radley would have been unforgivable, especially after Arthur had just performed a great deed by saving his childrens lives. He knew that exposing him would be an awful way of repaying him; it would have been like shooting a mockingbird. Therefore, Atticus chose to protect Boo from the public eye rather than abide by the law and his honest judicial ways he was so accustomed to follow. Sometimes it takes even more courage to set a new level of morals than to stay in one’s comfort zone. (pg. 297-302). The courage to change habits and thoughts is very important, because not everyone is able to do it. A very good example of this courage is when Atticus asked Scout not to fight anymore. When I committed myself to this act of cowardice. Word got around that Scout Finch wouldn’t fight anymore, her daddy wouldn’t let her. (pg. 97). That was a great act of courage because Scout used to fight a lot but as she had promised her father she would not fight anymore. Scout, like Jem does not want to disappoint Atticus, so she makes a change. In conclusion, Atticus shows praiseworthy courage and behaviour in many instances throughout the story, not by fighting or killing, but by standing up for what he believed in a civilized and determined way. His strongest motivation, however, were his children. He wants to be a good example for his kids and encourage in them a strong sense of moral value. One time Scout asks him why he had taken a case he knew he was not going to win and he responded by saying, For a number of reasons. The main one is, if I didnt I couldnt hold up my head in town, I couldnt represent this county in the legislature, I couldnt even tell you or Jem not to do something again. (pg. 82). In other words, he would not have been able to talk to his kids about justice and standing up for what one believes when he himself had not stood for what he believed in. The lessons taught by Atticus and Mrs. Dubose show Jem and Scout what it is to be courageous, to be able to change, to tell the truth and most importantly to stand up for their own beliefs. All qoutes from Lee, Harper, 1960, To kill a Mokingbird, London, Pan Books

Assessment And Repair Of Fire Damaged Structures Engineering Essay

Assessment And Repair Of Fire Damaged Structures Engineering Essay This chapter explains how a structure is assisted and repaired after the aftermath of a fire. Often the initial response when looking over a fire-damaged structure is one of despair and horror at the extent of damage. This situation is shown by the amount of non-structural debris lying around together with the unpleasant smell of many combustion products. In most cases, the damage is not as severe as is at first thought, even though immediate decisions must be taken on the short-term safety of the structure and whether any temporary propping is necessary or, indeed, whether some demolition work is necessary. This judgment will often need to be taken very quickly after the fire and will generally be based on a visual survey and expert judgement. It should be pointed out that the assessment of fire damaged structures is very much a black art in that it relies heavily on experience.. 4.1 Visual Inspection The aim of the visual inspection is to determine: Structural stability of the structure and The extent and severity of the fire. 4.1.2 Structural Stability If possible, the original drawings for the structure should be consulted at this stage these allow assessment of how the structure transmits the applied loading and enables the principal load carrying members to be identified, as well as those providing structural stability. The inspection needs to check any excessive deformation, deflection or cracking in the main load-carrying members and integrity at the connections between the main members (1). It is vital to check for structural stability if excessive bowing of structural elements such as masonry cladding or internal compartment walls, which would be observed in the inspection stage of a structure. Anywhere the fire has only affected part of the structure, it is crucial that the inspection also extend to any part of the structure not damaged indirectly by the fire; it is possible that a significant redistribution of forces can occur into the unaffected part of the structure. For a example in the Broadgate fire scenario when the structure behaved during the fire in a totally different manner to the way it was designed, in that forces were redistributed away from the fire by columns acting in tension to transmit forces to the relatively cool upper stories of the structure(2). 4.1.3 Estimation of fire severity The first method of obtaining a rough estimate of the fire severity is by the use of the fire brigade records in terms of the number of vehicles called out, the length of time taken to fight the fire, the length of time between the fire being noted and the arrival of the brigade, the operation of any automatic fire detection or fire fighting equipment and the degree of effort required to fight the fire. The second method is to estimate the temperature reached in the fire by studying the debris caused by the fire and therefore it is essential that no debris is removed until such a study is carried out in order to maintain evidence. Provided the materials generating the debris can be identified, the knowledge may be used to give an indication of temperature reached, since most materials have known specific melting or softening temperatures. Table.1 gives typical melting temperatures of different materials that could be found in a fire according to the Building Research Establishment (BRE). material Behaviour Approximate temperature (ËÅ ¡C) Softening or collapse of polystyrene 120 Melting of polystyrene 250 Aluminium softens 400 Aluminium melts 650 Softening of glass 700-800 Melting point of brass 800-1000 Melting point of sliver 950 Melting point of copper 1100 Melting point of cast iron 1100-1200 Table.1: melting point data (Source: Parker and Nurse (1956) BRE) It is very important that care is taken in consideration when using data as the temperatures varies over the height of a fire compartment; therefore the original position of a particular artefact is important. This method of assessment only gives an Indication that particular temperatures were reached but not the duration of exposure to that temperature. The third method that is available to give an estimate in terms of either the standard furnace test duration or a known fire, is to measure the charring depth on any sizeable piece of timber known to have been exposed to the fire from the start of the fire. The charring depth can be related back to the standard furnace exposure since timber of known, or established, density can be assumed to char at a constant rate between 30 and 90 min standard exposure. The position of the timber specimen in the compartment should also be noted. A fourth method is to calculate the fire severity from estimates of the compartment size, the fire load density and the area of openings (ventilation factor). In practice, no one of the above methods is completely reliable and therefore a combination of methods must be used to give a reasonable answer. The visual inspection, once carried out, will have identified those areas which must be either immediately demolished (where the damage is beyond that capable of being repaired) or those areas which may be capable of being repaired if sufficient strength can be attained (1). The inspection will also identify where there is no, or only very apparent damage. If repair of a structure is considered feasible, then a much more detailed investigation is required to ascertain the extent and severity of any damage and the residual strength of the structure. To do this, it is first necessary to clear all debris from the structure and to clean as much smoke damage as possible to allow an unhindered examination of all surfaces. 4.2 Damage Assessment In order to carry out any assessment of damage on a steel structure a number of stages needs to be carried out. The first stage involves a complete fully detailed survey of the structure. The second stage ascertains the residual strength of both the individual members and of the complete structure. 4.2.1 Structural survey For all structures, the first stage is to carry out, where appropriate, a full line and level survey. This is required to assess the residual deformations and deflections in the structure. The measured deflections should be compared with those for which the structure was designed. Care should be taken to note the effect of any horizontal movements due to thermal actions during the fire. Such effects of horizontal movement are often apparent away from the seat of the fire (Malhotra, 1978; Beitel and Iwankiw, 2005). In steel structures, since most structural steels regain more strength on cooling, there will be a slight loss in strength. However, the resultant deformations are likely to indicate the state of the structure. In this case, it is important to assess the integrity of the connections; it is possible that bolts could have failed within the connection or could have become excessively deformed. Where the floors comprise of profile sheet steel decking and in situ concrete, examination should be made for any separation between the decking and the beams. This separation can still occur even if thorough deck stud welding was used. Another potential point of failure is the shear bond between the decking and the in situ concrete. Fig 4.1 shows concrete separated away from the metal deck floor. Even with substantial damage of the types mentioned above, the structure may still be intact as demonstrated after the fire tests on the steel frame structures at Cardington (Bailey, 2004a)(6). Fig 4.1 Measurement of the gap of concrete gap after the fire (http://www.google.ie/images) Whilst carrying out the visual survey, attention should be given to the need for carrying tests on the structural materials to ascertain their residual strengths. The testing methods used may either be non-destructive or involve the taking of samples from damaged portions on the structure, together with control specimens from undamaged areas. 4.3 Testing There are two approaches that may be used to assess residual steel strengths for steel. The first is to remove test coupons or samples and subject those specimens to a standard tensile test.Fig.4.1 shows test results for a piece of S350GD+Z structural steel. Great Care should taken in removing test specimens in that the damaged structure is not further weakened, and that again any necessary propping should be used. Fig 4.2 Tensile test results for structural steel S350GD+Z, the test pieces taken before and after high temperature compression tests, where the material reached temperatures up to 950 °C, (Y. C. Wang P6) The second is to use non-destructive tests of which the most suitable is a hardness indentation test usually measuring the Brinell hardness. There is a direct, sensibly linear, relationship between the Brinell hardness number (BHN) and tensile strength as shown in fig.4.2. It is important that care is taken in using this test since a number of results are needed before the strength estimates are statistically reliable. Fig4.2: Relationship between steel strengths and Brinell hardness number (BHN) (Kirby, Lapwood and Thompson, 1986, p 370). 4.3.1 Residual strength For Grade 43A (S275) steel there is no residual strength loss based on the 0,2% proof s0 tress when the steel is heated to temperatures up to 600à ¢- ¦C but a 30% reduction at a temperature of 1000à ¢- ¦C(5). The variation in residual strength between these temperatures is sensibly linear. The pattern for Grade 50D (S355 J2) steel is similar except that the strength loss at 1000à ¢- ¦C is only about 15%. It should be noted that in all the tests, except for the American steel at 800à ¢- ¦C, the measured tensile strengths exceeded the minimum guaranteed yield strength. Data on such steels are presented in Fig. 4.4 (Holmes et al., 1982), where it is seen that the yield strength for reinforcing steel shows an increase above ambient strength at temperatures below about 550à ¢- ¦C, but a decrease at temperatures above 550à ¢- ¦C. Pre-stressing steels show no change in strength below 300à ¢- ¦C, but a substantial drop after this point such that at 800à ¢- ¦C only around 50% of strength remains Wrought iron appears to show a marginal strength increase at temperatures up to 900à ¢- ¦C and thus appears able to perform well in a fire provided however, that excessive deformations do not occur. Cast iron will also perform reasonably well unless undue large bending moments are applied to the member during the fire. The good fire performance in real structures is in part due to the very low stresses to which cast iron members were subjected in design. One problem that can occur is that brittle failure is possible if cast iron is quenched by cold water from firemens hoses whilst still red-hot, or if additional loads are induced during the fire (7). Fig.4.4: Variation of residual strengths of reinforcing and pre-stressing steels with temperature (Holmes et al., 1982). 4.4 Methods of repair As far as steelwork is concerned, any repair will be in the form of partial replacement where the original structure has deformed beyond the point at which it can be reused. Where the steelwork is still intact, it is almost certain that the fire protection system used will need partial or total replacement. Any intumescent paint systems will certainly need renewing. 4.5 Demolition of fire damaged structures Clearly, the same safety hazards that exist for structures being demolished for reasons other than fire damage exist for those so damaged; except that problems of stability are exacerbated for fire-damaged structures as the structure itself is naturally weaker, often to such an extent that little physical effort may be needed for demolition. 4.6 Re-use of steel after a fire An often quoted general rule for fire affected hot rolled structural steels is that if the steel is straight and there are no obvious distortions then the steel is probably still fit for use. At 600 °C the yield strength of steel is equal to about 40% of its room temperature value; it follows therefore that any steel still remaining straight after the fire and which had been carrying an appreciable load was probably not heated beyond 600 °C, will not have undergone any metallurgical changes and will probably be fit for re-use. However, where the load in the fire was less than the full design load, and also with high strength steels, this cannot always be held to be true. In such cases it is recommended that hardness tests are carried out on the affected steel. In practice it is recommended that, in all instances, some hardness tests should be carried out. For grade S275 steel, if the ultimate tensile strength resulting from the tests are within the range specified in  the table 2 below, then the steel is reusable. Table.2Ultimatetensilestrengths (source:http://www.corusconstruction.com/en/design_guidance/structural_design) For grade S355 steel additional tensile test coupons should be taken from fire affected high strength steel members when hardness tests show that: There is more than 10% difference in hardness compared to non-fire affected steelwork, or Hardness test results indicate that the strength is within 10% of the specified minimum. Where deflections are visible, general guidelines on the maximum permissible levels of deflection to ensure satisfactory performance are difficult to specify. The amount of deflection or distortion must be checked so that its effect under load can be calculated to ensure that permissible stresses are not exceeded and the functioning of the building is not impaired. Therefore every building should be considered as a separate case and the structural engineer involved in the reinstatement exercise must decide what level is acceptable to satisfy the relevant Codes. 4.7 Conclusion It can be concluded that the assessment of steel structures after a fire is crucial in order to judge the structural stability of the structure and seen can the building can be reused after the fire. Steel structure can behave different that they have been designed for and this can have a effect on the structural stability of the building, for example the broadgate fire behaved in a different manner than it designed for. It is essential that testing of steel is carried out after the fire in order to see if the steel is capable of been reused.It can be conclude that for Grade 43A steel there is no residual strength loss based on the 0,2% proof stress when the steel is heated to temperatures up to 600à ¢- ¦C but a 30% reduction at a temperature of 1000à ¢- ¦C. The variation in residual strength and temperatures has a linear relationship as they are directly proportional to each other. [1] Steel Construction Industry Forum (SCIF), 1991. Structural Fire Engineering: Investigation of Broadgate Phase 8 Fire, Steel Construction Institute, UK. [2] Fire Safety Engineering Design of Structures Second Edition John A. Purkiss BSc(Eng), PhD [3] Outinen,J.Mà ¤kelà ¤inen,P.,2004.Mechanical properties of structural steel at elevated temperatures and after cooling Fire and Materials, 28 (2-4), pp. 237-251. [4] Kirby, B.R., Lapwood, D.G. Thomson, G., 1986. The Reinstatement of Fire Damaged Steel and Iron Framed Structures, British Steel Corporation (now Corus), London, p. 46 [5] Wang Y.C., Wald F., Tà ¶rà ¶k A., Hajpà ¡l M., 2008. Fire damaged structures, in Technical sheets Urban habitat constructions under catastrophic events, Print PraÃ…Â ¾skà ¡ technika, Czech Technical University in Prague. [6] Bailey, C.G. (2004b) Structural Fire Engineering Design: Materials Behaviour- Steel, Digest 487 Part 2, BRE. [7] Holmes, M., Anchor, R.D., Cooke, G.M.E., and Crook, R.N. (1982) The effects of elevated temperatures on the strength properties of reinforcing and prestressing steels. Structural Engineer, 60B, 7-13 [8] Barnfield,J.R. and Porter, A.M. (1984) Historic buildings and fire; fire performance of cast-iron structural elements. Structural Engineer, 62A, 373-80. 4.0 Assessment and repair of fire-damaged structures 4.1 Visual Inspection 4.1.2 Structural Stability 4.1.3 Estimation of fire severity 4.2 Damage Assessment 4.2.1 Structural survey 4.3 Testing 4.3.1 Residual strength 4.4 Methods of repair 4.5 Demolition of Fire-Damaged Structures

Free College Essays - Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter - Only God Should Judge :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter: Only God Should Judge    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter many moral issues come to mind. For one, the book is about an adulteress trying to live her life in an old Puritan town. This is especially hard since the man who has committed this sin with her, known as Arthur Dimmesdale, refuses to confess his part in her crime. The town has many convictions of whom or what Hester is which makes it impossible for Hester to live a happy normal life. The thoughts on adultery were not very good at the time of the puritans. Many people were banished from society or even killed as a result of it. Hester’s punishment is relatively light because of her age and beauty. She is forced to wear a scarlet â€Å"A† on her breast for the rest of her life so that all can see her shame. But for Hester, Death would have been a much more welcomed punishment. As a result of her action and punishment she ends up a sad and shameful old woman that is never released from her shame. Seeing her bravery, Dimmesdale confesses to having committed adultery also and then dies of faintness of heart. Hester dies years later and not even in death is she released for on her grave only a dark gloom surrounds, never any light. The Scarlet Letter is a book that involves the perception of adultery, thoughts about it, and the result from it. To begin, the perceptions on Hester as shown throughout the novel are not at all good ones. Some people think she is a witch, this is shown when a true witch asked her if she will be joining them later that night in the forest for a witches gathering: â€Å"Hist, Hist Wilt thou go with us to-night?...†(pg.80). Other people think that Hester is somehow involved with Satan by directly relating the scarlet letter with evil or supernatural: â€Å" the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the passageway of the interior.†(pg.48) The women of the town also highly frown upon her action and when she is standing atop the scaffold they mock her by saying such things as â€Å"†¦before this brazen hussy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg.26) The town believes what she did is wrong and immoral, which it is, but what they don’t realize is that it isn’t because she is a witch or a demon of Satan and certainly not shameless. Free College Essays - Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter - Only God Should Judge :: Scarlet Letter essays The Scarlet Letter: Only God Should Judge    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter many moral issues come to mind. For one, the book is about an adulteress trying to live her life in an old Puritan town. This is especially hard since the man who has committed this sin with her, known as Arthur Dimmesdale, refuses to confess his part in her crime. The town has many convictions of whom or what Hester is which makes it impossible for Hester to live a happy normal life. The thoughts on adultery were not very good at the time of the puritans. Many people were banished from society or even killed as a result of it. Hester’s punishment is relatively light because of her age and beauty. She is forced to wear a scarlet â€Å"A† on her breast for the rest of her life so that all can see her shame. But for Hester, Death would have been a much more welcomed punishment. As a result of her action and punishment she ends up a sad and shameful old woman that is never released from her shame. Seeing her bravery, Dimmesdale confesses to having committed adultery also and then dies of faintness of heart. Hester dies years later and not even in death is she released for on her grave only a dark gloom surrounds, never any light. The Scarlet Letter is a book that involves the perception of adultery, thoughts about it, and the result from it. To begin, the perceptions on Hester as shown throughout the novel are not at all good ones. Some people think she is a witch, this is shown when a true witch asked her if she will be joining them later that night in the forest for a witches gathering: â€Å"Hist, Hist Wilt thou go with us to-night?...†(pg.80). Other people think that Hester is somehow involved with Satan by directly relating the scarlet letter with evil or supernatural: â€Å" the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the passageway of the interior.†(pg.48) The women of the town also highly frown upon her action and when she is standing atop the scaffold they mock her by saying such things as â€Å"†¦before this brazen hussy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg.26) The town believes what she did is wrong and immoral, which it is, but what they don’t realize is that it isn’t because she is a witch or a demon of Satan and certainly not shameless.

Extended School Day Essay

Imagine you are a seven-year-old whose’s parents work until five each night. When you come home after school there is no one home with you. What could you get into? You might know right from wrong but you still might get yourself into some trouble. Just out of plain curiosity you might get into something or an accident could happen without you even being involved in it. But I say there is a way to stop this from ever happening. I think we should either keep schools open longer or introduce more after school programs. Many advantages would come from either of these ideas. For one the parents would not have to be in a state of worry about whether their child is safe at home or in trouble. Plus you always have that added guilt about not being able to help your kids with their homework. Now with either longer days or more after school programs a lot of stress could be taken away from your family. No more having to pay for sitters which could stress out a families finances. Also th e dangers of the kids being home and getting into trouble would be cut down severely. And also with the longer days or more after school programs parents would be able to get home, at least one parent would be home, to pick their kids off the bus. I wanted to suggest some programs I feel would help out with the problem at hand. These programs would be a reading and math after school program. One program I would suggest is a reading after school program. It is said that today, too many children fail to read at a level we would expect for the grade they are in. In a study done in 1998, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that, thirty eight percent of our nation’s fourth graders failed to read at the basic level. That fact alone says we must enforce more after school programs. Now they also found that sixty-four percent of African American and sixty percent of Hispanic American fourth graders read below the basic level. This shows we need to not only put these programs in suburban schools but also city schools. Research has shown that students who are behind in reading can catch up to grade level with additional reading instruction and tutoring after school and in the summer. And that is what I am trying to put in effect. We all know that to succeed in school all students need good reading skills, and that’s just a fact. Another program that I think is good is a mathematics after school Program. I has been found that students who take rigorous mathematics courses are much more likely to go on to college and into promising careers than those who do not. And with technology becoming more prevalent in the workplace, the need for employees with mathematics backgrounds has greatly increased. In my research I have found that far too many students finish middle and junior high school without developing a solid foundation in algebra and geometry. Research done by the international comparative assessments said that U.S. student achievement in mathematics falls below the average in the middle grades. We need to help improve this. I think some other important facts help support my case for the longer school day and the after school programs in this little cha rt. Some reasons why the public supports after school programs: *Over 28 million school-age children have both parents or their only parent in the workforce. *At least 5 million children — and possibly as many as 15 million — are left alone at home each week. *Many children, especially low-income children, lose ground in reading if they are not engaged in organized learning over the summer. *Experts agree that school-age children who are unsupervised during the hours after school are more likely to receive poor grades and drop out of school than those who are involved in supervised, constructive activities. *Statistics show that most juvenile crime takes place between the hours of 2:00 and 8:00 pm, and that children are also at much greater risk of being the victims of crime during the hours after school. Here is another chart showing that after school programs enhance a child’s academic achievement. *Participants in after-school programs:* *Show increased interest and ability in reading *Develop new skills and interests *Show improved school attendance, increased engagement in school, and reduced dropout rate *Turn in more and better quality homework and can spend more time on task *Are held back or placed in special education classes less frequently *Show higher aspirations for the future, including intention to complete high school and go to college. These facts are real. This is why I picked trying to make a longer day and more after school programs. And with these two programs the numbers will go up. I plan on adding more programs to what I have wrote in here. But I think implementing a longer school day and these after school programs should help not only the parents of these children but the children themselves.

Yvon chouinard essays

Yvon chouinard essays Yvon Chouinard started a clothing line called Patagonia in 1973. The line uses only organic materials to distribute its products. With his company he had a passion, to make the best quality product in the world. His business began to take off quickly, by the early 80s he had a very high selling product called the sinkhole. But by the late 80s that all came to a stop, mainly because of financial problems that had occurred within the company. Then he decided to take a break and bring only the most important people to Patagonia. There 12 of them sat down to ask themselves exactly why they were in business. The y came to the conclusion they were growing into the society. That all humans are consumers, meaning one that destroys or uses up. That we are the cause of all problems, and that we have to find out what causes not what cures. He then began to study different kinds of business. European business is what interested him most. American business only offered part of the sol ution said Yvon Chouinard. After the rtip back Patagonia and him began to live by that creed that they have to find the cause before the cure. Like Yvon Chouinard put it, We have to find the causes of our problems to find our solutions. In closing, I enjoyed the speech a lot. Mainly because of the way he lives his life. He lives a life that is very close to nature, whether its rock climbing, surfing, cross country skiing its always in some way close to nature. ...